The state’s mixed martial arts sanctioning body, the Minnesota Combative Sports Commission, confirmed the medical suspensions with MMA Junkie on Monday.

St-Pierre and Fitch were both suspended for 30 days due to cuts sustained in their five-round championship main event bout, which St-Pierre won via unanimous decision.

Evensen received a 30 day precautionary suspension due to his first-round TKO loss to Cheick Kongo on the night’s preliminary card and must also undergo a CT scan to confirm that he sustained no serious injuries in the loss.

Thomas, who was defeated by Ben Saunders via second-round submission in the event’s opening bout, also received a 30 day suspension due to cuts.

According to the report, no fighter salaries will be available for UFC 87 as Minnesota does not publicly release MMA salary information.

For more on UFC 87 “Seek and Destroy” click here.

Demian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission

I probably couldn’t have been more wrong about this one. I seriously under-estimated Demian Maia so if he is reading this, my apologies buddy. But I honestly thought that if pushed, Maia would gas out and be unable to work his jiujitsu magic. Though Jason MacDonald didn’t exactly execute what one would call a winning game plan, as he proceeded to get himself into trouble so quickly I almost applauded when he managed to get out of the first round without tapping faster than Gregory Hines. Suffice to say I think Demian Maia is ready for some of the better competition at 185lbs, so let’s make it happen Dana, or should I say Joe Silva.

Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision

First of all what was with the order of this bout? I’m sitting on my chaise last night and suddenly Roger Huerta and Kenny Florian grace my screen for their highly anticipated lightweight meeting. Given, I was happy enough to see the bout earlier than I thought, but tell me that this lesser-billing didn’t have something to do with Huerta’s recent not-so-nice words regarding UFC brass. Yea, I thought so.

As for the fight, well I suppose I can gloat a little bit since I was almost dead on about how this one would play out. I am however disappointed that the pacing as a tad bit slower than I imagined, but it was a good three rounds nonetheless. At first I was admittedly aggravated that Huerta didn’t deliver the brand of fireworks I’d come to expect, but I speculate he was heavily coached to remain calm and not attack as wildly as he had in the past.

Either way, KenFlo had his number and until Huerta is evolved enough to develop a gameplan suitable for someone on Florian’s level, he doesn’t have any business calling out Dana White and Co. Tito Ortiz style and asking for outrageous pay days. Roger Huerta could indeed remain a strong draw for the UFC, but he is going to have to play nice in terms of office politics if he plans to make another go of things in the UFC’s lightweight division.

Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via KO

Boy did I underestimate Rob Emerson, and probably overestimate Manny Gamburyan a little as well. Not only did I pick Manny to destroy him, but I really thought that Rob Emerson was, for lack of a better word, unworthy. I never saw anything terribly convincing from him in any of his fights or from his time on TUF, but the man proved that he can, if nothing else, throw a solid counter shot. Emerson was also aggressive enough to land the big left from his knees before Manny had a chance to recover. Very smart thinking. I think Manny Gamburyan could still have a big future in MMA, but he might be better suited for the WEC’s 145-pound class by the looks of him.

Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via TKO

I had no idea who Dan Evensen was prior to UFC 87, but he certainly didn’t look very impressive against Cheick Kongo who seemed to have a field day with this soft looking Norweigan. During the pre-fight intro they mentioned that Evensen was a champion kickboxer in Norway…really? Maybe its just that Kongo’s stand up is that good. Regardless, Kongo is a heavyweight who is also ready for a bigger challenge, and it might even be Brock Lesnar from the tone of the latest rumor mill. Whether or not Kongo vs. Lesnar is a logical match up remains a matter for a later article.

Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision

Like many others in the MMA blogosphere I must now eat my words with a big slice of humble pie, and painfully state that Brock Lesnar proved me very, very wrong. I honestly felt that Brock was nothing more than a one trick pony who could never get by on size and strength alone, but Lesnar was simply dominant over a very experienced, focused, and game Heath Herring. Brock floored Herring with a massive right hand early on, and simply brutalized him for 15 minutes until there wasn’t very much left. I thought that Herring would work off his back and submit Lesnar once Lesnar jumped on top of him, but it just wasn’t so.

