Tim Sylvia enters with an American flag draped around his shoulders. The heavyweight champion bangs with Andrei Arlovski while referee BigJohn McCarthy keeps an intent eye on the action. As Ken Shamrock (right) pleads his case to referee Herb Dean, Tito Ortiz celebrates his TKO victory over 'The World's Most Dangerous Man.' Arlovski connects with an inside leg kick to Sylvia, the two heavyweights spent the entire fight on their feet. Ortiz drills Shamrock with a nasty knee. Ortiz prepares to slam Shammy, some in tight action.

LAS VEGAS - For hardcore fans at UFC 61, the announcement of a Wanderlei Silva-Chuck Liddell fight in November may have overshadowed the fight card, which was held in front of a sellout crowd of 12,400 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Fans have long hoped that one day the best in each organization would face off to determine a true world champion. Now, it looks as if their greatest wish has been granted, at least in the light heavyweight division.

While that fight is looming, things were happening on a hot July night. Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski banged for five rounds. And just a few days after the 4th, there were still some fireworks left for the Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock fight.


"The World's Most Dangerous Man" was so irate that referee Herb Dean stopped the fight, and he tried to get at Ortiz. To ensure things didn't get out of hand, about 10 Las Vegas police officers entered the Octagon. As he left the Octagon, Shamrock, escorted by security, stopped and yelled to the crowd, "Look at my face. See, no marks."

In chronological order, the following is an overview of the fights.

Welterweight Bout
Fighters: Kurt Pellegrino & Drew Fickett
Winner: Fickett
How: Submission (rear naked choke) at 1:20 of Round 3

Early in the third round, Pellegrino was in side control when Fickett rolled to escape-a beautiful, sweeping move-taking his tired opponent's back. A rear naked choke ended the fight in dramatic, surprising fashion.

Analysis: Fickett is proving the gatekeeper in the welterweight division. He never gives up and has a habit of finishing guys late. If he keeps beating the newcomers, he'll deserve another shot at a "name" opponent.

Heavyweight Bout
Fighters: Cheick Kongo & Gilbert Aldana
Winner: Kongo
How: TKO at 4:13 Round 1

After scrambling to his feet, the Frenchman bloodied Aldana with a succession of dramatic knees and punches. Near the end of the round, the ref called for a break and the ringside doctor checked the Arizona native's cuts, which were bad enough to stop the fight.

Analysis: The UFC debutante showed his kickboxing pedigree. His muay Thai clinch was simply devastating. He looked amateurish on the ground, but all and all he's a promising addition to the heavyweight division.

Ring Physician's Analysis: Dr. Albert Capanna, a clinical professor and neurosurgeon, is the ring physician for the Nevada Athletic Commission. Following are his comments.

"The first thing Gilbert Aldana said to me is that he can't see. He had a small cut on his right eyelid, but that did not affect his vision itself. He was upset [that he could not see]. I checked his pupils and they were equal. They moved together. When I held up my fingers, however, he did see well. His vision was blurry.

If he could not see, then he could not defend himself well. Plus, without both eyes [working well], his depth perception would be off. I told him that if he could not see that he could not fight. The ref came over and stopped the fight.

After the fight, Aldana was sent to the hospital. I don't believe there was a major problem because he was released.

Heavyweight Bout
Fighters: Anthony Perosh & Jeff Monson
Winner: Monson
How: TKO at 2:42 of Round 1

Monson, who entered the Octagon to John Lennon's "Imagine," took it to the ground immediately, nearly getting Perosh's back at one point. The Australian did well to get to his feet, and he looked Monson's equal standing until they wound up in a muay Thai clinch. From there, the Snowman worked some dirty boxing, landing solid upper cuts that eventually sent Perosh to the floor. A few hammer fists later, the fight was over.

Analysis: Monson, who has won three fights in a row, seemingly earned a title shot with this performance. He looked good in this fight, albeit a little winded from the takedown attempts. With his build and grappling ability, he'll pose a unique threat to Sylvia.

Lightweight Bout
Fighters: Joe Jordan and Hermes Franca
Winner: Franca
How: Third-round submission

Having taken the fight on short notice, Jordan began to tire in the second round. Franca, who returned to the UFC for the first time since April 2004, bloodied him with accurate punching. In Round 3, the Brazilian took him down, gained mount and applied a triangle choke from top position.

Analysis: Franca's game is pretty complete. He's still better on the ground, but his stand-up has improved by leaps and bounds. He poses a risk to anybody at 155 pounds. As for Jordan, he deserves a lot of credit for stepping up on short notice. He fought well and took everything Franca threw at him.

