MMA-URLS

Brydon on MacDonald: Save the last fight

Jason MacDonald could get to finish his MMA career in Calgary whether he wins or loses Tuesday vs. Tom Lawlor (but we’re pulling for a win).

Posted in: brydon, jason, career, macdonald, mma career

For Danny Castillo, Move to UFC Forced Improvement

Danny Castillo’s UFC career is certainly off to a successful start.

Posted in: ufc, career, move, castillo, danny

At 265-pounds, there isn't anyone who's going to beat the 'invincible' Tim Sylvia

Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight titleholder Tim Sylvia is back in action on June 16, 2012, taking on one-time Bellator fighter Randy Smith at New England Fights (NEF) "Fight Night III" from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. And as Sylvia (30-7) approaches what he describes as "the last three or four years" of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, there's no place he'd rather fight than in front of his hometown fans in "Vacationland." Well, almost. "I am so stoked about this opportunity. Obviously, I'm towards the end of my career, I figure I got three or four more years left. Nothing better than to finish it up in front of my home crowd and my home state of Maine. I really don't care who is standing across from me. I have great trainers around me and I'm doing the right things. I think at 265 (pounds) I'm pretty much invincible, as long as I go out there and perform the way I know I can, the way I've trained to. There isn't anybody who's gonna beat me." After a failed bid to get back into the UFC earlier this year, despite winning six of his last seven fights (with five finishes), "The Maine-iac" returned to his roots, scaring up a fellow hard-hitting heavyweight for his June return. Hear Sylvia break down his upcoming fight, as well as detail his struggle of returning to prominence, after the jump. Alright fight fans, you've seen the video. What are your thoughts on Tim Sylvia as he competes in the twilight of his career?

Posted in: fight, career, sylvia, tim sylvia, lewiston maine

Randy Couture talks testosterone: 'Sometimes athletes go too far'

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hall of famer Randy Couture knows a thing or two about fighting mixed martial artists -- as well as Father Time. The 40-something "Natural," who held championship titles across two different weight classes, retired last year after having his teeth knocked out by 205-pound "Dragon" Lyoto Machida. His fighting body could no longer keep pace with his fighting spirit. The good news for Couture is that he's been able to parlay his combat sports career into other money-making opportunities, including acting and cageside commentating. He'll next star in Sylvester Stallone's "Expendables 2" later this year. But what about fighters who don't have a second career to fall back on? Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) has been able to prolong the careers of select fighters, like aging wrestler Dan Henderson, but Couture also acknowledges that sometimes athletes can "go too far" with it. Those comments (via MMA Frenzy) after the jump. "There is such fine line with all of the anti-aging stuff that’s out there now. TRT is generally something a guy does in their 40’s and 50’s when their natural production of testosterone drops off. There are other natural ways to boost your own body’s production without replacing it and it’s safer as well, but it still should be under the care of a physician. It’s a very fine and a very personal thing and there is no easy answer. An athlete is using his body to earn a living and entertain the fans, they want to get the most out of themselves, but sometimes they go too far with it." Testosterone is in the news (again) following Alistair Overeem's mishap heading into UFC 146. "Demolition Man" blew up the UFC 146 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card for May 26, 2012 after failing a surprise pre-fight drug test. While the former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 champ blamed his elevated testosterone on anti-inflammatory meds, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) still denied him a license to fight for nine months. Prior to that, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson raised a few eyebrows with his admission that he was receiving testosterone injections to help repair a bum knee prior to his UFC 144 fight in Japan. And let's not forget about the Chael Sonnen debacle. TRT is here to stay and Couture insists "there is no easy answer" for keeping a level playing field. Unless someone out there in MMA land has one? Let's hear it ...

Posted in: ufc, fight, career, testosterone, trt

UFC 145 results: Meditations on Relative Importance Disparity in McDonald vs Torrres and Yagin vs Hominick

Since getting into the murky business of fight previews over the past decade-plus, I've learned how much I don't know. Mainly that there are endless factors to mitigate against feeling confident in most picks. But a consistent factor in recent years, and one that's probably moved to the top of the list, is what I call the Relative Importance DisparityTM. That's when a match-up shines as a potential career-defining moment for one guy while being a relatively ho-hum assignment for the star he's looking to knock off. A career-boosting opportunity was what was presented before Michael McDonald and Eddie Yagin at UFC 145 last night (Sat., April 21, 2012) in Atlanta, Georgia, and in beating Miguel Torres and Mark Hominick, respectively, they reinforced the validity of factoring RIDTM into pre-fight analysis. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that the big-name fighter in this equation is coming in overconfident and under prepared. He's usually not. But it's incredibly hard to raise your game to its highest level every time out, especially in a career where you've had ups and down aplenty and the guy you're fighting is just another opponent. Whereas for the fighter looking to either take a huge jump in the rankings with a signature win (as McDonald did with his brutal knockout of Torres), or wipe the slate clean (as Yagin did beating Hominick in a "Fight of the Night" performance after losing his UFC debut), that's a huge incentive with no substitute. I've applied RIDTM to plenty of recent bouts and it holds up very well as a mechanism for making informed picks, even though in my case they aren't always ones I've made. Nick Diaz beat B.J. Penn like a drum, in a fight that fit the RIDTM definition perfectly (and one in which I picked Diaz to win handily). I didn't pick Ryan Bader over Quinton Jackson, however, which ushers in another element that further reinforces RIDTM: over the timeline of a long career, a fighter gets plenty of experience, along with injuries, hassles in his management and/or personal life, and a general burgeoning dissatisfaction with the game itself. Jackson's weight problems were also a product of a long career and the mileage accrued from big jumps in poundage and training itself, which he is no fan of. You could also cite examples like Johnny Hendricks vs. Jon Fitch and Jake Ellenberger vs. Jake Shields. Yes, Fitch and Shields got caught and Shields was dealing with the tragic loss of his father coming into the bout, but both cases were serious letdowns from two fighters that were among the most durable and consistent in the game leading into those shocking losses. And both happened against young, motivated guys who knew they could score a huge win if they brought their "A" game, which Hendricks and Ellenberger certainly did. Shields and Fitch were "caught" in the sense that happens often in MMA, yet against Georges St. Pierre, both went five rounds, precisely because they were so keyed-up to avoid getting caught and were in the fight of their lives, one that could have altered their career trajectory considerably. Being a fighter is a lot like being married; very few people go into it with the same optimism and expectations they have several years down the road, unless you're very fortunate. I'm not sure a Ryan Bader would ever beat a 100-percent Quinton Jackson, but that's not Bader's fault. Someday, over a long enough timeline, he'll lose to a guy that couldn't have shined his shoes in his prime, either. That's why in coming fights, it's always a good move to see where one guy is in his career, what opportunities he's had and lost, and where the other guy stands. If it's the fight of his life on one end, and something that's just another day at the office at the other, you might have a betting tip on your hands. That was certainly the case the night of UFC 145, and, I suspect, will be so for many evenings to come. Jason Probst can be reached at twitter.com/jasonprobst or Jason@jasonprobst.com

Posted in: fight, guy, fighter, career, that

Fedor Emelianenko paired with Pedro Rizzo for summer scrap

As had been reported before, Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko will indeed go for his third straight win since dropping a trio of tilts under the Strikeforce banner when he takes to the ring on June 21 for a fight in front of his fellow countrymen. Now “The Last Emperor” has an opponent for the bout – Pedro Rizzo. Rizzo’s involvement was announced earlier today on Twitter by M-1 Global executive Evgeni Kogan (whose company manages Emelianenko’s career). Kogan also confirmed the show will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia as expected. UFC Still Denying Interest in Signing Emelianenko “The Rock” has come out with his hand raised in three consecutive clashes including wins over Ken Shamrock and Jeff Monson. However, the 19-9 striker hasn’t fought in nearly two years while focusing on his work as a trainer/humanitarian in Brazil. Other wins in Rizzo’s career include those over Ricco Rodriguez, Andrei Arlovski, and Josh Barnett. Comparably, Emelianenko is 33-4 in his career with a number of impressive victories to his credit as well such as success against Monson, Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Mirko Filipovic, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. PHOTO CREDIT – M-1 GLOBAL Tweet

Posted in: career, rizzo, emelianenko, ken shamrock, emperor ”

The Real Jon Jones: Road to the Top, Part Three

A more insightful look into the career of Jon "Bones" Jones, including the possibility of him becoming the Greatest Fighter of all time and what it would take for that to become a reality.

Posted in: jon, jone, fighter, career, possibility

Gina Carano not officially retired, but Strikeforce return looks bleak

Gina Carano recently answered the biggest question concerning her MMA career, but it does not seem that fans should get excited to see her fight anytime soon. Her newfound success in the film industry is seeming to reduce Gina Carano's urge to get back into the cage. When asked if she has made an official announcement on her fighting career, she stated the following in an interview on craveonline.com: “No, I haven’t. I think it’s really nice for me to get into this new career. I know I

Posted in: career, gina carano, carano, gina, strikeforce return

Read the full article at Low Kick

Bellator Veteran Raphael Davis Arrested for Insurance Fraud

Raphael Davis isn't the first public service employee to moonlight as a professional fighter, but if news reports out of Los Angeles are to be believed, he certainly went about his second career in a unique way. According to multiple news outlets, the pro mixed martial artist was arrested on Tuesday and charged with four felony counts of insurance fraud. Why? Prosecutors say that he filed for worker's compensation insurance between December 2008 and May 2011. So while he apparently claimed he was not healthy enough to work at his L.A. fire department job, his fight career was inexplicably reaching its peak with multiple appearances for Bellator and M-1 Global. Davis, who was arrested at his home and being held on bail, could face up to five years in prison. The 35-year-old has a 12-2 all-time record, with notable wins over Vinny Magalhaes, Emanuel Newton and Tony Lopez. Even if prosecutors prove the charges and Davis is found guilty, the state comes off looking bad to some degree. That would mean that somehow, Davis managed to continue his MMA career undetected for 2 1/2 years while appearing multiple times on television during that span. He fought seven times during that period, going 6-1. Davis wasn't exactly trying to hide his fight career either. He has a Twitter page in which he describes himself as "Currently one of Bellator's Light Heavyweight fighters," and he's done multiple interviews during that time. District attorney's office spokeswoman Jane Robinson declined to offer LA Weekly any added details on the case, including what condition necessitated his worker's compensation claim. Davis had not been scheduled to fight during Bellator's current sixth season, but was still under contract to the promotion leading into it, taking part in a January trip to Universal Studios in Florida to shoot promotional photos and videos.

Posted in: bellator, time, career, davi, fight career

MFC 33: Edwin 'Bam Bam' Dewees returns to face Luke Harris on May 4 in Edmonton

A new bout featuring a pair of high-profile names has slid into position on the main card of the Maximum Fighting Championship's MFC 33: Collision Course lineup. Meeting at a catchweight of 195 pounds, veteran Edwin "Bam Bam" Dewees (37-15) will clash with submission specialist Luke Harris (8-1) in a featured matchup that will be part of the HDNet Fights live broadcast on Friday, May 4 from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The televised card, topped by the MFC welterweight title fight between Ryan "The Kid" McGillivray and Nathan "Soul Force" Coy, kicks off at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation). The Dewees/Harris matchup will take the spot vacated by the postponed contest pitting Dwayne Lewis against Aron Lofton. That rematch has been shelved due to Lewis sustaining a hand injury in training. Dewees, who hails from Phoenix, Arizona, has collected 30 submission wins over his career, and will make his organizational and 2012 debut at MFC 33. The 29-year-old has fought a who's who of big-name competition throughout his career including such notables as former MFC middleweight champion Patrick Cote, Rich Franklin, Chris Leben, and Frank Trigg. Dewees, who fought three times in 2011, is a former reality show standout alongside Cote, Matt Serra, and Jorge Rivera. Harris returns to the MFC looking to avenge the only loss of his career, suffered back at MFC 13 via a first-round TKO loss to Brad Zazulak. The 34-year-old, who will have plenty of home town support fighting in Edmonton, has not lost since his pro debut and already has two victories under his belt in 2012. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Harris's wins have all come inside the opening round, and he holds first-minute victories over veterans Elliot Duff and Dan Chambers. Tickets for MFC 33: Collision Course are going fast and are available exclusively through the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024.

Posted in: edmonton, career, mfc, harri, dewee

Alessio gives fans scare, still eyes UFC

John (The Natural) Alessio made an announcement on Facebook and Twitter Sunday regarding his MMA career.

Posted in: announcement, career, eye, alessio, twitter sunday

Rashad Evans: “Fighting is not just about fighting – it’s about life.”

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans has dealt with plenty of adversity throughout his career. Often criticized for his antics inside and outside of the cage, Evans understands exactly with friend and occasional training partner Muhammed Lawal is going through at the moment after being released by Strikeforce on top of a nine-month suspension for steroid use. “I think that everything happens for a reason. I’ve been in a situation where I had to ride out a dark cloud a little bit in my career. I think Mo’s just going to have to ride the dark cloud in his career. I went about a 14-month period of not having a fight and just riding out some of the waves in my life, and that happens,” explained Evans in an interview with MMAFighting. “Fighting is not just about fighting — it’s about life,” the 32-year old continued. “Sometimes you have those ups and downs in life, just like in your career. But as long as you keep your mind right and on what you really want, and you stay hungry, then you’ll prevail and make it through the storm.” Evans will certainly be pulling for Lawal will come out on top in the end, growing from the experience rather than letting it diminish his drive. “I feel bad for him. He’s a champion at heart, and I’m sure he’ll find a way to make it back to (Strikeforce) or find a way to make it in another organization as a top guy,” concluded Evans on the topic. Lawal will be out until September based on his suspension though it is unknown when he will actually fight again after losing 30 pounds due to a serious staph infection that could’ve been fatal. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: life, career, evan, career i, life ”

Don Frye Reflects on Long Career

Don Frye debuted in the UFC in February 1996.

Posted in: ufc, career, february, frye

Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller Puts His Career On The Line Against C.B. Dollaway At UFC 146

Jason “Mayhem” Miller knows that his appearances on television have helped get him to where he is at today. However, that doesn’t mean Miller takes his fighting skills any less seriously than the next guy. When “Mayhem” steps inside the Octagon in May to face C.B. Dollaway at UFC 146, he knows that his fighting career could hang in the balance. In fact, Miller seems to be putting that pressure on himself regardless of what others thing, as he told MMA Uncensored Live Thursday night. I’m on my own chopping block. If I lose to him, I’m quitting! I don’t even deserve to be in there! There’s not an easy fight. In the UFC, there’s no easy fight. He doesn’t deserve to be in there with me, and I’ll prove it. We’re both in a similar spot in our career I guess. We’re both on the chopping block. That’s fine. I’m really happy with that. Miller last fought late in 2011, falling to Michael Bisping. The two were coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, but Miller was unable to stay with the Brit after the first round. In Dollaway, the host of MTV’s Bully Beatdown will be going against another tireless worker who has excellent conditioning. Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog

Posted in: miller, career, michael bisping, career i, others thing

Alistair Overeem Facing Biggest Challenge of His Career (UFC 146 Video)

Alistair Overeem, after sending Brock Lesnar into retirement at UFC 141, is stepping into what he considers the biggest fight of his career at UFC 146, when he faces UFC champion Junior dos Santos.

Posted in: ufc, alistair overeem, brock lesnar, career, ufc champion

Tatsuya Kawajiri Looks to Continue Featherweight Domination Against Donald Sanchez at One FC: War of the Lions

If you have watched Japanese MMA within the past ten years, there is a very good chance that you know Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri, and that you know him well. Kawajiri was long seen as one of the top Lightweights in the world before dropping to Featherweight last year. Kawajiri makes his One FC debut at One FC: War of the Lions, in one of One FC’s most exciting debuts to date, a product of an agreement between One FC and DREAM. The only problem for Kawajiri is that he’ll be stepping into the ring with a very competent Donald Sanchez who is looking for a big win himself. Kawajiri is a veteran in every sense of the word, his career dating back to 2000 when he stepped into a SHOOTO ring for the first time. Since then his career has spanned from SHOOTO to PRIDE to DREAM, even a trip to America to challenge Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez. When talking starpower in Japan, Kawajiri has it, one of the best known Japanese MMA fighters of this generation who has seen a lot of success. His move to Featherweight came after his loss to Gilbert Melendez, and realizing that Melendez was bigger than him, and to compete with the big international names, weight-cutting was necessary to be competitive. As a Featherweight, Kawajiri is an impressive 2-0, with wins against Joachim Hansen and Kazuyuki Miyata, two incredibly formidable opponents. Kawajiri the Featherweight making his debut for One FC is exciting in many ways, because for Kawajiri it marks only the second time in a thirty nine fight career where Kawajiri has left Japan to fight. It also shows One FC thinking to the future by booking Kawajiri, a rare example of a Japanese fighter looking to become a name internationally and utilizing weight-cutting like so many of the top name American fighters do. Crusher Kawajiri is looking to evolve as a fighter, and he is choosing One FC to be where he continues that growth. His opponent, though, is no slouch at all. Donald Sanchez of the United States is the current kingpin in regional promotion King of the Cage’s Bantamweight (145lbs) division. Sanchez has held that Bantamweight Championship twice now, with him being the current, reigning champion. Sanchez has fought in many promotions as well and taken on all comers, fighting in Bellator, MFC, SHOOTO and King of the Cage. There are even some parallels with Kawajiri, such as only fighting away from home once in his career so far and formerly fighting up in weight before dropping to Featherweight. For Sanchez, this is the biggest fight of his career without a doubt. Sanchez will actually be a unique challenge for Kawajiri, coming from a wrestling background, with Kawajiri being a competent wrestler, but has struggled against American wrestlers, as we saw against Melendez and Eddie Alvarez. For Sanchez, a win over Kawajiri at One FC could help him achieve international acclaim for the first time in his seven-year career. It could also help him break a bit of a curse that he has going for him, where the last two promotions he debuted in, he suffered a loss; once in Bellator to Johnny Eduardo and once in SHOOTO to current UFC-fighter Hatsu Hioki. Both fighters will look to make a splash in One FC at One FC: War of the Lions on March 31st in Singapore. To many, the scales are tipped in the direction of Tatsuya Kawajiri, but for Donald Sanchez, this is a huge opportunity that doesn’t always knock twice.

Posted in: kawajiri, career, sanchez, fc, donald sanchez

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer Likely for UFC on FX 3

With UFC on FX 4 quickly filling up, the UFC is making sure not to leave UFC on FX 3 in the dust. According to a video posted by Fight Church Las Vegas, welterweights Mike Pyle and Josh Neer could be matched up against one another at the event, which will take place on June 8th at a city and venue to be announced. Pyle (22-8-1) mentioned the possible matchup at the end of video posted below. “Quicksand” last fought at UFC 142 in Brazil, defeating Brazilian native Ricardo Funch in the first round via TKO. This returned Pyle to the win column after suffering a setback against Rory MacDonald at UFC 133 in August. The 36 year old is enjoying the most successful period of his career, having signed with the UFC at 33, nearly ten years after his first career fight (a loss against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson). The former WEC welterweight champion is 5-3 during his UFC career, which includes wins over John Hathaway and Ricardo Almeida. He will be facing off against another longtime veteran of the sport, Josh Neer (33-10-1). “The Dentist” last fought at UFC on FX 1 in January, defeating Duane Ludwig via guillotine. Now in his fourth career stint in the UFC, Neer is 2-0 in his return to the organization. With wins over notable names such as Melvin Guillard, Joe Stevenson, and Mac Danzig, Neer is hoping the fourth time is the charm for him and his UFC title hopes. UFC on FX 3 will feature the rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson in the first round of the UFC flyweight tournament. The event will take place on June 8th at a soon to be named city and venue. For complete coverage of UFC on FX 3, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com Pyle mentions the matchup at the end of the video below:

Posted in: ufc, fx, career, neer, pyle

Mike Pierce-Carlos Eduardo Rocha headed for UFC on FX 3

The UFC has added a bout between welterweights Mike Pierce and Carlos Eduardo Rocha to the UFC on FX 3 lineup. The card is expected to take place on June 8, though no location or venue have been announced. Pierce, who holds an overall record of 13-5, is 5-3 during his UFC career including a February loss to Josh Koscheck. After coming up barely short on the scorecards Pierce went on the attack through Twitter against Brazilians while pushing for one as his next opponent. In Rocha, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt that is 9-1 in his career, Pierce will be getting his wish. He has gone 1-1 in his UFC career, defeating Kris McCray before losing a Split Decision to Jake Ellenberger. MMAJunkie was able to confirm the bout’s destination after Rocha mentioned the match-up on his Facebook account. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, ufc career, career, rocha, kris mccray

American Top Team mining NCAA wrestling for talent ()

Though most of the people who set attendance records at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships in St. Louis last week were fans, at least one attendee was there to look for up-and-coming talent. Ricardo Liborio, the leader of American Top Team in Florida, headed to Missouri to find the best athletes who want to make the transition from wrestling to MMA. Cagewriter spoke to Liborio, who has worked with such fighters as Thiago Alves and Tyron Woodley, about why he is looking to wrestling to find his next great star. "The endpoint is to recruit guys who are done with their careers as a wrestler. Probably senior guys who want to start their MMA career. Some guys are not making it through their careers, the guys who couldn't make the Olympic team. And, we're open. I have some offers for athletes, depending on their caliber of what they can bring to the table. Guys like Bubba [Jenkins], we're recruiting, we're negotiating, and we're willing to invest in them. We're building them from the ground up," Liborio said. He said he's been looking to wrestlers for years, but attended the NCAA championships for the first time last year. There, he watched Arizona State's Bubba Jenkins win a national title. Not long after, Jenkins joined ATT, where he's won both of his fights with a submission.

Posted in: guy, career, jenkin, ncaa, liborio

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

Kraniotakes intent on finishing Hayes in Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 title bout

With 13 finishes in 13 career wins, Andreas Kraniotakes is all about the stoppage win. With all four of his career losses coming by way of decision, Mike Hayes isn't exactly familiar with stopping short of the final bell. "I have 13 wins in my career, and all of those wins came by way of submission or knockout," Kraniotakes told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "He's a guy that refuses to get finished. That's an interesting problem to solve, and that's what I'm trying to do."

Posted in: career, career losses, bell i, knockout kraniotakes, kraniotakes intent

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

After early career struggles, Bellator's Brian Rogers now on the right track

For Bellator middleweight Brian Rogers, the fact that there's a loss on his recent record is certainly disappointing. But that loss, a second-round TKO at the hands of season-five tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko, can't compare to the feeling Rogers had earlier in his career. After going 4-1 as an amateur, he went 1-2 in his first three pro fights, skirting dangerously close to "can" territory.

Posted in: career, roger, secondround tko, right track, feeling rogers

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow Scheduled for UFC’s Return to Brazil

The trend of heavyweight matchups continues, as yet another matchup has been put together, with Fabricio Werdum expected to take on Mike Russow at the UFC’s next event in Brazil. The event, which is likely going to be UFC 147, is expected to take place at a yet-to-be announced venue in Sao Paulo. The matchup was first announced by MMAFighting.com Werdum (15-5-1) was successful in his return to the UFC, defeating Roy Nelson via unanimous decision at UFC 143 in February. Werdum also fought in the UFC in 2007-2008, going 2-2 in four fights. He then moved on to Strikeforce, where he earned the biggest win of his career, defeating Fedor Emelianenko. After losing to Alistair Overeem in the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Werdum signed with the UFC. This will be his first fight in Brazil since 2004, before he began fighting for Pride in Japan. Russow (15-1-1) is fellow Pride veteran. His one career loss actually took place in his one career fight in Pride, where he lost to Sergei Kharitonov. Since joining the UFC in August 2009, Russow is 4-0, with wins over Todd Duffee and John-Olav Einemo, amongst others. He scored the biggest win of his career with the win over Einemo, a unanimous decision at UFC on Fox 2 in January. This will be the first year he has fought under the UFC banner twice in one year, as he as averaged just one fight over the last three years. The event, which is expected to take place on June 16th, is expected to be headlined by the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. It will also feature another rematch, a matchup between the two head coaches of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil- Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. For complete coverage of UFC 147, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, career, brazil, werdum, matchup

ONE FC 3: Fabricio 'Pitbull' Monteiro looking to finish Yuya Shirai on March 31

At one stage in his career, Fabricio Monteiro looked set for stardom winning all of his first ten fights, eight of them via stoppage, to establish himself as one of the most exciting prospects in Brazil. He won the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Mundials World Championships when he was a blue belt and also won plenty of fans in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world because he always looks for the knockout despite having a skill set which would be suited to a more methodical Jiu-Jitsu based game. This aggressive style earned him the moniker of 'Pitbull' and despite having a second degree BJJ black belt, he has just as many stoppages due to strikes as he does submissions. Monteiro acquired that nickname early in his MMA career and it has stuck. "The name Pitbull comes from when I first started fighting in Brazil. In my debut I knocked out my opponent in 23 seconds, showing off my very aggressive style of fighting. It also happens to be the name of the team I trained with in Brazil. So it is a combination of my fighting style and where I come from." After winning his first three fights for DEEP in Japan, Monteiro was on the verge of being offered a spot in the Pride Lightweight Grand Prix but was submitted in the second round of a qualifier by Satoru Kitaoka. The tournament would never happen and as Pride was swallowed up by the UFC his career started on a downward spiral. "My international debut in Japan was great, and I was off to a very good start. I had six wins internationally but unfortunately things got held up on the business side of things. We were negotiating contracts with some big events, but then they started to have some serious problems and it became a big distraction. I am only looking forward now though, and am excited to start fresh with ONE FC." Monteiro is an instructor at Evolve MMA in Singapore and a member of the fight team there but has not seen competitive action since 2009. Events in his life were having and adverse effect on his results and eventually led him to take a break from MMA. "I was very busy taking care of issues in my personal life, both professional and family. In Brazil fighters are not highly valued and it is very hard to make a living fighting. It became very difficult for me to divide my time between training and work and I had to take some time off from competing in order to raise my family and focus on business. Ask many of the great champions in Brazil and they will tell you it is very difficult to keep fighting only in Brazil. I am very happy and fortunate to be at Evolve now." After winning numerous local, regional, national and international BJJ tournaments as well as having a highly respectable MMA record of 19-9 Monteiro's credentials as an instructor were impeccable, even if his fighting career was on the backburner. "I was introduced to Singapore and Evolve MMA through Professor Rafael "Gordinho" Correa. Professor Gordinho recommended me to join the Evolve team in order to teach BJJ and train with some of the best in the world. My motivation to start competing again is for myself, but has also been renewed through my faith in God. I have been through much in my life, I know who I am, and my faith and desire to become champion will not allow me to quit." Monteiro found himself training at one of the most elite MMA academies in the world and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Shinya Aoki and Rafael Dos Anjos. It is the perfect environment for a fighter to flourish and with Asia's biggest mixed martial arts promotion headquartered in Singapore the temptation to resume his fighting career proved simply irresistible. "I have competed in BJJ competitions since I was 7 years old. I have won many national and international competitions, such as the State Championships, National, Pan American and World Championships and my MMA career lasted five years. I love to compete and I missed the competition and when the opportunity came to fight for a world famous promotion like ONE FC there was no way I could say no." He will be up against Yuya Shirai who is one of the top welterweights in Asia at ONE FC 3 on March 31st. The Japanese fighter is the reigning Deep 170 lbs champion and has a professional record of 22-10. These two fighters have both appeared on the same Deep cards in the past and Monteiro will have his work cut out if he is to make a winning comeback. "Yes, I have known of Shirai for a long time, and have followed his career. I take all my fights very seriously and this fight is my return to competition and very important for my career. I have almost 30 fights and many of them have been against veterans who have fought in the UFC, Pride, Pancrase, and DEEP but this will be my return to competition so it is very important to not only win, but also put on a great fight." Fabricio Monteiro gets airborne against Jutaro Nakao at DEEP: 26th Impact in 2006. Photo by Stephen Martinez. Monteiro's most recent results have been poor but he puts that down to the fact he was not able to train and prepare properly. He is now dedicated to being a full time mixed martial artists and his preparation should be immaculate with a team of world champions in BJJ, boxing, MMA and Muay Thai to work with at Evolve MMA. The 'Pitbull' which steps into the cage on March 31st will be a completely different animal from the one which we have seen in Monteiro's last few fights. He says he is ready and raring to go and will be looking for a fast finish. "When I train correctly and am able to fully focus on my goals I expect to win by stoppage and I have done so 14 times. I am always looking to finish my fights, and when I find an opportunity, I do not let it pass. I still always prepare to fight 25 minutes because I have the mindset of a champion when I am training, and champions fight for five rounds." Monteiro has been working hard to harness his raw aggression to ensure he doesn't leave himself exposed in his quest for the KO and four of his Evolve MMA team mates are also fighting on the card which gives him plenty of potential training partners to prepare with. "This helps with my preparation a lot. I do not just think of myself, but of all my teammates, instructors, and coworkers at Evolve. We are more than just friends, we are a family, and that is the difference between Evolve and everyone else. At Evolve no one fights alone, the entire team is there every step of the way. This is the secret of Evolve." A few years ago Monteiro thought his MMA career was over but on March 31st he will find himself fighting in front of 7,000 fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on a show which is being broadcast in 24 countries by ESPN Star Sports. Some fighters get second chances but few of them will get such a spectacular opportunity to showcase their talents on a stage which is second to none in Asia. Monteiro intends to grab it with both hands by beating the Deep Welterweight Champion and nothing would make him happier than securing the 15th stoppage win of his career. "I will be prepared for anything against Shirai because he is a great fighter and deserves to be respected. So I respect him BUT if I have the opportunity to end the fight quickly, I will." www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, world, mma, career, monteiro

