UFC 78: Put It in the Books

The highlight of the night was absolutely Bruce Buffer telling Ed Herman, "Yeah, you fucked him up," after knocking out Joe Doerksen. As for the fights themselves...nothing special at all.

- I expected a lot more from Frankie Edgar-Spencer Fisher fight, but Edgar had no problem taking Fisher down whenever he wanted, so it's hard to argue with what works. Edgar may not have pleased the crowd, but he scored takedown after takedown and did some damage on the ground. Fisher, on the other hand, mounted virtually zero offense for 15 minutes. Good win over a dangerous veteran for Edgar.

- Rashad Evans beat Michael Bisping, just as I expected, and I'm still not sure how one judge scored the fight for Bisping. Bisping's takedown defense was good, but Rashad took him down enough to impress the judges. Neither fighter did much damage on their feet, but Rashad seemed to have gotten the better of those exchanges in my estimation. If this fight launches Rashad to title contention, Rampage has nothing to worry about. Also likely is the possibility of Rashad fighting Tito Ortiz again. Yes, again.

- Once Joe Lauzon got Jason Reinhardt to the ground, it was lights out as expected. This was nothing more than a showcase fight for Lauzon, who wasn't really tested. It was good to see Lauzon back in action, though.

- I thought Joe Doerksen was going to pull off the submission, but Ed Herman was saved by the bell and went on to score a vicious KO in one of the better fights of the night. It's hard for me to get excited over this win because Herman is still a middle-of-the-pack middleweight who's no match for Anderson Silva (not that he's in line for a title fight).

- I thought that Houston Alexander and Thiago Silva were going to slug it out, which is why I went with Alexander, who for some reason or another decided to clinch with Silva early. he was then promptly taken down and beaten like he stole something. Silva pounded the seemingly invincible Alexander from the mount and at one point was bouncing Alexander's head off the mat with punches. I like Silva. I like his Chute-Boxe camp, I like his tattoos, and I like the way he snarled after finishing off Alexander.

- The Karo Parisyan-Ryo Chonan fight went down as expected pretty much. Karo controlled his body for 15 minutes, avoided any real damage, and took home a one-sided victory. Anyone else think Karo's ready for - and deserving of - some tougher competition?

Tito Wants Rashad/Bisping Winner in February

UFC light heavyweight Tito Ortiz held an MMA seminar for young fighters this weekend in Edmonton, and the former UFC light heavyweight champion was certainly not at a loss for words about where he stands in the UFC’s 205-lb. pecking order. Tito told the Edmonton Sun that since he lost his rematch to Chuck Liddell, he feels that the UFC no longer values him as championship material…

"When I lost to Chuck Liddell I took a step down. When I fought Rashad (Evans) I thought I won the fight. It was supposed to happen again, but it ain't happening. I looked at a thing on UFC.tv and it said the light heavyweights are Rashad vs. (Michael) Bisping* and there were others that were contenders, but my picture wasn't on it."

Maybe it’s me, but wasn’t it Tito who elected not to sign an agreement for a rematch with Evans for UFC 78?

Either way, Tito says he’s still gunning for championship glory…

"They (the UFC) are just trying to hold on and make sure the fighters don't get more powerful. I am going to work to get the right fights and that belt will be around my waist."

Ortiz announced in a recent press release that he plans to return to action early next year, and according to the Edmonton Sun article, Ortiz hopes to fight the winner of Evans vs. Bisping.

*The article cites Evans’ UFC 78 opponent as Michael Bisby, which isn't too far off phonetically, but I went ahead and made the correction.

Straight Talk

"It’s a great fight for me and someone had to step up and take on Rashad (Evans) seeing as Tito Ortiz didn’t have the balls to face him again."

- Michael Bisping on his upcoming UFC 78 fight

Hamill Gets the Hose Again

The following is from MattHamill.com and is in reference to the Michael Bisping-Rashad Evans shitfest that's scheduled to headline UFC 78:

Wow! Let me just say... I am in shock. First, I get hosed by two judges in London and now the much anticipated rematch has evaporated in front of my eyes. I'm starting to feel like the deck is stacked against me. Duff, my trainer/manager told me he thought something like this would happen when he read Bisping's statement on the internet. He said it looked like Bisping was looking for a way out of the rematch. I posted a statement about my knee surgery on 9/25 so everyone would know it was minor, and I would be ready by mid December. I didn't think six weeks was that long of a wait, apparently, Bisping and the UFC did. I am so hungry to fight. I had surgery to add wrestling back to my arsenal. I fought Bisping's fight at UFC 75 and I was looking forward to fighting my fight in the rematch. I feel honored that so many people have told me I won the fight in London. It makes the decision easier for me to accept. I want to fight... I want to fight ASAP! Hopefully the UFC will schedule a fight for me soon. I would like to fight in December or January and hopefully Bisping after that... If Bisping has the guts to do it again.

