The UFC Blog

UFC 94 has just started…

More to come.

WW

UFC 93 turned out to be another spectacular show at the 02 in Dublin, Ireland.

Here in the US, a lot of the normal places around town had the fights on when they were live I noticed.  Im sure the PPV numbers will still be steady though.  Missing a UFC is like missing a meal while on a hardcore diet.  

Here are the flash results:

Dan Henderson def. Rich Franklin via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Mark Coleman via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 4:36
Rousimar Palhares def. Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Alan Belcher def. Denis Kang via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 4:36
Marcus Davis def. Chris Lytle via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
John Hathway def. Tom Egan via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:36
Martin Kampmann def. Alexandre Barros via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 3:09
Eric Schafer def. Antonio Mendes via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 3:35
Thomasz Drwal def. Ivan Serati via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 2:02
Dennis Siver def. Nate Mohr via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 3:47

Dan Henderson will not be the coach for the upcoming TUF series.

Jardine vs. Jackson will headline the UFC that coincides with Arnold Classic this year.  For more info on the upcoming Arnold Classic, check out:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2009arnold_info.htm

We will be doing live play by play of the Penn/GSP fight that is on the 31st of this month.  I hope you all already got tickets, because it is SOLD OUT already.

WW

From MMAweekly at the Orange County Courthouse:

In an Orange County court on Thursday, Jackson accepted a plea bargain in a case stemming from his arrest on July 15, 2008, in exchange for a reversal of his plea from not guilty to guilty. The arrest came following Jackson allegedly leading police on a chase that involved hitting other vehicles, running red traffic lights, driving into oncoming traffic, and ended in Newport Beach.

With the acceptance of the plea bargain, Jackson’s sentencing will be deferred to Jan. 7, 2010. If he meets the requirements of the plea bargain, the felony count will be dismissed and he will only be sentenced for the misdemeanor. If he fails to meet the requirements of his plea bargain, he will be charged and sentenced on both counts.

December 27 2008 – Las Vegas was home to the UFC’s “Ultimate 2008” which showcased two titles changing hands and a former champion getting a taste of sweet revenge.

Rashad stays unbeaten; crowned new champ!

The main event featured the undefeated ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans capturing the UFC light heavyweight belt from Forrest Griffin.  Griffin came into the fight a 3 to 1 favorite and he showed why during the first two rounds.  Griffin was able to use his sizable reach advantage to keep Evans at bay with a barrage of jabs and kicks.  When the third round came, it was Rashad’s time to shine.

Griffin came out with the same game plan of leg kicks and jabs, and Rashad was able to catch one of those kicks and quickly took Griffin down.  Griffin was able to pull guard, but Evans landed a huge right hand that stunned the champ.  Smelling blood, Evans pounded the snot out of Forrest earning him the TKO victory 2:46 of the third round.

Life as the champ will be rough for Rashad, with the likes of Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell and Shogun Rua breathing down your neck, his days as champion might be numbered.  

The winner of the UFC 94 bout between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva could get the next crack at Rashad or we could be in store for some “black on black crime” as I believe ‘Rampage’ deserves to fight for his title.

Griffin might be in store for a teacher VS student match against Chuck Liddell somewhere down the road.  Liddell was his coach during the first season of TUF.

Frank Mir shocks the world and maybe himself?!?! 

Many experts predicted a Jiu-Jitsu battle between Mir and Minotauro Nogueira for the UFC interim heavyweight championship, but Mir quickly changed that prediction.  

With an ever improving stand up game, Frank Mir’s boxing was more dominant than Mike Tyson in NES Punchout!  Mir was able to land a plethora of stiff punches flooring the mythological Nogueira not once or twice but three times in the very first round.  Respecting Nogueira’s ground game and having so much success with his stand up; Mir continued his utter decimation into the second round.  He was able to land two stiff lefts that once again dropped Nogueira and continued the pain until the fight was stopped 1:54 of round 2, the first stoppage of the storied career of Nogueira.  

This monumental win cements Frank Mir as a top heavyweight once again and earns him another bout with Brock Lesnar to unify the UFC heavyweight title.

Nogueira will be back and was reported that he was battling staff infection coming into this bout.  Hopefully we will see a future bout with Randy Couture!

‘Rampage’ tastes revenge and likes it!

A fight with either Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson or Wanderlei Silva in the mix, there is an 85% chance that somebody is getting knocked the F out.  A fight between the two means the percentage moves up to 99.9%.  

