chris caulfield Posted June 28, 2008 Author Share Posted June 28, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces UFC 97: Sylvia vs. Nogueira[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced UFC 97: Sylvia vs. Nogueira. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] UFC Heavyweight Championship: Tim Sylvia (25-4) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-4-1) Chuck Liddell (22-6) vs. Lyoto Machida (15-1) Pedro Rizzo (18-8) vs. Shane Carwin (12-0) Stephan Bonnar (12-6) vs. Gregard Mousasi (23-2-1) Vitor Ribeiro (20-2) vs. Josh Thomson (15-3) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) vs. Matt Arroyo (5-1) Matt Hamill (5-2) vs. Tim Boetsch (8-1) Thiago Tavares (14-1) vs. Mark Bocek (5-2) Chris Tuchscherer (13-0) vs. Martin Desilets (8-1) Paul Kelly (7-2) vs. Ben Saunders (5-2-2) Terry Martin (16-4) vs. Aaron Meisner (3-0)[/CENTER] OOC: sorry no rankings after UFC 96 as I accidently forgot to write rankings down before advancing to the pre-show screen and now I can't go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted June 29, 2008 Author Share Posted June 29, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 97 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Terry Martin (16-4) vs. Aaron Meisner (3-0)[/U][/B] Meisnar is coming off of a decision win over Dean Lister in his UFC debut and he will hope to remain undefeated. Martin is no push over though as he has much more MMA experiance than Meisner despite being the same age at 29. Meisner before entering MMA though was one of the top Muay Thai fighters in North America. [B][U]Paul Kelly (7-2) vs. Ben Saunders (5-2-2)[/U][/B] Both fighters go into this fight desperately needing a win. Both fighters have lost their last two fights in a row. Kelly has ost to Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Anthony Johnson while Saunders has lost to Karo Parisyan and Matt Arroyo. Both fighters had never lost before these losses came so they will both be going all out to try and get back on track. [B][U]Chris Tuchscherer (13-0) vs. Martin Desilets (8-1)[/U][/B] Tuchscherer is 2-0 in the UFC with decision wins over Jake O'Brian and Mark Coleman. This time he will be going up against a UFC newcomer in Martin Desilets. Desilets is being thrown right into the deep end against the #8 ranked Heavyweight. Desilets is coming off of a TKO win over Ryuta Noji in Pancrase so he has quite abit of momentum himself. Tuchscherer is on a thirteen fight win streak so he will hope to make that 14 and boost himself up the rankings in the process. [B][U]Thiago Tavares (14-1) vs. Mark Bocek (5-2)[/U][/B] Tavares is a big prospect for the UFC Lightweight division at only 24 years of age and he is already ranked as the #6 in the Lightweight division. Tavares is coming off of an impressive decision win over Joe Lauzon back at UFC 91. Tavares will look to build on that with another win over Bocek and he hopes after a few more wins he will earn a title shot. Nothing is certain in the Lightweight division with so many challengers for Huerta's title. There is Aoki, Ribeiro, Florian and Alvarez all ahead of Tavares at the moment so he will have to work hard for his shot. [B][U]Matt Hamill (5-2) vs. Tim Boetsch (8-1)[/U][/B] Hamill after some impressive wins over James Irvin and Sokoudjou recently lost via split decision to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Boetsch is coming of of a win in his last bout as he beat Jason Lambert via decision. Both fighters are on the edge of the top ten in the Light Heavyweight division so a win here for either could put them into the rankings. [B][U]Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) vs. Matt Arroyo (5-1)[/U][/B] Both fighters will enter the fight with a 5-1 record but only one will walk out with a 6-1 record. Arroyo is coming off of two straight wins over Ben Saunders and Josh Burkman. Arroyo after another win or two could break into the top ten Welterweights which could mean big things for him after the tournament is over. [B][U]Vitor Ribeiro (20-2) vs. Josh Thomson (15-3)[/U][/B] Ribeiro is already ranked at #3 in the Lightweight rankings so this match-up seems to suggest that Shinya Aoki will get the first shot at the belt since Huerta won it. Ribeiro won his UFC debut at UFN 14 with a decision win over Din Thomas. Thomson is also coming off of a win after he beat Marcus Aurelio via a second round TKO at UFC 92. A win for Thomson could push him into the top ten Lightweights while a win for Ribeiro could put him at #2 in the rankings. [B][U]Stephan Bonnar (12-6) vs. Gregard Mousasi (23-2-1)[/U][/B] Mousasi is 2-0 in the UFC with decision wins over both Dean Lister and Jonathan Goulet. This time he will be going up against someone who just recently won his first Middleweight fight since moving down from the Light Heavyweight deivision in Stephan Bonnar. Bonnar's win came when he beat Kendall Grove via a second round TKO. Mousasi is a big step up for Bonnar as he is ranked at #5 in the Middleweight rankings so it will be a good test for Bonnar. Mousasi could move into the top three Middleweights with a win over Bonnar which means he can't be to far away from a title shot. [B][U]Pedro Rizzo (18-8) vs. Shane Carwin (12-0)[/U][/B] Carwin is 4-0 in the UFC with wins over Eddie Sanchez, Christian Wellisch, Brandon Vera and most recently Heath Herring. Rizzo is coming off of his first loss since returning to the UFC as he lost via decision to Sergei Kharitonov back at UFC 90. Both fighters are ranked in the top ten Heavyweights with Rizzo at #9 and Carwin at #7. A win for either could put them as high as #5. [B][U]Chuck Liddell (22-6) vs. Lyoto Machida (15-1)[/U][/B] This is a big fight for the Light Heavyweight division as it very well could decide who gets the next title shot. Liddell's last two fights have both ended in brutal first round Knock Out's. The first was a loss to Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua but he came back from that and beat Glover Teixeira at UFC 92. Machida is looking for a rematch against Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and a win over Liddell could very well give him that as it would mark his third win in a row with the previous two wins comings over Randy Couture and Tomasz Drwal both via decision. [B][U]UFC Heavyweight Championship: Tim Sylvia (25-4) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-4-1)[/U][/B] Big Nog will defend his Heavyweight title for the first time in 9 months. Sylvia earned his title shot by defeating Fabricio Werdum via TKO back at UFC 89. Nog's only other defence was a first round Knock Out win over the then #1 Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Sylvia is currently the #3 ranked Heavyweight behing only Sergei Kharitonov and the man he faces tonight Bog Nog. The winners of this fight will durely fight either Cheick Kongo or Sergei Kharitonov next.[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted June 29, 2008 Author Share Posted June 29, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 97: Sylvia vs. Nogueira[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][U][CENTER]Undercard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Terry Martin (16-4) vs. Aaron Meisner (3-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Terry Martin via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/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 Meisner, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Meisner 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. Martin covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. Meisner gets pinned against the cage, and the referee eventually has to separate them. Low kick from Martin, 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 Meisner will take the round on points. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Meisner.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start to the round, nearly a minute has gone by without anything but a few jabs finding gloves. Martin comes in, looking for a grapple it seems, but takes a powerful kick just above the left hip. Meisner really put some venom into that strike. Martin backs off, clearly stung. Meisner 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. Martin ducks and moves out of range, but that was clearly intended to be a match-ender, Meisner 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 Martin is looking to have a hard time countering them. On top of that, the threat of the kicks is keeping Martin from getting in too close. Meisner stalks Martin, throwing the occasional high right hand, perhaps range-finding. Martin 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. Meisner hits a knee, but takes one right back. The kicks aren't a danger from this position, that's for sure. Meisner squirms free, but foolishly lost his concentration for a second and took a hard right hand above the eye in the process. Silly mistake. Martin comes in, looking more confident now, and gets in a couple of right hands and a lovely hook to the body. Meisner tags him with a jab though, and then hits another fearsome kick to the same spot above the left hip. And another! Martin backs off, and a huge red mark has appeared in that spot. Meisner advances and throws another head kick, but it is mostly blocked by the hands of Martin. The round is drawing to a close, and those kicks have certainly proved massively effective for Meisner. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Meisner 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. Martin is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Meisner blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Martin is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Meisner is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Martin 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 Martin some problems later on. Martin 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. Meisner is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Martin 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 Martin 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. Martin goes for a trip, but Meisner 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 Meisner may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Meisner by 10-9. The three judges all give the match as 30-27 to Aaron Meisner.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Meisner with a comfortable straight forward decision win. [B][CENTER]Paul Kelly (7-2) vs. Ben Saunders (5-2-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Paul Kelly via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Kelly starts fast, squeezing a jab past the guard and catching Saunders above the right eye. Saunders swings and misses with a big right hand, which puts him off balance long enough for Kelly to floor him with a hard left. Kelly goes to follow up, but gets caught in the guard position. The replay shows that the punch wasn't actually that powerful, it looked worse than it was because Saunders was already falling slightly. Kelly fires off a couple of tentative punches, testing out the guard of Saunders. Kelly tries to pass the guard, but can't, Saunders isn't going to let him get a better position, as he knows that Kelly will start raining down punches. Kelly tries a big right hand, but it's easily defended. Saunders gets a punch of his own in, but it didn't connect properly. Kelly again tries to get past the guard, but again is foiled. It's turned into a bit of a stalemate, although the referee probably won't stand them up as long as the punches continue to flow. Kelly fakes an elbow before trying to pass the guard for a third time, and briefly has side mount, but Saunders fought it hard and gets back to guard within seconds. Butterfly guard by Saunders, and Kelly is having trouble generating any attacking threat. He'll probably win the round as he has been more aggressive, but Saunders has defended the danger well. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Kelly. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Kelly puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Saunders defended well. Straight right from Saunders 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, Kelly probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Saunders 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 Kelly. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Kelly.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Tentative start to the round by both fighters, neither looks willing to commit themselves and make the first mistake. Saunders stalks Kelly, working him back toward the cage. There's an exchange of strikes...and Saunders is down! Kelly goes to finish it, but gets sucked into the guard position. Replays show that Kelly stunned Saunders with a nice straight right to the cheek during the earlier flurry, and that's what dropped him. Kelly throws out a right hand, parried away by Saunders. The guard is quite tight, for the moment at least Kelly looks content to stay there and throw some punches. Saunders isn't offering any sort of attacking threat yet, instead concentrating on keeping the strikes from landing. A big punch is driven into the ribs, Saunders thought it was going for the face. Another punch lands in the same place, and a red mark starts to develop. Saunders reaches up and pulls Kelly down into a clinch, and tries to work an armbar from the bottom. Kelly defends it easily, and gets in a sharp jab to the face too. He stands up slightly, leaning forward into the guard, and starts throwing some right hands. One gets through, the others are parried. Saunders looked like he might be considering trying to apply a triangle then, as Kelly was very exposed, but he didn't get a chance due to the ferocity of the punches. Kelly gets back down to kneeling in the guard. Another right hand lands to the ribs. Saunders fires off two punches from his back, but Kelly defends them easily by simply leaning backward out of reach. Kelly stands again, the guard remaining tight around him, and throws another couple of bombs. This time Saunders does try to apply the triangle, and an armbar at the same time, but Kelly breaks free. Time is ticking down, looks like Saunders will survive this ground and pound attack. The round ends without further note. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Kelly by 10-9. The official scores are in; two judges give 30-27, the other 29-28, all for Paul Kelly.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Kelly gets back on track and is now 8-2. He is still only 24 years old so he still has plenty of time to improve further aswell. [B][CENTER]Chris Tuchscherer (13-0) vs. Martin Desilets (8-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Chris Tuchscherer via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Tuchscherer 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 Desilets advancing. A sharp right misses, and Tuchscherer takes the opportunity to pull Desilets in to a tight clinch against the cage. Desilets tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Desilets wants to stand and bang, Tuchscherer wants to keep things at close quarters. Desilets tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that he is now the one against the cage. Trip from Tuchscherer, and we're down to the ground. Tuchscherer has side control, but Desilets has landed with his left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Tuchscherer will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Desilets tries to squirm into a better position, but Tuchscherer puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Tuchscherer tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Desilets defends it. Desilets manages to bring a knee up and catch Tuchscherer in the side, something of a cheeky move given his position. Tuchscherer responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Desilets covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Tuchscherer may be easily winning the round, but he is not taking full advantage of this great position. Tuchscherer tries to float over into a mount, but Desilets uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Tuchscherer enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Tuchscherer is the last action of the round. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Tuchscherer.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Desilets starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Tuchscherer. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Tuchscherer goes for a single leg and puts Desilets on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Tuchscherer from getting on top. Desilets definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Tuchscherer hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Desilets again. This time Desilets isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Tuchscherer will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Desilets defends. Tuchscherer tries to slip past to get side control, but Desilets just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Tuchscherer has the side. Two big elbows land, and Desilets seems in trouble. Tuchscherer goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before he can try again, and the referee separates them. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Tuchscherer.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Tuchscherer forces Desilets back up against the cage, and he has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Tuchscherer is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Desilets clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Desilets gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Tuchscherer seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Desilets who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Tuchscherer had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. They clinch. Desilets gets in a nice knee, but a second attempt sees him swept to the ground. Desilets landed hard with Tuchscherer right on top of him, it looks like he got winded. Tuchscherer hits three big punches to the face, and Desilets is rocked. Tuchscherer gets an arm, locks in a kimura, and Desilets has no alternative but to tap out. [B]Official time of the kimura submission is 3:11 of the third.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Tuchscherer wrecks Desilets debut and ends it with an impressive submission. Desilets can't be too dissapointed though as his debut was against ranked opposition so maybe a small drop down in competition and then maybe he can get his first UFC win. [B][CENTER]Thiago Tavares (14-1) vs. Mark Bocek (5-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Thiago Tavares via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/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 Tavares, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Tavares 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. Bocek covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. Bocek glances at the referee, not sure why. Low kick from Bocek, 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 Tavares will take the round on points. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Tavares by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Tavares starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Bocek on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Tavares to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Bocek, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Tavares, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Bocek is looking a little lost so far, Tavares is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Other than a few half-hearted jabs, there's been a definite lull over the past minute. Tavares leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Bocek was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Bocek 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 Bocek is that although Tavares clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. End of round 2. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Tavares by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/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. Bocek goes for the first takedown, but Tavares 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. Tavares storms back in almost immediately and takes Bocek down, into guard. It's hard to say whether that was just a good takedown or whether Bocek just had a lapse in concentration. Tavares tries to pass the guard but can't, with Bocek employing a rubber guard now. There's a definite stalemate, Bocek is defending very well but isn't really offering any attacking threat or really trying to get out of this predicament. Tavares makes a big effort to pass, and manages to get to half guard, but Bocek 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 Tavares on points, the takedown is really the only noteworthy thing that has happened. The third round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Tavares. Thiago Tavares wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Tavares with another win and this time it is a comfortable decision win over Bocek. [B][CENTER]Matt Hamill (5-2) vs. Tim Boetsch (8-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Matt Hamill via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Hamill is quickest out, and comes at Boetsch with a series of jabs and straight punches. Boetsch covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Boetsch hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Hamill who takes it to the ground. Boetsch pulls guard. There's a lull, as Hamill tries to pass, and Boetsch defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Boetsch 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. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Hamill.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Boetsch makes Hamill 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. Boetsch throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. Hamill lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches Boetsch by surprise, putting him down! Hamill follows up and starts raining down right hands. Boetsch covers up as best he can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls Hamill off, the match is over. [B]Hamill wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 1:18.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Hamill gets back on track with a TKO that certainly surprised Boetsch as he wasn't prepared for it at all. [B][CENTER]Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) vs. Matt Arroyo (5-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Matt Arroyo via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Arroyo is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Koppenhaver blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Arroyo is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Koppenhaver is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Arroyo 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 Arroyo some problems later on. Arroyo 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. Koppenhaver is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Arroyo 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 Arroyo 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. Arroyo goes for a trip, but Koppenhaver 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 Koppenhaver may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Koppenhaver.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Arroyo and Koppenhaver circle to start. Koppenhaver throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Arroyo sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Koppenhaver comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Arroyo to slip a nice jab in, catching Koppenhaver just underneath the right eye. Arroyo comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Koppenhaver misses with a right cross, then backs off. Arroyo stalks him, forcing Koppenhaver back up against the cage. Arroyo doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Koppenhaver throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Arroyo pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Koppenhaver covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Arroyo in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Arroyo 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. Koppenhaver comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Arroyo 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 Arroyo's favour. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Arroyo by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Koppenhaver hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Arroyo to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Koppenhaver hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Arroyo tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Koppenhaver having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Arroyo. Koppenhaver tries to back Arroyo up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Koppenhaver leads with a right hand, then comes in for a quick takedown. Arroyo saw it coming and smartly turns out of the grapple, pushing Koppenhaver to the ground, and ending up taking his back in a great defensive move. Koppenhaver turtles up, and takes a few heavy shots to the ribs. Arroyo gets his legs around Koppenhaver and uses them to roll him over. Exposed, Koppenhaver tries to turn so that he is on top, but Arroyo has already rammed one arm around his throat and has a tight choke-hold applied. Koppenhaver is in big trouble, and obviously can't see a way out as he taps out pretty quickly. [B]The official time of the submission is 4:39.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes:[/B] Arroyo bounces back from losing the first round by winning the second and then making Koppenhaver tap out in impressive fashion in the third. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Vitor Ribeiro (20-2) vs. Josh Thomson (15-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Vitor Ribeiro via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Thomson starts fast, unleashing a bomb of a right hand, but Ribeiro avoids it without too much trouble. Thomson isn't disheartened though, swinging two more huge punches, with Ribeiro getting out the way each time, but being forced all over the place. Thomson finally backs off a little, breathing hard. That was quite a frantic start. Ribeiro opts to use that, and comes in to throw some jabs. Thomson is backed up against the cage, covering up. Ribeiro clinches. They struggle, and the fight enters a lull. Thomson hits a knee strike to the hip. Ribeiro slips one leg behind Thomson and uses that as leverage for a big trip. Thomson landed hard, with Ribeiro on top. They're in half guard. It's to Thomson's advantage that they're right next to the cage, that is blocking Ribeiro from attacking the left hand side of the body. Thomson is forced into action to defend a kimura attempt. Ribeiro tries to step over to mount, but Thomson keeps his legs in position and ends up almost rolled into a ball. Ribeiro 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. Thomson doesn't appear to be trying that though, instead trying to shift his weight so that he can get back up. Ribeiro isn't allowing it though, and gets a couple more punches in before settling back into half guard. Thomson ties him up in a snug clinch. The action halts, and time expires before Ribeiro can get free. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Ribeiro.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Ribeiro starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Thomson checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Ribeiro 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. Ribeiro cleverly head-fakes, allowing him the time and angle that he needed to catch Thomson with a beauty of a right hook. Thomson stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Ribeiro presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Thomson clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Thomson scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Ribeiro in the gut. Ribeiro uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Ribeiro gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Thomson reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Ribeiro has his left arm straightened out, fortunately Thomson has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Ribeiro from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Ribeiro tries to step over and fully apply it, but Thomson breaks free and gets him to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Ribeiro steps back and motions for him to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Thomson hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Ribeiro 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Ribeiro.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Ribeiro forces Thomson back up against the cage, and he has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Ribeiro is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Thomson clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Thomson gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Ribeiro seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Thomson who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Ribeiro had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Ribeiro misses with a right hand, and leaves himself open to a left hook. Ribeiro goes down, although replays confirm that it was a stumble, Thomson was a few inches away from connecting with that left. Thomson tries to quickly mount Ribeiro to capitalise, but is out-maneuvered almost immediately and Ribeiro slips out and gets his back! Ribeiro gets one arm in and snakes it around the throat of Thomson, squeezing his wind-pipe shut. Thomson tries to pull the arm free, but can't, and so rolls over in a last-ditch effort to break free. It is to no avail though, as that allows Ribeiro to get a body-scissors in too. With no alternatives left, Thomson taps out. [B]Official time of the rear choke submission is 3:42 of the third.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Ribeiro with an impressive win over Thomson. He won the first two rounds and then finished in the third with the rear choke submission. [B][CENTER]Stephan Bonnar (12-6) vs. Gregard Mousasi (23-2-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Stephan Bonnar via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Mousasi doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Bonnar was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Bonnar hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that he is rattled. Mousasi glances at the referee, not sure why. They get in close and exchange punches, it's not clear who got the better of that. Mousasi hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Bonnar. Mousasi is getting more force behind his punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. Mousasi glances at the referee, not sure why. Time ticks away, and Bonnar offers nothing that would make you think that he has any chance of winning this round on points. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Mousasi.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Bonnar puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Mousasi defended well. Straight right from Mousasi 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, Bonnar probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Mousasi 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 Bonnar. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Bonnar.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Bonnar starts out with a few straight rights, range-finding rather than actually dangerous. Mousasi keeps out of their way. Bonnar steps forward and tries to unload with a looping left, but Mousasi moves to the side and fires off a powerful right hand of his own, landing above the left eye. Bonnar doesn't go down, but definitely felt that shot. Mousasi moves in closer and fires off two punches to the face and a big hook to the body. Bonnar parried the first two, but the third hit home hard. Mousasi begins to stalk Bonnar, who may be slightly winded. They meet again in the center and exchange blows. Bonnar hits a high jab but gets caught with another hard punch to the side of the head. Bonnar clinches up, stopping Mousasi from following up. It looks like Bonnar needs to change his game plan, standing up and banging with Mousasi is playing right into his opponent's hands, as Mousasi clearly has the more powerful strikes in his arsenal, and Bonnar is going to get floored sooner or later, judging by this round. The referee parts them from the clinch. Mousasi continues to look ready to unleash some big punches. Bonnar takes a takedown, then comes in much closer, throws a jab, and clinches back up. Bonnar looks like he is going to grapple, stopping Mousasi from throwing bombs. Bonnar gets in a few short punches to the ribs. The round ends with them still in the clinch. Mousasi will take that round on points, having used the threat of a knock out to basically control everything about that round except the clinches. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Mousasi by 10-9. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Gegard Mousasi.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Mousasi with another win and he is now 3-0 in the UFC. Bonnar put up a good fight but it just wasn't enough this time. [B][CENTER]Pedro Rizzo (18-8) vs. Shane Carwin (12-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Shane Carwin via Knock Out[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] They circle each other. Rizzo misses with a low kick, and Carwin darts in to hit a jab before retreating. They come together and exchange punches, both got a few shots in. Carwin is looking much lighter on his feet, and keeps moving in, hitting a few punches, then getting back out of range. Rizzo is trying to catch him coming in, but doesn't have the timing quite right. It happens again. Carwin isn't getting much power on the punches, but he is getting ahead on points. Rizzo tries to get in close, but Carwin is keeping moving, and isn't letting himself get cornered. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd become a little restless. Carwin gets a solid punch in, catching Rizzo just above the left eye. Rizzo finally gets a clinch, forcing Carwin up against the cage, but it's too little, too late as the round ends. End of round 1. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Carwin[/B]. [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] A touch of gloves to start the round, and we're underway. Carwin lets rip with a vicious straight right almost immediately, but it's easily avoided. Rizzo sneaks a jab through the guard and catches Carwin 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 Rizzo manages to get the better position, pushing Carwin up against the cage. Right hand to the ribs from Rizzo. Carwin 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. Rizzo tries a knee of his own, but that is the opportunity that Carwin was waiting for and he sweeps the standing leg to take Rizzo down to the ground, in side control. Excellent takedown. Rizzo covers up to defend against a pair of back-hand blows, and even manages to sneak a knee strike in. Carwin hits a big elbow to the ribs, Rizzo definitely felt that. Carwin drives a knee to the near side, then attempts to float-over into a mount. Rizzo brought his legs in though, and manages to pull guard. Carwin will be disappointed with that. He tries to get a big punch in, but Rizzo defends it well and gets a hold of both arms. The fight grinds to a halt, with Carwin unable to generate any attacks, and Rizzo unwilling to give up a good defensive position. The referee stands them up. Carwin 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Carwin.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Carwin doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Rizzo was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Rizzo hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that he is rattled. Rizzo with a body shot. They get in close and exchange punches, it's not clear who got the better of that. Carwin hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Rizzo. Carwin is getting more force behind his punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. Rizzo tries to back Carwin up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Time ticks away, and Rizzo offers nothing that would make you think that he has any chance of winning this round on points. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Carwin. All three judges give a score of 30-27 to Shane Carwin.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Carwin hands Rizzo his second loss in a row and earned his fifth straight win in the UFC. [B][CENTER]Chuck Liddell (22-6) vs. Lyoto Machida (15-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Lyoto Machida via Split Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Good start from Machida, taking Liddell down almost immediately! Liddell scrambles though, and gets back to his feet without taking any damage at all. Machida will be disappointed with that. Liddell comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put him off balance, allowing Machida to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Liddell felt that one for sure. He stalks Machida, trying to back him up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Machida keeps out of the way. Liddell tries a kick, but Machida catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Machida gets Liddell down for the second time, and this time is right on top of him in guard position. Machida throws some punches, then tries to pass. Liddell doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Machida easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Machida followed by a pass attempt, with Liddell 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 ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Machida by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Exchange of strikes to start. Liddell suddenly shoots in and gets a takedown, ending up in guard. Machida keeps the guard high. Liddell half-stands and throws a big right hand, narrowly missing the mark. Another punch connects, but Liddell leans into it too much and Machida brings his legs up and closes them around the arm. It's Liddell now on the defensive, trying to get out of the armbar attempt. He gets in close to stop any pressure being applied, but that allows Machida to sweep him from that position. A scramble for position ends with the situation being completely reversed, with Machida on top in Liddell's guard. Machida tries to pass guard, but Liddell doesn't allow it. Liddell throws a couple of punches, but they're parried away. He breaks his guard to bring a leg across and try to kick Machida in the face, but it's a mistake as Machida pushes the leg aside and gets side control. Machida pushes them closer to the cage, near his own corner so that they can give him instructions. Following what they say, Machida throws some heavy blows to the unprotected stomach of Liddell, then tries to isolate the closest arm. Liddell 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 Machida from extending the arm. Machida continues trying to apply an armbar, but Liddell is not allowing it. Eventually Machida turns and tries to get a crucifix position instead. Liddell fights that off too. The round ends with Machida still doggedly trying to get an armbar submission, and Liddell tenaciously stopping it. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Machida.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] A couple of straight lefts from Liddell start the round, but neither got past the gloves of Machida. They clinch, with Machida looking like he initiated it. They struggle for supremacy. Liddell gets taken down, but traps Machida in guard. Liddell tries to push free, but Machida forces him to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Machida reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Liddell breaks it by bringing his arms up. Machida steps through in an effort to mount Liddell, but can only get to half guard as one of his legs gets trapped. Machida throws some strikes, then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Liddell rolls over and uses his free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time, with Machida determined to try and work the arm free and get an armbar, while Liddell uses everything at his disposal to block it. The round ends without Machida having made the breakthrough, although he clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Machida. The judges scores are unanimous, and give a score of 30-27 to Lyoto Machida.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Machida grinds out yet another decision as he keeps Liddell at bay. [B][CENTER]UFC Heavyweight Championship: Tim Sylvia (25-4) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-4-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via Knock Out[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Nogueira and Sylvia circle to start. Sylvia throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Nogueira sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Sylvia comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Nogueira to slip a nice jab in, catching Sylvia just underneath the right eye. Nogueira comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Sylvia misses with a right cross, then backs off. Nogueira stalks him, forcing Sylvia back up against the cage. Nogueira doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Sylvia throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Nogueira pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Sylvia covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Nogueira in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Nogueira 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. Sylvia comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Nogueira 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 Nogueira's favour. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Nogueira.[/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. Sylvia is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Nogueira blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Sylvia is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Nogueira is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Sylvia 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 Sylvia some problems later on. Sylvia 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. Nogueira is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Sylvia 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 Sylvia 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. Sylvia goes for a trip, but Nogueira 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 Nogueira may prove decisive. As the round comes to an end, they wind up back in another clinch, with nothing coming of it. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Nogueira.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Nogueira pushes Sylvia back against the cage, and is able to use that as a set up to taking Sylvia down the mat, landing in side control. Sylvia tries to scramble into a better position, but Nogueira grabs an arm and tries to lock a hold in. Sylvia bucks him over, and manages to wind up on top, but Nogueira still has the arm, and now has his legs wrapped around it. Sylvia hits a flurry of left hands to the back and thighs of Nogueira, who is almost upside down now. It's no good though, as Sylvia cannot get his arm free, and as soon as Nogueira starts to sink the hold in fully, there's no choice but to tap out. [B]Nogueira wins via third round armbar submission at 41 seconds. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira successfully retains the UFC Heavyweight title.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Nog beats Sylvia very comfortably and retains his title for a second time in a row. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: Chris Tuchscherer Knock Out of the Night: Matt Hamill Fight of the Night: Pedro Rizzo vs. Shane Carwin [B][U]Injuries[/U][/B] Stephan Bonnar suffered a groin injury in his fight with Gregard Mousasi and will be out for around a month and a half because of it. 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chris caulfield Posted June 29, 2008 Author Share Posted June 29, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]New Rankings After UFC 96 & 97[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]UFC have released the new rankings following their UFC 96 & UFC 97 events.[/CENTER] [B][U]Lightweight[/U][/B] 1. Roger Huerta 2. Shinya Aoki 3. Vitor Ribeiro 4. Kenny Florian +1 5. Eddie Alvarez -1 6. Nick Diaz -New Entry (New Signing) 7. Thiago Tavares -1 8. Jeremy Stephens -1 9. Sean Sherk -1 10. Jim Miller [B][U]Welterweight[/U][/B] 1. Dan Hardy 2. Jon Fitch 3. Yoshiyuki Yoshida 4. Matt Hughes 5. BJ Penn 6. Dong Hyun Kim 7. Matt Serra 8. Thiago Alves 9 Josh Koscheck 10. Anthony Johnson - New Entry [B][U]Middleweight[/U][/B] 1. Anderson Silva +1 2. Georges St. Pierre -1 3. Siyar Bahadurzada - New Entry (New Signing) 4. Gregard Mousasi +1 5. Forrest Griffin -1 6. Rousimar Palhales 7. Michael Bisping 8. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza 9. Demian Maia 10. Dan Henderson [B][U]Light Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Thiago Silva +3 3. Wanderlei Silva -1 4. Lyoto Machida 5. Wilson Gouveia -2 6. Roger Hollett - New Entry (New Signing) 7. Rich Franklin - New Entry (New Signing) 8. Keith Jardine +1 9. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua -1 10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira -4 [B][U]Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2. Sergei Kharitonov 3. Cheick Kongo +1 4. Shane Carwin +3 5. Tim Sylvia -2 6. Andrei Arlovski -1 7. Chris Tuchscherer +1 8. Fedor Emelianenko -2 9. Aleksander Emelianenko - New Entry 10. Fabricio Werdum [B][U]P4P[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira +2 3. Roger Huerta -1 4. Anderson Silva +1 5. Georges St. Pierre -2 6. Shinya Aoki +1 7. Thiago Silva - New Entry 8. Wanderlei Silva 9. Sergei Kharitonov 10. Vitor Ribeiro - New Entry [B]Biggest Jump this month[/B]: Thiago Silva/Shane Carwin: Both fighters jumped 3 ranks these past two months. First I'll talk about Thiago Silva. He jumped all the way up to #2 in the Light Heavyweight rankings behind only Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. He also debuted on the P4P list at #7. He earned those rights after he beat Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via decision at UFC 96. He is expected to put his undefeated record to the ultimate test by going up against the #1 ranked pound for pound fighter in the world in his next fight as he hopes to get his title shot against Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. Now onto Carwin. Carwin jumped upto #4 in the Heavyweight rankings this month after he beat Pedro Rizzo via decision at UFC 97. He is expected to fight Tim Sylvia or Andrei Arlovski next. [B]Biggest Drop this month[/B]: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: Lil Nog fropped a massive 4 ranks all the way down to #10 in the Light Heavyweight rankings these past two months. This came after his loss to the now #2 ranked Light Heavyweight Thiago Silva. He is expected to fight either Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua or Rich Franklin next. [B]Most Impressive New Entry[/B]: Siyar Bahadurzada: Siyar was only signed around a month ago but he has debuted at a very impressive #3 in the Middleweight rankings. Many will say he doesn't deserve this but that is because they don't know him. In the last year Siyar has gone 6-0 with wins in promotions like EliteXC, KOTC, IFL,WVR and Shooto. In this run he held the KOTC and Shooto Middleweight title's and defended both. He has now come to the UFC to test his skills against the best. He is expected to be the fighter that they use to test how good Georges St. Pierre performs in the Middleweight division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted June 29, 2008 Author Share Posted June 29, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces Ultimate Fight Night 15[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced Ultimate Fight Night 15. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Jon Fitch (18-3) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-1-1) Kenny Florian (11-3) vs. Nick Diaz (17-7) Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Thiago Alves (14-4) vs. Dan Hardy (20-6) Cheick Kongo (13-4) vs. Rob Broughton (7-4-1) Weltweweight Tournament Quarter Final: Josh Koscheck (13-3) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (12-2) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Brandon Vera (9-2) vs. Frank Mir (11-5) Michael Bisping (19-2) vs. Nobutatsu Suzuki (4-0-2) Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) vs. Antonio Mendes (15-3) Ed Herman (14-6) vs. Thales Leites (13-1) Joey Villasenor (24-7) vs. CB Dollaway (7-0)[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted June 30, 2008 Author Share Posted June 30, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]Ultimate Fight Night 15 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Joey Villasenor (24-7) vs. CB Dollaway (7-0)[/U][/B] This fight is the perfect example of a young up and coming fighter against an older more experianced fighter. The younger fighter is CB Dollaway who is coming into this fight having won his UFC debut over Rory Singer in his last fight. Villasenor is the older fighter who was less fortunate in his last fight as he lost to Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza. [B][U]Ed Herman (14-6) vs. Thales Leites (13-1)[/U][/B] Leites is coming into this fight after defeating Alessio Sakara with an impressive submission win. Herman isn't as fortunate as he is coming off a decision loss to Jonathan Goulet at UFC 89. A win for Leites has the possibility to put him into the top ten Middleweights. [B][U]Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) vs. Antonio Mendes (15-3)[/U][/B] Sokoudjou has won 2 in a row now beating Houston Alexander and David Heath both via decision. He will be looking to get his third in a row with a win over Antonio Mendes that could very well put him into the top ten Light Heavyweights. Mendes wil hope to stop him in his tracks though and get back on track after he lost his last fight against Thiago Silva via decision. [B][U]Michael Bisping (19-2) vs. Nobutatsu Suzuki (4-0-2)[/U][/B] Suzuki makes his UFC debut against the #7 ranked Middleweight fighter. Suzuki won't be that fazed though as he is pretty evenly matched against Bisping with around the same skill level in his stand up and ground game. A win over the #7 ranked Middleweight in your debut could put you on the map immediately and also could get him in the top ten aswell. Bisping is on good form though and will look to get a fifth straight win and hand Suzuki his first ever loss. If Bisping wins here and then gets another few wins he could be in line for a title shot. There would be lots of interest in that fight as Bisping is already one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. [B][U]Brandon Vera (9-2) vs. Frank Mir (11-5)[/U][/B] Both fighters will look to get a win that they hope will put them into the top ten Heavyweight rankings. They are both coming off losses. Vera a TKO loss to Shne Carwin at UFC 92. Mir isn't just coming off one loss but two straight losses to Cheick Kongo and Brock Lesnar. [B][U]Weltweweight Tournament Quarter Final: Josh Koscheck (13-3) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (12-2)[/U][/B] This fight is the first of three welterweight tournament fights that will happen. The winner of this fight will fight the winner of the highlight fight of the Quarter final Matt Serra vs. Matt Hughes which will happen at a later date. Koscheck was enterd into the tournament despite coming off a Knock Out loss to Jon Fitch so he will just be grateful that he is in the tournament but he will give it his all against Yoshida. Yoshida has been on better form as he has won 3 in a row with wins over Marcus Davis, Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka. [B][U]Cheick Kongo (13-4) vs. Rob Broughton (7-4-1)[/U][/B] Rob Broughton will make his UFC debut against the #3 ranked Heavyweight Cheick Kongo. Many view this as just a warm up fight for Kongo as he waits for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to heal up as either he or Sergei Kharitonov will surely get the next title shot. Broughton won't see it as a Kongo warm up fight though. He will see it as the biggest chance he ever got in his life and will go out all guns blazing to win and hopefully get into the top ten Heavyweight rankings in the process. [B][U]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Thiago Alves (14-4) vs. Dan Hardy (20-6)[/U][/B] The #1 ranked Weltwerweight in Dan Hardy will go up against the #8 ranked Welterweight in Thiago Alves. Hardy since coming into the UFC has gone 3-0 with a decision win over Luke Cummo in his debut and then he got two straight TKO wins over Mike Swick and Kuniyoshi Hironaka. The winner of this fight will go on to fight the winner of the nights main event fight between Jon Fitch and Dong Hyun Kim. Alves' last fight was way back at UFC 91 where he lost his title shot against Georges St. Pierre. [B][U]Kenny Florian (11-3) vs. Nick Diaz (17-7)[/U][/B] This fight can become one out of two things. One is a impressive victory for Nick Diaz and a glorious return to the UFC. The second thing it could become though is Florian defeating Diaz and ruin his UFC comeback and possibly earning himself a title shot in the process. Florian is currently ranked at #4 in the Lightweight rankings and a win over the #6 ranke Diaz could push him above Vitor Ribeiro into the #3 spot which would make him eligible for a title shot. [B][U]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Jon Fitch (18-3) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-1-1)[/U][/B] The main event of the evening will see the #2 ranked Welterweight in Jon Fitch going against the #6 ranked Welterweight Dong Hyun Kim in the third and final Welterweight tournament Quarter final of the night. Fitch is coming off two straight wins. A decision win over Akihiro Gono and a brutal first round Knock Out over fellow tournament hopeful Josh Koscheck. Kim is also on a winning streak as he has won his last 3 fights. Two decision wins over Marcus Davis and Chris Wilson and also a brutal first round Knock Out victory over Luke Cummo.