Articles tagged as title
Junior dos Santos: The Road to the UFC Heavyweight Title
Go behind the scenes with Junior dos Santos in the days leading up to his UFC on Fox heavyweight title win over Cain Velasquez in Part 1 of this two-part video. We'll bring you Part 2 on Tuesday...
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, do, twopart video
Read the full article at Heavy MMA
Road to the Belt: Leading Up To Junior dos Santos’ Title Win
Behind the scenes access leading up to Junior dos Santos’ heavyweight title win at the inaugural UFC on FOX. The documentary shows the days leading up to the big fight, and his triumphant victory over Cain Velasquez. More clips after the jump.
Posted in: title, do, victory, scenes access, ’ title
Read the full article at MMA Convert
Winning Bellator Featherweight Title Would ‘Mean the World’ to Daniel Straus
After outpointing Marlon Sandro on May 11 to capture the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 6 featherweight tournament, Daniel Straus has set his sights on capturing the promotion’s 145-pound title.
Posted in: title, daniel, daniel straus, strau, world ’
Read the full article at SherdogNate Marquardt, Tyron Woodley Booked for Strikeforce Welterweight Title Fight
Nate Marquardt returns to Zuffa and will face Tyron Woodley for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title on July 14 in Portland.
Posted in: title, welterweight, tyron woodley, woodley, tyron
Read the full article at Heavy MMA
Rousey-Kaufman Targeted for ‘Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy’
Following last night’s Strikeforce: Grand Prix Finale event, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker revealed the likely return date for women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Coker told media gathered at the post-fight press conference that it’s probable Rousey will be meeting her next opponent, Sarah Kaufman, at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy this summer.
“I believe she’ll be fighting on that card, but it’s not official yet,” said Coker.
If added to the card, Rousey-Kaufman would be the third title fight on the lineup. Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will be defending his title against Tim Kennedy in the night’s main event, while Nate Marquardt and Tyron Woodley will do battle for the promotion’s vacant welterweight title.
Rousey captured the Strikeforce belt in just her fifth professional fight, finishing Miesha Tate this past March as she has all of her previous opponents: by first-round armbar. The former judo Olympian will be attempting her first title defense against Kaufman.
Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine is scheduled to take place on July 14 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.
MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: title, strikeforce, rockhold, kennedy, coker
Read the full article at MMA Frenzy
Photo: UFC Champ Jon Jones' Bentley Before And After The DUI Wreck
UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested yesterday for suspicion of DUI after driving his Bentley into a telephone pole in Binghamton, NY. Jones is hardly the first MMA star to be arrested for DUI/DWI but he's probably the first to total a Bentley while doing it.
To the upper right you can see Jones' 2011 Bentley as it was -- a showroom show-stopper valued at around ~$180,000 -- pre-telephone pole. After the jump you can see the Bentley after Jones' improvised customization efforts.
Jones has defended his UFC belt three times since defeating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 claim the title. He's since beaten Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans in title contests. He is expected to next face Dan Henderson in late Summer or early Fall.
There are no indications that Jones was injured in the wreck but it's entirely possible that he was and that could potentially delay his next title defense.
See the battered Bentley after the jump...
Photos via Mixedmartialarts.com
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, ufc belt, bentley
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow
Coker: 'Feijao' vs. Mousasi likely for vacant Strikeforce light-heavyweight title
Following an ACL injury he recently revealed to MMAjunkie.com Radio, Gegard Mousasi won't be back in the cage anytime soon.
And that's just fine with his likely next opponent, who's expected to fight Mousasi for Strikeforce's vacant light-heavyweight title.
Following a grueling training camp, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante - who made quick work of Mike Kyle at Saturday's Strikeforce event - is looking for a little rest and relaxation before his tentative title fight with Mousasi, a fellow ex-champ.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, mousasi, acl injury, mike kyle
Read the full article at MMA JunkieGilbert Melendez Survives Josh Thomson, Retains Strikeforce Lightweight Title
Gilbert Melendez got all he could handle from Josh Thomson in their trilogy bout Saturday, but he survived to win a split decision and retain the Strikeforce lightweight title.
Posted in: title, josh, split decision, gilbert melendez, josh thomson
Read the full article at Heavy MMARonda Rousey-Sarah Kaufman title fight targeted for late-summer Strikeforce card
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The "rock star" is returning.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is expected to return in late summer at a currently unannounced card, likely in August.
Rousey, who's quickly become on of the sport's biggest stars, is expected to defend her title against former champ Sarah Kaufman at the Showtime-televised event.
Posted in: title, rock star, ronda, kaufman, rousey whos
Read the full article at MMA JunkieRousey-Kaufman targeted for 'Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy' as third title fight
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The "rock star" is returning.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is targeted to appear at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy," which takes place July 14 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
Rousey is expected to defend her title against former champ Sarah Kaufman.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, vs, rockhold, rock star
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUrijah Faber vs. Renan Barao Set for Interim Title Fight at UFC 148
Renan Barao is the fill-in for an injured Dominick Cruz and will fight Uirjah Faber for the interim bantamweight title at UFC 148, Dana White has announced.
Posted in: title, title fight, dominick cruz, bantamweight title, uirjah faber
Read the full article at Heavy MMARenan Barao To Face Urijah Faber At UFC 148 For Interim UFC Bantamweight Title
UFC president Dana White, just a few days removed from surgery, announced Renan Barao as the opponent for Urijah Faber at UFC 148. The two will meet for the interim UFC bantamweight title. UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz suffered a torn ACL in training and will be out for several months. The announcement was made [...]
Posted in: ufc, title, bantamweight, urijah faber, renan barao
Read the full article at MMA Convert
Faber vs. Barao for UFC interim title
Urijah Faber will fight Brazilian standout Renan Barao for the interim bantamweight title at UFC 148, the UFC announced Friday.
Posted in: ufc, title, faber, barao, bantamweight title
Read the full article at sportsnet.caFaber takes on Barao for UFC interim title
Urijah Faber will fight Brazilian standout Renan Barao for the interim bantamweight title at UFC 148, the UFC announced Friday.
Posted in: ufc, title, faber, barao, bantamweight title
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 148: Renan Barao Replaces Dominick Cruz Against Urijah Faber In Interim Bantamweight Title Fight
When Dominick Cruz suffered a knee injury that forced him out of his UFC 148 bantamweight title defense rematch against Urijah Faber, fight fans lost an exciting fight from the upcoming schedule. The UFC hasn't let fans down though, as Dana White announced that Renan Barao will replace Cruz for the fight on tonight's episode of The Ultimate Fighter Live in a bout for the interim bantamweight title
The move was seen as slightly "spoiled" by some when Barao began sending tweets during the day reminding fans that Dana would be announcing Faber's new opponent tonight.
Still, Barao vs Faber is a very good, very competitive fight and with big wins over Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgensen, Barao has certainly earned his way into this major fight. Barao also holds a #3 ranking in the USA TODAY / SB Nation Consensus Rankings.
The bout will be the co-main event of UFC 148. The event is headlined by the UFC middleweight title rematch between champion Anderson Silva and his nemesis, Chael Sonnen.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, dominick cruz, barao
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowHDNet Fights Video Vault: Jorge Patino vs. Clay Hantz in Legacy FC 11 title fight
When injured Jesus Rivera was forced out of a main-event title fight, Clay Hantz looked to seize an opportunity.
With just a week's notice, Hantz stepped in to fight Jorge "Macaco " Patino earlier this month at Legacy Fighting Championship 11.
In the latest installment of HDNet Fights Video Vault - our fight-of-the-week feature - we look back at the title fight, which ended in violent fashion.
Posted in: fight, title, title fight, jesus rivera, fightoftheweek feature
Read the full article at MMA Junkie
TUF 15 Episode 11 Recap: Faber vs. Barao Interim Bantamweight title fight confirmed for UFC 146
The end of the quarter-finals, and introduction of the fighter who will take on Faber for the injured Cruz.
Posted in: ufc, title, episode, quarterfinal, faber
Read the full article at Low Kick
Michael McDonald Injured, Out Of UFC Interim Bantamweight Title Picture
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: title, picture, mattyblayze, mcdonald, michael mcdonald
Read the full article at Reddit
The Forward Roll: UFC on FUEL 3 Edition
There's no question that Chan Sung Jung was the standout of Tuesday's UFC on FUEL 3 card. The "Korean Zombie" always manages to come across like a star, and that's precisely why it wouldn't come as a great surprise if he was elevated into a title match with the winner of this summer's Jose Aldo-Erik Koch featherweight championship scrap.There are those that believe that Jung's three UFC wins over Leonard Garcia, Mark Hominick and Dustin Poirier aren't quite enough to vault him over Hatsu Hioki, but Hioki effectively boxed himself into a corner by turning down a proposed title shot with Aldo.Jung on the other hand, asked for it. If UFC president Dana White has showed anything over time, it's that when an athlete volunteers for big fights and has some semblance of a resume behind him, he's willing to consider the request.
Chan Sung JungLet's look into the future, since that's what we do here, and assume that as most expect, Aldo beats the young upstart Koch. In that case, White and matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby will only have a couple of options. Hioki will face Ricard Lamas about one month before Aldo-Koch, and Hioki will have a solid case with a win. Dennis Siver and Yuri Alcantara are two other possibilities. And then there is Jung. Let's face it, out of that group, Jung has the highest recognition factor among fans to go with a strong recent stretch. He's getting the title shot. Book it.Prediction: He faces the Aldo-Koch winnerDustin PoirierFor some reason, Poirier thought it necessary to apologize after the fight. This isn't uncommon, of course. Lots of fighters do it. Yet it was totally unnecessary. Poirier fought bravely and aggressively throughout, and that's frankly all that he owes the fight game. Because he's just 23 years old, I'd venture to say his best days are still ahead of him. He seems like the conscientious type who will make sure he takes his lessons from this loss and applies it into his career going forward. On top of that, he's young enough that he'll continue to gain strength and improve technique, and within 12-24 months, he'll back back in the title picture again.Prediction: He takes a step back and fights the loser of May 26's Darren Elkins vs. Diego Brandao fightDonald CerroneAs usual, after winning, Cerrone had a concrete idea of the timing of his next match. This time around, he's not asking to fight again in six weeks, but has his eye on the UFC 150 card in Denver (Cerrone is originally from Colorado). If that is to happen, the UFC would have to pair him up with someone who was available, and on some type of streak of their own. There's one name that makes perfect sense: Anthony Pettis. The only hangup here is that Pettis recently had surgery for an undisclosed injury, and according to his manager, he's not going to be ready in time. Cerrone vs. Pettis is the idea match. This is going to be a tough call for the UFC, of whether they give Cerrone a match at home, or have him wait a few more weeks to face Pettis.Prediction: Due to any uncertainty about Pettis, UFC gives the local attraction Cerrone a Denver match against T.J. Grant or Mark BocekIgor PokrajacAccording to FightMetric, Pokrajac was out-struck by Fabio Maldonado 166-64 but still was awarded the decision win by the judges. It was certainly not an easy fight to judge, as Pokrajac landed several heavy strikes that hurt his opponent, scored the fight's only takedown and absorbed most of Maldonado's offense without looking the worse for wear. Still, given Maldonado's astounding connect percentage of 77.2%, Pokrajac is going to need to improve his defense to extend his three-fight win streak.Prediction: He fights the winner of UFC 146's Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira boutTom LawlorIt was a quick night of work for Lawlor, who needed less than a minute to knock out Jason MacDonald, his first finish by strikes since his pre-UFC days back in 2007. The colorful middleweight has split his last six fights, so still ranks somewhere among the middle of the divisional pack. Next up, finding some consistency. Prediction: He faces Rafael NatalRafael dos Anjosdos Anjos has proven to be a maddeningly frustrating fighter, because he seems to look great one fight, then seems to regress the next time out. Tuesday's edition was the world-beater, scoring a quick submission finish of Kamal Shalorus shortly after a headkick knockdown. In his nine-fight UFC career, dos Anjos is 5-4, and while he seems to show improvements to his striking, it's his wrestling that has gotten him in trouble in the past. In beating a former international amateur wrestler Shalorus, he didn't necessarily extinguish that demon, but it's a start.Prediction: Evan Dunham seems like a good fit, but his recent injury might make a date between the two impossible, so if he's not available, let's slot him in against the recently victorious Michael Johnson.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, cerrone, he
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC On Fox Ratings Woes Can Be Cured With A Title Fight
The UFC on Fox television ratings have been the cause of a lot of conversation in the MMA world. UFC on Fox 3 experienced a significant drop in ratings from previous efforts. There are good reasons for the drop in ratings between the UFC on Fox 2 show and the most recent outing: a major boxing fight, a lack of ads, NBA playoff games, the Avengers and a warm Cinco de Mayo all drawing people away from their TVs.
Dana White's recent dust up with Dave Meltzer over an article highlights how heated the discussion is becoming. While there were positives to take away from UFC on Fox 3, the numbers are clearly not meeting media expectations. While it is impossible to know what the UFC's or Fox's expectations in terms of ratings, neither party is likely doing backflips over the drop in ratings.
The UFC seems intent on using the UFC platform to compliment their pay-per-view business model. A clear pattern has emerged with the announcement of Brian Stann vs Hector Lombard to headline UFC on Fox 4, Joe Silva pairs two contenders in a given weight-class and the winner is promised a title shot. The idea is extremely simple, put the number 1contender fight in front of fans for free and the exposure increases the number of PPV buys when the winner meets the champion. The question is, what does Fox gain from this relationship if the ratings continue to decline?
Related Stories: Meltzer's Analysis of UFC on Fox 3 Ratings | Dana White Attacks Dave Meltzer | Meltzer Responds
More after the jump...
If Fox is willing to devote prime-time to help the UFC sell PPVs, the UFC likely is also going to be required to make sacrifices to benefit their partner. That would mean the UFC giving up a fight that could get them excellent PPV numbers to allow Fox to have a major fighting card.
The UFC has already done that once with the Junior dos Santos vs Cain Velasquez Heavyweight Championship fight and it is no mistake that fight did the highest ratings. While it certainly received a bump for being the UFC card on Fox, the fact that it was a title fight cannot be overlooked. In a conversation with a casual fan, I was shocked when he told me that hasn't watched a single UFC on Fox, FX or FUEL since the Heavyweight Championship match because he wasn't compelled to watch non-title fight main events. MMA fans may be taken aback by this statement, but this is the attitude promoters have to contend with when trying to attract the casual viewer.
If the UFC or Fox is truly concerned about ratings, clearly a title fight is the way to go and the heavier the better. The UFC Bantamweight and Featherweight titles have a history of being free back when World Extreme Cagefighting was on the Versus network and likely would not make the same impact as a traditionally PPV card title. Imagine the marketing push Fox would be able to make behind Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Ben Henderson or another Junior dos Santos fight.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, fox, rating
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow
UFC 146 conference call LIVE updates today (May 17) for 'Dos Santos vs Mir'
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold a media conference call today (March 27, 2012) in advance of UFC 146 which will take place on May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The conference call will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET. Scheduled to attend will be the headlining fighters for the evening: Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva.
Dos Santos is the current UFC heavyweight champion, having gone an impressive 8-0 inside the Octagon. He captured the title from Cain Velasquez at the inaugural UFC on FOX event last November and is looking to defend his belt for the first time. His opponent, Frank Mir is the former UFC heavyweight champion. He stepped up in place of Alistair Overeem, who tested for elevated levels of testosterone and was denied his license after removing himself from the title bout.
Velasquez is the former UFC heavyweight champion. He suffered a shoulder injury after initially winning the title in October of 2010 and was handed his lone loss by dos Santos during his first title defense. Now healthy, he's hoping to earn his title back with a victory in the co-main event.
Antonio Silva is a former EliteXC heavyweight champion. His stock rose to absurd levels after his second round TKO victory against Fedor Emelianenko in the quarterfinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, although he was brought back to Earth by Daniel Cormier via knockout in the semifinals. If he can beat the former champion, he'll be right back on top, if not higher.
We'll have all the updates from the UFC 146 conference call after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The press conference is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, conference, champion
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 148: Urijah Faber's new opponent announcement date set
It looks like you've got some extra incentive to tune in for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Live this Friday night (May 18, 2012).
During today's Ultimate Fighter quarterfinals conference call, it was announced that UFC President Dana White will make the official announcement of Urijah Faber's next opponent, who will be stepping in for the injured UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
The announcement will be taking place during Friday's episode of The Ultimate Fighter on FX during the 10-11 p.m. ET window, likely during the live portion after both quarterfinal bouts have taken place.
It's widely accepted that with Cruz's extended layoff due to a knee injury, Faber will be battling for the interim title, so this opponent selection will be very important in terms of the future of the bantamweight division and the title picture.
Faber has been coaching against Cruz throughout this entire season of The Ultimate Fighter in what was expected to be a perfect build to their UFC 148 trilogy fight as both men have split the first two bouts, but the injury bug got in the way.
There are plenty of potential candidates for the title shot. Youngster Michael McDonald is coming off an emphatic first round knockout of former WEC champion Miguel Torres just one month ago and is poised to take the leap to the big time.
Other possible challengers include Renan Barao, who's already fighting on the UFC 148 card against Ivan Menjivar and has gone unbeaten in 29 straight fights which includes a recent dominant decision victory over former title challenger Scott Jorgensen.
Fringe candidates include Brad Pickett, who took home "Fight of the Night" at the UFC on Fuel TV 2 show or even Barao's current opponent Ivan Menjivar, who's quietly gone 3-0 in the UFC at 135 pounds.
Who do you think will get the shot? Got anyone else in mind?
Posted in: ufc, title, fighter, opponent, faber
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Results: The Korean Zombie Is Next In Line For The Featherweight Title
For the second time in a row, The Korean Zombie has come into a fight as the underdog and not only pulled off the win, but done so in spectacular fashion. Last time, it was former UFC Featherweight title challenger Mark Hominick on the receiving end of a 7 second knockout; this time, it was Dustin Poirier being choked out in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 3. He's proven himself as true contender, a great underdog story and managed to bring the fans into his fights like few others at 145. And now?
The Korean Zombie is the #1 contender to the UFC Featherweight title.
Post-fight, Dana White was at first a bit tentative, telling Ariel Helwani that Jung "may" get the next shot. But at the post-fight press conference, White confirmed that Jung would indeed be the next title challenger. He's moved past Hatsu Hioki, and claimed his spot as #1.
And that is undoubtedly a good thing. Brent Brookhouse already laid out the positives last night - primarily, that Jung is a name fans know and respond to. Sure Hioki may have the better resume (though after the Hominick and Poirier wins - does he?), but fans don't know him. And that's what this young division needs right now - a challenger fans know.
Champion Jose Aldo is currently getting ready for his 4th UFC title challenger. Of those 4, only Kenny Florian was a name opponent to most fans. The rest - Hominick, Mendes, Koch - were simply "the challenger", men in there against Aldo, but not their own individual stories. Jung will change that and make this a fight where both combatants matter.
'Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung Vs. Dustin Poirier Fight Video Highlights From UFC On Fuel 3 Main Event
Despite this, there are some arguments against Jung. He's outclassed. He was KO'd be George Roop not long ago. He can't win. Maybe that's all true. But it's also the exact same thing I said before he faced Hominick, the exact same thing I said before he faced Poirier. And, I admit, I was wrong. Twice.
When Jung does get his shot, particularly if that shot comes against Jose Aldo, I'll probably pick Aldo. I think he's too good with his kicks, too good on the ground, too good of an all-around fighter for the Zombie. But I keep underestimating Jung. Am I underestimating him once again? Can he be the man to dethrone pound for pound great Aldo? I won't be betting on him, but in my heart, I'll be rooting for him to prove me wrong yet again. And that is what a world title fight is all about.
SBN coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 3
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, korean zombie, jung
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowChan Sung Jung Will Face Aldo-Koch Winner For Title
Following his exciting victory over Dustin Poirier Tuesday day night, Chan Sung Jung will face off with the winner of the featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and Erik Koch at UFC 149.
While it was clear Dustin Poirier would get a title shot if he won Tuesday night, it was not clear Jung would receive the same until UFC President Dana White made it clear he would.
White was not there to tell Jung in person since he was at home sick, but they did inform Jung during the post-fight conference. An excited Jung replied with “WooHoo!”
It is unclear when the bout will take place with Koch and Aldo set to face off July 21 but it will likely occur sometime this fall.
MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: title shot, title, jung, tuesday night, aldokoch winner
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyWhere is Hioki in all this?
I understand Hioki is currently scheduled for a fight but, why arn't people discussing Hioki for the title shot? It seemed that in this fight people expected Diamond to beat Zombie and solidify his title shot. Now that he got his ass kicked everyone seems to think zombie deserves the title shot. I'm not saying that zombie doesn't deserve his shot but, shouldn't he at least fight Hioki to truly solidify his title shot? It makes sense that Hioki is trying to build himself up so when he gets his title shot Aldo won't destroy him but, I think Hioki should defiantly be in the next title shot list. Overall, what this highlights to me is the featherweight divisions issue of competitors. There is talent yes but, since there is such a lack of competitors compared to other weight divisions. If more lightweights (cough Frankie Edgar cough) dropped down to featherweight, it has potential to be a hell of a division. Otherwise I don't think anyone will touch Aldo at this point. submitted by Genyus93 [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: title shot, title, shot, hioki, zombie doesnt
Read the full article at Reddit
'Korean Zombie' earns title shot with impressive win over Dustin Poirier (Yahoo! Sports)
Chan-Sung Jung delivered another jaw-dropping performance and his reward is a shot the featherweight title.
Posted in: title shot, title, korean zombie, shot, jawdropping performance
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC Primetime: Dos Santos vs. Mir - Episode 1
Junior Dos Santos, UFC's Heavyweight champion, will defend his belt for the first time when he faces former champion Frank Mir at UFC 146. This Heavyweight title bout is scheduled for May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Go inside the personal lives and training camps of these two fighters in the weeks leading up to their title fight at UFC 146.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, title fight, training camps
Read the full article at Low KickRenan ‘Barao’ Open to Interim Title Bout but Focused on Ivan Menjivar
When Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz went down with a torn knee ligament, attention immediately turned to opponent Urijah Faber and who he could face in an interim title bout at UFC 148 on July 7 in Las Vegas.
Posted in: ufc, title, bout, title bout, ivan menjivar
Read the full article at SherdogUFC on FUEL TV 3 preview: Will 'Korean Zombie' vs. Poirier winner get a title shot?
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title a fourth time when he meets Erik Koch at UFC 149.
After that, plans aren't set. Could Dustin Poirier or Chan Sung Jung be next in line?
No announcements have been made, of course, but the winner of tonight's UFC on FUEL TV 3 headliner is poised to make a strong a case for consideration.
Posted in: ufc, title, erik koch, tonights ufc, plans arent
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce: Rockhold Vs. Kennedy Fight Card Shaping Up
Strikeforce will return to the Pacific Northwest on July 14th. The card will take place in the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, and will feature two title bouts. The first sees Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defending his belt against Tim Kennedy. The other is a battle for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title, pitting undefeated Tyron Woodley against veteran Nate Marquardt. Also added to the card so far are two solid middleweight bouts. Grappling phenom Roger Gracie will make his middleweight debut against Keith Jardine, and Robbie Lawler will face off with Lorenz Larkin. Here's a rundown of how things look at the moment:
July 14th, live on Showtime from Portland, OR:
Luke Rockhold (10-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (14-3) [MW Title]
Tyron Woodley (10-0) vs. Nate Marquardt (31-10-2) [WW Title]
Roger Gracie (4-1) vs. Keith Jardine (17-10-2)
Robbie Lawler (19-8, 1 NC) vs. Lorenz Larkin (12-0, 1 NC)
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy
Posted in: title, strikeforce, vs, rockhold, kennedy
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFrank Mir Shows No Fear of Junior dos Santos' Ground Game
UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is said to be as dangerous on the ground as he is standing. A brown belt under the Nogueira brothers, the theory goes that the only reason we haven't seen dos Santos' jiu-jitsu is because he's so efficient on his feet, he hasn't needed to use it in UFC competition.
Frank Mir, the UFC's resident limb-snapper, isn't buying the notion. In a one-on-one phone interview Friday, Mir, who challenges for the heavyweight title on May 26 in the main event of UFC 146 in Las Vegas, scoffed at the idea that dos Santos has the skills to keep up with him on the ground.
"Have you ever seen how he's reacted when he's been off his feet?" Mir asked. "He gets right up and runs away as soon as he can. That doesn't look like someone who's too confident in his ground game to me."
Such talk might seem boastful, but when you've been through the career peaks and valleys the Nevada native has experienced, you've already proven you can back up your words.
The former heavyweight and interim champion has emerged as one of the UFC's true survivors. Since submitting Roberto Traven in his company debut at UFC 34 in 2001, there have been 14 UFC heavyweight and interim title reigns. In a division with a high rate of turnover at the top even by mixed martial arts' warp-speed standards, Mir has been through it all, taking some of the sport's most spectacular wins and devastating setbacks in stride.
"I mean, you just have to keep the faith," said Mir (17-5). "No one is guaranteed a spot at the top, no one is guaranteed a title shot, but all you can do is win your fight, keep training, and then maybe somewhere down the road you'll get your opportunity. I can't actually stop and take the time to think about everything that's happened, you just have to erase doubt from your mind and keep pushing forward."
That attitude has served Mir well as he worked his way back to another title shot. Mir's run as a title contender seemed to hit a brick wall just two years ago, when he was on the wrong end of a brutal TKO at the hands of Shane Carwin in an interim title fight at UFC 111. That was his second loss in three fights, as he was manhandled by Brock Lesnar in their UFC 100 rematch.
But since then, Mir has responded with three straight victories, the last of which was one of the most memorable finishes in MMA history, as he snapped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm with a Kimura at UFC 140.
The move was honored as Submission of the Year in the World MMA Awards, but Mir says he didn't plan on snapping his opponent's arm.
"The best analogy I can come up with is this: The other day, I went to get something out of my fridge and I knocked over a can of parmesan cheese, and I caught it out of midair. I didn't stop and think ‘Oh my god, if I don't reach out and grab this, it's going to make a mess and I'll have to clean it up.' It was just an instinctual thing, I just reached for it and that was it.
"It's the same with Nogueira. When you're in the heat of the fight with a guy as dangerous as him, you don't have the time to think it through. You just keep applying the pressure and try to get him to tap."
Mir was originally slated to face Cain Velasquez at UFC 146, but ended up with the shot at dos Santos' title after Alistair Overeem's well-publicized troubles. With a victory over dos Santos, Mir would join Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia as the only multiple-time UFC heavyweight champs (not including interim title reigns).
But Mir's in no mood to talk about his legacy at the moment. As he sees it, he's got a long way to go in the sport.
"You have to remember I got started in this early," said Mir. "When I was fighting guys like Tank [Abbott] and Wes Sims, I was 21 years old. ... People don't usually have long careers as heavyweights because they mature into the role. Look at amateur wrestling, you don't usually see guys go to heavyweight as freshman. I was just blessed that even though I wasn't as big as some of the other guys, I was able to step in right away at heavyweight.
"Trust me, I don't think I'm anywhere near done. I'm only 32. I think I'm about halfway through my career."
If that's the case, who knows? Maybe somewhere down the road we'll see a trilogy fight with Lesnar, with whom Mir split a pair of bouts.
"Oh yeah, I'd take that fight in a heartbeat," Mir said when posed with a hypothetical fight. "Look, it would be easier for him to come back [to MMA] than for me to chase him into wrestling. I'm a terrible actor."
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, mir, heavyweight
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseReport: Thomson Injured, Bout With Melendez in Jeopardy
According to a report by underground journalist Front Row Brian, Josh “The Punk” Thomson has injured his knee and now his scheduled Strikeforce lightweight title fight against Gilbert Melendez is now in jeopardy.
The two are scheduled to meet on the main card of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Cormier event, which is slated to take place on May 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
FRB reports that Thomson blew the posterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees, a major injury that would make it very difficult for Thomson to compete next weekend.
Melendez and Thomson are bound for their third meeting at what will be Strikeforce’s 40th event. In their first encounter, Thomson defeated Melendez by unanimous decision to take El Niño’s Strikeforce title back in 2008. In the 2009 rematch, Melendez avenged the loss and reclaimed his title by handing Thomson a unanimous decision loss.
No official word yet on Thomson’s injury or any planned replacement opponents.
MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: title, strikeforce, gilbert melendez, melendez, thomson
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyLuke Rockhold Defends Strikeforce Title vs. Tim Kennedy July 14 in Portland
At long last, Luke Rockhold and Tim Kennedy will meet. Rockhold puts his Strikeforce middleweight title on the line July 14 against Kennedy in Portland.
Posted in: title, rockhold, luke rockhold, kennedy, tim kennedy
Read the full article at Heavy MMA
Coming into His Own, Dustin Poirier Ready for Title Talk if He Finishes Korean Zombie
Dustin Poirier wanted to make sure he was ready when he started talking title shots, but he feels if he can finish the Korean Zombie at UFC on Fuel 3, it may be time.
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Posted in: title, korean zombie, title shots, bull, time retweet
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyRockhold to Defend Title Against Tim Kennedy at July Strikeforce Event
During today’s Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Cormier media conference call, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker revealed that the promotion’s middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will be making his next title defense against Tim Kennedy at the next Strikeforce event, which will take place this summer in Portland.
In addition to Rockhold vs. Kennedy, the promotion announced two middleweight contests that have scheduled for the card: Robbie Lawler vs Lorenz Larkin, and Roger Gracie vs. Keith Jardine.
Coker said nothing of Nate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley, a fight for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title which has been rumored for the event.
The 27-year-old Rockhold won the title from Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza last year and defended at the beginning of this one with a TKO of Keith Jardine. 9-1 as a pro, Rockhold has not been defeated in eight fights. Tim Kennedy was beaten by Jacare in a fight for the vacant Strikeforce title in 2010, but has gone on a two-fight run since, defeating both Melvin Manhoef and Robbie Lawler.
What will be Strikeforce’s forty-first event is scheduled to go down on July 14 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.
MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: title, strikeforce, vs, rockhold, kennedy
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyLuke Rockhold vs Tim Kennedy Strikeforce middleweight title fight headlines July 14 card in Portland
It's official.
Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold will defend his 185-pound title against division number one contender Tim Kennedy at the upcoming Showtime televised fight card slated for the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon on July 14, 2012.
The promotion announced the main event title fight on today's "Barnett vs. Cormier" conference call.
Rockhold (9-1) has been sidelined with a broken hand since smashing Keith Jardine to kick off his 2012 fight campaign back in January. The win over "The Dean of Mean" extended his winning streak to eight consecutive fights, each one coming under the Strikeforce banner.
Will Kennedy be number nine?
The "Pit" fighter failed in his first bid to usurp the middleweight throne from then-kingpin Ronaldo Souza; however, the power of wacky videos has since propelled him to back-to-back wins over Melvin Manhoef and Robbie Lawler, two names big enough (at least in Strikeforce) to get him another title shot.
Can Kennedy (14-3) make the most of it on July 14?
The Portland show will also feature two additional 185-pound match-ups as Keith Jardine tries to get back on his horse against Roger Gracie while Robbie Lawler locks horns with Lorenz Larkin.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to this developing fight card as they become available.
Posted in: fight, title, fight card, keith jardine, kennedy
Read the full article at MMA Mania‘Bones’ Jones to Defend Light Heavyweight Title against Dan Henderson at UFC 151
Jon Jones will defend his light heavyweight title for the fourth time at UFC 151
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, dan henderson, light
Read the full article at SherdogJon Jones Defends Title vs. Dan Henderson in Las Vegas on Sept. 1
Less than three weeks removed from his title defense against Rashad Evans, UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones has booked Sept. 1 against Dan Henderson for his next fight, expected to be UFC 151 in...
Posted in: title, jon jones, dan henderson, title defense, las vegas
Read the full article at Heavy MMA
The Consistent Inconsistencies in Earning a Shot at the UFC Lightweight Title
Coming out of the UFC’s third primetime FOX offering, many people are discussing Nate Diaz as the next title contender in the lightweight division after his dismantling of Jim Miller. However, looking a little bit closer at what Diaz has accomplished at 155 pounds, I find myself calling that distinction into question. Is Diaz truly deserving of a title shot after just beating the second Top 10 fighter of his career (with the other being Donald Cerrone)? Is this simply the case of Diaz being the most deserving guy in a division where nobody really stands out as a true title contender? And from that perspective, what does it take to earn a title shot at the lightweight belt in 2012? Let’s take a quick look at the division’s history in order to better understand where we stand today.
Aside from the heavyweight division – which has always been an aberration when it comes to MMA – the 155-pound class has seen the least consistency when it comes to the criteria used to determine title contenders. In the earliest days of the division, Caol Uno made his UFC debut in a title shot; Dennis Hallman found himself challenging for the title in his first Lightweight UFC bout; and BJ Penn fought for the belt in only his fourth professional fight. After defeating Penn, Jens Pulver left the UFC and the infamous lightweight tournament that ended with no champion being crowned took place. That event caused the title not to be contested for another 44 months.
When the belt was re-instated the legitimacy of the title challengers was inconsistent to say the least. Here is a list of each contender’s streak at the time of their title shot, as well as their UFC record:
Sean Sherk (UFC Lightweight Debut – 1 fight winning streak)
Kenny Florian (2-0 as a UFC Lightweight – 3 fight winning streak)
Hermes Franca (5-2 as a UFC Lightweight – 8 fight winning streak)
Penn (6-1-1 as a UFC Lightweight – 1 fight winning streak)
Joe Stevenson (4-0 as a UFC Lightweight – 4 fight winning streak)
Sean Sherk (2-0 as a UFC Lightweight – 3 fight winning streak)
Kenny Florian (8-1 as a UFC Lightweight – 6 fight winning streak)
Diego Sanchez (2-0 as a UFC Lightweight – 4 fight winning streak)
Frankie Edgar (6-1 as a UFC Lightweight – 3 fight winning streak)
BJ Penn (10-2-1 as a UFC Lightweight – 0 fight winning streak) – Immediate Rematch
Gray Maynard (8-0 as a UFC Lightweight – 8 fight winning streak)
Gray Maynard (8-0-1 as a UFC Lightweight – 0 fight winning streak) – Immediate Rematch
Benson Henderson (8-1 as a Zuffa Lightweight – 3 fight winning streak)
Frankie Edgar (9-2-1 as a UFC Lightweight – 0 fight winning streak) – Immediate Rematch
Obviously these two statistics don’t tell the entire story of each of these title contenders (especially considering all of the recent immediate rematches), but even from looking at these numbers you can see that the trend has moved towards more experienced and accomplished fighters as the division has progressed. Even looking at some of the lightweights who have been passed over for title shots in recent years this is apparent. Miller was on a seven-fight winning streak in the UFC at one point and was deemed unworthy of a title shot. The same applied to Australian George Sotiropoulos. All of these numbers point towards an extended run in the division being required to earn a title shot, yet the recent talk of Diaz being awarded a title goes completely against this trend.
Diaz is now 9-3 in the division, which seems like it fits in with the remainder of the title contenders, but that record consists of five-fight winning streak from 2007/08. Currently, Diaz finds himself on a three-fight run, and while he has looked impressive in those victories, he only garnered his second Top 10 win this past weekend. So the question is: what has happened to the lightweight division that makes Diaz such a strong candidate for a title shot?
First, the fact that after Henderson/Edgar 2 takes place rematches will have made up three of the past five title shots has put the division on an extended hold for the past two years. In that time we’ve seen fighters like the aforementioned Miller and Sotiropoulos enter and leave the title contention discussion. In addition, names like Tyson Griffin, Sherk, Evan Dunham, Melvin Guillard, Joe Lauzon, Clay Guida, Dennis Siver, Cerrone and most notably Anthony Pettis have all spent time in or around the Top 10 over that period of time. None ever received a title shot. That kind of stagnancy atop a division forces challengers to fight each other, and inevitably knock each other out of contention.
Aside from the problem of challengers being needlessly wasted, this also sets an exceedingly high bar for future contenders to match in order to be deemed worthy of a title shot. If Miller and Sotiropoulos’ seven fight win streaks aren’t enough to warrant a title shot, why should Diaz’ three fight streak be? Shouldn’t he have to fight someone else before being awarded a title shot? And what if he loses? Then the division loses another potential contender.
The option of having Diaz fight again to solidify his status as the top contender is extremely dangerous due to the nature of the lightweight division. We hear ad nauseum that 155-pounds is the deepest talent pool in MMA, and it is one of the few divisions where a fighter who may not even be in the Top 25 can beat a Top 10 fighter on a rather regular basis. Even if Diaz is given a “tune up” fight to keep him busy while Henderson and Edgar sort out their business, there’s no guarantee he wins it.
The other option then is to put Diaz in a title eliminator fight against the likes of Pettis, in which case one of them is bounced from title contention anyways. Moving past Henderson/Edgar and the winner of a potential Diaz/Pettis bout, where would the next contender come from? Are people really clamoring for the winner of Maynard/Guida to be next in line for a title shot at this point? The division is in quite the quandary when it comes to the title picture right now, and contenders can’t afford to be disposed of as they have in the recent past. While no one will point to a dearth of quality fighters in the division, are there really many title contenders at this point?
I certainly understand the case for Diaz receiving a title shot based on who else is out there at the moment, and I as much as anyone would like to see the division finally move forward, but should it do so at the expense of the quality of title contender we’ve come to expect in the lightweight division? This isn’t the fledgling division that could get away with Penn getting a title shot in his fourth fight, it is supposed to be the best division in the sport. As such, the title contenders should reflect that.
The best solution to this problem lies right in the UFC’s reach, and it is a solution that wouldn’t serve to upset any fan or fighter I can think of. Hell, Diaz even brought it up in his post-fight interview. Gilbert Melendez was touted by his Cesar Gracie teammate as the top lightweight in MMA right now, and rather than be mired in Strikeforce, he deserves the chance to prove if he is that good. Plus, it buys more time for the division to develop more worthy challengers. If Melendez were to challenge for the title towards the end of 2012 or in early 2013, a Diaz/Pettis fight would make perfect sense, as the winner of that bout would be positioned well as the next title contender, and it would still allow for others to earn their shots over the next year.
There is nothing left for Melendez in Strikeforce, and nobody who truly stands out as a top contender in the UFC, so the timing is perfect for this fight to happen next.
Unless Edgar wins a close decision against Henderson… then we’ll get another rematch, and you can just shoot me now.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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Posted in: ufc, fight, title, division, streak
Read the full article at Fighters.comUFC Quick Quote: Dan Henderson is going 'put his hands' on Jon Jones
"I don't hope for anything less than a knockout, but it's not easy on Hendo. He's putting his hands on him, buddy. If he didn't have this (reach) advantage things would be much simpler, even because he has many flaws on his defensive system. But there's no unbeatable reach you can't win with patience and calm. We're having him doing sparrings with guys the same size as Jones so that Dan get used to it. It's important not to rush things and want to punch him right away. We have to cut well the octagon, putting pressure but not rushing into things. We have to try to make the octagon small, leaving no space out for Jones to escape Henderson. We have to use a lot of flow, combine kicks, move the head and work on the reach."
-- The confidence runs high with Dan Henderson's boxing coach, Gustavo Pugliesi, who tells Tatame that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight will indeed "put his hands" on the current 205-pound champion, Jon Jones, when the two meet at the recently-announced UFC 151 on Sept. 1, 2012. "Bones," who is aiming for his fourth consecutive title defense in 12 months, will definitely have his hands full with the wily veteran. The title fight will be Henderson's third chance at capturing UFC gold. The former PRIDE Welterweight and Middleweight champion came up short against Quinton Jackson at UFC 75 in a 205-pound title unification match, followed by his loss to Anderson Silva in their 185-pound title fight six months later. In a bout that embodies youth versus experience, Jones will most likely be on the lookout for the former Olympian's dangerous right hand, which has put the hurt on veterans such as Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Cavalcante, Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva, among others. Jones, who has taking a few licks from the likes of Lyoto Machida and most recently Rashad Evans has proven he can take a shot, but will an "H-Bomb" be too much for him to handle? Remember: It's a game of inches.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, henderson, hand
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJon Jones vs. Dan Henderson Title Fight Set for UFC 151
As expected, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will defend his title against Dan Henderson on September 1, 2012, in the main event of UFC 151.
The championship match-up, which will be Jones' first title defense in Las Vegas, was announced by UFC President Dana White via Twitter late Wednesday night.
Jones (16-1), of course, recently retained his title by dominating longtime rival Rashad Evans over the course of five rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 145. The match marked the first time the 24-year-old reached the judges' scorecards since a 2009 victory over Stephan Bonnar.
Ultimately, Henderson serves as one of the final top-10 fighters in Jones' path, as the young champion has essentially cleaned out the 205-pound division in a span of 14 months after an unprecedented string of victories over Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Evans.
However, at a spry 41 years old, Henderson (29-8) possesses one of the most celebrated résumés in mixed martial arts history, claiming multiple titles across weight classes while picking up notable wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Michael Bisping, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
He last fought at UFC 139, besting Shogun Rua in a legendary war of attrition that many believed to be one of the greatest MMA fights of all time.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, henderson, victory
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 205-Pound Champ Jon Jones Vs. Dan Henderson Confirmed For September 1
Dana White confirmed on Twitter Wednesday night that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will face no. 1 contender Dan Henderson on Saturday, September 1st in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It will be the main event of what is expected to be UFC 151, one of two pay-per-views set for September.
@danawhiteDana White John Jones vs Dan Henderson for Jones UFC LHW title on Sept 1st in Las Vegas!!!! May 10 via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply
The 24-year-old Jones (16-1) will be looking for the fourth successful defense of the title he won in March 2011 by defeating Mauricio Rua. He's won seven in a row, defeating rival Rashad Evans by unanimous decision several weeks ago at UFC 145.
Henderson (29-8) essentially earned the shot with a unanimous decision classic over Rua last November at UFC 139. Before that, he was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, taking the title from Rafael Cavalcante last March but never defending the gold. The 41-year-old has won four in a row and notably finished Fedor Emelianenko last July in Strikeforce.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, henderson, dan
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJon Jones-Dan Henderson For UFC Light Heavyweight Title Confirmed For September 1
Jon Jones will look to defend his UFC light heavyweight title for a fourth time when he steps inside the Octagon against another legend in Dan Henderson. UFC president Dana White confirmed on Twitter that Jones-Henderson will go down September 1 from Las Vegas. John Jones vs Dan Henderson for Jones UFC LHW title on [...]
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, september, henderson
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC on Fuel TV 3 headliner Dustin Poirier interview exclusive with MMAmania.com (Part two)
Dustin Poirier has always been a fighter, but not always the good kind.
Admittedly hanging out with the wrong crowd and having no direction earlier in his life, it was the realization that he could be the best in the world at something after discovering mixed martial arts (MMA) that has kept him focused.
He hasn't looked back.
The bayou brawler has quickly gone 4-0 in his UFC career and will be headlining his first main event next Tuesday night (May 15, 2012) when he faces "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung at UFC on Fuel TV 3 in Fairfax, Virginia.
In part one of our interview, "Diamond" discussed his obsessive tunnel vision on his opponent and more. Today, he talks about the advantages of fighting a popular opponent, how he adapted his fighting style after his loss to Danny Castillo and the outside pressure to challenge for the title in this exclusive interview.
Check it out:
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): The Korean Zombie is also one of the most popular lighter weight class fighters in the entire UFC with that great introduction he had against Garcia and then his twister submission and the seven second knockout. Do you feel like a victory over him would really springboard you in terms of recognition?
Dustin Poirier: Yeah, I feel like for sure a big win will gain me a lot of fans. There's gonna be all eyes on me whether they're watching the fight because of him or whatever. It doesn't matter because they'll be watching the fight and I'm gonna have a great performance and I'm thinking a lot of people are going to be finding out about me. If you like fighting, you're gonna like my style.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I've actually got a question about your fighting style. I noticed that you changed yours slightly after the Danny Castillo loss at lightweight. You used to have a really strong focus on guard play and working off your back for submissions. Did you kind of change that because there are so many guys that are tougher to catch from bottom in the UFC?
Dustin Poirier: Yeah, you know if you're on your back, you're losing most of the time. That was the first time I ran into a wrestler of that caliber. I felt how strong he was and I just wasn't expecting that. I was ready for a great fight but I just didn't expect to be manhandled pretty much and be at such a disadvantage in wrestling so really I focused more on my wrestling a lot. I also focused a lot more on not just winning rounds but getting myself in better positions on the ground where I'm not losing and just engaging smarter which is important because I have to win. If you're on your back, you're losing. If your back is to the fence and you're getting pressured, you're losing. I really focused on my positioning in my game.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've repeatedly stated that you're from the "school of hard knocks." What was it that fighting in MMA has helped ground you where everything else that was attempted in your youth didn't?
Dustin Poirier: It gave me something to focus on. People can try to help you as much as they want but it doesn't matter if they don't know what you're about. I love fighting. I was walking around aimlessly before, hanging around with the wrong people. I didn't have any goals but then I found something that I could be the best at and that's what changed me.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've talked about how you were born a fighter, you had it in your blood because your father was a fighter and your grandfather was a fighter. What I was wondering was, could you elaborate on that? Were they boxers? Were they barroom brawler? What kind of fighters were they?
Dustin Poirier: They were who they wanted to be. They were just rough guys, rough fighters, man. There's not much more you can say.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You always get asked about title shots, so I'm not going to ask about Aldo. What I do want to ask on that topic, though, is that with your success that you've had and your current youth, do you feel like there's a lot of pressure on your from media and other outside sources to rush into a title shot even though you'd personally rather wait a bit longer?
Dustin Poirier: Yeah, they're always asking me why I'm not calling out for that title shot or having pressure for that title shot or when do I plan on fighting for that title. I'm young yet, just 23 years old. I'm learning on the job and I'm not winning these fights by accident. It's skills and hard work that are winning me these fights. I'm gonna be here for a while and I'm gonna be ready when I do fight for the title.
I just want to continue to grow and get better as a fighter and step up my competition and I don't need to rush into the title shot or anything like that. It doesn't matter what people say. It's not gonna make me start calling out guys or anything like that or say I need the belt or that crap. Whenever it's time, it'll be time and I feel it is getting closer and after I finish Chan Sung Jung, maybe one more fight or I'll be the next guy to fight the champion. I don't know. One fight at a time.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This one was submitted by our readers at MMAmania. What do you think of the MTV show 'Caged' which has an MMA theme and takes place in Louisiana area close to where you grew up?*
Dustin Poirier: I think for the rest of the world to see what we do as martial artists in that light, like that, it kind of doesn't do justice to the way that I train and the way the guys here work. They have people drinking the week of the fight and cutting weight like that in cars and training like that in the backyard. We're legitimate. There's a lot of legitimate schools out here. I think they just kind of picked a few guys who they thought would look good on camera.
Actually, one of the guys from 'Caged,' Matt Schnell, moved to our gym and actually trains now at the Gladiator Training Academy in Lafayette and I think he can make a career out o fit. He's got a lot of potential and I think he's a great athlete. He's still young so I think he's gonna be a guy to look out for but I don't really know anything about those other guys. That's about it. That's all I have to say about that show.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Another reader question, what was it like growing up 'Cajun' in the Louisiana area?**
Dustin Poirier: Well I don't know any different. It's just great food, great people, work hard and party hard. That's how us Cajuns work, man. They eat good and like to have a good time and they love their sports. They are die-hard sports fans.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When you're visualizing success against Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC on Fuel 3? What do you see?
Dustin Poirier: I see the referee stopping the fight. I see me knocking him out. I see me hitting him three times every time he throws one punch. Accuracy and speed will be key and I see myself being the best I've ever been, polished and prepped to fight.
Dustin would like to thank Headrush, MusclePharm and the Gladiator Training Academy of Lafayette. You can follow him on Twitter @DustinPoirier.
So what do you think, Maniacs?
How do you think Poirier will fare in his first UFC headlining bout against "The Korean Zombie?" Would you like to see him fight for the title soon or would you rather he continue to develop?
Sound off!
*Question via BO_knows_MMA
**Question via Ulf Murphy
Posted in: fight, title, im, youre, poirier
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Video: Urijah Faber To Fight For Interim Bantamweight Title At UFC 148
When Dominick Cruz went down with a torn ACL and was removed from his UFC 148 bantamweight title bout with Urijah Faber, it was assumed that there would be an interim title at stake at UFC 148. Last night on UFC Tonight, Dana White confirmed that Faber will indeed still be fighting at UFC 148, and an interim title will be at stake. They're just looking for an opponent.
"What’s going to happen is Urijah Faber is going to fight still. He is going to fight on the same card. Now I’m looking for the right opponent who will fight Faber."
Faber believes that an interim title is a good idea, and talks about who he might fight.
"Yeah, that’s the best idea [to make the fight for the interim title]. Dominick’s been out since his last fight and has had several injuries. I think I’ll be fighting Renan Barao, Ivan Menjivar or maybe Michael McDonald."
Related : Dominick Cruz Out of UFC 148 With ACL Injury | UFC 148: Urijah Faber Thinks He'll Fight For Interim Title, Believes Renan Barao Is Best Option
Dana also confirmed that Cruz will stay on as a TUF live coach. You can catch the video clip from the show below.
SBN coverage of UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, faber, urijah
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDana White Confirms Henderson-Edgar Lightweight Title Rematch for UFC 150
Benson Henderson’s rumored Aug. 11 lightweight title defense is now official, as UFC President Dana White announced Tuesday that Henderson will rematch former champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 150.
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, title defense, title rematch
Read the full article at SherdogUrijah Faber to Fight for Interim Title at UFC 148; Dominick Cruz Stays on as TUF Live Coach
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [2 comments]
Posted in: ufc, title, faber, urijah faber, mattyblayze
Read the full article at RedditUrijah Faber will fight for interim bantamweight title at UFC 148
Although he won't fight UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber will get to fight for a title.
A replacement opponent hasn't been determined, but UFC president Dana White today said Faber will fight the UFC's interim bantamweight title in July at UFC 148.
Cruz bowed out of the fight earlier this week after tearing his ACL, though White said he'll remain a coach on "The Ultimate Fighter: Live."
Posted in: ufc, title, bantamweight, urijah faber, bantamweight title
Read the full article at MMA JunkieReport: Ronda Rousey Defends Strikeforce Title vs. Sarah Kaufman in August
According to a report, Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title against top contender Sarah Kaufman in August.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, ronda, kaufman, sarah
Read the full article at Heavy MMAMarquardt, Woodley to fight for Strikeforce title
Former UFC star Nate Marquardt is scheduled to fight top 170-pound contender Tyron Woodley for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title.
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce title, woodley, marquardt woodley
Read the full article at sportsnet.ca
Urijah Faber open to fighting Renan Barao for interim title
Now UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz is officially out of a planned match with Urijah Faber at UFC 148, what does “The California Kid” hope is in his future? Rather than wait for Cruz to return or dismiss the notion of fighting in July, it turns out Faber wants to face a fellow top contender in the division with the involvement of an interim title.
“I’m just waiting to hear what happens,” said Faber in a video he released through his website. “I’m thinking an interim title, he’s been out almost a year-and-a-half now once this surgery goes through, it’s going to be another nine months, so I’m hoping for a top contender. Renan Barao in my opinion is next up, Michael McDonald after that, and Ivan Menjivar after that, so I’m just waiting to see.”
Barao is scheduled to fight at UFC 148 against Menjivar, while McDonald recently defeated Miguel Torres.
Cruz suffered a torn ACL during a practice session and will be sidelined for several months as a result. It remains unknown how the UFC will handle the situation.
See what else Faber had to say in his video by checking it out below:
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, faber, urijah faber, michael mcdonald
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainMorning Report: Dominick Cruz Becomes the Latest Victim of the TUF Coaching Curse
We've heard of the Madden Curse, the Curse of the Billy Goat, and Cleveland's Basic Existence, but after yesterday's big news, it seems like mixed martial arts now has it's own unlucky cloud from which the occasional bad juju drizzles down. Let's just call it the Curse of the TUF Coaches.
