WMMA - Championship Fighting

[AlexB]

Fiction merges with reality in the new UFC - I've taken the latest Tap or Snap real world mod and merged it with the game's default Cornellverse, with all fighters DoBs upped to make it 2008 compatible.

I've assigned the top 32 fighters in each of the UFC five weight classes to the UFC, and will run a strict pyramid system to work out the champion of champions. Each round with be drawn randomly, with no regard to fans' anticipation or whether the fighters have fought multiple times before - it will be the FA Cup of WMMA.

If a fighter loses 3 in a row, he's out, regardless of who he is. Intial streaks will be taken into consideration, so if a fighter starts on a losing streak and loses the first WMMA fight, he's out straight away.

When a fighter is released, or retires, I'll simply get the highest ranked fighter to take his place using a little loophole in the game.

I'll run a single weight PPV every three weeks, so in WMMA's 48 week year each fighter will fight at least 3 times a year barring injuries.

As the PPVs can only host 12 fights, and I need 16 slots, I'll also run Ultimate Fight Night every 3 weeks - this gives the opportunity for 10 extra fights, so I'll also run a developmental roster of very inexperienced fighters to fill the other 6 slots, as the game often doesn't do a good job of picking up these guys.

Similar rules apply for the rookies - random draw, three and done. I'll also bring in Junior Championships at each weight class for this section, but as the number don't work out perfectly there will a #1 contender's match and a title fight, but the others will fight randomly and whoever is in the best form gets to fight the #1 contender's match.

If a rookie gets more experience and wouldn't crack the top 32, he'll be released, even if he's the title holder.

That's the plan anyhoo - I'm confident on the seniors side that it'll work as described, but there may be some flexibility on the juniors as I've not tried this aspect before.

[AlexB]

Initial Heavyweight Roster

Aleksander Emilianenko

Alistair Overeem

Andrei Orlovski

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Ben Rothwell

Brock Lesnar

Cheick Kongo

Fabricio Werdum

Fedor Emilianenko

Gabriel Gonzaga

Garry McSweegan

Grzegorz Boniek

Gunnar Nilsson

Harry Milne

Hassan Fezzik

Hiro Arai

James Foster

Jeff Carlton

Josh Barnett

Junior dos Santos

Kunimichi Kikuchi

Lefter Oktay

Mirko Filipovic

Randy Couture

Rick Stanley

Robun Yamazaki

Sergei Kharitanov

Stafford Alois

Stratos Papaioannou

Tim Boyer

Tim Sylvia

Tony McCall

[AlexB]

Initial Light Heavweight Roster

Aleksei Chekhovv

Anthony LeToussier

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Atshushi Nakajima

Bambang Sriyanto

Chuck Lilddell

Dan Henderson

Forrest Griffin

Inejiro Chiba

JJ Reid

Keith Jardine

Lenny McFadden

Leon Banks

Luis Arthur Cane

Lyoto Machida

Mauricio Rua

Mike Watson

Mike Whitehead

Nicolai Mickiewicz

Quinton Jackson

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Rashad Evans

Renato Sobral

Ricardo Arona

Rich Franklin

Rob Baines

Roberto Aldez

Tadamasa Yamada

Thiago Silva

Tito Ortiz (injured)

Vladimir Matyushenko

Wanderlei Silva

Zvonimir Asanovic

[AlexB]

Initial Middleweight Roster

Anderson Silva

Andrew Rush

Benji Radach

Bixente Fontaine

Carl Ratcliffe

Dan Halvorsen

Davis Spyrou

Denis Kang

Dokuohtei Kuroki

Fernando Amaro

Frank Trigg

Gegard Mousasi

Greg Atteveld

Haranobu Oshiro

Jason Miller

Jerezo

Jorge Hormazabal

Jorge Santiago

Kazuo Misaki

Maarten de Vries

Mal Phe Roby

Martin Kampmann

Matt Lindland

Matthew Dean

Nate Marquardt

Patrick Cote (injured)

Paulo Filho

Robbie Lawler

Stuart Strange

Thales Leites

Tucker Plumm

Yoshihiro Akiyama

Yushin Okami

[AlexB]

Initial Welterweight Roster

Alan Kendall

Alberto Basora

Bakin Sakamoto

Carlos Condit

Claudio Palacios

Diego Sanchez

Dominyakas Jankovic

Doug Hansen

Fumiaki Hayashi

Gabriel Gallego

Geoff Cahill

GSP

Hayato Sakurai

Heikichi Shimizu

Ichisake Miyagi

Ikku Funaki

Jack Humphreys

Jake Shields

Joe Hinchcliffe

Jon Fitch

Josh Koscheck

Julio Regueiro

Kafu Bunya

Karo Parisyan

Lukas Mellberg

Matt Hughes

Matt Serra

Mike Swick

Nick Thompson

Noach Van Der Capellen

Simon Vine

Thiago Alves

[AlexB]

Initial Lightweight Roster

BJ Penn

Caol Uno

Carlos de Guia

Charles Stiles

Clay Guida

Eddie Alvarez

Edson Edmilson

Frank Edgar

Gesias Calvacante

Gilbert Melendez

Go Yamamoto

Jackson Gray

Jason Dalglish

Joachim Hansen

Joe Stevenson

Jonathan Huang

Josh Thomson

Kenny Florian

Mario de Souza

Mitsuhiro Ishida

Nate Diaz

Paulo Roberto Bezerra

Ricardo Fernandes

Rodolphe Gygax

Roger Huerta

Sean Morrison

Sean Sherk

Shinya Aoki

Takanori Gomi

Tatsuya Kawajiri

Tyson Griffin

Vitor Ribeiro

[AlexB]

Initial Pound for Pound Rankings

1. Fedor (HW)
2. Hassan Fezzik (HW)
3. Anderson Silva (MW)
4. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria (HW)
5. Georges St Pierre (WW)
6. Miguel Torres (Bantamweight, WEC)
7. Forrest Griffin (LHW)
8. Rampage Jackson (LHW)
9. BJ Penn (LW)
10. James Foster (HW)

[AlexB]

The draw for the first Middleweight shows has been made - UFC 1 (I've restarted the numbering system) will feature Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami for the title.

The intial MW rankings are:

1. Anderson Silva, age 33, Brazil, 23-4
2. Yushin Okami, 27, Japan, 21-4
3. Robbie Lawler, 26, USA, 18-4
4. Gegard Mousasi, 23, Armenia, 24-2-1
5. Thales Leites, 27, Brazil, 14-1
6. Frank Trigg, 36, USA, 18-6
7. Nate Marquardt, 29, USA, 27-8-2
8. Kazuo Misaki, 32, Japan, 21-8-2
9. Yoshihiro Akiyama, 33, Japan, 12-1
10. Fernando Amaro, 30, Spain, 15-3

The first round will not necessarily follow the rankings, as in order to get to the top of the new UFC you have to win. So the levels for the initial draw for the first event were based on ranking and winning streaks. The fights drawn out are:

Title - Anderson Silva, 23-4 (1) v. Yushin Okami, 21-4 (2)

#1 Contenders Match - Gegard Mousasi, 24-2-1 (4) v. Thales Leites, 14-1 (5)

Frank Trigg, 18-6 (6) v. Fernando Amaro, 15-3 (10)
Kazuo Misaki, 21-8-2 (8) v. Jorge Santiago, 20-7

Denis Kang, 31-10-1 v. Robbie Lawler, 18-4 (3)
Maarten de Vries, 13-4 v. Andrew Rush, 12-0
Mal Phe Roby, 9-2 v. Yoshihiro Akiyama, 12-1 (9)
Nate Marquardt, 27-8-2 (7) v. Matt Lindland, 21-5

Davis Spyrou, 11-4 v. Greg Atteveld, 15-10
Bixente Fontaine, 9-3 v. Matthew Dean, 10-2
Stuart Strange , 8-3 v. Martin Kampmann, 13-2
Tucker Plumm, 13-7 v. Benji Radach, 19-4
Haranobu Oshiro, 9-2-1 v. Carl Ratcliffe, 8-3
Dokhuotei Kuroki, 13-8 v. Jerezo, 21-8
Jason Miller, 23-6 v. Paulo Filho, 16-1
Dan Halvorsen, 22-11-2 v. Jorge Hermazabal, 12-5

Of the senior middleweights, only Greg Atteveld is on a losing streak: he is the only fighter with his roster position on the line

[AlexB]

The junior fights have also been drawn:

Jr Title - Bristol Marunde, 25, USA, 9-6 v. Nick Klein, 23, USA, 3-0

Jr Contender - Nick Catone, 27, USA, 5-0 v. Amir Sadollah, 28, USA, 1-0

Tyler Lass, 0-0 v. Adam White, 0-0
Cale Yarbrough, 0-1 v. Cooper Richardson, 0-0
Rob Yundt, 6-2 v. Samuel Russo, 0-0
Brandon Sene, 2-1 v. Tuck Durdell, 0-0

Of the juniors, only Rob Yundt is at risk - if he loses to Russo it will be loss #3 and he is gone.

[AlexB]

Just before UFC 1, a bombshell - Chuck Liddell announces his retirement after his next fight, or in 3 months latest. The LHWs were planned for UFC 3, which will now see the Iceman's last ever fight.

[AlexB]

The day has arrived - UFC 1 is about to start. Let's take a look at Blurcat's predictions for the fights:

UFC Middleweight Title
Anderson Silva, 23-4 (1) v. Yushin Okami, 21-4 (2) (Blurcat - Spider by KO)

#1 Contenders Match
Gegard Mousasi, 24-2-1 (4) v. Thales Leites, 14-1 (5) (Blurcat - Thales Leites by submission)

Frank Trigg, 18-6 (6) v. Fernando Amaro, 15-3 (10) (Blurcat - Amaro by TKO)
Kazuo Misaki, 21-8-2 (8) v. Jorge Santiago, 20-7 (Blurcat - Santiago by TKO)

Denis Kang, 31-10-1 v. Robbie Lawler, 18-4 (3) (Blurcat - Lawler by KO)
Maarten de Vries, 13-4 v. Andrew Rush, 12-0 (Blurcat - Rush by KO)
Mal Phe Roby, 9-2 v. Yoshihiro Akiyama, 12-1 (9) (Blurcat - Akiyama by TKO)
Nate Marquardt, 27-8-2 (7) v. Matt Lindland, 21-5 (Blurcat - Marquardt by submission)

Davis Spyrou, 11-4 v. Greg Atteveld, 15-10 (Blurcat - Atteveld by TKO)
Bixente Fontaine, 9-3 v. Matthew Dean, 10-2 (Blurcat - Dean via submission)
Stuart Strange , 8-3 v. Martin Kampmann, 13-2 (Blurcat - Strange by TKO)
Tucker Plumm, 13-7 v. Benji Radach, 19-4 (Blurcat - Plumm via split decision)

[AlexB]

Mal Phe Roby, 31, Sumatra (9-2) v. Yoshihiro Akiyama, 33, Osaka, Japan (12-1)
Blurcat - Akiyama by TKO

Rounds 1 and 2 are very similar, with Roby dominating on the ground. R3 is a reversal, with Akiyama getting two takedowns and trying to finish the fight...

But he was unable to do so, and all three judges score it 29-28 Mal Phe Roby


Davis Spyrou, 25, London (11-4) v. Greg Atteveld, 33, Springfield, Missouri (15-10)
Blurcat - Atteveld by TKO

The American is on a losing streak, and if he loses to the Greek Londoner, he will be back on the streets...

Round 1
Tentative long range jabs from both fighters. Atteveld with a low sweeping kick, but it was telegraphed. Spyrou comes in quick but misses a kick. Atteveld with a straight right, another, but then walks right into a solid punch. That certainly connected, the crowd could clearly hear it. Atteveld backs up quickly, almost on instinct; his hands are down by his side, and he looks glassy eyed and unsteady on his feet. The referee quickly steps in and ends the fight, stopping Spyrou from following up. It'll go down as a TKO for The Spartan. As Spyrou celebrates, the doctor is quickly in to check on Atteveld. From the looks of things, he may have been dealt a concussion with that punch to the jaw, as he doesn't look like he knows where he is. The official time of the TKO is 0:18 of round 1.

And he's gone - KOd and lost his job in one night.


