UFC betting | Bet on UFC

The fights – they’re why everyone tunes in when the UFC is on television or in a local arena, and when it comes to classic bouts, 2010 has kept the organization’s history of excellence intact. So without further ado, here are this year’s Highly Unofficial best. 10 – Jeremy Stephens W3 Sam Stout On paper, this UFC 113 bout had all the stylistic makings of a Fight of a Night, and neither Stephens or Stout disappointed, as the lightweights went at it tooth and nail for 15 minutes, with Lil’ Heathen emerging victorious via three round split decision. Early on, it was all Stephens thanks to his harder strikes, but Stout’s resilience and fast hands kept him in the fight, and when he scored with a big body shot in the third, it looked like he was going to pull out the win. But Stephens shook it off, got back to his feet, and the two ended the fight the way they began – by throwing punches. 9 – Diego Sanchez W3 Paulo Thiago Diego Sanchez was running out of options. He lost a lightweight title bout to BJ Penn in 2009, jumped back to welterweight in 2010 but lost his return to John Hathaway, and then he went back to his original trainer, Greg Jackson, in order to find his mojo again. Well, he found it in October, and with his back against the wall, the “Nightmare” returned to pound out an exciting three round decision win over ultra-tough Paulo Thiago. And it wasn’t just that Sanchez got the job done, it was that he did it with the aggressive style and varied attack that made his name in the first place. It may have been the fastest 15 minutes you’ve seen in a long time. 8 – Mark Munoz W3 Aaron Simpson When I think of friends fighting friends, I always refer back to the 1991 welterweight title bout in boxing between Simon Brown and Maurice Blocker, the gold standard when it comes to two buddies putting their friendship aside and going to war. Mark Munoz and Aaron Simpson definitely did their part to add to this combat sports legacy in November with a three round scrap that had you wincing when it came to some of the blows landed by both wrestlers. And when the former college standouts weren’t going toe-to-toe, they were showing off high-level wrestling on the mat, making this a complete and visceral display of why this sport is so great. Munoz got the nod this time, via unanimous decision, but I wouldn’t mind seeing another one in the future. 7 – George Sotiropoulos Wsub2 Joe Lauzon Early in their pivotal lightweight bout at UFC 123, it looked like Joe Lauzon’s striking was going to be the key to figuring out the riddle of George Sotiropoulos. But the Aussie contender had no intention of giving up his unbeaten UFC record yet, and after a fast-paced first round that featured high-level action both standing and on the mat, he made the necessary adjustments in round two, got his own game back on track, and finished Lauzon with a tight kimura. 6 – Carlos Condit TKO3 Rory MacDonald Going into their UFC 115 match in June, fight fans wondered whether 20-year old wunderkind Rory MacDonald had the experience to hang with former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit. Well, that answer came early and often against ‘The Natural Born Killer’, as MacDonald took the first two rounds of the bout thanks to a dynamic attack that kept the aggressive Condit off-balance. But in the third, Condit’s experience paid off as he got MacDonald to the mat and grounded and pounded his way to victory with seven seconds left. In the end, Condit got the victory, MacDonald got respect, and the fans got a helluva fight. 5 – Sean Sherk W3 Evan Dunham Regardless of what you think of the controversial split decision rendered in Sean Sherk’s favor, the fact remains that the former UFC lightweight champ and rising star Evan Dunham put on a three round classic back at UFC 119 in Indianapolis. Sherk showed little in the way of ring rust after a 16 month injury-induced layoff, and after a couple big slams and some crisp standup that opened up a nasty cut over Dunham’s eye, it looked like the “Muscle Shark” was going to run over the up and comer. But Dunham, who already had a breakthrough in 2010 with wins over Tyson Griffin and Efrain Escudero, dug deep, put on his hard hat and went to work, apparently winning the next two frames. The judges disagreed, awarding the bout to Sherk, but there were no losers in this one in the eyes of the fans. 4 – Brock Lesnar Wsub2 Shane Carwin If you happened to doubt the punching power of Shane Carwin, it didn’t take long for you to become a believer in July as he cracked Brock Lesnar in the first round and proceeded to lay down a hellacious beatdown on the then-heavyweight champion. It was a stunning turn of events that was topped by Lesnar’s ability to weather the storm to make it out of a round he had no right surviving. Then, as the bell was about to ring for the second round, he smiled at Carwin as if to say “you got yours; now I’m about to get mine.” And he did, taking an exhausted Carwin down and submitting him with an arm triangle. In a nutshell, it’s what all heavyweight title fights should be like. 3 – Stephan Bonnar TKO2 Krzysztof Soszynski The first fight between Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 110 in February was damn good. Their rematch at UFC 116 made the first one look like a three round lay and pray fest. Filled with intense exchanges that could have ended the bout at any number of times, Bonnar and Soszynski earned their Fight of the Night bonus checks, but it was Bonnar who resurrected his career with the type of performance that will guarantee him a job for as long as he decides that he wants to put on the gloves, bite down on his mouthpiece and go punch for punch with all comers in the Octagon. 