*Official* UFC 68 Thread....

[LEONARD]

UFC 68: MARCH 3, 2007 IN COLUMBUS, OHIO (Nationwide Arena)

Main Card Bouts:
-Tim Sylvia (#5 HW) vs. Randy Couture
-Matt Hughes (#2 WW) vs. Chris Lytle
-Rich Franklin (#4 MW) vs. Jason MacDonald
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral (#7 LHW) vs. Jason Lambert
-Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFedries

Preliminary Bouts:
-Jon Fitch (#6 WW) vs. Luigi Fioravanti
-Matt Hamill vs. Rex Holman
-Gleison Tibau vs. Jason Dent
-Jamie Varner vs. Jason Gilliam

5 top 10 fighters...not bad for a UFC card. None matched up though...

It's pretty clear that the UFC wants Hughes, Franklin, and Babalu back on the winning track based on matchups. Crazier things have happened though. I'd like to see Lytle win the most of those 3...

I don't see how Couture has much of a chance. I'd prefer that he lose now anyway and not have to face Crocop. That's Sylvia's fight...he needs to backup his talk...

Fitch has to be the most under-rated / unknown guy in the UFC. He gets screwed on every card and ends up in the prelim fights. Maybe he'll be the swing bout and end up live though. Why Kampmann vs McFedries on the main card? Makes no sense. I wouldn't be surprised if they slip Hamill in for the TUF crowd though, even though he's boring and dirty.

Odds
http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/02/ufc-68-betting-odds-round-up.html
http://ufcmania.com/2007/02/28/primer-ufc-68-early-odds-released/

Write-up
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3514

The weigh-in's are live at 4 pm ET on Friday here:
http://www.nbcsports.com/ufc

[mardigan]

Weak card, not as exciting as the next one

[LEONARD]

I don't know...UFC 69 looks more like a Spike card to me. It has a couple fights that should be entertaining (Kos vs Diego, Swick vs Okami) plus GSP vs Serra which should be ugly. Not much else, unless Heath Herring gets his $hit together...

[LEONARD]

Undercard preview
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=6861

Kampmann interview
http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1105

[desflood]

Fitch/Fioravanti could be great - I don't know why we're seeing Kampmann/McFedries instead. As for the main card, they're all pretty predictable.

[LEONARD]

http://68.ufc.com

it's crazy that they have such a badass site for each event, yet here we are 2 days before the event and they have black shadows for 2 of the fighters... :donkey


Fitch/Fioravanti could be great - I don't know why we're seeing Kampmann/McFedries instead. As for the main card, they're all pretty predictable.

Fitch really does take in the ass for some reason...

[LEONARD]

Season Finale of "Inside the UFC" Tonight...why a season finale??? That sucks if true...
http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/03/01/inside-the-ufc-returns-tonight-season-finale/

Rampage: "What? A black man can't drive no monster truck??!!" :lol

(that was from a previous interview)

More Hughes vs Anderson Silva talk...
http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/03/01/matt-hughes-anderson-silva-is-a-pretty-good-matchup-for-me/

[LEONARD]

Pre-fight videos are up...
http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=MultiMedia.video

Franklin looks like he just lost a fight...

[LEONARD]

Don't forget about the weigh-ins at 3 pm (central) today...I'm going to miss them...

Sherdog main card preview
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=6871

Sylvia interview
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=6873

Randy on Beatdown Radio
http://www.sherdog.com/news/radio.asp?id=138

[Rip-Hamilton32]

even if randy wins, i don't think he stands a chance vs crocop

[IX_Equilibrium]

-Tim Sylvia (#5 HW) vs. Randy Couture
-Matt Hughes (#2 WW) vs. Chris Lytle
-Rich Franklin (#4 MW) vs. Jason MacDonald
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral (#7 LHW) vs. Jason Lambert
-Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFedries

EDIT**

I have changed my pick. I think Randy will take this one. It's a gut feeling that is strong (or it may be gas).

[LEONARD]

I guess I'll make picks...I just can't envision a big upset on the main fights...although I'd love to see Lytle get a win...

