Matt Hughes Defeats BJ Penn @ UFC 63

Matt Hughes defeated BJ Penn after 3 rounds of competitive action. BJ Penn actually separated his ribs in round 2 when he was going for the rear naked choke. This caused pain for Penn even when he tried to breathe, thus causing his cardio collapse at round 3. Superior conditioning may have also won the fight for Matt as many had predicted. BJ will be off for at least 2 months while Matt will prepare for his next title defense against GSP.

Mike Swick defeated David Loiseau via decision in a boring fight that saw little action. Loiseau actually turned it on in the final round but Swick was able to survive. The fans boo'd a lot in this match and both men looked terrible and I don't believe either deserve a title shot before Nathan Marquardt. Marquardt has won his last 4 fights against top tier opponents, yet the UFC hasn't even given him a fight in 5 months! Swick should rematch Chris Leben. This would be big for the TUF fans, and the winner would move up, somewhat, in the rankings. My rankings have #1 Anderson Silva, #2 Nathan Marquardt, #3 Jon Fitch, #4 Mike Swick, & #5 Loiseau/Terrrell.

Joe Lauzon surprised everyone when he upset the return of Jens Pulver. Not that he pulled the upset, but by KOing the notoriously hard headed veteran. Congrats to Lauzon, and Jens must now walk the path Yves Edwards recently followed. Jens must win his next fight or face the possibility of being cut like Yves Edwards.

Rashad Evans defeated Jason Lambert (who came into the match horribly out of shape ala Frank Mir) by KO in round 2. Rashad had superior wrestling and his g & p ended the night for Lambert. The fans constantly boo'd in this fight. This derails Lambert who many heralded as a future #1 contender. Rashad may find himself fighting Forrest Griffin next to be ranked in the top 5 of Light Heavyweights.

The rest of the PPV sucked (as we all knew it would), not that any of the fights were amazing. BJ Penn and Hughes was compelling but we all saw the cardio collapse coming a mile a way. Next comes KEN vs TITO 3, The Final Massacre!-MMA Mafia

UFC 63 Hughes vs Penn PICKS

Matt Hughes (39-4) vs BJ "prodigy" Penn (10-3-1) 2 WINNER-Hughes

I remember how easily BJ choked out Hughes at UFC 46. Of course, that was 2 years ago. Matt took that loss and transformed himself into perhaps, the greatest Welterweight Champion of all time. BJ has fought the most infrequently (a small feat considering how little Hughes fights), and looked lackluster in most of his fights. However, when motivated, and properly conditioned, Penn can beat anyone with his insane flexibility and ju jitsu. Matt has Penn beaten in every other category, cardio, wrestling, and yes, stand up. Matt is at the peak of his career while Penn is just trying to get back to the elite competition level he once attained. In this rematch, I pick Matt by decision, though he may ground and pound his way to victory sooner. Even if Penn had the full time to train for this fight, Hughes is simply at another level this time and BJ's conditioning is always suspect. Rest assured, there will be a 3rd match in the future.

David "The Crow" Loiseau (14-5) vs Mike "Quick" Swick (9-1) WINNER-The Crow
Most people are picking Swick because A)he's that TV guy, B)he wins his fights fast, and C)Loiseau just got dismantled by Rich Franklin. Well, Loiseau stood with Franklin and was the only man to take him to a decision in his career.

Jens "Lil Evil" Pulver (21-6-1) vs Joe Lauzon (13-3) WINNER-Pulver
The only way Pulver loses this fight is on the ground. But he has beaten ground fighters before (ie Penn) and has fought at such a higher caliber than Lauzon. This would be a major upset if Pulver the only Lightweight Champion in UFC history, were to lose.

Jason Lambert (22-5) vs Rashad "Lay & Pray" Evans (8-0) WINNER-Lambert
Rashad has shown he is tough, but little else. Lambert is quietly working his way up to a title shot (mark my words). Lambert can deal with the takedown attempts, but Rashad cannot deal with all the tools this well rounded and virtually unknown fighter brings to the table.

