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Post by vansabu on Sept 9, 2007 7:56:05 GMT -5
Good God, For all the hype for Crocop coming into the UFC this guy is awful ! He has shown that a name just wont get you anywhere in the UFC, Kongo destroyed his ass last night and good for him. Crocop was backing up the whole fight, Dude, If you dont want to fight give someone else your spot. Havoc, I think your right Crocop really sucks. Glad I chose Kongo in this one !
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Post by LWPD on Sept 9, 2007 9:26:55 GMT -5
A great night of fights. I went against Houston Alexander and paid the price. While I think it's to his advantage to drop down a weight class...his clinch work and striking make him a real threat. It's always good to see someone who wasn't intended break through...he has solid modified MT.
I'm surprised UFC didn't go the easy route and put two UKers against each other (that way someone 'wins' for the hometown fans...and the stunt that was done later on wouldn't have been as necessary). Pride used to do the 'one for one' fights all the time without disrupting things too badly. Marcus Davis has improved a lot and rallied back nicely.
I went with Cheick Kongo at +340. Styles make for fights and CK had height and power. Crocop looked really flat coming out. His payout hasn't matched his performance.
Matt Hamill was robbed. Far from the 'one dimensional fighter' he was labeled as he completely tooled Bisping on his feet and from the clinch...busting him open under both eyes by the end of the first in what easily could have been scored a 10-8 round. He also won the second round decisively with stand up striking and takedowns at will. Joe Rogan himself commented 'Hamill is up two rounds' at the end of the second...and then didn't do his usual 'protesting' of the decision afterward. The arrogant post fight Bisping promo made things even worse with the surreal effect of a patriotic crowd supporting a corrupt judges decision.
In the US the State Athletic Commissions chose the judges...creating a separation of interests between business and sport. For this UK show there was no such regulatory arrangement and the judges were 'handpicked' by Zuffa. From a business perspective the decision makes sense (Bisping is their draw in the UK market...he helped to 'sell out' the building and if they plan to return to London they need to protect their investment)...but from the standpoint of presenting a legit sporting competition the result was absolutely disgusting. I would have doubled up on my money here as I went with Hamill.
Henderson/Jackson was a good technical fight (but not good for the casual fans). QJ has improved his grappling and Henderson has nothing to be ashamed of (he should drop down to MW).
For a free show I couldn't have asked for much more.
Courtesy of MMA Weekly
by Damon Martin
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson became the first ever unified champion since the purchase of Pride by Zuffa when he won a unanimous decision over Dan Henderson on Saturday at UFC 75, while the focus of the show turned out to be a judges’ decision that left a lot to be desired.
Coming into the fight, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson had said in numerous interviews that he was more focused and ready for this fight than anyone could imagine. He showed that en route to a dominant performance over Dan Henderson.
Rampage never let Henderson get comfortable in his game as he took the Team Quest fighter down multiple times throughout the bout and controlled the ground action to many surprised fans and onlookers.
Outside of a kimura attempt and a couple of takedowns, Henderson never let his hands go much against Rampage and the Memphis, Tenn. native stayed the more aggressive fighter and worked an effective clinch game as well.
As the round progressed Rampage seemed to stay just as strong as ever showing that his cardio was ready for the five round fight.
To Henderson’s credit, he never put himself in any real danger from Rampage’s powerful hands or signature slams but it looked like he was being the more tentative fighter the entire time.
As the judges’ decision came in, the fans roared as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was announced as the first unified champion combining the UFC and Pride 205lb belts and giving Rampage a win in his first title defense.
In what ended up being the focal point for the majority of the fans watching UFC 75, Michael “The Count” Bisping won a very controversial split decision over Cincinnati, Ohio native Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, in what will almost surely go down as one of the worst decisions in UFC history.
Hamill, who was a competitor on the Ultimate Fighter season 3 alongside Bisping, showed a much improved MMA game as he looked like a much better striker than the heavily favored British native in the early part of the fight.
The former collegiate wrestler landed a number of jabs and combinations that put Bisping on the defensive right away.
Hamill stalked Bisping throughout rounds 1 and 2 landing crisper, cleaner punches and taking the eventual winner of the Ultimate Fighter season down at will.
To almost everyone’s surprise watching the fight, Hamill looked like the more experienced and well rounded fighter when even after taking Bisping down, he let his opponent back up where he punished him on the feet.
The 3rd round was the only time Bisping put up much offense as he let his hands go and worked his stand-up against Hamill.
While he never landed anything truly devastating due to the Ohioan’s good boxing defense, Bisping was more aggressive late in the fight, but again didn’t do anything that ever put Hamill in any real danger.
