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UFC 86 Classic Slugfest: Forrest Griffin Beats Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson

Posted: Jul 5th 2008 11:59 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Breaking News, The Word, UFC

UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson lost his title to Forrest Griffin by unanimous decision in one of the all-time great fights in UFC history tonight at UFC 86 in Las Vegas.

It was a classic slugfest in which both fighters gave out and received punishment. Rampage got off to a tremendous start in the first round with a brutal uppercut, while Griffin dominated the second. On my scorecard Rampage got the better of the last three rounds and won the fight, but all three judges disagreed with me.

The key to the fight was the way Griffin hurt Rampage's knee with a big leg kick in the second round. That hindered Rampage the rest of the night.

Amir Sadollah Submits C.B. Dollaway, Wins The Ultimate Fighter

Posted: Jun 21st 2008 11:15 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Breaking News, UFC

14 COMMENTS

Amir Sadollah defeated C.B. Dollaway with a first-round arm bar tonight in Las Vegas, earning a UFC contract by winning the final fight of this season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The fight was a rematch of a fight that aired during the Ultimate Fighter season; Sadollah won that fight and eliminated Dollaway, only to have Dollaway invited back as a replacement for finalist Jesse Taylor, who was kicked out of UFC.

Although this fight was shorter than their first fight, the result was similar: Dollaway appeared to be in an advantageous position on top on the ground, only to have Sadollah put him in an arm bar. Sadollah is a likable, articulate guy and a skilled fighter who's got a great future ahead of him in UFC.

Said Sadollah after Joe Rogan called him The Ultimate Fighter, "I just heard it and I like it."

UFC to Put Anderson Silva on Spike July 19, Affliction Might as Well Cancel

Posted: Jun 17th 2008 5:53 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Breaking News, UFC, Affliction for MMA

5 COMMENTS

UPDATED: UFC appears ready not just to take on the upstart Affliction mixed martial arts organization, but to try for a first-round knockout.

MMARated.com and F4Wonline.com are reporting that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva -- widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world -- will fight on Spike on July 19, the same night that Affliction has a pay-per-view show.

The reports say it will be Silva's first fight at light heavyweight, and that his opponent will be James Irvin. According to MMA Rated, Silva is not planning to relinquish his middleweight belt. He'll fight Irvin at 205 pounds and then cut back down to 185 for a middleweight bout down the road. Hermes Franca vs. Frankie Edgar is reportedly part of the undercard.

The event will apparently be part of the Spike UFC Fight Night series.

Affliction's July 19 show is in serious trouble. Although Affliction has put together a good card, headlined by Fedor Emelianenko, it's going to lose a fortune if there's a UFC show headlined by Silva simultaneously. Very, very few people will pay to see Affliction if Silva is fighting for free. Affliction may want to consider canceling.

UFC 85: Thiago Alves KOs Matt Hughes

Posted: Jun 7th 2008 5:19 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Breaking News, UFC

8 COMMENTS

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes lost a fight that may have signaled the beginning of the end of a great career today, as Thiago Alves dominated and won with a brutal second-round technical knockout at UFC 85 in London.

The 24-year-old Alves showed up overweight, weighing in at 174 pounds for the 170-pound fight, and he apologized for that in the Octagon afterward. The 34-year-old Hughes, a workout freak, showed up appearing in good shape as usual. Whether the weight advantage helped Alves or not we don't know, but Alves dominated the fight.

Georges St.-Pierre is the undisputed best welterweight in the world, and when he's at his best he looks unbeatable. But if Alves can prove he can make 170, he may get a crack at GSP -- Alves looked great tonight, with the biggest win of his career.

In the event's other fights, Fabricio Werdum defeated Brandon Vera by first-round TKO, Mike Swick defeated Marcus Davis by unanimous decision, Thales Leites defeated Nate Marquardt by split decision and Michael Bisping defeated Jason Day by first-round TKO.

EliteXC: Kimbo Slice KOs James Thompson

Posted: May 31st 2008 11:43 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Breaking News, The Word, MMA/Boxing, Elite XC

33 COMMENTS

Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson stopped James Thompson in the third round to conclude the first mixed martial arts show on prime time network television in American history.

