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« | Home | »

UFC 127 (Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia): Penn & Fitch go to a draw

By Zach Arnold | February 26, 2011

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February 26th in the States (10 PM EST/7 PM PST), February 27th in Sydney

Dark matches

Main card

Headlines after the show

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 75 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

75 Responses to “UFC 127 (Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia): Penn & Fitch go to a draw”

  1. edub says:

    Injuries really suck. Condit falling off this card made it worse than it already was.

    Even before the injury it should’ve been a fight night card IMO although it would’ve been an extrememly good one.

    This card makes you realize how good a deal with HBO, SHowtime, or even Starz would be for the UFC. It’s a perfect premium channel card.

    • cutch says:

      With the impressive numbers that the UFC & Strikeforce are doing, HBO would be crazy if they didn’t offer the UFC big money for some of their fight cards. Perhaps have 6 stacked PPV’s and the rest of big shows on HBO?

      I said that in the K1 thread

  2. John says:

    I’m sick of the UFC putting on these weak boxing-like cards. Strikeforce shows stacked, almost always very exciting cards for free. UFC wants me to pay $50+ to watch a bunch of cans for 3 hours until the main event.

    • edub says:

      Ha, well if your going to comment I’ll rebuttal.

      -George Sotiropolous, Michael Bisping, Chris Lytle, and Dennis Siver are not cans.

      -Andrei Arlovski, Sergei Kharitonov, Ray Sefo, Valentiijn Overeem, Lavar Johnson are would either be not worthy to participate on this card or stuck on the prelims.

      -Strikeforce’s cards are filled with excitement because most of their matchups are sloppy slugfests or complete mismatches.

      -You pay for Showtime.

      • Chris Lytle, Michael Bisping, and Dennis Siver are journeymen. The idea that Andrei Arlovski, ex UFC heavyweight champion, wouldn’t be fit to fight on a main card that features Dennis Siver and Brian Ebersole is tremendous. Keep it up.

        • edub says:

          “Andrei Arlovski, ex UFC heavyweight champion”

          Wow, you’re right because he’s a former UFC champion he deserves to be on the main card. SO does that mean Don Frye does? Frank Shamrock? Mark Coleman?

          Oh wait time goes by and fighters change. Arlovski has now lost 3 straight by horrendous KO, and the last two people he lost to are had trouble with Rube Villareal and Jeff Monson. Arlovski is done. And you know that but since it’s convenient for this argument you tried to change it up. Just like a couple weeks ago when you decided Meltzer knew what he was talking about, after killing him on this very site in the past.

          “Chris Lytle, Michael Bisping, and Dennis Siver are journeymen”

          Each are on winning streaks over good competition. Antonio Silva is a journeymen.

          Also apparently you read nothing from my first post where i sadi it’s not really worthy of PPV anyway. It’s nice that you bring up Ebersole though, the guy who’s competing on a weeks notice.

          Was that up enough for you?

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Rankings wise, this card is about on par with the last Strikeforce card.

          I know…. When you take you SF blinders off and place the UFC name on it, suddenly it doesn’t look so good.

          Fedor/Silva = Top 5 vs. Unranked. Penn/Fitch = #2 vs. Top 10. Already the main event is better. And closer on paper in terms of betting odds.

          Need I go on?

          I’ve already said this card is no good. I’m not buying it. But if we want to talk apples to apples. This card is stronger then the last SF card.

          And LMAO at anybody who uses Arlovski as an example of a top level fight. This isn’t 2005.

        • There is no difference between Arlovski’s reign and Frank Shamrock’s clearly. BTW, Frank Shamrock, if the UFC were to ever resign him, would certainly not be on the unaired undercard.

          Just like a couple weeks ago when you decided Meltzer knew what he was talking about, after killing him on this very site in the past.

          As I said then, I will say the same now – the argument was that something that no one, not even Meltzer, had made. There was no factual basis for it (Strikeforce being a giant money loser, being on the verge of cancellation). Strikeforce basically just equalized the value of HBO’s airing of Alexander/Bradley for about 1/4 the price on a network with far smaller reach. Why isn’t Meltzer then arguing that Strikeforce is about to fail? Well?

