UFC 81: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Vs. Tim Sylvia / Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir

mookie blaylock 10

no need to waste any time starting a new thread , as ufc 81 is only a little over a week away...so we have nogueira vs. sylvia for the "interim" HW championship (i hope nogueira wins!). the debut of brock lesnar, in only his second mma match, against the former HW champion frank mir. also, a couple of interesting returns in jeremy horn at MW and ricardo almeida, coming off a long hiatus.

could be a decent card, but we'll have to see. not the most exciting card for me personally, but maybe i'm just excited for montreal. ...and i'll probabaly end up being just as hyper for this one by next saturday night anyway.


UFC 81, February 2, 2008 - MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada - PPV

Main Card:

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Vs. Tim Sylvia - "Interim" HW Championship
Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir
Nate Marquardt Vs. Jeremy Horn
Ricardo Almeida Vs. Rob Yundt (Alan Belcher out due to illness)
Tyson Griffin Vs. Gleison Tibau

Pre-lims:

Chris Lytle Vs. Kyle Bradley
Terry Martin Vs. Marvin Eastman
Rob Emerson Vs. Keita Nakamura
David Heath Vs. Tim Boetsch

mookie blaylock 10

rumours for upcoming UFC (and WEC) cards...



WEC 32, February 13, 2008 - Santa Ana Star Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico - Versus

Main Card:

Carlos Condit Vs. Carlo Prater - WEC WW Championship
Rob McCullough Vs. Jamie Varner - WEC LW Championship
Chase Beebe Vs. Miguel Torres - WEC BW Championship
Micah Miller Vs. Chance Farrar
Leonard Garcia Vs. Hiroyuki Takaya

Pre-lims:

Cody Wheeler Vs. Del Hawkins
Mark Hominick Vs. Josh Grispi
Jeff Bedard Vs. Yoshiro Maeda
Manny Tapia Vs. Antonio Banuelos
Jesse Morenge Vs. Scott Jorgensen




UFC 82, March 1, 2008 - Nationwide Arena, Cloumbus, Ohio - PPV

Main Card:

Dan Henderson Vs. Anderson Silva - MW Championship Unification Match (Pride and UFC Titles)
Cheick Kongo Vs. Heath Herring
Evan Tanner Vs. Yushin Okami
Jon Fitch Vs. Chris Wilson (Akihiro Gono out due to injury)
Diego Sanchez Vs. David Bielkheden (Roan Carneiro out due to illness)

Pre-lims:

Andrei Arlovski Vs. Jake O'Brien
Josh Koscheck Vs. Dustin Hazelett
Alessio Sakara Vs. Chris Leben
Luke Cummo Vs. Luigi Fioravanti
Jorge Gurgel Vs. John Halverson




UFC Fight Night 13, April 2, 2008 - Broomfield Event Center, Broomfield, Colorado - Spike TV

Main Card:

Kenny Florian Vs. Joe Lauzon
Karo Parisyan Vs. Thiago Alves
Stephan Bonnar Vs. Matt Hamill
Frankie Edgar Vs. Gray Maynard
Spencer Fisher Vs. Marcus Aurelio


Pre-lims:

Houston Alexander Vs. James Irvin
Clay Guida Vs. Samy Schiavo
Din Thomas Vs. Josh Neer
George Sotiropoulos Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Anthony Johnson Vs. Tommy Speer




The Ultimate Fighter 7 - Premieres April 2, 2008 on Spike TV.

Cast of 32 MW competitors. Tournament of 16 MW competitors. Coaches: Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin.

Cast:

Aaron Meisner
Amir Sadollah
Brandon Sene
C.B. Dollaway
Chris Clements
Dan Simmler
Dante Rivera
David Roberts
Jesse Taylor
Jeremiah Riggs
Luke Zachridge
Matt Brown
Mike Marrello
Paul Bradley
Prince McLean
Steve Byrnes
Timothy Credeur




WEC 33, March 26, 2008 - Sacremento, California - Versus

Urijah Faber Vs. Jens Pulver - WEC FW Championship
Paulo Filho Vs. Chael Sonnen - WEC MW Championship
Doug Marshall Vs. Brian Stann - WEC LHW Championship
Brock Larson Vs. John Alessio




