Monday, May 31, 2010

UFC Hall of Fame - Who's Next?

UFC Hall of Fame - Who's Next by MMA Blaster

The UFC is the only mixed martial arts organization with a Hall of Fame. As of now, the members of the hall include Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Matt Hughes, Pat Miletich, BJ Penn, Forrest Griffin, Stephen Bonnar and Tito Ortiz. The late Charles "Mask" Lewis and Jeff Blatnick have been inducted as contributors to the sport. The fight Matt Hughes v. Frank Trigg 2 is reckognized as well.

Bas Rutten (28-4, 2-0 UFC) will next be inducted as a pioneer of the sport. Rutten was a beast in Pancrase and won the UFC heavyweight title and defended once. My hope would be that the UFC would look at inducting Don Frye, Kazushi Sakuraba and Frank Shamrock as the next group of pioneers. Georges St. Pierre is an obvious choice to come next.

Don Frye (20-9, 9-1 UFC)(UFC 8, UU96 belts)- Won the UU96 and UFC 8 title's in a epic fashion defeating Tank Abbott and Gary Goodridge, respectively. One of the most epic brawls in MMA history at Pride 21 against Takayama following a split decision win over Ken Shamrock at Pride 19. One of the first with devastating boxing and a solid wrestling base.
Photobucket


Guaranteed inducted upon retirement:

1. Georges St. Pierre (25-2, 19-2 UFC)(WW belt holder)- GSP has TKO's over BJ Penn and Matt Serra, while submitting Matt Hughes and taking decisions over Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck.
Photobucket

2. Anderson Silva (33-6, 16-2 UFC)(MW belt holder)- A recent failed drug test for steroids has put a major black eye over the legacy of Silva. Last three bouts have been two devastating losses to Chris Wiedman and having his win over Nick Diaz overturned. TKO's over Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt. Submission wins over Dan Henderson and Sonnen.
Photobucket

3. Rich Franklin (25-5, 12-4 UFC) (MW belt holder)- Won MW belt from Evan Tanner and defended twice. Victories over Yushin Okami, Jason MacDonald, Ken Shamrock and Evan Tanner 2X. Recent wins over Travis Lutter and Matt Hamill with a close decision loss to Dan Henderson. Was crunched twice by Anderson Silva at 185. Defeated Wanderlei Silva at a 195 pound catch-weight then was TKO'd by Vitor Belfort.
Photobucket


4. Andrei Arlovski (25-10, 14-4 UFC)(HW belt holder)-
Won HW belt from Tim Sylvia with an achilles lock. Defended twice against Justin Eilers and a 15 second KO of Paul Buentello. Other victories over Vladimir Matyushenko, Marcio Cruz, Ian Freeman, Fabricio Werdum and Jake O'Brien. His contract expired after the O'Brien fight and the UFC shunned him to the undercard. After beating Roy Nelson in Affliction, he got KO'd by Fedor and Rogers, then dropped a decision to Bigfoot Silva. But Arlovski has risen from the ashes, notching big victories over Brendan Schaub, Bigfoot Silva, Travis Browne and Frank Mir.
Photobucket


5. Evan Tanner (32-8, 11-6 UFC) (MW belt holder)-
Wins over Robbie Lawler, Homer Moore, Phil Baroni 2X and David Terrell (MW belt). Unfortunately, Evan Tanner has passed away. With 17 total fights in the UFC and a title, I think Tanner deserves a spot. If Tank Abbott gets in with his 8 wins out of 18 in the UFC, Tanner should with his 11 wins in 17 fights in the UFC.
Photobucket

6. Frank Mir (18-10, 16-10 UFC)(HW belt holder)- Biggest win by far was the arm break of Tim Sylvia for the HW title. Victories over Brock Lesnar, Antonio Noguira, Pete Williams, Tank Abbott, Antoni Hardonk, Cheick Kongo and Roberto Traven. Has some big losses and recent big KO wins over Todd Duffee and Bigfoot Silva.

