The UFC Blog

For those of you who were so unfortunate to miss GSP vs Penn 2 at UFC 94 the first time it came around, your in luck.

The UFC has announced that it will be showing UFC 94 Free on Spike TV, this Saturday, April 11^th.

This was a good card and great fight, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this fight that everyone has heard about.

If you have heard all the rumors and complaints but haven’t seen the fight dont miss it Saturday Night!

Episode 34: February 9, 2009

UFC Lightweight Contender Clay Guida & Fight Night Recap Headline Pro MMA Radio!

UFC Lightweight Contender Clay Guida came by after the biggest win of his career at UFC 94 over Nate Diaz. We talked about the fight, his disappointing loss to Roger Huerta, who might be next for him and more.

Yahoo’s Cage Writer, Steve Cofield, joined Pep in the Opening Round to talk Vaseline Gate, P4P and UFC Fight Night. Check it out!

      Complete Replays Available: UFC Champion Randy “The Natural” Couture, Sean Sherk, Rashad Evans, Joe Lauzon and many more! Click here.

Heres a blog from BJ Penn

For the past several days I have been reading statements made by St. Pierre and Greg Jackson about our fight on January 31. St. Pierre claims that he is “not a cheater” and that he and Greg Jackson will have “no problem with a rematch in the summer of 2009.” To the untrained eye the grease might not look like much, but every grappler knows the effect that it has. Being able to apply your submissions and sweeps or just being able to hold on to your opponent to defend yourself from being hit is absolutely critical! There is a reason why you are not allowed to put grease anywhere on your body except for the area around your eyes. Because of the grease applied to St.Pierre’s Body the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive director, Keith Kizer has stated that the Penn-St. Pierre fight “definitely wasn’t fair”. I hereby accept George St. Pierre and Greg Jackson’s challenge for a fight in the summer 2009. Lets call Dana now and set it up.
- BJ Penn

http://www.bjpenn.com/profiles/blogs/bj-penn-accepts-gsp-and-greg  

BJ and JD Penn on a local newscast address future:

Rumor has it that BJ is done and no longer wants to train as a high level professional.  If he had beaten GSP he had stated he would’ve retired after the fight, but now who knows.

MMAWeekly reports:

Following a week of controversy after the Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn fight in which Vaseline was applied to the Canadian by one of his cornermen in between rounds, the UFC has instituted new policies regarding cut men and how the corners are allowed to enter during the breaks in between rounds for this weekend’s UFC Fight Night 17 show in Tampa, Fla.

According to sources close to the situation, the UFC has now instructed that cornermen associated with the fighters will no longer be allowed to handle the Vaseline used in between rounds to treat and prevent cuts.

The UFC will now provide one cut man for each corner for the fight. Only two people are allowed to enter the Octagon between rounds so if a cut man is necessary to apply Vaseline or work on a cut, one of the other cornermen working with the fighter must exit the cage to allow the cut man to work.

This is all following the controversy surrounding St. Pierre cornerman, Phil Nurse, applying Vaseline to his fighter’s face in between rounds and then moving his hands to the Canadian’s chest and back to help with a breathing technique at UFC 94. Because his hands may have still had Vaseline left on them, Penn’s camp was compelled to file a letter with the Nevada State Athletic Commission asking for an investigation into the matter.

Though there has been no official word from the UFC if this ruling will be instituted in other states or if Florida previously approved the matter, several MMAWeekly.com sources indicated that the new rules regarding Vaseline use have been presented as permanent.

There has been some controversy over UFC 94 main event fight between BJ Penn and GSP. The Nevada Athletic Commission is in the middle of an investigation over GSP’s cornerman not wiping the vaseline off his hands before rubbing GSP’s shoulders and chest.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation the fight might be ruled a no contest.

This was definitely an accident in my opinion but could turn out to be a very costly one. Anyone who has ever talked to GSP or seen him in an interview or as a coach on the Ultimate Fighter would know how great of a guy he is and that he would never have the intent to cheat (why would he, he is an amazing athlete and fighter). Besides he was dominating the whole fight.

Here is some detail on the situation, between rounds one of GSP’s cornerman would apply vaseline to his face (legal) but then he forgot to wipe his hands off before rubbing his shoulders and chest, that is illegal.

