UFC 110 Preview

UFC 110 airs from Sydney, Australia on February 21, 2010 in the UFC's first venture down under. There are numerous fights with title implications, though no belts will be on the line.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez- Expect Cain Velasquez, the two time All American wrestler from ASU, to look to get the fight to the ground early and often. He will look to throw punches and elbows in bunches from the guard. The explosive Velasquez (7-0, 5-0 UFC) has six TKO's on his resume, defeating Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo and Ben Morris in his last three fights.

(Cain Velasquez pictured)

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1, 3-1 UFC) is a legend of the MMA world after his epic run in Pride. Big Nog's UFC results have been somewhat mixed, as has battled staff infections and nagging injuries. In his last fight, Nog battled UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, defeating him via decision. Nog also has victories over Tim Sylvia, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Filipović, Mark Coleman and Dan Henderson in his career.

(Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira pictured)

Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva- This 185 pound tilt will push the winner one step closer to the title. Both are primarily stand-up fighters who will be swinging for the fences. TUF 3 champ Michael Bisping (18-2, 8-2 UFC) will be looking to get his second straight win after TKO'ing Denis Kang in his last fight. Bisping also has UFC wins over Eric Schafer and Chris Leben.

(Michael Bisping pictured)

Wanderlei Silva (32-10,2-5 UFC) was a legend in the Pride organization, known for his brawling Muay Thai arsenal. However, Wandy has been on a slide as of late, losing 5 of his last 6 fights. Wandy is the former Pride Middleweight Champ (205) having defeated Rampage Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Guy Mezger and Minowaman in his career.

(Wanderlei Silva pictured)

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson- This fight pits two excellent grapplers against each other. Stevenson (31-10, 8-4 UFC) has the distinct experience advantage and has battled much better competition. Stevenson, a TUF 2 winner, has looked revitalized since joining Greg Jackson's camp, going 2-0 defeating Spencer Fisher and Nate Diaz.

(Joe Stevenson pictured)

George Sotiropoulous is a solid grappler who will be fighting on his home court in Australia. George was on Team Serra during TUF 6, KO'ing Jared Rollins and submitting Richie Hightower before getting KO'd by runner-up Tommy Speer. Since joining the UFC, he has gone 4-0 submitting Billy Miles, George Roop and Jason Dent.

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh- Ben Rothwell, Cro Cop's original opponent has withdrawn from the fight due to illnes. Cro Cop (25-7, 2-3 UFC) has not looked good in his UFC career, but should rebound against Perosh. Cro Cop is a former K-1 kickboxer and Pride superstar was on top of his game in 2006, winning the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, defeating Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Minowaman and Hidehiko Yoshida.

(Cro Cop KO's Aleks Emelianenko)

Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine- This fight pits TUF 8 winner and All-American wrestler Ryan Bader (10-0, 3-0 UFC) against TUF 2 veteran and unorthodox striker Keith Jardine (15-6, 6-5 UFC). Expect Bader to utilize his wrestling to overwhelm Jardine. Bader has defeated Eric Schafer, Vinny Magalhães and Carmelo Marrero in his UFC career.

Jardine has been up and down in his UFC career, scoring monster wins over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin and Brandon Vera, while being KO'd by Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Houston Alexander.

UNDER CARD

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle
C.B. Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic
Igor Pokrajac vs. James Te Huna

UFC 106 Review

UFC 106: Griffin v. Ortiz took place on 11/21/09 and featured nine bouts making the broadcast on Spike and PPV. Forrest Griffin won a narrow split decision to push himself closer to a title shot. Josh Koscheck also moved closer to a title shot with a victory over the uber athletic Anthony Johnson.

Forrest Griffin def Tito Ortiz via split dec- Forrest and Tito battled for three rounds in this compelling three round fight. Tito and Forrest fought a close first round, with Forrest controlling the stand-up and Tito managing to get one takedown. In the second, Tito was able to take advantage of a takedown to land some elbows, opening up a cut on Forrest.

Never one to shy away from blood, Forrest came alive in the third round. Tito cardio started to falter, or he felt he was up on the scorecards. Forrest landed punches and kicks at will, winning the third round in convincing fashion. With the win, look for Forrest to fight Antonio Noguiera or Thiago Silva if he beats Rashad Evans.
*MMA Blaster readers correctly choose Griffin 44-28.

(Forrest Griffin pictured)

Josh Koscheck def Anthony Johnson via sub (RNC) R2, 4:27- The first round saw Anthony Johnson controlling much of the action and defending takedowns. With Koscheck getting up, still on his knees, Johnson threw and elbow and came through with a hand, grazing Koscheck's eye. The round continued with Johnson looking strong.

In the second, a Koscheck open hand punch sunk fingers into Johnson's eye. Johnson appeared shaken, and didn't return to form. Shortly after getting back into action, Koscheck got a takedown and choked out Johnson with a rear naked choke. Koscheck would like to fight number one contender for the 170 pound division, Dan Hardy.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def Luiz Cane via TKO (punches) R1, 1:56- Nogueira's UFC debut was stellar, as his boxing looked crisp as he systematically picked apart Luiz Cane.

