*Spoilers* UFC 61

Snow Patrol · 07-09-2006, 01:04 AM

News from mmaweekly:

Drew Fickett defeats Kurt Pellegrino by rear naked choke at 1:20 of the 3rd round.

Cheick Kongo defeats Gilbert Aldana by referee stoppage due to a cut at 4:13of the 1st round.

Jeff Monson defeats Anthony Perosh by TKO at 2:22 of the 1st round

Hermes Franca defeats Joe Jordan by triangle choke submission at :47 of the 3rd round.

Joe Stevenson defeated Yves Edwards at 5:00 of round two TKO due to a cut.

Frank Mir defeated Dan Christison by unanimous decision.

Tito Ortiz defeated Ken Shamrock by TKO ref stoppage at 1:18 of round one.

Josh Burkman defeated Josh Neer by unanimous decision.

Tim Sylvia defeated Andrei Arlovski by unaminous decision.

Jras0001 · 07-09-2006, 01:25 AM

The AA / Sylvia fight probably could have been decided for either fighter but i think that Tim did enough to retain the title. I think AA made a mistake by not working on the legs like he did in rd one.

I think that the Tito / Shamrock fight was stopped too soon. Yes, he hit ken with a few elbows but if you watch the fight, it looked like the ref was on his way to stop the fight after the first elbow. Ya, they make a point that if he was hit with more elbows he could have been hurt but the point is that he wasnt hurt. The fight should have been allowed to go just a bit longer before calling it. I wasnt so interested in which fighet won as much as I was about seeing a definative winner to the fight and we didnt get to see that. Yes, I would have rather seen Shamrock win but moreso, I just wanted to see someone standing at the end and someone not able to stand. A clear cut winner and there wasnt one in my opinion.

The Stevenson / Yves Edwards fight was a great fight to watch although Edwards looked a little lathargic at times. I dont think ive ever seen someone bleed that much without dieing afterwards. I can see why the doctors stopped the fight but the cut was no where near his eyes and had the fight remained standing, which I dont think it would have, it could have probably continued. Had the fight went to the ground, I think it would have pretty much went the same as the previous round with Edwards trying to defend and blood in his eyes.

I was happy to see Mir get a win. That being said, Mir really has to decide if he wants to continue fighting. If so, he needs to drop that extra weight he came into his last two fights with and get in better cardio shape. If the Mir of tonight had been fighting either Sylvia or AA, he'd have lost most likely in the first round with a ko or tko due to strikes.

It looks as if Jeff Monson will be taking on Sylvia for the next title shot. I think that Monson has a huge disadvantage in reach and heighth but that wont matter much when he takes big Tim to the ground, which is his weakest area of his fighting arsenal.

Josh Burkman looked real good against a tough Josh Neer. It looks like Burkman has gotten his head on straight and gotten serious about being a fighter. I'd like to see who they match him up with next.

The announcement that Wanderlei Silva is going to be fighting Chuck Liddell provided Liddell beats Babalu, which I think he will. I think this has the potential to be an absolute slugfest for about two minutes till someone goes to sleep. On the other hand, it could turn into something similar to what we saw with AA and Sylvia, where both cirlcle each other trying not to get ko'd.

Overall, a pretty good event.

Snow Patrol · 07-09-2006, 01:43 AM

Good analysis. Sylvia vs Monson would be very interesting I think. I see Monson eating jabs unless he somehow gets Sylvia to the ground. Big advantage to Sylvia standing due to his reach and big advantage to Monson on the ground.

TicAL · 07-09-2006, 01:46 AM

The good thing about the HW division being so subpar is the fact that each future fight will be unpredictable. As you can see I'm an optimist.

Snow Patrol · 07-09-2006, 01:56 AM

Does anyone have any info on whether Ken said he'd retire or not? Even he said this is the only fight he really wants.

Krakatau · 07-09-2006, 02:02 AM

I really hope so. I will be pissed if a Ken/Tito three eats up another PPV main event.

tejas · 07-09-2006, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

Overall, a pretty good event.

i couldnt disagree more. i thought it was pretty lame. edwards vs stevenson was ok and neer vs burkman was good. mir should find another line of work if thats his best effort at getting in shape. the ortiz/shamrock fight was infuriating because of the early stoppage. if the ufc refs are so worried about fighters health then why was shamrock allowed to be pulverized last time? arlovski/sylvia fight was boring as hell and booed by the fans at ringside and by me on the couch. i wont be paying for anymore of these rematch specials including lidell vs babalu. all in all, im pretty fed up.

Vorlx · 07-09-2006, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

The AA / Sylvia fight probably could have been decided for either fighter but i think that Tim did enough to retain the title. I think AA made a mistake by not working on the legs like he did in rd one.

