RECOMMENDATION:  Buy the replay.  Some of the shorter fights lose their luster a bit if you know the outcome, but all in all the fight quality was excellent, especially if you’re going in not knowing what to expect.  The card was newsworthy and definitely worth your time and money.

*          *            *            *            *

It’s 10:00 in the Eastern Time Zone on Super Bowl Weekend, and you know what that means.  Cue that awful gladiator footage that they refuse to change, run the black-and-white interviews, bask in the glow of the sepia highlight reel, feel your ears bleed at the strains of the horrid generic metal, and prepare yourselves for a night of what, in my estimation, could be either a highly entertaining evening of fights or a complete dud.  But either way, the intrigue is there.  So let’s forget that the UFC is still using the same opening sequence that they’ve used for years and running their events in the same city that they have for years despite the apathy of its occupants, and buckle down for some action.

We get our dose of hype as they start off talking about Big Nog vs. Sylvia, then Lesnar vs. Mir.  Rogan says that Mir is a heavyweight who moves like a lightweight, so I’m not sure whom he’s been watching all these years.  For the record, I wanted to get a preview out this week so that I could pick Lesnar by third round ground and pound, but I was unable.  Jerry Cattelane and I had scheduled a preview three times, but had to cancel because one or both of us was sick each time.  I just don’t believe that Mir’s cardio is going to be any better than it ever is.  If Lesnar doesn’t get tapped in the first two minutes (a distinct possibility, mind you), he’ll win.

It looks like we’ll start with the Almeida-Yundt fight, but obviously they ran the wrong footage as Joe Rogan abruptly stopped talking while the hype footage was running.  So we’ll get the first fight’s real breakdown right now.

FIRST FIGHT:  GLEISON TIBAU vs. TYSON GRIFFIN (Lightweight)

My Prediction – Griffin by unanimous decision.

Tibau comes out to some 50 Cent, while Griffin rocks “Eye of the Tiger” as usual.  I think if Griffin can actually finish Tibau, it’ll be by strikes.  I’m thinking ultimately that it’ll go to decision, though.  We get a look at Griffin’s corner, which includes Gray Maynard and Randy Couture.  Guess which of those two Mike Goldberg mentioned as being there?  It wasn’t Couture.  I look forward to the day that the UFC and MMA in general gets covered like a sport, by real commentators.  But anyway, the fight.

ROUND ONE:  They circle to start out, and Griffin lands a leg kick.  Tibau looks like a monster compared to Griffin.  They exchange blows, and Griffin lands a big right cross.  They paw and feint for a minute, and Griffin lands a leg kick and some punches.  Griffin shoots and eats a knee, but is unfazed.  Straight right by Griffin, and he lands a leg kick.  Right to the body by Griffin.  They exchange blows, but nothing solid lands.  They clinch, and Tibau pushes up against the fence.  Griffin reverses position, and Tibau reverses again so that Griffin is against the fence.  Tibau drops for a takedown attempt and almost gets it, but Griffin is up immediately.  They separate and head to the middle.  Tibau misses a left hook.  Big body kick by Griffin, and he lands some big right hands to the grill of Tibau.  Front kick lands for Griffin, and he is picking Tibau apart on the feet.  Nice strikes by Griffin.  Tibau suddenly drops for a takedown and drives through Griffin, taking him to the canvas.  He passes to half guard, but Griffin is able to hold him there and he stands back up, almost giving up his back in the process.  They clinch on the fence, and Tibau gets another takedown.  He lands some fists to the face of Griffin on the ground, but Griffin stands back up.  Tough round to call, but I’ll give it to Griffin.  Great action.

ROUND TWO:  They paw around for a second on the feet, with nothing really landing.  High kick is blocked by Tibau.  Griffin initiates the clinch, and they back against the fence.  They land a few blows inside the clinch, and Tibau’s nose is bloodied.  Left hook lands for Tibau.  Big straight right lands for Griffin, and they have another good exchange on the feet.  Right hand lands for Tibau, Griffin counters, and Tibau gets the takedown into side control.  Griffin stands up quickly and throws a front kick and a leg kick.  Two big right hands land for Griffin.  He whiffs a huge right hook.  They exchange right hands.  Big leg kick lands for Griffin, and Tibau checks another.  Griffin is setting up the right hand all night.  Big body kick by Griffin.  Left hook lands for Griffin, and a leg kick.  Tibau is being a little more cautious here, as he’s been punished on the feet by Griffin.  Right hand lands for Griffin, and he misses another haymaker.  Tibau gets another takedown, but Griffin gets right back up in the middle of the ring.  Fantastic escapes by Griffin.  Round two goes to Griffin as he jogs back to his corner.  Barry Bonds is shown in the crowd and receives a chorus of boos.

