UFC 115 Preview

UFC 115 will take place this Saturday, June 12, 2010, at the GM Place in Vancouver, Canada. This is the UFC's first venture to Vancouver, which is still reeling from an extremely expensive winter Olympics.

The main card is highlighted by UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell (21-7) fighting future Hall of Famer Rich Franklin (22-5). Chuck has spent the past 14 months away from the game, taking part in Dancing with the Stars and coaching The Ultimate Fighter opposite Tito Ortiz. Expect Liddell to plod forward, counter striking and looking for a big KO punch. I wouldn't be surprised if Liddell went for a couple takedowns.

Chuck lobbied UFC president Dana White for another chance to prove himself in the UFC. Since, Chuck has renewed his commitment to fitness and training, with recent photographs showing a completely shredded Liddell with training partners. The former 205 pound champ has KO wins over Tito Ortiz, Babalu Sobral, Randy Couture, Kevin Randleman and Alistair Overeem.

(Chuck Liddell Pictured)

Rich Franklin joined the TUF 11 show following the departure of Ortiz, who needed to get surgery. Franklin is looking to bounce back from 1st round TKO loss to Vitor Belfort at a 195 pound catch-weight. The former 185 pound champ will look to keep distance and fire leg and body kicks to Liddell. Franklin has wins over Yushin Okami, Evan Tanner, Ken Shamrock and Wanderlei Silva in his career.

(Rich Franklin Pictured)

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

Chuck Liddell v. Rich Franklin
Patrick Barry v. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Martin Kampmann v. Paulo Thiago
Ben Rothwell v. Gilbert Yvel
Carlos Condit v. Rory MacDonald

SPIKE PRELIMS

Mac Danzig v. Matt Wiman
Evan Dunham v. Tyson Griffin

UNDER CARD (Televised if time allows)

David Loiseau v. Mario Miranda
Peter Sobotta v. James Wilks
Ricardo Funch v. Claude Patrick
Jesse Lennox v. Mike Pyle

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**

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.


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)

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.

(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

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.

(Brad Tavares pictured)

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

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.

(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

TUF 11 Coaches and Cast

The Ultimate Fighter 11 premiers this Wednesday night on Spike TV immediately after Ultimate Fight Night 21. Dana White announced long ago that former UFC 205 pound champs Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell would coach opposing teams on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. The cast will start with 28 fighters putting 14 in the house on the first night. Two losing fighters will fight a wild-card bout after the first round.

(Tito Ortiz pictured)

Tito has also tabbed Saul Soliz, stand-up specialist Razor Rob McCullough, BJJ ace Cleber Luciano and a public-relations specialist to be named later. Liddell has tabbed his long-time trainer John Hackleman, boxing coach Howard Davis Jr., BJJ wizard Scott Epstein and Strikeforce MW champ Jake Shields as assistant coaches.

(Chuck Liddell pictured)



Here is the 28 member cast:

Nick Ring (10-0) Canadian 8 year vet fought in Bellator and Deep
Jordan Smith (10-0) Utah fighter, win over IFL vet Bristol Marunde
Kris McCray (5-0) all wins by 1st round stoppage
Josh Bryant (10-0) 9 wins in FCF in Oklahoma
Charlie Lynch (6-0) Minnesota fighter, all W's by 1st round stoppage
Brad Tavares (4-0) Hawaiian fighter, 2 subs, 2 TKO's
Warren Thompson (2-0) all wins by stoppage, also listed at (5-0)
Joe Henle (3-0) former college football player and wrestler
James Hammortree (4-1) all four wins in 2009, also (6-0 and 4-0)
Kyle Noke (16-4) W's over Kyacey Uscola and George Sotiropoulos
Jacen Flynn (8-2) victories over Denis Kang and Dean Lister
Victor O'Donnell (5-1) win over UFC vet Forrest Petz, also (8-1)
Charles Blanchard (7-2) ATT product, win over Jim Wallhead
Cleburn Walker (8-4) Trains out of Team Lutter, also (9-3)
Kyacey Uscola (18-15) KOTC/Bodog vet
Woody Weatherby (7-3) East Coast fighter
Court McGee (9-1) Member of US Army Reserves
Norman Paraisy (5-1) French BJJ specialist
Rich Attonito (7-3) collegiate wrestler, ATT Florida
Chris Camozzi (11-3) Fights out of Colorado, also (12-3)
Brent Cooper (5-1) 4 KO's out of 5 wins
Jamie Yager (2-1) fought on BET's Iron Ring
Lyle Steffens (5-2) fights out of Arizona
Ben Stark (3-1) trains out of ATT Florida
Seth Baczynski (11-5) fights out of Arizona
Clayton McKinney (4-2) Trains out of Jungle MMA, BJJ blackbelt
Greg Rebello (8-1) also listed at (9-2)
Costa Philipou (5-1) East Coast fighter, former boxer

