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Bellator 69 weigh-ins for Bellator’s Friday night event at L’Auberge Casino Resort, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This card features the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament Finals between Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang. According to a Bellator Press Release, rivalry between the two heated up during the post weigh-in media interviews. Spang stepped off the scale and told the crowd that they could “expect fireworks,” to which Falcao responded: “I came to win. If I

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It’s often easy to forget fighters are people too. Perhaps it’s because Mixed Martial Artists are inherently tough or because cameras tend to focus on the winners’ reactions, but the reality is every single man and woman who takes to the ring is not so different from the folks sitting in the seats outside of their chosen profession. And, like the rest of us, when it comes to having a dream crushed it hurts far more than cuts, bruises, or even broken bones. In that vein, the pain on Dustin Poirier’s face during a post-fight interview on Fuel TV was not related to the damage he sustained in last night’s exciting main event match-up with Chan Sung Jung but rather the utter despair of coming up short in such an important outing. “He was just as tough as I expected. I expected a good fight and…I’m just upset with myself,” said an emotional Poirier of his performance. “When it got to those later rounds he hit me with some good shots in the fourth round. I was never completely out of it but whenever came back to realizing what was going on…I was in the D’Arce position. I felt it but I just didn’t defend it right. I’m upset about that.” “I’m trying not to get emotional,” continued the 23-year old, pausing to take a deep breath and collect himself. “I just care so much, man, I let myself down. I deserved to win. My wife deserved for us to win.” Fighting back tears as bravely as any adversary he’d faced in the cage, Poirier summed things up on a positive note, concluding, “I made some mistakes but I’m gonna go back to the gym, work on it, and come back and get a ‘W’,” before heading off to handle the agony of defeat in a private setting rather than in front of the world. Check out the heart-wrenching video below (and grab a Kleenex just to be safe):

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Even though UFC featherweight Mark Hominick’s last fight took place in his home-base of Toronto the scenario playing out inside the Octagon was anything but familiar for the 29-year old Canadian. Not only was Hominick fighting for the first time since the death of his longtime friend/coach Shawn Tompkins, but he was knocked out by Chan Sung Jung in less than ten seconds despite not having been stopped by strikes in nearly a decade. After all, he’s the man who battled champion Jose Aldo for twenty-five minutes and never gave in despite a softball-sized hematoma on his head. This weekend Hominick returns to competition with hopes of avoiding the same mistakes leading to his disappointing defeat this past December, taking on Eddie Yagin at UFC 145. “The Machine” recently spoke about his previous performance and how his mindset will differ this time around when the cage door closes. “I went out there, fought out of character and paid the price. I had a lot to prove. I wanted to prove so much, and by doing that I fought out of character and he hit me with a good right hand. That’s the end of the story,” said Hominick on Sherdog Radio, making no excuses for his lackluster showing at UFC 140. Hominick also addressed the impact Tompkins’ passing had on his effort and whether or not things might have gone different with the widely-respected trainer in his corner. “It motivated me throughout the camp, but again, I came out of character,” replied Hominick initially, refusing to play the “should’ve would’ve could’ve” game. “Maybe if Shawn was there, he would have slapped me straight, but it is what it is. It was a tough loss, but I didn’t sit and dwell on it too much. The way you get rid of that is you come out there and you win. That’s what I’m focused on doing.” Emerging victorious is the only thing on Hominick’s mind this time around – not rankings, job security, contendership, or anything of the sort. “I think in the UFC every fight’s a must-win. That’s how important the fights are and how much pressure the fighters have on them. But I’m so far removed from thinking, ‘Oh, this puts me here or there.’ I’m thinking about going out there and winning. That’s it,” explained Hominick while also adding the same approach helped carry him to the five-fight winning streak initially earning him the crack at Aldo’s championship. Fans can catch Hominick-Yagin on the PPV portion of the UFC 145 card along with other bouts including Brendan Schaub-Ben Rothwell, Rory MacDonald-Che Mills, and of course headliner Jon Jones-Rashad Evans. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Gilbert Melendez was anxiously awaiting the announcement of his first UFC fight. However, the plan never came to fruition for the Strikeforce Lightweight champion, who now finds himself facing Josh Thomson in a trilogy-ending bout May 19. The fight will precede that evening's Daniel Cormier-Josh Barnett Grand Prix Final. Melendez expressed his disappointment at this finding, and had the following to say: “I guess it was inevitable. I was hoping for something better, for some top talent, and it

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If you’re searching Clinton, Iowa for Eric Wisely on a Friday or Saturday night, don’t look for him at the local gentleman’s club, as he’s had some bad experiences in venues like that.“Every time I went, I got into a fight, sometimes twice,” said Wisely of his two visits to the club Amsterdam, but get your mind out of the gutter. The East Moline, Illinois native wasn’t fighting over Daisy May on stage three. Instead, it was at the Amsterdam where five years ago his friend Karl Kelly thought that he would be a good fit in the fights the club used to present.“It was always packed,” said Wisely of the club. “A buddy of mine always knew that I was athletic, but I’m not a people person. (Laughs) I’m surprised to this day that I’m in front of millions of people and I couldn’t go in front of the classroom and talk to 20 people, let alone take most of my clothes off and get into a cage with another guy.”But he did, and immediately, he was hooked. So what kept him interested in this new world of mixed martial arts.“I won,” he deadpans. “And being competitive, everything I do, even if it’s for fun, it’s still as hard as I can do it, and it definitely happened a lot quicker than I thought. Once you got in there and the fight started, it was like bam, it was over. It surprised me, but I think I liked it at the same time.”By the end of 2006, his fighting in amateur bouts led to a start as a professional, and he was off to the races, learning on the job in a Midwest circuit that will keep you busy while also separating the men from the boys. Soon enough, Wisely showed that he was one of the top prospects in the area, beating most of the local talent, and when he lost, he was never finished, even going three rounds with current UFC featherweight contender Erik Koch in 2007.But the big shows just weren’t calling.“I think the reason it took so long was because I was training in a little gym in Clinton, Iowa and I had to beat pretty decent guys just to get noticed,” he said. “That’s why I went to a TUF 12 tryout, to get that experience and get noticed and see how all the background is.”In January of 2010, the rest of the fight world started to take notice of Wisely when he took just 2:03 to knock out former world title challenger Hermes Franca, who was just four months removed from being on the UFC roster. Eight months later, Wisely beat Franca a second time, sandwiching the victories around a tryout for The Ultimate Fighter’s 12th season. He didn’t make the cut, but the Zuffa brass was now paying attention.In April of 2011, he submitted another UFC vet, Matt Veach, and soon, he was contacted by Strikeforce. His foot was in the door.“You’re waiting and you just beat Franca twice and you just beat Matt Veach and nobody’s calling, and the next thing you know, I finally get into Strikeforce,” he said. “I knew it was gonna take longer, and it was definitely a little bit longer than I thought it would be, but I stuck with it because I was still winning. If I was losing, I probably would have re-thought my strategy and taken a different approach, but it worked out for the best.”Wisely would drop his Strikeforce debut to the surging Pat Healy last August, but after a non-Zuffa win over Brandon Girtz last November, he was brought into the UFC in a new weight class, featherweight, to take on Brazil’s Charles Oliveira on January 28th. Things didn’t work out as planned though, as he was caught in a painful-looking calf slicer and submitted in just one minute and 43 seconds.“Now that I think about it, I don’t even remember it hurting,” he said of the finish, which dropped him to 19-7 as a pro. “I took it pretty good and I figure I learn the most from my losses, although I can’t say I’ve never been finished now. But I was ready to get back in there and make up for it.”He gets his chance this Saturday against England’s Jason Young, a fortunate turn of events that came about when Akira Corassani was injured and forced to withdraw from the match. Once Wisely heard about the opening, he wanted it.“As soon as I heard that his guy backed out, my manager asked me if I wanted it,” he said. “After my last one, especially since I lost, I was like I’m ready to go.’ I’ll show ‘em what I got and move forward. There was no hesitation at all.”The fight is on short notice for the Iowan, but once you remember that this is a kid who was used to fighting multiple times on one night, that’s not a problem, and it’s clear that he’s done his homework on the man dubbed “Shotgun.”“He’s very crisp on his feet,” said Wisely of Young. “I know he’s got a 1-2-3 and a kick combo, and he’s got fancy standup. The ground is where he’s lacking the most, and our gameplan will hopefully find a lot of his holes. He’s tough, his endurance is good, but in the second and third round he starts to slow down a little bit, and that’s where you can start to pick it up and find the holes a lot bigger. It’s gonna be a tough fight if I can’t get him down, and a long fight.”But as Wisely readily admits, “I like the battles,” and with seven knockouts on his record, he can crack a bit too, though his ability to stun and finish foes comes mainly from his unorthodox striking style, one that can lull you into a false sense of security long enough for you to be staring up at the lights moments later.“My standup is very weird,” he laughs. “I move a lot, I’m very hard to hit, and in 40-something fights, the only shots I’ve gotten hit with are grazing ones that cut me open. I’ve been hit hard, but I’ve never really stumbled or got dizzy. I’m very, very strong for being such a little guy, and I think it’s from working with a lot of big guys in my gym.”Wisely’s come a long way from fighting in the strip clubs of the Quad Cities, and even though the atmosphere may initially be hostile in Stockholm considering that he’s fighting a European, he expects that by the end of the night, his style will gain him a few thousand new fans.“I’m assuming they’re gonna be booing when I come out because it’s his backyard, but I’m bringing a high pace with hard hitting, takedowns, sprawls, you name it, I’m gonna do it,” he said. “I’m gonna be on him the whole time, non-stop.”

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Rashad Evans stated the following today online: “I know Jones has tweeted and been doing interviews about me. That’s what happens in big fights and especially this one. But I’m at the point where I’m not really bothered by anything he says. What he says makes no sense anyway. He thinks he’s something so special people need to bow to him when they seem him on the street. Does it motivate me? At this point, not really. There’s really not much more he can say to me to

Posted in: i ’m, “ i, point, ’s something, people need

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UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones may be touted by many as peerless pugilist after achieving in a few years what MMA’s greatest hope to accomplish in a career, winning the title and successfully defending it in dominating fashion against top ranked competition. However, “Bones” hasn’t bought into the opinions of others, instead being driven by a sense of professional paranoia as the man everyone is gunning for. “I realize I have a target on my back like all champions do, and I have to train like I am the challenger in order to stay champion,” wrote Jones in a blog entry for FoxSports. “You’ve seen it in other sports, when a young guy comes on the scene and does well, people get excited and start writing and saying ‘This guy can’t be beat.’ There’s a lot of hype about me right now; some media experts are saying I am unbeatable, but I know it’s not true. I wouldn’t bust my tail so hard in the gym if I was unbeatable,” he continued. “I honestly feel I am working harder than any other fighter in the light-heavyweight division. I am listening to my coaches, watching tapes of my opponent, and working very hard.” Another source of motivation for Jones is undoubtedly the caliber of challenger he’ll face next month at UFC 145 when he faces rival and former champion Rashad Evans. Evans has expressed supreme confidence in his ability to beat the 24-year old on numerous occasions during the build towards their bout, citing his familiarity with Jones’ weaknesses based on their time training together as well as overall inexperience. Similarly to the idea of being “unbeatable”, Jones also isn’t buying Evans’ bravado about having his number. “On April 21 he’ll realize he doesn’t even have my area code,” Jones responded to the notion. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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The last time 26-year old welterweight Jake Ellenberger felt the sting of defeat was September 2009 in his UFC debut. Since then he’s rattled off six straight wins including success against talented opponents like Mike Pyle, Jake Shields, and most recently Diego Sanchez. However, the highs he’s experienced since the initial low have done little to erase the memory of coming up ever so short on the scorecards more than two years ago. The bitter taste is made even stronger by the fact the man who beat him, Carlos Condit, now holds an interim title and guaranteed shot at linear divisional champion Georges St. Pierre. Though GSP is out until November at the earliest, rehabbing from knee surgery, Condit has opted to sit and wait rather than risk his opportunity by taking on deserving challenger Ellenberger. “The Juggernaut” offered up some perspective on how much the Split Decision loss to Condit still bothers him while visiting UFC Tonight last week, saying there was no opponent he wanted to face more than “The Natural Born Killer” regardless of any gold being involved. “Our first fight, I took the fight on two weeks notice,” explained Ellenberger, before peeling back a layer, revealing, “I’m gonna be honest – that’s the fight that really keeps me up at night, makes me wants to work hard and motivates me. I know I can beat him.” Since Ellenberger doesn’t expect Condit to come out of his cocoon unless St. Pierre suffers a setback in training, the idea of taking on Martin Kampmann is one he’s considered given their divisional standing. Kampmann is coming off consecutive wins over Rick Story and Thiago Alves. “Sure, why not,” asked Ellenberger rhetorically when the subject of a scrap with Kampmann came up. “I feel like I can beat anybody at 170 pounds in the world and I’ll continue to prove that.” Watch the full interview with the 27-5 Ellenberger below: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva doesn’t appear to be going anywhere in the immediate future except to the gym and the Octagon. Silva, who has a clash with Chael Sonnen likely coming later this year, believes he still has a decade left in him as far as being an active fighter. “The Spider” is currently 36-years old and has been competing since 1997, meaning the number could just be an exaggeration on his part to show his interest in sticking around the UFC for several years to come. Then again, when it comes to the dynamic Brazilian it seems nothing is impossible. “I think I still have another ten-year career, but have not discussed my contract with the UFC,” said Silva in an interview with SporTV. “After this fight, I think there are still two or three, I’m not sure.” Silva and Sonnen is rematch of a 2010 meeting where “The Spider” earned a submission victory over Sonnen via Triangle-Armbar. Sonnen has used the public forum to constantly call out Silva, though the divisional king has ignored his trash-talk for the most part. When Silva was asked in the interview who he would most like to compete against, he reiterated his desire to face his clone, adding, “I want to fight even with my clone. (That) would be a fantastic fight.” He also pegged Roy Jones Jr., as the one person he would most like to box against if he were to compete inside the squared circle. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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After giving it a great deal of thought it looks like Demian Maia has decided to drop down to 170 pounds for his next fight. The Brazilian submission-specialist had teased the idea before based on his modest frame but remained non-committal on the move, at least until now. “I (am) moving down to 170 pounds,” wrote Maia on Twitter, confirming his decision. “Next fight, I (will) be a welterweight.” Maia is 9-4 as a middleweight inside the Octagon including impressive wins over Nate Quarry, Jason MacDonald, Kendall Grove, Jorge Santiago, Dan Miller, and Chael Sonnen. However, he has lost two of his last three fights including his most recent outing against accomplished wrestler Chris Weidman, suffering a decision defeat at UFC on FOX 2 in January. At 34 Maia is a little older than fighters typically making a move down divisionally but, at only 6’0 and cutting minimal weight to make 185 pounds, he is likely to make a successful transition in comparison to peers forced to drastically readjust their training/diet to do so. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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At 36-years-old, former UFC welterweight Forrest Petz feels that he’s reaching his peak, if his most recent performances are any evidence of such. “I went 3-0 (in 2011), and I feel in those last two fights I was the best I’d ever been,” he said. “I knocked out John Kolosci and I stopped Rudy Bears. “In that fight against Rudy Bears, I was on, everything came together that day. I was able to do things that I used to do and kind of got away from, but I was also able to mix it up with stuff I’ve learned over the years.

Posted in: “ i, i ’d, day i, john kolosci, fights i

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MMA Junkie reports that Spike TV’s documentary “I am Bruce Lee” set a record for documentaries on the network. The two hour feature last Wednesday scored a household 1.0 rating with a 1.4 million viewer average. The feature included many stars commenting on the influence Bruce Lee had on their lives and professions. It included the likes of the UFC’s Dana White, Stephan Bonnar and Cung Le. The previous record for documentaries on the network was “Facing Ali,” which garnered 860,000 viewers in 2009. Payout Perspective: The documentary was a good look at the life and times of Bruce Lee.  The ratings reflect the interest many still have with Lee. The network also capitalized on the time slot which used to be owned by The Ultimate Fighter. With the impressive rating, we will see if Spike TV decides to follow up with another documentary sooner than later.

