UFC
UFC 110 – The Ultimate Fighting Championship takes Australia by storm for the first time and fans at Sydney’s Acer Arena will be treated to explosive matchups featuring two early Fight of The Year candidates. In the main event, a world heavyweight title shot is on the line when unbeaten young gun Cain Velasquez takes on former UFC and PRIDE champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. Plus, UK superstar Michael “The Count” Bisping hopes to spoil the middleweight debut of the legendary ‘Axe Murderer’, Wanderlei Silva. UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez, Saturday, February 20, live on pay-per-view from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Here’s the full fight card for UFC 110:
Event: UFC 110
Date: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2010, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)
Location: Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia
Main event:
265 lbs.: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez
The winner of this fight could fight Shane Carwin. This could be a Velasquez upset. KO round 2.
Main card (Televised):
185 lbs.: Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva – Bisping will win this and it could be the end of Silva in the UFC. TKO round 3.
205 lbs.: Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader – Bader is bad, but Jardine is Bader – The Dean of Mean will win in round 2 by KO.
155 lbs.: Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos – Stevenson by Submission in round 2.
265 lbs.: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Ben Rothwell. Cro Cop needs a win and will retire on a high. Cro Cop by KO in round 2.
Under card :
205 lbs.: Elvis Sinosic vs. Chris Haseman – Sinosic by TKO in round 2.
205 lbs.: Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski – Bonnar by KO in round 1.
170 lbs.: Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle – Lytle by decision.
185 lbs.: CB Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic – Dollaway by decision.
205 lbs.: James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac
See the official UFC site for details: UFC.com
UFC 109 – Feb. 6 2010
The biggest sports weekend of the year gets even bigger with UFC 109: RELENTLESS. In the main event, it’s the clash of legends UFC fans have waited ten years for when Hall of Famers Randy “The Natural” Couture and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman finally square off in a battle for the ages. The UFC’s top two middleweight contenders, Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen, collide in a bout that will move the winner one step closer to a world title shot. Plus, two of the game’s 170-pound superstars, former champion Matt Serra and two-time title challenger Frank Trigg, meet for the first time in a pivotal matchup. UFC 109: Relentless, Saturday, February 6, live on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The UFC 109 line up:
Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman
Prediction: Couture Decision
Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen
Prediction: Marquardt TKO Rd 1
Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago
Prediction: Swick TKO Rd 2
Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller
Prediction: Miller Decision
Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg
Prediction: Serra TKO Rd 1
Mac Danzig vs. Justin Buchholz
Prediction: Danzig Submission Rd 2
Melvin Guillard vs. Ronys Torres
Prediction: Guillard KO Rd 2
Phillipe Nover vs. Rob Emerson
Prediction: Nover TKO Rd 2
Brian Stann vs. Phil Davis
Prediction: Stann Decision
Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Prediction: Hague TKO Rd 2
Mostapha Al Turk vs. Rolles Gracie
Prediction: Al Turk KO Rd 2
UFC 108
Saturday, January 2, 2010 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
The Ultimate Fighting Championship kicks off the New Year with an explosive light heavyweight main event that has serious implications on the title picture at 205 pounds.
Former world champion and Ultimate Fighter® season ten coach ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans begins his quest to regain his crown as he takes on Brazilian powerhouse Thiago Silva, who is coming off a spectacular 95 second knockout of Evans’ friend and training partner Keith Jardine.
It’s a grudge match of epic proportions. UFC® 108: Evans vs. Silva, live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Full fight card for UFC 108:
Rashad Evans Vs. Thiago Silva (main event)
Tyson Griffin Vs. Jim Miller
Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley
Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout
Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon
Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham
Sean Sherk vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger
Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen
Event: UFC 107: “Penn vs. Sanchez”
Date: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)
Location: FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee
Main event:
UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez
Main card (Televised):
265 lbs.: Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (14-5-1)
155 lbs.: Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian (11-4) vs. Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (25-10)
170 lbs.: Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce
265 lbs.: Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve
Under card (May not be broadcast):
185 lbs.: Wilson Gouveia (12-6) vs. Alan Belcher (14-6)
155 lbs.: Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson
170 lbs.: Ricardo Funch (7-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (6-0)
185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares
170 lbs.: DaMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
170 lbs.: Kevin Burns (7-3) vs. TJ Grant (14-3)
*All fights officially confirmed by UFC.com.
Event: The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale
Date: Saturday, December 5, 2009, at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV
Location: “The Pearl” at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada
Main event:
265 lbs.: TUF Finalist No. 1 vs. TUF Finalist No. 2
Main card (Televised):
205 lbs.: Matt “The Hammer” Hamill (7-2) vs. Jon “Bones” Jones (9-0)
155 lbs.: Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (10-1) vs. Matt Veach (14-4)
185 lbs.: Lucio “Spartan” Linhares (13-4) vs. Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares (9-2)
Under card (May not be broadcast):
170 lbs.: Dennis “Superman” Hallman (41-12-2) vs. John “Doomsday” Howard(12-4)
155 lbs.: Mark Bocek (7-2) vs. Joe Brammer (7-0-1)*
Event: UFC 106 Date: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Main event: 205 lbs.: Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin 
Main card (Televised): 170 lbs.: Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck 205 lbs.: Luis Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 170 lbs.: Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah 170 lbs.: Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan Under card (May not be broadcast): 170 lbs.: Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders 185 lbs.: Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt 170 lbs.: Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann 170 lbs.: Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson 155 lbs.: Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno 155 lbs.: George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent
UFC 106 Expert Analysis:
UFC 106 takes place this weekend (Nov. 14) in Las Vegas.
