(Photo courtesy of FOX Sports and Zuffa, LLC.)
Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera: Rua via TKO (Punches), Round 4, 4:09
Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader: Machida via KO (Punch), Round 2, 1:32
Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner: Lauzon via Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 3, 2:44
Mike Swick vs. Damarques Johnson: Swick via KO (Punches), Round 2, 1:20 Continue reading »
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Shogun” Rua (left) and Muay Thai specialist Brandon Vera (right) are slated for battle in Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 4 main event. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Mauricio Rua (205.0) vs. Brandon Vera (203.8)
Lyoto Machida (201.0) vs. Ryan Bader (205.0)
Joe Lauzon (155.8) vs. Jamie Varner (156.0)
Mike Swick (170.0) vs. Damarques Johnson (171.0) Continue reading »
The UFC's inaugural featherweight champion Jose Aldo (black shorts) will make his first title defense at UFC 129 tomorrow night opposite "The Machine" Mark Hominick. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
In front of a sold out crowd of 55,000, ten men plan to make the Octagon their stomping ground as UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields takes place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the main event, welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (21-2) puts his title on the line against former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (26-4-1) who is currently on a six-year, 15-fight winning streak. “The Natural” Randy Couture (19-10) hopes to end his seasoned career with a superb performance when he challenges former light heavyweight champ “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-2). In another 205lbs. affair, goliaths “The Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (25-5) and “The Hitman” Jason Brilz (18-3-1) step into the cage, and former WEC 155lbs. king “Smooth” Ben Henderson (11-2) makes his UFC debut against Jiu-Jitsu stand-out Mark Bocek (9-3). In the co-main event, the hometown favorite “The Machine” Mark Hominick (19-7) welcomes “Junior” José Aldo (17-1) with every intention of taking his newly acquired UFC featherweight title. While both Hominick and Aldo have the ability to bring fights to a screeching halt, putting a championship up for grabs guarantees that both men will go tooth-and-nail to ensure that title goes home with them. Continue reading »
"Bones" Jon Jones (black shorts) is one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Come January 1, Jones will collide with fellow rising star Ryan Bader to see who will be launched into the higher levels of the 205lbs. weight class. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC)
The year 2010 showcased a wealth of fights and events for the mixed martial arts world to marvel over. “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1) defeated one of the greatest lightweights of all time in “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7-1). Boxing great “Lights Out” James Toney (0-1) stepped into the the cage to face UFC Hall of Famer “The Natural” Randy Couture (19-10) in what was intended to determine the superior combat sport, MMA or boxing. Couture pummeled Toney for nearly three minutes of pure fan delight before submitting him via Arm Triangle Choke. The MMA world was shaken and the heavyweight rankings sent into a state of disarray when the top ranked “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-2) was handed his first legitimate loss via first round submission to Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1).
To follow up with the 2009 roster exchange agreement between the Strikeforce, DREAM, and M-1 Global MMA promotions, the UFC ended 2010 with the intake of the WEC organization. With all the memorable fights and events that have taken place in the last 12 months, 2011 is the year where prospects can become contenders, fighters inflicted with injury or tribulations return to fight their way to a title, and champions become legends.
Here are some of the top fighters to look out for in 2011. Continue reading »