Melvin Guillard (20-5-2) vs Gabe Ruediger (10-2) WINNER-Guillard
Hey Melvin, do you want someone to KO so the UFC can build you up some more. Here ya go.

Tyson Griffin (7-0) vs David Lee (5-1) WINNER-Griffin
Ok 2 up and comers, I like it. David has the ground while Griffin will hold the feet. Griffin should take this but the Brit is no joke. Classic grappler vs striker. Should be good.

Jorge "Rich Franklin's Boy" Gurgel (9-2) vs Danny Abaddi (0-1) WINNER-Gurgel
Seriously Jorge, if you can't beat this boxer with limited skills you don't belong in the UFC. Hopefully, Abaddi doesn't run the whole fight like Hominick did to Gurgel. A healthy Jorge should beat Abaddi 10 times out of 10. Injuries and bad luck have kept Jorge from the spotlight, but he should be on his way.

Roger Huerta (14-1-1) vs Jason Dent (12-6) WINNER-Huerta
Interesting fight. Huert has the advantage on the feet, while Dent the ground. Still, Huerta is well rounded. Both of these guys have yet to step up to elite fighters so this will be a proving match.

Mario "That's" Neto (9-3) vs Eddie Sanchez (5-0) WINNER-Sanchez
Stand up war, enjoy the heavyweights.

Look, this card is decent if it were on Spike TV. I actually like some of the young talent they brought in here, but this is in no way worth buying! The UFC is gouging people's money with mediocre match making. This PPV will be $5.00 more than the last Pride PPV that was absolutely amazing and far better top to bottom, than anything the UFC has given us this year. Paying for this show only encourages them to sell you less, so, don't buy! Watch the fights on YouTube the next day for free and tell the UFC you want more for the money!-MMA Mafia

MMA News Round Up

Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg has come out of a short retirement to face ICON Middleweight champ Jason "Mayhem" Miller. The bout will be December 1st, and Trigg has shaved his head again, so you know he is taking this bout seriously.

Butterbean will face his 2nd bout in Pride FC against heavy hitter Mark Hunt. This is a true battle of the bulge between two stand up strikers. The fight will be in America at the Pride PPV.

Andrei Arlovski has signed with Wahl Trimmers. It promises to be a large TV campaign giving Arlovski more mainstream exposure. Hopefully, Wahl will explain to Arlovski that his career has been heading in the wrong direction ever since he began cutting his hair, and shaving his body hair. He's like Samson or something.

Shannon Ritch and Brian Ebersole have been suspended indefinitely on suspicion of fixing their recent fight. The California Athletic Commission is investigating. People ringside reportedly hear the two talking right before Ritch tapped out.

And finally, Tito Ortiz is dating the professional whore, Jenna Jameson. These two are perfect for each other and I wish them many STD's.-MMA Mafia

Frank Shamrocks signs with World Fighter

Frank Shamrock has signed a multi-million dollar deal with the as yet to debut, World Fighter. The new MMA league plans to debut in January of 2007 with their 1st PPV. The plan is to have "super-fights" such as Shamrock's TBA opponent, and 16-man tournaments to crown a champion in each weight class.

Cesar Gracie will be the fight matchmaker, and Jake Shields, Nick & Nathan Diaz, Clayton Guida, Joey Villasenor, have also been signed to the roster. Keep an eye out for this promotion who is bragging about signing big name talent, with big time money. This group promises World Fighter will be mainstream and a force to be reckoned with in MMA.-MMA Mafia

Mirko "Cro Cop" Flipovic Wins OWGP

Mirko "Cro Cop" Flipovic (21-4-2) wished himself a happy 32nd birthday by winning the Pride FC Open Weight Grand Prix. Cro Cop actually almost pulled out of the tournament over a contract dispute with DSE (Pride FC), but luckily both sides came to terms. The "Croatian Sensation," walked through Punk Minowa, Yoshida, Wanderlei Silva, and Josh Barnett (for the 3rd time) on his way to winning, perhaps, the greatest MMA tournament of all time.