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UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson has some of the most devastating kicks in all of MMA. Using his arsenal of strikes, “Smooth” scored the divisional title by outpointing Frankie Edgar in Japan last month. In a recent video on UFC Tonight Henderson showed off some of his techniques including an Inside Crescent Kick, An Axe Kick, a Back-Left Roundhouse kick, and his patented double-leg takedown. Referring to one of his favorite kicks, Henderson said, “I know I landed a few ones (on Clay Guida) that made him make a sad face.” Check out the video below (Disclaimer – 5 OZ will not be held responsible for any pulled groins after attempting to emulate Henderson’s work): PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Entering UFC 144 many viewed Ryan Bader as little more than a high-level wrestler with one-punch power. However, exiting the event it became clear Bader is a fighter through and through. Not only did the Ultimate Fighter winner accept a bout with Quinton Jackson despite “Rampage” coming in five pounds overweight but survived being brutally slammed on his head to hang on and pull out the decision win. Bader recently opened up on his mindset in the fight as well as where he feels the win over Jackson put him in the division. “When something like that happens, your training goes into effect,” said Bader of the slam in an interview with MMAFrenzy. “We spar pretty hard during practice, so I have been hit rather hard before. You basically just go into survival mode for a little bit. You take about 10-20 seconds where you just have to survive, and then everything starts to come back to you. Then it came back to me and I gathered my senses, and I was able to take him down. He then got up and I was able to slam him down. That’s why you’re in there; you get back up and get back after it.” Bader Admits to Being “Out of It” after Big Slam in Japan As far as Jackson’s issue making weight, later tied to his decision to use testosterone to work through an injury, Bader made it clear the thought of pulling out never entered his mind. “I would have accepted the fight even if he was 25 pounds overweight,” Bader explained candidly. “I went through a whole training camp, and I put a lot of work into this camp. I went over there to fight, and I was going to do that, regardless. Even if we knew all of that before the fight, we would have done the same thing.” Now that he holds a win over a former light heavyweight champion Bader is ready to take on the upper echelon of the division to prove his losing performances against Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz were simply stumbles rather than a pattern of stumbling in significant scraps. “I feel like I’m back in title contention. It’s a big win, winning over Jackson. Beating a guy who has held the title and just fought for the title is huge,” stated Bader before adding the victory over Jackson had made him far from complacent with his position, revealing, “I am always going to want more, and I am never satisfied.” Bader improved his record to 14-2 with his triumph over Jackson. He also holds previous victories over Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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Like his father, UFC Hall of Fame fighter Randy Couture, lightweight Ryan Couture is known as one of the “nice guys” in Mixed Martial Arts. However, when it comes to his clash with Conor Heun this Saturday night at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey the younger Couture knows he’ll have to tap into his dark side in order to put his opponent away. “I figure at this point, with the way things are moving, there’s no more easy fights,” explained Couture in an interview with the UFC’s website. “I think from a technical standpoint I match up fairly well with Conor. I think we’ve got a lot of similar skills we bring to the table. Obviously, I think the biggest thing he brings to the table that no one else really does is his mental toughness. You’ve got to kill him to get him out of there, and I think that presents an interesting puzzle, but I’m really looking forward to trying to solve that puzzle and find a way to come out with the win.” Because of Heun’s tenacity, a characteristic fans witnessed in the 32-year old’s last outing when he endured an extremely deep Armbar attempt to weather the storm and pick up a Unanimous Decision win, Couture knows he’ll have to take it a step further if the opportunity presents himself. “I think I have to expect to fight fifteen grueling, hard, miserable minutes, and if the finish comes, great, but I don’t really expect that. I know he’s someone who is willing to let me break his arm or choke him unconscious, so that just means I have to be a hundred percent willing to break his arm,” said Couture. “If I latch on to something, I just gotta go for it because I know he’s not gonna stop until it’s broken or he gets out. So I might as well not give him the option to get out. I have to have that killer instinct.” Fans can catch Heun-Couture as part of the preliminary portion of this weekend’s card, set to be broadcast at 8:00 PM EST on Showtime Extreme along with other bouts such as Sarah Kaufman-Alexis Davis and Pat Healy-Caros Fodor. The event’s featured fights start at 10:00 PM EST including the headlining title tilt on Showtime between champ Miesha Tate and unbeaten challenger Ronda Rousey. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/5 OZ

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Like countless fans around the world, UFC President Dana White had his share of opinions on what was witnessed UFC 144 including thoughts on the main event between Benson Henderson-Frankie Edgar as well as the future of both men. White offered up his take on those matters, in addition to what he saw from Quinton Jackson, in a post-show interview on Fuel TV where he remained noncommittal regarding Henderson’s first title-defense. “I’m not a judge but I had the fight even going into the last round and I gave the last round to Frankie,” explained White while later adding UFC matchmaker Joe Silva had Henderson winning “by a landslide”. Given the debate surrounding the outcome, as well as Edgar having previously been forced into a pair of immediate rematches based on similar circumstances, White appeared to be weighing the idea of giving “The Answer” another shot of his own. “I don’t know. It’s not one of those things I’m gonna make a decision about right now,” said the unsure White. “There (are) so many fights out there in the 155-pound division,” he continued before reiterating a long-standing opinion. “I would really love for Frankie Edgar to move down to 145 pounds.” Also in the discussion is Anthony Pettis, freshly off a Knockout of the Night finish of Joe Lauzon. White addressed the subject when asked if he felt “Showtime” was in position to contender for Henderson’s belt. “How would Pettis not be ready for a title-shot? He’s absolutely ready. But there are a few guys in that division,” White responded before mentioning the winner of an upcoming bout between Nate Diaz-Jim Miller could come into play as well. As equally hazy as Henderson’s next move is that of “Rampage” Jackson’s outlook after a sloppy decision loss to Ryan Bader. While White was confident Jackson would be back, he questioned whether or not the fan-favorite’s heart was in MMA anymore, stating he hoped to see, “the old ‘Rampage’…the motivated, the hungry guy who comes in and goes toe-to-toe, isn’t as one dimensional with his punching” version. Check out the complete interview below: PHOTO CREDIT – TRIUMPH/UFC

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Following his loss to Benson Henderson at UFC 144 it seems like Frankie Edgar is feeling some pressure to drop down to the 145 pound division to face Featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Some of that pressure is being exerted from fans, but some of it is coming from a man that has a good amount of say in Edgar’s career, UFC President Dana White. Following Edgar’s loss, White spoke to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani and said, “I would love to see Frankie move down to 145, I’ve

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Pressure in the fight game is always relative. When someone is trying to punch you in the face or make you submit, that’s pretty rough in and of itself. So when you add in the ideas of trying to break a string where you were 1-4 in your last five fights, along with fighting in your home country for the first time in nearly two years, are those factors more pressure-laden than avoiding a punch in the face? For Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, fighting has been his life professionally for almost 11 years, so that part of the pressure equation isn’t a big deal. As for his 1-4 record since returning from a year and a half injury-induced layoff in 2009, a stretch that includes an 0-2 slate in the UFC, he simply says he’s been “a little bit frustrated, so I committed myself to train longer and harder to prepare for the fights.”But what about this Saturday’s UFC 144 bout in Saitama, Japan against Vaughan Lee, the Kanagawa’s native fighting return to home shores? Is there pressure for him to be the “Kid” once again in front of his loyal fanbase?“No,” said Yamamoto through manager / translator Fumihiko Ishii.It’s as blunt as an assessment as you will get from any fighter on any topic, and that’s Yamamoto’s personality when it comes to his day job. He’s to the point with little embellishment, something that translated into his prime performances, where every punch, knee, or kick was designed to get his opponent out of there. From his four second flying knee finish of Kazuyuki Miyata in 2006 to the soccer kicks that ended Rani Yahya’s night in 2007, Yamamoto was rightly considered one of the lighter weight classes’ elite competitors, and his name regularly came up in discussions about fights with stateside standouts Urijah Faber and Miguel Angel Torres.So when Yamamoto arrived in the UFC’s bantamweight division in 2011, expectations were high, but results underwhelmed, as he lost back-to-back decisions to Demetrious Johnson and Darren Uyenoyama. When asked what has gone wrong in the UFC thus far, Yamamoto replies, “a lack of training due to injury,” and he claims that when it comes to adjusting to the long travel schedule from Japan to the United States and fighting in the Octagon, he had had “no issues at all.”Which brings us to Saturday night and England’s Vaughan Lee. A scrappy ground ace who isn’t afraid of standing and trading, Lee - like many of his peers - is an admitted fan of Yamamoto, but that’s not going to stop him from trying to hand one of his favorite fighters a crushing defeat. Yamamoto (18-5, 1 NC), whose only stoppage loss came via cuts to Stephen Palling in his fifth pro fight in 2002, isn’t overly concerned with Lee’s submission skills.“I have been fighting top notch submission fighters and nobody submitted me,” he said. “So I do have enough confidence to face him.”Aiding in this confidence is that Yamamoto is healthy, and he’s also far removed from any possible distractions at home due to the relocation of his training camp to Mecha MMA in Toronto, Canada.“My sister suggested and arranged for me to train at Mecha MMA,” said Yamamoto. “(They bring) New technique and good conditioning.” As for getting away from Japan and all the pre-fight hype for this camp, he says, “I came here for training, which is the same anywhere.”That’s typical “Kid” Yamamoto. No nonsense to the core. But his hard edge softens a bit when asked about what this fight means, not just to him, but to his loyal fans at home and abroad who would like nothing more than to see a return to form on Saturday night.“It is really important to win the fight not only for myself but also for all of those fans,” he said. “I also want all of my fans to get excited about not just winning, but the fight.”Any last minute instructions to those fans?“SCREAM!”

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America has always been seen as the land of second chances, a place where what happened before can be forgotten in the space of a change of scenery or philosophy, or when it comes to sports, one good performance. On Saturday night, Yoshihiro Akiyama gets his second chance, but he will be getting it in his home country of Japan, as he looks to break a three fight losing streak in a new weight class - welterweight – against Jake Shields.For the 36-year old Osaka native, there is no sense that he is on the tail end of a career that made him a legit superstar at home, only the positive reinforcement that in and out of the Octagon, he is a new man. And in many ways he is. After losing to big middleweights Chris Leben, Michael Bisping, and Vitor Belfort, his move to the 170-pound weight class finally took place after the Belfort bout last August. And ‘finally’ is the operative word here, because for years, fight game observers believed that Akiyama was better suited for the welterweight division. Then again, when you’re having success like he did for much of his career (plus he also opened up his MMA career with bouts against heavyweights Frans Botha and Jerome Le Banner) dropping 15 pounds can not only be unpleasant, but seemingly unnecessary.The knockout loss to Belfort convinced him though. “I am not tall and big enough among other UFC fighters and decided to change to my "original" division,” said the 5-foot-11 Akiyama through translator Takashi Iizuka. It was at 81 kilograms (178 pounds) that Akiyama won numerous judo titles, and while he will retain the technical knowledge and gritty competitiveness that has marked his seven year MMA career, he’ll also be competing on a level physical playing field, and he believes that “I think that I could acquire more speed.”Fast, strong, technically sound, and more than willing to bite down on his mouthpiece and get into a war, Akiyama - who described himself and his Japanese peers as “Samurai fighters” - could make an immediate impact in one of the sport’s toughest divisions.“There are many good motivated fighters trying for the title, thus it’s a very competitive division,” said Akiyama, who is now throwing his hat in the ring with the rest of the contenders. One of those is former world title challenger Shields, who presents quite a different look from that of Akiyama’s UFC opponents thus far. But after 19 pro bouts, he is confident that he will not be seeing anything he hasn’t before.“He is strong and tough fighter,” said Akiyama of Shields, who is looking to break a losing streak of his own this Saturday. “Every fighter has their own style and I have to deal with them.”And if the two are equals going into the UFC 144 main card bout at Saitama Super Arena, what can matter most are the intangibles. And one of those intangibles is that Akiyama will have home Octagon advantage come fight night, something he is embracing.“It’s wonderful opportunity,” he said. “I think that the fans will see the quality fighting and the magnificence of UFC. I hope this show will increase the number of MMA fans in Japan.”That’s the big picture outlook; for Akiyama personally, fighting at home for the first time since submitting Masanori Tonooka in 2008 is something he hoped would happen before he decided to hang up the gloves.“I have wished for this (fighting in a UFC bout in Japan), and it’s really great to realize it while I'm an active fighter,” said Akiyama, who will have several friends and family members in attendance this weekend. But the most important person in terms of motivating the longtime star is one who won’t be part of the cheering crowd: the four month old daughter he and wife Shiho welcomed into the world in October. The proud father says his child “gives me another energy,” and with this energy, a new division, and a new lease on his career, Akiyama is more than ready to move forward.“Changing my division, it would be great if the fans can see ‘The New Akiyama.’”

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Anyone who follows the UFC undoubtedly remembers where they were when rising welterweight start Johny Hendricks knocked Jon Fitch out. If not just for the actual fight, but for the true show of emotion Hendricks had afterwards. The Oklahoma State product has never been one to to hold in his emotions and has had some real entertaining post-fight actions as a result. The bottom line is, Hendricks immediately realized what he had just accomplished and was ready to enjoy it. The 12-1 Hendricks, recently announced to a bout with Josh Koscheck at UFC on FOX 3, sat down and spoke with Five Ounces of Pain where he talked about the win over Fitch and his thoughts on a title-run, as well as the support group he has in a great team and loving family who help make him the fighter he is. “The day before I told (matchmaker) Joe Silva I wanted knockout of the night,” Hendricks admitted on the subject of his UFC 141 win. “I wanted to make Jon Fitch forget his name for one night. The week before everyone was saying I didn’t deserve the fight with Fitch. I was being overlooked by everyone so I used it as motivation. I went in there I’m going to hit him as hard as I could and try and knock him out. Silva smirked at me because no one had finished him. “As soon as I hit him he fell and then the ref jumped in. The first thing I thought was, ‘This is awesome!’ Then I saw Joe Silva walk in and I asked him, ‘Was that good enough for Knockout of the Night,’” Hendricks reflected. “It’s not something that’s going to happen every time. It was a combination of the anger I had built up and all of the hard work I put in. This was the hardest camp I have ever been through.” Everyone that Hendricks surrounds himself with he counts as his biggest supporters. He is not one to take anybody or anything for granted. Whether it’s family, a friend or training partner, Hendricks realizes the importance of surrounding himself with good people. “My wife is my biggest supporter without a doubt,” said the 28-year old. “Then there is my dad, my mom, Team Takedown, all of my managers, everyone who is around me are huge supporters. I like being an open book so if I have something bothering me I like to talk about it. It’s nice to have all of these great people who keep me happy and are willing to listen to me. Keep good people around you and good things will happen.” Now that Carlos Condit is the interim champion and Nick Diaz is out for the foreseeable future a huge opportunity may just open up for the right fighter. Although the UFC has talked about having Condit face Georges St. Pierre to unify the titles once he returns from injury, the date of such a thing happening is still a long way off. Hendricks has his opinion on how things should go down. “I have heard a couple of times that Condit may defend the title once before GSP comes back, I don’t know if it’s true or not,” Hendricks explained. “It might just be a rumor, but I’m hoping that it’s not and of course I’d love to be the one to get a shot at it. I want a shot at that belt. I’m 7-1 in the UFC with four KO’s and 9-1 with Zuffa; I’m ready to make that run. “For four years Fitch was the number two ranked welterweight in the world and I knocked him out,” Hendricks went on, his voice becoming more and more filled with excitement. “The bigger the fight the better I come out. That is the way I was when I wrestled and that’s they way I am in the UFC. The more pressure that’s on me to lose the better I perform. I like to meet my challenges head on. I’m at a point where others believe in me and it makes me feel good. To have Mr. Fertitta and Dana White appreciate me is great, but I know I need to keep performing.” With Koscheck on the horizon he will certainly get the chance to do just that. As he has stated Hendricks likes his life to be an open book for the entire world to see. Never one to hold anything back, he does have one secret that up until only he and his daughter knew about. I am honored that he felt comfortable enough to share this with me. “I will tell you something that no one knows except for my daughter and that is I am a horse half the time,” Hendricks said while laughing. “My daughter will jump on my back and I let her ride me like a horse. I buck around like a Bronco and she’s screams go daddy go! Whenever I have to leave she has as sad look on her face and I have a little saying and it goes, Daddy’s gotta go make some money and she says Daddy go make me some money. That’s my motivation.” You can follow Johny on Twitter @johnyhendricks or @teamtakedown. You can visit the Team Takedown site at www.TeamTakedown.com Author’s Note: Special thanks to Johny’s manager Janet Jenkins for setting this interview up. It was a real pleasure spending time talking to Johny. One of the more memorable conversations I have had with a fighter.

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Ngabdi Mulyadi was one of the rising stars of Indonesian MMA, running up a record of 5-2 with the TPI FC promotion. When that folded in 2004 he found himself in the same position as all the other Indonesian mixed martial artists at the time, training without any prospect of finding an actual fight. Now aged 31 he is making his MMA comeback but says that the pressure of fighting at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta will be easy to cope with after the weight of expectation which comes with representing his country at wrestling. “I am not nervous because I am used to competing in big tournaments,” said Mulyadi in a conversation with Fighters.com. “I got a bronze medal in the SEA Games in 2009 and I was representing an entire country then so there was a lot of pressure, in MMA I am fighting on my own so I don’t feel any pressure.” In fact he is so relaxed that he says he has not bothered doing any research on his opponent, Malaysian stand-up specialist Peter Davis, and the only information he has is that he is a model, explaining, “I know nothing about my opponent, I don’t care I will just go in there to fight. Someone told me he is a model but I don’t care about that. I do not want to hurt him, just to beat him.” Although his last recorded fight was way back in 2004 Mulyadi has been active since then, participating in an annual MMA competition called RCTI Duel. “When TPI FC finished in 2004 there was RCTI Duel, an MMA competition which took place every year so I fought on that but I haven’t fought MMA since 2009 because there have been no shows,” said Mulyadi. “There are a lot of wrestlers who were champions in TPI FC and now they are all looking to get into fighting for One FC there are kickboxing competitions but I am a wrestler not a kickboxer.” Wrestling has been a part of his life since the age of 18 and he continues to train, teach and compete full time, revealing, “I first began wrestling as a junior in 1998 when I was in High School, which is quite late to start, most people begin when they are younger. At 20 years old I began to fight as a senior, I enjoy fighting and wrestling. I get money from the Indonesian government to work as a wrestling coach and also to train in wrestling. I normally coach one day a week and train the rest of the time because the government want me to do well in international competition.” His training for ONE FC’s historic first event in Jakarta has been a little different because it has not been funded by the state and has focused on all of the elements of mixed martial arts, stating, “When I compete in MMA I compete as an individual, the government don’t give me any money for that. I have been training every day, morning and evening. I wrestle every morning and work with a kickboxing coach at night and I have also been training BJJ. I am confident in my striking because I have been training every day with my kickboxing coach.” After having represented his country on the international stage so many times in the past Mulyadi is completely relaxed about his appearance at ONE FC, which will be broadcast by a major domestic TV channel in Indonesia. “I know there will be a lot of people at the show but it doesn’t bother me because I have wrestled in front of big crowd before but this will be the biggest crowd to ever see me fight MMA,” said Mulyadi of the opportunity. “It’s very exciting for Indonesian fighters to have a show like ONE Fighting Championship that they can fight on and I want to fight for ONE FC as often as possible, I like to fight, I enjoy it.” He may not be representing his country in an official capacity but he is up against a Malaysian fighter and national pride will still be at stake, a point which is definitely not lost on him, saying, “I cannot lose to a Malaysian, I will win for sure!” The ONE FC undercard will stream for free starting at about 8:00 AM EST on Saturday morning with the main card available for $9.99. Check out the organization’s website or Facebook Page for more info. Tweet

