The Ultimate Fighting Championship

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 91 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Dan Hardy (17-6) vs. Luke Cummo (6-5)[/U][/B] Hardy will make his UFC debut here already ranked as the #9 Welterweight. With a win in his debut he could jump to as high as #7. Cummo will look to break Hardy's dream and get into the top ten himself. A win for Hardy could set him on the raod to eventually getting a title shot. [B][U]Matt Hamill (4-1) vs. James Irvin (13-6)[/U][/B] Hamill comes off of a decision win over Sooudjou while Irvin comes off two straight losses to Tomasz Drwal & Antonio Mendes both by decision. A win for Hamill could just push him onto the top ten while Irvin will be looking to rebound from recent losses to save his job. [B][U]Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. Rousimar Palhales (7-1)[/U][/B] Rivera is a full 8 years older than Palhales which means alot more experiance and Rivera will look to use that to his advantage in this fight. Palhales though will look to use his exellent ground skills to submit Rivera and ge a streak going and break into the top ten. [B][U]Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) vs. Rolles Gracie (2-0)[/U][/B] Gracie is coming off of a TKO victory over Brad Morris way back at UFC 85. Gonzaga will be fighting in his first fight since Scott Avatar was hired. This will be the biggest fight for Gracie since his debut. If Gracie wins this another win could burst him into the top ten Heavyweights. [B]Thiago Tavares (13-1) vs. Joe Lauzon (16-4)[/B] Joe Lauzon is coming off of a submission loss to Din Thomas and will look to rebound with a win over Tavares here. Tavres is already the #10 Lightweight and a win here could push him up to as high as #7 while a win for Lauzon could put him in the top ten. [B][U]Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-2) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-4)[/U][/B] the #6 and #7 Welterweights will go to war in this fight and it will be an exellent ground war between the two. A win for either would push them up the Welerweight rankings to as high as #3 by the end of the night. Yoshida is coming off of two consecutive decision wins over Chris Wilson and Marcus Davis. Hironaka is coming off of a decision win over Paul Kelly. [B][U]Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs. Heath Herring (28-13)[/U][/B] Arlovski goes up against Herring which almost confirms that Tim Sylvia will get the next Heavyweight title shot. If Arlovski wins here though he will most certainly be next in line after Sylvia. Herring will look to stop those plans though and a win over Arlovski could push him upto #5 or #6 in the Heavyweight rankings. If Herring does win Arlovski will lose his title shot and Kharitonov is the best current candinate to recieve it then. [B][U]Forrest Griffin (16-5) vs. Nate Marquardt (26-7-2)[/U][/B] The #5 Middleweight Forrest Griffin goes against the #4 Middleweight Nate Marquardt in only Griffin's second fight at Middleweight since moving down from Light Heavyweight. This is an important fight for the Middleweight division as if the winner moves up to #3 in the rankings then they will be geting the next title shot and even is they are only #4 they will be next in line after Cote gets his eventual title shot. [B][U]Thiago Silva (15-0) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2)[/U][/B] Thiago Silva is still undefeated and if he wins again against Drwal he could move beyond Wanderlei Silva in the rankings and will get the next title shot after Shogun. If Drwal wins he could move into the top five Light Heavyweights and be a win or two away from a title shot. [B][U]Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-2)[/U][/B] Tyson Griffin is the #9 Lightweight while Roger Huerta is the #4 Lightweight so there is quite a bit at stake for the fighter here. For Griffin there is the prospect of moving high up the rankings and being a win or two away from a title contention. While for Huerta there is the off chance he will get the next title shot with a win here and he will almost certainly move above Vitor Ribeiro into #3 and possibly above BJ Penn into #2 so Huerta would be almost garunteed a title shot atleast after Shinya Aoki if not before. [B][U]UFC Welterweight Championship: Georges St. Pierre (17-2) vs. Thiago Alves (14-3)[/U][/B] #1 Welterweight Gearges St. Pierre will defend his title agaisnt #3 Welterweight Thiago Alves with the winner likely facing Matt Serra for the title next. St. Pierre is coming off of a decision win over Jon Fitch in his last title defence. while Alves is coming off of decision win over Ryo Chonan. If St. Pierre wins and then wins the rubber fight with Serra then St. Pierre could switch weight classes ,if ther are no new challengers, which could mean that he would have a rematch with BJ Penn this time at Lightweight or he could fight Anderson Silva at Middleweight in a superfight.[/CENTER]

[grits207]

[B]Georges St. Pierre (17-2)[/B] vs. Thiago Alves (14-3) Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs. [B]Tyson Griffin (12-2)[/B] [B]Thiago Silva (15-0)[/B] vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) Forrest Griffin (16-5) vs. [B]Nate Marquardt (26-7-2[/B]) [B]Andrei Arlovski (13-5)[/B] vs. Heath Herring (28-13) [B]Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-2)[/B] vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-4) [B]Thiago Tavares (13-1)[/B] vs. Joe Lauzon (16-4) [B]Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3)[/B] vs. Rolles Gracie (2-0) Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. [B]Rousimar Palhales (7-1)[/B] [B]Matt Hamill (4-1)[/B] vs. James Irvin (13-6) [B]Dan Hardy (17-6) [/B]vs. Luke Cummo (6-5)

[rjhabeeb]

Maincard UFC Welterweight Championship: [B]Georges St. Pierre (17-2) [/B]vs. Thiago Alves (14-3) Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs.[B] Tyson Griffin (12-2)[/B] [B]Thiago Silva (15-0) [/B]vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) Forrest Griffin (16-5) vs.[B] Nate Marquardt (26-7-2)[/B] I feel like Im in Colorado watching this one:D [B]Andrei Arlovski (13-5) [/B]vs. Heath Herring (28-13) Undercard Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-2) vs[B]. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-4)[/B] [B]Thiago Tavares (13-1) [/B]vs. Joe Lauzon (16-4) [B]Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) [/B]vs. Rolles Gracie (2-0) :eek::D:eek: I flipped a coin Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. [B]Rousimar Palhales (7-1)[/B] [B]Matt Hamill (4-1) [/B]vs. James Irvin (13-6) [B]Dan Hardy (17-6) [/B]vs. Luke Cummo (6-5)

[UFC-KING]

Maincard UFC Welterweight Championship: [B]Georges St. Pierre [/B](17-2) vs. Thiago Alves (14-3) [B]Roger Huerta[/B] (22-1-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-2) [B]Thiago Silva[/B] (15-0) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) [B]Forrest Griffin[/B] (16-5) vs. Nate Marquardt (26-7-2) [B]Andrei Arlovski[/B] (13-5) vs. Heath Herring (28-13) Undercard [B]Yoshiyuki Yoshida [/B](11-2) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-4) Thiago Tavares (13-1) vs. [B]Joe Lauzon[/B] (16-4) Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) vs.[B] Rolles Gracie[/B] (2-0) Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. [B]Rousimar Palhales[/B] (7-1) Matt Hamill (4-1) vs. [B]James Irvin [/B](13-6) [B]Dan Hardy [/B](17-6) vs. Luke Cummo (6-5)

[Dustin]

Maincard UFC Welterweight Championship: [B]Georges St. Pierre[/B] (17-2) vs. Thiago Alves (14-3) [B]Roger Huerta[/B] (22-1-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-2) [B]Thiago Silva[/B] (15-0) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) [B]Forrest Griffin[/B] (16-5) vs. Nate Marquardt (26-7-2) [B]Andrei Arlovski[/B] (13-5) vs. Heath Herring (28-13) Undercard [B]Yoshiyuki Yoshida [/B](11-2) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-4) Thiago Tavares (13-1) vs. [B]Joe Lauzon[/B] (16-4) [B]Gabriel Gonzaga[/B] (8-3) vs. Rolles Gracie (2-0) Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. [B]Rousimar Palhales[/B] (7-1) [B]Matt Hamill[/B] (4-1) vs. James Irvin (13-6) [B]Dan Hardy[/B] (17-6) vs. Luke Cummo (6-5)

