Official UFC/PRIDE Fighting/MMA Thread

[Criminal Rock]

No, Thiago Silva made Thiago Silva look silly. He didn't even put up a fight. He stood there and got pounded....or rather laid there and got pounded.

Yes, because as we all saw, Silva actually knocked himself out with that punch and Machida had nothing to do with it.

[HurricanesR1]

No, Thiago Silva made Thiago Silva look silly. He didn't even put up a fight. He stood there and got pounded....or rather laid there and got pounded.

Thiago Silva looked silly because of Lyoto Machida. Machida keeps his distance, gets hit very little, and times his strikes perfectly.

Silva got dominated. He was dropped twice and thrown to the ground like a pillow....and KO'd cold.

[the clever guy]

Wow...talk about some backlash towards me. Lol.


I don't know. I know GSP is a great fighter, but so is BJ...and the BJ we saw last night wasn't him. He threw a couple good punches....but only a couple. The first round was clearly BJs, but GSP took over everything after that. BJ just didn't have any fight in him after round 1. Like I said, I give him crazy props for putting up with that pounding for 3 more consecutive rounds. You could tell BJ was done in rounds 3 due to his balance being thrown out the window with GSP finally being able to take him down (as he couldn't in the first 2 rounds).

The Silva fight got to me because I was always a fan of Silva's. I know Machida's a fucking monster and I've been a fan of his too...so this fight was actually a really hard one to pick out. I know before it started that the fight would one round and no further. But, as psudoazn put it, Silva played into Machida's hands...and Joe Rogan fucking called it. Silva just didn't fight like he noramlly did, so he just made himself his own bitch with Machida finishing the job.


I think I'll refrain from posting in this thread, lol. I seem to have gotten quite a bit of backlash in here from my "upsets." Haha.

[MistAh BlistAh]

Everything turned out just how I thought it would last night aside from the Bonnar fight. Decent ppv. GSP is a monster, Penn got beat up almost the entire fight, I say bring on Silva, lets see who's really the best.

[inglourious basterd]

Wow...talk about some backlash towards me. Lol.

It's not personal. You just said some things that people disagree with.



I don't know. I know GSP is a great fighter, but so is BJ...and the BJ we saw last night wasn't him. [snip] Silva just didn't fight like he noramlly did, so he just made himself his own bitch with Machida finishing the job.

I think that you're severely undervaluing the necessity of strategy in the MMA game. There's a reason that both BJ and Silva weren't able to pull off what they normally did. In MMA, positioning and strategy are key.
BJ and Silva were just outsmarted, outmuscled, and outplayed. The fight strategies that both Machida and St. Pierre employed were flawlessly carried out.

Here's something GSP said about the fight:

“My strategy was that he has small shoulders, which is good for hand speed, so I went to make him carry my weight and cause his shoulders to tire,” said St. Pierre, who earned $420,000 for the win before any extra bonuses kick in off the back end of the pay-per-view revenue. “I wanted to start out and make it a wrestling match.”

“You’ll notice I didn’t rush him right away going for the takedown (his style in his last few matches),” said St. Pierre. “The idea was to cause him to have to hop on one leg and get tired, and push off, having to carry my weight in the clinch. That was the idea in the first round.”

St. Pierre felt when the first round was over that he had already mentally broken Penn.

“I was fighting my fight and that made him uncomfortable, which caused him to get tired faster,” said St. Pierre. “It’s not that he wasn’t in shape.

“This was the biggest fight of my career,”


Perfect Link: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=207187&cl=11814669&ch=2283876&src=sports


I think I'll refrain from posting in this thread, lol. I seem to have gotten quite a bit of backlash in here from my "upsets." Haha.

I dont think that's necessary. People disagree from time to time. No one knows everything and there's so much depth to the sport. Talking about what you watch and learning about the nuances is what makes this sport fun.

[the clever guy]

Haha, I knew I could count on you psudoazn to lift me back up...or something. I understand both combatants were matched pretty well (if almost unfair in regards to their competition). And I agree 200% that strategy is key to winning a fight.

Eh, oh well...at least I have the next UFC fight to make poor decisions on.

Also, I just recently got back into UFC. I LOVED it back it the day when NOBODY watched it (like, 6-7 years ago maybe earlier)...and Tito Ortiz was the biggest thing in UFC. I stopped watching it for years and have just recently got back into it big time about 6 months ago or so. I've watched a fight here and there, but nothing that would cause me follow any matches or fighters or anything.

[Criminal Rock]

Hey man, there's no reasons not to post in here. All I'm [we're] saying is, give credit where credit is due.

I understand your boy lost, but he lost to a better fighter who has out smarted/boxed/judo'd/jitsu'd every opponent thus far in his MMA career, and trying to make excuses doesn't play well with us knowing these facts.

[the clever guy]

Oh, I understand that. I gave props to everyone involved. All of the fights were very well matched, so it's not like anyone was really fighting some piece of shit who has a shit record and manages to come out on top.

[HurricanesR1]

But, as psudoazn put it, Silva played into Machida's hands...and Joe Rogan fucking called it. Silva just didn't fight like he noramlly did, so he just made himself his own bitch with Machida finishing the job.

Silva said himself that he was gonna bring the fight to Machida and MAKE him fight. That fight was the easiest one to pick imo because aggressive fighters are EXACTLY what Machida likes.

[scottmushroom]

how funny would it have been if Neer had Ko'd himself?
http://www.afrojacks.com/images/stories/punch%20fail.gif

that said he looked impressive against Danzig, although I thought he was acting a bit Diazish with his showboating during the fight.

[scottmushroom]

Franklin vs Wand at UFC 99!

[DarkKnight81]

Wand's going to get put to sleep again.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Rogan must have felt like an idiot after the Kos fight since he was ripping on Thiago's striking while nuthugging koscheck's and he even went as far as suggesting that Thiago should just pull guard. Hilarious.

[scottmushroom]

seeing Koscheck and Sonnen getting beat back to back put a smile on my face.

[Mopar Fanatic]

11 days away, let's get started.

http://mmamania.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/ufc96poster.jpg

http://96.ufc.com/ (coming soon)

Main Card

Light Heavyweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Quinton Jackson (29-7-0) -300 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Keith Jardine (14-4-1) +220

Heavyweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Shane Carwin (10-0-0) +150 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3-0) -180

Welterweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Matt Brown (8-7-0) vs. Pete Sell (8-4-0)

Light Heavyweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Matt Hamill (5-2-0) vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Mark Munoz (5-0-0)

Lightweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Gray Maynard (6-0-0) vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Jim Miller (13-1-0)


Preliminary Card

Welterweight bout:
Tamdan McCrory vs. Ryan Madigan

Middleweight bout:
Kendall Grove vs. Jason Day

Light Heavyweight bout:
Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz

Light Heavyweight bout:
Brandon Vera vs. Mike Patt

Lightweight bout:
Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson

Lightweight bout:
Joe Duarte vs. Shawn David


Odds from Betus. I will post my predictions later

[KingofKings2525]

Anybody know when Ryan Bader is expected to fight next? ...and who?

[Criminal Rock]

Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero, Fight Night 18, April 1st

[Mopar Fanatic]

Predictions

Gonzaga/Carwin is the only fight with any divisional implications whatsoever. I don't really know enough about Carwin to make a fair assessment. He sure is big, and ol' Gabe doesn't like being punched very much, but I have to give a big edge in experience to Wiggum.

Rampage/Jardine should be entertaining, go with Jackson.



Rest of the card can go straight to hell.

[STYGrob]

i didn't know there was an mma thread. sweet shit. I hope my boy Hamill destroys Munoz.

[KingofKings2525]

Rampage is going to destory Jardine. 1st round knock out.

[MISFITS_Fiend]

Wow; I guess nobody watched WEC 39. Truth to tell, you didn't miss much...the Hicks/McCullough match was pathetic (when a ref tells you to either fight or he's going to call it a no-contest, that's not a good thing), but on the up side the Brown/Garcia fight was short but sweet and Damacio Page showed he is still a threat.

[scottmushroom]

Wow; I guess nobody watched WEC 39. Truth to tell, you didn't miss much...the Hicks/McCullough match was pathetic (when a ref tells you to either fight or he's going to call it a no-contest, that's not a good thing), but on the up side the Brown/Garcia fight was short but sweet and Damacio Page showed he is still a threat.
yeah I was actually excited for the Razor Rob Marcus Hicks fight too....the 2nd round was OK but then they went back to feeling out in the 3rd....made no damn sense.

[DunlopolnuD]

I think it's about time Mike Brown got some respect.

[scottmushroom]

EDIT: Problem solved.

[scottmushroom]

UFC 98 looks niiiiice:

Main Card Bouts:
-Frank Mir (#3 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Brock Lesnar (#10 Heavyweight in the World)*
-Matt Hughes (#6 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Matt Serra (#7 Welterweight in the World)*
-Yushin Okami vs. Dan Miller
-Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
-Josh Koscheck (#5 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Chris Wilson**

Preliminary Card Bouts:
-James Irvin vs. Drew McFedries
-Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
-Tim Hague vs. Patrick Barry
-Andre Gusmao vs. Houston Alexander
-Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
-George Roop vs. David Kaplan

**Not yet announced by the UFC, all other UFC 98 bouts are officially confirmed by the promotion.

[DarkKnight81]

Alright, picks time.

Jackson def. Jardine via TKO round 1.
Gonzaga def. Carwin via kimura round 2.

And...that's all. Hate to say it but the rest of the card is pretty much garbage.

[DunlopolnuD]

Jardine by split decision
Carwin by submission
Brown by KO
Hamill by unanimous decision
Maynard by unanimous decision (lay and pray)

[Mopar Fanatic]

Lesnar-Mir II cancelled

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/03/...-brock-lesnar/


A planned rematch between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir for UFC 98 on May 23 that would have unified Lesnar’s UFC heavyweight title and Mir’s interim UFC heavyweight has been canceled.

Multiple sources have confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that the UFC was recently informed by Mir’s camp that he has been unable to train recently due to a back injury that could require surgery

[scottmushroom]

damn....at least the rest of the card looks solid.

[DarkKnight81]

That sucks, I wonder if they'll replace Mir or just push the fight out. How about giving Kongo a title shot now?

[KingofKings2525]

Yes... time to insert Kongo into the title match.

[DunlopolnuD]

From what I heard it isn't cancelled, yet. If anything, I think they'll just move the fight to UFC 100.

[DarkKnight81]

Here's what I think. If Rampage loses tonight, Evans vs Machida will be put on 98 and Mir/Lesnar will move to 100. If not, I think they should replace Mir with Kongo or the winner of Gonzaga/Carwin.

[HurricanesR1]

I don't understand why people feel Kongo should get a title shot. He got schooled in his last fight against a "good" fighter...and that was Heath Herring.

He still has an unproven ground game and GNPing an unknown doesn't count.


As for tonight's card, here's what I'm predicting:

Jackson def. Jardine by TKO
Gonzaga def. Carwin by Sub
Sell def. Brown by UD
Hamill def. Munoz by TKO
Maynard def. Miller by UD

[DarkKnight81]

I don't really consider a split decision getting schooled, but ok.

[DarkKnight81]

Well Mir/Lesnar II has been officially moved to UFC 100 and Rashad has agreed to fight at UFC 98. After Rampage's performance tonight I don't think he deserves/wants a title shot. Give it to Machida who more than deserves it and let Rampage get the fight against Forrest that he so badly wants. Machida and Rashad will both have plenty of time to prepare and this is the BEST possible matchup the UFC can provide at 205lbs right now.

[BankaiZaraki]

Heres my thoughts on the PPV tonight


Matt Brown is a fucking beast.End of Story
I wonder if Matt Hamill has any say in his choice of music(since he cant hear it)
Jackson and Jardine was classic..Poor Jardine got tired by the end of the 1st round

[unspoken]

UFC 98 - Evans vs. Jackson

To determine who gets to lose to Machida.

[DunlopolnuD]

Evans vs. Jackson should be good, but I was completely hoping Jardine would win so that Machida would get his title shot immediately. I hope the UFC doesn't make him fight another fight, and make him wait another god knows how many months to see if he'll even have a slight chance at it.

For being an underwhelming card (on paper) UFC 96 was a fucking great event.

[HurricanesR1]

UFC 98 - Evans vs. Jackson

To determine who gets to lose to Machida.

Machida should already have his title shot, but that's how marketing goes

[DarkKnight81]

I hope Machida fights again, if not he'll have a very long layoff which haven't proven to be kind to fighters lately. I'm thinking Forrest Griffin at UFC 100.

[HurricanesR1]

I don't really consider a split decision getting schooled, but ok.
maybe "schooled" wasn't the best word to use, but he couldn't beat Heath Herring so in my opinion he's still a couple of wins away (against good opponents) from a title shot

[sbunn10]

Rampage is hilarious.. I hope he destroys Evans.

Last nights card was one of the most entertaining I've seen in a while.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Rashad has a granite chin and is quicker than Rampage, Rampage is fucked.

I was hoping Jardine would get the W so Machida could get his shot. I guess they at least line up two good defenses.

Carwin looked like shit for a guy who knocked out a top ten HW in 1 minute. I honestly think Kongo or Valesquez would destroy him.

Matt Hamill is fucking awesome, didn't understand a word of his post fight interview but I love how he doesn't care if he gets hit, take one to give one.

[Mopar Fanatic]

I hope Machida fights again, if not he'll have a very long layoff which haven't proven to be kind to fighters lately. I'm thinking Forrest Griffin at UFC 100.

You never know...

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/3/8/...kson-unsure-he


Rampage Jackson was just on Steve Cofield's radio show. His rant on Ariel Helwani was amazing, but the big news was that he isn't sure he wants to take the fight with Rashad so quickly. He said he has a couple injuries he wants to take care of and he doesn't know if he wants to fight so soon.

They may have to go with GSP-Alves after all, or pay Quinton more to take this fight. He only had a 4 week or so training camp for this fight, and to go right back into training sounded like a demoralizing thought to him.

Update from Dave Meltzer:

At the press conference, Jackson said he didn't know about the fight with Rashad Evans being moved up to May 23 until 15 minutes before he got out...He was clearly not thrilled about it. Dana White said they would wait a few days to give Jackson a chance to assess how he felt coming out of a tough fight and noted if Jackson turned it down, that Machida had already verbally accepted.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Lesnar-Mir II cancelled

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/03/...-brock-lesnar/

Shitty source, It was his knee not his back and he could be back later this summer.

http://mmamania.com/



Interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir sustained a knee injury while training for his upcoming fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 98: “Lesnar vs. Mir 2″ from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23 and has been forced out of the main event.

Mir will require time to heal after recently undergoing minor knee surgery to repair the damage. He is expected to make a full recovery. There is no timetable for a return; however, the good news is that it could be as soon as this summer.

