Strikeforce on NBC 4/27 Re-Cap

Strikeforce on NBC 4/27 Re-Cap

In the first two weeks we’ve been introduced to 2 of Strikeforce’s biggest stars in Cung Le and Gilbert Melendez and also saw Duane Ludwig beat Tony Fryklund. I’m thinking we get Frank Shamrock this week.

Josh Thomson, Eugene Jackson and Paul Buentello will be featured tonight.

David “Tank” Abbott (9-11) vs. Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello (20-9)- 10/7/06

These guys are just throwing haymakers early and battling up against the cage. Buentello nails Abbott with a punch and knocks him out about 1 minute in.

Winner: Paul Buentello by KO R1 0:43

Eugene “The Wolf” Jackson (13-7-1) vs. Mike “Crazy Boy” Seal (9-11-1)- 6/9/06

R1- They do a profile of Jackson and have an interview with him, show highlights and have others talk about him. Eugene is 39 years old, Seal is 28. Seal came in quick with a couple of punches but Jackson defended with a guillotine and took him down. Seal landing some punches and Eugene trying to defend. Seal controlling on top and has Eugene up against the cage. They are back to their feet now and clinched. Seal is getting some good knees in and Jackson hits a couple of punches. Lots of action as they are throwing kicks and punches now- not really connecting with anything solid though. Seal nails 2 big knees at the end of the round. Seal is busted open but if I was judging I would give him the first round based on cage control and landing more shots.

R2- Both guys throwing some strikes as they exchange. Jackson lands a nice uppercut but doesn’t follow up. Jackson with another good shot as he hits a hook. Jackson seems to be slowly taking the advantage. Jackson landing some shots and Seal goes to his knees but again Jackson doesn’t press the issue and let’s Seal recover. Jackson slams him down and is in full mount. Jackson just nailing shots and the ref calls the fight. Jackson dominated round 2.

Winner: Eugene Jackson by TKO (Strikes) R2 2:49

Nick “The Ghost” Gonzales (11-4) vs. Josh “The Punk” Thomson (11-2-1)- 6/22/07

Thomson connects lightly with a lighting quick kick and then takes down Gonzales. Thomson’s got his back and is going for a choke. Thomson controlling early. Thomson taps Gonzales quickly. Thomson looked awesome in this fight.

Winner: Josh Thomson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:42

UFC Wired 4/19 Re-Cap

Middleweight Fight- Rich Franklin (22-2) vs. Jason McDonald (19-7)- UFC 68- 3/3/07

R1- McDonald went for an early take down and almost got it but then Franklin peppered him with punches. They battled a lot up against the cage for position. Franklin pretty much controlling when they were on their feet. Franklin gets him to the ground and really goes after him. McDonald got a take down with 20 seconds left but did nothing and Franklin flipped it over and got a couple of elbows in. R1 to Franklin.

R2- The story of the early part of this round is McDonald trying to take down Franklin and Franklin trying to keep it on their feet. McDonald gets him down and gets a submission and is trying to tap Rich but doesn’t quite have a triangle. Franklin escapes and is now in the dominant position. Franklin gets full mount with 2 minutes left and gets in some good punches. With 1 minute left Franklin is again peppering him and is now punching him as he has his back. McDonald not doing much here at all in this round. Franklin dominating. The round ends as Franklin is just dominating McDonald and punching him for the last 10 to 15 seconds of the round in full mount. Franklin wins this round and McDonald actually taps out after the round is over and that’s the fight.

Winner: Rich Franklin via TKO (Corner Stoppage) R2 5:00

Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (22-4) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (7-1)- UFC 70- 4/21/07

Not much action in the first minute and a half but Gonzaga blocks a Cro Cop kick and takes him down. Gonzaga hitting some elbows. Gonzaga pretty much dominating but then the ref stands them up. Gonzaga then just DESTROYS Cro Cop with a knockout kick. I’ve seen this before but seeing it again it’s still just an amazing kick.

Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga via KO R1 4:51

Middleweight Fight- Travis Lutter (12-3) vs. Anderson Silva (17-4)- UFC 67- 2/3/07

R1- This is a non-title match due to Lutter’s inability to make weight. Silva is pretty much the best P4P fighter in the world. This is Silva’s first fight since he won the title. Long feeling out process. Anderson hits a flying knee but Lutter gets in Anderson’s guard. Anderson is a great fighter from the guard and is very hard to take advantage of. Anderson gets up with very little damage if any but Lutter takes him back down. Travis got side control and then got full mount and was pounding on Silva but Silva brilliantly reversed it. Lutter ends the round on the ground. Really close first round. Silva did a great job in fighting and defending from the bottom and Lutter got in the one really good series of punches from the mount but it was quickly reversed. Almost too close to call.

R2- Lutter takes him down but Silva hits an up kick then grabs a triangle and is choking Lutter out from the bottom. Anderson hits elbows and Lutter taps. What a brilliant reversal by Silva. He’s just too tough a defender and counter attacker.

Winner: Anderson Silva by

Welterweight Title Fight: Matt Serra (15-4) vs. Georges St-Pierre © (13-1)- UFC 69- 4/7/07

Pretty even to start out for the first minute as they exchange. Still real even through the first 2 and a half minutes. Serra nails St-Pierre at the 2 minute mark and from that point St-Pierre was in trouble and was back peddling and Serra just stayed on him and finished him with the full mount. Great flurry by Serra and killer instinct as he hurt St-Pierre and quickly followed up.

Winner and new champion: Matt Serra by TKO R1 3:25

UFC Unleashed 4/23 Re-Cap

Lightweight Fight- Rich Clementi (37-12-1) vs. Melvin Guillard (39-7-3)- UFC 79- 12/29/07

R1- Both guys feeling each other out. Guillard has a real explosive combo but hasn’t connected yet. Guillard has “Condom Depot” as the ad on his shorts, classy. Clementi grabs Guillard in a bear hug and slams him. Clementi has Guillard’s back and basically has him in a full nelson. Guillard flips it over and they get back to their feet. Guillard nails Clementi with a couple of punches and then slams him down. Clementi reverses and he’s on top. Real back and forth fight, Clementi with more cage control in Round 1. Clementi grabs a choke and it’s over. Clementi then does a classy “crotch chop” while above Guillard after the win.

Winner: Rich Clementi via submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 4:40

Middleweight Fight- Kendall Grove (10-4) vs. Jorge Rivera (14-6)- UFC 80- 1/19/08

Jorge takes him down quickly and is landing some punches against the cage. Jorge has his back and is landing more punches. Kendall to his feet but he’s eating punch after punch and this one is over quickly and impressively. Jorge with a dominating win.

Winner: Jorge Rivera via TKO (punches) R1 1:20

Light Heavyweight Fight- Lyoto Machida (11-0) vs. Sokoudjou (4-1)- UFC 79- 12/29/07

R1- Machida is unbeaten so far. Soko has been training with Dan Henderson. Soko hits a couple of nice punches early and gets a take down but Machida quickly reverses and is on top controlling in the half guard. Machida is going after his arm but gives it up and is trying to get some punches. Soko doing a good job defending but not actively seeming to try and get out. The ref stands them up. Soko with another take down but they are quickly back to their feet. Round goes to Machida but he definitely wasn’t dominating.

R2- Not much going on in this round. Machida is hitting a couple of kicks and then he gets an opening and trips Soku and goes after him in full guard with a bunch of punches. Machida going for a submission now with an arm triangle but losses it. Soko seems to be real winded as he’s really been controlled in this fight and especially this round. Machida on top and throwing some elbows. Machida grabs the arm triangle again and gets the victory. Real good win for Machida. He seems like a real good technical fighter, not exciting but seems like a real good tactician.

Winner: Lyoto Machida by submission (arm triangle) R2 4:20


Welterweight- Interim Welterweight Title Match: Georges St-Pierre (14-2) vs. Matt Hughes (43-5)- UFC 79- 12/29/07

This is the third fight between these two fighters. This was on UFC Wired just a week or so ago.

R1- The first minute is active but both guys real cautious as nothing of note has been hit yet. Hughes tried for an early take down but Georges backed down. Hughes again goes for take down but is denied. Georges going for some kicks and then a Superman punch and Hughes goes for a take down but the clinch and Georges takes Hughes down and is on top in full guard. Georges with some light punches from the top. Georges pushes Hughes up against the cage. Georges with some short elbows. Georges with some punches again. Georges dominating so far but not really close to a stoppage. Hughes needs to find a way out. Georges slams Hughes a couple of times. Georges got his back in the last 10 seconds. Easy round to Georges here as he just dominated. Hughes really didn’t even get any offense at all in.

R2- Georges again takes Hughes down. Georges now in half guard. Hughes trying to get some offense from the bottom as he hits an elbow. Georges with some elbows. He’s in full guard now. Georges back on top in half guard and mounts Hughes and has his back with 1:30 left in the round. They battle and Georges has him up against the cage now. Hughes now with Georges leg but can’t get the takedown. They are tied up and Georges with a great take down into side control. Georges with an arm bar type move and Hughes taps.

Georges St-Pierre just absolutely dominated this fight from start to finish.

Winner: Georges St-Pierre by Verbal Submission (arm bar) R2 4:54.

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Show Four Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter 7- Episode 4 Re-Cap
Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest

Preliminary rankings so far based on what has been shown in the first three shows:

1. Tim Credeur
2. CB Dollaway
3. Dante Rivera
4. Nick Klein
5. Matthew Riddle
6. Luke Zachrich
7. Gerald Harris
8. Matt Brown
9. Daniel Cramer
10. Jesse Taylor
11. Amir Sadollah
12. Jeremy May
13. Brandon Sene
14. Cale Yarbrough
15. Patrick Schultz

Matthew Riddle and Dante Rivera are going after each other verbally. Both guys seem to be doing it seriously but in a kind of kidding type of way. They could be setting the stage here for something down the line.

“Forrest looks stupid. But he ain’t as stupid as he looks”- Rampage Jackson

Team Rampage thinks that Forrest will pick Patrick Schultz to fight since he lost in the first round (and was brought back due to injury). So Team Rampage is discussing some preliminary strategy if Schultz was to fight someone like Dante Rivera.

They discuss Jesse Taylor’s body fungus and spray him with tenactin. Matthew Riddle is talking about wanting to fight. Riddle is still talking about Dante. Fight Announcement is made and they choose Tim Credeur versus Matthew Riddle. This should be a good one as I have Tim ranked #1 and Riddle ranked #5 based on their fights in the preliminary round. Riddle is glad that he’s fighting; he seems ready to go although he looks like a kid. Tim Credeur says he wants to fight guys that will make him better. Credeur thinks he has more experience and that Riddle is riding high on his knockout from the preliminary round. Dante and Matthew are still verbally sparring throughout the show. Credeur seems more business like in his approach says that he is here to prove that he belongs in the UFC and that he’s been working on it for a long time. Credeur says this show is “Do or Die” for him. Rampage has given Matthew the nickname of “Chipper.”

