MMA-URLS

Easy come, easy go. Hard-hitting heavyweight striker Sergei Kharitonov injured his neck and was forced to withdraw from his upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) fight against Tony Lopez at the "2012 Glory World Series" on May 26 in Stockholm, Sweden. Golden Glory head coach Martijn de Jong recently confirmed the change on Twitter. Kharitonov (18-5) was last seen disposing of Mark Miller under the United Glory banner earlier this year in Russia. It was a nice rebound win (under kickboxing rules) for the former paratrooper, who was bounced from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix with a submission loss to Josh Barnett back in 2011. Stepping in to take his place will be Swedish "Sledgehammer" Llir Latifi (5-2-1), who was previously booked to throw hands opposite Jeremy Horn until "Gumby" blew out his knee. Lopez (31-8) has been on an absolute tear under the King of the Cage (KOTC) umbrella, winning seven straight fights and securing seven violent finishes in the process. Just over half of all wins for "Kryptonite" have come by submission. The revised United Glory fight card and line-up (via Buddha Sport) after the jump: United Glory Series 16 70kg Tournament: Giorgio Petrosyan (Italy) vs. Fabio Pinca (France)Max Vorovski (Estonia) vs. Sanny Dahlbeck (Sweden)Robin van Roosmalen (Netherlands) vs. Dzhabar Askerov (Russia)Ky Hollenback (USA) vs. Michael Corley (USA)Yoshihiro Sato (Japan) vs. Shemsi Beqiri (Switserland)Dennis Schneidmiller (Germany) vs. Qi Chenglong (China)Kem Sitsongpeenong (Thailand) vs. Cosmo Alexandre (Brasil)Albert Kraus (Netherlands) vs. Mohamed El Mir (Denmark) Kickboxing Superfights: Nieky Holzken vs. Alex Harris Semmy Schilt vs. Errol Zimmerman (For United Glory HW Championship) MMA Bouts: Jason Jones (Netherlands) vs. Dritan Barjamaj (Austria) Tony Lopez (USA) vs. Llir Latifi (Sweden) Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to the United Glory event as they become available.

Posted in: fight, vs, glory, josh barnett, lopez

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Not every fight on a UFC card is going to contend for fight of the night. "The Ultimate Fighter 7" winner Amir Sadollah and Jorge Lopez met in a bout curiously placed in the co-main event position at Tuesday night's UFC on Fuel TV 3 card in Fairfax, Va. More Coverage: UFC on FUEL 3 Results | UFC News After 15 minutes without much action of note, in which neither man came close to finishing the fight, Sadollah came out on the right end of a split decision, taking two of three 29-28 scores. With the win, perhaps the welterweight Sadollah, who's been saddled with injuries since winning TUF, is finally developing some momentum. He's now 6-3 and has won three of his past four. Lopez, a Wand Fight Club team member in Las Vegas, is 11-3, having dropped both of his UFC fights.

Posted in: ufc, fight, sadollah, fuel, lopez

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Amir Sadollah defeats Jorge Lopez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. Amir Sadollah took advantage of a tired Jorge Lopez to squeak out a split decision victory in the co-main event of UFC on Fuel 3. Lopez looked good with his striking early, but faded late and started to rely on a clinch and takedown game. Sadollah was taken down a few times, but apparently did enough on the feet to negate the cage work. It wasn't a very pretty fight. Lopez looked sharp early, landing a bit more than Amir. Lopez pinned Sadollah against the cage and the fighters exchanged knees. Lopez continued to land his jab. Lopez caught a kick and looked for a takedown. Sadollah looked to lock on a guillotine and got slammed for his troubles. Lopez pinned Amir against the cage, but Sadollah got up and looked for his own takedown against the cage. The fighters grinded away against the cage to close out the first. Lopez looked for a takedown against the cage early in the second, but much like the end of the first there was nothing there and they just clinched against the cage for over a minute. Once they finally separated, Sadollah landed a nice combination. Lopez again went for a takedown against the cage, and actually got a leg, but Amir countered with a guillotine. Lopez ended up on Amir's back in the scramble but was unable to do anything with it. Back in the middle Sadollah landed more strikes over the next minute, but Lopez got a takedown off a Sadollah kick with 30 seconds to go. Sadollah got back to his feet at the end of the round. Lopez came out quickly in the third with some strikes and again looked for a takedown in the clinch against the fence. After a full minute, Lopez got it to the floor for exactly one second before Sadollah popped back up. Lopez looked a bit tired, and Sadollah landed a nice push kick to the face and an elbow. Lopez once again went for the clinch takedown, and finally gets it this time. Lopez didn't do much on top, and the bout was stood up with a minute to go. Sadollah went on the attack against a tired Lopez, but it went back against the cage once again. Sadollah dumped Lopez down briefly, but Lopez popped up. Sadollah closed it out with a big knee. SBN coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 3