Therefore, the highly anticipated heavyweight title unification match appears to be temporarily on hold — not canceled — for now.

[scottmushroom]

I was under the impression that they had already set Lesnar-Mir to headline UFC 100.

[DarkKnight81]

I don't think Rampage will take the Evans fight. For one, it's in only two months which means he'll have fought three times in a six month period. Two, he didn't look great against Jardine and probably should take a few weeks off before getting back into a serious camp. If he takes this fight now I think he'll lose and who knows when he'll get another chance. Give him some time, have him fight Forrest Griffin in July and if he wins than give him the winner of Evans/Machida. WIN/WIN for everyone.

[DunlopolnuD]

It's official, Evans Vs. Machida at UFC 98.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/mma/03/11/evans.machida/index.html?eref=T1

[DarkKnight81]

I would expect then that either Rampage or the winner of Shogun/Liddell will fight Forrest Griffin at UFC 100.

[scottmushroom]

Ken Shamrock tested positive for steroids....:mad:

[JJFlamingo]

Ken Shamrock tested positive for steroids....:mad:

Well, DUH! :p

[DarkKnight81]

Yeah, ten days before fighting Bobby Lashley. That sucks.

[HurricanesR1]

Yes...Machida gets his title shot! I think that will be a good fight (Evans-Machida).

Looks like UFC 100 will feature Lesnar-Mir II, St. Pierre-Alves, and Henderson-Bisping.

[scottmushroom]

Well, DUH! :p

I was hoping it would happen after the Lashley fight......but I am suprised it is just now happening after all these years.

[DunlopolnuD]

I'm thinking he just doesn't want to take an ass-beating, first the Kimbo fight, now this... call me crazy, I think he's scared (or maybe just really dumb).

[CosmicPuppet]

Lyoto Machida will pick apart Rashad Evans. I can't wait to see this. Lyoto's probably the smartest fighter in the UFC. People think he's boring because he doesn't let himself get knocked around, but that's the kind of skill most fighters envy.

Case in point, look at how both fighters fought Tito. Lyoto controlled him like a bullfighter. He beat him and never was in danger of losing. Rashad danced around for most of the fight, missed a lot of punches, and got a draw because of a point technicality. He only did anything in round 3. There's really no comparison. Rashad's technique as a fighter is nowhere near Lyoto's.

I can't wait to see his first loss.

[DarkKnight81]

I'm definitely on board the Dragon Wagon, but....

Rashad Evans has looked fantastic in his law few fights, the guy has improved a ton and he wasn't bad to begin with. I think this is the BEST fight the UFC can put on right now. As far as the top 2 guys in any one weight class that are about as evenly matched as possible, I think that Rashad and Lyoto will be extremely competitive and an amazing fight. Both guys have looked unstoppable in the last year and I honestly think this fight could go either way. But I'll definitely be pulling for Lyoto.

In other news, Randy Couture and Antonio Nogeuira have agreed to fight at UFC 101 in August. Despite the fact both men are past their primes, they are two of the top 5 heavyweights of all time and I can't wait to see it. Hopefully both will be healthy.

[CosmicPuppet]

I'm a big fan of both Couture and Nogueira. I'd have to go with Nogueira though. At this point, Randy's body can turn against him at any point in a fight. That's why he lost to Chuck Liddell the last time and Brock. It's at the point where Couture's too unreliable due to his age.

I'm really waiting for Dana White to stop acting like an arrogant jerk off and offer a fight to Fedor. I know he has a problem with Fedor doing Sambo tournaments, but Fedor's the kind of fighter who they need: incredibly explosive in the ring, but with the technical skill to back it up. He's great as a stand-up fighter and on the ground.

[Mopar Fanatic]

This will serve as a prelude to the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter: U.S.A. vs U.K.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/ConditKampmann.JPG

Main card

Welterweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Carlos Condit (23-4-0) -120 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/22px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png Martin Kampmann (14-2-0) -120

Light Heavyweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Ryan Bader (9-0-0) -500 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Carmelo Marrero (10-2-1) +300

Lightweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Tyson Griffin (12-2-0) -500 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Rafael dos Anjos (11-3-0) +300

Lightweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Cole Miller (14-3-0) -135 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Junie Browning (3-1-0) +105


Preliminary card

Lightweight bout:
Gleison Tibau vs. Jeremy Stephens

Middleweight bout:
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich

Middleweight bout:
Tim Credeur vs. Nick Catone

Welterweight bout:
Brock Larson vs. Jesse Sanders

Middleweight bout:
Jorge Rivera vs. Nissen Osterneck

Middleweight bout:
Rob Kimmons vs. Joe Vedepo

Middleweight bout:
Tim McKenzie vs. Aaron Simpson

Middleweight bout:
Steve Steinbeiss vs. Ryan Jensen


Odds from betus.com

[DarkKnight81]

That's a pretty good fight night card. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Condit get an ass woopin'.

[DarkKnight81]

UFC 97 predictions:

Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites via TKO round 1

My heart says Shogun, my brain says Chuck. I'm gonna say Chuck via TKO round 2 but I'd much rather see Shogun pull it off. He needs it more hopefully he wants it more.

Soszynski def. Brian Stann via unanimous decision

Kongo def Hardonk via KO round 1

Cane def Cantwell via rear naked choke round 2


Should be a great card.

[HurricanesR1]

I'm gonna go ahead and say Leites subs Silva. I just think that The Spider is one of those guys who will get caught off guard and I'll say Leties is the one who does it.

Liddell def. Shogun
Stann def. Soszynski
Kongo def. Hardonk
Cantwell def. Cane

[DunlopolnuD]

Silva by TKO
Rua by Unanimous decision (I think it's going to be a sloppy match)
Stann by Split decision
Kongo by KO
Cane by Sub

[DarkKnight81]

I'm gonna go ahead and say Leites subs Silva. I just think that The Spider is one of those guys who will get caught off guard and I'll say Leties is the one who does it.


I don't believe Leites is the guy to do it, I think Demian Maia is. Anderson seems very focused and prepared for this fight. He was not happy with his last fight, took 5 months to focus on training and I think he'll deliver the goods tonight. Leites is talented but I believe he is scared after the weigh ins. Maia I believe is superior to Leites in everyway and apparently he's already lined up for the next title shot in August.

[DarkKnight81]

Rua by Unanimous decision (I think it's going to be a sloppy match)


I could see that happening if it makes it out of the first round. Chuck has always been sloppy after round 1 and I don't think three months is enough time for Shogun to really get himself into shape. That knee will likely ruin his career.

[HurricanesR1]

Didn't see the fights, but read that Silva looked worse in this fight than he did against Cote. Apparently he "isn't satisfied" with the quality of his recent opponents, so he's dancing around instead of throwing strikes. Well, if the champ is going to act like that, then that's just ridiculous.

It's weird how he took out Rich Franklin twice and Dan Henderson in less than 5 rounds total, yet it takes him 8 rounds to semi-KO Cote and win a decision against Thales Leites.

[DarkKnight81]

Yeah I don't what Anderson's deal is, he just seems uninterested. I don't think Leites landed one strike on him and Leites was pretty beat up by the end but Anderson still spent half the fight either with his hands on his waist or doing his best Ali impression. He can sit there and say all he wants about how he beat up Leites for 5 rounds but the fact of the matter is the crowd was booing for 5 rounds and it was just as boring if not more so than the Cote fight. Part of it was Leites fault for falling on his butt everytime Silva touched him, or in some cases didn't even touch him. But Silva didn't have that killer instinct like he wanted to finish Leites, he seemed content with landing a strike or two then backing off and waiting another minute before engaging. I was actually pulling for Leites by the third round.

[DunlopolnuD]

Haha, Chuck got rocked, again! I guess I was giving him too much credit thinking he would last 3 rounds, but Rua looked much better this time around (I thought). I think Chuck is done, he actually looked in better shape than I'd ever seen him (his beer gut was gone and looked slightly like a six-pack), but it seems like he just can't take the hits anymore. Also, he seemed extremely depressed in that interview after the match, couldn't even answer if he was coming back or not.

Unless Silva does another free PPV, I won't see his fights, I won't be paying for a pay-per-view that he's main-carding anymore. That was one of the worst fights I've ever had the misfortune of watching, and what made it worse than normal is that is was 5 ROUNDS of nothing.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Kongo is on his way to make Lesnar or Mir look like Fedor. Can't deny that he's got some decent wins but boy does he have holes in his game for a title challenger. In my opinion, some of the worst grapplers in the world come out of Holland.

Chuck's reflexes are shot. He can't get out of the way of anybody's punches. I hope he doesn't fight again.

Shogun looked pretty good though. Confident and in shape. He might be back on track.

Silva and Leites boring as shit....terrible fucking fight, but the blame should go on Leites more than Silva. Though Silva's one-strike-combo-specials were annoying as fuck also. Still every time Silva started throwing more than two strikes in a row Leites would dive to butt-scoot so....

Leites goes on the undercard for the rest of his contract after this, gaurunteed.

[HurricanesR1]

I wish Oscar De La Hoya and Chuck Liddell would retire with a win, but both need to hang em up for sure. DLH already did and now Chuck needs to do the same. Otherwise, Chuck's looking at more and more KO defeats.

I'm glad Shogun looked good because I was wondering if he was the next Cro Cop in the UFC. Anderson Silva should go up to 205 and get some big fights there. This way, the 185 division will be balanced and Silva won't have to dance around with the current contenders in that division.

I'd love to see Anderson Silva take on the Evans-Machida winner at 205.

[Mopar Fanatic]

I'd love to see Anderson Silva take on the Evans-Machida winner at 205.

More than likely they'll throw him St-Pierre next.

[KingofKings2525]

More than likely they'll throw him St-Pierre next.

... and that would be EPIC!

[HurricanesR1]

More than likely they'll throw him St-Pierre next.

Possibly, but I think it's more likely to see Silva at 205 before GSP at 185.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Silva in other James Irvin-like fight at 205...maybe against Keith Jardine or something.

[DarkKnight81]

Silva's next fight was scheduled to be Demian Maia in August or September, now it looks like Dana is throwing that fight out and moving Anderson up to 205 to supposedly fight a contender. Rampage has been rumored but he's already in line for the next title shot. I'm just gonna throw the name Keith Jardine out there. If GSP wants to move up and challenge for the 185 belt, I'm cool with that as long as he drops the 170 belt.

Hopefully now we'll get to see Maia vs Mardquart instead.

[HurricanesR1]

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin is set on the BJ Penn-Kenny Florian card for UFC 101 in August.

[scottmushroom]

everything right now points to Silva-Forrest and Maia Marquardt for #1 contender.

[unspoken]

everything right now points to Silva-Forrest and Maia Marquardt for #1 contender.

Henderson/Bisping is #1 contender. That's why Silva is having a fight in the meantime.

[DarkKnight81]

Henderson/Bisping is #1 contender. That's why Silva is having a fight in the meantime.

If Bisping wins, I would say so. But if Hendo wins I think he'll fight the winner of Maia/Mardquart for the title shot. In the meantime A. Silva might be fighting GSP if they both win their next fights. If GSP runs through Thiago Alves, you'll have to wonder what's left for him at 170.

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White made good on his promise to land a significant fight for suddenly under siege middleweight champion Anderson Silva, telling Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that he had signed a deal for Silva to face ex-light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin in the co-main event of UFC 101 in Philadelphia on Aug. 8.

Regarded by many as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, Silva has come under a barrage of criticism for his performances in his last two fights, including from White. White said he was embarrassed by Silva’s performance in a decision victory over Thales Leites at UFC 97 in Montreal.

That came on the heels of a questionable performance against Patrick Cote at UFC 90 in Chicago in October in which it appeared that Silva was toying with Cote.

White wanted to find a fighter who would challenge Silva, winner of a UFC record nine consecutive fights, and believes he has done it by signing Griffin.

“Forrest loved the idea and said he’d do it right away, and Anderson told me he would fight anyone I wanted him to fight, no matter who it is,” White said. “So we got the deal.”

The fight will be the co-main event in the UFC’s first foray into Philadelphia, sharing top billing with a lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn and No. 1 contender Kenny Florian.

Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, said the champion is excited by the opportunity to face Griffin, who took the light heavyweight title from Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in July, but lost it in December to Rashad Evans.

He said Griffin has a complete game and has a big name, which makes the fight more interesting to Silva.

“It’s a great fight for him and he’s anxious and excited about it,” Soares said. “Forrest is a bigger, stronger guy with a lot of cardio and he’s the full package. The other thing Anderson likes about it is that Forrest is a big name with a huge heart and is a fan favorite kind of a guy. That’s the kind of match that makes a legendary kind of a fight and that’s what Anderson wants.”

White said he met with Silva and Soares last week and expressed his concerns about Silva’s performance in the last two outings. Silva defended his performance, noting that Cote did not attack and that Leites fought exceptionally cautiously.

White called Silva out at the post fight news conference at UFC 97 for backing off as he was pounding Leites on the ground, but Soares said he didn’t back off for no reason.

“There was a moment when he was in the half-guard and pounding [Leites] out when it looked from outside the octagon like he stood up and walked away,” Soares said.

“Unfortunately, people outside the octagon don’t see the fight the same way as those who are in it. Anderson said that what happened was that Thales was covering up well and that in one of those situations, he hit his hand very hard on Thales’ elbow.

“He thought, ‘Oh man, I could break my hand,’ so instead of risking a broken hand that would keep him out for six months if the guy was going to keep covering up like that, he’d stand up and fight him on the feet. But people outside the octagon probably didn’t notice that.”

Silva made his reputation in the UFC by roaring through competition, knocking out most of his foes violently. He destroyed Rich Franklin twice and also knocked out Nate Marquardt and submitted Dan Henderson.

White was his biggest advocate, insisting there is no fighter in the world close to Silva. And though he was disappointed by his performance in the last two fights, White said he still feels strongly that Silva is the best.

He said Silva will remain middleweight champion and said he thinks there will be viable opponents soon. One would be ex-light heavyweight Michael Bisping, who fights Henderson at UFC 100 in July. If Henderson wins, a Silva-Bisping fight for the title would be a major event.


From the same article.

And White said he is working on signing another middleweight that he would not name who he said “would blow your mind.”

About fighting Fedor.

White said that Silva also expressed an interest in fighting heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, who is under contract with Affliction. White has made several attempts to sign Emelianenko, none successful.

Soares confirmed that Silva would like a fight with Emelianenko and said that size wouldn’t be an issue. Silva walks around between fights at 215 and Emelianenko fights around 230.

“We’d come in at about 220 if we ever got that fight,” Soares said. “Anderson thinks that would be a great fight for him. He didn’t say he expected to blow him out, but he thinks he can give him a very good fight.”