Penn’s camp has filed a formal complaint and doesn’t believe it was an accident.

Personally here is what I’m saying.

First off GSP DOMINATED  the fight, I am a huge BJ fan but GSP had this one in the bag.
Second of all I feel this might blow over, but then again with one of the biggest fights of all time there shouldn’t be anything left up for dispute, so lets say have a no contest and have a rubberband match say in July.
Finally, no matter how you look at it, accident or not, what the cornerman did is Illegal.

DD

If it weren’t for Lyoto Machida last night would have been filled with no knock-outs. I’m glad I wasn’t a betting man because I would have went with Silva going into the fight. Once you saw Silva enter the Octagon though he had a different look and vibe to him. I didn’t think he’d get knocked out but I could tell Machida would win once the two entered. Machida goes to 14-0 and Silva falls to 13-1. Here is a shot of him celebrating perfection.

From a photographer’s standpoint, I enjoyed UFC 94. Most of the fights never wet to the ground which made it more enjoyable to shoot. As a fan, the fights weren’t all that exciting until the last two fights. I was shocked to see Clay hang in the fight much less win. I like him, nice guy, big heart and I give him props. Especially when Nate was antagonizing him during the fight by throwing his hands up. Jones was the biggest surprise to me. This dude is a highlight reel waiting to happen. He had some bad ass moves and took it to veteran Stephan Bonnar. Silva was a bad looking dude until he got into the Octagon and then he got owned. Machida dominated and remains undefeated. GSP is the man. How do you not like this guy? He shut BJ up in more than one way. Props to the 27 year old for sticking to his game plan and sending Penn back to Hawaii with a couple knots on his head.

Here’s a couple of pics from last night. Check back for the full galleries later.

On this week’s episode of Pro MMA Radio we’ll break down the card with Yahoo’s Steve Cofield in the Opening Round. Steve and I will get into the nuances of all the main card fights as well as highlight some of the undercard fights that have particular points of interest.

Also on Monday’s show, Joe Lauzon will come in for a visit to talk about his main event fight with Jeremy Stephens at next weekend’s Ultimate Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, live and free on Spike TV.

Pro MMA Radio airs live at 6PM PST, 9 PM EST every Monday night. Replays can be heard 24/7 right here on Bodybuilding.com!

He was, in a word, dominant. GSP executed his game plan to perfection and looked like a different fighter than the one who narrowly edged out a split decision over BJ when they fought at UFC 58 just under three years ago. Once they got past the first round where BJ was able to reasonably defend the takedown, GSP took BJ repeatedly and brutalized him with constant ground and pound that looked to take the life out of BJ. When the cageside doctor examined BJ after the fourth round, the fight was stopped and GSP was thrilled. "This was the biggest win of my career." BJ couldn’t make the post fight press conference because he had to be taken the hospital. GSP will now defend the welterweight title against Thiago Alves while BJ will take on lightweight number one contender Kenny Florian.

A finish to a fight tonight! Before Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva stepped into the cage to put their 13-0 records on the line, we had EIGHT CONSECUTIVE decisions which didn’t make for a very exciting fight card. MMA fans like big finishes and that’s exactly what they got when Lyoto knocked Thiago out cold in the final seconds of the first round. Machida was dominant throughout the round and is now 14-0 in his MMA career and 6-0 in the UFC. Somewhat surprisingly, UFC President Dana White did NOT commit to Lyoto getting the first shot at newly minted champ Rashad Evans. The UFC will decide on Rashad’s first defense after Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine fight at UFC 96 during Arnold Classic weekend. That’s a nice way of saying that if Rampage he gets Rashad and if Jardine wins Machida gets the shot.

…and his name is Jon "Bones" Jones.

Jones, who has been fighting for a whopping 15 months, is now 2-0 in the UFC scoring huge wins as an underdog in both cases. Tonight, he beat Stephan Bonnar who was coming into his first fight in over a year after rehabbing from knee surgery. Jones, a former JUCO national champion wrestler, had incredible, dazzling takedowns, even suplexing Bonnar at one point. He also landed a vscious spinning elbow that had Bonnar collpase to the mat as if he was out cold, only to have his head bounce off the floor and wake him and recover. This fight was never close with Jones dominating the first two rounds and then playing it smart in the third. The future is ridiculously bright for the 21 year old from Rochester, NY. Yes, you read that right, he is only 21 years old.

