UFC 101 'Declaration' Preview & LIVE Coverage

UFC 101 Preview & LIVE Coverage

By Justin Bolduc

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One of the most anticipated fight cards of the year is upon us this Saturday as UFC 101 invades Philadelphia for the first time in the promotion's history. Featured in the main event is a lightweight championship between highly regarded B.J. Penn and The Ultimate Fighter 1 finalist Kenny Florian. Also appearing is a 205-pound super fight between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner and former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

The card is rounded out with intriguing match-ups, such as a lightweight tilt between Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino, as well as a middleweight contest between The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall Grove and Ricardo Almeida.

B.J. Penn (13-5-1) vs. Kenny Florian (11-3)

UFC Lightweight Championship

B.J. Penn quickly emerged as one of the sport's top fighters and has remained there for quite some time. He began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1997 and earned his black belt in only 2000. He soon became the first non-Brazilian to win the world championships in the black belt division.

Penn made his professional mixed martial arts debut at UFC 31 in 2001 and defeated Joey Gilbert by TKO in the first round. He then faced his first career test in Din Thomas and won by TKO after landing a big knee. In his third career bout he destroyed Japanese sensation Caol Uno in only eleven seconds, and fought for the UFC's lightweight title in his next appearance. Penn went on to lose a majority decision against Jens Pulver, but the champion sought greener pastures forcing a tournament for a new champion. Penn picked up a win over former welterweight champion Matt Serra, but fought to a draw with Uno in the finals, subsequently folding the 155-pound division.

Penn picked up a win over former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi, then returned to the UFC where he won the UFC welterweight title by submitting Matt Hughes in the first round. From there he posted a 3-1 record outside of the UFC with a lackluster win over Renzo Gracie and a loss against current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Penn returned to the UFC in 2006 and has since gone 3-3. He lost a close split decision in his return to current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, then lost a rematch with Hughes after suffering a rib injury. He picked up three-consecutive wins over Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, and Sean Sherk though and has held the UFC lightweight title since the Stevenson bout. In his most recent appearance he lost a 170-pound rematch against St. Pierre after quitting between rounds four and five.

Kenny Florian first began appearing in the public eye on The Ultimate Fighter 1. As a natural lightweight, Florian made the move to 185 pounds to compete on the show and managed to reach the finals over fighters such as Chris Leben and Josh Koscheck. Despite reaching the finals Florian was overlooked due to the performances of Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, and Diego Sanchez.

Florian appeared on The Ultimate Fighter with a 2-1 record, losing to his only notable opponent at the time in Drew Fickett. At the TUF Finale he was stopped by Diego Sanchez in the first round, but was able to win three in a row and earn a shot at the vacant UFC lightweight title. In the championship bout Florian lost a decision to Sean Sherk.

Florian has since won six-consecutive fights and has finished five of those opponents. He began with a third round rear naked choke against Japan's Dokonjonosuke Mishima, and was able to submit Alvin Robinson with strikes in the first round. He then submitted Din Thomas after Thomas suffered a knee injury, but has since defeated Joe Lauzon, Roger Huerta, and Joe Stevenson in one-sided contests.

Anderson Silva (24-4) vs. Forrest Griffin (16-5)

205-pound Super Fight

Anderson Silva has recently emerged as one of the sport's top fighters pound-for-pound. “The Spider” has utilized a dangerous Muay Thai attack, coupled with solid jiu-jitsu to amass a considerable record through the UFC, Cage Rage, Meca, and PRIDE.

Currently on a ten-fight win streak, including nine in the UFC, Anderson Silva has won fourteen times by TKO and four by submission. In his UFC debut he obliterated Chris Leben in only forty-nine seconds. He was then handed a title shot against Rich Franklin and defeated the champion from the Muay Thai clinch inside the first round. Silva's first title defense was supposed to be against The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis Lutter, but the jiu-jitsu specialist failed to make weight, forcing the bout to become a non-title affair. Silva ultimately tapped out the fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

After defeating Lutter, Silva finally picked up his first title defense against Nate Marquardt by TKO in 4:50. He then defeated Franklin in a rematch and capped things off by winning a unification bout by submission against former 183-pound and 205-pound PRIDE champion Dan Henderson. After defeated Henderson, Silva moved up to 205 pounds where he stopped James Irvin with strikes in 1:01. Since then he has defeated Patrick Cote and Thales Leites – both in lackluster fights. Cote lost after his knee went out in the beginning of round three, while Leites lost a decision.

Forrest Griffin, along with Stephan Bonnar, are credited with propelling mixed martial arts and the UFC into the mainstream. Appearing on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Griffin faced Bonnar in the finals on Spike TV and after a grueling, highly-entertaining three round fight was ultimately crowned the season's winner.

