Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Video of the Day - Matyushenko v. Kawaguchi

Here is Vladimir Matyushenko fighting Kenji Kawaguchi in Vale Tudo Japan which occured on 10/25/98. Vladdy is fighting Jon Jones next on UFC: Versus 2 this Sunday.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Video of the Day - Aleks v. Bengtsson

Here is Aleks Emelianenko fighting Eddy Bengtsson at ProFc - Commonwealth Cup which took place on 4/23/10 in Moscow, Russia. Very bizarre finish to the fight.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Video of the Day - Aldo v. Young

Here is Jose Aldo fighting Mickey Young at FX3 - Battle of Britain which took place on 10/15/2005. Aldo will be defending his WEC featherweight strap against Urijah Faber this Saturday on PPV.

Bellator Forecast

Last weeks Bellator - Chicago fight card was loaded with action. This week Bellator travels to Kansas City and features middleweight tournament fights.

Crystal Lake's Pat Curran set the night on fire in Chicago with a one punch right hand KO over previously undefeated Mike Ricci. Pat had advanced to fight UFC veteran and former contender Roger Huerta at Bellator 17 on May 6th.

(Curran KO's Ricci)

Submission specialist Toby Imada scored slick second round arm bar to defeat James Krause and move up the lightweight tournament ladder. He will face Carey Vanier (8-2, 1-0 BFC) who defeated Joe Duarte via TKO in the third round of his opening round fight.

Olympic wrestling phenom Ben Askren won in a slightly controversial manner over UFC veteran Ryan Thomas. Askren looked to lock in a modified guillotine, and as Thomas rolled it appeared Askren's hands loosened. The ref explained after the fight that he ask Thomas to give him a sign, and Thomas did not. A loud group of Thomas fans boo'd the decision, and continued to heckle that ref through the night.
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(Chicago Theatre)


Ryan Thomas has been tabbed as an alternate, and will face undefeated Jacob McClintock at Thursday's Bellator 15. Thomas is replacing Jim Wallhead, who is grounded in the UK due to the volcanic ash from Iceland. Askren's oppenent has yet to be announcerd.

Sengoku's rising star Dan Hornbuckle (19-2) will also fight on Bellator 15 in the welterweight tournament, fighting Tyler Stinson (16-5). Hornbuckle is riding a four fight win streak, with back to back Sengoku KO's of UFC veterans Nick Thompson and Akhiro Gono.
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(Dan Hornbuckle pictured)

BELLATOR 15 MAIN CARD

Dan Hornbuckle v Tyler Stinson (WW 1st rnd)
Jacob McClintock v Ryan Thomas (WW 1st rnd)
Steve Carl v Brett Cooper (WW 1st rnd)
Patricio Freire v William Romero (FW 1st rnd)

UNDERCARD

Dan Cramer vs. Dennis Olsen
Matt Lee vs. Ryan Quinn
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(Cage placed over the band pit and front of stage)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

TUF 11 Episode 4

This episode of TUF features 2 fights. The intro segment is basically the Kasey Uscola versus Jamie Yager show. Yager was accused of stealing Kasey's sweatshirt, and it turned out to be in Yager's room. However, the sweater was taken by Kris McCray.

The first fight was Kasey Uscola versus Rich Attonito. Rich came out in a fury, landing multiple punches, eventually dropping Uscola. Rich put on the pressure, dropping ground and pound. Eventually, Uscola tried to get loose and Attonito dropped him with a converted slam.

After, Uscola was able to get a kimura and work his way out of the position. As Uscola got the position, Rich was attempting to get up with a knee on the ground. Uscola then kneed Rich while still grounded getting DQ'd. Unfortunately, Rich also broke his hand during the fight and is out of the competition.

In the next fight Jamie Yager will take on Charley Blanchard. The taller Yager was able to use his reach and superior striking to win the bout. After a failed Blanchard takedown attempt, Yager landed a superman punch, and a barrage of punches to get the TKO.
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(Jamie Yager pictured)

We will find out what happends in the Attonito DQ situation now that he has a broken hand and is forced out of the competition. In addition, there is still the wildcard situation to unfold.