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 91: St. Pierre vs. Alves[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Undercard[/U][/B][/CENTER] [B][CENTER]Dan Hardy (17-6) vs. Luke Cummo (6-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Dan Hardy via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Hardy doesn't exactly disguise his intentions for this round, going right to the center and motioning for Cummo to come and trade blows. Cummo wisely keeps back for the time being, content to throw long-range jabs. Hardy isn't quite as content though, as he begins to stalk Cummo. They meet near the cage. Cummo hits a nice jab, then goes to clinch. Hardy stops that with a powerful right hand to the body, then a fizzing left hook that glances off the side of the head. An attempt at a knock out right hand finds nothing but gloves. It is clear that Hardy believes that he has the power to get a knock out here, his game plan appears to be to look for the one punch finish. Cummo is trying to keep moving, to not let Hardy get set to throw a bomb. Hardy is controlling this round by virtue of the knock out threat, as Cummo is being forced to fight somewhat defensively. Hardy throws another big punch, narrowly missing, but does score with a follow up jab, landing just above the right eye. Cummo returns fire with a pair of jabs, both finding gloves. Time begins to tick away. It hasn't been the most exciting round, but Hardy has controlled it and managed to land the better shots. End of round 1. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Hardy. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Cummo, providing the first moment of real action. Hardy hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Cummo side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Hardy is being slightly the more aggressive, but neither fighter is really going for it. They come together again and exchange punches, but no big shots get through, and they end up clinched for a while. The referee separates them, but the time is ticking away and this round looks like it's going to the judges. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Hardy. [/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Cummo comes out quick and immediately starts pressing Hardy back toward the cage. Cummo tries to use the position to his advantage, pinning Hardy in to prevent him from moving freely, but the exchange of punches that follows is clearly won by Hardy, who catches Cummo with a wicked right cross during the flurry of blows. Cummo tries again, but Hardy is looking sharp and parries away any dangerous shot, getting in a few crisp jabs of his own along the way. Cummo finally backs off, realising that this isn't working. Hardy is showing superior ability with his hands, they're fast and accurate, Cummo isn't able to cope with them at close quarters, being made to look slow and ragged in comparison. Cummo switches to using raking right hands and looping punches, keeping Hardy back, but its effectiveness is limited as Cummo's punches are easily parried away, and Hardy can still hit the occasional right hand. The round ends with that being the pattern. Hardy has used his better punching technique and hand speed to confound Cummo, and has controlled this round almost entirely. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Hardy. All three judges give a score of 30-27 to Dan Hardy.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Hardy with a impressive debut with a win over Cummo. This win should boost Hardy up the rankings quite nicely. [B][CENTER]Matt Hamill (4-1) vs. James Irvin (13-6) Sherdog's Prediction: Matt Hamill via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] The fighters come together right in the center. Irvin throws out a jab, but Hamill bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Hamill works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Irvin covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Hamill is making Irvin look sluggish in comparison, such is the speed and crispness with which he is delivering strikes. Irvin hits a low kick before back-pedalling to avoid a clubbing blow. Irvin looks to be working an angle. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Hamill got slightly the better of it, he definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Irvin slightly. Irvin initiates a clinch, and the action grinds to a halt. Irvin looks out of ideas, he is being repeatedly lured into these exchange of strikes, but Hamill is clearly winning them. Irvin needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Hamill tries a speculative high kick, but Irvin saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Irvin tries to work an angle, but Hamill is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep him from stepping in. Comfortable round for Hamill, he will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given his dominance of the striking in this round. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Hamill by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Hamill starts with a high kick, but Irvin was well out of range. Hamill throws out a few jabs, nothing too dangerous though, Irvin easily avoided them. Hamill steps in and exchanges strikes with Irvin, neither fighter gets a particular advantage from it. Irvin parries away a nice right hand and gets in a crisp counter punch that catches Hamill on the shoulder. The round has been a little flat so far, neither of them is really forcing the issue. They enter into a clinch, which doesn't help matters, and that seems to last for an eternity before the referee separates them and tells them to get on with it. Hamill finally shows some fire, putting together a combination of two jabs, a cross, and an uppercut. Irvin did well to defend it, bobbing and weaving out of the way and using his gloves to parry away anything that was too close. He uses a low kick to the thigh as a response, then steps in and unloads with two fine punches, although Hamill blocked them. Hamill scores the best punch of the round so far, coming in fast, ducking under a dangerous right hand, and catching Irvin square in the face with a lunging overhand right. Irvin backs off and covers up, clearly having felt that one, and unfortunately Hamill's attempts to follow up and thwarted as he gets tied up in a clinch near the cage. The time expires, with Hamill probably having stolen that round thanks to that one big punch. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Hamill by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Hamill is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Irvin blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Hamill is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Irvin is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Hamill can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Hamill some problems later on. Hamill moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Irvin is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Hamill before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Hamill off, since that moment he has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Hamill goes for a trip, but Irvin cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Irvin may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Irvin. The judges scores are unanimous, and give a score of 29-28 to Matt Hamill.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Hamill with another win this time over Irvin. Another win for Hamill and he could break into the top ten Light Heavyweights. [B][CENTER]Jorge Rivera (15-6) vs. Rousimar Palhales (7-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Rousimar Palhales via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Palhales is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. He ends up with his back to the cage, with Rivera advancing. A sharp right misses, and Palhales takes the opportunity to pull Rivera in to a tight clinch against the cage. Rivera tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Rivera wants to stand and bang, Palhales wants to keep things at close quarters. Rivera tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that he is now the one against the cage. Trip from Palhales, and we're down to the ground. Palhales has side control, but Rivera has landed with his left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Palhales will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Rivera tries to squirm into a better position, but Palhales puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Palhales tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Rivera defends it. Rivera manages to bring a knee up and catch Palhales in the side, something of a cheeky move given his position. Palhales responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Rivera covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Palhales may be easily winning the round, but he is not taking full advantage of this great position. Palhales tries to float over into a mount, but Rivera uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Palhales enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Palhales is the last action of the round. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Palhales.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Palhales starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Rivera checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Palhales doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Palhales cleverly head-fakes, allowing him the time and angle that he needed to catch Rivera with a beauty of a right hook. Rivera stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Palhales presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Rivera clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Rivera scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Palhales in the gut. Palhales uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Palhales gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Rivera reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Palhales has his left arm straightened out, fortunately Rivera has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Palhales from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Palhales tries to step over and fully apply it, but Rivera breaks free and gets him to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Palhales steps back and motions for him to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Rivera hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Palhales will probably get that round on points, he hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. The 2nd round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Palhales.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Rivera throws two high punches, then steps in for a hook to the body. Nice combination, but Palhales defended with ease. They clinch up next to the cage, but a short struggle only ends with them separating and coming back in. Rivera scores with a jab, then another, then comes in fast with a takedown. Palhales scrambles and after an extended period of struggling manages to get himself into north and south position, on top of Rivera. Palhales hits a hard right to the chest, then turns and gets a full mount. Rivera is really struggling, and can barely get his arms up to cover up from the strikes that Palhales is now raining down. A quick transition and Palhales has an arm and applies an americana. Rivera has no choice, there's the tap out. [B]Palhales wins via 3rd round americana submission with the official time being 1:29.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Palhales with an impressive submission over the more experianced Rivera. Palhales will have a impressive UFC career if he carries on this way. [B][CENTER]Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) vs. Rolles Gracie (2-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Gabriel Gonzaga via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Gracie and Gonzaga start slowly, exchanging some jabs. Gonzaga is the first to chance a big shot, bringing an uppercut out from way down, forcing Gracie to back-pedal swiftly to avoid getting hit. Gonzaga wisely keeps up the pressure, stalking Gracie, using searching right hands to keep him moving. Gracie fires back with a low kick, catching Gonzaga on the outside of the calf. Gonzaga steps in, and the two fighers are close. Gracie pushes forward, throwing a right hand, and Gonzaga goes down! Replays show that it was more of a stumble, the punch barely connected. Gracie gets tied up in guard as he tries to follow up. Gracie stands into a half-crouching position, dragging Gonzaga's guard with him. Gonzaga reaches up, parries away a couple of strikes, and tries to grab an arm to apply an armbar to. Gracie knocks the attempt away and nails a hard shot to the ribs before reaching over and trying to nail a downward punch to the chin. Gonzaga blocks it. Gracie floats over and gets into side control. Gonzaga scrambles to try and get back up, but is too close to the cage, which works against him. Gracie lays in a couple of punches to the chest to soften Gonzaga up, then tries to move up and isolate one of the arms. Gonzaga makes sure to bring his body around to give him as much protection as possible. It works, as Gracie can't get either arm isolated properly. Gracie changes tactics and tries to get into crucifix position. Gonzaga fights it for as long as he possibly can, but eventually gets caught. The length of struggle is, in itself, a good defence though, as the round ends before Gracie can do anything with the position he has achieved, which will frustrate him enormously. End of round 1. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Gracie.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] They touch gloves. Gracie begins brightly, putting together several crisp jabs to put Gonzaga on the back foot early. Gonzaga parries the final jab, and uses that to move in close and hit two right hands and a vicious uppercut. Gracie got his chin out of the way at the last second, otherwise that could have very well caused a knock out. Gonzaga keeps up the pressure by coming in swinging, looking for another brutal shot, but Gracie ducks under it and drops Gonzaga to the ground with a quick takedown. Gonzaga pulls guard. Gracie stands into a half-crouching position, dragging Gonzaga's guard with him. Gonzaga reaches up, parries away a couple of strikes, and tries to grab an arm to apply an armbar to. Gracie knocks the attempt away and nails a hard shot to the ribs before reaching over and trying to nail a downward punch to the chin. Gonzaga blocks it. Gracie floats over and gets into side control. Gonzaga scrambles to try and get back up, but is too close to the cage, which works against him. Gracie lays in a couple of punches to the chest to soften Gonzaga up, then tries to move up and isolate one of the arms. Gonzaga makes sure to bring his body around to give him as much protection as possible. It works, as Gracie can't get either arm isolated properly. Gracie changes tactics and tries to get into crucifix position. Gonzaga fights it for as long as he possibly can, but eventually gets caught. The length of struggle is, in itself, a good defence though, as the round ends before Gracie can do anything with the position he has achieved, which will frustrate him enormously. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Gracie.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] A touch of gloves to start the round, and we're underway. Gonzaga lets rip with a vicious straight right almost immediately, but it's easily avoided. Gracie sneaks a jab through the guard and catches Gonzaga on the left cheek, but the follow up right hook only finds gloves. They get close to each other and end up in a clinch, from which Gracie manages to get the better position, pushing Gonzaga up against the cage. Right hand to the ribs from Gracie. Gonzaga hits a couple of knees to the side. There's a struggle for supremacy going on, it's difficult to see who is winning it. Gracie tries a knee of his own, but that is the opportunity that Gonzaga was waiting for and he sweeps the standing leg to take Gracie down to the ground, in side control. Excellent takedown. Gracie covers up to defend against a pair of back-hand blows, and even manages to sneak a knee strike in. Gonzaga hits a big elbow to the ribs, Gracie definitely felt that. Gonzaga drives a knee to the near side, then attempts to float-over into a mount. Gracie brought his legs in though, and manages to pull guard. Gonzaga will be disappointed with that. He tries to get a big punch in, but Gracie defends it well and gets a hold of both arms. The fight grinds to a halt, with Gonzaga unable to generate any attacks, and Gracie unwilling to give up a good defensive position. The referee stands them up. Gonzaga will likely be very angry that he didn't make more of that takedown. They exchange half-hearted jabs as the round draws to an end. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Gonzaga. All three judges give a score of 29-28 in favour of Rolles Gracie.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Big win for Gracie here. If he carries on like this he may be the next great Gracie. [B][CENTER]Thiago Tavares (13-1) vs. Joe Lauzon (16-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Thiago Tavares via Split Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] An early exchange of punches goes nowhere. Lauzon tries to force Tavares up against the cage, but can't. Tavares scores with the first meaningful blow of the round, a solid right hand to the ribs. Lauzon steps in, but we don't get to find out his intentions as Tavares clinches up quickly. Lauzon tries to shake free, but gets taken down via a trip. Lauzon tries to push free, but Tavares forces him to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Tavares reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Lauzon breaks it by bringing his arms up. Tavares steps through in an effort to mount Lauzon, but can only get to half guard as one of his legs gets trapped. Tavares throws some strikes, then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Lauzon rolls over and uses his free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time, with Tavares determined to try and work the arm free and get an armbar, while Lauzon uses everything at his disposal to block it. The round ends without Tavares having made the breakthrough, although he clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Tavares by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start to the round. Not much happens before they wind up clinched together, struggling for supremacy. Lauzon uses a trip to make a takedown, but doesn't go down himself, instead staying back. He pushes the raised legs away and dives in to get side control, but Tavares scrambles and manages to get up, pushing Lauzon down to the ground. Tavares ends up on top, in guard. Tavares tries to pass guard, but Lauzon doesn't allow it. Lauzon throws a couple of punches, but they're parried away. He breaks his guard to bring a leg across and try to kick Tavares in the face, but it's a mistake as Tavares pushes the leg aside and gets side control. Tavares pushes them closer to the cage, near his own corner so that they can give him instructions. Following what they say, Tavares throws some heavy blows to the unprotected stomach of Lauzon, then tries to isolate the closest arm. Lauzon frantically tries to stop that happening, but does indeed give it up. He does manage to roll to the side, giving himself some good leverage and preventing Tavares from extending the arm. Tavares continues trying to apply an armbar, but Lauzon is not allowing it. Eventually Tavares turns and tries to get a crucifix position instead. Lauzon fights that off too. The round ends with Tavares still doggedly trying to get an armbar submission, and Lauzon tenaciously stopping it. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Tavares.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Lauzon is quickest out, and comes at Tavares with a series of jabs and straight punches. Tavares covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Tavares hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Lauzon who takes it to the ground. Tavares pulls guard. There's a lull, as Lauzon tries to pass, and Tavares defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Tavares almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Lauzon, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Lauzon by 10-9. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Thiago Tavares.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Tavares with an impressive win over Lauzon. Thiago should move up a few spaces in the Lightweight rankings with this win. [B][CENTER]Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-2) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Yoshiyuki Yoshida via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Fast start by Yoshida, who has thrown three crisp jabs in the first twenty seconds, although none of them got past the gloves. Hironaka circles, drawing a lunge from Yoshida, allowing him to score with a nice low kick to the front leg. Yoshida ignores that and darts in for a takedown, but only ends up holding one leg, Hironaka hopping on the other to remain vertical. Yoshida tries to push forward to complete the takedown, but Hironaka manages to pull them all the way back to the cage before ultimately going down. That's a much better position to be in though, he has his corner right there, and can use the cage to effectively cut off any form of attack to the left hand side of his body. Yoshida has one leg trapped between Hironaka's, and is struggling to get it free. He throws a couple of punches, none of them doing much damage, and then tries to work on one of the arms. It might be a kimura that he looking for. Hironaka defends it well, without fully escaping it, Yoshida can't really do a lot with it due to how much he is having to stretch to apply it, due to his leg being trapped. Hironaka suddenly releases the leg and scrambles up, looking to take Yoshida's back. Yoshida was ready for it though, and blocks it by pinning a half-standing Hironaka up against the cage. It's a precarious position for both fighters. Hironaka throws a couple of short-range punches. Yoshida gets a leg in and trips Hironaka, putting him back on the ground, albeit this time in full guard. It was a nice escape attempt from Hironaka, at least he can take heart from the fact that it resulted in a better defensive position. Time is running out, it looks like this round will end with them in this position. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Yoshida.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] They start the round with an exchange of strikes, all from fairly long range as they circle and try to work angles. None of the blows did any damage, either missing or being straight into the opponent's gloves. Yoshida is the first to land a worthwhile blow, hitting a straight right that catches Hironaka on the side of the cheek. Yoshida follows up by backing him up against the cage, throws a couple of big punches, but gets pulled into a clinch without doing any serious damage. Hironaka goes for a trip and almost gets it, but Yoshida is able to regain his footing at the last moment. Hironaka has Yoshida against the cage, and hits three right hands to the side of the ribs. Yoshida reaches down and picks up a leg, using that as leverage to topple Hironaka, who pulls guard. Yoshida starts pounding away and does some damage before Hironaka grapples and pulls him down into a clinch. Hironaka has both of Yoshida's arms tied up, preventing much in the way of attacking action. Yoshida uses some shoulder shrugs to the face, but Hironaka isn't going to be too bothered by that. Yoshida pulls one arm free. Hironaka still has tight control of the other, and brings his legs up, trying to apply an armbar. Yoshida sees it coming and blocks it easily, getting in a couple of punches for good measure. Yoshida steps through the legs and forces Hironaka to release the arm so that he can cover up against a series of strikes. Hironaka manages to ensare one leg though, and so Yoshida has to make do with being in half guard instead of getting the full mount that he wanted. Yoshida hits a couple of punches, takes one back, then attempts to get side control. Hironaka keeps him at bay. Time is ticking away, if Yoshida is going to use this position to finish the match, it had better be done soon. Yoshida pulls Hironaka's left arm to one side and straightens it out, perhaps looking to turn it into an armbar. Hironaka rolls over to stop the arm getting trapped. Yoshida continues to work for it though. Time expires though, the round is over. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Yoshida.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Hironaka is bobbing and weaving, trying to find an angle of attack. Jabs and an occasional low kick from Yoshida are making that hard though. A crisp right hand from Hironaka stings the gloves of Yoshida, and he follows up with a kick that crashed into the ribs. That really connected, great strike. Hironaka looks to be growing in confidence, and comes in again, using the right hand lead once more. Yoshida was ready though, and fires off a high kick. It connects with the side of the jaw, Hironaka did not see that one coming! He staggers and falls to the floor, totally unbalanced. Yoshida is right in there; hammer fist to the side of the head, and another! There's a third. Hironaka is in big trouble. Vicious punch. The referee leaps in, that is all she wrote! That kick caught Hironaka out, and from there onwards there was only going to be one outcome. [B]Yoshida wins via 3rd round TKO with the official time being 1:17.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Yoshida with yet another win. This should boost Yoshida into the top 5 Welterweights and if he is lucky even further. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs. Heath Herring (28-13) Sherdog's Prediction: Andrei Arlovski via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Arlovski starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Herring on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Arlovski to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Herring, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Arlovski, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Herring is looking a little lost so far, Arlovski is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. They both seem to be looking for an opening, and it's creating a stalemate at the moment. Arlovski leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Herring was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Herring comes back with a leg kick to set up a one-two combination, but the round is coming to a close and it's going to be too little too late. The one bright spot for Herring is that although Arlovski clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Arlovski.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Arlovski puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Herring defended well. Straight right from Herring in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Arlovski probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Herring gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Arlovski. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Arlovski.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Herring throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Arlovski's jaw, but it is parried. Arlovski steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Herring moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Arlovski put a lot of weight behind it. Herring hits a nice jab, then clinches. Arlovski hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Herring hits a low kick to the leg. Arlovski bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Herring goes down! Good shot from Arlovski! He tries to follow up and pound on Herring, but Herring is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Arlovski, sensing that Herring is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Herring ends up backed up against the cage. Arlovski gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Herring, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Arlovski has in his hands is really posing Herring some problems. The clinch drags on, with Arlovski unable to break free, and the round ends like that. The third round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Arlovski. Andrei Arlovski wins the match, getting a score of 30-27 from all three judges.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Arlovski wil be happy with this win as it almost guarantees he will get if not the next shot at Nog then the next one after Tim Sylvia. [B][CENTER]Forrest Griffin (16-5) vs. Nate Marquardt (26-7-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Forrest Griffin via Knock Out[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start to the round. Not much happens before they wind up clinched together, struggling for supremacy. Marquardt uses a trip to make a takedown, but doesn't go down himself, instead staying back. He pushes the raised legs away and dives in to get side control, but Griffin scrambles and manages to get up, pushing Marquardt down to the ground. Griffin ends up on top, in guard. Griffin passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Marquardt has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around Griffin's left arm. Griffin's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Marquardt covers up to defend them. Griffin tries to pin down one of Marquardt's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Marquardt uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Griffin finds himself unable to do any real damage other than occasional strikes, which he doesn't have the leverage to get much power behind, with virtually no chance of gaining a submission thanks to his left arm being trapped. The referee eventually stands them up, and the time expires before anything interesting can happen with them standing. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Griffin by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Marquardt may have realised that he left the gas on back at home, as he starts the round as if he needs to get this fight finished quickly, throwing two giant-sized right hand bombs and a vicious uppercut within the first thirty seconds. Griffin dealt with them well though, avoiding the first two and parrying the uppercut away. Griffin fakes a takedown, causing Marquardt to back up, ready to sprawl. Marquardt stalks Griffin, forcing him back toward the cage. Marquardt moves in, looking to throw another big shot, but Griffin springs forward and connects with a great punch, crunching his fist into the cheek. Marquardt goes down! Griffin tries to pounce and pound his way to victory, but Marquardt has enough awareness to ensnare Griffin in the guard position as he dives in. Griffin tries to pass guard, but Marquardt doesn't allow it. Marquardt throws a couple of punches, but they're parried away. He breaks his guard to bring a leg across and try to kick Griffin in the face, but it's a mistake as Griffin pushes the leg aside and gets side control. Griffin pushes them closer to the cage, near his own corner so that they can give him instructions. Following what they say, Griffin throws some heavy blows to the unprotected stomach of Marquardt, then tries to isolate the closest arm. Marquardt frantically tries to stop that happening, but does indeed give it up. He does manage to roll to the side, giving himself some good leverage and preventing Griffin from extending the arm. Griffin continues trying to apply an armbar, but Marquardt is not allowing it. Eventually Griffin turns and tries to get a crucifix position instead. Marquardt fights that off too. The round ends with Griffin still doggedly trying to get an armbar submission, and Marquardt tenaciously stopping it. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Griffin by 10-9. [/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Slow start to this round, Griffin is being tentative and Marquardt looks like he is waiting for an angle to appear. The first exchange of strikes doesn't really go anywhere. A second set falls in Griffin's favour, as he gets a nice jab in, hitting right above the nose, and a solid shot to the body. Marquardt goes in for a takedown but only manages to secure one leg. Griffin hammers down two shots to the back, but can't really do a lot else. Marquardt tries to push him over onto his back, but Griffin manages to pull free and back off. Marquardt throws a high left handed jab then goes in for another takedown. Good sprawl from Griffin, and he backs off. Marquardt doesn't get a chance to go for a third, because Griffin takes the fight to him with a barrage of lefts and rights, forcing him back against the cage. Griffin clinches up, only after hitting a hard shot to the stomach though. The clinch seems to go on forever, with Marquardt unable to get a good enough position to try a takedown, and Griffin tied up too much to really throw any decent strikes. Eventually the time runs out and they head back to their corners. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Griffin by 10-9. The official scores are in; two judges give 30-27, the other 29-28, all for Forrest Griffin.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Griffin with an impressive win here and he will be hoping to move up to #3 in the Middleweight rankings as if he does he will almost certainly get the next title shot. [B][CENTER]Thiago Silva (15-0) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Thiago Silva via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start to this round, Silva is being tentative and Drwal looks like he is waiting for an angle to appear. The first exchange of strikes doesn't really go anywhere. A second set falls in Silva's favour, as he gets a nice jab in, hitting right above the nose, and a solid shot to the body. Drwal goes in for a takedown but only manages to secure one leg. Silva hammers down two shots to the back, but can't really do a lot else. Drwal tries to push him over onto his back, but Silva manages to pull free and back off. Drwal throws a high left handed jab then goes in for another takedown. Good sprawl from Silva, and he backs off. Drwal doesn't get a chance to go for a third, because Silva takes the fight to him with a barrage of lefts and rights, forcing him back against the cage. Silva clinches up, only after hitting a hard shot to the stomach though. The clinch seems to go on forever, with Drwal unable to get a good enough position to try a takedown, and Silva tied up too much to really throw any decent strikes. Eventually the time runs out and they head back to their corners. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Silva[/B]. [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Good start from Drwal, taking Silva down almost immediately! Silva scrambles though, and gets back to his feet without taking any damage at all. Drwal will be disappointed with that. Silva comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put him off balance, allowing Drwal to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Silva felt that one for sure. He stalks Drwal, trying to back him up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Drwal keeps out of the way. Silva tries a kick, but Drwal catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Drwal gets Silva down for the second time, and this time is right on top of him in guard position. Drwal throws some punches, then tries to pass. Silva doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Drwal easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Drwal followed by a pass attempt, with Silva blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Drwal.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Drwal fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Silva. They clinch, and Silva winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Drwal tries to push Silva back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. Drwal gets caught with a solid right hand out of nowhere, and is rocked. Silva follows up with another one, and Drwal looks in trouble all of a sudden. He is backed up against the cage and Silva is unloading. The punches are raining down, Drwal is covering up. The referee has seen enough and stops the fight, clearly feeling that Drwal was unable to defend himself intelligently. [B]Silva wins. Official time of the TKO is 4:16 of the third.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes:[/B] Silva gets the third round TKO win over #7 Light Heavyweight Tomasz Drwal and that should move him up the rankings quite nicely up to as high as #3 if he is lucky. [B][CENTER]Roger Huerta (22-1-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (12-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Roger Huerta via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Huerta scores the first meaningful blow of the round, hitting a powerful overhand right that thumped past the gloves. Griffin shakes it off though, and scores with a nice low kick to the outside of the thigh. He steps in to throw some strikes, but Huerta moves to a new angle and scores with a series of jabs. Griffin turns and swings a heavy right hand, but Huerta goes underneath it and hits a wicked kick to the gut. That exchange really showed the difference between the two fighters; Huerta looks light on his feet and very agile, Griffin looks slow and sluggish by comparison. Griffin will need to find a way to nullify Huerta's footwork, perhaps by getting in close, as he has been picked apart for the first half of this round. Huerta darts in again, and gets in a nice flurry. Griffin manages to hit a crisp jab in return, but one of Huerta's punches caught him above the eye, leaving a mark, so he came off the worse from that exchange. The round ends without any further big strikes happening, Huerta controlling the round with his superior movement. The 1st round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Huerta. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] The round starts with some tentative striking. Both fighters look to be using their strikes merely to keep the opponent off-balance while they work for an angle for a takedown, rather than actually trying to inflict too much damage. Huerta goes for the first takedown, but Griffin has it well-scouted and they merely end up in a clinch. They tussle, ending up all the way back against the cage. Both fighters try trips, but neither gets anything. Finally, the referee steps in and separates them. Griffin storms back in almost immediately and takes Huerta down, into guard. It's hard to say whether that was just a good takedown or whether Huerta just had a lapse in concentration. Griffin tries to pass the guard but can't, with Huerta employing a rubber guard now. There's a definite stalemate, Huerta is defending very well but isn't really offering any attacking threat or really trying to get out of this predicament. Griffin makes a big effort to pass, and manages to get to half guard, but Huerta has him tied up pretty well all the same. Time is ticking away, what has been a very tame round looks set to end without much in the way of highlights. It'll have to go to Griffin on points, the takedown is really the only noteworthy thing that has happened. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Griffin[/B]. [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] They circle each other. Griffin misses with a low kick, and Huerta darts in to hit a jab before retreating. They come together and exchange punches, both got a few shots in. Huerta is looking much lighter on his feet, and keeps moving in, hitting a few punches, then getting back out of range. Griffin is trying to catch him coming in, but doesn't have the timing quite right. It happens again. Huerta isn't getting much power on the punches, but he is getting ahead on points. Griffin tries to get in close, but Huerta is keeping moving, and isn't letting himself get cornered. Griffin glances at the referee, not sure why. Huerta gets a solid punch in, catching Griffin just above the left eye. Griffin finally gets a clinch, forcing Huerta up against the cage, but it's too little, too late as the round ends. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Huerta. The official scores are: 29-28 from all three judges for Roger Huerta.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Huerta battled for a deserved win here against Griffin. Griffin will have no need to be dissapointed though as he battled hard and against a worthy opponent. Huerta should move back into the top three Lightweights with this win. [B][CENTER]UFC Welterweight Championship: Georges St. Pierre (17-2) vs. Thiago Alves (14-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Georges St. Pierre via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Alves makes St. Pierre back up against the cage by throwing some looping punches. He comes in closer and hits a right hook to the body, getting a jab to the cheek in return. Alves throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. St. Pierre lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches Alves by surprise, putting him down! St. Pierre follows up and starts raining down right hands. Alves covers up as best he can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls St. Pierre off, the match is over. [B]St. Pierre wins via 1st round TKO with the official time being 1:57. Georges St. Pierre retains the UFC Welterweight title.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: **** [B]Notes[/B]: Quick and impressive win for St. Pierre here and he only has to beat Serra in a rubber match before there isn't anyone left in the Welterweight division to challenge him, then he can change weight classes and have a superfight with someone. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: Rousimar Palhales Knock Out of the Night: Yoshiyuki Yoshida Fight of the Night: Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves [B][U]Injuries[/U][/B] Rousimar Palhales suffered a knee injury in his fight last night and wil be out for almost 2 months recovering. [B][U]Resignings[/U][/B] Matt Hamill and Yoshiyuki Yoshida will both be resigned to new UFC contracts. [B][U]Signings[/U][/B] Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza will be signed to an exclusive UFC contract to fight in the UFC Middleweight division. Also Ryan Schultz will be signed to compete in the UFC Lightweight division.

