Lesnar returns to fight Mark Hunt tonight at UFC 200.
Showing posts with label Brock Lesnar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brock Lesnar. Show all posts
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Video of the Day - Lesnar v. Kim
Here is Brock Lesnar's debut fight against Min Soo Kim in K-1 Dynamite which took place on 6/2/07 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Lesnar returns to fight Mark Hunt tonight at UFC 200.
Lesnar returns to fight Mark Hunt tonight at UFC 200.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
UFC Title Picture
Here is the title picture for the UFC.
HW Champ- Cain Velasquez
Contenders- Junior Dos Santos, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar
*Velasquez fights JDS at UFC 138 for the title
*Velasquez defeats Lesnar at UFC 121 for the title
*Dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin at UFC 131 for #1 spot
*Frank Mir defeats Roy Nelson at UFC 130
LHW Champ- Jon Jones
Contenders- Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Phil Davis, Lyoto Machida
*Jones fights Rampage at UFC 135 for the title
*Evans defeats Ortiz at UFC 133
*Rampage defeats Matt Hamill at UFC 130
*Griffin defeats Rich Franklin at UFC 126
*Griffin fights Shogun Rua at UFC 134
(Jon Jones pictured)
MW Champ- Anderson Silva
Contenders- Yushin Okami, Brian Stann, Vitor Belfort, Mark Munoz
*Anderson Silva defeats Belfort at UFC 126
*Okami defeats Marquardt for #1 contender at UFC 122
*Silva fights Okami at UFC 134 for the title
*Belfort KO'd Akiyama at UFC 133
*Stann on three fight win streak
*Munoz defeats Maia at UFC 131
(Anderson Silva pictured)
WW Champ- Georges St. Pierre
Contenders- Nick Diaz, Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez
*GSP defeats Jake Shields at UFC 129
*Fitch and BJ Penn fight to a draw at UFC 127
*Nick Diaz relinquishes Strikeforce belt
*GSP will fight Diaz at UFC 137 for the title
*Condit KO's Kim at UFC 132
(Georges St. Pierre pictured)
LW Champ- Frank Edgar
Contenders- Gray Maynard, Clay Guida, Benson Henderson, Melvin Guillard, Anthony Pettis, Dennis Siver
*Edgar fights to a draw with Maynard at UFC 125
*Edgar and Maynard out with injuries
*Guida defeats Pettis at the TUF 13 Finale
*Guillard wins 5th straight over Roller at UFC 132
*Siver wins 4th straight over Wiman at UFC 132
*Henderson defeats Miller at UFC on Versus 5
(Frank Edgar pictured)
FW Champ- Jose Aldo
Contenders- Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Manny Gamburyan
*Aldo defeats Hominick at UFC 129
*Chad Mendes defeats Yahya at UFC 133
*Florian defeats Nunes at UFC 130
*Aldo v. Florian likely for the next title bout
(Jose Aldo pictured)
BW Champ- Dominic Cruz
Contenders- Demetrious Johnson, Scott Jorgenson, Brian Bowles, Joe Benavidez
*Dominic Cruz defeats Faber at UFC 132
*Johnson defeats Torres at UFC 130
*Bowles defeats Mizugaki at UFC 132
(Dominic Cruz pictured)
HW Champ- Cain Velasquez
Contenders- Junior Dos Santos, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar
*Velasquez fights JDS at UFC 138 for the title
*Velasquez defeats Lesnar at UFC 121 for the title
*Dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin at UFC 131 for #1 spot
*Frank Mir defeats Roy Nelson at UFC 130
LHW Champ- Jon Jones
Contenders- Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Phil Davis, Lyoto Machida
*Jones fights Rampage at UFC 135 for the title
*Evans defeats Ortiz at UFC 133
*Rampage defeats Matt Hamill at UFC 130
*Griffin defeats Rich Franklin at UFC 126
*Griffin fights Shogun Rua at UFC 134
(Jon Jones pictured)
MW Champ- Anderson Silva
Contenders- Yushin Okami, Brian Stann, Vitor Belfort, Mark Munoz
*Anderson Silva defeats Belfort at UFC 126
*Okami defeats Marquardt for #1 contender at UFC 122
*Silva fights Okami at UFC 134 for the title
*Belfort KO'd Akiyama at UFC 133
*Stann on three fight win streak
*Munoz defeats Maia at UFC 131
(Anderson Silva pictured)
WW Champ- Georges St. Pierre
Contenders- Nick Diaz, Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez
*GSP defeats Jake Shields at UFC 129
*Fitch and BJ Penn fight to a draw at UFC 127
*Nick Diaz relinquishes Strikeforce belt
*GSP will fight Diaz at UFC 137 for the title
*Condit KO's Kim at UFC 132
(Georges St. Pierre pictured)
LW Champ- Frank Edgar
Contenders- Gray Maynard, Clay Guida, Benson Henderson, Melvin Guillard, Anthony Pettis, Dennis Siver
*Edgar fights to a draw with Maynard at UFC 125
*Edgar and Maynard out with injuries
*Guida defeats Pettis at the TUF 13 Finale
*Guillard wins 5th straight over Roller at UFC 132
*Siver wins 4th straight over Wiman at UFC 132
*Henderson defeats Miller at UFC on Versus 5
(Frank Edgar pictured)
FW Champ- Jose Aldo
Contenders- Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Manny Gamburyan
*Aldo defeats Hominick at UFC 129
*Chad Mendes defeats Yahya at UFC 133
*Florian defeats Nunes at UFC 130
*Aldo v. Florian likely for the next title bout
(Jose Aldo pictured)
BW Champ- Dominic Cruz
Contenders- Demetrious Johnson, Scott Jorgenson, Brian Bowles, Joe Benavidez
*Dominic Cruz defeats Faber at UFC 132
*Johnson defeats Torres at UFC 130
*Bowles defeats Mizugaki at UFC 132
(Dominic Cruz pictured)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
TUF 13 Status
The first seven matches of this season of the Ultimate Fighter has wrapped, an assistant coach has been fired and Brock Lesnar has been riding an emotional roller coaster.
In the last episode, coach Junior Dos Santos was trying to console fighter Mick Bowman following his decision loss. Bowman fought hard in an entertaining bout, but just seemed to be holding back a little, not letting his full arsenal fly. Assistant coach Lew Polley next states that he isn't happy, that you should win at all costs, and doesn't care if the fight is boring.
(Dos Santos landing a body blow on Cro Cop)
The dissention continues, as Lew has seemingly undermined many things that Dos Santos has said throughout the season. After a conference with his coach Luiz Dorea, Dos Santos kicks Lew Polley off the show, marking the first time an assistant coach has been fired.
Brock Lesnar has been an interesting character throughout the season. He seems to be a no nonsense guy who wants the best for his fighters. However, Lesnar's fighters don't always seem to understand the message in his speeches and seem easily offended. It is obvious that Lesnar is emotionally invested in his fighters, expressing joy in the wins and dissapointment in losses.