Dominick Cruz and his torn ACL joins a who's who list of recent The Ultimate Fighter coaches to see their match-ups go up in flames well before fight night.
The running list: Jackson-Evans gets put on ice for half-a-year because of Rampage's Hollywood aspirations, Liddell-Ortiz III disintegrates along with Ortiz's neck nerves, Lesnar-dos Santos is doomed by the ghost of diverticulitis, and now this -- the UFC bantamweight champion suffers the mother of all injuries midway through the first live TUF taping in UFC history. That's problems in four out of the past six seasons, in case you were keeping count.
Where we go from here isn't clear, but there are really two main issues to address. 1.) What do we do with Urijah Faber, UFC 148, and the state of the bantamweight division? 2.) What happens with Cruz's coaching spot on the show?
Now, issue No. 1 is much easier to address than No. 2, though each potentially impacts the other. First things first, as much as it sucks, there really isn't any other choice but to create an interim bantamweight strap. Cruz is going to be out another nine months, at best, and we don't need the 135-pound division going the way of lightweight or welterweight.
Right now the consensus top-2 guys to fight Faber in an interim match are Renan Barao or Michael McDonald, and either has a legitimate case for a shot at the interim belt. That being said, I'd shade towards Barao because a hit-list of Escovedo/Pickett/Jorgensen is more impressive than Cariaso/Soto/Torres, plus he's already prepping to fight Ivan Menjivar in a No. 1 contender match at UFC 148.
So, why not keep Faber in the co-main event, flip Barao and his 29-fight unbeaten streak off the preliminaries and into the title slot, and bring in either McDonald or Brad Pickett to take on Menjivar in a new contenders bout. (For those who say it's unfair to Menjivar, keep in mind that Barao-Menjivar was a No. 1 contender match in the same way that Rashad Evans-Phil Davis was a No. 1 contender match.)
Problem No. 2 is much more difficult, however, regardless of whether you favor Barao or McDonald. The thing is, neither of them would be any good as the new coach of Team Cruz. Barao can't speak a lick of English, and five months ago McDonald couldn't even get into a bar, let alone order a Jack and Coke.
Ideally, Cruz could still keep up with coaching duties for the rest of the season, but really, that's a pretty selfish request for us to make. So for now it looks like we're stuck in limbo, grasping for something that resembles a right answer. (As if the UFC didn't have enough to worry about already.)
5 MUST-READ STORIES
Dominick Cruz tears ACL. UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz tore his ACL while training on The Ultimate Fighter: Live and was pulled from his anticipated UFC 148 title defense against Urijah Faber. UFC officials have yet to announce Faber's status on the card or whether an interim belt will be created.
Urijah Faber wants to fight Renan Barao for interim title. Longtime WEC champ Urijah Faber both tweeted and released a video asking to fight upstart contender Renan Barao at UFC 148 for the interim bantamweight strap (and subtly implied that Ronda Rousey caused Dominick Cruz's ACL tear).
The MMA Hour. Ariel Helwani is back in your life with a packed lineup for The MMA Hour featuring Chael Sonnen, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Don Frye, Renzo Gracie, Braulio Estima, Mike Chandler and MMA Fighting's Ben Fowlkes.
Nate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley for Strikeforce welterweight title. Verbal agreements are in place for a July bout pitting Nate Marquardt against Tyron Woodley to decide the rightful heir to the vacant Strikeforce welterweight strap.
Michael Bisping 'pissed off' at Hector Lombard's future title shot. UFC mainstay Michael Bisping didn't shy away from venting his frustration regarding the promotion's plans to fast-track former Bellator champion Hector Lombard into a title shot.
MEDIA STEW
I'll let Tim Kennedy sell you on this one: "You want to see me dancing like a fairy in a Kimono, licking a sword, and prancing around in ranger panties, (then) watch this!"
Another overlooked nugget of violence from the weekend: this 34-second barnburner between Bellator veteran Zelg Galesic and former WEC light heavyweight champ Doug Marshall from Super Fight League 3. (Fight starts at 4:24 for the impatient.)
Chael Sonnen has been making the media rounds to promote his new book, but you could take a hundred guesses and we'd bet you'd never guess what his talking point is for this promo clip. (HT: Middle Easy)
Former UFC bruiser Marcus Davis is inching towards middle-age, so taking his talents to kickboxing probably wasn't the best idea. Just a warning: this one is a little brutal to watch. (HT: Bloody Elbow)
BREAKING THE BAD NEWS
It's true Cruz blew his ACL. Stay tuned for more info
— Dana White (@danawhite) May 7, 2012
Im bummed people,Thanx 4 the support as i battle this,big sorry to all the fans out there!I WILL recover n I WILL b back 2put on a show!
— Dominick Cruz (@TheDomin8r) May 7, 2012
FABER SOUNDS OFF
Yup @RondaRousey tore @TheDomin8r 's ACL shoulda known better than to mess w her @danawhite @ufc @BarackObama #messwiththebulluget thehorns
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) May 7, 2012
Sucks about @thedomin8r hope recovers fast! Sounds like 9 months aftr surgery @renanbaraoufc seems like the best replacement! @danawhite
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) May 7, 2012
ALMOST HAD HIM
I want @joerogan to do the commentary for the Diaz vs Estima match. How about it Joe?
— Cesar Gracie (@CesarGracieBJJ) May 7, 2012
@CesarGracieBJJ I would LOVE to, but unfortunately that's the day my daughter is having her 4th birthday party so I'm not going to make it.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) May 7, 2012
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Monday, May 6, 2012):
- UFC 148: Dominick Cruz (19-1) pulled from title defense against Urijah Faber (26-5)
- Strikeforce: Nate Marquardt (31-10-2) vs. Tyron Woodley (10-0) tentatively set for welterweight championship match in July
- UFC on FUEL 4: Rafael Natal (14-3-1) vs. Tom DeBlass (7-1)
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day is a look at the ongoing evolution of UFC on FOX, courtesy of hobbie: UFC on Fox: Have We Learned Anything Yet
France learned lessons from the two wars - they were just the wrong lessons. They were too focused on re-fighting the last war, while their enemies were figuring out how to win the next one.
I wonder if the UFC and Fox aren't making the same mistakes with their strategy for "UFC on Fox". And more importantly than that - what have the lessons of UFC on Fox really been thus far?
Let's take a look at the UFC's thought process for these events so far. We'll start with the first card, where the thinking went something like:
Big, Important World Title Fights Are All That Matters
For the first UFC on Fox, we got Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight championship of the world - and nothing else.
The thinking here was pretty clear: for our debut effort, fans need to feel they're watching something truly epic. We don't have time to introduce a whole card of fighters, so we'll focus only on the main event, build the two men fighting in it up like gods in the PR, and put make it for the heavyweight championship, which any sports fan can understand the significance of.
The ratings for UFC on Fox 1 shows that, to a large extent, this strategy was successful. However, as Joe and Goldie tell us so often, "anything can happen in MMA." And having your clash of the titans end in 64 seconds was a jarring letdown for the months of promotion that preceded it. Fans tuned in expecting to see The Hulk vs. Thor. Instead, they got The Hulk vs. Loki (Avengers humour - if you haven't seen it yet, my condolences on being trapped under that rock all weekend).
Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, cruz, faber
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseTyron Woodley-Nate Marquardt facing off this summer for vacant Strikeforce welterweight title
The long-rumored Nate Marquardt-Tyron Woodley match for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title seems on with the two apparently headed towards a July meeting with Portland serving as a probable home. No date has been announced but with the UFC holding events on July 7 and July 21 it seems likely the show will take place on 7/14 or 7/28.
Along with Marquardt-Woodley, submission-specialist Roger Gracie is expected to face Keith Jardine on the card in addition to the Strikeforce middleweight title being featured with champion Luke Rockhold putting his gold up for grabs against Tim Kennedy.
MMAWeekly confirmed the report with officials close Strikeforce.
Marquardt (31-10-2) was released by the UFC after having his medicals denied for a planned fight with Rick Story. He has not competed since early 2011 despite signing with BAMMA but never actually fighting for them. The fight against Woodley will mark his welterweight debut.
Woodley is a perfect 10-0 in his MMA career since a stellar run at the University of Missouri as a wrestler. He has downed such opponents as Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine in his Strikeforce career.
PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/UFC
Posted in: title, strikeforce, rick story, tarec saffiedine, july meeting
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainTyron Woodley To Meet Nate Marquardt For Strikeforce Welterweight Title In July
Former top UFC fighter Nate Marquardt will finally make his Strikeforce and welterweight debut in July, and it will be in a title matchup. He will compete for Nick Diaz's old Strikeforce welterweight championship against a SF veteran, Tyron Woodley. MMA Weekly has it:
The main event for the upcoming Strikeforce event in July is almost set as Nate Marquardt will make his promotional debut against Tyron Woodley with the vacant welterweight title on the line.
Sources close to the match-up confirmed the fight to MMA Weekly on Monday with verbal agreements in place for the July showdown.
Marquardt (31-10-2) was released from the UFC last June after a TRT issue prevented him from fighting Rick Story. He then signed with BAMMA, but never competed under their banner and was let out of his contract a few months later. Strikeforce signed him a couple of months ago, and this bout had been rumored ever since.
Woodley is undefeated at 10-0 in his career, eight of those wins coming in Strikeforce. His last bout was a split decision win over Jordan Mein in January.
The card will apparently either take place in Portland, Oregon or Indianapolis, Indiana. It was thought that a Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy middleweight title bout would headline the card, but we'll have to wait and see.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, welterweight, marquardt, woodley
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowACL Injury Forces Dominick Cruz Out of UFC 148 Title Fight With Urijah Faber
An ACL injury to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, a current coach on TUF Live, has forced him out of his UFC 148 title fight against Urijah Faber.
Posted in: urijah faber, acl injury, fight, faber, title
Read the full article at Heavy MMA
Dominick Cruz Tore His ACL, Out Indefinitely
This is pretty bad. No word yet on interim titles or what, but ACL's are bad news bears. Think of what happened to Georges St. Pierre and how long he's been gone. The only small silver lining is that perhaps people will tune into this Friday's episode of The Ultimate Fighter to see who the new coach will be, upping some pretty dismal ratings.
It's true Cruz blew his ACL. Stay tuned for more info— Dana White (@danawhite) May 7, 2012
Yup @RondaRousey tore @TheDomin8r 's ACL shoulda known better than to mess w her @danawhite @ufc @BarackObama #messwiththebullugetthehorns— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) May 7, 2012
Might I suggest an interim title fight against Renan Barao at say... UFC on Fox 4, August 4th from the Staples Center? That gives both Barao and Urijah Faber three months to train and gives that card an exciting title fight for the main event.
Posted in: title, title fight, renan barao, acl, staples center
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendAnthony Pettis Talks Frustration at Being Passed Up for UFC Title Shots
UFC lightweight contender Anthony Pettis has been bypassed a couple times for UFC title shots – and now it looks like Nate Diaz may be the next to do it to him.
Posted in: ufc, title, nate diaz, shot, couple times
Read the full article at Heavy MMADominick Cruz Tears ACL, Out of UFC 148 Title Fight With Urijah Faber
UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has torn his ACL while training on The Ultimate Fighter: Live and will be pulled from his upcoming UFC 148 title defense against Urijah Faber.
News of the injury was first reported by Phytegurus.com, and has since been confirmed by UFC President Dana White.
"It's true Cruz blew his ACL," White tweeted. "Stay tuned for more info."
UFC 148 takes place July 7 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. A middleweight title bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is slated to headline the summer show, while the heavily-anticipated rubber match between Cruz (19-1) and rival TUF: Live coach Faber (26-5) was intended to serve as the co-main event.
UFC officials have yet to make an official announcement regarding Faber's status on the card or if an interim bantamweight title bout will be created. If so, up-and-coming prospects Renan Barao (28-1, 1 NC) and Michael McDonald (15-1) would be the most likely candidates.
Barao is currently scheduled to fight Ivan Menjivar in a number-one contenders match at UFC 148, while McDonald recently cruised through former champion Miguel Torres en route to a first-round knockout victory last month.
Posted in: ufc, title, cruz, faber, garden arena
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseDana White Says UFC Title Shot Will be Next for Nate Diaz
UFC president Dana White talks after Saturday's UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller card and says main event winner Nate Diaz will be waiting for a lightweight title shot.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, shot, saturdays ufc
Read the full article at Heavy MMAStrikeforce Welterweight Title Match Set For July Between Nate Marquardt, Tyron Woodley
What has been rumored for several months now appears set, as MMA Weekly is reporting that Nate Marquardt and Tyron Woodley will do battle for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. The card, which will take place in Portland, Oregon in July, will also feature Tim Kennedy-Luke Rockhold for Rockhold’s Strikeforce middleweight title, and a match [...]
Posted in: title, strikeforce, nate marquardt, tyron woodley, portland oregon
Read the full article at MMA ConvertMichael Bisping is 'pissed off' after learning of Hector Lombard's future title shot
Since when does knocking out "John the baker" put you in line for a title shot?
That's a question longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title chaser Michael Bisping wants answered after learning that Bellator import Hector Lombard could earn a crack at the division crown by stopping Brian Stann at UFC on FOX 4 later this year.
"The Count," meanwhile, is relegated to "Barbarian" bashing at UFC 149 on July 21 in Calgary.
Fighting Tim Boetsch north of the border is a direct result of losing to Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 earlier this year, but Bisping is still "pissed off" that Lombard is shooting up the ranks like "Lightning."
From MMA Die Hards:
"It does piss me off a little bit, you know? I’ve been slugging away in the UFC for six years now, fighting the best guys in the world and just because Hector Lombard’s been knocking out little part-time fighters who probably hold down jobs full-time and he’s been knocking out people that I haven’t got a clue who they are, I haven’t even heard of them, you know, while I’ve been knocking out the best fighters in the world and fighting the best consistently for six years and he’s going to come in from knocking out John the baker from around the corner and you know, he gets a title shot?"
Hear more from Bisping on Lombard, Boetsch and his loss to Sonnen, after the jump.
For more on Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 in Calgary click here.
Posted in: ufc, lombard, title, year, bisping
Read the full article at MMA ManiaCurrent UFC Champions, Challengers And Title Pictures
We're in a nice position as MMA fans right now where we actually know exactly who each UFC champion is set to face next and, in some cases, who the next challenger in line is. This isn't always the case with injuries and muddled title pictures.
For now, it appears that we have a pretty good idea of how 2012 is going to play out. From a heavyweight division that was turned on it's head with Alistair Overeem's drug test failure to a welterweight division with two champions, both sitting out waiting to unify and a new challenger sitting out to wait out the guys who are already sitting out, let's take a look at exactly where each division sits.
Heavyweight Champion: Junior Dos Santos - Next Fight: May 26 - UFC 146 vs. Frank MirTitle Picture: Mir would have been facing Cain Velasquez in the co-main event of 146 had Alistair Overeem not popped positive for elevated testosterone and had his license denied. That winner would likely have gotten the next title shot. It's not fully clear if Velasquez winning would get him a title shot now, but his new opponent, Antonio Silva, wouldn't seem to be "in the mix" as far as the championship goes. The winner of the Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier Strikeforce bout would have to be considered a challenger, but we've heard repeatedly that Showtime wants the winner to have one final fight in Strikeforce before moving over to the UFC. I guess Mark Hunt is out there if he keeps winning.
Light Heavyweight Champion: Jon Jones - Next Fight: September 1 - UFC 151 (Not confirmed) vs. Dan HendersonTitle Picture: Jones has been steadily clearing out light heavyweight, dominating legendary fighters and raising his own profile. Aside from Henderson, the only fighters currently ranked in the top ten of our rankings that Jones hasn't fought are Phil Davis (who was recently dominated by Rashad Evans), Forrest Griffin (let's hope we never see that) and Alexander Gustafsson (maybe a bit too soon). After Henderson and Gustafsson, the challenger landscape becomes awful bare.
Middleweight Champion: Anderson Silva - Next Fight: July 7 - UFC 148 vs. Chael SonnenTitle Picture: We're past the period where it felt like Silva had beat every top quality 185'er available and a new divisional alignment has come about. Sonnen is the deserving number one contender, but there are guys who have performed well as of late who could conceivably fit into a title shot. Mark Munoz is the top ranked guy who hasn't had his crack at Silva yet, but Michael Bisping is probably the biggest "money guy" in the picture. The idea of Bisping was a bit crazy before, but he gave Sonnen fits, and had that been a five round fight I think Bisping would have taken it. Hector Lombard joining the UFC and fighting Brian Stann will have another guy added to the challenger list and Luke Rockhold is in Strikeforce, existing as another possible option somewhere down the road.
Welterweight Champion: Georges St. Pierre Interim Champion: Carlos Condit - Next Fight: TBDTitle Picture: This is complicated. GSP has been out for some time with his knee injury, not fighting in over a year. Technically, that's long enough that he shouldn't even be ranked anymore. Condit won the interim title, which doesn't really make sense if the point was for him to win the title and then sit around and wait for a GSP fight to 'unify' the titles. Johny Hendricks just won what was supposed to be a title shot by beating Josh Koshcheck this past weekend and how he's sitting out waiting for Condit to fight GSP so he can fight the winner. So he's basically the interim number one contender as the division stalls out. Nick Diaz might also be in the title picture, but between his retirement claims and the situation in Nevada, who knows. Also, Alan Belcher was ranked #17 coming in to the Fox show, beat Rousimar Palhares who was #16 and now everyone thinks Belcher is a title contender.
Lightweight Champion: Benson Henderson - Next Fight: TBD vs. Frankie EdgarTitle Picture: Edgar was expected to fight Henderson at UFC 150, but now that looks like it's getting bumped back a little bit. Gilbert Melendez is the most deserving lightweight in the world, but he's stuck in Strikeforce wasting his prime years fighting middling opposition. Nate Diaz's thrashing of Jim Miller makes Diaz the number one contender and it was said that he will not fight take another fight while waiting for his shot, so it's pretty clear how this all works for the rest of 2012. Anthony Pettis is going to be trying to get a shot in early 2013 also.
Featherweight Champion: Jose Aldo - Next Fight: July 21 - UFC 149 vs. Eric KochTitle Picture: Koch was supposed to fight Dustin Poirier a while back, but pulled out of that fight. Poirier won his replacement fight and was put into a fight with Chan Sung Jung while Koch gets moved to the title shot. It's all a bit strange. Still, Poirier vs. Jung will produce a clear title challenger since Hatsu Hioki is messing around saying he isn't ready for a title shot yet. Given the nature of the fight game, delaying title shots you could take because you want to risk that status with more fights is odd, but hey...it's his career.
Bantamweight Champion: Dominick Cruz - Next Fight: July 7 - UFC 148 vs. Urijah FaberTitle Picture: Faber vs. Cruz III is happening just as much because the division needed to have some more contenders emerge as it is because the second fight was great (it was, by the way).
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, champion, picture
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC On Fox 3 Results: Winners And Losers
The UFC on Fox 3 card is in the books, and I had a terrible night of predictions. I was totally wrong about Nate Diaz, and my undercard picks were straight up pathetic. Nevertheless, the event delivered as advertised and the main card was a good mix of devastating striking and slick technical submission grappling. The main event between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller showed that Nate most definitely belongs at the top of the lightweight division and is clearly NOT overrated (as I stated before - sorry 209). Winners
Nate Diaz: As I said above, I was wrong. I have no problem admitting that. Diaz looked superb in New Jersey tonight, establishing his boxing game and outworking Miller in the clinch, which was a huge surprise to me. The finishing sequence was ultra-slick, and he proved that he can deal with the relentless pace of the 155 grinders. He apparently earned a title shot with the win, and the Nate Diaz we saw tonight could definitely give Ben Henderson or Frankie Edgar fits. Who would have thought that it'd be Nate and not Nick that would probably be headlining another card in late 2012?
Johny Hendricks: It wasn't exactly the dominant win he pulled off in his last bout, but "Bigg Rigg" (terrible nickname) has now taken out two of 170's best gatekeepers in successive bouts. Carlos Condit vs. Georges St. Pierre won't be happening until at least November, but Hendricks is definitely in the drivers seat in regards to the next title challenger. The only question now is whether he sits out and waits, or fights a guy like Jake Ellenberger to solidify his hold on the elusive title shot.
Alan Belcher: I'll be up front and say that I've never been a big Belcher fan, but he proved his mettle tonight. He played Toquinho's game and beat him at it, which is more than pretty much any other middleweight can boast about. His submission defense was picture-perfect and he showed patience, something he has lacked in the past. I still don't think he's exactly in the title hunt (you should have to beat at least one top-ten opponent to earn that consideration), but it was undoubtedly the biggest win of Belcher's career and definitely something to build on.
Lavar Johnson: The big man was clearly a fish out of water on the ground, but his opponent was as well so he survived. Johnson proved to be a killer on the feet once again though, totally brutalizing Pat Barry against the cage to the point that I sat on my couch cringing at each right hook. He's way too one-dimensional to challenge for any titles anytime soon, but god damn is that one dimension devastating or what? I don't think the stars will align the way I want them to, but how good would Mark Hunt vs. Lavar Johnson be?
Michael Johnson: I can honestly say that I didn't expect to be writing about him tonight, but he looked excellent against a tough opponent last night. Goldberg kept harping on his improvement since he joined the Blackzillians, and that might be true. To me though, he just looked truly comfortable on the feet for the first time since The Ultimate Fighter. It might have been because he didn't have to worry about getting taken down by El Cucuy, but that was undoubtedly the best performance of Johnson's career. I don't think we'll see him in title contention anytime soon, but that was a huge win for him.
The Flyweight division: UFC fans had seen exactly two flyweight bouts coming into tonight's show - Joe Benavidez destroying Yasuhiro Urushitani, and the weird draw between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson. If they had any doubts about the little guys coming into tonight, I think John Lineker vs. Louis Gaudinot and John Dodson vs. Tim Elliott made them believers. Both were awesome bouts full of non-stop action, and I'm excited about the future of the division going forward. You should be too.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 3
Losers
Jim Miller: I hated seeing one of my favorite fighters go out like that, but he was classy in defeat and said what we were all thinking - Diaz had his number. A lot of people (including myself) believed that Miller wasn't himself against Ben Henderson, and it came out later that he fighting a kidney infection at the time. That made sense. I don't know or care if he had some sort of reason for his performance tonight - the bottom line is that he got beat by the better fighter. This is undoubtedly a huge step pack for Miller, and he'll need to rack up at least three more wins before he could even be considered for a title bout again.
Josh Koscheck: Let's face it, he barely lost. A lot of people think he deserved the W. Throwing him in the losers column seems harsh, but it is what it is. The biggest thing coming out of the fight was the status of his eye, which was swollen up badly once again. Many are suspecting that he had re-injured his orbital bone, which would be very bad for his future in the sport if it's serious. Honestly though, how much did Kos really lose here? He wasn't getting a title shot with a win. He narrowly lost to a serious contender. He has nothing to be ashamed of and I hope he continues to get top-tier welterweights. It's easy to hate Kos, but he's damn good.
Rousimar Palhares: How does someone with such devastating submission skills have such a terrible guard? Props to Toquinho for getting to exactly where he needed to be to finish the fight. But when it didn't go according to plan and Belcher ended up on top, why did he just eat GnP like Fedor eats ice cream? It's been proven time and time again that being one-dimensional won't fly in today's MMA world and while Palhares will always retain a big fan base based on his finishing skills, it's clear he's not a title challenger.
Pat Barry: Everyone loves HD. But let's face it, he's not someone that deserves main card slots on national TV. I respect any guy that is willing to round out their game, but he had no clue what to do after he got the takedown and the americana didn't work out. He was lost. And if he isn't a world-beater on the feet, he isn't going to be competitive in the division with such a one-dimensional skill set. Again, I love the guy as much as anyone. He's a warrior. But he's not UFC-caliber, as much as that sucks to say.
Tony Ferguson: What the hell man? El Cucuy has been dynamite in the UFC thus far and it was sort of embarrassing to see him get completely shut down like that last night. Props to Michael Johnson, he fought a great fight. But Ferguson didn't fight his fight at all and he looked totally lost all night. No urgency, no ability to adapt, and no answer. Plus, it's quite clear where Johnson's weaknesses are - on the ground. Other than one halfhearted attempt late in the fight, El Cucuy never tried to take it down at all. This was a gigantic setback for Ferguson, and anyone that would tell you otherwise is a liar.
Posted in: fight, title, johnson, nate, he
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowNo promises made, but Belcher believes UFC on FOX 3 win worthy of title consideration
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - On a fight card filled with title implications,
Alan Belcher believes he should be in line for a
belt.
"I feel like I'm the best in the division, and there's no road too fast
to the title," he said following a TKO win over Rousimar Palhares at UFC on FOX 3. "So whatever happens, let's do it."
UFC president Dana White might not be ready to roll out the red carpet
on a title shot, but he believes Belcher took a huge step forward.
Posted in: ufc, belcher, title, title consideration, rutherford nj
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDana White Says Nate Diaz Awaits Winner of Henderson-Edgar UFC Lightweight Title Rematch
Nate Diaz appears to have solidified his position as No. 1 contender to the UFC lightweight title.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, nate diaz, hendersonedgar ufc
Read the full article at SherdogNate Diaz Will Wait for Title Shot, Faces Winner of Henderson vs. Edgar II
Title shots don't come along everyday so Nate Diaz will wait for his chance to fight for a world title.
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Posted in: title shot, title, nate diaz, shot, bull
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyNate Diaz gets title shot, will wait for winner of Benson Henderson-Frankie Edgar II
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Nate Diaz is your next lightweight No. 1 contender.
UFC president confirmed at Saturday night's UFC on FOX 3 post-event press conference that Diaz did indeed earn a shot at the 155-pound title with his win over Jim Miller.
And while there were reports that Anthony Pettis might still stand in Diaz's path to a title shot, White said Diaz was offered and agreed to stay on the sidelines until he can face the winner of Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar II, which takes place later this year.
Posted in: title shot, diaz, title, anthony pettis, diazs path
Read the full article at MMA JunkieLW Title shot confirmation (Spoilers)
Dana White has confirmed during the post-fight press conference that Diaz will not fight Pettis, will wait til after the Edgar/Henderson rematch. submitted by TheD33Man [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: edgarhenderson rematch, shot, conference, title, til
Read the full article at RedditCoy stops local fave McGillivray for title at MFC 33
Nathan Coy dominated all three rounds of his MFC welterweight title fight against Ryan McGillivray on Friday to win the championship at MFC 33.
Posted in: title, mfc, mcgillivray, ryan mcgillivray, fave mcgillivray
Read the full article at sportsnet.caAnderson Silva vs Hector Lombard 'makes sense' if 'Spider' and 'Lightning' prevail
Former Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard, who recently joined the ranks of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), was expected to earn a 185-pound title shot with a couple of wins inside the Octagon.
Turns out, he may only need one.
That's because "Lighting" strikes at the UFC on FOX 4 event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2012, against hard-hitting middleweight Marine Brian Stann.
And if Lombard can lower the flag on the "All American" in the same violent fashion he's ended 24 of his 31 wins, you can expect him to become the front runner in the promotion's dwindling list of division title contenders.
That's according to UFC President Dana White, who told the mixed martial media it "makes sense" to fast-track the Cuban-born Australian if he can bolster his impressive International record with a sensational debut in the UFC.
Those comments (via MMA Fighting) after the jump.
"Yeah, it would make sense. The guy has won, I think it’s 25 fights in a row or something like that. If he comes right into the UFC, main events and knocks out Stann, it makes sense."
It would probably make even more sense if Anderson Silva was able to successfully defend his 185-pound title against Chael Sonnen (again) at UFC 148 this summer. Outside of Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman, who do battle on July 11 for their spot in the pecking order, the division is quickly running out of viable challengers.
But let's not put the cart before the proverbial horse.
Stann has been known to stiffen his share of middleweight hopefuls with his devastating power and Sonnen already proved he's got the chops to hang with the champ in a five-round fight. While the planets don't necessarily have to align to make a Silva vs. Lombard fight come to fruition, it's hardly a foregone conclusion.
But that shouldn't stop of us from picking a winner in this hypothetical match-up.
Who ya' got?
Posted in: ufc, lombard, title, stann, sense
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FOX 4 fight with Stann could accelerate UFC title shot for Lombard
NEW YORK CITY - Hector Lombard might put himself on the fast track to a title bout in the UFC by winning his debut this summer.
Recently signed to MMA's largest promotion after steamrolling opponents in Bellator Fighting Championships for two years, Lombard could find himself challenging for a title belt if he beats Brian Stann, said Dana White, president of UFC parent Zuffa.
That would give Lombard one of the fastest paths to a UFC title for any athlete since Brock Lesnar in 2008.
Posted in: ufc, lombard, title, brock lesnar, ufc title
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FOX 3 fight card: Nate Diaz vs Jim Miller preview
A potential UFC lightweight title shot is on the line this Saturday night (May 5, 2012) as The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season five winner Nate Diaz takes on blue collar scrapper Jim Miller in the main event of UFC on FOX 3 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Diaz was once a staple of the lightweight division but was nowhere near of sniffing a title shot. After an up and down trip to welterweight, he dropped back down to 155 and hasn't looked better. He most recently halted all of Donald Cerrone's momentum at UFC 141 by laying a beatdown on "Cowboy" and UFC President Dana White said he can earn a title shot by beating Miller.
Jim Miller is your every day, humble and hard-working man. Ben Henderson halted his seven fight win streak and his shot at the title, but he bounced back by choking out Melvin Guillard in the first round this past January in his first main event in the UFC. Now he's got a huge stage to do something amazing and put himself right back in the title picture again.
Will Diaz withstand the pressure and pull out the victory under the bright lights? Can Miller play to his strengths and capitalize on Diaz's weaknesses? What's the key to victory for both men on Saturday night?
Let's find out:
Nate Diaz
Record: 15-7 overall, 10-5 in the UFC
Key Wins: Donald Cerrone (UFC 141), Melvin Guillard (UFC Fight Night 25), Takanori Gomi (UFC 135)
Key Losses: Rory MacDonald (UFC 129), Gray Maynard (UFC Fight Night 20), Clay Guida (UFC 94)
How he got here: Diaz didn't take the easy road. He made his MMA debut in the WEC and by his seventh professional fight, he was fighting for the promotion's lightweight title against Hermes Franca at the Brazilian's peak, losing via submission in the second round.
Undeterred, Diaz tried out for TUF 5, the first season to showcase the lightweight division. The self-assured Stockton native was one of the season's stars, constantly arguing with castmates, guest coaches and the like. He defeated Rob Emerson, Corey Hill and most impressively Gray Maynard via submission to compete in the Finale where he would be gifted the show's championship after fellow finalist Manny Gamburyan separated his shoulder in the main event.
Diaz got off to a hot start, defeating his first five UFC opponents before being derailed by tough wrestlers Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson. After an impressive second round submission of Melvin Guillard, Diaz would lose a split decision to Maynard, which would fuel his decision to bump up a weight class.
At welterweight, Diaz stopped both Rory Markham and Marcus Davis in his first two fights. This would put him in a position against some of the toughest young 170 pounders. Diaz had trouble getting outmuscled by Dong Hyun Kim in a tightly contested match and would get tossed around the cage by Rory MacDonald in a bout where he was completely physically dominated.
This spurred the decision to return to lightweight, as suggested by his coach Cesar Gracie and Diaz was paired up against Gomi, a scrappy fighter with some serious history against his brother. The former TUF winner destroyed Gomi, crushing him in the stand up and then finishing it on the ground with a nifty armbar transition from a triangle choke. He proclaimed that he was ready for the elite 155 pounders afterward and they gave him one in Cerrone.
How he gets it done: Diaz is becoming more and more like his older brother, Nick, every time we see him in the Octagon. It appears that after starting out as more of a submission fighter earlier in his career, he wants to stand and bang now. As Nick has grown in his boxing, so has Nate. He showed remarkably similar tendencies in his striking during his last two bouts with Gomi and Cerrone: talking trash, taunting with both arms, throwing quick precision strikes and a high volume of them.
Diaz needs to keep the pressure on him in the stand-up. Miller has some improving technique, but that starts to go out the window when someone is putting a severe amount of pressure and not giving him a moment to collect his thoughts. If Miller is forced to fight on pure instinct, he could be dragged into a brawl which is exactly what Diaz wants.
If the bout goes to the ground, it will be initiated by Miller, but don't discount Diaz and his judo techniques. He's got very underrated ability to use his opponent's momentum against them and if his New Jersey opponent gets reckless shooting in for a takedown, he could either find himself reversed onto his back, stuck in a guillotine choke or even Diaz's patented double middle finger triangle choke special.
Diaz will try to keep this fight standing as long as possible and really get in Miller's face. Pure offense and high volume attacks could be what it takes to frustrate Miller and force him to make mistakes.
Jim Miller
Record: 21-3 overall, 10-2 in the UFC
Key Wins: Melvin Guillard (UFC on FX) Matt Wiman (UFC Fight for the Troops), Mark Bocek (UFC 111)
Key Losses: Ben Henderson (UFC on Versus 5), Gray Maynard (UFC 96), Frankie Edgar (Reality Fighting 14)
How he got here: Jim Miller, one of the most consistent fighters in the UFC today, got his start on the New Jersey circuit in a couple promotions, Reality Fighting, Ring of Combat, even having one fight in the IFL before making his UFC debut against David Baron at UFC 89 all the way across the pond in England.
He would win handily, tapping his opponent with a third round rear naked choke. After another impressive win over The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season five alumni Matt Wiman just two months later, he would face eventual title challenger Gray Maynard at UFC 96.
Miller would be outstruck in the stand-up over the course of three rounds, losing a unanimous decision, but that loss lit a fire under him.
The AMA Fight Club fighter destroyed everyone in his path afterwards, winning seven straight in the division and vaulting his way up to one of the promotion's top lightweight contenders. He was especially impressive in catching Brazilian submission specialist Charles Oliveira with a kneebar while standing and then crushing then-undefeated WEC veteran Kamal Shalorus with a knee to the face.
Miller was out for blood with a title shot on his mind but his hopes got shot down against Ben Henderson late last year in a fight where he simply got outworked and outmuscled on the ground. He bounced back in a big way on the big stage, choking out Melvin Guillard and he'll have even more eyes on his this time, making his major network debut on Saturday night against Diaz. .
How he gets it done: The New Jersey native is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but also has a year of Division I collegiate wrestling at Virginia Tech to fall back on. He's put in a tremendous amount of time working on his striking and has become deadly with his technique, precision and power.
The Mike Constantino-trained fighter is incredibly well-rounded as a fighter and now appears to have no weaknesses in his game. What he needs to do is find Nate Diaz's weaknesses and exploit them.
Look for Miller to stand as long as he feels comfortable. He can take a shot so I won't be surprised if he trades with Diaz a bit. He's been putting a ton of time in working on his muay thai skills so don't be surprised one bit if he tries to work in some big leg kicks as Diaz does not defend them very well and has been prone to even getting staggered with them in the past.
If and when the opportunity arises, I expect Miller to shoot in deep on Diaz and take this fight to the ground. We haven't seen how the Stockton native can handle a good wrestler in his lightweight return so this will be the perfect chance for Miller to find out whether Diaz has improved enough in that department. If he puts Diaz on his back, he needs to work his ass off to keep him there and pound him while avoiding any sweeps or submissions.
Fight X-Factor: The first factor is pressure. Dana White went out and confirmed that Diaz can earn a title shot with a victory on Saturday night. Will that added pressure affect him in any way, make him fight differently and take less risks with so much on the line? Diaz doesn't seem like the type of man who would sacrifice his principals, but there's a ton of money riding on him winning and stranger things have happened.
The other factor has to be Diaz's development in his defensive wrestling. He was manhandled in his last two losses at welterweight and it was an issue for him in his first run through the lightweight division. He hasn't faced a wrestler who can grind him out and not get submitted yet since dropping down and he has a lot to prove in this fight. If he can't stop Miller from taking him down or can't get back to his feet, it could be a really long 25 minutes for the native of the 209.
Bottom Line: These are two of the most entertaining 155-pounders on the planet. This fight was given main event billing for a reason, because the UFC knows that both Miller and Diaz can bring it, have great cardio and have potential to put on an incredible fight for up to 25 minutes. I expect a ton of action, although there is some potential that Miller could take Diaz down for five rounds and keep him on his back. Even if that happens, Diaz isn't the type to just take it lying down and Miller isn't a lay-and-pray-er. I would expect submission attempts out the wazoo, aggressive ground and pound from Miller and crazy sweep attempts and guard passes. And that's the worst case scenario. Get out your popcorn folks. This one should be good.
Who will come out on top at UFC on FOX 3? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
Poll
Which top lightweight contender will potentially earn a title shot with a huge main event win on the national stage?
Jim Miller
Nate Diaz
10 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, miller
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDelayed Title Defense Frustrates but Helps Cole Konrad
Cole Konrad will have to wait a little bit longer to make his first Bellator title defense.
Posted in: title, title defense, cole, defense, konrad
Read the full article at SherdogDana White clarifies the title implications of UFC on Fox 3
Yesterday Dana White came out with solid confirmations about the title implications that Saturday's UFC on Fox 3 will hold. He first addressed the issue of the Lightweight championship belt, saying that Nate Diaz would indeed be next in line for a shot should he win versus Jim Miller in New Jersey. Many had speculated that the winner of this bout would face the winner of the next Frankie Edgar/Ben Henderson title fight this summer. However, White confirmed that Miller may be a victory or two away, even
Posted in: title, nate diaz, jim miller, saturdays ufc, title implications
Read the full article at Low KickUFC On Fox 3: How Does Nate Diaz Stack Up Amongst Lightweight Title Challengers
As reported by MMAFighting, Dana White confirmed today that, if he defeats Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 Saturday night, Nate Diaz will be granted a title shot against the winner of Benson Henderson vs Frankie Edgar. The only caveat is that the fight is only a title eliminator for Diaz and not for Miller. The most obvious reason for this is that Miller just suffered a loss to current champion Henderson at UFC on Versus 5 less than a year ago, while Diaz has had two very impressive performances since his return to the lightweight division.
This announcement has been met with a bit of criticism, however. Many are questioning Diaz's credibility as a challenger when he'll only be on a three fight win streak if he manages to upset Jim Miller. The real question this brings up is who else would be a more fit challenger at this point? Right now, taking a look at the top Lightweight fighters in the UFC, there's not very many standouts:
#4 Gray Maynard vs. #6 Clay Guida
Despite Gray coming off a loss to former champion Frankie Edgar, he's still a possibility in the title picture as it's not unheard of for a former contender to get another shot after one or two wins. His likelihood as a contender most likely increases if Edgar is able to defeat Henderson in the rematch, as well. After 3 fights Maynard and Edgar are 1-1-1 and the second two matches are rightfully acclaimed as two of the best fights in recent history. That story needs an ending and those two are bound to meet again in the Octagon.
The immediate title hopes for Clay Guida, however, seem more bleak. Considering the fact that he, like Miller, is coming off a recent loss to Benson, it's far more likely that he's going to need at least one more win before the UFC tries to sell him as a contender.
#8 Anthony Pettis
After his UFC 144 Knockout win over Joe Lauzon, many people were clamoring for him to rematch Ben Henderson. Their first fight was an incredible back and forth battle where Pettis simultaneously grabbed the decision and wowed MMA fans everywhere with The Showtime Kick. On the other hand, the compelling rematch seemed to be the only strong argument for his title shot. Since winning the WEC championship at the promotion's closing event, Pettis has gone 2-1. He lost his UFC debut to the grinding wrestling of Clay Guida, but recovered with a strategic decision against Jeremy Stephens and the spectacular KO of Lauzon. While they're solid wins, that streak does not make a strong argument for a contender.
Oddly enough, that is pretty much the end of the list. Every other UFC fighter in the top 15 is coming off a loss to a higher ranked fighter. It's amazing that the division has changed so much since this time last year when there was a complete logjam of contenders waiting for Edgar and Maynard to fight.
It's still hard for me to justify Diaz's title shot here. Right now, he's on a two fight win streak that only includes Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone. Despite Gomi's success earlier in his career, he has only one impressive win in the UFC. That fight was pretty much tailor-made for Diaz to have a highlight return to the division. When Cerrone fought Diaz, he was coming off an incredible 4 fight win streak inside of a year of competition. His competition wasn't the greatest, but that kind of activity is still remarkable. Diaz exposed him as a limited striker in a clear decision victory.
Topping that streak off with a win over Jim Miller should without a doubt put Nate in title discussions, but he should need one more win before he gets it. The best case scenario in my mind would be a face-off against Anthony Pettis for number one contender. The UFC will be wasting the potential for a great fight by skipping this opportunity. The loss is doubled by the fact that Diaz will be put on the shelf for at least 6 months while he waits for Henderson vs. Edgar at UFC 150 in August.
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, miller
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendTim Kennedy: Strikeforce middleweights can compete with the UFC’s top 10 any night
Ten months without work would drive anyone crazy, especially for a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) who is healthy and eager to return to action.
Strikeforce Middleweight contender Tim Kennedy knows all this too well, having competed last on July 30, 2011, at Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Henderson" against Robbie Lawler, whom he defeated via unanimous decision, marking his second straight victory after failing to capture gold against Ronaldo Souza on Aug. 21, 2010.
So what's the hold up? He's not injured, but the man he is set to face next, current Strikeforce Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, is on the mend. Rockhold suffered a broken hand when he defended his strap against Keith Jardine on Jan. 7, 2012, and he has been riding the pine ever since.
Not only has the injury delayed Rockhold's second title defense, it has also caused Kennedy to play the waiting game, too. So why doesn't Kennedy just step into the hexagon against someone else? Well, he wants to, but Strikeforce matchmakers are set in having him face Rockhold next.
Kennedy, who was awarded of the Army's Bronze Star medal for his valor under fire, clears up his current status to Tapout Radio, after the jump:
"Luke broke his hand in his last fight against Keith Jardine. They won't let me fight anybody else. I said I'd fight anybody, but they're like, 'No, you're going to fight Luke', which is awesome, and now, I'm just waiting. I've been waiting for a while and I'm just going to keep waiting and keep training, as if I have a fight in two months. When they finally say, 'Here it is', I'll be ready to go."
After he does get his long awaited title shot against Rockhold, Kennedy still sees few challenges left for him in Strikeforce and says its time they get some new blood for him to compete against:
"When you see guys that are vacating other organizations like Hector Lombard, you know, is there an opportunity for him to be brought over to us? Absolutely not. Nobody has even considered it. Of course he's going to go straight to the UFC, and that leaves us with Jacare, Luke, and myself. The three of us, I'm pretty sure, we could fight, on any given night, with any of the top 10 UFC guys, and it would be a very, very competitive fight. As it stands, it's the three of us. If I beat Luke, in the summer, and I have the title, what's left for me? I guess I'll fight Jacare again. Whether I beat Jacare, or he beats me, then what? They'll have me fight Luke again? It's just this painful cycle, and I want fresh blood. I want to fight. I don't even think they're better fighters. I just think they're more well known because they fight for a promotion that wants to push their athletes. Again, I have to wait. I want that title. I'm whatever, 5-1 or 6-1 in Strikeforce, with a close loss for my last title fight. I think I deserve that title, and once I have that title, I really want to push to bring in some fresh fighters for all of us, not just for me."
A born fighter, Tim not only misses fighting inside the cage, but says he also misses fighting out in the battle fields with his brothers and sisters of the United States Army and is ready to go back, as soon as he has accomplished the MMA goals he has set for himself:
"I wish I was fighting more, without a doubt. I kind of put my military career on pause so I could fight, and since I've done that, I've only fought three times in two years. That's not ideal. I would like to be in there three or four times a year. I don't get paid to not fight. I get paid to fight. Every day that I'm not getting ready to get in the cage, I feel guilty, because I'm not with my brothers and sisters in uniform, doing a pretty important job. I would like to get back to either getting in a cage, or get back to fighting. I love fighting. I've always loved fighting. I always wish that I was overseas when I'm here, and when I'm overseas, I always wish that I'm in a cage. My mindset is that I have some very clear things that I want to achieve in fighting, and as soon as I get those done, then I'm done fighting. I'm getting very close to that. If I get this title, and then maybe a couple more fights later, I'll have the opportunity to fight for another title. That pretty much wraps up what I wanted to do, which is be the best fighter in my weight class in the world, so they just need to give me the opportunity to show that."
Currently, there is no timetable for Rockhold's return, which means Kennedy will be playing the waiting game just a little while longer.
But, will he grow even more restless?
Should the scrappy 185-pounder not get more fights soon, he could be returning back to serving our country sooner rather than later.
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, kennedy, im
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White confirms title shots are on the line for Nate Diaz and Johny Hendricks at UFC on FOX 3 this weekend
No pressure.
According to UFC President Dana White, lightweight Nate Diaz and welterweight Johny Hendricks, who will be battling in the main and co-main event of UFC on FOX 3 this weekend (May 5, 2012), will also have title shots on the line as well.
Their respective opponents, Jim Miller and Josh Koscheck? Not so much.
Here's what White had to say during a conference call with the media today, just three days before the big network event in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
"Should Diaz win, Diaz is definitely getting a title shot. Should Miller win, Miller's probably going to be a fight or two away."
White would then confirm that Hendricks was in the exact situation with his upcoming fight against Josh Koscheck.
If you look at the history of all four fighters, it probably makes sense.
Diaz is currently 2-0 in his most recent stint in the UFC's lightweight division after dropping down from welterweight. After a first round submission of Takanori Gomi, he dominated Donald Cerrone at UFC 141, setting a record for strikes landed in a three round fight. His exciting style has fans talking and could definitely sell a title fight.
Miller on the other hand, while he's won eight of his nine fights, is just one fight removed from a dominant loss to current lightweight champion Ben Henderson. If Henderson is able to defend against Frankie Edgar later this year (someone Miller also holds a loss to), it would still be a tough sell that a different outcome would occur. If Miller wins, don't be surprised if Anthony Pettis gets the next title shot.
For Johny Hendricks, he's looked great in his UFC career, only losing once in late 2010 to Rick Story and he more than made up for that by stopping then-number two ranked welterweight Jon Fitch this past December. If he can do the same to Josh Koscheck, a perennial top five ranked UFC welterweight, his resume will speak for itself.
Koscheck, on the other hand is still just two fights removed from a failed title shot to Georges St. Pierre and he hasn't looked that great since returning from his severe orbital injury. He was losing the stand-up exchanges to Matt Hughes before coming back and then won a very controversial decision against Mike Pierce at UFC 143 this past February. If Koscheck wins, the likely next shot will go to the winner of the Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Ellenberger fight later this year.
Do you agree with Dana White's assessment, Maniacs?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, miller, shot
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNate Diaz, Johny Hendricks Guaranteed Title Opportunities With Wins at UFC on FOX 3
Are the main and co-main event of this weekend's UFC on FOX 3 lightweight and welterweight title eliminators? The answer is 'yes', but only if you're lucky enough to be named Nate Diaz or Johny Hendricks.
UFC President Dana White spoke to the media today via conference call and confirmed title opportunities were technically on the line, but the chances of Miller or Koscheck earning those shots seemed remote.
"We're in one of those situations that we were in before with [Phil] Davis and [Rashad] Evans," said White, referencing the predicament affecting the aforementioned light heavyweights heading into UFC on FOX 2. "Should Diaz win, Diaz is definitely getting a title shot. Should Miller win, Miller's probably going to be a fight or two away."
White didn't explain the calculation behind his decision. However, there is a meritorious and availability case to be made for Diaz. He's 2-0 since returning to lightweight, beating Takanori Gomi by armbar at UFC 135 and throttling Donald Cerrone en route to a unanimous decision at UFC 141.
Miller, by contrast, had a superb run in the lightweight division from UFC 100 to UFC 128, but fell short against now champion Ben Henderson at UFC on Versus 5. The AMA Fight Club-trained fighter rebounded nicely against Melvin Guillard at UFC on FX 1, but his bout with Diaz only marks only his second fight since losing to Henderson.
According to the USA TODAY/MMA Nation Rankings, Miller is ranked 5th at lightweight while Diaz checks in at 7th. There are other lightweights ahead of both Miller and Diaz, but they're all tied up in other bouts or have more recent career losses. Henderson is set to rematch Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 and Clay Guida will face off against Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4. Guida is ranked higher than Diaz, but he and Maynard are also both coming off of losses.
As for Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck, White said their predicament mirrored Miller vs. Diaz. Should Hendricks win, he'd receive a title shot. Koscheck, on the other hand, would likely be required to fight and win one or two additional times.
Hendricks and Koscheck are ranked 5th and 6th, respectively, in the welterweight division. The only two fighters ahead of both are Jake Ellenberger and Nick Diaz. Ellenberger is scheduled to face Martin Kampmann at the TUF: Live Finale while Diaz is currently unable to fight until his suspension is lifted or expires in Nevada.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, miller, hendrick
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseTim Kennedy: “It’s just this painful cycle, and I want fresh blood.”
The classic film Alien came with a tagline stating, “In space, no one can hear you scream.” It turns out the same thing also applies to fighters signed to compete under the Strikeforce banner.
Middleweight Tim Kennedy has been publicly lobbying for action, as well as an increased amount of depth in the division, for more than a year and has yet to see either endeavor bear fruit. In fact, Strikeforce has actually slowed their production schedule down and hasn’t even allowed him to fight some of the competitors already signed to the company’s roster.
Kennedy recently addressed his frustration in an interview with TapouT Radio where remained respectful but was clearly upset with the way things have been, and are still being, handled.
“When you see guys that are vacating other organizations like Hector Lombard, you know, is there an opportunity for him to be brought over to us? Absolutely not. Nobody has even considered it. Of course he’s going to go straight to the UFC, and that leaves us with Jacare, Luke, and myself,” said Kennedy when asked about the possibility of Zuffa bringing over new talent to challenge him and other top middleweights in Strikeforce like Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo Souza. “The three of us, I’m pretty sure, we could fight, on any given night, with any of the Top 10 UFC guys, and it would be a very, very competitive fight.”
“As it stands, it’s the three of us. If I beat Luke, in the summer, and I have the title, what’s left for me? I guess I’ll fight Jacare again. Whether I beat Jacare, or he beats me, then what? They’ll have me fight Luke again,” asked Kennedy rhetorically. “It’s just this painful cycle, and I want fresh blood. I want to fight. I don’t even think they’re better fighters. I just think they’re more well known because they fight for a promotion that wants to push their athletes. Again, I have to wait. I want that title. I’m whatever, 5-1 or 6-1 in Strikeforce, with a close loss for my last title fight. I think I deserve that title, and once I have that title, I really want to push to bring in some fresh fighters for all of us, not just for me.”
With a reduced number of events in 2012 it’s even more important to get into the cage sooner than later, yet a perfectly healthy Kennedy has been forced to wait for Rockhold to return instead of being given an opportunity to earn a paycheck in the interim while the middleweight champion heals up from a broken hand.
“They won’t let me fight anybody else. I said I’d fight anybody, but they’re like, ‘No, you’re going to fight Luke’, which is awesome, and now, I’m just waiting. I’ve been waiting for a while and I’m just going to keep waiting and keep training, as if I have a fight in two months. When they finally say, ‘Here it is’, I’ll be ready to go.”
Still no date has been set for Kennedy’s eventual showdown with Rockhold though rumors have placed it as going down in July. Assuming neither man suffers a setback it will be the 32-year old’s first fight since beating Robbie Lawler in mid-2011.
PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, luke, kennedy
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC boss says title shots on line for Diaz, Hendricks, perhaps not for Miller, Koscheck
UFC president Dana White said there's a potential he may grant two title
shots following Saturday's UFC on FOX 3 event, but he might not grant
any.
While main-card bouts of Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller and Johny Hendricks vs. Josh
Koscheck have been discussed as de facto No. 1
contender fights, White today said that's not exactly true.
Similar to the UFC on FOX 2 meeting between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis,
White said Saturday's two headlining fights each have title
implications - just not necessarily for the fighters on both sides of
the octagon.
