UFC 114: Night of the Underdogs

After the long epic thrash talking, two former UFC light heavyweight champs finally let their fists do the talking.

It started at UFC 96, continued at The Ultimate Fighter and became one of UFC's most anticipated grudge matches. Sugar Rashad Evans and Quinton Rampage Jackson put thrash talk into a different level as they made MMA fans anxious of what will happen if these two beasts are put inside the octagon cage.

I was surprised when Rashad stunned Rampage with a quick jab but Rashad wasn't able to finish the fight giving a chance for Rampage to recover. As expected, Rashad utilized his wrestling skills taking down Rampage and controlling him on the canvass for the first 10 minutes of the grudge match.


Rampage was able to send Rashad on the canvass with a sharp straight, got on top and relentlessly threw vicious punches that almost stopped the fight but Rashad managed to regain his composure and turned the table by a take down and stayed on top dropping punches until the last horn.

Rashad won the fight via unanimous decision granting him a chance for a title shot against Mauricio Shogun Rua while Rampage is asking for a rematch during interview. Well, he have won most of their thrash talks anyway.

The co-main event made a mark before the fight when Michael The Count Bisping crossed the border by leaning his forehead against Dan Miller during the "referee's call" forcing Miller to push Bisping back.

I don't know what was with Bisping when he done that, he's been cocky ever since and yet he wasn't able to finish Miller by knock out or submission.

Miller landed vicious right hands and kicks but those were not enough on the judges eyes resulting to Bisping winning the fight via unanimous decision.

Todd Duffe holds the UFC record for the fastest knockout when he send Tim Hague to the canvass in just seven seconds and with a perfect record of 6-0 everyone was expecting a knockout victory over Pride veteran Mike Russow.

And as the bell rings, everyone was just waiting for that single knockout shot but Russow was as tough as nails and his granite chin enabled him to survive every sharp punch from Duffe and as the fight goes on frustration sets on Duffe as Russow hangs tough with every strike he throws.

Then, another story of a come-from-behind knockout unfolds. Russow unleashed a couple of straights of his own in the third round giving Duffe a dose of his own medicine sending him unconscious to the canvass and the audience surprised of what the supposed to be one-sided match has turned out.

And for a little controversy, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won a controversial split decision over Jason Brilz. After Little Nog's hand was raised, the crowd was shouting "BULLSHIT" and I can't blame them.

Brilz had several successful take downs, set-up guillotine attempt but and tagged Nogueiria with a hard straight that almost send him on the canvass. Nogueira managed to score points with a couple of sweeps and a backside crucifix, Brilz managed to escape the tight trap but Noguerii's late efforts to make the two judges nod.

While everyone was surprised with the decision and booing the victor, Brilz still showed respect for Nogueria while saying "Don't boo this guy...." And from that, I became an instant fan of Brilz.

And speaking of being a fan, I'm a huge fan of Diego The Nightmare Sanchez, he has few setbacks and a lost from a former UFC lightweight Champion BJ Penn. When he went back to welterweight, I thought, along with thousands of MMA fans, it was a good idea. Maybe it was, if he didn't faced one of the youngest and promising UFC prodigy John Hathaway.

Hathaway unleashed his fury early in the first round with a knee to the head of Sanchez as he attempts a quick take down. And from that, The Nightmare's nightmare began, Hathaway relentless of his ground and pound and utilizing his superb striking earned him the decision and his perfect record unharmed.

I'm still a fan of Diego though, and also of Hathaway now :D

Ufc 114 was a great night. Evans, Russow, Hathaway and also Brilz, many thought that they will be crushed by their opponents because of their size, skills, experience and so on and so forth... But guess what, these underdogs proved them wrong.

Lesson? When you're in the octagon you don't have to think of what the opponent has around his belt, think and wait for that moment, that split-second moment then, unleash everything you got with no hesitations in mind.


Photos courtesy of UFC.com

UFC 113: Shogun avenges his loss, Daley, Slice to leave UFC

When Mauricio "Shogun" Rua left the octagon in UFC 104, everyone knew that he deserve a rematch against, that time Light Heavyweight Champion, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. Even Dana White was somehow disgraced at the judges decision and after the long-awaited rematch in UFC 113; Shogun left the octagon, this time, with the belt on his shoulder.

