The UFC Blog

Fights were awesome tonight.  A few big KO’s, a legendary match between two hall of famers and some solid submissions.  Here is the quick results with a full review later.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
•Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Randy Couture via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
•Thiago Silva def. Keith Jardine via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:35
•Jake Rosholt def. Chris Leben via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 3, 1:30
•Nate Marquardt def. Demian Maia via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 0:21
•Brandon Vera def. Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Aaron Simpson def. Ed Herman via TKO (injury) - Round 2, 0:17
•Gabriel Gonzaga def. Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:27
•Mike Russow def. Justin McCully via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
•Todd Duffee def. Tim Hague via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:07
•Mark Munoz def. Nick Catone via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
•Evan Dunham def. Marcus Aurelio via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Here are the Randy Couture vlogs:

Legends will collide this Saturday night in Portland, Oregon as Randy “The Natural” Couture faces off with Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira.  

The Rose Garden will be hosting The Ultimate Fighting Championship for the very first time and the card is full of entertaining fights.  The co-main event will feature light heavyweight contenders Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine and Thiago Silva as they look to rebound off their latest defeats.

Well it’s better late than never when it comes to the main event between Couture and Nogueira.  A fight that almost happened back in 2000 at the Rings King of Kings final will finally take place tomorrow night.  

After losing his UFC heavyweight championship to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, Randy Couture is set to make one more run at the belt.  His trek will not be an easy one as he faces the most resilient fighter in MMA history in “Minotauro” Nogueira.

Having never been finished in his previous 37 fights, Nogueira’s streak ended at UFC 92 when he suffered a TKO at the hands of Frank Mir; losing the UFC interim heavyweight championship.  

These former champions both have the bad taste of defeat still in their mouths and a victory Saturday will give them another shot at championship glory.

The strengths are well known for both fighters.  Randy is a “natural” when it comes to wrestling and his dirty boxing is punishing.  Nogueira is undoubtedly the world’s top heavyweight submission specialist and his boxing is sound technically.  

The weaknesses are just as obvious, as the clock may be ticking on both of their legendary careers.  

At first glance, one would think that Nogueira is the elder of the two warriors, but at 33 he’s 13 years younger than the 46 year old Couture.  Nogueira has gained the reputation as the ultimate come from behind fighter as he’s pulled out victories on the brink of defeat on more than one occasion.  This will be the 39th professional fight for Nogueira and many of those fights were all out wars.  After so many battles, does Nogueira have enough in the tank for another title run?
  
Randy Couture faced similar adversity back in 2006 after being knocked out by Chuck Liddell.  After a brief retirement, he was able to comeback after a year off and destroyed Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight crown.  

This fight is hard to predict due to the past performances of Nogueira.  In my opinion, Nogueira hasn’t looked like the dominant fighter that ruled Japan since his arrival to the UFC in 2007.  Heath Herring nearly kicked his head off; Tim Sylvia was schooling him in the standup till he got choked out and Frank Mir finished him for the first time in his career, although he was also fighting staph infection.

Are we going to see Nogueira at 100 percent or has he taken too much punishment?

With that being said; as much as I would love to see Nogueira pull out another submission victory, I’ll have to give the nod to Randy.  He’ll control the fight standing and on the ground and will win via decision.  

Fireworks are sure to happen during the Thiago Silva and Keith Jardine bout.  Both are coming off a loss in their last fights and are desperate to get back in the mix for a light heavyweight title shot.

Silva will have to keep the pressure on Jardine in this one and stay away from his devastating leg kicks.  Jardine is the more technically sound fighter of the two, as the ultra aggressive Silva loves to brawl.  Don’t look for this fight to go to the ground unless somebody is getting knocked out.  

Can Thiago Silva rebound from his first defeat or will Keith Jardine continue his humble ascent up the light heavyweight ranks?  

I have to go with my boy “The Dean of Mean” he nearly beat “Rampage” and Silva’s chin is suspect.  Jardine wins by second round TKO.