I enjoyed most of the fight, Sylvia seemed to keep the fight where he wanted it, even though he didn't seem like the aggressor. I was kind of dissapointed that AA didn't try to switch it up a bit. He obviously wasn't having much luck landing the big punches he needed to. I was hoping he would stick with the kicks and try for some type of take down. Everything he went in he looked worried about that right of Sylvia. It was a good fight over all, a bit slower pace than I like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

I think that the Tito / Shamrock fight was stopped too soon. Yes, he hit ken with a few elbows but if you watch the fight, it looked like the ref was on his way to stop the fight after the first elbow. Ya, they make a point that if he was hit with more elbows he could have been hurt but the point is that he wasnt hurt. The fight should have been allowed to go just a bit longer before calling it. I wasnt so interested in which fighet won as much as I was about seeing a definative winner to the fight and we didnt get to see that. Yes, I would have rather seen Shamrock win but moreso, I just wanted to see someone standing at the end and someone not able to stand. A clear cut winner and there wasnt one in my opinion.

This fight totally dissapointed me. I expected Ken to lose again but was really hoping he was going to put up a fight this time. Ken came out swinging, then Tito took him down. Ken doesn't seem to have any defense against Tito once he is on his back. I was pissed at first when the fight was ended so early, I thought it was premature. However after watching a few replays I saw what Tito was saying and what the Ref probably saw. Ken got rocked hard by one of the elbows that seemed to put him out cold for a min, like Tito said, his body appeared to go Limp. He didn't have his arms up at all or much grip in his legs, he looked limp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

The Stevenson / Yves Edwards fight was a great fight to watch although Edwards looked a little lathargic at times. I dont think ive ever seen someone bleed that much without dieing afterwards. I can see why the doctors stopped the fight but the cut was no where near his eyes and had the fight remained standing, which I dont think it would have, it could have probably continued. Had the fight went to the ground, I think it would have pretty much went the same as the previous round with Edwards trying to defend and blood in his eyes.

This was a pretty good fight. The amount of blood was crazy. Looked like he had been stabbed. I don't think it was hurting Yves but If the doctor calls it what can you do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

I was happy to see Mir get a win. That being said, Mir really has to decide if he wants to continue fighting. If so, he needs to drop that extra weight he came into his last two fights with and get in better cardio shape. If the Mir of tonight had been fighting either Sylvia or AA, he'd have lost most likely in the first round with a ko or tko due to strikes.

This fight sucked to me. I honestly don't even believe MIR should have won. HE reminded me of old fights with Mark "the hammer" coleman. He started fighting with his hands down taking random blows to the head. If a AA or Sylvia would have been fighting him, he would have gotten rocked. If he is gonna come into a fight like that, he really needs to rethink his "fighting" career.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

Josh Burkman looked real good against a tough Josh Neer. It looks like Burkman has gotten his head on straight and gotten serious about being a fighter. I'd like to see who they match him up with next.

I agree, deffinately a good fight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

The announcement that Wanderlei Silva is going to be fighting Chuck Liddell provided Liddell beats Babalu, which I think he will. I think this has the potential to be an absolute slugfest for about two minutes till someone goes to sleep. On the other hand, it could turn into something similar to what we saw with AA and Sylvia, where both cirlcle each other trying not to get ko'd.

I think this could be a great fight. Can't wait.

A good event overall, cept the Shamrock/Ortiz fight.

Vorlx · 07-09-2006, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snow Patrol

Does anyone have any info on whether Ken said he'd retire or not? Even he said this is the only fight he really wants.

Ken reminds me of Aikman towards the end of his Career. It seemed like everytime he got knocked down he was getting a concussion. Same for Ken. Everytime he gets hit with anthing he just well... sleeps? Its not even worth watching a 3rd. What could be worse than that fight? Well other than the Frank Mir fight...

Pegger · 07-09-2006, 02:48 AM

I will say that Shamrock looked to be in good shape :sport-smi

Jras0001 · 07-09-2006, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tejas

i couldnt disagree more. i thought it was pretty lame. edwards vs stevenson was ok and neer vs burkman was good. mir should find another line of work if thats his best effort at getting in shape. the ortiz/shamrock fight was infuriating because of the early stoppage. if the ufc refs are so worried about fighters health then why was shamrock allowed to be pulverized last time? arlovski/sylvia fight was boring as hell and booed by the fans at ringside and by me on the couch. i wont be paying for anymore of these rematch specials including lidell vs babalu. all in all, im pretty fed up.