Posted in: takedown, cage, sadollah, lopez, amir

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The co-main event of the UFC on FUEL TV 3: "Korean Zombie vs. Poirier" fight card going down in Fairfax, Virginia, tonight (Tues., May 15, 2012) showcased a pair of welterweights looking to rebound from recent losses as Amir Sadollah took on Jorge Lopez. Sadollah, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner the promotion has been trying to turn into a star for years now, came in on a near year-long layoff after a hard fought loss to Duane Ludwig. Lopez, on the other hand, was defeated by Justin Edwards in his Octagon debut in September of last year. Something had to give. Or you would think. But this was one of the worst fights of the year. By the time it was over, the fans in attendance at the Patriot Center were just glad it was finished. Sadollah picking up the split decision victory was all but an afterthought. Lopez, identified as a Wanderlei Silva protege, was popping a jab early. He was also the far more aggressive of the two fighters, pushing ahead and showing little to no regard for Sadollah's offense. It wasn't long before they were in the clinch, where Amir had the edge. A submission attempt from Lopez was laughed off and the uneventful first round came to an end. The second round began with a clinch and a restless crowd expressing its collective displeasure with a sound eerily similar to one a cow makes. Submission attempts were bandied about but that was only a brief glimpse of excitement in an otherwise dull affair. Come round three, the two continued to engage in one of the most boring fights ever contested in a UFC cage. There was little action and by the time the horn sounded, the boos drown out the announcers telling us the match was finally, mercifully, over. Sadollah wins. Moving along. Remember, too, that MMAmania.com has LIVE ongoing coverage of the UFC on FUEL TV 3 main card, as well as complete results from the undercard, right here.

Posted in: ufc, sadollah, lopez, amir, fairfax virginia

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This is the UFC on FUEL 3 live blog for Amir Sadollah vs. Jorge Lopez, a welterweight bout on Tuesday night's UFC event from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.Sadollah, who has won two of his last three fights, will fight Lopez, who lost in his UFC debut this past September, on the main card.Check out the live blog below. More Coverage: UFC on FUEL 3 Results | UFC News Round 1: Round 2: Round 3:

