UFC 19: Quick, Fast and In Shape

Kevin Randleman

(Photo:ringsofpain.gr)

UFC 19 - Ultimate Young Guns  - Bay St. Louis, Miss. - Casino Magic - March 5, 1999

Kevin Randleman and Tito Ortiz are two of the featured "young guns" tonight.

Randleman will face former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith, with the winner battling Bas Rutten  for the vacant title at UFC 20.

Ortiz will take on Guy Mezger in a rematch of their UFC 13 tournament final, which Mezger won.

Before the pay-per-view went on the air, Sione Latu beat Joey Roberts at 10:01 when the ref stopped the fight due to a cut.

Mike Goldberg is calling the action with Jeff Blatnick. Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer. Here we go!

1. Heavyweights: Pete Williams vs. Jason Godsey

Williams (4-1) upset Mark Coleman at UFC 17 but lost to Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Ultimate Brazil. The debuting Godsey is 35 years old and is from Indiana. He is 4-3 and has beaten Steve Jennum, who won the UFC 3 tournament.

UFC 18: Bas Rutten Targets the Title

Bas Rutten (Photo: IMDB)

UFC 18 - Road to the Heavyweight Title - New Orleans - Pontchartrain Center - Jan. 8, 1999

Announcers  Mike Goldberg and Jeff Blatnick welcome the fans and thank those who have been lobbying to get UFC back on most pay-per-view carriers.

They also talk about the semifinal matches in the Road to the Heavyweight Title, which had been vacated by Randy Couture due to a contract dispute.

Before the pay-per-view went on the air, LaVerne Clark beat Frank Caracci via tapout to strikes at the 6:52 mark.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer fame is one of the judges. Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer and John McCarthy and Tony Mullenix are the referees. Here we go!

1. MIDDLEWEIGHTS - Darrell Gholar (Greco-Roman wrestling)  vs. Evan Tanner (Freestyle)

Both are debuting in the Octagon. Tanner, from Amarillo, Texas, is 16-1 in Pancrase and Extreme Challenge. Gholar is a two-name national Greco-Roman champion.  He is also a Hollywood screenwriter.

UFC Ultimate Brazil: A Taste of Home

Wanderlei Silva (Photo: sportskeeda.com)

UFC Ultimate Brazil - Oct. 16, 1998 - Sao Paolo, Brazil - Portuguesa Gymnasium

UFC made its first trip to its spiritual homeland at the "Ultimate Brazil" pay-per-view.

Frank Shamrock retained the UFC Light Heavyweight title in the main event. He forced John "The Machine" Lober to submit to punches at 7:40.

Lober entered the night on a six-fight winless streak, but his most recent win was over Shamrock 21 months earlier.

Wanderlei Silva made his UFC debut, entering the show with a 5-1 record. However, Vitor Belfort spoiled "The Axe Murderer's" debut with a TKO in 44 seconds.

Pedro Rizzo, on the other hand, made his first trip to the Octagon a successful one, as he knocked out Tank Abbott at the 8:07 mark.

Pat Miletich became the first UFC lightweight champion, scoring a decision win over Mikey Burnett.

Another grueling decision win went to Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, who defeated Pete Williams. Kohsaka's win earned him a spot in the semifinals of a tournament for the UFC heavyweight title, which had been vacated by Randy Couture.

Also,  Ebenezer Fontes Braga defeated Jeremy Horn with a guillotine choke at 3:27.

Before the pay-per-view went on the air, Tulio Parhares beat Adriano Santos by TKO at 9:00; and Cesar Marcussi beat Paulo Santos by TKO at 10:27.

UFC 17: Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson Invade the Octagon

Chuck Liddell (Photo: Yahoo)

Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson debuted at UFC 17, giving the company a double dose of future greatness at one of its “dark ages” pay-per-views.

UFC 17 took place on May 15, 1998, at the Mobile (Ala.) Civic Center.

The theme was “Redemption,” as former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman was scheduled to face Randy Couture in an attempt to regain the crown that he lost to Maurice Smith.

However, Couture was unable to compete due to an injury. Coleman lost to his replacement, Lion’s Den fighter Pete Williams, on a head-kick knockout.   

Liddell, the “Iceman” who would become a UFC legend, made his MMA debut by defeating Noe Hernandez by unanimous decision.

