Mixed Martial Arts Blog

Some UFC 100 reading

July 10, 2009 6:53 PM EDT

While we await the 7 p.m. start to the live streaming video of the UFC 100 weigh-ins Friday night, here's some reading material for you to enjoy:

The driving forces behind UFC
Kimbo Slice returns to fighting
Brock Lesnar's hard shell protects soft, gooey center
UFC 100 growing into a sold-out spectacle
Dana White has the passion and shares the pain
Cro Cop insists he's ready for another UFC run

An oldie but goodie: The ups and downs (and ups) of Frank Mir

UFC 100 predictions, Dustin Wright style

July 10, 2009 3:16 PM EDT

(AP Photo) >> See more UFC 100 photos

Fightin' Words reader Dustin Wright challenged me to a predictions contest after UFC 98. OK, more like he called me out and I challenged him, but whatever.

He smoked me in UFC 99 in the inaugural Fightin' Words vs. the Fans UFC Predictions Extravaganza.

And now Wright is back to defend his title for UFC 100. My UFC 100 predictions are here, his are below. Anyone else who wants to play, post your predictions in the comments section.

Kimbo Slice and 'The Ultimate Fighter' 10 cast

July 10, 2009 3:11 PM EDT

Spike TV on Friday announced the cast for Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter." It starts Sept. 16 on Spike and ends with "The Ultimate Figher" Finale on Dec. 5.

Here's the list of 16 heavyweights in contention for the six-figure contract with the UFC.

UFC 100 predictions

July 9, 2009 2:17 AM EDT

(AP Photo) >> See more UFC 100 photos

Yes, this is the biggest weekend in UFC history and they're going all out for UFC 100.

Yes, it happens to arrive at the worst possible time for me, what with us undergoing serious redesign and building of two new brand new sites. (Fightin' Words will be getting a massive makeover in a few weeks along with the rest of newsday.com and exploreLI.com).

Yes, we're still bringing the pain with our UFC 100 predictions. Yes, those UFC 100 predictions are slightly less in-depth than normal -- just a quick and dirty rundown of my sleep-deprived thoughts. (Just not enough time in the day right now, but at least you can make your predictions in our UFC 100 poll.)

The good news is that Fightin' Words will be at the NYC viewing party for UFC 100 at Radio City Music Hall, so if you're going, email me. And we should have live streaming video of the UFC 100 post-fight press conference on Saturday night, if all goes well.

>> Fightin' Words vs. Fans UFC Prediction Extravanga: Dustin Wright's UFC 100 predictions

UFC 100 predictions

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (UFC heavyweight championship)
Lesnar has a lot of doubters out there to convince he's the real MMA deal and not just the biggest dude on the planet. Mir is more polished all around, and is the first guy to knock out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. That counts for something. The pick: Mir wins via submission.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (UFC welterweight championship)
Alves plays the "Don't sleep on this guy" role in this fight. But GSP is GSP and that means he's pretty much the best overall MMA guy around next to Anderson Silva. (Who wouldn't love to see those two go at it?). The pick: GSP via TKO.

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping
Henderson bored us into submission as coach of Team USA on Season 9 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Bisping made us laugh the whole time with that crazy UK accent. The pick: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
Fitch has wins over Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves on his resume. His one loss in the UFC? GSP. Thiago only has one fight in the UFC, an impressive TKO over Josh Koscheck. All things point to Fitch, except me. The pick: Thiago in an upset special via decision.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher
You all know how I feel about fighters making their UFC debut. Sorry, Akiyama. The pick: Belcher.

Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar
Coleman is still fighting? Professionally? Wow. Impressive. The pick: Bonnar via first-round KO.

Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
Miller is coming off his first loss in the UFC, and his brother Dan lost at UFC 98 to Chael Sonnen. Time to restore some family pride. The pick: Miller via 2nd-round submission.

Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
Watch out for this Jon "Bones" Jones fella. He's young, but he's good. This could be that proverbial step up the ladder in the light heavyweight division. The pick: Jones via third-round submission.

Dong Hyun Kim vs. TJ Grant
Grant replaced the injured Jonathan Goulet (shoulder) in mid-June. Both fighters are skilled on the ground. Could be a very interesting technical bout to watch. The pick: Kim via decision.

CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
Can Dollaway wrestle his way past Lawlor's standup and size? We say yes. The pick: Dollaway.

Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty
Flip a coin before you get to the betting window. That's pretty much what I just did. The pick: Grice.

VOTE: UFC 100 fight card

>> UFC 100 photos

Holly Madison on the card for UFC 100, sorta

July 7, 2009 2:11 PM EDT

Holly Madison will be an Octagon girl for UFC 100 this Saturday in Las Vegas.

Not much news beyond that. Really, it's just an excuse to post a photo of Madison, a former Playmate, "Girl Next Door" and girlfriend of Hugh Hefner who is now starring in the Las Vegas show "Peep Show" at Planet Hollywood.