Tim Credeur (10-2) vs. Matthew Riddle (1-0)

R1- Credeur has a ton of experience here compared to Chipper and is 8 years older. Riddle takes him down and gets his back early, he’s not in a dominant position but he does have control. Tim with come kicks. Riddle misses a take down but then defends well and takes down Tim. Back to their feet and they mix it up. Tim gets control and slams down Chipper in the corner. Tim is working to get a submission but Chipper slips out and gets his back. They are going back and forth and Chipper gets in a couple of good shots. Tim flips it over and has full mount. Tim with punches and is getting him good. This is going to win him the round. Chipper flips over and Tim takes his back and the round is over. Chipper had this round until the last minute with Tim took Full Mount and really dominated and got in a lot of damage. Credeur 10 Riddle 9. Good round, Riddle did a good job but his inexperience really showed as he was in position on the ground several times to inflict damage or go for a submission and failed to do any damage when he had the advantage on the mat.

R2- Riddle gets a takedown early but it’s reversed and Tim has Chipper against the cage. Tim is getting in a couple of shots. Riddle gets him with an up kick and the ref gives him a warning. Tim with elbows. Tim is delivering some good shots. Chipper gets up and comes out swinging and throwing knees. Chipper showing a lot of heart and takes down Tim. Chipper might be busted open. Chipper is in good position and is doing some damage but not a lot. Tim rolls over and is back on top. Chipper’s nose is definitely busted open. Tim still on top and is going for arm bar. Chipper taps. Real good fight.

Winner: Tim Credeur by Submission (arm bar) R2

“If he’d have listened to me he’d be five grand poorer”- Forrest Griffin

Forrest was calling for Tim not to go for the arm bar near the end of the fight because he felt Tim needed to stay on top but Tim went for the arm bar and nailed it. Tim said he wasn’t here to play it safe and ultimately it looked like Forrest agreed with him since he was successful in getting the tap.

Rampage gives Chipper a talking to post match. Says he made a huge mistake by taking a wrestler down when he was hurt and winded. Rampage was not happy with the loss. Especially since he was calling for Chipper to get the guy back to his feet near the end.

In his fight I think Tim Credeur looked good but didn’t look like a dominant #1 fighter of this group so he currently stays at #1 due to his win but if someone else can get an impressive victory they will definitely take his top spot from him.

Rankings so far based on what has been shown in the first four shows:

1. Tim Credeur
2. CB Dollaway
3. Dante Rivera
4. Nick Klein
5. Luke Zachrich
6. Gerald Harris
7. Matt Brown
8. Daniel Cramer
9. Jesse Taylor
10. Amir Sadollah
11. Jeremy May
12. Brandon Sene
13. Cale Yarbrough
14. Patrick Schultz

Eliminated:
First Elimination: Paul Bradley (sent home, was ranked #15)
Second Elimination: Mike Dolce (lost to Jesse Taylor, was ranked #11)
Third Elimination: Matthew Riddle (lost to Tim Credeur, was ranked #5)

UFC 83: "Serra vs. St-Pierre 2" Re-Cap/Thoughts

UFC 83

Lightweight Fight: Mac Danzig (18-4-1) vs. Mark Bocek (5-1)

Bocek is Canadian so he gets a big pop. Danzig was the winner of Season 6 of the Ultimate Fighter and has been real impressive in the fights I've seen him in.

R1- They are mixing it up so far on their feet. No one with a clear advantage. Bocek grabs a leg and pushes Mac up against the cage. Danzig grabs an arm to stop it. Bocek finally gets him down and begins to hammer some punches to the side. Mac has him in his guard. Danzig grabs an arm submission but Bocek gets out and gets in some punches. Mac trying to get back to his feet. Bocek's got his back but Mac fights out. Bocek with the advantage in half guard, now in full guard. Danzig trying to grab a submission. Bocek controlling the fight. Danzig works back to his feet. Mac rides him and gets some good shots in. Mac is now on top in half guard. Mac now in full guard and is laying in punches. Bocek grabs him and holds him trying to hold on to win the round. Close round with Danzig rallying at the end. I think Bocek gets this one although he definitely suffered some damage towards the end of the round. He looks much rougher than Danzig does in the corner shots.

R2- Danzig destroys Bocek with a knee to the chin and jumps on him trying to finish but Bocek protects himself. Danzig still on top. Danzig laying in some shots. Bocek brings the fight back to the feet and Mac hits him with another knee and Bocek wilts back to the ground. Danzig on top and getting in some shots. Danzig in full mount. Bocek gives up his back. Danzig just dominating in this round. Danzig releases and they stand up. Bocek getting in some shots and goes for a single leg take down. Danzig going after his arm. Danzig takes the dominant position. Danzig wins this round easily, he just couldn't finish. He just destroyed Bocek with that knee at the beginning of the round.

R3- Bocek going for some punches then goes for the take down and he finally gets it. Bocek is in Danzig's guard trying to pass as Danzig is going for a submission choke from the bottom. Bocek getting some shots from the top. Danzig slips out and gets up. They are in a clinch and Danzig hits another knee. Danzig seems to have gained the advantage again and gets a punch and then a kick. Bocek is bleeding heavily know and the ref stops the fight just as Danzig seems to be gaining the momentum and was looking to really go after him. Bocek is cut badly but they will continue. Crowd roars. Danzig landing some jabs. Danzig punches him into the corner and Danzig gets a leg sweep and is in full mount. Bocek gives up his back with 90 seconds left. Danzig going for a choke but there is so much blood. Danzig gets the win via Rear Naked Choke.

Good fight. Danzig looked real good and Bocek showed a lot of heart.

Winner: Mac Danzig by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3

Kenny Florian did the color commentary for Joe Rogan and was real solid.

Mandy Moore is in the house!

Middleweight Fight: Charles McCarthy (10-4) vs Michael Bisping (15-1)

I've only seen Bisping fight once and he was solid but real unmemorable. This will be the first time i've seen Charles McCarthy. Bisping is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3. Bisping seems to be the crowd favorite here as he gets a good pop during introductions. This is Bisping's first fight at Middleweight.

R1- Bisping is the aggressor early. McCarthy throws some hay makers that miss. Bisping jabbing. Bisping controlling the cage early and McCarthy just curling up and Bisping pelts him a couple times then McCarthy screams at him and plays to the crowd. Bisping controlling early. Bisping with a knee. Bisping with some combos. McCarthy just covering up and doing nothing offensively besides playing to the crowd. Bisping with a knee and then an uppercut. crowd doing the "Ole" chant. McCarthy with a take down which is really his first offensive move that was successful. McCarthy in half guard. McCarthy going after his back and then going after an arm. Bisping trying to get his arm out as McCarthy is trying to get the submission. Bisping gets out and nails some punches. Bisping with some jabs and a knee. Bisping with a kick and some jabs. Bisping with punches and knees and just owning McCarthy who is doing nothing. Bisping just owning McCarthy who is in the fetal. Bisping just owned this round. McCarthy got one take down. The ref calls the fight after the bell as McCarthy is still on the ground where Bisping left him. Bisping looked great in this fight and just picked apart McCarthy.

Winner: Michael Bisping by TKO R1

Middleweight Fight: Khalib Starnes (10-3-1) vs. Nate Quarry (15-2)

Starnes is Canadian so obviously he's the crowd favorite tonight. Both of these guys were in different seasons of The Ultimate Fighter.

R1- They are dancing around a lot. Quarry is the aggressor and is basically chasing him around the ring. Kalib runs away but then grabs him but they release. Crowd starting to boo as Starnes looks like he wants none of this fight so far. Most of this match is Starnes trying to stay away from Quarry. They are tied up on the cage now. Quarry with a flurry out of the clinch. Quarry with a combo and is chasing Starnes around the ring again. Kalib just continually running away from Quarry. They clinch against the cage. Starnes with his first offensive move of the fight- a knee at one minute left in the round. Quarry though answers. Quarry with a flurry at the end of the round. Quarry just dominates Kalib who spent the majority of the first round running away from Quarry. Not sure what Kalib's game plan is here, he looks like he doesn't want to be in there with Quarry.

R2- Starnes comes out and actually tries to hit a punch and then tries a tie up. Quarry hitting leg kicks. Quarry still the aggressor and Kalib still running away. Starnes grabs a leg on a kick and takes down Quarry briefly and gets in a couple of shots. Quarry quickly back to his feet. Florian is describing this as sparring practice for Quarry. Quarry wins this round again as Starnes is just running away. The Canadian fans are booing Starnes.

R3- Two rounds to none so far for Quarry. So far this round is just more of the same. Quarry with a combo and another. Quarry with a flurry. Quarry is only going to lose here if he trips and breaks his neck cause Starnes is not interested in fighting Quarry tonight. Quarry with another flurry of punches with a couple hitting. Quarry with a big knee that just misses. Starnes just making no attempt at trying to win this fight with only a minute left and way down on the judges cards. Quarry lighting him up now and chasing Starnes and mocking him by doing the running man. Quarry now punching himself.

Starnes with an embarrassing performance and I wonder if he'll see another fight in UFC after this performance. Quarry looked great but Starnes just simply did not want to fight tonight. Starnes and his corner are mad that Quarry is making fun of Starnes but Starnes just put on an embarrassing performance tonight. He simply didn't want to fight. Crowd is booing Starnes whenever he's shown and cheering Quarry. 30-26, 30-27 and 30-24 by unanimous decision. Goldberg says this might be the first 30-24 he's ever seen in UFC. Can't wait to see Quarry fight someone who actually wants to fight.

Winner: Nate Quarry via Decision (Unanimous)

Forrest Griffin is in the house and he's going for the cheap pop with a Montreal Canadians sweater.

Middleweight Fight: Travis Lutter (12-4) vs. Rich Franklin (24-3)

Travis Lutter comes out to Nickelback, so there is one reason to dislike him. Franklin is definitely the crowd favorite in this one. Both guys have lost to Anderson Silva and are still considered top contenders.

R1- They are mixing it up early. Nice to see two guys who actually want to fight. They are tied up against the cage. Lutter's got his back early. Lutter moves to side control and now to half guard. Not much action but Lutter seems to be moving into position. Franklin showing good defense. Lutter gets into full mount with 2 minutes left. Lutter starting to land some punches. Lutter's goit him in the arm bar but Franklin with a magnificent escape and he's back to his feet. Lutter for a take down and Franklin getting in some punches. Lutter still holding onto the leg. First Round goes to Lutter due to him almost finishing the match and controlling the majority of the round. He didn't dominate or inflict much damage though so this is anybody's fight.

