I thought the Diego Sanchez-John Alessio fight was the best one in UFC 60. I agree. UFC 58 and 59 were better.Originally Posted by Yankeeah
I thought the Diego Sanchez-John Alessio fight was the best one in UFC 60. I agree. UFC 58 and 59 were better.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
I've wanted to see a rematch since the first fight. Let's hope they do it. I think Griffin wins again; and a bit easier this time.
As for GSP-Hughes .. It will be close; but I think I'll pick GSP since everyone else has picked Matt. Someone has to stop Matt right?I think the UFC really wanted Penn-Hughes but GSP-Hughes is still one heck of a fight
$40 for UFC 60 was just too much. I didn't like the card so much so I didn't get it. Like someone else in this thread said it was a predictable card. I think UFC 61 will probably be worth the money though.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 - Episode 9 Recap via SpikeTV.com
The fighters recap the Ed Herman vs. Danny Abbadi fight. Although Ed won the fight some of the fighters were not impressed with his performance. Matt Hamill is sad that his friend Danny lost the fight, but he understands that’s the way the game works. Matt now needs to focus on his fight with Mike Nickels. Tito is confident that Matt will beat Mike even with the myriad of injuries that he’s endured during training. Tito feels that Matt has all the makings of being a world champion. During training Matt talks about his extensive wrestling career and how he’s training for the 2008 Olympics. He also reveals that he’s only had two professional MMA fights, both of which he won. Matt feels that his aggressiveness will be enough to beat Mike Nickels. At the Team Shamrock training session, Mike Nickels talks about how tough a fight he has coming up. He knows that he is the underdog and Matt can take him down easily, but he’s also confident that his Jiu Jitsu skills can submit the world-class wrestler. Back at the house, Matt is hanging out more with the rest of the fighters now that Danny is gone. He even shares an amusing story about how he and his buddies have cow pinning contests back home. Mike Nickels makes an observation that Matt seems like he’s had a very isolated upbringing and compares it to his own harsher life experience, which he feels gives him the edge in the Octagon.
The next day at the Team Ortiz training session, tempers flare in the Octagon when Matt spars with Mike Bisping. Bisping feels like Matt is trying to hurt him by going a 100% and not letting up when the exercise is over. Bisping has had enough and decides to turn it up a notce and the bad blood between to two fighters escalates throughout practice. Then during an arm bar escape drill Matt fails to tap out when Bisping locks out Matt’s arm. Matt’s elbow pops twice and he drops to the ground screaming in pain. Bisping shouts out that it wasn’t his fault and that he should’ve tapped out. Saul agrees with Bisping saying that it wasn’t his fault. Matt lies on the canvas staring at the ceiling as Dean Lister tries to determine if he’s all right. Matt says that he just hyper-extended his arm and that it hurts, but that it will not affect him in his fight with Nickels. Bisping feels Matt’s arm injury will be a factor and could result in him losing his fight with Nickels.
Back at the house, some of the fighters vent about Matt and his injuries. They feel that he’s not the big threat that he once was and that he’s not ready for MMA. Matt retreats to the pool area to practice his shadow boxing. He reveals that he was the only deaf child in his family and he credits his brother and sisters with teaching him how to speak. He also talks about how he has lied to his entire family about being on the Ultimate Fighter. Instead, he told them that he’s at a wrestling camp in Oklahoma. Matt wants to surprise his family after he wins the contract.
The next day at the Team Ortiz training session Saul calls a meeting because he’s not happy about how the team is treating Matt since he’s been hurt. Saul tells them that they’re acting like fools and that they shouldn’t be happy that Matt is going into his fight with injuries. He reminds them that Matt’s superior wrestling skills is making them all better fighters. Bisping in particular takes what Saul says to heart and when they return to the house he apologizes to Matt for acting antagonistic towards him. He also wishes Matt good luck in the fight. The next day is the official weigh-in for Matt Hamill and Mike Nickels. Dana is very interested in seeing Matt fight especially since Tito has taken him under his wing. He then talks about Mike’s Jiu Jitsu skills and how Matt could possibly get caught if he’s not careful. Ed Herman weighs in with an upset prediction stating that MMA is more than just wrestling and Matt’s in for a rude awakening. Rory Singer, on the other hand, feels Matt will win just on his pure strength and wrestling skill. After the weigh-in Matt has a private meeting with Saul and Dean to explain his game plan for the fight. He tells them that he’s going to stand with Mike and exchange blows because his injured arm isn’t strong enough to take him down. Saul disagrees with his game plan, but tells him that he needs to do what’s going to make him comfortable. Like Rory, Saul feels Matt’s pure strength will carry him to a victory in this fight.
At the next Team Shamrock training session, Mike Nickels works out and divulges more information about his tattoos and his family life. Ken chimes in with his opinion on how the Hamill / Nickels fight will go. In his experience, Ken has seen Olympic caliber wrestlers, like Matt, get beat by guys who know arm bars. He feels Mike is Taylor maid to beat Matt. The next day is fight day. At the house, Mike hangs with Kalib and they joke about Matt being a beast of fighter. Mike talks about how he’s had plenty of time to prepare for this fight and he feels that he’s ready to go. Matt heads to the UFC Training Center and talks about how he’s learned a lot from Tito, Dean, and Saul and that he feels he’s very close to Tito’s level. He also feels that even though he’s going into this fight with an injury he’s still strong enough to beat Mike. Ed escorts Mike to the training center as his corner man and jokes about how it’s the All-American vs. the Bad Ass Tattoo Dude from Denver. Mike realizes this is the biggest fight of his life and he plans on rising to the occasion. As Matt warms up for the fight he says that all he wants is to have an opportunity to become a UFC Champion and that he’s not going to give up no matter what. Mike practices his kickboxing and says that he makes no allowances for Matt’s disability; in fact, he is the underdog in this fight. Matt talks about his game plan again saying that he’s going to stay on his feet and not wrestle with Mike. Mike says he would love to put Matt to sleep with a submission or knock him out with a knee. The two fighters enter the Octagon and give their final remarks before the fight begins.
Round one starts and Matt immediately charges at Mike and throws jab after jab. Mike gets caught a couple times with Matt’s jabs and seems confused how to retaliate. Matt goes on to manhandled Mike for the remainder of the round. Matt periodically goes to the ground with Mike and mauls him like bear playing with its prey. Mike survives the first round with a bloodied nose. Matt goes to his corner looking physically exhausted, but still with his game face on.
Round two starts with both fighters slowly moving to the center of the Octagon. Matt continues his stand up game and starts throwing punches connecting with some good shots to Mike’s chin. Mike tries to pull Matt to the ground, but Matt shakes him off like a wet towel and motions for him to stand up again. With total disregard for his own protection, Matt lumbers after Mike chasing him around the ring throwing punch after punch. Mike manages to connect with a few shots to Matt’s head, but it only slows Matt down for a second. Matt comes back with more sloppy jabs and Mike eats them, but stays in the fight. The fight ends with both fighters completely exhausted. Matt is declared the unanimous winner, but he’s is too tired to even lift his arms in victory. Instead he heads to his corner and asks for bucket to vomit in. In the post fight analysis, both coaches and Dana agree that is was a sloppy fight, but both fighters showed a lot of heart. Dana talks about Matt’s injuries and how he will be taken to the hospital to be completely checked out. Mike Nickels gives his farewell speech and becomes slightly emotional because he didn’t get the win.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3: Episode 9 - Broadway's PostMortem
IMHO, I've never seen a more sloppy MMA fight than this one. Matt Hamill vs. Mike Nickels in the last light heavyweight fight for a final spot in the semifinals was pretty bad.
It lacked much technicque. I was expecting to see Nickels fight like a pro. Instead, he fought like a skin head in the street. He basically sucked. And Matt Hamill? He needs some more boxing experience definitely but he is tough. They were both gassed.
Matt is a very talented wrestler. Right now, the only way Matt can win is to score takedowns and use ground and pound. Matt still has a lot of work to do if he wants to succeed as a well-rounded MMA fighter. Matt also had trouble communicating with his corner as well as the fighters from Tito Ortiz's camp were yelling DSL and TSL. Mike gave Matt his back 10 times and yet Matt can't finish and let Mike get up.
Mike had a chance to win, but he didn't listen to his corner including coach Ken Shamrock. If Mike listened to his corner and threw high leg kicks and flying knees, he could've won. Mike's throwin' punches that were way short just like a rabbit. Both fighters stand-up game were weak.
You know those dreams where you feel like your punching thru water and cant swing worth ................? Thats what this fight looks like to me.... Somehow they are managing to land some punches tho, neither one of them know how to defend very well.
Now, the semifinals in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions are in place.
In the Middleweight division, I think Kalib Starnes is the best of the four.
Kalib has quality well-rounded skills, very technical with his strikes. Kendall Grove is another favorite pick because of his size and flexibility, if Kalib doesn't win, I think Kendall should. Ed Herman is another solid fighter who needs more reps. Ed's ground and pound is not clean and effective. Rory Singer is a huge underdog out of the four, but if he listens to his corner, he will be effective.
As for the Light Heavyweights, Mike Bisping is the clear favorite out of this division. A very well rounded striker with knockout power. His only apparent weakness is a fear of facing a dominant wrestler who can GNP him. Matt Hamill, is the best wrestler in Season 3 who still needs a lot of work in his jiu-jitsu and striking. Jesse Forbes is a tough, scrappy kid who needs to work on his submission defense. Josh Haynes is scrappy, little guy who has shown he can change game plans based on the fighter he is facing. Has quick hands and a decent wrestler, but looks like he gases easily. Stronger than he looks. Still should move down in weight class.
So, who do I like to see in the Finals?
Middleweight: Kendall Grove vs. Kalib Starnes (Sleeper: Ed Herman)
Light Heavyweight: Mike Bisping vs. Josh Haynes (Sleeper: Matt Hamill)
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
Watch replays of Episode 9 of TUF Season 3
Saturday, June 3rd 10 PM ET/PT
Monday, June 5th 11 PM ET/PT
Only on Spike TV
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
As a reminder for all MMA fans:
See PRIDE Bushido: Survival 2006 on PPV on June 4, 2006 at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT (Countdown show: 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT)
The first round of the Welterweight Gran Prix tournament is here.