2 – Chris Leben Wsub3 Yoshihiro Akiyama It wasn’t an enviable position to be in – following the third and fourth entries on this list on the epic UFC 116 card in July, but Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama may have taken that as a challenge, as they went on to put on one of the best fights of the year. Featuring fierce toe-to-toe action, changes in momentum, and a shocking and exciting finish, this bout had it all. And in the process, Leben, fighting for the second time in two weeks, completed his transformation from MMA’s problem child to legit middleweight contender. 1 – Anderson Silva Wsub5 Chael Sonnen The drama before this UFC 117 bout took place couldn’t hold a candle to what happened on fight night, as Silva and Sonnen engaged in a championship fight for the ages. Yes, Sonnen dominated the majority of the bout with his ground and pound attack, but each moment before he would take the previously untouchable title holder to the mat was filled with tension as Silva unleashed the strikes many believed would end the fight. But even though he got rocked on a few occasions, Sonnen was resolute in his attack, and as the seconds ticked by, he was getting closer and closer to one of the sport’s great upsets and the realization of a dream. Then, like the truest of true champions, Silva pulled off a fifth round submission. Calling it a spectacular comeback doesn’t do it justice, but judging this fight to be the best UFC bout of 2010 certainly does. Honorable Mention – Kendall Grove-Mark Munoz, Jared Hamman-Rodney Wallace, Pascal Krauss-Mark Scanlon, Brian Stann-Mike Massenzio, Kyle Kingsbury-Jared Hamman, Michael Bisping-Yoshihiro Akiyama, Matt Mitrione-Joey Beltran, Leonard Garcia-Nam Phan, Nate Diaz-Marcus Davis, Ricardo Romero-Seth Petruzelli, Evan Dunham-Efrain Escudero, George Sotiropoulos-Joe Stevenson, Chris Lytle-Matt Serra II, Mirko Cro Cop-Pat Barry, Sam Stout-Joe Lauzon, Krzysztof Soszynski-Stephan Bonnar I, TJ Waldburger-David Mitchell

Glendale, Ariz. – UFC, are you ready for “Showtime?” Because he’s coming soon. On a night wrapped in historical overtones, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis dethroned WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at Jobing.com Arena to earn a UFC title shot. Both fighters waged a back-and-forth battle that was worthy of Fight of the Night and may have been decided in the final 80 seconds of the fifth round. With the fight apparently up for grabs, Pettis went airborne, acrobatically bounced off the cage fence and executed a beautiful high kick that landed flush on the hometown champ’s jaw and dropped him to the canvas. It was an electrifying and unprecedented move that no one in press row had ever seen, like something out of a “The Matrix” movie. It sent the live crowd at the arena into mass hysteria. Henderson gamely weathered the crucial assault and got back to his feet, but that sequence may have anchored his defeat by unanimous decision. The riveting match was fittingly the last bout ever for the decade-old WEC, which is set to merge with its sister organization, the UFC. That means Pettis, a Milwaukee native who starred in an MTV episode of “World of Jenks,” is slated to fight the winner of the Jan. 1 bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and unbeaten challenger Gray Maynard. An emotional Pettis, whose father was murdered during an armed robbery in 2003, credited his coach Duke Roufus for the one-of-a-kind kick that made a lot of people’s jaw drop. “We practice that all the time,” Pettis said, “and I’ve got 10 more kicks like that coming when I get to the UFC.” Roufus called the kick an “Ong Bak” kick, noting it is an old Muay Thai technique. Pettis dropped Henderson on another occasion with a stiff right hand, but barely survived a rear naked choke in the fourth round that was close to being dead on. Pettis was not the only man to make history Thursday night. Dominick Cruz did, too. Cruz’s handsome reward for a night’s work: Two world titles and a slice of history. The super-quick Californian used his ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ striking style to beat up No.1 challenger Scott Jorgensen for five rounds to become the UFC’s first-ever bantamweight champion.