          Chris Lytle is on a winning streak LOL. So? The UFC is asking you to pay a minimum of $45 to watch him spark an even lower ranked journeyman.

        • Rankings wise, this card is about on par with the last Strikeforce card.

          Why is the Super Bowl of MMA offering a card for $45 that at best matches the value of the second rate “competitor” far cheaper card?

          I know…. When you take you SF blinders off and place the UFC name on it, suddenly it doesn’t look so good.

          Take the SF blinders off? Its the UFC’s card. Their name is on it because it is there. There’s no reason someone running out of a storage facility should be putting together equivalent cards.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Your the one who started to compare the two cards. Not me. All I was doing was pointing out that the UFC card is still better, despite all of your bickering…

        • I absolutely did compare the two cards. They’re not far off in terms of quality. At some point you’re entering a discussion of which fight between aged journeymen is more important, and who the hell is buying a Showtime subscription or PPV on that basis?

          The UFC card has a slightly more interesting main event to me, but its not on HBO, Showtime, or ESPN, so I won’t be bothered to watch it legally or otherwise. Its not worth my time for what they’re charging or to sit in front of my laptop for 3 hours. The fact that they aren’t providing a significantly better PPV product than Strikeforce is offering on Showtime is laughable given the piles of talent and money they have.

        • edub says:

          The point is that the UFC would never resign Frank Shamrock, he’s over the hill and 7 years at least past his prime.

          The UFC is asking to pay for a group of fights. One between a top three, and top 5 opponent. One with a big draw from england working his way to a title shot. A light weight bout with the winner probably being one win a way from a title shot, and another fight between a top ten and fringe top 10 opponent. That last fight was changed three weeks before the event because of an injury to one of it’s competitors. What are they supposed to do cancel the event?

          If what your trying to get at is the that it is a better value for the SF event over the UFC you could be right. I have already said that this UFC event shouldn’t be a PPV. However, if you’re trying to argue that both are on par with each other regardless of price than you have to buy into the idea that this tournament is the most important thing in MMA. How else would a card with Chad Griggs-Gian Villante and Valentijn Overeem-Ray Sefo on it make that the case?

        • Oh lord. Stop pretending that you know who the UFC will and won’t sign. They apparently had Pat Militech ready to go for a comeback a year ago before he flipped out on them. They signed James Toney and Kimbo Slice. That they would never consider Frank Shamrock is ridiculous.

          What are they supposed to do cancel the event?

          I’m not telling them to do anything in particular. They’re gonna run the event and they will make money regardless of what card they run. Tickets are sold and people will buy the PPV no matter who is on the undercard because BJ is is headlining and its the UFC. What I am telling you is that the card sucks what what they want for it. No amount of excuses changes that it is a crappy PPV card.

          If what your trying to get at is the that it is a better value for the SF event over the UFC you could be right.

          Their comparable value to the sport is very similar. The relevance of journeymen in the UFC is not likely to be much beyond the relevance of journeymen in Strikeforce. Fedor and BJ Penn have comparable historical records and value to the present day following repeated losses. The difference is that one comes with a bunch of boxing cards and 7 networks worth of movies and programming when I pay to see it monthly (and frankly, I don’t get Showtime for Strikeforce). The other is just a PPV card that costs much much more.

        • The Gaijin says:

          Not that I want to get involved in this mess, but didn’t the UFC resign Renzo Gracie and Mark Coleman to fight in co-headliner and main event fights in the last 12 months?

        • edub says:

          You’re beginning argument is “apparently they had Pat Miletich ready to comeback a year ago” oh come on you’re better than that. They had James Toney come in because he brought in the boxing demographic (freak show fight). Kimbo was because Elite failed and he brought in big numbers from street fighting (freak show fight). Frank is an over the hill competitor who was not associated at all with the UFC after the big influx of viewers came in whenever TUF happened. His drawing power diminished even while he was fighting, and has no big drawing base outside of Southern California. He’s of no use to them. Ask yourself this, with the amount of casual/UFC fans there are compared to MMA fans: Who do you think has more drawing power nationwide, Chris Lytle or Frank Shamrock?

          “What I am telling you is that the card sucks what what they want for it. No amount of excuses changes that it is a crappy PPV card.”