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You had to hear it to believe it, and even then it was shocking. Hundreds, maybe thousands of British fans were firing back at American Chris Cope with the “Woooo” yell that has become his trademark (via pro wrestling legend Ric Flair) as he walked to the Octagon to face home country favorite Che Mills at UFC 138 last November. It was one of those moments that only sports can provide, and The Ultimate Fighter 13’s Cope has an idea why fans from another continent were buying in to what he represented.“Here’s the thing, and I’m not trying to sound cocky or arrogant, but I’m kinda like a Rudy, and how can you not like the underdog?” said Cope, referring to Rudy Ruettiger, the walk-on for the Notre Dame football team whose story was immortalized in the film “Rudy.” “Forrest Griffin is never gonna be known as a spectacular, crazy fighter, but that guy provides the average Joe with hope because he’s a guy who came from grass roots, he worked hard and trained hard and now he’s in the UFC and he’s one of the poster boys.”Already 1-0 in the UFC with an impressive win over TUF13 castmate Chuck O’Neil in June of last year, Cope was in the process of building his own success story until a crushing knee sent him to the canvas and kicked off a sequence that saw him stopped in 40 seconds by Mills. Yet as he walked back out into the LG Arena to watch the rest of the event, once again he was stunned by what happened.“I got laid out in that fight,” he said. “I got caught with a knee 40 seconds in, and I was embarrassed as hell. I knew I was going up against a really good fighter and I knew that things could happen even though I’ve never been caught like that before. It is what it is, and it happened. But I remember going back to the locker room and then coming back out to sit down, and they all wanted autographs. They all wanted pictures. I’m like ‘guys, I lost; I got caught in there, why do you want my autograph?’ They said ‘We don’t care. We love you, you’re great.’ That made me feel good because it made me really feel like it doesn’t matter whether I win or lose because these people have got my back. I call it the Woo Nation. I do it, they do it, and when I fight, I’m not just fighting by myself. They’re in there fighting with me.”This Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, odds are that the Woo Nation will be out in force again to back their man when he faces Matt Brown in one of those fights that promises action.“I think he’s a very tough guy, he comes out to fight very hard right off the bat, he’s got very good striking, underrated submissions off his back, and he’s a gamer,” said Cope of Brown. “He comes to fight, and he’s always very dangerous. I’m a fan of his and I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”There’s also plenty on the line for both men. Cope, still relatively inexperienced with eight pro fights, is coming off the loss to Mills, which puts him at 1-1 in the Octagon. Brown is 1-4 in his last five, making a win imperative. But regardless of what’s at stake, Cope has never strayed from a path of work, work, work.“I’m a grinder,” said Cope, who does paralegal work at a Southern California law firm in addition to his fighting career. “I wake up at six in the morning, I’m at work by seven. My lunch break is training, I train and then I go back to work, I leave at four. And then I basically go to pro practice from 4:15 to 5:30, then I work another hour with a trainer from 5:30 to 6:30, then either run or do strength and conditioning after that. I don’t know what it is about me, but if you’re gonna build a wall of success, you build it one brick at a time. And all those practices add up.”For him, that’s the key, just being consistent and working harder than the next guy. “People saw me on The Ultimate Fighter, and they didn’t think I was that good,” he said. “And you might be better than me, you might be faster than me, and you might be more athletically gifted than me, but when you’re missing sessions, I’m not. I’m in the gym, and come hell or high water, I’m getting those three goals.”Three goals?“I’ve got three goals in this thing, and once I do those, I’m done. One of them is to fight for the UFC, and I’ve done that. The second is to fight in Japan. The third one is to win a belt, and if I can do it in the UFC, that’s the number one dream come true. And once I get those three, I’m out.”If Cope sounds like he’s got everything together at the age of 28, that would be an accurate assessment. But it wasn’t always that way for him. “My dad used to be a narcotics cop, and when I was growing up, he always told me that he’d disown me if he ever caught me on drugs, and the whole time I was growing up, when kids were getting involved with weed and ecstasy, and after graduation, cocaine, I never messed around with it,” he said. “Alcohol was the one thing, and I’m like ‘it’s no big deal; it’s legal, I’m fine doing this.’ Well, lo and behold, in my opinion it’s one of the most destructive drugs out there. Almost every time there’s a murder, or an accident, or sometimes a fight, usually alcohol’s involved. It’s America’s drug.”And Cope bought into it hook, line, and sinker, using alcohol as a means to fit in with the crowd his father warned him about. “I thought I was the cool guy,” he said. “I graduated from UCSB (Cal-Santa Barbara) and Playboy rated it like the number two or three party school in the country. And the college parties I threw were out of a movie. I thought I was awesome and the coolest party guy ever.”But after getting picked up by the police on three misdemeanors (vandalism, public intoxication, and resisting arrest), Cope began to see that he was headed in the wrong direction.“For the first time in my life, I saw myself on the other end of the legal system, and I didn’t like that at all,” he said, “But I still kept drinking for a couple years.”  All the while, his pro MMA career was taking off, and when he got called to Las Vegas to be interviewed by producers for season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2010, it was party time for the 4-1 Cope. “I was faded, and that was 11 in the morning the next day,” he recalled. But when he got home to San Diego, he took a good, hard look at himself and didn’t like what he saw.“I was embarrassed about myself,” he said. “I said enough’s enough. I’m done. I quit. And that was December 8th, 2010.”More than 13 months later, he’s still sober. “I used to call myself an alcoholic and I don’t call myself that anymore,” he said. “I just say that I’m a person that doesn’t really have a kill switch. It doesn’t define who I am, it’s just an aspect of my life, and I just keep going.  It (alcohol) didn’t add anything to my life. It really alienated people from me, it caused me to blow a lot of my money, and I would guarantee that if I was drinking on that Ultimate Fighter show and got drunk on there, I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in now. Life couldn’t be better now and I’m glad I did it.”If that’s not a reason to become a full-fledged member of Woo Nation, I don’t know what is. And if you’re looking to count someone out of a fight, Chris Cope is probably not that guy, because no matter what the final result is, he’s already won.“You can play in small in life, or you can play big, but to play big, you’ve got to get on the field,” he said. “And when you get on the field, you might win or lose, but you still got on the field and played ball.” 

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So we all love to give predictions on upcoming fights right? Well professional fighters do as well and though we like to toot our horns and make it seem we have uber future seeing powers we are wrong some of the time…well maybe a few times. Mike Pierce has given us the word on the [...]

Posted in: “ i, fights right, times mike, nick diazhe, uber future

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So we all love to give predictions on upcoming fights right? Well professional fighters do as well and though we like to toot our horns and make it seem we have uber future seeing powers we are wrong some of the time…well maybe a few times. Mike Pierce has given us the word on the [...]

Posted in: “ i, fights right, times mike, nick diazhe, uber future

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One fighter sure to be watching the action closely this weekend at UFC on FOX 2 is Dan Henderson, a top light heavyweight contender with a possible title-shot coming his way depending on how Rashad Evans fares against Phil Davis who also happens to be a teammate of Chael Sonnen. Henderson recently offered up his thoughts on both match-ups where he made it clear one of the two bouts wouldn’t be nearly as close as the other. “I don’t see Bisping even having a chance,” said Henderson to TATAME, opting to favor Sonnen’s takedown attack more than the Brit’s striking. The pick was far from surprising given his love of wrestling and memorable knockout of Bisping when the two faced off at UFC 100. As far as the fight impacting his future in a direct sense, “Hendo” went with former champion Evans who he sees as being more fit than the lanky Davis. “Rashad should win,” the 41-year old legend revealed. “Rashad has better hands and they’re both good wrestlers. I think it is gonna come a lot down to conditioning, I think. Who’s in better shape…” Evans Anxious to Finally Fight Davis If Evans should fall many believe Henderson would get a crack at current 205-pound title-holder Jon Jones though it appears Henderson isn’t so sure himself. “I don’t know if I made Dana mad when I said ‘No’ to (Antonio Rogerio) Nogueira,” Henderson laughed. “But, you know, for me it didn’t make sense right now. Nogueira lost to Davis and (Ryan) Bader, then beat Tito Ortiz…It really did make sense to me. What was the point of that fight? They were just trying to put together a main event that wasn’t gonna be that great.” Like the rest of us, Henderson will have to tune in tomorrow night at 8:00 PM EST when UFC on FOX 2 unfolds from Chicago to see how his picks play out. Make sure to check Fighters.com for live coverage throughout including preliminary results starting at 5:00 PM EST. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

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While this weekend’s event on FOX is certainly deserving of attention, the reality is the match-up UFC fans are truly thirsting for will take place on Super Bowl Weekend when Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz duke it out at UFC 143 for the right to be called an interim champion. While the trash-talk has been minimal between the two welterweights during the build up to their bout based on mutual respect, that’s not to say each man isn’t supremely sure of himself when it comes to exiting the Octagon with a victory on February 4. Diaz and Condit spoke about their upcoming fight in an extended preview for the PPV where the “Natural Born Killer” made it clear he feels he has an advantage over Diaz in all areas, especially when it comes to striking. “I feel like I’m a more technical fighter than Diaz,” Condit explained when asked about how he compared to the former Strikeforce title-holder. “I have more weapons in my arsenal. I just bring some different stuff to the table.” “He can take a good shot but can he take knees? Is he going to be able to take elbows? It’s a different when it’s a shin across your face,” he continued. Getting word of Condit’s statements, Diaz replied, “That’s a nice thought, right? Go out there and throw some kicks and some elbows, some knees, and win the fight. Can you get that stuff off when you’re running backwards?” While the outcome may be in question there’s no doubt Condit-Diaz should deliver a “Fight of the Year” candidate when they clash in the cage. Condit has finished 26 of the 27 opponents he’s beaten while Diaz has racked up stoppages in 21 of 26 total victories. Check out the complete preview below: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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It may not have been the consensus “Submission of the Year” but if you’re a MMA fan there’s no doubt Frank Mir’s finish of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140 is etched into your memory. For those who have suffered some sort of massive head trauma since then, Mir locked on a Kimura and broke the Brazilian’s arm after “Minotauro” refused to tap to the technique. While Nogueira’s intestinal fortitude was respectable it also put him on the shelf for a significant period for time in order to recover from his shattered limb. However, now that he’s undergone the necessary surgery the popular pugilist is already back to lightly working out with the pace expected to pick up in the coming months. Nogueira updated fans on his condition in an interview with TATAME where he reflected on the loss and pulled a positive out of the situation. “I was really upset about what happened, but it wasn’t meant to be,” the 35-year old icon explained. “I had it in my hands, I saw the knockout, but I stopped and used a completely mistaken game plan. I stopped punching when I shouldn’t and I paid it with a loss.” In terms of how his arm is doing now, Nogueira continued, “The doctor told me after six weeks I can do my cardio, but I gotta wait at least two and a half months to put impact on my arm,” adding he’s been swimming as a means of strengthening it. “I think about fighting in the middle of the year, but I gotta be patient,” Nogueira concluded, saying he was trying to be read in time for the UFC’s rumored stop in Sao Paolo, Brazil this June. Until then he’ll continue rehabbing with the expectation his affected bones will have fully solidified by the end of February. The show is expected to feature champions Anderson Silva and Junior dos Santos in respective action with the background of 100,000 fans in a soccer stadium. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal took some lumps from fans and media yesterday after the NSAC revealed he had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in relation a January 7 bout against Lorenz Larkin. Lawal has since responded to the commission’s findings and, rather than admit wrongdoing or even the possibility of unknowingly ingesting something illegal, he’s defending his name by flatly denying the result. “I’m very surprised about this,” said Lawal in a conversation with ESPN. “I am very careful about what I put into my body. I’ve never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. I’ve gone through, and still welcome, Olympic-style testing.” Lawal’s next fight will apparently take place behind the scenes rather than in the center of a cage as he plans to investigate the matter and hopefully figure out what happened. “I will do whatever is necessary to get to the bottom of this,” Lawal continued. “I’m not a cheater. I might cheat at video games, but I never cheat at fighting.” As is customary procedure, “King Mo” reserves the right to appeal his pending suspension/fine and will clearly do so as implied by his statements to ESPN. If he fails he will likely be looking at 9-12 months on the sidelines as well as losing a significant chunk of his paycheck from the win over Larkin. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

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If all goes as planned, UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre is positive he’ll be back inside the Octagon before 2012 is over with…but barely. St. Pierre, who was scheduled to meet Nick Diaz on February 4 to defend his title, underwent knee surgery roughly five weeks ago after tearing his ACL while preparing for Diaz. The injury, which has been the most severe of the 30-year old’s career, was kind of a Catch-22 situation as the Canadian was putting more pressure on his right left after injuring his left in training for a bout with Carlos Condit late in 2011. Now, Diaz and Condit will meet for the interim UFC welterweight title with the winner likely facing off with GSP later in the year after an initial defense of the belt. “Hard training will be in July, and I am looking to fight again, for the timing to be back, in November,” said St. Pierre while serving as a recent guest on Inside MMA . “Late October, early November would be good.” “Rush” mentioned that he didn’t take enough time to rehab himself from the first injury, adding, “I tried to come back too fast and I was compensating with my other leg. That’s how I hurt myself.” As for the upcoming Diaz-Condit bout that will crown a champion in his place, St. Pierre started out neutral before offering up his personal preference, saying, “I just hope the best man will win. But if the best man is Nick Diaz, I will appreciate it more, because it will be a better build up for a fight.” When St. Pierre returns it will have been around 18 months since he last set foot in the Octagon, a concern for many who felt he would be back by late summer after news of his knee injury first broke. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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The debate between boxing fans and MMA fans in relation to whose sport is superior may wage on for years to come, but at least one man known for his PhD in the sweet science has decided to express his appreciation for those who take to the cage and throw down – Wladimir Klitschko. The 56-3 Klitschko, who currently holds five heavyweight championships and hasn’t lost in seven years, recently came forward to talk about Mixed Martial Arts in a positive light even if his opinion may not be popular amongst his supporters in the boxing community. While the 35-year old has no designs on ever attempting to leave boxing for MMA he has contemplated incorporating some related techniques into his training and generally appreciates the level of skill involved at the highest levels. “To be honest I didn’t really like it before,” Klitschko began in an interview on the Jim Rome Show. “But when I was watching it, I got into the style of MMA and I think I have a lot of respect for MMA fighters. It’s a very tough sport. I don’t think I’m ready to practice it and fight in the cage, I think I’m too old for it, but I have a lot of respect.” “You have to be so multi-functional, you have to be a wrestler, you have to be a good kickboxer, you have to be a good boxer, you have to be with good condition,” he continued. As far as testing his own abilities in MMA, Klitschko waived off the suggestion but revealed he is definitely interested in exploring some of the aspects where his own preparation is concerned. “I want to try the fitness. Just get in an MMA gym and just practice certain things,” Klitschko concluded. “ I used to wrestle, and I did judo when I was younger. As training, as fitness, perfect. Fighting, no.” Klitschko’s next fight takes place on March 3 against 36-4 Frenchman Jean-Marc Mormeck. The two were originally supposed to face off in December but Klitschko had to withdraw from the bout after having a kidney stone removed. Tweet

Posted in: mma, i ’m, boxing, “ i, klitschko

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Despite Edson Barboza’s undeniable talent and drive, when he left his native Brazil in 2009 to chase after mixed martial arts glory in the United States, it was a roll of the dice. There are a lot of skilled athletes who, for whatever reason, just can’t get the right break or perform when the pressure’s at its highest.Barboza wasn’t one of those who missed the mark. Instead, after going 6-0 to start his MMA career, he got called to the UFC, and in two fights he became one of the lightweight division’s brightest rising stars.Then he went home to Rio de Janeiro last August, his first trip back.“It was at a point that I couldn't even imagine,” said Barboza. “Many fans came to me asking to take some pictures and asking for autographs. And at some point I thought to myself "Am I really in Brazil?" I couldn't imagine how strong MMA was in Brazil. It was awesome.”That was just the week of his UFC 134 bout against England’s Ross Pearson. Then came the night of the fight at HSBC Arena, and when the returning hero left his locker room and began his walk to the Octagon, everything – the noise, the reaction, the energy - got turned up to 11.“It was different from the other fights, because I could hear a lot of fans cheering me on,” said Barboza of fight night in Rio. “They called my name, and there was all this energy involved in the fight. It was unbelievable. But you know, when the cage door is closed I get focused on my game and on the fight. And it becomes the same thing as everywhere - just the referee, my opponent and I.”That ability to put all the expectations and pressure aside for 15 minutes allowed Barboza to notch his third consecutive victory (and second consecutive Fight of the Night award) as he pounded out a close split decision win over Pearson. To move to 9-0 and do it in front of a hometown crowd was a great feat; yet as a perfectionist, the 25-year old sees what did and didn’t go right on fight night.“Man, I have to be a lot better than that,” he said. “I did all things that I was training to do against Pearson, and my strategy was to keep my distance because I was taller than him. But I know I'm able to do better than I did. Every fight I learn more things, and I can see what I did right and my mistakes. I'm training really hard to improve to be better.”After the bout and some well-deserved celebrating with family and friends, Barboza returned to South Florida and the Armory Gym, where he kept the work rate high as he waited for his next assignment. That assignment? Another trip to Rio to face another British up and comer, this time it’s Terry Etim on this Saturday’s UFC 142 card.“Etim is a good fighter,” said Barboza. “He is taller, he has a great game on the ground, and I know that.”To enhance that attack this weekend, Barboza is not only working with his usual crew, which includes Luíz Cane, Vagner Rocha, Pablo Popovitch, Marlon Moraes, and Raphael Chaves, but he is sharpening his ground game with Eduardo Guedes and going back to his Muay Thai roots with his original coach Anderson Franca. Call it the battle before the war.“Every fight is different,” he said. “Fighting is like a chess game; you need to think about every step you will do. I know Terry is a great fighter, but I'm focused on my own game.”He’s also focused on not getting caught up in being back home again. To be at his best, this has to be a business trip, not a vacation, so when asked if it will be easier for him fighting at home the second time around, he’s very candid when he says, “It's never easy to be fighting in Brazil. There are a lot of fans cheering you on, and the Brazilian fighters want to do their best there. Every fight I train harder and I want to do my best. The fight is a challenge and it's never easy.”Yet as the fights get harder, the rewards are greater. To most MMA fans, Saturday’s main card bout may be the ticket for the winner to move from prospect to contender. Barboza isn’t about to fall into that prognostication trap though. “I'm not worried about that right now,” he said. “I just want to do my best inside the Octagon and do my job step by step.”And try to make 2012 even more memorable than 2011.“Thank God last year was amazing for me,” he said. “My goal for 2012 is fight as much as I can, and I want to stay fighting against the best fighters in the world.” 

