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)

Video of the Day - Noguiera v. Kotchkine

Here is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Iouri Kotchkine from Rings Kings of Kings Tournament from 1999.

Video of the Day - Nogueira v. Overeem

Here is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Valentijn Overeem from Rings - Kings of Kings 2001. It was for the one day heavyweight tournament crown. Nogueira had defeated Volk Han via decion and Hiromitsu Kanehara via rear naked choke. Overeem won a decision over Randy Couture and arm bar over Yoshihisa Yamamoto.

Big Nog will next fight Randy Couture at UFC 102.

Strikeforce - Cyborg Attack!

Strikeforce: Carano v. Cyborg featured four televised bouts during the 2 hour timeslot. The favored fighters triumphed in emphatic fashion. Unfortunately, Strikeforce and Showtime haven't managed to figure out how to put undercard fights that end early in the broadcast. As a result, we had to endure numerous mind numbing interviews and lead-in's to upcoming fights.

Fabricio Werdum def Mike Kyle via Sub(Guillotine Choke) R1, 1:24- Werdum showed off his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess in this quick submission win. While Kyle looked to show off his power punching, Werdum got the fight to the mat, then a scramble lent Werdum to perfectly secure the Guillotine.

Gilbert Melendez def Mitsuhiro Ishida via TKO (Punches) R3, 3:56- The Gilbert Melendez of old came out looked fast, precise and relentless in this bout. Melendez' boxing was sharp as he continually threw punches that found their mark wobbling the Japanese fighter. In the third, with blood streaming down Ishida's face, the bout came to a close as Melendez released a flurry of ground and pound strikes.
*Melendez wins the LW Interim Belt

Gegard Mousasi def Renato Sobral via TKO (Punches) R1, 1:00- Mousasi absolutely brutalized Sobral in this fight, keeping his run of wins going. After Sobral caught a Mousasi kick, the fight found its way to the ground. From side mount, Mousasi rained down punches as Sobral's eyes rolled back in his head and the ref jumped in to save him.
*Mousasi wins the Light Heavyweight Belt

Cristiane Santos def Gina Carano via TKO (Punches) R1, 4:59- Gina Carano had no answer for Cyborg's strength and technique. It may have appeared that Carano was a little apprehensive in this fight. Cyborg stalked Carano, winning most of the action standing.

With the time ticking down in the round, the fight went to the mat where Cyborg looked for a keylock. After Carano escaped, Cyborg threw punches until the ref stopped it just before the bell.
*Cyborg wins the Women's 145 pound belt.

(Cris "Cyborg" Santos pictured)

Undercard

Alexander Trevino def Isaiah Hill via Sub (Keylock) R1, 3:56
James Terry def Zak Bucia via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) R1, 1:23
Justin Wilcox def David Douglas via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R3, 3:16
Scott Lighty def Mike Cook via TKO (Punch to the Body) R1, 2:05
Jay Hieron def Jesse Taylor via Dec (Unanimous)

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

Video of the Day - Toughill v. Yabushita

Here is Erin Toughill v. Megumi Yabushita from Remix Golden Gate 2001. Toughill recently won over undefeated Emily Thompson at PFC 13.

Toughill has a 10-2 pro MMA record and 8-2 boxing record, losing to Laila Ali in her highest profile women's fight. Toughill also had a brief stint as "Steel" in the revamped and short lived American Gladiators series.

Strikeforce Lands Fedor

The most dominant heavyweight MMA fighter of all-time, Fedor Emelianenko, is heading to Strikeforce after a deal was struck today. The terms of the deal allow co-promoting with the M-1 promotion.

While the UFC attempted to land Fedor, the deal was just not in the cards. Reportedly, Fedor's management insisted on M-1 co-promoting events in the UFC, which they wouldn't approve. The UFC offered to allow M-1 to advertise on Fedor's fight shorts, banner, and t-shirt.