3rd Round Participants:

Team Liddell - Kyle Noke, Brad Tavares, Rich Attonito (INJ)

Team Ortiz - Jamie Yager

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Strikeforce Brawl Fallout

Here is video of the brawl which erupted at the conclusion of Strikeforce's second foray on CBS. The post-fight melee is not close to as bad as events that have happened in Brazian MMA in the past, most notably the riot during the Renzo Gracie fight against Eugenio Tadeu in September of 1997.


You could blame the melee on Mayhem Miller interrupting Jake Shields post fight speech, Melendez pushing Miller, or the Diaz brothers going crazy. Mayhem was the instigator however, and should have known the reaction that would follow. So far Scott Coker, president of Strikeforce, has stated he did not know Mayhem Miller was going into the cage.

The Strikeforce: Nashville ratings have been reported to be horrendous, losing to NBC, ABC and Fox. The brawl is being talked about much more than the three championship fights. While the three championship fights were technically sound, but they were not entertaining, highlight reel fights CBS was hoping for. The brawl is now the only thing that people are talking about.

When a brawl is the main source of publicity, that is a very bad sign. The CBS deal could be in severe jeopardy, which could impact one of the main revenue streams of the promotion. Strikeforce could get a boost in publicity, but this is the worst way to get it. The history of Strikeforce will be marred forever by this incident, we will wait to see where they go.

What are your thoughts on the brawl? Feel free to post your comments below.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Video of the Day - Ribiero v. Hansen

Here is Joachim Hansen fighting Vitor Ribeiro in Shooto - Year End 2003 which took place on 12/14/03.

Ribeiro fights Justin Wilcox at Strikeforce Challengers 12 on November 19th.


Here is the full line-up of fights for Strikeforce Challengers 12. You can catch the bouts tonight on Showtime:

MAIN CARD

Vitor Ribeiro v. Justin Wilcox
Antwain Britt v. Ovince St. Preux
Waachim Spiritwolf v. Marius Zaromskis
Liz Carmouche v. Jan Finney
Caros Fodor v. Derek Getzel

PRELIM CARD

Goldman Butler v. Wes Shivers
Wesley Little v. Jacob Noe
Jeremiah Riggs v. Jason Sharp

Thursday, April 15, 2010

What happened to Anderson Silva?

Anderson Silva had a bizarre fight performance against Demian Maia at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Silva clearly dominated the first and second rounds, looking like he had the opportunity to finish the fight.

What happened next were strange taunting actions, clowning, circling, running, and refusing to engage from Anderson Silva. Granted, Silva dominated Maia during the fight, but it seemed that he may have had a mental breakdown or simply felt unchallenged.

Were the antics a disgrace to the sport? That might be a little extreme, but it was one of the oddest fights in the UFC since the Kalib Starnes v. Nate Quarry debacle. In that fight, Starnes, who had reportedly suffered an injury, ran from Quarry extensively during the fight.

Here is a video from Jim Rome's "Rome is Burning" show featuring Dana White.


Dana White states that Anderson did not act like a champion or UFC fighter during the fight. He also called the worst thing he had seen in the sport, including boxing. White stated that he might have thought that Anderson had a mental breakdown in the fight. Near the end, Dana White stated that he would cut Anderson if he repeated the fight.

Dana confirmed that Anderson Silva will fight Chael Sonnen next. He implied that Sonnen will be looking to use the double leg to get the fight to the ground.

If you look at Anderson's record, he has gone 11-0 in the UFC with 7 KO's and 2 submission wins. The two decisions have been very lackluster, but come on. 8 of his 11 fights have been extremely entertaining fights. Looking at other fighters, I'd say that is a good percentage. Let's see what Anderson does against Sonnen.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

TUF Episode 3 - Hawaii Power

The third episode of the Ultimate Fighter featured a bout between Team Ortiz' James Hammortree and Team Liddel's Brad Travares. But before the bout unfolds, some major drama ensues with Dana White entering the training center.