Posted in: ufc, title, phil davis, ufc boss, title shots
Read the full article at MMA JunkieRich Franklin: 'There are a lot of exciting match ups at middleweight and I want to make a run for the title'
There was a time when Rich Franklin was one of the most dominant fighters in the world. In 24 fights he had only been defeated once, held the middleweight belt, was unbeaten inside the UFC and riding an eight fight win streak.
Then along came 'The Spider,' a relatively unknown Brazilian called Anderson Silva who had been fast tracked to a title shot after beating Chris Leben emphatically in his UFC debut. The rest, of course, is history and Silva is now widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet while Franklin's name barely even merits a mention when fight fans are discussing the 185-pound title picture.
Franklin's legacy as one of the most successful middleweights of all time was already secured but by beating him not once, but twice, Silva effectively cast him into the MMA wilderness, expelling him from the weight class which he had made his own and forcing him to bounce around between 195-205 pounds, often accepting fights against much bigger men.
Had Franklin been given the choice he would never have left the middleweight division but he posed a problem to the UFC who decided they could not afford to risk having him kill off any new contenders who might emerge for Silva's crown.
"The UFC knew they couldn't market a third fight between me and Anderson and that is why I was encouraged to move to 205 even though many of the fighters there are much bigger than me. I have spent the last couple of months losing the muscle it took me years to put on and now I am back at 185 I want to make a run for the title."
Bar the two losses to Silva, his record at 185 is immaculate.
As a middleweight he is 8-2 with nine of those fights inside the UFC and five of them for the middleweight title. By contrast, the current number one challenger, Chael Sonnen's tally as a UFC middleweight, stands at a much less impressive 6-3.
With the likes of Mark Munoz, Michael Bisping, Hector Lombard and Brian Stann as well as Sonnen in the UFC's middleweight division there should be plenty of big fights out there for Franklin but first he has to get past the not inconsiderable challenge posed by Cung Le.
"Obviously Cung is a crafty striker to say the least…effective and unorthodox. Many people overlook his wrestling game, which makes his striking so effective. He is difficult to take down. He wasn’t Strikeforce champ for nothing."
In order to prepare for this fight, which will be Franklin's first for almost 18 months, he has taken the unusual step of relocating his training camp to Singapore. He will spend eight weeks at Evolve MMA working with the decorated team of trainers there under the supervision of Chatri Sityodtong and Heath Sims.
While elite Asian mixed martial artists have been heading to the US for years in search of superior training it is very unusual for a fighter to move in the opposite direction. Franklin says that he made the decision in conjunction with long term trainer Matt Hume after visiting Singapore for the first time last year.
"I did a seminar with Matt Hume at Evolve a little over a year ago and I was very impressed with the instructors and facility. I thought it would be a good idea to get a fresh perspective for this training camp and a lot of the trainers here are world champions in things like boxing, Muay Thai or BJJ, there are not many places in the world where you can find all of that under one roof."
Le's Sanshou based style of standup is very unusual and he has an arsenal of unconventional strikes which he has used to devastating effect throughout his MMA career. It is difficult to find sparring partners who can even emulate his style and this is something Franklin admits he has discussed.
"Chatri and I spoke about bringing in a training partner specifically to mimic Cung but because the Muay Thai and boxing trainers at Evolve MMA are so experienced I don't think it will be necessary. They are world champions, some of them have been training in stand up fighting for more than two decades and they all have hundreds of fights and will have no difficulty impersonating him if asked to."
Le came very close to stopping Wanderlei Silva with strikes in the first round of their fight but faded in the second stanza. Franklin has plenty of experience from facing some of the best all time strikers in MMA such as Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell but he says he is not underestimating his next opponent.
"Having faced stand up fighters in the past is not the key to my confidence because they were all different fighters than Cung, and I am a different fighter than I was when I fought each of them. I am not expecting him to get tired, in fact I am preparing for a Cung that has better stamina than myself. All of my fights in the UFC were a test…none of them were easy fights and this is no different."
Franklin was originally scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133 in August, 2011 but the fight was cancelled and the following month he tore his labrum in training.These two factors have contributed towards the longest break between fights since he started fighting in 1999 but 'Ace' says that even after such an extended period on the sidelines he doesn't feel any additional pressure to perform.
"There is always something riding on a fight, a title opportunity, a winning streak, a break after a long return or even a contract renewal. If you let these external circumstances affect your nerve, you will always fail."
One intriguing possibility is that Anderson Silva, who is only a few months younger than Franklin, will either retire before him or move up to 205 lbs. The coast is far from clear because two of his recent losses were to fighters who could make 185 lbs (Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort) but Franklin is not spending too much time contemplating what would happen if the champion vacated his belt.
"I don’t lose sleep either way. If I make it to the title again I will cross that path when I get there…whoever holds the belt. Just remember, I actually have to beat Cung before any of this other stuff is even possible but there are a lot of exciting match ups at middleweight."
It's not impossible that Silva will lose his title inside the cage, although such is the aura of invincibility surrounding him it seems improbable at present. Whatever happens to the title itself Franklin, who says he hasn't even thought about retirement, is determined to spend the remainder of his career competing as a middleweight.
By Franklin's stellar standards the stint away from 185 lbs has not been the most successful and he has gone 3-3 in his last six fights. Now that he is back where he belongs he wants to carry on where he left off by dominating the middleweight division and a win over Le at UFC 148 would be the perfect place to start.
www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, middleweight, franklin
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMMA Roundtable: This Weekend's Can't-Miss Fight, Ryan Bader as a Title Threat, More
It's a great weekend for free televised MMA. UFC on FOX 3 goes down on Saturday in the shadow of New York City, just over the border into New Jersey, with Jim Miller and Nate Diaz headlining. Also back is Bellator, which returns from a brief one-week hiatus with a Friday night card featuring their lightweight champ Michael Chandler in a non-title bout.
The UFC has also made a series of intriguing fight announcements over the last few days. With things in full swing, there's plenty to discuss in this week's edition of The MMA Roundtable. Among this week's items: what's the can't-miss fight of the weekend, which UFC champ is most likely to lose in the coming months, whether Ryan Bader can establish himself as a true title contender, and more.
1) Both UFC and Bellator host events this weekend. What is your one can't-miss fight?Chiappetta: With apologies to Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler, who became must-watch material after his 2011 Fight of the Year candidate with Eddie Alvarez, I'm going to go with the UFC on FOX 3's Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher fight.The weird thing is, I fully admit that's probably not the most compelling matchup of the weekend. Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks has more significance, Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz guarantees more action, and the aforementioned Chandler is the only champ in action, but for me, Palhares has an unexplainable draw. For one thing, you never know what he's going to do next. Like the time he protested to the ref regarding Nate Marquardt's slipperiness in the middle of the match and got knocked out for it. Or the time he prematurely celebrated a win over Dan Miller and jumped atop the octagon fencing, only to be told to get back into the cage and fight. Throw in his dangerous submission game and he's equal parts fascinating and terrifying. On top of it all, Belcher seems confident enough to play Palhares' game, so the result of the two personalities mixed together should be riveting. Thomas: Belcher vs. Palhares is admittedly intriguing. And if Darren Uyenoyama hadn't pulled out of his bout with John Dodson, I'd probable have gone with that. For an amateur wrestling enthusiast like me, though, my pick is Hendricks vs. Koscheck.There is so much riding on this fight. Can Hendricks - one of the few collegiate wrestlers now in MMA who likely could've gone on to freestyle international success - finally fulfill the hype that was placed on his career? While the win over Fitch was impressive, was it just as much lightning in a bottle? Is Hendricks the real deal?As for Koscheck, he's obviously still formidable, but at 34 what does he have left? How has changing camps and dealing with the turmoil at AKA affected his preparation? Against a fellow national champion collegiate wrestler, who will be able to dominate the real estate in this fight?The last thing to consider is this: Koscheck is in a contender's fight, but does anyone really want to see him fight for a title again? Hendricks winning would be better for UFC's purposes. What does the UFC do with Koscheck if he wins? Did they really give him this fight to kill off a contender and not reward him with a title shot or number one contender's bout? Only time will tell, but that's why I'm tuning in.2) Last week, we learned Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario will round out UFC 146. It isn't often UFC matches up two rising young contenders. Good idea or bad idea?Thomas: Good idea, although one always has to be careful with predicaments like this. In this particular case, I like it because there's a lot the winner can take away without the loser suffering an equal amount. This one isn't a zero sum game. The heavyweight division is thin. That's one of the most important considerations. Let's say Miocic wins and Del Rosario loses. Miocic moves on to potentially face someone like Matt Mitrione or Gabriel Gonzaga. Del Rosario would, by contrast, fight another entry-level UFC heavyweights and should he prove successful, move up the ladder. The point is this: two or three wins in the heavyweight division moves you up the roster quickly and one loss doesn't particularly derail you when you're a prospect. Whoever the winner is in this bout will prove they are ready for the next step. The other needs more seasoning. But no one is too far behind. It is slightly unsettling that Miocic and Del Rosario are closer to 30 than 20, but this is the sort of appropriate matching of talent that lets us know who is and isn't on a contender track without killing the loser's career.Chiappetta: I'm actually not a fan of this matchup, even though I advocated it back in February. The reason is timing. Miocic is taking the bout on short notice, and I think that's not a fair position to put a young, undefeated heavyweight into.On one hand, matchmaker Joe Silva's hand was forced by the shuffling of the UFC 146 lineup due to the Alistair Overeem situation. UFC seemed hellbent on keeping an all-heavyweight card, which really wasn't necessary, but I understand the rationale behind it. That said, we must remember that Miocic is still relatively green. I don't object to the Del Rosario matchup except for the fact that it comes with only five weeks preparation time, not a whole lot of time, especially considering the fact that Miocic works fulltime as a firefighter and paramedic while training. That's a lot to handle in a shortened camp.To be fair, Luke makes a good point about the fact that a loss won't necessarily ruin either man's career, but it doesn't make it the optimal setup either. I would have preferred this fight happening with full camps for both.3) Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida was just announced for UFC on FOX 4. Can Bader become a legit title threat after his previous hiccups?Chiappetta: This fight with Machida will tell us a lot about where Bader is going long-term. It's essentially make-or-break time for him in regards to his career trajectory. He turns 29 years old next month and has been in the game for five years. That doesn't make him old, but it also makes it difficult to refer to him as a prospect. At this point, he's seasoned enough to be winning big fights. To his credit, he has done that against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Quinton Jackson, but consistency is the hallmark of a champion. Bader has yet to truly prove that in several aspects of his game. In some ways, that makes Machida a perfect opponent for him. First of all, Machida doesn't easily give up takedowns (only about 20 percent against him are successful, according to FightMetric), so Bader won't be able to rely on his wrestling to save him. He's also a far more accurate striker than Bader, and better defensively. Throw in Machida's southpaw stance and rarely seen striking style, and Bader has plenty to wrap his head around in training camp. All of the stylistic and matchup challenges Machida presents makes a strong barometer for how Bader will do going forward against the light-heavyweight division's elite.While Bader is a very good fighter, my hunch is that he's likely to remain a step below the very top tier. If he develops true fluidity in his striking style and improves upon his striking-to-wrestling transitions, he can be an elite level talent, but even at 29, time is ticking.Thomas: I have no choice but to agree with Mike here. He's dead on. This fight is a big opportunity for Bader, but when we saw 'big opportunity' we only do so because the challenges here are so significant.Bader, for my comfortability, still is overly reliant on wrestling. What do I mean overly reliant? I don't mean that he uses it a lot. There's nothing wrong with that and indeed, he clearly has formidable wrestling skills. It's that he uses it in many cases of fatigue or desperation. Every wrestling-based fighter does that to some extent and some could be smarter to use it more. In Bader's case, though, I find that as much of a physical powerhouse he is, he doesn't use his athleticism or wrestling efficiently. It's full steam ahead even chasing down takedowns in a straight line until he gets what he wants. That's fine for a round against opposition ranked in the bottom of the top 10 or top 15. It's not going to work for very long against elite light heavyweights.Mike's articulation of Bader's lot in the division is correct. He's obviously very skilled, very athletic and hard to beat, but his offensive game is likely only going to find success amongst those not truly destined to contend for a title. It's just too inefficient. Let's see if Bader can prove us wrong. 4) Between May and August, five UFC titles are expected to be contested (Cruz-Faber, Aldo-Koch, Henderson-Edgar, Silva-Sonnen, dos Santos-Mir). If you had to put your money on one challenger to emerge with gold, which one and why?Thomas: I'd probably go with Frank Edgar, but clearly a credible case can be made with Chael Sonnen.Now, let me be clear: I do not outright think Edgar will win. I like Henderson to retain his title. That said, one of Edgar's most outstanding traits is his ability to improve between fights. That comes both from general skill building as well as correcting for what went wrong in previous outings. His three fights against Maynard are an illustration in the growth of a fighter who continually works to get better everywhere and specifically where he must in order to succeed.What surprised me most in his first fight with Henderson is just now much he was able to win in the wrestling portion of the game. If he tactically adjusts by incorporating fewer striking exchanges and can execute to the same degree he did in their first fight, he's got a great chance to reclaim his lightweight gold.Chiappetta: In order of probability, my guess would go: Edgar, Sonnen, Mir, Faber, Koch. Edgar has the best odds for the reasons Luke indicated. He's shown constant improvement between fights and proven the ability to make adjustments in-fight. The first bout between him and Henderson was relatively close, so he's clearly capable of making it a contest. But there's one other important factor to consider, and it's proving the critics wrong. Edgar has been hearing he's too small for years, even while he was the champion. When he finally lost the belt, it was time for the "I told you so" crowd to have their moment. I can't imagine Edgar can be any more motivated for a fight as he will be in the rematch.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, bader, he
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseBen Rothwell Wants Fight in August, Then Alistair Overeem, Then Title Shot
Ben Rothwell wants it known that he’s coming for the UFC heavyweight title.
Posted in: title, rothwell, ben, ben rothwell, alistair overeem
Read the full article at SherdogKoscheck's focus on UFC welterweight title shot
Once mulling a move to middleweight, Josh Koscheck now has his sights set on a welterweight title shot as he prepares to face Johny Hendricks Saturday.
Posted in: title, koscheck, welterweight, shot, koschecks focus
Read the full article at sportsnet.caJon Jones Pegged as Odds-On Favorite Over Hendo
It should come as no surprise that early estimates by oddsmakers have UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones cast as a sizeable favorite to win his next title defense.
The 24-year-old dynamo just defeated Rashad Evans by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 145 and has already been matched up with Dan Henderson for his next title defense. The linemakers over at MMA Oddsbreakers have released early odds for the bout, with Jones sitting as the -565 favorite and Henderson the +385 underdog.
After stringing together a four-fight run in 2011 that many have called the most impressive single year in any athlete’s MMA career, Jones is poised to lord over the 205lbs division for many years to come. The prodigious young fighter has already knocked off veterans and former champions (and a couple of Hendo’s former Pride FC peers) Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans during his title run and will be looking to add Henderson’s name to that list.
At 41-years-old, Henderson is one of MMA’s few remaining elder statesmen who belongs fighting for a UFC title. A four-fight run in Strikeforce saw the Team Quest co-founder drop a decision to Jake Shields before knocking out Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante (to capture the promotion’s light heavyweight title) and Fedor Emelianenko in succession. After returning to the UFC, Hendo waged a five round war with Shogun at UFC 139 that has been described as one of the best fights in MMA history.
The two are rumored to be facing off at UFC 149 on July 21 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Posted in: ufc, mma, title, jone, henderson
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyJon Jones Opens As Huge Favorite Over Dan Henderson
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will be facing former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson next, and some betting lines for the bout dropped today. To be honest, they're kind of shocking. Bookmaker opened things with a semi-normal line, but 5Dimes and SportBet quickly followed with ludicrous odds. Here are the three lines:
Bookmaker
5Dimes
SportBet
Jones
-565
-1125
-1043
Henderson
+385
+575
+657
I realize that Jones looks unbeatable at the moment with three title defenses under his belt, but two of those lines are amongst the most lopsided I've ever seen, especially for a UFC title fight. Henderson might be 41 years old but he has won four fights in a row, with the last two coming over Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio Rua. He shouldn't be taken so lightly, by Jones or the oddsmakers.
The Jones vs. Henderson bout still doesn't have a home as of this moment. Dana White wanted to put it on UFC 149 on July 21st, but that doesn't seem likely now with Jose Aldo defending his UFC light heavyweight title against Erik Koch on the card. Could it be at UFC 150 on August 11th in Denver? We'll find out soon enough.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, henderson, line
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowHenderson-Edgar set for rematch at UFC 150
According to a report, Benson Henderson has agreed to defend his lightweight title against Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 in Denver.
Posted in: ufc, title, frankie edgar, frankie, hendersonedgar
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC on FOX 3: Jim Miller isn't looking past Nate Diaz, but expects a title shot if he wins
Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) lightweight division is easily the toughest in the entire organization. To get a shot at the belt as a 155-pounder, it's necessary to go through a murderer's row of top fighters who all have the same goal in mind.
For Jim Miller, the road has been a long and arduous one to navigate. After winning a very impressive seven fights in a row, Miller's train was derailed when he ran into the eventual champion, Ben Henderson, at UFC on Versus 5, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Aug. 14, 2011.
After defeating another top contender in Melvin Guillard, when the two went toe-to-toe at UFC on FX, in Nashville, Tennessee, on Jan 20, 2012, by way of a first round submission (rear-naked choke), Miller has placed himself right back in the conversation.
The AMA Fight Club veteran will take on Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 3, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sat., May 5, 2012. There has been much chatter, hinting that the winner of the fight would likely be next in line for a shot at the belt. During an interview with Spike TV's "MMA Uncensored," Miller said that he knows the possibility for a title shot is there, but he's doing his best not to look past a very game opponent:
"It's been said that I might be getting a title shot, but I honestly don't care at this point. I'm fed up talking about it. I just wanna get in and fight on the 5th. After that, we can talk about it. I try not to (look past Diaz). Nate is a tough fight, and that's where my focus lies. The title picture got so bottle-necked, with the rematches, and everybody lost. In my opinion, if you have under five UFC fights, let alone wins, you shouldn't be considered for a title shot yet."
If Miller had been in any other division, he'd probably have already had a crack at the title by now. It's just the nature of the very tough lightweight group of fighters in which he's been placed. Miller talked about what it's been like to have compete for attention with the UFC's elite:
"It's just been tied up so much in this division. If it was another weight class, I probably would have fought for a title, Melvin (Guillard) would've probably fought for a title. There were a couple guys who easily could have done it, even (Donald) Cerrone, you know, 5-0. Now, everybody's coming off losses. A win over Melvin and a win over Nate, those are good wins."
Because he isn't one of the bigger guys in his division, Miller has been subject to talk of possibly cutting more weight and moving down a weight class. Miller dispelled the rumors, assuring the hosts of "MMA Uncensored" that he would not be making a move down any time soon:
"I fought at 145 (pounds), my fourth fight, and I walked around at about 162 pounds before that fight. If you go and look at the photos of that fight, it was Reality Fighting: Battle at the Beach, it looks like my veins are gonna pop out of my skin, and I was walking around at 160 pounds. I was disgustingly vascular. It was a decently tough cut. I'm 15 pounds heavier than that now. It would take too much effort."
Miller's opponent, Nate Diaz, has been known to be a little unorthodox, particularly with his striking. That's not how Miller sees it. He believes he and his camp have a good idea of what to expect, and they are confident they've trained for all the possibilities:
"Training's been going great. I feel great. Best I've ever felt in my career. I'm healthy. Technique is there. I'm just excited to step into the Octagon against Nate Diaz. We got a couple long guys (to train against), and Nate, he's got a methodical style. He's not super flashy, so it was actually relatively easy to replicate his style."
Regardless of the outcome, the fight should end up being no easy match up for either fighter. A title shot may be the reward, but the victor will, no doubt, have to go through an all-out war before he can cross the finish line.
For complete coverage of the UFC on FOX 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" event, click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title shot, title, miller
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAldo likely defends title vs. Koch at UFC 147
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will likely defend his title against Erik Koch at UFC 147 in Brazil, not at UFC 149 in Calgary.
Posted in: ufc, title, koch, erik koch, aldo
Read the full article at sportsnet.caIf the rumored featherweight title fight featuring Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch doesn't work out for UFC...
If the rumored featherweight title fight featuring Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch doesn't work out for UFC 147, have no fear, "Real Deal" is here. Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Champion Ross Pearson says he's ready to step in "tomorrow" if the promotion needs a viable contender at 145-pounds. Brazil vs. the UK ... who wants it?
Posted in: fight, title, vs, jose, erik
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FX 4: Hatsu Hioki vs Ricardo Lamas on tap for June 22 in Atlantic City
Hats off to Hatsu.
Japanese import Hatsu Hioki, one of the few viable contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight division, has opted to spin the wheel one more time rather than solve the 145-pound puzzle.
And the path to Jose Aldo, which begins at UFC on FX 4 on June 22, 2012 in Atlantic City, NJ, is paved with Ricardo Lamas.
That's where "The Bully" will try to end Hioki's six-fight winning streak and make an argument for a title shot of his own -- assuming he can make a better case than the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung, who also try to get "in the mix" next month in Fairfax.
UFC President Dana White explains the matchmaking process to Fox Sports after the jump.
"Many pegged Hioki as the next possible challenger for Jose Aldo's title, but he wants one more test before going for the belt. In his way is Lamas, who has proven to be a tough competitor for anyone to deal with, especially since moving down to featherweight and finishing both opponents at 145 pounds. Both guys have verbally agreed to the match."
UFC on FX 4 will feature a lightweight main event of Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida, as both powerful wrestlers try to scratch and claw their way back into the 155-pound title hunt.
Elsewhere on the card, former middleweight mainstay (and "Garden State" native) Dan Miller will make his welterweight debut against Ricardo Funch while Sam Stout completes his "King" trilogy against Spencer Fisher.
For the latest UFC on FX 4 news and notes check out our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, title, fx, hioki, ricardo funch
Read the full article at MMA ManiaHatsu Hioki Turns Down Title Shot, Faces Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX 4
Apparently Hatsu Hioki was being honest when he said he wasn't ready to fight for the title. Hioki, who many consider to be the second-best featherweight in the world, has agreed to face Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX 4 on June 22 in Atlantic City, N.J., FoxSports.com reported Wednesday night.
"Many pegged Hioki as the next possible challenger for Jose Aldo's title, but he wants one more test before going for the belt," UFC president Dana White said in the report. "In his way is Lamas, who has proven to be a tough competitor for anyone to deal with, especially since moving down to featherweight and finishing both opponents at 145 pounds. Both guys have verbally agreed to the match."
According to sources, the UFC wanted to book Hioki against UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, however, the Japanese fighter asked for another fight before challenging for the title.The 28-year-old Hioki (26-4) is 2-0 since signing with the UFC. He defeated Bart Palaszewski via unanimous at UFC 144 in February and George Roop via split decision in October. He'll enter the bout riding a six-fight winning streak.
Lamas (11-2) is 2-0 since dropping down to 145 pounds. He submitted Cub Swanson via arm-triangle at UFC on FOX 1 and Matt Grice via TKO at UFC on Versus 4. As a result of this matchup and the upcoming Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung fight in May, all signs point to Erik Koch being Aldo's next challenger for the title. CagePotato.com reported on Wednesday that the fight is close to being finalized.
Posted in: ufc, title, hioki, hatsu hioki, lama
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseReport: Erik Koch Expected To Face Jose Aldo At UFC 147 Or UFC 149
There has been a bunch of confusion over what is actually going to happen at UFC 147 since Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen was moved off the card. Dana White said at the Brazil press conference that Jose Aldo would "probably" be moved onto the card to defend his UFC featherweight title, as opposed to UFC 149 where he was originally scheduled. But who would he fight? Hatsu Hioki was just booked against Ricardo Lamas. Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung is only five weeks before UFC 147 (which is tentatively scheduled for June 23rd in Belo Horizonte, Brazil), so who's left? MMA Weekly has your answer:
Erik Koch looks like the "to be named opponent" for Aldo's next title defense, whenever the UFC decides on a date for the featherweight champion to get back in action.
Sources close to the two fighters confirmed that Koch is the likely candidate to get the shot at Aldo, although bout agreements have not been issued for the 145-pound title fight showdown.
23-year-old Koch (13-1) is currently on a four-fight winning streak. He last stepped into the cage at UFC Fight Night 25 last September, where he defeated Jonathan Brookins by decision. He was scheduled to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 143, but was forced off the card due to injury. Apparently he's healed up now, and will skip the line and get a shot at the champ. We just need to find out when.
SBN coverage of UFC 147
SBN coverage of UFC 149
Posted in: ufc, title, koch, aldo, jonathan brookins
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator CEO Rebney Confirms Season 6 Winner to Face Shlemenko for Middleweight Title in Fall
Alexander Shlemenko will find himself in a title fight upon his return to Bellator Fighting Championships, though perhaps not the one he anticipated.
Posted in: title, shlemenko, title fight, middleweight title, face shlemenko
Read the full article at SherdogFrank Mir weighs in on UFC 146 title fight, Alistair Overeem, and Cain Velasquez
Frank Mir discusses a variety of topics in his interview, expressing his excitement at being promoted to the main event at UFC 146. Mir believes that his training for a fight versus Velasquez will helphim in the potential five round fight. He also thinks Overeem should get another chance and wants him to remain in the UFC's Heavyweight division. Mir goes on to say that he does not believe that Junior dos Santos is looking to avenge his mentor Rodrigo Nogueira, but rather to defend his title as a
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, mir, round fight
Read the full article at Low KickChuck Liddell Would Come Out Of Retirement For A Title Shot
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [9 comments]
Posted in: title shot, title, retirement, shot, chuck liddell
Read the full article at RedditUFC 148 Fight Card: Silva Vs. Sonnen II
Big changes to UFC 148 on July 7th in Las Vegas.The expected main event, a third bout between UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, will now serve as the co-main event to the long-awaited Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch for the UFC middleweight title. This is probably the most stacked card of the year so far, featuring stars in every main card bout. There will also be a fan expo in Vegas for the event. Here's how the card looks as of right now (bout order isn't set):
July 7th, live on PPV from Las Vegas, NV:
Anderson Silva (31-4) vs. Chael Sonnen (27-11-1) [MW Title]
Dominick Cruz (19-1) vs. Urijah Faber (26-5) [BW Title]
Tito Ortiz (16-10-1) vs. Forrest Griffin (18-7)
Rich Franklin (28-6, 1 NC) vs. Cung Le (7-2)
Michael Bisping (22-4) vs. Tim Boetsch (15-4)
SBN coverage of UFC 148
Ivan Menjivar (24-8) vs. Renan Barao (28-1, 1 NC)
Fabricio Camoes (14-6-1) vs. Melvin Guillard (29-10-2, 1 NC)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (17-0) vs. Gleison Tibau (25-7)
Dong Hyun Kim (15-1-1, 1 NC) vs. Demian Maia (15-4)
Riki Fukuda (18-5) vs. Constantinos Philippou (10-2, 1 NC)
Posted in: ufc, title, vs, card, nc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator Champ Hector Lombard Heading To The UFC
We posted last week that the UFC had offered Bellator Middleweight champ Hector Lombard a contract and that Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney would decide whether or not to match the offer this week. Well the suspense is over. MMA Fighting's Mike Chiappetta is reporting that Bellator is letting Lombard move on up to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Lombard was one of the first fighters Rebney signed when he launched Bellator in 2008. Lombard went 8-0 with 7 KO's in Bellator, winning the MW title in the promotion's inaugural tournament in 2009. Lombard defended the title once against Alexander Shlemenko in 2010 and had four non-title fights while holding the title.
During his time in Bellator, Lombard defended the Cage Fighting Championship MW title twice and won the Australian Fighting Championship title in 2011. His overall MMA record is 31-2-1 with 1 NC. He is 34-years-old and was a Judo Olympian with Cuba in 2000. He has since become an Australian citizen.
Lombard's tenure with Bellator has to be regarded as a mixed success for the fighter who drew several good paydays while remaining free to fight in his home of Australia. Lombard also raised his profile somewhat with American fans. On the negative side, he did little to test himself while with America's #2 MMA promotion and will likely be thrown into the deep end by the UFC.
Rebney's reasoning for not matching the UFC's contract offer is after the jump...
"We have a business model where we make decisions based on analyzing data. Since the first day we came into being, we made decisions based on real models, not hypotheticals. The UFC model is largely based on pay-per-view, and the offer they made to Hector is going to be monetized via pay-per-view. While pay-per-view could play a role in our future, today it doesn't. So, we did our due diligence to review the UFC contract, analyze it in terms of charging our audience to see Hector vs. putting him on free TV, and we decided to allow the UFC to sign Hector, where I am extremely confident he will win the UFC middleweight title on pay-per-view," Rebney told Chiappetta.
"He was a great fighter here, and there's no doubt in my mind he'll be a great fighter when he goes to the UFC," Rebney said. "I've said for a long time he's the best middleweight in the world, and I think he'll win the UFC title in short order."
Posted in: ufc, lombard, hector, bellator, title
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFrank Mir gets another shot at UFC heavyweight title thanks to Alistair Overeem's failed drug test (Yahoo! Sports)
The former champ will face Junior dos Santos at UFC 146, and it will mark the fourth time Mir has fought for a title.
Posted in: ufc, title, mir, time mir, alistair overeems
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsNewly minted contender Frank Mir happy, relieved to get UFC 146 title shot
Frank Mir of course knew that he could, and most
likely would, replace Alistair Overeem in a title
bout against champ Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146.
But until it was official, he could only imagine.
"When you're sitting there thinking late at night, there's thousands of
different scenarios that play out," Mir today told MMAjunkie.com.
Posted in: title, mir, alistair overeem, title bout, mir today
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJon Jones Says Gustafsson Isn't Quite Ready For Him, but 'Exudes Winning'
In the eternal hunt for the "next" big thing, many have anointed the title on Sweden's Alexander Gustafsson, the 6-foot-5 striker who earned his biggest career victory by beating Thiago Silva at UFC on FUEL 2, just a week before UFC light-heayvweight divisional champ Jon Jones successfully defended his title.Jones has been one of the many impressed by the 25-year-old, though he doesn't feel he's quite ready for a title shot just yet.
"Alexander Gustfasson I think is pretty close to a title shot," he said last week. "I think if maybe he wins two more fights against some top guys like maybe Lyoto [Machida] or Rashad [Evans] or somebody who can push him in different categories. I would like to see him against a wrestler, and I would like to see him against a worthy striker, then a title shot would be very appropriate."
Gustafsson was never truly in the running to fight Jones next anyway, since Dan Henderson had been queued up as the next challenger for quite some time.As Gustafsson's risen up the ladder though, there have been increased comparisons between him and Jones. But while the 24-year-old champ is impressed by Gustafsson, he doesn't quite see a reflection of himself."I think the only similarity is that we’re both tall, and that’s it," he said. "We are completely different athletes. I have a wrestler-base where I shoot and throw from the clinch. I kick fast and accurate. He has really great boxing. I like his demeanor, though. He has some swagger. That kid has swagger. He exudes winning the second he steps in the cage. I realize that about him. But I think the kid has the potential to be a star. Sweden just loves him. And I saw that he just has 'it,' and I’m excited for him."Gustafsson's won five straight matches, including four via stoppage, leading to speculation that he and Jones could meet somewhere down the line, something that UFC president Dana White indirectly acknowledged when asked about it."There's a lot of things we could do in that weight division," he said. "It's always and always will be a fun division."
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, jone, gustafsson
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 145 Results: Is Jon Jones The Greatest Ever?
After his dominant performance against Rashad Evans at UFC 145, UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones has very nearly cleaned out the LHW division. Since taking the title from Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128, Jones has beaten ex-champs Lyoto Machida, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and now Evans.
Jones has definitively established himself as the first dominant champion since Rampage Jackson took the title from Chuck Liddell in May 2007. During that interregnum, during which 5 men held the title, the LHW belt was only defended successfully twice and one of those wins was a very controversial decision.
With his 3rd successful title defense, Jones is now on the verge of joining a very exclusive club of UFC LHW champions. Only Jones, Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock have defended the belt 4 times. Ortiz even managed a 5th defense.
Jones accomplishments have some, such as MMA Fighting's Mike Chiappetta already saying that Jones may be the Greatest of All Time.
We'll let Chiappetta make his case after the jump...SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans
I'm not saying he's the best ever, not quite yet, but he's now in the conversation. He has to be, after vanquishing rival Rashad Evans at UFC 145. That's admittedly an absurd notion when you take into consideration the fact that he's just 24 years old and barely four years into his professional career, but the facts are the facts. In the last 13 months, he's beaten four straight former champions, four straight possible Hall of Famers in Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and now, Evans.
Throw in his February 2011 win over Ryan Bader and he's beaten five top 10 opponents in the span of 14 months, an accomplishment likely unmatched not only in MMA, but in the history of combat sports. If he beats his next scheduled opponent Henderson -- another future Hall of Famer -- he will only be extending the most amazing run this sport has ever seen.
I'll look at this issue in greater depth this week, but for now I'll limit myself to saying that Jones' rivals at this point for greatest LHW of all time are: Frank Shamrock (4 title defenses, unified the division), Tito Ortiz (5 straight defenses), Chuck Liddell (4 title defenses), Wanderlei Silva (defended the Pride 205lb belt 5 times) and Shogun Rua (for his Pride MW GP tournament streak of 4 wins over top ranked competition).
What do you think? Where do you rank Jones in the GOAT sweepstakes?
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, defense, he
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 145 results: Jon Jones dominates Rashad Evans, has Dan Henderson in his sights
Four fights, four former champions, four victories for Jon Jones.
Tonight (April 21) when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rolled into Atlanta, "Bones" proved he was alone atop the light heavyweight mountain when he took apart his UFC 145 opponent, Rashad Evans, over the course of 25 minutes.
"Suga" found a measure of success in the opening round, taking the five minute period on two judges' scorecards but standing elbows in the second stanza changed the entire complexion of the fight.
As Jones' elbows cracked against his opponent's skull, the tide began to shift significantly in the champion's favor and in the following three rounds, he never looked back as he began to pull away from the challenger.
Evans, ranked as the number one 205-pounder after he defeated Forrest Griffin at UFC 92, marks the fourth such fighter "Bones" has defeated in as many fights. He yanked the title from Mauricio Rua's waist and then submitted both Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida, all in a 13 month period which could very well go down as the most impressive span of fights in mixed martial arts (MMA) history.
There doesn't seem to be anyone left to challenge the young champion.
Well, no one except a veteran with a bomb for a right hand.
Ever since his epic five-round war with "Shogun" at UFC 139, Dan Henderson has been waiting in the wings, holding out to score a title shot against either Jones or former rival Anderson Silva.
With "The Spider" being kept busy with Chael Sonnen and a light heavyweight division now bereft of challengers, it looks as if "Hendo" will be the latest former champion to match up against Jones.
In UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championship history, there have been -- aside from "Bones" -- 12 men to hold a light heavyweight title. Three -- Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Frank Shamrock -- are retired, and two -- Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva -- have dropped to 185-pounds. Two -- Tito Ortiz and Griffin -- are miles away from their heyday and will likely never get back into title contention while the aforementioned four have already lost to Jones.
Dan Henderson is the only one who remains.
Before UFC 145, I wrote that a win for Jones would make him the greatest light heavyweight of all time. He's only held the belt for 13 months but he's picked apart just about every other fighter who had it before him.
Who is left for him to beat?
After Henderson, perhaps Alexander Gustafsson? The Swede is good but still at least two or three fights away from being ready to challenge for Jones' crown.
"Bones" is simply on a level unmatched by any of his peers. He proved it at UFC 128. He proved it again at UFC 135 and UFC 140. And in case you didn't believe him the first three times, he shoved the proof in everyone's -- especially Evans' -- face tonight in Atlanta.
Just be thankful you don't have a welt on your forehead like "Suga" does.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, henderson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 145 results: Jon Jones next fight will be against Dan Henderson
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision win over Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 145 last night (Sat., April 21, 2012) from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
And now we know, officially, who is next victim opponent will be.
UFC President Dana White confirmed at the UFC 145 post-fight press conference that Dan Henderson will be given the title shot he was promised. No event, date or location for the bout was announced.
"Hendo" has been patiently waiting in the wings for his crack at the crown, having last competed at UFC 139 on Nov. 19, 2011. He defeated Mauricio Rua that night in one of the greatest fights in mixed martial arts (MMA) history, the very first five-round non-title main event to be contested inside the Octagon.
The win earned him the right to challenge for either the middleweight or light heavyweight title. He confessed his preference to go after Jones and now that Evans is out of the way and no other credible challenger even exists at present time, the path is clear.
Now the big question -- does Henderson have a legitimate chance at winning the fight?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJones wins decision over Evans to retain title
Jon Jones used his reach advantage to take a unanimous decision over Rashad Evans on Saturday and retain his UFC light heavyweight title.
Posted in: title, jone, decision, rashad evans, evan
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 145: With a win against Rashad Evans, Jon Jones becomes the greatest light heavyweight of all time
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones recently said Tito Ortiz was the greatest 205-pound fighter of all time.
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" has many different accomplishments he can hang his trademarked flaming beanie on but that may not be one of them. He was the face of the promotion during the "Dark Ages," a period where nearly every single cable and satellite carrier dropped UFC events from its programming. His style of fighting and personality gave the company the star it needed to survive those turbulent times.
Ortiz's career has spanned a decade and a half during which he found himself opposite legends in the sports and stars in the making. Names like Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva and Rashad Evans litter his fight résumé.
He holds a record five light heavyweight title defenses, one more than Frank Shamrock and Chuck Liddell, both of whom are regarded as two of the best fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon and three more than "Bones" himself. But a closer look at these defenses reveal Ortiz was a great fighter but not the greatest.
After tonight's (April 21) UFC 145 main event, the honor may very well go to Jones.
Revisionist history can be bothersome but bear with me for a moment.
Ortiz won the light heavyweight title from a before-his-prime Wanderlei Silva in 2000. Had the fight taken place three years later, it would have been much more impressive but at the time, "The Axe Murderer" hadn't come into his own. Ortiz's first defense would come against natural middleweight Yuki Kondo blown up to 205-pounds to challenge for the title in his native country.
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" then put his belt on the line against Evan Tanner and thoroughly trounced him. There's nothing I can take away from this victory. Tanner had an unblemished UFC record at the time and had only lost twice in over two dozen mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts going into his fight with Ortiz. The next title defense for the champion was a farce, however, as he took on Elvis Sinosic. A barely over .500 fighter, the Aussie was granted a five rounder against Ortiz after pulling off a surprising submission victory over Jeremy Horn.
The next two title defenses would come against Vladimir Matyushenko -- a late replacement for Vitor Belfort -- and Ken Shamrock -- who at 38 years old was well past his prime -- two bouts which fall victim to extenuating circumstances.
Fast forward nearly a decade and Jon Jones is experiencing a similar level of domination in the light heavyweight division albeit against much tougher competition.
Jones won the belt from Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 after "Shogun" had knocked out the once thought to be unbeatable Lyoto Machida. Rua, who in 2005, walked through the PRIDE Fighting Championships grand prix and took out Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona. "Bones" battered him for two and a half rounds before the fight was stopped.
Next up for the Greg Jackson product was Jackson who was the first man to become the undisputed number one light heavyweight in the world after unifying his UFC title with Dan Henderson's strap from PRIDE at UFC 75. Jones dominated "Rampage," barely allowing the Memphis native to land a single punch. And then last December, Machida got his second crack at the title but fell short when Jones choked him unconscious at the end of the second round.
And tonight, it's Rashad Evans. Four opponents, all of which were at one point recognized as the best 205-pound fighter in the world.
Should Jones win tonight, there's no doubt who the greatest light heavyweight of all time is.
Could there even be any doubt he is the greatest fighter period?
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, ortiz, heavyweight
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMir to fight Dos Santos for title at UFC 146
UFC president Dana White announced late Friday night that Frank Mir will face Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146 for the heavyweight title.
Posted in: ufc, title, do, friday night, fight dos
Read the full article at sportsnet.caSo much for Silva being stripped of his title, Dana says Silva-Sonnen II still on, but nothing about it being in Brazil
submitted by FratDaddy69 [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: title, silva, brazil, silvasonnen ii, title dana
Read the full article at RedditFrank Mir Officially Replaces Alistar Overeem as Title Challenger at UFC 146
Just days before Alistair Overeem’s scheduled meeting with the Nevada Athletic Commission, UFC President Dana White has announced that Frank Mir will be the one challenging for the UFC heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos at UFC 146. The event takes place on May 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion, fills in for Overeem after Overeem tested positive for elevated testosterone levels after a press conference for UFC 146 in March. He was scheduled to meet with the Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday to request a license for the fight next month. He was granted a temporary license for his fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 in December. Due to the license expiring after that fight, along with passing drug tests both before and after the bout, the win over Lesnar will officially remain a victory.
However, the drug test results did immediately put his status as title challenger at UFC 146 in question. Mir was the first to volunteer as a replacement, stating “I would be excited if given the opportunity to compete for the UFC’s heavyweight title at UFC 146″. Now he is being given that opportunity.
This comes just days after White posted on Twitter that “Mir vs. Cain will happen”.
Mir enters the fight on a three-fight win streak, having defeated Mirko Cro Cop, Roy Nelson, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in his last three matchups.
White did not announce the status of Mir’s now former opponent at the event, fellow former champion Cain Velasquez. He is expected to remain on the card.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, mir, title challenger
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyBreaking News: Alistair Overeem Is Out, Frank Mir Is In For UFC Heavyweight Title Fight With Junior Dos Santos At UFC 146
So long Alistair Overeem. UFC president Dana White sent out a Tweet late Friday night confirming that it will be Frank Mir facing Junior dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight title on May 26 at UFC 146. “Taking off to Atlanta!!!! May 26th is now Mir vs. JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas [...]
Posted in: ufc, title, mir, friday night, hw title
Read the full article at MMA ConvertContender-apparent Henderson favors Jones fight, expects close UFC 145 headliner
Whomever he ends up fighting, Dan Henderson admits his next title shot could be his last.
"With my career winding down, I know that I probably won't have too many title shots in the future if I don't take advantage of this one," Henderson told MMAjunkie.com Radio.
Henderson is expected to meet the winner of tomorrow's light-heavyweight title bout between champ Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.
Posted in: title shot, title, henderson, i dont, jones fight
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 145: Jones Vs. Evans Weigh-In Results
Well, it is now official. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and No. 1 contender Rashad Evans each weighed in successfully Friday afternoon, making their title contest at UFC 145 Saturday night official. Jones will be looking to defend his title for a third time, having already defeated former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto [...]
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, friday afternoon, title contest
Read the full article at MMA ConvertGeorges St. Pierre talks recovering from injuries, trainer conflict with Carlos Condit and UFC 145 main event
Though current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre has been sidelined for the last eight months due to injuries, that hasn't stopped the 170-pound kingpin from making the media rounds at promotional events.
So you could pretty much guarantee that "Rush" wasn't going to miss out on this weekend's (April 21, 2012) highly anticipated UFC 145 event that features two men St. Pierre knows very well, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and number one contender, Rashad Evans. Georges has shared some training time with both individuals down at Jackson-Winkeljohns Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque and has solid friendships with both competitors.
With Georges' rehab being ahead of schedule, the French-Canadian hopes to get back inside the Octagon before the year's out in hopes of unifying his title with the interim welterweight belt currently held by Carlos Condit, yet another Greg Jackson trained fighter.
St. Pierre was on hand at today's (April 19, 2012) UFC 145 open workouts in Atlanta, Ga., answering questions from media regarding a bevy of topics ranging from his current health status to the possible training conflicts that could arise when he faces Condit to his take on this weekend's 205-pound title fight.
Check out what he had to say (via MMA Heat) after the jump.
"It feels very good but because I had two injuries... It was a patellar tendon graph that I had. I had two injuries, not just one, but this is going to be the strongest graph. In two months, it's going to be 100-percent, but right now I feel that something is still not 100 percent, but in two months, I have no doubt in my mind. I don't want to mess it up. If I try to jump or go to fast, I will have to do it all over again so I don't want to do the same mistake."
The champion gave his insight on this weekend's title fight and talks about the pros and the cons that either fighter will face if they fight with too much emotion:
"I believe it is going to be a very good fight. As a fan of the sport, this is definitely a fight that I wanted to see. Both of these guys are incredibly talented. I believe a mistake form one of these two guys will be fatal. So, well see what's going to happen. There is something different about this fight because they knew each other and it's a lot of pressure. I do not know who will be the favorite because of that. Like I say, if you fight sometimes with too much emotion you commit mistakes. So, it can be a good thing because it helps you to push yourself harder and to perform better but it can also be a mistake because of it, so it will be the experience factor of it. When I fought Matt Serra, B.J. Penn and even Josh Koscheck this last time, was a lot of emotion too. But, I always perform at my best under emotion, some people it's the other way around."
It's no secret that the third party in the Evans and Jones drama is none other than Jon's head trainer, Greg Jackson, who used to train "Suga." Greg also just happens to be trainer to "Rush" and "The Natural Born Killer." However, according to St. Pierre, when the time comes, there will be no issues or favoritism shown to either competitor in their title fight, which could possibly go down at UFC 154:
"For me and Carlos is different because we never actually trained together. We train at the same gym at the same time but we never really trained together. We trained with the same sparring partners. I actually only have shake Carlos' hand. I never grapple with him or wrestle or spar with him, so it's a different scenario for me. But Greg will not be in Carlos corner either, that is the understanding that we had if we had to fight each other, Carlos and I. I don't' lose anything because he is not going to be in Carlos corner either. The bottom line is, the trainer help you a lot during the training camp, it's not during the fight that is going to change anything. It's the thousand repetitions during the training camp that will come out during the fight. It's not at the fight that he is going to say something that is going to come out. When you fight, is mostly about instinct. So even if the Pope is in my corner, I will be fine. Greg will not be in mine or Carlos corner, but I have Firaz Zihabi. For me, Firaz is my number one guy, he is their all the time. The most important guy for me is Firaz Zihabi."
Though he has no issues fighting Condit, a fighter he shares a gym with from time-to-time, there is a certain 170-pound contender that he would absolutely have no interest in fighting -- fellow Tri-Star training partner, Rory MacDonald, who will also be in action this weekend taking on Che Mills:
"I'm not interested in fighting him, to tell you the truth. There are a lot of welterweights and I don't think we have to do it now. Right now there's a lot of challenge. In two years, who knows, maybe I will go to Middleweight. Who knows what is going to happen. So for me, right now I am not interested. He is a friend and he is a brother to me and I hope him the best and I know one day he is going to be world champion."
"GSP" at Middleweight? Music to fantasy matchmakers ears everywhere and somewhere in Brazil, the ears of 185-pound champion Anderson Silva are ringing.
For now, "Rush" is fully focused on his rehab and his upcoming title unification title fight with Carlos Condit.
Drama free, I might add.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, greg, carlo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMark Munoz next fight: 'Filipino Wrecking Machine' targets July return, likes Chris Weidman rumors
Winner of four straight, including victories over Chris Leben, Demian Maia and Aaron Simpson, "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Mark Munoz was on the cusp of earning his way into title shot contention. Of course, he would have had to get past one Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2, which was scheduled to go down on Jan., 28, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois.
The winner between the former college wrestling rivals was set to receive a title shot against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but a few weeks before the fight, Munoz broke the bad news that he had suffered an elbow injury in preparation for his bout with Sonnen.
Michael Bisping was then given the co-main event slot against Chael and went on to lose the bout via unanimous decision, giving Sonnen his long desired rematch against "The Spider." Sitting on the sidelines was Munoz, left to think with what could have been.
Now, three months removed from his injury, the former NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion is eager to step back into the Octagon and prove his worth as a top contender in the UFC's 185-pound division.
Speaking to MMA Frenzy, Munoz talks about the injury that forced him out of his number one contender's fight on Fox and who he feels would be a good matchup for him once he is ready to come back this summer.
Check it out:
"I feel great. I'm training and sparring, I feel really good. For the past few years I've had problems with my elbow. I kept ignoring it until they found out I had some bone spurs after my fight with Chris Leben. My elbow was throbbing and the pain was so great, my doctors told me I needed surgery, but by that time I was already informed of the fight with Sonnen for the FOX 2 card and I didn't want to pass up that opportunity. While I was training my elbow popped and it felt a lot worse than it ever had before. I tried to work through it, but it was too much to bear. I tried to pick up my gym bag and I couldn't even lift it."
Though Munoz is not 100 percent healed yet, he should be ready to get back into the swing of things by July:
"It turns out that those bone spurs had made their way into my joints. They ended up pulling out 24 pieces of bone six of which were a centimeter and a half in diameter. I was so disappointed afterwards because I had been waiting to get a title shot for a long time, but everything happens for a reason and now I am coming back stronger than before. There is still a little bit of pain, but it's only been a few months so that's to be expected. I am definitely looking forward to getting back inside the Octagon and continuing on towards a shot at the championship. I fought eight times in three years; the fight with Sonnen would've been my ninth fight in 26 months. I'm not sure when I'll be back for sure, but my doctors are optimistic about being able to fight in July."
"The Filipino Wrecking Machine" has recently been linked to a possible fight with up-and-coming Chris Weidman, who was last seen defeating submission wizard Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 2 this past January. Munoz, for one, would not mind being matched up with Weidman:
"I have been hearing those same rumors as well. I feel like I match him up against him really well. He has great stand-up and he is a solid wrestler who takes people down and uses top control to force his will on them. He has good BJJ and is always looking for submissions and chokes. I am definitely looking forward to that fight if it does happen. I want to fight someone who makes sense, someone who is going to get me closer to a title shot. I feel like I have earned that opportunity and by defeating someone of Weidman's caliber I believe I would deserve a title shot."
Weidman, ironically enough, benefited from Mark's unfortunate injury. After Munoz was forced out of the bout, he was replaced by "The Count," who was originally set to take on Maia, leaving the jiu-jitsu ace without an opponent. After Rousimar Palhares turned the bout down against his fellow countrymen, Weidman agreed to step up and fill the vacant slot on 11 days notice.
After keeping his perfect record intact by getting past Maia, Chris immediately jumped up the rankings and got himself right in the mix of the middleweight division. Now, a potential fight with Munoz could be looming for the young undefeated prospect, in what could prove to be his toughest test to date in his blossoming fight career.
What say you, does a match up between Munoz and Weidman intrigue you? Who would take this battle of former NCAA Division-1 wrestlers?
Posted in: fight, title, shot, weidman, munoz
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDan Henderson Doesn’t Feel Need To ‘Redeem’ Himself By Fighting Anderson Silva
Dan Henderson is in a position to challenge for either the UFC light heavyweight or middleweight championship belt. While most feel like Henderson will go after the light heavyweight title, many would prefer to see him rematch against Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title. Back in 2008, Silva earned a second round submission victory [...]
Posted in: title, heavyweight, silva, henderson, anderson silva
Read the full article at MMA ConvertShooto Adds Hironaka, Okazaki Title Defenses, ‘K-Taro’ Nakamura to May 18 Card
After months of inactivity, Shooto world champions Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Koetsu Okazaki will look to defend their respective titles for the first time next month.
Posted in: title, month, shooto, koetsu okazaki, hironaka
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 145 Photos: Jon Jones Trains For Rashad Evans
UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones returns to action on Saturday against bitter rival and former training partner Rashad Evans at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Georgia's Philips Arena.
The 24-year-old Jones is making his third title defense since beating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and taking the title at UFC 128 last year. Jones defeated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 135 and Lyoto Machida at UFC 140.
Related: Jones Vs. Evans Stare Down And Pre-Fight Press Conference Gallery | UFC 145 Pre-Fight Press Conference Video | UFC 145: Rashad Evans Trains With Roy Jones, Jr.
Jones' former teammate Rashad Evans has been a thorn in his side since Jones accepted the title shot against Rua. Evans had been scheduled to fight Rua for the title at UFC 128, in fact he'd been waiting for Rua to recover from ACL surgery since UFC 114 but then Evans himself fell injured shortly before the fight.
