Brock Lesnar

Coleman Honored; Announces Lesnar Fight

Mark Coleman became the fifth inductee into the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Hall of Fame last night in front of a supportive 16,431 at the Nationwide Arena in Coleman’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

The unannounced induction came as a surprise to the fans inside the arena, who watched as Coleman was honored inside the cage along with his family by UFC President Dana White.

Fortunately for fans around the world, Coleman had a surprise of his own. The former UFC heavyweight champion announced that he will fighting inside the confines of the organization for the first time since 1999 when he takes on fellow amateur wrestling standout Brock Lesnar in August.

“I’m going to dedicate my life to my return,” Coleman told UFC color commentator Joe Rogan during an interview last night. “The fans want to see me. I’m going to do the best I can. Lesrnar is a beast. He’s an animal. Don’t bet the house against me though. I’m going to bring something for Brock Lesnar. I plan to beat his butt.”

The 43-year-old Coleman has not fought since being submitted by Fedor Emelianenko in October 2006. The former Olympic wrestler is one of only three other fighters that won multiple tournaments during the UFC’s early years. Coleman defeated the likes of Don Frye and Gary Goodridge to win tournaments at UFC 10 and UFC 11 respectively.

Coleman became the first UFC heavyweight champion in history when he submitted Dan Severn at UFC 12: Judgment Day in 1997. The founder of Team Hammer House is also widely considered to be the originator of the “ground and pound” style of fighting that has become a mainstay in the sport.

Frank Mir withered a barrage of punishment from Lesnar in his debut fight t at UFC 81: Breaking Point last month before submitting the genetic monster with a patented kneebar midway through the first round.

Justin McCully, who served as one of three special guests on a recent episode of HDNet’s Inside MMA, publicly stated that he was in discussions with UFC officials concerning a return fight from recent elbow surgery against the former professional wrestler. Obviously UFC officials went the other way.

Report: Lesnar’s Next Bout Now in August

It seems that Brock Lesnar will now fight for the second time inside the confines of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in August instead of an overseas event in June.

The news comes from Dave Meltzer in his latest Yahoo! Sports column, who grabbed the information from the mouth of Dana White at the pre-fight press conference for this weekend’s UFC 82: Pride of a Champion.

White also mentioned that Lesnar does not yet have an opponent. However Justin McCully remains the most likely candidate.

McCully, who served as one of three special guests on a recebt episode of HDNet’s Inside MMA, publicly stated that he is currently in discussions with UFC officials concerning a return fight from recent elbow surgery against the former professional wrestler.

“We’ve been talking about fighting this big huge guy that just crossed over from some wrestling promotion,” McCully told hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten. “Thats in talks right now. We’ll see what happens. I hope it comes through. I really like the fight.”

McCully also mentioned that if the bout didn’t come to fruition for whatever reason, he would still be back in action this summer regardless.

Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir withered a barrage of punishment from Lesnar in their fight at UFC 81: Breaking Point earlier this month before submitting the genetic monster with a patented kneebar midway through the first round.

After missing a deadline to accept a fight against heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo, Team Punishment’s McCully opted to undergo surgery to remove a number of bone chips and spurs that gradually contributed to a nagging elbow injury. McCully last won a unanimous decision over Antoni Hardonk at UFC Fight Night 9.

Touch of gloves to our friends at Bloody Elbow for the find.

Lesnar-McCully Being Discussed for June

A possible opponent for one-time WWE superstar Brock Lesnar in his expected next fight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship overseas in June has revealed details about a potential heavyweight showdown between the two.

Justin McCully, who served as one of three special guests on last night’s episode of HDNet’s Inside MMA, publicly stated that he is currently in discussions with UFC officials concerning a return fight from recent elbow surgery against the former professional wrestler.

“We’ve been talking about fighting this big huge guy that just crossed over from some wrestling promotion,” McCully told hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten. “Thats in talks right now. We’ll see what happens. I hope it comes through. I really like the fight.”