[Mopar Fanatic]

If anything, I think Forrest should be the favorite, especially since its a 3 round fight. Forrest is bigger, and stronger than Silva, and that is probably enough to get him at least a decision.

Silva hit Leites and Cote with of his best shots standing and they didnt go down. Its going to take a lot more than 1 good shot to get Forrest down and finish him. When Silva is afraid of being taken down, he lowers his stance, leaving him open to leg kicks, something Forrest is pretty good at. I know it was a long time ago, but Chonan ate Silva up with kicks if I remember correctly.

On the ground, I think Forrest will be able to control Silva rather easily, just because hes bigger and stronger.

I see it being a competitive striking match with Silva perhaps landing the more accurate strikes, but Forrest pressing the fight and keeping busier.

Silva is pretty elusive, but when he strikes, sometimes he goes for broke, and leaves himself open to get clinched, or taken down.

I got Forrest by Dec. He might even be able to sub him from mount.

[HurricanesR1]

I'm picking Griffin by decision as well.

[teenkiller]

I could care less about Anderson's fights anymore. After his last two outings he would really have to take it to Griffin to impress me.

I must be the only one looking forward to Serra vs Hughes, although I admit that it should have happened two years ago.

Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/22/Ufc98poster.jpg

Main card

Light Heavyweight Championship bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Rashad Evans (18-0-1) +170 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Lyoto Machida (14-0-0) -220

Welterweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Matt Hughes (43-7-0) -250 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Matt Serra (16-5-0) +185

Middleweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Drew McFedries (7-6-0) vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10-0)

Middleweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Dan Miller (12-1-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

Lightweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Sean Sherk (37-3-1) -300 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Frank Edgar (9-1-0) +200


Preliminary card

Welterweight bout:
Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson

Heavyweight bout:
Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague

Lightweight bout:
Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley

Light Heavyweight bout:
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Andre Gusmao

Welterweight bout:
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff

Lightweight bout:
Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop


Odds from betus.com

[Mopar Fanatic]

Light Heavyweight Championship bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Rashad Evans (18-0-1) +170 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Lyoto Machida (14-0-0) -220

In this case I'll take Machida who just seems like a great fighter who is a level above anyone at 205 right now. He does more things well than Rashad and five rounds favors his 50 calorie-per-hour pace. UD for Machida.


Welterweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Matt Hughes (43-7-0) -250 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Matt Serra (16-5-0) +185

Despite his good BJJ, Serra doesn't submit many people in MMA. Hughes is on top all night for an easy UD. I just hope this goes to the ground and we don't see another amateur hour kickboxing match because these guys aren't built for it.

Middleweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Drew McFedries (7-6-0) vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10-0)

McFredries avoids the ground and gets the KO. He better-didn't realize he was flirting with .500 for his record.


Middleweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Dan Miller (12-1-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

ah, now here's a guy I always saw something in and it was never the case. Chael Sonnen--Mr. Underachiever. A cautionary tale to anyone who thinks they can take a great athlete and "teach them how to avoid subs for 3 months" and turn them into a champion. Not again--this time I'm going against the guy who never proves me right and guessing that he'll stick an arm where he shouldn't and get subbed in the 2nd or 3rd round.


Lightweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Sean Sherk (37-3-1) -300 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Frank Edgar (9-1-0) +200

What happens when a full-sized Sean Sherk fights a miniature Sean Sherk? Full-sized Sean Sherk by UD.

Preliminary card

Welterweight bout:
Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson

Larson

Heavyweight bout:
Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague

Barry

Lightweight bout:
Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley

Nover

Light Heavyweight bout:
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Andre Gusmao

Gusmao

Welterweight bout:
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff

Yoshida

Lightweight bout:
Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop

Kaplan

[Mopar Fanatic]

PRESS RELEASE

These days the boys from Cro Cop team are training in full force. After a long break and highly demanding recovery process, Mirko Cro Cop is ready to fight in MMA again.

All problems with injuries are history and Cro Cop is very optimistic to start another chapter in his career:
„I feel great, the recovery process is going well and we train at high intensity now. I never had such a strong desire to prove myself and I'll climb up again, or die trying.“

Mirko's next fight is set for June 13th in Germany, which means that he's back in the UFC, a place that he didn't have his best moments:
„I decided to fight in the UFC again, because of the stronger competition in the heavyweight division. My next opponent will be Mustapha Al-Turk. I didn't do well in my first three appearances - I wasn't myself. By returning to the cage I want to prove that I can still fight at highest level, no matter when or where.“, claims Cro Cop.

UFC 99 will be Cro Cop's first fight this year with the possibility of three fights coming by years end.
„It's hard to talk about concrete plans, but I would really like to fight at least three times this year. I wish to fight against quality opponents and to fight my way up to a title shot but for now, I'll focus only on my next fight and after that we'll see what's going to be on the menu next“, says Cro Cop.
Although the UFC 99 card looks stacked, it seems that the UFC officials can see the benefits of hiring a top European fighter for their first ever UFC show in Germany.

„I want to say thank you Mr. Dana White for your interest and for an invitation back to the UFC. I owe you a lot from our first deal, and I'll make it up to you.“, promises Cro Cop.

All news related to Mirko Cro Cop's career are posted on Mirko's official MMA-ID profile on http://www.mma-id.com/CROCOP and Mirko's official homepage http://www.mirko-crocop.com.

Yours truly,
The CROCOP Team"

[DarkKnight81]

It's always good to see Crocop fighting, but he'll never be the force he was in Pride. He's too one dimensional and his fighting spirit seemed to vanish along with Pride. I hope he smashes Al Turk just so we get to see him fight in the UFC again.

[MistAh BlistAh]

Main card

Light Heavyweight Championship bout:
Rashad Evans (18-0-1) +170 vs. Lyoto Machida (14-0-0) -220

Rashad Evans

Welterweight bout:
Matt Hughes (43-7-0) -250 vs. Matt Serra (16-5-0) +185

Matt Serra

Middleweight bout:
Drew McFedries (7-6-0) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10-0)

Drew McFedries

Middleweight bout:
Dan Miller (12-1-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

Dan Miller

Lightweight bout:
Sean Sherk (37-3-1) -300 vs. Frank Edgar (9-1-0) +200

Sean Sherk


Preliminary card

Welterweight bout:
Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson

Brock Larson

Heavyweight bout:
Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague

Tim Hague

Lightweight bout:
Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley

Phillipe Nover

Light Heavyweight bout:
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Andre Gusmao

Krzysztof Soszynski

Welterweight bout:
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff

Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Lightweight bout:
Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop

George Roop

[Mopar Fanatic]

Fedor vs. Barnett, Aug 1st

Confirmed.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/14942/affl...-headlines.mma

[KingofKings2525]

Main card

Light Heavyweight Championship bout:
Rashad Evans (18-0-1) +170 vs. Lyoto Machida (14-0-0) -220

Machida

Welterweight bout:
Matt Hughes (43-7-0) -250 vs. Matt Serra (16-5-0) +185

Serra

Middleweight bout:
Drew McFedries (7-6-0) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10-0)

Foupa-Pokam

Middleweight bout:
Dan Miller (12-1-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

Miller

Lightweight bout:
Sean Sherk (37-3-1) -300 vs. Frank Edgar (9-1-0) +200

Sherk

[HurricanesR1]

I'll going with the same guys:

Machida
Serra
Foupa-Pokam
Miller
Sherk

[DunlopolnuD]

Machida via TKO
Hughes via submission
Foupa-Pokam via UD
Miller via UD
Sherk via TKO

[DarkKnight81]

Machida
Serra
Pokam
Miller
Sherk

[MistAh BlistAh]

UFC98 SPOILERS


Fack, pretty good card all around but I'm kinda upset by the outcomes.

Really wanted to see Serra Knock Hughes the fuck out, spent way too much on the ground. Shoulda stood 'em up a couple more times.

Main Event! Man, I kinda feel bad for Rashad the way he loss'd, I was really rooting for him, and I'm kinda tipsy so it hurts even more, haha. I really wanna see him come back strong but we'll see who's next. Machida, he definetly took the title with all his force, easily his best performance. I just wish it woulda went a couple more rounds. There were some nice combos thrown by both fighters early in the 2nd, just wish there was more of that.

KO of the Night: Main Event:
Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida

2nd Place:
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Andre Gusmao


Overall: UFC 98 Gets One Thumb Up!

[HurricanesR1]

Machida is the new champ. It would be nice to see people stop labeling him as "boring" and "unknown". He's an incredible fighter.

[Potter82]

Possibly, but I think it's more likely to see Silva at 205 before GSP at 185.

I was thinking about a Silva/Machida match up recently as well. It could be epic.

If anyone can figure out how to stop Silva's devastating mauy thai (sic) techniques - which usually involve getting a guy in a clinch, kneeing him in the head until he's dazed, and then systematically beating the shit out of him before he recovers - it's Machida.

[DarkKnight81]

Machida and Anderson are training partners and have stated that they will NEVER fight each other. Rampage gets the next title shot but I don't think he'll fare much better than Rashad.

[HurricanesR1]

I was thinking about a Silva/Machida match up recently as well. It could be epic.
Machida proved Saturday that dancing around infront of him will get you knocked out...which would be the case if Silva showed up the way he did in his last two fights. Silva looked like a joke in his last two fights against two people that he could have stopped in the 1st round.

Regardless if the dancing Silva or the aggressive Silva showed up, Machida wins.

[Mopar Fanatic]

This is Dave Meltzer's article on Machida from this week's Observer newsletter.

Explians Machida's origins with Antonio Inoki, Inoki trying to grrom Machida for pro rasslin and why his recent UFC title victory isn't really that big of a story in Japan. Take time to read it, it's an excellent article.

After Lyoto Machida dominated and destroyed previously unbeaten Rashad Evans to win the UFC light heavyweight championship, all of a sudden, UFC’s marquee division has transformed. It went from usually the company’s big money drawing division, and most competitive, to one that people now think is going to be dominated by someone that has never been hurt in a match, and has never lost a round in UFC competition. As far as drawing goes, that’s certainly another issue. UFC has promoted Anderson Silva, Machida’s frequent training partner, who has been a dominant middleweight champion , for three years, and there is still no evidence of him as a PPV draw. Machida is at least being promoted as a unique individual, using the old mystical martial arts background, the son of the wise karate Sensei Yoshizo Machida, who uses all that stuff that people threw out after it never worked in MMA matches.

It was enough to be more popular than Rashad Evans going into the fight on 5/23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, although he was not nearly as popular as Matt Hughes was going into his match. It was enough to tear down the house with a victory with such precision that it left people shaking their heads and having sympathy for Quinton Jackson. The prevailing talk is that Jackson is simply the next victim, even though it’s months before the match is taking place, and it’s in a most unpredictable of sports.

The problem is that nobody can figure out what to do against a guy who is elusive and uses a backing out style that makes him difficult to hit, yet no light heavyweight, including good wrestlers like Tito Ortiz and Evans, have been able to take him down. Kazuhiro Nakamura, world class in judo, was not able to take him down. Between completely demolishing Evans in the first UFC championship match in history matching up undefeated fighters, and reports that he gets the better of Anderson Silva when they spar, it makes for a puzzle. Evans talked confidently before the fight of the secret strategy they found to beat him. But after two rounds, it’s clear that strategy is still a secret.

While being billed as an affirmation of karate, that’s a very simple way of looking at it. The karate has made his stand-up difficult to figure, but this is not Royce Gracie who used Jiu Jitsu to beat people and start a revolution in combat sports. This is a guy whose background is closer to that of Georges St. Pierre. He grew up studying karate. But as a fighter, he’s trained with top level people at everything, wrestling, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu. He trained extensively and was championship level in karate, sumo and BJJ growing up. Although the difference is that St. Pierre’s biggest strength now is his wrestling, no matter what his background, while Machida uses everything else to allow his initial karate training to pay dividends.

Machida, born to a Japanese father and Brazilian mother, grew up in Belem, Brazil and started training at three under his father in Shotokan karate. He started sumo at 12 and BJJ at 15. Before being discovered by Antonio Inoki, he had already won the 2001 Pan American karate championship and was twice Brazilian sumo champion and was ranked second in South America. Granted, sumo isn’t exactly a gigantic sport in South America.

Machida was 23 when he was first brought to Inoki’s attention. He received a great deal of publicity in 2002 as “The Second Inoki.” Inoki was born in Japan, but growing up, his family moved to Brazil, where he became a star in track and field and was discovered by Rikidozan, when he toured the country, and Inoki and Giant Baba became Rikidozan’s two leading prospects as his successor.

The story was supposed to repeat. The background was similar. The two were about the same size and build. Inoki’s reputation was always as being this great shooter, which was from almost all accounts, greatly overblown, but it was a great marketing gimmick.

Inoki Sports Management signed Machida up, and the wrestling magazines were filled with photos and articles about how Inoki was going to train his personal protege to be the next dominant force in pro wrestling.

Inoki’s marketing ideas remained rooted in his 1970s success, which seem outdated and silly in today’s marketplace. The idea was to get Machida the best training possible, carefully match him up with name fighters with limited MMA ability, and get some impressive wins before moving him into pro wrestling where he could be what New Japan was lacking, the ace who people believed was a real shooter.

Machida’s MMA debut was actually on a New Japan Pro Wrestling show on May 2, 2003, at the Tokyo Dome, “Ultimate Crush,” still the biggest show in history where half the matches were shoots and half the matches were worked.

Before a crowd of 49,000 fans, Machida, billed simply as “Lyoto,” was put against Kengo. Kengo was the pro wrestling name for Kengo Watanabe, a former rugby star who was thought to be very marketable, who Pancrase tried, and failed, to make a top fighter. Kengo was a big star as a rookie in Japan as far as getting a lot of attention because he was big and had a good look, and in traditional Japanese thoughts, he was the right kind of a guy to be a superstar. The problem was, Pancrase was part of the pro wrestling community, but it wasn’t pro wrestling, and Kengo was not a good fighter. By this point in time, he had a 7-8-2 record (keep in mind that in 2003, won/loss records for Japanese MMA fighters were completely irrelevant as they were never used in media stories, although his wins were over Tomohiko Hashimoto, a pro wrestler from DDT, Dos Caras Jr., a masked pro wrestler from CMLL who beat him the first time, a sumo, a past 40-year-old early UFC fighter named Joe Charles and others that you would have never heard of). The fighters themselves considered him something of a joke, even though he was, at first, a real star to the public.

