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| Rampage Jackson on ESPN talks Forrest Griffin fight (Video) Posted: 04 Jul 2008 09:22 PM CDT x x x Joe Rogan previews the event after the jump.
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| UFC 86 weigh-in results ‘Jackson vs Griffin’ event fights Posted: 04 Jul 2008 05:16 PM CDT
The official weigh-in event for UFC 86: "Jackson vs. Griffin" at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, is set to air online via streaming video at 7 p.m. ET. Those who want to check it out in real-time should hit up UFC.com or Yahoo!Sports.com to catch the live feed. For those who miss it MMAmania.com will post up-to-the-minute results below. Here are the official results: 205 lbs.: UFC Light Heavyweight Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (205) vs. Forrest Griffin (205) *Note: Fighters are allowed to weigh one pound more than the division limit in non-title fights. Remember that MMAmania.com will also provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night, which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, July 5. Of course, the latest quick updates of the prelim bouts will begin to flow earlier than that at around 8:30 p.m. ET. It’s going to be a solid night of mixed martial arts action … check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 86 coverage you can handle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UFC 86 quick preview, analysis and predictions Posted: 04 Jul 2008 02:59 PM CDT
Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE updates and blow-by-blow, round-by-round commentary of the main card action throughout the telecast. As usual, it promises to be a great discussion during a solid line up of fights. To get us pumped for the festivities MMAmania.com Editor and Senior Writer Jesse Holland and site contributor Chris Cosme went toe-to-toe below to try and predict the fighters who will leave the Octagon with their hands raised tomorrow during the featured fights of the day. It's important to note for the predictions that while someone may be lauding a certain fighter, he isn't necessarily the guy who he thinks is going to win. Basically, we never want this to come out sounding repetitive. At the end of each analysis, therefore, you will see the individual picks. Let's get to it: Chris Cosme: This is a big fight for Griffin due to the fact that a win here could put him as the next man in line for a lightweight title shot behind Roger Huerta or Kenny Florian. But Griffin has to finish this fight impressively. Period. All of his wins inside the Octagon have been by decision and granted those fights have been exciting, but you have to finish fights too. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be easy finishing Marcus Aurelio. ‘Maximus’ is clearly going to be a daunting task for Griffin because he’s so well versed with his jiu-jitsu. Aurelio’s striking has come leaps and bounds since fighting in PRIDE, and he could look to beat Griffin on the feet before the fight goes to the ground. This is a fight that could come down to who can impose their will on their opponent and in turn determine who wins this fight. Jesse Holland: Tyson Griffin has a lot of hurdles in front of him in the lightweight division. Despite his talent, he’s still playing second fiddle to some of the more recognizable names like Kenny Florian, Joe Stevenson and Roger Huerta. Like Jon Fitch at welterweight, Griffin must continue to win until the UFC is forced to put him in a title match. A loss could send him into the realm of Karo Parisyan, where every fight brings you closer to…well, nothing. If he’s going to defeat Aurelio, he’s going to have to out-work him. “Maximus” only loses via decision and finished ten of his fights by submission, including a shocking arm-triangle on Takanori Gomi back in PRIDE Bushido 10. He’s been a bit inconsistent since then and I thought he looked a little dogged in his fight against Luke Caudillo at UFC 78. Is age catching up with him? Perhaps, but a submission over the wily Griffin will once again prove age ain’t nothin’ but a number. Final Predictions: Gleison Tibau (15-5) vs. Joe Stevenson (28-8) Chris Cosme: It’s going to be very interesting to see what Joe Stevenson’s mindset is heading into this fight. It’s no secret that he was thoroughly dominated by BJ Penn at UFC 80 last January and this is a tough first fight back since that loss. Tibau is a big lightweight who has competed in the UFC’s welterweight division at one point in his MMA career. Tibau is going to have the height and reach advantage and it would serve him good to keep Stevenson at bay to avoid any takedowns. Stevenson will have to close the distance against Tibau, just as Tyson Griffin did in Tibau’s 155 lb debut back in February. Tyson bullied Tibau in the cage long enough to get a takedown and score some points. Stevenson will have to take some risks in order to utilize the same gameplan Griffin did in defeating Tibau. If he can take Tibau down and keep him there, it’s going to be an easy night for Stevenson. But nothing comes easy in this sport. Jesse Holland: Joe Stevenson got his ass kicked by BJ Penn. So what? That’s like getting out-putted by Tiger Woods or Aced in a serve against