          Why are you telling me this? This was included in my first post:

          “Even before the injury it should’ve been a fight night card IMO although it would’ve been an extremely good one.”

          Gaij: Coleman fought and was released about a week over a year ago. Dana said he was over the hill and wouldn’t re-sign him. Renzo was resigned specifically for a fight in Abu-dhabi, and it was against Matt Hughes so it wasn’t going to be on the undercard (because of his opponent).

          If you are looking for a difference between those two Arlovski it is that those two didn’t suffer three brutal, eyes wide open, leg shaking KO’s in a row before they were signed.

        • They did indeed resign Renzo and had signed Coleman. Frank Shamrock even met with Dana White last year. You might remember that – Dana brought it up after Frank said something about the promotion and Shamrock even admitted it happened. But the UFC would NEVER sign Frank if the opportunity arose and the numbers were right, and if they did he’d only be on the preliminary card. Yeah, right.

          Who do you think has more drawing power nationwide, Chris Lytle or Frank Shamrock?

          I don’t think that Chris Lytle outside the UFC can sell out a venue on the strength of his name outside of perhaps the conference center at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond Indiana. As he is right now, he’s an undercard attraction who sells no tickets compared to those above him on the card. I think outside of the UFC, Frank Shamrock can headline arenas. Maybe not fill them, but certainly sell a lot of tickets and has shown the ability to do so. With the UFC? Yeah. Does that answer your question?

          If you are looking for a difference between those two Arlovski it is that those two didn’t suffer three brutal, eyes wide open, leg shaking KO’s in a row before they were signed.

          Looking at Coleman’s record, I see a couple “eyes wide open, leg shaking KOs” on his ledger as well as a few beatings at the hands of better fighters. Not to mention that the man was a decade older than Fedor is now when he was signed by the current UFC.

        • edub says:

          I think you mean Arlovski in the last sentence, so I’ll just go on that. Coleman may have a couple on his resume, but they were not in his last three fights in a row. Arlovski has been blasted into unconsciousness in his last three. It’s time for AC’s to think about not licensing him let alone a big promotion signing him to fight.

          I never said venue. I said nation wide. As in PPV draw. Chris Lytle has been seen by many more eyeballs than Frank over the past 5 years. While he’s been there he’s been involved in some of the most exciting fights in that time frame. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that if Frank Shamrock headlined a PPV event against GSP, and Lytle did the same (for comparison purposes) that the event with Lytle does more PPV buys.

        • Are we comparing Arlovski now to before he was KOed? I’m fairly certain that Arlovski now would be brought back just as much as the UFC brought back train wrecks like Baroni and Karo, KOs and all. They obviously would have been willing to book him if he were in the condition he was entering the GPs first round.

          Chris Lytle doesn’t have the name “Shamrock” and is a journeyman. Is Frank a bigger theoretical PPV draw than Lytle? I have no doubt. I don’t think Lytle could sell 1000 PPVs and I don’t see any promotion bigger than KOTC being willing to drag him in as a headliner.

        • edub says:

          Well we’ll never find out, but I would be willing to bet whatever that Lytle would outdraw Shamrock on a national scale now. Shamrock as a name was built by his brother, no matter if Frank was a better mixed martial artist than Ken or not. You go ask 50 casual UFC fans (which outnumber MMA fans immensely) who Ken Shamrock is and you could bet at least 90% know. You do the same thing with Frank Shamrock and less than half would. He’s not synonymous with the UFC, and he’s not even looked at as a good Mixed martial artist anymore.

          I was talking about Arlovski after this previous KO which as I look back isn’t fair to compare that to before it because obviously SF didn’t know that he would be KOd. However now, there’s no way. His license to fight in the US should be in question. No doubt in my mind.

        • You are right that we probably won’t. I just know that if I have the choice of headlining my PPV with either Chris Lytle or Frank Shamrock, and they cost the same to me, I’m picking Shamrock. He has dedicated followers and a history of being able to sell tickets that Chris Lytle never ever had and probably doesn’t have now.

        • edub says:

          A history of being able sell tickets in San Jose, his hometown (adopted or not) that diminished in his last fight after being away from fighting for year (which was now almost 2 years ago).