Kengo was the perfect first opponent for Lyoto. He had a big name and looked good. He didn’t fight well, and while he had a name, it was long since established he was never going to be much of a fighter. It was the equivalent of Kimbo Slice facing Tank Abbott, but instead of a devastating knockout, well --

Lyoto was content to take Watanabe down and hold him down to win an easy decision. But the match was boring and the crowd, which had just seen Jushin Liger & Koji Kanemoto tear down the house keeping the IWGP jr. tag titles beating Heat & Tiger Mask, treated it like it was intermission after about two minutes of Machida holding Watanabe down. Watanabe even took Lyoto down at the start of the second round, but Lyoto reversed him during the round, got a mount and had Kengo in trouble at the end of the round. In the third round, Lyoto got the takedown, controlled the position, took no chances, and didn’t do much damage at all. The debut was a flop. The clip on Countdown to UFC 98 where Inoki slapped and punched him leaving the ring at the Tokyo Dome was explained as Inoki transferring his fighting spirit. Inoki slapping you hard is considered an honor in Japan. And in virtually every case you see Inoki slap someone, that would be what it was. But this was Inoki hauling off and nailing him out of frustration for stinking the joint out. It was a disaster, and because so many people saw his highly publicized debut, Lyoto’s image was flat. Even his winning the championship was not nearly as big a deal in Japan as you’d think, because he’s still seen as a guy who wasn’t a star in Japan.

It looks good today to say that his second win, on September 13, 2003, on a Jungle Fight show held in Brazil, was over Stephan Bonnar. But at the time, Bonnar had only three pro fights and was considered a very safe opponent due to the size difference, as Lyoto, a 230-pound heavyweight at the time, was considerably bigger. Lyoto won that in 4:21, when it was stopped due to a cut.

His next opponent was considered considerably tougher, Rich Franklin came into the New Year’s Eve 2003 fight at Kobe Wing Stadium on a network prime time special that drew 25,000 fans, with a 15-0 record. The fact they would risk Lyoto against Franklin at this point was not a positive sign, but a sign that their original plans were falling apart and they were willing to risk him against a real fighter on a New Year’s Eve show. They would have never booked this match in front of such a huge audience at that time if the first match hadn’t gone the way it did.

Franklin was being groomed by UFC for a title shot against then- champion Randy Couture. Today, you look back and can’t understand why UFC would allow a title contender to fight for a different promotion, particularly since this fight was being fought at heavyweight and Franklin was a small light heavyweight at the time, which actually explains the story behind the match. But at the time, most of the UFC fighters were under one-fight contracts, and Franklin got a better money offer for Japan, and did contact UFC, and they had nothing on the schedule for him at the time since they were running only a few shows per year. Franklin did suffer a groin tear in training, hurting his mobility. After an even first round, the slower moving Franklin was hit with a left to the face, a high kick, and another left, which put him down and Lyoto swarmed on him, getting the stoppage at 1:03 of the second round, in the biggest win up to that point of his career.

Lyoto’s next match, on March 14, 2004, in Niigata, was a mid-card match against Michael McDonald, a 39-year-old K-1 fighter with no MMA or ground experience. Lyoto immediately took him down and finished him with a choke in 2:30. It was only a mid-card match and had little fanfare. The show was billed as a theme where outsiders from different companies and sports would do shoots on a K-1 card. Lyoto never did what we would call a pro wrestling match, he was considered a New Japan pro wrestler doing a safe mixed match against a K- 1 fighter. He was considered the level of a prelim wrestler. The show was during the heyday of Bob Sapp, whose match with Sumiyabazar Dolgolsuren (the older brother of sumo Asashoryu, Mongolia’s best freestyle wrestler who lost to Kurt Angle in the 1996 Olympics) drew 36 million viewers on television, breaking the all-time Japanese television record for an MMA fight. The show was also the night when 43-year-old Steve Williams, suffering from cancer, did his only MMA fight, being knocked out by kickboxer Alexey Ignashov. Those were the headline matches and Lyoto’s match was hardly promoted.

His fifth pro fight was on May 22, 2004, at the Saitama Super Arena, which saw him get a split decision win over Sam Greco, a past-his-prime K-1 star with limited fighting ability. It was during the period when Inoki sent New Japan guys into shoots with the idea of giving them credibility. While people remember this as the wrestlers always getting slaughtered, and they did at times, during this era of mixed styles, pro wrestlers fared tons better than pro boxers when it came to these style matches. On this show, New Japan went 5-0. Greco, whose fighting career seemingly ended years earlier when his body started breaking down, and was a pro wrestler for WCW until the company folded, was again considered a guy with a name for Lyoto to beat with ease. Lyoto controlled the first two rounds on the ground, but never had Greco in any serious trouble. He tried a few armbars that Greco, who had some ground training by this point, was able to escape. In the third round, Lyoto’s attempt at a takedown failed, and Greco got on top and was throwing punches from the top for much of the round. Lyoto got a split decision. They weren’t doing ten-point must scoring, as with that system, Lyoto would have won 29-28, but scoring the entire match. On that night, the general feeling was Lyoto was given the hometown decision because Greco did far more damage in round three than Lyoto did in rounds one and two.

His next match was on March 26, 2005, also at the Saitama Super Arena, facing B.J. Penn. This was when Penn was on the outs from UFC, and wanted to fight a heavyweight. Lyoto weighed in at 222, while Penn bulked up to 180. The fight was considered so dull that it never aired on television, although there were also political issues as New Japan did not give its approval to allow it to be televised. Penn actually took Lyoto down and held him there in the first round, but couldn’t do anything there. Lyoto constantly out struck Penn due to reach, but there was little striking going on. Penn dropped to his back in the third round to invite Lyoto to come to the ground, but Lyoto kicked at his legs. With a 42-pound weight advantage, this was hardly considered an impressive win for Lyoto, and it was a close, competitive fight, but Lyoto was the deserving winner.

Inoki Sports Management was undergoing financial problems. Lyoto wasn’t over to the Japanese public. He was considered a guy pushed who never lived up to the hype in Japan, was given chance after chance to get over and look impressive, and while he never won, nobody cared about him by this point. The pro wrestling idea had long been dropped since Inoki and New Japan had gone their separate ways, and Machida was with Inoki.

But with a 7-0 pro record (he also won a Jungle Fight match in Brazil in 2006) and wins over Bonnar, Franklin and Penn, by 2006, all huge UFC stars, the Las Vegas-based World Fighting Alliance, one of UFC’s first big rivals after the U.S. TV boom period, saw him as valuable, with the idea they could promote him as holding wins over three UFC superstars, and signed him to what at the time was a big contract . The WFA folded after one show, and UFC bought out several of the contracts.

His U.S. debut for WFA in Los Angeles, was third from the top, against Vernon White in a match the crowd booed heavily. Machida won all three rounds using his jump in/jump out standing style. White got so frustrated he flipped off the fans during the second round, which got more reaction than any of the offensive moves. Machida got takedowns in rounds two and three.

Today, Dana White said they bought the company to get the contracts of Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida. Machida was 8-0 at the time, but he was not nearly as highly coveted at the time as people will say. Machida had a reputation as being pretty crafty with a difficult style to beat, and also that his matches were always dull. Despite his record and who he held wins over, his UFC debut on February 3, 2007, was put in a dark match.

Nobody has touched him since then, winning every round, and winning two knockout of the night bonuses in his last two fights.

The irony is, if he had performed when he started like he performed this year, he would be world champion all right–in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

One would think that someone who started their career with New Japan Pro Wrestling, and being half Japanese, and well known in Japan, it would be huge news him winning the UFC title in what has the reputation of being the most important weight class. Even more for a country looking for national heroes in fighting that he’s now 15-0 and along with Fedor Emelianenko, one of only two people who has established an aura of being pretty close to unbeatable.

But in Japan, the feeling is that he’s considered more an American star who just happened to fight in Japan early in his career. The Japanese father doesn’t seem to matter. The Inoki thing is barely remembered, and when it is, it’s more like a huge build to an angle that went nowhere. It’s noted he was never with Pride during its heyday when MMA was in the national spotlight, and while he did do MMA matches for K-1, he was never a headliner, nor were any of his matches particularly memorable.

It is expected that Machida and Jackson will be coaches on season ten of the Ultimate Fighter, which begins filming on 6/1 in Las Vegas. The official announcement of the coaches will be made in a few days, but we had already heard Jackson was asked, and that the Evans-Machida winner would be the other coach, building to a match at the end of December “Starrcade” show. The exposure as a coach has made everyone to date at least something of a star. Most likely, for a match with Jackson for the title coming off that build-up, his next fight should draw very well. But if Anderson Silva beats Forrest Griffin, that strong light heavyweight division and its endless match-ups on top is looking surprisingly bare. Machida vs. Chuck Liddell would do monster business, but it’s not going to happen, nor should it. Shogun Rua would be a potential opponent, although that’s questionable at best as a marquee fight, and after that you’re left with Keith Jardine or Franklin.

[Mopar Fanatic]

MMAJunkie has the scoop:

Veteran fighter Frank Trigg (19-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship after signing a four-fight deal with the organization.

Trigg, who's a daily host for MMAjunkie.com Radio, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about the signing, which took nearly nine months to complete.

Trigg, who recently turned 37, went 2-3 in his first UFC stint from 2003-2005, but he's perhaps best remembered for two unsuccessful attempts at Matt Hughes' UFC welterweight title.

The Xtreme Couture fighter is expected to fight in late fall or early winter, though no specific date or opponent has yet been determined for his UFC return. Although he's competed as a middleweight in some recent fights, he'll remain at welterweight in the UFC.

At this point I think Trigg is probably a better commentator than a fighter and maybe that's what the UFC sees for his future, too. It's tough to imagine him making a serious run at age 37, especially with GSP--the guy who spanked him soundly--on top of the division.

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://www.taifun-lutalivre.de/blog1/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ufc99_poster-764067.jpg

Main card

Catchweight (195 lb) bout:
Rich Franklin (24-4-0) vs. Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1)

Heavyweight bout:
Cheick Kongo (14-4-1) vs. Cain Velasquez (5-0-0)

Welterweight bout:
Mike Swick (13-2-0) vs. Ben Saunders (7-0-2)

Welterweight bout:
Marcus Davis (16-4-0) vs. Dan Hardy (21-6-0)

Lightweight bout:
Spencer Fisher (22-4-0) vs. Caol Uno (25-11-4)

Heavyweight bout:
Mostapha Al-turk (6-4-0) vs. Mirko Filipović (24-6-2)


Preliminary card

Lightweight bout:
Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz

Lightweight bout:
Dennis Siver vs. Dale Hartt

Welterweight bout:
Paul Taylor vs. Peter Sobotta

Lightweight bout:
Paul Kelly vs. Rolando Delgado

Heavyweight bout:
Denis Stojnic vs. Stefan Struve

Welterweight bout:
John Hathaway vs. Rick Story


Odds: http://www.betus.com/sports-betting/ufc/

[DarkKnight81]

That's the best card they've put together in a while. I'll be ordering this one for sure. My picks:

Franklin by KO
Kongo by UD
Swick by KO
Davis by KO
Fisher by UD
Crocop by KO

[Mopar Fanatic]

That's the best card they've put together in a while.

Other than the main event, I have no interest in anything on this card. Kongo-Cain is ok.

[DarkKnight81]

Other than the main event, I have no interest in anything on this card. Kongo-Cain is ok.

There are no super fights, Franklin-Silva is hardly main event worthy. But from top to bottom I'm excited to see all of those fights. Most cards I'm really stoked for one or two fights and the rest I could care less. This looks at least solid all around.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Kimbo on TUF

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns

LAS VEGAS – Kimbo Slice, the controversial heavyweight who in 2008 headlined the most-viewed mixed martial arts card in history, will be one of 16 contestants on the forthcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s reality TV series.

Dana White, the UFC’s outspoken president, has repeatedly mocked Slice for his lack of fighting ability. Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, became a cult figure by competing in street fights that were posted on YouTube. Slice’s “bouts” drew tens of millions of views and led him to turn professional.

He fought for the now defunct Elite XC, garnering massive media attention but getting mocked by White and others affiliated with the UFC for a lack of ability.

White has called him a “joke,” a “bum” and “not a real fighter,” among other less than kind descriptions. He said that Slice would “get murdered if he fought in the UFC” and suggested that his lightweight champion, 155-pound B.J. Penn, would “annihilate” the 230-pound Slice.

The UFC president has repeatedly insisted he would not allow Slice to compete in the UFC unless he won his way onto the show by competing on “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Slice has called White’s bluff and will appear on Season 10 of the highly rated Spike TV series, White has confirmed. Fighters live in the same house and train together, and then fight during the show in a bid to earn a UFC contract.

His appearance, along with that of former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches, should guarantee massive ratings.

“It should be interesting, given some of the things I’ve said about him,” White said.

Slice, who has a 3-1 professional record, appeared in the main event of the first MMA card shown on network television in the U.S. when he fought James Thompson on May 31, 2008, on CBS.

Slice won by third-round stoppage in a bout that attracted a record 6.5 million viewers and remains the most-viewed MMA bout in history.

But Slice hasn’t fought since Oct. 4, when he was knocked out by a jab from late replacement Seth Petruzelli, a light heavyweight, just 14 seconds into another fight broadcast on CBS. The plug was pulled on Elite XC, which reportedly lost millions of dollars, in the aftermath of the fight.

White promised “some major surprises” as he announced on a Thursday conference call that Jackson and Evans, each of whom is a former light heavyweight champion, would serve as coaches on Season 10.

He declined to say anything further but urged reporters on the call not to miss media day, which is Tuesday at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas.

White worked hard to keep Slice’s appearance on the show a secret, hoping to have unveiled him Tuesday. Season 10, which is being called “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” was originally slated to feature a cast of eight heavyweights and eight middleweights, but the UFC quietly informed the middleweights who tried out that it was going with an all-heavyweight show.

And unlike in recent seasons, where the competitors had to win a fight to earn their way into the house, there will be no such arrangement this time. All 16 fighters – Spike and the UFC are keeping names of the others a closely guarded secret – will automatically move into the house.

Though White goes to great lengths to insist that nothing on the show is scripted, it’s virtually guaranteed that Slice won’t fight early in the competition. Having him around and alive in the competition is going to keep ratings elevated.

If Slice is able to advance to the live Dec. 5 finale, with a chance to earn a UFC contract with a win, ratings would likely be the largest in Spike history.

[HurricanesR1]

UFC 99 should be on Spike TV. I find it hilarious that the UFC wants 45 dollars for an event that is aired via tape delay. Events like this should be on Spike and events like Sanchez-Stevenson, Bisping-Leben should be Fight Night's on Wednesday's....not big UFC events.

Also, Kimbo will get beat in his first or second fight.

Franklin beats Silva
Velasquez beats Kongo
Swick beats Saunders
Davis beats Hardy
Cro Cop beats Al-Turk

[DarkKnight81]

Rampage, Rashad, and Kimbo all on TUF should at least be very entertaining. I actually hope he wins just to see him in the UFC.

