Fight News

Monday, September 24, 2007

UFC 76 Results

UFC 76 - KNOCKOUT produced yet another main event underdog winner when ''The Dean of Mean'' Keith Jardine upset former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck ''The Iceman'' Liddell on Saturday night.

Judges scored the fight 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Jardine.

Round one featured many leg kicks from both fighters, in particularly from Jardine. Jardine was more the aggressor throughout a majority of the opening round. The final 30 seconds got the crowd roaring as the war began, but neither man took the round.

Early in round two, Liddell used his left jab with accuracy but it was Jardine who landed a right hand that dropped the former champion. Liddell quickly rose to his 37-year old feet, but the tone of the fight was claimed by Jardine with the bomb.

It was clear in round three that both fighters wanted to end matters before the judges had their say, as the bombs kept flying and Jardine continued to score. It was Liddell though who finished strong, but it obviously wasn't enough for Liddell.

With the win, Jardine improves to 13-4-1 and Liddell falls to 20-5. What next for Liddell? It seems like a long road back from here.

Forrest Griffin also won in UFC 76. UFC newboy Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was the healthy favorite, but his chances were ended at 4:45 in the 3rd round, as Griffin ended the fight with a rear naked choke.

In an evenly matched fight, Jon Fitch (-130) also scored a victory for his investors over Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez (Even). Fitch got the job done by way of a split decision.

Remaining UFC 76 Results:

- Lyoto Machida won by unanimous decision over Kazuhiro "Kaz" Nakamura.
- Tyson Griffin won by unanimous decision over Thiago Tavares.
- Rich "No Love" Clementi won by submission at 3:05 in the 2nd round with a rear naked choke over Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.
- Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens won by unanimous decision over Diego "The Octopus" Saraiva.
- Christian "The Hungarian Nightmare" Wellisch won by submission at 3:19 in the 1st round with a heel hook over Scott Junk.
- Matt "Handsome" Wiman won by unanimous decision over Michihiro "Micci" Omigawa.

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

UFC 75 - Michael Bisping Vs. Matt Hamill

Another fight on the UFC 75 card will be a grudge match between Matt Hamill and England's Michael Bisping. I'm looking forward to this one as I'm a big fan on Bisping.

Both were contestants on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter show and did not hide their dislike for one another.

The issues stemming between the two fighters began on the reality show when Bisping said he believed that Hamill was getting preferential treatment by trainer Tito Ortiz. Hamill, a three-time NCAA Division III national champion in amateur wrestling, is also deaf.

In sparring sessions, Hamill often went at it full-strength with his teammates rather than holding back a little, leaving them with extra bumps and bruises they didn't want. That did not sit well with Bisping, who said he believes that he was picked as the training partner for Hamill to help him become a champion.

Hamill won his first fight on the show but was unable to continue to the semifinals because of injuries. Meanwhile, Bisping went on to become The Ultimate Fighter 3 champion and earned a contract with the company.

Since then, Hamill has wanted to fight Bisping to settle things once and for all.

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UFC 75 Champion Vs Champion

This weekend is a prime example of why the UFC and mixed martial arts in general, have surpassed boxing in popularity for fight fans. Despite building an immense and loyal fan base that consistently pays to view their fight cards, Dana White and the UFC crew will put on a huge event this Saturday that will be broadcast for FREE on Spike TV.

Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 9:00 p.m. EST free on Spike TV
from London, England
Main Event:
UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
vs.
Dan Henderson

Undercard:

Matt Hamill Vs. Michael Bisping

Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Cheick Kongo

Marcus Davis Vs. Paul Taylor

Houston Alexander Vs. Alessio Sakara

Gleison Tibau Vs. Terry Etim

Tomasz Drwal Vs. Thiago Silva

Naoyuki Kotani Vs. Dennis Siver

Anthony Torres Vs. Jess Liaudin

It has been nine years since Dan Henderson has fought for the UFC. This coming Saturday at UFC 75, he returns to the company to face light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in a unique title vs. title bout.

After winning the UFC 17 tournament in 1998, Henderson left the company in search of more lucrative fights and eventually ended up with the PRIDE Fighting Championships group in Japan, which he was a part of for seven years.

In December 2005, Henderson defeated Murilo Bustamante to become the PRIDE welterweight champion, which was the 185-pound division for that promotion. Then in February 2007, Henderson moved up to the 205-pound division and defeated Wanderlei Silva in what he calls "the most satisfying win of his career" to become the Pride light heavyweight champion.

In the process, he made history as he is the only mixed martial arts fighter to hold two major titles in different weight divisions at the same time.

"It's a nice feeling to have accomplished something that no one else has," says Henderson. "In the same notion, I set my sights on something new with the UFC title. I think I will realize it right away when I beat Quinton that I've done something that no one else has ever done."

He would be doing something that no one else ever has accomplished if he is able to beat Jackson as both the UFC and PRIDE championships will be on the line in this unification fight.

Henderson was hoping to make his return to the UFC at an event in front of his home country here in the United States. Instead, he will head to London, for this contest.

"Yeah, I was a little surprised with that, especially since Quinton and I both live in Southern California," says Henderson. "They (UFC management) could have kept it someplace on the west coast, like Las Vegas or in California."

Henderson will enter the fight as an underdog to Jackson, who in May had a spectacular technical knockout win against Chuck Liddell. But it's a role that "Hollywood" has become accustomed to.

"I think a lot of it is a popularity contest. He's (Jackson) fought twice now in the UFC so he's a little more popular in the United States than I am. That has a lot to do with it and the fact that he's a bigger guy."

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