Jones was notified of the opportunity to fight for the title in the Octagon at UFC 126 after he beat Ryan Bader. Shortly thereafter he expressed some willingness to face Rashad Evans should the UFC demand it and the feud was on.
Sherdog's Dave Mandel was allowed into a Jones' training session and took the pics you'll find after the jump... SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans
Photos by Dave Mandel for Sherdog. See the rest of the gallery.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, rashad, evan
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJon Jones, Rashad Evans feud creates UFC 145 boon for fans ()
A confusing split between one-time buddies helped lead to Saturday's title bout between two of the world's top-10 fighters.
Posted in: ufc, title, fighter, saturday, boon
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsCruz to Faber: "You've had four title fights, you've lost all of them in the last year... Go get in your Grandpa's Mercedes and go home."
submitted by neokeynesian [link] [4 comments]
Posted in: title, youve, grandpas mercedes, faber youve, mercede
Read the full article at RedditPics: Jon Jones UFC-sponsored fight gear revealed for Rashad Evans title match
Jon Jones has been sponsored by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
What does that mean, exactly? Well, in addition to paying him for his services inside the Octagon, like his UFC 145 title fight against Rashad Evans on April 21 in Atlanta, Georgia, he'll also get a sizable check for wearing exclusive UFC merchandise based on his name, image and likeness.
"Bones" explains the decision on last week's conference call:
"I've had a goal of being sponsored by Nike for many, many years. And part of our strategy to try to make that happen one day is to not be a billboard, and not just be sponsored by TapouT one week, and Affliction one week, and then MusclePharm next week, and all these random companies. If you realize, I try to look for relationships with companies, long lasting relationships with companies. So a part of my brand is to keep it clean. Less is more in my opinion."
You can get a closer look at his new threads, available exclusively at the UFC store in advance of this weekend's title defense, after the jump.
UFC 145 Jon Jones Walkout Lateral Sports Top:
The UFC 145 Jon Jones Electric Fight Short:
UFC 145 Jon Jones Cornerman T-shirt:
UFC 145 Jon Jones Promoter Track Jacket:
See the entire collection here.
The UFC clearly has a vested interest in Jones as he heads into his UFC 145 title fight against Evans. Anyone think this extra pressure will affect "Bones" in any way? Or is it just business as usual?
More on UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" right here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jon, jone
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNate Marquardt expects vacant welterweight title to be on the line in Strikeforce debut fight against Tyron Woodley
The past 12 months have been a roller coaster for Nate Marquardt.
In March of 2011, "The Great" had just won a unanimous decision victory over Dan Miller at UFC 128. It appeared as though he was getting his career back on track, and he was re-energized by a move down to Welterweight, where he was set to fight Rick Story at UFC on Versus 4 in the main event of the evening. Everything was coming together nicely.
And then it happened.
The day before the Story fight, Marquardt was pulled from the match because of elevated testosterone levels. The withdrawal sent the entire card into disarray and caused Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White to immediately fire Marquardt and declare he'd never fight in the UFC again.
Fast forward one year later.
In the interim, Marquardt signed with the BAMMA, but never actually stepped foot in the cage for the British-based promotion. After being granted his release from the promotion earlier this year, there was speculation of Marquardt signing with Bellator, as well as a few other smaller promotions, before it was finally made official that he'd be signing with Zuffa-owned Strikeforce.
In February, it was announced that Marquardt's first fight for Strikeforce would be opposite welterweight contender Tyron Woodley. According to a recent interview Marquardt had with "Inside MMA," the fight will be for the vacant 170-pound belt:
"It's the best outcome I could have imagined, with all this. Like I said. Back with Zuffa. Back in a title fight for my first fight back, it's amazing. From what I understand, that's who I'll be fighting is Tyron Woodley. I also understand it's gonna be a five round title fight for the 170 pound title. You know, he's a smart fighter, but at the same time, I have a lot more experience than him. It's gonna be my fight to dictate where it goes."
It certainly makes for a dramatic twist.
Now, Marquardt -- who appeared to be banished for life by Dana White for life -- will not only make his debut for a promotion that is, for all intents and purposes, run by White, but his return will be welcomed with an immediate title shot.
Interesting to say the very least, no?
The fight has not been confirmed by Strikeforce officials as being a title fight, but it is officially scheduled to take place on the May 19, 2012, card that will feature a main event fight between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight grand prix championship. The card will also showcasesanother title fight when Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez defends his strap in a rubber match versus Josh Thomson.
For the latest news notes on Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, nate marquardt, marquardt
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDespite Fan Support, Dana White Says Mark Hunt Not Yet in Running for Heavyweight Title Shot
Despite a public rallying cry on Twitter for UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt to get a title shot should Alistair Overeem not be able to go, Dana White says it won't happen.
Posted in: title shot, mark hunt, title, alistair overeem, shot
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC Quick Quote: 'Alexander Gustafsson could go against any of the top light heavyweights'
"It went from bad to worse for him (Silva) in this fight. He's got a disadvantage going in and the crowd's against him. From a technical standpoint, once Gustafsson started hitting Silva, Silva started covering up and that's when you're not scoring points. Gustafsson looked like Dominick Cruz tonight. Silva came out to fight, but he got outfought tonight. Alex just kept moving. Gustafsson's won his last five fights. There's never been someone to win five fights in a row and not get a title fight. Gustafsson could go against any of the top guys in the weight class. Henderson is waiting in the wings for a title fight. Gustafsson might have time for another fight before he gets his title chance."
Though impressed with his performance against dangerous Brazilian Thiago Silva yesterday (Sat., April 14, 2012) at UFC on Fuel TV 2 from Stockholm, Sweden, Chael Sonnen believes Alexander Gustafsson will probably have to fight, and more importantly, win, one more time before he gets his chance to compete for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold. A winner of his last five bouts, which includes victories over Matt Hamill and Vladimir Matyushenko, "The Mauler" is knocking at the door of top contender status. Unfortunately for him, Dan Henderson already has his foot in said door. That's because UFC President Dana White pretty much guaranteed "Hendo" will get next crack at the light heavyweight title against the winner of next weekends (April 21, 2012) title fight at UFC 145 between current champion Jon Jones and challenger Rashad Evans. So with Henderson in the way, who do you feel would be a top candidate to face Gustafsson his next time out? Mauricio Rua, Lyoto Machida, Ryan Bader and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are four top 205-pound fighters with no dates currently lined up. Perhaps one of them? Or someone else? Sound off, Maniacs.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, silva, gustafsson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White Confirms Mark Hunt Will Not Be Getting UFC 146 Title Shot
The dream is dead, folks. Ever since Alistair Overeem tested positive for elevated testosterone, the fate of his UFC 146 title shot against UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has been up in the air. If Overeem was indeed pulled from the fight, who would take his place? Lately fans have been rallying for fellow UFC 146 competitor Mark Hunt to take his spot, and the movement built enough momentum to make Hunt a star on twitter. It all came crashing down today at the UFC on Fuel 2 post-fight press conference though, courtesy of UFC president Dana White. When asked if he had seen the rally, he crushed Super Samoan fans everywhere with his response:
"Yes. They can keep rallying. You don’t just jump right into the title shot. I guarantee you this, if he beats (Stefan) Struve, his next fight will be against somebody in the top five that can get him closer to that title shot."
I think I speak for at least some people when I say that I'm happy Dana finally shot this goofy idea down and we can now move onto talking about stuff that is actually realistic. As much as I like Mark Hunt (and have for many years), Dana's right - it doesn't make any sense for Hunt to skip the line. Sorry.
Related Stories
UFC 146's Mark Hunt: 'I Don't Really Care How Long It Takes To Get a Title Shot, I'm Just Going To Keep Fighting' | UFC 146: Mark Hunt Should Not Fight For The Heavyweight Title | UFC 146: Mark Hunt Discusses Possible Bout With Junior dos Santos | Fans Clamoring For Fedor Or Mark Hunt Vs. Junior Dos Santos
SBN coverage of UFC 146
Posted in: ufc, mark, hunt, title, shot
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDana White Shoots Down 'Rally for Mark Hunt' Title Shot Movement - MMA Fighting
submitted by donnie_brasco [link] [13 comments]
Posted in: mark, hunt, title, shot, donniebrasco
Read the full article at RedditUFC On Fuel 2 Results: Is Alexander Gustafsson Really Ready For A Title Shot, Really?
UFC commentators Mike Goldberg and Kenny Florian were pushing Alexander Gustafsson hard as a legitimate title challenger during and after his decision win over Thiago Silva at UFC on Fuel TV 2. Gustafsson, currently ranked as the #9 Light Heavyweight in the world according to the USA TODAY/MMA Nation Consensus Rankings handily beat the #15 ranked Silva.
There's a not-too-awful case to be made that he deserves a title shot. First off, he's riding a 5-fight-win-streak in the UFC. That's a very impressive feat. More impressively 4-out-of-5 of those wins were by submission or KO/TKO. So he's ready for Jon Jones right?
Yeah, right.
Gustafsson has beaten exactly two top 20 fighters: Silva and Vladimir Matyushenko who was ranked #18 when they fought. His other UFC wins came against Matt Hamill (now retired), Cyrille Diabate (now at middleweight), Jared Hamman (now at middleweight) and James Te-Huna who may be a future top 20 fighter, but he certainly wasn't one when he fought Gustafsson.
And let's look at the two best fighters Gustafsson has beaten: Thiago Silva coming off a lay-off of more than a year and a 40-year-old Matyushenko.
His lone UFC loss to Phil Davis at UFC 112 is a good preview of what we might expect from Gustafsson in a title shot. Gustafsson had no answer for Davis' wrestling or his BJJ. He'll have no more for Jon Jones or Rashad Evans or Dan Henderson than he had for Davis.
There's also the question of his promotional profile. Fighting on Fuel TV in the early afternoon U.S. time is not exactly a promotional bonanza. Maybe a couple hundred thousand fans will catch the fight. That's not going to sell a lot of PPVs.
The one upside to a Gustafsson title shot would be to return to Sweden for the show. If the second UFC in Sweden features a Swede fighting for a belt that would be the rare 2nd appearance in a country that sells more tickets than the debut.
I'm not saying Gustafsson isn't extremely tough, extremely talented and at just 25 still improving rapidly. But I am saying I don't see him doing much more inside the Octagon in a title fight than taking a beating. SBN coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 2
Posted in: ufc, title, silva, gustafsson, thiago silva
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC On Fuel 2 Results: Winners And Losers
UFC on Fuel 2 is in the books and the card delivered. Nine finishes and two other entertaining decisions should have Dana White and company very pleased with their first trip to Sweden. The Stockholm crowd was very enthusiastic and added a lot to the show, and it's always fun to see hometown guys soak in the adulation of the fans after they've won their bout. There were no judging errors, no referee mistakes (other than a couple of semi-quick standups in the first few preliminary bouts) and best of all, there was no controversy. I can't think of many better ways to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Winners
Alexander Gustafsson: Picking up a huge win over a tough opponent in your home country has to feel very good for The Mauler. He has now established himself as a top-tier light heavyweight and main eventer, and will definitely get another big bout fairly soon. His improvement since joining Alliance MMA has been incredible, and it's great to see a big man using his size and length so well.
Brian Stann: It was vital for Stann to rebound from his UFC 136 mauling by Chael Sonnen with a good performance, and he definitely did just that. The win might have come over an opponent that isn't held in the highest esteem by fans, but it will definitely give Stann the momentum he needs to get another big fight in the UFC middleweight division.
Dennis Siver: One featherweight win over Diego Nunes probably has Siver closer to a title shot than he ever was at 155. Featherweight is not a deep division and while he didn't exactly look like a threat to Jose Aldo's title, he can give a lot of 145ers a tough challenge. I'd expect a bout with another top-five fighter in his next outing.
Siyar Bahadurzada: Now that's a hell of a way to introduce yourself to UFC fans. Siyar's got bricks for fists and personality for days, and he'll be a very nice addition to the 170 pound division. As Brent said in his piece, I'm not sure if Bahadurzada will be a title threat due to his shortcomings on the ground, but it's going to be fun to watch him try to climb the ladder.
Brad Pickett: Pickett got blasted by Renan Barao at UFC 138, and it's clear that he's not a central figure in the title chase at this moment. Still though, that win over Damacio Page was extremely beneficial for his career and a lot of fun to watch as well. I'm sure the 50k bonus didn't hurt either.
Scandinavian MMA: The attendance and gate figures aren't out yet, but it is pretty obvious that the first event in Sweden was a slam dunk. Swedish fighters went just 2-3 on the card (one losing to a Norwegian, which has to hurt), but all of them looked like UFC-caliber fighters and it's clear that the fans are interested in the sport. I have a feeling the UFC will be returning there, perhaps to Norway, as soon as possible.
Losers after the jump!
SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva
Losers
Thiago Silva: After his debacle following UFC 125, Silva was going to come back against either Brandon Vera or Igor Pokrajac, both very winnable fights for him. Instead, he took a main event bout with a legit prospect and lost. While he looked good at times, he just couldn't deal with Gustafsson's length. Silva has gone almost three years without a win and is 1-3 (1 NC) in his last five bouts. All against top competition to be sure, but Silva desperately needs a win to turn his fortunes around.
Paulo Thiago: He went from the most popular fighter at UFC 134 to flat on his face and unconscious in the center of Stockholm in just a few months. Sam The Eagle will always be a popular fighter due to his real career as a BOPE officer and his honorable disposition, but Siyar Bahadurzada just set Paulo's MMA career back in a major way.
Diego Nunes: It's unlikely that he'd want to face off with teammate Jose Aldo anyway, but any hope of a title shot just took a huge hit with that loss to Siver. He's a lot of fun to watch and I actually thought he won the bout, but he needs to stop being so flashy and pull the trigger on some things that will help him win fights a little more. It's unclear where he'll go from here, but the word "stagnate" has to come to mind.
Papy Abedi: He's now 0-2 in the UFC, and he was submitted in the first round both times. That's not good. He also looked to just give up after he got dropped by James Head, who didn't exactly have his choke fully secured before Abedi tapped. He might get another bout in the UFC, but the holes in his game are pretty clear now.
Posted in: ufc, title, fighter, bout, silva
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJohnston on MMA: The man to beat Jon Jones
Which light-heavyweight is the biggest threat to Jon Jones' UFC title?
Posted in: title, jon, jone, jon jones, threat
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 146's Mark Hunt: 'I Don't Really Care How Long It Takes To Get A Title Shot. I'm Just Going To Keep Fighting'
submitted by tekprodfx16 [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: ufc, title, tekprodfx, shot, dont
Read the full article at RedditZach Makovsky, Eduardo Dantas Cleared for Bellator 65 Bantamweight Title Showdown
Zach Makovsky will defend his bantamweight title as expected at Bellator 65 on Friday, as both “Fun Size” and opponent Eduardo Dantas were cleared at Thursday’s pre-fight weigh-ins.
Posted in: title, eduardo, bantamweight title, makovsky, zach
Read the full article at SherdogBellator 65 title challenger Eduardo Dantas hopes to send housemate into retirement
Eduardo Dantas is a victory away from winning a Bellator title. He's also a win short of sending his housemate into retirement.
Following a breakout campaign in 2011 and a season-five tournament championship, Dantas now headlines Friday's Bellator 65 event in a title fight with bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky.
But life remains rather simple for Dantas, who still lives with his mom back in Brazil.
Posted in: bellator, title, title fight, danta, breakout campaign
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 70 Closes Season 6 in New Orleans with Heavyweight Title Fight, Middleweight Final
Bellator Fighting Championships announced Wednesday that its sixth-season finale will feature Cole Konrad’s first defense of his heavyweight title, as “The Polar Bear” takes on Season 5 tournament winner Eric Prindle on May 25.
Posted in: title, season, heavyweight, heavyweight title, sixthseason finale
Read the full article at SherdogBellator 70 heads to Louisiana with heavyweight title fight, middleweight-tourney finale
As expected a title fight between heavyweight champion Cole Konrad and de facto tournament winner Eric Prindle will be part of Bellator 70 on May 25.
MMAjunkie.com passed along news of the bout, which initially was slated for Friday's Bellator 65 show, on Tuesday.
Bellator officials today announced the fight and Bellator 70's location: the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, heavyweight, title fight
Read the full article at MMA Junkie
UFC 145: Good Friends, Better Enemies
NOV. 5, 2005An undersized Rashad Evans wins The Ultimate Fighter season 2 heavyweight tournament. He then drops to 205 lbs. and joins Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.2008AUG. 9, 200821-year-old Jon Jones makes his UFC debut with a unanimous decision victory against Andre Gusmao, after only eight months of training.SEPT. 6, 2008Evans earns a UFC title shot with a one-punch knockout of UFC legend Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell at UFC 88.DEC. 27, 2008Driven by momentum, Evans knocks out Forrest Griffin in the third round to lift the UFC world light heavyweight title.JAN. 31, 2009Jones defeats fellow contender Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. His spinning elbows and suplexes make him the talk of the MMA community.MAY 23, 2009Evans loses his UFC world championship to Lyoto Machida in a second-round knockout defeat, which was the lone reversal of his career.AUG. 22, 2009After promising not to fight any of his new teammates in the Octagon, Jones joins Jackson’s gym.SEPT. 30, 2009Evans predicts new teammate Jones will be champion some day. The pair comes to regard one another as brothers.MAY 29, 2010Evans wins a grudge match against Rampage Jackson and becomes the No. 1 contender to champion Shogun Rua.JUNE 10, 2010Rua suffers a serious knee injury. Rather than take an interim bout, Evans decides to wait for his title shot. The fight is eventually set for March 2011.FEB. 4-10, 2011News breaks that Evans is injured and will be unable to challenge the healed Rua for the UFC light heavyweight belt. The next day, Jones defeats contender Ryan Bader with surprising ease and—with Evans’ blessing—is offered the title fight against Rua. Evans predicts Jones will “destroy” Rua in the first round. Asked repeatedly, Evans claims he would change divisions before he would face Jones, should his “brother” win.MARCH 3-4, 2011During the broadcast of UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann, Jones said, “I respect (UFC President) Dana White a lot. If (the Rashad fight is) what he absolutely wanted to happen, then I guess that’s what would have to happen.” Asked to respond on MMA Live, a visibly upset Evans said, “I am no punk. If Jon wins the (title), I have to sit down with the team and decide what to do.”MARCH 19-22, 2011:Jones becomes the youngest UFC world champion in history, destroying Rua, before a intense meeting with Evans in the Octagon.Speaking with MMA Fighting, Evans stunningly announces he has left Team Jackson. “I’m done with Jacksons. And, I know how to fight Jon. I trained with him.” Evans then relocates his training camp to Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Florida to form the soon-to-be feared ‘Blackzilians’ camp.APRIL 25-27, 2011It is announced that Jones has torn a ligament in his right hand, forcing him to withdraw from a proposed title defense against Evans. This time, Evans does not want to wait for the champion, and accepts a fight with replacement Phil DavisMAY 12 & 15, 2011Evans and Jones nearly come to blows at a Las Vegas nightclub and they are separated by Georges St-Pierre. Evans questions the legitimacy of Jones’ hand injury. “Jon doesn’t need surgery,” he said. “No doctor will operate on him. They say he doesn’t need it.”JULY 13, 2011Another bitter pill goes down for ‘Suga,’ as Davis pulls out of his fight with Evans with a knee injury.AUG. 6, 2011:Eager to fight somebody—anybody—Evans eventually goes
on to defeat Tito Ortiz inside two rounds, looking better than ever.
But, two months later, Evans is forced to cancel another date with Jones
because of a dislocated thumb injury sustained against Ortiz.SEPT. 24, 2011Jones submits Rampage in the fourth round of his first UFC world championship defense.DEC. 10, 2011Jones caps off an incredible 2011 with a second successful title defense—this time against former champion Lyoto Machida.JAN. 28, 2012Evans easily defeats the previously unbeaten Davis over five rounds in an eliminator bout to determine the next UFC title challenger.FEB. 6, 2012Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans—perhaps the biggest 205-lbs. title fight since Liddell vs Ortiz II—is on. The fight is set for Atlanta in April.FEB. 16, 2012The former friends exchange insults at the official UFC 145 press conference. Jones accuses Evans of jealousy while ‘Suga’ says ‘Bones’ is “all fake.”APRIL 21, 2012Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will finally settle their feud, once and for all, at UFC 145 in Atlanta.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, evan
Read the full article at UFCJon Jones and Rashad Evans Face Off on “UFC Ultimate Insider” (Video)
The impending grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans may be fueled by more truly hard feelings than even Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen.
The former training partners under renowned coach Greg Jackson have been steadily stoking a rivalry that began when Jones was awarded a title shot and publicly agreed to defend the title against Evans, should he win. Win he did and would go on to do, defending the title twice against former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
On the sidelines with injury, the timing has finally lined up to see Evans challenge for the belt. All of the resentment that Evans feels for having been edged out of Team Jackson by the younger fighter will come to a head. The intense desire that Jones has to prove himself over his former mentor will be realized. Though clearly packaged to sell, this is no manufactured beef.
Tonight, on UFC Ultimate Insider on Fuel TV, Jones and Evans will meet face to face for one of the last times before they do battle. Judging by the promo below, the blood is running hot through both men.
Jones and Evans will meet at UFC 145, which takes place on April 21 from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Posted in: title shot, title, jone, jon jones, evan
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC 146: Mark Hunt Should Not Fight For The Heavyweight Title
Since Alistair Overeem's positive drug test theories and speculation abound about what would happen if he is removed from his UFC 146 bout against UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos. While he has not officially been removed, many fans are playing matchmaker and trying to pick the ideal man to replace Overeem to contend for the title. One fighter getting very vocal fan support is Mark Hunt. A decorated kick-boxer, Hunt competed in the competitive K-1 kickboxing promotion and won the 2001 K-1 Grand Prix.
Hunt is currently on a three fight winning streak, most recently his one round KO win over Cheick Kongo. A kickboxing based fighter with an exciting style with three straight wins seems like an ideal fighter to fill in for Overeem, a fellow K-1 Champion. While I am certainly a horrid match maker there seem to be clear problems with Hunt receiving a title shot.
The first issue with Hunt is his record in MMA. While most fans know that records in MMA are very different than in other combat sports, the fact that Hunt's last win put him at a 9-8 record can't be ignored. Can a fighter just one win over .500 really be competing for the biggest Heavyweight title in the sport? While this is mostly a cosmetic issue, it would not look good for the UFC for a fighter to all appearances a journeyman fighting for a title.
Now I know what your thinking, you want to bring up Brock Lesnar getting a title shot with 2-1 record, but that was a very different situation. First the true Heavyweight title, held by Randy Couture, had been inactive for over a year and the UFC had created an interim title. The UFC decided to host a mini Heavyweight tournament and Lesnar was selected to face Randy in the semi-finals. It was a smart move for the UFC, if Couture had won Lensar would have been an excellent fight to build towards the finals and Lesnar was a huge PPV draw, so his win only made the finals against Frank Mir the biggest event in UFC history. And even then the UFC did face critiques from sporting media who didn't fully understand MMA records for having a champion with so few fights. Hunt does not have that kind of marketing gravity and the heavyweight division is not anything close the same situation today than it was in 2008.
Another problem is that a big part of Hunt's revival is based around this idea of improvements in his grappling. While he does appear to have made strides on the ground, he is still not a well rounded fighter. His only recourse against Junior dos Santos is to attempt to strike with him, because he will not be able to grapple with him. And while many will say that a K-1 Champion would have the edge on the feet, it has been proven time and again that MMA is a different sport. A sport in which accomplished strikers can get beat up on the feet by guys who have never had a professional kick boxing match. In fact, dos Santos has already dispatched one former K-1 Champion in Mirko "Cro Cop" Flilpovic, soundly beating the him on the feet, forcing a stoppage in the third. This would be a showcase fight for the champion, and while not unheard of, the UFC is really trying to build the resume of the Heavyweight division. They have a crop of truly elite fighters at the that weight now, both in the UFC and in Strikeforce, and now is the time make the Heavyweight division into that casual fan division. Throwing in a one dimensional fighter to get pounded by the Champion flies in the face of the UFC's best fighting the best model.
The final problem is that there are far more deserving fighters in the UFC of a heavyweight title shot. While champions have been thrown fighters who may not have been ready for title shots before, like Dan Hardy facing Georges St. Pierre or Thales Leites challenging Anderson Silva, that has been in a situation where challengers have been lacking.
There is no lack of challengers for Junior dos Santos. Frank Mir and Cain Velsaquez came up almost instantly and Dana White seems committed to those two fighting each other. This seems like an ideal #1 contender match if the UFC is willing to wait for another heavyweight championship fight. Mir would be very interesting to see against the Champion as the two have never faced each other, and while Velsaquez lost his belt to dos Santos that rematch is just a matter of time. Also, much improved Fabricio Werdum is sitting idle and his fresh off his three round destruction of Roy Nelson. Both of these matches make much more sense for the UFC than Mark Hunt fighting for the title. And with Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett moving to the UFC, Shane Carwin returning from back surgery, and prospects like Travis Browne and Shane Del Rossario continuing to develop there doesn't appear to be a place in the title picture for Hunt.
While an entertaining notion, Mark Hunt fighting Junior dos Santos for the UFC title would not be a good move for the UFC. This is not to demean Mark Hunt as a fighter or a man, and his fight with Stefan Struve is the perfect contest for him. Hunt has a clear path to victory and Struve could test Hunt's improved grappling if the fight hits the mat. The UFC has worked hard in the past years to bring legitimacy to the much maligned Heavyweight division. And with an infusion of talent coming from Strikeforce it makes no sense to rush into a fight that will make no sense when we look back on it.
Posted in: ufc, hunt, title, fighter, heavyweight
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator Books Jessica Aguilar Vs. Megumi Fujii For May
Bellator will return to the business of booking women's MMA in late-May, announcing Megumi Fujii vs. Jessica Aguilar for the May 18th Bellator 69 event in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
This will be the fourth Bellator appearance for Fujii (25-1), the promotion where she earned his first career defeat in a five round split decision loss to Zoila Gurgel for the Bellator 115-pound title. Since that October 2010 loss, the 37-year-old Fujii has won three fights in a row in her native Japan.
Since her own fall 2010 defeat to Gurgel, the 29-year-old Aguilar (13-4) has won four straight including two in the Bellator cage. She is 3-1 in the promotion and competed in one of the few female fights they had in 2011.
While it wasn't announced, it should be assumed the winner will get a title shot at Gurgel, who has been recovering from a serious knee injury she suffered last October. Gurgel has never defended the title she won by defeating Fujii.
Bellator 69 will also feature the finals of the season six lightweight tournament and a heavyweight tournament qualifier between Ron Sparks and Kevin Asplund.
Posted in: bellator, title, gurgel, aguilar, fujii
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 145 Video: Rashad Evans Says 'Everyone Is a Fighter'
UFC Light Heavyweight #1 contender Rashad Evans declares that "everyone is a fighter" in this new video released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship to promote his title fight against champion Jon Jones at UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans in Atlanta, Georgia on April 21.
SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans
Evans, a former LHW champ, lost the belt to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 in 2009. He had won the title from Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 in December, 2008. He made his UFC debut by winning the second season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 over Brad Imes at heavyweight.
Dogged by a reputation as a boring "lay and pray" fighter early on in his career, Evans put that reputation to rest with big KO wins over Chuck Liddell and Sean Salmon. Since then he's been criticized for holding out for a title shot which ended disastrously when he injured himself only weeks before his UFC 128 bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Jon Jones stepped up to replace Evans and took the title.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, fighter, evan
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMark Hunt: UFC 146's Alistair Overeem got caught cheating, everything he has done is now 'meaningless'
Mark Hunt.
The name has been all over mixed martial arts (MMA) forums and websites over the past few weeks thanks in large part to his fans and supporters rallying for the "Super Samoan" to fill the vacant spot that will (possibly) be left by Alistair Overeem against Junior dos Santos at UFC 146 on May 26, 2012, due to his testing positive for elevated testosterone levels.
The rally for Mark Hunt hashtag on Twitter has taken on a life of its own and has been supported by fellow fighters on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster, color commentator Joe Rogan, and fans and MMA media worldwide.
Hunt made an unsuccessful UFC debut in 2010 against Sean McCorkle, upping his losing streak to six straight. In all fairness, prior to losing to "Big Sexy," Hunt's previous five losses didn't exactly come at the hands of mediocre fighters. If anything, it was murderer's row of elite fighters which includes Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem, Melvin Manhoef, Gegard Mousasi and one Fedor Emelianenko, who was arguably in the prime of his career at the time.
Now, the heavy-handed striker has reeled of three consecutive victories against Chris Tuchscherer, Ben Rothwell and most recently, a knockout victory over dangerous striker, Cheick Kongo at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan on Feb. 26, 2012.
So what does Hunt himself have to say about his new-found twitter fame and support to be the one to receive a possible heavyweight title fight against Junior dos Santos at UFC 146 on Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada?
Check out what he told "The MMA Hour" today, (April 9, 2012), after the jump.
"I have no idea. I think maybe, they want to see a feel good story of the year. I think people like to see an underdog. I mean, I wasn't event wanted in the UFC and here we are talking about getting a title shot. I think people like the feel good story. No one's told me nothing. I'm always last to find out. I'm still looking to fight Struve, but if I get a title shot then that is better for me and that will be thanks to the 'Army of Doom.' It's not up to me but the chances are good. I think the 'Army of Doom' has been bombing Dana Whites twitter. But whatever happens, it is what it is. But I won't be disappointed and Struve is a tough opponent and I will be moving on and when it is my time to get a title shot, I will. You can say whatever you want, but the UFC, at the end of the day they are going to do what they want, it's their call."
On how he matches up against "Cigano:"
"I match up good against anyone so I do match up against him. It's good to be underestimated and be the underdog, it's great, it gives me more drive and more fire. When someone tells you can't beat anyone or are not good enough, I get motivated."
When the topic of Alistair Overeem and PED's in MMA in particular came up, a normally quiet and reserved Hunt, seemed to get a little heated:
"Drugs in all sports is a big problem. It's a cutthroat business, people take this shit just to get by. I don't use that shit, but when Alistair takes that shit or whoever takes it they just screw themselves out. Like when Barnett screwed himself out of the fight with Fedor. But who am I too judge anybody. I don't take that shit and no one else should. If they do, that's on them, Alistair is now in court, and everything that Alistair has done is meaningless now. At the end of the day he just got caught cheating, so what's the deal? I lost to him, so did he use that shit when I was fighting him? That's on him, he has to live with that shit not me. It's not my position to judge him, he has to look himself in the mirror. At the end of the day, I don't give a crap who's taking what. The steroids are not going to help them when I hit them. Take as much as you like, I don't care."
So now that the former K-1 Grand Prix champion has seemingly found his groove, does he deserve to step up and potentially challenge for the UFC's heavyweight title against Dos Santos?
Or do Frank Mir, who would gladly accept the bout and even Dan Henderson, who has thrown his name in the hat, deserve to be considered before Hunt?
Of course, the fate of "The Reem" and who will possibly be his replacement will be clearer as the Dutch striker is scheduled to appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on April 24, 2012.
In the meantime, Maniacs, sound off on the "Super Samoan's" case for a title shot and stance against drugs in MMA, in the comments section below.
Posted in: ufc, hunt, title, alistair, shit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaRory MacDonald Has Plans On Future Weight Class Move Following Title Win At Welterweight
Rory MacDonald has been groomed as a rising prospect since entering the UFC. Now, with a sparkling 12-1 record, and an upcoming co-main event fight with Che Mills set for UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans, MacDonald sees his future laid out in front of him.
During a recent interview with Heavy MMA, MacDonald discussed his plans to win the welterweight title and move up to middleweight after that. MacDonald-Mills is set for April 21 from Atlanta.
“Sometime over the next few years, I’m going to be moving up into the next weight class. After I win the welterweight title and feel comfortable with my technique to the point where I feel I can compete with bigger guys, I’ll make the move. I want to prove that even though I’m the smaller fighter, I can find success because my technique is at a high level.”
MacDonald is just a few seconds – and one mistake – away from being undefeated, as Carlos Condit toppled him. Now, with the lights shining bright on him in the Mills fight, the world will see just what this “Ares” is all about.
Posted in: title, macdonald, move, welterweight title, mills fight
Read the full article at MMA ConvertFights to Look Forward to in May
Previously I took a look at the top fights that we had to look forward to for the month of April. This time around I’ll go over what’s in store for May. Beginning with UFC on FOX 3 in New Jersey on May 5, Zuffa hosts a total of four cards when you include the Strikeforce event on May 19 that will finally give us a conclusion to the Heavyweight Grand Prix. Let’s take a look and see which fights offer the most bang for the buck and hold the most importance.
Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller – UFC on FOX 3:
The winner of this bout will more than likely go on to face the winner of the Benson Henderson-Frankie Edgar rematch for the lightweight title. Miller, the hometown favorite, rebounded nicely from his loss to Henderson in August with a convincing first round submission victory over Melvin Guillard in January. The loss to Henderson snapped a seven-fight wining streak and derailed his title aspirations, but if he defeats Diaz in May he will be right back on track.
Speaking of Diaz, the move back to the lightweight division has certainly been the right one for the Stockton native and younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Nick Diaz. In his first fight at 155 pounds in 18 months, Diaz made short work of former PRIDE lightweight champ Takanori Gomi, winning a Submission of the Night bonus. Diaz and Donald Cerrone won Fight of the Night when they hooked up at UFC 141 with Diaz walking away the winner by unanimous decision. A third win in a row should put him in line for a shot at UFC gold and, given the quality of this bout, maybe even another bonus as well.
Josh Koshcheck vs. Johny Hendricks – UFC on FOX 3:
Koscheck has won his last two fights but hasn’t looked all that impressive in doing so. He won a split decision over Mike Pierce at UFC 143 in a bout where he looked slow and uninterested. Before that he defeated UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes via first round knockout , but in the early part of round one Hughes was able to target and land on Koscheck’s surgically repaired eye. This was the same eye that GSP jabbed repeatedly for 25 minutes in their title bout at UFC 124.
Hendricks on the other hand is coming off the biggest win of his career over Koscheck’s former AKA teammate Jon Fitch. It took the Oklahoma State All-American all of twelve seconds to hand Fitch only his second loss in nine years. A win here for Hendricks could see him either face Jake Ellenberger for the right to face the winner of the Carlos Condit-Georges St. Pierre unification bout tentatively scheduled for the end of this year or, if spectacular enough, it could see him jump over the winner of Martin Kampmann-JakeEllenberger and go straight to the head of the line. Comparably, Koscheck is in a tough spot as no one wants to see him face GSP again meaning a win here for him would cement either Ellenberger/Kampmann in the #1 contender’s spot.
Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung – UFC on Fuel 3 (5/15):
With so few contenders available to challenge UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo, Poirier finds himself in a great position here to challenge for the title should he defeat “The Korean Zombie” on Fuel TV. Hatsu Hioki and Eric Koch are the only other featherweight fighters who have been talked about as possibilities for Aldo though neither has emerged as a true frontrunner. As far as Jung he would need another big win or two before he would be given any consideration as a viable challenger for Aldo’s title. If not Aldo, Poirier will almost certainly face Hioki with a win here.
Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier – Strikeforce: Grand Prix Final (5/19):
Barnett seems to finally have gotten his career in order and is looking to not only win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix but also force the UFC’s hand in giving him another shot at fighting inside the Octagon. A win over the undefeated and dangerous Cormier would go a long way in helping him achieve all of his goals. Barnett has had his hand raised in eight fights in a row but this would be by far his biggest win.
Cormier is coming off a dominating first round knockout victory over Antonio Silva in September and has a solid scrap with Roy Nelson on his hands (also in May). The AKA standout is 9-0 and a win over the tough veteran Barnett would send him in to the UFC on one hell of a roll. He defeated Jeff Monson before Silva and is gradually facing tougher competition while certainly answering the call. Either way expect to see him fight in the UFC whether in his next bout or after the one-off the Grand Prix will be booked for to close out Strikeforce’s heavyweight division.
Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem – UFC 146 (5/26)
Assuming by some miracle Overeem gets licensed, Dos Santos will defend his title for the first time against the former Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1 title-holder who retired former UFC champion Brock Lesnar when the two met at UFC 141 in December. This bout has fireworks written all over it as both men will look to stand and bang, likely meaning Las Vegas will be treated to two hard-hitting machines battling it out for the sport’s most coveted prize if Overeem’s drug test doesn’t get in the way.
JDS has the edge in boxing while Overeem holds the advantage with devastating knees and in being nearly 25 pounds heavier than “Cigano”. Overeem has shown that he can be hurt, but it’s been a long time since anyone has put him down. In fact, it’s been almost five years. Dos Santos has shown that he is tenacious and can keep a steady pace when necessary.
Frank Mir vs. Cain Velasquez – UFC 146:
Velasquez suffered the first loss of his career in September when he lost his title via first round TKO to Dos Santos. He will be looking to show the world that loss was an aberration and he wants his title back. He fought Dos Santos after being out of action for nearly a year and it showed as he seemed hesitant and slow. He can ill afford not to be prepared when he faces Mir because he will be facing of the most intelligent fighters to have ever graced the Octagon. He faces a man who has overcome injuries and adversity to wear UFC gold on two separate occasions.
Every time people want to count Mir out he comes back and proves everyone wrong. No one expected him to fight again after suffering serious injuries in a horrific motorcycle accident back in 2004. He was forced to relinquish his title and suffered some losses because he came back too soon. He became the first man to finish Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, also capturing an interim championship along the way in 2008 when no one gave him a chance. He lost to Shane Carwin at UFC 111 via first round KO and people said he was done, but he has since reeled off three straight wins and finds himself one win away from fighting for the title for the third time. Do not count Mir out against Velasquez. He has made a career out of doing what people say can’t be done.
UFC 146 has three other heavyweight bouts that are sure to excite the masses too with Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve, Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shane del Rosario, and Nelson vs. “Bigfoot” Silva rounding out the first ever UFC PPV card consisting of all heavyweight bouts.
May should prove to be extremely exciting and June should be just as fun beginning with The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale on June 1. That card will be headlined by the flyweight rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson. On June 23 from Brazil we will finally get to see the long awaited rematch for the middleweight title as Chael Sonnen enters very hostile territory to take on Anderson Silva. Additionally, after nearly fourteen years Vitor Belfort gets his shot at going 2-0 against Wanderlei Silva on the same card after each serves as a coach on TUF Brasil. All that and more will set pace for a fantastic summer of MMA. The heat is just beginning!
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, bout, vs
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainJim Miller: “It’s not about the title shot, it’s about winning the title.”
Jim Miller has a pivotal match on the horizon, taking on Nate Diaz in the main event at UFC on FOX 3. The winner between Miller-Diaz will earn the #1 contender spot in the UFC’s ultra-competitive lightweight division. For Miller, though, the fight means little without ultimately bringing home the belt instead of simply just becoming the top contender.
“It’s not about the title shot, it’s about winning the title, and being the best and being known as the best and having respect from everybody that you are the best,” said Miller about the May 5 match-up in his latest video blog promoting the bout.
Miller was on the cusp of receiving a crack at the belt before but a loss to Benson Henderson – the current lightweight champ – set him back. Now, with a submission victory over Melvin Guillard in two, he is one win from getting back there.
Check out Miller’s latest “Fighter Diary” interview in the player below:
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, miller, melvin guillard
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainJim Miller prepares for Nate Diaz, says he's tired of hearing about title shots
Top Lightweight contender, Jim Miller, who will meet Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 3 in New Jersey, discusses the match-up, as well as his title hopes. Miller acknowledges the importance of the bout, but admits that he's grown tired of hearing about "title shots."
Posted in: title, miller, nate diaz, jim miller, title shots
Read the full article at Low KickUFC Quick Quote: Rory MacDonald plans move up to middleweight after winning welterweight title
"I haven't seen myself on anyone's Top 10 rankings, but I'm not really worried about it, either. In my mind, rankings don't really matter because your place in the division is performance-based. If you perform well, the UFC is happy and I think I'm doing a good job at that so far. Sometime over the next few years, I'm going to be moving up into the next weight class. After I win the welterweight title and feel comfortable with my technique to the point where I feel I can compete with bigger guys, I'll make the move. I want to prove that even though I'm the smaller fighter, I can find success because my technique is at a high level."
-- Talk about ambitious. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Rory MacDonald has some big plans for his future, as told to Heavy MMA. According to the Canadian wunderkind, he wants to win the welterweight title before packing on 15 pounds and moving up to the middleweight division. The key is his technique, something he feels is coming along at a rate faster than anyone could have anticipated. It's hard to disagree considering his stunning success rate this soon in his development. He's 22-years-old, 12-1 and gone the distance against some of the best the world has to offer. In fact, had he survived seven more seconds in his bout against Carlos Condit, the current Interim welterweight champion, he would have earned a decision win. And that was almost two years and two fights ago. The sky truly is the limit for "Ares" and assuming he defeats Che Mills at UFC 145 on April 21, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia, the powers that be will be hard pressed to keep him out of the title picture for much longer. To take it one step further, could MacDonald be the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles in two separate divisions at the same time? Let's hear your thoughts, Maniacs.
Posted in: ufc, title, welterweight, im, welterweight title
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FOX 3: Jim Miller 'Fighter Diary' video for Nate Diaz fight
At UFC on Fox 3 on May 5, 2012, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Jim Miller will rock the main event in a match-up against fellow top lightweight contender Nate Diaz. The winner will purportedly be given a title shot against the winner of the Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar rematch going down later this year.
But don't bring that up to Miller. Frankly, he's sick and tired of talking about it.
"It's really starting to get on me. Hearing everybody ask about the title shot and everybody talking about the title shot; It's not about the title shot, it's about winning the title and being the best and being known as the best and having respect from everybody that you are the best."
It bodes well for Miller that his lone defeat in his past nine fights came to the aforementioned Henderson, who is the reigning division champion. Not only that, Miller was reportedly sick for their fight in Aug. 2011. A rematch between the two when both are healthy sounds like a scrap worthy of the belt.
But, again, Miller has some business to take care of first. Anyone think Diaz will crash the party and shake up the 155-pound title picture once again?
Posted in: title shot, title, miller, shot, everybody
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBen Askren Retains Bellator Welterweight Title, Outpoints Douglas Lima
Ben Askren used his suffocating all-world wrestling to sweep a unanimous decision in a Bellator welterweight title fight against Douglas Lima on Friday.
Posted in: title, ben, lima, ben askren, douglas lima
Read the full article at Heavy MMA
Ben Askren smothers Douglas Lima’s Bellator title aspirations
How the fight cards for Bellator this month are shaping up.
Posted in: bellator, title, ben, fight cards, aspiration
Read the full article at Fight OpinionDana White Confirms Frank Mir Vs Cain Velasquez Will Happen
Throughout the last few nights I've been a firm supporter of the twitter campaign for Mark Hunt's title shot. this has been a somewhat divisive issue so I'll defend my position. First, I don't for a second deny that Frank Mir is the most logical shoice here. I could negatively dissect his current win streak, but that can be done with any fighter at any point in their career and I think it's both disrespectful and dismissive. So honestly, it's true that on paper Mir is the most worthy challenger. However, I think under the short term circumstances it does a disservice to Mir to throw him in to a fight against Junior Dos Santos. Frank has repeatedly shown defensive striking weaknesses and depriving him of the time to gameplan for this fight will only highlight his historical weakness. The same goes for Cain Valesquez.
In my humble opinion, Mark Hunt is the only viable challenger left in the equation. I'm not going to make the claim that Cheik Kongo is a great win to grant a title shot. But it's very credible. In fact, Frank Mir himself got his shot at the interim title against Shane Carwin after his first round submission of Kongo just a couple years ago.
The real importance here is that neither Mir nor Cain has shown the defensive striking acument to deal with Junior Dos Santos on short notice. Mir was recently dropped by Antonio Nogueira in his last bout and stopped by Carwin by strikes before that. Cain was wobbled by Kongo in their bout more than once and TKO'd by JDS just a few short months ago. I'm not saying Hunt necessarily deserves the shot more than either of these guys based on strength of schedule. It's purely based on timeliness and style. Neither Cain nor Mir have the time to adjust themselves to JDS's strengths in the next 7 weeks, where as Mark Hunt with his impervious chin and incredibly counter striking does match up quite well with Dos Santos.
So, that is the argument for Mark Hunt as a title challenger. And since the announcement of Alistair Overeem's failed drug test, many MMA fans have been attempting to influence the UFC's matchmaking through Twitter. Until tonight, UFC President Dana White has completely ignored the call for Hunt's promotion. Early Saturday morning, Dana White has given the most definitive statement since Overeems failed test:
via i1229.photobucket.com
This is by no means a definitive statement by Dana White. However, Who else does he have left to challenge for the Heavyweight title after he's confirmed that the two most notable contender Heavyweight contenders will still fight each other?
Posted in: title shot, mark hunt, title, mir, shot
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendBellator 64 Recap and Results: Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
Bellator 64 featured the second title defense of the season, with Ben Askren defending the Bellator welterweight title against Douglas Lima. Also on the card was a featherweight tournament semifinal fight between two tough Brazilians and the first two fights in the season six...
Posted in: bellator, title, title defense, ben askren, douglas lima
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsJunior dos Santos, ‘When You Guys See Me Fighting, That’s Really Me’
UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is likely to get a new opponent for his planned May 26 title defense at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, and he’s finally talking about it.
Posted in: ufc, title, champion, do, las vegas
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyBloody Inbox: UFC Options After Overeem's Drug Test Failure, #RallyForMarkHunt, Bellator Problems And Filipino MMA
Remember, you can submit your questions to: BloodyElbowMailbag@Gmail.com
Question from OurBovinePublic: Dana always claims he makes the fight that fans want to see. We stayed up all last night plastering him on twitter with requests to make the JDS-Mark Hunt fight but he has ignored all of us so far. Do you think the fans can really have an influence on him so will he just make the fights that he wants i.e. Frank Mir. I get that Hunt doesn't have a great record and that Mir is ahead of him in the queue but why not have Mir fight Cain in a number 1 contender match so he has a chance to get the next shot anyway and capitalize on Hunt's popularity and current momentum? #RallyForMarkHunt
I don't know that more fans actually want to see Mark Hunt than Frank Mir. There's just a vocal part of the hardcore fanbase that really wants to see the Cinderella story that would be a Mark Hunt title shot. Mir is still the option that would sell the most tickets, which makes him the obvious choice to replace Overeem.
The truth remains that Hunt is still a guy who lost to Sean McCorkle less than two years ago. He has some work to do to really be in a spot to get a title shot, let alone a title shot when the much more well known Mir is available and coming off an incredible win over a former title holder in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
All that said, the idea of Hunt getting a title shot is kind of crazy and could be a lot of fun. It'd likely be a short and violent affair and Hunt does have the proverbial "puncher's chance." Does he have a better chance of knocking out Junior dos Santos than Mir has of submitting him? I don't know.
The whole situation kind of reminds me of when Hasim Rahman had proven to be, at best, on the fringes of the top 10 (Hunt currently sits ranked #13), lost to Oleg Maskaev and rebounded by winning three fights over fringe-level opponents (Cheick Kongo playing the Corrie Sanders role of hard hitting non-challenger) and somehow earned a title shot against Lennox Lewis only to land the shocking KO as a more than 20-to-1 underdog.
You just never know what can happen when a heavyweight with power is given his shot.
Question from HaterSlayer: Alistar almost doomed the New Years card with his drug drama and he followed that up by blowing one of the biggest fights of the year. So do you think Alistar will be released from Zuffa again if his B sample comes back positive?
Given the tone Dana White took when addressing the situation, I'm pretty confident that Overeem will be cut. He cost a huge fight and his ratio being 14:1 is pretty inexcusable. The doubt that would surround Overeem going forward given his physique is going to make him a very hard sell in the future. There are also massive doubts cast over every accomplishment in his heavyweight career.
Where Cristiane Santos may be able to come back to Strikeforce because of a lack of depth and names in women's MMA, there are plenty of heavyweights in the UFC sea and, as such, it's probably for the best to cut loose a man who tested positive here and cost the promotion a major title shot after the situation before the Lesnar fight.
Also, unlike Chael Sonnen's badly failed test, that failure came after Sonnen lost the fight so it had little to no impact on anything. Also, Chael had the whole "testosterone replacement" thing which, legitimate or not, is at least some sort of excuse. Overeem has spent so much time bragging about being clean that he can't use that excuse. If he tries he is going to be blasted for not disclosing it with all the scrutiny he's been under for his U.S. career.
Question for Anton Tabuena from WARISTOTLE: My question is, how long do you think it would be before there is a true-blue Filipino fighter in the UFC? I always thought Folayang was going to be that guy, and in my opinion he was only a couple of notable wins away before the Ole Laursen fight. Filipino MMA was looking real good just a couple of months ago, and now it seems to have hit a bump in the road with the losses of Eduard, Belingon and Banario.
Anton: Thanks for the question. There are lots of up-and-comers in the country, so despite those setbacks you mentioned, I think it's only going to take a couple of years, if not earlier.
When talking about candidates for a UFC move in the near future though, contrary to popular belief, I actually think that his teammate, Kevin Belingon, has a much better chance. Lightweight is just such a stacked division that making it to the UFC is a longer and harder road, so Eduard Folayang would've had a much more difficult time. Belingon on the other hand, was reportedly already being scouted by Zuffa a while back, and had he won that fight against Imanari, who is still ranked in the top 20 at bantamweight, he would've obviously been ready then.
But as you already know, Kevin got a bit too aggressive and it got him caught on that crazy chain of leg lock submissions. Even after fights where he dominates though, Belingon still looks much better each and every time. He's still very young, and he's constantly improving, so I think having this first loss against a guy that experienced can be very beneficial for his career.
Also, regardless of the outcome of that fight, I think Team Lakay was already planning on making him drop back down to flyweight. He wouldn't have much of a size and strength disadvantage, and he also has a much better chance of making it to the UFC in that division. If he can cut down properly and win a few key bouts, he can expect a lot of interesting phone calls.
Question from Andy Anderson: What is wrong with Bellator? I know this is a huge question but they are like that friend you have that has a lot of potential but they never put it all together.
Bellator is on a bit of a roll as far as having really entertaining shows so far this season, but the way they handle titles and the strict adherence to the tournament format as the only possible way to challenge for a belt is always going to hold them back. You've got champions either kept on the shelf for a crazy amount of time or fighting in meaningless non-title fights.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler is a rematch that every MMA fan wanted to see, but we have to have Alvarez fight Shinya Aoki (in a still kind of important/legitimate rematch) and know that Alvarez vs. Chandler probably can't happen under the rules of Bellator for at least a year.
If Eric Prindle's hand remains an issue, we'll probably see Cole Konrad sit idle for close to a year. Chandler is being forced into a farce of a non-title fight against Akihiro Gono which isn't going to do anything for his profile. They may lose Hector Lombard without giving him fully compelling fights during his run, instead throwing stiffs at him while only defending his title once.
It'd probably be a better idea to do away with the idea of having champions beyond the tournament. Just keep putting the tournament winners back in the tournament to try to run through the field again. Saying Lombard won multiple tournament championships is a hell of a lot more impressive than saying he fought nobody ex-NFL players and defended his title one time. The already solid lightweight tournament could have Alvarez and Chandler in instead of Rene Nazare and Ricardo Tirloni and be much more appealing than using Chandler against Gono.
They just aren't doing things that I think are going to help them grow long-term.
Question for KJ Gould from Pankration Philosopher: How did you get into catch wrestling? How is the catch wrestling community up there in the UK? I am aware of Jake Shannon, Tony Cecchine, and other catch wrestlers in America, but in your opinion, what is the overall state of catch wrestling in the world? I would love to one day have catch wrestling as popular as BJJ. Thank you for time.
KJ: My first experience with Catch Wrestling was pretty inadvertent. About 13 years ago I was taking part in a Jeet Kune Do concepts martial art, and it was primarily a kick boxing hybrid with Filipino Knife and Stick based martial arts thrown in. The only grappling arts really around at the time was Judo, and grappling within what I did was pretty basic.