Now that I’ve thoroughly praised Lensar’s performance, I must proceed to nitpick his faults. First off, any MMA grappler worth their salt would have submitted Herring about a dozen times during that fight. I can’t even explain how many times I yelled at the television, asking it to just put the damn hooks in and sink the choke already. But as we all know, that never happened. Given, Lesnar is a giant dude and it probably isn’t the easiest thing for him to hit an armbar like some of the more nimble heavyweights, but the man could have at least attempted a choke, or god forbid maintained back control instead of giving it up for ground and pound time after time.

Additionally, Lesnar came off as a bit of a jackass both during and following his victory, imitating a lassoing cowboy roping in his opponent, as well as a bull rider atop Heath Herring, if you will. His post fight comments weren’t of the most humble and modest nature either, but what can you expect from a guy whose biggest previous accomplishment was hitting a moonsault on Rob Van Dam at SummerSlam. Some might say Brock’s heel-ish attitude could be a good thing for the UFC, who are always on the lookout for marketable stars, be they jerks or saviors. But something about Lesnar’s persona just seems a bit premature given oh I don’t know, the fact that he’s only 2-1 in his MMA career. I say give Brock a couple more quality opponents and if he rips through them, he will have at least earned the right to gloat a bit.

Georges St-Pierre def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision

First and foremost, the hats must go off to Jon Fitch. Though Fitch was thoroughly dominated, he truly brought out the best in George St. Pierre, pushing the champion to his very limit for 25 straight minutes. I think it’s safe to say that Jon Fitch is without contest the number two welterweight in the world, which is saying a lot when the number one is someone as talented and unstoppable as GSP. While I indeed picked Jon Fitch to lose on Saturday night, he still surprised me by landing a few nice shots on “Rush”, and surviving through every moment on the ground where it seemed a TKO was merely imminent. As for who’s next for one George St. Pierre, well…

BJ Penn entered the octagon after GSP finished bloodying up Jon Fitch’s face, and aggressively asked the crowd (again) if they would like to see him and St. Pierre do battle once more. Personally, I don’t know that I want such a rematch to happen just yet, as I’d prefer to see Penn clean out the 155lb class. On the other hand, there really isn’t anyone on the planet, let alone the UFC, who can hold a candle to George St. Pierre- the man who displayed an almost scary competence in every facet of the MMA game just the other night. Many folks speculate that a rematch between the two UFC champions would take place at a blowout pay-per-view event in December, which would be fine by me. But does anyone else feel like both St. Pierre and Penn should defend their respective titles at least one more time before this “mega re-match” happens? I imagine I might be alone on this one, but I just thought I’d ask.

-And lastly, I have a side note to mention regarding “Seek And Destroy.” This time it’s about the post-fight chats with Joe Rogan. I don’t know whose decision it is/was, but why did Rogan have to cut GSP off during his post fight interview? If it was a broadcasting issue regarding the pay-per-view I can sort of understand, but they certainly let BJ Penn crash the party for a good while, yet couldn’t devote enough microphone time to St. Pierre, our undisputed champion who never really says that much anyway. Yea, that seemed fair.

Once again I cannot stand that Rogan does not speak with some of the losers in the post fight. As lovely as it was hearing Brock Lesnar speak his mind about being seen, it would have been just a little nice to hear from Heath Herring, or even Jon Fitch or Roger Huerta. You know, since those folks fought as well and just might have something interesting to add to the conversation.

See you next time.

Post-fight videos featuring Brock Lesnar, Jon Fitch, and Georges St-Pierre are after the jump…

Welcome to MMAFrenzy.com’s LIVE coverage of UFC 87 “Seek and Destroy”.

After re-claiming the UFC welterweight title from Matt Serra at UFC 83 in April, Georges “Rush” St-Pierre returns to the cage in the UFC 87 main event to take on top 170-pound contender Jon Fitch, who has won a record-tying 8-straight fights inside the octagon. In other main card bouts former professional wrestler Brock Lesnar looks to secure his first UFC win against veteran Heath Herring, top lightweight contenders Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta clash with a 155-pound title shot likely on the line, middleweight up-and-comer Demian Maia will attempt to keep his undefeated record intact against Jason MacDonald, and Ultimate Fighter 5 runner-up Manny Gamburyan aims for his third-straight UFC victory against Rob Emerson.

