Hola maniacs ... your fearless leader is back -- I couldn't not check in before tonight's huge fight tonight and ensure that our readers have everything at their finger tips.
First, I want to thank Jesse for a job well done in my absense. More on that later when I return "full-time" early next week.
Second, thanks to all the readers who sent along their congrats -- it was extremely overwhelming. I can't say enough about the community we've got going on here.
Enough about that.
Tonight is the night for which most fight fans have been waiting a very long time -- almost three years to be precise.
Chuck Liddell will put his light heavyweight belt on the line against the man who crushed him in 2003, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
We've been talking about this fight in particular and the overall UFC 71 fight card in general for months. Now it's time to just sit back and enjoy the show.
Here's what you need:
Live PPV play-by-play: UFCmania reader DrubySunshine will be back to provide round-by-round, blow-by-blow live coverage of the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of the event tonight at 10 p.m. EST. We'll also provide real-time "quick" updates for the undercard action, which should start to trickle in around 8 p.m. EST. Our live coverage went over extremely well the first time around (UFC 69) so we decided to bring it back. The discussion gets rather lively and intense to say the least. Therefore, if you're near a computer this evening and don't want to shill out a $40 spot, I suggest stopping in here at UFCmania.com for the live UFC 71 results. After all, it's FREE.
UFC betting: Don't forget to check out the free betting tips and advice from our resident handicapper, Desert Dog, for UFC 71. There are still some good bets out there and it always makes the evening that much more interesting when there's some green on the line. Profits can also offset that monster Memorial Day weekend beer bill. Regardless, check out the odds and "smart bets" when you have some time. Or, skip all that and head over to BetUs.com to get in on the action right now.
UFC 71 preview: Our esteemed contributor, Jesse Holland, teamed up with some site regulars while I was away to deliver some nice fight previews, analysis and predictions. Sure, the upset wagon has made a few people look silly (not going to name any names) and picking winners is always a crap shoot. But, it's great to hear not only what the columnists here think, but also the thousands of UFCmania readers who participate on this site -- it always makes for a great read and discussion. Well ... maybe most of the time. To see what the raucus is all about just click here.
Watch UFC 71: We rolled out a ginormous list of restaurants, pubs, sports bars and other establishments across the nation that are airing the event tonight. There have been some great fights so far this year -- and more are on the horizon. But this main event between Liddell and Rampage is hands down the biggest fight of the year in the UFC to date. And I don't see another fight eclipsing it anytime soon here in 2007. Put sumply, this is the fight you need to watch. So if you don't want to sit at home or on your buddies ratty-ass couch for that matter, do yourself a favor and hit up one of these joints later on tonight. Thank me later.
Caption contest: I came back and Jesse decided to add a new wrinkle to the site -- a caption contest. I liked the idea so much I decided to throw in a signed Randy Couture/Diego Sanchez UFCmania.com t-shirt for the best submission. The response -- 150+ comments and counting -- and the responses have been tremendous and hilarious, respectively. So much so that I think it's going to be tough to call just one winner. Therefore, we're going to throw in a few more unsigned UFCmania.com tees to the runners up. What can I say, I just had a kid. I'm in a good mood.
I think that's all for now. If all else fails don't hesitate to check out our UFC 71 archives. From interviews to stories to videos we've got all the bases covered for this event located in there.
I hope many of you stop-in tonight for the LIVE UFC 71 results. It's gonna be a dandy.
For the final UFC 71 line up -- yes, there are eight "other" fights tonight -- just click here.
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