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]New Rankings After UFC 91[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]UFC have released the new rankings following their UFC 91 events.[/CENTER] [B][U]Lightweight[/U][/B] 1. Roger Huerta +3 2. Shinya Aoki -1 3. BJ Penn -1 4. Vitor Ribeiro -1 5. Sean Sherk 6. Thiago Tavares +4 7. Kenny Florian -1 8. Eddie Alvarez -1 9. Rich Clementi -1 10. Joe Stevenson - New Entry [B][U]Welterweight[/U][/B] 1. George St. Pierre 2. Matt Serra 3. Yoshiyuki Yoshida +4 4. Matt Hughes 5. Jon Fitch 6. Dan Hardy +3 7. Josh Koscheck +1 8. Thiago Alves -5 9. Akihiro Gono +1 10. Diego Sachez - New Entry [B][U]Middleweight[/U][/B] 1. Rich Franklin 2. Anderson Silva 3. Patrick Cote 4. Forrest Griffin +1 5. Gregard Mousasi +1 6. Dan Henderson +1 7. Rousimar Palahales - New Entry 8. Karo Parisyan 9. Joey Villasenor 10. Jonathan Goulet [B][U]Light Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua 3. Thiago Silva +2 4. Wanderlei Silva -1 5. Lyoto Machida -1 6. Wilson Gouveia 7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira +1 8. Chuck Liddell +1 9. Glover Teixeira +1 10. Rashad Evans - New Entry [B][U]Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2. Tim Sylvia 3. Andrei Arlovski 4. Fedor Emelianenko 5. Sergei Kharitonov 6. Cheick Kongo 7. Chris Tuchscherer 8. Pedro Rizzo +1 9. Fabricio Werdum +1 10. Shane Carwin - New Entry [B][U]P4P[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Roger Huerta - New Entry 3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -1 4. Rich Franklin -1 5. George St. Pierre 6. Anderson Silva -2 7. Tim Sylvia -1 8. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua -1 9. Shinya Aoki -1 10. BJ Penn -1 [B]Biggest Jump this month[/B]: Yoshiyuki Yoshida/Thiago Tavares: Tavares moved up foer ranks upto #6 in the Lightweight rankings this month. He moved this far up thanks to his decision win over Joe Lauzon. He is expected to fight either Rich Clementi or Kenny Florian next. Yoshida also moved up four ranks this month all the way up to #3 in the Welterweight rankings which makes him eligible for a title shot. This came after he beat Kuniyoshi Hironaka via a third round TKO. He is expected to fight either Matt Hughes or Jon Fitch next. [B]Biggest Drop this month[/B]: Thiago Alves: Thiago Alves dropped five ranks this month as he fell to #8 in the Welterweight rankings. This came after he lost to Georges St. Pierre via TKO in only one minute and fifty seven seconds. He is expected to fight Akihiro Gono next. [B]Most Impressive New Entry[/B]: Roger Huerta(P4P)/Rousimar Palhales: Palhales debuted on the Middleweight rankings this month at #7 after his impressive submission win over Jorge Rivera. He is expected to fight Joey Villasenor next. Roger Huerta moved up 3 ranks to become the #1 Lightweight this month but also he debuted on the P4P top ten at a impressive #2. This all came after his close decision win over Tyson Griffin. H eis expected to challenge BJ Penn for the title in his next fight.

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces UFC 92: Jackson vs. Shogun[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced UFC 92: Jackson vs. Shogun. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Quinton Jackson (31-6) vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-3) Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-2) Joe Stevenson (28-9) vs. Eddie Alvarez (16-1) Josh Koscheck (12-2) vs. Diego Sanchez (19-3) Michael Bisping (17-2) vs. Evan Tanner (32-7) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Brandon Vera (9-1) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0) Rashad Evans (12-1-1) vs. Houston Alexander (8-2) Marcus Aurelio (15-5) vs. Josh Thomson (14-3) Ben Saunders (5-1-2) vs. Matt Arroyo (3-1) Brad Morris (8-4) vs. Daniel Puder (6-0) Rory Singer (11-8) vs. CB Dolloway (6-0)[/CENTER]

[rjhabeeb]

Maincard UFC Light Heavyweight Championship:[B] Quinton Jackson (31-6)[/B] vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-3) THE UFC vs. PRIDE curse continues Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. [B]Glover Teixeira (7-2)[/B] :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D Joe Stevenson (28-9) vs.[B] Eddie Alvarez (16-1)[/B] :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D [B]Josh Koscheck (12-2)[/B] vs. Diego Sanchez (19-3) Michael Bisping (17-2) vs. [B]Evan Tanner (32-7)[/B] :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D Undercard [B]Brandon Vera (9-1) [/B]vs. Shane Carwin (10-0) [B]Rashad Evans (12-1-1) [/B]vs. Houston Alexander (8-2) [B]Marcus Aurelio (15-5) [/B]vs. Josh Thomson (14-3) Ben Saunders (5-1-2) vs.[B] Matt Arroyo (3-1)[/B] [B]Brad Morris (8-4) [/B]vs. Daniel Puder (6-0) Rory Singer (11-8) vs.[B] CB Dolloway (6-0)[/B] UFC 92: Night of Upsets

[critical-23]

Maincard UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: [B]Quinton Jackson (31-6)[/B] vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-3) I hate this kind of match-up (ya know, two faves facing each other) [B]Chuck Liddell (21-6)[/B] vs. Glover Teixeira (7-2) No hesitation here. . . Joe Stevenson (28-9) vs. [B]Eddie Alvarez (16-1)[/B] If the fight stays standing, Eddie all the way. Josh Koscheck (12-2) vs. [B]Diego Sanchez (19-3)[/B] The Nightmare can pull this one out. Michael Bisping (17-2) vs. [B]Evan Tanner (32-7)[/B] Tanner could have both hands tied behind his back and I would STILL choose him. I'm just a big Tanner fan. Sue me. Undercard [B]Brandon Vera (9-1)[/B] vs. Shane Carwin (10-0) Honestly never heard of Carwin (sorry to all the purists). [B]Rashad Evans (12-1-1)[/B] vs. Houston Alexander (8-2) Love Alexander's brawling style but Rashad brings too much to the table. [B]Marcus Aurelio (15-5)[/B] vs. Josh Thomson (14-3)Can't say I know either of these two fighters. I just went with the more experienced record. [B]Ben Saunders (5-1-2)[/B] vs. Matt Arroyo (3-1) Saunders uses Bruce Lee's style of fighting. I am not a purist, just a fan of martial arts, which is why I picked Ben. Brad Morris (8-4) vs. [B]Daniel Puder (6-0)[/B] Puder sucks as a pro wrestler, I'm hoping he is a better MMA fighter. [B]Rory Singer (11-8)[/B] vs. CB Dolloway (6-0) Once again, not familiar with either fighter but I am going with the more experienced record.

