The UFC Blog

Photographer Kevin Lynch and the UFC bring you Octagon (Ultimate Fighting Championship) - a Hardcover book just in time for the holidays. I haven’t had a chance to check this book out yet but it looks like it has some amazing shots. Anyone out there get a copy yet?

Foreword from Dana White, UFC President

Ever since I can remember, I always loved fights. Whether it was sitting in front of the television watching boxing on Saturday afternoons when I was growing up or getting together with a bunch of friends to go to the arena to see a championship fight, there was nothing better than watching two fighters go toe-to-toe while matching wits and trying to prove who had the bigger heart.

To me, it was better than baseball, basketball or football, sports where you had teammates to help you out or take the blame when you lost. Fighting was a one-on-one sport, mano e mano, with no excuses. If you won, you took all the glory; you lost, you had no one to blame but yourself.

It was sport at its purest, but as the years went on, I saw boxing get engulfed and diluted by politics, in-fighting, and greed. I started to get disillusioned by the sport I loved, and it wasn’t until I met some athletes competing in a sport called mixed martial arts that the love of combat sports came back for me like it did when I was growing up.

In this sport, which combined the disciplines of boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and Jiu-Jitsu, I not only saw the future, but I saw the understated artistry that only true fight fans can appreciate. It’s something a lot of people can’t see, and I could never really put my finger on what it is, but when I saw Kevin Lynch’s photographs, I finally found something I could point to and say “that’s it. That’s what this sport is about.”

So when we at the Ultimate Fighting Championship decided to move forward with the book project that became Octagon, there was no question who would be the photographer. And while Kevin’s talent is obvious, his understanding of this sport and its athletes was another key factor in our decision, because let’s face it – not everyone is willing to look past the misconceptions about mixed martial arts and give it the fair treatment it deserves.

It’s been a long process to get to this point – for the UFC and for this book – but it was of the utmost importance to get it right, whether that meant unprecedented access to our events for Kevin, or having him capture our athletes at their most vulnerable, which was immediately before and after their fights. In combat sports, or any sport for that matter, vulnerability can be seen as weakness; but one look at the pictures in this book will show that behind the bruises and cuts and the defeated or triumphant eyes, there is strength. It’s what these athletes are all about, and let me tell you, it takes a special person to step into that Octagon and fight another man – it’s why I call our guys real fighters, and why many of them are like family to me.

Octagon captures everything that’s great about this sport, and it makes me a fan all over again. It also reminds me that even with all the traveling, business meetings, interviews, late hours, and time away from my family, I’m here because I love fights and the UFC, and I always will.

- Dana White

A few fighters break it down with LL COOL J on SPIKE TV’s Video Music Award show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N–FV0fkAng

Phillipe Nover is unbeatable. Wrong. Ryan Bader will get submitted by Vinny when he takes him to the ground. Maybe, but Ryan was smart enough to stay off the ground. Junie Browning will get exposed as nothing but a big talker. Wrong.

The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale was full of surprises, highlight reel finishes and the graduation of the next class of Ultimate Fighters. Let’s take a closer look…

Efrain Escudero def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Coming into this fight the Vegas odds makers saw Phillipe as a five to one favorite to become the lightweight champion of TUF season 8. He was pegged as the next Anderson Silva or GSP by none other than UFC President, Dana White. His coach, Antonio Nogueira, compared him to Anderson as well.
Apparently, no one told Efrain, who entered TUF 8 undefeated and left the same way. Shortly before he went on the show, Efrain lost his father to cancer and had a very high level of motivation to have Joe Rogan put the microphone in front of his mouth so he could dedicate his efforts to his late father. And that’s exactly what happened.

If there was a theme to this fight it would look something like this… Phillipe throws a right-hand that would knock Efrain into the third row if it connected, Efrain ducks the punch and takes Phillipe to the ground. Or, Phillipe throws a huge knee, Efrain either slips or catches it and, you guessed it, takes him to the ground. And that theme played out over and over throughout the first two rounds which were convincingly won by Efrain. In round three, Phillipe did enough to win the round but never really had Efrain in any deep trouble, leading to the unanimous victory. “I knew Phillipe had a big right hand so I drilled it over and over with Drew Fickett. He would throw those big shots at me and I would consistently work on ducking it and securing the takedown.” Obviously the strategy worked and the UFC’s first ever Mexican born fighter takes home the TUF title.