Main Card Bouts:
-Tim Sylvia (#5 HW) vs. Randy Couture
-Matt Hughes (#2 WW) vs. Chris Lytle
-Rich Franklin (#4 MW) vs. Jason MacDonald
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral (#7 LHW) vs. Jason Lambert
-Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFedries

Preliminary Bouts:
-Jon Fitch (#6 WW) vs. Luigi Fioravanti
-Matt Hamill vs. Rex Holman
-Gleison Tibau vs. Jason Dent
-Jamie Varner vs. Jason Gilliam

[cornbread]

Main Card Bouts:
-Tim Sylvia (#5 HW) vs. Randy CoutureSee if I can keep my luck on underdog predictions going.
-Matt Hughes (#2 WW) vs. Chris Lytle
-Rich Franklin (#4 MW) vs. Jason MacDonald
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral (#7 LHW) vs. Jason Lambert
-Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFedries

Preliminary Bouts:
-Jon Fitch (#6 WW) vs. Luigi Fioravanti
-Matt Hamill vs. Rex Holman
-Gleison Tibau vs. Jason Dent
-Jamie Varner vs. Jason Gilliam

[LEONARD]

Press Conf Pictures...
http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/03/ufc-68-press-conference-pictures.html

Press conf is up on UFC.com's video section...

Rich looks like he already lost a fight... ;)
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g175/evilmaster-mma/The%20EvilMaster%20Report/41294.jpg

[IX_Equilibrium]

Main Card Bouts:
-Tim Sylvia (#5 HW) vs. Randy CoutureSee if I can keep my luck on underdog predictions going.


A friend and I were just talking about what would happen if Randy would win.

Randy vs. Crocop??

Now, I'll tell you that I think that Randy has a better chance of beating Crocop than Sylvia. Why? Sylvia is cocky and overconfident enough to stand with Mirko, and we know Mirko would get a KO (I'd say by body kick like he did to Magomedov).

As for Randy, he would fight a smarter fight and have a much better chance of taking Crocop down. And once Randy is on the ground, he will pose a tough challenge for anybody.

I'm not saying Randy would beat Crocop, but he would have a better chance of beating crocop than Sylvia. Anyone agree/disagree?

[cornbread]

His nose doesn't look too bad. Are the weigh-ins tonight?

[LEONARD]

I think Randy and Tim both have a slim chance...I'd just rather see Tim take that beating than Randy. I'd shed a tear for Randy...and cheer for Tim as he gets his legs destroyed...


His nose doesn't look too bad. Are the weigh-ins tonight?

See my link in the original post...you can watch them online 3:00 central time...

[cornbread]

A friend and I were just talking about what would happen if Randy would win.

Randy vs. Crocop??

Now, I'll tell you that I think that Randy has a better chance of beating Crocop than Sylvia. Why? Sylvia is cocky and overconfident enough to stand with Mirko, and we know Mirko would get a KO (I'd say by body kick like he did to Magomedov).

As for Randy, he would fight a smarter fight and have a much better chance of taking Crocop down. And once Randy is on the ground, he will pose a tough challenge for anybody.

I'm not saying Randy would beat Crocop, but he would be a tougher fight for Crocop. Anyone agree/disagree?

Yeah, I think Mirko would destroy Tim's legs within minutes. Tim's big chance is landing a KO punch. He always has that chance but I really think Crocop would go for the legs. Great strikers have done this to giants in the past. It seems to be a good gameplan. I think Vera is another guy who has the kicks to pull off this kind of win over Tim.

The other match is tough to call for Randy. Whenever Crocop gets taken down (which isn't often) he plays a very defensive game, locking up his opponent. But he's also never had to defend against elbows. I think if Randy if could get against him the cage (this would be an ENORMOUS task) then he could work for the TD. If he put Mirko on the ground then he would have his shot for some gnp. I would hate to see the other possibility which is that Randy is just too old and Crocop would murder him. :lol I guess we'll see how he looks tomorrow.

[cornbread]

Leonard said it best^^^both of their chances are slim.

[mardigan]

MacDonald over Franklin, book it

[dallaskd]

Press Conf Pictures...

Rich looks like he already lost a fight... ;)
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g175/evilmaster-mma/The%20EvilMaster%20Report/41294.jpg

haha he had a small black eye before 64 on the same side. i think there must be a soft spot under that eye.

[LEONARD]

Everybody made weight...