Paulo Thiago def Jacob Volkmann via unanimous dec- Thiago controlled the grappling game and managed to land more strikes to win the decision.

Amir Sadollah def Phil Baroni via unanimous dec- Phil Baroni was able to land some power punches and get a takedown in the first round, but Sadollah dominated the clinch and long distance striking from then on. In the third, Baroni slowed down and Sadollah took advantage, peppering him with strikes and clinch work.

Ben Saunders def Marcus Davis via KO (knees) R1, 3:24- Ben Saunders dominated the fight with the use of his devasting thai clinch. Saunders popped Davis with knees from every direction, eventually sending Davis to the canvas.

Kendall Grove def Jake Rosholt via sub (triangle) R1, 3:59- Rosholt dominated the grappling game, getting take downs and landing heavy right hands and knees. However, Rosholt made a wrong move and landed in a triangle choke.

Brian Foster def Brock Larson via TKO (strikes) R2, 3:25- Larson disappointed again, getting run over by Brian Foster. Foster dominated Larson with a heavy dose of ground and pound in the second, stopping the fight.

Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes declared majority draw
George Sotiropoulos def Jason Dent via submission (armbar) R2, 4:36

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.

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 92: Ultimate 2008 Results

Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin via TKO (punches) R3, 2:46- Rashad and Forrest traded shots for the first two rounds. Forrest probably got the better of Rashad in the first two with more punches and kicks landed. In the third, Rashad was able to get a takedown from a Griffin kick and then unleashed a flurry of punches and hammerfists forcing the ref to intervene.

(Rashad Evans pictured)

Rashad, with the 205 pound belt in hand, now has to be the most accomplished fighter to emerge from TUF. Evans now has 8 straight official victories inside the octagon. He had three additional wins in TUF that are not official.
*Fight of the Night Bonus
*MMA Blaster readers picked Evans over Griffin 17-15

Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO (punches) R2, 1:54- Frank Mir dominated the fight as Nogueira never mounted any offense. Through the two rounds, Mir looked to be the better striker, knocking Nog to the floor and bouncing his head back throughout the fight. After knocking Nog to the ground in the second, Mir followed with punches until the ref stepped in. While the stoppage may have been a little early, Nog wasn't intelligently defending himself.

(Frank Mir pictured)

Mir, with Interim HW Belt in tow, will now face Brock Lesnar sometime next year. My guess would be that the fight happens sometime in March or April. This will be a repeat of the fight which ended in a Mir victory via kneebar. Mir was getting beat up before securing the submission in that fight.


C.B. Dollaway def. Mike Massenzio via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:01- CB was technically sound in this fight getting the takedown, mount and then throwing strikes until the ref had to step in and stop the fight.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (punch) R1, 3:21- Rampage emphatically got the the demons off his back in this fight. After losing a razor thin decision to Forrest Griffin, and a public meltdown, Rampage desperately needed a victory. Rampage landed a flush left hook sending Silva to the ground then followed it with strikes until the ref stepped in.

A fight with Rashad Evans for the 205 pound title will probably be Rampage's next fight. Rampage had lost his previous two fights with Wanderlei.

Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al-Turk via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:37- After some inadvertent knees thrown by Kongo, he found his mark. Kongo threw a right hand that dropped Al-Turk then brought elbows and punches until the fight had to be stopped.

Yushin Okami def. Dean Lister via unanimous decision- Lister could not get any offense going in his loss to Okami. Okami used a systematic approach to grind out the decision.

Antoni Hardonk def. Mike Wessel via TKO (strikes) R2, 2:09- Wessel looked good in the first round, but in the second, Hardonk turned the tide. Hardonk got a sweep, then dominant position, then threw strikes until the bout was stopped.

Matt Hamill def. Reese Andy via TKO (strikes) R2, 2:19
Brad Blackburn def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision
Patrick Barry def. Dan Evensen via TKO (injury) R1, 2:36

UFC Ultimate 2008

UFC Ultimate 2008 will take place on December 27, 2008. It will feature two title matches and a superfight between Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson. The fights will take place in Las Vegas. All 20 fighters made weight at the weigh-ins, as a Wanderlei and Rampage scuffle served as a highlight.

Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans- This UFC light heavyweight title match will most likely become a slugfest. Rashad has been testing his foes on his feet in recent matches. Forrest will look to defend the takedown and find a rhythm to Rashad's sometimes style.

Champ Forrest Griffin (16-4) won the title with a very slim decision victory over Rampage Jackson. Prior to that fight, Griffin dominated Pride superstar Mauricio Shogun Rua, finishing him with a rear naked choke. Griffin has defeated Stephen Bonnar, Hector Ramirez, Elvis Sinosic, Chael Sonnen and Jeff Monson in his career. Griffin won TUF 1 in an epic battle against Stephan Bonnar.

(Forrest Griffin pictured)

Rashad Evans (14-0-1) knocked out Chuck Liddell to earn a shot of the title in September. Previously Rashad won a split decision over Michael Bisping, drew with Tito Ortiz, and viciously knocked out Sean Salmon with a head kick and Jason Lambert with ground and pound. Rashad won the heavyweight season of TUF in the second season with a victory over Brad Imes.