Fight Card via PRIDEFC.com
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The results of PRIDE: Bushido 11 Survival 2006 via Sherdog.com
Organization: PRIDE Fighting Championships
Date: June 4, 2006
Location: Saitama Super Arena,
Saitama, Japan
1 Jason Black d. Eoh Won Jin via TKO (Corner Stoppage) Round 1 4:25
2 Amar Suloev d. Murilo Bustamante via Decision (Unanimous)
3 Paulo Filho d. Gregory Bouchelaghem via Decision (Unanimous)
4 Ryo Chonan d. Joey Villasenor via Decision (Split)
5 Gegard Mousasi d. Makoto Takimoto via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) Round 1 5:34
6 Mitsuhiro Ishida d. Marcus Aurelio via Decision (Unanimous)
7 Tatsuya Kawajiri d. Charles Bennett via Submission (Ankle lock) Round 1 2:30
8 Hayato Sakurai d. Olaf Alfonso via KO (Punch) Round 1 1:54
9 Akihiro Gono d. Hector Lombard via Decision (Unanimous)
10 Denis Kang d. Murilo Rua via KO (Punches) Round 1 0:15
11 Kazuo Misaki d. Phil Baroni via Decision (Unanimous)
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
PRIDE: Bushido 11 (Survival 2006) Report via Sherdog.com Part 1
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=4635
TOKYO, June 4 — Once relegated to the confines of Ariake Coliseum, it seems that Bushido has finally grown up and taken the rite of passage of running in PRIDE’s home, the Saitama Super Arena. Is this just a one time experiment, or has the PRIDE offshoot permanently graduated to this new piece of real estate?
The feature of this historic event was the first round of the Welterweight (83 kilogram and under) Grand Prix, with the second round heading to Nagoya in August, then returning to the Saitama Super Arena for the finals in November. So for the near future, it seems, Bushido’s fate will be tied to the monster stadium in Saitama.
The main event of tonight’s packed card pitted tough Grabaka striker Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) against the “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (Pictures).
After a dominant victory over Akira Shoji (Pictures) in DEEP, Misaki was coming off a close decision loss to PRIDE welterweight champion Dan Henderson (Pictures). Anyone who saw this fight couldn’t help but be impressed by the guts and determination that Misaki showed.
Baroni, whose stock has risen since his first Bushido appearance with knockout victories over Japanese stars Ryo Chonan (Pictures) and Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures), saw his championship dreams derailed at last year’s Welterweight Grand Prix with a revenge match loss to Minowa. Tonight was his second chance to be in the hunt of the division’s holy grail.
This one turned out to be a real stand-up war. Baroni came out swinging for the fences right off the opening bell and did a pretty good job of countering for the first half of the round. Misaki employed his classic strategy of moving around the ring and picking his shots. The Japanese fighter displayed great head movement, ducking and slipping his opponent’s punches while chopping away at Baroni’s legs with hard low kicks that slowed down the Hammer House fighter.
Misaki capitalized on his first of two excellent trip takedowns in the second round, attempting a Kimura from half guard before returning to side-control, from where he fired several knees to the head. Baroni managed to his feet and the stand-up war continued.
The Japanese fought a very smart fight, tagging Baroni from a distance and drawing the American to exert a lot of energy on punches that failed to connect. Having taken too many leg kicks, Baroni looked sluggish compared to Misaki in the throughout the second and final period, and when the fight went to the judges Misaki was ruled the victor.
When asked by Sherdog.com what was next for him, Baroni stated that he wasn’t sure, but that he would be back.
Denis Kang (Pictures) has been on quite a roll as of late with 11 straight victories, all but one coming from knockout or submission. On this evening he faced off against Chute Boxe fighter Murilo Rua (Pictures), who was coming off a loss to Paulo Filho (Pictures) at Bushido 10.
A good balance of stand-up and ground work was expected in this one, but it failed to materialize. Right off the bell both fighters came charging to the center of the ring. Kang put out a front kick and then connected with a big right hand. He followed up with a barrage of punches.
“Ninja” turned his back just before falling to the ground, where Kang followed and connected with some vicious shots, putting the lights out on the Chute Boxe fighter. The whole match only lasted 15 seconds.
Ninja was on the ground for a while and, even when helped to his feet, was still visibly shaken. When asked backstage if he was worried about trading strikes with a Chute Boxe fighter, Kang replied no. He further stated that “Ninja” usually throws wild hooking punches, but not much straight on, so his game plan was to use straight-line punching technique, which really paid off on his very first cross.
After berating Yoshida dojo fighter Makoto Takimoto (Pictures) at length during their press conference, and subsequently at a Japanese professional baseball game where he threw out the first pitch, Grabaka fighter Akihiro Gono (Pictures) faced off against Takimoto’s training partner, Sydney Olympic judo competitor Hector Lombard.
The straight shooting and comedic Gono, seemingly pulling a page out of Genki Sudo (Pictures)’s book, came to the ring with a white “Miami Vice” suit, sunglasses, a blond afro wig before he proceeded to perform a dance routine with his Grabaka stablemates before entering the ring.
Lombard, a Cuban national now living in Australia, came out like a hurricane off the opening bell, charging his opponent with a barrage of punches. Gono tried to back out of the way, but fell to the mat in the corner, only to have Lombard continue the assault.
For a few moments it looked like Lombard was going to take the victory right there, but the tough Pancrase veteran was able to weather the storm, get a reversal and bring the action down to the mat. From here the Cuban went for a heelhook attempt, but Gono escaped and took his opponent’s back. Failing to secure a choke, the action went back to the feet.
After spending all of his energy in the first two minutes of the match, Lombard seemed to be out of gas. Much like his teammate Kazuo Misaki (Pictures), Gono picked apart the Olympic competitor with his hands, most notably his right cross, which staggered Lombard opponent several times. Gono, the former All Japan Kickboxing heavyweight champion, also chopped away at Lombard’s legs, further slowing the strong Cuban down.
Lombard was basically out-boxed in this one. The fight went the distance and Gono walked away with the decision.
In his PRIDE debut, Red Devil International fighter Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) faced off against Sydney Olympic judo gold medalist and Yoshida dojo member Makoto Takimoto (Pictures).
Mousasi came out striking but was quickly tripped down to the white canvas. Takimoto then had a beautiful armbar attempt. To be honest I have no idea how Mousasi survived this one, I mean that technique was fully extended, but he managed to escape and take his opponent’s back.
With his hooks fully in, Mousasi rolled with Takimoto while the Japanese tried to escape. The Armenian-born Mousasi peppered Takimoto with punches to the sides of the head while looking for the choke.
The judo fighter continued to turtle and roll, but just couldn’t shake his opponent. Eventually the referee paused the bout for a doctor check on Takimoto’s swollen right eye. The doctors felt the injury was too serious to continue and called a halt to the bout at the 5:34 mark of the first round.
King of the Cage veteran Joey Villasenor (Pictures) made his PRIDE debut against Bushido “ace” Ryo Chonan (Pictures). This one didn’t disappoint and had a good mix of stand-up and ground work throughout. It was pretty even on the feet, with both guys displaying excellent boxing technique and connecting with hard shots. Chonan pulled a page out of Dan Henderson (Pictures)’s book with the tricky overhand right that looks like a takedown attempt when coming in.
In the last minute of the bout, Villasenor really turned on the strikes and finished up with a big head stomp on his downed opponent just seconds before the final bell. This was a really close fight, but in the end Chonan took the split decision.
As in his bout against Murilo Rua (Pictures) in Bushido 10, Paulo Filho (Pictures) was a takedown machine in his match-up against Gregory Bouchelaghem (Pictures). Once on the mat, the Brazilian Top Team fighter controlled all the positions, getting half-guard and taking mount on his French opponent, where he rained down a barrage of punches.
More of the same transpired in the second. Having to cover up to defend the punches coming down at him, Bouchelaghem couldn’t seem to get anything going and was merely reacting to the Brazilian’s attacks.
As good as he is at takedowns and ground control, Filho seems to have problems finishing his fights, with most of his victories coming by way of decision. Tonight was no different, and he took the well deserved win.
Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) and Amar Suloev (Pictures) put on a boxing clinic in their match-up. Not once did this fight go to the ground. Putting together combinations and slipping punches, both looked very crisp throughout their 15 minutes together.
This turned out to be more of a technical bout, which those with a keen eye would have appreciated. Suloev’s head movement and the way he guarded his chin with his lead shoulder was impressive. Rather than backing straight up, the Red Devil fighter moved laterally to avoid his Bustamante’s strikes.
The Brazilian veteran looked for the takedowns in this one, but Suloev displayed excellent takedown defense. In the second the Russian landed a hard bicycle punch that caught Bustamante off guard and sent him to the mat.
The fight continued to transpire on the feet right until the final bell, with Suloev taking the unanimous decision.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
PRIDE: Bushido 11 (Survival 2006) Report via Sherdog.com Part 2
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles...4635&my_page=2
After defeating PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi (Pictures) in a non-title bout at Bushido 10, it was expected that American Top Team fighter Marcus Aurelio (Marcus Aurelio' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures) would get a shot at the top prize in the lightweight division fairly soon. But now SHOOTO Pacific Rim champion Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures) has just put those plans into jeopardy.
Many didn’t think Ishida would be able to hang against Aurelio’s jiu-jitsu, but Ishida seems to have an anti-BJJ wrestling style. The guy is just really, really good at defending submissions. He kind reminds one of Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) in this way.
Aurelio was really active off his back, constantly looking for triangles and armbars, but Ishida was able to fight these off and really lay some leather.
The deciding moments came in the final few minutes of the fight. Here Ishida connected with several hard, unanswered punches to Aurelio’s head from within his guard. The Brazilian looked rocked and for a while it seemed like a knockout victory was just moments away. But the American Top Team fighter held on to the final bell, and Ishida took the unanimous victory.