Chris Camozzi, who believed he had an infection in his tooth unfortunately suffered a far worst injury. A hairline fracture appeared in his jaw, and with a punch, the jaw could suffer a bad break. Camozzi is sent home, and Tito is given the names of four fighters who are able to return.

Tito chooses to bring back Seth Baczynski (11-5) a fighter who lost a narrow decision to Court McGee in the first round. Tito's team seems to be in dissarray, with Nick Ring and Jamie Yager getting in each others face during sparring. Liddell's camp seems much more calm to say the least, with Chuck giving pointers to each of his fighters.

The fight between Tavares and Hammortree was very close throughout, though Tavares was the closest to a finish in the first round when he got Hammortree's back. Also, Tavares was able to land far more strikes during the duration of the bout. Hammortree definitely controlled the grappling game, but ate too many punches for his trouble.
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(Brad Tavares pictured)

With the win, Team Liddell is now 2-0, with Kyle Noke and Brad Tavares advancing to the 2nd round.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Video of the Day - Lawal v. Kerr


Here is Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal facing Mark Kerr in M-1 Breakthrough which took place on 8/28/09. King Mo is 6-0 with four victories under the Sengoku banner, which includes TKO's of Travis Wiuff and Fabio Silva. His most recent win was a 1st round KO of Mike Whitehead in Strikeforce.

King Mo, a 2003 NCAA wrestling champ from Oklahoma State, will next fight Gegard Mousasi for the Strikeforce 205 pound title.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

TUF 11 - Team Assemble!

The second episode of The Ultimate Fighter season 11 started out with the fighters choosing rooms and checking out their suburban Las Vegas house. Figher Chris Camozzi reveals to the camera that he has a couple cuts and an infected tooth. Next, Clayton McKinney reveals he could have a dislocated shoulder and torn rotator cuff. Next, the coaches pick teams, here's how they played out:

Team Punishment

Nick Ring (10-0) Canadian 8 year vet fought in Bellator and Deep
Kyacey Uscola (18-15) KOTC/Bodog vet
Kris McCray (5-0) all wins by 1st round stoppage
Jamie Yager (2-1) fought on BET's Iron Ring
James Hammortree (4-1) all four wins in 2009, also (6-0 and 5-1)
Clayton McKinney (4-2) trains out of Jungle MMA, BJJ blackbelt
Chris Camozzi (11-3) fights out of Colorado, also (12-3)

Team Liddell

Kyle Noke (16-4) W's over Kyacey Uscola and George Sotiropoulos
Rich Attonito (7-3) collegiate wrestler, ATT Florida
Charles Blanchard (7-2) ATT product, win over Jim Wallhead
Josh Bryant (10-0) 9 wins in FCF in Oklahoma
Brad Tavares (4-0) Hawaiian fighter, 2 subs, 2 TKO's
Court McGee (9-1) member of US Army Reserves
Joe Henle (3-0) former college football player and wrestler

Next, Chuck's main coach John Hackleman and ATT boxing coach Howard Davis Jr. are introduced in a relaxed setting. Tito's camp is loud from the start with Tito barking orders, introducing coach Saul Soliz. Cleber Luciano introduced as the jiu-jitsu coach. Interesting enough, Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields is left out of the picture.

While discussing his team, Tito begins to pick on Clayton McKinney, jumping on his back during an excersise. Next, Chris Camozzi takes a shot to the jaw and is seen putting a bag of ice on his jaw. Regardless, Tito pushing his two injured fighters seems like a bad idea.

In the fight selection, Chuck Liddell picks Aussie Kyle Noke to fight the green and black haired Clayton McKinney. McKinney and Tito meet with a doctor, and it is found that the shoulder sustained a bone bruise, not a tear of the rotator cuff.

The next training sequence features Kyle Noke, who reveals that a business had spent money to send him to train in the United States. Understanding what the Australian says is at times confusing. Tito meanwhile gets himself a Liddell pinata for his birthday stuffed with one dollar bills.

