UFC 80: Event preview and Dana White Q&A
UFC 80 in Newcastle, England is today and I've got quite a bit of content up at SI.com. First, you can check out my preview of the event. I specifically look at the lightweight title fight between BJ Penn and Joe Stevenson, the heavyweight rematch between Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum, and the welterweight bout between Marcus Davis and Jess Liaudin.
In addition to those three fights, I'll be interested in watching middleweight TUF 3 champ Kendall Grove in his first fight since losing to Patrick Cote last year. Grove takes on Jorge Rivera today.
I also had the opportunity to talk to UFC President Dana White by phone on Thursday. White was already in London at that point and we discussed both UFC 80 and non-UFC 80 topics such as Randy Couture, network TV, and Mark Cuban.
Because of the time difference, UFC 80 will actually be televised twice today. The show will be carried live at 3 p.m. ET on pay-per-view and then replayed at the more familiar time of 10 p.m. ET. For more information on the event and the card, head over to UFC.com.
Kevin Richardson has been a fan of mixed martial arts competition ever since UFC 3, when 600-pound sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarborough was beaten by Keith Hackney. Kevin will cover the world of MMA — in Baltimore, nationally and internationally. He plans to take readers into the locker rooms and MMA schools, where they'll hear from local fighters and trainers. If you have a news tip or suggestions for the blog, please 
Comments
i love this sport more than anything, im training my ten year old daughter on it.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 19, 2008 3:53 PM
you are 0-2 on your gonzaga picks! you need to get off of his train.
---
Hex,
You're right. I was thinking the same thing. But, in all fairness, the quality of his competition is a big reason why he's on his current losing streak.
Pramit
Posted by: hex | January 20, 2008 1:50 AM