UFC 143: The Natural Born Killer is Champion

Carlos Condit defeats Nick Diaz via Unanimous Decision for the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship (48-47, 49-49, 49-46) 

The main event of the night was a fight between two killers, two complete mixed martial artists, and two skilled champions in the primes of their careers. It was also a fight featuring the best Welterweight in WEC history, Carlos Condit (28-5), fighting the best Welterweight in Strikeforce history, Nick Diaz (26-8-1NC), for a chance to fight the best Welterweight in UFC history, Georges St. Pierre (22-2). 

In a very close/ controversial fight, it was Carlos Condit who emerged victorious with a Unanimous Decision victory over Nick Diaz. Condit fought a brilliant fight, utilizing a smart game plan and sticking to it throughout the duration of the contest. Condit was constantly moving and most importantly stayed away from the cage, which did not allow Diaz to unload those vicious body assaults, which he has become known for. Condit's elusiveness was also effective, because he beat Diaz to the punch, and did not fall into any of Nick Diaz's traps.

Personally, I had the fight even going into the 5th round, and while Condit was busier on the feet, Diaz scored a late takedown and managed to take the back of Condit until the final bell. To me, this allowed Diaz to take the fight 3 rounds to 2, but the judges disagreed and thus Carlos Condit is now the UFC interim Welterweight Champion and has a date set with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre later this year. 

Fabricio Werdum defeats Roy Nelson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The co-main event of the evening, featured an exciting Heavyweight contest as Fabricio Werdum (15-5-1) successfully returned to the UFC with a unanimous decision victory over Roy “Big Country” Nelson (16-7). Werdum who is best known for ending the myth of Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce, showcased much improved striking and excellent Maui Thai, landing vicious knees to the chin of Roy Nelson, which would have put any other man unconscious. However, Nelson kept coming forward and never gave up, but it was not enough to beat Werdum on this night. If Werdum's striking continues to improve, he could very well get his desired rematch with Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos, sooner rather than later. An excellent return to the UFC for Fabricio Werdum. 

Josh Kosheck defeated Mike Pierce via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

In the 20th fight of his UFC career, Josh Koscheck (17-5) defeated Mike Pierce (13-5) via split decision in a much closer fight than most people, including Kosheck expected. Koscheck never seemed to find his rhythm in the contest, as he was constantly looking to land his big right hand, but could never find the target. On the feet, Pierce was the much busier fighter for the duration of the bout, but it was Koscheck's two late takedown's which more than likely gave him the nod in the eyes of the judges. It seemed as if Koscheck underestimated Pierce, however Pierce proved he belongs in the upper echelon of the Welterweight devision. 

Renan Barao defeats Scott Jorgenson via Unanimous Decision (30 -27, 30-27, 30-27) 

In the second fight of the PPV, dangerous Bantamweight Renan Barao (28-1-1NC), extended his win streak to 28 with a unanimous decision victory over the ultra tough Scott Jorgenson (13-5). A training partner of Jose Aldo at Nova Uniao in Brazil, many people in the MMA community consider Barao to be the best fighter in the world without a world title. Having not lost a fight since April of 2005, Barao may very well be the 135 lbs. Jose Aldo and should be next in line to fight for the Bantamweight Championship after Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber fight later this year. 

Bonuses:
Fight of the Night: Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson
Submission of the Night - Dustin Poirier
Knockout of the Night - Steven Thompson

Results: 

Carlos Condit defeats Nick Diaz via Unanimous Decision for the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship (48-47, 49-49, 49-46)

Fabricio Werdum def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Josh Koscheck def. Mike Pierce via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Renan Barao def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ed Herman def. Clifford Starks via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:43

Dustin Poirier def. Max Holloway via submission (mounted triangle-armbar) - Round 1, 3:23

Edwin Figueroa def. Alex Caceres via split decision (28-27, 27-28, 28-27)

Matt Brown def. Chris Cope via knockout (punches) - Round 2, 1:19

Matt Riddle def. via Henry Martinez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Rafael Natal def. Michael Kuiper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Steven Thompson def. Dan Stittgen via knockout (head kick) - Round 1, 4:13

UFC 143: Diaz vs Condit Preview and Predictions

"On February 4th, two Welterweight warriors battle for the interim UFC Welterweight Championship, as Nick Diaz fights Carlos Condit. Also, Heavyweights Roy "Big Country" Nelson and Fabricio Werdum collide and Josh Koscheck faces Mike Pierce." 

Saturday February 4^th 2012, the UFC returns to action for UFC 143 live from Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event of the card features two of the world’s top Welterweights as former Strikeforce Champion Nick Diaz (26-7-1NC) and former WEC Champion Carlos Condit (27-5), fight for the UFC interim Welterweight Championship.

Originally division champion Georges St. Pierre was supposed to fight Diaz, but due to sustaining an ACL injury to his left knee while preparing for the bout, he had to pull out of the contest. Because of the injury, St. Pierre will be unable to defend his title in a year span, thus meaning an Interim belt must be created during his time away from action. It also means that for the first time since 2006, St. Pierre will not be in the UFC Welterweight Championship picture.

