UFC 94 (January, 2009)

January 31 – Las Vegas, Nevada

170 lbs. Title Fight – Georges St. Pierre [1] vs. B.J. Penn [NR]

• MMA Records: St. Pierre (17-2); Penn (13-4-1)
• Preview: Of all the great fights this month, this is the greatest. Both Penn and St. Pierre are among the handful of fighters that everyone in the world respects. They are masters of the craft. They are both boiling hot right now. Their minds are right and their games are tight. St. Pierre has the best takedowns in the game. Penn has the best takedown defense. Both have great jabs. Penn’s submissions are legendary. St. Pierre’s elbows are the best in the world. If you’re an MMA fan, you cannot miss this fight. It will go down in the history books. Both men will be judged by it. It could easily go either way. I’m taking St. Pierre by Split Decision.
• Result: St. Pierre winner by 4th roudn TKO.
• GSP’s skill level is in another galaxy. He is so far beyond everyone else it is frightening. Penn got smashed. He must stay at 155 where he is the king. It wasn’t too long ago that Welterweight was considered the most talented along with Light-Heavyweight. The fact that GSP cleaned out the division is incredible. He won the Canadian athlete of the year in 2008. In 2009, he may become recognized as the best athlete in the world. GSP stays at 1.

205 lbs. – Lyoto Machida [4] vs. Thiago Silva [8]

• MMA Records: Machida (13-0); Silva (13-0)
• Preview: Speaking of hot. Whoever wins this fight is the next MMA superstar. The winner will more than likely take on Rashad Evans [1] for the belt. Both guys possess similar skills but with a glaring difference in style. Lyoto is very methodical (8 of 13 wins by decision) Thiago is a hyper-aggressive (12 of 13 wins by stoppage)  A match between Yin and Yang. It could be special. Or it could be one sided. It would seem Thiago is tailor-made for Lyoto’s counter striking. Then again, Thiago could put enough pressure on Lyoto to fluster him. All that being said, I just don’t see Machida losing to anyone (including Rashad) right now. Machida by Unanimous Decision.
• Result: Machida winner by 1st round KO.
• Machida’s performance was his most dominating yet. He owned Silva. People criticized his patient style but he showed he can end things violently. Noone can touch him right now….including Rashad Evans. Machida rises to 2. Silva drops to 17.

170 lbs. – Karo Parisyan [8] vs. Dong Hyun Kim [58]

• MMA Records: Parisyan (18-5); Kim (11-0-1)
• Preview: This is great Judo-player vs. great Judo-player. They may cancel eachother out. It may come down to striking. Kim is the taller fighter but Karo is way more experienced. I would be very surprised if Karo were to lose. Karo by Unanimous Decision.
• Result: Parisyan winner by Split Decision.
• Karo got the win but Kim was the one who impressed me. I didn’t think he had a chance but he nearly got the win. Kim dominated Karo in the 1st round but was edged out in the latter 2. Karo did not look like a top 10 fighter.

205 lbs. – Stephan Bonnar [18] vs. Jon Jones [38]

• MMA Records: Bonnar (11-4); Jones (6-0)
• Preview: Jon Jones is a very promising young fighter. Stephan Bonnar is a grizzled veteran. Jones will have his day in the sun but not right now and not against Bonnar. It could be a close fight but Bonnar will find a way to win. Bonnar by Split Decision.
• Result: Jones winner by Unanimous Decision
• If Jones gets his cardio up to par then he will be contending for the belt in a couple years. He looked amazing in the first 2 rounds. It was one of the most dynamic MMA displays I have ever seen. Jones landed some crazy strikes and sick takedowns. Bonnar’s heart and chin kept him from getting KO’d. He just ran into a rising star. Jones rises to 13. Bonnar stays at 18.

155 lbs. – Clay Guida [27] vs. Nate Diaz [28]

• MMA Records: Guida (24-9); Diaz (10-2)
• Preview: Clay Guida wins his fights by setting a pace which his opponents can’t match. He’s relentless and overwhelming. Nate Diaz submits people. He’s hot right now and watch out for his triangle choke. I’m sure Guida will be. I think Diaz has the better boxing so Guida will probably take him to the mat. From there, it will either be Guida’s ground and pound or Diaz’s submissions that win the contest. I think Guida is savvy enough to avoid Nate’s submissions. Guida by Unanimous Decision.
• Result: Guida winner by Split Decision.
• Nate did more damage but Guida got the win because of his wrestling. It wasn’t exciting. Guida literally spent 90% of the fight bear-huggin Diaz. He didn’t land hardly any strikes but he maintained control. Diaz wasn’t strong enough to escape. Guida rises to 21. Diaz stays at 28.

170 lbs. – Jon Fitch [3] vs. Akihiro Gono [22]

• MMA Records: Fitch (17-3); Gono (28-13-7)
• Preview: Jon Fitch has been relegated to undercard status due to contractual disputes with Dana White. You don’t want to get on Dana’s bad side. Just ask Matt Lindland. As for the fight, I think it will be a good one. Fitch will get the takedowns and Gono will try to land a submission. Fitch is an animal on the ground and Gono is one of the smartest fighters in the world. It should be interesing to watch it play out. I doubt Fitch will finish Gono but he will get the Unanimous Decision.
• Result: Fitch winner by Unanimous Decision
• Fitch dominated from start to finish with takedowns and ground and pound. It took all of Gono’s craftiness to survive. Fitch stays at 3. Gono drops to 27.

155 lbs. – Thiago Tavares [46] vs. Manny Gamburyan [64]

• MMA Records: Tavares (13-3); Gamburyan (8-3)
• Result: Tavares winner by Unanimous Decision
• Thiago’s takedowns and slightly more effective striking get him the win in a relatively lackluster fight. Tavares rises to 44. Gamburyan drops to 68.

205 lbs. – Jake O’Brien [NR] vs. Christian Wellisch

• MMA Records: O’Brien (10-2); Wellisch (8-4)
• Result: O’Brien winner by Split Decision
• O’Brien gassed big-time in the 3rd round but put enough takedowns in the bank to eak out the win.
• O’Brien debuts at 45.