UFC 68 WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Tim Sylvia – 263
Randy Couture – 222.5

Rich Franklin – 185
Jason MacDonald – 183.5

Matt Hughes – 171
Chris Lytle – 169

Renato “Babalu” Sobral – 204
Jason Lambert – 204

Martin Kampmann – 185.5
Drew McFedries – 185

Rex Holman – 205
Matt Hamill – 202.5

Luigi Fioravanti – 171
Jon Fitch – 171

Gleison Thibau – 155.5
Jason Dent – 156

Jason Gilliam – 155.5
Jamie Varner – 155.5

[LEONARD]

Weigh-in Pics...
http://www.sherdog.com/news/pictures.asp?n_id=6876

[cornbread]

So Sylvia will probably outweigh Couture by about 50 lbs after the cut weight comes back. Yikes.

[IX_Equilibrium]

fYou can't count Randy out man...

It's first Friday, I'm drunk, and I have a feeling Randy will pull that notherfucker out.

Sol and Tecate rule! :drunk

[mardigan]

I hope he doesnt for his sake, Cro might really hurt him

[IX_Equilibrium]

He wouldn't hurt as much as big Tim would

[mardigan]

Yea, but I love Randy as opposed to my unmatched hate for all things named Tim Sylvia

[LEONARD]

Jens Pulver will be doing some work for the UFC tonight...on the Fight Network. I don't have that channel, but I download the before and after the fight segments after the event. Good stuff...
http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/03/jens-lil-evil-pulver-update.html

Couture would like to see UFC and Pride unite...
http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/03/veteran-fighter-would-like-to-see-ufc.html

[IX_Equilibrium]

I changed my pick on page 1.

[LEONARD]

:lol

I think it's gas dude... :drunk

[IX_Equilibrium]

Ol' man Randy has a hell of a game plane :reading

[LEONARD]

Ol' man Randy has a hell of a game plane :reading

I'm listening to him on the Beatdown right now...

I'll laugh at Sylvia if Randy wins. No lose situation for me...Sylvia wins, he ges Crocop. Randy wins, Sylvia looks like a joke losing to a 43 yr old LHW (mainly) that came out of retirement...

I can't wait :fro

[mardigan]

Is it true that Chuck said he would go up in weight to fight Cro Cop? Somebody told me that, shit would be crazy

[LEONARD]

Is it true that Chuck said he would go up in weight to fight Cro Cop? Somebody told me that, shit would be crazy

and Fedor...
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1a9sz_chuck-liddel-wants-to-fight

[mardigan]

Damn Chuck is tough, do you have a link to that whole interview?

[LEONARD]

Damn Chuck is tough, do you have a link to that whole interview?

I don't...but here is an interview where he says the same stuff...
http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/02/q-with-chuck-liddell.html

Who would you like to fight before you retire?

There's quite a few guys; Quinton, obviously. If UFC's interested in me fighting as a heavyweight then there's a couple guys I'd like to fight there - Cro Cop, Fedor (Emelianenko) - those would be interesting fights. Those are fights where I might be the underdog again; it's been a long time.

----------

MIGHT be the underdog against CC or Fedor? :lol

[mardigan]

He would definately be the underdog in both fights I think, I just think both guys are to strong for him, but then again Chuck has never ceased to amaze me

[Rip-Hamilton32]

He would definately be the underdog in both fights I think, I just think both guys are to strong for him, but then again Chuck has never ceased to amaze me

yeah both are clearly stronger then chuck, no matter who wins all three of these guys love to strike and would make for an awesome fight

[mardigan]

I would love to see Chuck knock Fedor the fuck out

[LEONARD]

I would love to see Chuck knock Fedor the fuck out

It'll be a sad day when Fedor finally loses... :cry

He's the man in every way possible...

[Rip-Hamilton32]

lol i would love to see chuck knock any pride fighter out right now

[LEONARD]

Poor Tim...even the ring girls disrespect him...

http://69.46.29.2:8080/absoluteig/gallery/ULTIMATE%20FIGHTING%20CHAMPIONSHIPS/UFC_68/weigh/26_UFC68WeighinsTimSylvia.jpg

(I know that physique doesn't matter, but Tim's body is just painful to look at...even when he's sucking in like he is in that picture)

[LEONARD]

LEO-TARD...OUT!

