Coming off a great event where Nick "The Goat" Thompson got a recent win, Lacey and Randall Shuckman are set to be the first couple to compete in the same MMA event.
History will be made on April 12th, 2008 at the TUFF-N-UFF Amateur Fighting Championships at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino located in the heart of Las Vegas. Lacey Whitlatch had her first amateur fight on TUFF-N-UFF's PRO/AM show and is looking forward to come back to fight for TUFF-N-UFF.
Her last fight she had the MMA icon, "Big" John McCarthy working as referee for her fight.
She is now scheduled to fight Katie "The Shuriken" Tompkins fighting out of Five Dragons Martial Arts in Santa Rosa, CA. Katie holds a Black belt in Kempo Karate and is anxious to make her MMA debut.Lacey (now Schuckman) married her childhood sweetheart, Randall Shuckman that will be taking on David Good.Both men reside in nearby Colorado and they have wanted to fight for a long time. The Shuckman's have wanted to fight on the same card for a long time and hope to be victorious.
This is also a major 1st as it is a "ammy" show in Vegas, not something they were allowing before.
Monday, March 31, 2008
EliteXC Announces Three Shows.
EliteXC is set for a busy next few months, which is great news for fight fans.On April 5 Showtime will broadcast a six-bout ShoXC event called the Elite Challenger Series. The event will feature undefeated rising prospect Jared Hamman (9-0) as he takes on promising prospect Poia Suganuma (8-1) in an exciting heavyweight clash at the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, CA.Then on May 31 EliteXC will team up with CBS to bring MMA to network television in primetime. The card will feature Kimbo Slice versus an, as yet, unnamed opponent and Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith.EliteXC is planning to follow that card with a June 14th card set to air again on Showtime which will feature Jake Shields vs. Drew Fickett, J.K. Noons vs. Yves Edwards and Nick Diaz against Mushin Corbbrey.
by Joe Tamez - http://www.myspace.com/joetmz74
by Joe Tamez - http://www.myspace.com/joetmz74
Rachelle Leah coming soon
To a Playboy magazine near you..
That’s right, numerous sources are reporting the former UFC Octagon Girl and current host of “UFC All Access,” Rachelle Leah, will grace the cover of Playboy sometime in the near future.
No exact date is known at this time.
No exact date is known at this time.
by Joe Tamez - http://www.myspace.com/joetmz74
Sunday, March 30, 2008
UfC 85 no longer free on Spike???
UFC 85 from the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7, will be a pay-per-view (PPV) event, according to the most recent print edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter.
Dave Meltzer reports that he has received confirmation from the organization, which contradicts a recent statement from Rashad Evans that indicated it would air for free on SpikeTV.
Evans is booked to fight the former 205-pound champion, Chuck Liddell, in the main event of the evening. Putting a Liddell fight on Spike at no cost didn’t really make much sense to begin with — he is the promotion’s top draw and most recognizable fighter.
Look for UFC 85 to be marketed heavily with a 10 p.m. ET PPV start time, which will be on tape delay, and the LIVE broadcast to be available earlier on Saturday afternoon.
That’s how the last few UFC shows abroad have worked, anyway.
UFC 85 also features that heavyweight showdown between Fabricio Werdum and Brandon Vera, as well as a dynamite welterweight match up between Mike Swick and Marcus
by Joe Tamez - http://www.myspace.com/joetmz74
Dave Meltzer reports that he has received confirmation from the organization, which contradicts a recent statement from Rashad Evans that indicated it would air for free on SpikeTV.
Evans is booked to fight the former 205-pound champion, Chuck Liddell, in the main event of the evening. Putting a Liddell fight on Spike at no cost didn’t really make much sense to begin with — he is the promotion’s top draw and most recognizable fighter.
Look for UFC 85 to be marketed heavily with a 10 p.m. ET PPV start time, which will be on tape delay, and the LIVE broadcast to be available earlier on Saturday afternoon.
That’s how the last few UFC shows abroad have worked, anyway.
UFC 85 also features that heavyweight showdown between Fabricio Werdum and Brandon Vera, as well as a dynamite welterweight match up between Mike Swick and Marcus
by Joe Tamez - http://www.myspace.com/joetmz74
Faber vs Pulver set for June 1st
The WEC have made official a featherweight championship bout between current champion Urijah Faber and former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver.
Faber (20-1) is on a twelve-fight win streak, including defeats of Ivan Menjivar, Cole Escovedo, Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, Charlie Valencia, Chance Farrar, and most recently Jeff Curran. He holds an additional notable win over Japan’s Hiroyuki Abe and his only career loss came against Tyson Griffin in 2005.
Pulver (22-8-1) is undefeated at featherweight, and won his WEC debut when he stopped Cub Swanson with an unorthodox guillotine choke. The former UFC champion holds wins over B.J. Penn, Cole Escovedo, Caol Uno, Dennis Hallman, and Joe Stevenson.
Additionally, a bantamweight championship bout between new champion Miguel Torres and challenger Manny Tapia is slated for the event.
Torres (32-1) is riding a fourteen-fight win streak, with his last two taking place in the WEC. In February Torres dominated Chase Beebe in the first round to claim the WEC title.
Tapia (10-0-1) earned his shot against Torres by stopping Brandon Foxworth at WEC 27 and more recently defeating Antonio Banuelos at WEC 32.
The bouts are set for June 1 and will take place at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. The card will are on the Versus Network. The card will also include the WEC debut of undefeated Mark Munoz (3-0), an NCAA Division I wrestling champion.
Faber (20-1) is on a twelve-fight win streak, including defeats of Ivan Menjivar, Cole Escovedo, Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, Charlie Valencia, Chance Farrar, and most recently Jeff Curran. He holds an additional notable win over Japan’s Hiroyuki Abe and his only career loss came against Tyson Griffin in 2005.
Pulver (22-8-1) is undefeated at featherweight, and won his WEC debut when he stopped Cub Swanson with an unorthodox guillotine choke. The former UFC champion holds wins over B.J. Penn, Cole Escovedo, Caol Uno, Dennis Hallman, and Joe Stevenson.
Additionally, a bantamweight championship bout between new champion Miguel Torres and challenger Manny Tapia is slated for the event.
Torres (32-1) is riding a fourteen-fight win streak, with his last two taking place in the WEC. In February Torres dominated Chase Beebe in the first round to claim the WEC title.
Tapia (10-0-1) earned his shot against Torres by stopping Brandon Foxworth at WEC 27 and more recently defeating Antonio Banuelos at WEC 32.
