UFC 88: Liddell vs Evans: Spoiler on page 2.

[MR. BMJ]

Jason Day out, Jason MacDonald in versus Jason Lambert at UFC 88

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Aug 19, 2008 at 4:26 pm ET
Veteran middleweight Jason MacDonald (20-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) will replace an injured Jason Day (17-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and will fight Jason Lambert (23-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at next month's UFC 88 event.

The fight is scheduled for the preliminary card of UFC 88, which takes place at Atlanta's Allstate Arena on Sept. 6.

Sherdog.com first reported the bout, though MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) couldn't immediately reach the fighters' camps for confirmation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the UFC had not officially announced the change.

Day, who was forced off the card with an arm injury, was scheduled to be Lambert's first opponent at 185 pounds.

Instead the former heavyweight and recent light heavyweight will meet MacDonald, who fought less than two weeks ago at UFC 87. There, he suffered a third-round submission loss to Demian Maia in an entertaining main-card bout. After defeating Chris Leben and pushing his win streak to six fights in his UFC debut, MacDonald is 3-3 in the organization, which includes the loss to Maia.

Lambert, meanwhile, hopes to avoid his third straight loss -- and his fourth loss in his past five fights. After an eight-fight win streak that included stoppage victories over Rob MacDonald, Terry Martin and Branden Lee Hinkle in the UFC, Lambert has since suffered knockouts losses to Rashad Evans, Wilson Gouveira and Luis Cane. A second-round KO of Renato "Babalu" Sobral was the only bright spot in those past four fights.

BMJ

[JayC]

I'm really not crazy about this card but that doesn't mean it won't be exciting..

[crash]

Originally Posted by Luca Brasi

Hendo IMO is way to experienced to get caught doing something sloppy, if he does get subbed it will need to be something very well setup. I actually like eveything about Dan , humble ,likeable , exceptional wrestling , KO power in both hands and will take on anyone at multiple weight classes.

For Hammil to win (which i will have dollars on because he'll be a heavy underdog)
he needs to do it by lay and pray ..... takedown , hold positon and take no chances til they get stood up then repeat . If i am coaching Hammil thats what i am screaming at him in the corner. If played right Franklin cant hang with Hammils wrestling .

As for Hendo subbing a JJ fighter all i can say is ... noone saw Mike Van Arsdale subbing a BJJ black belt either but it happened !

Luca

sorry but gotta laugh when you say "thats what i am screaming at him in the corner" did you forget hammil is deaf, and wouldn't be able to hear?

[MR. BMJ]

LOL....I missed that too

I am more excited about the 3 other middleweight fights than I am so much about the main event.

Liddell is my favorite fighter so I always get excited when he fights though

I swear if he loses to Evans, i'm gonna be....

BMJ

[Luca Brasi]

LOL i id'nt think of that at all ...well picked up
How does one convey yelling through sign language :P


Luca

[JayC]

Originally Posted by Luca Brasi

LOL i id'nt think of that at all ...well picked up
How does one convey yelling through sign language :P


Luca

..lol. Good question! I'm guessing Hammill is pretty much on his own out there. Sucks, cuz having a good corner with proper commands can make or break a fight sometimes.. so you gotta give Hammill props for coming as far as he has..

[MR. BMJ]

The closer this gets, the more excited I am getting about this whole bout. I think it will be a good show actually.

That, and i doubt i'll be doing dshit that day anyway after the gym...lol.

BMJ

[MR. BMJ]

Aug-30-2008
Rousimar Palhares – Toquinho’s Triumph
By Thomas Gerbasi

For Rousimar Palhares, this was supposed to be the test. Sure, he had beaten 16 of his previous 17 foes, cleaning out much the Brazilian middleweight scene in the process, but as far as UFC fans were concerned, the native of the small town of Dores Do Indaia – population 13,396 – could have been fighting guys from Mars.

This was the UFC, and until Palhares beat a ‘name’ from the United States like his UFC 84 opponent Ivan Salaverry, what happened before was just window dressing. Now we were going to see what this guy with the impressive credentials would do when the heat was on.

It only took him two minutes and 36 seconds. In less than a round, Palhares had not only won his UFC debut via submission by armbarring Salaverry, he did it in a fashion that made you take a deep breath before saying ‘damnnnn, that guy’s got some ground game,’ and ‘when is he fighting again?’

“It was my first fight in the UFC, and everything worked better than I thought,” said Palhares through trainer, translator, and former UFC middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante. “It was great for my career, and an important step.”

He’s being modest. What Palhares did in effect with just one fight in the Octagon was put all the 185-pounders in the UFC on notice that there’s a new force to be reckoned with in the division, someone whose ground attack compares favorably to anyone in the game today. As for the UFC jitters that have crippled the performances of fighters a lot more experienced than him, Palhares’ performance kinda shot that theory to pieces, even though he admits to some nerves before the opening bell.

“I was a little bit anxious and excited before the fight, but I think it is normal, and it made me smarter during the fight,” he said. “I like to be like that, and in combination with my confidence, it is perfect. Being in shape, confident and a little bit anxious and excited are the perfect combination in my opinion to do a good job.”

The win over Salaverry upped Palhares’ record to 17-1 as a pro, and also garnered him a post-fight bonus for ‘Submission of The Night’ and a return to the Octagon a week from today at UFC 88 against former two-division PRIDE champion Dan Henderson. It was also the fulfillment of a dream that began for Palhares back in 1994 when he saw UFC 3 for the first time.

