MMA Melee 9/30/08

The MMA world is always moving and shaking, thus, here comes the Melee!
World Victory Road/Sengoku held their 5th card recently with Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal getting the TKO upset win over Travis Wiuff. A superman punch for the MMA rookie and NCAA wrestling phenom rocked the experienced Wiuff and then he followed it up with strikes till Travvy went to sleep. Nice last second debut for the Team Quest member and someone to watch for in the future.
Here are the results for the entire card
Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro def. Takashi Sugiura via TKO (strikes) -- Round 3, 4:18 -Ribeiro Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion who is making the transition to mixed martial arts. Along with his brother Saulo Ribeiro, also a multiple time BJJ world champion. At the 2008 BJJ World Championships, Xande Ribeiro repeated his 2006 victory over Roger Gracie to win the highly-coveted absolute division.
Yuki Sasaki def. Yuki Kondo def. via submission (rear naked choke) -- Round 2, 1:08* I don't mean to be rude to an MMA legend, but Kondo is going the way of the Shamrock and it may be time to retire.
Kazuhiro Nakamura def. Paul Cahoon via unanimous decision* Nice to see Nak back in action and getting a win in his Middleweight debut.
Jorge Santiago def. Logan Clark via submission (arm triangle choke) -- Round 2, 3:55 Jorge loves the tournaments (he won the Strikeforce Tournament Middleweight Tourney) and is my odds on pick for this Grand Prix.
Siyar Bahadurzada def. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos via TKO (injury) -- Round 1, 0:22* Cyborg hurt his arm in a takedown and thus lost the bout. Tough luck for the beloved Chute Boxe member.
Kiuma Kunioku def. A Sol Kwon via decision (unanimous)
Jorge Masvidal def. Ryan Schultz via TKO (punches) -- Round 1 1:57 Two Lightweights needing wins but Jorge gets the nod over the flailing IFL alum.

Anderson "Spider" Silva's "early" retirement may be a bit premature. Silva said on a Brazil TV station that he has about a year left before he will retire. A lot can happen in a year and if he doesn't have his strap at that time expect him to re-sign with the UFC. Unless he really wants that boxing match with Roy Jones Jr.

Dan "Hendo" Henderson and Rich "Ace" Franklin may be meeting for a bout in January at UFC 93. Both men are still near the top of the Middleweights but need that "big" win to get back into the title hunt. This also stages up a Dream Bout between to uber-popular fighters with solid gold history. This could be toot sweet.

Gegard Mousasi, recent DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix winner and now Champion, may face one Vitor Belfort in January for Affliction. The Red Devil member (yes its official) who shares management with teammate Fedor Emelianenko said the "Last Emperor" will probably face Josh Barnett on the card as well. Two veeery good fights for Affliction if they can get them officially signed.

Speaking of Fedor Emelianenko, he will be returning to competition at the 2008 Combat Sambo World Championship on November 13-17 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Fedor won in the open-weight division at last year's world championship in Prague.

Jeff Monson handed Mark Kerr his fourth straight loss Saturday at the the inaugural Vengeance FC in Concord, North Carolina. Kerr was able to score the takedown early, but Monson escaped to his feet. Monson took Kerr down and worked strikes in side mount. Kerr tried to escape but gave up his back. From there Monson climbed the back of Kerr and applied a back choke with his hooks in for the win. "You know Mark's a two-time Abu Dhabi world champion," Monson said. " So I knew he was going to try and take me down, but I've been working with the American Top Team, and I feel really comfortable on the bottom, so it doesn't matter to me on the floor. I'm glad I got the submission and it worked out for me." Kerr, who has lost nine out of his last eleven fights, is now 15-10. Monson improved to 25-8.

Fan and personal favorite Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald has resigned with the UFC for quatro more fights. Karo "The Heat" Parisyan signed a massive 8-fight deal with the UFC, and David "The Crow" Louiseau may be returning as well though he may need one more win outside of the UFC to return to the Octagon.

Finally, Zuffa co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta recently called the gym of Xtreme Couture to inform them Brock Lesnar had injured his leg and was out of the upcoming title fight with Randy Couture. Randy's wife Kim was there and the camp began to scramble to find out what exactly was going on when they discovered the call had been a crank. Its still unknown who made the call. I'm not accusing Brock's camp of the misinformation, but it was funny whoever made the call.

Elite XC is this Saturday don't forget to watch Ken Shamrock save the financial woes of the company by sacrificing his life to Kimbo Slice for ratings!