Tucker Plumm, 29, London (13-7) v. Benji Radach, 29, Castle Rock, Washington (19-4)
Blurcat - Plumm via split decision

Although almost completely unknown in the US, Quiet Riot is an ex-BCF Lightweight champion so cannot be taken lightly by Radach.

The first round is a stand-up battle, that Plumm just edges, and R2 is the same in Razor's favour, so it should all rest on the final round...

Round 3
The fighters come together right in the center. Radach throws out a jab, but Plumm bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Plumm works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Radach covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Plumm is making Radach look sluggish in comparison, such is the speed and crispness with which he is delivering strikes. Radach hits a low kick before back-pedalling to avoid a clubbing blow. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd become a little restless. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Plumm got slightly the better of it, he definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Radach slightly. Radach initiates a clinch, and the action grinds to a halt. Radach looks out of ideas, he is being repeatedly lured into these exchange of strikes, but Plumm is clearly winning them. Radach needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Plumm tries a speculative high kick, but Radach saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Radach tries to work an angle, but Plumm is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep him from stepping in. Comfortable round for Plumm, he will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given his dominance of the striking in this round. End of the round. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Plumm. Tucker Plumm wins, with a score of 29-28 from two judges, 30-27 from the other.

[AlexB]

Nate Marquardt, 29, Denver, 27-8-2 (7) v. Matt Lindland, 38, Eagle Creek, Oregon (21-5)
Blurcat - Marquardt by submission

Two tame opening rounds both see The Law get the takedown over his higher ranked and younger opponent, but in truth he never looked like finishing the fight. Nevertheless, Nate The Great probably needs a stoppage in the 3^rd to win the fight...

Round 3
Right hand from Marquardt was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Lindland. Marquardt follows up by coming in close, but Lindland is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. Lindland throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Marquardt almost seems to be inviting him on to throw punches, he could be trying to lure him into over-committing. Lindland throws a jab that connects, albeit without much power, but it causes Marquardt to back up quickly, back toward the cage. Lindland comes in quickly, throwing looping punches, but gets reckless and Marquardt grabs the opportunity by nailing a big right cross! Lindland collapses in a heap, his left leg buckling underneath him in at an awkward angle. Marquardt has knocked him out cold with a killer punch. The official time is 1:59.


Stuart Strange, 26, Durham, North Carolina, 8-3 v. Martin Kampmann, 26, Las Vegas, 13-2
Blurcat - Strange by TKO

Strange dominates the first, and the second could be scored either way – maybe Kampmann edged it. Again, the 3^rd round is going to be decisive...

No drama or controversy this time: Strange spends most of the round on top, and gets the unanimous decision – 29-28 twice and 30-27 from the third judge. A good solid win for Superstar over The Hitman.


#1 Contender's Match
Gegard Mousasi, 23, Armenia, 24-2-1 (4) v. Thales Leites, 27, Rio de Janeiro, 14-1 (5)
Blurcat - Thales Leites by submission

Leites wins the first round, although it's far from a classic, but the fact that he outsrtuck Mousasi and took him down is causing the Armenian's corner some concern...

Round 2
Mousasi hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Leites to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Mousasi hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Leites tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Mousasi having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Leites. Mousasi leads with a right hand, then delivers a brutal uppercut, Leites had to step back quickly to avoid getting caught. He winds up back against the cage, and Mousasi doesn't relent, moving in fast to unload with a series of jabs. Leites got some of his own in, but the upper hand is definitely with Mousasi. Vicious right hand! Out of nowhere, it caught Leites flush in the face, and he slumps down against the cage. Mousasi follows up with more punches, and the referee dives in to break it up. It's all over. Leites wasn't knocked out, but that one punch was a beauty, and it stopped him getting any sort of defence together to stop the following punches. The official time is 3:46.

Gegard Mousasi will fight for the Middleweight title against the winner of Silva & Okami!

[AlexB]

Denis Kang, 31, Vancouver, 31-10-1 v. Robbie Lawler, 26, Granite City, Illinois, 18-4 (3)
Blurcat - Lawler by KO

Kang easily wins the 1^st round by taking Lawler down twice, and getting the side mount, but too late in the round to end the fight. Only one takedown in the 2^nd, but Kang is well on top again...

Round 3
Slow start to the round, Kang is circling while Lawler seems content to just throw the occasional looping punch to cause him to back up. Kang steps in and fires off two jabs, neither connecting, then has to almost throw himself to one side to avoid a devastating looking punch! Lawler was clearly looking for the highlight reel K.O. punch, had that connected there is no way that Kang was getting back up. There's a warning to Kang, he must now know, if he didn't already, that Lawler has knock out intentions tonight. Kang throws a right hand, then backs up sharply, clearly not loving the idea of getting too close. Lawler still looks calm, throwing the occasional jab or two to keep Kang off balance. Kang comes in fast and low and takes Lawler down to the mat by the legs. Nicely done. He keeps hold of one leg, and applies a leglock. That was all in one motion, Lawler got taken by surprise. Kang sits back and wrenches in the hold, and that looks painful. Lawler is holding on. He tries to twist free, but it's on tight. Lawler gives in and taps out. The official time of the leglock submission is 4:13 of round 3.

Dennis Kang moves one step away from the #1 contenders match witjh a very impressive performance over an anything but Ruthless Robbie Lawler,


Kazuo Misaki, 32, Chiba, Japan, 21-8-2 (8) v. Jorge Santiago, 28, Fort Lauderdale, 20-7
Blurcat - Santiago by TKO

Santiago is the only man outside the top 10 to be just two fights away from a title shot – despite this he was still favoured pre-fight: can he advance to the #1 contenders match past the #8 ranked Grabaka Hitman?

Round 1
Misaki leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Santiago deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Santiago uses a knee to the ribs before backing Misaki up against the cage. Right hand from Misaki connects though, that was well timed. Santiago breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Misaki was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Santiago sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Misaki fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Santiago makes Misaki back up against the cage by throwing some looping punches. He comes in closer and hits a right hook to the body, getting a jab to the cheek in return. Santiago throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. Misaki lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches Santiago by surprise, putting him down! Misaki follows up and starts raining down right hands. Santiago covers up as best he can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls Misaki off, the match is over. The official time is 4:59.

It's Kazuo Misaki who will fight either Frank Trigg or Fernando Amaro in the next title shot match after stopping Santiago just one second before the bell!


Bixente Fontaine, 26, Paris, 9-3 v.Matthew Dean, 26, San Jose, 10-2
Blurcat - Dean via submission

Fontaine has been dictating the terms of the fight to the The Anarchist, who gave up the GAMMA Lightweight title to join the new UFC, comprehensively outstriking Dean for the first two rounds. The American looks to have no answer going into the third...

Round 3
Good start from Dean, taking Fontaine down almost immediately! Fontaine scrambles though, and gets back to his feet without taking any damage at all. Dean will be disappointed with that. Fontaine comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put him off balance, allowing Dean to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Fontaine felt that one for sure. He stalks Dean, trying to back him up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Dean keeps out of the way. Fontaine tries a kick, but Dean catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Dean gets Fontaine down for the second time, and this time is right on top of him in guard position. Dean throws some punches, then tries to pass. Fontaine doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Dean easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Dean followed by a pass attempt, with Fontaine blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The 3rd round ends. Blurcat.com gives that one to Dean by 10-9. Bixente Fontaine wins the match, getting a score of 29-28 from all three judges.

Something of a surprise, but the second European winner of the evening.

[AlexB]

Maarten de Vries, 28, Amsterdam, 13-4 v. Andrew Rush, 26, Derbyshire, England, 12-0
Blurcat - Rush by KO

The Dmon From Derbyshire vacated the BCF Middleweight title to put his undefeated record up against a higher calibre of opponent – will he get his just rewards and make it hattrick of English wins on the night, following David Spyrou and Tucker Plumm? However, The Executioner, a popular, but wild ex-GAMMA champion is a difficult first opponent.

A great 1^st round for the fans, but not for Andrew Rush - as de Vries comprehensively outstruck him...

Round 2
An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Rush fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from De Vries. They clinch, and De Vries winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Rush tries to push De Vries back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. There's a short period with not a lot happening. De Vries and Rush come in close and exchange strikes. Down goes De Vries! Replays show that Rush hit a vicious uppercut during that exchange, although it appears that he actually just went for broke and simply swung for the fences as hard as he could. It doesn't change the fact that De Vries has been knocked out though. Rush wins via 2nd round knock out with the official time being 3:25.

Rule Britannia! 3-0, what an excellent night for the BCF alumni!


Frank Trigg, 36, Las Vegas, 18-6 (6) v. Fernando Amaro, 30, Madrid, 15-3 (10)

The winner of this match will face Gegard Mousasi at UFC 6 for a title shot – will it be the veteran American, or will European success continue? Amaro is an ex-GAMMA champion, so although Twinkle Toes is unlikely to ever have heard of the Spaniard (him being a fictional character of course ), he cannot take him lightly.

Round 1
Trigg doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Amaro easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Amaro throws a head fake, then comes in fast from an angle with a looping punch, but misses and takes a glancing shot to the shoulder from a left hand counter. Trigg misses with a straight right. Amaro hits a standing kick, and Trigg is rocked, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. Amaro leaps into action and fires off a barrage of right hands. The referee dives in and protects Trigg, bringing the fight to an end. The kick didn't knock Trigg out, but it left him stunned, and that was all that Amaro needed to finish the job. Amaro wins via 1st round TKO with the official time being 1:36.


After a great undercard for England & Europe, now it's time for the Main Event – the UFC Middleweight Championship fight between defending champion Anderson Silva, 33, Curitiba, Brazil, 23-4 (1) and Yushin Okami, 27, Kanagawa, Japan, 21-4 (2)

The 1^st round is a bit disjointed, but Spider clearly wins the stand-up battle – Okami has a nasty swelling just above his left eye

Okami tries to press in the 2^nd, but just ends up getting counter punched – in the end he stays back and gets picked off from range instead: Silva wins the 2^nd

Round 3
Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Okami throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Silva's jaw, but it is parried. Silva steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Okami moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Silva put a lot of weight behind it. Okami hits a nice jab, then clinches. Silva hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Okami hits a low kick to the leg. Silva bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Okami goes down! Good shot from Silva! He tries to follow up and pound on Okami, but Okami is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Silva, sensing that Okami is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Okami ends up backed up against the cage. Silva gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Okami, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Silva has in his hands is really posing Okami some problems. The clinch drags on, with Silva unable to break free, and the round ends like that. End of round 3. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Silva.

The 3^rd round seems to have taken the fight out of the Japanese challenger – he can't get near the champ without being beaten down, and by standing back he has no chance of turning the fight around. Silva wins a quiet 4^th round.

5^th round is more of the same, and it's apparent Anderson Silva is a class above his opponent. All three judges score the fight 50-45, and the Brazilian retains his UFC Middleweight Title.

[AlexB]

Fight of the Night goes to Nate Marquardt v. Matt Lindland, and Marquardt also gets KO of the night. The Submission of the Night award goes to Denis Kang.

Greg Atteveld was indeed concussed earlier in the evening, and is given a 15 week medical suspension. That means four months until he can apply for work with a new company.

Thales Leites also suffered a concussion, but should be able to fight in the next MW event after his 12 week suspension

In additional to the standard 30 day suspension, Maarten de Vries picked up a knee injury, but it's not too serious, and he should be OK to train in 3-4 weeks.

[AlexB]

The day after UFC 1, we recieve word that Bambang Sriyanto has ricked his neck in training, and is likely to be out for 2 months. The LHWs are going to be UFC 3, so he will miss out.

Caol Uno anounces that he will change to Welterweight - I agree if I can find a fighter in the WW division of similar standard to move down. Diego Sanchez is happy to move down, so Uno and Sanchez trade places.

Uno was not top 10 ranked in either division, but Sanchez was rnaked at 5 in the WWs, now is only 10 - one behind the man he beat in the initial TUF finale, Kenny Florian.

[AlexB]

It's UFN time, for the last four senior MW fights and the development MW's.

