Upcoming UFC 128 Shogun vs. Jones

Upcoming UFC 128 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Jon "Bones" Jones March 19th, 2011 from Newark, New Jersey.

This fight card has been altered, flipped and switched around so many times but I'm finally happy with it! First the major title fight was supposed to be between Shogun and Rashad Evans. Evans had earned the title shot after defeating fellow TUF season 10 (the heavyweights) coach, Rampage Jackson in 2010 but because of a recent knee injury during training he is not able to fight. Joe Rogan announced that Jones would be offered the opportunity to step up in his place after his first round finish of Bader at UFC 126. A little hunting and I found out that Rampage was actually offered this fight first but refused saying he currently weight 250 meaning he would have to drop 45 pounds in 4 weeks and he would not take a fight on that kind of notice. I'm guessing that means he will have the chance to take on the winner of this fight if Evans is still not healthy. Brendan Schaub was also supposed to demolish Frank Mir but instead he will be fighting Cro Cop. Tito Ortiz and Little Nog (Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) were to fight on this card as well but instead were moved to headline Fight Night a week later. (Following that switch Tito suffered an injury and won’t be fighting then either; I really think he needs to go away now). Chael Sonnen was also initially on this card but because of his recent run in with the law (pleading guilty to money laundering) he will not be fighting until that is sorted out. For those that may not know, Sonnen tested positive for performance enhancing drugs after his fight with Anderson Silva. It was later determined that those drugs were for a medical condition. Since then of course he has been suspended because of the legal charges against him. I still want to see that rematch, he has been the closest man to defeating Silva in a looong time... and I liked it! Nate Marquardt has stepped up in his place. So on to my predication bout the fights that are actually happening on the 19th... Hold that thought, one more last minute change. On March 12^th it was announced that Marquardt’s opponent, Yoshihiro Akiyama pulled out of the fight because of the recent tragedy in Japan. No surprise here, everyone continues to send their best wishes to those suffering in Japan. Dan Miller will take Akiyama’s place.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Champion) vs. Jon "Bones" Jones - light heavyweight championship

Here's the trailer nick the face (see my post here for the rest of his trailers)

This is such a tough call. It’s like the veteran versus the rookie (I was calling it that before I saw the countdown, just sayin). Jones has only been fighting in the UFC since the summer of 2008 and only started fighting mixed martial arts professionally a few months before that. Shogun, on the other hand, has been in the UFC since 2007 and fought in pride the four years before that. 

Jones has a very unorthodox fighting style. Watch any clip compilation of his fights and you are sure to see more than one flying knee and spinning elbow. Usually these kinds of moves annoy me. (Like what Ebersole did in his recent fight against Chris Lytle at UFC 127 when he attempted a couple weird cartwheel kicks) But Jones has mastered them so well that they have become a legitimate tool in his arsenal. His fights are always exciting, usually ending in TKO or KO. Jones’ only loss was a disappointing DQ for illegal 12-6 elbows against Matt Hammill in 2009.  I wasn’t too impressed when I saw that, but he has totally redeemed himself in my eyes with his three fights since then with two first round TKO finishes and one submission. Shogun is also a beast! When he first fought Lyoto Machida in 2009 in Abu Dubai it was a very controversial loss for him. Personally I thought that Shogun won the fight but I didn't feel like he did enough to take the belt so I was happy with the instant rematch. Shogun did not waste any time in that second chance opportunity. He came in fierce, guns blazing and finished the fight via TKO in the first round. In a 5-round title match that's pretty impressive. He has not fought since that rematch almost a year ago so he may have a bit of ring rust to get over. Since this will also be his first time defending his belt that is another thing to put pressure on him. 

There is no pressure on Jones in this fight. If he wins, he will be the young gun that took out the vet. If he looses, he'll be the young guy that couldn't quite take advantage of the opportunity and will have to work back up the ladder after that small slip. Personally I see the first scenario happening. He has so much momentum since taking out Bader in a quick win. There has been no break in his training. He trained hard to prepare for Bader and just over a month later he takes on the champ. When Shogun took the belt I was excited for a new champ in the light heavyweight division but now that people are talking about the beginning of a Jon Jones era I’m pretty pumped for that. He’s a bit of a goofball but a completely cool and humble guy and I think he would make a fantastic champion and inspiration to other young fighters. Jones also has the biggest reach in UFC history and I am looking forward to him using it in this title fight to take home the belt. 

Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland – bantamweight

Faber was basically the poster boy for WEC. He’s a pretty cool guy but definitely reminds me more of a BMX dude or a snowboarder. Until you see him fight… This guys is crazy talented. When he started fighting MMA he won 11 of his first 12 fights. This will be his first fight in the UFC but he has faced a couple names already well known. One being two big victories over Jens Pulver and current UFC bantamweight champ, Dominick Cruz. Faber is also a big family guy, which I like. He grew up in a very Christian family in a community that, as his dad says, “Shared everything but their toothbrushes and their wives”. He took part in fashion shows and commercials, and was a pretty boy that knew how to entertain a crowd at a young age. One other thing I really like about Faber’s life outside of the cage is how he wakes up to goals he has written on paper and posted on his bedroom wall. He’s just a really awesome guy that makes you want to see him succeed.

I’m definitely not counting Wineland out for this fight though. He has more of a bad boy image, tattoos and shaved head but he is just as family oriented as Faber is. He became close with his family when his brother battled through a devastating accident. When he was three years old he was trying to fill a lawnmower gas tank and it ignited the garage. As a result of the inferno, 98% of his body was burned. The family spent most of the next year by his side in the small hospital room. This scenario runs through Wineland’s head when he’s fighting and training, he may be in pain or hurt but is he willing to walk through the wall of fire, as his little brother did. Odd that I think Faber looks the part because Wineland actually was BMX champ at 17 years old. Ironically he decided that was too dangerous so he switched to fighting. Going into this bout, Wineland believes the UFC is using this fight to introduce Faber. A similar story to Joe Lauzon’s first fight in the UFC against Pulver; expected to be a stepping stone. This is definitely giving Wineland motivation and he is looking for the big upset.

Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus – lightweight

I am without a doubt going for Miller in this fight. After his submission victory at UFC 124 I realized how good this guy really is. I don’t know anything about Shalorus because he is an import as a result of the WEC merge but with his nickname “Prince of Persia” and a 7-0-2 record I can only assume this will be a great match up. In my opinion Miller is right up there with the top dogs in the lightweight division and but there are two people in line before him to get their title shot so he has a bit of time to wait, may as well spend it beating people up.

Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller - middleweight

Marquardt's most recent fight was a loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 122. That fight was to determine the next fight to get a title shot after the Silva Belfort fight that just took place at 

UFC 126. Oddly enough, just two fights before that Marquardt fought for the title challenger position against Chael Sonnen. He lost that fight as well. He seems to get so close to that title shot but just barely misses out. If he wins this fight against Miller I can only assume that he will be involved in one more fight where the victor will go on to take on the champ, whomever it is at that time.  As far as I know this will be Miller’s first time on a UFC main card. He recently defeated Canadian Joe Doerksen at UFC 124 but he has lost to big names like Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia and Michael Bisping before that. I’m hoping that Marquardt finishes the fight strong with a decisive win and gets closer to that coveted title shot again.

Mirko Cro Cop (Filipvic) - Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub – heavyweight

I’m absolutely cheering for Schaub in this one. I really like watching him fight. He was initially supposed to take on Frank Mir, which would have been amazing, but instead Cro Cop stepped up. Cro Cop recently lost in the most boring and ridiculous fight ever to Mir at UFC 119. I’m hoping Cro Cop just gets the snot kicked out of him. When the kickboxing side of him shows up he is deadly but he has not been doing that recently and has become boring in my opinion. The saying regarding Cro Cop’s lethal kickboxing moves has been, “Right kick hospital Left kick cemetery”. Shaub likes to see himself as “Left hand fight of the night, right hand knockout of the night”. Not quite the same ring but I like the confidence. 6 out of his 7 wins have come from a first round finish but I like that he has shown he can go the distance by going all 15 minutes with UFC big gun Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121. Obviously I would prefer a first round KO again but its good to see his endurance too so he doesn’t pull a Shane Carwin and gas out his first time seeing a second round. Shaub for 


