© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges
UFC 61 came live from the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on July 8, 2006, and once again proved to be ‘the place’ to be seen, attracting many celebrities including Wayne Newton, who was accompanied by an attractive blonde – not Beverly D’Angelo. Even Hugh Hefner would have been jealous of the amount of female talent in the audience for this show.
Bitter Rivals was yet another sell-out event, and just confirmed why ultimate fighting is the world’s fastest growing sport. Even in Las Vegas, the party capital of the world, these are the hottest seats in town. And having Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock on the bill would be enough to ensure a full arena anywhere on the planet.
It was also great to see Randy Couture working so well with Mike Goldberg as commentators for this incredible sport.
The Battles
Drew Fickett (5’10” 171 lb) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (5’8” 168.5 lb)
– Welterweight
Referee: Steve Mazzagatti
Round One
Drew rushed at Kurt; there was a shuffle and Kurt tagged him with a right uppercut.
4.38: Drew charged in again and Kurt picked him off with a left hook.
4.26: Kurt failed with a takedown attempt and they clinched.
4.15: Kurt took Drew’s left leg and pulled him to the floor, but Drew sprang back up.
4.09: They clinched – Kurt unloaded two knee strikes before they broke free.
3.48: Kurt threw a right body shot and a left to the head that Drew avoided.
3.40: Fickett attacked with a left knee that Pellegrino caught and used to take Fickett down. Drew pulled Kurt into full guard and the pair exchanged fists.
2.44: Fickett was scoring with elbow strikes from his back.
2.22: He stood and delivered a left knee and an overhand right.
1.48: Kurt body-slammed Drew into the canvas and moved into side control.
1.11: He stood and dropped fists on Drew and Drew fired a ballistic kick into Kurt’s face. Kurt then fell into Drew’s guard. They swapped elbows and fists on the ground.
0.37: Kurt progressed to half guard.
Round Two
Fickett charged Pellegrino again and Pellegrino sidestepped the advance.
4.35: Pickett threw a right aerial fist and clinched. But the action was paused when Fickett complained of copping a knee in the maracas. It brought tears to the eyes when Drew walked it off with a Charlie Chaplin swagger.
4.11: Pellegrino took Fickett down and was fighting from guard position.
3.47: Pellegrino was unloading leather and Fickett worked his elbows well from his back, before Pellegrino moved to half guard, to butterfly guard, then full guard.
But Steve Mazzagatti wanted to see more action and stood them up at 2.26. The pair immediately clinched against the fence.
2.05: Drew brought his left arm over Kurt’s head and fitted him out with a guillotine that contained the left arm. Kurt dropped to the floor and popped his head out of the choke. He moved into Drew’s guard, with Drew bringing up elbows from his back and Kurt raining down fists.
0.43: Mazzagatti stood them up.
0.31: Drew grabbed Kurt’s left leg for a takedown and eventually rolled into Kurt’s guard – this time Drew was delivering elbows from above. In the dying seconds, Kurt grabbed Drew’s right arm for an arm bar and the hooter sounded.
Round Three
Drew appeared to have more fuel as the contest recommenced. Again he came out swinging and Kurt dodged the initial onslaught.
4.52: Drew caught Kurt with a leg kick.
4.45: Kurt landed left and right gloves.
4.34: He ducked under one of Drew’s fists and took him down.
4.12: Kurt had side control.
3.54: Drew rolled and took Kurt’s back. He latched on a choke and got the hooks in. Kurt tapped.
Result: Drew Fickett by rear naked choke – 1.20, Round Three.
Cheick Kongo (6’4” 229 lb) vs. Gilbert Aldana (6’1” 251 lb)W
– Heavyweight
Referee: Yves Lavigne
Cheick took center ring and Gilbert circled. Cheick closed the gap and they clinched.
4.40:He brought up a knee and Gilbert hoisted him above his head, then slammed him into the canvas. He took side control and pounded Cheick with right elbows and fists, before Cheick managed to tie up Gilbert’s right arm.
