UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans

[jmt225]

Main card

• Light Heavyweight bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
• Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller
• Heavyweight bout: Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
• Light Heavyweight bout: Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz
• Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

• Welterweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Dong Hyun Kim
• Lightweight bout[/i]: Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon

Preliminary Card (Non-televised)

• Lightweight bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Thiago Tavares
• Light Heavyweight bout: Luiz Arthur Cane vs. Cyrille Diabaté
• Lightweight bout: Aaron Riley vs. Joe Brammer
• Middleweight bout: Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen

......................................................................................​

Man, did this card take a blow from Forrest Griffin's injury. It's still a really good card, but man... they needed something other than Rampage vs. Rashad to draw.

Anyways, on to Rampage vs. Rashad... impossible fight to call. It really depends on what kind of shape Rampage is in. If he's in great shape (he claims to be in the best shape he's ever been in), then he will win this fight. Rampage will be able to stop Rashad's takedowns (people forget just how good Rampage's wrestling is), and keep it on the feet, and of course... Rampage is much superior to Rashad striking wise. But, if Rampage is out of shape, then he will gas after the first round and Rashad will lay 'n pray his way to victory. Nevertheless, it's a fun fight and I'm definitely looking forward to the build up to it.

Michael Bisping's fights are usually exciting no matter who he's facing. Even if you think he's the biggest douchebag in the World, you have to admit that much. And this should be no exception. Dan Miller's only UFC losses are against Damien Maia and Chael Sonnen, and neither of them were able to finish him, so he's a very good, well-rounded fighter. Bisping is exactly the same way: Well rounded, and his only losses being to top fighters. So, yeah... it should be interesting to see how this one turns out and who compels himself to a contender spot, and who falls off the face of the Earth. My money is on Bisping taking it, but I will not be surprised if it goes the other way.

I think everybody's been anticipating Todd Duffee's 2nd fight in the UFC, when his first one ended up setting a new UFC record for fastest knockout, when Duffee beat Tim Hague in just 7 seconds. I don't know much about his opponent Mike Russow other than him having a very impressive record 12-1-1, so I'm not sure what to expect, but I'll be rooting for Duffee to continue his success. He seems like a cool guy and could end up being a very good, exciting fighter.

Lil' Nog should cruise through Jason Brilz no problem. Brilz seems like a pretty good fighter, but I've seen nothing from him that would suggest he is anywhere near Lil' Nog's league. And hopefully I'm right because it'd be a shame to see Lil' Nog's momentum get stopped by someone like Brilz.

As I've let it be known here a thousand times before, I am a HUGE fan Diego Sanchez, and his fight is perhaps the one I'm most looking forward to on the card. It's against John Hathaway, who is undefeated and has looked really good in his first 3 UFC fights. However, Diego should still take this one. Diego's too experienced and well-rounded to let this guy come out of nowhere and make a name for himself against him. Diego should win here in impressive fashion, and start working his way back up the Welterweight ladder (I still want to see Diego vs. Koscheck III, damn it).

Amir Sadollah... always fun to watch him fight. Should be no different here against perhaps his toughest opponent to date, Kim Dong-hyun. Very much looking forward to this one and I'm super glad Spike decided to air it for free. Should be a great fight, and hopefully Amir can find a way to get past him and continue his winning ways. It won't be easy though.

Efrain Escudero's fight would interest me more if it were against Joe Lauzon instead of Dan Lauzon, but meh... should be a good fight nonetheless. Efrain should take this one pretty easily.

And it's a shame to see Luiz Cane so low on the Undercard. I don't get that at all. Losing to Lil' Nog automatically makes you a bum unworthy of fighting on the main card? I don't think so. Nevertheless, hopefully he can get the victory here in impressive fashion and show the UFC that he doesn't belong that far down the totem pole.

 

[Mr. Steve]

Oh man, Rampage vs. Evans. We finally get to see these two back up their shit talking. I've been waiting for that fight since Jardine/Jackson's post fight interview.


Then after that came the TUF: heavyweight season, and it just made me wait for the fight. As to who's gonna take it, It's as you said. If Jackson is well-rested and in good shape, he's got a shot at taking it. Both got some wrestling to them, but Jackson's got an advantage in his striking. That dude can bang. Personally, I want the fight to go the distance. That, and I want to see Rashad do the things he said he was going to do (I.E. Make him quit)

And now one more clip of them facing off in TUF. This is just awesome to watch.