Bisping vs. Rashad Headlines UFC 78

From UFC.com:

"On Saturday, November 17th, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to New Jersey for the first time in over two years, and in the main event at Newark’s Prudential Center, two of the most decorated graduates from The Ultimate Fighter will meet, as season two winner “Sugar” Rashad Evans (15-0-1) battles season three winner Michael “The Count” Bisping (15-0) in a battle that will not only leave one of these unbeatens with a loss on his record, but it will validate the victor as the future of the light heavyweight division."

This is a bullshit fight, if you ask me. Both fighters seem content to be where they are in the UFC pecking order and haven't demonstrated the hunger that other young fighters have. Rashad was lucky to escape with a tie against Tito, and Bisping was beaten up by Matt Hammill. Any fight fan who's been paying attention knows not to give too much credence to the notion that this is a match-up of two undefeated fighters. As for the winner of this fight being "the future of the light heavyweight division," what do you expect the promoting organization to say?

Also on the UFC 78 main card will be the following:

Houston Alexander vs. Thiago Silva: For me, this is a much more intriguing match-up at 205 lbs than Bisping & Evans. Expect fireworks from the Nebraska blaster and the Chute Boxe product, as both have shown a propensity for stopping opponents. And as for "the future" of the division, this is the fight to watch.

Karo "The Heat" Parisyan vs. Hector Lombard: Lombard is an Olympic judo practitioner from Cuba, and Karo is Karo. Is it me, or has Karo fallen a bit from welterweight contention? While the Diego Sanzhezes, the Jon Fitches, and Josh Koschecks are given big fights against big names, Karo seems to have become an afterthought. I wonder if a stoppage win against Josh Burkman would have bode better for Karo...

David Terrell vs. Ed Herman: I like this fight. Herman's looked very strong of late and has showed off a slick submission game. Terrell, a world renowned grappler who's been away from the UFC since 2005, once battled Evan Tanner for the (vacant) middleweight belt, so I'm curious to see if he can return to top form. A healthy David Terrell could mean trouble for UFC middleweights.

Frankie Edgar vs. Spencer Fisher: Fight of the night, without a doubt. You'll see.

The undercard will feature the following:

Akihiro Gono vs. Tamdan McCrory: I'm curious to see how McCrory, also known as "The Barncat," fares in the UFC.

Ryo Chonan vs. Thiago Alves: This could be gooooooood. Chonan should be dangerous at 170 lbs., and "The Pitbull" Alves is always fun to watch.

Jason Reinhardt vs. Joe Lauzon: Another showcase for Joe.

Bisping’s Father Attacked After UFC 75

An AllAboutMMA.com article is reporting that just moments before his press conference, Michael Bisping received word that his father had been attacked in the parking lot of the O2 Arena.

"Nobody knows what happened before the press conference. Just before I walked in, I got a phone call saying that my dad had been attacked in the car park by several people. A security guard came down on a moped and I jumped on the back of the moped and we were flying around looking for him and we hit a road block."

There’s been no word on what – if any – injuries Mr. Bisping suffered or exactly how and why the altercation started.

As for his prickly post-fight demeanor, Bisping explained, "That was just me having a go. You know the way I am; sometimes I talk first and think later."

UFC 75: Put It in the Books

Dan Henderson vs. Rampage Jackson – Was it me or was the Pride belt no where to be seen? Considering that this fight was a unification bout, I foolishly expected to see both belts, but what do I know.

I gave the first round to Dangerous Dan. He controlled Rampage on the ground and against the cage, and he landed some big shots. Henderson scored a takedown early in the second, but Rampage made his way back up to is feet, took down Henderson, held him down, and stayed busy from side control. I gave a close Round 2 to Rampage.

The third round was also very close. Rampage got the early takedown and fired off some mean punches (none of which seemed to have done any real damage) in the final seconds. Henderson, meanwhile, worked some good ground-and-pound after nearly securing a kimura.

Rampage dropped Henderson early in the fourth and put some elbows into Henderson's ribs after the two were stood up by Big John. On their feet, Rampage seemed to be the fresher, stronger guy. The final round saw some good stand-up action, with Jackson getting the better of the exchanges. Henderson managed a takedown but did little damage before Rampage popped back up, connected with two big knees, took down Henderson, and fired off some more shots as the final bell sounded. Rampage took the unanimous decision.