ROUND THREE:  Big left hand misses for Tibau.  Leg kick lands for Griffin.  Tibau fakes a flying knee, and he gets a takedown again.  Griffin saw it coming this time and tried to grab a guillotine, but Tibau escapes.  He lands a fist to the head of Griffin on the ground, but Griffin is continually scrambling to get out from under the bigger man.  Tibau is able to keep Griffin pinned down for a minute, but Griffin stands back up again, eating a few punches on the way.  Big uppercut lands to the body of Tibau, and Tibau grabs another takedown.  Griffin pops back up and slams a fist into the guts of Tibau.  Big left hook to the body by Griffin.  Tibau is tired here, because as Bas Rutten will tell you, body shots hurt the cardio.  Standing elbow lands for Griffin and he grabs a body lock, landing some foot stomps.  Tibau pushes off the fene and tries to get Griffin to the ground, but Griffin will have none of it, and he breaks away, landing a few shots.  The third round ends, and it goes to Griffin on my cards.  There are some morons booing in the crowd.

RESULT:  Griffin by unanimous decision.  Tibau seems puzzled, but I’m not sure why.  He got some takedowns but did exactly jack with them.  And who in the world is booing?  I am so confused right now. 

STAR RATING:  (***)  Not exactly on the level of Griffin-Edgar or Griffin-Guida, but still a good fight to watch.

RAMIFICATIONS:  Tibau doesn’t lose much here, because Griffin is a juggernaut.  He’ll get another test with his next fight.  Griffin, on the other hand, is being groomed for big things.  I’ll be excited to see whom he fights next. 

Goldberg reads the ad copy for Tapout again, and if I hear him say “In Ya Face” like that again, I might just puke.

We get some Sylvia-Nogueira hype, followed by a promo for UFC 82.  They’re promoting Kongo-Herring as the co-main event on that card, which is interesting.  That’s going to be an insane card, on paper at least. 

SECOND FIGHT:  RICARDO “BIG DOG” ALMEIDA vs. ROB YUNDT (Middleweight)

My Prediction – Almeida by submission in round one.

Almeida has been on hiatus since 2004, but he was on the verge of big things when he left.  So it’ll be very interesting to see what he can do here.  I’d rather have seen him take on Alan Belcher, but hey—bronchitis will floor the toughest fighter.  Get well soon, Belcher.  Big props to Yundt, though, who’s taking this fight on three days’ notice.

Yundt actually looks pretty calm on his way to the Octagon.  That is, until he enters it.  Bruce Buffer bumps into the cameraman briefly, but we still get a good look at Yundt as he’s feeling the lights.  Renzo Gracie accompanies Almeida to the ring, and Almeida looks relaxed.  Time will tell if the ring rust takes a hold of the big dog.

ROUND ONE:  Big uppercut lands early for Yundt.  They dance around for a minute, then Almeida shoots and gets the takedown.  Yundt looks for elbows form the bottom, but Almeida barely reacts at all.  Yundt looks to get up a bit, and Almeida grabs a guillotine quicker than you can say “guillotine”.  The choke is sunk immediately and Yundt stands up.  He slams Almeida hard enough for them to do a somersault together, but Almeida never flinches, and Yundt taps.  Beautiful submission by the big dog. 

RESULT:  Almeida by submission at 1:08 of round one.

STAR RATING:  (**)  Quick fight, but it gets a bump for being just so technically pleasant.

RAMIFICATIONS:  We didn’t learn too much about either guy here, but Almeida was in there long enough to shake off the rust and build some intrigue for his next fight.  Yundt will be back as well, as the UFC is hardly going to go one-and-out for a guy who stepped up on three days’ notice against a world-class fighter.

We get some hype for Lesnar-Mir, followed by another UFC 82 promo.

THIRD FIGHT:  NATE “THE GREAT” MARQUARDT vs. JEREMY HORN (Middleweight)

My Prediction – Marquardt by unanimous decision.