The most graceful finish in all of combat sports, the submission win can come in a number of ways, but the end result is always the same – a victory for the man pulling off the move, and a look of ‘what happened?’ from the victim. 2010 had its share of memorable wins by way of submission, and in part III of the Highly Unofficial awards, here are the best. 10 – Jim Miller gives Oliveira his first “0” Jim Miller felt a little disrespected in the lead-up to his UFC 124 bout against unbeaten phenom Charles Oliveira, and despite his lengthy win streak in the Octagon, he was seen by many as the underdog. So how did the Jersey native respond? By doing what veterans do. In this case, Miller walked through a few kicks to the head, took Oliveira down, and then finished him off with a kneebar less than two minutes into the fight. Don’t expect any disrespect to be thrown Miller’s way anymore. 9 – Davis breaks new ground against Boetsch ? Already known for his wrestling and ground and pound, Phil Davis’ submission game is starting to get some positive notices as well, not surprising since three of his five finishes have come via tap out. In his most recent bout at UFC 123 in November, “Mr. Wonderful” even went as far as to create his own move, a modified kimura that finished veteran Tim Boetsch and which is already being dubbed “The Philmura.” 8 – Palhares introduces Drwal to the heel hook If there’s one fighter in the UFC that you don’t want around your feet or legs, it’s Rousimar Palhares. In March, he gave a quick and deadly demonstration why, as he caught and submitted Tomasz Drwal with a heel hook in just 45 seconds. And while these moves happen so fast that they never look like much, a glance at the pained face of the fighter on the receiving end speaks a thousand words when it comes to the devastating effects of a well-placed move like the one the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt specializes in. 7 – Dogged Dollaway hangs on to finish Doerksen Ever since his Peruvian Necktie finish of Jesse Taylor in July of 2008, fight fans have been waiting for another submission to remember from The Ultimate Fighter alum CB Dollaway. They got it at UFC 119 in September, when Dollaway showed the continued evolution of his game in submitting veteran jiu-jitsu black belt Joe Doerksen. After locking in a guillotine choke, Dollaway had to weather a feverish escape attempt from the Canadian, but he held on and modified the choke to finish matters at 2:13 of the opening round. 6 – Lesnar roars back, finishes Carwin After taking a hellacious beating from Shane Carwin in the first round of their July bout, Brock Lesnar’s odds of making it out of his corner for round two, let alone winning the fight, were slim. But the then-heavyweight champion showed his warrior’s heart by roaring back, taking down a winded Carwin, and finishing matters with a memorable arm triangle. 5 – Bocek wins battle of black belts with Hazelett A lot of times, if you match up two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, a kickboxing match breaks out. Not this time, and Mark Bocek made sure that his UFC 124 bout with Dustin Hazelett went to the ground almost immediately. In pre-fight interviews, Hazelett said he was just fine with that prospect, but Bocek sapped the joy out from the Kentucky native quickly, finishing the bout via triangle choke just past the midway point of the first round, and establishing Bocek as one of the game’s top groundfighters. 4 – Double Trouble – Lytle Surprises Foster and Brown When you’ve been around the fight game as long as Chris Lytle has, you develop more than a few veteran tricks.