After the Biggest Win of His Career, Ryan Bader Hopes It Is the First of Many

Ryan Bader had to travel quite a long way to earn the biggest win of his career. Bader traveled for over 15 hours to Japan at UFC 144 to fight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for 15 minutes, and in return, continue his comeback to light heavyweight title contention. Bader was not on the radar amongst possible opponents listed for Jackson in his return to Japan. Names like “Shogun” Rua and Forrest Griffin were brought up, but Bader was the one that ended up getting the call. Once he did, Bader knew he had the biggest opportunity of his career. For Bader, who prior to UFC 126, was an up-and-coming prospect in the deep light heavyweight division, this was a way to really kick start his comeback. The downfall started when he suffered his first career loss to Jon Jones, and then was upset by Tito Ortiz at UFC 132 in July. He was able to halt the losing streak after defeating Jason Brilz at UFC 139. But there is a big step up in competition in regards to Brilz and Jackson, and Bader was well aware of that. In order to defeat Jackson, a tactical gameplan needed to be created in order to take advantage of the former champion’s shortcomings. While Bader will always be known as a strong wrestler, other styles came into play like boxing and grappling. After utilizing that throughout the match, Bader now looks back with satisfaction in carrying out that gameplan. “I didn’t want [Jackson] to get comfortable,” Bader said to MMAFrenzy.com. “I wanted to make it a fight he really didn’t want to be in, whether it be on the feet or on the ground, I really wanted to keep mixing things up. I made sure to test his cardio and test a little bit of everything. My coaches created a great gameplan, and I went out there and implemented it, so this is really a big win for all of us.” That gameplan took quite a hit, as did Bader, after Jackson brought back his premier move with his patented “Rampage” slam of Bader in the second round. While Bader admits it certainly had an effect on him, he made sure to return the favor. “I fell right on my head and neck, so I was out of it for a little bit,” explained Bader. “But when something like that happens, your training goes into effect. 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.” Going into the fight, much attention was made of Jackson missing weight at the pre-fight weigh-ins. Having weighed 211 pounds, Jackson missed the weight limit by five pounds. Bader had no intentions of pulling out of the fight, and accepted the now-catchweight bout. But following the event, even more attention was made of Jackson’s weight, as he admitted to using testosterone replacement therapy to nurse a knee injury suffered during pre-fight training. Now aware of the situation and partially why Jackson missed weight, Bader still has no qualms about the decision. “I would have accepted the fight even if he was 25 pounds overweight,” declared Bader. “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 coming off of the biggest win of his career over Jackson, Bader feels he has returned to contention, but still has a lot of work to put in to make it to where he wants to be. “I feel like I’m back in title contention,” said Bader. “It’s a big win, winning over Jackson. Beating a guy who has held the title and just fought for the title is huge. But I am always going to want more, and I am never satisfied.” For now, Bader is focused on life outside of the cage. He and his wife are expecting their first child, a boy, in April. Bader admits that it has been a whirlwind of emotions, with switching from training for a fight, to winning that fight, and then returning to home life and preparing for your firstborn. “In training camp, you’re almost a different person,” explained Bader. “You’re basically just thinking about your opponent at all times. Now that the fight is over, I don’t have to be as selfish and can think more about everyone else. This will only put me in a better state of mind and in a better place in life.” Aside from focusing on becoming a father within the next few weeks, Bader remains focused on becoming a true contender in the division. A win over Jackson feels like just the start for Bader, and he wants to continue on to the next chapter in his career. “I just hope to fight another top guy like Rampage. I want to go out there and keep beating those top guys, so I can get closer to my goal, which is ultimately winning a title. So, whatever puts me closer to achieving that, that is what I want to do.”

Posted in: fight, jackson, career, training, bader

Showdown on MMA: Rampage's UFC future

Quinton (Rampage) Jackson may be focused on things other than his UFC career.

Posted in: ufc, rampage, jackson, showdown, career

Brittney sucks lollies, talks Playboy

(Don't ask her where she was keeping that) We've got some Brittney for you guys today in the form of an interview AND pics of her in a white dress so tight it's strangling her chest puppies to death. Don't woray, I will saev teh puppehs. B freee, u guys!Fun fact from the interview: She began her career in entertainment as a Magician’s Assistant and Dance Captain for the Ultimate Variety Show in 2006. From 2007-2010 she was an Ensemble Dancer for X Burlesque in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel. Man, magician's assistants are like the lowest of the low. Translation: she spent her teen years being overly impressed with a scumbag who made his penis disappear into her vagina. It's a testament to her hotness that she managed to graduate up from jobs like 'Dance Captain' and 'Ensemble Dancer' to 'Hottest UFC Octagon Chick' (deal with it, Arianny). Man, hot chick careers are strange. Speaking of her own hot chick career moves, here's how Brittney described being in Playboy: "Being an art student I am used to being around nude figures so I wasn’t hesitant when I was approached by Playboy. I wouldn’t say this was a dream I had as a little girl, but this is a golden opportunity. My friends and family have been so supportive, they know every decision I have made has helped my career and led me to a better place." You mean as a child you didn't stare at the naughty shelf of pornos in the corner store and dream of one day being up there too? I bet you don't even have one of those super cheesy Playboy tattoos. Faker.

Posted in: brittney, career, playboy, dance captain, ensemble dancer

Read the full article at Fightlinker

Strikeforce Results: Ryan Couture Beats Conor Heun

Randy Couture's kid offered up a performance that would make the old man proud on Saturday night, as Ryan Couture earned by far the biggest victory of his mixed martial arts career with a third-round technical knockout victory over Conor Heun at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey. Couture controlled the pace of the fight for the first two rounds, and in the third he put on a clinic on the ground, transitioning into a dominant position and eventually getting on top of Heun in back mount and pounding away with punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight 2 minutes, 52 seconds into Round 3. For Couture, who entered the fight with a 3-1 professional record, this is his first win over an experienced, well-rounded opponent and a big step forward in his career. Couture appears to have improved as both a striker and a grappler: He was getting the better of the stand-up exchanges with Heun, and he also had some impressive submission attempts when the fight went to the ground. It's not realistic to expect Couture to have a career like his dad, but he deserves credit for a very good showing against Heun.

Posted in: fight, career, arts career, knockout victory, heun

UFC Australia: Kampmann saves his career w/ last-minute choke

UFC's three card line-ups for March & April shows.

Posted in: ufc, career, march, card lineups, australia

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

Dan Hardy talks tough UFC road, getting his swagger back against Duane Ludwig

Losing his last four fights inside the Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight contender Dan Hardy is seemingly hanging onto his Octagon career by a thread. A one time title contender, Hardy has fallen on a rough streak over the last two years after starting his UFC career off impressively with four consecutive wins. While admitting that his title shot may have been a bit premature, "The Outlaw," took the challenge of attempting to dethrone the promotion's 170-pound king, Georges St. Pierre, at UFC 111 in March 2010. After fighting valiantly for five rounds, including surviving several near fight-ending submission attempts, Hardy came up short in his bid to win UFC gold. From there, his woes only increased, as he dropped his next three bouts to Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson and most recently, Chris Lytle. Surprisingly, the British brawler was not cut from the promotion, as it seemed that company owner, Lorenzo Fertitta, appreciated appreciated Hardy's efforts. Hardy recently spoke to Fight Hub TV to talk about his rough two year stretch, which included the passing of his grandfather, and what he feels contributed to his bad run of luck during his losing streak. "I had a tough run leading up to the UFC. I've had ups and down throughout my career, fights won and fights lost, robberies and being settled by promoters and stuff. So when I got to the UFC, I kind of felt like that was out of my system. I had a four fight win streak, I felt good, I gained some recognition, and then, kind of all of a sudden I was in a title shot situation. It felt a little early for me but, obviously you don't turn down an opportunity like that. I did a 14 week training camp for it and in the build up for it, I lost my grandfather and that kind of really threw me out. I never think I really got myself back on track after that. He was very important to me and to my career. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have carried on with mixed martial arts through my teenage years. The title fight was tough, but all I could do was give it everything I had, which I do feel like I did do. I had a short break afterwards, but since my profile had been raised, and my recognition grown,it was difficult to kind of get away from it. Everybody wanted to talk to you and wants a piece of you, and all eyes are on you because you stuck it out and went five rounds with the champion so people automatically think you are going to go on and do big things. So, I had a lot to live up to, which originally when I joined the UFC, I didn't really feel like I had to because I was always counted out anyway and my goal was to get to the UFC. The first four fights were kind of a no pressure situation. You know just go in there and just doing what I loved. From the title fight, the pressure started to build and it kind of threw my rhythm out, I lost my swagger. Fortunately, the UFC has given me another shot and I'm going to make the most of it." With another, and quite possibly his last, chance to earn a victory inside the Octagon, "The Outlaw" looks to make the most of it, as he takes on Duane Ludwig at UFC 146 on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ludwig and Hardy, two fighters who prefer to exchange on the feet, will provide fans with what is sure to be a fireworks-filled bout. However, with his UFC career possibly on the line, will we see a cautious and tentative Hardy? Or will he return to what brought him to the dance in the first place, his aggressive stand-and-bang style? Thoughts?

Posted in: ufc, fight, title, kind, career

UFC 144 video: Quinton Jackson takes Tokyo, talks MMA career and more

Quinton Jackson and Ariel Helwani take a 40-minute leisurely stroll through Tokyo, Japan, on a recent evening prior to his 205-pound showdown with Ryan Bader in the UFC 144 co main event from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sat., Feb. 25, 2012. "Rampage" is rather candid throughout most of the video, talking about the energy drink-fueled, sleep-deprived incident that followed his unanimous decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86: "Jackson vs. Griffin" back in July 2008, among other topics. His rise in mixed martial arts (MMA), which basically took place overseas under the Pride FC banner, as well as his career highs and lows from that point until today, also dominate much of the discussion. And "Rampage," who is likely winding down his professional MMA career, also talks about the legacy that will define him once he calls it quits. All that and more in the comprehensive video above -- enjoy ... if this is your type of thing. For more on the UFC 144 bout between Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader be sure to hit up our complete fight archive right here.

Posted in: ufc, mma, jackson, quinton, career

Hunt vs Kongo - What is "World Class" Striking?

At UFC Japan two big men with a KO power meet in the heavyweight tilt between New Zealand's own, Mark Hunt, and the French Muay Thai practitioner, Cheik Kongo. While Mark Hunt has won the K-1 Grand Prix, the highest title in the world of competitive striking, his technical skill is often overshadowed by the fact that it was largely his physical attributes which won him this title. Hunt only succeeded in getting to the tournament final by injuring Ray Sefo's eye in a losing effort against Sefo in the semi finals, drawing his fellow Kiwi into a brawl because he could not deal with Sefo's superior technical kickboxing. Cheik Kongo, on the other hand, receives enormous credit for his string of kickboxing titles despite a complete absence of any verification of an official kickboxing record. Kongo was once, though it is hard to believe now, in serious title contention in the UFC, after picking up 3 solid TKO wins through 2008 - 2009 before meeting Cain Velasquez and being taken down seemingly at will en route to a unanimous decision loss. It is hoped that this fight will remain standing, in which case it is important to consider the strengths of each man in that domain. Hunt's abilities are well know - he has one of the most solid chins in the history of combat sports. In his career he has taken Cro Cop's high kick flush on the jaw, and the strongest blows from Ray Sefo, Mike Bernardo and Jerome Le Banner. Hunt has mixed it up with the best kickboxers in the world and come out with mixed results, but has been knocked out cold only once, in an MMA match against Melvin Manhoef, perhaps the biggest puncher, pound for pound in the world. Hunt also holds a thunderous punch - being able to knock out the iron jawed Jerome Le Banner, and break the orbital bone of Ray Sefo. Once Hunt entered MMA, his career was perhaps the worst nurtured of any prospect, meeting Hidehiko Yoshida, Dan Bobish, Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop in his first four fights. Somehow managing, with a complete absence of MMA experience, to get the better of the latter three. Clearly Hunt fights best against strikers, Cro Cop and Silva being the two highest profile strikers in MMA at the time. But his matches against Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem and Sean McCorkle exposed his woefully inadequate takedown and submission defense. Since his loss to McCorkle in his UFC debut, however, Hunt has experienced a career renaissance - developing the takedown defense to repeatedly stuff Brock Lesnar's training partner, Chris Tuchscherer en route to a walk-away uppercut knockout during a sprawl. Hunt continued his improvement, out grappling veteran Ben Rothwell, and brutalizing him on both the feet and the floor. While Rothwell is no master of the ground game or of takedowns, he is certainly a better wrestler than Kongo, and will make Kongo's night long if he is forced to revert to his wrestling strategy. Hunt has, however, been prone to eating too many shots due to his great chin allowing him to. In a way reminiscent of Chuck Liddell, who could not learn to keep his hands up even when working with Howard Davis Jr., Hunt may be too stuck in his ways to learn to keep his hands up. It was this fault which got him knocked out by Manhoef and stunned by Gegard Mousasi, who is not known as a hard puncher. Kongo, for his part, is an extremely interesting striker from a technical perspective. His kicks and Thai plumm (double handed neck clinch) are brutal, and were almost entirely responsible for his kickboxing success. While he has shown his Thai clinch during his UFC tenure, and that he can do significant damage from the guard against. What is particularly fascinating is the enormous credit given to Kongo as a boxer; based purely on his kickboxing titles, UFC fans credit him with having skill in his hands which he simply does not possess. Kongo often carries his chins high and pushes his punches out without being in good position to defend counter shots. The punches Barry dropped him with were simple looping counters that should not land on a "world class" kickboxer with the reach and height advantages which Kongo carried into that fight. Watch this fight from Kongo's mysterious kickboxing career and notice how he relies almost entirely on his savage kicks and clinch work - factors that have been largely absent from his UFC career as he is so weak off of his back that he cannot risk attempting them except against weaker opposition. Cheick Kongo vs Marcin Rozalski .mp4 (via chim55) Important to notice from this fight is firstly how Cheik Kongo's kickboxing record is apparently 12 - 12 with 0 KOs, certainly different from the 21 - 2 listed on Wikipedia, seemingly the only available evidence of his career. What is most obvious is how easily Kongo out maneuvers and manhandles his opponent however - how often do we see him use those low kicks in his MMA career? Almost never, and that is the sad downside of his have next to no guard game. Were his legs and hips as dexterous on the ground as they are on the feet, he could throw such biting strikes without concern. Most noticeable, however, is Kongo's only real attempt to box with his opponent, at 4:11 where he is wobbled while wading in with sloppy, stepping punches. His lack of head movement and unconvincing feints allowed his opponent to throw the lead hand shot onto Kongo's chin as he walked backwards - not a powerful punch and eerily reminiscent of the backward walking punches which Kongo used to great effect on the similarly head-movement averse, Cain Velasquez. Notice how Kongo's own lack of head movement leads him to eat a shot from Velasquez despite landing cleanly on his opponent. It is these kinds of 50/50 punching exchanges which Kongo occasionally wins big in, perpetuating the belief that because he has knockout power, he has good boxing. Pat Barry was caught similarly but due to diving in with reckless abandon was put out cold. Mark Hunt, however, has made a career of baiting opponents to trade with him. Hunt succeeded in giving as good as he got against bigger punching, technically elite, Ray Sefo and Jerome Le Banner - if he stuns Kongo as Barry or Mir did, Kongo has little hope of pulling out a flash knockout as he did against Barry, and lacks the power of Melvin Manhoef. The most important factor of this match is the wrestling. When two good strikers meet, they often wrestle in a tedious display of "octagon control" (simultaneously the dumbest and vaguest criteria in sports) for 15 minutes, and when two great grapplers meet they often choose to put on a light contact kickboxing exhibition. When Kongo failed to get the better of Mitrione on the feet, eating the few significant strikes of the match, he chose to lean against Mitrione on the fence to eek out the third round and pick up a decision, whether Hunt's counter-wrestling is of the level where he can muscle his way off of the fence will likely decide this fight if Kongo drops the first round. Jack Slack breaks down striking strategy and technique at his websitewww.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: fight, hunt, kongo, career, kickboxing

Frankie Edgar fight will be the career defining moment for Ben Henderson (Video)

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to pay-per-view next Sat., Feb. 25, 2012, with its UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" event from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. And according to Ben Henderson, it's going to be his career defining moment. "I've thought about the whole thing. Walking out to the cage, going to fight, how the fight takes place, getting my hand raised, the referees hand around my wrist, Dana White walking up behind me, strapping on the belt on my waist; I've seen all that happen hundreds of times already. Frankie's a really smart fighter. I think his camp does a really good job. I think they're very strategic. I don't care about winning rounds, I want to win the fight. I want to end the fight. That's what I do, I fight to end the fight. Every fight I have is going to be the fight of my life, the fight of my career. It's going to be the career defining moment for the rest of my life. I want to be the best fighter at 155-pounds on the planet, period. So that's what I'm going to go and do." One could argue his career defining moment at present time is still that one time he got his face kicked off by Anthony Pettis in the final WEC fight in history all the way back in Dec. 2010. A thrilling, never-before-seen moment like that will be difficult to top. But if "Bendo," who lost the chance at fighting for the UFC lightweight title that night, is to defeat Edgar to capture the gold after running through three straight extremely tough opponents, we might all start to forget that kick. Henderson's task is daunting, though, as Frankie Edgar has shown his name belongs at the top of the pound-for-pound ranks. A win could very well accomplish the "Smooth" ones goal of being the top 155-pound fighter on the planet today. But does anyone think he'll pull it off? Maniacs?

Posted in: fight, henderson, career, fight i, moment

Greg Jackson: Losing a 'close decision' to Jake Ellenberger doesn't hurt Diego Sanchez's career at all (Video)

"We were trying to get that fire back in Diego. Get him to really push forward, get him to fake and feint, mess with his timing so we could get our entrances well and do what he did in the third round. [Sanchez] is really just getting started in his MMA career, Ellenberger is one of the top, top 170-pounders, so losing a close decision, it was two rounds to one, close decision like this, especially if we had two more rounds to work, I really don't think it hurts his career at all. He won a lot of fans with his intensity and he'll continue to do great things." Famed mixed martial arts (MMA) coach Greg Jackson talks about the adjustments Diego Sanchez made in between rounds during his "close decision loss" to Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FUEL TV last Wednesday night (Feb. 15, 2012) at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. "The Dream" was battered across two and a half rounds of the event headliner, but made a spirited comeback late in round three to take advantage of a tired "Juggernaut" and get the crowd on its feet. But was the fight as close as Jackson suggests? Or a one-sided beatdown with a last-minute comeback?

Posted in: ellenberger, round, decision, career, round sanchez

It look's like Chandella Powell's 'modeling' before UFC career may have gotten her fired (second point down)

submitted by nooger [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: ufc, ufc career, career, nooger, point

UFC welterweight Diaz opens up to Showdown

Nick Diaz opens up to Showdown Joe Ferraro prior to UFC 143 to discuss a variety of topics surrounding his career.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, showdown, career, variety

Alistair Overeem signs with Authentic Sports Management

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight number one contender, Alistair Overeem, is handing over the keys to his career while he battles Golden Glory, his former representatives and Dutch-based fight camp, in court over (what else?) money. "The Reem" will join a handful of Blackzilians, including former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, under the umbrella of Authentic Sports Management (ASM), who today revealed Overeem as their latest acquisition. "Demolition Man" breaks down the decision in today's official release: "With [ASM], I saw right away that Glenn Robinson has a system in place that allows the fighter to focus on training only, which is so important as I prepare for my UFC heavyweight title fight against Junior Dos Santos," said Overeem. "ASM has a team of experts to help you grow as an athlete, from Glenn working hands-on as management to Jen Wenk handling my PR and Karen Gough running marketing, a full-time nutritionist, a finance and legal department - you name it they have it. After meeting with ASM, I was convinced that they can make me the new UFC world champion." In addition, ASM will handle all of Overeem's "marketing, public relations and sponsorship" and assist the UFC import as he moves forward in his "training preparation, general business affairs and career aspirations." One of those "career aspirations" is to become UFC Heavyweight Champion, which he's hoping to do by defeating Junior dos Santos at the upcoming UFC 146 pay-per-view (PPV) event on May 26 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Overeem has been crushing the competition for years now, compiling 11 wins in 12 fights (one no contest) since 2007. He made a successful debut with the UFC last December by stopping (and retiring) Brock Lesnar in the first round by way of technical knockout (TKO) using his vaunted K-1 level striking. Unfortunately, much of the talk surrounding "Demolition Man's" career hasn't been on his achievements, rather his messy break-up with Golden Glory and the ensuing litigation. Anyone think his new management firm can help him overcome that distraction for what is undoubtedly the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career? Time will tell.

Posted in: ufc, overeem, career, asm, asm i

Diego Sanchez and the Dangers of Fame in MMA

Diego Sanchez’s past several years could serve as a cautionary tale about the potential dangers that come along with the notoriety of being an MMA fighter.In June 2009, Sanchez was at the height of his MMA career. He had defeated Clay Guida to improve his MMA career record to 21-2. More importantly, the win assured him his next fight would be for the UFC lightweight title against champion B.J. Penn. Sanchez had proven himself inside the UFC Octagon. But outside, it was a different story.“I got sucked real deep into the fame and the money,” Sanchez said recently on The MMA Hour. “I was a bachelor and I got sucked into a bad life of partying. I got really into smoking weed, drinking, partying. After my Clay Guida fight, I went down a bad path, man. It was just not a good path. After my loss to B.J. Penn it just got worse. I got really out of control.” If his careless spending wasn’t enough of a problem, the Albuquerque native became a victim of an investment scam.“To make it worse, one of my best friends completely robbed me blind,” Sanchez said. “Set me up and embezzled me for about $150,000.” And so, three months after challenging for the UFC lightweight title, Sanchez was broke. “In February of 2010, I had hit rock bottom, completely. I was broke. I was down and out, man,” Sanchez recalled. “This guy had run me dry. The money had I set away to pay taxes, I was $230,000 in debt with the I.R.S.”Sanchez relied on drugs and alcohol to mask his personal and financial difficulties. Sanchez failed to stop even when he had his next fight lined up.“I was in a bad place. The only place to cover this up, the depression and anxiety, was the drinking and smoking weed. I was smoking so much weed it was ridiculous. And I was still drinking leading up to Hathaway fight. I knew I had no place stepping in the cage. But I had to because I needed the money.”Sanchez was upset by British rising star John Hathaway in a unanimous decision, suffering back-to-back losses for only the second time in his career. After the fight, a new addition to Sanchez's life forced him to turn his life around. Ironically, this “blessing” was brought on once again from being a victim of his own fame.A woman whom Sanchez had met online deceived the fighter into believing he was the father of their child. Based on the child’s striking similarities, Sanchez foregone a DNA test and raised the child as his own. The path to discovering the truth began when he married another woman and was no longer allowed by the mother to visit the child. In an attempt to gain custody of the child, Sanchez hired an attorney. During the process, Sanchez finally underwent a DNA test and learned there were no blood ties. “I was crushed. It was heartbreaking for me that he wasn’t mine,” Sanchez said. “I had to take it for what it was and just accept it ...“The girl that put me through this, she knew all along he wasn’t mine.” Sanchez continued. “It was all a big plan to get money or something: the money, the fame, she wanted to be in the limelight and say she had Diego Sanchez’s son … I don’t know.” Having overcome these challenges, Sanchez immersed himself in God. Completely, this time. And after his MMA career is over, Sanchez intends to work for the ministry full-time.“I dedicated my life to Jesus Christ, for real,” Sanchez said. “I was never truly, according to his righteousness. I just turned everything around and put everything in God’s hands. “Since the loss to Hathaway, Sanchez has defeated two top welterweights in Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann and will next face Jake Ellenberger next at UFC on FUEL TV on Feb. 15. The winner could conceivably be within reach of a title shot.“I still believe that it’s in my destiny to be a world champion,” Sanchez said. “It’s in God’s hands. I’m just going to do my part and work as hard as I can.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, career, sanchez

Cung Le looking at return to the ring in 2012

It appears UFC middleweight Cung Le is not ready to end his career on a loss, or at least not the one he endured to Wanderlei Silva this past November at UFC 139. Le, who turns 40 in May, is currently in the midst of working on some things related to his film career but recently let fans know his mind is still on MMA. “I’ll be ready to fight soon,” exclaimed the popular pugilist on Twitter earlier this week after thanking his bosses for a bonus related to the social networking site. Le and Silva went toe-to-toe for nearly ten minutes in their Fight of the Night tilt before the former Strikeforce champ was stopped with strikes. The loss dropped Le’s overall record to 7-2 but did little to decrease his standing with fans. Striker Le Feels Career Has Come Full Circle with UFC Run Unfortunately Le did not mention any specifics as far as when he plans to return or who he might face. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, wanderlei silva, career, strikeforce champ, night tilt

UFC 143 by the numbers and inside the box score

-With the win over Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit joins Frank Shamrock, Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz has the only men to hold UFC and WEC championships. -The decision was only Condit's second in his 28 career wins-The 25 minute fight was the longest of Condit's career. Condit's previous longest fight was 19:43 versus Hiromitsu Miura. -After dropping his UFC debut Condit has won his last five fights -The loss to Condit snapped a 11 fight winning streak for Diaz. -Diaz's 11 fight winning streak, the longest of his career, spanned four promotions and 45 months-Six of Diaz's eight career losses have come via decision -Diaz is 0-2 for Jackson's MMA fighters in his career -The loss drops Diaz to 7-5 in his UFC career -Per Compustrike Condit topped Diaz 146 to 110 in total strikes landed -The Fight Metric effectiveness score had the bout 306-274 in favor of Diaz. In the ten point must system Fight Metric scored the fight 48-47 Condit -Fabricio Werdum's win over Roy Nelson was his first in the UFC since October 2008-Werdum is 4-1 in his last five fights-Werdum is 4-0 in his career versus American born fighters-All three of Nelson's UFC losses have come via decision -The loss drops Nelson to 3-3 in his UFC career-Six of Nelson's seven career losses have come via judge's decision -Per Fight Metric Werdum outlanded Nelson 98-55 in total strikes-Betting favorites went 10-1 at UFC 143. The lone underdog to payout was Carlos Condit at +175. -With UFC 143 the promotion returned to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada for the first time since UFC 137 in October 2011. UFC 137 was headlined by Nick Diaz versus BJ Penn. Below is a attendance and gate comparison between the two events UFC 137Attendance: 10,313Gate: $3.9 millionUFC 143 Attendance: 10,040Gate: $2.3 million

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, career, condit

BJ Penn and Dana White Talking But Still Not Ready to Come Back

Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn isn't calling it a career just yet, but he's also not ready to commit to his future.