MMA BLASTER TUF PREVIEW

UltimateFighter.com

See More: TUF 11 • middleweights • Dana White • Chuck Liddell

Video of the Day - Chuck Liddell Punch

Here is Chuck Liddell teaching some punching techniques. He will be a coach alongside Tito Ortiz on TUF 11.

TUF 10 - Big Country

The TUF 10 Finale produced some dramatic KO's and submission victories, a weird ending and an unlikely decision victory. The biggest winner was TUF 10 heavyweight champion Roy Nelson. The 263 pound former IFL Champion was matched up against former football star Brendan Schaub, who played at Colorado in college, Utah Blaze of the arena league and briefly for the Buffalo Bills.

Big Country came out to Weird Al's "I'm Fat" which is a parody of "I'm Bad" by Michael Jackson and let his belly do the talking in the ring. Brendan was the early aggressor, tagging Roy and forcing him to cover up and defend numerous punches. From there, Roy was able to get a takedown and nearly got the fight into his infamous crucifix position.

Brendan was able to scramble and get back to his feet. During the next exchange, Roy threw a massive overhand right that found its mark to Brendan's temple. Brendan crumpled to the canvas and Roy threw a couple follow-ups to seal the first round victory and TUF 10 crown.


In other action, Jon Jones looked athletic, fast and dominating in his performance against Matt Hamill. The extremely long limbed Jones threw front kicks, spinning kicks, and spinning back elbows from southpaw and traditional stances. Midway through the first, Jones nailed Hamill with a massive slam, possibly dislocating Hamill's shoulder.

With full mount, Jones threw wicked ground and pound with amazing quickness. Hamill managed to block many of the strikes with some sneaking threw before Jones threw a 12-6 straight up and down elbow that is illegal. The strike KO'd Hamill, and ref Steve Mazzagatti gave Hamill a DQ win.

Two former college wresting stand-outs Frank Edgar and Matt Veach put on an excellent show. Veach was able to land crowd pleasing slams and use his power. Unfortunately for Veach, eventually Edgar found his mark with right hand sending Veach to the canvas. From there, Edgar working a rear naked choke.

Kimbo Slice made a successful debut in one of the upsets on the card. Most hardcore fans such as myself thought that Houston Alexander and his nasty muay thai put him at a clear advantage. Alexander was circling and shuffling throughout the fight. There were moments of big action and exchanges, with Kimbo mostly finding his mark.

In the second round, Kimbo managed to get a decent slam takedown with good ground and pound. Kimbo continued his dominance in the round working his counter punches. Houston Alexander's best round was the third, where he was able to land some big kicks to Kimbo's legs, at one point knocking the former street brawler down. In the end, it was a unanimous decision for Kimbo.

In other action former NFL players and TUF 10 castmates Matt Mitrione and Marcus Jones did battle in their official UFC debut. Marcus Jones was able to land a big takedown early and batter Mitrione with ground and pound strikes. However, in the second round Mitrione landed a big right hand to floor Jones, whose striking game still needs work.


FULL RESULTS:

Roy Nelson def Brendan Schaub via KO (punch) R1, 3:45
Matt Hamill def Jon Jones via DQ (illegal elbow) R1, 4:14
Kimbo Slice def Houston Alexander via unanimous dec
Frankie Edgar def Matt Veach via sub (RNC) R2, 2:22
Matt Mitrione def Marcus Jones via KO (punches) R2, 0:10
James McSweeney def Darrill Schoonover via TKO (strikes) R3, 3:20
Jon Madsen def Justin Wren via split dec
Brian Stann def Rodney Wallace via unanimous dec
John Howard def Dennis Hallman via KO (punches) R3, 4:55
Mark Bocek def Joe Brammer via sub (RNC) R1, 3:36

*Dana White announced the coaches for TUF 11, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

UFC 97 - Liddell Gone

UFC 97 was kind of a sad affair for die hard MMA fans. The card likely ended the Chuck Liddell era in MMA. Liddell was knocked out yet again, his 3rd KO loss, 4th overall in his past 5 fights. Dana White has been adament that if the Iceman didn't win and have a good performance that he would no longer be a fighter in the UFC. Liddell has had a masterful career, building the UFC while winning the LHW belt and defending 4 times. He is a sure fire UFC Hall of Famer.

