Other News
OTHER NEWS: Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Tim Sylvia victorious in Minneapolis at Extreme Challenge "On Target"
Dec 13, 2010 - 8:44:03 AM OTHER NEWS: Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Tim Sylvia victorious in Minneapolis at Extreme Challenge "On Target"

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia was in action this past Saturday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis, where he took on Arizona based super heavyweight Vince Lucero at Extreme Challenge: On Target.

Lucero, a 19-16 professional, was thoroughly outclassed by Sylvia, who blasted him with knees a couple of minutes into the round and sent him to the ground. Lucero didn't wasn't eager to get back up, and Sylvia dropped down with a big right hand and immediately got the mount. Once again, Lucero didn't want to defend or engage, and after a few punches from Sylvia, Lucero tapped due to the strikes.

The win was Sylvia's fourth straight, though Lucero was a significant step down in competition from Sylvia's last bout against Paul Buentello in August. The former Champion has been treading water in regional promotions around the country since his big payday against Fedor Emelianenko in Affliction, but there are rumors that he could be close to making a move back to the national scene sometime in the near future.

On Target also featured former UFC competitors Travis Wiuff and Tommy Speer in action, both of which picked up victories on the card. For a full report on the event, check out MNMMANews.com.

Penick's Analysis: Below is a video of the Sylvia fight taken by one of his cornerman on a phone camera on Saturday, and it's kind of sad. The event took place in front of a crowd of only about 1,000 fans due to the blizzard conditions in Minneapolis on Saturday night, and Lucero clearly had no business being in the cage against Sylvia. Despite his issues with weight and preparation over a few of his more recent bouts, Sylvia can still compete against a good number of heavyweights in the division if he's in shape, and off of the win over Buentello he shouldn't have been fighting a journeyman super heavyweight in front of a crowd of 1,000 off TV or pay-per-view. The attendance of the event was hurt by the blizzard for sure, but the event also took place the same night as UFC 124. But, check out the video of the fight for yourself below (App users video available at MMATorch.com):