Posted in: bj penn, champion, career, penn, bj

Breakdown: “The Beast” Bob Sapp Battles Rolles Gracie at ONE FC 2

Bob “The Beast” Sapp enters ONE Fighting Championship’s circular cage two months shy of his 10-year anniversary competing in mixed martial arts. A star staple of the Japanese scene, “The Beast” (11-9) adds Jakarta, Indonesia to his lengthy list of fighting stops across the globe when he faces off with the legendary Gracie family’s heavyweight representative, Rolles Gracie (5-1), at ONE FC 2: Battle of Heroes on Saturday February 11. Of course, Sapp’s inclusion makes this big man clash unfettered from the boundaries of heavyweight’s 265-pound limit. The Seattle-based American will boast nearly 100 extra pounds versus the Rio de Janeiro-born Brazilian, who operates his cousin Renzo’s Garden State affiliate school in Holmdel, New Jersey. The immense size advantage Sapp carries into the bout fails to intimidate if the 38-year-old’s mental game remains uncorrected from his previous 10 bouts. He’s posted seven losses in his last 10 MMA contests and just one victory in his last 10 overall fights including kickboxing. With a framed muscled well over 300-pounds, Sapp’s key to victory is having the fortitude to forge his angry face. Nearly a decade removed from the most high profile performance of his career—a dramatic submission loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in front of over 90,000 fans in Tokyo—Sapp’s opportunity to add a Gracie to his win column is a notable mark for any international star. Losing to Jan Norte at a hometown Strikeforce event in February 2008 downgraded the larger-than-life position Sapp once held. Recently, Sapp went winless in three 2011 outings. Scheduled to fight a month following Gracie versus British brawler James Thompson in India, Sapp needs to emerge from his tangle with the 33-year-old unscathed and victorious to breathe life into the later half of his career. Scoring a win in his first 2012 bout gives Sapp an 11-month advance on his Christmas present. A longtime Asian MMA staple, Sapp’s career can find new life as a regular ONE FC attraction if he appears invested in the fight game. If he focuses his physicality, any night is subject to Sapp time. Experience is the biggest obstacle for Gracie as Sapp possesses nearly 50 fights between MMA and kickboxing. The K-1 veteran calls his style “NFL” for the all-out blitz he employs to blind his opponents with overwhelming size and resulting lights-out power. However, the Colorado-born fighter never picked up catch wrestling’s submissions the way fellow pro wrestler and PRIDE heavyweight Josh Barnett famously trained him to do, opening the gate for Gracie to ply his trade. Gracie’s ground prowess poses a stellar threat to Sapp—a stand-up based fighter whose majority losses came by way of tapout. All five of the third degree Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt’s career wins are via submission. Every fight starts standing; Gracie must close the distance. Thus, confidence in his stand-up, no matter how rudimentary it may be, is paramount in clinching up with Sapp and dragging the fight to the ground. Like Sapp, Gracie’s key to seeing his hand raised at night’s end is demeanor. Renowned conditioning coach Martin Rooney’s backing is an integral part of the three-time Pan Am champion’s strategy versus Sapp. He requires all the cardio necessary to subdue “The Beast.” A black belt in judo bodes well for Gracie, but the likelihood of throwing Sapp decreases with every miscalculated attempt due to sheer exertion. More importantly, keeping Sapp down once the fight hits the mat prevents depleting his gas tank with repeated takedowns. Gracie’s intermittent career features six fights in five years, best known for a lone UFC appearance in February 2010 Renzo Gracie called “embarrassing.” Less than seven minutes against a 228-pound Joey Beltran saw the no-gi champion tired, unable to cope with the deep waters of a serious contest. He’s 2-0 since although his opponents have been sub .500 competitors. Sapp is the biggest name to stand across from the no-gi champion. Victory against the 1997 Chicago Bears draft-pick creates a starting point for Carlos Gracie Sr.’s grandson to take the Gracie family’s modern mantle, which remains unclaimed in MMA. The appeal of Sapp-Gracie is in their distinct roles. Sapp is the bull and Gracie is the matador—a fighter relying on the accuracy of technique after accessing his opponent’s straight-line attack. The battle pits a PRIDE and K-1 combatant versus UFC veteran in a classic striker-grappler showdown. Short and sweet is the expectation, and whichever fighter demonstrates the slightest hesitation, will have a long flight home to America from Indonesia.

Posted in: fight, mma, career, gracie, sapp

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Report: Satoshi Ishii Suffered Cerebral Edema Against Fedor Emelianenko, MMA Career May Be Over

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: career, mattyblayze, ishii, satoshi, edema

Report: Satoshi Ishii Suffered Cerebral Edema Against Fedor Emelianenko, MMA Career May Be Over

Fading Russian MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko beat Satoshi Ishii by TKO in the first round at the Dream New Year 2011 event. According to reports coming out of Japan, Fedor did more than finish Ishii in that one fight, he may have ended his MMA career. Fight Opinion has the details: Japanese weekly publication Cyzo reports that doctors have told Ishii that he suffered a cerebral edema from the NYE beating. As a result, he was warned that any further blows to the head would cause some serious damage. As Cyzo put it, Ishii is facing a retirement crisis. There had been some discussion that he would face Ricardo Arona in late March in Brazil but that fight didn't look to be in the cards. After this latest development, the MMA prospects for Ishii look to be bleak as well. If these reports prove true, Ishii, a 25-year-old with a 4-2-1 pro MMA record will go down in MMA history as one of the biggest busts of all time. A gold medal winner in Judo at the 2008 Olympics, he announced his intention to fight MMA in early 2009. Ishii managed to bungle his initial round of interest by first announcing he would be signing with Dream, then nearly signing with the UFC, then settling on Sengoku, the weakest option. That delayed his MMA debut until New Year's Eve 2009 when he fought the legendary Hidehiko Yoshida (himself a former Olympic gold medalist in Judo) for Sengoku and managed to lose an ugly decision. He then roamed the Pacific, fighting in Hawaii and New Zealand before returning to Japan to fight for Dream and K-1. He picked up a couple of meaningless wins then fought aging kickboxer Jerome Le Banner at the 2010 Dynamite! NYE show. That fight saw Ishii booed mercilessly by the Japanese crowd and sealed his fate as a popular attraction. Now sadly it appears that Ishii's once-promising career may have been ended by Antonio Inoki's decision to book him against Fedor, still a very dangerous fighter if no longer the best in the world. Zach Arnold tells the tale of Ishii's career in the full entry. From Fight Opinion: After the retirement of Hidehiko Yoshida, Satoshi Ishii was supposed to be the golden boy to become the new face, the new Japanese icon of an MMA scene that desparately needed a new hero from the Olympic judo world. Ishii, still a young man, had the advantage of being backed by K-Dash, the entertainment powerhouse company associated with Antonio Inoki and operated by Tatsuo Kawamura, a well-known entertainment player who just happened to go to school with the late Hiromichi Momose, the original Godfather of PRIDE.Even with this management advantage, Ishii managed to screw his golden ticket to make serious cash in the fight game. He was never comfortable with the climate that was created for his presence in Japan. He showed up at press conferences and demonstrated goofy behavior. Rather than fans liking his quirky nature, he got booed and booed without mercy. He quickly became a pariah. Instead of being cheered as the next big thing, he was treated by the fans like a sworn and hated enemy. He fought a few squash matches and then managed to see his career implode on NYE 2010 against Jerome Le Banner. The fans cheered hard for Le Banner and booed Ishii without mercy for going to a decision.Ishii promptly left Japan and sent many mixed signals. It was leaked in newspapers that he was going to become an American citizenship and that he had relocated to Los Angeles. He ended up getting married to a young Japanese girl and, nine months after marriage, promptly got divorced. He was supposed to fight on a Strikeforce card in Stockton but had visa troubles. He focused on training at Reign MMA (Mark Munoz's gym) and Black House in Southern California with Ed Buckley. Then, out of nowhere, reports surfaced that Ishii was going to be at the Olympic judo tryouts in Orlando, Florida in hopes of representing the United States one day. Like everything else, that didn't pan out. So, Ishii fought Paulo Filho soon in Brazil. That set up a fight offer against Fedor on NYE, taken at the very last minute. Predictably, Tokyo Broadcasting System said ‘no' to covering the Inoki-themed NYE event, thus defeating the purpose of having Ishii on the card given that he was never a strong live-house gate attraction. Fedor pummeled Ishii in Saitama and may have short-circuited an MMA career that is full of would-have-been and could-have-been scenarios.

Posted in: fight, mma, career, fedor, ishii

UFC On FOX: Winds Of Change Swirl As The Windy City Awaits

MMA Nation ran an article this week penned by Nate Wilcox that asked the question: Has UFC Hit An Inflection Point? In the story, Nate provides us with a layman's definition of the term "inflection point" For those of you who didn't take calculus, an "inflection point" is the point on a curve where it changes direction. For a fight promotion like the UFC an inflection point is a critical point in time that determines whether the next phase of the business will be one of growth, stagnation or decline. The article goes on to detail some key recent happenings that indicate that the UFC is facing one of these points. It's a good read for those who are interested in the business side of the sport. The application of inflection points isn't limited to discussions relating to the business side of MMA. The concept can be readily applied to individual UFC fighters as well, who fight so rarely that most matches have to be considered critical in determining their future. A win at the right time and you become a main card fixture, while a loss at the wrong time and you may fall far down the rankings. Dan Hardy and George Sotiropolous are perfect examples of this. Hardy's victory over Mike Swick at UFC 105 was clearly an inflection point in his career. Hardy was given a title shot for his next fight and, despite losing it and his following two matches, was given a headlining spot at a UFC Live event last year. He won a single important fight and saw his career grow exponentially, despite being unable to win a fight since then. Sotiropolous entered his fight with Dennis Siver at UFC 127 undefeated in the UFC, his 7-0 record drawing much attention to him as the next title contender. He dropped a unanimous decision to Siver and found himself fighting Rafael Dos Anjos on the undercard his next time out. G-Sot was caught by a Dos Anjos hook just a minute into the fight and now he is fighting Takanori Gomi in what looks very much like a loser leaves town match. The UFC on FOX main card features half a dozen men and, as we'll see after the jump, each one of them are facing a career definining moment: Rashad Evans: "Suga" has been treading water as the number one contender to the Light Heavyweight crown for nearly two years. A win over Phil Davis earns him a spot in one of the two biggest fights of the year, a championship match with his former friend and training partner Jon Jones. A loss and Evans will likely never fight for the title again, nor will he get the chance to face his biggest rival. Phil Davis: Undefeated in the UFC with a 5-0 record, Davis is someone we think of as still fairly new to the sport. As such, a loss here in his first major test wouldn't be devastating but it would set him back a few years. If we've learned anything from Rashad, it's that your salad days can go by a lot faster than you think and at 27 years old, Davis would be approaching 30 by the time he worked his way back into the title picture, if he ever did. A win, on the other hand, and Davis would find himself fighting for the title before the end of the year. Chael Sonnen: Much like Rashad, Sonnen has been in a bit of limbo for the past few years. He burst onto the scene with his pro wrestling style promotion of his title fight with Anderson Silva. He was submitted by Silva at UFC 117 but he was the toughest opponent Silva has ever faced in the UFC. He has been clamoring for a re-match ever since, watching Anderson dispatch Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami with ease while he waits on the sidelines. Should Chael defeat Michael Bisping, UFC president Dana White has promised that he will match Sonnen and Silva together again, in the other candidate for biggest fight of the year. If he were to fall to Bisping all this talk of him re-matching Silva would be gone and Sonnen would return to his former role as a middling middleweight, his days in the spotlight gone for good. Michael Bisping: Is Michael Bisping a great fighter or has he simply benefited from being British and facing weak competition his entire career? That is a pretty black and white way of looking at the multi-colored world of MMA but unfortunately for Bisping his career will almost surely be defined that way based on this fight with Sonnen. The accomplishment of being the man to shut the mighty mouth of Chael Sonnen would ensure his legacy will be a positive one, while a loss here and he'll be recalled as "that over-rated twit the UFC desperately tried to build into a contender because of his nationality." Demian Maia: Another man who had a shot at Anderson Silva and came up short, Maia has quitely worked on his stand up skills and has put together a 3-1 record since losing to the champion. His loss during the stretch was to rising contender Mark Munoz, and Maia found himself on the pre-lims after that. Were he to drop a second straight match to an up and comer it would signal the end of the Brazilian's time as a top 5 middleweight, while a win would likely punch his ticket to a number one contender's match, potentially against Vitor Belfort or Rousimar Palhares.Chris Weidman: Weidman has perhaps the least on the line of all the fighters on the FOX show. He is very green, having only taken up the sport in 2009, and he is taking this fight on very short notice. It's pretty unlikely that his career will go into the tank if he loses. If he wins though, he'll have just beaten a top five fighter, on national television, on short notice. This is the type of opportunity that only comes around once, maybe twice, in a career. He's young enough to one day get that second chance but if he has serious championship aspirations, this is his opportunity to start a run. Three men will win and three men will lose on Saturday night. How it all plays out is anyone's guess. One thing is for certain though and that is, win or lose, none of their careers will ever be the same.

Posted in: ufc, fight, year, career, point

2012 World MMA Heavyweight Scouting Report: #6 - Ruslan Magomedov

Name: Ruslan Magomedov Nickname: -- Age: 25 Height: 6'4" Location: Russia One shared experience for many of the fighters on the scouting report is a common career path that includes competing in established, well-organized regional promotions such as Atlantic City's Ring of Combat and Jungle Fight in Brazil. Eastern European mainstay ProFC has played host to the largest group of hopefuls in the heavyweight division as of late, including 2011's #2 selection Shamil Abdurahimov. Four fight ProFC veteran Ruslan Magomedov (6-1) is among the newest prospects to emerge from this rigorous regional tournament circuit and could soon make his way to the top of the heap. Magomedov comes from an amateur kickboxing background as a highly-credentialed regional champion in the sport. Considering his heavy 6'4" frame, one might presume him to be a power puncher, but Ruslan employs more of a karate-styled approach, characterized by fast feet and deceptive quickness. Fighting from an orthodox stance, he prefers to probe with kicks off his lead leg or step in for a switch left roundhouse. Once he has found his preferred distance, he'll flurry with hand combinations punctuated by kicks. So far in his pro career, most of Magomedov's ground experience consists of sitting on his opponents to finish them off after they've been battered standing. He does have a basic guard attack and a natural aptitude for submission attacks, but overall his grappling is a work in progress. His defense standing up could use a tune-up as well; he normally keeps his hands high but can get carried away throwing rapid fire punches, leaving himself open for counters. Just four fights into his MMA career, Ruslan was entered into May's Warrior Honor tournament draw in Ukraine. He advanced to the final of the four-man bracket to face the defending champ, Latvian bruiser Konstantin Gluhov (20-8), who had collected an absurd four tourney titles in the past year. In his first major test, Magomedov fell to Gluhov's signature strike, a heavy right hook to the body, early in the second round. Ruslan got back on track with a July win over Vitalii Yavolenko at Moscow's Fight Nights 4. Between new promotions like this seeking out fresh talent and ProFC's upcoming 2012 series of events, Ruslan should have ample opportunity in the coming year to consolidate his status as one of the top rising heavies in Europe. Footage of Ruslan Magomedov after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - Hacran Dias#2 - Joey Gambino#3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - Fabricio Guerreiro#2 - Alessandro Ferreira#3 - Adriano Martins#4 - Justin Salas#5 - Neilson Gomes#6 - Eduard Folayang#7 - Zorobabel Moreira#8 - Anton Kuivanen#9 - Jordan Rinaldi#10 - J.P. Vainikainen WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - Andrey Koreshkov#2 - Dhiego Lima#3 - Brandon Thatch#4 - Nordine Taleb#5 - Hernani Perpetuo#6 - Brock Jardine#7 - Alan Jouban#8 - Mohsen Bahari#9 - Andre Santos#10 - Stephen Thompson #1 - Antonio Braga Neto#2 - Marcelo Guimaraes#3 - Claudio Silva #4 - Bojan Velickovic#5 - Ildemar Alcantara#6 - Michal Materla#7 - Elvis Mutapcic#8 - Tor Troeng#9 - Jack Hermansson#10 - Tim Ruberg #1 - Wagner Prado#2 - Phelipe Lins#3 - Tom DeBlass#4 - Misha Cirkunov#5 - Kyle Cerminara#6 - Robert Drysdale#7 - Artur Alibulatov#8 - Thiago Perpetuo#9 - Steve Bosse #10 - Juha Saarinen #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - Ruslan Magomedov#7 - Adam Parkes#8 - Richardson Moreira #9 - Jan Jorgensen 10 - David Oliva Ruslan Magomedov vs. Vitaly Yalovenko Anatoly Nosyrev vs. Ruslan Magomedov

Posted in: fight, career, ruslan, magomedov, profc

Jorge Rivera at peace with retirement

Not every fighter in this sport gets to retire with their hand raised in victory. Chris Lytle proved to be an exception last August and at UFC on FX 1 on Friday night, Jorge Rivera followed suit. Starting his career in 2001, Rivera competed professionally 29 times, with 15 of those appearances coming inside the octagon. “El Conquistador” racked up 20 victories in those 29 bouts and finished his opponents in all but four of his victories. Throughout his career, Rivera has fought some of the top names in the sport including Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, and Anderson Silva. He holds victories over the likes of Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall Grove, UFC veteran Dennis Hallman, and former UFC title challengers Chris Lytle, Nate Quarry, and David Loiseau. His final victory came against Eric Schaffer. After struggling in the first round with Schaffer’s grappling, Rivera rebounded in round two to finish “Red” with a barrage of strikes. At the post-fight press conference, Rivera was all smiles when reflecting on his career. “I’ve had my ups and downs, highs and lows. (My career) speaks for itself.” Even when asked if he would change a moment in his career, Rivera didn’t balk, saying he wouldn’t have changed anything. While the lowlight of his career was last February when he fought Bisping in Australia, the highlight was, “Any fight where I got a knockout. You pick one and I’ll agree with it.” As for retirement, Rivera said he made the decision to hang it up when training camp for the Schafer fight started. “It wasn’t a hard decision at all. I’m getting old. I’ll be 40 this year and these guys are young and no joke. My reflexes are slowing down. I have a family to take care of and I don’t want to suffer a serious injury that might complicate that.” Speaking of his family, they weren’t quite as sad as fans were when he announced his retirement. “(My family) is happy with it. They asked me to retire awhile ago.” Rivera isn’t done in the sport of MMA though. “I have a school that is opening up and I’m sure I’ll do well there,” said Jorge. “I get to help people and I’m comfortable with that. I don’t feel the need to be a multi-millionaire as long as God provides me with what I need then I’m content.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, career, rivera, victory, career rivera

John Walsh: From the Battlefield to the Cage

A lot of fighters do not enjoy being labeled a hero. They will be quick to point out that they are just grown-ups playing a kids game for an insane amount of money. The real heroes they say are policeman, fireman & the men & women of the US Armed Forces. A real hero is a man like John Walsh. Walsh has seen his endured his share of trials and tribulations in and out of the cage. He began his mixed martial arts career in 2006 and won five of his first six bouts. Then after a five month long layoff he suffered his first TKO loss to Jesse Suarez in just 2:14. That loss was followed by three more setbacks, two of which were by KO/TKO and totaled 1:32 of action. He started to doubt himself which just about every fighter would after suffering such devastating losses. Did he have a glass jaw or was he just not as good as he thought he was? While searching for answers he found out that when he suffered a blown ear drum in 2005 due to an IED. Somehow he injured it again and he was fighting for three years with a split in his ear canal and a perforated ear drum. He had the surgery to fix it up and is now prepared to fight again. I was lucky enough to speak to Walsh this past week about his tours of duty in Iraq & Afghanistan, his MMA career past and present as well as what he sees for himself in the future. This story is the kind of story that needs to be told. It’s about a man who has sacrificed everything so that we can enjoy the lives we lead and the freedom to do so. First I wanted to talk to him about his background both in MMA and the military. “I was a wrestler growing up in NJ,” said Walsh. “I started Jiu-Jitsu, Vale Tudo, boxing and pretty much progressed from there. I enlisted in the Marines in 1999. I was a Marine Corps Martial Arts instructor my last two years. Before that I was a grunt reconnaissance infiltrate. We did the patrols, mounted patrols, raids. It’s war man, right in the middle of everything. All told I did nine tours of duty between Iraq & Afghanistan.” Now that his ear is healed up, Walsh is looking forward to getting back in the cage and resuming his once promising career. He looks at this next fight as just one step up the ladder toward the top and judging by his tenacity and desire there doesn’t seem like there is a lot that can hold him back. “I’m fighting on Saturday the 21st for The Battle of Room,” offered Walsh. “It’s a small organization run by Bullet Events and the hold fights here in the state of Georgia. I have fought for them a few times and they have always taken care of me. I had two opponents; one fell out about a week and a half ago, then the other guy his manager just pulled him on Tuesday. Now I’m fighting a light heavyweight Aaron Johnson, I was supposed to fight a middleweight even though I plan on competing at 170. I have to take the fights when I can get them now.” Walsh is certainly committed to regaining his form. He has enlisted some of the best fighters in the world to help him prepare for this fight. One of the men is a well known supporter of the US Armed Forces. “I’m training in Atlanta at Warrior Legion which is run by Brian Stann. I train with him, Douglas Lima, Dhiego Lima, Clay Harvison, Rafael Assuncao; we have a really good group of guys. I’m not really worried about my opponent’s size. I don’t think his wrestling or his Jiu-Jitsu is better than mine and I certainly don’t think he can outwork me either.” Now that he is committed to fighting MMA full time, Walsh has no distractions or military obligations for first time in his career. There have been times when he has had less than a week to train for a fight. Times when he had just got back from a deployment and jumped into a fight. Now there is nothing in his way and there are no excuses. “You can expect to see a lot of intensity from me,” said an excited Walsh. “Expect to see fight finished quickly and viciously. When I first started fighting I was really raw, I had 10 amateur fights that lasted about one minute. It was me going out and beating a guy up. I look at like my back is against the wall and this guy wants to hurt me and I want to go and hurt him. This is what I plan on doing this for a living and making a promising career of this. I’m going to hold onto those feeling from losses and I’m going to earn this shit out of my win this Saturday night!” Walsh would like to thank Ranger Up for sticking by him through his tough losses, Donovan Craig, the former editor of Fight Magazine, Lex McMahon his manager and most of all Brian Stann and George Lockhart for opening up their gym and their homes to him. Tweet

Posted in: fight, loss, career, ’m, walsh

Kamal Shalorus: “I feel like a very sharp knife ready to slice through hot butter.”

Elite wrestlers occasionally earn a bad reputation in Mixed Martial Arts based on their inherent ability to put an opponent on his backside, blanketing him for the bulk of the bout to earn a decision win. In that regard UFC lightweight Kamal Shalorus has set himself apart throughout his career, opting to only use his Olympic caliber grappling skills when necessary while preferring to stand and strike. His all-out style earned him a reputation in WEC as one of the organization’s most entertaining competitors where he went 3-0-1 including a draw against Jamie Varner and win over Bart Palaszewski. Shalorus will look to continue that trend when he faces unbeaten Russian Habib Nurmagomedov at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. While his UFC career didn’t start out as he hoped, falling to Jim Miller this past March, the “Prince of Persia” has used his time wisely and expects to unveil an evolved version of the fighter fans remember when the cage door closes on Friday night. Check Out This Preview for UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller “I am developing everyday as an athlete and fighter,” explained the 7-1-2 Shalorus in an exclusive interview with Fighters.com. “I am in a moment in my career where I plan on going back to my fundamentals. You will see a new and improved Kamal Shalorus. One that will continue to like to bang on his feet, but you will also see a lot higher caliber wrestling as well.” In terms of the growth he’s referring to, Shalorus has since packed up camp from his former home-base in Austin, Texas and headed out West to refine his stand-up and put a whetstone to his already razor-sharp wrestling abilities. “I relocated to Los Angeles and am now training at Dynamix MMA as well as Golden Boys Wrestling Club. I am working with Antoni Hardonk on my striking and bringing back my wrestling to my MMA game. His striking system compliments wrestling very well because of his transitions. Vladimir Matyushenko has improved a lot in his striking and it has mostly to do with the work he has done with Antoni.” “I have a great strength & conditioning coach who has helped me with my nutrition, speed, and agility,” he continued. “Wrestling at Golden Boys is a blessing because there are so many internationally decorated wrestlers in my weight category to go with. I am in a moment where I feel like a very sharp knife ready to slice through hot butter. While Shalorus stopped short of making any predictions on the outcome of his bout with Nurmagomedov, he certainly isn’t overlooking the 23-year old newcomer based on it being his UFC debut. “Let’s see what will happen,” Shalorus began on the subject of their scrap. “I know he is a worthy opponent. You can not be in the UFC if you did not earn it. He has a great record. There is so much film on him that it has been easy for my coaches and me to study his patterns. The game plan will be shown on fight night. I can guarantee that the fans will be entertained our fight.” “I am always motivated to fight anyone the UFC puts in front of me,” he concluded on Nurmagomedov, showing that the prospect of delivering the 16-0 prospect’s first career loss was not necessarily as big a factor as some may think. However, one thing that will be on Shalorus’ mind tomorrow is the notion of being part of the UFC’s first live show on FX. While his bout is set to be broadcast as part of the preliminary portion of the event on Fuel TV, the show as a whole is still one with significance given the future relationship between the UFC/FOX and something he sees as a crown jewel in his career. “It is very meaningful to be on the 1st FX show, most definitely,” said Shalorus. “It feels like we are apart of history. That goes without question. These are the kind of milestones that are memorable for me always.” In closing, Shalorus assured fans of two things – his fight will be fun to watch and they shouldn’t expect to see him follow the lead of any lightweights who’ve decided to dip down a division. “No, I am a big 155 pounder as it is,” Shalorus replied with a laugh. “We would need to cut my leg off for that.” Catch Shalorus-Nurmagomedov during the Fuel TV festivities with the broadcast beginning at 6:00 PM EST. Things will then head over to FX at 9:00 PM EST with a card featuring Josh Neer vs. Duane Ludwig, Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft, and headlining lightweights Melvin Guillard vs. the aforementioned Miller. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fx, vs, career, shaloru

Kamal Shalorus: “I feel like a very sharp knife ready to slice through hot butter.”

Posted in: ufc, fx, vs, career, shaloru

UFC Undisputed 3: Career Mode Trailer

Rampage Jackson reflects on his career in this trailer for UFC Undisputed 3′s Career Mode. Below, THQ developer Nick Robertson gives MiddleEasy a more in-depth explanation of the changes they’ve made for Undisputed 3′s career mode.