I got to go to a Sifu Richard Bustillo seminar, and Bustillo is one of the old school guys like Guru Dan Inosanto. The seminar was obviously in JKD, and Bustillo specialised in Muay Thai and Filipino Martial Arts, and we got to do some grappling based on BJJ and Catch As Catch Can. The Catch element was possible from Gene LeBell, but also the late Larry Hartsell who was a great American Jeet Kune Do guy that focused on the grappling arts.
It was also around this time my family got web access through dial up, and just looking online for videos following the UFC where I could, I found some videos on a website that featured Muay Thai, BJJ and some no gi instructionals, and the no gi stuff was Erik Paulson video clips from the late 1990s. His videos on leglocks kept me awake at night as my brain went into overdrive!
Since then my interest only really resurfaced in the last few years through information and communities online such as the Sherdog grappling forum.
Catch Wrestling in the UK is making a comeback now that Coach Roy Wood and Andrea Wood have brought back the 'Snake Pit' catch wrestling training to Wigan, but there have also been other guys plucking away at it for years such as Ian Bromley, Tommey Heyes, Jack Mountford etc. The Snake Pit are putting on intensive seminars throughout the year, and are planning to stage competitions as well I believe.
The world of Catch Wrestling though is pretty fragmented and has been for years. A lot of it is too many egos competing instead of working with each other, plus lineages are harder to verify compared to BJJ where there's a better documented 'family tree'. Sometimes a great coach doesn't need to have a lineage to be able to teach Catch well, but you have to be wary of any coach that claims a lineage he can't verify just to bolster their 'credibility'. For instance, the late Karl Gotch only ever endorsed one man to coach his style of Catch Wrestling, and that was Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Anyone else claiming to teach the 'Gotch Style', or claims endorsement by Gotch is unfortunately out their to con you.
You do now currently have guys still around like Billy Wicks, Dick Cardinal, Billy Robinson and Roy Wood who will endorse guys, and in some cases like Billy Robinson will document down to the hour how much time on the mat you've spent under his direct supervision as a means of quality assurance.
You also have a lot of no gi gyms appearing to teach Catch Wrestling, when it's just Submission Grappling using 'Catch' as a current buzzword.
In my opinion, Catch really needs an oversight like an IJF or IBJJF, or even recognition from something like FILA as a legitimate wrestling style, and as a sport that includes pins and submissions as well as generally longer time limits to differentiate itself from the generic no gi submission grappling style. Consistency and structure are key for Catch's survival in its own right, rather than just being absorbed and assimilated into other arts as it has been.
Posted in: fight, time, title, question, year
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDouglas Lima Intends to Finish the Fight and Take Ben Askren’s Title (Bellator 64 Video)
Douglas Lima plans to finish off Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren, laying claim to his second world title.
Posted in: bellator, title, ben, askren, douglas lima
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyBen Askren, Douglas Lima Cleared for Bellator 64 Welterweight Title Headliner
Ben Askren’s sophomore welterweight title defense will move forward as planned at Bellator 64, as both “Funky” and opponent Douglas Lima were cleared to compete at Thursday’s weigh-ins.
Posted in: title, ben, welterweight, lima, askren
Read the full article at Sherdog
Ben Askren talks Bellator welterweight title fight: “I will retain my title against Douglas Lima”
By Dustin De La Torre Bellator Fighting Championships will be venturing outside of the United States for the first time in the promotion’s history as they visit Canada for Bellator 64, this Saturday night at The Caesars in Windsor, Canada. Welterweight champion Ben Askren will be defending his title in a much anticipated fight versus [...]
Posted in: bellator, saturday night, title, torre bellator, visit canada
Read the full article at Fighthub TVFrank Mir ready and willing for UFC 146 title shot following Overeem's failed test | MMAjunkie.com
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Posted in: ufc, title, overeem, shot, test mmajunkiecom
Read the full article at RedditFrank Mir Would Be 'Excited' to Replace Alistair Overeem in UFC 146 Title Fight
Frank Mir knows a golden opportunity when he sees one. The former UFC heavyweight champion wasted no time volunteering to take Alistair Overeem’s spot in the UFC 146 main event bout with Junior dos Santos, according to a statement sent out over email by his management team on Wednesday afternoon.Less than two hours after Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer announced that Overeem had tested positive for an increased testosterone/epitestosterone ratio after a recent press conference, Mir tossed his hat in the ring with an offer to fight current UFC heavyweight champ dos Santos if Overeem is indeed ruled ineligible for the May 26 fight in Las Vegas."I would be excited if given the opportunity to compete for the UFC's heavyweight title at UFC 146 if the reports released earlier today regarding Alistair Overeem failing his 'A' sample drug test are true," Mir is quoted as saying in the statement.
"I have been fortunate to be able to fight in the UFC for more than a decade, and it is a dream of mine to become the first three-time heavyweight champion in the UFC. Being able to fight Junior Dos Santos would put me one step closer to that dream."It’s not the first time Mir has played the role of the eager opportunist in the UFC. Following his brutal submission victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140 in Toronto last December, Mir seized on rumors that Overeem might be ruled ineligible for his UFC 141 bout with Brock Lesnar later that same month, telling media members gathered for the post-fight press conference that he "wouldn’t mind" stepping in against his old foe Lesnar on only three weeks’ notice."I only fought a three-minute fight, so I'm feeling pretty good," Mir said at the time. "My wife might not be happy about Christmas but, eh, she can deal with it."As it turned out, Overeem was granted a conditional license by the NSAC that allowed him to stay in the fight with Lesnar, so Mir’s services weren’t required. This time, however, it could be a different story.Overeem’s title fight against dos Santos could be in jeopardy after he tested above a 10-1 T/E ratio in his recent drug test -- far above the acceptable 6-1 limit. Mir is currently slated to fight former UFC champion Cain Velasquez on the UFC 146 main card, which features an all-heavyweight lineup. Velasquez recently told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that it was his understanding that the winner of that fight would receive a title shot. If the UFC decides to take Mir up on his offer, who knows exactly how those plans could change.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, overeem, mir
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 146: With Overeem Likely Out, Who Will Face Junior Dos Santos?
Junior dos Santos was all set to make his first UFC Heavyweight title defense against Alistair Overeem at UFC 146 on May 26 in Las Vegas. Then Overeem went and tested hot for elevated testosterone levels in a surprise drug test after a press conference.
While it's not yet official that Overeem will be suspended -- there will presumably be a hearing to decide that -- it seems highly likely that the Dutch K-1 and Strikeforce champ won't get to fight for the UFC title in May. That means a replacement will have to be found and on relatively short notice with just a little over 7 weeks until fight time.
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UFC 146 Fighters Tested By NSAC After Press Conference | Alistair Overeem Tests Positive For Elevated Testosterone Levels
The most likely suspect is Frank Mir who was set to face former champ Cain Velasquez at UFC 146. Mir's riding a three fight win-streak, including a classic come back win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogeira at UFC 140.
Velasquez seems less likely since he just lost the title to JDS at UFC On Fox in November. None of the other heavyweights on the card: Roy Nelson, Gabriel Gonzaga, Antonio Silva, Mark Hunt, Shane del Rosario, or Stefan Struve are remotely ready for a title shot.
Fabricio Werdum, who's currently expected to face Mike Russow at UFC 147, would be an excellent substitute for Mir against Velasquez.
Who would you like to see get the call up?More SBN coverage of UFC 146
Posted in: ufc, title, overeem, alistair overeem, testosterone levels
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMiguel Torres: 'My fighting style would cause Dominick Cruz nightmares'
Once the king of the hill in the Bantamweight division, Miguel Torres was an unstoppable force at 135-pounds. During his heyday, Torres ran through all contenders competing in the now defunct World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) organization.
Torres won and defended his title three times in the midst of his remarkable 17 fight win streak. What's even more impressive? Of those 17 wins, 15 of them were finishes.
Since that remarkable run, Torres has gone an even 3-3 with his most recent win coming over Nick Pace at UFC 139 back on November 19, 2011. However, Torres most recently won an even more important fight, his job back with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after an inappropriate Twitter joke was cause for UFC President Dana White to cut the mullet-wearing brawler.
With a second chance to compete in the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) stage of them all, Torres says he regrets his Twitter postings and looks forward to a new beginning inside the Octagon, starting with Michael McDonald at UFC 145 on April 21, 2012.
And though he knows he has his hands full with "Mayday," who is on a seven fight win streak of his own, that hasn't stopped the former champion from looking into his crystal ball and seeing a future title fight opposite current UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz.
Make the jump to see what he had to say via his MMA Fighting blog:
"I think Cruz, the champion, is slick and has some good moves, and is a very worthy No. 1 in the division. He has the recipe to beat the shorter wrestler, and has used that recipe to dominate all of the challengers he has come up against so far. I give him immense credit for what he has done. Dominick is solid on the ground and is also a great striker. However, despite his tremendous movement and activity rate, he doesn't have many knockouts on his record and rarely finishes fights. He may well hit hard, but his record doesn't suggest that at this moment in time. I truly believe my kind of style will cause Cruz nightmares, as I will stand in front of him, use all my experience and stand and throw from beginning to end. I'm the type of guy that will take a punch to give a punch. Then, if he decides to shoot in for a takedown, I know I will cause him plenty of problems on the ground, too. He knows this as well. Cruz is the guy we're all looking to one day fight, and it would be a shame if the two of us went our whole careers without fighting each other. Even though my sights are set on Michael McDonald for the next few weeks, I still like the sound of Cruz and a UFC title shot somewhere down the line."
A battle of old school vs. new school champions would be quite intriguing for fans, though Torres still has quite a ways to go before he can earn a title shot in the very talented 135-pound division.
Cruz may not have many finishes on his record as of late, with his last finish coming over four years ago, but the man knows how to win fights, with his lone loss to Urijah Faber being his only blemish on his otherwise perfect record.
"The Dominator" has since then avenged his loss to "The California Kid" and will have one more battle with his arch-rival at UFC 148 on July 7, 2012 to break the tie.
A win for Cruz and Torres in their next outings could get them closer to an eventual title fight, one Torres believes he has a very good chance of winning.
Do you agree?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, torre, cruz
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 145 Blog: Miguel Torres Believes He'll Be a Champion Again
When I first started fighting, the primary aim was to make money and pay for my college. I also wanted to make my father and family proud of me. By 2012, the aims have shifted somewhat, as I am established in the sport, have won a world title and now have my little daughter to fight for. Every fight I win, and every bonus check I pick up, goes towards her future. I don't want her to have anything to worry about as she grows older and, right now, that is my main aim in my career. I also have 100 percent confidence in my ability to win the UFC world title. If I didn't think I could win that title, I'd be fighting somewhere else or not at all. I was born to be a champion, I know I can still be a champion, and it's just a matter of time before I make a run at that belt. There's no great secret to getting there, either, and I am no stranger to long unbeaten runs. If I can just piece together a decent winning streak against decent guys, I'm very confident a title shot will quickly come my way.
That's what I'm gunning for right now, starting with this next fight against Michael McDonald on April 21st at UFC 145. Once I beat McDonald, I will have back-to-back wins to my name and will have won three of my first four UFC bouts. If you combine that with what I achieved in the WEC, it's not bad going and is something like the kind of form I will look to build on and improve on in the coming months.Let's face it, the UFC bantamweight division is a great place to be right now if you're a mixed martial artist. Not only do we have a ton of top fighters competing at 135 pounds, but the division's top two, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, are currently head coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Live. This season marks the first time two bantamweights have led the teams, and I'm pleased for the two of them. They're doing a great job from what I've seen so far, and this increased attention on the bantamweight division, and their world title fight, can only be good news for everybody else at 135 pounds.Having competed in the lower weight classes for years, I know how difficult it can be to make that crossover and become a genuine star in the sport. The WEC was a Godsend for me, as they gave me a place to perform and really helped boost my profile, despite the fact I was competing in one of the lighter weight divisions. Because of the great work of the WEC, the current UFC bantamweight division now boasts Cruz, Faber and me as genuine big-name fighters, the kind that can head up the division and help sell pay-per-view events. There are also one or two others that will soon be big stars in the sport, and platforms like The Ultimate Fighter will only further enhance the reputation of the bantamweights.I think Cruz, the champion, is slick and has some good moves, and is a very worthy No. 1 in the division. He has the recipe to beat the shorter wrestler, and has used that recipe to dominate all of the challengers he has come up against so far. I give him immense credit for what he has done. Dominick is solid on the ground and is also a great striker. However, despite his tremendous movement and activity rate, he doesn't have many knockouts on his record and rarely finishes fights. He may well hit hard, but his record doesn't suggest that at this moment in time. I truly believe my kind of style will cause Cruz nightmares, as I will stand in front of him, use all my experience and stand and throw from beginning to end. I'm the type of guy that will take a punch to give a punch. Then, if he decides to shoot in for a takedown, I know I will cause him plenty of problems on the ground, too. He knows this as well.Cruz is the guy we're all looking to one day fight, and it would be a shame if the two of us went our whole careers without fighting each other. Even though my sights are set on Michael McDonald for the next few weeks, I still like the sound of Cruz and a UFC title shot somewhere down the line.Twitter @MiguelTorresMMA.Bantamweight star Miguel Torres fights Michael McDonald on Sat., April 21st at UFC 145. UFC 145 is live on pay-per-view.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, division, cruz
Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse
We need someone to tell us if this Barack Obama MMA parody is funny
The rule of thumb is that we have two of them. Actually, this article should be entitled 'We need someone to tell us if this Barack Obama MMA parody is funny because we're too immature to take responsibility of our own decisions.' That title wouldn't fit on the page. It wouldn't even fit in your short-term memory. You would read the first part of the title, then get to the second part and completely forget why you're even reading in the first place. Title amnesia.
It's safe to say President Barack Obama has never visited MiddleEasy.com. That statement is based on a complete lack of evidence, however if the leader of the free world is watching installments of Street MMA, then he would be neglecting the vital things in society -- like making San Francisco less of a depressing place. The President is now part of an elaborate MMA prank that involves MMA, so watch it and stop thinking for a few minutes. [Source]
{iframe}http://d.yimg.com/nl/vyc/site/player.html#lang=en-US&browseCarouselUI=hide&repeat=0&startScreenCarouselUI=hide&vid=28788744&shareUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fscreen.yahoo.com%2Fobamma-28788744.html{/iframe}
Posted in: mma, title, part, need someone, barack
Read the full article at Middle EasyVinny Magalhaes Heading to Oregon "to help the UFC MW Champ get ready for his title fight in Brazil"
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: title, title fight, brazil, vinny magalhaes, mattyblayze
Read the full article at RedditWatch Brock Lesnar return to WWE (Cagewriter)
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar returned to his roots on Monday night, appearing on WWE's "Monday Night Raw." With a glare and then an F-5 of John Cena, he jumped back into the world of professional wrestling after a four-year career in MMA. Warning: WWE fans chants some NSFW language in this video.
Lesnar hasn't been in WWE since 2004 . He started fighting in 2007, and was given a title shot in the UFC in just his fourth fight. After taking the title from Randy Couture, he beat Frank Mir and Shane Carwin before losing to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. The December loss earned a title shot for Overeem, while it convinced Lesnar tor retire from MMA.
Are you happy to see Lesnar back in the pro wrestling world? Speak your mind in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter .
Posted in: title shot, title, wwe, lesnar, december loss
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC 146's Cain Velasquez desires Junior dos Santos rematch soon, focused on Frank Mir fight now
After beginning his mixed martial arts (MMA) career undefeated (9-0), including winning the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight title against Brock Lesnar at UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" on Oct. 23, 2010, Cain Velasquez suffered his first defeat in a little more than one minute of the opening round in his first title defense against Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 1: "Velasquez vs. Dos Santos."
The Brazilian bomber blasted Velasquez with a powerful right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas and followed up with a few more good shots to finish the job, ending his undefeated streak and taking his recently won title in the process.
Now, the former NCAA Division 1 All-American wrestler looks to get back inside the Octagon to start a new streak and prove that regardless of his recent setback, he is still one of the top and most well-rounded heavyweights in the sport today.
His first challenge will be against another former UFC Heavyweight Champion, as he takes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Frank Mir, at UFC 146 in the promotion's first-ever all Heavyweight main card on Memorial Day weekend (May 26, 2012) for the right to face the winner of that night's main event, Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem.
Appearing on the "The MMA Hour" today (April 2, 2012), Velasquez talks about what he could have done different against "Cigano," the recent problems inside his gym, American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), and who think will win the title fight between "The Reem" and "Cigano."
Check it out:
"I could have attacked more, but I stayed in the punching range and it's not the smartest thing to do against Junior. I could have used more wrestling and attacked and I didn't do any of these things. But, it is something that I have learned from moving forward."
One of his former training partners, Josh Koscheck, parted ways with AKA, citing personal differences with head trainer Javier Mendez. Velasquez says that regardless of the beef going on between the two, that it is their business and he has no plans on getting in the middle of it and remains friends with both parties:
"I have not read what he said or anything. I've heard from other people. I don't listen to anything people say online or anything. My job is just to train and fight, that is all I stick to. The tension is between he and Javier. If they have the time to sort to they need to. My relationship with Javier and "Kos" is not going to change, he is still a friend of mine. Javier is my top coach and that is just the way it is. I do not get involved in other people's business. We are a close group of guys it sucks to have a close friend leave, but we have to move on with our lives and we have done that."
Serving as co-main event at UFC 146 to the much anticipated Heavyweight title fight between Overeem and Dos Santos, Velasquez makes no secret as to who he thinks will win and who he is rooting for:
"It's going to be a tough one. I think in the clinch and in the distance, obviously the kicking range, Overeem will have a better shot. But, in the punching range, dos Santos can win the fight whenever.I hope Dos Santos wins so I can have a rematch. I think he will win, he is an athletic guy, his boxing is really good"
Indeed, a rematch between he and dos Santos would be intriguing to say the least, given the fact that their first encounter wasn't much of a fight, lasting all of 64 seconds.
Before the two can have a second go at it, many things have to fall into place. Dos Santos has to defeat one of his, if not the most toughest test to date, as he steps into the Octagon against a fighter who may have a slight advantage in the striking department. That's an advantage that not to many heavyweights can stake claim to, but Overeem's K-1 pedigree gives him that edge.
On the flip side, Velasquez has to get passed a fighter who always seems to be lurking at the top of the division, taking on submission wizard Frank Mir, though Mir isn't a stranger to standing-and banging when the time calls for it.
What's your take Maniacs, can Cain get past the wily veteran on his way to another chance to reclaim his UFC title? Or will Mir prove that he is still one of the top big boys in the UFC and hand Velasquez his second consecutive loss en route to his own road to gold?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, do, velasquez
Read the full article at MMA ManiaEllenberger, Sanchez to fight for title shot
Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger will meet in a five-rounder headlining the TUF finale on June 1 for a chance to earn a title shot.
Posted in: jake ellenberger, title, shot, tuf finale, ellenberger sanchez
Read the full article at sportsnet.caEllenberger, Kampmann to fight for title shot
Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger will meet in a five-rounder headlining the TUF finale on June 1 for a chance to earn a title shot.
Posted in: jake ellenberger, title, shot, tuf finale, ellenberger kampmann
Read the full article at sportsnet.caDan Henderson Waiting for UFC 205 Title, but Still Wants Anderson Silva (Video)
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, silva, dan henderson, mattyblayze, mattyblayze link
Read the full article at RedditDan Henderson was promised a title shot "months ago," has no interest in fighting Chael Sonnen
Light Heavyweight veteran Dan Henderson, who was last seen in action defeating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in November, confirms reports that he is, in fact, next in line to challenge for the Light Heavyweight title, and discusses a potential rematch with Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva. Henderson says that though he would be interested in a rematch with Silva, it is the only fight he wants at 185-pounds.
Posted in: title, heavyweight, silva, henderson, dan henderson
Read the full article at Low KickVideo: UFC 145's Rashad Evans Reacts To Fan Giving Him KO Pic To Autograph
Rashad Evans, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, is on the upswing. He lost the title to Lyoto Machida in May of 2009 at UFC 98. He's been angling for a title shot ever since but a combination of bad luck, injuries and poor timing has forced him to wait until this coming April 21 when he'll challenge Jon Jones at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Georgia.
In the meantime, he's still got to suffer the slings and arrows of obnoxious fans who won't let him forget the painful moment when Lyoto Machida knocked him out and took his title. In the video above we see Rashad react when an impertinent fan in Puerto Rico presents him a photograph of the KO moment from UFC 98 to autograph.
Evans manages to respond in a relatively restrained manner the first time the fan presents the photograph, but when the man makes a second run...
More SBN coverage of UFC 145
Posted in: ufc, title, fan, evan, lyoto machida
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowIf Given A Third Chance, Rich Franklin Feels Like He Could Beat Anderson Silva
Rich Franklin will begin his quest back in the UFC’s middleweight division later this year when he takes on Cung Le at UFC 148.
For “Ace,” all roads – hopefully – lead to another chance at the UFC middleweight title, a belt he has wore before. If that is the case, and Anderson Silva is still wearing the title at that point, Franklin feels the third time would be the charm if the two were to square off, as he told MMA Canada in a recent interview.
If I was able to put another title run together and the UFC wanted to do another fight with Anderson, I would be willing to do another fight with Anderson. And I believe – and this is just because of the champion mentality in my head – but I believe that given another shot, I could win that fight.
Franklin and Silva first met in 2006, with “The Spider” scoring a first round knockout victory. A year later, they collided again, and Silva scored a second round TKO triumph.
Coming off a loss to Forrest Griffin, the road to a UFC title shot is very long for Franklin, especially considering his age of 37. However, he is a star within the company, and a big win over Le would be a step in the right direction.
Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog
Posted in: ufc, title, silva, anderson silva, franklin
Read the full article at MMA ConvertBellator Heavyweight Title To Be Defended At Bellator 65
Finally, Bellator Fighting Championship will send heavyweight champion Cole Konrad out for a title defense. Konrad will meet Eric Prindle at Bellator 65 on April 13.
The card takes place from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The main card, which will also feature Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky defending his title against Eduardo Dantas, will be televised by MTV2.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney made the announcement of the fight on Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored Live this past Thursday.
Konrad (8-0) has not competed since last August when he defeated Paul Buentello in a non-title fight. The former NCAA Div. I wrestling champion has been waiting for the Bellator heavyweight tourney to determine a No. 1 contender.
Prindle (7-1) became that contender after Thiago Santos failed to make weight for their finale fight. The two first in a match that ended in a no-contest after Santos connected with a low blow.
Konrad should be able to use his vast wrestling to control Prindle and wear him out, as Prindle’s cardio has come into play in his previous Bellator fights.
Photo Credit: Sherdog
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, konrad, prindle
Read the full article at MMA ConvertAfter disappointing loss, Bellator's Ben Saunders says fans fueling new title run
Ben Saunders has been down this path before.
A veteran of the UFC and a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 6,"
Saunders in 2011 made his way to Bellator Fighting Championships, where
after three fights in the promotion he was just one win away from
fighting for a title.
Things didn't go his way then, but Saunders feels confident they will go
better this time around. After some admittedly dark days, Saunders said
the support of his fans has him focused on making good on a second
chance.
Posted in: title, ben saunders, saunder, cast member, days saunders
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWhat a baller: Dan Henderson will get either the winner of Chael/Ando or Bones/Rashad
Dan Henderson has won a UFC tournament, was a Pride champ in multiple weight classes, won the Strikeforce LHW title, moved up in weight to 207 to take on Fedor then knocked him out, put on one of the greatest fights of all time against Shogun and blessed the world with the omnipresent Bisping KO.
If the dude isn't the GOAT he's on the very, very short list.
Dana White understands this, and even though he and Hendo haven't been the best of friends over the years, Dana respects the hell out of what Hendo has been able to do throughout his storied career. That's why Hendo is chillin, waiting for a shot at the UFC middleweight title or the light heavyweight title. Whichever comes first.
[Source]
Posted in: title, hendo, pride champ, goat hes, list dana
Read the full article at Middle EasyDana White: UFC Title Shot Next for Dan Henderson
UFC president Dana White says former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson's next fight will be for a title. But will it come at light heavyweight or middleweight?
Posted in: ufc, title, dana, dan, light heavyweight
Read the full article at Heavy MMADana White: Dan Henderson will get next title shot at Light Heavyweight or Middleweight
Long-time mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran and current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight contender Dan Henderson definitely has something to smile about.
In a career that spans more than 15 years, "Hendo" has put his time in the sport of MMA, participating all over the world with top organizations such as Pride FC and Strikeforce, earning world titles with both promotions. After failing to win gold in the UFC against Quinton Jackson at 205-pounds and Anderson Silva at Middleweight, the window of opportunity is closing little by little in his chance of capturing the elusive UFC world title.
After all, the former Olympic wrestler is no spring chicken.
After recently stating that he will probably "fight for three more years," and "voicing his displeasure of being passed over for a title fight against Jon Jones," Henderson might be thrilled to hear that UFC President Dana White has confirmed that he will indeed be the next challenger for either the 205-pound title or the promotion's 185-pound strap, because he has earned it.
Make the jump to see what White told Fight Day after yesterdays UFC 146 press conference:
"Yes, Dan Henderson will get the winner of that fight (Jones vs. Evans) or the winner of the Anderson Silva fight. Dan Henderson just wants a title shot. You know, there was a lot of talk about the stuff I said. Here is the thing. I offered Dan Henderson two fights. Dan Henderson wants this fight. Normally I don't do that. Guys don't sit around and wait and pick their fights. There's been very specific cases where that has happened and it's guys who have earned it or deserved it. Dan Henderson is one of those guys. Listen, Henderson has been around forever. He is forty-something years old. He has been knocking guys out left and right and if he wants to sit around and wait for this title shot, he can do it."
"Dangerous Dan" will turn 42 this fall, though his recent victories would not indicate that this MMA legend has not lost a step.
Sure, he was visibly gassed in his epic bout against the much younger Mauricio Rua at UFC 139 last November, but his dominating knockout victories over Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Cavalcante and Renato Sobral prior, gave glimpses of a fighter that was barely hitting his stride.
After receiving White's approval to sit around and wait for the title shot, "Hendo" can now rest easy knowing that he will have at least one more try to add a UFC world title to his mantle of impressive accomplishments.
Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will tangle for the 205-pound title at UFC 145 on April 21, 2012, in Atlanta, Ga., while Chael Sonnen will try to once again rip the 185-pound title from the hands of Anderson Silva at UFC 147 on June 23, 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Anyone care to venture a guess as to which world title Henderson will fight for his next time out? Better yet, which challenge will prove more difficult for the MMA legend?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, henderson, dan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGreg Jackson: Jon Jones is still being tested; Georges St. Pierre has already passed his test
When you're the man at the helm of the success of some of the most dangerous fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, life is good.
Greg Jackson, head trainer at Jackson's-Winkeljohn Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is one of the men behind arguably two of the top three pound-for-pound best fighters in the world, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and longtime champion of the Welterweight division, Georges St. Pierre.
Jones had an impressive year in 2011, capturing his first world title and defending it twice against some of the toughest competition at 205 pounds in span of nine months. "Bones" is near perfect, with only one blemish in his professional MMA career, a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill for illegal downward elbows in 2010.
St. Pierre has long been the king at 170 pounds, cleaning out the division twice over with wins over some of the tops fighters in the world today and six consecutive title defenses to boot.
The two gifted athletes have enjoyed much success in their careers and all the perks that come with it such as fame, money and mainstream exposure. Though the benefits of their success may be somewhat similar, the fighters themselves are at a different level in their careers.
UFC Central's "Showdown Joe" Ferraro recently caught up with MMA trainer extraordinaire, Greg Jackson, and got his take on which of the two is the best fighter he has ever trained.
Check it out:
"Both of them are amazing. Jon is still young, he is still being tested. He's had a couple of title defenses but he is still being tested and I have a lot of confidence that he will pass the test, as far as how you deal with fame, how you allow the people around you to change, who you bring in. GSP has passed those tests. He's had the title for a long time and so George is always the leader of the charge. He's the guy that everybody emulates. Even other champions can learn, like Carlos Condit, he is now the interim champion, he is also our guy, so we all learn from George's example of staying humble, staying true to himself and keeping the people he has had around him forever, just around him still, being loyal. Constantly learning new things, so yeah, George leads the way. "
As Jackson stated, if having the 170-pound champion in your stable wasn't enough, he also has the interim welterweight champion, Carlos Condit, under his tutelage, as well.
"The Natural Born Killer" will face off against "Rush" later this year, possibly in November at UFC 154 in Montreal, to unify the titles once and for all. Jones on the other hand, has his hands full against former training partner Rashad Evans, who, coincidentally enough, was also a UFC champion under the guidance of Jackson in 2008, at UFC 145 on April 21, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia.
In a den full of lions, the French-Canadian Georges St. Pierre, is still the king of the pack.
Anyone care to disagree?
Posted in: title, jackson, fighter, champion, george
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBeginning In 2013, Bellator To Hold Three-Hour Cards On Spike TV
Bjorn Rebney continues to push Bellator Fighting Championship into the mainstream media, as his MMA promotion will move from MTV2 to Spike TV beginning in 2013.
Rebney, the CEO for Bellator, told USA Today in a recent interview that the cards put on by his promotion will expand from two to three hours beginning next year. Rebney also added that an extra tournament – making it six now a year – will be held thanks to the addition of an extra hour.
It’ll eliminate the need for the superfight because we’re going to be able to get six tournaments running simultaneously per season. You’ll get that consistent repetition of having a No. 1 challenger earn the right to fight our champion. I will load the barrel in order for us to do title fight after title fight after title fight.
Rebney talked earlier this week about not going away from the tournament-style of Bellator, despite the problems it has created in the heavyweight division. By already talking about adding a sixth tournament next year, it would seem he is holding true to his word.
While Bellator’s tournament-style of determining a No. 1 contender may not always make for the most interesting match up, it does give a different feel to the sport than the UFC.
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, title fight, rebney
Read the full article at MMA ConvertBellator planning three hour main cards with 2013 move to Spike TV
If two hours of Bellator each week just wasn't enough for you, have no fear.
There's plenty more headed your way in 2013.
Speaking with USA Today, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney mentioned that with the planned 2013 move to Spike TV from its current home on MTV2, Bellator Fighting Championships would be extended its allotted main card time from two to three hours.
With more time, that means more tournaments, more title fights and significantly less, if no more "superfights" at all for the promotion's champions.
Rebney explains after the jump:
"It'll eliminate the need for the superfight because we're going to be able to get six tournaments running simultaneously per season. You'll get that consistent repetition of having the number one challenger earn the right to fight our champion."
Bellator originally did four tournaments per season, but starting last year, they also added a special "Summer Series" which added ninth tournament per hear. This has actually really gotten the featherweight division rolling with a high likelihood of three title fights in 2012.
This year, on top of a planned Summer Series, Bellator has progressed to five tournaments per season which would mean 11 total tournament winners in 2012.
With the promotion hoping to hold six tournaments per season in 2013 with the extended episodes, it would be an extremely important factor in keeping each division's momentum rolling and keeping the champions busy, which has been one of the key criticisms for the upstart promotion thus far.
Rebney says it best:
"t will load the barrel in order for us to do title fight after title fight after title fight."
And isn't that exactly what the fans have been demanding?
Let's just hope that Bellator can improve the pacing of its show in 2013 with that extra hour.
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, title fight, tournament
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJake Ellenberger: 'I'll finish Martin Kampmann by first or second round TKO'
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender, Jake Ellenberger is inching closer to a long desired title shot. With no clear-cut number one challenger, aside from interim 170-pound champion Carlos Condit ready to unify his strap against Georges St. Pierre later this year, the former Marine has definitely made a case for himself.
"The Juggernaut" has been on a tear as of late, winning six straight including victories over Jake Shields and most recently, Diego Sanchez. His only loss in the UFC came at the hands of Condit -- a rematch he so desperately wants.
The two originally tangled at UFC Fight Night: "Diaz vs. Guillard" over two and half years ago and Condit squeezed out a very close split decision victory. Before Ellenberger can even think about a rematch with "The Natural Born Killer," he will have his hands full against dangerous striker Martin Kampmann as the two will face off on June 1, 2012 at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 Finale in a bout that will have major title implications.
In his recent appearance on Pro MMA Radio, Jake talked about his road to the top of the 170-pound ladder and gave his thoughts on a future showdown against Condit, his upcoming bout against "The Hitman" and also touches on the sentiments from some mixed martial arts (MMA) fans and media that felt Sanchez would have defeated him if the bout was a five round fight.
Make the jump to see for yourself:
"Yeah, it's like a baseball team losing in nine innings, and they say, "Yeah well it would have went 12 then we would have won." Well, you know what? It didn't. Or if it was a wrestling match, NCAA finals, "Oh if it would have went to overtime I would have won." Really? Well, that's irrelevant. People have their opinions and I respect Diego as a fighter. That guy is a warrior, I have nothing bad to say about the guy. It's an honor to fight him and people can speculate all they want, but, trust me, I assure you that if I had to go five rounds, I could have. Was I tired? Sure, but I assure you he was just as tired as I was. You can always do so much more than you think you can. When you have to, you will. I know if I had to go five rounds I could have, I would have forced myself. That's one of the things the Marine Corp. taught me."
"The Juggernaut" spoke about his close loss to current UFC welterweight interim champion, Carlos Condit and his decision to hold out for Georges. St. Pierre:
"I felt I won the fight but the judges saw it the other way. There is nothing I can do about that. Here is the thing I do know, I know I can beat him and he does not want to fight me because he knows the same thing too. Me fighting Condit is out of my control right now but I'm just going to keep moving forward you know? Our job as fighters is to compete and fight when they tell us to fight. We don't choose who we fight and we don't choose when we fight, so, it is frustrating for me because I am wanting to get a rematch with Carlos Condit. But at the same time I can't control that. But I have to agree, what is the point of having an interim champ if they are not active. If the champ is not being active, then that's the point of the interim champion is to stay active and have a contender and seeing who the number one contender is, but it's out of my control, unfortunately. He knows I can beat him and there is a lot of potential of me beating him, so I don't think he wants to risk losing his interim title, which I don't even understand that but, he wants to wait for GSP."
On his upcoming clash against "The Hitman:"
"He is dangerous, he's got good submissions. He has beaten a lot of guys, a lot of respectable fighters. I cannot take anything away from him and definitely cannot look past him at all. But, I will win the fight by TKO in first or second round."
No word on if the Ellenberger vs. Kampmann bout is a number on contender's scrap, but it is safe to assume that should Jake prevail over Martin, he will be top candidate to get next title shot. Rest assured, Ellenberger is not going to sit around and wait:
"After June, I definitely want to fight at least one more time here. So, I'm not sure what is going to happen but, I'm going to keep fighting and when it's my time, I'm going to dethrone the champion, whoever it is. I just don't think it is going to be Carlos."
With his hands full against Kampmann, Ellenberger has one more tough obstacle to get over, should he receive his long desired chance at obtaining UFC gold against either St. Pierre or Condit.
From the sound of it, it makes no difference to him who he faces.
Do you see any reason to believe Ellenberger doesn't have what it take to earn a title shot and dethrone the champion, whoever it may be? Or will the dangerous Dane derail all of his hopes and dreams in Las Vegas?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: fight, jake, ellenberger, title, condit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFrank Mir Appreciates Possibly Getting Another Title Shot (UFC 146 Video)
Knowing he has to get past Cain Velasquez at UFC 146 first, Frank Mir appreciates that me may get another shot at the belt he used to wear.
Posted in: ufc, title, mir, velasquez, shot
Read the full article at MMA WeeklySiyar Bahadurzada: My only goal is to KO Paulo Thiago in Sweden (Interview)
Mixed Martial Arts veteran Siyar Bahadurzada will finally make his long-awaited UFC debut, facing the tough-as-nails Paulo Thiago on the main card of UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Nicknamed "The Killer", Bahadurzada is currently 20-4-1 in his MMA campaign, with 10 KO/TKO and 6 Submission victories. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Siyar Bahadurzada held numerous MMA titles, such as the Shooto Light Heavyweight title and Golden Glory's United Glory Welterweight Tournament title. Bahadurzada will begin a
Posted in: title, bahadurzada, siyar, mma titles, sweden interview
Read the full article at Low KickUFC 146 press conference video and LIVE updates today (March 27) in Las Vegas
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold a public press conference today (March 27, 2012) in advance of UFC 146 which will take place on May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The press conference will begin at 2 p.m. ET and will take place at MGM Hotel Lobby in Las Vegas. Scheduled to attend will be the UFC President Dana White and the headlining fighters for the evening: Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva.
We'll deliver the minute-by-minute updates from the UFC 146 press conference below, as well as feature the LIVE video feed so you can watch it right here at MMAmania.com.
Dos Santos is the current UFC heavyweight champion, having gone an impressive 8-0 inside the Octagon. He captured the title from Cain Velasquez at the inaugural UFC on FOX event last November and is looking to defend his belt for the first time. His opponent, Alistair Overeem is the former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 World Grand Prix champion. He has not lost in four and a half years and handily defeated Brock Lesnar last December to earn his title shot.
Velasquez is the former UFC heavyweight champion. He suffered a shoulder injury after initially winning the title in October of 2010 and was handed his lone loss by dos Santos during his first title defense. Now healthy, he's hoping to earn his title back with a victory in the co-main event.
Frank Mir is also the former two-time heavyweight champion. He's currently riding a strong three fight winning streak over top competition which includes a dramatic comeback victory in which he submitted Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira last December and is also hoping to get his crack at the belt.
We'll have all the updates from the UFC 146 press conference, as well as the LIVE video feed, after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The press conference is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
More UFC 146 news and notes right here.
Posted in: ufc, title, press conference, conference, press
Read the full article at MMA ManiaTatsuya Kawajiri focused on featherweight future, not lightweight past
At one stage Tatsuya Kawajiri was considered to be the #1 lightweight in the world and he is unbeaten since dropping down to 145 pounds late last year. He is also a former Shooto welterweight champ and has fought for titles at Strikeforce and DREAM, coming up short on both occasions.
While Kawajiri has already faced many of the best fighters in the word including Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez, and Takanori Gomi, even as a seasoned veteran he still has plenty of time to win a world title as a featherweight. That feat is something he is determined to do starting with ONE FC where he is fighting King of the Cage champion Donald Sanchez at ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31. Their bout will be an opportunity for Kawajiri to remind people why he has been consistently ranked as one of the top fighters in the world for an entire decade and continue to show he’s a force to be reckoned with at featherweight.
The 33-year old fan-favorite spoke exclusively to Fighters.com about the move down from 155 pounds as well his first fight for ONE FC where he had plenty of interesting insight to offer.
Kawajiri Continues to Look Sharp at Featherweight
You only ever lose to the best fighters in the world, do you think Donald Sanchez will be good enough to beat you?
Kawajiri: There’s no security that you can win in MMA. You could lose any match against any opponent if you are careless.
You did not fight for a year after losing your first MMA fight, why was that?
Kawajiri: I felt I was immature at the time and also felt that I could only be mediocre fighter if I kept on fighting like that.
Do you think you will be fighting many times for ONE FC?
Kawajiri: If possible I would like to keep fighting for ONE FC.
Would you like to win the ONE FC featherweight belt?
Kawajiri: Yes!
Do you think you will ever fight at lightweight again or are you more comfortable fighting at 145 lbs?
Kawajiri: I’m not thinking about it right now as I haven’t achieved anything yet in this division. But generally speaking, you’ll never know about the future.
Shinya Aoki is rumored to have signed with ONE FC. Would you be interested in a rematch with him?
Kawajiri: We are currently in different division, so I’m not interested in a rematch.
You have consistently been ranked in the top five fighters in your weight class but have not held a title since you left Shooto in 2006. Is winning titles important to you?
Kawajiri: I’m interested in title as a proof for what’ I’ve done. Most of all, it would make people around me happy.
Your losses have almost all been to great fighters like Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez and Takanori Gomi. Would you like a rematch with any of these fighters?
Kawajiri: I’d like to revenge all the losses but as I’m in different division now, it won’t be realistic.
What is your favorite memory from your MMA career?
Kawajiri: When I won Shooto title.
Who is the toughest opponent you have ever faced?
Kawajiri: Gomi, Aoki, Melendez and Alvarez. They were all in their prime and tough.
Are you excited about fighting in Singapore?
Kawajiri: It is important for my career to fight in different environment. So I’m looking forward to it and want to feel the heat of Asian MMA
Have you seen any footage of Donald Sanchez and if so what are you expecting from him?
Kawajiri: He’s tall and has long reach. I’d have to be careful about the punch.
“The Crusher” holds an overall record 30-7 with numerous notable wins to his credit including those over Yves Edwards, Gesias Cavalcante, Joachim Hansen, and Josh Thomson. Twenty of his victories have involved some form of stoppage including thirteen TKOs.
PHOTO CREDIT – FEG
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Posted in: title, fighter, kawajiri, featherweight, fc
Read the full article at Fighters.comDan Henderson feels he should have received title shot against Jon Jones ahead of Rashad Evans
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira? No Thanks. How about a fight with "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida? Next. A rematch against Mauricio Rua? Pass.
Dan Henderson seems to be one of the hardest guys to please for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmakers these days.
After reportedly passing up a fight against "Lil' Nog," another go around against "Shogun," and a potential thriller against Machida, "Hendo" has made his feelings felt that he will only fight someone who is holding UFC gold his next time out. Preferably, whoever is holding the UFC Light Heavyweight title, Jon Jones or Rashad Evans.
After defeating Rua at UFC 139 on Nov. 19, 2011, in what proved to be one of the best fights of the year, Henderson believed his outing was good enough to earn a title shot ahead of Rashad Evans. After all, "Suga" still had to get passed Phil Davis at UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago, two months after Hendo had secured his win against "Shogun."
The former Olympic wrestler tells ESPN.com that he believes he is next up for the winner between "Suga" and "Bones," however, Henderson feels that timing wise, he should have received the nod to try and dethrone the 205-pound phenom that is Jon Jones, ahead of his bitter rival, Rashad Evans.
Make the jump to see what "Dangerous Dan" had to say:
"I guess Dana promised Rashad he was next for the title shot. But timing wise, it would have been better for me to fight Jones, and then have Rashad fight the winner. That would have been better than having Rashad come right back after fighting Phil Davis, and it's probably going to be pushed again if Rashad wins because he's going to have to fight me pretty quickly as well. Dana hasn't publicly stated that I'm next but that's the word. We'll see. The only fight that makes sense is a title shot, I was hoping to jump the line in front of Rashad, but I've got to wait until Rashad fights Jon Jones and then I'll fight the winner."
In hindsight, timing wise, it probably would have made more sense to have Henderson battle it out against Jones and give Rashad the winner, and in the process, give Evans a little bit more time to recuperate from his fight with Davis. "Suga" didn't suffer any damage in his five rounder against "Mr. Wonderful," so all is well that ends well, apparently.
Nonetheless, the UFC opted to wait for Evans and booked the long awaited title fight between he and Jones which is set to go down on April 21, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia at UFC 145. While the aging legend Henderson, will more than likely sit on the sidelines longer than expected as he still has to wait for the winner of the monumental title fight to heal up from any potential damage either may suffer.
What's your opinion Maniacs, did UFC officials get it right by opting to hold out and give Rashad his title shot against Jones instead of giving it to Henderson? Or should have "Hendo" been given the title fight first?
Perhaps the very real possibility of losing out on the chance to finally make the title fight between the former friends and training partners (Jones and Evans) again, a fight that has been scratched twice before due to injury, was not a chance the UFC was willing to take.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, rashad
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBAMMA 9 Results: Tom Watson Defends Belt
Following the latest defense of his BAMMA middleweight titles, rumors are swirling that Tom "Kong" Watson might be headed to Strikeforce.
Posted in: title, watson, bamma, tom, kong
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyGray Maynard Looking To Settle The Score With Frankie Edgar Down The Road
Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar put together three fights that will go down in the history of MMA as some of the best action ever. The lightweights each won one match, while the other went to a draw.
However, it was Edgar that ended up on top, as “The Answer” delivered a knockout last year to end the trilogy and remain UFC lightweight champion. Don’t think for a minute that has settled well with Maynard, as “The Bully” remains hopeful of both claiming the title and exacting revenge on Edgar, as he told Duane Finley of Heavy recently.
The title has always been the goal. I would love to have the belt and somewhere along the line, get another fight with Edgar. We are 1-1-1 and we need to settle it once and for all. It has to happen eventually, and after that fight we can both be done. We can walk away knowing it’s over and that we gave MMA fans some great fights to look back on.
For now, Maynard is set to meet Clay Guida in a match that could help shape the future of the lightweight division. The two will square off at UFC on FX 4 in the main event from Atlantic City. Maynard noted that the bout grew from a rumor that started a long time ago.
Someone put it out there that we were going to fight in Montreal, and even though it wasn’t true, it drew solid attention. The UFC saw this, and Joe Silva thought it was a great fight – so they made it happen. Since it has been out there, I’ve pretty much been gearing up for him for a while now. He has a good chin, great heart, and it’s a fun fight.
While the division is stacked with worthy challengers to current champion Benson Henderson, the winner of Maynard-Guida could position himself nicely for a future No. 1 contender match, or even a title shot depending on what happens between now and later this year.
Photo credit: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog
Posted in: fight, title, edgar, frankie edgar, maynard
Read the full article at MMA ConvertRich Franklin Looking To Put Together Another Run To UFC Gold
Rich Franklin’s quest to get another shot at the UFC middleweight title begins later this year when he meets Cung Le. Franklin, a former champion in the division, will be returning after over a year off due to shoulder surgery when he meets Le at UFC 148.
After bouncing around weight classes, “Ace” decided to approach the UFC about returning to middleweight and putting together what he called a “Cinderella story” in a recent interview with MMAWeekly.com.
After the injury, I was talking to Monte Cox and I said what would the UFC think about me moving back down to 185? If I was able to put a title run together, even if they did do another rematch with Anderson (Silva) and I, there’s been enough time at this point that there would be interest in the fight. That would be my Cinderella story. It would be great.
Franklin has met “The Spider” twice, with Silva earning a first round knockout and a second round TKO. The first cost Franklin his UFC middleweight title.
With the number of challengers for Silva starting to add up, it remains a shot-in-the-dark that Franklin ever receives a third opportunity. However, a win over a contender such as Mark Munoz or Michael Bisping down the road could lead to that meeting Franklin is chasing.
Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog
Posted in: ufc, title, silva, middleweight, franklin
Read the full article at MMA ConvertRich Franklin wants one more run at UFC middleweight title ... even if it means fighting Anderson Silva again
Believe it or not, there was a time when Anderson Silva wasn't the king of the middleweight mountain.
Indeed, rewind back to 2005 and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promoters thought they had the sport's next big megastar in Rich Franklin, who defeated Evan Tanner for the 185-pound championship at UFC 53.
In fact, stories abound that the powers that be did their very best to protect "Ace" from losing the strap because they saw him as the potential poster boy for the promotion, a clean cut, good looking, well-spoken former teacher from Cincinnati.
But along came a "Spider" and his bite changed everything.
Franklin started his mixed martial arts (MMA) career with a stellar record of 22-1. Then he ran into Silva and not only did he lose the middleweight title, he was systematically destroyed in the rematch one year later, effectively ending his run in the division and sending him into catchweight purgatory.
Now, though, Franklin tells MMAWeekly.com he feels enough time has gone by that he can finally return to his old stomping grounds and make one more run at the belt, even if it's still strapped firmly around Silva's waist.
"After this injury, I was talking to Monte Cox and I said, 'what would the UFC think about me moving back down to 185?' I think at this point in time, in their minds, if I was able to put a title run together, even if they did do another rematch between Anderson (Silva) and I, there's been enough time at this point there would be interest in the fight, and I guess that's what the interest is now. ... Hopefully, this is where I'll finish my career."
If another title run sounds improbable to you, you're not the only one. In fact, Franklin himself admitted it would be a "Cinderella story" if he's able to accomplish this final goal before he calls it a career.
The first stop on his second tour at 185-pounds is a match-up against former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le at UFC 148 on July 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There's no telling how far away from a title shot he may be, or if it's even something UFC President Dana White would consider, but an impressive win against an exciting striker like Le could get the people talking.
Enough to demand a trilogy against Silva though?
You tell us, Maniacs. Do you dig Franklin back at 185-pounds? And would you pay for another fight against the man widely considered the pound-for-pound best in the world, maybe in history?
Sound off.
Posted in: ufc, title, silva, middleweight, franklin
Read the full article at MMA ManiaRich Franklin wants to finish his career in style with a run at UFC gold
For Rich Franklin, figuring out exactly where he fit in the UFC was a difficult prospect. Now, “Ace” is primed and positioned to compete at middleweight with a bout set for later this year against Cung Le. In Le, Franklin will be looking to shake off several months of rust, having not competed since early in 2011 against Forrest Griffin due to a serious shoulder injury.
Franklin (28-6) is a former middleweight champion who lost the title to current champ Anderson Silva back in 2006. After getting another crack at “The Spider,” Franklin was unable to solve him, falling for a second time by way of brutal strike-baed stoppage.
“That would be my Cinderella story. It would be great. I had one chance at that and fighting in my hometown and all that kind of stuff to regain my title, swing and miss, strike one,” said Franklin of making a final run at the belt in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “We’re starting with a good exciting fight, and we’ll move forward from there. But that would be my Cinderella story.”
Silva earned a first round KO and a second round TKO over Franklin, the latter coming in Franklin’s hometown of Cincinnati. Since those meetings, the explosive Brazilian has dominated the 185-pound division while Franklin has spent time competing at a heavier weight. With his return to middleweight he feels like he’s back where he should be.
“After the injury, I was talking to (manager) Monte Cox and I said, ‘What would the UFC think about me moving back down to 185,” Franklin explained of his drop back down. “I think at this point in time, in their minds, if I was able to put a title run together, even if they did do another rematch with Anderson and I, there’s been enough time at this point that there would be interest in the fight.”
Franklin will face Le on July 7 at UFC 148.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, time, title, franklin, cinderella story
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainRich Franklin hoping for another run at the Middleweight title
Rich Franklin has not fought in the Middleweight division since 2008. That will all change on July 7 when he meets Cung Le at UFC 148, which is scheduled to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
While fight at Middleweight, Franklin captured the UFC title, defeating Evan Tanner at UFC 53. He would defend the title twice, knocking out Nate Quarry and beating David Loiseau via unanimous decision. Franklin would lose the title in his next bout, falling to Anderson Silva at the 2:59 mark of
Posted in: ufc, title, middleweight, franklin, middleweight franklin
Read the full article at Low KickRich Franklin Wants to Make One More Run at the UFC Middleweight Title
Rich Franklin wants to make one more run at the UFC middleweight title and hopes to close out his career at 185 pounds.
Posted in: ufc, pound, title, middleweight, franklin
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC Quick Quote: 'Smarter' Dan Henderson wants to fight for three more years
"I've got three more fights on my deal, and I'll probably sign one more deal after that. So two or three more years. I definitely won't be as old as Randy [Couture] when I retire! I've changed my training, I'm smarter with my training. I'm also smarter with my positioning and techniques. I know what works and what doesn't. And I'm still learning from those at my gym. I guess others lose motivation but my I know my time is limited and I want to make the most of it."
-- With one of the most storied and respected mixed martial arts (MMA) careers in his back pocket, Dan Henderson isn't looking to hang up his gloves anytime soon. At least that's what the 41-year-old told ESPN.com. "Hendo" has been competing in MMA for more than 15 years and has been involved in plenty of memorable bouts against some of today's top star such as Quinton Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva and, of course, his epic bout against Mauricio Rua last November at UFC 139. Along the way, Henderson picked up the Pride FC Welterweight and Middleweight titles, as well as the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight strap. Though he won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 17 Middleweight tournament in 1998, the former Olympic wrestler has yet to win a UFC world title, but that's not to say he hasn't had his chances. Henderson came up short in his two previous back-to-back title bids against "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 75 for the 205-pound title and against 185-pound kingpin Anderson Silva at UFC 82. With a few years left in his stellar fight career, perhaps one cannot blame Henderson for passing up rematches in favor of holding out for title shots. So i leave it to you Maniacs, will "Hendo's" legacy be incomplete should he fail to capture UFC gold, or has he done enough thus far to cement his place in MMA history?