Ryan Bader def. Vinny Magalhaes via TKO (strikes)
Round 1, 2:18

Make it two for two for the underdogs in the finals. “I knew I was a big underdog going into the fight and that provided some additional motivation," Ryan said in the post fight press conference. The common wisdom coming into this fight was that the highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion, Magalhes, was a bad matchup for the All-American wrestler, Bader. Many thought that Ryan would end up on the ground with Vinny where he tends to submit people within 20 to 30 seconds of having them in his guard.

But Ryan came in with a perfect game plan. “I felt coming into the fight that I was a much better striker than Vinny so my plan was to use my wrestling to keep the fight on the feet.” As it turned out, Ryan never had to use his wrestling because Vinny seemed content to let it be a standup battle. That is, until he got caught with an overhand right that sent him to the canvas. Ryan’s killer instinct kicked in as he finished Vinny with a series of strikes on the ground leading to a justified stoppage and the TUF Lightheavyweight Championship.

Anthony Johnson def. Kevin Burns via knockout (kick)
Round 3, 0:28

This was a rematch of a July bout that ended in controversy when Johnson suffered an eye poke that referee Steve Mazzagatti missed and awarded Kevin the TKO victory. In the aftermath of the fight, Anthony had to have eye surgery to repair the injury and his management even appealed the decision, unsuccessfully. The first two rounds were carbon copies of one another with Anthony securing takedowns and not being able to inflict much damage while Kevin worked for submissions from the bottom.  It was relatively clear that coming into the third round Anthony was leading 2-0, a fact not lost on Kevin. When the round started Kevin came out like gangbusters throwing heavy leather.  And then it came… then head kick from hell.  Anthony’s shin met Kevin’s chin with a degree of velocity and power that immediately sent Kevin to the canvas, out cold. And just like that, Anthony added yet another highlight reel knockout to his UFC resume along with a healthy dose of redemption. And, perhaps more importantly, the $25,000 Knockout of the Night bonus.

Wilson Gouveia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (strikes)
Round 1, 2:18

In the only other fight of the night that did not involve cast members from this season’s TUF, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and strong striker, Wilson Gouveia took on the durable and tough Jason McDonald. Wilson failed to make weight and had to sacrifice 20% of his purse to Jason but he made him pay with a straight left followed by 18 straight elbows that cut Jason’s head wide open forcing him to tap to stop the onslaught in the first round. With his impressive victory, Wilson is now 2-0 since moving down to the 185 pound division and served notice that he is a force to be reckoned with.

Junie Browning def. Dave Kaplan via submission (armbar)
Round 2, 1:32

Junie, the most controversial fighter to ever appear on TUF, versus Dave, the UFC’s biggest Ric Flair fan. This fight clearly had the most interesting personalities on the evening’s card.  The question was what kind of fight it would be.  For all the drama that Junie brought to the reality series, his performance in the cage was nowhere near the game that he talked in the house.

Tonight, Junie walked the walk.  He’s been living with Xtreme Couture’s standup coach, Shawn Tomkins, who is among the best striking coaches in all of MMA. It showed.  Junie’s standup looked fluid, accurate and strong as he dominated Dave throughout the first round.  What may have been more impressive is that Junie got the better of Dave in the submission game despite the fact that Dave is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. After several choke attempts were unsuccessful, Junie pulled off an arm bar in the second round and demonstrated that he is a legitimate, talented fighter who should be taken seriously. In the post fight interview, Junie apologized to Frank Mir and the rest of his coaches from Season Eight. Dave and Junie each earned $25,000 for the Fight of the Night Bonus.

Krzysztof Soszynski def. Shane Primm via submission (kimura)
Round 2, 3:27

Krzysztof was the most experienced contestant on this season’s Ultimate Fighter and it showed in his fight against Shane. After a relatively dominant first round, Krzysztof secured a nasty kimura that saw Shane tapping and then holding his shoulder in obvious agony for a while. The submission earned the former pro wrestler a nice $25,000 Submission of the Night bonus.  

Eliot Marshall def. Jules Bruchez via submission (rear-naked choke)
Round 1, 1:27

Talk about a dominant UFC debut! It was clear from the outset that Eliot had neither respect nor concern for Jules’ skills.  After going right after him and winning the standup, Elliott, a highly skilled Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt made quick work of his opponent once he sunk in a rear naked choke.

Tom Lawlor def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

If you look at their collegiate backgrounds you probably could have guessed how this one was going to play out.  Tom wrestled in college while Kyle played football. Tom was able to take Kyle down at will and won the first two rounds easily, ultimately giving him the decision.