New UFC Game For 2009

Gegard Mousasi vs Ronaldo Jacare Souza

DREAM 6 Finals

Gegard Mousasi vs Melvin Manhoef

DREAM 6 SEMI-FINALS

DREAM 6 Crowns Gegard Mousasi New Middleweight Grand Prix Champion!

Gegard Mousasi 24-2-1 won the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix in under 4 minutes! Gegard started with the dubious task of fighting the stand up kickboxing machine from Holland, Melvin Manhoef. Melvin, who has won 21 of his 22 wins by TKO or KO, so Mousasi was smart to take things to the mat. There he secured a triangle choke (the same move he tapped out Denis Kang with in the 1st round of the tourney) but Manhoef lifted him into the air for a Rampage style slam, but Gegard cinched in the choke tighter and Melvin was tapping once back on Earth. Fight time: 1:28
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, got himself to the semi-finals quickly as well, tapping Croatia's Zelg Galesic in an "I can do better" 1:27. Cro Cop's student failed after but one kick foreshadowing his teachers demise.

In the Grand Prix finals, Souza, the Jiu-Jitsu genius, shot and shot again for Mousasi's legs finally taking him to the mat with the obvious advantage, though Gegard's 8 submission wins are nothing to sneeze at. Then battling for position, Gegard threw an upkick KOing the Brazilian fighter before he hit the mat where Mousasi stopped the fight before the ref did. The new Champion calmly moved his fallen opponent off of him and in his normal, humble and unassuming way, celebrated with a bit of a smile and not much else. My 1st spotlight for "MMA On The Fringe," the award winning column highlighting future MMA stars, has made me a proud pappa as Gegard Mousasi puts the belts around his waist.

Mirko Cro Cop and Alistair Overeem, neither known for trash talk, both came into this fight with chips on their shoulders and lots to say. Overeem called Cro Cop "old," "a chicken," and a "douche bag." Mirko responded, "In this sport, its normal to threaten a little and provoke. But I think he crossed a line. He says that he will knock me down in this minute or in that minute, that he will beat me down, that I am old. So I will say this: If he really degrades me as much as he says he will, I will go to Amsterdam to their Dam Square. I will throw myself in a barrel full of tar and pour some feathers onto myself. Then I will run around on Dam Square until the police arrest me. I assume forced hospitalization will be next, and then I will wait for them to deport me back to Zagreb, Croatia." Pretty funny stuff though the fight was not. Cro Cop was taken down (of course) and Overeem landed some shots and cut Mirko across the eye. Back to the fight after not much and Cro Cop lands a big kick but again is taken down. Eye bleeds, doctors check it, fight starts again. Now the 2 men clinch up repeatedly as Alistair lands not 1, not 2, but 4 knees to the groin of Flipovic sending him to the canvas in pain. Warnings and yellow cards didn't stop Overeem and the fight was ruled a NC (no contest). It was the doctor who stopped the fight though Mirko wanted to continue. My guess is this isn't over.

The rest of the DREAM 6 card went this way:
Andrews Nakahara defeated Dong Sik Yoon by TKO (Punches) 2 0:30
Keita Nakamura edged out Adriano Martins via Decision (Split) 2 5:00
Sergei Kharitonov pummeled the giant Jimmy Ambriz into Submission (Punches) 1 2:15
Atsushi Yamamoto took Hideo Tokoro to a Decision (Unanimous) win 2 5:00
Masakatsu Funaki embarrassed Ikuhisa Minowa winning by Submission (Heel Hook) 1 0:52
Hayato Sakurai beat Kuniyoshi Hironaka by Decision (Unanimous) 2 5:00
Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Masanori Tonooka via Submission (Armbar) 1 6:26
Shinya Aoki tapped out Todd Moore by (shock of shocks) Submission (Neck Crank) 1 1:10
7-3 on the picking side

Mitsuhiro Ishida vs Justin Wilcox @ Playboy Mansion

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR?

DREAM 6 Quick Picks

DREAM Middlewieght Grand Prix Semi-Finals
Ronaldo de Souza vs. Zelg Galesic WINNER-Galesic
Gegard Mousasi vs. Melvin Manhoef WINNER-Mousasi
Gegard Mousasi vs. Zelg Galesic Grand Prix WINNER-Gegard Mousasi
Grand Prix Reserve Bout: Yoon Dong-Sik vs. Andrews Nakahara WINNER-Yoon Dong-Sik

