The Ultimate Fighting Championship limped into the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 108: “Evans vs Silva,” which had been hampered by injuries but turned into an exciting card. The event was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former champion “Sugar” Rashad Evans and aggressive knockout artist Thiago Silva.
In the co-main event, British striker Paul “Semtex” Daley knocked out jiu-jitsu ace Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett in a welterweight contender’s bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play from the night’s fights.
With injuries creating havoc for the promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship showcases UFC 108: “Evans vs Silva” tomorrow night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The shell-shocked event has undergone countless changes due to injuries and illness in recent weeks, but the UFC will try to begin the new year on a positive note.
In a move that adds intrigue and excitement to an already impressive division, former PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori “Fireball Kid” Gomi has signed with the UFC and will debut for the promotion in 2010. The former long-time king of the lightweight division opted to sign with the UFC over Strikeforce after weeks of discussions with both.
In the biggest mixed martial arts event of the year, DREAM and Sengoku Raiden Championships collided tonight at K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2009” and DREAM narrowly edged SRC in an explosive night of fights. The main event featured Japanese K-1 legend Masato, who competed in his final K-1 bout when he met Andy Souwer for the third time.
Mere hours after Josh Koscheck was forced to withdraw from his UFC 109 rematch with Paulo Thiago due to injury, Koscheck’s American Kickboxing Academy teammate Mike “Quick” Swick has stepped in to face Thiago. The welterweight bout will be part of the event’s televised main card.
Injury woes continue to create chaos for upcoming UFC cards and welterweight contender Josh Koscheck is the latest in a seemingly never-ending string of casualties. Koscheck suffered an undisclosed injury in training and has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled rematch with Paulo Thiago at UFC 109.
From the historic headlining bout between Gina “Conviction” Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in Strikeforce to the crowning of tournament champions in Japan, 2009 has been a groundbreaking year for women’s MMA. We honour the past year with the inaugural edition of the MMARising.com Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Awards.
Representing her adopted home of Japan, Roxanne Modafferi will look to get back on the winning track when she faces Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel at King of the Cage: “Toryumon” on January 30, 2010 in Okinawa, Japan. The fight will be one of many “Japan vs USA” bouts on the impressive card and is expected to be contested at 135 pounds.