The judges’ scorecards came in and when the first read a 29-28 decision for Bisping, the reaction was instantaneous as to shock how the Brit won 2 rounds. The 2nd judge saw it 30-27 for Hamill, while Cecil Peoples, who has been involved in controversial decisions in the past, scored the bout 29-28 for Bisping.
Michael Bisping pulled off a split decision win and in his post fight interview refused to give any credit to his opponent’s performance acting like he just won by knockout instead of being handed a gift decision.
On the other side of the fight, Hamill showed a tremendous amount of graciousness in defeat and should be commended for not being more upset after a horrendous decision.
The fans were also very vocal about this particular fight as the callers into MMAWeekly Radio’s post fight show rallied around Matt Hamill in this bout and voted him Fighter of the Night for his performance and grace in the face of defeat after a decision that no one seemed to agree with.
Cheick Kongo solidified himself as a new contender in the UFC’s heavyweight division after a 3 round unanimous decision win over former Pride star, Mirko CroCop.
In the 1st session, CroCop looked much better this time around than he did against Gabriel Gonzaga, pushing the pace on Kongo for the entire 5 minutes.
The Croatian walked his opponent down and while he didn’t look dominant on his feet, he did get the fight to the ground where he unleashed a solid ground and pound attack, finishing up the round in the mount reigning down punches on Kongo.
The 2nd and 3rd rounds saw a much different fight as Kongo took over with superior clinch work and a better stand-up attack than the former K-1 kickboxer in CroCop.
Kongo was much stronger working knees and punches from within the clinch and when he did take the fight to the ground he controlled the position and avoided any reversal attempts from CroCop.
The end of the fight saw Kongo pick up the biggest win of his career defeating Mirko CroCop by unanimous decision, handing the former Pride Grand Prix champion his 2nd straight loss in a row.
This loss could be as important to CroCop as it is for Kongo as two fighters seem to be headed in separate directions with the Frenchman getting the nod in a strong performance, while Mirko suffers his 2nd straight loss to a previously unranked fighter and may not have a long future in the UFC.
Houston Alexander showed fans that his: 48 second win over Keith Jardine was no fluke as he crushed Italian boxer Alessio Sakara in just over a minute in their bout at UFC 75.
Alexander looked phenomenal in the clinch, pummeling Sakara with knees, one of which put the Italian on the mat.
The Omaha, Neb. Native then unleashed a ground and pound attack that soon finished off Sakara handing Houston Alexander his 2nd win in the UFC and another great performance.
The Fight of the Night as voted by the listeners of MMAWeekly Radio was the match-up between “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis and Paul Taylor who put on a fantastic show in their bout.
Taylor landed a huge high kick that floored the Maine based fighter early in round 1 and just as it looked like referee Yves Lavigne was stepping in to stop the fight, Davis composed himself and pulled guard to withstand taking any more punishment.
From here, Marcus Davis showed his steadily improving ground game as he reversed position and ended up mounting Taylor, reigning down shots on the British fighter.
Just as Taylor reversed Davis from the mount, it was the “Irish Hand Grenade” who pulled out an armbar forcing the submission late in the 1st round.
UFC 75 started out with a ton of fire as Houston Alexander and Marcus Davis seemed to steal the show, while what should have been a historic night based around the title unification bout between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan Henderson, the focus instead turned into the terrible decision rendered in the Michael Bisping/Matt Hamill fight.
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Post by LWPD on Sept 9, 2007 18:46:13 GMT -5
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Post by LWPD on Sept 9, 2007 18:54:05 GMT -5
Matt Hamill vs Michael Bisping tinyurl.com/yvuoow
LWPD (notice the difference in Joe Rogan's standard mode of commentary...as in very un-Rogan like fashion he contradicts his 'during the fight' running commentary on who was winning the fight (Hamill) with a strange silence after the judges decision...a decision which has been nearly universally panned throughout the MMA Community)
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Post by hofclemens on Sept 10, 2007 11:40:50 GMT -5
I like Mir so much better then Rogan. Mir may not be as quick as Rogan but I think he points out of a lot of great things and has a passion that doesnt come across as just being a shill.
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Post by dukedave on Sept 10, 2007 12:07:05 GMT -5
I like Mir so much better then Rogan. Mir may not be as quick as Rogan but I think he points out of a lot of great things and has a passion that doesnt come across as just being a shill. Why not three guys. Goldberg and Mir commentary and have Rogan do the post fight interview. Mir looks uncomfortable doing the post fight and Rogan's good at sniffing a$$. |
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Post by hofclemens on Sept 11, 2007 14:51:18 GMT -5
I like Mir so much better then Rogan. Mir may not be as quick as Rogan but I think he points out of a lot of great things and has a passion that doesnt come across as just being a shill. Why not three guys. Goldberg and Mir commentary and have Rogan do the post fight interview. Mir looks uncomfortable doing the post fight and Rogan's good at sniffing a$$. that would work for me. |
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Post by LWPD on Sept 11, 2007 18:54:40 GMT -5
Combine this with the reported $2.3 Million Gate and Zuffa must be thrilled.