170 lbs. – Chris Wilson [25] vs. John Howard

• MMA Records: Wilson (14-4); Howard (10-4)
• Result: Howard winner by Split Decision
• This was a really good fight. Back and forth they went trading strikes and takedowns but Howard had the slight edge. He had back control in the 3rd round which pretty much sealed it for him. Howard debuts at 25. Wilson drops to 28.

170 lbs. – Matt Arroyo vs. Dan Cramer

• MMA Records: Arroyo (3-2); Cramer (0-0)
• Result: Cramer winner by Split Decision
• Pretty unimpressive fight. Cramer must improve his finishing instincts to become ranked.

Future Fights that make sense

205

Lyoto Machida [2] vs. Rashad Evans [1]

Jon Jones [13] vs. Eric Shaefer [19]

Thiago Silva [17] vs. Stephan Bonnar [18]

170

Georges St. Pierre [1] vs. Thiago Alves [2]

155

BJ Penn [1] vs. Kenny Florian [4]

Clay Guida [21] vs. winner of Gray Maynard [10] vs. Jim Miller [35]

Nate Diaz [28] vs. loser of Diego Sanchez [NR] vs. Joe Stevenson [22]

WEC 38 (January, 2009)

January 25

155 lbs. Title Fight – Jamie Varner [49] vs. Donald Cerrone [51]

• MMA Records: Varner (15-2); Cerrone (9-0)
• Preview: Whoever wins this fight will join the top of the pack in the lightweight division. After winning a decision in his 1st career fight, Jamie Varner has got a stoppage in his last 14 victories. He is a top level boxer with very good wrestling. He’s tough and has great stamina. Donald Cerrone won his 1st 8 fights by submission before winning a decision over Rob McCullough in one of the best fights in WEC history. Despite his gaudy submission resume, Cerrone can also strike. I don’t see him KOing Varner though. This could be an early fight-of-the-year candidate. Both guys are in their primes and both are hungry. I’m going with Cerrone by submission in the 4th round.
• Result: Varner winner by Split Decision.
• This fight was back and forth with Varner getting the takedowns at will. Cerrone worked a nice guard but ultimately couldn’t submit him. In the 5th round, Jamie was grazed by an illegal knee and the fight went to the judges who gave him the nod. He isn’t going to win many fans over after this one. The blow didn’t look that bad but he writhed about on the canvas as if he’d just been soccer kicked by Wanderlei Silva. The crowd booed his post-fight interview and he told them to f*ck off. Very immature reaction. Cerrone, meanwhile, could barely see after having both eyes swollen shut from punches by Varner. He gained a lot of fans with his gutsy performance. Varner has looked good his last few times out. It would be interesting to see how he would perform against a UFC lightweight. Varner rises to 36. Cerrone stays at 51.

145 lbs. – Urijah Faber [2] vs. Jens Pulver [10]

• MMA Records: Faber (21-2); Pulver (22-10-1)
• Preview: These guys just fought a 5-round war in June. Pulver’s heart was apparent but only because Faber was beating him pretty good. Faber took the Unanimous Decision but has since lost. Pulver is backed up against the wall. He’s lost 4 of his last 5 fights. He desperately needs a win. Faber needs to avoid losing 2 in a row. It will be interesting to see how Faber responds to being stopped in the 1st round. Will he be more cautious? I doubt it. He’s a wild man and will push the pace as always. Can Pulver still hang with the top fighters? I doubt it. Faber will get a 1st or 2nd round KO. 
• Result: Faber winner by 1st round submission (guillotine choke).
• Faber caught Jens with a vicious liver shot that was the beginning of the end. Pulver couldn’t recover and Urijah finished him. Jens has lost 3 in a row but they have come against the best in the world. Maybe he can’t compete against the top 10 but he is still a tough out for anyone. Faber stays at 2. Pulver drops to 15.

170 lbs. – Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Campbell

• MMA Records: Villefort (8-2); Campbell (4-0)
• Result: Villefort winner by 1st round TKO.
• Danillo is a great grappler training at the prestigious American Top Team (ATT). This is his 2nd high-profile win in a row (he beat highly regarded Middleweight Mike Massenzio his last time out.) Future opponents will be well-advised to look out for his knee-bar. Villefort debuts at 62.

145 lbs. – Jose Aldo [18] vs. Rolando Perez

• MMA Records: Aldo (12-1); Perez (4-1-1)
• Result: Aldo winner by 1st round KO.
• Watch out for Jose Aldo. He has one of the most technically sound striking games in the division, if not the most sound. The scary part is that isn’t even his greatest strength. He’s a blackbelt in jiu-jitsu. He will get a title shot very soon. Aldo rises to 12.

155 lbs. – Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Njokuani

• MMA Records: Henderson (7-1); Njokuani (9-1)
• Result: Henderson winner by 2nd round submission (guillotine choke)

170 lbs. – Hiromitsu Miura [58] vs. Edgar Garcia

• MMA Records: Miura (9-5); Garcia (6-0)
• Result: Garcia winner by 1st round KO.
• Garcia debuts at 56. Miura drops to 63.

135 lbs. – Dominick Cruz [20] vs. Ian McCall

• MMA Records: Cruz (11-1); McCall (7-1)
• Result: Cruz winner by Unanimous Decision
• Cruz rises to 16.

135 lbs. – Scott Jorgensen [17] vs. Frank Gomez

• MMA Records: Jorgensen (5-2); Gomez (5-0)
• Result: Jorgensen winner by 1st round submission (guillotine choke)
• Jorgensen rises to 15.

170 lbs – Blas Avena vs. Jesse Lennox

• MMA Records: Avena (5-2); Lennox (9-1)
• Result: Lennox winner by 2nd round KO.
• Lennox debuts at 74.

135 lbs. – Charlie Valencia [25] vs. Seth Dikun

• MMA Records: Valencia (9-5); Dikun (6-2)
• Result: Valencia winner by Unanimous Decision
• Valencia rises to 23.

