8:51 p.m.: I heard there was a Tom Brady sighting.
Dan Miller Submits John Salter: If you blinked, you missed it! In a strange move, Miller rapped up Salter in an Anaconda. He was rolled up a like a little ball, which is usually not the case. Good fight though.
Dan Miller vs. John Salter Round 1: Both guys let their hands go. A close round to call. Miller has crisper stand up, but Salter did get a couple takedowns. The takedowns could be the deciding factor.
8:37 p.m.: Any predictions on the big fights? Are there going to be any upsets?
Dan Miller vs. John Slater: This is a must-win for Miller.
8:35 p.m.: The Garden is really starting to fill in now. The third fight starts right away. No time to get a beverage.
Greg Soto Defeats Nick Osipczak 29-28: Soto looked like the better man in the last two rounds.
Round 3:Â Soto once again has Osipczak on his back. All Soto with side control. Osipczak is taking some heavy knees to the ribs. I don’t think he has much left. Soto continued the ground and pound through the end of the third. As the whistle blows, Osipczak stays on the mat. He looks like a beaten man.
Round 2: Soto has the first two rounds in my book (as if that matters). He is bleeding all over the place and fighting as if he’s afraid of a stoppage. Soto had Osipczak on his back, and worked the ground and pound for most of the round (that rhymes). Came close to a rear naked choke, but was too high on the chin.
Round 1: Close round to score. I’ll give it to Soto. Doctor almost stops it in between rounds, due to a severe cut of Soto’s left eye. The crowd gives the doctor a huge cheer as he lets the fight go on.
Greg Soto vs. Nick Osipczak Round 1: This fight is very different than the last one. A minute to go, and both fighters have traded shots in the center of the cage, worked on the ground and had some solid opportunities.
8:10 p.m.: Kendrick Perkin is in the house.
Greg Soto vs. Nick Osipczak: Don’t ask me how to say pronounce Osipczak. First fight ended, the music started and the next bout is about to begin. UFC is very organized.
Mike Pierce Defeats Amilcar Alves
Round 3: The round ends with several attempts at the arm bar from Pierce. He finally gets it. Alves taps out.
Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves Round 2: So far, just typical wrestler vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Ground dominace, but no finishing. Plenty of brute strength through the round.
7:56 p.m.: USA chants have started. I looked around for Hacksaw Jim Duggan or Hulk Hogan.
Round 1:Â The round goes to Mike Pierce who was much more aggressive. Pierce threw Alves to the mat twice looking to pound. Alves spent much of the time in defensive positioning. The boo birds rained down the last few seconds to voice their displeasure.
Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves Round 1: Pierce goes for the takedown right away. After pinning Alves against the cage for a few moments, Pierce slams Alves to the mat.
Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves: Pierce(10-3-0) hails from Portland Oregon. Alves(11-1) comes from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
7:41 p.m.: The event has officially started.
7:40 p.m.: The Garden is slowly starting the fill in. Random cheers coming from all angles. There are six extra projection screens in the nosebleed sections of the arena.
7:36 p.m.: After some minor issues with the wireless, I’m in. Let the games begin.
4:58 p.m.: Is it me or does it seem like more and more people are picking James Toney to upset Randy Couture? Could just be my Twitter and Facebook pages.
4:51 p.m.:Â The day is moving along nicely. My belly is full, my Twitter page is going crazy with predictions, and my heart is starting to race just a little faster.
2:05 p.m.: Vegas odds have all the fights fairly tight except Randy Couture vs. James Toney. Couture is a favorite at -700 to Toney’s +450.
12:39 p.m.: I have just polished off a Code Blue, and am ready to rumble. I love that stuff. It really gets me going after a long night. Highly recommend it. Wonder if the fighters have had one?
11:35 a.m.: Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) has tweeted that he will be at the Garden for the fights Saturday night. He is also on his way to the Fanfest at the Expo. I had no idea he was such a fan. I wonder what other famous people will make it out to the Garden.
11:24 a.m.: To paraphrase the great Robert Duvall, I love the smell of combat in the morning. Fight day has arrived, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m excited. I still have a few cobwebs to shake off, but other than that, I’m ready.
10 a.m.: It’s official. The UFC has invaded Boston. It’s the first foray into the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the “Championship city.”
The UFC started its events on Wednesday with a news conference at Faneuil Hall that was open to the public. That followed with workouts and a fanfest on Friday and Saturday. The weigh-in on Friday was also open to the public.
The UFC machine is churning throughout this wonderful city and turning ordinary citizens into ultimate fighting fans. UFC could easily change their name to the UFE, Ultimate Fan Experience.
If UFC president Dana White is correct in his prediction, Boston could be in for quite a night.
“A bold statement saying it here in Boston,” White said Friday. “But the 15,500 people that show up here [Saturday] night for this fight. This will be the best live sporting event they’ve ever seen. I guarantee that.”
Now that the fight day is finally here, we will see if this giant event will live up to the buzz that has built throughout the city.
BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar II, Randy Couture vs. James Toney and Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard are the three most notable matchups on the 10-fight fight card.