The UFC 87 preliminary card features Luke Cummo vs. Tamdan McCrory, Cheick Kongo vs. Dan Evensen, Jon Jones vs. Andre Gusmao, Chris Wilson vs. Steve Bruno, and Ben Saunders vs. Ryan Thomas.

Continue reading for MMAFrenzy.com’s LIVE coverage of UFC 87 “Seek and Destroy”…

QUICK RESULTS

• Georges St-Pierre (c) def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision
  UFC Welterweight Championship
• Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision
• Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via KO – Round 1, 0:12
• Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision
• Demian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3, 2:44
• Tamdan McCrory def. Luke Cummo via unanimous decision
• Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via TKO – Round 1, 4:55
• Jon Jones def. Andre Gusmao via unanimous decision
• Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision
• Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:28

RESULTS

GEORGES ST-PIERRE (C) VS. JON FITCH
UFC Welterweight Championship

ROUND 1 -St-Pierre immediately takes Fitch to the ground and works from his guard. Fitch controls St-Pierre and looks for a triangle from the bottom. Good elbow by St-Pierre, who passes to half guard. Fitch kicks away and momentarily gets back to his feet but St-Pierre takes him back down. Fitch is back up again and St-Pierre drops him with a big right hand. St-Pierre follows him to the ground and pounds away. Fitch survives and works back to his feet but he’s hurt and St-Pierre continues to tee off and sends him back to the ground. Fitch has guard but St-Pierre drops big elbows from the top then passes to side control. St-Pierre mounts Fitch late but Fitch rolls and makes it out of the opening round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-8 St-Pierre.

ROUND 2 – Slower pace to open the second as both fighters circle. Fitch fends off a takedown attempt then lands a nice body shot. St-Pierre counters with kicks. Another good by shot by Fitch in the clinch then he just misses a knee. Jab and kick by St-Pierre land. Right to the body from Fitch followed by a knee to the body. Another jab by St-Pierre. Kick by St-Pierre followed by a right from Fitch. Right-left by Fitch connects. Another right by Fitch finds its mark. Fitch blocks a head kick. St-Pierre shoots but Fitch sprawls and tags the body of St-Pierre with a knee. Both fighters connect with punches. Back kick by St-Pierre lands just before the horn sounds. MMAFrenzy.com scores the close round 10-9 St-Pierre.

ROUND 3 – St-Pierre drops Fitch in the opening seconds with a counter punch then takes Fitch’s back. He has both hooks in and works for the rear naked choke but Fitch escapes and works from St-Pierre’s guard. Fitch throwing punches to the body from the top while St-Pierre maintains good control and limits Fitch’s offense. St-Pierre sweeps and is in Fitch’s guard against the cage. Both fighters get back to their feet and St-Pierre connects with a punch. Leg kick by St-Pierre followed by a one-two combo. Left to the head by Fitch. St-Pierre connects with a right that rocks Fitch then drops him with a kick and knee. Fitch though get back to his feet but St-Pierre tags him with more punches. Fitch is bloodied and wobbled and St-Pierre takes him  to the ground just before the end of the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 St-Pierre.

ROUND 4 – Knee and overhand by Fitch connect early in the fourth and open up a cut over St-Pierre’s left eye. Good body kick by Fitch. Fitch shoots in for a takedown but he’s stuffed by St-Pierre. They trade jabs. St-Pierre misses with a back kick. Fitch connects with a combination but St-Pierre fires back with the jab. Another jab by St-Pierre. Fitch again shoots for the takedown but St-Pierre stays on his feet. Fitch continues to work for the takedown against the fence but St-Pierre sprawls and is on top of Fitch. Fitch lets go of the leg and pulls guard. St-Pierre throws elbows from the top. Body shots from both fighters to close out the fourth. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 St-Pierre.

ROUND 5 – Fitch misses a head kick early in the final round. Good kick to the body by St-Pierre. Both fighters connect with punches the St-Pierre lands yet another jab. Fitch is rocked again but continues to fight back. St-Pierre takes him to the ground and pounds away from half guard. Fitch gets back to full guard but St-Pierre peppers him with body shots. St-Pierre postures up and drops punches. Fitch tries to escape but St-Pierre keeps him on the ground and continues to do damage from his guard. Fitch and St-Pierre get back to their feet. St-Pierre tags him with another jab and again takes Fitch down. Fitch tries to scramble away but St-Pierre overwhelms him and continues to do damage from the top. Knees to the body by St-Pierre. Fitch tries to scramble to his feet but St-Pierre keeps him on the ground until the final horn sounds. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 St-Pierre and the fight 50-44 St-Pierre.