Horn is a late replacement for Thales Leites, which is unfortunate because I think the former would have been much more intriguing.  I just don’t think Horn has too much for Marquardt right now.  Horn has won more fights than most fighters will ever have, but he’s just been a bit lackadaisical as of late.  This is another one where I’m not sure that either guy is going to finish the other, but the difference is that the three rounds leading to the decision could put people to sleep.  Horn starts out promising, however, coming to the Octagon with “Back in Black” playing.  Tasteful choice.  Keith Jardine is cornering Marquardt, which leads me to ask:  When the frick are we going to see Jardine again?

ROUND ONE:  Marquardt lands some body punches, then some knees to the gut.  He grabs a body lock, and Horn spins them around before Marquardt takes it to the ground.  Marquardt is in Horn’s guard.  Marquardt postures up and lands some nasty thudding punches to the head of Horn.  Big elbow by Marquardt.  He pushes Horn against the fence and lands another elbow, then backs off so that Horn can stand.  Right hand lands for Marquardt, and they clinch.  Horn looks for the trip takedown, but Marquardt uses momentum to land on top.  Marquardt is in the half guard.  They work back to the feet and Horn tries to trip, but Marquardt has none of it.  Marquardt lands a nasty uppercut, then a standing elbow and a knee puts Horn on the ground.  Marquardt lands a short elbow while Horn is on his side, but he’s soon sucked into Horn’s guard.  Elbow from the guard by Horn.  Marquardt stands and eats an upkick.  He looks for a downward punch, but doesn’t get it.  Horn almost sneaks a gogoplata onto Marquardt, then transitions to an omoplata, but Marquardt escapes nicely.  Really nice sequence to end the round, and round one goes to Marquardt.

ROUND TWO:  Leg kick lands for Horn.  Marquardt answers, but Horn catches it and puts Marquardt on his back.  They jockey for position with Marquardt settling for getting Horn in his full guard instead of butterfly guard.  I didn’t see it happen, but Marquardt has a cut under the eye.  Marquardt pops up, then Horn charges in for a takedown, and Marquardt grabs a guillotine.  They spin against the cage, and Marquardt cranks the choke, causing Horn to tap.  Goldberg says that Marquardt is now 5-1 in his MMA career, while the fans who know of MMA outside of the UFC pull their hair out.

RESULT:  Marquardt by submission at 1:37 of round two.

STAR RATING:  (***+)  I really enjoyed that fight.  I may be overrating it just a little because I thought it was going to be a snoozefest, but it was a fun fight to watch.  Horn had flashes of brilliance at the end of the first round, and Marquardt looked excellent.

RAMIFICATIONS:  I wouldn’t expect to see Horn back again outside of another situation like tonight, but Marquardt could possibly see action against Thales Leites later on.  I’d like to see him fight Dan Henderson after Anderson Silva beats Hendo.

Goldberg briefly hypes an undercard fight, but then we get a promo for upcoming events.  Speaking of which, the next UFC Fight Night is going to be absolutely stacked.  Just a great card. 

We then get a shot of drunk people, followed (finally) by an undercard fight.

FOURTH FIGHT (Prelim):  TIM  “THE BARBARIAN” BOETSCH vs. DAVID HEATH (Light Heavyweight)

My Prediction:  Heath by TKO in round one.

(Note:  I made this prediction before I remembered who Boetsch was.  Had I remembered earlier, I’d still pick Heath, but maybe later in the fight.  I’m just sayin’.)

Boetsch is yet another late replacement, as he takes the place of Tomasz Drwal.  Both guys look cool and relaxed, and Boetsch is a monster.

ROUND ONE:  Leg kick misses for Boetsch.  (I’m calling him Tim from now on for typing purposes.)  They dance around for a minute, then Heath lands a combo.  Tim answers with a body kick.  Front kick by Tim.  Right hand lands for Tim.  Tim shoots, Heath stuffs, then Tim glances a punch.  Body shot lands for Tim.  Another front kick for Tim.  Tim lands a big right hand.  Leg kick by Heath.  Big overhand right misses for Tim, but he lands two nasty body kicks.  Heath doesn’t seem to have expected much from Tim at this point, and he’s getting more than he bargained for.  Leg kick by Tim, followed by another front kick.  Big leg kick by Tim.  Right hand lands for Heath, and a nice leg kick.  Overhand right lands for Tim, and a ig knee.  Heath puts together a nice combination, and Tim looks angry before landing another big front kick.  Tim lands some big knees to the head of Heath, and Heath is able to shake them off.  Nice shot to the body by Tim.  More walking knees ala Wanderlei Silva-Rampage Jackson.  Tim absolutely tosses Heath to the mat, with Heath landing on his head.  He follows with a barrage of unanswered punches to the head, causing Herb Dean to call the fight. 