Dan Halvorsen, 22-11-2 v. Jorge Hormazabal, 12-5 (Blurcat - Halvorsen by TKO)
Haranobu Oshiro, 9-2-1 v. Carl Ratcliffe, 8-3 (Blurcat - Ratcliffe by TKO)
Jason Miller, 23-6 v. Paolo Filho, 16-1 (Blurcat - Filho by TKO)
Dokuohtei Kuroki, 13-8 v. Jerezo, 21-8 (Blurcat - Kuroki by TKO)

Jr MW Title
Bristol Marunde, 9-6 v. Nick Klein, 3-0 (Blurcat - Marunde by TKO)

JR MW #1 Contenders Match
Nick Catone, 5-0 v. Amir Sadollah, 1-0 (Blurcat - Sadollah by TKO)

Tyler Lass, 0-0 v. Adam White, 0-0 (Blurcat - White by KO)
Cale Yarbrough, 0-1 v. Cooper Richardson, 0-0 (Blurcat - Richardson by TKO)
Brandon Sene, 2-1 v. Tuck Durdell, 0-0 (Blurcat - Durdell by TKO)
Rob Yundt, 6-2 v. Samuel Russo, 0-0 (Blurcat - Russo by KO)

The only man in danger of getting the can is Rob Yundt (and on the sly I hope he loses as I think I cocked the choices up for the young MWs, and want to change ASAP!)

[AlexB]

Rob Yundt, 28, Wasilla, Alaska, 6-2 v. Samuel Russo, 21, Hunstville, Ontario, 0-0
Blurcat - Russo by KO

A poor 1^st round sees Yundt cause swelling over Russo's eye, and he nicks it. But in the 2^nd The Animal seems to have overcome his nerves and batters Yundt with kicks and body punches. This one will go to the third and final round...

And it's Russo who carries on the momentum to win 29-28 on all 3 cards. Rob Yundt – you're outta here!


Brandon Sene, 27, Tampa, 2-1 v. Tuck Durdell, 18, Snow Lake, Manitoba, 0-0
Blurcat - Durdell by TKO

'The Everlasting' Durdell's aggression and striking mean that he should have won both the 1^st two rounds, but he never really looked liked finishing the fight – maybe he will regret this in the third?

But no, a drab third round sees Tuck get the decision, 30-27 twice and 29-28 once and can go back to his floating house with his head held high, even though he didn't manage to put Sweet Dreams to sleep.


Cale Yarbrough, 22, Marietta, Georgia, 0-1 v. Cooper Richardson, 24, Chicago, 0-0
Blurcat - Richardson by TKO

A round apiece after two, Yarbrough dominating the first, and Super Cooper answering well in the 2^nd, and opening a cut over Cale's eye. This one is up for grabs...

And it's Richardson who takes it – winning by TKO stoppage after 1:35. Yarbrough must win next time out or he's gone the way of the Yundt


Jr Middleweight Title
Bristol Marunde, 25, Seattle, 9-6 v. Nick Klein, 24, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, 3-0
Blurcat - Marunde by TKO

Although it lasted until 1:16 in the 5^th, this was a very one sided fight, with the more experienced Bristol Marunde taking the inaugural Junior UFC title, winning in some style with a huge KO, albeit after a fairly boring four and half rounds before the eye-catching punch.

[AlexB]

Tyler Lass, 21, San Diego, 0-0 v. Adam White, 21, Los Angeles, 0-0
Blurcat - White by KO

Two of the hottest prospects in the MW development section drew each other: this should be interesting.

In fact the 1^st round was anything but: nothing happened and it could have gone either way

The 2^nd is more like it – both fighters land good shots, before White takes Lass down and just batters him, forcing the stoppage after 4:06. An as advertised G&P win for Hollywood over Thunder & Lightning


Jr Middleweight #1 Contenders Match
Nick Catone, 27, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, 5-0 v. Amir Sadollah, 28, Richmond, Virginia, 1-0
Blurcat - Sadollah by TKO

Sadollah is well on top in the first, opening up a cut on Catone. The second starts slowly, but ends with a bang – Sadollah KO's Catone for the win: he will take on Bristol for the new belt.


And back to the seniors to round off the show...

Dokouhtei Kuroki, 35, Osaka, 13-8 v. Jerezo, 23, Brasilia, 21-8
Blurcat - Kuroki by TKO

Jerezo, who left the ALPHA middleweight vacant to move to the USA, simply manhandles The Warrior, another ex-ALPHA champion, in round 1 – that could even be a 10-8. The second is a similar pattern, and this looks like a mismatch. Kuroki needs something out of the ordinary to turn this one around...

And he doesn't get it – a one sided unanimous 30-27 decision for Jerezo. Very impressive UFC debut.

[AlexB]

Jason Miller, 28, Las Vegas, 23-6 v. Paolo Filho, 30, Rio de Janeiro, 16-1
Blurcat - Filho by TKO

Filho is all over Mayhem in the first – he gets two takedowns and it look ominous for Miller...

Round 2
Mayhem misses an uppercut and is off balance, which allows Filho to get the takedown. Side mount. Filho is looking for an armbar, but Mayhem is defending it well. Mayhem gets a nice elbow in, that caught Filho by surprise. Filho fires off several elbows to the ribs, and Mayhem is left gasping for air. Those were hard, there's a big red patch where they hit. Filho takes the left arm, Mayhem couldn't defend it any longer. The armbar is applied, there's no way out. Filho wins by tap out. Official time of the armbar submission is 0:47 of the second round.


Haranobu Oshiro, 25, Hiroshima, 9-2-1 v. Carl Ratcliffe, 25, Athens, Georgia, 8-3
Blurcat - Ratcliffe by TKO

The first is all Oshiro, ending up with a takedown and forcing Ratcliffe to defend submission after submission, and despite Mr Awesome getting the takedown, Oshiro scarmbles to gain the top position and wins the second as well. Can Ratcliffe do anything to stem the flow of this fight?

Simply put: no. Ratcliffe just can't stop the Japanese fighter taking the fight to the ground, and when it is there he is clearly second best. Two jusges score it 30-27, the third 29-28, all in favour of Haranobu Oshiro


Dan Halvorsen, 36, Chicago, 22-11-2 v. Jorge Hormazabal, 28, Santiago, Chile, 12-5
Blurcat - Halvorsen by TKO

The aging Perfectionist is an ex GAMMA champion, but will have his work cut out against the Chilean, who himself successfully defending his ALPHA title twice before losing to Jerezo, who looked so impressive earlier.

Round 1
Halvorsen leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Hormazabal deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Hormazabal uses a knee to the ribs before backing Halvorsen up against the cage. Right hand from Halvorsen connects though, that was well timed. Hormazabal breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on his part, Halvorsen was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Hormazabal sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Halvorsen fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. They clinch. Hormazabal fires off a couple of right hands to the ribs, then ducks down and secures a leg. Halvorsen hops up and down, but can't prevent Hormazabal from simply pushing forward and taking them to the ground. Halvorsen uses his free leg to wrap up a half guard, and manages to secure that to full guard pretty swiftly. Hormazabal stands, and uses his arms to push Halvorsen's guard apart. Leaning down between the legs, he starts throwing vicious punches. Halvorsen tries to bring his legs back in to pull guard again, while simultaneously covering up, but he is having trouble; Hormazabal is using his body to keep the legs from coming in. More punches rain down, and Halvorsen is starting to get really pounded. A big shot lands hard on the nose, then a left hand crunches into his cheek. The referee has seen enough and pulls Hormazabal away, signalling the end of this match. Official time of the TKO is 4:38 of the first round.

[AlexB]

Fight of the Night: Paulo Filho v. Jason Miller, and Filho gets Submission of the Night as well. KO of the Night goes to Bristol Marunde

Cale Yarbrough has a 13 week suspension handed to him after his KO defeat, and despite his victory, Adam White picks up a knock which will keep him from training for 5 weeks.

UFN was bittersweet for Bristol Marunde – the win took him from being an inexperienced fighter to experienced, and he is nowhere near good enough to get into the 32 man roster, so despite being the first winner of a Junior belt, he is released.

To summarise the first round of MW fights:

Title - Anderson Silva (1) beat Yushin Okami (2) by unanimous decision (prediction: Silva)

#1 Contenders Match - Gegard Mousasi (4) beat Thales Leites (5) by TKO after 3:46 of R2 (prediction: Leites)

Fernando Amaro (10) beat Frank Trigg (6) by TKO after 1:36 of R1 (prediction: Amaro)
Kazuo Misaki (8) beat Jorge Santiago by TKO after 4:59 of R1 (prediction: Santiago)

Denis Kang beat Robbie Lawler (3) by submission after 4:13 of R3 (prediction: Lawler)
Andrew Rush beat Maarten de Vries by KO after 3:25 of R2 (prediction: Rush)
Mal Phe Roby beat Yoshihiro Akiyama (9) by unanimous decision (prediction: Akiyama)
Nate Marquardt (7) beat Matt Lindland by KO after 1:59 of R3 (prediction: Marquardt)

Davis Spyrou beat Greg Atteveld by TKO after 0:18 of R1 (prediction: Atteveld)
Bixente Fontaine beat Matthew Dean by unanimous decision (prediction: Dean)
Stuart Strange beat Martin Kampmann by unanimous decision (prediction: Strange)
Tucker Plumm beat Benji Radach by unanimous decision (prediction: Plumm)
Haranobu Oshiro beat Carl Ratcliffe by unanimous decision (prediction: Ratcliffe)
Jerezo beat Dokhuotei Kuroki by unanimous decision (prediction: Kuroki)
Paulo Filho beat Jason Miller by submission after 0:47 of R2 (prediction: Filho)
Jorge Hermazabal beat Dan Halvorsen by TKO after 4:38 of R1 (prediction: Halvorsen)

These results have readjusted the rankings:

1. Anderson Silva, 33, Brazil 24-4 (-)
2. Gegard Mousasi, 23, Armenia, 25-2-1 (+2)
3. Nate Marquardt, 29, USA, 28-8-2 (+4)
4. Kazuo Misaki, 32, Japan, 22-8-2 (+4)
5. Fernando Amaro, 30, Spain, 16-3 (+5)
6. Denis Kang, 31, Canada, 32-10-1 (NR)
7. Paulo Filho, 30, Brazil, 17-1 (NR)
8. Yushin Okami, 27, Japan, 21-5 (-7)
9. Jerezo, 23, Brazil, 22-8 (NR)
10. Andrew Rush, 26, England, 13-0 (NR)

[AlexB]

It's time for the lightweights - and UFC 2 will feature the top LW fighters in the world, again in Las Vegas. The intial LW rankings are as follows:

1. BJ Penn, 30, USA, 13-4-1
2. Eddie Alvarez, USA, 25, 15-1
3. Shinya Aoki, 25, Japan, 18-3
4. Gesias Calvacante, 25, Brazil, 14-2-1
5. Sean Morrison, 28, USA, 12-3
6. Joachim Hansen, 29, Norway, 19-7-1
7. Go Yamamoto, 30, Japan, 13-1
8. Sean Sherk, 35, USA, 33-3-1
9. Kenny Florian, 32, USA, 11-3
10. Diego Sanchez, 27, USA, 19-2

Let's see what's in store for fans tonight:

UFC Lightweight Championship
BJ Penn, 13-4-1 (1) v. Eddie Alvarez, 15-1 (2) (Blurcat – Penn by decision)

#1 Contenders Match
Sean Morrison, 12-3 (5) v. Go Yamamoto, 13-1 (7) (Blurcat – Morrison by TKO)

Diego Sanchez, 19-2 (10) v. Josh Thomson, 16-2 (Blurcat – Thomson by split decision)
Kenny Florian, 11-3 (9) v. Joachim Hansen, 19-7-1 (6) (Blurcat – Florian by submission)

Sean Sherk, 33-3-1 (8) v. Mario de Souza, 12-6 (Blurcat – Sherk by TKO)
Shinya Aoki, 18-3 (3) v. Carlos da Guia, 5-0 (Blurcat – da Guia by TKO)
Mitsuhiro Ishida, 17-4-1 v. Jason Dalglish, 9-2 (Blurcat – Dalglish by decision)
Paulo Roberto Bezzera, 9-1 v. Nate Diaz, 10-2 (Blurcat – Bezzera by TKO)

Frank Edgar, 9-1 v. Clay Guida, 24-9 (Blurcat – Guida by TKO)
Vitor Ribeiro, 19-2 v. Takanori Gomi, 29-4 (Blurcat – Gomi by KO)
Roger Huerta, 20-2-1 v. Joe Stevenson, 29-9 (Blurcat – Stevenson by split decision)
Gilbert Melendez, 14-2 v. Ricardo Fernandes, 15-7 (Blurcat – Melendez by TKO)

[PilotMan]

Good stuff. I have played this game a lot, and have never considered combining the databases. It should be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[AlexB]

Thanks - nice to know someone else has looked at this.