3.21: Yves Lavigne broke it up.
3.08: Cheick launched a right kick that Gilbert caught, then Gilbert secured the left leg and scored a double-leg takedown, before falling into side position.
1.44: Kongo rolled and grabbed Aldana’s left leg, then stood up and took Aldana down.
1.29: They stood and Kongo drove a big knee into Aldana’s body. He dispatched more fists and knees into Aldana’s body and head – one strike cutting near his right eye.
1.18: Gilbert tried to slow Cheick’s momentum with a takedown, but Cheick resisted the attempt and unloaded more knees and fists.
0.50: They separated, so Lavigne called time out for the ring docs to check Gilbert’s cut. They didn’t like what they saw.
Result: Cheick Kongo by TKO – 4.13, Round One.
Jeff Monson (5’9” 236 lb) vs. Anthony Perosh (6’3” 224 lb)
– Heavyweight
Referee: Herb Dean
4.56: Anthony threw a probing jab and Jeff slipped straight under for the takedown.
4.46: Anthony stood and Jeff pulled him back down, and slipped into guard.
4.30: Jeff stood whilst wrapping up Anthony’s legs, and both men exchanged punches.
4.20: They scrambled to their feet with Jeff still keeping Anthony in his grasp.
4.19: Anthony dropped to his knees, so Jeff took his back from side position. He proceeded to attack with left hooks.
3.37: Perosh broke free. He threw a jab and Monson shot in – this time missing the takedown, but catching Perosh with a knee.
3.25: Perosh outgunned Monson as they exchanged leather, but it appeared he would need a bazooka to stop Monson who was blasting his way through a 15-fight winning streak.
3.22: Jeff closed the gap as they swapped knees. Despite the rule of thumb being that knee strikes tend to favor the taller fighter, here Jeff was presenting a strong case for the under-cloud combatants.
3.04: They broke away.
2.58: Anthony scored with a leg kick and Jeff clinched.
2.47: They parted.
2.41: Anthony was using his reach advantage to pop Jeff with jabs and a right, before they tied up again.
2.28: Jeff unloaded a series of right uppercuts and a right hook that stunned Anthony. He finished Perosh off with hammer fists.
Result: Jeff Monson by TKO – 2.42, Round One.
Hermes Franca (5’6” 158.5 lb) vs. Joe Jordan (5’6” 164 lb)
– Lightweight
Referee: Yves Lavigne
Round One
Hermes set the ball rolling with a quick leg kick, followed by a high one.
4.43: He took Joe to the canvas.
4.18: Joe wore another snapping leg lick.
4.06: Joe landed a left glove and Hermes replied with a leg kick.
3.54: Jordan returned the kick.
3.45: Franca went for a takedown that was resisted and the pair clinched.
3.21: They separated and Jordan unloaded another leg kick.
3.08: Franca delivered a right uppercut.
3.00: Joe tagged Hermes with an inner-leg kick.
2.37: They were sparring when Hermes caught Joe with an overhand right.
2.19: Joe was pursuing Hermes and unloaded a jab.
1.38: Hermes made a grab for Joe’s left leg, but Joe stood and they waltzed to the fence. Hermes elected to deliver knees and Joe started foot stomping.
0.50: Yves parted them.
0.40: Joe kicked at Hermes’s lead leg.
0.20: Hermes went for the takedown and Joe fell into open guard. He stood and dropped leather in Hermes’s face.
Round Two
4.52: They recommenced with sparring before Franca whacked out another leg kick.
4.45: Jordan returned the kick, but with less sting attached.
4.40: Franca shot in on Jordan. Joe stood with Hermes on his back, then spun to face Hermes in a clinch.
3.52: Yves broke them up.
3.42: Hermes dispatched a right uppercut, jab and right high kick.
3.20: He shot off a right high kick.
3.15: Hermes scored with a straight right.
