UFC 81 Results

Nogueira shocked Sylvia in a wild one and Mir came back to beat Lesnar in a wild night of submissions.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 3, 1:28

Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar via submission (knee bar) — Round 1, 1:30

Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 1:37

Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1, 1:08

Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley via KO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:33

Tim Boetsch def. David Heath via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:52

Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Rob Emerson def. Keita Nakamura via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

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Ten Greatest UFC Upsets

What started as a freak occurrence has seemingly turned into a spiraling epidemic as the best of today’s UFC fighters are going down in a blaze of eight-sided glory. After the year we’ve had in this sport I must approach every pay-per-view with nervous anticipation. It really is true: Anything can happen. An article by MMA Mania's Jesse Holland.

With that in mind I present my list of the ten greatest UFC upsets:

10. Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort: UFC 15
At UFC 15, relative newcomer Randy Couture was set to face Vitor Belfort in a match that many experts compared to the ancient practice of feeding Christians to the lions. Couture had only two fights under his belt while Belfort was 4-0 in the Octagon. Not only was he undefeated, Belfort had four straight (T)KO’s and never had a match go longer than two minutes.

Randy was supposed to be a cakewalk for the invincible Brazilian but it was Couture who earned the TKO stopping Belfort with strikes shortly after eight minutes. They would face off two more times in 2004 but the match that will be remembered in my book is probably their first as it ranks as one of the UFC’s first big upsets.

9. Jason Lambert vs. Renato Sobral: UFC 68
Renato Sobral was widely considered one of the top light-heavyweights in the world and for good reason. Since July of 2002 he compiled an impressive 12-2 record including a ten-fight winning streak.

Like Minotauro Nogueira, who could have been on top for years if not for a certain Russian cyborg, Babalu was second only to Chuck Liddell. His bout against Lambert at UFC 68 was supposed to be a chance to get back to his winning ways.

Lambert wasn’t having it. Talented but unproven, Lambert was coming off a KO loss to Rashad Evans and had a history of falling short against popular fighters like Tim Sylvia and Cabbage Correira. He was expected to follow suit against Sobral but instead stunned the world with a lights-out KO at 3:26 of the second round.

8. Frank Mir vs. Marcio Cruz: UFC 57
Believe it or not there was a time when Frank Mir was the poster boy for UFC heavyweights. He was an 8-1 submission master and a fan favorite long before breaking Tim Sylvia’s arm. After a devastating motorcycle accident kept him out of action for nearly two years, the UFC welcomed him back by matching him against Brazilian cream puff Marcio Cruz.

What was planned as a homecoming quickly turned into a nightmare as the 1-0 rookie put Mir on his back and started raining down elbows until a blood soaked Mir could no longer defend. The fight was mercifully stopped at the end of the first round and Frank’s career would never be the same.

7. Mark Coleman vs. Maurice Smith: UFC 14
Mark Coleman was one of the first true heavyweight goliaths of the UFC using his superior wrestling and ground ‘n pound to lay waste to the entire division. At 6-0 he had already destroyed legends Gary Goodridge and Dan Severn by submission and Don Frye by TKO.

His next victim was UFC newcomer Maurice Smith who was 3-4 with submission losses to Ken Shamrock and Bas Rutten. It looked like an early night for the heavily favored Coleman but instead it became a very long one as Maurice put an end to the era of dominant wresting and scored a unanimous decision after twenty-one minutes of fighting.

The Pete Williams head kick may be the loss that fans remember, but to me the Smith fight was a more shocking upset (and what I consider the beginning of the end). Coleman would never see another victory in the UFC and eventually defected to PRIDE in 1999.

6. Jens Pulver vs. Joe Lauzon: UFC 63
Jens Pulver — like most lightweights — was unwelcome in the Octagon after the UFC decided they were better off without a 155-pound division. Fortunately good sense prevailed and Jens, like the division, was reinstated.

Little Evil was undefeated in the Octagon and his win over BJ Penn was a memorable battle. Now he looked to return to greatness and his ring entrance at UFC 63 looked more fitting for a war hero or a matador than a UFC combatant.