[AlexB]

Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tsukaba, Japan 17-4-1 v. Jason Dalglish, Edinburgh 9-2
Blurcat – Dalglish by decision

Much like Andrew Rush at MW, Jason has left the relative comfort of BCF and sought out the best competition out there. Can 'The Miniature Killer' be as successful against Ishida, and begin run at replacing his BCF LW title with the UFC version?

Round 1 suggests yes he can – he gets the takedown and dishes out some G&P to win the round. Round 2 is also all Dalglish, but he seems to be keen to show off his skills on his US debut, as this time he invites 'The Endless Warrior' into a stand up war, and wins easily. An impressive performance thus far.

Round 3 is more stand up action, but less exciting. Dalglish wins 30-27 on two cards and 29-28ont the third. BCF are representing in the UFC!


Vitor Ribeiro, Rio de Janeiro 19-2 v. Takanori Gomi, Tokyo 29-4
Blurcat – Gomi by KO

Like Dalglish, Gomi is an ex-champion, having held the PRIDE belt when the organisation went under. Will The Fireball Kid start a charge in the new UFC?

Round 1
Gomi doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Shaolin easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Shaolin throws a head fake, then comes in fast from an angle with a looping punch, but misses and takes a glancing shot to the shoulder from a left hand counter. Gomi comes in hard and fast, throwing a scorching right hand, but it's a long way wide and Shaolin is able to clinch up. Gomi hits a knee to the ribs, then a second. He goes to the well once too often though, as the third knee gets caught, and Shaolin uses it for leverage to complete a takedown, ending up in Gomi's guard. Shaolin manages to push the guard apart, and leans over Gomi, trapping one leg underneath his body. Bad position for Gomi to be in, and Shaolin now starts throwing big lefts and rights. Gomi tries to deflect them away but quite a few are hitting home. Gomi tries to bring his free leg in to add some leverage, but Shaolin swats it aside and gets the full mount. More punches start raining down, and Gomi is left just covering up to try and weather the storm. It's no use though, as the barrage of punches without answer convince the referee to call a halt to the action. The official time is 1:28.


Gilbert Melendez, Santa Ana, California 14-2 v. Ricardo Fernandes, Fortaleza, Brazil 15-7
Blurcat – Melendez by TKO

The pattern in round 1 is Melendez attacking, but doing so poorly, and Fernandes picking him off on the counter. Round 2 is pretty boring in all honesty, but it is clear that Fernandes is winning the fight going into the final round...

Round 3
Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Fernandes throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Melendez. Kick to the thigh from Melendez, but it lacked power. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd become a little restless. Fernandes throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Melendez almost seems to be inviting him on to throw punches, he could be trying to lure him into over-committing. Fernandes throws a jab that connects, albeit without much power, but it causes Melendez to back up quickly, back toward the cage. Fernandes comes in quickly, throwing looping punches, but gets reckless and Melendez grabs the opportunity by nailing a big right cross! Fernandes collapses in a heap, his left leg buckling underneath him in at an awkward angle. Melendez has knocked him out cold with a killer punch. The official time of the knock out is 1:36 of round 3.

From out of nowhere El Nino picks up the W, but he'll need to improve at the next level. An early contender for KO of the night.

[AlexB]

Sean Sherk, Anoka, Minnesota 33-3-1 (8) v. Mario de Souza, Rio de Janeiro 12-6
Blurcat – Sherk by TKO

1^st round could have gone either way, but round 2 was definitely The Muscle Shark's – he got a takedown and a couple of good shots in as well. With the 1^st being 50:50, Sherk can't think he's done enough to have won, but at the same time de Souza must think he still has a chance – should make for a great final round...

Round 3
The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Sherk is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although he probably wishes that he hadn't, as de Souza picks him off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Sherk throws a wild punch as a counter, but de Souza ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Sherk gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Sherk is looking for big punches, de Souza is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Sherk manages to back de Souza up against the cage. Sherk takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but de Souza ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Sherk can unload. Sherk may need to think about changing tactics, de Souza is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Sherk fakes a right hand, then shoots out a low kick, catching de Souza on the thigh. de Souza presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Sherk gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. The 3rd round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to de Souza. The three judges all give the match as 29-28 to Mario de Souza.

A big win for Mario de Souza, knocking off one of the top ten and making an immediate mark in the UFC.


Frank Edgar, Tom's River, New Jersey 9-1 v. Clay Guida, Johnsburg, Illinois 24-9
Blurcat – Guida by TKO

R1 is slooooowwwww. The Carpenter may have snuck it, but you wouldn't argue too hard if the judges had given it to Edgar. The 2^nd is much more clear cut however, and Guida will definitely be remembering Frankie from this performance – he was dominated by The Answer's stand up. But regardless, we're into the 3^rd...

Round 3
Guida works an angle and comes in from the side of Edgar, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Edgar hits a low kick to back Guida against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Guida fights out and the action returns to the center. They clinch. Edgar gets in a nice knee, but a second attempt sees him swept to the ground. Edgar landed hard with Guida right on top of him, it looks like he got winded. Guida hits three big punches to the face, and Edgar is rocked. Guida gets an arm, locks in a kimura, and Edgar has no alternative but to tap out. Guida wins via kimura submission at 2:22 of the third round.


Shinya Aoki, Tokyo 18-3 (3) v. Carlos de Guia, Sao Paulo 5-0
Blurcat – de Guia by TKO

Just a great fight – and we going to bring it to you in it's entirity...

Round 1
A fizzing right hand from da Guia opens the round; it didn't find its intended target of Aoki's chin, but it did land hard on the left shoulder instead. Aoki fights back with a jab, but takes a hard shot to the body after leaning in too far. da Guia pins him to the cage with a quick burst, and unloads with lefts and rights. Aoki looks for a moment like he may be about to get overwhelmed, especially after a right hand appears to hit flush on the chin, but he recovers well and works his way back to the center. da Guia is looking the more confident of the two by far. He smells blood, and comes in looking for a big right hand, only to walk right into a takedown. Aoki had to time that perfectly, and did. da Guia doesn't pull guard, instead scrambling, ending up onto his knees, with Aoki taking his back! Aoki tries to go for a choke, but da Guia bucks and twists, scrambling back to his feet and backing off. A big right hand and a high kick prevent Aoki from following too closely. After that frenetic minute of action, things die down, with the fighters circling. da Guia scores with two leg kicks, Aoki hits a tasty right hand to the body, but otherwise nothing much happens for the next couple of exchanges. Indeed, the clock runs down and the round ends without further noteworthy events. The 1st round ends. Blurcat.com gives that one to da Guia by 10-9.

Round 2
Aoki scores with a low kick to the outside of the knee, then backs off. Those will take their toll. da Guia responds with a right hand that hits gloves, a left hook to the body that stings Aoki, then throws a spectacular head kick that connects! Aoki was backing off after those two punches and didn't see it coming, he goes sailing backward, his body entirely limp. da Guia has knocked Aoki out cold with one brutally powerful kick. da Guia wins via knock out at 0:50 of the second round.

After Robbie Lawler last time, maybe #3 is not the ranking to have in the new UFC. De Guia is one of the most promising young fighters in the LW division, but....wow, just wow: what a debut.

[AlexB]

Paulo Roberto Bezzera, Salvador, Brazil 9-1 v. Nate Diaz, Stockton, California 10-2
Blurcat – Bezzera by TKO

Round 1
Bezerra hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Diaz to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Bezerra hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Diaz tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with The Serpent having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Diaz. Diaz leans forward and throws a looping right hand. Bezerra throws a wild head kick at the same moment, and it smashes into his jaw; Diaz goes down, slumped to the canvas. The referee covers him up, signalling that the match is over by knock out. Bezerra wins via knock out at 3:50 of the first round.

Now that is why the fans come to watch MMA! Three fantastic KO's tonight – what a night!


Roger Huerta, Minneapolis 20-2-1 v. Joe Stevenson, Las Vegas 29-9
Blurcat – Stevenson by split decision

This is a tough draw for both fighters in this preliminary level fight: both have been title contenders in the very recent past.

The Matador nearly knocks out Stevenson a couple of times in the 1^st round, and Stevenson does well to make it back to his stool. The second follows a similar pattern, as Huerta is all over Stevenson with his strikes, and it appears Joe Daddy has no answer...

Round 3
Stevenson is quickest out, and comes at Huerta with a series of jabs and straight punches. Huerta covered up well, and I don't think anything got through. Huerta hits a body shot, but it didn't connect solidly. They get in close, and it's Stevenson who takes it to the ground. Huerta pulls guard. There's a lull, as Stevenson tries to pass, and Huerta defends it. Punches get thrown every so often, but it's really a stalemate at the moment. Huerta almost gets a guillotine, but it's blocked and almost leads to a kimura for Stevenson, but that too goes nowhere. The referee stands them up, but the time is almost over. The round ends. Blurcat.com gives that one to Stevenson by 10-9. All three judges give a score of 29-28 to Roger Huerta.


Diego Sanchez, San Diego 19-2 (10) v. Josh Thomson, San Jose
Blurcat – Thomson by split decision

Will Nightmare's decision to drop down a weight class pay dividends? A win over Josh Thomson will put him in the #1 contender's match...

An action packed 1^st that Diego will get the nod for, taking The Punk down, wobbling him with a huge right hook, and nearly getting an armbar finish. Diego also takes the second, tripping Thomson and spending the majority of the round in the top position. Will the 3^rd be any different?

Round 3
Sanchez starts the round like a house on fire, hitting three quick jabs and a vicious right hook. Thomson covered up well, but at least one of the jabs got through and landed above the left eye. Thomson backs up to buy some time, but Sanchez keeps coming and lands a right hand to the body. Thomson scores with a jab in return, then goes with a kick to the waist. Sanchez catches the leg though and quickly rushes forward with a takedown. Thomson pulls guard. Sanchez almost gets caught in a surprise armbar, leaving his arm in for far too long after a punch. Thomson tries to twist it while wrapping his legs around it, but Sanchez pulls free, and it allows him an opportunity to get side control due to Thomson's legs being out of position. He lies across Thomson's chest. Thomson has locked up Sanchez's right shoulder well, it's preventing him from doing much. Sanchez drives a knee into the ribs, but can't generate much force. Sanchez tries to spin around and get into north and south position, but Thomson blocks it by tenaciously holding onto the right arm. Sanchez uses his legs to break Thomson's arms apart and trap the right one. It's a semi-crucifix position, Thomson is quite exposed. Fortunately for him then time expires before Sanchez can turn it into a better attacking opportunity. The third round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Sanchez. All three judges give a score of 30-27 in favour of Diego Sanchez.

A good fight, and an impressive debut for Nightmare – Diego v. KenFlo II maybe?

[AlexB]

Kenny Florian, Boston 11-3 (9) v. Joachim Hansen, Oslo 19-7-1 (6)
Blurcat – Florian by submission

If Florian is to get a rematch against Diego, he has to take out a higher ranked opponent in the Scandanavian. But Kenny has looked so impressive in his last 2-3 fights that this would not be a huge surprise.

In the 1^st Florian dominates by striking. KenFlo gets the takedown in the 2^nd, and wins the round from the top position. Can Hellboy completely change the fight in the 3^rd and final round?

