UFC & Pride Championship History

This is one of the coolest posts that I have ever seen and you'll never see this posted anywhere, on any website. This chronological historical account of the championship titles gets us up to speed on the history of both of the storied pasts of the two largest MMA organizations on the planet in UFC and Pride FC.

From richieb19 who posted at MMAPlayground's forum:

UFC


Lightweight: (146lbs-155lbs)

Jens Pulver def. Caol Uno via decision, UFC 30. Defended 2X
- title vacated - (contract dispute)
Sean Sherk def. Kenny Florian via decision, UFC 64


Welterweight: (156lbs-170lbs)

Pat Miletich def. Mikey Burnett via decision, UFC Ultimate Brazil*
Carlos Newton def. Pat Miletich via submission, UFC 31
Matt Hughes def. Carlos Newton via KO, UFC 34. Defended 5X
B.J. Penn def. Matt Hughes via submission, UFC 46
- title vacated - (contract dispute)
Matt Hughes def. Georges St.Pirerre via submission, UFC 50. Defended 2X
Georges St.Pierre def. Matt Hughes via KO, UFC 65

*WW division at the time had a cap of 170lbs, and was named LW division.

Middleweight: (171lbs-185lbs)

Dave Menne def. Gil Castillo via decision, UFC 33
Murilo Bustamante def. Dave Menne via TKO, UFC 35. Defended 1X
- title vactated - (Bustamante moves to PRIDE FC)
Evan Tanner def. David Terrel via TKO, UFC 51
Rich Franklin def. Evan Tanner via TKO, UFC 53. Defended 2X
Anderson Silva def. Rich Franklin via KO, UFC64

Light Heavyweight: (186lbs-205lbs)

Frank Shamrock def. Kevin Jackson via submission, UFC Ultimate Japan. Defended 4X *
-title vacated - (lack of competition)
Tito Ortiz def. Wanderlei Silva via decision, UFC 25. Defended 5X
Randy Couture def. Chuck Liddell via TKO, UFC 43. Defended 1X**
Vitor Belfort def. Randy Couture via TKO, UFC 46
Randy Couture def. Vitor Belfor via TKO, UFC 49
Chuck Liddell def. Randy Couture via KO, UFC 52. Defended 4X

* LHW division at that time had a cap of 200lbs, and was named MW division.
** Became interim champion after defeating Liddell, promoted to LHW Champion after defeating Ortiz.


Heavyweight: (206lbs-265lbs)

Mark Coleman def. Dan Severn via submission, UFC 12
Maurice Smith def. Mark Coleman via decision, UFC 14
Randy Couture def. Maurice Smith via decision, UFC Ultimate Japan
- title vacated - (contract dispute)
Bas Rutten def. Kevin Randleman via decision, UFC 26
- title vacated - (Rutten drops to LHW)
Kevin Randleman def. Pedro Rizzo via decision, UFC 26
Randy Couture def. Kevin Randleman via TKO, UFC 28. Defended 2X
Josh Barnett def. Randy Couture via TKO, UFC 36
- title vacated - (title stripped after testing positive for steroids)
Ricco Rodriguez def. Randy Couture via submission, UFC39
Tim Syliva def. Ricco Rodriguez via TKO, UFC 41
- title vacated - (title stripped after testing positive for steroids)
Frank Mir def. Tim Sylvia via submission, UFC 48
- title vacated - (Mir was injured)
Andrei Arlovski def. Tim Sylvia via submission, UFC 51. Defended 2X*
Tim Sylvia def. Anrei Arlovski via TKO, UFC 59. Defended 2X

* Became Interim champion after defeating Sylvia, promoted to champion after defeating Eilers.


Openweight:

Ken Shamrock def. Dan Severn via submission, UFC 6. Defended 1X*
Dan Severn def. Ken Shamrock via decision, UFC 9


Tournaments:

UFC 1: Royce Gracie def. Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock, Gerard Gordeau
UFC 2: Royce Gracie def. Minoki Ichihara, Jason Delucia, Remco Pardoel, Pat Smith
UFC 3: Steve Jennum def. Harold Howard
UFC 4: Royce Gracie def. Ron van Clief, Keith Hackney, Dan Severn
UFC 5: Dan Severn def. Joe Charles, Oleg Taktarov, Dave Beneteau
UFC 6: Oleg Taktarov def. Dave Beneteau, Anthony Macias, Tank Abbott
UFC 7: Marco Ruas def. Larry Cureton, Remco Pardoel, Paul Varelans
UFC 8: Don Frye def. Thomas Ramirez, Sam Adkins, Gary Goodridge
UFC 10: Mark Coleman def. Moti Horenstein, Gary Goodridge, Don Frye
UFC 11: Mark Coleman def. Julian Sanchez, Brian Johnston
UU 96: Don Frye def. Gary Goodridge, Mark Hall, Tank Abbott
UFC 12 (MW): Jerry Bolhander def. Rainy Martinez, Nick Sanzo
UFC 12 (HW): Vitor Belfort def. Tra Telligman, Scott Ferozzo
UFC 13 (MW): Guy Mezger def. Christophe Leninger, Tito Ortiz
UFC 13 (HW): Randy Couture def. Tony Halme, Steven Graham
UFC 14 (HW): Mark Kerr def. Moti Horenstein, Dan Bobish
UFC 14 (MW): Kevin Jackson def. Todd Butler, Tony Fryklund
UFC 15 (HW): Mark Kerr def. Greg Stott, Dwayne Cason
Ultimate Japan (HW): Kazushi Sakuraba def. Marcus Silveira*
UFC 16 (LW): Pat Miletich def. Townsend Saunders, Chris Brennan
UFC 17 (MW): Dan Henderson def. Allan Goes, Carlos Newton
UFC 23 (MW): Kenichi Yamamoto def. Daiju Takase, Shamoji Fujii
TUF 1 / UF1F (MW): Diego Sanchez def. Kenny Florian*
TUF 1 / UF1F (LHW): Forrest Griffin def. Stephan Bonnar*
TUF 2 / UF2F (WW): Joe Stevenson def. Luke Cummo*
TUF 2 / UF2F (HW): Rashad Evans def. Brad Imes*
TUF 3 / UF3F (MW): Kendall Grove def. Ed Herman*
TUF 3 / UF3F (LHW): Micheal Bisping def. Josh Haynes*
TUF 4 / UF4F (WW): Matt Serra [SIZE="1"]def. Chris Lytle[/SIZE] *
TUF 4 / UF4F (MW): Travis Lutter def. Patrick Coté*

* These tournaments took place on Spike TV's Ultimate Fighter reality show, all fights aired aside from the finals where concidered as exhibition matches.
**Sakuraba faced Silveira in the opeing round, but it was later declared a NC, and Abbott was unable to advance to the finals, so a rematch between Sakuraba and Silveira was set.




