UFC 112 Preview

UFC 112 will be the UFC's first venture into the middle east, with Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emerites (UAE) hosting the event. The festivities will play out at the Concert Arena at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island. This will be the first UFC event at an outdoor arena.

The evening will feature two title fights for the first time since UFC 100. Unlike UFC 100, the current title holders, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn are heavy favorites coming in. Currently, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn are -1100 and -850 favorites on Bodog.

Current line-up:

Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia- This 185 pound five round tussle is a classic grappler against striker match-up. Anderson Silva has cemented his legend in the MMA world with ridiculous knockouts during his 10-0 UFC run. Maia comes from a BJJ background, having won the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Championship in the 87 KG bracket.

Anderson Silva is undoubtably the top striker currently in mixed martial arts. Silva busted into the UFC steamrolling Chris Leban in 49 seconds. He then destroyed Rich Franklin with knees to take the title which he has yet to relinquish. His path of destruction has seen him roll through Travis Lutter, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, James Irvin and Forrest Griffin.

(Anderson Silva pictured)

Demian Maia, a second degree black belt in BJJ, bust onto the UFC scene with 3 consecutive submission of the night performances. He owns victories over Jason MacDonald, Dan Miller, Nate Quarry and Chael Sonnen. It will be critical for Maia to find a way to takedown Anderson Silva to look for a submission.

(Demian Maia Pictured)

B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar- In this lightweight tilt, champion BJ Penn will look to defend his title for the fourth straight time. Penn, who is also a world jiu-jitsu champ, has flashed an ever improving boxing and wrestling game during his recent victories over Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson. Look for BJ to pepper Edgar from the outside and counter punching to loosen up Edgar before getting top position, looking for a submission.

(BJ Penn pictured)

Frankie Edgar, a former collegiate wrestler, has displayed a well-rounded blend of kickboxing and wrestling game during his 6-1 stretch in the UFC. In his last three bouts, Edgar has shown no chinks in his armor, winning over Matt Veach, Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca. Look for Edgar to test the waters with his boxing before trying to get the fight to the floor to utilize ground and pound.

Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie- This fight will pit two MMA legends against eachother. Hughes is a sure-fire UFC hall of famer with exceptional wrestling. He previously defeated Renzo's cousin, Royce Gracie, at UFC 60. Renzo will look to use his black belt submission skills in this bout. Expect either a Hughes decision or Renzo submission in this bout.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim
Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz

UNDER CARD

Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson
John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor
Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
Brad Blackburn vs. DaMarques Johnson
Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen

(Ferrari World Theme Park)

UFC 95 Review

UFC 95 may not of had a title fight, but the card delivered. In what was the most entertaining card of 2009, we saw 6 KO's, 2 submissions and only one decision in the 9 fights that aired on Spike TV.

Mike Ciesnolevicz def Neil Grove via sub (heel hook)- R1, 1:03- Mike C tried for a takedown, but was unsuccessful with Grove landing in top position. From there both fighters went for leg locks, with Grove looking for a straight ankle lock. Mike C got a heel hook close to his body and when he torqued it the knee appeared to pop and the fight was over. Hopefully Grove didn't suffer a bad knee injury.

Evan Dunham def Per Eklund via TKO, R1, 2:13- Dunham took a punch or two before unloading a left hand to the face of Eklund. After Eklund went down, Dunham continued delivering punishment until the ref called the fight.

Junior dos Santos def Stefan Struve via TKO- R1, 0:54- The tall Struve looked like a kid facing an adult in his match with dos Santos. When dos Santos was able to get inside on the taller Struve, it was all over as dos Santos landed a left and right crumpling the bigger fighter.

Terry Etim def Brian Cobb via TKO- R2, 0:10- Terry Etim put on a dazzling striking display as he dominated late replacement Brian Cobb. Etim looked good with varying kicks and punches. Cobb was able to get takedowns on Etim, but couldn't do anything in top position. In the second, Etim landed a kick to Cobb's face then finished him off.

Paulo Thiago def Josh Koscheck via TKO, R1 3:29- In the upset of the night, Paulo Thiago made a name for himself by knocking out heralded fighter Josh Koscheck. Entering the fight as a huge underdog, Thiago took a couple clean shots from Koscheck as the fight began. Kos seemed to be getting the better of Thiago, stalking him around the cage. However, Kos was caught by a nasty uppercut and then clipped with a hook before hitting the ground. The ref stepped in as Thiago knew it was over. Koscheck disputed the stoppage, but the replay showed it was the correct call.
*KO of the night bonus awarded to Thiago.

Demian Maia def Chael Sonnen via Sub (Triangle Choke) R1, 2:37- Demian Maia continued to dazzle as he submitted Chael Sonnen. Maia threw Sonnnen with a lateral throw landing in top position. From there, he locked in a triangle, rolled, and then had Maia tapping.
*Submission of the night bonus awarded to Maia.

Nate Marquardt def Wilson Gouveia via TKO (Knee and Punches) R3, 3:10- Marquardt was in his element as he had his way with Gouveia throughout the fight. Marquardt consistently landed push kicks, leg kicks and attempted high kicks. Marquardt was able to get a couple takedowns as well. In the third, Marquardt landed a jumping knee and straight punch. With Goeveia backing up, Marquardt threw kicks, a spinning backfist, knees and punches before the ref jumped in to stop the action. Marquardt looks poised for a title shot.

Dan Hardy def Rory Markham via KO (Punch) R1, 1:09- Markham came in looking for another knockout of the night bonus, but that didn't happen. Markham threw a huge overhand right which was countered by a left hook from Hardy. Markham protested the stoppage, but it was justified.

Diego Sanchez def Joe Stevenson via Dec (Unanimous)- In what turned out to be a close fight, Sanchez and Stevenson spent most of the fight trading punches. Diego did enough to win, landing more strikes overall. The closest Stevenson came to victory was a second round attempt at a guillotine choke.
*Sanchez and Stevenson win fight of the night bonus.

(Diego Sanchez pictured)

Un-aired bout- Paul Kelly def. Troy Mandaloniz via Dec (Unanimous)