MAIN CARD:
Nick Diaz def. B.J. Penn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
Cheick Kongo def. Matt Mitrione via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 29-28)
Roy Nelson def. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 1:30
Scott Jorgensen def. Jeff Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Hatsu Hioki def. George Roop via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
UNDER CARD:
Donald Cerrone def. Dennis Siver via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:22
Bart Palaszewski def. Tyson Griffin via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 2:45
Brandon Vera def. Eliot Marshall via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ramsey Nijem def. Danny Downes via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
Francis Carmont def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Clifford Starks def. Dustin Jacoby via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Perhaps the biggest news of the night (besides B.J. Penn saying he is done) is that Dana White announced that Nick Diaz will face Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre on Super Bowl Weekend as Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside, allowing the angry GSP to fight Diaz.
After his fight Diaz said that he doesn't believe St. Pierre is hurt and that he is afraid to fight anyone right now... apparently this upset GSP and he will now take on Diaz for the belt a few months from now...
Showing posts with label B.J. Penn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label B.J. Penn. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
UFC 127 (Weak) Results
UFC 127 took place in Koala land last night. What a card! Not really. Jorge Rivera was hit with an illegal knee by the clown Michael Bisping. Rivera could have hammed it up and probably taken a no contest but he went back out for the 2nd round where he suffered the loss.
MAIN CARD:
•Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn declared a majority draw (29-28 Fitch, 28-28, 28-28)
•Michael Bisping def. Jorge Rivera via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:54
•Dennis Siver def. George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-27)
•Brian Ebersole def. Chris Lytle via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
•Kyle Noke def. Chris Camozzi via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:35
UNDER CARD:
•Ross Pearson def. Spencer Fisher via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
•Alexander Gustafsson def. James Te Huna via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:27
•Riki Fukuda def. Nick Ring via unanimous decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
•Anthony Perosh def. Tom Blackledge via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:45
•Tiequan Zhang def. Jason Reinhardt via guillotine choke - Round 1, 0:48
•Mark Hunt def. Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:41
•Curt Warburton def. Maciej Jewtuszko via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Hey Mark Hunt everybody! Congrats to him for his 1st UFC victory.
-Keefe
MAIN CARD:
•Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn declared a majority draw (29-28 Fitch, 28-28, 28-28)
•Michael Bisping def. Jorge Rivera via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:54
•Dennis Siver def. George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-27)
•Brian Ebersole def. Chris Lytle via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
•Kyle Noke def. Chris Camozzi via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:35
UNDER CARD:
•Ross Pearson def. Spencer Fisher via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
•Alexander Gustafsson def. James Te Huna via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:27
•Riki Fukuda def. Nick Ring via unanimous decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
•Anthony Perosh def. Tom Blackledge via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:45
•Tiequan Zhang def. Jason Reinhardt via guillotine choke - Round 1, 0:48
•Mark Hunt def. Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:41
•Curt Warburton def. Maciej Jewtuszko via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Hey Mark Hunt everybody! Congrats to him for his 1st UFC victory.
-Keefe
Sunday, November 21, 2010
UFC 123 Results
UFC 123 took place last night at the home of the Detroit Pistons, the Palace at Auburn Hills. Here are the quick results.
MAIN CARD:
- Quinton "Rampage"
- B.J. Penn def. Matt Hughes via KO (punches) - Round 1, 0:21
- Maiquel Falcao def. Gerald Harris via unanimous decision (29-27. 29-28, 29-28)
- Phil Davis def. Tim Boetsch via submission (kimura) - Round 2,
- George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Lauzon via submission (kimura) - Round 2,
UNDER CARD:
- Brian Foster def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2,
- Mark Munoz def. Aaron Simpson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Dennis Hallman def. Karo Parisyan via TKO (strikes) - Round 1,
- Edson Barboza def. Mike Lullo via TKO (leg kicks) - Round 3, 0:26
- Paul Kelly def. T.J. O'Brien via TKO (strikes) - Round 2,
- Nik Lentz def. Tyson Griffin via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Main Card Picks from the Brief:
Besse: 3-2
Keefe: 3-2
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Podcast: Eddie Alvarez
Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez spoke with Rich Keefe leading up to his May 6th fight at the Wang Theatre in Boston against Josh Neer. Alvarez had been ranked #3 in the World, but #1 Penn and #2 Aoki both lost recently.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Couture vs. Toney at UFC 118 in Boston
According to UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture's twitter account he will be facing professional boxer turned mixed martial artist James Toney at UFC 118 on August 28th at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
The former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Couture takes on Toney who will be making his UFC and MMA debut after signing a contract with the organization in March.
Couture: (18-10 MMA)
Toney: (72-6-3 Boxing)
Other potential bouts at UFC 118:
Frankie Edgar (champ) vs. B.J. Penn for Lightweight Title
Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard
Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Joe Lauzon vs. TBA
-Keefe
The former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Couture takes on Toney who will be making his UFC and MMA debut after signing a contract with the organization in March.
Couture: (18-10 MMA)
Toney: (72-6-3 Boxing)
Other potential bouts at UFC 118:
Frankie Edgar (champ) vs. B.J. Penn for Lightweight Title
Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard
Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Joe Lauzon vs. TBA
-Keefe
Friday, April 9, 2010
UFC 112 Predictions
UFC 112 on Saturday night features 2 championship bouts. Lightweight Champ B.J. Penn puts his belt on the line against Frankie Edgar and Middleweight Champ Anderson Silva squares off with Demian Maia. Also on the main card is a match up between two past their prime legends Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie in a Welterweight showdown.
Keefe's Picks:
Anderson Silva def. Demian Maia via TKO in Round 2
B.J. Penn def. Frankie Edgar via submission in Round 3
Matt Hughes def. Renzo Gracie via unanimous decision
Terry Etim def. Rafael dos Anjos via submission in Round 1
Mark Munoz def. Kendall Grove via KO in Round 1
Post fight prediction... after both dominating their fights to retain their respective belts; Anderson Silva will face Georges St. Pierre either at 185 or at a catch-weight of 177; while B.J. Penn will leave the Lightweight division and possibly match up with a Jon Fitch, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves at Welterweight.
If you want more in depth coverage of UFC 112 check out the Boston Throwdown UFC 112 Preview
As always, enjoy the fights,
-Keefe
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings 11/23/09
There has been 3 big MMA events since our last rankings, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers; UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera; and UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II. Needless to say the rankings have changed since last month. Coming up in December we have The Ultimate Fighter Finale, UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez, Strikeforce: Thompson vs. Melendez, WEC 45, and another SENGOKU event. But before all that let's take a look at the rankings heading into the last month of 2009.
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Josh Barnett
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera
6. Randy Couture
7. Cain Velasquez
8. Shane Carwin
9. Alistair Overeem
10. Brett Rogers
Junior Dos
Light Heavyweight
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
3. Quinton “Rampage”
4.
