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 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 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 91 Recap

The Brock Lesnar era has officially begun as the behemouth secured his first MMA title in the form of the UFC heavyweight title belt. The card scored a live gate of 4.8 million in a sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I'll keep you posted on the ppv numbers, I believe it will probably break the mma record. I was happy each fight made it to air, as only one fight went to decision. UFC 91 turned out a very good card with exciting fights.

(Brock Lesnar pictured)

Matt Brown def Ryan Thomas via Submission (Armbar), R2 0:57 - Ryan Thomas was consistently able to get takedowns on Matt Brown throughout the fight. However, Brown was able to continue to work his submission game and eventually got Ryan Thomas to over commit on the ground. Thomas ended up in a tight armbar, and was unable to slam his way out of it.

Mark Bocek def Alvin Robinson via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), R3 3:16- Bocek out grappled Robinson throughout the fight, keeping Robinson in bad positions. Bocek landed hard punches throughout the fight and it was only a matter of time before he locked up the choke after being extremely calm while having Robinson's back.

Jeremy Stephens def Rafael dos Anjos via KO (uppercut), R3 0:39- This was an awesome fight as Stephens came back from after losing the first two rounds. Dos Anjos had Stephens in near submissions. In the third round, Stephens loaded up a massive uppercut that found its mark directly to dos Anjos jaw droppin gthe fighter to the ground.
*Given KO of the night fight bonus.

Aaron Riley def Jorge Gurgel via Decision (Unanimous)- This fight was shown after the Lesnar v. Couture fight. The fight boiled down to a kickboxing match and both fighters were content to stand and trade. Riley was a little more crisp with his punches, many of which found their mark. Gurgel scored consistently with body and leg kicks. Riley had a couple takedowns and controlled the fight more than Gurgel. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Riley.
*Both fighters awarded fight of the night bonuses.

Demian Maia def Nate Quarry via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), R1 2:13- Maia put on yet another awesome display of ju-jitsu against the hard hitting Nate Quarry. Maia pulled guard, executed a sweep and then eventually got Quarry's back. From there it was only a matter of time before Maia secured the rear naked choke. Maia now has 4 straight submission wins in the UFC and is 9-0 overall. Maia is rumored to be a possible coach for the next TUF reality show.

Gabriel Gonzaga def Josh Hendricks via KO (Punches), R1 1:01- Gonzaga was just too much for Hendricks in this heavyweight clash. Hendricks and Gonzaga clinched before Gonzaga landed a hook and then put a perfect right straigt to Hendricks to drop him. Gonzaga put a couple more punches before the fight was called. Gonzaga has two straight quick victories since his back to back defeats to Couture and Werdum.

Dustin Hazelett def Tamdan McCrory via Submission (Reverse Armbar), R1 3:59- Hazelett withstood an early McCrory flurry to throw a nice high kick that partially connected. When the fight went to the mat, Hazelett looked slick. Hazelett transitioned from an omaplata to a reverse armbar for the finish. Hazelett stated he wanted to be the top BJJ guy in the 170 pound division. That was Hazelett's second win in a row since a loss to Josh Koscheck. Both came via submission.
*Hazelett awarded submission of the night.

Kenny Florian def Joe Stevenson via Submission (Rear-naked choke), R1 4:03- Florian continued on his dominant run imposing his will on Joe Stevenson. Landing some strikes, Florian was taken down, but got back up. Once up, Florian got his own takedown before delivering a nasty right hand. He next mounted Stevenson and eventually got the rear naked choke. With the victory, Florian has set himself up for a title shot against BJ Penn. Florian now has 6 wins straight in the UFC since a title loss to Sean Sherk. All wins have come via submission or TKO.

(Pictured Kenny Florian)

Brock Lesnar def Randy Couture via TKO (Punches), R2 3:07- This fight lived up to the hype as it had everyone in the bar I was at on their feet. Lesnar, an NCAA champion in wrestling, has legitimized his status of an elite mixed martial artist with the win. Lesnar used his size to his advantage in the first round, as it appeared Couture was using more energy in the first. Lesnar and Couture each threw knee's from the clinch, but Lesnar landed them more effectively. Couture punched well in the clinch, sneaking a couple in to Lesnar's face.