Slice, who until tonight was best known for fighting on YouTube, showed more skill as an MMA fighter -- not just a brawler -- than anyone expected, and the mere fact that it went past the first round was an upset.

But the fight was not without controversy: In the third round, referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight while Slice was battering Thompson's bloodied left ear; CBS announcer Gus Johnson thought the stoppage was premature and I think Johnson was probably right.

UFC 84: B.J. Penn Destroys Sean Sherk

Posted: May 25th 2008 1:44 AM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Breaking News, MMA/Boxing, UFC

6 COMMENTS

Notes on a trip to Las Vegas.

UFC lightweight championB.J. Penn defended his title with a dominant third-round TKO Saturday night, leaving challenger Sean Sherk bloody, bruised, and hurting at the conclusion of UFC 84.

That picture above is of Sherk at his post-fight press conference, during which he claimed he felt OK and would be back in the Octagon soon. But he looked like a very different fighter than he was when we last saw him, 10 months ago. Sherk isn't a champion anymore.

Penn is. He simply dominated Sherk from start to finish. This was a great performance.

Also on FanHouse:
UFC 84 Video: Jenna Jameson on Tito Ortiz
UFC 84 Live Blog
UFC Gets Undercards Right
At UFC 84, a Pass Out but Not a Tap Out

Chuck Liddell Injured and Out of UFC 85

Posted: Apr 21st 2008 10:54 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Fighting, Breaking News, The Word, MMA, MMA/Boxing

11 COMMENTS

UPDATED: UFC star Chuck Liddell is injured and will not be able to participate in UFC 85 on June 7 in London. The news was first reported by MMARated.com and has since been confirmed on UFC's official web site.

Liddell's inability to fight is a major blow to UFC. There's no other fighter they could put in the main event against Rashad Evans and still justify selling the fairly weak UFC 85 card. The UFC 85 main event has already been changed once, as Liddell was previously slated to fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua before Rua pulled out with an injury. From UFC.com:

"Unfortunately, Chuck Liddell tore his right hamstring during training last week, and being the warrior that he is, he still wanted to fight, which is the reason why everyone in the world loves him," said Dana White, UFC President. "But I wouldn't let anyone fight with his leg looking that way. Let him heal and come back and fight when he is 100 percent."

White vows that he will add more fights to the UFC 85 card and that the show will go on in London.

Latest UFC Photos

Choi Hong-man (L), a mixed martial arts fighter, arrives at an army training camp for recruits in Wonju, about 80 km (50 miles) east of Seoul, April 21, 2008. Former traditional Korean wrestling champion Choi, now a K1 fighter in Japan, entered the training camp for his mandatory military service, local media reported. REUTERS/Lee Sang-hak/Yonhap (SOUTH KOREA). NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA.

Reuters

Choi Hong-man, a mixed martial arts fighter, waves to the media upon arrival at an army training camp for recruits in Wonju, about 80 km (50 miles) east of Seoul, April 21, 2008. Former traditional Korean wrestling champion Choi, now a K1 fighter in Japan, entered the training camp for his mandatory military service, local media reported. REUTERS/Lee Sang-hak/Yonhap (SOUTH KOREA). NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA.

Reuters

Georges St-Pierre, from Montreal, celebrates after defeating Matt Serra, from Long Island, NY, during their Ultimate Fight Championships Welterweight title fight in Montreal, Saturday April 19, 2008. St-Pierre won the match with a second round TKO. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

** EDS NOTE GRAPHIC CONTENT ** Mark Bocek, of Canada, takes a right from Mac Danzig, from Cleveland, during their lightweight Ultimate Fight Championships middleweight fight in Montreal, Saturday April 19, 2008. Danzig won the fight on a third round tap-out. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

Ultimate fighter Matt Serra gestures at the weigh-in on Friday, April 18, 2008, in Montreal. Serra will fight Georges St. Pierre on Saturday at UFC 83. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Peter McCabe)

Ultimate fighters Mac Danzig, left, and Mark Bocek pose during a weigh-in, Friday, April 18, 2008, in Montreal, for their Saturday UFC 83 ultimate fighting bout. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Peter McCabe)

