There’s a lot going on in the UFC right now, and I have a lot to catch you up on.
First, I have to take a moment here and welcome my brother-in-law, “Rokk” Adam, to the IP staff, and congratulate him on a perfect prediction on the Pacquiao/Morales fight.
Let’s get down to business.
ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT 3 RESULTS & RATINGS
UFC and Spike TV presented Ultimate Fight Night 3 live on January 16th. As always, it was night of intense action and surprises.
- Chris Leben d. Jorge Rivera via TKO (Strikes) at 1:44 of round 1
I knew Leben could pull out the win against Rivera, but I had predicted this one to go to a decision. Chris Leben is quickly working his way towards a title shot. This was a very impressive victory for the TUF 1 star. Looking at the Middleweight division, I could definitely see Leben receiving that opportunity against the winner of Franklin vs. Loiseau (UFC 58).
- Josh Burkman d. Drew Fickett via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:07 of round 1
After winning his last four in a row, including an impressive victory of TUF 1’s Josh Koscheck, I fully expected Drew Fickett to force TUF 2’s Josh Burkman to tap out. I called for a rear naked in the second. 0 for 2 in my predictions so far. Burkman never really got to prove himself on TUF 2, as he was removed from the competition due to injury. This win, along with his November victory over Sam Morgan, will put Burkman on the map in the Welterweight division. Burkman made a bold move after the fight by calling out TUF 1’s Diego Sanchez. If he can survive against Sanchez, and pull off a win, he could earn a title shot before 2006 is over.
- Stephan Bonnar d. James Irvin via Submission (Kimura) at 4:30 of round 1
I fully expected a war between these two fighters, but once again, the TUF guys just keep dominating. While I had predicted that Bonnar would win via submission, I had called for the third round. Close enough. I’m calling it 1 for 3. Bonnar, like his hetero-lifemate Forrest Griffin, keeps impressing everyone with each fight in the UFC. I wouldn’t expect to see Bonnar getting a title shot in the near future, but he’s sure as hell going to make sure that he earns the opportunity.
- Duane Ludwig d. Jonathan Goulet via TKO (Punch) 1 0:11
This was an undercard match that was shown as a time-killer before the main event, but goddamn am I glad they showed it. I figured since Goulet is a part of Triumph Fight Team, he’d have this fight in the bag. I don’t think anyone, including Ludwig, saw that one-shot (T)KO coming.
- Tim Sylvia d. Assuerio Silva via Decision (Unanimous)
This was the one fight that I expected to end in the first round. I suck at predictions. Assuerio Silva did one hell of a job holding his own against The Maine-iac. It wasn’t an awful fight, but it didn’t make Sylvia look like he’s ready for Arlovski at UFC 59. Silva did impress me, however, by holding his own for three rounds against the former Heavyweight Champion.
An exciting night of fighting was accompanied by an historic announcement from Lex Luthor…er, Dana White. At UFC 60, we will see the current UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes take on the legendary Royce Gracie. I absolutely f*cking hated Gracie in the early days of UFC. This was, obviously, before I developed an appreciation for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I think this could be a hell of a fight, but based on my predictions, who the f*ck knows.
Non-televised fights:
- Jason von Flue d. Alex Karalexis via Technical Submission (Choke) 3 1:17
- Spencer Fisher d. Aaron Riley via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) 1 5:00
- Josh Neer d. Melvin Guillard via Submission (Triangle Choke) 1 4:20
Ultimate Fight Night 3 drew a 1.7 Nielsen household rating, meaning more than two-million viewers watched the program. In the much-coveted Male 18-34 demographic, the show scored a 2.7 rating.
UFC 57 PREVIEW
UFC 57 will take place on February 4th, live on pay-per-view, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The current card is as follows:
- Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture
- Frank Mir vs. Marcio Cruz
- Renato Sobral vs. Mike Van Arsdale
- Joe Riggs vs. Nick Diaz
- Elvis Sinosic vs. Alessio Sakara
- Jeff Monson vs. Brandon Lee Hinkle
- Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Aldana
- Justin Eilers vs. Brandon Vera
- Mike Whitehead vs. Keith Jardine
I’ll have a detailed preview, with my awful predictions, next week.
UFC 58 PREVIEW
UFC 58 will take place on March 4th, live on pay-per-view, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The card is shaping up nicely, with a USA vs Canada theme:
- Rich Franklin vs. David “The Crow” Loiseau
- Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn
UFC 59 & 60 PREVIEW
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the UFC will make its debut in California at the Arrowhead Pond on April 15th. This will be UFC’s first event sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission. Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia and Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz are two of the bouts signed.
The historic announcement Dana White made at Ultimate Fight Night 3 was Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie in May. That fight will take place in Las Vegas.
I’m gonna go broke this year, with all of these pay-per-view events.
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 3
Production on The Ultimate Fighter 3 began on Monday, January 16th and continues in Las Vegas for about the next 6 weeks. The Ultimate Fighter 3 premieres Thursday, April 6 at 11:00pm ET/PT on Spike TV.
WEC 18
I caught World Extreme Cagefighting’s WEC 18: Unfinished Business on HDNet on Friday the 13th. WEC is by no means on par with UFC, but it wasn’t a bad show. “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell was there, hawking UFC 57, and promising that he would knock out Randy Couture. WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Scott Smith had a very impressive knockout victory over Justin Levens. Levens was undefeated prior to Friday night’s bout, and was the odds-on favorite to win. Despite this loss, I think we could possibly see both fighters appear in UFC this year.
SPEAKING OF CHUCK
Poison’s C.C. Deville recently trained with Liddell for an episode of VH1’s “The Surreal Life.” I think this might be a sign of the apocalypse. “I thought these guys were bar room brawlers or cigarette smokers or weekend warriors,” Deville said in his trademark Nutty Professor voice. “But damn, these guys are legit athletes. I had no idea what it takes to be an ultimate fighter. These guys are legit. Hell, [MMA fighter Christina Martin] beat my ass down. I was scared as hell of her.”
TRIGG GORED BY TURKEY!
MMAWeekly.com posted an article from Frank Trigg on Thanksgiving, with tips on what to eat. The first paragraph pokes fun at MMA fans for wasting time reading his article instead of being with their families. I thought it was amusing, and even started to hate Trigg a little less, until I read the following line: “It’s Thanksgiving and some of you are going to gore yourself beyond belief.”
Wait. Let it sink it. Wait for it.
GORE ourselves, Frank? As in running chest first into the turkey’s head and impaling ourselves beyond belief? You’re a f*cking idiot. I want to bite your face. The word you’re looking for is gorge.
Main Entry: 2gorge
Function: verb
1 a : to stuff to capacity : GLUT b : to fill completely or to the point of distension
2 : to consume greedily
I hope the editor of MMAWeekly.com choked on his dinner.
In other Twinkle Toes news, Trigg fought at Rumble on the Rock 8 in Hawaii on January 20th. Prior to the fight, Trigg announced that if he lost to his opponent, Ron Jhun, he would retire. Unfortunately, Trigg won by decision.
AND FINALLY…
The holidays are over, and UFC is back in business. Between the now-monthly pay-per-views, and an undisclosed amount of live specials on Spike TV, I’m going to have my work cut out for me this year. My wife and I are expecting our first child in July, and I won’t be surprised if the kid comes out with a pair of MMA gloves on.