UFC 83, April 19, 2008 - Bell Centre, Montréal, Quebec, Canada - PPV

Georges St-Pierre Vs. Matt Serra - WW Championship
Rich Franklin Vs. Travis Lutter
Patrick Côté Vs. Alan Belcher or Anthony Rees
Mark Bocek Vs. Mac Danzig
Kalib Starnes Vs. Nate Quarry
Michael Bisping Vs. Charles McCarthy
Jason MacDonald Vs. Joe Doerksen
Ed Herman Vs. Demian Maia
Sam Stout Vs. Rich Clementi
Jonathan Goulet Vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka




UFC 84, May 24, 2008 - MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada - PPV

Sean Sherk Vs. BJ Penn - LW Championship
Tito Ortiz Vs. Lyoto Machida
Wanderlei Silva Vs. Keith Jardine
Rashad Evans Vs. Thiago Silva
Ivan Salavarry Vs. Rousimar Palhares
Dong Hyun Kim Vs. TBA
Steve Bruno Vs. TBA




UFC 85, June 12, 2008 - O2 Arena, London, England - Spike TV or PPV

Chuck Liddell Vs. Mauricio Rua
Brock Lesnar Vs. TBA
Brandon Vera Vs. TBA
Marcus Davis Vs. TBA
Terry Etim Vs. TBA
Goran Reljic vs. TBA
Neil Wain vs. TBA




The Ultimate Fighter 7: Team Rampage Vs. Team Forrest Finale, June 21, 2008 - The Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada - Spike TV




UFC 86, July, 2008 - PPV

Quinton Jackson Vs. Forrest Griffin - LHW Championship




UFC, Fall, 2008 - Germany

civ_eng_girl

meh... not so excited about the UFC 81 line-up either... I'm not a huge Tim Syliva fan.... i'm wondering why these two particular fighters were chosen for the interim title? (i'm sure there's a reason)... are these the best HW's we've got? ...

and this Lesner guy? i don't know... i guess i've got something against guys that can't put their arms all the way down. :rolleyes:

LONGRD

I'm a fan of the "fake" pro-wrestling thing and would like to see how Brock Lesnar do in a real fight.

I know he used to do (real) Greco-Roman Wrestling in HS & College but that was years ago. but Frank Mir is a former UFC heavyweight champion. :eek:

I just dont think Lesnar will last one round.

mookie blaylock 10

civ_eng_girl wrote:

meh... not so excited about the UFC 81 line-up either... I'm not a huge Tim Syliva fan.... i'm wondering why these two particular fighters were chosen for the interim title? (i'm sure there's a reason)... are these the best HW's we've got? ...

and this Lesner guy? i don't know... i guess i've got something against guys that can't put their arms all the way down. :rolleyes:

well, ceg, the natural went and screwed it all up by quitting the ufc!

when nogueira came in, they said it would likely be one win until he would challenge for the title. so he won his first match against heath herring. couture, the ufc, and many fans wanted to see randy fight fedor at this event, but fedor and the ufc couldn't come to terms on an agreement. so randy then quits saying that the fedor match was the only one that made sense to him. personally, i would have been very excited for a couture vs. nogueira match and i think most fans would have been too...then maybe fedor later if something could get worked out. so apparently couture was offered the fight with nogueira several times, even after he quit and decided not to return. sylvia was really the only option they had...(arguments could be made for cheick kongo and andrei arlovski)

it gets crazier, though, as the winner of this match is supposed to face fabricio werdum! he's an excellent fighter, but only 1-1 in the ufc with a poor performance in a loss to arlovski (poor performance from arlovski too), and a win over gabriel gonzaga where he lost the first round. not enough to warrant a title shot, i don't think.

so yeah, the HW division is a bit of a mess again now, which is really too bad because it was starting to look very promising with fighters like cro cop, vera, werdum, nogueira, couture, arlovski, kongo, gonzaga all there at one point and the possibility of the signing of fedor and perhaps a few more well known HW's.

now we can only hope that nogueira wins! if he does, it would be a rematch with werdum...a potentially very good fight, as their first match was excellent. a sylvia vs. werdum match is certainly less appealing.

give it a year or so and it might straighten itself out...:D

we'll have to continue to enjoy the LW's, where the competition right now is simply silly!

...oh yeah, it's being called the "interim" title because they can't strip randy of the title due to current legal proceedings.

Rygar

LongRd. wrote:

I'm a fan of the "fake" pro-wrestling thing and would like to see how Brock Lesnar do in a real fight.

I know he used to do (real) Greco-Roman Wrestling in HS & College but that was years ago. but Frank Mir is a former UFC heavyweight champion. :eek:

I just dont think Lesnar will last one round.