Henderson won a four-man middleweight tournament by defeating Allan Goes by unanimous decision in the semifinals and Carlos Newton on a split decision in the finals.

Tank Abbott improved his UFC record to 7-6 by defeating Hugo Duarte by TKO in 43 seconds.

In the main event, Frank Shamrock continued his dominant run as UFC middleweight champion. He defeated Jeremy Horn by submission to a kneebar at 16:28.

Don’t cry for Horn, though, because he racked up an amazing 91 wins in his MMA career.

UFC 16: Lightweight Revolution

Chris Brennan vs. Pat Miletich at UFC 16

(Photo: UFC)

UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou - March 13, 1988 - New Orleans, La. 

Mike Goldberg and Jeff Blatnick are calling the action for “Battle in the Bayou.” Sounds like the fighters would all get wet.

In alternate fights before the pay-per-view, Chris Brennan beat Courtney Turner with an armbar at 1:20, and Laverne Clark defeated Josh Turner by TKO at 1:15.

Bruce Buffer is our ring announcer.  Here we go!

1. Lightweight tournament semifinal: Mikey Burnett (submission fighting) vs. Eugenio Tadeu (Luta Livre)

This is a tournament for fighters at 170 pounds or less. Burnett, from Tulsa, Okla., is at 170 pounds, but he can deadlift 600 pounds. Tadeu is a 33-year-old Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend making his first U.S. appearance.

Both fighters start quickly. Burnett lands some good combinations. He sinks in a guillotine choke, but Tadeu escapes.   Referee Joe Hamilton stands the fighters up after a stalemate on the ground.

UFC Ultimate Japan: Couture Wins the Crown

Randy Couture wins UFC title

(Image: bloodyelbow.com)

Randy Couture won the first of his three UFC heavyweight titles at UFC Ultimate Japan on Dec. 21, 1997, at Yokohama Arena.

Couture, who had stopped Vitor Belfort two months earlier, won a 21-minute battle over champion Maurice Smith to capture the crown.

Smith had won the title from Mark Coleman on the strength of his kickboxing, but Couture neutralized his attack with the skills he honed as an All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University.

Two of the judges ruled in Couture’s favor, while the third judge called the fight a draw.

Frank Shamrock became the UFC’s first middleweight champion (under 200 pounds). He demolished Kevin Jackson in 16 seconds with an armbar.

UFC 15: Stopping the Phenom

Randy Couture (left) battles Vitor Belfort

Image: stickgrappler.net

Randy Couture overcame the undefeated Vitor Belfort in the superfight at UFC 15: Collision Course.

The pay-per-view took place on Oct. 17, 1997, at the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis, Miss.

Couture capitalized on the momentum he built by winning the UFC 13 heavyweight tournament, as he scored a TKO win over Belfort in 8:16.

Belfort had won his first four MMA fights and looked untouchable in doing so.

Mark Kerr won the heavyweight tournament at UFC 15. He knocked out Greg Stott with a knee strike in just 19 seconds and polished off Dwayne Cason in 53 seconds.

Maurice Smith was scheduled to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Dan Severn, but Severn was sidelined with a broken hand.

UFC 14: Here Come the Strikers

Maurice Smith vs. Mark Coleman

Photo: fightrankings.wordpress.com

UFC 14: Showdown – July 27, 1997 – Boutwell Auditorium – Birmingham, Ala.

Maurice Smith challenged Mark Coleman for the UFC title in a classic “striker vs. grappler” main event.

Despite the political forces that took UFC off of many pay-per-view carriers, the show drew a sellout crowd of 4,800 fans.

UFC renamed the under-200 pound weight division from light heavyweight to middleweight. Also, new rules included mandatory gloves and no kicking on the ground.  

Before the pay-per-view, Alex Hunter beat Sam Fulton by TKO at 2:30 in the heavyweight alternate fight.

Bruce Beck and Jeff Blatnick are our commentators, with Joe Rogan handling the interviews. Bruce Buffer is our ring announcer. Here we go!

1  - Middleweight tournament semifinal: Yuri “The Mauler” Vaulin (Boxing) vs. Joe “The Gorilla” Moreira (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

Vaulin is from “the hardscrabble streets of Rega, Latvia.” Remind me not to walk around town there at night.   Blatnick said Vaulin has no ground skill but has been in 273 fights in the last 17 years. Moreira lost to Paul Varelans at UFC 8.