Roger Federer. Aside from Penn and perhaps Sherk, Joe Stevenson owns this division. It’s amazing to think that the youthful Stevenson has 36 fights or that he’s 18-3 since 2001, but that’s a testament to the kind of fighter “Daddy” is. Since moving to lightweight he’s never looked better and his strength and conditioning will give Tibau plenty of problems. I haven’t seen anything in Tibau’s past that indicates he’s able to topple someone of Stevenson’s caliber. He was stopped by Nick Diaz, outpointed by Tyson Griffin – and how in the world do you allow yourself to lose to a guy named Anaconda Anaconda? Joe Daddy is going to put him on the mat and grind him into little pieces. Final Predictions: Josh Koscheck (10-2) vs. Chris Lytle (25-15-5) Chris Cosme: This is my ‘Fight of the Night’ pick right here in what could be a slugfest. A win for Koscheck puts him right back in the title picture of the welterweight division. A win for Lytle could be monumental to his career and could possibly leapfrog Koscheck in the welterweight rankings. Like I’ve stated in the FNT, Lytle is 0-2 against top tier competition in the division. A win here could snap that streak and Josh Koscheck is the perfect opponent to do so. Koscheck may have a hell of a chin, but Lytle has the power to knock dudes out cold. This fight all hinges on which Josh Koscheck shows up to this fight. Koscheck wins this fight 9 out 10 times if he relies on his superior wrestling, but it’s a crapshoot if he decides to stand and trade with Lytle. We’ll all have to wait and see on tomorrow night. Jesse Holland: Fight of the night? Slugfest? This is Koscheck we’re talking about, right? Look, Chris Lytle is a skilled boxer and a helluva nice guy. Unfortunately that’s about it. To be fair the guy knows how to choke people out – he’s done it twelve times in his career – but that won’t matter against a wrestler like Koscheck. A lot of people are questioning whether or not Kos will be doing any striking and personally, I don’t see it. There is too much on the line to be experimenting with a striker of Lytle’s ability. Koscheck knows he’s in a very tough division so I expect him to do what he does best: Take Lytle down and punish him on the mat. Lytle is nearly impossible to finish– he hasn’t been submitted in 45 fights and his only two losses via TKO were due to cuts. He’s a tough dude but I see this playing out much like his fight against Matt Hughes back at UFC 68. He’s going to be on the defensive the entire bout, most of which will be spent on his back. Final Predictions: Ricardo Almeida (9-2) vs. Patrick Cote (12-4) Chris Cosme: The battle between Patrick Cote and Ricardo Almeida clearly can go either way. If Patrick Cote can defend the takedowns, he has a shot of winning this fight. If Ricardo takes Cote down, it’s just simply textbook from there. Who is going to utilize their gameplan in winning this fight? I’m not sold on Patrick Cote’s takedown defense even if Almeida’s isn’t the best in the world. All of his wins inside the Octagon have come against strikers and two of his three losses have come against submission fighters. Almeida’s chin is sure to be tested by Cote and that’s where Cote wins this fight. If Almeida can weather the storm and take Cote down, he’s winning this fight. So Patrick, be sure to stay standing and you’ll be just fine! Jesse Holland: Well here it is, the striker versus the grappler. At first glance I want to lean towards Almeida because of Cote’s submission losses to Joe Doerksen and Travis Lutter, but that was long before the new and improved Patrick Cote arrived, who seems able to punch through steel walls as of late. This one isn’t brain surgery folks. Cote has to stay off the ground. Fortunately this isn’t amateur wrestling so he has at the very least the start of each round to make some noise. To his credit, not only has his last three wins been via TKO, they’ve also all ended in the first round. He needs to try for the same result here. We know Almeida will be looking for the shoot just as Cote will be looking for the bomb. Whoever gets it first is going home the winner. Final Predictions: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson (28-6) vs. Forrest Griffin (15-4) Chris Cosme: I’ve been torn in picking this winner of this fight since the fight was announced earlier this year. Who has the bigger heart? Who’s going to have the better cardio? There is just so many unknowns in this fight which could make this fight one of the better ones of the year. The key for Griffin will be to utilize his height and reach advantage to make Rampage maybe over commit for a takedown or letting his hands go too much. Much has been made of Griffin possibly using the Muay Thai clinch because it has become an effective tool to defeat Jackson. The problem with that is that it was Wanderlei Silva and Shogun Rua delivering those knees to defeat Jackson, not Griffin. Griffin’s height if anything makes it easier for Jackson to take him down in the clinch. Silva and Rua were about the same height as Jackson, thus making it easier for them to keep Jackson close to deliver those devastating knees. That alone eliminates the possibility of Griffin defeating Jackson by knees in the clinch. The fact of the matter is that anything