(Lesnar punching Frank Mir)
Injuries have played a critical role in this season, as in every season of the show. Before the show started, Myles Jury, the fighter I pegged as the favorite, went down with a ACL injury during the evaluations. Clay Harvison, who defeated Mick Bowman suffered a dislocated finger. Keep in mind it was the most disgusting dislocation I've seen, as the finger popped through the skin.
Len Bentley is a very interesting character. The military veteran fought a very tough and entertaining bout with Ryan McGillivray. Before the bout, he accused teammate Chris Cope of spying on him. He has been offended by Lesnar's speach about turning his fighters from chicken sh!t into chicken salad. He also dislocated his knee cap in training.
When the wild card selection was going on, Len nonchalantly said it was obvious that he wanted the spot. Len mentioned he had some setbacks with the knee, but that he could fight. Anyone who has watched TUF knows that Dana wants fighters to beg for that spot. He was very upset when it was announced that Chuck O'Neil would fight Javier Torres for the wild card.
Dos Santos now has 4 fighters in the 2nd round, with Lesnar having 3. Here is a look at the fighters:
Tony Ferguson (10-2)- Tony is a tall and lanky fighter with solid hands and decent wrestling. In his first bout, he stood toe to toe with Justin Edwards in a slugfest. After giving up a takedown, Tony landed a vicious upkick on the button with the heel, knocking out Edwards immediately. Tony's signature wins outside TUF were over Brock Jardine (6-1) and James Fanshier (17-11).
Clay Harvison (6-1 or 8-3)- Fighting out of Georgia, Clay likes to brawl and use his hands while fighting. Clay used his striking to defeat Mick Bowman in his first bout, landing overhand rights and other combinations throughout the fight. He did seem to gas near the end of the second round and had his pinky gruesomely dislocated when blocking a high kick. He is a tough SOB.
Chris Cope (4-1)- Fighting out of California, Cope fights with heart and seems to never say die. He defeated Javier Torres in the first round of the tournament in a grind it out type fight that went into the sudden victory round. Chris will try to sprawl and brawl. His signature win outside of TUF was a head kick win over Ron Keslar in Strikeforce.
Shamar Bailey (11-3)- Shamar is a power wrestler with excellent takedowns. He is a Strikeforce veteran with career wins over John Kolosci, Matt Delanoit and Waachiim Spiritwolf. In his first match against Nordin Asrih (15-6), Bailey used an array of takedowns, ground and pound and position to win a unanimous decision.
Ryan McGillivray (11-4)- McGillivray is a tall Canadian fighter who used pinpoint striking to defeat Team Lesnar's first pick, Len Bentley in the first round of competition. Despite getting knocked down by a shot by Len, McGillivray rallied, taking the end of the first round and narrowly taking the second to win a majority decision.
Ramsey Nijem (4-1)- Ramsey is the most interesting character on Team Dos Santos, with an odd love of the show Glee and goofy antics. Looks can be decieving, as Ramsey is a former collegiate wrestler and is very strong. In the first round of the tournament, Nijem won via rear naked choke over Bellator veteran Charlie Rader. Using his wrestling game, Nijem broke the will of Radar.
Zach Davis (4-1)- Davis has three submission wins, with two triangle choke victories. He busted out his triangle again in the first round of the tournament, using it to coax a tap out of Chuck O'Neil. Davis will look to continue to use his submission skills in the tournament.
In the last episode, coach Junior Dos Santos was trying to console fighter Mick Bowman following his decision loss. Bowman fought hard in an entertaining bout, but just seemed to be holding back a little, not letting his full arsenal fly. Assistant coach Lew Polley next states that he isn't happy, that you should win at all costs, and doesn't care if the fight is boring.
(Dos Santos landing a body blow on Cro Cop)
The dissention continues, as Lew has seemingly undermined many things that Dos Santos has said throughout the season. After a conference with his coach Luiz Dorea, Dos Santos kicks Lew Polley off the show, marking the first time an assistant coach has been fired.
Brock Lesnar has been an interesting character throughout the season. He seems to be a no nonsense guy who wants the best for his fighters. However, Lesnar's fighters don't always seem to understand the message in his speeches and seem easily offended. It is obvious that Lesnar is emotionally invested in his fighters, expressing joy in the wins and dissapointment in losses.
(Lesnar punching Frank Mir)
Injuries have played a critical role in this season, as in every season of the show. Before the show started, Myles Jury, the fighter I pegged as the favorite, went down with a ACL injury during the evaluations. Clay Harvison, who defeated Mick Bowman suffered a dislocated finger. Keep in mind it was the most disgusting dislocation I've seen, as the finger popped through the skin.
Len Bentley is a very interesting character. The military veteran fought a very tough and entertaining bout with Ryan McGillivray. Before the bout, he accused teammate Chris Cope of spying on him. He has been offended by Lesnar's speach about turning his fighters from chicken sh!t into chicken salad. He also dislocated his knee cap in training.
When the wild card selection was going on, Len nonchalantly said it was obvious that he wanted the spot. Len mentioned he had some setbacks with the knee, but that he could fight. Anyone who has watched TUF knows that Dana wants fighters to beg for that spot. He was very upset when it was announced that Chuck O'Neil would fight Javier Torres for the wild card.
Dos Santos now has 4 fighters in the 2nd round, with Lesnar having 3. Here is a look at the fighters:
Tony Ferguson (10-2)- Tony is a tall and lanky fighter with solid hands and decent wrestling. In his first bout, he stood toe to toe with Justin Edwards in a slugfest. After giving up a takedown, Tony landed a vicious upkick on the button with the heel, knocking out Edwards immediately. Tony's signature wins outside TUF were over Brock Jardine (6-1) and James Fanshier (17-11).
Clay Harvison (6-1 or 8-3)- Fighting out of Georgia, Clay likes to brawl and use his hands while fighting. Clay used his striking to defeat Mick Bowman in his first bout, landing overhand rights and other combinations throughout the fight. He did seem to gas near the end of the second round and had his pinky gruesomely dislocated when blocking a high kick. He is a tough SOB.
Chris Cope (4-1)- Fighting out of California, Cope fights with heart and seems to never say die. He defeated Javier Torres in the first round of the tournament in a grind it out type fight that went into the sudden victory round. Chris will try to sprawl and brawl. His signature win outside of TUF was a head kick win over Ron Keslar in Strikeforce.
Shamar Bailey (11-3)- Shamar is a power wrestler with excellent takedowns. He is a Strikeforce veteran with career wins over John Kolosci, Matt Delanoit and Waachiim Spiritwolf. In his first match against Nordin Asrih (15-6), Bailey used an array of takedowns, ground and pound and position to win a unanimous decision.
Ryan McGillivray (11-4)- McGillivray is a tall Canadian fighter who used pinpoint striking to defeat Team Lesnar's first pick, Len Bentley in the first round of competition. Despite getting knocked down by a shot by Len, McGillivray rallied, taking the end of the first round and narrowly taking the second to win a majority decision.
