Ufc 101

[LEONARD]

http://www.mmabay.co.uk/img/ufc101-1.jpg

UFC 101: AUGUST 8, 2009
venue: Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight)*
vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)*
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Preliminary Bouts:
-Aaron Riley (27-11-1) vs. Shane Nelson (12-3)
-Tamdan McCrory (11-2) vs. John Howard (11-4)
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites (14-2)
-Matt Riddle (3-1) vs. Dan Cramer (3-1)
-George Sotiropoulos (11-3) vs. Rob Emerson (8-7)
-Jesse Lennox (10-1) vs. Danillo Villefort (9-2)

3r-2xvi5-rQ

ERfZ78HAts8

[Evan]

Great card

[Evan]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/B-J-Penn-is-the-best-athlete-in-MMA-?urn=mma,177359

[LEONARD]

Part of the reason BJ can do that is his crazy flexibility and balance. Notice how deep of a squat he ends up in when he lands...

When this dude lands his knees are at 90*...he's also much taller than BJ. (this was shown on ESPN the other night)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXDSPbZ_OUw

This will be the new youtube craze...I have a feeling BJ did it and posted it as a bit...

[djohn14]

George Sotiropoulos!!!!!!!!!!

[djohn14]

UFC 101: AUGUST 8, 2009
venue: Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight)*
vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)*
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Tamdan McCrory (11-2) vs. John Howard (11-4)
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites (14-2)
-George Sotiropoulos (11-3) vs. Rob Emerson (8-7)

[Evan]

Matt Riddle (3-1) vs. Dan Cramer (3-1)

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Thats the XBOX kid from TUF...lol

I had to look up to see who the hell that was.

[cornbread]

Damn that's a solid card. Good to see Sotiropolis in there.

[CubanSucks]

God I wish Forrest would pound the shit out of that skinny brazilian. PLEASE!!!

[LEONARD]

1800+ comments on the BJ Penn pool think on the yahoo link... :lol

BJ has really hurt his image in the last few years (despite being the LW champ). The whole greasing fiasco...man, if he'd has just stayed at LW he'd probably be thought of differently. Although, he did beat Hughes when he was at the peak of his career....that's about it for his WW accomplishments. I can't believe he still talks about fighting GSP again...stupid.


God I wish Forrest would pound the shit out of that skinny brazilian. PLEASE!!!

Unlikely...Silva hits too hard for Forrest...

[Behrooz24]

Doh...the vids got yanked.

[CubanSucks]

Unlikely...Silva hits too hard for Forrest...

Rampage Jackson?

[dallaskd]

Dude Rampage had Forrest rocked in the first round. Anderson hits harder than almost everyone at LHW.

[kromediablo]

Im a bigg time BJ Penn supporter, but something has gone seriously wrong with his training regimen. i mean youtube pool jumps give me a break who gives a fukk. BJ reminds me of a get rich quick scheme kind of guy instead of learning the fundamentals. If BJ had some boxing skills instead of relying heavily on jiu jitsu, hed be more of a complete fighter. and get rid of that stupid rubber guard!!lol!!

Kenny Florian is too skilled and will knock BJ out.

mahalo...lol

[desflood]

Main Card Bouts:
B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

Preliminary Bouts:
Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson
Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort


I'm looking forward to this card more than I was 100. Both Mir/Lesnar and GSP/Alves were foregone conclusions (IMHO). This batch, on the other hand... Penn/Florian is a tough pick and I couldn't even begin with Griffin/Silva. It'll be nice to see Amir finally make an official debut and Batman/Neer out to be pretty exciting. Hopefully we'll see a few undercards - I think George S. has decent potential and it'll be interesting to see how he's evolved. Sakara/Leites shouldn't be bad either.

[ATRAIN]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight)*
vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)*
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Preliminary Bouts:
-Aaron Riley (27-11-1) vs. Shane Nelson (12-3)
-Tamdan McCrory (11-2) vs. John Howard (11-4)
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites (14-2)
-Matt Riddle (3-1) vs. Dan Cramer (3-1)
-George Sotiropoulos (11-3) vs. Rob Emerson (8-7)
-Jesse Lennox (10-1) vs. Danillo Villefort (9-2)

[CubanSucks]

Dude Rampage had Forrest rocked in the first round. Anderson hits harder than almost everyone at LHW.

??????, except for Rampage. If we're just talking about punching power then there is NO way you could think that. And that was my point, to say that Forrest isn't gonna be ready for a strong fist is just wrong. And BTW, though Rampage landed quite a few he never "rocked" Forrest.

[LEONARD]

??????, except for Rampage. If we're just talking about punching power then there is NO way you could think that. And that was my point, to say that Forrest isn't gonna be ready for a strong fist is just wrong. And BTW, though Rampage landed quite a few he never "rocked" Forrest.

http://i42.tinypic.com/bfjkbb.gif

Silva hits just as hard as Rampage IMO...he has very deceptive power.

http://i43.tinypic.com/s6rjuw.gif

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd290/harrisa22/irvin.jpg

Didn't look like much, but it split Irvin's face open and put him down (Irvin historically can take a good punch)

and he'll land more often than Rampage. He didn't land too much on Forrest, whose chin is average IMO.

[Evan]

those dudes all look so douchey

[Evan]

I would say Silva hits with a little less power than Rampage but Silva is more accurate and faster.

[dallaskd]

??????, except for Rampage. If we're just talking about punching power then there is NO way you could think that. And that was my point, to say that Forrest isn't gonna be ready for a strong fist is just wrong. And BTW, though Rampage landed quite a few he never "rocked" Forrest.

Watch the first round again. Forrest was rocked. Silva lands a way better percentage of his punches too..

[dbreiden83080]

Watch the first round again. Forrest was rocked. Silva lands a way better percentage of his punches too..

Against Middleweights he is 10 times better than. If he beats down Forrest like Irvin, i will be friggin shocked. Forrest is a legit great 205er..

[dallaskd]

Irvin probably has a better chin than Forrest... I love Griffin to death, but this just isnt a good match-up for him.

[dbreiden83080]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3)

Biggest fight of Kenny's life but BJ will be ready to make a statement following the GSP loss. He is a different machine at 155. Faster, better striking and his best cardio is at this weight. If it goes 5, i like Kenny for the decision, otherwise i got BJ by stoppage, say 3rd RD..

-Anderson Silva (24-4 vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5)

Nobody gives Forrest the credit he has earned and believes in him like they should. I feel he can win this fight. He is the bigger man, has beaten great 205ers in the past. Silva is the more skilled fighter obviously but i think Forrest can get a decision here, with movement, determination and that
trademark heart he has...

-Amir Sadollah(5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites

[dbreiden83080]

Irvin probably has a better chin than Forrest... I love Griffin to death, but this just isnt a good match-up for him.

Well he threw a leg kick and got cracked right on the button with a counter, really anyone goes out with a shot like that. We'll see, i just don't see Forrest getting blown out of the water here..

[dallaskd]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight) vs. Forrest Griffin(18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)*
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson
Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort


HAHAHA DB!!

my 5. why not, this is the perfect card for upsets...

[dbreiden83080]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight) vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)*
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson
Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort


my 5. why not, this is the perfect card for upsets...


Your going against your boy BJ.. :nope

Im Gay.

[dallaskd]

I know. I love Penn, but I love Kenny's attitude and how much he has progessed since being picked last on TUF at MIDDLEWEIGHT when he wasnt even supposed to be on the show in the first place. I think that's awesome. Penn is one of my favorites. But right now I just want to tell him shut up or win.

[dbreiden83080]

I know. I love Penn, but I love Kenny's attitude and how much he has progessed since being picked last on TUF at MIDDLEWEIGHT when he wasnt even supposed to be on the show in the first place. I think that's awesome. Penn is one of my favorites. But right now I just want to tell him shut up or win.

Good points, Kenny is a great fighter, this should be a war. I just feel BJ is the best at 155 and wants a big win badly after the GSP fight. If he loses this fight, his main event status may be gone..

[LEONARD]

3nQflS-3x8U

[desflood]

Amir looks good - faster. The drop to 170 should work out well for him.

[dbreiden83080]

Preview of the countdown show and other vids is up at UFC.com

[LEONARD]

s7Ywjy_S4XI

J_R1PAiu4fc

BJ, Mousasi, and Fedor
984fN-gt4lA

[dbreiden83080]

s7Ywjy_S4XI

J_R1PAiu4fc

BJ, Mousasi, and Fedor
984fN-gt4lA

Nice Leonard.. :toast

Can't post the UFC clips from their site and youtube keeps pulling those down, it's annoying..

BJ looks ready for this..

[polandprzem]

UFC will make pobably the same agreement that NBA did with youtube, or they will just quit. You can't stop it.

wow - Fedor does not look very much bigger then BJ :)

[dbreiden83080]

UFC 101 Call Notes: Penn, Florian, Griffin, Silva

Tuesday, July 28, 2009




A lightweight title fight between champion B.J. Penn and challenger Kenny Florian will headline UFC 101 on Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. UFC middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva is also on the card; he’ll take on Forrest Griffin in an intriguing 205-pound bout.

Notes from the 101 conference call Tuesday:

Penn’s primary motivation

“It’s gotta be the previous fight,” said B.J. Penn, referencing his loss to Georges St. Pierre. “It’s gotta be getting by butt kicked and wanting to come back and get back to form.”

Penn mentioned the GSP greasing allegations fiasco and said upcoming opponent Kenny Florian had made him look like a liar: “It was a double whammy on me. Everything was just kind of building up on me and irritating me a lot. But besides that, I lost my last fight and I want to get back in there. … I want to get in the ring and I want to take care of business.”

For the GSP fight, Penn believes he trained too long. It was his dream fight and he said he might have started preparation too soon and burned himself out. He’s training differently now.

As for saying Florian made him look like a liar, Penn was referencing a text message he said Florian sent Dave Weintraub prior to the Penn-GSP bout. Weintraub was in Hawaii, working on a book about Penn. Penn said Florian texted Weintraub and told him that GSP greases. That warning, Penn said, led to his camp notifying the Nevada State Athletic Commission prior to the fight that GSP should be watched for greasing. Florian later denied sending a text about GSP, though, which Penn feels made him look like a liar.

On Tuesday, Florian acknowledged that he had sent Weintraub a text about greasing. However, Florian said the fighter he was speaking about was Roger Huerta, not GSP: “It had nothing to do with Georges.”

Getting personal

“I don’t know how I get caught up in this stuff,” Penn answered when asked about the personal animosity that has surrounded his recent bouts. “It’s unbelievable.”

The UFC lightweight champion said he really didn’t like Sherk for “cheating” and the back-and-forth with GSP started when he was hyping the fight. Then, Penn said, the “UFC Primetime” show wanted to portray him as an asshole instead of someone preparing for a super fight and then Dana White butted in with the business about Penn not training properly and being surrounded by yes-men. That’s Penn’s account, and his point is that everything has been blown out of proportion.

He’s pissed at the media, too.

“I didn’t like how the media portrayed me after the GSP fight,” Penn said, specifically mentioning MMA Weekly, Sherdog and MMA Junkie. “I’m done working with you guys.”

With that said, Penn sounded ambivalent about building the Florian fight around personal or contrived hostility. He brought up the Weintraub text first but then later suggested it was insignificant when it comes down to two top-notch lightweights fighting for a title.

Silva-Griffin

Not much new from Anderson Silva or Forrest Griffin. As always on these calls, Griffin sounded as if he’d rather be clinging to a donut float in the middle of the Arctic Ocean than speaking to a bunch of media types. Who could blame him?

The former UFC 205-pound champ did say that it would be key to stay as loose and relaxed as Silva. You can’t be too aggressive, Griffin said, and you can’t follow him around either. Steady pressure, know you’ll get hit and miss, make him carry your weight -- that kind of thing.

“I know if I bring the game I’m capable of,” Griffin said, “it’ll be a good fight.”

Silva had to deal with more questions about his recent performances, which have been deemed lackluster by many.

Again he attributed that perception to ignorance on behalf of viewers and lame strategy on behalf of opponents, but he was nicer in how he said it.

Ed Soares, his manager and interpreter, said Silva would defend his 185 title against valid contenders but that he is most interested in “history-making” fights regardless of weight.

[Stringer_Bell]

I think outside of the media's eye, Penn is a cool dude that puts a lot of work into his art, but I think this will be the fight that marks his decline. I won't be surprised if "Florini" finds a way to tough it out...then he'll get his ass whooped by Diego in his first title defense. I think it'd be a beautiful way to show Diego's journey coming full circle (since TUF), like a violent and bloody movie of the week. GO DIEGO!!! :hat

[desflood]

Diego has improved tremendously, but I'm not sure it's been as big of an improvement as Ken's.