RESULT:  Boetsch by TKO at 4:52 of round one. 

STAR RATING: (***)  Incredible performance by Boetsch on short notice.  Heath had no idea what was in store for him.  Very entertaining, and pretty surprising (for me at least).  I didn’t think Boetsch would have such poise in his debut, but he didn’t even flinch.

RAMIFICATIONS:  You’d better believe that Boetsch will be back.  Heath falls another rung in the Light Heavyweight division.  He might be better suited for the WEC at this point.  I’m interested to see what they do next with Boetsch.  They may build him up a bit.

FIFTH FIGHT:  BROCK LESNAR vs. FRANK MIR (Heavyweight)

My Prediction:  Lesnar by TKO in round three.

Some may label me among the wrestling marks who pick Lesnar because of his size, or his strength, or whatever.  But honestly I’m picking Lesnar because of Mir.  I think if Mir had any kind of conditioning, he’d win this fight by submission.  But the fact is that he doesn’t.  The way I see the fight going down is that either Mir gets a submission within two minutes, or he gasses and Lesnar gets the top position for the rest of the fight, working ground and pound.  And Lesnar will dictate where the fight takes place.  That works against Mir as well.  There’s no way Lesnar spends any time on his back tonight.  That doesn’t mean that Mir can’t submit guys from his back, because he can.  But when he’s tired and fighting a ground and pound fighter, he has nothing to offer.  And there’s no way Lesnar is gassing here.  So that’s why I’m picking him.  And let’s not forget that Lesnar is strong.  The tremendously overmatched Min Soo Kim tapped out to ground and pound that was coming at the side of his head while he was holding on to Lesnar.  Lesnar didn’t even have to posture up.  I’ve never seen that happen before that someone wins by ground and pound without landing a single punch to the head while the head is on the canvas.  And those saying that Lesnar shouldn’t be here can call themselves purists if they want, but the fact is that there are MMA fighters who don’t have the pedigree of Lesnar, WWE experience or no.  And let’s not forget that Kazushi Sakuraba was also once a pro wrestler.  But now the time for talk is over.  Let’s see what happens here.

Mir looks calm as always as he makes his way down the aisle.  Lesnar, on the other hand, seems surprisingly rattled to me.  That could spell trouble for the big guy, but time will tell.  Hey!  It’s Kurt Angle!  Angle is sitting cageside to check this one out.  Very interesting.  And there’s the Undertaker.  This is kind of surreal.  I knew both of those guys were MMA fans, but it’s weird to see them here.  And holy crap, there’s Steve Austin, who gets one of the biggest ovations of the night.  Hilarious.  Lesnar is introduced as a former WWE Superstar, which is funny to me.

ROUND ONE:  They circle to start out, and Lesnar takes Mir down immediately.  Mir looks to sweep.  Lesnar lands some big strikes, and Mazagatti stops the fight because of strikes to the back of the head.  He takes a point from Lesnar, which in the replay looks completely bogus.  Mir throws a leg kick and gets caught by a straight right that drops Mir.  Big hammer fists by Lesnar.  Mir almost grabs an armbar, but Lesnar escapes.  Big punches by Lesnar.  He sits in Mir’s guard, and Mir sits up.  Big elbow by Lesnar.  Mir almost grabs another armbar.  Lesnar stands up, and Mir grabs a leg.  He cranks a kneebar, and Lesnar taps.

RESULT:  Mir by submission at 1:37 of round one.

STAR RATING: (***)  The crowd added a lot to this fight.  There was a lot of adrenaline here, and it was fun to watch. 

RAMIFICATIONS:  Well, there were two possibilities, and we saw Mir take the fight within two minutes.  That was the way he was going to win, and he did it.  I still want to see him get out of the first without gassing before I’m convinced that he’s back.  As for Lesnar, he loses nothing.  He wasn’t supposed to beat Frank Mir, and he gets nothing but experience here.  Lesnar says in the post-fight interview that you win some and you lose some.  Quite true.  Even though he was supposed to win this fight in the eyes of many, this is a big win for Mir.  It’s about as big a win as there can be against a fighter who’s 1-0.  So now hopefully he’ll get a shot at someone who can challenge his cardio.  I hope he really has improved it, because he’s a lot of fun to watch with a full tank of gas.

We get a promo for Call of Duty 4, so we’ve got another commercial before the main event.