Last minute addition, I didn't even notice the Captain is on this card!
Edson Barboza vs.  Anthony Njokuani - lightweight
Again I have no idea who his WEC imported opponent is but after seeing Barboza's lethal leg kicks at UFC 123 I am a fan. Plus the whole Captain Barboza thing is just plan cool. (Thats not actually what he calls himself, but I like it)

UFC Live on Versus 3 Sanchez vs. Kampmann

UFC Live Sanchez vs. Kampann Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 from Kentucky 

There were a lot of great fights tonight but I’m only going to talk about two of them. The first being a bantamweight bout with one of the front runners for a title shot, Brian Bowles and the second is an absolutely astonishing decision from the judges in the Sanchez “win”.

Brian Bowles vs. Domacio Page - bantamweight

This is a new division to the UFC so all these fighters are very unknown to me. This fight in particular is a rematch between the two. They fought in 2008 when Bowles defeated Page via guillotine. Bowles went on to win his next two fights where he won the WEC bantamweight title against Miguel Torres in 2009. He lost that belt to Dominick Cruz who was the last WEC bantamweight belt holder and the current UFC bantamweight champion because of a doctor stoppage. (see my blog where Cruz got the UFC bantamweight belt click here). Page starts the first round really aggressive, he lands a nice head kick and a big knee right away. He gets in some nice leg kicks and Bowles seems to just be sitting back and waiting for his moment, not throwing too much. But when you're attacking so aggressively like Page is, you leave some openings. Apparently this is what he did the first time they fought too. Came out strong and lightning fast but got a little too comfortable. Bowles clips him with a quick right then drops him and attacks with a flurry of punches. He grabs Page's neck and pulls off the guillotine choke again! Page didn't tap, Bowels had to roll a bit to show the ref he was asleep. That was a great finish for Bowles, I think he's coming after that belt, the guys got talent. 

Diego "The Dream" Sanchez vs. Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann - welterweight HIGHWAY ROBBERY

First off, Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez has reinvented himself, shaved his head and changed his name to "The Dream".  But he still keeps his I'm angry don't look at me mean mug on while he’s walking in to some weird calypso music. He also looks a little big. Not muscle big but a little extra jello big. This could be because Sanchez has bounced around from 155 to 185, to 170 and so on between the divisions. It’s easier to gain and loose fat than actual muscle mass. This was such a controversial decision that I had to watch the fight a couple times to see if there was something I missed.

First round started little slow, Kampmann maintained control of the center of the cage. Both landed some good shots. But then Kampmann lands a straight right about a minute and a half in that rocks Sanchez pretty good. Kampmann also landed a pretty nice knee right to Sanchez’s face and consistently landed clean hits to his face too. By the end of the round Kampmann had easily stuffed 5 or 6 takedown attempts and Sanchez had blood all over his cut up face. Even though Sanchez attempted so many takedowns, none were effective so I give this round 10-9 to Kampmann.

The second round starts off with another takedown attempt failed by Sanchez. Sanchez did initiate a lot more exchanges but if you’ve seen his style you know he throws at least 3 or 4 hard punches a little haphazardly. Don’t get me wrong, if he was to connect with one of those it would hurt, but that doesn’t happen too often.  With about two minutes left in the round Sanchez did get off a few great punches on Kampmann. During this round Kampmann does develop a small cut on his face that Rogan insists slowed him down. I don’t agree with that. Kampmann is quietly lethal. He’s a very technical fighter. His punches are a lot crisper and landing a much higher percentage. In the last minute or so, Sanchez went in two or three times with his attempt at a slugfest. He landed a few nice shots but had to throw 4 air-balls to get them (yes I know an air-ball is a basketball term but I think you know what I mean). However during these mini slugfests Kampmann consistently landed clean shots to Sanchez’s chin and finished the round strong. Again I score this round 10-9 Kampmann.

Okay so here we listen to the commentary between rounds. Kampmann does well when he maintains control of the cage, he keeps it in the middle and can decide on the pace. When he allows Sanchez to get him against the cage and start throwing wild punches that’s when he gets clipped. Which happened twice in that round. Whopee, two punches that connect. Watch those exchanges in slow motion and see how many actually do damage.

