UFC: 119 Mir lulls Cro Cop to sleep

In the UFC 119 main event, Frank Mir dropped Mirko Cro Cop with a well- timed right knee to the kisser that was followed by a heavy right to the chin for insurance, as the Croatian lay flat on his back, to finally knock him out with just 58 seconds left in the fight. It was the highlight of a rather dull and slow fight where neither fighter was keen on fighting toe to toe as they elected not to engage each other up until the last minute. It was the end of an arduous journey for both fighters who simply did not have the will to fight which was unthinkable in their younger days.

The knockout was the culmination of the match that was spent more on holding and hugging each other rather than fighting. It was the end of a boring fight that put the fans up their seats but for the wrong reasons. It was the zenith of a fight that was characterized more by non- action than by fireworks that left the fans with no other choice but to rain the Conseco Fieldhouse with boos. It was the climax of a slow and tactical fight that ended up with no winner.

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UFC 118: James Toney tries to prove that he is no joke against Randy Couture

Who would have thought that a fight between two 40-somethings would steal the thunder from the main event at UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2?

Both James "Lights Out" Toney and Randy "The Natural" Couture are accomplished fighters in their own right and in their own side of the fight spectrum. But this fight is more than just what meets the eye if both warriors can deliver on fight night.

Credit James Toney for creating the hype since the 42- year old boxer and many- time champion from Grand Rapids really knows how to catch your attention every time he opens his mouth. Or blame him for making his mixed martial arts debut against UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture a comical one or worse, a freak show.

The match up has the making of a circus or it could turn out to be a classic. The plot line is intriguing and compelling: boxing versus MMA or two old grizzled warriors trying for a last shot at glory. The hardcore boxing and MMA fans in Michigan, though, are not sold out on the fight and are not really treating this match- up seriously. It's obvious that both fighters are way past their prime and are no longer relevant except for entertainment value or some form of nostalgia.

But tell that to the two fighters who are so into it that the verbal sparring was there from the get- go. They proclaim that they are raring to mix it up inside the ring just to prove that they still have it and show the fight world who is the better fighter. The heavy underdog Toney is talking about him showing that boxing is better than MMA while his 47- year old nemesis is saying that his opponent will find the Octagon very different from the ring and vows to teach Toney a neat lesson in mixed martial arts.

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Lights Out

Saturday Night. Two fights. Same results.




Lyoto Machida's dismantling of the previously undefeated Rashad Evans at UFC 98 was an eye- opener. He will reign as the Light Heavyweight champion a bit longer than his predecessors not only because of his talent but his awkward style that baffles his opponents no end. But make no mistake about it, this Brazilian got game.



On the other hand, Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan recovered from an early knockdown in the first round to hand Johnny Gonzales another stoppage in the third round to retain his WBC Super Bantamweight crown. I am not impressed with Nishioka as fighter but on this particular occasion he rose to the challenge and poleaxed the once promising Mexican right in his own backyard to silence the rowdy crowd.


The two fights were really good but not spectacular in my book. There were flashes of brilliance but there were moments of indecisiveness. Still the winners deserved the wins.

Watch the fights here--

Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida


Toshiaki Nishioka versus Johnny Gonzales

The Iceman melts under pressure

It's the end of an era. The legendary Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (21-7) melted against the hammer fists of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (18-3) in the Octagon at UFC 97 Saturday night.

Referee Mario Yamasaki halted the fight when The Iceman was unable to protect himself from the head blows that Shogun is raining on him to prevent further damage. Liddell has now lost three of his last four fights.

Much as I want to see more of Chuck Liddell in the Octagon but in the brutal world of Mixed Martial Arts, I am inclined to see him to just fade into the sunset with his dignity intact. He is not the same fighter that electrified the MMA fans earlier in his career.

He's done and accomplished everything as a fighter and there is nothing left for him to prove. It's time for him to just relax and enjoy his fortune because to his legions of supporters, The Iceman was and still is a legend in the Octagon, no matter what.