Featherweight bout: Hideo Tokoro vs. Atsushi Yamamoto WINNER-Tokoro
Heavyweight bout: Mirko Filipovic vs. Alistair Overeem WINNER-Mirko Cro Cop
Heavyweight bout: Sergei Kharitonov vs. Jimmy Ambriz WINNER-Kharitonov
Middleweight Bout: Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Masakatsu Funaki WINNER-"Punk" Minowa
Welterweight Bout: Hayato Sakurai vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka WINNER-"Mach" Sakurai
Lightweight Bout: Keita Nakamura vs. Adriano Martins WINNER-Nakamura
Middleweight Bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Masanori Tonooka WINNER-Akiyama
Lightweight Bout: Shinya Aoki vs. Todd Moore WINNER-Shinya Aoki

Stikeforce @ Cage Rage Results

Joe Riggs knocked Kazuo Misaki down in the 2nd round of their Main Event fight for Strikeforce At The Playboy Mansion II, only to have the "Grabaka Hitman" jump back to his feet knocking Joe down to the canvas with a nice combo and then pounding him out for the win. Riggs was immediately pissed at the stoppage but hey, defend yourself or suffer the consequences. Turtling up and taking punches is not a defense. You lose, stop crying like a bitch. Misaki gets another good win and flirts with the Middleweight Top 10, again.

Mitsuhiro Ishida scored the "Submission Of The Year" (so far) with the slickest armbar on Justin Wilcox who didn't even know what happened! The "Endless Fighter" flipped Justin from his own back into an armbar that got an instant tap and a scream of pain for good measure. Wow impressive and Ishida has a title shot coming up with Josh Thompson.

Speaking of Strikeforce's Lightweight Champ, the "Punk" scored an easy and early win over Ashe Bowman in just over a minute into their bout. No surprises here.

It took 3 rounds but "Tubby" Terry Martin finally got the TKO over Terry Devela. Trevor Prangley bored us to a decision win as he often does. Other people fought as well.

Over at Cage Rage 28, the card flipped, flopped, and changed more than Kim Kardashian's ass (ooh yeah that's a good one). Of the 2 fights that I picked that actually made it onto the card, I was correct (shock). Robbie Olivier got a decision win and Chad Pickett got a 3rd round KO win. Seriously Cage Rage, lets get a roster together and stick with it eh? 7-0 on the picks ladies.

Strikeforce vs. Cage Rage

With a plethora of MMA cards this weekend the Pro's Pick goes into overdrive on 2 exciting competitive and titillating cards.

STRIKEFORCE @ The Playboy Mansion II
Kazuo Misaki vs. Joe Riggs I have very little faith in either man but Misaki has a better track record than the "Shrinking Man" Riggs. This will be a slow jam decision for Misaki.
Ashe Bowman vs. Josh Thomson The Lightweight Champ tunes up for Ishida and wins quick in 1 round.
Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Justin Wilcox Hello guy we just mentioned. "Endless Fighter" by decision.
Anthony Ruiz vs. Trevor Prangley Buried Trevor is just too good here and takes the "W."
Terry Martin vs. Cory Devela This will be the closest fight on the card, but edge to Martin getting back on track against a tough opponent. [Warning, this is an Upset Pick]

CAGE RAGE 28 V.I.P.
James Thompson vs. Piotr Kusmierz Who has faith in "Colussus" or his chin? Me either, but god forgive him if he loses at home again to this chump.
Ross Pointon vs. Che Mills We love Ross so much here at MMAFO but he's in for a world of hurt here and an eventual submission loss.
Antanas Jazbutis vs. Brad Pickett Watch "One Punch" as he delivers another exciting fight and denies his nickname with a slick submission.
Leigh Remedios vs. Robbie Olivier Robbs lights up the "Flame" and wins here.

This cards lineup has changed so much I'm not sure of the "official" card but there's a few. There will be more picks if things become more official. Finally, don't forget Srikeforce II @ The Mansion will stream for free on their and many other websites. DREAM comes soon.....

UFC Fight Night Afterthoughts

I'm actually happy I didn't get my picks posted in time for Ultimate Fight Night 15 because I did so awful. 6-4 is unacceptable but since it wasn't posted, it can't be verified, and thus won't count against my overall score. So how about some thoughts on the show.

Nate Diaz won a Split-Decision over the always tough Josh Neer though even the "Dentist" agreed the decision should have been unanimous. Nate was simply better in all aspects of the game though not by much. Neer was never in danger of being put away, but the younger Diaz had much crisper striking and his ground game is ridiculously good. Watching him transition to a kneebar which was a fake move to get back into guard or mount was just a thing of beauty I had never seen before. Nate is now 10-2 with a 5-0 record in the UFC! Then, at the press conference as Nate sat down with brother Nick, someone said something and both brothers stood up cursing and then hastily left the media event with their patented middle fingers held high. Odd but not surprising from the hot tempered brothers and we still don't know what started it all.