(Getty Images)

Madison's role as a Octagon girl consists of, in this order: Wearing skimpy clothes, looking hot, walking around an eight-sided cage, holding up a sign that indicates which round is about to start while walking around that eight-sided cage, and then blowing a kiss to the camera that follows her as she walks back to her seat.

She's joined by veteran UFC Octagon Girls Arianny Celeste, Logan Stanton and Edith Labelle. Who do you think would win in a four-way MMA tournament? Sure, that's a stupid question, but it's a great visual. Enjoy your day.

>> Read more about UFC 100

Poll results: Kimbo Slice of 'The Ultimate Fighter'

July 6, 2009 11:49 PM EDT

Way back when, when the news broke about Kimbo Slice being on Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter," we posed a simple question: How far would he go?

And seeing how Spike TV and UFC will announce the full cast of Season 10 during UFC 100 weekend, now's as good a time as any to publish the results of our highly unscientific Fightin' Words poll:

How far will Kimbo Slice go on Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter"? 38% - He'll lose in the preliminary rounds
27% - He'll lose in the semifinals
26% - He'll win it all
9% - He'll lose in the final

>> Next question: Who deserves the next heavyweight championship title shot at UFC 100?

UFC 100 fight card and fan voting

July 6, 2009 11:16 PM EDT

(AP Photo) >> See more UFC 100 photos

Yes, we all know UFC 100 is this weekend and it boasts the most impressive card of the year (and quite possibly more impressive that UFC 92, aka UFC Ultimate 2008). Here's the fight card and your chance to pick the winner of each fight.

The official Fightin Words' predictions will hit the blog Wednesday evening, giving you all plenty of time to rip me a new one.

UFC 100 fight card

Main card (on pay-per-view)

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (UFC heavyweight championship unification)
Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (UFC welterweight championship)
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping (middleweight)
Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago (welterweight)
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher (middleweight)

Undercard (may not be broadcast)

Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar (light heavyweight)
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller (lightweight)
Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien (light heavyweight)
Dong Hyun Kim vs. TJ Grant (welterweight)
CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor (middleweight)
Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty (lightweight)

VOTE: UFC 100 fight card

Ultimate Chaos: Bobby Lashley vs. Bob Sapp

June 28, 2009 3:09 AM EDT

Bobby Lashley is a beast inside the cage. Granted, Bob Sapp is old (35), but Lashley worked ground-and-pound to win at "Ultimate Chaos" in Biloxi, Miss.

Lashley took Sapp to the mat immediately and won in the first round by submission . . . from punches! I can't remember the last time I saw an MMA fighter tap out from punches. Anyone out there remember?

Full fight card results

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHTS

Bobby Lashley beat Bob Sapp by first-round submission (3:17 ? Strikes)

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Gilbert Yvel beat Pedro Rizzo by first-round knockout (2:10)

Rocky Overstreet beat Greg Maher by first-round submission (2:08 ? Arm Bar)

WELTERWEIGHTS

Waachim Spirit Wolf beat Brett Cooper by first-round TKO.

Colin McKee beat Lance Thompson by first-round submission (4:16 -- Strikes)

James Orso beat Danny Abbadi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Javier Vazquez beat Mark Kergosian by first-round submission (0:59 -- Guillotine)

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Chris Horodecki beat William Sriyapai by first-round submission (4:02 ? Rear Naked Choke)

Tom Atencio beat Randy Hedderick by second-round TKO

Brandon Harder beat John Harris by second-round submission (4:31 ? Arm Triangle)

Drew Wallace beat Eric Graham by second-round TKO (4:02 ? Punches)

The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale

June 22, 2009 5:44 PM EDT

By Pete DeBellis

Sorry to miss you all with my post last week but I was down for the count in the hospital. Contrary to some of the rumors out there ? and much to the chagrin of my debtors ? I am still very much alive, albeit with a few more pins and screws. As Father Lyle once told me, ?timing is everything in life,? and I?m glad I picked the last semifinal week to take off because we all saw the Lester/Wilks movie earlier this season and you had to know that the sequel would hold no surprises.

TUF 9 finale preview: Ross Pearson vs. Andre Winner

June 19, 2009 2:03 PM EDT

In this video: Team UK fighters Ross Pearson and Andre Winner discuss their lightweight bout at "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 9 finale.

Prediction: Pearson by unanimous decision

>> See the Damarques Johnson-James Wilks preview video.

TUF 9 finale preview: Damarques Johnson vs. James Wilks

June 19, 2009 1:58 PM EDT

In this video: Damarques Johnson of Team US and James Wilks of Team UK discuss their welterweight bout at "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 9 finale.

Prediction: Johnson wins by second-round TKO

>> See the Ross Pearson-Andre Winner preview video.

