UFC 67 has its moments, but mainly sets stage for future MMA events

LAS VEGAS (CP) - UFC 67 had its moments, and its share of talking points, but the mixed martial arts card's main goal was to set the table for bigger, better nights.

To nobody's surprise, Croatian heavyweight Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic and light-heavyweight Quinton (Rampage) Jackson opened their UFC accounts with wins. Both will no doubt soon figure prominently in UFC championship storylines.

Filipovic, who is a member of Croatia's parliament as well as a mixed martial arts star, knocked out Eddie Sanchez while Jackson stopped veteran Marvin (Beastman) Eastman.

The show drew 10,787, some 214 short of a sellout at the Mandalay Bay Event Center. While the gate was US$2.7 million, the lack of a sellout must be considered a disappointment given the timing on the eve of the Super Bowl - when the NFL championship was expected to bring 287,000 visitors to Vegas for the weekend.

Filipovic did little to endear himself to his new bosses by failing to show up for both the pre-and post-fight news conference. And his choice of entrance music, the signature tune from his former employer Pride Fighting Championships, was puzzling.

Notes: White says the UFC is looking at doing another fight card for the military, this time on an aircraft carrier .?.?. The UFC has announced UFC 69: Shootout on April 7 in Houston with St. Pierre fighting Serra in the main event. That's assuming the Canadian gets a clean bill of health when he visits a specialist this week. Diego Sanchez will fight Josh Koscheck on the undercard. .?.?. White says the UFC will visit Japan "very soon" as part of its plan of "global domination." .?.?. White also says Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter, currently in production, is shaping up nicely with a recent fight the best in the show's history.

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