Marvin Sapp's 'He Saw The Best In Me' Rocked BET Celebration Of Gospel 2010 (Video)

Marvin Sapp’s performance tonight on BET's the Celebration of Gospel 2010, of the song “He saw the Best in Me,” was the highlight of the show that had host Steve Harvey near tears. Taped at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles and hosted once again by host and author Steve Harvey, the night included uplifting performances, powerful duets and soulful choirs. Aptly themed "Ten Years, Faithfully Yours," in honor of the show's 10(th) anniversary, Celebration Of Gospel featured breathtaking performances and spoken word segments by both mainstream and gospel greats including Fantasia and her mother Diane Barrino Barber performing "He's Done Enough"; Anthony Hamilton and his wife Tarsha Hamilton singing "Better", and The Rance Allen Group performing a soulful rendition of "Something About the Name Jesus." 'Twas a praiseworthy night...

Fake punt, TCU's INTs spark Boise State to 14-0, Fiesta win

Presto: the Broncos stunned Texas Christian in a Fiesta Bowl duel of unbeaten BCS busters.

After a gutsy fake punt at the Broncos' own 33-yard line, Doug Martin scored the decisive touchdown to give No. 6 Boise State a 17-10 victory over third-ranked TCU on Monday night.

For the second time in four years, the Broncos (14-0) won the Fiesta Bowl with a YouTube-worthy play.

"I think that's what they expect us out of us, so we're happy to deliver," said Boise State coach Chris Petersen.

Last time, the victim was Oklahoma. This time it was TCU (12-1), which fizzled in its BCS debut.

A 10-10 stalemate came alive with a play straight out of Boise State's goofy playbook.

It's called "Riddler," and TCU couldn't solve it.

Petersen called it on fourth-and-9 at the Broncos' 33. Punter Kyle Brotzman hit wide-open Kyle Efaw with a 30-yard strike on fourth-and-9.

TCU coach Gary Patterson said the Horned Frogs had worked on the fake in practice, but they were caught flat-footed.

"The fake punt was a great call," Patterson said. "They outcoached us on that play."

Brotzman said he was certain the play would work as he surveyed the Horned Frogs' return formation.

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"For us to run a fake like that is gutsy," said Brotzman, who also hit a 40-yard field goal. "That's Boise State football."

TCU never recovered. Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore, who threw for 211 yards, connected on three straight passes to move Boise State to the TCU 2-yard, and then Martin vaulted over a tackler from 2 yards out to put the Broncos up 17-10 with 7:21 to go.

"That was huge, an emotional play," TCU All-America defensive end Jerry Hughes said. "They obviously had the momentum on their side."

The trickery evoked memories of Boise State's BCS debut three years ago, when it pulled out a passel of gadget plays to defeat Oklahoma on the same field.

"Our coaches are creative and they dial stuff up and it works a lot of the time," said Efaw, whose team became the second in modern history to go 14-0, joining Ohio State in 2002.

Unlike the thriller against OU, this game offered little drama for the first three quarters.

It was the first time two schools from conferences without automatic BCS bids have met in one of college football's biggest bowls. But for long stretches TCU and Boise State played as if they belonged in the Poinsettia Bowl, site of TCU's 17-16 victory over Boise State in December 2008.

Boise State entered as the nation's highest-scoring team (44.2 points per game), and the Horned Frogs were fourth (40.7). But their expected offensive duel turned into a tedious series of punts.

Neither team could muster an offensive touchdown until the final minute of the first half, when TCU's Andy Dalton hit Curtis Clay for a 30-yard score to make it 10-7 at halftime.

TCU's Ross Evans kicked a 29-yard field goal to tie it at 10 heading into the fourth quarter.

The game appeared to be dragging toward overtime until Petersen's gutsy call. After taking the lead, the Broncos called on their unheralded defense to lock up the win.

TCU took over at its own 1 with 1:06 remaining and marched to the Boise State 30 before cornerback Brandyn Thompson disrupted a pass by Dalton, and Winston Venable picked it off with 18 seconds remaining.

Thompson had two interceptions. He returned the first 51 yards for the game's first score, and his second one set up the Broncos' winning drive.

Dalton had thrown only five interceptions in 279 pass attempts during the regular season, when he earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors. But the Broncos put pressure on Dalton from the start; late in the first quarter, unblocked defender Kyle Wilson blitzed and flattened Dalton, who came out for one play.