The most anticipated fight for me will be the middleweight bout between Nate “The Great” Marquardt and Demian Maia.  

Maia is undefeated and hands down the greatest BJJ grappler breathing.  He is a wizard on the ground and his standup continues to improve as he spars with Wanderlei Silva daily.  It’s no secret that he wants to take Marquardt to the ground, but will Nate be too strong for the Brazilian Maia?

Marquardt is a seven time King of Pancrase with tons of experience.  He holds the edge striking wise and his one of the strongest fighters in the division.  He’s hell bound on getting another crack at Anderson Silva, but he needs to defeat Maia first.  

A title shot in the near future is on the line and I see this fight going to the ground at least once meaning Maia will find a way to submit Marquardt.  

Portland native Chris Leben will be entertaining his hometown fans but he’ll have his hands full with NCAA wrestling champion Jake Rosholt.

Leben hasn’t fought since October where he lost to Michael Bisping.  Leben was popper for steroids and suspended.  The heavy handed southpaw has had trouble in the past dealing with strong wrestlers.  If he can keep the fight standing he should be able please his hometown fans with another exciting knockout.

Light heavyweights Brandon Vera and Krzytof Soszynski will be battling it out to crack the top ten in the division in the night’s first televised bout.  

They are both coming off victories and hungry for more.  Vera has more experience and is the more technically of the two.  Where Soszynski lacks technically he makes up for in his size and strength.  His punches are powerful but slow and he’ll need to defend the strong leg kicks from Vera.  

Vera has the experience and his standup is a tad superior to Soszynski’s.  Vera should be able to squeak out a decision.  

UFC 102 – Rose Garden, Portland, Ore.

MAIN CARD
• Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
• Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva
• Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt
• Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt
• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera
PRELIMINARY CARD
• Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer
• Justin McCully vs. Mike Russow
• Todd Duffee vs. Tim Hague
• Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz
• Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham
• Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson

A rumored bout between fellow ground and pound specialists Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman and my boy Tito Ortiz is all but official for November 21 in Las Vegas, and if that’s not enough…

A heavyweight title bout between two monsters Brock Lesnar and KO artist Shane Carwin is headlining the ppv.

From Shane-Carwin.com:

“I have verbally been offered the fight with Brock and I have verbally accepted this fight. My manager and the UFC are handling the the details. I am honored that the UFC has given me this opportunity. The fans of this sport are what makes MMA so great. I expect to be fighting at UFC 106 in November.”

Somebody is going to get pummeled in this one and Dana White agrees:

“Brock is ready to go now and wants to fight. Carwin makes the most sense. He’s 11-0, and he’s been kicking the [expletive] out of everybody. [Gabriel] Gonzaga destroyed [Mirko] Cro Cop and he [Carwin] totally destroyed Gonzaga. Plus, he hates Brock Lesnar. It’s going to be two huge guys going at it. He’s got the power to knock anybody out and he’s got great wrestling too. He’s one of the guys that has the size to match up with Brock, too. This is one of those fights that could be wild. Someone’s going to get their head knocked off.”

This PPV should do record numbers, can’t wait!

Post from: The Crush

Chuck Liddell will be joining the rest of the stars in Dancing with the Stars, at least that what we are hearing.

To hear more about this check out this weeks replay of Pro MMA Radio, also on PMR Nate Marquardt and a review of the Strikeforce card.

This Week On Pro MMA Radio:
UFC Middleweight Nate Marquardt - Plus: Strikeforce Review!

Fist Up - MMA publicist Phil Lanides let’s the cat out of the bag and slips in the latest gossip on former UFC Light-Heavyweight World Champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell… What’s the former champ up to these days? Listen to this week’s show to find out. Hint: he won’t be dancing in the ring. Listen to this week’s Pro MMA Radio replay to get the latest.

For this and the most current shows: Listen Here.

The Rest Of This Show:

Guest: UFC Middleweight Nate Marquardt - Plus: Strikeforce Review!