7. Rashad Evans (19-3-1, 14-3-1 UFC, LHW belt holder)- Won the LHW belt over Forrest Griffin, but then was KO'd by Lyoto Machida, but  rebounded with a win over Rampage Jackson. Defeated Sean Salmon with a nasty high kick. KO'd Chuck Liddell, Chael Sonnen and Jason Lambert. Decision victories over Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar and Brad Imes for the TUF 2 HW belt.

Pioneer- Frank Shamrock (23-10, 5-0 UFC)(LHW, then called MW belt)- Entered the UFC winning the MW belt (now LHW) over Olympic Gold medalist Kevin Jackson (4-2) with an arm bar in 16 seconds. He then slammed undefeated Igor Zinoviev (4-1) into retirement in 22 seconds in his first title defense. He beat Jeremy Horn and John Lober in his next two defenses. Shamrock defended the belt once more in one of the best fights in MMA history against Tito Ortiz (15-5).
*The UFC would have to let him have another fight, I don't see it happening.

Dana White said he would put in:

Tank Abbott (11-14, 8-10 UFC)- His selection would be more to do with popularity and helping build the UFC in the early days. His best performances were at UFC 6 and UU96. At UFC 6, Tank delivered a highlight real KO of John Matua 20 seconds in, rising up the crowd. In his second fight, Tank crushed the "Polar Bear" Paul Varelens in the first reving the crowd into a fury. Oleg Taktarov then beat Tank in the final. In UU96 he crushed Cal Worsham in an intense flurry in the first round then KO'd Steve Nelmark at 1:03 in his second fight. He almost beat Don Frye in the final after a big punch to the face, but lost. Other notable wins were against Hugo Duarte and Steve Jennum.

**All text copyright of MMA Blaster**

Video of the Day - Russow v. Zentsov

Here is Mike Russow fighting Roman Zentzov in Yarennoka - NYE, which took place on 12/31/07 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Russow recently secured on of the best come from behind victories in the history of the UFC with his 3rd round KO win over Todd Duffee.

UFC 114 - Russow's Rampage

Once again, elevated levels of trash talk have translated in to a generally cautious fight. The main event of UFC 114 pitting Rashad Evans against Rampage Jackson translated into a rather pedestrian affair, with Rashad scoring takedowns and a couple decent shots standing.

Eventually, Rampage was able to effectively counter punch in the third round, landing a big punch to send Rashad to the ground. After a brief ground and pound assault by Rampage, Rashad was able to counter, ending up with a takedown of his own and ground and pound. In the end all three judges gave the match to Rashad. Rashad will now meet Shogun Rua for a shot at the title.

A co-main event of Michael Bisping and Dan Miller played out like a technical kickboxing match, with Miller failing to get a takedown until the third round. Bisping proved the better kickboxer, getting the better of all the exchanges. Look for Bisping to fight Nate Quarry or Tim Credeur next.

Mike Russow notched one of the most epic come from behind victories in UFC history in his defeat of the younger and much more chiseled Todd Duffee. While both fighters weighed in at 253, Duffee was far more lean, pushing the pace throughout the fight.

Duffee landed shots at will on Russow sending him to one knee after landing an uppercut in the first round. Russow stayed moving, attempting takedowns that were stuffed by Duffee every time. Midway through the third round, Russow landed a big right hand to the temple of Duffe, then added another shot as Duffee went tumbling to the canvas. Russow is now 2-0 in the UFC, and will likely face a fighter like Cheick Kongo or Gabriel Gonzaga next.
*Russow earns KO of the Night

Full Results:

Rashad Evans def Quinton Jackson via unanimous dec
Michael Bisping def Dan Miller via unanimous dec
Mike Russow def Todd Duffee via KO(punch) R3, 2:35
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def Jason Brilz via split dec
John Hathaway def Diego Sanchez via unanimous dec
Dong Hyun Kim def Amir Sadollah via unanimous dec
Efrain Escudero def Dan Lauzon via unanimous dec
Melvin Guillard def Waylon Lowe via KO (knee) R1, 3:28
Cyrille Diabate def Luiz Cane via TKO (punches) R1, 2:13
Aaron Riley def Joe Brammer via unanimous dec
Ryan Jensen def Jesse Forbes via sub (guillotine) R1, 1:06

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Video of the Day - Freire v. Endo I

Here is Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire fighting Yusuke Endo for the first time on 5/10/2009 at Shooto - Tradion Final. Freire won a split decision in the rematch which happened yesterday. Willamy is the brother of Bellator finalist Pitbull Freire.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Bellator Finals Forecast

Last night, the Bellator Season 2 tourneys continued to unfold as the 170 pound division claimed its two finalists, Dan Hornbuckle and Ben Askren. In a non-title featured bout, featherweight champ Joe Soto (9-0, 4-0 BFC) continued his reign of terror as he destroyed UFC veteran Diego Saraiva in the first round.