Enjoy the fights, bitches... :fro

[mardigan]

Poor Tim...even the ring girls disrespect him...

http://69.46.29.2:8080/absoluteig/gallery/ULTIMATE%20FIGHTING%20CHAMPIONSHIPS/UFC_68/weigh/26_UFC68WeighinsTimSylvia.jpg

(I know that physique doesn't matter, but Tim's body is just painful to look at...even when he's sucking in like he is in that picture)
That is horrible, no one thats ever the best in anything except food eating compititions and sumo wrestlers should ever look like that

[dallaskd]

im excited go Rich and Randy!

[Rip-Hamilton32]

any results yet, im not renting this one lol title fight sucks

[dallaskd]

any results yet, im not renting this one lol title fight sucks

your and idiot. this is one of the best cards ive seen.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

your and idiot. this is one of the best cards ive seen.

lol, im talking title fight wise, randy vs boring ass sylvia

[mqywaaah]

So who won? I missed it.

[cornbread]

lol, im talking title fight wise, randy vs boring ass sylvia

Nothing boring about their fight tonight.

[johngateswhiteley]

Franklin, Hughes, and Couture all won. Couture was amazing...simply amazing.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

hughes went the distance with lytle, jmac gave up before the third round and randy out striked tim sylvia

[dallaskd]

lol, im talking title fight wise, randy vs boring ass sylvia

it was an awesome fight.

[cornbread]

Awesome almost sounds like an understatement for this fight. Literally from the opening bell, when Couture smacked Sylvia with that huge overhand, Couture absolutely dominated Sylvia like nobody ever has. Has there ever been a more enjoyable fight to watch?

BTW, I lost what respect I had for Sylvia when the first thing he said on the mic was that he came into the fight with an injury. Randy is 43 freakin years old! That's like an injury in itself!

[Rip-Hamilton32]

it was an awesome fight.

yeah for once, his last 2 fights were pillowfights vs arlovski and monson

[IX_Equilibrium]

I fucking knew it! I'm glad I changed my pick yesterday. It didn't make any sense that a 43 yr old would come out of retirement as a natural light heavyweight into the heavyweight division and beat the champ. But Couture has always been one of my favorite fighters, and I had a feeling that he was going to pull it off. What I didn't expect was him to own Tim Sylvia on the feet. I was shocked by how well Randy did the head bob and weave. Not only that, he was throwing different combinations of punches as the fight went on. Like in the 3rd round, he seemed to start gassing, but started connecting with overhand rights. On the ground, it was no surprise that he controlled Tim. I knew he would win that battle. But on the feet, holy shit....how impressive was that??

I was expecting Hughes to finish the fight with Lytle, but Lytle is one tough and well rounded guy. He did a good job in avoiding the crucifix position that Hughes likes to apply. From Matt's comments, he seems ready to face GSP again, but is leaving it in the hands of the UFC.

Franklin is back and had an impressive win over Macdonald. He looked solid and confident. Big props to Silva for showing class and respect to Franklin, and vice versa. With the rematch being in Cincinatti, Franklin has to be pumped, and will obviously approach Silva with a totally different gameplan. I'll go on record now and say that Rich will get the belt back.

Another surprise was Lambert KOing Sobral. Sobral looked like hw would finish on the ground, but Lambert did a great job in defending the RNC. After that, Lambert was confident on his feet and scoered the devastating knockout. He looked like shit against Evans, and I sure didn't expect him to beat Sobral.

Damn good sub by Kampmann to defeat McFedries. McFedries was hurting Kampmann early in the round on the feet. I think he was overconfident and not near cautious enough, and that cost him the fight.

[IX_Equilibrium]

Moving forward, I really want to see Randy face Crocop. I wonder if more people feel the same after watching the old man dominate Sylvia on the feet and the ground for 5 rounds. Randy is one of the most experienced and intelligent fighters out there, and has a very scientific and well planned strategy before his fights, surrounding himself with people in his camp to perfect that strategy (for instance, he trained with giants like Gan McGee and Dan Christianson to prepare for Sylvia). He will no doubt do the same if he'd face Crocop, probably recruiting some K-1 level fighter to prepare for defending kicks :D

Anyway, the marketing potential for that matchup would be great. Captain America, 43 year old hall of famer, a natural LHW, facing a hired killer from Croatia. If Randy would win, he would be Joe Montana, Michael Jordan, and Mickey Mantle all rolled into one in the sport of MMA.