Round 3
The two fighters circle. Hansen flicks out a couple of jabs, then an unconventinal looping right hand. Florian easily side-steps it, but trips and falls to the ground! He is up quickly, before Hansen could get in. Replays confirm that it was purely a stumble, the punch was well wide of the mark. Florian moves in, ducks under a big right hand, and gets two crisp jabs in before getting smothered into a clinch. One of those jabs landed hard, Hansen is a little rattled. They struggle in the clinch, both throwing small punches to the back and ribs. The referee separates them. Hansen forces Florian back up against the cage, and starts throwing jabs. He looks to be keeping Florian in position, waiting to unload a big punch. Hansen does, lunging in with a huge right cross, but Florian saw it coming and goes underneath it, scoring with a right hand to the gut on the way past. Hansen turns and tries to follow up immediately, but gets tagged with a wicked left hook that drops him to one knee. Hansen is up quickly, causing Florian, who was about to dive in, to back off. Replays show that the punch connected, but Hansen was already going downward to duck the punch, so it wasn't as powerful as first thought. Hansen throws a high kick, but it doesn't do anything but cause Florian to step back. The time expires without anything further of note happening. End of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Florian by 10-9. All three judges give a score of 30-27 to Kenny Florian.

A good fight, although Florian will be disappointed the fight had to go to the judges' cards. We get to see Florian v. Sanchez II for the right to a title shot!


#1 Contenders Match
Sean Morrison, Louisville, Kentucky 12-3 (5) v. Go Yamamoto, Osaki, 13-1 (7)
Blurcat – Morrison by TKO

Morrison is basically a young Matt Hughes, while Yamamoto is a highly talented young fighter. Both gave up their titles to join the UFC: Morrison was long time GAMMA champion, while Yamamoto was ALPHA champ - great things are expected from this fight...

The 1^st round is dominated by Go's kicking, and Morrison seemingly has no answer. In the second the American is back on form – stinging Yamamoto with a big right, taking him down and nearly getting a decisive armbar. The third round is where it's at...

Round 3
Yamamoto starts tentatively, and scores with a few sharp leg kicks. A straight left connects, and Morrison is forced backward to avoid an uppercut. Good start from Yamamoto. Morrison tries to come inside, but eats a kick to the thigh. They clinch briefly, but it goes nowhere. Looping right hand from Morrison, but it only caught Yamamoto on the shoulder. Another kick connects from Yamamoto, and that sets up a nice combination to the body. The accuracy of his kicks has been excellent so far, and is keeping Morrison from doing very much. Morrison throws out a few jabs, nothing too dangerous though, Yamamoto easily avoided them. Right hand from Morrison, that one definitely registered, but I don't think it had much power behind it. The time ticks away without anything further of interest happening. The round ends. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Yamamoto. The official scores are: 29-28 (twice), 30-27 for Go Yamamoto.

How on earth one judge had it 30-27 is beyond me, but the 29-28 scoreline was spot on: Go Yamamoto has both the coolest name in the UFC and a title shot.


But now it's the fight that everyone has been waiting for...

UFC Lightweight Championship
BJ Penn, Hilo, Hawaii 13-4-1 (1) v. Eddie Alvarez, Philadelphia 15-1 (2)
Blurcat – Penn by decision

1^st round is a little slow, but The Prodigy wins it via superior striking, and Alvarez sits down with a huge mouse over his eyebrow

Round 2
An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Alvarez fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Penn. They clinch, and Penn winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Alvarez tries to push Penn back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. Alvarez is backed up against the cage, but manages to clinch with Penn to prevent him throwing any punches. They struggle. Alvarez twists and throws all of his weight into an uppercut...and it catches Penn by surprise. It lands right on the nose, and Penn goes down hard. Alvarez, who looks as surprised that that hit as anybody, follows up by half-mounting Penn and throwing punches to the face. The referee waits to see if Penn can recover to defend himself , but has to pull Alvarez off and end the match when he can't. Official time of the TKO is 3:36 of the second round. Eddie Alvarez is the new UFC Lightweight champion.

No-one saw that coming! An amazing upset – Eddie Alvarez is the undisputed Lightweight champion of the world!

[AlexB]

Fight of the night was given to BJ Penn & Eddie Alvarez, so Carlos de Guia has to make do with the KO bonus, and Clay Guida gets the Submission of the Night.

Go Yamamoto hurt his foot through kicking Sean Morrison so much in rounds 1&3, and is out for about 2 months. He should be back in plenty of time to face the new Champ.

Other than this, the standard 30 day suspensions were dished out to the three KO victims: Ricardo Fernandes, Shinya Aoki and Nate Diaz

[AlexB]

One week after UFC 2, we have the LW Ultimate Fight Night -

Edson Emlison, 14-6 v. Gesias Calvacante, 14-2-1 (4) (Blurcat: Calvacante via KO)
Jackson Gray, 9-3 v. Tyson Griffin, 12-2 (Blurcat: Griffin via TKO)
Tatsuya Kawajiri, 22-5-2 v. Charles Stiles, 8-1-1 (Blurcat: Kawajiri via split decision)
Jonathan Huang, 9-3 v. Rodolphe Gygax, 16-7 (Blurcat: Huang via submission)

UFC Jr Lightweight Title
Gray Maynard, 6-0 v. Luke Hilton, 4-1 (Blurcat: Hilton via TKO)

#1 Jr Contender Match
Joseph Duarte, 4-0 v. Nicholas Bretton, 2-0

Stefan Champion, 2-0 v. Bae Yoon, 0-1 (Blurcat: Champion via submission)
Kyle Winterburn, 0-1 v. Joseph Stanley, 0-0 (Blurcat: Stanley via submission)
Corey Hill, 2-1 v. Dale Hartt, 5-1 (Blurcat: Hartt via TKO)
Pat Troy, 0-0 v. Erik Owings, 3-2 (Blurcat: Troy via TKO)

The only fighter with his career on the line is Rodolphe Gygax.

The juniors are a much more exciting crop than the MWs, and while all have their weaknesses being so inexperienced, Nicholas Bretton, Stefan Champion and Joseph Stanley all look good prospects.

[AlexB]

The action gets underway with:

Pat 'Blue Boy' Troy, 20, New Orleans, 0-0 v. Erik Owings, 28, New York, 3-2
(Blurcat: Troy via TKO)

Troy wins the first by being far quicker than Owings, nipping in and out before the older man get hold of him. The 2^nd is more of the same, and if Owings is going to pull this one out, he's got to get a grip on the Blue Boy.

He does indeed manage to do so, and gets Troy down, but can't finish and the debutant wins 29-28 on two cards, and somewhat surprisingly 30-27 on the other. Owings has now dropped two in a row, and is on a knife edge.


Corey Hill, 30, Brooksville, Florida, 2-1 v. Dale Hartt, 29, Bangor, Maine, 5-1
(Blurcat: Hartt via TKO)

A poor 1^st round, the only action of note a great shot by Hill that causes a huge swelling on Hartt's eyebrow. The 2^nd is even worse, and is tough to score. Will the 3^rd be any improvement?

I guess so, as Hill works a takedown and starts unloading on Hartt, getting the stoppage just two seconds before the end of the fight. Not great stuff, but at least there was a finish.


Kyle Winterburn, 20, Chandler, Arizona, 0-1 v. Joseph 'AK-47' Stanley, 19, St Paul, Minnesota, 0-0
(Blurcat: Stanley via submission)

A much better start to this bout, as AK-47 reverses Winterburn's takedown attempt and then tries submission after submission, but without success. Stanley's reputed to have a dodgy chin, but takes a good shot in the 2^nd before again taking his opponent down and, although being less dominant than in the first, wins the round.

The 3^rd was very scrappy, and was all on the feet, and Stanley gets the decision 30-27 from two judges and 29-28 from the other. A debut victory for the highly touted young fighter, and Winterburn must win next time out to keep his place on the developmental roster.


'Stealth Ninja' Stefan Champion, 22, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2-0 v. Bae Yoon, 22, South Korea, 0-1
(Blurcat: Champion via submission)

The Stealth Ninja unluckily lost a spot to Nicholas Bretton in the #1 contenders match on a coin toss, so will be anxious to prove a point tonight.

But in the 1^st it's the Korean who gets two takedowns to win the round. The 2^nd is all stand-up, and the Stealth Ninja lands the best shots to even the score. It will all go the final round...

Which Champion wins by virtue of an excellent kicking game: all three judges score the fight 29-28. Like Kyle Winterburn, if Bae Yoon loses next time, it's bye bye Bae Yoon (come on )

[AlexB]

After the four development fights, we move on to the seniors and the top two rookie contests.

Jonathan Huang, 26, Thailand, 9-3 v. Rodolphe 'G-Force' Gygax, 31, St Gallen, Switzerland, 16-9
(Blurcat: Huang via submission)

If G-Force loses, he will be out of the UFC after just one fight. Unfortunately he is a pure striker, with no ground game at all, and he faces a submission specialist with a strong chin. Will the ex-BCF contingent suffer their 1^st defeat in the UFC?

Round 1
Huang hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Gygax to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Huang hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Gygax tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Huang having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Gygax. Gygax gets Huang backed up against the cage and throws a flurry of jabs, but doesn't do any real damage. Huang tries to get back to the center, but almost invites the takedown attempt, which promptly comes. Gygax drives him down with a waist-high tackle...but gets caught! The takedown left his head exposed and Huang applied a guillotine on the way down. Gygax is caught, that is on really tight. There's the tap out, Gygax was clearly unable to breathe with a forearm crushing his wind-pipe. The official time is 3:25.

So facing a win or bust fight, a man with zero ground skills tries to take a submission specialist down? I don't think we're going to miss Gygax too much!


Tatsuya 'The Crusher' Kawajiri, 30, Ibaraki, Japan, 22-5-2 v. 'Rogue' Charles Stiles, 25, Sao Paulo, 8-1-1
(Blurcat: Kawajiri via split decision)

The Crusher starts the 1^st with a takedown, but Stiles reverses and spends the rest of the round on top. In the second it's Rogue that gets a double leg takedown, and again dominates from then on in. It looks like the Brazilian simply has too much for the Japanese fighter...

And so it proves – Kawajiri gets the takedown again, and this time maintains control. But he does practially nothing from there, and Stiles gets the decision 29-28 on all three judge's cards. Not the most exciting fight in the world however.


Jackson 'Pocket Rocket' Gray, 26, Velleja, California, 9-3 v. Tyson Griffin, 24, Las Vegas, 12-2
(Blurcat: Griffin via TKO)

Vicious ground & pound from the Pocket Rocket in the first sees Griffin battered and bruised at the end of the 1^st. The second is a carbon copy, and I can't see how Tyson Griffin can turn this one around...

And he can't – the third is very much a damp squib, and Gray gets the decision 29-28 unanimously. After losing to Sean Sherk the last time out, Tyson Griffin must win next time out, or he will be a relatively high profile casualty of the new system.

[AlexB]

Jr #1 Contenders Match
'The Hybrid' Joseph Duarte, 24, San Diego, 4-0 v. Nicholas 'The Blonde Bomber' Bretton, 22, Mont-Laurier, Quebec, 2-0

Can The Blonde Bomber take advantage of winning the coin toss for the opportunity to face Duarte? It's an interesting match up, as it's a classic striker v. submission specialist, with the slightly more experienced striker Duarte given the edge by the fans pre-fight.

A tentative first round could go either way, and an only slightly better 2^nd sees Duarte mark up the Canadian's face with a couple of stinging punches.

Round 3
The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Duarte gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. Bretton moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Duarte steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Bretton didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind his ear. Bretton is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Duarte from inflicting any more damage. Official time of the knock out is 1:21 of the third.

6 minutes of nothing, and then bang! The Hybrid will face the winner of the next fight for the junior title, and could well have earned himself a tidy bonus for the KO of the night.


Jr Lightweight Title Bout
Gray 'The Bully' Maynard, 29, Las Vegas, 6-0 v. ' The Hillbilly Hammer' Luke Hilton, 22, Birmingham, Alabama, 4-1
(Blurcat: Hilton via TKO)

The Bully, well... bullies Hilton in the 1^st, getting two takedowns and almost ending the fight with a kimura, which looked like would have worked if there were another 10 seconds or so in the round. A very one sided opener...

Round 2
Hilton makes Maynard back up against the cage by throwing some looping punches. He comes in closer and hits a right hook to the body, getting a jab to the cheek in return. Hilton throws another two punches, both to the body, then steps back to avoid an uppercut. Maynard lets fly with a scorching punch though, and it catches Hilton by surprise, putting him down! Maynard follows up and starts raining down right hands. Hilton covers up as best he can, but it's not enough as the referee pulls Maynard off, the match is over. Maynard wins via 2nd round TKO with the official time being 1:25. Gray Maynard is the new UFC Junior Lightweight champion.