Karo Parysian and Dong Hyun Kim are both excellent judokas and it showed. Problem is these two were so evenly matched that after Kim had an easy 10-9 in round one, Karo eeked out rounds 2 and 3 on the judges score cards as the two clinched and spent an unnatural amount of time clenched against the cage. Personally, I saw Kim winning the fight for one reason. The third and deciding round was basically dead even, except for one small issue. Early in the round, Kim took Karo and was in a dominant top position when Karo upkicked him in the head while Kim was still on the ground. The fight was stopped to give Kim time to recover and when the fight restarted, the pair were in the stand up position and basically fought to a draw. No point was deducted for the blow. Under the circumstances, Karo not only benefitted from dazing Kim illegally with the blow but also got out of the compromising position he was in by committing a foul. Given that the rest of the round was a draw, the third, and the decision, should have gone to Kim.

From mmajunkie.com

UFC 94 round by round updates, official results and tonight’s winners
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jan 31, 2009 at 10:10 pm ET
LAS VEGAS - Welcome to MMAjunkie.com’s live coverage of tonight’s "UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn II" event.

Tonight’s pay-per-view show features the long-awaited rematch between UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and lightweight title-holder B.J. Penn. Top light heavyweight contenders Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva also meet in the co-main event.

Live coverage of the preliminary card begins at 7:45 p.m. EST (4:45 p.m. PST), and the main card kicks off at 10 p.m. EST.

You can chat about tonight’s event in our official UFC 94 discussion thread, or meet up with other fight junkies in the MMAjunkie.com MMA Forums.

Also, stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com after the show for full post-event coverage, including UFC bonus winners, gate and attendance information, and other breaking news.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

* * * *

MATT ARROYO VS. DAN CRAMER

Round 1 - Arroyo with an early leg kick, but his shot is stuffed by Cramer. The second, though, is successful, and Arroyo is able to pull guard, reverse the position and immediately take mount. Cramer reverses, but Arroyo quickly secures an arm and tries for the armbar. Cramer escapes and works from inside guard. The fighters catch a breather before Arroyo works elbows from below. Cramer’s punches from above are easily deflected. However, Cramer finally gets through a couple elbows and then a big right and blows to the body. Cramer sits up before the blows, but despite telegraphing them, Arroyo can do nothing to stop them. Cramer lands a stiff right, but Arroyo grabs the arm again and works for an armbar. Cramer survives and then batters him with more rights. After standing, Cramer doesn’t allow Arroyo to do the same and then smothers his opponent when Arroyo tries to get to his feet. MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Cramer.

Round 2 - After a touch of the gloves, Arroyo misses on a lazy right and is put on his back after a spinning back kick misses widely. Cramer takes the dominant top position as Arroyo works butterfly guard. Cramer stands over his opponent and then rains down some right hands that connect. Arroyo quickly secures full guard and defends against more right hands from Cramer. Back to butterfly guard for Arroyo, who throws elbows from below. They have little on them, and Cramer again lands some rights from above. Cramer again stands over his opponent, and as he awaits his opening, the crowd begins to boo. Cramer returns to his opponent’s guard. Arroyo throws elbows while Cramer patiently looks to connect with big rights. The pace slows as both fighters look to have tired. Referee Steve Mazzagatti halts the action when Arroyo kicks Cramer in the face, and a warning is issued. Back to action, Cramer again stands over Arroyo, and the crowd again grows restless. Little action in the final 30 seconds of the frame. MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Cramer.

Round 3 - Arroyo has a major black eye as the left side of his face swells. The fighters trade blows in the center of the cage, and Arroyo finally secures a takedown of his own. Cramer, though, looks for the triangle choke, but without the position, he allows Arroyo to take sidemount and then his back. Arroyo climbs onto his back and sinks in a rear-naked choke. Cramer won’t tap and breaks free of the choke, but Arroyo still has his back. After throwing some punches from behind, Arroyo again attempts the choke as he locks in a body triangle. Cramer wiggles free and is able to turn free and take top position. Now working from inside his opponent’s guard, Cramer rains down elbows. The pace slows as Cramer works elbows. Mazzagatti steps in and restarts them. Arroyo shoots lazily, and Cramer collapses on top of him and immediately rains down elbows that find their mark. Arroyo looks for the triangle choke, but Cramer pulls back and frees himself. With a sense of desparation, Arroyo looks for a submission, but Cramer closes out the round with a flurry of ground and pound. MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Cramer in what should be a clean sweep of a decision. Dan Cramer def. Matt Arroyo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

