News and notes from around the MMA world …

- Frank Mir talks about how he’s going to beat Brock Lesnar.

- Adam Swift says that UFC 81 is getting the pro wrestling push.

- Dave Meltzer chronicles how well amateur wrestling champions have done in MMA.

- ESPN’s podcast center now lists Sherdog’s podcast.

- Could this be what The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 has to offer?

Talking Points

You have to give it to Dana White. He’s made Brock Lesnar’s debut into something that has a lot going for it. It’s the pro wrestler vs. the mixed martial artist and MMA fans do not want to see Lesnar win. Lesnar is playing it up perfectly as well. He’s the guy that doesn’t care that Mir is a former champion or that Mir broke Tim Sylvia’s arm. It just doesn’t matter to him. He just thinks he’s too big and too strong and will run rough shot over the heavyweight division. I’m sure that he respects the division and probably doesn’t really think it’s going to be easy, but that’s how you promote. That’s how you make a fight noteworthy.

The UFC has to want Lesnar to be victorious. He’s the one guy with star power in a division that has quality fighters, but none with real star power now that Randy Couture is gone. If Mir wins, he’ll get one more shot at Sylvia, but unless he truly dedicates himself to the sport and gets in shape, he’s simply going to be the former champion. With Lesnar, you have a guy who is probably at his athletic peak, who according to those in the know, picks up everything like a sponge. He has a good future ahead of him as long as he keeps improving and is a great story. He’s a legit amateur wrestling star who became a pro wrestling star and left pro wrestling while at the top of his game. He tried out for the NFL and with no college experience, made it through nearly all the cuts with the Minnesota Vikings before starting in MMA. Only Frank Mir right now, stands in his way.

News and notes from around the MMA world …

- If you missed UFC Fight Night 12, we summarized it on the blog.

- The payouts have also been reported and Kurt Pelligrino (dark match) made just as much as the headliner, Mike Swick, if the report is accurate.

- Sam Caplan interviews WEC vice president Peter Dropick and they talk 2008, PPV, and other things upcoming for the WEC. He also chats with Eddie Alvarez who fights tonight on the ShoXC card.

- Todd Martin gives readers insight about who “The Beast” Bob Sapp is and why you need to know about him if you don’t already.

- Dave Meltzer writes about the perennial semi-main eventer, Tim Sylvia.

- Matt Hughes says he wants Matt Serra if Serra loses to Georges St. Pierre.

- Mia St. John is putting her boxing gloves away for MMA gloves. I talked to her when she was in San Francisco trying to fight at the MMA show that never happened during the wrestling convention at the Cow Palace. She said that at the time, the California State Athletic Commission didn’t think she knew enough jiu-jitsu to be cleared to fight.

- Kevin Iole talks about how people were right not to give up on Patrick Cote.

Talking Points

Although he was promoting a show on the National Geographic, Randy Couture talked mostly about how he’s done with the UFC and how he’s not their heavyweight champion, though he’s still called their champion. At the end of the three minute piece, the interviewer asked him if we would ever see him fight again in the UFC. It really shows that to most media, the UFC is the only game in town. She didn’t ask him about MMA and probably didn’t even know there were other organizations. I just thought that interview told the entire story about how much UFC has become the Xerox of MMA. Couture tried to say that he hoped to fight again, but by then, it seemed like it was an afterthought.

1. Nate Diaz vs. Alvin Robinson

Diaz got two early slams, but got stuck in a guillotine. He eventually got out of it and nearly got the mount, but Robinson flipped him over. Diaz tried to put a lock on Robinson’s shoulder, but settled for a quick triangle and Robinson had to tap out.

Winner: Nate Diaz by way of first round submission.

2. Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa

The first round showed both guys using their skills as Tavares is a jiu-jitsu guy and Omigawa is a judo guy. It was technical and fun to watch.

As for the second and third rounds, the fight was uneventful. Tavares tried to take Omigawa down in the second, but wasn’t successful. In the third, they both were getting takedowns, but couldn’t do anything on the ground. Tavares was more active and simply the better fighter, and he got the unanimous decision.

Winner: Thiago Tavares by way of unanimous decision.

3. Patrick Cote vs. Drew McFedries

They both came out throwing heavy kicks and punches. McFedries was trying to soften him up with leg kicks. He landed a huge left that landed clean, but Cote followed it with an uppercut and a left that sent McFedries into cover up mode. Cote followed up by grabbing the back of his head and throwing uppercuts and the referee stopped it.

Winner: Patrick Cote by way of TKO.

4. Kurt Pelligrino vs. Alberto Crane

Crane came out and threw a kick that Pelligrino walked right into. It caused Pelligrino’s teeth to cut through his lip. But the rest of the round was Pelligrino throwing heavy right hands and Crane trying to figure out how to stand up with him.

In the second, it was all Pelligrino. Crane got him down on his knees with his back up against the cage, but when he went to try to get into position, Pelligrino ended up on top and threw a right hand that made Crane turn over and hold his face. The referee ended it.

Winner: Kurt Pelligrino by way of TKO.