PRIDE FC


Lightweight: (lesser than 73Kg/161lbs)

Takanori Gomi def. Hayato Sakurai via KO, Shockwave 05. Defended 1X


Welterweight: (lesser than 83 Kg/183lbs)

Dan Henderson def. Murilo Bustamante Via KO, Shockwave 05


Middleweight: (lesser than 93Kg/205lbs)

Wanderlei Silva def. Kazuhsi Sakuraba via TKO, Pride 17. Defended 5X
Dan Henderson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO, Pride 33.


Heavyweight: (greater than 93Kg/205lbs)

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Heath Herring via decision, Pride 17. Defended 1X
Fedor Emelianenko def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via decision, Pride 25. Defended 3X


Tournaments:

2000 Grand Prix (OW): Mark Coleman def. Masaaki Satake, Akira Shoji, Kazuyuki Fujita, Igor Vovchanchyn
2003 Grand Prix (MW): Wanderlei Silva def. Kazushi Sakuraba, Hidehiko Yoshida, Quinton Jackson
2004 Grand Prix (HW): Fedor Emelianenko def. Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Naoya Ogawa, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2005 Grand Prix (WW): Dan Henderson def. Ryo Chonan, Akihiro Gono, Murilo Bustamante
2005 Grand Prix (MW): Mauricio Rua def. Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, Ricardo Arona
2006 Grand Prix (WW): Kazuo Misaki def. Phil Baroni, Dan Henderson, Denis Kang*
2006 Grand Prix (OW): Mirko Filipovic def. Ikuhisa Minowa, Hidehiko Yoshida, Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett

* Misaki lost in the semi-finalsto Fihlo, but Fihlo was unable to face Kang and Misaki took his place as an alternate.

Randy Couture Next Human Blanket?

I was reading Brawl Sports latest entry about Randy's friendship with Tim Sylvia "messing" with Tim's mind and a quote from Randy shot out at me that I wanted to share:

"I can certainly see where the best chance is for taking him down. It's not the open shot that Ricco (Rodriguez) and Jeff Monson and several of the other guys have tried. You need to get to Tim's body and clinch with him, get inside, not stand out in range and try to take him down. I think my mobility and wrestling technique will allow me to take him down."

Now, we all know that Randy has framed his comeback into the octagon as a pledge to the fans to see an exciting Heavyweight fight again because Randy feels that Tim doesn't give the fans what they paid for.

Read the quote again and please let me know if Randy has actually declared himself the newest Heavyweight human blanket. If so, doesn't that contradict what he has been saying to UFC fans from the start?

Randy Couture did say he was going to bring excitement back to the Heavyweight division or was I hearing and reading about someone else?

Are we going to see a fight or a takedown contest?

Heath Herring said it best at Ultimate Fight Night 8 after his loss to Jake O'Brien when he said he wasn't aware this was a wrestling contest. I am not defending Heath for his poor performance by any means but, come on!

Here is another piece from Brawl Sports on Randy's return:

"There's also nothing written in stone that says Couture must swing and grapple as a heavyweight in the four-pack. He hasn't ruled out dropping down to light heavy, if his foray against Sylvia goes south."

So Randy is not committed to staying in the Heavyweight ranks? Really, the best fight for Randy to have is with Chuck Liddell. They fought three times with Liddell winning the last two matches.

From reading the article, I got the impression that Randy isn't projecting much confidence in his return against the big man or maybe Randy is just a humble guy. I will go with the latter for the moment because I don't want to feel like I've been played by UFC marketing when this fight goes down.

What also amazes me is hearing Dana White say he wouldn't consider Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell because Wandy lost two fights in a row by knockout. Hey Dana, the same thing happened to Randy Couture (Mike Van Arsdale victory doesn't count in my book) yet you give him a year off only to return to a title fight.

I hope that Randy's takedown strategy is the precursor to a submission attempt. I hope and so do many people who have contributed to the MMA Fever Heavyweight Championship poll just below.

Please Randy, bring the pain, bring the pain... instead of the blanket.

Nick Diaz Post Fight Interview

Nick Diaz is a guilty pleasure for quite a few MMA fans when he is letting his punches loose in the ring or doing the same with his mouth outside the ring. Nick is great at giving a REAL interview and not some jumbled catch phrases that some other fighters give. Nick has passion and it comes through very, very clearly in this video. Nick also shows his battle wounds on his face and they are not very pretty.

This is Nick Diaz's Pride 33 post fight interview:

Pride 33 Wrap-Up

Well, it's time to officially put Pride 33 to bed. Overall, the reception of Pride by UFC fans was surprisingly overwhelming. From the forums and the dedicated UFC sites that I visited, most found the Pride 33 event to be very exciting with lots of action in the fights.

One person commented by saying that is was nice to pay for a pay per view event and actually get to see all of the fights on the fight card. Novel idea for UFC don't you think? Dana, are you listening?

It was nice to see the fans appreciating MMA "the sport" while forgetting the MMA "organizations" for a moment in time. You know, the Pride vs. UFC debate, East coast/West coast, Tupac & Biggie... that shyte doesn't matter, it's great fights that matter and they happen in hundreds of MMA organizations around the globe so let's evolve as fans of MMA at the same pace as the sport evolves.

One last congratulations to Dan Henderson for becoming the first person to hold two belts (Welterweight & Middleweight) simultaneously for a major MMA organization. I know UFC fighters GSP, Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell aspire to what Dan Henderson has accomplished so this will be one helluva year for MMA.

Anyway, I'm going to close off Pride 33 coverage with a bunch of Pride 33 links I posted recently all on one page, this page, just bit down below. Really, I'm a fan of my own site so selfishly, I wanted this for my own personal reference and I hope you enjoy it too. I suppose you could be smarter than me and type in Pride 33 in the search box at the top left of the page too.

Please be patient while the video buffers and in case you didn't know, right click on the video screen to choose 'Go Full Screen'. You can't beat it!