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 92 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Rory Singer (11-8) vs. CB Dolloway (6-0)[/U][/B] Dolloway will fight in his UFC debut as he tries to retain his unbeaten record as he fights Rory Singer. Singer is oming off of a decision loss to Cung Le at UFC 87. CB will be very excited as he is still only 25 and he is already fighting in the UFC and if he wins here it could start something big. [B][U]Brad Morris (8-4) vs. Daniel Puder (6-0)[/U][/B] Puder is another young undefeated fighter being only 27. He is fighting the more experianced 30 year old Brad Morris who is coming off of a second round TKO loss to Rolles Gracie at UFC 85. If Puder gets a win here and then a few more along the line then he could become quite the heavyweight star with abit of hard work. [B][U]Ben Saunders (5-1-2) vs. Matt Arroyo (3-1)[/U][/B] Two more young talents go at it in this fight as Matt Arroyo who is 26 goes up against Ben Saunders who is 25. Saunders is coming off of a decision loss to Karo Parisyan , who has since moved to the Middleweight division, back at UFC 86. [B][U]Marcus Aurelio (15-5) vs. Josh Thomson (14-3)[/U][/B] Two experianced fighters go up against each other in a Lightweight battle. A win for either could put them into the tep ten ranking system, which could push them up the card and put them against better and more well known competition. [B][U]Rashad Evans (12-1-1) vs. Houston Alexander (8-2)[/U][/B] Rashad Evans returns to fight Houston Alexander. This will be Evans first fight since his decision loss against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 88. Evans is ranked at the #10 Light Heavyweight right now so a win could put Alexander on the map. A win for Evans though could push him up the rankings to as high as #6. [B][U]Brandon Vera (9-1) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0)[/U][/B] Young undefeated fighter Carwin ,only 25, fights Vera is possibly the biggest fight of his career. Vera is coming off of a first round TKO win over en Rothwell at UFC 89. Carwin is still undefeated and is 2-0 in the UFC with decision wins over Eddie Sanchez and Christian Wellisch. Carwin is already ranked as the #10 Heavyweight and a win over Vera could push him up to as high as #6. A win for Vera though could put him into the rankings and in a place where he could start to build up to a title shot. [B][U]Michael Bisping (17-2) vs. Evan Tanner (32-7)[/U][/B] Bisping has won his last two fights with his last fight being the most impressive as he beat Alan Belcher via TKO after only fifty nine seconds into the second round. A win for Bisping could put him into the top ten Middleweights where he could push into the top three and get a title shot. [B][U]Josh Koscheck (12-2) vs. Diego Sanchez (19-3)[/U][/B] Diego Sanchez returns after his decision loss to Matt Serra at UFC 88. Koscheck on the other hand is coming off of two consecutive TKO vitories over George Sortiropoulos and Mike Swick. Sanchez is ranked as the #10 Welterweight and Koscheck as the #7. A win for Sanchez could put him upto around #6 while a win for Koscheck could put him upto as high as #4. [B][U]Joe Stevenson (28-9) vs. Eddie Alvarez (16-1)[/U][/B] The #8 and #10 Lightweights go up against each other in this fight which could be an important fight for future of the Lightweight division. A win for Alvarez could put him as high as #6 or if he is lucky #5. A win for Stevenson would put him somewhere around #7. Stevenson is coming off of a decision loss to Roger Huerta at UFC 88. Alvarez however is currently 2-0 in the UFC after he defeated Cole Miller with a third round TKO after losing the two rounds. And also in his UFC debut at UFC 85 he defeated Corey Hill in two minutes and twenty five seconds when he KO'ed Hill for a debut victory. [B][U]Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-2)[/U][/B] Chuck Liddell returns as he fights for the first time since he fought against Shogun when he lost via a brutal 1st round KO. This time he goes up against Glover Teixeira who is coming off of two staight wins in the UFC. So far Teixeira has beat Ricardo Arona via TKO after only 71 seconds of the fight, also he has defeted Sokoudjou via a third round submission at UFN 14. Both fighters are ranked in the top ten Light Heavyweights with Liddell coming in at #8 while Teixeira is at #9. A win for either could put them up as high as #5 in the rankings. [B][U]UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Quinton Jackson (31-6) vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-3)[/U][/B] Shogun will be the fourth challenger for Rampage's title as he returns to the UFC after his brutal 1st round KO of Chuck Liddell. Rampage has defended his title against the likes of Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin and Lyoto Machida so he won't be intimidated even by the likes of the PRIDE legend and a man that has knocked him out in the past. Rampage in not just ranked as the #1 Light Heavyweight but he is also ranked as the #1 pound for pound fighter so it is safe to say that he will be considered the favourite as Shogun is only ranked as the #8 pound for pound fighter.[/CENTER]

[D.O.]

Maincard UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Quinton Jackson (31-6) vs. [B]Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-3)[/B] [B]Chuck Liddell (21-6)[/B] vs. Glover Teixeira (7-2) [B]Joe Stevenson (28-9)[/B] vs. Eddie Alvarez (16-1) Josh Koscheck (12-2) vs. [B]Diego Sanchez (19-3)[/B] [B]Michael Bisping (17-2)[/B] vs. Evan Tanner (32-7) Undercard [B]Brandon Vera (9-1)[/B] vs. Shane Carwin (10-0) [B]Rashad Evans (12-1-1)[/B] vs. Houston Alexander (8-2) [B]Marcus Aurelio (15-5)[/B] vs. Josh Thomson (14-3) [B]Ben Saunders (5-1-2)[/B] vs. Matt Arroyo (3-1) [B]Brad Morris (8-4)[/B] vs. Daniel Puder (6-0) Rory Singer (11-8) vs. [B]CB Dolloway (6-0)[/B]

[RyanMMA09]

Rampage is a beatable guy, but I don't think Shogun's the guy to do it. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm just saying it won't. This is clearly the biggest day in the life of Glover Teixeira's career, problem is, he might choke being the co-Main Event. I've got Liddell by brutal knockout in that fight. Stevenson needs a win and Alvarez is a tough fight for him. I almost question the booking in this fight, seems like a lose situation. If Stevenson wins, great for him, but not good for a 16-1 Alvarez, but if Alvarez wins, he was supposed to. Kos and Sanchez, well I hate them both pretty equally, let's say Diego Sanchez with a decision. Bisping is on his game after his last fight and Tanner's all but a former shell of himself, Bisping via TKO in round one or two is my guess. Next fight is another one where it's only going to hurt you for either to lose, Carwin's not quite ready for Vera and he'll find out quick. I'm not a Rashad Evans fan, but he's a good wrestler, he'll take Houston down at will and pound on him. Josh Thomson should make easy work of Marcus Aurelio and I have Arroyo over Saunders. Morris and Puder will be an interesting fight, I have Puder unfortunately. Rory Singer's done, Dollaway will make a tool of him. This is a decent card, not your best though.

[chris caulfield]

OOC: I'd just like to go out of my way to thank you all for making predictions but one person in particular I would like to thank is RyanMMA09 because as I write this diary it is so pleasing for me to see everyone predict my cards but it is extra nice when you get someone who actually takes some extra time just to go abit more indepth instead of just bolding a name. There is nothing wrong with just bolding names because that is what I do so I'm not moaning at the others as I am so very grateful for all the predictors but anyone who also writes a diary will also know the joy when you get a post in your diary that goes into even just abit more detail. Also I'm just wondering because at the end of your post you said it wasn't my best card but would you mind telling me what you thought my best card was and why if you don't mind just so I can referance it in my head and know what types of matchups to put on in the future that make my readers happy. Anyway thankyou to everyone that has predicted and if anyone else wants to predict then do it soon as I plan to get the show up tomorrow and if not tomorrow then definately by thursday.