(Rashad Evans pictured)

Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir- This fight is for the interim Heavyweight Title. The winner will face Brock Lesnar sometime next year in a unification match. Nogueira won the fight with a come from behind guillotine choke victory over Tim Sylvia last February.

Nogueira is an indestructible opponent who has never been submitted or knocked out. He seems to be able to take a monstrous amount of punishment and can't be stopped. Nogueira has victories over Josh Barnett, Heath Herring, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Coleman and countless others.

(Nogueira getting the guillotine)

Frank Mir has been on a mission since his horrific motorcycle crash that broke his leg. Mir won over Antoni Hardonk via kimura before his kneebar victory over Brock Lesnar. Mir did not look good in the fights prior to that looking slow in his loss to Brandon Vera, decision victory over Dan Christison and loss to Marcio Cruz. Mir holds an arm breaking victory over Tim Sylvia and submission victories over Roberto Traven and Pete Williams.

(Frank Mir pictured)

Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva- This fight will more than likely result in another war. Silva has won the past two in devasting fashion. However, what most people forget is that Rampage has had opportunities to win the two fights. If Rampage can get some takedowns he will have a chance to win. Silva will look to keep the fight standing and utilize his superior Muay Thai game.

C.B. Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio
Mustafa Al-Turk vs. Cheick Kongo

UNDERCARD
Dean Lister vs. Yushin Okami
Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel
Reese Andy vs. Matt Hamill
Brad Blackburn vs. Ryo Chonan
Pat Berry vs. Dan Evensen

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.

TUF 8 - Krzysztof Style

This episode features a fight between Kyle Kingsbury and Krzysztof Soszynski. Krzysztof is a former fighter from the IFL who holds an armbar victory over Devin Cole and a unanimous decision over Dan Christison at heavyweight. Kingsbury is a former football player for Arizona State University who holds a 7-1 record and has been fighting since June of 2006. Apparently he had only 6 months of ground training before the fight and also came down from heavyweight.

Before the fight, we get to see last week's loser Dave Kaplan hit the bottle. Tom Lawlor and Dave down a bottle of vodka and get a little crazy. Apparently some antics were editted at the last second and that was probably a good idea. Dave says, "I can not be knocked out" and begs Tom to punch him in the face. Finally, Dave is struck in the jaw by Tom and Dave goes completely limp before waking up a few seconds later. Dave still denied being unconscious. Delusional?

Next, the coaches challenge goes down. Mir basically starts hyping himself up again stating that he can beat Nogueira in any contest. Nogueira stated that while soccer is Brazil's number one sport, he was very bad as a kid and never really played. Despite those words, Noguera is physched about winning the 10K for himself and a grand for each of his players. Mir doesn't put much effort in the game and ends up losing to Nogueira who dives after balls and gets into it.

The fight starts and Krzysztof lands a couple punches to Kyle's face. They get to the fence and Kyle lands a couple knees, one of them getting a little close to the cup. After the break-up, the fighters end up in the same position. This time Kyle gets underhooks and gets a takedown. Unfortunately, Kyle doesn't posture quick enough and gets stuck in an armbar.

Kyle takes the loss in stride and tries to pump up his other teammates. Krzysztof meanwhile is icing his injured thumb. He hurt his hand in his first fight and the thumb is still bothering him. We'll see if it affects his performance in the next round.

TUF Episode 8 - Oddball Edition

This episode featured a fight between 155 pound fighters Dave Kaplan and Phillipe Nover. What ensued before the fight was one of the more bizarre and crazy displays ever seen on an episode of The Ultimate Fighter.

After seeing a recap of the Vinny Magalhaes victory over Jules Bruchez things go off base. At the house, bored Team Nogueira fighters decide to steal Tom Lawlor's fruit tray. While on the show, fighters can put anything on a wish list for the producers to get. Lawlor keeps asking for his fruit tray, and it is eaten prior to him getting home from practice.

With Lawlor getting more peeved he decides to retaliate. He does so by urinating in his own fruit tray that he recently got. Then Shane Nelson, Vinny and Junie decide to add a little of their own flavor to the tray. On cue, Ryan Bader of Team Nogueira grabs the tray after practice and the team eats it. Lawlor has a good time telling them that there was pee in the tray. While Kyle and Bader don't seem to care, Phillipe is freaking out.

The retailiation, Phillipe has noticed that his sushi he orders keeps getting eaten. Knowing that it is probably Dave Kaplan from Team Mir, he tries to brainstorm a way to get back at him. Kyle Kingsbury figures a good way would be to bust one out on the sushi. Lets just say, Kaplan ate it and threatened to poop in everyone's stuff.

The next Fear Factor like moment came when Phillipe ordered a Filipino and Asian delicacy called Balut for his teammates. It is a fertilized duck egg, just about ready to hatch. Phillipe goes first, eating his Balut and egging on his teammates to try. Of course, Kyle Kingsbury is the first to join in with Bader and others giving it a try. They say it tastes like egg with the dark meat of a chicken.