UFC 92

December 27, 2008
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada



Wanderlei Silva versus Quinton "Rampage" Jackson





World Light Heavyweight Championship

Forest Griffin versus Rashad Evans

UFC 91: Lesnar walloped Couture in 2

In just fourth MMA match, Lesnar reaches top of the sport
Dave Deibert, TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Sunday, November 16, 2008
The future of mixed-martial-arts has arrived. His name: Brock Lesnar.

In just his fourth career MMA match, Lesnar (3-1) captured the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title in spectacular fashion, scoring a TKO over UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture (16-9) at 3:07 of the second round of the main event of UFC 91 on Saturday night, stunning a capacity crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Lesnar caught Couture with a right hand to the side of the 45-year-old's head, sending the five-time champion staggering to the mat. Lesnar quickly pounced and rained two dozen unanswered shots down; referee Mario Yamasaki gave Couture as much time as possible to defend himself and recover but eventually had to jump in and stop the bout.


Many critics sounded off against the raw but athletic Lesnar, a former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, getting a title shot so soon in his career. But the decision by UFC proved justified; with just 25 minutes of ring time in his career, Lesnar has reached the mountain top: UFC heavyweight champ.

"That sounds really good. I can't believe it. I can't believe it," Lesnar, a former NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion, said in the ring following the bout.

With the crowd buzzing in anticipation - UFC 91 could wind up as the most successful pay-per-view in company history - the two went toe-to-toe in the first round, with Couture scoring some good shots and Lesnar using his size to control Couture.

Midway through the second round, Lesnar - looking much improved in the stand-up game - drilled Couture with a big right hand. As Couture fell to the mat, the crowd rose to its collective feet, feeling the end was near. Couture tried to regain his senses but Lesnar was all over him, forcing the finish.

"I just believe in hard work and that it pays off," said the 6-foot-3 Lesnar, who entered the Octagon with a roughly 60-pound weight advantage over the 220-pound Couture.

Couture, who stayed down on the mat for several minutes following the match, gave full credit to Lesnar and his powerful XXXL fists.

"It's hard to get out of the way of those," Couture said.

It was Couture's first fight since August 2007; he had been in a year-long legal dispute with UFC that kept him out of the ring until returning for this title defence. Still, he said he didn't feel ring rust was an issue.

"That's just a big son of a bitch," said Couture.

"I felt good. He's just a big guy, he caught me with a big shot."

Up next for Lesnar: the winner of next month's match-up between interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir. Noguiera was crowned interim champion during Couture's absence. Mir, meanwhile, defeated Lesnar via submission in 90 seconds in Lesnar's UFC debut.

In other matches:

- Kenny Florian (13-3) scored an impressive win over Joe Stevenson (29-9) in a battle of lightweight title contenders, forcing Stevenson to tap out to a rear naked choke 4:03 into the first round.

The two went back and forth for most of the round before Florian floored Stevenson. Florian followed him to the mat and scored with several big shots, and as Stevenson tried to turn away, Florian caught him in a choke and made him submit.

- In a match that wasn't originally scheduled for the main card but got bumped after another fight was cancelled, Dustin Hazelett (12-4) beat Tamdan McCrory (10-2) via armbar submission at 3:59 of an entertaining welterweight battle.

- Heavyweight title hopeful Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3) gave Josh Hendricks (15-5-1) a rough welcome to UFC, scoring a TKO victory just 1:01 into Hendricks's UFC debut.

- In the pay-per-view opener, Demian Maia (10-0) made short work of Nate Quarry (10-3), forcing the alumnus of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show to tap out to a rear raked choke just 2:13 into the first round of a middleweight bout.

FIGHT NOTES: Up next is UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008, one of the most stacked cards in recent memory - light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin defends against Rashad Evans; Nogueira takes on Mir; and light heavyweight contenders Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson go head-to-head . . . On the undercard of UFC 91, Canadian Mark Bocek defeated Alvin Robinson via rear naked choke at 3:16 of the third round.

ddeibert@sp.canwest.com