Affliction (January, 2009)

January 24 – California

HVY – Fedor Emelianenko [1] vs. Andrei Arlovski [5]

• MMA Records: Emelianenko (28-1); Arlovski (14-5)
• Preview: Cro-Cop went down…Couture went down…Nogueira went down. The old guard is crumbling. There is a new wave of Heavyweights taking over. Will Fedor go down? If anyone can do it, Andrei can. He has won 5 in a row over solid competition: Marcio Cruz [29], Fabricio Werdum [16], Jake O’Brien [28], Ben Rothwell [21] and Roy Nelson [22] have all been thrashed. Fedor is a different animal. Everyone in the fight game loses…right? Not Fedor. His one loss was a fluke cut 15 seconds into the fight from a glancing elbow that he didn’t even notice. He re-matched the fighter (Tsuyoshi Kohsaka) and beat him to a pulp. He has no ego, no hate and seemingly no passion at all. He walks quietly into the ring…does his job…then exits. That being said, anything is possible. Arlovski’s striking has looked very formidable and he could very well knock out Fedor. I wouldn’t say that about any other fighter. That’s how much I revere Arlovski. But…Fedor is Fedor and he will win like he always does. He moves like a lightweight and has no holes in his game. He can end it anywhere and I’m guessing he’ll end it by 1st round TKO.
• Reult: Fedor winner by 1st round KO.
• Fedor stays at 1. Arlovski stays at 5.

HVY – Josh Barnett [4] vs. Gilbert Yvel

• MMA Records: Barnett (23-5); Yvel (35-12-1)
• Preview: Josh Barnett is the most underrated fighter in MMA. Nobody is less-known and more-talented than “The Baby-Face Assassin.” He is big, strong and fast. He can hold his own striking and has a top-level ground game. Gilbert Yvel has no chance in this fight. He’s a world class striker but has no ground game at all. He’s also the dirtiest fighter that has ever fought MMA. He’s tried to rip out the eyes of his opponent and he’s KO’d the referee. There is still some question as to whether or not the State of California will let him figth. If they do, Barnett will dominate him and win by 1st round submission 
• Result: Barnett winner by 3rd round submission (punches)
• Barnett rises to 3. Yvel debuts at 39.

HVY – Paul Buentello [23] vs. Kirill Sidelnikov

• MMA Records: Buentello (26-10); Sidelnikov (5-2)
• Preview: Paul Buentello is a highly-skilled brawler. He has solid takedown defense and tremendous hand speed. He looks out of shape but his cardio is solid. Sidelnikov trains with Fedor in Russia. All 5 of his wins have come by KO or TKO. If he slugs with Buentello then he will lose. Buentello by 1st round KO.
• Result: Buentello winner by 3rd round TKO.
• Buentello rises to 18.

205 lbs. – Rogerio Nogueira [12] vs. Vladimir Matyushenko [22]

• MMA Records: Nogueira (14-3); Matyushenko (21-3)
• Preview: This is a rematch of a 2002 match that Matyushenko won by Unanimous Decision. Vladimir took him down and wrestled his way to victory. That’s his modis operandi. He’s won 8 in a row but nothing spectacular. Rogerio has improved since his 2002 loss. He’s a solid boxer and world-class grappler. Vladimir’s only shot at winning this fight is to repeat his lay & pray performance in 2002. He has extremely limited striking and he won’t be able to submit Rogerio. Rogerio will win by 3rd round submission.
• Result: Rogerio winner by 2nd round KO.
• Rogerio rises to 10. Matyushenko drops to 23.

205 lbs. – Sokoudjou [13] vs. Renato Sobral [15]

• MMA Records: Sokoudjou (5-3); Sobral (31-7)
• Preview: There is no secret to Sokoudjou’s game. If he doesn’t overwhelm you with strikes in the 1st round, then he’ll probably lose. That’s a big if though. There is noone more explosive than him. The problem is he gases because of his powerful shots. Sobral is a tough veteran who is hard to finish. He’s been KO’d twice in his career but that’s because he’s been in with all the MMA legends. He’s seen it all. If Sokoudjou doesn’t get the 1st round KO then “Babalu” will get the 2nd round submission.
• Result: Sobral winner by 2nd round submission (Brabo Choke)
• Sobral rises to 11. Sokoudjou drops to 22.

185 lbs. – Matt Lindland [20] vs. Vitor Belfort [24]

• MMA Records: Lindland (21-5); Belfort (17-8]
• Preview: This is a fight between 2 old horses of the UFC. Lindland is pretty much blacklisted by Dana White and Vitor is forever trying to get back to glory days. Nobody is more talented than Vitor but his fights are won and lost between his ears. He can’t ever seem to perform on a consistent basis. He is a precursor to the Sokoudjou’s of todays game. If he doesn’t get the 1st round KO then he’ll lose focus and lose the fight. Matt Lindland is the complete antithesis of Vitor. He is an overacheiver. The word scrappy was invented for guys like him. He loves to take his opponent into deep waters and just pound on him the whole way through. But he’s getting old and slow. He looked pretty bad in his last fight while Vitor got a 1st round KO in his. I think Vitor has more in the tank right now. Vitor by 1st round KO.
• Result: Belfort winner by 1st round KO.
• Belfort rises to 15. Lindland drops to 29.

170 lbs. – Jay Hieron [18] vs. Jason High

MMA Records: Hieron (16-4); High (6-0)
Result:

155 lbs. – Bobby Green vs. Dan Lauzon

• MMA Records: Lauzon (11-2); Green (7-1)
• Result: Lauzon winner by 1st round submission (rear-naked choke)
• Lauzon debuts at 89.

145 lbs. – Bao Quach [16] vs. L.C. Davis

• MMA Records: Quach (15-8-1); Davis (12-1)
• Result: Davis winner by 3rd round Unanimous Decision
• Davis debuts at 15. Quach drops to 17.

145 lbs. – Antonio Duarte vs. Albert Rios

• MMA Records: Duarte (11-1); Rios (10-3)
• Result: Rios winner by Unanimous Decision

170 lbs. – Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight

• MMA Records: Cooper (7-4); Speight (7-1)
• Result: Cooper winner by 2nd round TKO.
• Cooper debuts at 72.

