MMA: A New King is in Town(Interactivity is a MUST!)

[dubb93]

First off, I can't say this enough.Your participation will be necessary for this dynasty to stay around. I will explain this later(check the top of the 2nd post, it will be up tonight), first the introduction....

The year is 2006 and MMA(Mixed Martial Arts) is on the verge of exploding in the US. The top two companies in MMA are the UFC in the United States and PRIDE in Japan. Fans of the sport have debated for years which has the better fighters, but we have never truely found out.

The reason is that PRIDE pays their fighters much more than the UFC does. This keeps the UFC from bringing in too many big name PRIDE and international fighters. However, the drawback of PRIDE is the fact that it is all the way in Japan and many American fighters prefer to become stars in their homeland. However the days of PRIDE and UFC are coming to an end. A new player is in town, with bottomless pocketbooks and much like Ted Turner before him with wrestling, Bill Gates is about to take on the world of MMA.

The first move was to set up a fighting federation. With one major player already in place with a TV deal the move was obvious. Offer them more money then they would ever know what to do with. And on December 14, 2005 Bill Gates purchased the Ultimate Fighting Championship from the Zuffa Corp.

The next move was to throw some more money around. He traveled to Japan and met with top PRIDE officials. Unable to outright buy the company, he was able purchase the rights to select PRIDE fighters for a large sum.

On December 21, 2005 Bill Gates set out to find a "fan" of the sport to set up and run the company. He wanted this fed to run by a fan, for the fans. He found Dubb93 in Indiana running small MMA shows to sell out crowds and realized this was his man. The rest will be history...

[dubb93]

This game will be played with a TEXT SIM, called "No Holds Barred." I will be using the default data that comes with the game(real fighters from all over the world). The game has made progress in the last few months to the point that I now think it is able to support a dynasty. The main new addition was the sprawl stat.

When the game was first linked to this board fighters such as Chuck Liddell, with great sprawls and little ground game, would look to take fighters down. Now you can give him a high sprawl stat instead of a high takedowns stat to keep him on his feet more.

My schedule will be as follows. I've already simmed 4 months(4 shows), I am planning on upping them tonight and tomorrow. After that I plan on doing one show a day. Each game year will consist of 12 PPVs, 4 Spike TV shows, and 1 season of "The Next Big MMA Star."

When I run The Next Big MMA Star I will be looking for 16 fighters. I would like to be able to pull them off of this board. Obviously you will start out with lower stats than the top fighters in the world, but there will be a chance to improve them. Depending on your coaches strenghts you will improve in those areas depending on how long you stay on the show. In addition, the winners will recieve large stat boosts all around the board to show his new found important within his team.

Also, the winners in each weight class(we have 4, Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight, and Welterweight) will get a 5 fight contract with MMA.

If I can't fill the show up, I will use fighters from the database that I have never heard of. Here is how you enter. I ask you do not post your fighters stats in this thread. Instead, send me a PM and include your fighters name(please not a screen name), weight class, height, strenghts and weaknesses. I am not asking for exact stats. I will generate your stats for you based on what you tell me in the PM. The first show will require 8 Heavyweights and 8 Welterweights.

After I have gotten your PM I will get back in touch with you and let you know your fighter has been entered into the game and will be available for the show. You may also announce in thread your intentions of becoming the champion(even before I confirm, just no strenghts/weaknesses in thread ;) )

I plan on starting the first season of "The Next Big MMA Star" on Sunday April 16. That is when I will make offical the final cast for the show. Just because you won't be around when a fight takes place means nothing. The game on my computer will do all the work. This takes VERY LITTLE time commitment.

Again, you need not do anything except send the PM. I will randomly make teams and WILL allow the teams to decide who fights who.(the team captains only though)

Even if you lose on the show you may still be able to hang around. Look at what the UFC does with some of the fighters. You could still earn a contract. Once have made it to the big time you get several advantages:

1. You have some control over who you fight and when. I am still in charge of match making, but I will run fights through you and get your feedback. However, once you become champion, I may lose my pull and it could become a situation where you fight who you want, when you want.

2. You can leave your current camp and start your own. This allows you to create an additional fighter each year. He will not recieve the stat boosts of the fighters from the show, but he can make his way up the ranks the hard way.

3. As an exstablished camp, we will come to you first when looking for guys for each season of our show.

4. You may move up or move down one weight class.

5. Once I have comfirmed you for the game feel free to talk all the trash you want in thread. That should be half the fun of this game. :)

Don't get discouraged if your first fighter doesn't make the big time. Each game year(about two weeks real life time) you will get another chance to enter "The Next Big MMA Star".

And by the way, the coaches for season one will be Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn. Talk about a chance to get experience. These guys have seen it all.

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As I said, I have done 4 months. These shows are the tournaments for the titles. Most likely I will just post results and a few comments from each fight.

In the future I will announce all cards in advance. And each round of each fight will get a paragraph recap. Fight cards will be made up of atleast 7 fights, 4 or 5 of which will be televised depending on time.

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This game does not have a career mode per say but I have allowed for a workaround. I will be keeping track of each fighters age in excel and will age them and improve/make worse when warrants.

Fighters will improve through fighting. If a fighter wins they WILL improve in whatever stat was most used during the fight. Thus, if it was a brawl, the winning fighter will improve in Strenght, Punching, Kicking, Toughness, Killer Instict(if it was a KO), etc.

However, a loss isn't the end of the world. By losing you still have a chance of improving your weakness during the fight. Thus if you are KO'ed you could improve your toughness and heart. If you are tapped out you could improve your sprawl and clinch.

But there is a downside of losing. Sometimes getting KO'ed can hurt a fighter. If you are KO'ed there is a chance that you could come out less aggressive in your next fight, or even lose some of your strenghts in favor of gaining in some weaknesses.

All of this will play out random, and I will use a random number generator to determine what happens.

Also, all fighters will age at the start of each year. This isn't realistic, but it is the easiest way for me. As fighters age there is a chance of them losing a step. At age 38 there is a 20% chance of losing a step. At age 39 a 30% chance, and age 40+ a 50% chance each year. It's all part of fighting. At some point even the greatest ever loses a step.

[dubb93]

There seems to be some confusion on the strenghts/weaknesses part of creating a fighter so I will expand. Here are the stats. You may create as many strenghts and weaknesses as you want. But keep in mind, for every strenght, you need atleast 1 weakness to cancel it out. And a stat that is neither a strenght or a weakness will generate a number somewhere between the two.

Here are the stats used in game:

Conditioning
Efficiency
Strenght
Speed
Aggressiveness
Punching
Kicking
Clinch
Takedowns
Sprawl
Ground Grappling
Ground Stirking
Submissions
Killer Instinct
Intelligence
Toughness
Heart

And you can pick the following numbers, but each group must equal 100%

General Strategy

Kicking %
Punching %
Grappling %
Resting %
Dirty Fighting %

Punching Strategy

Medium Range %
Dirty Boxing(clinch) %

Kicking Strategy

Low Kicks %
High Kicks %
Knees(clinch) %

Ground Strategy

Postioning %(trying to pass the gaurd to mount or trying to standup/betting your position when on back)
Striking %(ground and pound)
Submissions %(obviously trying to get a submission)

You can pick your height to create any kind of fighter you want. A short fat heavyweight, a giant heavyweight, a tall skinny welterweight, a short ripped welter weight. Keep in mind the weight limits for each of the divisions is 170 for welterweights and unlimited for heavyweights.

As you can see this game has alot of stats, but I am not asking for exact stats, I will do the work. We just need strenghts and weaknesses. :)

Any questions can be sent via PM or posted right here in the thread. I'll be glad to help out.

EDIT: Forgot to add, we are currently in the process of scouting our first contestant. Mr. Jason Pugh managed by Ardent.

EDIT II: Okay, finally got all the stats up there. Seems I missed some the first time. And it appears Jason is a Welterweight!

Found another great Welterweight. Miles Esterhaus managed by NTNDeacon. Still need 8 Heavyweights and 6 Welterweights.

[Blade6119]

Can i signup tomorrow? busy tonight...

[dubb93]

Can i signup tomorrow? busy tonight...

Indeed you can. I'll hold a spot for you if need be as turnout has really been greater than I ever expected.

Also, sorry for not making it clear but I need the % points. Each group adds up to 100%. I will make the final attribute points with a random number generator based on your preferences, but I need to know what your guy is likely to do in each situation.

BTW

Heavyweight Owen Hunter managed by Sublime 2 has been added.

[dubb93]

Figured I would get this out there before I start upping cards. Although to be honest I'm shocked that I would get this kind of a response from a dynasty. When I upped it I called Ardent and asked him to read it, really neither of us expected to be full by next Sunday, but at the current rate it seems everyone that reads it is signing up and I couldn't be happier. Thanks guys. It really means alot to me and I hope I can repay you guys with a quality dynasty to participate in.

Anyway, on to what I need to get up here.

MMA promoter Dubb93 has released the offical schedule for his upstart promotion this year.

January: Heavyweight GP to determine the first MMA World Heavyweight Champion. This event will take place over the course of three weeks, with the first round on PPV, and the semi-finals and finals appearing live on Spike TV on consecutive weeks. Participants include:

Jeff Monson
Tim Sylvia
Andrei Arlovski
Ken Shamrock
Dan Severn
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Fedor Emelianenko

February: The Middleweight GP takes place on PPV. This event is rumored to be a one night tournament unlike the Heavyweight GP and it will crown the first MMA World Middleweight Champion. Participants include:

Chris Leben
Rich Franklin
Jeremy Horn
Joe Riggs
Frank Shamrock
Matt Lindland
Dan Henderson
Kazushi Sakuraba

March: The Welterweight GP kicks off to crown the MMA World Welterweight Champion and boy is it loaded. Check out this roster:

BJ Penn
Nick Diaz
Georges St. Pierre
Matt Hughes
Royce Gracie
Diego Sanchez
Frank Trigg
Hayato Sakurai

April: The most exciting appears to be saved for last as April brings some of the best fighters in the world together in a one night tournament to declare the first MMA World Light Heavyweight Champion. The following eight have been confirmed for the event:

Chuck Liddell
Forrest Griffin
Renato "Babalu" Sobral
Tito Ortiz
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Ricardo Arona
Wanderlei Silva

May: MMA on PPV 1

June: MMA on PPV 2

July: MMA on PPV 3

August: "The Next Big MMA Star" runs all month long on Spike TV. They also appear again on PPV with MMA on PPV 4.

September: "The Next Big MMA Star" finale appears live on Spike TV as MMA on Spike TV 1. Also confirmed for this event is Ken Shamrock taking on Dan Severn in the main event. The company also appears on PPV with MMA on PPV 5.

October: MMA on PPV 6

November: MMA on PPV 7

December: MMA on Spike TV 2 airs in an event that promises to put "The Next Big MMA Star" contestants up against exstablished fighters. Also MMA on PPV 8 promises to showcase the show's winners against championship contenders.

Besides announcing the years schedule for the company Dubb93 also announced that the show is starting to fill up with quality talent. It is just January, but the show already has 6 confirmed contestants. Three Welterweights, one Heavyweight, and two fighters who's weight class was unknown as of press time.

He went on to say that besides being able to catch the shows live on Spike TV or PPV you will also be able to catch the show live, round by round as it is upped on FOFC. The only catch? You have to be online when he is upping it. :)

--credit MMAweekly.com

[dubb93]

January 2006

Before I post the round by round of the very first MMA show, I need to say a few things. I know I said I had already done four months of day time, but I have decided to throw all of that out. I don't remember the details of the shows very much and feel that by posting them I will be able to offer little more than results. I also want people to get a feel for my writing style. Hopefully it will increase sign-ups for “The Next Big MMA Star.”

With all of that said, it is time for the Heavyweight GP.

Note: Round by round updates will be supplied in one post. It will be edited to include additional rounds and fights for the entire month. Therefore, just because there hasn't been a new post in the thread does not mean I have not updated the current card/month in play.

This move will not put us behind, it just may push us right up to Sunday when we start The Next Big MMA Star. I will update this throughout the day. I don't promise I can get though 7 matches in one sitting.


MMA Heavyweight GP (PPV)

The opening video plays and Dubb93 is in an octagon with a microphone. He begins to speak, “Hello all, on behalf of MMA I would like to welcome you all here for our very first show. We are MMA, we need no gimmicks. We tell you what we are up front, and this will become a melting pot for the very best Mixed Martial Artist in the world.

As you can see all of our fights will take place in a UFC style octagon. After-all, we were founded from their ashes. Also, all of our fights will use the old UFC scoring system and rule set. All non-title fights will consist of three, five minute rounds scored on a ten point must system. All title fights, including tournament finals will consist of five, five minute rounds.

In our GP's there will be no ties. If a fight is ruled a draw after it has concluded we will have an additional round to declare a winner. Without further adieu, I give you the Heavyweight GP first round pairings:

Ken Shamrock
vs.
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Andrei Arlovski
vs.
Jeff Monson

Dan Severn
vs.
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Tim Sylvia
vs.
Fedor Emelianenko”

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Ken Shamrock vs. "Minotauro" Nogueira

Keys to Victory:

Shamrock
*Keep this on your feet, you don't want to go to the ground with Minotauro
*Keep this on your feet
*Keep this on your feet

Minotauro
*Shoot in when Shamrock exposes himself with punches
*Do what you do best, advance position and tap this guy out
*Don't be afraid to mix it up on your feet, Shamrock isn't that much better(is he at all?) of a Striker than you

Prediction:

Minotauro will tap him out in the first round.

Round 1:

The rounds starts off fast. Minotauro scores first with a solid jab, but Shamrock counters with a huge cross that rocks Minotauro. He recovers and the two trade punches for the first 45 seconds of the fight.

Minotauro grabs a headlock and scores a takedown. Minotauro has side mount, this could be trouble. Minotauro improves to the mount and locks on a key lock at the 55 second mark. Shamrock slips free. The next 30 seconds Minotauro mixes in punches with attempts at locking in the key lock. Finally at 1:42 of the first round Ken Shamrock taps out due to a key lock from the mount position.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (1-0)


Andrei “Pit Bull” Arlovski vs. Jeff “The Snowman” Monson

Keys to Victory:

Andrei
*You need to keep this one on your feet. He is much better on the mat than you are
*Look for the KO. Monson has a suspect jaw and you have the power to put anyone down
*Don't panic if the fight goes to the ground. Hold him tight and hope for a standup

Jeff Monson
*Don't trade punches!
*Get this fight to the ground as quickly as possible.
*Once on the ground you have to do something. You have a tendency to stall, however, the refs over here will stand you up if you don't work to improve your position.

Prediction:

I think Andrei will score a KO at some point in the fight.

Round 1:

The fight starts out with the two measuring each other out. Andrei throws Monson up against the fence and they trade punches from the inside. Monson reverses, and scores a double leg takedown at the 40 second mark.

Monson is in Andrei's guard. Monson fires a couple punches, nothing gets through and they have now been on the ground 35 seconds with nothing happening. Monson has to do something to keep this position.

Now at the two minute mark, nothing happening. Monson fires some punches at 2:07, a couple get through, no damage is done. Andrei closes his guard. 2:34, the ref says he wants to see some action. At the three minute mark the ref warns once more that he will stand them up if there isn't any action.

Monson slips up at 3:12 and Andrei appears to have a loose arm triangle. Monson slips out easily and at 3:34 the ref orders a stand-up.

On their feet the two trade punches until Monson drives Andrei into the cage and works for a takedown. Andrei pushes Monson off of him and connects with a big high kick to the head. It appears to have hurt Monson. Andrei with a big hook and another high kick, both connect. The snowman has 30 seconds to survive, but this looks like it could badly.

Another flurry connects and Monson shoots desperately for a double leg. HE HAS IT! And lands in Andrei's guard. Monson works a kimura, but the round ends before he can get it locked in.

Round 2:

The two fighters come out for the second round and Andrei looks confident. If he can avoid the takedown he has a chance to end this fight. Arlovski throws some low kicks that connect, but The Snowman closes the distance and forces a clinch.

Monson goes for a take down, but gets blocked by Andrei. Andrei fires some uppercuts from the clinch that connect. Monson goes for another takedown, Andrei defends but Monson pulls guard to bring this fight to the ground.

Andrei is in Monson's closed guard. Jeff Monson spins and is able to grab a leg, ankle lock, reversal from the Pit Bull. Monson slips out easily and is now in Andrei's guard.

Monson works to pass the guard and is able to get side mount at 1:28. Monson tries several submissions unsuccessfully before grabbing a leg and going for a knee bar. He is desperately trying to end this fight. Andrei breaks up the submission attempt with punches and regains top position.

Not much action the next few minutes. Monson uses energy on a guillotine that goes nowhere and Andrei fires the occasional punch from the top. At 4:06 Jeff Monson is able to use a sweep to regain top position.

The last minute of the round continues the slow pace with Andrei being the more active of the two.

Round 3:

The two fighters come out for the final round with Jeff Monson looking hurt and Andrei Arlovski looking confident. They trade jabs from a distance for the first minute of the round.

At 1:04 Monson pushes Arlovski up against the fence and looks for a takedown. Monson is unable to score the takedown and backs off again, throwing low kicks. Arlovski closes the distance and the two begin to throw wild punches at each other. The Pit Bull is getting the better of the exchange. They back off and Arlovski lands a high kick followed up by a hook to the body.

Monson looks hurt, Andrei moves in for the kill. Punches are coming at Monson in combinations and he looks hurt. The ref jumps in and rules a TKO at 2:04 of the third round.

Winner: Andrei “Pit Bull” Arlovski (1-0)


Dan Severn vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Keys to Victory:

Dan Severn
*Look for the takedown
*Use technique. You aren't going to outmuscle Cro Cop
*If you get the fight to the groud be active. You can't afford to stand up with this guy

Cro Cop
*Fire away. You have the most dangerous feet in all of MMA. Use them.
*Out muscle him. Throw him around. Bully him into fighting your fight.
*Be aware of the takedown. At 260+ he weights more than you, but you are the stronger fighter. However if he does get you to the ground he can use his weight to keep you there. That would make for a long frustrating fight.

Prediction:

This fight won't get to the ground. I expect Cro Cop to win this one with an early KO.

Round 1:

The fight starts up fast. Cro Cop charges at Severn from the get go and scores with a brutal flying knee to the head. The impact of the knee drops Severn to his back. He looks hurt, but the ref isn't stopping the fight.

Cro Cop follows up and Severn puts him in his guard. Cro Cop pushes Severn up against the fence. Cro Cop begins to rain down punches at the :37 mark and most of them are getting through. He passes guard to half-guard and rains down more blows. Severn isn't going to last long at this pace. Another flurry of punches and the ref jumps in calling a TKO at 1:25 of round 1.

Winner: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (1-0)


Tim Sylvia vs. Fedor Emelianenko

Keys to Victory:

Sylvia
*Use massive reach advantage to control the fight
*Stay on your feet. At 6'8 you punch like a boxer. If you can keep this on your feet you at least have a chance
*Look for the KO. The longer this fight goes the more it plays into Fedor's advantage. He is one of the most conditioned heavyweights in the world.

Fedor
*Don't fight his fight. You have a chance to KO him standing, but also there is a chance he can KO you. Take him to the ground. He has no ground game.
*Don't take chances. When you are fighting a guy with the KO power of Sylvia one mistake could be all it takes.
*Same old same old. Everyone thinks you are the best heavyweight in the world. This is a chance to make a statement against a top fighter you have never fought before.