If Crocop beats Gonzaga, Dana said Randy would face Crocop this summer. It's a long shot, and I know all of the odds would be against Randy, but I'll go ahead and pick him right now just for the sake of supporting the most decorated and respected MMA fighter of all time, along with me believing he has a chance of winning.

http://www.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/5/4713.jpg

[IX_Equilibrium]

http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1108

Funny interview with Dana White. He goes on a profanity laced tirade against the people surrounding Chuck Liddell (For those who don't want to download, Chuck evidently has pneumonia, and Dana told him to go to the hospital. Chuck ignored the advice and went on a promotional campaign for that movie. Dana wants to beat up whoever was with Chuck at the tv studios for letting him do that interview.), and takes some very pointed shots at Pride.

[IX_Equilibrium]

http://video.nbcsports.com/player/?id=78531

Short post fight interview with Couture by Mike Swick.

[dallaskd]

awesome video...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1601363946

[LEONARD]

Wow...just wow. No lose situation for me. Seeing Sylvia lose was the best thing ever (down with MFS!). Had he won, he got CC...

Can we call Hughes "the blanket" now? That fight was boring as all hell...he dominated, but it wasn't anything to watch. He completely disrespected Lytle by saying that he didn't understand why he took a fight with him, then couldn't finish him?? :lol GSP will smoke Hughes again in the rematch...

Rich over JMac...no surprise there. Didn't do anything for me. JMac has some of the worst striking I've seen...

Kampmann can take a hell of a punch, and that sub was SLICK. I enjoyed that fight a lot...good stuff...

and how far has Babalu fallen??? :eek: 6 months ago he was fighting Chuck for the title...wow...

I particularly enjoyed Rogan's rant about stand-ups. Now we see refs threatening to stand up fighters in side mount??!! Give me a break.

It was also great when Goldie said that Hughes didn't get beatdown like Rich did and Joe gives the "good grief what is he talking about" bug eyes and says "Uh, well...he kinda did" :lol Goldie is absolutely clueless...he had several moments that caused Rogan to go "bug eyes" on him. Rogan is great...

And I'm sorry, but the UFC is screwing us around on some of these PPV's. You're telling me that with all the BS (replaying the same hype from the 30 min preview and Countdown to UFC 68 on Spike, movie commercials, etc etc) they couldn't have trimmed a little and squeezed in more at the end (there was still about 5 min's left at the end also)...

Jamie Varner over Jason Gilliam (Submission - Rear Naked Choke) 1st rd - 1:34

& Matt Hamill over Rex Holman (TKO Strikes) 1st rd - 4:00

or Jon Fitch over Luigi Fioravanti (Submission - Rear Naked Choke) 2nd rd - 3:05

?????

Complete BS...poor Fitch...screwed again...

5 fights for $40 :madrun

Couture Condom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhtt_iqr3tk&NR

Couture post fight
http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1109

Lambert post fight
http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1107

I don't think Dana likes Crocop based on his interview with Sherdog...why mention Randleman's fluke punch?? I'm sure Dana will be pulling for Randy, but good luck with all that...even after Saturday I just don't see him handling Crocop.

Dana is pissed about the Wand loss because he was lining up Chuck vs Wand for UFC 71...now he doesn't have an opponent, so it sounds like we'll get Chuck vs Rampage a little earlier than everybody wanted it...

Dana's MMAWeekly Interview (talks about Wanderlei Silva signing autographs at UFC 68)
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=524638

"It was ridiculous that Rampage needed a few more warm up fights because he's been fighting the best fighters in the world now, for years"

oops...I don't think he meant to say that :lol

Press Conf
http://video.nbcsports.com/player/?id=78589

UFC 68 tops Rolling Stones
http://ufcmania.com/2007/03/02/ufc-68-28-million-gate-tops-rolling-stones/


lol, im talking title fight wise, randy vs boring ass sylvia

LOL...oops...you missed one of the best moments in MMA history. Just goes to show why you have to watch every event...


I fucking knew it! I'm glad I changed my pick yesterday.

Good call man...I guess your gut feeling WASN'T just gas :lol

[LEONARD]

Kampmann post fight
http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1111

Fitch post fight
http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1110

Miletich on Beatdown Radio
http://www.sherdog.com/news/radio.asp?id=139

[IX_Equilibrium]

Fitch is a beast. They can't keep him out of the spotlight forever.

