UFC News - Ultimate Fighting Championship

Bettor Hits on All 12 UFC 131 Fights And Makes $51,547

2011-06-14T13:56:00.002+01:00

UFC 131 Dos Santos Vs. Carwin

Picking winners in mixed martial arts is never easy. The sport is unpredictable, the fighters at the highest levels are usually fairly evenly matched, and every event has a few surprises.

That's why what one bettor did this weekend is so impressive: He got all 12 fights right at UFC 131, and put his money where his predictions were. The online sports book Bodog.eu confirmed on Monday that a bettor (who has not been publicly identified) put down $200 on a 12-fight parlay, went 12-for-12, and made $51,547.

"Hitting parlays in MMA happens often but to hit every fight right on a 12-fight card in one night is unheard of, especially that the parlay included a mix of favorites and a few medium underdogs, including two controversial decisions that went in the bettor's favor." Bodog Sports Book Director Richard Gardner told MMAFighting.com.

Getting all 12 right requires impressive knowledge of MMA, but it also requires a lot of luck: Two fights on the card, Darren Elkins vs. Michihiro Omigawa and Mark Munoz vs. Demian Maia, ended in close decisions that easily could have gone the other way.

But the judges did the bettor a favor, and as a result one lucky person is more than $50,000 richer.

Sam Stout shows his power knocking out Yves Edwards at UFC 131

2011-06-12T03:50:00.004+01:00

UFC : Sam Stout

VANCOUVER — Canadian lightweight Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout knocked out veteran Yves Edwards with a vicious left hook on the undercard of UFC 131 on Saturday.

Edwards toppled backwards and didn't move. Stout (15-4-1) closed for the kill, but held back from punching when he saw Edwards was motionless, his arms outstretched like he had been dropped from 50 storeys.

Edward remained on his back with four people working on him as Stout was interviewed in the cage after the fight. He eventually got up on a stool to the applause of the crowd but needed a helping hand as he was led away.

Edwards (40-17-1) took Stout down earlier but failed to keep him there. As they traded blows on their feet, Stout landed with the deadly hook at three minutes 52 seconds of the 1st round.

Diaz abandons his boxing career for St Pierre talks

2011-05-23T23:21:00.002+01:00

Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz has turned his back on an arranged boxing contest to focus on his MMA career - with a blockbuster clash with UFC champion Georges St-Pierre looking increasingly likely.

Diaz was due to enter the ring to fight former super middleweight world champion Jeff Lacy in the autumn, but the promoter of that fight announced on Monday that the contest will no longer be happening - saying the 27-year-old has "an opportunity of a lifetime" to consider in his MMA career.

Will Aldo vs Mendes Be Moved to UFC 134?

2011-05-23T22:14:00.003+01:00

A featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chad Mendes had been penciled in by most for the UFC 133 card in Philadelphia. After all, that's what Dana White announced at the UFC 129 post-fight press conference. While he didn't say it was a lock, he made it pretty clear that the fight would take place there. But that's starting to look less and less likely. Sherdog spoke with Team Alpha Male BJJ coach Fabio "Pateta" Prado, and he indicated that the fight could be moved

"Both sides have agreed to the fight, but it’s not officially set," said Prado, in Rio de Janeiro to back another protégé, Strikeforce veteran Derrick Burnsed, at Jungle Fight 28. "We’re already working on facing Jose Aldo at UFC 133, but there is a chance for that fight to happen at UFC 134. As far as I know, people from Brazil are pressuring [UFC President] Dana [White] in an attempt to convince him."

Jose Aldo Cannot Be Stopped (Highlights)

2011-05-23T22:05:00.001+01:00

Jose Aldo - Cannot Be Stopped (Highlights)

Anderson Silva Came Close to Retiring Before UFC Says Norguiera

2011-05-23T21:56:00.001+01:00

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has a pretty stellar reputation in the MMA world so when he talks, people tend to listen. And he had something very interesting to say to Sherdog today about his training partner and long-time friend, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. It seems that back in the day, Anderson found himself in a bit of a quandary regarding his career and was considering retirement..