With this win it seems that now Gomi, Aurelio and Ishida are trapped within a bizarre triangle. When asked who would challenge for Gomi’s lightweight title next, DSE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara couldn’t give an answer, stating that the whole situation is in a state of chaos.
In his first fight since receiving a painful groin shot from Joachim Hansen (Pictures) in SHOOTO back in February, Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures) made short work of the always entertaining Charles Bennett (Pictures).
Kawajiri scored the first and only takedown before moving into half-guard. Bennett tried a Kimura from the bottom, but the SHOOTO welterweight (154 pounds) champion circled overtop his opponent to escape.
After a scramble, Bennett briefly took Kawajiri’s back, only to have the Japanese fighter grab his leg and apply a kneebar for the tapout victory at the 2:30 mark of the first round.
Hayato Sakurai (Pictures) needed only one minute 53 seconds to finish WEC veteran Olaf Alfonso (Pictures). This was Sakurai’s first fight since suffering a broken orbital bone during a road rage incident back in April. Perhaps that’s what he was thinking about when he tagged Alfonso with a beautifully timed right hand that sent the Mexican to the mat for good just as he was coming in to attack.
In a bit of a back-and-forth match, Miletich Martial Arts fighter Jason Black (Pictures) scored a knockout over Eoh Won Jin with a big knee strike on the ground.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
I enjoyed watching PRIDE: Bushido 11 last Sunday.
the best part: they showed 10 fights!!
Denis Kang/Murilo Ninja- Nice blow-out by Kang! I never did care for the Rua brothers or Chute Box. I look foward to seeing Kang in action again.
Phil Baroni/Kazuo Misaki- Baroni is maddeningly inconsistent. He needs to lay off the weights and develop a jab.
Ryo Chonan/Joey Villasenor- Close fight.
Murilo Bustamante/Amar Suloev- Best fight of the night. Very technical match.
Akihiro Gono/Hector Lombard- At first it looked like it was going to be a blow-out by Kevin Randelman's mini-me until he gassed and got schooled by Gono.
Makoto Takimoto/Gegard Mousassi- Depending on who he is matched against Mousassi could be fun to watch.
Mitsuhiro Ishida/Marcus Aurelio- Huge upset win for Ishida.
Tatsuya Kawajiri/Charles Bennett- Another beatdown for the mildly retarded Bennett.
Hayato Sakurai/Olaf Alfonso- Olaf Alfonso??? WTF???
Jason Black/Ou Won Jin- Not shown.Pride could have edited out Charles Bennett's moronic pre-fight banter and shown this fight.
Ishida, Kang, Misaki, and Black shined.
Joey Villasenor got robbed.. but what the hell.. i'm givin this one a thumbs up for a much improved WW GP in 2006.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
FUJI TV cancels PRIDE FC:
http://www.mmafighting.com/news/2006...s_pridefc.html
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
Watch TUF3 Episode 10 replays on Spike TV:
Saturday, June 10 10 PM ET/PT
Monday, June 12 11 PM ET/PT
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 - Episode 10 Recap via SpikeTV.com
As the Matt Hamill vs. Mike Nickels fight is recapped, the fighters express amazement that Matt decided to stand with Nickels instead of taking him to the ground. They also mention how Matt looked completely out of it after the fight. No one thinks Matt will be able to continue in the competition and feel bad that he has to go out after a win. Everyone begins to speculate as to who might return in Matt's place.
UFC President Dana White and coaches Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz come by the house for dinner to celebrate with those who have made it to the semifinals. Ken and Tito manage to peacefully eat dinner at the same table. After dinner comes the first of Dana's surprises. All the losers come strolling into the house and Dana announces that they are here to stay for the duration of the competition to help the semi-finalists train. Mike Bisping and Rory Singer are both horrified -- fearful that the peace and quiet in the house will be destroyed. Now it is time for Dana's second surprise. Ken and Tito are to compete in a game of pool for a cash prize of $10,000.00. Ken pretends he can't play, but it's not long before everyone figures out that they've been hustled. Ken is a pool shark. He quickly dispatches Tito and walks away with 10K.
The light heavyweights arrive at the gym for the semi-final match up announcement. But first Dana has to replace Matt Hamill who cannot continue due to an injured arm. Mike Nickels is out with a broken nose, so he calls Tait Fletcher into his office. Tait, without hesitation, turns down the offer to fight again. Dana is completely blown away. He then calls on Kristian Rothaermel to fill the spot, but he also declines. Then it occurs to Dana that he knows someone who will step up. Down the hall, walks Ross Pointon who immediately jumps at a second chance to get back in the competition. Not only Ross fight, but he will step up a weight class to do it. He says he's a fighter, and he doesn't refuse a fight.
Dana walks out into the gym and announces the match ups. It will be Jesse Forbes vs. Josh Haynes in the first light heavyweight semi-final and much to Bisping's surprise, he'll be fighting Ross in the second light heavyweight semi. As Josh is quick to point out, it's the winners vs. the losers.
The middleweights arrive at the training center to find out who they will be fighting in the semi-finals. Dana makes the announcement. It will be Kalib Starnes vs. Kendall Grove, followed by Rory Singer vs. Ed Herman. Kendall says he's looking forward to fighting someone as skilled as Kalib while Kalib comments that he was hoping save this match up for the finals.
With no time to waste, Kendall hits the gym to train. Tito points out that during this competition, Kendall has made the most improvement of all the guys on his team. Kalib puts in his time at the gym. He feels there is no reason technically for him to lose this fight. He believes Kendall will be spending most of the fight on his back. Ken believes Kalib's experience and strength on the ground will give him an advantage.
Both fighters have made weight and it's time to fight. Both men enter the octagon ready to do battle.
It's Round 1 of the first semi-final fight. As the fight begins, Kalib gets a hold of Kendall, and in a magnificent move, body slams him to the mat. Kendall struggles to get up, but once he does, Kalib is all over him. The flurry of action continues as they go on to trade punches and kicks for the remainder of the round.
In Round 2, Kalib is able to get Kendall on his back again, but is unable to keep him there for long. In a desperate attempt to control him, Kalib starts grabbing Kendall's shorts and is warned by the referee to stop. Kalib makes another attempt to dominate Kendall on the ground, but is unable to keep him down. Back on their feet, Kendall delivers a knee to Kalib's side, which Kalib believes has broken his ribs. At the end of the round, Kalib tries to tell his corner that his ribs are indeed, broken.
Round 3 starts off with Kalib again grabbing Kendall's shorts, despite previous warnings from the referee. The referee stops the fight to give to give another official warning and that's when the fighe ends. Kalib believes his ribs are broken and decides to quit. Kendall yells excitedly, knowing that Kalib's forfeiture has just thrust him into the finals.
In the Amp'd Mobile fight recap, Dana tells us that he thought the fight was great. Punches were being thrown; knees were slamming into bodies. Kendall says he knew he hurt Kalib's ribs so he started focusing on delivering more blows to the injury. Ken however, doesn't believe Kalib suffered a broken rib. He says that if your rib is broken, it hurts so much you can't even breathe or talk. Dana says that he had the fight scored evenly at the end of the second roun, but then Kalib quit to end the fight.
Tito is proud of Kendall for being the first one to make it into the finals. Ken is disappointed that Kalib quit. Kalib is very disappointed, especially since this is the first fight he ever lost.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 - Episode 10 Broadway's PostMortem
The semifinal matchups were set and I thought the first Middleweight matchup will be a preview of the Middleweight final between Kalib Starnes and Kendall Grove.
However, Dana White announced these matchups:
Middleweight - Kendall Grove vs. Kalib Starnes; Rory Singer vs. Ed Herman
Light Heavyweight - Jesse Forbes vs. Josh Haynes; Mike Bisping vs. Ross Pointon
Ross Pointon jumped in the opportunity to replace Matt Hamill. I can't believe Tait Fletcher, who displayed great effort against Josh, turned down Dana's offer to have a second chance to be in the finals. My jaw dropped to the floor when he turned it down.I like Ross's attitude. I have tons of respect for Ross. He is the man! One of the only pure fighters on the show. Ross/Bisping should be a war. Both guys are tough fighters who will bring it. Two British fighters facing off against one another.
Now, onto to the first semifinal fight.
Kendall and Kalib was a great fight. That should've been the real Middleweight final.
Good fight. Best fight of the season. I really enjoyed it. Up until Kalib quit it was full steam ahead. I agree with Dana. I also had the scorecards even after 2 rounds. I had Kalib winning Round 1 with the takedown. I had Kendall winning Round 2 with the brutal knee to the body. That knee to the body was very effective. Those will sting for days. It reminded me of David Loiseau's brutal spinning back kick to the gut of Charles McCarthy in UFC 51.
I can't wait to see both of them in the UFC someday.
Too bad Matt is out. I would have liked to see him do his thing, especially after all the hype he got.
Now for the second Middleweight matchup between Ed Herman and Rory Singer. Rory is a heavy underdog in this fight, but if he listens to his corner on what to do, Rory will win the fight. However, Ed will not be as nervous as he was the last time he went inside the octagon when he fought Danny Abbadi. Ed also trains with Randy "The Natural" Couture and Chris "The Crippler" Leben in Team Quest. Look for Ed to take the fight to the ground and ground and pound to soften Rory and set-up a submission.
As for the light heavyweight semifinal matchups, I think it will be a Josh Haynes-Mike Bisping final.
Josh Haynes has heavy hands who worked on his grapping in Team Quest with The Natural and Nate "The Rock" Quarry, but needs to work on his cardio. Jesse Forbes is a great wrestler who works with Drew "The Master" Fickett and needs to improve his submission defense. I see Josh winning this fight.
Mike Bisping vs. Ross Pointion will be a war. Two British fighters goin' at it for a spot in the finals. Mike Bisping is well-rounded and a huge favorite. Ross is the heavy underdog who loves to fight. I see Bisping winning this fight.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
There will be two new episodes of the Ultimate Fighter airing next week: Thursday, June 15, 2006.
The second Middleweight fight will be at 10 PM ET/PT and the two Light Heavyweight bouts will be at 11 PM ET/PT.
Season 3 Finale will be at 9 PM ET/PT on Saturday, June 24th.