Let the hype continue for Nogueira-Sylvia.  They put together a nice promo package for the pre-fight videos here, and Big Nog says he’s looking for the submission.  Sylvia will look to bang it out.

SIXTH FIGHT:  ANTONIO RODRIGO “MINOTAURO” NOGUEIRA vs. TIM “THE MAINE-IAC” SYLVIA (Interim Heavyweight Championship)

My Prediction:  Big Nog by submission in round four.

Big Nog rocks the Stones for his entrance music, while Sylvia plays “Hillbilly Deluxe” both as usual.  Buffer runs through the commercials, and as he says, it’s time.  (Only he adds more “i”’s at the beginning.)

ROUND ONE:  Nog lands an inside leg kick.  Sylvia lands a right hand.  Another leg kick for Nog, and another big right lands for Sylvia.  Nog pulls guard and they go down.  Sylvia looks to posture up, and he’s in the half guard.  He stands and lets Nog up.  Right hand lands to the side of Nog’s head.  Nice jab by Sylvia.  Big right lands for Nog.  Big uppercut lands for Sylvia.  Left hook lands, and a right puts Nog on the floor.  Sylvia follows him down and throws strikes, but Nogueira survives.  Sylvia stands back up, and Nog follows.  He’s still on Queer Street.  Nog closes and pulls guard.  Big short elbows by Sylvia.  Nog looks to hold Sylvia down, but Sylvia pops back up.  Nog looks for the takedown, but Sylvia remains upright.  More combinations by Sylvia.  He stuffs a telegraphed takedown attempt.  Nog throws together a couple of punching combos.  Uppercut by Sylvia, followed by a jab.  Jab lands for Nog.  Nog looks for a single leg takedown and gets it, moving into side control as the horn sounds.  Big round for Sylvia.

ROUND TWO:  Jab lands for Nog.  Nice right lands for Sylvia, and he stuffs a takedown attempt.  Sylvia lands a left hook.  Nog has abandoned the leg kicks for some reason.  Left hook lands for Nog.  Jab lands for Sylvia, and Nog answers.  Takedown attempt stuffed by Sylvia.  Right uppercut lands for Sylvia.  And another, followed by a jab.  Nog shoots, but Sylvia has no trouble stuffing the takedown.  Left hand lands for Nog, and he thuds a leg kick into Sylvia’s left leg.  Body shot by Sylvia, followed by another.  Nog looks to close the distance, but he’s being punished with the uppercut when he does that.  He grabs a leg and drives Sylvia into the cage, but Sylvia is stuffing the attempt.  They trade right hands.  Right cross by Sylvia.  Big right hand stuns Nog briefly, and Nog answers with a big left hook.  Sylvia doesn’t flinch.  Sylvia lands some right hands, and the horn sounds.  Sylvia takes round two.

ROUND THREE:  Nog lands an inside leg kick, and Sylvia snaps his head back with a big right.  Nog misses a takedown.  Nog shoots and pulls guard.  Sylvia is working very effectively within Nog’s guard.  He almost escapes, but Nog gets a leg and sweeps Sylvia. He moves into side control.  Sylvia looks to stand, and Nog grabs a guillotine and pulls guard.  Sylvia wastes no time in tapping, and he’s very upset (presumably with himself) after the fight.

RESULT:  Nogueira by submission at 1:28 of round three.

STAR RATING:  (***+)  This fight gets a bonus for the comeback win and the title implications.  Sylvia was dominating Nogueira on the feet, but it was no contest once he got underneath the big Brazilian. 

RAMIFICATIONS:  Self-explanatory.  Nogueira asks for Randy Couture to come back to the UFC and fight, pronouncing his name “Handy”, which is fun.  Now regardless of your feelings about Tim Sylvia, he brought everything he had into the fight.  He worked a very good gameplan, but all it takes is one time on the ground against Big Nog to end your night. 

SEVENTH FIGHT (Prelim):  CHRIS “LIGHTS OUT” LYTLE vs. KYLE BRADLEY (Welterweight)

My Prediction:  Lytle by submission in round one.

ROUND ONE:  Lytle throws a knee to start, and slams a big overhand right into the head of Bradley.  Lytle lands a flurry of punches, then gets to the clinch, where he lands another barrage of right hands.  He sends Bradley to the floor, lands another couple of shots, and Bradley is rescued by the referee.  Big, quick knockout by Lytle.  Bradley doesn’t realize the fight is over and pulls guard on Yves Levigne. 

RESULT:  Lytle by KO at 0:33 of round one.