This is it: The end of an era. The grand finale of what two friends started back on June 30, 2001 as a “dabbling” investment for fun and relatively little profit. At the time, when MMA was but a blip on the mainstream sports radar, Reed Harris never envisioned his Indian casino adventure would blossom into an MMA superpower, second in prestige only to its sister organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Yet over the past decade, some of the world’s best fighters have produced riveting theater inside a WEC cage. The distinguished list of athletes includes the following stars: Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, Carlos Condit, Chael Sonnen, Leonard Garcia, Hermes Franca, Nate Diaz, Chris Leben, Mike Swick, Brian Stann, Benson Henderson and Dominick Cruz. Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz., the final chapter in the WEC’s illustrious history will be written. When it’s all over – as Mike Goldberg would say – the WEC will be blended into the UFC. For the first time ever, the UFC will add bantamweight (135) and featherweight (145) world champions. Harris, the real estate guru turned MMA promoter, sat down with me and spoke about the incredible run of the enterprise he and Scott Adams founded 9 and ½ years ago. Harris discusses, for the first time, how arranging a real estate loan for Chuck Liddell set into motion the events that would usher him into the then-dead industry.? In this two-part series, the Chicago native talks about the perils of hosting an outdoor fight show, the horrors of losing his checkbook at a fight and having the lights go out at another show, and how he expects to feel when the final curtain falls. Q: You and Scott Adams co-founded the WEC as sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing, never intending it to be a huge deal. At what point did you guys realize you had staying power? Harris: We did that show at the Mohegan Sun and we had a number of problems and we were able to survive it. Three days before our event was a WWE. So the ticketing company was telling people that our event was sold out. People would call about the WEC and they thought it was WWE; the ticketing company didn’t differentiate between the two events. Four or five days before our event we couldn’t figure out why we weren’t selling tickets. So we called and they said it’s sold out. That show we did about 3,200 (tickets) but it was a very expensive show for us. I think we would have sold about 6,000 if that (mistake) hadn’t happened. There were probably 4,000 at the first event. The first event was really just a test for the casino to see if it was something they wanted to do. If that event wasn’t successful we would have done one show and that would have been it. It would have been like throwing a party. Q: What made you think the market was there for MMA, because you guys entered the business at a time when it wasn’t obvious or crystal clear like it is today. Reed: One of them was, I think it was our third show, about an hour and a half before our event Scott Adams got in a car accident. So the show is getting ready to start and he’s nowhere to be found because he was at the hospital

I’M NOT PICKING AGAINST THIS GUY AGAIN Watching Georges St-Pierre basically toss a perfect game against Josh Koscheck, a guy who without a doubt is among the five best welterweights in the world, highlights that he may indeed be the most complete fighter in the game, across all weight classes.? His virtuoso striking performance eliminated any argument that the champion has largely become a one-dimensional fighter over the last couple of years. ? Anyone who read my breakdown of the matchup knows that I viewed Kos as the perfect foil for GSP’s game.? I was convinced that if GSP chose to stand and trade with the challenger, he would leave Montreal with a massive headache and a suitcase that is about 20 pounds lighter thanks to the disappearance of his championship belt. Whoops. GSP proved me wrong yet again.? I’ll bet that I’ve picked against this guy more than anyone else in the business.? I’m not sure why I continually underestimate him.? It is what it is.? The only thing I know for sure is that I’m not doing it again.? I’ll go so far as to say that I’m not picking against him in his next fight, no matter who he faces—Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Anderson Silva, King Kong or the Loch Ness Monster Ok, those last few names are a bit ridiculous, but I’m standing by my word.? I’ll pick GSP against anyone in his next bout. Of course, that raises the question of who he should fight next.? Jake Shields is next in line.? Much like Kos, Shields has the right tools to unseat the champion because he possesses a world-class blend of wrestling, ground control and submissions from the top position.? If someone asked me prior to UFC 124 who would win between GSP and Shields, I would have said that I liked Shields in that matchup.? Remember my edict.? I’m picking GSP if they fight next. The winner of the late February matchup between Jon Fitch and BJ Penn is another possibility, if