          If I have to headline a PPV with either of those people I cancel the event. If I have the choice of which one is in the first fight of a PPV main card I choose Lytle.

      • robert says:

        we pay $12 a month for Showtime that pales in comparison to what is paid for UFC PPVs.

  3. 45 Huddle says:

    The PPV buys should determine the absolute bottom for a UFC PPV Buy Rate.

    I’m not buying this one.

    The next 3 are all awesome on paper. This one is bad. Condit did me a favor by getting injured. Made it that much easier to not purchase this card.

  4. David M says:

    This is a horrid card. I will conceivably go to a bar to watch this just because I’m a huge BJ Penn mark, but this is not as good a card as the one Strikeforce just had on Showtime.

  5. Zack says:

    “Wow, you’re right because he’s a former UFC champion he deserves to be on the main card. SO does that mean Don Frye does? Frank Shamrock? Mark Coleman? “

    Uhhhh didn’t Mark Coleman HEADLINE a UFC card like a year ago? Jesus, MMA fans have the worst attention span in the world.

    Ed. — A year ago last week, in fact, against Randy Couture. And Coleman got cut after the loss, which was remarkable because I can’t recall a main eventer getting cutting after losing a UFC PPV headliner (as opposed to drug testing or licensing issues).

    • The Gaijin says:

      Tim Sylvia after UFC 81? That was technically the main event. And he was “requested his released” rather than being cut.

  6. edub says:

    My painful predictions:

    Fitch fitch’s Penn (nooooooo, hope I’m wrong)
    Bisping TKO 3 over Rivera
    Sotiropoulos sub2 over Siver
    Lytle TKO 1 over Ebersole
    Noke decision over Camozzi
    Pearson decision over Fisher
    Gustaffson TKO over Te Huna
    Nick Ring dec over Fukuda
    Tuscherererererererrer dec over Hunt
    Jewtuszko sub over Warburton
    Reinhart dec over Zhang
    Blackledge KO 1 over Perosh

  7. 45 Huddle says:

    Predictions for this bad PPV….

    Fitch over Penn. Penn’s only chance is to win within the first 3 minutes. After that he will be grinded out.

    Bisping over Rivera. Lisping said this fight was a free pay check. I have to agree.

    Sotoropolous, Lytle, Noke, Pearson, Gustaffson, Ring, and Tuchacher. Which the exact picks of edub.

  8. I want to pick Fitch to grind out BJ Penn, but like the sucker I am, I am picking Penn. The fact that he was willing to take this fight tells me he wants to win. Plus now he can eateateat.

    Rivera is so mediocre. I like the guy’s fights and he seems nice, but look – he isn’t here for Bisping to lose. Joe Silva doesn’t get these fights wrong too often.

    Nothing else matters on this card. I hope Jason Reinhardt’s old, roided, one eyed ass sends the overhyped chinese fighter packing just because it would be funny. If Blackledge can’t beat Perosh, he should retire.

  9. 45 Huddle says:

    Facebook Prelims start at 8pm.
    ION Prelims start at 9pm.
    PPV starts at 10pm.

    Ring/Fukuda is not on either of the preliminary shows. Which is a shame because it’s one of the best fights on the undercard. Either way, it’s still 4 free fights….

    • 45 Huddle says:

      I take that back. MMA Junkie is reporting that the Ring/Fukuda fight will be the 3rd fight on the ION Broadcast. So 5 free prelims for this show.

      At some point they are going to get burned trying to fit in 3 fights to a 1 hour telecast.

  10. robthom says:

    Another perfectly meh UFC card in the last few months.

    Sometimes I think that UFC is taking advantage.

    But as long as fratboys and MTV scum with to much money and no discerning tastes will thoughtlessly throw buckets of money at brand names then they can and will.

    Maybe they should.

    Penn/Fitch is actually a decent matchup, but no where near a headliner. It would be the 3rd or fourth fight from the top on a decent card.

    Hunt and tuscherurrrr?
    I thought they were BOTH already cut?

    Another read the results and look at some gifs after its over event.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      3rd or 4th fight? Penn/Fitch would be a great co-main event to any card. But a solid title fight on this card and if Condit didn’t get injured…. It would be a very respectable PPV.

