Video of the Day - Penn v. Ludwig

Here is BJ Penn versus Duane "Bang" Ludwig from K-1 Hero's Romanex which took place on 5/22/04 in the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Penn (16-10-2) returns from a two year layoff to fight Yair Rodriguez (9-1) at UFC Fight Night 103 on January 15, 2017.

Metamoris Mega Match Forecast

Metamoris is a professional grappling organization which holds submission only matches on a square mat. Athletes are allowed to wear gi pants, full tights, wrestling shoes, knee pads and rashguards during the 20 minute round. Each event so far has had consisted of 6 bouts, consisting of BJJ superstars, current/former MMA stars and fantasy match-ups.

After seeing the mega-star match-ups of Eddie Bravo v. Royler Gracie, Andre Galvao v. Chael Sonnen and Dean Lister v. Josh Barnett, Metamoris 5 featured MMA pioneers Renzo Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba. The pair were involved in an epic battle at Pride 10 which saw awesome scrambles for position with Sakuraba eventually latching on a fight ending kimura. The grappling match didn't quite prove to be as entertaining as it was nostalgic.


With many pioneers of MMA retired or retiring, Metamoris is an event to give them an outlet for competition while promoting grappling. Who are some of the other legendary former fighters and what match-ups are possible? I've conjured up a few interesting names below, ranked from most likely to least likely to compete:

Matt Hughes- the former UFC welterweight champ and UFC HOF'er is rumored to be grappling Renzo Gracie in ADCC in 2015. A former Eastern Illinois wrestler, Hughes placed 5th in the NCAA tournament in 1997. In the ADCC he has defeated Jeremy Horn and Ricardo Almeida, while losing in absolute matches to Tito Ortiz and Jeff Monson. He was known for power slams in MMA, slamming is illegal from the top position in Metamoris. Interesting bouts for Hughes would be against BJ Penn, Frank Trigg, Carlos Newton, Royce Gracie or GSP. Hughes compiled an MMA record of 45-9 with 18 submission victories.


Randy Couture- the former HW and LHW UFC champ and UFC HOF'er has been on the outs with Dana White since his decision to coach on Bellator's Fight Master reality show. Couture is a 2X runner-up NCAA champ, multiple time Greco Olympic alternate and won a Greco Pan Am Games Gold in 1991. Couture was awarded a black belt in Neil Melanson's No Gi submission wrestling system following his arm triangle of James Toney. Couture had an epic battle with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2009 and a rematch would make sense. It would be cool to see a rematch against Enson Inoue. The blockbuster would be a bout against former Pride superstar Fedor Emelienenko.


BJ Penn- the former LW and WW champ retired from MMA following his TKO loss to Frankie Edgar, but may still have a drive to compete. BJ was awarded his BJJ Black belt in 2000 by Andre Pederneiras. He won gold at the IBJFF World Championships in 2000, has won a World Jiu Jitsu Championship. There are several former MMA opponents that would lend themselves to huge match-ups, such as Matt Hughes, Rodrigo Gracie, Renzo Gracie and perhaps even GSP. The big X-factor would be whether or not BJ wants to train.


Masakatsu Funaki- The co-founder of Pancrase, Funaki began fighting in 1993, last fighting to a draw against Volk Han in 2012. A two time King of Pancrase winner, Funaki started off in professional wrestling and last took part in a 2013 Wrestle-1 show. While some of the early Pancrase fights were a little suspect, Funaki holds submission wins over Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Yuki Kondo. Potential match-ups could include bouts with Sakuraba, Frank Shamrock, Minowaman and Bas Rutten.


Ricardo Arona- At 13-0 in ADCC competition including 3 tournament championships, Arona last competed in MMA in 2009 defeating Marvin Eastman via decision. Arona would win a Rings middleweight title and become a Pride superstar with his performance at the 2005 MW Grand Prix. He holds wins over Wanderlei Silva, Jeremy Horn, Dan Henderson, Sakuraba and Alistair Overeem. Match-ups could include an MMA rematch with Dean Lister or ADCC rematches against Ricardo Almeida or Babalu Sobral.