In his place, will be former WEC Champion Carlos Condit who is on a four fight winning streak, since his UFC debut split decision loss to Martin Kampmann in April of 2009.

Since that time, Condit has defeated top prospects Jake Ellenberger and Rory McDonald, while also posting back to back Knockout of the Night finishes over Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim. An aggressive fighter who lives up to his “Natural Born Killer” moniker, Condit pushes the pace and is always looking for a finish.

Diverse in his approach to fighting, Condit is comfortable in all areas of martial arts but is particularly a striker and a jiu-jitsu fighter, with 13 submission victories and 13 knockout victories to his credit. Possessing vicious knees and one punch knockout power, any opponent has to be careful when striking with Condit, but should the fight hit the ground, Condit is just as dangerous and quite different from most jiu-jitsu practitioners.

On the mat, Condit utilizes a chaotic approach instead of the normal controlled based jiu-jitsu attack. This hectic style, is not usually seen by most fighters and causes his opponents to make mistakes where they normally wouldn’t, thus creating space for Condit to capitalize and submit his opponent. However, Condit is going to have his work cut out for him Saturday night, when he faces one of the pound for pound most dangerous and technically gifted fighters on the planet in Nick Diaz.

Diaz, a native of Stockton California, has been unbeaten for four plus years, and is not only one of the best martial artists alive, but also one of the sport’s most intriguing competitors.

A black belt in jiu-jitsu under Cesar Gracie, the last place any fighter wants to end up is on the ground with Nick Diaz. Incredibly flexible and one of the best in terms of transitions, Diaz is capable of submitting any man alive in multiple ways. One of Diaz’ most impressive submissions occurred in February 2007, when Diaz became one of the first competitors to successfully pull off a Gogoplata submission, when he defeated Pride Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi.

Although his ground game is outstanding, Diaz’ boxing is just as phenomenal and might possibly be the best in MMA. Extremely unorthodox, Diaz puts together punches in bunches and repeatedly batters his opponents with nonstop strikes which land from every angle.

Labeled by UFC commentator Mike Goldberg as the ‘Stockton Slap’, Diaz’ strikes don’t look to be powerful, but due to the pressure he constantly applies and the sheer volume in which he throws and lands his punches, his opponents wilt under the pressure and tire out, setting them up for the finish.

Training with 2004 Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist, Super Six World Boxing Classic Champion and the 2011 BWAA Fighter of the Year undefeated Andre Ward, Diaz shows just how great his striking is in every fight. His last contest a unanimous decision victory over BJ Penn this past October, showed just how highly skilled Diaz is, as we have never seen a fighter cause that much damage to Penn on the feet.  

Another reason Diaz is so dangerous is because of his endurance. Diaz is able to fight the way he fights, never taking his foot off the pedal, because he never runs out of gas. A side from being a professional MMA fighter, Diaz is also a triathlete and regularly competes in Ironman triathlon events, during the course of his training. This gives him a distinct advantage of always being fresh and continuously able to keep pressure on his opponents from the opening bell to the final bell.

A true fighter, Diaz will fight anybody at any time and has fought in multiple weight classes and emerged victorious. Also, Diaz does not fight for points or to win contests on the judge’s scorecards. Diaz will throw his hands up, instigate his opponent in the cage by talking smack and is always moving forward, he also holds a very distinct honor of never being submitted and has only been stopped via strikes once early in his career.

I predict, Diaz to keep this streak alive Saturday, as he becomes the new UFC interim Welterweight Champion, setting himself up on a date with Georges St. Pierre sometime later this year around November.

As with every Diaz fight before, I think the pressure will be too much for Condit to handle and he will fold and tire out due to Diaz’ constant attack. Although, I’m sure Condit will be in the best shape of his life, I do not think it will be enough to withstand Diaz and predict that Condit’s cardio will be completely zapped around the third or fourth round and for Diaz to finish him whether by TKO or submission.

This is one of the biggest fights the UFC has put on in quite some time and I am very much looking forward to it. Diaz is without a doubt, my favorite fighter to watch because he always brings it and is always entertaining and I look forward to seeing UFC gold around his waist.

It is also my belief, that Diaz is the only Welterweight fighter on the planet who could realistically defeat Georges St. Pierre and I hope Diaz wins to ensure that dream matchup becomes a reality.

Predictions:

Nick Diaz defeats Carlos Condit via TKO 4^th Round to become the NEW UFC interim Welterweight Champion

Roy Nelson defeats Fabricio Werdum via unanimous decision

Josh Koscheck defeats Mike Pierce via 2^nd Round KO

UFC on FX Results: Jim Miller Submits Guillard

"Jim Miller weathers Melvin Guillard's opening round blitz, winning by rear naked choke. Josh Neer puts Duane Ludwig to sleep and Pat Barry knocks out Christian Morecraft."

The UFC's debut on FX was an exciting card with a lot of finishes and exciting fights.

The main event went just as I thought as Jim Miller (21-3) defeated Melvin Guillard (29-10-2-1NC) via rear naked choke at 2:04 of the first round. 

