UFC 92: They Should Have Called It Boxing Day!

Wow, what a night!

After a day when the temperature in Peoria, Illinois reached a near record high (63 degrees) and recorded an inch or two of rain, I should not have been surprised when our cable went out after the very first fight as Joe Rogan was interviewing an elated Quinton Rampage Jackson.

On such a strange day, when a crown popped off one of my teeth and I actually popped it back in place instead of swallowing the darned thing, I should have known that strange vibes were in the air and anything could happen.

First, I need to humbly apologize to Stoker DaFire for doubting that Frank Mir was capable of defeating my favorite Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in their TUF 8 fight.

I love Nogueira so much that I wanted to give him a big warm granny hug after his loss to comfort him.

Seeing the terrible disappointment on his face and tears in his big brown eyes had me suffering along with him. It hurt as bad as when I have lost a favorite pet and I am still close to tears myself.

This, however, does bring me to my point: There were no fights tonight that went the distance and by and large it seemed that "boxing" was the martial art of the night with knockdowns and knockouts flavoring the three main fights.

I do not like pure boxing matches, but I must admit that I sat riveted watching the exchanges and loudly cheering and yelling advice at first Rampage, then Nogueira, and lastly, Rashad.

You are probably questioning my knowledge of the martial art I like the least.

It is not that I have never watched though, because I grew up with Muhammad Ali and remember when he was still Cassius Clay—so don't give me grief!

Although I love Wandy, I was so pleased with Rampage's amazingly effective left hook that I almost accepted the cable outage as a penance for having him win in such a short time and in such a convinsing fashion.

My "Page" is truly back with this win and I join him in thanking the Lord, although I don't believe He takes sides in sporting events and I am sure He loves Wand as much as I do.

At least our service resumed in time for the Mir triumph over Nogueira.

I did not like it, but Mir was completely in charge and gave the best, most inspired performance I have seen from him. Even his victory over big Brock Lesnar was not as impressive, in my opinion.

Somehow Frank must have had a very successful vision quest, because I don't think he made a mistake throughout the match and ignored Nogueira's strikes as if swatting away a pesky mosquito.

The three times he knocked Nogueira down, I was floored as well...what power!

Yes, Stoker, you were correct and Mir was way past exceptional tonight—I admit I completely underestimated him. Boy, was I wrong.

Fortunately, on the other hand, I was among the 30 percent of the viewers who believed correctly that Rashad Evans would remain undefeated and capture the gold from Griffin.

Doubt showed it's ugly face a few times, but the thorough bashing Rashad put on the downed giant finally proved his strength and determination, showing the way to victory.

Furthermore, I am now Forrest's fan, for the grace and good sportsmanship he displayed after the fight. It was unexpected (on my part), and I think he set a wonderful example for all the young people watching.

My grandson Cody has been a loyal fan from the first; fortunately I was still weak enough on Christmas that I didn't get into any squabbles about who would win the various fights so that Cody and I did not discuss Forrest and Rashad at all.

We both did discuss the GSP v Penn fight, though I am sure my readers know how that conversation went. (Cody loved the UFC 94 shirt and the "Got Rush-GSP" tee shirts.)

Incidentally, the only other "big" win I celebrated was the Matt Hamill victory over Reese Andy.

If anyone remembers, I really, really wanted Matt to beat his friend Rich Franklin when they fought.

The fact that he did not win, I have been convinced, is because he has such great affection and respect for his friend that he couldn't find it within himself to actually "pull the trigger" and hurt his friend and mentor. Matt has a very big heart, which is why I love and respect him.

So in the end, after all the big strikes put the finishing touches on three of the big names fighting tonight, leaving the administrators of the blows victorious, I would agree with Rogan and Goldie that it was a night featuring predominately kick boxing skills.

What matters is that it was as Dana White advertised, "The Best Card of the Year".

Grandma Dee wishes everyone a very Happy New Year and urges that no one drink and drive, or handle guns while celebrating.

Be safe, not sorry, because life is short enough!