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 92: Jackson vs. Shogun[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Undercard[/U][/B][/CENTER] [B][CENTER]Rory Singer (11-8) vs. CB Dolloway (6-0) Sherdog's Prediction: CB Dolloway via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Singer goes to the center, and immediately throws some jabs, looking to engage in a striking battle. Dollaway doesn't commit though, instead circling and looking for an angle. Dollaway comes in, ducks a right hand, then unleashes a flurry of punches. Singer covers up at first, then throws a scathing right hand, but Dollaway is already out of range. Dollaway repeats the trick, working a new angle, darting in, then firing off strikes while keeping out of the way of any counter punches. It happens a third time, and Singer is beginning to look frustrated. Dollaway's footwork and general movement is looking good, Singer is being made to look very slow and lumbering in comparison. Furthermore, Dollaway is being able to launch multiple short bursts of offense without really being in any danger, Singer has yet to hit any sort of meaningful punch, simply because Dollaway is too quick. Singer finally gets in close enough to grapple with Dollaway, clinching up. Singer scores a nice body punch, then steps back and goes for a vicious right hand, but Dollaway bobs out of the way and hits a right hook of his own. Time is ticking away, and Singer is well behind in this round, he needs to do something special. Singer swings for the fences, but Dollaway has no problem avoiding it. The round peters out. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Dollaway.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Dollaway puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Singer defended well. Straight right from Singer in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Dollaway probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Singer gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Dollaway. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Dollaway by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Singer throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Dollaway's jaw, but it is parried. Dollaway steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Singer moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Dollaway put a lot of weight behind it. Singer hits a nice jab, then clinches. Dollaway hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Singer hits a low kick to the leg. Dollaway bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Singer goes down! Good shot from Dollaway! He tries to follow up and pound on Singer, but Singer is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Dollaway, sensing that Singer is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Singer ends up backed up against the cage. Dollaway gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Singer, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Dollaway has in his hands is really posing Singer some problems. The clinch drags on, with Dollaway unable to break free, and the round ends like that. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-8 for Dollaway. CB Dollaway wins, with a score of 30-26 from two judges, 29-27 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Dominant decision win here for Dolloway. Great debut for him as he easily gets past Singer. He remains undefeated and is now 7-0. [B][CENTER]Brad Morris (8-4) vs. Daniel Puder (6-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Daniel Puder via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] There is some tentative circling to begin with, before they meet in the center for the first action of the round. It's a tight affair, both fighters heavily using the jab, but Puder looks to get the better of it, landing with one crisp strike to the face in particular. Morris backs off, a little shaken. Replays show that it landed right on the nose. Puder press the action, forcing Morris back against the cage and upping the tempo with rapid-fire lefts and rights, bobbing and weaving at the same time to keep from getting caught with a counter punch. Morris clinches up. Puder is displaying a much more accomplished and confident striking game than Morris, the technique and speed with which the punches are being delivered is leaving Morris looking ragged in comparison. The pattern continues once they've been separated, with Puder looking the sharper of the two. He isn't overwhelming Morris by any means, but he is comfortably controlling the pace and tempo of the round, and preventing Morris from stamping any sort of mark on it. End of round 1. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Puder. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Puder starts fast, unleashing a bomb of a right hand, but Morris avoids it without too much trouble. Puder isn't disheartened though, swinging two more huge punches, with Morris getting out the way each time, but being forced all over the place. Puder finally backs off a little, breathing hard. That was quite a frantic start. Morris opts to use that, and comes in to throw some jabs. Puder is backed up against the cage, covering up. Morris clinches. They struggle, and the fight enters a lull. Puder hits a knee strike to the hip. Morris slips one leg behind Puder and uses that as leverage for a big trip. Puder landed hard, with Morris on top. They're in half guard. It's to Puder's advantage that they're right next to the cage, that is blocking Morris from attacking the left hand side of the body. Puder is forced into action to defend a kimura attempt. Morris tries to step over to mount, but Puder keeps his legs in position and ends up almost rolled into a ball. Morris fires some stiff punches to the back, then one to the face. He reaches through and tries to secure an armbar, but has to be careful as he is in danger of getting picked off with a counter armbar too. Puder doesn't appear to be trying that though, instead trying to shift his weight so that he can get back up. Morris isn't allowing it though, and gets a couple more punches in before settling back into half guard. Puder ties him up in a snug clinch. The action halts, and time expires before Morris can get free. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Morris.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Puder meets Morris in the center. They exchange tentative long-range punches. Morris steps in to press the action, but gets caught with a right hand. Puder scores with a left too, then a crisp jab. Morris backs off, that exchange did not go in his favour by any means. Puder presses the advantage and gets in a couple more jabs, forcing Morris onto the back-foot, all the way until he is up against the cage. Puder stands just in range and starts throwing occasional straight rights, forcing Morris to try and react in time. Morris parries a few shots away, but also gets caught with a couple. He steps forward and tries to get a clinch, but Puder keeps away from it and continues to flick quick jabs out. Morris is really getting schooled so far, Puder's hand speed and technique have allowed him to completely control everything about this round, Morris hasn't been able to generate anything of note. Morris tries to change that by coming after Puder, but Puder meets him in the center and exchanges punches, again winning the encounter comfortably. The final minute of the round sees Morris try two more times, and in neither can he manage to break Puder's control. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Puder. All three judges give a score of 29-28 in favour of Daniel Puder.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: A sucessful debut for Puder but he would of liked to of won a bit more easily. [B][CENTER]Ben Saunders (5-1-2) vs. Matt Arroyo (3-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Matt Arroyo via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Tentative start, neither fighter is willing to commit yet. Arroyo fires off a jab, but it was easily blocked. Saunders fakes a kick, then comes in hard and fast with a takedown, sending Arroyo to the floor. The momentum causes Saunders to almost go completely over the top though, and Arroyo is able to flip him to the side and end up on top, in the guard position. Arroyo stands into a half-crouching position, dragging Saunders's guard with him. Saunders reaches up, parries away a couple of strikes, and tries to grab an arm to apply an armbar to. Arroyo knocks the attempt away and nails a hard shot to the ribs before reaching over and trying to nail a downward punch to the chin. Saunders blocks it. Arroyo floats over and gets into side control. Saunders scrambles to try and get back up, but is too close to the cage, which works against him. Arroyo lays in a couple of punches to the chest to soften Saunders up, then tries to move up and isolate one of the arms. Saunders makes sure to bring his body around to give him as much protection as possible. It works, as Arroyo can't get either arm isolated properly. Arroyo changes tactics and tries to get into crucifix position. Saunders fights it for as long as he possibly can, but eventually gets caught. The length of struggle is, in itself, a good defence though, as the round ends before Arroyo can do anything with the position he has achieved, which will frustrate him enormously. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Arroyo by 10-9[/B]. [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Saunders starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Arroyo. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Arroyo goes for a single leg and puts Saunders on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Arroyo from getting on top. Saunders definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Arroyo hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Saunders again. This time Saunders isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Arroyo will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Saunders defends. Arroyo tries to slip past to get side control, but Saunders just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Arroyo has the side. Two big elbows land, and Saunders seems in trouble. Arroyo goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before he can try again, and the referee separates them. End of round 2. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Arroyo.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Arroyo hits a nice left hook. Saunders felt it, and throws a ragged punch in response, missing by a mile. Arroyo comes in close and hits a couple of big body shots, bobbing out of the way of the jabs that were aimed for his jaw. Saunders clinches up, but gets pushed all the way back to the cage, where Arroyo uses a trip to send them both down to the ground. Arroyo stands into a half-crouching position, dragging Saunders's guard with him. Saunders reaches up, parries away a couple of strikes, and tries to grab an arm to apply an armbar to. Arroyo knocks the attempt away and nails a hard shot to the ribs before reaching over and trying to nail a downward punch to the chin. Saunders blocks it. Arroyo floats over and gets into side control. Saunders scrambles to try and get back up, but is too close to the cage, which works against him. Arroyo lays in a couple of punches to the chest to soften Saunders up, then tries to move up and isolate one of the arms. Saunders makes sure to bring his body around to give him as much protection as possible. It works, as Arroyo can't get either arm isolated properly. Arroyo changes tactics and tries to get into crucifix position. Saunders fights it for as long as he possibly can, but eventually gets caught. The length of struggle is, in itself, a good defence though, as the round ends before Arroyo can do anything with the position he has achieved, which will frustrate him enormously. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Arroyo. The official scores are: 30-27 (twice), 29-28 for Matt Arroyo.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes:[/B] Arroyo with a good win here over Saunders. He is now 4-1 and could go on to be something good if he carries on the way he is going. [B][CENTER]Marcus Aurelio (15-5) vs. Josh Thomson (14-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Josh Thomson via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Thomson puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Aurelio defended well. Straight right from Aurelio in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Thomson probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Aurelio gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Thomson. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Thomson.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Aurelio comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when he throws a left hand which was too high. Thomson moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Aurelio gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head, it looked to hit right on the ear. Thomson didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Thomson swings and hits a nice right hand. Aurelio fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. He throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Thomson dives in to finish him off, but he scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Aurelio's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Thomson looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Aurelio on the outside of the calf. He definitely felt that. Time is running out; Thomson will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Thomson[/B]. [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Thomson leads with a right hand, then delivers a brutal uppercut, Aurelio had to step back quickly to avoid getting caught. He winds up back against the cage, and Thomson doesn't relent, moving in fast to unload with a series of jabs. Aurelio got some of his own in, but the upper hand is definitely with Thomson. Vicious right hand! Out of nowhere, it caught Aurelio flush in the face, and he slumps down against the cage. Thomson follows up with more punches, and the referee dives in to break it up. It's all over. Aurelio wasn't knocked out, but that one punch was a beauty, and it stopped him getting any sort of defence together to stop the following punches. [B]Thomson wins via 3rd round TKO with the official time being 0:45.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Thomson with a nice TKO win here that could put him into the top ten Lightweights. [B][CENTER]Rashad Evans (12-1-1) vs. Houston Alexander (8-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Rashad Evans via Knock Out[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Evans throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Alexander. Kick to the thigh from Alexander, but it lacked power. Alexander looks to be working an angle. Evans throws a stinging jab, landing just above the left eye. Alexander steps in and fires off one of his own, but Evans bobs out of the way and scores with a pair of solid shots to the body. Alexander turns and swings, just as Evans also unloads...and it's Evans who connects first! Alexander's hands drop and he is on rubbery legs. Evans follows up with a beauty of a right hand, and that drops Alexander. The referee doesn't even wait for Evans to dive in to finish, he's seen enough, Alexander is clearly on Dream Street. [B]This bout is over! The official time of the TKO is 1:24 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Evans gets back on track with a dominant TKO victory over Alexander. Evans should move up the rankings quite nicely with such a dominant win. [B][CENTER]Brandon Vera (9-1) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Shane Carwin via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Vera hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Carwin to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Vera hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Carwin tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Vera having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Carwin. Vera pushes Carwin up against the cage in a clinch. Vera throws a knee, then a couple of short punches to the side of the head. Carwin pushes him away and steps in to score with an uppercut. Vera took it flush on the chin and is rocked! Another right hand drops Vera against the cage, and Carwin follows up by unloading with a barrage of punches. The referee gets in and pulls Carwin away, he wins the match by TKO. [B]Official time of the TKO is 3:18 of the first.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Carwin is now 11-0 after the biggest win of his career. Vera will be dissapointed but I'm sure he will bounce back sooner rather than later. Carwin will move up the rankings with this impressive win. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Michael Bisping (17-2) vs. Evan Tanner (32-7) Sherdog's Prediction: Michael Bisping via Knock Out[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] The two fighters touch gloves as the round begins. Tanner starts brightly, throwing out a series of jabs and raking punches, but Bisping is too light on his feet and avoids all of them. Bisping steps in and hits a lovely overhand right, then a low kick to the outside of the thigh. Tanner throws a vicious right cross, but Bisping goes under it and catches Tanner with a scathing left hand to the gut. The next few minutes follow a very similar pattern; Bisping using his excellent movement to 'hit and run', coming in from a variety of angles to score with crisp punches, dodging out of the way of Tanner's counters. Tanner is being made to look sluggish by comparison, and the amount of punches that Bisping has landed in comparison to him is becoming huge. None of them have been particularly big punches, certainly nothing likely to end a fight, but the sheer number of them must be hurting Tanner. Tanner finally hits a meaningful blow, catching Bisping coming in with a low kick. Bisping still gets a crisp jab in though, and is back out of range before Tanner can apply a second strike. The round comes to an end with Bisping having dominated. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Bisping.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Bisping doesn't exactly disguise his intentions for this round, going right to the center and motioning for Tanner to come and trade blows. Tanner wisely keeps back for the time being, content to throw long-range jabs. Bisping isn't quite as content though, as he begins to stalk Tanner. They meet near the cage. Tanner hits a nice jab, then goes to clinch. Bisping stops that with a powerful right hand to the body, then a fizzing left hook that glances off the side of the head. An attempt at a knock out right hand finds nothing but gloves. It is clear that Bisping believes that he has the power to get a knock out here, his game plan appears to be to look for the one punch finish. Tanner is trying to keep moving, to not let Bisping get set to throw a bomb. Bisping is controlling this round by virtue of the knock out threat, as Tanner is being forced to fight somewhat defensively. Bisping throws another big punch, narrowly missing, but does score with a follow up jab, landing just above the right eye. Tanner returns fire with a pair of jabs, both finding gloves. Time begins to tick away. It hasn't been the most exciting round, but Bisping has controlled it and managed to land the better shots. The second round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Bisping.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Tanner is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. He ends up with his back to the cage, with Bisping advancing. A sharp right misses, and Tanner takes the opportunity to pull Bisping in to a tight clinch against the cage. Bisping tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Bisping wants to stand and bang, Tanner wants to keep things at close quarters. Bisping tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that he is now the one against the cage. Trip from Tanner, and we're down to the ground. Tanner has side control, but Bisping has landed with his left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Tanner will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Bisping tries to squirm into a better position, but Tanner puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Tanner tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Bisping defends it. Bisping manages to bring a knee up and catch Tanner in the side, something of a cheeky move given his position. Tanner responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Bisping covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Tanner may be easily winning the round, but he is not taking full advantage of this great position. Tanner tries to float over into a mount, but Bisping uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Tanner enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Tanner is the last action of the round. The third round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Tanner. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Michael Bisping.[/B] [B]Rating:[/B] ** [B]Notes[/B]: This was Bisping's toughest opponent since his move to Middleweight but many believed he would win a bit more dominantly than this. He will hopefully take away the positives though as he did win and this will probably put him into the top ten Middleweights. [B][CENTER]Josh Koscheck (12-2) vs. Diego Sanchez (19-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Diego Sanchez via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Koscheck starts tentatively, and scores with a few sharp leg kicks. A straight left connects, and Sanchez is forced backward to avoid an uppercut. Good start from Koscheck. Sanchez tries to come inside, but eats a kick to the thigh. They clinch briefly, but it goes nowhere. Looping right hand from Sanchez, but it only caught Koscheck on the shoulder. Another kick connects from Koscheck, and that sets up a nice combination to the body. The accuracy of his kicks has been excellent so far, and is keeping Sanchez from doing very much. Sanchez gets pinned against the cage, and the referee eventually has to separate them. Right hand from Sanchez, that one definitely registered, but I don't think it had much power behind it. The time ticks away without anything further of interest happening. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Koscheck.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Koscheck, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Koscheck puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Sanchez covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. Koscheck throws out a few jabs, nothing too dangerous though, Sanchez easily avoided them. Low kick from Sanchez, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Koscheck will take the round on points. The 2nd round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Koscheck.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Sanchez comes out fast, and looks like he is aiming for a quick takedown, but Koscheck stops that plan with some looping punches. Solid right hand from Koscheck connects, and that's the best moment of the opening minute of the round. Sanchez is mainly defending against punches, it looks like he is trying to work an angle to try for a takedown. Koscheck seems to have noticed, as he is purposely positioning against that. Straight left from Koscheck, then a low kick, then a wicked body shot. Sanchez felt that, and backs off. Sanchez tries to get in for a clinch, perhaps looking for a takedown from that position, but Koscheck gets him to back off with some jabs. Koscheck has really been able to stamp his gameplan on this round, Sanchez has been blocked at every turn. The third round is over. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Koscheck by 10-9. The official scores are in; two judges give 30-27, the other 29-28, all for Josh Koscheck.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Koscheck with his third win in a row as he hands Sanchez his second loss in a row. Koscheck will move up the rankings quite nicely with this decision win while Sanchez will likely frop out of the top ten and will hope to bounce back in his next fight. [B][CENTER]Joe Stevenson (28-9) vs. Eddie Alvarez (16-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Joe Stevenson via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Alvarez starts fast, immediately going on the attack with jabs and straight rights. Stevenson covers up from the initial burst, then starts throwing some raking rights and lefts. Alvarez bobs and weaves out of harm's way, countering by flicking off jabs whenever possible, peppering Stevenson with strikes. None of them are likely to knock Stevenson down, but they will add up over time. Stevenson moves in and tries to back Alvarez up against the cage, but he is too quick, and won't allow himself to get caught. Stevenson is having a real problem with Alvarez's movement, which is allowing him to dart in and out almost at will, hitting quick jabs and avoiding any counters. There's another example, as Alvarez scores with a sharp left hand to the chest, and is gone before the big right hand of Stevenson hits. Stevenson looks frustrated, and switches tactics, no longer looking for the big punches but trying to stop Alvarez getting in close by using low kicks and long, raking punches. Alvarez is kept from doing any further damage, but Stevenson isn't generating any offence either. Alvarez comes in from an angle, takes a right hand, but scores with a flurry of his own. Stevenson tries to hit a low kick, but misses. Time is running down, Alvarez is going to take this round on points, he has been able to dominate it thanks to his superior movement. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Alvarez by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] The fighters come together right in the center. Stevenson throws out a jab, but Alvarez bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Alvarez works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Stevenson covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Alvarez is making Stevenson look sluggish in comparison, such is the speed and crispness with which he is delivering strikes. Stevenson hits a low kick before back-pedalling to avoid a clubbing blow. A looping left from Alvarez, but it's wide of the mark. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Alvarez got slightly the better of it, he definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Stevenson slightly. Stevenson initiates a clinch, and the action grinds to a halt. Stevenson looks out of ideas, he is being repeatedly lured into these exchange of strikes, but Alvarez is clearly winning them. Stevenson needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Alvarez tries a speculative high kick, but Stevenson saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Stevenson tries to work an angle, but Alvarez is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep him from stepping in. Comfortable round for Alvarez, he will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given his dominance of the striking in this round. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Alvarez.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Stevenson is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Alvarez blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Stevenson is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Alvarez is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Stevenson can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Stevenson some problems later on. Stevenson moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Alvarez is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Stevenson before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Stevenson off, since that moment he has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Stevenson goes for a trip, but Alvarez cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Alvarez may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Alvarez. Eddie Alvarez wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Alvarez with a big win and an impressive win which should move him up the rankings quite nicely and into the top five if he is lucky. [B][CENTER]Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Chuck Liddell via Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Right hand from Teixeira was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Liddell. Teixeira follows up by coming in close, but Liddell is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. Teixeira scores with a low kick to the outside of the knee, then backs off. Those will take their toll. Liddell responds with a right hand that hits gloves, a left hook to the body that stings Teixeira, then throws a spectacular head kick that connects! Teixeira was backing off after those two punches and didn't see it coming, he goes sailing backward, his body entirely limp. Liddell has knocked Teixeira out cold with one brutally powerful kick. [B]Liddell wins via knock out at 1:51 of the first round.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Liddell comes back from a KO loss and gets a KO of is own. Teixeira won't be bothered too much as he is still young and there is no shame in losing to a MMA legend, and his record is still 7-3 so it doesn't look bad at all. Liddell will be looking to get around two more wins and thn will be looking for a title shot. [B][CENTER]UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Quinton Jackson (31-6) vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Quinton Jackson via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Jackson throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Rua throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Jackson steps back, throwing a right hand as he does to buy himself space. They circle, then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Rua hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Jackson. They struggle all the way back, with Jackson ending up backed up against the cage. Rua hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Jackson stomps downward onto his foot. Jackson manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Rua gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Jackson ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Jackson tries a high kick to start, but Rua saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Rua who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Jackson on the nose. Jackson hits a straight right, enough to stop Rua from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Rua.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Jackson doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Rua easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Rua throws a head fake, then comes in fast from an angle with a looping punch, but misses and takes a glancing shot to the shoulder from a left hand counter. Rua throws a nice combination of punches, and although none of them find anything but gloves, it does force Jackson backward against the cage. Rua follows in and scores with a superb jab. Jackson felt that. Rua tries a venomous kick to the thigh, but Jackson saw it coming; he catches the leg just below the knee, steps in, and puts Rua down to the canvas with a trip, done with a violent snap. Rua pulled guard though, stopping Jackson from getting around and into side control. Jackson stands, and uses his arms to push Rua's guard apart. Leaning down between the legs, he starts throwing vicious punches. Rua tries to bring his legs back in to pull guard again, while simultaneously covering up, but he is having trouble; Jackson is using his body to keep the legs from coming in. More punches rain down, and Rua is starting to get really pounded. A big shot lands hard on the nose, then a left hand crunches into his cheek. The referee has seen enough and pulls Jackson away, signalling the end of this match. [B]Official time of the TKO is 1:36 of the second round. Quinton Jackson retains the UFC Light Heavyweight title.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ***** [B]Notes[/B]: That is definately the fight of the year so far and what a win it was for Rampage. Rampage further impresses the critics as he beats Shogun to yet again defend his title. Shogun will be dissapointed to lose after winning the first round, but I'm sure he will bounce back in his next fight. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: N/A Knock Out of the Night: Chuck Liddell Fight of the Night: Quinton Jackson vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua [B][U]Resignings[/U][/B] Joe Stevenson, Glover Teixeira and Ben Saunders will all be resigned to new UFC contracts.