Pride 33 Results

Pride 33 Payouts

In the order the fight card was presented (except for Frank Trigg vs. Kazuo Misaki which was the only fight on the card that went to a decision)

Joachim Hansen vs. Jason Ireland Pride 33 Video

James Lee vs. Travis Wiuff Pride 33 Video

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Pride 33 Video

Hayato Sakurai vs Mac Danzig Pride 33 Video

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Michael Russow Pride 33 Video

Mauricio Rua vs. Alistair Overeem Pride 33 Video

Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi Pride 33 Video

Dan Henderson Vs. Wanderlei Silva Pride 33 Video

Pride 33 Post Press Conference

I hope you had as much fun as I did and I hope to see you real soon for MMA Fever's UFC 68 coverage. Find it here first!

Safe :)

Joachim Hansen vs. Jason Ireland Pride 33 Video

Joachim Hansen defeats Jason Ireland by Submission (Armbar) in round 3(2:33)

**please allow some time for the video to load and be sure to click on the volume slider for sound**

Hayato Sakurai vs Mac Danzig Pride 33 Video

Hayato Sakurai defeats Mac Danzig by KO (Punch) in round 2 (4:01)

**please allow some time for the video to load and be sure to click on the volume slider for sound**

Pride 33 Payouts

Pride 33 fighter salaries courtesy of MMAWeekly

Main Event Fighters

-Wanderlei Silva: $150,000 (28th fight in Pride; lost to Dan Henderson in main event)

-Dan Henderson: $50,000 (18th fight in Pride; defeated Wanderlei Silva in main event)


Main Card Fighters

-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: $50,000 (13th fight in Pride; defeated Alistair Overeem)

-Takanori Gomi: $20,000 (15th fight in Pride; lost to Nick Diaz)

-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $20,000 (10th fight in Pride; lost to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou)

-Nick Diaz: $15,000 (1st fight in Pride; defeated Takanori Gomi)

-Joachim Hansen: $15,000 (6th fight in Pride; defeated Jason Ireland)

-Hayato Sakurai: $10,000 (11th fight in Pride; defeated Mac Danzig)

-Frank Trigg: $10,000 (2nd fight in Pride; defeated Kazuo Misaki)

-Kazuo Misaki: $10,000 (8th fight in Pride; lost to Frank Trigg)

-Sergei Kharitonov: $10,000 (11th fight in Pride; defeated Mike Russow)

-Alistair Overeem: $10,000 (14th fight in Pride; lost to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua)

-Travis Wiuff: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to James Lee)

-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira)

-Mac Danzig: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to Hayato Sakurai)

-Jason Ireland: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to Joachim Hansen)

-Mike Russow: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to Sergei Kharitonov)

-James Lee: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; defeated Travis Wiuff)

Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $430,000

Pride 33 Post Press Conference

Fighters and organizers are interviewed following the Pride 33 event with Jerry Millen, Pride FC U.S. promoter. Interviews with Dream Stage Entertainment & Pride FC President, Nobuyuki Sakakibara questioned about whether Pride is for sale and whether there will be a rematch between Gomi and Diaz and Shogun Rua wanting Hendo's new belt.

All in all, the Pride 33 post press conference seemed to be a very somber one as it appears that most in attendance, including the fans, did not expect the outcome of some of their key match-ups in particular, Lil Nog, Wanderlei and Takanori Gomi.

Pride just had its prized fighters in Gomi, Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva BEATEN on foreign soil. This is the worst possible outcome for this famed MMA organization and now they have to lick their wounds, regroup and try to come back to the U.S. again on April 28 in Las Vegas. This isn't any different than the UFC going to Japan and witnessing Sean Sherk and Chuck Liddell losing away from home.

**please allow some time for the video to load and be sure to click on the volume slider for sound**

UFC 68 Preview Video

I know, we have to wait 6 whole days for another massive, MASSIVE! (Shameless Ali G reference)

Listen to Dana White dissing his Heavyweight, Middleweight and Welterweight champions... listen to his BS excuses for why Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin lost their last bouts... what an ass clown and a tool!

Dana White earns the dishonorable distinction of being, "The Tool of the Day"

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Michael Russow Pride 33 Video

Sergei Kharitonov defeats Michael Russow by submission (Armbar) in round 1 (3:46) at Pride 33.

Russow was pissed at the stoppage however, the video clip captures him tapping Kharitonov 's thigh like he had Britney Spears' song, "Hit me baby one more time" playing in his head :)

Dan Henderson Owns Pride

Congratulations Dan!

You've just become the first ever MMA fighter to hold belts in two weight divisions at the same time in a major MMA organization. The first and only one!

You now own two very prestigious championship belts and I am sure you can expect a bald dude from the UFC calling you up to bring you over to the UFC. We would all love to see you there!

What you've done is incredible, it's like fighting Anderson Silva, kicking his ass and stealing his belt then moving on to waste Chuck Liddell and snatch his belt from his waist too. All in just over a year!

So, if Pride FC is in fact for sale, the keys to the shop now belong to Dan Henderson. Can't you just picture Dana White salivating right about now?

In case you missed the historic MMA moment - click here to watch Hollywood Henderson steal Wandy's belt by way of knockout

Below is a fan produced, Dan Henderson highlight video:

Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi Pride 33 Video

Nick Diaz defeats Takanori Gomi by Submission (Gogoplata) in round 2 (1:46) at Pride 33.


**please allow some time for the video to load and be sure to click on the volume slider for sound**

James Lee vs. Travis Wiuff Pride 33 Video

James Lee defeats Travis Wiuff by submission (Guillotine Choke) early into round 1 (0:39) at Pride 33. Enjoy the video clip, it's fast and furious...

Mauricio Rua vs. Alistair Overeem Pride 33 Video

Expect Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to be gunning for Dan Henderson's new Middleweight title belt in the not so distant future.

Dan Henderson Vs. Wanderlei Silva Pride 33 Video

Looking for Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva UFC 82 Video?

CLICK HERE for the UFC 82 Videos

Dan Henderson defeats Wanderlei Silva by KO (Punches) in round 3 at 2:08. Dan "Hollywood" Henderson is now a two-belt title holder of the Pride Welterweight and Middleweight divisions.

Just awesome!

