What’s going on fight fans? Huge UFC show tonight so I couldn’t help but chime in with my predictions on the show. Just a reminder, everything begins an hour earlier then usual. Prelim matches start at 6:00 pm EST on facebook, prelims on Spike TV start at 8:00 pm, and the ppv card starts at 9:00 pm. Now lets have a look at prophetic predictions.

Spike TV card

•Welterweight bout: Sean Pierson vs. Jake Ellenberger

Ellenberger via Unanimous Decision – Ellenberger has shown me a lot thus far in his career. I expect him to grind out a victory.

•Welterweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald

Nate Diaz via Split Decision – I’m torn on this fight. MacDonald looked good against Carlos Condit until he ran out of gas and we all know what Nate brings to the table. I’m expecting an exciting stand up battle with Diaz slightly edging it out.

Main Card

•Lightweight bout: Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson

Ben Henderson via 2nd Rd. Sub. (Guillotine) – After seeing and hearing about the infamous “Showtime Kick” which cost him his WEC 155 lb title, I’m expecting Henderson to come in with a big chip on his shoulder. Bocek will prove to be tough competition in his home town but Ben is too well rounded and too athletic.

•Light Heavyweight bout: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz

Jason Brilz via 3rd Rd. TKO (Ground ‘n Pound) – Everyone has asked why is this fight on the main card. I say, hey they can’t all be winners. Despite these 2 not being the most well-known fighters I’m expecting a good scrap. I’ll say Brilz has a little more in the tank later in the fight and gets the win.

•Light Heavyweight bout: Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida via 2nd Rd. KO – Randy, Randy, Randy just didn’t know when to say when. I respect everything Couture has done but this is a bad match up for him. I’m sure he’s done his homework and feels like he’s got the perfect game plan to beat The Dragon but he’s in over his head here. A lot of people have been down on Machida because of his consecutive losses, here’s his change to silence his critics.

•Featherweight Championship bout: José Aldo (c) vs. Mark Hominick

Jose Aldo via 3rd rd. KO – Aldo has an advantage in every aspect of this fight. Unless Jose gets hurt or makes a very dumb mistake I’m expecting a complete humbling and domination by the champion.

•Welterweight Championship bout: Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. Jake Shields

Geroges St-Pierre via Unanimous Decision – The strategy for Shields seems to be to get GSP on the ground. That’s much easier said then done. Even if he gets him there he’s still have his hands full. If the fight stays standing Jake is in for a pummeling. His stand up is slightly above remedial. St-Pierre will dominate the striking, prevent takes, and pretty much have his way with the former Strikeforce champion.

Following his title win over Shogun Rua on Saturday night at UFC 128, Jon Jones stood face to face in the octagon with friend and former training partner, Rashad Evans. Over the last year of training and spending free time together the two fighters had grown close. In mixed martial arts however, especially when it comes to world titles, friends can quickly become enemies and brothers can become bitter foes. With Jones’ win, Evans stands in front of the new champion as his next opponents. Here’s what Rashad had to say in regards to the falling out between he and Jones and why he feels he has no other choice but to beat up his “little brother”

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/3/21/2062720/rashad-evans-disrespected-by-jon-jones-disappointed-in-greg-jackson
(courtesy of bloodyelbow.com)

The situation now facing both men, quote Kanye West ” . . . but to be #1 I’mma beat my brother”

The Panel

Chris Murphy – MMA/UFC Writer
Justin Barracosa – author of “Them’s Fighting Words”
Martin Foster – author “The 2nd Round Submission”

B.J. Penn vs Jon Fitch

Chris – Penn via 2nd round rear naked choke
Justin – Fitch via 3rd round stoppage. I don’t believe Fitch has will stand with BJ. And despite BJ excellence in the grappling world, aside from a rear naked, he really doesn’t finish often by submission. Fitch is notoriously difficult to choke out and I don’t see BJ taking his back. I think Fitch is far too strong and way to powerful a wrestler for BJ and will control him in the same way GSP did.
Martin – Fitch via Unanimous Decision. I know, real original pick. Despite his less than exciting fighting style I think Fitch will nullify Penn’s offense. I expect the early stages of the fight to be fairly even but as the fight goes on I see Fitch using his size and wrestling ability to gain the advantage. If the fight stays standing I think BJ has a better chance but either way I’m going with the wrestler from Purdue.

Panel Pick: Jon Fitch 2 – 1

Michael Bisping vs Jorge Rivera

Chris – Rivera 1st round KO
Justin – Bisping by ref stoppage 2nd round. Although Rivera had an improved performance last go around, I believe he has maxed his potential. Bisping continues to grow, and some recent losses should have increased his hunger.
Martin – Rivera via Split Decision. I might be slightly bias here. Bisping tends to get off to a slow start. That along with him thinking Rivera isn’t on his level has me thinking it will take him a round or 2 to get going. I think Rivera will come out aggressive and try to end the fight fast. Bisping comes on strong in round 3 but it will be too little too late.

