UFC 51: The Bad Boy vs The Phenom

Las Vegas – On February 5 in the Mandalay Bay Events Center, UFC 51: Super Saturday took place amid a seething crowd of 11, 218 fight fans. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, also known as UFC, is a league of Mixed Martial Arts where all the fighting that takes place is as real as it gets. For this particular event, the fight card was packed with some great match-ups, and the coveted middle-weight belt was on the line. Needless to say, the night was spectacular. One of the evenings more anticipated bouts was between heavy-weights Tim Sylvia from Maine, and Andre Arlovski from Belarus. The two men are known for their hard-hitting style, and both went into the fight looking for a KO or TKO. Yet when the ref started the fight, the athleticism of the young Belarusian was to be the only thing on display. Arlovski quickly landed an overhand right and sequentially followed through with a leg submission that had the “Mainiac” slapping the mat for a referee stoppage and Arlovski in the driver’s seat for the interim title. The only title fight of the night was between Evan Tanner, an old training partner of Randy Couture, and David Terrell, a young and unbelievably athletic MMA practitioner who can fight on and off his feet. With Tanner as the underdog, the fight ended just as it started: with Tanner brutally pounding the youthful and possibly over-confident Terrell into a referee stoppage. After 22 fights in the UFC, Evan Tanner proved to everyone that night that he was legitimate, and that he was the champion. The main fight of the evening was a bout scheduled to happen three years ago, but due to injuries never occurred. Tito Ortiz, from Huntington Beach, California squared off with Vitor Belfort from Brazil. Fight fans were ecstatic for this one, which featured two previous UFC light-heavyweight champions trying to prove they still belong in the running for championship contention. The fight went the distance, three rounds for a non-championship bout, and was undoubtedly one of the best in recent UFC memory. Belfort in the first round teed off on Ortiz numerous times and dazed the wrestler with a fury of punches. Always one to take a punch, Tito quickly regained himself and dove in numerous times for the fight-saving takedown. The second round was more of the same, with Vitor punching himself silly and Ortiz trading and dodging blows. Ortiz was soon taken down, and fell victim to an array of elbows and punches that seemed to be taking its toll on the weary Belfort. Tito even claimed that he was “out” for a second during this barrage, but remained resilient and kept thwarting the Brazilian’s attempts at a knock-out. The ref eventually restarted the men on their feet due to inactivity, and Ortiz quickly pounced in for a takedown of the tired Belfort. Round three began as the second ended, with Tito on top peppering Belfort with his brand of dirty boxing, elbows, and shoulder slams. The fight was a sure test of Tito’s durability, and when the bell rang and Ortiz’ hand was raised. His metaphorical hike from out of the octagon and up to the very peak of the bleachers seemed to roar that he was indeed “on top of the world.” He later quoted that he went up there to show his love for his loyal fans, who never counted him out even after consecutive losses to Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, and that he wanted them to bask in victory right beside him. The night was indeed a glorious mixture of knockouts, ground-and-pound, and submissions, and UFC fans had plenty to cheer about. For more information on Mixed Martial Arts, go to www.sherdog.com, www.pridefc.com, and www.ufc.tv. Make sure to check your channels for Spike TV’s “Ultimate Fighter” series that runs at 11pm on Mondays.