UFC 96 Event Recap and My Thoughts On A Few Things
UFC 96 Event Recap
The undercard for UFC 96 did not lack in finishes. Only one bout went to the decision and that was Jason Brilz vs. Tim Boetsch. Brilz ended up winning that fight via unanimous decision.
Brandon Vera has himself back to winning ways after defeating Mike Patt via TKO in round 2.
One thing that should be pointed out is that according to Joe Rogan himself “Aaron Riley got robbed.” Apparently the local referee was too quick in stopping the bout. Here is Rogan’s Tweet
Onto the main card… First fight of the night Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller. A fairly good fight apart from the odd few moments where there would be no action and the crowd would boo. Maynard was controlling the last few moments of the fight on the ground and with a minute left began to unload a few punches. With around 30 seconds left the fight went back to standing. The bout went to a decision where. All 3 judges scored the bout 30-27. This bout put an end to the 8 fight win streak Miller had achieved over the past couple of years. Overall it was a good fight from both fighters.
Matt Hamill knocked Mark Munoz clean out. What a kick. I didn’t think Hamill had it in him still. Good show though by him in front of his home-town crowd. I don’t think it can be topped for KO of the night bonus.
After the Hamill fight Mir made an appearance to talk about his surgery and the reasons for moving the fight. For those that don’t know, the fight has been moved to UFC 100. Rashad Evans then came on to tell fans his first title defense will be at UFC 98.
Matt Brown scored the win over Pete Sell (T)KO 1:32 in the first round. During the post fight interview Brown showed great respect for Sell.
Carwin remains undefeated after knocking Gonzaga out. Gonzaga looked to have the fight in the bag in the opening seconds with a right hand that staggered Carwin. Things would change though. Carwin regained himself got back to the feet and knocked Gonzaga out. It was a quick fight with a quick turnaround. Carwin is now 11-0 in MMA and will be moving on to some of the big named heavyweight fighters in the UFC now.
Best sign ever prior to the intros’, “Dean of Mean will be creamed.” I thought for sure that Buffer’s voice was going to go out during the introduction of Rampage. Jardine did the Greg Jackson nipple tweak and the fight got underway. I like how Jardine fights but every now and again he looks like an old man fending off a Chihuahua. Midway through the second round Rampage knocked Jardine down. The fight didn’t stop though, Jardine survived the onslaught. At the end of the second round the fight turned into a brawl as Jardine gained some distance throwing multiple combos. Jardine became extremely hurt towards the end of the fight but continued to throw. Rampage knocked Jardine down 5 seconds from the end but it wasn’t enough to finish him off. Rampage took the bout via unanimous decision.
After the fight there was a stare down/smack talk session between Rampage and Rashad. Only a couple of months to go before that fight now, can’t wait.
I thought this event was amazing considering I didn’t really want to pay for a lackluster card. It was in the end well worth the money. I wish every event was like UFC 96. Someone please grant my wish!!!
Keith Jardine Talks To Harley-Davidson
UFC 96 Weigh-in Results
The weigh-ins for UFC 96 took place last night and the event will go ahead as scheduled tonight from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. All the fighters in the event met the designated weight for their fights. Be sure to keep checking back here at MMA-Live.com for the up-to-date results.
Quinton Jackson (205) vs. Keith Jardine (204)
Shane Carwin (259.5) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (257.5)
Pete Sell (170) vs. Matt Brown (170.5)
Matt Hamill (205) vs. Mark Munoz (204.5)
Jim Miller (154.5) vs. Gray Maynard (155)
Ryan Madigan (169) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170)
Kendall Grove (185) vs. Jason Day (184.5)
Tim Boetsch (205) vs. Jason Brilz (204)
Brandon Vera (205) vs. Mike Patt (204.5)
Aaron Riley (155) vs. Shane Nelson (155)
UFC 96 Video Preview – Jackson Vs. Jardine
Extended Preview of UFC 96 Jackson Vs. Jardine
UFC 96 Video Promo – Jardine vs Jackson
Here is the video promo for UFC 96, Jardie vs. Jackson. The bout will determine who will face the recently crowned light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. If Rampage can defeat Jardine he will get the shot. If not Machida will step in to take the fight.
UFC 96: Poster
UFC 96 will be taking place March 7th in Colombus, Ohio. The main event fight will be the deciding factor for who gets a shot at the new Light-Heavyweight Champion, Rashad Evans. If Rampage wins he will have a chance to regain what was once his. If he loses the undefeated Machida will get his shot at the undefeated champion. Above is the poster for UFC 96. I think it looks great.
UFC 96: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Keith Jardine
Many people believed that Quinton Jackson would be the first man to take a shot at new light-heavyweight title holder Rashad Evans. Seems that may not be the case. At UFC 96 on March 7th in Columbus, Ohio Rampage will be facing the “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine.
Jackson’s last fight was at UFC 92, December 27th where he faced long time rival Wanderlei Silva. Rampage quickly put a stop to the rivalry between the two proving he is superior with a massive left hook which knocked Silva clean out.
Keith Jardine is coming off a win against Brandon Vera back at UFC 89. Jardine took the fight via split decision in front of a British crowd.
With his explosive KO power is there any reason to think that Rampage shouldn’t aready have this fight in the bag? It looks like the UFC are just trying to slip another fight in between the big ’100′ mark to keep Rampage happy. Rampage should take the fight and then probably fight for the belt at UFC 100 providing everything goes to plan. I just can’t think of a scenario other than that.
The Nipple Tweak Keeps a Winning Record
Remember back when GSP was playing with his nipples before a fight and claimed it gave him good luck. Then when Rashad Evans did the same thing and won a fight he was a major underdog in. Well last night Keith Jardine did the same thing. Guess what? He won.
So from what I remember seeing that puts the nipple tweakers at 3-0. So if you have anything good coming up or you play the lottery tweak your nips before it. Who knows you might win a few million dollars and not have to work again. Just think about the benefits.
UFC 84: Quick Selection of Betting Odds
The current odds for UFC 84: Ill Will
(Favorite = – …. Underdog = +)
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
Bodog: -225 Penn, +185 Sherk
BetUS: -230 Penn, +180 Sherk
Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida
Bodog: -200 Machida, +160 Ortiz
BetUS: -220 Machida, +160 Ortiz
Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine
Bodog: -160 Silva, +130 Jardine
BetUS: -185 Silva, +145 Jardine