Prediction:

Fedor has it all. KO power, check. Relentless on the ground with precision power shots and deadly submissions, check. World class stamina, check. He has it all. He isn't going to lose this fight, but how it ends depends on if he can get Sylvia off his feet. If Sylvia is off his feet the fight will end quick. If not this one may go the distance.

Round 1:

And the fight starts. This is definitely the most interesting match-up on the entire card tonight. Before a punch can even be thrown Fedor closes the gap and drives Sylvia up against the fence. Fedor begins to throw body shots from the clinch. This is the strategy he needs to use. If he tries to fight Tim from medium distance this could turn into a blood bath for both guys.

At the one minute mark Fedor breaks the clinch and backs off. He looks to his corner for advice. Neither guy is hurt. Tim Sylvia lands an overhand right followed by a left uppercut. Fedor's rock he calls a head absorbs the blows and he isn't hurt.

Fedor shoots and tries for a single leg takedown. Sylvia blocks it and Fedor eats a punch. The distance is closed once again and Tim lands solid shots from the inside. Fedor backs off and shoots in again. Again Sylvia blocks the takedown.

GIANT OVERHAND RIGHT FROM SYLVIA! Fedor is rocked. HOLY CRAP! Can Sylvia do the unthinkable? Sylvia fires away and Fedor is on the run. Sylvia closes the distance and lands a solid cross. Fedor looks even worse off than before.

Sylvia with a combination, but Fedor is throwing with him. He has a rock for a head and heart. Fedor is even getting the better of this scuffle. Sylvia backs off.

Fedor shoots in, pick up Sylvia and drops him with a big double leg slam. What a round so far. Tim is going to be in trouble on the ground. Sylvia puts Fedor in his guard, but he is still eating punches from the top.

Fedor pushes Sylvia up against the fence. More punches raining down from the top, but he only has 30 seconds to finish this. Fedor with huge punches. Sylvia is all but finished. Can he last another 19 seconds? He isn't defending himself very well. Punches rain down the rest of the round, but the ref doesn't jump into until the buzzer sounds ending the round. Best round of the night by far.

Round 2:

Fedor rushes out from the start of the round and tries for a head-lock takedown, but Sylvia slips out. Fedor clinches again and tries a duck under takedown. Sylvia escapes again. Fedor obviously doesn't want this fight to stay standing up.

Fedor gets the standing clinch again. Sylvia is eating uppercuts. Fedor backs up and rushes in with the double leg at 1:08. He picks Sylvia up again AND DUMPS HIM ON HIS HEAD! Sylvia is hurt from that slam. Sylvia is still able to scramble to guard. Fedor pushes him up against the fence.

Fedor passes guard to side mount. This is trouble, Tim is trapped between Fedor on one side and the fence on the other. Fedor throws some punches and jumps for a leg. Sylvia is able to push Fedor off and get to his feet.

Now we're back in Sylvia's world. Can Fedor get the giant back on the ground? Fedor fakes a shot and sticks a jab in Sylvia's face. Sylvia comes back with a couple nice jabs of his own. Fedor grabs Sylvia and they tumble back to the ground. Fedor once again has side mount.

Sylvia is trying to get up, but Fedor is all over him. Key Lock, gets locked in for a few seconds but Sylvia is able to escape. Fedor pushes Sylvia up against the fence and other than getting rocked in the first round he has done what he has wanted to this fight. The two battle for position as Fedor wants full mount and Sylvia is trying to block it.

Fedor passes and gets full mount at 3:20. This is trouble for Sylvia, but he is able to throw Fedor off. Fedor regroups in side mount. Full mount. This has turned into pretty technical ground fight. Again, Sylvia throws him off before he can do any damage.

Full mount again and this time it is followed with some elbows that open a gash on Sylvia. More punches. This looks like it could be the end of the fight. Sylvia has to hold on for 45 seconds. More heavy punches and the ref jumps in, calling a TKO at 4:21.

Winner: Fedor Emelianenko (1-0)

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Heavyweight GP Semi-Finals (Spike TV)

Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (1-0)
vs.
Andrei Arlovski (1-0)

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (1-0)
vs.
Fedor Emelianenko (1-0)


Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira vs. Andrei Arlovski

Keys to Victory:

"Minotauro"
*Take the fight to the ground. You are better at takedowns and ground work than Jeff Monson and he was able to stay in with this guy by getting him to the ground
*Look for the submission. It is possible to knock this guy out, but my money says he will dominate the stand-up.
*Don't trade punches with this guy. I can't say this enough.

Andrei Arlovski
*Don't go to your back, whatever you do. If you land on your back he WILL tap you out within a couple of minutes. This isn't Jeff Monson
*Make every punch count. You need to hurt this guy, and hurt him early. Make him fight defensive and if he shoots in have your knees ready for a potential KO
*Pace yourself. I don't see this being a short fight and your conditioning is a question mark. If you do win this fight, it will probably be a decision.

Prediction:

I could see this fight going either way. Andrei has some of the best stand-up in all of MMA and Minotauro is the most feared submission specialist in the heavyweight division.

If I had to make a call, I'd say Minotauro by tap out in the second round. He is simply the more well rounded fighter. His stand-up is a little better than Andrei's ground game.

Round 1:

The fight starts off slow with a 20 second feeling out process before Andrei lands the first combination of the fight. Minotauro rushes Arlovski and pushes him up against the fence, Andrei pushes him off and connects with a cross. Minotauro wastes no time and shoots in for a single leg. Andrei sprawls, and the fighters are still on their feet.

Minotauro drives Andrei up against the cage. Sharp punch from the inside connects for the Pit Bull. They back off and Andrei is able to score with a nice low kick. Not much action over the next minute as they appear to enter an extended “feeling out” session.

At 2:42 Minotauro is able to shoot in and get a single leg takedown. Andrei is on his back. This is not a good sign for the Pit Bull. Minotauro has side mount.

Minotauro begins to work for full mount, and if he gets it he can possibly end the fight. Finally at the 2:54 mark he is able to get past Andrei's defenses and mount him.

Key Lock from Minotauro, he works it tight, but Andrei is able to free himself by punching with his free hand. Minotauro still has the mount and he begins to drop bombs on Andrei at the 3:21 mark of round one.

Another key lock attempt and Andrei breaks it up with punches. Elbows from the top, and Andrei is really taking a beating. More elbows followed up with, wait for it.....even more elbows. Andrei is in a bad way. Minotauro is close to finishing it here at 4:05. Can Andrei survive the final 55 seconds of the round?

Key lock attempt, but Andrei frees himself. He really doesn't appear to be himself. Heavy punches from the top. Minotauro gets the key lock and holds it for a full 10 seconds but the Pit Bull doesn't have quit in his vocabulary.

Twenty seconds left in the round, Minotauro better work fast if he is going to end it here. The final twenty seconds have Minotauro throwing multiple submissions, but Andrei is able to foil each move as he survives the round. I don't usually say this much but the doctor should really look at Andrei, something just doesn't seem right about his face.

Between Rounds:

The ref summons the doctor to Arlovski's corner. Arlovski's cut man works feverishly to clean his fighter up, but after examination the doctor orders a stop to the fight. Andrei's corner seems upset, but Andrei just isn't himself. He's hurt and besides bleeding badly from all over, his face appears to be deformed around his left eye.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (2-0)


Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Fedor Emelianenko

Keys to Victory:

Cro Cop
*Don't be scared of Fedor. He may hold past victories over you, but anything can happen in the octagon.
*Use your stand-up. Fedor is a great fighter, but I'm not sure anyone can withstand your kicks. Also don't be afraid to use your hands. While not as heavy as your feet, you can really hurt him with your hands as well.
*Don't let Fedor get on top of you. If he starts to ground and pound say goodnight.

Fedor
*Avoid his feet. As long as he doesn't get a flash KO over you, you should be able to win this fight.
*Take him down. When he is standing up you have to beware of his feet. When he is on his back you take him out of his comfort zone a little bit.
*Don't make mistakes standing up. All it takes is one slip-up and you could eat a kick with the force of a mack truck.

Prediction:

Fedor is pretty safe bet against anyone he fights and history says he will win this fight. However if you look at their Pride fights they haven't been one sided. Cro Cop has given him some trouble. I look for this one to be close and go the distance. My money is on Fedor.

Round 1:

The round starts off and Fedor is ready to go. He fakes a takedown and sticks Cro Cop with a sharp jab. Fedor grabs Cro Cop in a clinch and is able to pull his head down into a big knee. That one may have hurt Cro Cop. They back off, but Fedor does not move in for the kill.

The fighters circle each other and Cro Cop looks unwilling to initiate contact. The two fighters clinch along the cage and neither makes a move for nearly a minute. Finally the ref breaks them up and restarts them in the center of the ring at 1:55.

Again the clinch and Cro Cop attempts a knee, a la what Fedor did to him earlier in the fight, but Fedor is too strong to have his head pulled down. Fedor breaks the clinch. Fedor bull rushes Cro Cop into the corner and tries to work a takedown, but is countered with a big knee. Fedor backs off, I'm not sure if he is hurt or just didn't like the idea of eating more knees in an attempt to get a takedown.

Fedor works his way back in with the jab and we have another clinch. This time Fedor is able to perform a leg sweep and this fight is headed to the ground. Fedor is in Cro Cop's full guard.

On the ground Fedor is alternating between punches and attempts to pass the guard. At 3:07 he is able to sneak one leg free and advances to the half guard. At 3:17 he is able to completely pass the guard and now has side mount. This is where you expect Fedor to really start to turn it up.

Fedor tries a neck crack, but can't hold on to it. He retains side mount. Punches now begin to rock Cro Cop. He needs out of this situation. Fedor drives him into the fence. More punches are being landed to Cro Cop's head, but in the melee he is able to improve his position to half guard.

Final minute of the round. Fedor easily re-passes guard and throws heavy elbows. We've already seen what elbows can do once tonight. He follows up the elbows with a series of punches, some of which get through. Final twenty seconds of the round and Fedor manages to get the mount. Does he have enough time to inflict serious damage?

Fedor throws several combinations of punches that hurt Cro Cop, and then with two seconds left in the round he is able to sink in a deep arm triangle. That probably would have ended the fight if there was just five more seconds left in the round. As is, the ref jumps in at the buzzer and Cro Cop survives.

Round 2:

Very slow start to round number two as it is nearly twenty seconds before Cro Cop finally lets go with a leg kick that is blocked by Fedor. Both guys move back and then forward again. They are both swinging for the fences, but neither guy lands anything of note.

Cro Cop lands a nice, hard kick to the body of Fedor. A welt is already showing up at the spot of the kick. Many more of those and Fedor will be forced to take this thing back to the ground. Cro Cop tries his luck with another body kick, but it is dodged by Fedor and countered with a jab.

Another clinch and Fedor commits to a double leg takedown. Cro Cop is able to escape. Fedor forces another clinch and searches viciously for a takedown. He really wants Cro Cop on his back. At the 1:42 mark he is able to execute a single leg takedown and he falls into Cro Cop's full guard.

Fedor doesn't seem too interested in passing guard at the moment, he is content to throw punches where he is. Now he seems interested and at 2:12 he is able to pass guard and get in side mount.

Key lock from the side mount, Cro Cop is in trouble. Fedor works the key lock for 15 seconds before finally taking the chance to release the hold and get in the full mount position.

Nothing much going on, Fedor trying to set-up submissions unsuccessfully when at 3:39 he lands an elbow that opens a cut on Cro Cop's forehead. A HUGE COMBINATION FOLLOWS AND CRO COP IS OUT COLD! Fedor continues to pound away for a few extra seconds as the ref jumps in late to stop the action. Wow, Cro Cop is still down, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he is a bloody mess.

What a night of action.

Winner: Fedor Emelianenko (2-0)
=========================================================
=========================================================

“Last night's MMA Heavyweight GP semi-finals on Spike TV was one of the most brutal and bloody events in the history of the sport. Only featuring two fights, the night ended badly for two of the top fighters in the heavyweight division.

Andrei “Pit Bull” Arlovski was beaten so badly that his face appeared to be deformed when the doctor stopped the fight. Once in the back, medical staff rushed to him. He was unable to see out of his left eye and was having trouble breathing so a helicopter was flown right to the MGM grand and he was flown to a local hospital.

He was treated and then admitted with a severely broken orbital bone and blood loss. MMA fans and officials wish the best of luck [to him] in his recovery, but early word is to expect his return to be measured in years instead of months.

On the other side of the table Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was knocked unconscious at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko. Cro Cop was obviously shaken up, but suffered no serious injuries. He will most likely be back in action after he has served his mandatory six month no-compete clause after being the victim of a KO.

Fighters that lose by TKO are not subject to this rule, this is a rule that only effects fighters that are actually knocked unconscious.”

--credit MMA.com
=========================================================
=========================================================

Heavyweight GP Finals (Spike TV)

Five Rounds for the MMA World Heavyweight Championship

Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko

Keys to Victory:

Minotauro
*Normally I would say that as long as the fight is on the ground it is to your advantage. That is not the case today. You still need to take this fight to the ground, but don't get overly aggresive from the top. If you are reversed he will pound away and knock you out.
*Stay away from his slams. He was able to slam Tim Slyvia several times, almost knocking him out in the process.
*Do what you feel comfortable doing. Don't fight his fight. You need to take control, this could be a long fight.

Fedor
*Ground and pound. Be wary of his submissions, but go to your bread and butter
*Don't take him down to the ground. SLAM him down to the ground. He will feel the difference.
*Pace yourself. You are in there against a very good fighter, and this could be a long fight.

Prediction:

Wow, I wish this was on PPV. After what happened on TV in the semi-finals this will probably be the most watched MMA fight of all time. Both are extra dangerous. It could go the distance but I would be shocked. Someone is getting stopped.

My prediction is actually a bit of an upset. I think Minotauro will catch Fedor in a submission and end the fight in the forth round.

Round 1:

Both fighters come out for the start of the fight, and what a fight this promises to be. Fedor strikes first by landing a solid jab. Minotauro closes the distance and presses Fedor up against the cage. Fedor pushes him off and lands a nice low kick for good measure.

Fedor tries to close the distance, but Minotauro lands a barrage of punches. I don't think Fedor is hurt, but wow, were those punches thrown with bad intentions. Fedor backs off. Minotauro gives chase and now it is Minotauro that is the victim of a big combination.

The two fighters clinch and Minotauro appears to be doing the little things that win you fights. He lands nice knees to the inside of Fedor's legs. Eventually little things like that will take its toll. They back off and both come in swinging like it is a bar room brawl, neither connect. These guys must really have some bad blood between them.

They tie each other up, and Minotauro lands with some nice knees to the body of Fedor. Minotauro backs off and shoots in with a great double leg takedown. Fedor hits the mat and Minotauro is in his half guard at 1:37.

These are really two of the best on the groud in the world as just watching them battle for position on the ground is really a treat. At 2:01 Minotauro tries a key lock from the half guard. Fedor easily slips out, but Minotauro is able to get side mount.

Another key lock attempt fails and this time costs Minotauro top position. In the keys to the fight I said he needs to be careful from the top, well he just made a huge mistake that could cost him the fight.

Fedor is in Minotauro full guard at 2:23. Minotauro tries submission attempts from the bottom, but leaves himself wide open and Fedor capitalizes with some huge shots to the face. At 2:32 Fedor decides Minotauro is too much for him on the ground right now and stands up, both fighters now on their feet.

Minotauro looks really confident. Fedor sneaks in a jab. Minotauro gets a single leg takedown and this fight is once again headed to the mat at 3:21. Fedor has full guard.

Minotauro grabs a toe hold, but it costs him top position again. He keeps making fatal mistakes on the ground. Minotauro has full guard.

Fedor passes the guard and has side mount at 3:45. This doesn't last long as Minotauro desperately squirms around and regains full mount. Fedor is out of position. TRIANGLE! It is in deep too. Fedor picks up Minotauro and slams him to break the hold.

Fedor rains down punches from the guard. Minotauro is really active from the bottom, trying submission after submission. He is really outclassing Fedor on the ground so far.

Fedor is able to drive Minotauro into the fence at 4:43. Can he do anything these last 20 seconds because it appears that he is losing this round pretty bad. Fedor gets too high, and Minotauro goes for a guillotine. 13 seconds left. It is in deep, but I can't see a fighter as good as Fedor getting choked out in a guillotine. Fedor slips out. The final ten seconds pass fast, with little action except for Minotauro attempting another guillotine.

What a round for Minotauro. Domination.

Round 2:

The second round starts off with a bang. Both guys come out firing and both land quality shots in the exchange. Nice low kick from Fedor. Minotauro is letting Fedor know he can't hurt him.

Minotauro really looks confident as he grabs Fedor in a clinch and lands with knees to his legs. They maintain the clinch with neither fighter really doing anything. The ref tells them to get busy at the 1:12 mark. The ref breaks them up and restarts the action.

Minotauro is firing off punches, but none of them are getting through. More missed punches and kicks from both fighters until Minotauro lands a nice leg kick. They clinch and Minotauro lands knees to body. Minotauro attempts a double leg takedown, but ends up having to pull guard to avoid giving up his back. Fedor is in Minotauro's full guard at 2:03.

Minotauro works on a sweep, but nothing works. Fedor passes the guard to side mount. Minotauro gets a very good neck crack, but Fedor slips out. Minotauro immediately gets another neck crack. He is relentless on the ground. Fedor slips out of this one too, but he is being forced to defend submissions so often he can't mount any kind of offense.

Fedor still has side mount and he begins to get some punches through at 3:39. Minotauro continues to throw submissions and is able to regain his guard. Fedor may be in over his head tonight. Fedor lands more shots, but Minotauro tries to work an omoplata. Now Fedor is getting into his element. A nice combination of punches to the head of Minotauro.

Minotauro spins and locks in a knee bar, Fedor is able to slip out of this one. He's so sweaty it is going to be nearly impossible to keep him in any kind of hold for very long. Twenty seconds left in the round. Minotauro tries a hammer lock to no avail and the round ends.

Round 3:

The fighters start out slow and clinch early in the round. At 0:30 Minotauro gets a waist-lock takedown and Fedor has full guard.

Minotauro works to pass guard, but finally gives up and positions himself for a knee bar. It is in deep, this could end the fight. Fedor begins to counter it with punches, but Minotauro will not let go. Finally Fedor slips out. Fedor regains guard.

Minotauro works for position and is able to pass to half guard at 1:14. He then drops back and goes for a toe hold. He wrenches it for a second, but Fedor slips out. Fedor has been injured. You can tell from the look on his face and the way he is trying to grab his leg. This isn't good.

Fedor overcomes the pain and is able to sweep into top position. Fedor is obviously angry and drives Minotauro up against the fence. Key-lock brings on punches from Fedor's free hand to break the hold. Minotauro has obvious swelling around his left eye.

Minotauro works his way out from next to the fence and works a sweep, it goes nowhere so he tries a hammer-lock. Fedor is able to slip out easily and slip in some nice shots to the face. Minotauro has full guard at 2:12.

Minotauro trying another sweep, but gets hammered in the face with a nice combination. Minotauro tries a triangle, but nothing was there. Another combination from Fedor. Fedor passes the guard to side mount at 3:20.

Fedor is keeping the pressure up with almost constant punching. Minotauro is able to regain half guard and then full guard. Fedor drives him into the fence. Nice flurry from Fedor. FEDOR DROPS A BIG RIGHT HAND AND MINOTAURO IS HURT! CAN HE SURVIVE THE FINAL 35 SECONDS!?!?