Flipovic began his career in 1996 via the sport of kickboxing. Mirko was also working for the Croation police anti-terrorist unit Alpha, garnering the nickname Cro Cop. He quickly became a fan favorite in K-1, where his lethal high leg kicks became the stuff of legends. Mirko had great success in K-1, and was the first man to defeat Bob Sapp.

In 2001, Mirko signed with Dream Sage Entertainment (Pride FC). Flipovic went on a seven fight win streak until he was defeated by then Heavyweight Champion, Antonio Nogueira by armbar in 2003. Cro Cop then won his next three fights again climbing the rankings of Pride's Heavyweight division. In the Heavyweight tournament of 2004, Mirko was KO'd in a dramatic upset by Kevin Randleman. Cro Cop again won seven fights in a row (including a submission win avenging his loss to Randleman in their rematch) and was awarded his second title shot, now against Champion Fedor Emelianenko. In one of the most anticipated MMA fights of all time, Cro Cop damaged and bled Fedor to no avail losing the close decision.

Many began to doubt the popular Pride star's ability to win at the highest level. Mirko took some time off from the sport and refocused. Cro Cop said 2006 would be his year and he is proving it. Mirko absolutely dominated Minowa in round one of the Open Weight Grand Prix, stopping him via TKO. The second round proved just as easy as he leg kicked Yoshida into submission, also putting him on the injured list. Next came a rematch with MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. Cro Cop absolutely dominated the feared striker out boxing him and opening an eye wound while closing Silva's other eye. Then for the finish, Cro Cop once again KO'd an opponent with his devastating left high kick. Silva was out before he hit the ground. In the finals, Mirko dominated yet again with his brutal standup dropping Barnett with a left hook. The ground and pound was on point and Barnett sustained heavy damage forcing him to tap out.

Now Mirko Flipovic is the Absolute Champion. The normally stoic Croatian actually began to break down when the belt was placed around his waist. The humble fighter thanked his fans, family, and said "This is the happiest day of my life." He stated that he planned to retire if he did not win the tournament. Cro Cop also dedicated the fight to his father who passed away five years ago before he could see Mirko's highest success. All of this sets up the rematch with Fedor Emelianenko, possibly at Shockwave on New Year's Eve.

Congratulations to a true warrior on some much deserved success.-MMA Mafia

PRIDE OPEN WEIGHT GRAND PRIX FINALS

Pride Open Weight Grand Prix Finals
Wanderlei Silva (31-5-1) vs Mirko Cro Cop (19-4-2) WINNER-Cro Cop
Cro Cop destroyed Silva! Closed one of his eyes then KO'd Silva with the high leg kick. Cro Cop seemed tired but moves on in dominant fashion!

Josh Barnett (18-3) vs Antonio Nogueira (28-3-1) WINNER-Barnett
Barnett wins the split decision! Very close fight some are saying Nog won. Oh well, its Cro Cop vs Barnett for the 3rd time (Cro Cop won the 1st 2).

Alternate Bout
Aleksander Emelianenko (8-2) vs Sergei Kharitonov (13-2) WINNER-Emelianenko
Aleks wins by TKO with knees! Nice job for little brother. Now we wait to see if Aleks is needed for the finals via injury to Cro Cop or Barnett (I doubt it).

Non-Tournament Bouts
Ricardo Arona (12-4) vs Alistair Overeem (24-8) WINNER-Arona

Weird ending. Arona was dominating but Overeem didn't seem in trouble. The Alistair grabbed at his eye and tapped out. Later, in the corner his crew were checking out his knee. Some injury caused the end.

Shogun Rua (12-2) vs Cyrille Diabate (10-5-1) WINNER-Shogun

Shogun stomps the face of a very game Snake (Diabate) who taps out. Cyrille has some serious height advantage and good muay tai. Its a shame he had to debut in Pride against Shogun.