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, year, training im
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJoseph Benavidez: Waiting Will Just Make Winning the Title That Much Sweeter (MMAWeekly.com)
Joseph Benavidez ‘s trip to Australia for UFC on FX 2 started out pretty good. The former bantamweight title contender made an easy cut to 125 pounds for the first time, and then proceeded to knock out former Shooto star Yasuhiro Urushitani to advance to the finals of the first ever UFC flyweight title tournament. That’s when the night took a turn into a strange series of events. Benavidez had watched Demetrious Johnson defeat Ian McCall from his dressing room while he was getting warmed up for his fight, and as he walked towards the cage to face...
Posted in: title, dressing room, benavidez, joseph benavidez, events benavidez
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC Quick Quote: Beating up Jon Jones is more important to Rashad Evans than winning another title
"In one month, on April 21 in Atlanta, I'm getting my title back but, to me, beating Jon Jones up and proving I am the better man and better fighter is even more important than waking up the next day as a two-time UFC champion. Everyone knows the history between us. Because this fight has been coming for a year I've already talked about it forever. And I know I'm going to have to keep talking about it over the next month so all I'll say now is that yes, it is very personal and, yes, this is the most important fight of my life for sure."
-- UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones took his blogging talents to FOX Sports and explained in detail how his upcoming opponent at UFC 145, Rashad Evans, doesn't even has his area code, let alone his number. Now, Evans has responded with a blog of his own at Yahoo! Sports and makes clear that while the 205-pound title is important, it doesn't measure up to his desire to beat up his former friend and teammate. Belts are cool and all but pride is on the line here, not to mention bragging rights or even legacy. "Suga" is making no "Bones" about it, this is personal and because of that, it's far more important than any fight he's ever had. Sounds cliche, but this is one of the rare instances in which we can actually believe the fighter. The shit gets real on April 21, 2012, at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Maniacs. Anyone picking Rashad?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, jon jones
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJoseph Benavidez: Waiting Will Just Make Winning the Title That Much Sweeter
Of course Joseph Benavidez was disappointed by what happened in Australia with the judging mishap, but waiting just means it will make winning the flyweight title that much sweeter.
Posted in: title, joseph, benavidez, joseph benavidez, flyweight title
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyMartin Kampmann Vs Jake Ellenberger Booked For June; Clearing Up Welterweight Title Picture
Before Martin Kampmann took on and beat Thiago Alves in the main event of UFC on FX 2, I asked the question, would the fight be relevant to the welterweight title picture? I detailed the possibility that the winner of the fight could find themselves just one win away from getting a title shot. Part of my thought process was that Jake Ellenberger would likely get a chance to fight Carlos Condit for the title this summer while Georges St. Pierre continued to recover from knee surgery.
With today's booking of Ellenberger vs Kampmann, scheduled for the TUF Live on FX season finale, some of the questions that I posed were answered.
Kampmann is the only man to have beaten the interim champion, while Ellenberger dropped a very close split decision to him. Carlos has gone on record saying that he would like to wait for St. Pierre to return before he defends his belt. While I'm not particularly thrilled at the idea of putting the belt on hold for seven or eight months, I understand the way Condit is approaching the situation. He was passed over by the UFC in favor of Nick Diaz last fall, got the title shot after Diaz was removed for missing his press obligations, only to see Georges get hurt. Taking another fight over the summer could complicate the situation, even if he were to be victorious. What if he broke a hand or foot, requiring surgery and months on the shelf? What about a shoulder injury similar to the one Cain Velasquez suffered while beating Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight championship? Cain spent the next year on the shelf. If Condit were to take a fight this summer he would be seriously jeopardizing his chances of facing GSP when the champion returns.
With this fight between Kampmann and Ellenberger being announced, it seems as though the UFC will grant Condit his wish. The other fight with relevance to the title was the UFC on FOX 3 match between perennial contender Josh Koscheck and the quickly rising Johny Hendricks. With those two set to square off in May and Ellenberger/Kampmann set to go down in June, it looks like the UFC plans on pitting the winners against each other with a title shot on the line.
Here is an adjusted time line to give you a better idea of where I'm coming from:
MayJosh Koscheck vs Johny Hendricks
JuneJake Ellenberger vs Martin Kampmann
NovemberCarlos Condit vs Georges St. Pierre (UFC Welterweight Title Unification)?? Winner of Koscheck/Hendricks vs Winner of Ellenberger/Kampmann (number one contenders match) ??
Could we see something like this going down? I'm not sure there is really any other possibility. Maybe the winner of Hendricks/Koscheck could find themselves in line for the title, if the victory came in dominating fashion, but I'm not sure the UFC will want to have the division's top guys sitting around and waiting anymore than they already have. It's time to make some fights in this division and this is a good start.
Posted in: ufc, fight, ellenberger, title, kampmann
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendJose Aldo To Defend UFC Featherweight Title At UFC 149 On July 21st
The UFC held a press conference in Calgary today to officially announce that UFC 149 will take place in the city on July 21st. Dana White also announced that UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title in the main event of the card. No opponent has been named yet.
Aldo (21-1) last competed at UFC 142 in January, where he defended his title by knocking out Chad Mendes at the end of the first round. He is the only featherweight champion in UFC history, and has successfully defended his title three times in the organization. He is also currently on a 14-fight winning streak.
There are a few possible suitors for a title shot. The most likely candidate would be Hatsu Hioki, the former Sengoku and TKO featherweight champion who is 2-0 in the UFC and most recently thrashed Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144. The main event of UFC on Fuel 3 between Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung has been branded a "title eliminator" as well, so the winner of that bout could be in line to main event in Calgary.
Dana also announced that Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar 2 would not take place on this card, and he was looking to book a solid co-main event as soon as possible. Along with that, Toronto will host a UFC card on September 22nd, and Montreal gets one on November 17th. The UFC will also return to all three cities in 2013.
SBN coverage of UFC 149
Posted in: ufc, title, event, card, featherweight
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJose Aldo reportedly set to defend featherweight title on July 21 in Calgary
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Posted in: title, jose, jose aldo, mattyblayze, featherweight title
Read the full article at RedditUFC 129 Nominated For Sports Business Journal Event Of The Year
The bible of the sports business industry has nominated the UFC for their second-ever award as UFC 129 is up for the Sports Business Journal's Sports Event Of The Year.
This is the second award the UFC has been nominated for, following last year's competition for Sports League Of The Year. They didn't win that award and were also shut out this year of any additional nominations for company personnel.
They are up against four big events that span the sports spectrum:
2011 Carrier Classic: This was an NCAA men's basketball game played between North Carolina and Michigan State aboard the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson on Veterans Day.
2011 Humana Challenge: This is an annual PGA event played in January, formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic. Jhonattan Vegas (yes, that's his real name) won the 2011 edition.
2011 NBA Finals: The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games to take their first NBA title.
Super Bowl XLVI: The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 to win their fourth Super Bowl title.
By comparison, UFC 129 drew a North American record 55,724 fans to Toronto, Canada, for the organization's first-ever event in the city. Packed with a UFC Fan Expo, the Rogers Centre crowd saw countryman Georges St. Pierre successfully defend his welterweight title against Jake Shields, while Lyoto Machida knocked out Randy Couture in the latter's final bout. The April 30th event brought in more than $12.1 million in ticket sales and an estimated 800,000 buys on pay-per-view.
This year's winners will be announced during a late May ceremony in New York City. A mix of sports industry experts and SBJ staffers will decide the winners.
Posted in: ufc, title, sport, event, year
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowNo way Jose: Finding a challenger for the UFC featherweight champion
Despite the fact that the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) as we know it today is not yet 20-years-old, we've gone through a few eras. I won't bother to get into what they are, I just make mention of them because we're now in the era of the dominant champion.
Five of the seven major weight classes (let's not add flyweight just yet) in the UFC feature a champion with multiple title defense under their belt and no end in sight to their respective reign at the top of their divisions. One of them, featherweight king Jose Aldo, can't even find a challenger to his throne.
It's not for lack of trying on part of matchmakers.
UFC President Dana White has done his damnedest to find a suitable lightweight to shed some skin for an immediate title shot at 145-pounds. Just as soon as Frankie Edgar lost the lightweight championship to Ben Henderson, White was on the phone attempting to set up a fight against Aldo. "The Answer" resisted, though, and was eventually granted a rematch.
Then talk turned to Anthony Pettis, another top 155-pound contender with enough credibility to earn an immediate crack at "Scarface." But after initial flirtation with the idea, "Showtime" emphatically denied he was seriously considering it and vowed to win the belt he actually wants, which is the title currently sitting somewhere close to Henderson.
Other lightweights who made the drop (Ross Pearson, Dennis Siver) simply don't measure up.
It's difficult to understand why exactly elite lightweights are passing up a chance to square off against one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world. This is cagefighting, of course, so fear certainly isn't something to consider, or at least you wouldn't think. It's baffling, though, that multiple men have been told they could headline a UFC event and fight one of the best in the world for a title and have said no.
Aldo, meanwhile, languishes on the sidelines, lying in wait for someone, anyone, to step up to the plate.
The list of potentials is short -- let's go with five -- but let's see if we can't find one for him.
Anthony Pettis -- Okay, so he already said no and he's not dropping down. But someone needs to get in his ear and explain to him that he could headline an event against one of the best in the world with a title on the line that he could help bring prestige to. Is featherweight as deep as lightweight? Of course not, but considering he's a far more marketable champion, if he had the title, the promotion could get behind him and push him to the sky.
Dustin Poirier -- He first made waves when he destroyed Josh Grispi, who had previously been scheduled to fight Aldo. Since then, "The Diamond" has fine tuned and sharpened his skills to the point that a win over Chan Sung Jung this upcoming May 15 in Virginia will put him next in line. Can he win? Maybe. That's enough to give him a shot.
Hatsu Hioki -- He's on a six fight winning streak and is 2-0 inside the Octagon but hasn't exactly blown anyone away with his performances since making his way stateside. Still, he's solid when the fight hits the floor and could avoid Aldo where he's most deadly. He's a long shot to win but a viable challenge nonetheless.
Frankie Edgar -- His inclusion on this list is based on two things: 1) Featherweight seriously lacks depth and 2) Aldo really, really wants to fight him. It's too bad, really, that he feels like it would be a slight to the 155-pound weight class to move down because he would bring out the very best in "Scarface." At the end of the day, it's one of the best match-ups available that may never happen. It would also be one of the most competitive main event level matches ever. This fight needs to happen sometime or another, even if Edgar loses to Ben Henderson again when they hook back up.
Chan Sung Jung -- Believe it or not, he's the next best option. If he bests Poirier at UFC on FUEL TV 3, that will only give him four wins in his last seven fights but he will have ripped off three in a row, two in seriously impressive fashion. Remember the twister submission of Leonard Garcia? Or the seven second knockout of Mark Hominick? Destroy Poirier and he's headed for the big time, even if a rude awakening awaits him.
That's the lay of the land, folks. Sadly, we're rapidly approaching the point where we'll start bugging UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz to move up in weight to challenge Aldo.
One thing is for certain, though: the sooner the Brazilian butt-kicker gets back inside the cage, the better.
Now, Maniacs, tell me who you want to see him fight next.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, aldo, he
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJoseph Benavidez talks flyweight tournament, scoring error and his quest for the UFC title
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) turned in a night of firsts on March 3, 2012, holding its first-ever Flyweight tournament at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia, at UFC on FX 2: "Alves vs. Kampmann."
The event was setup to have four men -- Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall, Joseph Benavidez and Yasuhiro Urushitani -- compete to set up a title fight to crown the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's first-ever 125-pound champion.
In the opening fight of the tournament, McCall and Johnson put on an exciting back-and-forth brawl that showed exactly the type of action fans should come to expect when the smaller guys step into the Octagon. After three rounds of action, the judges awarded Johnson the unanimous decision victory.
However, Johnson's celebration was short lived, as a tabulation error on the scorecards revealed that the fight should have been a draw and the bout should have gone into a "sudden victory" round, another first for the promotion. Due to the error, Johnson and McCall will now rematch at an event -- most likely The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 Finale -- this summer to see who will advance to the finals.
In the second bout of the tourney, Benavidez was matched up with Urushitani, a Japanese superstar and Shooto champion. This bout had no controversy as "Joe B- Wan Kenobi" knocked out Urushitani in the second round to punch his ticket to the finals. In the process, Benavidez became the first man ever to win a 125-pound UFC fight and the first-ever to have knockout in the division for the UFC.
Considered by many to be the best 125-pound fighter in the world, Benavidez is now looking to earn the UFC's first-ever Flyweight title to solidify his status. But, who will face in the title fight, "Uncle Creepy" or "Mighty Mouse?"
Appearing on Pro MMA Radio, Benavidez says he just wants to fight the best, to prove he is number one in the world at 125 pounds, but is disappointed he will have to wait a bit longer to find out who he will compete against due to all the "madness" that went down in "The Land Down Under."
Check it out:
"That was madness, it was a great fight (Johnson vs. McCall). It was madness the whole way it ended up. I found out it was a draw at the press conference. So here I was thinking I was fighting "Mighty Mouse." My initial though of the fight, was honestly, when I was watching it backstage was, I literally thought it could be a draw and that it could go to a fourth round. They threw in that fourth round, which is kind of a shame, you know, they threw it in to use it in the rare case it was a draw, and no one thought the draw was going to actually happened, and when it actually did it got messed up. I just wished they would have announced the draw at the end of the fight, they could do the fourth round and we can get on to the title."
With the rematch scheduled to take place later this year, Benavidez will unfortunately have to ride the pine longer than expected and watch McCall and Johnson earn another pay-day and more exposure:
"I am a little disappointed, I felt like I went out there and I did my job to the fullest, I went out there and got the win and did what I had to do. And so did they, they went out there and did their job and it was messed up by somebody else, it's not their fault. They now get to go out there and fight again, they get to get paid again, they get that exposure you know? People are going to watch that while I get to sit there and not get paid and watch them fight again. So it is what it is, they made a mistake and its going to be a great fight again and it can only bring exposure to the Flyweight division. Whoever wins that is the most deserving guy to fight for the title, so I'm 100 percent willing to wait that way I can fight the guy that is the best so I can be considered the best. But it is a bummer, I only got to fight twice last year and it looks like I will only get to fight twice this year."
So who does he think will win the rematch, which Benavidez revealed is scheduled to take place on June 1st at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Finale?
"It's a tough call, honestly, I think the rematch definitely favors McCall, because mentally, it has to be taxing on "Mighty Mouse." Him going in and thinking he won, I thought he was depressed and not so much into a rematch. Here he is thinking he won and now he has to go into another battle. I feel McCall is motivated by it. He thought he lost, and basically now has second life with the draw. That has to be motivating for him, he has to be excited about the second opportunity while "Mighty Mouse" has to be kind of down about it. And just the way the fight ended, that has to also be in "Mighty Mouse's" head."
So there you have it.
Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson will battle it out one more time, while Benavidez, unfortunately, will have to be just a little bit more patient to see who he will face to reach his long desired goal in obtaining UFC gold.
Who will it be? We all just have to now wait and see.
What's your take Maniacs, who do you think Benavidez has a better chance against in his quest for the title, "Uncle Creepy" or "Mighty Mouse?"
Opinions, please.
Posted in: fight, title, johnson, mccall, benavidez
Read the full article at MMA Mania
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will attempt to make the third defense of his title next month against former friend and training partner Rashad Evans.
Jones and Evans once held each other as brothers, training under the same roof at Jackson-Winkeljohn’s renowned academy in Albuquerque. The two had made a pact never to fight one another, but as soon as the title was thrown into the picture, that pact dissolved.
23-years-old at the time, Jones stepped up for an injured Evans to challenge Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the title last year. Before dismantling Rua to capture the belt, Jones did an interview where he said he’d be willing to fight Evans if he had to — leading to the rift which separates the fighters to this day.
Evans parted ways with Greg Jackson’s camp and a rivalry was born, with each man publicly disparaging the other. In the main event of UFC 145, which takes place on April 21 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Jones and Evans will finally settle their long-burning feud.
Check out the extended preview video of UFC 145 below and start getting excited.
<iframe width=”640″ height=”360″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/vIVLYXJaBR4″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, evan, preview video
Read the full article at MMA FrenzySarah Kaufman: Fight with Ronda Rousey Will Be Huge (MMAWeekly.com)
The Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title resides with newly crowned champion Ronda Rousey, but former titleholder Sarah Kaufman plans to return the belt to Canada after the two meet later this year. Kaufman seemed poised to take on Miesha Tate in a rematch for the Strikeforce women’s 135-pound title. She holds a win over Tate, but Rousey bypassed Kaufman in line for the title through effective campaigning and creating a buzz around the match-up.
Posted in: title, ronda rousey, rousey, kaufman, year kaufman
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsAnthony Pettis: I'm not dropping down to featherweight to fight Jose Aldo
Just days after his manager was telling reporters he was considering a drop down to 145-pounds to fight UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis has made his immediate plans clear.
"I'm not dropping to 145-pounds to fight Aldo," he tweeted. "155-pounds is my home and I'll get that belt soon."
Lofty aspirations, no doubt, but his optimism isn't exactly misplaced. The man currently holding the lightweight championship, Ben Henderson, is the very same man "Showtime" posterized with his "off-the-wall" kick at WEC 53 back in Dec. 2010.
Pettis took "Bendo's" lightweight title then; why couldn't he do so now?
Well, for starters, a pesky scrapper from New Jersey is getting in the way of Pettis realizing his dream. And it isn't the first time Frankie Edgar has muddied up the 155-pound waters.
When Pettis defeated Henderson at the previously mentioned WEC 53, he earned a title shot against the winner of the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard title fight set for UFC 125 the very next month as a nice, simple way to unify the titles after the two brands merged.
Alas it was not to be, as Edgar and Maynard fought to an unsatisfying draw in one of the best fights of the year. Naturally, that meant an immediate rematch, which left Pettis with a tough decision -- risk his status as number one contender to stay active or wait for his guaranteed shot.
He chose the former ... and it cost him.
The Duke Roufus product dropped a unanimous decision to Clay Guida and fell back down the ladder. All the while Henderson was steady climbing his way up it. "Smooth" eventually earned a title shot against Edgar, who had knocked Maynard out to retain his belt months prior, at UFC 144, a card that also featured Pettis taking on veteran submission ace Joe Lauzon.
Henderson would go on to outpoint Edgar after five extremely close -- dare I say, controversial -- rounds while Pettis destroyed Lauzon via head kick knockout in just over a minute. After the event, UFC President Dana White set the wheels in motion for Pettis to rematch Henderson.
But Edgar wouldn't go away so easy.
While White was busy trying to convince him to move down to featherweight, a more natural weight class for him, even promising him an immediate title shot, "The Answer" was demanding an immediate rematch. He gave one to both B.J. Penn and Maynard, after all; he should get the same respect.
When White was unsuccessful in his bid to convince him otherwise, he set up the rematch and now Pettis is once again on the outside looking in. Perhaps that's why rumors started to fly regarding his potentially dropping down to fight Aldo but he has every reason to stay at lightweight.
Especially if Henderson defeats Edgar for a second time. "Showtime" beat him once, he knows he can beat him again.
In the meantime, though, he may very well have to risk his number one contender status. But against who? For that will have to stay tuned. No matter what, though, we now know his next fight will be at 155-pounds.
Like it or not.
Posted in: fight, title, petti, henderson, edgar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAnthony Pettis Not Dropping to Featherweight, Eyes Lightweight Title in 2012
Anthony Pettis may not be getting the next crack at the UFC lightweight title, but he's not going anywhere but on a hunt for the next best challenge at 155lbs.
Posted in: title, anthony pettis, petti, anthony, featherweight eyes
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyFive to watch at NCAA Division I wrestling championships ()
The NCAA Division I wrestling national championships start on Thursday in St. Louis, and it will undoubtedly feature future stars of MMA. Randy Couture, Mark Munoz, Urijah Faber, Phil Davis, Ben Askren, Chael Sonnen, Tyron Woodley, Daniel Cormier, Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Josh Koscheck, Brock Lesnar and so many more familiar names from the fight world once wrestled in this tournament. MMA fans should tune in, so here's what you need to know.
Penn State has the ability to repeat as champions. They won the Big Ten title last week, but will have plenty of challengers. Minnesota won the dual meet championship earlier this year. Missouri won the Big 12 and was the only team in the country to qualify a wrestler at every weight class. (Ed. note -- GO TIGERS!) Cornell won their sixth straight EIWA title. Perennial powers Oklahoma State and Iowa will also be expected to challenge for a team trophy.
The 2012 field isn't as star-studded as some of the top wrestlers, like Mizzou's Dom Bradley, took a redshirt to focus on making the U.S. Olympic teams. Well known wrestlers like Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins from Arizona State and Jordan Burroughs from Nebraska have graduated. However, there are plenty of wrestlers to watch during the tournament.
Kyle Dake, Cornell : When Dake was a freshman, he wrestled at 141 lbs. and won a national championship. His sophomore year, he moved up at 149 lbs. again took home the title. This year, he is a junior and at 157 lbs. His goal is to keep the streak alive.
Posted in: title, team, year, championship, wrestler
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsPat Curran: Ref Could Have Stopped Warren Bout 15 Seconds Sooner
Pat Curran won the Bellator featherweight title Friday, but he believes the bout should have been stopped sooner.
Posted in: title, bout, friday, curran, curran ref
Read the full article at SherdogLooking Up At The Lights: Should Bellator's Joe Warren Fight Again?
Like him or dislike him, you have to feel for Joe Warren.
Thanks to pure incompetence by referee Jeff Malott, Warren took a ridiculous amount of unnecessary shots from Pat Curran last Saturday at Bellator 60. The Bellator featherweight title was already Curran's by the time he began to unleash hell on Warren in the fight's third round, but the beatdown the now former champ had to endure was brutal to watch.
But should we have seen this coming? Look at the last three fights leading into the Curran defense:
September 2010: Warren was dominated by Joe Soto in the first round of the Bellator featherweight title tournament but pulled a rabbit out of his hat in a highlight reel second round KO to win the title.
April 2011: After an eight month layoff, Warren fought Marcos Galvao in a 137-pound catchweight fight and took a split decision that many saw as a gift.
September 2011: In the first round of the 135-pound Bellator tournament, Alexis Vila knocked out Warren cold in just 64 seconds.
I was amazed that Warren's title defense Saturday was his first, more a function of the somewhat flawed Bellator system than anything else. I was also amazed that Warren has continued to train in an attempt to make the U.S. Olympic wrestling team while training in MMA at the same time.
I would also be amazed if Warren can come back. Always the underdog, Warren made his MMA debut in the 2009 DREAM featherweight tournament, pulling off big upsets of Chase Beebe and Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto before losing to Bibiano Fernandes in the finals. A late entrant to the MMA game, he rolled through the Bellator tournament, knocked out Soto and lived the life of a champion after that.
Full of charisma and with a title to back it up, Warren has been a great asset for Bellator and can talk the talk whenever the microphone is on, regardless of the opponent. Perhaps he knew he was playing with house money and decided to have as much fun with the ride as he could. In the latest USA Today/SB Nation rankings as of this writing, Warren wasn't even ranked in the Top 25 as the champion of a top organization, nor in ESPN's rankings last week.
With a wife, kids and more achieved than most would have expected, I don't know if I'm comfortable seeing Warren step into the cage again. Between Vila and Curran, that's two straight knockouts for a 35-year-old. With the Olympic trials coming up in late-April, Warren said there's no doubt he'll be there, but what kind of toll did the Curran fight take on him?
While I always err on the side of the fighter when it comes to ending a career, the time may have come to hang up the four ounce gloves. Warren has plenty of talents that he can use elsewhere in MMA, but seeing him flat on his back at the end of a fight shouldn't be one of them.
SBN coverage of Bellator 60
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, warren, curran
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowChampionship Matters
On April 21st in Atlanta, Georgia’s Philips Arena, one of the most highly-anticipated championship bouts in recent years headlines UFC 145, as light heavyweight king Jon “Bones” Jones attempts to successfully defend his crown for the third time against former 205-pound titlist “Suga” Rashad Evans. It’s the latest chapter in the organization’s championship history, and one that fans hope will add to a pretty interesting tale thus far. How interesting? Let’s take a look at some fun facts.THE FINISHERSSure, Jon Jones is the youngest champion in UFC history, and that’s an impressive feat. But what may be more impressive is that he has finished all three of his title fight victories thus far, stopping Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and submitting Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida. That’s not easy, especially at the championship level. Jones is one of 18 fighters to win three or more UFC title fights, yet only Jones and five of his peers have finished all of their championship wins. Those five are Andrei Arlovski (3 finishes), Brock Lesnar (3), Chuck Liddell (5), BJ Penn (5), and Frank Shamrock (5).TAKING THE BELT BACKWhen Rashad Evans steps into the Octagon at Philips Arena next month, he will be the fifth man to attempt to regain the UFC light heavyweight title. History isn’t on his side though, as the previous five attempts (two by Randy Couture, one each by Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida, and Quinton Jackson) have yielded just one victory, Couture’s 2004 rubber match win over Vitor Belfort. What makes it even worse is that two of those defeats (Machida and Jackson) were handed out by Evans’ April 21st opponent, Jon Jones.HOT POTATOObviously the late addition of the featherweight and bantamweight divisions in the UFC in 2010 preclude them from having the long history of the other weight classes in the promotion, but just for argument’s sake, what divisional titles have been the toughest to hold on to over the years? Not surprisingly, the big men are in the lead, with 15 titleholders in the heavyweight class (which admittedly was the first division to have a title belt), and 11 at 205 pounds. The welterweights have had seven men hold the 170 pound crown (either full or interim), with the middleweights and lightweights seeing five champions each. As for the lighter weight classes, Jose Aldo (featherweight) and Dominick Cruz (bantamweight) have been the only men to wear gold at 145 and 135 pounds, respectively.TOUGHER THAN MOSTA five round fight is usually all it takes to separate the men from the boys in MMA; that’s why rounds four and five are called the championship rounds. So who have gone more rounds in championship fights than anyone else? Randy Couture (44), BJ Penn (42), and Georges St-Pierre (37). As for total title bouts, again it’s “The Natural” up top with 15 fights, followed by Matt Hughes (12), BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre (each with 11), Anderson Silva (10), and Tito Ortiz and Tim Sylvia (each with 9).UNBEATENThe UFC is currently home to eight champions (seven full champions and one interim titleholders), with a ninth to be crowned after the flyweight tournament concludes. Of those eight titleholders, seven (Junior dos Santos, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Carlos Condit, Benson Henderson, Jose Aldo, and Dominick Cruz) have never lost a UFC title fight. That’s an amazing stat for those sporting a combined 22-0 title bout record. Who else in UFC history has escaped the agony of defeat in UFC title fights? Josh Barnett (1-0), Murilo Bustamante (2-0), Jens Pulver (3-0), and Frank Shamrock (5-0).NEWBIESWhen Brock Lesnar fought for the UFC heavyweight title in just his fourth pro fight, it was a shocking development for some, but not for the man he defeated for the belt – Randy Couture – who pulled off the same feat years earlier against Maurice Smith. And Lesnar and Couture are not alone, as Mark Coleman (6th fight), Frank Mir (9th fight), and Cain Velasquez (9th fight) also won their titles with less than 10 pro fights’ experience. What do they all have in common? They’re heavyweights. The other 15 fighters to battle for a UFC title with less than 10 fights to their name (with the exception of Kevin Randleman, and some would say he won his heavyweight title bout with Bas Rutten) all failed in their quest, and all are from weight classes ranging from 205 to 155. It’s a star-studded list too, one that includes BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz, Georges St-Pierre, Kenny Florian, Matt Lindland, and Nate Quarry.TOURNEY TIMEThe recent flyweight tournament that began in Australia a couple weeks back brought back memories for hardcore fight fans, even if the entire tourney didn’t take place on a single night like they did when the UFC first got off the ground in the early-90s. Before the 125-pounders battled it out, the Octagon hosted 23 tournaments, from no weight class competitions to those waged everywhere from heavyweight down to the under 170 pound class. Of course, the undisputed king of the tournament format was Hall of Famer Royce Gracie, who won three, but Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, Don Frye, and Mark Kerr acquitted themselves well, each winning two. Among modern-day UFC fighters, the only ones on the current roster to have won a UFC tournament are Vitor Belfort (UFC 12) and Dan Henderson (UFC 17).SUPERFIGHTSBack in the early days of the UFC, the precursor to the crowning of proper champions was the Superfight Championship. This title was reserved for the best of the best, with the biggest stars of the budding promotion saved for single fights outside of the tournament format which ruled the early events. The first Superfight Championship bout was waged at UFC 5 in April of 1995, but in a perfect case of Murphy’s Law, there was no champion crowned, as Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock fought to a draw. Gracie would not fight in the UFC again until 2006, but Shamrock took the title for himself in his next bout at UFC 6, submitting Dan Severn. Shamrock successfully defended his belt twice against Oleg Taktarov and Kimo Leopoldo before getting decisioned by Severn in their UFC 9 rematch. The title eventually morphed into the UFC heavyweight title, with Mark Coleman becoming the promotion’s first heavyweight champ by beating Severn at UFC 12.KNOCKOUT KINGSWhen you’ve reached the championship level and the best are facing the best, early finishes are likely to become rarer and rarer. Well, that’s unless your name is Anderson Silva, who holds the record for most knockouts in championship fights with six. Following “The Spider” on the list are Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Matt Hughes, each of whom have five title bout KOs. SUBMISSION SPECIALISTSOne of the few championship records not held by Anderson Silva is for most submission wins, a mark held by former 205-pound boss Frank Shamrock with four. Yet while Silva, who sits in third place all-time with two, has time to equal or surpass that mark, he could have been in second place along with Matt Hughes and BJ Penn with three if his UFC 67 opponent Travis Lutter made weight for their title bout, which Silva ended via submission in the second round.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, heavyweight, championship
Read the full article at UFCZuffa Purchases Strikeforce - One Year Later
Time flies in MMA, and it's hard to believe that the biggest news story of March 12th, 2011 was that Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, effectively bought off their largest competitor by purchasing Strikeforce. UFC president Dana White announced the deal to MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani, and the MMA blogosphere blew up with speculation about what it meant. Dana created a catchphrase that day, "business as usual", which people still dig out of mothballs to throw in Whte's face whenever Strikeforce doesn't live up to their expectations. So what has happened over the last year since the purchase? Let's take a trip down memory lane.
March 12th, 2011 - The announcement. While the exact numbers weren't confirmed, the purchase price was around 40 million dollars with some of that going to debt repayment. Scott Coker's partner, Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, was focused on bringing another pro sports team to San Jose and wanted out of the MMA business. Coker stayed on as GM of Strikeforce, but was now a Zuffa employee. I wrote an angry article about it over at HKL.
April 1st - The first SF card under Zuffa ownership went down in Stockton. It was a Challengers card.
April 8th - Strikeforce GM Scott Coker thought the organization would have it's first pay-per-view event by July.
April 9th - The first major Strikeforce card under Zuffa saw Nick Diaz defend his Strikeforce welterweight title against Paul Daley in one of the best fights of 2011. Coker talked about Strikeforce-UFC crossover fights "within a year".
May 18th - Zuffa completed their takeover and laid off most Strikeforce employees, putting former WEC employees in charge of the company.
June 1st - Nick Diaz blows "business as usual" out of the water and moves over to the UFC to challenge Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title. Obviously, this still hasn't happened yet.
June 9th - Diaz officially vacates his Strikeforce welterweight title. To date, it remains vacant.
June 18th - The semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix began, with Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum competing in a dull bout that Overeem won.
July 30th - Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson headlined a Strikeforce event in suburban Chicago. Henderson won. In addition, Alistair Overeem was released by the organization after apparently refusing to accept a booking due to injuries. Within days, he was snapped up by the UFC.
August 4th - Emelianenko was released by Strikeforce.
August 12th - Ronda Rousey made her Strikeforce debut.
September 10th - Luke Rockhold won the Strikeforce middleweight title from Ronaldo Souza. Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier (Overeem's replacement) advanced to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finals.
September 19th - Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson signs with the UFC and vacates his belt. The belt is still vacant as of today.
October 13th - Ken Hershman leaves Showtime, the channel that Strikeforce is aired on. Showtime held an option to renew Strikeforce's TV contract in early 2012 at the time, and Hershman's departure was viewed by some as the final nail in the coffin for Strikeforce on the network.
November 18th - Strikeforce holds their last Challengers card to date.
December 15th - Strikeforce and Showtime officially come to an agreement to extend their contract until 2014. Dana White announces that the SF heavyweight division will move over the UFC, barring the GP Final and "one more fight" for the winner.
January 6th, 2012 - Women's 145 pound champion Cristiane Santos tests positive for anabolic steroids.
January 7th - Cyborg is stripped of her title, and her division is put on hold. This leaves three of the six Strikeforce championships vacant.
February 21st - Nate Marquardt signs with Strikeforce.
March 3rd - Ronda Rousey defeats Miesha Tate for the SF Women's 135 pound title.
March 12th - Business as usual? I think not.
Posted in: ufc, title, strikeforce, zuffa, march
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowThe NCAA tournament selection committee’s five toughest decisions ()
The NCAA tournament selection committee has a mere eight hours to finish this year's bracket before CBS reveals it tonight at 6 p.m. EST. Here's a look at five most difficult decisions this year's committee must make:
1. Kentucky and Syracuse are two of the No. 1 seeds. Who gets the other two?
Although Duke's loss in the ACC semis to Florida State on Saturday reduces the number of contenders for the final two No. 1 seeds by one team, five others still remain squarely in the hunt. North Carolina can all but lock up one of the No. 1s if it defeats Florida State in Sunday's ACC championship game. In that scenario, the final No. 1 would go to Big 12 tournament champion Missouri, Big 12 regular season champion Kansas or the winner of Sunday's Big Ten title game between co-regular season champs Ohio State and Michigan State. The vote here would be for the Buckeyes-Spartans winner to be rewarded for being the champ of the nation's toughest league, though the margin is so razor-thin that giving the nod to Kansas by virtue of its slightly stronger wins certainly wouldn't be egregious.
2. Does Drexel get into the field?
By losing to VCU in the CAA title game last week, the Dragons may have earned the title of this year's most polarizing bubble team. Drexel (27-6, 16-2) has to hope its No. 71 RPI and meager non-league strength of schedule doesn't outweigh its outright CAA regular season title and 19-game win streak prior to Monday night. The Dragons suffered a bad loss to Norfolk State in November and its best non-league wins came against Princeton or Fairfield, hardly the type of resume-building victories teams typically need to make the field as an at-large. The problem with going off Drexel's computer profile, however, is the Dragons have looked plenty formidable enough to be an at-large team for two months now. The "no marquee wins" argument against including Drexel is perfectly rational and reasonable, but perhaps this is one time the selection committee should ignore it.
3. Where should Murray State be seeded?
Ohio Valley Conference champ Murray State may be the most difficult team in the field to seed because the Racers' credentials are unlike almost any other team. On the one hand, their 30-1 record is the envy of every team in the nation besides Kentucky. On the other hand, their conference is one of the nation's weakest and they only have four wins against potential NCAA tournament teams: Memphis, Saint Mary's, Southern Mississippi and Dayton. In the past, teams with gaudy records but modest strength of schedule have received a wide range of seeds , from 27-1 Saint Joseph's No. 1 seed in 2004, to 28-1 Princeton's No. 5 seed in 1998, to 26-1 George Washington's No. 8 seed in 2006. Murray State coach Steve Prohm has argued his team deserves as high as a No. 2 seed, but the more likely scenario for the Racers is somewhere between a No. 5 and 7 seed.
Posted in: title, team, seed, state, committee
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsBellator 60 results: Pat Curran knocks out Joe Warren violently to win featherweight title
The Featherweight title was on the line tonight (March 9, 2012) at Bellator 60 in Hammond, Ind., as champion Joe Warren looked to defend his 145-pound belt for the first time against challenger Pat Curran.
Curran, who had earned earned the championship opportunity by winning the featherweight "Summer Series" tournament in 2011, previously won the lightweight tournament as well, although he failed in his first title shot against Eddie Alvarez last April.
Not this time.
After nearly finishing the fight with a head kick and follow-up strikes in the first round, Curran didn't let up when he hurt Warren in the third, putting away the champion with on of the most violent and longest fight-ending sequences you'll ever see.
It all started with a perfectly timed knee during an ill-fated takedown attempt from the self-proclaimed "Baddest Man on the Planet."
When Curran had Warren rocked with the knee, he pressed forward, tattooing the Greco Roman wrestler with a tremendous volume of strikes. Somehow, Warren refused to go down, but he absorbed as much punishment as you can imagine in what was at least 30 seconds of pure unadulterated mayhem.
To see the insane Joe Warren vs. Pat Curran fight-ending .gif click here.
With the referee seemingly lost at sea, "Paddy Mike" finally put Warren down for good with consecutive uppercuts that sent the champ to the canvas completely unconscious. The pro-Curran crowd exploded in exuberance and Bjorn Rebney presented Curran with his shiny new championship belt.
Even if he's not the most likable guy out there, one has to be feel bad for Warren. That fight should have been stopped way sooner and he ate a huge amount of unnecessary damage. He had also been in control of a majority of the fight in the first two rounds with repeated takedown attempts and by keeping Curran in his heels in the clinch before that explosive knee set things off.
Pat Curran won't have too long to enjoy his victory as Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, the winner of the season four featherweight tournament has already told him to "take care of his belt until he can have it" on Twitter.
What did you think of the finish, Maniacs?
Should it have been stopped sooner? Who do you like in the upcoming featherweight title between Patricio Pitbull and Pat Curran?
Sound off!
Posted in: title, featherweight, warren, featherweight title, curran
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGeorgi Karakhanyan Sick; TPF 12 Featherweight Title Tilt with Micah Miller Canceled
Georgi Karakhanyan will be unable to compete against Micah Miller at Tachi Palace Fights 12 due to illness, and their featherweight title bout has been called off.
Posted in: title, karakhanyan, georgi karakhanyan, georgi, micah miller
Read the full article at SherdogWould Dan Henderson fight Chael Sonnen for a middleweight title shot?
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White seems to think so.
Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson, who made a successful return to the Octagon at UFC 139 last November in a five round war against Mauricio Rua, earned the right to fight for the title with his "Fight of the Year" candidate against "Shogun."
But which title?
That remains to be seen. "Hendo," who historically has remained competitive at both middleweight and light heavyweight, could have his pick of the litter by the end of the summer. Jon Jones is currently scheduled to defend his 205-pound title opposite Rashad Evans at UFC 145 next month while Anderson Silva puts his 185-pound strap on the line opposite Chael Sonnen in June.
And as White explains to media members at the UFC on FOX 3 press conference earlier this week (via MMA Weekly), Henderson "doesn't seem too picky" about which champion he'll face -- even if it turns out to be his longtime buddy from Team Quest.
Those comments, after the jump.
"He wants a title fight. He either wants Anderson Silva or whoever has the belt at 185 or the winner of Evans and Jones. Last time I talked to Henderson, he wanted to wait to fight one of these guys for the title. He’ll fight whoever has that belt. Dan doesn’t seem too picky, I think he would fight Chael Sonnen."
"Hendo" was offered a headlining bout opposite former PRIDE FC rival Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who submitted the Greco-Roman wrestler via first round armbar at "Total Elimination" back in 2005.
The rematch, as well as the opportunity to avenge his loss to "Little Nog," was a fight he "didn't think the fans would be interested in." In addition, he wanted "more time to prepare for a five round main event."
On the shelf since late last year, he may get up to a year for said preparation.
The former UFC middleweight number one contender told the powers that be "thanks, but no thanks," and Nogueira was quickly paired off against Alexander Gustafsson (and later replaced by Thiago Silva) for the UFC on FUEL TV 2 fight card on April 14 in Sweden.
Was it worth the wait?
We'll find out soon enough, but from a fan's perspective, which weight class to do you want to see the "H-Bomb" detonate in and why?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, henderson, anderson silva
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFive Reasons Why The UFC Should Book Anthony Pettis Vs. Gray Maynard
Some would say Anthony Pettis has been robbed twice. He was "promised" a UFC lightweight title shot when he defeated Ben Henderson for the WEC lightweight title in the last fight World Extreme Cagefighting ever promoted. Unfortunately for him, he watched as Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard went to a draw at UFC 125, and a third bout between the two was necessary. Since then he has rebounded from a loss to Clay Guida by beating Jeremy Stephens, and he followed that up with a spectacular head-kick knockout of Joe Lauzon at UFC 144. When Dana White was asked after UFC 144 if Pettis would get his title shot, his answer was short, but typically vague:
"Probably. But we'll see what happens."
"We'll see what happens" turned out to be a Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson rematch. I won't argue the merits of that decision here, though I do believe that the majority of fans aren't interested in seeing that again. This post is about what the UFC should do with Showtime now that he has been shut out of the title picture once again. To me, there's only one option - Gray Maynard. And here's why.
1. Pettis needs a signature win in the UFC. Wins over Jeremy Stephens and Joe Lauzon are good, but not good enough to give him the cred he needs to fight for a title. Sure, he holds a win over the champion, and did it in style. But like it or not, it was in another organization that only a fraction of UFC fans watched. Henderson earned his shot with three UFC wins, two over top-ten fighters. If Pettis beats Maynard, there's no denying him the shot.
2. Maynard deserves a top opponent for his comeback fight. Other than Clay Guida, there is no one else worthy of a fight with Gray. Maynard is still one of the best lightweights in the world, and has taken his training to another level since the Edgar loss. He has worked with Jose Aldo in Brazil, spent time at American Kickboxing Academy, and has taken a page out of B.J. Penn's book by working with Marv and Gary Marinovich on his conditioning. Maynard is still right there, and could easily earn another title shot if Henderson retains against Edgar and he can beat Pettis.
3. Showtime's reputation will be greatly enhanced with a win over a wrestler. Yes, he beat Ben Henderson in the WEC. But he was completely grounded by Clay Guida in his UFC debut, and UFC fans have short memories. A win over an excellent wrestler like Maynard would go a long way towards erasing the belief that Pettis can't hang with wrestlers in the big leagues.
4. It's the most logical fight to make.The only thing that comes close is Guida/Maynard, and that leaves Pettis out of the top-tier once again. Guida can fight Joe Lauzon or Gleison Tibau next. Maybe even Melvin Guillard, now that he's left Jackson's.
5. The booking should generate some trash talk. Maynard is known as a guy who is brutally honest when he does interviews, and he took Pettis to town in an interview last year. Pettis undoubtedly feels slighted by the fact that Edgar got a rematch, and has been viewed by some as a tad cocky. I think they'll have a few things to say about each other, which will help sell the bout.
The winner of Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 will likely meet the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson 2. That's fine. But there's nothing wrong with booking this fight as well. It wouldn't happen until the summer, and the bout can be promoted as a number one contender's bout if things play out the right way. It's the best way to go. Joe Silva - let's do this.
Posted in: ufc, title, petti, henderson, maynard
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBen Wall: The Australian Lightweight Looking to Break Out on the International Scene
The most recent Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event took place in Sydney, and Australia seems to have overtaken a couple of countries, including England, on the ZUFFA list of priorities. Matchmakers are well aware that as they move into new territories they need to find local talent and that means that they will have their eye on any up and coming fighters in these areas.
One mixed martial artist in Australia who seems to be well and truly on the right track is 22 year-old Ben Wall. He is unbeaten in seven MMA fights with a 6-0-1 record and is coming off a big win at Cage Fighting Championship, the continent's most prestigious promotion.
He has come up the hard way, facing reputable fighters like Nick Honstein, Robert Lisita and Shane Wundenburg and cannot be accused of passing his record or of taking easy fights.
With such a strong record at such a young age the sky seems to be the limit for this young man and he has every chance of following in the footsteps of Australian based fighters George Sotiropoulos and Bernardo Magalhaes by making his way into the UFC.
He spoke exclusively to MMAmania.com about his ambitions as a fighter and the state of Australian MMA.
When did you start learning martial arts and why?
I was always good at sports when I was growing up and I pick up new sports quite quickly. I was good at them but I never really enjoyed them as much as I thought I should, I liked playing all sports but I didn't 'love' them. I believe you have to love what you do to reach your full potential. I had done a bit of wrestling and other martial arts when I was a teenager but not too seriously until I started MMA when I was 19 and I knew it was the sport for me and from then on I put everything into it.
Where do you train and who are your training partners?
The main two places I train at are Advance Martial Arts and Team Gamebred in Brisbane. My main training partners at these places are Brendan O'Reilly, Simon Clough, Matt Cooper and Jarret Owen. I really like to travel around and train with different people, I work on my boxing with Jimmy Shannon and I love going up to the Sunshine Coast to train with Ryan Dunstan, I really enjoy training with him, he's a great fighter and a great coach with a lot of experience. I fight out of Advance Martial Arts.
Do you have a full time job?
No I don't work full time, there would be no time to train. I work part time and I am a university student however I have taken this semester off uni and will be able to focus on MMA even more.
Who is the toughest opponent you have ever faced in your career?
It's hard to say who my toughest opponent has been, I haven't really been in danger in a fight yet. Rob Lisita, Nick Honstein and Shane Wundenberg are all tough guys.
Are you hoping to fight for a major league international promotion in the future?Yes, One FC have said they are keen to have me on future events and would definitely like to see me on the card. I hope to be on the card for One FC 4 which is hopefully not too far away and I will fight anyone they want to give me.
Are there any fighters in Australia at your weight you particularly want to fight?Not really I just want to fight the best guys. I would like to fight for the CFC Lightweight title and if Trekko (Bernardo Magalhaes) comes back to defend it I would like to fight him or else I will just fight whoever. I would like that title though and I want to fight Bernardo because he is the best in Australia and he has the title, as far as I know he just had a one fight contract with the UFC and I'm not sure if he will be offered another fight with them. I have a feeling he will be back to defend his CFC title but if not and the title is vacated then I wish him all the best and I would be happy to fight anyone else for the title.
You fought four times in five months in 2011 and then took six months off, was there a reason for that?
I injured my elbow in my win against Nick Honstein and this meant that I had to pull out of my fights against Jai Bradney and Greg Atzori and take a few months off. My fight against Rob Lisita was my next fight after this.
Do you know when your next fight will be?
At the moment I do not know when my next fight will be.
How popular is MMA in Australia?
MMA is not a huge sport in Australia yet but the future looks bright, it is growing bigger every day and gaining a lot more interest.
Are you hoping to stay just as active in 2012?
Yes, I hope to have four or five fights in 2012.
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When I look at an up and coming prospect I tend to take into consideration three factors; their record, their age and the strength of opposition they have faced. Ben Wall is very young, has an outstanding record and has consistently beaten more experienced fighters with more wins than him.
It's probably too early for him to start pushing for a UFC contract but Sotiropoulos was already in his 30s when he got the call so time is well and truly on Wall's side. If he can continue to hold his own against the top fighters on the highly competitive Australian scene it is only a matter of time before he breaks out and becomes an international star.
www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder
Posted in: fight, time, title, fighter, australia
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 146 Keeps Getting Bigger: Cain Velasquez-Frank Mir Title Eliminator Added to Card
In what could be the UFC's biggest – literally – card ever, another heavyweight bout has been added to the docket at UFC 146. Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir meet in a title eliminator fight.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight bout, – card, eliminator
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUnbeaten Jeremy Spoon Embraces Bump in Competition Ahead of Bellator 60 Showdown with Straus
With two titles and an unblemished record in 12 professional fights, Jeremy Spoon has already established himself as a person of interest on the mixed martial arts scene.
Posted in: title, jeremy, art, person, spoon
Read the full article at SherdogJeremy Spoon Embraces Bump in Competition Ahead of Bellator 60 Showdown with Straus
With two titles and an unblemished record in 12 professional fights, Jeremy Spoon has already established himself as a person of interest on the mixed martial arts scene.
Posted in: title, jeremy, person, jeremy spoon, spoon
Read the full article at SherdogUFC heavyweight title fight set for UFC 146 between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem
The first title-defense for UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos has been confirmed by the UFC as “Cigano” will face #1 contender Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 146 as had been rumored.
Dos Santos (14-1) is a perfect 8-0 in his UFC career including a first round knockout of Cain Velasquez for the title last year. Dos Santos has been on the sideline recovering from knee surgery stemming from an injury he sustained while training for Velasquez. He also holds wins inside the Octagon against Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum.
Comparably, Overeem (36-11) secured his shot at the championship by knocking out Brock Lesnar in late December. “The Reem” has already won heavyweight titles in Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1.
UFC 146 takes place on May 26 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Several other bouts have been slated for the card including Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway and Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, do, heavyweight titles, strikeforce dream
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 145 presents new challenges for champ Jon Jones' upcoming 'title offense'
Jon Jones is getting comfortable with mixed martial arts and his place in it.
After turning pro fewer than four years ago and becoming the UFC's youngest-ever champion when he won the light-heavyweight title in 2011, he's crammed a career of learning into a relatively short time frame.
But his UFC 145 headliner with Rashad Evans presents a new challenge, he said.
Posted in: ufc, title, rashad evans, lightheavyweight title, time frame
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFrankie Edgar to Rematch Ben Henderson For UFC Lightweight Title In Summer
It appears that former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will get his wish. According to a tweet he sent out that was later confirmed by UFC president Dana White, Edgar will rematch new champion Ben Henderson for the title. Here's what they both had to say:
@FrankieEdgarFrankie Edgar Rematch anyone??.......it's on!! Thanks to @danawhite @lorenzofertitta. Me and Henderson 2. Here we go!! Mar 06 via UberSocial for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply
@danawhiteDana White Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson rematch will be this summer Mar 06 via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply
Henderson claimed the title by winning a unanimous decision over Edgar at UFC 144. The scores were 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 but every round was close. Edgar gave rematches to both B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard (though the second bout with Maynard was a draw), so it seems that the UFC believed he deserved one as well. While it's bound to be an exciting fight, it will definitely be demoralizing for Anthony Pettis, who loses an expected title shot once again.
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, edgar, frankie edgar
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJunior dos Santos-Alistair Overeem Heavyweight Title Bout Official for UFC 146
An expected UFC heavyweight title pairing between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem is now official, as the Las Vegas-based promotion announced Tuesday that the bout will take place at UFC 146.
Posted in: ufc, title, do, alistair overeem, official
Read the full article at SherdogUFC Books Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson Title Rematch
Ten days after he lost the UFC lightweight title to Ben Henderson, Frankie Edgar has been given a rematch.
Edgar confirmed the news on Twitter with a message thanking UFC President Dana White and co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta for making the rematch happen. The news was then confirmed on Twitter by White.
"Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson rematch will be this summer," White wrote.
The decision is a departure from what White had previously indicated was his preferred choice: In the press conference immediately following Henderson's unanimous decision victory over Edgar, White said he thought Edgar should move down to featherweight to challenge champion Jose Aldo, and that Anthony Pettis deserved the next shot at Henderson.
But White has apparently been persuaded by Edgar, who has insisted that lightweight is the right division for him, and by the fans who have asked for Henderson-Edgar 2.
That means Edgar will now be in the unusual position of fighting the same opponent back to back three consecutive times. First Edgar won the lightweight title from B.J. Penn in 2010 and then defended it against Penn later that year. Then Edgar fought Gray Maynard to a draw to start 2011 and then beat Maynard later in 2011. Now Edgar has lost to Henderson to start 2012 and will get another shot at him later in the year.
This also means that Pettis has missed out on a lightweight title shot he thought he had earned for the second time. Pettis beat Henderson to become the last World Extreme Cagefighting champion and was promised a shot at the UFC lightweight title when the UFC absorbed the WEC, but that title shot was taken from him when the Edgar-Maynard draw necessitated a rematch. Now Pettis is once again being passed over.
