UFC Fight Night Live
UFC Delivers Knockout Entertainment Free on Spike TV
UFC Fight Night Live produces several knockouts in a night of electric fights and rising stars
This kind of fightcard is the reason for the decline in popularity in boxing and the tremendous rise in popularity of the UFC. This is where it all started for the UFC. Well, atleast the rebirth. Cable Television gave the UFC and UFC President Dana White new life and since then, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has kept right on trucking. Spike TV took a chance on this seemingly dying sport in early 2005 with a reality show entitled The Ultimate Fighter. The show was a smashing success, and concluded with a classic finale that officially put Mixed Martial Arts, and particularly the UFC, on the map for good.
While boxers such as middle-aged Evander Holyfield are still fighting on Pay-Per-View for fifty bucks a pop, despite not being a legitimate top ten heavyweight, the UFC is airing free shows periodically featuring talented, up-and-coming fighters, giving them exposure and growing their fan base so that they will eventually be the pay-per-view headliners and carry this sport for years to come. The fans obviously appreciate this, and have displayed their appreciation by showing up to the arenas and dishing out the money for the pay-per-views time and time again. Last night, at UFC Fight Night Live was just another example of why this sport and especially the UFC are growing at such a rapid pace, despite having little support from the general media and big-time advertisers.
The card featured 6 stoppages out of 7 fights, including an 8 second knockout by James "The Sandman" Irvin, tying a UFC Record for Quickest KO. Irvin's opponent, Houston (The Assassin) Alexander was coming off two impressive knockouts and looking to line himself up an eventual title shot in the Light Heavyweight Division. But as the fighters circled, Alexander was layed out by the first punch thrown, a superman punch, then Irvin finished Alexander off on top before Referee Steve Mazzagatti jumped in to halt the bout. In another exciting bout, the brash, and sometimes arrogant, Nate Diaz submitted Kurt Pallegrino with a triangle choke in the second round, raising his hands and flexing in victory before Pallegrino had tapped. But it was far from a walkthrough for Diaz. Pallegrino dominated at the opening bell and had Diaz bloodied and appearing close to finished by the end of the first round. In the end, Diaz's savvy and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu were too much for Pallegrino.
In addition, Ultimate Fighter 6 Finalist Tommy (The Farmboy) Speer took to the octagon with UFC Legend Matt Hughes in his corner, but was quickly destroyed by a relentless barrage of punches from the very impressive and athletic Anthony (Rumble) Johnson in a welterweight showdown. Speer was under attack from the bell and it was over before he knew what hit him. Literally. Can anyone remember the last time they saw a boxing card with three matches as exciting as the three just mentioned, pay-per-view or not? I can't think of one.
