The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Finale: Score a Brace for the British

Clay Guida (Photo: fightbookmma.com)

TUF 9: US vs. UK Finale – The Pearl at the Palms – Las Vegas, Nev. – June 20, 2009

Clay Guida and Diego Sanchez tore the house down in the main event of the TUF Season 9 finale.

Sanchez used submission attempts down the stretch to score a split decision over “The Carpenter” in one of the best fights of the year.

Michael Bisping coached the British team in The Ultimate Fighter competition, with Dan Henderson leading the Americans. Bisping and Henderson battled each other at UFC 100.

Ross Pearson won the TUF 9 lightweight tournament by unanimous decision over British teammate Andre Winner.  Pearson became a UFC mainstay over the next decade.

UFC 99: Call It A Comeback

Mirko Cro Cop (Photo: mirror.co.uk)

UFC 99: The Comeback – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena – June 13, 2009

Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva earned a standing ovation at UFC 99 from the German fans, who were witnessing their first live UFC action.

Franklin is a former middleweight champion in UFC, while “The Axe Murderer” held that title in PRIDE.  On this night, they competed at a 195-pound catchweight, and Franklin won a unanimous decision.

Cain Velasquez (6-0) moved closer to a heavyweight title shot with a unanimous decision over Cheick Kongo, who had been enjoying a three-fight winning streak.

Mirko Cro Cop made “The Comeback” a successful one, beating Mostapha al-Turk in 3:06 after a two-year absence from UFC.

UFC 98: Lyoto Machida Wins Battle of the Undefeated

Lyoto Machida (Photo: sportsnet.ca)

UFC 98 – Las Vegas, Nev. - MGM Grand Garden Arena – May 23, 2009

Lyoto Machida captured the UFC light heavyweight title, handing Rashad Evans his first career loss at UFC 98.

Machida, a former sumo and karate champion, used a right-left combination to knock “Suga” out and claim the title.

In a battle of former welterweight champions, Matt Hughes won a narrow but unanimous decision over Matt Serra. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Hughes.

Drew McFedries beat Xavier Foupa-Pokam by TKO in 37 seconds. Chael Sonnen beat Dan Miller by unanimous decision, as Miller also landed in the loss column for the first time.

UFC 97: Anderson Silva Rewrites the UFC Record Book

Anderson Silva (Photo: ibtimes.co.uk)

UFC 97: Redemption: Montreal, Quebec, Canada – Bell Centre – April 18, 2009

Anderson Silva and UFC enjoyed a record-breaking night at UFC 97 in Montreal.

Silva retained his UFC middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Thales Leites. The fans booed the action (or lack thereof), but Silva had two records to take home along with his championship belt.

“The Spider” set a new record with nine consecutive wins in the Octagon. He also tied a record with his fifth straight successful title defense.

UFC broke its attendance record with a crowd of 21,451, drawing 61 more fans than one year earlier at UFC 83. That show also took place in Montreal.

Chuck Liddell’s return was spoiled by Mauricio Rua. “Shogun” dropped Liddell with a left hook and finished him with a series of rights at 4:28.

UFC Fight Night 18: Martin Kampmann Scores a Hit

Martin Kampmann (Photo: mmafighting.com)

UFC Fight Night 18: Condit v. Kampmann – Nashville, Tenn. – April 1, 2009

Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann broke Carlos Condit’s eight-fight winning streak in the main event of UFC Fight Night 18.

Condit had built his reputation in the WEC as its welterweight champion. He was coming off three successful title defenses and made his UFC debut here in the main event.

Kampmann, a Danish fighter who had won six of his previous seven bouts, used several submission attempts to score a split decision with scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

“Carlos is a really tough man,” Kampmann said. “That was a war.”

This show served as the lead-in for Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter, which had a USA vs. UK theme. The coaches were Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping.

UFC 96: Rampage Jackson Called Out by the Champ

Rampage Jackson (Photo: blacksportsonline.com)

UFC 96: Jackson v. Jardine – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena – March 7, 2009

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson picked up his 30^th career win by defeating Keith Jardine in the main event of UFC 96.

Rampage didn’t have to ask for a UFC light heavyweight title shot, as champion Rashad “Suga” Evans challenged him after the bout.

Shane Carwin (11-0) knocked out Gabriel Gonzaga in 69 seconds, but he would have to wait another year to get a shot at heavyweight gold in the UFC.

UFC 95: Battle of the TUF Winners

Diego Sanchez (Photo: ufc.ca)

UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson – Feb. 21, 2009 – London – O2 Arena

Diego Sanchez survived a bloody war with Joe “Daddy” Stevenson in the main event of UFC 95.

Sanchez, who dropped to the lightweight division, beat Stevenson by unanimous decision in a battle of The Ultimate Fighter winners.

An audience of 2.4 million watched the tape-delayed show on Spike TV.

In the co-main event, Dan Hardy knocked out Rory Markham in 69 seconds.