The other fight that had my attention was Griffin/Lil' Nog. Sadly, it's not going to happen, and it's Lil' Nog/Brilz. I got a feeling that Lil' Nog's gonna take this one. Hopefully, Griffin can rest up, and see him on another fight later this year. What can I say, I'm a griffin fan.

 

[Henry Hill]

Man I am so ready for Rashad and Rampage. Its one the MMA watching community has been waiting for for a long time. I'm from Albuquerque, where Jackson's MMA is located, and Rashad trains, although I'm a big Rampage fan. I'm super torn in this fight as I've got hometown ties to root for Rashad, and Rampage is one of my favorite fighters. As far as a prediction goes, I've gotta say Rampage may have some "cage rust" since it's been so damn long since he fought, and though Rashad had a long layoff between his loss to Machida and win against Silva, I think both guys will show up ready to go as the dislike between the two is very real. I gotta take Rampage by KO, however, that guy has good takedown defense and just loves to punch. I am not really wowed by any other fight on this card except seeing Diego fight. I was really disappointed that he lost to Penn in the way he did, so hopefully back at welterweight Diego can regain some of his swagger. I would've loved to see Nog v. Griffin, but of course injuries changed that. Oh well, I'll probably still get this PPV.

 

[SalvIsWin]

I am completely indifferent to this card. I feel that Jackson vs Evans isn't a main event caliber match-up. Jackson is coming off of a lengthy lay-off and the sizzle that this match-up had from the last Ultimate Fighter has subsided. The UFC is trying to re-ignite that in the previews and promotions, but I am simply uninterested at this point. I am never interested in seeing Michael Bisping fight, and the only redeeming quality would have been to see little Nogueria fight a game Forrest Griffin. I think little Nog wins that fight any where it goes, but now it's versus Jason Brillz. I don't think I will do any thing for the card other than check out the live results

 

[kingdirrtysouth1]

Like Henry Hill, I'm torn on the RAMPAGE/EVANS fight. I was so disappointed when this fight canceled the first time! I'm a huge fan of both of them. It would have been so much bigger if had taken place when it was supposed with all the tension between then during TUF last season. All that shit talking went out the window. But, it's back on now & I'm ready to see them go at it! Can Rashad turn Quinton Jackson int Quittin' Jackson?

 

[jmt225]

[YOUTUBE]0jYbcajSsB4[/YOUTUBE]​

So, yeah... these two are back at it again.

I figured since the only enjoyable thing about The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 was the trash talk between Rampage and Rashad, that people would enjoy to hear these two go back at it again. I thought on the show (TUF), that Rashad got the better of Rampage on most of the exchanges when it came to the back-and-forth bickering, but in this video I have to give the edge to Rampage. But they both act so fucking childish; it's beyond hilarious, but it also makes you anticipate the fight that much more.

I just hope Rashad really doesn't believe everything he's harping in that video, otherwise he is severely underestimating Rampage, and if he does that... there is no doubt in my mind that Rashad will get KTFO come UFC 114.

 

[xAsianRejectx]

I know what yoo mean JMT. These two bicker like a couple of 7th graders, but it's so damn hilarious. I laugh so hard when these two go at it, I love it. Rampage has to be the funniest fighter ever. I love his weird antics and commnets. he whole card looks promising, but I'm definetly anticipating Rampage Vs. Rashad. Who isn't really? A lot of people talk about hype in MMA, and the UFC has put two of their top hype machines up against eachother! Dana White doesn't even have to advertise thise fight, Rampage and Rashad are pretty much doing that for him. I remember all those arguments and banter they did on TUF. That shit was absolutely brilliant! Though, I did sense a very teeny, tiny feeling of bond between them. I got that from their small friendly banter they did on TUF. But Obviously they hate eachother to pieces. I can't wait for the 29th. I don't even care how it turns out, the hype has been entertaining enough.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Funny enough, so many fight fans were pissed when this one got pushed off do to Rampage's role at B.A. Barakus in the A-Team remake (which looks great, BTW), even saying they felt the fight may be called off. Instead, we ended up with even more anticipation.