JAKE O’BRIEN VS. CHRISTIAN WELLISCH

Round 1 - Wellisch quickly closes the distances and tries to take O’Brien to the ground, but he’s popped and dropped with a right. Wellisch quickly gets back to his feet, and the fighters trade blows furiously. O’Brien takes Wellisch to the mat and works from inside his opponent’s guard. Pressed against the fence, Weliisch pulls O’Brien toward him. O’Brien, though, backs away and allows Wellisch to get back to his feet. Wellisch misses with a head kick and then lands a soft leg kick. A lazy takedown attempt by Wellisch allows O’Brien to toss him to the mat. He follows and works from inside Wellisch’s guard. O’Brien throws a few short punches to the body. The referee soon break and restarts them. The fighters again throw wildly, and O’Brien connects with a left and then partially connects on a right. Wellisch gets through a blow, but O’Brien shoots and takes him down. O’Brien backs away and lets him up. However, after his next takedown, O’Brien collapses on top of him before the round ends. MMAjunkie.com has it 10-9 for O’Brien.

Round 2 - After trading more punches to open the round, Wellisch lands a body kick and follows with a leg kick. O’Brien avoids subsequent blows and counters Wellisch with three consecutive jabs. Wellisch lands a nice leg kick. O’Brien works jabs as Wellisch swings and misses wildly. O’Brien lands a nice left- overhand right combination, but Wellisch shakes it off and attempts a takedown. O’Brien, though, dips for the double-leg takedown and slams his opponent to the mat. Wellisch rolls free and quickly gets to his feet and lands a left-right combo. O’Brien counters with an uppercut, but Wellisch continues to push forward. O’Brien counters a low kick-jab combo with an easy takedown and again slams Wellisch to the mat. Wellisch, though, again gets to his feet quickly and land a nice combo of low kicks and punches just as the round ends. MMAjunkie.com has it 10-9 for O’Brien.

Round 3 - Wellisch goes on the offensive as O’Brien looks to counter. Wellisch chases with some lunging rights and eats a shot that opens his nose and causes a steady flow of blood. O’Brien shoots and scores the takedown, but Wellisch rolls free and easily gets to his feet. The fighters trade jabs and Wellisch again throws wildly and lands with a left. O’Brien patiently awaits to counter and forces the fight to the ground again. Wellisch quickly gets to his feet and throws left-right combinations. O’Brien deflects most of them. Wellisch sneaks through an overhand right. Wellisch swings wildly and just misses with a knee to the head. O’Brien shoots and again gets the takedown, but again, he can’t keep his opponent there. Wellisch, now gushing blood from his nose and mouth, stalks after O’Brien but is again easily taken to the mount. O’Brien stands over him and tries to rain down a blow, but Wellisch easily deflects it and gets to his feet. The fighters battle for ground position as the round ends. MMAjunkie.com scores a close final round for Wellisch, 10-9. Jake O’Brien def. Christian Wellisch via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).

JOHN HOWARD VS. CHRIS WILSON

Round 1 - Howard with an early leg kick before Wilson fakes a takedown attempt. Wilson throws a kick, which is stuffed, and Howard powers through to put his opponent on his back. He quickly returns to his feet, though, and just misses a head kick that would have wrecked Wilson. Howard lands a leg kick, but Wilson counters with two of his own that knock his opponent off balance. Howard throws a punch and clinches, but Wilson gets the underhooks and takes the fight to the ground. Howard immediately breaks free and grazes Wilson a blow as he gets back up. Wilson has a small cut above his nose. Wilson then lands a leg kick that knocks Howard off his feet and takes him to the mat. Wilson had a head lock and Howard patiently thinks his way through it. After rolling to his back, Howard defends body blows from Wilson. Howard breaks free, defends a guillotine, rolls to the mat, and takes top position. The quick exchange earns a round of applause from a near-full arena. After a break in action, referee Herb Dean stands the fighters. Howard lands a body shot and then slams Wilson to the mat as an exciting first round ends. It’s a close one, but MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Wilson.