In between, Junie complains that his team isn't training and tries to give Phillipe some advice going into the bout. If anything, it just gives Phillipe more confidence. Junie is annoyed with Kaplan's self confidence and Kaplan thinking he is smart. Kaplan rattles off capitols of various countries, including Zaire, now known as the Republic of Congo.

Finally, the fight occurs and Phillipe is very impressive. He blasts Kaplan with three unanswered punches, gets the takedown and rear naked choke. Everyone was impressed with his performance, including Dana White, who commented that Phillipe looked like a young version of GSP.

A defeated Dave Kaplan with his eye busted up still thinks he should have won the fight and is a better fighter than Phillipe. To close the show, Mir says, New Zealand, and Kaplan rattles back, Wellington. Now that is deadpan comedy.


Teams are tied with 3 wins each, (Team Mir italics)
Second round LHW- Ryan Bader, Vinny Magalhaes, Eliot Marshall
Second round LW- Phillipe Nover, Efrain Escudero, Junie Browning

Two fights remain in the first round - LHW- Kyle Kingsbury v. Krystof Soszynski and LW- John Polakowski v. George Roop.

UFC Title Picture

With UFC 89 and 90 taking place within a span of seven days, here is the current breakdown of the UFC Title picture.

LW- BJ Penn(Champ)- BJ will fight GSP at 170 before returning to 155. The bout will take place on January 31st at UFC 94.

Contenders- Kenny Florian v. Joe Stevenson- rumored to be the fight for number one contender. The fight takes place at UFC 91.
Sean Sherk- recent victory over Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 moves him closer to another shot at reclaiming the title.
Nate Diaz- has put together 5 straight victories in the UFC, recently against Josh Neer. A rumored bout with Clay Guida has been scratched as Guida injured his foot.
Gray Maynard- has 4 straight victories, momentarily crushing Rich Clementi and Frank Edgar's title hopes.
Roger Huerta- shot at a title dashed by Kenny Florian.


WW- Georges St. Pierre(Champ) v. BJ Penn- The fight will take place at UFC 94.

Contenders- Thiago Alves- With dominating performances over Josh Kosheck at UFC 90, Matt Hughes at UFC 85 and Karo Parisyan at UFN 13, Alves is next in line for a title shot.
Jon Fitch- Recently lost a five round fight with St. Pierre, probably needs a win or two to get another shot.
Diego Sanchez- has two wins in a row since back to back decision losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch.
Josh Koscheck- Title hopes put on hold after loss to Alves.
Jake Shields- I'd like to see the Elite XC champ come to the UFC and fight a top tier opponent or two before a title shot.


MW- Anderson Silva(Champ)- Anderson is sitting pretty on top of the division with his latest victory over Patrick Cote. Anderson could turn up at 205 before another fight at 185, but we will see. Anderson was not pleased with his performance at UFC 90 and would like to jump back in the UFC as soon as possible.

Contenders- Yushin Okami v. Dean Lister- A win by Okami at UFC 92 could thrust him into the number one spot. Okami won over Silva via disqualification in January of 2006 for a an upkick that KO'd Okami while he was still on his knees.
Dan Henderson v. Rich Franklin v. Michael Bisping- The word on the street is that the winner of Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin at UFC 93 will coach TUF 9 opposite Michael Bisping. The overall winner could get a shot at Silva.
Thales Leites- five victories in a row since his loss to Martin Kampmann. That includes a controversial win over Nate Marquardt at UFC 85.
Nate Marquardt- recently won in dominant fashion over Martin Kampmann after the Leites loss. Needs another victory to get a rematch with Anderson Silva.
Robbie Lawler- could get into the UFC sooner rather than later. Lawler is 8-1 since leaving the UFC capturing the Elite XC belt.
Cung Le- the movie star and Strikeforce MW champ presents an interesting stand-up match-up for Anderson Silva.


LHW- Forrest Griffin(Champ) v. Rashad Evans- This match for the light heavyweight title will take place on the stacked UFC 92 card.

Contenders- Lyoto Machida- has won five straight including a victory over Tito Ortiz.
Rampage Jackson v. Wanderlei Silva- the winner of this UFC 92 bout could be setting himself up for a title shot.
Keith Jardine- Recent win over Brandon Vera, but before that was knocked out cold by Wanderlei Silva.
Chuck Liddell- recently lost to Rashad Evans.
Rich Franklin- recently won over Matt Hamill in his recent fight at 205. Has an upcoming match with Dan Henderson at UFC 93.


HW- Randy Couture(HW Champ) v. Brock Lesnar- This match will be for the heavyweight title at UFC 91 on November 15th. Winner to face the victor below in their next bout to unify the title:

HW(I)- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira(HW Champ Interim) v. Frank Mir- After Couture's brief second retirement, the UFC decided to put an interim belt HW belt on the line which Nogueira beat Tim Sylvia for.

*This is basically a four man tournament for the unified belt. Both matches should be very entertaining and are highly anticipated.