And now we come to the maaaiiiinn event...

Edson Edmilson, 32, Sao Paulo, 14-6 v. Gesias 'JZ' Calvacante, 25, Rio de Janeiro, 14-2-1 (4)
(Blurcat: Calvacante via KO)

In losing his last match, Calvacante finds himself at the lowest senior LW level, despite being regarded behind only Penn, Alvarez and Aoki in the rankings. With both Penn and Aoki losing last week – it could be argued that Calvacante is the 2^nd best LW in the world, but will not get a title shot unless he wins four fights on the bounce. JZ must think that I don't like him. To make his paranoia even worse, he has one of the tougher draws at this level, facing an ex-ALPHA champion, albeit one who has lost to both Carlos de Guia and Ricardo Fernandes in the last two years...

An excellent opener sees JZ get a flash knockdown, but even though he comfortbaly won the round, both fighters landed shots. The second is less exciting as Edmilson is less of a threat, and when he sits down, the corner have to work on a couple of large swellings. He needs something special to change the course of this fight...

Round 3
JZ steps back, and Edmilson comes after him , sensing an opening. JZ suddenly puts the brakes on and swings for the fences, driving a right hand to the chin. Edmilson couldn't get out of the way in time and takes it full force. He goes down like a puppet with his strings cut, he is out cold. JZ goes to follow up to be sure, but the referee cuts him off, calling a halt to the match. Official time of the knock out is 1:29 of the third.

Wow – something special did happen, but not for Edmilson. Calvacante puts a marker down for the rest of the division. Great end to the night.

[AlexB]

Gesias Calvacante gets both KO of the Night and fight of the night for the match with Edson Edmilson, and Submission of the Night goes to Jonathan Huang for his guillotine choke.

Huang somehow managed to pick up a knee injury, but it's relatively minor and will only keep him out of the gym for about 6 weeks.

Gray Maynard will also be out for a similar length of time with a foot injury, while Edson Edmilson and Nicholas Bretton both have 30 days medical suspensions applied after their KO defeats.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Interesting idea that I'm curious to see how it plays out. To this point how do you feel the stock fictional guys & the real-life modded fighters mesh in terms of ratings? Balanced? Unbalanced? Close but ...?

[AlexB]

It's a bit early still tbh: I am updating as I go - I've not run any cards you haven't seen. My initial impressions are that the non-stars of the default Cornellverse are stronger than I thought they would be (see the early success of the BCF fighters) but they might have just got good match ups. Having said that the rankings are still dominated by 'real' fighters.

I think it will take a year of game time, which will be 3 fights each, to see where the balance might be.

Edit to add: Looking at the two updated sets of rankings, definitely going to take some time shake out: people are moving up or down 5/6 places after one fight.

[AlexB]

LW summary:

LW Title - Eddie Alvarez (2) beat BJ Penn (1) by TKO after 3:36 of R2 (Blurcat: Penn)

#1 Contenders Match - Go Yamamoto (7) beat Sean Morrison (5) by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Morrison)

Diego Sanchez (10) beat v. Josh Thomson by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Thomson)
Kenny Florian (9) beat Joachim Hansen (6) by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Florian)

Mario de Souza beat Sean Sherk (8) by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Sherk)
Carlos de Guia beat Shinya Aoki (3) by KO after 0:50 of R2 (Blurcat: de Guia)
Jason Dalglish beat Mitsuhiro Ishida by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Dalglish)
Paulo Roberto Bezzera beat Nate Diaz by KO after 3:50 of R1 (Blurcat: Bezzera)

Clay Guida beat Frank Edgar by submission after 2:22 of R3 (Blurcat: Guida)
Vitor Ribeiro beat Takanori Gomi by TKO after 1:28 of R1 (Blurcat: Gomi)
Roger Huerta beat Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Stevenson)
Gilbert Melendez beat Ricardo Fernandes by KO after 1:36 of R3 (Blurcat: Melendez)
Gesias Calvacante (4) beat Edson Emilson by KO after 1:29 of R3 (Blurcat: Calvacante)
Jackson Gray beat Tyson Griffin, 12-2 by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Griffin)
Charles Stiles beat Tatsuya Kawajiri by unanimous decision (Blurcat: Kawajiri)
Jonathan Huang beat Rodolphe Gygax by submission after 3:25 of R1 (Blurcat: Huang)

The new rankings after these fights are released -

1. Eddie Alvarez, USA, 25, 16-1 (+1)
2. Go Yamamoto, 30, Japan, 14-1 (+5)
3. Kenny Florian, 32, USA, 12-3 (+6)
4. Diego Sanchez, 27, USA, 20-2 (+6)
5. Gesias Calvacante, 25, Brazil, 15-2-1 (-1)
6. Vitor Ribeiro, 29, Brazil, 20-2 (NE)
7. Gilbert Melendez, 26, USA, 15-2 (NE)
8. Roger Huerta, 25, USA, 21-2-1 (NE)
9. BJ Penn, 30, USA, 13-5-1 (-8)
10. Carlos da Guia, 24, Brazil, 6-0 (NE)

[AlexB]

Highlights from the world of WMMA outside the new UFC. Many of the other companies have signed those released by the creation of the new UFC...

Kendall Grove beat Alan Belcher by TKO after just 0:31 of the 1st round for the Adrenaline MW title

Stephan Bonnar beat Christopher Sharp in a cracking non-title fight on the most recent Affliction card, winning by KO in 3:21 of the 4rd round

Yeijiri Yamamoto (no relation to Go) beat Piotr Dabowski by KO 3:58 into the 2nd to win the ALPHA Welterweight belt

Korieko Anzai won the BCF Middleweight title, beating Hans Peter Schneider by unanimous decision, but in truth it was a poor match

Ex TUF contestant Ross 'The Gladiator' Pointon is a World Champion! He KO's Sidney Silva to take the Cage Rage World Welterweight title. The match was however absymal, and did MMA in general no favours. To make it worse, Ross is not even in Cage rages top 10 welterweights! On the same card, Ross Mason took on and won by submission in the 3rd over Che Mills for the British Welterweight belt, and Noah Thomas won a unanimous decision over Robbie Olivier for the British Featherweight title in two more poor bouts. However the main event was better, and saw Vitor Belfort KO Tom Watson for the CR World MIddleweight title

Tha vacant GAMMA HW title was won by Raul Hughes, who knocked Thomas Smith out in the 2nd after 8 and half frenetic minutes of good MMA action

Amazingly, Cage Rage didn't have the worst card of the month - despite there being two title fights, TKO 35 was just horrible. Martin Grandmont KO'd Fabio Holonda for the TKO Lightweight title, and Hatsu Hioki stopped Stephane Vigneault in the 1st at Featherweight.

Despite arguably suffering the least, UFC's sister promotion WEC put on two low calibre shows - Miguel Torres retained his WEC Bantamweight title by stopping Brian Bowles in the 1st, in what should have been a good fight, but didn't really work. And Jamie Varner forced Danny Castillo to tap in the 2nd to keep his Lightweight belt.

[AlexB]

UFC 3 is here, and it's time for the LHWs.

The intial rankings are as follows:

1. Forrest Griffin, 29, USA, 16-4
2. Quinton Jackson, 30, USA, 28-7
3. Lyota Machida, 30, Brazil, 13-0
4. Tadamasa Yamada, 27, Japan, 13-1
5. Rashad Evans, 29, USA, 12-0-1
6. Chuck Liddell, 39, USA, 21-6
7. Roberto Aldez, 31, Brazil, 19-3
8. Wanderlei Silva, 32, Brazil, 32-8-1
9. Keith Jardine, 33, USA, 14-4-1
10. Thiago Silva, 28, Brazil, 13-0


The UFC 3 card looks good:

UFC LHW Title
Forrest Griffin, 16-4 (1) v. Lyota Machida, 13-0 (3) (Blurcat - Machida by TKO)

#1 Contenders Match
Tadamasa Yamada, 13-1 (4) v. Rashad Evans, 12-0-1 (5) (Blurcat - Yamada by submission)

Roberto Aldez, 19-3 (7) v. Thiago Silva, 13-0 (10) (Blurcat - Aldez by TKO)
Luis Arthur Cane, 9-1 v. Vladimir Matyushenko, 21-3 (Blurcat - Cane by KO)

Zvonimir Asanovic, 10-1 v. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, 15-3 (Blurcat - Asanovic by KO)
Renato Sobral, 30-7 v. Anthony LeToussier, 13-5 (Blurcat - Le Toussier by KO)
Keith Jardine, 14-4-1 (9) v. Aleksei Chekhov, 8-2 (Blurcat - Jardine by KO)
Leon Banks, 11-3 v. Wanderlei Silva, 32-8-1 (8) (Blurcat - Wanderlei by TKO)

Ricky Heath, 10-3 v. Rob Baines, 10-2 (Blurcat - Heath by submission)
Atshushi Nakajima, 15-12 v. JJ Reid, 12-0 (Blurcat - Reid by decision)
Dan Henderson, 23-7 v. Nicolai Mickiewicz 9-1 (Blurcat - Henderson by submission)
Quinton Jackson, 28-7 (2) v. Mauricio Rua, 16-3 (Blurcat - Rampage by TKO)

Ricky Heath was the late addition to the roster to cover the injury to Bambang Sriyanto. As usual, the remaining four matches in the preliminary round will be on UFN next week.

[AlexB]

Ricky 'Hollywood' Heath, 27, Fresno, California, 10-3 v. Rob Baines, 29, Norwich, England, 10-2
(Blurcat - Heath by submission)

This may not be the best ever opening fight: neither is noted for their particularly existing performances, and both are similar styles. There is the potential that they could cancel each other out, but on the flip side Hollywood will be keen to put on a show as a late replacement, while Baines will not want to lose out to a fighter that failed to make the original cut.

Round 1
Two jabs from the left hand of Heath set up a hard waist-high kick, but Baines steps back to avoid it. Nice attempt though. Heath moves in closer, bobbing and weaving, and looks to score with a looping right hand, but Baines uses the gloves to parry it away, then counter-strikes with a crisp jab and a kick to the knee. Good opening to the round, both fighters are looking lively. Heath finds himself backed up against the cage briefly, and has to scramble to safety to avoid a flurry of strikes. Baines is working for position, and is currently looking the more composed of the two. Heath and Baines clash in an exchange of punches. Baines scores with a nice body shot, but a right hand tags him just above the eye, and he is dropped to a sitting position, temporarily stunned. Heath dives in from the side, blasting him with a further punch that puts Baines on his back. Heath is firing off punches while kneeling across Baines's upper body in a half-mount, and there's not a lot Baines can do about it. He needs to get out of there, or at least pull guard, but can do neither as he can't get his hips free. Heath rains down the punches even faster, and Baines is just getting pounded into oblivion; even though he managed to block three quarters of the shots coming in, that's still five or six good shots that have gotten through. Those five or six shots are enough for the referee at any rate, as he calls an end to the match, obviously feeling that Baines was getting overwhelmed by that barrage. Heath wins via 1st round TKO with the official time being 2:52.

'Iron Man' Atshushi Nakajima, 35, Nagoya, Japan, 15-12 v. 'The Amazing' JJ Reid, 26, val D'Or, Quebec, 12-0
(Blurcat - Reid by decision)

The Canadian is a submission specialist, and Nakajima has tapped many times before – a foregone conclusion?

As thought, Iron Man clearly wants to keep this standing, but is comprehensively outstruck by JJ in the 1^st round. The 2^nd sees Reid takes Nakajima down, but as surprising as Reid's striking ability in the 1^st, the Japanese fighter demonstrates excellent ground defence in the 2^nd. Nevertheless he's 2 down going into the 3^rd...

And he's three down by the end of it. Nothing really happened, and The Amazing JJ Reid, despite being anything but, wins 30-27 on all three cards.

'The Dean of Mean' Keith Jardine, 33, Albuquerque, 14-4-1 (9) v. Aleksei 'Fists of Death' Chekhov, 25, Moscow, 8-2
(Blurcat - Jardine by KO)

A classic USA v. Russia clash, which Jardine should win with his much more rounded skills.

But he'll have to do so after losing the 1^st round: Chekhov won a tactical stand up battle.