Nogueira hints at major opponent at UFC 134 in Brazil

2011-05-15T20:09:00.001+01:00

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has hinted that he could be heading for a mega heavyweight showdown at UFC Rio after admitting he expects to be part of the co-main event.

Nogueira is adamant he will be fighting in his native Brazil on August 27, altho he is yet to be handed an opponent. UFC 134 is headlined by Anderson Silva's middleweight title defence against Yushin Okami.

Matt Hamill blogs on what it's like to be a deaf fighter

2011-05-15T19:59:00.000+01:00

People assume that it is hard for me to compete as a deaf fighter, but this is all I've ever known. I don't know any other way to fight, and so I've learned to adapt to my environment. Whereas some fighters get weighed down by the advice of their cornermen during a fight, I am in a position where I can receive advice in between rounds and then relax and carry them out for the five-minute rounds. I don't panic or worry if things are going wrong and I don't hear the shouts and screams of my cornermen. It's all on me, and I like it that way.

I remember during Round 1 of the Reese Andy fight (December 2008) I was really struggling to find my groove and things weren't looking great for me. I then got back to the corner and realized Duff Holmes, my coach, was going crazy at me and was really disappointed with the way I was fighting.

Even though I couldn't hear the expletives he was shouting at me, I could pick up his mood and emotions. I then ran out for the next round and stopped Andy. I just needed somebody to pull that inner animal out of me. Once it's out there, nobody can stop me...

Brock Lesnar dropped off UFC 131 card, Diverticulitis might end MMA career

2011-05-15T15:24:00.001+01:00

Former WWE star Brock Lesnar out at UFC 131, Diverticulitis might end MMA career

On Thursday, former WWE champion and current UFC 'top draw', Brock Lesnar announced at a media conference call that he was forced to pull out of his main event fight with Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131 due to another bout of diverticulitis according to MMAJunkie.com. Two years ago, Lesnar suffered his first bout with diverticulitis and ended up in the hospital for almost two weeks. Lesnar lost 40 pounds and doctors said his life was in jeopardy. Lesnar was able to overcome it, regain his health, change his lifestyle, and learn to live and fight with this condition.

Dana White's UFC 108 Post-Fight Press Conference

2010-02-13T05:25:00.002+00:00

Dana White discusses the bouts from UFC 108 and specualtes on the future holds for Junior Dos Santos and the heavyweight division.

Countdown to UFC Randy Couture

2010-02-13T05:16:00.000+00:00

Preview to UFC 110

2010-02-13T05:12:00.000+00:00

UFC packs a punch in partnership with UAE

2010-02-01T15:23:00.000+00:00

The UFC has shown its pulling power by signing a partnership deal with United Arab Emirates.

Hard-hitting: Rashad Evans (right) and Thiago Sliva slug it out during UFC108 in Las Vegas Photo: AP The partnering of the UFC’s parent company Zuffa and Abu Dhabi’s entertainment arm housed within its Government offices on Tuesday is a sign of two things: globally, the UFC has the pulling power to acquire major partners as the driving force behind a pioneering sport/entertainment industry worth investing in. Secondly, Zuffa, like all other companies, will need cash injections and overseas partners if the vision of making MMA a global sport is to be realised.

There will come a time when the UFC will need to franchise itself if the plans to grow exponentially are realised year on year. In some ways, the company already creaks with too few employees, and a need for visibility in several territories simultaneously. There are rumours that the travelling demands on the top brass are beginning to wear. No surprise, there.

Like all major companies, Zuffa has major cash flow operations. No figures were revealed yesterday, but rewind a few months to UFC president Dana White’s statements about the worldwide growth of the brand. I wouldn’t mind betting that over those days, there had been talks with Lorenzo Fertitta, co-owner of Zuffa, with the new investors.

Flash Entertainment is a subsidiary entertainment arm of Abu Dhabi's government, and has acquired one tenth of Zuffa, the controlling company for both the mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting organisations.

The deal was brokered by Goldman Sachs, with Fertitta revealing that new offers have come from many private equity funds, as well as several media companies and hedge funds.