The bouts are set for June 1 and will take place at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. The card will are on the Versus Network. The card will also include the WEC debut of undefeated Mark Munoz (3-0), an NCAA Division I wrestling champion.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
EliteXC & Strikeforce on Showtime recap
Time/Date: Saturday 3/29 9PM ET/PT
Recap of the Televised Fights by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
"Smokin'" Joe Villasenor vs Ryan Jensen
Round 1:
Villasenor and Jensen (Middleweight bout)
There are a few exchanges in the beginning, but Villasenor gets a takedown early on. Although Villasenor is in the dominant position, he goes from side mount to the closed guard of Jensen. Villasenor peppers Jensen's body with strikes, but doesn't do any major damage. Jensen struggles to get up and even eats a couple of knees in the process. Jensen gets tagged with a big left and goes down to his knees in the final minute of the fight. Jensen comes back angry and with a lot of energy in an attempt to take it to Villasenor. Suddenly Villasenor serves up a big right hand to the jaw of Jensen with only 15 seconds to go and Jensen is knocked out!
Villasenor by KO @ 4:45 in round 1
***
Mike Kyle vs Wayne Cole (Heavyweight bout)
Kyle hadn't fought for 2 years because of his controversial behavior. The CSAC came down hard on him for an illegal kick to Brian Olsen's head while Olsen was down.
Wayne Cole is a former All-American wrestling star, who claimed that he was in the "prime of his life" at age 37.
Round 1:
Kyle almost got Cole on his back, but Cole comes back with a takedown in less than 30 seconds in the first round. Cole tries for an arm bar. Cole GETS an arm bar in less than one minute of the first round. Cole's performance was phenomenal!
Cole winner by submission in round 1
***
Kimbo made an appearance on the show and was interviewed by Bill Goldberg. Goldberg called Kimbo an "MMA Superstar". In Kimbo's words he still humbly considers himself "a little squirrel in this MMA game, but whoever the superstar is, I would love to bang with him."
***
Gilbert Melendez vs Gabe Lemley (Lightweight Championship bout)
Melendez was the defending champion and Lemley was the extreme underdog.
Round 1:
Lemley was the aggressor early in the first round, but that stopped with a big left hand by Melendez.
Melendez gets a takedown with less than 40 seconds in. Lemley does a pretty good job defending against Melendez on the ground with Melendez struggling to get into a better position to lay some strikes down on Lemley. Gilbert Melendez lands some big lefts and rights and remains in a dominant position. Gilbert gives Gabe some hammer-fists to the body and Gabe Lemley, while stuck up against the cage, is taking some big shots. Gilbert is relentless with his striking and comes out with a crazy barrage of hammer-fists and blows in the last 15 seconds of the first round.
Round 2:
Melendez comes out strong again with some big strikes and gets another takedown in the first minute of round 2.
More hammer-fists are dished out by Melendez and Lemley is getting overpowered while on his back. Melendez continued to pound Lemley until the fight was stopped by referee Herb Dean.
Melendez winner by TKO @ 2:18 of round 2
Gilbert Melendez remains the lightweight champion
***
Drew "The Master" Fickett vs Jae Suk Kim "The Korean Ice pick" (Welterweight bout)
Round 1:
Fickett struck first but Lim turned Fickett around and pushed him up against the cage. All within about 2 seconds, Drew tried for the takedown, Lim reverses it, and then Drew Fickett gets the rollover! Fickett sunk in a half guillotine and held on. It proved to be too much for Lim.
Drew Fickett wins by submission @ 1:14 of round 1
***
Main Event
Frank Shamrock vs Cung Le (Middleweight Championship)
Current Champ Frank Shamrock hasn't been knocked out in 11 years. Frank said, "I know 100% I'm gonna smash Cung." Cung is undefeated as a kickboxer and in his professional MMA career. Up until today, Le hadn't really fought a top level fighter.
Round 1:
Cung threw a lot of kicks and didn't seem to expend much energy doing it. Shamrock tried early for a quick takedown, but failed.
Le checked the jaw of Shamrock proving that it is as solid as a rock. Shamrock fails at another takedown.
Le does a great job at keeping Frank Shamrock at a distance. Le pulls off a spinning back-fist, but he falls down in the process. Shamrock shoots in, tries for a guillotine, but allows Le to get back up. Shamrock gets more aggressive in the last minute of round 1, and stays true to his word; he said that he would keep this fight standing.
Round 2:
Le gets a kick to the face of Frank Shamrock and Frank loses his mouthpiece. Both fighters are smiling and talking to each other with hand gestures, and appear to be trying to psych each other out. Shamrock is effective at landing right kicks to the body of Le. Shamrock slips and falls and gestures to Le, asking him if he wants to take the fight to the ground. His request is denied, so Shamrock gets up and the exchanges continue. The fight is starting to look like a sparring match. Le gets a great right hook in but Le still doesn't appear to a great KO threat to Shamrock.
There's a big left kick by Le and a high right hand by Lee. It goes back and forth, but Frank is taking a lot of kicks to the right arm, which is turning bright red. Le drops Shamrock with a low kick. Suddenly Frank isn't smiling anymore and it looks like Frank Shamrock might take this fight a little more seriously. Le is clearly ahead on points. Suddenly, Shamrock rocks Le, smells blood and moves in for the kill, systematically picking Le apart with punches and knees. Shamrock lands a good right. Then, as suddenly as Shamrock started, Le lands a right kick and moves in for the kill on Shamrock with only 10 seconds left in round 2. Shamrock appears to be hurt and doesn't defend well against Le's attack.
It is apparent that Shamrock is in serious pain and, as it turns out, Shamrock's right arm is broken and he is unable to continue into round 4. Those kicks to Shamrock's right arm paid dividends for Le and he becomes the new middleweight champion.
Le winner by TKO after 3 rounds
***
I thoroughly enjoyed the fights and Shamrock and Le didn't disappoint. Wayne Cole was very impressive and we'll undoubtedly be seeing a lot more of him in the days ahead.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
Recap of the Televised Fights by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
"Smokin'" Joe Villasenor vs Ryan Jensen
Round 1:
Villasenor and Jensen (Middleweight bout)
There are a few exchanges in the beginning, but Villasenor gets a takedown early on. Although Villasenor is in the dominant position, he goes from side mount to the closed guard of Jensen. Villasenor peppers Jensen's body with strikes, but doesn't do any major damage. Jensen struggles to get up and even eats a couple of knees in the process. Jensen gets tagged with a big left and goes down to his knees in the final minute of the fight. Jensen comes back angry and with a lot of energy in an attempt to take it to Villasenor. Suddenly Villasenor serves up a big right hand to the jaw of Jensen with only 15 seconds to go and Jensen is knocked out!