All action on Spike TV.
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...2206&zoneid=13
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
UFC 62 will be on Saturday, August 26, 2006 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"The Iceman" Chuck Liddell will defend his UFC Light Heavyweight title against Renato 'Babalu' Sobral.
http://sports.bostonherald.com/other...format=&page=2
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
Remaining schedule for The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 via UFC.com
All times ET/PT on Spike TV
The Ultimate Fighter Episode #11
Premieres Thursday, 6/15 at 10pm
Reairs Saturday, 6/17 at 10pm and Thursday, 6/22 at 9pm
The Ultimate Fighter Episode #12
Premieres Thursday, 6/15 at 11pm
Reairs Monday, 6/19 at 11pm, Thursday, 6/22 at 10pm, and Friday, 6/23 at 9pm
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Marathon
Saturday, 6/24 from 9am-9pm
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Live Finale
Premieres Saturday, 6/24 at 9pm
Reairs on Saturday, 6/24 at 12am, Sunday, 6/25 at 5pm, and Monday, 6/26 at 10pm
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 - Episode 11 Recap via TheUltimateFighter.tv
Episode 11 - The Jungle
The fighters recap Kendall Grove’s upset victory over seasoned Canadian fighter Kalib Starnes. Almost everyone had picked Kalib to win this fight, but now Kendall is the first to move on to the finals and is in a great position be the next Ultimate Fighter in the middleweight division. After the fight, Tito tells Kendall how proud he is of him and the way he performed. Kendall thanks Tito for opening his eyes to a whole new way of training and tells him that he saved his life. Later in the evening back at the house, Kendall hangs out with guys and revels in his victory. Then Kalib enters the house having just returned from the hospital. Kalib congratulates Kendall on his win. Kendall welcomes Kalib’s comments and feels that he has finally received the respect that he deserves. Kalib reveals that the injury he sustained in the fight is a dislocated rib and that he’ll be all right. The next morning Rory goes on the warpath about the house being disgusting and how he’s completely fed up with everyone. Rory gets into an argument with Mike Bisping and Kendall about the messy kitchen. Both Bisping and Kendall are sick of Rory’s bitching and they tell him he won’t have to worry because after his fight with Ed he’ll be going home. Rory retreats to his bedroom that he shares with Ed Herman and proceeds to fart which Ed to no end. The next morning Rory discovers that all of his food products have been defaced with “Rory is Gay” on them. All of the fighters get a laugh out of the prank and Rory exclaims that the teasing doesn’t bother him. Later on, Ed decides he’s had enough of Rory and decides to move into Jesse’s room. Rory feels a little bit abandoned by Ed leaving, but understands that with their fight coming up it’s probably a good idea not to be sharing the same room.
The night starts off with Ed and Jesse doing shots. They then proceed to poach as much greenery from inside and outside the house and turn their room into a virtual tropical rain forest. Ed is admits he’s going stir-crazy and doesn’t know if he can make it to the end of the competition. Team Ortiz heads to their morning training session at the gym and Rory discovers that his fight gear has been graffitied with “Rory is Gay.” Convinced it was Ed and Jesse, Rory retaliates and writes on their gear. Rory then takes his prank a step further and wipes his butt with Ed’s boxing glove. Team Shamrock shows up for their evening training session and finds their gear vandalized. Ed in particular is pissed and decides to hide Rory’s stuff all over the gym. For the finale’ Ed takes Rory’s headgear to the restroom and urinates all over it. Then when Rory shows up to his second training session and sees that his gear is missing - he loses it. Rory rushes out to the parking lot to confront Ed and Jesse who are in the van waiting to leave. He wants the “Rory is Gay” campaign to stop and wants his gear back. A heated argument ensues between Rory, Ed, and Jesse. Ed then reveals that it wasn’t even them who started the whole prank it was Kendall - his own teammate. Rory is crushed when he realizes that he was clowned by a member of his team. Back in the gym he confronts Kendall and Kendall confesses to the “Rory is Gay” prank. Kendall had no idea that the prank was going to escalate to the magnitude of Ed’s glove being desecrated by Rory’s rump.
Still furious about being punk’d by Kendall, Rory feels compelled to make things right and tries to clean up Team Shamrocks’ defaced gear. Dean Lister tries to calm Rory down telling him that he needs to train for his fight with Ed and not let this stupid prank get to him. Finally, Saul Soliz decides to settle the friction between Rory and Kendall. He has them box each other for two five-minute rounds of body shots. At the end Rory and Kendall apologize to each other. While riding back to the house in the van, Ed starts to feel bad about peeing on Rory’s headgear and wonders if he’s going to wear it. At the gym, Rory gets ready to enter the octagon and puts on the tainted headgear. He states that the “Rory is Gay” thing will have no effect on his fight with Ed and he plans on doing his talking in the octagon. The next morning at the Team Ortiz training session, Matt Hamill returns to the gym for the first time since his fight with Mike Nickels. He surprises everyone with his trademark “Whoooooo!” and all of Team Ortiz is happy to see him. Then Bisping tells him that he’s fighting Ross in the semi-finals. Matt is confused because he thought he was fighting in the semi-finals. Everyone is surprised that Matt is just learning that he’s out of the competition as per doctor’s orders. Matt begs Tito to let him fight and Tito said it’s not up to him. The doctor said no. Matt is disappointed, but relishes in the fact that he’s still undefeated. He plans on going back home healing up and getting ready for his next fight, which he hopes will be in the UFC.
Tito is convinced that Matt is going to be a UFC champion someday.
The next day starts off with Ed and Rory going to the UFC Training Center for the Official Weigh-in. Dana feels that Ed, coming from Randy Couture’s training camp, will win the fight. Tito is unsure if Rory can win this fight against Ed, stating that Rory’s has all the physical tools, but not the mental strength. However, he feels that Ed might not be in the best physical shape to beat Rory. Later on at the Team Shamrock training session, Ken notices Ed’s focus isn’t good. So he brings in Randy Couture, Ed’s mentor, to talk to Ed and the rest of the team. Seeing Randy and finding out that he’s going to be at the fight the next day lites Ed’s fuse. The next day is fight day. Ed speculates that Rory isn’t going to be able to handle his ground game. Rory expects Ed to take him down for the ground and pound, but he feels that if he can keep Ed on his feet he’s got a good chance. Ed states that he did pee on Rory’s headgear and if he loses than he feels it’s karma getting back at him. However, he’s feels Rory deserves it for taking his glove and wiping his sweaty butt with it. As the two fighters step into the octagon they both give their parting shots and prepare for battle.
Back in the octagon, Dana does his pre-fight announcement about this being the last middleweight semi-final fight and the winner will face Kendall Grove in the finals. The Ref Herb Dean, starts round one action and the two fighters circle each other looking for an opening. Rory then makes the first move and goes to the clench with Ed pushing him up against the cage. Ed is unfazed and methodically reverses the position taking Rory to the canvas. Rory defends Ed’s elbows by tying up his hands, but Ed manages to slip a few punches past his guard. Ed stays on top of Rory for most of the round. Then with about a minute left, Rory gets to his feet and takes Ed down. Rory gets him in a full mount position and tries to throw punches, but then Ed rears up and kicks Rory in the face. Herb Dean stops the fight and declares Ed’s kick an illegal blow and gives Rory time to recover. When the fight starts again, Ed gets to his feet and takes Rory down again. For the remaining thirty seconds of the round Ed continues to work his ground and pound. At the end of the round, the fighters return to their corners. In Ed’s corner, Ken calmly tells him that this fight is his and to do exactly what he’s doing. In Rory’s corner, Tito seems upset that Rory’s not working to get himself in better positions.
Round two commences with Rory nailing Ed with two stiff jabs. Ed responds by taking Rory down to the ground. Ed quickly gets a side mount and works his infamous ground and pound. After about a minute of Ed’s slow and methodical bashing Rory tries to squirm free. Rory rolls to his stomach giving Ed his back and Ed seizes the opportunity. Ed slides his arm around Rory’s neck and chokes him out. Ed is declared the winner by rear naked choke. Ed screams in delight and bows to his mentor Randy Couture. In the fight recap Ken says that Ed stuck to his game plan and punished Rory every time he tried to get up from his takedowns. Dana said that Rory actually had a shot at beating Ed and wasn’t doing badly. Rory feels he did well in the first round, but in the second round everything just went wrong. Tito’s analysis of the fight is that Rory just gave up and he’s very disappointed in Rory. Ed says to Tito, once again, that he should’ve picked him on his team, but he appreciates the fact that Tito showed him respect. Rory takes the loser walk and talks about how he just stopped fighting. He goes on to say that he needs to re-evaluate his mental skills as a fighter to see where things went wrong. While Rory leaves, Tito gathers his team and gives them a never give up speech and directs most of his comments at Bisping and Josh who still have fights left. Ed celebrates in his dressing room with the rest of Team Shamrock and warns all of the middleweights of the UFC that short fuse is coming so look out.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 - Episode 11 Broadway's PostMortem
The blood boil between Rory Singer and Ed Herman started before they were inside the Octagon cage. Rory kept whining about the dirty dishes in the kitchen. Rory and Ed had a verbal shouting match in the parking lot over missing stuff and Ed urinating on Rory's headgear while Rory wiped Ed's gloves with his ass. Those two need to grow up.
I feel bad for Matt Hamill. Don't know what was up with Matt not knowing. Seems pretty crappy of them not to clue him in before hand. But then again, with the editing, we have no idea of how long Matt was gone. Appeared to be week to us, maybe only a couple hours in real life. I would have certainly thought they would have told him though. Matt wanted to fight in the semifinals, but the doctors didn't let him. Safety first Matt. Don't worry, we will see you in the UFC someday. Tito was bang on when he said Matt has what it takes to become a champion. If he could hone a serious ground and pound game and improve his submission defense, the guy would be a spectacular fighter. He's a bull and just so strong, hopefully he's on a future fight card.
