http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4...fcjul063tl.jpg
Join us for LIVE coverage!
Once the PPV starts I will post the pBp for it.
Thank you Lion for giving me the chance to do this.
Event Name: UFC 61 - Bitter Rivals
Event Date: July 8, 2006
Event Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
-Drew Fickett vs. Kurt Pellegrino
-Gilbert Aldana vs. Cheick Kongo
-Jeff Monson vs. Anthony Perosh
-Hermes Franca vs. Joe Jordan
-Yves Edwards vs. Joe Stevenson
-Frank Mir vs. Dan Christison
-Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock
-Josh Burkman vs. Josh Neer
-Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski
LIVE UFC 61 BITTER RIVALS COVERAGE
Prelim Bouts:
Drew Fickett vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Round 1: Fight starts out with a feeling out process on the feet. A little over a minute into the round, Pellegrino got a takedown. Fickett landed some nice elbows from the bottom and eventually got back to his feet. He immediately landed a knee to Pellegrino on his way back to standing. Pellegrino then got another takedown via an impressive slam and finished the round with some ground and pound. Probably a Pellegrino round here.
Round 2: Pellegrino opens the second round with another takedown. He works some ground and pound but doesn't stay busy enough for the referee's taste, as after a minute or two they were stood back up. Fickett secured a front choke at one point, but Pellegrino got out without much trouble. Fight is restarted again, and Fickett got a takedown this time and finished the round with some ground and pound of his own. Probably a Fickett round, which means this fight could be decided by the third and final round, which is up next.
Round 3: Pellegrino again opens the round with a takedown, quickly passing into side-control. He works for a side choke, but Fickett escapes and gets Pellegrino's back. Fickett gets a rear naked choke in and Pellegrino taps, giving Fickett the win via submission at 1:20 of round three.
Drew Fickett def. Kurt Pellegrino via Submission (rear naked choke) at 1:20 of Round 3.
Gilbert Aldana vs. Cheick Kongo
Round 1: Aldana opened the round with a takedown. After about a minute of nothing much happening, the fight is stood back up. Aldana quickly gets another takedown, but Kondo reverses the position and winds up in Aldana's guard. Aldana escapes that and the fight returns back to the feet, but takes some punishing right hands from Kongo to both the face and knees to the body. The fight is stopped to check a cut on Aldana. The fight is stopped, giving Kongo the victory via TKO.
Cheick Kongo def. Gilbert Aldana via TKO (cut stoppage) at 4:13 of Round 1.
Jeff Monson vs. Anthony Perosh
Round 1:Jeff Monson took his opponent down to open the fight. When they got back to their feet, Monson destroyed Perosh in stand-up, nailing him with knees and punches for the win.
Jeff Monson defeated Anthony Perosh via KO at 2:22 of round one.
Joe Jordan vs. Hermes Franca
Round One: Hermes Franca opened with some solid strikes, but he did little to capitalize. Jordan ended with some ground and pound in Franca's guard.
Round Two:Franca dominated the round on his feet with strikes; Jordan was opened up. Franca also managed a takedown and ground and pound to win the round.
Round Three: Franca once again controlled the opening, this time with a quick takedown attempt. He sealed a triangle from mount to win via submission.
Hermes Franca defeated Joe Jordan via submission (triangle) at :47 of round three
This concludes the Prelim fights. The main card will start soon.
Main-PPV Card
Joe Stevenson vs. Yves Edwards
Round 1:The two touch gloves to start things off, and the fight is on. Both feel each other out on their feet for a little bit—neither's doing much offensively. The feeling out process continues for over a minute, and then Stevenson shoots for a takedown. He hangs onto Edwards' leg, but Edwards won't go down. Edwards tries throwing some defensive shots, but that allows Stevenson to finally get the leverage for the takedown. He pushes Edwards towards the cage, but Edwards gets up and hits Stevenson with a hard shot. He gets some more solid strikes in (including a devastating high kick), and Stevenson's hurt. He hits the floor, and Edwards pounces, but Edwards can't do enough to get the stoppage. With the fight on the ground, Edwards is on top of Stevenson, but in his body clutch and then guard. Edwards throws some shots, but he's not doing too much damage. He stands up. Edwards moves in, and then goes for a triangle, but he can't get it. Stevenson is on top of Edwards in his guard, and he throws some solid elbows. Edwards gets to his feet, but Stevenson gains some control of Edwards' leg and once again goes for a takedown. He gets it. But, Edwards quickly fires back with a triangle attempt. He can't lock it in, and the round comes to an end.