[LEONARD]

Kenny on Sportscenter
J5V7xcLhWdE

[cool cat]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight)*
vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)*
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

[polandprzem]

Main Card Bouts:
B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

Preliminary Bouts:
Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson
Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
George Sotiropoulosvs. Rob Emerson
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

[dbreiden83080]

UFC 101 Countdown" event preview show debuts Aug. 4 on Spike TV

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15665/ufc-101-countdown-preview-show-debuts-aug-4-on-spike-tv.mma

The UFC's traditional event-preview show returns Aug. 4 with a look at "UFC 101: Declaration."

"UFC 101 Countdown," which focuses on UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn and main-event opponent and top contender Kenny Florian, airs at 11 p.m. ET/PT with replays on Aug. 6 (2 a.m. ET/PT) and Aug. 8 (6 p.m. ET/PT).

UFC 101 takes place Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

In addition to the Penn vs. Florian title fight, UFC 101 – the first UFC event in the state of Pennsylvania – also features UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva vs. former light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin in a 205-pound non-title fight. The show, which has already broken the state's live-gate record for combat sports, airs on pay-per-view.

The full UFC 101 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

Champ B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian (for UFC lightweight title)
Champ Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin (non-title fight)
Johny Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah
Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino
PRELIMINARY CARD
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory
Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Dan Cramer vs. Matthew Riddle
George Roop vs. George Sotiropoulos*
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

[dbreiden83080]

B.J. Penn (13-5)
The man known as “The Prodigy” is fighting for the first time since moving up to welterweight to try and regain the title from Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94. Penn accused GSP of greasing his shoulders so Penn couldn’t get a good grip with his legs, but this takes away from the fact that Penn just got beaten for the second time by a better fighter, and he was out of his comfort zone, which is 155 pounds. Penn is a great grappler, but his striking is underrated, and his all-around skills are the reason why he’s the favorite in your offshore sportsbook.


Kenny Florian (11-3)
Florian has won his last six fights, four of which came by submission. Florian defeated former champion Joe Stevenson with a rear-naked choke at UFC 91 to become the No.1 contender for the lightweight crown. This is his second shot at the belt, as he lost to Sean Sherk back at UFC 64, but he hasn’t lost since. Florian has admitted that he looks up to Penn, who is one of the top lightweights in the world, but he also realizes that to be the best, you have to be the best.


What Will Happen: UFC 101 odds have Penn as a -220 favorite in this main event, and this will be a matchup featuring two fighters who are well versed in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The difference could be in their strikes, as Penn has a boxing background to go with his excellent takedowns, while Florian is known to have some of the sharpest elbows in all of MMA once he gets his opponents down to the ground. We won’t see Penn get manhandled as he did in the GSP fight, and you could tell that gaining the weight to move up had an effect on his conditioning. He’ll be eager to show that the GSP fight was an anomaly and that he is still the lightweight king of the UFC. This could be Florian’s last chance at the crown, but Penn’s well-rounded game will be just too much.


UFC betting pick: B.J. Penn







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Silva vs Griffin odds

Forrest Griffin (16-5)
Forrest Griffin has fought some decent competition in his MMA career, but the sportsbook odds makers obviously aren’t buying into him too much. Griffin - the winner of the first Ultimate Fighter reality show - has had a tough time fighting top-notch opponents recently, and there is some question as to whether he can handle Silva. UFC 101 betting handicappers should note that Griffin has lost to Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz, while his wins came against Quinton Jackson, Mauricio Rua and Hector Ramirez. On paper, the win against Jackson looks credible but it was highly controversial, which really thins out the amount of credible wins Griffin has on his resume.


Anderson Silva (24-4)
The UFC 101 odds have Anderson Silva as a huge favorite over Forrest Griffin, and it’s plain to see why. Silva is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and nobody has come close to damaging him in a long time. Not only is Silva tough to hit, he is slippery and dangerous through and through. Standing up, he’s lighting quick with his strikes. On the mat, he’s hard to grip and control. UFC 101 betting sharps will have to take into account that Silva is moving up to light heavyweight for this fight against Griffin, but as long as the weight isn’t an issue, UFC betting fans should see Silva should dominate this fight from start to finish.


What Will Happen: Griffin will come out forcing the fight on Silva, and he’ll regret it shortly after. After getting pummeled in the first round and take a couple of big hits, Silva will end it with a submission in round two.


UFC betting pick: Silva

http://www.betonline.com/sports-betting/ufc-101-odds-1251.aspx

[dbreiden83080]

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/8/3/973526/is-bj-penns-legacy-on-the-line-at


Is BJ Penn's Legacy on the Line at UFC 101?

At UFC 101 BJ Penn finally gets to answer all the questions. Is he really the best lightweight in the world, or is he overrated? Fans have started questioning the strength of his wins at 155, starting with the win over Jens Pulver. Pulver's gone on such a bad losing streak that the win isn't impressive in retrospect. He got a nice win over Joe Stevenson, but Stevenson went on to suffer a first round loss to Kenny Florian and a decision to Diego Sanchez. His win over Sherk looked impressive until Frankie Edgar easily outboxed Sherk.


I'm not a fan of picking apart records like this. You can go through any fighter's record and start discrediting wins, and it's really not fair to great fighters to go back and nitpick records. Penn earned himself a number of enemies with his behavior after UFC 94, and those enemies want to discredit everything he's done in MMA. I'm sure if Penn beats Florian his detractors will claim Florian was never that good anyway, but a win over Florian effectively secures his spot as the best lightweight in the world.

This won't be an easy fight for Penn. He has better boxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu than Florian, but Florian has better cardio and a number of weapons from range he can use to effectively nullify Penn's advantages. Florian has become an evasive counter striker on his feet; I expect him to make BJ chase him and try to catch BJ with body kicks when he closes in. The key for Penn in this fight is to resist the urge to fight standing and get Florian down. Penn's offensive wrestling is underrated; he definitely has the ability to put Florian on his back, and that's where Penn can really do a lot of damage.

From my perspective, Penn's legacy in the sport is secure. But a loss to Florian at this point will give a lot of ammunition to those who have long believed he has never lived up to the hype.

[dbreiden83080]

HbBvRavaI9k

[LEONARD]

My 5 picks...

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer
Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson

[dbreiden83080]

With all the Fedor nonsense, nobody seems to be talking about this card all,

Shame cause it's really good..

[LEONARD]

I'm having a big party at my place and will be watching on the 120"... :fro

[djohn14]

I'm having a big party at my place and will be watching on the 120"... :fro

I hope your electricity goes out! :lol

[polandprzem]

:lol

[polandprzem]

But damn I would like to teleport myself into Leos house for that event!

[LEONARD]

n_zLoV01eT8

BcZ1Y0-WhUE

[beefanus]

what kinda gay fucks watch and talk about mma

[dbreiden83080]

what kinda gay fucks watch and talk about mma

Good question. We all know if it's one thing straight guys hate it's combat sports..

Now throwing a giant orange ball through a hoop, with 4 other sweaty men, shit doesn't get more non-gay than that huh.. :rolleyes

[djohn14]

BTW, Ben Roethlisberger is a rapist lol

[Stringer_Bell]

what kinda gay fucks watch and talk about mma

the kind that gang rape flaming heterosexuals like you for the lulz

Also, I changed my mind about who will win the Penn/Florini fight. I'll go with Penn winning by submission in the fourth. :ihit Then BJ will pass the torch to Diego in his next title defense!

[dbreiden83080]

Countdown show is on at 11pm ET guys..

[djohn14]

ahh thanks

[LEONARD]

Great Countdown show...I can wait for these 2 fights...

Glad to see BJ stepping up his training again...

[dbreiden83080]

Great Countdown show...I can wait for these 2 fights...

Glad to see BJ stepping up his training again...

Elite training for him works best at 155. 170 he needs to leave alone..

[dbreiden83080]

Anyone that missed the show, it's being replayed now on UFC.com

[cornbread]

Penn
Silva
Neer
Grove (I hate going against Almeida but I think Kendal is a bad match up)
Leites

[oligarchy]

Penn
Silva
Sadollah
Leites
McCrory

[dbreiden83080]

Good Read Here..


http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/ufc-101-preview-the-main-card-18909

UFC 101 Preview: The Main Card

These too..


http://sherdogblog.craveonline.com/blog/2009-08-05


Fighting the Man, Not the Aura


http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Silva-Expects-Takedown-from-Forrest-2037

Silva Expects Takedown from Forrest

[dbreiden83080]

Just when i was starting to cut BJ some slack after seeing the countdown show his Diaherra of the mouth kicks into gear again..

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/231235-b-j-penn-i-think-gsp-does-steroids

B. J. Penn: "I Think GSP Does Steroids"

"In my opinion, he doesn't play by the rules when it comes to steroids and growth hormones and that stuff. Look at him. He's the worst. He looks like that every day. That’s cheating. There is a reason why there are rules against using steroids. The rest of us, we get fat, then we train and get skinny and the cycle goes over and over again. He looks the same way all the time. Come on."

Not everyone is a lazy fuck like you in between fight BJ..

[dallaskd]

BJ is an idoit..

[oligarchy]

I think that's old. At least, he's said it before and awhile ago.

Edit: Last year in Fight Sports Magazine

Magazine-"Before you fought Sean Sherk, you were very outspoken about his drug related suspension. What do you have to say about that now the fight is over?"

BJ Penn- "I dont think steroids or performance enhancement drugs have any place in the UFC and anyone who does that is a Coward.

Magazine- "Why do you want a rematch with GSP so badly?"

BJ Penn-" Because i think he takes steroids and he's a coward (penn laughs)"

Magazine- "You really think he takes steroids? But he has been tested in the past and always passed.

BJ Penn- "There are tests in MR Olympia and they pass"

[dbreiden83080]

I think that's old. At least, he's said it before and awhile ago.

This is his new quote and full article i should have put up last post..


"It's just my opinion that (Georges St. Pierre) uses steroids," ... "That's it. My opinion. I do believe it. I can't hand you any proof, but that's my opinion"

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ki-penn080509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[oligarchy]

Thanks.. He has said it before though.. I included the comments from an old interview in my earlier post.

[dbreiden83080]

BJ is still completely obsessed with GSP, it's just sad.

[djohn14]

BJ is still completely obsessed with GSP, it's just sad.

Its almost as bad as Oligarchy and Leonard

[dbreiden83080]

Pros Pick: Penn versus Florian

http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=4381698


The UFC lightweight champion will have his hands full against top contender Kenny Florian, who has not lost a fight in almost three years.



Sherdog.com recently spoke to dozens of professional fighters and trainers and found out where they stood on this lightweight showdown.



Pete Sell: I think B.J. is going to come out hungry, with something to prove, because of his last loss. The only problem is that Kenny always comes in sick shape, and B.J. is known for not always being in [good shape]. I feel B.J. has the advantage on the floor. Kenny's advantage with his Thai boxing might make this one an upset.



Scott Bieri: Both of these guys serve as examples of the evolution of this sport -- good skill sets in all areas. And Florian gets my vote for the most improved fighter; his run to this point has been amazing. Kenny can decision B.J. with his movement and striking. But the likely outcome is that Penn gets on top, passes to half guard, underhooks the pass side (his head is a counter balance on the mount side), stuffs the already-smashed butterfly hook and steps to mount. From here, B.J. finishes fights. No one can seem to duplicate or defend this. Penn wins.



Frank Shamrock: B.J. Penn all the way. He's too big for Kenny, and I think he will KO him.



Erik Paulson: The fight between B.J. and Florian will be a good one. I know that B.J.'s camp has been hard because he's been out here training very hard with some of the best guys. And Kenny is with his guys at his camp training hard at his camp. Both are doing whatever it takes to win. I truly think it will be hard for Florian to win this fight, unless he cuts B.J. with one of his sharp elbows. If B.J. can stay in shape and keep to [the] game plan, [he'll win]. Kudos to both, and I can't wait to watch. It should be exciting to watch.



Jason Lambert: B.J. and Kenny are both really tough guys. Can't call this one.



Robert Drysdale: B.J. Decision.



Shannon Gugerty: I got B.J. I like Kenny a lot, but [it's] all B.J. in this one.



Zac George: B.J. is a beast and will bully "KenFlo" early, but I see Florian getting the judges' nod after five B.J.-tiring rounds.



Nick Thompson: I think Kenny shocks the world and wins a unanimous decision.



Greg Nelson: All in all, I think if B.J. is serious and in shape, he wins. This is going to be very fun to watch.



Travis Lutter: B.J., I think, will be too much for Florian. I think B.J. is better across the board than Florian. Maybe Florian's cardio is better, but I think B.J. will control the pace.



Rory Markham: I have to go with Penn on this fight. As improved as Kenny is, I think B.J. is the more well-rounded fighter. Both fighters are true warriors. Kenny is one of the most improved guys in the game, but B.J.'s experience in big fights will be the deciding factor in this match.



Jeff Monson: B.J. Penn by decision.