Minotauro holds on for dear life by wrapping up Fedor and the ref orders a stand-up.

WTF!?!? A stand-up? Fedor has a chance to end the fight and you stand them up. “Fedor looks angry.” What a bad decision by the ref. Minotauro has 13 seconds to survive the round. Fedor comes in but is unable to catch Minotauro. “Fedor returns to his corner angry!!!”

Note: Words in “ “ are taken directly from the game. My thoughts are the game knows it was the wrong call and chalks it up to a bad decision from the ref. Kind of cool actually.

Round 4:

Fedor is still upset about the way round three ended, and it seems to be getting the better of him. He walks right into a deep single leg takedown and is brought to the ground at 0:27. He has full guard. Lots of stalling, finally Minotauro tries an ill-fated heel hook and loses top position. The last place Minotauro wants to be is on his back with a pissed off Fedor on top of him but that is exactly where he finds himself in the forth round.

Nothing much happening over the next minute. Fedor throws a couple of punches from the top that gets blocked and Minotauro tries to work some submissions. Double arm bar from Minotauro, but he can't get the right lock. Both guys seem to be stalling.

At 2:33 Fedor passes the guard to side mount and lands some nice punches. Minotauro counters with a neck crack, but Fedor slips out the back. Fedor still has side mount. Minotauro is driven into the fence. Neck crank attempt, unsuccessful.

Minotauro regains half guard at 3:40. Both guys are tired and it is really starting to show as the action has really started to slow to a crawl this round. Minotauro works his way off the fence but the ref orders a stand-up at 3:48.

Fedor fakes a punch and lands a solid jab. Minotauro measuring for a takedown, but eats a low kick. Minotauro fakes a takedown, as the buzzer sounds ending the round.

Minotauro really needs to regain himself. After dominating the first two rounds, I have him dropping each of the last two to Fedor. On my scorecard it all comes down to this final round.

Round 5:

Minotauro drives Fedor into the cage to start the round. He moves back, fakes a takedown and lands a really nice low kick to Fedor's legs. Fedor forces a clinch and lands with body shots. Minotauro reaches for a single leg, but Fedor falls on him and he is forced to pull guard.

Fedor lands some nice punches from the top and then drives Minotauro into the fence. Fedor passes guard to side mount where he lands with another impressive combination of punches. Fedor is really doing all he can to take this round.

Minotauro tries to grab a neck crack, but can't get anything locked in. Minotauro regains half guard and then full guard at 1:54.

Nice series of shots from Fedor. He isn't hurting Minotauro, but he is scoring well with these punches from the top. SPOKE TOO SOON! GREAT COMBINATION AND MINOTAURO IS HURT! CAN FEDOR FINISH IT THIS TIME?

Again, Minotauro holds on for dear life, and is able to wrap Fedor up for a full minute and regain his composure. He finally releases and lands a couple of short punches from the bottom followed by a key-lock. Fedor breaks it up with an elbow. The ref orders a stand-up at 3:29. Yes they were starting to get a little more active, but Fedor was making no effort to either finish the fight or improve his position.

On the feet again and Fedor lands a big roundhouse right. Minotauro doesn't acknowledge the shot, so it obviously didn't hurt him. Fedor now has the look and swagger about him that Minotauro had earlier in the fight. Minotauro shoots in but Fedor sprawls and Minotauro eats some body shots. Minotauro falls through the shot and manages to pull guard with just one minute left in the fight.

Minotauro is trying everything. He has the look of a desperate man. Almost like he can feel the title slipping away. Fedor will have none of it, as he slips out of every hold Minotauro can think of and counters with right hands. Big series of punches from Fedor with just 30 seconds left in the fight.

Minotauro continues to try submissions, but there is just no way he can grip Fedor at this point. 15 seconds left. Fedor passes the guard with 3 seconds left, but time expires before he can do anything. What a great fight. I have Fedor winning this three rounds to two, but MMA judges can be idiots sometimes.

Decision:

The time-limit has expired and this fight must go to the judges....

Judge number one scores the fight 48-46 for Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (10-8, 10-9, 9-10, 10-9, 9-10)

Judge number two scores the bout 49-46 for Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (10-8, 10-9, 10-10, 10-9, 9-10)

And Judge number three scores the fight 48-46 (10-8, 10-9, 9-10, 10-9, 9-10) for your winner by unanimous decision and NEW MMA Heavyweight Champion of the World Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira!

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (3-0) He becomes the new MMA World Heavyweight Champion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

What a great card and great main event for the month. Feel free to post comments, etc.

[dubb93]

What a great first month for MMA! Minotauro is the new Heavyweight Champion after overcoming Fedor in a five round thriller and we have positioned ourselves as the undisputed king of MMA. Now some bittersweet news.

Fedor Emelianenko suffered an injury to his ankle in the finals of the Heavyweight GP. Nothing serious, some slightly torn ligaments but it will put his return to the octagon off until at least September at the earliest. Last night we drew the first round matches for the Middleweight GP. They are as follows.

Rich Franklin
vs.
Matt Lindland

Kazushi Sakuraba
vs.
Joe Riggs

Jeremy Horn
vs.
Dan Henderson

Frank Shamrock
vs.
Chris Leben

Keep in mind, that unlike the heavyweight GP, this will be a single night event. One of these warriors must win three fights in one night to claim this tournament, and an overly tough or long first round fight will all but eliminate you from the event, especially if your second round opponent won quickly and easily.

--credit MMA.com

[marshall881]

Nice write up. Good work.

I am eagerly looking forward to the next round of fights.

[Coffee Warlord]

There any spots left?

[dubb93]

There any spots left?

Indeed there are plenty of spots still open. Here is the current roster for "The Next Big MMA Star."

Heavyweights:

1. Owen Hunter (Sublime 2)
2. Tomas "TKO" Ortega (Ram)
3. Jeff Riddle (JeffNights)
4. Ace Idol (BYU 14)
5. Rob 'Java' Nielsen (CoffeeWarlord)
6. Koloski "The Polish" Hammer (astrosfan64)
7. ???
8. ???

Welterweights:

1. Jason Pugh (Ardent)
2. Miles Esterhaus (NTNDeacon)
3. Jace Hunter (Travis)
4. Moses Keane (marshall881)
5. Dan "The Vampire" Boyer (tberg420)
6. Bladed Doom (Blade6119)
7. Lucas Black (hoopsguy)
8. Little Asian Man Jackie Lee(to the tune of "Secret Agent Man", Neon_Chaos)

We still need two fighters!

[dubb93]

Regarding "The Next Big MMA Star." I have recieved some character builds that are so extreme they are causing problems with the game. They regard leaving some options in the general strategy at 0%. Those effected will be getting a PM to slightly change their strategys.

Also, "dirty fighting" under general strategy is having a dramatic effect. I have recieved some builds with this stat above 20%. This is also causing problems. I've decided I will not allow this stat be set any higher than 5%. At 5% it seems that you get DQ'ed about once in every 5 or 6 fights. Much higher than that and you can't get through a fight without getting DQ'ed. Those effected will get a PM. I'm currently working on the Middleweight GP. Expect it to be posted late in the night.

[dubb93]

February 2006

MMA Middleweight GP (PPV)

Single Night tournament to declare first MMA World Middleweight Champion. First round matchups:

Rich Franklin
vs.
Matt Lindland

Kazushi Sakuraba
vs.
Joe Riggs

Jeremy Horn
vs.
Dan Henderson

Frank Shamrock
vs.
Chris Leben
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rich Franklin vs. Matt Lindland

Keys to Victory:

Rich Franklin
*Keep it standing up. He is outclassed on his feet.
*Throw bombs. While you could box with him and win, you need to make this quick. You could still have two more fights tonight.
*Stay off the ground. You are OK on the ground, but he is world class.

Matt Lindland
*He will shred you on your feed. You are no match for his hands, shoot in and play to your advantages.
*Be active on the ground. You need to end this one early. Ground and pound or tap him out.
*If you can't get a takedown, close the gap and fight from the clinch. It will make for a long fight, but at least you won't get knocked out.

Prediction:

Rich Franklin has world class hands, but won't be able to use them when he is on his back. Matt Lindland will shoot in, take him down and win with the ground and pound.

Round 1:

The fight starts out slow, finally Lindland closes the distance and forces a clinch. Franklin lands some nice knees. Fighters still tied up with heavy doses of stalling from both parties, when the ref breaks them up at 1:39.

Matt Lindland with a nice jab, but gets countered with an uppercut. Hook from Franklin, Lindland thinks twice about fighting from a distance and presses in, pushing Franklin against the cage. Lindland backs off and fakes a takedown, only get catch a kick to the body.

Low kick from Franklin. Lindland needs to take this to the ground before he gets hurt. Jab from Franklin. Lindland counters with a hook to the body at 3:41. That hook left a BIG mark on Franklin's ribs.

Lindland tries to move in, but eats a cross. He comes back with a low kick that does little damage to Franklin. Franklin with another cross with just twenty seconds left in the round. Franklin fakes some punches and lands a nice low kick as the round ends.

Matt Lindland needs to get this to the ground. He lost that round, and won't be winning any anytime soon unless he can get Rich Franklin to his back.

Round 2:

Slow, slow, slow start to round two. For over 30 seconds they just circle each other. Lindland moves in a little, BIG RIGHT HAND FROM FRANKLIN! LINDLAND GOES DOWN HARD! Franklin follows him down with some more shots to the head, but Lindland is able to salvage guard. I guess that is one way to get this fight to the ground.

If Lindland isn't hurt too bad, Franklin's best move would be to stand up. Lindland with some short shots from the bottom as Franklin drives him up against the cage at 0:56.

Franklin lands some shots from the top and passes guard to half guard. This isn't the Matt Lindland we know, he must be in la la land. BIG PUNCHES FROM THE TOP BY FRANKLIN! How long will the ref allow this to continue?

More shots from the top, Franklin passes guard to side mount. Huge shots, Lindland is all but out. This fight needs to be stopped. Lindland is defenseless. More huge shots, this is too much as the ref finally jumps in and calls the fight to a stop at 2:06 of round number two.

Winner: Rich Franklin (1-0)


Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Joe Riggs

Keys to victory:

Sakuraba
*Take him down. You have weak hands while Joe Riggs has knocked heavyweights out in the past. You want no part of that.
*You are one of the best submission expects in the middleweight division. Prove it by locking something in quick.
*BE IN A HURRY! Rich Franklin was not hurt in his fight against Matt Lindland. You can't afford a long fight.

Riggs
*Fire away. He has never been hit by someone with hands like yours. There is no reason you can't put him to sleep early
*Don't allow this fight to go to the ground. You are at a huge disadvantage down there.
*Fire away, but don't do so stupidly. Every time you throw a huge punch you leave yourself open to the takedown.

Prediction:

No doubt in my mind, Joe Riggs gets the KO. I would be SHOCKED if Sakuraba can take his punch.

Round 1:

The fight starts off with a bang. They meet in the center of the octagon and lock up. Riggs is able to drive Sakuraba into the cage. Riggs backs off and lands a low leg kick. HUGE STRAIGHT CROSS FROM SAKURABA? WHAT THE HELL? Riggs absolutely rocked, but able to stay on his feet.

Riggs trying desperately for a clinch, but Sakuraba has no part of it. Finally Riggs seems to be regaining himself as he lands a nice combination, backs off and comes back in with a nice stiff jab. Sakuraba with a hook. He isn't scared to bang with Riggs. I just hope he doesn't get punch crazy. You may get Riggs with one lucky shot, but over time he will out bang any middleweight in the world.

Riggs with a hook to the body. Sakuraba comes with back with a hook upstairs, but then eats a solid left-right combination to the head. Sakuraba is getting ripped so he shoots in. Riggs sprawls and Sakuraba pulls guard.

Sakuraba has full guard. Submission attempt goes nowhere as Riggs begins to drop bombs. More submission attempts go nowhere and Sakuraba continues to get pounded from the top.

Just two minutes in and Sakuraba is still eating punches. Sakuraba's eye is beginning to swell shut. Sakuraba continues to try submissions and Joe Riggs stands up. He wants to bang.

Both men now up and Sakuraba kicks Riggs in the nuts. Break in the action as timeout is called by the ref and Riggs is given time to recover. Sakuraba gets an official warning.

The action starts again with a nice uppercut from Riggs. Sakuraba gets a nice barrage, dodges a Riggs punch and counters with a cross. Sakuraba is really holding his own on his feet. I'm shocked. Sakuraba shoots, and again he gets stuffed so he pulls guard.

Sakuraba has full guard at 3:19. Sakuraba really working an arm bar. Riggs has horrible submission defense. He works for the arm bar for nearly a minute. Finally at 4:09 he gets it in deep and Joe Riggs has no choice but to tap. Kazushi Sakuraba is your winner at 4:09 of the first round by submission due to arm bar. He wins this fight, but his face shows signs of serious swelling.

Winner: Kazushi Sakuraba (1-0)


Jeremy Horn vs. Dan Henderson

Keys to Victory:

Horn
*Fight a smart fight. You need to take this one down.
*Let him make mistakes. He's very aggressive, but that can lead to mental mistakes.
*Be active on the ground.

Henderson
*Show why you were the PRIDE middleweight champion. Throw him around the octagon, you are stronger than he is.
*Be aggressive. That is your style, stick to it.
*Don't rely on the big punch. It is hard to knock Jeremy Horn out. Out box him, don't load up for the big shot.

Prediction:

I think this one has the potential to go the distance. My money is on Dan Henderson.

Round 1:

The round begins and Dan Henderson wastes no time. He comes right out of the gate and swings with a huge hook that connects to the jaw of Horn. Horn is hurt and drops to guard. The force of the punch didn't take him down, he opted to go down to recover. Henderson stands over him. Horn is throwing leg kicks, Henderson doesn't make a move. The ref orders Horn up at 0:28.

On his feet again, Jeremy Horn closes the distance and forces a clinch. Henderson pushes him off and connects with another big hook. Horn fires back with a weak jab. Henderson grabs Horn and delivers a series of sharp looking knees.

Horn gets away and Henderson gives chase. He is coming forward with punches, but Jeremy Horn backpedals out of the way. Horn shoots in, Henderson sprawls. What a great sprawl. Horn is eating short punches to the head. Horn pulls guard.

Jeremy Horn has full guard at 2:40. Henderson drives Horn up against the fence. He is good at the ground and pound, but the overall ground advantage would have to go to Jeremy Horn. Henderson gets out of position and HORN HAS A TRIANGLE! IT LOOKS DEEP! After what seems like an eternity Dan Henderson is able to slip out, but he has to be exhausted. What a choke.

Horn is very active from the bottom, always looking for a submission attempt. He doesn't have the stand-up of Minotauro, but his style from the bottom looks very similar. Henderson sneaks through some punches at 3:42.

Henderson with a nice series of punches from the top. He passes the guard to half guard. More punches from the top. Jeremy Horn re-establishes full guard and locks in a guillotine. Henderson slips out and comes down with a few punches as the round ends.

Nice round for Dan Henderson.

Round 2:

Jeremy Horn comes out for round two with a mission. As soon as the round starts he charges out and shoots in, securing a single leg takedown. Henderson has full guard.

Jeremy Horn works to pass guard as he eats some short punches to the head. At 0:33 he gets half guard. Horn locks on a neck crack, it looks nice. Henderson fights to get out of it. Ten seconds pass, Henderson still trying to get out of it. Fifteen seconds, still can't slip out. Twenty seconds and if he doesn't get out of this quick it will end the fight, finally after 23 full seconds Dan Henderson slips out of the neck crank. That hold had to do some serious damage. I can't believe he held out that long.

Kimura attempt goes nowhere as Horn completely passes guard to side mount at 1:23. JEREMY HORN HAS AN ARM. THIS CAN'T BE GOOD. WOW! WHAT TECHNIQUE! ARM BAR AND DAN HENDERSON TAPS OUT AT 1:40 OF THE SECOND ROUND! WHAT A TURNAROUND!

Winner: Jeremy Horn (1-0)


Frank Shamrock vs. Chris Leben

Keys to Victory:

Shamrock
*Take the fight to the ground. Leben is tough on his feet, but laughable on the ground.
*Don't stand back where he can really punch you. Fight from the clinch.
*Ring rust. Will it be a factor? It has been years since you have fought anyone of quality.

Leben
*Stand back, tee off, and hope for the best.
*Avoid the takedown. If he gets you down he will expose your biggest weakness.
*Take advantage of any slip-up he may make. It has been years since he has been in the octagon against a top middleweight. He may have some ring rust.

Prediction:

At this point in the night I've managed to predict every fight wrong. I'm going to try and turn it around here and say that Shamrock wins by tap out in the first. Leben has a horrible ground game, and his sprawl is equally bad. Until he works on his sprawl he will be a one dimensional fighter without the ability to stay away from his biggest weakness.

With that said, Leben is a puncher and a puncher always has a chance. He could prove me wrong with just one good punch.

Round 1:

The round starts and Frank Shamrock quickly closes the distance. He bulls Chris Leben into the fence and searches for a takedown. Leben works his way off the fence and lands a hook. Shamrock lands a low leg kick and forces another clinch. Shamrock unloads with a barrage of knees to the midsection at 0:38.

The fighters are still tied up, as Frank Shamrock is really trying to get a takedown. Finally he settles for a nice knee to the head and stalling sets in. The two fighters rest in the clinch for a nearly a minute before the ref breaks them up and restarts the action in the center of the octagon.

Leben comes at Shamrock, who answers with a good combination that backs Leben off. Shamrock drives Leben into the fence and delivers another round of knees to the midsection. More knees before Chris Leben breaks free and lands a solid jab.

Leben with a low kick before the fighters decide to another minute of the fight off. Shamrock breaks the stalling with a low kick to the legs. Nice jab from Leben who is losing this round at this point.

Overhand right from Shamrock at 4:06, followed up with a HUGE CROSS! LEBEN IS HURT! Shamrock comes right at him, but eats a desperation cross. Flurry of punches from Shamrock, he is really hurting Leben. Leben comes back with a jab that backs Shamrock off. The two fighters circle each other the last thirty seconds of the round, neither willing to make the first move. Not the most exciting round of the night to say the very least.

Round 2:

Frank Shamrock looks really confident coming out for round two. He lands a leg kick to start the round. Chris Leben really needs to pick up the pace. BIG STRAIGHT CROSS FROM LEBEN ROCKS SHAMROCK! HE WALKED RIGHT INTO IT! He follows it up with a hook to the body and a good cross at 0:36. Shamrock is in trouble.

Shamrock is looking to his corner as he eats an overhand right. Finally out of desperation he shoots for a single-leg. Leben stuffs him and Shamrock crawls back to his feet. Shamrock swings wildly and misses as Leben appears to be trying to catch his breath.

LEBEN WITH ANOTHER HUGE HOOK AT 2:06! SHAMROCK IS HURT AGAIN! HE NEEDS TO TAKE THIS FIGHT TO THE GROUND! Low leg kick from Leben lands. Short uppercut on the button for Leben. Shamrock is outclassed.

Leben drives Shamrock into the cage and lands another short uppercut that lands flush. Shamrock tries desperately for a single leg, not gonna happen. Both guys now firing, Leben getting the better of the exchange and Shamrock retreats.