Ramsey Nijem (4-1)- Ramsey is the most interesting character on Team Dos Santos, with an odd love of the show Glee and goofy antics. Looks can be decieving, as Ramsey is a former collegiate wrestler and is very strong. In the first round of the tournament, Nijem won via rear naked choke over Bellator veteran Charlie Rader. Using his wrestling game, Nijem broke the will of Radar.
Zach Davis (4-1)- Davis has three submission wins, with two triangle choke victories. He busted out his triangle again in the first round of the tournament, using it to coax a tap out of Chuck O'Neil. Davis will look to continue to use his submission skills in the tournament.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
UFC 116 Lesnar v. Carwin Preview
On July 3rd, the MMA world will be shaken up and spit out after two behemouths brawl for the UFC Heavyweight Title. Inside the octogan will be two 265 pound monsters of epic proportion. The winner will be holding a belt and the world #1 rank in the heavyweight division.
Brock Lesnar v. Shane Carwin- This bout will unify the heavyweight title and be the toughest test to date for both fighters. Each fighter is an athletic freak, with massive hands, insane power, and quickness seldom seen for a 265 pound man. The key to each fighter will be avoiding a big punch standing and getting takedowns.
Brock Lesnar (4-1), an NCAA Division 1 HW champ, burst on the scene nearly three years ago in a K-1 bout in Los Angeles. In that fight, Lesnar destroyed Min Soo Kim in just over a minute. He would then enter the UFC to initial lukewarm results. Lesnar was beating up Frank Mir at UFC 81, before a ridiculous stand-up from Steve Mazagatti. Lesnar was then too aggressive and was knee-barred by the BJJ blackbelt.
(Brock Lesnar Pictured)
Lesnar would get his revenge on Mir at UFC 100, getting a big takedown and nasty ground and pound shots. Lesnar earned his way back to the rematch after a three round beating of Heath Herring at UFC 87, and a KO of legend Randy Couture at UFC 91. Look for Lesnar to try to out wrestle Carwin and lay down massive GNP.
Shane Carwin (12-0) has an insane streak of 12 straight wins in the first round. In his last fight, he clubbed Frank Mir at UFC 111, knocking out his foe in just under 4 minutes, his longest fight to date. Carwin also has victories over Gabriel Gonzaga, Christian Wellish and Rex Richards. Carwin will most likely try to out box Lesnar, trying to defend takedowns.
(Shane Carwin Pictured)
Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Chris Leben- Big time props have to be given to Chris Leben (20-6) stepping up and taking this fight on short notice after Wanderlei Silva was forced out with a rib injury. Leben is going to look to brawl in this fight, getting inside on Akiyama. Leben is coming off a big KO win over previously undefeated Aaron Simpson.
Akiyama (13-1), a black belt in Judo and Shotokan Karate, will mostly look to keep his distance with body and leg kicks, before getting the fight to the ground. Akiyama will have a big advantage on the ground, having submission wins over dangerous strikers Melvin Manhoef and Francois Botha. Akiyama has other wins over Alan Belcher and Denis Kang.
(Yoshihiro Akiyama Pictured)
Matt Brown v. Chris Lytle- Expect this fight to be a stand-up war between two solid fighters. Lytle (28-17) is known for his crowd pleasing style and willingness to take risks, and he will in this fight. Lytle is currently riding a two fight win streak over Brian Foster and Kevin Brown.
Matt Brown (11-8) has been improving dramatically since his run of TUF 7. Brown defeated TUF 9 champ James Wilks, Pete Sell and Ryan Thomas before his last fight, a submission loss to Ricardo Almeida. Expect Brown to slug it out, with each fighter having the possibility of snagging a fight of the night bonus.
Stephan Bonnar v. Krzysztof Soszynski
Kurt Pellegrino v. George Sotiropoulos
SPIKE TV CARD
Brendan Schaub v. Chris Tuchscherer
Seth Petruzelli v. Ricardo Romero
UNDERCARD - SELECT FIGHTS AIR IF TIME ALLOWS
Kendall Grove v. Goran Reljic
Dave Branch v. Gerald Harris
Forrest Petz v. Daniel Roberts
Jon Madsen v. Karlos Vemola
Brock Lesnar v. Shane Carwin- This bout will unify the heavyweight title and be the toughest test to date for both fighters. Each fighter is an athletic freak, with massive hands, insane power, and quickness seldom seen for a 265 pound man. The key to each fighter will be avoiding a big punch standing and getting takedowns.
Brock Lesnar (4-1), an NCAA Division 1 HW champ, burst on the scene nearly three years ago in a K-1 bout in Los Angeles. In that fight, Lesnar destroyed Min Soo Kim in just over a minute. He would then enter the UFC to initial lukewarm results. Lesnar was beating up Frank Mir at UFC 81, before a ridiculous stand-up from Steve Mazagatti. Lesnar was then too aggressive and was knee-barred by the BJJ blackbelt.
(Brock Lesnar Pictured)
Lesnar would get his revenge on Mir at UFC 100, getting a big takedown and nasty ground and pound shots. Lesnar earned his way back to the rematch after a three round beating of Heath Herring at UFC 87, and a KO of legend Randy Couture at UFC 91. Look for Lesnar to try to out wrestle Carwin and lay down massive GNP.
Shane Carwin (12-0) has an insane streak of 12 straight wins in the first round. In his last fight, he clubbed Frank Mir at UFC 111, knocking out his foe in just under 4 minutes, his longest fight to date. Carwin also has victories over Gabriel Gonzaga, Christian Wellish and Rex Richards. Carwin will most likely try to out box Lesnar, trying to defend takedowns.
(Shane Carwin Pictured)
Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Chris Leben- Big time props have to be given to Chris Leben (20-6) stepping up and taking this fight on short notice after Wanderlei Silva was forced out with a rib injury. Leben is going to look to brawl in this fight, getting inside on Akiyama. Leben is coming off a big KO win over previously undefeated Aaron Simpson.
Akiyama (13-1), a black belt in Judo and Shotokan Karate, will mostly look to keep his distance with body and leg kicks, before getting the fight to the ground. Akiyama will have a big advantage on the ground, having submission wins over dangerous strikers Melvin Manhoef and Francois Botha. Akiyama has other wins over Alan Belcher and Denis Kang.
(Yoshihiro Akiyama Pictured)
Matt Brown v. Chris Lytle- Expect this fight to be a stand-up war between two solid fighters. Lytle (28-17) is known for his crowd pleasing style and willingness to take risks, and he will in this fight. Lytle is currently riding a two fight win streak over Brian Foster and Kevin Brown.
Matt Brown (11-8) has been improving dramatically since his run of TUF 7. Brown defeated TUF 9 champ James Wilks, Pete Sell and Ryan Thomas before his last fight, a submission loss to Ricardo Almeida. Expect Brown to slug it out, with each fighter having the possibility of snagging a fight of the night bonus.