Jaime Fletcher: B.J. by second-round TKO or submission. Nothing against "KenFlo." It's just that I think Penn is too experienced, explosive and mean for Florian to remain competitive in this bout.



Travis Wiuff: B.J. by whatever he wants. Don't see this fight lasting long. An in-shape and motivated B.J. Penn at 155 pounds is unbeatable.



Cung Le: B.J. by decision.



Jake Shields: I was at B.J.'s camp for a few days, so I would rather not pick a winner. It would not seem right.



Robin Black: Man, B.J. is angry and has a lot to prove. With that comes a lot of pressure. Kenny Florian has proven to be money come fight time in his last few fights. He is able to perform at his very, very best under the lights. I could see the pressure getting to Penn, him trying to overperform and Florian taking this one. It's gonna be an exciting fight.



Billy MacDonald: While Kenny Florian has quickly become one of my favorites to watch, I just can't pick against an in-shape B.J. Penn. I'm probably the only person to have not seen the video of Penn jumping out of the pool, but I sure did hear about it enough. I see this fight being back and forth for most of three rounds, and then B.J. gets his hand raised.



Jamie Varner: Penn.



Stav Economou: B.J. Penn all the way. The only way Florian will win is on points, and I don't really see that happening, either. Penn to win via TKO in the third round.



Scott Epstein: Penn can dominate the ground all around and looks to have heavier hands. This doesn't mean I think he will sub Ken or knock him out, but it can win Penn a decision. Ken can be elusive and has the kicking game in his favor, not to mention the box cutters stored in his elbows. Look for Ken to wear B.J. down with leg kicks and slice his face up with freshly sharpened X-Acto Knives. It's up in the air.



Michael Guymon: I hate to say this, but Kenny takes this one.



Gabe Ruediger: B.J. should win this. Florian has improved dramatically and has been impressive, but B.J. is on another level at 155 pounds. I have a feeling he will be hungry after a loss and will win convincingly.



Rick Roufus: B.J. has to win. He has to prove he's the man at 155 pounds. He has to dig deep and show what he's made of. B.J. within three. I believe the last fight gave him a gut check, and now he has to return to his dominant self.



James Zikic: B.J. Penn. Unanimous decision.



Stephane Vigneault: I was a big fan of B.J.'s before, but not anymore since the stupid controversy with GSP. All my heart is with Kenny. I saw him training with us at Zahabi MMA. He is ready. I see Kenny by split decision.



Patrick Cote: I am going with my man Kenny. He is the most underrated fighter in the UFC.



Thomas Denny: It's hard to bet against B.J. at 155. I will say, a great fight with B.J. getting the nod after five rounds. "KenFlo," I think, is the second-best at 155. I see it making for a great rematch, as well.



Eddy Millis: I have B.J. Penn in this one. I have a lot of respect for Florian; I just think B.J. will beat him in the stand-up game. B.J. has to come in great shape, though.



Kevin Burns: I like B.J. in this fight, unless it goes into later rounds. That's always been his crutch, and Kenny is always in great shape.



Pros who picked Penn: 20
Pros who picked Florian: 6
Pros who couldn't decide: 4

[dallaskd]

http://sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20090805113125_IMG_0157.JPG&width_size=600

http://sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20090805113125_IMG_0132.JPG&width_size=600

http://sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20090805113126_IMG_0227.JPG&width_size=600

http://sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20090805113126_IMG_0223.JPG&width_size=600

http://sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20090805113126_IMG_0218.JPG&width_size=600

http://sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20090805113126_IMG_0212.JPG&width_size=600

http://sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20090805113126_IMG_0195.JPG&width_size=600

[Evan]

that guy is such a badass

[dallaskd]

Dude will run through GSP..

[djohn14]

Dude will run through GSP..

Cue Dbreiden in 5, 4, 3, 2

[Blackjack]

My head says B.J. finishes Florian by sub or TKO, but there's a bit of my gut saying Kenny might just pull the upset.

I haven't really seen B.J. cut like he was against GSP, so Kenny's elbows might find some decent enough scar tissue to force a stoppage.

I'll go with Penn, though.

Silva vs. Griffin?

Here's hoping they simultaneously KO each other.

Hey, they're two of my favs.:hat

[Evan]

I can't pick Silva vs. Griffin........

[desflood]

I can't pick Silva vs. Griffin........
That one kills me. Griffin with height, weight and strength advantage, Silva with superior boxing. Mental edge to Forrest. You can't knock him out on his feet, but he is susceptible to gnp. Forrest will almost certainly want this on the ground, but if it goes there he'd better make damn sure he maintains control from the top. It's nearly impossible to choose. One thing is for sure, though: If Anderson wins, he's going to have to replace Fedor atop the pound-for-pound best list.

[desflood]

Just when i was starting to cut BJ some slack after seeing the countdown show his Diaherra of the mouth kicks into gear again..

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/231235-b-j-penn-i-think-gsp-does-steroids

B. J. Penn: "I Think GSP Does Steroids"

"In my opinion, he doesn't play by the rules when it comes to steroids and growth hormones and that stuff. Look at him. He's the worst. He looks like that every day. That’s cheating. There is a reason why there are rules against using steroids. The rest of us, we get fat, then we train and get skinny and the cycle goes over and over again. He looks the same way all the time. Come on."

Not everyone is a lazy fuck like you in between fight BJ..
This... is why I'm picking Florian to win. Many fighters can have something on their mind while they're training and push it aside to concentrate - BJ Penn is not one of those fighters and never will be. He doesn't have the mental discipline to focus on the task at hand. All the physical gifts in the world can't overcome that lack.

[polandprzem]

Silva bulked up so fast ...

As for BJ - he's a bit right, well it's tough to lose weight not losing muscle mass...


Umm as for Silva Forrest - Silva is on another level. I can't imagine him losing to Griffin, although I picked Forest to upset a top p4p best fighter.
But if he can ge inside and try to take Silva down a stay with dirty gnp he can go from there.

But as it was in video material - he likes to brawl and that would kill him against Silva.

[polandprzem]

Before BJ and GSP fight when BJ was talking about his training and that he is training hard I was like wut? hmm haha

[desflood]

But as it was in video material - he likes to brawl and that would kill him against Silva.
You're right, but Forrest has evolved into a much smarter fighter. He realizes now when a brawl would not be to his advantage and he avoids it. That's how he defeated Shogun and Rampage - by fighting the smarter fight. He should be able to do it this time as well. Of course, Rampage is no Anderson Silva :lol

[LEONARD]

Silva bulked up so fast ...

Silva has always had a big frame and cut a lot of weight. He's always walked at 205-210 between fights, and he's around 207 as of a few days ago...

[polandprzem]

Silva has always had a big frame and cut a lot of weight. He's always walked at 205-210 between fights, and he's around 207 as of a few days ago...

I know that he walks over 205, before Irvin fight he was cutting from 236 as I remember correctly.
But that has nothing to do with bulking up

[LEONARD]

I know that he walks over 205, before Irvin fight he was cutting from 236 as I remember correctly.
But that has nothing to do with bulking up

Oh...what are we talking about then??

We have pics from the press conf to go by...which don't tell us much... (Forrest was probably 215 yesterday?)
http://www.combatlifestyle.com/pics/albums/080609ufc/1032.jpg

I think a lot of people forget how tall Silva is. He was listed as 5'11" in the Leban fight and I think that's stuck with a lot of people, despite being 6'2" ish.

I guess we'll see today if he looks much different now than he did over the past year...

@205 for James Irvin
http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC_Fight_Night_14/weigh/32_AndersonSilvaUFN14.jpg

@185 for Cote
http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC_90/weigh/29-AndersonSilva_UFC90Weigh_2139.jpg

@185 for Leites
http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC_97/weighins/35_AndersonSilvaUFC97weigh.jpg

[polandprzem]

Good Leonard

I was talking about his muscle mass at 205, I haven't sen his pics from Irvin fight.
In 185 when he is fighting he is looking way much skinnier.

[dbreiden83080]

Cue Dbreiden in 5, 4, 3, 2

:lol

[dbreiden83080]

I can't pick Silva vs. Griffin........

My Gut is telling me Forrest will take this fight, so i went with it, it's a very hard pick..

[djohn14]

I will never pick against Anderson. He is the better fighter, but I could actually see Forrest pull it off. He can take an unreal amount of damage, and the longer he lasts the better chance he has to pull out the upset...with that said Im picking Anderson.

[dbreiden83080]

I will never pick against Anderson. He is the better fighter, but I could actually see Forrest pull it of. He can take an unreal amount of damage, and the longer he lasts the better chance he has to pull out the upset...with that said Im picking Anderson.

His performance against Page/Shogun and how he was performing against Rashad before he got caught should be enough for people to give him a chance here..

[djohn14]

His performance against Page/Shogun and how he was performing against Rashad before he got caught should be enough for people to give him a chance here..

And they should...Ill never count Forrest out

[desflood]

Weigh-ins live at 4 p.m. eastern.

http://assets.espn.go.com/livenow/ufc101/

[dbreiden83080]

Weigh-ins live at 4 p.m. eastern.

http://assets.espn.go.com/livenow/ufc101/

Nice Des.. :toast

[desflood]

Oh, you like that, hmm? I have more...

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15758/mmajunkie-com-live-video-ufc-101-official-fighter-weigh-ins.mma

[djohn14]

desflood > Evan lol

[desflood]

Amir in at 166? Wow...

[dbreiden83080]

Amir in at 166? Wow...

I'm changing that pick thanks mainly to that..

[dbreiden83080]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3)

Biggest fight of Kenny's life but BJ will be ready to make a statement following the GSP loss. He is a different machine at 155. Faster, better striking and his best cardio is at this weight. If it goes 5, i like Kenny for the decision, otherwise i got BJ by stoppage, say 3rd RD..

-Anderson Silva (24-4 vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5)

Nobody gives Forrest the credit he has earned and believes in him like they should. I feel he can win this fight. He is the bigger man, has beaten great 205ers in the past. Silva is the more skilled fighter obviously but i think Forrest can get a decision here, with movement, determination and that
trademark heart he has...

-Amir Sadollah(5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0) Amir weighing in at 166, not good..

-Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites

[desflood]

Nobody gives Forrest the credit he has earned and believes in him like they should. I feel he can win this fight. He is the bigger man, has beaten great 205ers in the past. Silva is the more skilled fighter obviously but i think Forrest can get a decision here, with movement, determination and that trademark heart he has...[/B]
The more I think about this fight, the more the word "draw" comes into my mind. Forrest has always been a slow starter. It's easy to picture him losing the first round the first round 10-8, then winning the next two.

[Evan]

desflood > Evan lol

:toast
she knows more about MMA than most men...good mind for seeing behind stuff...

************************************************** *

Nothing too surprising altho Amir seems really light...

B.J. Penn (155) vs. Kenny Florian (155)
Anderson Silva (205) vs. Forrest Griffin (205)
Amir Sadollah (166.5) vs. Johny Hendricks (171)
Kendall Grove (185) vs. Ricardo Almeida (185)
Kurt Pellegrino (154.5) vs. Josh Neer (155.5)
Shane Nelson (156) vs. Aaron Riley (154)
Tamdan McCrory (170) vs. John Howard (169.5)
Thales Leites (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185.5)
Matt Riddle (170) vs. Dan Cramer (169.5)
George Sotiropoulos (155) vs. George Roop (154)
Jesse Lennox (171) vs. Danillo Villefort (170.25)

[Blackjack]

I can't pick Silva vs. Griffin........

I was pretty psyched about this fight, until I realized one of them would have to lose..:(

That being said, I just can't help but think Silva's precision and timing will be just too much for Forrest.

Forest loves to push the fight and although his standup has greatly improved, he can still get pretty sloppy and loose. He's got the heart of a lion and a hell of a chin, but seeing him rocked by the likes of Evans, Jardine and Rampage leads me to believe a striker with the precision of Silva is bound to do the same. Silva might not have the raw power of the guys I mentioned but the quickness and placement by which Anderson exploits those windows of opportunity, more than makes up for it. He's kinda' like a surgeon with a baseball bat; 4 of 'em.

Penn vs. Florian has me really going back and forth. I'm having a hard time separating my past perceptions of both fighters.

Penn has always reminded me of one of my favorite boxers; James Toney. When motivated and in shape, they're some of the most gifted, intelligent and natural fighters each sport has seen. It's really amazing how each of them could have such stellar careers, yet, still leave you feeling somewhat cheated that they didn't have the work-ethic/drive to match the crazy talent each possessed.

My question with Penn is if he's still that same fighter.

Is a good camp with Marinovic and the motivation from the ass-beating he received from GSP enough to get him back on his game, or does a beating like that, combined with all the years he's got on his odometer, both mentally and physically, start to reveal the fighter he's become and not the the fighter we've come to expect when motivated. Basically, if he's forced to reach deep for another gear, will it be there?

With Florian, it's is he really as good as he's looked since Sherk?