Leaked reports last week went viral online suggesting that Abu Dhabi Sheik Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan himself had bought a stake in Zuffa, but the buyer was in fact the government's Flash arm. That was re-affirmed yesterday by White and Fertitta.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is home to around 8 percent of the world’s oil supply, and has embarked on an expansion and modernization plan as it looks to diversify away from the oil-led economy.

The government’s 2030 plan, devised in 2007, foresees the population growing to as much as 5 million from an estimated 1.6 million in 2008. The emirate hosted its first Formula One race in November 2009, it is also building a branch of Paris’ Sorbonne University and Louvre and Guggenheim museums, and has become a destination for travellers.

There are plans for a UFC event there in April 2010. It will include welterweight ex-champion Matt Hughes taking on Renzo Gracie, who has ties to Tahnoon, founder of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club.

Reports from the Las Vegas Journal report that Zuffa has $450 million in debt, including a $25 million due in 2012 and $425 million due in 2015, according to Moody's Investors Service. But the credit rating agency believes Zuffa's income should be enough to cover payments. The UFC earned $200 million in 2009, expect revenue to have exceeded $300 million in 2009, and recession proof as it appears, could grow exponentially in 2010 as more world markets are exposed to the sport.

Fertitta insisted Tuesday that the deal with Flash Entertainment, a subsidiary owned by the emirate's government, was done to create increased value for UFC and help the mixed martial arts juggernaut expand in the Middle East and Asia. The Abu Dhabi government's Flash arm has valuable contacts in markets such as China, South Korea and Indiathat can help Zuffa expand its global reach. Depp down, this is sensible business. On the surface, it looks like they are scratching for funds. Not so.

An article in Forbes Magazine in May 2008 estimated the privately held company was worth perhaps US$1 billion. That could be 20 per cent richer in 2010. Fertitta said then that several investors have offered more than that for the company.

The Fertittas bought the UFC organization in 2001 for $2 million, pouring $40 million into a cash rich black hole before the sport, which had been banned in many US states, began to mushroom in popularity in 2005/2006.

The UFC is expected to hold a show in Abu Dhabi in April and entertained members of the royal family at UFC 103 in Dallas in September. A show is slated for Australia next month.

"We're building a global brand," Fertitta said. "It's never been done before in the fight business. We made the decision early on that if we were to bring on a partner, it wasn't for financial reasons," Fertitta said.

"We didn't need to raise any money, that wasn't the purpose. If we were going to bring somebody it was going to be with someone that could really be a true strategic partner and could help create an increased value for the company long term."

Right move, right time. It’s all about timing.

ZUFFA stakes: Lorenzo Fertitta 40 per cent, Frank Fertitta III 40 pc, Dana White 10 pc, Flash Entertainment 10pc

Property Of http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/6977038/UFC-packs-a-punch-in-partnership-with-UAE.html

Cro Cop makes Bob Sapp Cry

2010-02-01T15:20:00.000+00:00

UFC Star Mirko Cro Cop in a older bout againist Bob Sapp

UFC 110 Michael Bisping faces hero Wanderlei Silva

2010-02-01T15:17:00.000+00:00

Silva was “a hero” for Bisping when he was fighting in Pride, but Bisping insisted to Telegraph Sport that respect has been put aside for this contest.

In spite of Silva coming down to the 185lb middleweight limit for the first time it remains a tough fight for Bisping because should he triumph, many will insist that Silva was past his best.

Ask Rich Franklin about that. The US fighter - who met Silva at a catchweight 195lbs in Cologne last June - knows just how difficult a prospect the powerful striker and muay thai fighter can be.

Bisping is now three weeks into training camp at the Wolfslair, in Widnes, with hard sparring having been ongoing for a fortnight.

The British mixed martial artist, who has the propensity to divide fans in the sport, but who is as popular as he is sledged, explained to Telegraph Sport: “There’s not too much to study with Wanderlei Silva. I have seen enough of him, he was a hero for me when he was fighting in Pride. There are no real surprises in his style, very powerful knees, good Muay Thai, good BJJ, slightly weaker in the wrestling department. I watched DVDs of his fights, but after that I decided to stop.