5. Rashad Evans
6. Forrest
7. Gegard Mousasi
8. Thiago Silva
9. Antonio Rogerio Noguirea
10. Randy Couture
Luiz Cane, Rich Franklin, Keith Jardine, Tito Ortiz, Babalu Sobral
Middleweight
1.
2. Dan Henderson
3. Vitor Belfort
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Yoshihiro Akiyama
7. Jake Shields
8. Michael Bisping
9. Chael Sonnen
10. Yushin Okami
Demian Maia, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Ronaldo Souza, Nick Diaz, Wanderlei Silva
Welterweight
1.
2. Jake Shields
3. Jon Fitch
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Paul Daley
7. Martin Kampmann
8. Matt Hughes
9. Dan Hardy
10. Mike Swick
Paulo Thiago, Marius Zaromskis, Jay Hieron, Nick Thompson, Carlos Condit
Lightweight
1. B.J. Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
6. Kenny Florian
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Gilbert Melendez
10. JZ Cavalcante
Gray Maynard, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitoaka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (11-5-09)
A pair of big free fight weekends coming up here in November. This Saturday CBS will be showing their Strikeforce event featuring the #1 Heavyweight in the world Fedor vs. the #10 Heavyweight (according to The Sports Brief) Brett Rogers. Also on the card Jakes Shields fights Jason "Mayhem" Miller at middleweight and Gegard Mousasi battles Sokoju. (You'll find 3 out of those 4 names below.)
And then a week from Saturday you get UFC 105 from Manchester, England, Live and Free... (well tape delayed and free) on Spike TV. Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera at Light Heavyweight is the headliner, but it also features Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy, and Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang.
These rankings are sure to change after those two cards are complete, but let's take a look at where we stand right now.
MMA RANKINGS
-Besse & Keefe
And then a week from Saturday you get UFC 105 from Manchester, England, Live and Free... (well tape delayed and free) on Spike TV. Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera at Light Heavyweight is the headliner, but it also features Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy, and Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang.
These rankings are sure to change after those two cards are complete, but let's take a look at where we stand right now.
MMA RANKINGS
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Josh Barnett
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera
6. Randy Couture
7. Cain Velasquez
8. Shane Carwin
9. Alistair Overeem
10. Brett Rogers
Junior Dos
Light Heavyweight
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Quentin “Rampage”
3. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
4.
5. Rashad Evans
6. Forrest
7. Gegard Mousasi
8. Luiz Cane
9. Thiago Silva
10. Babalu Sobral
Rich Franklin, Keith Jardine, Brandon Vera, Antonio Rogerio Noguirea, Tito Ortiz
Middleweight
1.
2. Dan Henderson
3. Vitor Belfort
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Jorge Santiago
7. Yoshihiro Akiyama
8. Chael Sonnen
9. Yushin Okami
10. Demian Maia
Michael Bisping, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Denis Kang, Ronaldo Souza, Nick Diaz
Welterweight
1.
2. Jake Shields
3. Jon Fitch
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Mike Swick
7. Paul Daley
8. Martin Kampmann
9. Matt Hughes
10. Paulo Thiago
Marius Zaromskis, Jay Hieron, Nick Thompson, Dan Hardy, Carlos Condit
Lightweight
1. B.J. Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
6. Kenny Florian
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Gilbert Melendez
10. JZ Cavalcante
Gray Maynard, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitoaka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson
-Besse & Keefe
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (8/17/09)
It's time now for another edition of The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings. A few major cards have already taken place this month, including UFC 101 and Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborgs, that have shaken up the Top 10s. One major change is Gegard Mousasi, who defeated Babablu in just 60 seconds time over the weekend in first fight in the US. He is now the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champ, therefore he is out of the middleweight rankings.
The king of the middleweights, Anderson Silva, shows up in the LHW rankings as well after his distruction of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Also you will see the return of our Pound 4 Pound Rankings. Take a look at them all and let the debate begin.
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Josh Barnett
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Randy Couture
7. Alistair Overeem
8. Shane Carwin
9. Cain Velasquez
10. Brett Rogers
Chiek Kongo, Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
Light Heavyweight:
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Anderson Silva
5. Forrest Griffin
6. Gegard Mousasi
7. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
8. Luiz Cane
9. Babalu Sobral
10. Rich Franklin
Keith Jardine, Thiago Silva, Chuck Liddell, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Jon Jones
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Yushin Okami
4. Vitor Belfort
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Demian Maia
8. Jorge Santiago
9. Yoshihiro Akiyama
10. Cung Le
Michael Bisping, Thales Leites, Ricardo Almeida, Matt Lindland, Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Chris Leben, Ronaldo Souza
We know Cung Le hasn't fought in 20 years (March of 2008 to be exact), but we heard he's coming back to action. Plus someone had to replace Mousasi on the Top 10 and we couldn't find anyone truly deserving.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jake Shields
3. Jon Fitch
4. Thiago Alves
5. Martin Kampmann
6. Josh Koscheck
7. Mike Swick
8. Matt Hughes
9. Paulo Thiago
10. Marius Zaromskis
Jay Hieron Nick Thompson, Dan Hardy, Karo Parisyan, Matt Serra, Carlos Condit, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Frank Trigg
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
6. Kenny Florian
7. Gray Maynard
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Diego Sanchez
10. Gilbert Melendez
JZ Cavalcante, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitaoka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson, Takanori Gomi, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Lyoto Machida
6. Mike Brown
7. Quinton Jackson
8. Brian Bowles
9. Gegard Mousasi
10. Brock Lesnar
-The Sports Brief
The king of the middleweights, Anderson Silva, shows up in the LHW rankings as well after his distruction of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Also you will see the return of our Pound 4 Pound Rankings. Take a look at them all and let the debate begin.
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Josh Barnett
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Randy Couture
7. Alistair Overeem
8. Shane Carwin
9. Cain Velasquez
10. Brett Rogers
Chiek Kongo, Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
Light Heavyweight:
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Anderson Silva
5. Forrest Griffin
6. Gegard Mousasi
7. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
8. Luiz Cane
9. Babalu Sobral
10. Rich Franklin
Keith Jardine, Thiago Silva, Chuck Liddell, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Jon Jones
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Yushin Okami
4. Vitor Belfort
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Demian Maia
8. Jorge Santiago
9. Yoshihiro Akiyama
10. Cung Le
Michael Bisping, Thales Leites, Ricardo Almeida, Matt Lindland, Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Chris Leben, Ronaldo Souza
We know Cung Le hasn't fought in 20 years (March of 2008 to be exact), but we heard he's coming back to action. Plus someone had to replace Mousasi on the Top 10 and we couldn't find anyone truly deserving.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jake Shields
3. Jon Fitch
4. Thiago Alves
5. Martin Kampmann
6. Josh Koscheck
7. Mike Swick
8. Matt Hughes
9. Paulo Thiago
10. Marius Zaromskis
Jay Hieron Nick Thompson, Dan Hardy, Karo Parisyan, Matt Serra, Carlos Condit, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Frank Trigg
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
6. Kenny Florian
7. Gray Maynard
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Diego Sanchez
10. Gilbert Melendez
JZ Cavalcante, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitaoka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson, Takanori Gomi, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Lyoto Machida
6. Mike Brown
7. Quinton Jackson
8. Brian Bowles
9. Gegard Mousasi
10. Brock Lesnar
-The Sports Brief
Sunday, August 9, 2009
UFC 101 Results
Prelims:
Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) - Round 3, 3:37
George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via submission (kimura) - Round 2, 1:59
Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Main Card:
Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-27)
Johnny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:29
Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 3:23. Then Forrest burst through the cage and nearly sprinted back stage. Very strange. Very gracious in defeat!