Well, to each his own i suppose. I can understand why some people are dissapointed in the event. It had its slow moments and especially the early stoppage of the long awaited Tito / Ken II. Im not looking forward to another rematch between those two to tell you the truth. There is just too much hype and BS associated with that match up for the actual fights to be like they are. As for the AA / Sylvia fight, ya, I can see where you would call it boring, since its been pretty much advertises as if one of them were going to be killed in the first round. It was what you get when you have two very hard hitting guys who, to some degree, over respect each others striking ability and try to not get hurt. You have a long match with little action. I, myself, enjoyed watching the matches and I dont have a problem buying the next PPV, but then again I just love the sport and really enjoy all it has to offer, wheather it be an event not living up to what its supposed to be or an event thats turns out to be just phenominal.

tejas · 07-09-2006, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

Well, to each his own i suppose. I can understand why some people are dissapointed in the event. It had its slow moments and especially the early stoppage of the long awaited Tito / Ken II. Im not looking forward to another rematch between those two to tell you the truth. There is just too much hype and BS associated with that match up for the actual fights to be like they are. As for the AA / Sylvia fight, ya, I can see where you would call it boring, since its been pretty much advertises as if one of them were going to be killed in the first round. It was what you get when you have two very hard hitting guys who, to some degree, over respect each others striking ability and try to not get hurt. You have a long match with little action. I, myself, enjoyed watching the matches and I dont have a problem buying the next PPV, but then again I just love the sport and really enjoy all it has to offer, wheather it be an event not living up to what its supposed to be or an event thats turns out to be just phenominal.

i agree with that. i think sylvia and aa both fought a smart fight all in all. my issue is with the matchmakers and with herb dean and with the judges, though not at this event. why do we have to see lidell fight babalu again before we see him fight silva? shamroc/ ortiz was hyped constantly for a month on tv and radio and through the whole season of tuf 3 only to have an outcome like that. herb dean should be fired. at least all four of those fighters showed up in shape and ready to fight.
the reason we got to see sylvia/aa for the third time is because the ufc is too tightfisted to get decent opponents. i think they were hoping to see a motivated frank mir for a future matchup with the winner. well that sure didnt happen. shame on him for showing up fat and out of shape. he may have the best technique of all the ufc heavyweights but the least motivation.

subgenius · 07-09-2006, 10:55 AM

I really think that the UFC needs to start showing the entire fight card. Show all of the undercard fights as well as the main events in one show from beginning to end. UFC-61 would have been great, had we seen ALL of the fights. I felt the same way about UFN-5. That event would have been cool, if they had shown all of the fights. The problems in the main event matches would have been balanced by the better undercard matches.

Profane · 07-09-2006, 11:54 AM

When Dana White came out to announce the the Silva Lidell fight i thought he was gonna bring Ken and Tito back out and have them fight agian. how cool would that have been if they would have brought Them back after the AA Sylvia fight. its not like either fighter was to hurt to fight agian. and im sure they both woulda agree'd to it. maybe not Tito but Ken sure as hell would have.

subgenius · 07-09-2006, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Profane

When Dana White came out to announce the the Silva Lidell fight i thought he was gonna bring Ken and Tito back out and have them fight agian. how cool would that have been if they would have brought Them back after the AA Sylvia fight. its not like either fighter was to hurt to fight agian. and im sure they both woulda agree'd to it. maybe not Tito but Ken sure as hell would have.

I have to admitt that there was a split-second there when I was thinking Dana White was going to say, "OMG! This ain't over, folks. Tito and Shamrock have agreed to fight again -- TONIGHT! Right now!" And, then they bring out Shamrock and Ortiz and they fight again like in the old days of the UFC when a fighter might fight two or three times in a single night. That would have brought the house down! That place would have gone wild. And, it would have likely still ended the same way with Tito Ortiz dominating Ken Shamrock.

Snow Patrol · 07-09-2006, 07:27 PM

But if that happened, and Ken won, would that mean Tito won 2 fights and Ken won 1? That could've been an issue.

RockemSockem · 07-09-2006, 08:44 PM

I agree that this was a lackluster event. But mostly due the the fact that they showed so little of the fight card. I believe for UFC 60 we got to see 8 of the 9 fights, we got a whopping 5 this time. **** that. And Mir-Christison was one of those 5 and probably the least exciting fight of the night. PLUS i disagreed with the decision. Close fight to call, but i definitely think Christison won it. At least Burkman-Neer was exciting. I'll still be buying the next PPV, but i didn't feel this one was worth the money.

Profane · 07-10-2006, 03:44 AM

yeah i agree the Mir fight was blah to me. i actually enjoyed the Sylva AA fight however i was dissappointed in Andreis gameplan why he didnt shoot atleast once or keep up with the kicks is beyond me. i think its gonna be a 4th fight for sure. unless Fedor and Syvia fight then i think Andrei can speak at Syvia's funeral cuz i dont see that going any other way.

Snow Patrol · 07-10-2006, 08:11 PM

I'm hoping it's a case that Mir isn't dedicated at the moment to fighting rather than his injury preventing him from performing. That way, it's something he can change.

Fedor is with Pride right? How will Sylvia manage to fight him then?

subgenius · 07-11-2006, 11:04 AM

It seems that PRIDE FC and the UFC are meeting together in dark, smoke-filled rooms and making weird deals. Wanderlei Silva is the PRIDE FC MW champion, and yet he will soon face off with Chuck Liddell in the UFC. So, something is going on behind closed doors. Fedor versus Sylvia may not be so strange now after all.