“I’m not interested in his old fights. I don’t watch to watch him KO people, because I don’t want to give him too much respect. Besides, we have a team of coaches who study the opponent and come up with the fight plan and strategy.”

Bisping added: “I’ll train in the Wolfslair until two weeks before the fight. We have a great group of guys here, and we have brought in some Muay Thai guys and wrestlers from the United States, and we are getting all bases covered. This is a real winnable fight for me.”

Bisping started “the real intense stuff” two weeks ago, having performed well in his last outing, with a clear-headed, emphatic victory, ended by ground-and-pound over Denis Kang at UFC 105 in Manchester in November.

Bisping has been watching his weight for several weeks as he prepares for the weight cut, and insists pounding the streets at 6am is the secret. “The main thing has been the morning run - a lot of fighters don’t do it, but with a four-mile run five days a week, the weight comes off.”

Bisping is one of the fighters whom UFC’s UK president Marshall Zelaznik rates as having the potential to take over the world of MMA in 2010. Nottingham welterweight Dan Hardy meets Georges St Pierre for the UFC 170lb title, Bisping faces Silva in Sydney, Paul Daley goes from strength to strength, and Zelaznik sees a great year stretching out ahead.

“Obviously Dan and Mike are both involved in huge fights, certainly the biggest two fights for British fighters in the history of the sport. But there’s a whole squadron of UK talent coming up. We’re going to see more Brits in these types of fights over the next 18 months.”

“Daley has had a huge impact on the welterweight division. I can’t think of any other fighter in the UFC since Brock Lesnar or Anderson Silva to score two such impressive wins so quickly in the UFC. He is going to have a huge 2010.”

Daley is penned in to face Josh Koscheck in April, while Terry Etim and John Hathaway are also well set for an assault on the upper echelons.

Zelaznik added: “Terry is a massive talent. It is now time for him to step up to the top tier at lightweight. John is another young fighter who, although softly-spoken, has serious ability in the Octagon. If he continues to round out his game he has a very bright future.

“Guys like Daley, Bisping and Hardy are characters and when you ask them a honest question, they give you a honest answer. They don’t mince their words. Sometimes that gets lost in translation and certain sections of the US blogosphere just don’t get it.”

Zelaznik also hinted that shows in the UK are being planned for later this year. London is expected to host an event early in the summer.

Property Of http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

UFC Sure Picks to Win

2010-01-31T20:05:00.000+00:00

There are fighters who are good, fighters who are great and fighters who you'd bet on no matter who their opponents are. Who are the absolute best fighters in the UFC? The fighters who define their weight classes and perhaps could compete at a weight class higher.

The UFC has five weight classes. Each weight class, with the exception of heavyweights spans 15 lbs and each class has their own sets of tried and true stars and outstanding performers.

The lightweight class goes from 155lbs to 170 lbs and features such great fighters as Sean Sherk, Spencer Fisher, Frank Edgar, BJ Penn, Joe Stevenson, Hermes Franca and Kenny Florian.

Welterweights go from 170lbs to 185 lbs and has such notables as Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Diego Sanchez, Jon Fitch, Karo Parisyan, Josh Koscheck and Georges St Pierre.

Middleweights are between 170lbs and 185lbs. Top level UFC middleweight fighters include Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Evan Tanner, Dan Henderson (sometimes), Yushin Okami and Jason MacDonald.

The UFC light heavyweight division is perhaps the most talent deep of all the divisions in the UFC and covers 185lbs to 205lbs. The light heavyweight division has fighters such as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine, Shogun Rua, Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Wanderlei Silva and Houston Alexander.

Heavyweight is the heaviest of all divisions in the UFC (there is no super heavyweight division). The UFC heavyweight division with it's recent resignation of Randy Couture has a bit of an identity crisis, but features fighters like Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Mirko Cro Cop, Tim Sylvia, Brandon Vera and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Out of these five divisions, I could only find four fighters that I would bet on no matter who they were fighting (within their own divisions), but even having said that there is always one guy who you think might, just might take them down.