Villasenor by KO @ 4:45 in round 1
***
Mike Kyle vs Wayne Cole (Heavyweight bout)
Kyle hadn't fought for 2 years because of his controversial behavior. The CSAC came down hard on him for an illegal kick to Brian Olsen's head while Olsen was down.
Wayne Cole is a former All-American wrestling star, who claimed that he was in the "prime of his life" at age 37.
Round 1:
Kyle almost got Cole on his back, but Cole comes back with a takedown in less than 30 seconds in the first round. Cole tries for an arm bar. Cole GETS an arm bar in less than one minute of the first round. Cole's performance was phenomenal!
Cole winner by submission in round 1
***
Kimbo made an appearance on the show and was interviewed by Bill Goldberg. Goldberg called Kimbo an "MMA Superstar". In Kimbo's words he still humbly considers himself "a little squirrel in this MMA game, but whoever the superstar is, I would love to bang with him."
***
Gilbert Melendez vs Gabe Lemley (Lightweight Championship bout)
Melendez was the defending champion and Lemley was the extreme underdog.
Round 1:
Lemley was the aggressor early in the first round, but that stopped with a big left hand by Melendez.
Melendez gets a takedown with less than 40 seconds in. Lemley does a pretty good job defending against Melendez on the ground with Melendez struggling to get into a better position to lay some strikes down on Lemley. Gilbert Melendez lands some big lefts and rights and remains in a dominant position. Gilbert gives Gabe some hammer-fists to the body and Gabe Lemley, while stuck up against the cage, is taking some big shots. Gilbert is relentless with his striking and comes out with a crazy barrage of hammer-fists and blows in the last 15 seconds of the first round.
Round 2:
Melendez comes out strong again with some big strikes and gets another takedown in the first minute of round 2.
More hammer-fists are dished out by Melendez and Lemley is getting overpowered while on his back. Melendez continued to pound Lemley until the fight was stopped by referee Herb Dean.
Melendez winner by TKO @ 2:18 of round 2
Gilbert Melendez remains the lightweight champion
***
Drew "The Master" Fickett vs Jae Suk Kim "The Korean Ice pick" (Welterweight bout)
Round 1:
Fickett struck first but Lim turned Fickett around and pushed him up against the cage. All within about 2 seconds, Drew tried for the takedown, Lim reverses it, and then Drew Fickett gets the rollover! Fickett sunk in a half guillotine and held on. It proved to be too much for Lim.
Drew Fickett wins by submission @ 1:14 of round 1
***
Main Event
Frank Shamrock vs Cung Le (Middleweight Championship)
Current Champ Frank Shamrock hasn't been knocked out in 11 years. Frank said, "I know 100% I'm gonna smash Cung." Cung is undefeated as a kickboxer and in his professional MMA career. Up until today, Le hadn't really fought a top level fighter.
Round 1:
Cung threw a lot of kicks and didn't seem to expend much energy doing it. Shamrock tried early for a quick takedown, but failed.
Le checked the jaw of Shamrock proving that it is as solid as a rock. Shamrock fails at another takedown.
Le does a great job at keeping Frank Shamrock at a distance. Le pulls off a spinning back-fist, but he falls down in the process. Shamrock shoots in, tries for a guillotine, but allows Le to get back up. Shamrock gets more aggressive in the last minute of round 1, and stays true to his word; he said that he would keep this fight standing.
Round 2:
Le gets a kick to the face of Frank Shamrock and Frank loses his mouthpiece. Both fighters are smiling and talking to each other with hand gestures, and appear to be trying to psych each other out. Shamrock is effective at landing right kicks to the body of Le. Shamrock slips and falls and gestures to Le, asking him if he wants to take the fight to the ground. His request is denied, so Shamrock gets up and the exchanges continue. The fight is starting to look like a sparring match. Le gets a great right hook in but Le still doesn't appear to a great KO threat to Shamrock.
There's a big left kick by Le and a high right hand by Lee. It goes back and forth, but Frank is taking a lot of kicks to the right arm, which is turning bright red. Le drops Shamrock with a low kick. Suddenly Frank isn't smiling anymore and it looks like Frank Shamrock might take this fight a little more seriously. Le is clearly ahead on points. Suddenly, Shamrock rocks Le, smells blood and moves in for the kill, systematically picking Le apart with punches and knees. Shamrock lands a good right. Then, as suddenly as Shamrock started, Le lands a right kick and moves in for the kill on Shamrock with only 10 seconds left in round 2. Shamrock appears to be hurt and doesn't defend well against Le's attack.
It is apparent that Shamrock is in serious pain and, as it turns out, Shamrock's right arm is broken and he is unable to continue into round 4. Those kicks to Shamrock's right arm paid dividends for Le and he becomes the new middleweight champion.
Le winner by TKO after 3 rounds
***
I thoroughly enjoyed the fights and Shamrock and Le didn't disappoint. Wayne Cole was very impressive and we'll undoubtedly be seeing a lot more of him in the days ahead.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Reasons To Still Watch Iron Ring
Sid Needelman Reporting...
Some people complain about the editing being like The Contender, focusing on manager's reactions and not showing a second for second account of the fight. Some people have mentioned the dialogue is somewhat new to what an average Frank Mir or Rich Franklin interview would sound like. However, the show is something new and while it will likely not be the example of MMA most often featured on CNN, 60 Minutes and CNBC, it does not need to be neglected.
Here are a few reasons to keep watching:
- Shonie carter is called a pool call kid by Floyd Mayweather.
- Floyd correctly says a fight was just in being stopped. For the sake of sounding hardcore or TV drama, Shonie disagrees.
- Lil Jon pretends to know about the sport and pretends to be alright sitting within earshot of Shonie.
- Fans of the sport will appreciate Goldberg the wrestler more as a commentator because he at least does not comment fighters look like they are having sexual relations as do several people on the Iron Ring Show.
Some people complain about the editing being like The Contender, focusing on manager's reactions and not showing a second for second account of the fight. Some people have mentioned the dialogue is somewhat new to what an average Frank Mir or Rich Franklin interview would sound like. However, the show is something new and while it will likely not be the example of MMA most often featured on CNN, 60 Minutes and CNBC, it does not need to be neglected.
Here are a few reasons to keep watching:
- Shonie carter is called a pool call kid by Floyd Mayweather.
- Floyd correctly says a fight was just in being stopped. For the sake of sounding hardcore or TV drama, Shonie disagrees.
- Lil Jon pretends to know about the sport and pretends to be alright sitting within earshot of Shonie.
- Fans of the sport will appreciate Goldberg the wrestler more as a commentator because he at least does not comment fighters look like they are having sexual relations as do several people on the Iron Ring Show.