something were to happen to Shields in training.? Been there, done that.? GSP dispatched with Fitch in a spirited affair back in August 2008 and then stopped Penn in four rounds five months later.? Just for the record, I picked GSP to suffer an upset loss in both bouts.? I would pick differently if either man faced the champion again. Thiago Alves looked like a more complete fighter at UFC 124 than he has at any point in his career.? Like Shields and Kos, Alves has a blend of skills and athleticism that should give GSP problems, though his skills are based in Muay Thai, not wrestling.? GSP handled him immediately after stopping BJ Penn in their rematch.? Yep, I picked Alves to win that fight.? I do think that Alves would present more problems for the champion today than he did last year.? But I will not pick Alves to win, if he happens to be next up.? I won’t do it. Other than those names, there is nobody who I view as a legitimate threat to GSP’s 170 pound reign.?? Considering the fact that he already has wins over every top contender in the division, maybe it is time for GSP to begin preparation for a fight of fights against fellow pound-for-pound kingpin, Anderson Silva. Again, had someone asked me about that matchup prior to UFC 124, I would have laughed off GSP’s chances at winning.? Silva is far superior on the feet, has long enough legs to control the action with a body triangle, if he were to suffer a takedown, and, simply put, just do darn big.? The Brazilian is probably 30 to 40 pounds bigger than GSP on an average weekday when both are in shape but not focused on cutting weight for a fight.?? Those are massive mountains to overcome.? I’m not picking against GSP, though.? Ok, I’ll admit it.? I probably will pick against GSP if that fight ever comes to light.? But I’ll try not to. ? Vitor Belfort may destroy any interest in a GSP-Silva fight by stopping the middleweight king during Super Bowl weekend.? I’ll break down that matchup in detail as it approaches, but I really like Belfort’s chances.?? I just don’t see anything that Silva does better than Belfort, other than fighting up to his ability just about every time out, something Belfort has struggled with over the years. ? But even if Belfort defeats Silva, I think that GSP’s next fight (or possibly the one after facing Shields) should be against the reigning middleweight champion.? He should insist upon a 179-pound or 180-pound maximum contract weight, just to make things a bit tougher on his larger foe.? But even if he cannot get that term into the bout agreement, I think that a record-setting fight where he tries to simultaneously rule two UFC weight classes presents him with the sort of challenge that will keep him keenly focused and fully engaged. GSP can certainly remain at welterweight and attempt to put together a Bernard Hopkins-like rule over the division where he racks up 20-plus consecutive successful defenses.? There is a reason that no UFC champion has ever successfully defended his title even half that number of times.? Fights can end in literally hundreds of ways, and all it takes is one mistake to forever alter the course of history.? Thus, the odds would be stacked heavily against GSP accomplishing a goal like that. Moreover, there is a very real chance that he may lose focus if he remains at welterweight because he won’t view anyone, other than maybe Shields, as a legitimate threat to his reign.? One doesn’t have to look far to see the realities of such a mistake.? Remember Matt Serra? GSP has mentioned retirement on a couple of occasions over the last year or so.? Retirement?? This guy hasn’t yet turned 30 years old, which means he isn’t even entered his fighting prime.? Such talk suggests that his focus could be waning.? Kos did him a tremendous favor by trash talking him into a state of heightened focus and determination.? Few other opponents will likely have the same impact on GSP. What is next for the champ?? Probably Shields.? Maybe the winner of Silva-Belfort.? Whatever the case, I’m picking GSP. KOS FOUGHT BRAVELY, BUT SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT Is it just me or did Kos seem more focused on adjusting his shorts and wiping sweat off of his hands than defending the jab in the first round of his inaugural title challenge?? This guy continually pulled up his shorts while standing within striking range.? He repeatedly wiped his hands on his thighs while standing in the pocket.? GSP thanked him for those mistakes by peppering him with jabs each time he lowered his hands and, well, at just about all other moments of the fight. ? What was the problem? I have no clue.? All I know is that Kos didn’t seem like himself in the opening round.? He was far from the calm, focused welterweight contender who dominated Paul Daley, Anthony Johnson and Frank Trigg in his prior three bouts.? He lunged with his punches, rather than sitting down and firing.? He completely ignored his biggest advantage in the fight—his wrestling—aside from a lone takedown at the end of the first.? And he generally seemed fidgety