[Mopar Fanatic]

If you think about it, it's win-win for dana. Use kimbo to draw in ratings for the show, and later on in the season when he finally fights and gets his ass whipped, another win in his war on proving that mma is a "legitimate" sport. Quite brilliant, actually.

[DarkKnight81]

There aren't any "get in the house" prelim fights either so he'll definitely be on the show. Some ex-NFL players are going to be on there as well. Too bad they couldn't get Canseco.

[unspoken]

How awesome was the WEC last night.

Easily one of the best 5 cards I've ever seen.

[MISFITS_Fiend]

Awesome fight between Mike Brown and Urijah Faber...I was glad to see Brown keep the title.

Unfortunately, I'm just waiting for all of the "Urijah would have won it if he hadn't broken his hand" comments. Uh, no he wouldn't have. Brown was manhandling him for the entire fight, including takedowns in the 1st round, which Urijah won.

[HurricanesR1]

Jens Pulver shouldn't be fighting in MMA. He can't fight anymore but was very good in his prime.

[DarkKnight81]

Unfortunately, I'm just waiting for all of the "Urijah would have won it if he hadn't broken his hand" comments. Uh, no he wouldn't have. Brown was manhandling him for the entire fight, including takedowns in the 1st round, which Urijah won.

I'm not sure what to make of your comment. You say Urijah won the first round, which he did. He also broke his hand in the first round, yet he hung in there, possibly won the third round and kept the pace with Brown the whole fight. So how do you know he wouldn't have won? I think if he gets one more win against either Aldo or another contender, he'll get one more shot at the belt and hopefully not break his hand this time. But that fight was highly contested.

[MISFITS_Fiend]

The reason I say that is sure; Urijah was getting some punches in during the 1st, but none of them seemed to have an effect on Brown. Don't get me wrong; I love to watch Urijah fight, I just think Mike Brown is too much for him in regards to skill and technique. The guy just doesn't make enough mistakes for Urijah to capitalize on, and Urijah has a habit of getting a bit wild and sloppy in the ring. It worked for him for a long time, but I think he really needs to re-evaluate his gameplan.

[DarkKnight81]

All things considered after last night, I think Urijah proved he can contend with Mike Brown. It's not like he got decimated twice and there is no reason for an eventual rematch.

[MISFITS_Fiend]

I agree, they need to do this one more time if for no other reason than they just have damn good fights together.

And how much does it suck to be Cub Swanson right now? :D

[DunlopolnuD]

Anyone else think Aldo is going to win the title and hold it for at least a year?

[DarkKnight81]

Anyone else think Aldo is going to win the title and hold it for at least a year?

Not really, beating Cub Swanson doesn't really mean shit. Brown/Faber would both beat Aldo IMO.

[DunlopolnuD]

I agree that with beating Swanson it doesn't mean anything (though it did look fancy), every match I've seen him in, he's just been destroying people.

They did say that Aldo was getting the next shot at the title, right?

[DarkKnight81]

I agree that with beating Swanson it doesn't mean anything (though it did look fancy), every match I've seen him in, he's just been destroying people.

They did say that Aldo was getting the next shot at the title, right?

Nothing official yet but it's probably a safe bet. I'd like to see Faber vs. Fabianno for the following shot.

[MistAh BlistAh]

UFC 99 turned out being a pretty decent card!

Franklin got the much deserved victory over Silva, he really picked him apart and Silva seemed gassed way too early.

I was really rooting for Kongo but Cain was just too good at controlling the ground game. Cain showed he's got a great chin as well, took like 3-4 massive shots which dropped him but that seemed to just turn things on after each one.

Great seeing Cro Cop come out on top even with the controversial/weak finish.

The Swick/Saunders fight result was just as I expected, loved the trash talk ealy in the first round, haha.

Can't freakin wait for UFC 100! Gunna be awesome.

[unspoken]

Cro Cop barely beats a can, then goes and immediately signs a contract to go back to DREAM.

He used to be one of my favorites, now I can't wait to see him get smashed by Overeem again.

[DarkKnight81]

I thought the card turned out ok. Silva/Franklin really was the only great fight and I'm glad to see both are unhurt and can move forward. Although I dont know how Wand will deal with the cut to 185, he looked gassed at 195.

[unspoken]

Also from last night, Tim Sylvia got violently KO'd by 48 year old Ray Mercer in 9 seconds at the Adrenaline MMA event in Alabama. There's some vids on youtube to check out if you wish.

[MISFITS_Fiend]

Wow, the MMA thread here definitely goes through some dead times occasionally...

Anyway, anybody else check out the TUF finale? Awesome fights. I was surprised at how easily Joe Stevenson dominated Nate Diaz, the brutality of the Lytle/Burns fight, and especially at just how awesome the Diego Sanchez/Clay Guida fight was. I'm not a huge fan of Guida's lay 'n' pray style, but every time he tried it on Diego he got elbows to the face for his trouble. Even after getting a high kick straight to the face he refused to go out. The guy's got heart, even if he doesn't have enough versatility to even it out.

Oh yeah, and the British guys won both weight classes as well. Demarques Johnson never seemed to have a chance against James Wilks. I look forward to seeing both of them in the Octagon again. Ross Pearson looked good as well.

[DarkKnight81]

Wow, the MMA thread here definitely goes through some dead times occasionally...

Anyway, anybody else check out the TUF finale? Awesome fights. I was surprised at how easily Joe Stevenson dominated Nate Diaz, the brutality of the Lytle/Burns fight, and especially at just how awesome the Diego Sanchez/Clay Guida fight was. I'm not a huge fan of Guida's lay 'n' pray style, but every time he tried it on Diego he got elbows to the face for his trouble. Even after getting a high kick straight to the face he refused to go out. The guy's got heart, even if he doesn't have enough versatility to even it out.

Oh yeah, and the British guys won both weight classes as well. Demarques Johnson never seemed to have a chance against James Wilks. I look forward to seeing both of them in the Octagon again. Ross Pearson looked good as well.

If you like talking MMA you should check out Sherdog.com. This site is better and not so full of douchebags but there are very few people who talk MMA here.

Sanchez/Guida was a great fight but I thought it should have been scored a draw. The rest of the fights were meh.

[Mopar Fanatic]

I thought the card turned out ok. Silva/Franklin really was the only great fight and I'm glad to see both are unhurt and can move forward. Although I dont know how Wand will deal with the cut to 185, he looked gassed at 195.

He's pretty fuckin washed up. He looked even more sluggish than he did in the second Henderson fight, in which he looked completely shot. That Franklin arguably lost to this version of Silva says more about Franklin's level of striking than it does about Silva's current viability.

In the Cro Cop fight I love how he shrugged off the eye gouge as if it didn't effect the outcome of the fight. Looking forward to him getting owned multiple times again due to his tentativeness the last few years.

As for his situation, most are glad he won, but that's about it. He's lost a lot of support through the years, being stupid and pretentious like he is.

This dana white deal fuck up, not paying his sparring partners and various teammates (I guess he expects them to be proud that a guy of his stature is beating them up) then there was the scandal of not releasing the video of the randleman fight after he got knocked out, his camp had the rights to it and decided to withold the video, unlike with his other fights. That's when he lost most support back home.

I mean the people still nuthug him, just not as before... I'm talking about regulars joe's here, but if you ask any hard core fans, or people from the fight sport circles, he gets no respect.

Cain didn't do much to impress me, it's probably still too early into Cain's career to determine if his striking defense will remain inadequate for the division's better strikers. If Fisher could develop a proper sprawl 25+ fights into his career, it's conceivable that Cain could tweak his own as well after 5.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Machida/Rua

http://mmamania.com/2009/06/21/lyoto-machida-vs-shogun-rua-announced-for-ufc-104-on-oct-24/

It’s time for some Brazilian-on-Brazilian crime.

Ultimate Fighting Championship finally confirmed a much earlier MMAmania.com report that a light heavyweight title fight between newly-minted champion Lyoto Machida (15-0) and 2005 Pride FC Middleweight Grand Prix winner Mauricio Rua (18-3) is booked for UFC 104 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on October 24.

“Shogun” is coming off a first round technical knockout of former 205-pound champion, Chuck Liddell, at UFC 97: “Redemption” last month. He defeated Mark Coleman via third round technical knockout in a lackluster performance earlier this year at UFC 93: “Franklin vs. Henderson” to earn a crack at the “Iceman.”

It’s perhaps not the match up that most fans expected, especially when UFC President Dana White was quick to announce that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would be the first to challenge Machida for his newly-won world title. But that all went out the window a few days later when Jackson apparently pressed UFC officials to settle a score with Rashad Evans via The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 first rather than compete to get his belt back.

That left “The Dragon” — who flattened Evans at UFC 98 to win the belt — all of a sudden without a number one contender … until now.

Despite his recent success, some UFC fans still aren’t sold on the abilities of Rua, who must now muster up some of the mojo he had during his blistering run in PRIDE to try and overcome an opponent who went from tentative to homicidal in the span of three figthts.

Machida will also try to stop the revolving door that has continued to spin atop the division afterChuckLiddell coughed up the 205-pound belt just over two years ago. In fact since May of 2007, the light heavyweight title has changed hands a total of four times.

No question Rua will be looking to make it five.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on UFC 104 as they develop.

[KingofKings2525]

Anybody else getting pumped for Lesnar/Mir 2!

I can't fucking wait for next weekend!

[HurricanesR1]

I'm read for that Lesnar-Mir rematch to get finished. I personally think Mir submits Lesnar again.

St-Pierre may dominate Alves, which may be a little surprising, but that's what I think.

I sure hope Henderson beats Bisping because the hype around him is almost crazy. He got me mad after he talked all of that trash in the post-fight interview after Hamill whipped him for 3 rounds, yet the judges gave it to Bisping.

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/mma/UFC/14267999;_ylt=AucYtprtVni4uxJkZTRSD509Eo14

[DarkKnight81]

I like Mir but he sounds like an idiot sometimes. He's the last guy that should be questioning people's stamina. I'll be rooting for him but I think Lesnar stays calm and cool this time and blankets Mir for 3 rounds who will be too exhausted to continue.

Lesnar def Mir TKO Round 3
GSP def Alves UD Round 5
Henderson def Bisping UD Round 3
Fitch def Thiago TKO Round 2
Belcher def Akiyama RNC Round 2
Bonnaer def Coleman KO round 1

[Mopar Fanatic]

]http://mmacity.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ufc100poster.jpg

http://100.ufc.com


Main card

Heavyweight Championship bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Brock Lesnar (3-1-0) -240 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Frank Mir (12-3-0) +190

Welterweight Championship bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Canada.svg/22px-Flag_of_Canada.svg.png Georges St-Pierre (18-2-0) -280 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Thiago Alves (22-4-0) +210

Middleweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Dan Henderson (24-7-0) -260 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png Michael Bisping (18-1-0) +200

Welterweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Jon Fitch (22-3-1) -500 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Paulo Thiago (11-0-0) +350

Middleweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/22px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1-0) -360 vs. Alan Belcher (13-4-0) +250


Preliminary card

Light Heavyweight bout:
Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar

Lightweight bout:
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller

Light Heavyweight bout:
Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien

Welterweight bout:
Dong Hyun Kim vs. TJ Grant

Middleweight bout:
C.B. Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor

Lightweight bout:
Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty


More odds here:
http://www.betus.com[/

[Mopar Fanatic]

Predictions

Mir-Same as last time, Mir by sub. It will just take a little longer this time. Surprised to see Mir as such an underdog.
GSP (hoping Alves)
Henderson
Fitch
Akiyama
Bonnar
Miller
Jones
Kim

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7pBfSe9eU

[DarkKnight81]

If you watch it on TV you can tell the "door" is actually just an empty cardboard box. Still, I'd hate to be the box.

[Mopar Fanatic]

If you watch it on TV you can tell the "door" is actually just an empty cardboard box. Still, I'd hate to be the box.

Looked like a table with fold in legs.

[HurricanesR1]

Mir
St. Pierre
Thiago
Henderson
Akiyama

[KingofKings2525]

Heavyweight Championship bout:
Brock Lesnar (3-1-0) -240 vs. Frank Mir (12-3-0) +190

Welterweight Championship bout:
Georges St-Pierre (18-2-0) -280 vs. Thiago Alves (22-4-0) +210

Middleweight bout:
Dan Henderson (24-7-0) -260 vs. Michael Bisping (18-1-0) +200

Welterweight bout:
Jon Fitch (22-3-1) -500 vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0-0) +350

Middleweight bout:
Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1-0) -360 vs. Alan Belcher (13-4-0) +250

[DarkKnight81]

Crocop is back in the UFC and will likely be co-main eventing 103 in L.A. in September. His opponent...Junior Dos Santos. Rumored to be coheadlining is Rich Franklin vs Luis Cane.

[HurricanesR1]

I think Dos Santos will take Cro Cop. Franklin will likely beat Cane on the scorecards.

[DarkKnight81]

I think Dos Santos will beat Crocop as well, especially if fat Crocop shows up again.

Franklin/Cane is a tough one. I can see Cane's size and strength being a problem for Rich.

[Mopar Fanatic]

CroCop's got a history of tucking tail once something shakes his confidence. I think it's less apathy and more a confidence issue, and an age issue as well. Some fighters can stay relevant even when their athleticism begins to fade but but it's the beginning of the end for someone like Crocop who is so heavily dependent on his speed. Foot speed is the first thing to go, and his movements and attempted kicks looked sluggish as hell. More technical kickboxers like Hoost usually move on to low kicks and well-placed combinations to make up for the missing high kicks at this point, but Crocop has never been technical or had much of a low kick. Now he's just a mediocre boxer with a sprawl.

[MistAh BlistAh]

Heavyweight Championship bout:
Brock Lesnar (3-1-0) -240 vs. Frank Mir (12-3-0) +190

Welterweight Championship bout:
Georges St-Pierre (18-2-0) -280 vs. Thiago Alves (22-4-0) +210

Middleweight bout:
Dan Henderson (24-7-0) -260 vs. Michael Bisping (18-1-0) +200

Welterweight bout:
Jon Fitch (22-3-1) -500 vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0-0) +350

Middleweight bout:
Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1-0) -360 vs. Alan Belcher (13-4-0) +250

Agree with all your picks except Fitch :cool:

[HurricanesR1]

Henderson, St. Pierre, and Lesnar were dominant

[MistAh BlistAh]

Well now, that's a first, called every single fight. Kinda surprised Lesnar was as dominant as he was...

of course it's the only time I didn't put a fuckin penny down, lol

[Mopar Fanatic]

Affliction 3
August 1, 2009
Anaheim, CA

PPV card
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett
Gegard Mousasi vs. Babalu Sobral
Jorge Santiago vs. Vitor Belfort
Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel
Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley
Takanori Gomi vs. Rafaelllo Oliveira

HDNet card:
Dan Lauzon vs. Chris Horodecki
Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley
Brett Cooper vs. Akbarh Arreola
Javier Vazquez vs. LC Davis
Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Mark Hominick

I will be there for this event! my cousin works for the Honda Center and got us kick ass seats!

