UFC 100 - now available on DVD
Back on July 11th 2009 took place the Zuffa brand’s monumental hundredth numbered event. I remember the weekend well having timed my Sky + installation so I had no fear of missing this epic card. The biggest bonus of all the UFC treated those with Sky to the PPV card for free, on an obscure horse racing channel, despite all the Setanta debacle plus hours of extra UFC viewing thrown to boot.
UFC 100 was truly something special, drawing in the punters via a hat-trick of marquee match-ups. Making up that trifecta were all highly anticipated fights 2 of which were contesting over championship title ownership.
Team USA coach Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson versus rival TUF 9 rival, our very own Mike ‘The Count’ Bisping was a fight the fans on both sides of the pond were eager to see, having followed the middleweight contenders coach their nation’s team each week on the MMA reality TV show – The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK. The outcome of their middleweight showdown was not what I and most British fans hoped for, Bisping was not the best man on the night. Despite the loss for Bisping the bigger disappointment was the way Henderson dived in fist first when his opponent was clearly out of it. It was a brutal move, not good for the sport of MMA, neither was his reaction post fight. If Brit Bisping acted in the same manner smirking, acting all cocky the American crowd would have reacted in a far different way but hey, Mike is the British villain.
The second reason for buying this collectors DVD is Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre successfully defending his welterweight crown versus Thiago Alves, in gruelling 5 round battle of wills.
The hugest history making moment, making up the third part of the triple main event at the top of the card was the most highly anticipated heavyweight title clash between former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Lesnar solidified his thrown, sitting at the top of the UFC heavyweight division, dominating Mir in brutal style, thus avenging his only MMA loss. In the process he shut up Mir and all the doubters.
Disc 2 includes 6 preliminary fights, including UFC hall of famer Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman in action against The Ultimate Fighter 1 light-heavyweight finalist Stephan Bonnar. 44 year old Coleman proves he can still do it versus a man 12 years his junior in this bonus bout. Further bonus material includes Countdown to UFC 100 plus UFC 100: Behind The Scenes.
UFC 100: Making History is a must have DVD, however it is just a shame they chose to edit some of the post fight interviews and octagon entrances from the live recording. Plus a hall of fame induction ceremony, announcing the new inductees would have completed the package. In the world of pro wrestling the WWE make a huge deal of their Hall of Fame inductions annually at the weekend of Wrestlemania, the UFC would do well to do similar, I’m sure the fight fans would love it.
And why not? The guy deserves a break. In the media the Ultimate Challenge UK1 kickboxing middleweight champion has been made to look a villain, as a member of Team Pricey. Granted he wasn’t known as a fan favourite before hooking up with glamour girl Katie Price but we all know that is all part of the show when it comes to getting heat and selling a fight. Look at the examples of UFC fighters Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz. A fighter who receives boos is great for the box office.
I have decided to back Aldershot lad Alex Reid, as a fan of MMA but fear the majority of the voting public will vote him out early, due to the nation’s backlash against Katie Price. On the other hand there is the possibility of the cage fighter receiving some level of sympathy following Jordan dumping him live on air, when she left ITV’s reality TV show I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Who knows, we shall have to wait and see.
According to many sources it appears Alex and Jordan are back on good terms, in fact Jordan has given her seal of approval to mixed martial artist Alex appearing the show. The press are saying she held a party before the contestants entered the CBB7 house, attended by both Alex Reid and her old flame Dane Bowers, formerly of pop R&B sensation. Oh and don’t believe the hype, that these 2 Big Bro contestants had a punch-up. From my understanding they are mutual friends of Katie Price, not 2 blokes fighting over the former page 3 model.
It’s early days, so far Alex has made a good impression, interacting well with the rest of the Celebrity Big Brother 7 house mates. He doesn’t come across a villain he is often portrayed to be.
I feel Alex Reid despite his cross-dressing antics the tabloids have all leapt on, he is doing Brit MMA a lot of good, helping it go mainstream. Let’s face it any fighter be it in a mixed martial arts bout or stand-up K1 rules contest facing Alex Reid will be making a name for themselves off his name. It all equals more tickets sold which cannot be a bad thing for all involved in the British MMA business.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
PHILADELPHIA — Top-rated heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko recently rejected the UFC in favor of Strikeforce, where he will begin fulfilling a three-fight deal later this year. Though Emelianenko took his skills elsewhere, the UFC remains open to having him come aboard.