It's hard not to look at Florian as the undersized, tough kid in the TUF house. He's someone, unlike Penn, that really gets the most out of his talent. He's relentless in his quest to be the best possible fighter he can be and his overall game has just progressed exponentially since his TUF days. But, is he really that good? I mean, he sure as hell looked like it against Daddy but it's just hard to fathom he's really come that far. Like I said, it's more about my perceptions than anything Kenny hasn't done.

Having said all that, I just can't get myself to think that Kenny's progression has him on B.J.'s level; not just yet.

B.J.'s a champion and I haven't seen the erosion of talent/ability that would prevent him from responding from a humbling loss like a champion would.

[desflood]

BJ21 - nicely thought out post. It would be good to see you over here more often.

[Blackjack]

BJ21 - nicely thought out post. It would be good to see you over here more often.

Hopefully once my other hands healed, in the next 1-2 weeks, I'll be able to post more consistently.

Right now, I only post anything substantial when somethings really piqued my interest.

One banged up hand and one broken will do that to you.:lol

[polandprzem]

http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC%20101/Weigh-ins/029_AndersonSilivaUFC101Wei.jpg

[polandprzem]

http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC%20101/Weigh-ins/028_ForrestGriffinUFC101Weigh.jpg

[polandprzem]

http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC%20101/Weigh-ins/030_GriffinSilvaUFC101Weigh.jpg

[LEONARD]

Silva looks a little softer than he did against Irvin??

Drysdale responds to Anderson Silva

D_CY85eSceM

[desflood]

One banged up hand and one broken will do that to you.:lol
Good God, son! :lol

Once they heal, you'll have to tell us what happened. Now we'll be dying of curiousity.

[LEONARD]

BJ vs Stevenson
http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC_80/Weigh-ins/26-BJPenn_UFC80_Weighin_%20161.jpg

BJ vs Sherk
http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC_84/weigh/37_BJPennUFC84Weigh.jpg

BJ vs GSP (BJ was 168 lbs)
http://photos.mmaweekly.com/gallery/Ultimate%20Fighting%20Championship%20-%20UFC/UFC_94/weigh/31_BJPennUFC94w.jpg

[LEONARD]

George S. at 155 for the 1st time...interested to see what he's got, if he can stay healthy.
http://www.combatlifestyle.com/pics/albums/080709ufc/1025.jpg

Riddle at 170 for the 1st time...
http://www.combatlifestyle.com/pics/albums/080709ufc/1030.jpg

Riddle vs Cramer could be a great brawl...

[Evan]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight)* vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)* I can't pick this fight.
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Preliminary Bouts:
-Aaron Riley (27-11-1) vs. Shane Nelson (12-3)
-Tamdan McCrory (11-2) vs. John Howard (11-4)
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites (14-2)
-Matt Riddle (3-1) vs. Dan Cramer (3-1)
-George Sotiropoulos (11-3) vs. Rob Emerson (8-7)
-Jesse Lennox (10-1) vs. Danillo Villefort (9-2)

[LEONARD]

Amir prepping...
http://www.combatlifestyle.com/words/gdetail.php?id=168

[dbreiden83080]

Main Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight)* vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)* I can't pick this fight.
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Preliminary Bouts:
-Aaron Riley (27-11-1) vs. Shane Nelson (12-3)
-Tamdan McCrory (11-2) vs. John Howard (11-4)
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites (14-2)
-Matt Riddle (3-1) vs. Dan Cramer (3-1)
-George Sotiropoulos (11-3) vs. Rob Emerson (8-7)
-Jesse Lennox (10-1) vs. Danillo Villefort (9-2)

Check Evan out, being a wuss picking 3 Pre-Lims.. :lol

Shit just makes my job harder tallying this crap up..

[LEONARD]

Doubt if I'll be checking back in...enjoy the fights...

You better show up, Evan! :ihit

[dbreiden83080]

You better show up, Evan! :ihit

You kids have a nice time.. :lol

[Evan]

Check Evan out, being a wuss picking 3 Pre-Lims.. :lol

Shit just makes my job harder tallying this crap up..

pre-lims are harder to pick IMO but I always go with who I feel better about.

[djohn14]

FOTN-Tamden McCrory/John Howard----Im serious
KOTN-Anderson Silva over Forrest Griffin
SOTN-The winner of BJ Penn and Kenny Florian

[Evan]

Doubt if I'll be checking back in...enjoy the fights...

You better show up, Evan! :ihit

working on it

[dbreiden83080]

LOL i'm fuckin 0-2 to start the night thanks to Leites and Tamdan McCrory both losing on Split Decisions.. GEEZ!! :bang

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

anyone have a stream link?? PM me if you do please

[polandprzem]

LOL i'm fuckin 0-2 to start the night thanks to Leites and Tamdan McCrory both losing on Split Decisions.. GEEZ!! :bang

same in polands backyard

and it can get worse as I predicted both upsets - Ken, Forest

[djohn14]

Dammit Dan Mirglidouchebag

[djohn14]

I hate it when a fighter gets booed after a "questionable" ending to a fight.

[Blackjack]

^^ What happened?

[djohn14]

^^ What happened?

IMO and in the fans openion the Johnny Hendricks-Amir Sadollah fight was stopped too soon...nothing major. Anderson-Forrest NOW!

[djohn14]

Holy Shit! Screw GSP, Anderson Silva is the shit...TALK SHIT DBREIDEN lol just kiddin of course, but thats amazing! Fuck Fedor, who needs him...we got number one right here!

[polandprzem]

What an ass - never attepted to get the fight to the ground

[djohn14]

Thats just amazing

[dbreiden83080]

Silva is one bad motherfucker. Shit i feel bad for Forrest, he was made to look awful by Silva. Pd for PD king for sure..

[dbreiden83080]

Holy Shit! Screw GSP, Anderson Silva is the shit...TALK SHIT DBREIDEN lol just kiddin of course, but thats amazing! Fuck Fedor, who needs him...we got number one right here!

LOL i have never shit talked Silva and yes he is the best fighter in the world. GSP stay away..

Silva should should go up to 205 for good

[djohn14]

LOL i have never shit talked Silva and yes he is the best fighter in the world. GSP stay away..

Silva should should go up to 205 for good
Lol I know, Im kidding. I would never agree with the stay at 205 for good quote, unless I saw something like that. It takes something to make Forrest Griffin look like a little bitch lol.

[Blackjack]

Holy Shit! Screw GSP, Anderson Silva is the shit...TALK SHIT DBREIDEN lol just kiddin of course, but thats amazing! Fuck Fedor, who needs him...we got number one right here!

I take it Silva's precision is what I expected it to be? :elephant :depressed

[djohn14]

I take it Silva's precision is what I expected it to be? :elephant :depressed

Its so good, its stupid

[Blackjack]

How long did it go?

[djohn14]

How long did it go?

Ahhhhh...Half a round lol.....IDK how a crowd cant chant BJ BJ BJ and boo Anderson Silva.

[Blackjack]

Ahhhhh...Half a round lol.....IDK how a crowd cant chant BJ BJ BJ and boo Anderson Silva.

So much for hoping for the simultaneous KO.:lol

So they booed Spider?

[djohn14]

So much for hoping for the simultaneous KO.:lol

So they booed Spider?

Not after the fight, but when he walked up to the octagon they gave him hell

[djohn14]

Sometimes I forget just how talented BJ is.

[dbreiden83080]

Penn takes it, good stragedy by Florian clinching like that but if you can't get BJ down and do damage you really have no shot. Good fight..

[dbreiden83080]

Lol I know, Im kidding. I would never agree with the stay at 205 for good quote, unless I saw something like that. It takes something to make Forrest Griffin look like a little bitch lol.

It turned out to be a horrible matchup for Forrest. 30 seconds in you could see he had no shot. I mean Forrest is a great fighter but he was worked badly. The UFC is gonna want to have Silva fight for the 205 title, i mean he crushed Forrest..

Machida/Silva

Who ya got??

[Blackjack]

So Penn and Silva both won?

Well, I'm 2-0 lifetime and it will most likely only go downhill from here.

Expect a Blackjack retirement, shortly.:lol

[dbreiden83080]

I was so jacked up for the Forrest/Silva fight. Sitting in my living room with the sound blasted, in the intros man i was ready. 30 seconds later i realized this wasn't getting out of round one. Major dissapointment and i feel like shit for Forrest..

[djohn14]

It turned out to be a horrible matchup for Forrest. 30 seconds in you could see he had no shot. I mean Forrest is a great fighter but he was worked badly. The UFC is gonna want to have Silva fight for the 205 title, i mean he crushed Forrest..

Machida/Silva

Who ya got??

Oh man....Ya know I cant go against Silva....Machida has Silva elusivness so it will probably be a fight of cool looking strikes that miss!

[Blackjack]

I'm a huge fan of both Silva and Griffin, so this fight wasn't one I was looking forward to.

Objectively, I had a sense of impending doom for Forrest.

On a positive note, I didn't get to see UFC 101 but I did get to see Vanilla Ice perform Ice Ice Baby on Fox 29.:hat

[Blackjack]

So how egregious was the stoppage on Amir?

[dbreiden83080]

So how egregious was the stoppage on Amir?

Dan Mirogliata needs to find a new line of work..

[djohn14]

So how egregious was the stoppage on Amir?

IMO it was a horrible stoppage, by the time the ref got a hold of Hendricks, Amir was back up. I can see why Dan thought he might be in trouble as he wasnt blocking his face, but the reason he wasnt was because he was standing back up.

[polandprzem]

So how egregious was the stoppage on Amir?

well he was not out and he was not hurt, he was getting up and Hendriks was missing his shots but then came Morglidiota and said "it's time to go home"

[polandprzem]

Dan Mirogliata needs to find a new line of work..

Agree, CC vs Al-Turk fight

[Blackjack]

Dan Mirogliata needs to find a new line of work..


IMO it was a horrible stoppage, by the time the ref got a hold of Hendricks, Amir was back up. I can see why Dan thought he might be in trouble as he wasnt blocking his face, but the reason he wasnt was because he was standing back up.


well he was not out and he was not hurt, he was getting up and Hendriks was missing his shots but then came Morglidiota and said "it's time to go home"

Damn, that blows..

I ask because Amir's one of those guys who looks like he's in trouble one minute, and then submitting you the next.

Sucks for Amir.

Like Forrest, he's just an easy guy to root for.

[dbreiden83080]

Agree, CC vs Al-Turk fight

Remember the Kimbo/Thompson fight..

[dbreiden83080]

This loss for Forrest is so devastating i don't know where he goes from here? I mean this was the kind of loss that you might never get back on track from. Getting nothing done and being horribly KO'd is as bad as it gets. I love Forrest but i don't know what's next..

[polandprzem]

Can't anybody just fight Silva like he is suppose to do? Griffin was doing everything to lost the fight. On every occasion he got caught in counterpunch.
Where was a gamplan? Just before the fight?

LEites did a better job. Forest came in and wanted to exchange :rolleyes
he came into the octagon and wanted to brawl with silva. Forest go so much frustrated after Silva dropped him he had enough. His second loss in a row - so he went directly to the locker room. Maybe he got another fight scheudled for that night?

Silva would win with everybody in 205 division. There is only Lyoto out there for Silva.
However Evans when using his wrestling could be a legit opponent.

But I think Silva now cuts down to fight the winner of the Nate and Demian bout and then we will see. GSP or 205 again ? It's tough to jump up and down with the weight though.

[djohn14]

This loss for Forrest is so devastating i don't know where he goes from here? I mean this was the kind of loss that you might never get back on track from. Getting nothing done and being horribly KO'd is as bad as it gets. I love Forrest but i don't know what's next..

Maybe Forrest-Bonnar 7, or whatever its up to now.

[dbreiden83080]

Can't anybody just fight Silva like he is suppose to do? Griffin was doing everything to lost the fight. On every occasion he got caught in counterpunch.
Where was a gamplan? Just before the fight?

LEites did a better job. Forest came in and wanted to exchange :rolleyes
he came into the octagon and wanted to brawl with silva. Forest go so much frustrated after Silva dropped him he had enough. His second loss in a row - so he went directly to the locker room. Maybe he got another fight scheudled for that night?

Silva would win with everybody in 205 division. There is only Lyoto out there for Silva.
However Evans when using his wrestling could be a legit opponent.

But I think Silva now cuts down to fight the winner of the Nate and Demian bout and then we will see. GSP or 205 again ? It's tough to jump up and down with the weight though.

Forrest did try to brawl and i thought he would do better at it, because i expected more in and out from him. This is a guy that stood and survived 5 rds with Rampage for god's sake. But yeah he got dropped, then got pissed off and tried to brawl some more and that was lights out. You have to take Silva down. Standing and banging with him is a death sentance..

[djohn14]

I dont know how in the hell Drysdale thought Forrest was going to submit Anderson like that...oh well..