      The problem is that every fight is one slot above what it should be for a PPV. Which is why it looks so ugly on paper.

      Which is one of the reasons they need Cruz to get healthy and to form Flyweights. With 8 title belts, cards like this one should have a title fight on it. Even if it was a title fight less people cared about.

    • Chromium says:

      “Another perfectly meh UFC card in the last few months.”

      Have you seen some of the cards they’ve had lately? This is a somewhat “meh” card in-between a ton of totally stacked ones. It’s also an overseas card, so I’m not surprised they aren’t going all out here. It’s also far from horrible.

      Anyway UFC 126 was about the most stacked card in MMA since UFC 100. UFCs 128, 129, and 130 are all stacked as hell, and UFC 131 is shaping up very nicely. Even the upcoming Fight Night card with Nogueira vs. Davis is a well above average B-card. They’ve been doing a very nice job lately putting on high-caliber match-ups. The added depth they got from acquiring the WEC is already showing.

      • UFC 128 is “stacked as hell”? Really?

        • edub says:

          Don’t really understand why Shalorus got a fight with Miller. Miller vs. Henderson would’ve been perfect (and a lot more marketable) IMO.

        • Because they want each guy to get an easier touch, that’s why. They seem to be taking the same sort of tact that they did with the lightweights as they did the heavyweight prospects they had – don’t match them except for the title or perhaps as a #1 contender fight.

        • edub says:

          Really? You think they see long term prospect in both of those guys? I guess that’s possible, but personally I don’t see it.

          Don’t get me wrong I don’t think they suck or anything, but I don’t see either ever winning a championship.

  11. venum mma says:

    This card is ok much better than the UFC cards for the UK!! i can see BJ peen squeezing out a unanimous decision win and bisping-jorge going to the judges scorecard.

  12. Chromium says:

    Hmmm, gonna go with:

    Penn (upset pick)
    Bisping (I really, really want to be wrong about this)
    Sotiropoulos
    Lytle
    Noke
    Pearson
    Gustaffson (excellent prospect)
    Ring (I’m a bit torn on this one)
    Tuchscherer (was his PRIDE contract guaranteed or something?)
    Jewtuszko (mainly because I don’t know who the other dude is)
    Zhang (opponent is soft-serve; then again I thought the same thing about Danny Downes)
    Blackledge (Perosh is only under contract for stepping up on short notice against Cro Cop)

  13. The Gaijin says:

    If there’s one thing we’ve established, is that I am f**king horrible at fight predictions, other than betting against JMMA stars…so all you gamblers take a look at my picks and do the opposite, you will be rich…or maybe I decide who my predictions are and then take the opposites.

    – Fitch by smothering UD
    – Rivera by KO (probably 99% wrong here)
    – Sot by submission
    – Lytle (FOTN?)
    – Noke UD
    – Pearson TKO
    – Fukuda UD
    – Turrrrrrshcehreherer UD (hell probably a sub – maybe Hunt can just kick him in the nuts and then KO him after he takes his 5 min)
    – Zhang…Gustaffson….I don’t even care…

    • edub says:

      Definitely entertaining.

      The more and more people that pick against BJ on line is making me want to go for the upset. I wonder how much truth there is to that talk about the vegan diet making Fitch a smaller guy, and I wonder how much Hughes helped him out with his defensive wrestling (I think am just searching for a reason to justify picking BJ…)

      • The Gaijin says:

        After you said this, I looked up the Fitch ‘smaller’ stuff and that’s pretty intriguing going into the fight. I read about the vegan stuff but figured he’d be pumping the protein powders and all that, but like most other supplements, they are not the perfect replacement for the real thing.

        That said, BJ got muscled around by Frankie Edgar a true 145er, so Fitch will probably still hulk him and bully him for 3 rounds (this statement guarantees he BJ KO’s him inside 3 min.).

        • klown says:

          Fitch isn`t vegan, a vegan has zero animal products in their diet. What Fitch has done is diversify his diet and dramatically cut down on meat and animal products. Which is a good move for any person.

          By the way, there`s plenty of plant-based protein to be had from sources like hemp, soy, nuts, leafy greens and legumes. Pure vegans with a diverse diet don`t lack in protein.