UFC president Dana White told ESPN.com that the offer made to Emelianenko remains in effect. However, White added a wrinkle.
“The offer stands, but only if he remains undefeated,” White said Friday after the UFC 101 weigh-in. “If he loses a fight in Strikeforce, then the offer is gone.
“He is no good to us if he loses. Considering the names of opponents being tossed around, it is unlikely he will lose.”
With Emelianenko a UFC non-issue for at least a year, White has turned his attention back to determining UFC heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar’s next opponent. It is commonly held that Lesnar will defend against the Shane Carwin-Cain Velasquez winner — they are scheduled to meet in October at UFC 104.
White, however, put the brakes on that notion. He admits a strong case can be made for the Carwin-Velasquez winner, but White won’t rule out the Randy Couture-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira winner getting the nod.
“A lot depends on how the Couture-Nogueira winner looks in that fight,” White said. “If the Couture-Nogueira winner is dominant, then it is very possible he will face Lesnar next.”
Couture and Nogueira meet Aug. 29 at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore. Each fighter is looking to get back in the win column.
In his most recent fight, Nov. 15, 2008, at UFC 91, Couture (16-9-0) was stopped in the second round by Lesnar. Couture lost his heavyweight belt in that fight.
Nogueira (31-5-1) was surprised by Frank Mir at UFC 92 in December 2008. Before the loss, in which he was thoroughly outboxed, Nogueira had won three in a row.
Franklin McNeil is an analyst on ESPN.com’s “MMA L
http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=4386444
- So there you have it, after the Strike Force deal has expired and Fedor remains unbeaten he could still go to the UFC but don’t hold your breath.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
Another UFC 100 build up video for you.
Brock Lesnar is a monster, watch out Frank Mir!
Follow all the top MMA fighters of past, present and future with Twitter.
Many thanks to MMA Mafia.net for this one via Twitter.
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UFC & MMA blog by Dynamite Duane
UFC 98 Evans versus Machida and Hughes against Serra.
UFC 98 is fast approaching with just a week to go until May 23rd when the UFC return to Las Vegas and live PPV cage fighting action. The original plan for the main event was all set to decide the UFC Heavyweight championship between Interim champ Frank Mir and defending champion Brock Lesnar in his first title defence but as we all now know that fight is rescheduled for UFC 100 in July. So we have a little longer to wait but the double main event heading UFC 98 looks wicked.
First off in the top slot Rashad Evans defends the Light Heavyweight crown against challenger Lyoto Machida. For Rashad this will be his first defence of the title against Machida, a very worthy contender. Machida is undeated in the octagon boasting a unique style of countering his opponents attack coupled with a fantastic ability to avoid taking punishment from his attacker. Evans versus Machida the Karate master will be interesting seeing as they are stylistic so different where Evans is a superb wrestler and excellent striker. Can Evans overcome Machida’s strategy or will Lyoto continuing his winning streak and add the UFC Light Heavyweight belt to his trophy cabinet?
Check out this highlight preview video at youtube.com to wet your appetite for their light heavyweight championship showdown next weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBzYdPq59kw
The co-headliner for UFC 98 will be the long-delayed welterweight
bout between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. This one is a grudge match dating back to season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter where Serra and Hughes were the opposing coaches of the welterweight fighters. These guys just do not like each other, it’s as simple as that. Each fighter are two totally opposite characters. Hughes is the Mid-Western famer’s boy with Christian values, then we have Serra a loud mouthed Italian American hailing from New York. It’s fair to say both fighters need to prove themselves in this fight to climb back up to the challengers position for another shot at Georges St Pierre’s Welterweight belt. As with Machida and Evans here again Joe Silva and Dana White have booked another clash of styles which is what makes an exciting fight when you have wrestler against a BJJ submission specialist. Personally I would love to see Serra take the victory due to how Serra comes across as a nice guy and Hughes is the villain you love to hate.