"We stressed all week just swarming to the ball, collectively as a defense," Thompson said.

Dalton finished with 272 yards and a score through the air, but was intercepted three times.

Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State earned its second BCS victory -- as many as Michigan, Penn State and Alabama have combined.

The Broncos are one of only three remaining unbeatens, along with Texas and Alabama, which will play for the national title on Thursday night.

Petersen has resisted entering the national title debate, but it's clear he thinks his spunky team can play with anyone.

"I just know that these kids have the most unbelievable heart," Petersen said.

Some wondered whether the Broncos deserved a shot at the national title. On this night, they were just barely good enough to edge Mountain West champion TCU, snapping the Horned Frogs' 14-game win streak.

Asked if he thought Boise State should be No. 1, Efaw replied, "Probably not. But I mean, maybe next year. I don't know. We have a great team and we fight hard and we're undefeated."

Eagles vs. Cowboys is the NFC game to watch on Sunday

The Eagles vs. Cowboys game will decide the NFC East champion. This is the second Eagles vs. Cowboys game in 2010, and this one will hold all the marbles for the winner. Both Dallas and Philadelphia can clinch the NFC East with a win on Sunday, but there also exists the possibility that they could clinch the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs. That puts everything on the line on Sunday, making the Eagles vs. Cowboys a must watch for NFC fans.
The Philadelphia at Dallas game has a 1:15 P.M. PST (4:15 P.M. EST) start time, and will be broadcast on FOX around the country. Philadelphia comes into the game with an 11-4 record on the season, while Dallas has posted a 10-5 record so far. Philadelphia has been one of the hotter teams in football lately and would like nothing more than to cap off their season at 12-4 with a win. Dallas on the other hand, is trying to quiet the analysts stating they have fallen apart, and by winning the NFC East they could do just that.
The reason that the #2 seed is still up in the air is because the Minnesota Vikings have gone cold. They come into Sunday's games tied with Philadelphia for the second best record in the NFC, but lose the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Eagles if Philadelphia can win on Sunday. There is also a chance that if Minnesota and NFC West winner Arizona loses that Dallas can jump into the #2 seed and really put to bed any critics that they have had this season.
It's shaping up to be a really good game in Cowboys Stadium, and its good that FOX has this one scheduled for a wide audience. In a divisional rivalry game such as this it is hard to pick a favorite because both teams will be playing with a lot of pride on Sunday. Keep an eye on Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson and Cowboys receiver Miles Austin because the two will be looking to break big catches and reach the end zone quickly.
Game time for the Eagles vs. Cowboys game is 1:15 P.M. PST (4:15 P.M. EST) on Fox today.

UFC 108 Results and Live Play-by-Play

Hit F5 on your keyboard to refresh often, as play-by-play is updated in real time.

Rafaello Oliveira vs. John Gunderson
Round 1
Oliveira lands a nice low kick to Gunderson’s lead leg and is tagged to the face for it. Gunderson locks up a guillotine from a front headlock and falls to guard. Oliveira searches for an escape but cant extricate his head. He climbs to his feet and readies to slam Gunderson but he lets go of his guard before he is planted. He locks the submission back up and drops back to half-guard. Oliveira scrambles to the top and passes to mount. He strikes from the top and then takes Gunderson’s back. Gunderson turns back in and has to defend an arm triangle. He gives up his back again and then mount again. Gunderson works his way back to standing along the cage. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Oliveira.

Round 2

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Oliveira vs. Gunderson.
Gunderson steps in as Oliveira tries to kick and lands a nice right hand. Oliveira shoots and hits a double. Gunderson works a Kimura for a sweep and gets back to his feet. Oliveira takes it right back to the mat. Oliveira establishes his position inside Gunderson’s guard before moving to the mount again. Oliveira takes Gunderson’s back again but he defends the rear-naked choke well. He turns back in and tries to sweep into mount but Oliveira’s base is solid. He takes the back yet again as Gunderson turtles. Oliveira slips over Gunderson’s head and grabs his right arm. He is looking for an armbar but Gunderson holds onto his left wrist to stave off the attack. Gunderson wiggles off the hook, snaking his arm free and punching as the horn sounds ending the second frame. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Oliveira.