The fight plays out with Kyle Noke getting a triangle submission victory on Clayton McKinney. The two took a minute feeling eachother out standing with Noke landing a decent front kick. Noke went for an awkward takedown, with McKinney almost getting his back standing eventually going into half guard. From there, McKinney slowly loses position, sinking into an eventual triangle choke.
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(Kyle Noke pictured)

After the loss, Tito doesn't let McKinney into the locker room. Tito shows a defense to the triangle, forcing McKinney to repeat the escape. McKinney claims that it is humiliating, I would have to agree with him.

Team Liddell 1, Team Punishment 0 - Noke advances to 2nd round

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Strikeforce Forecast - Overeem v. Fedor

With Alistair Overeem's dismantling of Brett Rogers at Strikeforce - St. Louis this past weekend, the stars are aligning for an Overeem versus Fedor megafight. If Fedor can get past Fabricio Werdum the title fight should set up perfectly.

Strikeforce HW Champ Alistair Overeem (33-11, 3-0 SF) was a fixture in Pride, before switching to Dream and K-1 kickboxing. He has benefitted from the move to heavyweight after having difficult weight cuts to 205. The move has seen him increase his weight lifting, and the ripped Alistair has speed and big time power in his knees, kicks and punches.

Overeem first fought in Strikeforce with a decision win over Vitor Belfort to earn a title shot against Paul Buentello. Overeem crushed Buentello with a vicious array of knees to the body in the second frame. Overeem's other career wins have come over Igor Vovchanchyn, Mark Hunt, Roman Zentsov and a split with Sergei Kharitonov. The devastating striker also has K-1 wins over legends Badr Hari and Peter Aerts.
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(Alistair Overeem Pictured)

There is no denying that Fedor Emelianenko (33-1, 1-0 SF) has beaten some of the best mixed martial artists the world has ever seen. Fedor's transition game from striking to takedowns to submissions is remarkable. He is a master out of the scramble and nailing the big punch.

Fedor holds two decision wins over Pride HW Champ Antonio Nogueria, decision wins over Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, K1 legend Semmy Schilt and Ricardo Arona. Fedor has KO victories over UFC HW Champ Andrei Arlovski, Brett Rogers, Heath Herring, Gary Goodridge, and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. He has submission victories over UFC HW Champ Tim Sylvia, UFC HW Champ Mark Coleman 2X, Mark Hunt, Matt Lindland, Naoya Ogawa, UFC HW Champ Kevin Randleman and Kazuyuki Fujita.
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(Fedor KO'ing Arlovski in Affliction)

Video of the Day - Sonnen v. Curnut

Here is Chael Sonnen fighting Greg Curnut from FCC Rumble at Rosemont from 12/13/03 which took place in Portland, Oregon.

It appears that a title fight between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva will take place at UFC 117.

Friday, April 2, 2010

WEC 48 Preview

WEC 48 will be the promotions first ppv event, with the ppv being handled by Zuffa's team. Familiar voices Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg will be commentating, and the WEC fighters paychecks will be adjusted accordingly.

In the main event, hard hitting 145 pound champion Jose Aldo (16-1) will be fighting former champ Urijah Faber. Aldo won the featherweight strap by TKO'ing Mike Thomas Brown in the third round. Aldo has the universal number 1 featherweight in the world, mixing his hard hitting striking with a BJJ blackbelt.
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(Aldo throwing a trademark flying knee)

Urijah Faber (23-3) held the WEC belt for 2 years before losing to the aforementioned Mike Thomas Brown. Faber mixes a high energy style with good boxing and excellent wrestling. Faber owns WEC wins over Rafeal Assuncao, Jens Pulver, Jeff Curran, Dominick Cruz and Bibiano Fernandes.
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(Urijah Faber pictured)

In other action, rising star Benson Henderson will fight Tapout show veteran Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone for the WEC 155 pound title. The two were involved in one of the best fights in 2009 with excellent stand-up and ground work. Expect Henderson to look for the takedown early and often, with Cerrone trying to connect with his refined Muay Thai game.