I was especially impressed with Rampage's conditioning, his submission defense, and how he managed to to keep Henderson down. Henderson looked good too and would look even better at 185.

Matt Hamill vs. Michael Bisping – Matt Hamill just learned that shit happens when you fight an English guy in England. Hammill completely bullied the hometown product in the first round, but Bisping later came on and landed some good shots.

In my eyes, Bisping looked hesitant to engage, while Hamill, who had little problem taking Bisping down, seemed more willing to let his hands go. I don’t like the decision, and I give credit to Hamill for his graciousness after the fight.

As for Bisping, I agree with Joe Rogan that "The Count" could be a terror at middleweight.

Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic vs. Cheik Kongo – Cro Cop once again came out to Duran Duran and once again looked listless. Great first round. Mirko looked strong on the ground against Kongo, who was clearly out of his element.

Cro Cop came out attacking in the second, but Kongo scored an early takedown and landed some big knees to the body later in the round. Kongo beat up Cro Cop some more in the third and was awarded the unanimous decision win. The UFC heavyweight stable is looking good, and Kongo’s impressive showing certainly gives UFC matchmaker Joe Silva something to work with.

Cro Cop, however, needs to get some shit together. He did have moments when he looked good, but I don’t think that UFC heavyweights are as scared of him and his dreaded left head kick as previous opponents have been. He also didn’t seem so bad as he made his way down to the cage. Somewhere in Manchester, England, Dana White is cursing like he’s never cursed before.

Paul Taylor vs. Marcus Davis – Paul Taylor landed a huge head kick in the first round that dropped Davis, who fought back after taking a pounding, punished Taylor with some nasty ground-and-pound, and tapped him with an arm bar. Taylor fought very well in defeat, and Davis may have catapulted himself to the upper echelon of 170-pound fighters. I'd love to see him step up and meet stiffer competition in his next fight.

Houston Alexander vs. Alessio Sakara – Alexander hits hard! Big knee, big shots on the ground, big win. What I like most about this fight is that Alexander went a long way in establishing himself as a legitimate light heavyweight threat. Nebraska is in the building, bitches.

Bisping at Middleweight?

In his latest blog for the Orange County Register, Carlos Arias wrote about his trip up to Big Bear, CA, where he spoke with UFC 205-lb. king Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and his trainer, Juanito Ibarra, as Rampage and company prepared for his September 8 UFC 75 fight with Dan Henderson.

But what really caught my attention was Ibarra's comments on popular UFC light heavyweight contender Michael Bisping, who'd been training up at Big Bear with Rampage. Ibarra spoke very highly of Bisping, who has a nine-fight UFC deal, to Arias and insinuated that Bisping might make a move from 205 lbs to 185 lbs. Bisping even confirmed that he feels he could make the the cut down to middleweight. Wow.

The addition of Bisping's strength, athleticism, and charisma would be a real boost for the UFC middleweight class, and it would immediately create a number of mouth-watering match-ups: Bisping vs. Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, and even Kendall Grove (who's a friend of Bisping).

As far as I know, no timeline for Bisping's drop to 185 has been publicized, but I'll be following this carefully.

Straight Talk

"Hamill is in for the beating of his life. I do respect the guy’s wrestling ability and physical strength but, to be honest, I don’t believe he belongs in or is entitled to fight at the pinnacle of mixed martial arts. He’s not a mixed martial artist, he’s a wrestler who is so pig-headed he doesn’t understand that’s just not enough to cut it in MMA. He thinks wrestling is the be-all and end-all of fighting, but he’s gonna learn that shin on chin is just not for him!"

- Michael "The Count" Bisping on his UFC 75 opponent, Matt Hamill

Morning Droppings

- Undefeated lightweight Thiago Tavares and the always exciting Tyson Griffin are scheduled to fight as part of what is turning out to be an outstanding UFC 76 card. Don't be surprised if Tavares vs. Griffin turns out to be the fight of the night.

- In preparation for his UFC 75 fight against Matt Hammill, undefeated UFC light heavyweight Michael "The Count" Bisping will be travelling up to Big Bear, CA to train for a month with new UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

- Kalib Starnes will make his next UFC octagon appearance against Alan Belcher in a middleweight bout at UFC 77 in Cincinnati.

- “Handsome” Matt Wiman, best known for his TUF 5 appearance and for eating a vicious flying knee from Spencer Fisher at UFC 60, will face fellow lightweight Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 76.

- On Wednesday (July 25), the IFL will announce the Grand Prix qualifiers for each division. Four fighters from each of the IFL’s five weight classes will compete in the IFL Grand Prix, which will be held over the course of several events. For more, check back in with Kodiak MMA's IFL Grand Prix coverage.