Carlos Newton- A legend of Canadian MMA, Newton is an IBJJF 3rd Degree Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under coach Terry Riggs. While retiring from MMA following a decision loss to Brian Ebersole, Newton has remained active in running Warrior MMA. Newton versus Kazushi Sakuraba in Pride 3 remains one of the most thrilling grappling based MMA contests. Newton won the UFC championship with a bulldog choke submission over Pat Miletich at UFC 31, only to be controversially slam KO'd to lose the belt at UFC 34. Some maintain that Hughes was asleep for the slam. He had other career wins over Erik Paulsen, Daijiro Matsui, Jose Landi-Jons, Renzo Gracie and Pete Spratt. Interesting match-ups would include a rematches with Sakuraba, Paulsen(who probably has a weight advantage), Renzo Gracie or Matt Hughes.


Genki Sudo- With flair and charisma to spare, Sudo was one of the most entertaining and unorthodox fighters to ever enter an MMA arena. Sudo has career submission victories over Nate Marquardt, Mike Thomas Brown, Kazuyuki Miyata and Hiroyuki Takaya, and KO'd Royler Gracie. In 2010 he received his BJJ black belt from Naoyoshi Watanabe at Triforce Academy, and was lightening fast in transition. Re-matches with Mike Thomas Brown, Kid Yamamoto or Royler Gracie make sense.


Fedor Emelianenko- Perhaps the greatest fighter of all-time, Fedor retired from MMA in 2012 following a KO win over Pedro Rizzo. Fedor has taken part in many Combat Sambo tournaments over the years, winning multiple gold medals in the Russian and World championships. He also has a bronze medal in Russian Judo Championships. Fedor accumulated 16 submission victories among his 34 total victories, submitting Tim Sylvia, Matt Lindland, Mark Hunt, Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman during his MMA career. Obvious roadblocks to his potential entrance include his fee, potential co-promoting with his old management team M-1 and whether or not he has interest. He is supposedly considering a return to MMA. Match-ups could include Randy Couture, Josh Barnett, Antonio Nogueira and Mark Coleman.


Royce Gracie- The face of the early UFC and one of the reasons the UFC exists today, Royce and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu revolutionized fighting as we know it today. Royce captured the UFC 1, 2 and 4 tournament titles notching submission wins over Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Kimo Leopoldo. He was TKO'd by Sakuraba at Pride GP 2000 and won a rematch via decision in 2007. For the 2007 fight, Royce was failed a drug test for Nandrolone. A 6th degree black belt, it appears that he will be content with running his California schools and teaching private lessons. A rematch with Matt Hughes or Sakuraba makes sense.



Rickson Gracie- An 8th degree red and black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu and sporting a 12-0 MMA record, Rickson claimed to be undefeated in over 400 bouts. He acheived much notierity for the documentery Choke, which followed him as he prepared for Vale Tudo Japan tournament. A son of the legendery Helio Gracie, his son Kron Gracie tapped out Shinya Aoki and Otavio Sousa at the first and second Metamoris events. Any competitor over fifty would be a good one for Rickson, such as Dan Severn, though the odds of him returning are slim to none.


*GSP was not included due to his knee ailments. Was on the fence with Mark Coleman, Ken Shamrock, Kevin Randleman, Shane Carwin and Mark Kerr, but they might be too injured to return to a competition like this. I'd also say Dan Severn, but he is 56 years old. Frank Mir and Antonio Nogueira each may retire following their rumored UFC match-up, this type of event would be perfect for them. Lesnar probably would want way more money than Metamoris could offer and this might not be the right type of event for him.

Video of the Day - Penn v. Gomi

Here is BJ Penn fighting Takanori Gomi in Rumble on the Rock 4 which took place on 10/23/04 in Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii.

After the fight, BJ would go on to defeat Matt Hughes taking the UFC welterweight championship. Gomi would go on to become a Japanese MMA legend, winning 15 of his next 16 fights including the Pride lightweight championship.

Penn next will next fight Nick Diaz at UFC 137 which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Here is the full line-up for UFC 137:

PPV CARD

Nick Diaz v. B.J. Penn
Cheick Kongo v. Matt Mitrione
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic v. Roy Nelson
Hatsu Hioki v. George Roop
Jeff Curran v. Scott Jorgensen

SPIKE TV CARD

Donald Cerrone v. Dennis Siver
Tyson Griffin v. Bart Palaszewski

FACEBOOK CARD

Eliot Marshall v. Brandon Vera
Danny Downes v. Ramsey Nijem
Chris Camozzi v. Francis Carmont
Dustin Jacoby v. Clifford Starks

UFC Title Picture

Here is the title picture for the UFC.