Pride 33 Results

	PRIDE Fighting Championships
Date	February 24, 2007
Location	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

1 Joachim Hansen defeats Jason Ireland by Submission (Armbar) round 3 - 2:33

2 Frank Trigg defeats Kazuo Misaki by Decision (Unanimous) round 3 - 5:00

3 James Lee defeats Travis Wiuff Submission (Guillotine Choke) round 1 - 0:39

4 Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou defeats Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by KO (Punch) round 1 - 0:23

5 Hayato Sakurai defeats Mac Danzig by KO (Punch) round 2 - 4:01

6 Sergei Kharitonov defeats Michael Russow by Submission (Armbar) round 1 - 3:46

7 Mauricio Rua defeats Alistair Overeem by KO (Punches) round 1 - 3:37

8 Nick Diaz defeats Takanori Gomi by Submission (Gogoplata) round 2 - 1:46

9 Dan Henderson defeats Wanderlei Silva by KO (Punches) round 3 - 2:08 (new Middleweight Champion)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Pride 33 Video

This was a huge night of upsets as Lil Nog was the overwhelming favorite going in to this fight.

These were the odds: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira -2500 vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou +1250. So, if you placed $100 on Sokoudjou, you would have walked away with $1250! Who knew?

Nick Diaz Interview after Pride 33 Weigh-In

Nick Diaz talks candidly about his upcoming bout tonight with Pride FC Lightweight Champion, Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi.

Pride 33 Betting Lines

Fighters with minus ratings are the favorite. For instance, -275 for Wanderlei Silva means that I have to pay $275 to win $100 if he wins. Similarly, if I place a $100 bet on the underdog, Hendo (+215) to win and he does come through, I would win $215.

There are some decent chances to bank on a few fights here:

Wanderlei Silva -275 vs. Dan Henderson +215

Mauricio Shogun -400 vs. Alistair Overeem +300

Takanori Gomi -360 vs. Nick Diaz +280

Kazuo Misaki -350 vs. Frank Trigg +275

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira -2500 vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou +1250

Joachim Hansen -850 vs. Jason Ireland +550

Hayato Sakurai -800 vs. Mac Danzig +500

Sergei Kharitonov -450 vs. Michael Russow +350

Joe Riggs - MySpace Poet?

The Diego Sanchez MySpace saga continues to develop as a tool used to trash talk fighters. Here is a recent post by who appears to Joe "Diesel" Riggs on Diego Sanchez' MySpace page left late last night in reference to the Diaz/Gomi Pride 33 weigh-in that occurred yesterday.

Joe Riggs
Feb 23 2007 11:23P

They say he is quite sick
He likes to peek at your prick
And just for a kick
He might snapshot your dick


They call him Nick Diaz the dong spy
Before you unbutton your fly
You better check who you are by
Look for a wandering eye


As you take a piss
You will soon realize somehting is amist
Then you look to your right
And realize you are in his sight


They call him Nick Diaz the dong spy
Before you unbutton your fly
You better check who you are by
Look for a wandering eye


His eyes will be locked on
While youre in the john
Staring at your meat
Like its a treat


They call him Nick Diaz the dong spy
Before you unbutton your fly
You better check who you are by
Look for a wandering eye


So be sure to watch your back
For Nick gazing at your sack
He'll start to drool
As he checks out your tool


They call him Nick Diaz the dong spy
Before you unbutton your fly
You better check who you are by
Look for a wandering eye

UFC Ring Girl - Rachelle Leah

Amazing Takedown... What an ANIMAL!

Dudes, when you're waiting on an MMA event, pretty much anything remotely related to MMA will get yer juices flowin'. Just a few more hours for Pride 33 to rev you back in gear so in the meantime, watch these animals do what they do best.

This one reminds me of Rashad Evans pawing at Sean Salmon before the kick heard 'round the world happened. Maybe Sean should have done what this animal did.



Ultimate Fighting is a Pussy Cat Sport
This one still gets me every time!

What MMA is Not...

This guy is an ass clown and the Tool of the Day!

Pride 33 Weigh-In Results

Pride 33 Weigh-In Pictures courtesy of MMAWeekly.com
Exclusive Weigh-In Video from Sherdog.com

Pride Middleweight Championship Bout


Wanderlei Silva - 205

Vs.

Dan Henderson - 200



Lightweight Bout:

Takanori Gomi - 161

Vs.

Nick Diaz - 161



Middleweight Bout:

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua - 205

Vs.

Alistair Overeem - 205



Heavyweight Bout:

Sergei Kharitonov - 242

Vs.

Mike Russow - 255


Lightweight Bout:

Hayato “Mach” Sakurai - 164

Vs.

Mac Danzig - 160



Middleweight Bout:

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - 205

Vs,

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou - 205



Middleweight Bout:

Travis Wiuff - 205

Vs.

James Lee - 210.5



Welterweight Bout:

Kazuo Misaki - 181

Vs.

Frank Trigg - 183



Lightweight Bout:

Joachim Hansen - 161

Vs.

Jason Ireland - 161

UFC Announces UK Fight Card

UFC Press Release issued today:

UFC Announces UK Fight Card

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP®
ANNOUNCES UK FIGHT CARD

UFC 70: NATIONS COLLIDE

MIRKO “CRO COP” vs. GABRIEL GONZAGA
MICHAEL BISPING vs. ELVIS SINOSIC
ANDREI ARLOVSKI vs. FABRICIO WERDUM
FORREST GRIFFIN vs. LYOTO MACHIDA

LIVE FROM MEN ARENA SATURDAY, APRIL 21

Tickets on Sale Now

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization today announced to the world it will stage UFC 70: NATIONS COLLIDE - the largest MMA event ever seen in the United Kingdom - at Manchester's MEN Arena Saturday, April 21, 2007.

Headlining UFC 70 is Croatian superstar Mirko “Cro Cop” vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. The main card also features Belaruse heavyweight Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum and Forrest Griffin vs. Lyoto Machida. The event will also mark the homecoming for Britain’s own Michael Bisping, the winner of the most recent season of the hit reality show, The Ultimate Fighter® 3 which airs on Spike TV in the US and on Bravo in the UK.

The Manchester show is the first of a series of high-profile events to hit Britain this year, following the announcement that the UFC now has a fully functioning London-based office. The UFC is also looking at expansions through Europe with a number of large-scale live events which will be screened live in the UK on Setanta pay per view.

“Manchester is the home of sporting legends, so what better place to launch the UFC in the UK,” said Dana White, UFC President. “The city always appreciates a great sporting event and we know that is exactly what UFC 70 will give them.”