Jimmy Kimmel will have Frank Shamrock as a Guest!
Celebrated MMA legend Frank Shamrock will appear as a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Shamrock's guest appearance comes just one day before the EliteXC-Strikeforce event. Saturday Frank Shamrock will take on the undefeated Cung Le for the World Middleweight Championship which will be held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on March 29th.
On the Kimmel show Shamrock is going to give the Kimmel show security guard "Guillermo" some MMA lessons! The MMA lessons will likely trump just about anything that Guillermo has had to endure on past shows, and Guillermo has been put through hell and has been the butt of many a joke on the Kimmel show. This is bound to be entertaining at the very least! Frank will also undoubtedly shed some light on Saturday's fight against Le. Other guests on Friday's “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show include Tracy Morgan, Kate Bosworth and Serj Tankian.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show will air at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT on ABC. I'm not going to miss this one!
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
On the Kimmel show Shamrock is going to give the Kimmel show security guard "Guillermo" some MMA lessons! The MMA lessons will likely trump just about anything that Guillermo has had to endure on past shows, and Guillermo has been put through hell and has been the butt of many a joke on the Kimmel show. This is bound to be entertaining at the very least! Frank will also undoubtedly shed some light on Saturday's fight against Le. Other guests on Friday's “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show include Tracy Morgan, Kate Bosworth and Serj Tankian.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show will air at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT on ABC. I'm not going to miss this one!
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
EliteXC - Strikeforce: "Shamrock VS. Le" Updated Fight Card
Frank Shamrock will fight the undefeated Cung Le for the World Middleweight Championship.
EliteXC & Strikeforce are co-promoting the MMA event which will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on March 29th.
It will air on Showtime at 9PM Eastern Time.
The updated fight card, courtesty of proelite.com, is as follows:
Showtime (Televised) Fight Card
Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le
Nick Diaz vs Jae Suk Lim
Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley
Mike Kyle vs Wayne Cole
Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen
Non-Televised Fights
Tiki Ghosn vs. Luke Stewart
Jesse Jones vs. Jesse Gillespie
Darren Uyenoyama vs. Anthony Figueroa
JP aka MMA Commentator
EliteXC & Strikeforce are co-promoting the MMA event which will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on March 29th.
It will air on Showtime at 9PM Eastern Time.
The updated fight card, courtesty of proelite.com, is as follows:
Showtime (Televised) Fight Card
Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le
Nick Diaz vs Jae Suk Lim
Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley
Mike Kyle vs Wayne Cole
Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen
Non-Televised Fights
Tiki Ghosn vs. Luke Stewart
Jesse Jones vs. Jesse Gillespie
Darren Uyenoyama vs. Anthony Figueroa
JP aka MMA Commentator
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Fedor Gets a 7-Figure Offer from ProElite
Fedor Emelianenko was offered 7-figures for only 4 fights by ProElite. ProElite owns EliteXC. Fedor's contract will span 18 months. Evidently, Fedor is still under contract with M-1, so he will be called "M-1 Global's Fedor Emelianenko" per nokaut.com. No one but Fedor can be sure at this point if there is an acceptance on the horizon.
Additional details have arrived via mmajunkie.com who stated that, "According to a source close to the negotiations, the deal would call for a base pay somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000 per fight." An additional part of the deal will give Fedor a piece of the pay-per-view pie with a bonus, based on the total number of PPV purchases.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
http://www.myspace.com/mmajounralist
Additional details have arrived via mmajunkie.com who stated that, "According to a source close to the negotiations, the deal would call for a base pay somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000 per fight." An additional part of the deal will give Fedor a piece of the pay-per-view pie with a bonus, based on the total number of PPV purchases.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
http://www.myspace.com/mmajounralist
Sunday, March 23, 2008
ShoXC's Main Event Ends due to Disqualification
ShoXC's main event held at the Chumash Hotel and Casino in Santa Ynez, California ended in a disqualification.
Malaipet Sitprapom, who is a champion Muay Thai practitioner, delivered a number of illegal elbows to the back of Denny's head. A stunned Denny collapsed to the ground. "I’m sorry because I came here to fight, but this is MMA and you have to follow the rules," said Denny after he was unable to continue fighting. "I may have been dazed but I wasn’t knocked out. One thing I could not do, however, was move my neck."
Denny had a clear advantage on the ground and Sitprapom, who possessed superior standup skills, appeared to be out of his element on the ground. Sitprapom was able to work his way out of a couple of Denny's traps and, despite a deluge of punches and elbows from Denny, was able to stand up again near the fight's end. Shortly after the two exchanged a few more blows, Denny attempted another takedown. This is when Sitprapom decided to deliver some devastating downward elbow strikes to the back of Denny's head.
A rematch seems imminent.
"I definitely want to fight him again," uttered Malaipet. "If he wants to do it at 150 pounds, I’ll fight him any time, any place. This wasn’t my type of fight. But there was no way I was ever going to tap out."
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
myspace.com/mmajournalist
Thursday, March 20, 2008
How old is too old for MMA?
People are always awe-stricken when Randy Couture defies odds by defeating much younger opponents. I have often wondered myself how much life Couture's battery still has in it. I've watched fighters like Ken Shamrock lose to younger, seemingly hungrier, fighters like Tito Ortiz and I think to myself that Shamrock is just getting too old to compete. I wonder to myself if there is a magic number that, when reached, spells the end of a Mixed Martial Artist's career. Then I watch Couture compete and I'm baffled. It just doesn't add up.
Could 40 really be the new 30 in competitive sports? Michael Jordan came out of retirement in 2001 only to shatter existing records. Lance Armstrong made younger cyclists look like they were wasting their time competing with him. Julio Franco is still playing major league baseball at age 49. Morten Andersen re-signed with the NFL in 2007 and, according to wikipedia.com, at season's end Anderson had "the most accurate season of his career". So maybe it's not necessarily the age of the fighter that matters.
On March 22nd a man, who is thought to be the oldest MMA fighter still competing, will step into the ring one last time at the Dixie Throwdown V in Irondale, Alabama. According to nbcsports.msnbc.com Skip Hall will retire after Saturday's fight at age 63. This man is old enough to be Randy Couture's daddy. By the time the term MMA was coined Hall was already training in jiu-jitsu, boxing and other martial arts. Superior athleticism and the heart of a lion are responsible for facilitating Hall's journey into MMA. At age 60 Hall didn't back down from a fight even with a broken foot. Hall's story is truly amazing and it is bound to instill hope in fighters that are getting into the MMA game at an older age.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
myspace.com/mmajournalist
Could 40 really be the new 30 in competitive sports? Michael Jordan came out of retirement in 2001 only to shatter existing records. Lance Armstrong made younger cyclists look like they were wasting their time competing with him. Julio Franco is still playing major league baseball at age 49. Morten Andersen re-signed with the NFL in 2007 and, according to wikipedia.com, at season's end Anderson had "the most accurate season of his career". So maybe it's not necessarily the age of the fighter that matters.