Courtesy of Spike TV Press Release
UFC 75 Sets MMA Ratings Record in North America
UFC 75 was the most watched mixed martial arts event ever in North America, drawing 4.7 million viewers, Spike TV officials said in a news release Tuesday.
The Sept. 8 event from the O2 Arena in London, England, featured UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson's win over PRIDE champ Dan Henderson in a title unification bout. Airing delayed on Spike, the telecast peaked at 5.6 million viewers during Jackson's battle against Henderson.
The show's ratings were particularly strong among men age 18-34 and men 18-49. For those audiences, UFC 75 beat everything on television, Spike officials said, including ABC's NASCAR race and Michigan vs. Oregon college football game, as well as ESPN's Virginia Tech vs. LSU and Notre Dame vs. Penn St. games.
"The ratings are further proof that the tide in American sports is changing," said Kevin Kay, Spike TV general manager. "Young men, who constitute the Spike TV core audience, prefer the incredible action and athleticism of the UFC to more traditional sports."
"Champion vs. Champion" outpaced the previous record -- Tito Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock III, also broadcast on SpikeTV -- by half a million viewers.
Spike TV said its telecast of UFC 75 had an overall rating of 3.1 (3.0 million homes), including a 5.7 rating for men 18-34 (1.6 million), 4.5 for men 18-49 (2.5 million) and 6.2 for men 25-34 (1.0 million).
The event also had a record-breaking audience at the 02 Arena in London, UFC President Dana White said.
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Post by LWPD on Sept 15, 2007 8:32:12 GMT -5
Elite XC Uprising is available for betting action tonight. Enjoy the fights and good luck with your picks.
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Post by hofclemens on Sept 15, 2007 10:53:23 GMT -5
thanks for the heads up. I checked a couple times during the week and was surprised nothing was up for it.
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Post by LWPD on Sept 16, 2007 8:20:32 GMT -5
thanks for the heads up. I checked a couple times during the week and was surprised nothing was up for it. No problem. The line availability on some of the events are down to the wire...but everything (non-UFC and undercards) is always available for action before an event hits. A good night of fights shows why EXC is the clear number 2 in the industry. I went 'all in' on Nick Diaz and nearly paid the price with a tight judges decision. That unknown BJ Penn disciple Mike Aina looked very competitive and almost took the JD. Lawler showed great composure and pacing in taking out a very skilled Rua. Even the women's fight...which I normally can live without...was very technical with a strong finish.
Murilo Ninja Rua vs Robbie Lawler tinyurl.com/3az5z8
Jake Shields vs Renato Verissimotinyurl.com/2muvds
Gina Carano vs Tonya Evingertinyurl.com/3dqp5mCourtesy of Wrestling Observer
Jake Shields b Renato Verissimo late in the first round. Verissimo got the first takedown but Shields was up immediately. Sheilds got the takedown and used body punches and elbows while in the guard. He got a full mount and fired 58 shots, between punches and elbows, before Mario Yamasaki stopped the match. Lots of the punches were inadvertent punches to the back of the head as Verissimo moved his head, but Frank Shamrock was penalized for a hell of a lot less and nobody saw it as a controversy.
Riki Fukuda vs. Joe Villasenor is next.
Good first round. Fukuda had two takedowns and some strong body kicks and won the stand-ups early. Villasenro came back with solid shots incluidng some high kicks. Fukuda's right eye looks real bad. Bad swelling, while Villasenor's situation regards long-term of all the body work Fukuda has done. I'd give the round slightly to Fukuda.
Strong third round as well. Went back and forth. Fukuda got a takedown but Villasenror reversed. They traded standing. Both got strong punches and kicks in.
Split decision 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 for Villasenor. I had Fukuda close. The crowd booed the decision a lot but it could have gone either way.
Gina Carano b Tonya Evinger. Evinger scored a takedown right away but didn't do much on top. Carano reversed when Evinger went for a guillotine. Carano scored with punches from the top, got her back and won using her first submission with a choke. Carano got a reaction but not a superstar reaction even though they tried to put her over as one.
Nick Diaz vs. Mike Aina is up now.
Diaz got a split decision and the crowd booed the hell out of this one. Diaz connected more but Aina's punches were stronger. I thought Aina won round one, although close. Aina scored a knockdown in round two and cut Diaz above the left eye. Diaz came back and picked him apart for the rest of the round was working for a choke at the end of the round. It's tough to score that round because of the knockdown and harder punches vs. more punches landing and the near submission. But I thought Aina was up 20-18 going into the third. Diaz definitely took the third round with an exciting finish as Diaz finally got Aina down with 1:34 left and was working for the choke. Very exciting ending as the crowd saw it as Aina having to just hold on and score the gigantic upset. He did hang on, blocking the choke attempts. He nearly escaped but in doing so, Diaz was going for an armbar as time ran out. For the near finish, 10-8 for Diaz making it a draw.