Leben moving forward, Shamrock moving backward at 2:49. Nice hook to the body for Shamrock. Leben with a good low kick, but HE LEAVES HIMSELF OPEN FOR A BARRAGE OF SHOTS FROM ALL ANGLES! LEBEN GOES DOWN LIKE A SACK OF POTATOES! IS HE OUT? NO! Shamrock follows him down at 3:24. What a round so far!

Leben has full guard. This is where Shamrock has wanted the fight all night. Shamrock passes full guard to half guard. Frank Shamrock now with side mount. Shamrock wants full mount badly, but can't get it. He settles for a key lock at 4:23.

The key lock has no chance as Chris Leben slips out easily. Shamrock gets full mount at 4:39. Nice elbows do serious damage to Leben's left eye. Shamrock rains down the blows with 9 seconds left, but Leben is covering himself up nicely. Finally the ref jumps in as the round ends. WHAT A ROUND!

Round 3:

This is the final round, but I feel comfortable saying no way this fight gets to the scorecards. Both fighters come out cautiously as Leben grabs on for the clinch and follows up with some nice knees early. Shamrock drives Leben into the corner and gets his back! SHAMROCK LOADING UP FOR A SUPLEX, no, Leben escapes.

SHORT UPPERCUT LANDS WITH BAD INTENTIONS FOR SHAMROCK AT 0:25, LEBEN STUMBLES BACKWARDS BUT REMAINS ON HIS FEET! Shamrock ducks under Leben and takes his back. Standing rear naked choke. He doesn't have the hooks in though and Leben slips out.

Leben has nothing left. He's bleeding badly from his left eye and looks to be about ready to go. Both fighters circle each other, taking roughly 30 seconds to rest. Shamrock grabs Leben in a clinch, secures double under-hooks and gets a takedown at 1:18.

Chris Leben has full guard. Talk about stalling, it is at the 2:25 mark before Frank Shamrock lands a couple straight rights. Shamrock passes to half guard. More stalling, both guys are completely exhausted. Shamrock lands a flurry of punches at 3:09.

At 3:15 Shamrock passes guard to side mount. I expect him to finish the fight here. Shamrock wants full mount badly and he has it at 3:30. Shamrock throwing punches, but nothing gets through. HUGE COMBINATION AT 4:01, LEBEN IS ALL BUT OUT! A SERIES OF ELBOWS GETS THROUGH NOW! ANOTHER COMBINATION, NON STOP PUNCHES, ALL GETTING THROUGH! THE REF JUMPS IN AT 4:11 OF THE THIRD AND FINAL ROUND! Frank Shamrock is your winner by TKO at 4:11 of the third round.

Winner: Frank Shamrock (1-0)


Semi-Finals (same night)

Rich Franklin
vs.
Kazushi Sakuraba

Jeremy Horn
vs.
Frank Shamrock
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rich Franklin vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

Key to Victory:

Franklin
*Take advantage of the hurt fighter. Joe Riggs gave this guy a beating earlier tonight.
*Stay on you feet and continue to work his eye. His eye is already busted up, if you can hit it a couple times you could easily stop the fight.
*Don't tempt fate and take this fight to the ground. He is dangerous with his submission attempts

Sakuraba
*Take this to the ground. Your eye was already busted up by Riggs, don't stand up and let him hit it.
*Wear him out. Get him to the ground and ride him early. He's fresher than you are, you need to make him tired.
*Finish it up with relentless submission attempts. Just like the Riggs fight, you will eventually get one to stick.

Prediction:

If these two were both fresh this would be a very interesting fight. Right now, I think Franklin will open a cut over Sakuraba's eye early, and follow it up with an early KO.

Round 1:

And the fight starts. Franklin appears to be on a mission. BIG RIGHT HAND FROM FRANKLIN! SAKURABA IS HURT! THE REF JUMPS IN, THIS FIGHT IS OVER?

The ref takes Sakuraba over to the ring-side physician, who carefully examines him. Looks like the fight will continue. Sakuraba is hurt, how will this play out?

Sakuraba lands a nice leg kick, but eats a solid combination. Sakuraba shoots for a double-leg takedown. Franklin with a great sprawl, and Sakuraba is forced to pull guard. Rich Franklin is in Sakuraba's half guard at 0:53.

Sakuraba looks to be setting up for some kind of arm submission, but Franklin breaks it up with a series of punches to the face that score cleanly. Another combination and Rich Franklin is dominating this fight. Franklin drives Sakuraba up against the fence.

Sakuraba works his way off the fence and tries two separate neck cranks. Both are ill-fated as he appears to lose his grip immediately doing no damage in the process. Franklin pushes Sakuraba back up against the fence and lands another solid combination from the top at 2:09.

Sakuraba once again works his way off the fence, but Franklin attempts a kimura. Sakuraba escapes easily and gets full guard. The ref yells he wants more action at 2:46.

Sakuraba appears to be holding Franklin down and stalling. Stand-up ordered at 3:09. A right cross lands cleanly for Franklin. Sakuraba is in retreat, but Franklin catches up and sticks in a couple solid jabs. More jabs from Franklin, looks like he may be setting up something big. Sakuraba shoots in and takes Franklin down to the mat! Not where Rich Franklin wants to be.

Franklin has full guard. Sakuraba appears to be trying to pass at 3:48. Sakuraba passes the guard to side mount at 3:56. Could be trouble for Rich Franklin.

Sakuraba tries to punch from the top, but Franklin is blocking everything. Sakuraba drives Rich up against the cage and mounts him in the process. Talk about bad news for Franklin. Franklin is able to throw Sakuraba off of him and regain half guard at 4:20.

Now Franklin is stalling, he really wants to be stood up. Thirty seconds left, Sakuraba really wants a submission. Toe lock, unable to hold on to it and Rich Franklin gets full guard. Neither fighter makes a move and the round comes to a close.

Round 2:

Both fighters come out quick. HUGE UPPERCUT FROM FRANKLIN! I don't understand why he didn't follow that one up. Sakuraba was hurt and Franklin gave him time to recover.

Franklin with a nice jab. That jab has really controlled this entire fight. Franklin lands a hook. Sakuraba closes the distance and forces a clinch. Sakuraba lands some nice knees to the body from the clinch. Both fighters are tied up and it appears we are in for a prolonged stall session. The ref tells them he wants some action at 1:40. At 1:54 the clinch is broken and the fight is restarted in the center of the octagon.

Rich Franklin looks confident and lands a solid overhand right at 2:14. Sakuraba shoots, but gets stuffed and is forced to pull guard. Sakuraba has full guard. Neither fighter very active, Sakuraba tries to set up a submission and lands a couple of punches, but not much else from either fighter. At 2:59 Franklin passes guard to side mount.

Back to half guard, as Sakuraba is just too good on the ground for Franklin. Sakuraba tries a hammer-lock, but Franklin slips out. Neck crank, nothing. Franklin needs to stand up. Rich Franklin tries a kimura, but Sakuraba slips out. No way Rich Franklin submits Sakuraba.

Sakuraba has a leg and spins out for a knee bar, nothing. Sakuraba maintains half guard at 3:48. Franklin fires from the top, several shots get through. Sakuraba now has full guard at 4:14. The last minute of the round is nothing but a long stall session as Sakuraba grabs hold of Franklin and holds him down on him.

Round 3:

Sakuraba comes out fast, shooting for a single leg. Franklin with the stuff and Sakuraba pulls guard just ten seconds into the round. Sakuraba has full guard.

Franklin wants no part of this and wisely stands up. Nice kick to the body from Sakuraba. Thats the same spot that was bruised earlier in the night by Matt Lindland. Another kick to the same spot. At least Sakuraba has a plan for the third round.

Franklin comes forward throwing punches, but he leaves himself open and Sakuraba shoots in with a double-leg. Franklin is able to recover and Sakuraba is forced to pull guard at 0:59. Sakuraba has full guard.

Sakuraba grabs a leg, spins out and works an ankle lock. Franklin tries to reverse it, loses his grip and Sakuraba gains top position at 1:14. Sakuraba stuffs Franklin up against the cage. Sakuraba with a nice series of punches from the top.

Franklin tries to escape, but Sakuraba is holding him in place. Holding him in place and doing a whole lot of nothing else. This looks like it is headed for a stand-up. Sakuraba begins to work for position. Half guard at 2:20, finally he passes guard and has side mount at 2:54.

Side choke goes nowhere. Rich Franklin regains half guard at 3:15. Now back to side mount. Franklin is no match for Sakuraba on the ground. Sakuraba tries a key lock, but Franklin is able to slip out.

One minute thirty seconds to go. Sakuraba probably needs to get a submission here to win the fight. The two battle over position and are stood up at 3:52. Don't understand that stand-up, but they were pretty much inactive for at least 15-20 seconds so he has a good case.

Sakuraba looks confident, but eats a solid uppercut. Less than a minute to go and Franklin seems to be landing his jab at will. Sakuraba drives Franklin into the cage, but eats a hook in the process. Franklin pushes Sakuraba off AND DROPS HIM WITH A CROSS! SAKURABA HITS THE MAT HARD!

Rich Franklin follows him down, but is immediately wrapped up for the remainder of the fight.

Decision:

The time-limit has expired and this fight must go to the judges.

Judge number one scores the bout 29-28(9-10, 10-9, 10-9) for Kazushi Sakuraba

Judge two scores the fight 30-28(10-10, 10-9, 10-9) for Kazushi Sakuraba

And Judge number three scores the fight 29-28(9-10, 10-9, 10-9) for your winner by unanimous decision Kazushi Sakuraba

Winner: Kazushi Sakuraba (2-0)


Jeremy Horn vs. Frank Shamrock

Keys to Victory:

Horn
*Take the fight to the ground and work a submission
*Use technique not strength. No way you can out muscle Frank Shamrock
*Start out quick. Just a few hours ago he was in a three round war with Chris Leben

Shamrock
*Use your strength to get this fight exactly where you want it
*If you can TKO Chris Leben you can TKO Jeremy Horn. Don't forget about your hands.
*If you are winning the stand-up battle don't look to take this to the ground.

Prediction:

Jeremy Horn by submission in the second round. Frank Shamrock is going to be too tired to go the distance.

Round 1:

Both fighters start out very cautiously with Shamrock making the first move. Shamrock pushes Horn up against the cage, but is unable to land any knees. Good defense being shown by Jeremy Horn. Horn with a nice hook to the body from the clinch followed by a short right cross. Shamrock backs off and lands a big overhand right flush.

Shamrock lands a lazy grab and gets to the clinch. Nice knees on the inside by Shamrock. More knees, Shamrock seems to be trying to wear Horn out. He is leaning on him and working his legs.

Jeremy Horn comes back with some knees, but Shamrock grabs a leg and takes this fight to the ground. Jeremy Horn has full guard. Shamrock passes to half guard at 2:42 and side mount at 2:52.

And the pace of the fight slows to a crawl. Horn tries some submissions, nothing is there. Shamrock fires some punches, all blocked. Horn improves to half guard at 4:02.

Shamrock is just too strong and regains side mount, but he must do something, anything. The lay and pray isn't a viable tactic. Jeremy Horn regains half guard and the ref threatens to stand the fighters up. Shamrock grabs a leg and locks on toe hold. Horn slips out easily and gains top position. Frank Shamrock has half guard at 4:25.

The remainder of the round treats us to Jeremy Horn's version of the lay and pray. What a crappy round. At least Fedor and Minotauro made for a fun battle on the ground. This was nothing but a glorified lay and pray session.

Round 2:

Both fighters come out slow and we have a clinch. Jeremy Horn grabs a leg and executes a single leg takedown at 0:17. Frank Shamrock has full guard.

Nothing happens for a full twenty seconds when Jeremy Horn sneaks a couple punches in. Jeremy Horn passes guard to side mount at 0:51. Back to half guard immediately. Frank Shamrock is just too strong.

Shamrock gets full guard at 1:04. What a shitty fight. The next thirty seconds see a battle for position on the ground and Jeremy Horn tries a neck crank that barely gets started. More lay 'n pray. Shamrock tries an arm bar, but can't get Horn's arm. Horn with a couple of weak punches from the top. They land but do no damage.

Jeremy Horn tries to stand up, FRANK SHAMROCK HAS A LEG! KNEE BAR, OH MY IS IT EVER DEEP! SOMETHING JUST POPPED! The ref hears the same noise I just heard and jumps in to stop the fight. Frank Shamrock lets go, and Jeremy Horn obviously has a broken leg. You never want to see anything like that. The fight is stopped at 2:15 of the second round.

Winner: Frank Shamrock (2-0)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finals (same night)

Five Rounds for the MMA World Middleweight Championship

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Frank Shamrock

Keys to Victory:

Sakuraba
*This is really a tough match-up for you. You aren't going to be able to out muscle Frank Shamrock so fall back on your technique. He will be able to power out of most sloppy takedowns and submission attempts, but if your technique is perfect you will be able to do what you want.
*Stay out of range. Hit and run. If you shoot and it fails, back out and try again.
*Heart: Do you have what it takes to win three fights in one night?

Shamrock
*Strength: You are MUCH stronger than he is. Use it to your advantage.
*His face is a mess. Hit it and watch it bleed.
*Heart: Do you have what it takes to win three fights in one night?

Prediction:

I hate to pick against Sakuraba at this point, but he has sustained some serious damage tonight. Frank Shamrock by ground and pound in the first.

Round 1:

Both fighters come out and it is obvious that Sakuraba is still REALLY hurt from his last fight. Sakuraba strikes first with a nice jab. They clinch. BIG HEADBUTT FROM FRANK SHAMROCK OPENS A GASH ON SAKURABA! HOW DID THE REF NOT SEE THAT?

Frank Shamrock backs off and kicks Sakuraba in the nuts!?!? What the hell is this? The ref sees this and issues an official warning to Frank Shamrock. He also allows Sakuraba time to recover in a neutral corner.

The action restarts and we are at the 0:37 mark of the first round. Sakuraba with a nice low kick. The two circle each other, and Sakuraba scores with a nice jab. Nice overhand right from Sakuraba. Frank Shamrock tries to close the distance, but eats a jab. As long as he isn't getting head-butted or kicked in the nuts it seems Sakuraba might be able to stand up with Shamrock.

Shamrock tries to clinch but he can't quite catch up with Sakuraba. Shamrock finally catches up, but gets hit with some knees to the mid-section. Shamrock drives Sakuraba into the corner at 1:51.

They are tied up, it seems that Shamrock is content to just hold Sakuraba against the cage. Sakuraba reverses it and tries to land some knees. They get blocked and Sakuraba backs off.

Nice low kick from Sakuraba. They clinch. Sakuraba now with a head-butt, and it appears to do some serious damage to the eye of Shamrock. Sakuraba gets an official warning and Shamrock is given time to recover in a neutral corner.

Frank Shamrock comes back with a nice single-leg takedown. Sakuraba has full guard. Stall, stall, stall, stall, stall. Shamrock finally drives Sakuraba against the cage at 3:57.

Shamrock advances to half guard at 4:17. At 4:46 Shamrock finally decides to get active and lands a nice combination from the top. Frank Shamrock with a knee bar. We know what happened last time he locked this on somebody. Tight lock, but he is able to slip free. Sakuraba gains top position at 4:53. Frank Shamrock tries some short punches from the bottom, but they are all blocked as the round ends. What a weird round.

Round 2:

Round two starts out slowly. Frank Shamrock with the first points of the round and he lands a nice body shot at 0:25.

Low kick lands for Sakuraba. Shamrock grabs and is able to lock-up Sakuraba. Shamrock changes levels and goes for a double leg, sprawl and Shamrock pulls guard at 0:51. Shamrock has full guard.

Sakuraba goes for a leg, but it is Shamrock that gets a heel hook. Sakuraba is able to escape easily though. Not much action until 1:28 when Frank Shamrock is able execute a sweep and get top position. Sakuraba has full guard.

Shamrock drives Sakuraba against the fence. Nice punches from the top by Shamrock. Shamrock is trying to pass guard. Sakuraba tries two different submission attempts, but neither of them get anywhere. HUGE SERIES OF SHOTS FROM THE TOP! SAKURABA IS HURT! Frank Shamrock easily passes the guard.

Shamrock has the side mount, but surprisingly, Sakuraba is able to reverse the position. Shamrock has full guard. And so begins another battle for position. At 3:00 Sakuraba completely passes guard to side mount.

Sakuraba does nothing with his position and Shamrock is able to reverse and get top position at 3:46. BIG TIME ANKLE LOCK FROM SHAMROCK! IT IS IN DEEP! SAKURABA IS TRYING TO FIGHT IT! AND HE SLIPS OUT! WOW!

Sakuraba gains top position. Shamrock has full guard. Again, Sakuraba does nothing with his position and the last minute of the round ticks away with no action.

Round 3:

Slow start to the round. Frank Shamrock scores early with a nice low kick. HUGE CROSS FROM SHAMROCK! SAKURABA IS HURT! SHAMROCK FOLLOWS UP WITH A HUGE UPPERCUT! THIS COULD BE THE END OF THE FIGHT!

Sakuraba comes back with a low kick, but he is hurting. Jab from Sakuraba, but Shamrock gets a double-leg takedown at 0:29. Sakuraba has full guard.

Shamrock drives Sakuraba against the fence and gets side mount. Good punches from the top by Shamrock. I don't know how to explain what happens next. Shamrock has side mount and is about to finish to Sakuraba, but instead completely stalls for over two full minutes and a standup is ordered at 3:30. I can't believe it.

Shamrock drives Sakuraba against the fence, nice knees from Sakuraba. Sakuraba breaks free and is on the run. More stalling from both parties. This time on their feet. Nice jab by Sakuraba and we move into the final 30 seconds of the round. What the hell was that? Did they even fight that round? The final 30 seconds played out like a chess match, I guess. Except neither guy made a move.

Round 4:

Frank Shamrock comes out fast and drives Sakuraba against the fence. Nice short uppercut from the inside by Sakuraba. Shamrock backs off.

HUGE CROSS FROM SAKURABA! SHAMROCK IS HURTING! Sakuraba shoots in and gets a quick takedown. Shamrock is still hurting, but he has full guard. Sakuraba does nothing with his position and Shamrock is able to regain his composure AND get a sweep at 1:17.

Sakuraba has full guard. Shamrock working for position, he has side mount at 1:37. Back to half guard. Shamrock drives Sakuraba up against the fence and lands several nice punches from the top. Another flurry hits its mark. Shamrock improves to half guard.

Back to full guard, and Shamrock just doesn't seem to want this. This is the time to dig deep and make a move to finish this fight. Instead he has been stalling the last two rounds. Shamrock goes back to half guard and then side mount. He's been able to improve his position this whole fight, but he's yet to do anything with it.

Back to half guard and the ref says he wants more action at 4:02. Hammer-lock by Sakuraba, Shamrock tries to break it with punches. Sakuraba holds on, but Shamrock finally slips out. More failed submission attempts by Sakuraba and we head into the final thirty seconds of the round.

Shamrock gets a nice kimura, but just can't hold it long enough to get a submission. The two trade failed submission attempts as the round draws to a close.

Round 5:

Final round. Sakuraba lands a nice kick to the body. Shamrock shoots in, gets stuffed and pulls guard. Shamrock has full guard.

Both fighters are resting until the 1:23 mark when Frank Shamrock gets a guillotine choke. It lasts a couple of seconds before Sakuraba slips out.

Sakuraba tries more submissions from the top, but spends most of his time stalling. This isn't making for an exciting fight to watch. Shamrock lands a couple of punches from the bottom. More stalling as we pass the three minute mark.