[dbreiden83080]

Post-fight Coverage


http://assets.espn.go.com/livenow/ufc101/index.html

[dbreiden83080]

I dont know how in the hell Drysdale thought Forrest was going to submit Anderson like that...oh well..

Yeah wade forward, stand and brawl, good idea..

[polandprzem]

Remember the Kimbo/Thompson fight..

I went to youtube to refresh my memory lol

[dbreiden83080]

I went to youtube to refresh my memory lol

Dan should not be reffing anymore, he has so many bad stops..

[dbreiden83080]

Going to sleep.. Later guys,


good night of fights.. :toast

[Blackjack]

Forrest did try to brawl and i thought he would do better at it, because i expected more in and out from him. This is a guy that stood and survived 5 rds with Rampage for god's sake. But yeah he got dropped, then got pissed off and tried to brawl some more and that was lights out. You have to take Silva down. Standing and banging with him is a death sentance..

Forrest is a brawler at heart and I was pretty sure it would be his downfall against a striker the likes of Silva. Forrest still has too many holes in his standup for someone like Silva. (Like there's someone comparable:lol)

The only reason, at least imo, he survived 5 against Rampage was the leg kicks.

Brilliant strategy, and it definitely caught Rampage off guard, but I couldn't help but notice how Forrest was rocked against him.

Like I said before, Silva might not possess the raw power of a Rampage but it's close enough to where his superior precision was bound to destroy Forrest.:depressed

[dbreiden83080]

Forrest is a brawler at heart and I was pretty sure it would be his downfall against a striker the likes of Silva. Forrest still has too many holes in his standup for someone like Silva. (Like there's someone comparable:lol)

The only reason, at least imo, he survived 5 against Rampage was the leg kicks.

Brilliant strategy, and it definitely caught Rampage off guard, but I couldn't help but notice how Forrest was rocked against him.

Like I said before, Silva might not possess the raw power of a Rampage but it's close enough to where his superior precision was bound to destroy Forrest.:depressed


One last post

Dude you have awesome MMA knowledge, come on bye more often, love all the info here.. :toast

[Blackjack]

One last post

Dude you have awesome MMA knowledge, come on bye more often, love all the info here.. :toast

Appreciate the props.:toast

I'll be much more useful once I'm able to see the amount of fights the majority on here get to see, so I definitely defer to the majority of the posters I see here.

I'm just glad I've found another good community of posters.

[polandprzem]

it's almost 8am

And I have another low hour sleep night ...

I'm walking like zombie last few days


and I lost my cell phone :cuss:

[mystargtr34]

Damn. Amazing. I wanna see Machida - Silva.

[Stringer_Bell]

IMHO, Silva/Lyoto is probably the next most anticipated fight after the Fedor/Brock match was thrown out the window. Silva just looked so calm, like BJ back in the day, that I can't see the man ever facing anyone but Lyoto with the same kind of killer technique and general mystical fighter vibe. I hope it happens!

Forrest, poor Forrest. The guy wanted to brawl, but Silva is not Tank Abbott. It was so apparent after the first minute that this would not end well for him. He threw too many feelers, and Silva even timed those and cracked him good a few times. I definately think he was hurting before he lunged into Silva's fist. Tough times, but Bonnar/Forrest 15 might be able to cheer him up. There's no shame in losing to a guy like Silva, take a number and have a seat.


Also, I changed my mind about who will win the Penn/Florini fight. I'll go with Penn winning by submission in the fourth. :ihit Then BJ will pass the torch to Diego in his next title defense!

BJ vs Diego. I'm ready, who else is with me? WOOOOOOO!

[DDUBB1770]

sad any one here reallythought bj or anderson would have lost those cans

[The TroutBum]

Ugh. BJ Penn is a tool. What a travesty. The worst part? Florian might start getting behind the mic again as a commentator, and THAT, my friends, is scary. Poor Forrest -- but honestly, who didn't see that one coming? I'd still take GSP over Silva though.














p.s. Brock Lesner is gayer than 9 guys sucking 10 dicks.

[cornbread]

It's good to see BJ and Anderson prove that they're still the best after all the hate they've been getting lately.

[dbreiden83080]

I'd still take GSP over Silva though.


I have gone from cautiously optimistic about that fight to feeling like there is very little chance GSP can win. It would be back at 185 but the standup of Silva is just insane, very tough fight for my boy GSP.. Anderson would be a huge favorite..



BJ vs Diego. I'm ready, who else is with me? WOOOOOOO!

Yep should be a great fight..

[dbreiden83080]

How Do You Like Anderson Now? Silva Magnificent in KO of Griffin

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=21710


And Still….Penn back in Prodigious Form with Submission of Florian


http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=21714

[TheTruth]

Penn is still unbeatable at 155. Silva is still unbeatable PERIOD. And Stringer Bell is one of the great television villains of all time. NO DOUBT!

[djohn14]

Its true, Fedor didnt come to the UFC because he was scared. But not of Brock Lesnar, he was scared of Anderson Silva...and rightfully so.

[Evan]

I hate this tired debate but....

Anderson is the best p4p fighter over Fedor simply because he dominates over two weight classes. I have no doubt Fedor could dominate in LHW...but he simply needs to prove it.

[dbreiden83080]

Its true, Fedor didnt come to the UFC because he was scared. But not of Brock Lesnar, he was scared of Anderson Silva...and rightfully so.

The entire 205 pd division shit themselves watching that last night..

[polandprzem]

The entire 205 pd division shit themselves watching that last night..

Not rampage, not machida.

Overall it was very impressive, but still I hate Silva.
It looked like it was not Forest day, he was broken totally - something he said he never will be.
I bet he is pissed at himself, and damn working so hard and fall like this was shamefull. I wonder what Forest has to say now?

What will UFC do with Spider now?
Hendo? Maia/Nate? Fuck that and give him Machida?
machida is scheudled to fight with Shogun so maybe Spider will go down again to defend and then Machida challange?

Good question

[djohn14]

Ya know...Ive read some forums that say that fight was rigged. Thats stupid and it pisses me off.

[Soul_Patch]

I was so disapointed in Forrest. After he got rocked, he needed to wrap Silva up and lay on him for a minute or so to get his head back...Instead he went ape shit barroom brawler and just swung wildly. The absolute WRONG thing you want to do against Silva.

I dont get why he got so beligerent. Was it the taunting from Silva?

I respect Silva, he is an awesome fighter, but i cant stand the disrespect he shows his opponents. He is a complete ass, and has 0 sportsmanship.

I read today that he is flat out refusing to fight Machida. He says that they are like brothers and he wont fight him...Thats a shame, because i think Machida has the elusiveness to wear him down and get the win.

Oh well, bad day for Forrest. I feel for him...i think he felt disrespected and lost his head, in more ways than one....

[IX_Equilibrium]

http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af65/FlyingWombat/MMA/florian_hat.gif

Philly for ya...

[IX_Equilibrium]

I really like the Sanchez/Penn matchup. Of course BJ fans are acting like Diego doesn't have a prayer, but nobody will test your cardio like Diego. BJ's cardio has surely improved, but Florian doesn't push the pace of a fight like Sanchez or Huerta. BJ had better keep up his rigorous training.

[djohn14]

PHILADELPHIA – Hours after the most electrifying domination in a career filled with them, deep in a back hallway of the Wachovia Center, Anderson Silva was waiting for Dana White. Silva is the UFC’s middleweight (185-pound) champion but Saturday he boldly moved up 20 pounds and in a jaw-dropping exhibition, brutalized Forrest Griffin, who just nine months ago was the light heavyweight (205) title holder.

Silva knocked Griffin down twice, offered a hand to help him up once and then promptly floored him again for good at 3:23 of the first round of UFC 101. Most remarkably, he did it with a punch he threw while backpedaling.


It was a complete annihilation. Griffin failed to land a single punch and when he came to his senses, he sprung up and ran from the octagon, trying to push through a doctor’s examination.

“He might be in Georgia by now, he ran out and I haven’t seen him since,” White, the UFC president, joked.

That Silva could move up a weight class and not just win, but destroy with power, was a game-changing and perhaps UFC-altering moment. That’s what Silva and his manager, Ed Soares, wanted to discuss with White.

With his arm wrapped around White’s shoulder, Soares leaned in and delivered a proposition. “Spider” Silva would move permanently to light heavyweight, even if it meant the unorthodox move of giving up his middleweight belt.

“I can do that,” White smiled, a bit stunned at the offer. “I like that. We can do that.”

Soares smiled and shook White’s hand. Silva had been accosted by a fan by then and couldn’t hear White, but it was presumably the news he was seeking. The man has such outrageous confidence in his abilities he’s willing to potentially toss away a championship he’s owned for almost three years to take a challenge outside his comfort zone.

“I’d let him,” White said later, sitting in his quiet dressing room. “We’d put [the middleweight title] up for grabs.”

The hour was late and everyone’s excitement was still high. Perhaps plans and goals change by morning, so White didn’t know what to say officially. This was still just hurried talk. He knew this much though, as a promoter there are more blockbuster fights for Silva at 205 than 185, where he’s beaten everyone of note.

Silva’s next title defense was supposed to be against Dan Henderson, who Silva savagely choked out in March 2008.

“Who knows,” White said, wheels already spinning. “We’ll see what happens. In the talks I’ve had with Anderson, he wants to take on the best in the world. He’s the most talented fighter in the world, the best pound for pound fighter and it’s a joke to say anyone else is. And he wants to continue to prove [it].”

White thought for a moment.

“He would jump in that mix [at the top of the light heavyweight division],” White said. “You’ve got Rashad [Evans], you’ve got Rampage [Jackson], [Lyoto] Machida is the champion. And Tito [Ortiz] is in the mix now.”

If Silva did vacate the middleweight title to move up full time, the ironic thing is that he claims it wouldn’t be to pursue the light heavyweight belt. At least as long as it was held by Machida, a fellow Brazilian and training partner.

“Lyoto is my friend, he is my brother and there is no way that fight will ever happen,” Silva said.

White, coveting a clash between two men who are both unbeaten in UFC competition, brushes that talk aside.

“I’ll make it happen,” White said winking his eye. “It’s not even about money. It’s about proving you’re the best, it’s about securing your place in history. It’s about putting on a super fight that fans want to see.

“I’m all about making big fights that fans want to see.”

Saturday was one of those fights. Silva was motivated by criticism that his last two fights – both victories mind you ¬– were dull, so he gladly moved up to take on a dangerous Griffin, who was known for his attack dog style.

It was intriguing, at least until Silva started toying with Griffin. He knocked Griffin down at will, dared him to connect with a punch, challenged him to be as tough as his reputation and then finally just finished him.

Coming in there was a “Rocky” element to the fight, Griffin the heavy underdog with the Philly crowd firmly behind him and booing Silva. By the end, Griffin was gone and Silva was being cheered. It was the recognition of brilliance overcoming any easy Hollywood storylines.

“He wants to be involved in the biggest fights we can put together,” Soares said.

The fact Silva took this fight is a testament to that. The Brazilian is 25-4 overall and has won all 10 of his fights in the UFC. At age 34, he could’ve sat at middleweight and potentially won 10 more, making nice money with relatively little risk in a division he’s been untouchable in.

That isn’t him though. Not even close.

So not long after stunning the sport with a legendary performance, there he and his manager were, trying to force a back-hall huddle with the UFC kingmaker. Move Silva to light heavyweight for good, they suggested to White.

With nothing left to prove at middleweight, Anderson Silva now wants to lay waste to a whole new division of the UFC. He doesn’t need a belt to prove a thing.

[djohn14]

What that basically says is Anderson wants to move up, even if it means giving up his middleweight title, however he and Lyoto will never fight due to their friendship.

[polandprzem]

Tito who?

[Behrooz24]

hatyanked.gif

Philly for ya...

:lmao I missed that last night

[dbreiden83080]

What that basically says is Anderson wants to move up, even if it means giving up his middleweight title, however he and Lyoto will never fight due to their friendship.

He should go up. It's the best move for him. There is nothing left for him at 185 other than maybe a fight with GSP down the line. Hendo and Silva 2 is not interesting, he'd win again. And he doesn't have to fight Machida right away. They are pals, Dana should go easy on that for now. Have him fight Page, that would be fun.. Although afer Page beats Rashad he is getting the title shot is my understanding..

[Evan]

http://i29.tinypic.com/28hk4dk.gif

[dbreiden83080]

http://i29.tinypic.com/28hk4dk.gif

As much as i love Forrest, his chin is not that great. Cote took better shots than he did last night..

[polandprzem]

PEW_DubgWA4

[Evan]

I wonder if his jaw was already dislocated at that point

[dbreiden83080]

I wonder if his jaw was already dislocated at that point

What?

[Evan]

What?

Update on Forrest Griffin (who was absent from the post-fight press conference) from the UG:

"I heard his jaw was dislocated very early in the fight…then he took several more punches to the jaw. Apparently he can’t hear out of the ear on that side either. He left the octagon because he needed medical attention asap. At first they thought his jaw was broken, then said it was dislocated."