Scores were 30-27 for Diaz (no way he took round one), 28-29 and then 29-28. Diaz was the better fight, but Aina fought the better fight for two rounds.
Murilo Ninja Rua vs. Robbie Lawler for the EXC middleweight title is up next as the main event.
Good round. Lawler got a takedown right away but Ninja was up quickly. Ninja scored with low kicks over and over throughout the round but Lawler had the stronger punches. Slight edge to Ninja.
Second round was interesting because almost all the offense was Rua as he threw tons of punches and low kicks and failed at takedowns. By the end of the round, Rua was exhausted and Lawler was smiling. It's almost as if Lawler gave him the early fight and how he's going to take over. Still, Lawler just defended the whole round and is up 20-18 even though in a sense Lawler set up a win in this round.
Exactly as the end of the round foretold. Lawler rocked Rua several times before putting him down, and then threw bombs on the ground before Rua was out, so Lawler is the new EXC middleweight champion.
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Post by hofclemens on Sept 16, 2007 11:14:49 GMT -5
I thought Ninja would pull it out. Lawler sure has improved since his UFC days. I still would like to see the Lawler vs. Baroni fight that was sceduled in the UFC a while back that never happened.
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Post by LWPD on Sept 16, 2007 18:10:10 GMT -5
Nick Diaz vs Mike Ainatinyurl.com/2mb94e
LWPD (a close fight and almost a huge upset...announcer Stephen Quadros's commentary during this one was horrible)
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Post by LWPD on Sept 17, 2007 19:22:45 GMT -5
A pretty decent card on Wednesday. I may put some action on Din Thomas. Remember TUF 6 premieres after the card.
UFC Fight Night 11 Final Card
Live Wednesday, September 19 at 9 p.m. ET on Spike television
Main Event:
Din Thomas (20-6) vs. Kenny Florian (6-3)
Main card (televised):
185 lbs.: Chris Leben (16-4) vs. Terry Martin (16-2)
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz (6-2) vs. Junior Assuncao (5-2)
185 lbs.: Nate Quarry (8-2) vs. Pete Sell (7-3)
Under card (may not be broadcast):
170 lbs.: Thiago Alves (11-3) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-3)
170 lbs.: Dustin Hazelett (9-3) vs. Jonathan Goulet (19-8)
155 lbs.: Leonard Garcia (10-2) vs. Cole Miller (12-2)
170 lbs.: Luke Cummo (5-4) vs. Edilberto “Crocota” de Oliveira (8-1-1)
155 lbs.: Gray Maynard (2-0) vs. Joe Veres (4-1)
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Post by hofclemens on Sept 17, 2007 19:49:08 GMT -5
Excited about Leben and Martin the most out of all these matches. I may put a small qager on Sell because he has been active and I think he has revenge on his mind.
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Post by LWPD on Sept 18, 2007 19:42:04 GMT -5
UFC Fight Night Weigh-In Results
Courtesy of ufc.com
Main EventKenny Florian (155) vs Din Thomas (156)
Chris Leben (185) vs Terry Martin (186)
Junior Assuncao (155) vs Nate Diaz (155)
Pete Sell (184) vs Nate Quarry (186)
Edilberto Crocota (170) vs Luke Cummo (169)
Leonard Garcia (155) vs Cole Miller (155)
Joe Veres (156) vs Gray Maynard (154)
Kuniyoshi Hironaka (170) vs Thiago Alves (171)
Dustin Hazelett (170) vs Jonathan Goulet (169)
LWPD (I haven't seen Quarry since the Franklin KO...Leben/Martin is too close to call...I'm hoping we'll see Cummo and Miller for curiosity sake)
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Post by dukedave on Sept 18, 2007 19:52:07 GMT -5
I think Miller will lose. Garcia put up a strong showing versus Huerta plus he beat Lobsta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by LWPD on Sept 19, 2007 2:52:48 GMT -5
I think Miller will lose. Garcia put up a strong showing versus Huerta plus he beat Lobsta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know why UFC insists on bringing guys like Lobsta onto the show. There's no ROI on people like that. Hopefully the group of kids we see tonight on the TUF 6 premiere will include some solid prospects. Ultimate Fight Night 11 Weigh-In Video |
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Post by hofclemens on Sept 19, 2007 21:12:11 GMT -5
well Sell/quarry was going how I thought up until Quarry ended it...drats!
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Post by dukedave on Sept 19, 2007 21:30:06 GMT -5
WAR Leben.  This is about the only time I've seen him not act like a complete douche. |
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