Already possessing a 9-2 professional MMA record, including bouts against Jeff Monson, Dan Severn, and Jeremy Horn, Griffin After the fight with Bonnar, Griffin picked up a pair of first round stoppages over Bill Mahood and Elvis Sinosic before facing the biggest test of his career in former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. Griffin was in danger of being finished in the first round, but rallied and lost a close split decision, showcasing his heart and determination. Despite a loss on paper, the bout with Ortiz ended up as a win for Griffin with fans and critics alike. entered the UFC with size, and unwavering work ethic, and a self-deprecating sense of humor.

Griffin rebounded with a win over Stephan Bonnar in a rematch at UFC 62, but suffered a set-back when The Ultimate Fighter 2's Keith Jardine knocked him out in the first round at UFC 66. Griffin then returned with a revamped style, striking technically instead of brawling against Hector Ramirez. The revitalized Griffin won a decision before being thrust into the biggest fight of his career. Hailed as the greatest light heavyweight in the world, PRIDE's Mauricio “Shogun” Rua faced Griffin in his UFC debut. Despite a knee injury, Rua kept the pressure on Griffin, but in the end The Ultimate Fighter winner's heart and cardio persevered and Griffin won with a third round rear naked choke. Griffin kept his momentum rolling by winning a decision over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 86 to earn the UFC light heavyweight title. Most recently however Griffin was knocked out by former champion Rashad Evans in the third round at UFC 92.

Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (10-5, 1 NC)

Ricardo Almeida quickly rose as a premiere middleweight between 2000 and 2004 with wins over Ryo Chonan, Nate Marquardt, Kazuo Misaki, and Yuki Sasake. The Renzo Gracie black belt then took four years off from professional mixed martial arts before returning to the sport with the UFC at UFC 81.

In his UFC debut Almeida made short work of Rob Yundt, winning with a guillotine choke in 1:08. He then lost a split decision to Patrick Cote at UFC 86, which set Cote up for a title shot at Anderson Silva. In his most recent appearance Almeida defeated former IFL middleweight champion Matt Horwich by decision at UFC Fight Night 18.

Along with the loss to Cote, Almeida has also lost to Andrei Semenov by TKO and Matt Lindland by disqualification. In ten career victories he has won four times by submission and six times by decision.

Kendall Grove got his first big break with his appearance on season three of The Ultimate Fighter. Grove reached the finals where he defeated Ed Herman by decision. Prior to his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, Grove held a record of 5-3 with one no contest, with bouts against Joe Riggs, Hector Ramirez, and Savant Young.

After winning The Ultimate Fighter, Grove picked up back-to-back submission wins – stopped Chris Price with elbows and finishing Alan Belcher with a d'arce choke. Grove then suffered consecutive first-round TKO losses to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera at UFC 74 and UFC 80 respectively.

Most recently Grove is riding a two-fight win streak. At The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale he edged out a split decision over the late Evan Tanner, and last finished Jason Day with strikes in the first round at UFC 96.

Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Kurt Pellegrino first appeared in the UFC at UFC 61 in 2006 where he was submitted by Drew Fickett. Despite the loss Pellegrino was brought back by the UFC brass and picked up a pair of submission wins over Junior Assuncao and Nate Mohr.

At UFC 74, “Batman” was paired up against The Ultimate Fighter 2 winner Joe Stevenson. Pellegrino fought competitively, but Stevenson had the better gas tank. The bout ended in a decision in Stevenson's favor. Pellegrino then split wins and losses, stopping Alberto Crane with strikes at UFC Fight Night 12, but falling to a triangle choke against TUF winner Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 13.

Most recently Pellegrino has won two in a row over Thiago Tavares and Rob Emerson. Pellegrino won a decision over Tavares at UFC 88 and most recently stopped Emerson with a second round rear naked choke at UFC Fight Night 17. In thirteen career victories Pellegrino has finished nine opponents by submission.

Josh Neer has had a slew of ups and downs in his career, but has a wealth of experience for a twenty-six year old. Training under Pat Miletich, Neer has competed in the UFC, IFL, and Extreme Challenge.

Neer holds a UFC record of 4-3. In his first two bouts with the promotion he defeated Melvin Guillard and TUF 2 winner Joe Stevenson, but then lost to Josh Burkman and Nick Diaz. After a brief break from the UFC, Neer went 7-1. In his return with the Las Vegas-based promotion, Neer defeated Din Thomas by decision before losing to The Ultimate Fighter winner Nate Diaz. Most recently Neer defeated The Ultimate Fighter winner Mac Danzig at UFC Fight Night 17 in February.

In twenty-five career victories Neer has finished ten opponents by TKO and eleven by submission. Career losses have come to Spencer Fisher, Drew Fickett, Mark Miller, and Nick Thompson, while he also holds wins over Derrick Noble, Kyle Jensen, Forrest Petz, and Paul Rodriguez.

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