Guillard came out aggressive as he usually does and landed some big knees and punches which rocked Miller, but Miller stay composed and weathered the storm. 

However, Guillard made one tiny mistake throwing a flying knee which enabled Miller to get a double leg takedown and from there it was academic. 

Guillard, is a completely different fighter when it comes to grappling and during a scramble, Miller took Guillard's back, locked in the figure four body triangle, put his arm under Guillard's chin, forcing the tap out. 

As a fan of Melvin Guillard, it is extremely frustrating to watch him fight, because he is so talented but always loses the same exact way. If Guillard does not score a knockout within the first three minutes of the contest, the same scenario always happens, as his opponent takes him down and makes him tap.

Put it this way, Guillard has lost ten times in his career and all but one have come via submission.

Miller, on the other hand is one of the best fighters in the Lightweight division and I look forward to his next fight, hopefully against Nate Diaz or Edson Barboza for a chance to fight for the title. 

In the co-main event, Josh Neer (33-10-1) submitted Duane “Bang” Ludwig (21-12) via modified guillotine choke at 3:04 of the first round, in the fight I was most looking forward too on the night. 

The two heavy handed Welterweights traded on the feet for the majority of the contest, with Ludwig landing the better blows, but Neer kept coming forward and eventually scored a takedown and was able to secure a high elbow guillotine which is impossible to counter, putting Ludwig to sleep and picking up his sixth straight win. 

I have to be honest I did not see this fight ending via submission, but the bout was still as exciting as I thought it would be. 

The Bantamweight division is by far the most exciting division in the UFC. The little guys are nonstop action, who never tire, maintaining a furious pace from bell to bell. 

Mike Easton (12-1), a mean mugging, 24 hour energy drink, who is a physical specimen at 135 showed just how tough and talented he is as he picked up a majority decision over UFC newcomer Jared Papazian (14-7-1NC) (30-27, 29-28, 29,29) in a very entertaining scrap. 

A ridiculous pace set right from the get go, Easton and Papazian essentially fought in a phone booth, as the two stood toe to toe with one another, trading leather in very technical fashion. The opening seconds even payed homage to Frye/Takayama from the old PRIDE days. 

How can you not love the Bantamweights!

The opening contest on the card featured 5'11 Pat Barry (7-4) knocking out 6'6 Christian Morecraft (7-3) in Mike Tyson-esque fashion at 3:38 of the first round in their Heavyweight contest. 

Finally showing off his much hyped, top level kickboxing, Barry slipped a punch by Moorecraft and delivered a huge left hook of his own knocking Morecraft to the canvass. From there, Barry finished up Morecraft with some ground and pound to a defenseless Morecraft, for a much needed victory. 

That is how you start off a card! 

The win was even more impressive, because finally after eight fights inside the Octagon, Barry showed submission defense. I guess James Toney is not his BJJ coach. 

Bonuses:
Knockout of the Night - Nick Denis
Submission of the Night - Jim Miller
Fight of the Night - Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft


Results:
Jim Miller def. Melvin Guillard via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:04
Josh Neer def. Duane Ludwig via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:04
Mike Easton def. Jared Papazian via majority decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-29)
Pat Barry def. Christian Morecraft via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 3:38
Jorge Rivera def. Eric Schafer via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:31

Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Kamal Shalorus via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 2:08

Charlie Brenneman def. Daniel Roberts via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Fabricio Camoes def. Tommy Hayden via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:03

Daniel Pineda def. Pat Schilling via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:37

Nick Denis def. Joseph Sandoval via KO (elbows) - Round 1, 0:22

UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller Preview and Predictions

"The UFC begins its relationship with FOX as Lightweights Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller fight, as well as an explosive Welterweight battle between Duane "Bang" Ludwig and Josh Neer"

UFC begins its relationship with FOX TV tonight, as lightweights Melvin Guillard (29-9-2-(1)) and Jim Miller (20-3) battle each other at UFC on FX1. 

This event, the new type of Fight Night, features two highly regarded and respected lightweights, who are both coming off of losses. Guillard, a devastating .47 second loss at UFC 136 to Joe Lauzon , which snapped a 5 fight winning streak and Miller who lost a three round unanimous decision to Benson Henderson in a number one contender’s bout in August, which snapped his 7 fight win streak. 

In my opinion, both Guillard and Miller are top 10 lightweight fighters in the world, however each fighter employ's a vastly different fighting style. 

Guillard is as talented and athletically gifted as they come in MMA, with blitzing hand speed and huge power in both hands. Miller, on the other hand is just as talented but is a blue collar fighter, who wares down his opponent with excellent wrestling and BJJ. 

While Guillard may seem to be the favorite coming into this contest in a lot of people’s minds, mainly because he is the more attractive choice, due to his monstrous highlight reel of knockout finishes in the UFC, I like Miller to walk away victorious at the end of the night, for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, Guillard could be the most dominant champion in the UFC right now. He possesses all the physical attributes for success, but he is his own worst enemy. Guillard does not have the mental fortitude, and at times appears to be arrogant, which hurts him.