Panel Pick: Jorge Rivera 2 – 1

George Sotiropoulos vs Dennis Siver

Chris – Sotiropoulos 2nd round armbar
Justin – Despite Siver’s great kickboxing, I think Sotir is far too good and the ground and will submit him within 2 rounds.
Martin – Sotiropoulos via Rear Naked Choke 2nd Round. Siver is in over his head here. George has great boxing and will be able to keep Siver at bay until he takes the fight to the mat. When he gets it there it’s all but over. A little ground and pound, Siver gives his back, then its tap out or pass out.

Panel Pick: George Sotiropoulous 3 – 0

Chris Lytle vs Carlos Condit (Due to injury Condit has been replaced with Brian Ebersole)

Chris – Lytle 3rd round unanimous decision
Justin – should be a real nice stand up war. I see Condit by judges decision.
Martin – Chris Lytle via 3rd round TKO. If this fight was going down as original planned I would have given a slight end to Condit. With Condit out I see Lytle having his way with Ebersole. A nice chance here for the UFC newcomer Ebersole but this won’t be his night.

Panel Pick: Chris Lytle 2 – 1

Ross Pearson vs Spencer Fisher

Chris – Pearson 3rd round unanimous decision
Justin – I think Fisher is too fast and can take a real shot. Fisher by 2nd round KO
Martin –Pearson via Unanimous Decision. Pearson will come in with something to prove after getting disposed of by Cole Miller. He’ll have too much for Fisher here and come out on top

Panel Pick: Ross Pearson 2 – 1

Prelim fights will begin at 8 pm on Facebook and at 9 pm on ION TV. The main card begins at 10 pm only on PPV

My conversation with UFC Middleweight Jorge Rivera:

Q: Your next fight will be at UFC 127 on February 26 in Australia against Michael Bisping. What are your thoughts on Bisping and what he brings to the table as an opponent?

A: I think he’s a tough guy, he’s got great cardio. I think it’s a good fight. Our styles match up well. I present problems for him and he’s going to have a hard time with me.

Q: This will be your 2nd straight fight scheduled for overseas. How do you adjust to the travel and time change?

A: I’ll be fine. I’ll get up there a few weeks early and get adjusted to the time change. I’ll be ready

Q: Going back to your last fight that was called off with Alessio Sakara at UFC 118, when did you find out the fight wasn’t happening?

A: My hands we’re already wrapped. I was ready to go then they walked in and said it wasn’t going down. It was an awkward feeling, like what do I do now. That was it. I asked for my next opponent to be Bisping. One thing led to another and I got what I asked for

Q: Did they tell you why he wasn’t able to fight?

A: They said he was sick. He had the flu, he was throwing up and couldn’t keep his food down. I know Sakara, he’s a tough dude. If he said he was sick I believe him

Q: Your fight at Fight Night 21 against Nate Quarry, you looked great and a lot of people considered that your best performance thus far. Do you agree with that?

A: I don’t know. I thought it was a good fight for me. I thought I performed well. Anytime I go in there I want to get a finish. I really don’t know as far as best performances go, I just go out there and do my job

Q: Some fans new to UFC and MMA might not know you were on season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter. How did you like being on the show?

A: The show was cool. I had a good time doing it. What I learned most from it was how to train smarter and how to surround myself with better trainers and camps. Really, I learned a lot about training, how to prepare myself properly and get the most out of it

Q: Along with you there are some other notable UFC fighters from Boston. What do you think of the local MMA scene?

A: I think its on. We got about 6 or 7 guys who fight in the UFC from around here. It’s a small area but there’s a lot of talent. Boston has always been a fighting town. That’s not going to change its just going to keep getting better.

Q: Do you train with any of the other UFC guys in the area?

A: I try to get with as many of them as possible. I get with Kenny and Keith Florian. I try and get with John Howard and work with him. Pretty much anyone who is going to get my game better. As for other guys in the area you can’t forget about guys like Joe Lauzon and Josh Grispi. That’s the thing about Boston guys, every one of them its going to give you a fight. That’s how we are. You see one of us on the card you know we’re coming out to fight

Q: You fought the current middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, and former champion, Rich Franklin earlier in your career. What did you take from those fights and have you been able to apply anything to your game from facing those opponents.

A: I look at where they are now and where they were when I fought them and I’m just glad to have fought guys that good and to had made a decent fight of both of them. I felt like Anderson did well against me and I gave Rich a good run for his money and I’m happy with my performances

Q: Before I let you go, there anything you want to plug or people you want to acknowledge?