Sengoku veteran Dan Hornbuckle (21-2, 2-0 BFC) defeated former Marine Steve Carl via a modified kimura. He will fight 2X NCAA champ Ben Askren (5-0, 2-0 BFC) for the 170 pound title, who defeated UFC veteran Ryan Thomas via unanimous decision. Expect Hornbuckle to try to keep this fight standing to take advantage of Askren's lackluster striking.
hornbuckle KO
(Dan Hornbuckle KO of Gono Pictured)

In other tournament action, featherweight Joe Warren will square off against Patricio "Pitbull" Freire . Warren (4-1, 2-0 BFC) punched his ticket to the finals with two lackluster decision victories over Georgi Karakhanyan and Eric Marriot. Pitbull (14-0, 2-0 BFC), won his first fight via heel hook over William Romero before a unanimous decision over Wilson Reis. Expect Warren to look for the takedown early and often, with Pitbull trying to lock in a choke or score a KO.
pitbull
(Pitbul Friere Pictured)

The lightweight tournament has featured the biggest upset of the tournament, with Pat Curran (11-3, 2-0 BFC) finding his way to the finals. Pat recently upset tournament favorite Roger Huerta via unanimous decision, and KO'd GSP training partner Mike Ricci in his first fight.

Curran will face last year's runner-up Toby Imada (25-12, 4-1 BFC) in the finals. Toby has utilized his superior grappling in his first two bouts, scoring armbar victories over Carey Vanier and James Krause. Expect Curran to try to utilize his kickboxing while Imada looks to lock in yet another memorable submission.
Photobucket
(Toby Imada Pictured)

Match-ups:

145: Pitbull Freire v. Joe Warren - TBD
155: Pat Curran v. Toby Imada - BFC 21
170: Dan Hornbuckle v. Ben Askren - BFC 22
185: Alexander Shlemenko v. Bryan Baker - TBD

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Moosin - Sylvia v. Pudzianowski

Here is former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia fighting World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski in a super heavyweight fight from Moosin which occurred on 5/21/10. Sylvia came in at 305, while Mariusz came in at 273.


Here are the results from Moosin -

Tim Sylvia def Mariusz Pudzianowski via sub(punches) R2, 1:43
Travis Wiuff def Josh Barnes via TKO (punches) R1, 0:34
Rafael Natal def Travis Lutter via KO (punches) R1, 4:12
Mike Campbell def Yves Edwards via unanimous dec
Roxanne Modafferi def Tara LaRosa via split dec
Lukasz Jurkowski def Ho Jin Kim via TKO (strikes) R1, 2:22
Forrest Petz def Ralph Johnson via unanimous dec

Monday, May 17, 2010

Video of the Day - Overeem v. Poturak

Here is Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem fighting Dzevad Poturak in the K-1 Grand Prix 2010 which took place on 4/3/2010.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

TUF First Round

With Nick Ring narrowly defeating Court McGee in the previous episode, there was only one more bout before the wildcard match-up. The fight featured Chuck Liddell's Joe Henle fighting Team Ortiz' Seth Baczynski. Baczynski replaced Chris Camozzi after the prelims after it was discovered Camozzi had a broken jaw.

Despite the win, Nick Ring lets the audience know of his injury to his left knee. He calls the knee ligaments loose, and Tito is aware that the knee could be in bad shape. Ring has been trying to keep the injury secret and some late episode hints might point to a possible exit.

During the training sequence, Henle seems to drop MBA, college degree and his lack of fight time quite a bit. I think it is a way to have other fighters underestimate him. Baczynski meanwhile is impressing Tito with his work ethic. Seth (11-5) states that he has had a long road to make into TUF.

