Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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UFC 67 introduced two new fighters to the sport on Saturday night, as Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Mirko Cro Cop made their debuts in the sport. Both fighters were impressive, as was middleweight Anderson Silva ... who took care of business in the main event. Spoon recaps the event, and looks ahead to UFC 68, which will be held in Columbus, OH. The best things come to those who wait. That is exactly what UFC fans are in for and it all started last night with the debut of Quinton “Rampage Jackson and Mirko Cro Cop.

UFC President Dana White has been saying for years that he will do whatever he can to sign the top talent in the sport. The two most recent acquisitions were on display last night and they did not let the fans down.

Rampage got off to a slow start and admitted to being more nervous than ever before.

He took care of Marvin Eastman via 2nd round TKO in devastating fashion. He landed about four straight uppercuts knocking Eastman down, and jumped on top of him for the finish. Look for Jackson to have one more tuneup before setting up a much anticipated rematch with Light Heavyweight King Chuck Liddell.

Mirko Cro Cop impressed me last night. He was in with a very overmatched Eddie Sanchez and took care of business. Cro Cop stalked his prey for the whole fight and landed his shots at will. His striking was pin point. Sanchez just try to land haymaker after haymaker and Mirko made him look silly. I was most impressed with his no nonsense composure. He ended the fight by pounding away at a defenseless Sanchez with thirty seconds left in round one. He is an immediate title contender.

In the main event, Anderson Silva continued his winning ways over Travis Lutter in what was supposed to be a Midleweight Title fight. Lutter failed to make weight and was stripped of his chance for the gold. Silva said he felt Lutter disrespected him and his title and made him pay. He dominated the fight from start to finish. He was able to end the match on his back with strikes to Lutter’s head after nearly choking him out. Travis looked gassed from cutting all the weight the day before and didn’t help his career one bit. Silva on the other hand is stud. Everyone knew his standup skills were top of the food chain, but he displayed is an all around animal. I look for him to take on Mike Swick or have a rematch with Rich Franklin soon.

FULL RESULTS
 
-Anderson Silva def. Travis Lutter by submission (strikes while in a triangle choke) at 2:11 of Round 2
-Mirko Cro Cop def. Eddie Sanchez by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 4:33 of Round 1
-Roger Huerta def. John Halverson by TKO at 0:19 of Round 1 [result may or may not be changed to no-contest at a later date due to knee on the ground]
-Quinton Jackson def. Marvin Eastman by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 3:49 of Round 2
-Patrick Cote def. Scott Smith by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Terry Martin def. Jorge Rivera by KO at 0:14 of Round 1
-Frank Edgar def. Tyson Griffin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
-Ryoto Machida def. Sam Hoger by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Dustin Hazelett def. Diego Saraiva by Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Overall, it was a good night of fighting once again in the UFC. The arrival of Jackson and Cro Cop is awesome for the sport and UFC fans everywhere.  The next event is less than a month away and it will be coming to us from Columbus. I can’t wait.