Now to the second Middleweight semifinal between Rory and Ed. It was a close first round. Ed with some takedowns in the 1st and some ground and pound. Rory hung in there with him. I gave round 1 to Ed. Ed is still a legend in his own mind. He's got some skill, but geeeezzzz.....saying he's the most dangerous guy out there, etc. is far from the truth. 2nd round was a gimme to Ed. Who know where the fight could have gone if Ed was forced to go the distance. Ed dominated the fight on the ground again and I thought, along with coach Tito Ortiz, that Rory was gassed. Ed applied the rear-naked choke and Rory didn't even fight it off.
I agree with Tito and Ken Shamrock. Ed has the physical and mental strength to fight in the UFC. Rory only has the physical tools and not enough from the mental side. Rory had so many chance's to submit Ed. You could hear Dean Lister screaming submission with those long legs he could have easily submit.
Who will win in the Middleweight Finals between Ed and Kendall Grove? Ed may have the physical and mental tools to fight inside the Octagon and is working in the Team Quest camp with Randy Couture and a TUF alumnus Chris Leben, but Kendall has improved his game since training with Tito so I pick Kendall to beat Ed in a close decision.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 - Episode 12 Recap via TheUltimateFighter.tv
Episode 12 - Bangin'
Now that the Middleweight Finalists have been decided, it’s time to figure out which light heavyweight will be competing in the live finale. The first fight is Josh Haynes vs. Jesse Forbes.
Dana is expecting a good fight. Josh is a hard striker with a lot of heart that just doesn’t quit and Jesse is a good wrestler, who is looking to not make the same mistakes he made in his last fight. Ken thinks Jesse’s wrestling is good enough to get top position and pound on Josh. Tito believes Josh is going to have to show good takedown defense against a much bigger Jesse.
Jesse knows he’s been given a second chance to prove himself. Unlike in his fight with Noah, he plans on taking his time in this fight. He’s going to take Josh down and work his magic on the ground. Josh is planning on keeping Jesse is on feet where he is uncomfortable. He is going to make Jesse work until he’s nice and tired and then he’s going to rip him apart. Josh usually fights for his family but this time he’s fighting for himself. Both fighters look and sound confident as they enter the ring.
Round One. As promised Jesse takes Josh to the ground. Jesse makes several attempts to sink in a choke but Josh is able to defend the submissions. But Jesse clearly dominates round one.
Round Two. Jesse shoots in for a takedown at the beginning of the round. But Jesse exposes his neck and Josh takes advantage, sinking in the guillotine until Jesse taps out.
Jesse wasted all his energy in round one trying to choke out Josh. So he didn’t have anything left to defend Josh’s guillotine. Jesse is disappointed about losing again but will go home and train and be back again someday. Josh Haynes is moving on to the finals. Ross Pointon and Michael Bisping will fight next to see who will face Josh in the finals.
That evening at the Ultimate Fighter house, Ross and Bisping discuss how they fought once before in England. Bisping submitted Ross in the first round. But Ross feels he was winning the fight until Bisping got a “lucky arm bar.” Ross is looking forward to the rematch to prove he’s the better fighter. Bisping is quite confident that he will make quick work of Ross.
As Bisping trains for the last time with Team Punishment, he realizes that the last six weeks has been the best training he’s ever had for a fight. His cardio is better than ever. He has learned a whole new set of skills, real skills that he can apply in a fight. Although Tito believes Bisping is the superior fighter of the two, he still wants him to stay relaxed and not get over aggressive. After all, Ross, like any other striker, has got a puncher’s chance of winning this fight.
Ken says Ross is going to throw bombs. And that’s exactly what Ross focuses on doing in his last training session.
Dana believes Bisping is the more talented fighter, but like Tito, believes that Ross has got a puncher’s chance.
Back at the house, Bisping’s confidence is verging on cockiness. He’s thinking about maybe trying some new things out on Ross, like a flying knee perhaps. Ross and Bisping both get ready for bed and it’s lights out for the two fighters.
As Bisping and Ross slumber, the rest of the fighters go on a party rampage. The alcohol flows freely. A water fight erupts followed by a food fight. It’s a miracle Ross or Bisping get any sleep at all.
In the morning, Ross and Bisping exchange a few friendly words before they each head off to the gym.
Bisping wants to win the fight for himself and for Team Ortiz as a way of thanking Tito and the coaches for the best training he’s ever had. Bisping knows Ross is going to be looking for an opportunity to knock him out with some great big punch.
Ross realizes he’s the underdog, but he’s a fighter. This is what he does. He’s going to come out bangin’. He’s got a second chance to go at it with Bisping and it’s in the UFC octagon. The way he sees it, he’s got nothing to lose.
Round One. Right away Ross delivers that big punch to Bisping and stuns him. They exchange a few kicks and punches. Then Bisping surprises Ross with a flying knee. From there, it’s all downhill for Ross and Bisping delivers a series of blows until the referee stops the fight.
Ken thinks if Ross had just followed up his first hit on Bisping, he would have had the fight. Ross was caught off guard by the flying knee especially.
Ross takes his second loss to Bisping pretty hard but Tito quickly reminds him that he was the only one who was willing to step up and take the fight to begin with. Bisping has strong words of encouragement for his fellow countryman.
The finals are set. In the middleweight division, it’s Ed Herman vs. Kendall Grove. In the light heavyweight division it’s Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes. The four finalists will get lifetime phone service, courtesy of Amp’d Mobile.
As Dana wraps us the season, he praises Tito as a coach and credits him for really putting in the work and getting his team prepared to fight. Ken, unfortunately, didn’t quite step up to the plate.
As everyone is getting ready to leave, Ken bumps into Tito. Ken accuses Tito of acting for the cameras. They argue and argue until Ken finally leaves the gym. They’ll just have to finish this fight on July 8th in the octagon at UFC 61.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 - Episode 12 Broadway's PostMortem
The two Light Heavyweight semifinal bouts was pretty good.
Jesse Forbes vs. Josh Haynes was first up. Jesse scored a lot of takedowns and Josh for some reason gave Jesse his back about 5 times. holy sh*t! You gotta have a lot of balls to give up your back 5 times and still survive. Fortunately for Josh, Jesse didn't have his rear-naked choke sunk in deep enough. I gave Round 1 to Jesse. In Round 2, Jesse went in for another takedown, but he ran into Josh's guillotine choke that was pretty deep. Jesse had no choice, but to tap. Jesse is a strong wrestler who needs a lot of work on his submission defense. Too bad that Shamrock hasn't worked on conditioning and submission defense with Jesse or with his other fighters.
In the second Light Heavyweight Fight, it was the battle of Britain between Michael Bisping and Ross Pointon. Ross had to move up a weight class to replaced the injured Matt Hamill. It was like a hooligan street brawl when both of them traded punches and kicks. Ross even landed a huge right that rocked Bisping, but Bisping shook it off. I said that Ross should follow up his punches, but he didn't. Bisping almost lost it on that punchers chance of Ross, but holy sh*t! Bisping delivered a beautiful flying knee that shocked Ross and Ross never recovered. Mike Bisping has everything: attitude, heart, skills, work ethic. In my mind, Mike Bisping the best fighter this season.
Ross has the best fighting attitude on the show. He'd fight a pack of starving lions. Can't help but like him. Before the fight, they shook hands. After the fight, both Ross and Bisping praised each other and Tito even gave him props. Now that's ................in' class. Ross will be back in the UFC.
As for the other scenes, it was a mad scene back in the Ultimate Fighter house with the other fighters squirting ketchup, mustard, throwing fruit, everything. It was a total mess. I liked the scene where Ed asked Matt to go for a few take downs. Then they show Matt slamming Ed with one arm. Of course, we're at the mercy of the editors. I'd really like to see Matt at the top of his game in the future some time. I was laughing my ................in' ass off during that scene.
UFC President Dana White told us that there are three Ortiz fighters and one Shamrock fighter in the finale. It's quite obvious that Tito was the better coach than Ken because of his work ethic. Ken just wants a piece of Tito.
Now, how would Season 3 of the Ultimate Fighter, be not complete without a final jarring between The Huntington Beach Bad Boy and The World's Most Dangerous Man. They didn't like each other since Day 1 and they're still goin' after each other's throats. They'll get it on again on July 8 at UFC 61 from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. But let me tell you somethin', this will be an absolute war between those two.
As for the Light Heavyweight finals, I say that Mike Bisping will win over Josh Haynes. Josh has a lot of work ahead of him and will the training over at Team Quest with Randy Couture and Nate Quarry be enough to beat Mike Bisping? We'll find out. Bisping has the cardio, the skills, the attitude, and the heart to survive in the UFC.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
War Bisping. He has the skills to take over from Ian Freeman's title as best British MMA fighter. He could easily headline a future UFC from the UK if it happens.
I agree. Mike Bisping has the tools to really succeed in the UFC.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission allows 1 pound over maximum, I think.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
I agree I have Bisping winning his fight next Saturday. I really wanted to see Bisping vs. Hamil but I guess we will have to wait on that. I bet we see that match at some point in the UFC.
The other match b/w Herman & Grove is really the match I'm looking forward to. I think it'll be the best fight on the card. I'm going with Grove as my early pick... but I reserve the right to change my mind by next Saturday.
What do you guys think... Was that Ortiz/Shamrock 'argument' staged?
I am confused -- are you talking about their little 'fight' last night when they were pushing and shoving each other?
Or are you talking about their fight a few years ago?
Wait, what? What happened last night/ Do you mean the altercation they had at the last TUF? If so, I don't think that was staged, because I don't think Tito would agree to that.
I was saying the Franklin/Shamrock fight was fixed.
Oh, I got ya. Yeah, their alteraction last night may not have been staged. I do think there is some bad blood between them. Still, you never know.
I don't think Franklin vs. Shamrock was staged. Franklin is just a better fighter at this point, IMO.
There is definetly bad blood between them, no doubt. Which is why I don't think their altercation was staged.
Franklin is a much better fighter, no doubt, but if you watch the fight, when Shamrock falls, he doesn't defend himself. He litterally sits there for about 1 full second with no defense, waiting to be pounced on.