UFC 93 (January, 2009)

January, 17 – Dublin, Ireland

205 lbs. – Dan Henderson [10] vs. Rich Franklin [19]

• MMA Record: Henderson (23-7); Franklin (24-3)
• Preview: This could be an all-time great fight. Rich Franklin pushes the pace as well as any fighter in the game. That’s how he wins most of his fights. He overwhelms his opponents. He’ll have a tough time overwhelming Dan Henderson, however. Dan is as rugged as they come. He’ll clinch you, take you down and pound you out. He also throws right-hand bombs that could end the fight at any moment. Franklin is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world. His striking is high-caliber. He is a finishing machine. Of his 24 victories, 22 have been finished within the distance. I think Henderson will take the 1st round but lose the 2nd and 3rd rounds. He won’t be able to match Franklin’s pace. Rich by Unanimous Decision.
• Result: Henderson winner by Unanimous Decision
• Henderson didn’t fade as quickly as I thought he would. He was able to put Franklin down and keep him there while he pounded away. Rich did take round 3 but it was too late. Dan’s world-class clinch game, ground and pound and power punching won him the fight. Henderson rises to 5. Franklin rises to 18.

205 lbs. – Mauricio Rua [6] vs. Mark Coleman [NR]

• MMA Record: Rua (16-3); Coleman (15-8]
• Preview: “Shogun” Rua was once considered the best Light-Heavyweight in the world..bar-none. Then he came to the UFC and got dominated by Forrest Griffin [2]. Many people claim it was because of a torn-ACL. He’ll have his chance to showcase his skills with a washed-up Mark Coleman. Coleman is 44-years-old and hasn’t looked good in 9 years. His win over Rua in 2006 was a fluke. Rua broke his arm defending a takedown. Mark may get a takedown or two in this fight but he’ll inevitably be taken out in brutal fashion. Rua we’ll recapture his fans with a devastating 1st round KO.
• Result: Shogun winner by 3rd round TKO.
• Despite getting the win, Shogun didn’t look anywhere near a top 10 fighter. He was gassed by round 2 and he couldn’t capitalize on Coleman’s sluggishness. Mark’s wrestling and heart kept him alive but he really should have been finished in round 1. He was completely gassed out and was just standing there like a drunk guy waiting to get hit. His hands were down by his hips and he was moving like a turtle. Shogun’s kicks were definately world-class but his boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu were nowhere to be seen. Coleman actually out-boxed him. I don’t no where Shogun goes from here but he needs to improve a lot of areas including his cardio. Rua drops to 11. Coleman debuts at 40. 

185 lbs. – Denis Kang [23] vs. Alan Belcher [41]

• MMA Record: Kang (31-10-1); Belcher (13-5)
• Preview: This is Denis Kang’s long-awaited debut in the UFC. He’s a former PRIDE star and top middleweight. Between 2003 and 2006, Kang had an unbelievable streak of 21 victories without a loss. Since then, he has gone 3-3 with losses to Gegard Mousasi [8], Yoshihiro Akiyama [10] and Kazuo Misaki [15]. Alan Belcher is primarily a muay thai striker. He has great kicks, knees and hands. His takedown defense is improving as is his ground game. Kang loves to strike as well but can also take it to the mat and finish it there. This is Belcher’s chance to get a breakthrough win but I doubt he’ll get it. Kang we’ll take him down and wear him out. Eventually, Belcher’s striking will get slower and Kang will get the late round KO.
• Result: Alan Belcher by 3rd round submission (guillotine)
• Belcher continues to imporve. Kang continues to slide. Kang dominated the first 2 rounds but Belcher hung in there and pulled out the guillotine finish. Kang appeard a bit gassed in the 3rd round while Belcher looked as if he was just getting started. Alan needs to pick up some stronger wrestling but he is definately improving his ground game. Kang looked like a top fighter until he gassed and was caught. He will have to go back to the drawing board. Belcher rises to 28. Kang drops to 30.

185 lbs. – Jeremy Horn [35] vs. Rousimar Palhares [40]

• MMA Record: Horn (80-18-5); Palhares (8-2)
• Preview: Jeremy Horn is on the downslide. He’s gone 2-4 in his last 6 fights. Once upon a time, he was nearly impossible to submit. After losing 3 by submission in those 6 fights, that is no longer the case. Rousimar Palhares is a submission dynamo. Six of his 8 wins have come by 1st round submission. I don’t see any way Horn escapes the same fate. Palhares by 1st round submission.
•  Result: Palhares winner by Unanimous Decision
• I was actually more impressed by Jeremy Horn in losing than I was with Palhares winning. Horn neutralized Palhares ground game and even had him mounted at one point with an arm-triangle. But it was Rousimar’s strength that proved the difference. He manhandled Horn with some crazy suplex’s. He also pounded on him a good deal. He should be a couple wins away from title contention. Horn showed glimpses of why he was once considered one of the best fighters in the world. If he continues to fight the way he did against Rousimar, then he’ll climb back up the rankings. Palhares rises to 26. Horn rises to 33.

170 lbs. – Chris Lytle [13] vs. Marcus Davis [14]

• MMA Record: Lytle (26-16-5); Davis (15-4)
• Preview: This fight was made strictly for entertainment purposes. These guys flat-out like to throw down. That’s not to say they aren’t skilled. They are contenders. Nobody is tougher than Chris Lytle. He’s lost 16 times, but has never been broken. Only 2 times has the ref halted him and that was because the cuts he was fighting through were too gruesome. Marcus Davis can finish people. Of his 15 wins, only 2 have gone the distance. They’re already saying this might be the fight of the year, and we’ve still got 348 days left! I’m going with Davis by Split Decision.
• Result: Davis winner by Split Decision
• This fight went exactly like I thought it would. Both guys slugging it out for 3 rounds. Lytle more with the straight right hands down the pipe and Davis with the brutal body kicks and counter striking. These guys are true pros and they were determined to stand toe to toe in order to get the Fight of the Night bonus. Davis rises to 11. Lytle drops to 14.

205 lbs. – Eric Shaefer [24] vs. Antonio Mendes

• MMA Record: Schaefer (10-3-2); Mendes (15-3)
• Result: Schaefer winner by 1st round TKO.
• Schaefer got the quick clinch, pulled guard, swept Mendes and then administered some nasty ground and pound. Very impressive performance. Schaefer rises to 19.

205 lbs. – Tomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati

• MMA Record: Drwal (14-2); Serati (10-2)
• Result: Drwal winner by 1st round TKO.
• Tomasz dominated Serati on the feet, took him down and hammer-fisted until the ref stepped in for the TKO. Drwal debuts at 44.