HW Champ- Cain Velasquez
Contenders- Junior Dos Santos, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar
*Velasquez fights JDS at UFC 138 for the title
*Velasquez defeats Lesnar at UFC 121 for the title
*Dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin at UFC 131 for #1 spot
*Frank Mir defeats Roy Nelson at UFC 130


LHW Champ- Jon Jones
Contenders- Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Phil Davis, Lyoto Machida
*Jones fights Rampage at UFC 135 for the title
*Evans defeats Ortiz at UFC 133
*Rampage defeats Matt Hamill at UFC 130
*Griffin defeats Rich Franklin at UFC 126
*Griffin fights Shogun Rua at UFC 134

(Jon Jones pictured)

MW Champ- Anderson Silva
Contenders- Yushin Okami, Brian Stann, Vitor Belfort, Mark Munoz
*Anderson Silva defeats Belfort at UFC 126
*Okami defeats Marquardt for #1 contender at UFC 122
*Silva fights Okami at UFC 134 for the title
*Belfort KO'd Akiyama at UFC 133
*Stann on three fight win streak
*Munoz defeats Maia at UFC 131

(Anderson Silva pictured)

WW Champ- Georges St. Pierre
Contenders- Nick Diaz, Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez
*GSP defeats Jake Shields at UFC 129
*Fitch and BJ Penn fight to a draw at UFC 127
*Nick Diaz relinquishes Strikeforce belt
*GSP will fight Diaz at UFC 137 for the title
*Condit KO's Kim at UFC 132

(Georges St. Pierre pictured)

LW Champ- Frank Edgar
Contenders- Gray Maynard, Clay Guida, Benson Henderson, Melvin Guillard, Anthony Pettis, Dennis Siver
*Edgar fights to a draw with Maynard at UFC 125
*Edgar and Maynard out with injuries
*Guida defeats Pettis at the TUF 13 Finale
*Guillard wins 5th straight over Roller at UFC 132
*Siver wins 4th straight over Wiman at UFC 132
*Henderson defeats Miller at UFC on Versus 5

(Frank Edgar pictured)

FW Champ- Jose Aldo
Contenders- Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Manny Gamburyan
*Aldo defeats Hominick at UFC 129
*Chad Mendes defeats Yahya at UFC 133
*Florian defeats Nunes at UFC 130
*Aldo v. Florian likely for the next title bout

(Jose Aldo pictured)

BW Champ- Dominic Cruz
Contenders- Demetrious Johnson, Scott Jorgenson, Brian Bowles, Joe Benavidez
*Dominic Cruz defeats Faber at UFC 132
*Johnson defeats Torres at UFC 130
*Bowles defeats Mizugaki at UFC 132

(Dominic Cruz pictured)

Video of the Day - BJ Penn Basic Arm Bar

Here is a basic arm bar being demonstrated by BJ Penn. It has been rumored that BJ next fights Matt Hughes at UFC 123.

UFC 123 - Return to Detroit

UFC 123 will mark the UFC's first return to Detroit since the odd UFC 9 event which featured no closed fist strikes. At that time, just about everything else was legal, including having a 400 pound sumo wrestler fight a 185 pounder. Footnote- Mark Hall crushed Koji Kitao in 40 seconds after breaking his nose.

This event will feature a bigtime fight between enigmatic Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (16-1) and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8). Rampage has promised that he is rejuvinated, hoping to channel his Pride Fighting days when he fought more for the love of the game than the money. Word out of the Machida camp points to Lyoto being extremely focused since his first loss suffered at the hands of Shogun Rua.

Rampage brought raw power and energy to the fight game when he burst on the scene in Pride, slamming and crushing just about everyone in sight. When he came to the UFC, he quickly met Chuck Liddell, knocking out the Iceman and claiming the title. He then became grounded, losing the title in a sluggish performance against Forrest Griffin and an apprehensive performance against Rashad Evans.

(Rampage KO's Liddell in Pride)

Lyoto's rise to stardom came first in the Japanese fighting circuit when he used a head kick and punches to TKO Rich Franklin, choked out K-1 star Michael McDonald and scored a decision win over BJ Penn. He soon came to the UFC, where he notched several decision victories, rarely getting hit. In 2009, Machida came into his own, KO'ing Thiago Silva, then Rashad Evans to capture the title.