Posted in: ufc, career, mode, career mode, indepth explanation

UFC Undisputed 3: Exclusive Career Mode Unveiling

My head felt like it was 2006 and had just received a Cro Cop left leg kick. I played so much UFC Undisputed 3 this weekend my brain was begging for mercy. As a self proclaimed hardcore gamer I usually don't get splitting headaches. In fact, I feel my brain has a great tolerance to flashing lights and loud noises, but I just played almost 300 matches of Undisputed 3 in a little over 36 hours, and it felt like my gray matter was bouncing around inside my skull like Clay Guida after after a double espresso. Eventually I mustered the courage to open my eyes. The ceiling to room 1026 of San Francisco's Westin hotel greeted me through a blur. The room looked like like hell; crumbled up scraps of paper with various cryptic notes on the upcoming UFC 3 career mode were strewn about the room. I cursed myself quietly then got on my hands and knees to collect my notes. I had to make sense of just what exactly went down this weekend in San Francisco. For the last 20 months I've been a card carrying, flag waving advocate of EA MMA, but with that franchise looking dead, I had to do some major soul searching to to decide of THQ's latest UFC offering was really all they were hyping it up to be. I stepped over to my window and parted the shades, it was really bright out. It all began on Friday the 13th. We had specific instructions to wake up early, way too early, at least for any MiddleEasy employee. We are more accustomed to going to bed as the sun comes up rather than waking up with it. Outside a light fog covered Market street where myself and the collected media corps covering this Undisputed career mode reveal patiently waited to be piled into a musty smelling van. Eventually we were transported to an inconspicuous looking brick building. As I stepped inside the dream of every gamer was realized: rows of monitors had the full build of the game ready and waiting for us play while a giant projection screen showed replays of the best knockouts in UFC history. It was both awesome and strangely comforting, as this is essentially how I spend my daily life at home; gaming and watching fights, only this time I was on the west coast and all the breakfast pastries I could handle were on THQ's tab. I was told to sit down and have at it, the next nine hours would be myself and the UFC Undisputed career mode. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, did a quick stretch and picked up the controller. I already had a lengthy play session in the Undisputed Alpha last month, so I was familiar with the game play which is so improved over last year you probably won't even believe me when I praise it. It's important to point out how much I loved EA MMA and how much I loathed UFC 2010, but even with that said I still played UFC 2010 like a cheap piano. I went through 2010's career mode in four weight classes, so I had an idea of what horror I might be getting into in this dark San Francisco club. My fears were quickly soothed, but first, the controls. UFC 3 is by no means an easy game. Even with the 'Amateur' controls. When you watch matches between players who are just starting out on the game, fights will look reminiscent of the previous installments: IE Rock em Sock em Robots. It's only after a few hours that you will truly be able to understand the nuances of the game, using feints and sways, grinding your opponent into the cage, and it's because of this somewhat difficult learning curve I found the game play very rewarding, even though I was aware of how polarizing it could be to a novice. The career mode starts and footage of Royce Gracie in the SEG days of the UFC flashes up on the screen. I think to myself 'thank you'. Within the first half hour of the game I felt like this game was made for me, for the EA MMA fans, for the fans of the sport that have have taken the time to learn the history if they weren't there to live it. And if you are a new fan, this game has a Cliff's notes of the sport that feels more genuine than even EA MMA's admirable job. Especially due to all of the licenses Zuffa owns. Footage of Rampage, Rich Franklin and others fighting in the WFA as you start out is awesome, it gave me a feeling of purpose and I reveled in it. I couldn't wait to create my digital MMA fighter and get in there. The character creation is a lot like 2010 but with much, much more to do. I don't think I have to go too deep into it, if you've played the previous games you get the idea. I create a welterweight fighter who's main school is Karate, decide to train at Black House (mural on the wall and everything) then head into my first WFA fight in which I get choked out in the first round. Damn. I put the game on a harder setting than suggested when I was first calibrating my career mode with the built in tutorial. That's fine though, plenty of fighters have have lost their first pro fight. After a few 'tune up' fights I go 6-2 over and I get the call I've been waiting for: my title shot in the WFA. Between each fight you have two weeks to train and build up stats or learn new moves. I like my skill set, so I improve my cardio and then take a look at my opponent, he's a wrestler and I have horrible TD defense. This is a tough decision. I decide a stiff drink will help me figure it out. As I make my way over to the bar I'm mulling over my two options; I could game plan for having to fight off my back, giving me a boost to all necessary stats for that fight, or I could have more confidence in myself and just train in my take down defense or fighting off my back. I lean over the bar top, deep in thought. I must have looked troubled as the bartender shot me a concerned glance as he wiped dry some newly cleaned pint glasses. He throws his rag over his shoulder and talks me through my decision. He understands what's on the line, and even though I'm in San Francisco he told me through a thick Boston accent that preparation is the key to everything in life. That settles it, I decide to game plan for fighting off my back. If I got this WFA belt the guys at Black House would stop pranking me and I would be in the UFC in no time. This was it, my time to shine. My opponent never had a chance to take me down. I knocked him out in just over a minute with a kick Lyoto Machida taught me. Ed Soares runs into the cage celebrating. Back in San Francisco I sip my drink as I watch my digital self fist pump and scream. He worked so hard for this fight, and I have no doubt God was with me when I won that WFA belt. But now what? The UFC has offered me an undercard fight on a Fight Night broadcast, but I decide I want to cement my legacy in the WFA. I defend my belt twice more then lose it to the same guy who made me tap in my first match. I train submissions and ground fighting, win my next two fights and I get my rematch. The champ comes out and wants to touch gloves but I kick him in the head instead, which is met with a chorus of boos and chants of "bullsh**". This time our match is a four round brawl that leaves me the bloody victor. I would defend multiple submission attempts and the fight would go on to win Fight Of The Year. I was tired, but 4 years into my career and with a 12-4 record the UFC decided to offer me either a main card spot on a Fight Night broadcast or an undercard slot on a PPV. I decide to move on to the UFC, relinquishing my belt in the WFA to prepare for a match against Matt Hughes. The best way to put it is like this: the career mode has way less micromanagement and way more fighting. After losing to Hughes via a doctor stoppage, I go on a six fight win streak, including some late fill in fights that I took at the last second to get in the good graces of Dana and Joe Silva. Eventually I get offered a spot in the Pride GP. I could have main evented a UFC PPV, but this was too good to pass up. It's every fight fans dream. I make my way out as Lenne Hardt screams my name. I battle my way through the legendary Pride tournament, eventually knocking out Mark Munoz with a glorious soccer kick in the final round and I'm awash in confetti with the adulation of thousands of Japanese fight fans pouring over me. All that while holding a gigantic trophy. Life is good. Then I lose my next four fights in a row. I'm not a guy who blames their camp or anything, but I think the weight cut was getting to my character. Black House was insisting that I should fight at 170, when I knew my money weight was at 85. Sorry Anderson, you're 42 now and not even the champion. You see, after a long winning or losing streak you have the option of moving up or down a weight class, so I move up to 185 for the last five years of my career with mixed results. I would go on to win the Pride GP one more time, but also lose in the opening round another year. After fifty fights I had to call it a career, finishing 6th in the middleweight division. I would never win a UFC title, but now that it's over I feel good about my career, and I'll be able to relive it through the in game highlight reel mode. The sense of ownership over your character in this rejuvenated career mode for UFC 3 is hard to deny. Coupled with better graphics, a more responsive control scheme, deep character customization and just overall smoother gameplay, I can't help but put this right up there with EA MMA and light years beyond the previous installments. I didn't want to believe resident MiddleEasy videogame expert Tha Premiere when he told me how improved and satisfying this game was, but after a long weekend with it I believe him . Now here I am in this dark hotel room a few hundred matches after I finished my career mode. Could this game actually be better than EA MMA? It certainly has more customization, more licensing and one of the most in depth career modes ever seen in an MMA game. It doesn't offend my intelligence as an MMA fan. It may not be the most accessible game in the world, but that's fine, I don't want that. As an MMA fan I want the Madden of MMA to come out, not the Blitz. I want it all, and fighting as Ryo Chonan Vs. Anderson Silva in the Pride ring just feels good. It's what the Gary LaPlante's of the world have always wanted. This is what the true successor to UFC 2009 should have been, an extreme step in the right direction. In fact, it's more than a step, it's a globe crossing leap. UFC 3 is without a doubt the best of the series, and even with this headache that doesn't want to go away, I'm thinking I might put in some eye drops, pop a couple aspirin and go upstairs to play more while I still can. It's that good. And don't forget, if you like UFC Undisputed's Facebook page you can get Overeem for free. Post horse meat Overeem in Pride? Yes, please.

Posted in: ufc, fight, career, game, mode

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2012 World MMA Light Heavyweight Scouting Report: #9 - Steve Bosse

Photo by Instinct MMA Name: Steve Bosse Nickname: The Boss Age: 30 Height: 6'0" Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Nobody gave Steve Bosse (9-1) a chance of becoming something more than a novelty act when he made his mixed martial arts debut in the summer of '07. The sport had already dealt with a number of tough guys who figured their success in one sport would ultimately lead to success in MMA. Most were wrong, and Bosse fell under the same assumptions. Fortunately, Bosse did have experience in the world of fisticuffs, racking up a high of 253 penalty minutes (PIMs) during the 2006-2007 hockey season for the Saint-Jean Chiefs of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). He ended his seven season minor league career in 2008-2009 with a grand total of 1363 PIMs , and he was considered the #1 enforcer in the NAHL. A loss to Icho Larenas at TKO 31 in December of '07 could have been the nail in the coffin for his career. A confirmation that his entry into the sport was, in fact, a joke. Four years later, however, Bosse has put together an impressive streak of wins, knocking out UFC veteran Houston Alexander and Strikeforce veteran Mychal Clark. He defeated former UFC fighter Marvin Eastman by decision last February as well, increasing his overall streak to seven. Bosse is surprisingly well-rounded and durable, wielding an increasingly dangerous striking game and respectable grappling chops. While his life has been focused on beating fellow goons to a pulp and transitioning those skills to the cage, Bosse has grown at this late stage in his athletic career, truly becoming a mixed martial artist by earning a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Those skills haven't, however, created some sort of grappling whiz kid on the mats. Bosse is defensive-minded, utilizing those skills to regain his feet and wage war toe-to-toe. Bosse's defensive skills still need some work. His chin sits high in the pocket, and his aggression could be exploited by a pinpoint striker in the future. Regardless of those issues, Bosse is making every effort to improve. He currently calls the world-renowned Tristar Gym in Montreal his home, and he traveled to Phuket, Thailand this summer to train at Tiger Muay Thai. At 30 years old, Bosse is a hard sell for most readers. He is, however, surprisingly motivated to succeed, and he's made all the right decisions in regards to his career. His status as a draw in Quebec will likely catch the eye of Joe Silva, and it would be a shock if the UFC didn't come calling in 2012. Right now, Bosse is on the sidelines from a broken hand he suffered in his battle with Houston Alexander. Look for him to return, likely under the Instinct MMA banner, by the spring for a tune-up fight before taking on a more challenging opponent. Check out video footage of Steve Bosse after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - Hacran Dias#2 - Joey Gambino#3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - Fabricio Guerreiro#2 - Alessandro Ferreira#3 - Adriano Martins#4 - Justin Salas#5 - Neilson Gomes#6 - Eduard Folayang#7 - Zorobabel Moreira#8 - Anton Kuivanen#9 - Jordan Rinaldi#10 - J.P. Vainikainen WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - Andrey Koreshkov#2 - Dhiego Lima#3 - Brandon Thatch#4 - Nordine Taleb#5 - Hernani Perpetuo#6 - Brock Jardine#7 - Alan Jouban#8 - Mohsen Bahari#9 - Andre Santos#10 - Stephen Thompson #1 - Antonio Braga Neto#2 - Marcelo Guimaraes#3 - Claudio Silva #4 - Bojan Velickovic#5 - Ildemar Alcantara#6 - Michal Materla#7 - Elvis Mutapcic#8 - Tor Troeng#9 - Jack Hermansson#10 - Tim Ruberg #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - Steve Bosse #10 - Juha Saarinen #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Houston Alexander vs. Steve Bosse Steve Bosse vs. Wes Sims Steve Bosse vs. Icho Larenas Steve Bossé vs Yan Pellerin

Posted in: mma, career, bosse, steve, skill

Dhiego Lima Building a Career, Not Taking a Rocket Ride to the Top

Dhiego Lima's profile has risen to an all-time high over the past year, but he's not looking to be the flavor of the day, Lima wants to build a career with staying power.

Posted in: career, dhiego, lima, building, day lima

One to Watch: Antonio Carvalho / UFC 142

A large number of UFC debuts are scheduled to take place in the early part of 2012, some as last minute replacements and others as long awaited unveilings. The next four Saturdays are eack slated to feature a UFC event, and with every show there is at least one new prospect stepping foot inside the Octagon for the first time in his career worth watching. Each week, I’ll take a look at a new debuting fighter, discussing why you should take a look at the fight. This week’s candidate is: Antonio Carvalho – UFC 142 (vs. Felipe Arantes) A Look at the UFC 142 Countdown Special It could be argued Carvalho’s debut has only taken this long because of the fact that he’s been a featherweight for the last few years and the division is relatively new to the UFC. Carvalho holds belts in numerous disciplines and mixes an unorthodox striking game with strong ground transitions, setting up to one of his favorite ways to end – ground and pound. He does hold three submission victories but hasn’t won a fight that way in nearly seven years. Within his decade long career the 32 year old Canadian has fought the likes of Rumina Sato, Takashi Inoue, as well as UFC vets Doug Evans and Jeff Curran, not to mention being one of the few to hold a victory over Japanese standout Hatsu Hioki. After going a quick 8-0 to open his career, Carvalho suffered his first career loss to Curran before going to Japan to compete in Shooto. It was there that he gained some notoriety, especially when he defeated Hioki who was riding a ten-fight unbeaten streak at the time and was a heavy favorite coming in. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down slightly over the years, javing only fought five times since November 2007. In fact, his UFC debut was also delayed due to an injury but, as you now know, he’ll finally make his debut at UFC 142 as the first match on the undercard against youngster Arantes. You can catch Carvalho-Arantes on Facebook when the UFC broadcast starts up at 7:00 PM EST. Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, year, career, carvalho

Back Injury May Force Kenny Florian To Retire From MMA

The UFC 136 featherweight title fight could be the last time that fight fans see Kenny Florian as an active competitor. After an unsuccessful attempt at the featherweight title, Florian had plans to return to lightweight to close out his career. He was taking six months off to put the weight and muscle back on his frame when he suffered a herniated disk in the lumbar region of his back. Florian spoke with the Boston Herald to address the issues he's currently dealing with and if he'll be able to return to fighting: "It's possible, unfortunately," Florian said of his career ending. "I've kind of been going back-and-forth with some of the doctors, so it's possible. I'm going to see. As of right now, obviously I can't compete and train like I was at all. I'm just kind of doing what I can and hoping that things heal up and get better. I'm just kind of in a holding pattern. That's why I decided to do this commentary for the time being and take this next six months to really heal up and try to make some money on the side. It sucks. The last couple of months I've just been figuring out what's going on and what I'm going to do." .... "It's not good," Florian said. "That's why I'm trying to stay hopeful. We'll see. I've been out here in (Los Angeles) doing this show every week for ‘UFC Tonight' for Fuel TV and doing some other things. I'm just hoping that it can heal up and get better and then see if I can go back to doing what I was doing. So far, I still need to rest. If I go to do something physical, I'm just not able to do it. That pain is coming back." When I had the opportunity to speak with Florian while at Head Kick Legend, a big question for me was what he would do when he finally retired from MMA. He's become an on-air analyst for Zuffa with both the UFC and WEC and settled into the role of lead analyst with MMA Live. He also runs a successful gym in Massachusetts with his brother Keith, so the man does have options. It's just a shame that he may need to walk away not on his own terms. If UFC 136 was truly Florian's last bout, how will be be remembered? More after the jump... Florian can be remembered many different ways. An unlikely finalist from The Ultimate Fighter. The man who failed in every attempt to capture gold. The man who said "I FINISH FIGHTS!". Or he can be remembered as the first UFC fighter to find success in three different weight classes. He was a victim of his time period, a guy too small for welterweight when nothing else existed. He defeated some of the best lightweights in the sport's history and failed against others. His story can either be one of tragedy or triumph depending on the spin. I can say that when the book is closed on Florian's MMA career I'll remember him as the guy who was the most unlikely UFC fighter to ever find success in the organization. His failures in championship bouts aside, he's one of the best to ever step foot in the octagon and one of the best to ever sit in the booth. I hope to speak with him in the upcoming days to find out how he's doing and to tell him thank you for the great career. He deserves it.

Posted in: ufc, mma, career, florian, im

Barstool to the Blog: The Gina Carano List

Gina Carano has become a hot topic lately with the release the much anticipated movie Haywire which she starred in. Unfortunately the talk hasn't stayed on that topic. MMA fans, media, and even promoters have become confused by seeing somebody in the spotlight who they know is capable of fighting and are once again clamoring for her return to the cage. Chris "Cyborg" Santos' year long suspension for performance enhancing drugs had added even more misplaced intrigue. The entire discussion is reminiscent of coverage for the posterchild of development hell; Duke Nukem Forever. Without retelling the entire story, it was a much anticipated game that was announced in 1997 with several developers promising to deliver it and all falling short until a scant few months ago. Far greater than the game itself was a website that lives on in nerd lore known as the Duke Nukem Forever List. It was a stark reminder of all the things that had occurred in the time fans spent waiting for one video game. It's easy to forget how much time has really passed when you don't have relevant landmarks to judge by. In that spirit, I have put together a list of things that have happened since Gina Carano last won a fight. This list is not meant to marginalize or diminish Carano's career and it doesn't do that at all. It is a reminder of when she accomplished in her career and provides important context for those who expect her to return to fighting. With that said... The following things have occurred between Gina Carano's most recent win against Kelly Kobald on October 4, 2008 and the present day: In MMA: The UFC Light Heavyweight belt went from Forrest Griffin to Rashad Evans to Lyoto Machida to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to Jon Jones. See also: The Machida Era. The title reigns of Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, and Frankie Edgar. Dan Hardy's UFC career.it was just a pet project but Jon Jones left the BombSquad following the Stephan Bonnar fight and became Rashad Evans' protege. He then broke the 'Jackson's Oath' and began the beef with Rashad Evans. Alistair Overeem returned to kickboxing following a four year haitus. His run included victories over Badr Hari, Peter Aerts (x2), Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki, and Ewerton Teixeira and became the last ever K-1 World Grand Prix champion. Mike Brown ended the streak of Urijah Faber and took the WEC Featherweight belt. He defended the belt in a rematch against Faber and against Leonard Garcia. Diego Sanchez dropped to lightweight where he defeated Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida en route to a savage beating at the hands and shin of BJ Penn. Kimbo Slice lost to Seth Petruzelli in his first professional defeat. He went on to appear on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 and was defeated in the first round by Roy Nelson. He did not fight again the next week, or the week after, or the week after. Randy Couture came out of retirement and retired again. Matt Lindland went from a top 10 middleweight to the recipient of the scariest knockout of the decade against Vitor Belfort at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. His only win since is Spencer Pratt entourage member Kevin Casey. War Machine signed with LA Direct Models to launch his career in pornography which ended abruptly following a fistfight at a Las Vegas birthday party. He was arrested twice more in California and served a one year prison sentence. Matt Mitrione fired Malki Kawa, paradoxically launching the career of Malki Kawa. For more from the world of boxing and the real world, see the full entry after the jump. Boxing: Manny Pacquiao's career at welterweight, starting with retiring Oscar De La Hoya. The entirety of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Manny Pacquiao negotiations. The Super Six World Boxing Classic, complete with injuries and delays, skyrocketed Andre Ward to the top of Super Middleweight rankings. Bernard Hopkins became the oldest boxing champion in history at 46. Saul Alvarez won 18 fights in a row, made his stateside debut, and became the leading candidate for Floyd Mayweather's next fight. Wladimir and Vitali Klitchko... uh... ok, nothing actually happened here. General: Speculation began that Hillary Clinton would consider being Secretary of State under Barack Obama. Ke$ha. Brett Favre signed with the New York Jets. Then the Minnesota Vikings. Then retired again. Aaron Rodgers chuckled and broke his record for single season passing yards for a Packer. T-Pain got on a boat with Andy Samberg. Kanye West discovered Autotune and released 808's and Heartbreaks before My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne. Apple launched the iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S as well as every version of the iPad. The Android operating system was upgraded to version 1.1, the first upgrade since its launch. It is now on version 4.0. Kinect for Xbox and Playstation Move.

Posted in: fight, jon jones, boxing, career, carano

Kenny Florian May Retire From the UFC Due to Back Injury

Filed under: UFC, NewsKenny Florian's mixed martial arts career may have come to an end. The 35-year-old Florian, who three times fought for a UFC belt, told the Boston Herald that a herniated disc in his lower back could prevent him from ever fighting again. Two doctors, one an orthopedist and one a neurologist, have told him that quitting MMA would be the wisest course of action. "It's possible, unfortunately," Florian said. "I've kind of been going back-and-forth with some of the doctors, so it's possible. I'm going to see. As of right now, obviously I can't compete and train like I was at all. I'm just kind of doing what I can and hoping that things heal up and get better. I'm just kind of in a holding pattern. That's why I decided to do this commentary for the time being and take this next six months to really heal up and try to make some money on the side. It sucks. The last couple of months I've just been figuring out what's going on and what I'm going to do." Florian last fought on October 8, losing to featherweight champion Jose Aldo. There was some talk immediately following that fight that Florian could retire, but at that time Florian said he still wanted to compete, likely back at lightweight. However, things changed when Florian suffered a back injury while lifting weights in November. Florian says he has been dealing with tingling and numbness in his right leg since then. If there's any silver lining for Florian, it's that he has started to build a second career in broadcasting. In other sports, it's common for former athletes to get jobs as announcers after they walk away but in MMA, where broadcasting jobs are scarce, Florian could become something of a trailblazer. He's a natural on television, and the UFC's new deal to put shows on Fox, FX and Fuel means there are more opportunities available for former fighters to make a living behind the microphone. "It's not good," Florian told the Herald. "That's why I'm trying to stay hopeful. We'll see. I've been out here in (Los Angeles) doing this show every week for UFC Tonight for Fuel TV and doing some other things. I'm just hoping that it can heal up and get better and then see if I can go back to doing what I was doing. So far, I still need to rest. If I go to do something physical, I'm just not able to do it. That pain is coming back." If Florian is done, he'll leave MMA with a career record of 14-6, including 12-5 in the UFC. Only 10 fighters in UFC history have more career wins than Florian. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, kind, career, florian, im

Best of MMA 2011: Anderson Silva Delivers the Knockout of the Year

Anderson Silva's career is one giant highlight reel. But perhaps no moment in his career was bigger than his front-kick KO of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.

Posted in: career, vitor belfort, anderson, frontkick ko, year anderson

Will There Ever Be Another Brock Lesnar?

Brock Lesnar is a unique athlete, the once-in-a-generation type. That may read like hyperbole to some, but consider facts. Lesnar was a four-time All-American collegiate wrestler—twice at Bismarck State College and twice at the University of Minnesota. He won national championships at both schools and ended his collegiate wrestling career with a 106-5 record.The gargantuan heavyweight then spent the next three-plus years of his life accumulating millions of dollars from playing a starring role in the world’s most popular male soap opera—World Wrestling Entertainment. He had to maintain his sculpted, 270- to 290-lb frame for the audience, while also learning crazy acrobatic sequences that were part of his stuntman-like performances. Remember, though, that his time in the WWE included no actual athletic competition. It was pure acting—albeit physically demanding and, oftentimes, physically deteriorating acting, but acting nonetheless.Then, after his three-year competitive hiatus, Lesnar decided that he wanted to play professional football. No, not Arena League ball. Not the XFL. Not NFL Europa. And certainly not the semi-pro version that some bar room heroes play on weekends. He wanted to play defensive tackle in the National Football League. Sure, he had elite NFL size, strength and speed for his position. Lesnar’s 40-yard dash time was reportedly 4.7 seconds. That would have ranked first among defensive tackles at the 2011 NFL Combine. But the guy hadn’t played a down of football since high school. Shockingly, he earned playing time in a couple of preseason games and was a late cut with the Minnesota Vikings. With his football stint over, Lesnar turned his attention to mixed martial arts. Lots of accomplished collegiate wrestlers do the same thing, so it was a natural progression in his athletic life. Yet, his foray into the sport was anything but normal.Lesnar fought just one time before signing a contract with the world’s biggest and most competitive MMA promotion, the UFC. It was an easy, first-round win over a grossly overmatched opponent. That was the last “gimme” of his career. Three fights later, he defeated Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight championship. Let me repeat that. Brock Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight championship in his fourth professional fight. Not his fourth UFC fight. His fourth professional fight. And for the record, he had exactly zero amateur fights before turning professional. Say what you will, but that is a jaw-dropping feat. In my opinion, it is the single-most impressive accomplishment in sports. Can you imagine anyone defeating Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva or any other reigning champ after three career fights? Those things happened back in the dark days of the UFC, when fighters were one-dimensional, part-time fighters, not world class athletes dedicating their lives to the sport of mixed martial arts. I’m going to go out on a big, sturdy, safe limb. Nobody will match Lesnar’s accomplishment in any UFC weight class in the next 20 years, if ever.Haters will cite the fact that Couture was tailor made for Lesnar. I don’t disagree with that fact. Couture didn’t have the wrestling edge, so he could neither force the fight to the ground, nor keep it standing. He was a serviceable boxer but lacked the power to actually hurt Lesnar on the feet. And Couture has never been a submission wizard from his back. From a matchup standpoint, Couture was the perfect foil for Lesnar’s championship run. But he was still competing against the most decorated fighter in UFC history.Lesnar proved his win over Couture was no fluke over his next two fights, both wins. Frank Mir is arguably the best heavyweight submission fighter in the world, and certainly a far better striker than Lesnar. Yet, he was beaten from pillar to post over two brutal rounds, unable to mount any semblance of an offensive attack against the champion before succumbing to strikes.Shane Carwin, like Lesnar, is a monstrous physical specimen with amazing athleticism. He also possesses bone-crushing power in both of his fists. Lesnar survived adversity through most of the first round before dominating Carwin in the second en route to a beautiful submission win.Lesnar’s two consecutive successful defenses of the UFC Heavyweight Championship matches the record set initially set by Couture and then matched by Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia. His 707 consecutive day reign is the longest in UFC heavyweight history, 84 days longer than the previous record established by Couture. I don’t care if part of that time was spent sidelined due to his health. He still defended the belt as many times as anyone else, including one defense after diverticulitis reared its ugly head.Of course, his fall from greatness was just as sharp as his rise through the sport. My good friend Thomas Gerbasi put it best. Lesnar’s career was like a shooting star—it didn’t last long and it burned out at the end, but when it was at its peak, it was something you wouldn’t miss seeing for the world. It is a brilliant description of Lesnar’s MMA career.Dare I say that Brock Lesnar deserves to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame now that he has hung up the vale tudo gloves. His career accomplishments justify it, despite the fact that he only competed eight times. Those accomplishments bear repeating. UFC heavyweight champion in his fourth career fight. Two successful defenses ties for the best all-time. Reigning for 707 days is the longest in history. Not a bad eight fight career. Not bad at all. In fact, I think it is an eight fight career that will never be duplicated.