Yeah, thanks to www.rangerup.com, big shout out to alchemist management, what up to MC Hammer, Lex McMahon, Jeff Arrington, and Beamer Saurabh Paul

Watch Jorge in the co-main event of UFC 127 against Michael Bisping on February 26. The show is headlined by BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch

Here’s my interview with UFC welterweight contender and Boston’s own John Howard. We discuss his fights, MMA in Boston, food, football, video games, and who he’s calling out as his next opponent. Give it a listen.

John Howard Interview

Just following up on the breaking news from yesterday. Brock being named as a coach on TUF didn’t seem reasonable or realistic to some but this move could prove very beneficial to Lesnar, Dos Santos and the UFC.

The former champion will be releasing a book in the near future and 12 weeks on television certainly won’t hurt in terms of promotion. Additionally, Brock will finally be out of his normal training environment and surrounded by several noteworthy gyms while in Vegas filming the show. He would be wise to take this opportunity to train with a wide range of partners to expand his skill set. Lesnar was previously told he would need 2 wins to get back into a title match but this opportunity will earn him another shot at Velasquez and regaining the title win just 1 win.

For Dos Santos, he’ll be missing out on a guaranteed title shot but has much more to gain by coaching on TUF. To dedicated fans JDS is a well known name however to the casual audience he’s just another heavyweight. Taking this role as a coach will undoubtedly make him a bigger star. Junior comes off as a likeable guy and putting him against a natural heel like Lesnar is likely to get him more fans. At the very least more people interested in him.

UFC is a business and this upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter will lead to an increase in dollar signs. TUF has proven to increase PPV business when it comes time for the coaches to clash. Brock Lesnar is the biggest PPV draw in MMA right now, bringing in 1.1 million per show he headlines. UFC can expect this number or even higher when it comes time for the June 11th show. If Lesnar wins you can expect even more eyes on his rematch with Cain for the title at the end of the year. If JDS comes out on top, his match of with Velasquez will be a far bigger draw then once expected. A stint as a TUF coach and a victory over Lesnar would catapult Dos Santos into the hierarchy of UFC’s biggest names.

This season will feature welterweights and start filming on January 24th. There’s been concern that Lesnar doesn’t have the skills or experience to coach up and coming fighters. I agree with that statement but he brings a very capable staff and a work ethic that is second to none. I’m sure the fighters on his team will feel fulfilled when the 12 weeks are over. Brock might even learn a thing or two from his team.

Junior will bring in his team and training partners from Blackhouse. The gym is home of some of the biggest names in the sport: Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and the Nogueiras. I’m sure any fighter climbing in the ranks would jump at the opportunity to train with such talented combatants.

For you wrestling fans, Dana White confirmed Brock still won’t be doing Wrestlemania 26.

During ‘Fight For the Troops’ conference call this afternoon, UFC president Dana White made 2 major announcments:

Former Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and #1 Contender Junior Dos Santos will lead their respective teams on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. White also announced the fight between these likely take place in Vancouver and will not be for an intermin title. Some saw this announcement coming with a recent string of events including, Cain Velasquez going under the knife for shoulder surgery, Roy Nelson vs Frank Mir being announced, and Chael Sonnen’s legal trouble and subsequent suspension

Should he win his upcoming bout with George Roop without sustaining and injury, Mark Hominick wil face Featherweight champion Jose Aldo Jr. in Toronto at UFC 129 on April 30th. This will be Aldo’s first defense as a UFC champion and comes following a back injury that caused him to miss UFC 125

More on these stories in the days to come

UFC 121 Recap

Brock Lesnar, the biggest name in mixed martial arts, was destroyed last Saturday night by a younger, more skilled challenger in Cain Velasquez.

Leading up to the fight various fans, analysts, and fighters chimed in with their opinions on who would come out victorious. Surprisingly Velasquez, who was a slight underdog per Vegas odds, was the favorite to win amongst those in the know in the sport. Despite Lesnar’s massive size and strength, many noted Cain’s remarkable conditioning and well-rounded ability as the tools he’d use to knock off the dominant champion. For those who picked Brock, the consensus seemed to be that if Shane Carwin couldn’t knock out Lesnar then Velasquez sure as hell couldn’t. Also, Brock was just too damn big, strong, and mean.

The atmosphere for this title match was something to behold. UFC heavily pushed Velasquez as potentially the first Mexican heavyweight champion in combat sports. Some criticized the company for such a market plan but the results speak for themselves. The Anaheim crowd was heavily Hispanic and boisterously behind the challenger. Green, white, and red Mexican flag could be seen all over the building along with folks dawning any attire supporting Cain they could find. He was welcomed with a thunderous ovation while walking to the cage and when announced by Bruce Buffer.

Lesnar came in looking like a surly mountain man ready to inflict some pain. As “Enter the Sandman” blaired from the arena speakers Brock stormed to the ring while being booed vociferously by the fans. The stage was clearly set for memorable clash.