I hope Rashad beats Rampage. I've always been a Sugar Evans fan, I think he's a class guy and a great face for the sport. I don't feel the same about Rampage, though he grew on me with his sense of humor on TUF 10 (which to Rampage seemed little more than a video resume to Hollywood). I'll be tuned in and very excited.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Cant say this interests me enough to buy independently, like the last one did.

Educate me if im wrong, but aren't both guys basically ***** who talk a lot of shit but who in recent history have lost at least one or multiple big fights? If both were undefeated or something, I may have some interest, but not like this.

Although I have heard Bisping and Nogeira are pretty good, so if the Triad wants to gather, I may be up for that.....otherwise though, not enough interest for a casual fan such as myself to pay for....

 

[Via Armbar]

Cant say this interests me enough to buy independently, like the last one did.

Educate me if im wrong, but aren't both guys basically ***** who talk a lot of shit but who in recent history have lost at least one or multiple big fights? If both were undefeated or something, I may have some interest, but not like this.

Although I have heard Bisping and Nogeira are pretty good, so if the Triad wants to gather, I may be up for that.....otherwise though, not enough interest for a casual fan such as myself to pay for....

I'll start off by saying that is very rare for two fighters who are both undefeated to face off against each other. Especially bigger name fighters.

Rashad has always been a cocky bastard. Whether or not that's a big deal just a difference in opinions. Personally I never really cared that Evans was cocky because he was still respectful and the same could be said about Rampage. Jackson has always talked a lot of shit but in a much more playful manner. This is the first time I've seen either in an extremely heated fight. Well outside of Rampage and Wandy who both legitimately hate each other. If these two had gotten along and there was no back and forth between them then honestly the fight wouldn't be half as anticipated as it is. With both men looking better than they ever have though, it should be interesting.

The last fight that Rampage lost was to Forrest Griffin almost two years ago. A lot of people felt like he won that fight and Griffin was given a gift decision. Other than that controversial decision he hasn't lost a fight since being losing by tko to Shogun in 2005. Rashad's last and only career loss was to Lyoto Machida around this time last year. He has since beaten Thiago Silva. So neither men are on a losing streak or anything and this fight is going to determine who will fight Shogun for the LHW title next.

Bisping is going to be a career gate keeper and I can guarantee you that. He is a decent fighter but has extremely overrated striking and a sub par ground game. Nogueira is an awesome striker. Many say he is in the top three strikers at LHW and you can look back on some of his past knockouts and understand why people feel that way. I was much more looking forward to him fighting Forrest but Brilz might be more game than some give him credit for. The undercard has a decent amount of interesting fights on it. I really like Sadollah and Sanchez is always entertaining.

If you plan on trying to watch more mma NorCal this would be a good card to catch because it features a supporting cast of fighters.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Rashad has always been a cocky bastard. Whether or not that's a big deal just a difference in opinions. Personally I never really cared that Evans was cocky because he was still respectful and the same could be said about Rampage. Jackson has always talked a lot of shit but in a much more playful manner. This is the first time I've seen either in an extremely heated fight. Well outside of Rampage and Wandy who both legitimately hate each other. If these two had gotten along and there was no back and forth between them then honestly the fight wouldn't be half as anticipated as it is. With both men looking better than they ever have though, it should be interesting.

The last fight that Rampage lost was to Forrest Griffin almost two years ago. A lot of people felt like he won that fight and Griffin was given a gift decision. Other than that controversial decision he hasn't lost a fight since being losing by tko to Shogun in 2005. Rashad's last and only career loss was to Lyoto Machida around this time last year. He has since beaten Thiago Silva. So neither men are on a losing streak or anything and this fight is going to determine who will fight Shogun for the LHW title next.

Ok see, this clears things up for me better, thanks Armbar. The way I saw it, it was basically two guys who were all yap and no tap (I just made that up, score)...As in, two guys who talk a lot of shit based on past accomplishment, and not current sport dominance. The only thing worse than s hit talker is a shit talked who is in no place to be talking shit.