Round 2 - The fighters fire leg kicks at the same time, but Howard’s lands thunderously and knocks Wilson off balance. Howard follows with some big punches, ties up his opponent, and sends Wilson to the mat. Wilson quickly escapes, and the fighters again trade in the center of the cage. Wilson lands a nice body shot, but Howard closes the distances, scoops up Wilson and slams him to the mat. Howard gets one leg free and works for side control, but Wilson gets to his feet, the fighters stay clinches, and Wilson scores a trip takedown. Howard quickly escapes, and we’re back standing. After a clinch, Howard lands a right-left combination and then shots to the body. Wilson clinches and looks for knees to the body, but Howard keeps his stances and they seperate. Howard just misses two looping shots, and Wilson uses the opportunity to throws him to the mat. Working from inside guard, Wilson throws elbows to the body and left punches to the head. The pace slows, and the ref issues a warning to pick up the pace. Wilson looks for a leg but gives up his position just as the round ends. It’s another close one, and MMAjunkie.com has it 10-9 for Howard.

Round 3 - As the third round gets started, random "B.J. Penn!" and "GSP!" chants randomly break out. Wilson opens with a knee to the body, but Howard checks it, takes his opponent’s back, locks in a body triangle and looks for the rear-naked choke. Wilson successfully defends, but Howard maintains the dominant position and delivers some blows from behind. After a flurry of the punches, Wilson gives Howard the opening he needs, and he sinks in the rear-naked choke. Wilson rolls just enough to break free and eats some punches. Howard again goes for the rear-naked choke, but he can’t get it under Wilson’s chin. Two minutes into the position, Howard continues fighting with Wilson’s long limbs and then tries to soften him up with punches from behind. Wilson finally escapes and takes top position to avoid the choke threats. Wilson delivers punches from above, but after standing, he’s taken to the mat when Howard secures a leg and trips him. Both fighters look for submissions with the other’s leg, but they give up the positions and return standing. Howard shoots and after a few efforts trips Wilson to the mat. Wilson delivers elbows from below and Howard throws a few wild punches as the round ends. It’s another close round in a close fight, but MMAjunkie.com gives the nod to Howard, 10-9. John Howard def. Chris Wilson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

MANNY GAMBURYAN VS. THIAGO TAVARES

Round 1 - Gamburyan scores the early leg kick, but after a lull in action, Tavares shoots and scores the takedown. Tavares rains down a storm of punches and hammerfists as Gamburyan scrambles to deflect the blows. Tavares continues with the punishment as Gamburyam rolls to his side and secures an arm, looking for a kimura. Gamburyan finally gets the position he needs and jerks the arm behind Tavares. Tavares, though, climbs over and around his opponent to escape and ends up back in his opponent’s guard. Gamburyan connects on some punches from below and then gets to his feet, judo-throwing Tavares across the mat. Tavares sticks to him, though, and the fighters clinch against the fence standing. Tavares lands a left to the head and then scoops up Gamburyan and throws him to the mat. Working from inside guard, Tavares eats some punches from below before pounding his opponent with a series of elbows and punches. Gamburyan gets to his feet before the round ends. MMAjunkie.com has it 10-9 for Tavares.

Round 2 - Gamburyan lunges forward with a left and then connects with a left and a leg kick. Tavares shakes it off and remains in his offensive stance. Gamburyan backs him up with some wild overhand rights, but Tavares then shoots for the takedown. Gamburyan has his back to the fence and tries to shake it off, and then he reverses the position and take the top position. Working from guard, Gamburyan can initially do little as Tavares ties him up.Gamnburyan gets through a few punches before he grabs a look and looks for a submission. He quickly gives it up and returns to Tavares’ guard. After a few shoulder presses, Gamburyan delivers two big right elbows just as referee Josh Rosenthal steps in to restart them standing. Gamburyan strikes first with a low kick, but he’s countered with a combination from Tavares. Tavares just misses with a right cross and he dips to take Gamburyan to the mat. The Armenian puts his back against the fence and tries to defend against the takedown. He’s able to wait out the round in the position. MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Gamburyan.