throughout the fight.? In other words, he just didn’t seem like himself. I’m sure GSP’s jackhammer jab had something to do with his performance.? I’m also sure the pressure of a first-time title challenge, particularly in GSP’s native land, had something to do with it. But now it’s back to the drawing board for the talented contender. ALVES PUTS ON CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCE Thiago Alves is one bad man.? Nobody has ever denied that fact.? With 10 wins in 14 UFC bouts, his success speaks for itself.? Nonetheless, coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career, Alves knew that he had to make some changes in his game if he wanted to return to the top of the division and earn a second shot at welterweight gold. The Brazilian striking phenom displayed those changes at the expense of a very game, extremely talented John Howard.? Alves not only completely outclassed his foe on the feet, he scored two dramatic takedowns, something few expected from the “Pit Bull.”? I think those takedowns were the most significant moments of the fight because they will forever raise the question of a takedown in the collective consciousness of Alves’ future opponents, and that will make his striking that much more effective. Speaking of striking, is there any welterweight in the world who throws more damaging leg kicks than Alves?? I dare say no.? Watching him hammer away with his right leg is a thing of pure beauty.? The athletic move reminds me a lot of Tiger Woods hitting a driver.? Woods uses his legs to clear his hips long before his hands square up the club face to the ball.? The movement creates a tremendous amount of lag in his swing, which, in turn, generates an insane amount of speed and explosive power.? Guys who clear their hips first in golf hit the ball further than those who don’t.? That is an incontrovertible fact. ? Alves does the same thing with his leg kicks.? His hips clear long before his shin finds the meat of his opponent’s thigh.? He creates the same torque with his hips that Woods does when hitting a driver.? As a result, Alves’ shin arrives at the target with much more speed and explosive power than shins thrown by anyone else in the division, bar none.

MONTREAL, December 11 – Mark Bocek took the drama out of his anticipated UFC 124 bout with fellow jiu-jitsu black belt Dustin Hazelett early and emphatically, impressively submitting his foe in the first round at the Bell Centre Saturday night. Bocek vs. Hazelett “I’ve been quiet for a long time,” said Bocek. “I’ve got the best jiu-jitsu in the lightweight division. Let me fight George Sotiropoulos in Toronto (in April 2011) and prove it.” See post-fight interview Bocek scored the first takedown of the fight less than 30 seconds in, using his ground strikes to loosen Hazelett’s solid defense. It worked – as he effortlessly transitioned into a triangle choke. Hazelett tried to fight the move off, but he was soon forced to tap at the 2:33 mark of the opening round. With the win, Bocek improves to 9-3; Hazelett falls to 14-7. Doerksen vs. Dan Miller In middleweight action, Dan Miller squeezed out a close three round split decision win over Joe Doerksen. See post-fight interview Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 for Miller, who improved to 13-4 with 1 NC; Doerksen falls to 46-14. The battle commenced on the ground almost immediately, with Miller pressing the action and Doerksen showing off solid defense as well as peppering strikes from his back. And while it wasn’t Miller’s best form in the first five minutes, he did enough to take the round. Miller opened up the second with another takedown, but this time Doerksen scrambled immediately and got into the top position. The Manitoba product was able to get off some ground strikes, but Miller fought back to his feet and then took Doerksen down, which didn’t please the crowd too much. A little past the midway point, Doerksen struck with a kimura from the bottom, but after some dicey moments, Miler escaped and resumed his attack of ground strikes, though it was the Jersey native who went back to his corner with a cut over his left eye. The gameplan remained unchanged for Miller in round three – take Doerksen down and work him over on the mat. Doerksen wasn’t a shrinking violet on his back though, as Miller’s bloodied and bruised face made very clear. And as the round progressed, it was Doerksen being the busier of the two fighters, which left the judges with a dilemma scoring-wise as the final bell tolled. Bongfeldt vs. Natal A big last round from Jesse Bongfeldt allowed the debuting Ontario middleweight to eke out a three round majority draw against Rafael Natal. See post-fight interview with Natal Scores were 29-28 for Natal and 28-28 twice. Natal put on a groundfighting clinic in the first round, with only Bongfeldt’s resolve keeping him in the fight until a late surge where he took the Brazilian down and attempted to get matters in his favor, only to have the bell ring. See post-fight interview with Bongfeldt Bongfeldt (15-4-1) did what he needed to do to get