When Yves Lavigne said "touch gloves" the two warriors were still stably looking at each other perhaps they didn't understand what Yves has just said or they were not paying attention at all, it was funny but when the bell rang everyone was thinking; "Will it be a knock out, submission or another decision." Watching Shogun chase Machida, his message was clear - he will not leave it to the judges.

And when Shogun threw a sharp overhead right hook, everyone saw an unfamiliar view; The Dragon was on the canvass committing his first career loss while Shogun relentlessly throwing heavy punches forcing Yves Lavigne to stop the bout making Mauricio "Shogun" Rua the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Following the disgrace at UFC 112 (Anderson Silva's awkward "show" ) the co-main event bout between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley was not that spectacular. The whole story of the bout was Koscheck's take downs but the highlight was when Daley threw an illegal punch at the Koscheck's face right after the fight.

Daley was one of the promising welterweights and his illegal move cost him his UFC career, that was maybe out of frustration but there's no excuse.

Kimbo Slice after the TKO loss from Matt Mitrione is now at the edge of losing his UFC run.

Watching the fight, Slice put the pressure on Mitrione in the first round but when the bell rang in the second round, it was a different story.

I was looking at Slice's right leg, it was wrapped up with bandages and Mitrione took advantage by throwing lethal kicks making Slice hit the canvass eating punches from Mitrione.

Although Slice lost in the bout I still believe that he deserve to be in the UFC. When Joe Rogan was interviewing Mitrione, Slice grabbed the mic saying thank you. It was delightful to see a man like Kimbo saying thank you to the fans.

Kimbo deserves another bout.

UFC 100: A Night of History, A Night of Disgrace.

The Mandalay Bay was filled with boos from the audience when Brock Lesnar pulled out his two middle fingers resulting to the disgrace of the MMA fans.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar remains the champion after punishing Frank Mir at the 2nd round.Mir made a big mistake by sending a flying knee to Lesnar's face sending hi to the mat enabling Lesnar on top of him just like in the first round. Herb Dean gave Mir plenty of chances to intelligently defend himself but Lesnar's ferocious fists landed on Mir's head uncountable times forcing Dean to stop the fight.

Lesnar's victory was not the story of the night, it was his attitude. He gave a couple of dirty fingers to the audience that upset Mir forcing him to stand up and confront Lesnar. Undeniably, Lesnar brought his WWE attitude inside the octagon that also upset Dana White. The enormous boos from the audience and probably the ones watching at home didn't stop Lesnar's mouth, during the interview with Joe Rogan, Lesnar made a sharp statement against Bud Light, saying that he would drink Coors Light because Bud Light is not paying him. Another is when he said that he would be on top of his wife that night.

Personally, I didn't like Lesnar's behavior, that was not the attitude of a true champion. If he will do that again, he better go back to WWE.

Brock Lesnar retained the Heavyweight belt and created a bad boy image making MMA fans searching for a possible contender. Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez are on the list including Affliction Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko that is said to be entering the octagon later this year.


The co-main event was an astonishing sight, Thiago "Pitbul" Alves came out to be the bigger guy but the UFC Welterweight Champion George "Rush" St-Pierre was able to take him down everytime he wants throughout the entire match resulting to unanimous decision and retaining his belt. Alves ended up with a bloodied face but was still able to raise GSP's hand and show sportsmanship.

UFC fans want to see GSP facing UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva in the future but as GSP said; he looks too small for a welterweight, that statement will explain it all but in UFC, anything can happen.


After a season of trash talking, Michael "The Count" Bisping's mouth was shut up by Dan Henderson's right fist sending him cold to the canvass just like what happened to his fellow Brit Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton in his fight with Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao without the follow up punch on Bisping's already unconscious face. "That one was to shut him up a bit," Henderson said.

While watching the show, I didn't understand why Bisping was circling Henderson's obvious right fist. Maybe he panicked a bit and didn't see the right fist coming right at his face.

Henderson is eager to face Silva for the second time. Henderson can do that as long as he will keep his KO power in his fist but one problem with his style is; you could see the right fist over a mile away.