Other contenders- Fabricio Werdum's potential title hopes were shot down in his loss to Junior dos Santos. Cain Valesquez and Shane Carwin have looked impressive with each capturing first round TKO's in their first two victories. Cheick Kongo hasn't been able to put three straight victories together in a row. Heath Herring alternates wins and losses.

TUF Episode 5 - Marshall Law

The fifth episode of The Ultimate Fighter showcased an appearance by one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time in Anderson Silva. Watching him hit the pads was intense, knocking pads out of the hands of the holder. The heighth he can put on a kick is remarkable.

Anderson also seemed to run a solid practice from what I saw. John Polakowski remarked that Anderson was the coolest guy ever. I'd agree with that assessment.

Everyone suspected Junie Browning would get booted from the show for jumping the cage fence. However, the NSAC representitive was not present and Junie was saved.

After a couple innocent pranks, the hi-jinx started to get a little out of hand. Team Mir decided to get to Efrain by hiding his underwear in the freezer. While that wasn't bad, the real kicker was putting itching powder in the beds. That got the Team Nogueira to retaliate with putting sardines and sardine oil around Team Mir's beds.

Vinny Magalhaes is not a fan of practical jokes and did not respond well to the fish. He kind of reminded me of Francis from the movie Stripes. "If anyone touches me or my stuff, I'll kill ya." Haha. As everyone except Efrain was sleeping, he ended up with the wraith of Vinny and Vinny peed on his pillow.

After a truce was called, the fight match-up between Eliot Marshall and Shane Primm was announced. The bout was a very short one, as Shane looked apprehensive striking. He then went in for an ill advised superman punch. Marshall countered with a takedown, got Primm's back, and eventually got the rear naked choke.

With Mir's first victory, he will be picking the next 155 pound fight, which was announced at the end of the show as Junie Browning v. Roli Delgado.

*Pic of Eliot Marshall from photobucket

Darth Bader Strikes First

The 3rd Episode of Ultimate Fighter debuted on Wednesday. It is the fighters introduction to the house as the previous two episodes featured fighters fighting for their spot in the house

Unfortunately quite a few fighters were injured during the first round of fights to get into the house. I can see how that can happen with wanting to make it in the house, trying to impress the coaches and Dana White, and other factors will lead fighters to go all-out. Karn Grigoryan and Brian McLaughlin had very short stays in the house. Each sustained fractures to the nose which prompted 180 day suspensions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. In addition, Krzysztof Soszynski noted in his blog that he had injured his hand during the KO of his first round opponent.

In to replace Grigoryan is Kyle Kingsbury, who fought hard in the opening round against one of the front-runners Ryan Bader. Replacing McLaughlin is originally a mystery fighter before Roli Delgado. Both fighters seemed very happy to be back, with Kingsbury sporting a little bit of a black eye.

Next, teams are picked with Mir using his first pick on Soszynski. Nogeria chooses Ryan Bader. Nogeria won the right to choose the first match as Mir got first pick.

Team Mir
205
Krzysztof Soszynski
Vinny Magalhaes
Eliot Marshal
Tom Lawlor

155
Junie Allen Browning
Shane Nelson
David Kaplan
George Roop

Team Nogueira
205
Ryan Bader
Shane Primm
Kyle Kingsbury
Jules Bruchez

155
Phillipe Nover
Efrain Escudero
John Polakowski
Roli Delgado

We got to see a decent amount of training time. Mir introduced Ken Hahn for stand-up and Robert Drysdale for BJJ as his two coaches. Drysdale is world class in his ju-jitsu game as he is a blackbelt and ADCC champ. Mir looked pretty good teaching technique to his fighters. He remarked that fighting is an individual thing, even though you are on a team, you are fighting for yourself.

Nogeria in contrast talks about having respect for the team and coaches. He wants to build team unity, reminding me of Tito Ortiz when he was a coach on TUF 3. Nogeria has dinner with the guys the day before the first fight and they all sit around a table like a big family. Nogeria has Daniel Valverde for his BJJ and a 67 year old maniac Al "Stankie" Stankiewicz.

In the meantime, Junie Browning got pretty drunk and Soszynski and others shrink wrapped Team Nogeria's undies to the diving board. Bader also had some clothes shrink wrapped to his bed.

The first fight is set by Nogeria as Ryan Bader v. Tom Lawlor are set to fight. Each has a pedigree in wrestling, but Bader has the 2X All American thing going for him. Neither fighter has a problem making weight as Lawlor looks to maybe have a little extra weight on him.

The fight starts with brief exchanges of punches. Bader next tried to get a take down and failed. After, Bader was able to get the takedown and was trying to work in some punches and another arm triangle, but Lawlor was able to escape back to his feet.

Lawlor next rushed in on Bader, however that is not a smart thing to do against a wrestler. Bader got the double leg slam take down that took the wind out of Lawlor's sails. Bader landed a couple punches, and then was standing holding one of Lawlor's feet. After an attempted up kick, Bader threw a nasty punch directly to Lawlor's face, knocking him out.

After the victory, Stankie led the cheers and Bader was eventually hoisted on someone's shoulders. Nogeria will be picking the first 155 pound bout next week.