3.12: He caught Joe with a left body shot and a right hook. Joe started waving his hand at Hermes and started pointing for some reason.
2.58: Franca got a takedown and landed a right hook.
2.47: They stood back up.
2.44: Jordan dispatched a jab and Franca came back with a right.
2.39: He caught Jordan with another right. Jordan kept shaking his head each time Franca landed a telling blow, but Franca ignored the theatrics and continued to tally points.
2.02: Jordan smacked out a leg kick.
1.56: Hermes sprang up with a leaping knee and a right hook. He followed with another leaping knee and hooks that forced Joe to cover up as best he could. Joe defended well and tagged Hermes with a left hook. They broke free and Joe’s left eye was looking pretty red.
1.07: They continued to bang away and Joe sent out a solid leg kick as Hermes targeted his left eye.
0.38: Hermes caught Joe’s right eye with a jab. They pounded away till the bell pulled it up.
Round Three
4.42: Franca got the takedown. He seized Jordan’s left arm and mounted him. He then gave up the arm for a triangle choke. Jordan tapped.
Result: Hermes Franca by triangle choke – 0.47, Round Three.
Joe Stevenson (5’7” 155 lb) vs. Yves Edwards (5’9” 154.5 lb)
– Lightweight
Referee: Big John McCarthy
Round One
They danced until 3.47, when Joe latched onto Yves’s right leg, then switched his attention to the left leg.
3.32: He was in Yves’s guard.
3.19: Yves had them back standing.
3.13: Yves broke free.
3.08: He fired off a huge high kick then followed with a leather salvo that grounded Joe.
2.53: Joe hugged Yves into guard. He clasped his hands behind his own knees to body-crush Yves, but Edwards prised Stevenson onto his back – using right hooks for persuasion.
2.23: Edwards stood up after punishing Stevenson with right elbows.
1.49: Edwards picked Stevenson off with jabs and crosses before they clinched.
1.47: He caught Stevenson with a knee to the body. Joe went for a takedown and Yves aborted a triangle-choke attempt. Joe stood in Yves’s guard and dropped fists. Yves was wearing some heavy-duty elbows.
0.49: Yves stood, but Joe was latched onto his left leg.
0.22: He yanked Yves to the ground. Yves was searching for a triangle choke, then an uma-plata, but Joe was too slippery.
Round Two
4.51: Edwards dispatched an inner leg kick.
4.43: He fired off a left fist.
4.05: Then another.
3.51: Stevenson took Edwards’s right leg and put him down.
3.18: Joe was standing in Yves’s guard and had him pinned to the fence. This was not friendly territory for Yves. Joe pounded with left fists.
2.36: Yves’s head was gushing blood as Joe let fly with a barrage of skull-busting fists and elbows.
1.41: Big John called time out to check the cut. Yves looked like he’d been caught in red paintball crossfire.
1.37: They resumed play.
Joe hammered Yves up to the hooter. The docs pulled it up.
Result: Joe Stevenson by TKO (Ref stoppage) – 5.00, Round Two.
Frank Mir (6’3” 262 lb) vs. Dan Christison (6’8” 264.5 lb)
– Heavyweight
Referee: Yves Lavigne
This match was like a re-enactment of Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk – in slow motion.
Tito Ortiz (6’2” 206 lb) vs. Ken Shamrock (6’0” 206 lb)
– Light Heavyweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Ken comes out with fists firing and Tito wraps Ken’s neck in a Thai clinch. He sends up two left knees and Ken counters with a left elbow.
4.50: Tito throws a right uppercut and a right hook whilst still clinching with his left hand.
4.48: He shoots at Ken’s right leg.
4.36: He hoists Ken in the air with a double-leg takedown and slams him into the canvas.
4.34: Ken pulls Tito into his guard. Tito is unloading body punches and elbows to the head.
4.12: Ken is muffling Tito’s strikes well, then Tito gets through with a series of right fists.
4.07: Tito drops a left elbow.