[scottmushroom]

Affliction 3
August 1, 2009
Anaheim, CA

PPV card
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett
Gegard Mousasi vs. Babalu Sobral
Jorge Santiago vs. Vitor Belfort
Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel
Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley
Takanori Gomi vs. Rafaelllo Oliveira

HDNet card:
Dan Lauzon vs. Chris Horodecki
Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley
Brett Cooper vs. Akbarh Arreola
Javier Vazquez vs. LC Davis
Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Mark Hominick

I will be there for this event! my cousin works for the Honda Center and got us kick ass seats!
I'm jealous. Hopefully I can get a kickass seat at my local hooters.....but in all seriousness....this looks to be a killer event and I hope you have a blast.

[DarkKnight81]

I'm jealous. Hopefully I can get a kickass seat at my local hooters.....but in all seriousness....this looks to be a killer event and I hope you have a blast.

Do hooters usually carry Affliction, because the bar I go to for UFCs doesn't?

[sbunn10]

am I the only one who fucking hates Brock Lesnar? He should go back to the WWE.

[KingofKings2525]

am I the only one who fucking hates Brock Lesnar? He should go back to the WWE.

I love Brock Lesnar, he is far and away my favorite UFC Fighter.

Big, Strong, Fast, Villian, Asshole. I don't think he'll be beat for years to come.

[HurricanesR1]

Fedor-Barnett is off. Vitor Belfort apparently has verbally committed to step in and fight Fedor at "Affliction: Trilogy."

Barnett's removal from the card is steroid related.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15590/affliction-trilogy-fedor-emelianenko-vs-josh-barnett-headliner-could-be-scrapped.mma

[Mopar Fanatic]

Vitor is fucking horrible. You know how many good fighters he's beat in the last 8 years? One. Matt Lindland. He's not even a top 10 MW and he's going to fight Fedor? I think Hong Choi, Hunt, and Lindland all had better chances of beating Fedor.

[HurricanesR1]

According to MMA Junkie and Sherdog, it looks like it might be Jeff Monson instead of Belfort. Brett Rogers was brought up, but Strikeforce said they wouldn't let him go to Affliction for that fight.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Anderson Silva reveals he has signed a contract to face Roy Jones Jr.

UFC middleweight champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva has revealed the blockbuster news that he has signed some sort of contract with boxing great, Roy Jones Jr. to fight in a professional boxing match when his MMA career is up.

Speaking to Fighters Only Magazine, Silva explained:

“It is undoubted that I will face Roy Jones. We have talked too much, have signed some contracts and we want to make it the sooner the better. It’s not for money or spotlight, it’s for my desire.”.

“I watch Roy Jones since he competed as an amateur and in the Olympic Games. I’m looking forward to this fight to put in the ring everything I know, to show my students in the future that I understand what I may say over this or that and don’t seem a pirate parrot.”

“Before that UFC is my focus. Dana treats me very well, as do all the staff of the organization. However I have to search what is better for myself.”

Silva has four fights left on his current UFC deal, the first of which is early next month against former UFC light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.

By Michael Pepper.

Source: http://www.mmabay.co.uk/Story%2002103.html

[Mopar Fanatic]

Affliction 3 was cancelled

[DunlopolnuD]

Isn't Roy Jones Jr. a bit of a showboat? I wonder if a punch will actually be thrown or if it'll be the premiere episode of the new season of Dancing with the Stars.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Isn't Roy Jones Jr. a bit of a showboat? I wonder if a punch will actually be thrown or if it'll be the premiere episode of the new season of Dancing with the Stars.

He was, but thats probably why he is/was Anderson's idol. Probably where he gets some of his arrogance.

[HurricanesR1]

Rich Franklin-Vitor Belfort at UFC 103

Tito Ortiz is back and will likely face Mark Coleman in November or December

Dan Henderson is getting the next title shot at 185

[KingofKings2525]

Is Tito bankrupt or something? Why the hell is he coming back? His fanbase was next to nothing when he left and I have to assume it's dwindled down even more since. He'll come back, lose, and dana white will drink to that.

[Darth Kenshin]

what is Fedor doing? I've watched a decent amount of MMA and am slightly interested in it, and I keep hearing how great Fedor is. Yet, he pussied out of UFC. Someone with more knowledge of MMA explain to me: is the dude overrated (translated: doesn't want to get the crap beat out of him by someone like Lesnar) or was it strictly business? I've only seen a few fights of his (like the destruction of Sylvia) and he seemed like a "take on all comers" kind of dude, but I was baffled by this. I always prefer watching heavyweights (in this and boxing) and was excited for him to come to UFC. So disappointed right now.

[Mopar Fanatic]

am I the only one who fucking hates Brock Lesnar? He should go back to the WWE.

You mean that giant dick-chested motherfucker? Most his fans would argue that he's really strong.

[Mopar Fanatic]

what is Fedor doing? I've watched a decent amount of MMA and am slightly interested in it, and I keep hearing how great Fedor is. Yet, he pussied out of UFC. Someone with more knowledge of MMA explain to me: is the dude overrated (translated: doesn't want to get the crap beat out of him by someone like Lesnar) or was it strictly business? I've only seen a few fights of his (like the destruction of Sylvia) and he seemed like a "take on all comers" kind of dude, but I was baffled by this. I always prefer watching heavyweights (in this and boxing) and was excited for him to come to UFC. So disappointed right now.

Fedor is not doing anything his management (Finkelstein in particular is handling the negotiating). Co-Promotion is what doomed the deal.

These are some of the things that were offered to Fedor and why he should find new management:

- The UFC offered Fedor a 6 fight, 30 million dollar contract. That's 5 mil a fight

- The UFC offered Fedor an immediate title shot

- Lesnar/Fedor would be the biggest PPV in MMA history (we assume), and the UFC offered M-1 Global a cut of the PPV on top of Fedor's purse.

- Fedor was free to wear as many M-1 logoed items as he wished.

- The UFC also relented on allowing Fedor to compete in combat sambo.

[HurricanesR1]

Fedor isn't making "his" decisions....those goofballs that he's hooked up with (M-1 Global) make the decisions for him. Fedor is under contract to those guys so they are going to tell Fedor where he fights.

Fedor was supposedly offered a ton of money, he could compete in Sambo (at least 90+ days before a scheduled UFC event), he could promote M-1 anywhere he wanted....but the UFC WOULD NOT CO-PROMOTE with M-1 Global, which made the deal fall apart.

Strikeforce is crazy for accepting to co-promote with them. Not only does M-1 get half of the profts from the events here and overseas, but they don't carry events on PPV...PLUS they're allowing Fedor to compete in Japan at DREAM, Sengoku, etc if he wants. They are crazy.

I'm with the UFC on this one. DO NOT co-promote with anybody.

[Darth Kenshin]

that's unfortunate. Politics are what ruined boxing. I hope it doesn't do the same to the MMA world.

Anyway, I'm disappointed because even though I'm not a HUGE fan of MMA, I do enjoy it and always like watching the best. That's how I am with pretty much any sport: if I'm watching elite guys, I can get into it (which is why I can watch the World Cup or UEFA but will never watch an MLS game). I would've liked to see the best fight the best.

[KingofKings2525]

It's simple really. He's afraid of Brock Lesnar... and he should be.

[HurricanesR1]

My picks for UFC 101

Penn
Griffin
Hendricks
Grove
Neer

[MistAh BlistAh]

Holy shit, Silva is BACK!

Thats the Spider I wanna see! Can't wait to get a .gif of that Knock Out, haha.

That was seriously some incredible and impressive shit.

Completely made a fool of Griffin :cool:

[DarkKnight81]

I'm disgusted with the two fighters I picked. Florian and Griffin. Florian was in there not to lose instead of trying to win. He did not do a damn thing but hold BJ against the cage and this is the guy who says he finishes fights. Griffin quit, he wasn't even knocked out, and then he just leaves the arena. Fuck him, winning the title was a fluke or a set up by the UFC.

[DunlopolnuD]

Possible broken jaw, and hearing loss in his ear... can't really blame Griffin.

[HurricanesR1]

Wow....Griffin KO'd by a jab. I think Griffin was still seriously stunned from those earlier punches...and that jab was placed right on the money and finished him.

BJ Penn totally outclassed Florian. I'm glad BJ shut that loud mouth Florian up. I had enough of hearing Florian's garbage trash talk.

[DarkKnight81]

Possible broken jaw, and hearing loss in his ear... can't really blame Griffin.

Nope, he's fine.

[MISFITS_Fiend]

...and your new WEC Bantamweight champion, Brian Bowles!!!

Damn, that was a brutal knockout. Torres should kick the ref's ass for waiting so long to stop the fight...he took at least 3 unnecessary shots after he was already KTFO (I don't blame Bowles, though...you fight until the ref stops you).

[DunlopolnuD]

I counted 4 hits after he was out, that really was fucking brutal. It's going to be great to see how he rebounds from this...

[HurricanesR1]

Looks like the next WEC title fights will be:

LW: Jamie Varner vs. Cerrone/Henderson winner
FW: Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo
BW: Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz

[HurricanesR1]

Tito Ortiz-Mark Coleman set for UFC 106 November 21

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15897/report-tito-ortiz-and-mark-coleman-set-for-ufc-106-on-nov-21-in-las-vegas.mma

[KingofKings2525]

Tito Ortiz-Mark Coleman set for UFC 106 November 21

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15897/report-tito-ortiz-and-mark-coleman-set-for-ufc-106-on-nov-21-in-las-vegas.mma

Pass. Wait, isn't my main man Brock fighting that night?

[HurricanesR1]

Pass. Wait, isn't my main man Brock fighting that night?
Yeah, Lesnar-Carwin will headline the event and Ortiz-Coleman will be the co-headliner.

Looks like Michael Bisping-Denis Kang will headline UFC 105 on Spike.

[DarkKnight81]

Yeah, Lesnar-Carwin will headline the event and Ortiz-Coleman will be the co-headliner.

Looks like Michael Bisping-Denis Kang will headline UFC 105 on Spike.

BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez in in the works for 105.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Carwin Vs. Valasquez Off - Lesnar/Carwin At 106

Undefeated heavyweight behemoth Shane Carwin has reportedly been pulled from his Oct. 24 bout against fellow fast-rising prospect Cain Velasquez to fight current champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 106 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 21.

Rumors began to circulate last night after MMAmadness.com broke the news and MMAmania.com has since been able to confirm the big shake up.

Carwin and Velasquez were originally paired up for UFC 104 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., to determine a number one contender for Brock’s title.

With Randy Couture and Antonio Nogueira having already committed to the main event of UFC 102, there were some concerns within the organization that a suitable opponent would not be found for Lesnar by year’s end following his destruction of Frank Mir at UFC 100.

There was also the possibility of eliminating two major prospects within the division in a very short period of time had the winner of Carwin vs. Velasquez gone on to be defeated by the champ.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Mmamania, mmanews.com

[HurricanesR1]

Fedor vs. Brett Rogers this fall, according to mmamania.com

[DarkKnight81]

My picks for tonight.

Nog def Couture via armbar round 3

Jardine def Silva via TKO round 2

Maia def Marquart via triangle round 1

Leben def Rosholt via KO round 1

Soszynski def Vera via UD

Then I got Herman, Gonzaga, Russow, Dufee, Catone, and Aurelio

[Mopar Fanatic]

This is a great main event....7 years ago.

Nog was obliterated by Frank Mir. If that isn't evidence of being shot, I don't know what is.

Couture may be old enough to be my father, but he has aged better than Nog and should be able to keep it on the feet and outbox him.

[DarkKnight81]

Couture may be old enough to be my father, but he has aged better than Nog and should be able to keep it on the feet and outbox him.

You're probably right but i'm still rooting for Nog.

[MistAh BlistAh]

Main Card:

Couture Def. Nogueira
Jardine Def. Silva
Leben Def. Rosholt
Marquardt Def. Maia
Soszynski Def. Vera

[HurricanesR1]

Henderson-Marquardt is the best 185 matchup imo. That would be a very good headliner for UFC 105 in London, since Penn-Sanchez is going to headline a third event in November.

[MistAh BlistAh]

One for five! Not bad, haha

Pretty decent card all around though.

[DarkKnight81]

Good card overall. Was dissapointed in the Maia/Marquart fight not only because Maia lost but we never really got to see what he could do with Nate on the ground. However, was completely surprised by the Nog/Couture fight which I think is fight of the year so far.

[Mopar Fanatic]

This is a great main event....7 years ago.

Nog was obliterated by Frank Mir. If that isn't evidence of being shot, I don't know what is.

Couture may be old enough to be my father, but he has aged better than Nog and should be able to keep it on the feet and outbox him.

...

Anyways, Nog looked the best he has in years, although it's hard to say how much of it has to do with his opponent being 46 years old.

[HurricanesR1]

Todd Duffee was impressive. UFC debut and gets the fasted knockout in the organization's history. Undefeated, big heavyweight prospect. Should be interesting to see who he gets next.

They should give him a couple of more fights before he faces the big names.

[Chillingworth]

This is a great main event....7 years ago.
Nog was obliterated by Frank Mir. If that isn't evidence of being shot, I don't know what is.
Couture may be old enough to be my father, but he has aged better than Nog and should be able to keep it on the feet and outbox him.

It's usually the cards that people say shit like this about that turn out best, and 102 was no exception. That was an excellent card, and the main event was friggin outstanding. It turned out much better than the underwhelming 101, which looked better on paper. I agree with this:

was completely surprised by the Nog/Couture fight which I think is fight of the year so far.

It was my pick for FOTY thus far, too. Couture is definitely slowing down but I still think he could take out a good amount of 205'ers, if not heavyweights. He's always been light for that division, but that coupled with his age is making him more suited to 205 and I'm glad he's going back there now. Even at 46, I'd pick him against a lot of LHW's. Not Machida or Rua, or Rampage, but dudes like Forrest and Rashad and Thiago Silva. I'd love to see him rematch Tito, now that Ortiz is back. Or fight Rich Franklin, if Rich ever actually moves up to 205 instead of this meaningless catch-weight crap.