(Lyoto Machida)

Look for Machida to use his Shotokan Karate style to keep his distance on Rampage. Rampage will stalk Machida, trying to unload his power punches. Rampage will have to try to cut off angles and get a takedown or two to win the fight. The question is, will he eat too many Machida counter strikes before he can do that.

Penn v. Hughes 3 is the co-main event, and should be as exciting as the previous two bouts the men have split. In the first match-up, Penn (15-7)was able to control Hughes (45-7) and use a rear naked choke to win the fight and the belt in the first round. In the second, Hughes seemed to over-power and out-cardio Penn, using a crucifix and punches in the third round to secure a TKO win.

(BJ Penn)

I expect Matt Hughes to utilize the takedown early and often to try to get the fight to the mat and unleash ground and pound. Hughes will again have the power and wrestling advantage in this fight. Penn will try to keep the fight standing, using his superior striking and keeping the distance. Penn does not want to get in the clinch in this fight. While Penn has the BJJ advantage, I don't think he will be using it other than to get up off his back.

(Matt Hughes)

TUF 5 vet Joe Lauzon fights TUF 6 vet George Sotiropoulos (13-2) in a lightweight scrap for a step closer to a number 1 contender match. Sotiropoulous has been on a tear as of late, using his reach during his stand-up and using excellent control on the ground. George with a perfect 6-0 UFC record has wins over Kurt Pelligrino, Joe Stevenson, Jason Dent and George Roop in his last four fights.

Joe Lauzon (19-5) is a gritty fighter with a solid overall game. When Lauzon is aggressive is when he looks his best. In his last performance, Lauzon absolutely steamrolled Gabe Rudieger. Joe has other UFC wins against Jens Pulver, Jeremy Stephens and Kyle Bradley.

MAIN CARD

Quinton Jackson v Lyoto Machida
Matt Hughes v B.J. Penn
Joe Lauzon v George Sotiropoulos
Tim Boetsch v Phil Davis
Maiquel Falcao v Gerald Harris

SPIKE TV CARD

Matt Brown v Brian Foster
Mark Munoz v Aaron Simpson

PRELIM CARD

Dennis Hallman v Karo Parisyan
Edson Barboza v Mike Lullo
Paul Kelly v T.J. O'Brien
Nik Lentz v Tyson Griffin

UFC 118 Preview - Penn v. Edgar

UFC 118 will feature of a well deserved immediate title rematch of Frank Edgar and BJ Penn which will no doubt be as entertaining as the first match. The co-main event harkens back to the roots of MMA, pitting a boxer, James Toney, against a grappler, Randy Couture, in the most interesting bouts of 2010.

In the first fight between BJ Penn and Frank Edgar (12-1, 7-1 UFC) at UFC 112, both fighters were content to stand and trade for five rounds, with Penn stuffing a couple Edgar takedown attempts.

On my scorecard, BJ narrowly took the first two rounds, Edgar narrowly took the last two rounds, and the 3rd round was a toss-up. The judges didn't quite see it that way, giving Edgar the win 50-45, 48-47 and 49-46 to become the new champ.  Look for Edgar to box, get in the clinch and attempt the occasional takedown in the rematch.

Frank Edgar's martial arts career started as a wrestler in high school then Clarion University in Pennsylvania where he qualified for the national tournament every year. He went 5-0 outside the UFC, defeating solid fighters Deividas Taurosevičius and Jim Miller before being invited to the UFC. While in the UFC, Edgar has defeated Tyson Griffin, Sean Sherk, Spencer Fisher and Hermes Franca.

BJ Penn (15-6, 11-5 UFC) is a dynamic BJJ blackbelt prodigy and solid striker. Penn famously began training BJJ at the age of 17, learning extremely fast, winning tournament after tournament before getting his black belt in 2000 and winning the world BJJ championship in Brazil.

(BJ Penn Pictured)

BJ went directly to the UFC in 2001, crushing Joey Gilbert, Din Thomas and Caol Uno before losing a very close decision to Jens Pulver. After winning additional fights against Matt Serra and Takanori Gomi, Penn came back to the UFC defeating Matt Hughes for the 170 pound title. After some time in K-1 Hero's, Penn came back to win the 155 pound title and defend 3 times. His other career wins have came against Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson and Renzo Gracie.