Pettis's next step is unclear. But what is clear is that we'll see more of the same at lightweight: Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar for the title.
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, rematch, edgar
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseFrankie Edgar-Ben Henderson to Rematch for UFC Lightweight Title
Frankie Edgar got what he was looking for. He will rematch with Ben Henderson for the UFC lightweight title sometime this summer, UFC president Dana White said.
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, ben henderson, frankie
Read the full article at Heavy MMAJunior dos Santos Defends Heavyweight Title vs. Alistair Overeem at UFC 146
It's been rumored for a month, but on Tuesday it became official. Junior dos Santos will defend the heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem on May 26 at UFC 146 in Las Vegas.
Posted in: ufc, title, do, alistair overeem, heavyweight title
Read the full article at Heavy MMADana White Says Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller Winner Will Get A UFC Lightweight Title Shot
The UFC lightweight title picture got a little more cloudy today.
Prior to today’s UFC on FOX 3 press conference, it was believed that the next lightweight title shot would either go to Frankie Edgar or Anthony Pettis. Well, it seems Nate Diaz and Jim Miller may also be in the running as well. In response to questions about where Diaz and Miller fit into the picture, Dana White stated that the winner would get a title shot. Dana’s comments via MMA Weekly.
“Well, I’m still obviously still dealing with the whole Frankie Edgar thing. I’m talking to Frankie and we’ll figure this thing out,” White said, before adding, “We did, we said the winner of (Diaz vs. Miller) would get the shot.”
Pressed further by a fan, who asked, “From what I remember, the winner of Jim Miller facing Nate Diaz gets a title shot, is this correct?” White responded, “This is correct.”
What’s not clear is if Dana meant the Diaz-Miller winner would get the next title or just a title shot later this year. As you may recall, Dana had previously stated at the UFC 144 post-fight press conference that he “thinks” Anthony Pettis will get first crack at Henderson, but he didn’t even mention him today.
Meanwhile, the champ maintains that he’s still willing to fight whoever the UFC puts in front of him, but he does have his opinions about who that should be. And judging by his comments on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani yesterday, Frankie Edgar should be at the front of line.
“Frankie had a very tough situation,” Henderson admitted. “He had a rough road with two rematches right away after his title defenses. So the fan in me feels that he deserves (the rematch). He had to put himself on the line, I don’t want anybody coming back to me and saying ‘oh, Henderson didn’t want to rematch Frankie because he was scared.’ I’m more than willing to give Frankie a rematch. Let’s do it. Set it up for tomorrow.”
The one rematch Henderson still isn’t crazy about though, at least not now, is Anthony Pettis. He still thinks Pettis needs more wins to establish himself as the true number one contender.
“Does someone who has a split-decision over someone who is not ranked, and then has a pretty good win against the No. 10 guy, is he deserving of a title shot because of those two wins? Or is he deserving of a title shot because he beat me last?”
“Do I want to face Pettis again? Absolutely,” Henderson explained. “We will see each other again. Before I retire, before I die, I’m going to see Anthony Pettis again. But it’s not my job to give him a title shot. It’s not up to me be like, ‘oh hey, I want to fight this guy. Lets go see this guy.’ It’s his job to work his way up to me. I can’t jump the line and not fight the No. 1 contender, and then go fight the No. 4 guy or No. 3 guy or No. 10 guy.”
Bottom line though, Henderson says he really “doesn’t care” who he fights because he’s going to “smash” everyone anyways.
To summarize, the lightweight title picture is kind of a mess. It’s a problem the UFC will have to sort out no doubt, but it’s certainly a better problem to have than the one they have with Jose Aldo — not having any clear contenders at all.
Posted in: title shot, title, henderson, shot, frankie
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC On Fox 3: Dana White Says Diaz Vs. Miller Winner Gets Title Shot
At today's UFC on Fox 3 press conference in New York, UFC president Dana White confirmed what a lot of people had been thinking for a while. While he was clear that no one is sure what will be next for UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson, he did state that the winner of the UFC on Fox 3 main event between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller would be getting a title shot at some point:
"Well, I’m still obviously still dealing with the whole Frankie Edgar thing. I’m talking to Frankie and we’ll figure this thing out. We did, we said the winner of (Nate vs. Jim) would get the shot."
He was asked to clarify the point by a fan, Dana re-confirmed that the winner would indeed fight for the title. Henderson stated yesterday that he's ready to defend against anyone so it's possible that the winner of Diaz vs. Miller could meet Henderson for the title next. But it could also be (and is more likely to be) Frankie Edgar or Anthony Pettis. We'll have to see how it plays out, but the five-rounder on May 15th just became a little more interesting.
SBN Coverage of UFC on Fox 3: Diaz vs. Miller
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, miller, winner
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC Champ Benson Henderson Talks Frankie Edgar Rematch, Dismisses Anthony Pettis
There has been less controversy than some expected coming out of Ben Henderson's title win over Frankie Edgar, but there still are some that feel a rematch is in order. After all, the fight was close and competitive, even if Henderson did deserve the nod.
Henderson was on the MMA Hour yesterday and discussed the idea of giving Edgar a rematch:
"Frankie had a very tough situation," Henderson admitted. "He had a rough road with two rematches right away after his title defenses. So the fan in me feels that he deserves (the rematch). He had to put himself on the line, I don't want anybody coming back to me and saying ‘oh, Henderson didn't want to rematch Frankie because he was scared.'
"I'm more than willing to give Frankie a rematch. Let's do it. Set it up for tomorrow."
Henderson was not quite as interested in the talk of a rematch with Anthony Pettis, the last man to score a victory over him. Last week Pettis made it clear (via his manager) that he was disappointed in Henderson's dismissal of him as a title challenger. Henderson expanded on this during the interview:
"Of course he's going to go out and say that stuff because he wants his guy to fight for the belt," Henderson tensely responded. "What did you have Jeremy Stephens ranked before the Anthony Pettis fight? Not in the top ten. What did you have Joe Lauzon ranked before his fight?
"Does someone who has a split-decision over someone who is not ranked, and then has a pretty good win against the No. 10 guy, is he deserving of a title shot because of those two wins? Or is he deserving of a title shot because he beat me last?"
Later in the interview Henderson did make it clear that he does want to fight Pettis again eventually, but it's not up to him to decide the next challenger.
Video after the jump...
MMA Hour video:
Posted in: fight, title, henderson, rematch, frankie
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowLefko on MMA: Kaufman's title shot
Fresh off her victory over Alex Davis, Canadian Sarah Kaufman is eager to battle Ronda Rousey for the bantamweight title she once had.
Posted in: title, shot, bantamweight title, kaufman, sarah
Read the full article at sportsnet.caBellator season six to kickoff on Friday
Bellator Season Six will kick off this Friday from The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond Indiana.
The five fight main card will feature four bouts in the Featherweight tournament and a title fight as a main event. In the main event Joe Warren will defend his title for the first time when he faces Pat Curran who earned his shot at Warren by defeating Marlon Sandro via knockout at Bellator 48.
Warren has fought twice since winning that title, defeating Marcos Galvao at catchweight in April of last
Posted in: bellator, title, warren, featherweight tournament, marcos galvao
Read the full article at Low KickBen Henderson wants to fight all of the top lightweights in the world ... at the same time
On Feb. 25, 2012, a new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Champion was crowned as Ben Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar in a violent, five-round war at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan.
Since that infamous night, speculation has run rampant regarding who "Smooth" will take on in his very first title defense.
Edgar made it known that he believes he deserves an immediate title shot. Anthony Pettis was also vocal about his desire to have "first dibs," after he soundly defeated Joe Lauzon with a first round knockout on that very same UFC 144 card.
On HDNet's "Inside MMA," Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez made the following comments in reference to his desire to take on "Bendo" in the cage:
"I'd love to fight Benson Henderson. I've been around this game a lot longer. I'm not trying to be arrogant here, but I think I can handle him, and I'd like to find out. Much respect to him, much respect to Frankie and all that stuff, but I think I can beat them both. I can beat anyone right now. I'd love a piece of him."
Hear what Henderson had to say after the jump:
When asked by Kenny Rice who (out of Edgar, Pettis and Melendez) "Bendo" would like to fight next, this was his reponse:
"All of them. Line 'em up. One after another. Every single one of them. You better believe it. One after another. I want to defeat every single 155-pound guy on the roster of the UFC. I wanna beat all of them."
The hosts of "Inside MMA" took the questioning one step further and asked Henderson about the order he'd like to have this happen:
"I'd take them all on one night. Let's do it. I'm ready to go. I really don't care. It doesn't matter to me. The fan in me, I definitely understand where Frankie's coming from, having to give two rematches. I don't wanna be that guy who they say, 'Oh, Henderson was afraid to give a rematch when he (Edgar) had to give two rematches.' I don't wanna be the champ who, that's talked about or that's said."
Regarding Pettis' claim to an owed title shot, Henderson will fight him, but he's still not sure he's deserving number one contender:
"Anthony Pettis, he has his statement. He has a win over Jeremy Stephens. A split decision. One quality win over Joe Lauzon, who's a tough opponent. But, other than that, not a whole lot of depth in his UFC career. But whoever it is, it doesn't matter. I'll take 'em all on."
The question who he will fight next is one that really only UFC President Dana White and his top matchmaker Joe Silva can answer.
However, there is also the question of when Henderson will be ready to go. Henderson detailed his current health situation and what his time frame for a title defense looks like:
"I feel pretty good. I'm completely healthy. Whenever I talk to the Commission doctors and the UFC doctors, I tell them every little thing. I get a bruised pinky, I hurt my toe, my ear hurts, I tell the doctors all that, just in case if afterwards, a couple days later, it is injured an still does hurt, I'm covered. My knuckles were pretty sore, but after a couple days, the soreness went away. They're all good.
I' like to have a little bit longer in between my fights. I just started fighting in 2006. I'm still pretty young in this game. I have a world of growing to do in my boxing, a world of growing to do in my jiu-jitsu, my wrestling an in MMA in general. I'd like to have time in between my fights so I can actually get better, so that I'm a better fighter next time I step into the cage. I wanna switch from training camp to training camp to training camp. I wanna improve as a fighter. I'd like to have a little more time in between, but when you have the belt, you gotta do what you gotta do."
At this point, White doesn't seem super keen on a rematch between Henderson and Edgar. He's even gone as far as to say he'd prefer to have Edgar drop down and face Jose Aldo for the featherweight title.
Melendez would certainly make for a tough opponent and a fight that would bring in decent numbers, but "El Nino" seems stuck, for the time being, over in the Strikeforce hexagon, a place that fans can expect to not see Henderson anytime soon.
Lastly, there is Pettis, who Henderson doesn't necessarily think deserves the title, but he very well may get it by default in this scenario.
Who do you Maniacs want to see "Bendo" take on next? Let us know in the comment section wo you believe would make for the most exciting first title defense.
Weigh in!
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, im, id
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBen Henderson Says Frankie Edgar Deserves a Rematch, Would Fight 'Tomorrow'
Ben Henderson just can't seem to get his name out of everyone's mouth.
Since earning the UFC lightweight strap with a unanimous decision victory over Frankie Edgar at UFC 144, Henderson has somehow found himself within the crossfires of the MMA world, a casualty of the UFC's latest high-profile judging debate.
Weeks after the controversial decision, Edgar, the former champion, has atypically embarked on a crusade for the rematch he feels he justly deserves. UFC President Dana White, on the other hand, steadfastly stands by his opinion that Edgar would be better served at featherweight, and even offered an immediate title shot against reigning 145-pound champion Jose Aldo to sweeten the deal.
To no one's surprise, Henderson has thus far stayed out of the way, instead travelling to Korea in an experience he called "surreal." However, after nine days of mounting frustration, the 28-year-old fighter broke his silence on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour.
"Frankie had a very tough situation," Henderson admitted. "He had a rough road with two rematches right away after his title defenses. So the fan in me feels that he deserves (the rematch). He had to put himself on the line, I don't want anybody coming back to me and saying ‘oh, Henderson didn't want to rematch Frankie because he was scared.'
"I'm more than willing to give Frankie a rematch. Let's do it. Set it up for tomorrow."
Henderson's logic is sound, and essentially follows the script laid out by Edgar. However, as White has voiced, yet another lightweight title rematch would clog up a division that just escaped a two-year traffic jam.
And what of the odd man out of this equation -- Anthony Pettis? The electrifying fan-favorite who scored a highlight-reel knockout on very same card, and also happens to be the last person to defeat Henderson.
Pettis, who was once guaranteed his own ill-fated UFC title shot, expressed disappointment through his manager last week, stating he feels disrespected by Henderson's seeming disinterest in fighting him. Though according to "Bendo," that's just par for the course.
"Of course he's going to go out and say that stuff because he wants his guy to fight for the belt," Henderson tensely responded. "What did you have Jeremy Stephens ranked before the Anthony Pettis fight? Not in the top ten. What did you have Joe Lauzon ranked before his fight?
"Does someone who has a split-decision over someone who is not ranked, and then has a pretty good win against the No. 10 guy, is he deserving of a title shot because of those two wins? Or is he deserving of a title shot because he beat me last?"
Pettis did indeed hand Henderson his last loss, stealing away the final WEC lightweight championship at WEC 53 with a last-second off-the-cage ninja maneuver he dubbed the "Showtime Kick." It was a battle that many media outlets christened the "Fight of the Year," which adds to the perceived public interest in a rematch.
But Henderson wants to make it clear, he has no problems accepting that fight, eventually. Right now there's just a few people who are ahead in line.
"Do I want to face Pettis again? Absolutely," Henderson explained. "We will see each other again. Before I retire, before I die, I'm going to see Anthony Pettis again. But it's not my job to give him a title shot. It's not up to me be like, ‘oh hey, I want to fight this guy. Lets go see this guy.' It's his job to work his way up to me.
"I can't jump the line and not fight the No. 1 contender, and then go fight the No. 4 guy or No. 3 guy or No. 10 guy."
Such is the life of a champion. Everybody wants a piece and everybody is a critic.
For someone as respectful as Henderson, the backlash has been an unexpected addendum to the belt. He's already received hundreds of messages from fans declaring him afraid of everybody from Jim Miller and Nick Diaz, to Jacob Volkmann.
But like he always says, it is what it is.
"Either way I go, I'm going to get crap," Henderson finally acknowledged.
"Hopefully people will start to realize and understand, I will fight anybody. I don't care. I'm going to smash them."
Posted in: fight, title, guy, henderson, rematch
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC Bantamweight Champ Dominick Cruz To Drive Pace Car At NASCAR Race
The Fox deal is already paying dividends when it comes to mainstream sports hookups as UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz will be the honorary pace car driver at Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500, a NASCAR event set to air on "big" Fox at 2:30 PM Eastern.
The race will be in Phoenix, AZ, and Cruz is a native of Tucson. He'll sit shotgun in the pace car that does a ceremonial lap around the track prior to the race and also will participate in other activities.
His appearance kicks off the build to Friday's debut of The Ultimate Fighter on FX where Cruz and Urijah Faber each will coach teams of fighters, building to an eventual title defense, expected for July in Las Vegas, NV. The live premiere will feature all the qualifying fights, starting at 9 PM with a two-and-a-half hour broadcast.
The two have fought twice before with Faber submitting Cruz in March 2007 in a WEC featherweight title defense and Cruz evening the score with a unanimous decision win last July in a UFC bantamweight title defense.
Posted in: title, bantamweight, defense, cruz, cruz evening
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowStrikeforce Post Fight: Jacare Souza Made His Statement for Title Shot
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza had a change of opponents just a week out from his bout in Strikeforce, but he still made the most of his opportunity, stating his case for a title shot.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, jacare, shot, souza
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyStrikeforce Post Fight: Sarah Kaufman, ‘That is My Title’
Sarah Kaufman is making no secret after her hard fought win over Alexis Davis...she wants a title shot, plain and simple.
Posted in: title shot, title, kaufman, sarah, alexis davisshe
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyRonda Rousey Calls Title Win 'Big Deal' for Women's MMA
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Watch below as Ronda Rousey talks about her title win over Miesha Tate at Strikeforce on Saturday night, how she won, what this win means for her, what's next and more.
Posted in: saturday night, title, ronda rousey, ronda, miesha tate
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseStrikeforce Tate vs. Rousey Results: Ronda Rousey Armbars Again, Wins Bantamweight Title
Rousey executed her fifth consecutive first-round armbar, earning the title at 4:27 of the opening five minutes.
Posted in: title, tate, armbar, rousey, ronda
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyRonda Rousey Submits Miesha Tate to Win Strikeforce Bantamweight Title
Ronda Rousey did precisely what she said she would do, submitting Miesha Tate with an armbar in the first round to win the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title.
Posted in: title, tate, ronda rousey, ronda, miesha tate
Read the full article at Heavy MMA'Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey' results: Ronda Rousey armbars Miesha Tate, wins title
COLUMBUS, Ohio - After months of trash talk and boastful predictions and heated press conferences and promotional spots, Ronda Rousey ultimately did exactly what she said she would do.
In one of the biggest fights in women's MMA history, the Olympic judoka
secured one of her patented first-round armbars to defeat Miesha Tate
and win the Strikeforce's women's bantamweight title.
The title fight headlined"Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It aired on Showime following prelims on Showtime Extreme.
Posted in: title, tate, rousey, columbus ohio, olympic judoka
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce: Tate Vs. Rousey Preview: Josh Thomson Vs. K.J. Noons
In the co-main event at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey, former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson (18-4, 1 NC, 9-2 SF) takes on former EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons 911-4, 3-2 SF). The bout could decide who will be stepping up next to challenge current Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. This will be Thomson's first fight in over 14 months due to a variety of injuries, while Noons fought just three months ago.
Thomson is one of Strikeforce's homegrown stars and probably has more fights in the organization than anyone else. He made it to the UFC after just 6 career fights way back in 2003 and won his first two bouts, but an infamous head kick loss to Yves Edwards (and the death of the UFC lightweight division at the time) ushered "The Punk" out of the organization. After one fight and one win the Pride Bushido series, he was off to Strikeforce.
His first bout there was a controversial decision loss to Clay Guida in a Strikeforce lightweight title bout. He rebounded from that with a few wins and a run with the Strikeforce US lightweight title (Melendez had the real belt but was fighting in Japan - it was basically an interim title). Eventually the two squared off for the "undisputed" title, and Thomson fought the fight of his life and defeated Melendez 50-45 on all three cards. Injuries sidelined him for a while though, and it was Gil's turn to hold an interim title for a while. Eventually they met once again to unify the titles, but this time it was Melendez that was the victor in an excellent fight. Thomson has fought three times since, going 2-1 with a loss to Tatsuya Kawajiri in his last fight 14 months ago.
Noons is a kickboxer and boxer along with being an MMA fighter, and first rose to prominence in EliteXC when he stopped Nick Diaz via cuts and won their lightweight title. A huge in-cage brawl featuring the Diaz brothers and KJ's dad in Hawaii was EliteXC at it's cheesiest, but when they went under he was one of the prized possessions picked up by Strikeforce. After two quick wins, he moved up to 170 to rematch Diaz, this time for Nick's Strikeforce welterweight title. He lost, but put in a valiant effort. A loss to Jorge Masvidal back at 155 damaged his title aspirations, but he rebounded with a win over Billy Evangelista and will now look to take out the former champ.
It goes without saying that this bout will probably be contested on the feet. Thomson has the ability to take it down, but prefers to engage in crowd-pleasing brawls even if it's to his detriment. And crowd-pleasing is likely what this will be. KJ has the better technical boxing, but Thomson has a more well-rounded striking arsenal. Thomson is a marginal favorite going into the bout, but the long layoff and the injuries add intrigue to the fight. Should be pretty good.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, bout, thomson
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowRousey looks to shine in Strikeforce title bout
Ronda Rousey has a chance to lift judo into the MMA spotlight in her Strikeforce women's title bout Saturday night against champion Miesha
Posted in: title, strikeforce, bout, rousey, mma spotlight
Read the full article at sportsnet.caWrestling vs. judo in Strikeforce women's title bout
Ronda Rousey has a chance to lift judo into the MMA spotlight in her Strikeforce women's title bout Saturday against champion Miesha Tate.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, judo, mma spotlight, vs judo
Read the full article at sportsnet.caRonda Rousey Planning for the Worst in Strikeforce Title Fight with Miesha Tate
Ronda Rousey tells HeavyMMA's Duane Finley that if she was a guy, no one would think twice about her confidence. But against Miesha Tate in tonight's Strikeforce women's bantamweight title fight,...
Posted in: fight, title, tate, ronda, miesha tate
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC On FX 2: Martin Kampmann Wins But Fails To Impress
In the main event of UFC on FX 2, Martin Kampmann managed a Hail Mary 3rd round submission victory win over Thiago Alves, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Post-fight, he wisely called out Interim UFC Welterweight champion Carlos Condit. On paper, it's a fight that makes sense - Kampmann is Condit's only UFC loss, and his only loss since 2006. So, a win over Alves, a win over Rick Story last time, a win over the champ - it all adds up to Martin Kampmann being a UFC Welterweight title contender, right?
Wrong.
Here's the thing - yes Kampmann won, and yes his ability to capitalize on Alves's mistake was impressive, but does anyone walk away from that fight truly impressed by Kampmann? Is that a performance that earns him title consideration?
Despite some success in round 1, the majority of the fight saw Kampmann being outstruck and beaten up on the feet. In the 3rd, Alves badly rocked him and looked on the verge of finishing, however, the former top contender made a rookie mistake, shooting in for a takedown with his head completely exposed and falling victim to the guillotine. Kampmann's win is due to two factors - his skill with the choke, and Alves's horrible strategic decision. Considering that he was losing much of the fight, it's hard to look at what a significant role Alves's error played and say that Kampmann is a viable title contender.
Thiago Alves Vs. Martin Kampmann Full Fight Video Highlights From UFC On FX 2
Interestingly, this continues the trend we have seen lately at Welterweight. Last month, Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez met in a fight that could have determined the next challenger at 170. Like Kampmann, Ellenberger won, but was not impressive and came out of the fight looking like a man not yet ready for the title scene. At UFC 143, again, the same scenario where Josh Koscheck won, but looked bad in the process.
When champion Georges St. Pierre went down to injury, the talk was that it opened up the division for new names to step up. For Carlos Condit, that definitely happened. But Kampmann, Ellenberger, and Koscheck have all been unable to take advantage of this opportunity and make their claim as the definitive #1 contender.
In fact, in all the recent big Welterweight fights, only one man has come out looking truly strong - Johny Hendricks. His KO victory over Jon Fitch was eye-opening and vaulted him into contention. Next up for Hendricks is a fight with Koscheck on May 5. I'd like to say a win there makes him the obvious #1, but after what we've seen lately, I'm not so sure a win alone will do it - he needs to win and look good.
As you look at the list of possible UFC Welterweight title contenders, who has definitively shown they are ready to challenge the champ? Not Jake Ellenberger, not Josh Koscheck, and now not Martin Kampmann - despite all coming off wins. Perhaps Condit's decision to sit it out and wait for GSP wasn't such a bad idea after all.
SBN coverage of UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, alve, kampmann
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowTate, Rousey Given Green Light for Strikeforce Women’s Title Bout
Miesha Tate tipped the scales at 134.5 pounds for her women’s bantamweight title defense against Olympic bronze medalist Ronda Rousey (134.5) in the Strikeforce “Tate vs. Rousey” headliner on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, tate, rousey, tate rousey
Read the full article at SherdogMiesha Tate, Ronda Rousey Given Green Light for Strikeforce Women’s Title Bout
Miesha Tate tipped the scales at 134.5 pounds for her women’s bantamweight title defense against Olympic bronze medalist Ronda Rousey (134.5) in the Strikeforce “Tate vs. Rousey” headliner on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Posted in: title, tate, miesha, rousey, ronda
Read the full article at SherdogPat Healy is Running… Straight Towards a Title
Pat Healy always has a goal of going undefeated, but he's ready to parlay that goal into a bigger one... a title shot!
Posted in: title, shot, goal, parlay, healy
Read the full article at MMA WeeklySarah Kaufman: I Feel Like I Should Be Fighting for the Title (Video)
Former Strikeforce bantamweight women's champion Sarah Kaufman believes that Saturday, March 3 should be her day to recapture her title from Miesha Tate.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, kaufman, sarah, title video
Read the full article at MMA Weekly
Edgar gets title shot if he moves to Featherweight
MMA Junkie reports that Dana White will offer Frankie Edgar an immediate shot at the Featherweight title if he drops down to that division. Edgar indicated that he wants a rematch at Benson Henderson for the lightweight title.
Via MMA Junkie:
White, who today promised Edgar an immediate shot at the featherweight title if he’s willing to make the drop, still believes “The Answer” should be at 145 pounds. That said, he’s still not going to make anything a requirement.
Thus far, Edgar has balked at White’s offer. But the UFC boss said the two have remained in close contact since UFC 144, and he hopes the former lightweight champ will eventually share his point of view.
Payout Perspective:
Its interesting that although Edgar and Henderson won Fight of the Night honors, there’s no desire on the part of White to have a rematch between the two. The Edgar move could be seen as more of a way to bolster the Featherweight division where Aldo has basically had his way with the division. The lightweight division is shaping up to be one of the more competitive divisions in the UFC. On the other hand, aside from Hatsu Hioki, there are no legitimate challengers to Jose Aldo’s title. Frankie Edgar dropping down would help the division and gain interest in it overall.
Certainly an Edgar/Aldo fight would be great to watch and the immediate shot at the title is the extra carrot for Edgar. Yet, its a pretty big career decision. I can see the reasons Edgar wants a rematch at lightweight. While having an immediate title shot at Featherweight is enticing, it would be the first time Edgar would have to cut weight in some time. Yes, its only 10 pounds, but he is fighting one of the best in Aldo. This seems to be discounted by many who want Edgar to jump at the shot.
Posted in: title, division, featherweight, shot, edgar
Read the full article at MMA PayoutStrikeforce 'Tate vs Rousey' fight card: Josh Thomson vs K.J. Noons preview
Two former lightweight champions will duke it out this Saturday night (March 3, 2012) as former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson battles former EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons in the co-main event of Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Thomson has been completely off the map as of late, having suffered significant leg injuries which have kept him sidelined for a significant portion of his recent Strikeforce career. He's finally healed up and hoping to earn a trilogy fight with Gilbert Melendez if he can defeat Noons convincingly.
K.J. Noons had a very up and down run in Strikeforce thus far, winning most of his lightweights fights but then losing a welterweight title shot against Nick Diaz and then getting thrashed by Jorge Masvidal. He bounced back last December and needs a strong showing against Thomson if he wants to earn another title shot.
Can Noons bring back his boxing and put on a solid striking display against "The Punk?" Will Thomson overcome his injuries and get back into Strikeforce lightweight contention? What's the key to victory for both men on Saturday night?
Let's find out:
Josh Thomson
Record: 18-4 (1 no contest) overall, 9-2 in Strikeforce
Key Wins: Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson), Pat Healy (Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum), Nam Phan (Strikeforce: Triple Threat)
Key Losses: Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce: Evolution), Tatsuya Kawajiri (Dynamite!! 2010), Yves Edwards (UFC 49)
How he got here: Josh Thomson, now 33 years old, has been competing in mixed martial arts professionally since 2001. After just six fights, he was already making his UFC debut in 2003, which was right before the promotion shut down the division for a few years.
"The Punk" went 2-1 in the UFC before transitioning to Strikeforce where, after losing a title fight against Clay Guida in his debut, he was able to take over the division with an eight fight winning streak which included capturing the title and defending it twice, even defeating Gilbert Melendez in a thrilling five round battle.
Unfortunately for the American Kickboxing Academy product, Thomson would suffer a series of leg injuries which forced Strikeforce to create an interim championship, and he would lose his title to Gilbert Melendez in his return. Since losing hit belt, Thomson has narrowly squeaked past Pat Healy and JZ Cavalcante and was defeated by Tatsuya Kawajiri.
He's had his Strikeforce return delayed by another long string of injuries but is finally healthy and hoping to get back on track against Noons.
How he gets it done: Josh Thomson is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. He's got a very well-rounded game and, when healthy, he's one of the most dangerous lightweights in the world.
In the stand-up department, he should really focus on bringing back those brutal push kicks which were so effective in the first fight with Gilbert Melendez. He got away from them in the rematch and he hasn't really gone back to them much, but they are really powerful and can keep Noons off-balance.
I'd highly recommend he not stand and trade punches with Noons as he'll just be asking for trouble.
Thomson would be wisest of all to work his clinch game and eventually try to score some takedowns, perhaps after wearing "King Karl" down a bit in the stand-up or after getting up close and personal. He's got a terrific gas tank and has been known to take over fights late if need be. I don't think this fight will be any different if cardio becomes a factor.
K.J. Noons
Record: 11-4 overall, 3-2 in Strikeforce
Key Wins: Nick Diaz (EliteXC: Renegade), Yves Edwards (EliteXC: Return of the King), Billy Evangelista (Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal)
Key Losses: Nick Diaz (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons 2), Jorge Masvidal (Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum)
How he got here: Karl James Noons is one of the few fighters who has been successful at both boxing and MMA. Originally getting into combat sports as a kickboxer near the turn of the century, he got submitted in less than 30 seconds in his second MMA fight back in 2002.
After that, K.J. focused primarily on boxing for awhile but would make his return to mixed martial arts, achieving the highlight of his career thus far by defeating Nick Diaz via TKO (cuts) to become EliteXC's inaugural lightweight champion. After defending his title against Yves Edwards, Noons would be stripped of his belt for refusing to give Nick Diaz a rematch.
Noons would then sign with Strikeforce two years later and after winning his first two fights in the promotion, he was given a title shot against welterweight champion Nick Diaz in a much anticipated grudge match. The fight with Diaz was electric and both men hurt each other on several occasions but Diaz would go on to outstrike Noons and win the later rounds to take a unanimous decision victory and retain his title.
Noons dropped back down to the lightweight division to battle Jorge Masvidal for a lightweight title shot, but Masvidal had his way with him, beating him soundly in all areas and earning the title shot. Noons ended his two-fight skid by squeaking past Billy Evangelista this past December.
How he gets it done: Despite years of training in MMA, it would still be best for Noons to stick to his roots which is his pure boxing. Whether it's at a distance working his jab or in the pocket where he can land his crosses and hooks, that's where he's most comfortable. What he needs to be careful about this time, however, is not to simply use boxing head movement. All that juking and ducking could have him lean right into a head kick some flashy strike to the face that he normally wouldn't see in the squared circle.
Noons have developed some decent defensive countermeasures over the years so look for him to be prepared to sprawl or push off if Thomson tries to clinch or shoot for a takedown. He needs to avoid getting tied up at all costs and then get right back to work with his striking. If he gets bogged down in anything else, he could be in trouble.
He also has to watch his conditioning. Thomson pushes a pretty hard pace and he does his best work when fighters are tiring out, taking over against the likes of Pat Healy and even Gesias Cavalcante due to fatigue.
Fight X-Factor: The biggest X-Factor for this fight has to be age and injuries for Josh Thomson. He's been delayed time and time again by repeated leg injuries throughout his career in Strikeforce and they really seem to be accumulating badly as of late. He didn't even fight in 2011 due to the setbacks.
This could affect his movement, his ability to avoid Noons' power strikes and perhaps even his conditioning. Noons could very easily push a strong pace early and try to overwhelm "The Punk" before he can shake the cage rust off. Also, at 33 years old, Thomson is nearing the age when skills really begin to deteriorate for the lower weight classes. His days could be numbers as a top lightweight.
Bottom Line: I expect a competitive affair between two of the most high profile lightweights in the Strikeforce 155 pound division. Noons is the former EliteXC champ and Thomson is a former Strikeforce champ and both would love a crack against Gilbert Melendez, Thomson in particular. "The Punk" would like nothing more than an opportunity to earn a rubber match with his big rival, who he's split two fights with prior. Both Noons and Thomson are capable of putting on extremely entertaining bouts when healthy and in shape so I expect nothing less than an exciting back-and-forth battle. There's a lot on the line as if the winner of this fight doesn't put on a strong enough showing, the Pat Healy - Caros Fodor winner could swoop and and take the title shot so they have plenty of motivation so bring it.
Who will come out on top at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
Poll
Which lightweight could potentially earn a title shot with a strong showing on Saturday night at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey?
Josh Thomson
K.J. Noons
3 votes | Results
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, noon, thomson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAfter Misaki, Strikeforce's Daley wants to fight Marquardt for title
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Onetime Strikeforce welterweight title challenger Paul Daley assumes that he'll get past Kazuo Misaki at Saturday's "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" event.
And Daley also assumes that recent signee Nate Marquardt will get past Tyron Woodley when they meet, likely for the title, as he's heard from people within Strikeforce.
That leaves him in prime position.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, daley, kazuo misaki, tyron woodley
Read the full article at MMA JunkieKJ Noons: The Title Is Still Important But He Has to Focus on Josh Thomson (Video)
K.J. Noons still wants to fight for the Strikeforce lightweight title, but his focus is all about fighting Josh Thomson and he can't ignore the challenge in front of him.
Posted in: title, kj noons, noon, kj, josh thomson
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyWhat's at Stake? UFC on FX 2/Tate vs. Rousey Edition
There was always a great deal on the line between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate and I don't just mean the bantamweight title. If that isn't a fight for bragging rights, nothing is. But across the world just a day before, four flyweights begin a tournament to crown a new champion in a new UFC division. Whatever you think of the women's bantamweight or UFC flyweight divisions, both are at least offering the best they have to showcase over the next 48 hours. That means there's blood to spill and treasure to collect. Let's take a closer look and examine what's on the line in Sydney, Australia tomorrow night and Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
UFC on FX 2
Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann
At stake: the proverbial 'mix'. 'The mix' is not the worst place to be. After all, Alves and Kampmann are on the rebound. Both dropped several tough fights to respected competitors, but they also righted their own ships recently. Alves smashed Papy Abedi at UFC 138 while Kampmann decisioned Rick Story at UFC 139.
At the moment, the UFC welterweight division is in a bit of a logjam. A victory for either fighter is a legitimate accomplishment, but it's hard to predict what it could mean in terms of the upper end of possibilities. What we can say with certainty, however, is that it returns both Kampmann and Alves to the short list of possible contenders who could earn title shots in 2012 or early 2013. They have to win Saturday and likely thereafter. But two in a row at welterweight and against the competition they've faced means quite a bit.
The bad news about welterweight is it's a place where success can be hard to maintain. The good news is you also get a lot of opportunities to make some noise.
Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani / Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
At stake: a spot in the finals. There's no mystery here. The winners of both fights move onto the finals in this four-man flyweight tournament. Each fighter, though, is in a different stage of their career. McCall re-enters the big leagues, this time in the right weight class, but needs to justify his high ranking with a strong performance against the upper echelon of the division. Benavidez and Johnson dropping down to this weight also carries significant expectations. Urushitani, the long-time member of the flyweight class, needs to prove he still belongs among top-end flyweights despite being 35 years of age.
Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou
At stake: resume booster. McGee and Philippou are still prospects, but they've each strung together some decent wins in the UFC middleweight divsion. McGee has won three straight, most recently besting Dongi Yang at UFC Fight Night 25. Philippou has won two in a row including a very respectable KO of Jared Hamman at UFC 140. A win over either gentleman continues their streaks and adds a further touch of legitimacy to their burgeoning careers. And given how even this fight is in terms of competitiveness, it's also an opportunity to give the MMA community a greater sense of the complexion of their games.
Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey
Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey
At stake: the whole 9 yards. That the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title is up for grabs almost seems like a bonus at this point. These fighters have spent months hurling invective at one another, questioning the others ability, skill, background, placement in the division and existence, generally. The truth is that a tough but noble loss wouldn't be the worst thing and obviously victory is preferred. What they desperately need to avoid, however, is convincing defeat. Nothing would sting worse and grant more ammunition to their foe than proof they were right about them all along. And even if a clear victory in the cage doesn't prove it, the winner will say it does. That's enough to make it stick.
K.J. Noons vs. Josh Thomson
At stake: Glibert's gold. The Strikeforce lightweight division is thin. How thin? Thin enough where all a fighter may need for a title shot is two consecutive wins. Or just a recent win. Noons bested Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal (after losing two straight). Thomson, on the other hand, didn't fight at all in 2011. He did manage to go 2-1 in 2010, beating both Gesias Cavalcante and Pat Healy, but that was quite some time ago. Yet, looking at the roster, not many other known names exist as potential contenders for Gilbert Melendez. Caros Fodor is surging up the ranks and Masvidal may get another shot, but it's slim pickings. If Noons or Thomson have a strong showing this weekend, a title shot is by no means out of the question.
Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki
At stake: Marquardt vs. Woodley winner. No date is set, but Marquardt is slated to face Tyron Woodley for what is expected to be the Strikeforce welterweight title. With a depleted roster, a name like Daley - despite so far being 1-2 in his Strikeforce career - has to be on the short list of potential contenders. Misaki might be further away, both literally and figuratively, but even he has to be in the running if he can get past the British striker on Saturday night.
Ronaldo Souza vs. Bristol Marunde
At stake: Jacare's scalp. Jacare is in a bad spot here. He's admittedly not facing the toughest threat of his career, but anything short of a decision, relatively speedy victory makes Jacare's future look dubious at best. Souza was originally slated to face Derek Brunson, but that match was scratched because of Brunson's eye issues. Jacare's best hope is to make a the night quick work. Marunde, on the other hand, can notch what would easily be the biggest win of his career.
Scott Smith vs. Lumumba Sayers
At stake: physical health. As he proved against Antwain Britt, Sayers is capable of clobberin' time. Smith is not new to that process either. Of all Strikeforce's divisions, middleweight is arguably the thickest. Smith and Sayers aren't near the top or even middle. That's not to say they can't get there (or for Smith, return there), but it's not like a win here realistically pushes them close.
From the preliminary card(s):
-- Caros Fodor is on a tear. He's undefeated in Strikeforce and on a five-fight win streak. He faces the very durable, submission grappling savvy Pat Healy in what is a tough test for a rising prospect. If Fodor can pass this with flying colors, Gilbert Melendez may have a new contender on his hands.
-- Sarah Kaufmann, who was passed over by Ronda Rousey for the title shot, faces Alexis Davis. This is a rematch of their 2007 bout, which Kaufman won by unanimous decision. If Kaufman prevails here, she won't be far from facing the winner of Saturday night's main event.
Posted in: ufc, title, strikeforce, vs, stake
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseDana White Willing To Give Frankie Edgar Immediate Title Shot Against Jose Aldo At Featherweight
Dana White really wants Frankie Edgar to drop to featherweight.
So much so in fact, Dana told MMA Junkie yesterday that he’s willing to give Edgar an immediate title shot against UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo despite the fact that Edgar’s never fought at 145. The problem of course is that Edgar wants an immediate rematch with Ben Henderson in a heavily clogged division. It’s not that Dana doesn’t think he deserves it. It’s just that it’s making the whole situation a “nightmare.”
“Here’s the thing: I really care about this kid,” White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I like him a lot. There’s only so many wars you can have in your career, and I hate – hate, hate, hate – guys fighting out of their weightclass. He did it because he had to do it because there was no other weightclass, and you can’t deny a guy a way to make a living. But I would love to see him at 145. I can’t tell him where to go, but I can [expletive] heavily persuade him.”
“We still have (Nate) Diaz and (Jim) Miller fighting on FOX,” White said. “That weight division is so stacked, and there’s so many guys in line. I have a lot of different feelings about the rematch. First and foremost, I feel like Frankie Edgar absolutely deserves one, seeing as how every fight this guy’s fought, he’s given everybody else a rematch. And I don’t want him to fight at 155 pounds. I want him to go to 145 and fight for that title. If we do give him a rematch, it clogs up – there’s other guys that are there waiting. It’s just a big mess, man. Controversy sucks. I like fights that are clean clear, we know who won.”
“I don’t know. This whole thing’s a nightmare, and we’ll see what happens.”
Dana White certainly has a dilemma on his hands, at least as long as Edgar wants to stay at 155. He has plenty of contenders to work with in the lightweight division, but no one to fight Jose Aldo in the featherweight division.
I’m not necessarily opposed to Frankie getting an immediate rematch, but at the same time, I do want the division to keep moving, especially with a potentially awesome rematch between Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis on the horizon. Which by the way is getting more interesting by the day as the tension continues to build. For instance, check out what Pettis’ manager just MMA Fighting. Apparently, Pettis is getting pretty fired up over those comments Bendo made about him not being first in line for his title.
“He’s heard some stuff that Ben Henderson has said in the last couple days that really got under his skin,” he said. “Ben has said some things basically implying that Anthony is beneath him and he has to do all this stuff to work his way back to a title shot. He keeps referring to him like, ‘I see you. You’re doing big things. One day…’ And Anthony’s like, ‘Wait a minute. I just beat you over a year ago. I put your face on ESPN for a year and you’re talking like you’re so much ahead of me.’ It got under Anthony’s skin a little bit.”
“Anthony was thinking, ‘Ben should want this rematch more than anything,’” he said. “He said if he would’ve lost like that, he would’ve wanted it. He’s perturbed because he just keeps implying that Anthony is so much beneath him. He respects the fact that he won the belt and Anthony was glad that he won the fight, but he’s a little perturbed that Ben keeps talking like Anthony is so far beneath him.”
I’m not sure if that’s how Henderson meant it, but it sure came across that way. You can’t really blame Pettis for being upset about it. After all, he did decisively beat Henderson in their WEC title fight and capped it off with the most spectacular kick ever. And it’s not like so much time has passed that that fight doesn’t mean anything anymore.
I’m not really sure who “deserves” the rematch more, Edgar or Pettis, but I do think there is something a little more alluring about Henderson-Pettis 2 than Henderson-Edgar 2.
Image via Esther Lin for MMA Fighting
Posted in: fight, title, rematch, anthony, edgar
Read the full article at MMA ConvertDana White Trying to Persuade Frankie Edgar to Drop to Featherweight, Will Give Edgar Immediate Title Shot
Following a close decision in the main event at UFC 144 between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson, UFC President Dana White has been vocal about Edgar and his future. But it has not been about Edgar receiving a rematch. Instead, it has been about White’s desire to see Edgar drop to featherweight and fight at the weight class he feels Edgar is more suited for.
During the UFC on FX 2 pre-fight press conference, White spoke at length concerning his desire for Edgar to move down.
“This guy’s fighting with 155 pounders, guys that are cutting from 170 pounds plus, and they’re always so much bigger than him,” White said. “The guy has absolute wars and pulls out decisions that are so controversial every time. I don’t want him at 155 pounds. I want him to go to 145 and fight for that title. Plus if we do give him a rematch, it clogs up…there’s other guys that are in line waiting. It’s just a big mess. Controversy sucks. I like fights that are clean, clear, we know who won.”
Unfortunately for White, he has not received that often enough from Edgar over the past few years. Even though he won the title against BJ Penn in April 2010, Penn was given a rematch because of how close the first fight was. Edgar then fought Gray Maynard to a draw in January 2011, which forced another rematch for Edgar. While Edgar does not see the close decisions in Edgar’s fights as mistakes, it certainly is not making it any easier for him.
“Normally when there is a bad decision, I’ll be the first guy to say it,” explained White. “But then there is a case like Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson, where it was split down the middle, and so many people think one guy won and many think the other guy won. That’s always gonna happen. You’re gonna have those fights that are considered controversial. Sitting there that night, I thought Frankie Edgar won the fight. Lorenzo [Fertitta] flew back to Las Vegas and texted me that he re-watched the fight and thought Ben won the fight.”
Concerning a third rematch in three years for Edgar, White is conflicted, stating “I have a lot of different feelings about the rematch. First and foremost, I feel like Frankie Edgar absolutely deserves one seeing as how every fight this guy’s fought, he’s given everybody else a rematch. ”
But that does not mean White is not going to talk with Edgar and try and persuade the former lightweight champion to drop to featherweight. White knows he has an exciting title fight he could have at featherweight, and he is making it obvious how badly he wants to make it.
“Frankie Edgar walks straight into a title shot [at featherweight],” White declared. “If I’m going to deny him the rematch for the 155-pound title, and I’m going to make him move to 145 and say, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna have to fight a couple fights first to get the title.’ Does that sound right? No.”
For now, it seems Edgar is set on staying at lightweight, and is going to tell anyone that listens that he deserves a rematch with Henderson. But looking into what White has said over the past few days, it seems Edgar has a better chance of fighting for the title at 145 pounds than at 155 pounds.
“I think Jose Aldo (current UFC featherweight champion) is awesome,” White said. “I think he’s pound for pound one of the best in the world. So is Frankie Edgar, and there’s nothing more fun than when guys are both at the same weight and go in there and fight.”
Posted in: fight, title, guy, rematch, edgar
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyWhite: Frankie Edgar Guaranteed Automatic Title Shot If He Drops to Featherweight
To rematch or not rematch? When it comes to the UFC's convoluted title triangle of Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson, and Dana White, that does appear to be the question.
Days after UFC 144's controversial lightweight championship, the proverbial lines in the sand have been drawn. For his part, Edgar made his opinion clear when he atypically demanded a rematch on Wednesday's episode of The MMA Hour.
Henderson, still reveling in his victory, remains open to any option.
White, however, has a different perspective on the subject. Having finally resolved a two-year traffic jam in the 155-pound division, he would prefer Edgar to drop down to his natural weight class of 145 pounds, and he's willing to sweeten the pot to get him there.
"Absolutely, (Edgar) walks straight into a title shot," White declared during Wednesday's UFC on FX 2 press conference.
"If I'm going to deny him the rematch for the 155-pound title, and I'm going to make him move to 145 and say, ‘Yeah, you're gonna have to fight a couple fights first to get the title.' Does that sound right? No."
Of course, White's protests are nothing new. The UFC President has long desired Edgar at featherweight, but after a slew of championship performances, he ran short of visual evidence that lent credence to his claims.
Even in the immediate aftermath of Saturday night, it appeared Edgar had again proven himself correct. Both White and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta said they scored the fight in favor of the former champion, though apparently that sentiment has now changed.
"Sitting there that night, I thought Frankie Edgar won the fight. And then Lorenzo (Fertitta) flew back to Las Vegas. He texted me yesterday, said ‘I re-watched the fight,'" White revealed. "Ben won."
Obviously Edgar vehemently disagrees, and he has steadfastly remained opposed to a fight against 145-pound kingpin Jose Aldo. So with the lightweight division seemingly at an impasse, even White is unsure about where to go next.
"That weight division is so stacked, and there's so many guys in line." he hesitantly explained. "I have a lot of different feeling about the rematch. First and foremost, I feel like Frankie Edgar absolutely deserves one, seeing as how every fight this guy's fought, he's given everybody else a rematch.
"Yet, I don't want him to fight at 155-pounds. I want him to go to 145 and fight for that title. Plus if we do give him a rematch, it clogs up (the division). There's other guys that are in line waiting. It's a big mess."
For now, White's unwillingness to put the division on hold appears to be most telling.
Though, there could also be a surprising ulterior motive behind his wishes. One that lies not in Edgar's fighting ability, but with his long-term health and longevity.
"This guy's fighting with 155-pounders, guys that are cutting from 170-plus, and they're always so much bigger than him. The guy has absolute wars and pulls out decisions that are so controversial every time," White concluded.
"Take the whole fighting thing out of it, this guy belongs at 145-pounds. When you're a professional fighter, you have a small window of opportunity as it is to compete and be a professional athlete. There's only so many wars you have in you. You can't have this long amazing career fighting wars all the time, so I don't know. This whole thing is a nightmare and we'll see what happens."
Posted in: fight, title, guy, rematch, edgar
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FX 2 press conference video and LIVE updates TONIGHT (Feb. 29) for 'Alves vs Kampmann' in Sydney
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold a public press conference TONIGHT (Feb. 29, 2012) in advance of UFC on FX 2: "Alves vs. Kampmann," which will take place this Friday (March 2, 2012) at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia.
The press conference will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will take place at The Star Sydney Hotels & Casino in Sydney, Australia. Scheduled to attend will be the headlining fighters of the evening, Martin Kampmann, Thiago Alves, Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall and Yasuhiro Urushitani.
Kampmann is one of the top welterweights in the UFC. The Xtreme Couture fighter originally hailing from Denmark is always within reach of a title shot but he hasn't quite been able to get over the hump. He's hoping to get close once more if he can string together a few more really big wins and you don't get much bigger than Thiago Alves.
Thiago Alves is a former welterweight title contender. He fell on hard times both with making weight and in putting on good performances but has seemingly turned it all around after teaming up with Mike Dolce to help him get healthier and cut weight properly. After getting back on track in his last fight, he too is hoping to get back into the mix with a big main event victory.
Joseph Benavidez was in no-man's land at bantamweight after dropping two decisions to champion Dominick Cruz. He beat everyone else he was thrown against in the division, but the Team Alpha Male fighter could only play spoiler. He's extremely grateful for an opportunity to drop down to flyweight now and compete in a tournament for the title. His opponent, Yasuhiro Urishitani, is one of the best flyweights in the world. Hailing from Japan, he was the Shooto 123 pound champion before the UFC signed him.
Demetrious Johnson, despite being undersized, rose through the ranks defeating big name after big name and earned a title shot at bantamweight. He lost last October to Dominick Cruz via decision, but he put on a terrific showing and earned the respect of fans everywhere. He too, was grateful for an opportunity to drop down to 125 pounds. His opponent, Ian McCall, dropped down to flyweight in 2011 and took the division by storm. He defeated the then-number one ranked Jussier da Silva and then proceeded to win the Tachi Palace flyweight title. He's out to prove he belongs with the elite in the world.
We'll have all the updates from the UFC on FX 2 prefight press conference after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The press conference is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
Posted in: ufc, title, press conference, conference, alve
Read the full article at MMA ManiaPoint-counterpoint on Henderson-Edgar
Two bloggers debate the Benson Henderson-Frankie Edgar fight at UFC 144 and who deserves to get the next lightweight title shot
Posted in: ufc, title, shot, pointcounterpoint, bloggers debate
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC Interim Champ Carlos Condit Waiting For GSP Is Bunk
Carlos Condit just won the UFC interim welterweight championship with a controversial decision win over Nick Diaz at UFC 143. He's now saying that he'll wait for champion Georges St. Pierre to return before he fights again. This means that the interim title will not be defended and really renders the UFC 143 title fight pointless.
Obviously Condit is rightfully concerned that a bout against Jake Ellenberger, Josh Koscheck or Johny Hendricks could go badly and he won't get to fight GSP. That's an absolutely rational decision and if I were Condit's manager is exactly what I would recommend he do.
However what's good for Carlos Condit and what's good for the sport and the fans are two different things.
Here are three reasons why Condit should NOT be allowed to wait:
The UFC needs headliners. The UFC had to cancel a planned March pay-per-view in Quebec because of the lack of a headlining fight. While Condit wouldn't have been able to fill in that gap, his decision to wait for GSP means he won't be around to headline or co-main event any PPVs in the summer or fall.
The division shouldn't be on hold.There are too many talented fighters who've waited too long for their shot to put the division on the shelf for another 9 months. Jake Ellenberger has earned a title shot. The winner of Johny Hendricks vs. Josh Koscheck at UFC on Fox 3 will have earned a title shot. There's every reason to believe that any of those 3 guys could beat Condit, tough as he is. They all present formidable stylistic challenges to Condit and Ellenberger very nearly beat him in their first bout.
What if GSP isn't ready to fight in the fall or if Condit gets hurt?Remember when Rashad Evans chose to sit out nearly a year waiting for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to heal up from ACL surgery only to be injured himself when his shot finally came? What happens if GSP's recovery is delayed and he can't fight until 2013? What if Condit gets hurt training for GSP? Is the title really supposed to go undefended for a year?
UFC president Dana White often pushes the claim that the UFC is about seeing the best fighters fight the best 2 or 3 times a year. Letting Condit wait for GSP means that in the welterweight division in 2012 the UFC is about the best fighting the best once a year, maybe.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, gsp, condit
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFrankie Edgar will stay at 155 and seek rematch with Benson Henderson
Frankie Edgar walked into the Octagon this past Saturday with the UFC Lightweight title strapped around his waist. After a 25-minute battle with Benson Henderson he left the cage without that title as Henderson celebrated being crowned the new Lightweight Champion.