Posted in: fight, barboza, “ i, game, barboza “

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Heavyweight great Vitali Klitschko is tired of people worrying about his age. Though the 40-year old Russian certainly has fewer fights ahead of him than behind, an eleven-fight winning streak including eight in a row since returning to the ring in 2008 should be enough to silence the critics. And yet they remain. Klitschko addressed their unfounded concerns at a press conference yesterday promoting his upcoming bout with Dereck Chisora where he explained, “I am 40 but I feel 25. I am in great condition, great form and have great experience.” “The main thing in life is experience, in all jobs and also in boxing,” he continued. “I have defended my title against many styles. I don’t want to break the record of George Foreman, but 40 isn’t old. I’ll show that.” The two lock up on February 18 in Munich, Germany with the WBC Heavyweight Championship on the line. Klitschko holds an overall record of 43-2 with his latest fight involving a September stoppage against Tomasz Adamek, while Chisora is a 15-2 African who fell by controversial Split Decision in his previous in-ring appearance. PHOTO CREDIT – EPA Tweet

Posted in: “ i, george foreman, klitschko, tomasz adamek, line klitschko

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Female featherweight champion, or former as the case may now be, Cristiane Santos has finally come forward to discuss her recent suspension for steroid use stemming from a December bout against Hiroko Yamanaka. And, surprisingly, she has not denied the possibility of having used an illegal substance though made it clear she did not do so willfully. “I am ultimately responsible for everything I put in my body, and at the end of the day, there is no excuse for having a prohibited substance in my system,” said Santos in a statement to MMAPrime. “I do not condone the use of any performance enhancing drugs by myself or any other professional athlete, and willingly accept the penalties and fines that have been handed down to me by the California State Athletic Commission and those of the Strikeforce/Zuffa organization.” In addition to the CSAC suspending Santos for a year she also had her win turned into a No Contest and was fined $2,500 for the infraction. UFC President Dana White also stated the 26-year old would be stripped of her Strikeforce title. “While I was preparing myself for my last fight I was having a difficult time cutting weight and used a dietary supplement that I was assured was safe and not prohibited from use in sports competition,” Santos continued in her statement. “It was never my intention to obtain an unfair advantage over Hiroko, mislead Strikeforce, the Commission or my fans. I train harder than any fighter in MMA and do not need drugs to win in the cage, and I have proven this time and time again! My only mistake is not verifying the diet aid with my doctor beforehand, and understanding that it was not approved for use in the ring.” “Unfortunately in the end I suffer the consequences and must accept the responsibility for my actions,” she solemnly concluded. “I will do everything I can to show my fans that I can still compete at the professional level without the use of any prohibited substances, and ask God’s forgiveness for my mistake.” PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: time, “ i, everything i, use, body ”

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Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold has always sought thrills throughout his upbringing. Now, as an MMA fighter, Rockhold gets to experience the highest of highs each time he steps inside the cage. For Rockhold, growing up, it was all about surfing and finding his niche. MMA turned out to be just that for him. “I always believed I could be a professional athlete, I just wanted to find something to be happy,” said Rockhold, in a recent interview with Showtime. “I found jiu-jitsu in high school.” An adrenaline-junkie, Rockhold says he experiences the ultimate high when he competes in the cage, adding, “It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before in my life.” Saturday night, Rockhold will defend his title for the first time against Keith Jardine in the main event of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. The main card will be televised live on Showtime and also features fights with “King” Mo Lawal, Robbie Lawler, and Tyron Woodley. Check out the video of Rockhold, titled, “I Am A Fighter,” below:

Posted in: mma, rockhold, “ i, fighter ”, features fights

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Make liars of your detractors. Turn public perception on its head. Few feats are more gratifying to an athlete, with Danny Castillo being the latest example. The Sacramento fighter won’t try to hide the humongous chip on his shoulder, the one that has firmly resided there since last December, when World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) merged with the UFC. Castillo and company suddenly felt like second-class citizens among the UFC’s much more heralded lightweight division, like chum being served up to sharks.“I’ll never forget all the naysayers who said we would just get rolled on,” the 32-year-old recently shared. “A bunch of people were saying that our lightweights wouldn’t be able to hack it, that WEC guys are just going to get ran through. But we’re doing a good job proving all those people wrong.”“Good job” is right. The WEC’s big six of lightweights are comprised of Castillo, Benson Henderson, Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Anthony Njokuani and Shane Roller. They have combined for a stellar 12-5 record in the UFC over the past year, with a list of conquered foes that includes “name” fighters such as Clay Guida, Jim Miller, Charles Oliveira, Joe “Daddy” Stevenson and Denis Siver. Henderson, 3-0 in the UFC, will fight Frankie Edgar at UFC 143 for the 155-pound world title. Cerrone, 4-0 under the UFC banner, goes for his fifth straight on Friday against Nate Diaz at UFC 141. Castillo (12-4 overall, 2-1 UFC) also competes on the New Year’s Eve ‘Eve’ card, against the aforementioned Njokuani (15-5, 1-1). There is a certain ‘cannibal’ quality to the matchup and it is not lost on Castillo.“Anthony Njokuani is a good guy. He and I started at the same time in the WEC,” Castillo said. “I want all of the guys that come over from the WEC to do well because that’s where I started my career. I have a WEC sweatshirt on right now as we speak! It says, “WEC Never Forget.” Unfortunately my next fight is against another WEC guy. It will be the first time two WEC (lightweights) are meeting in the UFC, but we’re professionals and one of us has to lose, and I don’t plan on that being me. Stylistically I like the fight.” While Njokuani is coming off a win over Andre Winner, Castillo has won four of his past five. The win over Joe “Daddy” raised eyebrows, and his recent first round destruction of Shamar Bailey was perhaps Castillo’s finest hour as a pro. “I felt fresh. I didn’t overtrain for that fight,” Castillo said. “I felt fresh, I listened to my body. It’s taken me four years as a pro to understand how to run a fight camp. There are no blueprints to teach you how to run a fight camp for your body. This time I did it correctly and it showed up in the fight.” Castillo muscled Bailey with takedowns and pounded away on top with punches. He says there was a moment in the fight when he felt some of Bailey’s will vanish. “There was a hammerfist that landed from half-guard,” Castillo said, “and right then and there I saw him look up and I knew right then that he didn’t really want to fight. That’s when you see me just letting go and throwing punches with abandon.” In addition to his own purse, Castillo also walked away with 10 percent of his opponent’s fight purse because Bailey failed to make weight. Rather than pocket the funds, Castillo donated them to a Sacramento-based charity for homeless youth. “I think it’s important for me to give back because wrestling kind of saved my life,” he said. “My last fight was on TV and I want to use that exposure that I’ve created for myself to do something good, to give back to some kids that are just like I was. When I was younger I was kind of a knucklehead who came to a fork in the road and could have gone either way. Fortunately I found wrestling and I was able to go to college. So if I could help some other kids then I’ll feel a little bit better about myself.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, “ i, wec, castillo

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[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on FighterXFashion.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Nobody on this planet has been gunning for another shot at Anderson Silva more than Chael Sonnen. After creatively calling him out in hopes of getting a second crack at Spider Silva’s UFC middleweight title, Sonnen vs. Silva II is a definite must happen match in 2012. Now you can join along in Chael’s UFC championship campaign with the “I Want You Anderson Silva” T-shirt from the Punch Buddies. Following up on the first series of Punch Buddies T-shirts, Chael’s new Uncle Sam poster style tee gets the message out loud and clear with a hilarious design that’s all about making the Sonnen-Silva rematch a reality. Check out the Shirt

Posted in: silva, “ i, punch, chael, reality check

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Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez successfully defended his crown against Jorge Masvidal this past weekend. Now, “El Nino” is ready to take on anybody that Zuffa throws at him. With the recent Strikeforce-Showtime contract hashed out, Melendez will remain part of the Strikeforce lineup for the foreseeable future. However, that doesn’t mean someone from the UFC cannot be brought in to face him for the title. For Melendez, it doesn’t matter who it is, as the champion said in an interview with Showtime following the Masvidal fight, “It’s tough, but it’s great (to be the champion) because everyone is coming after my belt. I am happy to say I am still the champ.” The 29-year old decided to stand and strike with Masvidal instead of relying on his excellent ground game, something many did not expect. “I was eager to prove everyone wrong (in regards to the stand-up),”Melendez said. “I knew I had to strike with him, and (Masvidal) was the toughest striker I have ever faced. But I feel like I might be the best striker in the 155 division now.” Check out the video below:

Posted in: “ i, jorge masvidal, masvidal, melendez, strikeforce lineup

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Declaring that you are down with OSP, and then confirming that indeed 'Yeah you know me' on Twitter is very late 2010, but it's still acceptable in certain circles. You better believe that I will be tweeting how I'm down with the ex Tennessee linebacker who is tackling his next big challenge against Gegard Mousasi tomorrow night in San Diego (See what I did there? Tackle? Because he's a football player. So hilarious and clever). OSP spoke with Bleacher Report about his rise through the Strikeforce ranks and his bid for the now vacant light heavyweight title, which he must be in the top three for. Right? He says top five below. I say three. "Everyone’s long term goal is the same as my long term goal and that is to be a champion. Everyone wants to be the champ and I want to be able to bring the belt back to Knoxville, TN where I am training right now. To be honest I want to beat the best in the world and Gegard is one of them. If I beat him it’ll definitely put me in the top five for the light heavyweight title.”   "My biggest strengths are that I am well rounded in kickboxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. I believe my athleticism gets me out of a lot of trouble. Being an athlete all of my life it helps out a lot. When I played football it caused me to be quick on my feet and to be a quick thinker. Football is all about discipline and patience and I use all of that today in MMA" “I put myself in every scenario possible," “I put myself in bad situations and try to see myself getting out of them. Every scenario I put myself in never seems to happen and I am talking about over 1000 different possibilities. I don’t know how and I couldn’t even tell you how this fight is going to go, but I can tell you this, at the end of the day my hand will be the one that gets raised.” Winner of this fights Feijao for the belt? [Source]

Posted in: “ i, football, term goal, knoxville tn, strikeforce ranks

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It looks like Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold may have his first title-defense lined up for early 2012, a notion also giving weight to the argument that the promotion will survive beyond their December 17 show and isn’t going away just yet. According to the 8-1 American Kickboxing Academy product, he’s been approached by Strikeforce brass urging him to get back in the gym in anticipation of an upcoming match-up, and though they did not mention a specific opponent there appears to be one individual Rockhold is focused on more than any other. “I think Tim Kennedy is out there, and from what I’ve been told, that’s probably my next fight,” Rockhold explained to Tatame. “Nothing’s official, but they told me to get into train camp and get ready. So, I’m thinking January I’ll be fighting and, most probably, it’ll be Tim Kennedy.” Rockhold also revealed he has his eyes on a run inside the Octagon and wouldn’t be surprised to see a few of his Strikeforce peers join him there. “I look forward going to the UFC,” said Rockhold. “I think me, Kennedy and (Ronaldo Souza) would be very well in the UFC.” Kennedy Rumored to Join UFC Roster The 27-year old earned his belt by outpointing Souza in September, easily the toughest draw of his young career. The 13-3 Kennedy went five full rounds against “Jacare” as well in a 2010 title-fight, coming up short on the scorecards in his go at the dynamic Brazilian. However, he has won two fights since beating Melvin Manhoef and Robbie Lawler. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: strikeforce, rockhold, “ i, i ’ve, kennedy

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When studying the history of MMA, it’s pretty hard not to come across the name Jens Pulver. A pioneer of the lightweight division and the first ever UFC lightweight champion, Pulver helped paved the way for the lighter weight classes that now regularly steal the show at UFC events. After falling on hard times and being released by Zuffa following seven losses in eight fights, Pulver took a long look in the mirror to try and re-discover himself. It didn’t come to him right away as he continued to struggle to get over a “mental hurdle” but in his last bout, his bantamweight debut against Coty Wheeler, we saw the return of the Jens that fight fans fell in love with. “I was dialed in as ever in my last fight,” Pulver revealed Pulver in an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “I almost got hit with an uppercut because I heard my corner so clearly that I actually turned and looked at them and he fired a shot that nearly caught me. Then I heard the guys say, ‘don’t look at us’ and I remember yelling, ‘MY BAD!’” Before he dropped to 135 in August, Pulver was once again on the losing end of things back in May when he was submitted in just 22 seconds against Armando Amezcua. In his post-fight interview, Jens defended his desire to continue fighting by saying, “I’ll retire on my own terms.” Jens defended his comments saying, “I appreciate people saying they want me to retire, as long as they have a good reason and are looking out for me. But, I’m losing to submissions. I’ll be grappling until I can’t walk. They’re safe. I’m not going out there and watching my chin turn to butter and going out there and getting hit by guys not known for power and going to sleep for 10 minutes.” According to Jens, physically he feels fine, but mentally he hasn’t been at the top of his game in some time. “The mental side of me died a while back and I have to find that guy,” said Pulver. After over 40 career fights, main events, and UFC titles, it’s hard to believe that Pulver could lack mental toughness, but to hear him explain things, they begin to make sense. “With so many years losing, I just had tunnel vision where I just wanted out of there. Either I knock them out quick or I got caught and I wanted out. I didn’t want to be in there. It’s like getting into a bad car wreck and when you get back into that card, you just want out. You’re not hearing anything. You’re not even hearing yourself, that inner fire just died. I’ve never been through something like that but it’s a bad situation. This last fight, I’ve never paid more attention to the mental side of things. I even had key words I kept saying to myself like ‘Bojangles’ which is my daughters nickname. So whenever I felt great in practice, that’s what I would say. It dialed me in.” His victory over Wheeler marked the first time that Pulver had finished an opponent with strikes since 2006. Now training at Team Curran with jiu-jitsu expert Jeff Curran, Pulver has spent a lot of time working on his grappling but says that his striking felt better than ever against Wheeler. “That was the first time in awhile I was like, ‘Wow, there it is.’ I was setting things up, moving to the right, continuing to circle, making him miss. My defense was on and I could see everything he was about to throw. It took a whole year to get there but it felt good. “I kept telling myself that I was going to knock this guy out. He’s known for his chin and I was going out there to show everyone at this weight that, ‘I’m here, lets get it poppin’” Jens is hopeful for a UFC return, but admits that he hasn’t talked to UFC president Dana White in some time. “I haven’t had communications with Dana White in I don’t know how long. That’s a busy guy.” He knows what he has to do in order to make another appearance in the octagon though, saying, “What it boils down to is proof. I can ask for it all day but if I can’t go out there and prove it then wants the point? I just gotta keep knocking people out and see what happens. It’d be a good way to say goodbye.”

Posted in: time, ’t, “ i, jen, pulver

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When Wanderlei Silva enters the Octagon this Saturday night to face Cung Le at UFC 139 he’ll do so with a secret weapon in his back pocket. Though Silva has already talked about reuniting with Rafael Cordeiro, his longtime trainer at Chute Boxe, it appears he’s also spent time with another talented Brazilian in the form of pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva. Silva recently spoke up about working with “The Spider” in preparation for this weekend’s bout where he praised his countryman and talked about how his time with the middleweight champion could come into play when he faces Le. Silva Details Time Spent with Cordeiro It was really nice. Anderson is a really nice guy. We’ve trained together a lot some time ago. He’s a good friend,” said Silva in an interview with Tatame. “He abdicated his free time to train with me. He’s got a pretty evolved way of seeing martial arts. His coaches must be congratulated (because) they’ve built a super athlete. Back there we noticed his potential, he knew great boxing and how to move, but he overcame himself and became one of the best of all times.” As far as Silva’s suspected rematch with Chael Sonnen, the PRIDE icon explained, “I guess it’s a fight everyone, me including, want to see. I guess Anderson won that fight but Sonnen was the only one who had a better presentation while fighting the champion, so it’s a really interesting fight.” “Everyone wants to see it again, but I guess it’ll be easier on Anderson to beat him this time,” he continued. “I guess he’ll let his game go and probably will knock him out.” Regarding whether or not Silva’s dynamic stand-up will show when “The Axe Murderer” attempts to defend against Le’s arsenal of deadly kicks, the 33-11-1 legend replied, “It’s a good question. Let’s find it out. We plan some things we think about doing some things but when it comes, it’s always a surprise. We’re setting a route to follow and we hope to do it to get the win.” In fact, Silva isn’t willing to tip his hand yet on any front, stating he may even be a bit more reserved than in the past when it comes to letting his hands go. “We’ll only know it when the time comes. I guess after this last fight I trained my defenses better. My attack is good, but my defenses weren’t that good, so I focused on that and I hope to win. It doesn’t matter if it’s by points or KO. What I want is the win.” Fans can catch Silva vs. Le on the PPV when things fire up at 9:00 PM EST with a plethora of preliminary pairings to pick from on Facebook/Spike TV in the hours preceding the broadcast. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, silva, “ i, anderson