Round 3 - Tavares shoots early and secures a leg, but Gamburyan escapes. After throwing a leg kick, Gamburyan now shoots, but he also has no luck. Tavares uses a right to set up a takedown attempt, but Gamburyan shrugs it off. Tavares connects on a right and then counters with another moments later. Gamburyan jabs as Tavares continues to keep his opponent’s back against the fence. Gamburyan connects on a few kicks, and the fight has new life. Gamburyan connect on an overhand left and a follow-up right, but Tavares continues to be the aggressor and stalk Gamburyan around the perimeter of the cage. Tavares goes high with a head kick, which is deflected, and then he connects on a right and a knee to the face as Gamburyan misses on his takedown attempt. Gamburyan again shoots and puts his opponent up against the cage, but Tavares escapes. With 30 seconds to go, the fighters trade jabs as the round ends unceremoniously. It’s a close round, and MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Tavares. But it’s another tough decision for the judges. Thiago Tavares def. Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

JON FITCH VS. AKIHIRO GONO

Round 1 - Gono and his corner "men" enter the cage in drag, complete with silver dresses, jewelry, sunglasses, wigs, sequined gloves and high heels. The two drag-tastic back-up dancers are in the same get-up. The cageside dance routine delights the crowd. Fitch’s Johnny Cash ballad doesn’t have the same effect. We’re underway, and Fitch fires a combination and immediately looks for the takedown. Gono, pinned against the fence, refuses to go down, and he tries to sprawl free. Fitch briefly takes his back before pinning Gono back against the fence while trying to improve his position. Gono escapes and eats a knee in the process, but no harm appears done. Fitch fires a head kick and knees before Gono closes the distance and pushes him into the fence. Fitch does some damage from the Muay Thai clinch before Gono breaks free. Fitch eats a right hand as he shoots in, and after jockeying for position, finally wrestles Gono to the mat. Fitch then takes his opponent’s back and struggles to secure the body triangle. Fitch then attempts the rear-naked choke, but Gono defends well. Fitch peppers him with punches from behind and finally secures his hooks. Gono covers up, but Fitch gets through a series of punches. Gono gets to his feet, but he can’t shake Fitch from his back before the round ends. MMAjunkie.com has it 10-9 for Fitch.

Round 2 - Fitch lands two leg kicks before Gono closes the distance. Gono pins him against the fence and works punches to the body. The fighters stay clinched before Fitch scores the trip takedown and works from inside guard. Fitch works elbows from above and follows with a series of lefts, and referee Steve Mazzagtatti warns Fitch to get busier. Fitch kicks it up a notch and continues a steady stream of ground and pound. Fitch tries to improve his position, but with Gono shoved against the cage, he can’t take the mount position. However, when Gono tries to escape, Fitch takes his opponent’s back, locks in a body triangle and throws punches from behind. Gono, though, controls his hands and avoids the rear-naked choke. Fitch locks in an armbar just as the round comes to a close, but Gono is saved by the bell. MMAjunkie.com has it 10-9 for Fitch.

Round 3 - The camera catch Olympian Satoshi Ishii before the round begins. Fitch strikes early with kicks, clinches and then forces a visibly exhausted Gono the mat. Fitch works to side control and delivers brutal blows from above. When Fitch stands, Gono kicks his way free and gets back to his feet. Fitch works front kicks before Gono attempts a flying knee to the body. Fitch clinches and puts him against the mat. Gono tries to escape by rolling free, but Fitch collapses on top of him and takes his back. Gono rolls free and takes top position while Fitch uses butterfly guard. Gono tries to deliver an elbow, but Fitch doesn’t allow it. The pace slows with a minute to go before Gono delivers an elbow. Fitch gets to his feet and just ducks under a head kick from Gono. With time running out, Gono tries everything from a Superman punch to a head kick, but nothing connects, and Fitch takes him to the mat to let time expire. MMAjunkie.com has it again for Fitch, 10-9. Jon Fitch def. Akihiro Gono via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26).