Posted in: ufc, fight, heavyweight, career, lesnar

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2012 World MMA Lightweight Scouting Report: #4 - Justin Salas

Photo by Isaac Hinds, Sherdog Name: Justin Salas Nickname: -- Age: 29 Height: 5'8" Location: Wheat Ridge, Colorado Five years ago, Justin Salas (10-3) was slaving away in the trona mines of his hometown in Green River, Wyoming without any thoughts of a career in fighting. His only connection to mixed martial arts was a heralded high school wrestling career that bloomed into a spot on the University of Wyoming wrestling squad. Naturally, one would expect the transition to the sport to be seamless, but Salas' entry took a more indirect route. According to MMAJunkie.com's Kyle Nagel, Salas' introduction stemmed from a favor to an old friend: "He (an old wrestling buddy) said, 'I'm supposed to do this fight, but my wife's about ready to have a kid and I don't wanna leave the guy high and dry,'" Salas told MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com). "I asked if it was pro or amateur, and he asked which I wanted. I said, 'Do I get paid?' He said, 'If it's a pro fight, you get paid.' "So, I got a week-and-a-half notice before becoming a professional fighter." With no training beyond his standout high school wrestling career and Division I college experience in the sport, Salas competed well but was beaten by an armbar submission. Salas has since recorded nine wins, his latest being an upset decision win over skilled wrestler Joe Ellenberger, the brother of UFC fighter Jake Ellenberger, at Victory Fighting Championships 36 in October. The victory was preceded by an unanimous decision over UFC veteran Rob Emerson nine months prior, making 2011 the best year of his five-year professional career. Salas' success is rooted in his wrestling skills. He specializes in ripping opponents off the cage with single and double leg takedowns from the clinch, and he's proficient in producing offense by way of strikes or submissions on the ground. On the feet, Salas is no slouch, utilizing a southpaw stance and possessing the know-how to throw basic combinations. He isn't an advanced striker by any means, but his striking is good enough to compliment his grappling skills. Combined with solid takedown defense and abundant cardio, Salas is one of the most versatile competitors on our countdown. From a technical standpoint, there are improvements to be made in both his stand-up and grappling acts, but training at the Grudge Training Center in Colorado with the likes of UFC veterans Nate Marquardt, Duane Ludwig, Shane Carwin, and the enormous roster of fighters the facility houses should help him fine tune those areas. With a strong support system and an extensive background in wrestling, it shouldn't be a surprise that Salas is close to making a splash on a larger platform. Check out more video footage of Justin Salas after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - Hacran Dias#2 - Joey Gambino#3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - Justin Salas#5 - Neilson Gomes#6 - Eduard Folayang#7 - Zorobabel Moreira#8 - Anton Kuivanen#9 - Jordan Rinaldi#10 - J.P. Vainikainen WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Early Justin Salas HL Reel Justin Salas vs. Joe EllenbergerVictory Fighting Championships 36 - October 14, 2011 Justin Salas vs. Rob EmersonFull Force Fighting 1 - January 29, 2011 Justin Salas vs. Matt SimmsJuly 24, 2010 Justin Salas vs. Brenton Swanson (Undocumented pro fight)Fight Industries "The Beginning" - November 14, 2009

Posted in: vs, career, justin, sala, southpaw stance

Bobby Green out of bout with Alonzo Martinez; Strikeforce officials seek replacement

As quickly as it was announced, the planned fight between Bobby Green and Alonzo Martinez looks to be off this coming Saturday’s Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine card. Reports have circulated that Green suffered an injury, forcing him out. Green holds a career record of 17-5, having won his last two fights in Strikeforce since a loss to Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante. “King” has won 15 of his 17 career bouts by early stoppage. Martinez would be making his debut for Strikeforce if officials are successful in finding a replacement on short notice. He has won eight of his last nine fights, and owns 21 submission wins in his career. MMAJunkie was the first to confirm the Green injury with Strikeforce officials. The show takes place January 7 on Showtime from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, Luke Rockhold defends his Strikeforce middleweight title against Keith Jardine. Green-Martinez was slated for the Showtime Extreme-televised prelims card. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, career, official, strikeforce officials, stoppage martinez

UFC 141 Lesnar vs. Overeem by the numbers and inside the box score

-After posting a record of 5-5 in the years 2006-2007, Alistair Overeem has gone 10-0-1 since June 2008. -Nine of Overeem's last tens wins have come inside the first round-Overeem is now 3-3 in his career versus former UFC champions-Overeem has 15 (T) KO wins in his career, 19 via submission and only 2 by decision-All three of Brock Lesnar's career losses have come inside of the first round -Five of Lesnar's eieght career MMA bouts came versus former UFC champions. Six out of eight if you include Overeem's Strikeforce title-Lesnar has been booked as the main or co-main event in all eight of his MMA fights. Lesnar was the headliner in five of UFC fights-Per CompuStrike Overeem connected on 8 of 9 kicks in his 2:26 fight with Lesnar-Per FightMetric Overeem landed 20 of 25 strikes on Lesnar-The three round judge's decision for Nate Diaz was just the second of his career to go the distance. Diaz is now 2-6 in his career when the fight goes the distance-Diaz's fight of the night bonus was the fifth FON award of his UFC career-In his last six fights Diaz has won two in a row, lost two in a row and now won two in a row-The loss to Diaz snapped a six fight winning streak for Donald Cerrone. Cerrone's career long win streak is seven wins-Cerrone is 4-1 inside the UFC-The three round decision loss to Diaz was the first time Cerrone dropped a 15 minute decision. Cerrone previously lost to Ben Henderson in October 2009 in a five round 25 minute decision. -Per FightMetric Diaz threw a grand total of 391 strikes while Cerrone only uncorked 193 strikes - Per CompuStrike Diaz landed a CompuStrike record 82% of his total strikes for a 3 round fight.-Betting favorites went 3-7 at UFC 141. At +200 Johny Hendricks was the biggest underdog to pick up a win on the night-The UFC returned to Las Vegas's MGM Grand Garden Arena for the first time since UFC 132 in July 2011. UFC 132 was headlined by Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber. Below is a gate and attendance comparison for the two events.UFC 132Attendance: 13,109Gate: 2.3 million UFC 141Attendance: 12,158Gate: 3.1 million

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, overeem, career

History in the Making: Brock Lesnar makes the jump to the UFC and becomes the sport's biggest star

"Can he fight?" The question was emblazoned all over the promotional material for UFC 81, the event at which former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar made his Octagon debut. Ninety seconds into his bout with Frank Mir, he proved that while he could, he had yet to really get a firm grasp on mixed martial arts (MMA). That same evaluation of his skills would remain throughout the rest of his career, which came to an end last night at UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem. Following a first round technical knockout (TKO) at the hands of Alistair Overeem, the former heavyweight champion announced his retirement from MMA. In doing so, he ends one of the most controversial and talked about careers in the sport's young life. MMA had never seen anyone quite like Lesnar in the past and will unlikely see someone similar in the future. He walked into the sport after making a name for himself in the WWE as a "fake fighter" and 4.5 years later, he steps away -- on his own terms -- as its biggest star. Love him or hate him, Lesnar has left an indelible mark on MMA. Despite getting his leg snatched up by Mir and tapping out, Lesnar managed to impress even his most ardent detractors with his performance. He opened up the fight by catching one of Mir's kicks and taking the Las Vegas native down before hammering down a gaggle of punches onto his opponent's skull. A temporary referee stoppage proved to be a blessing in disguise for Mir who used the time to recover from the onslaught. Seconds later, he was yanking on Lesnar's leg and causing the goliath to tap the canvas. It wasn't exactly the debut that the former WWE Superstar had in mind but it wasn't a complete disaster either. When he stepped into the Octagon for the second time six months later -- this time in his homestate of Minnesota -- he knocked Pride Fighting Championships veteran Heath Herring from pillar to pillar for 15 minutes. The most infamous image from the fight -- aside from Lesnar riding his opponent like a multi-colored pony -- was Herring getting doubled over and tumbling backwards, the victim of a perfectly placed Lesnar punch. The win was his first inside the Octagon but it wouldn't be his last. In a move that fudged the line between sport and entertainment, Lesnar was booked in a heavyweight title match against Randy Couture who had spent the previous few months on the outs with UFC management. When they met at UFC 91, popular opinion held the combination of Couture's experience and excellent gameplanning would be Lesnar's undoing. Instead, it was the latter's ability to learn quickly during training camps and his superhuman-like strength that would prove to be the deciding factor. Midway through the second round, a wrecking ball of a fist crashed into Couture's skull and dropped the seemingly ageless champion. A series of Donkey Kong-like hammerfists later and Lesnar was heavyweight champion of the world in only the fourth fight of his career. It was an honor many felt he hadn't earned. If those people weren't convinced then, the champ seemed dead set to sway them with his next two bouts. A month after he captured his title from Couture, Mir became the first man to stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and earned an interim title in the process. The rematch was set but for when else but UFC 100. The second bout between the two champions would essentially be the opening minute of their first bout stretched out to fill one and a half rounds. The same dominance and brutality that Lesnar displayed during those 60 seconds reemerged at the centennial UFC event and put Mir out less than two minutes into the second round. And just like that, Lesnar not only unified the heavyweight titles but avenged his only loss as well. His next battle would his toughest and would end up having the greatest impact on his career. In October 2009, Lesnar came down with an illness that would go misdiagnosed for nearly two months. Finally determined to be a case of mono combined with diverticulitis, the malady not only nearly ended the champion's fighting career but it almost cost him his life as well. A year later, Lesnar made his return to the Octagon to face off against Shane Carwin in the main event of UFC 116. The champ took a beating in the opening round but managed to survive into the second where conditioning proved to be key. Lesnar had it, Carwin didn't. In a bout where either fighter has the ability to put an opponent to sleep with a single punch, it didn't end with a wild haymaker or even a picture perfect jab. The fight was decided by an arm triangle choke of all things. Lesnar had successfully defended his title twice and thanks to a Fedor Emelianenko submission loss the week prior was recognized as the best heavyweight on the planet. It wouldn't last long. Less than four months later, Lesnar was humbled by Cain Velasquez and lost his belt. A stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) followed which was to lead to a number one contender's bout with Junior Dos Santos. Unfortunately, Lesnar's diverticulitis flared back up and the goliath was put back on the shelf, losing yet another year of his career. That sabbatical ended last night and just as quickly began once again on a more indefinite basis. Following his loss to Overeem, Lesnar announced his intention to hang up his four ounce gloves. Seven UFC fights total, four of them championship bouts. Over five million pay-per-views sold with each of his title fights raking in one million a piece. Just like he did in the WWE, Lesnar marched in, became the biggest star and left when he decided the time was right. As my colleague Geno Mrosko tweeted, "If you took a 12-inches of my guts out ... I'd go chill in the woods, too." Lesnar accomplished more than anyone ever thought he could in the UFC and the excitement, the intrigue he brought with him every time he stepped inside the Octagon will be missed. Take care of yourself, Brock. Thanks for entertaining us.

Posted in: ufc, fight, bout, career, lesnar

UFC 141 Results: Does Brock Lesnar's Retirement Make Him 'The Ultimate Quitter'?

From a physical standpoint, Brock Lesnar is a rare human being. He has a rare combination of size, strength and general athletic ability. He also has shown a tendency to pack it in when things get difficult in his career choices. Lesnar started training to be a pro wrestler in 2000, just after graduating college. By 2004 he had called it a career, having been one of the fastest rising stars in the history of the WWE. But the travel and the physical grind was too much for Brock. Something he described in his Death Clutch book: My first year on the main roster in WWE was a blur. My second year was even worse. I was running into the grind. Same routine every day, day in and day out. The money was great, and I was buying a lot of nice things, but I had no time to enjoy any of it. That touring schedule just eats you up. I just kept thinking that there has to be a better way to make some real money. Lesnar actually had upset many in the WWE by acting as though he was "above" the other members of the roster. Having just signed a new deal with the promotion, he decided that (even with his own personal jet to lessen travel issues) he wanted out. Maturity was seen as an issue for many as well, as seen in this post from the day of the news at the PW Torch: Lesnar is said to be discontent backstage and was very upset that he had to fly all the way to South Africa "just to wrestle Hardcore Holly" instead of being used in a higher profile match on the tour. With his long term contract reportedly signed for 7 years, Lesnar doesn't feel he is being protected properly for the long term by the WWE. He is also upset that the current plan is for him to face the Undertaker as he feels he will likely "be fed" to the Undertaker, thus discounting his character. Lesnar isn't alone in this thinking as many have voiced their opinions against the return of the no-selling "Deadman" gimmick. He and McMahon were said to have had a very intense discussion last week resulting in his considering to take some time off after WM XX. As of this report, the WWE isn't making any post-WrestleMania plans involving Lesnar and have removed his name from all publicity material for upcoming shows. The recent purchase of a $400,000 jet for his business travel remained the hot topic of conversation last week in both RAW & Smackdown locker rooms. While he did use his own money and receive the "OK" from WWE corporate, many still feel this was out of line as Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Undertaker, and others who have substantially more tenure and "weight" within the company have never done such. Individualism such as this caused immediate heat backstage for Lesnar who was also scrutinized for seemingly letting his push "go to his head" and other reported instances where his maturity was brought into question. More about Lesnar's time in the WWE, NFL and UFC after the jump... SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem Many felt like his unwillingness to travel as a part of the "group" and not return the favor given to him where he had been "put over" by many more established wrestlers to build his character as a dominant force was an issue of Lesnar being very much a "kid" mentally. Lesnar decided to chase a spot in the NFL after his WWE career ended. As a profile piece done by ESPN explained, Brock claimed that he was fully committed to a career in football: "This is not some half-assed shot to see what I can do and try to make the NFL," Lesnar said. "For me, this is balls out, 100 percent." While Lesnar's physicality impressed many in his attempt to make the Minnesota Vikings roster, those same old maturity issues popped up again. Lesnar was laying out quarterbacks with full speed hits, a big no-no in NFL training camps, and was involved in a handful of scuffles. In the end it was decided that he wasn't ready for the NFL roster without a little more developing but he was invited to take a year in NFL Europe to develop. His agent told ESPN that Lesnar was ready to go through with the opportunity: Lesnar wasn't available at camp to comment. His agent, Ed Hitchcock, said Lesnar wants to continue his development on the practice squad and in NFL Europe. "He's committed to this long-term," Hitchcock said. "He's realistic about what it takes to develop. There are players who've played this game all their lives who take a couple of years to develop [in the NFL]." But Lesnar's attempt to make an NFL roster never moved past that invitation. Lesnar explained the situation in a Yahoo! article: "You have to feel confident and I didn't," Lesnar said about his brief NFL experience. "I realized I was unprepared at the Vikings training camp. I was thinking to myself, 'What am I doing here?' Because of my lack of experience, I felt it wasn't for me." What should have been an impressive feat (making the NFL Europe cut with relatively no experience is amazing) turned out to be just another time when Lesnar wasn't willing to make the sacrifices that came with the job. In his UFC career, Brock was able to find success quickly once again. Remaining in Minnesota, he was able to work in the area he wanted and on a schedule that fit him better. While he dropped his first UFC bout when Frank Mir kneebarred him, he was able to get his career back on track and beat Heath Herring and then a Randy Couture who had been out of the cage for over a year to win the UFC heavyweight title. The best win of Lesnar's career came at UFC 100 when he brutalized Frank Mir in their rematch to earn a second round TKO win. Brock took a shot at UFC sponsor Bud Light, promoted rival beer Coors Light and then said that he was going to go "climb on top of his wife" leading to having to apologize at the post fight presser. Lesnar's battles with diverticulitis made his life extremely difficult over the past few years. No one can dispute that. But it's hard to not look at his decision to retire following his TKO loss to Alistair Overeem as making the decision to not gut through the hard times in his career yet again. Lesnar has been able to make tremendous money in his life and that has allowed him to quit a promising wrestling career after only three years on the biggest stage, walk away from his NFL goals without accomplishing anything and now walk away from MMA after only roughly four years. Brock has been a professional success, but I can't help but wonder if he has ever spent enough time trying to be the best to truly leave his mark on any pursuit.

Posted in: year, career, wwe, lesnar, nfl

Overpraised or Underrated: An Examination of Alistair Overeem's Recent Fight History

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveHeaded into Friday night's UFC 141 main event, the question of just how good Alistair Overeem is remains one of MMA's heated topics. His supporters point out that he's won titles in Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1. His detractors suggest he's done most of that while facing non-elite competition. In some ways, both sides have valid points. Perhaps his performance against Brock Lesnar will provide answers about his place among the heavyweight elite, but until then, it's worth a look at his recent history. Overeem shifted divisions to heavyweight for good in 2007, and since then has lost only once. On the strength of an 11-fight unbeaten stretch, most heavyweight rankings have him listed between Nos. 2-4. What's obvious about that stretch is that he's been fairly dominant. Seven of his last 10 fights have lasted less than two minutes. But less obvious is that he has seemed to benefit from great timing. His bout with Lesnar will mark the seventh time his last 11 fights he'll be facing an opponent coming off a loss, an unusually high number for someone competing at a championship level. In Lesnar's case, he's not just looking to rebound from a defeat, but from an illness and surgery that cost him more than a year of his athletic career. It's not the first time Overeem has faced down an opponent walking in with little momentum. In fact, of his last 11 opponents including Lesnar, the only one who could boast of any real momentum heading into their bout was Fabricio Werdum, who had won four of his last five and had just become the first man to defeat Fedor Emelianenko in nearly a decade. That victory propelled Werdum to the No. 3 spot on the FightMatrix.com rankings at the time, the highest ranking opponent Overeem has faced during his current stretch until Lesnar. During his last 10 fights, Overeem has faced three fighters who were ranked in the top 10 at the time, as ranked by FightMatrix's computer formula. Aside from beating Werdum in a somewhat lackluster decision, he steamrolled No. 8 Brett Rogers in May 2010 and fought to a no contest with No. 8 Mirko Filipovic in September 2008. The rest of the 10 bouts were mostly a mix of mediocrity, veterans on the way out, and unestablished prospects. Five of the 10 fighters Overeem's faced during his streak are no longer active in MMA. Three opponents -- James Thompson, Gary Goodridge and Lee Tae-Hyun -- did not even crack the top 150 at the time they fought Overeem. Thompson walked into his bout with four straight losses, Goodridge -- then 42 years old -- had lost three in a row, and Tae-Hyun, who was only in his third pro fight, lost in 36 seconds and never fought again. Tony Sylvester was ranked No. 131 when Overeem fought him. Not surprisingly, he lasted all of 83 seconds. Kaz Fujita was 39 years old and No. 102. Overeem finished him off even quicker, in 75 seconds. Mark Hunt was a fairly credible opponent. He came in 5-3 but was unranked because he hadn't fought MMA in over 18 months. Still, he tapped to a keylock in 71 seconds. Lesnar currently sits at No. 3 on the FightMatrix rankings, one spot ahead of Overeem (by comparison, MMA Fighting rankings have the two flip-flopped). Whichever you accept, it still marks his second straight time battling a top five foe. At the time of publication, Overeem was considered a slight favorite in the matchup. Even with a win over Lesnar, Overeem likely won't silence all the questions observers have raised about him. His recent record is too dotted with non-elite opponents, and some will wonder if Lesnar truly competed at full strength. Despite the skeptics who dismiss his resume because of that, there is no question Overeem has dominated the opposition he's faced and has shown elite ability in several dimensions. With most of MMA's top heavyweights under the UFC banner -- or soon to be there, given the recent Strikeforce announcement that they're discontinuing the division and sending their talent to the octagon -- Overeem has a chance to erase every last criticism of his in-cage ability. Here's a closer look at his last 10 bouts and the competition he's faced to vault up the rankings. Opponent: Fabricio Werdum Previous five fights: 4-1 Prior fight: Win Notable: First bout since beating Fedor Emelianenko FightMatrix.com ranking at time of fight: No. 3 Overeem's ranking at time of fight: No. 8 Age at time of fight: 33 Result: Decision win Current career record: 14-5-1 Opponent: Todd Duffee Previous five: 4-1 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Accepted fight on 2 week's notice FightMatrix ranking: No. 58 Overeem's ranking: No. 8 Age: 25 Result: 19-second KO Current career record: 6-2 Opponent: Brett Rogers Previous five: 4-1 Prior fight: Loss Notable: First fight since being KO'd by Fedor FightMatrix ranking: No. 8 Overeem's ranking: No. 12 Age: 29 Result: TKO, 3:40 of Rd. 1 Current career record: 11-4 Opponent: Kaz Fujita Previous five: 2-3 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Two straight defeats FightMatrix ranking: No. 102 Overeem's ranking: No. 12 Age: 39 Result: 75-second KO Current career record: 15-9 (retired) Opponent: James Thompson Previous five: 1-4 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Four straight losses FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 31 Result: 33-second submission Current career record: 16-14, 1 no contest Opponent: Tony Sylvester Previous five: 4-1 Prior fight: Win Notable: Sylvester's only career fight vs. a top 20 opponent FightMatrix ranking: No. 131 Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 31 Result: 83-second submission Current career record: 11-3 (retired) Opponent: Gary Goodridge Previous five: 2-3 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Three straight losses FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 12 Age: 42 Result: Submission, 1:42 of Rd. 1 Current career record: 23-22-1 (retired) Opponent: Mirko Cro Cop Previous five: 3-2 Prior fight: Win Notable: Cro Cop had lost two of his last three prior FightMatrix ranking: No. 8 Overeem's ranking: No. 11 Age: 34 Result: No contest Current career record: 27-10-2, 1 no contest (retired) Opponent: Mark Hunt Previous five: 3-2 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Overeem took the fight on short notice FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 34 Result: 71-second submission Current career record: 7-7 Opponent: Lee Tae-Hyun Previous five: N/A (third pro fight) Prior fight: Win Notable: Only 1-1 before Overeem fight FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 33 Result: 36-second KO Current career record: 1-2 (retired) TOTALS Opponents in previous five: 28-19 (.596 win percentage) Average age: 33.1 Combined career record: 131-78-4 (.630 win percentage) Top 10 opponents Overeem faced: 3 Unranked opponents Overeem faced: 4 Average Time of Fight: 3:03 Overeem's record: 9-0, 1 NC Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, overeem, opponent, career, record

2012 World MMA Featherweight Scouting Report: #1 - Hacran Dias

Photo by Marcelo Alonso, Sherdog Name: Hacran Dias Nickname: Barnabe Age: 27 Height: 5'8" Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil This is a guest post by Rory MacLeod (smoogy) Fighting out of MMA powerhouse Nova Uniao under Master Andre Pedeneiras, Hacran Dias (20-1-1) has to be getting a little impatient by now. After all, it can't be easy for him to see his younger teammates such as Jose Aldo and Eduardo Dantas finding success in the UFC and Bellator while he sits on the sidelines in Brazil. After an undefeated 2011 campaign that saw him go 4-0 and earn a Shooto Brazil title, Hacran is on the cusp on making a break for a major promotion. As a Nova Uniao product, Dias is unsurprisingly strong all-around, particularly as a grappler and submission artist. In his six-year professional career, he's risen from a late-starting BJJ practicioner fighting out of the slums of Rio into a perennial top fighter on the Brazilian circuit, where he's toppled contemporaries like UFC and DREAM veteran Williamy "Chiquerim" Freire (19-5). Dias is a terror on the mat, able to stay tight to his opponents and batter them with strikes as he advances position, then quickly string together submission attempts during transitions. Unfortunately, success has eluded Hacran in his initial forays abroad. His 2008 Pancrase debut against grizzled veteran Takafumi Ito (36-31-11) resulted in a draw and no return invitation to Japan. At M-1 Challenge Korea in 2009, an uncharacteristically poor performance against Yui Chul Nam (13-3-1, #4 in the 2011 Lightweight Report) resulted in the lone loss of his career. "The Korean Bulldozer" found a path to victory by bullying Dias with takedown attempts early to tire him, then tempting him into wild striking exchanges that favored Nam, a brawler by trade. While it remains to be seen if Dias can elevate his striking acumen and conditioning to match his younger peers like Aldo and Dantas, there's no question he's done enough in the interim to warrant a major contract opportunity. His gaudy undefeated record in Brazil was recently capped off by the most important win of his career to date, a second round submission of Paulo Dantas (20-8) that earned him the Shooto Brazil 65kg World Championship in his featherweight debut. With his career re-energized by an eight-fight winning streak and a title in a new weight class, Hacran has publicly appealed for his long-awaited shot in a major North American promotion and chances are he'll have it soon. Check out video footage of Hacran Dias after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - Hacran Dias#2 - Joey Gambino#3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Hacran Dias vs. Yui Chul Nam - M-1 Challenge 17, July 4, 2009Hacran Dias vs. Eddie Hoch - Shooto Brazil 25, August 25, 2011 Hacran Dias vs. Cesar Augusto Cunha Dias Brazil Fight - March 13, 2010 Hacran Dias vs. Arielson SilvaShooto Brazil 21 - February 19, 2011

Posted in: vs, career, brazil, dia, hacran

Vladimir Matyushenko: I'm at the peak of my MMA career (Exclusive)

This Friday, MMA veteran Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko will step inside the Octagon for the 11th time in his career, facing Alexander Gustafsson on the main card of UFC 141 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently enjoying a two-fight winning streak in the UFC, Matyushenko will look to solidify his place as a Top 10 UFC Light Heavyweight against the 16 years younger Gustafsson. Matyushenko is 26-5 in his MMA career, with the reigning UFC 205 Champion Jon Jones being the only man to beat the Belarusian since

Posted in: ufc, mma, career, matyushenko, mma career

Read the full article at Low Kick

Nearing 41 Years Old, Vladimir Matyushenko Still Has UFC Title Hopes

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveThere comes a time for professional athletes when they start to get asked about how much longer they will continue competing. It's different for everyone. It might be brought on by a lack of success or injury or age. And usually when the question comes, it never lets up, until reaching the point where not a single interview goes by without being asked about the possibility of retirement. That's about the stage that's been reached by Vladimir Matyushenko, the veteran UFC light-heavyweight who will turn 41 years old just five days after his UFC 141 bout with fast-rising prospect Alexander Gustafsson. It's a question Matyushenko has every intention of deflecting as long as possible. And why shouldn't he? The UFC light-heavyweight has won five of his last six fights, including two in a row by knockout. His most recent, a 20-second KO of Jason Brilz in April, was the second-fastest finish of his 14-year career. But his age combined with his resume and win streak put him in a unique situation. Is he a contender, a gatekeeper or somewhere in between? More Coverage: UFC 141 Fight Card | UFC 141 Results The Friday night bout with Gustafsson is at least a step forward in determining the answer to that question. Matyushenko (26-5) himself won't discuss his place in the UFC without a bit of prodding. Focused solely on what's directly in front of him, he knows it's not quite worth the energy to think about any extraneous minutiae. But if you ask more than once, he does admit he still harbors championship dreams. "Yes, I definitely do," he told MMA Fighting. Then he adds, "It's always in the back of my head." He says that as if to point out that he's not overlooking the task in front of him, but that goes without saying for one of MMA's true pros. So focused was he on UFC 141 that the holiday season ceased to exist for him. For Matyushenko, there was no shopping, no binging and no problems. He didn't even buy his wife a gift. "But she's happy, so I'm happy," he said. Indeed, all of his attention has been on Gustafsson, who at 24 years old, is just four years older than Matyushenko's son Roman. Aside from one blip on his record in a submission loss to Phil Davis, Gustafsson (12-1) has impressed many with his rapidly maturing game. All four of his UFC wins have been by finish, and he's only been to a decision once in his career. In his last bout, Gustafsson thrashed Matt Hamill, sending him into retirement following a second-round TKO. Count Matyushenko among those who have been impressed by the Swede's recent tear. Matyushenko described him as tall, young and athletic. "In a way," he said, "he looks like a white Jon Jones." Of course, Matyushenko already had the real Jon Jones experience in a fight that led to the most lopsided loss of his career. Jones won by TKO in just 1:52 of the first round. So why will this time around be different? He said that he's learned to adapt with the changing nature of MMA. He pointed to fighters like Jones, Anderson Silva, and Junior dos Santos who emphasize technique over brawling but still fight in exciting fashion. Attempting to reinvent and refine the "Janitor" has helped keep things fresh. "The best fighters are not just bulky, strong guys," he said. "They're fast and athletic. You have to train, to move. You can't stand in front of people like that. Everything is changing and I'm changing with it. I'm getting prepared for that. I'm not in the gym fooling around. But that's the learning process. That's what actually keeps me going. I don't like doing the same thing over and over. I like change." Matyushenko is well accustomed to changing scenery. In a career that began in 1997, he's competed in multiple promotions and under various rule sets that predated modern MMA. When he began his career, he wore wrestling shoes in the cage. At various times, he fought a 25-minute round, went the distance with Tito Ortiz in a five-round decision loss when Ortiz was the long-reigning champ, and later captured the IFL light-heavyweight championship. Unlike some others, Matyushenko wasn't left behind when the sport began evolving. Showing his ability to adapt, he went 13-3 from 1997 through 2004, and has a 13-2 record since the start of 2005. Despite a solid and consistent career, he never quite earned the accolades or name recognition enjoyed by some other 40-something MMA stars that have come before him like Randy Couture and Dan Henderson -- names that Matyushenko mentions when discussing his own longevity. That is at least partly because a major belt has eluded him. Despite all the accomplishments on his resume, that omission is one that he hopes to rectify. Even nearing 41, he believes he still has the time to do it. "One fight at a time, but my goal is to kick some ass," he said. "Right now, my goals are simple: to make weight and go fight. "My weight division is pretty stacked," he continued. "There are a lot of guys doing well. I'm not kidding myself saying I'm going to be champion next month. If it's going to happen, it's a long way to go, but it's possible. Anything is possible." Funny thing about Matyushenko: when he got his "Janitor" nickname, it was back when he was a teenager wrestling internationally, and he beat Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson. Just beforehand, Matyushenko had been cleaning the mats, and a U.S. team member told Jackson he'd gotten beat by the janitor. So there are two constants in Matyushenko's career going forward. One is the retirement question that doesn't seem likely to disappear even if he continues making younger fighters wilt under his pressure. And the second is being underestimated. From teen upstart to respected veteran, he's done nothing but excelled. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, career, matyushenko