Posted in: ufc, round, ufc debut, coverage ufc, lopez

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The co-main event of tonight's UFC on Fuel TV 3 show is a welterweight showdown between Amir Sadollah and Jorge Lopez. The Fuel TV broadcast begins at 8:00 p.m. ET and features a #1-contender bout in the featherweight division that pits Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier. It's somewhat ironic that Amir Sadollah (5-3) defeated -- and finished -- a more impressive assortment of middleweight competition to win TUF 7 than he has in the Octagon as a welterweight, and did so without a single pro-fight on his record. Starting with the elimination bout to gain entrance to the TUF house, Sadollah defeated Steve Byrnes (6-1) by armbar, Gerald Harris (21-4) by TKO, Matt Brown by triangle choke and Division 1 All-American wrestler C.B. Dollaway (11-4) by armbar ... twice. In retrospect, trampling such a respectable array of game middleweights with a potent blend of striking and submissions, with all but the last Dollaway catch coming before his pro-career even began, is monumentally admirable. When Sadollah announced that he'd be dropping to welterweight after clenching the TUF crown, he seemed destined for a top-contender slot. From a strict win-loss standpoint, Sadollah's post-TUF is considered disappointing by many. I would politely assert that the defeats on his 5-3 clip in the Octagon were all unfavorably styled opponents: current #1-contender Johny Hendricks (1st-round TKO), imposing grappler Dong Hyun Kim (unanimous decision) and Muay Thai champion and experienced MMA vet Duane Ludwig (unanimous decision). More UFC on Fuel TV 3 Dissections Cerrone vs. Stephens | Lawlor vs. MacDonald | Maldonado vs. Pokrajac Jabouin vs. Hougland | Facebook Undercard Jorge "Lil' Monster" Lopez (11-2) has been trumpeted as the top student of MMA legend Wanderlei Silva and his own Wand Fight Team. Lopez has spent a few years under Silva's tutelage and also had the honor of training with the infamous Chute Boxe team, yet doesn't quite exemplify the style that crowd is known for. Lopez is a "2x Utah state champ and 3x regional champ in wrestling" according to his UFC.com profile, though it's not specified if that was in college or high school, and has 6 wins by decision and 5 by TKO. Rather than a crippling Thai machine, Lopez is a physically imposing grinder with considerable strength and a formidable clinch game. He made his Octagon debut against Justin Edwards having a single flaw on his record after 12 outings, which was a split-decision loss to former Strikeforce fighter Nick Rossborough in Lopez's 2nd pro-fight. Edwards defeated Lopez by unanimous decision and snapped his 10-fight win streak. Because Sadollah commands a higher status than Edwards, he comes in as a big favorite over Lopez. However, again turning to the "styles make fights" cliche, Edwards is a deceivingly beefy welterweight and a straight-up bruiser in the clinch, and Sadollah will not be able to replicate those traits. Continued in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 3 Though he's billed as a Master of Sambo, Sadollah isn't a power-clincher and mostly relies on his stellar Thai arsenal in tie-ups. His strengths are maximizing his length with a distance-based kickboxing onslaught replete with front snap kicks, teeps and unreeling punching combinations while closing range to work knees and elbows in the clinch. Lopez is indeed a power-clincher and I foresee him causing trouble for Sadollah at contact-range. He has a wide body, excellent balance, a strong base and a low center of gravity. This translates to a lot of control whenever he can get his hands on his opponent; an attribute similar to "Stun Gun" Kim's trademark approach, who was able to stifle Sadollah's striking with clinch control and takedowns. That will undoubtedly be the strategy for Lopez, spinning this match up into a game of distance. Sadollah's footwork and cage motion should be employed to keep him out of reach while raining strikes from the fringe, while Lopez will be tasked with closing the distance to initiate a clinch without eating too many shots on the way in. Sadollah showed some striking power on TUF yet he's without an official TKO in the UFC since. Knockout power is never a bad thing, but Sadollah has chosen to judicious in strike selection and prioritize balance and composure when loosening strikes rather than raw power. The advantage is that he's rarely caught off-balance or out of position and can therefore defend strikes, clinch blitzes and takedowns more effectively. Sadollah is the narrow favorite in the -165 range, which seems accurate. He's the more proven and dangerous fighter, but Lopez absolutely has the type of blender-clinching to negate his Muay Thai. The deciding factor is Sadollah's under-rated BJJ acumen, which gives him the edge in the Free Movement and Grappling Phases. Unless Lopez goes all Randy Couture, I like Sadollah in a close one. My Prediction: Amir Sadollah by decision. Poll Amir Sadollah vs. Jorge Lopez Sadollah Lopez   0 votes | Results