Moreira takes Vaulin to the mat and throws some elbows. The crowd is booing despite the fact that both men are working.  Vaulin can’t land the big punch and time expires.  

In overtime, Vaulin hits a punch, but Moreira takes him down again. More boos. Tough crowd! Time runs out again, and the judges award the decision to Moreira.

2 – Middleweight tournament semifinal : Todd Butler (Karate) vs. Kevin Jackson (Wrestling)

Both men beat the weight limit by checking in at 199 pounds. Jackson is an Olympic gold medalist. He takes Butler down at 1:00, takes his back and wallops him in the head. Jackson gets the tapout to strikes at 1:28.

Here’s a video on kickboxing champion Maurice Smith, who has more than 50 wins. He is also the current Extreme Fighting heavyweight champ. Despite these credentials, Smith is a heavy underdog against Coleman.

We also get some hype for Vitor Belfort’s return to the Octagon at UFC 15 in October.

3 – Heavyweight tournament semifinal: Mark Kerr (Wrestling) vs. Moti Horenstein (Karate)

Kerr was a NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Syracuse University. Horenstein is from Israel, and he lost to Coleman at UFC 10.

Kerr hits a double-leg takedown and gains side control. Kerr lands some knees and lot of punches, so the ref stops the fight at 2:22.

Rogan tells us that Moreira can’t continue, so Fryklund will step into the middleweight tournament.

4 – Dan “The Bull” Bobish (Wrestling) vs. Brian Johnston (Freestyle Fighting)

Bobish is a 310-pounder from Cleveland, and he is a Division III national wrestling champion. Johnston is 2-3, but his losses were to Don Frye, Mark Coleman and Ken Shamrock.

Great brawling by both men, and the crowd loves it! Bobish takes Johnston down and mauls him against the cage. Bobish uses a forearm choke to get the tap out at 2:11.

Now it’s time for a Mark Coleman highlight video. We see him beat Frye at UFC 10, Johnston at UFC 11 and Dan Severn at UFC 12.

Rogan tells us that Moreira is disappointed that doctors won’t let him fight due to a concussion.

Before Fryklund appears in the middleweight final, we get to see his alternate fight.

5 – Middleweight alternate bout: Donnie Chappell (Kickboxing) vs. Anthony Fryklund (Jiu-Jitsu)

Chappell is the hometown boy, as he was the Alabama jr heavyweight kickboxing champ. Fryklund is a karate black belt from Boston.  Fryklund gets the tapout win with a choke at 1:31.

Here’s a video on the top-ranked middleweights in the UFC: Guy Mezger, who won the UFC 13 tournament; Jerry Bohlander;  Mark Schultz, who retired to concentrate on wrestling;  Enson Inoue; and Yoshihiki Takahashi, a Pancrase competitor who will compete in the UFC “when his schedule permits,” according to Beck.

6 – Middleweight tournament final: Anthony Fryklund (Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Kevin Jackson (Wrestling)

Before the fight, Jackson says wrestlers have more stamina, and that other fighters submit because they’re tired .  Jackson takes Fryklund down, takes his back, lands some punches and wins the fight with a rear naked choke in 45 seconds.

UFC co-founder Art Davie gives a gold medal to Jackson, who says he wants to fight the best.

Another hype video focuses on wrestlers who have excelled in the UFC: Severn, Coleman, Frye and Randy Couture.

7 – Heavyweight tournament final - Mark Kerr (Wrestling) vs. Dan Bobish (Wrestling)

Kerr trained with Coleman for this show. Buffer introduces some guy from Kazakhstan and says UFC hopes to visit there someday (not yet).  

Kerr hits some leg kicks, takes down Bobish. Kerr chokes buries his chin in Bobish’s eye to force the tap out at 1:38. 

Kerr flexes gleefully and gets his medal and kudos from Davie and UFC co-founder Bob Meyrowitz.

Beck and Blatnick thank the cable systems that have stuck with UFC. They ask fans to watch UFC on satellite or at a friend’s house.

Here's yet another video. This one highlights the top heavyweights in UFC: Coleman, Smith, Frye, Belfort, Severn and "The King of the Streets" Marco Ruas.

8 - Main event superfight for the UFC heavyweight title – Maurice Smith (Kickboxing) vs. champion Mark Coleman (Wrestling)

Smith is 48-5-2 in kickboxing  and has never lost a title fight. He says Coleman punches like a girl. Beck says Coleman took those comments personally.