Ultimate fighter Mark Bocek poses during his weigh-in Friday, April 18, 2008, in Montreal. Bocek will face Mac Danzig on Saturday at UFC 83. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Peter McCabe)

Ultimate fighters Matt Serra, left, and Georges St. Pierre attend a pre-fight news conference in Montreal, Thursday, April 17, 2008. St. Pierre takes on champion Serra for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 83 on Saturday, in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Peter McCabe)

Ultimate Fighting champion and cast member Randy Couture arrives for the premiere of the Sony Pictures Classics film "Redbelt," at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 7, 2008. The film, written and directed by David Mamet, opens in the US on May 9. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

UFC 83: Georges-St. Pierre Beats Matt Serra for Welterweight Championship

Posted: Apr 19th 2008 11:59 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Fighting, Breaking News, The Word, MMA, MMA/Boxing

29 COMMENTS

Georges St-Pierre beat Matt Serra for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 83 tonight, thrilling his hometown fans in Montreal with a dominant performance to avenge his knockout loss in 2007.

St-Pierre controlled the fight throughout and won by a second round TKO. Early on he effectively went for takedowns, and as the fight went on he increasingly landed solid strikes. The referee stopped the fight late in the second when they were on the ground and Serra had no answer for St-Pierre's strikes.

Serra entered the Octagon as the champion, although St-Pierre was technically the interim champion because Serra had been out of commission with a back injury. There is now no doubt; St-Pierre is the one and only champion of the welterweight division. Some will also consider him the best fighter in the sport of MMA regardless of weight class.

The crowd was a huge factor in the first UFC card ever in Canada; we noted the crowd as we live blogged both the main event and the undercard.

St-Pierre improves his professional mixed martial arts record to 16-2; Serra falls to 9-5.

UFC 82: Anderson Silva Beats Dan Henderson for UFC and Pride Title Belts

Posted: Mar 1st 2008 11:59 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Fighting, Breaking News, The Word, MMA

16 COMMENTS

UFC champion Anderson Silva defeated Pride champion Dan Henderson at UFC 82 tonight, winning both belts in the 185-pound weight class and clearly establishing himself as both the best fighter in his weight class and maybe the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Henderson had a very good first round and got off to a fine start in the second, but Silva landed a devastating knee midway through the second round, and when they went to the ground it was just a matter of time. Silva eventually got Henderson to tap with a rear-naked choke with just seven seconds left in the second round.

Before the fight, it had been billed as the best 185-pound matchup in the history of mixed martial arts. That might very well be true, but Silva won handily, and it raises the question of whether anyone can stop the Brazilian Spider. He's just so dominant right now, it's hard to think of anyone who could even challenge him.

Previously on FanHouse:
As MMA Goes Legit, Detractors Will Continue to Miss the Real Issues for Fans
UFC 82: Anderson Silva-Dan Henderson Live
UFC 82 Undercard Live Blog: Tanner-Okami, Kongo-Herring, Fitch-Wilson, Leben-Sakara
UFC: Mark Coleman Will Fight Brock Lesnar

UFC 80: B.J. Penn Beats Joe Stevenson, Wins Lightweight Championship in Bloody Battle

Posted: Jan 19th 2008 5:20 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Fighting, Breaking News, MMA

2 COMMENTS

At UFC 80 today in Newcastle England, B. J. Penn defeated Joe "Daddy" Stevenson by second-round submission to win the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title.

The Hawaiian Penn, who improved his record to 12-4-1, was fighting for the first time since beating Jens Pulver during the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 5. Penn put together a dominant performance in which he opened a huge cut in Stevenson's forehead in the first round, got covered in Stevenson's blood, and then applied a rear-naked choke in the second round, causing Stevenson to tap out.

Stevenson, who is from Torrance, California, entered today's fight on a four-fight winning streak. His performance today was fine, but once the cut opened, he was out of it.

The lightweight title was vacant because UFC stripped Sean Sherk of the belt after Sherk tested positive for steroids. Sherk is currently serving a suspension and will fight Penn for the lightweight title in his first fight back.

Previously on FanHouse:
UFC 80 Live Blog: B.J. Penn-Joe Stevenson
UFC 80 Undercard Live Blog