I’m not against giving a fighter credit where it is due. Sanchez did start the third round with a nice right and a good body shot but when another takedown was attempted he ate a nice clean from Kampmann. One thing he did in this round that I (and Joe Rogan cannot stand) is keep his hands on the mat when he didn’t have to, to avoid a knee. Sanchez was bent over and when Kampmann had a clear shot at landing a brutal knee to him Sanchez keeps his hands on the mat. I’m not sure how to technically describe this rule but basically when a fighter is “grounded” they can’t be knee’d. I totally agree that this is a good rule when that fighter has his knees on the mat, but when it goes for just hands too fighters take advantage. Instead of having the rule to protect the fighter, it’s being used as a tool. Just over two minutes Sanchez gets a takedown finally. He gets side control but does nothing with it and Kampmann stands up. Again, more slugfest attempts where Diego may land one punch out of 5 but Kampmann lands one of one cleanly to Sanchez. Just over a minute left Kampmann shakes out his hand, clearly hurting. He definitely slows down throwing rights to finish the fight. Diego’s face Is BUSTED, A total wreck. Sanchez looked really aggressive in this round but I still completely give it to Kampmann easy 10-9.

It goes to the judges for the decision and all three score is 29-28 for Sanchez to win unanimously! I cannot believe it. This is clear robbery to me. A round is scored based on these criteria; effective striking, grappling, aggression and octagon control. So here's where the questions start showing up. A takedown attempt in an offensive movie while blocking the takedown is defensive and according to the criteria does not receive any points. I'm really hoping the judges don't believe that and if they do I think there needs to be a change in the rules. In this fight in particular Sanchez attempted close to 15 takedowns and was stuffed on all of them except one! The entire 15 minutes he got one takedown. Another issue I have with the "aggression" judging is the combination attempts. The key term I think needs to be looked at more diligently is EFFECTIVE striking. Is it Kampmann's fault that he may be a bit more technical and instead of going for a "slugfest" throwing 15 punches one after another and possibly landing 2 he throws 5 crisp ones that land every time? I mean come on, he broke his hand on homeboy's face! That's not doing damage?!

Rogan interviews Kampmann as well as Sanchez. Rogan says Kampmann won the first and probably the second… I would say if the judges would give him ANY round it was the second. Kampmann even says Sanchez threw a flurry of punches but a lot didn’t land, duh!

When I watched Kampmann fight Shields I thought he lost. A lot of people thought he was robbed because Shields didn't do anything with his takedowns. But the difference in that fight was that Shields actually got the takedowns! He may not have dealt a lot of damage once he had that top position but during that fight Kampmann didn't either. When he fought Shields, he didn’t win because he wasn’t aggressive enough, he sat back. He wasn’t hurt badly but he was more laid back. In this fight just look at Sanchez’s face, Kampmann was picking him apart! I honestly feel he should have won this fight, no question. Dana White said on twitter he thought Sanchez had that fight won but I really don't see how. I have no problem admitting the fighter I was rooting for lost if I feel that loss was justified. I can fully admit that Sanchez did show a lot of heart continuing to fight with his face ripped apart in 18 places but heart does not equal a win. 

I can see how someone watching mma for the first time may see Sanchez as the winner. He did look more aggressive, throwing more, attacking more but these “judges” are supposed to be experts. They should be able to see that a punch thrown is only effective when it connects with something, anything!! I am entirely frustrated with this decision and do not agree with it at all. I don’t want to see a rematch because I don’t like Sanchez’s fighting style, I want to see Kampmann move on and fight another more technical fighter.

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Forrest Griffin, The Author...?

One night and 300 brain cells later I have read Forrest Griffin's second book, 

"Be Ready When the Sh*t Goes Down" cover to cover. 

(co-author Erich Krauss)

The best way I can describe how this book is, is by referencing the movie "Dude, Where's My Car". It's so unbelievably dumb but just when you think you're about to turn it off or put the book down some hilarious line jumps out at you and you keep going. The difference between a dumb book and this hilariously funny dumb book is the fact that Forrest Griffin is completely aware of how ridiculous he is. 