Follow the build up to Matt Serra versus Matt Hughes at UFC98.
If you enjoyed watching Serra on TUF 6 you will love this, he’s a great little character. Serra is a down to earth engaging guy you would want to go for a beer with.
Matt Serra UFC 98 Video Blog – Day 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb4bK8K2sUQ
Matt Serra UFC 98 Video Blog – Day 2, taped on 5/6/09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvrkaRUTcCM
Matt Serra UFC 98 Video Blog – Day 3 Matt Serra UFC 98 Video Blog – Day 3 (Last Day, taped on 5/8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhuCp5BUDo4
See Serra and his trainer make media appearances on TV and radio,
including a phone in to Setanta Sports Ultimate Talk from the gym.
Here is the finalised event card in full.
Main Card Bouts:
-Rashad Evans (16-0-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (14-0)
-Matt Hughes (42-7) vs. Matt Serra (11-5)
-Dan Miller (11-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (21-10-1)
-Sean Sherk (33-3-1) vs. Frankie Edgar (9-1)
-Drew McFedries (7-5) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10)
Preliminary Card Bouts:
-Brock Larson (25-2) vs. Chris Wilson (14-5)
-Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) vs. Brandon Wolff (7-3)
-Tim Hague (9-1) vs. Patrick Barry (4-0)
-Phillipe Nover (7-1) vs. Kyle Bradley (13-6)
-Andre Gusmao (5-1) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (17-8-1)
-George Roop (10-5) vs. David Kaplan (3-3)
You can watch UFC 98 live on Setanta Sports in the UK or on pay per view in the USA.
MMA blog by Dynamite Duane
by Dynamite Duane
MMA results, reviews, news, views, previews and pundit predictions!
Welcome to bluraymma.com – sister website to blurayufc.com. A brand new website and a brand new place to catch up with the world of Mixed Martial Arts, all the big pay per view fights from inside the UFC octagon and between the ropes of Affliction’s squared circle. Not only that you will be able to hear all the latest news building up to the PPVs along with all the rumours plus views, previews and pundit predictions!
A little bit about me, I am a long time fan of pro wrestling having followed the WWF / WWE since the mid to later 80s so don’t be surprised if one or two pro wrestling references appear in my writing! Not being one to enjoy taking a battering with the likes of Randy Couture or Brock Lesnar instead I practise the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi Chuan. Other than that I love old school Hip Hop, Rare groove with a bit of classic dance music for my listening pleasures!
Without further a do let’s get started with a round up of the most recent MMA happenings.
Following a whirlwind 24 hours of change, misinformation, and misdirection, the fog surrounding Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar’s UFC heavyweight unification bout – originally scheduled for UFC 98 on May 23 – has cleared.
After various statements that he was in contrasting others that he was out, Mir appeared on the UFC 96 pay-per-view broadcast to clear the air.
Mir confirmed the knee injury first reported by MMAWeekly.com, saying, “My knee finally just went. It’s an injury I’ve always just sucked up and went with. A week ago they scoped my knee and took out… bone fragments and some scar tissue.”
And with that, Mir versus Lesnar will now be pushed back to July 11 at UFC 100 in Las Vegas.
It’s not a move that Mir wanted to make, but he didn’t want any doubts cast on him when he faces Lesnar to unify the heavyweight championship. “I don’t want to go out there and have any excuses.”
With Mir versus Lesnar moved to UFC 100, Rashad Evans announced that he will step into the UFC 98 main event against one of two possible opponents, depending upon how Saturday night’s UFC 96 main event ends for Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine.
If Jackson wins, Evans will face him in the UFC 98 main event. If Jardine wins, then No. 2 ranked light heavyweight Lyoto Machida will step in and face Evans, since Jardine is the champ’s teammate and training partner.
Source:
www.mmaweekly.com
So there you have it, Rampage will get his shot for the glory at UFC 98 versus
Rashad Evans the current reigning Light Heavyweight Champion and fight fans are going to have to wait to the big one double zero to see the UFC Heavyweight title finally unified when we get to Lesnar vs. Mir 2!
I for one cannot wait!