UFC 87: Seek & Destroy

alright UFC 87
Headline event is Mark Coleman vs Brock Lesnar. The past of great wrestling ground and pound vs the future of great wrestling

the always entertaining Roger Huerta will be taking on Kenny Florian, winner gets a shot at the LW title and either Sean Sherk or BJ Penn.

here's how the card looks so far

UFC 87: AUGUST 9, 2008 IN MINNEAPOLIS
venue: Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota

170 Lbs: Champ Georges St. Pierre (17-2) vs. Jon Fitch (17-2) (for welterweight title)
265 Lbs: Brock Lesnar (1-1)vs. Heath Herring (28-13)
155 Lbs: Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. Roger Huerta (20-2)
185 Lbs: Jason MacDonald (20-9) vs Demian Mia (7-0)
155 Lbs: Rob Emerson (7-6) vs. Manny Gamburyan (8-2)

265 Lbs: Dan Evensen (10-2) vs. Cheick Kongo (11-4)
205 Lbs: Andre Gusmao (5-0) vs. Jon Jones (6-0)
170 Lbs: Steve Bruno (11-3) vs. Chris Wilson (13-4)
155 Lbs: Luke Cummo (6-5) vs Tamden 'The Barn Cat' McCrory (8-1)
185 Lbs: Ben Saunders (5-0) vs. Ryan Thomas (8-1)

 

aaaaaaaand an update on what looks to be a very good fight.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>MacDonald vs. Maia Set For UFC 87
UFC 87: ‘Seek and Destroy' set to take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis Minn., has recently added a middleweight showdown between Jason MacDonald and Demian Maia according to MMAmania.com.

MacDonald is coming off an important grudge match knockout victory against fellow Canadian Joe Doerksen at UFC 83. He has won four of six fights inside the octagon and will look to add a fifth win when he faces submission wizard Demian Maia.

In two fights inside the octagon Maia has managed to capture the ‘Submission of the Night' both times and that is not by coincidence. He is highly regarded in jiu-jitsu circles and most recently won the 2007 Abu Dhabi Championship. His superior submission skills make him a likely candidate to earn a title shot if he can string another couple wins together.</div>

If this rumor is true, this should be a great fight!

 

I think McD is ahead in the striking game, if he can keep it standing he can win it with his fists.
on the ground it will become a matter of time before Maia sinks something in.

 

well most of you may now now, Mark Coleman blew out his knee and is off the card.
The great news is GSP is on the card!!! and he's going to beat on Jon Fitch for 2-3 rounds

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>St. Pierre vs. Fitch to headline UFC 87, Lesnar vs. Coleman scratched

Georges St. Pierre (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will make his first title defense since reclaiming the welterweight belt when he meets Jon Fitch (16-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) at UFC 87.

The UFC today confirmed the headline bout -- and the loss of a Brock Lesnar (1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs. Mark Coleman (15-8 MMA, 6-3 UFC) fight. Coleman, a recently inducted UFC hall-of-famer set to come out of retirement, reportedly suffered a knee injury, and a new opponent for Lesnar will be named shortly.

UFC 87 takes place Aug. 9 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

St. Pierre, who reclaimed his title and avenged a previous loss to Matt Serra back in April at UFC 83, will now meet the division's top contender.

"He's a very, very tough guy," St. Pierre told UFC.com's Thomas Gerbasi. "I'm going to have to train hard and be very well prepared because he may be my toughest fight yet."

Fitch, a former Purdue University wrestler, defeated Chris Wilson in March for his eighth-straight victory in the UFC. No one has matched that streak since UFC hall-of-famer Royce Gracie won eight straight fights from UFC 1 to UFC 3.
After the victory, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Fitch would be next in line for a title shot.</div>

 

words from Mark Coleman himself

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman was forced to pull out of his upcoming fight with former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 due to a torn MCL in his knee. He sustained the injury while working his stand-up in preparation for the showdown with Lesnar in August.