          Jake Shields is a vegetarian, that`s someone who eats zero meat but some animal products like dairy or eggs (sometimes even fish). He`s in pretty solid shape, so I wouldn`t worry about Fitch`s diet affecting him.

  14. EJ says:

    I’m going with Siver to pull the upset, Bisping to dominate Jorge, and Fitch to do what he does against BJ.

  15. 45 Huddle says:

    Fitch is going to KO Penn and get his title shot. I’m writing this at 10:10pm eastern time. Let’s see how this prediction ends up. But I think I’m goingto be right.

  16. Zheroen says:

    Terrible show.

    So who is the #1 contender to the Welterweight title, since Dana White went all Jack Tunney and promised a shot to the winner? Maybe he’ll announce the first ever MMA Battle Royal to settle the impasse.

    Also, LOL to the guy who was suggesting that Chris Lytle is some kind of draw.

  17. Zheroen says:

    Hey 45, just pretend that the main event of a Strikeforce show that was designed to determine a #1 contender ended in a draw, and react that way. Or that Nick Diaz illegally kneed an opponent in the face that clearly shifted the direction of the fight, yet wasn’t DQed. Or that an “exciting fighter” on the level of Chris Lytle (let’s say someone like Scott Smith, for instance) lost to an aging journeyman no-namer making their debut with the promotion. Also, let’s throw in an absolute robbery of a decision.

    Better yet, why don’t you tell me how it WASN’T a terrible show?

    • EJ says:

      Why would he waste time doing that?, this has nothing to do with SF beacuse unlike them the UFC actually matches people up in competetive fights.

      Which is why Nick Diaz hasn’t beaten anyone of note at WW in years and they basically have a bunch of Chris Lytles who aren’t as good.

      This was a very good show, unless you’re just hating for the sake of it there is very little to bitch about aside from the disgracefull judging for the ME and Fukuda fights.

      • Zheroen says:

        EJ, I know you’ve been reading this site for awhile, so I was just challenging 45 to measure his reaction to this against his usual immediate doom-and-gloom responses to any given SF event. Surely that wasn’t lost on you, was it?

        I guess I just have a higher barometer for what I consider to be “very good”. The Versus card next week (which I’ll be attending live) looks infinitely better than this one (which was more or less an expensive version of Fight For the Troops, minus the heart-wrenching stories from veterans).

      • The Gaijin says:

        “Why would he waste time doing that?, this has nothing to do with SF beacuse unlike them the UFC actually matches people up in competetive fights.”

        I would have to agree most of the time, but not for this card. This card was a very SF-esque in its matchmaking to pit “favourites” against guys who on paper they were expected to steamroll…it was a showcase card. Actually seems like in SOME cases (see HW, LW divisions) they are putting contenders against lower-tier and mid-tier fighters in fights they are designed to win, up until they’re in the title fight or #1 contenders match, as pointed out by Alan.

        Which just goes to show when you make these SF-esque cards with a bunch of set-up fights you always run the risk of shooting yourself in the foot. Dana said a number of times that Sot-Siver was going to determine who was a number 1 contender, but I highly doubt they will be now that Siver won.

        • edub says:

          The thing is the only person that was supposed to steamroll his opponent on this card was Bisping. Lytle was then supposed to steamroll his opponent because it changed 4 weeks away from the fight (which turned out to be wrong, obviously). Sotiropoulos was supposed to win, but I don’t think it was anything like a lopsided mismatch (which some people might have thought). I definitely thought he would win, but had no clue his wrestling was so shitty (which probably had something to do with Siver).

          Biggest take away from the night: I hate Michael Bisping (which is probably better for the UFC, because the only thing that sells as well as a loved fighter is a fighter everyone wants to see get smashed, and there are a lot of those people.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      1) On paper this was a better card then the Fedor/Silva card. Fitch/Penn was a higher quality fight.

      2) Why would Bisping be KO’d? Rivera could continue.

      The show was exciting with a lot of closely contested fights. Which is the problem with SF. Their matchmaking is so ba that too many fights end in the first round. Sure that is cool sometimes. But it shouldn’t happen that often.