He's 1-0, but I don't really follow it so I know nothing about the guy (Kim?) he beat.

mookie blaylock 10

LongRd. wrote:

I'm a fan of the "fake" pro-wrestling thing and would like to see how Brock Lesnar do in a real fight.

I know he used to do (real) Greco-Roman Wrestling in HS & College but that was years ago. but Frank Mir is a former UFC heavyweight champion. :eek:

I just dont think Lesnar will last one round.

it will be interesting to see how he does. his first fight wasn't much to speak of. he got a takedown straight away and immediately took control and started to work to get mount, then transitioned to full mount where he proceeded to land strikes for a tko in about a minute.

mir's improved stand up is one thing that has impressed me in his last couple of fights, even though he was ko'd in the 1st in one of those. i doubt that it will be a factor here and i doubt that mir will last the first round in this one, however. his cardio is absolutely terrible and i have a feeling brock will shoot for a takedown immediately and try to outwork frank for a couple of minutes using position control and avoiding submissions until mir is simply exhausted and lesnar will grind out a tko.

just my opinion...that's how i see it going...;)

mookie blaylock 10

Rygar wrote:

He's 1-0, but I don't really follow it so I know nothing about the guy (Kim?) he beat.

yep, Min Soo Kim, a judo player who hasn't has a whole lot of success in mma. he's faced a few guys of note, but has for the most part lost to them.

mookie blaylock 10

here is lesnar's first mma match, from K-1's dynamite show in los angeles last summer...

Brock Lesnar Vs. Min Soo Kim:


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x25l0g_k1-dynamite-usa-brock-lesnar-vs-min_sport

mookie blaylock 10

looks like there were some scoring errors from the fantasy league last night. somehow i moved up to third place, despite losing points after the corrections were made! the champ remains the same!

UFC® Fight Night™ Swick vs Burkman :: LEAGUE RESULTS


The Evolution Fight Club

Rank Avatar Player Total Points Awarded
1 All Manador 178
2 J Bully 168
3 battery 147
4 DAKATAK 141
5 krs82 129
6 Loveboatcapt0226 95
7 beachdweller No Play

civ_eng_girl

thanks for the 'final fantasy' league results mookie!

i have to get my picks in for UFC 81... but unfortunately, i won't be around on the 2nd to watch with you guys... i'll be on the annual Crown Royal Invitational, a.k.a ice fishing trip....

see mookie... you need a cell phone so you can text me updates!!

mookie blaylock 10

civ_eng_girl wrote:

thanks for the 'final fantasy' league results mookie!

i have to get my picks in for UFC 81... but unfortunately, i won't be around on the 2nd to watch with you guys... i'll be on the annual Crown Royal Invitational, a.k.a ice fishing trip....

see mookie... you need a cell phone so you can text me updates!!

it's just as well that this happens to be one that you're not so interested in, if you've got some good times with the ice fishing on the go!

....still no cell phone for me. sorry, my friend.

ReleasH

civ_eng_girl wrote:

thanks for the 'final fantasy' league results mookie!

i have to get my picks in for UFC 81... but unfortunately, i won't be around on the 2nd to watch with you guys... i'll be on the annual Crown Royal Invitational, a.k.a ice fishing trip....

see mookie... you need a cell phone so you can text me updates!!

I would text you updates Ceg, but I don't think I'll be able to watch this one either. I'm on call that weekend. Which is probably good news for my cable bill (damn Comcast) and I wasn't thrilled about the fight card for this one either. I'll just have to save my money for the Montreal trip!

mookie blaylock 10

ReleasH wrote:

I would text you updates Ceg, but I don't think I'll be able to watch this one either. I'm on call that weekend. Which is probably good news for my cable bill (damn Comcast) and I wasn't thrilled about the fight card for this one either. I'll just have to save my money for the Montreal trip!

+1 on the cable bill with two shows so close together!

mookie blaylock 10

damn! doesn't sound like patrick cote will be on the card for montreal, after all.


COTE’S NEXT GIG

Canadian’s Fight Night Win Nets New Opportunity

By Mike Russell
thefightnetwork.com


Victory is sweet, but the rewards that come after can be even tastier.

Patrick Cote’s first-round drubbing of Drew McFedries at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas not only boosted his stock in the UFC’s rebounding middleweight division but also earned the Rimouski, Quebec native a cushy gig at the promotion’s Saturday, April 19 event at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

“To be honest, [the UFC] wants me to do the French commentating for that show, so I don’t know if I’ll be fighting on it,” Cote told The Fight Network. “That’s okay; I’ll get to be the French Joe Rogan and do the play-by-play.”