4.01: Tito delivers a strong right fist.
3.56: He forces Ken up against the cage.
3.49: Tito delivers six consecutive right elbows and Herb steps in. Ken is not pleased with the stoppage. Tito is.
Result: Tito Ortiz by TKO – 1.18, Round One.
Josh Burkman (5’10” 169 lb) vs. Josh Neer (5’11” 170 lb)
– Welterweight
Referee: Steve Mazzagatti
Round One
4.54: Burkman leg-kicked.
4.47: He leg-kicked again and Neer countered with a straight right.
4.44: They clinched and moved up against the fence.
4.23: Burkman brought up a right knee in the clinch that narrowly missed Neer’s face.
4.15: They broke free.
3.59: Burkman fired a left and right, then Neer dispatched a right and Burkman came back with another right.
3.54: Burkman moved in with another left and right, and Neer taunted him to have another go.
3.44: Burkman stayed cool and delivered a left body punch.
3.37: He took Neer around the waist for a takedown that was resisted.
3.20: Neer dispatched a leg kick, then caught Burkman with a jab before the pair tied up. Burkman retaliated with an elbow, and they separated.
2.58: Burkman backed Neer up with a left glove.
2.50: He caught Neer again with a left and right.
2.47: He stung Neer with a right, but didn’t stop Neer from coming forward.
2.38: Burkman took Neer down.
2.20: Neer was up against the cage with Burkman in his guard. Burkman stood a couple of times and dropped blows until 1.28, when Neer seized Burkman’s right ankle and swept his left leg to bring him down.
1.26: They both stood in a clinch.
1.17: Neer brought up a knee and delivered a right fist, before Burkman brought him to the ground with a right hook.
0.45: They scrambled on the floor and Neer began dropping elbows.
0.14: They stood and exchanged knuckles up to the bell.
Round Two
4.51: Burkman sent up a high kick.
4.46: They tied up. Neer took Burkman’s left leg and got the takedown at 4.29, before working some g’n’p.
3.53: They stood in a clinch.
3.40: Neer brought up a knee to Burkman’s head.
3.06: He caught Burkman with a right elbow.
3.03: Burkman went for the takedown and Neer fitted him with a guillotine.
2.51: Neer gave up the choke in favor of a knee strike, as the pair remained clinched against the cage.
2.32: Burkman pounded free with a right elbow and a left hook.
2.28: Burkman unloaded a left fist and right body kick. Neer taunted him some more, but that didn’t add to Neer’s point tally.
1.23: Burkman broke from the clinch and tagged Neer with a right uppercut and left hook. Neer called for him to have another go.
0.36: Neer was looking for a kimura.
0.24: Burkman picked him up and dropped him on his back. The round ended with Burkman standing up in Neer’s guard against the fence.
Round Three
4.52: Neer landed two lefts before they tied up at center ring, then broke free.
4.26: They closed the gap and Burkman scored with a right elbow.
4.15: Burkman sent up a left uppercut and Neer called for more, so Burkman thumped him with a right to the body.
4.06: They clinched and Burkman got the takedown and fell into Neer’s guard. Blood was trickling from the side of Neer’s left eye.
3.36: Burkman was standing in Neer’s guard and Neer went for a triangle choke, only to be picked up and dumped down on his back by Burkman, who continued to work from Neer’s guard.
0.27: They stood.
0.21: Burkman slammed him back down.
Result: Josh Burkman by unanimous decision.
Tim Sylvia (6’8” 258.5 lb) vs. Andrei Arlovski (6’3” 234 lb)
– Heavyweight Title
Referee: Big John McCarthy
Round One
4.57: Tim leads with a front kick as Andrei jabs, then kicks at Tim’s inner leg.
4.48: They swap leather and Andrei goes for another leg kick.
4.24: Tim lands a left hand and Andrei continues to kick Tim’s legs.
4.08: Both fighters are showing respect for the other’s abilities as they stand toe-to-toe, with hands high, and Tim kicks Andrei’s left leg.