In the second, Lesnar landed a punch and elbow in the clinch dazing Couture. From there he threw a massive overhand right that hit Couture near the back of the head. Lesnar followed Couture to the ground and unleased about 10 or more hammerfists to the face before the ref stopped the fight. Lesnar captures the UFC HW belt. "I can't believe it" proclaimed the new champ.

*Lesnar will face the winner of Frank Mir v. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira next.
*I still can't believe that people don't arrive till the 3rd or 4th fight in Vegas.

UFC 80 Results

UFC 80 was a better ppv than many expected. With the tempature at 5 degrees Saturday night, it was an easy decision to get it. The main card was basically all early stoppages and most were pretty good contests. No fight of the year canidates, but solid.

B.J. Penn def. Joe Stevenson via sub (rear-naked choke) — R2. 4:02
*BJ dominated the fight from start to finish. A nasty elbow opened up a gash on Stevenson's hairline and the blood flowed until the perfect rear naked choke that BJ sunk in near the end of the second. Probably a fight where one could say elbows should be banned from the UFC.

Fabricio Werdum def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (strikes) — R2, 4:34
*Gonzaga won the first round with devastating low kicks. He was probably winning the second round too, until he missed with a high kick. Werdum capitalized and punched Gonzaga into submission.

Marcus Davis def. Jess Liaudin via KO (punch) — R1, 1:04
*Didn't take long, basically a left hook put Liaudin to the canvas. Davis needs to fight someone elite next.

Wilson Gouveia def. Jason Lambert via KO (punch) — R2, 0:37
*Lambert dominated the first round with a takedown and punches. In the second, he looked to continue his ways, but in a flurry was hit right on the button and sent to the floor hard.

Jorge Rivera def. Kendall Grove via TKO (strikes) — R1, 1:20
*Kendall's fighting career is trouble right now with back to back losses. He was manhandled by Rivera who had just been crushed by Terry Martin.

Antoni Hardonk def. Colin Robinson via TKO (strikes) — R1, 0:17
Paul Kelly def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision
Alessio Sakara def. James Lee via TKO (punches) — R1, 1:30
Sam Stout def. Per Eklund via unanimous decision

UFC 80 - Penn v. Stevenson

After testing positive for steroids and losing an appeal (even though fine was reduced) Sean Sherk was stripped of his lightweight title. Fighting for the open lightweight title are BJ Penn and Joe Stevenson. The ppv will be airing live at 3pm EST, and again on tape delay 10pm EST. Here are the fights:

B.J. Penn (11-4) vs. Joe Stevenson (28-7)(for lightweight title)- After watching BJ's training on Countdown to UFC 80, I'm sure he can pull this win out. BJ is watching his diet, training like a cardio machine, and seeing the stretching demonstration made me think he has something coming for Stevenson. Stevenson is no slouch, but I just don't think he has the experience against A-level kind of competition. He seems to be a little too much in awe of BJ. Pick- Penn sub rd 3.

Gabriel Gonzaga (8-2) vs. Fabricio Werdum (9-3)- This is a big fight for both fighters as they are both coming off losses in big fights. Werdum is talking about ending the fight in the first round, but I don't see it happeneing. Pick- Gonzaga TKO rd 3.

Marcus Davis (13-3) vs. Jess Liaudin (12-8)- I would have liked to see Davis take on a legit title contender. Davis is riding a 10 fight win streak with 5 straight in the UFC. Liaudin has won 5 straight including 2 wins in the UFC. Pick- Davis KO rd 2.

Kendall Grove (8-4) vs. Jorge Rivera (14-6)- Both fighters are coming off losses. Pick- Grove TKO rd 3.

Jason Lambert (23-6) vs. Wilson Gouveia (9-4)- Lambert is coming off a huge win over Babalu, but that was last March. Gouveia has three wins in a row since his decision loss to Jardine. Pick- Gouveia wins by unanimous decision.

Antoni Hardonk (5-4) vs. Colin Robinson (9-3)- Robinson via submission rd. 2

Paul Kelly (6-0) vs. Paul Taylor (8-2)- Kelly via TKO rd. 3

James Lee (13-2) vs. Alessio Sakara (11-6)- Sakara via KO rd. 2.

Per Eklund (12-2) vs. Sam Stout (12-3)- Stout via unanimous decision. Interested to see how Eklund does, he has a four fight win streak with one win in Bodog.

BJ Penn pic from photobucket