Ring Physician's Analysis: Jordan got tapped by a triangle, so I was just looking to make sure his breathing was good.

Main Card

Lightweight Bout
Fighters: Joe Stevenson and Yves Edwards
Winner: Stevenson
How: TKO (ref's stoppage) after Round 2

It went how you might have expected. While it was on the feet, Edwards nearly knocked out Stevenson with his accurate striking. Once Stevenson took it to the ground, he dropped punches and elbows, and in the second round opened up a nasty gash on the Texan's head. Blood pooled on the mat as "Big Daddy" tried to end it. But Edwards fought gallantly and, except for the blood streaking his body, he looked fine as he returned to his corner. The ringside doctor took a negative view of the cut and the blood loss, and the fight never made it to the third round.

Analysis: You have to feel bad for Edwards. Despite his two recent losses in the UFC, he remains one of the most electrifying fighters in the lightweight division. Stevenson, on the other hand, is a monster at 155. Once he takes it to the ground, he'll create trouble for any fighter in the weight class.

Ring Physician's Analysis: Edwards had a small laceration on his scalp, and he was bleeding quite a bit. There is a large artery that goes to the head and branches around. The laceration cut the artery, which pulsates with the heartbeat.

We tried to estimate how much blood he lost, and we thought that he might have lost 400 cc's. When someone has lost 500 cc, we start thinking of a transfusion. Between rounds we decided not to let him continue. He had five more minutes to go and we did not want him to get weak from the blood loss. Because of the type of cut he had, all you had to do is push on the scalp to make him bleed more.

It's not unusual to have cuts and bloods in a fight, and it's usually not a problem. However, this was an artery, so it was unusual.

Heavyweight Bout
Fighters: Frank Mir and Dan Christison
Winner: Mir
How: Unanimous decision

The former heavyweight champion controlled the first and third rounds with some effective, albeit sluggish, ground and pound. He looked in trouble in the second as the fresher-looking Christison scored with heavy punches. Mir, however, got his second wind in the final round and did enough to sway the judges.

Analysis: The jury is still out on whether Mir can return to championship form. The ring rust was definitely there and Christison looked to have pulled off the upset when he locked in an armbar late in the first round. Christison showed improvement in his striking.

Light Heavyweight Bout
Fighters: Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock
Winner: Ortiz
How: TKO in Round 1

Shamrock came out aggressively, landing a straight right hand. Ortiz clinched, elevated Shamrock and slammed him to the mat. From there, it was trademark Ortiz. A series of elbows landed flush, and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.

Analysis: Dean erred in stopping the fight when he did. Shamrock endured more punishment in their first meeting, so the rivalry remains open-ended. A third fight looms.

Ring Physician's Analysis: When the fight was over, I came in to make sure he [Shamrock] was OK. By the time I got in the Octagon, Ken was revitalized and wide-awake. I checked him after and he was fine, but he was not happy that Herb [Dean] called the fight.

Swing Bout

Welterweight Bout
Fighters: Josh Burkman and Josh Neer
Winner: Burkman
How: Unanimous Decision

The Miletich fighter controlled the action in the second round, but Burkman rebounded with a solid third, opening up a cut beside Neer's left eye. He got top position on the ground, once slamming his way out of a triangle attempt.

Analysis: It was a very even fight that went back and forth. Burkman usually starts strong and fades the longer the fight goes. But here he showed great resilience, dominating the third round and bouncing back after a tough loss to Jon Fitch. He fought with the greater energy and deserved the victory.

Heavyweight Title
Fighters: Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski
Winner: Sylvia
How: Unanimous Decision

In the first round, Arlovski tried a new strategy, as he peppered Sylvia with inside leg kicks. A big right from the "Maine-iac" seemingly made Arlovski forget all about that strategy. Stunned, the former champ grabbed a leg but could barely move the larger man. From then on, it was a boxing match, with Arlovski relying on the overhand right and Sylvia counter-punching. In the later rounds, Sylvia landed the better punches and deserved to keep his title.

Analysis: Once his striking faltered, Arlovski seemingly lacked a Plan B. Perhaps his team should have worked more on his wrestling. Future opponents, including Monson, will take from this fight that if a superior striker like Arlovski couldn't take Sylvia out, then the only place to win the fight may be on the ground. Even so, Sylvia claims that his sprawl is second to none. The Miletich fighter may hold on to the belt for a long time.

Ring Physician's Analysis: Andrei had a small laceration on his eye, but it was not that big. During a fight, we have four physicians. After a fight, two stay out to watch the next fight and two go back with the fighters. If they see a problem, they send a fighter to the hospital. Andrei went to the hospital, and that may have been for the laceration.