2012 World MMA Featherweight Scouting Report: #6 - Anthony Gutierrez

Photo by Keith Mills, Sherdog Name: Anthony Gutierrez Nickname: Sharkbait Age: 21 Height: 5'11" Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri Missouri is one of the Midwest's highest yielding areas for quality mixed martial arts talent. The University of Missouri is the primary reason, housing a nationally recognized wrestling program that has produced successes such as Tyron Woodley, Michael Chandler, and Ben Askren. There are, however, more fighters emerging from the unknown, mainly due to the quality training facilities that exist in the region. One of those talents is K2L Grindhouse team member Anthony Gutierrez (4-0). The 21-year-old submission specialist, who's been featured under the Titan Fighting Championships' banner, has been impressive in his short four-fight professional career, submitting all of his opponents inside the first round. Before making his debut with Titan Fighting Championships in January, he amassed nearly twenty fights as an amateur, recording a 16-3 record with nine wins coming by way of submission. Standing at 5'11", Gutierrez uses his lengthy frame to his advantage on the feet, effectively attacking from range with leg kicks and straight punches. His gameplans usually revolve around using those strengths, but opponents find a way inside his reach, resulting in Gutierrez fighting off his back. Unfortunately for his opposition, Gutierrez is highly-effective on the ground, as evident in his success in submitting opponents. It's only going to get worse for his adversaries. In the lead-up to his bout with Shane Hutchinson at Titan Fighting Championships 20 in September, Gutierrez began an extended training camp out in Sacramento, California with Team Alpha Male, a camp famous for housing UFC veterans Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, and Joseph Benavidez. As one can imagine, the improvements Gutierrez could see in his wrestling game benefit him two-fold, both in his takedown defense and abilities to get fights to the ground. Gutierrez's poor strength of record and short professional career leaves much to be desired, but the skills he's shown in the cage along with the drive to improve his overall game by heading to Team Alpha Male is a good sign of things to come. At only 21, Gutierrez has plenty of time to develop into a well-balanced fighter. Check out more video footage of Anthony Gutierrez after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Anthony Gutierrez vs. Shane Hutchinson Anthony Gutierrez vs. Jacob Aiken - TFC 16Anthony Gutierrez vs. Shane Denton Anthony Gutierrez vs Jon Hollis Anthony Gutierrez vs. Drew Springfield Anthony Guiterrez vs. Keith Koehn Anthony Gutierrez - 7th career bout

Posted in: vs, opponent, career, anthony, gutierrez

Ishii, Monson Fights Represent the Last Phase of Fedor's Career

Filed under: DREAM, M-1 GlobalThe best heavyweight in MMA history will make his return to the ring on New Year's Eve in Japan, when Fedor Emelianenko faces the former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, and the fan reaction to that fight has been decidedly mixed. On one hand, you have fans who loved seeing Fedor's glory days in Pride who figure that there's nothing wrong with seeing him back in Japan on New Year's Eve, which was once an annual tradition. On the other hand, you have fans who are disappointed that Fedor won't be facing a high-level opponent, as Ishii is just 4-1-1 in his MMA career and doesn't have anything close to the kind of MMA resume that Fedor has. The reality is that this fight -- and Fedor's fight in Moscow last month against Jeff Monson -- is just what we're going to see from the 35-year-old Fedor at this point, as he enters the last phase of his legendary career. We're not going to see Fedor against Top 10 competition anymore, so we might as well enjoy watching him against the competition he will face, guys like Ishii and Monson who are perfectly respectable but far from elite. Before I go any further, there's a little revisionist history to get out of the way: Some people like to claim that Fedor never fought high-quality competition, that all he did was "crush cans" in Japan. That's really not an accurate account of any stage of Fedor's career: He beat good opponents like Babalu Sobral and Ricardo Arona in Rings early in his career, beat good opponents like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop in Pride in the prime of his career, and beat good opponents like Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski in Affliction late in his career. It's true that Fedor liked to mix in easy fights against the likes of Lee Hasdell and Yuji Nagata, but at his best he took on many of the best heavyweights in the world and beat them consistently. What has changed is simple: Fedor is not at his best anymore, and now he's not in a position to fight the best heavyweights anymore. The sport's top heavyweights are signed to exclusive Zuffa contracts, and so they're not going to be fighting Fedor any time soon. And really, Fedor shouldn't be fighting an elite heavyweight right now. After consecutive losses to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Dan Henderson, taking a step back in quality of competition only made sense for Fedor, because he can't compete with the truly elite in the sport anymore. That's not a knock on Fedor, any more than it's a knock on Michael Jordan to say that he wasn't as good with the Washington Wizards as he was with the Chicago Bulls. It's just the reality with aging athletes. The good news about the Ishii fight is that while Fedor is a heavy favorite, it's not a mismatch to the same extent that Fedor's last New Year's Eve fight was. In that fight, on December 31, 2007, Fedor was still the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, and seeing him easily submit the Korean giant Hong Man Choi in a Japanese freak show felt like a waste of time. Ishii isn't on Fedor's level, but Fedor-Ishii in 2011 is a more competitive fight than Fedor-Choi in 2007 was. The other piece of good news is that this will be Fedor's fourth fight this year, making 2011 the most active year for Fedor since 2004, when he was the heavyweight champion in Pride. If you're a Fedor fan, seeing him fight frequently is not a bad thing. So that's where Fedor is at this late stage in his career. He's no longer fighting the best of the best on the biggest stages in the sport, but if you've enjoyed watching him fight, there are worse things than seeing him in the ring with Ishii on New Year's Eve. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, heavyweight, career, fedor, ishii

Dana White wants Anderson Silva to close career vs GSP or Jones

Dana White plans call for middleweight king Anderson Silva to rest up from a shoulder injury and face the winner of Chael Sonnen-Mark Munoz in 2012. After that, however, it may all be up to Silva. White, though, wouldn’t mind seeing the 36-year-old Brazilian finish up his career after a few more fights, including a finale bout with either UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre or light heavyweight title-holder Jon Jones. “He’s probably the greatest fighter in history. He hasn’t lost and has been champion since 2006. I think he has two more title defenses and I do not know what he’ll do next or if he will retire,” said White, in an interview with Brazilian website Alpha. “He could end his career with a super fight against Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre. He could end his career like that – fight in a different weight class. I would be happy with that. Then he could take a boat and sail into the sunset.” submitted by FeelsLikeChickenSkin [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: fight, jone, silva, career, – fight

Dana White would like to see Anderson Silva finish career vs. GSP or Jon Jones

Dana White has plans for just about everybody under Zuffa’s umbrella including UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva. At the present time those plans call for “The Spider” to rest up from a shoulder injury and face the winner of Chael Sonnen-Mark Munoz in 2012. After that, however, it may all be up to Silva. White, though, wouldn’t mind seeing the 36-year-old Brazilian finish up his career after a few more fights, including a finale bout with either UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre or light heavyweight title-holder Jon Jones. “He’s probably the greatest fighter in history. He hasn’t lost and has been champion since 2006. I think he has two more title defenses and I do not know what he’ll do next or if he will retire,” said White, in an interview with Brazilian website Alpha. “He could end his career with a super fight against Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre. He could end his career like that – fight in a different weight class. I would be happy with that. Then he could take a boat and sail into the sunset.” For Silva, the thrill of fighting seems to continue to drive him. While his body winds down, though, his skill set has not; Silva earned impressive victories over Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami with relative ease this year. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, silva, career, brazilian website, – fight

Strikeforce’s Billy Evangelista: The One-Time Heavyweight

Billy Evangelista talks to MMAWeekly.com's Erik Fontanez about how he started his career in MMA.

Posted in: billy, evangelista, mmaweeklycom, career, heavyweight

One More Shot: Five Fighters Who Deserve a Return to the UFC

Mary Pickford once said “If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.” Many Mixed Martial Artists have come and gone through the UFC‘s system. Some performed so poorly that they will never be seen again wearing the signature gloves to the Octagon. Some have performed so well that they may never fight wearing anything but. Some have fallen to the outside, but performed well enough that they deserve a shot once again. After falling out of favor with the UFC, Efrain Escudero did and said all of the right things, and he’s been welcomed back for a fight at UFC 141. Here’s a look at some of the others who should get a look for their call back to the big show: #5 – Soa Palelei Palelei isn’t a name that comes to many fight fans’ minds this side of the Pacific. In fact, his stint in the Octagon lasted one fight against then blue-chip prospect Eddie Sanchez. Palelei didn’t fight for a year after his UFC 79 appearance, however, he has gone 5-1 since his return, all with first round stoppages. He’s heavily improved on the ground, and has towering size and strength to turn heads in the Heavyweight division. His last fight, a 13 second effort in his native Australia, was essentially a one punch knockout with his off hand. If Palelei isn’t back with the UFC for at least one fight next year, look for him to get eyed by one of other major North American players to compete for them. #4 – Pat Healy It wasn’t very hard to stick Healy on this least. In his storied career, he’s got one of the most impressive list of wins for somebody who has only competed in the UFC once. At various times in his career (and granted, many of these fighters have continued improving as he has,) he’s defeated the likes of Dan Hardy, Carlos Condit, Paul Daley, and Ryan Ford (twice.) In February, he handed Lyle Beerbohm his first career loss, and came in on short notice to defeat Maxi Blanco in September. His only losses in his last ten fights are to Josh Thomson and TJ Waldburger with the latter being a title fight. Healy’s enthusiasm and vigor (he started a social media campaign to urge Strikeforce to give him the Blanco fight when Thomson had to pull out due to injury) are matched by his tenacity in the cage, and his continued efforts to becoming a more complete fighter. His first go-around with the UFC only lasted a couple of minutes, but a second opportunity should last much longer. He would make a good addition to the UFC’s lightweight division, as his experience and track record would have him in a good spot to start taking on some of the division’s best. #3: Jason High “The Kansas City Bandit” is another card carrying member of the UFC’s “One and Done” club. After taking Charlie Brenneman the distance at UFC Fight Night 21 he was shockingly released from his contract. Since then, High is undefeated, going 6-0 with victories over the likes of Jordan Mein and Mach Sakurai. High, as of late has been fighting for Strikeforce Challengers, and with that series discontinued going forward, he’ll either find himself on the cards of the upcoming events, or looking for a place to go once his contract is up. The UFC would be a good fit for the middleweight, who could always use a few more welterweights to fill the ranks out. If he continues winning the way he is now, his Strikeforce contract could easily turn over into a UFC contract before long. #2: Patrick Cote Cote is a talented anomaly. At age 24, he came in on almost no notice and took Tito Ortiz the distance. He’s beaten a who’s who of Canadian fighters, including Jason MacDonald, as well as defeated numerous UFC veterans outside the Octagon. In fact, he’s 12-0 when competing in a ring not owned by the UFC. Inside, however, he’s 4-7, losing a few fights he should have won, but showing flashes of brilliance nevertheless. He was at one point the #1 contender for the title, and did what he could to push forward during his fight against Anderson Silva become succombing to injury. Since getting cut from the UFC, Cote is a perfect 3-0, defeating three former UFC vets. His continued involvement with the UFC’s French-Language broadcasts mean he’s never too far outside the peripheral vision of UFC brass. At only 31, he’s got plenty of time left in his career, and if not now, one more win means should be back for another go-around in the UFC by the end of 2012. Cote Lobbying for Another UFC Fight #1: John Alessio How many mixed martial artists can say they choked out a porn star and knocked out Phil Collins in a six-month span? Last year, Alessio submitted War Machine, and then sent MMA’s version of the famous singer down to the canvas enroute to winning nine of his last ten. Alessio is a former two-time UFC vet who has made appearances in almost every major promotion you can think of. To be honest, it’s not as though Alessio did horribly in his two UFC fights either. He took the then-undefeated Diego Sanchez the distance at UFC 60, and withstood the punishment of Thiago Alves during the Brazilian’s jaw dropping power punching phase. In fact, in one streak of 10 Alves victories, nine of them were by KO, and the other was the Alessio decision win. Within his last ten fights, Alessio has displayed an improved mix of crafty submissions and crisp striking, resulting in 8 stoppage wins (his only loss in the last 18 months has been to current UFC fighter Siyar Bahadurzada). He’s turned a lot of heads outside the cage for his fight flexibility as well. Twice he’s been booked to fight for Superior Cage Combat, and twice his opponents have changed. He then went through a rigorous training camp to fight Ryan Healy, only to find out he too was injured, and his replacement opponent then could not obtain licensing. The results, flexibility and his new outlook on his career all add up to somebody who deserves another go around. Alessio recently dropped down to lightweight, and can step in at 155 and mix with anybody his way back in. Alessio’s improving with age, and at 32, looks nothing like the fighter he was five years ago. Whether it be at 155 or 170, Alessio’s definitely a quick step away from a UFC callback, and has to be near the top of the list of fighters to bring back. Honorable mentions to Dan Lauzon (4-0 with 4 stoppages since leaving the UFC) and Sean McCorkle (3-0 with 3 submission wins since leaving the UFC.) These are all very capable fighters who have made an impact in their time outside the big show, and have a definite case to obtain a UFC contract in the near future. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, fighter, career, alessio

UFC 140 Jones vs. Machida by the numbers and inside the box score

-Jon Jones has now beaten and finished three consecutive former UFC champions, a feat never accomplished before inside the UFC. -Excluding his DQ loss to Matt Hamill, Jones has stopped his last seven opponents in the UFC-Jones last went to decision in January 2009; a span of 35 months -The second round guillotine choke was the first time Lyoto Machida has been submitted in his career-After 16-0 start to begin his career, Machida has now lost three out of his last four bouts-Machida is 2-2 in UFC championship fights-Per FightMetric Jones went 16 for 26 (62% accuracy) on significant strikes in round two -Per Compustrike Machida out landed Jones 13 to 7 in total strikes in round one -Frank Mir became the first man to TKO Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92. At UFC 140 Mir became the first man to submit Nogueira-Mir is 3-0 in his career versus former Pride FC heavyweights-Mir is 4-1 in his last five fights-With eight career submission wins in the Octagon Mir holds the record for most subs by a UFC heavyweight- Nogueira is 4-3 in the UFC-In his career Nogueira is 5-4 versus ex UFC heavyweight champions-Prior to December 2008 Nogueira had never been stopped in his pro career. Nogueira's last three losses have all come via submission or (T) KO. -Per Compustrike Nogueira out landed Mir 31-4 in total strikes before he was submitted-Betting favorites went 4-1 on the UFC 140 pay per view card. The biggest upset of the night was +300 underdog Chan Sung Jung's first round KO win. -On the undercard betting underdogs went a surprising 4-3. Constantinos Philippou paid out at +215. -The UFC returned to Toronto, Canada for the first time since April 2011 when UFC 129 was held at the Rogers Centre. UFC 140 was booked for the Air Canada Centre, home to the NBA's Toronto Raptors. With a max capacity of 19,800 for basketball games and concerts, UFC 140 managed a 18,303 in attendance for a live gate of $3.9 million.

Posted in: ufc, jone, round, nogueira, career

The Korean Zombie Might Have to Change His Name to Mr. Record Breaker

Tying the fastest KO in UFC history, Chan Sung Jung adds another impressive accolade to his WEC and UFC career.

Posted in: ufc, korean zombie, career, name, wec

UFC 140: The Complete Jon Jones Career Part 2

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]

Posted in: ufc, part, career, mattyblayze, mattyblayze link

Ivy Leaguer, Energy Trader, Now UFC Rookie, John Cholish Begins New Adventure

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveNEW YORK -- John Cholish only has to turn his head to see the top. It is less than one week until Cholish makes his UFC debut. On a royal blue, sweat-soaked mat at Renzo Gracie Academy on Manhattan's west side, Cholish is one of 40 men studiously drilling escapes from the bottom, paired with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Brian Glick. Seated against the back wall of blue, keeping an eye on his progress is John Danaher, the BJJ wiz who has helped guide the career of welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre. The two are constant presences in his career, helping to fine-tune his fight game as he reaches new levels of competition. But it is the fighter alongside of him that represents where Cholish and every other UFC lightweight wants to eventually go. Less than 15 feet away is current UFC lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar. It is impossible to look at one and then the other, and miss the contrast in their situations. One is about to make his entrance on to the sport's biggest stage, the other is the very best in the division he is about to enter. But on this mat, they are teammates and friends. Edgar is an example from which to learn, a representation of the drive and commitment it takes to reach the top. Cholish has always sought out the best teachers, and on this day, there is no one better to have around than the standard-bearer of your division. This day is Monday, the last official day of Cholish's camp before the UFC rookie flies to Toronto to begin UFC 140 fight week. The move to the UFC came as something of a surprise to Cholish, who learned of it from a friend who had read the news online. Like many, his was a journey many years in the making. Yet his was also quite unique. When he walks into the cage against Mitch Clarke on Saturday, the Cornell University graduate will be the first Ivy Leaguer ever to fight in the octagon. With that pedigree, it would be easy to discount him as a public relations tool for the promotion as it prepares for its mainstream push on FOX, but that would be a severe underestimation of his skills. A lifelong wrestler, Cholish competed collegiately at Cornell, where he was a second-team All-Ivy Leaguer and helped the Big Red to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA championships in 2005. After graduating, Cholish sort of wandered into his current gym in 2006, and basically never left, starting with jiu-jitsu training and eventually adding muay thai into the mix. Within a year, Cholish's interest in MMA had grown so intense that he and his then-roommate, fellow fighter Erik Owings, converted the top level of their duplex into mat space. Even on Sunday mornings after long weeks in the office, there were times when Cholish would find himself up at 7:30 am working on moves. Cholish lost his first pro fight in 2007, less than a year into his training. Instead of jumping right back in, or quitting as some expected he might, he took time off to advance his skills. Since returning 15 months later, he hasn't lost, and is riding a seven-fight win streak into the octagon, with six straight stoppages along the way. "John's way ahead of where I was when I first got in," Frankie Edgar told MMA Fighting. "He's had some of the best guys around him to take examples from. He's obviously a very smart guy, he's training hard and prepared 100 percent. He pays attention to detail. He knows what it's all about. He's going to be ready for this one." The company he keeps may not say it all, but it says a lot. Cholish not only trains with Edgar and Danaher, but has traveled to Montreal to learn from Georges St-Pierre and Firas Zahabi. On many days at the Gracie Academy, fellow pros and UFC vets like Charlie Brenneman, David Branch and Rafael Natal are all present. Kenny Florian is also known to stop in. At times, it's a who's who of MMA talent. "The one thing my parents said when I was little is that if you want good things to happen, surround yourself with good people, and if you want bad things to happen, surround yourself with bad people," he says over a lunch of seared tuna and arugula salad at an Asian restaurant called Mooncake just across the street from the gym. That extends to his other career as well. He works as a commodities broker for a company named Beacon Energy, brokering deals for natural gas and crude oil. The guys yelling "buy" and "sell" while most of us look on cluelessly? Yeah, it's something like that. He brokers deals between major corporations, banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and companies like Exxon and Hess. It is a career that is as mentally challenging as MMA is physically challenging. Unlike many fighters who make the jump to the UFC and leave their jobs behind in fear of not being able to devote enough time to improving, Cholish prefers it this way, with his time blocked out for specific tasks. It's not very different from his time in college, when he managed a heavy course load (he majored in applied economics) and a Division I wrestling schedule. These days, Cholish is usually in the office by 7 or 7:30 am, out at 4 pm, and trains at night. He likes his job so much that it actually upset him to have to miss a few days this week to leave for Toronto on a Tuesday. "I see it as fun for me," he says of the challenge of demanding dual careers. "I love my life and what I do. I couldn't see it any other way." His boss and colleagues are big supporters, and he's expecting them as well as other industry friends to fly to Toronto to cheer him on. A "client event," he calls it. His mom, though, would probably prefer it if he stuck to his desk job. While his dad usually travels to events, his mom can't even bring herself to watch on TV, and usually sits home awaiting a phone call for the result. It will be no different this weekend. In Mitch Clarke, Cholish will be facing an opponent that like him has a wrestling background and the majority of his wins by submission. Clarke is 9-0 and will also be making his UFC debut. If Cholish has one appreciable advantage, it's big show experience, as he fought and won on the undercard of February's Strikeforce event in New Jersey, a show that drew over 11,000 fans. Despite having several months to prepare, Cholish decided not to bog himself down in film study of his opponent, choosing to work on his overall skills in lieu of fight-specific planning. Finally, just a few weeks ago, he looked at tape, but only for general preparation. If anyone should know how to prepare for this moment, it's an Ivy League grad with a day job that relies on reading real-time movements with split-second timing. Even with the big moment looming, you can't tell if he has any nerves about it all. He says he doesn't. At least not yet. But they will come. "People ask me if I'm super nervous," he says. "I've been to a couple of UFC events. I'm the first fight of the evening, so it's going to be like a high school gymnasium in there." If it is, Cholish might be right at home. Just a wrestler with an insane work ethic trying to prove something to himself, the rest of the world be damned. The last time he was at a fight, he watched his teammate Frank Edgar knock out Gray Maynard in a stirring championship comeback for the ages. For him, scenes like that are a long way off. But they are also so close. As he leaves Gracie Academy for the last time, Edgar shakes Cholish's hand and wishes him luck. Tells him that he'll be there on Thursday, and to call him if he needs anything. Cholish thanks him and walks out into the New York afternoon headed for his future, a somehow anonymous professional athlete and hotshot executive with two more demanding careers than most anybody walking around him. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, time, day, career, cholish

Bisping Tops 'TUF 14' Finale Payroll With $425,000

Michael Bisping gave arguably the finest performance of his career at "The Ultimate Fighter 14" Finale on Saturday, and he was rewarded handsomely for his efforts.

Posted in: fighter, michael, career, bisping, finale

UFC 140: The Complete Jon Jones Career Part 1

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]

Posted in: ufc, part, career, mattyblayze, mattyblayze link

After back-to-back submission losses to kick off his UFC career, former TUF hopeful Cody McKenzie...

After back-to-back submission losses to kick off his UFC career, former TUF hopeful Cody McKenzie is starting over from scratch, which could explain his new look at the World MMA Awards (right) captured by Tracy Lee.

Posted in: loss, submission, ufc career, career, cody mckenzie

'Mayhem' gets his moment in the sun (Yahoo! Sports)

Jason "Mayhem" Miller has done quite a bit to earn his nickname over the course of his career. Now he's ready for his highest-profile fight.

Posted in: jason, career, mayhem, course, sun

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

UFC adds a pair of fights to inaugural FX event

UFC match maker Joe Silva has been busy these past few days putting together fights for the abundance of upcoming shows to kick off 2012. Recently announced bouts include a featherweight scrap between former WEC champion Mike Brown and Vagner Rocha. Also booked is a middleweight showdown as striker Jorge Rivera will battle grappler Eric Schafer. Both contests are scheduled for UFC on FX 1. Both bouts will likely be parts of the nights preliminary action and have been confirmed by UFC officials. After winning the WEC featherweight strap in 2008, Brown hit a rough patch in 2009, starting with his title loss to Jose Aldo. He’s 3-3 since being dethroned as the 145 king but is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Nam Phan at UFC 133, which snapping a two fight losing streak. Rocha will be dropping to 145 for the first time in his career when he steps in the cage against Brown. He picked up his first UFC victory this past September when he submitted Cody McKenzie in the second round. Rivera and Schafer are both in a must-win situation this January as they’re each coming off losses. Rivera has lost two straight bouts to Michael Bisping and Constantinos Philippou while Schafer dropped a decision to Aaron Simpson. A 39-year-old veteran, Rivera is 7-7 in his UFC career and appears to be on his last legs as a fighter. After spending his entire career at light heavyweight, Schafer dropped to middleweight but still couldn’t find UFC success as his octagon record dropped to 3-5. UFC on FX 1 is scheduled for January 20 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The night will be headlined by a lightweight clash between Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, bout, career, rivera, schafer

Diego Sanchez still expected to face Jake Ellenberger in return bout

Reports of a welterweight clash between Jake Ellenberger for the UFC on FOX 2 card were found untrue when Sanchez’ manager denied them on Twitter recently. However, it seems the fight is still on for some time in 2012. Ellenberger is coming off the biggest win of his career, as he stopped Jake Shields to improve to 5-1 in the UFC. “The Juggernaut” landed a heavy knee on Shields, a former contender for the UFC welterweight title and an ex-Strikeforce champion, and followed that up with a series of punches that ended the fight. Sanchez was set to meet Matt Hughes earlier this year, but suffered a hand injury in training and was forced to pull out of the fight. The former Ultimate Fighter winner is 23-4 in his career and is working his way back into title-talk at 170 pounds after competing as a lightweight for much of his career. Reports of the fight being a go were made by HeavyMMA, as nothing has been confirmed by the UFC. UFC on FOX 2 is expected to take place on January 28 in Chicago. Other potential landing spots for the bout expected in the period directly after that include a trio of events in February and a recently rumored show in Australia on March 4. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, fight, ellenberger, career, sanchez

Eddie Alvarez: How to Redefine His Career

Regarded as one of the best lightweights in the world, there is no debate that Eddie Alvarez could be considered as one of the best of his time. Starting his career in 2003, he made his rise to superstardom moving up the ranks with impressive wins against formidable opponents in various organizations eventually obtaining his [...]

Posted in: alvarez, career, eddie alvarez, eddie, rise

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Leben fails drug test, suspended one year

Chris Leben has suffered another setback in his career - and ironically, it centers around a fight in Birmingham, England.Following his UFC 138 headline...