Coleman tests Smith’s theory with a takedown, headbutts and punches as the crowd chants his name. Smith pulls guard and lands some elbows from the bottom. Smith finally escapes Coleman at 9:09 and kicks Coleman while he’s on all fours. FOUL!

Coleman is tiring and the fans are chanting for Smith. Coleman tries a head-and-arm choke, but Smith slips out and lands a couple of strikes. Time expires, so we go to overtime.

Sucking wind and looking at the clock, Coleman is in trouble. He eats a combination from Smith. Three minutes are up, and we go to double overtime.

Smith hits some leg kicks, and Coleman’s lights are dimming. Time is up, and the judges award the unanimous decision to the NEW UFC champion, Maurice Smith!

Sherdog.com ranked Smith’s win among the 10 Most Memorable Championship Shockers in MMA history.

“The era of takedown-centered MMA swung irrevocably toward the sprawl-and-brawl style later popularized by Chuck Liddell and other well-rounded stylists,” Jason Probst wrote.

The champ signs off by telling his students to be in class on Monday.

“I’ll be late!”

UFC 13: Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture Debut

Tito Ortiz (photo:defymag.com)

UFC 13: The Ultimate Force - May 30, 1997 - Augusta (Ga.) Civic Center

UFC 13 saw the company fall off most of the country’s pay-per-view radar, as anti-UFC political forces led to a smaller audience than usual for the show.

However, the debuts of Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture set the stage for a bright future.

UFC 13 featured four-man heavyweight and light heavyweight tournaments, along with a superfight between Brazilian phenom Vitor Belfort and brawling anti-hero Tank Abbott.

Ortiz opened the show by smashing Wes Albritton for a successful UFC debut in just 31 seconds. This was the alternate bout for the light heavyweight tournament.

After the fight, Ortiz told Joe Rogan that he knew he would “blow through” Albritton. Here’s the interview.

In the heavyweight alternate fight, hometown boy Jack “The Ripper” Nilson beat Saeed Hosseini by TKO in 1:23.

UFC Ultimate Ultimate 96: The First PPV Era Ends

Tank Abbott (Photo: knucklepit.com)

UFC Ultimate Ultimate 96 - Dec. 7, 1996 - Fair Park Arena - Birmingham, Ala.

“Ultimate” means “final,” so it’s only fitting that UFC Ultimate Ultimate 96 was the final show before political pressure knocked the UFC off many pay-per-view outlets.

Mark Coleman had won the previous two shows, UFC 10 and UFC 11, but he was unable to compete due to illness. Also, this show featured the final UFC fights for Ken Shamrock and Don Frye before they entered the world of pro wrestling.

The alternate fights were Mark Hall over Felix Mitchell by TKO, Tai Bowden over Jack Nilson by submission to headbutts, and Steve Nelmark over Mark "The Grasshopper" Bossett by submission to a choke.

Manny Garcia is our ring announcer,and John McCarthy is the referee. 

In the quarterfinals, Don Frye defeated Gary Goodridge in a rematch of their battle at UFC 8. Goodridge tapped out due to fatigue at 11:20.

UFC Ultimate Ultimate 95: Battle of the All-Stars

Oleg Taktarov (Photo: rottentomatoes.com)

UFC Ultimate Ultimate 95 - Dec. 16, 1995 - Mammoth Gardens - Denver, Colo.

Ultimate Ultimate 95 was the UFC’s first attempt at a year-end All-Star show. It took place  in Denver, where it all began two years earlier.

In alternate fights before the main draw, Joe “The Ghetto Man” Charles beat Scott Bessac; and Mark Hall defeated Trent Jenkins. Both winners used armlocks to get submissions. 

Bruce Beck, Jeff Blatnick and Don "The Dragon" Wilson are calling the fights, and they plugged Wilson's latest movie, "Night Hunter."

The winner gets a record $150,000, and there's an online chat on CompuServe. Our ring announcer is Rich "The G-Man" Goins. Here we go!

1. Steve Jennum (Taijitsu) vs. Tank Abbott (Pit Fighting)

Abbott was the runner-up at UFC 6, while Omaha (Neb.) police officer Jennum surprised everyone by winning UFC 3.Abbott has a 55-pound weight advantage: 250 to 195.