This book is all about how to survive if an apocalypse happens. First, of course, he has to test his reader to make sure they are manly enough to read his book. Obviously I failed but I was dumb enough to buy the book so I was dumb enough to keep reading anyway. He goes on to describe the different types of apocalypses that may occur. From an asteroid to an economic apocalypse he's got it all covered. He explains how to pack a survival go bag, map out an escape plan and set up a safe hideout. Throughout the book Forrest also includes "fortune cookie wisdom", side notes from his own experiences or input from friends and his wife including naked etiquette. He teaches his readers how to properly make toilet paper out of a leaf, develop your own sign language and most importantly how to become a god and make other people build a castle for you.  He makes reference to abandoning injured family members that may slow you down, connecting with the Amish and the marines, learning how to milk various wildlife and even sleeping with Bambi's mom. (Yes, the deer). 

If you take yourself too seriously this books is definitely not for you. However, if you enjoy the humour often found in bathroom reading books this is totally something worth picking up. I found myself laughing out loud and receiving weird looks from other people at the gym more than a few times. 

What is that on the back cover you might ask? 

Oh, well its a nice little quote from Forrest's loving mother;

"This book is an unholy abomination. 

It will make you dumber for having read it. 

Judging by the context, you would think he 

grew up eating paint chips. I swear that 

wasn't the case." - Forrest's Mom

UFC 127 Penn vs. Fitch

UFC 127 BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch Saturday February 26th, 2011 from Sydney Australia


James Te-Huna donated his fight purse to the relief fund in New Zealand. This donation is being matched by the UFC. They are also donating funds raised by memorabilia from UFC 127 sold. 

Now on to the fights, the weirdos were definitely out to play tonight. And by weirdos I mean Aussies, Kyle Noke and Brian Ebersole made some very interesting entrances. Fortunately for both of them they redeemed themselves by winning their bouts but good grief please do not ever do that again. My picks didn't pull through in most of the fights but it was a great card for sure. Gross moment of the night came in the fight between heavyweights Chris Tuchscherer and Mark Hunt. Hunt landed a huge punch on Tuchscherer and opened up a big cut above his eye. The ref stops it to have the doctors look at him and as he is walking back to his corner Tuchscherer says “There is something hanging in my eye” and the ref responds with “It’s your eyelid” eww! The doctor lets them fight and Hunt ends up winning, ouch.

Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi - middleweight

Weirdo number one of the night, Aussie Kyle Noke makes his entrance wearing some sort of gas mask! The fight didn't take long to get going, both guys throwing kicks right away and about one minute in Noke gets a big takedown. Camozzi tried pretty hard to get out from under Noke but in his maneuvering Noke is able to grab his back and finish with a submission via rear naked choke win at 1:35. He's a classy guy for sure and I'm not disappointed with this win but maybe leave the mask at home next time. 

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole - welterweight

Enter weirdo number two. Another Aussie, Ebersole walks in wearing a sparing helmet (he did joke asking "I can't wear it?" when he gets cage side but still odd). That’s not the best part though. He gets a nice little haircut for the event shaving his chest hair into the shape of an arrow!! At least the arrow was pointing up though. Very interesting opening to the fight as Ebersole tries a cartwheel kick...? This move reminds me of something you would been in a Brazillian martial arts dance called Capoeira, not very effective. The first round was full of submission attempts by both fighters. Lytle seemed to be close more times but Ebersole has excellent submission defence. Ebersole finished the round on top landing some big shoulders to Lytle's face and cuts him pretty good under the eye. I've seen ground and pound with fists and elbows but shoulders looked brutal. Ebersole lands a really nice back kick but Lytle answers back with some big combinations and uppercuts throughout the second round. About a minute and a half left in the round Lytle gets rocked with a huge knee but is able to defend against a submission attempt once he is on the mat. Ebersole finishes this round again slamming Lytle on his back and landing the same brutal shoulders and ground and pound. Ebersole tries his cartwheel kick to start off the third round again but same thing, all flash no bang. They end up on the mat and Lytle is still working for the submission but man Ebersole has some serious submission defence. Lytle keeps working for the last minute but is taken down again and just can't make up for the first two rounds. Ebersole easily wins the unanimous decision. I didn't know that he has replaced Carlos Condit to take on Lytle here. I definitely would have liked to see that fight, but maybe now we'll see Condit and Ebersole meet in the cage. No octagon jitters for Ebersole in his UFC debut, don't mess with the fuzzy arrow. 