Tickets for UFC 70: NATIONS COLLIDE went on sale today at 10:00am GMT and already the event is half-sold with 5,000 tickets purchased. Ticket prices start at £25.00 and are available through MEN Arena Box Office or by calling (011) 0870 190 8000. Tickets are also available online at www.men-arena.com or www.Ticketmaster.co.uk.

UFC 70: NATIONS COLLIDE will be screened live on Setanta PPV1 (Sky channel 481) at 8:00pm GMT on Saturday, April 21, available via remote control through Sky Box Office or by calling 08708 500 005.

For more information about UFC 70, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand is the world’s

leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the UFC® organization produces approximately twelve to fourteen live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, on MAIN EVENT in Australia, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com.

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa™, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.

Contacts:
United States: United Kingdom:
Jennifer Wenk, UFC Public Relations Peter Mountstevens, Taylor Herring Public Relations
702.221.4790 (office) 0208 206 5151 (office)
jwenk@ufc.com Louisa Bradshaw, Taylor Herring Public Relations
Louisa.bradshaw@taylorherring.com

Jerry Millen: "Dana White, Put up or Shut up!"

These were the words used by Pride USA producer Jerry Millen when interviewing Wanderlei Silva in front of a crowd in Las Vegas, Nevada outside of the Thomas & Mack Center for pre-fight festivities with Pride fans awaiting the Pride 33 event happening tomorrow.

Wanderlei, in a diplomatic fashion said he didn't know what the problem is and Jerry Millen said, "We know what the problem is, Dana White... two words, Dana White. I'm calling out Dana White myself. Put up Dana or shut up."

"You guys tell Dana White that Jerry Millen said 'put up or shut up'."



I wrote about this earlier in a post titled,

Who Cares about a Rampage Vs. Chuck Liddell Rematch?

Good to see others supporting my claim that Dana White is ducking the big fights against his PPV Champions. Dana is doing his best to look out for the UFC's bottom line at the expense of its fans.

It's all about, "Money, money, money, M-O-N-E-Y!"

The Count Recants...

Michael "The Count" Bisping, UFC fighter and new UFC columnist caught some heat with some of his remarks about Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's debut fight at UFC 67. The Count said in his first column about Rampage's debut:

"JACKSON FIVE (OUT OF TEN)

The second time I was out in Vegas was during UFC 67 weekend. I always enjoy
sitting at Octagon-side and watching the fights and I really enjoyed the event.

After fighting on two live UFC shows now, the TUF finals last summer and now an actual PPV card, it has finally sunk in that I am a proper UFC fighter now, but I'm still a big UFC fan at heart, too.

But even though I enjoyed myself and the fights, I switched out of "fan mode" when Quinton Jackson made his Octagon debut.

Because he's in the same division as me, I took a very close interest in Jackson's win over Marvin Eastman. Because of his big win over Chuck Liddell in Japan a couple of years back, Jackson's come to the UFC with this massive reputation but, to be honest, I've got to say I wasn't that impressed.

I'd probably give Jackson five out of 10 on his performance, if you forgive the pun.

Even allowing for the fact that Eastman is a very underrated fighter, I didn't think Rampage looked like this killer who has put the entire division on red alert.

Jackson said he was nervous and I am sure he was – and maybe he'll show more of himself next time. I hope he does because I want my division to be the most exciting one in the UFC.

But like I said after my last fight, everyone in the 205lbs division (or 14stone 9lbs in English money) better watch their backs because I've not come this far just to make up the numbers in the UFC light heavyweight division."

Here is the response from Bisping recanting his UFC 67 post fight thoughts:

"JACKSON FANS ON THE RAMPAGE

Just want to clear something up from last week’s column because I’ve seen a lot of feedback on various forums about what I said about Quinton Jackson’s first fight in the UFC.

When I said I’d give him 5 out of 10 for his fight against Marvin Eastman - I wasn’t dissing Rampage at all. He’s a great fighter and a massive addition to the UFC. All I was saying was that he was below par – by his own standards, obviously - in his UFC debut at UFC 67.

And if you remember, Rampage himself said pretty much the same thing after the fight, too."

MMA Fever can smell a match between The Count and Rampage sometime in the not so distant future, fo show!

Bloody hell man!

U-FCUK?

I had a thought... I don't get that many so I 'thought' I would share with everyone.

How long would it take for someone to get crafty and start selling T-shirts in and around the Manchester M.E.N Arena for UFC 70 on April 21 in the United Kingdom with the following print:



Maybe the UFC could partner up with French Connection U.K. (FCUK)

Anyway, it was just a thought... and now it's gone.

Chuck Liddell Wants Cro Cop & Fedor

What?

I saw a thread at Sherdog Forums that pointed out that Chuck Liddell was on the Bubba Show (Sirius satellite radio broadcast show) saying that he wants to fight Cro Cop and Fedor Emilianenko.

What?

Really, you have to listen for yourself... it's pure audio (click the volume slider) - no video:



What?

Chuck states that he wants Cro Cop first, then Rampage and Wanderlei Silva then finishing up with Fedor.

What?

Seriously, I am a huge Chuck Liddell fan. I like his sprawl and brawl approach and heavy hands and strictly business, no hype style. What you see is what you'll get and you'll be marked for life when he's done with you... in the Light Heavyweight division!

Let's be clear, Chuck is a huge 205 Lb man in his weight class. It wouldn't be difficult at all for Chuck to fight Heavyweights however, he just said he wants to fight the number 1 & number 2 Heavyweights in the world in Fedor & Cro Cop.

Chuck, I know you whooped Tito's bitchy little ass and you dropped Babalu, again, however, I think you are biting off more than your 37 year old frame can handle. Please don't become the next Randy Couture who you also KO'd twice in the last two meetings.

Is that it Chuck? Are you inspired by Randy's return to the octagon in the Heavyweight division and think you can dominate the best in the world there too?

I'll give you wins against Wandy and Rampage, that's a given, but Fedor and Cro Cop?

Chuck, you and everyone else knows it takes one punch to win. If you fight Cro Cop, I fear that he will left kick your signature Mohawk off your skull, have it fly into the air and land between Jenna Jameson's lap... as if most haven't seen what's between Jenna's lap... Tito of course! What were you thinking? ;)

Fedor feels no pain. Fedor has NEVER been knocked out. He has been rocked ONCE, only to come back and win the fight. Fedor is the reigning Pride FC Heavyweight Champion who has never lost a Pride bout... EVER, and that includes his decision win against Cro Cop!