“It happened last Friday during a sparring session,” Coleman said about the injury to MMAWeekly.com. “I’ve been trying to work my stand-up quite a bit more, and work my kicks, and me and my partner threw a kick at the same time and I took the worst of the punishment. I tore the MCL ligament in my knee.”

Dealing with the fact that he would be forced out of the fight with Lesnar, the former Ohio State wrestler stayed positive when speaking about the injury that will require no surgery, but will keep him out of training for at least six weeks.

“I’m really trying to stay positive, but this is definitely one of the low points in my athletic career,” Coleman said with a heavy heart. “I was incredibly excited about this fight, looking so forward to fighting. I’ve been training hard and training was going very well. I just appreciated the opportunity to do this and my confidence was good. I really felt like I was going to be able to beat Brock Lesnar.”

Coleman also said that he was excited to show off some new techniques he’s been learning while training for this fight. He now hopes to show them to his next opponent instead.

“I do promise that I will rehab this. And like I said, I have been working on the weak spots in my game and when I do come back, I plan on having some new tools. When I do get back in the ring, I plan on having some new weapons to use,” Coleman commented.

Since being entered into the UFC Hall of Fame and announced as the opponent for Brock Lesnar at UFC 87, he has felt a great deal of support from his fans.

“I’ve always loved and respected the fans and I’m so appreciative,” stated Coleman. “They’re the ones that motivate me to keep fighting.”

Currently in Las Vegas for UFC 84, the former UFC champion will start rehabbing his knee and is looking forward to his next challenge and return to the Octagon.

“I didn’t come back to the UFC just for the paycheck, I came back to compete and to try and be a champion again,” Coleman said. “I hope I get a chance to fight Brock again, but if not whoever they offer. I just hope they come up with somebody. I hope to fight maybe October at the latest. I feel like I’d be ready to go by October for sure.”</div>
I think Coleman's game never evolved enough to be a legit contender over the last 5-7 years, but he's a gamer and seems like a good guy.
Love hearing him corner Baroni or Kevin Randleman.. dude has a commanding voice. I hope he is able to recover and come back soon.

 

a few additions to the card and a fight from UFC 86 moved to UFC 87

first, my favorite news!!! Clay Guida is fighting!!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Mac Danzig vs. Clay Guida at UFC 87
"The Ultimate Fighter 6" winner Mac Danzig (18-4-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will look to continue his ascent in the UFC's lightweight division when he meets Clay Guida (23-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at UFC 87.
A source close to Guida told MMAjunkie.com that the fighters recently agreed to the August bout.
UFC 87, which now features a main event between UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and top contender Jon Fitch, takes place Aug. 9 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Danzig, a former King of the Cage champ who dominated the sixth season of "TUF," defeated Tommy Speer at the show's live finale. He then dropped from welterweight to lightweight at UFC 83 and defeated Canadian Mark Bocek via third-round submission. It was his 10th submission victory -- and 14th stoppage -- in 18 career victories.
As for the perpetually tested Guida, he gets another tough fight in the UFC. Although 3-3 in the organizatiom, the losses have come to notables Din Thomas, Tyson Griffin and Roger Huerta. He most recently defeated Samy Schiavo at UFC Fight Night 13 with a first-round TKO. Guida, a former Strikeforce champ, will look to put together his first back-to-back wins in the UFC.</div>

WAR Guida!!!