The French-Canadian striker was considered an option for the quickly filling April 19 roster, but it seems the TKO middleweight champion will temporarily trade in his gloves for a microphone.

In a gripping 185-pound showdown, Cote (12-4) connected with a right-left combo that stunned McFedries (6-3) and then folded the Miletich Fighting Systems pugilist with a quick sequence of uppercuts that flattened him against the cage.

Though Spike TV commentator Joe Rogan asserts the 27-year-old had been “rocked” by McFedries’ handiwork just prior to the finish, Cote said the exchange only flipped his switch into “Predator” mode.

“[McFedries] hit me, but let me just say that I was not hurt by it at all. It just made me focus to go in for the kill,” said Cote. “I knew then that I was in the fight, and it cleared my head. I was never rocked.”

With Cote’s third consecutive TKO – he floored “The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner Kendall Grove at UFC 74 in August – momentum has spurned the former Canadian Army soldier to reach for new heights.

“[The UFC] asked me who I want to fight next, and I told them if they offered me Anderson Silva tomorrow, I would take it,” Cote said. “I’m not afraid of anyone in my weight class. I don’t want easy fights. I can wait if it means I’ll have a bigger name guy to fight on another card.”

http://thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=6075

civ_eng_girl

That sounds like a fun opportunity for him though! i'm certain he'll get another fight soon, and with a good opponent too, like he said....

i think he should stand in for Bruce for the night, and do the introductions in french!

mookie blaylock 10

civ_eng_girl wrote:

That sounds like a fun opportunity for him though! i'm certain he'll get another fight soon, and with a good opponent too, like he said....

i think he should stand in for Bruce for the night, and do the introductions in french!

yeah, i have a feeling his quick win was almost his ticket off the montreal card and put him in place to be maybe a couple of wins away from either a #1 contender match or possible title shot :eek: ...maybe!?!

some sad news for mookie today, though, regarding montreal...no more yushin okami vs. evan tanner in montreal. i knew it was too good to be true! :mad: it will be at UFC 82 in ohio instead.

(..and i was wondering about the announcing too, because all the TKO shows at the bell centre in montreal have bilingual announcements...hmmm...we'll put you on the translations part, ceg. just make the fighters who aren't the favourite have uninspired introductions! haha)

mookie blaylock 10

Tanner vs. Okami Official; Koscheck vs. Hazelett Un-Televised at UFC 82
MMA Junkie.com
January 25, 2008

After weeks of speculation, a UFC 82 middleweight bout between Evan Tanner and Yushin Okami is now official. Additionally, the UFC today revealed that a welterweight bout between “The Ultimate Fighter 1” standout Josh Koscheck (9-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Cincinnati-based fighter Dustin Hazelett (10-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will appear on the event’s un-televised preliminary card.

The news was posted on UFC.com this afternoon.

UFC 82 takes place March 1 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva faces Dan Henderson in the night’s main event.

News of the Tanner vs. Okami has been reported — and re-reported — for the past month. However, Tanner’s camp couldn’t confirm the bout to MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com), and a source close to the UFC told us that UFC executives were “extremely pissed” that news of the fight got out in the first place.

Tanner hasn’t fought in the UFC for nearly two years. The former UFC middleweight champ rebounded from back-to-back losses to Rich Franklin and David Loiseau with a victory over Justin Levens at UFC 59; however, he disappeared from the organization soon after the April 2006 fight. However, he continued to post updates on his official website and even documented his troubles with alcohol.

However, in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com, Tanner said he had signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC, was back to training and leading a healthy lifestyle, and that he’s determined to reclaim the middleweight title.

In the interview, Tanner also revealed that the UFC had an extremely difficult time finding him an opponent. The bout was offered to four fighters — all of whom turned it down. The UFC eventually booked Okami, a middleweight contender who’s 5-1 in the UFC. He signed a new contract with the UFC after his most recent fight: a UFC 77 unanimous-decision victory over Jason MacDonald.

The Tanner-Okami bout is scheduled for the televised main card — unlike a fight between Koscheck and Hazelett.