[UPDATE] - Confirmed by telegraph.co.uk:

"Griffin had been taken to the hospital for checks, unable to hear in one ear, and in order to get his jaw checked."

[dbreiden83080]

Update on Forrest Griffin (who was absent from the post-fight press conference) from the UG:

"I heard his jaw was dislocated very early in the fight…then he took several more punches to the jaw. Apparently he can’t hear out of the ear on that side either. He left the octagon because he needed medical attention asap. At first they thought his jaw was broken, then said it was dislocated."

[UPDATE] - Confirmed by telegraph.co.uk:

"Griffin had been taken to the hospital for checks, unable to hear in one ear, and in order to get his jaw checked."

I think he left the Octagon more because he was devastated about the loss but that sucks to hear he got hurt.. I don't know what's next for him, it's a huge dent in his career..

[BlackSwordsMan]

awesome fucking fight with silva and anderson
so awesome I stayed up till 2 am to rewatch it

[dbreiden83080]

http://i32.tinypic.com/a10i00.gif

http://i25.tinypic.com/2ekr6ee.gif


http://i25.tinypic.com/6h5f6t.gif


http://i28.tinypic.com/9r0qxx.gif

[Blackjack]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dw-silva080909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


PHILADELPHIA – Hours after the most electrifying domination in a career filled with them, deep in a back hallway of the Wachovia Center, Anderson Silva was waiting for Dana White. Silva is the UFC’s middleweight (185-pound) champion but Saturday he boldly moved up 20 pounds and in a jaw-dropping exhibition, brutalized Forrest Griffin, who just nine months ago was the light heavyweight (205) title holder.

Silva knocked Griffin down twice, offered a hand to help him up once and then promptly floored him again for good at 3:23 of the first round of UFC 101. Most remarkably, he did it with a punch he threw while backpedaling.


It was a complete annihilation. Griffin failed to land a single punch and when he came to his senses, he sprung up and ran from the octagon, trying to push through a doctor’s examination.

“He might be in Georgia by now, he ran out and I haven’t seen him since,” White, the UFC president, joked.

That Silva could move up a weight class and not just win, but destroy with power, was a game-changing and perhaps UFC-altering moment. That’s what Silva and his manager, Ed Soares, wanted to discuss with White.

With his arm wrapped around White’s shoulder, Soares leaned in and delivered a proposition. “Spider” Silva would move permanently to light heavyweight, even if it meant the unorthodox move of giving up his middleweight belt.

“I can do that,” White smiled, a bit stunned at the offer. “I like that. We can do that.”

Soares smiled and shook White’s hand. Silva had been accosted by a fan by then and couldn’t hear White, but it was presumably the news he was seeking. The man has such outrageous confidence in his abilities he’s willing to potentially toss away a championship he’s owned for almost three years to take a challenge outside his comfort zone.

“I’d let him,” White said later, sitting in his quiet dressing room. “We’d put [the middleweight title] up for grabs.”

The hour was late and everyone’s excitement was still high. Perhaps plans and goals change by morning, so White didn’t know what to say officially. This was still just hurried talk. He knew this much though, as a promoter there are more blockbuster fights for Silva at 205 than 185, where he’s beaten everyone of note.

Silva’s next title defense was supposed to be against Dan Henderson, who Silva savagely choked out in March 2008.

“Who knows,” White said, wheels already spinning. “We’ll see what happens. In the talks I’ve had with Anderson, he wants to take on the best in the world. He’s the most talented fighter in the world, the best pound for pound fighter and it’s a joke to say anyone else is. And he wants to continue to prove [it].”

White thought for a moment.

“He would jump in that mix [at the top of the light heavyweight division],” White said. “You’ve got Rashad [Evans], you’ve got Rampage [Jackson], [Lyoto] Machida is the champion. And Tito [Ortiz] is in the mix now.”

If Silva did vacate the middleweight title to move up full time, the ironic thing is that he claims it wouldn’t be to pursue the light heavyweight belt. At least as long as it was held by Machida, a fellow Brazilian and training partner.

“Lyoto is my friend, he is my brother and there is no way that fight will ever happen,” Silva said.

White, coveting a clash between two men who are both unbeaten in UFC competition, brushes that talk aside.

“I’ll make it happen,” White said winking his eye. “It’s not even about money. It’s about proving you’re the best, it’s about securing your place in history. It’s about putting on a super fight that fans want to see.

“I’m all about making big fights that fans want to see.”

Saturday was one of those fights. Silva was motivated by criticism that his last two fights – both victories mind you ¬– were dull, so he gladly moved up to take on a dangerous Griffin, who was known for his attack dog style.

It was intriguing, at least until Silva started toying with Griffin. He knocked Griffin down at will, dared him to connect with a punch, challenged him to be as tough as his reputation and then finally just finished him.

Coming in there was a “Rocky” element to the fight, Griffin the heavy underdog with the Philly crowd firmly behind him and booing Silva. By the end, Griffin was gone and Silva was being cheered. It was the recognition of brilliance overcoming any easy Hollywood storylines.

“He wants to be involved in the biggest fights we can put together,” Soares said.

The fact Silva took this fight is a testament to that. The Brazilian is 25-4 overall and has won all 10 of his fights in the UFC. At age 34, he could’ve sat at middleweight and potentially won 10 more, making nice money with relatively little risk in a division he’s been untouchable in.

That isn’t him though. Not even close.

So not long after stunning the sport with a legendary performance, there he and his manager were, trying to force a back-hall huddle with the UFC kingmaker. Move Silva to light heavyweight for good, they suggested to White.

With nothing left to prove at middleweight, Anderson Silva now wants to lay waste to a whole new division of the UFC. He doesn’t need a belt to prove a thing.

[djohn14]

He should go up. It's the best move for him. There is nothing left for him at 185 other than maybe a fight with GSP down the line. Hendo and Silva 2 is not interesting, he'd win again. And he doesn't have to fight Machida right away. They are pals, Dana should go easy on that for now. Have him fight Page, that would be fun.. Although afer Page beats Rashad he is getting the title shot is my understanding..

So if/when Anderson moves up, who do you see him fighting? Rashad/Page is booked for December so they wouldnt be able to fight again till spring of 2010 probably. Machida/Shogun are fighting soon, I forget when, but its coming up. Tito is fighting Coleman, Belfort and Franklin are fighting, Henderson moved down. He could fight Chuck, that would still be a major draw, even after Chucks struggles, but nobody wants to see him get KTFO again. Anderson just destroyed a high-profile name in Forrest, so IMO there is no reason for him to fight a lesser name in Brandon Vera or someone of that caliber. I say best case scenario he fights one more fight at 185 against Dan Henderson, Demian Maia (my prefrence), or Nate Marquardt, then move up for good in the Spring time and fights the winner of Rampage-Rashad. Or maybe he stays up and fights Wanderlei....Id like that. Anyway, what are you guys openions?

[djohn14]

Thanks Blackjack, forgot to credit my post.

[Blackjack]

Penn once again silences doubters

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports


PHILADELPHIA – Longtime boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. once made a rap song about his career which he called, “Ya’ll must’ve forgot.” He was angry that fans seemed to forget his years of dominance in which no opponent came remotely close to challenging him.

B.J. Penn, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s extraordinarily gifted lightweight champion, wouldn’t have been human had he not had similar emotions in the prelude to his title defense Saturday at the Wachovia Center in the co-main event of UFC 101 against Kenny Florian.

Penn was coming off a one-sided thrashing in a welterweight title fight against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in January. His conditioning was questioned. His courage was questioned. His toughness was questioned.

But Penn proved that more than eight years after he made his mixed martial arts debut, he’s still the same spectacular athlete who earned the nickname “The Prodigy.”

With Jones watching from a front-row seat, Penn controlled Florian before taking him down and submitting him in the fourth round to retain the belt.

He had a tough act to follow, as Anderson Silva scored one of the more spectacular one-punch knockouts in a major bout in UFC history to stop Forrest Griffin in the first round of the other main event.

Penn, who was in the bathroom area of his locker room trying to gather his thoughts when the knockout occurred, heard the roars of the crowd and then greeted Silva as he returned from the cage.

“He said, ‘Now it’s your turn,’ ” Penn said, bursting into laughter. “Tough act to follow.”

It was, indeed.

And Penn seized the moment, taking Florian out of his game expertly, neutralizing his kicks and his elbows and outboxing him most of the way.

What Penn proved Saturday is the same thing he proved in 2008 when he destroyed Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson in lightweight bouts: There may be bigger men alive who can defeat him, and some who could defeat him handily, but there are no men his size at this point who can defeat him.

Penn’s biggest problem has often been Penn himself. He hasn’t come to camp in shape and he has often let his mind wander.

Florian entered the fight on a six-bout winning streak and was the choice of many to score the upset, but Penn was clearly a different fighter Saturday. The work he put in with strength and conditioning coach Marv Marinovich was clearly evident. He was as flexible as ever but had the staying power he lacked in past bouts.

He was also deadly focused and never lost sight of his goal, like he’s done occasionally in the past.

“B.J. Penn looked better physically than I’ve seen him since 2001,” UFC president Dana White said. “He came out and fought an amazing fight against a highly talented and motivated Kenny Florian.”

That’s because Penn is highly talented and was highly motivated to put the St. Pierre loss behind him. Not only did he get thrashed by St. Pierre, but he came under attack by many of his fans for alleging that St. Pierre had illegally greased his body.

He didn’t help his cause earlier in the week when he said he believed that St. Pierre also used steroids.

All of that got plenty of attention, but it obscured the fact that Penn remains superior to any lightweight alive. He’s an elite boxer, he is even better with his jiu-jitsu and he has great takedown defense.

In the past, he didn’t want to be limited by one weight class and he is so talented he managed to move up and win a welterweight championship. But Penn is significantly smaller than the welterweights, let alone middleweights, light heavyweights and heavyweights.

In 2005, he actually faced Lyoto Machida, the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, in a heavyweight bout and nearly pulled it out.

But MMA has evolved so much since that the size difference makes it all but impossible for a man with a small frame like Penn to compete on even terms.

That explains the loss to a brilliant fighter like St. Pierre, but it doesn’t explain the doubt that many had about Penn’s chances on Saturday.

Silva, who had plenty of his own doubters after back-to-back lackluster fights, couldn’t understand those who questioned Penn.

“B.J. went out there and proved there is nobody in the world who can beat him,” Silva said. “He went out and did his job well done. I’m a big fan of B.J.”

When he is in the kind of shape he was in on Saturday and he fights with the determination he did against Florian, it’s hard not to be a fan of Penn’s.

There were many of his fans and camp members who were wearing “Penn State” T-shirts in the arena Saturday and Penn acted as if he were plenty at home in Pennsylvania.

No matter where the Octagon is, though, he’s at home.

B.J. Penn was born to fight.

Kenny Florian learned that lesson Saturday.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=ApCTWTjK70IWvuHpIcL9JIc9Eo14?slug=ki-penn080909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Blackjack]

Thanks Blackjack, forgot to credit my post.

No prob.:toast

[Blackjack]

I think he left the Octagon more because he was devastated about the loss but that sucks to hear he got hurt.. I don't know what's next for him, it's a huge dent in his career..

That'd be a pretty extreme departure in character for Forrest.

Forrest has always been gracious in both victory and defeat, and even if the fight was devastating, I seriously doubt someone with his past history would run from the octagon in the fashion he did.

He's a stand-up guy who's also smart enough to know how he would be viewed if he didn't own it.


So if/when Anderson moves up, who do you see him fighting? Rashad/Page is booked for December so they wouldnt be able to fight again till spring of 2010 probably. Machida/Shogun are fighting soon, I forget when, but its coming up. Tito is fighting Coleman, Belfort and Franklin are fighting, Henderson moved down. He could fight Chuck, that would still be a major draw, even after Chucks struggles, but nobody wants to see him get KTFO again. Anderson just destroyed a high-profile name in Forrest, so IMO there is no reason for him to fight a lesser name in Brandon Vera or someone of that caliber. I say best case scenario he fights one more fight at 185 against Dan Henderson, Demian Maia (my prefrence), or Nate Marquardt, then move up for good in the Spring time and fights the winner of Rampage-Rashad. Or maybe he stays up and fights Wanderlei....Id like that. Anyway, what are you guys openions?

:lol

Not at your post, just at the realization of Silva really being tested by the likes of some really good, to great fighters you mentioned.

Silva's ridiculous...

I thought maybe Rampage for a second there, but could you imagine what Spider would do after analyzing the Jackson-Griffin fight? Would Rampage ever be able to walk again?:lol

Machida intrigues me and is probably the best bet to hang that first UFC loss on Silva, but if it were to happen? I think it'd end up being a pretty big letdown for a lot of the viewing public; regardless who won.