Also, for the second straight time, Anderson Silva put on a lackluster performance. Thales Leites didn't want to engage the entire fight, and began flopping in the third round. However, Silva still seemed to have some advantages that he just didn't take advantage of.

Anderson Silva def Thales Leites via unanimous dec- Silva looked tenative the entire fight. He brutalized Leites lead leg the entire fight with inside and outside leg kicks, front kicks to the knee, and near the end punches to the knee. Silva also landed a couple body kicks and came close on a high kick. Problem was, there was so much feeling out time that the crowd got angry.

Leites best offense came with a takedown. But, while there he was blasted with Silva elbows and the fight eventually was stood back up. The fight was the first to go to decision for Silva since 2004 and the first to go past 15 minutes. Silva could face Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt or Demian Maia next.

Sam Stout def Matt Wiman via unanimous dec- Stout and Wiman had a solid fight lasting the full frame. Wiman scored more on takedowns, while Stout got the better of the action standing. Wiman came close in the third by taking Stout's back and nearly getting the rear naked choke. However, Stout did too much in the first two rounds to win the fight 29-28.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def Chuck Liddell via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:28- Both fighters briefly exchanged punches before Rua got a takedown. Like an expert, Liddell quickly got back to his feet. Unfortunately for Liddell, while throwing a punch, Rua countered with a left that sent him to the canvas. A couple more Rua hammerfists and the bout was called. With the win, Rua inches closer to a potential title shot. Liddell is likely retired.

Krzysztof Soszynski def Brian Stann via submission (kimura) R1, 3:53- For the second straight fight, Sosynski has utilized a kimura to win his bout. After trading leg kicks, both fighters clinched against the fence with some dirty boxing. After being seperated, Sosynski was successful in a takedown, landing in half guard. From there he worked the kimura to perfection.

Cheick Kongo def Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) R2, 2:29- Kongo looked very impressive in his third straight win in the UFC. The first round saw Kongo get the better of Hardonk in the stand-up game, landing body and leg kicks. Kongo also managed a takedowns and good hammer-fists and ground and pound. The second was more of the same as Kongo overwhelmed Hardonk, landing a kick and punch that send Hardonk to the canvas, and ground and pound eventually ends the fight.

Luiz Cane def Steve Cantwell via unanimous dec- Cane landed the more consistent strikes to win the decision. Cantwell had a couple good looking head kicks, but they were blocked for the most part.

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Denis Kang def Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous dec
Nate Quarry def Jason MacDonald via TKO (strikes) R1, 2:27
Ed Herman def David Loiseau via unanimous dec
Mark Bocek def David Bielkheden via sub (rear-naked choke) R1, 4:57
T.J. Grant def Ryo Chonan via split dec
Eliot Marshall def Vinicius Magalhaes via unanimous dec


(Cheick Kongo Pictured)

UFC 97 Silva's Back

This Saturday, April 18th, Anderson Silva (23-4, 8-0 UFC) will defend his MW belt against Thales Leites (14-1, 5-1 UFC) at UFC 97 which takes place in Montreal, Canada. Silva will bring the thunder, as he was disappointed in his last performance, a TKO/injury win over Patrick Cote.

I was in attendence at UFC 90, and I can tell you Silva looked fast and dictated the pace during the fight with Cote. Silva didn't throw many strikes, but all landed with power and force. Cote injured his knee at the start of the third round. Silva will be looking to throw kicks, punches and knees to Thales Leites.

Silva has brutalized the UFC's 185 pound division, and even destroyed 205 pound heavy hitter James Irvin for good measure. Silva has victories over Rich Franklin, Chris Leben, Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson.

(Silva v. Cote at UFC 90)

Leites will have to utilize his BJJ if he wants to have a chance at victory. Leites hasn't won over the same level of competition with his big wins over Jose Landi-Jons, Drew McFedries, Gustavo Machado and a razor thin and controversial win over Nate Marquardt.

(Thales Leites pictured)

The co-main event features Chuck Liddell (21-6, 16-5 UFC) v. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (17-3, 1-1 UFC. Liddell has his back against the wall and desperately needs a victory as he is 1-3 in his last four fights. Rua meanwhile is also in need of a win and regaining his pre-surgery form. Rua has been devasted by knee surgeries since problems arose before his fight with Forrest Griffin.