Round 2
Chekhov works an angle and comes in from the side of Jardine, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Jardine hits a low kick to back Chekhov against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Chekhov fights out and the action returns to the center. Chekhov gets Jardine backed up against the cage and throws a flurry of jabs, but doesn't do any real damage. Jardine tries to get back to the center, but almost invites the takedown attempt, which promptly comes. Chekhov drives him down with a waist-high tackle...but gets caught! The takedown left his head exposed and Jardine applied a guillotine on the way down. Chekhov is caught, that is on really tight. There's the tap out, Chekhov was clearly unable to breathe with a forearm crushing his wind-pipe. Official time of the guillotine choke submission is 2:20 of the second round.

[AlexB]

'Dangerous' Dan Henderson, 38, Apple Valley, California, 23-7 v. 'Scourge of Europe' Nicolai Mickiewicz, 26, Minsk, Belarus, 9-1
(Blurcat - Henderson by submission)

The ex-two-weight PRIDE champion comes up against a tough opponent who looks very evenly matched up with Henderson. Both fighters are generally excisting, and this could be a fight of the night contender.

And the 1^st round lives up to the billing, Mickiewicz winning through a great kicking game. But Henderson comes back in a relatively dour 2^nd round to even up the fight going into the last...

Round 3
Slow start to the round, nearly a minute has gone by without anything but a few jabs finding gloves. Henderson comes in, looking for a grapple it seems, but takes a powerful kick just above the left hip. Mickiewicz really put some venom into that strike. Henderson backs off, clearly stung. Mickiewicz is the one advancing now, using a left hand jab to lead. He steps forward and fires off a big kick, aimed at the head. Henderson ducks and moves out of range, but that was clearly intended to be a match-ender, Mickiewicz was going for the knock out. It's pretty clear that he thinks that kicks are going to do the job in this round, and it has to be said that Henderson is looking to have a hard time countering them. On top of that, the threat of the kicks is keeping Henderson from getting in too close. Mickiewicz stalks Henderson, throwing the occasional high right hand, perhaps range-finding. Henderson is circling, seeking an opening of some kind. He moves in from the left and is quick enough to get into the clinch without taking any shots. Mickiewicz hits a knee, but takes one right back. The kicks aren't a danger from this position, that's for sure. Mickiewicz squirms free, but foolishly lost his concentration for a second and took a hard right hand above the eye in the process. Silly mistake. Henderson comes in, looking more confident now, and gets in a couple of right hands and a lovely hook to the body. Mickiewicz tags him with a jab though, and then hits another fearsome kick to the same spot above the left hip. And another! Henderson backs off, and a huge red mark has appeared in that spot. Mickiewicz advances and throws another head kick, but it is mostly blocked by the hands of Henderson. The round is drawing to a close, and those kicks have certainly proved massively effective for Mickiewicz. The round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Mickiewicz. The judges scores are unanimous, and give a score of 29-27 to Nicolai Mickiewicz.

While there was little doubt Mickiewicz won, the scoreline was eyebrow-raising: the judges all saw one round as a 10-8. It didn't affect the outcome though, so hopefully that will be the only anomaly this evening.

'Babalu' Renato Sobral, 33, Rio de Janeiro, 30-7 v. Anthony 'Live Wire' LeToussier, 29, Senneterre, Quebec, 13-5
(Blurcat - Le Toussier by KO)

Back in the UFC, Babalu has to try and get this fight to the ground, otherwise the up-and-coming Canadian may add another big name to his highlight knock out reel.

The 1^st is very tight – Le Toussier got a couple of really heavyshots in that rocked Sobral, but Babalu got the takedown at the end. The second was quiet, but the Candian clearly got the better of it, so Sobral has it all to do in the third...

And fails. Another quiet round, and Le Toussier get the decision 29-27 and 30-26 twice. Again a 10-8 in there somewhere – the judges are seeing something the rest of us aren't for sure.

'Bahna' Luis Arthur Cane, 27, Sao Paulo, 9-1 v. Vladimir 'The Janitor' Matyushenko, 35, Retchisa, Belarus 21-3
(Blurcat - Cane by KO)

This is the epitomy of striker v. grappler: the young big punching Brazilian with no ground game taking on a veteran high quality wrestler with a suspect chin... Matyushenko held the IFL LHW in 2007 before it shut down.

Round 1
They get in close, and end up grappling against the cage, Cane is in the dominant position. Matyushenko gets in a couple of stinging shots to the side of the ribs. Cane steps to the side slightly and gets free enough to unleash a massive punch to the side of the head, but Matyushenko partially blocked it. The fist missed, but replays show that the elbow caught Matyushenko right above him eye. Matyushenko grapples Cane in closer to stop another strike. The referee separates them though, he has seen something. Looks like he wants a look at Matyushenko. As the grapple is broken, it's instantly clear where that elbow connected, there's an ugly looking gash and blood is really starting to flow quite heavily. That's a really deep cut. The doctor is brought in. This could be all over, as the blood is going right into the left eye of Matyushenko. The referee consults the doctor....and this match is over. Matyushenko has been deemed unable to continue, that really ugly looking cut is going to make it impossible for him to continue. Cane will walk out with the win.The official time is 0:39.

A disappointing end to what could have been a great fight. But it's Bahna who advances to the Title Shot Eliminator

[AlexB]

'The Croatian Sensation' Zvonimir Asanovic, 26, Zagreb, 10-1 v. 'Minotoro' Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, 32, Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil, 15-3
(Blurcat - Asanovic by KO)

Asonovic was the GAMMA LHW title holder before the realignment of the UFC, winning the belt by knocking out Roberto Aldez and make one further successful defence. Think Chuck Liddell and you're not too far away. He takes on Minotoro in another intriguing grappler v. striker match up

The 1^st is all Asanovic, as he tests Minotoro's chin a couple of times in particular. Both fighters change tack in the 2^nd, with Nogueira angling to get a takedown, which allows Asanovic to unload his arsenal of body kicks. Another round (presumably 10-9 but who knows tonight?) to the Croatian, and it's tough to see a way back for Minotoro.

Round 3
Asanovic and Nogueira circle to start. Nogueira throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Asanovic sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Nogueira comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Asanovic to slip a nice jab in, catching Nogueira just underneath the right eye. Asanovic comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Nogueira misses with a right cross, then backs off. Asanovic stalks him, forcing Nogueira back up against the cage. Asanovic doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Nogueira throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Asanovic pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Nogueira covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Asanovic in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Asanovic throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with his arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Nogueira comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Asanovic parries them with his gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Asanovic's favour. The third round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Asanovic. The official scores are: 30-27 from all three judges for Zvonimir Asanovic.

No question marks over the scorecards this time – Asanovic moves on in the bracket with Jardine and LeToussier. Who will make up the fourth: Banks or Wanderlei?

Leon 'The Streetfighter' Banks, 26, Boston, 11-3 v. Wanderlei 'The Axe Murderer' Silva, 32, Las Vegas, 32-8-1 (8)
(Blurcat - Wanderlei by TKO)

Banks is an excellent wrestler with a great chin, and could cause some problems for Wanderlei....

The 1^st sees Banks take down The Axe Murderer twice, get side control and almost finish the fight with a kimura – that could be a 10-8! In the 2^nd Wanderlei wobbles Banks with the very first punch, dominates from then on and staggers him again near the end of the round: this is going to be an interesting last round – it could be level at 18-18!

Round 3
Wanderlei starts tentatively, and scores with a few sharp leg kicks. A straight left connects, and Banks is forced backward to avoid an uppercut. Good start from Wanderlei. Banks tries to come inside, but eats a kick to the thigh. They clinch briefly, but it goes nowhere. Looping right hand from Banks, but it only caught Wanderlei on the shoulder. Another kick connects from Wanderlei, and that sets up a nice combination to the body. The accuracy of his kicks has been excellent so far, and is keeping Banks from doing very much. Banks tries to back Wanderlei up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Right hand from Banks, that one definitely registered, but I don't think it had much power behind it. The time ticks away without anything further of interest happening. End of round 3. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Wanderlei. The official scores are: 29-27 (twice), 30-26 for Wanderlei Silva.

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, 30, Nashville, 28-7 (2) v. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, 27, Curitiba, Brazil, 16-3
(Blurcat - Rampage by TKO)

While Rampage may feel he has been handed a harsh draw in Shogun, his skill set matches up perfectly against Rua. To add a bit of spice, these are the only two fighter tonight on a loss, and whoever loses this one will have to win next time out or get canned.

Round 1
Right hand from Shogun was thrown with power, but bounced off the gloves of Rampage. Shogun follows up by coming in close, but Rampage is ready with a straight right hand that glances off the side of the head. Shogun hits a low kick, then moves in for a jab. Rampage saw it coming and unloads with an enormous punch to the jaw. Shogun goes down immediately, he has been knocked clean out by the power of Rampage. The official time is 1:54.

Well that was fairly definitive: Rampage is back!

[AlexB]

Roberto 'The Sniper' Aldez, 31, Rio de Janeiro, 19-3 (7) v. Thiago Silva, 28, Sao Paulo, 13-0 (10)
(Blurcat - Aldez by TKO)

The ex-GAMMA champion is a tough opponent for the 10^th ranked Silva, and this is reflected in the fact that although he's not ranked as highly, the line is on The Sniper.

Round 1

An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Silva fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Aldez. They clinch, and Aldez winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Silva tries to push Aldez back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. Aldez moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Silva steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Aldez didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind his ear. Aldez is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Silva from inflicting any more damage. Silva wins via first round knock out at 3:31.

We have stepped up a notch – an excellent victory for Thiago Silva to advance to the elimnator against Luis Arthur Cane - and he keeps his unbeaten record: can Rashad Evans follow suit?

#1 Contenders Match
'The Dragon' Tadamasa Yamada, 27, Osaka, 13-1 (4) v. 'Sugar' Rashad Evans, 29, Lansing, Michigan, 12-0-1 (5)
(Blurcat - Yamada by submission)

What do you get for sparking out The Iceman? A tough, tough fight against the ex-ALPHA champ in a title fight eliminator - in all honesty it's tough to see how Evans can win, but you could have said the same for many of his previous fights, and he remains undefeated to this point.

The first is tentative from both fighters, with The Dragon probably just edging it. The second is anything but, with the crowd on their feet at times with the Japanese fighter's stand-up display, and Evans needs to pull an iron out of the fire here...

Round 3
Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Yamada works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when he advances. They clinch, and end up with Evans backed up against the cage. Yamada gets a couple of right hands to the body, but his attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Evans, who uses his legs well to defend. Yamada pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Evans gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Yamada follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Yamada hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Evans tags him with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Evans leans in to a looping left, but it puts him off balance and it's only at the last second that he gets his chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. End of round 3. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Yamada. All three judges give a score of 30-27 in favour of Tadamasa Yamada.

It's the first time a Rashad Evans fight played out in the octagon as it did on paper, and if Machida can beat Forrest, we could have a Double Dragon revival (that's how we're gonna market it if it happens! Billy & Jimmy Lee back to back!)

But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

UFC LHW Title
Forrest Griffin, 29, Las Vegas, 16-4 (1) v. 'The Dragon' Lyota Machida, 13-0 (3)
(Blurcat - Machida by TKO)

The title fight is as it should be: a tough call. The difference may be Forrest's wrestling, this is the only area where one has an obvious advantage over the other.

Round 1
Machida pushes Griffin up against the cage in a clinch. Machida throws a knee, then a couple of short punches to the side of the head. Griffin pushes him away and steps in to score with an uppercut. Machida took it flush on the chin and is rocked! Another right hand drops Machida against the cage, and Griffin follows up by unloading with a barrage of punches. The referee gets in and pulls Griffin away, he wins the match by TKO. The official time is 1:51. Forrest Griffin retains the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

Wow! While I thought Griffin may prevail, I did not see that coming. Damn Forrest, ruining my marketing plans. We'll have to go with a Dragonslayer theme now instead!

[AlexB]

Some of the early fights may have lacked a bit of lustre, but what a final third! Submission of the Night goes to Keith Jardine, while Fight of the Night is Wanderlei Silva v. Leon Banks. KO of the Night has a lot of competition, but we give it to Thiago Silva for his roundhouse kick, although Rampage can feel a little hard done by.

Bad news after the event: the win over Banks came at a cost – Wanderlei Silva blew his knee halfway through the 3^rd, which probably explains the slightly less frenetic final minute, and is likely to be out for around 6 months.

