UFC 92 Upsets,Upsets,Upsets

I think most my friends who read this blog seen the show last night. So no worry of spoilers.
UFC92 did not disappoint even tho I was wrong on every one of my picks last night.

Rampage vs Silva

Opting to fight without the customary touch of gloves, these fierce rivals engaged almost immediately, with Jackson stalking and Silva looking to counter. A minute in, the crowd started chanting for Silva, followed shortly after by a chant for Rampage, and both men circled, neither wanting to make a fight-ending mistake. That mistake would come with under two minutes left though, as Silva came in wide with a left hook and ate one in return, sending the Brazilian down to the canvas. A follow-up from Jackson was mere window dressing as referee Yves Lavigne intervened at the 3:21 mark.

Nog vs Mir

I was not a Mir fan really before last night But I am now.
Mir was busy with his kicks to start the fight, and he tossed in a jarring right uppercut for good measure, eventually taking the fight to the mat. After some ground strikes, Mir even chose to let the fight go back to the feet, so confident was he in his striking. Once standing, Mir continued to score effectively, eventually dropping Nogueira with a straight left with under two minutes left. Again, Mir followed up briefly before stepping back and standing the fight up again. By the closing moments of the round, Mir was loose and looking like he was having fun as he put Nogueira down just as the round ended.
Needing to get back in the fight, Nogueira came out aggressively in the second, only to continue getting tagged by Mir. And less than two minutes into the round, lowered the boom with two left hooks to the jaw that put the Brazilian legend on the mat again. A follow up barrage was a mere formality, as referee Herb Dean rescued Nogueira from further punishment at 1:54 of round two.

Now it’s on to the biggest rematch of 2009, a unification battle between Mir and the man he submitted in February of 2008, current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Evans vs Griffin


Both fighters got their ranges in the opening minute, with Evans opening up minute number two with a haymaker that likely would have ended the fight had it landed. But it didn’t, and the two combatants continued to circle each other at close range, adding tension to each exchange, as both fighters had their moments of success. Griffin and especially had success with low kicks, and though Evans was the faster puncher of the two, he appeared to be having difficulty getting inside on his taller opponent.

Griffin continued to stalk in round two, briefly jarring Evans and pinning him against the fence. The flurry got the crowd chanting “For-rest, For-rest”, but it also re-focused Evans, who now made a concerted effort to close the distance on Griffin. Each step closer caused Evans to pay a price though, whether with kicks low or punches high. But when Evans
did score, with a crisp 1-2 or a thudding body kick, it drew a roar. It was Griffin ending the round with the hardest shot, a right to the head at the bell.

In round three, Evans finally found his opening as he grabbed one of Griffin’s kicks and sent the champion to the canvas with a flurry of punches. Evans tried to finish matters on the ground, but Griffin weathered the storm and quickly recovered. Evans remained in control on the ground though, periodically erupting with hard strikes to the head. Griffin appeared to take the shots well until one ferocious barrage that began with a right hand stunned Griffin and put him out, with referee Steve Mazzagatti halting the contest at 2:46 of round three.

Justin Eilers Killed

This is very sad news.

When officers arrived on the scene they found that an adult male, later confirmed by Cox as Eilers, had been shot and killed. James Robert Malec, 48, was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder.

Details surrounding the incident have not yet been revealed by police, but sources close to Eilers indicate that Malec is the boyfriend of Eilers' mother. He and Eilers reportedly got into some sort of argument and Malec allegedly produced a gun and shot Eilers.

Emergency workers attempted to revive Eilers, but were unsuccessful, according to KTRV.

The incident is still under investigation by the Canyon County Sheriff's Office
Cox said Eilers had gathered with relatives for the holidays, but tensions escalated with an ex-girlfriend, also in attendance. Eilers was asked to leave the residence, but was said to have refused and began throwing dishes and other objects in protest. The home’s owner was then said to have pulled a gun on Eilers and shot him in the chest after a brief verbal confrontation.

Eilers’ ex-girlfriend, mother, and young son were said to have been in the room at the time of the shooting.

This is terrible news and my condolences to the Eilers family. Eilers was a credible professional MMA fighter who competed for a title at the highest level of the sport.
He had not fought in the UFC since 2006 after losses to Vera and Arlovski. He last fought in EliteXC this past july.

