UFC: Versus 1

UFC's first debut on the Versus network produced an entertaining fireworks. On the undercard, John "Doomsday" Howard destroyed UFC newcomer Daniel Roberts with vicious ground and pound. Junior Dos Santos pushed even closer to a title shot and X put his name right and center in the UFC's 205 pound division.

In the first fight of the broadcast, Alessio Sakara landed a perfect right hand into James Irvin's eye socket causing a stoppage in the first round. James Irvin originally thought it was an eyepoke, but veteran UFC referee Josh Roshental made the correct call.

In undercard action, John Howard fought the undefeated Daniel Roberts. Roberts was able to get takedowns early, but eventually Howard unloaded a fury. Howards hit a high amplitude double leg takedown then slammed a heavy right hand KO'ing Roberts.

In the second match of the evening, Cheick Kongo dominated Paul "Headhunter" Buentello for three rounds before coaxing a tapout from the veteran kickboxer. Kongo was able to mix in a combination of takedowns, punches, elbows and knees.

Referee Herb Dean did an exceptional job refereeing the fight. He deducted a point from Cheick Kongo from a knee when Paul Buentello. In doing so, Dean gave Buentello ample time to recover. Buentello also dislocated a pinky finger and was allowed to continue after popping it back into place.

In the end, Kongo's relentless attack was to much for Buentello to handle. Elbows to the thigh eventally forced Buentello to submit. With the victory, expect Kongo to get a solid test in the form of the winner of Roy Nelson and Stephen Struve.

Junior Dos Santos took another step into the heavyweight title picture defeating veteran UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga. Dos Santos defended the takedown, loading up a mean right hand. Gonzaga landed a couple deadly leg kicks, but eventually let his guard down.

As Gonzaga threw a leg kick, Dos Santos fired a shot from hell, flooring Gonzaga, the BJJ blackbelt to the ground. A few more punches sealed the deal, and Gonzga was cooked. Dos Santos now will likely fight Cain Velasquez for a title shot.

In the main event, Jon "Bones" Jones inched his way closer to a 205 pound title shot. Jones looked to be the quicker fighter as he was able to land strikes and take down Brandon Vera. From there, Jones worked top control and threw some punches. Until Vera threw an upkick while Jones had a knee on the canvas.

Vera was deducted a point for the foul and Jones was given back position. From there, Bones Jones landed nasty left and right punches and elbows from Vera's guard with his big-time reach advantage. A point of a right elbow looked to land on Vera's eye socket, prompting the stoppage. Look for Jones to fight Ryan Bader or the winner of Forrest Griffin v. Antonio Nogueira.

(Jon Jones pictured)

UFC Versus 1

UFC will have its first show on Versus on March 21, 2010 at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. So far, the card has 11 rumored fights, but only 3 confirmed for the main TV broadcast.

The main event pits the uber athlete Jon "Bones" Jones against Muay Thai specialist Brandon Vera. This fight should see Brandon Vera to attempt to keep the fight standing while throwing more precise kicks and punches from distance. Jones may look to slug with Vera before going for a takedown.

Jon Jones (9-1, 3-1 UFC) is looking to come back from a devastating DQ loss to Matt Hamill. Jones was dominating the fight before throwing illegal elbows to a downed and near finished Matt Hamill. Jones has looked excellent in his UFC fights with wins over Stephen Bonnar, Andre Gusmao and Jake O'Brien.

(Jon Jones pictured)

Brandon Vera (11-4, 7-4 UFC) will be trying to rebound from a controversial decision loss to Randy Couture. Vera started his career in the heavyweight division before a loss to Tim Sylvia sent him to 205. Vera's biggest win was a TKO over Frank Mir. He has other wins over Krzysztof Soszynski, Reese Andy and Justin Eilers.

(Brandon Vera pictured)

Junior Dos Santos v. Gabriel Gonzaga- This fight has a good chance to be over in a hurry. Dos Santos (10-1, 4-0 UFC) has been throwing heavy hands during his tenure in the UFC, KO'ing Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel, Stefan Struve and making Cro Cop submit to punches. Dos Santos will look to throw his signature big power punches to add another KO to his resume and get closer to a title shot.