[chris caulfield]

[B][U]Prediction Contest[/U][/B] rjhabeeb: 6/11 critical-23: 5/11 Derek4jc: 4/11 RyanMMA09: 9/11 The prize for the winner ,RyanMMA09, is the opportunity to choose who will challenge Anderson Silva for the title in the main event of the next PPV. Your choices are out of Rich Franklin and Patrick Cote. Please reply ASAP so I can set up the card please. Rankings and hopefully next card should be posted by tomorrow.

[RyanMMA09]

Awesome show man, glad to see that I predicted most of it, more power to Shane Carwin, I didn't think he was ready for Vera yet, you should probably see if Brandon Vera's willing to move to 205, he's just too small for a Heavyweight. Well, we've seen Rich Franklin get tooled by Silva twice and while I like him, I don't think he's the guy to beat Silva. So let's see it, Anderson Silva versus [b]Patrick Cote[/b] to headline UFC 93, looking forward to it. Also, go Bisping!

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]New Rankings After UFC 92[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]UFC have released the new rankings following their UFC 92 event.[/CENTER] [B][U]Lightweight[/U][/B] 1. Roger Huerta 2. Shinya Aoki 3. BJ Penn 4. Vitor Ribeiro 5. Sean Sherk 6. Eddie Alvarez +2 7. Thiago Tavares -1 8. Kenny Florian -1 9. Rich Clementi 10. Din Thomas - New Entry [B][U]Welterweight[/U][/B] 1. George St. Pierre 2. Matt Serra 3. Yoshiyuki Yoshida 4. Matt Hughes 5. Josh Koscheck +2 6. Jon Fitch -1 7. Dan Hardy 8. Thiago Alves 9. Akihiro Gono 10. Dong Hyun Kim - New Entry [B][U]Middleweight[/U][/B] 1. Rich Franklin 2. Anderson Silva 3. Patrick Cote 4. Forrest Griffin 5. Gregard Mousasi 6. Dan Henderson 7. Karo Parisyan +1 8. Rousimar Palahales -1 9. Joey Villasenor 10. Michael Bisping - New Entry [B][U]Light Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Thiago Silva +1 3. Wanderlei Silva +1 4. Lyoto Machida +1 5. Wilson Gouveia +1 6. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua -4 7. Chuck Liddell +1 8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira -1 9. Rashad Evans +1 10. Keith Jardine - New Entry [B][U]Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2. Tim Sylvia 3. Andrei Arlovski 4. Fedor Emelianenko 5. Sergei Kharitonov 6. Cheick Kongo 7. Chris Tuchscherer 8. Shane Carwin 9. Pedro Rizzo 10. Fabricio Werdum [B][U]P4P[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 3. Roger Huerta 4. Rich Franklin 5. George St. Pierre 6. Anderson Silva 7. Tim Sylvia 8. Shinya Aoki +1 9. BJ Penn +1 10. Vitor Ribeiro - New Entry [B]Biggest Jump this month[/B]: Josh Koscheck/Eddie Alvarez: Kos and Alvarez both moved up 2 ranks this month in a slow month. Kos moved up after he beat the then #10 Welterweight Diego Sanchez via decision. He is expected to fight Jon Fitch or Matt Hughes next. Alvarez moved upto #6 in the Lightweight rankings this month after he beat then #10 Lightweight Joe Stevenson via decision. He is expected to fight Kenny Florian or Thiago Tavares next. [B]Biggest Drop this month[/B]: Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua: Shogun dropped 4 ranks to #6 this month as he lost in a title fight against Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. He lost via second round TKO just like Lyoto Machida did before him. He will look to get back on track with a win in his next fight which is expected to be against either 'Lil Nog' Antonio Rogerio Nogueira or Wilson Gouveia. [B]Most Impressive New Entry[/B]: There isn't any impressive new entries this month as all the new entries are in the bottom two of the top ten.

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces UFC 93: Silva vs. Cote[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced UFC 93: Silva vs. Cote. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4) Fedor Emelianenko (28-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (12-4) Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. Mac Danzig (19-5-1) Lyoto Machida (14-1) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) Stephan Bonnar (11-6) vs. Kendall Grove (9-6) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Dan Hardy (18-6) vs. Mike Swick (11-3) Matt Hamill (5-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (13-3) Aleksander Emelianenko (12-4) vs. Heath Herring (28-14) Spencer Fisher (20-5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (14-2) Dong Hyun Kim (10-1-1) vs. Luke Cummo (6-6) Joe Doerkson (39-11-1) vs. Demian Maia (8-0)[/CENTER]

[RyanMMA09]

Alrighty, this one has a lot of potential to be your best show yet in my books, just has a lot to do with the results. Alrighty, [b]Demian Maia[/b] shouldn't have too much of a problem with Joe Doerkson, although he is a good strong opponent, nice booking. [b]Luke Cummo[/b] is the underdog going into his fight, but he's a scrappy kid, I think his Muay Thai is solid enough to beat Kim, so I'll go against the odds and say Cummo wins it, probably a TKO if he does. Next fight [b]Spencer Fisher[/b] needs a win to get back on track and Stephens is a good guy to test him a little, but still, Fisher should knock him out. lol, the next few fights are huge for undercard fights. Emelianenko's a tough bastard and I don't see Herring beating him, so yeah, I'll go with [b]Aleksander Emelianenko[/b]. Matt Hammill has finally met a guy who's just flat out outmatched him, [b]Antonio Rogerio Nogueria[/b] should make easy work out of Hammill, go Lil Nog. Next is Dan Hardy versus my pick, [b]Mike Swick[/b]. This should be a fairly easy win for Swick, I'm wondering why you're still feeding Quick people, he's already faced better competition in real life. But still, glad he's fighting. Main card time. In a major upset, I'm choosing [b]Kendall Grove[/b] over Stephen Bonnar. Lyoto Machida Mac Danzig Fedor Patrick COTE. Edit: I gotta go, I'll get my predictions up and I'll go into detail later.

[critical-23]

UFC Middleweight Championship: [B]Anderson Silva (22-4)[/B] vs. Patrick Cote (14-4) Why: The Spider brings way too much to the table for Cote (phenomenal striking, awesome BJJ) unless the Predator somehow manages to catch the MW champ with a right from Nowhere. [B]Fedor Emelianenko (28-2)[/B] vs. Cheick Kongo (12-4) Why: FE hasn't been looking to dominant in this dynasty when compared to the real world IMO--neither has Cheick Kongo. Since Kongo has the better standup, I see Emelianenko taking this to the ground and submitting him or pounding out a win. Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. [B]Mac Danzig (19-5-1)[/B] Why: Danzig has brute strength and the wits to match it. I just can't see KenFlo taking Danzig down easily or trying to submit a submission grappler. [B]Lyoto Machida (14-1)[/B] vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) Why: Lyoto "The Technical Machine" Machida (see what I did there? tee-hee!) is just too dang technical to do anything with--just ask Tito Ortiz--and Drwal was TKO two events ago. Machida's gonna submit him. Stephan Bonnar (11-6) vs. [B]Kendall Grove (9-6)[/B] Why: I'll have to jump on the Grove wagon with RyanMMA09. I can just see Kendall using his flexibility to lock on a submission as soon as Bonnar makes a small mistake. Undercard Dan Hardy (18-6) vs. [B]Mike Swick (11-3)[/B] Why: I pick Swick because well--he's quick. Quick to KO ya or submit ya. Matt Hamill (5-1) vs. [B]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (13-3)[/B] Why: Big Hamill fan--HUGE fan of ARN. Hamill will pound him but Nogueira will pull out another From Out Of Nowhere submission and end the fight. [B]Aleksander Emelianenko (12-4)[/B] vs. Heath Herring (28-14) Why: I hate to bet against another Southern boy, yet I wouldn't be too surprised if Aleksander submitted Herring. But, I will keep my fingers crossed in hopes that Herring can eke out a win. [B]Spencer Fisher (20-5)[/B] vs. Jeremy Stephens (14-2) Why: Simple: If the fight is standing--the fight is Fisher's. Dong Hyun Kim (10-1-1) vs. [B]Luke Cummo (6-6)[/B] Why: Cummo has not been the ass-kicking nerd I remember from TUF, but I still believe there is something there. Plus, I can't say that I've seen any of DHK's fights in real life. Joe Doerkson (39-11-1) vs. Demian Maia (8-0) Why: Maia is undefeated and I believe that Doerkson is a great opponent for him. I just Demian will keep his undefeated streak going.

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 93 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Joe Doerkson (39-11-1) vs. Demian Maia (8-0)[/U][/B] Demian Maia is coming off of an impressive decision victory over Ricardo Almeida way back at UFC 86. A win for either could push them into the top ten Middleweights. Maia who is a BJJ specialist will look to take this fight to the ground from the off and sub Doerkson. Doerkson is no slouch on the ground though and will try and fend off the waves of submission attempts that Maia will throw at him. [B][U]Dong Hyun Kim (10-1-1) vs. Luke Cummo (6-6)[/U][/B] Kim is coming off of a decision win over Marcus Davis at UFN 14 while Cummo is coming off of a decision loss to Dan Hardy. Kim who is ranked as the #10 Welterweight will be the favourite for ths fight as he has the better stand-up and ground skills. If Kim wins he could move up as high as #7 in the Welterweight rankings. [B][U]Spencer Fisher (20-5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (14-2)[/U][/B] Spencer Fisher is coming off of a decision loss to the now #1 ranked Lightweight Shinya Aoki while Stephens is coming off of a decision win over Nate Diaz. Stephens is still just 22 years old yet with a win here he could just break into the top ten Lightweights if he is lucky. [B][U]Aleksander Emelianenko (12-4) vs. Heath Herring (28-14)[/U][/B] Even though this is an undercard fight this is a massive fight for the Heavyweight division. Both fighters are incredibly talented and I'm sure a win for either would put them right into the Heavyweight rankings. Both fighters are coming off of decision losses to Andrei Arlovski. [B][U]Matt Hamill (5-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (13-3)[/U][/B] Hamill is coming off of two straight wins over Sokoudjou and James Irvin both by decision and will be looking to improve his record to 6-1 with a win over 'Lil Nog'. Nogueira who is ranked at #8 in the Light Heavyweight rankings will be looking for a win here in his UFC debut which would boost him up the rankings to as high as #5 in the rankings. A win for Hamill though could put Hamill into the top ten which would be a step in the right direction for him. [B][U]Dan Hardy (18-6) vs. Mike Swick (11-3)[/U][/B] Dan Hardy is returing after only 2 months off after he beat Luke Cummo via decision. Swick is coming off of a third round TKO loss to Josh Koscheck. Dan Hardy is ranked at #7 in the Welterweight rankings and a win over Swick could push him up as high as #5. A win for Swick though could get him into the top ten Welterweights. [B][U]Stephan Bonnar (11-6) vs. Kendall Grove (9-6)[/U][/B] Bonnar will be fighting in his second fight at Middleweight after he lost his Middleweight debut to the guy in the main event Patrick Cote. Grove is also coming off of a loss as he lost to Forrest Griffin via decision at UFC 89. This is a must win for Bonnar who is coming off two straight losses to Rashad Evans and Patrick Cote so he needs a win over Grove to get back on track. A win for Bonnar if he is lucky could put him into the top ten Middleweights. [B][U]Lyoto Machida (14-1) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2)[/U][/B] Drwal is coming off of a third round TKO loss to the now #2 Light Heavyweight Thiago Silva while Machida is comig off of a massive win via decision over Randy Couture in Randy's last ever MMA fight. Lyoto Machida is currently ranked as the #4 Light Heavyweight and a win over Drwal would almost definately put him into the top three Light Heavyweights and he will then be eligible for a title shot a rematch aginst Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. A win for Drwal would be massive for him and would definately put him into the top ten Light Heavyweights. [B][U]Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. Mac Danzig (19-5-1)[/U][/B] Kenny Florian is coming off of two decision wins over Clay Guida and Matt Wiman and is currently ranked at #8 in the Lightweight rankings. Danzig however is coming off of a first round TKO loss to Rich Clementi, but a win over Florian would surely put him into the top ten Lightweights. A win for Florian though could put him into the top five Lightweights if he is lucky. [B][U]Fedor Emelianenko (28-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (12-4)[/U][/B] Fedor returns to fight Kongo after he was handed only his second loss ever to the now #1 Heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via a first round KO after only one minute and fifty six seconds. Kongo is coming off of a decision win over Frank Mir at UFC 86. Both fighter are ranke dpretty high in the Heavyweight rankings with Fedor being at #4 and Kongo being at #6. This is a big chance for Kongo as if he beats Fedor it could be a career changing fight. A win for either could put them into the top three Heavyweights which would make them eligible for a title shot. [B][U]UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4)[/U][/B] Anderson Silva will be defending his Middleweight crown once again and this time it will be against Patrick Cote. Cote earned his shot by beating Alan Belcher via a first round TKO and also beating Stephan Bonnar via decision. Silva's last defence was against Karo Parisyan when he KO'ed him after almost four minutes of the second round. Silva despite being the champion i only ranked as the #2 Middleweight though a win here would surely put him back as #1. Cote is currently the #3 Middleweight but a win here could put him upto #1.[/CENTER]