Abbott crushes Jennum's neck against the fence, forcing a tap out at 1:14.

2. Paul "The Polar Bear" Varelans (Trap Fighting) vs. Dan Severn (Wrestling)

Varelans was the runner-up in UFC 7, while Severn won UFC 5. Varleans is 12 years younger and weighs 62 pounds more: 300 to 238.

Severn immediately takes Varelans down and works for an arm triangle choke. Varelans fights it but taps out at the 1-minute mark.

UFC 11: Last Man Standing

Scott Ferrozzo vs. Tank Abbott (Photo: thegarv.com)

UFC 11: The Proving Ground – Augusta (Ga.) Civic Center – Sept. 20, 1996

Tank Abbott and Mark Coleman are hyped as the favorites for tonight’s eight-man tournament. Abbott is back from a disciplinary suspension, while Coleman beat Gary Goodridge and Don Frye to win UFC 10.

Bruce Beck, Jeff Blatnick and Don “The Dragon” Wilson will call the action, and Rich Goins is the ring announcer. Here we go!

1. Mark Coleman (Wrestling) vs. Julian Sanchez (Asax)

Coleman is from Columbus, Ohio, and he comes in at 250 pounds. Sanchez is from San Antonio, Texas, and weighs 300 pounds. What is Asax? The announcers don’t know, and neither does Google, Wikipedia or Dictionary.com as they are invented over the years.

Coleman takes the big man down, lands some punches and taps out Sanchez in 44 seconds with a choke. Nice and efficient when Coleman has two more fights to go.

UFC 12: Crowning the First Champion

Scott Ferrozzo vs. Vitor Belfort (Photo: bleacherreport.com)

UFC 12 – Judgment Day - Dothan (Ala.) Civic Center – Feb. 7, 1997

Bruce Beck welcomes us and hypes the main event of Mark “The Hammer” Coleman vs. Dan “The Beast” Severn to crown the first UFC heavyweight champion.

We will also see the debut of weight classes in UFC with a heavyweight tournament, as well as a lightweight tournament for fighters under 200 pounds.

Color man Jeff Blatnick calls the weight classes a great idea. Joe Rogan from the NBC comedy “NewsRadio” will handle post-fight interviews. He seems to know his stuff…maybe he’ll stick around!

Ken Shamrock is also at ringside on color commentary. He picks Severn to beat Coleman in the main event. Manny Garcia is our ring announcer, and here we go!

1. LIGHTWEIGHT SEMIFINAL: Jerry Bohlander (submission wrestling) vs. Rainy Martinez (wrestling)

Martinez is 9-0 as an amateur kickboxer to go with two Arizona state wrestling titles. He says his plan is to do the opposite of what his opponent wants to do. Bohlander is 2-1 in the UFC and reached the semifinals of UFC 8. He’s from Shamrock’s school, the Lion’s Den in California.

Bohlander gets a single-leg takedown and dominates the fight on the ground. After losing control for a bit, Bohlander takes Martinez’s back and wins it with the rear naked choke at 1:24.

2. LIGHTWEIGHT SEMIFINAL: Wallid Ismail (Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Yoshiki Tanahashi (Pancrase)

Ismail says in Portuguese: “For me it’s a war; not a game.” In this battle of Brazil vs. Japan, Tanahashi says he want to be “mentally in control.”

Shamrock has fought Takahashi four times before. “I’ve hit him with some great shots and he wouldn’t go down.” Garcia announces Tanahashi as being in the top 10 in “pancreas.”  If he fought Bas Rutten, he should watch out for the liver kick.

UFC 10: The Godfather of Ground and Pound

Mark Coleman

(Photo: filesnews.com)

UFC 10: The Tournament – Birmingham, Ala. – Fairgrounds Arena – July 12, 1996

Bruce Beck welcomes us on play-by-play and throws it to color commentator Jeff Blatnick for an interview with Don Frye, who won UFC 8. He relishes his role as the favorite in tonight’s tournament and calls his first-round foe, Mark Hall, a “dangerous’ opponent.

Big John McCarthy keeps up his streak of refereeing every UFC event. Bruce Buffer makes his debut as the Octagon ring announcer, and he sounds great right off the bat.