Being as this is somewhat of a number one contender fight, I am a bit more interested. Before I thought it was just capitlizing on two charismatic guys who talked a lot of trash on each other during TUF, not any actual contention or meaning. Now that I know its otherwise, then I may be more apt to check it out. In fact, this has moved from "dont care at all" territory into "Ill definately watch if I have nothing else awesome going on"....one step below "going out of my way to see it"......Hm, we shall see

 

[Minor League Brian]

Also Norcal, these 2 (though I hate Evans and Rampage has been out of the game for a little while) are considered 2 of the best in the LHW division. I mean, Rampage is just a powerhouse and was able to create one of the greatest knockouts I've ever seen.

[youtube]EOJAj-Zbu9c[/youtube]

And as much as I hate Rashad, the guy just gets better every fight. In some aspect. My only worry about this fight is that Rashad will take a lay and pray approach like he did with Thiago. My belief, though, is that if he does this Rampage's shit talking (which mind you, he isn't terrible on the ground either. But he's no GSP) will force him to stand up. In Evans' last fight, Thiago Silva started talking and it made Rashad stand up. He actually was rocked and almost lost the fight but Silva was already so gassed he wasn't able to finish it.

Either way, I'm pulling for Rampage in this. And it'll be nice to see Lil' Nog in action. I wish it had been Forrest, but I really didn't want to see Forrest get beat again. The man's just lost something after being dismantled by Silva.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

This was a big card back when it was Griffin/Nogueira as the co-main. And if that fight was still on for this card, this would have been the biggest card of the year. Nonetheless, this is still a very solid card, and it should be very entertaining.

Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway features Diego's first fight back in the Welterweight division. This is primarily supposed to be a fight to re-establish Diego as a top Welterweight, and I think he'll pick up from where he left off, being in the upper echelon, but not a true title contender. John Hathaway is in a position where it's too much for him right now. He's been steadily rising in the ranks, and he's a good prospect who if he continues being as successful as he has been, will someday be a fixture in the division as a future contender. However, he's just not experiecned enough, and Diego's only losses have come at the hands of top level fighters like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and BJ Penn. At this point in time, you can't consider Hathaway that level of a fighter, especially when he hasn't beaten anyone worth mentioning. Diego by decision.

Jason Brilz is a top level grappler, but I'm sure Nogueira won't let himself be Sokoudjou'ed again. He's tough, but Nogueira is a potential future champion, and he's so much better in every facet of MMA that I really can't see Brilz pulling off the upset of the century. I see Lil Nog making quick work of Brilz and getting a match against a top fighter in the division in the very near future.

Dan Miller vs. Michael Bisping is a fight that could very well wind up being fight of the night. This is a must win for both guys. Bisping will be out of the discussion for being considered one of the top fighters in the world entirely if he loses. Dan Miller will probably be cut if he loses.

I see Miller taking it here. I could see Bisping getting taken down at will. Bisping is British, which means he doesn't have much of a ground defense game, and Miller is an extremely skilled takedown artist and a hell of a wrestler. Bisping is a boxer, but he doesn't have the type of One-Punch KO power... leaving opportunities for Miller to take him down. I see Miller by decision.

Lastly, we have Rampage vs. Rashad. We know how good both fighters are. Rashad is primarily a wrestler with decent striking, and Rampage is all about power. And while Rashad's major selling point is how good a wrestler he is, Rampage's wrestling is also quite underrated, and Rashad really didn't have the best record when he wrestled at Michigan State. I see Rampage overpowering Rashad with the standup game and stuffing takedowns. I see a first round KO for Rampage. Machida was able to KO Rashad, and Thiago Silva, while completely gassed, was just about able to as well. Rampage will win in impressive fashion, and we'll get Rampage vs. Shogun II.

 

[Y4J]

Just got finished watching the fight.

Rashad took care of business. But that's what kinda upset me. I mean don't get me wrong, he won the fair and square, but with all the "I'm going to beat the shit out of him" kinda talk, I felt Rashad went in wanting to beat Rampage with a decision.

I think the first round shook Rampage up a bit in confidence, but after that is was Rashad take down attempt, and if it failed, held Rampage against the wall with lackluster dirty boxing until it was seperated, and then his ground and pound in the third did nothing to Rampage.