UFC Middleweight Nate Marquardt joins PMR to discuss upcoming fight with Demian Maia at UFC 102. Other guests include MMA publicist Phil Lanides and TUF 9 alum Frank Lester. Date: 8/17/09 (Pro MMA Show 59) - mp3

Dana was on the Carmichael Dave show this week and had this to say regarding his very popular vlogs:

“I made the decision not to do the blogs anymore. I am the one that took them down. They were fun while they lasted, and thanks to everyone for the support.”

Looks like Tito Ortiz had a lil vlog fun while in Philly for UFC 101, here parts 1 and 2.

Part 2

His next fight has been confirmed against Mark "The Hammer" Coleman sometime this winter.  Can’t wait!

Hope all is well with everyone. I have taken a week or so off after the fight vs. Brock Lesnar in UFC 100. Even though I thought I would experience a victory it wasn’t my night. Brock had an excellent game plan and came out with the win. I will start training on Monday to get ready for my next fight which should be late Fall.

There were positives from the UFC 100 experience. It showcased the UFC and myself to millions more people and due to the antics of Brock, brought in more people as well. On top of that, Dan Henderson’s KO of Bisping made world wide sports shows as a play of the day or highlight reels.

One thing you don’t want is to be on the other side of Hendo’s overhand right. Dan is a great guy, as is Bisping, but man did he connect. GSP showed his outstanding ability as well. All in all it was a great night for the UFC.

Regarding my night, well, I have things to work on as does any martial artist. There is a saying in BJJ circles that says you really start learning when you get your black belt. I have to go back to the drawing board with my coaches and starting writing up a new game plan for my next opponent and go over mistakes I made vs. Brock. MMA is so dynamic, always changing, always evolving and there is so much to train for and learn.

If you saw the pictures from the weigh-ins you hopefully saw that I was in good shape and ready to go 5 five rounds. I felt great. I weighed in at 245lbs which is about 20lbs or so lighter than usual. This was in no small part helped by Nutrabolics. My friends Jayson and Rodney helped me get on a program utilizing Nutrabolics products and with their help and the team at Nutrabolics I was able to get into the best shape of my life. We are not going to let up there. We are going to put together a new routine into what we are already doing to build upon our results thus far.

Regarding my performance - Let’s just say I can’t wait til the next time I get a shot at Brock. We are one and one. I am not a trash talker so I will save my comments for later. He deserved the win. I got caught in a position that put me at risk. The excitement and unpredictability of the sport shows that on any given night one can win. This time it wasn’t me. Next time it will be.

I will be in touch every few weeks. As an fyi, during the week I train and sleep and spend time with my family. Oh ya - we are filming a reality show right now. There are so many cameras on us all the time. We are doing it with an excellent production company so I am really excited to see how it turns out. I will be in touch.

For Martial Arts,

Frank Mir

Read more NutraBlogs by Mir and others Here.

Philadelphia, PA – The dominating force that is Anderson “The Spider” Silva resurfaced Saturday night as he knocked out Forrest Griffin in embarrassing fashion.

The main event featured BJ Penn retaining his UFC lightweight title against top contender Kenny Florian, but it was Silva who stole the show in front of a wild Wachovia Center crowd.  

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin was hand picked to bring the fight to “The Spider” and he did.  However we were quickly reminded why many fighters aren’t willing to stand and trade with Silva.

Griffin came out the aggressor as Silva patiently gauged the timing of his punches.  Once Silva figured that Griffin couldn’t hurt him he quickly exploited his opponent’s chin.  

Reminiscent to Roy Jones Jr., Silva bobbed and weaved as he peppered Griffin’s chin knocking him down on two different occasions.  Griffin was smiling after the first knockdown, but Silva would quickly wipe that smirk off his face with the second time around.  

The gentleman that he is, Silva offered to help his downed opponent and surprisingly Griffin obliged.  

Griffin continued to fight but could only hit the air as Silva used his Matrix-esque abilities to dodge a flurry of punches and ended the fight with a stiff right hand.  Griffin was floored and referee Kevin Mulholland stopped the contest at 3:23 of the opening round.