“I loved what I saw in UFC 3, and I got crazy with that,” he said. “I decided that it was what I wanted to be, a fighter.”

His family wasn’t too thrilled when they heard that from the teenager, especially since life was tough enough when you worked a conventional job in Dores Do Indaia.

“I come from a very humble and poor family from a small city inside Brazil,” Palhares explains. “At the beginning, they didn't understand that I wanted to be fighter and what it was, because we had difficulties to even get food for all my family. But later, they realized that it was a serious job that I work hard at, and then they started to support me.”

By the time he was 19, Palhares – a skilled grappler – had started fighting in mixed martial arts events in Brazil. He fought and won seven times in small events and his reputation started to grow. Soon after, everything changed forever when he walked into the Brazilian Top Team gym.

“Brazilian Top Team changed my life,” said Palhares. “After I arrived here, everything started to work very well in my life and in my career. I have a lot of friends inside the team that have been pushing me to the top, always believing me and helping me in everything. I could learn and improve my skills at BTT, learning not only jiu-jitsu but martial arts in general.”

Palhares’ affiliation with BTT, which houses MMA stars such as Bustamante and Ricardo Arona, allowed him to get into bigger shows against better competition in Brazil, and he didn’t disappoint, submitting the likes of Flavio Luiz Moura, Fabio Negao, and PRIDE vet Daniel Acacio. All three wins came via leglock, and this streak of excellence garnered the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt an invitation to the UFC, where he dazzled with his win over Salaverry. It was the type of fight that you show to your skeptical buddies when they say they don’t want to
see any groundwork in a fight. Yet despite his ground acumen, Palhares chalks his success up to good ol’ fashioned hard work.

“I think I have a strong mind, and that makes me work hard trying to reach my dreams,” he said when asked what separates him from the average fighter. “I am a worker, I have been working hard everyday, and studying a lot of positions and submissions.”

Palhares will need all his wares to beat Henderson, one of the game’s superstars and a fighter intent on stopping a two-fight losing streak at the Brazilian’s expense. Not surprisingly though, ‘Toquinho’ has a lot of respect for his opponent.

“He is a great fighter, and he will demand a lot of attention from me during the fight,” said Palhares, who has the perfect man in the corner on September 6th, considering that Bustamante fought Henderson twice in PRIDE, albeit in losing efforts.

“He (Bustamante) has been teaching me and telling me how to fight against him (Henderson),” said Palhares. “He’s telling me which strategy I have to use, and what I need to improve in my game to minimize the risks during the fight. I can say that I am totally confident in my game and strategy for this fight.”

And he’s excited for it, especially since a win over someone with the reputation of Henderson can put him on the fast track to big things at 185 pounds.

“It would be a huge step in my career,” said Palhares. “If it (a win) happens, it will make it easier for me to have a chance to fight for the belt. I can't wait for the time to step in the Octagon for this fight.”

Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking – he’s not ready for middleweight boss Anderson Silva yet. And in his defense, Palhares says that he’s “not in a hurry” for a title shot. But he does have his eye on the belt.

“I know that it (a title shot) depends on how my performances will be in my next fights,” said Palhares. “But I think he (Silva) is great fighter, and he looks to be a humble person. I will think about his weaknesses when and if I have the chance to fight him.”

If Palhares does eventually get a shot at Silva and then goes on to win the title, it will be the culmination of a professional journey that began almost a decade ago. But when it comes to the personal side of things, Rousimar Palhares already hit the top when the money from his win over Salaverry bought his mother a house.

Everything from here on out is just gravy.

.

[cipherkingtoo]

well i said the only way he would lose is if rashad turned into rampage, well............

[MR. BMJ]

[Luca Brasi]

Oh well not many results went the way i thought but atleast dangerous dan won ....
and was good to see nate the great get a big win as well.

[Mickey]

Hasn't Liddell now lost 3 of 4? He's a cool dude and all but obviously guys have figured him out and he is going south fast.

Did you see the look on Dana White's face when he was in the ring after the fight? He looked like he wanted to puke!

[MR. BMJ]

Liddell is very susceptible to getting hit like that when he throws his right hand because he never has his left up to block anything .....which is what happened with Rampage, and now Evans. Basic fundamental defense, that he hasn't learned his lesson in correcting because he was so focused on the right hand. The fact that both Evans and Rampage have quicker fists than him, is to his disadvantage as well, as seen in the Evans exchange....they both threw rights, and Evan's connected first....while Liddell has his left down.

Not much other than that really imo.

Dang, that sucks seeing your favorite fighter get knocked-T-F-out like that!!!

That just put him back behind everybody else who just lost in the last year....rampage, wanderlai, Jardine...heck, everybody. He's gonna have to start from scratch again....if he even gets focused enough for a comeback.....which of course is gonna need to start with getting his left up.

BMJ

[MR. BMJ]

......and his gut looked HUGE again...wtf!!! I know it always looks like that, but it seemed worse laast night again.

BMJ

[cipherkingtoo]

that was a nasty ko. even rampage didnt hit him that hard and flush. Rashad has some good hand speed and good foot work. Hes also really wiggly and floppy.

[Luca Brasi]

Yeah i think old chuck is finally finished now which is unfortunate . I did'nt think Hammil performed to anywhere near his potential and had a horrible game plan .


Luca