The judges score the contest 50-43. 50-44, and 50-44, declaring UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre the unanimous decision winner.

Georges St-Pierre (c) def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-44)

After the bout UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn entered the cage and congratulated St-Pierre on his victory and both St-Pierre and Penn expressed their interest in fighting one another, effectively setting up a fight between the UFC’s 155-pound and 170-pound champions which will likely take place at the UFC’s December 27th year-end event.

BROCK LESNAR VS. HEATH HERRING

ROUND 1 – Lesnar storms out and misses with a knee but drops Herring with a right. Lesnar scrambles after Herring but they both get back to their feet and Lesnar works for a guillotine in the clinch. Herring defends but Lesnar works knees from the clinch. They eventually separate and Lesnar immediately takes Herring to the ground with a huge takedown. Lesnar works from the top of Herring then takes his back. Lesnar ground and pounds for the majority of the round, throwing punches to the head and body of Herring and landing big knees to the body to just before the end of the round. Herring’s face is “a mess”. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-8 Lesnar.

ROUND 2 – The second round starts much slower as both fighters are tentative to trade but we quickly hit the mat and Lesnar works from side control. Herring again gives up his back then Lesnar briefly gets mount. Herring opts to give up his back again and Lesnar is happy to oblige, battering him with knee after knee to the body. Herring works back to his feet and they clinch. Lesnar briefly looks for a guillotine but instead works knees from the clinch. Herris is gassed trying to keep up with the much-bigger Lesnar and is taking serious damage from Lesnar’s knees. Herring finally lands some knees of his own in the clinch but they head to the ground late and Lesnar again takes his back just before the round ends. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Lesnar.

ROUND 3 – Herring opens up the final round with a kick then presses Lesnar to the cage and works knees from the clinch. Lesnar reverses and presses Herring against the fence then takes his opponent to the ground and immediately takes his backl. Lesnar works more knees to the body of Herring. Herring tries for a Kimura but Lesnar mounts him. Herring rolls out but Lesnar remains on his back damaging him with knees to the body. Lesnar continues to pound on Herring from the top. Herring works back to his feet and but Lesnar quickly takes him back to the mat. Lesnar again has Herring’s back but Herring is able to roll into half guard briefly. Lesnar mounts Herring in the final seconds but the bout ends before Lesnar can finish Herring off. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Lesnar and the fight 30-26 Lesnar.

All three judges score the bout 30-26, declaring Brock Lesnar the unanimous decision winner.

Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

MANNY GAMBURYAN VS. ROB EMERSON

ROUND 1 – Emerson immediately drops Gamburyan with a right. Emerson follows up and knocks Gamburyan out cold with a left hand from his knees just 12-seconds into the opening round.

Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via KO – Round 1, 0:12

KENNY FLORIAN VS. ROGER HUERTA

ROUND 1 -There’s no touch of the gloves for this one. Both fighters trade leg kicks early. Huerta throws a right and Florian counters with a kick to the body. Florian secures a takedown and quickly mounts huerta. Huerta gives up his back and Florian briefly works for a rear naked choke. After working some ground and pound Florian again looks for the choke but Huerta escapes and both fighters get back to their feet. Huerta lands a combination and Florian shoots for another takedown but Huerta remains on his feet presses Florian against the cage. Florian throws elbows from the clinch then separate. Kicks from Huerta finding their mark. Florian hits Huerta with a good left just before the end of the first. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Florian.

ROUND 2 – More kicks from Huerta to open the second but Florian counters with a kick and left. Huerta continues with kicks. Huerta shoots in for a takedown and Florian defends. They return to their feet and Florian closes the distance. Hueta looks for a kimura but Florian avoids then takes Huerta to the mat. Florian takes his back, secures the hooks, and flattens Huerta out then starts pounding away. Huerta, though, manages to escape back to his feet. Huerta throws a kick then Florian sweeps him to the ground but he gets back to his feet. They trade punches to close out the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Florian.