As far as I'm concerned, the king of all lightweights in the UFC isn't even the current title holder, in fact he's never held the UFC lightweight title. BJ Penn is best known to new UFC fans as a former coach on the Ultimate Fighter TV series and for holding a win over Jens Pulver. Long time fans will remember the younger BJ Penn who completely dominated competition in the UFC lightweight division before being defeated by Pulver and then leaving the UFC. Penn returned to the UFC as a welterweight and defeated then welterweight champion Matt Hughes by submission.

In a re-match event, Penn dominated Hughes early on, but was eventually defeated by ref stoppage. It was later determined that BJ Penn had suffered a broken rib in that match up. BJ also had a very good showing against another top UFC welterweight, Georges St Pierre. In that fight BJ hurt St Pierre early on, but eventually lost a very close split decision. If there was one lightweight in the UFC who I would bet on every time, it would be BJ Penn. Honorable mention in this category goes to Sean Sherk, who I would bet on every time, except when he fights BJ Penn.

The UFC welterweight division is full of talent and full of matches which could go either way. For instance Matt Serra poses a problem for many UFC welterweights, but for others I think he is outmatched in size and strength. There is one guy in the UFC welterweight division who I believe stands head and shoulders above the rest, Georges St Pierre can match any of the other welterweights in size, strength, speed, stand up abilities and wrestling.

He is likely the most well rounded fighter in all of mixed martial arts. Even with Georges physical advantages you need to look at Matt Hughes as well. Hughes has a victory over St Pierre, but St Pierre avenged that loss with a dominant TKO stoppage of Hughes. If there was one welterweight in the UFC that I would put money on every time, it is Georges St Pierre.

Of all the divisions in the UFC, the middleweight division is the easiest to pick out a dominant fighter. Anderson Silva has dominated just about every match up he's been in since joining the UFC middleweight division mid way through 2006. Silva has taken out 5 top UFC middleweight fighters and could be king of that division for a long time.

In fact, the only guy who I see giving Anderson Silva trouble is his next opponent. Silva will take on Pride 185lb champion Dan Henderson in what should be an outstanding match up at 185lbs, still you've got to make Silva the odds on favorite given his performances over the last year and a half.

I do not have a pick in the UFC light heavyweight division. Sure, Quinton Jackson has looked great in his matches against Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson, but still I wouldn't pick Quinton against say Wanderlei Silva. I believe Wanderlei Silva would have trouble with his former Chute Box team-mate, Shogun Rua, or maybe even against Chuck Liddell, a fight which takes place on December 29th. I cannot find a single light heavyweight fighter in the UFC who I believe can defeat all top contenders, that's the true mark of a talent laden division.

Since Randy Couture has left the UFC heavyweight division I do see a top dog emerging. That top dog is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Big Nog has defeated Cro Cop, Barnett and just about every fighter (except Fedor) that Pride has put in front of him. I expect Nogueira to do the same against all of the existing UFC heavyweights. Fighters like Lesnar aren't ready for him, fighters like Sylvia and Cro Cop aren't well rounded enough to compete with Nogueira on the ground. I could see Gabriel Gonzaga giving Big Nog a good match after about another year of experience.

Five divisions, four sure picks to win any match up within their divisions. The UFC is stacked with talent and there are some truly outstanding fighters-athletes who make watching mixed martial arts a real joy. Penn, St Pierre, Anderson Silva and Nogueira are all stand out fighters in their respective UFC divisions and I expect each of them to be title holders some time during 2008.

For UFC Fight Card information visit UFC Results, the best place to go for UFC Predictions, Results and News. For UFC Results visit http://www.ufcresultslive.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Murray

UFC 107 Review

2010-01-31T16:20:00.000+00:00

Now that UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee is over, the fans are looking forward to some more exciting bouts in 2010. Here's a short recap of the fights:

Fight One: Paul Buentello vs Stefan Struve (Heavyweight). This fight went the full 3 rounds, and there was some booing when the guys were on the ground. Some exciting exchanges in the first and second rounds, but it looked like the 3rd round gased both fighters out. Struve won via a majority decision, and one judge had it a draw.

Fight Two: Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida (Lightweight). There was a lot of fast action as there usually is with lightweights, but Kenny got a rear naked choke at 2:19 of the 2nd round.