Clay Guida impressively overwhelmed last season's TUF winner Mac Danzig but wrestling him to death and using his always non-stop work ethic. The notation of "gatekeeper" to the Lightweights got under Clay's skin a bit and Mac had to pay for it. Danzig was obviously frustrated as he visibly swore knowing time was ticking away and he wasn't going to pull out the miracle. Guida is very popular with the crowds and not looking to hold the fort, but eventually the strap of the Lightweight division. Consider this, in 7 UFC fights, the guy has fought Din Thomas (decision loss to a great ATT fighter), Tyson Griffin (Split-Decision loss to a future champion that could have gone either way), Marcus Aurelio (a win over the man who beat Takanori Gomi and has taken his game to an even higher level recently), Roger Huerta (loss in a fight he was winning till the last seconds of the final round when he got caught), Samy Schiavo ( a win in which he TKO'd a man on a 6-fight winning streak), and now Mac Danzig. Clay Guida only gets the toughest fights in the UFC and has amassed a cult following because of his heart as well as his ability. You could look at Roger Huerta's 7 fights in the UFC and see he hasn't quite faced the talent Guida has. In fact, few have, check the resumes. Respect is due and drop the "gatekeeper" shit.

Alessio Sakara stunned the world by actually winning a fight though he was knocked down with his notorious glass chin before he landed a beautiful Cro Cop style head kick for the KO win. Alan Belcher took Ed Herman on a close but correct Split-Decision (Ed stop crying like a bitch) and Joe Lauzon got back on track taking out Kyle Bradley by TKO and Wilson Gouveia made a successful debut at Middleweight as well. Drew McFedries got upset, some other guys won and bla bla bla.

Last thing, in front of his hometown, Houston Alexander got rocked, embarrassed, and tapped out with a mere 7 seconds to go in the 1st damn round to an arm triangle choke! Granted, Eric Schafer is a good fighter, no doubt, but you tapped in front of your peeps and didn't blackout at home? That is just sad for a big shit talker whose UFC career is about done. What up Nebraska?

Ultimate Fight Night 8-17-08

Main Card
Lightweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer
Light Heavyweight bout: Houston Alexander vs. Eric Schafer
Lightweight bout: Mac Danzig vs. Clay Guida
Lightweight bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Kyle Bradley
Middleweight bout: Ed Herman vs. Alan Belcher
Middleweight bout: Wilson Gouveia vs. Ryan Jensen

Prelims
Middleweight bout: Drew McFedries vs. Mike Massenzio
Middleweight bout: Alessio Sakara vs. Joe Vedepo
Middleweight bout: Rob Kimmons vs. Dan Miller
Light heavyweight bout: Jason Brilz vs. Brad Morris

Renzo Gracie Documentary

A new documentary that chronicles the life of legendary Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and trainer Renzo Gracie is scheduled to debut in October.

“Renzo Gracie: Legacy” will premiere at the first-ever U.S. Sports Film Festival in Philadelphia from Oct. 23-26.

Gracie is the son of Robson Gracie and the grandson of Carlos Gracie. He is also the grand-nephew of Helio Gracie, who is the father to Rickson Gracie, Royler Gracie, Royce Gracie, and Relson Gracie.

In addition to being well-known within the competitive grappling community, Renzo Gracie is also a household name to many MMA fans having compiled a 13-6 record that includes notable wins over former UFC champions Pat Miletich, Maurice Smith, Carlos Newton, Oleg Taktarov, and Frank Shamrock.

This could be sweet!

"War Machine" Comments on Evan Tanner

So........what to say here. Well, there's this guy.........and he's a fucking idiot. The guy is on a reality show, then edges out a close fight, then gets tapped out in 30 seconds, and now thinks he has the clout to even mention the name of Evan Tanner. This pisses me off in a way that is hard to describe. The man is such a fucking moron, that even after he says some of the dumbest shit I have ever heard about a recently deceased man, and I say man, like a real man, not what you pretend to be, he is too much of a fucking egg plant to realize he should shut the fuck up and not try to explain his borderline retarded statements. This little bitch felt it necessary to use as you will read) had these straight genius and insightful comments to utter.

Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver, take it away.....

“I had just heard that they had found his bike and that they had found him in the middle of nowhere. I thought, ‘[Expletive] man. He must’ve killed himself. He must’ve been depressed. That’s what I figured, so that’s why I wrote that bulletin. Cause I write down thinking TV book like typing but with pen. The once I got the [expletive] comments and they got the story out where he said he was going on a quest and all that stuff and it was debatable on whether it was an accident or not, I took it down. See I realize say dumb need fire now pee.”