[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidmarrio Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Maincard [B]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Jon Fitch[/B] (18-3) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-1-1) [B]Kenny Florian[/B] (11-3) vs. Nick Diaz (17-7) [B]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Thiago Alves [/B](14-4) vs. Dan Hardy (20-6) [B]Cheick Kongo (13-4) [/B]vs. Rob Broughton (7-4-1) [B]Weltweweight Tournament Quarter Final: Josh Koscheck[/B] (13-3) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (12-2) Undercard Brandon Vera (9-2) vs. [B]Frank Mir (11-5)[/B] [B]Michael Bisping (19-2)[/B] vs. Nobutatsu Suzuki (4-0-2) Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) vs. [B]Antonio Mendes (15-3)[/B] [B]Ed Herman (14-6) [/B]vs. Thales Leites (13-1) Joey Villasenor (24-7) vs.[B] CB Dollaway (7-0)[/B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share Posted July 1, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]Ultimate Fight Night 15[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][U][CENTER]Undercard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Joey Villasenor (24-7) vs. CB Dollaway (7-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Joey Villasenor via Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] The fighters come together right in the center. Villasenor throws out a jab, but Dollaway bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Dollaway works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Villasenor covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Dollaway is making Villasenor look sluggish in comparison, such is the speed and crispness with which he is delivering strikes. Villasenor hits a low kick before back-pedalling to avoid a clubbing blow. Dollaway gets pinned against the cage, and the referee eventually has to separate them. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Dollaway got slightly the better of it, he definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Villasenor slightly. Villasenor initiates a clinch, and the action grinds to a halt. Villasenor looks out of ideas, he is being repeatedly lured into these exchange of strikes, but Dollaway is clearly winning them. Villasenor needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Dollaway tries a speculative high kick, but Villasenor saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Villasenor tries to work an angle, but Dollaway is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep him from stepping in. Comfortable round for Dollaway, he will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given his dominance of the striking in this round. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Dollaway.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Dollaway starts with a high kick, but Villasenor was well out of range. Both fighters circle. Dollaway steps in and exchanges strikes with Villasenor, neither fighter gets a particular advantage from it. Villasenor parries away a nice right hand and gets in a crisp counter punch that catches Dollaway 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. Dollaway finally shows some fire, putting together a combination of two jabs, a cross, and an uppercut. Villasenor 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 Dollaway blocked them. Dollaway scores the best punch of the round so far, coming in fast, ducking under a dangerous right hand, and catching Villasenor square in the face with a lunging overhand right. Villasenor backs off and covers up, clearly having felt that one, and unfortunately Dollaway's attempts to follow up and thwarted as he gets tied up in a clinch near the cage. The time expires, with Dollaway probably having stolen that round thanks to that one big punch. The second round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Dollaway.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Villasenor and Dollaway circle to start. Dollaway throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Villasenor sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Dollaway comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Villasenor to slip a nice jab in, catching Dollaway just underneath the right eye. Villasenor comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Dollaway misses with a right cross, then backs off. Villasenor stalks him, forcing Dollaway back up against the cage. Villasenor doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Dollaway throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Villasenor pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Dollaway covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Villasenor in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Villasenor 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. Dollaway comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Villasenor 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 Villasenor's favour. The round is over. Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Villasenor. All three judges give a score of 29-28 to CB Dollaway. [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Dollaway going 2-0 in the the UFC and 8-0 alltogether with this decision win. [B][CENTER]Ed Herman (14-6) vs. Thales Leites (13-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Ed Herman via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Quick start to the round from Herman, he comes storming in with a flurry of jabs. Leites defends it well, parrying them away. Nice straight right from Leites connects. Herman gets in close and hits a pair of nice body shots, then they clinch up. Herman pushes Leites back against the cage and goes for a trip, but Leites blocks it. Leites suddenly pushes forward off the cage and uses the momentum to take Herman down to the ground, into guard. Leites doggedly tries to pass guard, but Herman keeps him at bay. The referee tells them that he wants to see more in the way of action or he'll stand them up. Not much of an incentive for Herman to do anything, but it does inspire Leites to throw a couple of hard punches, albeit ones that are easily parried by the gloves of Herman. Leites manages to work past Herman's right leg, but gets caught in half guard before he can get the mount that he was looking for. The fight once again slows right down, with Herman's tenacious defence frustrating Leites. Herman sucks Leites into a clinch, and even tries a cheeky guillotine. Leites pushes him away though, and nails a beauty of a right hand to the cheek in response. I don't think Herman will be trying that move again for a while. Leites grabs an arm and tries to twist it backward to create some torque. Herman uses his free arm to grab his own wrist, preventing that from happening. The time expires without anything further of note happening. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Leites. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start to the round, they're both circling, looking for an opening. Herman tries a looping punch from way back, but Leites side steps with ease. Jab from Leites, gets one back in response. Herman comes in, looking for the right hand lead, but Leites shoots in and uses a double-leg takedown. He winds up in a closed guard. Leites tries to grab an arm to work a submission, but Herman is defending it well by using short, sharp strikes to keep him back. Leites tries to pass the guard, but has no luck. A punch from Leites connects, but there was no real power behind it. Leites fakes Herman out cleverly, and slips to a half mount. Herman manages to hit a firm elbow, then is forced to defend the full mount attempt. Leites switches tactics and tries to work a kimura on the other arm, but Herman blocks it, squirms his leg free, and secures the guard again. Leites looks frustrated at losing the half mount after having worked so hard to get it in the first place. Herman is liable to lose the round on points, but he has done a fine job of defending the submissions attempts so far. Leites tries to secure a leglock, but the guard is tight and Herman is safe. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Leites by 10-9. [/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Herman is quickest out, and comes at Leites with a series of jabs and straight punches. Leites covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Leites hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Herman who takes it to the ground. Leites pulls guard. There's a lull, as Herman tries to pass, and Leites defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Leites almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Herman, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The third round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Herman. Thales Leites wins, with a score of 29-28 from two judges, 30-27 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Leites with another win and this one might just get him into the top ten Middleweights. [B][CENTER]Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) vs. Antonio Mendes (15-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Sokoudjou doesn't exactly disguise his intentions for this round, going right to the center and motioning for Mendes to come and trade blows. Mendes wisely keeps back for the time being, content to throw long-range jabs. Sokoudjou isn't quite as content though, as he begins to stalk Mendes. They meet near the cage. Mendes hits a nice jab, then goes to clinch. Sokoudjou 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 Sokoudjou 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. Mendes is trying to keep moving, to not let Sokoudjou get set to throw a bomb. Sokoudjou is controlling this round by virtue of the knock out threat, as Mendes is being forced to fight somewhat defensively. Sokoudjou throws another big punch, narrowly missing, but does score with a follow up jab, landing just above the right eye. Mendes returns fire with a pair of jabs, both finding gloves. Time begins to tick away. It hasn't been the most exciting round, but Sokoudjou has controlled it and managed to land the better shots. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Sokoudjou. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Not the most interesting of starts to the round, it's mainly a lot of circling. The referee apparently gets bored, as he tells them to get on with it and fight. Mendes complies, firing off a dangerous right cross, narrowly missing. Sokoudjou throws a couple of stiff jabs, but they only find gloves. Mendes fakes left, then comes in from the right, hitting a nice body blow. Sokoudjou steps forward and unleashes a big kick, thundering it into Mendes's ribs. He felt that one for sure. Sokoudjou follows up by hitting a right hand too. Mendes finds himself backed up against the cage. Sokoudjou advances, and throws a scythe-like kick to the legs. Mendes can't get out of the way, and almost gets felled by the impact. Sokoudjou steps in and scores with a high head kick. Mendes partially blocked it with his hands, which was probably the only thing stopping it from being a knock out blow. Mendes gets a right hand jab out in response, then pulls Sokoudjou into a clinch. Knee strike from Sokoudjou. They break. Mendes still looks hurt from that first kick. Sokoudjou gets in close and gives a receipt for that earlier body blow, nailing a right hand to the gut. Mendes hits a jab to the cheek in response, then clinches again. Time runs down, the round will end before anything more can happen. Sokoudjou has used those powerful kicks to dominate this round. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Sokoudjou.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Mendes starts fast, coming out almost immediately with a three punch combination. None of them get through, and Sokoudjou manages to squeeze a jab of his own through and score just above the left cheek. They exchange a flurry of blows right in the center, it's difficult to see who got the best of it, and both of them retreat a few steps to recover. Good start to the round, early indications are that this is going to be all about the striking, neither fighter has even hinted at going for a takedown. Sokoudjou uses a low kick to set up a nice right hand, and Mendes is forced back against the cage. Sokoudjou picks his shots and gets a big punch to the body in. Mendes uses a couple of looping punches to make Sokoudjou keep back, but it doesn't last for long, as Sokoudjou bursts forward and hits two big right hands, taking a counter punch to the body though, and they wind up in a clinch. They exchange weak-looking blows from that position, before the referee grows tired of the inactivity and breaks them apart. Mendes scores with a low kick. Sokoudjou with a body shot. Sokoudjou unwinds a right hook that narrowly misses. That will be the last action of the round though. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Sokoudjou. The official scores are: 30-27 from all three judges for Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Sokoudjou now with three wins on the trot and he has dragged himself back to 3-3 in the UFC after being 0-3 at one point. [B][CENTER]Michael Bisping (19-2) vs. Nobutatsu Suzuki (4-0-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Michael Bisping via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Suzuki leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Bisping deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Bisping uses a knee to the ribs before backing Suzuki up against the cage. Right hand from Suzuki connects though, that was well timed. Bisping breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Suzuki was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Bisping sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Suzuki fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. They get into a clinch, winding up with Suzuki having his back up against the cage. Bisping hits three big body shots, then a big uppercut that knocks Suzuki silly! He is on rubbery legs. Bisping starts unloading with punches, and Suzuki is reduced to covering up and desperately trying to hang on. The referee has had enough and pulls Bisping away, it'll go down as a TKO. [B]The official time of the TKO is 4:29.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Bisping now has five straight wins and after a few more will be hoping for a Middleweight title shot. [B][CENTER]Brandon Vera (9-2) vs. Frank Mir (11-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Frank Mir via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Mir works an angle and comes in from the side of Vera, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Vera hits a low kick to back Mir against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Mir fights out and the action returns to the center. They come together, both throwing punches. Vera gets a nice clean shot in, and Mir stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Vera is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. [B]Vera wins via 1st round TKO with the official time being 2:46.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: **** [B]Notes[/B]: Vera gets back on track and now has an impressive 10-2 record. H ecould get back into the top ten after this win. This is terrible news for Frank Mir though as he now has 3 losses in a row. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Weltweweight Tournament Quarter Final: Josh Koscheck (13-3) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (12-2)[/CENTER][/B] [B][CENTER]Sherdog's Prediction: Yoshiyuki Yoshida via Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Koscheck throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Yoshida throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Koscheck 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. Yoshida hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Koscheck. They struggle all the way back, with Koscheck ending up backed up against the cage. Yoshida hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Koscheck stomps downward onto his foot. Koscheck manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Yoshida gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Koscheck ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Koscheck tries a high kick to start, but Yoshida saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Yoshida who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Koscheck on the nose. Koscheck hits a straight right, enough to stop Yoshida 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Yoshida. [/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Yoshida starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Koscheck on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Yoshida to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Koscheck, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Yoshida, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Koscheck is looking a little lost so far, Yoshida is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Yoshida looks to be working an angle. Yoshida leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Koscheck was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Koscheck 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 Koscheck is that although Yoshida clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. The second round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Yoshida[/B]. [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Koscheck throws a straight right, batted away by Yoshida. Koscheck goes for a second, but gets beaten to the punch as Yoshida scores with a kick that catches Koscheck across the outside of the knee. Yoshida throws another one, and this time it lands just above the same knee. Koscheck backs off slightly. Yoshida throws a high jab, then head-fakes and comes in with a left hook from low down. Koscheck fires back with a crisp right hand that connects to the shoulder rather than the face. Yoshida throws another fizzing low kick, again connecting with the knee. Koscheck tried to check it, but couldn't in time. Those strikes are going to add up soon and start reducing his mobility. Yoshida 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. Koscheck covers up, throwing occasional straight rights in return. Yoshida backs off, but not before cracking another kick into the thigh region. Time is running down, Koscheck has failed to deal with those kicks, and it has definitely cost him this round, and possibly done some damage to his knee. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Yoshida by 10-9. The official scores are in; two judges give 30-27, the other 29-28, all for Yoshiyuki Yoshida.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Yoshida advances into the semi final and will fight either Matt Hughes or Matt Serra next. [B][CENTER]Cheick Kongo (13-4) vs. Rob Broughton (7-4-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Cheick Kongo via Knock Out[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]q[/U][/B] The fighters touch gloves, then circle. Kongo throws a low kick, but it was without any conviction, it seemed designed more to keep Broughton from coming inside. Kongo works an angle, then comes in with a one-two combination, Broughton responds with a crisp uppercut that wasn't far off from connecting. Kongo backs off slightly, maybe a bit relieved not to have taken that one on the chin. Neither fighter appears to be looking for any sort of takedown or grapple, this is all about the striking. Broughton circles and throws a series of high jabs, but Kongo blocked them with ease, using the gloves. Kongo fakes a high kick, then storms in with a wild looking right hand and a series of body shots. Broughton covers up and rides out the storm, clinching to stop any further blows. It was a nice attack from Kongo though, best action of the round. They stay clinched for a while, exchanging occasional punches to the ribs, then are separated by the referee. It looks like this round is going to the judges though, as there's only a few seconds remaining. Kongo throws a leg kick that connects, albeit without too much force, and the round is done. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Kongo.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Broughton leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Kongo deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Kongo uses a knee to the ribs before backing Broughton up against the cage. Right hand from Broughton connects though, that was well timed. Kongo breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Broughton was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Kongo sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Broughton fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Broughton hits a solid left, then a right. Kongo felt both of them, and backs off a little. Broughton charges right in to follow up though, and unleashes a powerful right hook, and Kongo took it flush on the chin! Broughton doesn't even bother following up on that, because Kongo was out cold from the instant that that hit. [B]Incredible punch. The official time is 3:29.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: What an upset win for Broughton. He comes into the UFC from the small british promotion Cage Rage and he beats the #3 ranked Heavyweight in the UFC. This will certainly be a high point for the Brit. The question now is where or if he will make it onto the rankings himself. [B][CENTER]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Thiago Alves (14-4) vs. Dan Hardy (20-6) Sherdog's Prediction: Thiago Alves via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Hardy works an angle and comes in from the side of Alves, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Alves hits a low kick to back Hardy against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Hardy fights out and the action returns to the center. Hardy throws an uppercut, Alves easily steps back to avoid it. Hardy follows him but gets blasted with a right hand! Hardy falls to the ground! Alves leaps into action, mounting him and raining down punches. The referee stops the match, seeing that Hardy was getting overwhelmed. Replays show that the punch that originally dropped Hardy was a complete swing for the fences by Alves, he even looks like he has his eyes closed when it was thrown! [B]The official time of the TKO is 2:20. [/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Alves TKO's the #1 ranked Weltweweight to advance to the semi finals of the tournament. Hardy won't be too pleased with how he lost and will surely want a rematch sometime into the future so that is something to look forward to. [B][CENTER]Kenny Florian (11-3) vs. Nick Diaz (17-7) Sherdog's Prediction: Kenny Florian via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Florian is quickest out, and comes at Diaz with a series of jabs and straight punches. Diaz covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Diaz hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Florian who takes it to the ground. Diaz pulls guard. There's a lull, as Florian tries to pass, and Diaz defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Diaz almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Florian, 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 Florian.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] The two fighters circle. Diaz flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventinal looping right hand. Florian easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! He is up quickly, before Diaz could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble, the punch was well wide of the mark. Florian moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Diaz is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Diaz forces Florian back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. He looks to be keeping Florian in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Diaz does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Florian saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Diaz turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops him to one knee. Diaz is up quickly, causing Florian, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Diaz was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Diaz throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Florian to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Florian[/B]. [B][U]Round 3[/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 Florian, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Florian 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. Diaz covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. A looping left from Diaz, but it's wide of the mark. Low kick from Diaz, 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 Florian will take the round on points. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Florian by 10-9. All three judges give a score of 30-27 to Kenny Florian.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Florian makes Diaz's comeback an unsucessful one. For now that is. Florian after one more win must certainly be the #1 contender for the Lightweight title. [B][CENTER]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Jon Fitch (18-3) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-1-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Jon Fitch via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Kim seems to be growing in confidence over the past thirty seconds. He has just come up with four good separate straight rights, although I don't think any of them did too much damage. He moves in for another, but takes a wicked kick from Fitch. Kim looks wobbly, and his hands drop. Fitch sees it, and comes in with a solid right hand that drops Kim to the mat. Fitch follows up with more punches, and the referee has to get in there and stop it, Kim was not defending himself properly. I think it's the kick that did the most damage, it seemed to scramble his brains. [B]Fitch wins via 1st round TKO with the official time being 1:42.