Posted in: vs, tv, sadollah, fuel, lopez

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FAIRFAX, VA, May 15 – Leading up to their UFC on FUEL TV fight at the Patriot Center, Jeremy Stephens vowed to “break” Donald Cerrone, perceiving that Nate Diaz had done the same last December. But the “old” Cerrone emerged Tuesday night, the one who had annihilated six straight foes before Diaz. And that was bad news for Stephens, who received probably the worst beating of his seven-year career in losing a shutout 30-27 decision in the lightweight scrap. Stephens went the distance, but walked away with a sizable welt under a bloody left eye, and a left leg (his lead leg) that is sure to be plenty sore Wednesday morning following the dozens of Cerrone kicks that assaulted it. At times mocking and toying with Stephens, Cerrone seemed to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and he walked away relatively unscathed. He punished Stephens (20-8) with body kicks, knees and combinations to the head. And made somehow made it look easy. “Coming off my last loss, it feels good,” said Cerrone (18-4, 1 NC). “He came and brought it, that’s what I thought he would do.” As for his next move, Cerrone, a native Coloradan, is eyeing UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar (scheduled for August in Denver.) Said Cerrone: “I really want to get on that Denver card, man.” JORGE LOPEZ VS. AMIR SADOLLAHAmir Sadollah eked out a split decision win over Jorge Lopez in a slow-moving fight that left fans clamoring for the main event. The 23-year-old Lopez impressed early, clearly controlling the first round with a takedown, superior aggression and scoring with a bevy of punches and kicks. Lopez could have rightfully been awarded the second round as well, notching two more takedowns and controlling on top. Yet Sadollah (7-3) may have swayed judges by landing the better blows standing – particularly kicks to the ribs, stomach and shoulder that certainly didn’t produce devastation, but perhaps persuasion. If you prefer Octagon control, then perhaps a tiring Lopez deserved the third because of a pair of takedowns. There wasn’t much effective striking, but what little there was saw Lopez (11-3) looking reticent and Sadollah looking busier. Two judges deemed it 29-28 for Sadollah; the other gave the nod to Lopez by 29-28. YVES JABOUIN VS. JEFF HOUGLAND Perhaps the best summary of Jeff Hougland’s toughness comes from the mouth of Yves Jabouin. After punishing Hougland over three-rounds of total, one-sided domination, Jabouin expressed admiration for a fighter who never quit despite absorbing furious assaults that had the referee on high alert for intervention on several occasions. “Once that back kick sinks in, not a lot of guys can withstand it,” said Jabouin, who dropped Hougland with a vicious spinning kick in the first round. “He took it like a man. My hat’s off to him.” The Montreal-based bantamweight tormented Hougland early and often with a wide array of potent kicks, and further mashed him with an avalanche of ground and pound. At every turn, Houghland (10-5) fought on, showing no signs of quit despite never getting the desperation takedown he hoped might turn the tide in his favor. Judges awarded Jabouin the win by scores of 30-27 (twice) and 30-26. Jabouin, 18-7, has now prevailed in three straight. FABIO MALDONADO VS. IGOR POKRAJACFabio Maldonado loves nothing more than to bury his head in your chest, and dig away to the body. Nobody’s gonna confuse the Brazilian’s power with say, Joe Frazier, but it’s proved highly effective for the ultra-aggressive 205-pounder. While Maldonado generally relies on volume to wear opponents down, Igor Pokrajac specializes in power and knockouts. The collision of the two styles produced a back-and-forth war of attrition that ended with Pokrajac being awarded a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27. The bout was much closer than the scores indicated, as evidenced by a parade of fans who booed the decision. Pokrajac (25-8) scored a bear hug takedown early and controlled the first half of the round with top position and ground and pound. But the second half of the round belonged to Maldonado (18-5), who roared back on the strength of left hooks that stunned the Croatian. Maldonado followed up with nice flurry of punches against a covered up Pokrajac, and then went strong to body as Pokrajac seemed a tad winded. But as in the first, Pokrajac owned the early part of the second round, landing crisp 1-2 combinations to Maldonado’s grill. Down the stretch, however, the Brazilian ferociously attacked the body. Round three saw more toe-to-toe exchanges, with Pokrajac landing some of his best punches of the night, causing bruising and swelling under Maldonado’s right eye. Despite the damage, Maldonado tenaciously stalked and attacked until the final horn. JASON MACDONALD VS. TOM LAWLOR Well, that was quick. A straight jab, a power right hand to the head – and Jason MacDonald was free-falling to the canvas. At 50 seconds, Tom Lawlor was running around the Octagon in celebration of his victory and his 29th birthday. The verbose Rhode Islander dazzled the local crowd with gems such as “Virginia is for lovers” and “(Fairfax) is definitely one of the top 50 best cities to fight in.” Lawlor improved to 8-4 (4-3 UFC). MacDonald (26-16) has now lost three of his past four.