Fight Three: Jon Fitch vs Mick Pierce (Welterweight).Fitch gets his 11th win in the octagon by way of a unanimous decision. Fitch said afterward that getting cut early freaked him a bit, but was fine at the end.

Fight Four: Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo (Heavyweight). This fight ended quickly as Mir slipped a guillotine on Cheick at 1:12 of the first round. This was one of Frank's quickest and most impressive victories to date.

Fight Five: The Prelim- Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia (Catchweight). Belcher with his bad hair, tattoo and pink trunks scored a TKO at 3:03 of the first round. Belcher says that he's ready to step up and become the next middleweight challenger. There's quite a line in front of him, that's for sure!

Fight Six: Main Event- B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez (Lightweight title bout). BJ takes a win at 2:37 of the 5th round because of a cut ever Sanchez's eye. It was a great fight by two great fighters.

Fight Seven: Damarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia (Welterweight). Johnson took Garcia out with a triangle choke at 4:03 of the first round. Garcia came close to winning before Junson pulled of a submission finish. This was a very exciting bout.

Stay tuned to our blogs about any kind of fight information. We will have information on the fighters themselves as well as schools, and training at home for you!

Mark Orman is a former professional boxer, Tae Kwon Do black belt, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu purple belt. He is also a fight referee and ring announcer. His website mmaworoutdvd.com has blogs about fights, as well as training DVDs and fighting gear. http://mmaworkoutdvd.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Orman

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) "of the Year Awards" 2008 - Who Won What?

2010-01-22T05:42:00.000+00:00

2008 was an absolutely brilliant year for the UFC. Great events, great fights, amazing submissions, vicious knockouts, and shocking upsets. 2008 had everything, but certain fights and fighters stand out as the tops of 2008, read on to find out who won what and why.

Event of the Year:
UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008. UFC 92 was the best MMA event of the year, not just UFC, but worldwide. All 7 fights shown on the PPV were amazing; it wasn't just the knockouts and upsets, but the atmosphere and production value that made this the greatest event of the year. UFC 92 was simply spectacular.

Honorable mention goes to UFC: Fight for the Troops and UFC 80: Rapid Fire. Both events featured great fights and unbelievable knock outs.

Fight of the Year:
In the UFC, there were a lot of great fights in 2008, but the one fight that stands out in my mind as fight of the year is Georges "Rush" St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch at UFC 87. This is a personal opinion, as a hardcore GSP fan, watching him put on a 5 round clinic on his way to a unanimous decision was beautiful.

Honorable mention goes to Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture at UFC 91, Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson at UFC 86, and Sean Sherk vs. Tyson Griffin at UFC 90. I'm sure there are fights that I'm missing, but those are the ones that stand out in my mind.

Round of the Year:
It's tough to remember rounds, but there was one round in the GSP/Fitch fight that I'll never forget. The third round of the fight was simply amazing. An amazing show of skill on GSP's part, and an inspiring show of heart on Fitch's part. Fitch was completely dominated and dropped twice and he still kept fighting. Watching GSP move was spectacular, he was quick and precise, it was as if he was floating. While Round One was one of the most exciting rounds I've seen, Round Three was the best round of MMA I saw in the UFC in 2008.

Comeback of the Year (in a single fight):
The man known for his epic comebacks wins this one hands down. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria's come from behind submission victory against Tim Sylvia at UFC 81 was what MMA is all about. Nogueria was rocked early and often by Sylvia and it seemed that Sylvia was going to jab his way to a unanimous decision. Nogueria was hurt bad early in Round Three but used his brilliant Jiu-Jitsu skills to catch Sylvia in a guillotine choke.

KO of the year:
There are three KO's that happened very recently in the UFC that come to mind for KO of the Year; Rashad Evans on Chuck Liddell at UFC 88, Josh Koscheck on Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFN for the Troops, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92.

All of them deserve the honor, but I have to choose one and I'm going with Koscheck on Yoshida. While the other two were shocking and vicious, the Koscheck KO is essentially two KO's for the price of one. Koscheck KOed Yoshida and he fell back against the cage, he hit the cage, bounced forward and Koscheck gave him one more for good luck sending him crashing to the canvas as the ref stepped in to stop the fight.