Shane Nelson def. George Roop via split decision
(29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

It was clear from the outset that the BJ Penn trained Shane Nelson was clearly be more technically skilled fighter between the two. Shane clearly won the first two rounds while George showed a lot of heart and activity that gained him the third round, but it wasn’t enough.

Roli Delgado def. John Polakowski via submission (guillotine choke)
Round 2, 2:18

While Frank Mir and several of his cast mates on the show questioned the legitimacy of Roli’s Jiu Jitsu black belt, John isn’t questioning it after this fight. Roli used his significant height advantage and front kicks to control the distance for a good portion of the fight.  Once the fight hit the ground in the second round, Roli sunk in the guillotine and it was all over.

Dreams will come true for some tonight and others’ will be crushed as well.  The Palms Casino Resort will be host to the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 8 finale.

The co-main events will feature three members of Team Noguiera as lightweights Phillipe Nover and Efrain Escudero will battle it out for a six figure contract within the UFC.  Light heavyweight Ryan Bader will face off with Team Mir’s Vinny Magalhaes.

As former high school wrestling champ, Escudero’s strengths are his ground work.  A solid grappling foundation has earned him a perfect 10-0 record with nine of his wins via submission.  He has earned his spot on the finale with submission victories over Junie Browning and Shane Nelson.  

The NYC native, Nover recently gave up his job as an emergency room nurse to focus full-time on MMA.  Quitting his job as a nurse has already paid dividends as he recently earned a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.  His strength however lies with his standup ability.  Tagged as the next Anderson Silva, Nover has shown that he isn’t afraid to stand and trade punches.  The 24 year old will look to continue his streak of finishing off his opponents early.

This should be a great battle of former teammates, they know each other fairly well and could result in another classic fight.  Look for Nover to come out victorious earning him a shot in the UFC.

The two time NCAA All-American wrestler Ryan Bader will have his hands full with a rising BJJ star, Vinny Magalhaes.

Magalhaes captured the world BJJ title three times in his young career.  The 24 year old has  most recently been training with Xtreme Couture and has trained with Team Quest in the past.  
Training with great strikers like Wanderlei Silva and Forrest Griffin has only helped improve his all around MMA game.  

Bader is an outstanding wrestler, but something tells me he won’t be trying to take down Magalhaes.  Look for a stand up war between these two, but if the fight goes to the ground, Magalhaes will look for the submission.

I’m predicting a second round submission (armbar) for Magalhaes earning him the UFC contract.

Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns will have their long awaited rematch from the UFC "Fight Night 14".  Burns inadvertently poked Johnson in the eye while throwing an uppercut.  The Ref did not see the eye gouge and had to stop the fight as Burns continued to punish the dazed Johnson.  

Johnson (5-2) was bullied early on by Burns (7-1) in their last fight.  Look for Johnson to set the pace from the get go and look for the quick KO.  If Burns comes out with a similar gameplan as their last fight, Johnson will be ready.  

First round KO for "Rumble" Johnson.

Middleweight’s Jason MacDonald and Wilson Gouveia are set to get it on tonight as well.  

A former light heavyweight, Wilson Gouveia is a good kickboxer but lacks a good ground game.  He was able to defeat Ryan Jensen in his first middleweight fight and looked good doing it.  He weighed in at 189 for this fight, 5 pounds over weight!  Conditioning might be a factor for him.

MacDonald is coming off his stellar victory over Jason Lambert, Lambert also started out as a LHW.  MacDonald’s strength is his ground game, he has been able to submitt the likes of Chris Leben and Ed Herman in the past.  

The longer the fight goes the better the chances are for MacDonald.  Gouveia will have a tough time fending off takedown attempts from MacDonald all night and look for MacDonald to secure a submission somewhere in the second or third round.

The Ultimate Fighter reallity series has had it’s share of bad apples and Junie Browning and Dave Kaplan are no exception.  Browning is far more famous for his antics outside the cage than his performances inside.  Nearly getting kicked off the show 3 times, Browning has re-dedicated himself and has been training with Xtreme Couture.  

Browning’s strengths are his stand up and ground and pound, but in the past has lacked the conditioning to go all three rounds.  

Dave Kaplan was Team Mir’s favorite to win it all for the lightweights, but showed little in his fight against finalist Phillipe Nover.  Both fighters were on Team Mir and both talked a lot of junk, which one will be able to finally back it up?  

I’ll go with Browning, he atleast beat somebody on the show!

Check out SPIKE TV tonight at 6, 9 o’clock pacific.