Posted in: round, pokrajac, cerrone, maldonado, lopez

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After Jorge Lopez trained with mixed martial arts superstars Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, “Shogun” Rua and “Ninja” Rua as a teenager, and even went on to work with “The Axe Murderer” once he began fighting professionally in Las Vegas, you would figure that he has seen pretty much anything you could see as a welterweight prospect on the rise.But then he made his UFC debut last September against Justin Edwards, and things were a lot different than he ever expected.“It’s funny, I’m fighting and I can hear (UFC color commentator) Joe Rogan talking at the same time,” said Lopez. “I got taken down, I was being pressed against the cage, and I popped back up. I can hear him saying ‘and he pops back up like a spring.’ (Laughs) I can hear him saying these things and I’m fighting, and it’s really surreal. I see (Octagon announcer) Bruce Buffer in there and it’s like a dream almost. It doesn’t seem real until you’re actually fighting.”It was the culmination of a strange week for Lopez, who entered the bout with an 11-1 record and all the expectations that come along with being a protégé of Wanderlei Silva. But from the time he showed up in New Orleans on fight week, he realized that this wasn’t like any other match he had experienced.First he arrived in town at 190 pounds, 20 over the welterweight limit.“(UFC site coordinator) Burt (Watson) was mad at me,” said Lopez. “I wasn’t dieting the right way. I had just fought four weeks before then, so I was a little too confident in my weight. I thought I should have been okay with my weight and I wasn’t. I was a lot bigger than I should have been.”Lopez made weight at 171, but on fight night, he wasn’t as zoned in as he usually was.“It was a crazy feeling,” he said. “Before we actually walked out, I was having a hard time waking up before the fight and having a hard time getting hyped up and feeling like I was about to fight. I was really low energy and it didn’t seem real.”Seeing and hearing the people he had only seen and heard on television before didn’t help him shake the jitters, and by the time he “woke up,” he only had five minutes to erase Edwards’ two round lead.“Not until like the third round, when I realized that I could be down on the scorecards, did I wake up,” said Lopez. “I remember thinking between rounds ‘I could be losing right now, I’ve got to pick it up.’ And I did. Something just snapped and I started playing my game as opposed to just worrying about everything else.”Lopez won the third round battle but lost the war, dropping a 29-28 decision to Edwards. Ask him about the fight though, and he has no excuses or sour grapes. For him, it was a bad night, one that he got out of his system, and now it’s time to move forward. “It was weird, but it’s good to get that out of the way, and I’m prepared to see all that the second time,” he said. “I learned a lot from that fight and kinda got the jitters out, I know where I’m at now, and it won’t be the same for me.”And if there are other positives to take away from the defeat, the main one if not only does he still have a job, but the UFC brass was impressed enough with him to put him in the co-featured slot on this Tuesday’s UFC on FUEL TV card in Fairfax, Virginia. His opponent is former Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah, someone who just happens to be a familiar face to Lopez, who trained with his fellow Las Vegan when the two worked at the Xtreme Couture gym a while back. During those sessions, Sadollah was already an established UFC fighter and Lopez was a hungry up and comer looking for rounds and the chance to see where he stood against an Octagon vet.“I guess the biggest reason why I would like to spar somebody like that is to know where I’m at, where I stand, and know where the top level guys are at compared to me,” he said. “And getting the good work in, that’s always good also.”Lopez knows that what happens in sparring is different from what happens in a fight, but he also admits that he saw enough of Sadollah to have a good idea of what he’s going to show up with this Tuesday.“I noticed a lot of holes in his game, and I kinda got a good feel to how he fights,” he said. “It’s no surprise that he’s a tough guy, and he never stops coming forward. I had seen that in his fights, but I also got to experience it in training. The few times that we trained together, it was the same thing. We’d be sparring and he would never stop coming – he’d always push me and push me. It’s something that I knew beforehand and that’s still who he is.”With Lopez coming off nearly eight months off, as an injury took him out of a UFC 143 bout with Matthew Riddle (who replaced an injured Sadollah in the February match), you would think he would be concerned with ring rust as well as a hard-charging opponent come fight night. But it’s just the opposite for the well-rounded 23-year old.“I’ve been doing a lot of work with Gil Martinez and Robert Drysdale, so I definitely think you’re going to see a different fighter,” he said. “I’ve been really focusing on improving every skill in my arsenal. Before, I was at a point where I thought, I’m good where I’m at, so I’m gonna keep training how I am now. But I wasn’t evolving. Now I feel like I’ve been evolving over the past few months and getting better and better.”And there’s no better place to show that evolution than in the co-main event of a UFC card.“Some people may see it as extra pressure, but I love that,” he said. “Being the first fight of the night in New Orleans was weird. I had never been the first fight of the night on any card in my life. But being the co-main event and being one of the highlighted fights, fighting Amir, a big name, it only motivates me more and pushes me more to want to show these guys how good I really am and what I can really bring to the table. I gotta show up on Tuesday night and prove that I belong here.”   