B.J. Penn def. Kenny Florian via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 4, 3:54. To remain Lightweight Champion
Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) - Round 3, 3:37
George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via submission (kimura) - Round 2, 1:59
Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Main Card:
Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-27)
Johnny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:29
Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 3:23. Then Forrest burst through the cage and nearly sprinted back stage. Very strange. Very gracious in defeat!
B.J. Penn def. Kenny Florian via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 4, 3:54. To remain Lightweight Champion
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (2-5-09)
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Andrei Arlovski
4. Frank Mir
5. Josh Barnett
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
7. Randy Couture
8. Tim Sylvia
9. Alistair Overeem
10. Chiek Kongo
Gabriel Gonzaga, Shane Carwin, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
Fedor remains on top with his win over Arlovski. Upcoming fights: Cain Velasquez is in action this weekend, Junior Dos Santos fights in 2 weeks at UFC 95, but next month at UFC 96 Gonzaga vs. Carwin. You got to wait until May for Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II for the unification of the UFC Heavyweight belt.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Rashad Evans
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Chuck Liddell
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Babalu Sobral
8. Wanderlei Silva
9. Keith Jardine
10. Thiago Silva
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Luis Cane, Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Jon Jones
Lyoto just beat Thiago in a top 10 showdown, and Bababu took down Soko and Lil Nog over the Janitor at Affliction 2. Upcoming fights: Rampage vs. Jardine in March. What? I don't get it either. Shogun and Iceman in April, barring injury. Some other good matchups as well including Luis Cane and Brandon Vera fight, but not each other.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Robbie Lawler
5. Vitor Belfort
6. Yushin Okami
7. Gegard Mousasi
8. Michael Bisping
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Thales Leites
Cung Le (Le had been in our top 10, but due to inactivity, we bumped him. The rational there being, we aren’t ranking Royce Gracie and Dan Severn, so Le will have to sit it out until he fights again.) Jorge Santiago, Matt Lindland, Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Andrei Arlovski
4. Frank Mir
5. Josh Barnett
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
7. Randy Couture
8. Tim Sylvia
9. Alistair Overeem
10. Chiek Kongo
Gabriel Gonzaga, Shane Carwin, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
Fedor remains on top with his win over Arlovski. Upcoming fights: Cain Velasquez is in action this weekend, Junior Dos Santos fights in 2 weeks at UFC 95, but next month at UFC 96 Gonzaga vs. Carwin. You got to wait until May for Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II for the unification of the UFC Heavyweight belt.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Rashad Evans
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Chuck Liddell
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Babalu Sobral
8. Wanderlei Silva
9. Keith Jardine
10. Thiago Silva
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Luis Cane, Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Jon Jones
Lyoto just beat Thiago in a top 10 showdown, and Bababu took down Soko and Lil Nog over the Janitor at Affliction 2. Upcoming fights: Rampage vs. Jardine in March. What? I don't get it either. Shogun and Iceman in April, barring injury. Some other good matchups as well including Luis Cane and Brandon Vera fight, but not each other.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Robbie Lawler
5. Vitor Belfort
6. Yushin Okami
7. Gegard Mousasi
8. Michael Bisping
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Thales Leites
Cung Le (Le had been in our top 10, but due to inactivity, we bumped him. The rational there being, we aren’t ranking Royce Gracie and Dan Severn, so Le will have to sit it out until he fights again.) Jorge Santiago, Matt Lindland, Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza
Besse and I can't make head or tails of this division outside of Anderson Silva. Hendo beat Franklin at 205, but Henderson will be a TUF coach vs. Bisping and fight him at 185. Leites gets the title fight with Silva. Belfort is more than back on the map after whoopin up on Lindland. Upcoming fights: UFC 95: Marquart vs. Wilson Gouveia and Chael Sonnen vs. Demian Maia.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
t-6. Matt Hughes
t-6. Matt Serra
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Carlos Condit
10. Jay Hieron
Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett
GSP retained the belt with a 4 round demolition over Penn. Next up for St. Pierre will be Thiago Alves. Jon Fitch got a decision win on the GSP/Penn undercard. Diego Sanchez drops off the list as he is heading to Lightweight. Upcoming fights: UFC 95 Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Thiago. Carlos Condit makes his UFC debut (as the WEC has stopped welterweight fights) taking on Martin Kampann at a Fight Night to start April.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. JZ Cavalcante
6. Josh Thomson
7. Tatsuya Kawajiri
8. Sean Sherk
9. Kenny Florian
10. Gilbert Melendez
Satoru Kitaoka, Takanori Gomi, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
Penn loses to GSP, but he is still the best Lightweight in the world, regardless of what WAMMA says, Aoki beat Sanchez for that destinction. Diego Sanchez could make a splash when he faces Joe Stevenson. Gomi loses again to Kitaoka this time and is out of the Top 10 for the 1st time since we've done this. Where will Huerta fight next after leaving the UFC?
Upcoming Events:
UFC Fight Night 17 (Feb. 7th)
UFC 95 (Feb. 21st)
WEC 39 (March 1st)
UFC 96 (March 7th)
Dream 7 (March 8th)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
UFC 94 Results
Georges St. Pierre def. B.J. Penn by fourth-round TKO*
Lyoto Machida def. Thiago Silva by first-round knockout**
Jon Jones def. Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision
Karo Parisyan def. Dong Hyun Kim by split decision
Clay Guida def. Nate Diaz by split decision
Undercard:
Jon Fitch def. Akihiro Gono by unanimous decision
Dan Cramer def. Matt Arroyo by split decision
Jake O'Brien def. Christian Wellisch by split decision
John Howard def. Chris Wilson by split decision
Thiago Tavares def. Manny Gamburyan by unanimous decision
*GSP and Penn fought a pretty even 1st round, with the advantage to St. Pierre, but the next 3 rounds were all GSP. The welterweight champ took B.J. down and did some serious ground and pound. Penn has probably never been in the position his entire career. Give him credit for surviving 3 rounds of beating by St. Pierre. At the end of the 4th round the doctors looked at Penn and the Hawaiin's corner said enough is enough.