MMA Live Episode 33

Former UFC/IFL/WEC Middleweight Justin Levens and Wife Found Dead

Gossip blog TMZ.com is reporting that UFC, WEC, and IFL middleweight veteran Justin Levens was found dead along with his wife in their home in Laguna Niguel, CA as a result of gunshot wounds. Police are investigating the death as a possible murder/suicide:

TMZ has learned former UFC fighter Justin Levens and his wife were found dead from gunshot wounds in a home in Laguna Niguel, Calif. earlier today.

Sherdog's Loretta Hunt spoke with the Orange County Sheriff's Department:

“Preliminarily, until they finish the investigation, it is being looked at as a murder-suicide,” said Lt. V. Wilson.

Wilson said deputies and investigators were dispatched to the residence Wednesday after being informed of the deaths. Wilson would not identify who had found the bodies and/or contacted authorities, though a CBS 2 online report said the mother of the deceased female had discovered the bodies and called police, who arrived around 2:30 p.m. PST.

An investigation into the deaths was opened on Wednesday, which Wilson described as “ongoing.”

Levens was 9-8 in his MMA career, fighting such notable names as Jorge Santiago and Evan Tanner in the UFC, Vladimir Matyushenko in the IFL, and Scott Smith in the WEC.

Levens formerly trained under UFC legend Marco Ruas but was recently based out of Erik Paulson's CSW camp.

Pat Miletich destroys Thomas Denny

It took a couple days for the video to hit the 'nets, but here's the second round of Pat Miletich's win over Thomas "Wildman" Denny at Adrenaline MMA 2 last Thursday. Though it was Pat's first knockout victory in over seven years, you'd think it's how he earns his living. Watch as Miletich knocks Denny's marbles out with a slicing right hook at the 0:55 mark, then closes the coffin with another one. The way Denny's head bounced off the mat couldn't have helped either.

Bobby Lashley Wins MMA Debut

Former WWE star and American Top Team student Bobby Lashley made his pro MMA debut at Mixed Fighting Alliance's "There Will Be Blood" event in Miami on Saturday night, needing just 41 seconds to open up a cut on opponent Joshua Franklin's forehead large enough for the fight to be stopped. It was an anti-climactic ending for the audience, but when the gash is shown at the video's 1:52 mark, you'll probably agree that it was the right thing to do. Maybe next time Lashley will be able to give fans a better sense of what he's capable of.

Headlining the MFA event was a fight between former UFC stars Jeff Monson and Ricco Rodriguez, with Monson pulling out a unanimous decision win. The Snowman is reportedly considering a move back to the UFC — and may face Cheick Kongo in his return match — but will first head to Japan for a fight in Sengoku. Rodriguez's loss to Monson snapped a five-fight winning streak; he has fought nine times in 2008, making this year the most active of his career.

Junie Browning vs Dave Kaplan - UFC TUF 8 Finale Video

I hate to say it but I really was impressed with Junie.

“The Ultimate Fighter 8″ Finale LIVE Results and Bonuses

The UFC has officially wrapped their eighth season of their popular reality TV show,”The Ultimate Fighter.” The finale took place tonight at the Pearl inside of the Palms Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ryan Bader defeated Vinicius Magalhaes in the light heavyweight finals, and Efrain Escudero was victorious in the lightweight final over Phillipe Nover. Bader and Nover each earned themselves a six-figure contract with the UFC. The UFC also rewarded four fighters with $25,000 bonuses for their special performances.

Preliminary Bouts:

Rolando Delgado Defeated John Polakowski via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:18 in the 1stRound
Shane Nelson Defeated George Roop via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Tom Lawlor Defeated Kyle Kingsbury via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Eliot Marshall Defeated Jules Bruchez via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:27 in the 1stRound
Krzysztof Soszynski Defeated Shane Primm via Submission (Kimura) at 3:27 in the 2ndRound

Main Bouts:

Junie Browning Defeated Dave Kaplan via Submission (Armbar) at 1:32 in the 2ndRound
Wilson Gouveia Defeated Jason MacDonald via TKO (Punches) at 2:18 in the 1stRound
Anthony Johnson Defeated Kevin Burns via TKO (Kick) :28 in the 3rdRound
Ryan Bader Defeated Vinicius Magalhaes via TKO (Punches) at 2:18 in the 1stRound
Efrain Escudero Defeated Phillipe Nover via Unanimous Decision (29-28, All Three Judges)

Fight Bonuses:

Fight of the Night:
Junie Browning and Dave Kaplan ($25,000/each)

Knockout of the Night:
Anthony Johnson ($25,000)

Submission of the Night:
Krzysztof Soszynski ($25,000)