ROUND 3 -  A front kick by Florian starts the third and final round. Florian looks for the takedown but Huerta defends. Florian lands a pair of knees then takes Huerta down. Florian lands a couple shots on the ground then they both return to their feet. Punch and knee by Florian. The fighters trade strikes and Florian gets the better of the exchanges. Another kick by Florian finds its mark. Huerta lands a right but Florian counters with punches to the body then again takes Huerta down. They get back up and Florian lands several knees and a final jab to punctuate the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Florian and the fight 30-27 Florian.

All three judges score the bout 30-27 in favor of Kenny Florian.

Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

JASON MACDONALD VS. DEMIAN MAIA

ROUND 1 – Maia throwing kicks early and MacDonald clinches. They head to the ground and MacDonald works from Maia’s guard. Maia secures a triangle but MacDonald survives and eventually escapes and immediately takes Maia’s back. MacDonals works for a rear naked choke but Maia escapes. MacDonald briefly has mount but Maia gets guard back quickly. They go back-and-forth for position on the ground then MacDonald postures up and throws some good punches that cut Maia above the eye. MacDonald secures a guillotine but Maia escapes into side control then takes MacDonald’s back. Maia works for a rear naked choke but MacDonald defends. Maia lands a few punches to MacDonald’s face before the exciting opening round ends.

ROUND 2 – The fighters trade briefly to open the second then MacDonald shoots in for a takedown. They clinch against the fence then Maia secures a single-leg takedown. Maia smoothly moves into full mount and works ground and pound from the top, connecting with a series of elbows to the face of MacDonald. Maia continues to pound away but MacDonald defends and ties up Maia to limit the damage. Maia starts to connect with more frequency and MacDonald covers up but continues to defend. As Maia tires MacDonald works punches to the body. Maia takes an arm and works for an armbar but MacDonald escapes and is quickly in Maia’s half guard just before the round ends. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Maia.

ROUND 3- MacDonald tries to stay on his feet early in the third but Maia quickly secures a takedown. MacDonald secures a guillotine choke but Maia escapes. MacDonald gets on top and tries to pass. Maia gives up his back but MacDonald rolls back on top. Maia reverses into mount and peppers MacDonald with punches and elbows from the top. Maia takes MacDonald’s back and secures a rear naked choke that forces MacDonald to tap.

Demian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3, 2:44

LUKE CUMMO VS. TAMDAN MCCRORY

ROUND 1 – McCrory pins Cummo to the fence early and works strikes in the clinch then secures a takedown. From side control McCrory takes Cummo’s back and works for a rear naked choke. McCrory has the choke in deep but Cummo escapes then re-claims guard. McCrory throws puches from the top then looks for an armbar but Cummo escapes and McCrory finishes the round in Cummo’s guard. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 McCrory.

ROUND 2 – McCrory secures a takedown early in the second and nearly secures mount. McCrory continues to pound away from the top and eventually takes Cummo’s back. McCrory works for a rear naked choke and armbar but Cummo escapes the attempts. Cummo reclaims guard but McCrory ground-and-pounds from the top for the remainder of the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 McCrory.

ROUND 3 – Cummo connects early in the final round with a body shot and right hook that sets up a takedown. Cummo does little on the ground and McCrory gets back to his feet then secures a takedown. McCrory works for more submissions but Cummo continues to defend well. They return to their feet but McCrory quickly has Cummo back on the mat. Cummo secures a triangle late in the round but McCrory slams free just before the end of the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 McCrory and the fight 30-27 McCrory.

The judges score the contest 30-27, 29-28, and 30-27 for Tamdan McCrory.

Tamdan McCrory def. Luke Cummo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

CHEICK KONGO VS. DAN EVENSEN

ROUND 1 -Kongo secures an early takedown but they stall on the ground and return to their feet. They clinch and Evensen looks for a standing guillotine but Kongo avoids then secures another takedown. Kongo lands some strikes on the ground but they are again restarted. Kongo drops Evensen with a right and follows up with ground and pound that force the referee to intervene in the final seconds on the opening round.

Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen via TKO – Round 1, 4:55

JON JONES VS. ANDRE GUSMAO

ROUND 1 – Jones looks for an early takedown but Gusmao avoids and remains standing. Gusmao connects in the clinch then Jones secures a takedown. Gusmao escapes and both fighters return to their feet where Jones tags Gusmao with a series of punches. Jones lands an accidental knee to the groin of Gusmao and the bout is temporarily halted. The crowd boos as it appears the knee only grazed Gusmao but the fight gets back underway. Jones lands a spinning elbow late. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Jones.