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Fitch advances to the semis where he will face, the person who TKO'ed Dan Hardy earlier in the night, Thiago Alves. Fitch will be happy with this win as he looked good and finished it quickly and with Dan Hardy losing he will surely become the #1 Welterweight when the new rankings are released after UFC 98. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: N/A Knock Out of the Night: Rob Broughton Fight of the Night: Brandon Vera vs. Frank Mir [B][U]Injuries[/U][/B] Josh Koscheck suffered an arm injury during his fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida and will be out for 2 and a half months because of it. [B][U]Resignings[/U][/B] Both Michael Bisping and Brandon Vera will be resigned to new UFC contracts. [B][U]Brock Lesnar Situation[/U][/B] As we reported last month Brock Lesnar has left the UFC. The full reasons for this we don't know but he has released a press statement that he is taking from 6 months to a year off from the UFC and he has already signed with Pancrase and KOTC and will fight Semmy Schlit for the King Of Pancrase title soon. He did say he would definately return to the UFC at some time though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share Posted July 1, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces UFC 98: St. Pierre vs. Bahadurzada[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced UFC 98: St. Pierre vs. Bahadurzada. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] Georges St. Pierre (19-2) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (19-2-1) Fedor Emelianenko (28-3) vs. Fabricio Werdum (10-4-1) Eddie Alvarez (18-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (15-2) Dan Henderson (22-8) vs. Karo Parisyan (19-5) Rashad Evans (13-2-1) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-3) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Roan Carneiro (12-6) vs. Anthony Johnson (6-1) Yushin Okami (21-6) vs. Chris Leben (18-5) Diego Sanchez (20-4) vs. Chris Lytle (25-16-5) Keith Jardine (14-4-1) vs. Roger Hollett (11-1) Jason Tabor (5-0) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (12-3) Ibragim Magomedov (18-5-1) vs. Rolles Gracie (3-0)[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFC-KING Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 [B]Georges St. Pierre[/B] (19-2) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (19-2-1) [B]Fedor Emelianenko[/B] (28-3) vs. Fabricio Werdum (10-4-1) [B]Eddie Alvarez[/B] (18-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (15-2) [B]Dan Henderson[/B] (22-8) vs. Karo Parisyan (19-5) [B]Rashad Evans[/B] (13-2-1) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-3) [B]Roan Carneiro[/B] (12-6) vs. Anthony Johnson (6-1) [B]Yushin Okami[/B] (21-6) vs. Chris Leben (18-5) [B]Diego Sanchez[/B] (20-4) vs. Chris Lytle (25-16-5) [B]Keith Jardine[/B] (14-4-1) vs. Roger Hollett (11-1) [B]Jason Tabor [/B](5-0) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (12-3) Ibragim Magomedov (18-5-1) vs.[B] Rolles Gracie[/B] (3-0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidmarrio Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 [B]Georges St. Pierre (19-2)[/B] vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (19-2-1) [B]Fedor Emelianenko (28-3)[/B] vs. Fabricio Werdum (10-4-1) [B]Eddie Alvarez (18-1)[/B] vs. Jeremy Stephens (15-2) Dan Henderson (22-8) vs. [B]Karo Parisyan (19-5)[/B] [B]Rashad Evans (13-2-1)[/B] vs. Glover Teixeira (7-3) [B]Roan Carneiro (12-6)[/B] vs. Anthony Johnson (6-1) [B]Yushin Okami (21-6)[/B] vs. Chris Leben (18-5) [B]Diego Sanchez (20-4)[/B] vs. Chris Lytle (25-16-5) [B]Keith Jardine (14-4-1)[/B] vs. Roger Hollett (11-1) Jason Tabor (5-0) vs. [B]Kurt Pellegrino (12-3)[/B] Ibragim Magomedov (18-5-1) vs. [B]Rolles Gracie (3-0)[/B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RennikKain076 Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 [B]Georges St. Pierre[/B] (19-2) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (19-2-1) [B]Fedor Emelianenko[/B] (28-3) vs. Fabricio Werdum (10-4-1) [B]Eddie Alvarez[/B] (18-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (15-2) [B]Dan Henderson[/B] (22-8) vs. Karo Parisyan (19-5) [B]Rashad Evans[/B] (13-2-1) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-3) Roan Carneiro (12-6) vs. [B]Anthony Johnson [/B](6-1) [B]Yushin Okami [/B](21-6) vs. Chris Leben (18-5) [B]Diego Sanchez[/B] (20-4) vs. Chris Lytle (25-16-5) [B]Keith Jardine [/B](14-4-1) vs. Roger Hollett (11-1) [B]Jason Tabor[/B] (5-0) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (12-3) Ibragim Magomedov (18-5-1) vs. [B]Rolles Gracie [/B](3-0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 98 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Ibragim Magomedov (18-5-1) vs. Rolles Gracie (3-0)[/U][/B] Magomedov is making his UFC debut against a man who is currently 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Brad Morris and Gabriel Gozaga. Gracie is supposed to be one of the best Gracie's the Heavyweight division has ever seen and so far he is doing well so a win here would only help that claim. [B][U]Jason Tabor (5-0) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (12-3)[/U][/B] Tabor will make his UFC debut against a man coming off a second round TKO win over Joe Lauzon. If Tabor wins he could go straight into the top ten Lightweights. Tabor is naturally a Featherweight but when the UFC gave him that call he had no hesitations about moving up to Lightweight. [B][U]Keith Jardine (14-4-1) vs. Roger Hollett (11-1)[/U][/B] Hollett makes his UFC debut as and he comes in with a four fight win streak. He will fight the #8 ranked Light Heavyweight in Keith Jardine who is coming off an impressive second round submission over James Irvin. A win for Jardine could put him as high as #5 but Hollett is already ranked at #6 so a win for him could get him as high as #4. [B][U]Diego Sanchez (20-4) vs. Chris Lytle (25-16-5)[/U][/B] Diego is coming off a decision win over Akihiro Gono at UFC 96 while Lytle is coming off TKO loss to Matt Hughes to UFC 89. Neither fighter is currently ranked put a win could put one of them there so there is alot at stake for both fighters here. [B][U]Yushin Okami (21-6) vs. Chris Leben (18-5)[/U][/B] Okami and Leben both need wins going into this fight. Both fighters are capable of being top ten Middleweights but both have fallen on hard times. Leben is coming off a TKO loss to Rich Franklin. Okami is coming off two straight losses to Alan Belcher and Michael Bisping. Both fighters are worthey of being top ten Middleweights but now they have to prove it. [B][U]Roan Carneiro (12-6) vs. Anthony Johnson (6-1)[/U][/B] Johnson goes into this fight as the #10 ranked Welterweight but with a win over Carneiro he could go up as high as #6. He is coming off two straight wins over Paul Kelly and Steve Bruno. [B][U]Rashad Evans (13-2-1) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-3)[/U][/B] Both Evans and Teixeira are coming off losses. Teixeira is coming off a Knock Out loss to Chuck Liddell while Evans is coming off a Submission loss to Wilson Gouveia. Neither fighter is ranked right now but both could easily break into the top ten Light Heavyweights with a win in this fight. Teixeira has been impressive in the UFC so far going 2-1 so far. He won his debut over Arona and then he beat Sokoudjou before losing to Chuck. He hasn't gone to a decision since signings and he will be hoping for the same in this fight. [B][U]Dan Henderson (22-8) vs. Karo Parisyan (19-5)[/U][/B] Both these fighters have lost to Anderson Silva but they remain in the Middleweight division as they seek a rematch. Karo's last fight was his second round Knock Out loss to Anderson Silva so he will be looking to rebound. Henderson however is on a three fight losing streak with losses to Quinton Jackson, Anderson Silva and most recently Rich Franklin. Henderson is ranked at #10 in the Middleweight rankings but if he loses to Karo he certainly won't be for much longer. [B][U]Eddie Alvarez (18-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (15-2)[/U][/B] Alvarez is currently 4-0 in the UFC with two KO wins a TKO win and only one decision win. His wins were over Corey Hill, Cole Miller, Joe Stevenson and Frankie Edgar. Stephens is doing well recently aswell winning his last 2 fights over Spencer Fisher and Nate Diaz both via decision. Both fighters are currently ranked in the Lightweight top ten with Alvarez ranked at #5 and Stephens at #8. A win for Stephens could put him into #5 while a win for Alvarez could potentially push him into the top three. [B][U]Fedor Emelianenko (28-3) vs. Fabricio Werdum (10-4-1)[/U][/B] Fedor came into the UFC touted by many as the best fighter in the world but has since gone 1-2 losing two straight fights both by first round Knock Out to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cheick Kongo. Werdum is also coming off a TKO loss to Tim Sylvia. Both fighters are ranked Heavyweights with Werdum at #10 and Fedor being at #8. A win for Werdum could put him as high as #6 while a win for Fedor could put him as high as #4. [B][U]Georges St. Pierre (19-2) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (19-2-1)[/U][/B] The main event of the evening will feature not only Siyar Bahadurzada's UFC debut but also the long awaited Middleweight debut of the former Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. St. Pierre moved up to the Middleweight division after he beat pretty much everyone there was to beat at Welterweight. He is coming off three straight wins over Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and Matt Serra. Lots of people will think this will be a walkover for St. Pierre as not many people have heard of Siyar so they won't know much about him. I can tell you for a fact though he deserves his spot in the main event just as much as St. Pierre as he is a former Middleweight champion in multiple promotions and has won his last 6 fights. Both fighters are ranked in the top three in the Middleweight rankings. St. Pierre is ranked at #2 while Siyar is at #3. A win for either could put them at #1 if they win impressively. One thing that is for certain though is that whoever wins here will definately get the next shot at Silva's title.[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 98: St. Pierre vs. Bahadurzada[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][U][CENTER]Undercard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Ibragim Magomedov (18-5-1) vs. Rolles Gracie (3-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Rolles Gracie via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Magomedov starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Gracie. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Gracie goes for a single leg and puts Magomedov on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Gracie from getting on top. Magomedov definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Gracie hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Magomedov again. This time Magomedov isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Gracie will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Magomedov defends. Gracie tries to slip past to get side control, but Magomedov just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Gracie has the side. Two big elbows land, and Magomedov seems in trouble. Gracie goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before he can try again, and the referee separates them. The 1st round ends. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Gracie.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Gracie 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 Magomedov advancing. A sharp right misses, and Gracie takes the opportunity to pull Magomedov in to a tight clinch against the cage. Magomedov tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Magomedov wants to stand and bang, Gracie wants to keep things at close quarters. Magomedov tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that he is now the one against the cage. Trip from Gracie, and we're down to the ground. Gracie has side control, but Magomedov has landed with his left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Gracie will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Magomedov tries to squirm into a better position, but Gracie puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Gracie tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Magomedov defends it. Magomedov manages to bring a knee up and catch Gracie in the side, something of a cheeky move given his position. Gracie responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Magomedov covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Gracie may be easily winning the round, but he is not taking full advantage of this great position. Gracie tries to float over into a mount, but Magomedov uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Gracie enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Gracie is the last action of the round. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Gracie.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Gracie misses a right hand and is off balance, allowing Magomedov to come in for a takedown. Gracie pulls guard, and it's a particulary high one, Magomedov has to be careful that he doesn't get careless and end up in a triangle choke. Gracie bats away a couple of punches with his hands. Magomedov tries to pass guard, but leaves an arm in for just a fraction of a second too long, and Gracie is able to clamp his legs around it and pull. That's a tight arm bar, and Magomedov is going to have really trouble getting free. He tries to pull free, but it's no use. Magomedov taps out to the armlock. [B]Official time of the armbar submission is 0:48 of the third[/B]. [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Gracie with a good win here as he worked on Magomedov for two rounds and then he eventually made him tap less than a minute into the third. [B][CENTER]Jason Tabor (5-0) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (12-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Jason Tabor via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Pellegrino throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Tabor's jaw, but it is parried. Tabor steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Pellegrino 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, Tabor put a lot of weight behind it. Pellegrino hits a nice jab, then clinches. Tabor hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Pellegrino hits a low kick to the leg. Tabor bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Pellegrino goes down! Good shot from Tabor! He tries to follow up and pound on Pellegrino, but Pellegrino is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Tabor, sensing that Pellegrino is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Pellegrino ends up backed up against the cage. Tabor gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Pellegrino, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Tabor has in his hands is really posing Pellegrino some problems. The clinch drags on, with Tabor unable to break free, and the round ends like that. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Tabor.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] There's a few minor exchanges of punches to start the round, and Tabor gets the better of them. Neither fighter is throwing any bombs, but Tabor is showing the better technique, and has hit a few nice body shots. They come together again, and Tabor shows quick hands to get in three nice shots. Pellegrino definitely felt them. Neither fighter seems interested in taking this to the ground, they're just circling, throwing a few punches, then regrouping. Pellegrino is struggling to inflict much damage. He may need to switch tactics, as so far Tabor is looking very comfortable. Pellegrino comes in with left, but Tabor saw it coming and slipped in a great right hand counter punch. Pellegrino is getting frustrated. The remainder of the round is no different, as the occasional exchanges of strikes are clearly go the way of Tabor's superior technique. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Tabor by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Tabor puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Pellegrino defended well. Straight right from Pellegrino 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, Tabor probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Pellegrino 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 Tabor. The third round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Tabor. Jason Tabor wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Tabor wins his UFC debut and also his Lightweight division debut and is now 6-0. [B][CENTER]Keith Jardine (14-4-1) vs. Roger Hollett (11-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Roger Hollett via Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Jardine throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Hollett throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Jardine 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. Hollett hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Jardine. They struggle all the way back, with Jardine ending up backed up against the cage. Hollett hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Jardine stomps downward onto his foot. Jardine manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Hollett gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Jardine ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Jardine tries a high kick to start, but Hollett saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Hollett who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Jardine on the nose. Jardine hits a straight right, enough to stop Hollett 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Hollett.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Hollett is the first to score a meaningful blow, tagging Jardine with a jab to the cheek. Jardine uses a nice straight left to return fire. Hollett comes in to work the body, but Jardine saw it coming and uses a quick takedown to put Hollett onto the floor, falling into guard. Jardine rains down three big punches, Hollett covers up and doesn't take too much damage. Jardine works one leg free, but Hollett has the other tightly wrapped up between his own. Jardine fires off three rapid-fire elbows to the ribs to try and soften Hollett up, but can't get the leg free. This is not a good position for Hollett though, and Jardine is looking dangerous. Jardine pushes down, then brings his free leg forward to drive a knee into the lower back. Hollett can't do a lot to stop that strike. Jardine hits a further knee, and that is enough to allow him to move into side control. Hollett is in huge trouble here. Elbow to the face, only partially blocked. Jardine briefly gets a forearm across the throat of Hollett, but it is knocked away before it can develop into a choke. Hollett tries to scramble out of it, and almost manages to pull guard again, but Jardine maintains side control. Knee to the ribs again. Hollett is taking a lot of punishment from those knee strikes. Jardine switches tactic and tries to grab an arm lock of some kind, Hollett almost got caught by surprise but not quite. The round is almost over, and there is no question that this round has gone to Jardine, it has been utter dominance. Hollett tries to get a knee strike of his own in, but it misses and Jardine responds with a hard elbow to the chest. That'll be the last action of the round. End of round 2. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 Jardine.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Slow start, Jardine looks content to sit back and let Hollett commit himself, perhaps looking to capitalise on any mistake. Hollett does indeed commit himself, and it's to throw a big right hand, and it hits hard into the gloves, forcing Jardine to back up against the cage. Hollett steps in and unleashes a second, but this time Jardine was ready and a right hand counter hits Hollett, who is leaning in to his own punch, right on the chin. Hollett goes down, stunned. Jardine dives in and hits a beauty of a right hand, but gets sucked into the guard before he can do any more damage. Good recovery from Hollett. Jardine immediately tries to pass guard, but Hollett is not allowing it. Jardine fires off some punches, but Hollett blocks them before grabbing a butterfly guard to keep Jardine trapped. They stay like that for a while before Jardine breaks free, but only back into regular guard. Hollett tries a cheeky guillotine attempt, but Jardine easily defends it, I don't think Hollett really thought that was going to work. Jardine tries to get side control, but Hollett defends it. Not the second time though, and Jardine has the side. Hollett has him tied up pretty well though, and the clock is running down. Jardine gets in a firm couple of elbows to the ribs, but the time expires and the referee gets them to part. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Jardine. The three judges all give the match as 29-28 to Keith Jardine.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Jardine ruins the UFC debut of Hollett even after losing the first round. Hollett must of cracked under the pressure after winning that first round and then just gave away the next two. [B][CENTER]Diego Sanchez (20-4) vs. Chris Lytle (25-16-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Diego Sanchez via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Flat start to the round, thirty seconds of circling without any actual contact. The fans begin to get a bit restless. Sanchez is the first to try something, stringing together a couple of jabs and a low kick, but Lytle blocked the first two and avoided the latter. A lunge from Sanchez is meant to set up a punch, but it's clumsy and just leaves him off balance. Lytle is quick to react, and gets a great shot to the side of the face in before Sanchez 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 Sanchez some problems later on. Sanchez 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. Lytle is staying on it though, and glances three shots off the gloves of Sanchez 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 Sanchez 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. Sanchez goes for a trip, but Lytle 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 Lytle 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 Lytle.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] A couple of straight lefts from Lytle start the round, but neither got past the gloves of Sanchez. They clinch, with Sanchez looking like he initiated it. They struggle for supremacy. Lytle gets taken down, but traps Sanchez in guard. Lytle has the guard held very high. Sanchez throws a big right hand, but almost puts himself right into a triangle as a result, and he is forced to fight free. Lytle throws a punch and it lands right above the nose. Sanchez throws four massive punches as a response, threatening to try and knock Lytle right through the canvas, Lytle is forced to simply cover up and try to survive. Sanchez is controlling the round from this position, although it has to be said that he hasn't yet truly looked like he can stop the match from here. Lytle moves to butterfly guard and then tries to scramble back up, but Sanchez stops that by throwing another set of big punches, forcing Lytle to go back to the full guard. The round ends with them still like that, with Sanchez having totally controlled the round from the guard. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-8 to Sanchez.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Lytle starts off by throwing two excellent low kicks to the leading leg of Sanchez. Those will accumulate fast and give Sanchez some problems moving. Lytle switches it up and throws a big right hand, missing. Sanchez, who has been overwhelmed for the first thirty seconds of this round, steps in and throws a bomb of a right hand...and it connects! Lytle goes down from the first strike that Sanchez has thrown since the round began! Sanchez doesn't dive in, instead taking his time. Lytle recovered well from the punch, and remains seated on the floor, ready to defend. Sanchez throws a pair of kicks to the legs, then gets in closer, looking for a way to get past the guard. Another kick to the legs precedes him trying to swiftly get past the legs, but it is to no avail as Lytle is able to pull guard, just, that was close. Sanchez fires off a couple of tentative punches, testing out the guard of Lytle. Sanchez tries to pass the guard, but can't, Lytle isn't going to let him get a better position, as he knows that Sanchez will start raining down punches. Sanchez tries a big right hand, but it's easily defended. Lytle gets a punch of his own in, but it didn't connect properly. Sanchez again tries to get past the guard, but again is foiled. It's turned into a bit of a stalemate, although the referee probably won't stand them up as long as the punches continue to flow. Sanchez fakes an elbow before trying to pass the guard for a third time, and briefly has side mount, but Lytle fought it hard and gets back to guard within seconds. Butterfly guard by Lytle, and Sanchez is having trouble generating any attacking threat. He'll probably win the round as he has been more aggressive, but Lytle has defended the danger well. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Sanchez by 10-9. The three judges all give the match as 29-27 to Diego Sanchez.