      The ending of Fitch/Penn wasn’t the best but it wasn’t a horrible decision. But the fight itself was a wonderful chess match with Fitch mentally breaking Penn by the end.

      It’s funny how people like you want to somehow compare the UFC to SF. Not even in the same league. SF’s biggest event for the first half of 2010 isn’t even a good as te worst UFC PPV on paper this year.

      On a side note, it was nice to see George Soti and Lytle lose.

      • The Gaijin says:

        “2) Why would Bisping be KO’d?[sic] Rivera could continue.”

        Not the point. Not the point at all. Just because he didn’t KO Rivera with the blatantly illegal knee means nothing. He clearly landed an intentionally illegal knee from the thai plum to a grounded opponent. The ref has the discretion to DQ for something like that…but Bis is a company favorite. The knee changed the course of the fight…it was obvious as hell.

        Additionally, Bisping should face a suspension and heavy fine for his after fight bullsh*t. Spitting on Rivera’s corner man? That’s despicable sh*t.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1yz6yt-tTc&feature=player_embedded

  18. RunSilent says:

    Really fun wacky card, enjoyed every fight.

  19. nick says:

    If I was a cynical person I’d say that Fitch / BJ is a good result for the UFC. Much probably depends upon what happens Edgar / Maynard 3 and GSP / Shields both coming soon. Maynard wins, BJ gets a shot at him, GSP wins and he goes to middleweight to fight Anderson Silva creating a Welterweight match between Fitch / Shields…..Even BJ said Fitch won. Love their product but enought said.

    • robthom says:

      anderson is kind of a BS’er…
      IMO.

      GSP has definately outmatched his contempararies just as a.s. has, but I see GSP being the man about it and moving up before a.s. relieves his apparently simple post and moves up himself.

      I see a.s. outweighing and leaning on GSP by a grip and then moving up for a few more years of journeyman fights at 205 before GSP gets a chance to grow into 185.
      Courtesy of whoever has been enabling a.s’ passass BS so far.

      Lets see if I’m right a year from now.

  20. bluerosekiller says:

    If I were Penn, I’d take the draw & run.
    The fight wasn’t exactly some sort of barnburner that
    demands a rematch. And even if he were to win a second
    match up with Fitch, it’s not as if it would put him into
    a whole lot better of a position for future fights than
    he is right now after holding the #1 contender to a draw.
    While a loss would be awfully troubling IMO.

  21. David M says:

    BJ won the first two rounds cleanly in my book, but he made a mistake in the second round of trying to go for a finish. This is the Ultimate Positioning Championship, and once you secure a takedown, all you have to do to win the round is stay in guard. Ironic of course given that Fitch is the king of the takedown/5 minute pin down. If BJ hadn’t tried so hard for the choke he wouldn’t have lost position, and he wouldn’t have gotten robbed.

    Fitch actually showed me more in the 3rd round than I have ever seen from him; he didn’t just cuddle, but actually tried to do damage, which was a first for his career.

    Overall I didn’t see anything but the main event because this was the worst card on paper since Coleman v Couture main event, but I liked the main event despite Fitch’s presence.

    I can’t remember anyone having that much success taking Fitch down; twas a great strategy by BJ save for thinking that submissions matter in mma.

    • edub says:

      Fitch won the second. Reversed position did more damage.

      • edub says:

        Add on: IMO.

        To your last comment I was happy to see that also, but just hope for a day when he can have both mindsets in the fight (like he did in the florian fight) instead of just going one way or the other.

  22. Zack says:

    Card sucked. Felt bad for my friend who purchased it.

  23. Tradition Rules says:

    I enjoyed the card, guess that’s just me though.

    I felt that Fitch won the Main Event, and I was pulling for BJ, so take what you will from that.

    Was shocked with the decision with the Ring vs Fukuda fight. With all the take downs Fukuda had, was sure he won. Almost everybody where I saw the fight cheered for Ring, because he is from the U.S., but EVERYBODY booed when the decision was announced.

    Really enjoyed the Mark Hunt KO & fight, even though the fight itself was pretty sloppy. 🙂

    If Tie Quan Zhang continues to work on his gas tank, he will quickly become one of my favorite fighters.

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