When the fight was over Thiago Alves went in the ring. Therefore those who wanted another super fight of GSP vs. Anderson Silva will have to wait at least as long as a St. Pierre vs. Alves fight.
**This was as close to a buzzer beater as you could get. Of course if Machinda didn't make the Knockout Shot he just would have gone to round 2, but just a tick before the clock sounded Lyoto landed a damaging blow to Silva. The ref went in to say the 1st round was over, but alas so was Thiago's night.
UFC 94 will be remembered for the super fight and the super performance of St. Pierre against Penn. But look at all those decisions and split decisions at that. Certainly Karo Parisyan and Clay Guida should both be thankful for their results. They could have easily been losers. Pretty good card overall though, February will provide some free fights, with a Fight Night and UFC 95. Nothing jumps out at me. Diego for Stevenson I guess.
Keep reading the Brief, and spread the word. Send us an e-mail as well. Besse and I would like to get a "mail-bag" type thing going as well.
Lyoto Machida def. Thiago Silva by first-round knockout**
Jon Jones def. Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision
Karo Parisyan def. Dong Hyun Kim by split decision
Clay Guida def. Nate Diaz by split decision
Undercard:
Jon Fitch def. Akihiro Gono by unanimous decision
Dan Cramer def. Matt Arroyo by split decision
Jake O'Brien def. Christian Wellisch by split decision
John Howard def. Chris Wilson by split decision
Thiago Tavares def. Manny Gamburyan by unanimous decision
*GSP and Penn fought a pretty even 1st round, with the advantage to St. Pierre, but the next 3 rounds were all GSP. The welterweight champ took B.J. down and did some serious ground and pound. Penn has probably never been in the position his entire career. Give him credit for surviving 3 rounds of beating by St. Pierre. At the end of the 4th round the doctors looked at Penn and the Hawaiin's corner said enough is enough.
When the fight was over Thiago Alves went in the ring. Therefore those who wanted another super fight of GSP vs. Anderson Silva will have to wait at least as long as a St. Pierre vs. Alves fight.
**This was as close to a buzzer beater as you could get. Of course if Machinda didn't make the Knockout Shot he just would have gone to round 2, but just a tick before the clock sounded Lyoto landed a damaging blow to Silva. The ref went in to say the 1st round was over, but alas so was Thiago's night.
UFC 94 will be remembered for the super fight and the super performance of St. Pierre against Penn. But look at all those decisions and split decisions at that. Certainly Karo Parisyan and Clay Guida should both be thankful for their results. They could have easily been losers. Pretty good card overall though, February will provide some free fights, with a Fight Night and UFC 95. Nothing jumps out at me. Diego for Stevenson I guess.
Keep reading the Brief, and spread the word. Send us an e-mail as well. Besse and I would like to get a "mail-bag" type thing going as well.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Affliction Day of Reckoning Results
This weekend marked the 2nd show for Affliction. With Tito Ortiz as a guest announcer for the card take a look at the results:
Fedor Emelianenko defeated Andrei Arlovski by KO at 3:14 in the first round.
Josh Barnett defeated Gilbert Yvel by submission at 3:14 in the third round.
Vitor Belfort defeated Matt Lindland by TKO at :37 of the first round.
Babalu Sobral defeated Thierry Sokoudjou by submission at 2:36 in the second round.
Paul Buentello defeated Kiril Sidellnikov TKO at 4:18 in the third round.
Dan Lauzon defeated Bobby Green by submission at 4:38 in the first round.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeated Vladimir Matyushenko by TKO at 4:26 of the second round.
L.C. Davis defeated Bao Quach by unanimous decision.
Albert Rios defeated Antonio Duarte by unanimous decision.
Brett Cooper defeated Patrick Speight by TKO at 4:10 of the second round.
Fedor retains his WAMMA Heavyweight belt, and will likely fight Josh Barnett next. Vitor Belfort will shoot up the middleweight ranks following an impressive victory over Matt Lindland. Babalu vs. Lil Nog a possibility? Both victorious on Saturday.
UFC 94 is this weekend with GSP vs. B.J. Penn II. Also Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida, a battle of unbeaten light heavyweights, should be a solid card.
Fedor Emelianenko defeated Andrei Arlovski by KO at 3:14 in the first round.
Josh Barnett defeated Gilbert Yvel by submission at 3:14 in the third round.
Vitor Belfort defeated Matt Lindland by TKO at :37 of the first round.
Babalu Sobral defeated Thierry Sokoudjou by submission at 2:36 in the second round.
Paul Buentello defeated Kiril Sidellnikov TKO at 4:18 in the third round.
Dan Lauzon defeated Bobby Green by submission at 4:38 in the first round.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeated Vladimir Matyushenko by TKO at 4:26 of the second round.
L.C. Davis defeated Bao Quach by unanimous decision.
Albert Rios defeated Antonio Duarte by unanimous decision.
Brett Cooper defeated Patrick Speight by TKO at 4:10 of the second round.
Fedor retains his WAMMA Heavyweight belt, and will likely fight Josh Barnett next. Vitor Belfort will shoot up the middleweight ranks following an impressive victory over Matt Lindland. Babalu vs. Lil Nog a possibility? Both victorious on Saturday.
UFC 94 is this weekend with GSP vs. B.J. Penn II. Also Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida, a battle of unbeaten light heavyweights, should be a solid card.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Sports Brief’s MMA RANKINGS (12/30/08)
Here it is our loyal readers, the Sports Brief's year end MMA Rankings. The UFC finished 2008 with a bang with UFC 92 last weekend. Great card, great fights, great night! Let's take a look at how the new Top 10's look going in to 2009.