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Sanchez loses the first round but then dominates the second and then seals the win by winning the third aswell. He will be hoping to break into the top ten Welterweights with this win. [B][CENTER]Yushin Okami (21-6) vs. Chris Leben (18-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Yushin Okami via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Okami throws two high punches, then steps in for a hook to the body. Nice combination, but Leben defended with ease. They clinch up next to the cage, but a short struggle only ends with them separating and coming back in. Okami forces Leben back against the cage, where they clinch up. Okami has the better position, all the leverage is with him. He uses that to lift Leben up onto his shoulder, turns...and hits a running slam that gets the crowd going crazy! Big power takedown from Okami. Leben pulls guard, but he has to be stunned from that. Okami moves from the guard and gets side control. He is trying for the mount, but Leben is defending it. There's a small lull as Okami continues to try and get the mount. There it is, Leben finally couldn't stop it. Okami starts firing off punches, and Leben has nowhere to go. A big elbow gets through. A right hand lands on the nose of Leben. The referee is watching intently, I don't think he's going to let this go much longer unless Leben can come up with some answers. Okami hits another big elbow. And another. The referee leaps in, it's over! [B]The official time of the TKO is 1:31 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Okami gets an impressive but also a much needed win over Leben who will also need a win in his next fight after losing two in a row. [B][CENTER]Roan Carneiro (12-6) vs. Anthony Johnson (6-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Anthony Johnson via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Carneiro throws two high punches, then steps in for a hook to the body. Nice combination, but Johnson defended with ease. They clinch up next to the cage, but a short struggle only ends with them separating and coming back in. They clinch. Carneiro hits a knee. Body shot from Johnson. Carneiro goes for a second knee, but gets shoved away. He seems to stumble as he steps backward, and falls to the floor in an awkward moment. Johnson is on him fast, and scores with a big punch that landed sweetly. Johnson has a good position, half-straddling the upper body of Carneiro, and can pick his shots. A hard right thunders into the left cheek of Carneiro, and a left hits the same spot. Carneiro turns his hips, looking to try and shake Johnson loose, but gets turned over completely and gives up his back! Johnson starts punching again, driving fists into the side of Carneiro's face. Carneiro is trapped, and can barely cover up. A few more punches connect, one vicious one to the ear looking particularly nasty, and that's enough for the referee to pull Johnson away. [B]The official time of the TKO is 1:34 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Johnson wins another fight and this is his third win in a row. He will hope to be boosted up the rankings with this impressive win. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Rashad Evans (13-2-1) vs. Glover Teixeira (7-3) Sherdog's Prediction: Rashad Evans via Knock Out[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start to this round, Evans is being tentative and Teixeira 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 Evans's favour, as he gets a nice jab in, hitting right above the nose, and a solid shot to the body. Teixeira goes in for a takedown but only manages to secure one leg. Evans hammers down two shots to the back, but can't really do a lot else. Teixeira tries to push him over onto his back, but Evans manages to pull free and back off. Teixeira throws a high left handed jab then goes in for another takedown. Good sprawl from Evans, and he backs off. Teixeira doesn't get a chance to go for a third, because Evans takes the fight to him with a barrage of lefts and rights, forcing him back against the cage. Evans clinches up, only after hitting a hard shot to the stomach though. The clinch seems to go on forever, with Teixeira unable to get a good enough position to try a takedown, and Evans tied up too much to really throw any decent strikes. Eventually the time runs out and they head back to their corners. End of round 1. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Evans.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Evans leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Teixeira deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Teixeira uses a knee to the ribs before backing Evans up against the cage. Right hand from Evans connects though, that was well timed. Teixeira breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Evans was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Teixeira sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Evans fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Teixeira hits a wicked right hand, out of nowhere, and Evans goes down! Teixeira dives on top and starts unloading right hands, but Evans scrambles and gets back to his feet. Teixeira quickly follows up, looking to capitalise, but gets tagged with a left cross to the jaw. Evans, still looking a bit wobbly, throws a wild missile-like head kick...and it hits! Teixeira was so focused on pressing the advantage that he wasn't watching for the kick, and that's enough to knock him out cold. Evans wins with a kick out of left field. [B]Official time of the knock out is 3:44 of the second round.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Teixeira still hasn't gone the full three rounds in the UFC and continues to be exciting. He did lose though and he will be dissapointed with that as he was winning the second round but let his guard down and got KO'ed which is something he will have to work on. [B][CENTER]Dan Henderson (22-8) vs. Karo Parisyan (19-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Karo Parisyan via Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] The round begins with Parisyan taking the iniative, coming in quickly with a straight right and a leg kick. Henderson replies with a snap jab and a wild left that misses by a long way. Parisyan goes for the takedown, but Henderson sprawls. Parisyan tries to power through, but Henderson uses that against him and turns it into a takedown of his own. They're quite close to the cage, which may help Parisyan defend this. Henderson is in guard. He throws a couple of half-hearted jabs, then tries to pass, but Parisyan isn't allowing it. Parisyan pulls Henderson in tight, locking up both his arms. Henderson pulls free and again tries to pass guard. This has turned into a bit of a stalemate, the referee may be thinking of standing them up if nothing happens soon. Henderson tries a big right hand, which Parisyan defends well. He has quite a high guard, Henderson has to be wary not to fall into a triangle when leaning in like that. Parisyan once again drags Henderson down into a clinch, and this time even tries to work a guillotine, but Henderson easily deals with it and hands out two solid right hands to the ribs along the way. We're back to Henderson trying to pass guard. Parisyan tries to throw a big punch and almost hands an armbar to Henderson, but he realises the danger in time and manages to recover. The referee finally gets them back to their feet due to the lack of progress that has been made. Henderson scores with a jab, then a second. Parisyan goes for a sweeping kick to the right knee, but it isn't fast enough and gives Henderson enough time to take him down again. Henderson quickly goes to pass guard, looking for side control, but Parisyan once again defends it. It looks like a frustrating round will end with them on the ground, and almost certainly has to go to Henderson on points due to him being the aggressor and getting two takedowns in. The 1st round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Henderson[/B]. [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Henderson is quickest out, and comes at Parisyan with a series of jabs and straight punches. Parisyan covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Parisyan hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Henderson who takes it to the ground. Parisyan pulls guard. There's a lull, as Henderson tries to pass, and Parisyan defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Parisyan almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Henderson, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The second round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Henderson. [/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Right hand from Henderson was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Parisyan. Henderson follows up by coming in close, but Parisyan is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. Parisyan is bobbing and weaving, trying to find an angle of attack. Jabs and an occasional low kick from Henderson are making that hard though. A crisp right hand from Parisyan stings the gloves of Henderson, and he follows up with a kick that crashed into the ribs. That really connected, great strike. Parisyan looks to be growing in confidence, and comes in again, using the right hand lead once more. Henderson was ready though, and fires off a high kick. It connects with the side of the jaw, Parisyan did not see that one coming! He staggers and falls to the floor, totally unbalanced. Henderson is right in there; hammer fist to the side of the head, and another! There's a third. Parisyan is in big trouble. Vicious punch. The referee leaps in, that is all she wrote! [B]That kick caught Parisyan out, and from there onwards there was only going to be one outcome. Official time of the TKO is 1:52 of the third.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Henderson with a big win here over another top talent in the Middleweight division. [B][CENTER]Eddie Alvarez (18-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (15-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Eddie Alvarez via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Stephens throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Alvarez. Kick to the thigh from Alvarez, but it lacked power. Stephens looks to be working an angle. They come together, both throwing punches. Alvarez gets a nice clean shot in, and Stephens stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Alvarez is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. [B]The official time of the TKO is 1:23 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Alvarez with yet anoter win in the UFC which takes him to 5-0 since he signed. He will be hoping to move into the top three Lightweights with this win. [B][CENTER]Fedor Emelianenko (28-3) vs. Fabricio Werdum (10-4-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Fedor Emelianenko via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Emelianenko starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Werdum on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Emelianenko to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Werdum, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Emelianenko, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Werdum is looking a little lost so far, Emelianenko is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Werdum looks to be working an angle. Emelianenko leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Werdum was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Werdum 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 Werdum is that although Emelianenko clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Emelianenko.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start to the round, nearly a minute has gone by without anything but a few jabs finding gloves. Werdum comes in, looking for a grapple it seems, but takes a powerful kick just above the left hip. Emelianenko really put some venom into that strike. Werdum backs off, clearly stung. Emelianenko 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. Werdum ducks and moves out of range, but that was clearly intended to be a match-ender, Emelianenko 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 Werdum is looking to have a hard time countering them. On top of that, the threat of the kicks is keeping Werdum from getting in too close. Emelianenko stalks Werdum, throwing the occasional high right hand, perhaps range-finding. Werdum 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. Emelianenko hits a knee, but takes one right back. The kicks aren't a danger from this position, that's for sure. Emelianenko squirms free, but foolishly lost his concentration for a second and took a hard right hand above the eye in the process. Silly mistake. Werdum comes in, looking more confident now, and gets in a couple of right hands and a lovely hook to the body. Emelianenko tags him with a jab though, and then hits another fearsome kick to the same spot above the left hip. And another! Werdum backs off, and a huge red mark has appeared in that spot. Emelianenko advances and throws another head kick, but it is mostly blocked by the hands of Werdum. The round is drawing to a close, and those kicks have certainly proved massively effective for Emelianenko. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Emelianenko.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Emelianenko works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Werdum backed up against the cage. Emelianenko gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Werdum, who uses his legs well to defend. Emelianenko pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Werdum gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Emelianenko follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Emelianenko 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. Werdum tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Werdum 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 round 3. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Emelianenko. Fedor Emelianenko wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Fedor comes back from losing his last two fights via Knock Out. He is now 2-2 in the UFC and should move up the ranks with this win. [B][CENTER]Georges St. Pierre (19-2) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (19-2-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Georges St. Pierre via Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Bahadurzada clinches. They go down in an awkward moment, not sure what was going on then. Bahadurzada is in the guard of St. Pierre. He moves into a side mount, and St. Pierre didn't do much to stop it. Bahadurzada brings down a hard shot, but it deflects of the forearms of St. Pierre. Bahadurzada looks for a kimura, but St. Pierre shifts his weight and sweeps Bahadurzada. St. Pierre now has a half mount. Bahadurzada tries a sweep of his own, but St. Pierre blocks it, and then gets into a full mount. St. Pierre takes one arm, fights off a big effort by Bahadurzada to block it, and cinches in a armbar. Bahadurzada tries to get free, but is stuck, and is forced to tap out. [B]The official time of the armbar submission is 0:47 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: St. Pierre wins very impressively in his Middleweight debut. St. Pierre wins via submission in less than a minute and will surely challenge Anderson Silva for the title next. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: Rolles Gracie Knock Out of the Night: Rashad Evans Fight of the Night: Eddie Alvarez vs. Jeremy Stephens [B][U]Injuries[/U][/B] Jeremy Stephens suffered a stomach injury last night during his fight and he is expected to be out for four months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 4, 2008 Author Share Posted July 4, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]New Rankings After UFN 15 & UFC 98[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]UFC have released the new rankings following their UFN 15 & UFC 98 events.[/CENTER] [B][U]Lightweight[/U][/B] 1. Roger Huerta 2. Shinya Aoki 3. Vitor Ribeiro 4. Kenny Florian 5. Eddie Alvarez 6. Thiago Tavares +1 7. Jason Tabor - New Entry 8. Nick Diaz -2 9. Sean Sherk 10. Jim Miller [B][U]Welterweight[/U][/B] 1. Yoshiyuki Yoshida +2 2. Jon Fitch 3. Matt Hughes +1 4. BJ Penn +1 5. Thiago Alves +3 6. Matt Serra +1 7. Anthony Johnson +3 8. Dan Hardy -7 9. Dong Hyun Kim -3 10. Diego Sanchez - New Entry [B][U]Middleweight[/U][/B] 1. Georges St. Pierre +1 2. Anderson Silva -1 3. Gregard Mousasi +1 4. Michael Bisping +3 5. Forrest Griffin 6. Dan Henderson +4 7. Rousimar Palhales -1 8. Demian Maia +1 9. Thales Leites - New Entry 10. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza -2 [B][U]Light Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Thiago Silva 3. Wanderlei Silva 4. Lyoto Machida 5. Wilson Gouveia 6. Rich Franklin +1 7. Keith Jardine +1 8. Roger Hollett -2 9. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua 10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira [B][U]Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2. Sergei Kharitonov 3. Shane Carwin +1 4. Tim Sylvia +1 5. Fedro Emelianenko +3 6. Andrei Arlovski 7. Cheick Kongo -4 8. Chris Tuchscherer -1 9. Aleksander Emelianenko 10. Brandon Vera - New Entry [B][U]P4P[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 3. Roger Huerta 4. Georges St. Pierre +1 5. Anderson Silva -1 6. Shinya Aoki 7. Thiago Silva 8. Wanderlei Silva 9. Sergei Kharitonov 10. Vitor Ribeiro [B]Biggest Jump this month[/B]: Dan Henderson: Henderson moved up four ranks in the Middlewight top ten all the way upto #6 this month. He earned that spot when he got his first ever win in the UFC after going 3-0 before. He got his first win when he got a third round TKO win over Karo Parisyan at UFC 98. He is expected to fight either Gregard Mousasi or Michael Bisping next. [B]Biggest Drop this month[/B]: Dan Hardy: Hardy dropped a massive seven ranks in the Welterweight rankings as he fell to #8. This came about after he lost to Thiago Alves via a first round TKO. Hardy was extra dissapointed with this loss as it put him out of the Welterweight title tournament. He is expected to fight either Diego Sanchez or the loser of Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra next. [B]Most Impressive New Entry[/B]: Jason Tabor: Tabor made his Lightweight rankings debut at #7. He won his UFC debut recently at UFC 98 as he beat Kurt Pellegrino via decision after he won all three rounds. He is expected to fight either Nick Diaz or Jim Miller next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 4, 2008 Author Share Posted July 4, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces UFC 99: Aoki vs. Huerta[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced UFC 99: Aoki vs. Huerta. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] UFC Lightweight Championship: Shinya Aoki (18-2) vs. Roger Huerta (23-1-1) (c) Forrest Griffin (18-5) vs. Patrick Cote (14-5) Andrei Arlovski (14-6) vs. Shane Carwin (13-0) Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-5) vs. Wilson Gouveia (13-4) Ryan Schultz (21-10-1) vs. Jim Miller (12-1) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Mark Miller (8-3) vs. Akihiro Gono (29-14-7) Tyson Griffin (12-3) vs. Dennis Silver (11-5) Ben Rothwell (29-8) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (14-0) George Sotiropoulos (8-3) vs. Matt Arroyo (6-1) Matt Hamill (6-2) vs. David Heath (7-4) Demian Maia (9-0) vs. Jesse Taylor (6-2)[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 99 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Demian Maia (9-0) vs. Jesse Taylor (6-2)[/U][/B] Jesse Taylor makes his UFC debut against the #8 ranked Middleweight Demian Maia. Maia is coming off is currently undefeated at 9-0 and will be hoping for an easy win here to make him 10-0 and to help him up the ranks. If Maia does win he could go as high as #5. [B][U]Matt Hamill (6-2) vs. David Heath (7-4)[/U][/B] Hamill is coming off a TKO win over Tim Boetsch while Heath is coming off a decision loss to Sokoudjou. A win for Hamill could put him into the top ten Light Heavyweights which could put against better competition and if he gets a few big wins there he could be in line for a title shot. [B][U]George Sotiropoulos (8-3) vs. Matt Arroyo (6-1)[/U][/B] Arroyo has recently put together an impressive winning streak winning his last three fights and the last two via submission. Sotiropoulos wasn't so lucky in his last fight as he lost to Josh Koscheck via TKO back at UFC 88. A win over Sotiropoulos could give Arroyo that little push he needs to break into the top ten Welterweights. [B][U]Ben Rothwell (29-8) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (14-0)[/U][/B] Tuchscherer is currently 3-0 in the UFC and will be hoping to go 4-0 after beating an off form Rothwell. Rothwell has gone the opposite way of Tuchscherer by going a very dissapointing 0-3 since joining the UFC. Despite only being twenty seven years old Tuchscherer is already a ranked Heavyweight standing at #8 in the top ten. A win over Rothwell could push him up as high as #5. [B][U]Tyson Griffin (12-3) vs. Dennis Silver (11-5)[/U][/B] Tyson griffin has had mixed success recently going 1-2 in his last three fights with his latest fight being a decision loss to the now Lightweight champion Roger Huerta. Griffin still believes he is top ten material and at only twenty five he has alot of time to prove it but right now he has to concentrate on getting to small wins before he can get some big wins. [B][U]Mark Miller (8-3) vs. Akihiro Gono (29-14-7)[/U][/B] This fight will mark the UFC debut of Mark Miller as he fights Akihiro Gono. Miller was recently signed to a UFC contract despite coming off a Knock Out loss in his last fight in the IFL. Gono is also coming off a loss. Two losses actually and both via decision. He lost to Jon Fitch at UFN 14 and to Diego Sanchez at UFC 96. Both fighters will be very hungry for the win so this should be a very exciting fight. [B][U]Ryan Schultz (21-10-1) vs. Jim Miller (12-1)[/U][/B] Jim Miller will make his UFC debut at UFC 99 against a man that is quite new to the UFC himself having only one UFC fight and that man is Ryan Schultz. Miller left EliteXC to join the UFC which was a tough decision for him as he was the current EliteXC Lightweight champion having beat KJ Noons via TKO and he earned that shot by defeating Victor Valenzuela with a brutal Knock Out victory. With Miller coming off two straight (T)KO wins he will be hoping for a third but Schultz won't want to let that happen. Schultz is coming off an impressive few wins himself winning his last two fights with the most recent one being his UFC debut win over Terry Etim. Miller is already in the Lightweight rankings at #10 and a win over Schultz could put him as high as #7. [B][U]Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-5) vs. Wilson Gouveia (13-4)[/U][/B] This is a big fight in the Light Heavyweight division with Gouveia being only a win or two away from a title shot. Shogun however has been on down since he lost his title shot against Rampage. He has since lost to Wanderlei Silva via a brutal first round Knock Out. This could be a must win fight for Shogun but Gouevia will be begging he doesn't as this could be the last step he takes before he gets his title shot. He is on a three fight win streak right now with a decision win over Keith Jardine and also two first round submissions over Luis Cane and Rashad Evans. Both fighters are currently ranked with Shogun currently at #9 and Gouveia at #5. [B][U]Andrei Arlovski (14-6) vs. Shane Carwin (13-0)[/U][/B] This could be Carwin's final test before his title shot. He won't be getting the next title shot it seems though as it looks as though that prize will go to the currently #2 ranked Heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov. Carwin is currently 5-0 in the UFC with the highlight of his run being his TKO win over Brandon Vera. Arlovski was in title contention not too long ago before he lost via TKO to Sergei Kharitonov back at UFC 95. Both fighters are currently ranked in the top ten Heavyweights with Arlovski being ranked at #6 while Carwin stands at #3. [B][U]Forrest Griffin (18-5) vs. Patrick Cote (14-5)[/U][/B] Forrest Griffin has recently dropped down to #5 in the Middleweight rankings having been overtaken by Gregard Mousasi and Michael Bisping. He will look to reclaim what he says is his #3 spot with a win over Patrick Cote. Forrest, Mousasi and Bisping will be the three fighters who will be in top contention for a title shot against the winner of St. Pierre vs. Silva. Who will get the first shot between them though is unknown but Forrest will hope to move to the front of the race with an impressive win over Cote. Forrest is currently 3-0 since moving down to the Middleweight division holding wins over Kendall Grove, Nate Marquardt and most recently Alan Belcher. Cote is coming off a decision loss to Anderson Silva so he is loking to rebound from that loss. [B][U]UFC Lightweight Championship: Shinya Aoki (18-2) vs. Roger Huerta (23-1-1)(c)[/U][/B] This is a massive Lightweight match-up that is very important for the division as it could decide where the division is going. Aoki earned his title shot by going 3-0 since joining the UFC with wins over Spencer Fisher, Rich Clementi and most recently and probably the most impressive over Sean Sherk. This will be Huerta's first defence since he won it from BJ Penn in their thrilling fight where Penn won the first two rounds but Huerta came back in a massive way to win the next three rounds and the title. Huerta has gone 4-0 in his last four fights beating Frankie Edgar, Joe Stevnson, Tyson Griffin and ofcourse BJ Penn who has since moved up to Welterweight. If Huerta wins many top fighters have already lost to him so new fighters will need to be built up but if Aoki wins there are alot more fighters he hasn't beat so there will be more competition. Whoever wins this fight will not have an easy road and there next fight will most likely be against either Vitor Rieiro or Kenny Florian.[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 99: Aoki vs. Huerta[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][U][CENTER]Undercard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Demian Maia (9-0) vs. Jesse Taylor (6-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Demian Maia via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Two jabs from the left hand of Taylor set up a hard waist-high kick, but Maia steps back to avoid it. Nice attempt though. Taylor moves in closer, bobbing and weaving, and looks to score with a looping right hand, but Maia uses the gloves to parry it away, then counter-strikes with a crisp jab and a kick to the knee. Good opening to the round, both fighters are looking lively. Taylor finds himself backed up against the cage briefly, and has to scramble to safety to avoid a flurry of strikes. Maia is working for position, and is currently looking the more composed of the two. They clinch. Taylor gets in a nice knee, but a second attempt sees him swept to the ground. Taylor landed hard with Maia right on top of him, it looks like he got winded. Maia hits three big punches to the face, and Taylor is rocked. Maia gets an arm, locks in a kimura, and Taylor has no alternative but to tap out. [B]The official time of the kimura submission is 2:16 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Impressive submission finish here for Maia but a dissapointing debut for Taylor but he will hopefully take it on the chin and learn from his mistakes. [B][CENTER]Matt Hamill (6-2) vs. David Heath (7-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Matt Hamill via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] They come together, both throwing punches. Hamill gets a nice clean shot in, and Heath stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Hamill is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. [B]Hamill wins via TKO at 0:25 of the first round.