(Junior Dos Santos pictured)

Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4, 7-3 UFC) has had an up and down UFC career. Gonzaga started out destroying Kevin Jordan, Fabiano Scherner, Carmelo Marrero and then scoring a massive head kick KO over Mirko Cro Cop. After a loss to Randy Couture, Gonzaga has wins over Justin McCulley, Josh Hendricks and a controversial win over Chris Tuchscherer after a low blow. Gonzaga may look to get the fight to the ground where the BJJ blackbelt has an edge.

(Gabriel Gonzaga throwing a head kick on Cro Cop)

Paul Buentello v. Cheick Kongo- All signs point to this fight being a stand-up war. Buentello and Kongo are both top level kickboxers who will be looking for a KO. Kongo (14-6, 7-4 UFC) has been up and down, typically having problems with top level submission artists.

Paul Buentello (27-11, 3-2 UFC) has scored 17 KO's in his MMA career and is notorious for avoiding the ground and looking for big shots. Buentello has recently been training in Colorado with Trevor Whitman and the Greg Jackson crew.

James Irvin v. Alessio Sakara- Striker James Irvin (14-5, 3-4 UFC) is rebounding from a knee injury and other setbacks that have forced him out of competition since his loss to Anderson Silva in July 2008. Alessio Sakara (14-7, 5-4 UFC) meanwhile is riding a two fight win streak defeating Thales Leites and Joe Vedepo.

UNDER CARD

Shannon Gugerty v. Clay Guida
Eliot Marshall v. Vladimir Matyushenko
John Howard v. Daniel Roberts
Chase Gormley v. Brendan Schaub
Julio Paulino v. Mike Pierce
Jason Brilz v. Eric Schafer
Darren Elkins v. Duane Ludwig

UFC 102 Review

UFC 102 from Portland produced some excellent bouts with some under card fights making the main ppv telecast. UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and Antonio Noguiera duked it out an in awesome main event fight.

Couture came up short, much to the dismay of the crowd. Look for Noguiera to possibly get a heavyweight title shot against the winner of Lesnar v. Carwin. Couture and Noguiera each won fight of the night bonuses.

Nate Marquardt made another step forward to getting make the top of the 185 pound ladder. He came out and steamrolled previously undefeated BJJ blackbelt Demian Maia in just 21 seconds. Marquardt is looking to either get a title shot with Anderson Silva, or a number one contenders match with Dan Henderson.

While Marquardt won the KO of the night bonus, he had some competition from undercard fighter Todd Duffee. Duffee, standing at a ripped 250 pounds, threw a hard left hand to the chin of 6'4, 260 pound behemouth Tim Hague. The punch sent Hague to the canvas and a few extra shots sealed his fate. The KO took just 7 seconds, claiming the fastest KO in UFC history.

NCAA Champ Jake Rosholt rebounded from his disappointing UFC debut winning the submission of the night bonus. He choked Chris Leben unconscious with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.

Another fighter rebounding was Thiago Silva, who knocked Keith Jardine unconscious with a left hook in the first round. Brandon Vera continued his climb up the 205 pound ladder with a decision win over Krzystof Soszynski, who was on a 3 fight win streak in the UFC.

Here is a list of results:

Antonio Nogueira def Randy Couture via unanimous dec
Thiago Silva def Keith Jardine via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:35
Jake Rosholt def Chris Leben via sub (arm triangle) R3, 1:30
Nate Marquardt def Demian Maia via KO (punch) R1, 0:21
Brandon Vera def Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous dec
Aaron Simpson def Ed Herman via TKO (injury) R2, 0:17
Gabriel Gonzaga def Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (punches) R1, 4:27
Mike Russow def Justin McCully via unanimous dec
Todd Duffee def Tim Hague via KO (punches) R1, 0:07
Mark Munoz def Nick Catone via split dec
Evan Dunham def Marcus Aurelio via split dec


(Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira pictured)

UFC 102 Preview

UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira will take place this Saturday, Aug 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon's Rose Garden. MMA legends Randy Couture and Antonio Nogueira will be looking for a victory to potentially push them into title contention. Meanwhile, Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt are looking to get a crack at the seemingly invincible Anderson Silva. The rest of the card is fairly stacked.