Shamrock tries for an ankle lock, gets it locked in momentarily, but is unable to hold it. Shamrock still has full guard. The ref warns of an impending stand-up unless the action is picked up at 3:24.

Shamrock is able to sweep Sakuraba and GETS REAR MOUNT! This isn't good for Sakuraba. Sakuraba is trying to counter, but Shamrock still has his back. At 4:04 Sakuraba is able to roll to guard. Sakuraba working an arm from the bottom. HE HAS AN ARM! HE'S ROLLING WITH IT, ARM BAR! IT IS DEEP, AND FRANK TAPS IMMEDIATELY! WE HAVE A NEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION!

Winner: Kazushi Sakuraba (3-0) He becomes the new MMA World Middleweight Champion.

[dubb93]

It seems that the Welterweight division is now filled up. We still need two heavyweights, but anyone signed up for the contest:

I need the following stats

Takedown Strategy:

Clinch Takedowns ???%
Low/Leg Takedowns ???%

They need to add to 100%, please no 0% for either one of them.

[dubb93]

MMA Report

Hello and welcome to another addition of the MMA report. Did the Welterweight division fail to live up to the excitement that was the heavyweight GP or what? Maybe making it a single day tournament was a bad idea, only time will tell.

Congratulations to Sakuraba as he claims the MMA World Middleweight Championship. He defeated Joe Riggs, Rich Franklin (allegedly), and finally Frank Shamrock in the same night! What an accomplishment. I very much expect his first title defense will be a rematch with Rich Franklin. I've been watching the fight all week and I STILL can't see how he got that decision.

Only one injury/suspension to pass along. Jeremy Horn had his leg broken by Frank Shamrock. No time table has been set for his return, but an early guess would be early-mid 2007.

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION IN SHAMBLES!

*Three of the top four fighters in the division in Andrei Arlovski, Fedor Emelianenko, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic are all out with a medical suspension or injury.

*Rumors persist that when Cro Cop finally returns it will be at 205, not heavyweight.

*Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn are both busy filming “The Next Big MMA Star.” and preparing to face off against each other in octagon.

Where does this leave the heavyweight division? In a mess. If Cro Cop heads to the light heavyweight division as is expected that will leave Minotauro without his three biggest threats for nearly the entire year. Who does he fight in the meantime? It appears Tim Sylvia is the default number one contender, and that is sad.

How do they spice this division up? They need to bring in new talent AND hope they get atleast one very talented heavyweight off the TV show. As far as available talent the most likely to be brought in are Sergei Kharitonov, Frank Mir and Aleksander Emelianenko. It also appears that management has engaged in talks with gigantic American Bob Sapp in hopes that he may be able to be brought in for a couple big buy rates. I don't understand the interest in Sapp, even though he is huge, he has never proven to be anything more than an average MMA fighter at best.

The first round match-ups in the MMA Welterweight GP were drawn last night. They are as follows:

Frank Trigg
vs.
Georges St. Pierre

Royce Gracie
vs.
Hayato Sakurai

BJ Penn
vs.
Nick Diaz

Matt Hughes
vs.
Diego Sanchez

--Matthew Boone
MMAnews.com
.

[Poli]

It seems that the Welterweight division is now filled up. We still need two heavyweights, but anyone signed up for the contest:

I need the following stats

Takedown Strategy:

Clinch Takedowns ???%
Low/Leg Takedowns ???%

They need to add to 100%, please no 0% for either one of them.

Blast you and your rules. Blast you for saying who our alter egos were. I was wanting to privately smirk at the beatdowns everyone would receive from Pugh. Now my smirking will be public.

[dubb93]

Blast you and your rules. Blast you for saying who our alter egos were. I was wanting to privately smirk at the beatdowns everyone would receive from Pugh. Now my smirking will be public.

;), unless your planning on creating an alias it may have been hard to hide your identity once the contest starts. All will be revealed on Sunday. :)

EDIT: Don't expect round by round tonight. I'll return to that format tomorrow for the Light Heavyweight GP, but tonight I'll probably just post the results all at the same time. I'm currently in the process of doing them. Actually I've been doing them off and on since about 7, probably continue off and on 'till about 3 or 4 when it will get posted. Obviously if it is taking me that long I'm off of it a heck of a lot more than I've been on it tonight ;). Thanks for reading.

[astrosfan64]

;), unless your planning on creating an alias it may have been hard to hide your identity once the contest starts. All will be revealed on Sunday. :)

EDIT: Don't expect round by round tonight. I'll return to that format tomorrow for the Light Heavyweight GP, but tonight I'll probably just post the results all at the same time. I'm currently in the process of doing them. Actually I've been doing them off and on since about 7, probably continue off and on 'till about 3 or 4 when it will get posted. Obviously if it is taking me that long I'm off of it a heck of a lot more than I've been on it tonight ;). Thanks for reading.

Lets get this thing going. I love the write ups and I think this is going to be a blast. Koloski will reign down the pain.

[dubb93]

March 2006

MMA Welterweight GP (PPV)

Single night tournament to declare first MMA World Welterweight Champion. First round match-ups:

Frank Trigg
vs.
Georges St. Pierre

Royce Gracie
vs.
Hayato Sakurai

BJ Penn
vs.
Nick Diaz

Matt Hughes
vs.
Diego Sanchez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank Trigg vs. Georges St. Pierre

Keys to Victory:

Trigg
*Shoot in early. He seems to be a little better on his feet than you
*Don't lose top position on the ground. If you are going to win this it will be with the ground and pound.
*Don't be scared. You can beat this guy, but try to do so early.

St. Pierre
*If you are winning standing up, don't go to the ground.
*If he gets you on your back cover up! Don't be afraid of submissions, he isn't going to tap you out.
*Finish this early. You could be in for a long night. You don't want to go the distance with Trigg.

Prediction:

Georges St. Pierre by ground and pound in the first. Trigg is in a bad match-up. Pierre is better standing up and better on the ground. Trigg's only chance is to get him on his back and pound away, because we all know Frank Trigg isn't going to tap anyone out. His last true submission win came in 2000 and 1997 before that. Any submission victories since then have been via strikes.

Round 1:

The two come out quickly, trading missed punches. Nice low kick from St. Pierre. Another low kick, these are really hurting Trigg. Trigg shoots for a takedown, but eats a jab at 0:40. St. Pierre looks really good early.

The two trade missed punches and clinch. Nice knee to the head for St. Pierre. The fighters are tied up and the ref wants to see more action at 2:08. They get broken up and the fight is restarted in the center of the ring twenty seconds later.

Trigg with a hook to the body. Another low kick from St. Pierre. And we have a clinch. Trigg trying to land some knees to the head, but can't quite get St. Pierre's head low enough.

St. Pierre breaks free and lands a nice overhand right followed up with another low kick. Trigg tries to get in close, but eats several jabs. Trigg with a nice cross at 3:50.

Both fighters fire more punches to no avail and clinch. BIG KNEE LANDS FLUSH TO THE HEAD OF TRIGG! HE'S HURT! NICE FLURRY OF SHOTS BY ST. PIERRE! TRIGG DROPS TO HIS KNEES!

Trigg back up and he is on the run. St. Pierre with a flurry, but Trigg dodges them. St. Pierre still firing shots, but Trigg is backpedaling and covering himself up nicely. Nice high kick to the head by St. Pierre gets through with just ten seconds to go in the round. Pierre follows it up by forcing Trigg up against the fence, but is unable to land anything else as the round ends. HUGE ROUND FOR GEORGES ST. PIERRE! That may have been a 10-8 round.

Round 2:

The second round starts off slowly. Nice jab lands early for Trigg. St. Pierre fires back, but nothing gets through. Trigg fakes a punch and eats a kick to the body at 0:40.

St. Pierre is moving forward, both guys throwing and it appears Frank Trigg got the worst of that exchange. Frank Trigg in retreat again. St. Pierre having trouble catching up to him to hit him. Trigg paws a jab that isn't landing.

Frank Trigg grabs a clinch and looks for a takedown. The fighters are tied up, unable to get a takedown Trigg breaks the clinch. Nice kick to the body for St. Pierre. Trigg rushes St. Pierre, he may have a double-leg. NO! St. Pierre is too strong, he pushes Trigg back and lands a low kick for good measure.

High kick to the head lands for St. Pierre. Trigg tries another takedown, this time he is stuffed and forced to get back to his feet.

Trigg lands an uppercut. St. Pierre misses with the counter and gets hit with a nice low kick. Uppercut misses for St. Pierre at 3:38. Clinch, St. Pierre lands knees to the body.

Still tied up, Frank Trigg drives Georges St. Pierre into the cage at 4:22. Nice combination of short shots from St. Pierre. They remain tied up as the round ends. I have to give this one to St. Pierre as well, but it was much closer than round one.

Round 3:

Round three starts with a BIG UPPERCUT FROM ST. PIERRE! FRANK TRIGG IS HURT! He follows it up with a nice overhand right and a mean straight jab. Frank Trigg comes back with a low kick, but he is still hurting.

Trigg tries a single-leg, great sprawl by St. Pierre. He lands some nice elbows to the mid-section. Trigg still on all fours and he takes some more body shots. This is a bad place for Trigg to be. He either needs to try and escape or pull guard.

St. Pierre sneaks a punch inside to the jaw just as Frank Trigg is able to escape. Back to the feet. Trigg wants this on the ground, but has been unable to get it there all night.

Trigg throws a combination with nothing on it. He's rocking, he's hurt. He may not last much longer. St. Pierre throws Trigg against the cage, but Trigg is able to land an uppercut. Trigg has St. Pierre completely tied up.

Finally at 1:46 St. Pierre breaks free and lands a solid combination. Hook to the body for St. Pierre followed up with a nice jab. Hook lands upstairs, and St. Pierre seems to be landing at will. Trigg isn't hurt too bad, but his corner throws in the towel. Trigg just couldn't defend himself towards the end. Everything St. Pierre was throwing was landing and Trigg was already a little shaky from earlier in the round. Score that a TKO for Georges St. Pierre at 2:10 of round 3.

Winner: Georges St. Pierre (1-0)


Royce Gracie vs. Hayato Sakurai

Keys to Victory:

Gracie
*Take it to the ground and submit him. You are the master.
*Don't stand up with him. He's isn't the greatest with his hands, but you know you can't throw a punch.
*Don't let him get comfortable. Rattle him with relentless takedowns and submission attempts.

Sakurai
*Keep this standing. You have a HUGE advantage on your feet.
*Keep this standing!
*KEEP THIS STANDING AT ALL COSTS!

Prediction:

I'd love to say that I see Royce Gracie winning this, but his time has clearly passed. When he was on top of the world it was OK to have no stand-up. That is no longer true in todays MMA. I see Hayato Sakurai hurting Royce early and often. He wins this fight by KO.

Round 1:

Both fighters come out cautiously and circle each other. ROYCE GRACIE SHOOTS IN! BIG DOUBLE-LEG! HE PICKS UP SAKURAI! HERE WE GO, HUGE SLAM! WOW!

That slam hurt Sakurai, but he has full guard. We should begin to see the master at work on the ground. This could be a real treat. Royce Gracie passes to half guard at 0:21, side mount at 0:35. Sakurai tries to stop Gracie from advancing but appears helpless, Royce Gracie has mount at 1:17.

Gracie gets pushed off to side mount. Sakurai is working a sweep, but it goes nowhere. Gracie back to mount. Gracie tries a triangle, but isn't able to hold it. Another triangle attempt, nothing. Gracie is pushed back off to side mount at 2:47. Not a single punch has been thrown in the entire fight to this point. Talk about old school.

Sakurai tries a sweep, but Gracie regains mount, side mount, mount. They are really battling for position. Gracie back to side mount at 4:00. Still not a single punch has been thrown.

They continue to battle for position, Sakurai tries a sweep, nothing. Royce Gracie remains in side mount as the round draws to a close. NOT A SINGLE PUNCH OR KICK IN THE ENTIRE ROUND! THAT IS WHAT ROYCE GRACIE WILL DO TO YOU!

Round 2:

Royce Gracie shoots in immediately as the round starts, but Sakurai sprawls. Royce Gracie pulls guard and has full guard early in round 2.

Royce Gracie throws a triangle from the bottom, Sakurai slips out and advances to side mount. Sakurai lands several good punches from the top. Gracie tries a knee crank, nothing there, nice transition to a neck crank. Tight lock, he holds it for a few seconds before Sakurai is able to slip out. Sakurai fires knees to the side, but Gracie blocks them with his arm at 1:23.

Sakurai drives Gracie into the cage. Back to half guard and now full guard. Gracie tries a sweep, but can't quite get it going. KNEE BAR FROM GRACIE! SAKURAI IS TRYING DESPERATELY TO ESCAPE! He slips out and lands several big shots from the top. How about that sequence?

Gracie still has full guard and appears to be working an arm. He's looking for an arm bar? No he shifts, HE HAS A TRIANGLE! SAKURAI CAN'T FIGHT IT! He has no choice but to tap at 2:35. What a dominate performance by Royce Gracie. Maybe he still has something in his tank after all. The best part? He was never even hurt in that fight. He got hit maybe 5-6 times tops the entire fight. He appears to be in good shape health wise, but Georges St. Pierre may be the best welterweight in the world. What a fight that is going to be.

Winner: Royce Gracie (1-0)


BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz

Key to Victory:

Penn
*Look for the takedown, but don't be afraid of standing up with this guy.
*Be active on the ground. Look for the submission.
*Work fast and hard. You need to win this one quick.

Diaz
*Look to keep this one standing
*Load up for the big shot. You CAN drop BJ Penn
*You don't want to be on your back. If you find yourself in that position look for a sweep and protect yourself against the submission. He is very flexible and can throw them on you from anywhere.

Prediction:

Should be a good fight. Diaz needs to work on his sprawl more, there is no way he keeps this one standing. BJ Penn by submission in the second round.

Round 1:

Very slow start to fight. BJ Penn closes the gap and pushes Nick Diaz against the fence nearly forty seconds into the fight. BJ fires an uppercut that doesn't land and looks for the takedown. Single-leg and Nick Diaz is tumbled to the ground. He has full guard.

BJ drives Diaz into the fence, but he appears unable to pass the guard. Nice defense being shown by Nick Diaz here. BJ lands some nice punches from the top. Diaz works his way off the fence by landing some nice shots from the bottom.

BJ is finally able to pass to side mount at 2:11. BJ wants mount, AND HE HAS IT AT 2:25!

Back to side mount and a neck crank attempt for Diaz goes nowhere. BJ gets mount again at 2:52. Nice punches from the top. BJ LOCKS ON A TRIANGLE! IT LOOKS BRUTAL! Diaz is making funny noises, this is deep. IS HE OUT!?!?!? YES! HE IS COMPLETELY OUT COLD! THE REF JUMPS IN AND STOPS THE FIGHT AT 3:04! You have to hand it to Nick Diaz, he either has guts or he is just plain dumb. He would not tap out and finally goes unconscious in the triangle choke. Officially this will be ruled a KO, so Nick Diaz will be subject to a six month medical suspension.

Winner: BJ Penn (1-0)


Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez

Keys to Victory:

Hughes
*Throw him down, beat him about the head.
*Look for the shot early and often, otherwise he will look to take you down
*You don't want to be on the bottom, but if you get there don't panic. He will usually make a mistake while on top allowing you a chance to sweep him.

Sanchez
*Look for the shot. You are outclassed on your feet, and if he gets on top he will KYTFO
*Be active on the ground. If you get him down, you don't want to lose your hard earned position
*Lady luck. It is going to take heavy doses of luck to beat Matt Hughes. Hope he slips, trips, or just simply finds himself out of position.

Prediction:

I look for Matt Hughes to dominate this fight. He will win by stoppage in either the first or second rounds.

Round 1:

Both fighters come out slowly. Diego connects first, landing a solid jab to the body. Nice straight cross from Hughes. Hughes forces a clinch and lands side nice short shots to the body. Big elbow from Hughes, on the money.

Hughes bulls Sanchez into the cage. Diego slips free, but eats a straight cross. They trade low kicks at 2:34.

Nice jab from Hughes sets up a single-leg takedown. Nice sprawl by Diego, Hughes is on all fours momentarily but climbs back up to his feet. NICE QUICK JAB BY DIEGO STUNS MATT HUGHES! WHERE DID THAT POWER COME FROM? Diego follows up with a nice hook upstairs. Another clinch and Diego is now landing knees to the body.

Diego goes for a double-leg, but Matt Hughes is able to escape. Clinch, Hughes with some nice body shots from the inside. Hughes goes for a single-leg, but it is blocked and Diego pushes Hughes against the cage. Matt Hughes is scoring nicely from the inside with knees. HUGHES GOES UNDER AND HE HAS DIEGO'S BACK, but just three seconds left in the round. The buzzer sounds before Hughes is able to do anything of note.

You have to figure at some point in the second round one of them is going to be able to get a takedown.

Round 2:

They come out slowly, neither guy looks hurt. BIG OVERHAND RIGHT BY DIEGO! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! Matt Hughes is hurt again. Hughes is retreating. Diego catches him and lands a solid combination. Diego looks for a takedown, but shoots right into a gut shot that lands with a thud. That absolutely had to hurt.

Diego looks like he is about to get sick as Matt Hughes LANDS A BIG LEFT-RIGHT COMBINATION! DIEGO DROPS TO HIS KNEES AND THEN TUMBLES HEAD FIRST BACKWARDS! HE IS OUT COLD! What a great standing KO. It was all set up by that HUGE body shot. The official ruling is a KO at 1:36 of round 2.

Winner: Matt Hughes (1-0)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Semi-Finals (same night)

Georges St. Pierre vs. Royce Gracie

Keys to Victory:

St. Pierre
*Press the action, but be ready to sprawl
*Keep this one standing. You should own the stand-up.
*Power: Use your strength to take control

Gracie
*Take this to the ground
*Constant action from the top will be required. Use technique to sink a submission in deep
*Don't stand with him. He will eat you alive.

Prediction:

Georges St. Pierre with a stand-up KO in the first. Gracie's only chance is to take this one to the ground early.

Round 1:

And the fight starts. HUGE CROSS FROM ST. PIERRE! HE HAS GRACIE HURT JUST TEN SECONDS IN! HUGE FOLLOWUP FLURRY! GRACIE CRASHES TO MAT! MY OH MY WAS THAT EVER A QUICK KO! Georges St. Pierre wins by KO just 16 seconds into the first round.

Winner: Georges St. Pierre (2-0)


BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes

Keys to Victory:

Penn
*Finish this quick. If you win you have to face a fresh Georges St. Pierre
*Positioning. Positioning will affect this entire fight. I expect it to go to the ground early and often, you want to be on top
*Look for the submission. You can finish this with a quick submission.

Hughes
*You don't want this fight to last long. Come out quick, and look for the kill.
*Be active. You are the stronger fighter. Slam him to the ground
*Ground and pound. Stick to what you do best. After you slam him, pound him.

Prediction:

IMHO this should be the tournament finals. I think these are the two top welterweights in the world and this will probably go the distance. If I had to pick a winner I would say Matt Hughes, but only because he has a slightly better chance of winning this fight by stoppage.

Round 1:

Both fighters come out quick. Both swing, but neither can land anything. Hughes tries to force a clinch, but BJ is able to escape. Now BJ drives Hughes into the corner and delivers some nice knees to the body.

The fighters stay tied up and the ref says he wants to see more action at 1:23. At 1:30 the fighters are separated and the fight is restarted in the center of the ring.