Submission of the year:
We saw a lot of great submissions in the UFC this year, but one that really sticks out in my mind is Dustin Hazelett's flying armbar on Josh Burkman at The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale, it was a thing of beauty.

Honorable mention goes to C.B. Dollaway's Peruvian necktie on Jesse Taylor at Silva vs. Irvin, Rousimar Palhares' slick armbar on Ivan Salaverry at UFC 84, and Anderson Silva's rear naked choke win over Dan Henderson at UFC 82.

Upset of the year:
The year of the upset is over, but 2008 featured several shocking upsets. Rashad Evans over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin over Quinton Jackson, Frank Mir over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, and countless others.

But the biggest upset for me was seeing Rob Emerson (yes, that Rob Emerson) knock Manny Gamburyan silly at UFC 87. Not only was it a huge upset considering the success Manny had on TUF compared to the success Emerson had on TUF, but it was simply the greatest 12 seconds I've ever seen.

Most improved Fighter:
There's no competition here, Kenny Florian is the most improved fighter of 2008. Kenny went 3-0 in 2007, he also went 3-0 in 2008. How can he be considered the "most improved fighter of 2008" then? There was a huge jump in competition and a massive leap in talent shown by Florian in 2008. He disposed of Joe Lauzon with ease at UFN 13, he outclassed Roger Huerta at UFC 87, and he absolutely demolished Joe Stevenson in the first round at UFC 91. Kenny Florian has gone from mid-carder to headliner in just under a year.

Honorable mention goes to Josh Koscheck (see fighter of the year for more info on Koscheck)

Breakthrough fighter:
Brock Lesnar. Lesnar went 2-1 in 2008, and considering the competition he faced, that's about the same as going 7-0 against cans. At UFC 81 he lost to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir after a controversial stoppage by referee Steve Mazzagatti. Brock then went on to dominate Heath Herring for three rounds on his way to a unanimous decision. Lesnar finished the year winning the heavyweight title in the biggest fight of the year at UFC 91. Lesnar finished Randy Couture midway through round two silencing many critics.

Fighter of Year:
When considering fighter of the year I came up with this list; Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Thiago Alves, Kenny Florian, Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, Josh Koscheck, Rashad Evans, and Michael Bisping.

While many will disagree with me, my vote for UFC Fighter of the Year goes to Josh Koscheck. Koscheck ended 2007 losing to Georges St. Pierre. Koscheck opened 2008 with a vicious TKO win over Dustin Hazelett at UFC 82, he completely dominated Chris Lytle at UFC 86, Koscheck then took a fight with the incredibly dangerous Thiago Alves at UFC 90 in October. Koscheck lost the fight by unanimous decision, but it should be noted that Koscheck took the fight on two weeks notice and showed incredible heart and will in the loss. Koscheck rounded out his 2008 year with the KO of the Year.

In 2008, Koscheck knocked out two tough guys, won a dominating decision over another tough guy, and took a fight against one of the top welterweight fighters in the world on two weeks notice. For those reasons, Josh Koscheck is the UFC Fighter of the Year for 2008.

The UFC really stepped up in 2008, showing more fights per card, airing more fights on PPV, and putting on awesome fight cards all year long. Here's hoping 2009 can continue to deliver the high quality MMA that 2008 has accustomed us to.

Do you agree or disagree? Have a different choice for fighter of the year? Did I miss a knock out or submission that deserves to be on the list? Come discuss the UFC "of the year awards" 2008 with me at http://www.stickfiguremma.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dale_M

Greatest UFC Champ of All Time?

2010-01-18T19:59:00.000+00:00

A champion in any sport has a huge target on their back, but when you fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the biggest and baddest men on the planet are gunning for you at all times; title shot or not. In the fifteen year, 97 event history of the UFC only 11 fighters have defended their title more than once. This list of elite fighters have justly earned their place in UFC history, as many critics and followers of the sport believe that one is not truly a champion until he has successfully defended his belt. Those that have done it more than once are unquestionably the cream of the crop. So who is the Greatest of All Time?