Stephan Bonnar v. Krzysztof Soszynski
Kurt Pellegrino v. George Sotiropoulos
SPIKE TV CARD
Brendan Schaub v. Chris Tuchscherer
Seth Petruzelli v. Ricardo Romero
UNDERCARD - SELECT FIGHTS AIR IF TIME ALLOWS
Kendall Grove v. Goran Reljic
Dave Branch v. Gerald Harris
Forrest Petz v. Daniel Roberts
Jon Madsen v. Karlos Vemola
Monday, November 16, 2009
UFC Champ Brock Lesnar Out
It seems Brock Lesnar will be on the shelf for some time following his bacterial infection and fight with mono. When he returns, it will likely be in a fight with an interim title holder, maybe the victor of Shane Carwin versus Cain Velasquez.
Brock Lesnar has been an extremely polarizing fighter since his entrance into K-1 Hero's in a match against Min Soo Kim. Pre-fight, Brock was dressed in a suit and was respectful to notables at the event such as Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba. Lesnar rained punches on the judo black belt after a patented double leg takedown to finish the fight via TKO.
(Lesnar v. Kim)
The next move for Lesnar was to fight Frank Mir at UFC 81. In the fight, Lesnar dominated Mir with a flush overhand right that sent Mir tumbling to the canvas. After an questionable punch to the back of the head area and ill-advised stand-up by Steve Mazzagati, Mir found his way to a knee bar to win the fight.
(Lesnar v. Mir I)
In his third fight, "Krazy Horse" Heath Herring stood in Lesnar's way. Lesnar used lightening quick takedowns, the clinch, and vicious ground and pound. He had Herring's back, throwing nasty punches to the face of Herring.
(Heath Herring post fight)
UFC Hall of Famer and all around legend Randy Couture was Lesnar's next fight. Lesnar's wrestling was finally tested, as Randy was able to fend off a couple takedown attempts, scramble and clinch against the behemoth. Lesnar was just too strong, as he displayed his boxing skills in a punch that clipped Couture behind the head. As Couture went to the canvas, Lesnar followed and unleashed a serious fury of ground and pound.
(Lesnar throwing a punch at Couture)
In his last bout, Lesnar against used a ground and pound assault and flawless takedowns to smother Frank Mir. Mir was unable to use his submission skills as Lesnar pinned his arm back and displayed nasty short range power with his punches. With revenge in his hands, Brock flipped a switch, throwing the double bird, disrespecting fans. Lesnar has since apologized at the UFC 100 post fight press conference.
(Lesnar v. Mir II)
Lesnar must draw on his NCAA wrestling background, not the WWE antics. He can be one of the most dominant heavyweights in history. He needs to lose the antics and be respectful of his opponents and the sport of mixed martial arts.
(NCAA Champ)
(Lesnar ready to slam Hulk Hogan)
(Lesnar on the Vikings)
Brock Lesnar has been an extremely polarizing fighter since his entrance into K-1 Hero's in a match against Min Soo Kim. Pre-fight, Brock was dressed in a suit and was respectful to notables at the event such as Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba. Lesnar rained punches on the judo black belt after a patented double leg takedown to finish the fight via TKO.
(Lesnar v. Kim)
The next move for Lesnar was to fight Frank Mir at UFC 81. In the fight, Lesnar dominated Mir with a flush overhand right that sent Mir tumbling to the canvas. After an questionable punch to the back of the head area and ill-advised stand-up by Steve Mazzagati, Mir found his way to a knee bar to win the fight.
(Lesnar v. Mir I)
In his third fight, "Krazy Horse" Heath Herring stood in Lesnar's way. Lesnar used lightening quick takedowns, the clinch, and vicious ground and pound. He had Herring's back, throwing nasty punches to the face of Herring.
(Heath Herring post fight)
UFC Hall of Famer and all around legend Randy Couture was Lesnar's next fight. Lesnar's wrestling was finally tested, as Randy was able to fend off a couple takedown attempts, scramble and clinch against the behemoth. Lesnar was just too strong, as he displayed his boxing skills in a punch that clipped Couture behind the head. As Couture went to the canvas, Lesnar followed and unleashed a serious fury of ground and pound.
(Lesnar throwing a punch at Couture)
In his last bout, Lesnar against used a ground and pound assault and flawless takedowns to smother Frank Mir. Mir was unable to use his submission skills as Lesnar pinned his arm back and displayed nasty short range power with his punches. With revenge in his hands, Brock flipped a switch, throwing the double bird, disrespecting fans. Lesnar has since apologized at the UFC 100 post fight press conference.
(Lesnar v. Mir II)
Lesnar must draw on his NCAA wrestling background, not the WWE antics. He can be one of the most dominant heavyweights in history. He needs to lose the antics and be respectful of his opponents and the sport of mixed martial arts.
(NCAA Champ)
(Lesnar ready to slam Hulk Hogan)
(Lesnar on the Vikings)
Monday, July 13, 2009
UFC 100 Review
UFC 100 proved to be an excellent card as champions Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre dominated their respective opponents to defend their titles. Even though there have been many more than 100 events in UFC history, including Fight Nights and the ever popular UFC 37.5, this card stuck out as one of the best.
Yoshihiro Akiyama def Alan Belcher via Dec (Split)- Akiyama and Belcher slugged it out in the first televised fight of the night. Akiyama seemed to land clean punches and high kicks. Belcher worked the legs with low kicks. Akiyama closed the first by getting dazed by a Belcher punch, then getting a takedown.
In the second it was all Akiyama, as he was able to get a takedown and rain down some solid punches from top position. Belcher was able to get a few leg kicks to close the round. In the third, Belcher scored a nasty superman punch in the third pushing it off the fence. Akiyama wouldn't be deterred as he scored a very close split decision. I gave the fight to Akiyama, taking the first and second rounds.
*Akiyama and Belcher win Fight of the Night bonus.
Dan Henderson def Michael Bisping via KO (Punch) R2, 3:20- Dan Henderson completely destroyed Mike Bisping throughout the fight. In the first round, Henderson was able to stun Bisping with a punch and brutalize him with knees. In the second round, Bisping was circling into Henderson's big right hand. One big one connected, and Bisping was out cold. Henderson threw one extra punch to seal his KO of the night award.
*Henderson wins KO of the Night bonus
Georges St. Pierre def Thiago Alves via Dec (Unanimous)- Georges St. Pierre looked phenomenal in this fight that featured takedowns, ground and pound, and precision striking. In the second round, St. Pierre busted up a couple cuts while getting in shots in the mount position. GSP was also able to get the back of Alves on numerous occasions.
Every round in this fight went to St. Pierre who ran into trouble in the third round. In that round, in the only time St. Pierre went to his back, he injured his groin when Alves attempted to pass guard. In the fourth round break, GSP was heard saying that he pulled his groin. Trainer Greg Jackson said that he didn't care. GSP headed his advice and continued to beat him up to seal the unanimous decision.
(WW Champ Georges St. Pierre pictured)
Brock Lesnar def Frank Mir via TKO (Punches) R2, 1:48- Lesnar was able to get revenge in this much hyped title fight. After Mir pulled out of their proposed bout at UFC 98, then talk serious smack, Lesnar's hatred began to build. Lesnar came to the bout ready for war. Mir looked a little banged up with a completely taped knee and recently drained hematoma.
