The UFC organization follows a rich history and tradition of competitive MMA dating back to the Olympic Games in Athens. About 80 years ago, a Brazilian form of MMA known as Vale Tudo (anything goes) sparked local interest in the sport.
Then, the UFC organization brought MMA to the United States. The goal was to find “the Ultimate Fighting Champion” with a concept to have a tournament of the best athletes skilled in the various disciplines of all martial arts, including karate, jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, grappling, wrestling, sumo and other combat sports. The winner of the tournament would be crowned the champion.
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Rashad Evans fought the perfect fight tonight in the UFC 88 main event against former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, and at 1:51 of the second round, he finished the perfect fight with the perfect punch, stunning a packed house at Philips Arena with a one punch knockout of 'The Iceman'.
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin made a seamless return to the light heavyweight division, stopping a game but outgunned Matt Hamill with a steady striking attack in the UFC 88 co-main event tonight at Philips Arena.It was Franklin's first fight at 205 pounds since his first round TKO of Ken Shamrock in April of 2005.
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - If the early moments of the lightweight battle between Kurt Pellegrino and Thiago Tavares were any indication, Tavares had no right getting out of the opening round. But the game Brazilian hung on, survived, and became one half of one of the most entertaining 155-pound battles of the year, with Pellegrino impressively pounding out a three round unanimous decision in UFC 88 preliminary action at Philips Arena.
Click below for the official UFC 88 weigh-in results. UFC 88, which is headlined by the light heavyweight battle between Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans, will air live on pay-per-view Saturday from Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia beginning at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - A last-minute back injury has forced welterweight contender Karo Parisyan to withdraw from his UFC 88 bout with Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Saturday's UFC 88 card will continue with nine bouts, and the welterweight bout between Dong Hyun Kim and Matt Brown will now be aired on the pay-per-view broadcast, which begins at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.