[RennikKain076]

UFC Middleweight Championship: [B]Anderson Silva [/B](22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4) [B]Fedor Emelianenko [/B](28-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (12-4) [B]Kenny Florian[/B] (9-3) vs. Mac Danzig (19-5-1) [B]Lyoto Machida[/B] (14-1) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) [B]Stephan Bonnar [/B](11-6) vs. Kendall Grove (9-6) Undercard Dan Hardy (18-6) vs. [B]Mike Swick [/B](11-3) Matt Hamill (5-1) vs. [B]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira [/B](13-3) [B]Aleksander Emelianenko[/B] (12-4) vs. Heath Herring (28-14) Spencer Fisher (20-5) vs. [B]Jeremy Stephens[/B] (14-2) [B]Dong Hyun Kim [/B](10-1-1) vs. Luke Cummo (6-6) Joe Doerkson (39-11-1) vs. [B]Demian Maia[/B] (8-0)

[ReyRey619]

[B]UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (22-4)[/B] vs. Patrick Cote (14-4) [B]Fedor Emelianenko[/B] (28-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (12-4) [B]Kenny Florian (9-3)[/B] vs. Mac Danzig (19-5-1) [B]Lyoto Machida (14-1)[/B] vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) Stephan Bonnar (11-6) vs. [B]Kendall Grove (9-6)[/B] Undercard Dan Hardy (18-6) vs. [B]Mike Swick (11-3)[/B] Matt Hamill (5-1) vs. [B]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (13-3)[/B] Aleksander Emelianenko (12-4)[B] vs. Heath Herring (28-14) [/B]Spencer Fisher (20-5) vs. [B]Jeremy Stephens (14-2)[/B] [B]Dong Hyun Kim (10-1-1)[/B] vs. Luke Cummo (6-6) Joe Doerkson (39-11-1) vs. [B]Demian Maia (8-0)[/B]

[chris caulfield]

[CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 93: Silva vs. Cote[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][U][CENTER]Undercard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Joe Doerkson (39-11-1) vs. Demian Maia (8-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Joe Doerkson via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Doerksen is quickest out, and comes at Maia with a series of jabs and straight punches. Maia covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Maia hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Doerksen who takes it to the ground. Maia pulls guard. There's a lull, as Doerksen tries to pass, and Maia defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Maia almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Doerksen, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The 1st round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Doerksen. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Maia, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Maia puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Doerksen covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd become a little restless. Low kick from Doerksen, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Maia will take the round on points. The 2nd round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Maia.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Doerksen is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although he probably wishes that he hadn't, as Maia picks him off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Doerksen throws a wild punch as a counter, but Maia ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Doerksen gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Doerksen is looking for big punches, Maia is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Doerksen manages to back Maia up against the cage. Doerksen takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Maia ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Doerksen can unload. Doerksen may need to think about changing tactics, Maia is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Doerksen fakes a right hand, then shoots out a low kick, catching Maia on the thigh. Maia presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Doerksen gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Maia. All three judges give a score of 29-28 in favour of Demian Maia.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Another win for Maia who is now 9-0 after this close win over a game Doerkson. Doerkson will be dissapointed with the loss afteer winning the first round. [B][CENTER]Dong Hyun Kim (10-1-1) vs. Luke Cummo (6-6) Sherdog's Prediction: Dong Hyun Kim via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Kim starts strong, hitting a nice low kick and following in with a shot to the body. Cummo backs off, but just gets pushed up against the cage. Kim presses the advantage and works a nice hook to the body. Cummo responds with an attempted sweep, and when that doesn't work, a punch that lands behind the ear. Kim gets in a low kick as he backs off, and the fight returns towards the center. Kim throws a big right hand, but misses and is wide open, allowing Cummo to take him down with ease. Kim scrambles, Cummo tries to stay with him , and a battle for ground supremacy happens. Kim manages to sweep Cummo, and the frenetic grappling ends with Kim in Cummo's guard. Kim stands slightly, and throws a couple of downward punches, testing Cummo's guard. He wants to try and move out of this into half guard, but Cummo is keeping him at bay. Kim pushes a leg aside, narrowly avoiding an up-kick, and manages to secure side control. Well worked. Kim gets himself into a good position, a crucifix, pinning both of Cummo's arms down. Kim rears back...and plants a monster of an elbow right onto the chin! Cummo couldn't do anything about it, and got absolutely creamed! The referee sees him go limp briefly as he loses consciousness, and pulls Kim off, it's going to be a K.O. victory. [B]Kim wins via knock out at 2:50 of the first round.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: That was a brutal KO and I'm sure it changed alot of peoples views on Kim. Kim will be very happy with such a win after his UFC debut only went to a decision. Kim should move up the rankings quite nicely with this win. [B][CENTER]Spencer Fisher (20-5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (14-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Spencer Fisher via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Stephens and Fisher circle to start. Fisher throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Stephens sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Fisher comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Stephens to slip a nice jab in, catching Fisher just underneath the right eye. Stephens comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Fisher misses with a right cross, then backs off. Stephens stalks him, forcing Fisher back up against the cage. Stephens doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Fisher throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Stephens pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Fisher covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Stephens in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Stephens throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with his arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Fisher comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Stephens parries them with his gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Stephens's favour. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Stephens. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Not much happening at first. Fisher is the first to make a move, coming in with a right hand that narrowly misses. Stephens gets in a jab that landed on the left cheek of Fisher, and leaves a mark. Quite a slow paced round so far. Fisher takes another jab and moves in to retaliate, but it was a set-up and he gets creamed with a high right kick to the side of the head! Fisher stumbles but doesn't go down, and has to cover up as Stephens comes in with a series of punches to try and finish the job. Fisher somehow manages to hold on long enough to get his senses back, and buys some time by clinching. Hard knee from Fisher from the clinch, and Stephens felt that, he looks a little tired from unloading that barrage. They break, and Fisher gets in a nice right hand. Fisher looks for an opening. The second round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Stephens.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Stephens doesn't exactly disguise his intentions for this round, going right to the center and motioning for Fisher to come and trade blows. Fisher wisely keeps back for the time being, content to throw long-range jabs. Stephens isn't quite as content though, as he begins to stalk Fisher. They meet near the cage. Fisher hits a nice jab, then goes to clinch. Stephens stops that with a powerful right hand to the body, then a fizzing left hook that glances off the side of the head. An attempt at a knock out right hand finds nothing but gloves. It is clear that Stephens believes that he has the power to get a knock out here, his game plan appears to be to look for the one punch finish. Fisher is trying to keep moving, to not let Stephens get set to throw a bomb. Stephens is controlling this round by virtue of the knock out threat, as Fisher is being forced to fight somewhat defensively. Stephens throws another big punch, narrowly missing, but does score with a follow up jab, landing just above the right eye. Fisher returns fire with a pair of jabs, both finding gloves. Time begins to tick away. It hasn't been the most exciting round, but Stephens has controlled it and managed to land the better shots. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Stephens. The judges scores are unanimous, and give a score of 30-27 to Jeremy Stephens.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: The underdog gets the win this time as Stephens gets the decision victory. Stephens will be very happy with this win as he was the underdog and barely anyone expected him to pull it off but he pulled out the decision. [B][CENTER]Aleksander Emelianenko (12-4) vs. Heath Herring (28-14) Sherdog's Prediction: Aleksander Emelianenko via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start to the round, there's a lot of circling going on, not much contact though. Emelianenko fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a left hand to the shoulder region. Herring almost catches Emelianenko with a massive left hook. A big arcing kick from Emelianenko catches Herring on the shoulder, it wasn't far away from landing on the side of the jaw. Herring storms in throwing a flurry of blows, but Emelianenko dodges out of the way. A jab catches Herring on the cheek, then another big kick hits home, this time into the ribs. Emelianenko is really using those big kicks well, they're both keeping Herring at bay and hurting him. Herring tries another attack, first working an angle away from the kicks then coming in with a couple of straight rights. Emelianenko defends it well, parrying the punches away and moving to safety before Herring can unload with any bombs. Emelianenko hits another kick, this time to the thigh, setting it up with a couple of raking punches. That's the last significant action of the round, a round that Emelianenko has dominated with kicks. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Emelianenko.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Emelianenko puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Herring defended well. Straight right from Herring in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Emelianenko probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Herring gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Emelianenko. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Emelianenko by 10-9. [/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Emelianenko comes out strongly, looking for an early knock down, but three crisp jabs all get blocked, and Herring ties him up in a clinch inside of the first thirty seconds. They struggle in the clinch for a while. Emelianenko breaks free and steps back. Herring tries to follow, but takes a harsh kick to the hip as a result. Emelianenko moves in and throws some high speed jabs. Herring defends them fairly easily, and throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Emelianenko thunders another kick into the hip area. Herring backs off, limping slightly. Herring fakes a takedown, allowing him to bring out a left cross from way down. Emelianenko manages to parry it away, but it glances off the side of his head nonetheless. Herring tries to capitalise, coming in with a looping overhand right, but Emelianenko gets out of the way and has the time to pick his spot for another brutal kick. This one is slightly higher, crashing into the rib cage. Herring is having real trouble finding a way past those kicks, they are so powerful that they're allowing Emelianenko to dictate the action. He will win this round on points, as time is about to run out. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Emelianenko. The three judges all give the match as 30-27 to Aleksander Emelianenko.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Emelianenko with the win here. Though is wasn't the most impressive win it was a win none the less and it will get him back on track after his loss to Arlovski. He will probably break into the top ten Heavyweights thanks to this win. [B][CENTER]Matt Hamill (5-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (13-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Matt Hamill via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Quick start to the round from Hamill, he comes storming in with a flurry of jabs. Nogueira defends it well, parrying them away. Nice straight right from Nogueira connects. Hamill gets in close and hits a pair of nice body shots, then they clinch up. Hamill pushes Nogueira back against the cage and goes for a trip, but Nogueira blocks it. Nogueira suddenly pushes forward off the cage and uses the momentum to take Hamill down to the ground, into guard. Nogueira stands into a half-crouching position, dragging Hamill's guard with him. Hamill reaches up, parries away a couple of strikes, and tries to grab an arm to apply an armbar to. Nogueira knocks the attempt away and nails a hard shot to the ribs before reaching over and trying to nail a downward punch to the chin. Hamill blocks it. Nogueira floats over and gets into side control. Hamill scrambles to try and get back up, but is too close to the cage, which works against him. Nogueira lays in a couple of punches to the chest to soften Hamill up, then tries to move up and isolate one of the arms. Hamill makes sure to bring his body around to give him as much protection as possible. It works, as Nogueira can't get either arm isolated properly. Nogueira changes tactics and tries to get into crucifix position. Hamill fights it for as long as he possibly can, but eventually gets caught. The length of struggle is, in itself, a good defence though, as the round ends before Nogueira can do anything with the position he has achieved, which will frustrate him enormously. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Nogueira by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] They circle to begin the round. Hamill throws two short jabs, then a long-range looping right hand. Nogueira had to be on his toes to get out of the way, and does. Hamill goes to follow up, and narrowly avoids walking right into a right cross. He bobs underneath it, then comes in fast with a right hand. Nogueira parries it with his gloves, then shoots in and scores with a nice takedown. Hamill tries to sprawl, but was too late and can only pull guard as he crash-lands to the ground. Nogueira passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Hamill has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around Nogueira's left arm. Nogueira's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Hamill covers up to defend them. Nogueira tries to pin down one of Hamill's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Hamill uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Nogueira finds himself unable to do any real damage other than occasional strikes, which he doesn't have the leverage to get much power behind, with virtually no chance of gaining a submission thanks to his left arm being trapped. The referee eventually stands them up, and the time expires before anything interesting can happen with them standing. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Nogueira. [/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Hamill is quickest out, and comes at Nogueira with a series of jabs and straight punches. Nogueira covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Nogueira hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Hamill who takes it to the ground. Nogueira pulls guard. There's a lull, as Hamill tries to pass, and Nogueira defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Nogueira almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Hamill, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Hamill. The judges are split; Antonio Rogerio Nogueira gets 29-28 from the first, Matt Hamill gets 29-28 from the second, the third gives 29-28 to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira gets the split decision victory.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Nogueira with the win in his UFC debut and by doing so he has halted the momentum of Matt Hamill. Hamill won't be too dissapointed with the loss though as he took the #8 Light Heavyweight to a split decision so he will be content I believe. [B][CENTER]Dan Hardy (18-6) vs. Mike Swick (11-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Dan Hardy via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Swick is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. He ends up with his back to the cage, with Hardy advancing. A sharp right misses, and Swick takes the opportunity to pull Hardy in to a tight clinch against the cage. Hardy tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Hardy wants to stand and bang, Swick wants to keep things at close quarters. Hardy tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that he is now the one against the cage. Trip from Swick, and we're down to the ground. Swick has side control, but Hardy has landed with his left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Swick will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Hardy tries to squirm into a better position, but Swick puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Swick tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Hardy defends it. Hardy manages to bring a knee up and catch Swick in the side, something of a cheeky move given his position. Swick responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Hardy covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Swick may be easily winning the round, but he is not taking full advantage of this great position. Swick tries to float over into a mount, but Hardy uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Swick enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Swick is the last action of the round. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Swick.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Very, very slow start to the round. Over a minute has gone before the first meaningful strike connects. It's Hardy who hits it, scoring with a shot to the chest. Swick fires back with a couple of jabs, both of which connect with the shoulder rather than the face where they were aimed. The two fighters come together in the center and exchange punches, neither getting the clear advantage. Swick suddenly shoots in and goes for a takedown, but Hardy manages to sprawl long enough to get them all the way back to the cage, which keeps him upright. Swick tries to complete the takedown, but realises that the leverage isn't there and instead stands and clinches. Hardy hits a couple of shots to the back. Swick hits a stomp. Hardy lifts his leg to go for a knee, but that gives Swick the opportunity to lift him and slam him down to the ground. That was a hard slam! Swick is on top, almost sitting on top of a balled-up Hardy. He throws some hard downward punches, Hardy defends most of them, although one hits hard above the eye. Swick leaves his arm in for a second too long and Hardy reaches up and almost gets an armbar. Swick gets free though, although the effort puts him off-balance enough for him to stumble, giving Hardy the opportunity to scramble back up. There's a nasty mark above the eye where the earlier punch connected though. They go back to circling each other. There's not much time left. Hardy tries one last big attack, swinging for the fences with two bombs, but Swick avoids both, adding a nice shot to the stomach after the second dodge. The round ends there. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Swick by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Swick hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Hardy to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Swick hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Hardy tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Swick having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Hardy. Swick ducks a right hand, but steps forward right into a brutal left cross! Hardy put so much power on that swing that he almost floored himself. Swick goes down, stunned. Hardy dives on top and starts punching away, landing several big shots. The referee has seen enough, and pulls Hardy off, ending the match. [B]The official time of the TKO is 4:43 of round 3.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Hardy with an impressive TKO after being quite frankly dominated for the first two rounds. He won't see it that way though all he will see is Mike Swick's name in his win column. Swick won't be happy that he allowed himself to get caught with the left hand of Hardy and will durely try to work on that in the future. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Stephan Bonnar (11-6) vs. Kendall Grove (9-6) Sherdog's Prediction: Stephan Bonnar via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Bonnar and Grove circle to start. Grove throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Bonnar sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Grove comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Bonnar to slip a nice jab in, catching Grove just underneath the right eye. Bonnar comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Grove misses with a right cross, then backs off. Bonnar stalks him, forcing Grove back up against the cage. Bonnar doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Grove throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Bonnar pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Grove covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Bonnar in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Bonnar throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with his arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Grove comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Bonnar parries them with his gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Bonnar's favour. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Bonnar. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] A thunderous kick connects from Bonnar, catching Grove hard across the chest. He staggers back up against the cage, looking stunned. Bonnar follows in and scores with several punches. Grove tries to cover up, but falls down and becomes overwhelmed with more punches. The referee has seen enough and jumps in to stop the match. [B]Bonnar wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 1:39.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes:[/B] Bonnar gets back on track with an impressive second round TKO victory here. He was the favourite to win and he showed Grove why in that seond round. [B][CENTER]Lyoto Machida (14-1) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Lyoto Machida via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Machida hits the first punch of the round, scoring with a jab to the cheek. Drwal throws a left hook in response, but it's well wide of the mark. Machida steps in and hits a low kick. Drwal ignores it and shoots in for a takedown. Machida saw it coming though, and defends it brilliantly, sprawling at first, then pushing Drwal face-down to the ground so that he can take his back. Drwal turtles up. Machida hits a couple of hard shots to the body, but can't stop Drwal working his way up and turning over, pulling guard. Machida tries to grab an arm to work a submission, but Drwal is defending it well by using short, sharp strikes to keep him back. Machida tries to pass the guard, but has no luck. A punch from Machida connects, but there was no real power behind it. Machida fakes Drwal out cleverly, and slips to a half mount. Drwal manages to hit a firm elbow, then is forced to defend the full mount attempt. Machida switches tactics and tries to work a kimura on the other arm, but Drwal blocks it, squirms his leg free, and secures the guard again. Machida looks frustrated at losing the half mount after having worked so hard to get it in the first place. Drwal is liable to lose the round on points, but he has done a fine job of defending the submissions attempts so far. Machida tries to secure a leglock, but the guard is tight and Drwal is safe. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Machida.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Machida is quickest out, and comes at Drwal with a series of jabs and straight punches. Drwal covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Drwal hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Machida who takes it to the ground. Drwal pulls guard. There's a lull, as Machida tries to pass, and Drwal defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Drwal almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Machida, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Machida[/B]. [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Drwal doesn't hold back, starting by immediately shooting in for a takedown. Machida sprawls and keeps him at bay. Drwal pushes harder, but Machida has the much better position and manages to flip him over, putting Drwal on his back. Machida gets sucked into his guard though. Machida passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Drwal has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around Machida's left arm. Machida's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Drwal covers up to defend them. Machida tries to pin down one of Drwal's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Drwal uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Machida finds himself unable to do any real damage other than occasional strikes, which he doesn't have the leverage to get much power behind, with virtually no chance of gaining a submission thanks to his left arm being trapped. The referee eventually stands them up, and the time expires before anything interesting can happen with them standing. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Machida. The official scores are in; two judges give 30-27, the other 29-28, all for Lyoto Machida.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Machida with the comfortable decision win here and Drwal is his latest victim. Another win or two for Machida and he could get a chance to get revenge on the only man to beat him, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. [B][CENTER]Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. Mac Danzig (19-5-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Mac Danzig via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] The round starts with some tentative striking. Both fighters look to be using their strikes merely to keep the opponent off-balance while they work for an angle for a takedown, rather than actually trying to inflict too much damage. Danzig goes for the first takedown, but Florian has it well-scouted and they merely end up in a clinch. They tussle, ending up all the way back against the cage. Both fighters try trips, but neither gets anything. Finally, the referee steps in and separates them. Florian storms back in almost immediately and takes Danzig down, into guard. It's hard to say whether that was just a good takedown or whether Danzig just had a lapse in concentration. Florian tries to pass the guard but can't, with Danzig employing a rubber guard now. There's a definite stalemate, Danzig is defending very well but isn't really offering any attacking threat or really trying to get out of this predicament. Florian makes a big effort to pass, and manages to get to half guard, but Danzig has him tied up pretty well all the same. Time is ticking away, what has been a very tame round looks set to end without much in the way of highlights. It'll have to go to Florian on points, the takedown is really the only noteworthy thing that has happened. End of round 1. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Florian.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Florian doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Danzig easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Danzig throws a head fake, then comes in fast from an angle with a looping punch, but misses and takes a glancing shot to the shoulder from a left hand counter. Florian suddenly seizes on a wayward uppercut from Danzig and thunders in with a takedown. Danzig landed hard, but had the presence of mind to pull guard before Florian could get a better position. Florian passes guard without too much trouble, and cracks Danzig with a hard punch to the cheek. Danzig tries to scramble into a better position without dropping his guard against another punch, but can't, and Florian maneuvers so that he has one knee planted on Danzig's chest, keeping him from rolling. Florian quickly secures the left arm and transitions into a tight arm bar. Danzig has no way out, he taps. [B]Florian wins via 2nd round armbar submission with the official time being 1:32.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Florian with yet another win here over Danzig. Florian showing off his ground game to the fans here with the submission victory. [B][CENTER]Fedor Emelianenko (28-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (12-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Fedor Emelianenko via Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] They touch gloves to begin. Emelianenko throws out a looping right hand, setting up a mid-level kick. The punch found gloves, the kick found nothing but thin air as Kongo had stepped back in time. They meet in the center, exchanging a series of blows, and Emelianenko gets the better of it, scoring with a crisp jab that causes Kongo to back up quickly. Sensing a chance, Emelianenko follows and forces him up against the cage with some jabs. Kongo covers up, as two hard strikes find the gloves from Emelianenko. A right hand misses, and that is the chance Kongo needs to quickly get out of trouble and back to the center. Great start to the round from Emelianenko. Emelianenko moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Kongo steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Emelianenko didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind his ear. Emelianenko is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Kongo from inflicting any more damage. [B]Kongo wins via knock out at 2:24 of the first round.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Kongo with the biggest win in his life here as he KO's Fedor. This loss marks Fedor's second loss in a row and both were by KO. Fedor has looked a shell of what he used to be in PRIDE since coming to the UFC barring the Randy Couture fight. [B][CENTER]UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick Cote (14-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Anderson Silva via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Silva works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Cote backed up against the cage. Silva gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Cote, who uses his legs well to defend. Silva pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Cote gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Silva follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Silva hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Cote tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Cote leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Silva.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Cote is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Silva blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Cote is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Silva is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Cote can cover up. That landed above the left eye and has left an ugly red mark. No cut, but that will start to swell and could give Cote some problems later on. Cote moves in for a right hook, but takes a hard kick to the knee, then is forced to retreat so as not to get caught with the two right hands that follow. Silva is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Cote before they wind up in a clinch. That punch above the eye, or maybe the mistake that led to it, seems to have completely thrown Cote off, since that moment he has been comprehensively out-struck and is now in danger of losing this round. They struggle in the clinch, neither fighter managing a great deal more than minor blows. Cote goes for a trip, but Silva cleverly spins out of it and the two fighters are back to circling. Not a great round for purists, it has all been a bit disjointed, but that one shot from Silva may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The second round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Silva.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Not much happening at first. Cote is the first to make a move, coming in with a right hand that narrowly misses. Silva gets in a jab that landed on the left cheek of Cote, and leaves a mark. Quite a slow paced round so far. Cote takes another jab and moves in to retaliate, but it was a set-up and he gets creamed with a high right kick to the side of the head! Cote stumbles but doesn't go down, and has to cover up as Silva comes in with a series of punches to try and finish the job. Cote somehow manages to hold on long enough to get his senses back, and buys some time by clinching. Hard knee from Cote from the clinch, and Silva felt that, he looks a little tired from unloading that barrage. They break, and Cote gets in a nice right hand. Cote looks to be working an angle. The third round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Silva.[/B] [B][U]Round 4[/U][/B] Slow start to the round, nearly a minute has gone by without anything but a few jabs finding gloves. Cote comes in, looking for a grapple it seems, but takes a powerful kick just above the left hip. Silva really put some venom into that strike. Cote backs off, clearly stung. Silva is the one advancing now, using a left hand jab to lead. He steps forward and fires off a big kick, aimed at the head. Cote ducks and moves out of range, but that was clearly intended to be a match-ender, Silva was going for the knock out. It's pretty clear that he thinks that kicks are going to do the job in this round, and it has to be said that Cote is looking to have a hard time countering them. On top of that, the threat of the kicks is keeping Cote from getting in too close. Silva stalks Cote, throwing the occasional high right hand, perhaps range-finding. Cote is circling, seeking an opening of some kind. He moves in from the left and is quick enough to get into the clinch without taking any shots. Silva hits a knee, but takes one right back. The kicks aren't a danger from this position, that's for sure. Silva squirms free, but foolishly lost his concentration for a second and took a hard right hand above the eye in the process. Silly mistake. Cote comes in, looking more confident now, and gets in a couple of right hands and a lovely hook to the body. Silva tags him with a jab though, and then hits another fearsome kick to the same spot above the left hip. And another! Cote backs off, and a huge red mark has appeared in that spot. Silva advances and throws another head kick, but it is mostly blocked by the hands of Cote. The round is drawing to a close, and those kicks have certainly proved massively effective for Silva. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Silva.[/B] [B][U]Round 5[/U][/B] Cote throws a straight right, batted away by Silva. Cote goes for a second, but gets beaten to the punch as Silva scores with a kick that catches Cote across the outside of the knee. Silva throws another one, and this time it lands just above the same knee. Cote backs off slightly. Silva throws a high jab, then head-fakes and comes in with a left hook from low down. Cote fires back with a crisp right hand that connects to the shoulder rather than the face. Silva throws another fizzing low kick, again connecting with the knee. Cote tried to check it, but couldn't in time. Those strikes are going to add up soon and start reducing his mobility. Silva throws another kick, this time at chest-height, but it's merely a set-up to allow him to come in fast and start throwing a series of jabs. Cote covers up, throwing occasional straight rights in return. Silva backs off, but not before cracking another kick into the thigh region. Time is running down, Cote has failed to deal with those kicks, and it has definitely cost him this round, and possibly done some damage to his knee. That's the end of the round. [B]Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Silva. All three judges give a score of 50-45 to Anderson Silva. Anderson Silva is still the UFC Middleweight champion.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Cote takes Silva the distance but I think I'm right in saying that he didn't really trouble the champion. Silva will just be hoping to reclaim the #1 spot in the Middleweight rankings and won't mind that he only won by decision just happy he won. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: Kenny Florian Knock Out of the Night: Dong Hyun Kim/Cheick Kongo Fight of the Night: Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens [B][U]Injuries[/U][/B] Lyoto Machida suffered a shoulder injury in his fight last night and is expected to be out for just over a month because of it. [B][U]Resignings[/U][/B] Lyoto Machida, Demian Maia and Cheick Kongo will all be resigned to new UFC contracts but unfortuantely Kendall Grove will not be resigned and will be let go after his next fight. [B][U]Signings[/U][/B] Jim Miller and Shintaro Ishiwatari will be signed to comprete in the UFC Lightweight division. Mark Miller will be signed to compete in the Welterweight division. Martin Desilets and Rob Broughton will be signed to compete in the Heavyweight division.