*Picture of Ryan Bader from photobucket

TUF 8 Premier Episode

By MMA Blaster

The first episode of TUF 8 did not disappoint. From the get go you know it will be a crazy season. Phillipe Nover fainted in the opening frame of Dana White's speech. The look on the guy standing in front of him is hilarious as Nover initially starts to lean and then goes out.

The coaches Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Big Nog, come out and the fighters don't seem too excited. Reason being, they have to make weight the next day and fight to get into the house.

It will be interesting to see how much talk time each coach gets. Big Nog, a native Brazilian, seems to have the subtitles flowing after every sentence. Mir is a well spoken guy as a WEC color commentator.

We don't see how they are matched up to fight, so I hope that Joe Silva seeded them somehow and Dana White didn't just randomly match them up.

*Pic of Frank Mir as champ

While weight cutting, Jason Guida has by far the worst time. He is 217 off the start, and needs to get down to 206. During his cut, Mir commented on how it looked like Guida was having the worst of everyone else. The next scene brings those comments to life, as Guida, with a towel slightly covering his groin experiences some bad leg cramps. His legs go stiff, like a grounded Frankenstein, and he has a couple guys try to loosen him up.

When they manage to get him on the scale, he comes in at 207, one pound over. The doctor monitering the situation and Ken Kizer of NSAC end up not letting Guida continue. To Guida's credit he wanted to lose the pound, but he just wasn't allowed to as the doctor knew how dehydrated he Guida had become.

Mike Stewart jumps in to replace Guida in his fight against former IFL fighter Krystof Soszynski. Soszynski is a big guy who had a spat in pro wresting before MMA. In his mma career, Soszynski has fought in the IFL on the big stage, then at heavyweight. Stewart looks to maybe have an amateur fight or two on his resume.

The fight is quick as Soszynski drops Stewart with punches and keeps going as Stewart goes to his knees. The ref stops the fight shortly thereafter.

The next fight is Fernando "The Machete" Bernstein and Dave Kaplan. While Bernstein threw some snapping kicks and looked decent on his feet, he proved to lack a ground game. Kaplan took him down from the clinch, got his back, and the fight was done in a couple minutes.

Phillipe Nover and Joe Duarte faced off next. I was a little disappointed because I thought each of these fighters would have decent showings in the house. They battled back and forth on their feet in the first. Both throwing some mean punches and kicks. Duarte almost had Nover finished in the first before the bell sounded.

In the second, Nover pressed the action getting a takedown, elbows, then sinking in a rear naked choke. While losing, Duarte still looked good and I wouldn't be surprised seeing him back in the house if a fighter was injured.

Eric Magee and Jules Bruchez faced off next in what I would call a lackluster fight. Neither 205 pounded looked in great shape or to have too much skill. Bruchez was able to get a rear naked choke victory and talk some junk after the fight. He is a farmer and gets his power country style.

Vinny Magalhaes and Lance Evans- The first round was more of a highlight montage, and we see Evans get kicked in the ribs. Evans, brother of Rashad Evans, clutches his ribs as he goes to his corner at the end of the round. He is not able to continue and sent packing. Magalhaes looks in good shape and moved well on his feet.

Antwain Britt and Ryan Jimmo also get the highlight montage treatment. Britt wins a split decision.

Brian McLaughlin and Garner fought next, as McLaughlin looked to be winning the bout in the first. In the second Garner threw a knee while McLaughlin had both knees on the ground. McLaughlin when to the canvas and told the doctor he was dizzy. The ref called the bout a no contest and the knee unintentional, but Dana White decided McLaughlin would move on.

Junie Browning fought Jose Aguilar in the final bout of the night. Aguilar talks some interesting trash talk as he proclaims himself to be on the level of historic greats, like Napoleon and Alexander the Great. If Aguilar was in the BC times, he'd be conquering people. He proclaims himself as a, "straight up criminal."

Browning says there is no way Aguilar will beat him and that he has a, "better chance of getting me pregnant than beating me." Well Browning's trash seemed to be a little more accurate. Aguilar was taken down and punched and elbowed until the bell was rung. Aguilar promptly tells the ref that he has had enough.

If Ghengis Khan was in mma, he'd answer the bell, knock you out, then conquer your village.

Moving into the house are:
LHW - 205
Krzysztof Soszynski
Jules Bruchez
Vinny Magalhaes
Antwain Britt

LW - 155
Dave Kaplan
Phillipe Nover
Brian McLaughlin
Junie Browning

Couture v. Lesnar at UFC 91

Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar will fight at UFC 91. Reportedly, the winner will face the winner of Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira who are coaches on TUF 8. This fight will be preceded by the biggest UFC hype fest we've ever seen. Lesnar proved he was an animal in his victory over Heath Herring. However, he basically has one submission loss and one decision victory in the UFC.

Meanwhile, Fabrico Werdum has two TKO victories in a row over Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga since his loss to Andrei Arlovski. He may have to wait for the Lesnar/Couture v. Mir/Nogeria fights work themselves out. Werdum is slated to face Junior dos Santos at UFC 90 in October 25th.

