***spoilers*** UFC News and Discussion Thread

[Javs]

And in more Brock news. He came on a K1 show last night and announced he was going to fight at the LV Hero's event. And to add on to that, Royce Gracie came out and said he was going to train him. It's a one fight deal I'm pretty sure.

So basically, Brock is training with one of the best camps in MMA, acclaimed Boxers and Kickboxers, and now with one of the best BJJ specialists. He's really not pulling any stops with this one. All of that training + a NCAA Div 1 Championship background + a physical specimen like Brock Lesner is just scary. If he has a good chin, I fully expect him to live up to the hype.

Last night? I think you are a week behind on this one.

[Guest Takayamanofear]

I just want to add for any one who has not seen it try to get your hands on the K-1 Heros from earlier this month. Probably one of the best shows I have seen this year.

[Enter Blue Guy]

A snippet about Dana White on Liddell/Silva.

White had announced July 8 that the winner of the Aug. 26 light heavyweight title fight between Chuck Liddell and Babalu Sobral would meet Wanderlei Silva, a star in the Pride Fighting Championship. But White has had difficulty negotiating a deal with Pride and said Thursday a Silva fight would not occur.

[ACCBiggz]

I've been hearing of the PRIDE/UFC news, and if PRIDE backs out.... imo, makes them look very bad and does not help their USA status. This can only hurt them after they have announced it because it could be construed that they are scared.

As for GSP/Hughes... NO :'(

[Fitzy]

It's official, GSP vs. Hughes is not happen. It's Penn vs. Hughes.

Georges St. Pierre made the decision today to pull out of his 9/23 PPV match with Matt Hughes due to a groin pull that has hampered his wrestling training. UFC then officially announced Hughes vs. B.J. Penn as the new main event. Penn is now pulled from his 10/10 match scheduled for Spike TV.

Penn defeated Hughes two years ago to win the welterweight title. Penn was then stripped of the title when he signed for a fight with the K-1 organization. Hughes ended up winning back the championship and has defended it ever since.

[ACCBiggz]

Yushin Okami vs Alan Belcher

Cory Walmsley vs David Heath

Wes Combs vs Wilson Gouveia

Eric Schafer vs Rob MacDonald

Jamie Varner vs Hermes Franca

Christian Wellisch vs Cheick Kongo

Nick Diaz vs Josh Neer

Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin

Chuck Liddell vs Renato Sobral

My Predictions ^^^ Results Below

Yushin Okami vs Alan Belcher

R1

Not much action in the opening stage. Both fighters felt eachother out for most of the first 5 minutes, with Okami mounting some offense in the second half of the round. Okami scored a takedown then mount, before Belcher was able to scramble to his feet. Okami lands a left hook before the round closes. Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for the Japanese fighter.

R2

Belcher comes out more agrresive in the second round. He throws a flying knee that is caught by Okami. Yushin trips him and quickly moves to side-control. Belcher escapes to his feet but is taken down again. Sherdog.com scroes it 10-9 for Okami.

R3

Okami gets a fast takedown and takes Belcher's back. He's got both hooks in and looking for the choke. Belcher using good hand control to defend. Okami starting to punch Belcher from behind. Belcher escapes and ends up in Okami's guard. Yushin going for a Kimura. Once again Belcher escapes to his feet. Okami lands a punch combo and scores another takedown with an insdie trip. He finishes the fight pounding away in Belcher's guard.Sherdog.com scores all three rounds for Yushin Okami.

Official Score:

30-27

30-27

29-28 All for Okami.

Cory Walmsley vs David Heath

R1

Walmsley lands a right hand to kick off the action. Heath quickly clinches and scores a takedown. Heath working from the top in his opponent's guard with punches and elbows. Walmsley tries to escape to his feet but Heath jumps on his back and forces a tapot with a rear naked choke at 2:32 of the first round.

Wes Combs vs Wilson Gouveia

R1

Both fighters circling for the first 90 seconds. Wilson lands a hard low kick then a takedown. From there, Gouveia effortlessly advanced to Combs' back and ended the fight with a rear naked choke at 3:23 of the first period.

Eric Schafer vs Rob MacDonald

R1

First round starts with both fighters pawing lazy jabs at each other. Schafer tries to pull guard and go for a front choke. MacDonald escapes and gets to his feet. Schafer scores a takedown into MacDonald's guard. Schafer moves to mount, then his opponent's back. MacDonald rolls over and Schafer catches him with a arm-triangle choke. Referee Herb Dean calls a stop to the contest at 2:26 of the first round after MacDonald is choked unconscious by the Kata-Gatame hold.

Jamie Varner vs Hermes Franca

R1

Varner striking well from the outside as the first round begins. Hermes working leg kicks and trying to close the distance. Varner shoots in and Hermes attempts a guillotine. Varner now standing with Hermes lying on the canvas. Varner looking comfortable early in the round as he lunges in with punches. Hermes catches a punch and tries an omaplata. Hermes scrambles to his feet and attempts another guillotine. Both fighters now standing. Varner lands a solid knee to Hermes’ midsection. Hermes lands a right hand just before the round closes. Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Varner.