[LEONARD]

Fitch is a beast. They can't keep him out of the spotlight forever.

Should have the undercard fights in a couple days I would think...

I heard Fitch vs Karo for UFC 71, but MMAWeekly still shows Karo vs Burkman...

[LEONARD]

Militech on Beatdown Radio said Tim was rocked so hard by the first punch Randy threw that he did not remember rounds 2, 3, or 4.

I do remember Tim asking what round it was before round 5... :lol

[LEONARD]

Minute by minute UFC 68 recap...funny...
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=6910

Some of my favorites...

10:06 p.m. Rogan explains that Jason McDonald trains with Greg Jackson's crew. "You know what a phenomenal camp that is," he tells Goldberg, who nods. Somehow, I really doubt he does.

10:24 p.m. We have a possible upset in the making. Lambert is on top of Babalu, doing a drum solo on his head.

10:29 p.m. Lambert thanks Jesus for helping him give Babalu a concussion.

10:54 p.m. After being on the bottom for most of the first two rounds, Lytle reverses Hughes, who appears to be unconcerned with his changing fortunes and continues a conversation about repairing a tractor motor with brother Mark.

11:05 p.m. Rogan and Hughes exchange awkward banter, with Hughes having previously professed little love for the comedian. How a devout Christian and a staunch atheist can be at odds is beyond me.

11:10 p.m. "You competed at a high level for a long time in mixed martial arts, Joe." Goldberg is, at this point, certifiable.

11:23 p.m. Franklin is unloading early, fighting with the ferociousness a man in pink shorts has no choice but to possess.

11:38 p.m. Anderson Silva makes his way to the cage to respond to Franklin's challenge in Portuguese. The Midwest crowd, sensing he's probably not a corn farmer, boos.

12:11 a.m. The first round opens. I really am wary of Randy getting hurt here. He's practically a geriatric and oh my Christ he just dropped Sylvia.

12:16 a.m. Round one expires as both fans and Sylvia try to regain their bearings. Couture spent most of the round working from Sylvia's back and trying to apply a choke.

12:29 a.m. Sylvia sits humbled in his corner. He emits two loud belches.

12:46 a.m. Sylvia drops a reference to an injury during his post-fight interview, further endearing himself to the crowd. Sensing the tension, he immediately ushers in a handicapped child to hug.

[LEONARD]

Salaries...
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3544

Main Card Fighters

-Randy Couture: $250,000 (17th fight in UFC; defeated Tim Sylvia)
-Tim Sylvia: $100,000 (11th fight in UFC; lost to Randy Couture)
-Matt Hughes: $150,000 (18th fight in UFC; defeated Chris Lytle)
-Rich Franklin: $42,000 (9th fight in UFC; defeated Jason MacDonald)
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral: $21,000 (9th fight in UFC; lost to Jason Lambert)
-Martin Kampmann: $20,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Drew McFedries)
-Jason Lambert: $18,000 (5th fight in UFC; defeated Renato "Babalu" Sobral)
-Jason MacDonald: $14,000 (3rd fight in UFC; lost to Rich Franklin)
-Chris Lytle: $10,000 (8th fight in UFC; lost to Matt Hughes)
-Drew McFedries: $5,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Martin Kampmann)

Preliminary Match Fighters

-Jon Fitch: $28,000 (5th fight in UFC; defeated Luigi Fioravanti)
-Matt Hamill: $10,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Rex Holman)
-Luigi Fioravanti: $8,000 (4th fight in UFC; lost to Jon Fitch)
-Jamie Varner: $6,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Jason Gilliam)
-Gleison Tibau: $6,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Jason Dent)
-Rex Holman: $3,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Matt Hamill)
-Jason Gilliam: $3,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Jamie Varner)
-Jason Dent: $3,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Gleison Tibau)

Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $697,000

[IX_Equilibrium]

I'm surprised at the disparity in pay between Franklin and the rest of the big names.

[LEONARD]

I'm surprised at the disparity in pay between Franklin and the rest of the big names.

Yea, he's still on his original 7 fight deal (or however many it was)...I think he's a free agent now though...

[IX_Equilibrium]

Fitch said he wants to fight Karo Parysian next. That would be one hell of a fight.