Posted in: career, center, drug test, leben, birmingham englandfollowing

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UFC 139 by the numbers and inside the box score

-Dan Henderson is now 13-5 in his career versus Brazilian born fighters-Henderson was previously 0-2 when a five round fight went to decision-Henderson is 4-1 over his last five fights-Henderson is now 8-4 versus former UFC champions in his career-Henderson has now won four straight fights, it is the fourth winning streak of his career that has been at least 4 or more wins-Rua is 2-3 in his last five fights-Rua is 0-2 in five round title fight decisions -The loss moves Rua to 4-4 in his UFC career-FightMetric, the official statistic provider of the UFC, gave nod to Rua with a 581-489 effectiveness score. In the ten-point must system FightMetric scored the fight a 47-47 draw.-Per Compustrike Henderson outlanded Rua 106-66 rounds one through three then was outlanded 84-19 in the rounds four and five-The stoppage of Cung Le was Wanderlei Silva's first stoppage in three years. Silva last finished a opponent at UFC 84 in May 2008.-Silva has 24 (T) KOs in his 46 fight career. -Silva is 2-3 in last five fights-With the win Silva is still just 4-6 in his UFC career. -Through nine career MMA bouts Le has still not gone to a judge's decision -After beginning his career with three straight first round wins, Le's last six fights have made it into the second or third round-The fight for Le was his first in 17 months-Le has fought just once a year since 2008 -Le joins Tony Petarra and Keith Jardine as fighter who have been stopped by Silva in the UFC-Per Compustrike Silva outlanded Le 47-12 in total power strikes in the two round fight-At UFC 139 betting favorites went 8-4 on the night. Seth Baczynski's minor upset of Matt Brown at +130 was the biggest dog who paid out on the card. -The UFC made its debut in the San Jose, California market with UFC 139. San Jose, the home base for Strikeforce, last held an event at the HP Pavilion in January 2011. Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg was headlined by a welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz and Evangelista Santos. Below is an attendance and gate comparison between the two events.UFC 139 Shogun vs. HendoAttendance: 13,173Gate: $1.268 millionStrikeforce: Diaz vs. CyborgAttendance: 9,059Gate: $533,215

Posted in: ufc, fight, round, silva, career

From the Barstool the the Blog: Stephan Bonnar's UFC 139 Loss

Bloody Elbow's Josh Nason today mentioned an oft repeated tautology of sports; a win is a win. There is no doubt that the logic of that statement is rhetorically and philosophically true . However, when context is provided, rhetorical value is fundamentally undermined. Enter Stephan Bonnar. A long time staple of the UFC who has competed for the promotion fourteen times professionally and twice in exhibition bouts in the Ultimate Fighter house. He is best known for his "American Psycho" fighting style and career defining moment in 2005 in a spirited and ugly brawl with Forrest Griffin. A fight that he lost unanimously. In the year between that fight and their rematch, it was clear who became a better fighter. It was a showcase that the work ethic and determination of Forrest Griffin made him into an ever improving fighter while Bonnar stagnated and tested positive for performance enhancing substances. Since then, he has gone 1-1 with the only opponent that even hardcore fans could pick out of a lineup and lost to Mark Coleman who was decade past his expiration date. Suffice to say, Stephan Bonnar has not made a career of winning. He is not a Floyd Mayweather, who counts each fight as another W regardless of the method he uses to earn it. He isn't a Georges St Pierre, an action fighter who has cooled his aggressiveness to dominate top competition and hold a pound for pound ranking. His staying power has been that of a a Micky Ward; a man who enters the ring to punch that other guy who keeps punching him until one of them falls over. A win is not a win in the career of Stephan Bonnar. A brawl is a win. Wide punches, a crimson mask of blood, and the adulation of fans is a win. Reminding his friends and promoters why he was a can't-miss spectacle of violence is a win. Numbers and statistics be damned. For a man who spent half a decade fighting on the main card without any claim to relevance, a +1 to the first column of his fight record is meaningless. The boos of thirteen thousand attendees in the HP Pavilion are without a doubt the most devastating loss of Stephan Bonnar's career.

Posted in: forrest griffin, career, stephan bonnar, bonnar, stephan

Eddie Alvarez And MMA's Culture Of Quitting

Last year, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler quit in the middle of the biggest game of his career. Cutler had an injured knee, but nothing that seemed to be more than a nuisance. He didn't get carried to the training room on a stretcher. He didn't even have to leave the field. He stood, calmly, on the sidelines and watched his teammates lose a close game to the Green Bay Packers. The response was instantaneous and intense. Cutler was a quitter. A loser. A coward. Jason Whitlock's was a typical column: In the biggest game of his career, shortly after playing 30 minutes of awful football, Cutler laid down on the Bears and the city of Chicago. Hiding behind a knee injury, he tapped out in much the same way LeBron James tapped out with an elbow injury against the Celtics during last year’s playoffs. I’m sorry. I don’t need an MRI to confirm King Cutler quit. FOX cameras provided all the evidence I need. Whitlock and his cohorts in the media weren't alone. Fellow players like Maurice Jones Drew called him out on Twitter. The idea of Cutler = Quitter is now inescapable. It defines his career, despite the revelation that Cutler had actually suffered a torn MCL in the first half. Sports fans have a zero tolerance policy for quitters, for athletes who don't perform when it means the most. Roberto Duran, arguably the greatest boxer of his generation, never lived down quitting in a fight with "Sugar" Ray Leonard. How many jokes did you hear about Lebron James disappearing in the fourth quarter of important basketball games? To sports fans, these are moral failures. Only mixed martial arts fans seem to permit them. In mixed martial arts, quitting isn't just forgivable - it's actively encouraged. That's necessary if you want to have a career that lasts for any significant period of time. Sometimes you just have to protect your arm, your knee, or your neck. But quitting in MMA is much more pervasive than that. It's not just guys taking an out when no escape is possible. Fighters routinely quit in the cage - and it's rarely even discussed the next day. Take, for example, Eddie Alvarez. In the fourth round of an amazing and fast paced fight for the Bellator lightweight championship, Alvarez ate a hard punch from contender Michael Chandler. He dropped to the ground and Chandler worked his way to the mount position. Alvarez seemed to break. He gave up his back without being struck at all and was immediately placed in a rear naked choke by Chandler. Note I didn't say choked out. That wasn't necessary, as Alvarez was waiting patiently for the hold to sink in so he could call it a night. Alvarez, defending a title belt and a mythical spot in the lightweight top five, didn't even try to escape out the back door. He didn't turn to his stomach in order to prolong the fight. He was looking for the first opportunity to tap. Alvarez didn't want to fight anymore. Compare Alvarez's response with Dan Henderson's heroic performance later in the evening. When Henderson got into trouble he fought his heart out to escape it. It was a stark contrast. Eddie Alvarez decided to quit in the cage. No one will call it that of course. Some will even be irate at the suggestion that anyone in the cage is something other than an indomitable warrior. But it's true. MMA includes a culture of quitting. Are you alright with that?

Posted in: alvarez, career, game, didnt, cutler

Wanderlei hopes win over Le could continue career

The tribal drums of Pride FC echo and re-echo through this weekend’s UFC 139 card, which features three fighters who were among the promotion’s...

Posted in: ufc, career, feature, promotionrsquo, drum

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UFC 139: The Magnificent Ruin of Wanderlei Silva

Twenty-seven seconds is all it took for the hardened and powerful Chris Leben to end Wanderlei Silva's evening on July 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada earlier this year. Mere seconds before Leben unleashed a flurry of left-handed uppercuts that crumpled the former Pride champion, Silva leapt forward, firing off a salvo of violence as if he were raising his sword and foolishly charging into the fray without regards to his own safety. One can imagine at that very moment that many of us grinned and thought to ourselves, "Classic!", while visibly disapproving, yet secretly salivating over the ensuing chaos that was about to unfold. Unfortunately, we've become accustomed to seeing Silva fail miserably in his attempts to ressurect the vintage brand of violence that helped him rise to fame. UFC 132 was no different. Silva's looping hooks and complete ignorance to the bullseye on his chin allowed Leben to grab hold and deliver a barrage of crushing shots quickly. For the fourth time in eight appearances, Silva awoke to a flashlight in his eyes and a hovering group of physicians. Not quite the picture Wanderlei hoped to paint for himself as he entered the latter stages of his career. As we head to San Jose, California this coming weekend for UFC 139, the threat of a knockout is an overwhelming presence in any discussion revolving around his bout with Strikeforce veteran Cung Le. The odds, once stacked in his favor indefinitely no matter who stood in front of him, have shifted toward most of his opponents in recent memory. Even a 39-year-old Sanshou expert turned movie star with less than ten MMA fights under his belt is getting the benefit of the doubt at the books. The reality of Silva's career at this juncture is quite clear. It really isn't about winning per se. What can Silva realistically expect if he beats Cung Le on Saturday night? Perhaps the UFC throws him a bone, or maybe they use his legacy to prop up one of their rising stars. In any scenario we can think up in our heads, it's obvious that relevancy is out of reach unless it pertains to someone else's career. Money and ensuring he puts on a show is Silva's aim now. "You can keep going to the ballpark and keep gettin' paid to do it.", a famous line from the movie Bull Durham perfectly describes the setting. Some fans may disagree with that assessment. All Wanderlei needs to do is evolve, right? How many older fighters have actually evolved above the style of fighting that brought them to where they are today? Very few. Many have evolved in training, then throw those learned skills out the window at the first sign of leather. Classic Wanderlei. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. We hear that saying often in reference to our parents or grandparents, and it fits into the context of various situations in life. In fighting, Wanderlei Silva is a prime example. Strangely, I'm not angered by his continued stubbornness. Call it what you want. I'd go with selfish, but the idea of Wanderlei Silva ending a career as it began is satisfying. The magnificent ruin of his opponent, reminiscent of his compilation of highlight reel knockouts during his Pride reign, would be icing on the cake of a career that truly peaked my interest in the sport during my more youthful days. Is Cung Le the man to provide that glorious snapshot to the scrapbook of Silva's legendary career? We'll find out on Saturday night at UFC 139 in San Jose.

Posted in: ufc, silva, wanderlei silva, wanderlei, career

Akiyama's UFC Career In Graph Form

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Posted in: ufc, career, graph form, form, graph

Matt Brown - The Survivor

The day Matt Brown nearly died was the beginning of an awakening.Well before he competed in the UFC, Brown had nothing to his name except a backpack full of clothes. He was living with friends on a salary no higher than $20,000 a year. And there were the drugs and the drinking. One of those drugs was heroin, an overdose of which nearly sent Brown spiraling down to the point of no return. Once Brown survived, his friends called him “Immortal.” That’s when Brown, a former bodybuilder and boxer, started his revival. He began his MMA education, and as money began falling short, Brown auditioned for and made the cut for Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter to train under Forrest Griffin. He knocked out a fighter named Jeremy May after he was mocked for his 6-foot-0 stature and made it to the quarterfinals, where he was stopped by eventual winner Amir Sadollah.Brown’s MMA career isn’t how he scripted it. He’s 14-10 (5-4 UFC) entering his UFC 139 showdown against another TUF alum, Seth Baczynski. Entering his last fight against John Howard, Brown was a loser of three straight and one more would have slammed his UFC career shut.In the big picture, it doesn’t matter. Ask Brown about his state of mind and he’ll tell you with passion that life is good, that he can lose 10 in a row and life is still out there for the taking. Don’t be fooled. Brown plays to win – and plays hard. He just does it embracing the oldest of clichés, the one that suggests you can do anything if you put your mind to it. The world “Immortal” is inked on his stomach as a daily reminder to be determined while living a life of peace, which in his case was nearly snuffed out before it blossomed.“All those old clichés, they’re [bleeping] true,” Brown said. “All that stuff really strikes me now. It makes me content with life no matter what happens. When you have peace in your life it shows in your performances. It showed in my life performance, but now I can fight not so much with emotion. “A lot of times your emotions make you do stupid things, so rather than feeding off those emotions, now I can focus on performing, sticking to my game plan, doing what I do, playing to my strong points, playing to my opponent’s weakness, being intelligent instead of going crazy like I’m just going to [bleeping] kill you. It’s all negative pressure.”Negative pressure and baggage is what Brown dropped like a backpack full of rocks with his three round unanimous decision win over Howard at UFC Live in June. Even the road to Baczynski and San Jose was paved with gravel. His original opponent in June was Rich Attonito before an injury to Martin Kampmann forced Brown to switch and prepare for Howard. Originally, Brown was slated to compete against John Hathaway November 5 at UFC 138 as an injury replacement for Pascal Krauss. Then Hathaway pulled out with an injury. Brown was not only out of a fight, he was yanked from the event, bumped forward two weeks and a date with Baczynski (14-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 139. That gave Brown a shade over a month to prepare for a tough Hawaiian owning a four-inch height advantage and one motivated to never receive a pink slip signed by Zuffa again. “I’m focusing on improving myself in all aspects of the game and my life all around, really, and being 100 percent prepared,” Brown said. “I want to be ready for everything that comes my way. I expect Seth, especially coming off a win and with this opportunity with the UFC, he really wants to prove a point that he belongs here.”Both fighters face a proving ground. Baczynski was terminated by the UFC after his Ultimate Finale 11 loss to Brad Tavares, but returned 15 months later to submit Clay Harvison and improve to 4-1 over his past five fights. Brown too needs this fight, badly, but he’s in a place he’s often refers to as a “sense of calmness.” He relocated back to his native Ohio, after spending time at Matt Hume’s Seattle-based AMC Kickboxing and Pankration, for grueling camps at three gyms in Columbus. Even under the pressure of win or go home, Brown enjoyed feelings of tranquility throughout a journey that culminated by grinding his way through his last fight. Even when Howard mounted an offensive with leg kicks, the last sense Brown felt was one iota of danger.“I didn’t feel those leg kicks,” Brown said. “I’ve trained with the top Muay Thai fighters in the country. With their shin pads on it hurts way worse than any one of his ever hurt.”A loss to Baczynski may hurt enough to where Brown is looking for work, but unlike the days where he barely made ends meet, his endgame will justify the means. His dream to fight in the UFC has been supplanted by visions of being crowned a champion. Getting released will hurt, but Brown could also look back to say he’s lived the dream, doing something.“That’s something personally I can be very happy living with for the rest of my life,” Brown said. “I’m doing something 99.9 percent of the people in the world never get to do.”Not that Brown is satisfied, mind you. Not even close“You’re never going to have a fight that’s, ‘Well I can lose this one and I’ll be fine,’” Brown said. “If I was ever to get to that point, then I think that’s when you need to start looking at retirement or looking at other careers. It’s that whole competitive edge within yourself. You stop dreaming, then you stop having hope. You stop having goals, you might as well be dead at that point. Every fight you’re going to have a million reasons why this is the biggest fight ever. Me personally, I don’t even think about that. If you’re not playing to win, why are you playing?”Brown’s fighting career could be done in an instant, or he can score big over Baczynski and make his move at welterweight two months before his 31st birthday. His eyes are fixated squarely on that prize, but whatever happens, he’s realized a sense of self worth that’s not based on winning or losing. Deep inside, at home or in combat, exists tranquility though tension. Brown cheated death and remains in the UFC. Fleeting as a fighter’s career can be, Brown has made his mark as a survivor by knocking the demons out of his life.

Posted in: ufc, fight, life, career, baczynski

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Fight Day: Ronda Rousey Interview

Strikeforce women's phenom Ronda Rousey discusses the latest happenings in her career and her upcoming fight with Julia Budd.

Posted in: fight, career, rousey, ronda, budd

UFC on Fox 1 by the numbers and inside the box score

-The Junior Dos Santos 66 second win over Cain Velasquez was the second fastest UFC heavyweight title victory in the promotion's history. Andrei Arlovski's 15 second knockout of Justin Eilers still holds the record of quickest UFC heavyweight title win. -In eight career UFC fights Dos Santos has five first round finishes -The 66 second win for Dos Santos was third fastest of his career-After five straight UFC wins over foreign born fighters to start his Octagon career Dos Santos last three wins have come versus US born fighters. - The loss was the first of Velasquez's five year MMA career-Velasquez was UFC heavyweight champion for 385 days-Win or lose seven of Velasquez's ten career fights have ended in the first round-Per Fight Metric Dos Santos connected with 8 of 13 significant strikes for a 62% accuracy rate -Ben Henderson is now 3-0 in his UFC career with all three wins via unanimous decision -Henderson has won 13 of his past 14 fights-The win moves Henderson to 2-1 versus ex WEC, UFC and Strikeforce champions-The loss snaps a four fight winning streak for Guida-Guida is 9-6 inside the UFC-Guida attempted four submission attempts during the fight, all were guillotine chokes - The Fight Metric Effectiveness Score had Henderson over Guida 219 to 96. In the ten point must system Fight Metric scored the fight 30-27. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} -Betting favorites went 5-4 at UFC on Fox 1. Darren Uyenoyama ‘s +290 upset of Norifumi Yamamoto was biggest win for underdogs on the night. -The UFC returned to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California for the first time since UFC 121 in October 2010. UFC 121 was headlined by a title fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez. Below is attendance and gate comparison for the two events. UFC 121Attendance: 14,856Gate: $2.2 millionUFC on Fox 1Attendance: 14,019 Gate: $1.1 million

Posted in: ufc, fight, henderson, do, career

Up and Comer Chris Gruetzmacher Looking To Break Out In 2012

By Will Gray: For a lot of the up and coming mixed martial artists trying to break out into the main stage of organizations and the public eye, the most important component to their careers at this time is humility. Knowing that what you are willing to sacrifice and dedicate yourself to now and in [...]

Posted in: career, eye, stage, artist, sacrifice

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Nearing the End of His Career, Matt Lindland Has One More Run in Him

Matt Lindland opens up about seeing the end of his career in sight, but feels he has one last run to make before he calls it a career.

Posted in: matt, end, career, matt lindland, lindland

7 Questions for Renan Barao

Renan “Barao” has spent much of his career competing in relative obscurity, but a 27-fight unbeaten streak tends to get one noticed.

Posted in: question, career, renan, barao, streak

Vera: We Played Tug of War With My Arm

After a strong start to his UFC career, Brandon Vera’s struggles the last couple of years led to questions about his heart.

Posted in: ufc, career, vera, heart, couple

UFC 138: Mark Munoz Up Close And Personal

Mark Munoz talks about his MMA career as he trains for his fight with Chris Leben at UFC 138. See how a sparring session with Randy Couture was a turning point in his career.

Posted in: ufc, career, chris leben, mma career, munoz

Anthony Johnson Moving to Middleweight, Meets Vitor Belfort at UFC 142

Anthony Rumble Johnson is finally set to make his middleweight debut, but it seems the UFC won’t be doing him any favors. His first fight in the division will be against perennial contender, Vitor Belfort at UFC 142. It’s a huge opportunity for Johnson and a win would surely catapult him into the elite of the division, but is this too much too soon? Johnson is a big man, some say a natural light heavyweight, and yet he’s spent his entire career fighting at welterweight. This giant size advantage has undoubtedly helped his career, but the cut hasn’t always been easy, and in my opinion has hurt his reputation with UFC fans. No one wants to root for the bigger stronger man picking on people much smaller than him, and that’s essentially what Johnson has been doing his entire MMA career. That’s all changed with the announcement that he’ll be making the move to middleweight, and his career could see a real resurgence because of it. Johnson was still fairly new to MMA when he made his UFC debut, and his career has reflected that inexperience with some very tough losses. A move to middleweight will be in many ways, a fresh start for rumble and it could take his career to new heights. Though Johnson will no longer be fighting opponents much smaller than himself, he should still stack up well with most middleweights in the UFC. He’s actually the same height as middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, and could potentially add on quite a bit of muscle mass. When Johnson was cutting to 170, he was supposedly as heavy as 200 pounds only a week removed from the fight. This is a serious weight cut for anyone, and it has most likely had a major effect on Johnson’s performance in the cage. Without the cut, he could not only see a drastic change in his cardio, but in speed and strength as well. This could be a whole new monster we see at UFC 142. My only concern is Johnson fighting such a talented opponent on his first attempt at middleweight. He won’t have the cut to worry about, but he’ll still be adjusting to the new weight class and should be taking it slowly. At 185, Johnson could possibly feel the heavier frame, and this could adversely affect his speed or even accuracy. Vitor is the kind of fighter that will instantly capitalize on any small mistakes you make in the cage, and could easily spoil Rumble’s middleweight debut.

Posted in: ufc, johnson, career, middleweight, johnsonrsquos performance

UFC 137 Reaction from the Action: Winners and Losers, Future Matchups, and More

While the headlines coming out of UFC 137 were all about Nick Diaz, both for his dominant win over BJ Penn and Dana White’s announcement that Diaz would challenge welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre instead of Carlos Confit, the biggest news should not have been about Diaz at all. As great as Diaz’s performance was, the biggest news was the possible retirement of two MMA legends. Firstly, an expected retirement occurred with Mirko Cro Cop. He looked okay at times, but mostly struggled with Roy Nelson. He was stopped with punches in the third round for the third fight in a row joining losses to Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub. Cro Cop never made the transition to the UFC that was expected of him after signing with the organization in early 2007. He struggled to adapt to the cage, and was never even close to the legend he created in Japan. He won consecutive fights just once during his ten fight UFC career, and won via strikes just three times. While it was nearly impossible for Cro Cop to surpass the expectations, or even come close to living up to them, his UFC career can be viewed as a supreme disappointment. He holds only two career wins against current UFC fighters, and one of those is against the struggling Pat Barry. The other occurred against a natural light heavyweight in Anthony Perosh. Meanwhile, while Cro Cop’s retirement was expected, BJ Penn abruptly announced in the moments after losing to Nick Diaz that the main event would also be his last fight. It does need to be mentioned that a fighter’s words following a loss should not be written in permanent ink. Luckily for me, this is only on the internet, so I can always go back and act like I never wrote this. If Penn’s announcement holds true, the UFC is losing arguably the greatest fighter in the organization’s history. His accolades do not need to be listed in their entirety in order to fully grasp his legacy. With that said, I do feel the need to mention Penn winning both the lightweight and welterweight belts, only the second fighter to ever hold two different belts during his UFC career. Penn’s kryptonite has really come to the forefront over the last two years. He was outpaced by Frankie Edgar in their two fights for the lightweight title. He lost his momentum and pace in the third round in a draw to Jon Fitch in February 2011. Lastly, he completely fell off the cliff following a strong first round against Nick Diaz on Saturday. Some will question Penn’s desire and motivation during his career. It goes to note just how talented of a fighter Penn was to win two titles. It is not my position to criticize another person’s desire, but one can easily imagine what Penn could have done if he did have the kind of motivation to match his talent. It seems ironic, but a comparison could be made between Penn and Fedor Emelianenko, neither of whom were ever knocked down during their career going into their last few fights, but were both easily battered and left the cage with similar looks in those final fights. Biggest Winner: Nick Diaz I have to mention Donald Cerrone and his fantastic performance against Dennis Siver. With a four fight win streak to begin his UFC career, 2012 could be even more special for Cowboy. With that said, Deiaz took the show over in the main event against Penn. Diaz displayed his premier boxing against Penn. No one has ever dismantled Penn that much, bruising and battering Pnn throughout the final two rounds. Following the fight, Diaz called out champion Georges St. Pierre, and St. Pierre responded, demanding Dana White make the matchup with Diaz. That will now take place in February at the Super Bowl weekend UFC card. Biggest Loser: Tyson Griffin Griffin got off to a bad start this past weekend, failing to make weight for his second featherweight fight in the UFC. He weighed 149 pounds at weigh-ins, and he did not even attempt to cut the remaining three pounds in order to refrain from having some of his purse money taken away. Then on Saturday, that failed weight cut was on display, as Griffin looked sluggish against Bart Palaszewski. He was knocked out just three minutes into the first round, which does not bode well for a fighter who is now 1-4 in his last five fights. Biggest Question: What do we make of Hatsu Hioki’s debut? Hioki looked uncomfortable at times against UFC and WEC veteran George Roop. Hioki is arguably the number two featherweight in the world, but he did not look like that against Roop on Saturday. At 5’11, Hioki rarely has a height and reach disadvantage, but he had that with the 6’1 Roop. While his grappling was as strong as ever, his striking looked pedestrian. That will not go over well in a matchup with champion Jose Aldo. Hioki will more than likely have another fight before being matched up with Aldo, so he will get another opportunity to improve on his very close victory over Roop. Future Matchups: Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre: Dana White agrees with this one. While I do not agree with pushing Carlos Condit to the side, just weeks after criticizing Diaz and coming close to cutting him for his behavior, this is correct if you want people to believe in paying for a St. Pierre fight again. How does St. Pierre fight when he truly does not like an opponent? We have never seen that before. I am anxious to see how the two react to the upcoming months of banter. Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt: This one is like an old school PRIDE fight, and those are the ones I love to see. Both are sporting two fight win streaks, and at 36 and 37, are nearing the ends of their careers. Surprisingly, only Frank Mir has more career fights amongst active UFC heavyweights than Kongo. He never came close to a title shot, and probably never will. But he can still put on exciting fights, and Mark Hunt would most certainly help provide that. Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland: Jorgensen is arguably a top five bantamweight, and he deserves to face top competition at 135 pounds. If he does not make the move to the upcoming flyweight division, he will have to really impress in order to get another opportunity at fighting for the bantamweight belt. Wineland, while on a two fight losing streak, still provides the top notch competition Jorgensen desires. Roy Nelson vs. Travis Browne: I do not expect Nelson’s request to fight the winner of Cain Velasquez/Junior Dos Santos to be granted. He states he is getting too old to wait around, but he isn’t leaving himself with many choices. He showed better conditioning, as evident with his slimmed down physique. Browne is coming off a less than impressive win over Rob Broughton at UFC 135. Hatsu Hioki vs. Ross Pearson: As mentioned, Hioki did not look incredible against Roop. It is very rare for a Japanese fighter to look overly impressive in his UFC debut, so this was not out of the ordinary. Pearson announced a successful test cut to 145 pounds, so he seems ready to make his featherweight debut. While he is coming off of a loss, Pearson will definitely prove to be a force in the new division. This matchup would test Hioki’s striking, while he would challenge Pearson’s ground game in return. Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz: This one seems to be on the brink of being announced. While the main event is Alistair Overeem taking on Brock Lesnar, this matchup could be the best one that takes place at UFC 141.

Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, career, penn

UFC 137 results: Mirko Cro Cop announces retirement following loss to Roy Nelson

Time to say goodbye. After a decade long career that spanned 40 professional mixed martial arts match-ups, Mirko Filipovic is hanging up the four-ounce gloves once and for all. He made his retirement official following his technical knockout loss to Roy Nelson on the main card of UFC 137 just last night (Oct. 29, 2011) in Las Vegas. Here are his final words inside the Octagon: "I wanted to say goodbye with a victory, but Roy was just the better fighter tonight. The UFC has been so good to me over the years, and it is hard to leave this company and this sport. Even though I didn't do as well in the UFC as the rest of my career, I feel like I did everything that I could to have an overall successful career." Indeed, the Croatian struggled in his first and second runs with the UFC but he will always be remembered for his legendary run through Pride. His importance to the history of this young sport cannot be understated. He didn't invent the head kick; he just made it so famous that every one after it seems like a tribute. "Right kick hospital, left kick cemetery." Those immortal words will live on forever, even if "Cro Cop" cannot. Some may remember him for his failures in the UFC but that would be selling him far too short. His reach will expand far beyond a few knockout losses late in his career. An entire generation of budding mixed martial artists found their influence and inspiration in Filipovic's beautiful destruction. Pride never die.