Posted in: fight, ’t, i ’m, ’m, lopez

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I caught this post over at fellow SBNation site MMAmania via our old pals at Liverkick, and quite honestly, there's no need to re-write anything. Tip o' the hat, fellows. Check it out: No UFC ... no Strikeforce ... no problem! Hard-hitting heavyweight striker Sergei Kharitonov is back in the mixed martial arts (MMA) spotlight, coming to terms with United Glory for an upcoming bout against the dangerous Tony Lopez at the "2012 Glory World Series" on May 26 in Stockholm, Sweden. News of the pending match-up comes via the fine men and women at LiverKick.com. Kharitonov (18-5) was last seen kicking the crap out of Mark Miller under the United Glory banner just last month in Russia. It was a nice rebound win (under kickboxing rules) for the former paratrooper, who was bounced from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix with a submission loss to Josh Barnett back in 2011. But things aren't getting any easier. Lopez (31-8) has been on an absolute tear under the King of the Cage (KOTC) umbrella, winning seven straight fights and securing seven violent finishes in the process. Just over half of all wins for "Kryptonite" have come by way of tap, nap or snap. Check out a video teaser for United Glory's "2012 Glory World Series" after the jump. In fairness to Lopez, and he's on a great streak, but he's been fighting a decidedly lower level of competition. His most notable career wins in 39 fights are against former TUF product Darrill Schoonover and former UFC slugger Joey Beltran, against whom he's got a pair of wins. Sergei will be a rightful favorite and if he can keep the fight standing and avoid the submission game of Lopez (a varied one at that, he has multiple armbars, RNCs, Kimuras and arm-triangle wins), he's got a very good chance of winning this. This will be the opening series of Glory's 70kg tournament and the card also features Giorgio Petrosyan, Semmy Schilt and Errol Zimmerman among others.

Posted in: series, glory, kharitonov, he, lopez

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No UFC ... no Strikeforce ... no problem! Hard-hitting heavyweight striker Sergei Kharitonov is back in the mixed martial arts (MMA) spotlight, coming to terms with United Glory for an upcoming bout against the dangerous Tony Lopez at the "2012 Glory World Series" on May 26 in Stockholm, Sweden. News of the pending match-up comes via the fine men and women at LiverKick.com. Kharitonov (18-5) was last seen kicking the crap out of Mark Miller under the United Glory banner just last month in Russia. It was a nice rebound win (under kickboxing rules) for the former paratrooper, who was bounced from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix with a submission loss to Josh Barnett back in 2011. But things aren't getting any easier. Lopez (31-8) has been on an absolute tear under the King of the Cage (KOTC) umbrella, winning seven straight fights and securing seven violent finishes in the process. Just over half of all wins for "Kryptonite" have come by way of tap, nap or snap. Check out a video teaser for United Glory's "2012 Glory World Series" after the jump. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to this developing fight card as they become available.

Posted in: glory, kharitonov, strikeforce heavyweight, lopez, things arent

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HIGHLAND, Calif. -- Keeping up his ever-busy schedule, Tony Lopez successfully defended his King of the Cage heavyweight title for the second time in less than two weeks against Victorville, Calif.’s Jason Walraven in the headliner of Thursday night’s KOTC “Hardcore”.

Posted in: calif, lopez, kotc crown, everbusy schedule, kotc

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Mexican slugger Orlando Salido was out to prove last night (March 11, 2012) on Showtime that his upset of Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez last year was no accident. And Salido did just that, in hostile territory no less, when he scored a sensational technical knockout over Lopez in the tenth round of their rematch at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was a back-and-forth slugfest that our very own Patrick Stumberg coined a potential 2012 "Fight of the Year" candidate, which produced a thrilling round (number nine) that Showtime's Al Bernstein described as one of the best ever in a number of years. With the victory, Salido retains his WBO Featherweight Championship and likely earns a date with Mikey Garcia later this year, who outlasted Bernabe Concepcion to win a unanimous decision in the co main event of the evening. For complete, detailed play-by-play results of the rematch between Orlando Salido vs Juan Manuel Lopez 2 click here and for a post-fight recap click here.