For the 4 minutes it lasted this was an awesomely entertaining battle. The champion rushed forward like an angry bull, attempting to take Cain down immediately. Velasquez was able to block the take down but Lesnar responded by throwing knees, including a jumping one. From there the two threw heavy hands, tagging each other on the chin more than once. The champion got a takedown but Cain got back to his feet fairly quickly, without taking any damage. Lesnar controlled Cain along the fence then got another take down, only for Velasquez to return upright immediately. Back on their feet more hands were thrown. It was then Velasquez’s who brought his opponent to the mat. He got a hold of Brock’s back and delivered some punches while in dominant position. The champion was able to scramble to his feet and out of trouble . . . momentarily. Lesnar kept pressing forward but was then sent stumbling backwards by a short uppercut. Cain saw his opponent wobbling and moved into attack. The Mexican charged in and delivered vicious punch after vicious punch, putting down Lesnar. He ground and pounded away severely bloodying Brock. This resembled the beating Brock took against Shane Carwin, however Velasquez showed no signs of slowing down. Referee Herd Dean told Lesnar he needed to defend himself for the fight to continue. He responded by moving slightly and attempting to create space by pushing off Cain. This was only a temporary solution as Cain kept coming at him. Lesnar laid there bleeding everywhere, trying to hold on until the end of the round but it was clear he couldn’t take any more. Herb Dean saw enough and called an end to the fight. In front of his many Mexican supporters he not only won the title but looked more impressive than anyone could have imagined in doing so.

So what does this mean moving forward? A new star was born in Cain Velasquez but in doing so UFC’s most noteworthy and viewed fighter was beaten convincingly in the first round. Moving forward Cain Velasquez will defend his title against number one contender Junior Dos Santos, likely in February or March. After his performance tonight, Cain should be a sizeable favorite. As for the former champion Lesnar a few options are available. Brock has proven he can match up about just about anyone in the division thus far. A 3rd fight with Frank Mir is an option as they’re 1-1 against each other in two previous fights. Then there is Shane Carwin who Lesnar had a comeback win against in his last title defense. Carwin is currently scheduled to fight Roy Nelson in January so that would have to wait until April or May. Another option that might be overlooked is a new opponent, Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera. Big Nog hasn’t fought since losing to Cain Velasquez in the spring and should be available to fight come February. In terms of a money making fight, Lesnar vs Mir III or Carwin II would be the most profitable but Minatauro presents a new and interesting challenge.

Questions will be asked if Lesnar will lose some of his money drawing power with this defeat, I say no way. The only thing bigger then a big money main event is a big money rematch main event. If Lesnar runs through his next opponent and shows he’s corrected the holes in his game, I would imagine a Velasquez/Lesnar II would do an even bigger PPV number then the expected 1-1.1 million buys expected for this show. Time will tell but Lesnar is still UFC’s cash cow.

For those of you who didn’t see, WWE star the Undertaker was in attendance at the show Saturday evening. Here’s the footage below:

The word going around is WWE chairman Vince McMahon very much wants a Wrestlemania main event of Brock Lesnar returning to the wrestling ring to take on the Undertaker. In the video when you hear Taker say “You wanna do it?” That’s what he is referring to, asking if Brock wants to do that match. NO WAY is Dana White letting his biggest draw go do a fake wrestling match.

The rest of this show wasn’t anything special. Every other fight on the main card and Spike TV televised prelims ended in a decision. Some were more entertaining than others.

Jake Shields’ UFC debut against Martin Kampman didn’t exactly have everyone on the edge on their seats. Shields clearly won the first round by out maneuvering Kampman on the ground with his stellar grappling. In the 2nd Martin took advantage of a fatigued Shields. He was controlling the action until Jake was able to transition and get The Hitman on his back. Close round that I scored for Kampman. The final round was Kampman’s for the taking but his poor strategy may have cost him the fight. He was the better striker of the two and with Shields running on E the smart thing to do would have been to keep the fight standing. So what did the Hitman do, of course he decided to grapple. In fairness to Martin, he did pretty well on the canvas for most of the round that was until with about 2 minutes left in the round Jakes got to dominant position. I still felt Kampman won the round but just for being an idiot, he deserved to lose this fight. Not smart, not smart at all. Shields took the split decision 30-27, 29-28, 28-29.

After getting off to a slow start Diego Sanchez dominated Paulo Thiago on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Check this fight out if you get a chance. Very entertaining bout.

Tito Ortiz was defeated by his former student and trainee Matt Hamill. Tito looked good in the early going, throwing head kicks and being aggressive. In the 2nd and 3rd round Hamill won by out wrestling and grappling Ortiz. This could be it in the UFC for The Hungtington Beach Bad Boy.