The fight starts with Henle getting some takedowns and good position. It seems like Henle just might not have the experience to capitalize. Baczynski gets the most of the very brief stand-up, and in the end of the second round almost secures a rear naked choke. The "sudden victory" round belongs to Baczynski who gets a takedown and ground and pound with Henle completely gassed.

The wild card fight is announced pitting Team Ortiz' Kasey Uscola fighting Team Ortiz' Kris McCray. Court McGee of Team Liddell was given the spot of injured fighter Rich Attonito. McGee and McCray each suffered controversial losses and appear to be game fighters. Uscola lost via disqualification from an illegal knee strike.
Photobucket

2nd Round Fighters

Team Liddell- Kyle Noke, Brad Travers, Josh Bryant, Court McGee

Team Ortiz- Jamie Yager, Nick Ring, Seth Baczynski

Wildcard: Team Ortiz- Kris McCray v. Kasey Uscola

Injury List: Clayton McKinney (shoulder), Charley Blanchard (ankle), Chris Camozzi (jaw), Nick Ring (knee), James Hammortree (back)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

UFC 113 - Sho-Nuff

The 205 pound championship changed again this weekend in Vancouver, Canada at UFC 113 as Shogun Rua destroyed Lyoto Machida in the very first round. In other action Paul Daley punched his ticket out of the UFC with an ugly sucker punch, and the Kimbo Slice era has probably come to a close.

Koscheck meanwhile has finally earned his title shot against Georges St. Pierre with his 13th official win in the UFC. GSP and Koscheck will coach the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter to promote the title fight.

Shogun Rua joins the list of revolving champions in the 205 pound division. After shaking off Machida takedowns, Rua unleashed a fury of ground and pound to take the title. Since Chuck Liddell defended four straight times, the title has bounced to Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida then Shogun Rua.
Photobucket
(Shogun Rua Pictured)

MAIN CARD

Shogun Rua def Lyoto Machida via KO (strikes) R1, 3:35
Josh Koscheck def Paul Daley via unanimous dec
Jeremy Stephens def Sam Stout via split dec
Matt Mitrione def Kimbo Slice via TKO (strikes) R2, 4:24
Alan Belcher def Patrick Cote via submission (RNC) R2, 3:25

UNDER CARD

Joe Doerksen def Tom Lawlor via submission (RNC) R2, 2:10
Marcus Davis def Jonathan Goulet via TKO (punches) R2, 1:23
Johny Hendricks def T.J. Grant via majority dec
Joey Beltran def Tim Hague via unanimous dec
Mike Guymon def Yoshiyuki Yoshida via unanimous dec
John Salter def Jason MacDonald via TKO (injury) R1, 2:42

Georges St. Pierre Wrong Coach For TUF

The following essay written by MMA Blaster was published on mmajunkie.com as part of their Sunday Junkie feature:

As a fan of MMA, I want to see titles defended regularly and current stars fighting. With the announcement that welterweight title-holder Georges St. Pierre will coach the 12th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," one of my favorite fighters will be sent to the bench while in his prime. It is unfortunate, especially since he is currently healthy, that GSP will probably have only one fight in 2010.

That is why I loved the Chuck Liddell coaching match-up with Tito Ortiz. Neither fighter is touching a belt anytime soon, and their long careers are loaded with nuggets of wisdom for up-and-coming fighters. While I'm sure GSP will be a great coach, I'd rather see Pat Miletich, Marco Ruas, Don Frye, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman or Renzo Gracie coaching. The coaches don't have to fight at the end of the season.
Photobucket
(Georges St. Pierre Pictured)

Saturday, May 8, 2010

UFC 114 Preview

UFC 114 is set for this Saturday, May 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada. TUF 10 coaches Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans will finally fight in one of the longest feuds in recent memory. During the trash talking at TUF 10, Rampage poked fun of Rashad's KO loss at the hands of Lyoto Machida. Meanwhile, Rashad brought up Rampage's KO losses to Wanderlei Silva and Shogun Rua.