170 lbs. – Martin Kampmann [NR] vs. Alexandre Barros 

• MMA Record: Kampmann (13-2); Barros (13-5)
• Result: Kampann winner by 2nd round TKO.
• Martin was expected to win and he didn’t disappoint. He dominated Barros in striking and grappling. He will make some noise this year inthe Welterweight division. Kampmann debuts at 63.

170 lbs. – Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway

• MMA Record: Egan (0-0); Hathaway (9-0)
• Result: Hathaway winner by 1st round TKO.
• Hathaway’s wrestling contolled this fight. He just out-grappled Egan the whole fight and pounded him out. Hathaway debuts at 71.

155 lbs. – Nate Mohr vs. Dennis Siver

• MMA Record: Mohr (8-5); Siver (12-6)
• Result: Siver winner by 3rd round TKO.
• Siver rises to 90.

Future fights that make sense:

205

Mauricio Rua [11] vs. Chuck Liddell [6]

Rich Franklin [18] vs. Loser of Lyoto Machida [4] vs. Thiago Silva [8]

Eric Schaefer [19] vs. Steve Cantwell [28]

Mark Coleman [40] vs. Wanderlei Silva [10]

185

Dan Henderson [4] vs. Michael Bisping [14]

Rousimar Palhares [26] vs. Yushin Okami [9]

Alan Belcher [28] vs. CB Dollaway [54]

Denis Kang [30] vs. Loser of Nathan Marquardt [7] vs. Wilson Gouveia [22]

Jeremy Horn [33] vs. Jason MacDonald [29]

170

Marcus Davis [11] vs. Winner of Dan Hardy [20] vs. Rory Markham [53]

Chris Lytle [14] vs. Kevin Burns [28]

Martin Kampmann [63] vs. Winner of Chris Wilson [26] vs. John Howard

HVY Rankings (January, 2009)

 

1	Fedor Emelianenko	29~1	Stary Oskol, Russia
2	Frank Mir	12~3	Las Vegas, NV	UFC Interim Champion
3	Josh Barnett	24~5	Seattle, WA
4	Brock Lesnar	3~1	Minneapolis, MN	UFC Champion
5	Andrei Arlovski	14~6	Minsk, Belarus
6	Cheick Kongo	12~4~1	Paris, France
7	Rodrigo Nogueira	31~5~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8	Randy Couture	16~9	Las Vegas, NV
9	Tim Sylvia	24~5	Davenport, IA
10	Gabriel Gonzaga	10~3	Ludlow, MA
11	Alistair Overeem	28~11	Utrecht, Netherlands	Strikeforce Champion
12	Aleksander Emelianenko	14~3	St. Petersburg, Russia
13	Sergei Kharitonov	16~3	Moscow, Russia
14	Antonio Silva	12~1	Brasilia, Brazil
15	Mirko Filipovic	23~6~2	Zagreb, Croatia
16	Fabricio Werdum	11~4~1	Porto Alegre, Brazil	ADCC Champion
17	Heath Herring	28~14	Las Vegas, NV
18	Paul Buentello	27~10	Amarillo, TX
19	Jeff Monson	27~8	Olympia, WA
20	Cain Velasquez	4~0	San Jose, CA
21	Pedro Rizzo	16~8	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
22	Ben Rothwell	30~6	Davenport, IA
23	Roy Nelson	13~3	Las Vegas, NV
24	Junior dos Santos	7~1	Bahia, Brazil
25	Justin McCully	9~4~2	Maui, HI
26	Antoni Hardonk	8~4	Weesp, Holland
27	Ricco Rodriguez	34~10	Phoenix, AZ
28	Jake O’Brien	10~2	Indianapolis, IN
29	Marcio Cruz	4~2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
30	Michael Russow	11~1	Chicago, IL
31	Shane Carwin	10~0	Denver, CO
32	Brett Rogers	7~0	Minneapolis, MN
33	Mu Bae Choi	8~3	Seoul, South Korea
34	Dave Herman	13~1	Bloomington, IN
35	Travis Wiuff	53~12	Rochester, MN
36	Eddie Sanchez	8~3	Temecula, CA
37	Patrick Barry	4~0	Milwaukee, WI
38	Semmy Schilt	26~14~1	Zuidlaren, Holland	K-1 Champion
39	Gilbert Yvel	35~13~1	Amsterdam, Holland
40	Mark Hunt	5~5	New Zealand
41	Roger Gracie	2~0	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
42	Hidehiko Yoshida	8~6~1	Obu, Japan
43	Ron Waterman	15~6~2	Greeley, CO
44	Kazuyuki Fujita	15~7	Funabashi, Japan
45	Yoshihiro Nakao	7~2	Japan
46	Kevin Randleman	17~12	Columbus, OH
47	Mario Rinaldi	7~3	Port St. Lucie, FL
48	Todd Duffee	4~0	Coconut Creek, FL
49	Sang Soo Lee	10~5	South Korea
50	Assuerio Silva	14~7	Parana, Brazil

205 Rankings (January, 2009)

 