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Andrei Arlovski
4. Frank Mir
5. Josh Barnett
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
7. Randy Couture
8. Tim Sylvia
9. Alistair Overeem
10. Chiek Kongo
Gabriel Gonzaga, Shane Carwin, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
The UFC's 4 Man Tournament dethroned both the Champion and Interim Champ. What looked like a Couture/ Big Nog final turns into a rematch of Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Elsewhere Affliction gets going again next month with their 2nd show, Fedor takes on Arlovski. Overeem and Cro Cop fight on New Year's but alas not against each other.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Rashad Evans
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Forrest Griffin
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Chuck Liddell
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Babalu Sobral
9. Wanderlei Silva
10. Keith Jardine
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Luis Cane
Another title fight, another Light Heavyweight Champion. Will anyone ever retain this belt? Rashad beat Forrest at UFC 92 and Rampage knocked out Wanderlei. Makes sense for Rampage to get a shot at the title next, but he wants Forrest as well. Machida and Thiago is on the way. Soko failed in the UFC and followed many others to Affliction. Speaking of Affliction Tito Ortiz... will provide the color commentary for the next card. The long awaited return of Shogun Rua is next month, but against Mark Coleman. What? Interesting weightclass to say the least, looks as though everyone can beat everyone in the top 10.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Cung Le
7. Yushin Okami
8. Gegard Mousasi
9. Michael Bisping
10. Nathan Marquardt
Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza
No changes here since last month. A very deep division world wide, with Anderson Silva head, shoulders, and even a full body length ahead of everyone else. A rumored bout with Thales Leites does not get me goin though. Denis Kang and Chael Sonnen are coming to the UFC. Sonnen to face Maia in a few months. Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin fight in a couple weeks, but at 205. Not sure I get that one. The Spider might as well move up too.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
January 31st GSP puts his belt on the line against Lightweight Champ B.J. Penn. We'll see what happens to both divisions after that. Who will Shields fight next? And it looks as though Diego Sanchez will be moving down a weight class to challenge Joe Stevenson.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Eddie Alverez
3. Joachim Hansen
4. Shinya Aoki
5. JZ Cavalcante
6. Takanori Gomi
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Kenny Florian
Gilbert Melendez, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
The little hyped WAMMA Championship comes to the Lightweight division on New Year's Eve in Japan with Eddie Alverez vs. Shinya Aoki. B.J. Penn anyone? Even still the Aoki/ Alverez fight should be very entertaining. The UFC dominates many of these divisions, but clearly not this one. Does Penn stay here or move up for good? What kind of splash does Diego make down here?
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Andrei Arlovski
4. Frank Mir
5. Josh Barnett
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
7. Randy Couture
8. Tim Sylvia
9. Alistair Overeem
10. Chiek Kongo
Gabriel Gonzaga, Shane Carwin, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
The UFC's 4 Man Tournament dethroned both the Champion and Interim Champ. What looked like a Couture/ Big Nog final turns into a rematch of Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Elsewhere Affliction gets going again next month with their 2nd show, Fedor takes on Arlovski. Overeem and Cro Cop fight on New Year's but alas not against each other.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Rashad Evans
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Forrest Griffin
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Chuck Liddell
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Babalu Sobral
9. Wanderlei Silva
10. Keith Jardine
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Luis Cane
Another title fight, another Light Heavyweight Champion. Will anyone ever retain this belt? Rashad beat Forrest at UFC 92 and Rampage knocked out Wanderlei. Makes sense for Rampage to get a shot at the title next, but he wants Forrest as well. Machida and Thiago is on the way. Soko failed in the UFC and followed many others to Affliction. Speaking of Affliction Tito Ortiz... will provide the color commentary for the next card. The long awaited return of Shogun Rua is next month, but against Mark Coleman. What? Interesting weightclass to say the least, looks as though everyone can beat everyone in the top 10.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Cung Le
7. Yushin Okami
8. Gegard Mousasi
9. Michael Bisping
10. Nathan Marquardt
Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza
No changes here since last month. A very deep division world wide, with Anderson Silva head, shoulders, and even a full body length ahead of everyone else. A rumored bout with Thales Leites does not get me goin though. Denis Kang and Chael Sonnen are coming to the UFC. Sonnen to face Maia in a few months. Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin fight in a couple weeks, but at 205. Not sure I get that one. The Spider might as well move up too.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
January 31st GSP puts his belt on the line against Lightweight Champ B.J. Penn. We'll see what happens to both divisions after that. Who will Shields fight next? And it looks as though Diego Sanchez will be moving down a weight class to challenge Joe Stevenson.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Eddie Alverez
3. Joachim Hansen
4. Shinya Aoki
5. JZ Cavalcante
6. Takanori Gomi
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Kenny Florian
Gilbert Melendez, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
The little hyped WAMMA Championship comes to the Lightweight division on New Year's Eve in Japan with Eddie Alverez vs. Shinya Aoki. B.J. Penn anyone? Even still the Aoki/ Alverez fight should be very entertaining. The UFC dominates many of these divisions, but clearly not this one. Does Penn stay here or move up for good? What kind of splash does Diego make down here?
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Sports Brief's UFC Rankings (7/14/08)
This will probably mark the final “UFC” Rankings here on the Sports Brief. On July 19th (this Saturday) Affliction launches their debut show with one of the best cards in MMA history, that features the likes of Fedor, Sylvia, Barnett, Rizzo, Arlovski, Rothwell, (best group of heavyweights ever assembled), Lil Nog, Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, Babalu, and others. We will change formats to an all MMA Ranking following that event. But for now here are the best fighters that the UFC have to offer.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
No changes since last month. Gonzaga earned a win in UFC 86 over Justin McCully, but not one that will move him up. Check back next month as the boys from Affliction will dominate this weight class.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Forrest shakes up the light heavyweight division with his victory – controversial or not – over Rampage. Let’s hope there’s a rematch soon, but a number of intriguing matchups lie ahead. Liddell v. Evans in September and the return of Shogun, both Silvas and Machida will be exciting. Anderson Silva makes his debut at 205 this weekend, as does Brandon Vera, so it will be interesting to see what kind of players both are in this stacked division.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Ricardo Almeida
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
The Cote v. Almeida fight was underwhelming, disappointing and we almost wish it didn’t happen. But nonetheless, Cote is now in line for a title shot, which is baffling considering Silva v. Okami has been rumored. With Silva fighting on Saturday, you assume his next fight would be in September or October, leaving Cote waiting in the wings until the end of the year. He needs to take another fight like Thiago Alves did.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Koscheck earned one of the bloodiest decisions ever over Chris Lytle in UFC 86. He’s entrenched in the middle of this weight class. GSP vs. Fitch for the title is coming on in August. If GSP wins look for him to face BJ Penn.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Stevenson and Griffin both took home wins over a week ago. Not entirely familiar with lightweights in other organizations, but from all accounts they are better than everyone not in this top tier. Should be interesting to see the UFC continue to develop their 155 pound class.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
No changes since last month. Gonzaga earned a win in UFC 86 over Justin McCully, but not one that will move him up. Check back next month as the boys from Affliction will dominate this weight class.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Forrest shakes up the light heavyweight division with his victory – controversial or not – over Rampage. Let’s hope there’s a rematch soon, but a number of intriguing matchups lie ahead. Liddell v. Evans in September and the return of Shogun, both Silvas and Machida will be exciting. Anderson Silva makes his debut at 205 this weekend, as does Brandon Vera, so it will be interesting to see what kind of players both are in this stacked division.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Ricardo Almeida
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
The Cote v. Almeida fight was underwhelming, disappointing and we almost wish it didn’t happen. But nonetheless, Cote is now in line for a title shot, which is baffling considering Silva v. Okami has been rumored. With Silva fighting on Saturday, you assume his next fight would be in September or October, leaving Cote waiting in the wings until the end of the year. He needs to take another fight like Thiago Alves did.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Koscheck earned one of the bloodiest decisions ever over Chris Lytle in UFC 86. He’s entrenched in the middle of this weight class. GSP vs. Fitch for the title is coming on in August. If GSP wins look for him to face BJ Penn.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Stevenson and Griffin both took home wins over a week ago. Not entirely familiar with lightweights in other organizations, but from all accounts they are better than everyone not in this top tier. Should be interesting to see the UFC continue to develop their 155 pound class.