Round 3
After a stern talking to by his coach Shawn Tomkins, who tells him he needs to be on top, Gunderson gets taken down again to start the third. He briefly gets back to his feet and lands in top position after a takedown of his own. Oliveira does not let him set up on the ground and scrambles back to the top. Gunderson fights his way back to his feet but is taken back down with a single. Gunderson grabs a half-hearted guillotine but can’t get his guard and Oliveira escapes easily. Oliveira mounts again and with about 90 seconds left is in complete control. He takes Gunderson’s back again, searching for a choke but Gunderson fights him off. Oliveira switches to an armbar but Gunderson holds on for the final 20 seconds to make it to the bell. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Oliveira.

Official scores are all 30-27 for Oliveira, who takes the unanimous decision.

Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger
Round 1

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Ellenberger vs. Pyle.
Ellenberger charges in on Pyle right off the opening bell. He counters a jab with an overhand right that does not connect, but sends Pyle scurrying away. Ellenberger pursues him to the fence and takes him down to the floor. Pyle works a high closed guard that keeps Ellenberger at bay for the moment. Pyle opens his guard and gets his right foot on the hip of his opponent as he tries to get something going. Ellenberger is not very active from the top but finds a shot here and there. Pyle throws some elbows from the bottom that don’t affect Ellenberger at all. Pyle tries to switch his hips and work a submission from the bottom but Ellenberger stands in his guard and when he does not settle back in, referee Yves Lavigne brings them back to their feet. Ellenberger wastes no time and sinks Pyle once again with a double. Pyle latches onto to a kimura but Ellenberger defends. Ellenberger tees off with hammerfists as Pyle turtles up in the frames closing seconds. Pyle is slow to get up after the horn sounds. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Ellenberger.


Round 2
Ellenberger crushes Pyle with a right hook and pounds away with punches along the cage. Lavigne has seen enough and stops the bout at 22 seconds.

Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen
Round 1

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Munoz vs. Jensen.
Munoz and Jensen touch gloves and we are underway. Jensen scores with an inside-low kick and a jab. Munoz looks to shoot and barely avoids a Jensen knee. Munoz gets the double but Jensen has him in a guillotine. Jensen works free and regains his feet. He backs Munoz onto the cage with solid punches including a nice uppercut. Munoz answers with a takedown. Munoz lands a number of punches that force Jensen to turn away but he can’t escape the barrage. Munoz blasts away to the head an body of a prone Jensen. He looks like he may have tapped but Yamasaki lets it go on. Munoz continues the assault until Yamasaki sees Jensen tapping at 2:30 of the opening frame.


Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon
Round 1

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Miller vs. Lauzon.
Miller pushes forward and clips Lauzon with a right hook. Lauzon counters fire and Miller slips in a left hook. Lauzon stands tough in the pocket and drops his foe with a left-hook counter. Miller bounces back to his feet and eats a knee for his hustle. Miller recovers and latches on a Thai plum. He jumps vertically and misses a knee to the chin. Lauzon lands power shots to the body from both hands. Miller picks up the aggression, but he fails to land a clean blow. Miller scrambles for a takedown and Lauzon hops on his back. Miller easily escapes danger and transitions to side control, where he hops over and applies an inverted triangle. Lauzon offers little defense to the position as Miller moves into a kimura. Lauzon taps at 3:05 of the first.


Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann
Round 1

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Kampmann vs. Volkmann.
Kampmann sneaks in a right hand as Volkmann swings for the fences. Volkmann answers with a left hook that snaps Kampmann’s head back. Undeterred, Kampmann steps forward and drops his opponent to his knees with a straight right. Kampmann is bleeding from a small cut above his left eye. Kampmann looks exceptional on his feet. He keeps his hands high and bounces on his toes. The proper technique pays off as he blasts Volkmann with a right-hook counter. Volkmann collapses to the canvas and Kampmann engages the downed fighter on the floor. After a minute of working for position from the top, Kampmann stands up and cracks Volkmann with a right hand. He dives back into the guard and unloads with his right. Volkmann gets to his knees and Kampmann locks in an inverted guillotine ala Torres-Beebe.
Referee Yves Lavigne pulls Kampmann off at 4:03 of round one.


Junior dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Dos Santos vs. Yvel.
Round 1
Yvel misses a spinning-back kick. The fighters briefly flurry, but nothing lands. The temperature turns up as both fighters swing wildly. Yvel lands a right hook as dos Santos moves away smoothly. Dos Santos aims his left hand at the body and it connects. Dos Santos ducks under a right hand and lays Yvel out with a left-hook counter. The Brazilian pounces with punches to the head until referee Herb Dean steps in to save Yvel at the 2:07 mark of round one. Yvel protests the stoppage.



