Mixed Martial B0nes

I must say. There certainly *was* a fight and it didn’t come from the hapless Pats! The UFC 81: Breaking Point fight card was looking pretty bad. Couple that with a price hike to please the HD folks but screw us scum still living in the 20th century and you have an event that a lot of us didn’t want to see. What did you miss if you didn’t fire up the satellite television before the Super Bowl? Let’s find out.

Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau We get started with a great fight that went the distance. They both displayed a desire to slug it out in the stand up game. Griffin’s game plan seemed to be strike and kick early and often. Tibau’s plan? Take Tyson down and lay some pain on him. The problem with that was that it never really happened for Gleison and so Tyson won the decision based on his great strikes all over his opponent’s noggin.

Ricardo Almeida vs. Rob Yundt Couch Fighter 2K8. This really wasn’t a very big surprise. Yundt came out with all he had but he didn’t come out with enough. Almeida remembered his submission training and applied a guillotine choke that sent Rob back to palookaville. I’m being too hard on him I know. Guess when you only have a week to prepare for a major fight against a veteran, it’s not going to come out pretty. Better luck next time!

Nate Marquardt vs. Jeremy Horn This was the OG battle of the night and the skills that both displayed showed. Nate was giving Horn all he could handle bashing him with punches and elbows but Horn was able to get a couple of really great submissions and arm locks in. Horn almost took Nate out in the second round with a bloody eye but wound up in a guillotine choke that ended the match.

Tim Boetsch vs. David Heath They pulled these two from the undercard and made them a main event. It was a great thing for Boetsch. Not so much for Heath. Tim just layed the wood down on David and never ever let up. It ended with Heath getting thrown down on the canvas and Boetsch going to town on his head. Lucky for David, there was a caring referee in the Octagon ready to end the pain!

Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar The Freak Show turned out to be very exciting for the short amount of time that it lasted. As expected, Lesnar was just going to use his superior WWE sculpted body as a battering ram and just pummel his opponent until there was nothing left of him. Of course, he didn’t count on the savvy veteran Mir’s great BJJ skill as Frank managed to keep cool under fire and appy a very uncomfortable looking leg lock to end the fight early in the first. Maybe next time, Brock will try to study more film on MMA and less on the Junk Yard Dog!

Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira This fight had all the action you’d want in a title fight and more. Tim was in control for most of this match. The fighters exchanged some wicked punches and kicks. The stand up game in this fight clearly belonged to Sylvia. He rained punches on Minotauro in the first and second rounds. Then the final round sees Antonio finally remembering that he is a BJJ expert. They trade more punches but then Nogueira shoots Sylvia and works his way to a guillotine choke. Tappity tappity tap from Tim and it was all over. The Minotauro is the new “Whatever” Champion.

Kyle Bradley vs. Chris Lytle This fight was so short that I thought it was a preview. It was all Lytle and *no* Bradley. Kyle was in a happier place(Candyland) once the fight and a new loss set in. He really took a big beating. Bet you he buys the ref a few beers to thank him for saving his face!

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Are we really here? Just last month we were a buzz over one of the greatest matches in UFC history with the Liddell/Silva fight in UFC79. We are now at UFC81 looking forward to a former WWE wrestler’s debut on the freaking MAIN CARD??!? The UFC has managed to scape together a program the night before the Super Bowl with some questionable choices on the main card. I won’t even address the undercard this time because of all the uncertainty. A TUF5 alum in Rob Emerson is fighting there though. Hopefully, he does better than his outing in the Ultimate Fighter Finale, as well as not get caught doing anything illegal. That didn’t work out too well for Rob! So, here it is, such as it is, UFC81:Breaking Point’s Main Card.

Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia(26-3-0) vs. Antonio “Minotauro” Rodrigo Nogueira(30-4-1) This is actually one of the only good matches on the program. We have the classic stand up vs. submission fight with Sylvia vs. Nogueira. This figures to be a great Heavyweight Title, excuse me, Interim Title match. These two have plenty of experience under their respective belts. The Minotauro is a Jiu Jitsu expert having been an instructor before stepping into the Octagon. I’m leaning towards the Minotauro choking out the Maine-iac. I guess it’s my West Coast bias since my Chargers aren’t playing this week because of the Pats!!

Frank Mir(10-3-0) Vs. Brock Lesnar(1-0-0) Can you say, “Freak Show?” That’s what this match is. Any way you slice it, this can’t be good for the integrity of the UFC can it? Let’s say the great conditioning and solid wrestling skills, combined with the unconventional methods of a WWE veteran gets Brock another win. Does this mean that Mir is a bitch and that any kook with a yen for MMA can fight his way into a UFC contract? It certainly seems so. Brock hasn’t paid his dues in the MMA world. Mir was born into it as he was the son of a martial arts instructor. He also has a respectable record that includes a championship in the UFC. Brock’s star power in the WWE is the ONLY reason this match made the main fight card. I’m hoping our cable televisions don’t melt when they name the winner of this fight. I have to side with Frank and hope that his MMA experience is what’s cookin’ on Saturday!

Jeremy “Gumby” Horn(88-16-5) Vs. Nate “The Great” Marquard(28-7-1) These guys are part of the old guard in the UFC world. Between Gumby and Great, they’ve racked up about 145 fights. Gumby has at least 4 titles(Championships) that he holds to this day plus maybe up to 15 other smaller titles. He has been around and around so tricking him is out of the question. It will take the technique and pedigree of Marquardt to beat Horn. He holds black belts in BJJ and Pancrase. He also has won many Pancrase tournaments over the years. Throw in a few Ring of Fire victories and we’ve got ourselves a fight. I’m thinking that the years have taken their toll on Gumby and that Nate will win by submission.

Rob “Monster” Yundt(7-0-0) Vs. Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida(8-2-0) They basically pulled both of these fighters off the street for this match. Monster took this fight on a little more than a weeks notice. Almeida has been out of the fight game for about three years so everything will be new for these two. Aren’t there other more worthy opponents to put up on a pay per view event? Our satellite televisions won’t be abuzz for a weird fight like this. I guess since TUF7 doesn’t go on the air until April, the UFC has to bring in new blood this way. I think somehow the Monster will give Ricardo a black and bruised eye and send him back to the couch.

Gleison Tibau(26-3-0) Vs. Tyson Griffin(10-1-0) In this Lightweight fight fest, we have Griffin coming off wins over some very good competition. That competition being Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares. We’ve already seen Clay’s fight with Huerta in the Ultimate Fighter Finale last year so we kind of know what Griffin is capable of. Tibau has been on a mini roll as of late by stacking up three wins in a row. They are both very good ground specialists and have the stamina to go the distance. I look to see Tyson submitting Tibau late in the second round.