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ANAHEIM, November 12 – 64 seconds. That is all it took for Junior dos Santos to leap into the history books and become the first man to defeat UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, the relentless Mexican-American fighter who until Saturday night hadn’t lost a single round in his five-year pro career. The dramatic knockout delivered an exclamation point to the UFC’s grand introduction to primetime viewers watching the title bout for free on the FOX television network (many of them possibly discovering the sport for the first time). “I have no words to say what I’m feeling. It’s amazing, my life,” a teary-eyed dos Santos (14-1) said in the Octagon after being fitted with his new championship belt by UFC president Dana White. “I want to thank all my friends and family. I have a lot of good people around me. Thank you very much.” Dos Santos added that he entered the fight less than 100 percent, indicating he was perhaps hampered by an injury during training camp. But it didn’t matter in the least. Velasquez fired three leg kicks and dos Santos answered with two hard body shots. Then the heavyweight division’s fastest and most heavy-handed puncher delivered a thunderous overhand right that Cain perhaps never saw coming. The firecracker of a punch hit Velasquez around or behind his ear, dropping the champ to the canvas and with no sense of his whereabouts. Dos Santos pounced immediately, landing hard shots as Velasquez began to turtle over to his stomach rather than trying to regain his guard or intelligently defend himself. At that moment, a new era had been ushered in.“It kind of messed up my equilibrium,” said Velasquez (9-1), the overwhelming crowd favorite. “He has a lot of power. I waited too much for him… So hat’s off to him tonight.” Velasquez also felt as if he had let down his fans, many of them proud Mexican-Americans like himself. “Sorry to all the fans, my family and friends,” he said. “I disappointed you. I will come back and I will get this belt back, for sure.”The bout had marked the fallen champ’s first fight in 13 months; he had surgery on a torn rotator cuff but had said recently that he felt strong and ready for his most dangerous foe yet. Dos Santos, meanwhile, is now 8-0 in the UFC and hasn’t lost in four years. The former toy store operator, who grew up poor in his native Brazil and sold ice cream on street corners to survive, has a feeling he may not have seen the last of Velasquez inside of the cage. In fact, the soft-spoken 27-year-old conceded he had battled fear and doubt leading up to the fight. “Cain Velasquez was for sure my toughest opponent,” dos Santos said. “I was afraid to fight with him because he’s very tough. And I was not 100 percent for this fight so I was very scared.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, do, “ i, velasquez

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It’s the rematch we’ve all been waiting for. The original bout captivated a nation and caused an indelible rift between opposing parties, which is still present to this very day. It’s the act two that the fans have clamored for and it’s the fight UFC welterweight Mike Pierce has pined for since the moment the first ended. It was inevitable and it’s now finally upon us: Chael Sonnen vs. Anderso... just kidding. Of course, I’m referring to Pierce’s own rematch with Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley on November 12th at UFC on Fox with a little overestimation of the surrounding facts. Truthfully, Pierce is excited for both fights, as he wants to get back to his own winning ways and he wants to see his longtime friend get another shot at the UFC middleweight title.The 31 year old Oregonian grew up on the same wrestling mats that Sonnen did at the Peninsula Wrestling Club in Portland. Under the watchful eye of Coach Roy Pittman, the two learned the takedowns, the scrambling, the toughness and the attitude that both still employ to this day inside the Octagon. As genuinely as he is looking forward to the possible Sonnen/Silva II, Pierce’s mind is solely focused on one thing: beating Bradley worse than he did the first time. “For this fight specifically, I want to be that guy I was in the third round versus Johny Hendricks or Jon Fitch,” asserts Pierce. “I want to be that guy who really throws caution into the wind and says I don't give a s**t and I just want to really rip this guy's head off. It doesn't mean you're going in there like a wild man and dropping your hands and throwing wild punches. It means that I want to get in there with an agenda, put pressure on this guy and break him down. That's what I want to do, and that's what I'm looking to do in this fight.”It’s a gameplan that Pierce knows very well, and he has executed it to perfection in his UFC wins over Brock Larson, Julio Paulino, Amilcar Alves, and Kenny Robertson. At 12-4, Pierce’s losses inside the Octagon have come in two tough decisions against Jon Fitch and, most recently, Johny Hendricks in August at UFC 133. But in those battles, Pierce showed tenacity and a pointed attack in the third round that possibly could have finished both fighters if Pierce had only flipped that switch on earlier. “I think when your back is against the wall you can do one of two things: lay down and give up or say screw it and give it all you've got,” states PIerce. “I'm not one of those guys who lays down and gives up. In those third rounds specifically from those two fights, I felt that I needed to do something at that point because I hadn't done enough. So, I just gave everything I had to try and win. I don't want to let it get to that point. I've been working hard in this camp to turn it on a lot sooner. You have to have faith in your conditioning because if it is not there then you can't do it. The conditioning workouts I go through are hellish, and it's just a matter of getting in there and saying I have to do this and actually doing it. My camp has been pretty focused around doing that and making sure the pace and the intensity are high from the get go, so I can break these people down.”The split decision with Hendricks was a grueling three round war between very well matched opponents. It is becoming the new UFC trend, putting strong wrestlers against each other in the Octagon and watching them slug it out with brutal, thudding standup. Pierce and Hendricks traded fists, feet, elbows, knees and dirty boxing without giving an inch, but rarely shot for a takedown. Despite the loss, it was a solid performance by Pierce, where he showed his ability to get stronger as the fight went on and, again, that he could match wrestling skill sets with vaunted former collegiate All-Americans like Hendricks.“It was hard for me to see the silver lining because I was just really pissed off after the fight,” admits Pierce. “I know I can beat him. I was just not into the game that night. Chael was in my corner and after the fight he was saying there is a small silver lining in this even though I might not see it now. He had talked to Joe Silva afterward and he said that Joe really loved that fight and he said that was 'Fight of the Night' until the Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz fight. And I was like, 'No! That was a bonus I could have had. Thanks for making it worse (laughs).' But as long as the bosses love it and I go out there and put on a show and fight my ass off, that's what they're looking for guys to do. They're not looking for guys to lay and pray, evade or run around the Octagon. They're looking for guys to engage and fight. This is a business where people are supposed to fight and that's what I did and they're happy.”Up next for Pierce is the November 12th rematch with “The Gentleman”. Back in 2009 on the humble local MMA circuit in Pennsylvania, a relatively unknown 7-2 Pierce was scheduled to tangle with the 2x NCAA division I All-American from the University of Iowa, Bradley, who was also undefeated in his MMA career. The main event bout was set for a catchweight of 180 pounds as Bradley is typically a middleweight and Pierce a welterweight. At the time, Pierce was a heavy underdog against Bradley and it was that adversity that drove him to win. “I knew he was going to be a strong wrestler with a similar fighting style,” says Pierce. “I just wanted to go out there and do anything I could to just break this guy down. I didn't care if this was a submission, a TKO or whatever - I had one intention and that was to get my hand raised at the end of the night. It didn't turn into a wrestling match. It was definitely a striking match in that first fight we had. I landed a lot of leg kicks, I out struck him, I pushed him up against the fence, and I popped off some dirty boxing. It was one of those things I was fighting in his hometown at the time, he was undefeated, and even the promoter came up to me after the fight with his jaw dropped and was like 'You had to know that no one thought you had a prayer in Hell in beating this guy. The odds were completely stacked against you.' I was like yeah, but if I had that mentality going into it then I wouldn't have had a chance. You can't go into these things, even when it seems the cards are stacked against you, and lay down and give up. I went in there with a goal in mind and came out of it doing what I wanted to do.”Fast forward two years later, the tables have turned, the shoe is on the other foot and Pierce is the favorite. As opposed to their first fight, Bradley is the underdog, with Pierce having much more experience in the UFC with Bradley making his debut in the Octagon at middleweight at UFC 133 where he lost a decision to Rafael Natal. Now, Bradley will be cutting 15 pounds to make welterweight, where Pierce regularly fights. They’re both better fighters than they once were, but Pierce does know what it takes to beat Bradley, and this time he will have the metaphorical home-field advantage of fighting inside the Octagon.“My own personal confidence is that I beat this guy once before and I did it in a dominating fashion,” affirms Pierce. “I beat him 30-27 across the board, in his hometown and he's a 2x All-American out of Iowa. He knows that my wrestling is where it needs to be and he knows my striking is where it needs to be and I've only gotten better since then. I don't think he believes I'm going to be the same guy on the 12th that he fought two years ago. I kind of like that.”To prepare for the fight, Pierce has been training at either end of Portland with the Sports Lab and at Portland Thai Boxing with Jeremy Wijers. “My main coach is Phil Claud, who is also my conditioning coach,” says Pierce of Claud, who is most famous for his coaching at US Olympic Training Center and his own time as a professional cyclist on the USA national team. “I've been training with guys like Nate Quarry, Dave Jansen, a couple other up and coming pro guys. It has been a good camp so far and I'm ready.”On November 12th in Anaheim, California, Pierce and Bradley will throw down for the second time, but this one will be in the Octagon. “I have one goal and one particular agenda that night and that is to win,” declares Pierce, who not only wants to get back into the winning mix of the UFC welterweights, but he wants to stay undefeated against his former foe - “The Gentleman”.

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UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen is an authority on numerous topics including high-level grappling, being an Oregonian gangster, and the finer points of how to insult a Brazilian. His expertise on the latter recently came into play when asked for a response relating to rival Anderson Silva’s recent statements regarding Sonnen’s status as an undeserving top contender. However, rather than take aim at Silva’s background as the cause for his hesitation to step up to the challenge, Sonnen did quite the opposite and called into question the middleweight champion’s behavior as being an affront to certain principles rooted in Silva’s countrymen. Sonnen Believes he is MMA’s Most Respectful Competitor “Shocked,” Sonnen replied in an interview with FightHype when asked how he reacted to “The Spider” apparently opting to pass on a rematch in early 2012. “He comes from a fighting culture. I was blown away that he would insult his entire heritage like that. Behind the scenes I knew he was a coward, but in a million years I never thought he would show it publicly.” Silva has cited the fact he finished Sonnen at UFC 117, coupled with the outspoken 185er only having fought/won a single time since, as the reason behind his decision to focus on other potential opponents. An unexpected result of the beef between Sonnen and Silva has been a mild dose of fallout between the 36-year old title-holder and longtime manager Ed Soares. Sonnen spoke about the situation, siding with Soares, explaining, “I like Ed and he is very good at his job. He has protected a phony, got him paid and pushed more than anybody, and created a false legacy for a bum. Ed should be praised and copied, not fired. I have great management and I’m lucky to be with them, but if I wasn’t I would hire Ed…and I’m not kidding.” As far why Soares would want to manage Sonnen, the answer appears clear so long as you ask the trash-talking tyrant who made it clear a second go with Silva would be much more significant headliner for a Super Bowl Weekend event than Georges St. Pierre defending his welterweight belt against Nick Diaz. “I’m the biggest draw in the industry today,” Sonnen stated. “I sell more tickets, more PPVs, and more merchandise than any fighter in history. Comparing GSP to me is like comparing Kimbo (Slice) to (Muhammad) Ali.” Though Sonnen can clearly “talk the talk,” whether or not he walks the walk, as he has in bouts against Brian Stann, Nate Marquardt, Dan Miller, Yushin Okami, and Silva for the majority of their match-up before getting caught in a last minute submission, remains to be seen. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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This Saturday night Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren will face Season 4 tournament winner Jay Hieron. Both of these fighters have some serious wrestling credentials after success on the collegiate level, though there is no comparing Askren’s superiority on the mat – a point “Funky” himself is quick to point out. The curly-coiffed Askren recently elaborated on how dominant a performance he expects to have at Bellator 56 against Hieron, also explaining why he has a personal issue with the Xtreme Couture fighter’s demeanor as well. “I think this is going to be very one-sided,” Askren explained to MMAWeekly. Askren detailed his technical superiority, saying, “I think No. 1, for starters, I think he’s got cardio that’s not too great. I think we saw that in the Rick Hawn fight and even in the Brent Weedman fight. We saw Weedman win the third round. He definitely gets tired as the fight goes on and we’re in a five-round fight.” “Secondly, he’s got decent wrestling, but if I want to take him down, I’m going to take him down, and I want to take him down, so I will. That’s just a fact,” Askren continued. “Then No. 3, I don’t think he’s very good off his back and that makes for a really bad match-up for him.” Askren Wants Higher Level of Competition in Bellator Askren also expressed his feelings on Hieron’ attitude coming into the fight, stating, “I think what irks me the most is how arrogant he’s being after his last two decisions, which a good majority of people think could have both went against him. I’ve heard a fair amount of people say Bellator fixes fights because Jay Hieron won his last two fights, and yet he’s so arrogant and thinks he’s better than these guys, but he should just be thanking his lucky stars that he got both those decisions.” Based on his skill and dislike of Hieron, Askren also made it clear that he wants to finish his foe on Saturday night. “If I won two decisions that were that damn close, I’d be saying ‘You know what, I can’t let a fight be that close anymore.’ I’ve went to decisions, but if you watch all my fights, no one can debate who won the fight, it’s pretty stinking clear. That kind of rubs me the wrong way about him. When we fight, if I’m not able to finish him I’ll make it very, very clear who the winner is.” PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR Tweet

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Shocker! Kenny Florian has decided he still loves fighting. Eating like a Haitian? Not so much: “I didn’t get in this to be second-best, of course. But at the same time, not everybody can be a champion,” Florian said. “I’m just going to go back to 155, work my way up, take it one fight at a time and see where it puts me.“I think there’s exciting fights out there for me, there’s still challenges out there for me, there’s still things I’d like to try to improve on and that’s the main thing. I don’t necessarily have the title in my eyes, but I do have my own personal goals as far as the technical level that I want to get to.” Attaboy, Kenny! We're happy to hear he didn't pack it in just because he's used up all his low hanging title shot opportunities. And now that his freakshow run at 145 pounds is over, he can return to doing what he does best: finishing fights at 55! Even the prospect of having to listen to his brother Keith shrieking isn't enough to turn me off this great news. I've thought about it for a while and having the world's loudest, most obnoxious cornerman is just way too Boston to criticize.

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Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is a one of the biggest names in MMA history, as his battles in PRIDE are well-documented in the backlogs of the sport. However, since signing with the UFC, the man with the deadly leg kicks hasn’t been his old self. The 37-year-old, who will face Roy Nelson at UFC 137, is just 3-3 inside the Octagon, including back-to-back defeats at the hands of Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub. And when I say hands, I mean hands, as both Schaub and Mir have earned knockout victories over Filipovic. So, despite his name recognition and past successes, “Cro Cop” knows that his upcoming bout with Nelson is a do-or-die situation. “I must win this fight,” said Filipoic, in a recent interview with MMAFighting. “I will have to beat him, and I will do it. I trained six months for this fight. I will do it. Some people, many people, have buried me alive because I lost twice in a row. I just want to prove to everything that I’m still ‘Cro Cop’.” For the former PRIDE World Grand Prix open-weight champ, the feeling of victory extends past having his hand raised. And by going over a year without enjoying that feeling, Filipovic is ready to enjoy it once again. “I want to feel that feeling when the referee raises my hand. I want to take that shower – it’s a special moment for me, taking that shower after my victory, and I’m so happy,” Filipovic said. “I got back to the hotel and the next day, I’m so happy.” UFC 137 will take place October 29 from Las Vegas, Nevada with a main event featuring B.J. Penn against Nick Diaz with other match-ups on the card including Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo, Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran, and Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver. PHOTO CREDIT – FEG

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It should come as little surprise that one of the top female submission-grapplers on the planet is a Gracie. A highly-decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion with an eye on testing her wares inside a ring, Kyra Gracie is the first of the famed family’s girls to achieve blackbelt status and has done the legendary clan proud with not only her accomplishments on the mat but the way she’s carried herself off of it. The 26-year old Gracie recently took a trip to Singapore to share her knowledge at a seminar through Evolve MMA, as their gym in Rio de Janeiro hosts her usual training when home in Rio de Janeiro. Gracie was left with a very positive impression based on what she witnessed while in Singapore, saying, “I was really happy to see how Jiu-Jitsu is going all over the world and to be here in the biggest Jiu-Jitsu and US MMA academy in the whole of Asia. It’s a pleasure for me to be here. I had a lot of fun.” “I’m very impressed by the level here – that in a short period of time they’ve gotten so good,” she continued. “I want to come here to train – to have a training camp here – so I can learn some Muay Thai.” The latest stop on her ever-busy schedule comes as one of many relating to a life she’s dedicated to her love of BJJ, a quality instilled in her before she even knew how to say the words “Triangle Choke”. Gracie Wins 2011 ADCC Title “I’m a Gracie so when I was born I already had a Gi,” Gracie joked. “I started learning inside my house with all my uncles…my uncles Renzo, Ryan, and Ralph, we lived together…so it’s something that comes from my family.” “I love what I do,” Gracie concluded on the passion for her profession. “I love travelling, teaching. Jiu-Jitsu is part of my life. I fight for my family. I fight for my students. I fight to write my history. I fight to be motivation to little girls all over the world.” You can check out the full interview below: Tweet

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Despite two fast-paced, highly-competitive clashes already being in the books, Nam Phan has no plans to see if he and Leonard Garcia can deliver a third straight “Fight of the Night” performance even if their series is technically split at 1-1. The main point of contention in creating a “rubber match” between the two stems from the notion numerous individuals, including Dana White, actually felt Phan won their original offering last December and was simply robbed by the judges. In fact, White paid Phan a win bonus based on his disgust with the scorecards. Phan recently opened up on the topic of a trilogy where he elaborated on his readiness to move forward to a new challenge rather than re-hash things with Garcia again. “I don’t think there needs to be a third fight. I feel that I beat him twice already,” Phan explained in an interview with Sherdog Radio. However, while the 28-year old Californian may not be looking to fight Garcia again, he’s still open to following his bosses’ orders meaning he’d take the bout if asked to. Phan Proud to Represent his Region, Heritage “If the UFC wants to make it happen I don’t mind trying to get another ‘Fight of the Night’.” Also interesting, Phan levied some of the blame on Garcia’s struggles with consistency on his coaches at Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico, saying, “I think the way Leonard fights is also the trainer’s fault too. The trainer is supposed to train him to fight a certain way. If Leonard’s letting his emotions get the better of him, then he’s not getting trained that well. You can’t blame all of it on Leonard. The trainer has to take some fault for it too, but definitely if Leonard could keep his emotions together, he can do a lot better.” As for what’s next, Phan will likely see action again in the next few months given his ever-present willingness to step up when needed but until then he seems content to wait and see how things unfold. Though only 1-2 in the UFC so far since a stint on the Ultimate Fighter Season 12, Phan holds an overall record of 17-9 with twelve finishes including seven TKOs and five submissions. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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Four of the best welterweights in the world will collide at UFC 137, as champion Georges St-Pierre defends his title against Carlos Condit, and B.J. Penn welcomes former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz back to the Octagon. This card has been through several changes, as GSP was originally slated to meet Diaz. But, Diaz was removed after no-showing several press conferences and replaced by Condit. The UFC went ahead and placed Diaz against Penn, who was slated to face Condit. For Condit, he had no hesitation in accepting the change in opponent, especially with a shot at St-Pierre and the UFC gold on the line. “This is my dream. This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid,” Condit said. “I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.” St-Pierre has done everything asked of him since claiming the title, and says he will, “dictate the pace of the fight. We will fight my fight and I will take him out.” Heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione will also meet on the pay-per-view main card, which takes place October 29 from Las Vegas, Nevada’s Mandalay Bay Center. Mirko Filipovic and Roy Nelson, along with Hatsu Hioki and George Roop, round out the main card. Check out an extended preview of UFC 137 below:<