UFC Fight Night 17: Cain Velasquez Makes Some Noise

Cain Velasquez (Photo: foxsports.com)

UFC Fight Night 17: Lauzon vs. Stephens – Feb. 7, 2009 – Tampa, Fla. – USF SunDome

Cain Velasquez proved unstoppable at UFC Fight Night 17, beating Denis “The Menace” Stojnic in a heavyweight bout.

Velasquez, who would eventually win two UFC heavyweight titles, improved to 5-0 by defeating “The Menace” from Bosnia.

In the main event,  Joe Lauzon improved to 18-4 with a win over Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens with an armbar in Round 2. Stephens was substituting for the injured Hermes Franca.

Josh “The Dentist” Neer battled through a cut near his eye to beat Mac Danzig with a triangle choke in Round 2. Neer picked up his fourth win in five fights.

UFC 94: Grease Is The Word

Georges St. Pierre (Photo: pinterest.com)

UFC 94: St.-Pierre vs. Penn 2 – Las Vegas, Nev. - MGM Grand Garden Arena – Jan. 31, 2009

Georges St. Pierre bested BJ Penn in a battle of champions at UFC 94, but a greasing controversy clouded his victory.

GSP used an overwhelming ground-and-pound attack to defend his welterweight title against Penn, who tried to add the belt to his lightweight championship.

While Penn failed to continue after four rounds, he later sought an investigation into his claim that GSP was covered in too much Vaseline. While the decision stood, a new rule was enacted limiting the use of grease to a fighter’s face.

GSP also won his first meeting against Penn by split decision at UFC 58.

UFC 93: Dan Henderson Earns a Coaching Gig

Dan Henderson (Photo: bloodyelbow.com)

UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson – Dublin, Ireland – O2 Arena – Jan. 17, 2009

Dan Henderson continued his recovery from the loss of two championships by beating Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 93.

Franklin’s middleweight title was not on the line, as the bout took place in the light heavyweight division.

With the victory, Henderson earned a spot as The Ultimate Fighter Season 9 coach opposite Michael Bisping.

Henderson scored his second straight win since dropping his PRIDE 83 kg and 93 kg titles to Anderson Silva and Rampage Jackson, respectively.

Mark Coleman battled Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in rematch from PRIDE 31. Both men’s teams got into a brawl, and Rua scored the TKO win with 24 seconds left.

Rousimar Palhares picked up his seventh win in eight fights with a unanimous decision over Jeremy Horn.

Alan “The Talent” Belcher used a guillotine choke to beat Denis Kang in Round 2.     

        

“The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis kicked off the pay-per-view with a split decision over Chris Lytle.

All of the preliminary fights ended with finishes. England’s John “The Hitman” Hathaway made his UFC debut with a TKO win over Tom Egan at the 4:36 mark.

Martin Kampmann beat Alexandre Barros with a second-round TKO. Eric Shafer beat Antonio Mendes by TKO at 3:35.

Poland’s Tomasz Drwal came back from knee surgery and a 16-month layoff to knock out Ivan Serati at the 2:02 mark.

Dennis Siver returned to the Octagon to beat Nate Mohr with a spinning back kick, followed by punches for the TKO win in Round 3.

UFC 92: Suga On Top

Rashad Evans (Photo: foxsports.com)

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Dec. 27, 2008

Rashad “Suga” Evans completed his march to the UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Forrest Griffin at UFC 92.

The undefeated Evans won by TKO in Round 3 in the first-ever title fight between winners of The Ultimate Fighter.

Frank Mir won the UFC interim heavyweight title from Antonio Noguiera in the TUF 8 coaches fight. Mir won by TKO in Round 2 to earn a shot at heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, whom Mir had already defeated.

Mir had been forced to drop the heavyweight title in 2004 after a motorcycle accident.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson avenged two PRIDE losses by knocking out Wanderlei Silva in 3 minutes, 21 seconds.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale: Bader and Escudero Triumph

Ryan Bader (foxsports.com)

TUF 8 Finale – Las Vegas, Nev. – Palms Casino Resort – Dec. 13, 2008

Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero won their divisions in The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 finale.

Escudero won the lightweight tournament with a unanimous decision over Phillipe Nover, while Bader knocked out Vinny Magalhaes in 2:18 to win the light heavyweight bracket.

The coaches for TUF 8 were UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera and Frank Mir, who battled for the title two weeks later at UFC 92.

Bader and Escudero were both members of Big Nog's team.

In other bouts, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson knocked out Kevin Burns with a head kick in Round 3. This was a rematch from UFC Fight Night 14, where Burns won by TKO with an eye poke, rather than being disqualified.

UFC Fight Night 16: Fight For The Troops

Josh Koscheck (Photo: mmamania.com)

UFC Fight Night 16: Fight for the Troops – Fayetteville, N.C. – Crown Coliseum – Dec. 10, 2008

Josh Koscheck capped off a night of brutal UFC action by knocking out Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the main event of Fight for the Troops.

Koscheck bounced back from a loss to Thiago Alves less than two months earlier, ending Yoshida’s nine-fight winning streak at the 2:15 mark.

“What an honor to fight in front of all you guys,” Koscheck told the troops in the crowd.

UFC presented its first show to support the military, as proceeds went to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.