An obvious embarrassed Forrest Griffin quickly ran out the Octagon and it’s not sure if he’s yet to resurface.

Silva celebrated his second victory as a light heavyweight and it’s uncertain if he’ll continue fighting at 205.  "It’s a big problem, because these guys at 205 are a lot bigger than me," Silva said. "But I want to fight against the best; whoever the best is at the time, that’s who I want to fight."

Silva continues his reign of terror in the UFC posting his tenth victory in a row, while Griffin has dropped two consecutive.

Next in line for Silva is rumored to be Dan Henderson who would get his second crack at the UFC middleweight strap.  

I would love to see Anderson tussle with fellow Brazilian, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort who recently signed with the UFC and will face Rich Franklin at UFC 103.

BJ Penn proved to the world why he’s considered the best lightweight after a tough fought victory over Kenny Florian.

Penn was able to hold off any offense from the challenger and displayed how well his cardio has improved since his last fight against GSP.

Florian’s strategy was to tire the champ as he pinned Penn against the cage for much of the first three rounds.  Florian, constantly looking for a takedown, was unsuccessful due to the incredible balance of the champion.  

The first three rounds were all very close, but most would score all three for Penn.

The fight would not go past round four as Penn was able to take Florian down.  As Penn worked in Florian’s guard he was able to land some ground in pound eventually taking Florian’s back.  

Penn quickly ended the fight with a rear-naked choke 3:54 into round four.  

BJ Penn tied Jens Pulver with most consecutive title defenses in the lightweight division at two.  His next opponent is most likely Diego Sanchez.

Kenny Florian will take some time off to decide on what’s next.  This was his second title shot and it’s unlikely that he’ll be granted a third anytime soon.  

Amir Sadollah, winner of TUF7, made his long awaited Octagon debut only to be defeated in 29 seconds.

Johny Hendricks landed a right hand from the clinch that dropped Sadollah to his knees.  He quickly followed it up with a barrage of punches that hit nothing but air as he attempted to finish Sadollah.  

Referee extraordinaire Dan Miragliotta quickly stopped the fight when it looked like Sadollah was getting back to his feet.  

The crowd booed, I booed, and everyone booed at this early stoppage.  It’s too bad for Amir who waited so long to fight, better luck next time.  

Hendricks moves to a perfect 6-0 while Sadollah is .500 at 1-1.

The losses keep piling up for former TUF winners as Kendall Grove was beaten by BJJ ace Ricardo Almeida.

Almeida controlled much of the action on the ground but was unable to submit Grove.  He landed some nice ground and pound, but nothing too dangerous as Grove was able to survive on his back.  Grove nearly stole the bout in round two with an air tight arm-bar, but Almeida was able to wiggle free.  

Surviving a big right hand from Grove in round three, Almeida controlled the majority of the fight and earned an unanimous decision, his second in a row.  

Almeida stated that he would move down to welterweight for his next fight, while Grove’s two fight win streak was snapped.

In a fight that I predicted as “fight of the night,” Kurt Pellegrino smothered Josh Neer for three boring rounds.  Pellegrino used his superior wrestling skills to take Neer down time after time and Neer was unable to secure a submission.  

Neer would talk a little trash to Pellegrino, and Pellegrino gave him a nice “bitch slap” which was the highlight of the fight.  

UFC 101 “Declaration” was saved by the Anderson Silva fight which receives “fight of the night” honors as well as “KO” of the night.

BJ Penn earned “submission of the night” with his rear-naked choke of Kenny Florian.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
• B.J. Penn def. Kenny Florian via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 4, 3:54 (to defend lightweight title)
• Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 3:23
• Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Johnny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:29
• Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-27)
• Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
• John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
• Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
• George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via submission (kimura) - Round 2, 1:59
• Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) - Round 3, 3:37

Pro MMA Radio is live at WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel here in Vegas. Thanks to everyone at Zuffa and the WEC for credentialing us and putting our most recent episode with Miguel Torres on the WEC website.