Again, Penn drives Hughes into the cage. Penn looking for a takedown, OH HE'S GOT A DOUBLE-LEG AND PICKS HUGHES UP! LOOKS LIKE A SLAM! YES! HUGHES LOOKS SHAKEN UP BY THAT SLAM!

BJ Penn is in Matt Hughes' full guard. BJ is looking to improve his position and drives Hughes into the fence. Big shots from the top by BJ and he advances to half guard at 3:07.

BJ looks to be getting in position, yes, heel hook. Hughes is able to slip free and retain half guard. BJ Penn completely passes now to side mount. Back to half guard BJ tries a knee bar but loses top position in the process.

BJ Penn has full guard. BJ lands some punches from the bottom as Hughes passes to half guard. Only 14 seconds left, can Matt Hughes do anything here? Hughes gets a key-lock, but time is running out. Not a tight lock and BJ Penn slips out as time expires on the round.

Round 2:

Matt Hughes comes out for round two and immediately shoots in for a double-leg. Nice sprawl by BJ and Hughes is on all fours but quickly manages to climb back to his feet.

BJ forces a clinch and looks for a takedown. Matt Hughes looks for a headlock takedown, and has it at 0:56. BJ gets full guard.

Some serious time ticks off the clock as the two battle position. Finally Matt Hughes lands some punches from the top. Hughes to half guard but gets caught with a very nice neck crank. BJ works it for 5-6 seconds before Hughes is able to slip out.

BJ improves to full guard at 2:37. Hughes quickly back to half guard and then back to full guard again. Seems to be a chess match on the ground.

Hughes gets back to half guard and follows it up with nice punches from the top. Hughes tries more shots, but BJ is covering himself up nicely. Back to full guard and the ref warns of an impending standup. BJ is trying to wrap up Hughes as the ref issues another warning. Finally at 4:34 the ref delivers on his promise and this fight is once again brought to the feet.

BJ drives Hughes into the corner AND MANAGES TO GET HIS BACK! OH! The round ends just like that. It might not have seemed like a whole lot, but that was really a fascinating round to watch. I wouldn't even know how to begin to score it.

Round 3:

The two meet in the center of the octagon as the round starts and we have a clinch. Hughes tries for a duck-under takedown, but BJ pushes him back. I'm shocked, but BJ Penn really appears to be the stronger fighter here.

Still tied up and Matt Hughes drives BJ Penn into the cage. Accidental knee to the groin by Matt Hughes and that will draw a warning. BJ Penn is taken aside and given time to recover.

The action restarts at 0:57, BJ drives Hughes into the cage. Hughes with a cross, but it gets blocked. BJ backs off a little. Nice jab by Hughes lands scoring points. He follows it up with a nice combination and is able to get a double-leg takedown. This fight is headed back to the mat. BJ Penn has full guard.

Hughes drives Penn into the cage at 1:50. BJ is doing a good job of avoiding damage from the bottom tonight. BJ appears to be working for a sweep and lands some punches from the bottom. Hughes to half guard, back to full guard. BJ gets off the fence, but Hughes goes back to half guard and then to full guard again.

Matt Hughes has to be frustrated. He is getting schooled on the ground. BJ with a knee bar attempt, but it never even really gets started. There is really nothing Matt Hughes can do from the top, great defense being shown by BJ as he lands once again from the bottom.

Final minute of the fight. Hughes finally gets some offense, a couple of punches are able to get in. At 4:11 the ref orders a standup, something Matt Hughes should have done a long time ago.

BJ looks to his corner, BUT AS HE DOES HE GETS ROCKED! LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT ALL SMACK OFF THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD! HE LOOKS ROCKED! RIGHT CROSS! BJ GOES DOWN! Matt Hughes follows him down but BJ is able to pull guard. Just 14 seconds left, can BJ survive? If he does he has a good shot at this decision.

BIG SHOTS FROM THE TOP BY MATT HUGHES! BJ PENN IS IN ANOTHER WORLD! THE REF JUMPS IN! THAT IS THE END OF THE FIGHT! Could BJ Penn have been nine seconds away from fighting for the MMA World Welterweight Championship? We will never know as Matt Hughes wins by TKO at 4:51 of round number three.

Winner: Matt Hughes (2-0)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finals (same night)

Five Rounds for the MMA World Welterweight Championship

Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes

Keys to Victory:

St. Pierre
*You are fresher than he is. Use this to your advantage by coming out quick and setting a fast pace.
*Keep this standing up. Why go to the ground when you have the chance to bounce punches off a tired opponents head?
*Don't slip up. One mistake is all it takes against Matt Hughes.

Hughes
*Take him down early and often. He is fresher than you are. You need to lay on him and wear him down.
*Throw punches hard and often. You need to control the standup and when the fight goes to the ground you can really hurt him from the top if you are active.
*Heart: It is time to suck it up and go win the MMA World Welterweight Championship.

Prediction:

Who else? Georges St. Pierre has had more time to recover than Hughes and had a MUCH easier second fight. Georges St. Pierre by TKO in the 2nd.

Round 1:

The round starts off very slowly, Hughes fakes a takedown and St. Pierre misses with a cross. They feel each other out, BIG JAB-CROSS COMBINATION ROCKS ST. PIERRE! St. Pierre tries to force his way in close but eats a solid jab in the process.

St. Pierre with a jab followed by a nice low kick. St. Pierre drives Hughes into the cage. St. Pierre looks for a takedown, nothing there. They are still tied up as Hughes reverses position and now St. Pierre is up against the fence.

VICIOUS ELBOW REALLY HURTS ST. PIERRE! That one really messed his eye up. St. Pierre breaks free and lands a hook at 1:44.

Nice jab by St. Pierre, BUT HE GETS ROCKED AGAIN BY AN OVERHAND RIGHT! LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, ST. PIERRE GOES CRASHING DOWN! Hughes follows him down and St. Pierre has full guard at 2:10.

Matt Hughes drives St. Pierre up against the fence. Hughes is raining down punches from the top now. Another series of shots, how long can St. Pierre hold on? Hughes passes to half guard at 3:14. Hughes goes for a shin-lock. This is risky, if it doesn't finish the fight he may lose top position.

St. Pierre slips out and gains top position. Hughes has half guard. That was a huge mistake by Hughes. St. Pierre now has side mount. NICE SWEEP BY HUGHES! Hughes regains the top. WOW!

St. Pierre has full guard. Hughes drives St. Pierre up against the fence and lands some nice punches from the top. Hughes to half guard. He has 30 seconds to finish this. HUGE THREE PUNCH COMBO! FOLLOWED UP BY TWO MORE GOOD SHOTS! St. Pierre has to survive 15 seconds. Hughes with a hammer-lock, no, St. Pierre slips out as the round ends.

Domination by Matt Hughes. St. Pierre has nothing left, his corner has to jump in and help him back to the corner.

Round 2:

Georges St. Pierre doesn't look good. The ref calls for the fighters to leave their corners. It doesn't appear St. Pierre is going to be able to continue. His corner throws in the towel. Matt Hughes wins by TKO/Corner Stoppage. What a night of action.

Winner: Matt Hughes (3-0) He becomes the new MMA World Welterweight Champion.

[dubb93]

Wow, what a night of action last night as Matt Hughes claims the MMA World Welterweight Championship. We have an updated suspension and injury report to pass along to all of our fans:

Medical Suspensions:

Nick Diaz--6 months
Diego Sanchez--6 months
Royce Gracie--6 months
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic--4 months

Injuries:

Jeremy Horn--broken leg, out indefinitely
Andrei Arlovski--skull fracture, out indefinitely
Fedor Emelianenko--torn ankle ligaments 6 months

Our upcoming PPV picture is becoming a bit more clear. We will be coming to you live in April with the Light Heavyweight GP. This will be a one night, eight man tournament to declare the first ever MMA World Light Heavyweight Champion. First round match-ups are as follows:

Ricardo Arona
vs.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
vs.
Tito Ortiz

Forrest Griffin
vs.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Chuck Liddell
vs.
Wanderlei Silva

In May and June you can expect MMA 1 and MMA 2 live on PPV. The cards for these events are starting to shape up.

MMA 1

Main Event
MMA World Heavyweight Championship
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira(c)
vs.
Tim Sylvia

Jeff Monson
vs.
Aleksander Emelianenko

Frank Shamrock
vs.
Dan Henderson

MMA 2

Main Event
MMA World Middleweight Championship
Kazushi Sakuraba(c)
vs.
Rich Franklin

--credit MMA.com

[Poli]

Winner: Matt Hughes (3-0) He becomes the new MMA World Welterweight Champion.I was going to raise the BS flag if he wasn't.

[marshall881]

Nice to see Franklin get the rematch he deserved.

[Neon_Chaos]

8. Little Asian Man (to the tune of "Secret Asian Man", Neon_Chaos)


It's to the tune of "Secret Agent Man". :)

"Little Asian Man" Jackie Lee.

And don't go complaining about it not being PC, because I am a little asian man myself. :)

[ntndeacon]

It's to the tune of "Secret Agent Man". :)

"Little Asian Man" Jackie Lee.

And don't go complaining about it not being PC, because I am a little asian man myself. :)
Have they given you a number and taken 'Way your name?

[dubb93]

Here comes the start of the results. These will not be in-depth PBP/Round by Round like the other cards have been. For that I apologize. I've learned two things from this that will only improve my dynasty.

1. 7 card fights are way too much for me to re-cap in one day. Everything except for the LHW GP was a breeze. The LHW GP had two flaws that could happen to any card I run. First, with the exception of Tito vs. Rampage(which was fight of the year quality) EVERY FREAK'N FIGHT WAS HORRIBLE! Lay and pray, take the guy down and do nothing, the action re-starts, rinse and repeat. Also most of the fights ended up going the distance.

2. I am simply not reliably on this board enough on weekends to do anything. I even went as far as to set aside time for this today but friends showed up and just left around 3:00 AM. With that in mind I would not expect weekend results EVER! I may schedule a saturday show from time to time, but if things come up, and they are bound to, the show may be post-poned to Monday without notice.

Like I said, these quick result shows that are starting now WILL NOT BE THE NORM! Things have just come up, and I've set myself a Sunday deadline that I have no way of meeting if I post these the standard way. The LHW GP is going up now, with MMA 1, MMA 2, MMA 3, and "The Next Big MMA Star" intro following tomorrow.

"The Next Big MMA Star" will run from Monday-Saturday(okay, this will be my last weekend show, but only b/c I have a trip planned for the 23-27). After "The Next Big MMA Star" I will take a 1 week break for my trip and 21st birthday weekend. Also I believe I may have filled up the Heavyweight division tonight. They haven't sent in fighters, but two guys have expressed interest in joining.

[dubb93]

April 2006

MMA Light Heavyweight GP (PPV)

Single night tournament to declare first MMA World Light Heavyweight Champion. First round match-ups:

Ricardo Arona
vs.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
vs.
Tito Ortiz

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
vs.
Forrest Griffin

Chuck Liddell
vs.
Wanderlei Silva
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Renato “Babalu” Sobral over Ricardo Arona by unanimous decision(29-28 x3)

My Thoughts:

Ricardo Arona is not the type of fighter we are looking for in MMA. His style of taking the guy down and not doing anything makes him a tough fighter to beat, but he needs to be move active. Babalu obviously takes this fight, no doubt in my mind the right guy got the decision.


Tito Ortiz over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson by unanimous decision (30-28, 29-28 x2)

My Thoughts:

FIGHT OF THE YEAR! These guys beat the hell out of each other and really, either guy could have taken this fight without argument.


Mauricio "Shogun" Rua over Forrest Griffin by majority decision (29-28 x2, 29-29)

My Thoughts:

An OK, but not over exciting fight. I honestly have no clue who should have gotten the decision as it was very close. Expect these two to meet again in the not too distant future.


Chuck Liddell over Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision (30-26 x3)

My Thoughts:

Total domination by Chuck. He comes very close to stopping Wandy several times, but is unable to close the deal. Chuck looked like an absolute monster in this fight.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Semi-Finals (same night)

Renato "Babalu" Sobral over Tito Ortiz by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

My Thoughts:

Obviously a close fight, but was it brutal to watch. Tito took down Babalu throughout the fight and did little until he was stood up. Babalu dominates the standup and takes the fight.


Mauricio "Shogun" Rua over Chuck Liddell TKO referee stoppage, elbows from the mount at 4:17 of round 3

My Thoughts:

So not the way I envisioned this fight ending. The first two and first half of the third rounds are COMPLETELY dominated by Chuck Liddell, then around the three minute mark of round three Shogun gets a takedown, gets mount and finished the fight.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finals (same night)

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua over Renato "Babalu" Sobral "verbal submission" due to fatigue at 0:34 of round 2 to become MMA World Light Heavyweight Champion

My Thoughts:

Thank god this card is over. Not a single fight ends in round one. No highlight knockouts or submissions as everyone seemed to pace themselves. The LHW's did not bring it to this GP. If they expect to headline PPV's in the future they will need to step it up a notch. With that said, both of these guys were in bad shape for this fight. Babalu was a bloody mess before the fight even began, and just couldn't take anymore punishment, his body literally shut down on him. Good job Shogun!


I know this isn't the ideal format, and it is something I never envisioned this dynasty taking, but tomorrow will see the PPV's posted just like this. I'm truely sorry, but I will make it up to you during the TV show, I promise.

[dubb93]

Sitting down to improve fighters I have noticed exactly how unbalanced things are becoming. Therefore I am changing and improving the way I improve/make fighters worse.

Since some fighters have fought a years worth of fights in a month I feel it is unfair to improve them that much. They did work hard and win three fights, but to improve balance I am only improving them for two fights. Any fighter that failed the make the finals will only be subject to a 1 fight potential improvement.

Here are my new rules for improvement:

*Fighters between the ages 20-23 that are in MMA have a 20% chance of getting a +.5 boost to every stat at the start of each year.

*Fighters between the ages 24-27 have a 10% chance of getting a +.5 boost to every stat at the start of each year.

*Fighters between the ages of 28-31 are subject to neither a stat boost or rating decline at the start of each year.

*Fighters between the ages of 32-35 have a 10% chance getting -.5 to every stat.

*Fighters between the ages of 36-39 have a 20% chance of getting -.5 to every stat in the game.

*Fighters 40+ have a 50% chance of getting -.5 to every stat in use in the game.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Through fighting:

*Any fighter that wins a fight by stoppage through either TKO, KO, or submission stand a 50% chance of improving in the two most used stats during that fight. If the fight goes the distance there is also a 50% chance they will improve in conditioning.

*Any fighter that loses a fight by KO will stand a 50% chance of having their aggressiveness halved for the next fight they particpate in.

*Any fighter that loses a fight will stand a 33% chance of improving in their two stats that "failed" them during the fight. Thus if a fighter is dominated on his feet his can improve stand-up attributes, if it is on the ground, ground based attributes will improve. Also, any fight that goes the distance, the loser will stand a 33% chance of improving in conditioning.

*[Forgot to add first time]Any fighter that loses a fight but gets atleast one improvement will be suject to a 10% chance of getting -.5 to their to highest rated stats.

*[Forgot to add first time]Any fighter that recieves an injury that last over 6 months will be subject to a 10% chance of getting -.5 to conditioning stats. An injury lasting over 1 year brings this chance up to 20% and -.5 to all stats. Injuries over two years are subject to a 50% chance of losing -1.0 to conditioning stats with a seperate 50% chance of losing -1.0 to all stats in play.

[NOTE: All increases/decreases will be done in .5 increments]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think this standardized fighter development will improve overall fighter development in the game and make the dynasty more interesting. If I notice any more problems I reserve the right to make changes at anytime, but I will give notice in thread.

[Poli]

?

Let's get it on!

[dubb93]

?

Let's get it on!

LOL, nice to see you are ready. The first fights will be on Monday. Tonight, around 9 PM EST I will post a breakdown as well as predictions and teams. I will also be sending out PMs informing team captains to get back with me for a fight. We're close, not quite there yet, I'm still working to catch up on some past fights. Also after it offically starts you can begin pushing to get fights or what have you from the team captains(which will be kept private and away from any fight that their fighter may have an interest in for integrities sake.)

[Poli]

GAH!! BOO!!

[dubb93]

Word out of Washington is that new Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua's rib injury suffered last night was more severe than origionally thought. He will most likely miss his scheduled title defense in August at MMA 4 against Babalu. This fight has been pushed back and confirmed for MMA 5 in September.

Rumor has it, a heavyweight championship fight will take its place in August. Expect the winner between Minotauro and Sylvia to defend the title against the winner of Monson and Emelianenko. In a perfect world MMA could build up Aleksander trying to get revenge on Minotauro for putting his brother out of action with an ankle injury. Check back often for more rumors and reports. Onto newly confirmed MMA cards.

MMA 1

Main Event
MMA World Heavyweight Championship
Minotauro(c) vs. Tim Sylvia

Frank Shamrock vs. Dan Henderson

Jeff Monson vs. Aleksander Emelianenko

Hayato Sakurai vs. Frank Trigg

Chris Leben vs. Joe Riggs

Sean Sherk vs. Akiri KiKuchi

David Loiseau vs. Dean Lister

MMA 2
Main Event
MMA World Middleweight Championship
Kazushi Sakuraba(c) vs. Rich Franklin

Georges St. Pierre vs. Karo Parisyan

Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

Ricardo Arona vs. Stephan Bonner

Frank Mir vs. Fabricio Werdum

Renato Verissimo vs. Josh Koscheck

MMA 3
Main Event
MMA World Welterweight Championship
Matt Hughes(c) vs. BJ Penn

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Paul Buentello

Bob Sapp vs. Tra Telligmen

Matt Lindland vs. Evan Tanner

Alistair Overeem vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua

Joe Doerksen vs. Murilo Bustamonte

--credit MMA.com

[dubb93]

May 2006

MMA 1 (PPV)

Main Event
MMA World Heavyweight Championship
Minotauro(c) vs. Tim Sylvia

Frank Shamrock vs. Dan Henderson

Jeff Monson vs. Aleksander Emelianenko

Hayato Sakurai vs. Frank Trigg

Chris Leben vs. Joe Riggs

Sean Sherk vs. Akiri KiKuchi

David Loiseau vs. Dean Lister
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prelim fights:

David Loiseau over Dean Lister by majority decision (30-28, 29-28, 28-28)

Sean Sherk over Akiri Kikuchi by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Chris Leben over Joe Riggs by submission due to an arm triangle choke at 2:40 of round 3.

Main Card:

Frank Trigg over Hayato Sakurai by TKO/Ref stoppage/punches from the guard at 2:05 of round 3.

Aleksander Emelianenko over Jeff Monson by TKO/Ref stoppage/standing punches at 3:33 of round 2.

Dan Henderson defeats Frank Shamrock by medical stoppage/cut at 1:14 of round 1.

Tim Sylvia pulls the upset of the century and defeats Minotauro by KO/series of punches at 1:21 of round 1 to become the new MMA World Heavyweight Champion. HOLY CRAP!

[dubb93]

June 2006

MMA 2 (PPV)

Main Event
MMA World Middleweight Championship
Kazushi Sakuraba(c) vs. Rich Franklin

Georges St. Pierre vs. Karo Parisyan

Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

Ricardo Arona vs. Stephan Bonner

Frank Mir vs. Fabricio Werdum

Renato Verissimo vs. Josh Koscheck
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prelim Fights:

Renato Verrissimo over Josh Koscheck by unanimous decision. (30-27 x3)

Frank Mir over Fabricio Werdum by submission/arm bar at 1:08 of round 1.