In the first round, Lesnar was more cautious and focused fighter, as he was able to get a takedown and do damage. He looked to get position on Mir pinning his arm up and throwing punches. He landed numerous shots from the ground to cause serious damage. In the second, Mir had his best chance as he briefly stunned Lesnar with a knee. However, Lesnar was just too much as he clobbered Mir with punches until Herb Dean stopped the fight. Lesnar unifies the HW belts.
*MMA Blaster readers correctly choose Lesnar 104-79.
(HW Champ Brock Lesnar pictured)
Jon Fitch def Paulo Thiago via Dec (Unanimous)- In this fight, squeezed in at the end of the show, Fitch laid a whooping on Paulo Thiago. Fitch consistently scored takedowns, got Thiago's back, and nearly won by TKO as the bell rang.
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Shannon Gugerty def Matt Grice via Sub (Guillotine) R1, 2:36
Dong Hyun Kim def T.J. Grant via Dec (Unanimous)
Jon Jones def Jake O'Brien via Sub(Guillotine) R2, 2:43
Jim Miller def Mac Danzig via Dec (Unanimous)
Mark Coleman def Stephan Bonnar via Dec (Unanimous)
Tom Lawlor def CB Dollaway via Sub (Guillotine) R1, 0:55
*Lawlor wins Submission of the Night Bonus.
Yoshihiro Akiyama def Alan Belcher via Dec (Split)- Akiyama and Belcher slugged it out in the first televised fight of the night. Akiyama seemed to land clean punches and high kicks. Belcher worked the legs with low kicks. Akiyama closed the first by getting dazed by a Belcher punch, then getting a takedown.
In the second it was all Akiyama, as he was able to get a takedown and rain down some solid punches from top position. Belcher was able to get a few leg kicks to close the round. In the third, Belcher scored a nasty superman punch in the third pushing it off the fence. Akiyama wouldn't be deterred as he scored a very close split decision. I gave the fight to Akiyama, taking the first and second rounds.
*Akiyama and Belcher win Fight of the Night bonus.
Dan Henderson def Michael Bisping via KO (Punch) R2, 3:20- Dan Henderson completely destroyed Mike Bisping throughout the fight. In the first round, Henderson was able to stun Bisping with a punch and brutalize him with knees. In the second round, Bisping was circling into Henderson's big right hand. One big one connected, and Bisping was out cold. Henderson threw one extra punch to seal his KO of the night award.
*Henderson wins KO of the Night bonus
Georges St. Pierre def Thiago Alves via Dec (Unanimous)- Georges St. Pierre looked phenomenal in this fight that featured takedowns, ground and pound, and precision striking. In the second round, St. Pierre busted up a couple cuts while getting in shots in the mount position. GSP was also able to get the back of Alves on numerous occasions.
Every round in this fight went to St. Pierre who ran into trouble in the third round. In that round, in the only time St. Pierre went to his back, he injured his groin when Alves attempted to pass guard. In the fourth round break, GSP was heard saying that he pulled his groin. Trainer Greg Jackson said that he didn't care. GSP headed his advice and continued to beat him up to seal the unanimous decision.
(WW Champ Georges St. Pierre pictured)
Brock Lesnar def Frank Mir via TKO (Punches) R2, 1:48- Lesnar was able to get revenge in this much hyped title fight. After Mir pulled out of their proposed bout at UFC 98, then talk serious smack, Lesnar's hatred began to build. Lesnar came to the bout ready for war. Mir looked a little banged up with a completely taped knee and recently drained hematoma.
In the first round, Lesnar was more cautious and focused fighter, as he was able to get a takedown and do damage. He looked to get position on Mir pinning his arm up and throwing punches. He landed numerous shots from the ground to cause serious damage. In the second, Mir had his best chance as he briefly stunned Lesnar with a knee. However, Lesnar was just too much as he clobbered Mir with punches until Herb Dean stopped the fight. Lesnar unifies the HW belts.
*MMA Blaster readers correctly choose Lesnar 104-79.
(HW Champ Brock Lesnar pictured)
Jon Fitch def Paulo Thiago via Dec (Unanimous)- In this fight, squeezed in at the end of the show, Fitch laid a whooping on Paulo Thiago. Fitch consistently scored takedowns, got Thiago's back, and nearly won by TKO as the bell rang.
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Shannon Gugerty def Matt Grice via Sub (Guillotine) R1, 2:36
Dong Hyun Kim def T.J. Grant via Dec (Unanimous)
Jon Jones def Jake O'Brien via Sub(Guillotine) R2, 2:43
Jim Miller def Mac Danzig via Dec (Unanimous)
Mark Coleman def Stephan Bonnar via Dec (Unanimous)
Tom Lawlor def CB Dollaway via Sub (Guillotine) R1, 0:55
*Lawlor wins Submission of the Night Bonus.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Video of the Day - UFC 100 Postfight
Here is video of the post-fight interviews. Brock Lesnar apologizes for his not so classy post fight celebration.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
UFC 100 Preview
UFC 100 has been much anticipated in the martial arts world. There have been rumors swirling around potential new UFC Hall of Fame inductees Chuck Liddell and Charles "Mask" Lewis, as well as the reveal of the official TUF 10 cast. Here is a look at the fights that are scheduled for July 11, 2009 at the Mandalay Events Center. Here is the line-up:
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (HW Title)- Expect some fireworks in this dynamic heavyweight match-up. One of the strongest men in all of mixed martial arts, Brock Lesnar (3-1, 2-1 UFC) will try to avenge his lone pro loss against elite submission artist Frank Mir (12-3, 10-3 UFC). In the first match-up, Brock Lesnar dropped Mir with a solid right hand, then smothered him with ground and pound.
However, Mir recovered after an ill-advised ref stand-up and next tapped Lesnar out to a knee-bar. Lesnar is the 2000 NCAA Heavyweight wrestling champion and WWE Heavyweight champ. Lesnar smoked judoka Min Soo Kim in his first fight in K-1 Hero's. After the loss to Mir, he destroyed Heath Herring then Randy Couture for the title.
(Brock Lesnar pictured)
Frank Mir was first supposed to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 98, however Mir suffered a knee injury in training. Mir is coming off his best stand-up performance of his career against Antonio Nogueira. Mir captured the UFC HW title previously in an awesome arm breaking arm bar at UFC 48. He has other victories over Wes Sims, Pete Williams and Antoni Hardonk.
(Frank Mir's winning kneebar pictured)
Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (WW Title)- St. Pierre (18-2, 12-2 UFC) has been on a roll since the upset loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69. He turned in dominated the competition rolling off five quality wins against Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, and most recently BJ Penn. Look for GSP to get takedowns and then work ground and pound before a submission.
(Georges St. Pierre pictured)
Thiago Alves (16-3, 9-2 UFC) is a massive 170 pounder who may have a slight strength advantage against GSP. In his last fight, Alves was able to stay off the ground against Josh Koscheck, winning with his stand-up skills. Alves is a power puncher with good knees. His career victories include recent KO's with knees and punches against Karo Parisyan and Matt Hughes.