5. Mike Swick vs. Josh Burkman

Burkman started off strong, beating Swick to the punch and shooting in, working for the takedown. He got the only takedown of the fight in the round, but also got stuck in a guillotine for a few seconds. He landed the cleaner big shots as well.

In the second round, Swick used his length to keep his distance and land a few blows. He also landed the best strike of the round with a high kick, but he didn’t follow up on it.

In the final round, it was pretty close. Burkman would go for the takedown, but not get it, and Swick would keep his distance to try and score points to win the round. It was largely boring and could’ve easily been a draw fight.

Winner: Mike Swick by way of majority decision.

One judge had it 29-29, but the other two judges had it 29-28 in Swick’s favor. Can’t actually say that was a very successful welterweight debut, but as they say, a win is a win.

News and notes from around the MMA world …

- If you didn’t watch it this weekend, you can read our play by play of UFC 80.

- B.J. Penn makes history.

- Mike Swick talks about his move to welterweight and why he fought at middleweight for so long.

- Harley-Davidson is the UFC’s newest sponsor.

- CBS Sportsline previews UFC Fight Night 12 and everyone made weight.

- Tito Ortiz agrees to a fight with Lyoto Machida and rips the UFC.

- Here’s another look at Randy Couture vs. Zuffa.

- Dave Meltzer writes about Brock Lesnar and how his being a former WWE superstar helps in the promotion of his fight with Frank Mir at UFC 81.

- Frank Shamrock says he’s promoting his fight against his brother Ken.

- Antonio Silva’s opponent for February’s EXC event is Ricco Rodriguez.

- Where has Keith Jardine been?

- Bob Sapp fights Jan Nortje for Strikeforce’s Tacoma Dome show.

Talking Points

If you ever get a chance to watch UFC in HD, do it. Don’t even worry about the extra $10. It’s worth every penny. I was having issues with my cable company on Saturday morning while I was trying to order the UFC 80 show and the technical service representative basically told me that I was out of luck. I immediately called my ex-wife and told her I was going to order it at her house and she said she wasn’t home anyway so it was fine. I live only a couple minutes away so I was at the house at a minute before the 12:00PM start time and immediately turned everything on and looked at the PPV menu on Direct TV. I noticed that they offered the show in HD (my cable company doesn’t) and bought the HD version. I then turned on the surround sound and sat for the next three hours in what felt like a mini theater.

There really is no comparison between watching sports in high definition and the regular broadcast television signal. Everything is so crisp and you don’t miss anything. There have been times when I’ve watched UFC and had to rewind the DVR because I didn’t see what the announcers saw. That isn’t an issue with HD. You see everything so clearly. In the main event, I was able to see the exact moment when B.J. Penn split Joe Stevenson’s head open because I saw the small splatters of blood immediately. And I know this is a bit morbid, but seeing Joe Daddy’s crimson mask was eye opening to say the least. Even though I won’t be able to watch every UFC show in HD, I don’t know how I’ll cope without it. It was a beautiful three hours.

Yes, there’s another UFC show tomorrow night. Fight Night 12 will be the second of three shows in two weeks and I have a feeling that not too many people will be watching. However, we never sleep and we’ll have a blog post with the results and a longer show review on the site later in the week.

The announcers are Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.

1. Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera

Rivera catches Grove with a right hand and then takes him down. Rogan warns that Grove can take care of himself down there, but Rivera is relentless with the ground and pound. Grove tries to stand up, but Rivera doesn’t stop punching and knocks him loopy with a left hand. The referee stops the fight at 1:20 in the first round. Grove was manhandled.

Winner: Jorge Rivera by way of first round TKO.

2. Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason Lambert

Lambert wins round one for simply controlling the action. He was on top of Gouveia for nearly the entire round, trying to strike from his guard. Gouveia went for a triangle, and a couple guillotines, but Lambert didn’t look like he was in much trouble. Round one goes to Lambert.

Lambert pushed Gouveia up against the cage, while getting short punches in. Gouveia threw two punches that missed and Lambert’s guard was down and just hammered him with a left hook. Lambert was out.

Winner: Wilson Gouveia by way of second round TKO.

3. Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin

Liaudin scored early with inside leg kicks. Davis threw one straight left that hit Liaudin right underneath the ear and Liaudin was out. Three fights, three knockouts.

Winner: Marcus Davis by way of first round TKO.

4. Paul Taylor vs. Paul Kelly

It’s the battle of the Pauls. The fight started out as a brawl, with both guys just throwing punches like crazy. Taylor was getting the best of it, so Kelly pushed him against the cage. Taylor jumped into a guillotine and fell to his back but didn’t get it. Kelly was on top of him for the rest of the round with some good ground and pound, though Taylor also got some shots in from the bottom.

The second round was all Kelly. For some reason, Taylor went for a takedown and actually got it, but it wasn’t to his advantage. Kelly reversed the position and simply pounded him from the top the rest of the round. He opened up a nasty cut along his forehead.

The third round was much of the same. Taylor tried to keep it standing, but Kelly used a simple trip takedown to get him back on the ground. Herb Dean even stood them both back up, and Taylor tried to fire in, but was taken down and the fight ended with Kelly on top and Taylor trying for kimuras that got nowhere.