Griffin does in this fight, Rampage will do better. It’s going to be close after three rounds, but it will be in the championship rounds that Rampage will dominate en route to an easy victory. Jesse Holland: So according to Cosme you have to be Billy Barty to land knees in the clinch. When I spoke to Rampage last December I asked him if Forrest had any chance in hell against Shogun. He told me that he had a very good chance because Forrest is a big guy who knows what tough is. That tells me he’s never underestimated Griffin and may have even more concerns about their match-up after Griffin’s destruction of Shogun Rua, a man who annihilated Jackson. A lot of people can’t shake the Jardine KO from their memories but I think Griffin is the better fighter because of it. He’s more careful, more tactical and of course his cardio speaks for itself. Unfortunately for him, as good as he is in all of those categories, Rampage is just a little bit better. He was on shaky legs in PRIDE but since coming to the UFC he seems to have refined his ability and matured greatly as a fighter. I don’t think he will be able to stop Forrest, but he will definitely out-strike him. Look for an exciting five round fight that may be a lot closer than some people think. Final Predictions: That’s a wrap, folks. For the complete UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin” fight card click here. Remember to come check us out this weekend for the latest results, recaps and thoughts on Saturday’s fights. What do you think? Now it’s your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for UFC 86. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BJ Penn eyes winner of Georges St. Pierre vs Jon Fitch (Video) Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:59 AM CDT Possible New Year’s Eve showdown if “The Prodigy” can get past the winner of Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta?: Blockbusta. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Happy 4th of July from MMAmania.com Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:53 AM CDT
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| Reminder: UFC 86 caption contest ends TODAY (Friday) Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:51 AM CDT
FOR ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TO BE CONSIDERED FOR SOME GREAT PRIZES CLICK HERE. DO IT BEFORE TIME EXPIRES! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UFC 86 odds for ‘Jackson vs Griffin’ in Las Vegas Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:45 AM CDT UFC 86 odds for the “Jackson vs. Griffin” pay-per-view (PPV) event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, tomorrow night (July 5) are out. Just a reminder that the sportsbook is always available for those fans who like to make fights nights that much more interesting. It's just cold hard numbers … and some possible big profits:
For UFC 86 betting tips and advice click right HERE for more information and substance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MMA Quick Quote: KJ Noons vs Josh Thomson future fight has been discussed Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:38 AM CDT
– New Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson talks via MMAWeekly.com about a potential unification bout with Elite XC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons. With Noons openly stating he “wants to fight other guys” instead of Nick Diaz, this could certainly be one of those other guys. In fact, when Noons was a guest on “Inside MMA” last Friday, he was asked to give his thoughts on the Thomson and Melendez fight, in which Noons responded saying, “‘The Punk’ has had some words to say about me in the past.” He didn’t go into detail, but made it seem like there was a more than a little animosity between the two. Is there anybody who doesn’t want to fight KJ Noons right now? He’s got a line forming with top notch fighters who want to take their shot at his gold. There could be some great fights on the horizon. Color me interested. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dana White: Anderson Silva could fight three or four more times in 2008 Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:33 AM CDT
Props: MMAWeekly.com Quoteworthy:
UFC President Dana White heaps praise on his UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, saying that the Brazilian is such a game fighter that he wants to compete several more times before 2008 expires. “The Spider” will move up to light heavyweight to fight James Irvin at UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19 and then if he escapes that bout injury-free he’ll put his 185-pound belt on the line against Yushin Okami at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” on September 6. And then after that he could soon take on the winner of the middleweight showdown between Ricardo Almeida and Patrick Cote, which takes place tomorrow night at UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin.” He’s a busy bee. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UFC 86 videos prefight press conference Quinton Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:17 AM CDT Here’s the champ: And the challenger: |
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