NATE DIAZ VS. CLAY GUIDA

Round 1 - We’ve got a full house as we get ready for the night’s first televised bout. Both fighters are amp’d to get started, and both swing wildly as we get started. Guida closes the distance, but the fighters quickly separate. Diaz uses his reach advantage to work jabs and a couple nice left-right combinations. Guida counters with a knee that partially connects. Guida follows a leg kick that an overhand right that misses, and Diaz continues a steady stream of jabs. Diaz remains the aggressor, and when Guida shoots for a single-leg takedown, Diaz easily escapes. Diaz shoots, but Guida stuffs it and put his opponent on his back. The crowd cheers for Guida, who takes Diaz’s back as the fighter gets back to his feet. Diaz tries to roll free, but Guida puts him in a full nelson and then lands in side control to rain down punches and elbows. Diaz gets back to his feet, but Guida clings to him to try to salvage the position. When the opportunity rises, Guida picks up and slams Diaz violently to the mat. Diaz tries to get back to his feet, but Guida again takes his back. Standing, Diaz controls his opponent’s hands as the round ends. A great first round is met with booming applause. MMAjunkie.com has it 10-9 for Guida.

Round 2 - Diaz works the jab as Guida continues swinging wildly. After a clinch against the fence, Diaz looks for the takedown. Guida defends and attempts the trip takedown, but Diaz easily avoids it. With Diaz’s back against the fence, Guida now looks the takedown. Guida tries on two separate occasions, but Diaz’s stellar balance keeps him upright. Guida finally pulls Diaz’s leg out from under him. Diaz, though, quickly gets back to his feet and then wrestles Guida to the mat. Guida reverses the position during a scramble and tries to take Diaz’s back. Diaz, though, does just enough to stay out of trouble and then uses a judo throw to take Guida to the mat. Guida remains on his back but has to give up the position when Diaz secures an arm and looks for a kimura. However, when Diaz gets to his feet, Guida quickly follows. Diaz again throws him to the mat, and Guida again takes the top position. Diaz nearly secures a triangle choke as the round ends, but Guida escapes. MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Guida and his smothering offense.

Round 3 - The fighters furiously trade punches and leg kicks to start the round. Diaz has trouble connecting, which causes Guida to smile. Diaz pushes his opponent into the fence and peppers Guida with punches when he tries to create distance. Diaz connects with a kick and showboats while trying to throw follow-up punches. The crowd boos him. Diaz starts to tee off on Guida, who’s pinned against the fence. Guida quickly closes the distance and puts Diaz against the cage. Guida slows the pace to catch his breath, and Diaz tries to throw Guida to the mat after securing an arm. Guida quickly takes his opponent’s back, but again, he can’t lock in his hooks and instead settles for a single-leg drag takedown. Diaz quickly gets to his feet, but Guida works tirelessly to take it back to the ground. Guida won’t allow any distance between them, and Diaz is forced to battle for position. Guida hops on Diaz’s back, but he slips off and eats a punch as the round ends. It’s a close one, but MMAjunkie.com scores the round 10-9 for Diaz. Clay Guida def. Nate Diaz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Just got back home from the weigh ins for UFC 94.

The first thing that struck me was the amount of media covering this event. I was at UFC 91 when Brock Lesnar beat Randy Couture for the heavyweight title and the number of media members at this show absolutely obliterates what I thought was a pretty good media turn out at 91. Clearly, the message that this is the most anticipated rematch in UFC history and that we only see fights like this a few times in a lifetime was received and accepted by the media.

Equally apparent is the fan interest in this event. Another media member told me that when he came in they were turning people away from the weigh in because there were no seats left. I’ve been to a good number of these events and trust me, that never happened before. The supporters for BJ and GSP seemed pretty even to me as well. When BJ came out there were a lot of boos from the GSP fans. I anticipated that when GSP came out the roof would come off the place but to my surprise it was about the same with GSp getting the treatment from BJ’s fans. Overall, I’d say the crowd was marginally in favor of GSP, but just barely.

As for the athletes, everyone made weight, even if Stephan Bonnar and Clay Guida had to take their socks off to do so. The athlete that most stood out to me was Karo Parysian who looked the worst I have ever seen him. He was very soft and if his appearance is any indication of his conditioning, he’s in for a tough time with Stun Gun Kim who looked as lean as I’ve ever seen him.

