UFC 109 Live Stream
Like many sports fans I have jumped on the UFC bandwagon. The UFC is taking over and has pretty much already made boxing irrelevant. Even ESPN started coverage of the UFC when they showed the results of UFC 69 on Sportscenter this past weekend. If you're new to the UFC or you want to start watching the UFC here are some of the fighters you might want to take notice of.
Andrei Arlovski
Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski is a heavyweight in the UFC and is a former Heavyweight Champion. Andrei Arlovski first debuted at UFC 28 and didn't get off to a great start in the UFC. Andrei Arlovski finally broke through with some big wins and became a contender for the Heavyweight title. In 2004, UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir was injured in a motorcycle accident. Andrei Arlovski was given a match against Tim Sylvia to decide the interim champion. Andrei Arlovski would defeat Sylvia to become the Heavyweight champion. A year later Sylvia would win the title back from Andrei Arlovski.
Michael Bisping
Several years ago the UFC started a reality show where one fighter would win a contract to fight in the UFC. In 2006 Michael Bisping was one of the contestants of the Ultimate Fighter. With help from trainer Tito Ortiz, Michael Bisping went on to win the Ultimate Fighter and was very impressive in the process. Michael Bisping is 12 – 0 so far in MMA fights. Coming up on April 21st Michael Bisping has a match against Elvis Sinosic in front of his home country, England.
Rashad Evans
Rashad Evans began his MMA career under the tutelage of wrestling legend Dan Severn. Thanks to Severn, Rashad Evans was able to start off his career great and get a spot on the Ultimate Fighter. Rashad Evans won the Ultimate Fighter despite being the underdog in every match he fought. Rashad Evans has been on a roll since then beating Sam Hoger, Stephan Bonnar and Jason Lambert. The next match for Rashad Evans will be against Tito Ortiz at UFC 72.
Rich Franklin
Rich Franklin is a former math teacher and former UFC Middleweight Champion. Rich Franklin had a 17 – 1 MMA record before getting a title shot. Rich Franklin's only lose was against Lyoto Machida but Rich Franklin also held wins over Evan Tanner, Jorge Rivera and Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. Rich Franklin got another shot match against Evan Tanner and beat him again to win his Middleweight Title. Rich Franklin then had some impressive title defenses against Nate Quarry and David Loiseau but he broke his hand in his match with Louiseau. Rich Franklin was out of action for seven months and when he returned to action he lost his Middleweight Title to Anderson Silva. Rich Franklin will also fight at UFC 72 against Martin Kampmann.
Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin was one of the winners of the first season of the Ultimate Fighter. In the finals Forrest Griffin had an unbelievable match against Stephan Bonnar. The match was so good that UFC President Dana White gave both Forrest Griffin and Bonnar contracts even though only the winner was supposed to. Forrest Griffin is known for his humorous interviews and has become a fan favorite. One of the best quotes by Forrest Griffin was when he said, “Women kept telling me that I wasn't much of a lover so I figured, hell I must be a fighter!”
Chuck Liddell
In 2002 Chuck Liddell was considered to be the #1 contender to the UFC Light Heavyweight title. The champion at the time, Tito Ortiz, kept on saying he couldn't fight Chuck Liddell because of scheduling problems. The UFC set up a match for the interim champion instead in which Chuck Liddell would fight Randy Couture. Randy Couture surprised everyone by beating Chuck Liddell. Chuck Liddell then went to Japan where he lost to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Chuck Liddell finally got a shot at Tito Ortiz and knocked him out. Chuck Liddell then went on to beat Randy Couture for the Middleweight Title, beat Randy Couture again in the rubber match and then beat Tito Ortiz again in a rematch. Chuck Liddell will next fight at UFC 71 where he will get a rematch with “Rampage” Jackson.
B. J. Penn
B. J. Penn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of seventeen and was trained under Ralph Gracie. In 2001 B. J. Penn began fighting in the UFC and looked good in his first few matches before losing to Jens Pulver. In 2003 Jens Pulver left the UFC and relinquished his title. A tournament was set up to crown a new Lightweight Champion but B. J. Penn fought to a no contest in the tournament. In 2004 B. J. Penn jumped up a weight class and upset the defending welterweight champion Matt Hughes. B. J. Penn then decided to fight in K-1 so the UFC stripped him of his title. B. J. Penn returned to the UFC in 2006 and was defeated by Georges St. Pierre. B. J. Penn is now the coach for Ultimate Fighter 5 and at the end of the season he will get a rematch with the other coach Jens Pulver.
Diego Sanchez
Diego Sanchez made his UFC debut by winning the first Ultimate Fighter reality show. Diego Sanchez won the Ultimate Fighter as a Middleweight but dropped to Welterweight and defeated Brian Gassaway, Nick Diaz, John Alessio and Parisyan. Diego Sanchez had a perfect 19 – 0 record going into a match with Josh Koscheck. Josh Koscheck was also on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter and he and Diego Sanchez have a lot of bad blood from the show. Diego Sanchez talked a big game and tried to play mind games with Josh Koscheck but when the match with Josh Koscheck came Diego Sanchez hardly did anything and lost his first UFC match.
Matt Serra
During the 1990s Matt Serra studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsui under Renzo Gracie. Matt Serra was awarded a black belt and became the first American to receive the black belt under Gracie. Matt Serra won the Ultimate Fighter 4 which won him a $100,000 contract a $100,000 sponsorship with Xyience and a Welterweight Championship match against Georges St. Pierre. The match took place at UFC 69 where Matt Serra won a huge upset over Georges St. Pierre to win the Welterweight Championship.
Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is known for his skills in Muay Thai but is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Anderson Silva had a good career in Pride before signing with the UFC in 2006. Anderson Silva surprised many United States fans when he knocked out Chris Leben in his UFC debut. A poll appeared on UFC's website asking who they wanted Anderson Silva to fight next and the voters overwhelming selected UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. Anderson Silva got the shot at the title at UFC 64 and defeated Rich Franklin in the first round. Anderson Silva's next match will be against Nate Marquardt but it is believed that Rich Franklin would be in line for a rematch after that.