TUF 18 Coach Ronda Rousey Headlines Huge Night of UFC on Fox Sports 1

Ronda Rousey (Photo: UFC.com)

Ronda Rousey has blazed the trail for women in the UFC. She and Miesha Tate will break more new ground tonight on Fox Sports 1 as they coach Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Rousey will defend her UFC bantamweight title against Tate at UFC 168 on Dec. 28. Cat Zingano defeated Tate for the title shot and coaching position, but she had to give them up to Tate due to an injury.
Rousey won her championship from Tate in Strikeforce before she and the belt came over to UFC. Tate will have a chance at revenge, but so far, nobody has survived the first round with Rousey, let alone beaten her.

“To say Rousey is concerned about how she will come across on the show is an understatement. She's preparing for the worst and noted that she wouldn't do a season again if they paid her $10 million,” wrote Bryan Alvarez of F4W Online.

Thirty-two bantamweight fighters will battle for the 16 spots in the TUF 18 house. They will be split evenly between men and women, so we will see both genders living together. The TUF 18 premiere will air from 10 p.m. to midnight Eastern time.
UFC Fight Night 28 will take place just before the show from 5-10 p.m. from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The main event will feature No. 2-contending light heavyweight Glover Teixeira (21-2) against Ryan Bader (16-3).
In a battle of middleweight contenders, No. 3 Yushin Okami will fight No. 5 Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Top flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez will try to secure another title shot when he faces fifth-ranked Jussier Formiga.
Other fights on the main card include Francisco Trinaldo vs. Piotr Hallmann (lightweights); Rafael “Sapo” Natal vs. Tor Troeng (middleweights); and Marcos Vinicius vs. Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov (flyweights).
The preliminary card includes Felipe Arantes vs. Kevin Souza (featherweights); Lucas Martins vs. Junior “Hot Handed” Hernandez (bantamweights); Joao “The Brazilian Samurai” Zeferino vs. Elias Silverio (welterweights); and Keith Wisniewski vs. Ivan Jorge (welterweights).
The only fight that will not air of Fox Sports 1 will be available on Facebook and UFC.com, as Yuri Villefort takes on Sean Spencer in another welterweight fight at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.

UFC 164 Results: Anthony Pettis Beats Benson Henderson for Lightweight title

New UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (Photo: Sherdog.com)

Anthony Pettis didn’t need a flashy kick to score his second win over Benson Henderson. An armbar was enough for Pettis to become the new UFC lightweight champion on Aug. 31 at the UFC 164 pay-per-view in Milwaukee.

Henderson had been unstoppable since joining the UFC, winning all seven of his fights and capturing the title from Frankie Edgar in February 2012. He successfully defended the belt against Edgar, Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez.

Pettis finally got his turn to prove that his win over Henderson at the final WEC show in 2010 was no fluke. Pettis won Henderson’s title that night as well, after landing the most jaw-dropping move in MMA history, the Showtime Kick.

This time, Pettis (17-2) used a series of body kicks and earned the tapout by capturing Henderson (18-3) in an armbar from Pettis’ guard.

Not only did Pettis win the title, he picked up a $50,000 bonus for Submission of the Night, according to Sherdog.com.

In the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett (33-6) returned to the Octagon after an 11-year absence and beat Frank Mir (16-8) in less than two minutes.

Barnett dropped Mir with a knee and finished him with punches. Mir was not happy that the referee stopped the fight.

Chad “Money” Mendes continued his quest for a second shot at the featherweight title by knocking out Clay “The Carpenter” Guida in the third round. Mendes won the Knockout of the Night bonus.

Ben Rothwell scored a third-round TKO over Brandon Vera and then called out another heavyweight, Travis Browne.

In the PPV opener, Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier won a battle of ranked featherweights with a unanimous decision over Eric “New Breed” Koch.

Preliminary fights on Fox Sports 1

Gleison Tibau won a split decision over Jamie Varner in the lightweight main event of the Fox Sports 1 portion of the show. Hyun Gym Lim scored a first-round TKO over Pascal Krauss in a welterweight fight that earned “Fight of the Night” honors.

Tim Elliott won a unanimous decision over Louis “Goodnight” Gaudinot in a battle of top-ten flyweights.  Milwaukee bantamweight Chico “The King” Camus kicked off the TV portion of the show with a unanimous decision win over “Mr. Perfect” Kyung Ho Kang.