Morning Droppings

- 2005 Pride Grand Prix Tournament winner Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will make his UFC debut at UFC 76 in September against the always dangerous TBA. UFC prez Dana White considers Rua an immediate contender for the light-heavyweight belt, which he should. Rua is widely regarded as the best 205-pounder in all of MMA.

- The UFC has confirmed that Michael Bisping will indeed be facing Matt Hamill at UFC 75 in London. Enough of this Ken Shamrock hullaballoo...

- Word on the street is that middleweights Joe Doerksen and Paulo Filho will be fighting on August 5 in Las Vegas as part of the WEC 29 card, which will be broadcast live on Versus Network at 9 p.m. ET.

- Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett was actually released from a Florida jail yesterday morning, and a flight was booked for him to arrive in San Jose in time to weigh in for his scheduled EliteXC fight against Vincent "Joe Boxer" Valenzuela tonight. Unfortunately, Krazy Horse hit traffic on the way to the airport and missed his flight.

- BJ Penn has invited UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon to move to Hawaii and train with BJ and company. BJ even offered his star TUF 5 pupil a spot in a fighters' house for a year or two, and Lauzon is looking into IT jobs in Hawaii. After all, a man's got to pay his bills.

Morning Droppings

- Despite rumors about a possible Michael Bisping-Ken Shamrock fight at UFC 75, Bisping is still scheduled to face Matt Hamill, his original rumored opponent.

- In a CBS Sportsline interview, UFC lightweight Jens Pulver has confirmed reports that he’s interested in dropping back down to 145 pounds and fighting for the WEC.

- It looks like the Joey Villasenor-Ninja Rua June 22 Strikeforce/EliteXC fight is back on. The CSAC said last night that the medical issues surrounding Rua were "likely" resolved.

- The International Fight League World Team Championship, scheduled for September 20, has be moved from The Forum in L.A. to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL.

- On Tagg Radio yesterday, Frank Trigg said that, according to Hayato Sakurai's trainer, Sakurai hasn't been contacted about this reported - and highly anticipated - fight with Diego Sanchez. Does this mean the fight is off? Was it ever really on? We'll see.

- I refuse to talk about Kimbo Slice until he wins an MMA fight (legitimately).

- Nikkan Sports is reporting that the "newborn" PRIDE will hold its first new event on August 18 at Saitama Super Arena. The theme of the show will be a “Japanese all-star” presentation, centered around Hidehiko Yoshida. No one reports baseless rumor like the Japanese media, so I'll believe this when I see it.

- Pride middleweight and light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson said that the UFC's $20,000 offer to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou "was an insult."

Hammill Out, Shamrock In vs. Bisping at UFC 75

Change of plans.

Michael "The Count" Bisping will put his undefeated mixed martial arts record on the line as he will step into the cage against UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, not Matt Hammill, at UFC 75 in September. Or so we hear.

The UFC has confirmed that Bisping will appear on the UFC 75 card, but the organization has yet to officially confirm Bisping's opponent, whom insiders believe to be the retired Shamrock.

While Bisping and Shamrock have virtually no history, don't forget that Bisping appeared on Tito Ortiz’s - not Shamrock’s - team on TUF 3 and beat up Shamrock fighter Josh "Bring the Pain" Haynes in the televised finale.

Stay tuned for official confirmation of whom "The Count" will be facing at UFC 75.

Morning Droppings

- UFC Hall of Famer and MMA legend Royce Gracie has been suspended for one year and fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for nandrolone metabolite, an anabolic steriod, after his June 2 K-1/EliteXC fight against Kazushi Sakuraba.

- BJ Penn stinks at ping-pong.

- Johnny Morton, a former NFL star and burgeoning mixed martial artist, declined to take a post-fight drug test after his June 2 K-1/EliteXC beating at the hands of Bernard Ackah and was immediately placed on indefinite suspension by the CSAC -- which has withheld his $100,000 purse! Morton faces the revocation of his license and a maximum $2,500 fine.

- Michael "The Count" Bisping will take on Matt "The Hammer" Hamill at UFC 75 on September 8 in London. I like Bisping in this fight.

- Joe "Daddy" Stevenson is rumored to be fighting Kurt Pellegrino in either August or September.

- Rumor has it that American Top Team product Denis Kang (pictured), one of my favorites, is close to signing with bodogFIGHT.

- Don't look now, but Rio-based Black House (Casa Preta) is quickly becoming one of the scariest fight teams around: Big Nog, Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva, Paulo Filho, Lyoto Machida, Assuerio Silva, Antonio "Nino" Schembri, Carlos Barreto, and Rafael Feijao. Hot damn!