Bottom line. I felt Rashad wants the title, and just did what he could do to pass Rampage to get to it.

 

[Blue Chipper]

This was the first UFC ppv that I purchased, and despite absolutely hating the outcome of the main event, I thought it was an incredibly solid show.

I'll be honest, I wanted to see Rampage destroy Evans. He very well could have. He had Evans rolling but he didn't take advantage and, as the commentators were repeating, gave Rashad enough time to recover. Also, you have to consider other factors that were effecting Rampage, like cutting all that weight.

Rashad is undoubtedly a smart guy in the octagon. He fought to his strengths and dominated most of the fight by pushing him up against the cage and utilizing takedowns.

It was an enjoyable match, but the lack of a decisive win hurt it.

 

[Baller]

Rampage vs Evans was a good fight, nothing spectacular about it, but I am glad that I got to watch this card. Rampage was clearly rocked early on, and he lost all of his confidence, as when he had Rashad wobbling and could've won, he hesitated and let him recover.

Evans was the better fighter that night and deserved the win, but he needs to do better if he wants to have any chance against Shogun, as all he did was get Rampage on the cage and wear him down, but that will not work against Shogun.

My favorite match of the night was without a doubt, Nogueira vs Brills. Brills looked like he was having a blast out there, and which is why he put out such a great fight, as he knew he had everything to gain and nothing to lose in this fight. Coming into this match only a month ago, and to take "Little Nog" to the brink, and my opinion, Brills defeated Nogueira, as he completely outmatched him on the ground. Nogueira was a little off his game, but then again he had to completely change his gameplan when he found out Brills was his new opponent, but that was a great fight by both.

And Russow vs Duffey, I have never seen anything like that before. Duffey was a monster for 2 and 1/2 rounds, and Russow has one of the best jaws I have ever seen, as he was getting lit up, and never fell to the ground. Duffey looked like he was going to dominate, and just win by knockout again, or at least by decision because Russow never seemed to go down, but then out of nowhere, Russow throws one blow and IT IS ALL OVER!!!! I have never seen anything like that, and I probably never will again, Russow earned my respect for that one, and Duffey impressed me as well, and will definitely be a contender in the future.

Overall a good show, and I give it a 7/10.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I'm still not sure how I feel about this card, besides the fact that it was pretty surreal. I liked it. It won't go down as being the best of the year, but it was an entertaining card for the most part and it should be interesting to see how some of the divisions begin to play out now.

Very disappointed with the Rampage/Rashad fight. I kind of had a feeling Rashad would wind up beating Rampage going back to when the fight was supposed to happen at 107, but I kind of let my fanboy-ism for Rampage get in the way of predicting the fight. Rashad definitely deserved the win, and Rampage should have known that Rashad's wrestling was going to be a factor. What I don't get though is why Rampage was so hesitant in the third round to finish off Rashad when he was maybe 2 or 3 punches away from putting him away. Afterwards, he gave Rashad the opportunity to recover when he should have been doing everything he could to continue to rock Rashad.

Something very interesting came from the press conference when Rampage said Fox threatened to sue him if he lost the fight. I'm pretty sure they legally cannot do that, but it should be very interesting to see what comes from it. He gave Rashad his props, but said that the whole situation with the movie and Fox gave him some added pressure. Rampage also kept saying that he wished he "never did the damn movie". That's something to look out for, for sure.

Dan Miller fought a great fight. I thought he should have worked the takedowns despite Bisping saying he was ready for them. I don't like Bisping at all, and still don't think he's that good of a fighter, but give him credit in that his only three losses came to former champions in Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, and Wanderlei Silva (and Matt Hamill, but let's not go there). Miller's got a lot of shit going on in his life, and although the general rule of thumb is if you lose three in a row, you're cut... Miller doesn't deserve to be cut here. All he does is go out and fight his ass off. Losing to Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia, and Michael Bisping aren't the worst guys to be losing to either. Maia was good enough to fight for the title, Sonnen's good enough to be fighting for the title in August, and Bisping is extremely tough to put away. Dan Miller deserves another shot, and it would be a shame if the UFC did cut him, especially while Chris Leben undeservedly still has a job with the company.

Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee was a real boring fight, and a real mismatch on the surface between two guys who weighed 253 and yet had very different physiques. The knockout by Russow was amazing, and Homer Simpson-esque. I really hope that's the turn Russow's career takes when he just gets assaulted for 2-3 rounds and then one punch knocks out his opponent.

Jason Brilz deserves all the credit in the world. He won the last two rounds, and I think you could even make a case for the first. Just an amazing showing by him, and he showed that he absolutely deserved the fight, and that he absolutely deserves a place at the top of the division now. Just a great coming out fight for him. He also was very classy in defeat, telling the crowd not to boo Lil' Nog, which was disgusting on the audience's part to do. He wasn't judging the fight.

John Hathaway looked incredible defeating Diego Sanchez, who should really drop back down to Lightweight. Dana even came out and said that Diego doesn't belong in the Welterweight Division. He criticized Diego, saying that when Ken-Flo lost to BJ, he didn't quit. He pushed forward and worked his way back up, to the point where if he beats Gray Maynard, he'll get another title shot. Marquis and I were talking about Diego last night, and he made a great point saying that while Diego was always well-rounded, there was never one good thing he did that truly made him stand out. The sport keeps evolving, and as guys like Hathaway start emerging, he's only going to fall to the bottom of the division. I don't know where Diego goes from here, but he's even worse off than he was before this fight. He didn't even "YES!" this time either.

Sucks to be Dan Lauzon, who lost his family and now his UFC Career in the past two weeks.

And it sucks to be Luis Cane too. I never really bought into the hype of him being the next big thing in the division, because he hadn't really beaten anyone worth mentioning. Why was he considered a top 10 light-heavyweight when the people he had beaten (Jason Lambert, Sokoudjou, and Steve Cantwell) weren't even close to being top level fighters? I had picked Diabate to win this fight, and I'm glad I made the right call.

 

[jmt225]

Yeah, I'm with Guy... this show was just, well, it's hard to say. It was a decent show, but at the same time... for the pay-per-view buys I'm sure it had, I think most 'casual' fans who ordered the show walked away really disappointed last night.

Rampage vs. Rashad was exactly as I feared. Primetime and Rampage's mouth was able to fool me into thinking 'Page was in great shape and was going to slaughter Rashad, thus giving the people their money's worth. Well, I should have stuck with my initial feeling with this fight, in that it was going to be a snoozefest with 'Shad layin' and prayin' his way to victory. Rashad came into this fight to win... not to put on a show. You can say that's smart, or you can say that's chicken shit... either way, 'Shad won the fight fair and square and is now on his way to get his ass kicked against Shogun.

But, it was really a shame how the fight went. Rashad came out and right away caught Rampage... I was shocked that didn't give him more confidence to stand with Rampage and box with him a little more. Instead he was looking for the takedown and clinch from that point on the entire fight. I can't really argue against that though... like I said, it won him the fight, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

However, if Rampage was in shape, I think he would have won this fight. He fucking had it in the third round when he dropped 'Shad with that right hand, but he couldn't capitalize on it. If he had anything left in the tank, there's no doubt he could have fucking pounced 'Shad and put him away right then and there. Damn.... thinking about it, that fucking cost me the predictions contest. disappointed: lol

Anyways, with the exception of the very beginning and mid-way through the third, it was a very lame fight, that I'm sure a lot of people walked away from with a bad taste in their mouth. But whatever.... it just goes to show that Rampage can sell a fight like no other in MMA. I mean, everything in my body was telling me that there was no way this fight would turn out to be any good, but Rampage was able to make me think otherwise. Props to him for that I guess.

Enough with those two though...

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller... Man, I don't know what it is with Bisping. He does such a great job fucking his way to victory with tremendous footwork and allusiveness on the feet, but the dude always manages to get caught with something within the 15 minute time period. It cost him against both Hendo and Wandy, and it nearly cost him last night, but fortunately for him... even with his hardest shot landing square on the chin, Dan Miller just didn't have the punching power to put Bisping away with it.

Regardless, this was another good performance from Bisping, who again shows that he can beat all these guys on the tier of becoming contenders, but he can't get past that hump of beating actual contenders. It'll be real interesting to see who they'll match Bisping up against next.

Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow was a great fight I thought. Duffee came out and just completely dominated those first two rounds with his work on the stand-up. But, Russow showed a TON of heart and was able to stick around to give himself a shot in the third when he knew Duffee would be gassed (as most Heavyweights are by the time the 3rd Round rolls around), and he took full opportunity of it, knocking Duffee clean out with a beautiful right hand to the temple.

I thought it was a great performance by both. Duffee showed how talented he is in the first two rounds, while Russow showed his heart and toughness. Both of these guys I think will be great in the UFC Heavyweight Division, which seems to be getting more stacked with each passing day.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz was easily the fight of the night. As disappointed as everyone was that Forrest Griffin had to step out of the fight, Jason Brilz stepped in and gave everyone a great show. He looked fantastic, and perhaps should have won the fight.

I gave the first two rounds to Brilz, while the third to Lil' Nog, but I still don't think this was the travesty screwjob a lot of people are making it out to be. The fact is, an argument could be made for Lil' Nog that he won the first round. Would I personally agree with it? No, but regardless... a fair argument could be made and whenever that's the case, judging can go either way for that round. Rounds 2 and 3, there was no argument who won those rounds, but Round 1 was pretty close.

Anyways, hopefully there's a rematch for these two set-up. I don't think there's anything you could do with either of them until we get a rematch to see who was truly the better man between these two. But, I think both will stick around for a long time in the UFC Middleweight Division.

Diego Sanchez... fuck, he looked like shit. That's all there is to it. I don't want to comment any further on it. Damn.

I will give some props to Hathaway though. He fought a great fighter. This dude could definitely end up being a force to be reckon with in the future.

Dong Hyun Kim looked better than ever, completely dominating Amir Sadollah for three straight rounds. Amir is no joke, but Kim was just way too much for him. Kim was able to secure takedown after takedown, and control Amir while on top. I was really, really impressed with him. I can't wait to see more from him as the months go by. As far as Amir... he'll bounce back from this, for sure.

Efrain Escudero... no shocker in him dominating Dan Lauzon. Hopefully next we can see him against someone like Joe Lauzon, who there's no way in hell Efrain would be able to control like he did Dan. No way.

Luiz Cane... looks like his fight career is on a huge downfall. Funny when just a couple of months ago everyone, including myself, thought he was perhaps the next big thing in the Light Heavyweight Division.

And Melvin Guillard continues to find a way to keep himself in the UFC with another TKO win. Very impressive, but he'll never beat a top guy or anything close to it. He's still fun to watch though, no denying that.

Overall, like I said... it was a decent enough show, but nowhere near as spectacular as it was promised to be, especially the main event. But whatever... it is what it is. If you really expected some mind-blowing show, well, then you just don't know much about the UFC.

 

[Fizzy]

I think that the stare down in the main event was better than the actual fight. I had all my marbles on Page, and was screaming at the tv because I wanted him to win so bad. I was disappointed with him, and Lil Nog last night.

The main event was fairly good. Rashad hurt Rampage early, and it seemed as it Page never recovered from it. Page pretty much got dominated until he hurt Rashad in the third. That was when I really lost it. He had him so hurt, and was so close to finishing, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Fuck Page seriously learn to fucking train because you can beat anyone if you do. God just thinking about it pisses me off. Had he bull rushed Rashad when he got up I honestly believe we'd have Rampage/Shogun 2. However that did not happen. Congrats to Rashad he fought a good fight. Now we get to see you get completely tooled by Shogun.

Bisping/Miller was a great fight if you are a fan of Bisping. His boxing looked outstanding, and he pretty much dominated Miller. Miller landed a few nice shots but he barely rocked Bisping, and Bisping just looked great. I honestly thought Miller was going to look for the takedown much more, but he decided to stand with Bisping mostly which was a mistake.

Duffee/Russow was epic. Duffee was completely tooling Russow the entire fight, and I thought Duffee was going to keep it up. Turns out I was very wrong. That knockout was completely luck, and it sure was fucking awesome. I think Duffee could be very good one day if he doesn't gas. He looked great until that third round.