(Chuck Liddell pictured)

Liddell is destined for the UFC Hall of Fame as soon as he hangs up his gloves. While he still has his trademark overhand right, at 39 years of age his time is running out. Liddell has wins over Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Vitor Belfort, Guy Mezger, Kevin Randleman and recently over Wanderlei Silva. Rua was a Pride All-Star before coming to the UFC holding victories over Rampage Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Akihiro Gono and recently over Mark Coleman in the UFC.

(Shougun Rua pictured)

MAIN CARD

Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites- MW Championship
Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann
Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk
Luis Cane vs. Steve Cantwell

UNDER CARD

Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Eliot Marshall
Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Denis Kang
Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry
Ed Herman vs. David Loiseau
David Bielkheden vs. Mark Bocek
Ryo Chonan vs. T.J. Grant
Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman


(Anderson Silva pictured)

UFC 88 Sugar Rocks the Iceman

UFC 88 was a well run and exciting ppv event for the Atlanta crowd. I wasn't a fan of the USA chants during Dong Hyun Kim's fight with Matt Brown, unfortunately that type of behavior is common place at UFC events.

Rashad Evans def. Chuck Liddell via KO (punch) R2, 1:51- The first round saw mainly circling and positioning. Evans didn't go for the takedown and didn't go in for a big strike. Liddell probably won on most scorecards in the first for landing a few punches.

In the second round Liddell backed Rashad near the fence. Rashad threw a jab and then a massive overhand right. Liddell threw an uppercut. Unfortunately for Liddell, Rashad's right hand landed flush, and Liddell hit the canvas like a sack of bricks. Liddell was a split second to late and he paid the price.

According to UFC president Dana White, Rashad earned an immediate title shot with the victory. Apparently, if Chuck Liddell would have won he would have gotten the shot. Lyoto Machida is another guy in line for a title shot who currently doesn't have an opponent in UFC 89 just yet. Thiago Silva had to withdraw with a back injury.
*KO of the night for Rashad Evans - 60K bonus
*MMA Blaster readers picked incorrectly 9-2

Rich Franklin def. Matt Hamill via TKO (kick to the body) R3, :39- Hamill sustained numerous leg kicks throughout the first two rounds of the fight. Hamill, an elite wrestler, was only able to manage one takedown near the end of the first round. While landing far fewer strikes, Hamill was able to open a cut on Franklin.

Franklin meanwhile looked precise in his striking. He threw kicks to the legs, body and face throughout the fight. His punches landed more clean and effectively. In the third round, Franklin threw a precise body kick, crumpling Hamill.

Franklin will face a step up in competition in his next fight. I would like to see him fight Lyoto Machida again, however Machida is fighting in a couple weeks. A fight with Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, or Wanderlei Silva would garner excellent ratings and publicity. Hamill meanwhile needs to go back to the drawing board to work on his stand-up.

Dan Henderson def. Rousimar Palhares via Dec. (Unanimous)- Not exactly the most exciting fight on the card but Henderson grinded out the decision. Palhares will be back with his dazzling submission game. However, Henderson was better on his feet in this match-up and did not engage Palhares on the ground instead letting him up.

Nathan Marquardt def. Martin Kampmann via TKO (Punches) R1, 1:22- Marquardt came in and bullied the smaller Kampmann, landing multiple punches before Kampmann couldn't defend himself. I wouldn't be surprised by a Marquardt v. Henderson match for the number one contender spot at 185. I also wouldn't be surprised if Kampmann moved down to 170.

Dong Hyun Kim def. Matt Brown via Dec. (Split)- The first round saw Dong get extremely close with rear naked choke attempts and a kimura. The second round was all Matt Brown as he was able to land effective strikes and ground and pound after a failed submission attempt by Dong. The third round belonged to Dong as he was able to land some nasty elbows opening up a huge cut on Brown. A very hard fought match by two excellent competitors.

Kurt Pellegrino def. Thiago Tavares via Dec. (Unanimous)- Tavares showed alot of heart in this fight after he was nearly knocked out by Pellegrino in the first round. Kurt also had a pretty secure armbar that it looked like Tavares may have tapped. Tavares built some momentum in the second round, but ultimately Pellegrino got the unanimous decision.
*Both fighters earned the 60K Fight of the Night Bonus.

