by Dave Meltzer Wrestling Observer - headlines

Undertaker, JBL and Steve Austin are all here from WWE. Shane McMahon sent a best wishes to Brock Lesnar but couldn't attend. TNA is filming here. Rena Lesnar is here, but that's to be expected.

Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 81 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. We're looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle to [email protected].

Rob Emerson vs. Keita Nakamura is up first.

Mostly feeling each other out early. Emrerson connected with some punches. Emerson cut on the top of the nose. Emerson with strong right and low kick. Nakamura with a knee. Nakamura dropped him with a knee. Nakamura tried a takedown but couldn't get it. Nakamura then got the takedown with a leg trip at the buzzer. Nakamura close due to the knee to the temple 10-9.


Emerson still connecting more early with his hands. All standing. Good low kick by Emerson. He buckled him with a low kick. Nakamura got a takedown late in the round but Emerson quickly got back up. Emerson with a good jab and low kick. I'd give this round to Emerson so have it 19-19.

Nakamura got a takedown a minute in, but Emerson got up right away. Emerson continues to beat him to the punch. merson continues to connect. Nakamura's nose is bloodied. Nakamura with a good knee to the chin and punch. Nakmura is cut under the right eye. Nakamura with another good knee. Good left by Nakamura. Nakamura connecting now. Nakamura with punches and another takedown. Very close round. Emerson 29-28, but it's tough because Nakamura had that takedown at the end. Good fight, high workrate and 95% standing.

Scores were 30-27, 28-29 and 30-27, split deciswion for Emerson. The crowd booed the decision but you can't complain on a fight like this.

Marvin Eastman vs. Terry Martin are up next.

Martin got a big reaction coming out to "Stayin Alive" by the Bee Gees. There was heat between these two at weigh-ins.

Martin with a bodylock takedown, but Eastman was right to his feet. Trading knees in the clinch. Yves Lavigne ha had enough and separated them. Martin bulled him into the the cage again.
Lavigne had enough again. Eastman with a good right. Martin bulled him back into the cage. Martin tried for a takedown but didn't get it. Crowd booed first round. The best was the Bee Gees. 10-10 round, no way you can give it to either guy.

Eastman came out more aggressive. Eastman with another flurry. Martin with hard knees. Good knee by Eastman. Nice hiptoss by Eastman in reversing Martin. Crowd sort of booing, but not as much as round one. Eastman's round so I've got it 20-19.

Eastman's got a takedown and side control. Got up and threw puncheds and a head kick. Another two head kicks, both blocked. Good knee by Eastman aand two high kicks and a punch. Most of the fight has still been in the clinch against the cage with flurries of action. Lavigne separating them. Martin got a takedown and has his back. Eastman back up. Uppercuts and an elbow by Eastman. Martin with a hard knee right before the bell. I have Eastman winning the round so have it 30-28.

Scores were 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 for Eastman

David Heath vs. Tim Boetsch is up next.

Good body kick by Boetsch. Good knee by Boetsch. Heath fired back with punches. 6 knees to the face by Boetsch. Boetsch with good knees, threw Heath down hard and Heath landed on his head and was stunned. Boetsch threw punch after punch on the ground while Heath was stunned and ref Herb Dean stopped the contest. Big reaction to the finish.

There are still a lot of empty seats in the expensive section.

Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley is up next.

Lytle teed off on Bradley, knocking him down twice hockey fight style and finishing him in seconds. This will make the PPV.

Main show is starting. More empty seats than I've seen for a big show since the boom period. Maybe 8,500ish in the house right now.

In the opening montage, Lesnar got the biggest reaction, and as many cheers as boos. Nogueira got crickets chirping.

Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau is up first.

Nice low kick by Griffin. Tibeau got a momentary takedown. Strong body kick and punch by Griffin. Good trading. Griffin gettign the eetter of it. Good frojht kick. Trading and Griffin getting the better, Tibau with strong takedown. Griffin back up, and wants that takedown back. Tibau is real strong dropping to this weight class. He took Griffin down again. Griffin 10-9 based on damage. Big crowd reaction to the round.

Griffin wants the takedown just to show he can do it. He didn't get it again. Tibau has a bloody nose. Pace has slowed a little. Big trade, Tibau may have done better this time. Another takedown by Tibau and even got Griffin's back. Griffin up taking no damage. Nice body kick by Griffin. Another takedown by Tibueau, but Griffin spun away and got back to his feet. I give the round Tibau 19-19.