(Randy Couture inducted to the UFC Hall)

MAIN CARD

Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva
Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt
Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera

UNDER CARD

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Justin McCully vs. Mike Russow
Todd Duffee vs. Tim Hague
Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz
Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham
Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson


(Demian Maia pictured)

UFC 96: Jackson Howls

UFC 96 was an excellent fight card with several exciting bouts. As the dust settled, it appears that a Rashad v. Rampage Jackson fight looms on the horizon. Also, heavyweight powerhouse Shane Carwin will be entering the title picture.

Quinton Jackson def Keith Jardine via unanimous dec- Jardine was not able to quell Jackson's power and swarming style as Jackson overwelmed Jardine en route to a unanimous decision. Jackson landed the heavier punches in all three rounds and managed to score a couple takedowns. Jardine landed a couple leg kicks but couldn't mount much offense.

In the second and third rounds, Jackson was able to knock Jardine to the floor with combinations. But Jardine didn't go out and kept fighting. After the decision was read for Rampage, current light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans emerged in the cage. Rampage obliged with a stare down. It now appears that Rampage will take on Rashad Evans for the title, possibly at UFC 98.


Shane Carwin def Gabriel Gonzaga via KO(punch) R1, 1:09- Carwin came out firing again, proving he belongs among the elite in the heavyweight division. After Carwin ate a couple punches and was taken down, the tide turned. Carwin got to his feet and threw a massive punch that clobbered Gonzaga in the face. With Gonzaga rattled, there was no choice but for the ref to jump in.

Matt Brown def Pete Sell via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:32- Pete Sell decided to throw punches and again it proved to be his downfall. Matt Brown is as tough a brawler as they come and he landed a perfect combination sending Sell to the ground. It appeared as though the ref stopped it, but for some reason he didn't. Sell ate more punishment before the bout was called.

Matt Hamill def Mark Munoz via KO (head kick) R1, 3:53- With Mark Munoz looking to turn the bout into a wrestling match, Matt Hamill wasn't having it. Munoz failed at takedown attempts then started to eat punches. Slightly wobbled with his hands dropped, Hamill fired a high kick that landed flush on Munoz, crumpling him to the canvas. The replay showed Hamill's shin strike Munoz' temple, a recipe for a devastating KO.

Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller via unanimous dec- Gray Maynard lived up to his nickname "The Bully" as he pushed around Miller throughout the fight. Maynard used his boxing effectively, throwing combinations while moving in and out. Miller was unsuccessful in attempting takedowns, eating punishment for his efforts. All the judges had the fight 30-27. Maynard now has 4 straight decision victories and is 5-0 in the UFC.

Tamdan McCrory def Ryan Madigan via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:35- McCrory wanted no part of Madigan's stand-up as he was able to get a takedown and bring the fight to the mat. Once there, McCrory worked for mount and threw punches and elbows until the fight was called.

Kendall Grove def Jason Day via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:32- In a must win fight, Kendall came out firing and ready to trade punches. Day backed him up early, but Kendall connected with a couple overhand rights. With Day dazed, Kendall went to the mat to finish the job.

Jason Brilz def Tim Boetsch via unanimous dec- Brilz brought the fight to Boetsch, utilizing takedowns and ground and pound to pick up the decision.

Brandon Vera def Michael Patt via TKO (leg kicks) R2, 1:27- Brandon Vera came out firing, looking crisp in his punches and kicks. It seemed as if every leg kick landed and by the second round, Patt was having trouble standing. The snapping kicks eventually led to Patt being unable to stand and continue.