While Tito Ortiz was originally scheduled to make his return to the Octagon against Mark Coleman, Coleman was forced to drop out and now he will get what could be an even better matchup in a rematch against Forrest Griffin, one of the most popular fighters the UFC has to offer.
What makes this matchup compelling in many fans’ minds is simply to see how Griffin responds after being embarrassed against Anderson Silva and then running out of the Octagon back to the solitude of the locker room as if he couldn’t bear to face his fans after the TKO loss.
How Griffin rebounds mentally could go a long way in determining whether or not the favorite Griffin, can take care of business at UFC 106.
The co-main event promises perhaps more fireworks than the main event as wrestlers and knockout artists collide. Anthony Johnson is ready for the biggest test of his career against Josh Koscheck in a fight that could easily go either way but should end with one of the two laying face down on the mat.
Ultimate Fighter Season 8 winner Amir Sadollah will get a chance to bounce back from his controversial loss to Johny Hendricks in his first fight when he takes on “The Best Eva!” Phil Baroni, one of the cockiest fighters in UFC history. Baroni is an excellent boxer and a strong guy but his lack of a ground game has him as the underdog going in at +145 odds to -175 to Sadollah, the favorite.
Another intriguing matchup at UFC 106 has Marcus Davis, a top-notch boxer, going up against the lanky muay thai/submission fighter Ben Saunders in a welterweight bout.
Perhaps an even better welterweight bout will also take place on the main card as Karo Parisyan returns from a suspension due to testing positive for a banned painkiller to take on crafty submission wizard Dustin Hazelett. This could be fight of the night, if Parisyan, the slight underdog at -110 to -120 for Hazelett, can stay out of one of his submissions.
Finally, wrestling star and up-and-comer Jake Rosholt will take on Kendall Grove in a middleweight bout. Rosholt is a surprising favorite for Grove despite Grove’s dangerous submission game. But Rosholt might be a good bet at UFC 106 because he has a big edge in terms of power and leverage on the spindly Grove.ocess winning a heavyweight tournament in WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) before joining up with the UFC and stopping Fabiano Scherner at an “Ultimate Fight Night.”
By far, his biggest career win came at UFC 65, when he scored a TKO in 69 seconds over Frank Mir. That led to a golden opportunity to fight Tim Sylvia, with a heavyweight title shot in the balance. It was not to be, as he suffered his first career loss, breaking his hand and dropping a unanimous decision.
After another loss, this time to Fabricio Werdum, he dropped weight and went to the light heavies, defeating Reese Andy in what was an underwhelming performance, then losing a split decision to Keith Jardine. He started to make his way back by stopping Mike Patt on leg kicks at UFC 96 (as a preliminary bout), and in his last fight, he won a decision over Krzysztof Soszynski back on August 29.
There are going to be questions from this point forward about Couture, because of his advanced age. At 46, it is suspected by some that he’s got nothing left, and indeed, there isn’t a whole lot to take from those losses to Lesnar and Nogueira other than that he couldn’t compete with the best heavyweights in the division any more. Was the solution to move down to the light heavyweights, where the guys are quicker?
We know what Couture can do, particularly when he gets someone to the floor. What we have seen Vera do and what he will do on Saturday are perhaps two different questions.
Vera looked for a while like he was on a B-line to the heavyweight title. That was based partly on the fight where he stunned Frank Mir with a big right hand, then put him into a Muay Thai clinch and wound up stopping him in less than a minute and a half. Of course, Mir wasn’t that far removed from his motorcycle accident at that time, and it came before his “comeback” effort against Lesnar. Since Vera’s move to the light heavyweights, he has not been the most imposing force, so we’d worry a little about under-achievement here.
Vera is a versatile fighter, and should have an edge in the stand-up, but Couture takes the advantage on the ground, and I say that despite Vera’s Jiu-Jitsu prowess. My guess is that Couture will be able to get him to the ground, and the problems he’s had with those bigger heavyweights will be eliminated to an extent because he’s back in a weight division that might be better suited to him.
I can see Couture extracting the advantages on the floor, and pounding out a unanimous decision, so he’s the choice at -120 in Vegas.
Our Prediction: COUTURE TO WIN (-120)
UFC 105 Results:
Winner Loser Rnd. Time
Randy Couture Brandon Vera 3 5:00
Dan Hardy Mike Swick 3 5:00
Michael Bisping Denis Kang 2 4:24
Matt Brown James Wilks 3 2:27
Ross Pearson Aaron Riley 2 4:38
John Hathaway Paul Taylor 3 5:00
Terry Etim Shannon Gugerty 2 1:24
Nick Osipczak Matthew Riddle 3 3:53
Dennis Siver Paul Kelly 2 2:53
Alex Gustafsson Jared Hamman 1 0:41
Andre Winner Rolando Delgado 1 3:22