The following is the list of UFC fighters with multiple successful title defenses. You decide who the best of the best is. If the main criteria is the number of consecutive successful defenses; Anderson Silva is incontestably the king. If total number of defenses is your measuring stick, Matt Hughes would get the nod. And if the caliber of the champ's competition is also a consideration; I think most will argue for Silva.

1. Matt Hughes (WW) - Title Defenses: 7
Matt Hughes was and is a UFC legend. He defended his title a total of seven times during two separate stints as the UFC Welterweight champion. During his first term as champ, he defended five consecutive times against the likes of Gil Castillo and Frank Trigg (lol). I'm having fun here, but on a serious note, Matt Hughes has beaten a load of quality fighters over his illustrious career, however, looking at his list of challengers it surely doesn't compare to Anderson Silva's.

2. Anderson Silva (MW) - Title Defenses: 6
After his last defense he is now the sole record holder for consecutive title defenses in the UFC. Despite all the unmerited criticism he garnered from UFC 97, he is still the UFC Middleweight champ and pound-for-pound king. The next time someone has the balls to get in the cage with him and try to IMPOSE their will on him, I bet he will continue to dominate. (read Anderson is the CHAMP!) His streak of defenses and the challengers he has beaten is nothing less than remarkable!

3. Tito Ortiz (LHW) - Title Defenses: 5
UGH!! It pains me to have to put the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" on this list, but the facts are the facts. Tito defended his Light Heavyweight title from 2000 to 2002, until Randy Couture took it away from him. This is when Randy gave the Bad Boy some well deserved corporal punishment in the form of a humiliating spanking...HA HA!!

4. Chuck Liddell (LHW) - Title Defenses: 4
The "Iceman" has one of the most impressive title defense streaks. Including his win over Randy Couture to gain the title, he won and defended the title with five consecutive TKO wins. Randy, Tito, Jeremy Horn and Renato Sobral all fell victim to the dynamite hands of Chuck during his reign as champion.

5. Pat Miletich (WW) - Title Defenses: 4
Miletich made his official UFC debut at UFC 16 and won the very first UFC Lightweight Tournament. In 2001, the UFC changed the weight class limits, creating the Welterweight. At UFC 17: Ultimate Brazil, Pat defeated Mikey Burnett and became the first UFC Welterweight champion. He went on to defend the Welterweight belt four times before losing it to Carlos Newton by submission at UFC 31.

6. Frank Shamrock (LHW) - Title Defenses: 4
"The Legend" was the Light Heavyweight champ from 1997 to 1999, until he forfeited his title due to retirement. The talent he faced was so so, but Shamrock's wins were in impressive fashion - all by submission, TKO or KO in the first round, except for the beating he put on Tito, which ended by strikes in the fourth round.

7. Randy Couture (HW) - Title Defenses: 3
Randy "The Natural" Couture, possibly the most popular mixed martial artist of all time, has won the Heavyweight championship on four separate occasions (1 interim title), and has successfully defended it a total of three times. He also won the Light Heavyweight belt twice, but has never successfully defended it. While his win-loss record may not be as stellar as some of the UFC's other great champions, to some he is the greatest of all time for his achievements in two weight classes at a more advanced age.

8. The following fighters have all defended their respective titles 2 times:
a. Tim Sylvia (HW) (read Tim Sylvia and the Willy Nilly Freak Show)
b. George St. Pierre (WW)
c. Rich Franklin (MW)
d. Andrei Arlovski (HW)

9. Royce Gracie (open) - Won 3 UFC Tournaments
Royce Gracie and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu family, for whom we owe much of everything to, was also a great champion. He won the UFC 1, 2, and 4 tournaments, which were night long, weight- classless events. It was not until UFC 16 that the title and belt system was implemented. Royce was also a great mixed martial artist, who many consider one of the greatest.

I think most will agree that this list of fighters is quite impressive, however, not all challengers were top contenders. Regardless of who the competition was, it is a feat in and of itself to win more than one or two fights in a row in the National Football League (NFL) of mixed martial arts, and even more so while wearing a belt.

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