PPV CARD

Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber (FW title)
Champ Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone (LW title)
Mike Brown vs. Manny Gamburyan
Anthony Njokuani vs. Shane Roller
Antonio Banuelos vs. Scott Jorgensen

SPIKE TV PRELIMS

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung
Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis

UNDERCARD

Demetrious Johnson vs. Brad Pickett
Chad Mendes vs. Anthony Morrison
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Rani Yahya
Tyler Toner vs. Brandon Visher

Thursday, April 1, 2010

NCAA Wrestling Championships 2010


The Iowa Hawkeyes captured their third straight NCAA wrestling title, winning big over 2nd place Cornell. Three Iowa wrestlers captured titles. Jayson Ness of Minnesota won the greatest honor in college wrestling, receiving the Dan Hodge Trophy as the wrestler of the year.

Many of these elite athletes will try to continue a path of amateur wrestling, but some will come to mixed martial arts. Strength, conditioning, quickness, mental toughness and the ability to cut weight are all traits of high level wrestlers. The biggest skill that transfers to MMA is the ability to take someone down and defend the take down.

125 champ Matt McDonough is a freshman, so expect continued success from him. Multiple NCAA champ Brent Metcalf will continue to pursue his wrestling career in the international scene. Max Askren, Ben Askren's brother, won his first title defeating a previously undefeated Kirk Smith of Boise State. Jake Varner took his second NCAA 197 pound crown and is looking at international competition.

125- Matt McDonough (Iowa) def Andrew Long (ISU) 3-1
133- Jayson Ness (Minn) def Daniel Dennis (Iowa) 6-4
141- Kyle Dake (Cornell) def Montell Marion (Iowa) 7-3
149- Brent Metcalf (Iowa) def Lance Palmer (OSU) 3-2
157- JP O'Connor (Harv) def Chase Pami (Cal Poly) 6-4
165- Andrew Howe (Wis) def Dan Vallimont (PSU) 9-3
174- Jay Borschel (Iowa) def Mack Lewnes (Cornell) 6-2
184- Max Askren (Miss) def Kirk Smith (Boise) 10-3
197- Jake Varner (ISU) def Craig Brester (Nebraska) 5-2
285- David Zabriskie (ISU) def Jared Rosholt (Ok St) 3-2

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

1. Iowa - 134.5
2. Cornell - 90
3. Iowa State - 75
4. Wisconsin - 70.5
5. Oklahoma - 69
6. Oklahoma State - 65
7. Minnesota - 63
8. Ohio State - 62
9. Penn State - 49
10. Missouri - 48

Strikeforce on CBS Preview

Strikeforce will bring its second card to CBS this Saturday, April 17, 2010. CBS has been pushing the Strikeforce card since the NCAA tournament with spots featuring Dan Henderson, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and Shinya Aoki. The fights will take place in Nashville, Tennessee at the Bridgestone Arena.

Here is a look at the match-ups:

MAIN CARD

Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson- This fight could be a quick one for Jake Shields if he doesn't have his takedown game working. Dan Henderson is an olympic level wrestler with a nasty right hand. Look for Henderson to sprawl and brawl, throwing his trademark overhand right.

Henderson (25-7) is a legend of the game, coming off his UFC run where he had three consecutive victories over Rousimar Paulhares, Rich Franklin and Michael Bisping. Prior to that, Henderson competed in Rings and Pride, scoring big wins over Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Renzo Gracie and Akhiro Gono.
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(Dan Henderson pictured)

Jake Shields (24-4, 1-0 SF) is the current Strikeforce 185 champ and is the former Elite XC 170 pound champ. The BJJ blackbelt has victories over Mayhem Miller, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal- This fight is for the Strikeforce 205 pound title. Mousasi took the belt from Babalu Sobral, then subsequently crushed Sokoudjou in his first defense. King Mo, a NCAA champion wrestler, has gone 6-0 in his young career with 5 KO's.