Let’s get started!

LC Davis vs. Javier Vazquez

The fight that was supposed to take place at Affliction: Trilogy was saved by the WEC as these two Featherweights debut for the promotion. Vazquez looked to be in control of the fight from start to finish, definitely getting the better of Davis on the ground and doing at least as much as he did on the feet if not a bit more. Much to the crowd’s dismay and most of the media around me, Davis is awarded a split decision. Not the best start to the evening.

Rafael Dias vs. Diego Nunes

Another Featherweight battle sees Diego Nunes score a 30-27 decision on all the judges’ cards by dominating the ground game and scoring some solid ground and pound.

Rani Yahya vs. John Hosman

Hosman comes down to the cage with ever popular UFC lightweight Clay Guida. Unfortunately, Yahya is unimpressed and still a ridiculously high level submission artist and chokes him out with a north-south choke in just over 2 minutes.

Ed Ratcliff vs. Phil Cardella

Ratcliff the striker vs. Cardella the ground game specialist. The fight consisted mostly of Cardella trying to take Ratcliff down and Ed trying to utilize his standup advantage. Neither was particularly effective, but I saw it for Cardella 29-28 but the judges saw it for Ratcliff.

Shane Roller vs. Marcus Hicks

Roller is part of Team Takedown with a very strong wrestling base. Hicks was a title contender just a year ago and then looked terrible against Rob McCullough. He’s known for his amazing guillotine chokes and solid boxing. Roller found out what those chokes feel like in the first round several times, which I thought gave Hicks the round. The second round was completely dominant for Roller with multiple takedowns and some vicious ground and pound that nearly ended it. In the third, it was more of the same as Roller rolled to a unanimous decision.

Cole Province vs. Fredson Paixao

Another decision and this one is met with loud boos, but it shouldn’t be. Cole Province said before the fight that he was a wrestler and "I get to decide where the fight takes place". And that’s exactly what happened. Cole used that wrestling to take down the amazing BJJ stylist Paixao and control the fight. Fredson opened a huge cut on Cole’s nose that had him bleeding like he sprung a leak so he definitely ended up the more damaged fighter when the final horn sounded. In fact, that blood actually helped him as Fredson went for several submissions and kept slipping off his bloody opponent.

We’re going live to the Main Card on Versus TV in a few minutes. The Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh fight has been added to the televised card and will start the broadcast. Remember, we’ll be recapping the event and the behind the scenes of what went on at WEC 42 tomorrow night on Pro MMA Radio. Make sure to check it out!

There will be no brotherly love this Saturday night as The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its long awaited debut in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.  

The Wachovia Center will be filled to the rafters for UFC 101 “Declaration,” as B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn is set to defend his lightweight belt against Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian.  

The insanity doesn’t stop there.  Middleweight king-pin Anderson “The Spider” Silva will face his toughest challenge to date as he will collide with former light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin.

Remember the UFC 94 lubing incident known as “Greasegate,” where Georges St. Pierre had a little too much fun with some Vaseline?  The mixed martial arts world has finally put this controversy behind us and so has Mr. Penn… finally!

GSP didn’t do any favors for the UFC lightweights when he dominated B.J. Penn last January.  He relit the fire within and an angry, determined champion will be on full display as B.J. unloads on Kenny Florian.  

Penn is a known commodity in the world of grappling.  His striking is second to none and even famed trainer Freddie Roach has proclaimed Penn’s stand-up as best in the biz.  The natural talent that Penn possesses such as his flexibility and takedown defense is absolutely shocking.  

However his reliance on such talents has been his Achilles heel over the years and his work ethic cardio wise has been questioned.  

“I want B.J.’s belt,” proclaimed TUF1 runner-up Kenny Florian after his destruction of Joe Stevenson at UFC 91.  He’ll get his chance this Saturday.  