Shane Nelson def Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes) R1, 0:44- For some reason this fight wasn't broadcast.

UFC 96 Preview

UFC 96 takes place this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The fights will be available on ppv. Here is the current line-up.

MAIN CARD

Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine- The main event could be a quick one or a long battle. Both fighters have produced dramatic results in the UFC. Jardine (14-4, 6-3 UFC) has knocked out former champ Forrest Griffin and won split decisions over Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera. Jardine, a veteran of TUF 2, has an unorthodox stance and throws very good leg kicks.

Rampage Jackson (29-7, 4-1 UFC), the former champ, is almost guaranteed a title fight against Rashad Evans if he wins. Rampage won the belt with a knockout victory over Chuck Liddell and defended with a decision victory over Dan Henderson. With a long lay-off Jackson lost a razor thin decision to Forrest Griffin before recently defeating Wanderlei Silva in brutal fashion. Expect Rampage to throw big bombs from his feet. If a KO doesn't happen, I expect Rampage to look for a takedown.

(Rampage Jackson pictured)

Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz- This will be a battle of two former top notch wrestlers. Hamill is a 3 time Division III national champion. Munoz is a 2 time All-American, winning the Division I title in 2001. Hamill was a stand-out in TUF 3, where he beat veteran fighter Mike Nickels. Hamill (5-2, 5-2 UFC) has the UFC experience factor, getting TKO's against tough opponents in Tim Boetsch, Reese Andy and Seth Petruzelli. His loss to Michael Bisping was perhaps one of the worst decisions in the sport.

(Matt Hamill pictured)

Mark Munoz (5-0, 0-0 UFC) won twice in the WEC before they folded the 205 division. Munoz looks for the takedown early and often, and if he gets it has a good ground and pound game. With Munoz stating he will test his wrestling against Hamill, this will make for a quality fight. Both are extremely strong.

(Mark Munoz pictured)

Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga- This match will prove whether or not Shane Carwin belongs in the heavyweight elite. Carwin (10-0, 2-0 UFC) is an absolute beast, standing 6'4" with 265 pounds of pure muscle. Carwin won the Division II national championship in 1999, and was a runner-up in 1998 and 1997. He knocked Christian Wellish out cold in his UFC debut and Neil Wain in his second fight. No fighter has lasted more than 3 minutes with Carwin.

(Shane Carwin pictured)

Gabriel Gonzaga is no slouch himself, with his young career capped with a devastating head kick KO of uber striker Mirko Cro Cop. Gonzaga (10-3, 6-2 UFC) is a BJJ blackbelt with 6 submissions on his resume. He dropped a tough loss to Randy Couture in his shot at the heavyweight title, and lost to Fabricio Werdum via TKO in his next match. He has since rebounded with a KO of Josh Hendricks and kimura over Justin McCully.

(Gabriel Gonzaga pictured)

Matt Brown vs. Pete Sell- Matt Brown (8-7, 2-1 UFC) will look to stand and trade as brawling is his forte. With a solid BJJ background Sell (8-4, 2-4 UFC) is best when looking to utilize his submission game. Sell gets in trouble when he stands and swings for the fences, which would play into Brown's game.

Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller- Maynard (6-0, 4-0 UFC) has been climbing the 155 pound ranks with solid wrestling and ground and pound. Then knock on Maynard has been a lack of excitement in his fights, he may try to push the pace here. Miller (13-1, 2-0 UFC) won over Matt Wiman in his last fight on a weeks notice. He will have more time to prepare for this one, but the fight will boil down to whether Miller can pull a submission off his back.

UNDER CARD

Ryan Madigan vs. Tamdan McCrory
Jason Day vs. Kendall Grove
Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz
Mike Patt vs. Brandon Vera
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley

UFC 89 Preview

Here is the confirmed line-up for UFC 89 that will be airing on Spike TV for free this Saturday. Michael Bisping v. Chris Leben is the headlining bout and will more than likely result in a stand-up slugfest. Bisping looked very quick and sharp in his first bout at 185. Leben is known for his brawler mentality, it will definately delight the English crowd if the fightet turns into a brawl.