Round Two:
The two are circling each other; Edwards is a little more aggressive, but he hasn't done any damage. Edwards then finally gets a good left punch, but Stevenson comes in and throws a few shots. Edwards comes back with more punches, but Stevenson ducks and gets a leg takedown. Edwards then pulls Stevenson into his guard, although the guard is pretty weak. Stevenson brings the fight to the fence for some ground and pound. Edwards is now bleeding from his forehead - it's a nasty cut. Stevenson's ground and pound becomes brutal, although Edwards is still intelligent in his defense. Due to Edwards' defense, the fight won't be stopped just yet, but the assualts are brutal - there is blood everywhere. McCarthy is eventually forced to take a pause so that Edwards' cut can be examined. He wants to continue, and the fight resumes at around 1:40. Edwards tries to fight out of Stevenson's mount, and does lock in his guard, but Stevenson continues reigning down blows, including some vicious elbows.
Just before the end of the round, Edwards gets to his feet. The crowd is roaring. Prior to the beginning of round three, Stevenson is granted the win due to stoppage. The doctors deemed Edwards unable to continue.
Winner: Joe Stevenson via stoppage after round two.
Frank Mir vs. Dan Christison
Round One:
The two touch gloves, and the fight starts. Mir goes for a leg kick, but it does very little. They touch gloves again, and resume. Christison throws a kick of his own, followed by some really slow punches, and they lock up. Christison brings the fight against the cage, although very little is happening. Mir eventually gets a takedown, and goes to work on Christison with some ground and pound. He's got side control, and then moves into a mount. Christison dodges, but Mir gets right back on top in his opponent's guard. Mir already looks gassed. Nonetheless, he's still winning with ground and pound. Christison is doing a somewhat decent job of protecting himself, but he seems to have no clue about how to get out of this position. With two minutes left in the round, Mir is still in Christison's guard and still issuing slow ground and pound. At 1:30, Christison gets an armbar, but Mir gets out of it. Both men are tired. The fight goes back to stand-up, and Christison goes to work with Mir against the cage; it then moves towards the center. The men trade blows, but nothing significant comes from either fighter. Christison then gets a combo of punches due to his reach advantage, but the shots are just way too slow to get the knockout.
Round Two:
They lock-up at the onset, and Christison once again pushes Mir towards the fence. They move towards the center, and they trade blows. Christison is getting the better of the exchanges, although the punches still seem really slow. Nonetheless, they are doing damage on the tired Mir. Two minutes into the round, it's the same deal - Christison's winning with some slow punches. Mir takes the fight to the ground, and goes for a straight kneebar, as Christison tries to get a triangle. Mir eventually ends up on top in Christison's guard, and both guys are looking terribly tired. Christison once again goes for an armbar, and gets a few shots from the bottom, but he can't end it. Mir's doing the boring "stay on top but do nothing" thing that is occasionally seen in UFC fights. With :48 seconds left in the round, the referee stands them up. Christison kicks Mir in the hip, and then forces Mir towards the fence. Mir's far more gassed at this point, and it's really hurting him. The round comes to an end, and it clearly belongs to Christison.
Round Three:They trade blows in the middle, and even though Mir's getting some shots in, the Christison hits do more damage. Mir takes the fight down again. He's on top, and throws some very weak punches to Christison's face and body. He then turns it on and gets some better shots on Christison's face. Mir tries to pass the guard, but he can't quite do it. At 3:15, he passes the guard and goes for a kimura, but he can't really do it. He's really tired, but he's continuously reigning blows on Christison's face. Christison uses his feet to push Mir off, but Mir gets right back on top. It's the same-old thing, until they're stood up with about :55 remaining. Mir shoots for a takedown, but Christison sprawls to avoid ending up on his back. He's got some control on Mir, and the crowd is booing. They stand up, and the fight comes to an end. We wait for a decision. Eddie Bravo scored it 29-28 Christison, but it's the scores from the three judges that matter.
Frank Mir wins via unanimous 29-28 decision.
Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz
Shamrock comes out first; the crowd boos. Ortiz comes out to a strong reaction; he's definitely starting the fight out as the fan favorite.
Round One:
They do not touch gloves before the bell. The crowd is chanting Tito. Let's go.