Facebook fights

Soa “The Hulk” Palelei (19-3) scored his first UFC win with a third-round TKO over Nikita Krylov from the Ukraine in a heavyweight fight. Ryan Couture dropped to 0-2 in UFC action as he lost a unanimous decision loss to fellow lightweight Al Iaquinta.

Sweden’s Magnus Cedenblad opened the action by defeating Jared Hamman with a guillotine choke in 57 seconds.

UFC 9: A Fight About Nothing

Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock (Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports)

UFC 9: Motor City Madness - May 17, 1996 - Detroit

UFC 9 featured a grudge match between UFC Superfight Champion Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn, who got a huge ovation from his hometown fans at the Cobo Arena.

Severn told Jeff Blatnick “nothing really clicked” in his first fight with Shamrock at UFC 6. He said he would be more patient and look for an opening. Trust me: he really meant this from the bottom of his heart.

Don “The Dragon” Wilson spoke with Shamrock, who said the fight would be a good chess match. Well, most of the fight looked like a chess match played by toddlers who don’t know how the pieces work.

Don’t skip ahead to the main event, now! We have five other bouts on tap first. The UFC scrapped the tournament format for the first time, although it came right back for UFC 10.

Before the PPV, Steve Neimark beat Tai Bowden when the doctor stopped the fight at 7:25.

UFC 8: Rise of the Predator

Don "The Predator" Frye

(Photo: prommanow.com)

UFC 8 – Bayamon, Puerto Rico – Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum - Feb. 16, 1996

UFC 8 featured a “David vs. Goliath” tournament, plus Ken Shamrock defending his Superfight title in the main event against Kimo.

Bruce Beck, Jeff Blatnick and Don “The Dragon” Wilson are calling the action.  Big John McCarthy is our referee, and “The G-Man” Rich Goins is back as the ring announcer.

1. Don “The Predator” Frye (Judo) vs. Thomas Ramirez (Pakua-Chan)

Dan Severn is one of Frye’s cornermen. Double mustache power! Ramirez is 41 years old and weighs 410 pounds. He comes out with the Puerto Rican flag, and the fans love him in his hometown of Bayamon.

Frye lands a couple of big punches and Ramirez’s lights are out. This fight only lasted 10 seconds. At least Ramirez has a lot of friends in the audience to comfort him.

UFC 7: Who is the King of the Streets?

Marco Ruas (Photo: flickr.com)

UFC 7 - The Brawl in Buffalo – Sept. 8, 1995

The Rock vs. The Russian Bear is touted as the main event, but it’s not Dwayne Johnson vs. Ivan Koloff. Instead, it’s Ken Shamrock vs. Oleg Taktarov in the superfight main event.

Shamrock is coming off a win over Dan Severn in the UFC 6 superfight, while Taktarov won the UFC 6 tournament. That seems to be the new plan: make a new star in the tournament and then put him up against the superfight winner on the next show.

We’re at the Aud, aka the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, home of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team, and this show is taking place just seven weeks after UFC 6.

Bruce Beck is on play-by-play, with Jeff Blatnick on color. Sadly, Jim Brown, our last announcing holdover from UFC 1, is gone, so legendary kickboxer Don “The Dragon” Wilson takes his place. He worked on the "Batman Forever" movie.  Michael Buffer is the ring announcer.

UFC 6: Can Ken Shamrock Tame The Beast?

Tank Abbott (Photo: mma-bulgaria.com)

UFC 6: Clash of the Titans - July 14, 1995 - Casper (Wyoming) Center

Ken Shamrock got the big win he had been seeking since the Ultimate Fighting Championship began, and Tank Abbott emerged as a new star at UFC 6.

Bruce Beck, Jim Brown and Jeff Blatnick are calling the action and Michael Buffer is back as our ring announcer.

First, we take a peek at highlights from the two alternate fights. Joel Sutton beat Jack McLouglin at 1:58, and Anthony Macias defeated "He-Man" Ali Gipson in 3:06. Both fights ended when the loser tapped to strikes.

Sutton got hurt, so Guy Mezger is the second alternate. This poor guy won a fight at UFC 4 to earn a spot in UFC 5, and they keep sticking him in the alternate pool and never letting him fight. Mezger needs The Ultimate Lawyer.

IFC commissioner "The Black Dragon" Ron Van Clief is at ringside to award the title to the winner. John McCarthy is the referee for all the fights again. For the first time, he has the authority to stand the fighters up if the action slows to a crawl. As McCarthy would say, "Let's get it on!"