On March 22nd a man, who is thought to be the oldest MMA fighter still competing, will step into the ring one last time at the Dixie Throwdown V in Irondale, Alabama. According to nbcsports.msnbc.com Skip Hall will retire after Saturday's fight at age 63. This man is old enough to be Randy Couture's daddy. By the time the term MMA was coined Hall was already training in jiu-jitsu, boxing and other martial arts. Superior athleticism and the heart of a lion are responsible for facilitating Hall's journey into MMA. At age 60 Hall didn't back down from a fight even with a broken foot. Hall's story is truly amazing and it is bound to instill hope in fighters that are getting into the MMA game at an older age.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
myspace.com/mmajournalist
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Great Debate - Pro Wrestlers in MMA
There are as many sides to the issue of pro wrestlers in MMA as there are to an octagon. Some people say that bringing pro wrestlers into MMA creates a freak show environment and that such an environment will be the ruination of MMA.
Others say that pro wrestlers can't hack it in MMA. Anyone that can count to 25 knows that pro wrestling is fake. The outcome of a given match in the WWE has a predetermined outcome. So, I've heard it said that these guys are a joke and wouldn't last two minutes with a trained MMA fighter. On the other hand, just because wrestling is fake, doesn't mean that pro wrestlers aren't great athletes. But does that qualify them to fight in an octagon? Gymnasts are amazing athletes as well, but they wouldn't last long in the cage. I think that certain pro wrestlers, with time and the right training can hack it in the cage, but they have to start somewhere near the bottom of the ladder to work their way up, just like everybody else. Admittedly, in an interview with Tagg Radio (www.taggradio.com), even WWE superstar Kurt Angle who won Olympic gold for wrestling, knows that he can't just jump into the cage or an octagon.
Speaking of working their way up the ladder, that brings me to the next burning question; should pro wrestlers be allowed to step in and take on MMA veterans? Furthermore, is it fair to the average Joe that has worked his or her way up the ladder? After all, the average MMA fighter has typically had to overcome huge obstacles, training hard after working at a full time job, and paying his or her dues for years, only to earn a shot in front of thousands of fans. People like Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle have made plenty of money. They can spend all day, every day training for a fight. Could this be an unfair advantage?
And why should the already wealthy superstars, like Kurt Angle of the WWE, get 7-figure contracts (according to mmajunkie.com) while UFC stars who have earned their salaries by fighting their way up the ranks get a fraction of that? Speaking of an unfair advantage, what about the ugly side of pro wrestling? Have you ever seen a natural bodybuilding competition? Compare natural bodybuilders to the guys with layers of thick muscle, built in a relatively short time with the best "supplements" that money can buy. Yes, I'm talking about illegal steroids. Although there is a minority of people that want to win at all costs, as there is in any sport, most of the guys and girls in MMA are real athletes and see steroid use as an unfair advantage over the competition. In pro wrestling, the fans want to see a muscle bound animal up there complete with 22 inch biceps and tights, looking like some kind of comic book superhero, rather then an elite fit athlete. Pro wrestlers are almost left with no choice but to give in to the steroid culture. I guess the pay, for some pro wrestlers, outweighs the risk of death and roid rage.
On the flip side are the MMA fans that say that bringing pro wrestlers into MMA can only serve to grow the sport by increasing the fan base which will lead to better salaries and, in turn, attract better talent. But is this what true MMA fans want to see? Aren't we adulterating the sport by bringing in "talent" from other so-called sports? I don't think that we need to sell our souls to build a sport that is as amazing and as exciting to watch as MMA. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I like watching real people risk everything in their life for a shot at becoming a true champion.
Perhaps we need some kind of hybrid league to satisfy the curiosity of certain fans. Maybe such league can appease the what-if factor in all of us and we could see what the outcome would be in a match between Eric Scott "Butterbean" Esch and "Big Show". At least that way we could keep the freak show element where it belongs; out of MMA. If we start stacking the MMA deck with whomever would appeal to a wider audience we are going to lose a little bit of the true flavor of MMA in the process.
Just like a hooker couldn't end the career of Hugh Grant, the addition of pro wrestlers won't really destroy MMA. It might just befoul it a little for some of us.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Three 205 bouts added to UFC 84
We are already blessed with some pretty exciting fights for UFC 84 "Ill Will". The headliners are B.J. Penn and Sean Sherk for the Lightweight Championship. And the light heavyweight fighters are no slouches either. We have Tito Ortiz fighting Lyoto Machida and Wanderlei Silva fighting Keith Jardine. As if that wasn't enough to keep us all on the edge of our seats, here comes three more 205'ers.
Thiago Silva, who is undefeated right now, will take on fellow Brazilian Antonio Mendes. The "The African Assassin", Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, will battle Kazuhiro Nakamura. Additionally, Wilson Gouveia will take on talented grappler Goran Reljic who is new to the UFC and has 7 wins and no losses in his MMA record.
UFC 84 is scheduled to for May 24 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. This is one you don't want to miss.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Strikeforce and NBC in bed together?
The fast growing MMA organization known as Strikeforce is coming to NBC. News of the deal was announced today by mmajunkie.com. Presumably the show will run on Saturday nights once a week. This deal will mean that the Strikeforce showings will probably beat EliteXC to the punch as the shows are said to be scheduled starting sometime this April.
The Strikeforce deal could be an even bigger blow to UFC's president Dana White who failed to reach an agreement with NBC. According to mmajunkie.com, executives at NBC weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of working with Dana.
Although Strikeforce is California based, it has already attracted international attention and is considered have better MMA talent than the EliteXC organization. The NBC deal will undoubtedly help foster the growth of Strikeforce in the near future.
JP aka MMA Commentator
The Strikeforce deal could be an even bigger blow to UFC's president Dana White who failed to reach an agreement with NBC. According to mmajunkie.com, executives at NBC weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of working with Dana.
Although Strikeforce is California based, it has already attracted international attention and is considered have better MMA talent than the EliteXC organization. The NBC deal will undoubtedly help foster the growth of Strikeforce in the near future.
JP aka MMA Commentator
Monday, March 10, 2008
Frank Shamrock VS. David Letterman
Move over American Idol. You're about to get KO'ed! The TV Networks are always hunting for the next big idea. Lucky for us they have MMA in their sights.