Winner: Paul Kelly by way of unanimous decision.

5. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum

Gonzaga was getting the better of the standup and was killing Werdum with kicks, but Werdum took him down and the round ended with them both on the ground.

Gonzaga looked tired and was allowing Werdum to get inside and land knees to the head. Gonzaga was still answering with kicks, but Werdum was starting to take over. Werdum had him up against the cage and was continuing to land knees and Gonzaga sat down and was stuck against the cage. He turned his back to Werdum and Werdum threw right hands that Gonzaga couldn’t answer. The referee stopped the fight.

Winner: Fabricio Werdum by way of second round TKO.

6. Joe Stevenson vs. B.J. Penn

Penn dominated round one and took it to the ground immediately. Stevenson was fighting off his back simply trying to stop Penn’s progression. Late in the round, Penn hit him with an elbow and Stevenson bled an Abdullah The Butcher like gusher.

Stevenson’s cut wasn’t even really stopped in the corner. Stevenson came out boxing and hit Penn a couple times, but ate a big left hook. He ate two more and went down and was a bloody mess. Penn got his back and trapped his left arm with his legs, and sunk in the rear naked choke for the win. Dominant, dominant victory.

Winner: B.J. Penn by way of second round submission.

Penn said that Sherk was dead and walked out of the cage, but Sherk came into the cage and Penn walked back in only to shake his hand and say it will be a good fight. Sherk said Penn had only one more fight as champion.

They’re going to show one more fight from the undercard since they have time.

7. Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson

Hardonk threw two leg kicks to the thigh and Robinson just went down and couldn’t get up. The referee stopped the fight just 17 seconds in.

Winner: Antoni Hardonk by way of first round TKO.

8. Alessio Sakara vs. James Lee

Lee immediately shot in for the legs and got the takedown, but Sakara got up. Lee held onto his legs like a child would it’s mother. They repeated the sequence again, but this time, when Lee was holding on, Sakara hit him with some hammer fists that hurt Lee and the fight was over.

News and notes from around the MMA world …

- Ken Shamrock has an opponent for his March Cage Rage fight.

- MMAPayout looks at the UFC 80 Countdown Show.

- Dave Meltzer writes about Fabricio Werdum and Gabriel Gonzaga which is a rematch of a fight that Werdum won 4 years ago.

- CBS Sportsline analyzes UFC 80.

- UFC is going to work with TNA Wrestling to help in promoting Brock Lesnar.

- Kimbo Slice says that he’s going to make Tank Abbott piss blood.

- B.J. Penn wants another crack at Georges St. Pierre after Joe Stevenson.

- FHM showcases the girls of the octagon.

- Dana White doesn’t think Europe is a profitable market.

Talking Points

UFC 80 comes from Newcastle, England on Saturday and it has an early start for US viewers. It’s a 3PM Eastern/Noon Pacific start time, which means I’m going to be watching this show before I eat lunch. I should have live play by play here on the blog.

B.J. Penn faces Joe “Daddy” Stevenson in the main event for the lightweight championship. Interestingly enough, it’s a title that has evaded Penn, who is a former welterweight champion. The reason why this fight is for the lightweight title is because former champion Sean Sherk failed his drug test for steroids and was suspended. He was then stripped of the belt, but according to Dana White, will get the first shot at the new champ. Penn and Sherk have been squawking at each other through the media and their match-up is a natural one, and would’ve been the match-up had Sherk not failed his drug test. Stevenson was the next in line and he’s in his first main event on a PPV show. The show itself is one of the weaker efforts on paper and is a show that more than likely will be one of the lower bought efforts since the UFC explosion in 2006.

But at least the this fight should be good. The match has all the makings of a ground war that should be fast paced for at least a few rounds. Stevenson will probably try and push the pace to test Penn who has been out of shape in the past. But after watching the countdown show on Spike TV, he looks to be taking his training very seriously. I think Penn will win by submission, but not until at least the third round. This is one of those fights where Stevenson can make his name just as much by losing a great fight, as he could by upsetting Penn. Not too many people are expecting him to win. While it’s not the marquee style of main event, especially after all the star power on the December card, it should still be a fun fight and one that should bring the goods.

The semi-main event pits Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum. After beating Mirko Cro Cop and main eventing against Randy Couture, Gonzaga is now a big name in the UFC. But I’m not sure about Werdum. Werdum actually beat Gonzaga when both were early in their career, so this is a revenge fight for Gonzaga. Werdum fought in Pride and made his name there, but after his fight last year against Andrei Arlovski, it doesn’t seem like he and Gonzaga should be all that close. You’d think that with the level of competition he’s faced in his last two fights, Gonzaga should be ready to fight at different level than Werdum. I think Gonzaga wins the fight, either by a knockout or submission in the second round. They’re both jiu-jitsu fighters, but Gonzaga seems to have the better stand-up based on what I’ve seen from both in the UFC. With a win, you’d think that Gonzaga would be thrown right back in with the top heavyweight fighters again.