Speaking of which, him and Vitor on the 29th. The 195 catch-weight kinda takes some significance away from that fight, but it's still one I'm looking damn forward to and hope Belfort wins. That way we can all start yelling "VITOR'S BACK!" again, like every other time before. But maybe this time it'll be true. I think the reason people cling to Vitor and want so much to see "Old Vitor" come back is pure sentimentality, coupled with the fact that his enormous potential and natural talent is a shame to see wasted. That being said, I'm one of those people. I feel similarly about the CroCop fight with Dos Santos. As a long-time huge CroCop fan (I was one of the ones rooting for him when he fought Fedor), this fight scares the shit out of me. Junior has already proven his ability with his hands, and there's always the chance of him pulling a Randleman and knocking Mirko out. But I still have faith in CroCop, and hope to hell he puts on the kind of performance he used to. It's been a couple years since we saw the LHK of doom, I think it's time for it to come out of retirement. In any case, I'm really looking forward to that event.

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://img39.imagefra.me/img/img39/2/9/3/jonbaptist/f_16pq5glhyx6m_8458f52.jpg

[Chillingworth]

Ha. I was pretty flubbed when I heard about Chuck being on that show, and my immediate reaction was fuck, I'm gonna have to watch it now. I've been slamming that show and its questionably-brained viewers for years, and now I have to tune in. I hope Chuck gets kicked off quick, so I can stop watching it. That being said, I'll be text voting on that crap for the first time ever in favor of him, even if he sucks. Which I'm sure he's gonna. He's a great fighter and his hands are dangerous in the right situations, but when it comes to footwork and fluidity he looks kinda clumsy fighting sometimes. I can't imagine that translating well to dancing. But I'll support the guy all the way to the end, even though I hope it comes quick. I read an interview with Rashad once where he said "no matter what, as a fight fan you gotta have love for Chuck Liddell" (that might be a paraphrase but you catch my drip) and he was right. Whether you like him or not, whether you think he's Dana's little poster-boy bitch or not, the guy has the anyone-anytime attitude and the heart of a real fighter. Whether the has the skill anymore is the point of contention, and I don't think he does. I hope he does better at dancing than he has in his last few fights. But I doubt it.

You know those douchebags who do prediction videos on YouTube and everyone wishes they'd shut up? Yeah, I'm one of those douchebags. I get like 70 views a video, I'm a fucking mega-celebrity. Anyway, rather than typing it out, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZJLwohuPLw
Them's my full thoughts on 103. I reserve the right to be wrong, if I have to, but I doubt it. I rarely am.

[Mopar Fanatic]

UFC 103 Predictions

Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort
Franklin's going to get KOed. He doesn't have the skill or talent necessary to take advantage of Vitor's retard level fight IQ. The man gets dropped in just about every fight he's in. It's going to happen again and this time he won't survive.

Junior dos Santos vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
Remember when Crocop and his left foot terrorized the Pride HW division? Even assuming he was injured against Napao/Kongo like he claims, he still looked flat and slow against C-level competition in Mustafa al-Turk. Dos Santos won't out-muscle him the way the others did; I think Crocop will be able to eventually close the deal, but winning isn't enough here. He needs to fucking destroy the guy if he wants to get a shot at anything more than Justin McCullys and Antony Hardonks, and that I don't see happening. Crocop, TKO (eyepoke) R2

Martin Kampmann vs. Paul Daley
Daley is fun as hell to watch, but like most of the really good kickboxers, has lousy takedown defense and no ground game. Exciting for a few minutes, but Kampmann will get him down pretty quickly and end it soon after. Kampmann, submission R1

Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg
A talented wrestler like Trigg will always be a dangerous opponent to anyone... except a younger, stronger, better version of himself. Pretty much the worst available matchup for his return. Koscheck, submission R2

Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca
Hey, two guys who have exciting fights but always got the distance. I predict an exciting fight that goes the distance. Griffin, decision

Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller
Efrain has solid wrestling, but that should play right into Miller's game. Miller, submission R1

Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal
Both sloppy sluggers with suspect chins... could easily go either way. I'll go with the polack for the size advantage. Drwal, TKO R1

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac
Good to see Vlad back. Don't know much about the other guy, but I doubt he has the wrestling to hold off a machine like Vlad on the mat. Matyushenko, decision

Jim Miller vs. Steve Lopez
Miller, TKO R1

Eliot Marshall vs. Jason Brilz
Marshall, decision

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Robert Emerson
Emerson, decision

Ricky Story vs. Brian Foster
Nik Lentz vs. Rafaello Oliveira
whatever

[Mopar Fanatic]

How many members here actually train? and what is your background/stats?

I've managed to get a purple belt over the years in BJJ, and have had some boxing experience along with some muay thai training in the past.

[scottmushroom]

I've been doing BJJ without a gi for around a year or so. I've also done a little bit of boxing and kickboxing.

[Mopar Fanatic]

I've been doing BJJ without a gi for around a year or so. I've also done a little bit of boxing and kickboxing.

Eddie Bravo puts it best, gi's are bullshit. Where do you train Scott?

[HurricanesR1]

Forrest Griffin is replacing Mark Coleman at UFC 106.

Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin rematch will co-headline the event, with Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin in the main event.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16429/forrest-griffin-replaces-mark-coleman-faces-tito-ortiz-at-ufc-106.mma

[scottmushroom]

Eddie Bravo puts it best, gi's are bullshit. Where do you train Scott?
LA Boxing outside Marietta. My BJJ coach is an undefeated pro fighter. The highlight for me so far is the time I got to train with Wanderlei Silva.

[Aldo1989]

WEC 43 results:

- Benson Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision
- Dave Jansen def. Rich Crunkilton via unanimous decision
- Raphael Assuncao def. Yves Jabouin via split decision
- Damacio Page def. Will Campuzano via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:02 of round 1
- Anthony Njokuani def. Muhsin Corbbrey via TKO, 1:42 of round 2
- Scott Jorgensen def. Noah Thomas via TKO, 3:13 of round 1
- Mackens Semerzier def. Wagnney Fabiano via submission (triangle choke), 2:14 of round 1
- Eddie Wineland def. Manny Tapia via unanimous decision
- Charlie Valencia def. Coty Wheeler via unanimous decision
- Deividas Taurosevicius def. Javier Vazquez via split decision

Bonuses
Fight of the Night: Henderson and Cerrone ($20,000 each)
Submission of the Night: Semerzier ($10,000)
Knockout of the Night: Njokuani ($10,000)

[Aldo1989]

http://mmahits.com/fight-video/mma-video/wec-43-donald-cerrone-vs-benson-henderson-fight-video/

For those who missed the main event, there it is.

[scottmushroom]

That was an absolute war. I have no idea how Henderson got out of some of Cerrone's subs. There were a couple of arm/shoulderlocks that he was in that I was absolutely grimacing during.

[DunlopolnuD]

Man, what a fight, that was this years Torres Vs. Maeda... those submissions looked disgusting.

It was a great night of fights.

[Aldo1989]

Just finished watching Cerrone Vs. Henderson and wow, what a battle.

Like everyone else, I don't know how Henderson survived those submission attempts but I still think the victory belonged to Cerrone. He won the first, fourth and fifth rounds in my opinion and was constantly looking to finish Henderson off.

And did anyone else think Jamie Varner looked scared when Henderson called him out? I really don't like Varner..

Anyways, here's the entire event for anyone who's interested:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTI0Nzc0NjYw.html?full=true

[Aldo1989]

Aaaand just for fun, here's some pics of Gina Carano

http://mma-live.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/0216091134_m_gina3_450.jpg

http://thingsfatpeoplehate.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/gina_carano_.jpeg

Hard to believe she used to look like this --

http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/Fat%20Gina%20Carano_0.jpg

[scottmushroom]

Me after training session with Wanderlei:
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/scottmushroom/Photo0612.jpg

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fd/UFC_104_Machida_vs._Shogun.jpg

Main card

Light Heavyweight Championship bout:
Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua

Heavyweight bout:
Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell

Lightweight bout:
Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer

Lightweight bout:
Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher

Welterweight bout:
Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida


Spike TV card

Light Heavyweight bout:
Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer

Heavyweight bout:
Antoni Hardonk vs. Patrick Barry


Preliminary card

Middleweight bout:
Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen

Middleweight bout:
Jorge Rivera vs. Rob Kimmons

Light Heavyweight bout:
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan

Heavyweight bout:
Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley

[Mopar Fanatic]

Me after training session with Wanderlei:
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/scottmushroom/Photo0612.jpg

Did you offer him a banana? (jk)

Vanderlei and Fedor are actually the only two fighters I have any interest in meeting.

[scottmushroom]

Did you offer him a banana? (jk)

Vanderlei and Fedor are actually the only two fighters I have any interest in meeting.

haha no I didn't:D
One of the guys that was there tried to get Wand to recreate this though:
http://www.yourfunnystuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/jiu-jitsu.jpg

He signed it but he wouldnt do the pose

[Chillingworth]

If I could meet any fighter it'd probably be CroCop. Or maybe Hendo. Wanderlei does seem like a really swell guy, though. I was never a very big fan of him in the Pride days, but he's grown on me a lot since coming to the UFC. I'm not sure why that is.

Is anybody else a little scared by the upcoming Fedor / Rogers fight? That thing's got upset written all over it. Don't get me wrong, there's no way in hell I'd pick against Fedor, but this just feels like the circumstances by which he might finally fall. His first time in a new promotion, his first time in a cage, against an undefeated guy who everyone's writing off, et cetera. Fedor has become almost god-like to fans, and eventually he's gonna have to fall whether we like it or not. Not to mention this is supposed to be his big coming-out party to the American masses, and how many of those have we seen screwed up? Pretty much all of them. Shogun, CroCop (sorta), Wandy, Hendo. Maybe it's something about the expectations, or the fighting in a cage, or just the jarring difference between orgs or something, but none of these huge arrivals have panned out very well. However comma, none of them were Fedor. Bleh. I ain't saying I've lost faith in him or that I think he'll lose, I'm just saying that if ever there were a situation for an upset this is it.

Anyhoo, on to UFC 104. I got Fisher, Johnson, Neer, Velasquez, and Shogun. That's right, I said Shogun. Here's a dumbass YouTube video of me doing my dumbass predictions, if you wanna watch it:
Dumbass (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2wxfGCzkjI)
I had to break it into two parts 'cuz it's twelve minutes.

I think Fisher's gonna surprise everyone. That might have something to do with the fact that I like him and can't pick against him, but I also really think he can do it. Stevenson should win, but I got a feeling on this one. I don't think Joe's gonna take him down as easily as everyone else seems to believe, and he'll be willing to stand there and trade with Fisher. That won't end well for him. I really hope I'm right on this one.

Anthony Johnson will probably win, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if Yoshida somehow gets it to the ground and whips out a sub. Neer will beat Tibeau by sheer force of will, and pure intestinal fortitude. As for Ben Rothwell, I just don't see how he can beat Velasquez. It's possible that he might KO him, I suppose, but after watching Cain get slobberknocked by Kongo and surviving, I doubt it. Cain by D. And in the main event, I see Shogun shocking everybody and putting an end to the "Machida era" before it really gets started. People seem to have completely forgotten what he's capable of, and while Machida is certainly a big challenge I think Rua will overcome it. In any case, I expect it to be a heck of a main event.

[KingofKings2525]

Light Heavyweight Championship bout:
Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua

Heavyweight bout:
Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell

Lightweight bout:
Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer


Welterweight bout:
Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida


Spike TV card

Light Heavyweight bout:
Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer

Heavyweight bout:
Antoni Hardonk vs. Patrick Barry

[DunlopolnuD]

Machida via Decision
Rothwell via TKO
Neer via Decision
Yoshida via Submission

[Mopar Fanatic]

Not to mention this is supposed to be his big coming-out party to the American masses

Affliction was in the U.S.

That thing's got upset written all over it.

No it doesn't, maybe if he was fighting someone who actually had some MMA skills...

[Chillingworth]

Affliction was in the U.S.
I know that. So was Pride's Real Deal. But both weren't on CBS and didn't have a Showtime behind the scenes special backing it up. The casual fan didn't give a shit about either of those, is what I'm saying, and this CBS thing is gonna make a push to lure in the casual fan. A lot of that's gonna center around Fedor, and the average dumbass at the watercooler who says "who's that?" when you mention him will be much more aware of his existence. At least that's what Strikeforce is hoping for, anyway.

No it doesn't, maybe if he was fighting someone who actually had some MMA skills...
It's that exact kind of comment that makes it spell upset. I think you're misinterpreting me here, I'm not saying Rogers is gonna win. Fedor has it all over him, and pretty much any other heavyweight, in just about every aspect of the game. If I were forced to bet $1000 on that fight, I'd bet it on Fedor. But it's people's absolute faith in Fedor and absolute writing off of Rogers that worries me. Did anybody give Joe Warren a chance against Kid Yamamoto? Hell no. Did anybody think there was one single thing that Serra could do to endanger GSP? Nope. Sure, in retrospect it's easy to say "well, it wasn't that surprising," but at the time it was. When I say it's got upset written all over it, I mean the same way Fedor / Zuluzinho had it as well. The upset didn't happen, and it probably won't this time, but it's the fights people scoff at and call ridiculous that sometimes shock the world. That is what worries me.

I think I'm the only person on the planet who picked Shogun. If Machida does win, he's gonna be LHW champ for a long time, as I think this is the biggest threat to him in the division right now. Rampage is another threat, but not as big. Rampage's style wouldn't be as dangerous for Machida as Shogun's is. Other than Shogun and Rampage, I really can't think of a single 205'er who I'd consider a danger for him. Except maybe Anderson Silva, if he stays up at 205.

[DunlopolnuD]

I'm a huge Machida fan, but I was blown away by the decision. As much as I wanted him to win, I thought there was no way he'd get that decision. Rua is a badass, and I would love to see a rematch, but I think Machida will have his number.

[Canto]

I'm a huge Machida fan, but I was blown away by the decision. As much as I wanted him to win, I thought there was no way he'd get that decision. Rua is a badass, and I would love to see a rematch, but I think Machida will have his number.

Yea I'm a Machida fan too and I was really bummed when Bruce Buffer said it was an unanimous decision and I knew it was gonna be Shogun but when he said Lyoto, I couldnt believe it but I'm really happy that he's still the champ. I thought it was a pretty close fight. I cant wait for the rematch, I think Lyoto will do much better next time.

[HurricanesR1]

I thought Shogun definitely won that fight.

Was anyone annoyed at how biased Joe Rogan was during the fight and post fight interviews? That kind of garbage is unnecessary.

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/Strikeforce_Fedor_vs_Rogers_poster.jpg

Main Bouts (on CBS)

Heavyweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) -500 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Brett Rogers (10-0) +350

Middleweight Championship bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Jake Shields (23-4-1) -300 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png Jason "Mayhem" Miller (22-6) +220

Light Heavyweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png Gegard Mousasi (26-2-1) -500 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/22px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) +350

Heavyweight bout:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) -165 vs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (13-1) +135


Preliminary Bouts:

Women's bout (145-lb):
Marloes Coenen (16-3) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (13-4)

Welterweight bout:
Mark Miller (14-5) vs. Deray Davis (5-1-1)

Welterweight bout:
Christian Uflacker (1-0) vs. Jonatas Novaes (4-2)

Middleweight bout:
Louis Taylor (4-0) vs. Nate Moore (3-0)

Bantamweight bout:
Jeff Curran (29-12-1) vs. Dustin Neace (17-13-1)


Odds from Betus

[HurricanesR1]

Fedor is gonna dominate...submission within 3 minutes.