Guillard should not have had trouble defeating Joe Lauzon, but came out swinging recklessly with his hands down, and chin straight up not respecting the skill of Lauzon. Thus, Guillard essentially knocked himself out as he walked straight into a JAB from Lauzon which knocked him down, allowing Lauzon to take his back and choke him out. 

I would love to sit here and say, ‘oh, it was just a foolish mistake’, but it’s not. Guillard has fought 41 times, he has a lot of experience, he should know better than to disrespect an opponent, especially someone as crafty as Lauzon, who is one of the most dangerous opening round fighters in the sport. 

The second reason why I won’t pick Guillard, is because of his decision to leave Greg Jackson’s camp in favor of the Blackzilians. 

Guillard went on the greatest run of his UFC career as soon as he joined Jackson’s MMA. Greg Jackson who is the best trainer in the sport, taught Guillard patience and substantially improved his submission defense, thus Guillard went on a five fight winning streak. 

Now, after one minor setback, Guillard left the camp which dramatically improved his shortcomings to join Rashad Evans and the Blackzilians. A fresh, up and coming team, the Blackzilians as a team have not shown a lot of success in the Octagon, and I personally, think was a horrible move and shows just how Guillard is his own worst enemy. 

The third reason is Guillard’s opponent, Jim Miller. Miller is as good as they come in the UFC lightweight division and I absolutely love his fighting style. 

A tough as nails, hard worker, with never ending cardio, Miller’s three losess have come to the best of the best, UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, former contender Grey Maynard and current number one contender Ben Henderson. Knowing what type of fighter Miller is, and how he continuously gets better after every fight, I fully expect Miller to have worked harder than ever before in training camp to get back to his winning ways, especially coming off of a loss. 

As long as Miller, is able to avoid the first couple of minutes with a fresh and aggressive Guillard and avoid Guillard’s power, I expect Miller to outwork and find a way to take Guillard down to the mat and put him into uncomfortable territory, eventually submitting him. 

That’s not to say, Guillard does not have a chance, as one strike from him could put Miller to sleep, but I believe Miller is too smart of a fighter and will have a proper strategy, to make Guillard look like a rookie and push him further back down the line of Lightweight contenders. 

I predict a late first or second round submission for Jim Miller, Friday night. 

Also on the card, an explosive hard hitting Welterweight battle between Duane “Bang” Ludwig, the record holder for fastest UFC knockout (21-11) and Josh Neer  (32-10-1) as well as Heavyweight Pat Barry (6-4) returning to action. 

UFC on FOX 2: America vs. England for the Chance To Fight the Brazilian Spider

"An injury to Mark Munoz has caused British fighter Michael Bisping to replace him at UFC on FOX 2 opposite Chael Sonnen"

The UFC on Fox 2 event took a hit earlier this afternoon as UFC President Dana White tweeted that UFC Middleweight contender Mark Munoz  (12-2) was injured and out of his number one contender’s bout with Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) on January 28^th.

Luckily, a replacement was immediately named as the UFC’s top British fighter Michael Bisping (22-3) will replace Munoz and fight Sonnen at the event.

Bisping was previously scheduled to fight Damien Maia (15-3), but is stepping up in competition to fight Sonnen who is widely considered to be the 2^nd best Middleweight in the world, after UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (31-4).

The contest will still serve as a number one contender’s fight, with the victor receiving the next crack at the “Spider.”

To be honest, the Sonnen vs. Bisping fight intrigues me more than the two previous announced contests, although I believe it to be a much easier fight for Sonnen.

Bisping is not an elite wrestler and will most likely get taken down in this contest, but I feel his overall game is enough to keep things interesting with Sonnen, especially on the feet. Bisping has a very underrated standup game, as well as a severely underrated ground game, but he is going to have to pull out every trick in his book if he wants to defeat Sonnen.

Without a question of a doubt, Sonnen will immediately look to take Bisping down, and in all likelihood he will succeed, however, Sonnen has a habit of getting caught in submissions, as 8 of his 11 career losses have come via some sort of submission, and as I said Bisping has a very underrated ground game.

This bout intrigues me more than the previously announced fight between Sonnen and Munoz because while Munoz is a fantastic wrestler with heavy ground and pound, he just is not as complete a fighter as Bisping especially on the feet, and I feel he is not ready for a title shot just yet.

However, Munoz did beat Sonnen in a wrestling competition back in college, but this is MMA and on a strictly MMA level, I feel Sonnen would have gotten the better of Munoz, mainly due to experience.

Bisping, on the other hand, has experience in MMA and has fought on the biggest shows against the best fighters in the world consistently. He only has three losses on his record, two of which have been controversial decisions against former champions Rashad Evans when he was competing at Light Heavyweight and Wanderlei Silva, and has only been thoroughly defeated by the right hand of Dan Henderson at UFC 100 (knockout of the century).

The trash talk for this fight could be legendary as well, as both Sonnen and Bisping are pound for pound the best talkers in the sport.  Both are incredibly witty and should be an easy promotional weapon for the UFC to help draw interest towards the fight and the event.