As a reminder for all MMA fans:
If you miss an episode of Season 3 of the Ultimate Fighter:
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Marathon
Saturday, 6/24 from 9am-9pm
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Live Finale
Premieres Saturday, 6/24 at 9pm
Reairs on Saturday, 6/24 at 12am, Sunday, 6/25 at 5pm, and Monday, 6/26 at 10pm
All times ET/PT on Spike TV.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter 3 - Ultimate Finale 3 Fight Card via UFC.com
Date: 06/24/2006 6:00 PM
Event Type: Spike TV - The Ultimate Fighter Finale
Location: The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Undercard
Middleweight Bout: Ross Pointon vs. Rory Singer
Middleweight Bout: Danny Abaddi vs. Kalib Starnes
Middleweight Bout: Luigi Fioravanti vs. Solomon Hutcherson
Light Heavyweight Bout: Jesse Forbes vs. Matt Hamill
Light Heavyweight Bout: Wes Combs vs. Mike Nickels
Main card
Light Heavyweight Bout: Wilson Gouveia vs. Keith Jardine
Middleweight Final: Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
Light Heavyweight Final: Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes
Main Event - Lightweight Bout: Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout
Previews via Sherdog:
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3
Fight 1: Light Heavyweight Bout: Wes Combs vs. Mike Nickels
NICKELS: 6’ 4”, 205 pounds, 34, Denver, Colorado
BACKGROUND: Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist. Played tight end and defensive end on the football team in high school. Won a gold medal in jiu-jitsu competition at the 2005 Pan American Games. Is 3-1 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Beat TUF 3 cast member Noah Inhofer by rear choke at Ring of Fire 19. Mike was eliminated from competition on The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 in a decision loss to Matt Hamill.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Seasoned grappler. Knows the submission game. Prefers the ground.
COMBS: 6’ 2”, 205 pounds, 33, also known as “The Soldier,” from Victorville, California
BACKGROUND: Served in Marine Corps with rank of Corporal. Is 12-0 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 8-0 in the King of the Cage promotion.
Stopped PFC veteran Shannon Ritch (Pictures) with strikes at the Pit Fight Championship in 2001. KO’d UFC vet Tony Petarra (Pictures) King of the Cage 29. Stopped Brian Sesma (Pictures) with strikes at the KOTC Prime Time show.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Heavy hands. Prefers to strike. Has not gone the distance yet, stopping nine of 12 opponents with strikes.
Fight 2: Jesse Forbes v. Matt Hamill
FORBES: 6’ 2”, 205 pounds, 21, also known as “Kid Hercules,” from Tempe, Arizona
BACKGROUND: Decorated wrestler. Was a two-time All State wrestler in Arizona and a junior college NJCAA All-American Is 1-0 as a pro in MMA (2-1 overall).
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Jesse was eliminated from competition on TUF 3 when he lost by armbar to Noah Inhofer. Inhofer opted to leave the competition and Forbes was brought back. Lost again later in the season to Josh Haynes (Pictures) by guillotine choke.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Accomplished wrestler. Fast and athletic. Will take the fight anywhere.
HAMILL: 6’ “1, 205 pounds, 29, also known as “The Hammer,” from Cincinnati, Ohio
BACKGROUND: Highly decorated wrestler. Was the 2004 inductee in the Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame. Was the first U.S. wrestler to win gold medals in freestyle and Greco Roman competition in the 1997 World Games for the Deaf. Was a three-time NCAA National Champion and in 1997, he was named USA Deaf Sports Federation Athlete of the Year. He has two amateur fights to his credit.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Matt was eliminated from competition on TUF 3 when he injured his arm and sustained a concussion in his decision win over Mike Nickels.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Premiere wrestler. Can stand up too. “Handicap” doesn’t affect his fight game.
Fight 3: Luigi Fioravanti vs. Solomon Hutcherson
FIORAVANTI: 5’ 8”, 185 pounds, 25, from Orlando, Florida
BACKGROUND: Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist training with Gracie Barra in Florida. Wrestled in high school and studied judo. Served in the Marine Corps. Is 7-1 as a pro in MMA (8-1 overall).
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Won a decision over Thiago Gonclaves in Absolute Fighting Championships 11. Stopped George Allen with strikes at Real Fighting Championships 2. Lost a unanimous decision to Chris Leben (Pictures) at Ultimate Fight Night 4. Won a unanimous decision over Stephan Potvin (Pictures) at Apex Evolution on June 10.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Lost to Chris Leben (Pictures) by decision at Ultimate Fight Night 4.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Good striking. Will step-up last-minute to take a tough fight. Has trained with numerous UFC veterans.
HUTCHERSON: 5’ 11” inches, 185 pounds, 33, also known as “King,” from Racine, Wisconsin
BACKGROUND: Freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. Trained some boxing. Is 6-2 as a pro in MMA (10-3 overall).
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Lost to Rick Gravesen by rear choke at Freestyle Combat Challenge 8. Lost to Emyr Bussade by rear choke at HOOKnSHOOT AFC 1. Fought a bout resulting in a No Contest against UFC vet Jon Fitch (Pictures) at HOOKnSHOOT Boot Camp 1.1. KO’d by UFC vet Jorge Rivera (Pictures) at USMMA Ring of Fury 3. Submitted Kyle Olsen with a rear choke at Freestyle Combat Challenge 18.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Solid wrestling. Has fought UFC veterans before.
Fight 4: Danny Abaddi vs. Kalib Starnes
ABADDI: 5’ 11”, 185 pounds, 23, also known as “The Assassin,” from Amman, Jordan (fights out of Orlando, Florida)
BACKGROUND: Studied taekwondo since the age of 3 and became a “child prodigy,” teaching the art around the country by the time he was 12. Began training in kickboxing at age 15. Is 1-1 in amateur MMA bouts and 14-1 as a pro kickboxer.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: KO’d Chad Jay with a knee in just 11 seconds at the Reality Combat Fighting: Punishment show. Danny was eliminated from competition on TUF 3 when Ed Herman (Pictures) submitted him via armbar.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Good striking. Dangerous kicker.
STARNES: 6’ 3”, 185 pounds, 31, from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
BACKGROUND: Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist. Began training at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California, in 1994. Now training with the Revolution Fight Team. Is 6-0-1 as a pro in MMA (8-1-1 overall) and is the light heavyweight NHB champion of British Columbia (currently rated No. 2 as a middleweight in Canada).
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Kalib stopped Mike Stine with strikes in the first round of their fight on TUF. He was eliminated from competition when he could not continue due to rib injuries suffered in his bout with Kendall Grove (Pictures). He stopped Jason MacDonald (Pictures) with strikes in the first round of their bout at the National Fight Challenge 5.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Good overall fight game. He’s tall for a middleweight and his long body is an advantage in this division.
Fight 5: Ross Pointon vs. Rory Singer
POINTON: 5’ 8”, 185 pounds, 28, also known as “The Gladiator,” from England
BACKGROUND: Began training in karate at age 21 and holds a black belt. Teaches kickboxing and MMA at his Gladiator Gym. Is 4-6 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Stopped Francis Carmont with strikes in just over a minute of the first round at the UKMMAC 9: Smackdown show. Stopped by Valentijn Overeem (Pictures) in less than a minute at the Anarchy Fight Night show. Submitted by TUF 3 fighter Michael Bisping (Pictures) in the first round of their bout at the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Strike Force 4 show.
Ross was eliminated from competition when he was submitted via rear-choke by Kendall Grove (Pictures). However, when Matt Hamill fell out of the competition due to injury, Ross was brought back. Ross was eliminated a second time when he was pounded with strikes in the first round by Michael Bisping (Pictures).
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: He’s fearless. Possesses tremendous heart and physical toughness. Went up a weight class to fight when others opted not to continue.
SINGER: 6’ 2”, 185 pounds, 30, also known as “Version 2.5,” from Athens, Georgia
BACKGROUND: Began training in kickboxing at age 11. Also studied tae kwon do, boxing Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Competed in Muay Thai and boxing before MMA and won the Novice Golden Gloves champion in 1999 in Georgia as well as the Novice Georgia State title. In 2001 he won the IKF Georgia State Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Title. He recently received his brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Chris Haueter and teaches with his brother at their Hardcore Gym. He is 8-5 as a pro in MMA (9-6 overall).
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted by Dustin Denes (Pictures) at the World Extreme Fighting Championships 1. Lost a unanimous decision to PFC veteran Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) at Pride - The Best Vol. 3. KO’d Wilson Gouveia (Pictures) in the second round at King of the Cage 32. Was submitted by Dennis Hallman (Pictures) via triangle choke in the first round at the Absolute Fighting Championships 11. Rory was eliminated from competition on TUF 3 when he was submitted via rear choke by Ed Herman (Pictures).
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Complete package. Has studied stand-up and ground fighting for nearly 20 years.
Fight 6: Wilson Gouveia vs. Keith Jardine
JARDINE: 6’ 2’’, 205 pounds, 30, Albuquerque, New Mexico, also known as “The Dean of Mean”
BACKGROUND: Trains with Jackson’s Submission Fighting and holds a black belt in the art of Gaidojutsu. Jardine was a football coach and player (played defensive end at New Mexico Highlands University). He has worked as a personal trainer, firefighter, miner, and bounty hunter. He is 10-2-1 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted PFC veteran Amir Rahnavardi (Pictures) via armbar at Gladiator Challenge 5. Was KO’d by UFC veteran Travis Wiuff (Pictures) at Extreme Challenge 46. KO’d Bryan Pardoe (Pictures) at King of the Cage 20. Fought to a draw with UFC veteran Keiichiro Yamamiya (Pictures) at Pancrase Hybrid 8. Submitted Red Devil Arman Gambaryan via armbar at the M-1 Heavyweight GP.
UFC EXPERIENCE: 2-1. Stopped UFC veteran Kerry Schall (Pictures) with leg kicks at The Ultimate Fighter season two finale. Beat Mike Whitehead (Pictures) by decision at UFC 57. Lost a unanimous decision to Stephan Bonnar (Pictures) at Ultimate Fight Night 4.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Can take the fight anywhere. Will bring the action to his opponent. Raises his game to meet or surpass the competition.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Jardine gets better with each performance. May feel he was robbed in the Bonnar fight. He needs to meet and beat a major division contender like “Babalu,” Griffin or Ortiz.