The Merger

News broke this week that the Zuffa-owned WEC will be merging with the UFC. This means going forward all fighters will be under the same UFC umbrella. WEC has 2 shows scheduled for the remainder of the year, November 11th and December 16th. Coming out of the December, the winner of the 155lb title fight between Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis will take on the winner of the Gray Maynard/Frankie Edgar fight. This will unify the WEC and UFC lightweight title. For the record, I stated after Henderson’s last title defense I’d favor him in a fight against Edgar or Maynard. The featherweight and bantam weight WEC title will be renamed as the UFC titles respectively. There’s also been talk of bring in a 125lb division.

This means there will be a TON of fighters under contract with the company. I’ve gotta say I’ll miss the always entertaining WEC shows. As I’ve stated before these shows never disappoint. UFC has agreed to air 4 shows a year on the Versus network, satisfying their contract with them and Spike TV. Ultimately we the fans will reap the benefits with improved show quality all around. Just about any UFC card with be spiced up with a few lighter weight match ups. You take a fight between 2 lurching heavyweight, put it on the undercard, and replace it with a couple of 145 pounders going at it nonstop for 15 minutes, you can’t lose.

Of course there’s a downside to this, there are going to be quite a few fighters getting let go. UFC has 13 PPVs, 4 Versus shows, and approximately 8 free shows on Spike a year. There are only so many fighters you can use here. WEC stars like Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, and Donald Cerrone will surely be kept under contract but those guys who have been recently filling WEC show undercards will likely be searching for work elsewhere in the near future.

Everyone is curious about what this means for WEC’s one man wrecking machine, and featherweight champion, Jose Aldo Jr. going forward. The champion will defend his title against up and comer Josh Grispi on the January 1st UFC show. (This fight will replace the previous co-main event of Shane Carwin vs Roy Nelson. Carwin was forced to pull out due to an injury. Nelson has since been pulled off the show). Prior to this fight coming on the table, Aldo was offered a fight at 155lbs against Kenny Florian. Aldo and/or his people turned the match up down saying they’d like another fight at 145 before making the jump in weight. For the record, that would have been a very interesting challenge for both fighters.

In the words of Kimbo “I’m done Gus”

2nd Round Submission:
Jose Aldo rear naked choke on Luciano Azevedo

Great stuff from Bellator last week. Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVRETz–iEw

After a weekend filled with plenty of UFC exposure the 2nd Round Submission is back to make you say “YEEEEAAAHHHH!!!”

UFC 118: Edgar vs Penn 2

I had the pleasure of attending UFC’s long awaiting arrival to Boston Saturday night at the TD Garden. UFC 118 was headlined by the long awaited rematch for the lightweight title between the champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and the former champ “The Prodigy” BJ Penn. Talking to many people before the show it seemed quite clear everyone thought it was just a matter of time until Penn regained the title. Edgar was well aware going in that there were several who questioned his merits as the top lightweight in the company.

Regardless of what everyone one else thought, Frankie Edgar stepped into the cage that night and dominated BJ Penn. I could break down every round but there’s really no sense in doing so because it was much of the same for 25 minutes. Frankie was faster, more aggressive, more tactical, and overall just better then BJ. He won every round by mixing up his striking and keeping Penn off guard by quickly moving in for takedowns.

Penn’s performance left many thinking he’s done as a premier fighter. Between rounds you could see him getting more and more frustrated. His corner gave little in the way of advice and I don’t blame them. For years they’ve used the time between rounds to stroke BJ’s ego as he catches his breath. This is in no way a knock against him or his corner but after years of being dominant it’s tough to know what to say in that position. By the 5th round The Prodigy looked like a beaten and exhausted fighter.

Edgar took the judges’ decision 50-45 on all scorecards.

The most prominently featured bout on the card pitted former 5-time UFC champion and hall of famer, Randy Couture, against multiple division boxing champion James “Lights Out” Toney. I have no earthly clue how this fight was sanctioned but it was going happen. Toney managed to push Dana White’s buttons by chasing him all over the country and running his mouth about how he’d knock out any UFC fighter. He got his wish and was given the opportunity to do exactly what he proclaimed he would.

The atmosphere in the building was incredible for this match up. Toney was passionately booed by much of the Boston crowd. Like a good heel should, he ate up the reaction. Couture received an ovation like few have gotten before. Everyone stood anxiously awaiting the action to begin. When the bell rang it took about 15 seconds for Randy to dump Lights Out on his oversized ass. From there he quickly moved to the full mount and started pounding away. He locked in an arm triangle and the crowd went nuts. Shockingly, Toney managed to withstand the initial submission attempt. The audience broke out into a loud “UFC” chant. Probably the first and only time we’ll hear this. Couture repositioned himself, sank in the choke again and forced the boxer to tap out. Everyone, including the fighters sitting behind press row, erupted upon Randy’s victory. He proved that on this night that it takes much more than boxing to come into the octagon and win over a fully capable mixed martial artist.