Hey Chuck, I like you right where you are as the most dominant Light Heavyweight Champion in the UFC. Please stay right where you are.

Bob Sapp to Fight a Pikey at Cage Rage 21

On February 10, 2007 it was announced by the United Kingdom's Cage Rage promotion - the biggest MMA group in Europe - that Bob Sapp would appear on its Cage Rage 21 event on April 21, facing Robert "Buzz" Berry.

The move is partly a retaliatory one, as the UFC had chosen to run its first British show in years that same night at the Manchester Evening News Arena, headlined by Mirko Cro Cop, Tito Ortiz and British star (and one-time Cage Rage competitor) Michael Bisping.

Though Cage Rage promoter Andy Geer said that the UFC show would not affect ticket sales for CR21, the signing of Sapp was a clear sign that the company knew it would need a superstar draw in order to successfully compete with the American promotion.

Anything with Bob Sapp is usually good for a laugh so I've included a couple of video clips with "The Beast" Bob Sapp:

Here is the Cage Rage 21 - Judgement Day - promotional trailer.




Bob Sapp Vs. Mirko Cro Cop




Bob Sapp being Bob Sapp in a Japanese commercial:

Battle of the Toms - Cage Rage 20 Video Highlight

This one is quick and it comes from Cage Rage 20 which went down February 10, 2007. This fight is with Tom Blackledge vs. Tom Howard. So how did the Toms do? It took only 40 seconds worth in the first round by a surprise high kick to Tom's cranium. I am sure he felt that one in the morning. Which Tom? Does it really matter? If you answered yes then Tom Blackledge was the victorious one of the battle of the Toms at the Wembley Arena in London, U.K.

Butterbean: Chuck Liddell Times Two!

Here is a recent video clip of Eric "Butterbean" Esch fighting against James Thompson at Cage Rage 20 on February 10, 2007. It took Butterbean only 43 seconds to stop the fight by KO over Thompson.

Butterbean is well known for his enormous size (398Lbs) and knockout power. His professional boxing record is 76 wins with 57 knockouts, 7 losses and 4 draws while his MMA record which began 31/12/2003 in K1 is 9 Wins - 3 Losses - 1 Draw (4 KO's).

He's twice the size of Chuck Liddell with the same devastating knockout power. Only one punch required to dim the lights for nighty night time.

MMA Girls UFC 68 Fight Predictions

Another installment of the MMA Girls UFC predictions...

Canadian Press Should Thank MMA Fever

... for inspiring them to write an article about Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture.

Here is the headline I wrote after hearing time and time again from Sylvia that he wants his opponents to bring the fight to him instead of avoiding him.

"Tim Sylvia wants Randy Couture to Bring It! "

Now here is the headline from The Canadian Press - UFC heavyweight champion Tim (The Maine-iac) Sylvia says bring it on

What's interesting is that I wrote my piece on Sylvia and Couture to somehow meet Tim's challenge by figuring out a strategy to beat the big man on March 3rd even though I don't give Couture much of a chance, if any with his current fighting style.

The direction I went with my article was to say that Sylvia is scared shitless about submissions because he lost twice to them in his past quite easily so that is the reason why he was a little standoffish and considered boring by the fans in his last two fights. Tim fought against Jeff Monson (submission specialist) and Andre Arlovski (who beat Tim for a second time in his career by submission). He's the Champ, if the opponent doesn't like it then, "Bring it!".

I caught the 680 News story as I was reading one of my favorite sites, Fight Opinion and I thought they had linked to me for the third time this week but much to my schagrin, it was a 680 News (my own friggin' hometown AM radio station's website) story courtesy of the Canadian Press, written by Neil Davidson.

In the story, Neil also writes about Tim's black bear hunting trip. Well, that's funny, MMA Fever broke that story to the MMA community. I have the traffic logs to prove it too. Isn't it funny how all of his story research on "his" article has come from was appears to be, MMA Fever!

Anyway Neil, I am flattered that I have inspired you to write a piece on well, nothing new. That's right, you wrote about nothing new with no interesting storyline angle other than young big guy fights older coming out of retirement little guy. YAWN! At least my angle was specific to fight strategy which, I am sure is nothing that you would know about unless you reworded it from someone's site.

Neil and (CP), be sure to come back to be inspired again and don't be afraid to make mention of MMA Fever, you are more than welcome to do so.

Then again, it could all be a coincidence, right?

If not, Canadian Press and Neil Davidson, see picture above and to the left.

Tim Sylvia wants Randy Couture to Bring It!

If you've noticed from the pre-fight hype interviews with Tim Sylvia, he is smart to take a page out of Chuck Liddell's book and tell Randy to "bring it to him" when they fight.

Tim has addressed why the past two fights have been less than exciting for the fans as he states that the fighters are unwilling to bring the fight to Tim. I'll leave this with you make up your own minds however, I do think that Tim was holding back quite a bit against Monson which is why Randy was and is talking smack about Tim for not being an aggressive Heavyweight Champion.

Really, this is all hot air that will dissipate once both fighters step into the octagon to "bring it" to one another.

Randy was recently interviewed by NBC Sports, Mike Chiappetta and Randy Couture says he's ready for Tim Sylvia

Couture has been sparring with some big men to get used to facing a giant like Sylvia and these are the folks that have been helping Randy push some beef.

"Q: Tim is 6-foot-8 and 264 pounds. It can't be easy to find guys close to that size to train with.

A: No, it's not. You can find them as heavy, but not as tall. I've got [MMA veterans] Wes Sims and Dan Christison, who are both 6-foot-8. I have Seth Woodill, who's a former wrestler who's had some fights. He's 6-5, 290. Then I have [UFC star] Frank Mir and Eric Pele. They're a little shorter, but above 270 pounds, so I've definitely had some beef to push around, or try to push around."

Wes Sims huh? Hey, that's the same Wes Sims that lost to Sylvia at Superbrawl 38 by TKO on 12/12/2004. Why would Randy want to train with a Tim Sylvia loser with the exception of Frank Mir who served up the Maine-iac's first MMA loss?

Interestingly enough, Tim chased his win against Sims with a submission loss to Andre Arlovski at UFC 51 by ankle lock.

Let's look at something here, Tim has two losses in his MMA career, both coming by way of submission. Tim did fight cautiously in his last bout against Monson because Monson is a submission specialist. Couture has gone on record to say that he is not a submission guy at all yet he has two recorded wins by submission.