When the two step into the cage, however, I expect Sonnen to emerge with his hand raised via decision. Bisping is tough and I doubt Sonnen will be able to finish him, but Sonnen’s wrestling is so strong that I see him taking Bisping down and having his way with him. However, there is always the possibility of Bisping catching him in a submission but I do not see it happening.

I am pretty confident that after this fight, we will finally see the long anticipated rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, possibly in a soccer stadium in Brazil, which would be nothing short of epic!

UFC 142: Jose Aldo The Featherweight King

"Jose Aldo retains his Featherweight Championship over Chad Mendes, then celebrates with the crowd. Vitor Belfort submits Anthony Johnson in the first round. Edson Barboza provides the greatest head kick knockout in UFC history."

The UFC returned to Rio de Janeiro for UFC 142 and was headlined by one of the pound for pound best fighters on the planet, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo (21-1) defending his championship against Chad Mendes (11-1). 

Mendes, one of the best wrestlers in the Featherweight devision was supposed to be the biggest test for Aldo's young career, but Aldo had his way with the challenger and brushed off every single takedown attempted by Mendes. 

The brilliant takedown defense was the key to this fight, as late in the first round, Mendes had Aldo's back but because he could not take Aldo down, he separated. It was during this brief second opportunity, that Aldo quickly spun around and unloaded a big violent knee which dropped Mendes. Two quick punches followed and just like that, Aldo retained his Featherweight championship and handed Mendes his first ever professional loss at 4:59 of the first round. 

What happened next, is potentially one of the greatest non MMA moments of all time, as Aldo ran out of the cage and celebrated with the crowd, as the fans hoisted their hero on their shoulders. It was an incredible scene, and one which I am sure we will see for years. 

Not only did Jose Aldo cement his place as arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world, but he is coming close to cleaning out the newly implemented UFC Featherweight devision. 

I can not think of one fighter in the 145 devision who can complete with this man, and the scary thing is, is that he is only 25 years old. 

The co-main event of the evening, was the contest I was most looking forward to between Vitor Belfort (21-9) and Anthony Johnson (10-4). 

This bout was supposed to be Anthony Johnson's debut as a Middleweight, but at the weigh in's, Johnson missed weight by an unbelievable 11 pounds, coming in at 197lbs. 

The fight was almost cancelled, but the UFC and Vitor Belfort agreed to continue with the contest as long as Johnson did not weigh more than 205 pounds at high noon on fight day. Johnson made weight the second time coming in at 204.2 pounds, and the fight was on.

As soon as the fight started, Johnson came out aggressive and landed some big shots and takedowns on Belfort, but tired out quickly and was eventually submitted by Belfort via rear naked choke at 4:49 of the first round. 

Rio went absolutely apeshit at the conclusion and erupted for their hero who came back from diversity and defeated the bigger fighter. 

Phenom-anol! 

Another interesting bout came in the Middleweight devision, as the potentially most feared man in MMA Rousimar Palhares (14-3) submitted Mike Massenzio (13-6) via heel hook in 1:03 of the first round. 

A ruthless fighter, Palhares is the best leg lock specialist in all of MMA due to his crushing power. If given the opportunity, Palhares will rip your limbs off and that is what he did in this fight tonight. 

Pulling guard, Palhares sneaked his left leg around Massenzio's thigh, then using the butterfly guard elevated Massenzio while grabbing Massenzio's foot at the same time. This allowed Palhares to sink  Massenzio's heel in the crack of his elbow and he cranked on it until Massenzio had no choice but to tap out. 

To put it in perspective, if Palhares ever tripped and fell anywhere near me, I would highstep out of the area ASAP just in case, because I do not want my leg/ankle ripped off!

The opening bout of the main card between lightweights Terry Etim (15-4) and Edson Barboza (10-0) was touted as the early favorite to win fight of the night, but Barboza potentially earned knockout of the year with his spinning heel kick head kick knockout at 2:02 of the 3rd round. 

The kick was an absolutely spectacular finish which is arguably one of the greatest and most brutal knockouts in UFC history. The knockout was even more impressive, because Etim was one of the most promising fighters in the devision, but was out before he even hit the floor, as Barboza caught him perfectly on the jaw with his heel, for the first ever spinning wheel kick KO in UFC history. 

The crowds in Brazil are unlike any other fans throughout the world, as they bring an extra energy to the atmosphere which made the fights seem that much bigger and more high profile. 

UFC 142 was not heavily promoted, and this once again continued the tradition of the lower key UFC events providing the most exciting action. Not one fight on the main card went the distance and all the fights ended in some sort of spectacular finish. 

The UFC certainly kicked off  2012 with a bang! 