Televised Card
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera
Luiz Cane vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor
Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain
Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly

Prelim Card
Akihiro Gono vs. Dan Hardy
David Bielkheden vs. Jess Liaudin
Terry Etim vs. Sam Stout
David Baron vs. Jim Miller
Per Eklund vs. Sammy Schiavo

UFC: Silva Strikes Back

UFC's 3 hour broadcast of Ultimate Fight Night was also a fine fight card. Rory Markum pulled out one of the best high kicks in MMA history. CB Dollaway rebounded well as he pulled off the rare Peruvian Necktie submission. The main event also delivered, as Anderson Silva destroyed James Irvin.

Shannon Gugerty def. Dale Hartt via. Submission (Rear-naked choke) R1, 3:33
Brad Blackburn def. James Giboo via TKO (Strikes) R2, 2:29
Nate Loughran def. Johnny Rees via Submission (Triangle choke) R1, 4:21

Rory Markham def. Brodie Farber via KO (Head kick) R1, 1:37- Markum won the knock-out of the night on one of the best high kicks in UFC history. After being on the losing end of a few exchanges, Markum began backing up and eating two more shots. Then out of no-where he launched a high kick that struck Farber in the neck for the instant KO. After it landed, Markum walked away knowing his foe was out and the kick landed solid.

Timothy Credeur def. Cale Yarbrough via TKO (Punches) R1, 1:54- Credeur picked apart Yarbrough with punches, bullying Yarbrough for the win.

CB Dollaway def. Jesse Taylor via Submission (Peruvian neck tie) R1, 3:58- CB Dollaway was able to rebound from his TUF Finals loss. After a failed takedown, CB was able to get Taylor's back trying for a rear naked choke. Eventually, CB was able to get the unusual submission and Jesse was tapping. CB won the submission of the night bonus.

Kevin Burns def. Anthony Johnson via (TKO) R3, 3:35- Unfortunately, this fight ended the wrong way with Anthony Johnson losing via an inadvertent eye poke. In the replay, Burns finger clearly drove deep in Johnson's eye. Burns said he wanted to do the fight again. Apparently, Burns has broke the hand 3 times in 16 months and he only does palm strikes with that hand.

Cain Velasquez def. Jake O'Brien via TKO (Strikes) R1, 2:02- Valasquez was dominant in defending a takedown, getting the dominant position and raining down punches. He knocked O'Brien out.

Frank Edgar def Hermes Franca via Decision (Unanimous)- Edgar was able to win the take down battle for the victory. Edgar was also able to land effective elbow strikes which opened up a cut on Franca's eye. While Franca was able to attempt some submissions, he didn't quite have the energy to get one in the later rounds. One arm bar attempt looked close, but I don't think I'll ever see Edgar tap. He is a very tough customer.

Brandon Vera defReese Andy via Decision (Unanimous)- Vera's first cut to 205 didn't help his cardio. He lost quite a bit of steam quickly in the fight. Andy just didn't have the size or strength as he lost the unanimous decision.

Anderson Silva def James Irvin via KO (Punches) R1, 1:01- Silva punctuated the night with his absolute destruction of James Irvin. "Any little mistake and he makes you pay," stated commentator Joe Rogan.

Silva circled Irvin moving back and forth before shooting leg kicks. When Irvin threw a leg kick, Silva capitalized. He grabbed the leg and punched Irvin square in the face. While he was probably out cold then and there, Silva threw more punches before being pulled away.

In the post fight interview, Silva was very happy as he talked through an interpreter. He stated he would fight in either 185 or 205 pound divisions. In the end, Silva spoke in English thanking the crowd and dedicating the fight to his mom.

Ultimate Fight Night 14 aka Anderson Silva at 205

After Affliction's heavyweight all-star card was almost together, the UFC decided to launch a counter-attack. They are bringing a free card on Spike TV that has some star power, mainly in the form of UFC MW Champ Anderson Silva.


