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
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
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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