ROUND 2 – The pair clinch early and Jones lands another low blow. The fight is briefly halted but there’s no point deduction and the fight is quickly restarted. Jones connects frequently after the restart and Gusmao counters. They clinch and Gusmao pins Jones to the fence briefly but they’re separated. Jones grazes Gusmao with a spinning backfist but Gusmao comes on strong late, connecting with a strong series of strikes. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Jones.

ROUND 3 – The third round starts slow with both fighters looking to recover. Jones tries for a takedown but he’s unsuccessful and they remain on their feet and trade. Jones connects with a right and Gusmao counters with a knee. They trade knees then Gusmao looks for a takedown but Jones reverses and works from side control. Jones works for the mount but Gusmao fires back strikes from the bottom. Gusmao looks for submissions late but its too little, too late and Jones rides out the end of the contender. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Jones and the fight 30-27 Jones.

The judges return scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 30-27 all in favor of Jon Jones.

Jon Jones def. Andre Gusmao via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

CHRIS WILSON VS. STEVE BRUNO

ROUND 1 – They circle early then Bruno connects with a solid opening combination. Bruno shoots for a takedown but he’s unsuccessful and Wilson tags him for the effort. Wilson secures a takedown but both fighters quickly return to their feet. They trade kicks then Wilson connects with hard knee to the body that allows him to take Bruno to the ground. Wilson takes Bruno’s back but he’s unable to secure the choke before the first round concludes. MMAFrenzy.com scored the round 10-9 Wilson.

ROUND 2 – Bruno shoots early and Wilson lands a knee. There’s little action ont he ground and they return to their feet and clinch. Wilson lands a knee to the head. They stall and are separated. Wilson connects with a big uppercut that drops Bruno. Bruno survives and brings Wilson to the ground. Wilson secures an inverted triangle but Bruno escapes. They’re stood up and Bruno looks for another takedown but Wilson defends and remains on his feet. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Wilson

ROUND 3 – Wilson drops Bruno early in round three with an uppercut and head kick but he hangs on and looks for a takedown. Midway through the final frame Bruno secures a takedown and puts Bruno on his back but the fighters are quickly back on their feet. Bruno shoots for another takedown but Wilson remains standing. Another takedown attempt by Bruno is thwarted and Wilson is on top but he stands up. Bruno looks for a final takedown late in the round but Wilson lands a knee and the final round concludes. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Wilson and the fight 30-27 Wilson.

All three judges score the bout 30-27 in favor of Chris Wilson.

Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27(

BEN SAUNDERS VS. RYAN THOMAS

ROUND 1 – Saunders connects with strikes to the body to open the fight then Thomas shoots for a takedown. They stay on their feet and clinch against they fence. They separate and Saunders drops Thomas with a punch. Saunders tries to finish Thomas off but gets stuck in a reverse triangle. He escapes and transitions into site control but Thomas gets back half guard. Late in the round Saunders takes Thomas’ back but he’s unable to secure a rear naked choke before time runs out. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Saunders.

ROUND 2 – Sauders starts the second with a kick while Thomas again tries for the takedown. Saunders reverses and take Thomas to the mat. They return to their feet and Saunders throws a head kick. Saunders works more kicks then lands a right to the body that sends Thomas to the ground. Saunders follows him to the mat and secures an armbar that forces Thomas to tap.

Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:28

George St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch- Welterweight Title Bout
GSP via TKO, round 4.

Slam dunk pick right here. I feel like this fight should play out as a welterweight version of Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, with GSP playing the former. There are a lot of folks out there claiming that GSP will run into trouble with Fitch as Fitch is so well rounded, durable, and seemingly unafraid of the one they call “Rush.” But let’s get real for a second. As good as Fitch is in all aspects of the MMA game, GSP is just a little bit better in every department.

When I lay it down on paper- striking, wrestling, submissions, transitions, backflip ability- all still have to go to GSP regardless of Fitch’s high end skills. It should take GSP a little while to find his rhythm and expose Jon Fitch but eventually, as GSP attacks and pressures, expect Fitch to make a mistake that someone who has yet to be in the championship rounds would make. I’m thinking Fitch finds himself mounted somewhere in the fourth and just can’t escape those Canadian fists of fury.

