21 Dec 09 Junior dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel Official For UFC 108
Junior ‘Cigano’ dos Santos will be fighting Gilbert ‘The Hurricane’ Yvel. Junior dos Santos will face off with the Dutch knockout artist, Gilbert Yvel, on January 2 at UFC 108. Junior dos Santos, a Brazilian mixed martial artist, and a Brazilian Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion with an incredible 18-0 record; made his UFC fighting debut during UFC 90 beating Febricio Werdum by KO. He has steadily been building his name as a top heavyweight with heavy hands, as he has TKO’ed up and comer Stefan Struve and Mixed Martial Arts legend Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic. Gibert Yvel, a defensve muay thai striker, has a MMA record consisting of 51 fights and a record of 36 wins, 13 losses, 1 draw and 1 no contest. Known for his signature move, “the flying knee”, Yvel has a a reputation for poor sportsmanship and bad conduct, most recently known for an incident in 2004 where Yvel punched a referee in the head and kicked him after the ref had hit the ground. With the knowledge of Gilbert Yvel’s known muay thai fighting style, dos Santos was quoted as saying, “I think that his weak spot is the ground,” and has been training with PRIDE and UFC legends, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, on his ground game. Dos Santos also stated “It’s gonna be a great fight, and if he’s prepared it’s gonna be a war, because I’m with Rogério training with Bahia’s fighters. I’ll be prepared for this fight. We never know how it’s gonna end, but I’ll try the knock out, that’s what I like to do. I’ll exchange with him”. This is going to be an excellent fight. Both fighters are known Knockout Artists, so we may see a truly epic fight between these heavy-handed heavyweights. |
15 Dec 09 Sanchez Doesn’t Give Up in Loss to Penn
Diego Sanchez may not have gotten the best of B.J. Penn at UFC 107, but his toughness and heart showed through despite the one-sided loss. At the FedExForum, in Memphis, Tennessee, Diego Sanchez lasted four and a half rounds with the most dominant lightweight champion in UFC history, before a massive gash on the left side of his head forced the ring-side doctor to call the fight. Sanchez is known for his strong chin, strong will, and crazy stamina, but this time it wasn’t enough for him to beat a man that hasn’t lost at lightweight in what is soon to be eight years. Most of the fight, it seemed like the fighters were in a different class, but despite the gap in class that night, Diego still went after Penn as hard as he could. Diego fans knew it was going to be a long night as soon as B.J. knocked him down with a straight right in the opening minute of the first round. While on the ground, B.J. unleashed relentless fists that fans thought would get the fight called. but, Sanchez rolled out of it and avoided a few punches that could have dropped him. The next three rounds were a little more competitive, as Diego looked to take the fight to the ground, but never succeeded. Mid-way through the fifth and final round, Diego was hit with the gash opening head kick, followed by a flurry of uppercuts and a couple knees. Once they separated, the doctor was called in, and he called the fight. B.J. Penn said of Diego, “He recovers very well. I hit him with some big shots. He recovered quick and kept going.” At the end of the fight, Diego was bleeding from his right ear, both of his eyes were almost swollen shut, his lip was split in two places, and he had possibly been fighting with a broken nose since the third round. Dana White said, “I think his nose is broken. I don’t even know how Diego kept coming forward. He’s a tough kid, man. I’m almost positive his nose was broken by the third round.” This was Diego’s first loss at lightweight, and it was to possibly the best lightweight to ever fight. With the determination and heart that he showed, we will see Diego in the ring soon, fighting his way back to another shot at being on top. |
03 Dec 09 Diego Sanchez vs. B.J. Penn at UFC 107
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‘Diego Wants B.J.’s Belt!’ The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale Winner Diego ‘Nightmare’ Sanchez looks to get his first UFC championship belt as he takes on B.J. ‘The Prodigy’ Penn. On Saturday, December 12, 2009, American and Bad Boy fighter Diego Sanchez (23-2-0) will be fighting fellow American and Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn (14-5-1) in the main even of the evening, at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. Diego Sanchez started training for MMA when he got out of high school. Starting off his MMA career at a perfect 12-0, Diego didn’t make his UFC debut until he was chosen as a participant on The Ultimate Fighter, which he won as a middleweight. After the show, Diego dropped to welterweight, his hard hands, wrestling skills and unquestioned amount of stamina got him five more wins until losing to top contenders Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. He made his lightweight debut against Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson and won by unanimous decision. He would later go on to beat Clay Guida by split decision, which is up for Fight of the Year, before getting the chance at the lightweight belt. Diego certainly won’t have an easy time with this match, as he faces a man that hasn’t been beat at 155 lbs. for almost eight years. While defeating people that had been training jiu jitsu their entire lives, Penn became the first non-brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, after only three years of training in jiu jitsu. With these jiu jitsu skills and a pair of heavy hands, Penn has been ruling the Lightweight division.
Diego will go into the fight with a height and reach advantage. His conditioniing will be at the very least the same as B.J.’s, with the potential to be way greater, while his striking has the potential to match Penn’s. But can his wrestling and jiu jitsu match B.J.’s? Only this potential relentless onslaught will tell. This is going to be a great fight. Both fighters have that hunger about them, and they both have the tendency to put on great shows. This is a fight that could win Knockout or Submission of the night and Fight of the Night, not to mention the possiblity for Fight of the Year in 2010. |
20 Oct 09 Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua vs. Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida
‘Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua vs. Lyoto Machida: Battle for the Light Heavyweight Championship’ Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua (18-3-0) will be looking to take the title away from Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida (15-0-0). On October 24, 2009, Brazilian fighter, Shogun Rua will be going up against Lyoto Machida on the main card of UFC 104, on pay-per-view or at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California. Shogun Rua (27) started off as a vale tudo (anything goes) fighter in Brazil, where he won his first three matches. After trying his luck in the IFC, he went on to fight in the Pride Fighting Championship where he ended up becoming the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion. On his way to becoming the champ, Shogun beat the likes of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Alistair Overeem. However, this fight may be his toughest fight yet, as he faces the hard-to-hit and undefeated champion, Lyoto Machida. After Shogun’s second loss, to UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, he went on a string of victories, and many experts considered him as the top light heavyweight in the world going into his UFC debut. He lost his UFC debut to the former Light Heavyweight Champion, Forrest Griffin, but is now coming out of a first round TKO on Chuck Liddell. Shogun is an extremely good striker, with the power in his hands and legs to end the fight with one hit. He is considered by many to be the best fighter to come out of the Chute Boxe academy, which is possibly the best Muay Thai training academy. Both fighters have promised that this will be a battle of styles. Both are very well rounded in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; however, Shogun is a Muay Thai fighter and Lyoto is a Karate based fighter. In one corner, Lyoto will be looking to keep his undefeated streak alive. While in the other corner, Shogun will be looking to keep a different streak alive, as the Light Heavyweight title has not been successfully defended since a 2007 bout between Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Dan Henderson. This fight is shaping up to be one of the best of the year, if not the best.
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