Barry Bonds was just shown and booed heavily.

This should decide it. Overhand right by Tibau. Another takedown by Tibau. No ground and pound at all. Tibau trying to pass. Throwing short punches, Griffin escaped and back up but he's playing catch up now. Good body shot by Griffin, but another takedown Tibau. Good overhand right by Griffin. The punch busted Tibau under the right eye. Griffin stopping the foot over and over. Griffin wants that takedown and can't get it. That round was close. Tibau scored two takedowns but Griffin had the strongest punch. I have Griffin 29-28.

All three judges had it 30-27 for Griffin. Crowd booed the decision a lot. People booed Griffin heavily thinking Tibau won.

Ricardo Almeida vs. Rob Yundt is up next. Yundt took this fight three days ago. Almeida got the takedown and finished him with a guillotine right away. Yundt tried the spinebuster but Almeieda almost reversed it into a DDT. Not quite, but he held the guillotine and Yundt tapped in a one minute fight.

The biggest pop on the show came when they showed Georges St. Pierre. Far bigger than for Quinton Jackson.

Kurt Angle just came out. There is a TNA camera crew filming him. When he came out, the whole place in that side of the arena was standing like he was a big-time celebrity.

Nate Marquardt vs. Jeremy Horn is up next.

Marquardt has cool entrance music. From a music standpoint, this is is like 1993 AAA.

Horn got a fairly big reaction.

Both in a clinch. Marquardt got he takedown and Horn of course is composed on the bottom. Marquardt doing ground and pound. Hard elbow to the head. Marquardt wanted him back up. In a clinch again. Another takedown and Marquardt on top. Marquardt with a hard knee and a good right. Elbow put Horn down. Horn did a nice up kick from his back. Horn is going for a shoulderlock but Maraquardt spun out and Horn used it to reverse. The place went nuts for the cool move, but still Marquardt's round 10-9.

Marquardt was tripped throwing a kick and Horn is on top. Marquardt caught him with a guillotine and made Horn tap.

UFC fans are 57-43% thinking Lesnar will win.

Lesnar vs. Mir is up next.

It's pretty packed right now. No completely full but probably not 1,000 empties.

They showed Angle, Undertaker and Steve Austin. All three got big reactions, Austin the biggest of the three.

Mir got the biggest reaction of his career. Lots of cheers and lots of boos for Lesnar.

Gigantic buzz in the crowd. It was an incredible minute. Mir won with a kneebar. Lesnar was beating the hell out of him, knocked him down with a punch, took him down twice, but got caught.

Lesnar got a huge ovation leaving, really bigger then when he came out. UFC officials were thrilled because they know they can bring Lesnar back because the potential was there.

Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the heavyweight title is next up.

Nogueira got a mixed reaction, some cheers and some boos. Sylvia also got a mixed reaction.

Trading. Nobgiera caught him with a solid punch. Nogueira pulled guard. Sylvia got back up. Sylvia is using his jab. Nogueira has a busted left eye. Nogueira going for another takedown. Sylvia escaped. Good uppercut by Sylvia. Sylvia decked him and and pounding him on the ground. Sylvia stood up without being in dagner. Sylvia is connecting. Nogueria pulled him down. Sylvia got up again. Nogueria got up slowly. Knee by Sylvia. Nougeira went for another takedown and got it at the end of the round. 10-9 Sylvia.

Sylvia using his reach to control the stand-up. Good upper cut by Sylvia. Another good uppercut by Sylvia. Nogueria went for the takedown and failed. Nogueria with a head shot and low kick. Noguera connected again. Nogueira connected and is going for a takedown. Sylvia battled away. Fans are cheering Sylvia. Sylvia with a good punch. Nogueria hittign jabs. Suylvai rocked himn. Nogueria rocked Suylvia with a punch. Noguera coneced again. A few more punches by Nogueira. Closer round but I've got 20-18 for Sylvia.

Actually a "Timmy" chant. That's a first. Sylvia tagged him. Nogeuria pulled guard. "Let's Go Tim" chant. Noguera reversed him on the ground and got a guillotine for the submission. Nogueira becomes the first man to be Pride & UFC champion.

Submissions are back.

Angle, Austin and Undertaker were taking photos together after the match.