EliteXC's president has struck a deal with CBS that will televise MMA fights as early as April of this year. This deal is about giving the people what they want to see on TV, specifically "MMA's typical audience of 18-to-34-year-old men" (per the LA Times).
Until a few years ago, MMA was thought to be somewhat of a brutal freak show of sorts. Nowadays with the advent of rules such as no kicking in the groin, MMA is rapidly becoming a widely accepted mainstream sport where its competitors thought of true athletes as opposed to sadistic bloodmongers.
The EliteXC deal must be frustrating to UFC president Dana White, who had been trying to strike similar deal, albeit unsuccessfully.
EliteXC will retail control of matching the fighters and the fight's production, according to mmaweekly.com, however, CBS will be doing the announcing for the fights. According to the LA Times, "onetime street fighter Kimbo Slice headline the first CBS show." Kimbo may not be the posterchild for MMA, but he is sure to draw a big audience!
JP aka MMA Commentator
EliteXC's president has struck a deal with CBS that will televise MMA fights as early as April of this year. This deal is about giving the people what they want to see on TV, specifically "MMA's typical audience of 18-to-34-year-old men" (per the LA Times).
Until a few years ago, MMA was thought to be somewhat of a brutal freak show of sorts. Nowadays with the advent of rules such as no kicking in the groin, MMA is rapidly becoming a widely accepted mainstream sport where its competitors thought of true athletes as opposed to sadistic bloodmongers.
The EliteXC deal must be frustrating to UFC president Dana White, who had been trying to strike similar deal, albeit unsuccessfully.
EliteXC will retail control of matching the fighters and the fight's production, according to mmaweekly.com, however, CBS will be doing the announcing for the fights. According to the LA Times, "onetime street fighter Kimbo Slice headline the first CBS show." Kimbo may not be the posterchild for MMA, but he is sure to draw a big audience!
JP aka MMA Commentator
Friday, March 7, 2008
UFC’s Most Hated Fighter
Boxing has Floyd Mayweather. Baseball has Barry Bonds. The NFL has Terrell Owens. The NBA has Kobe Bryant. But who do we all love to hate in the UFC?
With all of the big egos in the fight game, it is guaranteed that the list of fighters that people love to hate is a long one. I have scoured hundreds of articles and forums on this topic until my eyes hurt, and there seems to be a few fighters that almost always make it to the top of the list.
Allow me to share with you some of the most hated fighters in recent UFC history:
Frank Shamrock
Josh Koscheck
Michael Bisping
Matt Serra
Tito Ortiz
Chris Leben
Matt Hughes
Diego Sanchez
Tim Sylvia
A poll that I read on mmanews.com had Tim Sylvia picked by majority vote. But we can’t judge the most hated solely by what the fans say.
If we judged the most hated simply by the most boos that they receive in the Octagon, we might pick Tito Ortiz, Brock Lesnar, or Tim Sylvia. But there has to be more to it than that.
What if we picked a fighter that other fighters hate? Fighters might hate other fighters that cheat and test positive for steroid use, for having an unfair advantage and for dirtying up the sport. Add Sean Shirk, Stephan Bonnar and countless others to the list. And while we’re at it, how about Tim Sylvia (there’s that name again).
And not to stray off topic too much, but how much do people love Dana White, the UFC’s President? Unfortunately he’s not a fighter in the UFC so we can’t count him.
But we do have a clear winner. Fans hate him for his big ego. Other fighters hate him for his big mouth. Even Dana White himself gets limp when he’s around this guy. Our man is none other than the Huntington Beach Bad Boy himself, Tito Ortiz. Tito is a man that not only knows that he is hated, but revels in it. Tito has been quoted as saying, "Someone has to be the goat. Sacrifice me, that's fine. I really don't have any problems with it." (per the Calgary Sun).
Personally, I don’t hate Tito Ortiz; I admire him as a fighter, however, I feel a little sorry for him. How many other people would hook up with an ex-porn star for the negative attention that he gets from it? Could Tito be the UFC’s version of Madonna?
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
With all of the big egos in the fight game, it is guaranteed that the list of fighters that people love to hate is a long one. I have scoured hundreds of articles and forums on this topic until my eyes hurt, and there seems to be a few fighters that almost always make it to the top of the list.
Allow me to share with you some of the most hated fighters in recent UFC history:
Frank Shamrock
Josh Koscheck
Michael Bisping
Matt Serra
Tito Ortiz
Chris Leben
Matt Hughes
Diego Sanchez
Tim Sylvia
A poll that I read on mmanews.com had Tim Sylvia picked by majority vote. But we can’t judge the most hated solely by what the fans say.
If we judged the most hated simply by the most boos that they receive in the Octagon, we might pick Tito Ortiz, Brock Lesnar, or Tim Sylvia. But there has to be more to it than that.
What if we picked a fighter that other fighters hate? Fighters might hate other fighters that cheat and test positive for steroid use, for having an unfair advantage and for dirtying up the sport. Add Sean Shirk, Stephan Bonnar and countless others to the list. And while we’re at it, how about Tim Sylvia (there’s that name again).
And not to stray off topic too much, but how much do people love Dana White, the UFC’s President? Unfortunately he’s not a fighter in the UFC so we can’t count him.
But we do have a clear winner. Fans hate him for his big ego. Other fighters hate him for his big mouth. Even Dana White himself gets limp when he’s around this guy. Our man is none other than the Huntington Beach Bad Boy himself, Tito Ortiz. Tito is a man that not only knows that he is hated, but revels in it. Tito has been quoted as saying, "Someone has to be the goat. Sacrifice me, that's fine. I really don't have any problems with it." (per the Calgary Sun).
Personally, I don’t hate Tito Ortiz; I admire him as a fighter, however, I feel a little sorry for him. How many other people would hook up with an ex-porn star for the negative attention that he gets from it? Could Tito be the UFC’s version of Madonna?
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Who Will the Iceman Face?
In the wake of the tragic news about Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's re-injury, we are all left wondering, "who will be Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell's next opponent?" Shogun was scheduled to fight the Iceman on June 7 at UFC 85 at the O2 Arena in London England. Rua has a ruptured ACL in his left knee, so he's out of the long awaited battle with Chuck, and an injury of this severity "can be career ending" (per mmahq.com). This is bad news for the great number of fans that have been anticipating this matchup. And the fans aren't the only ones that are disappointed. According to mmaweekly.com, Rua spokesman Eduardo Alonso stated that, "I’ve never seen Shogun so motivated for a fight like this in years. This was like a new beginning for him".