In his first UFC match, unknown Joe Lauzon admitted to taking Jens antics personally. He took out his anger on an unsuspecting Pulver with a brutal KO in the first round. Any thoughts of Jens walking to the title went out with the lights.

5. Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture: UFC 43
Appearing for the second time in my illustrious list is “The Natural” and this time it’s for upending the mighty Liddell at UFC 43. Chuck was 12-1 and on a torrid ten-fight winning streak looking as close to immortal as a fighter can get.

In contrast Randy was coming down from heavyweight after getting crushed by Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez. Nearly 40, Randy was seen as not just a huge underdog, but also an aging combatant in a sport that long since passed him by (if they only knew).

For the second time Randy made the critics eat their words as he put an absolute clinic on the bewildered Liddell stopping him with strikes in the third round.

4. BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes: UFC 46
Matt Hughes was a victory machine. Coming into the Penn fight Matt was 13-0 since 2001 and a staggering 34-3 overall. He was making it look easy and scoffed at the idea of BJ moving up in weight. After all, Penn was a mere pup compared to the welterweight workhorse and Hughes probably took things lightly.

He shouldn’t have. BJ tooled him from start to finish and choked Hughes into tapping in the first round. The look on Matt’s face perfectly summarized what we were all feeling: complete and utter disbelief. He didn’t even notice when the Hawaiian celebrated with a kiss. He was too busy trying to figure out what just happened.

3. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia: UFC 68
After reading this list I wonder how I could have ever picked against Randy. But pick against him I did, as did most, when he came out of retirement to face the hulking menace from Camp Miletich.

Randy’s last dance in the Octagon was grotesquely one-sided, and his return to a weight class that chewed him up and spit him out in 2002 seemed ill-advised and money-driven. Few believed Randy when he claimed to have found a hole in Sylvia’s game and we quietly hoped he would get through the fight void of serious injury.

Once again we looked on in astonishment as Randy dropped The Maine-iac in the opening seconds of round one and continued to punish him throughout the fight. Tim summed it up best after dropping the decision: “He would strike when I thought he would shoot and shoot when I thought he would strike.”

Tim shouldn’t feel bad for having Randy make him look stupid. He’s been doing it to us for years.

2. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: UFC 70
I’ll admit it. Part of what makes this upset come in at #2 is the way it ended. Aside from Randy Couture (who looks more and more like a genius with every move he makes) I don’t think anyone gave Gonzaga a real chance at winning.

People may have been open to a decision loss or a freak submission but if you wanted to lay odds on a head kick they would have laughed in your face. Well no one is laughing now as the artist formerly known as #2 in the world is back in Croatia licking his wounds.

Gonzaga was a talented fighter before the bout but his TKO loss to Croat associate Fabricio Werdum made it hard to believe he could withstand the strikes of Cro Cop. Mirko later admitted to having blurry vision courtesy of Gonzaga elbows and never saw it coming. Don’t worry Mr. Filipovic, neither did we.

1. Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre: UFC 69
As if there was any doubt, I present the greatest upset in the UFC and perhaps all of mixed martial arts. Nobody in the world whose last name isn’t Serra gave Matt a chance against an opponent largely considered one of the best fighters in the world today.

With only a submission loss to Matt Hughes on his near-perfect record, GSP represented the new breed of MMA: Young, strong, and versed in all styles of combat fighting with very few weaknesses.

Of course a perfect skill set doesn’t do you any good if you get punched in the head. Serra did everything right, maintained composure, and finished off a rigid GSP in devastating fashion.

This is one win I don’t think even Randy could have predicted.

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Super Bowl Showdown Between Lesnar And Mir Is Set

For Brock Lesnar's first foray into the world's premiere MMA organization, he'll take on former champ Frank Mir on the night before Super Bowl LXI. It's a match up of future vs. past and could end up headlining the UFC 81 card.

Lesnar, a highly decorated collegiate wrestler, made his transition to MMA with the destruction of Min Soo Kim in 69 seconds. Due to this limited introduction, we only know that he has incredible strength and even better take downs. However, this might be enough to beat Mir, who hasn't looked impressive since 2004 when he submitted Tim Sylvia in 50 seconds to win the title.