Posted in: year, juan, lopez, salido, mikey garcia

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For every "Godfather: Part Two" or "Empire Strikes Back," you get a dozen crappy sequels that completely fail to recapture the magic of the original, even cheapening it. When Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez squared off for the second time last night (March 10, 2012) inside the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, everyone agreed that it would be one hell of a fight; however, some wondered whether it could possibly match their first effort. Well, long story short, it did. The two went at each other like wild animals, swinging with reckless abandon. Salido's pressure looked to be getting to Lopez, who was attempting to turn it into a technical match, but he found himself dropped hard by a powerful right hook at the very end of the fifth round. Things then proceeded to get absolutely bonkers with both men digging deep and pummeling one another with everything they had. The ninth round in particular was one of the grittiest, most brutal, and most destructive rounds in recent memory, reminiscent of Micky Ward's epic clashes with Arturo Gatti. Finally, Lopez's enormous heart ran dry in the tenth, as he was badly rocked with Salido's signature winging right. He proceeded to eat two enormous uppercuts, both of which looked like they would have killed a lesser man, before a final left put him on the canvas. Though he rose to his feet, he was obviously gone, and the referee called it, capping off an incredible fight. Wow. Frankly, Salido and Lopez needed to put on something amazing to wash the taste of the first fight out of our mouths. And the pair did just that, with Salido retaining his WBO Featherweight title in the process. In other action, unbeaten Mickey Garcia took on Filipino veteran Bernabe Concepcion with a potential crack at Salido on the line. Somebody apparently forgot to tell them. Both guys were incredibly tentative, not throwing much besides the jab. Concepcion, in particular, just could not pull the trigger, and was mercifully put away by a hard combination in the seventh round. Luckily, the main event more than made up for it, and I for one feel honored to have seen these two fight their hearts out. For round-by-round coverage of the rematch between Orlando Salido vs. Juan Manual Lopez last night on Showtime be sure to check out our complete event coverage right here.

Posted in: fight, round, juan, lopez, salido

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According to UFC.com, Jorge Lopez has Thiago Alves' head structure -- but without any identifying facial features. It appears that Jorge Lopez has a black hole originating from his nose, which sucks in all available light. Judging by his composite picture for ZUFFA, if you were to meet Jorge Lopez in the middle of a dark alley -- he would be invisible. Perhaps that's why he was signed to the UFC. Dana White always said he wanted someone with superhuman powers to fight in the octagon. Hopefully Jorge Lopez will use his special invisibility powers for good, because quite frankly the world is already filled with a potpourri of supervillains. We'll see some of this talent on display when Lopez takes on Matt Riddle at UFC 143. Jorge admits you probably don't know who he is, but you definitely will after February 4th.

Posted in: ufc, jorge, jorge lopez, ufc dana, lopez

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The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 winner, Amir Sadollah, has been injured in training and will be unable to take on Jorge Lopez in a welterweight fight that was planned for UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 4, 2012. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today made the announcement, as well as named his replacement, Matt Riddle: TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah has been injured. Stepping in to face Wanderlei-Silva trained striker Jorge Lopez will be welterweight Matthew Riddle. Verbal agreements are in for this matchup. Riddle was slated to scrap at this past weekend's UFC 141, but forced to withdraw at the zero hour due to illness. Riddle was an eleventh-hour scratch from the UFC 141 fight card on Dec. 30, 2011, because of an undisclosed illness that had him "too sick to fight" Luis Ramos at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a result, the fight was scrapped altogether just before showtime and neither man competed that night inside the Octagon. Riddle, also a TUF 7 alum, is still out to snap a two-fight losing skid, dropping unanimous decisions to Sean Pierson and Lance Benoist, respectively, in his most recent performances. He kicked-off his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career with an impressive record (5-1) with the promotion. However, "Monster Mash" -- who has been a mainstay in the 170-pound division since 2009 -- needs to turn in a solid, perhaps evening winning, performance against Wanderlei Silva's 23-year-old protege if he intends to stick around in 2012 and beyond. Lopez, a Wand Fight Team member, struggled in his promotional debut, losing a unanimous decision to Justin Edwards at UFC Fight Night 15 back in Sept. 2011. "Lil Monster" has finished nearly half the opponents (five) who he has faced thus far in his young professional career via (technical) knockout and has never been stopped early. With welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre injured, UFC 143 will feature an interim title fight between Stockton bad boy and former Strikeforce king, Nick Diaz, taking on Carlos Condit for 170-pound supremacy while "Rush" rehabs from knee surgery. In addition, former welterweight number one contender Josh Koscheck will try to keep his spot among the division's elite by taking on the venerable Mike Pierce. To check out the latest UFC 143 fight card and rumors click here. To sift through the most comprehensive collection of UFC 143 news and notes be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, riddle, welterweight, lopez