R2- Franklin controls early. Lutter misses a take down. Lutter goes again but Franklin denies him and lands a knee and then hits a kick that hurts Lutter. Franklin trying to finish but Lutter grabs Franklin's leg and still has it. Franklin escapes. Franklin with another knee. Lutter is looking hurt. Franklin with some jabs. Franklin with a knee to the body and some punches. Lutter grabs a leg. Lutter is just dead tired. Franklin with some jabs. And more jabs and a big knee. Franklin just dominating. Lutter is down and Franklin looking to finish and the ref calls for the bell. Franklin just dominated this round and Lutter got hurt with knees and punches and gassed out.

Winner: Rich Franklin by TKO R2

Welterweight Title Fight: Matt Serra © (16-4) vs. Georges St-Pierre (15-2)

Here it is. The Main Event. The match that's been hyped up and we've been waiting to see. St-Pierre has a big height and reach advantage. St-Pierre gets a huge reaction. Crowd is really ready for this one.

R1- St-Pierre grabs him immediately and gets to half guard. St-Pierre getting in some short jabs. Serra defending. "GSP" chants by the crowd. St-Pierre with a couple of punches. Serra hitting a couple of elbows from the bottom. Crowd with an "Ole" chant. St-Pierre with a nice combination. St-Pierre controlling this fight. More "GSP" chants. St-Pierre passes the guard and has Serra's back. St-Pierre hitting him with punches. Serra trying to get up but St-Pierre is all over him. St-Pierre with a knee and they are back on their feet. St-Pierre with a Super man punch that barely misses and then takes down Serra again. St-Pierre with punches to end the round. St-Pierre just dominated Round 1. Serra's got a nice bruise under his right eye.

R2- Serra goes for a kick and GSP grabs his leg and takes him down against the cage. Crowd with an "Ole" chant. They are on their feet now. GSP with some nice jabs. GSP with another take down. GSP with a big elbow on the ground. GSP has Serra's back and Serra flips over and GSP is on top in guard position. GSP with punches on top. GSP with a knee to the side and another. GSP with punches and knees. GSP with side control and gets Serra's back. GSP with punches and knees to the midsection. Serra turns over but GSP is peppering him with knees to the back and the ref stops the fight as Serra is not defending himself and GSP does a back flip. Relatively easy win for GSP as he just dominated and Serra ran out of gas mid-second round probably due to inactivity coming off the injury. Serra raises GSP's hand after the fight and picks him up in celebration as a show of respect. GSP just looked phenomenal in this fight.

Winner: Georges St-Pierre via TKO R2 and new Welterweight Champion.

The guys who came out looking really good tonight were Georges St-Pierre, Mac Danzig, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Nate Quarry. They all looked impressive in their wins. Mark Bocek probably looked best in defeat.

Preliminary Match:

Welterweight Fight: Jonathan Goulet (21-9-1) vs Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-4)

Goulet is Canadian so he'll be the crowd favorite here. Goulet comes out in a Montreal Canadians sweater.

R1- Hironaka tries an early take down but it's denied. Goulet trying for some kicks. Hironaka going for another takedown but eats two knees. They tie up against the fence but the ref separates them. Goulet with a combo. Goulet with a series of strikes. Hironaka back with jabs. Hironaka shoots in but is denied again. Goulet with another combo and a jab. Hironaka gets in a good counter punch. Goulet controlling the action. Hironaka again misses a take down and eats another knee. Hironaka drops Goulet with a punch and is now on top and trying to finish. Hironaka all over Goulet on the ground. Goulet barely makes it to the second round. Goulet controlled this fight for the first 4 minutes but just got dominated in the last minute of the fight. Gotta give this to Hironaka due to the damage that he inflicted after he hit a nice left handed counter punch to Goulet's chin.

R2- They are mixing it up pretty evenly early in Round 2. Hironaka with a combo and Goulet almost drops. Goulet lands a big punch and jumps on top and hit a knee and is chasing Hironaka. Goulet hits him squarely with another punch and ends the fight.

Good fight. Both guys showed some good offense and Goulet persevered after almost losing in Round 1.

Winner: Jonathan Goulet via TKO R2 (2:07)

UFC Unleashed 4/16 TV Re-Cap

UFC Unleashed 4/16


Houston Alexander vs. Alessio Sakara

R1- They really mix it up early and Sakara grabs him and takes him down but Alexander gets back to his feet quickly. They are going after each other pretty good and Alexander nails Sakara and drops him and is now pounding him and the ref stops it in what seemed to be under 2 minutes. Just a real quick aggressive fight. Alexander looked dominant here and not like the same guy that just got dropped at Fight Night.

Winner: Houston Alexander by KO R1 1:01

Rashad Evans vs. Michael Bisping

R1- This is hyped by Mike Goldberg was the battle of Ultimate Fighter 2 and 3. Evans is unbeaten at 15-0-1 (with a draw against Tito Ortiz). Evans is the aggressor early and goes for a take down as he backs Bisping against the cage. Evans works him down against the cage but Bisping gets back to his feet. Evans hits a couple of punches and goes back in after the take down. The ref separates them and Rashad hits some punches and they tie-up again against the cage. Evans seems to be the dominant fighter but not a lot of damage being done by either guy. Bisping goes for a kick and Evans grabs his leg and takes him down and falls into Bisping’s guard. Evans stands up and throws a big punch. Evans has side control now. Bisping slips out and they are up against the cage again. Bisping grabs a clinch and gets a knee. Rashad with some elbows and Rashad takes him down again and is now in half guard. Evans controlled this round and definitely won it. Bisping did a good job in getting out of some bad situations but needs to come off with some offense if he wants to have a chance in this one.

R2- Evans with a takedown attempt and then slams Bisping to the mat. Evans is in Bisping’s guard. Evans tries some punches. Bisping doing a good job on defense. Not much going on right now as they are on the mat and the ref stands them up with 3 minutes left. Bisping gets a jab after a couple of Evans misses. Bisping starting to get some shots in now but he eats a punch from Evans. Pretty even stand up fight going on right now. Evans goes for a take down but Bisping defends with a clinch and a knee. Evans seems to be a little winded here. Bisping grabs a clinch and nails a knee to the mid-section. Evans grabs Bisping and moves him against the cage. Nothing doing and they stand back up in the middle of the ring. Bisping with a knee and then gets a slam after the buzzer. This round was very even. I could see it going either way.

R3- They start out pretty even. Evans grabs a leg and then takes down Bisping. Evans has him up against the cage. Bisping reverses and Evans is up against the cage now and now they stand back up with Bisping having Evans against the cage and now they stand up in the center. Evans with a combo but he looks real winded. Evans shoots in for a take down and has Bisping up against the cage. They stand up and then Evans goes for another take down but it’s defended. Neither guy really going for the win here. Now they start to mix it up again. Evans goes for a take down with 10 seconds left to solidify his win and gets it.

Not a real exciting fight. Both guys looked OK but neither guy looked like a top contender in there. Evans definitely has the tools but he doesn’t have the cardio right now as he was wasted in the last two rounds and just barely hung on here and should pick up a unanimous decision. 29-28 Evans, 29-28 Bisping, 29-28 Evans. Not sure how that one judge got Bisping as the winner but that’s why you have to finish your fights.

Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Split)


Middleweight Title Match: Anderson Silva © vs. Rich Franklin

R1- This is the re-match and it’s in Franklin’s hometown of Cincinnati. Long feeling out process to start. Franklin trying to exchange. Anderson going for the clinch. Doesn’t get it but has Franklin against the cage. Anderson with some knees. Franklin gets the takedown and is in Anderson’s guard but Anderson is real active and they are standing up again with Franklin holding one of Anderson’s legs. Franklin has him up against the cage now. Anderson with some knees. They separate. Anderson with a spinning back kick. They are exchanging on their feet now. Anderson with a nice kick and some punches and knees. Anderson is taking it to him now. Franklin looking at the clock and trying to survive. Franklin with a couple knees. Anderson responds with a knee. Franklin is cut. Franklin with an attempted combo and Anderson dances around it. Anderson with a huge knee and some nice punches and Franklin gets destroyed with a punch at the end of the round and needs help getting back to his corner. Round to Silva- period.

R2- Franklin with some jabs, Anderson goes for the Muy Thai Clinch but misses. Anderson destroys Franklin with a knee and is now pelting him with kicks, knees and punches and it’s over.

Anderson Silva is just so impressive. He waits for his spot and when he attacks he’s so overwhelming. He’s got to be the best fighter in the world right now.

Winner: Anderson Silva by TKO R2 1:07

Strikeforce on NBC 4/20 TV Re-Cap

Strikeforce on NBC 4/20/08


Lon McEachern hypes up a title fight as Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Clay Guida fights undefeated Gilbert Melendez. They show a Gilbert Melendez hype video.

Lightweight Title Match: Clay Guida © vs. Gilbert Melendez

First two Rounds are shown in highlights. Ken Shamrock is on color commentary again. Melendez shown to have controlled the first two rounds in the highlights.

R3- Guida grabs a clinch but can’t hold it and Melendez throws some nice punches and takes Guida down and is in his guard. Guida is against the cage. Guida tries to grab a submission but is denied. The ref stands them up. Melendez is jabbing and keeping Guida away. Melendez dominating Guida in the corner but Guida lunges at Melendez and grabs a leg. Guida’s got his back standing up and trying to take him down. They separate but they get back to the same position. Guida jumps on Melendez’s back but is pushed off and Gilbert gets some shots in. Melendez lands a right hand and Guida goes down and Melendez hits a couple more shots as the round comes to a close. Round 3 definitely goes to Melendez. Guida showed some life but couldn’t really sustain anything or inflict any damage.

R4- They are throwing pretty good to start the round. Melendez dives in but the takedown is stopped. Guida tries a spinning back fist but instead eats a right hand. Shamrock says that he’s got Melendez so far winning this fight and Guida needs to really start pressing the issue. Melendez is controlling the fight on their feet right now. Guida dives in but is denied. Guida dives in again and gets a takedown but Gilbert quickly gets to his feet. Guida again gets stuffed. Melendez just really controlling the fight and Guida dives and gets a single leg and Guida has him up against the cage and is trying to get his back but they separate again. R4 definitely goes to Melendez again as he controlled this round.

R5- Guida gets a takedown early in R5 and takes Gilbert’s back but Gilbert gets back to his feet and moves Guida off him and now they are standing toe to toe again with Melendez in the dominant stance. Guida dives in and grabs a leg. But again they separate with little damage done. Melendez throwing some haymakers but not hitting. He is however hitting with jabs. Guida dives in again but Melendez sprawls to avoid takedown. Guida’s got him up against the cage trying to get an advantage. Guida’s got him on the mat now but Melendez picks him up and slams him now and he’s in Guida’s guard now. They are back on their feet now with a minute and a half left. Guida dives in again and slams him against the cage but Melendez flips him over and now they are on their feet again. Melendez hitting some punches. Guida tries for a knee. Guida going after an arm. They are fighting on the ground with 10 seconds left and it’s over.