(Thiago Alves pictured)
Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher
UNDER CARD
Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
C.B. Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty
T.J. Grant vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (HW Title)- Expect some fireworks in this dynamic heavyweight match-up. One of the strongest men in all of mixed martial arts, Brock Lesnar (3-1, 2-1 UFC) will try to avenge his lone pro loss against elite submission artist Frank Mir (12-3, 10-3 UFC). In the first match-up, Brock Lesnar dropped Mir with a solid right hand, then smothered him with ground and pound.
However, Mir recovered after an ill-advised ref stand-up and next tapped Lesnar out to a knee-bar. Lesnar is the 2000 NCAA Heavyweight wrestling champion and WWE Heavyweight champ. Lesnar smoked judoka Min Soo Kim in his first fight in K-1 Hero's. After the loss to Mir, he destroyed Heath Herring then Randy Couture for the title.
(Brock Lesnar pictured)
Frank Mir was first supposed to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 98, however Mir suffered a knee injury in training. Mir is coming off his best stand-up performance of his career against Antonio Nogueira. Mir captured the UFC HW title previously in an awesome arm breaking arm bar at UFC 48. He has other victories over Wes Sims, Pete Williams and Antoni Hardonk.
(Frank Mir's winning kneebar pictured)
Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (WW Title)- St. Pierre (18-2, 12-2 UFC) has been on a roll since the upset loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69. He turned in dominated the competition rolling off five quality wins against Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, and most recently BJ Penn. Look for GSP to get takedowns and then work ground and pound before a submission.
(Georges St. Pierre pictured)
Thiago Alves (16-3, 9-2 UFC) is a massive 170 pounder who may have a slight strength advantage against GSP. In his last fight, Alves was able to stay off the ground against Josh Koscheck, winning with his stand-up skills. Alves is a power puncher with good knees. His career victories include recent KO's with knees and punches against Karo Parisyan and Matt Hughes.
(Thiago Alves pictured)
Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher
UNDER CARD
Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
C.B. Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty
T.J. Grant vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Sunday, November 16, 2008
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.
(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.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
UFC 91 Preview
UFC 91 will be held in Las Vegas on November 15, 2008. I'll probably be watching at a local watering hole here in Chicago. With the drawing power of Lesnar and Couture, the ppv buy record for an MMA broadcast will probably be shattered. All fighters made weight with Randy Couture tipping the scales at 220 pounds. Brock Lesnar weighed the max at 265. In the other HW clash, Gabriel Gonzaga came in at 256 while Josh Hendricks came in at 238.
Randy Couture (16-8, 13-5 UFC) vs. Brock Lesnar (2-1, 1-1 UFC)- This is the main event for the UFC Heavyweight title. Couture has been absent from the cage for 14 months while involved in a contract dispute. It is still unclear what Couture will do after this fight as he wants a fight with Fedor.
Couture beat Tim Sylvia to win the HW belt and defeated Gabriel Gonzaga in his title defense. Prior to that fight Couture had lost to Chuck Liddell at 205 pounds in 2006. Couture has been fighting since 1997, winning a four man tournament at UFC 13 in his debut. Couture's big wins have been against Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Pedro Rizzo, Kevin Randleman, Maurice Smith and one victory over Chuck Liddell (2 losses to Liddell).
Lesnar is a NCAA HW Champion wrestler at the University of Minnesota and placed second in his junior year. Lesnar destroyed Min Soo Kim in his debut with K-1 Hero's(now Dream) with a takedown and ground and pound. He lost his UFC debut to Frank Mir, despite laying a beating on Mir for the first 1:15 of the fight. Unfortunately, Brock got a little overconfident and lost via kneebar. In his last fight he dominated veteran fighter Heath Herring in a decision.
Both fighters are legit wrestlers with power. Couture has a big advantage in terms of experience, but on the flipside is 45 year old and not getting any younger. Couture will look to use dirty boxing in the clinch to win. He will also have to be ready to fight off his back as Lesnar has excellent takedowns.
Lesnar will look to use his speed to get a takedown. From there he has to make his punches count and defend submissions against the cagey veteran. Lesnar will come in with a sizable weight advantage, probably 40+ pounds. Lesnar is also deceptively quick and athletic for his size.
Kenny Florian (10-3) vs. Joe Stevenson (29-8)- This fight will be for a shot at BJ Penn's 155 pound crown. Expect Florian to try to keep the fight standing where he has been improving his Muay Thai game. Expect Stevenson to attempt to get the fight to the ground where he can try to utilize his ground game. Stevenson received his BJJ black belt recently.
Florian is on quite a roll in his UFC career since his loss to Sean Sherk for the 155 pound title. He has beaten Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Alvin Robinson, Din Thomas, Joe Lauzon and Roger Huerta. Stevenson recently defeated Gleison Tibau via guillotine choke. Stevenson also holds wins over Yves Edwards, Kurt Pellegrino and Melvin Guillard and Luke Cummo in the UFC.
Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) vs. Josh Hendricks (15-4)- Gonzaga is coming off a kimura win over Justin McCulley after back to back TKO losses to Randy Couture and Fabricio Werdum. Gonzaga is 5-2 in the UFC with wins over Cro Cop, Carmelo Marrero and Fabiano Scherner. Hendricks is a two-time All American wrestler who has won his past 10 fights. His best wins have come against Todd Brown (4-1) and Steve Conkel (13-4).
Demian Maia (8-0) vs. Nate Quarry (10-2)- This is the classic grappler v. striker match-up. Maia has some of the best BJJ on the planet. He has submission wins over Jason MacDonald, Ed Herman, and Ryan Jensen inside the UFC. Look for Maia to do everything in his power to get the fight to the ground.
Quarry on the other hand will look to keep the fight standing. Quarry is coming off a lackluster win over Kalib Starnes and a KO of Pete Sell. Quarry also has wins over Lodune Sincaid and Shonie Carter on his resume.
Dustin Hazelett (11-4) vs. Tamdan McCrory (9-1)- I'd really like to see this bout make the televised portion of the event. Hazelett is a BJJ black belt who is a master on the ground. He has submissions over Josh Burkman, Steven Lynch and Jonathan Goulet in the UFC. McCrory is a young up and comer, having beat Pete Spratt and Luke Cummo in the UFC.
Undercard
Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Mark Bocek vs. Alvin Robinson
Matt Brown vs. Ryan Thomas
Nick Catone (5-0) vs. Amir Sadollah (1-0)- Unfortunately, this bout was scratched as Amir Sadollah has a leg infection.
Randy Couture (16-8, 13-5 UFC) vs. Brock Lesnar (2-1, 1-1 UFC)- This is the main event for the UFC Heavyweight title. Couture has been absent from the cage for 14 months while involved in a contract dispute. It is still unclear what Couture will do after this fight as he wants a fight with Fedor.
Couture beat Tim Sylvia to win the HW belt and defeated Gabriel Gonzaga in his title defense. Prior to that fight Couture had lost to Chuck Liddell at 205 pounds in 2006. Couture has been fighting since 1997, winning a four man tournament at UFC 13 in his debut. Couture's big wins have been against Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Pedro Rizzo, Kevin Randleman, Maurice Smith and one victory over Chuck Liddell (2 losses to Liddell).