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Strikeforce recently announced a female featherweight title-fight between Cristiane Santos and Japanese grappler Hiroko Yamanaka, set to take place on December 17 in San Diego, California. Of course, “Cyborg” hasn’t fought since June 26 of last year when she dominated and defeated Jan Finney, finally ending the fight with a knee to the body that sealed the deal on the American’s night. However, since then Strikeforce has had difficulty finding another contender for ’Cyborg’. She has not dropped a fight since her first fight back in 2005, and hasn’t gone to a decision since her fight with Yoko Takahashi in October of 2008. Strikeforce Dropped the Ball on Handing of Santos’ Career The struggle to procure a contender has left the champion in a state of limbo with her spending the last few months training hard for a mystery opponent. When asked in a recent interview with TATAME, she talked about her progress, Santos responded, “I was training, but not that committed, but I tried to get better and better on striking, boxing, I fought World of Jiu-Jitsu…Each day I look for something to inspire me, so I become better and better. Now, for this fight, we’ll set a goal. Actually, I’ll start my diet, so I can’t train like I was doing. I’ll just get sharpened.” Yamanaka’s latest fight was a submission victory via armbar, over Mongolian fighter Esui at Jewels 15th Rings back in July. For the 32 year old JEWELS veteran, also known as ‘Cat’s Eye’, this will be the first time she has fought outside of her native Japan. After the announcement only a week or two ago, ‘Cyborg’ was asked what she knew about her upcoming opponent. She said, “I know she’s fought a lot (thirteen times), and I guess she won most of the times via points. She has been defeated only once, by a girl I’ve fought. I guess she’s a good opponent, a good fight.” While Santos may not know what’s to come after December 17 given the shaky nature of Strikeforce she at least knows who she’ll be facing at the event, and after such a long break from action that fact alone is no doubt good enough for her. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

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While the man he’ll be facing in a few weeks is only likely to show up on video while driving an SUV, former double-divisional champion BJ Penn has pulled back the curtain surrounding his life to give fans a glimpse of what he’s been up to while getting ready for his meeting Nick Diaz on October 29 in a co-headlining clash at UFC 137. Penn and sponsor RVCA recently put together a video titled The Road to UFC 137 featuring Penn’s preparation for the fight including comments involving Diaz serving as a replacement for the Hawaiian’s original opponent at the event, Carlos Condit. “I never want to pick a fight with the UFC but I’m really wondering what the hell is going on,” the 16-7-2 Penn explains when asked about his initial reaction to the news. “I’m in the middle of training camp. I’m up here in California training for the last 45 days, preparing for the fight, and they pulled a switch on me without even letting me know.” However, Penn continued on to say he spoke to Dana White later that evening and they smoothed everything out. You can watch the video in its entirety below: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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It’s not uncommon for a fighter to move down a division after enduring a rough patch as long as it’s physically possible. And, when UFC veteran Marcus Davis found himself in a similar situation after losing three of four fights between 2009-2010 he decided to do just that and cut to lightweight after spending most of his career at 170 pounds. Standing only 5’8” and in his late 30s, Davis thought the drop might inject new energy into his career and give him the size/strength advantage opponents seemed to enjoy against him. However, his decision ultimately had the opposite effect and, according to him, resulted in a life-threatening situation. Davis Hopes to Re-Invent Himself at 155 Pounds “It’s kind of scary to say this but that fight almost killed me, making that weight,” said Davis in an interview with MMAWeekly. “I had a really, really, really bad time and I still made the weight, but I’ll never ever be able to do that again.” The match-up in particular “The Irish Hand Grenade” is referring to is an April bout against Curtis Demarce under the MFC banner. While his first attempt at 155 pounds against Jeremy Stephens at UFC 125 was a success, other than in the contest’s end result, the process was far from smooth against Demarce. Davis went on to explain he gained more than fifty pounds between the related event and the following Monday, saying, “My body freaked out and thought that I might torture it again like that so it just held onto everything.” Things were so bad he even struggled to make the welterweight limit for a fight two months later. While he has since recovered fully the physical toll it took on his body is a process the 38-year old has no interest in risking again. “I honestly don’t think my body would allow me to do it, and if I did, I wouldn’t want to know what it could do to my health in the long run,” Davis stated, also adding, “I made a promise to my wife that I wasn’t going to do that again.” The 20-8 Davis will look to pick up his fourth consecutive win since parting ways with the UFC this weekend in Miami, Florida when he faces TUF 13 alumnus Chuck “Cold Steel” O’Neill at W-1: Reloaded. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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Now that Douglas Lima has improved his winning streak to eight with a pair of knockout wins in the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament his focus has turned towards fellow finalist Ben Saunders. “Killa B” has also finished both opponents he’s faced in the competition, most recently notching a third round submission victory over 50-7-1 Luis Santos. Lima recently spoke about his November meeting with Saunders and, while showing respect to certain aspects of the American Top Teamer’s game, explained he isn’t overly concerned with anything the UFC veteran brings in the ring. “I know Ben is a tough athlete. He’s slim, knows how to use his knees on the clinch, and also has a guard that is hard to break into, but nothing to be afraid of,” said Lima in a conversation with Tatame. The 23-year old Lima also assured fans he’ll be prepared no matter where the fight goes and expects to bring a title-shot with him back to Atlanta after the event’s conclusion. “Not only striking, but also the ground game,” revealed Lima of his training. “We’ve prepared ourselves to anything, I’m pretty confident to fight him standing up or on the ground. Nowadays we gotta be ready for everything. I really want to do a good fight…I’ll bring this GP title home for sure.” Lima and Saunders Advance to Tournament After Fantastic Finishes Lima holds have overall record of 20-4 with seventeen stoppages including eleven submissions and six TKOs. Among his past success are wins over Ryan Ford, Terry Martin, and most recently Chris Lozano at Bellator 53. PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR Tweet

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Former UFC light heavyweight title-holder Lyoto Machida is used to being the favorite whenever he steps into the ring. A 17-2 competitor, the Brazilian has beaten a number of apt adversaries and has a unique style often making him nearly impossible to hit cleanly. However, when it comes to his upcoming fight against current champion Jon Jones there’s no doubt the odds will be against “The Dragon” pulling out a win. While the situation may be new to Machida it’s certainly not one affecting him in a negative way. In fact, he actually plans to use it to his advantage. “The fight will be decided in the Octagon,” Machida explained in an interview with Sherdog. “Let him be the favorite. He’ll enter with the label of being a prodigy, but I’ll be stronger because of that. Since I’m the underdog, I will enter the fight even more motivated to show that I deserve to be here and to show why they offered me the chance.” That isn’t to say Machida is looking past the challenges “Bones” is sure to offer. In fact, he’s still unsure of exactly what it will take to beat the dynamic 205-pound champion even though he’s confident in his ability to do so. “It’s hard to say what the perfect style is to stop Jones,” said Machida on the subject. “I have a lot of trust in my skills against any fighter. I won’t change what people have seen, and I’d rather show them in the Octagon instead of talking about it beforehand. Jones wasn’t my problem until the UFC booked the fight. I’ll spend a lot of time studying him and find the best way to stop him. I know he’s versatile, but I have my own talents and know what it takes to win.” Machida may also have a secret weapon in his corner to assist in the task at hand – Anderson Silva. The 33-year old revealed he had already reached out to the pound-for-pound great in hopes “The Spider” might be able to fit it into his schedule though he’s not relying on Silva’s assistance. “I can’t count on that because he has so many obligations, and I respect that. He’s the biggest name in MMA. I would love to have him beside me for this camp and he will be welcomed if he joins us, but I don’t want to count on him and not have it happen.” Jones and Machida will meet on December 10 in Toronto as the main event of UFC 140. Other match-ups on the card include Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Canadians Mark Bocek, Mark Hominick, and Rory MacDonald are also booked for action at the show. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Shortly after UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar completed his comeback against Gray Maynard this past Saturday night, UFC President Dana White referred to the performance as something only seen in movies. However, White was wrong, and not because his heart wasn’t in the right place. Rather, because Hollywood hasn’t ever ended a trilogy on as brilliant a note. For the unlucky few who may not have tuned in, “The Answer” was hurt early by Maynard’s power much in the same way he was at UFC 125 but managed to hold on until the second round where he started mounting enough offense even things up on the scorecards entering the fourth frame. Then, with about a minute to go – the 59th total minute the duo had spent together in the Octagon over three bouts – Edgar dazed Maynard with an uppercut, sprung in, and finished him off with a number of well-placed strikes. Edgar reflected on his jaw-dropping performance at the post-event press conference for UFC 136 where he credited Maynard with keeping him supremely motivated and expressed a sense of relief at being able to put their rivalry behind him for the time being. “When you have an adversary like that it makes you bring the best out of yourself, so Gray definitely made me bring the best out of myself,” the 29-year old explained. “Obviously the first fight he won over me and the next one was a draw. I knew I’d closed the distance a little bit and I knew had to make the gap even bigger this time around so he forced me to be the best Frankie Edgar.” “Sometimes you get hit like that and you’re in survival mode,” Edgar continued. “I don’t think you really have a plan. I got the fight in me, you know? That’s what it is. You’re gonna hit me, rock me, and I’m gonna keep coming no matter what. I think the biggest thing for me was I listened to my corner. I really do think they helped me make the adjustments I needed to make so I could come back and win this fight.” Edgar Earns “Knockout of the Night” Honors at UFC 136 As far as the method of victory feeling particularly special after going having gone the distance in their previous two pairings, the 14-1-1 Edgar admitted the ending meant more to him than a decision might have. “I think it just put some closure on it. Obviously the last fight ended in a draw so we didn’t have a definitive winner. This one, I ended it with a bang and it’s good to go home and be done with it.” Up next for Edgar could be the winner of Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson (who meet on November 12 at the UFC on FOX event) or possibly Strikeforce’s lightweight title-holder Gilbert Melendez depending on how his current contract is handled. Regardless, Edgar will no doubt be ready to meet the next challenge head on to write another fantastic next chapter in the story of his already awe-inspiring career. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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25-year old featherweight champion Jose Aldo picked up the twentieth win of his career Saturday night though it’s hard to argue any of his past victories were any bigger. Facing Kenny Florian, a seasoned veteran with a high rate of success at 155-pounds, Aldo avoided trouble throughout while delivering enough damage of his own to walk away with a Unanimous Decision. Both men spoke to media after the show where they reflected on their UFC 136 performances and looked forward to what might on the horizon. “I had to pace (myself) a little bit in this fight,” Aldo explained in the post-event press conference. “I knew if I was too explosive that Kenny could end up beating me. So I had to really pace. I couldn’t be as explosive as I wanted to in the fight. Everybody was telling me to hold back so I kept it cool, studied the fight.” Aldo Says Fight with Florian is Moment of Truth When asked about the prospect of facing undefeated grappler Chad Mendes, an 11-0 competitor out of Team Alpha Male who most recently beat Rani Yahya in the Octagon this past August. “That’s really not up to me,” said Aldo of the potential match-up. “I think Chad’s a great fighter and I think he’s ready for it. I think it’s gonna be great. I’m here to fight the best, whoever they put in front of me.” As far as Florian, the mood of the Ultimate Fighter 1 alumnus was far more glum as might be expected after his third failed attempt at winning a UFC championship. “I wasn’t successful on the wrestling end of it. I think that was the difference and I made some mistakes out there – simple as that,” Florian stated frankly while remaining elusive about his future in MMA whether in regards to retirement, a return to the lightweight division, or another run at 145-pounds. “I haven’t really thought past this fight so we’ll see what happens,” the 14-7 Massachusetts native concluded. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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The world of professional wrestling was put on notice last night at UFC 136 when middleweight Chael Sonnen stepped up to the stick after submitting Brian Stann in the second round of their bout and cut one of the greatest “promos” in promotional history. Rather than focus on his performance against Stann, Sonnen issued a challenge to middleweight champion Anderson Silva demanding a rematch over Super Bowl Weekend with a unique stipulation – a win for Sonnen would result in Silva moving up to light heavyweight on a permanent basis while a loss to “The Spider” would force Sonnen to leave the UFC. Sonnen elaborated on his statements in a post-event interview with MMAFighting where he explained his reasoning. “Cause he’s a coward and I don’t think he’d accept,” Sonnen responded when asked why he had sought Silva’s departure from the middleweight division rather than the company as a whole. “And you’ve gotta play by a coward’s rules sometimes. I’m trying to lure him into a fight so I gotta stick that carrot out there – something that I think he’ll do.” According to Sonnen, who feels Silva will likely duck the fight after how close the Brazilian came to losing the first time, he even had more to say but was cut short by the short duration of his post-fight interview. “If Joe Rogan hadn’t taken the microphone out of my mouth I would have told him, ‘Anderson Silva I want your answer right now. If you accept I will wait till Super Bowl Weekend but if you reject I will walk over there right now and whip your ass in Houston, Texas!’” However, as much as Sonnen may detest Silva, he still had something complimentary to say in regards to the champ’s footwork. “I have seen Anderson dance and I will tell you, he’s got some pretty good moves. He’s a pretty good dancer, I’ll give him that. I caught him at a club one time dancing and was like, ‘You’re a pretty good dancer.’ He can move a little bit.” On a more serious note, Sonnen also made it clear as to what motivates him as a fighter and it doesn’t even relate to Silva specifically. “I do the best I can,” the 26-11-1 grappler began. “These guys are tough guys. Stann is no different. He hit me hard in the body. Man, it hurt. I can still feel it. All these guys are tough. There’s really nothing I can say. You go do these matches, you do the best you can, but I am not here to be one of ‘these guys’. I’ve got plenty of money and plenty of fame. I’m after twelve pounds of gold and that’s it.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: i ’m, silva, “ i, sonnen, bowl weekend

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Rather than keeping cool in the air conditioning over the summer, Gray Maynard found himself consumed by a fire sparked months earlier after his title-fight against Frank Edgar at UFC 125 was named a draw by ringside judges. Now, nine months later, Maynard will finally have a chance to unleash the flames he’s internalized since coming up a hair short. Earlier this week, Maynard spoke candidly about how the outcome has affected him and why he’s supremely motivated to prove he’s the better fighter between the two later tonight in the main event at UFC 136. “At that time, I felt like I wanted to do it again,” the Xtreme Couture original explained of the draw in a conversation with the UFC’s website. “Over and over….if I had to sign a contract that I had to go up against this guy 100 times to prove to everyone that I (could) beat this guy 100 times then I would have done that. I still feel that way. I want to fight him. I’m not tired of fighting him. I want to fight him. I want to prove to everyone that I can beat him.” “For me, I’m not trying to hold onto the fact that I beat him before,” Maynard continued. “I forget about that stuff. You can ask me who I beat and I will tell you to check for yourself because I don’t remember. But if you ask me who beat me – I’ll tell you when, the date, the time, who it was, his background – I’ll tell you everything about it. I just hate to lose. I hate draws. I hate everything but a win.” Maynard Going into UFC 136 Angry The 32-year old also made it clear he knows he was handed a gift in the form of an immediate rematch though not one he feels he didn’t necessarily deserve. “I feel like I’ve earned this. I didn’t try to back door it. I didn’t drop to my knees. I didn’t think this marketing plan will have me at 300,000 Twitter followers and that’s going to get me a title shot. I just asked for the best guys every fight until I had the opportunity. I felt like I won that. The judges say it was a draw – ok. But this dude hasn’t beaten me and he’s the champ. I don’t understand how I don’t get another shot at that. I don’t understand how it’s a question. Thank God they did. I think it was Dana who called and said it was mine and I think I told him I loved him and cried a little bit because that was awesome. He could have chose whoever he wanted to because that’s his job…he chose me and I appreciate that more than anything – it’s unreal.” If people wonder why Maynard is so passionate about the chance to eliminate the doubt surrounding the situation it has to do with the level of personal investment he’s put into being a great fighter. “I just want people to know that I really do put everything I have into this sport – into my dreams,” Maynard revealed. “Whether it is cash, time, I put it ahead of a lot of things – of everything. It isn’t a game to me; it’s my life and it’s who I am. You only have a couple times to achieve your dreams and I want to make the most of it. I feel that I’m the guy who can beat him. I feel like I’m the guy who can beat everyone. I’m not trying to say I’m the best or anything, but I put a plan and camp together and I feel like I have the edge in that aspect. I believe in myself.” At 10-0-1, and with a previous win over Edgar, it’s hard to question Maynard’s self-assurance. Then again, whether or not the same will ring true tomorrow morning remains to be seen. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, guy, “ i, maynard

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The injured light heavyweight contender responds to the news that Jon Jones will face Lyoto Machida at UFC 140.

Posted in: jon jones, “ i, rashad evans, lyoto machida, thing ”.