R2

Varner scores a single-leg takedown and lands some punches from Hermes’ guard. Again Franca looks for an omaplata. Varner moves to his feet and Franca follows. Varner scores another takedown. Varner now on Hermes’ back, with Franca working for a Kimura. Varner back in Franca's guard and working elbows and punches. Heavy strikes from with Franca’s guard landing for Varner. Another takedown from Jamie. 90 seconds remain in the round. Heavy strikes from with Franca’s guard landing for Varner. Another takedown from Jamie. 90 seconds remain in the round. Varner moved to mount briefly before being swept by Franca. Sherdog.com scores the second phase 10-9 for Varner.

R3

Perhaps sensing his possible disadvantage on the judges’ scorecards, Hermes turns up the heat. Franca lands a knee that stuns Varner. Referee “Big” John McCarthy takes a point from Varner for running but it allows him time to recover. Varner now working from Hermes’ guard. Franca finishes the fight with a nasty unorthodox armbar from an omaplata position at 3:31 of the third round.

Christian Wellisch vs Cheick Kongo

R1

Hard inside leg kick lands for Kongo to start the first stage. Wellisch clinches and scores a takedown into side-control. Wellisch moves to mount and goes for an armbar. Kongo shows good defense as he escapes and gets back to his feet. Hard knees and punches rock Wellisch as he runs away to recover. Kongo had his opponent rocked badly. Kongo lands a brutal knee that ends the fight at 2:51 of the first.

Nick Diaz vs Josh Neer

R1

Neer and Diaz willing to trade early. Diaz cinches and Neer lands a knee. Left and a right from Diaz find their mark. Neer pushes Diaz against the cage and lands a solid knee to the midsection. Diaz lands a right hand that briefly stuns the Iowan. Diaz starting to find his range as he lands several unanswered punches. The First round goes to Nick Diaz, 10-9.

R2

Diaz continues to outbox Neer from the outside and inside. Diaz lands 5 consecutive body shots. Big right hand and a head kick lads for Diaz. Knee to the body scores for Diaz. Diaz sores the first takedown of the night at the 2-minute mark. Both fighters standing again as Diaz continues to pick apart Neer on his feet. Neer lands a big left hand but Diaz answers with shot, accurate punches. Diaz scores another takedown. 20-18 for Diaz after two rounds.

R3

Neer attempts a guillotine but Diaz blocks and moves to side-control. Diaz secures a Kimura and forces a tapout at 1:42 into the third stanza.

Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin

R1

Left straight lands for Forrest to kick off the action. Forrest throwing short, straight punches while Bonnar is loading up. Bonnar attempts a leg kick but just misses. It looks like both fighters are burning off a little nervous energy. Bonnar lands a spinning back kick. The pace picks up as both fighters trade punches and Forrest rushes forward then backs away to throw a leg kick. Forrest lands a left hand before the bell rings to signal the end of the round. Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 for Griffin.

R2

Right counter lands for Griffin to start the second. Forrest looking crisp with his boxing while Bonnar tries to circle the cage. Forrest, boxing well and cutting off his opponent’s movement, appears to be the more refined striker. Bonnar lands a left and a right punch. Crisp jab connects for Griffin. Bonnar starting to swing wildly. Right hand lands for Stephan as the round closes. Sherdog.com gives the close round to Griffin, 10-9.

R3

Griffin tuning up the pace as he rushes forward with punches. Both fighters now bleeding. Right hand lead lands for Forrest. Right then a left find their target for Bonnar. Griffin lands a head kick but Bonnar isn’t fazed. Left hook lands for Griffin. One minute left in the bout. Finally the action sustains a familiar pace as both fighters swing for the fences. The fight ends just as the action picks up. All three judges score the bout 30-27 for Forrest Griffin.

Chuck Liddell vs Renato Sobral

“Babalu" enters the cage to Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says.” Liddell follows to DMX’s “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot Intro.”

R1

Liddell lands a barrage of punches and puts “Babalu” away quickly. It looked for a second that Renato would survive the onslaught but another right hand on the ground finishes any thoughts of a competitive title bout 1:35 sec in. It was a uppercut as “Babalu” rushed forward that started the beginning of the end.

Edited August 27, 2006 by ACCBiggz

[Fitzy]

Nick Diaz vs. Josh Neer was all Diaz and he looked good in it. I want to see him get a rematch with Diego now.

Griffin vs. Bonnar was solid, but not nearly as good as the first fight. I knew that going in, but I still had hopes for it. Still, though, it was really good. Round two was the only one where it could have gone either way, but Griffin got the win that he deserved. What I don't understand was how the fans could possible boo the match, Griffin, or the decision at all. But Griffin did win them back by being his usual humble self. Bonnar has the second best theme song in UFC behind Matt Hughes'. It has no lyrics, the music is just quality entrance music. I wish I had a clue what it was called, though.

Sobral landed a couple of solid shots in on Liddell that sent Liddell on the run, but Liddell came back with his awesome punches as usual and won in quick fashion.