3.59: Arlovski fires off a right kick and right fist, Sylvia replies with a left and right glove.
3.53: Arlovski dispatches a big thigh kick, then an inner leg kick.
3.48: He catches Sylvia with left and right gloves.
3.34: He catches Sylvia with an inner leg kick.
3.20: And again.
3.15: Arlovski is picking away at Sylvia, when Sylvia tags him with a right fist.
2.56: Andrei kicks Tim’s inside lead leg.
2.54: Andrei moves in for an exchange and Tim picks him off with a straight right that has Andrei scrambling to catch his balance. Tim rushes to capitalize, but Andrei latches on to his opponent and they clinch at 2.48.
2.46: Tim brings a left knee into Andrei’s body.
2.33: He comes up with another knee.
2.27: They waltz around in the clinch and Andrei slings a right elbow into Sylvia’s neck. Tim counters with a right hook. They break the clinch and exchange fists.
2.21: Andrei hammers Tim’s face with left and right gloves.
2.13: Tim kicks Andrei’s right leg and Andrei kicks Tim’s inner left leg.
2.02: Andrei slams Tim’s midsection with a straight right.
1.54: He catches Tim with a jab and gets the better of Tim until they clinch at 1.38.
1.24: They resume the waltz and Tim drives a right knee into Andrei’s body, then chips away with short knees at Andrei’s thighs.
0.44: Big John separates them before Andrei circles and picks Tim off with jabs.
0.12: Tim kicks Andrei’s inner lead leg, then decides to inner-leg kick and the hooter sounds.
Round Two
4.53: They exchange leather, then back away.
4.50: Arlovski goes for an inner leg kick and they both wear the other’s jab.
4.46: Arlovski kicks Sylvia’s inner front leg.
4.36: They continue to stand and trade until Sylvia catches Arlovski with a jab.
4.28: Andrei tries to back out of an advance and Tim brings up a kick to the body.
Andrei responds with a right hook that ends up curling around and hitting Tim in the back.
4.21: Andrei delivers a straight right.
3.32: Tim lands with a poking right glove.
3.17: They both let fists fly in a heated exchange.
2.27: Andrei whacks Tim in the abs with a right. This bout is resembling a sparring session – only the blows are loaded, as they pace around the ring.
2.13: Tim dispatches a left front kick to Andrei’s midsection.
1.49: Andrei kicks Tim’s inner left leg. These strikes could add up if the bout goes the five 5-minute distance.
1.36: Tim kicks Andrei’s outer lead leg and Andrei smacks Tim in the mouth with a jab.
1.18: Tim’s inner left thigh cops another kick.
0.36: They trade and Tim brings up a right knee to the body. He then tags Andrei with a jab on the forehead.
0.16: Tim kicks to the thigh. They have another slug at each other and the round ends.
Round Three
Arlovski comes out more energized and starts pumping jabs at Sylvia. But neither player is forcing it, and as challenger this time, Arlovski is going to have to take the crown from Sylvia if he wants to be champ.
3.30: Sylvia pounds Arlovski with a solid right.
3.25: They stand and deliver again, and Arlovski returns the right fist.
1.50: Arlovski catches Sylvia with another hard right. The pair appears to slide into cruise control with neither man looking like ending the fight early.
Round Four
As the round starts, both fighters are looking a little worse for wear and it seems this bout will be going to the judges unless one of these men loses concentration and makes a mistake. Thus far both men have been keeping their guards up and fighting a very even match.
Round Five
Andrei looks to be working harder, but Tim is connecting with the more telling blows. They’re both landing big strikes and absorbing the other’s punishment. The crowd boos, but this has been a good fight – it’s just that they’re so evenly matched. Eddie Bravo and Randy Couture call it 48-47 to Tim. It could go either way, but it’s unlikely Andrei has done enough to take Tim’s belt.
Result: Tim Sylvia by unanimous decision.