Lesnar is a NCAA HW Champion wrestler at the University of Minnesota and placed second in his junior year. Lesnar destroyed Min Soo Kim in his debut with K-1 Hero's(now Dream) with a takedown and ground and pound. He lost his UFC debut to Frank Mir, despite laying a beating on Mir for the first 1:15 of the fight. Unfortunately, Brock got a little overconfident and lost via kneebar. In his last fight he dominated veteran fighter Heath Herring in a decision.
Both fighters are legit wrestlers with power. Couture has a big advantage in terms of experience, but on the flipside is 45 year old and not getting any younger. Couture will look to use dirty boxing in the clinch to win. He will also have to be ready to fight off his back as Lesnar has excellent takedowns.
Lesnar will look to use his speed to get a takedown. From there he has to make his punches count and defend submissions against the cagey veteran. Lesnar will come in with a sizable weight advantage, probably 40+ pounds. Lesnar is also deceptively quick and athletic for his size.
Kenny Florian (10-3) vs. Joe Stevenson (29-8)- This fight will be for a shot at BJ Penn's 155 pound crown. Expect Florian to try to keep the fight standing where he has been improving his Muay Thai game. Expect Stevenson to attempt to get the fight to the ground where he can try to utilize his ground game. Stevenson received his BJJ black belt recently.
Florian is on quite a roll in his UFC career since his loss to Sean Sherk for the 155 pound title. He has beaten Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Alvin Robinson, Din Thomas, Joe Lauzon and Roger Huerta. Stevenson recently defeated Gleison Tibau via guillotine choke. Stevenson also holds wins over Yves Edwards, Kurt Pellegrino and Melvin Guillard and Luke Cummo in the UFC.
Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) vs. Josh Hendricks (15-4)- Gonzaga is coming off a kimura win over Justin McCulley after back to back TKO losses to Randy Couture and Fabricio Werdum. Gonzaga is 5-2 in the UFC with wins over Cro Cop, Carmelo Marrero and Fabiano Scherner. Hendricks is a two-time All American wrestler who has won his past 10 fights. His best wins have come against Todd Brown (4-1) and Steve Conkel (13-4).
Demian Maia (8-0) vs. Nate Quarry (10-2)- This is the classic grappler v. striker match-up. Maia has some of the best BJJ on the planet. He has submission wins over Jason MacDonald, Ed Herman, and Ryan Jensen inside the UFC. Look for Maia to do everything in his power to get the fight to the ground.
Quarry on the other hand will look to keep the fight standing. Quarry is coming off a lackluster win over Kalib Starnes and a KO of Pete Sell. Quarry also has wins over Lodune Sincaid and Shonie Carter on his resume.
Dustin Hazelett (11-4) vs. Tamdan McCrory (9-1)- I'd really like to see this bout make the televised portion of the event. Hazelett is a BJJ black belt who is a master on the ground. He has submissions over Josh Burkman, Steven Lynch and Jonathan Goulet in the UFC. McCrory is a young up and comer, having beat Pete Spratt and Luke Cummo in the UFC.
Undercard
Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Mark Bocek vs. Alvin Robinson
Matt Brown vs. Ryan Thomas
Nick Catone (5-0) vs. Amir Sadollah (1-0)- Unfortunately, this bout was scratched as Amir Sadollah has a leg infection.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Video of the Day - Brock Lesnar on E:60
Brock Lesnar is slated to face Randy Couture at UFC 91 in Las Vegas on November 15th for the Heavyweight Title.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
UFC 87 Results
UFC 87 saw most of the favorites come out victories in an entertaining card. The Minnesota crowd was very energetic throughout the night.
Champ Georges St. Pierre def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision- GSP was dominant throughout the entire fight as he laid a punishment on Jon Fitch. St. Pierre got a takedown right off the bat and never stopped getting whatever he wanted the entire fight. Fitch stayed resilient, but couldn't amount a serious offense the entire fight.
In his next fight, St. Pierre will fight the UFC's lightweight champ B.J. Penn. Penn will be moving up to 170 for the fight, which Penn lost via a razor thin split decision at UFC 58.
*MMA Blaster readers were correct in choosing GSP to win 14-4.
Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision (all 30-26)- Lesnar landed a massive right hand right off the bat, crumpling Heath Herring and then chasing him to the canvas, tackling the somersaulting Herring. The rest of the fight saw Lesnar takedown Herring at will, knee him in the ribs, and sneak in punches. Herring's eye was swollen, and he didn't do anything throughout the fight but survive.
While Lesnar dominated the fight, he had opportunities to finish the fight and did not capitalize. Lesnar just didn't risk the rear naked choke attempt or an armbar because he was controlling the fight. If Lesnar developed a really good submission game, he could he could be unstoppable. He can get a takedown on virtually anyone in the fight game. If he had better ju-jitsu skills, anything would be possible.
Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via TKO (strikes)- R1, 0:12- Manny decided to come out swinging wildly and going for a take down. That strategy didn't work as Emerson landed a right hand right on Manny's chin. He went back, and absorbed another punch before going out cold. Manny's head bounced off the canvas a couple times, but he ended up bouncing up and being fine.
Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision (all 30-27)- Florian fought a more tactical game to win the fight. Huerta tried to rush in with wild combo's but Florian blocked most of his attack. Florian got the take downs an more clean strikes the entire fight.
Damian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (rear-naked choke)- R3, 2:44- Maia flashed some extreme BJJ skills in this fight. Maia dominated every position, getting close to stopping the fight with elbows and a litany of submission attempts. In the third a Maia got the rear choke in the third.
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via TKO (strikes)- R1, 4:55- Kongo dominated the first round with devasting strikes and combos. It didn't take long before Evenson had eaten too many punches.
Tamdan McCrory def. Luke Cummo via unanimous decision
Jon Jones def. Andre Gusmao via unanimous decision
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via submission (arm-bar)- R2, 2:28
*This is pretty funny considering how much hype Lesnar has been getting.
Champ Georges St. Pierre def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision- GSP was dominant throughout the entire fight as he laid a punishment on Jon Fitch. St. Pierre got a takedown right off the bat and never stopped getting whatever he wanted the entire fight. Fitch stayed resilient, but couldn't amount a serious offense the entire fight.
In his next fight, St. Pierre will fight the UFC's lightweight champ B.J. Penn. Penn will be moving up to 170 for the fight, which Penn lost via a razor thin split decision at UFC 58.
*MMA Blaster readers were correct in choosing GSP to win 14-4.
Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision (all 30-26)- Lesnar landed a massive right hand right off the bat, crumpling Heath Herring and then chasing him to the canvas, tackling the somersaulting Herring. The rest of the fight saw Lesnar takedown Herring at will, knee him in the ribs, and sneak in punches. Herring's eye was swollen, and he didn't do anything throughout the fight but survive.