Two tacticians who thrive on opposing fighters aggression could turn into one of those perceived lackluster boring fights.

As someone who just wants to see the best in the world be forced to push their own limits, I'd enjoy the fight even if it wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing. I'm just not sure the average PPV customer or ticket-buyer shares the same sentiment.

Hell, they brought in some WWE with Lesnar, is it time the UFC started sanctioning handicap matches?:hat

[dbreiden83080]

That'd be a pretty extreme departure in character for Forrest.

Forrest has always been gracious in both victory and defeat, and even if the fight was devastating, I seriously doubt someone with his past history would run from the octagon in the fashion he did.

He's a stand-up guy who's also smart enough to know how he would be viewed if he didn't own it.


Forrest is an extremely emotional guy who has been known to break down and cry when he loses. He did so in the ring after he lost to Jardine. I have no doubt he broke down in the locker room. Florian did not want to talk about the loss to Penn, he left without doing an interview. The thing is, Forrest didn't just lose, he was embarassed. 10 week camp down the toilet, visciously KO'd. Would you wanna stick around and discuss the details of that? I know i wouldn't..

[dbreiden83080]

Forrest Griffin’s Jaw Not Injured In UFC 101 KO Loss to Anderson Silva


Posted by Kris Karkoski on Aug 9, 2009 at 2:26 pm

Rumors circulated on Sunday that Forrest Griffin’s run from the Octagon following his first-round knockout loss to Anderson Silva on Saturday at UFC 101 was due to a broken or dislocated jaw. However, according to Joe Ferraro of Sportsnet’s “MMA Connected”, Griffin’s jaw is “fine”:

Source has confirmed that the reports that Forrest has a broken jaw and was the reason he ran out of the octagon are false. His jaw is fine.

At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said he hadn’t seen Griffin following the knockout and had no idea where he’d gone or why he left, though White added that he believed Griffin simply bolted from the Octagon as a result of his being an emotional fighter.

What injuries Griffin suffered in the defeat, if any, are not yet known as the card’s medical suspensions have yet to be released, but should be available in the coming days.

http://mmafrenzy.com/11209/forrest-griffins-jaw-not-injured-in-ufc-101-ko-loss-to-anderson-silva/

[Evan]

well that answers that.

[kromediablo]

Congrats BJ penn for winnign the fight.

Notice when had florian on his back and started heel kicks to the kidney...for a fraction of a second florian put his hand down to protect his kidneys....BJ baited his assss with them heel kicks...and pitted the choke hold lighting fast like a snake on its prey!!!

[kromediablo]

http://i32.tinypic.com/a10i00.gif


Congrats BJ penn for winning the fight!

BJ baited his assss with them heel kicks and pitted the rear naked choke hold lighting fast !!! its all part of da plan bruddah!!

[Blackjack]

Well, damn...

Probably would've been better had he broken/dislocated his jaw.

Forrest has earned the benefit of a doubt from me with the way he's conducted his self in the past, but even if him being extremely emotional is understandable, it's definitely not a good look. I really wish he could've at least made a statement after he gained his composure, if he indeed suffered from no serious injury, but I guess it is what it is.

I really hope this fight doesn't do to him what he claimed it couldn't, break him, and he's able to rebound from this in a Penn-esque fashion.

I've never viewed Forrest, skill/talent-wise, as an upper-echelon fighter but he's a crowd pleaser and a fan-favorite that does nothing but good for the UFC.

Dana got the perfect fighter to oppose Silva and ignite the Spider hysteria again, which he should be greatful Forrest had the balls to do, but instead he he clowns the guy with his " He might be in Georgia.." remark after being asked about him..

Damn, this fight sucked.

I can't celebrate Silva's victory because I'm questioning whether Forrest will ever truly recover.:(

[dbreiden83080]

I can't celebrate Silva's victory because I'm questioning whether Forrest will ever truly recover.:(

I'm with ya man, i was completely flat for the main event after Forrest got beatdown that bad. I was so jazzed for the fight and 30 seconds in, you knew it was going to be a mess for Forrest. Not only was he not hitting Silva, but Silva had his hands down and was shit talking him in the process. The guy has beat some great fighters, but i do wonder "What now" for him. Coming back from this loss is going to be incredibly hard.

[dbreiden83080]

http://i32.tinypic.com/a10i00.gif


Congrats BJ penn for winning the fight!

BJ baited his assss with them heel kicks and pitted the rear naked choke hold lighting fast !!! its all part of da plan bruddah!!

He did bait him, that said i find it amazing that he got the finish with that choke. That is BJ's favorite submission. RNC plenty of guys. Everyone in the building knew he was going to try and sink that in when he took the back and Kenny has great JJ. Still didn't matter..

[Blackjack]

I'm trying to be careful and not over react the way some did with Penn after the GSP destruction, but this seems a bit of a reality check.

Forrest achieving what he has, has actually been pretty remarkable. I've always liked and respected him as a person and fighter, but there's no way in hell I would have ever believed he would go on to beat Rua and capture the title by defeating Jackson after leaving the TUF house.

If he can recover from this loss emotionally and get his confidence back where it needs to be, there's no reason he can't go on to continue a pretty damn good career. (Or at least another Bonnar fight, as some have mentioned.:lol)

[tlongII]

Silva was incredilble last night. I don't think I've ever seen someone KO somebody like that while backpedaling. GSP would get crushed by Silva. Machida is the only fighter that can compete with him. I hope it happens.

[desflood]

GRIFFIN UNINJURED, NOT DEALING WELL WITH LOSS
Sunday, August 09, 2009 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following a devastating knockout loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101 on Saturday night, former 205-pound champion Forrest Griffin wasted no time getting up from the mat and quickly exiting the Octagon.

At the post fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said he hadn't seen or heard from Griffin after the fight and he could be "back in Georgia" at that point.

“He’s an emotional guy,” commented White. “He came into this fight confident that he was going to beat Anderson Silva.”

Reports surfaced on Sunday that Griffin had suffered a jaw injury and that was the reason for his hasty exit, but MMAWeekly.com was able to confirm with representatives from Zinkin Entertainment, Griffin's management group, that he is physically fine following the Saturday night fight.

Griffin suffered no broken jaw and he is physically okay, said the Zinkin representative, but emotionally he is definitely not dealing well with the loss.

Griffin, who is ranked as a top five light heavyweight, faced Silva Saturday night in the co-main event, and struggled with the Brazilian's speed and unbelievable accuracy during the bout.

After two knockdowns early in the round, Griffin was caught with a quick straight right hand that put him down on the canvas for the final time as he waived to the referee to stop the fight.



Definitely not the best night for the Xtreme Couture guys. Poor Amir really got screwed.

[Blackjack]

Silva was incredilble last night. I don't think I've ever seen someone KO somebody like that while backpedaling. GSP would get crushed by Silva. Machida is the only fighter that can compete with him. I hope it happens.

Liddell is really the only guy that comes to mind when seeing a devastating blow while backpedaling, so that was one of the first things that came to mind. (Followed closely by wondering if Silva picked up any tips from Margarito on how to properly wrap the hands..)


After two knockdowns early in the round, Griffin was caught with a quick straight right hand that put him down on the canvas for the final time as he waived to the referee to stop the fight.

After seeing the replay of the ending, I'm not sure Griffin wasn't just flailing trying to defend himself and trying to decipher if the ref was actually Silva.

Damn, Silva absolutely toyed with him. I definitely understand the humiliation now.

Who in the hell puts their hands down, allows the opponent to swing away and then calmly says, "Good night." successfully?

Or, how about putting the opponent on their ass, and clearly not wanting to give the guy any hope on the ground, stopping in the middle of the fight to extend both hands in an effort as if to say, "Sorry, bro. Why don't you go ahead and let me help you up. I'm just that classy of a guy." (One of the most unsportsmanlike sportsman gestures in the history of ever:lol) and then proceeds to pick a part a former champion at 205 exerting minimal effort while having essentially target practice.

The man isn't human

[angelbelow]

wow.. im seen the fight about 20 times now... silva is fucking amazing... As much as I liked Silva to begin with, I had a soft spot for forrest too. im a big fan of hard workers with tremendous heart so it was definitely bittersweet for me.

[polandprzem]

http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_UFC_101_Brawl_In_Crowd?vid=10005959&tid=104

[Soul_Patch]

lol philly....

[IX_Equilibrium]

GSP would get crushed by Silva.

I disagree. GSP would not not fight Silva in the dumb manner that Grifin, Leben, or Franklin did.

He would take Silva down, control him on the ground, g&p, avoid sub attempts, and get a decision.

[LEONARD]

Overall, a weak event.

The first 4 fights of the night sucked...Dan should be fired as a ref...seriously.

Silva's schooling of Forrest was shocking...he was fighting mad it seemed and didn't even give Forrest a chance to get going (slow starter).

BJ is unbeatable at LW as long as he cares. He looked strong, quick, and pissed off. Can't wait for him to beat up Diego...


I hate this tired debate but....

Anderson is the best p4p fighter over Fedor simply because he dominates over two weight classes. I have no doubt Fedor could dominate in LHW...but he simply needs to prove it.

Prior to this fight Silva fought Irvin, Cote, and Leites...not exactly a murder's row. I understand that there wasn't much else for him, but it’s funny to me that he’s put on a pedestal by everybody while Fedor fights 2 top 5 HW’s (when he fought them) and lines up Barnett for the next fight and people still say he’s fighting chumps.

I think Silva could be a force at HW eventually too. He could probably come in at 225 lbs now if given enough time. He has the frame to carry it and still be quick.


http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af65/FlyingWombat/MMA/florian_hat.gif

Philly for ya...

hahahaha...


As much as i love Forrest, his chin is not that great. Cote took better shots than he did last night..

His chin has always been crap IMO. He can take punishment and bleeds a lot, but if he take a shot on the chin he's going down...


http://i32.tinypic.com/a10i00.gif

Congrats BJ penn for winning the fight!

BJ baited his assss with them heel kicks and pitted the rear naked choke hold lighting fast !!! its all part of da plan bruddah!!

Genius stuff on BJ's part...


I disagree. GSP would not not fight Silva in the dumb manner that Grifin, Leben, or Franklin did.

He would take Silva down, control him on the ground, g&p, avoid sub attempts, and get a decision.

:wow

[dbreiden83080]

I disagree. GSP would not not fight Silva in the dumb manner that Grifin, Leben, or Franklin did.

He would take Silva down, control him on the ground, g&p, avoid sub attempts, and get a decision.

The big issue is how much quality weight can GSP put on to fight the man at 185. He fights at about 185 right now, when he gets in the cage. He says he wants to be around 200 if that fight happens. Will GSP be able to be as fast and explosive at 200 pds as he is at 185 and can he avoid not getting KO'd in the exchanges. As much as i love GSP, Silva rightfully so would be a huge favorite in that fight..

[LEONARD]

Still trying to find Leites vs Sakara, but it sounds like Leites got screwed...

SD

Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara

Round 1
The entrance is messed up, and Leites comes out to Sakara’s music and name. Sakara, in turn, enters to Leites’ music, which Leites sings while Sakara makes his way to the Octagon. Leites slips throwing a haymaker but stands back up. He shoots from too far out for a takedown, and Sakara stuffs it. 1:30 in. Sakara is mostly waiting back. Leites gets a single leg, but as Leites is taking top control Sakara lands a short forearm that hurts him and keeps him off. Back on the feet, Sakara fires a one-two that’s blocked. Leites misses another shot from afar. The audience boos. 10-9 Sakara.

Round 2
Leites is more aggressive with his striking to start the second, and this helps him take down Sakara against the cage. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt then tries to take Sakara’s back on the ground. He gets in one hook, but Sakara rolls out and the fight goes back to the feet. Sakara lands with a left hook. Leites drops under another strike for a takedown. He tries to take Sakara’s back again as he goes to stand, but Sakara quickly escapes again to his feet. 3:00 into the round. Sakara looks fresher. Leites is getting wild. Sakara throws a knee, and Leites finishes a double-leg takedown. He mounts Sakara with 45 seconds remaining. Sakara gets half-guard back, then Leites mounts again and punches from the top. 10-9 Leites.

Round 3
The boos resume after a lackluster opening minute to the third. Sakara throws a one-two that’s blocked. He sprawls on a double-leg and hustles out. Not much action. Leites shoots from afar again and isn’t close to the takedown. More boos. Sakara switches to a southpaw stance, which doesn’t lead to any offense. He misses a one-two-three combo. Referee Marc Goddard warns the fighters for inactivity. Leites moves forward and finally gets a takedown. He takes Sakara’s back with both hooks, but loses control quickly. Sakara gets up. More boos. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 Leites.

Official decision: 29-28 Sakara, 30-27 Leites, 29-28 Sakara. Split decision for Sakara.

