UFC 146: Junior dos Santos shoots down Frank Mir

In front of a wild cheering crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos dealt former two-time UFC heavyweight title holder a beat down to retain his belt. Frank Mir, a submission expert, failed to capitalize on his expertise against the heavy-handed Brazilian. Instead, Mir elected to play into dos Santos' gameplan and paid the price.

Frank Mir failed to take the fight to the ground, a milieu where dos Santos was untested wherein he has a greater shot of upsetting the champion. After a failed takedown attempt right at the start of the fight, he elected to trade blows with Junior dos Santos, a decision that proved costly to his cause.

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UFC 146: Junior dos Santos shoots down Frank Mir

In front of a wild cheering crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos dealt former two-time UFC heavyweight title holder a beat down to retain his belt. Frank Mir, a submission expert, failed to capitalize on his expertise against the heavy-handed Brazilian. Instead, Mir elected to play into dos Santos' gameplan and paid the price.

Frank Mir failed to take the fight to the ground, a milieu where dos Santos was untested wherein he has a greater shot of upsetting the champion. After a failed takedown attempt right at the start of the fight, he elected to trade blows with Junior dos Santos, a decision that proved costly to his cause.

The defending champion Junior dos Santos, an excellent stand up striker, also has a very good takedown defense and put his weapons to good use. He peppered Mir with shots coming from all angles and shot him down with a variety of punches: hooks, straights, and uppercuts that took their toll on the challenger.

The first round was all Junior dos Santos as he stood his ground, and potshot Mir with deadly accuracy. He varied his shots well and timed Mir with good counters every time the challenger would attempt to unleash his own shots. His snipings were so effective that he  would land a hard one to the body and then follow it up with a shot to the head time and time again. Then with less than 30 seconds left in the round, he clipped Mir's temple with a huge right hook that sent him sprawling to the canvas. The challenger struggled to get up and barely survived the round.

It was the same old story in the second round, even though Frank Mir tried to use his kicks this time to ward off the attacks to no avail. Junior dos Santos unleashed and landed a bomb, bringing Mir down. The champion then asked his challenger to get up and continue fighting. Mir got up and obliged but is tagged again with another bomb -- a right straight that landed on the cheekbones. This time, Mir remained on the ground for good as dos Santos swarmed over him and bludgeoned him with everything in his arsenal, including one last hammer fist landing on Mir's cheeks, before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.

With the win, Junior dos Santos improves his record to 15-1 while Frank Mir falls to 16-6. Official time of the stoppage was 3:04.

UFC: 119 Mir lulls Cro Cop to sleep

In the UFC 119 main event, Frank Mir dropped Mirko Cro Cop with a well- timed right knee to the kisser that was followed by a heavy right to the chin for insurance, as the Croatian lay flat on his back, to finally knock him out with just 58 seconds left in the fight. It was the highlight of a rather dull and slow fight where neither fighter was keen on fighting toe to toe as they elected not to engage each other up until the last minute. It was the end of an arduous journey for both fighters who simply did not have the will to fight which was unthinkable in their younger days.

The knockout was the culmination of the match that was spent more on holding and hugging each other rather than fighting. It was the end of a boring fight that put the fans up their seats but for the wrong reasons. It was the zenith of a fight that was characterized more by non- action than by fireworks that left the fans with no other choice but to rain the Conseco Fieldhouse with boos. It was the climax of a slow and tactical fight that ended up with no winner.

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UFC 118: James Toney tries to prove that he is no joke against Randy Couture

Who would have thought that a fight between two 40-somethings would steal the thunder from the main event at UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2?

Both James "Lights Out" Toney and Randy "The Natural" Couture are accomplished fighters in their own right and in their own side of the fight spectrum. But this fight is more than just what meets the eye if both warriors can deliver on fight night.

Credit James Toney for creating the hype since the 42- year old boxer and many- time champion from Grand Rapids really knows how to catch your attention every time he opens his mouth. Or blame him for making his mixed martial arts debut against UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture a comical one or worse, a freak show.

The match up has the making of a circus or it could turn out to be a classic. The plot line is intriguing and compelling: boxing versus MMA or two old grizzled warriors trying for a last shot at glory. The hardcore boxing and MMA fans in Michigan, though, are not sold out on the fight and are not really treating this match- up seriously. It's obvious that both fighters are way past their prime and are no longer relevant except for entertainment value or some form of nostalgia.

But tell that to the two fighters who are so into it that the verbal sparring was there from the get- go. They proclaim that they are raring to mix it up inside the ring just to prove that they still have it and show the fight world who is the better fighter. The heavy underdog Toney is talking about him showing that boxing is better than MMA while his 47- year old nemesis is saying that his opponent will find the Octagon very different from the ring and vows to teach Toney a neat lesson in mixed martial arts.

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Lights Out

Saturday Night. Two fights. Same results.




Lyoto Machida's dismantling of the previously undefeated Rashad Evans at UFC 98 was an eye- opener. He will reign as the Light Heavyweight champion a bit longer than his predecessors not only because of his talent but his awkward style that baffles his opponents no end. But make no mistake about it, this Brazilian got game.



On the other hand, Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan recovered from an early knockdown in the first round to hand Johnny Gonzales another stoppage in the third round to retain his WBC Super Bantamweight crown. I am not impressed with Nishioka as fighter but on this particular occasion he rose to the challenge and poleaxed the once promising Mexican right in his own backyard to silence the rowdy crowd.


The two fights were really good but not spectacular in my book. There were flashes of brilliance but there were moments of indecisiveness. Still the winners deserved the wins.

Watch the fights here--

Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida


Toshiaki Nishioka versus Johnny Gonzales

The Iceman melts under pressure

It's the end of an era. The legendary Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (21-7) melted against the hammer fists of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (18-3) in the Octagon at UFC 97 Saturday night.

Referee Mario Yamasaki halted the fight when The Iceman was unable to protect himself from the head blows that Shogun is raining on him to prevent further damage. Liddell has now lost three of his last four fights.

Much as I want to see more of Chuck Liddell in the Octagon but in the brutal world of Mixed Martial Arts, I am inclined to see him to just fade into the sunset with his dignity intact. He is not the same fighter that electrified the MMA fans earlier in his career.

He's done and accomplished everything as a fighter and there is nothing left for him to prove. It's time for him to just relax and enjoy his fortune because to his legions of supporters, The Iceman was and still is a legend in the Octagon, no matter what.

UFC 92

December 27, 2008
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada



Wanderlei Silva versus Quinton "Rampage" Jackson





World Light Heavyweight Championship

Forest Griffin versus Rashad Evans