Following the fight Randy commended Toney on being the first boxer to actually step in to the octagon and compete. That was the only praise James would receive for his performance. Dana White assured everyone that Lights Out, or any other boxers for that matter, wouldn’t be returning to the octagon for a sport vs sport match up.

Hometown favorite, Kenny Florian took on Gray Maynard with the #1 contender spot for the lightweight title on the line. This was not a good night for the Westwood, MA native. The first round was fairly even with neither man doing much. Florian held a very slight advantage while on their feet while Maynard was able to score a takedown. Tough round to score here but 2 out of 3 judges gave it to Gray. The remainder of the fight Maynard was able to control the action with his wrestling. Florian seemed tentative and unable to figure out Maynard’s strategy. The crowd was initially patient but as time went on they became more and more on edge hoping Kenny would gain an advantage. In the closing minutes of the fight Florian attempted a few submissions from the bottom but wasn’t able to secure anything. A disappointing performance for Kenflo in front of his hometown fans while Maynard solidified himself as the #1 contender and a chance to earn a second win over champion Frankie Edgar.

When it comes to Gray Maynard I think he’s the lightweight version of Jon Fitch. I can’t say anything bad about either man’s record but their bouts are nothing to write home about. I can appreciate a good ground battle but their style of grappling does little for me. Maynard hasn’t lost since he’s become a UFC fighter, that doesn’t take into account his loss to Nate Diaz on TUF season 5 because it was only a 2 round fight. He’s beaten some good opponents but from what I can recall he only has 1 win by stoppage. I’m hoping Edgar’s quickness will make this match with Gray somewhat entertaining. I don’t think I can handle 5 rounds of nothing but wrestling. No way they can headline a PPV with this fight. I’m expecting it to be a co-main event with St. Pierre vs Koscheck in December or Silva vs Sonnen 2 in January.

I may be going out on a limb here but I’d like to see WEC lightweight champion, Ben Henderson, take on the winner of this fight in a unification bout. Henderson has very good wrestling, versatile striking and solid BJJ. I’d expect it to be a very interesting match up whether against Maynard or Edgar. If it ends up happening remember where you heard it first.

Nick Diaz secured his second straight win since moving up to welterweight. He busted open Marcus Davis early in the 1st round and pounded away at his rapidly swelling eye throughout the contest. In the 3rd round he took Davis down and locked in a guillotine choke to put his opponent to sleep, literally.

There were 3 fights on the show that were dreadfully boring. I’ll never boo a fight or a fighter but I can’t really fault those who chose to. Andre Winner vs Nik Lentz was probably the worst fight I’ve seen all year. 90% of the fight saw Lentz holding Winner against the fence, never gaining an advantage. Truly a horrible way to start the free Spike TV broadcast. Mike Pierce vs Amilcar Alves started the night of fights off very very slowly. Mercifully, Pierce was able to finish the fight in the 3rd with an armbar. Demien Maia and Mario Miranda rolled around on the mat for the better part of 15 minutes and left the crowd very restless. Do not look up these fights on the internet or watch on demand unless you’re looking to fall asleep.

Fear not, I will not end this recap on a low note. Joe Lauzon was the greatest man in the history of Boston sports on Saturday evening. Am I exaggerating? Only slightly my friends. Lauzon is from about 20 minutes outside of Boston and along with Florian was the other local fighter on the card. Lauzon himself sold 600 tickets to the event and his supporters were decked out with their green and white JL shirts. J-Lau came to the ring to a thunderous ovation for his match up against former Ultimate Fighter teammate Gabe Ruediger. I thought the Garden was loud for Joe during the introductions but really this was nothing compared to what was coming. The fight started and what took place was the most well rounded, one-sided, decisive ass kicking I’ve seen in a long time, maybe ever. Right away Joe landed hard punches then dumped Gabe to the mat with a hip throw. He quickly took his back and looked for a submission. Ruediger tried to improve his position but Joe stayed right on top of him and continued going to work. From side control Lauzon landed some very hard elbows to the crowd’s delight. Joe then moved to back control and scored with some vicious uppercuts that had the audience yelling “OOHHH!!!” with each one that rocked Ruediger’s head. Gabe momentarily got to his feet but was immediately taken back down hard with a belly to back suplex. J-Lau took his back again, scored with some more uppercuts then cinched in an armbar for the tap out in 2:01. The television broadcast didn’t do justice to how loud it was in the building for this. Easily the loudest crowd reaction I’ve heard in person at a UFC show. This was clearly the highlight of the event. Joe said he wanted to take Gabe’s heart then take his arm and that’s exactly what he did. Congrats to Joe for such a great performance in front of his home crowd. If there is another show in Boston next year this man needs to be put on the main card without question.