Fucking Jason Brilz looked amazing out there. I'm a HUGE Lil Nog fan, and I picked him to completely destroy Brilz but Brilz showed how much hard work, and taking a chance can do for you. He took almost took out one of the top LHW's in the world, and looked great doing so. The guy is awesome. I'm completely disappointed in Lil Nog. He really did not look anything like his normal self last night. His boxing looked terrible. He did have some nice reversals, and how he got out of that guillotine I will never know. it was a close fight that could have went either way, but I gave it to Brilz.

Sanchez looked like shit. He really needs to go back to LHW because he got completely dismantled by Hathaway who is really looking very promising. His striking looked great, and his wrestling, and grappling looked great as well. I think he will be a force in the WW division. Hes a young guy with all the potential in the world.

Good show. Surprised that Amir lost, and Melvin Guillard looked awesome in his fight. I'm really happy I ordered this show. Now I look forward to UFC 116.

 

[Y4J]

Jason Brilz deserves all the credit in the world. He won the last two rounds, and I think you could even make a case for the first. Just an amazing showing by him, and he showed that he absolutely deserved the fight, and that he absolutely deserves a place at the top of the division now. Just a great coming out fight for him. He also was very classy in defeat, telling the crowd not to boo Lil' Nog, which was disgusting on the audience's part to do. He wasn't judging the fight

Well, they first booed the judges because they WERE judging the bout. And second, I actually was turned away by Nog because of how he in a way was shining Brilz before the judges decision. Made me lose a lot of respect for him.

Btw, I thought it was bullshit lil Nog got 120k for the win and Brilz got 11k. But oh well, contracts are contracts.

Nog lost. Plain and simple. He had a STRONG third round, but Brilz took him 2 of those rounds. But i'm not the judge.

 

[K_VonFong]

NOGS vs BRILZ - TOTAL BULL

But not because it was some "huge" upset but because people are trying to make it into some screw job decision when it wasn't AT ALL. I call BS on those idiot fans, especially Rogan who was totally over-hyping the controversy of the decision.

What fight were they watching, seriously? 2nd round to Brilz, obviously. 3rd round to Nogiera, equally obvious. So, that leaves it to the 1st round, which was a very very close round, a tough 3 minutes to score, you could label it a toss up round. Personally, I'd give the 1st round to Nogs though.

A tough loss for Brilz, a very dominating and active 2nd round, but a unfortunately a fight isn't just one round and for the other two rounds, Nogs showed his skill and edged him out barely.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT? I'd say Evans vs Rampage, it had that big-fight atmosphere and delivered a lot of exciting moments and had a good work-rate and fairly fast pace. Always good when the main-event comes through. Overall, a decent ppv.

 

[Y4J]

NOGS vs BRILZ - TOTAL BULL

But not because it was some "huge" upset but because people are trying to make it into some screw job decision when it wasn't AT ALL. I call BS on those idiot fans, especially Rogan who was totally over-hyping the controversy of the decision.

What fight were they watching, seriously? 2nd round to Brilz, obviously. 3rd round to Nogiera, equally obvious. So, that leaves it to the 1st round, which was a very very close round, a tough 3 minutes to score, you could label it a toss up round. Personally, I'd give the 1st round to Nogs though.

A tough loss for Brilz, a very dominating and active 2nd round, but a unfortunately a fight isn't just one round and for the other two rounds, Nogs showed his skill and edged him out barely.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT? I'd say Evans vs Rampage, it had that big-fight atmosphere and delivered a lot of exciting moments and had a good work-rate and fairly fast pace. Always good when the main-event comes through. Overall, a decent ppv.

You're calling fans that believe Nog lost (Which is a majority) idiots yet you say FOTN went to the main event? Even though it was just a standard 3 round fight with only Rampage causing the major "Looking for the finish" moment?

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad fight, but saying the main event was more exciting than all the fights can EASILY be called idiotic. But i'm not here to call names.

And the 1st round wasn't as close as you say it is in the Brilz/Nog fight. I mean, the way judges see it nowadays, they could have easily called the 3rd round a draw.

And to be technical, if the first round was close, they could have called that FIRST round a draw, but a WIN by Nog in the first? Come on.

 

[Cmpunk is wwe]

I had rashad wining it was a good fight rampage almost got the w but rashad recoverd and got a couple take downs to get the fight back in his favor and the fight went pretty much how i expected to go.