Continue reading for predictions on the rest of the UFC 87 main card bouts including Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta and Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring…

Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
Florian via split decision

I have to agree with Dana White and countless others when I say that this one has fight of the night and perhaps even fight of the year written all over it. Between Huerta’s tenacity and Florian’s technical acumen (not to mention his publicized desire to finish fights) I’m expecting nothing short of fireworks once these two take the octagon. The question is, what happens after Huerta’s aggression peaks and falls right into the capable hands of Kenny Florian? Simply put, I expect Huerta to find himself in some trouble that he will be unable to get out of after the first round. I don’t know that Florian will be able to finish Huerta, but I just don’t think that Huerta can handle someone as technically sound and strong as “KenFlo.”

Huerta’s stand up is very good but Florian’s Muay Thai is just on a different level, and on the ground Huerta has proved more than competent, but he does seem to get taken down fairly easily and if pressure is maintained, Kenny should be able to keep him in a losing position all night. Like many MMA fans, I’m big on Roger Huerta and admit I always enjoy watching him put on a show inside the octagon, the man certainly has a draw that someone like Kenny Florian could never equal. Nonetheless I have to look past my fanatic pick and go with the smart money, which I believe is on Florian all the way.

Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring
Herring via submission, round 2.

Experience. Experience. Experience. That is what will win this fight for Heath Herring. I would not have fed Lesnar to Mir and then to Herring as the UFC is doing, but if Lesnar really asked for it (and he says he did) then he’s going to get what he deserves: an 0-2 UFC record come Sunday morning. Brock Lesnar is probably stronger than Heath Herring and might even be able to threaten with some ground and pound here and there, but Heath is very comfortable working off his back and will be happy to let Lesnar make a mistake which he will capitalize on.

Heath Herring doesn’t seem very nervous for his encounter with Lesnar and with good reason- there are so many ways Lesnar can lose which greatly outnumber the ways he can win. For all anyone knows, Lesnar is just looking to pound Herring’s face in and pray that he doesn’t get the script flipped on him a la Frank Mir. No one knows if Lesnar has any cardio, striking, or very improved submission defense. Unless Lesnar can connect with a mega-shot to the button, I see him getting tapped out in the second.

Jason MacDonald vs. Demian Maia
MacDonald via TKO, round 2.

Demian Maia would own MacDonald on the ground any day of the week but this one might not get the opportunity to get there. If MacDonald can sprawl and brawl, making Maia pay for all of his takedown attempts, you should expect Maia to gas out and succumb to a flurry of strikes, which I foresee happening sometime in the third round.

Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Gamburyan via submission, round 2.

It is well known that Manny Gamburyan likes to relentlessly attack opponents and submit them, that’s just his game plan and it doesn’t look to ever change. Will it always work? Probably not. But it certainly will tomorrow night because Rob Emerson just isn’t that good in general- there I said it. My guess is Manny will bulldog his way into a kimura or choke somewhere in the second.

As Brock Lesnar throws punches and scrambles through various moves in his “ground game” as a rapidly progressing professional in the mixed martial arts, you almost can’t help but flash back to what Clubber Lang said in his close-up moment in “Rocky III.” Lang, Sylvester Stallone’s ferocious opponent played by the oft-imitated, never-duplicated Mr. T, was asked his prediction for their fight. After a dramatic pause and a glare into the camera, he gives it: “Pain.”

Pain is what you think of as Lesnar sweats and strikes, and this is only practice. He is working out at the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Brooklyn Center, sparring recently in advance of his featured bout in “UFC 87: Search and Destroy” Saturday night at Minneapolis’ Target Center.

If the preparation hurts this much, you think, the serious combat in competition has to be excruciating. At that, Lesnar — a formidable 6-foot-3, 286 pounds, shrugs.

“I would have to say that this is probably at the top end of things not to do to your body,” he said, laughing. “It’s very demanding on the body. Every day, you come in and … some days you don’t want to be in here. You have to push yourself through those days.”

Lesnar has spent most of his adult life pushing his body through trials that would bring most of us to tears. The 2000 NCAA wrestling champion for the University of Minnesota, Lesnar turned to the hokum of professional wrestling as a way to make a lucrative living. Within four years, the WWE’s “The Next Big Thing” had been crowned a champion again and featured as the main event at “Wrestlemania.” Also, he reportedly was earning in excess of $1 million annually — a paycheck that dropped significantly when Lesnar tried to transform himself into a Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman in the summer of 2004. His freakish physical gifts weren’t enough to compensate for his lack of football experience and a past motorcycle injury, so after thanking the Vikings, Lesnar went searching for another door back into competition.