back in the fight in round two, turning it into a brawl. And it worked as he got the fight to the mat and unleashed ground strikes in between submission attempts from Natal. Eventually, Natal cleared his head and got back to his feet, drawing a warning just before the two minute mark for grabbing the fence. After the brief break, Natal took Bongfeldt to the mat and then took his foe’s back. Bongfeldt broke free after a spell, but only for a moment, as Natal kept him locked up as he looked for the choke. Natal (12-3-1) looked exhausted as he came out for the final round, and Bongfeldt – though fatigued himself – took advantage and used his striking to get Natal to the mat. He quickly got into the mount position as Natal tried to hold on, and a series of strikes from the top had referee Dan Miragliotta looking closely at the New York resident. Natal must have sensed the end though, as he got out of trouble, and despite taking more hard shots, he was able to make it to the end, though the 10-8 round on two judges’ cards cost him the bout. Riddle vs. Pierson It was a debut years in the making, but veteran Ontario welterweight Sean Pierson made the most of it, winning an exciting three round scrap with Matt Riddle via unanimous decision. See post-fight interview “It was great to be in there exchanging punches with Matt,” said Pierson. “He’s very resilient, but I felt like I had the decision. The crowd was amazing. This was 14 years in the making. I’m extremely proud and happy to be in the UFC.” All three judges saw it 30-27 for Pierson in a fight that was a lot closer than those margins would indicate. Pierson showed no sign of the first time UFC jitters as he took the fight to Riddle from the opening bell, rocking him with punches as the two battled against the fence, and then dropping the Ultimate Fighter veteran with a stiff right hand on the jaw. Riddle weathered the attack admirably, but Pierson still stayed one step ahead, slamming his foe to the canvas and continuing to pepper him with accurate shots while standing. Riddle came out fast for round two, only to get more flush counters to the face for his trouble. In response, Riddle looked for the takedown but was turned away. Pierson went on to put on a jabbing clinic, but Riddle kept pressing, almost catching Pierson in a guillotine choke after closing the distance. Moments later it was Riddle rejecting Pierson’s takedown attempt and getting into the dominant position on the mat, where he stood to the final bell. The exchanges got more and more heated in round three, but Pierson’s southpaw jab continued to dictate the action. That’s not to say Riddle wasn’t getting his licks in, as his strikes opened a cut under Pierson’s right eye. Through it all, Riddle kept a smile on his face, as the crowd chanted Pierson’s name. In the final minute, it was Pierson taking matters to the mat, but as the bout ended, it was bombs away for the two welters, with Riddle rocking Pierson just before the bell. With the win, Pierson ups his record to 11-4; Riddle falls to 5-2

MONTREAL, December 11 – The last man to take a round from UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in a prize fight was Josh Koscheck, back in August of 2007. Saturday night before 23,000 plus at the Bell Centre, Montreal’s own St-Pierre made sure that wasn’t going to be the case the second time around, as he repeated his victory over the number one contender, this time by way of a shutout five round unanimous decision. See post-fight interview “I didn’t reach my goal tonight,” said St-Pierre. “I wanted to take him out, but he’s very tough.” “Georges St-Pierre is a true champion,” said Koscheck, whose one-sided war of words with the champion extended to The Ultimate Fighter season 12, where both were coaches. “St-Pierre is the man tonight. He had a great gameplan, he executed very well, and he showed why he’s the best pound-for-pound.” Scores were 50-45 across the board for St-Pierre, who defended his title for the fifth consecutive time. “My hat is off to him,” added the champion, who squashed his beef with Koscheck following the bout. “He came to Montreal to fight me in hostile territory.” Not surprisingly, Koscheck was bathed in boos as he walked to the Octagon, and the challenger embraced them.? St-Pierre, greeted by the adulation of his countrymen, practically ran from his locker room, eager to get down to business, and after the packed house drowned out announcer Bruce Buffer during the opening introductions, he did just that, taking Koscheck down within 20 seconds of the bell. Koscheck got right back up, but seemed content to let St-Pierre lead, looking for a chance to counter. A second St-Pierre takedown attempt was defended well by Koscheck, who was showing a mouse under his right eye. St-Pierre peppered Koscheck with whipping jabs to the face, occasionally following up with a right hand or kick. With less than two minutes left, Koscheck got more deliberate in stalking the champion, but he still wasn’t scoring or forcing St-Pierre to deviate from his fight plan. Eventually, he attempted a