Nakamura (9-5) vs Yoshihiro Nakao (5-0) WINNER-Nakao

Cyborg Santos (14-9) vs Yosuke Nishijima (0-2) WINNER-Cyborg
Cyborg by rear naked choke on Nishijimi. Not the stand up war we expected. Easy win for Cyborg who now goes on his honeymoon.

Ricardo Morais (9-4-1) vs Lee Tae Hyun (0-0) WINNER-Morais
Just an embarassing fight overall. Both guys were out of air, and Hyun just gave up. Morias of Brasil Top Team wins by default.

FINALS Mirko Cro Cop vs Josh Barnett WINNER-Cro Cop Absolute Tournament Champ

Barnett looks beat up from his earlier fight. Cro Cop continues his dominance on the feet and knocks down Barnett with a left. Brutal ground and pound ensues but Josh escapes. More of the Cro Cop attack and Barnett screams "oh shit" and taps out. While Cro Cop was punching a down Barnett, he knocked Barnett's own finger into his own eye. That and the punishment causes Josh to tap out.

UFC take note on how a real PPV goes off. Stellar talent, and amazing fights. If UFC fans watched this PPV, they would become Pride fans first, UFC fans second. Great show and congrats to Mirko Cro Cop.-MMA Mafia

IFL Horn vs Lindland: Update Spoiler

How about the LAW! Matt Lindland does what Chuck Liddell could not in 4 rounds. Matt KO's Horn in the 2nd! The Law continues to lay it down wherever he fights. I hope the UFC is paying attention.-Sept.10,2006 2:00am
September 9th, the IFL will return with another MMA show featuring the superbout between Jeremy Horn and Matt Lindland. Lindland's team the Wolfpack, will also debut against Maurice Smith's Tigersharks. Inoki's Sabres will also debut against Bas Rutten's Anacondas. The focus will be on the main event between two well respected, well schooled MMA veterans, fans have wanted to see fight for many years.

Jeremy Horn vs Matt Lindland: WINNER-Lindland We all know both of these guys have great MMA experience, skills, and wins. The difference I believe, will be Lindland's size/strength advantage as well as his constant action in recent months. Lindland has a small advantage on the feet, but these 2 ground specialists will no doubt be doing most of the battle on the floor. Lindland continues to improve (as seen in a fight against Rampage Jackson I believe he should have won) while Horn seems willing to train his students more than he trains himself. Really this is a pick em fight, but I'm picking Lindland by decision.-MMA Mafia

Stephan Bonnar Out For Half A Year/Tests Positive For Steroids

The bad news just keeps on coming for Stephan Bonnar. The "American Psycho" went into his rematch with Forrest Griffin at UFC 62 with a secret. Stephan had suffered a eye injury in training that required stitches. The Bonnar camp told no one but it kept Stephan from being as aggressive as he and the fans would have liked. To add to his sorrow after losing a lackluster rematch to Forrest, it turns out Stephan shattered his right hand in 5 places during the 1st round! Not using any of this as an excuse for his performance, Stephan is already focused on rehab which doctors have told him will take at least 6 months.

This could be a major setback, or a blessing in disguise. After his 2nd loss in a row in the UFC, Stephan needs a break to rethink things. He may want to change up his training camp (something Forrest did with great success) and while away from the stardom and hype of the UFC, he may find that hunger for redemption fueling him like never before. Time away can help him put to rest the passing of his mentor/trainer Carlson Gracie, and focus himself in a new direction toward the top of the Light Heavyweight scene once more. -MMA Mafia

After writing this piece, it was revealed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that Stephan Bonnar has tested positive for Boldenone, a banned steroid! The NSAC has the right to fine and suspend Bonnar but he has the right to issue a formal response/challenge within the next 20 days. Back to back losses, a broken hand, and a positive steroid test put Bonnar's career in serious jeapardy. More updates will be coming on this story soon.-MMA Mafia