STAR RATING:  (*+)  Not much to it, but an impressive performance by Lytle.  This has not been the same guy who fought Matt Serra and Matt Hughes.

RAMIFICATIONS:  Lytle moves further up the comeback trail after losing a competitive fight to Thiago Alves.  He’s a very effective gatekeeper at this point, but if he keeps winning like this, the UFC won’t have a choice other than to step up his competition. 

We move very quickly to—what?—another fight! 

EIGHTH FIGHT (Prelim):  KEITA “K-TARO” NAKAMURA vs. ROBERT EMERSON (Lightweight)

My Prediction – Nakamura by submission in round 2.

ROUND ONE:  They exchange punches to start.  Emerson lands an overhand right and a leg kick, then lands a knee to the body.  Emerson is throwing haymakers, but not connecting.  We get a timeout to replace a mouthpiece for Nakamura.  Straight right lands for Emerson, followed by another nice right hand.  Nakamura is pretty one-dimensional so far, only throwing hands.  Emerson lands a couple of big leg kicks.  Nice punching combo and two leg kicks land for Emerson.  Left hand by Emerson.  Inside leg kick by Emerson, and Nakamura catches Emerson with a left hand.  Nice inside leg kick for Emerson, followed by a right hook and a jab landing.  Knee misses for Nakamura.  Jab by Nakamura, and Emerson counters.  Left uppercut by Emerson.  Overhand right misses for Emerson.  Big knee lands for Nakamura, and Emerson boes down.  Nakamura follows him, but Emerson stands back up.  Nakamura attempts to trip Emerson, but Emerson weathers.  They clinch against the fence, and Emerson goes for the trip.  Nakamura ends up getting Emerson to the ground as the round ends.  Tough round to call, as Emerson was winning the round until the knee and the takedown at the end.  I’ll call it a draw, just for kicks. 

ROUND TWO:  Right hand lands for Emerson.  Nice combo by Nakamura, and Emerson answers with a leg kick.  Another inside leg kick by Emerson.  Emerson continues to pepper Nakamura with the leg kicks.  Big right hand lands for Emerson as well, and he continues to work the leg kicks.  Nakamura tries to clinch and land a knee, but Emerson pushes him away.  Nice body punch by Emerson, and another inside leg kick.  More punches and leg kicks land for Emerson.  Nakamura continues to be peppered by strikes.  Nakamura finally grabs Emerson and takes him to the floor.  Emerson escapes, however, and gets back to the feet.  Jab lands for Nakamura, and a leg kick for Emerson.  More punches by Emerson as Nakamura’s face begins to show some damage.  Round two ends, and it goes to Emerson.

ROUND THREE:  Emerson continues to work the hands, and Nakamura misses a knee.  Nakamura clinches, and Emerson tries to keep his distance.  Nakamura gets the trip and takes Emerson down.  Nakamura is in Emerson’s guard.  He stands up, and Emerson follows.  Emerson lands a combination and a leg kick.  More of the same, then Nakamura lands a knee.  Leg kick by Emerson.  Another knee by Nakamura, but for every strike he lands, Emerson lands three or four.  Nakamura catches a kick and almost gets Emerson to the ground, but Emerson remains upright.  Nice knee by Nakamura, and Emersn answers with an uppercut.  Emerson is slowing down, but he’s still landing strikes where Nakamura isn’t.  Nakamura gets a takedown, and Emerson lands some elbows from the bottom.  Nakamura looks to ground and pound, but doesn’t get much in before the horn sounds.  Difficult round to score, but I’d probably give it to Nakamura by a hair.  I wouldn’t argue with Emerson, though.  I’m guessing Emerson will win the fight.

RESULT:  Robert Emerson by split decision.

STAR RATING:  (**-)  Kind of a pedestrian fight.  Emerson did what he had to do to win, while Nakamura had a little bit of a puzzling strategy, not going for many takedowns even through he scored with almost all of them.

RAMIFICATIONS:  Not too many.  Nakamura is certainly better as a lightweight than as a welterweight, and Emerson looked pretty good, so he’ll be back.  I wouldn’t be surprised either way with Nakamura.  He’ll probably be brought back to build up someone else.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Excellent show tonight.  We got another event that went the whole time limit and showed eight fights, which is outstanding.  Not to mention the fact that the fight quality was excellent from top to bottom.  I’ll have extended thoughts on the podcast and some later blogs, but for now I’ll just give this show a big thumbs up.