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Jardine Is Hot, Liddell Is Not
The Dean of Mean Cools Off The Iceman |
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Written by Doug Jeffrey |
ANAHEIM, California - At the post-fight press conference here at UFC 76, both Chuck Liddell and Keith Jardine were among the fighters in attendance.
If you hadn't seen the fights and had to guess which one of these light-heavyweight contenders had won, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at their expressions. Both sat straight faced and answered questions without too much emotion.
Inside, however, Jardine had to be smiling, considering he had just beaten one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. By split decision, "The Dean of Mean" defeated "The Iceman," extending Liddell's losing streak to two.
Afterward, when asked why he was subdued, Jardine shook his head and said, "I am really tired."
Forrest Griffin, understandably, was on the other end of the emotion spectrum. A veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter," Griffin submitted Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. During the 50-minute press conference, Griffin flashed some big smiles and joked about looking like "Frankenstein," compliments of an elbow from Shogun.
Following is an overview of the fights. Look for in-depth coverage of UFC 76 in the December issue of Ultimate Grappling.
The Fighters: Michihiro Omigawa (4-5) vs. Matt Wiman (8-3)
Division: Lightweight
The Winner: Wiman
How/When: Unanimous decision
The Fighters: Scott Junk (6-2) vs. Christian "The Hungarian Nightmare" Wellisch (9-2)
Division: Heavyweight
Fighter Notes:. Wellisch trains with the AKA.
The Winner: Wellisch
How/When: Heel hook at 3:19 of Round 1
The Fighters: Diego "The Octopus" Saraiva (9-6-1) vs. Jeremy "The Heathen" Stephens (14-2)
Division: Lightweight
The Winner: Stephens
How/When: Unanimous decision
The Fighters: Anthony Johnson (4-1) vs. Rich Clementi (36-12-1)
Division: Welterweight
The Winner: Clementi
How/When: RNC at 3:05 of Round 2
Main Card
The Fighters: Thiago Tavares (16-1) vs. Tyson Griffin (10-1)
Division: Lightweight
Fighter Notes:. Tavares is a BJJ black belt.
The Winner: Griffin
How/When: Unanimous decision
The Fighters: Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7) vs. Lyoto Machida (11-0)
Division: Light Heavyweight
The Winner: Machida
How/When: Unanimous decision
The Fighters: Jon Fitch (20-2) vs." Diego Sanchez (19-2)
Division: Welterweight
Fighter Notes:. Fitch is a former Purdue wrestler and a purple belt in BJJ
The Winner: Fitch
How/When: Split Decision
The Fighters: Mauricio Shogun Rua (16-3) vs. Forrest Griffin (15-4)
Division: Light heavyweight
The Winner: Griffin
How/When: RNC 4:25 of Round 3
The Fighters: Keith Jardine (13-4-1) vs. Chuck Liddell (20-5)
Division: Light heavyweight
The Winner: Jardine
How/When: Split Decision
Some Top Moments
1. Matt Wiman, reminiscent of UFC veteran Dan Severn, slaps the crap out of his face and his arms prior to the fight.
2. At the end of his fight with Michihiro Omigawa, Matt Wiman did a set of push-ups, including one in which he slapped his hands while in the up position.
Fighters in Attendance
Trevor Prangley
Josh Koscheck
Tito Ortiz
Wanderlei Silva
Mr. GSP
Wanderlei Silva
Urijah Faber
Quotes of the Night
"He is a big guy. I felt his power with some of the shots, but I blocked them. I knew I was in better shape than him." - Christian Wellisch, who defeated Scott Junk
"My plan was I had no plan. He was such a well-rounded fighter that I wanted to beat him everywhere." - Matt Wiman, who defeated Michihiro Omigawa
The Post-Fight Press Conference
"It was a crazy night. Everyone knows how I felt for years about the goofy Internet Web sites. They are biased and crooked, and there are a lot of other bad things I could say. The reporting is biased toward us." - Dana White, UFC president
"Yeah, man. I'll fighter whoever they give me. I knew I belonged in that fight, and I knew I matched up well." - Keith Jardine, who defeated Chuck Liddell
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