Stephan Bonner over Ricardo Arona by KO/overhand right at 3:33 of round 3

Main Card:

Wanderlei Silva over Vitor Belfort by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

Forrest Griffin over Quinton “Rampage Jackson by TKO/referee stoppage/punches from mount at 2:34 of round 3.

Georges St. Pierre over Karo Parisyan by TKO/corner stoppage between rounds 1 and 2.

Kazushi Sakuraba over Rich Franklin by submission/key lock at 2:51 of round 3 to retain MMA World Middleweight Championship.

[Poli]

Cough...

Get to the good stuff!

[dubb93]

[NOTE: This board is seriously bugging out in this thread for some reason. I just had 3 post #32 until I refreshed it, what gives?].

[Poli]

It puts the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose!

[dubb93]

July 2006

MMA 3 (PPV)

Main Event
MMA World Welterweight Championship
Matt Hughes(c) vs. BJ Penn

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Paul Buentello

Bob Sapp vs. Tra Telligmen

Matt Lindland vs. Evan Tanner

Alistair Overeem vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua

Joe Doerksen vs. Murilo Bustamonte
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prelim Fights:

Murilo Bustamonte over Joe Doerksen by KO/jab at 3:16 of round 1.

Alistair Overeem over Murilo “Ninja” Rua by KO/short uppercut at 4:29 of round 3.

Matt Lindland over Evan Tanner by TKO/referee stoppage/punches from side mount at 1:54 of round 1.

Main Card:

Tra Telligman over Bob Sapp by TKO/referee stoppage/short uppercut at 4:43 of round 1.

Sergei Kharitonov over Paul Buentello by KO/series of punches at 3:31 of round 3.

Chuck Liddell over Tito Ortiz by TKO/referee stoppage/overhand right at 1:54 of round 3.

BJ Penn over Matt Hughes by submission/key lock at 4:28 of round 3 to become new MMA World Welterweight Champion.

[dubb93]

This just in....Jason Pugh was involved in a serious foot in ass accident yesterday while watching the Power Rangers. It appears he has been eliminated from competition before it even starts.

----credit MMA.com

[JeffNights]

It puts the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose!


"I'll break your dogs leg mister I swear I will!"

[Poli]

Dubb was swept away by a tornado while wearing ruby slippers. He was quoted as saying, "There's no place like home...there's no place like home."

No word yet if he will continue to be a panzy if and when he is found.

----credit MMA.comWord.

[dubb93]

Working on "New Next Big MMA Star" intro and finalizing teams, selecting captains and finalizing stats as we speak. I also have to go heat up the woman some food :). Should be up around 9ish, maybe a half hour later or so. Quit being a woman Ardent and go yell at some drunk sailors.

[Poli]

It's Easter. They're looking for eggs right now.

[dubb93]

“The Next Big MMA Star”

You all gather around and find yourselves to number 14, instead of the expected 16. Dubb93 enters the training room and begins to speak...

“We currently only have six heavyweights, however, we will be adding two more by the time you guys fight your first fight. We will divide up into two teams, but first let me introduce your coaches Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn.”

:Severn and Shamrock enter the room.:

“Unlike other MMA reality TV shows, we aren't going to let the coaches work you out first. That would be too easy, hope you guys cleaned up today because you are being picked based on first impressions. First we are picking Welterweights. Dan, you won the coin toss minutes ago, you pick first.

PICK 1:

Team Severn: "The Little Asian Man" Jackie Lee (Neon_chaos)

PICK 2:

Team Shamrock: Miles Esterhaus (NTNDeacon)

PICK 3:

Team Severn: Jace Hunter (Travis)

PICK 4:

Team Shamrock: Lucas Black (hoopsguy)

PICK 5:

Team Severn: Jason Pugh (Ardent_enthusiast)

PICK 6:

Team Shamrock: Dan "The Vampire" Boyer (tberg420)

PICK 7:

Team Severn: Moses Keane (marshall881)

PICK 8:

Team Shamrock: Bladed Doom (Blade6119)


“Now we will pick the heavyweights. One spot is reserved on each team for the two new guys that will be arriving late. We will reverse order and Ken Shamrock gets the first pick.

PICK 1:

Team Shamrock: Ace Idol (BYU 14)

PICK 2:

Team Severn: Owen Hunter (Sublime 2)

PICK 3:

Team Shamrock: Jeff Riddle (JeffNights)

PICK 4:

Team Severn: Rob 'Java' Nielsen (CoffeeWarlord)

PICK 5:

Team Shamrock: Koloski “the Polish” Hammer (astrofans64)

PICK 6:

Team Severn: Tomas "TKO" Ortega (Ram)

“OK, we will be keeping the two groups separate. Each night there will be two fights. The winning team gets to pick the next fight in each weight division. Each weight division will operate separate from the other. Also, each fighter must fight once in each round. Thus, if you win your first fight you are automatically in the semi-finals, and if you win the semi-final fight you automatically advance to MMA Live on Spike TV. Team Shamrock gets to pick the first Welterweight fight, while Team Severn will be picking the first Heavyweight fight. Have fun guys and good luck.”


TEAM SEVERN:

Welterweights:

"The Little Asian Man" Jackie Lee (Neon_chaos)
Jace Hunter (Travis)
Jason Pugh (Ardent enthusiast)
Moses Keane (marshall881)

Heavyweights:

Owen Hunter (Sublime 2)
Rob 'Java' Nielsen (CoffeeWarlord)
Tomas "TKO" Ortega (Ram)

TEAM SHAMROCK:

Welterweights:

Miles Esterhaus (NTNDeacon)
Lucas Black (hoopsguy)
Dan "The Vampire" Boyer (tberg420)
Bladed Doom (Blade6119)

Heavyweights:

Ace Idol (BYU 14)
Jeff Riddle (JeffNights)
Koloski “the Polish” Hammer (astrofans64)

Captains need to keep their role private. I don't want the integrity of the game compromised. Keep in mind that no one has been made captain and put in a situation where they can control who their fighter fights. Captain PMs are being sent out.

[NOTE: These picks were not random, they are based on my best guess of how each guy will do in the competition. Also exact scouting reports have been delayed until noon tomorrow. I still have two guys who have a noon deadline if they want in. At that point the scouting reports will be posted and the captains will be asked to send in fights.]

[dubb93]

First fights Monday, 8PM EST. Captains, please send in fights by 5PM EST.

[dubb93]

I've already had fights sent in. I can't say this enough. Take a look at the scouting reports and make your decision based off of that. They will be up tomorrow. Some fighters are a bad match-up for each other, heck look at Minotauro vs. Sylvia I posted today. Minotauro's overal rating was 102 going into the fight, Sylvia's was 48. I promise there won't be anything close to that big of a difference between fighters in this tournament.

The difference between the two fighters? Minotauro's chin was just average and Sylvia can throw a punch. All it took was one shot. Bottomline, scouting reports are going to tell you a heck of a lot more than where someone was drafted.

[Poli]

Let's get it on!

[marshall881]

Moses will make everyone forget he was one of the last one's selected!!!

[astrosfan64]

I am the Hammer. The Hammer will punish you.

[Neon_Chaos]

"There's a man who pedals into danger...
...if you eat Chinese food, this man's no stranger...
...your head his feet will knock...
...and then he'll say you suck...
...the man will risk his life to be champion...
...LITTLE ASIAN MAN, LITTLE ASIAN MAN...
...YOU JUST MIGHT GET RUN OVER, BY THE LITTLE ASIAN MAN!"

Bring it on, baby.

[Blade6119]

I was drafted last...damn im going to suck

[Travis]

I was drafted last...damn im going to suck

But look on the bright side, barring a massive beatdown, your guy shouldn't be killed at any point during this dynasty...

[tberg420]

Did someone mention sucking? Because if anyone is going to suck, it's going to be Dan "The Vampire" Boyer.

[dubb93]

Was planning on upping scouting reports much sooner, but when you are on the floor of a PCU unit and no one relieves you when they are supposed to you can't exactly leave patients uncared for. I'm in the process of upping a condensed version ASAP! Later tonight or tomorrow I'll work on a more complete version.

[dubb93]

Condensed Scouting Reports:

Heavyweights:

Team Shamrock:

Ace Idol (BYU 14)

*A well rounded fighter, but he really thrives on the ground.
*Many MMA experts have cried "overrated" ever since he went number one. Their claim? He has no standup and relies too much on the ground game. However his takedowns are sub-par.
*Say what you want about this guy, he's still my pick to win this thing, he may have trouble getting you to the ground, but if he does get you down there it is lights out.

Jeff Riddle (JeffNights)

*Very strong standup striker. However, for a guy with great takedowns and world class ground and pound he may spend too much time throwing bombs standing up.
*Not very aggressive and may lack a strong killer instinct needed form a great standup puncher.
*No sprawl, but it is ok. He isn't horrible on the ground, but some of the better ground guys may be able to give him trouble.
*VERY SLOW! And he's useless from the clinch to boot.

Koloski “the Polish” Hammer (astrofans64)

*A very confusing fighter.
*Probably the strongest fighter and the best standup punching ability in the contest.
*Great G'N'P without the ability to really get a guy to the ground, or improve his position to help his punches.
*Horribly conditioned and to make matters worse he wastes too much energy doing mundane things in the octagon.
*Not a smart fighter, but hey, atleast he's as tough as nails.

Steve "BEES!?!?!?!" Breeze (dubb93)

*Absolutely no standup or ground game at all.

Team Severn

Owen Hunter (Sublime 2)

*Possibly the most well balanced Heavyweight in the tournament, with both good standup and the ability already to take down the top heavyweights in the world
*Top heavyweight strikers could give him some problems, but if they don't have a good sprawl don't bother. Key word in there is could, this guy is still a monster on his feet.
*Good at takedowns and improving his position on the ground, but my main problem with Owen is how is he going to finish a fight? His submissions are a joke, and his ground and pound sloppy at best.

Rob 'Java' Nielsen (CoffeeWarlord)

*A nice strong kicker, with good takedowns
*Ground and pound is world class, but he doesn't look to get to the ground often enough. If he would actively take fights to the ground he would be the favorite. He can absolutely G'N'P anyone.
*I guess I can over look the fact that he doesn't look to get to the ground when you consider he is BY FAR the fastest heavyweight in this, and he throws lightening quick low kicks that really take out the oppositions legs.
*As far as pure talent, Rob is as talented as they come, but his two main flaws really manifest themselves and keep him from being a true favorite. He's very poorly conditioned and he has no chin. Many expects say, "Oh, the guy with the quick feet? Yea he's good, but if you hit him he goes away."

Tomas "TKO" Ortega (Ram)

*Extremely big, strong, powerful striker that actively looks for punches and to finish the fight. You can't standup with this guy or it could be lights out.
*Is very well conditioned. Has no problems going 3 rounds and throwing punches the entire way.
*While not as slow as some of the other guys, he still isn't very fast and he overly wastes energy in the ring. Not a smart fighter.
*His sprawl is horrible and to make matters worse he has absolutely no ground game.

Dan "The Trash Man" Gand (dubb93)

*Absolutely no standup or ground game.

EDIT: Typos, accidently cited 'Java' as slow when that couldn't be further from the truth.

[dubb93]

Welterweights

TEAM SEVERN:

"The Little Asian Man" Jackie Lee (Neon_chaos)

*Very well rounded. Can go anything.
*Expert powerful accurate kicks with a great killer instinct. He is very aggressive.
*Average sprawl and ground game. He may struggle on the ground against the best, but can hold his own for the most part.
*Average conditioning.
*Average speed.
*Doesn't like to fight from the clinch at all, but if it is forced on him he can hold his own.
*Average takedowns.

Jace Hunter (Travis)

*Looks to take you down and tap you out. Has very good takedowns and submissions. Could give alot of guys trouble.
*Standup is WAY below average. This guy can't punch or kick and he's not very aggressive.
*Not well conditioned and has a horrible sprawl. He can live without a sprawl, because you wouldn't want to take this guy down anyway.
*Very tough, with good heart. He'll just keep on coming.

Jason Pugh (Ardent enthusiast)

*Best puncher in the Welterweight division. Well conditioned.
*No killer instinct, no real KO power, and not very aggressive.
*Has a good takedown, but has horrible submissions and no G'N'P.
*Awful sprawl.
*Dominate from the clinch, I just wish he didn't like to stand back and trade punches.

Moses Keane (marshall881)

*Great standup puncher, good at takedowns and the ground and pound.
*Well conditioned, dominate from the clinch.
*Not aggressive, no killer instinct, wastes alot of energy in the octagon, no submissions, awful sprawl, poor at passing guard.

TEAM SHAMROCK:

Miles Esterhaus (NTNDeacon)

*Very well rounded, no real weaknesses.
*Great killer instinct.
*Miles does it all, and does it all pretty well. He is really a jack of all trades, master of none type of guy. If you want to bang with him, he'll take you down. If you want to go to the ground he will fight you standing up.
*Very well conditioned.

Lucas Black (hoopsguy)

*Dominate on the ground. Has good takedowns, passes the guard with ease, is good at ground and pound and can throw submissions.
*No standup AT ALL. If he stays on his feet he will go to sleep. End of story.
*Not conditioned very well and wastes loads of energy as a result of poor technique.
*Uber-Aggressive. Leave one opening and he will attack it.
*Holds his own from the clinch.

Dan "The Vampire" Boyer (tberg420)

*Good, greatly conditioned striker that is dominate from the clinch. Uses the clinch well when he fights.
*Slow for a Welterweight.
*Good sprawl, good at the ground and pound. He won't tap you out.
*Tough fighter. Shows alot of heart.
*Not really a smart fighter and he wastes more energy than you'd like to see him waste in the octagon.

Bladed Doom (Blade6119)

*Could suprise some people. He is really good at some things, and really poor at others.
*Looks to wrestle first, and fight second. On the ground he can be really good with good takedowns and submissions. He passes the guard with ease.
*Superb conditioning.
*Very fast.
*2nd Worst standup in the competition. Second only to Lucas Black. Unlike Lucas, he doesn't have the complete ground game to make up for it. Can't punch or kick and is not aggresive. If he has one thing going for him here it is his killer instinct, but if you can't throw a punch it won't matter.
*Awful sprawl, but he wants the fight on the ground.
*Not good at all from the clinch.
*Ground and pound is no better than average.

EDIT: Typos.

[dubb93]

Still working on scouting reports, deadline to get fights to me has been moved back to 8PM EST as a result of me having to work overtime today and getting this up late.

[dubb93]

Scouting reports finished. Get fights to me, fighters, if you want to fight someone now is the time to tell your captain in the thread.

[hoopsguy]

I'll dispatch Jace Hunter before moving on to the rest of Team Severn.

[dubb93]

The Next Big MMA Star episode 1

All 14 fighters gather in the training room as the show comes on the air. Dubb93 begins to speak.

“We have two new fighters to welcome to the show tonight, here are heavyweights Dan "The Trash Man" Gand and Steve "BEES!?!?!?!" Breeze. Dan will join team Severn, while Steve will be joining Team Shamrock.”

:The fighters appear to be throughly unimpressed. Typical training is shown, with no real drama. The fighters are called back to the training room to announce fights:

“We will have two fights tonight. They will be three rounds, with a forth round being fought if the fight is ruled a draw. Here is Dan Severn to announce the heavyweight elimination fight.”

“Representing Team Severn will be Owen Hunter. He will be taking on Steve "BEES!?!?!?!" Breeze.”

Dubb93 speaks again, “Thanks Dan, now it is up to you, Ken, to decide the welterweight showdown.”

Ken Shamrock looks the fighters over and begins to speak. “We will be sending our number one fighter, Miles Esterhaus out there to fight Moses Keane.”

Ken looks at Dubb93, and Dubb93 begins to talk, “Thanks guys, remember if you win tonight you advance to the semi-finals. Lose and you will be sent home immediately. Good luck.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavyweight Elimination Fight

Owen Hunter

Height: 6'6

Weight: 240 lbs

Age: 23

vs.

Steve "BEES!?!?!?!" Breeze

Height: 5'7

Weight: 340 lbs

Age: 42

Round 1:

I look for this to be a quick fight. Breeze is in way over his head. Hunter comes out quick. JUST SIX SECONDS IN HE LANDS A HUGE UPPERCUT! BREEZE IS HURT! HE CRASHES TO MAT! THIS FIGHT IS OVER!

Who wants to fight Owen Hunter after that display? He wins by KO as the result of an uppercut at 0:06 of round number one.

Winner: Owen Hunter

Team Severn retains control of heavyweight match-ups. Send in a fight by 2PM EST Tuesday.


Welterweight Elimination Fight

Miles Esterhaus

Height: 5'10

Weight: 170

Age: 21

vs.

Moses Keane

Height: 5'10

Weight: 170

Age: 33

Round 1:

Smart money says Esterhaus takes Keane to the ground and wins the fight. If Esterhaus decides to fight on his feet he could be in for a long fight that could go either way.

The fighters come out slow. Esterhaus fires a jab, Keane ducks and forces a clinch. Keane lands a solid uppercut from the inside. Esterhaus breaks free from the clinch at 0:25.

Esterhaus fires a hook, can't land it and Keane forces another clinch. It is obvious his gameplan is to fight this one from the inside. Keane looks for a body shot, but Esterhaus is defending himself well. Keane breaks the clinch this time at 0:50.

The fighters measure each other up and Esterhaus lands a solid kick to the body. Keane tries for a clinch but gets caught with a nice jab. Keane finally gets his clinch and begins to land knees to Esterhaus's legs. Fighters stay tied up a while and Esterhaus frees himself at 2:05.

Keane drives Esterhaus into the cage and takes him down with a double-leg. I don't understand why he would want to take this fight to the ground. He was handling himself quite well on his feet.

Esterhaus has full guard. Esterhaus works on a sweep, as Keane appears to be stalling on top. Esterhaus grabs a leg, but eats solid shots from the top. Esterhaus sweeps and gets top position at 2:50.

Keane is trying to stand up. ESTHERHAUS HAS HIS BACK! Keane stands up, Esterhaus still has back. Nice knees from Esterhaus, he appears to be trying to get his hooks in. NO! Keane breaks free at 3:18.

Keane comes forward and forces a clinch, he lands solid knees to the body. Keane drives Esterhaus into the fence. Fighters still tied up, as they appear to be stalling. The ref wants to see more action at 4:00.

The fight is restarted at 4:06 in the center of the octagon. Esterhaus forces Keane into the cage and lands a short right hand from the inside. Keane comes back with a knee to the body. Ten seconds left, another nice knee by Keane as the round ends.

I would actually have to give that round to Moses Keane.

Round 2:

Neither fighter is hurt as round two starts. Keane drives Esterhaus into the corner and looks for a takedown. Keane backs off and Esterhaus lands a nice low kick. Esterhaus with a cross, low kick combination, neither land. Keane forces another clinch at 0:38.

HUGE KNEE STRIKE TO THE BODY BY MOSES KEANE! ESTERHAUS HAS THE WIND KNOCKED OUT OF HIM! HUGE FOLLOWUP COMBO BY KEANE! Keane drives Esterhaus into the cage at 1:04.

Keane goes for a single-leg takedown, Esterhaus defends and breaks free from the clinch. Keane looks for another single-leg takedown, Esterhaus is able to push him back and defend it well. Another clinch and Keane is able to force Esterhaus into the cage at 2:16.