If I were Randy, I wouldn't have accepted the fight against Tim as my comeback however, given that we now have no choice, I would work my butt off with Frank Mir to develop and perfect a couple of submission moves to surprise Sylvia with to finish the fight quickly.

Could Couture's banter about coming after Tim in the octagon be part of his strategy to initiate a submission win during the flurry of punches to be exchanged in the onset of the fight? I am guessing that there will be a melee soon after Big John McCarthy smacks his hands together and says, "Lets get it on, let's go!" at least, this is what Randy has been saying he'll do.

Tim Sylvia is also a sprawl and brawl fighter much like Chuck Liddell and we all know how their past two meetings turned out... by having Randy's lights turned out by the Iceman.

In my opinion, this is the only way Randy Couture has a chance at beating the giant. If Randy thinks he can walk into the octagon and trade shots with big Tim... well... just see how that's gonna work for Randy in this video clip and possible premonition of the UFC 68 headlining bout on March 3rd if Randy sticks to his pre-fight hype game plan.

This is Tim Sylvia fighting Randy Couture's UFC 68 sparring partner, Wes Sims.

Pride 33 & UFC 68 Sports Bar Locations

Yeeee Haaaaaaaa!!!!!

Get yer drink on for back to back Saturday's at yer local waterin' hole to watch the best of the best barn burners of Pride for Pride 33 "The Second Coming" on February 24 and also, UFC 68 to witness "The Uprising" on March 3rd.

Two more valid reasons to go back to Hooters... as if you really needed some.

Licenced Pride 33 sports bar locations in Canada

I have emailed Pride FC for information about sports bar locations in the United States however, they did not show me the courtesy of returning my message. All is not lost though, I know that the usual bars that are licensed to show the Pride 33 event in Canada are also the same bars showing the UFC events.

If you are interested in seeing Pride 33 in the United States at a sports bar near you then I suggest checking out the link below that has confirmed UFC 68 licenced sports bars. Call up the establishment of your choice and ask if they will be showing Pride 33. My guess, based on the huge number of Canadian locations listed would be a definite YES!

If you happen to come across the U.S. locations, please drop me a comment with the information.

Licenced UFC 68 sports bar locations in the United States

Well, that's enough to put a good sized dent in any wallet. I have to warn you right now, there is going to a massive amount of MMA action in April for PPV so stay tuned to MMA Fever and we'll help you find that oasis showing the world's biggest MMA events.

Y'all come back now ya hear!

WORLD's TOUGHEST MAN CONTEST - $1,000,000 Prize

Do you have what it takes to be the World's Toughest Man?

Well, now you will have your chance and if you are as tough as you say you are while watching UFC or Pride fighting and think you can kick their butts on TV, try this contest of brutality to determine the world's toughest man!

Ok, now I will start in cracking fun at this contest. What exactly does it mean to be the world's toughest man? I can tell you that a week ago I was standing in -45 degree Celsius weather with the wind blowing madly for roughly 25 minutes. That's tough, man! My ears are still burning from the frost bite.

This upstart organization loosely believes that they are a Mixed Martial Arts organization is... well... a joke in comparison to the Heavyweight champion MMA guru's in Pride & UFC. Never mind the countless other established MMA organizations around the globe.

Have a look at the current group of approved misfits err.. fighters in the contest. I am surprised that Kimbo Slice, the Miami street brawler isn't among them. If someone knows Kimbo, you might want to pass this link over to one of his handlers 'cause I am sure he's gettin' tired of fighting for Big Mac Combo's in people's backyards.

Take a good look at the "qualified" fighter profiles. Here are a few of my favorites that had me spit my favorite beverage on my LCD monitor.

Marlon "Blacky Chang" Bonds

Marlon is a self taught Bruce Lee admiring fighter with heart. At only 19 years of age Marlon is willing to step into the ring against any fighter with any fighting style in order to show he is the best fighter in the world.


Alan "Maniac" Castillo

Alan thinks just as crazy as he looks. This thug is ready to steal yor wallet and leave you on the ground thinking twice about why you looked at him sideways. Just keep your eyes down and he wont hurt you.

Sean "Arrogant Bastard" Belote

Sean is a beer drinking, rugby playing ex-marine sergeant. With a wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, and marine corps martial arts background Sean is skilled, arrogant, and doesn't care when he steps in the ring. His only goal to hurt you.

Christopher Schommer

As an ex-marine corporal, and urban sniper Chris is looking to inflict military style pain on opponents in order to reign undefeated in the ring. Chris's goal is make sure children accross the globe have a REAL idol to look up to.

Anyway, here is a press release from www.newerafighting.com that outlines the tough man contest and also, the $1, 000, 000 bounty on Kimo Leopoldo's head as the grand prize.

Someone should also mention this to Royce Gracie who only received $400, 000 (before PPV bonuses) for the beat down he received from Matt Hughes at UFC 60. Did you know that Royce defeated Kimo Leopoldo early on in his career at UFC 3?

Here is the New Era Fighting Press Release:

SANTA ANA, California (February 19, 2007) - The highest purse ever offered in the history of Mixed Martial Arts competition -- $1,000,000 - could be on the line for the winner of the New Era Fighting-promoted "World's Toughest Man" contest.

New Era Fighting (NEF), the internationally booming mixed martial arts organization combining the raw brutality of UFC with the entertainment value of WWE, will hold a series of international level tryouts, tentatively scheduled to begin June 15-17, at a venue in Orange Country, California.

Each tryout in the proposed series will be conducted during a three-day tournament during an 8-10 month period. Combat fighters selected will advance to the next round, where they will fight each other in a tournament format to eventually determine the remaining 10 survivors.

The 10 tryout-survivors and some fighters already signed to NEF promotional contracts will compete on a show in either California or Las Vegas. The winner will be crowned "World's Toughest Man" and be offered an anticipated $1,000,000 winner-take-all fight against living legend Kimo Leopoldo, headlining a full card for a pay-per-view broadcast live from in Las Vegas at a date to be determined.

Kimo, the undisputed superstar of New Era Fighting, in effect has had a $1-million bounty placed on his head. "I've had a bounty, of sorts, on me my entire life in one way or another," Kimo said. "I've fought in a lot of other organizations and what we're (NEF) doing is bringing up the average purse for NEF fighters as well as give fighters with other organizations another option and leverage in terms of earning more money. There are no excuses for any fighter (heavyweight) to enter the NEF tournament. If champions and top contenders from other organizations want to fight in the 'World's Toughest Man' tournament, they are welcome to fight and have sufficient time to work things out. Instead of just claiming that they're the best or the baddest fighters in the MMA world, now they all have the chance to prove it.