"I posted bulletin after Evan Tanner’s body was told found in the desert. For SOME reason I am getting a lot of flack because of it. I don’t know how anyone got the idea that I was being disrespectful to him in any way. If anything I was talking shit on the UFC. Mostly I think a bunch of FAGGOTS are just looking for ANOTHER reason to hate on me.
Anyway, I am going to go over what I said and why I said it.

Evan Tanner was a former UFC champion, one of the pioneers of the sport. He fought his ass off, losing to only a select few in his career. He was never well paid for his efforts (Tanner never complained). Only a select few in the UFC are; so basically if you’re not Chuck Liddell or Tito Ortiz chances are you won’t make enough money to retire on. And if you don’t own your own gym you will pretty much find yourself lost and wondering “what next?” Before his death his career was coming to an end (says who, just because he lost a fight?). He was past his prime and had no real chance of making a come back. (Yes that definitely was not talking shit on the man, he's done, you decided)He was also battling his troubles with alcohol. (Really, hadn't heard that, oh wait, he had been sober for a full year and was preparing to sign on with an MMA camp for full time fighting). I was there at his last fight when my good friend and brother (you mean sister) Kendall Grove won a decision victory over him. I was watching and obviously rooting for Kendall but I remember while in the midst of it all ,that I couldn’t help but feel sad for Evan. (How thoughtful of you)I watched him when I was a kid…watched him beat many great fighters, I looked up to him. Seeing him get dismantled (?split-decision?) by Kendall and then seeing him backstage…it made a lasting impression on me to say the least. (Though I agree it is embarrassing every time someone actually loses to Kendoll Grove, he walked out of the Octagon and in no way was "dismantled." He took many good shots, but has taken better and won many, many times before. I'm sure it did make an impression on you in the back when you saw a real man, a real fighter, and know you could never even dream of being outside his shadow of success. You are a nothing bitch)

Continue with your genius.........

"To be honest I still think that trip he made to the desert was, in his mind, perhaps a one way trip. I think that he didn’t want to add extra hardship on his loved ones by making it an obvious suicide. So after reading all of this, if you still have a problem with me and what I said about Evan Tanner, I don’t give a fuck. That’s your problem. This is my opinion, deal with it."

And about matchmaker Joe Silva whom you turned down not 1, but 2 fights, and you are a stellar 1-1 in the UFC, and decided to "negotiate" with............

"Joe Silva — he was pretty much on a power trip,” Junkie quotes Koppenhaver as saying. “He was like, ‘I already told you that I already have Wolff for War Machine. I don’t know who he is thinking he’s negotiating with me. You know what? I’m sick of this guy.’ Then he brought up the Evan Tanner thing. ‘He made a dumb ass comment on Evan Tanner. He’s not supporting the UFC. You know what? War Machine is cut.’ And they cut me.”

Huh, they fired you. Couldn't see that coming if Nostradamus was here with John Edward. Jon, enjoy your new role in MMA as one of the most hated idiots even more ignorant than Jesse Taylor. At least watching you get your ass kicked may give you a job since you are a shitty TV version of a fighter. You are a bitch, burn in hell.

MMA Classic Photo #3 Thank You Evan

Evan Tanner Passes Away 9/8/08

“Believe in yourself. Believe in your own potential for greatness. Believe that you can change the world. It is something that is within each of us.”
Evan Tanner

Evan Tanner (February 11, 1971 – September 8, 2008) was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight and USWF Heavyweight champion with a professional record of 32 wins and 8 losses. He was also the first American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament in Tokyo, Japan.

Tanner won his first championship when he defeated Heath Herring at USWF 7, and went on to successfully defend that title five times. Tanner then won the UFC Middleweight title at UFC 51, stopping David Terrell with strikes in the first round

Evan Tanner August 27, 2008
"I've been sitting around this apartment, bored to tears, waiting on the last of the gear I need for the desert adventure to come in the mail. I've really been looking forward to getting out there. I've been writing about it a little bit here. It seems some MMA websites have reported on the story, posting up that I might die out in the desert, or that it might be my greatest opponent yet, etc. Come on guys. It's really common down in southern California to go out to the off road recreation areas in the desert about an hour away from LA and San Diego. So my plan is to go out to the desert, do some camping, ride the motorcycle, and shoot some guns. Sounds like a lot of fun to me. A lot of people do it. This isn't a version of "Into the Wild". I'm not going out into the desert with a pair of shorts and a bowie knife, to try to live off the land. I'm going fully geared up, and I'm planning on having some fun.

I do plan on going back pretty far, so I did mention in one of my posts that I wanted to make sure to have good quality gear. Any failure of gear out in the desert could cause a problem."