Expect Mousasi (28-2) to utilize his precision kickboxing game and slick submissions to finish this fight before the final round. While Lawal has the clear advantage wrestling, his striking is unrefined. In addition, Lawal's submission game really hasn't been tested.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki- This bout is for the Strikeforce lightweight title. Gilbert Melendez (17-2)was able to get the belt from Josh Thomson after dominating the takedowns and boxing game. Comparing Aoki's submission game to Thomson's is just something you cannot do.

Aoki (23-4) is by far one of the slickest submission artists in the game. He has pulled off some crazy subs, including a standing armlock, 2 gogoplatas, hammerlock arm breaker and flying triangle. While Aoki won't have his trademark rainbow pants, he will be prepared for his American debut.
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(Aoki almost tapping JZ Calvancante)

SWING BOUT

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Stout

UNDER CARD

Zach Underwood vs. Hunter Worsham
Josh Schockman vs. Cale Yarbrough
Dustin Ortiz vs. Justin Pennington
Andrew Uhrich vs. Dustin West
Chris Hawk vs. Ovince St. Preux
Thomas Campbell vs. Cody Floyd

UFC 112 Preview

UFC 112 will be the UFC's first venture into the middle east, with Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emerites (UAE) hosting the event. The festivities will play out at the Concert Arena at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island. This will be the first UFC event at an outdoor arena.

The evening will feature two title fights for the first time since UFC 100. Unlike UFC 100, the current title holders, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn are heavy favorites coming in. Currently, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn are -1100 and -850 favorites on Bodog.

Current line-up:

Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia- This 185 pound five round tussle is a classic grappler against striker match-up. Anderson Silva has cemented his legend in the MMA world with ridiculous knockouts during his 10-0 UFC run. Maia comes from a BJJ background, having won the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Championship in the 87 KG bracket.

Anderson Silva is undoubtably the top striker currently in mixed martial arts. Silva busted into the UFC steamrolling Chris Leban in 49 seconds. He then destroyed Rich Franklin with knees to take the title which he has yet to relinquish. His path of destruction has seen him roll through Travis Lutter, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, James Irvin and Forrest Griffin.
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(Anderson Silva pictured)

Demian Maia, a second degree black belt in BJJ, bust onto the UFC scene with 3 consecutive submission of the night performances. He owns victories over Jason MacDonald, Dan Miller, Nate Quarry and Chael Sonnen. It will be critical for Maia to find a way to takedown Anderson Silva to look for a submission.
maia Pictures, Images and Photos
(Demian Maia Pictured)

B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar-
In this lightweight tilt, champion BJ Penn will look to defend his title for the fourth straight time. Penn, who is also a world jiu-jitsu champ, has flashed an ever improving boxing and wrestling game during his recent victories over Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson. Look for BJ to pepper Edgar from the outside and counter punching to loosen up Edgar before getting top position, looking for a submission.
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(BJ Penn pictured)

Frankie Edgar, a former collegiate wrestler, has displayed a well-rounded blend of kickboxing and wrestling game during his 6-1 stretch in the UFC. In his last three bouts, Edgar has shown no chinks in his armor, winning over Matt Veach, Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca. Look for Edgar to test the waters with his boxing before trying to get the fight to the floor to utilize ground and pound.

Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie- This fight will pit two MMA legends against eachother. Hughes is a sure-fire UFC hall of famer with exceptional wrestling. He previously defeated Renzo's cousin, Royce Gracie, at UFC 60. Renzo will look to use his black belt submission skills in this bout. Expect either a Hughes decision or Renzo submission in this bout.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim
Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz

UNDER CARD

Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson
John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor
Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
Brad Blackburn vs. DaMarques Johnson
Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen
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(Ferrari World Theme Park)

Video of the Day - Hieron v. Blackburn

Here is Brad Blackburn fighting Jay Hieron at IFL: which took place on 6/1/07. Blackburn will fight TUF 9 runner-up DaMarques Johnson at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.