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Brian Stann has never been known as a trash-talker. A decorated Marine who is generally seen as one of MMA’s most respectful, highest-character athletes, the 31-year old middleweight rarely, if ever, has anything negative to say about his opponents. Stann has stayed true to form during the build towards this weekend’s match-up at UFC 136 with Chael Sonnen, often mentioning Sonnen’s outstanding technique and overall tenacity as a competitor. However, when asked recently about how his striking stacks up against Sonnen’s, the 11-3 Stann offered a frank assessment that in some circles might be seen as atypical of his normal behavior and viewed by others as another example of him genuinely voicing something be believes in his heart. “I feel that I’ll be the best prepared fighter he’s fought in quite some time,” Stann explained in an interview with the UFC’s website after stating he felt Sonnen had never actually lost a round other than those he’d been finished in. “I have gone into very uncomfortable positions, I’ve brought in the people I needed to bring in to learn how to compete in certain areas that he may try and put me in. And there’s the obvious biggest difference as well, in that I can knock Sonnen out with any punch.” Stann Unafraid of What Sonnen Has to Offer “If you watch my last two fights, I feel I have some of the best handspeed in the middleweight division, and I’m a lot stronger than those guys, physically stronger, so he’s gonna have to really work to get me to the mat and he’s gonna have to work the entire time to keep me on the mat,” the Jackson’s MMA team-member continued. “I’m not gonna lay there, close my guard and just hug him, hoping the ref is gonna stand us up. And I believe I can hit him harder from my back then he can hit me on top. And I’ll put my money where my mouth is on that.” Regardless of outcome, Stann appears content with simply having an opportunity to test himself against someone with Sonnen’s reputation and accomplishments, saying he didn’t even expect to draw an adversary of his ilk for another year. “The best part is, I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m the underdog coming into this fight and there’s zero pressure on me. I can fight a hundred miles an hour; he’s got to be concerned with the amount of pressure he’s put on himself. He’s the older fighter, he’s got to get back to a title fight…I feel a lot of these things are going to play into my favor and I know I’m gonna go out there and surprise a lot of people.” Fans can tune in to see Stann and Sonnen battle it out on the main card of UFC 136 starting at 9:00 PM EST. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC / VIDEO CREDIT – HEAVYMMA Tweet

Posted in: i ’m, “ i, chael sonnen, sonnen, stann

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September 17. 6am. It’s an ungodly hour for anyone to be up, but this was a special Saturday for Walel Watson, a fight day unlike any other. Later in the afternoon, his childhood friend Robert Peralta, who he had known since they were in seventh grade, was about to make his UFC debut against Mike Lullo. It was almost like Watson was fighting, and in a way he was, through his buddy.“It was so exciting,” said Watson. “I woke up so early that morning, and I was like ‘I can’t wait, I can’t wait.’” After three rounds in New Orleans, Peralta’s first UFC fight resulted in his first UFC victory as he decisioned Lullo. Back in Southern California, Watson, 8-2 in his own pro mixed martial arts career, waited for his turn to do the same thing, and Saturday in Washington, D.C., he’ll get his chance against Joseph Sandoval. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a better story.“I know he (Peralta) has been doing it a little bit longer than me and I knew what it meant for both of us,” said Watson. “He played football too and he kinda went through the same thing of not being that big and all that. So I know what it meant for both of us to be professional athletes and fight in the best show in the world.”A former wide receiver, cornerback and special teams returner in junior college, Watson always had ambitions of taking to the professional gridiron just like every kid who puts on the helmet and shoulder pads. And he was good. He just wasn’t big.“When I played football, because of the gear and everything and sweating every single day, I never weighed more than 142, 143 pounds, and I played junior college and semi-pro that way, being the smallest guy on the field all the time,” said the 5-foot-11 Watson. And when National Signing Day rolled around and the phone didn’t ring, he knew that his dreams of playing in the NFL were over.That’s when Peralta called his longtime friend.“He knew that I was very interested in fighting and he was just getting started at that time, so he said ‘come check this out, come to the garage. I got a surprise for you,’” recalled Watson. “That was it. He got me into training and we were just hooked after that. We never stopped training after that.”The year was 2008, and Watson and Peralta quickly outgrew the garage, where there weren’t any high-tech workout machines or amenities, but there were plenty of opportunities to prove whether you were cut out for getting punched in the face.“It really did make you tough because it was almost like a fight club,” said Watson. “We didn’t really have any rules and we didn’t have a training regimen. We’d just come in, put on some gloves and we’re all just smashing each other. (Laughs) At that point, me and Robert realized that we really wanted to pursue this and get serious with it, and that’s when we had to break off from the whole garage thing. But it really did make us tough. There were a lot of people getting choked out, knocked out and all kinds of crazy things.”Eventually winding up with different camps, Watson with Manolo Hernandez and Peralta with Xplode MMA, Johnny Hughes, and Jeff Clark, the two never lost touch with each other, texting or talking multiple times over the course of the week and even getting in some sparring time. Later in 2008, with Peralta already getting ready for his eighth pro fight, Watson made his debut with a submission loss to Enrique Cuellar. He wouldn’t return for another year, and when he did, finishing Peter Martinez in the second round, he was ready to make a run up the bantamweight ladder.“I don’t want to sound cocky, but I felt like from the moment I started that I could really be something at this,” said the 27-year old Watson. “I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve been a competitor my entire life and I’m used to trying to be the best at everything I’ve done, but right away, from the day I stepped in there, I felt like I could be the best in the world at what I do, especially in my weight class.”Earlier this year, the 8-2 Watson and the 14-3 Peralta got their calls to the big show. The subsequent phone call between the bantamweight and the featherweight went as you would expect.“The first person I thanked was him because he gave me my start,” said Watson. “He invited me out to the garage three years ago and was the one who put my foot in the door. We’re always giving positive reinforcement to each other or talking about our training and giving tips to each other. We’re really good friends, and we don’t let anything get between that.”Watson also gets some helpful hints from Strikeforce female contender Liz Carmouche, who has seen her share of the spotlight this year as well.“We’re a real tight-knit family and we’re all pretty grounded,” said Watson of his team in San Diego. “None of us ever get too big-headed, and just seeing the way she (Carmouche) handles it, she’s real humble and she’ll be in here helping out anyway she can in the gym at anytime, whether it’s helping me spar or wiping the mats down, and I’m the same exact way. I don’t think any of us will ever change who we are.”This weekend, things will change though, especially if he can turn back Sandoval and earn his first UFC win. And if you haven’t heard of Watson, a purple belt in jiu-jitsu who has finished all eight of his pro victories (seven by submission), he wants to make sure you know who he is on Sunday morning.“I’ve had a lot of guys overlook me,” said Watson. “I’ve rolled with brown and black belts and world champions, and I’ve tapped them out because they’ve overlooked me. They’re like ‘oh, this guy’s brand new, he can’t get me.’ But with my tenacity and my belief that I can get anything and beat anybody that’s in front of me, I’ve been able to tap some of the best out there.”Being a huge bantamweight at 5-11 doesn’t hurt his chances either. And unlike the late boxing star Diego Corrales, who starved his 6-0 frame down to 135 pounds, Watson has no difficulty getting to the bantamweight limit.“It worked against me in football, but it’s helping me for MMA,” said of his size. “I don’t weigh more than 149-150 pounds if I had pizza the night before. So to get down to 135 is very easy for me. I train five hours a day, so my weight’s always really low, I eat very clean, so when it’s time to cut the weight, it drops right off.”And as far as his height goes, “It gives me the advantage of being able to close the distance and it really helps my submissions. I can lock up submissions from some pretty strange angles because of my length and I have really good flexibility. So I pull off some strange things sometimes.”Sounds like a fighter to watch. But is he ready? We asked the same thing of Peralta and he did just fine. So Watson is confident that he will join his buddy in the winner’s circle.“I’m more than ready,” he said. “I feel blessed and I’m excited to show the world what I can do and what I can bring to the table.”

Posted in: ’t, “ i, thing, watson, peralta

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A lot has changed since June 22nd for Charlie Brenneman. That was the day that TJ Grant withdrew from their matchup at UFC on Versus 4 card. That meant no fight, a fight in which Brenneman would be fighting in front of his hometown crowd. But it did not take long for the tides to turn for Brenneman. As he puts it, “I felt fate was on my side.” Fate must also be from Pittsburgh, or at least a fan of the Spaniard’s hair. Just two days after his bout with Grant was called off of the Sunday card, Brenneman started to notice that fate was trying to show herself. “I was in the sauna on Friday*, actually sitting next to Nate Marquardt,” explained Brenneman. “My manager calls me and tells me that there is a slight chance I could be fighting Rick Story.  But I didn’t even know anything until the next day. About 45 minutes before weigh-ins, that’s when I get told I am in against Story.” *Brenneman had to still make weight in order to collect his purse, since Grant’s withdrawal was so close to the event. The next chapter is well known, as Brenneman went on to defeat Rick Story, in one of the biggest upsets in MMA this year. But to Brenneman, the win over Story is not that big of an upset. “As soon as I was put back on the card, it’s as almost as if I knew this was all going to happen,” explained Brenneman. “I knew all of this happened so I could go out there and put on a show in front of my hometown.” Now Brenneman hopes fate remains on his side, as he sets his sights on his next opponent, Anthony Johnson, whom he faces this Saturday at UFC on Versus 6. Johnson brings with him a reputation as a powerful hitter, but also one who struggles to make weight prior to fight day. Brenneman feels that is what he will be able to take advantage of. “Anthony Johnson is a giant welterweight,” said Brenneman. “He’s been suspect with his conditioning, and it remains to be seen whether he can last a full fifteen minutes.” If Brenneman is able to defeat Johnson, he is fully aware of the repercussions it will have on his career. Since his victory over Story, Brenneman has moved into the top 10 of many pundits’ rankings. But Brenneman does not put too much emphasis on those rankings, stating “Those rankings don’t really mean anything to me. The matchups are what are important. Johnson is a big name, someone who has been in the spotlight for quite a while. I know that a win over him would propel me in the right direction.” Brenneman is hoping that direction is adding another date, October 1st, to his already remarkable year. For complete coverage of UFC on Versus 6, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Posted in: day, johnson, “ i, story, brenneman

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- Cooking with Tim Kennedy: Crème Brûlée with flame torches (MiddleEasy)- Paul Daley Discusses His Desire to Return to the UFC (BleacherReport/MMA)- What Your Least Favorite Fighter Says About You (CagePotato)- The Ultimate Fighter 14 Recap: Episode 2 ‘Beware the Dorkness’ (MMAConvert)- Halfway Around the World, Roger Huerta Finds Himself (MMAFighting)- Vinny Magalhaes: “I don’t really know who Mikhail Zayats is… I had to Google him"

Posted in: “ i, bleacherreport /mma, mmaconvert )-, dorkness ’, … i

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A genuine icon of the Octagon, Chuck Liddell has kept active since retiring last year after being knocked out in the closing seconds of a fight against Rich Franklin he would have likely won had it continued. Not only has Liddell continued to pursue opportunities in the acting world but he’s kept a close eye on the day-to-day operations of the UFC as the company’s Vice President of Business Development. While specifics of his job have never been made available, a few things Liddell recently weighed-in on relating to the organization was the state of officiating and the UFC’s upcoming debut on network television. A Look Back at Liddell’s Storied Career “There are so many different ways to wins, so many different ways to do things…the way people are gonna see a fight (is different), but (it takes) education. You’ve got to educate the referees and the judges. Hopefully they do their homework and get better and better and don’t just sit out there and decide who is gonna win,” Liddell said to a group of reporters in a video from MMAFighting. As far as the November 12 UFC on FOX show, Liddell expressed clear excitement about the company he’s called home for a decade finally making it onto a network. “I think the FOX deal is great. It’s the next step for the sport. I’m very excited about it for all the guys,” Liddell explained before mentioning he wished it had happened a bit earlier for personal reasons. “Of course, I wish I was still in my prime and fighting, but I still love the sport and I love seeing it grow to this point.” In terms of coming back for one more match-up in the infamous eight-sided cage, Liddell ruled the possibility out as much as he might yearn to mix it up in the ring again. “I still want to fight. I still like fighting. But my reasons for my retirement stay the same and there’s nothing I can do about that. I’m happy doing what I’m doing promoting the sport…hopefully growing the sport I love.” Liddell retired from MMA after suffering a trio of consecutive knockout losses. However, for years he was one of the sport’s most dominant fighters, rendering a number of respected peers into goo with his precise, powerful striking. Among the twenty-one opponents Liddell has beaten are Wanderlei Silva, Renato Sobral, Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: i ’m, sport, “ i, chuck liddell, liddell

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When UFC middleweight Wanderlei Silva suffered a thirty-second knockout to Chris Leben this past July it seemed evident his fantastic fighting career is coming to a close, a notion supported by six losses in his last eight outings. As such, agreeing to a bout on short notice as he recently did in regards to a mid-November match-up with Cung Le at UFC 139 could be cause for concern and, as Silva recently revealed through the UFC’s YouTube page, even he wasn’t initially sure if it was the right decision to make. “I was in shock. But a good shock,” said the 35-year old of the text he got asking if he was interested in replacing an injured Vitor Belfort. “I was planning to fight again but I didn’t think it would be so fast. I was preparing to go back in February. I wasn’t sure right away. I was thinking if I needed more than eight weeks.” However, “The Axe Murderer” said he was already back in the gym training after a short break in July and is “very happy” even if the fight was originally a “great surprise”. “I was very sad after my last fight, with the results, but this fight cheered me up and I want to give a great performance for my fans,” Silva continued on the topic before turning to his actual opponent, Le. What’s Next for Silva After Knockout Loss to Leben? “(He) is a very good opponent. He has good Muay Thai. He is a good athlete. I think this will be a fight with a lot of movement. There will be legs flying everywhere. I will be training a lot of kicks. I’m gonna kick him a lot.” Given Le’s reputation for some of the sickest stand-up in MMA it’s clear fans can expect a scintillating showdown in San Jose on November 19. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, silva, “ i, lot

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Jon Jones' striking coach, Mike Winkeljohn, explains how Jon is progressing as a fighter and why Anderson Silva likely doesn't want a piece of Bones.

Posted in: jon, jon jones, anderson silva, “ i, mike winkeljohn

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The anecdotal first rule in real estate is “location, location, location”. The same can be said for being a professional UFC fighter because where one lives, what gym one goes to, and who one trains with has as great an effect on what happens in the Octagon as anything else. For The Ultimate Fighter season 12 finalist Michael Johnson, a change in camp showed immediate and marked improvement in his game, which helped earn “The Menace” his first victory in the UFC. As Johnson continues with this new camp, the lightweight division should expect a fast evolution for the wrestler with the dynamite hands. Johnson’s new home is an upstart gym with more than a couple recognizable names to the UFC faithful. “I am down at the Blackzilian camp in Florida with Rashad Evans, Anthony Johnson, Gesias ‘JZ’ Cavalcante, and the Villefort brothers,” states Johnson. The actual gym, which houses the Blackzilians is Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Florida. Evans began putting the team together after his storied departure from Jackson’s MMA and Grudge Training Center, and culled the rest of the talent through a familiar entity: their management. “We all have the same managers at Authentic Sports Management,” explains Johnson. “It was just kind of one of those things that ended up happening. I came down to help JZ get ready for a fight and I just fell in love with it down here and the situation they had. I decided to stay and give it a shot.”The 25-year old relocated from Missouri to South Florida earlier this year ahead of his bout with Edward Faaloloto at UFC Live in June. “Everything felt good for that fight and I came in a little bit more prepared and did what I had to do,” says Johnson, who was making his first appearance in the Octagon post-TUF and post his finale decision loss to Jonathan Brookins last December. “I felt really good going into that fight. With the layoff, I had plenty of time to work on the mistakes in my game that I made in the finale fight. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life after having a really long training camp and having some great coaches.”One coach’s work with Johnson was especially apparent in the bout with Faaloloto; that of Diogenes Assahida. The fight didn’t make it past the first round, as “The Menace” finished Faaloloto by TKO, but the fans got an eyeful prior to that with Johnson’s noticeably different Muay Thai standup. Assahida’s most famous student is none other than UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The similarities were obvious to even casual fans: continuously switching stances, fluid powerful punches right down the center, a tight clinch with knees, and a stoppage. More than anything, it showed Johnson is ready to learn and can soak up knowledge like a sponge.“For the Eddie fight, I was working with a great striking coach, Diogenes Assahida, and he showed me some real good skills,” said Johnson. “Now, I have a new striking coach from Holland named Henri Hooht. I love his style, the Dutch style of kickboxing. I'm evolving everyday with my standup. I'm tightening up my standup and I'm punching with a lot more power and speed. It's always good to have that wrestling background, but I want to go in there and decide fights on my feet. I love to stand and give the crowd a show to look at. That's what everyone wants to see and that's what I'm fitting to put on.”On October 1st at UFC Live, Johnson’s next challenger will be the undefeated English prospect, Paul “Sassangle” Sass. At first glance, the moniker may appear odd, but one look at the 23-year old’s record explains everything. In short, Sass is good at triangle chokes - really good. Out of Sass’ 11 wins, 10 are by submission and eight of those are triangles, including UFC 120’s “Submission of the Night”, which “Sassangle” tapped Canadian Mark Holst with at the end of the first round. Johnson has lost by the dreaded triangle choke before the UFC, but he believes he’s learned from those mistakes and is a whole new breed of fighter now.“I think it makes it easier for me because I only have one thing to worry about,” asserts Johnson. “I was beat by triangles earlier in my career when I was just getting started in pro fights a couple years ago. I made those changes where I would never get choked like that again. I would be winning the fight and then I'd end up getting triangle choked. I dedicated myself in the gym to really work on that. It's a huge difference now. If he caught me a couple years ago, when I was easily getting caught in triangles because I wasn't defending them the right way, then I could see this going his way. But I don't really see that happening in this fight.”At 10-5, Johnson has displayed heavy hands in his standup, but his original background is in wrestling, so if Sass gets the fight to the floor, he’s ready. “I definitely think my wrestling overpowers his jiu-jitsu,” affirms Johnson, who confidently believes he can best Sass in his area of expertise if the fight ends up there, and if it doesn’t, then Sass is in a world of trouble. “Regardless, if the fight goes to the ground and he's on his back and he's trying to throw submissions and he can't submit me, then he's losing. If he is standing on his feet with me then he's going to be losing in that aspect as well. I see he his strengths, but I think they are easily beatable if I stick to my gameplan.”In the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., Johnson will look to put his hands on the submission specialist, Sass, live on Versus. “Every time I step into the cage, I'm there to fight for the full 15 minutes with everything I can because I'm in this sport to be the champ and my goal is definitely trying to accomplish that in the next few years.” He’s certainly with the right camp, the right coaches, and the right teammates, as he’s got the Blackzilians to help him one day achieve that goal. “I feel extremely blessed to learn from this group of guys and it motivates me every day to go in there and work with those guys. They show me the level that I need to be at to accomplish my goals in the UFC. And come the fight, I will go in there and put everything on the line and put on a show for the fans and they will not be disappointed.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, johnson, “ i, sas