At the conclusion of the show, Rashad Evans won the coaching war by putting two of his fighters in the finale. Roy "Big Country" Nelson eventually took the trophy by KO'ing Brendan Schaub in the very first round. Rampage's strategy of picking heavyweights based on size obviously didn't work out.

With the fight being delayed due to Ramapage filmed the movie A-Team, Rashad was in a training camp. Evans (14-1-1) fought Thiago Silva at UFC 108 emerging victorious with a unanimous decision, but nearly tasted defeat in the third round. Evans won the second season of TUF as a heavyweight, defeating Brad Imes to kickstart his career. Since, he has notched victories over Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell and then Forrest Griffin for the 205 pound UFC title.
Photobucket
(Rashad Evans Pictured)

Rampage Jackson (30-7) has had a legendery career first made famous by his epic slams and KO's in Pride. Rampage went high altitue with ferious power while slamming Masaaki Satake, Igor Vovchanchyn, Minowaman to create a stir. But, he really made a name for himself by KO'ing Kevin Randleman and Chuck Liddell. The power bomb on Ricardo Arona will live forever in the history of MMA. His other victories have came over Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Keith Jardine, Matt Lindland and Ninja Rua.
Photobucket
(Rampage slam of Arona)

In the co-main event, TUF 3 champ Michael Bisping (18-3) will look to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to Wanderlei Silva with a win over Dan Miller (11-3). Expect Bisping to look to use his striking early and often, looking for a big knockout blow. Bisping owns career victories over Denis Kang, Eric Schafer, Chris Leben and Jason Day.
Photobucket
(Michael Bisping Pictured)

Miller's greatest chance at victory comes in getting his European foe to the ground and securing a submission. Miller, a former IFL champ, is an accomplished BJJ player with 7 submission victories on his record. Miller's career wins have come over Matt Horwich, Jake Rosholt, Rob Kimmons and Ryan McGivern.

Rising heavyweight star Todd Duffee (6-0) will look to improve on his 7 second KO of Tim Hague against underrated heavyweight Mike Russow (12-1). Look for Duffee to try to keep the fight standing and pepper the slower Hague with power punches. Russow (12-1) will likely do whatever he can to get the fight to the ground, looking for a submission.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3), otherwise known as Minotoro or Little Nog, seeks to build on his 6 fight win streak with a win over late replacement Jason Brilz (18-2). While Brilz is a great wrestler, he will have his hands full dealing with the boxing of Nogueira, who also possesses top notch BJJ. Look for Minotoro to be throwing some heavy leather, looking for a knockout of the night bonus.

Diego Sanchez (21-3) is returning to the 170 pound division after 2-1 stint at 155 pounds, which saw him lose a title fight to BJ Penn. Standing in his way is the undefeated British rising star John Hathaway (12-0). Look for Diego to get the fight to the ground with several takedowns and ruthless elbows and punches from the top position.
Photobucket
(Diego Sanchez Pictured)

SPIKE TV PRE-LIMS

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Amir Sadollah
Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon

PRELIMINARY CARD

Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe
Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate
Joe Brammer vs. Aaron Riley
Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Video of the Day - Noke v. Tsukumo

Here is TUF 11's Kyle Noke fighting Yusaku Tsukumo in Warrior Realm 6 which took place on 6/24/06 infront of a very partisan Austrailian crowd. Noke was coach Chuck Liddell's 1st pick, 2nd overall of TUF 11.

Noke will fight Josh Bryant at the TUF 11 finale after losing to Kris McCray in the semi's.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Video of the Day - Yoshida v. Kikuchi

Here is Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida fighting Akiri Kikuchi in GCM - Cage Force 4 which took place on 9/8/2007 in Tokyo, Japan.

Yoshida next fights KOTC welterweight champ Mike Guymon at UFC 113 this Saturday.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Video of the Day - Gracie v. Shibata

Here is Ralek Gracie fighting Katsuyori Shibata in K-1 Hero's from 6/15/08. Ralek, is the son of Rorian Gracie of the Jiu-Jitsu clan, who is largely considered as founding the UFC.

Ralek will be fighting Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream 14 on May 29, 2010. Sakuraba, who carries the moniker "Gracie Hunter" will be looking for another win over a Gracie. He has defeated Royler, Royce, Renzo and Ryan Gracie.