1	Rashad Evans	13~0~1	Albuquerque, NM	UFC Champion
2	Lyoto Machida	14~0	Belem, Brazil
3	Forrest Griffin	16~5	Athens, GA
4	Quinton Jackson	29~7	Irvine, CA
5	Dan Henderson	23~7	Temecula, CA
6	Chuck Liddell	21~6	San Luis Obispo, CA
7	Keith Jardine	14~4~1	Albuquerque, NM
8	Luis Cane	9~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
9	Rogerio Nogueira	16~3	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
10	Renato Sobral	32~7	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Strikeforce Champion
11	Wanderlei Silva	32~9~1	Las Vegas, NV
12	Mauricio Rua	17~3	Curitiba, Brazil
13	Jon Jones	8~0	Endicott, NY
14	Anderson Silva	22~4	Curitiba, Brazil
15	Tito Ortiz	15~6~1	Huntington Beach, CA
16	Rich Franklin	24~4	Cincinnatti, OH
17	Thiago Silva	13~1	Sao Paulo, Brazil
18	Stephan Bonnar	11~5	Chicago, IL
19	Eric Schafer	11~3~2	Milwaukee, WI
20	Goran Reljic	8~0	Zadar, Croatia
21	James Irvin	14~5	Sacramento, CA
22	Matt Hamill	5~2	Utica, NY
23	Sokoudjou	5~4	Temecula, CA
24	Vladimir Matyushenko	21~4	Retchisa, Belarus
25	Brandon Vera	9~3	San Diego, CA
26	Jason Lambert	23~9	Long Beach, CA
27	Mike Whitehead	20~6	Salt Lake City, UT
28	Tim Boetsch	8~2	Sunbury, PA
29	Steve Cantwell	7~1	Las Vegas, NV
30	Houston Alexander	8~4	Omaha, NE
31	Kazuhiro Nakamura	12~8	Tokyo, Japan
32	Rafael Cavalcante	7~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
33	Brian Stann	6~1	Scranton, PA
34	Doug Marshall	9~3	Visalia, CA
35	Glover TeixeIra	6~2	Arroyo Grande, CA
36	Muhammad Lawal	3~0
37	Jason Brilz	16~1~1	Omaha, NE
38	Emanuel Newton	11~3~1		Maximum FC Champion
39	Ryan Bader	8~0	Tempe, AZ
40	Mark Coleman	15~9	Columbus, OH
41	Bobby Southworth	9~6
42	Reese Andy	7~3	Renton, WA
43	Andre Gusmao	5~1	Goiania, Brazil
44	Tomasz Drwal	15~2	San Diego, CA
45	David Heath	7~4	Tulsa, OK
46	Jamal Patterson	4~2	Hoboken, NJ

185 Rankings (January, 2009)

 

1	Anderson Silva	23~4	Curitiba, Brazil	UFC Champion
2	Rich Franklin	24~4	Cincinnatti, OH
3	Jorge Santiago	21~7	Coconut Creek, FL	Sengoku Champion
4	Dan Henderson	23~7	Tecmecula, CA
5	Robbie Lawler	18~4	Granite City, IL
6	Thales Leites	14~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7	Nathan Marquardt	27~8~2	Denver, CO
8	Gegard Mousasi	24~2~1	Armenia	DREAM GP Champion
9	Yushin Okami	23~4	Kanagawa, Japan
10	Yoshihiro Akiyama	12~1	Osaka, Japan
11	Frank Trigg	18~6	Rochester, NY
12	Demian Maia	9~0	Sao Paulo, Brazil	ADCC Champion
13	Ronaldo Souza	10~2	Manaus, Brazil
14	Michael Bisping	17~1	Manchester, England
15	Vitor Belfort	18~8	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
16	Kazuo Misaki	21~9~2	Chiba, Japan
17	Jason Miller	21~6	Las Vegas, NV
18	Patrick Cote	13~5	Quebec City, Canada
19	Chael Sonnen	21~9~1	West Linn, OR
20	Paulo Filho	16~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
21	Joey Villasenor	26~6	Albuqurque, NM
22	Wilson Gouveia	12~5	Coconut Creek, FL
23	Cung Le	6~0	San Jose, CA	Strikeforce Champion
24	Benji Radach	18~4	Castlerock, WA
25	Rousimar Palhares	9~2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26	Scott Smith	14~5	Elk Grove, CA
27	Alan Belcher	14~5	Biloxi, MS
28	Jason MacDonald	21~11	Edmonton, Canada
29	Matt Lindland	21~6	Eagle Creek, OR
30	Denis Kang	31~11~1	Vancouver, Canada
31	Murilo Rua	16~9~1	Curitiba, Brazil
32	Dean Lister	11~6	San Diego, CA
33	Jeremy Horn	80~19~5	Salt Lake City, UT
34	Frank Shamrock	24~9~1	Santa Monica, CA
35	Ricardo Almeida	9~3	Hamilton, NJ
36	Trevor Prangley	18~5	Cape Town, South Africa
37	Amar Suloev	24~7	Kalinin City, Armenia
38	Chris Leben	18~5	Oahu, HI
39	Melvin Manhoef	23~5~1	Amsterdam, Netherlands
40	Kendall Grove	9~5	Maui, HI
41	Travis Lutter	9~5	Fort Worth, TX
42	Ed Herman	14~7	Portland, OR
43	Marvin Eastman	15~9~1	Las Vegas, NV
44	Jorge Rivera	15~7	Milford, MA
45	Jason Day	17~6	Lethbridge, Canada
46	David Loiseau	18~8	Montreal, Canada
47	Dan Miller	10~1	Whippany, NJ
48	Terry Martin	18~6	Chicago, IL
49	Joe Doerksen	41~12	Winnipeg, Canada
50	Falaniko Vitale	26~9	Honolulu, HI
51	Nate Quarry	10~3	Gresham, OR
52	Ryo Kawamura	9~3~2	Japan	Pancrase Champion
53	Kazuhiro Nakamura	13~9	Tokyo, Japan
54	CB Dolloway	8~1	Tempe, AZ
55	Mike Massenzio	11~3	Paterson, NJ
56	Drew McFedries	7~5	Bettendorf, IA
57	Cory DeVela	9~2	Bonney Lake, WA
58	Yuki Sasaki	22~15~1	Japan
59	Joe Riggs	28~11	Pheonix, AZ
60	Ryan Jensen	13~5	Omaha, NE
61	Keiichiro Yamamiya	34~23~9	Kanagawa, Japan
62	Zelg Galesic	9~4	Pula, Croatia
63	Taiei Kin	3~3	Amagasaki, Japan
64	Andrews Nakahara	1~1	Brazil
65	Matt Horwich	22~11~1	Gresham, OR
66	Amir Sadolloh	1~0	Richmond, VA
67	Dong Sik Yoon	4~6	Seoul, South Korea
68	Kiyoshi Tamura	33~13~2	Okayama, Japan
69	Ryan McGivern	13~6	Bettendorf, IA
70	Ivan Salaverry	12~6	Seattle, WA
71	Tim Kennedy	9~2	San Luis Obispo, CA
72	Tim Credeur	11~2	Breaux Bridge, LA
73	Fabio Nascimento	8~4	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
74	Kala Hose	7~2	Waianae, Hawaii	Icon Sport Champion
75	Alessio Sakara	13~7	Miami, FL
76	Jake Rosholt	5~0	Las Vegas, NV
77	Rob Kimmons	21~4	Liberty, MO
78	Nissen Osterneck	5~1	Myrtle Beach, SC
79	Bryan Baker	8~1	Victorville, CA
80	Kalib Starnes	9~3~1	Surrey, Canada