Fight of the Night: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim

Submission of the Night: Rousimar Palhares 

Knockout of the Night: Edson Barboza

Results:

Jose Aldo def. Chad Mendes via knockout (knee and punches) - Round 1, 4:59 - retains featherweight title

Vitor Belfort def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:45

Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Massenzio via submission (heel hook) - Round 1, 1:03

Carlo Prater def. Erick Silva via disqualification (illegal punches) - Round 1, 0:29

Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via knockout (spinning heel kick) - Round 3, 2:02

Thiago Tavares def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision (no scores given)

Gabriel Gonzaga def. Ednaldo Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:22

Yuri Alcantara def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Mike Pyle def. Ricardo Funch via TKO (knees and punches) - Round 1, 1:22

Felipe Arantes def. Antonio Carvalho via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

UFC 141: The Reem Retires the Next Big Thing and Earns A Title Shot

"Alistair Overeem retires Brock Lesnar, earning himself a title shot. Nate Diaz and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone deliver fight of the night. Johny Hendricks knocks out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds."

Friday December 30th, in the last UFC event of 2011, Alistair Oveeem (36-11-1) defeated Brock Lesnar (5-3) via TKO at 2:26 of the first round, in the main event of UFC 141.

Before the fight, Overeem promised to get the job done within two rounds and he delivered with a great performance in the biggest fight of his career. 

Overeem stood on the outside, and used his K-1 level striking to keep Brock at a distance. The distance took away Lesnar's wrestling, and forced Brock to play right into Overeem's game. Overeem took full advantage and burned Lesnar with vicious knees and shots to Lesnar's surgically repaired body. 

The end came when Overeem landed a big kick to Lesnar's liver, which dropped the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, causing him to cover up and wait for the referee to stop the contest. 

Overeem's victory, sets him up to next fight Junior dos Santos for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

However, the event was not all smiles as during the post fight interview, Brock Lesnar officially announced his retirement from the sport. 

The last two years have been very difficult for Lesnar, due to his disease with diverticulitis and I believe this was the best move for him. Lesnar has been a fighter his whole career, however his biggest fight has always been with his health and I hope Lesnar gets better. 

MMA fans have to respect Brock Lesnar, because the man made a huge impact and contribution to the sport. 

Brock had the toughest road for any athlete to ever compete in MMA as from the beginning of his career he was thrown to the sharks in the deep end of the pool. Brock's first fight in the UFC was against former champion Frank Mir and his third was against UFC hall of famer Randy Couture. 

Lesnar never had an easy fight in his MMA career, and one look at his opponents shows what great leaps and bounds he made in such a short period of time. 

Still, I can't help but wonder what Lesnar would have done in MMA had he been healthy. The guy is a freakish athlete, who is a legit 265 pounds, but moves like he is 100 lbs. lighter.

However I'm happy Lesnar won the most important fight against a potential life threatening illness. Lesnar did what he could and deserves nothing but absolute respect. 

If anything, I' sure Vince McMahon is happy as this could potentially mean a return for Brock Lesnar and the F5 in the WWE. 

The co-main event of the night, was my most anticipated fight on the card and it delivered as Nate Diaz (15-7) and Donald Cerrone (17-4-1NC) was nothing but fireworks and the fight of the night. 

There was a lot of bad blood heading into this contest and both fighters badly wanted to defeat each other. However, it was Diaz who put forth the best performance of his career and earned a unanimous decision victory. 

Diaz was surgically precise with his boxing and landed brilliant, stiff, accurate, sharp punches in bunches throughout the bout, overwhelming Cerrone. 

Cerrone ate a lot of punches throughout the fight and looked like a stationary target with little to no head movement. While this was uncharacteristic for Cerrone, Diaz deserves more of the credit because he shined when it came to the sweet science of MMA and moved one step closer to earning a UFC Lightweight Championship opportunity. 

In the other featured contest of the evening, it took only 12 seconds for Johny Hendricks (12-1) to become the newest Welterweight contender.  

Taking on Jon Fitch (23-4-1-1NC), the number two Welterweight in the world, Hendricks delivered the perfect punch for a huge knockout win. 

With his only loss to Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, Fitch came into this bout with a 13-1-1 record inside the UFC. However, he was sent back to the drawing board after he was tagged with a big left hand courtesy of Hendricks that put him completely stiff on the mat and wrestling the referee. 

Welcome to the big time Johny Hendricks and a SportsCenter top 10 list.

Alexander Gustafsson also made loud noise, as he knocked out Vladimir Matyushenko via TKO in the first round and could be in line for a big 2012. 

Fight of the Night: Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone

Knockout of the Night: Johny Hendricks

Submission of the Night: None

Results:

Alistair Overeem def. Brock Lesnar via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:26

Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:12

Alexander Gustafsson def. Vladimir Matyushenko via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:13

Jim Hettes def. Nam Phan via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)

Ross Pearson def. Junior Assuncao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Danny Castillo def. Anthony Njokuani via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Dong Hyun Kim def. Sean Pierson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Jacob Volkmann def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Diego Nunes def. Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem Preview and Predictions

"It doesn't get any bigger than this. Brock Lesnar takes on Alistair Overeem for a chance to compete for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Nate Diaz fights Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Jon Fitch makes his return to the UFC."

Friday December 30th 2011, the UFC end's its 2011 campaign with the biggest fight in UFC history, as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (5-2) takes on the debuting Alistair Overeem (35-11-1) at UFC 141 in a five round, title eliminator bout. 