Now that the anticipation is over, we are anxious to see who Chuck is matched with. Since one main focus of Chuck Liddell is to avenge his losses, a Liddell Jardine match would be amazing. Unfortunately Jardine will face Wanderlei "Axe Murderer" Silva next in the UFC, so he is off limits.
My own poll of Myspace users revealed that some people would love to see Anderson Silva move up in weight class since he has already dominated at 185. Even more want to see Chuck and Rashad Evans duke it out, as would I, however, Rashad is fighting Thiago Silva at UFC 84, so that isn't likely. Brandon Vera could have been a possibilility but he will fight Werdum and says their fight is "100% confirmed" (mmafighting.com). Since "Liddell believes he is one fight away from a title rematch with Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson" (sports.setanta.com), Liddell may get an opponent handed to him on a silver platter to make a Rampage - Liddell fight possible. Forest Griffin might have a strong opinion on the likelihood of Liddell and Jackson's fight occurring. In the meantime, how about Stephan Bonnar? Bonnar looks like he might be a good appetizer for Liddell.
Whomever Chuck is matched up against, despite a bumpy road in Chuck's recent fight career, he now looks like a hungry man on a hunt and he is sure to put on a good show for MMA fans.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
Now that the anticipation is over, we are anxious to see who Chuck is matched with. Since one main focus of Chuck Liddell is to avenge his losses, a Liddell Jardine match would be amazing. Unfortunately Jardine will face Wanderlei "Axe Murderer" Silva next in the UFC, so he is off limits.
My own poll of Myspace users revealed that some people would love to see Anderson Silva move up in weight class since he has already dominated at 185. Even more want to see Chuck and Rashad Evans duke it out, as would I, however, Rashad is fighting Thiago Silva at UFC 84, so that isn't likely. Brandon Vera could have been a possibilility but he will fight Werdum and says their fight is "100% confirmed" (mmafighting.com). Since "Liddell believes he is one fight away from a title rematch with Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson" (sports.setanta.com), Liddell may get an opponent handed to him on a silver platter to make a Rampage - Liddell fight possible. Forest Griffin might have a strong opinion on the likelihood of Liddell and Jackson's fight occurring. In the meantime, how about Stephan Bonnar? Bonnar looks like he might be a good appetizer for Liddell.
Whomever Chuck is matched up against, despite a bumpy road in Chuck's recent fight career, he now looks like a hungry man on a hunt and he is sure to put on a good show for MMA fans.
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
Sunday, March 2, 2008
UFC 82 Recap
The UFC didn't disappoint this time as it pummeled us with some great fights. Here is a quick recap.
John Fitch Vs. Chris Wilson
John Fitch came into this fight with 14 straight wins. He entered the Octagon looking prepared, but I don’t think that he planned on UFC newcomer Chris Wilson putting up such a tough fight.
Round 1:
3 had failed takedowns. Wilson proved to have a great takedown defense. Wilson connects with Fitch, but then Fitch finally gets a takedown. Wilson gets up only to be taken down again. This round looked pretty even.
Round 2:
Another failed takedown by Fitch. The next takedown attempt was successful and Fitch kept Wilson on the ground for the remainder of the round, but he was unable to do any significant damage.
Round 3:
Fitch takes Wilson down and there is a lot of ground and pound, but Fitch couldn’t finish it. Chris Wilson actually got a triangle, but it was at the end of the round and the clock ran out.
The result:
John Fitch by unanimous decision and has his 15th straight win.
The meat of it:
This was a pretty boring and uneventful fight. It did show that Chris Wilson will be a formidable force in the near future.
Mark Coleman, gets inducted into the UFC hall of fame. Mark Coleman is the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. In a surprise announcement, Mark Coleman will battle Brock Lesnar in Minnesota in 5 months! Coleman, now 43 years old, hasn’t fought anyone in over a year. With 5 months to prepare, it is hard to say how this fight is going to go.
Evan Tanner Vs. Yushin Okami
After a two year hiatus, Evan Tanner gets back into the Octagon against Okami.
Round 1:
Tanner is almost immediately rocked by a hard left, but he recovered quick and got a take down against Okami. It looked as if Tanner was trying to shake off the ring rust after being away for a while.
Round 2:
Tanner gets his groove back and really starts pressing the action. Okami was putting together some great combos and connecting. Okami got Tanner in a clinch and then Okami threw a knee that finished the fight.
The result:
Okami is the winner by KO
Chris Leben Vs. Alessio Sakara
Chris Leben showed up looking a little more humble. Gone was the red hair. He had black hair this time and he was sportin’ a new tattoo.
Round 1:
This round was a slugfest! Leben showed that he was a much better fighter than he ever was against Sakara. He had great kicks and fast hands, much to the surprise of Sakara, who seemed to rely mostly on his boxing. Leben was relentless in his attack and he showed us all, once again, that his jaw is made of steel. The fight ended with a brutal TKO and Sakara took three hard shots on the ground, his hands down, not defending himself, before the ref stopped the fight. A stunned Sakara, not realizing how bad off he really was, couldn’t believe that the fight was stopped. This was a very exciting fight and well worth watching.
The result:
Leben by TKO
Heath Herring Vs. Cheick Kongo
This was another fight that didn’t disappoint. Personally I was surprised by the outcome of this fight.
Round 1:
Heath came out swinging and tags Kongo with a right, dropping him instantly. Then Kongo takes Herring down right away. After Herring gets up, Kongo gets a second takedown, and then a third! Finally Herring gets a takedown and they go back and forth with neither fighter having any distinct advantage. Round one ends however, with Kongo in the dominant position. Kongo clearly took the first round with his numerous takedowns and dominance of the Texas Crazyhorse.
Round 2:
Kongo gets another takedown early into round 2, but the fighters get stood up. Herring comes out swinging aggressively, but Kongo gets another takedown. Just when it looked like a repeat of round 1, Herring got the reversal and got side control, inflicting damage on Kongo by dropping knees over and over; 19 knees to be exact. This round was tough to call with no clear winner, although Herring looked a lot better than he did in the first round.
Round 3:
Herring and Kongo both came out swinging in the third. Kongo got his first takedown, and then a second, but Herring quickly reversed it and remained dominant for the remainder of round 3. Herring owned this round.
The result:
Herring by split decision
Anderson Silva Vs. Dan Henderson (main event)
Round 1:
Both fighters came out looking a little tentative, but the Spider, in his usual fashion, took it easy initially feeling Henderson out and trying to get Henderson’s timing down. After a little more than 2 minutes into the fight, Henderson got the takedown and started dropping hammerfists on Silva, while he was trying to disrupt Silva’s breathing with the other hand. This round looked really, really bad for Silva.