Tim Boetsch def. Michael Patt via TKO (Punches) R1, 2:03- Boetsch the Barbarian came out with a fury and Patt couldn't withstand it. A low kick by Patt was met with a vicious hard right counter by Boetsch. Patt ate a couple more before the fight was called.

Jason MacDonald def. Jason Lambert via Sub (Rear Naked Choke) R2, 1:20- MacDonald won submission of the night with his rear naked choke over Jason Lambert. Lambert hadn't been submitted since a 2001 fight against Marco Ruas.
*MacDonald wins 60K submission of the night bonus

Ryo Chonan def. Roan Carneiro via Dec.(Split)

UFC 88 Preview

**All fighters have made weight and are ready to go. The Parisyan v. Yoshida fight was scrapped when Karo withdrew because of a back injury.

Below are some fights that are listed on UFC.com as the line-up for UFC 88 in Atlanta, Georgia. The fights will take place on September 6th.


Rashad Evans (11-0-1) vs. Chuck Liddell (21-5)- Both fighters are looking at a possible title shot if they are victorious. Rashad may try to showcase his boxing skills and keep the contest standing. If that is the case, Liddell will be looking for a knockout punch. With Liddell's legendary take down defense, Rashad might not be able to showcase his wrestling ability.

Rashad's last fight was a split decision victory over Michael Bisping almost a year ago. Prior to that fight, Rashad has a controversial draw with Tito Ortiz, a high kick KO of Sean Salmon, and a KO of Jason Lambert.

In December of 2007, Liddell had a great victory over Wanderlei Silva. Prior to that, Liddell had lost to Rampage Jackson via KO, and a slim decision loss to Keith Jardine. Liddell had to push the bout back one time due to injury.


Rich Franklin (23-3) vs. Matt Hamill (4-1)- Former MW champ Franklin will be moving up to 205 pounds for the first time since his win over Ken Shamrock. Franklin was victorious over Travis Lutter in his last fight. Prior to that fight, Franklin suffered his second loss to Anderson Silva.

Hamill is coming off an outstanding victory over Tim Boetsch in April. Prior to that fight, Hamill lost a controversial decision to Michael Bisping. More than likely, Hamill will try to take the fight to the ground. Franklin will try to keep it standing. This will be the toughest fighter Hamill has fought to date. It will be interesting to see where this fight goes.


*Bout scrapped due to Parisyan back injury*
Karo Parisyan (18-5) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)- Karo is coming off a slightly controversial loss to rising star Thiago Alves. Karo thought it was an early stoppage, but he should have avoided the knee that connected flush to his face and dropped him to the canvas. Prior to that loss, Karo had defeated Ryo Chonan, Josh Burkman and Drew Fickett via unanimous decision.

Yoshida is riding a 9 fight win streak, recently choking Jon Koppenhaver unconscious in his UFC debut. Akira Kikuchi (16-4) and Luis Sapo (15-2) are among his victories during the streak. It would be nice to see a little emotion out of Yoshida, who didn't appear to care about the awesome victory over War Machine.


Dan Henderson (22-7) vs. Rousimar Palhares (8-1)- Henderson will look to bounce back from two straight losses since joining the UFC. Henderson has lost to two of the sports best in Anderson Silva and Rampage Jackson. Palharaes has six straight wins since a loss to Arthur Cesar in 06. In his last fight he choked out Ivan Salaverry.

Martin Kampmann (13-1) vs. Nate Marquardt (26-8)- This is a huge fight for Kampmann as a win would put him near title contention. Kampmann has 9 straight victories and is 4-0 in the UFC during that stretch. Since a nasty knee injury, Kampmann defeated Jorge Rivera in June. Marquardt lost a very strange split decision to Thales Leites in his last fight. The former King of Pancrase has wins over Jeremy Horn, Dean Lister, Crafton Wallace and Joe Doerkson in the UFC.

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Thiago Tavares
Tim Boetsch vs. Mike Patt
Matt Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan
Jason Lambert vs. Jason MacDonald

Video of the Day - Chuck Liddell

Here are some Chuck Liddell highlight videos.

Chuck Liddell Out of UFC 85

Chuck Liddell has reportedly had to pull out of UFC 85 due to a torn hamstring. Now, Rashad Evans will likely face James Irvin. Irvin is coming off of an 8 second knockout of Houston Alexander.

Video of the Day - Chuck Liddell Punch

Here is a clip of Chuck Liddell teaching some punches.