UFC 98: Welcome to the Machida Era

“Karate is back!” this was the sweet victory words of Lyoto “the Dragon” Machida after knocking down “Sugar” Rashad Evans making him the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. With his elusive karate style he managed to throw ferocious combinations that landed on Evans’ jaw, he was caught first by a right hook followed by series of deadly combinations making Evans throwing punches instinctively and eventually knocked him down at 1:37 of the second round. It was the first time I saw Machida being the aggressor at the 1st round and I thought that could be his downfall but he caught Evans by a quick right straight he was rocked but recovered until the end of the first round. Evans managed to throw punches but Machida was not an easy target. Machida might be an elusive fighter but every punch he throws is precise and accurate making him a really unique fighter. As for Evans, it’s back to the drawing board but I still hope I will see him inside the octagon. I didn’t like the disrespect he showed Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell at least for now, he heave learned his lessons.

The grudge match between the two Matts was ended by a hug at the end 3 rounds. Matt Hughes won the fight but I believe that Matt “The Terror” Serra should have won the match for a lot of reasons; one is Hughes wasn’t able to go ground and pound Serra, he was on top of him so many times doing nothing, he threw body punches but Serra could take all of them he even tried to choke Serra but it didn’t wok, Serra was small for Hughes and yet he wasn’t able to capitalize. Serra rocked Hughes at the first round, they thought it was a head butt but why Serra felt nothing?. My heart was pounding while I was watching the fight, it was an amazing fight I'm a fan of both guys but i believe that Serra should have won the fight and I'm also impressed by their sportsmanship. They have ended their bad blood but i'm still hoping for part 2.

UFC 98: Machida vs. Evans, Serra vs. Hughes

On May 23 MGM Grand will be again filled with excited MMA fans as two undefeated UFC fighters; Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida will collide against the reigning UFC Light Heavyweight champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans inside the dreaded octagon for the UFC Light Heavyweight championship. Also, bitter rivals in the welterweight division; Matt "The Terror" Serra and Matt Hughes will show their furies after a long wait. This will be one of the greatest UFC events, all fighters have proven their skills inside the octagon. 2 undefeated fighters, 2 rivals, 1 night of action. UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida.

Let's take a look first at the rivals of two Matts. Matt Hughes has dominated the welterweight division when he slammed Carlos Newton unconscious to the canvas making him the UFC Welterweight Champion at UFC 34: High Voltage. He defended the title five times until his lost to B.J. Penn then snatched it again from George St. Pierre and defended again from Frank Trigg and he avenged his lost to B.J. Penn. Matt Hughes has the combination of both striking power and ground techniques, 18 of his 43MMA fights he won by submission while 13 are due to strike. He loves to slam his opponents hard to the ground. I have watched some of his fights and I could see that conditioning problems caused him to get tired early in his fights making him frustrated and later on lost, we will see if his conditioning have improved once he face Matt Serra. On the other hand Matt "The Terror" Serra, probably the shortest welterweight-stands 5'6", have shocked the world when he defeated George "Rush" St. Pierre at the very first round making him the underdog that became the UFC Welterweight Champion. Despite his 68" reach, he can throw powerful elbows that have contributed to St. Pierre's loss. Serra coming from a long recovery due to back injury, have unintentionally avoided a fight against Hughes and have proven that he has submission skills and powerful hands. With only 9 MMA fights, 4 by submission and 1 K.O., he has a lot to prove against the veteran Hughes. I think his weakness is overconfident, this is evident when he faced St. Pierre for the second time and lost via T.K.O. and regaining the Welterweight title. This time we will see if Serra will use his ferocious elbows or take his rival to the ground.

Their rivalry began at the UFC reality show; The Ultimate Fighter 6 where they became coaches of opposing teams, the fight would have eventually lead them to a match in UFC 79 along with The Ultimate Fighter 6 finale but due to back injury, Serra was not able to face Hughes. But the real issue was in The Ultimate Fighter 6 itself, Serra's team dominated the fights with 6-2 in the first weeks but Team Hughes came back form behind when all Team Serra fighters were all defeated leading both fighters of Team Hughes to the Finale. I have watched the show and Matt Serra really entertained me by his great coaching abilities and also his sharp words to Matt Hughes like "What a dick!" and "6 consecutive lost, ouch!”, making Matt Hughes hungry for a fight. This is a war between a veteran and an upcoming MMA superstar. This is a “make or break” fight for Serra and could be Hughes' last.