He found it in MMA, the brutal, seemingly no-holds-barred (actually, some are) fighting that has thrust itself into mainstream American sports. Nearly extinct in the mid-1990s in its original form — the ugly “Tough Man” mayhem without rules, the blood flowing mostly in grainy videos on obscure channels from minor venues — MMA got bought, revived and spruced up by Dana White and his business partners in 2001. White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) circuit, added weight classes, time limits and restrictions to the sport — no groin-punching or hair-pulling, for instance — and has ridden it to unimagined popularity and financial success, with heavy TV exposure on CBS and the Spike network, hungry pay-per-view audiences and assorted video-game mania.

Continue reading at MinnPost.com

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UFC 87 “Seek and Destroy” Betting Odds

• Georges St-Pierre (c) (-400) vs. Jon Fitch (+300)
  UFC Welterweight Championship
• Brock Lesnar (-240) vs. Heath Herring (+190)
• Kenny Florian (-170) vs. Roger Huerta (+140)
• Demian Maia (-260) vs. Jason MacDonald (+200)
• Manny Gamburyan (-325) vs. Rob Emerson (+250)
• Luke Cummo (-140) vs. Tamdan McCrory (+110)
• Cheick Kongo (-500) vs. Dan Evensen (+350)
• Andre Gusmao (-215) vs. Jon Jones (+175)
• Chris Wilson (-330) vs. Steve Bruno (+250)
• Ben Saunders (-260) vs. Ryan Thomas (+200)

Bet on MMA at Bodog

All twenty fighters successfully made weight with UFC 87 headliners, welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and challenger Jon Fitch, weighing in exactly at the 170 pound welterweight limit. Brock Lesnar tipped the scales at the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds while his opponent, Heath Herring, weighed in at 250 pounds. Lightweight contenders Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta both weighed in exactly at the 155 pound lightweight limit.

Non-title bout fighters are allowed to weigh in one pound over their respective weight class limit, but all of the UFC 87 fighters weighed in at, or under, the limits.

As always, MMAFrenzy.com will have comprehensive live coverage of UFC 87 tomorrow beginning at 8pm ET, including preliminary bout results and round-by-round main card coverage.

• 170: Georges St-Pierre (c) (170) vs. Jon Fitch (170)
  UFC Welterweight Championship
• HWT: Brock Lesnar (265) vs. Heath Herring (250)
• 155: Kenny Florian (155) vs. Roger Huerta (155)
• 185: Jason MacDonald (185) vs. Demian Maia (185)
• 155: Manny Gamburyan (155) vs. Rob Emerson (155)
• 170: Luke Cummo (167) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170)
• HWT: Cheick Kongo (235) vs. Dan Evensen (244)
• 205: Jon Jones (205) vs. Andre Gusmao (205)
• 170: Chris Wilson (170) vs. Steve Bruno (170)
• 170: Ben Saunders (170) vs. Ryan Thomas (170)

“Rampage lost the fight to Forrest Griffin. He hung out in Vegas for a week. He was hanging out by the pool and he was fasting. He wasn’t drinking. He wasn’t eating. He was drinking energy drinks,” said White at the press conference. “You saw what happened on TV, the problems that he had. They took him in for psychiatric evaluation for over 72 hours. What they came back with was that there was nothing wrong with him mentally, it was physically. He was exhausted. He had severe dehydration. And that caused something called delirium.”

“I’m already training, so my next opponent better watch out,” said Jackson. “…That was the worst mistake I ever made, I got Dana over my back all the time. ‘Did you eat? Did you sleep? Drink your water?’ It’s like I’m two years old, but it’s all good. I love Dana man. He’s the first one to really take care of me and show me love.”

With his physical problems apparently behind him and legal ones still looming ahead, White expects Jackson back in the octagon soon.

“Apparently they tell us he’s over it now, said White. “He is healthy mentally and physically. He will be back in the UFC soon.”

Dana White’s latest vlog, which features “Rampage” and White at the pre-event press conference and autograph signing, is after the jump…