 

another interesting fight.. probably undercard material though

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Gamburyan vs. Emerson on tap for UFC 87
"The Ultimate Fighter 5" runner-up Manny Gamburyan (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will meet former castmate Rob Emerson (7-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in August at UFC 87.
Over the weekend, sources close to both fighters told MMAjunkie.com that the bout has been accepted by both lightweights and that the fight would be finalized shortly.
Gamburyan will go for his third consecutive victory in the UFC. After a loss to eventual show winner Nate Diaz at the "TUF" live finale (due to an injured shoulder), Gamburyan has rebounded for quick submission victories over Nate Mohr (UFC 79) and Jeff Cox (UFC Fight Night 13).
Emerson, meanwhile, was set to replace Jeremy Stephens in a fight with Terry Etim at UFC 84, but he was also replaced (due to an injury) by Rich Clementi just weeks before the event. After appearing on "TUF," Emerson fought Gray Maynard at the show's live finale. While being slammed to the mat, Emerson re-injured his ribs -- and Maynard appeared to have knocked himself out. The bout was ruled a no-contest, but Emerson returned at UFC 81 for a split-decision victory over Keita Nakamura.</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Frankie Edgar set for UFC 87 return
Lightweight contender Frankie Edgar (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will look to rebound from the first loss of his career when he returns at UFC 87.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed the booking today, though an opponent for the 26-year-old fighter has not been finalized. Edgar first reported the Aug. 9 fight date on his official website.
After eight consecutive victories -- three in the UFC -- Edgar suffered a unanimous-decision loss to up-and-coming Xtreme Couture fighter Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13.
Although he kept the fight competitive, Edgar was stuck with shutout losing scores of 30-27 on all three judges' scorecards.
Prior to the loss, Edgar had delivered Tyson Griffin (UFC 67) and Mark Bocek (UFC 73) the first losses of their careers, and he also became one of only four fighters ever to beat Spencer Fisher (UFC 78) in professional competition.</div>
this is shaping up to be a great card and it's stacked with LW's!

 

and the moved fight

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Chris Wilson vs. Steve Bruno moved to UFC 87

A welterweight clash between Team Quest fighter, Chris Wilson and UFC debutant Steve Bruno, originally set for July’s UFC 86 has been postponed to August’s UFC 87 according Wilson’s personal website.

From ChrisWilsonMMA.com:

I just found out my fight has been postponed. The rescheduled date hasn’t been finalized but appears to be bumped to the next UFC show, UFC 87 headlined by St. Pierre vs Fitch in Minnesota of all places. What a great card to fight under, eh?

In the end, it is frustrating to have to wait longer to get paid but it will give me more training time coming off of the birth of my daughter so it’s probably for the best. Frankly, I’m just glad to fight, period. I guess I can wait one more month.

Any chance Bruno had of fighting me before I got back into shape has just vanished. Bruno’s fanboys will be terribly distraught when he gets destroyed

No word yet as to why the bout has been postponed but I’m sure a reason will surface in the coming week.</div>

I've updated the card to reflect this news

 

looks like the UFC is adding a little Heat to UFC 87. Whomever Karo faces, it's a huge fight for him as he needs a win to be in title contention.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Karo Parisyan: "do or die" at UFC 87

Perennial welterweight contender Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (18-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) is the most recent addition to a rapidly filling card at UFC 87, though his opponent for the Aug. 9 event has not yet been determined.

Parisyan recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he's been booked for the event, which takes place at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The 26-year-old looks to rebound from a disappointing loss to Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13 in April that knocked Parisyan out of immediate title contention.

"At this point in my life I'm trying to change a lot of stuff in my life," Parisyan said. "It's either do or die for me now. God forbid. I can't handle two losses in a row."

"The Heat" was originally scheduled to take on "The Ultimate Fighter 6" contestant George Sotiropoulos (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at UFC 87, but the Australian was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury, according to Parisyan. The search for a new opponent continues.

Parisyan will now fight on the same card as his cousin, lightweight Manny Gamburyan, for the second time in their UFC careers. Gamburyan also fought, victoriously, on the night of Parisyan's April defeat. He takes on Rob Emerson in August.</div>

 

Looks like Frankie Edgar may have someone to face.. he'd best be training had cause it's not an easy one for sure!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Report: Hermes Franca likely to return in August
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jun 02, 2008 at 11:22 am ET
Former UFC lightweight contender Hermes Franca (18-6 mma, 5-3 UFC) has agreed to return from his 12-month suspension for a failed drug test in August at UFC 87, where he's expected to meet Frankie Edgar (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

Our friend Mike Chiappetta from NBCSports.com reports that a source close to the event has confirmed both fighters accepted the bout.