Round 2:
In the second round, there was a lot of exchanges of punches, interrupted by Silva getting the takedown. Henderson quickly escaped Silva’s hold and got up quickly, pushing Silva up against the cage. Silva got away from the cage and caught Dan with a knee. Silva moved in for the kill and got a body triangle and a textbook rear naked choke on Henderson. Henderson tapped out with less than ten seconds left in the second round allowing Anderson Silva to remain the UFC Middle Weight Champion of the World.
The result:
Silva winner by submission
Here is the video of Henderson Vs. Silva:
Josh Koscheck Vs. Dustin Hazelett
Round 1:
There were some crazy exchanges by both fighters and they both got rocked by each other right away. Koscheck pushed the pace and went right for Hazelett’s leg and picked him up off of the ground, but Hazelett sunk in a guillotine, but Koscheck got out of it. There were more exchanges with some great kicks and punches. With around 30 seconds to go, Koscheck got a big takedown. Hazelett got a triangle on Koscheck, but time ran out on the clock.
Round 2:
The next round started out with some crazy exchanges. Koscheck landed a big right and then a head kick on Hazelett. Hazelett went down but Koscheck slipped and went down In the process, but he quickly jumped back up to finish Hazelett off and the ref stopped the fight.
The result:
Koscheck wins by TKO
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
John Fitch Vs. Chris Wilson
John Fitch came into this fight with 14 straight wins. He entered the Octagon looking prepared, but I don’t think that he planned on UFC newcomer Chris Wilson putting up such a tough fight.
Round 1:
3 had failed takedowns. Wilson proved to have a great takedown defense. Wilson connects with Fitch, but then Fitch finally gets a takedown. Wilson gets up only to be taken down again. This round looked pretty even.
Round 2:
Another failed takedown by Fitch. The next takedown attempt was successful and Fitch kept Wilson on the ground for the remainder of the round, but he was unable to do any significant damage.
Round 3:
Fitch takes Wilson down and there is a lot of ground and pound, but Fitch couldn’t finish it. Chris Wilson actually got a triangle, but it was at the end of the round and the clock ran out.
The result:
John Fitch by unanimous decision and has his 15th straight win.
The meat of it:
This was a pretty boring and uneventful fight. It did show that Chris Wilson will be a formidable force in the near future.
Mark Coleman, gets inducted into the UFC hall of fame. Mark Coleman is the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. In a surprise announcement, Mark Coleman will battle Brock Lesnar in Minnesota in 5 months! Coleman, now 43 years old, hasn’t fought anyone in over a year. With 5 months to prepare, it is hard to say how this fight is going to go.
Evan Tanner Vs. Yushin Okami
After a two year hiatus, Evan Tanner gets back into the Octagon against Okami.
Round 1:
Tanner is almost immediately rocked by a hard left, but he recovered quick and got a take down against Okami. It looked as if Tanner was trying to shake off the ring rust after being away for a while.
Round 2:
Tanner gets his groove back and really starts pressing the action. Okami was putting together some great combos and connecting. Okami got Tanner in a clinch and then Okami threw a knee that finished the fight.
The result:
Okami is the winner by KO
Chris Leben Vs. Alessio Sakara
Chris Leben showed up looking a little more humble. Gone was the red hair. He had black hair this time and he was sportin’ a new tattoo.
Round 1:
This round was a slugfest! Leben showed that he was a much better fighter than he ever was against Sakara. He had great kicks and fast hands, much to the surprise of Sakara, who seemed to rely mostly on his boxing. Leben was relentless in his attack and he showed us all, once again, that his jaw is made of steel. The fight ended with a brutal TKO and Sakara took three hard shots on the ground, his hands down, not defending himself, before the ref stopped the fight. A stunned Sakara, not realizing how bad off he really was, couldn’t believe that the fight was stopped. This was a very exciting fight and well worth watching.
The result:
Leben by TKO
Heath Herring Vs. Cheick Kongo
This was another fight that didn’t disappoint. Personally I was surprised by the outcome of this fight.
Round 1:
Heath came out swinging and tags Kongo with a right, dropping him instantly. Then Kongo takes Herring down right away. After Herring gets up, Kongo gets a second takedown, and then a third! Finally Herring gets a takedown and they go back and forth with neither fighter having any distinct advantage. Round one ends however, with Kongo in the dominant position. Kongo clearly took the first round with his numerous takedowns and dominance of the Texas Crazyhorse.
Round 2:
Kongo gets another takedown early into round 2, but the fighters get stood up. Herring comes out swinging aggressively, but Kongo gets another takedown. Just when it looked like a repeat of round 1, Herring got the reversal and got side control, inflicting damage on Kongo by dropping knees over and over; 19 knees to be exact. This round was tough to call with no clear winner, although Herring looked a lot better than he did in the first round.
Round 3:
Herring and Kongo both came out swinging in the third. Kongo got his first takedown, and then a second, but Herring quickly reversed it and remained dominant for the remainder of round 3. Herring owned this round.
The result:
Herring by split decision
Anderson Silva Vs. Dan Henderson (main event)
Round 1:
Both fighters came out looking a little tentative, but the Spider, in his usual fashion, took it easy initially feeling Henderson out and trying to get Henderson’s timing down. After a little more than 2 minutes into the fight, Henderson got the takedown and started dropping hammerfists on Silva, while he was trying to disrupt Silva’s breathing with the other hand. This round looked really, really bad for Silva.
Round 2:
In the second round, there was a lot of exchanges of punches, interrupted by Silva getting the takedown. Henderson quickly escaped Silva’s hold and got up quickly, pushing Silva up against the cage. Silva got away from the cage and caught Dan with a knee. Silva moved in for the kill and got a body triangle and a textbook rear naked choke on Henderson. Henderson tapped out with less than ten seconds left in the second round allowing Anderson Silva to remain the UFC Middle Weight Champion of the World.
The result:
Silva winner by submission
Here is the video of Henderson Vs. Silva:
Josh Koscheck Vs. Dustin Hazelett
Round 1:
There were some crazy exchanges by both fighters and they both got rocked by each other right away. Koscheck pushed the pace and went right for Hazelett’s leg and picked him up off of the ground, but Hazelett sunk in a guillotine, but Koscheck got out of it. There were more exchanges with some great kicks and punches. With around 30 seconds to go, Koscheck got a big takedown. Hazelett got a triangle on Koscheck, but time ran out on the clock.
Round 2:
The next round started out with some crazy exchanges. Koscheck landed a big right and then a head kick on Hazelett. Hazelett went down but Koscheck slipped and went down In the process, but he quickly jumped back up to finish Hazelett off and the ref stopped the fight.
The result:
Koscheck wins by TKO
by JP Berube aka MMA Commentator
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