UFC 99 prediction recap

June 15, 2009 6:43 PM EDT

UFC 99: The Comeback may have been about Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva and the rest of the fighters on the card, but here at Fightin' Words, it was about pride.

And we have just about none left as blog reader Dustin Wright TKOd me in our predictions contest. With a 10-2 record, Wright smoked me and my 6-6 scorebook to win the inaugural Fightin' Words vs. The Fans UFC Prediction Contest Extravaganza.

A lot of words in that title, sure, but it just makes the engravers work a little bit harder on the championship belt. Below is the final scoresheet along and above is a celebratory photo of the UFC 99 champ (he's the one in the middle). UFC 100: La Monica vs. Wright 2 has already been booked. Any other readers interested in competing in round 2 of Fightin' Words vs. The Fans UFC Prediction Contest Extravaganza?

Dustin Wright's picks
Rich Franklin
Cain Velasquez
Mike Swick
Marcus Davis (wrong)
Spencer Fisher
Mirko Cro Cop
Paul Kelly
Stefan Struve
Paul Taylor
Dennis Siver
Terry Etim
Rick Story (wrong)

Fightin' Words' picks
Rich Franklin
Cheick Kongo (wrong)
Ben Saunders (wrong)
Dan Hardy
Caol Uno (wrong)
Mirko Cro Cop
Justin Buchholz (wrong)
Stefan Struve
Peter Sobotta (wrong)
Dennis Siver
Roli Delgado (wrong)
John Hathaway

UFC 102 goes old school with Couture-Nogueira

June 15, 2009 6:04 PM EDT

It's like that T-Mobile commercial says: "You get to play against the old school players . . . when they're old."

Of course, Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira could stuff any of us inside a hurt locker when they're 89 years old, but it still makes for an interesting main event at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., don't you think?

Couture will be 45 years old -- Nogueira is only 33 -- when the two legendary fighters meet in the Octagon at The Rose Center on Aug. 29.

It's hard to go against Couture, no matter how old he gets. He's done more after turning 40 than most people have before they reach that middle-age milestone.

Nogueira, at 33, is younger than many UFC fighters, but he's coming off the first knockout of his career at the hands of Frank Mir at UFC 92. Should make for an interesting August night. Might even create a little more intrigue in the heavyweight division.

UFC 100 comes to New York (sorta)

June 15, 2009 3:31 PM EDT

(AP Photo)

With all the turmoil in the New York State senate lately, the legalization of mixed martial arts in the state could hit another snag on the calendar.

But disruptions in timing didn't stop the UFC and THQ from making Madison Square Garden a venue in the "UFC Undisputed" video game when it was released last month.

And now, UFC 100 is coming to New York City . . . in the form of a viewing party at Radio City Music Hall.

Tickets are $25 ($30 after July3) and can be purchased at radiocity.com, the Radio City box office, MSG box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. UFC fighters Matt Hamill (Utica, N.Y.) and Frankie Edgar (Tom's River, N.J.) will host the party.

The first 200 in attendance on fight night can partake in an exclusive autograph session with the fighters, beginning at 8 p.m. A Q&A will follow, then UFC 100 goes live at 10 p.m.

While it may not be as exciting as being in the Mandalay Bay arena for UFC 100, or even at the Mandalay Beach for that viewing party, it's certainly much cheaper for New York tri-state area fans. It's also cheaper than the usual $45 pay-per-view cost. And unless you've got a 70-by-35-foot HD screen in your house, it's safe to say you'd be seeing the supercard on a much larger screen at Radio City than if you were on your couch.

UFC 100 live card (as of 6/16/09)
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir for the heavyweight title
Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves for the welterweight title
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping
Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher

UFC 100 remaining fights (as of 6/16/09)
Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
Dong Hyun Kim vs. TBD (Jonathan Goulet is injured)
CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty

Mirko Cro Cop leaves UFC for Dream

June 14, 2009 12:06 PM EDT

(UFC Photo)

Moments after eye-poking his way to victory over Mostapha Al-Turk at UFC 99 in Germany, Mirko Cro Cop bolted from the UFC to the Japan-based Dream, according to Yahoo! Sports.

?He didn?t keep his word,? UFC president Dana White told Yahoo! MMA writer Kevin Iole.

White said he?d had a two-hour talk with Filipovic on the day Filipovic texted and asked to be able to return. ?He talked about honor and all this other [expletive] and he [expletived] me.

Pretty chump move to call White and beg for a one-fight deal -- but only against a tomato can -- then turn around and leave for another MMA organization. Should this be true, it looks like Cro Cop learned a lot from his time in Croatia's parliament.

If it's just a money move, I can't blame Cro Cop since I'm fairly certain everyone of us would leave our current job if an offer to do the same thing for more money came along. Still, it comes off as sketchy, at best. It's a WWE good guy turns bad guy move. Remember when The Rock joined the Corporation?

We're predicting that Cro Cop winds up on the same side of Dana White's brain as Tito Ortiz.