The UFC 91 main event is over, with Brock Lesnar stopping heavyweight champion Randy Couture in the second round of the UFC 91 fight a few hours ago. It was a technical knockout for Lesnar as the referee stopped the fight at 3:07 when Couture couldn't answer a series of punches from the eventual champion as he lay on the mat. The victory made Brock Lesnar the new UFC heavyweight champion in only his fourth pro fight.
I was scouring the internet for coverage of this fight since yesterday until fight time today, and I'm sure many UFC fans in our neck of the woods were doing the same as no other coverage of the UFC 91 fight in available here. Unfortunately, luck wasn't smiling one me. Though there were some advertised video streams of the UFC 91 fight, I wasn't able to watch them as my broadband connection decided to take a leave at the last minute, leaving me
cursing and screaming. Argh! There was nothing I could do. Fortunately, YouTube came to the rescue once the UFC 91 fight was over and I found the following UFC 91 fight videos to save the day for me.
Randy Couture didn't have a chance. When that short right cross landed behind his ear, I knew the fight would be over soon. But it was not just that blow that did it for him. Even before the fight started I had a feeling that he wouldn't last inside the ring as Brock Lesnar is just too big and too powerful for him. Standing at 6'3" and weighing 275 pounds against Couture's 6'1" and 220 pounds, Lesnar had a distinct advantage. Add to this the disparity in their ages (Lesnar is 31, Couture is 45) and Randy's 15-month absence from the ring and you'll understand why Brock was the solid betting favorite in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of NBC Sports and the Associated Press)UFC 91 Video: Brock Lesnar vs Randy Couture Fight Round 1
UFC 91 Video: Brock Lesnar vs Randy Couture Fight Round 2
UFC 91 Video: Brock Lesnar vs Randy Couture Fight
Brock Lesnar vs Randy Couture UFC 91 Fight: Round by Round
The following is the full account of the Lesnar vs Couture UFC 91 title fight as it happened, courtesy of Mike Chiappetta of NBC Sports:Lesnar walks out to "Enter Sandman." The crowd is captivated by him, but there's no explosion for his entrance. They're saving it for Randy. Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" fires up for him. Couture has the same placid look on his face we're used to as he walks the aisle and fans reach out to touch the legend. No extra energy wasted, just waiting to uncoil. As Michael Buffer announces the champ, the crowd lets loose the cheer they've been waiting to unleash for 15 months.
Round 1: Couture clinches him against the cage early and looks for separation to throw offense. Lesnar bulls his way into a reversal and puts Couture against the cage. Coming off the fence, Couture lands an overhand right that stuns Lesnar momentarily. Lesnar tries the steamroll take down, but Couture reads it and they work against the cage before Lesnar puts him down. Couture works his way out, grabs Lesnar's legs, tries to take his back. Lesnar muscles him off and takes Couture down again. The crowd reacts to everything and chant's "Randy, Randy." With 1:30 left, Lesnar works to half-guard and lands a couple hard lefts. Couture stands back up again. They both work the clinch as the round winds down. Close round, slight edge to Lesnar.
Round 2: Lesnar rocked Couture with a punch. Couture wobbled but was able to stop the take down as they clinched against the fence again. Great exchange, Lesnar knee followed by a Couture combo. Lesnar's cut, but responds with a left hook. Both men expending a lot of energy, one trying for the take down, the other defending. Lesnar hurt Couture with a short right cross right behind the ear. Couture went down and Lesnar pounced, taking side control and landing a decisive series of shots as Couture tried to defend. Referee Mario Yamasaki gave Couture every chance to defend himself, but with the champ taking a beating, finally stopped the fight at 3:07 of the round, making Lesnar the UFC champion in only his fourth pro fight.
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UFC 91 video: Lesnar vs Couture UFC 91 fight results video
Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones Jr. boxing fight results
Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones, Jr. - Battle of the Superpowers! Will Joe Calzaghe's unblemished run in boxing, one of the most formidable records in the sport, end with this fight. Will he suffer his first defeat at the hands of his resurgent foe? Or will Roy Jones Jr., the once
pound-for-pound king of the ring be stopped after a seemingly enjoying a career renaissance, finishing off a three-fight comeback of sorts by beating Trinidad at this same New York venue last January? We'll soon find out the answers to these questions as the Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones Jr. fight gets underway at Madison Square Garden. (For those who want to watch it online, try justin.tv)
It is interesting to note, however, that public response to the fight has been quite disappointing. Though interest in the fight has been drummed up quite extensively with news features on television and the internet, tickets sales for the Calzaghe vs Jones fight have reportedly been quite slow. One probable reason may be the financial crunch, with fans opting to watch the Calzaghe vs Jones fight on TV. Another reason is because this fight may be coming 10 years too late - it should have taken place when both fighters were at their prime some years back. The 36 year-old Calzaghe, one of the longest reigning champions in boxing history, and the 39 year-old Jones, himself an eight-time world champion, both insist, however, that their skills haven’t dulled.
Joe Calzaghe had hoped for many years in the 90s that he would get a shot at Roy Jones, who then was one of boxing’s biggest stars, along with Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. But Jones was not inclined to go to the United Kingdom and, in those days, Calzaghe fought exclusively on the European side of the Atlantic. When Calzaghe finally opted to come to the United States, Roy Jones Jr. was no longer the standout attraction he had been a decade earlier.
It would be interesting to see how these "old men" of boxing fare, and I will post the results of their fight here after it's over.