Personally, I was a fan of Evan Tanner giving him the nickname the "Lone Wolf." The guy liked being alone and after he left Team Quest never settled with a team again. He obviously believed in the power of oneself and challenged himself while fighting his well publicized personal demons. He was never ashamed and just tried to be a better human being. I respected him and he will be missed. Rest In Peace, and may your journey continue.

Rashad Evans KO's Chuck Liddell (GIF/Video)

UFC 88 Results:Evans KO's Liddell!

Rashad talked shit, danced confidently and arrogantly in the ring, frustrated Chuck, and then KO'd the Iceman in one of the most brutal highlight reel KO's in history. Rashad Evans is officially the #1 contender, and will face Forrest Griffin (maybe in December) for the Light Heavyweight title! Chuck Liddell seemed frustrated early as Rashad used his counter and stay away strategy while beating the veteran with faster and more accurate punches. It seemed Evans could land 3 shots to every 1 of Chucks. Then in the 2nd, Liddell backed Evans into the cage and cocked his hand ready to explode. The difference was the other gun slinger got off 1st and Chuck was out before he hit the canvas as his face skidded across the mat in a macabre scene. Though I doubted everything he said, Rashad backed it all up! Amazing performance you have to hand it to the guy, and now Forrest awaits the undefeated fighter as Chuck may never get another title shot in his career, but said he is still not ready to retire. In the future, shut up that screaming banshee of a wife Rashad, it was like listening to a mourning mother at a funeral.

Rich "Ace" Franklin got a nasty cut early in his fight with Matt Hamill. I mean nasty. Rich won the round in which he suffered the injury and with leg kicks, better striking, and beautiful sprawls, he school'd the deaf wrestling phenom. Then came my predicted future as Matt's cardio again failed him and you could see him withering under the leg and body kicks as Rich got more comfortable and dominant. Finally in the 3rd with Hamill tired, and looking for a way out, took a vicious liver kick that sent him to the floor and ended the fight. Brilliant performance for Franklin as he successfully returns to the Light Heavyweight division.

Nate "The Great" Marquardt took Martin Kampmann apart so brutally I had to watch the fight twice to believe the devastation. Nate landed a Cro Cop style head kick that wobbled the Dutchman and then swarmed him with dirty boxing uppercuts, body shots, and knee's that just wilted the kickboxer. Wow, Marquardt looked good as Team Jackson (along with Rashad Evans) dominated UFC 88.

Dan Henderson outsmarted Rousimar Palhares en route to a decisive decision victory. Palhares is so feared for his Brazilian Jui-Jitsu that rumors of him tapping Antonio Nogueira and Paulo Filho kept Dan from wanting any type of fight on the floor. Instead he employed near perfect takedown defense and repeatedly landed that sledgehammer right hand hurting and knocking down his opponent though Rousimar showed a great chin never being finished. All the creative kicks Rousimar threw were for naught as Hendo cruised to the decision win in style.

Now for my pet peeve, ignorant crowds. Fuck you Georgia! This moron filled crowd of drunken fools not only boo'd every single goddamn fight anytime there was a second of inaction, or just action they obviously didn't understand, but they did the USA bullshit chant when Dong Hyun Kim fought and defeated Matt Brown by split-decision. The showering of boo's came down as the Donger was announced the winner and the normally intelligent Joe Rogan told Brown he also thought he won. What the fuck were you watching? Kim had Matt's back the entire 1st round, and almost choked him unconscious. The 2nd, Brown took control as Hyun seemed to have gassed out. The final round saw Kim gain numerous takedowns of Matt and cut him wide open with a vicious elbow from the top position where he worked until the bell. Easy call, Kim wins. If you want to agree with Cecil Peoples, the worst judge of all time and the only one who gave the fight to Brown, well go ahead and be a jackass. You'll fit in just fine in Georgia. The American doesn't win just because he is American, and I am sick and tired of the blinders people wear when humble foreign fighter defeats an arrogant redneck from a TV show. Did I mention, fuck Georgia. May a hurricane visit you with the force of 3 Katrina's.

Ok now that I feel better, Jason MacDonald defeated Jason Lambert in style with a great choke while Batman Pelligrino shut down Thiago Tavares with a bloody decision win. Roan Carneiro lost his bid to avenge an earlier loss to Ryo Chonan by split decision and the Barbarian Tim Boetsch took apart Mike Patt as expected.

