Got back from Las Vegas on Monday night after a day of delays at airports and late evening traffic in New Orleans, but it was well worth it. We were treated to 10 fights at the MGM Garden Arena which holds 17,000 and it was full as the main card got started. I was a little disappointed that only one of those went the distance as the night was full of knock outs. Three of my favorites got hammered, Wanderlei Silva got knocked out cold by Rampage Jackson about midway through the first round and it took him several minutes to even sit up, Minotauro Nogueira was TKO'ed by Frank Mir in the 2nd round and Forrest Griffin allowed Rashad Evans to take him to the ground where Evans dominated him before knocking him out. Even though my favorites were beaten it was still a great event to attend. The lighting and sound in the building was awesome and added so much to the night. We stayed at the MGM two years ago and I had no clue it had a 17,000 seat arena.........of course we saw Tom Jones there and needless to say the old guy's crowd was a little more subdued and smaller. I was a little surprised we didn't see more celebrities at the fight since it was the biggest card in UFC history but we did get to see Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar, Dana White and the Tap Out Crew with the help of the ole binoculars. Chuck Liddell's expression after Rampage Jackson's knockout of Silva was priceless. Liddell was in line for a title shot had Jackson lost and it looked like he had just gotten knocked out himself. The UFC is becoming so popular it's hard to believe and they have captured the formula for pleasing their fans unlike boxing. A few of the fighters from the Ultimate Fighter series were in the lobby after the fight which caused a lot of commotion amongst fans eager to get photos and autographs. I look forward to getting back to Las Vegas to catch some more fights and eat at the best barbecue restaurant I have ever eaten at. The Harley Davidson Cafe on the strip has the best babyback ribs ever......we ate there two years ago and again on Sunday and it is absolutely the best! UFC 93 is next month at the MGM with St. Pierre vs BJ Penn as the main event...should be great!