Overall, Melendez just controlled this match. He did everything but put Guida away. Melendez showed a great ring aptitude in that he controlled the fight and cage control and denied Guida’s takedowns and when Guida did get a takedown Melendez was quickly able to turn the tables on him.

Only one fight this week but it was a good one to introduce one of Strikeforce’s main guys and arguably one of the top p4p fighters in the world right now Gilbert Melendez as he was shown here beating a popular (although not a top) UFC fighter in Clay Guida.

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Episode 3 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter 7- Episode 3 Re-Cap
Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest


Preliminary rankings so far based on what has been shown in the first two shows:

1. Tim Credeur
2. CB Dollaway
3. Dante Rivera
4. Nick Klein
5. Matthew Riddle
6. Luke Zachrich
7. Gerald Harris
8. Matt Brown
9. Daniel Cramer
10. Jesse Taylor
11. Mike Dolce
12. Amir Sadollah
13. Jeremy May
14. Brandon Sene
15. Paul Bradley
16. Cale Yarbrough

Team Selection

Team Rampage (TR) Pick 1: CB Dollaway- good pick IMO, I had him ranked #2 overall.
Team Forrest (TF) Pick 2: Tim Credeur, my #1 pick.

Team Rampage: CB Dollaway, Matt Riddle, Paul Bradley, Daniel Cramer, Gerald Harris, Mike Dolce, Brandon Sene, Jeremy May.

Team Forrest: Tim Credeur, Amir Sadollah, Jesse Taylor, Matt Brown, Cale Yarbrough, Dante Rivera, Nick Klein, Luke Zachrich.

Forrest gets to pick first fight since Rampage picked the first fighter. And Paul Bradley has some weird rash on his neck and they are sending him to a dermatologist to see if he is contagious. The doc says he has herpes and it may be contagious.

“Push him off like you’re in prison and he’s trying to get your booty” – Rampage Jackson training session.

Forrest’s training session looks more structured than Rampage’s. Gray Maynard is one of Forrest’s assistant coaches. Dana calls Paul and Rampage out of their second training session and Dana says that he has to send Paul home because he is contagious.

Forrest picks the first fight of Jesse Taylor vs. Mike Dolce. Should be pretty even based on what I had them ranked as I’ve got them ranked right next to each other. Forrest says Jesse is a “raw, unadulterated meathead.”

They have to bring someone back due to Rampage losing a fighter. He brings back the guy with Nigel McGuinness’s hair- Patrick Schultz. Dana says he doesn’t think Patrick was the strongest guy to be brought back but says that Rampage’s assistant coaches really liked him. Quinton dropped by the house later before the fight to check on the guys and hang out for a while and get to know them. Matthew Riddle looks like a kid.

“I think I’m probably like one of the coolest people on Planet Earth”- Rampage Jackson

Mike Dolce (4-4) vs. Jesse Taylor (6-2)

This is their second fight in one week. I’m thinking Dolce is going to take this one- he just seems like he’s a smarter fighter but I think Taylor definitely has the possibility to overwhelm him with strength/power as you have to think Forrest saw something to make this fight the first one. Winner of the fight gets $ 5,000

R1- Taylor dives in but gets caught on the bottom but then flips over and has Dolce’s back and this one could be a quick tapout win for Taylor. Taylor can’t really get the choke locked in but is dominating so far. Taylor still has his back, Dolce trying to fight out of it. Dolce turns him over and is in Taylor’s guard. Dolce with punches. Taylor grabs a guillotine but then Dolce slips out. Taylor gets a half guard on top of Dolce. Taylor tries to pass to full mount but Dolce gives up his back instead. Taylor trying for a choke. Dolce slips out and Taylor once again has him in half guard and now has side control. Taylor hitting some punches and Dolce again give up his back. Taylor punching now. Taylor getting in some real good shots now. Dolce trying to cover up. Dolce gets saved by the bell. Taylor clearly won Round 1 but didn’t show any finishing power. He was in position several times to lock on a submission on Dulce but couldn’t finish him. Dulce gave up his back way too much in this match and an experienced fighter would have eaten him up in the first minute of this fight. Neither of these guys looked particularly impressive here. Taylor has a ton of raw talent but doesn’t have the submission skills at this point yet.

R2- Taylor immediately takes Dolce down and is in Dolce’s guard. Taylor hitting some punches and trying to pass Dolce’s guard. Dolce again gives up his back rather easily but Taylor doesn’t take it. Dolce is just simply covering up now and is gassed but Taylor having trouble finishing him even though he’s basically barely fighting him off. Taylor with a choke and Dolce taps. Jesse Taylor wins but I just can’t see him going anywhere in this competition unless he improves a ton during training. I think he’s going to stay where I have him from a rankings standpoint right now. Jesse wins $10,000 for winning the fight and getting a stoppage.

Winner: Jesse Taylor via Rear Naked Choke

New Rankings:

1. Tim Credeur
2. CB Dollaway
3. Dante Rivera
4. Nick Klein
5. Matthew Riddle
6. Luke Zachrich
7. Gerald Harris
8. Matt Brown
9. Daniel Cramer
10. Jesse Taylor
11. Amir Sadollah
12. Jeremy May
13. Brandon Sene
14. Cale Yarbrough
15. Patrick Schultz

Eliminated:
First Elimination: Paul Bradley (sent home, was ranked #15)
Second Elimination: Mike Dolce (lost to Jesse Taylor, was ranked #11)

UFC Wired (Airdate 4/13/08)

UFC Wired (Aired 4/13/08)


Middleweight- Patrick Cote vs. Kendall Grove- UFC 74- 8/25/07

R1- A couple of shots exchanged early and then they tie up on the cage. Lots of jockeying for position but not much action. The ref separates them due to inactivity. Some exchanges and then Grove ties him up and works him back into the cage. Cote switches on him. Grove is the more aggressive fighter during stand-up but isn’t really hitting anything. Grove goes for take down and is denies. Cote destroys him with a short left hand and then jumps and mounts Grove. Grove gives up his back and Cote is trying to finish but Grove rolls back over. Cote is nailing him. Grove trying to hold on with 15 seconds left in the round but the ref stops the fight.

Real boring fight until the last 30 seconds when Cote exploded when Grove went for a takedown and left himself undefended.

Winner: Patrick Cote winner by TKO (Strikes) R1 4:45


Middleweight- Chris Leben vs. Khalib Starnes- UFC 71- 5/26/07

R1- Leben is the aggressor early. Starnes ties him up but Chris breaks loose. Leben with some strikes. Leben goes for a jumping kick and leaves his feet but Starnes can’t capitalize. Leben gets in a couple of more shots following a leg kick by Starnes. Leben with some wild punches and some of them connecting but Starnes covering up good to minimize damage. Leben looks like he might be punching himself out here. Starnes ties him up but gets pushed off. Leben with some more left hands. Leben misses with a spinning kick and gets takedown down. Big mistake. Leben trying to get a rubber guard as Starnes is in full guard. Starnes ends the round with a flurry of punches. This was a close round. Leben controlled the right up right and it was up right for most of the first round. Starnes got a takedown but did nothing with it until the last 5 seconds of the round. Leben 10-9.

R2- Start of this round is pretty even for the first minute or so. No one with a clear advantage. Starnes lands a nice right hand and then follows it up by taking down Leben and is on top in full guard. Starnes stands up and comes down with a punch and lands a couple more but now they are on their feet again. Starnes clinches him and backs him up against the cage. Starnes with some knees and they separate again. Leben looks tired but so does Starnes. Leben with a knee. They trade jabs. Starnes looks real tired now and Leben is landing some punches. Leben nails a knee. Starnes was real impressive at the beginning of this round but then gassed and Leben got in some good damage towards the end of the round. Round still goes to Starnes but I think Leben might have the advantage in cardio going into the final round. I’ve got the scorecard as 19-19.

R3- They trade some at the beginning and Leben is the aggressor. Leben had him up against the cage and got a couple of blows and then got a kick to the gut. Starnes to the mat and leben falls into his guard. Leben is not doing much on top. Getting a couple of punches in. Leben stands up then gets back on top this time in half guard and lands a short elbow. Starnes flips him over very impressively. Leben punching from the bottom. Leben trying to work the rubber guard. Leben getting in a lot more offense and then Starnes nails a nice elbow. Leben pestering him from the bottom with punches, elbows and kicks. Starnes stands up and then lands a punch and goes into half guard. 30 seconds left. Leben still punching from the bottom. Khalib trying to get some punches from the top but Leben continues to punch. I give this round to Leben as he controlled the first half and then did just as much damage from the bottom as Starnes did from the top.

Somehow Khalib Starnes gets a unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. It was real close but the only round that Starnes clearly won was Round 2. That’s why you don’t leave the match to the judges’ decision.

Winner: Khalib Starnes via Decision (Unanimous)


Welterweight- Interim Welterweight Title Match: Georges St-Pierre (14-2) vs. Matt Hughes (43-5)- UFC 79- 12/29/07

R1- The first minute is active but both guys real cautious as nothing of note has been hit yet. Hughes tried for an early take down but Georges backed down. Hughes again goes for take down but is denied. Georges going for some kicks and then a Superman punch and Hughes goes for a take down but the clinch and Georges takes Hughes down and is on top in full guard. Georges with some light punches from the top. Georges pushes Hughes up against the cage. Georges with some short elbows. Georges with some punches again. Georges dominating so far but not really close to a stoppage. Hughes needs to find a way out. Georges slams Hughes a couple of times. Georges got his back in the last 10 seconds. Easy round to Georges here as he just dominated. Hughes really didn’t even get any offense at all in.

R2- Georges again takes Hughes down. Georges now in half guard. Hughes trying to get some offense from the bottom as he hits an elbow. Georges with some elbows. He’s in full guard now. Georges back on top in half guard and mounts Hughes and has his back with 1:30 left in the round. They battle and Georges has him up against the cage now. Hughes now with Georges leg but can’t get the takedown. They are tied up and Georges with a great take down into side control. Georges with an armbar type move and Hughes taps.

Georges St-Pierre just absolutely dominated this fight from start to finish.

Winner: Georges St-Pierre by Verbal Submission (armbar) R2 4:54.

Strikeforce on NBC debut show re-cap

Strikeforce on NBC debut show

Start off with guys talking and highlight shown. Gilbert Melendez, Cung Le and Frank Shamrock are among those shown but are not identified by name.

Lon McEachern welcomes us to the show. Says they will kick off with Cung Le. They show Le talking and have his trainer talking about him.

Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- 6/9/06

Lon McEachern and Ken Shamrock are the announcers. Warren charges at Le but gets a swift kick for his troubles. This is Le’s second MMA fight. Le takes Warren down with a slam and now has side control and moves into half guard and then into full guard. Le stands up with him and slams him again. Le is trying to get some punches in but not much is happening on the ground and the ref stands them up. Le with a spinning heel kick and then a roundhouse kick and then a knee. Warren responds with a knee but doesn’t have much effect. Le with some punches. Le with a spinning heel kick. Warren trying to come back and misses a big swing. Le with some short elbows and they tie up. Looks like Le has a small cut on his face. Warren swinging trying to land a wild knockout blow. Le with some shots to the head and Warren is knocked loopy and Le wins with a combo of several punches. Good finishing power and Le looked impressive here as he wins by KO in his second fight.

Winner: Cung Le by KO R1 4:19

Tony Fryklund vs. Duane Ludwig- 12/8/06

Long feeling out process here as there is not much action so far. Fryklund tries to get a clinch but Ludwig gets a couple of knees in the process. They trade combos that miss for the most part but then Ludwig lands some more knees but Ludwig ends up down but Fryklund lets him get up. Pretty even fight so far. Ludwig with a good combo and now going to town with punches and kicks and knees. Ludwig dominating now with kicks and punches and Ludwig floors him with a sweep kick but Fryklund is quickly back to his feet. Ludwig continues to deliver punishment to Fryklund. Fryklund grabs him and finally takes him down but Ludwig shows good take down defense. They are now up against the cage with Fryklund in control but Ludwig pushes him off. Ludwig clearly won the first round as he is just the superior fighter in terms of striking. Fryklunk failed to take Ludwig down in the first round and is going to have to take the fight to the ground in order to win.

R2- Fryklund trying to jab to keep Ludwig at bay but Ludwig hits a good punch. Fryklund trying to be more pro-active in this round and trying to keep moving forward. Misses a Superman punch and is now going for a take down but he’s denied. Ludwig with a combo. Ludwig lands a good knee. Ludwig lands a great kick and is now going to town on Fryklund and jumps on top. Ludwig is landing blows on top. Several punches. They stand back up and Ludwig with a knee and then knocks him out with a punch and the ref calls for the bell.

Impressive showing for Ludwig as he dominated this fight and finished it in Round 2. Ludwig also showed impressive take down defense in the win.

Winner: Duane “Bang” Ludwig by TKO (knee) R2 3:37

They come back from commercial and show highlights of the fight and show the announcing of the winner in the ring.

That’s it for the debut show. Really good production values. I thought Shamrock was real good on Play-By-Play and McEachern wasn’t bad. They showed a good fight to highlight Cung Le as he won impressively and the Ludwig fight was good as well as both fights were mostly stand-up and had a lot of action. Good debut show and good use of 30 minutes. Definitely looking forward to seeing this show in the future.

Go to nbcsports.com (click on MMA) to view tonight’s show and go to strikeforceusa.net for info on Strikeforce and the fighters on tonight’s show.

DREAM.1 3/15/08 Fight Re-Caps/Thoughts

DREAM. 1
March 15, 2008

DREAM is promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group (owners of K-1). DREAM should be similar to FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight group HERO'S. First round is 10 minutes and second round is 5 minutes in these fights. There is no point system in place as fights are not judged round to round but will be judged based on their entirety and there will be no draws.

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Joachim Hansen (16-6-1) vs Koutetsu Boku (13-4-1)

Hansen is a former Shooto lightweight champion who holds victories over Yves Edwards, Takanori Gomi and Caol Uno. Took me a while to figure out who everybody is since this is in Japanese. Joachim, nicknamed "Hellboy", got the early advantage with a nice punch that floored Boku and Hellboy is on top in full guard. First Round is 10 minutes. They stand up and Hellboy hits what is basically a side suplex and takes down Boku and then rolls him over and has his back. Hellboy is dominating so far. and goes for a rear naked choke but Boku fights it. Hollboy now goes for an armbar. They stand up and they trade pretty good. Hellboy corners him and hits another slam and then has side control. Hellboy went for full mount but Boku slipped out and Hellboy again slammed Boku down. Hellboy takes his back and is just dominating this fight when it's on the ground. They stand back up and Hellboy again gets a takedown with about 30 seconds left in round 1. Round 1 comes to an end and it easily is in favor of Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen as he dominated the fight when it was on the ground and easily took down Boku whenever he wanted. He just didn't show any finishing power or submissions yet.

R2- Hansen backs him into the corner and they exchange knees. Boku is doing well in the stand-up game in this round as he's showing some life. Hellboy grabs a clinch and hits some knees and takes him down as a response to Boku's offense. Hansen is in full guard and trying to throw some punches but Boku is doing a decent job defending himself. Hellboy moves to side control but then is quickly back into full mount. Hellboy trying to lay in some punches but not getting any real damaging shots yet. Only a minute and a half left in the fight. They stand up. Boku is on the offensive but Hansen hits a punch and Boku goes down and Hansen pounces on him.

Hansen dominated this fight on the mat just couldn't put Boku away. Boku had the advantage when they stood up but Hansen quickly took Boku down whenever he sustained any type of advantage. If Hansen wants to advance in this tournament he's gonna need to do a better job trying to finish as he never really went after a submission after the first 5 minutes of the fight and Boku was rarely in danger of being finished.

Winner: Joachim Hansen by unanimous decision

Heavyweight Fight- Ikuhisa Minowa (38-27-8) vs Bum Chan Kang (1-1)

Minowa does a roll to start the match and then another. Bum Chan Kang is very large and out of shape and Minowa is very small comparatively but has a nice physique. Minowa takes him down and is in half guard. Minowa quickly taps Kang with a leg hold.

Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by submission (knee bar) R1 1:25

Welterweight Fight- Hayato Sakurai (31-7-2) vs Hidetaka Monma (14-7-3)

Hayato has wins against Mac Danzig, Jens Pulver, Joachim Hansen, Caol Uno and Frank Trigg on his record. He has also lost to Gomi, Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes, They trade some light leg kicks to start. Hayato attacks with a combo. Monma misses with a spinning back kick and almost gets caught in the ropes. Hayato with another combo and grabs a clinch and hits some knees and then Monma pulls him down into his guard and tries to go for the rubber guard but is unsuccessful. Hayato is on top but no one with a clear advantage yet as Monma works from the bottom and then Hayato gets out of there and they stand up. Monma slips and Hayato lets him back up. Hayato attacks with a punch combo again. Hayato definitely seems to be the better stand-up fighter at this point. Monma gets a punch in but gets nailed by a counter punch and then Hayato is all over him and throwing punches on a fallen Monma and trying to finish. Monma is just curling up into the fetal position and Hayato is reigning down punches and the ref jumps in to end it. Hayato definitely finished impressively and seems to have a strong stand-up game as he had the clear advantage throughout the fight.

Winner: Hayato Sakurai by TKO (strikes) R1 4:12


Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri (20-4-2)vs "Black Mamba" Kultar Gill (9-6)

Kawajiri has wins over Yves Edwards and Joachim Hansen and losses to Gilbert Melendez and Gomi. He is a veteran of Pride and Shooto. Gill has been most prevalently in K-1. He has losses to Yves Edwards and Caol Uno on his record (Kawajiri drew Caol Uno). Mamba is dancing around and gets his leg caught and he gets taken down by Kawajiri. Kawajiri is nicknamed "Crusher" so that's what we'll call him here. Crusher has Black Mamba down and looks to be going for a submission. He's in full guard and trying to get a better advantage. Mamba trying to fight him off. They stand up and Crusher has him in a clinch and now has his leg against the ropes. Mamba working into a guillotine type move and is trying to clamp down on it but loses it as Crusher still has his leg. Mamba with some short punches to the side of the head but Crusher takes him down and is in full guard again. Crusher trying to pass. Mamba defending by throwing punches. Crusher has side control and looks to be going for a submission. Crusher is halfway outside the ring and is now back in. Crusher gives up his position but then gets Mamba's back and Mamba is standing up with Crusher on his back attempting to choke him out. Mamba throws him off and Mamba is now in full guard but Crusher is going for the rubber guard and the ref stops it and moves them to the middle of the ring and puts them in the same position as they were in previously. Crusher has what looks like a half rubber guard. They sprawl and Crusher has Mamba against the ropes and is going after that leg again. Crusher takes him down and the ref moves them to the middle again. Crusher works into half guard and then into side control but isn't doing much with it. Now he's in North/South and then switches to the other side and now he has Mamba's back.He's trying to clamp his legs in and it looks like he nearly has a rear naked choke and now it's in but he can't hold it. Now he's got what looks to be an arm triangle but again he can't hold it. Crusher takes him down again and is now in full guard basically just laying on Mamba. Both guys look to be pretty tired as the round is coming to and end. The match so far is definitely Crusher's as he's just imposing his will on Mamba. Mamba is doing a good job of protecting himself on the bottom but hasn't shown much offense besides defensive short punches/jabs.

R2- This one is Crusher's to lose. Mamba definitely has a reach advantage but hasn't been able to use it yet. Mamba lands a couple of strikes to start the round. Goes for a kick but Crusher ducks and impressively takes him down. He's in full guard. Mambo kicks him off and Crusher chases him down and grabs his leg again like a pit bull that just won't give up on getting that leg. Crusher grounds him yet again. He is just a superior wrestler than Mamba but hasn't been able to finish. Mambo squirts out and has the advantage but isn't doing anything with it. Crusher picks him up and grounds him again and once again is in full guard. The ref re-positions them again. Crusher's mouth is bleeding just a bit. Mamba landing some punches from the bottom and Crusher trying to get into better position. Crusher trying to throw some punches from full guard. Moves into half guard. Mambo is watching the clock. Side Control for Crusher and looks to be going for a submission. Mambo grabs a headlock on Crusher but loses it. The fight ends with Mamba defending himself.

This one should easily go to Crusher as he was just the superior wrestler in this one. But much like Hellboy earlier he couldn't finish. So advancing in the lightweight Grand Prix so far we have 2 really good wrestlers.

Winner: Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri by Decision (Unanimous)


Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Andre "Dida" Amade (6-2-1) vs Eddie Alvarez (12-1)

They go at it right from the bell and Alvarez takes him down and is punching Dida and is now on top in full guard. They have a heated exchange but no one comes out with a clear advantage. Dida gets in a shot and puts Alvarez down but he pops back up. This is a real exciting fight so far compared to the other ones on the card. Alvarez again is on top and is landing punches. Dida is swinging for the fences. Alvarez is in control as his punches are much more compact and Dida is throwing punches mostly to keep Alvarez away from him. Alvarez dumps him on his back and gets on top in half guard. Alvarez hitting some punches from the top as Dida tries to protect himself. Alvarez looking very impressive so far. Alvarez throwing some hammer punches and has side control. Dida continues to try and roll out but Alvarez ins controlling and has full mount now and is laying the punches in. This one should be over soon. Alvarez almost punching himself out. Ref calls for the bell as Dida just went into the fetal position. Alvarez does a back flip off the top rope to celebrate. Really good win for Alvarez and he looked real impressive.