Earlier this week, we took a look at the rumored UFC 82 fight card and determined that at least one pivotal bout would be left un-televised. With Koscheck vs. Hazelett being the victim of a stacked card, rumored Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo and Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake O’Brien bouts should be guaranteed TV time.

http://mmajunkie.com/2008/01/25/tanner-vs-okami-official-koscheck-vs-hazelett-un-televised-at-ufc-82/

LOVEBOATCAPT0226

I can't wait to see Brock powerbomb Mir thru the canvas. LOL

mookie blaylock 10

LOVEBOATCAPT0226 wrote:

I can't wait to see Brock powerbomb Mir thru the canvas. LOL

i can see it now...lesnar jumps off the top of the octagon to deliver a flying elbow to the groin, only to get caught in a mir triangle and to escape he lifts mir up in the air and slams him through the canvas with the powerbomb. how de we pick that one on fantasy league?!

mookie blaylock 10

press conference for the april show in montreal will be shown live on sportsnet at 10 a.m. eastern on feb 4th. also, a little more on patrick cote doing commentary for the show...or still possibly being on the card? guess we'll find out on feb. 4th.

Cote to analyze, not fight, in Montreal?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
By James Brydon, Sportsnet.ca



Patrick Cote, right, is coming off perhaps his most impressive win in the UFC, a first-round knockout of Drew McFedries.

Patrick Cote might be at the Bell Centre in Montreal for the UFC's first event in Canada. He just might not be on the card.

The Rimouski, Que., native said he was asked by the UFC to do commentary for the French broadcast of UFC 84. He's willing to do it, even if it isn't his first choice.

"If I'm not on the card and it's something to do for the UFC, I'll do it for sure," said Cote. "But in my mind I'm a fighter, my first job is a fighter and I want to be on the card for sure.

"It is nonsense for me if they don't put me on this card, but the final decision, it's not mine."

It would definitely raise some eyebrows if the UFC chose not to put the rising middleweight contender on the card, which is expected to be announced shortly to take place on April 19 in Montreal. Cote, like Georges St. Pierre, is an absolute fan favourite in Montreal having gotten his early experience as a mixed martial artist fighting in the locally-based TKO circuit where he is the current title-holder and remains undefeated (7-0) lifetime.

He is also on a hot streak unparalleled by any other Canadian fighter in the UFC. He has won three straight matches, the last two being knockout victories over decent competition in Kendall Grove in August and Drew McFedries at the Fight Night on Wednesday. Add to that another first-round knockout win at the Bell Centre in a TKO event last year.

His most recent win was perhaps his most impressive. The two fighters known for their standup went toe-to-toe looking for opportunities to throw. McFedries landed a few shots, but Cote showed his strong chin.

"He gave me a good shot but I wasn't hurt at all. It was just a wakeup call to me."

Cote managed to land the decisive blow which knocked his opponent off-balance and allowed him to force McFedries to the cage and finish him with a flurry that caused the referee to call a stop to it at 1:44.

"I wanted to knock him out in the first round like I said in the pre-fight interviews" said Cote. "The best thing happened for me. I don't have an injury and I'm healthy."

Cote has no medical suspension to contend with, so he would certainly be ready to fight again in April. Fellow Canadian Sam Stout, who also regularly fights in TKO, is coming off a win four days earlier at UFC 80 in Newcastle, England, and he will reportedly take on Rich Clementi at the Montreal event. One would expect Cote to get his next fight on a similar timeframe.

The Fight Network first reported that he was asked to do the commentary, potentially quashing rumours that he will be fighting at the event. He would clearly be a commodity for the UFC as a commentator, but he would certainly represent a stronger draw as a fighter.

"That's okay; I'll get to be the French Joe Rogan and do the play-by-play," Cote told The Fight Network's Mike Russell.

Whether his next fight is in his home country or not, Cote will get back to business as usual and just hope for the best.

"I'll take maybe a week or two of a break, and then go back in the gym," Cote said. "I'm a fighter, I'm not a commentator. I want to fight."

NOTES: The UFC is holding a news conference in Montreal on Monday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. ET where it is expected to announce details of the card. Sportsnet will air the news conference live and have interviews with Dana White and Georges St. Pierre, who will be in attendance along with Matt Serra.

No word on whether other fighters will be there, but Cote said he would definitely be there if invited. …

Another rumoured fight for the Montreal card won't be happening then. A number of sites reported that Yushin Okami would take on Evan Tanner in April, but according to the UFC's website the two will square off at UFC 82 on March 1 in Columbus, Ohio.

Also added to that card, which is headlined by the Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson unification match, Heath Herring will take on Cheick Kongo and Dustin Hazelett will fight Josh Koscheck. …

http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2008/01/26/cote_montreal/