In the bout between James Toney and Randy Couture, expect things to end quickly with either James Toney tapping to a choke or Randy Couture seeing stars. Couture (18-10) surprisingly has only 3 submissions on his record, but his grappling ability is still second to none. The UFC Hall of Famer and former HW and LHW champion has beat an insane line-up of challengers including Tito Ortiz, Tim Sylvia, Vitor Belfort, Gabriel Gonzaga and Mark Coleman.

(Randy Couture Pictured)

What can you say about James "Lights Out" Toney? The current IBA and NABO heavyweight champ still has power in his punches and a decent skill set. However, Toney (72-6 in boxing) began his pro boxing career in 1990 and has put many miles on the tank, despite never being knocked out. Toney's signature win maybe when he TKO'd Evander Holyfield in 2003. From recent interviews it doesn't seem like Toney got in a real MMA camp or worked much on grappling in his preparation for the bout.

(James Toney Pictured)

Kenny Florian v. Gray Maynard- This fight will determine the number one contender in the lightweight division. Florian (13-4, 11-3 UFC) will look to use his excellent muay thai to work Maynards legs and keep distance. Florian has wins over Takanori Gomi, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson and Joe Lauzon.

(Kenny Florian Pictured)

Maynard (9-0, 7-0 UFC) will likely look for the clinch and try to dirty box. If Maynard does try to use his wrestling offensively, he will run into a dangerous BJJ blackbelt off the ground. Florian also has solid elbows from the ground to damage Maynard. Maynard has career wins over Nate Diaz, Jim Miller, Roger Huerta and Frank Edgar.

(Gray Maynard punching Roger Huerta)

Demian Maia v. Mario Miranda- This battle of Brazilians will pit BJJ ace Demian Maia (12-2, 6-2 UFC) against solid wreslter Mario Miranda (10-1, 1-1 UFC). Maia will look to set up a takedown to get the fight to the ground where he has a distinct advantage. Look for Miranda to use his wrestling to defend takedowns and keep the fight standing.

Marcus Davis v. Nate Diaz- Hometown hero Marcus Davis (17-6, 9-4 UFC) will look to bring the fight to long and lanky TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz (12-5, 7-3 UFC). Davis, a former pro boxer himself, will look to close the distance and get inside on Diaz. Diaz meanwhile will look to stay on the outside peppering his jab from all angles. If Diaz gets the fight to the ground, expect him to transition to multiple submission attempts.

SPIKE PRELIM BOUTS

Joe Lauzon v. Gabe Ruediger
Nik Lentz v. Andre Winner

UNDERCARD - Quick bouts possibly air on delay

Dan Miller v. John Salter
Nick Osipczak v. Greg Soto
Amilcar Alves v. Mike Pierce

The below video features James Toney's boxing promoter Dan Goosen discussing James Toney v. Randy Couture.

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.



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.


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.


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.



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.



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.


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**

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.

(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.

(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.

(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

(Ferrari World Theme Park)

Technique by BJ Penn

Here is a promotional BJ Penn video on Youtube. It shows some excellent technique off your back. BJ next fights Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 for the Lightweight Championship.

UFC 101 Results and Review

UFC 101 was not the most exciting event, but we did see two superstars elevate their respective legacies. BJ Penn looked sharp and on his game, as did the larger 205 version of Anderson Silva. While the crowd initially rooted again the two, by the end of their fights, the tide had turned.

B.J. Penn def Kenny Florian via sub(rear-naked choke) R4, 3:54- BJ Penn displayed excellent skill and cardio as he defeated Kenny Florian to claim a submission of the night bonus. While Florian attempted takedowns throughout the fight, BJ defended superbly, wearing Florian down with knees.

While both were standing, BJ seemed to land the harder punches, wobbling Florian on seperate occasions. Kenny's best offense seemed to be some leg kicks. In the fourth, Penn continued his dominance, stuffing a Florian takedown before getting his own. From there he passed the guard, got in mount and soon found Florian's back. BJ took his time working the rear naked choke until it was in too deep.
*BJ Penn wins Submission of the Night Bonus.
*MMA Blaster Readers correctly pick BJ Penn 69-43

Anderson Silva def Forrest Griffin via KO (punch) R1, 3:23- Anderson again looked invincible in this quick three and a half minute fight. While Forrest attempted to move forward he was hit flush with punches to the jaw. Forrest was knocked down twice, and on the second occasion, Anderson didn't want to follow him down and asked Forrest back up. After Forrest rose to his feet, he was hit flush again and the fight was over.