Joe Calzaghe's unbeatable record remains intact, this after outlasting Roy Jones Jr. in their Madison Square Garden fight billed as the "Battle of the Superpowers". But it wasn't smooth sailing for the Welshman as he was floored by Jones in the first round by a short but powerful right jab. I thought that was the end, or at least the beginning of the end for the British fighter, but he wasn't finished yet. Though a bit shaky throughout the round, he persisted and came back to beat his rival by displaying his vaunted speed and strong jabs throughout the fight.
Here's a brief summary of the Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones, Jr. fight from Steve Cofield of Yahoo Sports:Jones Jr. knocked down Calzaghe in the first with a short right inside with 48 seconds left. Calzaghe was wobbly when he got up but survived the round. Jones Jr. came back to win the second by landing the harder shots.
The third round was highlighted by Jones Jr. covering up for most of the stanza and allowing Calzaghe to throw 15-20 unanswered punches at a time. For the final minute of the round, Calzaghe clowned often putting his hands at his sides and leaving his head right in front of Jones Jr.'s gloves but he did win the round easily.
ROUNDS 4-6: Jones Jr. simply stopped throwing punches in rounds 4-6. Calzaghe outthrew Jones Jr. 90-35 in the sixth round alone. He's also landed jabs at a 55-4 rate for the entire fight. Jones Jr. is spending much of time laying on the ropes in the corner and loading up for a big right hand.
ROUNDS 7-9: It's going down hill for Jones Jr. who suffered a vicious cut on his left eyelid. The cut is spurting blood. Jones Jr.'s volume decreased with each round. Calzaghe won all three rounds. The Welshman outlanded Jones Jr. 273-127. Calzaghe had his hands down at the end of the round and was laughing at Jones Jr. in the corner.
ROUNDS 10-12: Jones Jr. simply couldn't pull the trigger down the stretch. Calzaghe put on a clinch for the final 10 rounds. Putting his hands at his side and often clowning Jones Jr. Needing a knockout to win the fight, Jones Jr. couldn't muster anything in the final round. 
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2008 Beijing Paralympics opening ceremony & photos
Merely two weeks after closing what is considered as the most successful Olympic Games in history, China once again displayed an amazing program to herald the opening of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games (Paralympics) in front of a capacity crown at the National "Bird's Nest" Stadium. Fireworks once again lit the night sky, dazzling its audience into simultaneous expressions of "oohs" and "aahs", and filling the the city of Beijing with its booming sounds of celebration.
Ten of thousands of flashlights provided the backdrop to the opening festivities inside the stadium as the volunteers started their program, highlighted by a sign language dance performed by 300 deaf girls dressed in white and a ballet by twelve-year-old student Li Yue, who lost her left leg in the devastating
Sichuan earthquake earlier this year, dancing from her wheelchair. The synchronized performances were again masterfully done and it amazes me how the Chinese organizers never seem to run out of ideas to amaze us with their pomp and pageantry. (Images courtesy of Beijing Paralympics website)
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Paralympics) Opening Ceremony Photos
Read more: more golds & glory at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games | Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Paralympics) Schedule | 2008 Paralympics Live Online Video Streaming | Paralympic Games TV | China Dazzles the World with Paralympics Opening Ceremony | Paralympic Games begin in Beijing | 2008 Paralympics opening ceremony photos (MSNBC) | 2008 Beijing Paralympics Official Website | All-time Olympic Medal Tally/Medal Count/Medal Standings | 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Medal Tally/Medal Count/Medal Table |
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Beijing 2008 Paralympics medal tally/count & schedule
Who will emerge victorious in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games (Paralympics)? Will China again dominate the medal tally/count as they did during the previous Paralympics in Athens, and likewise during the recently-concluded Beijing Olympics? We'll soon find out.
The Paralympics venues are ready, the athletes are raring to go and the Paralympics medal tables/medal count are waiting to be filled up with the latest results from the Games. So check
this page regularly (bookmark it!) as we witness who will be the overall victor in the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.Latest 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games (Paralympics) Medal Tally/Count
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze TOTAL 1 China 89 70 52 211 2 Great Britain 42 29 31 102 3 United States 36 35 28 99 4 Ukraine 24 18 32 74 5 Australia 23 29 27 79 6 South Africa 21 3 6 30 7 Canada 19 10 21 50 8 Russia 18 23 22 63 10 Brazil 16 14 17 47 9 Spain 15 21 22 58 11 Germany 14 25 20 59 12 France 12 21 19 52 13 South Korea 10 8 13 31 15 Mexico 10 3 7 20 14 Tunisia 9 9 3 21 16 Czech Republic 6 3 18 27 18 Japan 5 14 8 27 17 Poland 5 12 13 30 19 Netherlands 5 10 7 22 20 Greece 5 9 10 24 21 Belarus 5 7 1 13 22 Iran 5 6 3 14 23 Cuba 5 3 6 14 24 New Zealand 5 3 4 12 24 Sweden 5 3 4 12 27 Hong Kong 5 3 3 11 26 Kenya 5 3 1 9 28 Italy 4 7 7 18 29 Egypt 4 4 4 12 30 Nigeria 4 4 1 9 31 Algeria 4 3 8 15 32 Morocco 4 1 2 7 34 Austria 4 1 1 6 39 Switzerland 3 2 6 11 33 Denmark 3 2 4 9 34 Ireland 3 1 1 5 36 Croatia 3 1 0 4 37 Azerbaijan 2 3 5 10 38 Slovakia 2 3 1 6 40 Finland 2 2 2 6 41 Thailand 1 5 7 13 42 Portugal 1 4 2 7 43 Norway 1 3 3 7 44 Cyprus 1 2 1 4 45 Latvia 1 2 0