Afterthoughts:

It may be time for Chuck to leave the training home of the "Pit" and change things up with perhaps old friend Randy Couture at Xtreme Couture. I just don't see the same old thing working for Chuck anymore as the competition seems to have caught up, and he isn't getting younger. Rashad vs Forrest becomes interesting and you can't call Evans boring anymore. Where is Rich's place and what are interesting fights in the future for him and Dan Henderson is kinda in the same boat. What do you do with these big popular draws who are out of the title scene because of missed previous opportunities? I still think Marquardt can hang with Anderson Silva (though he failed in his 1st attempt) and is the man to watch at Middleweight. Finally, UFC, please do not return to Georgia unless you are sporting an all American roster with only stand up fighters the caliber of Butterbean and Phil Baroni. That seems about all they can understand down south. Kampmann needs to become a Welterweight and Jason Lambert may be looking for new employment as MacDonald survives to another day.

FightOfTheNight-Kurt Pelligrino vs Thiago Tavares

KnockoutOfTheNight-Rashad Evans

SubmissionOfTheNight-Jason MacDonald

BestEntranceMusic-Rasad Evans: Immortal Technique "Point Of No Return"

FightPicks-7 correct, 2 wrong

UFC 88: Chuck Liddell vs Rashad Evans

Main Card
Light Heavyweight Bout: Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans "The Iceman" sours "Sugar" sooner rather than later. This is all about survival for Rashad. I don't buy into the "Evans has improved stand up and will war with Liddell." Even if it were true, and I doubt it, smart money is not scrapping at Chuck's strong suit. Sprawl and brawl all night as Rashad continually tries to takedown Liddell, which leads to frustration, possibly gassing out, and eventually a KO by the former Champ.

WINNER-Chuck by flying armbar

Light Heavyweight Bout: Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill "Ace" steps back in against the deaf blue chipper who has the same idea as Rashad. Rich will have the same game as Chuck. Same bout, possibly different result. Hamill has just relentlessly good takedowns and from there we know he can win the fight. The question to me, is how much damage can Rich do in the process of defending, and given the time, Matt is one to gas out something Franklin never does. This is going to be a close one but I'm rooting for Rich's smarts to keep him in the game until the right opportunity comes for some stellar striking from the outside. Scary fight to pick though and I'm a biased homer for Franklin. (*Also note, Franklin is back at Light Heavyweight!)

WINNER-Rich by Boston crab

Middleweight Bout: Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares Holy crap this has upset written all over it. The 37 year old future hall of famer comes in after 2 straight losses to Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva respectively. No shame there but a win is definitely needed. Rousimar is a BTT member with sick/slick Jui-Jitsu and though a little fire hydrant of a guy, he is tank solid and can really takedown anyone and then they are screwed. However, this is a major jump up in talent he is facing and Hendo has seen it all. I see "Hollywood" surprised early, but then recovering to take care of business late.

WINNER-Hendo (but I have this weird feeling he is going to lose)

Middleweight Bout: Nate Marquardt vs. Martin Kampmann This is a great "Fight Of The Night" candidate. Kampmann has won 4 straight in the octagon and is a straight technician. Marquardt is also good everywhere and if he loses here he is out of the Middleweight title scene. Wicked luck to pick this but, Marquardt is much larger and talk says Martin may move down to Welterweight after this fight as he is very light for the division. Nate could fight 205 if he desired. Size is the only edge.

WINNER-Nate "The Great"

Welterweight Bout: Matt Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim If you want to pimp up a TUF graduate this is not the way to do it. Matt Brown can box and has power, that's it. Kim can wrestle and G&P which is the huge flaw in Brown's game. South Korea represent as the Donger whips Matt butt good (get it).

WINNER-Kim by wind break

Preliminary Card
Middleweight Bout: Jason MacDonald vs. Jason Lambert Oooh, another sleeper/great fight. People aren't looking at this one but I am a fan of both men. Lambert is trying his hand at the 185 division for the 1st time after coming of Light Heavyweight losses to Gouveia and Cane. Lambert has power and can stomp you on the ground, but lacks the reach with the technically sound MacDonald who is also coming off a spirited loss to Demian Maia. MacDonald slick as they come on the ground, may want to use his length for once, striking and throwing those knobby elbows if he can avoid Lamberts KO power.

WINNER-MacDonald by points

Light Heavyweight Bout: Tim Boetsch vs. Mike Patt Patt comes in on short notice and looking well, not so good shape see I. The "Barbarian" impresses me though he lost his last bout, he came in on short notice and hung with Matt Hamill for a time. Rested and prepared, Mike is TKO'd.