Following that win, Mir was involved in a motorcycle accident and had to relinquish the title. He's been just 2-2 since then, with both losses coming by first round knockout. Dana White is right. This is an interesting match up. But it's certainly not a blockbuster and shouldn't headline a pre-SB card which could draw huge buys solely on its timing.

The blockbuster, if one exists here, would be Mir from three years ago against Lesnar from three years from now. Now that would be something.

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Brandon Vera Returns to The Octagon

According to a UFC.com report, Brandon "The Truth" Vera is finally making his return to The Octagon.

After a nearly 12-month hiatus from the UFC, due to management and contract issues, Vera is looking to make his UFC return perhaps in October.

Here is what Vera had to say about his return:

“I’m so excited to be back in the UFC, I have no words to describe the feeling. I realize the UFC heavyweight division is much stronger now, but I like having more challenges, and that just gives me more motivation to train. I feel that when I’m on top of my game, nobody can beat me. I have a plan to become the heavyweight champion, so I’m going to stick to the plan that my management team NCFC and both of my coaches set and win the titles. I want to prove I’m the best for my family, my friends and most of all my fans.”

Vera's opponent? Well, right now it seems as if Vera's likely opponent will be UFC's former heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. However, nothing is set in stone just yet.

Vera was offered a shot to face Tim Sylvia at UFC 68: The Uprising, but that never went through due to disputes with his former manager, Mark Dion.

Brandon Vera, currently undefeated, last won against UFC veteran Frank Mir at UFC 65: Bad Intentions. Vera completely dominated Mir via knee strikes and took the knockout victory at just 1:09 of the first round.

I will you fans posted on further developments around Vera.

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UFC 74 Updates: Aurelio-Guida, Mir-Hardonk

Big updates for UFC 74, which is set to take place on August 25, 2007. PRIDE veteran Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio (14-4-0) is going to make his UFC debut against UFC veteran Clay Guida (21-8-0)in a lightweight clash. Also, on the card, heavyweight Frank Mir (9-3) is looking to make his return to the Octagon against Antoni Hardonk (5-3).

UFC.com's Thomas Gerbasi made the official announcement Tuesday evening for the debut of PRIDE's Marcus Aurelio.

Marcus Aurelio is a Brazilian fighter, int the lightweight division and trains with American Top Team. Aurelio's main arsenal is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Aurelio most notable win was against PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, whom he defeated via arm triangle in a non title fight. Aurelio lost in a remtach six months later by split decision.

Aurelio signed a four-fight deal with the UFC last month.

Guida on the other hand, made his UFC debut at UFC 64 against Justin James, winning be submission. Guida most recently fell to Din Thomas and Tyson Griffin.

The Mir-Hardonk addition to UFC 74 was confirmed earlier today by UFC.com.

Frank Mir is a former UFC heavyweight champion, who's coming off a recent shoulder injury. Mir's shoulder injury was caused by a brutal motorcycle accident three months after he won his UFC heavyweight title in 2004.

Mir has looked less than impressive in his most recent UFC fights and even admitted that he didn't even both to diet for the fights, coming in visibly heavier than usual.

Mir's most recent fight in the UFC was at UFC 65: Bad Intentions where he lost to Brandon Vera by TKO (strikes).

Antoni Hardonk, Mir's opponent for UFC 74, is a dutch fighter who fights out of Vos Gym. Hardonk is 1-1 in the UFc Octagon, winning his first against Sherman Pendergarst by KO and losing his second to Team Punishment's Justin McCully by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 9.

UFc 74: Respect is shaping up pretty nicely. The event is schedule to take place August 25, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The updated card is the following:

Champion Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck
Patrick Cote vs. Kendall Grove
Joe Stevenson vs. Kurt Pellegrino
David Heath vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Alberto Crane vs. Roger Huerta
Antoni Hardonk vs. Frank Mir
Marcus Aurelio vs. Clay Guida
Ryan Jensen vs. Travis Lutter

Not too bad if you ask me. This card has the potential to be LEGENDARY.

The Lianger

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