Those who came to see the event live we’re quite the collection of characters. I’d like to personally congratulate Boston for being the site of the most crowd fights at a UFC event. Philly was the original leader with 3 but Beantown took the title with 4 confirmed crowd fights and possibly one more. There were no knockouts in the octagon but my award for knockout of the night goes to the drunk guy sitting in the lower level who when throwing a punch at a hooligan sent himself tumbling to the ground face first after missing horribly. His reward wasn’t 60 grand but a police escort out of the building.

For the most part the crowd was very patient. Shockingly some of the boring fights only received light booing and often time applause at the end of every round. Despite what Bruce Buffer said at the start of the broadcast, the Garden didn’t appear to be sold out. Word is Dana and other UFC people were giving out free tickets all the way up until the show. No complaints on my end though, we were able to relocate to a great location for a majority of the show.

Also part of the Boston debut was a Fan Expo that took place on Friday and Saturday. According to those who have been to other expos, this one was far inferior. It was nice to see UFC go all out and bring this event along but I didn’t find it all that fan friendly. If you’re a fan of standing in long lines to meet a fighter then this would be right up your alley. Don’t get me wrong, there were some noteworthy fighters there but no way I was waiting in line for over an hour to meet Chuck Liddell. If you chose to stand in line you better hope the line is moving fast because if a fighter was only scheduled to sign autographs until 5, once the clock struck 5 they were taking off no matter how long the line was. This wasn’t really the fighter’s fault since their managers seemed to be moving them along. Kudos to Tito Ortiz who continued signing autographs and taking pictures well beyond the allotted time. There were a few freebies scattered around but my sister and I missed out on most of them. I did manage to win a free t-shirt and some other goodies for matching Dan Hardy’s vertical jump of 35”. I managed to pull this off barefoot, as I came to the event in flip flops, so Hardy I’m calling you out. You and I in a vertical leap contest. You will be defeated.

Strikeforce: Lawal vs Cavalcante

Pour Pour Strikeforce. This promotion can use all the help it can get. They have about 5 names that they can bill as major draws, Fedor, Hershel Walker, Cyborg, Lashley, and King Mo . . . actually make that number 6 with Hendo inluced. Well last Saturday night 2 of those major names lost convincingly, Mo and Lashley. Bobby Lashley has gotten a great deal of attention because of his WWE past. After leaving Vince’s company he’s looked somewhat impressive in his 5 wins. Clearly he can wrestle by taking down opponents at will. Once on the ground he’s used effective ground and pound. His standup has looked marginal at best and his submission game has been non-existent. Thus far, as shown by his perfect record, he’s gotten by with the limited tools he has. Well his limited abilities finally bit him in the backside.

In the first round the former WWE champion controlled the action with repeated takedowns. Late in the round when shooting in for a double leg, Bobby got tagged with an uppercut that busted open a gash under his left eye. Lashley was leaking life liquid everywhere (felt like using some alliteration). As the horn sounded for the conclusions of round 1 Bobby looked battered as he was very slow to get to his feet.

Lashley looked winded, beaten, and troubled at the start of the 2nd while Griggs looked fresh and ready for action. This round looked similar to the 1st early on as the Dominator’s aggressive wrestling controlled the fight. From top position Lashley did little. A few of his strike attempts grazed Griggs but didn’t leave a mark. All the while he continued to spill blood everywhere. The ref stopped the action so the doctor could come in to check the gash. Another one had been opened above Bobby’s eye. The doc gave his “ok” for the fight to continue and action returned in the standing position. This was odd because when the action was stopped Lashley was in full mount position. Not sure why this was done instead of things restarting in the same position. A very poor job of refereeing here. Bobby shot in again but Chad stuff it with a sprawl. Griggs landed several upper cuts and hammer fist while Lashley kept trying for the single leg. When the round closed Lashley was in rough shape. Once again he slowly got to his feet and once he did he wasn’t able to stand upright. The ref saw this and called an end to the action. Griggs won in a huge upset.

The winner noted in his post fight interview that only 15 people, his family, expected him to win. He knew Lashley was getting tired and took advantage. Great win here.

KJ Noons defeated Jorge Gorgel via 2nd round TKO. Good action here along with some controversy. After the 1st round bell Noons dropped Gorgel with a powerful right hook. Clearly JG was still seeing stars when the 2nd started. Once again poor referring here. He should have checked on Gorgel between rounds to ensure he was fully recovered before coming out for the round. At the end of the fight KJ again put JG on the mat with strikes. Just as the ref stepped in to stop the fight, he attempted a soccer kick that would have made Landon Donovan proud. This is a highly illegal. There is no excuse for such an attack by Noon’s going unpunished. With all that said the conclusion was a victory for Noons who is now 2-0 since returning to MMA.

Jacare Souza and Tim Kennedy faced off for the vacant middleweight title. Good back and forth fight here over 5 rounds. Each round was close but it was clear to the judges through the action and Kennedy’s face that Souza had won. Unanimous decision 49-46, 48-47, 48-47.