Florian comes into his second title fight a hungry, grizzled veteran of the Octagon riding a six fight win streak all by stoppage.  His last taste of defeat was the title fight against Sean Sherk; way back in 2006.  
  
Known for his outstanding BJJ skills early on in his career, Florian has added some vicious Muay Thai skills that have left his opponents a bloody mess.  Truly a student of the game, Florian never shows up without a game plan.  He’s very tactical as he picks apart his opponents and must stay at least two steps ahead of the champ or Penn will pick him apart limb by limb.  

Penn is the favorite for good reason, he’s better across the board than Florian and looks to be in great shape.  Florian’s best chance of victory will be by a cut due to his razor sharp elbows.  B.J. is too good and angry as hell; I feel bad for Florian, B.J. Penn by second round TKO.
Dana White is pound for pound the best promoter in MMA, no doubt about it.  Anderson Silva is also considered a pound for pound champ, but his last few fights have many doubting such claims.  

Silva looked disinterested during UFC 90 bout with Patrick Cote, who was satisfied to reach round three.  Silva’s last opponent Thales Leites was either scared or didn’t get enough sleep as he was content lying on the mat.  Silva apologized for the Cote fight, but didn’t seem to care that he didn’t finish Leites.  Hey, a win is a win.  

An embarrassed Dana White was puzzled and had no answers for his champion’s latest performance.  Who’s going to motivate this guy to fight?

The answer was clear as day; Forrest Griffin.

Promoting a fight between Silva and former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was perfect, but a fight between these two in Philadelphia was genius.  These fans booed Santa Claus!

Forrest brings it each fight.  I can’t think of a boring fight that he’s been in; the logical choice to motivate Silva.  Griffin is a big 205er and should use his size to his advantage.  He may not have the knockout power as Silva, but his relentless attacking and leg kicks have proven to be damaging, just ask Rampage.  Griffin’s cardio and heart are unquestioned and he will force Silva to stand and bang.

Silva has the best overall stand up in the game today.  He’s also very dangerous off his back and might be on his back during this fight.  Griffin should look to take Silva down before Silva finds “the button.”  Griffin has a strong heart, but the same can’t be said for his chin.  

We will witness the rebirth of Anderson Silva come Saturday at the expense of Forrest Griffin; he’ll live…maybe.  Look for a very entertaining fight, and a first round KO for “The Spider.”  

Remember Amir Sadollah?

He won TUF7 beating CB Dolloway!

Not only did he receive a UFC contract for his victory, but a nice case of staph infection and a broken clavicle as well.  After over a year on the disabled list, Sadollah makes his long awaited UFC debut post TUF.  Undefeated WEC welterweight Johnny Hendricks will be his first test.

Hendricks is a strong wrestler like Dolloway, who was submitted twice by Sadollah.  Sadollah has had over a year to train with the best Xtreme Couture has to offer and that should pay dividends in this fight.  Hendricks will be able to get Sadollah down only to get arm barred in round one.

Middleweights Kendall Grove and Ricardo Almeida are set to do battle as well.  Grove’s glass jaw may get a night off as BJJ ace Almeida is not known for his knockout power.  Almeida has already stated he’s moving to welterweight after this fight, is he counting on losing to Grove already?

Grove has the edge stand up wise and has a long wing span which may be difficult for Almeida to submit him via arm bar.  However Grove’s neck is long as well and should stick out long enough for Almeida to choke it out sometime in round three.  

Lightweights Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino will start the televised portion of the night off in exciting fashion.  

Neer is an absolute animal and I love his fighting style.  He’ll have a reach and size advantage and should be able to punish Pellegrino standing.  Pellegrino has a great ground game, but don’t underestimate Neer’s.  I like Neer via TKO round two.  

MAIN CARD
• B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian (for UFC lightweight title)
• Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin (non-title fight)
• Johny Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah
• Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
• Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino
PRELIMINARY CARD
• Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
• John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory
• Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
• Dan Cramer vs. Matthew Riddle
• George Roop vs. George Sotiropoulos
• Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

For your amusement and viewing pleasure!