Strikeforce - St. Louis

Alistair Overeem will make his return to the United States this weekend when he takes on Brett Rogers at Strikeforce - Heavy Artillery in St. Louis. Overeem has been very busy lately, taking multiple oversees MMA fights and K-1 bouts.

The last time Overeem was fighting in the US, he was beating up Paul Buentello to defend his Strikeforce title. Overeem's only other United States fight was decision victory over Vitor Belfort. Overeem's other career wins have come over Igor Vovchanchyn, Mark Hunt, Roman Zentsov and Sergei Kharitonov.
Photobucket
(Overeem KO of Fujita)

In other action former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski will be fighting former Elite XC champ Junior "Bigfoot" Silva. Arlovski desparetly needs a win since his two straight KO losses to Fedor and Brett Rogers.

Here is a look at other fights that will be shown live on Showtime:

MAIN CARD

Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers
Andrei Arlovski vs. Antonio Silva
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Joey Villasenor
Roger Gracie vs. Kevin Randleman
Antwain Britt vs. Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante

UNDERCARD (un-aired)

Justin DeMoney vs. Jesse Finney
Lyle Beerbohm vs. Vitor Ribeiro
Lee Brousseau vs. Fransisco France
Mike Chandler vs. Sal Woods
Tom Aaron vs. Erik Steenberg
Matt Ricehouse vs. Greg Wilson
Darryl Cobb vs. Booker DeRousse
(Back to MMA Rumors)

Video of the Day - Mayorga v. Lewis

Here is Ricardo Mayorga boxing Andrew Lewis for the WBA Welterweight title on 3/30/02 which took place in Reading, Pennsylvania. Mayorga (27-9 boxing), a former WBA and WBC champion boxer, has not fought since a 2008 bout against Shane Mosley which he lost via TKO.

Mayorga is ready to make his MMA debut against former UFC fighter Din Thomas in Shine Fights on May 15th. Mayorga has proclaimed himself a veteran of several streetfights and that he will accept no less than a KO of his opponent in the first minute.

Video of the Day - Cote v. Vigneault

Here is Patrick Cote v. Steve Vigneault from TKO 14, Road Warriors. At that point in their respective careers, Vigneault was 10-3 and a UCC champ while Cote was just 3-0. As you can see, both were rocking the Golden Palace ads on their backs for this one.

Cote will make his return from a series of knee injuries against Alan Belcher at UFC 113.

Bellator Tournament Progression

Bellator Fighting Championship recently wrapped another show with their first venture into Kansas City. The first round of the middleweight bracket was decided, with four action packed bouts.

Interesting Russian prospect Alexander Shlemenko (28-4) dominated Tapout Show veteran Matt Major for three rounds of action. The Russian used a wide array of spinning attacks that pleased the crowd. Bellator season 1 runner-up Jared Hess (11-1) made quick work of former IFL champ Ryan McGivern, winning on a guillotine choke.

To round out the bracket, Bryan Baker (12-1) made quick work of Sean Loeffler, taking him down and pounding him out in the first round. Eric Schambari (12-1) also won in the first round, choking out TUF 7 veteran Luke Zacharich with an arm triangle.

Middleweight Final 4 Match-ups:

Bryan Baker (12-1) v. Eric Schambari (12-1)
Alexander Shlemenko (28-4) v. Jared Hess (11-1)
baker
(Bryan Baker pictured)

Welterweight Final 4 Match-ups:

Ben Askren (4-0) v. Ryan Thomas (11-4)
Dan Hornbuckle (20-2) v. Steve Carl (10-1)
hornbuckle
(Dan Hornbuckle KO of Gono pictured)

Lightweight Final 4 Match-ups:

Pat Curran (10-3) v. Roger Huerta (21-3)
Toby Imada (24-13) v. Carey Vanier (8-2)
huerta
(Roger Huerta pictured)

Featherweight Final 4 Match-ups:

Wilson Reis (10-1) v. Pitbull Freire (13-0)
Joe Warren (3-1) v. Georgi Karakhanyan (13-1)
pitbull
(Pitbull Freire pictured)