McCully also mentioned that if the bout didn’t come to fruition for whatever reason, he would still be back in action this summer regardless.

Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir withered a barrage of punishment from Lesnar in their fight at UFC 81: Breaking Point earlier this month before submitting the genetic monster with a patented kneebar midway through the first round.

After missing a deadline to accept a fight against heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo, Team Punishment’s McCully opted to undergo surgery to remove a number of bone chips and spurs that gradually contributed to a nagging elbow injury. McCully last won a unanimous decision over Antoni Hardonk at UFC Fight Night 9.

UFC 85 in June is also expected to feature a light heavyweight dream match between former champion Chuck Liddell and Chute Boxe product Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as well as the next fight for welterweight contender Marcus Davis, who has won six straight fights inside the confines of the promotion.

Mir and Lesnar Post-Fight

After the jump, Brock Lesnar talks about his loss.

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UFC 81: Breaking Point Thoughts and Notes

Some thoughts and notes from this past weekend’s UFC 81: Breaking Point.

I was right and wrong

I did pretty well in the predictions department. I knew going into the fight that Tim Sylvia was going to give Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fits and that’s exactly what happened. However Nogueira has been tough to finish off all throughout his career and this fight didn’t turn out to be any different. No shame in losing for Sylvia. He hung in there with one of the best heavyweights in history.

I had a feeling that if Brock Lesnar was going to be submitted, it might have been by way of a leg lock/kneebar. Wrestlers always have been notorious for being too stationary with their legs while posturing up and working some ground and pound although a lot of fighters don’t really take advantage of it. It just goes to show how intelligent of a ground specialist Frank Mir is to keep his composure while getting pounded and still be able to pull off a smart move.

The only fight I took issue with was Rob Emerson’s split decision over Keita Nakamura. I actually thought that the fight was dead even at the end. I thought that Nakamura won the third round convincingly and that the first round was even.

More thoughts on the fights

Marvin Eastman surprised me while Tim Boetsch did not. While Eastman’s fight against Terry Martin wasn’t necessarily the most exciting, I was a tad happy to see that Eastman was able to take some power shots and still stay on his feet. Boetsch did exactly what I thought he would do against an average fighter in my opinion in David Heath.

Ricardo Almeida, Tyson Griffin, and Chris Lytle all did what I thought they would do. I talked to someone after the event who truly thought that Tibau beat Griffin, which is absurd. I wasn’t expecting that quick of a stoppage from Lytle but a stoppage win nonetheless. What’s going on with Jeremy Horn? I’ll have a piece on him up later today.

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A Tale of Two Comebacks: Nogueira, Mir Survive

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira became the first mixed martial artist in history to hold championship gold inside the confines of both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the PRIDE Fighting Championships as he submitted former two-time champion Tim Sylvia to win the interim UFC heavyweight belt at last night’s UFC 81: Breaking Point.

The 10,583 inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas saw an eventful first round where Sylvia shook off a right hand flush to his face to knock Nogueira down with a right of his own. Sylvia pounced on Nogueira but was unable to finish him off. The Brazilian maintained his composure and scored a swift combination and a late takedown during the final seconds of the first round.

The pace slowed considerably heading into the second stanza. Sparing a near takedown by Nogueira, the round took place on the feet the entire time. Each fighter landed their fair share of jabs and combinations throughout the five minutes. Sylvia looked to land a pair of rights that hurt Nogueira with under two minutes left in the round but the slow pace provided very little opportunity to capitalize on.

A right hand by Sylvia caused Nogueira to pull guard at the beginning of the third round. The skilled ground specialist quickly swept Sylvia, transitioned to side-control, and then locked in a guillotine as his opponent tried to stand up. Sylvia didn’t put up much of a fight and quickly tapped out, giving Nogueira the interim title.