[Potter82]

I love Brock Lesnar, he is far and away my favorite UFC Fighter.

Big, Strong, Fast, Villian, Asshole. I don't think he'll be beat for years to come.

You know, I think Lesnar's triade after his victory over Mir was somewhat brilliant in retrospect from a marketing standpoint.

Like I want to see every one of his fights from now on in the hope that he loses. By making himself into the closest thing the UFC has to a villian he's easily become one of the most interesting fighters in the entire league, which is even more impressive when you consider he's relatively new to the sport.

He'll probably destroy Carwin in their upcoming fight but I'll still watch it in hopes of an upset.

[BrundleROB]

Carwin's only got the knockout power. Sure his fists are pretty damn big,
which explains that short arm knockout over Gonzaga. But in this fight, Brock
will take him down. He will outwrestle him. And he will overwhelm the dude. Brock
will outpower Carwin, and beat him down to the point where the ref stops it.

[HurricanesR1]

Did you guys see that big right hand that Fedor KO'd Rogers with? Yikes...that punch had some big time muscle behind it.

[BrundleROB]

No shit dude. That was a nasty knockout. Big ups to Rogers, though. He really
held his own against Fedor. He's just too damn good.

[Canto]

Awesome knockout, Rogers wasnt much of a threat for Fedor, his only advantage was that this was Fedor's first cage fight.

http://i34.tinypic.com/168yjr4.gif

[HurricanesR1]

Looks like Fedor vs. Werdum is next.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16782/strikeforce-ceo-emelianenko-vs-werdum-matchup-makes-a-lot-of-sense.mma

[Mopar Fanatic]

Fedor just doesn't care. I love the way he fights, just so fast and dangerous. He tried to kill Rogers, I honestly think he did.

[Mopar Fanatic]

http://mmamania.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ufc105poster.jpg


Main card

Light Heavyweight bout:
Randy Couture (-120) vs. Brandon Vera (-110)

Welterweight bout:
Mike Swick (-210) vs. Dan Hardy (+165)

Middleweight bout:
Michael Bisping (+100) vs. Denis Kang (-130)

Welterweight bout:
James Wilks vs. Matt Brown

Lightweight bout:
Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley


Preliminary Card

Lightweight bout:
Terry Etim vs. Shannon Gugerty

Welterweight bout:
Paul Taylor vs. John Hathaway

Welterweight bout:
Nick Osipczak vs. Matthew Riddle

Lightweight bout:
Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver

Light Heavyweight bout:
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman

Lightweight bout:
Andre Winner vs. Rolando Delgado


- Odds from Betus

[BrundleROB]

Couture and Vera will go the distance and it will be a good fight

[KingofKings2525]

Fedor just doesn't care. I love the way he fights, just so fast and dangerous. He tried to kill Rogers, I honestly think he did.

I'm so tired of all the Fedor love. The dude has been ducking real competition (UFC) for years now and just recently could have signed a deal with the UFC and passed again... Because he doesn't want to put his legacy on the line. It's a shame we will never be able to see guys like Brock Lesnar destroy him with his size and power.

[BrundleROB]

Yeah, that's very true. If Fedor really wanted to fight the best of the best, he
would've signed with the UFC.

[Mopar Fanatic]

I'm so tired of all the Fedor love. The dude has been ducking real competition (UFC) for years now and just recently could have signed a deal with the UFC and passed again... Because he doesn't want to put his legacy on the line. It's a shame we will never be able to see guys like Brock Lesnar destroy him with his size and power.

Following me around the sports Forum bringing the same recycled bullshit to my attention again? To win Brock cannot make even one tiny mistake, he has to fight perfectly. Fedor can win whenever.

Take a good long look at this

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq201/Nakkas1/2hxvlvp.gif[/


Fedor 31 - 1 - 0

Lesnar 4 - 1 - 0

Anything else?

[HurricanesR1]

It's not Fedor's fault that he signed with Strikeforce. He is under contract with M-1 Global and they are the ones calling the shots. M-1 demanded co-promotions with the UFC and Dana White said NO WAY...and I don't blame him. Strikeforce agreed to co-promoting so they signed there.

Fedor isn't scared of any of the UFC's heavyweights or any other heavyweight fighters.

[Mopar Fanatic]

From Meltzer's site


Brock Lesnar is in extremely bad shape and there are questions as to whether he will ever fight again.

Lesnar, 32, is in far worse shape than he has been letting on. He went to Canada last week to try to get some rest, collapsed, and was rushed to the hospital. He has mono and also something else that he doesn't want to get out, and all we now is that he does not have cancer and he does not have AIDS. It is, however, extremely serious and he will not be fighting again for a long, long time, if he is able to fight again.

Dana White is heading to Minnesota tonight and will be working to get Lesnar to the Mayo Clinic or equivalent medical facility for treatment.

Also, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has a staph infection and his fight with Cain Velasquez at UFC 108 is off. Nogueira will need an IV to hopefully get the infection out. He is also in bad shape.

With Lesnar out indefinitely, Shane Carwin will be undergoing knee surgery, so he will not be available to face Velasquez at UFC 108.

We can also report that Shane McMahon had a meeting at the UFC offices recently. Dana White, when asked for more information, responded, "No comment."

We will try to have more late tonight in an audio update, along with a play-by-play of tonight's show.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Don't think it gets any worse from here on out for the HW division.

[DunlopolnuD]

No shit, it's Velasquez and... well, Velasquez. Okay, Junior Dos Santos too, but he wasn't in the title picture quite yet. That's the only decent fight I see happening anytime soon for the HW's. Isn't Mir fighting Kongo or something? That really isn't interesting either.

Yeah, it's really bad.

[Mopar Fanatic]

No shit, it's Velasquez and... well, Velasquez. Okay, Junior Dos Santos too, but he wasn't in the title picture quite yet. That's the only decent fight I see happening anytime soon for the HW's. Isn't Mir fighting Kongo or something? That really isn't interesting either.

Yeah, it's really bad.

Carwins situation is an unknown thing as of now.

Heavy.com has learned that, contrary to recent reports, Shane Carwin did not recently undergo knee surgery. We spoke with sources close to Carwin's camp, who indicated that the number-one contender for the heavyweight title is simply rehabbing his knee and did not undergo any surgical procedures.

Recently published reports indicated that Carwin had undergone knee surgery to fix an ailing knee while waiting for Brock Lesnar to recuperate from his bout with mononucleosis. Carwin did undergo an MRI, which came back as a grade II MCL strain. Carwin was told not to do any grappling for three weeks, which made him unavailable for UFC 108. He is available to fight on any card after UFC 108, but with Brock Lesnar out for an unknown amount of time, Carwin remains in limbo.


Regardless I think Cain vs. Carwin is perfect. That fight was suppose to happen to determine the number one contender, but when Brock was "back" sooner than expected they chose Carwin to fight him over Cain. Now that Brock can't fight, Cain and Carwin can still happen to determine the number one contender.

[KingofKings2525]

Following me around the sports Forum bringing the same recycled bullshit to my attention again?

Fedor 31 - 1 - 0

Lesnar 4 - 1 - 0

Anything else?

Following you? You're going to have to be more specific.. I don't really look at the names of other posters when I reply. If I have called you on something before it's probably because I disagree with you... and my knowledge of sports overall is most likely superior to yours. If you really feel the need to call my posts "recycled bullshit" feel free to PM with your insults. No need to do it on the board, child.

Fedor 31-1... 31 wins against who? Bums! Awesome clip you posted though; I've been forwarding that all day.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Following you? You're going to have to be more specific.. I don't really look at the names of other posters when I reply. If I have called you on something before it's probably because I disagree with you...

If you disagree with a statement I make feel free at anytime to back it up with some supporting arguement rather than backing it up with the same bullshit I always dismantle your arguement with everytime.

and my knowledge of sports overall is most likely superior to yours. If you really feel the need to call my posts "recycled bullshit" feel free to PM with your insults. No need to do it on the board, child

Your knowledge of sports from what I have read is next to nothing so when I am telling you something that is any different look at it as me educating you on the subject. You seem to be the one taking it as a child.


Fedor 31-1... 31 wins against who? Bums! Awesome clip you posted though; I've been forwarding that all day.

Let's flip the question, though: Which of Lesnar's exploits and accomplishments leads you to believe that he can offer a challenge to someone like Fedor? Because as of right now he has defeated Frank Mir and that old guy in the cage.

[Criminal Rock]

King of what again? The ignoramus?

[KingofKings2525]

If you disagree with a statement I make feel free at anytime to back it up with some supporting arguement rather than backing it up with the same bullshit I always dismantle your arguement with everytime.



Your knowledge of sports from what I have read is next to nothing so when I am telling you something that is any different look at it as me educating you on the subject. You seem to be the one taking it as a child.




Let's flip the question, though: Which of Lesnar's exploits and accomplishments leads you to believe that he can offer a challenge to someone like Fedor? Because as of right now he has defeated Frank Mir and that old guy in the cage.

Are you sure you don't have me confused with somebody else? Not sure where all of the agression is coming from?

Fedor is over rated and that will be his legacy... he will always be a question mark in the history books because he dodged real fighters. Too bad so sad, sorry... your hero runs from real fights.

The Lesnar argument seems to be mute now that you posted a story that he may never fight again so I can't really back it up. Though, if and when he fights again, I expect complete domination... and I expect it against real fighters in the UFC. Say it with me... r-e-a-l f-i-g-h-t-e-r-s i-n t-h t-h t-h-e U-F-C.

[KingofKings2525]

King of what again? The ignoramus?

As usual, you add nothing to the conversation. Troll.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Are you sure you don't have me confused with somebody else? Not sure where all of the agression is coming from?

Fedor is over rated and that will be his legacy... he will always be a question mark in the history books because he dodged real fighters. Too bad so sad, sorry... your hero runs from real fights.

The Lesnar argument seems to be mute now that you posted a story that he may never fight again so I can't really back it up. Though, if and when he fights again, I expect complete domination... and I expect it against real fighters in the UFC. Say it with me... r-e-a-l f-i-g-h-t-e-r-s i-n t-h t-h t-h-e U-F-C.

You seem to be getting quite defensive on the subject, unless it's some other ignorant poster that trolls the sports forum with a Kobe Bryant Av then no I think I have you nailed.

Fedor Has fought all bums?

Cro Cop-At the time he fought Fedor a top 10 HW
Nogueira-Another Top 10 HW at the time
Sylvia-UFC'S former HW champ in 36 seconds none the less
Matt Lindland-Far from A bum
Semmy Schilt-At the time was considerably a top HW but has fallen off as of late.
A roided out Randleman-How many other fighters can you see surviving that monstrous slam? and then turning around and slapping a kimura on randleman for the win.
Mark hunt-Walked right through him.

Ya all bums, those fuckers there.

These are a few of Fedor's accomplishments off the top of my head. Now I will repepeat my question, what has Lesnar done or accompolished to you that you would think he would pressent any kind of Challenge for Fedor the best fighter in the world? I will continue to sit here and educate you if that's what you want.

You obviously don't understand the business aspect of mma, The only issue is Dana's conflict with co-promotion by not co-promoting he is keeping Fedor out of the UFC.

[HurricanesR1]

MMA is starting to get really boring. I don't see very many good fighters out there that aren't champions.

TUF is a good example. Early on the show, there was a lot of talent out there that was unknown. Now, it's a bunch of regular guys trying to be MMA superstars, which they aren't.

If you take away Penn, GSP, A. Silva, and Fedor, the talent level is pretty balanced, but they're very average if you ask me.

Just look at the UFC's PPV headliners this year. Many of them have been total garbage.

Jackson vs. Jardine
Sanchez vs. Stevenson
Silva vs. Leites
Franklin vs. Silva
Couture vs. Vera
Ortiz vs. Griffin II....Anthony Johnson-Josh Koscheck co-headlining? Are you kidding me? This shouldn't be on PPV.

^I find those headliners to either be 1) garbage, 2) one-sided matchups, 3) unmeaninfgul

Even headliners like Evans-Machida with Hughes-Serra co-headling sucked. That whole Machida-Shogun card was boring as well.

There have only been a handful of good headliners:

St. Pierre vs. Penn II
Lesnar vs. Mir II/St. Pierre vs. Alves
Penn vs. Florian/Silva vs. Griffin

[DunlopolnuD]

Where's DarkKnight? I told you Aldo would win the title! :)

I'll admit that when I said it, it was kind of a blind assumption (and didn't really think about how he matched up against Brown), but I just was completely impressed with what I had seen from Aldo, and man he didn't disappoint. I would really like to see Faber Vs. Aldo next.

Hurricane - For me, a fight is a fight. Whether it's a title fight or not, or it's supposed to be lopsided I still have fun watching them.

[Mopar Fanatic]

MMA is starting to get really boring. I don't see very many good fighters out there that aren't champions.

That implies that the talent pool used to be better, which is quite untrue.


If you take away Penn, GSP, A. Silva, and Fedor, the talent level is pretty balanced, but they're very average if you ask me.

By what standard?

[BrundleROB]

UFC 106: ORTIZ VS. GRIFFIN 2

should've been called

UFC 106: STUPID EXCUSES

I mean what with Tito's "Try fighting with a crack skull!"

And Koscheck's fake ass left eye 'injury'

Fuck Koscheck and Fuck Tito

[BrundleROB]

Penn/Sanchez

will either go the distance, or BJ will submit Sanchez.
He will overwhelm him with the striking, take him down,
outwrestle him, and then submit him.

Kongo will outstrike Mir to the point where the ref has to
stop it. But of course, Mir will probably get lucky and pull
off a submission. He's not a striker. I don't care what anyone
thinks about how he was the first man to ever finish off Nogueira
or knocking out that hack Wes Sims, Mir cannot stand up.

[Mopar Fanatic]

Penn, submission R3
Mir, submission R1
Florian, decision (hoping for Captain Caveman)
Fitch, decision
Buentello, KO R2

Gouveia, TKO R2
Wiman, submission R1
Hendricks, decision
Paul Harris, decision
Garcia, KO R1
Burns, decision

[Mopar Fanatic]

Kongo will outstrike Mir to the point where the ref has to
stop it. But of course, Mir will probably get lucky and pull
off a submission.

Why would Mir need to get lucky to pull of a submission against one the worst(if not the worst) grapplers in the ufc? All that happened tonight was Kongo getting exposed for how shitty his ground game really is.