While Lesnar dominated the fight, he had opportunities to finish the fight and did not capitalize. Lesnar just didn't risk the rear naked choke attempt or an armbar because he was controlling the fight. If Lesnar developed a really good submission game, he could he could be unstoppable. He can get a takedown on virtually anyone in the fight game. If he had better ju-jitsu skills, anything would be possible.
Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via TKO (strikes)- R1, 0:12- Manny decided to come out swinging wildly and going for a take down. That strategy didn't work as Emerson landed a right hand right on Manny's chin. He went back, and absorbed another punch before going out cold. Manny's head bounced off the canvas a couple times, but he ended up bouncing up and being fine.
Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision (all 30-27)- Florian fought a more tactical game to win the fight. Huerta tried to rush in with wild combo's but Florian blocked most of his attack. Florian got the take downs an more clean strikes the entire fight.
Damian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (rear-naked choke)- R3, 2:44- Maia flashed some extreme BJJ skills in this fight. Maia dominated every position, getting close to stopping the fight with elbows and a litany of submission attempts. In the third a Maia got the rear choke in the third.
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via TKO (strikes)- R1, 4:55- Kongo dominated the first round with devasting strikes and combos. It didn't take long before Evenson had eaten too many punches.
Tamdan McCrory def. Luke Cummo via unanimous decision
Jon Jones def. Andre Gusmao via unanimous decision
Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision
Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via submission (arm-bar)- R2, 2:28
*This is pretty funny considering how much hype Lesnar has been getting.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The UFC Should Pick Up Roy Nelson
The UFC heavyweight division has some excellent new heavyweight prospects in Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar. Roy Nelson from the IFL might not be ripped, but he hits like a freight train. Anyone who saw the Brad Imes fight knows Nelson has some serious power. He was has a 13-2 overall record, going 6-1 in the IFL with 5 TKO/KO's and a very narrow decision loss to Ben Rothwell.
Antoine Jaoude v. Roy Nelson Round 1
Here is the second round from Antoine Jaoude v. Roy Nelson
*While it hasn't been made official, Roy could be headed to Affliction.
Antoine Jaoude v. Roy Nelson Round 1
Here is the second round from Antoine Jaoude v. Roy Nelson
*While it hasn't been made official, Roy could be headed to Affliction.
Friday, August 1, 2008
UFC 87 Preview
UFC 87 will be held this Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All fighters made weight, with Brock Lesnar weighing the heavyweight limit at 265.
WW Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch- GSP at (16-2) is one of the best athlete's in the game and has some of the best overall skills in MMA. In his last three fights he has destroyed Matt Serra, beat up Matt Hughes, and out wrestled one of the best wrestlers in Josh Koscheck.
Jon Fitch at (18-2) has rattled off 8 straight victories of his own inside the octagon. However, a couple have been split decisions, and were very close. Fitch has a complete all-around game and will have to use it in this fight. I see the fight taking place on the feet, with GSP unleasing a fury.
Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring- In Lesnar's (1-1) first fight he worked over Min So Kim in K1. In his second effort he beat up Frank Mir, until Mir sensed Lesnar stand up while in guard, grabbed his leg and pulled off a submission. Herring (28-13) has gone 2-2 in the UFC with all four fights going to decision. His last fight was an ugly decision victory over Cheick Kongo.
Lesnar has proven he can get takedowns in MMA. He hasn't proven that he can avoid submissions. I think Lesnar will overwelm Herring and get a TKO early. The fight won't go past the second round.
Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta- Florian at (9-3) has looked dominant in his four straight wins inside the UFC. He has beaten Joe Lauzon, Din Thomas, Alvin Robinson and Dokonjonosuke Mishima winning each by early stoppage. Huerta at (20-1) has not beaten the same level of competition as Florian. Huerta is an extremely exciting fighter and most likely will keep it standing. This fight could end up being a muay thai/kickboxing battle on the feet.
Rob Emerson vs. Manny Gamburyan- Manny Gamburyan (8-2) looks healthy and has won two straight since his injury loss against Nate Diaz in the TUF 5 finale. Emerson is coming off a decision win over Keita Nakamura in UFC 81.
Jason MacDonald vs. Demian Maia- Jason MacDonald is coming off a big win over Joe Doerkson after his loss to Yushin Okami. Maia is a perfect (7-0) a submission wizard, with BJJ blackbelt. MacDonald holds some impressive submission victories as well. The winner will likely be put up near a top contender spot.
-Undercard-
Luke Cummo vs. Tamdan McCrory
Dan Evensen vs. Cheick Kongo
Jon Jones vs. Andre Gusmao
Steve Bruno vs. Chris Wilson
Ben Saunders vs. Ryan Thomas
*Picture of GSP kneeing a downed Matt Serra
*Picture of Lesnar from the WWE days
WW Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch- GSP at (16-2) is one of the best athlete's in the game and has some of the best overall skills in MMA. In his last three fights he has destroyed Matt Serra, beat up Matt Hughes, and out wrestled one of the best wrestlers in Josh Koscheck.
Jon Fitch at (18-2) has rattled off 8 straight victories of his own inside the octagon. However, a couple have been split decisions, and were very close. Fitch has a complete all-around game and will have to use it in this fight. I see the fight taking place on the feet, with GSP unleasing a fury.
Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring- In Lesnar's (1-1) first fight he worked over Min So Kim in K1. In his second effort he beat up Frank Mir, until Mir sensed Lesnar stand up while in guard, grabbed his leg and pulled off a submission. Herring (28-13) has gone 2-2 in the UFC with all four fights going to decision. His last fight was an ugly decision victory over Cheick Kongo.
Lesnar has proven he can get takedowns in MMA. He hasn't proven that he can avoid submissions. I think Lesnar will overwelm Herring and get a TKO early. The fight won't go past the second round.
Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta- Florian at (9-3) has looked dominant in his four straight wins inside the UFC. He has beaten Joe Lauzon, Din Thomas, Alvin Robinson and Dokonjonosuke Mishima winning each by early stoppage. Huerta at (20-1) has not beaten the same level of competition as Florian. Huerta is an extremely exciting fighter and most likely will keep it standing. This fight could end up being a muay thai/kickboxing battle on the feet.
Rob Emerson vs. Manny Gamburyan- Manny Gamburyan (8-2) looks healthy and has won two straight since his injury loss against Nate Diaz in the TUF 5 finale. Emerson is coming off a decision win over Keita Nakamura in UFC 81.
Jason MacDonald vs. Demian Maia- Jason MacDonald is coming off a big win over Joe Doerkson after his loss to Yushin Okami. Maia is a perfect (7-0) a submission wizard, with BJJ blackbelt. MacDonald holds some impressive submission victories as well. The winner will likely be put up near a top contender spot.
-Undercard-
Luke Cummo vs. Tamdan McCrory
Dan Evensen vs. Cheick Kongo
Jon Jones vs. Andre Gusmao
Steve Bruno vs. Chris Wilson
Ben Saunders vs. Ryan Thomas
*Picture of GSP kneeing a downed Matt Serra
*Picture of Lesnar from the WWE days
Monday, February 4, 2008
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
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
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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.
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.
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