“He’s a true heavyweight,” Nogueira said of Sylvia during a post-fight interview. “He’s a giant. I got in many hard punches in this fight. I was waiting for a good opportunity to put him on the ground. I always try at least one submission. If that doesn’t work, I go for a second and it worked tonight.”

Although visibly discouraged after the fight, Sylvia showed a good amount of respect for his opponent’s efforts.

“It’s Nogueira,” Sylvia said. “Every fight he’s in, he gets his ass kicked for the first ten minutes. You start getting comfortable fighting him and next thing you know, he catches you in something. The guy is a legend in the sport.”

Nogueira also pleaded for current champion Randy Couture to return from his resignation from the promotion in order to unify the belts and put on a great fight for the fans. Only time will tell if Couture will continue his stance or give in to the demands of Nogueira and many other UFC officials.

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UFC 81: Breaking Point Results

Antonio Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia - Submission (Guillotine)
Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar - Submission (Kneebar)
Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn - Submission (Guillotine)
Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt - Submission (Guillotine)
Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau - Unanimous Decision
Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley - TKO (Strikes)
Tim Boetsch def. David Heath - TKO (Strikes)
Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin - Unanimous Decision
Robert Emerson def. Keita Nakamura - Split Decision

UFC 81: Breaking Point Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in results for tomorrow night’s UFC 81: Breaking Point are below. All fighters successfully made weight.

The event is scheduled to take place tomorrow night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

UFC 81: Breaking Point features a total of nine fights including a battle for the interim UFC heavyweight title between former champion Tim Sylvia and former PRIDE star Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as well as the UFC debut of one-time professional wrestler and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar as he goes up against former champion Frank Mir.

The weigh-ins went smoothly for the most part except for a near scuffle between Marvin Eastman and Terry Martin. The two got nose-to-nose during the staredown and had to be separated by UFC President Dana White. Martin was able to shove Eastman just before they were broken apart.

Main Card:

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (237 lbs) vs. Tim Sylvia (261 lbs)
Frank Mir (255 lbs) vs. Brock Lesnar (265 lbs)
Jeremy Horn (185 lbs) vs. Nate Marquardt (185 lbs)
Ricardo Almeida (185 lbs) vs. Rob Yundt (185 lbs)
Tyson Griffin (155 lbs) vs. Gleison Tibau (156 lbs)

Preliminary Fights:

Chris Lytle (170 lbs) vs. Kyle Bradley (170 lbs)
David Heath (205 lbs) vs. Tim Boetsch (205 lbs)
Marvin Eastman (185 lbs) vs. Terry Martin (186 lbs)
Rob Emerson (155 lbs) vs. Keita Nakamura (155 lbs)

Previewing UFC 81: Breaking Point

John Chandler here to break down UFC 81: Breaking Point fight-by-fight, including detailed predictions along the way.

The event is scheduled to take place tomorrow night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

UFC 81: Breaking Point features a total of nine fights including a battle for the interim UFC heavyweight title between former champion Tim Sylvia and former PRIDE star Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as well as the UFC debut of one-time professional wrestler and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar as he goes up against former champion Frank Mir.

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Mir Continues The Road Back

Winning the UFC heavyweight title is one thing. Working your way back from a near career-ending motorcycle accident is certainly another. After an over three-year nightmare where he almost lost everything he had worked for in his career, the feeling has returned to Mir. The physical and mental feeling of being back to his old self that is.

The former champion now approaches what just might be his biggest and most crucial fight yet when he takes on one-time WWE superstar and former standout collegiate wrestler Brock Lesnar at UFC 81: Breaking Point, which will take place tomorrow night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

“I remember sitting at the intersection and thinking that this car wasn’t going to go during a yellow light,” Mir said when asked to recall the accident during a recent interview session with MMA on Tap. “It had stopped all of the sudden. So I went ahead and unfortunately the car did too. I remember hitting my head on the pavement and then rolling onto a patch of grass. All I knew was that my head hurt and that I couldn’t feel my leg. I told the EMT’s that I thought I could get up and walk but then they told me the extent of the damage.”

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