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Hamill makes it two wins in a row with this TKO win and he did it in less than 30 seconds. [B][CENTER]George Sotiropoulos (8-3) vs. Matt Arroyo (6-1) Sherdog's Prediction: George Sotiropoulos 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. Sotiropoulos fakes a kick, then comes in hard and fast with a takedown, sending Arroyo to the floor. The momentum causes Sotiropoulos 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 passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Sotiropoulos has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around Arroyo's left arm. Arroyo's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Sotiropoulos covers up to defend them. Arroyo tries to pin down one of Sotiropoulos's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Sotiropoulos uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Arroyo 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 sees it 10-9 to Arroyo.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start to the round, they're both circling, looking for an opening. Sotiropoulos tries a looping punch from way back, but Arroyo side steps with ease. Jab from Arroyo, gets one back in response. Sotiropoulos comes in, looking for the right hand lead, but Arroyo shoots in and uses a double-leg takedown. He winds up in a closed guard. Arroyo passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Sotiropoulos has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around Arroyo's left arm. Arroyo's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Sotiropoulos covers up to defend them. Arroyo tries to pin down one of Sotiropoulos's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Sotiropoulos uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Arroyo 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 Arroyo by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Arroyo is quickest out, and comes at Sotiropoulos with a series of jabs and straight punches. Sotiropoulos covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Sotiropoulos hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Arroyo who takes it to the ground. Sotiropoulos pulls guard. There's a lull, as Arroyo tries to pass, and Sotiropoulos defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Sotiropoulos almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Arroyo, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The 3rd round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Arroyo. All three judges give a score of 30-27 to Matt Arroyo.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Arroyo makes it 4-0 in his last four fights with this comfortable decision win over Sotiropoulos. [B][CENTER]Ben Rothwell (29-8) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (14-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Ben Rothwell via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Rothwell is quickest out, and comes at Tuchscherer with a series of jabs and straight punches. Tuchscherer covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Tuchscherer hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Rothwell who takes it to the ground. Tuchscherer pulls guard. There's a lull, as Rothwell tries to pass, and Tuchscherer defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Tuchscherer almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Rothwell, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Rothwell.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Rothwell doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Tuchscherer easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Tuchscherer 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. The two fighters are circling. Tuchscherer comes in for a punch, but Rothwell countered well by coming in fast and low and using a good solid takedown. Rothwell is in Tuchscherer's guard. Tuchscherer is forced to cover up as Rothwell starts hammering away with enormous strikes from the guard, trying to simply power the shots through. Some do cause some damage, landing as Tuchscherer tries unsuccessfully to throw some counters. Rothwell transitions to side control without any issues and starts finding the punches down again, this time with more leverage and therefore more power. Tuchscherer tries to defend them, but a lot of them are getting through. The referee finally has enough and calls an end to the match, feeling that Tuchscherer was getting overwhelmed. [B]Rothwell wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 1:58.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Rothwell gets his first win in the octagon and in the process hands Tuchscherer's first loss leaving him still at a very impressive 14-1. [B][CENTER]Tyson Griffin (12-3) vs. Dennis Silver (11-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Tyson Griffin via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Fast start by Griffin, who has thrown three crisp jabs in the first twenty seconds, although none of them got past the gloves. Siver circles, drawing a lunge from Griffin, allowing him to score with a nice low kick to the front leg. Griffin ignores that and darts in for a takedown, but only ends up holding one leg, Siver hopping on the other to remain vertical. Griffin tries to push forward to complete the takedown, but Siver 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. Griffin has one leg trapped between Siver'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. Siver defends it well, without fully escaping it, Griffin 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. Siver suddenly releases the leg and scrambles up, looking to take Griffin's back. Griffin was ready for it though, and blocks it by pinning a half-standing Siver up against the cage. It's a precarious position for both fighters. Siver throws a couple of short-range punches. Griffin gets a leg in and trips Siver, putting him back on the ground, albeit this time in full guard. It was a nice escape attempt from Siver, 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. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Griffin.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] A touch of gloves to start the round, and we're underway. Griffin lets rip with a vicious straight right almost immediately, but it's easily avoided. Siver sneaks a jab through the guard and catches Griffin 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 Siver manages to get the better position, pushing Griffin up against the cage. Right hand to the ribs from Siver. Griffin 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. Siver tries a knee of his own, but that is the opportunity that Griffin was waiting for and he sweeps the standing leg to take Siver down to the ground, in side control. Excellent takedown. Siver covers up to defend against a pair of back-hand blows, and even manages to sneak a knee strike in. Griffin hits a big elbow to the ribs, Siver definitely felt that. Griffin drives a knee to the near side, then attempts to float-over into a mount. Siver brought his legs in though, and manages to pull guard. Griffin will be disappointed with that. He tries to get a big punch in, but Siver defends it well and gets a hold of both arms. The fight grinds to a halt, with Griffin unable to generate any attacks, and Siver unwilling to give up a good defensive position. The referee stands them up. Griffin 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Griffin.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Griffin throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Siver. Kick to the thigh from Siver, but it lacked power. Siver looks to be working an angle. Siver tries an ill-advised head kick, but Griffin ducks and comes straight underneath it. Grabbing the leg, he lifts Siver up and then violently plants him into the ground with a slam. Griffin dives in, but gets pulled into guard. Griffin moves from the guard and gets side control. He is trying for the mount, but Siver is defending it. There's a small lull as Griffin continues to try and get the mount. There it is, Siver finally couldn't stop it. Griffin starts firing off punches, and Siver has nowhere to go. A big elbow gets through. A right hand lands on the nose of Siver. The referee is watching intently, I don't think he's going to let this go much longer unless Siver can come up with some answers. Griffin hits another big elbow. And another. The referee leaps in, it's over! [B]Official time of the TKO is 1:18 of the third.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Griffin in now 2-2 in his last four fights and gets back on track with this confident TKO win over Silver. He could break into the top ten Lightweights if he is lucky. [CENTER][B]Mark Miller (8-3) vs. Akihiro Gono (29-14-7) Sherdog's Prediction: Akihiro Gono via TKO[/B][/CENTER] [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. Miller works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Gono backed up against the cage. Miller gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Gono, who uses his legs well to defend. Miller pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Gono gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Miller follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Miller 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. Gono tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Gono 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 sees it 10-9 to Miller.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Gono fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Miller. They clinch, and Miller winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Gono tries to push Miller back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. Gono misses a right hand and is off balance, allowing Miller to come in for a takedown. Gono pulls guard, and it's a particulary high one, Miller has to be careful that he doesn't get careless and end up in a triangle choke. Gono bats away a couple of punches with his hands. Miller tries to pass guard, but leaves an arm in for just a fraction of a second too long, and Gono is able to clamp his legs around it and pull. That's a tight arm bar, and Miller is going to have really trouble getting free. He tries to pull free, but it's no use. Miller taps out to the armlock. [B]Official time of the armbar submission is 3:14 of the second.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Miller loses his UFC debut but he shouldn't be dissapointed as he fought a top ten worthy opponent in Akihiro Gono and he still managed to win the first round and was unlucky to get caught in the armbar that finished it all. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Ryan Schultz (21-10-1) vs. Jim Miller (12-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Ryan Schultz via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Miller throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Schultz. Kick to the thigh from Schultz, but it lacked power. Miller narrowly misses a right cross. Schultz comes in looking for a kick, but Miller side-steps out of the way and then easily takes him down. Schultz was off-balance from the kick, and had no way of blocking the takedown. Miller moves from the guard and gets side control. He is trying for the mount, but Schultz is defending it. There's a small lull as Miller continues to try and get the mount. There it is, Schultz finally couldn't stop it. Miller starts firing off punches, and Schultz has nowhere to go. A big elbow gets through. A right hand lands on the nose of Schultz. The referee is watching intently, I don't think he's going to let this go much longer unless Schultz can come up with some answers. Miller hits another big elbow. And another. The referee leaps in, it's over! [B]The official time of the TKO is 1:25 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: The former EliteXC Lightweight champion wins his UFC debut in a very impressive first round TKO win over Ryan Schultz. [B][CENTER]Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (17-5) vs. Wilson Gouveia (13-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start to this round, Rua is being tentative and Gouveia 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 Rua's favour, as he gets a nice jab in, hitting right above the nose, and a solid shot to the body. Gouveia goes in for a takedown but only manages to secure one leg. Rua hammers down two shots to the back, but can't really do a lot else. Gouveia tries to push him over onto his back, but Rua manages to pull free and back off. Gouveia throws a high left handed jab then goes in for another takedown. Good sprawl from Rua, and he backs off. Gouveia doesn't get a chance to go for a third, because Rua takes the fight to him with a barrage of lefts and rights, forcing him back against the cage. Rua clinches up, only after hitting a hard shot to the stomach though. The clinch seems to go on forever, with Gouveia unable to get a good enough position to try a takedown, and Rua tied up too much to really throw any decent strikes. Eventually the time runs out and they head back to their corners. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Rua.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Gouveia comes out fast, and looks like he is aiming for a quick takedown, but Rua stops that plan with some looping punches. Solid right hand from Rua connects, and that's the best moment of the opening minute of the round. Gouveia is mainly defending against punches, it looks like he is trying to work an angle to try for a takedown. Rua seems to have noticed, as he is purposely positioning against that. Straight left from Rua, then a low kick, then a wicked body shot. Gouveia felt that, and backs off. Gouveia tries to get in for a clinch, perhaps looking for a takedown from that position, but Rua gets him to back off with some jabs. Rua has really been able to stamp his gameplan on this round, Gouveia has been blocked at every turn. The second round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Rua.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Gouveia fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Rua. They clinch, and Rua winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Gouveia tries to push Rua back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. They come together, both throwing punches. Rua gets a nice clean shot in, and Gouveia stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Rua is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. [B]Rua wins via 3rd round TKO with the official time being 3:16.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: **** [B]Notes[/B]: Shogun gets back on track with a good win over Gouveia. Many will say the stoppage was early but in all honesty was Gouveia going to get out and if he did he wasn't going to have enough time to finish Shogun and it would of ended in a boring decision win for Shogun. [B][CENTER]Andrei Arlovski (14-6) vs. Shane Carwin (13-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Andrei Arlovski via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Arlovski throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Carwin's jaw, but it is parried. Carwin steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Arlovski 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, Carwin put a lot of weight behind it. Arlovski hits a nice jab, then clinches. Carwin hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Arlovski hits a low kick to the leg. Carwin bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Arlovski goes down! Good shot from Carwin! He tries to follow up and pound on Arlovski, but Arlovski is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Carwin, sensing that Arlovski is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Arlovski ends up backed up against the cage. Carwin gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Arlovski, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Carwin has in his hands is really posing Arlovski some problems. The clinch drags on, with Carwin unable to break free, and the round ends like that. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Carwin.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Carwin doesn't exactly disguise his intentions for this round, going right to the center and motioning for Arlovski to come and trade blows. Arlovski wisely keeps back for the time being, content to throw long-range jabs. Carwin isn't quite as content though, as he begins to stalk Arlovski. They meet near the cage. Arlovski hits a nice jab, then goes to clinch. Carwin 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 Carwin 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. Arlovski is trying to keep moving, to not let Carwin get set to throw a bomb. Carwin is controlling this round by virtue of the knock out threat, as Arlovski is being forced to fight somewhat defensively. Carwin throws another big punch, narrowly missing, but does score with a follow up jab, landing just above the right eye. Arlovski returns fire with a pair of jabs, both finding gloves. Time begins to tick away. It hasn't been the most exciting round, but Carwin has controlled it and managed to land the better shots. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Carwin.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Carwin works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Arlovski backed up against the cage. Carwin gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Arlovski, who uses his legs well to defend. Carwin pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Arlovski gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Carwin follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Carwin 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. Arlovski tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Arlovski 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Carwin. The official scores are: 30-27 (twice), 29-28 for Shane Carwin.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: **** [B]Notes[/B]: Carwin wins a comfortable decision winning all three rounds and this just maybe his last step before his title shot. [B][CENTER]Forrest Griffin (18-5) vs. Patrick Cote (14-5) Sherdog's Prediction: Forrest Griffin via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Cote puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Griffin defended well. Straight right from Griffin 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, Cote probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Griffin 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 Cote. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Cote.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Griffin doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Cote was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Cote hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that he is rattled. Griffin throws out a few jabs, nothing too dangerous though, Cote easily avoided them. They get in close and exchange punches, it's not clear who got the better of that. Griffin hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Cote. Griffin is getting more force behind his punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd become a little restless. Time ticks away, and Cote offers nothing that would make you think that he has any chance of winning this round on points. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Griffin by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Cote is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although he probably wishes that he hadn't, as Griffin picks him off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Cote throws a wild punch as a counter, but Griffin ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Cote 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 Cote is looking for big punches, Griffin is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Cote manages to back Griffin up against the cage. Cote takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Griffin ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Cote can unload. Cote may need to think about changing tactics, Griffin is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Cote fakes a right hand, then shoots out a low kick, catching Griffin on the thigh. Griffin presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Cote 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Griffin by 10-9. The judges scores are unanimous, and give a score of 29-28 to Forrest Griffin.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: This was certainly Griffin's toughest fight since droppin down to Middleweight but he came through it with another win despite losing the first round. Now he will just be hoping that he takes that #3 spot back in the rankings. [CENTER][B]UFC Lightweight Championship: Shinya Aoki (18-2) vs. Roger Huerta (23-1-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Roger Huerta via Decision[/B][/CENTER] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Huerta is quickest out, and comes at Aoki with a series of jabs and straight punches. Aoki covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Aoki hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Huerta who takes it to the ground. Aoki pulls guard. There's a lull, as Huerta tries to pass, and Aoki defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Aoki almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Huerta, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Huerta.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] They come together, both throwing punches. Huerta gets a nice clean shot in, and Aoki stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Huerta is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. [B]Huerta wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 0:21. Roger Huerta retains the UFC Lightweight title.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: **** [B]Notes[/B]: Huerta makes his first defence and it's a pretty decisive one as he beat Huerta with a very early second round TKO. Huerta will fight either Vitor Ribeiro or Kenny Florian next. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: Akihiro Gono Knock Out of the Night: Jim Miller Fight of the Night: Andrei Arlovski vs. Shane Carwin [B][U]Resignings[/U][/B] Ben Rothwell, Shane Carwin and Chris Tuchscherer will all be resigned to new UFC contracts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]New Rankings After UFC 99[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]UFC have released the new rankings following their UFC 99 event.[/CENTER] [B][U]Lightweight[/U][/B] 1. Roger Huerta 2. Vitor Ribeiro +1 3. Kenny Florian +1 4. Eddie Alvarez +1 5. Shinya Aoki -3 6. Thiago Tavares 7. Jim Miller +3 8. Jason Tabor -1 9. Nick Diaz -1 10. Sean Sherk -1 [B][U]Welterweight[/U][/B] 1. Yoshiyuki Yoshida 2. Jon Fitch 3. Matt Hughes 4. BJ Penn 5. Thiago Alves 6. Matt Serra 7. Anthony Johnson 8. Dan Hardy 9. Dong Hyun Kim 10. Diego Sanchez [B][U]Middleweight[/U][/B] 1. Georges St. Pierre 2. Anderson Silva 3. Forrest Griffin +2 4. Gregard Mousasi -1 5. Michael Bisping -1 6. Dan Henderson 7. Rousimar Palhales 8. Demian Maia 9. Thales Leites 10. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza [B][U]Light Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Wanderlei Silva +1 3. Thiago Silva -1 4. Lyoto Machida 5. Rich Franklin +1 6. Wilson Gouveia -1 7. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua +2 8. Keith Jardine -1 9. Roger Hollett -1 10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira [B][U]Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2. Sergei Kharitonov 3. Shane Carwin 4. Tim Sylvia 5. Fedor Emelianenko 6. Cheick Kongo +1 7. Aleksander Emelianenko +2 8. Andrei Arlovski -2 9. Chris Tuchscherer -1 10. Brandon Vera [B][U]P4P[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Roger Huerta +1 3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -1 4. Georges St. Pierre 5. Anderson Silva 6. Wanderlei Silva +2 7. Thiago Silva 8. Vitor Ribeiro +2 9. Sergei Kharitonov 10. Kenny Florian - New Entry [B]Biggest Jump this month[/B]: Jim Miller: Miller made his UFC debut this month and the former EliteXC Lightweight champion didn't dissapoint as he easily dipatched Ryan Schultz with a first round TKO win. That win has him jump 3 places in the Lightweight ranks all the way upto #7. He is expected to fight either Nick Diaz or Sean Sherk next. [B]Biggest Drop this month[/B]: Shinya Aoki: Aoki dropped three ranks in the Lightweight rankings this month and he now stands at #5. This came after he lost in his title fight to Roger Huerta via a second round TKO. He is expected to fight either Nick Diaz or Din Thomas next. [B]Most Impressive New Entry[/B]: There arn't any impressive new entries this month as all the new entries are in the bottom two of the top ten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces UFC 100: Jackson vs. Silva[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced UFC 100: Jackson vs. Silva. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Quinton Jackson (32-6) vs. Thiago Silva (17-0) Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) vs. Rich Franklin (25-4) Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Matt Serra (11-6) vs. Matt Hughes (42-7) Brandon Vera (10-2) vs. Pedro Rizzo (18-9) Victor Ribeiro (21-2) vs. Frankie Edgar (8-2) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Jorge Rivera (15-7) vs. Cung Le (8-0) Roan Carneiro (12-7) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-2-1) Glover Teixeira (7-4) vs. Antonio Mendes (15-4) Mark Bocek (5-3) vs. Billy Evangelista (7-0) Ibragim Magomedov (18-6-1) vs. Daniel Puder (7-0) Nobutatsu Suzuki (4-1-2) vs. Nate Quarry (10-2)[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 100 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Nobutatsu Suzuki (4-1-2) vs. Nate Quarry (10-2)[/U][/B] Suzuki returns following his TKO loss to Michael Bisping back at UFN 15 in his UFC debut. Suzuki will be looking for a better showing here as he looks to get his first win inside the octagon. Quarry will look to stop him though as he fights for the first time since Avatar was hired. A win for Suzuki could put him into the Middleweight rankings. [B][U]Ibragim Magomedov (18-6-1) vs. Daniel Puder (7-0)[/U][/B] Magomedov returns after only just fighting at UFC 98 two months ago in a fight which he lost via submission to Rolles Gracie. This time he will be hoping for a different result. Puder won his UFC debut in his last fight as he beat Brad Morris via decision. [B][U]Mark Bocek (5-3) vs. Billy Evangelista (7-0)[/U][/B] Bocek is coming off a decision loss to Thiago Tavares while Evangelista is currently 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Dan Lauzon and Jorge Gurgel. Evangelista believes if he wins here he could move into the top ten Lightweights where he could start to face tougher competition and after a few wins hopefully earn a title shot. [B][U]Glover Teixeira (7-4) vs. Antonio Mendes (15-4)[/U][/B] Both these fighters desperately need wins as both are coming off two straight losses. Mendes has lost to both Thiago Silva and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou both via decision. Both of Teixeira's losses have come via first round Knock Out's and these came when he fought Chuck Liddell and then Rashad Evans. Teixeira is hoping that if he beats Mendes and then gets another win that he could break into the top ten Light Heavyweights. [B][U]Roan Carneiro (12-7) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-2-1)[/U][/B] This will be Kim's first fight since being knocked out of the Welterweight tournament by Jon Fitch via a first round TKO. Carneiro is also coming off a loss from his last fight as he lost Anthony Johnson via TKO. Kim is still ranked in the top ten Welterweights despite being knocked out of the tournament. He is currently ranked at #9 but a win could push him up as high as #6. [B][U]Jorge Rivera (15-7) vs. Cung Le (8-0)[/U][/B] Cung Le is 3-0 in the UFC so far with wins over Marvin Eastman, Rory Singer and most recently Ricardo Arona. Rivera hasn't been so lucky recently as he lost his last fight to Rousimar Palhales via submission. Cung will be hoping a win over Rivera will put him into the top ten Middleweights. [B][U]Vitor Ribeiro (21-2) vs. Frankie Edgar (8-2)[/U][/B] The #2 ranked Lightweight Vitor Ribeiro will go up against twenty seven year old up and comer Frankie Edgar this month. Edgar is coming off two straight losses but the competition doesn't get any easier. Edgar has lost to both Roger Huerta and Eddie Alvarez via (T)KO. Ribeiro is already ranked at #2 in the Lightweight rankings and he doesn't have much hope of getting past Roger Huerta into the #1 spot but a win over Edgar would keep Kenny Florian and Eddie Alvarez at bay. Vitor is currently 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Din Thomas and Josh Thomson. [B][U]Brandon Vera (10-2) vs. Pedro Rizzo (18-9)[/U][/B] Vera is coming into this fight coming off an impressive TKO win over Frank Mir at UFN 15 and will be looking to make it two wins in a row and hand Rizzo his third loss in a row. Rizzo has lost both of his last two fights via decision to both Shane Carwin and Sergei Kharitonov. Vera is ranked at #10 in the Heavyweight rankings while Rizzo is surely just a win or two away from being in the top ten. A win for Vera could put him as high as #6 in the rankings. [B][U]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Matt Serra (11-6) vs. Matt Hughes (42-7)[/U][/B] This is the final and probably the most interesting fight in the Quarter Finals. Serra is coming off a decision loss to Georges St. Pierre in a fight that ended the trilogy and was the last fight for St. Pierre in the Welterweight division before moving up into the Middleweight division. Hughes is 1-1 in his last two fights with a dissapointing loss to Jonathan Goulet back at UFC 85 but he did rebound at UFC 89 when he beat Chris Lytle via a second round TKO. Whoever wins here will fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the next round for a spot in the final and a chance to win the Welterweight title. [B][U]Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) vs. Rich Franklin (25-4)[/U][/B] Rich Franklin in his first fight at Light Heavyweight since moving up from the Middleweight division. He will face Sokoudjou who is currently on a three fight win streak beating Houston Alexander, David Heath and Antonio Mendes. Franklin has only ever lost to two men and he doesn't plan on making that three men. Franklin is coming off a Knock Out loss to Anderson Silva. Franklin is already ranked in the Light Heavyweight rankings being ranked at #5 and a win over Sokoudjou could put him as high as #3 by the end of the night. A win for Sokoudjou would mark his fourth win in a row and would certainly put him into the top ten Light Heavyweights so he will have a lot to gain if he wins. [B][U]UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Quinton Jackson (32-6) vs. Thiago Silva (17-0)[/U][/B] This is a massive fight to headline a historic event and everyone will be hoping for fireworks in this fight. Thiago earned his shot at the title by being undefeated at 17-0 and getting wins over people like Tomasz Drwal and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Jackson won't be to worried though as he has been a dominant champion so far beating Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida and most recently Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua. This will be Jackson's fifth defence and many will say it is the easiest one so far. Thiago doesn't think so though as he feels he deserves his shot having been undefeated in seventeen fights and not really being troubled in any of them.[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC 100: Jackson vs. Silva[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][U][CENTER]Undercard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Nobutatsu Suzuki (4-1-2) vs. Nate Quarry (10-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Nate Quarry via Split Decision[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Suzuki starts fast, immediately going on the attack with jabs and straight rights. Quarry covers up from the initial burst, then starts throwing some raking rights and lefts. Suzuki bobs and weaves out of harm's way, countering by flicking off jabs whenever possible, peppering Quarry with strikes. None of them are likely to knock Quarry down, but they will add up over time. Quarry moves in and tries to back Suzuki up against the cage, but he is too quick, and won't allow himself to get caught. Quarry is having a real problem with Suzuki'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 Suzuki scores with a sharp left hand to the chest, and is gone before the big right hand of Quarry hits. Quarry looks frustrated, and switches tactics, no longer looking for the big punches but trying to stop Suzuki getting in close by using low kicks and long, raking punches. Suzuki is kept from doing any further damage, but Quarry isn't generating any offence either. Suzuki comes in from an angle, takes a right hand, but scores with a flurry of his own. Quarry tries to hit a low kick, but misses. Time is running down, Suzuki is going to take this round on points, he has been able to dominate it thanks to his superior movement. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Suzuki by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Quarry goes to the center, and immediately throws some jabs, looking to engage in a striking battle. Suzuki doesn't commit though, instead circling and looking for an angle. Suzuki comes in, ducks a right hand, then unleashes a flurry of punches. Quarry covers up at first, then throws a scathing right hand, but Suzuki is already out of range. Suzuki 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 Quarry is beginning to look frustrated. Suzuki's footwork and general movement is looking good, Quarry is being made to look very slow and lumbering in comparison. Furthermore, Suzuki is being able to launch multiple short bursts of offense without really being in any danger, Quarry has yet to hit any sort of meaningful punch, simply because Suzuki is too quick. Quarry finally gets in close enough to grapple with Suzuki, clinching up. Quarry scores a nice body punch, then steps back and goes for a vicious right hand, but Suzuki bobs out of the way and hits a right hook of his own. Time is ticking away, and Quarry is well behind in this round, he needs to do something special. Quarry swings for the fences, but Suzuki has no problem avoiding it. The round peters out. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Suzuki.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] The round begins, and it is Suzuki who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Quarry defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Suzuki works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Quarry ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Suzuki down much though, as he swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Quarry. Interesting first minute of action, Suzuki is looking particularly sharp. Quarry tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Suzuki back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Quarry tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Suzuki scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. Suzuki is looking the slightly more fit of the two fighters. They square up to each other in the center. Suzuki throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Quarry on the side of the head. Quarry got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Suzuki has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Quarry tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Suzuki defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Suzuki. The official scores are: 30-27 (twice), 29-28 for Nobutatsu Suzuki.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Suzuki wins and is now 1-1 in the UFC. This was an impressive win for Suzuki as he beat Quarry via a comfortable decision. [B][CENTER]Ibragim Magomedov (18-6-1) vs. Daniel Puder (7-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Daniel Puder via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Magomedov is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although he probably wishes that he hadn't, as Puder picks him off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Magomedov throws a wild punch as a counter, but Puder ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Magomedov 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 Magomedov is looking for big punches, Puder is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Magomedov manages to back Puder up against the cage. Magomedov takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Puder ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Magomedov can unload. Magomedov may need to think about changing tactics, Puder is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Magomedov fakes a right hand, then shoots out a low kick, catching Puder on the thigh. Puder presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Magomedov 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. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Puder.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Puder, providing the first moment of real action. Magomedov hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Puder side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Magomedov 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. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Magomedov.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Puder starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Magomedov on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Puder to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Magomedov, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Puder, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Magomedov is looking a little lost so far, Puder is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Puder looks to be working an angle. Puder leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Magomedov was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Magomedov 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 Magomedov is that although Puder clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. The round is over. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Puder. Daniel Puder wins, with a score of 29-28 from two judges, 30-27 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Puder wins and he is now 2-0 in the UFC. Magomedov has been very dissapointing in the UFC so far going 0-2. [B][CENTER]Mark Bocek (5-3) vs. Billy Evangelista (7-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Billy Evangelista via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Evangelista doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Bocek was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Bocek hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that he is rattled. A looping left from Evangelista, but it's wide of the mark. They get in close and exchange punches, it's not clear who got the better of that. Evangelista hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Bocek. Evangelista is getting more force behind his punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. For a second it looked like Bocek was about to go for a takedown, but nothing came from it. Time ticks away, and Bocek offers nothing that would make you think that he has any chance of winning this round on points. The 1st round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Evangelista.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] The round begins with Bocek taking the iniative, coming in quickly with a straight right and a leg kick. Evangelista replies with a snap jab and a wild left that misses by a long way. Bocek goes for the takedown, but Evangelista sprawls. Bocek tries to power through, but Evangelista uses that against him and turns it into a takedown of his own. They're quite close to the cage, which may help Bocek defend this. Evangelista is in guard. He throws a couple of half-hearted jabs, then tries to pass, but Bocek isn't allowing it. Bocek pulls Evangelista in tight, locking up both his arms. Evangelista pulls free and again tries to pass guard. This has turned into a bit of a stalemate, the referee may be thinking of standing them up if nothing happens soon. Evangelista tries a big right hand, which Bocek defends well. He has quite a high guard, Evangelista has to be wary not to fall into a triangle when leaning in like that. Bocek once again drags Evangelista down into a clinch, and this time even tries to work a guillotine, but Evangelista easily deals with it and hands out two solid right hands to the ribs along the way. We're back to Evangelista trying to pass guard. Bocek tries to throw a big punch and almost hands an armbar to Evangelista, but he realises the danger in time and manages to recover. The referee finally gets them back to their feet due to the lack of progress that has been made. Evangelista scores with a jab, then a second. Bocek goes for a sweeping kick to the right knee, but it isn't fast enough and gives Evangelista enough time to take him down again. Evangelista quickly goes to pass guard, looking for side control, but Bocek once again defends it. It looks like a frustrating round will end with them on the ground, and almost certainly has to go to Evangelista on points due to him being the aggressor and getting two takedowns in. The 2nd round ends. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Evangelista.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Bocek starts out with a few straight rights, range-finding rather than actually dangerous. Evangelista keeps out of their way. Bocek steps forward and tries to unload with a looping left, but Evangelista moves to the side and fires off a powerful right hand of his own, landing above the left eye. Bocek doesn't go down, but definitely felt that shot. Evangelista moves in closer and fires off two punches to the face and a big hook to the body. Bocek parried the first two, but the third hit home hard. Evangelista begins to stalk Bocek, who may be slightly winded. They meet again in the center and exchange blows. Bocek hits a high jab but gets caught with another hard punch to the side of the head. Bocek clinches up, stopping Evangelista from following up. It looks like Bocek needs to change his game plan, standing up and banging with Evangelista is playing right into his opponent's hands, as Evangelista clearly has the more powerful strikes in his arsenal, and Bocek is going to get floored sooner or later, judging by this round. The referee parts them from the clinch. Evangelista continues to look ready to unleash some big punches. Bocek takes a takedown, then comes in much closer, throws a jab, and clinches back up. Bocek looks like he is going to grapple, stopping Evangelista from throwing bombs. Bocek gets in a few short punches to the ribs. The round ends with them still in the clinch. Evangelista will take that round on points, having used the threat of a knock out to basically control everything about that round except the clinches. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Evangelista by 10-9. The official scores are: 30-27 (twice), 29-28 for Billy Evangelista.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: * [B]Notes[/B]: Evangelista is now 3-0 in the UFC and 8-0 overall. He will be hoping to break into the top ten Lightweights with this win. [B][CENTER]Glover Teixeira (7-4) vs. Antonio Mendes (15-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Glover Teixeira via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Teixeira doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Mendes was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Mendes hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that he is rattled. A looping left from Mendes, but it's wide of the mark. They get in close and exchange punches, it's not clear who got the better of that. Teixeira hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Mendes. Teixeira is getting more force behind his punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. A looping left from Mendes, but it's wide of the mark. Time ticks away, and Mendes offers nothing that would make you think that he has any chance of winning this round on points. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com has it down as 10-9 Teixeira.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Teixeira starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Mendes on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Teixeira to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Mendes, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Teixeira, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Mendes is looking a little lost so far, Teixeira is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Mendes looks to be working an angle. Teixeira leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Mendes was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Mendes 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 Mendes is that although Teixeira 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 gives that one to Teixeira by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Mendes comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when he throws a left hand which was too high. Teixeira moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Mendes gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head, it looked to hit right on the ear. Teixeira didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Teixeira swings and hits a nice right hand. Mendes 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! Teixeira 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 Mendes's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Teixeira looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Mendes on the outside of the calf. He definitely felt that. Time is running out; Teixeira will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. The 3rd round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Teixeira. Glover Teixeira wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Teixeira is back on track and is now 3-2 in the UFC. After another win he could be in the top ten Light Heavyweights. [B][CENTER]Roan Carneiro (12-7) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-2-1) Sherdog's Prediction: Dong Hyun Kim via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Kim hits a solid left, then a right. Carneiro felt both of them, and backs off a little. Kim charges right in to follow up though, and unleashes a powerful right hook, and Carneiro took it flush on the chin! Kim doesn't even bother following up on that, because Carneiro was out cold from the instant that that hit. Incredible punch. [B]The official time of the knock out is 0:50 of round 1.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Kim is right back on track after being knocked out of the tournament and what a win to get back on track with. Kim dominated Carneiro in this fight only needing 3 punches to KO him. [B][CENTER]Jorge Rivera (15-7) vs. Cung Le (8-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Cung Le via Submission[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Le isn't hanging around, right from the start Rivera is forced onto the back foot by four hard shots, although none of them get through the gloves. Rivera circles, steps in, then unloads a combination of punches, but Le weaves out of the way and scores with a beauty of a right hand, glancing above the right eye. That was some lovely counter punching from Le, the timing had to be perfect and it was. Rivera is looking a bit frustrated, and uncorks a ragged-looking uppercut that missed by several inches. Le really should have taken advantage of that mistake, Rivera was wide open for a moment there. Le hits a high kick, catching Rivera on the shoulder. Jab from Rivera finds the mark, but it didn't have much power behind it as he was leaning backward too much. Le fires off a couple of straight punches in response, but only finds gloves. They clinch, and the fight enters a lull. Rivera scores with a knee from the clinch, it landed around the hip area of Le, who responds with a couple of shots to the ribs. The time runs out with them still clinched though. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Le.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Le, providing the first moment of real action. Rivera hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Le side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Rivera 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 Rivera.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Rivera works an angle and comes in from the side of Le, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Le hits a low kick to back Rivera against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Rivera fights out and the action returns to the center. They come together, both throwing punches. Le gets a nice clean shot in, and Rivera stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Le is on top of him quickly, and unloads with two more big punches, both connect solidly. The referee jumps in and pulls him away before a third is thrown, this match is over by TKO. Replays show the referee may have been slightly early. [B]Le wins via 3rd round TKO with the official time being 2:18.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Le wins and is now 9-0 and after a win or two more he could be in the top ten Middleweights. [B][U][CENTER]Maincard[/CENTER][/U][/B] [B][CENTER]Vitor Ribeiro (21-2) vs. Frankie Edgar (8-2) Sherdog's Prediction: Vitor Ribeiro via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Ribeiro starts tentatively, and scores with a few sharp leg kicks. A straight left connects, and Edgar is forced backward to avoid an uppercut. Good start from Ribeiro. Edgar tries to come inside, but eats a kick to the thigh. They clinch briefly, but it goes nowhere. Looping right hand from Edgar, but it only caught Ribeiro on the shoulder. Another kick connects from Ribeiro, and that sets up a nice combination to the body. The accuracy of his kicks has been excellent so far, and is keeping Edgar from doing very much. An exchange of punches goes nowhere, and they fall into a clinch. The referee separates them when nothing happens. Right hand from Edgar, 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. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Ribeiro.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Edgar starts out with a few straight rights, range-finding rather than actually dangerous. Ribeiro keeps out of their way. Edgar steps forward and tries to unload with a looping left, but Ribeiro moves to the side and fires off a powerful right hand of his own, landing above the left eye. Edgar doesn't go down, but definitely felt that shot. Ribeiro moves in closer and fires off two punches to the face and a big hook to the body. Edgar parried the first two, but the third hit home hard. Ribeiro begins to stalk Edgar, who may be slightly winded. They meet again in the center and exchange blows. Edgar hits a high jab but gets caught with another hard punch to the side of the head. Edgar clinches up, stopping Ribeiro from following up. It looks like Edgar needs to change his game plan, standing up and banging with Ribeiro is playing right into his opponent's hands, as Ribeiro clearly has the more powerful strikes in his arsenal, and Edgar is going to get floored sooner or later, judging by this round. The referee parts them from the clinch. Ribeiro continues to look ready to unleash some big punches. Edgar takes a takedown, then comes in much closer, throws a jab, and clinches back up. Edgar looks like he is going to grapple, stopping Ribeiro from throwing bombs. Edgar gets in a few short punches to the ribs. The round ends with them still in the clinch. Ribeiro will take that round on points, having used the threat of a knock out to basically control everything about that round except the clinches. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Ribeiro.