It was a heavy night for injuries: Luis Arthur Cane has somehow picked up a pelvic injury, and will be out for a month or two; Anthony LeToussier nicked his shoulder up, and won;t train for about 6 weeks; and the cut will keep Vladimir Matyushenko out of training for a month.

Shogun gets the standard 28 days medical suspension, while Roberto Aldez is given a 38 day embargo, reflecting the more brutal nature of his sudden end.

[AlexB]

It's time for the LHW UFN, which will will see the last ever Chuck Liddell fight against former TUF contestant Mike Whitehead. The full card is as follows:

Rich Franklin, 24-3 v. Inejiro Chiba, 20-4 (Blurcat: Chiba via KO)
Lenny McFadden, 9-4 v. Mike Watson, 2-0 (Blurcat: Watson via decision)
Mike Whitehead, 23-6 v. Chuck Liddell, 21-6 (6) (Blurcat: Liddell via KO)
Ricardo Arona, 13-5 v. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, 5-3 (Blurcat: Arona via submission)

There were not a whole host of decent rookie LHWs, so the developmental roster actually includes a couple of half decent fighters who still meet the criteria.

Jr LHW Title
Jon Jones, 6-0 v. Rafael Cavalcante, 7-1 (Blurcat: Cavalcante via TKO)

Title Shot Elimination Match
Jorge Oliveira, 3-2-1 v. Nate Carey, 3-1 (Blurcat: Oliveira via TKO)

Andre Gusmao, 5-1 v. Tomasz Drwal, 14-2 (Blurcat: Gusmao via KO)
Jamal Patterson, 4-2 v. Marc Howard, 0-0 (Blurcat: Patterson via submission)
Kyle Kingsbury, 7-1 v. Matt Hamill, 4-2 (Blurcat: Hamill via TKO)
Alfred Freebush, 0-0 v. Conor Houghton, 1-0 (Blurcat: Freebush via submission)

[AlexB]

Alfred 'The Fridge' Freebush, 18, Fresno, 0-0 v. 'The Irish Warrior' Conor Houghton, 24, Antrim, Northern Ireland, 1-0
(Blurcat: Freebush via submission)

The Fridge could be a star, but he is only 18 and will need time to develop. Houghton is a very young, very inexperienced and less powerful version of The Iceman, but I think he is overmatched here.

The 1^st is a bit of a stalemate, but Freebush should get the nod given his pressing. An excellent 2^nd round sees the Irishman get a takedown, but then get swept and spending the rest of the round defending. Freebush 2 up going into the last...

And he wins a unanimous 30-27 decision after dominating the 3^rd after another takedown.

Jr LHW Title Shot Elimination Match
Jorge 'Van Damme' Oliveira, 29, Rio de Janeiro, 3-2-1 v. Nate Carey, 33, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 3-1
(Blurcat: Oliveira via TKO)

Could go either way, and the hype is pretty low for this match up – whoever wins will not match up well against either Jones or Cavalcante.

Carey gets the takedown to win the 1^st, but in truth didn't really do a lot from the top position. The 2^nd is mostly stand-up, and Oliveira gets a flash knockdown to even up the cards...

The third is a repeat of the opener, and Carey wins 29-28 on two cards, and somehow 30-27 on the third???

Jamal 'The Suit' Patterson, 34, Hoboken, NJ, 4-2 v. Marc Howard, 22, Toronto, 0-0
(Blurcat: Patterson via submission)

A tough debut for Howard: The Suit has a granite chin and is excellent on the ground. Patterson is a strong favourite here, but can the rookie take The Suit to the (dry) cleaners?

Howard starts promisingly and gets a takedown, but Patterson get up, returns the favour and then forces the rookie to defend position and submissions for the rest of the round. The second sees Howard pressing The Suit again, getting a takedown but momentum sees Patterson roll through and end up on top, from which point we're seeing a carbon copy of the 1^st.

Two takedowns in the third see Patterson winning on all three cards, but again there is one judge that gives it 29-28 – did we book the same guys as last week?

Andre Gusmao, 31, Goiania, Brazil, 5-1 v. Tomasz 'Travolta' Drwal, Krakow, Poland, 14-2
(Blurcat: Gusmao via KO)

Despite having a 14-2 record, the Pole is a big underdog against Gusmao. Unlike Blurcat, I see it being won on the ground and not by KO.

Round 1

Drwal gets caught with a solid right hand out of nowhere, and is rocked. Gusmao follows up with another one, and Drwal looks in trouble all of a sudden. He is backed up against the cage and Gusmao is unloading. The punches are raining down, Drwal is covering up. The referee has seen enough and stops the fight, clearly feeling that Drwal was unable to defend himself intelligently. Gusmao wins. Gusmao wins via first round TKO at 52 seconds.

Short and sweet!

[AlexB]

Kyle Kingsbury, 26, San Jose, 7-1 v. Matt 'The Hammer' Hamill, 32, Loveland, Ohio, 4-2
(Blurcat: Hamill via TKO)

Two ex-TUF fighters take on each other in what should be a win for Hamill: Kingsbury is a decent stand-up fighter, but is not a strong wrester and has no ground game, which does not bode well.

Round 1
They clinch. Kingsbury gets in a nice knee, but a second attempt sees him swept to the ground. Kingsbury landed hard with Hamill right on top of him, it looks like he got winded. Hamill hits three big punches to the face, and Kingsbury is rocked. Hamill gets an arm, locks in a kimura, and Kingsbury has no alternative but to tap out. The official time is 0:51.

Shorter and sweeter.

Jr LHW Title
Jon Jones, 22, Endicott, NY, 6-0 v. Rafael 'Feijao' Cavalcante, 28, Rio de Janeiro, 7-1
(Blurcat: Cavalcante via TKO)

Feijao is one of those fighters who is a little more developed than the ideal development talent, and should have too much for Jones tonight. It's not a dead cert as Jones has a good chin, but if he were to win it would be a surprise.

Round 1
Jones doesn't waste any time and throws two jabs to the face, but Feijao easily side-steps both and circles to the left. Feijao throws a head fake, then comes in fast from an angle with a looping punch, but misses and takes a glancing shot to the shoulder from a left hand counter. Feijao is bobbing and weaving, trying to find an angle of attack. Jabs and an occasional low kick from Jones are making that hard though. A crisp right hand from Feijao stings the gloves of Jones, and he follows up with a kick that crashed into the ribs. That really connected, great strike. Feijao looks to be growing in confidence, and comes in again, using the right hand lead once more. Jones was ready though, and fires off a high kick. It connects with the side of the jaw, Feijao did not see that one coming! He staggers and falls to the floor, totally unbalanced. Jones is right in there; hammer fist to the side of the head, and another! There's a third. Feijao is in big trouble. Vicious punch. The referee leaps in, that is all she wrote! That kick caught Feijao out, and from there onwards there was only going to be one outcome. The official time of the TKO is 1:26 of round 1. Jon Jones is the new UFC Junior Light Heavyweight champion.

Well we have our surprise! Three fights in a row that gave explosive action. And The iceman is up next!

Mike Whitehead, 37, Salt Lake City, 23-6 v. 'The Iceman' Chuck Liddell, 39, San Luis Obispo, California, 21-6 (6)
(Blurcat: Liddell via KO)

The end of an era lost in the mist of a TV show, courtesy of a comprehensive loss and unexciting draw against Whitehead. Whitehead is likely to be back regardless, so it would be fitting for ex-UFC LHW champ to end with a KO...

The first two rounds are exactly as you'd imagine this fight: Whitehead trying to get the fight to the ground, and Liddell catching him on the way, and sprawling successfully until the very last few seconds of the 2^nd. I would probably have Liddell in the 1^st, and the second about equal. Lets pick up the action live for Chuck's final round of MMA...

Round 3
Liddell drives Whitehead up against the cage and sweeps him for an astonishingly easy takedown. Liddell seems to be feeling it, he starts raining down punches! A big shot catches Whitehead right in the mouth, followed closely by one above the right eye. This could all be over very soon, Whitehead is getting creamed. Liddell fires off another big punch, this time grazing the ear...but Whitehead suddenly snaps his guard shut, catching an overconfident Liddell in a triangle choke! It looks like Whitehead lured him into that one. Liddell tries to fight it, but he is caught and looks like he is fading fast. Whitehead squeezes even harder. Liddell taps out! It's over. Whitehead wins via 3rd round triangle choke submission with the official time being 0:48.

Wow! A huge win for Whitehead, but a strange and sad end to a great career.

[AlexB]

Rich 'Ace' Franklin, 34, Cincinnati, 24-3 v. Inejiro Chiba, 34, Sakai, Japan, 20-4
(Blurcat: Chiba via KO)

The two veteran ex-champs match up well: Franklin, an ex-UFC middleweight champ, is pretty well rounded, while Chiba, who succesfully defended the ALPHA LHW belt 4 times 2006-7, is better on his feet but worse on the ground than the American. Maybe Franklin being on a winning streak will give him the edge over Chiba, who lost last time out.

The 1^st is a tactical stand up fight that Chiba probably edges. The second is more of the same, and Ace is two rounds down...

Round 3

The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Chiba forces Franklin back up against the cage, and he has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Chiba is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Franklin clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Franklin gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Chiba seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Franklin who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Chiba had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Chiba throws a stinging jab, landing just above the left eye. Franklin steps in and fires off one of his own, but Chiba bobs out of the way and scores with a pair of solid shots to the body. Franklin turns and swings, just as Chiba also unloads...and it's Chiba who connects first! Franklin's hands drop and he is on rubbery legs. Chiba follows up with a beauty of a right hand, and that drops Franklin. The referee doesn't even wait for Chiba to dive in to finish, he's seen enough, Franklin is clearly on Dream Street. This bout is over! Official time of the TKO is 3:41 of the third.

Well, smoke me a kipper, Franklin will not be back for breakfast!

'Lethal' Lenny McFadden, 26, Falkirk, Scotland, 9-4 v. 'The Calgary Assassin' Mike Watson, 22, Calgary, 2-0
(Blurcat: Watson via decision)

This is a tough one to pick: both are still learning, Watson is much more rounded that the Scot, but is seen as being vulnerable to wrestlers like McFadden...

The Scot looks stronger than the very inexperienced Canadian, and basically bullies Watson to the floor before dishing out some occasionally vicious G&P in the 1^st. The second sees a takedown apiece, but while McFadden gets back to his feet, Watson does not. However, at the very end, after suffering some more ground and pound, he manages to sink in a triangle and armbar which Lethal only just gets out of. A tough second to score...

The final round sees Watson prevent any takedown, but at the expense of any offense himself. A strange choice of tactics, and McFadden wins 29-28 twice and 30-27 on the third.

'The Brazilian Tiger' Ricardo Arona, 30, Rio de Janeiro, 13-5 v. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, 24, Temecio, California, 5-3
(Blurcat: Arona via submission)

Both fighters are coming off a defeat, which adds to the pressure that both will undoubtedly be feeling ahead of this fight: the strength of each is a huge weakness of the other. Will Sokoudjou be able to keep the fight standing where he will be confident of KO'ing the Brazilian Tiger, or will Arona get the takedown that will surely lead to the win?

The first two rounds see Arona end up on top in each, but Sokoudjou looks to have improved his ground game, as he doesn't really get into any major danger. However, at the same time is clearly losing going into the last...

Round 3
Sokoudjou starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Arona. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Arona goes for a single leg and puts Sokoudjou on the floor, but he is up very quickly, preventing Arona from getting on top. Sokoudjou definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Arona hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Sokoudjou again. This time Sokoudjou isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Arona will have to hurry to finish. He goes for an armbar, but Sokoudjou defends. Arona tries to slip past to get side control, but Sokoudjou just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Arona has the side. Two big elbows land, and Sokoudjou seems in trouble. Arona goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before he can try again, and the referee separates them. The third round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Arona. All three judges give a score of 30-27 in favour of Ricardo Arona.

[AlexB]

Fight of the Night was a close call, but goes to Franklin v. Chiba, while Mike Whitehead gets Submission of the Night for his triangle choke on The Iceman.

Injury Update: Inejiro Chiba damaged his thigh in defeating Franklin, and will out for a couple of months