[cornbread]

$250,000 for the first fight on Randy's contract and the HW belt. He negotiated well.

[LEONARD]

Fitch said he wants to fight Karo Parysian next. That would be one hell of a fight.

and there is a rumor that Burkman injured his knee (due to a knee bar) in practice...so maybe it'll happen. I'm all up on the Fitch bandwagon...

Here is Joe's camp looking for a training partner to replace Burkman...
http://mma.tv/tuf/index.cfm?ac=ListMessages&PID=1&TID=1003021&FID=1&pc=39

[IX_Equilibrium]

Randy Couture's (post UFC 68) ESPN interview

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/ivp/index_allaccess?id=2789884&catname=360

[LEONARD]

Yep, that played on ESPNews yesterday afternoon...pretty damn cool. A really good interivew too...the interviewer did a good job prepping or is a fan...

Why would something so spare as MMA be given a 7 min interview on ESPN? Odd... :lol

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http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q83/Mattiasblogger/UFC68/sylviacouture2.gif

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w5/a99223/Ivesound_Varner.gif

[LEONARD]

Good stuff...

It's weird that Tim couldn't recover from that punch (says he doesn't remember rds 2, 3, and 4). Compared to the hit he took from AA, that didn't seem like much...

and I'm impressed with "the worm"...he gave Franca a really tough fight...

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Vote for Randy's interview...click on the 5th star on the right...
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/ivp/index_allaccess?id=2789884&catname=360

Franklin on Beatdown Radio
http://www.sherdog.com/news/radio.asp?id=140

[LEONARD]

Randy Couture chat on ESPN.com...transcript

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:38 PM ET ) Well I don't know anything about his injury, and I don't know about any athlete who doesn't always have to deal with injuries. I think it was hard for Tim, and I don't think he helped himself with the fans with what looked like an excuse.

Dan- Omaha, NE: In your opinion who would be a tougher opponent Mirko CroCop or Fedor?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:38 PM ET ) Both are very tough, Fedor is a much more well-rounded fighter so he would be a tougher fight.

Eric (Charlotte): Randy, how do you continue to stay in such great shape? What is your eating/training routine that allows you to continue to beat guys younger than you?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:40 PM ET ) I think I have been very fortunate as far as not getting major injuries. I don't know if there is any explanation . As far as diet I stay away from dairy and eat a lot of raw greens.

Diego, CA: Do you think the UFC has more talent than Pride FC at this moment now?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:41 PM ET ) Well it is hard top say. Everyone is asking this question. And it is a little bit like comparing the NFL and CFL so it is hard to estimate. We won't be able to tell until we get some crossovers, but there are great fighters on both sides.

Christian - Los Angeles: Hey Champ, I understand you signed a 4 fight deal with UFC. Will you call it quits after the deal is played out or are you leaning towards signing another deal? And on the scoring of the fight...Why wasn't the first round considered a 10 - 8 round after you landed the big right hand and knocked Sylvia down to start the onslaught? Thanks Randy, that was one sweet PPV special. WOW!

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:43 PM ET ) I don't know , it is way too early to make that call right now. I may not even finish all four fights I have on the contract right now. As far a the 10-8, I think there was a case there, but it is different from boxing so there is room for debate there, but it is hard to say what the judges think.

Scott Edmonotn Alberta: Why is there no talk of a rematch with Tim Sylvia?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:44 PM ET ) Well the fight just happened, and it was a dominating performance, so I think Tim would have to go fight someone else and reach contender status again.

Chuck (Burbank, IL): Do you ever think you'll move down a class again to challenge Liddell for a fourth time?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:45 PM ET ) I mean it is more likely that Chuck will move up to heavyweight to challenge me and I am not opposed to it as long as people want to see it.

Matt Roswell NM: What is the most difficult part of your training? Great win Sat night against the Maineiac.....

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:46 PM ET ) Thank you very much Matt. I don't know what is harder, because all of it is hard. But you get used to it, and I actually love it. The hardest part I guess was having to go up against all those heavyweights at the start of training who came into to help me prepare for this fight.

dave - Montreal : tito is fighting UFC president dana white in a boxing match, would you also love the opportunity to punch dana white ?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:47 PM ET ) No I am not really interested in fighting Dana. I think this whole thing stems from a rumor that Dana and Tito had boxed and Dana had beat Tito, so I think this is a chance for Tito to set the record straight. I think it is pretty interesting I hope I get the chance to attend.