170 Rankings (January, 2009)

 

1	Georges St-Pierre	17~2	Montreal, Canada	UFC Champion
2	Thiago Alves	16~3	Coconut Creek, FL
3	Jon Fitch	17~3	San Jose, CA
4	Josh Koscheck	12~3	Fresno, CA
5	Diego Sanchez	19~2	San Diego, CA
6	Jake Shields	22~4~1	San Jose, CA
7	Matt Hughes	42~7	Hillsboro, IL
8	Karo Parisyan	18~5	North Hollywood, CA
9	Matt Serra	9~5	Long Island, NY
10	Mike Swick	13~2	San Jose, CA
11	Marcus Davis	16~4	Bangor, ME
12	Carlos Condit	23~4	Alburqurque, NM	WEC Champion
13	Dustin Hazelett	12~4	Cincinnati, OH
14	Chris Lytle	26~17~5	Indianapolis, IN
15	Anthony Johnson	6~2	Los Angeles, CA
16	Brad Blackburn	14~9~1	Olympia, WA
17	Nick Thompson	36~10~1	Minneapolis, MN	MFC Champion
18	Jay Hieron	16~4	Long Island, NY
19	Yoshiyuki Yoshida	10~3	Tokyo, Japan
20	Dan Hardy	20~6	Nottingham, England
21	Pete Sell	8~4	Westbury, NY
22	Akihiro Gono	28~13~7	Saitama, Japan
23	Hector Lombard	17~2~1	Sydney, Australia
24	Brock Larson	23~2	Costa Mesa, CA
25	Chris Wilson	14~4	Portland, OR
26	Luigi Fioravanti	14~4	Orlando, FL
27	Ryo Chonan	15~9	Yamagata, Japan
28	Kevin Burns	7~2	Des Moines, IA
29	Josh Burkman	18~8	Salt Lake City, UT
30	Roan Carneiro	12~8	Atlanta, GA
31	Mike Pierce	6~1
32	Delson Heleno	13~5	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
33	Paul Daley	19~7~2	Nottingham, England
34	Jonathan Goulet	22~10	Victoriaville, Canada
35	David Baron	16~3	Paris, France
36	Hayato Sakurai	34~8~2	Tokyo, Japan
37	Antonio McKee	21~3~2	Lakewood, CA
38	Tamdan McCrory	9~2	Cortland, NY
39	Akira Kikuchi	16~4	Tokyo, Japan
40	Mark Miller	8~4	Chicago, IL
41	Kuniyoshi Hironaka	12~5	Tokyo, Japan
42	Brian Foster	8~3
43	Nathan Coy	5~1		Sportfight Champion
44	Tony DeSouza	10~4	Lima, Peru
45	Paul Kelly	7~1	Liverpool, England
46	Paul Taylor	9~4~1	Walsall, England
47	Daniel Acacio	16~6	Brazil
48	John Alessio	24~12	Vancouver, Canada
49	Forrest Petz	14~6	Cleveland, OH
50	Ben Saunders	7~0~2	Orlando, FL
51	Alex Serdyukov	8~4	Moscow, Russia
52	Luis Santos	30~4	Belem, Brazil
53	Rory Markham	16~4	Bettendorf, IA
54	Pat Healy	19~13	St. Louis, MS	Maximum FC Champion
55	TJ Grant	13~2	Dartmouth, Canada
56	Edgar Garcia	7~0	Yuma, AZ
57	Dong Hyun Kim	11~0~1	Busan, South Korea
58	Carlo Prater	23~6~1	Houston, TX
59	Ryan Ford	8~1	Edmonton, Canada
60	Matt Brown	8~7	Cincinnati, OH
61	Martin Kampmann	14~2	Las Vegas, NV
62	Danillo Villefort	9~2	Coconut Creek, FL
63	Hiromitsu Miura	9~6	Tokyo, Japan
64	Richard Villes	4~3
65	Drew Fickett	36~8	Tuscan, AZ
66	Renato Verissimo	7~5	Hilo, HI
67	Dennis Hallman	40~12~2	Yelm, WA
68	Jeremy Jackson	9~5	Port Hueneme, CA
69	Luke Cummo	6~6	Long Island, NY
70	Tom Speer	10~3	Elgin, MN
71	Steve Bruno	12~4	Coconut Creek, FL
72	John Hathaway	10~0	Brighton, England
73	Brett Cooper	8~4	Lakewood, CA
74	Jesse Lennox	10~1	Bettendorf, IA

155 Rankings (January, 2009)

 