And in the main event, the battle of two undefeated fighters for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Beacuse of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's jaw injury, the 14-0 Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida will face "Sugar" Rashad Evans. Machida have gone through a lot of MMA events and came out undefeated, and when he debuted in the UFC his first 4 fights he won by unanimous decision making the UFC fans doubtful about what he can do inside the octagon, until he choked Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and knocked down Thiago Silva. His elusive fighting style made Tito Ortiz frustrated and later on won via decision, making him noted as the future of UFC Light Heavyweight. After a lot of wins via decision we will see what Machida's elusive Shotokan Karate influenced style will do against the heavy hand of Evans.

Evans debuted as a heavyweight in The Ultimate Fighter, have knocked out the legendary Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and snatched the UFC Light heavyweight title from Forrest Griffin. I have watched his fights and he takes his fights standing most of the time. Despite his striking power, he is also a submission specialist making him an unpredictable fighter. He will put both his 14-0 record and his title against Machida. Although somehow their fighting styles are opposites, I still think that the two are a perfect match not only because of their perfect records but also because of their talents both striking and ground and pound. It will be a great fight MMA fans should not miss. A fight of two undefeated and skillful fighters, somebody's 0 must go.

Goodbye, Iceman

After a decade of fighting inside the octagon and creating a foundation that made UFC into the mainstream of American sports. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell is finally saying goodbye to the octagon. With a dissapointing TKO lost in the very first round from Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97: Redemption, it made easy for UFC President Dana White to declare that The Iceman has had enough. Mixed martial arts fans all over the world, including me, will really miss the Iceman making his signature victory pose inside the octagon.

The Iceman had his baptism of blood in 1998 with a decision victory over Noe Hernandez at UFC 17: Redemption, noticed the coincidence? His first fight was in UFC 17: Redemption and his last was in UFC 97: Redemption (again). His first lost
was with Jeremy Horn at UFC 19: Ultimate Young Guns due to Arm Triangle Choke and had his revenge at UFC 54: Boiling Point due to a barrage of punches. Liddell has been known with his ferocious strikes and excellent takedown offense, although he has a collegiate wrestling background, almost all his fight he can be seen standing because of his kickboxing discipline. Personally, I've watched his takedowns only twice-his fight with Wanderlei Silva and Shogun Rua. With this style, he had proven that UFC is not all about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu just like what Royce Gracie had done and made him the first UFC Champion, a pure striker has also a place inside the octagon and can also do submissions. In fact, in his 21 fights one of them is a submission, a rear naked choke over Kenneth Williams.

The Iceman has created two of the greatest rivals in UFC; the first was with his former sparring partner Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad boy" Ortiz who had no victory over him and with Randy "The Natural" Couture that won only once in their trilogy making him the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He really deserves a spot on the hall of fame because of his greatest fights. Everytime he steps inside the ring, expect that it will not be a boring fight, everytime he fights he give his all and although he lost 7 times, he is very much respected and of course he deserves it.

Chuck Liddell might has retired but the memories of the fights he fought with his ferocious strikes, deadly kicks and brutal ground and fight, will never be forgotten. The Iceman will never melt in our hearts. Thank you for all those years inside the octagon, Chuck.

Pacman has Assassinated the Hitman

After, almost 5 months of wait finally east and west clashed with their furies inside the boxing ring. Much has been said about the fight, Floyd Mayweather Sr. said that he could not see the skills in Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, well this day is his answer and as the saying goes “the truth hurts”-and the truth is after Mayweather’s colorful boasting it turned out that his protégé Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton has only lasted 2 rounds inside the ring with Pacman. So, what you gonna say Mayweather Sr.?

Even before the fight, two fighters have their own distinctive aura. Hatton went out with a strong aura just like his every fight, ready to smash anyone on his way. On the other hand, Pacquiao went out smiling with a joyful aura just like his fight with Oscar De La Hoya, he doesn’t look nervous at all and also another Filipino was beside him-the WWE Superstar David “Batista” Bautista who waited 2 years just to assist Pacman to the ring. Inside the ring, Pacman showed first his respect to God as he bowed down on the corner just like he always does in his fights.