‘Rampage’ didn’t disappoint!  After a feeling out process for a few minutes, Rampage was able to connect with a vicious left hook that put Silva to sleep in the very first round.  

Rampage may have earned himself a shot at newly crowned champion Rashad Evans, but the taste of revenge is still on his palate as he wants another crack at Forrest Griffin.  Rampage should take the title shot first and then fight Forrest sometime down the road in my opinion.

Wanderlei Silva has always been a very aggressive fighter in the past; he came out very flat and looked downright timid and afraid of Jackson during this fight.  A rumored rematch with Chuck Liddell may be on the horizon, but don’t be surprised to find Silva fighting another Silva, Anderson Silva that is; for his middleweight title.  

Old college foes; same results!
C.B. Dollaway was able to fend of a tight guillotine choke from Mike Massenzio and scored a TKO victory over him in round 1.

Battle for Europe
The Frenchman, Cheick Kongo scored a brutal TKO victory over UFC newcomer Mostapha Al-Turk with 20 seconds to go in round 1.  Referee Steve Mazzagatti came under fire for letting the beating continue for so long.  The win moves Kongo one step closer to a heavy weight title fight.  

OFFICIAL RESULTS
• Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin via TKO (punches) — Round 3, 2:46
• Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 1:54
• C.B. Dollaway def. Mike Massenzio via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:01
• Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (punch) — Round 1, 3:21
• Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al-Turk via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:37
• Yushin Okami def. Dean Lister via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Antoni Hardonk def. Mike Wessel via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 2:09
• Matt Hamill def. Reese Andy via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 2:19
• Brad Blackburn def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Patrick Barry def. Dan Evensen via TKO (injury) — Round 1, 2:36

Well, sort of.

Due to the unusual landscape of the UFC’s Heavyweight division over the last year or so, we have a champion (Brock Lesnar) and an interim champion who used to be Antoinio Rodrigo Nogueira. Yes, used to be. In a stunning upset, former champ, Frank Mir, not only defeated Big Nog…he stopped him for the first time in his 36 fight career with a perfectly executed dismantling via strikes that led to a second round TKO. Frank’s stand up looked the best it has ever been as he knocked Nog down twice in the first round alone and continued the course in round two, flooring Antonio and then pouncing on him and pounding him until the referee had seen enough. Now, Frank will face Brock Lesnar to unite the heavyweight division title. Yes, the same Brock Lesnar that Frank welcomed to the UFC with a first round submission. According to Dana White, they expect the fight to take place sometime in the Spring of 2009.

If you want to hear about the fight straight from the horse’s mouth, Frank will be doing his first radio interview right here on Pro MMA Radio, sponsored by Bodybuilding.com! Make sure to come and here from the new champ on Monday at 6PM PST or check out the replays, available that night On Demand, 24/7.

A less stunning upset, in my opinion, saw Sugar Rashad Evans put an end to Forrest Griffin’s reign as the 205 chamo come to an end before it ever got started. Forrest controlled the first two rounds of the fight in his first ever title defense after decisioning Rampage Jackson. But then Sugar found his range. He caught one of Forrest’s kick and got the fight to the ground where Rashad scored some heavy blows from a loose Griffin guard and followed that by a series of punches that put Forrest out and gave Rashad a well deserved title…UFC Light Heavyweight World Champion!

One of the biggest differences you will see when going to a bodybuilding show vs a fight is the fans.  The UFC was built by the fans and the UFC knows that.  The fighters know it… the fans know it!  The aora of being at a real UFC fight in person is undescribable, i suggest everyone to go to a UFC fight some time in their life.

There is really nothing like it!  Here is a picture that I shot of the crowd.

Wow, what a fight!  Forrest wins the first 2 rounds, but in round 3, Rashed starts to take care of business.  Another pretty messed up stoppage… Forrest was out and Rashed got 6-7 solid blows on him before the ref came over to stop the fight. Congrats to Rashed, the new undefeated light-heavyweight champion of the world!

Forrest is classic!  When asked if he was hurt, he says ‘I dont remember getting hurt, I just remember waking up’.

Everyone is trying to get out of here like the cows when they see the McDonalds truck.  

Off to the press conference…

The old Frank Mir is back!  The first round Frank dominates Nogueira with 3 knockdowns.  He looks like he is all gased out, but starts off the 2nd round strong again and continues to take Norueira out.  The same left hook the Quinton used earlier in the night to knockout Silva!  Frank jumps right on Nogueira and the referee is forced to stop the fight.  Nogueira looks dazed for minutes after the fight is done.  