Jim Miller vs. Duane Ludwig

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Miller vs. Ludwig.
Round 1
Lugwig connects with a straight right to get the action started. Miller jabs forward and then opens up with a crisp punch-kick combo. An uneventful exchange unfolds. The fighters take to the center of the cage and Miller knocks an off-balanced Lugwig to the canvas with a right hook. Miller hops directly to mount and locks up an armbar. Ludwig fights off the technique momentarily before tapping at 2:31 of the opening period.



Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout
Round 1
Lauzon throws Stout to the floor. Lauzon lands some punches and elbows tha open up a cut above the left eye of Stout. Lauzon goes for a kimura and it’s deep. Stout rolls and rolls before finally escaping to his feet. Stout is bleeding badly. Lauzon shoots immediately and fails. He pulls guard and gets control of Stout’s wrist. Lauzon tries to open his guard and Stout uses the window to stand. Stout goes to Lauzon’s body with a straight right. Again he goes to Lauzon’s body. Stout is having his way with Lauzon’s liver. Stout catches a low kick and backs his opponent up with a right hand. Stout gets busy and unloads with a punching combination before missing a spinning-back fist at the horn.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stout
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Stout
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Stout

Round 2

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Stout vs. Lauzon.
Lauzon brings the fight to Lauzon and is stuffed on a shot. Stout roughs Lauzon up with his hands and then lands a head kick with his left foot. After seeing his frame buckle, Lauzon is still standing. Lauzon briefly trips Stout to the canvas before getting clipped with a right hand. Stout is still bleeding heavily from the cut he suffered in the first frame, but it’s not slowing him down. Stout keeps up the pace as he moves around the cage well with nice footwork. Stout jabs with his right hand and then switches to an orthodox stance. Stout lands a right hand and a left hook to the midsection. Lauzon is bleeding from his left ear as he fails on a single-leg attempt. Stout wipes the blood from his eye and connects with a kick to the body. Lauzon pulls guard and absorbs an elbow from Stout. Another elbow connects with Lauzon’s forehead before
time expires.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stout
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Stout
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Stout

Round 3
Stout has none of a Lauzon single leg. Stout shows his best pace of the fight thus far as he works all levels of his opponent with kicks, knees and punches. Lauzon is helpless on his feet against the Canadian striker. Two more takedown attempts fall short for Lauzon. Another low kick hurts Lauzon as he freezes up his advancement. With two minutes remaining, Lauzon secures a gutsy single-leg takedown. Lauzon moves to half guard. Lauzon mounts Stout and then gives up position for a guillotine. Stout escapes and stands. A desperate Lauzon dives for a flying heel hook. Stout moves away from the technique and blasts Lauzon with a right hand. Stout is peppering his opponent with his hands as the fight goes to the judges.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stout (30-27 Stout)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Stout (30-27 Stout)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Stout (30-27 Stout)

Official ruling: Sam Stout takes the unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 (twice) and 30-26.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Paul Daley

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Daley vs. Hazelett.
Round 1
Hazelett starts the bout with an amusing flip kick that falls short of its target. Hazelett bounces a hard right head kick off the forearm of Daley. The British fighter returns fire with two heads kicks of his own. Both are blocked. Daley begins to work on the left leg of Hazelett with low kicks. Hazelett backs Daley off with a teep kick and then checks a low kick. Hazelett, swinging for the fences with his head down and eyes closed, gets flattened by a Daley left-hook counter. Daley swarms on his fallen opponent with punches until Herb Dean pulls him off at 2:24 of the first stanza.


Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
Round 1
Rashad closes the distance and goes to the clinch against the fence. Silva, with his back to the fence, controls Evans right arm with an underhook. Evans drops levels for a takedown and he gets it. Silva uses his back to crawl up the fencing, but Evans picks him high into the air and slams him to the floor. Evans mounts his opponent, and then ends up standing after getting greedy from the dominant position. Evans uses fluid head movement to weave in and out of Silva’s punching combinations. Silva throws a knee to the head and Evans takes him down. Silva quickly gets to his feet and gets hit with a sharp low kick. Evans is stalking Silva around the cage. Silva lands a left hook lead and Evans ties him up against the cage. Evans goes to Silva’s body with power punches before dragging Silva to the canvas. He can’t hold the Brazilian down.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Evans
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Evans
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Evans

Round 2

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Evans vs. Silva.
Evans bombs away with his right hand and then closes the distance quickly. He is back in the clinch, pressing Silva into the fencing. Silva gets off the cage and is taken down by a quick single. Evans escapes a Silva armbar. Silva works to get to his feet, only to be slammed back down. The theme of the fight continues to play out, as Evans can’t hold his opponent down. Silva jabs and sprawls unnecessarily, wasting energy. Silva clips his foe with a right hand. And another. Silva is breathing heavy as Evans scores another takedown. Evans holds the waist and Silva pops back up. The round ends in the clinch, with referee Yves Lavigne asking the fighters to work.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Evans
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Evans
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Evans

Round 3
Silva stuffs his first legitimate takedown of the fight. Silva winds up for a right hand and Evans moves under it to get an easy single-leg takedown. Silva stands and taunts Evans, trying to draw him into a slug fest. Evans circles away and Silva taunts him again. Evans is weary of trading as he moves away. Silva is fighting with his hands down and he levels Evans with a right. Evans falls backwards and he’s in trouble. Silva unloads with both hands and Evans is barely standing. Silva, breathing heavily earlier in the round, is now spent. He has to take a breather, which allows Evans to clear his head. It is a huge round for Silva, but will it be enough to take the decision?

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Silva (29-28 Evans)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Silva (29-28 Evans)
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Silva (29-28 Evans)

All three official judges see the bout the same, and award Rashad Evans with the unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 across the board.

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva moved to UFC 108 main-event slot

With Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira out of UFC 108, the Ultimate Fighting Championship today announced the event's scheduled co-headliner, Rashad Evans (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) vs. Thiago Silva (14-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), has been moved into the night's main-event slot.

The light heavyweight contest headlines the Jan. 2 card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Although today's announcement said Nogueira, who was slated to fight Cain Velasquez, was forced off the card with a "severe injury to his left elbow," UFC president Dana White on Saturday said the former heavyweight champion also has a "bad" staph infection.

"[Nogueira] got staph infection, bad, to the point now it's in his bloodstream, and he's probably going to have to be hospitalized and intravenously given the antibiotics," White said.

At the time, White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he was unsure if Velasquez would remain on the card. With Evans vs. Silva now in the headliner, Velasquez will likely be shifted to a future card.

That opened the door for Evans, a former champ, and Silva, a longtime 205-pound contender, to take the pay-per-view top spot.

"The bout between Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva is a fight we always talked about as a main event, and now these guys have the chance to headline UFC 108 and kick off the new year in impressive fashion," White stated. "At the same time, we wish Antonio Nogueira a speedy recovery and can't wait for his return."

Evans looks to rebound from the first loss of his five-plus-year career. The 30-year-old lost the UFC's light heavyweight title in May when Lyoto Machida dropped him in the second round of their UFC 98 main-event contest. "The Ultimate Fighter 2" heavyweight winner served as a coach on "The Ultimate Fighter 10" (now airing) and was expected to fight rival coach Quinton Jackson in December. A dispute with White, though, led Jackson to announce his retirement in September.

Silva also recently suffered the lone loss of his career to Machida. After suffering a first-round knockout to "The Dragon" in January, Silva has since bounced back with a TKO win over Keith Jardine at UFC 102. Silva was 13-0 (4-0 in the UFC) prior to loss.

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva and UFC 108 Hangover

- For two rounds it looked as if Rashad Evans was a new fighter; a potent mix of timely wrestling, excellent head movement and solid striking. Then, the third round happened.

Rashad Evans was up two rounds to none and a desperate Thiago Silva stood in the middle of the Octagon bellowing challenges at Evans like some ancient heroic warrior of Troy (or like a big game animal, maybe a peacock, take you pick). Evans had the fight won and there was no reason to gamble that against a showboating Silva. It looked as if Evans knew that fact yet, for whatever reason, that revelation completely paralyzed Rashad from making decisions-- almost as if he was a deer in headlights. Rashad tightened up and Silva was able to land a clean power punch that rocked Rashad.

At that moment Rashad was crippled and all Thiago had to do was lean on his opponent with a few punches and Evans would tumble like a tree. Alas, it was not to be, as it was Silva's turn to be blinded with indecision.