[VerbalPuke]

I really enjoyed last nights event. I thought pretty much every match was entertaining, and I felt I got my money's worth. Bonnar/Griffin while not as good as their first fight still put on a nice brawl. One thing to consider is that it would be hard to emulate their first fight, it was just absolutely incredible.

I was happy to see Liddell make short work of Babalu, not that I'm anti Babalu, but because I'm really looking forward to seeing Liddell vs. Silva.

By the way, I don't get why BJ Penn is next in line for Matt Hughes title. Shouldn't St. Pierre be the #1 contender due to defeating Penn in their last fight?

[Fitzy]

By the way, I don't get why BJ Penn is next in line for Matt Hughes title. Shouldn't St. Pierre be the #1 contender due to defeating Penn in their last fight?

Edited August 27, 2006 by Fitzy

[VerbalPuke]

Ah, that makes sense then. It's a shame that happened to St. Pierre, he's quickly become one of my favorite fighters.

BJ Penn is a good substitute in that case, he took St. Pierre to the limit so I imagine he and Hughes will be able to put on a nice show.

[Gabriel]

I thought that Griffin/Bonnar was the best fight of the night. When they fought the first time, they were two young guys with nothing to lose and everything to gain...so of course they came out swinging.

Last night however, Bonnar needed to try and protect himself from a KO loss, Griffin knew that a loss would relegate him down the card, but that he would still get bookings and more opportunities, and these two men have had an entire year of seasoning. They're better fighters, technically, than they were when they first encountered one another, and that's what changed the fight.

Also, I just wanted to point out that as soon as Sobral started throwing punches, I looked over and told my mom that it was just a matter of time before Chuck landed one of his own, and sure enough, he did. Renato Sobral is not a striker. Liddell is. Sobral landed some lucky punches early on, but he should have taken the fight straight to the mat, where he could very well have won the fight.

I'm going anyways next month to see the PPV, but I really hope they add a more exciting match to the card. Hughes Vs Penn should be a solid fight, but in all honesty, it doesn't sell the PPV for me...and the only reason I know I'm going is because it only costs me $5 to watch it.

[LL!]

So, I just got the pre-sale info in my e-mail. I was there when Couture had his final fight, and I'll probably be there when Shamrock has his! WOO HOO!

[Mysterio2000X]

I was happy to see Liddell make short work of Babalu, not that I'm anti Babalu, but because I'm really looking forward to seeing Liddell vs. Silva.

[Fitzy]

What's weird is they kept talking about it as if it was going to happen only if "Silva wins his upcoming fights." And Liddell was asked if he wanted to face Silva or Ortiz next and he said Silva and it'd end in the first round.

[VerbalPuke]

Yeah, that's what threw me off, the way it was being discussed at the show. A shame really, it could have been a great fight. Who knows though, there could still be time to get things back together again.

[ACCBiggz]

I still have never seen an official announcement on PRIDE backing out. With that said...

Bonnar/Griffin II, sounded ok, and their first fight was overrated. Liddell, well we all saw that ending coming anyway now didn't we?

Hughes Vs Penn should be a solid fight, but in all honesty, it doesn't sell the PPV for me...and the only reason I know I'm going is because it only costs me $5 to watch it.

[Javs]

There's an interview up on Sherdog with Chuck that has him pretty much saying it's off. In Meltzer's newsletter, he said the deal went down because UFC was under the impression that by having Silva come over, they were going to take over the rest of his contract with Pride.

There's not really any competition left now for Chuck. There's the obvious Tito match. (Which Chuck said he is hearing December 30th in the interview) But what the hell would the UFC do if Tito loses(very unlikely) to Ken. That would be a predicament.

But anyway, the only legit contender I can see in the UFC after Tito for Chuck is Vera if he drops down. I figure he'll stay in Heavyweight for a while though. He has a match at 65 with Mir, which is rumored to be a #1 contender shot.

And anyone caught the Bushido results? Henderson lost, which makes having the champs participate in the GP's look fucking retarded again.

Edited August 28, 2006 by Javs

[Numbahs]

But anyway, the only legit contender I can see in the UFC after Tito for Chuck is Vera if he drops down. I figure he'll stay in Heavyweight for a while though. He has a match at 65 with Mir, which is rumored to be a #1 contender shot.

[Javs]

But anyway, the only legit contender I can see in the UFC after Tito for Chuck is Vera if he drops down. I figure he'll stay in Heavyweight for a while though. He has a match at 65 with Mir, which is rumored to be a #1 contender shot.

Light Heavyweight is one of their bigger divisions, he'll have plenty of challengers. I bet he'll get dethroned by someone that goes on short notice...that's the only thing that MMA and boxing have in common.

Other than that, Brandon Vera won't have to worry about dropping weight when he beats Monson/Sylvia for the title. It's bound to happen. That guy's gonna become hot shit soon....Frank Mir better go for the kill in round one or he'll be too gassed to do anything against him. This'll be the pose he makes over Frank Mir's concussed body.

[Toe]

I just hope that the UFC is smart enough to see that Forrest Griffin is not ready yet and don't stick him in there yet.