GOUVEIA: 6’1”, 205 pounds, 27, Coconut Creek, Florida
BACKGROUND: Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with the American Top Team. He is 6-3 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Stopped UFC veteran Jon Fitch (Pictures) with knees at HOOKnSHOOT Absolute Fighting Championships 1. Was stopped with strikes by PFC veteran Hirotaka Yokoi (Pictures) at HOOKnSHOOT AFC 2. Split a pair of bouts with UFC veteran Ron Faircloth (Pictures) in the Absolute Fighting Championships promotion, losing by TKO at AFC 4 and winning by decision at AFC 6. Was KO’d by TUF 3 cast member Rory Singer at King of the Cage 32. Stopped Mike Delaney (Pictures) with strikes at Freestyle Combat Challenge 15. KO’d PFC veteran Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Pictures) at Euphoria "USA vs. Japan."
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Ground technician who likes to trade on the feet. Will happily go down swinging.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Haven’t seen many of Gouveia’s recent bouts but I remember being impressed after the Yokoi fight. Given he’s a BJJ black belt, he’s an interesting addition to the division and could really test the ground skills of guys like Chuck or Vitor (if he returns to the States).
Fight 7: Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
GROVE: 6’6’’, 185 pounds, 23, Maui, Hawaii, also known as “Da Spyder”
BACKGROUND: All State Hawaiian wrestler in the 170-pound division and was a standout wide receiver on the Baldwin High School football team. He is the current Total Combat middleweight champion and is 5-3 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Was KO’d by UFC veteran Joe Riggs (Pictures) at Rumble on the Rock 5. Was KO’d by Hector Ramirez (Pictures) at King of the Cage “Mortal Sins.” Kendall advanced in the competition on TUF 3 when he submitted Ross Pointon in the first round. He advanced to the finals when he stopped Kalib Starnes (Pictures), who withdrew due to an injury.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Huge size and reach. Big heart.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Kendall is an enormous middleweight and he’s only 23. Working with Team Ortiz certainly helped sharpen his skills. If he gets with the right camp he could be around for a long time.
HERMAN: 6’2’’, 185 pounds, 25, Portland, Oregon, also known as “Short Fuse”
BACKGROUND: Team Quest team member and graduate of the gym’s instructor’s course. He graduated from Columbia River High School and was an All-State wrestler in the 168-pound division. He was also a standout defensive lineman on the football team. In combat fighting he has won the Sportfight light heavyweight title, ISKA middleweight title, Desert Brawl middleweight title (both amateur and pro), and the Ring Wars middleweight title. Ed is 10-3 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted KOTC veteran Jacen Flynn at Sportfight 3. Split a pair of bouts with Shane Davis (Pictures), losing by submission at Quest Promotions, and winning by submission at Sportfight 4. Was submitted by PFC veteran Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) in the 2004 Pancrase Neo Blood tournament. Submitted Strikeforce veteran Brian Ebersole (Pictures) at Sportfight 5. Was submitted by Joe Doerksen (Pictures) at Sportfight 7. Stopped Nick Thompson (Pictures) at the Hand to Hand Combat show and finished veteran Dave Menne (Pictures) at Extreme Challenge 63. Ed advanced in the competition on TUF 3 when he submitted Danny Abbadi via armbar in the first round. He advanced to the show’s finale when he submitted Rory Singer via rear-choke.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Solid wrestling skills. Enjoys pounding people on the mat.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Ed held some deep pent up aggression for not getting picked by Ortiz for his team all season. The best way to show Tito he made a mistake is by winning that contract. It would also add to the legend of Team Quest.
Fight 8: Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes
BISPING: 6’2’’, 205 pounds, 27, Liverpool, England, also known as “The Count”
BACKGROUND: Fights as part of the Wolfslair Gym. Began learning jiu-jitsu at 8 and won the Silver medal in the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships at 16. Michael is the Cage Warriors world champion, FX3 world champion, former Cage Rage British champion and the three-time British super heavyweight kickboxing champion. He is 10-0 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Stopped Mark Epstein (Pictures) with strikes at Cage Rage 7 and then KO’d him at Cage Rage 9. Submitted Alex Cook at Freestyle Fighting Federation 3. Submitted Jakob Lovstad at Cage Warriors Fighting Championships 3. Submitted TUF 3 cast member Ross Pointon at Cage Warriors Fighting Championships 4. Michael advanced when he stopped Kris Rotharmel with strikes in the first round. He advanced to TUF 3 final when he stopped Ross Pointon with strikes in the first round.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: A wealth of experience. Undefeated in MMA. Always in top condition.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Michael was a lot of people’s pick to win this contract from the beginning. The bigger shock may be if he doesn’t win it. Look for him to be in the mix against someone like Jardine or Gouveia real soon.
HAYNES: 5’9’’, 205 pounds, 28, Portland, Oregon, also known as “Bring The Pain”
BACKGROUND: Fights as part of the New World Fighters camp. Fought his first bout at 330 pounds and has lost 125 pounds since. Josh is the FCFF heavyweight champion and the Pacific NW heavyweight champion. He is 7-4 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Lost a decision to KOTC veteran Jerry Vrbanovic (Pictures) at Rage on the River. Was submitted by Rage in the Cage veteran Vince Lucero (Pictures) at Lords of the Cage. Lost a decision to UFC veteran Shonie Carter (Pictures) at IFC “Rock N’ Rumble.” Josh advanced when he defeated Tait Fletcher (Pictures) by split decision. He advanced to the finals when he submitted Jesse Forbes by guillotine choke in the second round.
UFC EXPERIENCE: Debut.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Brawler. Will have to be put down to stay down.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Haynes will give it all he’s got but at 5’ 9” he’s short for a light heavyweight. He’ll likely take even more weight off that frame and go farther as a middleweight.
Fight 9: Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout
STOUT: 5’9’’, 155 pounds, 22, Ontario, Canada, also known as “Hands of Stone”
BACKGROUND: Fights as part Team Tompkins. He’s been fighting since he was 16 and has fought close to 30 kickboxing bouts. Sam is the current TKO lightweight champion and is 9-1-1 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Was submitted by Jay Estrada (Pictures) at the Total Martial Arts Challenge. Fought to a draw with Joey Clark (Pictures) at the International Cage Combat trials. KO’d Yves Jabouin in the first round at TKO 16. Won a unanimous decision over Tyler Jackson (Pictures) at TKO 20. Won back-to-back bouts over Donald Ouimet (Pictures), taking a decision at TKO 21 and knocking him out at TKO 23.
UFC EXPERIENCE: 1-0. Won a split decision over Spencer Fisher (Pictures) at UFC 58.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Fast hands. Has won six of nine bouts with strikes.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Stout has been staying with and training with top welterweight contender and fellow Canadian Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) in preparation for Florian in addition to working with Team Tompkins. As a result his ground game has likely improved dramatically. He also knows the winner here likely gets a shot at Sean Sherk (Pictures) for the lightweight title.
FLORIAN: 5’8’’, 155 pounds, 30, Boston, Massachusetts, also known as “KenFlo”
BACKGROUND: Kenny is a BJJ black belt under Roberto Maia. He has won numerous grappling honors including a Pan-American BJJ medalist, a NAGA BJJ Superfight Champion, a Grapplers Quest Superfight champion, a 2002 U.S. Grappling Pro eight-man champion and a 2002 Copa Atlantica BJJ Champion. He is also a two-time Mass Destruction Superfight Champion and is 3-2 as a pro in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Lost a decision to Drew Fickett (Pictures) at the Combat Zone “Gravel Pit” show. Beat Chris Leben (Pictures) by TKO from a cut stoppage on season one of The Ultimate Fighter.
UFC EXPERIENCE: 2-1. Lost to Diego Sanchez (Pictures) by strikes. Stopped Alex Karalexis (Pictures) with strikes at Ultimate Fight Night 1. Submitted Kit Cope via rear choke at TUF season two finale.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Extensive grappling skills. Highly decorated sportsman. Has shown the ability to rise to challenges and come out on top.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Florian fights sporadically and it is difficult to know what he can really do in the sport. Maybe we’ll have a better idea now that the UFC has reinstituted the lightweight division.
Last edited by BroadwayBomber55; 06-24-06 at 10:56 PM.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
My Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Picks
Undercard
Middleweight Bout: Ross Pointon vs. Rory Singer
My pick: Ross Pointon
Middleweight Bout: Danny Abaddi vs. Kalib Starnes
My Pick: Kalib Starnes
Middleweight Bout: Luigi Fioravanti vs. Solomon Hutcherson
My Pick: Solomon Hutcherson
Light Heavyweight Bout: Jesse Forbes vs. Matt Hamill
My Pick: Matt Hamill
Light Heavyweight Bout: Wes Combs vs. Mike Nickels
My Pick: Mike Nickels
Main card
Light Heavyweight Bout: Wilson Gouveia vs. Keith Jardine
My Pick: Keith Jardine
Middleweight Final: Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
My Pick: Kendall Grove
Light Heavyweight Final: Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes
My Pick: Michael Bisping
Main Event - Lightweight Bout: Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout
My Pick: Sam Stout
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
Another reminder for all MMA fans,
Take a look at PRIDE's Latest PPV: Critical Countdown Absolute 2006 on July 2nd at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
The second round of the PRIDE Open-Weight tournament. Who will move on to the next step in becoming PRIDE's absolute fighting champion.
Fight Card:
Complete Fight Card via Wikipedia:
Eight fighters currently remain in the Open-Weight tournament. Seven of them advanced to the second round by winning their first-round match in the PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute event. The exception is Wanderlei Silva who was granted a bye to the second round due to his status as the reigning PRIDE Middleweight Champion after PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko forfeited his bye after he was deemed unfit to compete due to a nagging hand injury.
Tournament Bouts
Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Josh Barnett vs. Mark Hunt
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum
Undercard Bouts
Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Pawel Nastula vs. Edson Drago
Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Lee Eun Su
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
Another reminder for all MMA fans
Catch Ultimate Fight Night Live 5 from the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday, June 28th at 8 PM ET/PT on Spike TV.