Posted in: ufc, career, cro cop, fourounce gloves, career i

Diaz calls out GSP after dismantling Penn

Nick Diaz didn't want to talk about pulling off the biggest win of his UFC career Saturday night. He wanted to call out Georges St-Pierre.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, gsp, career, stpierre

BJ Penn Wants To Stay Away From Hype The Rest Of His Career

In addition to being one of the sport’s great fighters, BJ Penn has also been one of it’s great hype men. He understands the art of promoting a fight, and when he wants to he’s one of the best at it. Penn hasn’t been as vocal leading in to his most recent fights as he has in the past though. That’s especially true of his fight against Nick Diaz this weekend at UFC 137. In fact, it almost feels like he’s gone out of his way to make sure he doesn’t say anything that could be taken out of context and used to upset Diaz. As Penn explained in a blog post he penned for Yahoo! Sports, the shift in pre-fight attitude really comes down to the respect he has for Diaz and his own maturation as an adult. [Nick Diaz's] a great fighter who I respect and I like… That’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed away from the hype for this fight, but not the only reason. I’ve not even read part 1 of this Yahoo! blog, I sent it over via email and I haven’t seen it published on the site and I won’t read this one either once I am done doing it. I was told today that Yahoo! called the blog “The Penn is Mightier,” which is pretty funny and a good title. But I won’t read anything, no interviews or previews. I won’t watch the Countdown TV preview show, nothing, because I want to stay away from the hype for the rest of my career. There’s nothing wrong with talking smack and backing it up. Muhammad Ali did it and I did it in my career, but honestly I feel like I am too old now for that. As you get older, have a family of your own, talking about opponents stops being something you want to do or be part of. I am still very passionate about MMA and my career. I love fighting but I want to save that passion for the fights and the training. Penn adds that he still wants to win big fights and hopefully another title. Just don’t expect him to put the same kind of energy into hyping those fights like he has in the past. Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Posted in: fight, diaz, career, penn, hype

Though content with career, UFC 137's 'Cro Cop' says another loss would be a 'disaster'

LAS VEGAS - A softer side - in fact, a jovial and even comedic side - has come out of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic ahead of Saturday's UFC 137 fight with Roy Nelson. The heavyweight fighter's UFC career long has been identified by unrivaled stoicism, but lately, the dangerous Croatian striker has loosened up. Even with a two-fight losing streak staring him in the face, Filipovic told MMAjunkie.com he's got every reason be proud of his once-illustrious career. But admittedly, another loss would be a personal disaster, he said.

Posted in: ufc, career, face filipovic, croatian striker, onceillustrious career

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Jonathan Snowden looks back at Nick Diaz' Top 10 Career Moments at MMA Nation.

Posted in: nick diaz, career, nation, jonathan snowden, snowden

What are the top ten moments in the career of UFC 137 headliner Nick Diaz? MMA Nation's Jonathan...

What are the top ten moments in the career of UFC 137 headliner Nick Diaz? MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden breaks them all down right here.

Posted in: ufc, nick, career, nation, jonathan

Anderson Silva: Only I Can Talk About My Fights, My Plans, My Career

In the two weeks since Chael Sonnen beat Brian Stann at UFC 136 two weeks ago and challenged UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva to a rematch on Super Bowl weekend, Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, has said Sonnen doesn’t deserve a rematch and that Silva only plans to fight four more times. However, those may not be the plans of the champion himself, who recently said he should be the only talking about his career. “Only I can talk about my fights, my plans and my career,” Silva recently Tweeted (via Tatame). “I’m not on physical therapy and one I define my next fight with the UFC I will let you know.” Meanwhile, Sonnen continued his campaign for the Feb. 4 rematch in a recent appearance on ESPN’s Jim Rome Show, but said the stipulation that he would leave the UFC if he loses again to Silva is now off the table. For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Posted in: ufc, fight, silva, career, plan

Anderson Silva: Only I can talk about my fights, my plans and my career

Looks like the UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva is not so pleased with his manager's, Ed Soares, recent comments regarding his future and the potential rematch with Chael P. Sonnen. Speaking via Twitter, Silva clarified he's not undergoing any type of physical therapy, and is the only one with the authority to speak about the future of his Mixed Martial Arts career: "Only I can talk about my fights, my plans and my career," Silva tweeted. "I'm not on physical therapy and once I define

Posted in: silva, career, arts career, spider silva, twitter silva

Read the full article at Low Kick

Anderson Silva : “Only I can talk about my fights, my career”

submitted by ImaG [link] [6 comments]

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Paulo Filho Dealing With Drug and Money Issues, Might Retire

Former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho has seen his life and career spiral out of control over the past few years for a variety of reasons, but mainly because of drugs. Lately he has been in a large dispute with his alleged manager and friend Rodrigo Riscada over money and Paulo's addiction to rohypnol. Filho says Riscada is full of it and hasn't paid him for his last two bouts. A lot of Riscada's claims are covered in this PVT article. It's in Portuguese, but the basic idea is that Riscada claims that Filho has massive drug addiction issues and will die if he doesn't stop, and that he doesn't owe him any money because it all went to pharmacy bills and to purchase pit bulls and roosters. He also later stated that Filho had entered rehab. You can catch a rough translation of the article here. Well, Paulo came back and did an interview with Tatame yesterday, and while he admitted that he has a problem with roofies, he denies entering rehab and still says he's owed money. He also goes on to talk about his career which is currently on a major downswing, having gone 2-3-2 in his last seven fights. Basically, he says that he's seriously considering retirement after his KSW bout with Mamed Khalidov next month. And he might not even make that fight: What about your career? Are you already back to training or will take a time out to train more? I’m choosing or retirement, man… I may fight in November (in Poland) because I already signed the contract, after that I will retire. I don’t want this anymore. This will be the last fight of your career? Don’t you think a win over Khalidov should give an extra motivation to get back? No, no… I’m kind of disappointed with this stuff, fighting and not getting paid… I don’t want people comforting me, I just want what is mine. That’s the third time I fight and not get paid. I was the threatened of death by people I own here in Niteroi. It's an extremely complicated situation with all the back-and-forth between Filho and Riscada, but the basic points are these. Paulo has a drug problem. Paulo doesn't choose his friends wisely. Paulo's career is effectively over. Paulo likes roosters. Filho, who was at one point the number two middleweight in the world, is likely best remembered as the bewildering and disappointing guy who showed up overweight at WEC 36 and turned his bout with Chael Sonnen into a non-title fight. In that bout, he appeared to be talking to himself (or to some other imaginary person) and completely refused to engage for the whole fight. It was still one of the most bizarre things I've seen in MMA, and it appears that not much has changed over the last four years. All kidding aside, I hope that Filho can clean himself up and lead a healthy life.

Posted in: fight, career, filho, paulo, riscada

As His Career Starts to Wind Down, Josh Koscheck is All About the Money and Big Fights

As Josh Koscheck works to negotiate a new contract with the UFC, the former 'Ultimate Fighter' winner is starting to look towards his career winding down.

Posted in: josh koscheck, koscheck, career, josh, fighter winner

Shane Carwin on his health, looking for a possible 2012 return to fighting

Shane Carwin appears to be on a downward spiral in terms of his MMA career. Including his unsuccessful title shot against Brock Lesnar in July of last year, he has lost two straight fights with the most recent involving a convincing Unanimous Decision defeat to Brazilian contender Junior dos Santos. Since fighting Lesnar, Carwin learned that he cannot rely on knockout power alone to win fights at this level of MMA and needed to turn towards a strength and conditioning program, a change to which he stuck diligently. Though his cardio and heart were impressive in the fight with Dos Santos he ultimately got out-struck by the more technical puncher. Since June, the 36-year old has been fighting through injuries that, according to Carwin, date back to his college football days where he played at Western State University. His career has recently been in doubt after a string of back injuries, the latest of which have kept from even training to get back in the ring. Dos Santos has Most Impressive Performance at UFC 131 in Rout of Carwin Yesterday, Shane posted an update on his blog about the status of his injuries and his fighting career, writing, “I have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from my football career. I have done my best to get through my training and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively little to no damage.” In the entry he also discussed his current injuries, continuing, “As I ramped up my training for UFC 141 my body locked up during training. It wasn’t like the Lesnar fight but my back just tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves.” This gave many, including Carwin himself, cause for concern on whether he would ever fight again. He explained, “My doctor gave me two options; retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery or I could undergo surgery and continue my career.” He went on to talk about the decision he had to make, stating, “The decision was easy. I have unfinished business. The UFC had me lined up to face one of the best in the world and I am confident I have everything I need to be a Champion.” Additionally, Carwin also briefly elaborated his future pertaining to his health and his career, concluding, “I am scheduling surgery and I hope to return to the Octagon by spring or summer 2012.” After a career that started with him being considered the next big thing fans can only hope his health holds up next year so Carwin can get back to stopping opponents in the first round as he has so many times before. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, career, injury, carwin, shane carwin

Shane Carwin Having Back Surgery, Out Until Mid-2012

Like Rich Franklin, it’s going to be awhile before we see Shane Carwin back in action. Carwin revealed on his official website last night that he was set to fight at UFC 141, but his back locked up on him and now he has to have another surgery. I have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from my football career. I have done my best to get through my training and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively little to no damage. As I ramped up my training for UFC 141 my body locked up during training. It wasn’t like the Lesnar fight but my back just tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves . My doctor gave me two options; retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery or I could undergo surgery and continue my career. The decision was easy. I have unfinished business. The UFC had me lined up to face one of the best in the world and I am confident I have everything I need to be a Champion. I am scheduling surgery and I hope to return to the Octagon by spring or summer 2012. As you may recall, Carwin underwent back surgery about a year ago after he withdrew from UFC 125. It doesn’t sound like the injuries and surgeries are related, but I’m not a doctor, so don’t quote me on that.

Posted in: ufc, career, carwin, shane carwin, surgery

Who Will Make Up Anderson Silva’s Final Four?

Anderson Silva's manager says he has four fights left before he calls it a career. We share our thoughts on who his last four opponents could be.

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Ed Soares: Anderson Silva Only Has Four Fights Left In His Career

“Let’s see what the big boss is going to do. My opinion is that he had his chance and tapped, he should go back to the end of the line. The same thing is true with Vitor Belfort. They’re great fighters, but they had their chance. Sonnen would make a big fight, as would Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre, but we should recognize that Anderson only has around 4 fights left in his career.” — Ed Soares telling SporTV (translated via MMA Mania) that Anderson Silva only has four fights in his career and they shouldn’t be wasted on guys Anderson has already beat There’s another side to this argument that Ed Soares doesn’t present but I’m sure he’s well aware of. If Anderson Silva only has four fights left in his career, I’m sure he wants to make as much money as possible off those remaining fights. Big fights = big money and there’s no bigger fight for him right now than Chael Sonnen. Soares isn’t a bad manager. He knows this, which is why I think this hard to get routine he’s playing in the media right now is nothing more than a negotiation tactic to maximize his client’s payday in what will likely be the top grossing fight of his career. That or they really are scared… Image via CombatLifestyle.com

Posted in: fight, anderson silva, career, anderson, soare

Is it Time to Hang Up the Gloves? Kenny Florian Issues Statement on His Career

Kenny Florian, after failing to wrest the title from Jose Aldo at UFC 136, on Monday issued a statement about his career and future in MMA.

Posted in: career, florian, kenny, jose aldo, kenny florian

UFC 136: Will Kenny Florian's career be defined by what he hasn't accomplished?

Kenny Florian didn't actually have to say anything. The look on his face painted a more vivid picture than any answer he could have provided. His thousand-yard stare indicated his emotions much more profoundly than anything explanation could have hoped for. He had been in this position before; twice, actually. He was so close to becoming a champion but yet so far. The brass ring eluded him for a third and possibly final time. He stepped inside Octagon last night (Oct. 8) at UFC 136 for what was widely considered to be his last chance at UFC gold. Standing toe to toe with featherweight champ Jose Aldo, "KenFlo" once again came up short in a five-round fight. He had done so against Sean Sherk and again when he challenged B.J. Penn. When his options at 155-pounds evaporated, he decided to drop down to featherweight to test the waters there. When Florian decides to hang up his four-ounce gloves, he will do so as a successful mixed martial artist (MMA). Already one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster due to his stint on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and an exciting fight style that saw him finish his opponents more often than not, Florian has guaranteed fans will remembered fondly. He currently holds an impressive 12-5 record in the Octagon which is incredible when considering the level of competition. But like Charles Barkley -- who was in attendance last night -- and Patrick Ewing, Florian will forever be associated with his inability to pull the trigger or have all the dominoes fall into place at the right time and win a championship. In a career that spans four weight classes and multiple headlining bouts, it might be what "KenFlo" didn't do that will be remembered. Anyone who makes their living competing wants to be the best. If they say otherwise, they're lying or wasting their time. The drive that causes people to stack their talents up against someone else's doesn't usually have limitations. That particular beast is only satisfied when it is recognized as the best. And even then, it may still be hungry for more. Take Randy Couture, for example. Here was a man who had already established himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world but looked to make a similar claim at 205-pounds. He simply wasn't satisfied. That kind of drive is what creates athletes like Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, and Georges St. Pierre. They desperately want to be the best and we, as fans, reap the benefits of their sacrifice and near-endless training. We marvel at their abilities and it becomes water cooler fodder. On top of his accomplishment inside the cage, he's got plenty outside he can hang his hat on. From occasionally acting as a guest color commentator for UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) to acting as co-host for ESPN's MMA Live program, "KenFlo" has proved himself to be a skilled and thoughtful analyst. Despite all these accolades and everything else he has done during his career, he never reached the pinnacle of every fighter's desire. No one puts their body through the hell a fighter does and not hope to one day be recognized as the champion, as the best in the world. One doesn't wake up in morning, sore from head to toe from a grueling training camp, in order to become the next Joe Rogan. It's because of this that I can't help but think Florian feels there is something missing from his career. He has finished opponents with his hands, he's choked some out and threatened to snap the limbs of others. He outlasted the likes ofRoger Huerta and Diego Nunes. His name and status has been used to help sell pay-per-view (PPV) events. The belt is the ultimate goal. The question is this: without it, is a career considered a failure? When Florian decides to call it a day, will he have any regrets or will he look back at the time he spent inside the Octagon with satisfaction? It's hard to argue with what Florian has done inside the Octagon. But if those actions speak for themselves, what he hasn't done -- what he hasn't accomplished -- that positively yells. What say you, Maniacs? When all is said and done, how will you remember Kenny Florian?

Posted in: ufc, fighter, career, florian, octagon

Defining the legacy of former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes (Poll)

With anything in life, the time comes when you are not able to perform at the high levels you once did. We all get older, one step slower, reaction time is not as fast as it used to be. It's the reality of life. Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali are two of greatest legends in their respective sports, basketball and boxing, but have fallen victim to that reality. They were at the top of their careers and are arguably recognized as the greatest to ever participate in their sport. However, they didn’t end their careers on winning notes. Michael Jordan ended his legendary career as a lowly Washington Wizard after we saw him win six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. Muhammad Ali ended his stellar career with two consecutive losses after destroying everyone in his path. Then we have Matt Hughes, the former UFC welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer with 54 fights under his belt and a "who’s-who" list of opponents (and victories). Hughes dominated his division and at one time seemed unstoppable. However, Hughes has now suffered two consecutive knockout losses to B.J. Penn and Josh Koscheck and is seemingly in the twilight of his career. Like Jordan and Ali, Hughes may not get the chance to end his career on a winning note, but what will you most remember him for? What will define his legacy? Hughes began his dominance as welterweight champion at UFC 34 when he viciously knocked out Carlos Newton with a powerful slam that is a regular in the UFC highlight reels. He defended his belt five times until he ran into the "Prodigy," B.J. Penn. Penn’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) proved too much for Hughes as he submitted Matt with a rear naked choke and ended his run as champ. Fast forward two fights later, and Hughes was once again UFC welterweight champion when he submitted a young Canadian by the name of Georges St. Pierre. Hughes went on to again defend the title two more times and in the process took part in a rare UFC superfight against none other than fellow UFC Hall of Famer, Royce Gracie. Hughes dominated the legend from the beginning of the bell and eventually unleashed a barrage of powerful strikes that forced the ref to step in and save Gracie. Hughes eventually would lose his title when he once again stepped into the Octagon to face George St. Pierre. This time, all respect and worship from GSP was gone. George St. Pierre willingly admitted that he had too much respect for Hughes in their first encounter, which led to his tentativeness. This fight proved to be a whole different story as the Canadian knocked him out to become the UFC welterweight champion. Since that fight, Hughes compiled an even record of 4-4 with two consecutive knockout losses. With his unwillingness to say the word "retire," Hughes proclaimed he is simply on the shelf until the UFC decides they need him. 13 years and 54 fights in the game, Hughes has indeed had an illustrious career. His resume speaks for itself: Two-time UFC welterweight champion, UFC Hall of Famer, most wins in the UFC (18). Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, Royce Gracie, Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Matt Serra, Frank Trigg …. Hughes has fought and defeated the best of the best, not when they were at their tale end of their careers, but when they were in their prime (with the exception of Gracie). From powerful knockout slams, to tremendous wrestling, to freakish strength and underrated striking, Hughes epitomized the "American Fighter" role and he put it all together very nicely. Hughes is without a doubt one of the most decorated champions in UFC history. His "I’m better than you" attitude didn’t win him any friends (just ask Matt Serra), but the born again Christian doesn’t really care if you like him or not. He did, however, make sure that at the end of the day, win, lose or draw, you did respect him. Cain Velasquez, Anderson Silva, George St. Pierre ... those are the new stars and champions of today. They are the lucky ones in the sense that they are champions and stars in a time when MMA has reached new mainstream heights that were not even thought possible in Matt Hughes’ era. Hughes dominated the UFC in a time when it was still fighting for its life. Bud Light and Harley Davidson were not knocking on the door to get a piece of the pie, if anything, Hughes and the UFC were fighting to prove that MMA was a legit sport and trying to convince the higher-ups like Senator John McCain that MMA was not "human cock-fighting." It may be unfair that such a pioneer will not be able to get the mainstream exposure and spotlight that the stars of today receive, but Matt Hughes can hold his head high and know that he has secured his legacy and no one can ever diminish or take that away from him. However, the spotlight and fame is something that Hughes has never been too preoccupied with. Hughes is a simple man, a good old country boy that prefers to work on his farm than attend a celebrity-filled awards show. Hughes has provided fans with so many memorable moments that his career will not be forgotten, and his legacy and career is truly one for the history books. Now that leaves you, the MMA fan, to help decide which spectacular moment in his career will best define the Matt Hughes legacy, which was broken down fight-by-fight in this piece at MMA Nation. Vote in our poll and let's hear some feedback in the comments section below. Poll Which fight do you feel was Matt Hughes' "most spectacular fight of all time" and best defines his legacy? UFC 22: Matt Hughes vs. Valeri Ignatov UFC 34: Matt Hughes vs Carlos Newton UFC 36: Matt Hughes vs Hayato "Mach" Sakurai UFC 38: Matt Hughes vs Carlos Newton 2 UFC 45: Matt Hughes vs Frank Trigg UFC 50: Matt Hughes vs Georges St. Pierre UFC 52: Matt Hughes vs Frank Trigg 2 UFC 60: Matt Hughes vs Royce Gracie UFC 63: Matt Hughes vs Bj Penn 2 UFC 98: Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra 8 votes | Results

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Call Him Cocky or Just Confident, Dominick Cruz Knows He’s Going to Win Before He Ever Steps In the Cage

Dominick Cruz explains why he's so confident heading into his fight and how at the prime of his career he wants to create legacy.

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Anthony Johnson: Rumble Version 2.0

With a new team and a new approach, Anthony Johnson is ready to give fans and critics new things to talk about when it comes to his fighting career.

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After Second Straight KO Loss, Time Running Out on Matt Hughes' Legendary Career

Filed under: UFCMatt Hughes couldn't bring himself to call it quits on Saturday night. Even before the fight, he admitted that his wife wanted him to retire, and then he got knocked unconscious by Josh Koscheck. That's not going to convince Mrs. Hughes to reconsider her opinion, but it also wasn't enough to get the decorated legend to utter the hardest words a fighter must ever say. It was a second straight loss for Hughes, and more to the point, it was the second straight time we've seen his body go limp as he ate strikes from an opponent. The caliber of fighter he's losing to isn't the problem; dropping matches to BJ Penn and Koscheck is nothing to be ashamed about. But it's the way he's lost both that is concerning. More: UFC 135 Results | UFC 135 Post-Fight Press Conference As we continue to learn more and more about brain health and the effects of repetitive trauma, you have to wonder if it's truly worth it for Hughes to continue on. After 54 fights and a nearly 14-year career, it might be time for Hughes to walk away and enjoy his millions with his family. He's not so sure though. After the fight, the first words out of his mouth were, "I'm not retiring." That was partially because he didn't want to make a snap decision, but if he was already thinking about it before Saturday, what positive development can he take out of the result? Still, UFC president Dana White believes that once Hughes talks things over with his family, he'll come to a sensible decision. "I've known him for 10 years," White said at the UFC 135 post-fight press conference. "He's a competitor. He's really upset. He wanted to win this last fight, and I'm almost 100 percent positive he's going to retire." Yet at least in the moments just after the loss, Hughes wouldn't commit to it, telling Joe Rogan he was going to tell the UFC to "put me on the shelf" as he ponders his next move. There is no practical reason for Hughes to continue on. He has accomplished more in the octagon than nearly anyone else in UFC history. He holds the record for most wins (18), had two welterweight title reigns, and authored one of the most memorable moments in UFC history with his comeback win over Frank Trigg at UFC 52. At different times of his career, Hughes had winnings streaks of 18 and 13 fights, respectively. He holds wins over current or former UFC champs Georges St-Pierre, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk and Carlos Newton. He beat two Gracies. He's already in the UFC Hall of Fame. I could go on. At 37 years old though, what is the upside of Hughes continuing on? Losing two straight, he can't be included in the title picture, and as he falls down the rankings, will he be as interested in fights against lesser names? %VIRTUAL-Gallery-134788% Yet when you hear Hughes talk, he emphasizes how much he still loves everything about fighting. He loves to train, he loves being in the gym with his training partners and friends, he loves learning and competing. The same things that made him so successful all these years may work against him now. How do you quit something you love? That's not to say that Hughes couldn't possibly find success if he chose to continue on. Many people thought Hughes was done nearly three years ago, when he lost three out of four, all by finish. But he bounced back with three straight wins, beating Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida. He could do it again. The right matchups could put Hughes back on the winning track. But the thing is, Hughes has never asked for the "right" matchups, he's asked for the best in the division. It's largely disrespectful to tell a legend when to walk away (unless you are married to said legend), so I won't do that here. Hughes has earned the right to call his own shots. If he wants to give it one more go, I'm sure he'll find the motivation to train hard and walk into the octagon in the best possible shape, and I'm just as sure that the fans will rally behind him. No one wants to see a great career end badly. Hughes doesn't want this Koscheck loss as his last fight memory any more than his wife wants to see him fight one more time. But you also can't guarantee a fairy tale ending. Here's hoping Hughes finds peace with his decision, whatever it is. It's been a legendary career full of superlatives. It's been a career to be celebrated. But right now, the finish of his UFC 135 loss is a perfect symbol of where he is in 2011. One second left, youth overwhelming experience, and time running out. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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UFC 135 by the numbers and inside the box score

-Jon Jones made his professional MMA debut in April 2008. In April 200,8 Quinton Jackson held a pro MMA record of 28-6-After beginning his UFC career with two decisions wins, other than his DQ loss to Matt Hamill, Jones has finished his last six opponents. -With 18:46 spent in the cage his win over Jackson was Jones' longest fight of his career -Jones is now 2-0 versus fighters who competed in Pride -Per Compustrike Jones connected with 48 total leg strikes during the fight-The rear naked choke from Jones was the first of his career with his three previous career submissions coming via guillotine choke -Jackson had not been submitted since a July 2001loss to legend Kazushi Sakuraba;a span of 29 fights between submission losses-Jackson drops to 2-2 in UFC title fights. Jackson was 0-2 in Pride title fights-Jackson's record in the UFC is 7-3 -Jackson is 3-2 in his last five fights-According to FightMetric Jones outpaced Jackson with 244-28 effectiveness score advantage -In 21 career fights Josh Koscheck has never lost back to back fights- Koscheck's win over Matt Hughes was his first victory of 2011. -Koscheck is now 2-2 in his career versus former UFC champions-The knockout of Hughes was Koscheck's third KO win of his career and his first since December 2008. -With back to back losses to Koscheck and BJ Penn its marks the third time in Matt Hughes 13 year career that he lost consecutive fights. -The match-up with Koscheck was the first time Hughes has faced a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter -With the knockout defeat Hughes has only been cleanly KO'd a total of three times in his career -Per Compustrike Koscheck out landed Hughes 26-16 in total strikes -Betting favorites went 8-1 at UFC 135. Mark Hunt was the only betting underdog at +260 to pick up a win. -The UFC returned to Denver, Colorado for the first time since March 1994. UFC 135 was the promotion's third trip to Denver.

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UFC 135: The Less Celebrated Career of Matt Hughes Approaches Finality

There are few athletes in the entire spectrum of professional sports who have the consistent relevance that UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes has had throughout his entire career. Brett Favre, George Foreman, Martin Brodeur, Randy Johnson. These are just a few of the names that come to mind when attempting to place other athletes in the same discussion. In the context of mixed martial arts, Randy Couture is the quintessential example of a fighter who continued to find success despite a degradation in his skills from old age. He wasn't wildly successful in the latter stages of his career, but Couture was still able to win at the highest levels of the sport. When Couture retired at the age of 47 after suffering a knockout defeat at the hands of Lyoto Machida at UFC 129, it was a memorable moment in MMA history. Couture shockingly transcended the generational gap between the earliest fans and the youthful fans of today's era because he was a physical freak of nature. His popularity and, let's be honest, beatdown of Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 created this Captain America persona that he was the greatest despite not being so great inside the Octagon in his career's entirety. Matt Hughes is a better example. Hughes burst back into the UFC in the fall of 2001, slamming Carlos Newton unconscious at UFC 34 to win the UFC welterweight crown. He defended the title five times before stumbling against B.J. Penn at UFC 46. Two fights later, he defeated rising star Georges St. Pierre to win the title again, defending it two more times and defeating B.J. Penn at UFC 63 in the fall of 2006 to amass a 12-1 record within a five-year span. It is also important to note that Hughes did all of this during MMA's transition from the basement of professional sports to the boom period brought on by The Ultimate Fighter reality series. He was one of the first fighters that new fans coming into the sport latched onto as a star. The latter half of the last decade was less successful, sporting a 4-4 record heading into 2011. It's difficult, however, to fault Hughes. He was fighting the very best the division had to offer, including two tilts with champion Georges St. Pierre. Why is Matt Hughes the less celebrated fighter? His record speaks for itself. When fans wrote him off following his knockout loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 85, Hughes battled back, defeating Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie, and Ricardo Almeida. Not the cream of the crop talent-wise, but legitimate challenges nonetheless. Hughes' cocky attitude over the course of his career is the biggest reason he's been less celebrated as a legend of the sport. Even in this latter stage of his career, Hughes still has a little venom to spit in the eyes of his opponents. Oh, and that whole bible study thing during season five of The Ultimate Fighter. That wasn't good for his public persona either. The end of the road is nearing for Matt Hughes. His training camp was a nostalgic trip back to the good ol' days, bringing in Pat Miletich and Jeremy Horn. He also befriended former nemesis B.J. Penn to help prepare for Josh Koscheck this weekend at UFC 135. Hughes' wife says it's time to move on, and Hughes himself believes the end is quickly approaching. Looking back at the career of Hughes, he played the game with the best of them. He talked the talk, walked the walk, and beat the odds. Even in these late stages of his career in which fans and media propose that the sport passed Hughes by years ago, Hughes finds a way to win with the same strength and wrestling skills that helped him dominate the landscape of the division for years. Whether you love or hate Matt Hughes, he's had a tremendous career, the absolute best of any fighter in the UFC Hall of Fame.

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