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History has provided countless examples of how two individuals slugging it out can solve a personal problem between the two. Mixed Martial Arts is no different with intense rivalries often crumbling into shared sportsmanship and mutual respect after the actual fight has concluded. In certain cases the conflict may be manufactured but in others it is very, very real. The latest example of this being the case took place last weekend at UFC 135 when light heavyweight champion Jon Jones successfully defended his belt against former title-holder Quinton Jackson. Though they may have feuded with each other during the build up to the bout with Jackson accusing Jones of spying on his camp being a prime example, in the end it appears they may have settled their differences and come away with a mutual admiration of each other. “Rampage” Says He Has No Respect for Jones “Jones, what the hell (were) you doing in the beginning of the first round,” Jackson asked with a smile on his face during a post-event press conference. “I thought you were trying to suck my toes or something.” Among the people laughing from the query was Jones, who chuckled while responding, “I didn’t want to get hit with one of your bombs, man! I know you hit haaard. So I was like, ‘Lemme stay low.’ It was kind of like James Toney vs. Randy Couture how Randy shot in low. I was like, ‘This is our James Toney. I’m not about to get left hooked.’” “And I was like, ‘What the hell is this kid doing,” Jackson chipped in. “I tried to knock his head off a couple of times.” “Speaking of funk, I thought I could smell your feet,” Jones playfully retorted. “Yeah, you had better watch out for that left foot. It’s got that fungus on there. I don’t know where it came from,” said Jackson with the entire room still laughing from the exchange. “Do not hit me with that gangrene,” Jones exclaimed. “Were you surprised by my wrestling though,” the Memphis native inquired. “It wasn’t bad. I shot one shot and you stuffed me nice. I was like whoa,” Jones answered. “That’s what she said,” Jackson quickly replied in homage to Michael Scott from The Office. It’s impossible to tell if Jones and Jackson will ever become more than simply professional acquaintances but if they do, at least based on the friendly-fallout from UFC 135, fans may want to keep a lookout for them opening for Joe Rogan’s act shortly thereafter. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: jone, jackson, “ i, ,” jackson, example

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For some fighters, suffering a loss after a solid run as remaining unbeaten could be disheartening. Add the unique situation of the bout being the biggest of your career, having a significant title on the line, and the defeat coming less than two minutes into the first round, and the effects might even be detrimental to a competitor’s confidence. However, UFC 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz is from average, and true to form his first and only stumble in the cage served a far more positive purpose than might normally be the case. “It sounds strange, but a March 2007 loss to Urijah Faber was the career turning point for me, and my impetus to work harder and truly become great at this sport,” Cruz wrote on his NBCSports blog. “That was the moment I knew I could get somewhere and be somebody as a Mixed Martial Artist. That loss made me never want to lose again.” “After that I fight I came to the realization that if I had the right coaching and worked on my grappling the way I needed to, I would only come back from that defeat a better fighter,” Cruz continued. “I now had lessons to learn from and I set my mind on using that defeat as the turning point. I was only going to shoot for greatness from that point on.” Cruz successfully defended his bantamweight belt against Faber in their rematch this past July at UFC 132, winning a Unanimous Decision after a solid showing against “The California Kid”. Faber vs. Cruz Caps Off Fantastic Night of Fights As satisfying as the victory was for Cruz it also was far from perfect in his mind, lighting yet another fire in his belly to keep getting better. “Sometimes you need to maintain a clear head in a fight and try to think in a calculated manner. Unfortunately, because of the type of fight we were involved in, and because it meant so much to me, I wasn’t able to do that against Faber. I wasn’t as composed as I normally am, and that probably created a few openings for him throughout the twenty-five minutes we shared.” Though certainly pleased with certain aspects of his performance, Cruz finished by revealing he is especially tough on himself but truly feels in his heart he is the division’s top dog. “I am my own biggest critic, and it’s taken years for me to believe in myself and reach a point where I feel I am the best in the world,” Cruz admitted. “I am harder on myself than anybody else ever could be. I needed that win over Faber to validate my claims and to prove to myself once and for all that I truly am the #1 bantamweight in the world.” His next title-defense will come this weekend when he faces Demetrious Johnson in the main event of UFC Live 6. The card also features Charlie Brenneman vs. Anthony Johnson, Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve, and Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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Kenny Florian is one of the many faces who helped the UFC reached the level that it’s at today. While most fans and pundits credit Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 or the trio of Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture, rarely do they mention Florian, who competed on The Ultimate Fighter 1 and made it to the finals, has fought in multiple weight classes, has fought for the lightweight title twice, has headlined SpikeTV and PPV events, and has done his part to educate MMA fans with appearances on MMA Live. On Saturday, October 8, Florian takes on top featherweight Jose Aldo for the featherweight title at UFC 136. So far in his WEC and UFC career, Aldo has looked unstoppable, but that doesn’t faze Florian. He’s been in the big fights before and he knows what he has to do to win. “I feel that I have the game and the style to give Jose a lot of problems.” Florian told Five Ounces of Pain in an exclusive interview. “I think I have more experience. As far as combining everything together, I think that’s the difference. That’s what it comes down to. It’s not one round of boxing, one round of jiu-jitsu, and one round of wrestling. I don’t like to say I do this or that better, I think I do everything well. “My goal is to be better every day and that’s something I feel like I’m doing. We’ll see if I can put it together on Oct 8. I’m feeling very confident, training has never been better, and it’s just going out there and fighting.” Putting it all together is something Florian has done in big fights. He holds victories over some of the best fighters in the sport, and is known for being a finisher. But when the pressure is on, he hasn’t always lived up to his skill. Following his UFC 118 loss to Gray Maynard, UFC president Dana White stated that, “Florian chokes in big fights.” The loss was one of many disappointing moments in Florian’s UFC career. He lost to Maynard in his hometown of Boston, was choked out by BJ Penn in his second crack at the UFC lightweight title, was out-wrestled by Sean Sherk in his first title shot, and was finished by Diego Sanchez in the Ultimate Fighter finals. But Florian didn’t mind Dana’s criticism, in fact, he took it was a compliment. “I took Dana saying I choke as a compliment because it means he expects more out of me. The reality is that I could have fought better though. I expect more out of myself. “Was it a case of me choking in big fights though? No,” said Florian. “Maynard was better that night.” Often confused for Ben Stiller, when asked whether or not he would like to re-arrange the actors face so people would stop telling him how much Little Fockers sucked, Florian laughed and commented, “I find the most humor in people who think they are saying it for the first time. It’s really not that original but I try to make them feel good about it.” He speaks multiple languages, he was a star soccer player in high school, and he could be working on Wall Street. Instead, Florian chose to be a fighter, and that’s all he wants to do, ending with, “What I do is train and fight. That’s what I love to do.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFCSimilar Posts: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard set for UFC 118 Report: Sanchez vs. Penn at UFC 74 (EXCLUSIVE) Kenny Florian defends his commentary during Barboza vs. Pearson Kenny Florian open to a rematch with Diego Sanchez Kenny Florian confirms match up with B.J. Penn at UFC 101 Tweetgovernment,politics news,politics news,politics

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Some people say a plan is just a list of things that don’t happen, but those some people are not nicknamed “The Barbarian”. At UFC 130, Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch had a plan and it was to dominate The Ultimate Fighter season 3 winner Kendall Grove with his size and strength. The plan was to make a statement in Boetsch’s debut at middleweight that there’s a new powerhouse to deal with in the division. That plan worked itself out to a “T”.“I felt like the fight was one-sided because I was able to implement my gameplan,” affirms Boetsch. “It sort of seemed like we were two different weight classes when I decided to close the distance on him and I was able to do it. I took his range away from him. He stung me with a couple jabs, but I was able to move right through them without much concern and get a hold of him and get the takedowns pretty much at will. My strength was certainly a factor in that fight and I'm looking to do the same in this upcoming fight.”In the midst of his second stint in the UFC, Boetsch decided to drop the 20 pounds from light heavyweight to middleweight to make a serious run in this new weight class. “I was more excited than anything else to see what I was actually capable of at middleweight,” says Boetsch who had previously gone 3-3 as a 205er in the Octagon and was well known for his might. “I certainly proved to myself I made the right decision in dropping weight. I felt a lot stronger, my speed had definitely increased from when I was at 205 and I felt in a lot better condition, so I'm glad I made the decision. I think in my first fight, I made a statement to everybody that I made the right choice.”The unanimous decision win over Grove in May was a resoundingly positive showing by Boetsch. He looked more than comfortable in all areas of the fight and kept his pressure and pace on Grove high for the three rounds. Most importantly, the former Division I wrestler from Lock Haven University’s takedowns looked as vicious as ever. “Guys who get in the cage with me should expect that if I get my hands on them that I'm going to return them to the mat fairly violently.” In many ways, Boetsch is new and improved at 185.“I move better,” he explains. “My submissions on the ground go together more smoothly. My wrestling and my scrambling is better. At light heavyweight sometimes, I was feeling like I was getting into my own way. That's not there anymore. I feel like everything is more smooth and fluid, and with that there's the speed and power. It makes me more dangerous.”The next fighter to challenge the svelter Boetsch will be TUF alum Nick “The Promise” Ring at UFC 135 in Denver, Colorado. It’s a classic paradoxical matchup of wrestlers where an irresistible force, the undefeated Ring, will meet the immovable object, “The Barbarian”, in the Octagon. Ring is coming off a most impressive performance against James Head at UFC 131, which he won by rear naked choke in the third. Ring was stumbled briefly in the first round, but commanded almost every other second of the fight, mostly with his superior ground game. “I think Nick's a very good fighter,” admits Boetsch. “He's strung 12 wins together and is undefeated. He's a tough guy and always comes in shape. He seems like he is mentally tough and I've seen him get hurt in fights and battle back and win. Whenever you see that, you know there is a lot going on inside the guy's head that he is mentally tough and willing to battle back. I'm preparing for a very tough fight. I'm expecting Nick to bring his ‘A’ game for 15 minutes. I'm preparing for a fight that is going to go the distance and will be fought at a hard, fast pace.”With that being said, the 30-year old plans to enter the cage to make another statement as a middleweight and not only provide Ring with his first loss, but do so like “The Barbarian”. “I want to finish Nick Ring and do it in a fashion that people are like 'wow, that was brutal',” asserts Boetsch, who has finished 11 of his 13 wins and is looking to add to that. “I want to finish him early: either knock him out or submit him. I want people to think ‘this Tim Boetsch guy took an undefeated fighter, a guy no one has been able to beat, and Tim finished him.’ I think this fight will further show people that I do belong at middleweight and that I can do a lot of damage at this weight class.”To prepare for this clash, Boetsch returned to the hallowed halls of AMC in Kirkland, Washington under the watchful eye of “The Wizard,” Matt Hume. “'I’ve had a great camp out there with a lot of really tough fighters, great sparring and Matt Hume in my corner gameplanning and pushing me harder to places I maybe didn't think I could go,” states Boetsch, who has been training religiously at AMC with Hume for the past three years and believes we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg of his UFC potential. “I'm only getting better at middleweight. This is only my second fight at middleweight, so my body is still adapting to the change. I'm still figuring out how to use my new tools that I've got here.”Generally speaking, the key to getting better at anything is about adding more resistance. The ability to overcome greater adversity. To defeat an even greater challenger than the last is the true mark of improvement. Boetsch’s debut at middleweight was against a well regarded opponent in Grove, who is 6’6” and a 13 fight Octagon veteran. Boetsch doesn’t have it an easier tangling with the unblemished record of Ring. But he is ratcheting up the competition level inside the cage, which means he is only pushing himself harder outside of it with the crew at AMC.“You have to go to where there are tough training partners,” states Boetsch. “That goes back to my college career in wrestling. There were schools that offered me scholarships and offered me to be the number one guy in the room and have a varsity spot. But you need to be in a room with guys that can beat you up and will push you to the next level and that's what Matt Hume and the entire AMC team provide out there. There's no such thing as an easy day of training, especially when we go spar. I expect to get my head ripped off a few times in there and that's what you need to get better. If you're in a room where you're just beating everyone up and not having to push, then you're not going to get better as a fighter. You need to have guys who are going to test you physically and mentally.”On September 24th, Boetsch wants to end Ring’s win streak and looks to start one of his own. “I had my debut at middleweight and I was successful and, now, I would like to string some wins together. That's where my mindset is at. I certainly don't think Nick Ring's going to stop me and I don't see anyone in the foreseeable future that is going to stop me. I'm very excited to get in there and prove to everybody I'm a contender at 185.”

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Tony Ferguson is a successful athlete. Actually, make that a “very” successful athlete. UFC fans know Ferguson best for being the most recent winner of The Ultimate Fighter at welterweight in June. And this wasn’t the first time Ferguson has been rewarded in a particular sport with accolades and a championship. He has enjoyed a long standing tradition with winning throughout high school, college, and, now, in the UFC. Ferguson’s dedication to winning in other sports is now entirely focused on his career in the Octagon and the competition better watch out because “El Cucuy”, aka the Spanish boogieman, is coming for them. “I'm an athlete,” states Ferguson. “I'm an all around athlete. I played football, baseball and I wrestled and I varsity lettered in all of them year after year. MMA is a sport and I'm glad to be an athlete in it. It's my passion. Wrestling was my passion and I've been wrestling since I was six. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm able to compete at a professional level, make some money, create my own niche, be able to express myself and be able to fall back on it when I want to teach it. MMA is the best thing that ever happened to me and then being employed by the UFC is the next. It's not going to stop here. I want to earn my right to fight for that belt. Winning that tournament took a lot of work, but it is just one of the steps and I'm willing to work harder to keep going in this. Rome wasn't built in a night.”The first stone laid in Ferguson’s UFC empire was winning the 13th season of TUF with a first round knockout victory over Ramsey Nijem. As if winning TUF wasn’t enough, Ferguson was also awarded “Knockout of the Night” honors. This capped off Ferguson’s clean sweep of finishing all of his opponents - Justin Edwards, Ryan McGillivray, and Chuck O’Neil - by KO/TKO in his stint on TUF. He was also Team Lesnar’s third pick, and following the show, Ferguson continued to train with Lesnar and his team, DeathClutch, to prepare for the finale. “That was probably the craziest six weeks of my life living in that house,” admits Ferguson. “Anything that could have happened happened and it was a life learning experience. I learned a lot about myself and I bettered myself. I got stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. When I was over at DeathClutch preparing for Ramsey, it just prepared me mentally to kick some butt. I'm here to win. I wasn't there to lose. When I was on the show I made friends, but I was there to win. It was a tournament and I'm used to tournaments because I'm a wrestler. The one thing about wrestling tournaments, you can look up your opponents, but it doesn't matter once you're out there and on the mat. Names don't matter. It's all about skills and talent and that's what I brought to the table.”Now, the 27-year old’s skills and talents are locked onto a new target and with that a new division. On September 24th at UFC 135 in Denver, Ferguson will drop to 155 and take on veteran Aaron Riley. The move to lightweight was made per the suggestion of UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, which Ferguson took, and he is ready for the challenges that await him, namely Riley. The Jackson’s MMA product has a 29-12-1 record and is coming off a decision win over Joe Brammer at UFC 114. “He's got a lot of good people he's working with, he's going to bring his A game, he's a well rounded fighter and I see him coming out striking and then trying to take me down kind of like how Ramsey did,” estimates Ferguson, who at 12-2 has a fraction of the fights Riley has, but has more than enough confidence in himself to make up for any lack of experience. “I know he's going to be game, but so am I. I'm bringing it 150% all the time every day, so he's going to have to worry about me. The UFC is the premier place for me to work and I'm going to be fighting here for years, so he's going to have to get through me if he wants to stick around.”The Grand Valley State University alum has competed at lightweight once before, which was in March 2010 against David Gardner. “I was more aggressive in that fight,” laughs Ferguson, who is already an offensive minded fighter with 11 of his 12 wins coming by stoppage (8 KO/TKO, 3 sub). “When I don't want to cut weight and I have to cut weight it makes me a little bit more aggressive. I was mentally more focused and zeroed in because I had to cut weight.”To prepare for his second fight in the Octagon, “El Cucuy” has been cutting his time between team DeathClutch in Alexandria, Minnesota and, his previous gym, Knuckleheadz Boxing in Ventura, California. In his four fights involving TUF, Ferguson showed off the hard work he had put in transforming himself from an NCAA division II national championship winner to a fearsome knockout puncher. Ferguson’s two gyms appear to be a perfect fit to continue that evolution as a wrestler with Marty Morgan (DeathClutch) and Joe "Hoss" Janik (Knuckleheadz). For good measure, Ferguson also does some training with Greg Nelson and the plethora of UFC stars at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. All this coaching, all this time training, and all this effort, it’s exactly what he wants to get stronger and better himself in the UFC. And, it’s always been this way for Ferguson - numerous sports and numerous coaches with an endless amount of practice. His success in sports is only matched by his drive to continue it. Ferguson is a determined machine, churning up time in dark gyms to put on stellar performances when the lights are on and it matters most.“I remember every single drill that every coach that I've ever had made us do, whether its footwork drills or pushups - it doesn't matter,” he explains. “I remember it in my head and I still utilize all of it. When I played football, I was a cornerback and we won state in 2000 and we played where the Detroit Lions play. I still wear my championship ring on my right hand. I wear my team national championship ring from Grande Valley State on my left. I succeeded in three sports: football, baseball and wrestling. That's what kept me out of trouble and kept me in school. I had to keep my GPA up to play and I had to practice if I was going to play. In mixed martial arts, I feel like if I'm not going to give 150% in there then I'm not going to invite my family to watch me fight because I'm going to go in there and get knocked out. That's why I put in my time to practice and I give my effort.”This Saturday, the up and comer is looking to begin his stay in the lightweight division with a win over Riley. “My opponents should fear me,” affirms Ferguson, who wants his winning of TUF to be a starting point for only greater victories to come in the Octagon. “I'm a shape-shifter in there and I adapt and evolve to exactly what is at hand. Once that cage door closes, my opponent has to deal with me. There's only one person in that cage that's going to save them and that's the ref.” And once that ref steps in, it’s another win for “El Cucuy”.

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