Fight Card from UFC.com
Main Card:
Middleweight Bout: Chris Leben vs Anderson Silva
Light Heavyweight Bout: Rashad Evans vs. Stephan Bonnar
Lightweight Bout: Jorge Gurgel vs Mark Hominick
Undercard:
Light Heavyweight Bout: Branden Lee Hinkle vs. Jason Lambert
Welterweight Bout: Dave Menne vs. Josh Koscheck
Welterweight Bout: Jonathan Goulet vs. Luke Cummo
Welterweight Bout: Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves
Middleweight Bout: Jorge Santiago vs. Justin Levens
Light Heavyweight Bout: Kristian Rothaermel vs. Rob MacDonald
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
Broadway, thanks for all of the posts.Another reminder for all MMA fans,
Take a look at PRIDE's Latest PPV: Critical Countdown Absolute 2006 on July 2nd at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
The second round of the PRIDE Open-Weight tournament. Who will move on to the next step in becoming PRIDE's absolute fighting champion.
Fight Card:
Complete Fight Card via Wikipedia:
Eight fighters currently remain in the Open-Weight tournament. Seven of them advanced to the second round by winning their first-round match in the PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute event. The exception is Wanderlei Silva who was granted a bye to the second round due to his status as the reigning PRIDE Middleweight Champion after PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko forfeited his bye after he was deemed unfit to compete due to a nagging hand injury.
Tournament Bouts
Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Josh Barnett vs. Mark Hunt
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum
Undercard Bouts
Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Pawel Nastula vs. Edson Drago
Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Lee Eun Su
I completely forgot that Belfort was in Pride. I hope he can turn his career around.
I hope so too. "The Phenom" hasn't been the same since he was devastated about the disappearance of his sister, Priscila, on January 9th. Vitor won the fight in UFC 46: Supernatural over Randy Couture, but since then he's been inconsistent. Losing a split decision to Tito Ortiz, lost to Alistair Overseem twice.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Live Results via Sherdog.com
Organization: Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date: June 24, 2006
Location: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Preliminary Bouts
1 Mike Nickels d. Wes Combs via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1 3:10
2 Matt Hamill d. Jesse Forbes via TKO (Strikes) Round 1 4:47
3 Luigi Fioravanti d. Solomon Hutcherson via KO (Punch) Round 1 4:15
4 Kalib Starnes d. Danny Abaddi via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1 2:56
5 Rory Singer d. Ross Pointon via Submission (Triangle Choke) Round 1 :44
Live Bouts
6 Keith Jardine d. Wilson Gouveia via Decision (Unanimous)
7 Kendall Grove d. Ed Herman via Decision (Unanimous)
8 Michael Bisping d. Josh Haynes via TKO (Strikes) Round 2 4:14
9 Kenny Florian d. Sam Stout via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Round 1 1:46
Last edited by BroadwayBomber55; 06-24-06 at 10:49 PM.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Fight By Fight Recap via Sherdog.com
Preliminary Fight #1: Wes Combs vs. Mike Nickels
Round 1
First stanza starts with some sloppy striking and a clinch up against the fence. After a quick scramble, Nickels was able to secure a rear naked choke for the victory at 3:10 of the first round.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Fight By Fight Recap via Sherdog.com
Preliminary Fight #2: Matt Hamill vs. Jesse Forbes
Round 1
Hamill out-classed Forbes big time in this match. The Ohio wrestler scored a early takedown and put a savage display of ground and pound on for those in attendance. Forbes had a triangle attempt midway through the round, but Hamill was able to escape to his feet, where he scored the final takedown of the fight followed by more brutal elbows and punches forcing the referee to stop the bout at 4:47 of the first round.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Fight By Fight Recap via Sherdog.com
Preliminary Fight #3: Luigi Fioravanti vs. Solomon Hutcherson
Round 1
Excellent battle here with both men trading strikes and going for submissions. At the 4-minute mark, Luigi caught Solomon on the chin with a solid left hook that knocked him out cold. Before the ref could intervene, the Florida native was able to land 2 extra punches on his already sleeping opponent. Luigi Fioravanti wins by KO (Punch) at 4:15 of the first period.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Fight By Fight Recap via Sherdog.com
Preliminary Bout #4: Danny Abaddi vs. Kalib Starnes
Round 1
After another long intermission, Kalib Starnes took to the cage to face Danny Abaddi. After about a minute of sprawl and brawl action, Kalib was able to take the fight to the floor. Showing good control and tight positioning, Starnes moved to his opponent's back and forced a tap via rear naked choke at 2:56 of the first round.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Fight By Fight Recap via Sherdog.com
Preliminary Bout #5: Rory Singer vs. Ross Pointon
Round 1
The fights starts with some circling, with Ross looking to land a big shot. At the 30 second mark, the British fighter lands a huge left that drops Singer. As Ross dives in to finish with strikes, he gets caught in a triangle choke and taps at 44 seconds of the first round.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3: Ultimate Finale Weigh-Ins via MMAWeekly
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...2270&zoneid=13
Here are the official weights for the fighters (in pounds):
Main Event:
Kenny Florian (155) vs. Sam Stout (155)
Light Heavyweight Finals:
Michael Bisping (205) vs. Josh Haynes (205)
Middleweight Finals:
Ed Herman (186) vs. Kendall Grove (184.5)
Undercard Fights:
Wilson Gouveia (204) vs. Keith Jardine (205)
Ross Pointon (184) vs. Rory Singer (185)
Danny Abbadi (184) vs. Kalib Starnes (186)
Luigi Fioravanti (186.5) vs. Solomon Hutcherson (185.5)
Jesse Forbes (204) vs. Matt Hamill (205)
Wes Combs (205) vs. Mike Nickels (205)
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Fight By Fight Recap via Sherdog.com
Live Fight #1: Light Heavyweight Bout - Keith Jardine vs. Wilson Gouveia
Round 1
Jardine starts with some clean looking jabs and leg kicks that fall just short of range. Gouveia looks calm as he uses footwork to avoid Jardine's strikes. Jardine is bleeding after a crisp jab from the ATT fighter. Solid leg kick from Gouveia as Keith charges in. Jardine now limping after several kicks find their target. A nice left stuns Jardine. With thirty seconds to go in the round, Wilson scores a takedow but Jardnie rises to his feet quickly.
Sherdog Score: 10-9 Gouveia
BB55's scorecard after Round 1: 10-9 Gouveia
Round 2
Not much action to start round 2, except for a few glancing kicks by Jardine. A head kick lands for Jardine. Gouveia catches a kick attempt and puts his opponent on the mat. Both fighters quickly back to their feet. Gouveia starting to tire and absorb punishment. Wilson is hurt by an acccidental kick to the groin and is given a chance to recover but he only takes 30 seconds or so. Round two ends with Jardine in control of this fight.
Sherdog Score: 10-9 Jardine
BB55's scorecard after Round 2: 10-9 Jardine (Tied at 19-19 after 2 rounds)
Round 3
The Ultimate Fighter veteran is hurt by another legkick as the third period begins. Left high kick from the ATT fighter lands. Jardine scores a single-leg takedown and pushes his opponent to the cage. Jardine is bleeding heavily as Wilson escapes to his feet. Gouveia lands a right that briefly drops Keith. Jardine's face is a big mess with 2 minutes to go. Both fighters trade sluggish, tired haymakers with 40 seconds to go. Jardine pieces together a nice combo and a left hook as the fight ends.
Sherdog Score: 10-9 Jardine (29-28 total for Jardine)
BB55's scorecard after Round 3 10-9 Jardine (29-28 Total Jardine)
Official Score: 29-28x3 for Jardine
Official Result: Keith Jardine d. Wilson Gouveia via Unaminous Decision
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Ultimate Finale Fight By Fight Recap via Sherdog.com
Live Fight #2: TUF Middleweight Final - Ed Herman vs. Kendall Grove
Round 1
Herman throws a big overhand right and shoots in to start the fight. Grove looking for the armbar while spinning off the cage. He has the arm secured and is now trying to straighten the arm.
Kendall tried for several minutes to finish the hold but Herman escapes. The Team Quest fighter is now in half-guard. Grove manages to get to his feet and lands a knee to his opponents midsection before being taken down. Herman back in half-guard and dropping elbows. The round ends with Grove taking punishment.
Sherdog Score: 10-9 Herman
BB55's scorecard after Round 1: 10-9 Herman
Round 2
Ed Herman scores another takedown as the second round begins. Grove passes an armbar as is now working for a triangle. Herman shows some serious heart in escaping. Again Grove has a deep triangle. Herman escapes but now finds himself on the bottom of north-south position. Herman back to his feet but Kendall quickly takes the wrestler down. Herman now looking for the triangle. Grove escapes but Herman hops on his back with one hook. The amazing round ends with both fighters extremely fatigued.
Sherdog Score: 10-10 Draw
BB55's scorecard after Round 2: 10-10 Draw (20-19 Herman)
Round 3
Round three begins with Herman barely able to stand from exhaustion. Ed scores a gutsy takedown against the fence. After Kendall battled to standing position and a brief clinch, Herman scores a double-leg and takes his opponent's back. Herman now has both hooks in and pounding away. Ed goes for an armbar. Kendall escapes and takes Herman's back. He has a rear naked choke. Kendall escapes and takes Herman's back. He has a rear naked choke. The choke is now deep with 10 seconds to go. Fight ends with Herman's face blood red and still being choked.
Sherdog Score: 10-10 Draw (30-29 Herman)
BB55's scorecard after Round 3: 10-10 Draw (30-29 Herman)
Official Result:29-28 x 3 (Kendall Grove)
Official Result: Kendall Grove d. Ed Herman via Decision (Unaminous)
This was an incredible battle, right on par with Griffin-Bonnar from TUF season 1.
Dana White awards both fighters with a six-figure contract after the memorable fight.
Last edited by BroadwayBomber55; 06-24-06 at 09:46 PM.
"Don't Give Up...Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy Valvano
One must know pain to be a hero.
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