1	B.J. Penn	13~4~1	Hilo, HI	UFC Champion
2	Joachim Hansen	19~7~1	Oslo, Norway	DREAM GP Champion
3	Shinya Aoki	19~3	Japan
4	Kenny Florian	11~3	Boston, MA
5	Eddie Alvarez	15~2	Philadelphia, PA
6	Sean Sherk	33~3~1	Oak Grove, MN
7	Gesias Calvancanti	14~2~1	Coconut Creek, FL
8	Josh Thomson	16~2	San Jose, CA	Strikeforce Champion
9	Satoru Kitaoka	24~8~9	Nari, Japan	Sengoku Champion
10	Gray Maynard	6~0	Las Vegas, NV
11	Tatsuya Kawajiri	22~5~2	Inashiki, Japan
12	Caol Uno	25~11~4	Kanagawa, Japan
13	Frank Edgar	9~1	Tom Rivers, NJ
14	Mitsuhiro Ishida	17~4~1	Tsukuba, Japan
15	Vitor Ribeiro	19~2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
16	Gilbert Melendez	14~2	San Francisco, CA
17	KJ Noons	7~2	San Diego, CA
18	Hermes Franca	19~7	Jupiter, FL
19	Eiji Mitsuoka	15~6~2	Japan
20	Tyson Griffin	12~2	Las Vegas, NV
21	Joe Stevenson	29~9	Victoriaville, CA
22	Nick Diaz	18~7	Stockton, CA
23	Sergey Golyaev	12~7	Russia
24	Takanori Gomi	29~5	Tokyo, Japan
25	Roger Huerta	20~2~1	Minneapolis, MN
26	Spencer Fisher	22~4	Bettendorf, IA
27	Clay Guida	24~9	Johnsburg, IL
28	Nate Diaz	10~2	Stockton, CA
29	Josh Neer	24~7~1	Bettendorf, IA
30	Din Thomas	20~8	Port St. Lucie, CA
31	Takashi Nakakura	10~2~1	Japan	Shooto Champion
32	Yusuke Endo	12~2~1	Japan
33	Rich Clementi	32~13~1	Sidell, LA
34	Jorge Masvidal	15~3	Miami, FL
35	Jim Miller	13~1	Whippany, NJ
36	Jamie Varner	16~2	Mesa, AZ	WEC Champion
37	Marcus Aurelio	16~7	Coconut Creek, FL
38	Joe Lauzon	17~4	Bridgewater, MA
39	Yves Edwards	34~15~1	Woodlands, TX
40	Terry Etim	11~2	Liverpool, England
41	Matt Wiman	10~4	Dallas, TX
42	Kurt Pellegrino	12~4	Jupiter, FL
43	Sam Stout	13~5~1	London, Canada
44	Hayato Sakurai	33~8~2	Tokyo, Japan
45	Andre Amade	6~3~1	Brazil
46	Rodrigo Damm	8~2	Brazil
47	Thiago Tavares	13~3	Florianopolis, Brazil
48	Koutetsu Boku	13~5~1	Japan
49	Gleison Tibau	15~6	Coconut Creek, FL
50	Mac Danzig	18~5~1	Los Angeles, CA
51	Donald Cerrone	9~1	Albuquerque, NM
52	Kazunori Yokota	8~2~3	Japan
53	Ganjo Tentsuku	9~3~2	Japan
54	Mizuto Hirota	10~3	Japan
55	Luiz Firmino	12~4	Brazil
56	Rob Emerson	8~6	Irvine, CA
57	Chris Horodecki	10~1	London, Canada
58	Ronnys Torres	14~1	Brazil
59	Jeremy Stephens	14~3	Des Moines, IA
60	Ryan Schultz	20~11~1	Gresham, OR
61	Bart Palaszewski	30~11	Crystal Lakes, IL
62	Luiz Azeredo	12~8	Brazil
63	Deividas Taurosevicius	9~3	Lithuania
64	Manny Gamburyan	8~3	Hollywood, CA
65	Cole Miller	13~3	Coconut Creek, FL
66	Mark Bocek	6~2	Woodbridge, Canada
67	Efrain Escudero	11~0	Tempe, AZ
68	Rob McCullough	16~5	Huntington Beach, CA
69	Melvin Guillard	21~7~2	New Orleans, LA
70	Matt Grice	9~1	Harrah, OK
71	Jason Black	23~4~1	Bettendorf, IA
72	Rich Crunkilton	16~2	New Smyrna Beach, FL
73	John Gunderson	16~6	Medford, OR
74	Marcus Hicks	8~1	Dallas, TX
75	Yoshihiro Koyama	11~2~1	Japan
76	Alberto Crane	10~3	Glendale, CA
77	Seung Hwan Bang	5~2	South Korea	DEEP Champion
78	David Bielkheden	13~6	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
79	Kyle Bradley	13~6
80	Conor Heun	8~2
81	Phillipe Nover	5~1~1	Brooklyn, NY
82	Junie Browning	3~0	Las Vegas, NV
83	Muhsin Corbbrey	8~3~0
84	Sergio Gomez	8~2	Racine, WI
85	Per Eklund	14~3~1	Stockholm, Sweden
86	Nick Janowitz	3~0
87	Simon Marini	6~1	Hamilton, Canada
88	Jess Liaudin	12~11	London, England
89	Dan Lauzon	12~2	East Bridgewater, MA
90	Charles Bennett	21~14~2	Ocala, FL
91	Edson Berto	14~6~1	Orlando, FL

145 Rankings (January, 2009)

 

1	Mike Brown	20~4	Coconut Creek, FL	WEC Champion
2	Urijah Faber	22~2	Sacramento, CA
3	Leonard Garcia	12~3	Lubbock, TX
4	Dokonjonsuke Mishima	18~6~2	Osaka, Japan	DEEP Champion
5	Kid Yamamoto	17~1	Tokyo, Japan
6	Wagnney Fabiano	11~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7	Masakazu Imanari	15~6~1	Kanagawa, Japan	Cage Rage Champion
8	Takeshi Inoue	15~3	Japan	Shooto Champion
9	Yuji Hoshino	16~7~7	Tokyo, Japan	GCM Champion
10	Rafael Assuncao	12~1	Smyrna, GA
11	Hatsu Hioki	17~3~2	Nagoya, Japan	TKO Champion
12	Jose Aldo	13~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
13	Hideki Kadowaki	13~8~2	Chiba, Japan
14	L.C. Davis	13~1	Bettendorf, IA
15	Jens Pulver	22~11~1	Bettendorf, IA
16	Akitoshi Tamura	12~7~2	Osaka, Japan
17	Bao Quach	15~9~1	Irvine, CA
18	Akiyo Nishiura	9~3~1	Japan
19	Josh Grispi	12~1	Boston, MA
20	Cub Swanson	13~2	Palm Springs, CA
21	Marlon Sandro	12~0	Brazil	Pancrase Champion
22	Antonio Carvalho	10~4	Toronto, Canada
23	Hiroyuki Takaya	9~6~1	Chiba, Japan
24	Mark Hominick	16~8	London, Canada
25	Savant Young	9~8	Los Angeles, CA
26	Pequeno Nogueira	13~5~2	Brazil
27	Rani Yahya	12~4	San Diego, CA	ADCC Champion
28	Hiroshi Nakamura	5~3~3	Japan
29	Rumina Sato	24~13~2	Tokyo, Japan
30	Shintaro Ishiwatari	6~1~2	Japan
31	Wilson Reis	6~0	Philadelphia, PA
32	Tenkei Fujimiya	7~4~2	Japan
33	Micah Miller	10~2	Athens, GA