George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver - lightweight

A very patriotic Aussie entrance as Sotiropoulos enters to AC/DC's TNT. Siver shows some great takedown defence hopping on one leg for like 20 seconds while Sotiropoulos tries to take him to the mat. Siver lands a couple big punches and drops Sotiropoulos twice in the last couple minutes of the round. He is obviously hurt but keeps fighting to survive to the end of the round. Sotiropoulos comes out strong in the second round and it is a lot more even but Siver still has the advantage. He is landing more punches and some big kicks too. Sotiropoulos is still not able to take him down. The third round is much more even but its definitely not enough for Sotiropoulos to come back from that first round. Siver wins the unanimous decision. Both fighters are at the post fight press conference. It will be business as usual for Sotiropoulos, he will look at the fight, see where he made mistakes but will continue to train and move forward. They did not mention who Siver would be taking on next but Dana White wasn't there so that usually makes the press conference a little less informative. 

Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera - middleweight

Finally, Rivera can shut his mouth the fight is over and he lost! He asked for this fight, as Joe Rogan says "talked himself into a gun fight". He fought to be on a main card, he got his wish. No surprise the trash talking continues as the two enter the cage and they completely refuse to touch gloves. This fight gets started right away, Rivera throws a few punches easily avoided by Bisping and a weak kick. Just over a minute in Bisping gets the takedown. He wasn't able to keep him there and they stand back up but Bisping seems to have the advantage standing too landing some nice quick punches. He takes Rivera down again halfway into the round and is able to keep him there  a bit longer landing some big punches. Unfortunately getting a little too caught up in the action he lands a big illegal knee right to Rivera's forehead. (Rivera had two knees on the mat making this move clearly illegal). The doctors come in allow the fight to continue. The ref confirms with Rivera if he can continue and I'm not sure if he should but I don't see him stepping down from this fight. The start up again and Rivera actually manages to land a nice kick to Bisping's body. Bisping lands one more takedown with just under a minute left and finishes the round strong. The point deduction for the illegal knee is a little disappointing but since he clearly won the round it was probably 9-9. Rivera starts the second round with a nice right that throws Bisping off balance for a second. But that didn't last long. Bisping went right back on the the offensive connecting with some huge punches about a minute and a half in. He lands punch after punch, shots to the head, to the body and big, totally legal, knees. Rivera is clearly gassed taking huge breaths. He drops to the mat as Bisping continues to throw punches and the ref calls the fight. Bisping wins by TKO!!

After the fight Bisping is super amped up, yelling and even spits in the direction of Rivera's corner. I couldn't hear completely but it sounds like Bisping in telling Rivera to apologize and tells him to "Go home loser". Rivera's camp wants him to be suspended for the spitting and for the illegal knee but its really just getting ridiculous. Bisping apologizes immediately in his post fight interview with Rogan to the fans and to Mr. White. He shows up to the post fight press conference with no injuries at all, not so much as a cut. He explains that he was caught up in the fight and pulled the trigger on the knee too early, not the first time for this to happen in a fight. As far as spitting in the direction of Rivera's corner he admits he let the trash talking get to him . Rivera and his camp took it too far making videos mocking him on the internet, it was one classless move after another. Bisping says he got on his nerves, he upset him, he embarrassed him but he should have taken it on the chin a bit better. He explained that Dana White told him to keep his cool when he came into the cage after the fight and Bisping is apologetic for his actions. 

BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch - welterweight - BOGUS majority draw

As you can probably guess I am not happy at all with a draw finish. I thought Fitch clearly had the fight won. Interesting note that Hughes (who Penn just KOd in his previous fight) went to Hawaii to train with Penn to prepare him for the fight. Well at least Penn did one thing right. Fitch has Koscheck is his corner which kinda bugs me but oh well, I guess he's an alright fighter too. Penn comes out strong, shooting for the takedown right away but Fitch wont let him have it. The two fight against the cage and Penn finally gets the takedown halfway into the round. He takes Fitch's back and starts with his arm legs (because his legs are pretty much like arms, he's like a monkey). He works for a submission but Fitch doesn't give it to him. Fitch spins around and lands some nice elbows while in top of Penn. Fitch was slow in the beginning but finished the round strong, I think Penn probably took it but it definitely was close.

The second round Fitch keeps Penn against the cage for the first couple minutes but eats some elbows and gets cut pretty nicely. He takes off to land some big combinations then gets him right back against the fence. Two minutes left Penn gets a takedown and takes Fitch's back. But again Fitch flips it over and gets on top of Penn just like last time. Fitch lands some nice ground and pound and finishes the round extremely strong. Penn got the takedown but Fitch was the only one that did anything with it. I feel like this round was all Fitch. The bleeding doesn't look good on Fitch but I Penn doesn't bleed! He always looks beat up and puffy after his fights but I don't think I've seen him get cut before!

Third and final round is where it will be decided and Fitch comes out strong. He lands a big right hand and takes Penn down in the first ten seconds. They stand up but Fitch takes him right back down with four minutes left. He lands some brutal hammer fists that you can hear cracking against Penn's face. He keeps Penn in this position for 3 and a half minutes! Penn tries to push Fitch off and defend but he is just getting totally beat up. Fitch is relentless, throwing punch after punch and big elbows while Penn just lays there and takes it, trying to hold his arms up to defend. He makes no progression, any attempt to improve his position Fitch easily shakes off. ALL Fitch for almost four minutes, easily a 10-8 round. The decision goes to the judges. They score is 29-28(Fitch), 28-28, 28-28 for a majority draw!! I was shocked! The first round yes I will give that to Penn but it was close, the third round was clearly 10-8 for Fitch and the second was another close one but I gave it to Fitch. 

Penn admits after the fight in his interview with Rogan that he doesn't feel he did enough to win in the first two rounds and he thought he lost the decision. I know that you can't always take what guys say right after their fight too seriously especially when they have lost the third round like when Rampage acted shocked after his win over Machida but this is just typical Penn in my eyes. He goes ahead and annoys the heck out of me some more at the post fight press conference. After the fight when he was talking to Rogan he was saying how he wasn't sure what was going to happen to his career if he lost this fight. He clearly admitted he thought he should have lost but when a reporter asked him about it and preparing himself for retirement Penn just made a smartass remark like "Did I say this was my last fight? No? Okay". All I wanted to hear was heck no I love fighting, its what I do and I will continue to fight until they stop me. Penn says he is "over" trying to box people. Saying he is "over" anything in mma is odd to me. Saying he's over the trash talking or politics is one thing but being over a part of the sport is weird. Especially since no matter where it ends up, both fighters start standing. Fitch expects more of himself and is disappointed in the fight. He was asked if deep down he ever thinks he will get a title shot. Jeeze some people are just brutally honest with their questions. He was well on his way to a title shot before this little speed bump so maybe its not his next fight like it was going to be before Shields stepped in but its not like he has slid back down to undercard fights. There has been no mention of a rematch from Dana White that I know of but some have said maybe the rematch would be for a vacant welterweight belt if GSP moves up to middleweight, which I wouldn't be totally against. Rogan explained how I feel about Penn pretty well. He is a great fighter I know that, but he only likes to fight, he doesn’t like the day to day grind of training and actually being a professional fighter. There is always a question of which Penn will show up and if he is motivated.

Interesting lessons learned at the post fight press conference, Victoria Australia allows MMA but not in a cage. It would be like allowing tennis to be played on grass but not on clay, same sort of concept. But they got Ontario to hop on board so maybe in time they will win over Victoria and there will be another big card in the land down under. Speaking of Australia, there is also talk about a TUF Australia vs. England season. They mentioned Bisping and Noke as possible coaches. Bisping I could totally see as a coach, Noke on the other hand was just on a season as a competitor so I’m not sure he’s ready but we’ll see.

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