Brock Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion who has only fought the best of the best since entering the UFC. Thrown to the wolves right from the start, Lesnar has never had a “gimme” fight and has only faced the elite of the Heavyweight devision including Frank Mir (twice), Randy Couture, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez. 

A true Heavyweight who must cut weight to make the 265lbs. limit, Lesnar is one of the best pure athletes to ever compete in MMA. A hard hitting, intense, explosive wrestler with unmatched speed and quickness, Lesnar moves with the agility of a Lightweight inside the cage. 

In order to win his fight against Overeem, Lesnar is going to have to rely on his wrestling to dictate where this fight takes place. Every opponent who has faced Lesnar has been taken down at some point of the contest, and if Lesnar has any hope of winning he needs to force this fight to the ground. 

While he is a tough matchup for any fighter, due to his freakish speed and strength, if Lesnar wants to wear UFC gold around his waist again, he needs to take Overeem down as quickly as possible. 

The reason Lesnar needs to get this fight to the ground as fast as he can, is because Alistair Overeem is not only one of the best Heavyweight fighters in the world, but is unquestionably the best striker the UFC Heavyweight devision has ever had. 

Alistair Overeem is one of the most decorated fighters in MMA history and is currently the champion of three separate organizations. The Heavyweight DREAM and Strikeforce Champion, Overeem is also the current K-1 champion and is the first fighter to ever simultaneously hold titles in kickboxing and MMA. 

The UFC Heavyweight Championship is the only major Heavyweight title Overeem has not yet claimed, and if Overeem is able to get past Lesnar, he will earn the opportunity to fight for the prestigious UFC Heavyweight Championship. 

A fighter whose striking is on a completely different level, Overeem is instantly the best striker in the UFC upon arrival. Last December, Overeem defeated three of the top strikers in the world on one day to win the K-1 2010 World Grand Prix, the highest honor in kickboxing. 

Still, while Overeem is much more decorated in his professional career and has much more experience, Lesnar is still arguably the best Heavyweight fighter Overeem has ever faced. Lesnar has competed against the absolute best in the world, while Overeem's most notable Heavyweight opponent has been Fabricio Werdum. 

This is also Overeem's UFC debut, and while I'm always leery about choosing a fighter to win when he has never fought in the UFC before, I am making an exception for Overeem and predict he wins by knockout in the first or second round.

In my opinion, Lesnar could not be a better opponent for Overeem to make his debut against, since all of Brock Lesnar's weaknesses are Overeem's strengths. While Lesnar does have a chin, he does not like to get hit and that is exactly what Overeem is best at doing. 

Lesnar has also not competed since October of 2010 and is returning after his second battle with diverticulitis, in which he had 12 inches of his colon removed and repaired. I don't trust Lesnar being a hundred percent, and I still consider him to be a baby in this sport, so a full year away from learning and improving, makes me think that at the end of the night, Overeem will be the man with his hand raised. 

Another factor, is that every fight starts on the feet and Lesnar is going to have to stand with Overeem at the start of every round. Overeem has solid takedown defense, and if Lesnar rushes in like he normally does, he is going to leave himself open and Overeem will capitalize. 

Even if Lesnar gets the takedown, he is still in danger. Overeem is a very underrated grappler and possesses fantastic submissions, especially his guillotine choke. Out of Overeem's 35 career wins, 19 have come via submission, 8 of those by guillotine. 

The common MMA fan might not know the name Alistair Overeem now, but come 2012, he will be known as a serious threat to the UFC Heavyweight Championship. 

The co-main event of UFC 141, is an outstanding Lightweight match between Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (17-3-1) and Nate Diaz (14-7), in what could possibly be the best fight of 2011. 

Competing for the fifth time in 2011, Cerrone has had arguably the best year of any MMA fighter. Currently on a six fight winning streak, Cerrone has looked fantastic since coming over to the UFC. Improving in every fight, Cerrone last fought at UFC 137 in October where he submitted the top ranked Denis Siver in the first round via rear naked choke. 

An outstanding kick boxer who holds a 28-0 record, Cerrone is one of the best strikers in the Lightweight devision but also possesses a great ground game with 13 of his 17 MMA wins coming via some form of submission. 

His opponent Nate Diaz, is the TUF Season 5 champion and younger brother of Nick Diaz. A brown belt in BJJ under Ceaser Gracie, Diaz is coming off the best performance of his career, submitting Takanori Gomi, with one of the best submissions of 2011. 

This fight is without a doubt going to be a high paced chess match, as both fighters are highly technical and always come to fight. Diaz has drastically improved his boxing and if this fight hits the ground, the fans are in for a late Christmas present, as both are a treat to watch and Diaz is one of the best in the world at transitions.

Also on the card, is the return of perennial Welterweight title contender Jon Fitch (23-3-1-1NC). Fitch has been out of action since February with a shoulder injury and is taking on fellow wrester Johny Hendricks (11-1). A win over Hendricks, should put Fitch in line for a shot at the interim Welterweight championship. 