Nothing happens and the ref restarts the action at 2:39. Keane once again drives Esterhaus into the cage. Esterhaus appears to be unable to defend it. He's not scoring octagon control points, thats for sure. Nice knees by Keane. Esterhaus is able to break free at 2:48.

Esterhaus shoots in and HAS A SINGLE-LEG! Keane is tumbled to the ground. ESTHERHAUS HAS FULL MOUNT! He drives Keane up into the fence, this is not good for Moses Keane. Big elbows land from the top for Esterhaus. HUGE COMBINATION! MOSES KEANE MAY BE OUT! ANOTHER BIG COMBINATION FROM THE TOP BY MILES ESTERHAUS! THE REF JUMPS IN, THIS FIGHT IS OVER!

Miles Esterhaus wins at 3:37 of round number two by TKO/Referee stoppage/punches from mount. What a comeback. I really thought Moses Keane was going to pull the upset after his impressive first round.

Winner: Miles Esterhaus

Team Shamrock retains control of Welterweight match-ups. Send in a fight by 2PM EST Tuesday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TEAM SEVERN:

Welterweights:

"The Little Asian Man" Jackie Lee (Neon_chaos)
Jace Hunter (Travis)
Jason Pugh (Ardent enthusiast)

Heavyweights:

Owen Hunter (Sublime 2)--advances to semi-finals
Rob 'Java' Nielsen (CoffeeWarlord)
Tomas "TKO" Ortega (Ram)
Dan "The Trash Man" Gand

TEAM SHAMROCK:

Welterweights:

Miles Esterhaus (NTNDeacon)--advances to semi-finals
Lucas Black (hoopsguy)
Dan "The Vampire" Boyer (tberg420)
Bladed Doom (Blade6119)

Heavyweights:

Ace Idol (BYU 14)
Jeff Riddle (JeffNights)
Koloski “the Polish” Hammer (astrofans64)

Eliminated:

Welterweight:

Moses Keane (marshall881)

Heavyweight:

Steve "BEES!?!?!?!" Breeze

[marshall881]

Keane had him rocked, but could not seal the deal.

Nice write up. This should be a great dynasty.

[dubb93]

Keane had him rocked, but could not seal the deal.

Nice write up. This should be a great dynasty.

I hope, and don't forget, you aren't exactly done if you don't want to be. Keane still has a shot at working his way onto the active roster, and if he fails, learn from your mistakes and send in a new fighter next year.

[Sublime 2]

Whooo Baby! The 6 Second killer, OWEN HUNTER!!

[BYU 14]

Ground and pound Baby, I am going to have Severn's Guys on their backs more than Paris Hilton!!!

[marshall881]

Keane is anxious to get another shot at the Finale of the show.
He won't fail a second time.

[dubb93]

please get fights to me ASAP!

[Travis]

You talk big Lucas, it'll be fun to hear you say "uncle".

I'm ready to go coach.

[dubb93]

still waiting on a fight.....

[astrosfan64]

I don't understand what I'm supposed to do. Am I supposed to send you something if I want to fight somone. da polish hammer wants fight. But da polish hammer don't know whut to do to get em one.

[dubb93]

I don't understand what I'm supposed to do. Am I supposed to send you something if I want to fight somone. da polish hammer wants fight. But da polish hammer don't know whut to do to get em one.

Good to know. The fights will be up pretty late tonight. I was hoping to do them around 2-3, but just now got the 2nd fight in. For those that want to know the fights will be Koloski “the Polish” Hammer vs. Rob Nielsen and Jace hunter vs. dan the vampire boyer. Don't expect an update anytime before 11-11:30.

[Coffee Warlord]

Rob Nielsen shall WIN!

[dubb93]

The Next Big MMA Star Episode 1

:The show begins the same exact way the previous show ended. Miles Esterhaus is in the ring with his arms raised in victory. Cut to Dubb93 in his office:

“Two really surprising fights kicked off the first season of this show. First, who would have predicted Owen Hunter to win by knockout in just six seconds? Second, everyone expected Miles Esterhaus to win easily, but Moses Keane really kicked the shit out of him. One takedown that gave him mount the was the difference in the fight. If those two were to fight again, I think Moses Keane knocks him out.”

:The fighters are shown training and hanging out in the house. Dan Severn approaches Rob Nielson and we cut to the training room:

Dubb93 begins to speak. “Two of you have already been sent home. We gather here again today to make two more fights. If you are selected to fight you better be ready to go in there and leave with no regrets. Moses Keane was defeated, but he has nothing to be ashamed of. He fought his ass off, and I think we all know damn well he has no regrets. There was nothing more he could have done. Now onto the heavyweight matchup. Team Severn gets to make the fight.”

Dan Severn begins to speak, “We will be sending Rob 'Java' Nielson out to fight Koloski “The Polish” Hammer.”

:Team Severn looks shocked as does Dubb93 and Ken Shamrock:

After a long silence, Dubb93 speaks again, “Ken, now you get to make the welterweight fight.”

Ken Shamrock begins to speak, “We are going to matchup Dan Boyer against Jace Hunter.”

:Both Dan and Jace appear completely confident:

Dubb93 speaks again, “The fights have been set, prepare. I can't say that enough. No regrets. The winners will advance to the semi-finals and the losers will be sent home immediately. Good luck.”

:Team Severn members talk about being in shock that Dan Severn would throw Java to the wolves and match him up against the one guy that can really take advantage of his chin. They sound very upset. Both teams are happy with the welterweight match-up and both think their fighter will take it. Now we get ready for the fights:

Heavyweight Elimination Fight

Koloski “the Polish” Hammer

Height: 6'2

Weight: 264lbs

Age: 31

vs.

Rob 'Java' Nielsen

Height: 6'3

Weight: 210lbs

Age: 33

Round 1:

Wow, what a bad match-up for Java. His weakness is his chin, and if anyone is going to hit him hard it will be Koloski. Java has more pure talent and should win this fight, but Koloski has even more of a punchers chance than he would against anyone else in the competition.

The fight starts out slow. Koloski forces a clinch. He will look to use his strength to wear down Java. Koloski lands a nice hard shot to the body and then drives Java into the cage. Java is able to escape at 0:48.

Quick leg kick by Java. Koloski tries to get in punching distance, but Java lands another good leg kick. Leg kick blocked and Koloski lands a nice counter jab. Koloski tries to force a clinch, but can't catch the much faster Java.

Java lands another nice leg kick. This is his bread and butter, if he keeps landing this it won't be long before Koloski isn't moving very well. Another low leg kick scores cleanly. Java drives the weakened Koloski into the cage and searches for a double-leg takedown. Nice sprawl by Koloski, Java is forced to pull guard. He has half guard at 1:21.

Java tries a neck crank, Koloski slips out after a few seconds. Another neck crank attempt, nothing. Koloski needs to get active. Java improves to full guard. Nice series of shots land from the top by Koloski. Java tries another neck crank, IT LOOKS DEEP! KOLOSKI IS FIGHTING IT, OH HE JUST IS ABLE TO SLIP OUT!

KOLOSKI COMES RIGHT BACK, HUGE PUNCHES FROM THE TOP! JAVA IS NOW RATTLED! Koloski drives Java into the fence. Java tries to grab a leg, but he can't quite get it. Another neck crank attempt, nothing. I can't believe Koloski didn't follow up when he had Java hurt. It now looks as if his opportunity slipped away at 2:11.

Java still has full guard, OH MY GOD! WHAT A SHOT FROM THE TOP BY KOLOSKI! NIELSON IS FINISHED! THE REF JUMPS IN AND STOPS THE FIGHT AT 2:15! Will this one be scored a KO? No, looks like a TKO/referee stoppage/straight right from full guard.

How strong is Koloski if he can land a right hand from FULL GUARD and stop somebody? Prehaps next time we see Java he will be fighting at light heavyweight.

Winner: Koloski “The Polish” Hammer

Team Shamrock takes control of heavyweight match-ups. Send in fight by 5:00 PM EST Wednesday


Welterweight Elimination Fight

Jace Hunter

Height: 6'0

Weight: 170

Age: 29

vs.

Dan “The Vampire” Boyer

Height: 5'10

Weight: 169

Age: 23

Round 1:

The fight starts out VERY slow. Finally after nearly thirty full seconds Boyer strikes first landing a nice low kick. Jace Hunter, not fazed by the kick, jumps in quick and drives Boyer into the cage. BOYER GIVES UP HIS BACK! HUNTER HAS A BELLY TO BACK CLINCH! BOYER IS ABLE TO ESCAPE! That was close.

Now Boyer comes in quick and drives Jace Hunter into the cage. Solid elbow lands for “The Vampire”, but Hunter comes right back with a nice uppercut. Hunter is able to escape at 1:02.

HUGE JAB LANDS FOR BOYER! JACE HUNTER LOOKS SERIOUSLY HURT! Boyer drives him into the cage. Can he finish this fight? Nice body shot lands for Boyer. What a cheap headbutt by Hunter! That one could really change the outcome of the fight. The ref separates the two fighters and gives Boyer time to recover. He also gives Jace Hunter an official warning. That was really a cheap move because Jace was nearly out, and with one cheap shot he is given time to recover.

It looks like that headbutt busted Dan “The Vampire” Boyer open on his forehead. Will that become a factor in this fight? If the fight is stopped as a result of that cut, Jace Hunter will win.

The action restarts. Boyer grabs Hunter in a clinch and goes for a knee to the head. Can't quite connect. And just like that “The Vampire” breaks the clinch. Now Jace Hunter forces the clinch and lands a nice uppercut from inside. “The Vampire” shoots in, and he has a leg sweep takedown. Jace Hunter has full guard at 1:45.

Hunter tries a neck crank, nothing there. He is very dangerous on the ground with submissions. Boyer would be smart to stand up. Hunter lands some nice shots to the head from the bottom. Jace Hunter grabs a leg and goes for a toe hold, Boyer slips out and both fighters get to their feet. Back in “The Vampire's” world.

Jace Hunter tries to force a clinch, no, but he is able to land a nice jab. Boyer fires a hook, it misses wildly, but Hunter lands a nice cross. Clinch, Boyer tries to land some knees, but they are all blocked. Hunter breaks free and misses with a cross.

Another clinch, Jace Hunter tries a head-lock takedown, no, “The Vampire” slips out. Still in the clinch, nice body shots land for Hunter. Jace Hunter now shoots in for a single-leg, Boyer defends it nicely. Another single-leg try, still can't get it. Jace Hunter really wants a takedown, but “The Vampire” refuses to be taken down.

Jace Hunter breaks the clinch and lands a nice hook. Boyer fakes with the left and lands a solid uppercut with the right. “The Vampire” tries to move to the inside, but gets hit with a nice leg kick. Jace Hunter looks like he is ready to shoot, but instead settles on a leg kick. He appears to be trying to weaken the legs of “The Vampire” in order to make the takedown easier.

Now Boyer lands a solid leg kick. He's giving Hunter a taste of his own medicine. “The Vampire” tries to get on the inside, nice jab by Hunter. Another jab lands for Jace Hunter and if he can continue to use the jab this well he could take control of the standup battle.

Final minute of the round. Jace Hunter lands a nice cross and moves to the inside where he follows it up with a nice body shot. “The Vampire” comes back with a solid elbow. Still in the clinch, NICE BODY SHOT BY “THE VAMPIRE!” THAT ONE REALLY HURT HUNTER! Jace Hunter has had the wind completely knocked from him, he is gasping for air. “The Vampire” wastes a lot of time, but finally lands a knee to the body. The final twenty seconds of the round are spent in the clinch with little action from either fighter. Jace Hunter looks completely gassed as he walks to his corner! I don't think he can last much longer.

Round 2:

“The Vampire” comes out quick and tries to get on the inside, but Jace Hunter is able to keep him at a distance by landing a nice jab. Now Boyer is able to get the clinch and misses with an uppercut. If that one had landed it may have been the end of the fight. “The Vampire” breaks the clinch. Jace Hunter drives “The Vampire” into the cage, AND GETS HIS BACK AGAIN! Just like that “The Vampire” escapes. He needs to break the habit of giving up his back. That is the worst position you can be in in MMA.

“The Vampire” tries to get on the inside again, but just like last nice Hunter lands a nice jab. Without missing a beat, “The Vampire” fires back with a body shot that lands nicely. Another clinch, and Boyer looks for a takedown, no, and now Hunter is looking for a takedown. Nothing there and they maintain the clinch. Nice elbow from “The Vampire” and he breaks free at 1:17.

Yet another clinch, and “The Vampire” lands a solid body shot from the inside. LOOKS LIKE JACE HUNTER HAS A STANDING NECK CRANK! IT IS IN DEEP, THIS MAY BE THE END OF THIS FIGHT! Hunter holds it for 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, still no tap out. How long can he hold out? Hunter has now had the hold locked in for 30 seconds, he must not have it locked in completely right. Forty seconds now, and “The Vampire” slips out. WOW!

Jace Hunter drives Boyer into the corner and once again gets his back. “The Vampire” breaks free quickly. Both guys are completely worn out. “The Vampire” forces a clinch, that neck crank REALLY took a lot out of him. Nice body shot lands for Boyer. Still tied up, as both guys are trying to catch their breath.

They break apart and Boyer lands a nice jab followed up by another jab. Doubling up on the jab is the most effective way to throw it. Final minute of the round, both guys are completely gassed. Nice jab lands cleanly for Jace Hunter. “The Vampire” fires a jab, hook, uppercut combo, but none of them land. Hunter looking for a clinch, BUT HE GETS ROCKED WITH A STIFF JAB! CAN “THE VAMPIRE FINISH IT HERE? Boyer follows it up with a nice uppercut, but I don't think he has the energy to finish this.

Final 15 seconds, “The Vampire” forces a clinch and lands a solid body shot. Hunter breaks the clinch and LANDS A HUGE JAB OF HIS OWN! NOW “THE VAMPIRE” LOOKS SERIOUSLY HURT! The jab was landed with just two seconds left, so the round ends before Hunter can follow up on it.

I will go out on a limb and predict this fight doesn't go the distance. Both guys look finished right now, one good shot could end it for either guy. What a close fight.

Round 3:

The fighters come out for round three, and Dan “The Vampire” Boyer looks a little fresher than Jace Hunter. Jace Hunter can't even hold his hands up. He is completely worn out.

“The Vampire” scores first and lands a nice jab early in the round. Jace Hunter retreats, he is really breathing heavily. “The Vampire” with another jab, it gets partially blocked, but his second one gets through cleanly. Jace Hunter looks hurt, but “The Vampire” seems content to keep his distance and catch his breath.

Jace Hunter lands a solid leg kick and then a jab. Now “The Vampire” retreats and is taken down with a single-leg at 1:17.

Dan “The Vampire” Boyer has full guard. Jace Hunter is looking to pass the guard, but instead lands a nice series of shots from the top. “The Vampire” comes back with some weaker shots from the bottom that land cleanly. Jace Hunter drives “The Vampire” into the cage. Looks like a key-lock by Hunter, he can't hold on to it as Boyer slips out of it easily. “The Vampire” still has full guard and works his way off the fence at 2:20.

Nothing happening at all. “The Vampire” has Hunter locked up and seems to be hoping for a standup. Just like that, Hunter tries another key-lock and Boyer slips out easily again. The ref asks for more action at 3:15, apparently he isn't satisfied with just one half-assed attempt at a key-lock in just under a minute. “The Vampire” lands a couple series of shots from the bottom and a standup is ordered at 3:28.

Back to the feet, both guys are completely exhausted. “The Vampire” lands a solid jab, and Jace Hunter forces a clinch. Nice knees from the clinch score for Hunter. “The Vampire” drives Hunter into the fence and both guys appear to be stalling. Nice shot cross lands for Boyer at 4:03.

Jace Hunter retreats and lands a nice low kick. Another low kick scores for Hunter. Final thirty seconds, nice jab by “The Vampire.” The follow up jab is partially blocked. Both guys take a bit of a break and “The Vampire” lands a hook, body shot combo as the bell rings signaling the end of the fight.

Very tough fight to score. I can't even predict a winner, both guys earned it in this one.

Decision:

The time-limit has expired and this fight must go to the judges....

Judge number one scores the bout 29-28....

Judge two has the fight 30-28....

and judge number three scores the fight 29-28....For your winner by unanimous decision....
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DAN “THE VAMPIRE” BOYER!

Winner: Dan “The Vampire” Boyer

Team Shamrock retains control of Welterweight match-ups. Send in a fight by 5:00 PM EST Wednesday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TEAM SEVERN:

Welterweights:

"The Little Asian Man" Jackie Lee (Neon_chaos)
Jason Pugh (Ardent enthusiast)

Heavyweights:

Owen Hunter (Sublime 2)--advances to semi-finals
Tomas "TKO" Ortega (Ram)
Dan "The Trash Man" Gand

TEAM SHAMROCK:

Welterweights:

Miles Esterhaus (NTNDeacon)--advances to semi-finals
Lucas Black (hoopsguy)
Dan "The Vampire" Boyer (tberg420)--advances to semi-finals
Bladed Doom (Blade6119)

Heavyweights:

Ace Idol (BYU 14)
Jeff Riddle (JeffNights)
Koloski “the Polish” Hammer (astrofans64)--advances to semi-finals

Eliminated:

Welterweight:

Moses Keane (marshall881)
Jace Hunter (Travis)

Heavyweight:

Steve "BEES!?!?!?!" Breeze
Rob 'Java' Nielsen (CoffeeWarlord)

[astrosfan64]

"This is great, I love this dynasty."

Da Polish Hammer made "Java" his boy toy. Da Polish Hammer, ground him into a fine powder.

You've been decafinated "Java".

My sister kicks harder then he did. I toyed with him for a bit. My good friend "Tank" abbot, told me to really enjoy the girly fighters. The sound he made as I hit him, was quite arrousing.

The polish hammer is done speaking, so get out of my face.

[dubb93]

completely finished now. For those following live, it was very much posted out of order :), now it should be easier to follow and read.

[Sublime 2]

Poor showing by Team Severn tonight, despite our guys giving all they had. Lets pick it up though boys.

[hoopsguy]

Team Shamrock owns - three straight wins after the one lucky punch win for Severn.

[tberg420]

The Vampire felt the need to give everyone a good solid 3 round showing. I may not be the smartest fighter on this show but I will not tire out and I will not be submitted either.

[marshall881]

If Esterhaus does not make the finals, Keane would be very interested in anothe r chance to put a beating on him.

[dubb93]

Still waiting for one last fight. May pass the decision off to someone else if the captain doesn't get it in quick.

[astrosfan64]

Who does the Hammer Smash next?

Hmmmm.......

[Neon_Chaos]

The Little Asian man can't wait.

[dubb93]

it's late, i'm going to bed, expect a double episode on thursday. If you haven't fought yet, you will fight on thursday.

[Poli]

Bump, you hater.

[astrosfan64]

Dubb turn it up a notch. Da Polish Hammer is getting itchy to Smash someone.

[Poli]

DUBB!

[JeffNights]

BUMP!!

[tberg420]

Apparently Dubb is on a fishing vacation. He should be back around on Thursday.

[Poli]

I pity the fool!

[marshall881]

Bump!

[astrosfan64]

BUMP Dubb you are back and must continue!

[Poli]

Yeah, before I go to Africa.

[Blade6119]

Yeah, before I go to Africa.
Rumble in the Jungle!!!!!! Ill miss ya buddy:( :(

[astrosfan64]

bump

[WVUFAN]

Did this die, or just continued off-board?