JAMES NY: hey randy big fan. just wondering which fight was a more satisfying win for you...beating tito for the lightheavy belt or this win against sylvia to regain the heavyweight belt?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:49 PM ET ) well both were very satisfying. Obviously Tito with the persona that he has and the whole spanking thing, was definetaly one of the top performqances of my life. But this was special too, being a three to one underdog and coming back and all.

David Kuepper : Long Beach, CA: You said that at your age, everytime you come into a bout now you're looked at as an underdog. Does it bother you and does if fuel you more mentally than if you weren't looked at as an underdog?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:50 PM ET ) It does not bother me at all. I have come to expect it at this point. So this situation is no different, and I seem to thrive in that underdog spot.

Pete Nelson (Irvine, CA.): First off congratulations on Saturday's win. Simply amazing. During your fight with Tim you wore a black knee protector, with your stance leaving your left leg as your lead. How will you change that style against Mirko Cro Cop, since he will undoubtedly be kicking more to your legs than Tim did?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:52 PM ET ) Well I wore the knee protector because I have a very sore left knee, I'm not sure if anything is torn or sprained. I won't change my stance for CroCop, but I will change my footwork. It will be interesting to see how this plays out since he knows I have good take down skills, and if he will be willing to pick his feet up.

Samantha (Cobourg, ON, Canada): What made you want to come out of retirement and go straight for the championship?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:53 PM ET ) It wasn't so much about the championship as much as it was the match-up. The championship was somethign extra. I liked the match-up with Tim, and thought it was an interesting challenge and that is what it came down to.

bill simmons (IL): Let's say you're in charge of the fight card. What two fighters would be in your main event? Who would win?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:55 PM ET ) Well I think the thing that makes our events interesting is you are not sure who would win. I don't know who I would pick, or what weight class, there are a lot of great fighters out there...that is a tough question. I can't really say right now.

Ty Demaree Versailles, Indiana: Randy, I know you were in great shape for your comeback fight against Tim silvia, How can you compare the training now, in comparison to when you were, say, 25 years old? Is it alot harder to get into fighting shape at your current age? thanks.

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:57 PM ET ) Well it was this time because I had been out for a year, not that I was not doing anything, but I usually keep my fitness regiment pretty high so it is not too hard. But at 43 I am afraid that if I stopped training it could be a big problem. It also helps being a little older in that I am wiser.

Nathan Chatsworth, Georgia: Randy, Fedor says you are his hero, is there any chance that Fedor and yourself will ever face off? I know the fans would love to see that.

SportsNation Randy Couture: (1:58 PM ET ) I don't know if that will ever happen, since he has a contract with Pride, and that would keep him from coming to UFC. But I am pretty excited to see him fight in April.

Jeremy R Ohio: Randy - First off its great to see ESPN finally begin to recognize the UFC. I've always said that the UFC could take over boxing as American's new "sweet science." Also congrats on the title, I was there and loved it! Onto my question, are you worried at all that this stint as champ may be shorter than your other reigns considering that this one was won after you had retired? In other words, do you think you will be able to remain as focused as you were for the Sylvia match (total butt kicking) for the rest of your upcoming Title Defenses?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (2:00 PM ET ) I treat every fight the same, so I don't think my mental preparation will change.

Mark (Des Moines, IA): First of all, congrats on a great performance! I really enjoy you as a commentator, will you be commentating again?

SportsNation Randy Couture: (2:01 PM ET ) Yes, as long as I am not fighting on the card I will be commentating, so I will be commentating in Houston and all the other PPV I am not in, and Thanks!

Mark ((New Brunswick, NJ)): Do you think Matt Lindland has a chance to beat Fedor? I think it's awesome that you, Matt, and Dan Henderson all are having great success moving up in weight. Greco guys!

SportsNation Randy Couture: (2:02 PM ET ) Well I absolutely think Matt has a chance. So people may count him out, but not me. He is a junk yard dog and has no fear. He brings it everytime he fights.

SportsNation Randy Couture: (2:05 PM ET ) That is all the time I have for today. But thank you for all your support and I look forward to getting back into the Octagon this summer.