takedown and was able to pin the champion to the fence, but it wasn’t until 18 seconds remained that he got St-Pierre to the mat. As Koscheck walked back to his corner, the swelling under his eye worsened, drawing a roar from the crowd when shown on the big screens.? A confident St-Pierre walked out of his corner and again began to pepper his foe with quick lefts and rights. Koscheck seemed to be in a trance at the end of St-Pierre’s punches, unable to get his offense in gear. The occasional winging right hand would come out, letting St-Pierre know he was still there, but as the round progressed, the prospect of a changing of the guard looked to be slimming for the former national wrestling champion. Both fighters were putting a little more heat on their strikes to begin round three, before locking up against the fence after a failed St-Pierre takedown attempt. Midway through the round, the stalemate ended as the fighters pushed off each other and broke free. Another lock-up ensued, with the same result. Koscheck swung another wild right, not even coming close, and St-Pierre went on to play matador to a wild bull-rush from his challenger before ending the round with another quick series of strikes. Between rounds, the Octagonside physician took a long look at Koscheck’s nearly closed eye, but allowed the fight to continue. St-Pierre went at his foe at the bell, taking him down with a thudding slam. Kocheck battled his way up, but with St-Pierre attached to him against the fence. After a stall in the action, referee Herb Dean restarted the bout, and for the first time it was looking like fatigue was setting in on the champion. Koscheck responded by upping his work-rate slightly, hoping to land the haymaker that would turn the fight around. St-Pierre’s defense was solid though and so were the quick strikes that continued to make his opponent’s night miserable. With a minute left, St-Pierre began opening up, but after a punishing flurry, he took his foot off the gas, keeping Koscheck in the fight for another round. St-Pierre began leading with his left hook as the final round began, and Koscheck wasn’t even seeing them coming. The challenge gamely looked for a takedown twice, only to come up short both times. What followed was more of the same from St-Pierre as he pecked and poked at Koscheck and was safely out of reach when any return fire came. With less than 90 seconds left, St-Pierre took Koscheck down twice in succession, and while he couldn’t keep him on the canvas, the point was made, and St-Pierre had done what he said in pre-fight interviews he wanted to do – he got Josh Koscheck out of his life. With the win, St-Pierre improves to 21-2; Koscheck falls to 17-5.

It’s another in a long line of grudges that have developed over the years and been settled man to man in the Octagon, cage, or ring, and if history holds up, we should be in for a highly competitive and emotionally charged contest. What follows are ten of the most heated rivalries in history. Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn When they first met in March of 2006, Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn were vying for a shot at then champion Matt Hughes, arguably the most dominant champion in UFC history. The fight ended in a controversial split decision, which was awarded to St-Pierre. click to watch In the years following, both men rocketed to the top of the fighting world. While St-Pierre eventually usurped Hughes as champion and continues to dominate the division, Penn dropped down to lightweight and became the division champion. Still, he was haunted by what he felt was a fight he should have won. It took nearly three years to rematch the two men. St-Pierre was victorious again, this time more emphatically as he stopped “The Prodigy” in four rounds, effectively closing the book on the rivalry. However, recent events have found Penn returning to the welterweight division and making a statement with a quick and hellacious knockout win over Matt Hughes. ? One has to wonder if the next chapter of this rivalry is being written as we speak. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans There may never have been a more heated – or public – feud in the UFC than that between Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans. click to watch The feud between the two kicked into high gear when Evans, then the champion, was brought to the Octagon after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine. The two immediately squared off and started jawing with each other, with Joe Rogan holding a microphone between the two. The intensity they displayed in the exchange indicated they might not have even noticed Rogan’s presence. This carried through to the 10th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where the two men were set against each other as coaches. see more It seemed anytime one of them opened their mouths, it was only a matter of minutes before the topic of conversation veered towards the other. Unfortunately, the fight between the two had many false starts until it finally went down last May