Winner: Eddie Alvarez by TKO (strikes) 6:41 R1

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Mitsuhiro Ishida vs Bu Kyung Jung

Only brief highlights are shown of this one.

Winner: Mitsuhiro Ishida by Decision (unanimous)

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Kazuyuki Miyata vs Luiz "Buscape" Firmino

Only brief highlights are shown of this one.

Winner: Luis Firmino via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 7:37 R1

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Katsuhiko Nagata vs Artur Umakhanov

Only brief highlights are shown of this one.

Winner: Katushiko Nagata by Decision (unanimous)

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Gesias "J.Z.Calvan" Calvancante (14-1) vs Shinya Aoki (14-2)

Aoki has wins over Joachim Hansen and George Sotiropoulos and is a veteran of Shooto and Pride. JZ is from the K-1 Hero's promotion. They start by feeling each other out for a while. Aoki goes for a kick and then lays down and basically wants JZ to come to the mat with him. The ref stands them up. Aoki has on some hideous looking tights. Aoki throwing a lot of kicks but not really hitting with anything. Aoki again on his back wanting to fight on the ground. JZ comes down with a punch and then the ref re-starts the fight. JZ with a punch to the gut. Aoki tries a flying submission but eats the mat and again lays and waits for his opponent. The ref re-starts again. JZ misses with a huge roundhouse kick and Aoki dives at his leg and is holding on. Ref calls for a timeout as I think JZ hit him with a shot to the back of the head with his elbow. Aoki is really selling it like death but it looked like the elbow landed on the top of his spine below his neck. The ref calls this a no contest. Aoki's style was really annoying. I would definitely like to see more of JZ though.

Result: No Contest R1 3:46

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (22-6-2) vs Tatsuya Mizuno (3-2)

Cro Cop comes to the ring to Duran Duran. How bizarre. Mizuno's background is Pancrease. Cro Cop starts out with some leg kicks. Cro Cop with a knee and some punches as his opponent wilts and then Cro Cop lays in some punches on the ground and this one is over. Mizuno was definitely a sacrifical lamb here. Cro Cop looked a little tentative at first but then opened up in short order on Mizuno.

Winner: Cro Cop via TKO (punches) R1 0:56

Overall a decent show and I got introduced to a bunch of new fighters. I was most impressed with Eddie Alvarez.

Here is what Round 2 of the Lightweight Grand Prix will look like (scheduled for May 11th on the DREAM. 3 Card):
Katsuhiko Nagata vs JZ/Aoki winner
Mitushiro Ishida vs Caol Uno (got a first round bye)
Eddie Alvarez vs Joachim Hansen
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Luiz Firmino

The next DREAM show "DREAM. 2" (April 29th) shapes up like this:

Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante

UFC 82 Show Re-Cap/Thoughts

UFC 82

Pre-Show

John Halverson vs Jorge Gurgel

This one looks like a pretty even match-up through the first couple of minutes as they are exchanging on their feet. Halverson attacks about 3 minutes into the cage with a flurry of punches and then ties up Gurgel against the cage. Halverson’s got him in a guillotine but Gurgel gets out pretty quickly and is now on top in guard position. Really close first round. Gurgel finished strong in guard and got in a couple of good punches.

R2- An early low blow slows this one down as they break for recovery time. Halverson goes for a guillotine and then another submission but Gurgel ends up on top in guard and is starting to get in some good punches as he has Halverson up against the cage. Gorges getting in a lot of punches and is looking to finish Halverson. Halverson hangs on. Gurgel passes to side control with a minute and a half left in the round. He is now in basically a north/south position and is going for an arm submission. Now he’s going for an arm bar but Halverson slips out and is on top in guard and is throwing some punches. This round goes to Gurgel but Halverson showed a lot of guts in staying alive in the round and then getting in some offense at the end of the round.

R3- Halverson is the aggressor early and he hits some punches and backs Gurgel into the cage. They go to the mat and then back to their feet with Halverson again landing some punches. They are really going back and forth in the middle of the ring and then Gurgel takes him down with half the round left. Gurgel again laying in punches from the guard position. Gurgel hitting some elbows. The ref ends up standing them up with a minute left. Halverson is swining for the fences to get the win but Gurgel wraps him up.

Overall, this was a pretty decent fight. Gurgel gets the win via decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Good decision IMO. Halverson fought a good fight but Gurgel just controlled the fight more and clearly dominated Round 2.

Welterweight- Dustin Hazelett (12-3) vs Josh Koscheck (11-2)

Haslett takes it right to Koscheck at the beginning and back him up to the cage and then Koscheck comes back after him in an exciting exchange to start the fight. Koscheck looking good early and is throwing a lot of punches and looking to be the aggressor but then Hazelett comes back and gets dsome good attempts in. Koscheck comes at him and pins him up against the cage. Hazelett goes for the guillotine and looks like he might be able to finish here but Koscheck gets out of it. Hazelett throws a big knee. Koscheck with a good combo. Koscheck takes him down but Hazelett goes for the triangle with 20 seconds left as the round ends. Really good first round with both guys looking real good. This was really even IMO, not sure who really won the fight. If I had to choose I would pick Koscheck because even though he ended the round at a disadvantage he had the most control of the fight throughout and seemed to me to get in more shots on his opponent and also got the only takedown of the round. Really close round, really a toss up.

Round 2- They are fighting for while pretty evenly but then Koscheck hits a real nice head kick and quickly follows it up with some punches and the ref stops the fight. Really nice finish from Koscheck who has really improved his stand up game since the Ultimate Fighter Season 1.

Welterweight- David Bielkheden (12-5) vs Diego Sanchez (19-2)

Sanchez quickly takes David down and gets in a couple of shots. He’s really working trying to get in position on top to do damage or to pass. Diego is getting in a couple of shots and is really in control early. Diego gets side control and hits some short elbows and is looking for a kimura. Diego moves into full mount and finally starts to get in some good shots on David and then just starts laying it in and gets the win via opponent tap. Diego just controlled this match and won decisively. Real good showing for Diego.

Heavyweight- Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs Jake O’Brien (10-0)

Don’t know much about O’Brien except that he is undefeated. Arlovski has got to be the favorite here and he gets a real good reaction from the fans at introduction. Jake shoots in quick for the takedown but Arlovski holds him up and grabs a guillotine type hold but it’s not cinched in. They stand up and O’Brien shoots again but Arlovski keeps him at bay and grabs him again. They stand up again and O’Brien shoots again and again gets denied. Arlovski grabs him again but isn’t doing any damage. O’Brien finally takes him down on a 4th try. O’Brien is on top in the guard but not much is happening. Arlovski is actually getting in more clean shots from the bottom than O’Brien is from the top. First Round goes to Arlovski based on cage control, denying the takedowns and doing more damage. O’Brien has a cut on the top of his head.

Round 2- O’Brien shoots in quickly but again is denied. And then again. And again. And again. It happens again but O’Brien fights through and gets on top. Not much happening in this round. They are standing up and Arlovski has him in a bear hug and goes down on top of O’Brien and starts to pepper him with punches. Ref calls the fight.

Pretty boring fight until Arlovski got on top in Round 2 and ended it quickly.

Main Card:

Welterweight- Jon Fitch (20-2-1)vs Chris Wilson (12-3-1)

They feel each other out and then Wilson grabs a brief clinch but Fitch gets out. Wilson went for a punch and got pushed into the cage but they are back in the center now. Fitch with a couple of jabs and sprinkling in kicks. Wilson whiffs on a punch and Fitch grabs him but Wilson battles out and catches him with a punch. Wilson is hitting some strikes now but Fitch grabs him and is trying to take him down. Fitch finally gets Wilson off his feet. Fitch does nothing on the ground so the ref stands them up. They are exchanging some soft strikes. Fitch takes him down off of a kick and is in full guard on top of Wilson. Fitch is laying in some punches, Wilson trying to get some elbows from the top and the round ends. Pretty even round. I think Wilson got more on their feet but Fitch got two takedowns so I'll give him the round due to Wilson not really getting much damage despite getting in more shots.

"The most boring aspect of Mixed Martial Arts is still more exciting then the best part of baseball"- Joe Rogan

R2- Fitch goes for a quick takedown by grabbing the leg but Wilson squirms out. Wilson misses an uppercut and Fitch goes for another takedown and eventually gets it. He's in half guard now on top of Wilson and moves to full guard. Fitch is switching between half and full guard and hitting some body punches. Fitch gets side control and starts to hit some elbows to the side of the head and then follows with some punches. Fitch gets in the mount position with 1:20 left in the round but Wilson gets him into half guard. Fitch is getting some punches and elbows in, nothing that's going to end the fight but they will take their toll. They scramble but Fitch stays on top. Nothing exciting about this round but Fitch controlled it and is winning the fight 20-18 in my book.

R3- Not much going on here in round 3. Fitch finally hits a combo about a minute in. Wilson gets in a couple of shots after another Fitch combo. Fitch with another punch. Fitch is winning the exchanges in this round. Crowd is lightly booing. Fitch takes down Wilson again and is on top. Fitch throwing some punches down on Wilson, who is pinned against the cage. Wilson is going for a triangle with about 20 seconds left and apparently has it but Fitch holds on. Fitch wins this round also as he just dominated the entire round but the last 20 seconds.

I think Fitch wins this in very un-exciting fashion 30-27. Fitch is a good fighter and really controlled this one but he just has no flair which is a big selling point for the fighters in UFC.

Decision: Jon Fitch by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Middleweight- Yushin Okami (22-4) vs. Evan Tanner (34-6)

Tanner seems to be the aggressor early but no clear advantage. Okami sticks him with a punch and Tanner goes down and Okami jumps on him but can’t finish and Tanner takes him down and they quickly go back to their feet. Good recovery from Tanner. Okami trying to get some knees in. Not a real exciting first round. I felt that Tanner controlled the fight but Okami got the only knockdown of the first down.

R2- Okami with some nice kicks in the first minute. Okami seems to be taking over this fight here in the second round. Tanner backs him into the cage. Okami destroys Tanner with a knee and gets the win. Not an overly exciting fight but Okami looked really good and in control in Round 2 and hit an impressive finish.

Winner: Yushin Okami via KO Round 2 (3:00)

Big Dave Batista is in the house.