"For any of them to even have a remote chance of beating me and winning the $1,000,000, though, they'll have to look me in the eyes and go where I'm willing to go to win - whatever it takes, no limits with the force and 100-percent spirit. They will need to be a complete fighter - kicking, striking, cardio, etc. - to get through the tournament and then fight me. This is street-fighting that crosses over to sports. I've been in this sport 12 years and it is evolving through New Era Fighting, which will use the toughness of old-school fighting combined with the great athleticism of today. New Era Fighting will be the only MMA organization with a poll of complete fighters."

NEF president Ron Kort noted that the "World's Toughest Man" contest will not only give fighters an opportunity to ultimately fight Kimo for $1-million, but also be scouted in the tournament for their fighting ability and charisma outside of the ring for a potential NEF promotional contract offer.

"I'm in the process of reviewing bids and proposals to lockdown venues, television relationships, and sponsors but nothing has been finalized, yet," Kort explained. "We are in no hurry and understand the importance of aligning ourselves with the right marketing relationships. Our rules for this show are different from what MMA fans are used to seeing. They will insure the safety of fighters as well as constant action in the ring. We think outside of the box, something most MMA promoters don't do, and that's why our popularity is growing every day. We know what fighters need and MMA fans want and we're selfless enough to give it to them."

For more information about New Era Fighting call 877.6.NEW.ERA (877.663.9372)/714.448.9999 or go on line to www.newerafighting.com.

Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez XYIENCE Commercial

I hope they don't air this commercial on TV. It's pretty homo in my opinion. I spot Josh Koschek's bountyful blonde phro in this scene.

Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez's XYIENCE Commercial

Jesus and Fighting Don't Mix?

I was doing my rounds today and stumbled upon a post at MMA.tv's UnderGround Forum. Sorry, I cannot locate the post now 'cause the forum content moves really quickly however, I still have the link to the Christian Message Board that posed a very simple question:

Does anyone watch UFC?

Ok, I know you may be thinking, "Who cares" however, the interesting twist is that the people on the message board were divided about whether watching UFC and MMA fighting is a Christian thing to do.

Now before you get mad at me, I want to state clearly that it is not my intention to piss off anyone who is Christian. I am merely reporting a forum discussion that happened on a Christian message board that framed the topic around watching UFC fighting. Don't be hatin'

Ok, some of the posts struck me and I have included the one's that I found to be very interesting below. What I also found interesting was the way in which each Christian poster argued their position back and forth while quoting passages of the Bible to emphasis their points for or against watching UFC fighting.

Not one of the posters used foul language (something that I am currently working on) or flamed each other. Instead, it appeared as a very calm, controlled argument about UFC fighting and the Christian belief. Just seeing that was a first for me and I'm sure if any of them spent 10 minutes on Sherdog Forums then they will definitely get an immediate test of their self control.

By the way, Matt Hughes is a Christian and he proudly displays a biblical quote on his site at the top right corner of his leaderboard banner. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is also a Christian UFC fighter and there are others as well.

Here are some of the message board posts that I found interesting:

"I watch it but sometimes feel guilty that I am deriving pleasure from guys beatin' the crap out of each other, or putting on sleeper holds etc. I mean, why don't we go all the way and fight to the death like the old gladiators? If we are the temple of God's Holy Spirit and the image of God shouldn't we be ashamed when it's abused so shamelessly? Just some food for thought."

"I know what you mean, I feel guilty as well and your absolutely right, christ minded people shouldn't enjoy voilence just at the sight of it. We should love our bretheren and not enjoy the sight of pain to others. "

"What makes you think God is against violence to begin with? Or that it's "wrong"?Let's start there. "

"... Would Jesus participate in something like this? (here and now) "

"Ge 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.Ge 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

God sent the Angel to wrestle with him...not for fun...but obviously He isn't against a good fight."

"For my own part I think the following verse speaks quite plainly regarding God's attitude on this subject:
"The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence, His soul hates." (Ps.11:5) "

"The spiritual battle is at hand right now. Christ was and is a warrior for our souls.Exodus 15:3The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name."

I have noticed many niche forums that have an MMA thread or subforum. In fact, I receive traffic from these niche forums and some of them would surprise you, or maybe not because the MMA Fever is contagious and its spreading throughout the world at a rapid pace.

Like I have said before, this is the breakout year for mass appeal of Mixed Martial Arts because in my opinion, it is the most exciting spectator sport on the planet... well, next to catching knives in your teeth.

I feel like going to confession now, I'll be right back!

UFC 70 Pre-Sale Tickets Available Monday

I received this flyer from UFC.com, Friday morning. UFC 70 Pre-Sale tickets are available today and are sold via Ticketmaster U.K.

Can someone secure a seat for Gabriel Gonzaga after Cro Cop is done with him?

Here is the UFC 70 fight card in progress: Updated 23/Feb/07

• Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
• Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
• Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin
• Alessio Sakara vs. Victor Valimaki
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum
• Ryoto Machida vs.Forrest Griffin
• Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin
• Cheick Kongo vs. Assuerio Silva
• David Lee vs. TBA
• Tito Ortiz vs. TBA
  

Win a Black Bear Hunt in Ontario with UFC Champ Tim Sylvia

Ok, this one caught me off guard a bit because I am not a hunter and I find out that the UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tim Sylvia is hunting Black Bears in my backyard. I'm from Toronto, Ontario and I'm sure the hunt will take place a ways north of the big smoke 'cause there ain't no bears around here, well, maybe on Bay St. in our financial district.

Wow, you get to spend five days with the Maine-iac in the brutally humid Ontario heat in the middle of August in God's country.

Any Ontario cottager can tell you that hunting black bears are the easiest thing to do with very little effort. Just drive down to the local garbage dump and you'll see a bunch of them snacking on last night's dinner served up in a garbage bag. No cheating Tim!

Good luck finding the bears, they'll smell you a mile away and look for cover... kinda like Randy Couture's revised game plan for fighting big Tim Sylvia at UFC 68, March 3rd in Ohio.

Here is the link to the Bear Hunt PDF flyer page if you're interested in getting sweaty with Tim.