Video of the Day - Kim v. Ando

Here is Dong Hyun Kim fighting Jun Ando in Deep 27 which took place on 12/20/06 in Tokyo, Japan.

Kim (18-2) will next fight John Hathaway (17-1) in the headliner of TUF China Finale.

UFC 114 - Russow's Rampage

Once again, elevated levels of trash talk have translated in to a generally cautious fight. The main event of UFC 114 pitting Rashad Evans against Rampage Jackson translated into a rather pedestrian affair, with Rashad scoring takedowns and a couple decent shots standing.

Eventually, Rampage was able to effectively counter punch in the third round, landing a big punch to send Rashad to the ground. After a brief ground and pound assault by Rampage, Rashad was able to counter, ending up with a takedown of his own and ground and pound. In the end all three judges gave the match to Rashad. Rashad will now meet Shogun Rua for a shot at the title.

A co-main event of Michael Bisping and Dan Miller played out like a technical kickboxing match, with Miller failing to get a takedown until the third round. Bisping proved the better kickboxer, getting the better of all the exchanges. Look for Bisping to fight Nate Quarry or Tim Credeur next.

Mike Russow notched one of the most epic come from behind victories in UFC history in his defeat of the younger and much more chiseled Todd Duffee. While both fighters weighed in at 253, Duffee was far more lean, pushing the pace throughout the fight.

Duffee landed shots at will on Russow sending him to one knee after landing an uppercut in the first round. Russow stayed moving, attempting takedowns that were stuffed by Duffee every time. Midway through the third round, Russow landed a big right hand to the temple of Duffe, then added another shot as Duffee went tumbling to the canvas. Russow is now 2-0 in the UFC, and will likely face a fighter like Cheick Kongo or Gabriel Gonzaga next.
*Russow earns KO of the Night

Full Results:

Rashad Evans def Quinton Jackson via unanimous dec
Michael Bisping def Dan Miller via unanimous dec
Mike Russow def Todd Duffee via KO(punch) R3, 2:35
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def Jason Brilz via split dec
John Hathaway def Diego Sanchez via unanimous dec
Dong Hyun Kim def Amir Sadollah via unanimous dec
Efrain Escudero def Dan Lauzon via unanimous dec
Melvin Guillard def Waylon Lowe via KO (knee) R1, 3:28
Cyrille Diabate def Luiz Cane via TKO (punches) R1, 2:13
Aaron Riley def Joe Brammer via unanimous dec
Ryan Jensen def Jesse Forbes via sub (guillotine) R1, 1:06

Video of the Day - Kim v. Kubota

Here is Dong Hyun Kim v. Kosei Kubota from Deep 26 which took place on 10/10/06. Kim will be fighting TJ Grant at UFC 100.

UFC 94 Preview

UFC 94 kicks off this Saturday, January 31st at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The BJ Penn v. GSP fight is being hyped up as the Superbowl of MMA. We will see how the card plays out, hopefully Machida is feeling peppy. All fighters made weight, with former heavyweights Christian Wellish and Jake O'Brien debuting at 205 pounds.

MAIN CARD

Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn- This fight is being hyped as the fight of the year. The undisputed king of the 170 pound class versus the king of the 155 pound class. In addition, this is a rematch of a match from UFC 58 where BJ lost a close split decision. I would expect to see GSP go for the takedown early and often. The question in this fight may come down to whether or not BJ can get a submission off his back.

Since a crazy upset loss to Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre has been on quite a streak. He has outwrestled Josh Koscheck, armbarred Matt Hughes and punished Matt Serra and Jon Fitch since that loss. Georges is an incredible athlete, with suberb striking, cardio and wrestling ability. Georges also holds wins over Jay Hieron, Sean Sherk, Mayhem Miller and Frank Trigg.

(Georges St. Pierre pictured)

Since a disappointing loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 63, BJ Penn reinvented himself at 155, dominating his competition. He won over Jens Pulver following TUF 5, then crushed Joe Stevenson for the interim 155 pound title. He then went on to outstrike and eventually TKO Sean Sherk to unify the 155 pound title. BJ will be looking to strike with GSP and possibly go for a submission. If BJ has one clear advantage, it would be in the submission game. BJ also has wins over Duane Ludwig, Takanori Gomi, and Caol Uno.

(BJ Penn pictured)

Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva- Someone's undefeated status will be loss against in this battle for the number one contender spot at 205 pounds. Machida is a karate and BJJ black-belt who utilizes a countering style that frustrates many opponents. Silva, who owns a great ground game rarely uses it. Silva instead uses his heavy hand to knock his opponents out.

I expect this fight to remain standing, with Machida waiting to capitalize on a Silva mistake. Machida is 13-0 with victories over Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar and BJ Penn outside the UFC. He holds wins over Sokoudjou, Tito Ortiz, Kazuhiro Nakamura, David Heath and Sam Hoger inside the UFC.

(Lyoto Machida pictured)

Thiago Silva (13-0) has ten knockouts and two submission wins in his career. He has beaten Antonio Mendes, Houston Alexander, Tomasz Drwal and James Irvin in the UFC. I expect Silva to try to get in close on Machida to throw punches in the clinch.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones
Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Nate Diaz vs. Clay Guida

UNDER CARD

Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono
Manny Gamburyan vs. Thiago Tavares
John Howard vs. Chris Wilson
Jake O'Brien vs. Christian Wellisch
Matt Arroyo vs. Dan Cramer

UFC 88 Sugar Rocks the Iceman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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