MMA-URLS

The future of the UFC’s bantamweight division became slightly clearer last night when Dana White addressed the status of injured champion Dominick Cruz and rival challenger Urijah Faber. According to the UFC President, Cruz will be out for approximately nine months based on his recent ACL tear though he’ll remain in his role as a coach on the current season of the Ultimate Fighter. With Cruz out of the picture until at least the first quarter of 2013, and having already missed the past nine months due to a hand injury as well as TUF, White explained the organization will create an interim title to keep things going at 135 pounds with Faber serving as one of the two contenders. “The California Kid” will compete at UFC 148 as expected though the typically outspoken executive stopped short of revealing who his opponent would be. Currently the men believed to be the most likely options in order of relevance are Renan Barao, Michael McDonald, and Ivan Menjivar. Barao is almost certainly the organization’s first choice, as well as Faber’s, with a 28-1 record and his only loss occurring in his professional debut more than seven years ago. Comparably, McDonald (15-1) is coming off an impressive knockout of Miguel Torres at UFC 145 and has eight straight victories, while Menjivar (24-8) is a seasoned veteran with a trio of triumphs in his last three outings. No information was provided in terms of when Faber’s opponent will be announced. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/WEC

Posted in: ufc, organization ’s, miguel torres, faber, faber ’s

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A little over a month ago the UFC injected some humorous insight into the world by bringing affable light heavyweights Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar together for a segment on the organization’s weekly Ultimate Insider program. During the segment topics ranged from champions Dominick Cruz and Jon Jones to the benefits of being a “jerk”. Griffin and Bonnar were back at it on this week’s episode where they discussed some of their favorite UFC moments featuring familiar faces Dana White, Joe Rogan, and Mike Goldberg. “I used to love it when (Rogan) used to pull out these imaginary terms for jiu-jitsu that him and Eddie Bravo figured out,” explained Griffin with one of his trademark grins. “I don’t even know what he’s talking about – there’s the escalator, there’s the one-eyed donkey,” joked Bonnar back. “I want to invent a move just to come up with some names like that,” an animated Griffin replied. Check out the full video below including a funny story from Bonnar on busting Goldberg after the announcer had sold him out to a hotel cleaning person, their appreciation for White’s infamous “Do you wanna be a fighter?” speech, and more: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: organization ’s, joe rogan, bonnar, griffin, likeable fighters

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The UFC is poised to once again make history with the organization’s first show in Sweden. Headlined by local product Alexander Gustafsson attempting to continue his run towards an eventual title-shot by taking out talented Brazilian Thiago Silva, UFC on Fuel 2 also features a ton of other potentially memorable match-ups such as Paulo Thiago-Siyar Bahadurzada and Brian Stann-Alessio Sakara. Given the locale the event starts earlier than most UFC fans might expect with prelims (FACEBOOK) kicking off at 12:30 PM EST followed by the main card (FUEL TV) at 3:00 PM EST. As always, Five Ounces of Pain will be tuned in and delivering live results back to readers as they unfold from Stockholm. Read below for a full list of UFC on Fuel 2 outcomes: Jason Young vs. Eric Wisely Simeon Thoresen vs. Besam Yousef Reza Madadi vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo Francis Carmont vs. Magnus Cedenblad Cyrille Diabate vs. Tom DeBlass Papy Abedi vs. James Head Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire Dennis Siver vs. Diego Nunes Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva

Posted in: ufc, vs, organization ’s, fuel, prelims facebook

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After Fabricio Werdum made his successful return to the UFC last month, outpointing Roy Nelson in what was named Fight of the Night, it appears he now has an opponent lined up for his follow-up appearance inside the Octagon. While Werdum was thought to be in line for another big name given his past accomplishments and win over Nelson, he has instead been paired with red-hot Mike Russow. Though not confirmed by the UFC, the match-up was reported by MMAFighting with both sides confirming the fight, as was the likely date/location involving the organization’s rumored June card in Brazil. The 15-1 Russow has won eleven straight fights including four in the UFC, the most recent of which came at UFC on FOX 2 where he beat Jon Olav Einemo via decision. However, Werdum will mark a major step up in competition for the active-duty Chicago police officer compared to past adversaries the 35-year old has faced. Werdum is an accomplished BJJer with brutal Muay Thai developed as part of the Chute Boxe Academy. He holds an overall record of 15-5 with wins over some of the division’s best including Gabriel Gonzaga, Antonio Silva, and Fedor Emelianenko. The UFC has not formally announced a Brazilian show in June though have spoken publicly about the likelihood of one taking place with Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II in the headlining slot. Tweet

Posted in: ufc, organization ’s, werdum, fabricio werdum, division ’s

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Two of the welterweight division’s most entertaining fighters have been signed to fight UFC 146 with the added caveat of each needing a win to cement his spot on the roster. According to the UFC, Dan Hardy and Duane Ludwig will face off on May 26 as part of the organization’s annual Memorial Day Weekend event. Both men have eleven TKOs to their credit and are known for their fan-friendly, strike-heavy style. Ludwig is coming off a loss to Josh Neer where he fought valiantly but was submitted in the end. Prior to the defeat he’d won in back-to-back contests against Nick Osipczak and Amir Sadollah. The 21-12 kickboxer also holds past victories over Jonathan Goulet, Jens Pulver, and Yves Edwards, as well as the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history. While Hardy is currently at a low point in his career, losing four straight, “The Outlaw” has made a reputation for himself as a competitor who always comes to fight and cares more about entertaining the public than padding his record with easy wins. The 29-year old has found success in 23 of 33 total fights with notable showings against Marcus Davis and Mike Swick. Hardy Taking Comeback One Day at a Time No headliner has been named to the show though it is expected to host a heavyweight title-fight between champion Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, organization ’s, mike swick, ludwig, duane ludwig

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Canadian Ryan (Big Deal) Jimmo has signed with the UFC and will take on Czech fighter Karlos Vemola at the organization’s first event on FX on Jan. 20.

Posted in: ufc, organization ’s, jimmo, vemola, deal jimmo

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The UFC has given another Canadian product an opportunity to compete in his home-country this December when the promotion returns to Toronto for UFC 140. Already featuring popular area-athletes like Rory MacDonald and Mark Bocek, the card will now boast a match-up between featherweight contender Mark Hominick and always-exciting Chan Sung Jung. The UFC recently revealed the bout through their Twitter account. “The Machine” is coming off a hard-fought decision loss to featherweight champ Jose Aldo at the organization’s previous stop in Toronto this past April but had won five straight prior to the defeat including success against George Roop and Leonard Garcia. Giving him even more incentive to shine in front of his fellow Canadians than the stumble to Aldo, Hominick will also be fighting for the first time since the unexpected death of his trainer Shawn Tompkins last month and will no doubt be looking to honor his friend’s memory in the Octagon. Renowned Trainer Tompkins Passes Away at Age 37 Jung snapped a two-fight skid in March with a Twister submission of Garcia and holds an overall record of 11-3 with nine finishes. In addition to Hominick hooking up with “The Korean Zombie”, the December 10 event will also feature Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Tito Ortiz. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, hominick, jung, rory macdonald, organization ’s

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