The first round, I thought the two fighter will first try to measure each other but I was surprised when Hatton came in swinging just like what he does in all his fight. I thought he changed his style a little bit because sometimes he is too reckless but there he goes again. He tried to get there first, he had sent couples of combinations to Pacman’s face but almost none had connected. Hatton played dirty tactics Floyd Mayweather Jr. style as he grabbed Pacman’s arms to prevent his counter attacks but those dirty tactics have done nothing against Pacman, so Mayweather Jr. you might be the next to face the greatest fighter in the world, be careful you’re dirty tactics will be useless against the champ. And then Pacman sent a right hook to Hatton’s face sending him to the ground for the first time, you could see Pacman making the sign of the cross in the corner as Referee Bayless counts if Hatton would get up and he did. Before the first round expires, Hatton was caught by Pacman’s combination sending him again to the ground for the second time, Pacman was looking for the kill when the bell rang, the Hitman was saved by the bell.


Second round, Hatton looked recovered and continued to catch the elusive Pacman with his combinations, I was waiting for the technique they will use to knock out Pacman just like Mayweather Sr. said boastfully, he even made a poem about it but second round was about to expire when a quick left hook landed on Hatton’s jaw sending him to the ground cold. Referee Bayless stopped the fight about 7 second left in the round and Hatton was left unconscious . It was really quick I was amazed by Pacman's speed he truly is the best fighter today.

What's next for Pacman? I thought this was the last fight but I think he will face the trash talker Floyd Mayweather Jr. And for Hatton, this fight should be a lesson for him, he showed nothing in the fight he was reckless and aggressive, but I hope this will not be his last fight. I believe Hatton should study what happened and start from the scratch again, by doing this I think he could put his self on top again.

I really wish that Pacman-the greatest fighter in the world will face the king of dirty boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. How I wish I could watch the two collide inside the ring, live.

Pacman vs. Hitman

After long years of wait, finally Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will face one of the graetset fighters of the west-Ricky “Hitman” Hatton. I’m tired of watching Pacquiao crashing the careers of every Mexican boxers including Oscar “The Golden Boy” De La Hoya (he’s also a Mexican, right?). Pacquiao doesn’t like the moniker “Mexicutioner” but yes, he is. And now, in a few days (or hours) the east will finally meet the west inside the boxing ring. There’s a lot of speculations about the fight- Pacman has the speed but Hitman has the power, after the fight we will find out which of the two factors is more essential to be the better fighter.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has a record of 53 fights; 48 he won by knockout, 2 losses-his first loss was with a co-Filipino Rustico Torrecampo , second was with Medgoen Singsurat who technically, lost the belt at the scales as he surpassed the weight limit of 112 lbs (51 kg) and the third was with Erik Morales who later on lost to Pacman via KO in “Morales vs. Pacquiao 3”. He has alos 2 draws with Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez-who later on was also lost to Pacman in “Unfinished Business” . He has known for his distinctive style (personally, I think Pacman has no style at all) . He is the former WBC lightweight world champion, WBC super featherweight world champion, IBF super bantamweight world champion, and WBC flyweight world champion. He has also held the Ring Magazine titles for featherweight and super featherweight divisions, and now, he is Ring Magazine’ #1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world

On the other hand, Ricky “Hitman” Hatton has a record of 46 fights; 45 he won by knockout, with only 1 loss to large-mouth Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He was the WBA Welterweight Champion, but relinquished this title on 31 August 2006. He is also the former WBU, WBA Light Welterweight Champion and WBC, WBA, WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Champion, and current Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion, wow that’s a lot of achievements.

Both fighters are thirty years old. Hitman might be heavier and has longer reach but it doesn’t matter for Pacman has defeated the Golden Boy before. This will be a really good fight, Pacman has his countrys pride on his shoulders and also for Hitman. Let's just expect the unexpected I would say. I'm a Filipino and naturally I'm cheering for Pacquaio but at the back of my mind it doesn't really matter if he will lose to Hitman. His fight with Hitman could be, if not the last, the second to the last fight before his retirement. If he will lose to Hitman, I think it's okay, he have proven a lot inside the ring. But if Pacman wins then he could retire or he could face the not so great boxer but a great trash talker (in my opinion) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for his ultimate fight before his retirement. And if Hitman wins then he has a good reason for a rematch for you know who.

And in the end, the better fighter (or the luckier fighter) would be the one who will leave the ring victorious.