*Anderson Silva wins KO of the Night
*Griffin and Silva win Fight of the Night

Johnny Hendricks def Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) R1, 0:29- This fight was short and sweet. While Sadollah was content to throw kicks, Hendricks defended and threw counter punches. A couple uppercuts landed and Sadollah went to the ground. Hendricks followed up with ground and pound, but Sadollah appeared to block most. The stoppage seemed early.

Aaron Riley def Shane Nelson via unanimous dec- Aaron Riley landed the more powerful shots and ground and pound throughout the fight to win a unanimous decision.

Ricardo Almeida def Kendall Grove via unanimous dec- Rather slow fight in which Almeida got the better of the ground game. Grove landed a couple decent knees from the clinch.

Kurt Pellegrino def Josh Neer via unanimous dec- Pellegrino took Neer down at will throughout the fight. Neer tried to look for arm-bars and triangle atttempts, but he wasn't able to secure one.

UNDER CARD RESULTS

John Howard def Tamdan McCrory via split dec
Alessio Sakara def Thales Leites via split dec
Matthew Riddle def Dan Cramer via unanimous dec
George Sotiropoulos def George Roop via sub (kimura) R2, 1:59
Jesse Lennox def Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) R3, 3:37

UFC 101 - Penn v. Florian Preview

This Saturday UFC 101 will take place in Philedelphia, Pennsylvania in the Wachovia Center. The main card features two mega stars in Anderson Silva and BJ Penn. BJ will be defending his lightweight title against TUF 1 runner-up Kenny Florian. Meanwhile, current MW Champ Anderson Silva will jump up to 205 pounds to face TUF 1 and former TUF and LHW Champ Forrest Griffin.

(Anderson Silva pictured)

Here are a list of the bouts:

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian - LW Title -This fight for the title will see a much improved Kenny Florian (11-3, 9-2 UFC) against a rejuvinated lightweight champion BJ Penn (13-5, 9-4 UFC). Penn is coming off a loss to Georges St. Pierre, which included allegations of greasing. Regardless of whether grease or vaseline was used, BJ Penn was dominated by GSP during the duration of the fight at 170 pounds.

Kenny Florian has resurged since his loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 64 for the lightweight title. Florian has rattled off a string of six wins in a row including quality wins over Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Joe Lauzon and Din Thomas. Kenny will look to use his Muay Thai game to mix it up with BJ standing. If the fight does go to the ground, Kenny will look to utilize his vicious elbows in a ground and pound assault.

(Kenny Florian pictured)

BJ Penn is one of the legends of the sport since his arriving in the UFC 31 with a first round TKO of Joey Gilbert. BJ would look even more explosive in his next two bouts defeating Din Thomas in the first round and viciously knocking out Cael Uno in 11 seconds with knees and punches. After a narrow decision loss to Jens Pulver, BJ defeated former UFC champ Matt Serra and Pride champ Takanori Gomi.

Next would come the victory that catapaulted him into the stratosphere was a rear naked choke victory over Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 46. At the time, Hughes seemed unstoppable coming off 13 straight wins and 6 in the UFC. Penn has kept performing at a high level winning over Sean Sherk, Renzo Gracie, Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver cementing his place among the all-time greats of the sport.

(BJ Penn pictured with a bloody Joe Stevenson)

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin- MW Champion Anderson Silva (24-4, 9-0 UFC) has looked unstoppable during his current ten fight unbeaten streak. His has utilized his sharp, quick and precise striking ability. His UFC run has included victories over Rich Franklin two destructive times, Chris Leben, Travis Lutter, James Irvin, Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt. His last two efforts against Pate Cote and Thales Leites have been slightly lackluster, but Anderson was barely touched in the bouts.

Forrest Griffin (16-5, 7-3 UFC) has shown to be an exciting, agressive, non-stop fighter in the UFC. He initially rose to stardom winning the epic bout against Stephen Bonnar, but his popularity has continued to soar with wins over Rampage Jackson for the UFC LHW title and Shogun Rua. Griffin will look to push the action against Anderson, and you can bet someone will get knocked out.