As you can see, there are 3 former IFL fighters making their UFC debuts.

Anderson Silva (21-4, 6-0 UFC) vs. James Irvin (14-4, 4-3 UFC)- Expect this to be a stand-up battle. This is Anderson's debut at 205 pounds. Anderson has looked unstoppable in his 6 fights in the UFC so far. In his last fight, Anderson beat Pride Champ Dan Henderson in the second round. Irvin is a stand-up guy, and has some notable wins on his resume over Terry Martin, Houston Alexander, Scott Smith and Doug Marshall.

Brandon Vera (8-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Reese Andy (7-1, 5-1 IFL)- Vera is coming off two losses in the heavyweight division to Fabricio Werdum and Tim Sylvia. He is making his debut in the 205 pound division, and it is likely his first cut to that weight. He usually comes in around 225 for his heavyweight fights. Reese Andy is making his UFC debut after fighting in the IFL. He has a 4 fight win streak but hasn't fought for a year.

Frankie Edgar (8-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Hermes Franca (18-6, 6-3 UFC)- Franca has been suspended a year for using steroids in the Sherk fight. Edgar was pushed around by a bigger Gray Maynard in his last fight and lost a decision. I wouldn't be surprised to see the loser of this fight go to 145.

Jake O'Brien (10-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Cain Velasquez (3-0, 1-0 UFC)- Both of these guys are big time wrestlers. O'Brien is coming off a loss to Andrei Arlovski in his last fight and may look to trade with Velasquez. Velasquez has earned TKO victories in each of his three fights.

Kevin Burns (6-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Anthony Johnson (5-1, 2-1 UFC)- The Iowa based fighter Kevin Burns is coming off an outstanding submission victory over BJJ black belt Roan Carneiro. He has four straight victories. Johnson displayed extreme power in his hands in his KO's of Tom Speer and Chad Reiner. His only loss came via submission to Rich Clementi.

C.B. Dollaway (6-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jesse Taylor (6-2)- This was the latest bout announced for the main card. CB is coming off another arm bar loss to Amir Sadollah. Taylor is coming off kicking out a limo window and acting a fool If Taylor wins it could potentially set up a bout with Amir Sadollah, but Sadollah may already be eyeing the 170 division.

Probably Not Televised
Brodie Farber vs. Rory Markham(IFL Vet)
Brad Blackburn(IFL Vet) vs. James Giboo
Nate Loughran vs. Johnny Rees
Shannon Gugherty vs. Dale Hartt

*Interesting Note- The UFC should look at fighter Jason High. He is (6-0) with victories over main card fighter Kevin Burns and under card fighter James Giboo.

*Cool Anderson Silva pic on photobucket

UFC 85 Preview

Running on the heels of an awesome UFC 84 card, UFC 85 will be hard pressed to top it. The card has had numerous rumors about participants, as certain fighters fell victim to the injury bug. Chuck Liddell was originally supposed to fight Rashad Evans, but suffered a nasty hamstring injury. The card is loaded with Brazilians and quite a few fights have the potential to be very exciting. The weigh-in results just came out, and Thiago Alves failed to make weight.

MAIN CARD
Thiago Alves (174) vs. Matt Hughes (170)
Michael Bisping (184) vs. Jason Day (184)
Marcus Davis (170) vs. Mike Swick (170)
Thales Leites (185) vs. Nate Marquardt (185)
Fabricio Werdum (247) vs. Brandon Vera (228)

SWING BOUT
Martin Kampmann (186) vs. Jorge Rivera (185)

UNDERCARD
Thiago Tavares (154.5) vs. Matt Wiman (155)
Kevin Burns (170) vs. Roan Carneiro (171)
Luiz Cane (204) vs. Jason Lambert (205)
Jess Liaudin (169) vs. Paul Taylor (169)
Antoni Hardonk (247) vs. Eddie Sanchez (244)

*I'm hoping the UFC can get undercard fights broadcast as was the case in UFC 84. A whopping 9 fights were shown.