Predictions: 

Alistair Overeem defeats Brock Lesnar via KO in Round 2

Donald Cerrone defeats Nate Diaz via Unanimous Decision

Jon Fitch defeats Johny Hendricks via Unanimous Decision

Alexander Gustafsson defeats Vladimir Matyushenko via Unanimous Decision

Jim Hettes defeats Nam Phan via Submission in Round 2

Ross Pearson defeats Junior Assuncao via TKO in Round 2

Danny Castillo defeats Anthony Njokuani via Unanimous Decision 

Andre Ward: Boxing's Future

Andre Ward in his battle with top-ranked Mikkel Kessler (11/21/09)

"Andre Ward the Super Six Champion and future of professional boxing."

“Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bro.” 

“Bro, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is the only fight boxing has left, after that the sports dead.”

“The only way boxing survives is if Tyson makes a comeback and starts knocking people out in 10 seconds again.” 

These are the types of ludicrous statements I hear while watching a fight at a bar, and one of the reasons why I despise going out to public places to watch sporting events. 

Added on to the fact that I'm surrounded by sloppy, breath stinking “experts” who claim to know everything about the “sweet science” known as boxing, but meanwhile can't name five other marquee prize fighters other than the two ESPN and HBO shove down our throats. 

One “genius” I had the pleasure of watching the Super Six Finale with on Saturday, was yapping in my ear the entire night of why the bar was showing old replays of the Golden Gloves Classic (idiot). 

While I am aware that boxing has suffered a major decline in viewership and appeal, mainly because of the lack of a marketable Heavyweight Champion presence in the States, and also because most of the up and coming fighters are following the trend into MMA, boxing is still very much alive and is not dead as most extra small Ed Hardy wearing, tribal tattooed, have three shots of Jack Daniel's and they're falling down the stairs, bar room “experts” acclaim. 

There are many great, exciting boxers competing at the highest level today such as Sergio Martinez, Lucian Bute, Miguel Cotto, Carl Froch, Juan Manual Marquez, Bernad Hopkins (my all time favorite) and the two Heavyweight kings, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. However, the most exciting prospect by far, is the man who won the Super Six Tournament on Saturday, Andre Ward. 

The WBA, WBC, The Ring Super Middleweight & Super Six Champion.

For most people, this might be the first time ever hearing the name Andre Ward, and that is unfortunate.

An undefeated (24-0, 13 KO's) Super Middleweight American boxer, Ward is also an Olympian Gold Medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics. 

A fighter with a pure classic boxing style, Ward is an exciting technical boxer who is good everywhere between the ropes. 

A punishing puncher who wares on his opponents and takes their will away, Ward can fight on the inside with crushing body blows, on the outside with devastating hooks and is composed while leaning on the ropes. He sets a frantic pace from the opening bell, and never takes his foot off the gas, always coming forward applying pressure, which breaks and tires out the competition. 

Ward's speed both in his hands and defense, keep his opponents off balance, making them easier targets and him more elusive. Constantly moving, Ward slips and slides around the ring and does what he needs to do in order to win. 

He is by no means the flashiest boxer in the sport today, but like Tim Tebow he always wins. However that is where the comparisons end as Ward is terrific and accurate from the opening bell to the end and sadly no one talks about him after his performances. 

ESPN and the rest of the sports world, only seem to talk about outlandish athletes with unnatural athletic abilities, who have everything handed to them on a silver spoon, but always seem to pass on the hard working individuals who have to earn everything they achieve. 

Ward is obviously the latter, having had to change his whole boxing style from amateur to professional after he made the leap. (Olympic style boxing is much different than the actual sport we are used to seeing and is a whole different game in terms of practicing and scoring.)

Ward is also soft-spoken and humble, so he is never going to go on a Mike Tyson-esque post-fight rampage telling reporters he will only give them interviews in return of “fornication” or telling the world he is going to eat his opponents children. 

Instead, Ward praises the efforts of the man he just went to war with and contributes all his success to hard work and the Lord above. 

The Super Six Tournament was a great platform for Ward, and he was really able to shine, despite almost getting looked over and conceived to be an afterthought. He dominated each and every opponent he faced in the two and a half year tournament and Saturday night laid the smackdown on Carl Froch, outboxing Froch for 12 rounds and landing almost every vicious left hook he threw.

The scores of the contest were closer than how the fight actually went down (115-113, 115-113, 118-110), as Ward put on a one-sided performance, landing shots at will by being the busier, faster, and mentally tougher fighter. Ward frustrated Froch by constantly moving, not allowing Froch to ever find his rhythm, while connecting with the cleaner and harder punches for the duration of the fight. 

On my scorecard, I gave every single round but one to Ward and scored the bout 119-109. 

Ward reminds me very much of a young Bernard Hopkins, in that he knows every trick in the book and uses them to his advantage. Besides his impeccable skill, Ward is a very smart and cerebral fighter, which has cost every single opponent he has ever faced, since they underestimated his boxing prowess. 

Andre Ward should be rewarded as the 2011 Fighter of the Year and is a name any so called “expert” boxing fan should know, as he is the future of the sport.