WINNER-The Barbarian by clubbing

Welterweight Bout: Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan Rematch with bad intentions. These fellas don't like each other much after Chonan won the 1st meeting by cut in 2005 in Japans DEEP promotion. The loss didn't sit well with Roan and he's back to finish the fight he was winning 3 years ago. The ATT kid is better all around if his cardio holds up, he avenges the earlier loss by submission.

WINNER-"Jucao" by drop toe hold

Lightweight Bout: Thiago Tavares vs. Kurt Pellegrino How is this fight not on the main card over Brown/Kim?? Anywho, 2 great and exciting as hell Lightweights are going to war with some of the best all around skills in the division. Tavares had a date with the belt before letting his guard down and being KO'd by the suddenly overachieving Matt Wiman. Nathan Diaz pulled off an upset over Kurt in his last bout when he just seemingly gave Nate the triangle choke (it was odd). "Batman" can go everywhere but so can Tavares only a little stronger. The question is which Tavares shows up? The guy who took Tyson Griffin to the test and beat the pants off of Jason Black, or the guy who yawned through Omigawa and got caught by the lesser TUF alumni? Show up as the Brazilian Bad Ass you can be or don't come at all as people are already calling you Vitor Belfort in a not so flattering way.

WINNER-Tavares but if he loses I'm not picking him again

Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida is postponed as Karo has injured his back. This would have been a great judo vs judo match. Me has to wonder if this is perhaps a cover up. Parisyan recently revealed he is suffering from "panic attacks" and is now on medication for the ailment. Either way, here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the "Heat" who I always enjoy watching compete.

That's the pretty good card actually, and you can expect a heavy dose of the returned prodigal son Randy Couture tonight on the telecast as well. I like the pretty lights.

Its Official, Randy Couture Is Back With The UFC

....tempus neminem non manet (time waits for no man) and the same can be said for Randy Couture. At 44, "The Natural" could not wait for the courts to decide his fate with Zuffa and is once again officially the UFC Heavyweight Champion! Back with a new 3-fight deal, Randy's 1st task is a large one in the form of Brock Lesnar. Obviously the stellar record of 2-1 vaulted the former Pro Wrestler ahead of Frank Mir who already defeated him, and Antonio Nogueira, who is now stripped of the "Interim" UFC Heavyweight Title, and back to being in a #1 contenders battle. No, this is all purely money. Money that all parties involved will rake in when Randy Couture faces Brock Lesnar in a PPV bonanza of ridiculousness.

I'm glad Randy is back, I am, but this is bullshit. If its just all about the name of the fighter, why don't we bring in Mike Tyson for a title shot? Brock doesn't deserve shit after beating a tomato can in Japan, losing his UFC debut in embarrassing fashion to Frank Mir by tapping out like a bitch, and then laying on top of Heath Herring with his massive blanket forming body after but one good punch. Nogueira should obviously get the title shot since at one time he was named the Interim Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Tim Sylvia. Hell, give Brock a rematch with Mir and put all 4 on the same damn card. No, the UFC has $$$$ in their eyes and want the big name unproven jackass moron, versus the living legend whom they have been trashing the last 14 months!

Dana White has said this is a tournament of sorts but what exactly gets Brock into the mix besides his name? I would give the 4th spot to Fabricio Werdum, Gabriel Gonzaga, Heath Herring, Cheick Kongo, and Cain Valezquez all shots before the f-5 swinging dickhead. Shouldn't the sport of MMA mean a goddamn thing here? You are basically reverting to WWE style matchmaking giving the heel with the biggest heat, the title shot against the icon babyface. MMA is legit and doesn't need this crap.

My bile spewing anger aside, Dana has said they want to work out a deal with Affliction to bring in Fedor Emelianenko somehow, someway, yada, yada, yada. Heard it all before and now more than ever, though the MMA media are saying Fedor is coming now, I think the possibility of Fedor vs Randy is slimming to zero. I'll tell you why. Randy Couture is going to lose the Heavyweight title to Brock. Its going to happen. Not because it should, or even because the talent of one will overcome the other, no, its because that's what the UFC deserves. A meathead champion who didn't earn shit and will come back and bite them in the ass when his ego gets, dare I say bigger, than it already is. Are people still going to want Randy vs Fedor if Brock smashes him which is a possibility I mean, Couture is freaking old and has been known to go to sleep on occasion in fights. Would Emelianenko even entertain the thought of fighting Lesnar who has no honor or history worth mentioning in MMA? I would hope he'd skip him, title or not, and face a Josh Barnett. Shit I'd even take Dan Severn for fucks sake!

Randy's back, Antonio & Mir are screwed, and Sable is somewhere smiling as she counts the money before its even earned. Nick fucking move UFC, you have taken MMA another step backwards. Smile bitches, and whore out for more money.