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Sports Brief's UFC Rankings (6-13-08)
We here at The Sports Brief have decided to combine our individual UFC Rankings into one mega-power ranking that will be updated monthly. As of right now this is our list of Top 10 fighters in each of the weight classes recognized by the UFC. There is a great chance however, that after the unbelievably stacked Affliction card in July, which features such fighters as Fedor, Sylvia, Barnett, Rizzo, Lil Nog, Vitor Belfort, Arlovski, Matt Lindland, Babalu, and others we may change formats to an all MMA Ranking. But for now here are the best fighters that the UFC have to offer.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
Couture is still our champ, so he is number one. The departures of Andrei and Big Tim really hurt this weight class, where a fighter who is 0-1 in the octagon can be ranked 9. Vera doesn’t fall much due to what we thought was an early stoppage vs. Werdum.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Chuck Liddell
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
This division is tough to figure out since everyone has beaten everyone. I (Keefe) really like Shogun still, but his inactivity and loss to Forrest drop him to 6. You can make a number of intriguing match ups here. Rampage vs. Forrest finally comes next month. And one of the biggest questions for this weight class still remains, what organization will former champ Tito Ortiz sign with?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Ricardo Almeida
7. Nathan Marquardt
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
Like Tom Hanks, Anderson Silva is in a league of his own. He owns dominant victories over everyone he has faced in the UFC including close to half of this top 10. Rumors of a Spider vs. Iceman fight linger, and we wouldn’t object to that. Henderson against Franklin would be intriguing, but what do you do with the winner? Hendo/ Silva II or Franklin/ Silva III? Don’t think so.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
Couture is still our champ, so he is number one. The departures of Andrei and Big Tim really hurt this weight class, where a fighter who is 0-1 in the octagon can be ranked 9. Vera doesn’t fall much due to what we thought was an early stoppage vs. Werdum.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Chuck Liddell
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
This division is tough to figure out since everyone has beaten everyone. I (Keefe) really like Shogun still, but his inactivity and loss to Forrest drop him to 6. You can make a number of intriguing match ups here. Rampage vs. Forrest finally comes next month. And one of the biggest questions for this weight class still remains, what organization will former champ Tito Ortiz sign with?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Ricardo Almeida
7. Nathan Marquardt
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
Like Tom Hanks, Anderson Silva is in a league of his own. He owns dominant victories over everyone he has faced in the UFC including close to half of this top 10. Rumors of a Spider vs. Iceman fight linger, and we wouldn’t object to that. Henderson against Franklin would be intriguing, but what do you do with the winner? Hendo/ Silva II or Franklin/ Silva III? Don’t think so.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Alves didn’t make weight, but still the performances against Karo and Hughes vault him up the leaderboard. GSP fights Fitch for the title in August. Mike Swick looked very comfortable at 170 against Davis, and let’s hope we still see Hughes vs. Serra.
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Alves didn’t make weight, but still the performances against Karo and Hughes vault him up the leaderboard. GSP fights Fitch for the title in August. Mike Swick looked very comfortable at 170 against Davis, and let’s hope we still see Hughes vs. Serra.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Similar to the middleweight division it’s a one man weight class. B.J. Penn cemented himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA after blowing through Sherk. Huerta vs. Ken-Flo is upcoming, but does Penn fight the winner or GSP? It’s shaping up to be a pretty deep division, solid Top 10 with good honorable mentions. Yes, we showed “Some Love” to Rich Clementi.
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Similar to the middleweight division it’s a one man weight class. B.J. Penn cemented himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA after blowing through Sherk. Huerta vs. Ken-Flo is upcoming, but does Penn fight the winner or GSP? It’s shaping up to be a pretty deep division, solid Top 10 with good honorable mentions. Yes, we showed “Some Love” to Rich Clementi.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
UFC Rankings (5-29-08)
-Keefe
I am so excited and nervous about the Celtics being up 3-2 in the series with the Pistons that I don't even know what to say. I don't want to jinx anything. Instead I will just watch Game 6 tomorrow night and try to enjoy it. To help take my mind off of the magnitude of that game, I've decided to update my UFC Rankings. Here is how I rank the best fighters in each weight class. Also I have added a fight I would like to see, that has not been scheduled, in each division.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Gabriel Gonzaga
7. Heath Herring
8. Cheick Kongo
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
Yes, I still have Randy Couture in the top spot. He is still the Champ right? But what a terrible division. The 9th best guy hasn't won a fight in the UFC and it was hard to find a 10th heavyweight at all. The loss of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski quickly made this weight class one of the best to probably the worst. Don't worry, 40 year old Mark Coleman is coming back, not in August as planned though, he got hurt.
Fight I'd like to see: Randy Couture vs. Nogueira (chances I know unlikely)
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
4. Chuck Liddell
5. Forrest Griffin
6. Lyoto Machida
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Keith Jardine
9. Thiago Silva
10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
This division is stacked. 10 quaility guys here with Rashad Evans and others knocking at the door. Tito Ortiz would still be on my list, but he confirmed that 100% he would move on. I'm going to miss Tito and feel that he has some great fights left in him. When was the last time Rampage fought? Damn reality shows kill some of these match ups. You can make lots of intriguing fights though from the light heavyweights.
Fight I'd like to see: Wanderlei Silva vs. Lyoto Machida
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nathan Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Chris Leben
7. Patrick Cote
8. Jason MacDonald
9. Nathan Quarry
10. Michael Bisping
Not a lot has changed in the past month or so in the middleweight division. It's really Anderon Silva at the top then a serious drop off. Not sure what weight class Dan Henderson is going to stick to, if he'll stick to one at all. Leben vs. Bisping would have been awesome, you know, if Leben didn't have to go to jail. I'd still like to see it, but not as much as...
Fight I'd like to see: Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Matt Serra
4. Matt Hughes
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Marcus Davis
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Thiago Alves
10. Mike Swick
Perhaps the deepest division in the UFC there are a ton of great welterweights. GSP has proven he is the cream of the crop, and maybe there is a potential GSP vs. Penn II in the works. Well first St. Pierre will face Jon Fitch. The rest of the guys in the top 10 all want shots at the title, but it may take some time. Less than two weeks away from Hughes vs. Alves and Davis vs. Swick. It'll be a great day for welterweights on June 7th.
