UFC 80: Rapid Fire - Isn't Free!

I still want my money back from UFC 78 and now I have to get drunk on a fine Saturday afternoon instead of the evening as the show begins - noon PT / 3pm ET / 20:00 GMT.

I'll have a nap when it's over or maybe even during the event like I did for UFC 78 & 72. Get a DVR if you don't have one already for this card... trust me :)

I'm pickin' Baby Jay to win the fake Lightweight belt so I can post a "Who's your Daddy?" follow-up piece about Penn's win. No bias to see here folks, move along!

Another fine post by BK at The Fight Network

By Brian Knapp (bknapp@thefightnetwork.com)

UFC 80 “Rapid Fire,” which features the interim lightweight title bout between Joe Stevenson and BJ Penn, will be carried live on pay-per-view on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Radio Metro Arena in Newcastle, England. UFC.com confirmed the plan to air the show on PPV. Two of the promotion’s previous three events originating from the United Kingdom were carried on tape delay by Spike TV.

Penn (11-4-1, 7-3-1 UFC), arguably the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, defeated rival Jens Pulver by rear-naked choke submission at “The Ultimate Fighter 5” Finale on June 23. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Penn, who was on the rebound following defeats to former UFC welterweight champions Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes.

Stevenson (28-7, 5-1 UFC), the welterweight winner on season two of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, will enter the bout on a four-fight winning streak. In fact, he has lost just once – a unanimous decision loss to Josh Neer in February 2006 – in the last five years. The 25-year-old defeated Kurt Pellegrino by unanimous decision at UFC 74 in August.

UFC 80 “Rapid Fire”
Saturday, Jan. 19
Radio Metro Arena
Newcastle, England

Interim UFC Lightweight Championship
BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera
Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin
Sam Stout vs. Per Eklund
James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara
Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor
Colin Robinson vs. Antoni Hardonk