Somehow Rashad escaped with a victory.

- A win is a win but it definitely feels like a hollow victory for Rashad. Here's hoping Thiago Silva channels Dennis Green later.

- Thiago Silva's failure to attack after rocking Rashad is worthy of one big fat FACE PALM.

- Another version of events courtesy of reader.

Hope-a-dope (verb): to taunt your opponent into a poor course of action when you are down two rounds to none. Thiago Silva hope-a-doped Rashad Evans at UFC 108.

- Some dark part of my soul really wanted Rashad to lose to see if the UFC would put him against Rampage anyways.

- Since Rashad won though, it looks like he will get to fight Rampage in a main event bout later this year. Rashad even called Rampage an "actor." Stick to wrestling Rashad, leave the insult making to the blogs.

- I thought TUF 10 was suppose to have changed Rashad's image with UFC fans because there were a lot of boos directed towards Evans not to mention chants of "Silva." Well, the audience could have thought they were cheering on Anderson Silva. Just saying....

- For Dustin Hazelett, a weak stand-up fighter, deciding not to attempt a takedown in favor of trading punches and kicks with Daley is the equivalent of jumping into a pool of gasoline then playing with matches and expecting not to turn into a human bonfire.

- I think we may have a winner for "Worst Gameplan" of 2010 already.

- Dustin Hazelett deserves a Darth Vader Fail.

- Paul Daley has two straight wins in the UFC --his only two UFC fights-- and has beaten two top-fifteen fighters. Don't look now but Daley is one top-ten win away from a title shot. Hell, with the way the UFC welterweight division is currently aligned Daley might be one win against whomever away from a title shot. And people say there are no good fighters outside of the UFC. Well, they usually aren't outside the UFC for long....

- 'Best of Pride' on Spike hosted by Kenda Perz? Awesome!

- It usually takes an athlete a solid eighteen months to come back from major knee surgery. Joe Lauzon was at month elven. If Lauzon's fight with Stout taught us anything it is that fighters with ACL injuries are to be avoiding in gambling.

- Credit to Stout for surviving the early onslaught from Lauzon but after that first round it was clear that barring a miracle the fight was all over for Joe.

- Nice to see the UFC announce Takanori Gomi's arrival on the pay-per view event. It will be interesting to see what the UFC does with him. The scuttle-bug is that he could fight Kenny Florian........

- Jim Miller handled late replacement Duane Ludwig effortlessly and then proceeded to call out all the haters for bashing UFC 108. Where are all these haters now so we can stone them in the public square? Wait, why are you guys gabbing me and dragging me out there?

- Dos Santos has four UFC fights under his belt and all four are stoppages with just one going out of the first round.

- Looks like people are finally talking about dos Santos as a heavyweight title contender. I would take dos Santos' resume over Shane Carwin's any day of the week.

- Credit the UFC for convicing people that Gilbert Yvel would be a credible threat against Junior dos Santos. Then there was that left hook.





- Holy crap! Martin Kampmann needs to learn to move his head. For a seoncd it was like the Daley fight all over again. If it wasn't for Martin's very well timed counter punches he would have had a short night. While Kampmann dropped Volkmann twice during those bull rushes Martin didn't look like a top-ten fighter.
- Was it just me or did Kampmann seem a little punch drunk in his post-fight interview?

- Speaking of someone absorbing a lot of punishment. Cole Miller was about five seconds of undefended punches from being cut from the UFC. Luckily Cole didn't remember those moments.

- Cole Miller's submission over Dan Lauzon was reminiscent of Toby Imada's inverted triangle but didn't surpass it in sheer awesome, come-from-behind spectacularness!

- Cole Miller screamed at Dana White, "I told you I would kick his [Dan Lauzon's] ass!"

- Cole was pointing to a tattoo on his bicep throughout the pre and post-fight moments. Miller also had his brown belt wrapped around his neck in the winner's circle.

- Both the Lauzon brothers lost. Bad night for the Lauzon clan.

- Love paying to watch four fights twice. Feels really weird.

- Mario Yamasaki missed a tap out by Ryan Jensen. I wonder if Dana White is going to start calling him the worst referee in MMA?

- Mark Munoz brought a list into the Octagon to make sure he didn't forget to thank anyone. Hey, whoever is directing this broadcast start playing the fade-away music to get him off the stage a la the Oscars.