UFC HL

This is a random UFC highlight video I found on Youtube. Cool song, and appearances by Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tito and Georges St. Pierre.

UFC 79 Recap

Thoughts by the MMA Blaster

UFC 79 was a decent show with mostly one-sided fights. It wasn't nearly as good as the TUF finale, but was far superior to UFC 78. Funny how sometimes free MMA is better than the ppv's. Anyway, here are the quick results.

Georges St. Pierre defeats Matt Hughes via sub (arm-bar) — R2, 4:54
Chuck Liddell defeats Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision
Eddie Sanchez defeats Soa Palelei via TKO (strikes) — R3, 3:24
Lyoto Machida defeats Rameau Sokoudjo via sub (arm-triangle choke) — R2, 4:20
Rich Clementi defeats Melvin Guillard via sub(rear-naked choke) — R1, 4:40
James Irvin defeats Luis Cane via DQ (illegal knee) — R1, 1:51
Manny Gamburyan defeats Nate Mohr via sub(ankle lock) — R1 — 1:31
Dean Lister defeats Jordan Radev via unanimous decision
Roan Carneiro defeats Tony DeSouza via TKO (strikes) — R2, 3:33
Mark Bocek defeats Doug Evans via unanimous decision

GSP v. Hughes- GSP may not have wrestled in college, but he looks like an absolute stud wrestling right now. He out wrestled Koscheck in his last fight, and completely out wrestled Hughes in this one. Every Hughes takedown was thwarted by GSP, and every GSP takedown attempt was successful. GSP owned Hughes up until the armbar.
**Poll Results- MMA Blaster fans voted 22-14 for GSP.

Liddell v. W. Silva- This was an exciting fight even though there were a couple slow spots. I definitely would have liked to see a couple more rounds to this one. The two brawlers exchanged time and time again, and Liddell edged him out in most of the exchanges. Liddell was wobbled, but so was Silva. What sealed the victory for Liddell was the two takedowns. Liddell is back, but I rank one guy slightly ahead of him.
**Poll results- MMA Blaster fans voted 21-20 for Liddell.

Machida v. Sokoudjo- After the one-sided beatdown Machida laid on Sokoudjo, you would have to put him in the title picture. Machida's unorthodox karate style seemed to have Soko off his game. Machida seemed to land anything at will, and also dominated Soko on the ground.
**Poll results- MMA Blaster fans voted 17-9 in favor of Soko, you Machida fans are smart.

Sanchez v. Palelei- This was an extremely boring fight, do not watch this one. Watching this fight made me think that the UFC has to do something to sign some top heavyweights. Coming to mind are BEN ROTHWELL (29-5) and Josh Barnett (21-5). Steal some IFL heavy's.

Clementi v. Guillard- This was a pretty exciting fight as both fighters were running on a hatred for one another. If you look at Clementi's fight record, it is obvious that all his big wins have been via submission or decision. Most of his KO/TKO's have been against lower tier fighters. When the fight went to the ground a couple times, I had a feeling Guillard may be in trouble. Sure enough when Clementi got his back, he was calm and rode it out until an eventual rear naked choke with a body triangle.


Get more pictures like this from SHERDOG.COM

*Sorry there hasn't been a post for awhile, I was up North for the holiday season.

UFC 2007 Recap

According to MMAjunkie.com, Spike will be airing a UFC 2007 recap show featuring the best of the 2007 UFC fights. In addition, the show will play some unseen fights from undercards. Alves v. Lytle from UFC 78 would be nice. There is no doubt the UFC has had a tremendous year in terms of growth. Really, the purchases of Pride, the WFA and the WEC were the highlights of the year. The stable of fighters the UFC currently boasts is definately better than any of the competition. What fights for the UFC were there best of 2007? What fights do you want to see that were on undercards?

The season goes from UFC Fight Night 8/UFC 67 to UFC 78.

Florian v. Mishima UFN 9
Couture v. Sylvia UFC 68
Edgar v. Griffin UFC 68
Stout v. Fisher UFN 10
Huerta v. Garcia UFC 69
Gonzago v. CroCop UFC 70
Penn v. Pulver TUF 5 Finale
Davis v. Taylor UFC 75
T.Griffin v. Guida UFC 72
Huerta v. Crane UFC 74
Alexander v. Sakara or Jardine
F.Griffin v. Rua UFC 76
Silva dismantling Franklin
Jackson v. Henderson
Jackson KO'ing Liddell
Liddell TKO over Tito

*I'm missing a ton of fights, fill me in