GSP looks shredded and ready to go, while BJ looks like he always does when he fights at welterweight…a bit softer than when he fights at 155. But, I think BJ will win this fight. He has the intangible advantage of living to avenge this loss for the last three years and I think he will break GSP and take it. BJ has never lost twice to the same fighter. He is the better striker and better BJJ artist while GSP is the better wrestler with better conditioning and kicks, but that intangible of wanting it more with BJ’s skill set makes me think he will overcome the odds and become the first guy in UFC history to hold belts in two divisions. These are two of my favorite fighters, so I’m amped to see it.

Here we go…

It’s on! The weigh-ins just concluded. Everyone made weight and there are going to be some great fights tomorrow night. The place was jammed packed with fans. I’ve never seen a weigh-in with some many people, it was nuts. We’ll be uploading photos to the site shortly so check back to see them all.

The main event!

GSP and Penn will go toe-to-toe tomorrow night.

Nate Diaz will have a clear reach advantage over Clay tomorrow night.

Check back often for more UFC 94 updates.

All the talk is over and the most anticipated rematch in UFC history is almost here. I can’t wait. Isaac Hinds will be at the event getting the best photos for Bodybuilding.com and I’ll be there to give you all updates as the weekend gets going. We’ll have weigh ins later this afternoon, so check back and I’ll blog again if anything out of the ordinary happens.

We did a full preview of the entire main card and some of the undercard bouts as well on this week’s Pro MMA Radio. I was joined by three fellow MMA insiders, Jesse Holland of MMA Mania, Percy Crawford of FightHype and Jon Anik, the host of ESPN’s MMA Live. ESPN will be on the scene all weekend, as we will for Bodybuilding.com.

Pep

Who do you like in this weekend’s fight? Below are my picks for the fights. We’ll see how accurate I am. I’ll be at the MGM on Saturday night photographing the event. Look for the shots here on Bodybuilding.com!

St. Pierre  over  Penn - St. Pierre’s conditioning and focus will be too much for Penn.
Machida over Silva - I’m not a fan of Machida’s fighting style but it’s proven to be one that works for him. The battle of the unbeatens here.
Bonnar over Jones - The vet will prevail.
Diaz over Guida - Although I dig Clay. He is one cool cat who attacks like a mad man.
Kim over Parisyan - Parisyan will go out to the stun gun.
Fitch over Gono - Fitch is a proven fighter trying to move his way back up to the big fights.

Check out Dana White’s latest Vlog…

Funny stuff, check back later today for my UFC 94 preview!

Besides possibly the fight of the century between Penn and GSP, UFC 94 looks to have some great fighters line up. Machida vs Thiago Silva should turn out to be an amazing match both are 13 - 0 - 0, and are both the same height and both are amazing fighters. Nate Diaz and Clay Guida could also turn out to be an exciting fight. Not forgetting Karo Parisyan, Stephan Bonner, Jon Fitch also in the line-up. This should turn out to be a good night for UFC fans who have been coming up disappointed in many of the recent fights. If nothing else watching Penn vs GSP should prove to be worth every penny.

Here’s the line up:

GSP vs Penn 170 lbs

Lyoto Machida vs Thiago Silva 205 lbs

Stephan Bonnar vs Jon Jones 205 lbs

Karo Parisyan vs Dong Hyun Kim 170 lbs

Nate Diaz vs Clay Guida  155 lbs

Jon Fitch vs Akihiro Gono 170 lbs

Manny Gamburyan vs Thiago Tavares  155 lbs

Chris Wilson vs John Howard 170 lbs

Jake O’Brien 230 lbs vs Christian Wellisch 237 lbs

Matt Arroyo vs Dan Cramer 170 lbs

Get a live Play by Play right here!

Last weekend the UFC announced that Rampage’s next fight will be with Keith Jardine! This is kind of a shock and has left many MMA fans wondering what the heck is going on. Just because the UFC needed to find a main event, why put this fight together, it does not add up. Not to take anything away from Jardine but he has not yet proven to be Main Event quality, besides his win over the Iceman and Forrest Griffin there isnt much else to brag about for Jardine. He is on and off yes, with some good performances under his belt, but he does not have the following to fill a stadium.

If anything Jardine should be rematching Chuck or Forrest, they both deserve a rematch with The Dean of Mean.

There were many other options that could have filled this Main Event Slot that would have been much more worthy.

On another note the GSP and Penn fight has the ingredients to be one of the best fights in history.

Don’t forget to get all the action Live right here on Saturday the 31st.