in UFC / MMA Articles

In a knockout packed night of fists and elbows, the 66th installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship lived up to its hype as one of the best cards ever. Not one of the live Pay per view undercards went the distance.

The Ultimate Fighter finalist Chris Leben lost to Canadian kid Jason MacDonald with a come from behind choke out in the second round. Leben was dominating the fight but his over aggressiveness cost him some positioning and before he knew it he was out cold on the canvas.

Next up, former heavyweight champion “The Pit Bull” Andrei Arlovski hammer fisted his way to a victory over Brazilian submission specialist Marcio Cruz. This was Arlovski’s first fight after two losses in a row to current heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia. This victory put Arlovski back in the hunt to regain the UFC Heavyweight belt.

In one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the night, The Ultimate Fighter Winner Forrest Griffin took on heavy hitter Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine in what was touted as a matchup of big punchers. The two traded blows for almost the entire first round until Griffin was caught with a brutal uppercut and left hook by Jardine, rendering him defenseless to a half a dozen Keith Jardine right hands. The fight was stopped at 4:41 of the first round, and an emotionally shattered Forest Griffin bolted to the locker room.

Our main event lived up to all the hype as for more than three and a half rounds Tito Ortiz and consistently landed his devastating haymakers. Ortiz attempted numerous times to take down Liddell but Chuck’s amazing sprawl and take down defense only allowed Tito to score one takedown. Tito valiantly stood up and traded with Liddell, but looked outgunned from the opening bell. Liddell opened a massive gash on the left side of Tito’s head with a barrage early in the first round, and Ortiz never recovered. With just over a minute remaining in the third round, Ortiz was being held down by Liddell, and the referee stopped the fight as Liddell was landing at will to the side of Tito’s head and he was unable to defend himself.

This victory was the seventh in a row for Liddell, and has solidified his position amongst the UFC elite.

Next up for the UFC is the continuation of The Ultimate Fighter series as the two reality show winners face off against the current champions in their weight class. Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva takes on TUF winner Travis Lutter, and Welterweight champ George St. Pierre defends his title against Matt Serra. This UFC will also be the debut of two of mixed martial arts most feared and revered fighters. International sensation Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic fights heavyweight Eddie Sanchez, and the only man to ever beat Chuck Liddell and not lose to him in a rematch, Quinton Jackson, takes on light heavyweight journeyman Marvin Eastman.

This Pay Per View event is scheduled for February 3rd, 2007 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

BetUS is your source for Join BetUS to bet on the UFC.

Darren Cora is a freelance columnist and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room. To email Darren, send your comments to faceoff@betus.com.