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Days after an illness forced him off UFC 141 this past Friday, Matt Riddle has replaced an injured Amir Sadollah and will face Jorge Lopez at UFC 143 on February 3 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced today. Riddle (5-3), a castmember on The Ultimate Fighter 7, is looking to rebound from consecutive losses to Sean Pierson and Lance Benoist after winning 5 of his first 6 UFC fights. Lopez (11-2), a protege of Wanderlei Silva, fell to Justin Edwards in his Octagon debut in September to snap a 10-fight win streak. Sadollah hasn’t fought since an August loss to Duane “Bang” Ludwig, which dropped The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner to 5-3 in the UFC. Meanwhile, bantamweight contender Dustin Poirier remains without an opponent for UFC 143 after Erik Koch withdrew from the matchup two weeks ago. UFC 143 is headlined by an interim welterweight title fight between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz and also includesJosh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce and Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum. For complete coverage of UFC 143 stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Matt Riddle

Posted in: ufc, riddle, matt, amir sadollah, lopez

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

HIGHLAND, Calif. -- In what felt like a case of terrible déjà vu, Esteves Jones found himself under assault by Tony Lopez for the second time in three months, as Lopez retained his King of the Cage heavyweight title at KOTC’s “Magnaflow” Thursday night at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland, Calif.

Posted in: jone, calif, lopez, kotc crown, magnaflow

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In a recent interview with MMAInterviews.TV, UFC legend Wanderlei Silva and his protege Jorge Lopez said they believe Lyoto Machida has what it takes to earn back the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt at UFC 140."Jon Jones is great, but Machida is Machida," said Silva."Via decision, Machida can win by outscoring Jon Jones on points," added Lopez. "Machida has something a lot of fighters don't -- footwork."Silva also pointed to Machida's experience as a factor that could give him an edge over the phenom Jones.Watch full video

Posted in: ufc, jone, machida, lopez, machidas experience

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Amir Sadollah will try to bounce back from his UFC on Versus 5 loss to Duane Ludwig when he faces Wanderlei Silva protege Jorge Lopez at UFC 143 in February. The bout is expected to take place on the preliminary card. UFC.com has the news: Verbal agreements are in for a welterweight matchup between two exciting strikers as Wanderlei Silva protégé Jorge Lopez takes on Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah at UFC 143. Lopez was a standout in Tachi Palace Fights before earning a shot in the UFC at UFC Fight Night 25. He lost a unanimous decision to Justin Edwards, which snapped a 10-fight win streak. Sadollah had been on a two-fight win streak before the loss to Ludwig, and the former TUF winner will need a win to stay afloat in the competitive welterweight division. UFC 143 takes place on February 5th in Las Vegas, and features a main event with Georges St. Pierre defending his UFC welterweight title against challenger Nick Diaz. More SBN coverage of UFC 143

Posted in: ufc, sadollah, lopez, amir, card ufccom

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Former 'Ultimate Fighter' winner Amir Sadollah gets back in the cage Super Bowl weekend where he faces Wanderlei Silva student Jorge Lopez at UFC 143.

Posted in: ufc, jorge, bowl weekend, sadollah, lopez

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Amir Sadollah is set to meet Wand Fight Team welterweight Jorge Lopez at UFC 143.The UFC has confirmed the bout for the February event. Sadollah (5-3)...

Posted in: ufc, jorge, sadollah, lopez, amir

Read the full article at Fighters Only