The most likely opponents for Fedor include Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel and Alistair Overeem. Unfortunately, Alistair injured his hand in a nightclub incident in Holland.


Fedor v. Hong Man Choi from K-1 Dynamite

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)

M-1 Breakthrough Preview

M-1 Breakthrough should be a decent show broadcasting on HDNet from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. We will get a shot to take a look at fast rising prospect "King Mo" Lawal as he takes on aging former MMA star Mark Kerr.

Both fighters have NCAA wrestling championships, and excellent pedigrees. However, Kerr is well past his prime and will have trouble dealing with the younger, more athletic Lawal. here is how the card shapes up.

MAIN CARD

Mark Kerr (15-10) vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (4-0)
Lucio Linhares (12-4) vs. Mikhail Zayats (8-3)
Rob Broughton (10-4-1) vs. Jessie Gibbs (7-2)
Karl Amoussou (10-2-1) vs. John Doyle (8-8)
Lloyd "Kadillac" Marshbanks (17-8) vs. Michael Kitta (5-3)
Ferrid Kheder (13-4) vs. Daisuke Nakamura (19-10)

UNDER CARD

Rogent Lloret (7-1) vs. Alexey Oleinik (24-4)
Tim Bazer (9-6) vs. Eric Marriott (13-1)
Josh Arocho (11-6) vs. Sean Wilson (18-9)
Rudy Bears (9-3) vs. Brendan Seguin (18-5)
Molly Ahlers-Estes (1-0) vs. Andrea Caplan (0-0)


(Mark Kerr Pictured)

Video of the Day - Lawal v. Wiuff

Here is Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal v. Travis Wiuff from Sengoku 5th Battle which took place on 9/28/08.

Strikeforce Preview - Carano v. Cyborg

This weekend's Strikeforce - Carano v. Cyborg show will take place at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California. The action will be shown live on Showtime. The event will feature three title fights, with the welterweight belt postponed after a missed drug test by Nick Diaz.

(Gina Carano throwing a kick in practice)

The card is littered with stars such as Dream superstar Gegard Mousasi, Affliction/IFL/UFC vet Jay Hieron and UFC vets Jesse Taylor, Babalu Sobral and Fabricio Werdum. The Carano v. Cyborg fight is one of the biggest women's MMA bouts of all-time.

Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos- This fight is for the first ever Strikeforce Women's 145 pound title. Expect each fighter to keep the fight standing and work powerful combinations. Santos (7-1) will likely look for big shots, while Carano (8-0) looks to work combinations.

(Cris Cyborg pictured)

Champ Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi- LHW Title Fight- Babalu (35-8), the current Strikeforce LHW Champ has looked sharp since his departure from the UFC winning 5 straight including wins over Mike Whitehead, Bobby Southworth and Sokoudjou. The submission ace will look to get the fight to the ground.

(Babalu pictured)

Gegard Mousasi (25-2) has been on fire as of late, winning the Dream Middleweight Grad Prix and Title. He also has won a K-1 rules match against Musashi. His latest string of 12 victories has included wins over Mark Hunt in the Dream Super Hulk tournament; Jacare, Melvin Manhoef, Denis Kang and Dong Sik Yoon in Dream's MW Tournament; Hector Lombard in Pride and Cyborg Santos in HCF. I expect Mousasi to keep the fight standing and look for a KO.

(Gegard Mousasi pictured)

Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida- LW Title Fight
Jay Hieron vs. Jesse Taylor

UNDERCARD

Mike Kyle vs. Fabricio Werdum
Mike Cook vs. Scott Lighty
David "Tarzan" Douglas vs. Justin Wilcox
Zak Bucia vs. James Terry
Isaiah Hill vs. Alex Trevino

Video of the Day - Leites v. Roland

Here is Thales Leites versus Adam Roland from Rumble on the Rock which took place on 5/7/05. Thales takes on Alessio Sakara on the UFC 101 undercard.