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Sorry for the tardiness of this post but, as you can see, I was busy with my magic and making all the alcohol disappear

You can see the UFC 76: Knockout final results posted here.

Although there was an absence of title fights, there was no lack of action in the fight card. The lightweight division continues to impress with Thiago Tavares facing Tyson Griffin. These 155 pound gladiators battled it out in an impressive show of technical prowess. Time after time both combatants managed to elude each others submissions. They went the distance and Tyson Griffin wins with an unanimous decision. It seemed like Tavares just ran out of gas as he probably won the technical aspect of the match. This is Tavares’ first loss in his professional MMA career.

Okay, what was the deal with Kazuhiro Nakamura entering the ring with an umbrella? A pink umbrella!?! What is he a geisha? Dude, you’re a warrior. At least come out with a katana or war banner or something. Do I look tough with an umbrella?

Well, I look good with a hot white girl kissing me. Lol, anyways, Nakamura did a good impersonation of a punching bag as Lyoto Machida unleashed blow after blow. I gotta give it to Nakamura though, he took those hits without going down. Machida’s knuckles are probably sore today. After the three, full five minute rounds Machida was declared victor with an unanimous decision.

Another well-matched fight was Jon Fitch versus Diego Sanchez. These guys mirrored the lightweights in their enthusiasm for winning. Both fighters shared the spotlight as they each had the position of control during the fight. Jon Fitch would edge Diego Sanchez on the scorecard, but the decision was split so at least one judge considered Sanchez the real victor. A true recipe for a rematch.

The fight that I’ve been anticipating for a long time was the Mauricio Rua versus Forrest Griffin match. If you’ve followed Pride to any extent, Mauricio Rua is a feared and well-respected fighter with a 16 wins and 2 losses record. Rua’s victories have all been knock-outs, he has never won with a submission. Griffin is just one tough brother, Rua easily dominated the fight point-wise and an elbow to the head opened up a nice gash on Griffin’s forehead. Despite that Griffin really turned it on in the 3rd round and with about 15 seconds left in the final round, Griffin would win with a rear-naked choke submission on Rua. Griffin is like a pitbull, he just takes a beating and manages to out-punish his opponents. He proves that part of being a great fighter is being able to take your lumps. Griffin would be unbeatable if he streamlined his game plan and tightened up his fight skills.

The Iceman goes down once again. After losing his title to “Rampage” Jackson, Liddell needed to prove that he still has what it takes to remain in the UFC. Liddell put up a tough fight, both he and Keith Jardine are famous for being devastating strikers. Although I cheered for Jardine, I have to admit I would have had a tough time determining a clear winner. The judges thought so too as Jardine was awarded the win with another split-decision. I wonder who Liddell will fight next to try and redeem himself. It was surprising, since both fighters were great strikers, that the fight went all three rounds. I really expected a knockout.

Another great night, another great UFC with friends!

Next up . . . UFC 77: Hostile Territory on October 20th, 2007!!!

Posted on September 23rd, 2007 by Leo
Filed under: Lucid Thoughts