UFC Lightweight Championship

UFC Lightweight Champion

BJ Penn
14-5-1
Hilo, Hawaii

Diego Sanchez

Heavyweight (265lbs)

Frank Mir
11-5-0
Las Vegas, Nevada

vs

Cheick Kongo

14-5-1

Gina Carano is no stranger to making history. The first to fight in a sanctioned women’s MMA bout in the state of Nevada, the first woman to fight MMA on cable TV and later on network TV, on Saturday, the 27-year-old will add another impressive note to her resume, when she and Cris ‘Cyborg‘ Santos become the first women to headline a nationally televised MMA event.

Cyborg vs. Carano is enjoying the type of media buildup that is usually reserved for top-level men’s bouts, but will it live up to the hype?

Let’s take a closer look at the matchup.
At its core, what is most intriguing about Cyborg-Carano is the fact that they are the two best-known female mixed martial artists in this country. Even though 18-0 Japanese star Megumi Fuji has a more valid claim as the world’s best female fighter ahead of either Cyborg (7-1) or Carano (7-0), no one doubts the credentials and skills these women bring to the table. Throw in their appealing styles and star power, and you’ve got a bona fide superfight.

full story

Pete DeBellis

Readers of Fightin’ Words know that I called this UFC 101 light heavyweight bout for Anderson Silva by knockout but that I love Griffin and sincerely hope that his huge heart won’t keep him on his feet too long after the Spider has effectively finished the job.

While Griffin is pretty much everything I look for in a fighter, The Spider is simply a striking savant who never ceases to amaze by finding new and exciting ways to win (I know, I know, but I am here in an electrically charged arena and this is no time to talk about the Leites debacle).

Griffin entered the arena first and looks lean and focused.  The ring card girls are right in front of me and all three are standing and taking cell phone pictures of Griffin.  Junior Seau is on Griffin’s four-man corner crew.  I wish I was joking!  The crowd is in full throttle now and seems to be biased towards Griffin.

The Spider (25-4) is on his way in soundtracked by a deep DMX track and everyone is standing but things have gotten very quiet.  The ring card girls are staring at Silva and standing and dancing - I can’t tell which way they are leaning on this one.  It honestly feels like this crowd and I are on the same page  - they love Griffin but are very nervous for him right now.

They just announced Griffin (16-6) in the ring and I can’t hear myself think let alone talk.  Even Silva is clapping for him - seriously.  Here we go - oh my.

Silva looks so calm and fast early in the first round — he put Griffin down temporarily with a left hand but let him back up.  Now he is starting to taunt him in the center of the ring and humiliate him with defense by bobbing with his hands at his side while Griffin swings wildly. Very Roy Jones Jr. (Yes, he’s in the building, too!)

Silva just dropped him again.  Silva is feinting some more and just dropped Griffin for the third time while backing up.

That was literally a six inch right hand with nothing on it and Griffin appears to be out.  The ref has stopped it at 3:23 in the first.  Oh my goodness.  Griffin just ran out of the cage against the will of several folks headed into the cage and took off for the locker room.  I can’t believe he isn’t going to stick around for the official announcment - I love him, but I hate this move. He ran out of here faster than Bruce Willis in “Pulp Fiction.”

Silva just walked by me and I can’t help but wonder if I am truly in the presence of the world’s most dangerous man.

So much for the move up to 205, huh? That didn’t slow the Spider at all.

“It’s a big problem, because these guys are much bigger than me, “ Silva said through his translator. “But my problem is at 185 pounds. I just want to fight the best.”

Lesnar used his 265 pounds to take position on top of Mir early, and Lesnar stayed on top throughout a dull first round, throwing punches that mostly did little. Mir made a bit of headway in the second, but was trapped against the octagon by Lesnar, who kept throwing right hands until Mir’s defense wilted.

Lesnar then pointed and taunted when Mir stood up, his face still caked in blood. After acknowledging the fans’ boos with two middle fingers, Lesnar took the microphone and looked pointedly at the Bud Light logo on the cage floor while announcing he would be drinking Coors Light to celebrate, “because Bud Light won’t pay me.”