Middleweight- Chris Leben (17-4) vs. Alessio Sakara (16-6-1)

Both guys swinging pretty freely early. Leben seems to be moving forward and in slight control. They are still throwing pretty good at one another with no one with a clear advantage. Leben continues to move forward on Sakara as they exchange. Sakara gets in a couple of good shots but then eats a knee. Leben with a nice inside leg kick and then body kick. They tie up on the cage but then release. Leben gets in some punches and Sakara is rocked on the cage and Leben is on top of him landing punches and the ref stops the fight. Leben has Sakara's blood on him and is the victor. Leben got in some good punches and then rocked Sakara with 2 punches and then got on top and started punching and the ref stopped the fight.

"There's the left hook that put him on queer street"- Joe Rogan

Winner: Chris Leben via TKO Round 1 (3:16)

Heavyweight- Heath Herring (27-13-1) vs. Cheick Kongo (21-3-1)

Herring comes right out and just nails Kongo and he goes down quickly. Herring has him up against the fence but Kongo reverses and takes Herring down. Herring has a kimura but Kongo slips out and lands some shots on the back of Herring. They are now mixing it up on their feet and Kongo takes him down again. Herring reverses and they sprawl a bit. Herring stays on top as he corners Kongo on the cage but Kongo gets to his feet. Herring has him in a guillotine type hold. Kongo using his knees to try and get out. Kongo takes him down again and is in full mount against the cage. Kongo hitting some punches to the side of Herring. Herring rolls over on top but Kongo gets back to his feet and Herring has him up against the cage. Herring tries to take him down but Kongo rolls over and is landing punches. Kongo in a dominant position now but not doing much with it. This was a good first round. Pretty close, I'm going to give it to Kongo due to him seemingly controlling the majority of takedowns and he landed more damage in the round.

R2- Herring again looks to come out quick but Kongo is quickly on top and throwing punches. Kongo is in half guard on top and working some punches into the side of Herring. Herring hits an upkick. Ref stands them up. Herring charges at Kongo and they are up against the cage now. Kongo picks him up and dumps him down and Herring is giving up his back but Kongo doesn't attack it as he hasn't when he's had the opportunity. Kongo finally rolls over and attempts to take his back. Gets in a couple of shots. Herring rolls over and is in a North/South position and is landing punches to Kongo's body. Herring moves to side control. He lands some knees. More knees by Herring. Herring continues to hit knees as the round ends. This round goes to Herring as Kongo dominated early but didn't do much damage and Herring just dominated the last minute and a half and hit a bunch of big knees to Kongo's body. I've got it 19-19 going into Round 2.

R3- Herring goes right at Kongo and lands a big kick but Kongo lands on top and hits a couple of punches and now has Herring's back. Kongo tried for a choke but Herring rolled out and they are on their feet. They wrestle and Kongo gets him down and again has his back. Herring rolls over and is on top. Herring in side control and is landing some punches. Herring lands a knee and is now hitting some knees. Herring with some punches to the body. Herring now in full mount and is laying in some body punches until the round ends.

This is the second time I watched this fight. The first time I though Kongo won but watching it again I give Kongo the first round and Herring the last two as he inflicted more damage in those rounds and ended both rounds in a dominant position. My pick is Herring 29-28 in a close one but not one that I would necessarily like to see a re-match for.

Decision: Heath Herring by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Middleweight Championship- Anderson Silva (c) (20-4) vs Dan Henderson (22-6)

Feeling out process in the early going. Henderson finally goes in after about a minute and we start to see some action now. Silva throwing some kicks now but not doing damage with them. Henderson grabs Silva and takes him down. Silva grabs a headlock and Henderson isn't doing anything on top. Henderson starting to get in a couple of punches but Silva still has him in a headlock which is limiting the damage that can be inflicted. Henderson has side control with 30 seconds left but Silva spins out and Henderson is now in full guard. Round One comes to an end with what seems to be little damage inflicted by either fighter. Henderson wins the round due to cage control and his take down. 10-9 Henderson.

R2- They are trading some jabs and kicks early. Sliva starting to get some kicks in. Silva takes down Henderson. They are up and against the fence. Henderson is controlling Silva against the cage in a greco clinch. Henderson with a knee. They trade some punches and Silva is dominating with punches and gets on top. Nails an elbow, Henderson grabs Silva and is trying to get out. Silva has half guard. Silva has his back and is throwing punches. Silva is delivering punches and has him in a body triangle. Silva throwing punches. Silva trying to flatten out Henderson but they roll over and Silva's got the rear naked choke clamped on and Henderson taps.

Good fight. Silva really dominated the second round

Winner and still champ: Anderson Silva via tapout from Rear Naked Choke Round 2 4:52

The Ultimate Fighter Episode Two Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter 7- Episode 2 Re-Cap Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Elimination Matches Continue Dan Simmler (1-0) vs. Matthew Riddle (1-0) Riddle with a quick kick and take down but can’t get much and they stand up. Riddle takes him down again after Simmler misses a flying submission. Riddle with a couple of punches and they are up again and against the fence. Not much going on and then Riddle gets a flurry of quick punches. Simmler on top and gets in a couple of punches. Riddle takes him down but isn’t doing anything on top. Not much going on in the first round. Riddle wins based on controlling the fight and getting in more offense but he looked really gassed towards the end of the round. Neither guy is particularly impressive so far and this is anyone’s fight. Round 2- Riddle just destroys him with a quick knock out right at the beginning of the round and Simmler is in la la land and is moaning in the ring and then they show him going into the ambulance asking if it was a real fight or practice- basically not knowing what happened to him. Riddle obviously has some real impressive knockout power he just didn’t look that dominant or special until he hit that one punch. Luke Zachrich (7-1) vs. Patrick Schultz (7-1-1) Patrick Schultz stole Nigel McGuinness’s hair. Schultz takes him down but it doesn’t last. They fight back and forth and tie up. Zachrich ends up on top, Quinton notes that Schultz took himself down. Luke with some punches as he moves to side control and then gets flipped and then they sprawl and Luke ends up back on top in full guard. Luke hits a nice short elbow but then gets himself in a guillotine and then slips out. Luke battles to half guard. He briefly gets full mount and then gets Schultz’s back. He’s got him in a rear naked choke and Shultz taps. They are picking on Quinton because his corner guys fighters aren’t winning many of the fights. Tim Credeur (10-2) vs. Erik Charles (10-5) Both these guys have a lot of experience compared to the other guys and they both seem confident in their abilities based on pre-match comments so I’m looking forward to this one. Tim shoots in quickly and they are up against the cage. Tim wrestles him down and is in full guard. Erik tries to get in rubber guard but Tim has side control. Tim grabs a quick armbar and this one is over. That was real impressive. No wasted motion by Credeur, he knew what he wanted to do and he went in there and imposed his will on his opponent. Brandon Sene vs. Aaron Meisner Only highlights are shown of this one. Sene got the win via rear naked choke. Couldn’t tell much based on what was shown. Mike Marrello vs. Gerald Harris Only highlights shown of this one. Harris hit a huge slam and laid in some nice punches. Harris looked pretty good based on what was shown but only got a decision so he didn’t show finishing power against this particular opponent but looked real impressive in the highlights that were shown he could be a factor down the road. Daniel Cramer vs. Jeremiah Riggs Only highlights shown of this one. This one looked really gritty but didn’t look like there was much in terms of technique in this one. At one point the match was stopped due to 3 or 4 consecutive illegal up kicks and a point was deducted from one of the fighters. Cramer wins this one by unanimous decision as he inflicted a lot of punishment on his opponent. Jeremiah Riggs looked jacked up after the fight. Nick Rossborough (8-3) vs. Jesse Taylor (6-2) Dana calls Nick the “Slim Shady” of MMA and Forrest says he’s blown away by his “Eminemness”. Slim Shady gets taken down quick and Taylor has him up against the cage. Shady gets out of it but gets taken down again. Taylor is in half guard and trying to take side control. Taylor has his back and it’s over via rear naked choke. Taylor looked pretty impressive but it may have been due to Nick just not being very good. “C’mon Slim Shady”- Dana White “Uh oh, Slim Shady can’t wrestle”- Dana White “That’s a good job there Nick. NO! That’s not. Sorry, I take that back”- Forrest Griffin “Jess finished him. Sent him back to 8 Mile”- Forrest Griffin Josh Hall (3-2) vs. Matt Brown (9-6) This is the final of the Elimination fights to see who gets in the house. Quinton knows Josh Hall and says that he is powerful. Dana says this is going to be a good fight. Josh takes him back into the cage. Forrest says that Mack Danzig called him and said Josh Hall was his boy. Josh with some nice punches. Matt comes back with a punch and a kick. They are going back and forth a little now. They tie up again and Josh takes him down and is on top and putting in some punches. Now Josh is in full guard but stands up and is landing some punches. Josh has him against the fence. Josh slams him down. Matt Brown is trying to get him in a triangle. Josh slams him but Matt is punching him and has him in a triangle with a minute left. Hall slips out but now Matt has his arm. Matt reigning down punches. Matt on top now in side control and the ref stops the fight with 3 seconds left. Really good fight. Dana says for the first time ever all 16 guys deserve to be here in the house. Here are my preliminary rankings so far based on what has been shown: 1. Tim Credeur 2. CB Dollaway 3. Dante Rivera 4. Nick Klein 5. Matthew Riddle 6. Luke Zachrich 7. Gerald Harris 8. Matt Brown 9. Daniel Cramer 10. Jesse Taylor 11. Mike Dolce 12. Amir Sadollah 13. Jeremy May 14. Brandon Sene 15. Paul Bradley 16. Cale Yarbrough

