UFC 96: A Gift From The Man Himself

If the Octagon looks a bit more ethereal than normal, I assure you it is with good reason...

This was my view from the complimentary seats given to my friends and I last night for UFC 96 held in suddenly sunny Columbus, Ohio. Dana White, a man whose Santa Claus-like streak of generosity and jovial spirit started years ago when he purchased the UFC and made it into the entertainment Juggernaut that it is today, saw fit in his infinite wisdom to bestow some free tickets to my good friend, a humble local pub proprietor. Fireworks, trumpets, panties dropped, simultaneously...

We at the Boner have been big fans for years, we have dutifully hosted every UFC Pay-per view without fail for a long time now, never asking for anything in exchange, but receiving one greatly appreciated token of reciprocity last night in the form of absolutely free attendance to the event.

Dana White was apparently a huge fan of said local establishment spending back to back nights there. He spent the entire night talking attentively to any and all fans that approached him. He made numerous comments on his approval and gratitude towards the staff. Besides his monetary generosity he also saw fit to give away tickets to the event, one of which found its way into my hands. I can't say enough how great this guy is and how amazing the event was.

There were some definite highlights, fight-wise, of the evening. Kendall Grove's impressive knockout victory, Matt Brown showing restraint in not murdering Pete "Drago" Sell after Yves Levigne performed one of the more awkward stoppages I have ever seen. And, of course, the battle between Rampage and Jardine. Lets just say he earned enough of my respect to not refer to him as a bridge troll here(oops).


In other news: The Blue Jackets beat the Redwings 8-2 breaking a number of franchise records including margin of victory, and Rick "Chili" Nash scored his second hat-trick of the season against the wings. Yay, local sports team!