Ken Shamrock charges at Tito with some swings, but Ortiz fights him off with a knee and some strikes. He shoots for a takedown on Shamrock, and after some struggle, he gets a powerfuls lam. He's in Shamrock's guard, but he's winning the ground and pound. He brings the fight to the fence and hammers Shamrock with elbows. Herb Dean stops the fight at about 1:18, and Shamrock's furious. It was a questionable call. Ortiz starts "digging a grave" with his hands, and Shamrock charges him. Security keeps them separated, as Shamrock bitterly protests the decision. Shamrock walks out of the ring before they give the official decision. The crowd agrees with Shamrock in protest, as they viciously boo Tito's win.
Winner: Tito Ortiz via TKO at 1:18
Dana White Has An Announcement
Dana White is in the Octagon. He brings out a "very good friend" - Wanderlei Silva.
Silva ends a brief speech by saying he wants to fight Chuck Liddell in the UFC. Chuck Liddell quickly enters the Octagon for the face-off, and Dana White confirms the match will take place in November if Liddell beats Renato "Babalu" Sobral next month.
Josh Burkman vs. Josh Neer
Round One:
The fighters touch gloves to start the swing bout. Heavy leather being thrown early with Neer looking more refined but his opponent seems more explosive. Nice body shot from Burkman. Big right elbow from Burkman finds its target. Burkman shoots and scores the first takedown of the bout at the 2:30 mark. Burkman landing some punches from within Neer's guard. Neer sweeps and gets back to his feet. Burkman drops Neer with a right hand and takes his back then goes for an armbar. Neer escapes and lands a big elbow from the top position. Sherdog.com scores the first for Burkman, 10-9.
Round Two:
Burkman starts the second stanza with a glancing high kick. Neer scores a takedown into Burkman's butterfly guard. Both fighters back to their feet with Neer looking for a front choke. Big right and a left from Burkman. Neer drops his hands and taunts. Burkman scoring with knees to the body from a clinch against the fence. Burkman looking for a Kimura but Neer escapes. Nice slam from Burkman puts Neer back on the mat. 10-9 Burkman.
Round Three:
Burkman continues to score with big right hands and standing elbows as the final stage starts. Another takedown from Burkman. Neer almost scores a triangle but Burkman slams his way out of it. Neer now bleeding over his left eye.
Official score: 29-28 - 30-27 - 29-28 (Josh Burkman)
(Final Fight)Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski
Round One: Arlovski starts with a lowkick while Tim answers with a wild one-two. Big right hand lands for the former champ. Sylvia staggers Arlovski with a punch but is unable to finish. Big leather being traded in the main event. Arlovski lands a big right while Tim attempts a knee. Tim lands a knee to the midsection against the cage. "Big John" restarts the fight in the center of the cage. Spinning back kick lands below the belt for Sylvia. Scored 10-9 for Sylvia.
Round Two: Arlovski lands a right hand again while Tim goes for a knee. Andrei starting to fade a bit with his hand speed. Arlovski now bleeding over his left eye after a Sylvia right hand. Right straight to the body scores for the former champ. Tim scores with a straight right after a front kick misses its target. Close fight as the athletes complete the second stage, scored 10-9 Arlovski.
Round Three: The pace slows as the third round begins. Andrei cirlces as TimDouble jab from Arlovski finds its mark followed by a right hand. The crowd grows restless as what once was a war has turned into a chess match. takes the center of the cage. Stiff jab from Tim is answered with a big punch from Arlovski. Scored it 10-9 Arlovski.
Round Four: Arlovski continues to work the right hand to the body as the championship rounds begin. Tim catches the former champ with a right hand. Andrei eats another big punch as the fighters trade combos. Andrei bleeding over both eyes now after Sylvia glances a left straight. The fourth round ends to a chrous of boos as the fighters energy fades. 10-9 Sylvia.
Round Five: Tim lands a few punches to kick off the final round. Arlovski works from his jab as he circles the cage and mixes lowkicks in. Tim continues to score from the outside with a strong jab and right hand lead. Two minutes remain in a lackluster fight that Sherdog.com has scored even through four. "Big" John McCarthy urges the fighters to get busy and don't let the judges decide the winner. The fights ends with a shower of jeers from the crowd. 10-9 Sylvia.
Official score: 48-47 49-46 48-47 (Tim Sylvia)
Thanks to Sherdog (Who scores are on the end of the fights), OnlyUFC, and MMANEWS for the updates at each time I used their site. Also thanks to Lion for allowing this Play-by-play.