King Mo Lawal came into the main event in his hometown as the undefeated light heavyweight champion. Prior to the fight Mo had stated his confidence coming in and expected his wrestling to be the most influential part of the fight. His opponent, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, would look to his Muay Thai and BJJ to win the fight. It was nice to see the producer of Strikeforce was wise enough to show King Mo’s entrance for change.

The first round saw Mo control the action early with a huge back suplex slam and controlled Feijao on the cage. The Lawal supporters started the chant of one person yelling “KING” and the crowd responding with “MO”. In the latter half of the 1st Cavalcante used his muay thai to gain favor of the judges. He used a mix of punches coming forward, knees to the body, and a snapping leg kick. Close round to score. I gave the slight advantage to the Brazilian.

Lawal was more aggressive with his hands early in the 2nd. More of the “KING” “MO” chant from the crowd. After Feijao landed some good strikes Mo brought him to the ground again however he quickly returned to his feet. This was not a very action packed stanza. Both fighters were cautious and didn’t waste any motion or energy with ineffective offense. Late in the round Mo worked several punches to the challenger’s body. He took this round evening the bout at 19-19

Feijao tagged the champ to start the 3rd and slightly rocked him. He followed that up with and wild right hand then a knee to the jaw. Rafael then leaped in for a knee but got blasted with an overhand right. Mo came in and attacked Cavalcante’s body but got caught in the muay thai plum and ate 2 knees to the face. The challenger rushed in on his wobbled opponent and put him on his back with a powerful right hand. Lawal grabbed a single leg as Rafael tried to finish the fight with hammerfist and short upper cuts. Mo was able to drive him to the cage but continued to take punishment. Feijao started drilling him with repeated elbows and the champion slowly went limp. Referee John McCarthy had seen enough and stopped the fight. The 2nd big upset of the night. A victorious Cavalcante fell to his knees overcome with emotion.

The new champion said his victory was a result of several hours of training and a lot of hard work. He was gracious in defeat and thanked Strikeforce and Mo for the opportunity

Lawal seemed unphased by the loss. He said he knew where he went wrong and would make the proper corrections. When Gus Johnson asked what exactly he’d do he was wise enough not to reveal his strategy.

WEC 50

At the top of the card was a rematch between champion Dominic Cruz and Joseph Benavidez for the Bantamweight championship. Early in the fight Benavidez did well to counter strike and time his attacks as Cruz constantly moved in and out of range. The champion fought in his typical style of being very elusive and keeping his opponent off balance. The first 2 rounds were close to score and believe could have gone to the challenger. In the later rounds Cruz began to land more strikes, get takedowns, and impose his will. Overall this was an entertaining back and forth battle which the judges scored as a split decision win for Cruz, (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)

Shane Roller took on “Showtime” Anthony Pettis in contest between 2 top lightweights. Roller, and renowned wrestler, came in with the strategy of getting the fight to the ground. Pettis had hopes of using his versatile striking to gain a victory.

“Showtime” looked great in this fight. He consistently frustrated Roller by stuffing takedown attempts. While standing Pettis went to work on Shane. He used traditional punches and kicks initially then mixed in an array of acrobatic strikes such as a cresent kick, a capoeira kick, and a spinning back kick.

Late in the 3rd, with Pettis on his back, Roller dove in for some ground and pound. Seconds later he found himself caught in a triangle choke and had not choice but to tap out with 9 seconds left in the fight. Pettis called out 155 lbs champion Ben Henderson following the fight. Expect to see that fight later this year.

As expected, the fight of the night clearly went to Scott Jorgensen vs Brad Pickett. This was an awesome battle and needs to be viewed if you haven’t done so already. 3 back and forth rounds of great action. I gave the first round to Pickett as he was able to land the more damaging punches and kicks. The last 2 rounds belonged to Scott. At the start of the 2nd Jorgensen came out hungry and aggressive. He found his range with his punches and mixed in takedown attempts with each strike. This fight was pretty much a non-stop highlight reel with stiff punches, hard kicks, great scrambles, and submission attempts. Many have considered Leonard Garcia vs “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung as fight of the year but I’d give this fight a nod over that one. This battle had just as much action and was far more technical. Hats off to these fighters

Elsewhere Chad Mendes defeated Cub Swanson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) and Bart Palaszewski beat Zach Micklewright by 2nd round TKO.

Recent news that just broke yesterday, the Welterweight title match between Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck at UFC 122 will take place in Montreal, Quebec. Of course GSP will be treated as a Canadian hero and Kos will do his best to be heavily booed by our neighbors to the north. I’m expecting this event to sell out in about 15 seconds.

One more update, UFC 123, headlined by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, will take place in Detroit, Michigan

I’m done for this edition

2nd Round Submission of the Week:

Frankie Edgar rear naked choke on Matt Veach (TUF 10 Finale)