After the fight, Frank says that going into this fight he was the most scared he has ever been going into the octagon.  Immediatly, he points out to Brock Lesner… when will they fight again?  Can Frank brake Lesners arm like he did to Tim Sylvia?  We will see!

In a weird twist of events, C.B. starts off getting his ass kicked, taps out, the referee doesn’t see it and he turns it around and wins the fight!

How will the UFC explain C.B.’s victory after all the blogs post pictures and video of when C.B. tapped out…

Because of the lack of a plug in, I am unable to blog play by play.  I am in a different section this time, but the seats are awesome as usual.  Here are the results so far, we have Forrest-Rashed and Norgoria-Mir coming up… I am super suprised that CB’s fight is on the main card?

Brad Blackburn def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Matt Hamill def. Reese Andy via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 2:19.
Antoni Hardonk def. Mike Wessel via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 2:09.
Yushin Okami def. Dean Lister via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al-Turk via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:37.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (punch) — Round 1, 3:21.

After losing twice to Silva in Pride (both by knockout), Quinton gets his revege with a vicious left hook followed by 3 more punches after Silva hit the ground, knocked out cold.  The ref should have pushed him out of the way a little faster.  Not very good for Quintons rep in my opinon.  The look on Chuck Liddells face in the audience was priceless.

Will we see Quinton-Silva 4 or Liddell-Quinton?  We will see!

In the first fight of the night, Patrick Barry def. Dan Evensen via TKO (injury)

Check out the live coverage of UFC 92 here!  Sitting ringside with the man, the myth, Larry Pepe.

WW

All fighters made weight and there were some fireworks as well between Rampage and Wanderlei!

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The most stacked card of the year is less than 48 hours away and with three main event quality fights about to go down and Christmas in the rear view mirror, the excitement level of UFC fans is moving toward a fever pitch. On this week’s Pro MMA Radio, Percy Crawford of Fight Hype joined me in "The Opening Round" and we broke down all five fights on the televised card. The episode is right here on Bodybuilding.com in the Pro MMA Radio section for you to listen to at your convenience. Make sure to check it out before Saturday night to get ready for this amazing card. Here’s the link…

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/pro_mma_radio_archive.htm

Enjoy the fights!

Pep

Just got back from the UFC 92 Press Conferrence this afternoon. Dana and the six fighters from the big three fights on the card were all there…Forrest/Rashad, Big Nog/Mir and Rampage/Wandy. Dana opened the event by thanking the fighters for getting ready for an event that runs right into Christmas and would interfere with celebration of the holidays as well as thanking the media for attending.

Nothing too new came out of the press conference with the fighters. To see all the relevant exchanges with them, head over to UFC.com where they already have the videos posted on the site.

I did get the chance to talk to former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Frank Mir, and book him for this Monday’s Pro MMA Radio right here on Bodybuilding.com. Frank and I talked about whether it was tough for him to fight Nog when he had so much respect for him and zero animosity. He said that it was actually easier than when he fought Brock because there is no pressure since Nog is the more decorated fighter. When Frank fought Brock, he felt that there was enormous pressure on him to win because he was representing MMA. We’ll get way deeper with the former, and perhaps, new UFC Champ on Monday at 6PM PST.

Dana White held court for a few of us toward the end of the presser. A few interesting points…

-He is very confident that Massachusetts and New York will sanction MMA very soon and then the UFC will turn its attention to getting an event in Toronto.

-The business of the UFC is alive, well and expanding. As much as the economy is headed toward a serious recession, the UFC has had no slow down in sales on UFC.com, tickets or PPV. In fact, the company just hired four more employees and is expanding their office space here in Vegas.  

-Forrest Griffin is, in fact, as quirky as he seems. Dana laughed that he questioned if it was an act, but that having spent significant time with Forrest over the last few years, what you see is what you get.

-Dana loves inspirational stories, and Frank Mir coming back from the knee injury and whatever issues he developed with drugs and alcohol during the rehab period after that event is a great example of what someone can come back from.

Have a great Christmas and don’t forget to check back here for the latest from UFC 92. It’s going to be one hell of an event.

Pep

PMR’s visit with TUF Semifinalist Krystoff Soszynski is ready and On-Demand for our listeners. FightHype’s Percy Crawford also joined Pep to break down the biggest card of the year, UFC 92: Ultimate 2008, with two big title fights and Rampage/Wandy 3 this weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here in Las Vegas.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/pro_mma_radio_archive.htm

Enjoy!

Class act hope he does well this Saturday in Vegas!