- People like to bash Strikeforce cards for being one-sided quick finishes, well, that is exactly what UFC 108 was and wil probably be remembered as one of the most entertaining cards of the 2010 (basically, I don't agree that quick fights make a bad card for any promotion).

UFC 108 results: Rashad Evans survives Thiago Silva, Daley and Miller get knockouts

UFC 108 results: Rashad Evans survives Thiago Silva, Daley and Miller get knockouts

Rashad Evans survived a third round scare to defeat Thiago Silva (photo: Sherdog)
UFC 108 will go down in history as the first major MMA event of this new year, as well as the decade. Whether or not the weight of that responsibility influenced the selection of fights for this card, the UFC certainly put together an event that was worthy of the honor. There were some great fights and a couple of them will end up having serious implications in their weight divisions.
Junior Dos Santos knocked Gilbert Yvel out in the first round, and I can't really say I was surprised. Dos Santos came into this fight already having knocked out quite a few big names in the UFC. Although Yvel has a ton of experience, I felt that he was significantly overmatched in this fight and predicted a knockout in my predictions article earlier in the week. It didn't take long and Dos Santos was dominant from the opening bell. He landed a counter left hand that dropped Yvel in the first round, then attacked with more strikes on the ground, forcing a stoppage and earning a TKO.
Jim Miller submitted Duane Ludwig with an arm bar in the first round. This was one of the fights I was most looking forward to on the card. After fighting in Strikeforce for a few years, Ludwig made his return to the UFC to face the always formidable Jim Miller. It didn't surprise me that MIller was able to get Ludwig down in teh first round, but the fact that he did it by dropping him with a punch did. Instead of going for the TKO, Miller wisely used the opportunity to mount Ludwig and immediately started looking for a submission. He got an arm bar a few seconds later and finished the fight without even breaking a sweat.
Sam Stout defeated Joe Lauzon by unanimous decision. This was another clash of contrasting styles. Stout is about as pure a striker as you'll find in MMA, while Lauzon is a submission artist. The result would hinge on whichever was able to dictate the location of the fight. Early in the first round, it looked like Lauzon was going to do just that. He got Stout down and appeared to have a very painful arm bar, but Stout kept spinning and eventually got back to his feet. The remained standing for the rest of the first round. Stout was dominant in the second round, because he was able to avoid being on the ground for any length of time, while punishing Lauzon on his feet. Lauzon got one nice take down in the third round, attempted a guillotine, but Stout was able to get up yet again. He dominated most of the final five minutes and won the last two rounds going away. I wasn't sure how the first round would be scored, but all three judges gave it to Stout, making it an easy win on the score cards.
Martin Kampmann submitted Jacob Volkmann via guillotine choke. Once again, Volkmann proved to be a very game and aggressive opponent, but Kampmann's punching power was the difference in the fight. After landing several heavy shots in the first round, Kampmann seized the opportunity by sinking a very tight guillotine in while Volkmann was trying to recover.
Paul Daley knocked Dustin Hazelett out in the first round. Of all the striker vs. grappler match-ups on this card, this was the big one. There have never been two fighters with two more drastically different game plans than these guys and everyone was excited to see how it would play out. Hazelett was unable to get a take down early and that spelled disaster. Daley landed an enormous left hook that put Hazelett right on his back, then followed with three more heavy shots on the ground. The fight was mercifully stopped at that point and Daley has sent another message to the rest of the welterweight division.
Rashad Evans defeated Thiago Silva by unanimous decision. Unlike the previous fight, there wasn't much doubt as to how this one would go. Everyone suspected that these two would stand and trade heavy leather until one of them fell down. Both actually have very good ground games, but normally that only increases the chances of a stand-up fight. The funny thing was that they actually went down to the ground at the beginning of the first round and Rashad actually had Silva mounted for a second. But they got back up, traded more strikes, and then Rashad took Silva down again. He probably won the first round based on a couple of take downs and accurate striking. Silva looked a little tentative again in the second round and although he held his own striking, Rashad was still able to set up and get take downs. Both fighters slowed a little in the third round and Silva landed a couple of very solid shots that looked like they put Rashad in trouble. The problem was that Silva was too tired to finish him off and Rashad survived until the end of the fight. The biggest surprise was that it the fight went the distance, because everybody expected a knockout. Based on the strength of the first two rounds, Rashad won a unanimous decision.