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Episode One Re-Cap

Episode One Re-Cap The Ultimate Fighter- Show 1 Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest They start off with Dana bitching about the posers on the show that claim they want to be fighters taking up spots for the guys who really want to be there. Dana says the solution is that instead of 16 he has invited 32 fighters and over the next 48 hours they will be fighting their way onto the show. Forrest and Rampage will be evaluating them based on the fights. Dana says they will see who the posers are and who the real fighters are. “I think some of them crapped their pants…I smelt it”- Rampage Jackson “What I’m looking for are guys that are uglier than me. Any handsome guys…put them on Quinton’s team”- Forrest Griffin Elimination Fights- winner moves into the house, loser goes home. Prince McLean (5-4) vs. Mike Dolce (4-4) Mike Dolce seems a little more confident in the pre-match interviews. He seems like he’s ready. They are swinging pretty wildly to start off and then Dolce jumps on top but Prince flips him over. They get to their feet and Dolce takes him down and is in side control. Dolce is in great position but isn’t doing anything. Finally he starts to hit a couple of elbows but Prince gets out and then Dolce nails Prince when they stand up. Dolce looked pretty good, really reckless and unrefined but good senses and strong punching. Lots of potential in Dolce if he can put it all together over the next six weeks. Cale Yarbrough (0-0) vs. John Clarke (6-2) Wasn’t Cale Yarbrough a Nascar racer back in the day? Cale is from Athens right down the street from me. Clarke had to cut 17 pounds for the fight. Clarke takes him down early after wanting no part of the stand up game. Clarke is on top and getting a couple of shots in. They are battling for position. Clarke is in side control now. Going for a kimura. Clarke is punching him in the back of the head a lot. Clarke has his back. Clarke hits like a belly to back suplex but I think he hurts himself. Cale is on top now but not really doing anything and Clarke goes for an armbar. Cale slips out. Clarke looks real winded. Cale with a big kick up against the cage. Clarke trying to grab him but is too tired to get up. Cale jumps on top and fight is stopped as Clarke just gassed out. Cale looked good considering that it was his first fight but he’s not in the league of Dolce in terms of experience. I’ll keep a running tally of who I’d pick if I was picking fighters for my team: 1. Mike Dolce 2. Cale Yarbrough Steve Byrnes (6-1) vs. Amir Sadollah (0-0) Steve Byrnes is a Marine. This is Amir’s first fight. Byrnes was on Ultimate Fight Night 7. Amir starts out with 2 kicks. Byrnes goes for the take down and they battle. Finally Byrnes throws him down and mounts. He’s in half guard and then seems to move himself into full guard. Amir showing some good defense from the bottom. Byrnes trying to pass the guard and gets in some good elbows to the face. Amir is really making him work. Amir flips him over in a really nice move and now he’s on top in guard and is landing some shots. Byrnes grabs an armbar and is trying to hold on to it but loses it. Amir is in half guard. Byrnes flips him over and is on top but Amir goes for a triangle and is nailing Byrnes with elbows. Byrnes gets out and is getting some punches in. Really close round. I think I would barely give this round to Amir. I think he did more when he was on top and showed better defense when not. Really good round, definitely the best of the 3 fights so far. Round 2- Amir goes right at him but almost jumps into Byrnes guard. Byrnes is really winded loses it quickly. Amir lands some nice shots and they are up against the cage. Amir is hitting most of the offense here and Byrnes is pretty much just lying on Amir. Amir has side control and is getting some shots in. Really nice elbow by Amir. Amir almost had full mount but lets Byrnes get on top. Amir grabs am armbar and it’s over. Amir tries to jump up on the cage and celebrate but falls down. Amir looked good here but I think he gave up his advantages way to soon. Rankings: 1. Mike Dolce 2. Amir Sadollah 3. Cale Yarbrough David Baggett vs. CB Dollaway Only highlights shown of this one. Dollaway looked real good from what they showed and he just finished Baggett. I would probably rank Dollaway first if I saw the whole fight and he was that impressive during the fight as he was in the highlights. Dante Rivera vs. John Wood Only highlights shown for this one. Dante dominated this one in quick fashion from what they showed. He just picked the guy up and brought him to his corner and kimura’d him. Nick Klein vs. David Mewborn Only highlights shown of this one. David Mewborn is another guy from Athens, second friend of Forrest’s. Klein finished him pretty quickly. Paul Bradley vs. Reggie Orr Basically Paul wrestled Reggie to the ground for 10 minutes. Dana and the coaches didn’t seem to really like this much. Said this was a bad fight. Paul’s definitely going to need to add some excitement to his repertoire in order to be accepted in the UFC. Dave Roberts (4-5) vs. Jeremy May (6-5) Roberts is a high school friend of Rampage. They trade some kicks to start. Neither guy looks like a good striker but May is landing a couple of punches. Roberts grabs him. Jeremy swinging for the fences and Roberts seems to be wilting but takes him down. May grabs an armbar and Roberts taps. Good opening episode as this one was pretty much all about the fighting. I’ve only seen two of the seasons so far (one and six) so I don’t have too much to compare this to but I like that they are having to fight immediately whereas in season’s past you may not see a guy fight until several weeks into the competition. Here are my preliminary rankings so far based on what has been shown: 1. CB Dollaway 2. Dante Rivera 3. Nick Klein 4. Mike Dolce 5. Amir Sadollah 6. Jeremy May 7. Paul Bradley 8. Cale Yarbrough

UFC Fight Night 4/2/08 Thoughts

UFC Fight Night Live


Light Heavyweight- Houston Alexander (8-2) vs James Irvin (13-4)

This was pretty shocking and a great way to start the show. I’ve never seen Irvin before and I was pretty much expecting Alexander to take this one but Alexander just ate a huge punch right off the bat and the ref stopped the fight. This tied the record for fastest knockout in UFC history at 8 seconds.

Lightweight- Kurt Pellegrino (17-3) vs Nate Diaz (8-2)

Pellegrino is sporting brown hair instead of his normal colored looks- almost didn’t recognize him. Pellegrino seems to be controlling on the ground early. Pellegrino got side control and peppered Diaz with several quick punches. Diaz is busted open and Pellegrino dominating so far 3 minuts into the fight as he hits a big elbow. Diaz looks like he’s out and Pellegrino has his back. Diaz back to his feet as he is trying to get in some offense. Pellegrino just dominated the first round with Diaz holding on. It will be interesting to see if Diaz can come back. Pellegrino had 2 or 3 chances to really finish off Diaz in the first Round but didn’t get it done.

Round 2- Pellegrino takes Diaz down about 45 seconds into the round after some stand up with little contact. Diaz is going for a kimura but Pellegrino slips out and still is on top of Diaz. They get to their feet and Pellegrino has Diaz’s back but Diaz does a nice flip but Pellegrino still has control. Diaz with a brief control but Pellegrino lifts him up and takes him down but now Diaz is going for a triangle and he’s got it and Pellegrino taps.

Good fight. Pellegrino really dominated but Diaz got that one move and got the submission. Diaz showed a lot of guts cause he was almost gone several times in the first round.


Light Heavyweight- Matt Hamill (5-1)vs Tim Boetsch (7-1)

Hamill takes him down about 20 seconds into the fight. Hamill is controlling the fight but not much going on and the ref stands them up. Boetsch looks like the better striker as he’s definitely the aggressor when they are on their feet. Boetsch is really swinging for the fences. Matt Hamill is bleeding slightly from his mouth. Boetsch hits a big knee but Hamill comes back with some punches and lands a nice one. Really even first round. Hamill controlled early but really didn’t get in any offense and then they went back and forth on their feet and I think Boetsch landed more damage in those exchanges. Both guys looked a little winded after Round 1.

Round 2- Hamill goes for a high sidekick and falls but gets back up. Boetsch goes for a takedown but Hamill is landed a bunch of punches. Repeated punches and this might be over real soon and the ref stops it. Huge mistake by Boetsch in going for the takedown on a better wrestler. Hamill took advantage and won the fight by capitalizing on Boetsch’s mistake.


Welterweight- Karo Parisyan (26-4) vs Thiago Alves (19-4)

Karo grabs the clinch early and takes down Thiago quickly. Thiago gets back to his feet with little damage and they are back on their feet now. Karo is controlling the fight early but not dominating. Karo goes in for a takedown but Thiago fights it as they are up against the cage. They separate and are on their feet again. Thiago seems to be getting a little more comfortable and is throwing more punches and kicks as the round continues. They end the round with Karo at an advantage against the cage. Round goes to Karo but no real damage was landed by either fighter.

Round 2- Thiago just destroys Karo with a vicious knee about 20 seconds into R2 and wins via ref stoppage. Karo is the second guy tonight who is upset about stoppage but he just got destroyed by that knee.

Welterweight- Tommy Speer vs Anthony Johnson (4-1)

I’m actually in the process of watching The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 (Hughes vs Serra) from the marathon that came on last week (got 2 episodes left) so this should be interesting to see how Speer does and see how he has improved. Speer seems to have slimmed down a bit. Johnson nailed him with a left hook early and then destroyed him with a kick and is nailing him with punches and then just destroys him with a HUGE knockout punch. Great showing for Anthony Johnson. This one only last 51 seconds.

Lightweight- Frank Edgar (8-0) vs Gray Maynard (5-0-1)

Maynard seems to be a tad of the aggressor so far as he’s throwing more punches and throwing them with more force and Edgar just seems to be trying to measure Maynard and feel him out. Edgar starts to get some shots in and Maynard takes him down. Close Round- I’ve got to give it to Maynard due to him having the only takedown and maintaining control for the majority of the round. Little damage done in Round 1 by either guy. Both guys may have small cuts.

Round 2- Maynard comes out swinging and then Edgar does as well. Much more action in this round as both guys feel a sense of urgency. Edgar goes for a takedown but Maynard blocks. Instead Maynard gets the takedown. Edgar gets to his feet and gets in 2 decent shots. Edgar looking much more aggressive in this round and is landing more shots. Edgar gets a great takedown on a throw but Maynard quickly escapes. Edgar seemed to be controlling the game on the feet but Maynard took him down. Edgar battling trying to get a kimura. That takedown may have saved the round for Maynard but Edgar is trying to submit him from the bottom. This was real close and this one really could have gone either way.

Round 3- Both guys come out swinging and Maynard shoots in for a takedown and they are really going back and forth on the mat until they stand up. Edgar with a combo. Maynard with another takedown and then with a big slam. Maynard has been controlling the wrestling in this match. Maynard with another big slam and he’s still controlling the wrestling. Back to the feet and Edgar throws some elbows. Edgar’s got to do something here or he’s gonna lose via decision. Maynard with another takedown and throw. Maynard remains on top as the match is coming to a close. I’ve got this one Maynard 30-27 but I guess we’ll see what the judges think.

Winner by Unanimous decision 30-27 on all card Gray Maynard. Definitely the right decision. Maynard looked real impressive in his wrestling and control of the fight. Maynard really has to work on his submissions and/or killer instinct because even though he dominated the fight at no point was he even close to finishing Edgar.

Lightweight- Kenny Florian (10-3) vs Joe Lauzon (15-3)

Lauzon shoots in early and takes down Florian but gets nailed with several elbows to the head that busts Lauzon upon. The ref breaks it up. Florian lands a nice kick. Florian on top with some nice strikes. Lauzon takes down Florian and goes for a heel hook but never really gets any damage in. Lauzon goes for another leg hold but Florian gets out again and hits Lauzon with a couple of shots. Really close first round, I’d give it to Florian just based on damage inflicted as he got in more.

Round 2- They stand up for about a minute and then Florain gets a take down and gets Full Mount and is swinging on Lauzon as Lauzon is just trying to cover up right now. Florian with some elbows and now punching more in side control. Florian still just controlling Lauzon. Lauzon trying to squirm out. Florian just continuing to pound on Lauzon and the ref finally stops it.

Florian looked really good here. I haven’t seen much of him but he looks like a totally different fighter than when he was in The Ultimate Fighter Season 1.

Overall this was a good show and very enjoyable. Several good fights- Florian/Lauzon, Pellegrino/Diaz, Edgar/Maynard and Karo/Alves. I think my favorite fight was the Nate Diaz fight just due to the beating he took and then came back to win.