(Forrest Griffin pictured)

Johny Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah
Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino

UNDER CARD

Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory
Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Dan Cramer vs. Matthew Riddle
George Roop vs. George Sotiropoulos
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

(Matt Riddle pictured)

Grease Gate

Georges St. Pierre might be in trouble after a round ending rub down. Greg Jackson and coach Phil Nurse are being accused of "greasing up" St. Pierre with vaseline to nullify Penn's jiu-jitsu game.

In between rounds and before the fight it is common practice for fighters to have vaseline applied to their eyebrows to prevent potential cuts. Nurse applied vaseline to his St. Pierre's eyebrows in between the rounds and before the fight.

However, it was observed from the crowd that Nurse put vaseline on St. Pierre's eyebrow then rubbed St. Pierre's back. It is not known how much vaseline was still left on Nurse's hand. It is unclear what the Nevada State Athletic Commission will do in this case.

The ball would seem to be in BJ Penn's corner to file a formal complaint with NSAC. The commission would then determine what occurs. It is possible that NSAC could overtun the result of the fight to an NC.

Would vaseline have helped in the fight? I highly doubt it. GSP looked to be the more game fighter at UFC 94. He was stronger, bigger and faster than Penn and seemed to control all the action. But, there is a possibility that a Penn submission was harder to accomplish. It will be interesting to see what happens as new facts come to light.

(funny gif found on photobucket)

*It appears that the UFC will now only allow state mandated cutmen to apply vaseline to fighters in all future events. The fighter will get the vaseline applied immediately before entering the octogon.

UFC 94 Preview

UFC 94 kicks off this Saturday, January 31st at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The BJ Penn v. GSP fight is being hyped up as the Superbowl of MMA. We will see how the card plays out, hopefully Machida is feeling peppy. All fighters made weight, with former heavyweights Christian Wellish and Jake O'Brien debuting at 205 pounds.

MAIN CARD

Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn- This fight is being hyped as the fight of the year. The undisputed king of the 170 pound class versus the king of the 155 pound class. In addition, this is a rematch of a match from UFC 58 where BJ lost a close split decision. I would expect to see GSP go for the takedown early and often. The question in this fight may come down to whether or not BJ can get a submission off his back.

Since a crazy upset loss to Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre has been on quite a streak. He has outwrestled Josh Koscheck, armbarred Matt Hughes and punished Matt Serra and Jon Fitch since that loss. Georges is an incredible athlete, with suberb striking, cardio and wrestling ability. Georges also holds wins over Jay Hieron, Sean Sherk, Mayhem Miller and Frank Trigg.

(Georges St. Pierre pictured)

Since a disappointing loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 63, BJ Penn reinvented himself at 155, dominating his competition. He won over Jens Pulver following TUF 5, then crushed Joe Stevenson for the interim 155 pound title. He then went on to outstrike and eventually TKO Sean Sherk to unify the 155 pound title. BJ will be looking to strike with GSP and possibly go for a submission. If BJ has one clear advantage, it would be in the submission game. BJ also has wins over Duane Ludwig, Takanori Gomi, and Caol Uno.

(BJ Penn pictured)

Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva- Someone's undefeated status will be loss against in this battle for the number one contender spot at 205 pounds. Machida is a karate and BJJ black-belt who utilizes a countering style that frustrates many opponents. Silva, who owns a great ground game rarely uses it. Silva instead uses his heavy hand to knock his opponents out.

I expect this fight to remain standing, with Machida waiting to capitalize on a Silva mistake. Machida is 13-0 with victories over Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar and BJ Penn outside the UFC. He holds wins over Sokoudjou, Tito Ortiz, Kazuhiro Nakamura, David Heath and Sam Hoger inside the UFC.

(Lyoto Machida pictured)

Thiago Silva (13-0) has ten knockouts and two submission wins in his career. He has beaten Antonio Mendes, Houston Alexander, Tomasz Drwal and James Irvin in the UFC. I expect Silva to try to get in close on Machida to throw punches in the clinch.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones
Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Nate Diaz vs. Clay Guida

UNDER CARD

Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono
Manny Gamburyan vs. Thiago Tavares
John Howard vs. Chris Wilson
Jake O'Brien vs. Christian Wellisch
Matt Arroyo vs. Dan Cramer