UFC 87 takes place Aug. 9 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

After closing out the 2005 fight season with three consecutive losses, Franca was one of the feel-good stories of 2006. He won eight consecutive fights -- all via stoppage -- and earned an invitation back into the UFC. The performance earned him a title shot against then-champ Sean Sherk at UFC 73.

Like Sherk, though, Franca failed a drug test administered by the California State Athletic Commission after his failed bid at the title. Unlike Sherk, Franca admitted using the steroid drostanolone. Despite coming clean, the CSAC upheld his fine and full one-year suspension.

Franca is eligible return from the suspension on July 7.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last week, Edgar recently confirmed his involvement with UFC 87, which features a main event between UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and top contender Jon Fitch. His opponent wasn't known at the time.</div>

Now that should be a great fight!!

 

This card looks amazing. I want to go!

 

Yea it actually looks to be a pretty interesting card. Franca definitely is a good addition, he really has brought a tough battle in the past. So yea Edgar has a hard fight.

Lesnar, Huerta, Franca, GSP, Herring, Congo, Fitch, Florian all on the same card sounds good.

GSP vs. Fitch should be interesting, Fitch has cardio and length and seems like a good all around fighter. GSP is obviously considered #1 at his weight, but I could see Fitch give him some problems.

Huerta (strength + all around good game) vs. Florian (good submissions & elbows)

Lesnar (strong wrestler) vs. Herring (stand up)

Kongo (big strong guy, with standup & newfound kickboxing) vs. Dan Evansen (I know nothing about)

Karo (good ground game + submissions, but has lost some fights lately, and his conditioning isn't great - and Joe Rogan loves saying he doesn't look strong but has this "Gorilla strength") vs. George Sotiropolous (the Australian from TUF 6, who has good ground game + submissions)

Edgar (I remember his face, but not his game) vs. Franca (Loves stand up, has power and pushes the tempo)

 

FYI, George S. is out and won't be facing Karo, injured during training I do believe.

 

another great looking fight has been added.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Jason MacDonald vs. Demian Maia signed for UFC 87

UFC middleweights Jason MacDonald (20-9 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Demian Maia (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) have signed to meet at UFC 87, an event that takes place at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

MacDonald confirmed the Aug. 9 bout earlier this week in his sportsnet.ca column, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was told from a source close to Maia that the bout had been in the works for the past month.

As for MacDonald, he predicts a victory because "time and time again ... good mixed martial artists have been able to defeat high-level jiu-jitsu guys."

MacDonald, who most recently scored a second-round TKO victory over Joe Doerksen in April, says he has "a lot of respect for what [Maia has] done in the jiu-jitsu world," but he said some BJJ stand-outs have difficulty with true mixed martial artists. He specifically used UFC newcomer Kevin Burns, who submitted Roan Carneiro this past weekend at UFC 85, as an example.

Maia, though, has had a fairly smooth transition into MMA since turning pro in 2005. He's a perfect 7-0 in the sport, which includes recent UFC submission victories over Ryan Jensen and Ed Herman.</div>

 

a few updates to this card

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Jared Rollins out, Ryan Thomas in for Minnesota's UFC 87

Jared RollinsJared Rollins (6-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has been pulled from a UFC 87 bout with "The Ultimate Fighter 6" fellow cast member Ben Saunders (5-0-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and replaced by UFC newcomer Ryan Thomas (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC).</div>


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>UFC newcomer Jon Jones to replace Tomasz Drawl at UFC 87

Jon JonesUFC newcomer and USKBA light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been signed to a UFC contract and will replace Tomasz Drwal (14-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at next month's UFC 87 event.</div>

 

Heath Herring is going to kick Brocks ass period.