Fight I'd like to see: Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Spencer Fisher
9. Nate Diaz
10. Frankie Edgar
No question about it now, B.J. Penn is the best lightweight in the UFC. An impressive win over Sean Sherk proved that last weekend. The idea now is for Penn to face the winner of Florian and Huerta when those two fight in August. Will he fight GSP or the winner or both? Time will tell. I'm also not convinced anyone else can beat Sherk in this division. Looks top heavy to me.
Fight I'd like to see: Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz
I am so excited and nervous about the Celtics being up 3-2 in the series with the Pistons that I don't even know what to say. I don't want to jinx anything. Instead I will just watch Game 6 tomorrow night and try to enjoy it. To help take my mind off of the magnitude of that game, I've decided to update my UFC Rankings. Here is how I rank the best fighters in each weight class. Also I have added a fight I would like to see, that has not been scheduled, in each division.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Gabriel Gonzaga
7. Heath Herring
8. Cheick Kongo
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
Yes, I still have Randy Couture in the top spot. He is still the Champ right? But what a terrible division. The 9th best guy hasn't won a fight in the UFC and it was hard to find a 10th heavyweight at all. The loss of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski quickly made this weight class one of the best to probably the worst. Don't worry, 40 year old Mark Coleman is coming back, not in August as planned though, he got hurt.
Fight I'd like to see: Randy Couture vs. Nogueira (chances I know unlikely)
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
4. Chuck Liddell
5. Forrest Griffin
6. Lyoto Machida
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Keith Jardine
9. Thiago Silva
10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
This division is stacked. 10 quaility guys here with Rashad Evans and others knocking at the door. Tito Ortiz would still be on my list, but he confirmed that 100% he would move on. I'm going to miss Tito and feel that he has some great fights left in him. When was the last time Rampage fought? Damn reality shows kill some of these match ups. You can make lots of intriguing fights though from the light heavyweights.
Fight I'd like to see: Wanderlei Silva vs. Lyoto Machida
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nathan Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Chris Leben
7. Patrick Cote
8. Jason MacDonald
9. Nathan Quarry
10. Michael Bisping
Not a lot has changed in the past month or so in the middleweight division. It's really Anderon Silva at the top then a serious drop off. Not sure what weight class Dan Henderson is going to stick to, if he'll stick to one at all. Leben vs. Bisping would have been awesome, you know, if Leben didn't have to go to jail. I'd still like to see it, but not as much as...
Fight I'd like to see: Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Matt Serra
4. Matt Hughes
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Marcus Davis
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Thiago Alves
10. Mike Swick
Perhaps the deepest division in the UFC there are a ton of great welterweights. GSP has proven he is the cream of the crop, and maybe there is a potential GSP vs. Penn II in the works. Well first St. Pierre will face Jon Fitch. The rest of the guys in the top 10 all want shots at the title, but it may take some time. Less than two weeks away from Hughes vs. Alves and Davis vs. Swick. It'll be a great day for welterweights on June 7th.
Fight I'd like to see: Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Spencer Fisher
9. Nate Diaz
10. Frankie Edgar
No question about it now, B.J. Penn is the best lightweight in the UFC. An impressive win over Sean Sherk proved that last weekend. The idea now is for Penn to face the winner of Florian and Huerta when those two fight in August. Will he fight GSP or the winner or both? Time will tell. I'm also not convinced anyone else can beat Sherk in this division. Looks top heavy to me.
Fight I'd like to see: Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Memorial Weekend was a Sporgasm
-Keefe
This first group of sporting events I associate with those stupid “games” that you can win an obscene amount of tickets/ tokens. All you have to do is like freeze a coin with you mind and presto. It only takes one, but you end up losing like 5-10 bucks, saying “you’re so close.” Well I have given up on those machines much like the following events from the weekend.
The Indy 500, NASCAR’s Coke 600, the College Lacrosse Final 4, and the Stanley Cup Finals. I extend a hardy handshake to Scott Dixon, Kasey Kahne, Syracuse University, and the Detroit Red Wings. That’s really all I have to say to all of them. Nice work.
I had some interest in the Boston Red Sox and the rest of May baseball. This is like Ski-Ball. Always sounds good, and you have to do it while your there, just like keeping up with major league baseball. But come on, MLB in May? Is it really do or die? No, fantasy baseball keeps everyone interested in it before the All- Star break. The Sox took a 7 game winning streak in to their 10 game road trip. Well they got swept by the upstart Oakland Athletics. Luckily for Boston Bartolo Colon brought his A game (what a steal this guy was, doesn’t matter what happens next, but really, the Yankees didn’t need him, really? He won the Cy Young in 2005.) Anyway Colon went 7 strong and the Sox got a road win. Still the Rays are in 1st place. How bout them Rays?
Tampa Bay and Florda are currently in 1st place in their respective divisions, 1 day after Memorial Weekend. Just thought everyone should know.
The following two sports spectacles were what made this weekend so impressive. This is the Lazer-Tag, NBA Jam, and crazy Fighting/ Shooting Games. The reason you go, the reason you love sports. From Friday-Monday you had alternating Western and Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA. Lakers vs. Spurs and Celtics vs. Pistons, what it was supposed to be, the best four basketball teams in the league. And on top of that you had UFC 84 ill will on Saturday night. I’ll start with the mixed martial arts.
UFC 84 provided a number of intriguing and important match ups. How would Wanderlei Silva respond to his 3 fight losing streak? Could Tito Ortiz leave the UFC with a win over unbeaten Lyoto Machida? And who is the rightful champion at 155? Short answers: violently, no, and B.J. Penn. Slightly longer answers: Wanderlei Silva had not won a fight since July 2006. Despite losing to very tough opponents, Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, and Chuck Liddell, the buzz was that Silva is no longer the dominant fighter he was when he dominated Pride. Well Keith Jardine was coming off his most impressive victory of his career, and figured with a win over the Ax Murderer he could be in contention for a shot at the light heavyweight belt. That until he lost viciously and explosively to Silva in just 36 seconds. At one point in the match, Wanderlei had his left hand on Jardine’s throat pinning him to the mat while he pummeled him with hard right shots. It was intense. Wanderlei Silva is back!
Tito Ortiz faced the undefeated Lyoto Machida in the final fight on his UFC contract. Tito’s well documented relationship with UFC President Dana White leaves very little room for a potential return to the organization that saw him as one of their most dominant champions. Ortiz lost a 3 round decision, and nearly pulled off a late win, but Machida scrambled out of a triangle choke by Tito. It will be very interesting to see what happens to both men following that fight.
In the main event B.J. Penn defeated Sean Sherk, putting to rest the question of who the real champ is. Sherk had his belt stripped when he tested positive for steroids, and allegation he still denies. The 3rd round bell momentarily saved Sherk, but he could not get up and Penn was awarded the victory via TKO (Knee and Punches). Word is Penn would fight the winner of the August fight between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta; however in his post fight interview Penn asked the crowd if they wanted him to fight welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. The sold out arena responded with a resounding yes. Who knows perhaps Penn vs. St. Pierre II could happen.