TUF 8 Trailer and Cast

*Joe Duarte

Here is the trailer for the next Ultimate Fighter show that debuts September 17th after Ultimate Fight Night 15. The coaches are former HW Champ Frank Mir and current HW Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Not really sure why they didn't have heavyweights on the show as it is a division the UFC needs to bolster. Plus, the coaches are heavyweights.

The cast will feature a roster of light heavyweights and lightweights. Like last season, there will be 32 fighters coming in with 16 making it into the house. Thankfully, my original rumored contestants were all confirmed, plus I have added those that have popped up on Sports Illustrated.

LHW- * means seen in first episode (W/L next to name)
*Krzysztof Soszynski (15-8, 3-4 IFL W), Ryan Bader (7-0), *Ryan Jimmo (6-1 L), *Lance Evans (2-2 L), *Vinicius Magalhaes (2-2 W), *Antwain Britt (3-1 W), Shane Primm (2-0), Eliot Marshall (5-1), Tom Lawlor (4-1, with DQ loss to Shane Primm), Kyle Kingsbury (7-1), *Jules Bruchez (0-0 W), Karen Grigoryan (4-0), *Jason Guida (23-16 OVERWEIGHT), Ryan Lopez (5-4), *Eric Magee (3-1 L), Sean O'Connell (SI has 1-0, I found 0-1), *Mike Stewart (L)

LW- * means seen in first episode (W/L next to name)
*Joe Duarte (3-0 L), Shane Nelson (9-3), *"Junie" Allen Browning (2-0 W), Efrain Escudero (10-0), George Roop (8-3), Spencer Paige (5-2), *Phillipe Nover (5-0 W), Wesley Murch (3-2), *Jose Aguilar (L), *Fernando Bernstein (2-0 L), Rolando Delgado (7-3), Charles Diaz, *Brandon Garner (4-1 L-NC), *Brian McLaughlin (5-0, wins in Ring of Combat W- NC), Ido Pariente (13-4, 1-1 in K-1 MMA), John Polakowski (2-1, all three fights against Olaf Alfonso, 2 in the WEC), *Dave Kaplan (3-1, W)




^Ryan Bader is pictured above. He is a former 2X All-American wrestler at ASU.

Video of the Day - Nogueira vs Overeem II

Here is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Valentijn Overeem II from the Rings King of Kings Tournament finale on 2/24/01. The tournament played over 3 events.

UFC 81 Results and Recap

UFC 81 will go down as one of the most entertaining events the promotion has ever put on. Most fights ended quickly with three guillotine chokes in the main card. The audience was star studded, with the Undertaker, Stone Cold, Ken Griffey Jr., Rampage and various others and they got their money's worth. Just like the old UFC's ju-jitsu dominated over brute force.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia via submission (guillotine choke) — R3, 1:28 - UFC HW Championship belongs to Nogeueira and he earned it. Nogueira took punishment from Sylvia for two and a half rounds as Sylvia hit him with everything in his aresenal. But it only took one mistake for Nogeria to sweep Sylvia and choke him out. Reminiscant of the Bob Sapp and Cro Cop fights, the legend of Nogueira continues.
*Both fighters won fight of the night bonuses.
(Poll results Nogueria 29-20, MMA Blaster readers correct)

Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar via submission (knee bar) — R1, 1:30 - Lesnar came out in a fury taking down Mir immediately before starting to rain down hammerfists on Mirs face. Mir turned, and Lesnar inadvertantly struck the back of Mir's head. Lesanr was deducted a point, and the match resumed.

Off the bat on the restart, Lesnar threw a jab that knocked Mir to the canvas. After a couple punches in half guard, Lesnar looked out of place and a leg was open for Mir to get a knee bar. It was inexperience at its finest, and Lesnar didn't know what to do, tapping.

Lesnar's performance indicates that he has raw tools. He is big, he is powerful, he is agile. But, he is inexperienced. Mir had absolutely no answer for Lesnar's two takedown attempts. The punches that were thrown looked powerful and did damage. Maybe the point deduction distracted Lesnar slightly, but it did not have any real impact on the fight. You would think Lesnar or someone in his camp would have bothered looking at the toe hold Mir put on Tank Abbott and thinking a leg lock would be probable.
*Mir wins submission of the night.
(Poll Lesnar 59-37, MMA Blaster readers incorrect)



Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn via submission (guillotine choke) — R2, 1:37 - Marquardt punished Horn for virtually the entire first round. Horn eventually worked in an omaplata shoulder lock to a sweep near the end of the round. The second round was more of the same as Horn fell into the guillotine after taking alot of punishment. Marquardt was sound on his feet working his punches and combos.

Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt via submission (guillotine choke) — R1, 1:08 - Almeida overwelmed the inexperienced Yundt before getting the choke. Yundt attempted to slam himself out, but was unsuccesful.

Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision - Griffin probably had the edge standing, but Tibau was able to get some takedowns.

Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley via KO (strikes) — R1, 0:33 - Lytle came out swinging, and tagged Bradley sending him to the canvas where he absorbed another punch before the ref stepped in. A dazed Bradley pulled the ref into his guard before realizing what was going on.
*KO of the night.

Tim Boetsch def. David Heath via TKO (strikes) — R1, 4:52 - IFL vet Boetsch worked his front kick and unorthodox body punches. After getting the thai clinch, Boetch worked devastating knee strikes. To finish it off, Boetsch hip tossed Heath to the canvas and finished Heath off.



Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin via unanimous decision

Rob Emerson def. Keita Nakamura via split decision

UFC 81 - Lesnar Commeth

Commentary by the MMA Blaster

The UFC 81 card is shaping up to be the type of card that destroys MMA pay per view numbers. The card is officially headlined by Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the Heavyweight Belt. The unoffical headlining fight that will be hyped to death will be Brock Lesnar v. Frank Mir. Here is a look at the potential fights:

Tim Sylvia (24-3) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (30-4-1)- HW Title- Two time UFC HW Champ Sylvia just beat Brandon Vera after losing the belt to Couture. Nogueira did not look impressive in his bout with Herring, but is widely regarded as the second best heavyweight of alltime with wins over Josh Barnett, Sergei Kharitonov, Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum, Dan Henderson and Mark Coleman.

Ricardo Almeida (8-2) vs. *Rob Yundt (6-0)- Almeida has six wins in a row including Ryo Chonan, Nate Marquardt, Kazuo Misaki, Yuki Sasaki and Ikuhisa Minowa. Alan Belcher has withdrawn from the fight. MMA Weekly rumors Alaska Fighting Championships' Rob Yundt will be filling in.

Nate Marquardt (25-7) vs. Jeremy Horn (79-15)- Marquardt, former King of Pancrase, is coming off a MW title loss to Anderson Silva. Jeremy Horn is a well traveled veteren with wins spanning from 1996 to present. Horn's victories include Chuck Liddell (21-5), Falaniko Vitale (24-8), 2X over Chael Sonnen (19-9), Trevor Prangley (17-5), Josh Burkman (9-4), David Loiseau (15-7), Dean Lister (10-5), Forrest Griffin (15-4), Travis Fulton (182-44) and Gilbert Yvel (32-12).

Tyson Griffin (10-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (15-4)- Tyson has wins over Clay Guida and Thiago Taveres since his loss to Frank Edgar. Tibau has four wins in a row, three in the UFC, since his loss to Nick Diaz in UFC 65. This fight will be all action.

Marvin Eastman (14-7) vs. Terry Martin (16-3)- I'd like to see this fight make the ppv because there will be plenty of bombs thrown. Eastman's last UFC appearance was a KO loss to Rampage. Martin last was KO'd by Chris Leben. Wouldn't be surprised if one of these guys is moved to fight Marquardt.

Tim Boetsch (6-1) vs. David Heath (7-2)- Heath is coming off of the Babalu choke incident. Boetsch is replacing Tomas Drwal.

Keita Nakamura (14-2) vs. Rob Emerson (6-6)- Nak is looking for his first UFC win.

Chris Lytle (24-15) v. Kyle Bradley (13-4)- Lytle is coming off a loss due to a cut from Thiago Alves. Bradley has 7 straight victories.

Brock Lesnar (1-0) vs. Frank Mir (10-3) - Hype Machine commence

"Finally" is all I have to say about this dynamite heavyweight contest. The anticipation of Lesnar's entrance into the UFC has been all the rage on internet MMA forums. People have been waiting for this for a long time. There are three different distinct opinions when it comes to Lesnar and his chances in MMA - the Lesnar is God and can take Fedor on next camp, the Lesnar is a former NCAA Champ/freak athlete division, and the Lesnar will suck because he has no standup or submission defense camp.

I fall into the Lesnar is a former NCAA Champ and freak athlete camp. You can't deny the fact that NCAA champions can and do perform exceptionally in mixed martial arts. His training video is something of legend. He has been training for two years in preparation for his big UFC debut and I hope he has been practicing his submission defense for this contest.

Mir is simply no joke when it comes to submissions, and after he broke Tim Sylvia's arm to capture the UFC Heavyweight title, he had everyone clamoring about the excellent JJ Mir had on display. His toe hold over Tank was really no surprise, but if you haven't seen that video, it is pretty good.

For anyone who didn't see Lesnar's debut in K1 I have posted it below. As you can see, Lesnar's gameplan was simple. Take Min So Kim down and pound him into oblivion. He made a good pass to the mount which I don't see Mir allowing.

My prediction is Lesnar by ground and pound in the second or third round. Yes, Mir could find Lesnar's overextended arm for a sub, but I don't think you can secure that mammouth neck for a choke. One thing is for certain, this will be one of the UFC's most hyped events. For those of you who don't necessarily appreciate the UFC hype machine, I feel for you.

Some additional notes: Many have labeled Lesnar's sole MMA opponent Min Soo Kim a can. However, he recently TKO'd Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa on October 28 of 2007 in K1. Minowa has victories over MMA vets Gilbert Yvel, Kimo and Phil Baroni.