1. David "Tank" Abbott (pit fighting) vs. John Matua (kuialua)

Pit fighting is basically "whatever works in a fight," Beck tells us. Kuialua is "the ancient Hawaiian art of bone breaking." Nice! Abbott is 265 pounds, while Matua weighs 400.

EFP Caged Madness 22 results - Jan. 5, 2013

Jeff Gorman (left) announcing with Rob Wince

Caged Madness 22 from Explosive Fight Promotions on Jan. 5, 2013 at Knights of Columbus:

1. Rocky Clark beat Dereck Hornback (205 pounds) via guillotine choke submission at 1:25 of Round 2
2. Ben White beat Paul Zimmerman (heavyweight) via keylock submission in 27 seconds
3. Jake “The Ripper” Schilling beat Karl Parks (160 pounds) via rear naked choke submission in 2:30
4. Kody Kidd beat Jonathan Davis (170 pounds) via TKO in Round 2
5. Cody Breckner beat Taylor Friend (145 pounds) via split decision
6. Ray “The Assassin” Payne beat Bobby Turnick (125 pounds) via triangle submission in 2:13
7. In a superheavyweight fight, Eric “Tiny” Christner (456 pounds) beat Steve “The Great White” Price (362 pounds) when Price couldn’t answer the Round 3 bell
8. Andrew Law defeated Dominic “Iron Man” McGhee (160 pounds) via TKO at 2:19 in Round 2
9. Bellator veteran Rocky “The Number” Edwards beat John “Mongoose” Myers (155 pounds) with a rear naked choke in 4:50
10.  D’Juan Owens beat Strikeforce veteran Ian “Redline” Rammel (160) by unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27

Caged Madness 23 is set for Feb. 2 in Akron, Ohio at Pronio Sports Complex.

UFC 5: Dan Severn Carries the Wrestling Banner

 UFC 5 was a big night for Dan Severn.

(Photo: caulifloweralleyclub.org)

UFC 5: Return of the Beast – Charlotte, N.C. – Independence Arena – April 7, 1995

UFC’s evolution continues here, as a “superfight” between Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock is added to the usual eight-man tournament.

Bruce Beck welcomes us and introduces us to the only announcer to call the first five UFC shows, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown.

Also, we have Jeff Blatnick on color commentary as well. We’ll see if the 1984 Greco-Roman gold medalist gets into another scrape with Brown over the merits of wrestling as the “best fighting style.”

Time limits also make their debut here at UFC 5, with a 20-minute time limit for the opening rounds, and a 30-minute limit for the tournament final.

Before we get started, Beck talks about the alternate fights, in which Dave Beneteau crushed Asbel Cancio in 21 seconds, and Guy Mezger knocked off John Dowdy.

Now wait a minute! Didn’t Mezger win a fight at UFC 4 to earn a spot in tonight’s tournament? So now he wins AGAIN and he still has to wait for someone to get hurt to enter the tournament? I would get my lawyer on the phone if I were him.

UFC 152: What Have We Learned From Injury Woes?

Chael Sonnen is ready

to fight...somebody

(Photo: mmamania.com)

The sky must be falling.

UFC 151 was cancelled, and the UFC 153 main event had to be changed to Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar, which set Twitter on fire for all the wrong reasons.

Don’t panic, UFC fans. The company’s growth is continuing on schedule, and the latest problems can teach four lessons to remember for the future.

1. Give the champion what he wants.

Jon Jones won the UFC  light heavyweight title and made a few successful defenses, so he should have some input on who his next challenger should be.

UFC 4: Can Royce Gracie Win His Third Tournament?

(Photo: Yahoo.com)

UFC 4:  Revenge of the Warriors – Tulsa, Okla. – Dec. 16, 1994

Royce Grace’s quest to reclaim the undisputed top spot in mixed martial arts was the theme of UFC’s fourth show.

After winning the first two tournaments, Gracie suffered an injury in his first-round win over Kimo at UFC 3. This allowed alternate Steve Jennum to surprise everyone and win the tournament.

Bruce Beck and Jim Brown return on commentary, joined by Jeff Blatnick, who won a gold medal for the U.S. in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1984.

The announcers helpfully explain that the UFC has solved the problem from the last show by having alternates win a prelim fight so they won’t be totally fresh like Jennum if they are pressed into service.