UFC 84 overlapped with Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals for about an hour and a half. And although they were not in an octagon, the fight in the Palace proved finally that the Celtics can win away from the Garden. After losing home court advantage to the Pistons in a 103-97 loss in Game 2, the pressure was squarely on the Celtics. 0-6 on the road to Atlanta and Cleveland, could they possibly win in Detroit? With their 94-80 win in Game 3 a huge weight had been lifted off the entire city of Boston. They were now guaranteed a game 5 being tied 2-2 at the very worst. Well they did lose Game 4 last night, but it is now a best of 3 series with 2 games in Boston.
Out West the Spurs lost after having a 20 point lead in Game 1 then got blow out of Cali by 30 in Game 2. But it’s still the Spurs. Ask the Hornets about being up 2-0 with big impressive numbers. I said Celtics vs. Spurs when the playoffs began and I’m going to stick with it. Would I like to see Celtics and Lakers like everyone outside of Detroit and San Antonio, of course, but how can you count out the Spurs. Game 4 tonight is going to be huge, and if Manu can play like he did on Sunday this one is probably going 7 too.
In the end it was an unbelievable sports weekend. As we look ahead here at the Sports Brief coming up on our sports schedules: NBA Conference and League Finals, MMA on CBS with Kimbo Slice this Saturday, UFC 85 June 7th, more 1st half MLB, and the June 26th NBA Draft.
What a weekend it was in the sports world. There truly was something for everyone the past 4 days. I break it down in the events I had no interest in, some interest, and all my interest. It’s like being in a huge arcade, you got more games than you know what to do with, so you stick to what you know and try to use your time in there wisely. You’re not going to stumble around plugging coins into every loud machine with bright lights. No, you’re going to seek out the Tekken, Time Crisis, Mortal Kombat, and Ms. Pac-Man.
This first group of sporting events I associate with those stupid “games” that you can win an obscene amount of tickets/ tokens. All you have to do is like freeze a coin with you mind and presto. It only takes one, but you end up losing like 5-10 bucks, saying “you’re so close.” Well I have given up on those machines much like the following events from the weekend.
The Indy 500, NASCAR’s Coke 600, the College Lacrosse Final 4, and the Stanley Cup Finals. I extend a hardy handshake to Scott Dixon, Kasey Kahne, Syracuse University, and the Detroit Red Wings. That’s really all I have to say to all of them. Nice work.
I had some interest in the Boston Red Sox and the rest of May baseball. This is like Ski-Ball. Always sounds good, and you have to do it while your there, just like keeping up with major league baseball. But come on, MLB in May? Is it really do or die? No, fantasy baseball keeps everyone interested in it before the All- Star break. The Sox took a 7 game winning streak in to their 10 game road trip. Well they got swept by the upstart Oakland Athletics. Luckily for Boston Bartolo Colon brought his A game (what a steal this guy was, doesn’t matter what happens next, but really, the Yankees didn’t need him, really? He won the Cy Young in 2005.) Anyway Colon went 7 strong and the Sox got a road win. Still the Rays are in 1st place. How bout them Rays?
Tampa Bay and Florda are currently in 1st place in their respective divisions, 1 day after Memorial Weekend. Just thought everyone should know.
The following two sports spectacles were what made this weekend so impressive. This is the Lazer-Tag, NBA Jam, and crazy Fighting/ Shooting Games. The reason you go, the reason you love sports. From Friday-Monday you had alternating Western and Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA. Lakers vs. Spurs and Celtics vs. Pistons, what it was supposed to be, the best four basketball teams in the league. And on top of that you had UFC 84 ill will on Saturday night. I’ll start with the mixed martial arts.
UFC 84 provided a number of intriguing and important match ups. How would Wanderlei Silva respond to his 3 fight losing streak? Could Tito Ortiz leave the UFC with a win over unbeaten Lyoto Machida? And who is the rightful champion at 155? Short answers: violently, no, and B.J. Penn. Slightly longer answers: Wanderlei Silva had not won a fight since July 2006. Despite losing to very tough opponents, Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, and Chuck Liddell, the buzz was that Silva is no longer the dominant fighter he was when he dominated Pride. Well Keith Jardine was coming off his most impressive victory of his career, and figured with a win over the Ax Murderer he could be in contention for a shot at the light heavyweight belt. That until he lost viciously and explosively to Silva in just 36 seconds. At one point in the match, Wanderlei had his left hand on Jardine’s throat pinning him to the mat while he pummeled him with hard right shots. It was intense. Wanderlei Silva is back!
Tito Ortiz faced the undefeated Lyoto Machida in the final fight on his UFC contract. Tito’s well documented relationship with UFC President Dana White leaves very little room for a potential return to the organization that saw him as one of their most dominant champions. Ortiz lost a 3 round decision, and nearly pulled off a late win, but Machida scrambled out of a triangle choke by Tito. It will be very interesting to see what happens to both men following that fight.
In the main event B.J. Penn defeated Sean Sherk, putting to rest the question of who the real champ is. Sherk had his belt stripped when he tested positive for steroids, and allegation he still denies. The 3rd round bell momentarily saved Sherk, but he could not get up and Penn was awarded the victory via TKO (Knee and Punches). Word is Penn would fight the winner of the August fight between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta; however in his post fight interview Penn asked the crowd if they wanted him to fight welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. The sold out arena responded with a resounding yes. Who knows perhaps Penn vs. St. Pierre II could happen.
UFC 84 overlapped with Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals for about an hour and a half. And although they were not in an octagon, the fight in the Palace proved finally that the Celtics can win away from the Garden. After losing home court advantage to the Pistons in a 103-97 loss in Game 2, the pressure was squarely on the Celtics. 0-6 on the road to Atlanta and Cleveland, could they possibly win in Detroit? With their 94-80 win in Game 3 a huge weight had been lifted off the entire city of Boston. They were now guaranteed a game 5 being tied 2-2 at the very worst. Well they did lose Game 4 last night, but it is now a best of 3 series with 2 games in Boston.
Out West the Spurs lost after having a 20 point lead in Game 1 then got blow out of Cali by 30 in Game 2. But it’s still the Spurs. Ask the Hornets about being up 2-0 with big impressive numbers. I said Celtics vs. Spurs when the playoffs began and I’m going to stick with it. Would I like to see Celtics and Lakers like everyone outside of Detroit and San Antonio, of course, but how can you count out the Spurs. Game 4 tonight is going to be huge, and if Manu can play like he did on Sunday this one is probably going 7 too.
In the end it was an unbelievable sports weekend. As we look ahead here at the Sports Brief coming up on our sports schedules: NBA Conference and League Finals, MMA on CBS with Kimbo Slice this Saturday, UFC 85 June 7th, more 1st half MLB, and the June 26th NBA Draft.
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