Site Meter Fight Talk » Blog Archive » UFC 80 Preview

UFC 80 Preview

by Jeff Gorman

Ultimate Fighting Championship will present its 80th big show, Rapid Fire, live on pay-per-view on Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. Eastern from Newcastle, England.

“The Prodigy” B.J. Penn will headline the event, as he will battle Joe Stevenson for the vacant UFC lightweight title. Previous champion Sean Sherk was stripped of the belt late last year after testing positive for a banned substance.

Penn’s last fight took place six month ago, when he choked out Jens Pulver at the Ultimate Fighter 5 finale. Penn has a record of 11-4-1 and is a former UFC welterweight champion.

Stevenson (28-7) has slugged his way into contention with four wins in a row, most recently a unanimous decision over Kurt Pellegrino in August.

The second-to-top match will be a battle between Brazilian heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum.

Gonzaga put himself on the map when he knocked out Mirko Cro Cop last April. That win earned him a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture, who defeated him on a TKO in August.

Werdum is 9-3-1 but lost his only UFC fight to Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision last April.

This show will show how big UFC’s core fan base is, since it’s last big show from the U.K. aired on a tape delay on prime-time TV. This time, UFC is hoping its fans will pay for the show and watch it live on a Saturday afternoon.

The rest of the undercard includes Jess Jiaudin vs. Marcus Davis (welterweights); Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason Lambert (light heavyweights); and Jorge Rivera vs. Kendall Grove (middleweights).

Did You Enjoy this Post? Subscribe to Fight Talk. It's Free!

Leave a Reply


About Fight Talk

Fight Talk Online is your one-stop source for the world of mixed-martial arts (MMA). Every day, we will cover UFC, Pride, IFL and other promotions as we follow the rise of America's fastest growing sport.

Fight Talk Author(s)
    » Jeff-Gorman

Sports & Outdoors Channel Posts

  • What is in Kane's Bag?
    What is in the bag that Kane was carring on last night's Raw? Scooter here from WWE Daily thinks that it can be only one thing that the Red machine has tucked in that little brown [...]
  • CM Punk Champ- Two Weeks and Counting
    -It is now over two weeks into the title reign of CM Punk. Punk’s title reign comes at a pivotal time in the WWE. Ratings are down, buys are low, and competition for customers against MMA [...]
  • Summer Skin Kelly Kelly - Photos, Video
    Click on the pic to "biggyfy" on how to date WWE diva Kelly Kelly Here are pics of Kelly Kelly on today's Summer Skin..Enjoy!!! If you get bored, which I doubt it, check out her photoshoot on [...]
  • Mystero - Latin Awards, WWE Diva on TV
    -Rey Mysterio is recognize for his excellence and achievement in the American Latino community...Election Fever Hits the American Latino TV Awards; Nation's Only People's Choice Awards for U.S. [...]
  • WWE's Wrestlemania Legends Game - New Details & Trailer
    THQ and Jakks Pacific has issued this press release today: AGOURA HILLS, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) today announced additional details [...]
  • Santino Vs Beth Phoenix, CM Punk Vs Kane - Video
    Raw 7/14/08 - Beth Phoenix vs Santino Marella WWE Raw 7/14/08 CM Punk vs. Kane (Title Match) [...]
  • Official ECW Preview: A Hardy two for one on Tuesday
    As reported on WWE.com over the weekend, The Hardys will reunite for one night only on ECW on Sci Fi this Tuesday night. SmackDown Superstar Jeff Hardy will tag over to the Land of the Extreme to [...]
  • Stephanie and Shane Start off Raw 7-14-08
    Stephanis and Shane McMahon start off Raw saying they are un-able to attend. Due to the wellness of their father, since her has none, Vince McMahon. Raw 7/14/08 Stephanie and Shane [...]
  • Roddick and Cena Team Up- Pro Tennis
    Kid day at us open in 2007. Andy Rodderick team up with John Cena in Pro tennis. To play against Ivanovic and Hingis, Womans Pro Tennis Players. Here is a great watch. Enjoy!!!!! Ivanovic [...]
  • The Rock on Olympics,Meet WWE This Week-End on Long Island
    Dwayne Johnson,nickname, The Rock tells the BBC's Colin Paterson aboout hard work and determination in the Olympics. He even knows an Olympic Wrestler..Check it out. -Meet WWE Superstars this [...]

Hot Off The Press

  • Katie Holmes on Eli Stone
    It has been announced that Katie Holmes will be getting a cameo part in the TV Series, "Eli Stone." This will definitely be a new thing for Katie Holmes, since she hasn't done tv since Dawson's [...]
  • Paris slams another report again. Yes, again!
    You read it right. If you think it’s quite odd that every now and then Paris Hilton just kept on denying issues thrown at her, then be prepared for another denial. Like somebody totally fed [...]
  • Alley Vipers Are the Coolest
    On Hisstank.com they featured a really great custom that had me drooling. It's of a 25th style Alley Viper, which is one of my favorite G.I. Joe figures of all time: This sucker won first [...]
  • Testing, Testing...
    Hello all. Today I have decided to not only test out Skribit but to give you the chance to have a bit more say about the things you would like to see more of on this site. I'm going to leave this up [...]
  • Financial support helps reinstate men’s swimming
    Team to compete fully in 2008-09 Arizona State University Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love announced July 15, that the athletic department is fully reinstating the sport of varsity men’s [...]
  • Our Frugal Ways – Part 1 – Breaking the Habit
    This recent post on Tight Fisted Miser had me wondering about how people think about their spending habits and what frugal might mean to people in various walks of life. In this post we are going [...]
  • Paul Rauch Joining Y&R
    According to TV Guide Paul Rauch is joining The Young & the Restless as a Creative Consultant. In the past Rauch has work on Guiding Light, Santa Barbara, and One Life to Live. [...]
  • Nicky Hilton simple and classy in white
    Just like her elder sister, Paris, Nicky Hilton proves her love for the animals (read: cute and charming Chihuahuas) as she posed with one during the Power of Paws launch party at the Helen Mills [...]
  • Suri at Union Station
      This little number surprised me as I never thought Katie would put her daughter in an outfit she's already worn. BUT I LOVE this Pucci dress. Isn't it cute on her? Oh and for those of you that [...]
  • Fast Food Funnies
    Today’s theme is about one of the world’s sickest obsessions – fast food.  We have become a lazy society who lives on whatever we can muster from the drive thru window on the way to or [...]