--------------

MMAWeekly

-Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites

R1 – Slow start as Sakara tries to feel out his reach and Leites looking for the shot. Leites eventually grabs a leg and throws Sakara to the ground, but he scrambles and gets back to the feet. Sakara seems content to counter, but when Leites engages he backs up. Leites again goes for Sakara's leg, but misses and Sakara throws a good 1-2 combo, but doesn't connect. Leites tries for a flying knee late in a lackluster round overall.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Thales Leites

R2 – After a brief exchange on the feet, Leites eventually lands a nice takedown and starts to work to take Sakara's back, but the Italian battles out and gets back to the feet. Sakara is starting to get his range as he opens up with a few punches before being taken down again. Leites tries to move and take Sakara's back, but slips out and Sakara stands back up. Sakara gets overly aggressive again after going for a knee strike and is taken down with Leites moving to mount, but then back into half guard. Leites gets back to mount and lands elbows as the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Thales Leites

R3 – Not much action in the third, Sakara doesn't seem to want to engage, as Leites tries for a takedown, but doesn't land it. Leites steps forward as Sakara moves from side to side to avoid him. The referee pulls both fighters in and demands action. Leites shoots in right after and gets a nice takedown, taking Sakara's back, but he slips out and back to the feet. Leites gives chase, but Sakara moves away and literally runs as the time expires.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Thales Leites

Alessio Sakara def. Thales Lietes by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

-----------------

another (for comedic value)

Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Round 1 - Tough first round to score…Leites can’t get Sakara down, and Sakara isn’t letting his hands go.
Round 2 - Leites starting to break Sakara down on the ground.
Round 3 - Kevin Iole says, “Maybe it wasn’t Anderson Silva’s fault AFTER ALL. This fight totally sucks.” Referee talks to Leites and Sakara and tells them to fight. Iole’s final comment on this fight via Twitter: “Both of these guys should be dropped by UFC, if you ask me. Neither tried to win. Awful (expletive) fight.” Alessio Sakara defeats Thales Leites by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30).

[dbreiden83080]

“Both of these guys should be dropped by UFC, if you ask me. Neither tried to win. Awful (expletive) fight.”

Leites fights like a pussy, he has no heart and is scared to death to get hit..

[IX_Equilibrium]

The big issue is how much quality weight can GSP put on to fight the man at 185. He fights at about 185 right now, when he gets in the cage. He says he wants to be around 200 if that fight happens. Will GSP be able to be as fast and explosive at 200 pds as he is at 185 and can he avoid not getting KO'd in the exchanges. As much as i love GSP, Silva rightfully so would be a huge favorite in that fight..

GSP said he would need about a year to put on quality muscle to get to the desired weight. It would take him some time to get there, but I would pick him to win once he did.

[dbreiden83080]

“Lyoto is my friend, he is my brother and there is no way that fight will ever happen,” Silva said.

White, coveting a clash between two men who are both unbeaten in UFC competition, brushes that talk aside.

“I’ll make it happen,” White said winking his eye. “It’s not even about money. It’s about proving you’re the best, it’s about securing your place in history. It’s about putting on a super fight that fans want to see"

I do believe Silva when he says this. The guy is really about honor in martial arts and if he feels this way about Lyoto he won't let Dana twist his arm. He'll just say

"give me Rampage, Shogun, Rashad" etc..

[BlackSwordsMan]

yeah anderson silva would never fight lyoto

[dbreiden83080]

He actually only has 3 fights left on his deal and word is he still wants to box Roy Jones JR. He was supposedly at UFC 101. I expect he will want to make that happen when his deal is up and maybe come back to the UFC after.

[desflood]

Fickle Fans and Fellow Fighters Turn on Forrest Griffin
by Kid Nate on Aug 10, 2009 11:58 AM EDT in News 161 comments

MMA fans might be the harshest and most fickle in the sporting world. There is no better demonstration of the "what have you done for me lately mentality" than the way we have collectively turned on former favorite Forrest Griffin. For an example see the photo shop on the right which has been making the rounds in the BE comments, on the UG and the Sherdog boards.

Not all of the criticism has been mean or knee-jerk. There are questions about whether he was ever any good to begin with, Zak Woods:

Is Anderson Silva just that good or have we been inflating Forrest Griffin's status and abilities for some time?

We always knew that Griffin's chin was not a solid rock nor did he have heavy hands but Forrest had reinvented himself into a tactician. None of that was on display last night.

For the record Forrest Griffin is now 2-2 in marquee fights at light heavyweight (victories over Quinton Jackson and Mauricio Rua, loses to Anderson Silva and Rashad Evans). If we include the Keith Jardine loss than Griffin slides to 2-3 in fights against top competition. All three of those loses come via knockout.

If we dissect Griffin's victories than they appear to be paper tigers as well. Griffin was the beneficiary of favorable judging against Jackson on top of Quinton's mental issues that became apparent after the fight. In the Shogun bout Rua was fighting on one leg due to an ACL tear and was still able to bloody Griffin though in the end Rua would be submitted in unspectacular fashion.

And BE reader FlyByKnight declares Forrest's career over in a thoughtful and even-handed piece, that is nonetheless, damning:

Whether one wants to admit it or not, Forrest Griffin's career is pretty much dead as we know it. His days as that one guy who helped bring millions of fans into the UFC are over. His days as that one guy who had his career slaughtered at the hands of Anderson Silva has begun. There's no shame in losing to Anderson Silva. None whatsoever. But, this loss stands out above all others. In one of the most bizarre, embarrassing, and highlight reel knockouts ever completed, Anderson Silva ended Forrest Griffin's career in essentially the same jaw-dropping fashion that it began. And it, quite simply, is a shame.

I'm not even going to dignify the pernicious and wide spread chatter from the knuckle dragging set who insist on believing the fight was a work. News flash idiots -- a work benefits the promotion or the bookies. Anderson Silva was a heavy favorite, he was expected to win and the odds accounted for it. There was no killing to be made off Forrest taking a dive. Secondly, from the UFC's perspective it was a disaster and exactly the opposite outcome that they wanted. The fight seriously damaged the brand of one of their marquee fighters to the benefit of one of their worst draws.

The apparently false reports that he suffered a broken or dislocated jaw seemed to help his cause and many fans embraced that as a life raft for their sinking admiration for Forrest. But with reports surfacing that he suffered no such injury, it's not looking good for Griffin apologists.

Forrest Griffin is the definitive organization man for the UFC. He is beyond loyal to Dana White and that loyalty is a two-way street. Anderson Silva on the other hand is openly scheming to get out of his UFC obligations as quickly and profitably as possible -- his latest gambit is to drop his middleweight belt and move up to 205lbs permanently, even though he insists he won't fight light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida. If the UFC falls for this transparent attempt to escape the champion clause of their contracts -- which essentially traps their champs into an auto-renewing contract until they lose the title or retire from MMA -- I'll be shocked.

In the meantime, Forrest was certainly ill-served on a number of fronts -- by his own terrible game-planning (or failure to implement a game plan), by Joe Silva and Dana White he apparently seriously over-rated his abilities to give Anderson Silva a tough fight, by the fans and most of all by his own antics during the fight when he visibly gave up and charged chin-first into the third and final knockdown and then ran from the cage.

[dbreiden83080]

^^

Damn that's a rough one.

[dallaskd]

Hendo and Page could give Silva a run. I think GSP's only chance would be to put Anderson on his back as soon as possible. Wouldnt mind seeing Wandy brawl with him either. Other than that, there's not much for him considering he probably wont ever fight Machida.

I like the gameplan by Kenny, but he wasnt going to take him down and there's not much he could do standing up. IMO BJ won every round. To beat Bj at LW your going to have to beat him on his feet. Not many can do that but Id like to see him take on Aoki, JZ, or Alvarez. IMO he would crush Aoki, because Aoki just isnt strong enough to take him down, but it would be a hell of a JJ war if he did. Maybe Kawajiri could give him a good fight? I wanna say Mach or Gomi, but they have been shit lately.

I think were going to see dominant champions and long title runs in the next few years..

[anakha]

Anderson Silva on the other hand is openly scheming to get out of his UFC obligations as quickly and profitably as possible -- his latest gambit is to drop his middleweight belt and move up to 205lbs permanently, even though he insists he won't fight light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida. If the UFC falls for this transparent attempt to escape the champion clause of their contracts -- which essentially traps their champs into an auto-renewing contract until they lose the title or retire from MMA -- I'll be shocked.


If this is true, then Silva needs to have at least one mandatory defense in his last three matches.

[dallaskd]

Well his next fight is Henderson.. that's confirmed.

[desflood]

You know, I went to mma core and rewatched Sadollah/Hendricks - and it made the bad stoppage even worse. Hendricks didn't even knock Amir down - Sadollah tripped over his own giant foot and stumbled. He was defeated by his own clumsiness, not his opponent.

[LEONARD]

I disagree...he was rocked and buckled by the uppercut. Otherwise he would've got up instantly instead of sitting there for a couple seconds on his hands and knees. Still a bad stoppage though...

[robbie380]

You know, I went to mma core and rewatched Sadollah/Hendricks - and it made the bad stoppage even worse. Hendricks didn't even knock Amir down - Sadollah tripped over his own giant foot and stumbled. He was defeated by his own clumsiness, not his opponent.

He was made clumsy by those punches he took to the face. Yes it was an early stoppage but amir didn't help his cause by not covering up at all after getting the snot uppercutted out of him.

[BigMoneyTexas]

The worst part about the stoppage was that Amir was standing back up when Dan stepped in and stopped it. He wasnt covering up but it was because he had both hands on the mat pushing himself back up to a standing position. I dont like to complain about officiating in any sport but damn that stoppage was terrible any way you look at it.

[LEONARD]

Dan sucks...

haha
http://urdirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/a3pbhd.gif

no wonder Heath ate that first punch...couldn't see!! :lol
http://i41.tinypic.com/2079gt4.jpg

:lol
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w169/warchief2007/2rqj3wl.gif

http://i26.tinypic.com/1z3b0jc.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/2a4r8li.jpg

[dbreiden83080]

Dan sucks...

haha
http://urdirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/a3pbhd.gif

no wonder Heath ate that first punch...couldn't see!! :lol
http://i41.tinypic.com/2079gt4.jpg

:lol
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w169/warchief2007/2rqj3wl.gif

http://i26.tinypic.com/1z3b0jc.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/2a4r8li.jpg


LMFAO. :lol:lol

God look at that laundry list of fuck-ups. What is the evaluatoin that goes into these guys by the commision? How is he still reffing big fights??

[Evan]

hahahahaha

[polandprzem]

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m258/Wotan1105/forrestsoap.gif

http://cyber-sport.us/zalaczniki/kihhgvkl_159.jpg

http://cyber-sport.us/zalaczniki/forrestbeach_192.jpg

[polandprzem]

http://cyber-sport.us/zalaczniki/groceries_473.jpg



http://cyber-sport.us/zalaczniki/andersonmatrix_209.gif

[angelbelow]

Dan sucks...

haha
http://urdirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/a3pbhd.gif

no wonder Heath ate that first punch...couldn't see!! :lol
http://i41.tinypic.com/2079gt4.jpg

:lol
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w169/warchief2007/2rqj3wl.gif

http://i26.tinypic.com/1z3b0jc.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/2a4r8li.jpg

:rollin:rollin:rollin

[LEONARD]

http://cyber-sport.us/zalaczniki/groceries_473.jpg

LOL

I wonder if the fans booing Anderson had anything to do with him coming out like his hair was on fire??

[dallaskd]

what was the first .gif? why did he stop the fight? It looks like Hardy fighting but I cant tell

[LEONARD]

I think it was the end of the round...just another funny/odd moment with big Dan G.

[dbreiden83080]

Kenny Florian interview, he says that "he was told judges had him winning the fight heading into RD 4" WOW. I watched it back twice, and he didn't get a single round. Never came close to finishing a takedown, lost every major striking exchange, judges need to get more on their game in these big fights..



aLsIRJdYnJ8&feature=player_embedded

[ATRAIN]

Dan sucks...

haha
http://urdirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/a3pbhd.gif

no wonder Heath ate that first punch...couldn't see!! :lol
http://i41.tinypic.com/2079gt4.jpg

:lol
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w169/warchief2007/2rqj3wl.gif

http://i26.tinypic.com/1z3b0jc.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/2a4r8li.jpg


hahah WOW!!!

[LEONARD]

Kenny Florian interview, he says that "he was told judges had him winning the fight heading into RD 4" WOW. I watched it back twice, and he didn't get a single round. Never came close to finishing a takedown, lost every major striking exchange, judges need to get more on their game in these big fights..

aLsIRJdYnJ8&feature=player_embedded

He must've heard wrong... :lol

[ATRAIN]

He must've heard wrong... :lol

im sure the his corner told him that lol

[LEONARD]

http://www.fightmetric.com/Florian.html

[dbreiden83080]

http://www.fightmetric.com/Florian.html

Nice leonard :toast

Judges are clueless..