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Ribeiro is quickest out, and comes at Edgar with a series of jabs and straight punches. Edgar covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Edgar hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Ribeiro who takes it to the ground. Edgar pulls guard. There's a lull, as Ribeiro tries to pass, and Edgar defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Edgar almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Ribeiro, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Ribeiro. Vitor Ribeiro wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: ** [B]Notes[/B]: Ribeiro with another win and is now 3-0 in the UFC and certainly a title shot must be on the horizon. [B][CENTER]Brandon Vera (10-2) vs. Pedro Rizzo (18-9) Sherdog's Prediction: Brandon Vera via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Not much happening at first. Rizzo is the first to make a move, coming in with a right hand that narrowly misses. Vera gets in a jab that landed on the left cheek of Rizzo, and leaves a mark. Quite a slow paced round so far. Rizzo 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! Rizzo stumbles but doesn't go down, and has to cover up as Vera comes in with a series of punches to try and finish the job. Rizzo somehow manages to hold on long enough to get his senses back, and buys some time by clinching. Hard knee from Rizzo from the clinch, and Vera felt that, he looks a little tired from unloading that barrage. They break, and Rizzo gets in a nice right hand. Rizzo looks to be working an angle. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Vera by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Not the most interesting of starts to the round, it's mainly a lot of circling. The referee apparently gets bored, as he tells them to get on with it and fight. Rizzo complies, firing off a dangerous right cross, narrowly missing. Vera throws a couple of stiff jabs, but they only find gloves. Rizzo fakes left, then comes in from the right, hitting a nice body blow. Vera steps forward and unleashes a big kick, thundering it into Rizzo's ribs. He felt that one for sure. Vera follows up by hitting a right hand too. Rizzo finds himself backed up against the cage. Vera advances, and throws a scythe-like kick to the legs. Rizzo can't get out of the way, and almost gets felled by the impact. Vera steps in and scores with a high head kick. Rizzo partially blocked it with his hands, which was probably the only thing stopping it from being a knock out blow. Rizzo gets a right hand jab out in response, then pulls Vera into a clinch. Knee strike from Vera. They break. Rizzo still looks hurt from that first kick. Vera gets in close and gives a receipt for that earlier body blow, nailing a right hand to the gut. Rizzo hits a jab to the cheek in response, then clinches again. Time runs down, the round will end before anything more can happen. Vera has used those powerful kicks to dominate this round. The 2nd round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores 10-9 Vera.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Vera comes out fast and quickly backs Rizzo up, all the way up against the cage. Vera throws a series of rights and lefts; none of the strikes to the head got through, but two nice body shots did. He doesn't follow up though, instead keeping a few steps back, clearly not wanting to get tied up in a clinch. Rizzo throws a low kick, then advances with some jabs, forcing Vera to back off a little. They meet in the center and exchange strikes, with Vera looking the crisper striker of the two, although without doing any real damage. Rizzo shoots in for the takedown, but Vera sprawls and eventually pushes free. Right hand from Vera, then two jabs which both find their mark. Rizzo bats away a third, then comes in hard and fast for a second takedown attempt. Vera sprawls again, but gets pushed all the way up against the cage. Rizzo has a leg, but is low down to the ground and doesn't have the leverage to complete the takedown. He works to a better standing position, but has to lose the leg and grab a clinch instead. They both fire off some small punches from there. Rizzo tries for a trip, but Vera avoids it and works free from the clinch. He returns to the center, clearly wanting a striking battle rather than a grappling match. Rizzo follows, hands held high, and throws a couple of jabs. Vera connects with one instead though, and then with a looping right hand that catches Rizzo above the eye. He felt that, but doesn't go down. Best strike of the round so far. Rizzo throws a low kick. Vera comes in to strike again, but this time cannot sprawl quickly enough and gets taken down. Vera pulls guard. Unfortunately for Rizzo, now that he has finally gotten the takedown, there's less than thirty seconds left. He tries to pass guard to get to side control, but Vera comfortably defends it until the round is over. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Vera. The three judges all give the match as 30-27 to Brandon Vera.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Vera gets his second win in a row and this win should boost him up the Heavyweight rankings quite nicely. [B][CENTER]Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final: Matt Serra (11-6) vs. Matt Hughes (42-7) Sherdog's Prediction: Matt Hughes via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/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. Hughes is the first to land a worthwhile blow, hitting a straight right that catches Serra on the side of the cheek. Hughes 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. Serra goes for a trip and almost gets it, but Hughes is able to regain his footing at the last moment. Serra has Hughes against the cage, and hits three right hands to the side of the ribs. Hughes reaches down and picks up a leg, using that as leverage to topple Serra, who pulls guard. Hughes starts pounding away and does some damage before Serra grapples and pulls him down into a clinch. Serra has both of Hughes's arms tied up, preventing much in the way of attacking action. Hughes uses some shoulder shrugs to the face, but Serra isn't going to be too bothered by that. Hughes pulls one arm free. Serra still has tight control of the other, and brings his legs up, trying to apply an armbar. Hughes sees it coming and blocks it easily, getting in a couple of punches for good measure. Hughes steps through the legs and forces Serra to release the arm so that he can cover up against a series of strikes. Serra manages to ensare one leg though, and so Hughes has to make do with being in half guard instead of getting the full mount that he wanted. Hughes hits a couple of punches, takes one back, then attempts to get side control. Serra keeps him at bay. Time is ticking away, if Hughes is going to use this position to finish the match, it had better be done soon. Hughes pulls Serra's left arm to one side and straightens it out, perhaps looking to turn it into an armbar. Serra rolls over to stop the arm getting trapped. Hughes continues to work for it though. Time expires though, the round is over. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Hughes.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Serra throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Hughes. Kick to the thigh from Hughes, but it lacked power. Hughes looks to be working an angle. Serra pushes Hughes up against the cage in a clinch. Serra throws a knee, then a couple of short punches to the side of the head. Hughes pushes him away and steps in to score with an uppercut. Serra took it flush on the chin and is rocked! Another right hand drops Serra against the cage, and Hughes follows up by unloading with a barrage of punches. The referee gets in and pulls Hughes away, he wins the match by TKO. [B]The official time of the TKO is 1:40 of round 2.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: *** [B]Notes[/B]: Hughes with an impressive win and he will fight #1 ranked Welterweight Yoshiyuki Yoshida next in the tournament semi finals. [B][CENTER]Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) vs. Rich Franklin (25-4) Sherdog's Prediction: Rich Franklin via Submission[/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. Sokoudjou works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Franklin backed up against the cage. Sokoudjou gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Franklin, who uses his legs well to defend. Sokoudjou pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Franklin gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Sokoudjou follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Sokoudjou 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. Franklin tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Franklin 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 Sokoudjou.[/B] [B][U]Round 2[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Sokoudjou puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Franklin defended well. Straight right from Franklin 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, Sokoudjou probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Franklin 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 Sokoudjou. That's the end of the round. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Sokoudjou by 10-9.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Sokoudjou leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Franklin deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Franklin uses a knee to the ribs before backing Sokoudjou up against the cage. Right hand from Sokoudjou connects though, that was well timed. Franklin breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Sokoudjou was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Franklin sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Sokoudjou fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Sokoudjou throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Franklin almost seems to be inviting him on to throw punches, he could be trying to lure him into over-committing. Sokoudjou throws a jab that connects, albeit without much power, but it causes Franklin to back up quickly, back toward the cage. Sokoudjou comes in quickly, throwing looping punches, but gets reckless and Franklin grabs the opportunity by nailing a big right cross! Sokoudjou collapses in a heap, his left leg buckling underneath him in at an awkward angle. Franklin has knocked him out cold with a killer punch. [B]Official time of the knock out is 4:21 of the third.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: **** [B]Notes[/B]: Franklin wins and ends Sokoudjou's winning streak. Sokoudjou won the first two rounds and was winning the third but he got reckless and that is when Franklin's experiance kicked in and he was able to KO Sokoudjou for the win. [B][CENTER]UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Quinton Jackson (32-6) vs. Thiago Silva (17-0) Sherdog's Prediction: Quinton Jackson via TKO[/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Round 1[/U][/B] Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Silva puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Jackson defended well. Straight right from Jackson 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, Silva probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Jackson 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 Silva. The first round is over. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to 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. Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson some problems later on. Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson 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. Jackson 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. End of the round. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Silva.[/B] [B][U]Round 3[/U][/B] Jackson hits the first punch of the round, scoring with a jab to the cheek. Silva throws a left hook in response, but it's well wide of the mark. Jackson steps in and hits a low kick. Silva ignores it and shoots in for a takedown. Jackson saw it coming though, and defends it brilliantly, sprawling at first, then pushing Silva face-down to the ground so that he can take his back. Silva turtles up. Jackson hits a couple of hard shots to the body, but can't stop Silva working his way up and turning over, pulling guard. Jackson tries to work free from the guard, but can't. Silva reaches up to try and bring Jackson down into a clinch, but the attempt gets swatted away. Jackson fires off a couple of punches, leaning forward to get some leverage, and Silva is forced to cover up. Jackson switches and starts firing off some rapid-fire shots to the chest, Silva deals with it by pulling the guard tighter and punching upward. Jackson looks like he is happy to sit there and throw punches at his leisure, with no real effort to pass guard. Silva occasionally tries to roll his hips to get free, but it may be that he has realised that this round is beyond saving, and is just making sure that he doesn't put himself into a position to be knocked out or submitted by trying to escape. Indeed, time ticks away with nothing breaking the pattern of occasional strikes and defensive positioning. End of round 3. [B]Sherdog.com sees it 10-9 to Jackson.[/B] [B][U]Round 4[/U][/B] Jackson hits a right hand, then fakes a take down attempt. Silva got out of the way, he clearly has it in mind to not let Jackson shoot in on him. They come together and exchange strikes, neither fighter gets an advantage from it. Silva throws a scorching right hand, but it misses. Jackson throws a head kick, and that one doesn't! Silva took it to the side of the head and goes down. It didn't look all that powerful though, and the fact that Silva is able to clear his head pretty swiftly and pull guard on the on-rushing Jackson backs that up. Jackson fires off a couple of tentative punches, testing out the guard of Silva. Jackson tries to pass the guard, but can't, Silva isn't going to let him get a better position, as he knows that Jackson will start raining down punches. Jackson tries a big right hand, but it's easily defended. Silva gets a punch of his own in, but it didn't connect properly. Jackson again tries to get past the guard, but again is foiled. It's turned into a bit of a stalemate, although the referee probably won't stand them up as long as the punches continue to flow. Jackson fakes an elbow before trying to pass the guard for a third time, and briefly has side mount, but Silva fought it hard and gets back to guard within seconds. Butterfly guard by Silva, and Jackson is having trouble generating any attacking threat. He'll probably win the round as he has been more aggressive, but Silva has defended the danger well. The round ends. [B]Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Jackson.[/B] [B][U]Round 5[/U][/B] Jackson throws a low kick early on, although it missed. Silva flicks out a couple of jabs, trying to work an angle. He steps in to throw a body shot but gets caught with a left hook. Silva stumbles backwards, falling on his ass, stunned. Jackson charges in and throws a knock out powered right hand, but Silva parries it and brings his legs around Jackson's waist to pull guard. Jackson tries to work free from the guard, but can't. Silva reaches up to try and bring Jackson down into a clinch, but the attempt gets swatted away. Jackson fires off a couple of punches, leaning forward to get some leverage, and Silva is forced to cover up. Jackson switches and starts firing off some rapid-fire shots to the chest, Silva deals with it by pulling the guard tighter and punching upward. Jackson looks like he is happy to sit there and throw punches at his leisure, with no real effort to pass guard. Silva occasionally tries to roll his hips to get free, but it may be that he has realised that this round is beyond saving, and is just making sure that he doesn't put himself into a position to be knocked out or submitted by trying to escape. Indeed, time ticks away with nothing breaking the pattern of occasional strikes and defensive positioning. The 5th round ends. [B]Sherdog.com gives that one to Jackson by 10-9. The official scores are in; two judges give 48-47, the other 49-46, all for Quinton Jackson. Quinton Jackson is still the UFC Light Heavyweight champion.[/B] [B]Rating[/B]: **** [B]Notes[/B]: Jackson lost the first two rounds but that is when his big fight experiance kicked in and the nerves must of kicked in for Silva. Jackson can add yet another name to his win list and Thiago was handed his first ever lost. Jackson's next defence will probably be against Wanderlei Silva in what will be their third fight. [B][U]Post Show News Fighter Bonuses[/U][/B] Submission of the Night: N/A Knock Out of the Night: Dong Hyun Kim Fight of the Night: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Rich Franklin [B][U]Injuries[/U][/B] Frankie Edgar injured his knee last night and will be out for a month and a half. [B][U]Resignings[/U][/B] Pedro Rizzo will be signed to a brand new UFC contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 6, 2008 Author Share Posted July 6, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]New Rankings After UFC 100[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]UFC have released the new rankings following their UFC 100 event.[/CENTER] [B][U]Lightweight[/U][/B] 1. Roger Huerta 2. Vitor Ribeiro 3. Kenny Florian 4. Eddie Alvarez 5. Shinya Aoki 6. Thiago Tavares 7. Jim Miller 8. Jason Tabor 9. Nick Diaz 10. Billy Evangelista - New Entry [B][U]Welterweight[/U][/B] 1. Matt Hughes +2 2. Yoshiyuki Yoshida -1 3. Jon Fitch -1 4. BJ Penn 5. Thiago Alves 6. Anthony Johnson +1 7. Dan Hardy +1 8. Dong Hyun Kim +1 9. Matt Arroyo - New Entry 10. Diego Sanchez [B][U]Middleweight[/U][/B] 1. Georges St. Pierre 2. Anderson Silva 3. Forrest Griffin 4. Gregard Mousasi 5. Michael Bisping 6. Dan Henderson 7. Rousimar Palhales 8. Demian Maia 9. Thales Leites 10. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza [B][U]Light Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Wanderlei Silva 3. Rich Franklin +2 4. Lyoto Machida 5. Thiago Silva -2 6. Wilson Gouveia 7. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua 8. Keith Jardine 9. Roger Hollett 10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira [B][U]Heavyweight[/U][/B] 1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2. Sergei Kharitonov 3. Shane Carwin 4. Tim Sylvia 5. Fedor Emelianenko 6. Cheick Kongo 7. Aleksander Emelianenko 8. Andrei Arlovski 9. Brandon Vera +1 10. Chris Tuchscherer -1 [B][U]P4P[/U][/B] 1. Quinton Jackson 2. Roger Huerta 3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 4. Georges St. Pierre 5. Anderson Silva 6. Vitor Ribeiro +2 7. Wanderlei Silva -1 8. Sergei Kharitonov +1 9. Kenny Florian +1 10. Rich Franklin - New Entry [B]Biggest Jump this month[/B]: Matt Hughes/Rich Franklin: Hughes advanced to the Semi Finals of the Welterweight tournament this month as he beat Matt Serra via TKO. That win put him up two ranks in the Welterweight rankings where he is now the #1 ranked Welterweight. He will fight the currently #2 ranked Welterweight Yoshiyuki Yoshida next in the Semi Finals of the Welterweight tournament and that is expected to happen in around four or five months. Rich Franklin also jumped 2 ranks this month as he climbed upto #3 in the Light Heavyweight rankings. This came when he KO'ed Sokoudjou despite losing the first two rounds. He is expected to fight either Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua or Wilson Gouveia next and if he wins that he will probably get a title shot. [B]Biggest Drop this month[/B]: Thiago Silva: Silva was handed his first ever loss this month at UFC 100. That loss was handed to his by Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and it came via decision. Silva won the first two rounds but then suddenly he started to drop behind Rampage and he lost the next three rounds. It may of been the nerves or maybe it was his cardio or maybe Rampage just used his big fight experiance to win but it must of been dissapointing for Silva. He is expected to fight either Roger Hollett or Wilson Gouveia next. [B]Most Impressive New Entry[/B]: There arn't any impressive new entries this month as all the new entries are in the bottom two of the top ten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 6, 2008 Author Share Posted July 6, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFC Announces UFN 16: Fitch vs. Alves[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER]Today UFC announced UFN 16: Fitch vs. Alves. Here is the card. [B][U]Maincard[/U][/B] Welterweight Tournament Semi Final: Jon Fitch (19-3) vs. Thiago Alves (15-4) Wanderlei Silva (33-8-1) vs. Rashad Evans (14-2-1) II Fedor Emelianenko (29-3) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (17-3) Jason Tabor (6-0) vs. Nick Diaz (17-8) Ed Herman (14-7) vs. Demian Maia (10-0) [B][U]Undercard[/U][/B] Chris Leben (18-6) vs. Aaron Meisner (4-0) Ricardo Almeida (9-3) vs. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza (11-1) Heath Herring (28-16) vs. Nicolas Rodriguez (1-0) Rob Broughton (8-4-1) vs. Brad Morris (8-5) Ben Saunders (5-3-2) vs. Randy Shearer (0-0)[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted July 6, 2008 Author Share Posted July 6, 2008 [CENTER][IMG]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wackyplanetshop/ufc-section-banner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][U][CENTER][SIZE="5"]UFN 16 Preview[/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]Ben Saunders (5-3-2) vs. Randy Shearer (0-0)[/U][/B] Randy Shearer will make his UFC debut and his MMA debut against someone who has lost his last three fights in Ben Saunders. Saunders was undefeated before his last three fights but he has lost them all losing to Karo Parisyan, Matt Arroyo and Paul Kelly. If he loses to Shearer then he must be on his way out. Shearer was highly recomended to the UFC by many respected fighters and trainers as they say he has great stand up skills but also good ground skills. [B][U]Rob Broughton (8-4-1) vs. Brad Morris (8-5)[/U][/B] Broughton made his debut at the previous UFN against Cheick Kongo. Everyone was expecting Kongo to run through Broughton on his way to a titlle shot but that is no where near what actually happened. Broughton surprised everyone that night when he knocked Kongo out in the second round. Broughton will now make his second appearance in the UFC against much lesser opponent compared to Cheick Kongo in the shape of Brad Morris. Morris is currently 0-2 in the UFC with losses to Daniel Puder and Rolles Gracie. His prospects don't look too good against Broughton. If Broughton wins he could be a surprise entrant into the Heavyweight rankings by the end of the month. [B][U]Heath Herring (28-16) vs. Nicolas Rodriguez (1-0)[/U][/B] Herring is coming off three straight losses to Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko and then Shane Carwin all via decision. He now steps into the octagon again to face the 19 year old up and comer Rodriguez. Rodriguez will have a massive 10 inch height advantage which he will surely use to his full advantage. Rodriguez made his MMA and UFC debut recently at UFC 96 against Jake O'Brian in a fight which he won via a second round TKO. [B][U]Ricardo Almeida (9-3) vs. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza (11-1)[/U][/B] Jacare is currently 1-0 in the UFC as he holds a decision win over Joey Villasenor. He is currently ranked at #10 in the Middleweight rankings and will step into the octagon to fight Ricardo Almeida. Almeida is coming off a dissapointing decision loss to Demian Maia all the way back at UFC 86. If Jacare wins he could move up as high as #6 in the Middleweight rankings. [B][U]Chris Leben (18-6) vs. Aaron Meisner (4-0)[/U][/B] One fighter comes in to this fight going 0-2 in his last two fights while the other is currently 4-0 and 2-0 in the UFC. Leben has lost his last two fights via TKO losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 85 and to Yushin Okami at UFC 98. Meisner has had much better fortune lately winning his first two UFC fights beating Dean Lister and Terry Martin both of the wins being via decision. This is a big step up in competition for Meisner and it will be interesting to see if he can cope with it. [B][U]Ed Herman (14-7) vs. Demian Maia (10-0)[/U][/B] Maia is currently undefeated and is ranked at #8 in the Middleweight rankings. Maia's most recent win was a first round submission win over Jesse Taylor at UFC 99. Herman is coming off a decision loss to Thales Leites back at UFN 15. A win for Maia could push him as high as #6 in the Middleweight rankings. [B][U]Jason Tabor (6-0) vs. Nick Diaz (17-8)[/U][/B] Tabor recently made his UFC debut while Diaz recently made his UFC re-debut. Their fortunes were definately not the same. Tabor won his debut against Kurt Pellegrino in a fight he won via decision. Diaz wasn't as lucky in his re-debut in a fight he lost via decision to Kenny Florian. Both fighters are top ten ranked Lightweights. Diaz is currently ranked at #9 while Tabor is at #8. A win for either fighter could put them as high as #6 in the rankings. [B][U]Fedor Emelianenko (29-3) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (17-3)[/U][/B] Kharitonov didn't have to take this fight as he was almost definately going to get the next shot at Big Nog's belt. He took the fight anyway though as he wanted to prove that he is truly worthy of the title shot and also that he is the best Heavyweight that Russia has ever produced not Fedor. Fedor recently got back into his winning ways with a decision win over Fabricio Werdum after losing two straight fights via Knock Out. Sergei Kharitonov since coming to the UFC has gone 2-0 with wins over Pedro Rizzo and Andrei Arlovski. Both fighters are ranked Heavyweights with Kharitonov being ranked at #2 and Fedor at #5. A win for Fedor could put him as high as #3 in the Heavyweight rankings while a win for Kharitonov would almost garuntee him the next Heavyweight title shot. [B][U]Wanderlei Silva (33-8-1) vs. Rashad Evans (14-2-1) II[/U][/B] This fight is a rematch from a fight that happened at UFC 86 in a fight which Wanderlei Silva won via decision. Wanderlei has only had one fight since against Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua in a fight which he won via Knock Out. Rashad has had alot more fights since and has gone 2-1 since that loss with a submission loss to Wilson Gouveia splitting a TKO win over Houston Alexander and a Knock Out win over Glover Teixeira. So both fighters come into the fight with coming off Knock Out wins in their last fight but they fight for different goals. Evans is fighting to get back into the top ten Light Heavyweights while if Wanderlei beats Evans again he will probably get the the next title shot against Rampage. Wanderlei is currently ranked at #2 in the Light Heavyweight rankings. [B][U]Welterweight Tournament Semi Final: Jon Fitch (19-3) vs. Thiago Alves (15-4)[/U][/B] These two fighters will fight for the right to face either Matt Hughes or Yoshiyuki Yoshida for the UFC Welterweight Title. Both men won their Quarter Final fights via first round TKO's. Fitch had to get past Dong Hyun Kim while Alves beat Dan Hardy. This is a big fight for both fighters as if they win they have the chance to fight for the championship and to hold UFC gold for the first time.[/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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