Almost as soon as he fell to Henderson, Edgar was assailed by questions if he would drop to the Featherweight division to challenge Jose Aldo for his UFC title. Edgar deflected the questions, but today, on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, he let
Posted in: title, mma hour, henderson, edgar, henderson edgar
Read the full article at Low KickStrikeforce’s Sarah Kaufman is Angry and Wants Her Title Back
Former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman is angry and motivated to get the title back. She plans on taking out her anger on Alexis Davis.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, champion, kaufman, sarah
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyMark Hunt KNOWS he can knock out Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem
If the title of this article signified the totality of what Mark Hunt knows, then I know everything Mark Hunt knows; Mark Hunt can knock out any humanoid on the planet. Props to the Super Samoan for coming into the UFC and resurrecting everything we love about K-1 in dark times like these when the sport of kickboxing is on life support. Additional props for doing it while the UFC never wanted to honor the lone fight remaining on your Pride contract stemming back from Zuffa purchasing the company. In theory, Mark Hunt wasn’t even supposed to be in the UFC, who tried to buy-out the contract, but instead, Hunt lost the weight to make the 265lb limit and showed up to make one last run for an MMA title. Now he’s arguably one rawesome performance away from a title shot, and he’s convinced he can knock out whomever they put in front of them, including Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem in this MMAFighting interview
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Posted in: mark, mark hunt, hunt, title, alistair overeem
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC on FX Predictions
Will Martin Kampmann make a case that he deserves to be in title contention in the welterweight division? Or is Thiago Alves set to get his second win in a row? Can Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson take care of business and advance to the first ever UFC flyweight title fight? Or do UFC newcomers Yasuhiro Urushitani and Ian McCall have what it takes to pull off an upset in the UFC's four-man flyweight tournament?
I'll attempt to answer those questions as I predict the winners of Friday night's UFC on FX show below.
What: UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann
When: Friday, the FUEL prelims start at 6 p.m. Eastern and the FX main card starts at 9.
Where: Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia
Predictions below.
Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann
During Georges St. Pierre's long injury layoff, the UFC's welterweight division is undergoing a dramatic transformation, with new contenders establishing themselves in a weight class that GSP had previously seemed to clean out.
This fight is a great opportunity for Kampmann to show that he belongs in the title hunt. Alves has already had a title shot and lost, and it's probably not realistic to think that he'd get another shot at the belt. But if Kampmann beats Alves and looks good in the process, he'd have a strong case that he deserves a shot at interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit (whom Kampmann beat by split decision in 2009) or that he's another win away from getting a shot at the Condit-GSP winner.
I think Kampmann will out-grapple Alves and win a one-sided decision, putting himself in the welterweight title conversation.
Pick: Kampmann
Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
I've been saying for years that Benavidez was ready to be the best flyweight in the world just as soon as Zuffa opened up a flyweight division, and now it's time for Benavidez to prove it. Urushitani is a good fighter who vacated the Shooto title to move to the UFC's flyweight division, but he's not on the same level as Benavidez. this should be a beatdown.
Pick: Benavidez
Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
McCall left the WEC after losing to now bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and at flyweight he's gone on a four-fight winning streak, beating high-quality opponents and earning the No. 1 ranking in the world according to some observers. I think Johnson has superior speed and better wrestling, however, and should be able to out-point McCall and win a decision.
Pick: Johnson
Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou
McGee is 2-0 since winning Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, and he's proven to be a solid if not spectacular prospect. The UFC is bringing him along slowly with its matchmaking, and although Philippou is on a two-fight winning streak of his own, I like McGee to take this one.
Pick: McGee
Posted in: ufc, title, flyweight, benavidez, kampmann
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseAnthony Pettis: 'Ben Henderson doesn’t want to fight me'
Seconds after Ben Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 this past weekend (Feb 25, 2012) in Japan, to earn his first-ever taste of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold, "Smooth" already had someone knocking at his door, ready to challenge him for his newly-won title.
That man, is none other than Anthony Pettis, the last man to defeat him back in 2010 in the now extinct World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) organization. The two lightweights scrapped for Benson's 155-pound title for a full five rounds in what was the final main event for the organization at WEC 53.
"Showtime" defeated "Smooth" in a back-and-forth brawl the saw Pettis deliver the kick heard around the world to seal the deal in the closing seconds of the bout.
Now, aside from taking his WEC belt, Pettis wants to be the man to snatch away his UFC lightweight title as well, but apparently, as he told MMA Fighting, Henderson does not feel that Anthony deserves a shot at his title just yet:
"I see you, you're doing big things and the way he does things, man he is spectacular, he does a lot of big things and moves. I think there's a line. I don't think he is first in line. I'm going to handle my business, you know, defend the belt a couple times. He's going to handle his business. I'm sure he'll get two or three more wins, maybe highlight reel wins, maybe sturdy wins against solid wrestlers where he can show and work on his take down defense or whatever. But he's going to do his thing and I'm going to do my thing. I'm sure well match up one day and I'm sure it will be for my UFC belt. I don't know if he'll be next, but I'm sure it will happen."
"Showtime," on the other hand, doesn't really see any other option for Henderson at the moment, but also stated that if he was in Benson's shoes, he'd probably avoid a rematch too.
After the jump, an exclusive first look at what Pettis told Pro MMA Radio about why Henderson doesn't want to fight him:
"If I was him, I would say the same thing too. I mean, he just won the belt and he doesn't want to give it up that quick and if he fights against me, he's not going to hold on to that belt for awhile, I mean, I match up bad for him, and for (him to say) for me to work on my takedown defense, last year he couldn't take me down and we went five rounds and I won that decision. So, if I was him, I wouldn't want to fight me either. Of course, he doesn't want to fight me, for that reason. There is no clear number one contender in the UFC (lightweight) division except myself. I mean Diaz is fighting Jim Miller, and that fight's a long time away. Let's set this up, let's see who's really number one in the lightweight division. I'm the last guy to beat him and I just had one of the best performances of my life, so let's make this happen. He definitely got a lot better, but I got a lot better too, everybody gets better in a year. I don't really see too big a changes, I don't think it's going to be one of those fights that where he's just going to come in and dominate."
The bout hasn't been made official and the tension, it seems, is already getting thicker by the minute.
The Duke Roufus-trained fighter blitzed his way up the top of the list of lightweight title contenders the same night Benson dominated Edgar for five rounds, as Pettis displayed yet again, his laser-like striking by knocking out Joe Lauzon in 81 seconds with a head kick that sent "J-Lau" tumbling down to the canvas.
He even followed it up with a few pinpoint punches for good measure.
With Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, the other top two 155-pound candidates for title consideration, set to tangle in a little over three months at UFC on Fox 3, it may behoove the new UFC lightweight champion to take the fight at hand against Pettis, rather than sit out for a possible seven to eight months.
Anyone feel Henderson is trying to avoid suffering the same fate to Pettis that he incurred at WEC 53? Or has Pettis yet to stake his rightful place as the legitimate number one contender to have first crack at attempting to dethrone the new champ?
Hear the entire interview with Pettis on this Thursday's edition of Pro MMA Radio.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, petti, im
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBen Henderson Doesn’t Think Anthony Pettis Is First In Line For His UFC Lightweight Title
Newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson may be willing to take on whoever the UFC puts in front of him, but that doesn’t mean he thinks the apparent frontrunner Anthony Pettis should be first in line.
In his post-fight interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Henderson said that Pettis should get a few more wins before challenging him for the title. Transcription via MMA Mania:
“The way he does things, man, he’s spectacular. He does a lot of big moves. But I think there’s a line. I don’t think he’s first in line. I’m going to handle my business, defend the belt a couple times. He’s going to handle his business, I’m sure he’ll get two or three more wins, maybe highlight reel wins, maybe sturdy wins against solid wrestlers who he can show that he’s been working on his takedown defense or whatever. But he’s going to do his thing, I’m going to do my thing. I’m sure we will match up one day and I’m sure it will be for my UFC belt. I don’t know if it will be next but I’m sure it will happen.”
Looking at records alone, I guess you could argue that Pettis needs another win or two before he “deserves” a shot at the title, but let’s be honest, that’s usually not how it works. Following his loss to Clay Guida, Pettis scored a win over Jeremy Stephens and follow it up with a sensational knockout over Joe Lauzon on the same card Henderson won the title. If he had just eeked out a decision over Lauzon, things may be different, but given his history with Henderson which produced the craziest kick the sport has ever seen, I think the UFC has all the justification it needs to give Pettis the shot now. The fight makes sense and timing is perfect. Let’s see it.
On another note, check out Henderson’s TUF 9 audition tape that MiddleEasy somehow dug up. My favorite part is how Bendo proclaims at the end that he’s going to win the TUF 9 crown and move on to become the UFC lightweight champ. He never made it on the show, but be damn sure got the more important of the two right. Pretty cool.
Posted in: ufc, title, petti, henderson, line
Read the full article at MMA ConvertTim Sylvia wants back in the UFC, believes he could knock out Christian Morecraft, Travis Brown and Stefan Struve
Tim Sylvia, a former UFC heavyweight champion has always brought negative responses from fans. Looked at as a joke and no serious threat in the Octagon, his resume would argue against the criticism: He has the most successful heavyweight title defenses (three), most consecutive heavyweight title defenses (two) and the first fighter to claim any [...]
Posted in: title, heavyweight, tim, defense, tim sylvia
Read the full article at Fighthub TVReaction from the Action: UFC 144 “Edgar vs. Henderson”
After an eleven year hiatus, the UFC finally returned to Japan, and the event could not have gone any better. Since I was unable to personally make the trip to Saitama, I cannot speak on what the population that was not a member of the 22,000+ that was in attendance thought of it. However, those that were in the arena could not have made the event a better atmosphere. It was a fantastic hybrid of both American and Japanese atmospheres.
Regarding the fights, a seven fight main card will never be turned away. But even the preliminary card had terrific fights on display, involving a few local superstars like Takanori Gomi and Kid Yamamoto. Then the main card hit pay-per-view, and from the beginning, every fighter made sure you were making a mistake if you were not watching this historical event.
From Anthony Pettis’ spectacular head kick knockout to Tim Boetsch’s tremendous comeback against Yushin Okami to Mark Hunt’s pinpoint striking against Cheick Kongo, Dana White could not have been happier how the return to Japan turned out.
Then we arrived to the main event, a highly anticipated matchup between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
Edgar must have been in shock that he was not repeatedly knocked down in the first round; a change from his last two fights against Maynard. Unfortunately for him, that did not last long, as he was knocked down in the second round from an upkick by Henderson.
That became the theme of the fight, as Edgar was able to survive Henderson’s strong array of attacks. While he was continuing to implement his style against Henderson, it seemed the damage done to Edgar was the catalyst for the loss.
Personally, I scored the fight in favor of Henderson. But awarding Edgar the belt certainly would not have been a travesty.
Regarding the future, Joe Rogan and Dana White both stated that it is likely that the pay-per-view’s opening winner, Anthony Pettis, will be taking on the closer in Henderson in the next matchup for the title. But this seems to be the wrong decision with the former champion in Edgar.
Edgar defeated B.J. Penn at UFC 112 in April 2010 via a closely contested decision. He then had to face Penn again just four months later at UFC 118. He then faced Gray Maynard in January of last year at UFC 125, which ended in a draw. Because of the decision, he had to face Maynard again later that year at UFC 136, where he defeated Maynard via TKO.
Now, Edgar loses a close decision, and he is being glossed over in favor of a different rematch in Henderson vs. Pettis II. Much like the judging in MMA, where is the consistency? For Edgar to have to rematch an opponent twice in consecutive years, and now seemingly unable to be given the same treatment, it makes little sense.
Anthony Pettis, while immensely talented, does he deserve a title shot? After losing to Clay Guida in June, he went on to defeat Jeremy Stephens in October and then defeated Joe Lauzon on Saturday. With no disrespect meant towards Stephens and Lauzon, that does not seem to merit an immediate title shot. Yes, he did enter the UFC as the final WEC champion, but he then lost to Guida in his debut.
Looking over the last few years and title contenders that were given title shots with brief winning streaks, it has not gone over well. (I am excluding fighters that received title shots after being signed to the UFC then being given title shots after just one fight)
Demian Maia-UFC 112: After being knocked out by Nate Marquardt and defeating Dan Miller, Maia filled in for an injured Vitor Belfort against champion Anderson Silva
Conclusion: Loss via decision
“Rampage” Jackson-UFC 135: After narrowly defeating Lyoto Machida, Jackson then defeated Matt Hammil to earn a shot against Jon Jones.
Conclusion: Loss via 4th round submission
Kenny Florian-UFC 136: Florian moved to featherweight for one last title run. He defeated Diego Nunes in his divisional debut and went on to face Jose Aldo for the title.
Conclusion: Loss via decision
Lyoto Machida-UFC 140: After defeating Randy Couture following two straight losses, Machida went on to face champion Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.
Conclusion: Loss via 2nd round submission
Now there could be three cases this year, with Pettis taking on Henderson, Hatsu Hioki taking on featherweight champion Jose Aldo, and Urijah Faber taking on Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight championship. (For the record, Faber has been given three previous title shots after two or fewer consecutive wins, and is 0-3 in those fights).
Yes, no two fighters and their scenarios are alike. But the phrase “striking while the iron is hot” should not always be the remedy to the problem. Edgar should be given the same treatment he had to deal with over the past two years, with the opportunity to rematch Henderson for the title.
Biggest winner: Japan
Quite a few fighters earned huge victories, including the aforementioned Pettis and of course Henderson. Also included are Tim Boetsch, Mark Hunt, Hatsu Hioki, and Ryan Bader, who all scored significant wins as well.
But with the return to Japan, nothing could be more significant than an opportunity for mixed martial arts to flourish in the country once again. Many fans stateside became fans thanks to Pride, and with 50,000+ frequently in attendance in Japan, it is obvious that Japanese fans did as well. Because of the inconsistency of Dream and the downfall of K-1, Japan just has not had an opportunity to enjoy MMA and kickboxing. If the UFC is able to frequently return, nothing could be better for MMA as a whole.
Bonus: It is obvious after Saturday, that another big winner was Mizutuma. The translator for the event clearly jumped to the top of the translator power rankings. She probably knows the English language better than you and I do.
Biggest loser: Yushin Okami
While “Rampage” Jackson can be argued, he was likely not going to earn another title shot with his career being closer to the end than being in his prime. But Okami was coming off of his title loss to Anderson Silva last August, and was fighting in his home country against an opponent he was expected to beat. He was doing that for two rounds and things were going according to the script. But then Tim Boetsch ripped the script apart and Okami’s face at the same time. His vicious uppercuts on Okami would have knocked any other fighter out..well, except Mark Hunt. This now leaves Okami with two losses in a row, and a loooooong way away from ever earning another title shot.
Biggest question: Why is Dana White Openly Suggesting Frankie Edgar drop to featherweight?
Dana White is a big fan of Edgar. That was evident after UFC 136, where White stated that Edgar is top 3 pound-for-pound. Now, just minutes after losing the lightweight title, White is quick to suggest that Edgar drop to 145 pounds. It is an insult to Edgar to treat him that way, especially after just losing a title he held for nearly two years.
Yes, Edgar is a small lightweight. But he is not being overpowered by the bigger lightweights, holding his own against two of the bigger lightweights in Gray Maynard and Benson Henderson. He arguably won the fight. In fact, White stated that he felt Edgar won the fight. So why should he now drop a weight class? If he feels most comfortable there and is competitive (the answer is yes to both questions), then Edgar should stay at lightweight.
Perhaps White is in need of a true challenger to Jose Aldo at 145 pounds, that he is desperate enough to market that weight class in any way possible.
Since there were seven fights on the main card of the event, Future Matchups to Make will be a separate article to be posted tomorrow. Make sure to check that out, concluding the wrap-up of UFC 144.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, henderson, edgar
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyWho's Next? 5 Possible Contenders for Benson Henderson's Lightweight Title
After the dust settled on UFC 144 in Japan, Ben Henderson had taken the Lightweight title from Frankie Edgar in a five-round war. Henderson showed a well-rounded game and has reached the top of the division, but his work is far from over. This year promises to be a time of great action for the ultra-stacked UFC Lightweight division. Several fighters could make their own case for a title fight against Henderson. Let's take a look at the most deserving:
Frankie Edgar: Some, including UFC President
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, ultrastacked ufc, frankie edgar
Read the full article at Low KickSarah Kaufman - One Win Away
In the fight game, no phrase has been quoted more often and spoken more truth than “everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” For the past six years in MMA, arguably, no woman has proven more that the aforementioned quote is as applicable to female fighters as it is to males than Sarah Kaufman. This should be (and is) an ever present concern for all active Strikeforce women’s bantamweight fighters because, simply put, Kaufman hits hard and hits a lot. Multiply that by time, practice, and past results, and it equates to this Canadian KO machine only getting better at what she does best, and she wants her title back.“I think my confidence has gotten better as it has happened,” admits Kaufman when asked about her knockout power. “Going into my first fight I didn't know what to think. I didn't know if I could knock anyone out, I didn't know if I could submit anyone, I didn't have any idea what I was capable of. In my first fight, I got a clean knockout and she was out for quite a while. As soon as I landed the punch, I was like, 'oh, Adam's [Zugec, Kaufman’s coach] right. I can do this.' The next fight when I got the TKO in the first, it was like this is getting better. With every fight it has kind of kept growing. Now, I do have some sort of knowledge that it is a part of me and I'm capable of doing that, but for me, it's hard to kind of really grasp that knowledge that I can knock people out.”From 2006 to 2009, Kaufman fought eight times with eight eerily similar KO/TKO finishes, and was granted the chance to beat up a new crop of female fighters in Strikeforce. In her following four fights, Kaufman continued to overwhelm her opponents with her staggering output of strikes, and won the first Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship against Takayo Hashi. The numbers surrounding Kaufman’s relentless onslaught standing are almost difficult to understand. In her debut decision win over current champion Miesha Tate, Kaufman threw over 160 significant strikes back when Strikeforce’s female fighters competed at three 3 minute rounds. That’s utterly insane. “When we are at ZUMA, we are doing a lot of pad work and the pad work isn't about throwing single jabs or single crosses,” tells Kaufman. “It is about getting that mindset ingrained in you to throw 3,4,5,6, 7, 8 punch combinations to get your hands moving. Adam has always said, ‘if you can hit 4 or 8 punch combinations on the pads then in sparring or in a fight you might hit 1 or 2.’ Sometimes when you are getting in there you tighten up and you think too much and you don't let your hands go. Partly, it is a matter of sheer repetitions, but I also like to push forward and when you push forward you might as well do something. The best way for them to not hit you, is for you to hit them faster and more often - that's kind of the philosophy that's taken over.”In the fight fans’ world where strikers rule, Kaufman is queen. At 14-1, the product of Zugec Ultimate Martial Arts (ZUMA) in her hometown of Victoria, British Colombia, Canada is gearing up for another title run this year. Originally, Kaufman won the coveted gold strap at 135 pounds in February 2010 and successfully defended the belt with her knockout slam of Roxanne Modaferri that July. Three months later, Kaufman suffered her lone defeat to submission ace Marloes Coenen via an armbar in the third round. In 2011, Kaufman rebounded from losing the Strikeforce title with two wins: a TKO over the well-traveled Megumi Yabushita in a smaller promotion and, in Kaufman’s return to Strikeforce, an impressive decision win over former title challenger Liz Carmouche in July. “I was really excited to get off the shelf because I had been on the shelf for a while,” explains Kaufman. “I wanted to get another win back in Strikeforce, after my only loss and losing the title to Marloes. To be back under the banner, it was an important fight because Liz had done really well against Marloes when she stepped up to fight her. I wanted to make a really strong impression with a dominating good fight that was crowd pleasing. You want to make sure you can get a win outside the organization and that's great, but ultimately you want to be on the winning track inside the company you have fought for for so long and have held their title. There were a lot of things going on in that fight and I think I dealt with them well. I try not to let anything get to me too much. A fight is a fight whether there are five people watching or a million people watching. I always fight the same way and really try to make sure I can get that win and keep it entertaining and have fun while I'm doing it.”The bout itself was really a tale of two stories, in which the first ended at the start of the second round. The initial five minutes were competitive, with the bigger, seemingly more powerful, former United States Marine Carmouche trying to push the action against the fence, where Kaufman can’t work her never-ending punch combinations as well. For Kaufman, the opening period was part of a feeling out process to test how she could handle Carmouche’s strength and both she and her heralded coaches liked that answer. Once the second round began, Kaufman raised the intensity, poured on her characteristic standup barrage, and clearly won the later rounds. “I think my coach Adam Zugec and Greg Jackson were saying to me in the corner that this is really the time that I can let loose,” remembers Kaufman. “Knowing that I have the conditioning and cardio to push that pace and knowing how the first round went and how she wasn't overpowering me and knowing that I was able to open up more and land harder shots and not be as concerned about getting stalled on the cage. I'm always happy with a win. I always want a knockout or a submission if it is there. Preferably, I would rather punch into submission than go for something else. I would have liked to have had a finish. I would have liked to have opened up even more than I did. Sometimes in my head, I'm opening up more than I am, so I have been really working on that. I really don't think I've hit someone with my full power yet. That's something I want to do in this upcoming fight.”Up next for Kaufman is a chance to return to title contention in a number one contender matchup against Alexis Davis. On the undercard of the highly anticipated championship bout between challenger “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey and current belt owner Miesha “Takedown” Tate, the top ranked Canadian duo of Kaufman and Davis will square off to decide who will get first crack at the winner of the main event. The well-rounded 11-4 Davis is far from unfamiliar to Kaufman, as the two fought roughly five years prior and Kaufman walked away the victor via ground and pound in the third. There is great potential for fireworks from these two because of their history, the opportunity this win will bring, and their desire to come forward looking to scrap.“In the first fight with Alexis, I had only a couple fights and that was her first fight, and she's game and she's been game since our first fight,” says Kaufman. “When you look at her last fight with Amanda Nunes, she took some really hard shots and she'll keep coming forward. That's exciting to me. I'm looking at this fight like she's going to come to fight, and I'll be upset if she doesn't. I'm looking at this fight like Alexis is tough, she is willing to throw strikes to get to where she wants to be, and I just want to keep striking on the feet or on the ground - I don't care where it is. I like the thought of having a fight like that and having a fight that fans will hopefully be able to say that was awesome, explosive, and exciting, and that these are the girls that should be fighting for the title. The title fight could be great or it could be a grinder, with Ronda in question and not a lot of technical striking between the two of them. I am interested in seeing what happens in that fight, but I would love for our fight to overshadow them.”In preparation for Davis, the 26-year old is busy training at the previously mentioned ZUMA gym under the tutelage of the owner and head instructor Zugec. It is probably easier to mention what martial arts Zugec hasn’t studied, as he has traveled and trained under the legendary likes of many, including Erik Paulson and the Machado brothers. Kaufman has been a fixture at ZUMA since its inception when she was 17 and she currently works there as an instructor. Kaufman is also a member of Team Jackson, and she often trains with Julie Kedzie, who fought Davis last July. So if one strategic MMA mind wasn’t enough, Kaufman has both Zugec and Jackson working together in her corner, but, naturally, the presiding voice is that of her longtime mentor.“Adam doesn't have to yell as much as some other coaches do because we understand each other,” asserts Kaufman. “I understand what he wants from me and he understands what I'm trying to do. If he sees something in particular that I need to throw because she's open for it, then he'll call that out and I'll try to do it right away because that's the time to do it. I am thinking about what I'm throwing, but I always want to keep that pace up as long as I'm feeling good. I like to throw combinations and I like to let loose, and in doing that I like getting hit. It's fun getting hit and hitting people back, seeing how they react. I love seeing people start to break and start to get mentally tired because I know that I can keep going and I know that they can't. That's what really fuels me to really let loose and really open up. I want to go back to those earlier fights like against Alexis, where I threw something like 27 punches without her really throwing anything in return. I need to get back to that. I need to put even more pressure on. I think I may have some surprises coming into this fight in how I'm going to be fighting. I think the big difference in this fight is that I know Alexis is going to come to trade some strikes. That in itself will give me the opportunity to showcase what I'm really good at and what has gotten me this far.”On March 3rd in Columbus, Ohio, the former champ will come forward throwing strikes with her sights set on the surging Davis and another shot at the bantamweight crown. “Fans need to make sure they are watching Showtime Extreme so they are watching this fight live because it is a fight they are not going to want to miss live,” declares Kaufman, who wants to emphatically end Davis’ Strikeforce winning streak and, once again, earn herself that spot at the top of the mountain. “It's going to have a lot of back and forth action, and I will be looking for that knockout - on the feet or on the ground. That's what I want to give the fans, that's what I want to say about this title shot, and I want it to make a statement.”If on Saturday night, Kaufman goes 15-1 with 11 TKOs, then whoever wins between Rousey and Tate better start working on a real solid plan because Kaufman's punches are coming for their mouth next.
Posted in: fight, title, im, that, kaufman
Read the full article at UFCUFC 144 results: Frankie Edgar's title reign set the bar high in post-BJ Penn era
After three successful defenses, Frankie Edgar's title reign came to an end at UFC 144 last night (Sat., Feb. 25, 2012) at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, when Ben Henderson snatched it away.
But minute for-minute, it was probably one of the most exciting reigns in MMA history.
That's because the often underrated Edgar supplied dramatic action in virtually any kind of fight. Whether it was the brilliant bookend performances he gave in vanquishing B.J. Penn twice, or his two unforgettable tussles with Gray Maynard in 2011, Edgar demonstrated that the most dangerous weapon a fighter can have is an unyielding heart.
He showed it in spades Saturday night against Henderson, who took his title with a unanimous decision that really could have gone either way. With extreme parity the rule at 155-pounds, it may be a while before we see another champion put together more than a couple defenses; styles make fights, and there is so little separating one top lightweight from another. Throw in the time demands of being a champion, and the intensity challengers are sure to bring in trying to unseat you, and you're definitely a guy on the hot seat.
Edgar deserves to be commended because he ushered in the post-B.J. Penn era in the division.
Rewind to 2010, and Penn looked, finally, like "The Prodigy," his nom de guerre. With three dominant title defenses, Penn's steamroll run through Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez made him seem invincible at 155-pounds. He hadn't been taken down or even come close to it in those bouts, seemingly on cruise control.
Penn's lightweight performances resembled man vs. boy contests, often with B.J. content to lay back, let opponents throw themselves at him, and then pick 'em apart, seemingly bemused by their primitive skills.
Edgar changed all that with a ballsy game plan to outwork Penn and apply a different strategy, which was to beat him on conditioning and work rate. In doing so, he created considerable buzz in the division. His epic second and third fights with Maynard reminded us of how amazing lighter-weight championship fights can be, and in each of his three defenses, he headlined the pay-per-view card, which Penn did during his defenses, as well.
From that perspective, Henderson has some considerable shoes to fill as a promotional attraction. But Saturday night he showed equal panache and every sign that he'll be an exciting champion to watch.
Who knows where the lightweight title will end up over next couple years. If every reign is as exciting and inspiring as Edgar's, it won't really matter though, because that will mean 155-pound championship bouts continue to be the most exciting title fights to watch for fans.
Jason Probst can be reached at Jason@jasonprobst.com or twitter.com/jasonprobst.
Posted in: fight, title, penn, defense, edgar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144 looked to invoke memories of PRIDE, but the WEC stole the show in Japan
Going into UFC 144, it seemed you couldn't avoid PRIDE Fighting Championships' (PRIDE) name being brought up.
And for good reason. Ultimate FIghting Championship (UFC) made its return to the "Land of the Rising Sun" by setting up shop in the Saitama Super Arena, a favorite haunt of the much loved and missed Japan-based promotion. While the Yokohama Arena or the Budokan in Tokyo seemed more appropriate a size for the 20,000 seat arrangement Dana White and company were planning, it was the enormous venue that hosted Final Conflict 2005, the 2004 grand prix and a bevy of New Year's Eve events selected and modified instead.
The UFC 144 fight card was also packed with fighters whose names had nearly become synonymous with PRIDE like Quinton Jackson and Takanori Gomi. Others -- like Mark Hunt -- were better known for other accomplishments but still had deep ties with the Japanese promotion.
Rather than come into the building last night (Feb. 25, 2012) and attempt some awkward PRIDE recreation, the UFC opted to put on its own show, while also managing to pay tribute to mixed martial arts' (MMA) past. The shrewd balancing act came full circle when "Rampage" walked out to the bombastic PRIDE theme and the Saitama audience roared in approval.
But, at the end of the night, the long gone promotion on everyone's lips wasn't from Japan. It was an American company.
Before the event, everyone was talking about PRIDE. After UFC 144, no one could stop talking about World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).
The main pay-per-view (PPV) card opened up with the last WEC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis, taking on division stalwart Joe Lauzon. Pettis had won the title on the company's last card in the promotion's last fight. He did so after amazingly jumping of the fence and nailing Ben Henderson across the face with what is know famously known as the "Showtime Kick."
He was set to challenge for the UFC 155-pound title after UFC 125 against either Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard. When those two went to a draw after nearly half an hour of fighting, an immediate rematch was set up and "Showtime" was left with the choice of either waiting for the dust to settle to cash in his title shot or stay busy and take another fight inside the Octagon.
He opted for the latter and met Clay Guida in his UFC debut. "The Carpenter" spoiled the WEC champion's evening by nullifying Pettis' striking with unrelenting takedowns. The title shot that was once so secure for Pettis had evaporated. He stepped inside the Octagon for a second time at UFC 136 to take on Jeremy Stephens and while he picked up his first UFC win, it was far from inspired. A fight that all but promised to be a shootout ended up being a grinding, wrestling-heavy affair.
On the other side of the performance spectrum that evening in Houston, Lauzon made short work of Melvin Guillard and walked away with his biggest victory since knocking out Jens Pulver. Pettis and "J-Lau" both seemed open to fighting each other and the bout was set for UFC 144.
Less than 90 seconds into it, "Showtime's" shin cracked Lauzon across the jaw and ended The Ultimate Fighter 5 alumni's night early. The title shot Pettis lost last summer suddenly reappeared.
While the last WEC lightweight champion was opening the event, the man he won the title from closing it out. Henderson may have come up short at WEC 53 but three impressive victories inside the Octagon gave Dana White more than enough cause to give "Smooth" a shot at Edgar.
In an instant classic, Henderson wrangled the lightweight title away from "The Answer," something neither B.J. Penn nor Maynard could do. In doing so, he became the only man to hold the 155-pound titles from both UFC and WEC. After the excitement of Henderson's win began to give way to speculation of his future, one name continuously came up: Pettis.
"Showtime" was the last -- and only in nearly five years -- man to defeat Henderson. While Edgar has more than enough reason to feel an immediate rematch should be in order and Jim Miller and Nate Diaz have a date in May with title shot implications, it looks like the UFC is leaning towards Henderson/Pettis II as their next 155-pound title showdown.
The UFC put together one hell of a card for the Japanese fans at the Saitama Super Arena. But, it was PRIDE and WEC that really made it a night worth remembering.
Posted in: ufc, title, petti, pride, wec
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144 results: 'Rampage' Jackson faces uncertain future after loss to Ryan Bader
The moment Quinton Jackson tapped out to the rear naked choke wrapped around his neck by UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, "Rampage" has been living on borrowed time.
Before the UFC 135 bout, I opined a loss for the Memphis native would spell the end for him as a title contender. At the time, Rashad Evans was on the brink of scoring a second title shot while former champions Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua were also looking to get back to the top of the 205-pound mountain. The upper echelon of the light heavyweight division has always been packed and one loss could derail a career for years. Ask Evans who the lost the title all the way back at UFC 98 and is only now getting another crack.
Despite clocking in at only 33 years old, Jackson has been in the fight game for over a decade and has spent most of it fighting only the best of the best. In addition to the wear and tear his body has accumulated over 41 fights, "Rampage" has made it no secret that training doesn't rank very high as a favorite pastime. I'm sure his disdain for it has only grown as he grows older.
So it didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together when the PRIDE Fighting Championships (PRIDE) veteran openly campaigned for a slot at UFC 144 held in the defunct Japanese promotion's favorite haunt, Saitama Super Arena. The writing was on the wall. And after coming in six pounds overweight and suffering a demoralizing loss to The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 winner Ryan Bader, many were left wondering the same thing.
Is the "Rampage" over?
It's fitting Jackson's career might end up coming to a close in the same building where it took off over a decade ago. "Rampage" showed up at the Saitama Super Arena at PRIDE 15 to take on company ace Kazushi Sakuraba. He was big, he was scary and he was American. He was the perfect villain to "Saku's" hero. With a giant chain around his neck and an inhuman howl coming from his mouth, "Rampage" became an instant star in Japan and would fight in country nearly 20 more times before making the jump to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
It was inside the Octagon Jackson would find the success that eluded him across the Pacific. Inside the PRIDE ring, he always played second fiddle to Wanderlei Silva. Stateside, he quickly deposed Chuck Liddell from the top of the light heavyweight mountain and became a champion. Less than four months later, he finally won the title he never could in Japan when he defeated Dan Henderson who had taken the title from "The Axe Murderer" at PRIDE's penultimate show.
Jackson's career following the unification bout was punctuated by joyous highs and desperate lows. He would lose his title and his number one ranking to Forrest Griffin in his next fight. Soon after, he fired his trainer and went on a -- no pun intended -- rampage fueled by energy drinks and a lack of sleep. His monster truck led police on a short chase and soon Jackson's photo was appearing more often on TMZ's website than the UFC's.
He put all the drama behind him by finally besting longtime rival Silva and putting the Brazilian to sleep with a vicious hook at UFC 92. He added a second consecutive win by defeating Keith Jardine which also secured a title shot for the Memphis wrestler. Injuries kept him from cashing it in however and Machida took his place.
Another season coaching TUF, an A-Team feature film and a retirement shorter than Joseph Benavidez followed. "Rampage" finally faced off against Evans at UFC 114 but the TUF 2 winner kept Jackson on his back and earned the unanimous decision. The former champion would have to beat "The Dragon" and Matt Hamill before having to re-earn the title shot he never should have lost in the first place..
Over three years of waiting was rendered fruitless after 16 minutes when "Bones" forced Jackson to submit. Now, after a lethargic showing against Bader, Jackson finds himself even further removed from the throne he was occupied. The former champion blamed his performance on a knee injury, one severe enough to consider pulling out of the fight. "Rampage" ignored medical advice and stepped inside the ring anyway.
At the post-fight press conference, Jackson claimed he was feeling as good as ever before the injury and hopes to continue fighting for a few more years. The rumors of an impending retirement were squashed right then and there. When the time finally comes for Jackson to call it a day, however, it will be a sad day in mixed martial arts (MMA). No one wants to see a fighter with the talent and personality Jackson has walk away from the sport.
Regardless, "Rampage" will have earned it.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, rampage, jackson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144 Results: Dana White Says Anthony Pettis Will 'Likely' Get Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot
EX-WEC lightweights had a good night at UFC 144 in Japan, and it appears that the last WEC fight ever might be re-created in the UFC octagon. As we all know by now, Ben Henderson claimed the UFC lightweight title with a unanimous decision win over Frankie Edgar in the main event tonight. Anthony Pettis led off the card with a highlight-reel head kick knockout of Joe Lauzon, and made it clear that he thinks he deserves a title shot. And UFC president Dana White agreed with that when he spoke at the post-fight press conference:
"I think he's gonna get it."
The two met the first time at WEC 53, where Pettis claimed the win and the WEC lightweight title and made the term "Showtime Kick" popular. White did temper his enthusiasm somewhat by saying that he doesn't like making those kinds of decisions on fight night and "we'll see what happens", but it'd be hard to deny Pettis his shot at this point. Many would like to see the winner of UFC on Fox 3's main event, Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller, get a shot, but that fight is three months from now and this seems to make more sense. Dana has been known to change his mind on these things all the time, but as of tonight, it looks like Ben Henderson will be making his first UFC lightweight title defense against a familiar foe.
SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson
Posted in: ufc, title, anthony pettis, ben henderson, shot
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowPhoto: Benson Henderson celebrates UFC lightweight title with his mom (Yahoo! Sports)
When Benson Henderson walked out of the cage after winning the UFC lightweight title, he walked right past security and the UFC staff who was directing him towards the locker room. He had to go celebrate with the woman who … Continue reading →
Posted in: ufc, title, locker room, benson henderson, ufc staff
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsHenderson beats Edgar to claim title at UFC 144
Ben Henderson claimed the UFC lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 on Saturday night.
Posted in: ufc, title, edgar, frankie edgar, claim title
Read the full article at sportsnet.caBenson Henderson wins lightweight title in UFC 144 classic against Frankie Edgar (Yahoo! Sports)
Benson Henderson punished former champ Frankie Edgar with kicks to win the title in a five-round epic in Japan.
Posted in: title, frankie, benson henderson, benson, fiveround epic
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsBenson Henderson wins lightweight title in UFC 144 classic against Frankie Edgar (Yahoo! Sports)
Benson Henderson punished former champ Frankie Edgar with kicks to win the title in a five-round epic in Japan.
Posted in: title, frankie, benson henderson, benson, fiveround epic
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsBenson Henderson wins lightweight title in UFC 144 classic against Frankie Edgar (Yahoo! Sports)
Benson Henderson punished former champ Frankie Edgar with kicks to win the title in a five-round epic in Japan.
Posted in: title, frankie, benson henderson, benson, fiveround epic
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC 144 video: Anthony Pettis breaks down Joe Lauzon headkick knockout, makes his case for title shot
After finishing Joe Lauzon at UFC 144 in Tokyo, Japan, with a beautiful head kick in the first round tonight (Feb. 25, 2012), Anthony Pettis feels he is ready for a title fight.
The former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) lightweight champion -- who missed out on a title shot when Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought to an unsatisfying draw early last year -- connected with a hellish head kick, which turned out Lauzon's lights almost immediately.
"Showtime" breaks it down:
"Right when I landed the kick I felt what part of this shin I hit him with, then I saw his eyes roll back, and I knew it was a done fight. To set it up, I came out in the southpaw stance and was just working the jab. I thought he was going to shoot sooner, so I kind of keep my range and stay far, but he was biting on the jab. I threw up the high kick and it was just his mistake."
Indeed.
Pettis goes on to explain that he has proven in his two last fights that he's worthy of being a contender. Prior to stopping Lauzon, Pettis battled Jeremy Stephens for three rounds to earn a split decision victory.
He hopes that his quick finish of "J-Lau" to kick-off the pay-per-view (PPV) card will push him over the edge.
"I felt this fight was somewhere close to a [number one title contender eliminator match]. He just beat Melvin Guillard, who was coming off a huge winning spree. And I finished him quickly -- I knew I had to finish this fight fast to get a title shot, so hopefully the UFC gives me my shot."
With top division contenders Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz squaring off at the upcoming UFC on Fox 3 show, Pettis might have a little competition when it comes to determining the next in line to challenge newly-minted champion Ben Henderson.
However, he has what both of them do not, which is a recent win over "Smooth," as well as a "Showtime Kick" kicker.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, petti, kick
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144 Results: Anthony Pettis Calls for Title Shot After Nasty Head Kick KO
If Anthony Pettis wanted to make a statement that he should be the next fighter to compete for the UFC lightweight title, he went a long way to proving that at UFC 144.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, anthony pettis, anthony
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyFrankie Edgar: “I know how tough he is, I know he brings a hellacious pace, and he wants it.”"
UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar knows that there will always be another challenger awaiting him as long as he wears the gold belt.
Tonight, Edgar will look to defend his title once again when he takes on Benson Henderson in the main event of UFC 144 from Saitama, Japan. The UFC is returning to The Land of the Rising Sun for the first time in more than a decade.
Edgar finally ended his long-running feud with Gray Maynard late in 2011, knocking out “The Bully” and stamping his name among the list of top pound-for-pound fighters out there. In “Smooth,” Edgar knows he will face another worthy challenger.
“Every fight, I would love to get them out of there in 30 seconds and make it a nice, easy day,” said Edgar, in a recent interview with the UFC’s website. “But that just doesn’t seem how it works for me and I never prepare for that. I’m expecting a war, I know how tough he is, I know he brings a hellacious pace, and he wants it.”
Henderson defeated Jim Miller and Clay Guida to secure his position as #1 contender in the division. He also wore the WEC title before dropping it to Anthony Pettis in one of the best fights of 2010.
“This is the UFC title we’re talking about,” Edgar said. “No one’s gonna walk into this fight not wanting this badly, because I know how I was when I was a challenger, so I gotta approach it as a champion ready for a hungry kid.”
Catch Edgar’s attempt to fend off “Bendo” tonight on PPV at 10:00 PM EST with prelims on Facebook/FX starting approximately three hours earlier.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, challenger, edgar, hellacious pace
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainDan 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
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMarvel, DC? The Uncanny Benson Henderson is Awaiting Your Call
Benson Henderson talks about his love of comic books and how much he would love to make an appearance in one of his favorite titles.
Posted in: title, henderson, love, benson henderson, benson
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC 144: Anthony Pettis looks to unleash something new on Joe Lauzon in Japan
One of the most exciting, if not the most exciting lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Anthony Pettis, seems to have a knack for striking ... creative striking at that.
Best known for the "Matrix-esque cage kick" heard around the world, he delivered a near fight ending foot to the face of Ben Henderson at World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) 53, springing himself off of the cage and landing the blow perfectly. The kick, dubbed "The Showtime Kick," sent the fans in attendance and the millions watching on television into a frenzy.
It remains to this day on mixed martial arts (MMA) highlight reels everywhere. And it will most likely remain there indefinitely.
Now, "Showtime" plans on pleasing the Japanese crowd with his creative striking, while capitalizing on his opponent's lack of cardio in the later rounds. Pettis, tells Sherdog.com that fans can expect him to dig into his bag of tricks this weekend (Feb. 25, 2012) as he takes on Joe Lauzon at UFC 144 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Check it out:
"Joe Lauzon's a guy that everybody looks past, but I'm not looking past him. He's dangerous in the first round and he's always looking for the finish. He's jumping for heel hooks. He's jumping for kimuras. He's looking to finish the fight and he surprises you with his standup. I've got to be on my ‘A' game and just dictate the pace. I can't let him come out there and decide where the fight goes. That has to be up to me. A guy like Joe Lauzon, I think I'm going to open up a lot. First round he's always dangerous, but in the second and third -- even in the Sam Stout fight and a lot of other fights -- he kind of gasses and doesn't come as hard as he did in the first round, so look out for something new this fight."
Pettis, however, acknowledges that all that matters is the win, no matter how he achieves it:
"That's the only thing going through my mind in all these fights: win this fight. No matter how I do it, whether it's a ‘Showtime' kick or I've got to take this guy and beat him down and beat him up for three rounds, it's winning fights. That's what's going to get me back to title contention and my title shot."
After losing his chance to battle Frankie Edgar for the UFC Lightweight title by coming up short against Clay Guida at the The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale, Pettis earned a split decision win against Jeremy Stephens at UFC 136 to get him back on track.
Pettis, the last man to win the WEC 155-pound title by defeating, oddly enough, Ben Henderson, the man who will challenge Edgar at UFC 144 for the UFC 155-pound title, looks to get one step closer to adding UFC gold to his mantle by defeating the scrappy Lauzon, who is on a two fight win streak.
Any of you Maniacs care to venture what "Showtime" might have in store for Japan?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, petti, he
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWhat's at Stake? UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson Edition
When UFC 144 was announced, critics considered it a vanity project. Supporters, on the other hand, thought it would be a fun, but relatively unimportant effort in Zuffa's grander global ambitions. The truth about UFC 144 is just how full of consequence it actually is. Among title shots, the ability to rejuvenate a tainted market and divisional contendership, the risks/rewards are higher for this event than any other in recent months. Let's take a closer look and examine what's on the line for Saturday night's fights.
UFC 144
At stake: Opportunity cost. Here's a thought experiment: imagine if this event was cancelled immediately, but you had to place the existing fights on other UFC fight cards within a reasonable proximity. You could divide it any number of ways, but what you'd immediately discover is how much better several other important UFC events would instantly become.
Two examples stand out. UFC 145's headliner is arguably one of 2012's best, but should something happen to it there's no supporting cast on that fight card to make it a box office or pay-per-view success. UFC on FOX 3's main event between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller could end up being fight of the year, but neither has the promotional muscle to guarantee good ratings.
The point is this: UFC serves a lot of masters. They have to annually fill shows for more than a dozen pay-per-view events, four UFC on FOX shows, two seasons of The Ultimate Fighter and much more. With a finite talent pool available, they're doing the best they can to make each event special. One wonders, however, if resuscitating a Japanese market - an effort with no guarantee of success - is worth more putting a fighter tailor made for the FOX platform like Frankie Edgar in front of his hometown New Jersey crowd.
Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
At stake: The title. Both fighters are young enough in their careers such that a setback here doesn't necessarily close off second opportunities at a title. The risk, therefore, is not as high as the reward and that's good for both competitors. The prize is enormous and a career changer for Henderson should he wrestle away the title from the champion. For Edgar, it's unclear what effect even a dominating win over Henderson will have on the MMA community. The champion is the odds-on favorite to win this weekend (just barely), but still doesn't command the overwhelming respect other divisional champions in the UFC enjoy. In part, that's due to the parity of the lightweight division as well as Edgar's less than gripping personality. Still, one wonders what will move Edgar past the tipping point of doubt or reluctance in the minds of the MMA faithful.
Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
At stake: Divisional relevance. Both Jackson and Bader had mixed success in 2011. Bader dropped two of three, but rebounded nicely against Jason Brilz at UFC 139. Jackson went one for two. Both lost to Jon Jones. At the time of this writing, Bader is ranked, 16th in the light heavyweight division, while Jackson is 5th. That means a win for Bader could see him return to the top ten while a loss for Jackson might push him out of that elite group. Neither fighter faces the chopping block should they lose and Rampage is popular enough to get a reasonably big fight almost no matter what happens until his inevitable departure. That said, Rampage is closer to retirement than ever. A terrible loss to Bader that pushes Rampage out of the top ten could accelerate his retirement time line. Bader, on the other hand, has an opportunity here to right the wrongs of last year against one of MMA's most popular figures.
Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo
At stake: Consciousness. A win for either fighter doesn't do much for their personal standings. They won't be inched closer to title shots even as thin as heavyweight may be. Kongo and Hunt, however, possess the ability to do serious bodily harm. Given the less than stringent use of risk management by both fighters, that means the biggest threat here is physical health.
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
At stake: Unemployment. Let's be clear about the terms: a win here is fairly essential. The assumed UFC ‘three strikes and you're out' rule is overstated, so it's not as if they'll surely be cut should they fall short. But they'd be perilously close.
Shields understandably lost to the best welterweight on the planet in his UFC debut. He also understandably lost to one of the division's top contenders shortly after his father's untimely passing in his second UFC fight. Losing to Akiyama - who is making his welterweight debut - now after he's had at least some time to regroup would be nearly unforgivable. Akiyama is an excellent grappler, but this is Shields' fight to lose particularly given Akiyama's notorious gas tank issues.
For Akiyama, he's useful to the UFC given his relative popularity in Japan. He could potentially occupy a roster spot courtesy the relative leeway UFC brass are likely to grant him. But dropping from middleweight to welterweight is going from the frying pan into the fryer. Shields is no easier a fight than anything he's faced at middleweight and is arguably tougher. A win over the former Strikeforce middleweight champion would be a significant victory, but it'd also be euphemistic to say Akiyama's got his work cut out for him on Sunday morning.
Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
At stake: Not much. A win over a highly-ranked Okami would the biggest win of Boetsch's career, but he's miles away from a title shot. Okami's mostly on this card because of his nationality and doesn't really get much from a win over Boetch save for another try in the Octagon. Middleweight is thin enough that neither fighter is hugely set back with a loss, but the stakes are also low enough that neither is propelled too far ahead with a win.
Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
At stake: Image blandishment. Hioki entered the UFC heralded as one of the few Japanese imports with the skills to compete with the UFC's elite featherweights. The jury is still out on whether that's actually true and he wasn't particularly impressive in his UFC debut against George Roop (Roop arguably won). If he gets blasted by Palaszewski, all the hype and inflated rankings will appear to have been just that.
For ‘Bartimus', he's already much of a known commodity. A well-rounded veteran, he isn't a world beater. However, he has shown capacity to rise to the occasion. He holds wins over Anthony Pettis and Tyson Griffin. Palaszewki isn't going to challenge Jose Aldo any time soon, but beating Hioki would be in keeping with his ability to earn victories over odds-on favorites and in this case, a highly-ranked competitor.
Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon
At stake: Contendership. Lauzon told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva told him they wanted his fight with Pettis in Japan in case something happened to Henderson and a replacement was needed. That doesn't mean a win over Pettis necessarily guarantees a title shot. UFC on FOX 3's Miller vs. Diaz is likely up next. But it puts both Lauzon and Pettis near the front of a very long queue. For Pettis, that's familiar territory. Lauzon, on the other hand, has fallen short against top flight talent each time he's tried to climb the divisional ladder. Beating Pettis arguably puts him in the most favorable contendership position of his entire UFC career.
From the preliminary card:
Takanori Gomi has a tougher than reported fight on his hands against Eiji Mitsuoka. A win for Gomi could push him back to the main card. A loss to Mitsuoka, which would be Gomi's third in a row, could mean his exit from the UFC.
Norifumi Yamamoto has a very winnable fight against the scrappy but limited Vaughan Lee. Yamamoto is a popular figure in Japan and therefore valuable to the UFC. However, if he is losing to the likes of Lee, is he worth the roster spot for the occasional visit to Japan UFC will be able to make?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, vs, stake
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseJoe Schilling: "Artem Levin is afraid to fight me."
Current Interim WBC Muay Thai Light Heavyweight Champion Joe Schilling is scheduled to face Simon Marcus in a winner-take-all fight this Saturday at Lion Fight: Battle in the Desert 5. Schilling, who helped Nick Diaz prepare for his fight with Carlos Condit (he appeared as a sparring partner on UFC Primetime as well,) knows he cannot overlook his opponent. However, he will have an eye on what happens less than 72 hours after his fight. In an odd series of events, current champion Artem Levin defends his title against Frenchman Chuck Sidibe, something the boisterous Schilling doesn’t take kindly to.
“Artem knows I want to fight him, and he knows I have the interim title,” Schilling told Fighters.com. “There’s a time period in which you have to defend your title, and I think he’s using the opportunity of defending it against an easy opponent. He’ll then have another long period of time before he has to defend it again.”
“I think Artem doesn’t want to fight me,” Schilling continued. “He’s scared to fight me, and this is evidence, if not proof that he doesn’t want to fight me.”
Schilling was quick to agree with the notion that Levin’s actions could be construed as a stall tactic, however, the blame didn’t fall squarely on his shoulders.
Schilling Elaborates on “Winner Take All” Stipuation in Fight with Marcus
“(Levin) is on the verge of getting the title stripped for not defending it and I think that I’m the obvious choice. It’s like the Carlos Condit/Nick Diaz thing. It’d be like if Georges St. Pierre comes back from his knee surgery and says “Well, whether or not Carlos Condit is an interim champion, I’m going to defend against, say, Josh Koscheck because I don’t want to fight Condit.”
“I don’t know how the WBC lets this happen at any level. It’s absurd that he (Levin) gets to defend his title against somebody that hasn’t won a deserving fight. He (Sidibe) is out for a year and comes back to lose two out of four fights and then gets a world title shot. It’s just beyond me.”
Schilling says that following Marcus, he would be ready to go as soon as possible for Levin, if circumstances were right.
“I’d be ready to fight in three weeks. As long as I come out of this fight without any injuries, I’m ready to fight Artem Levin as soon as he’s ready to man up and put his title on the line,” the animated kickboxer concluded.
PHOTO CREDIT – LION FIGHT
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Posted in: fight, title, schilling, levin, artem
Read the full article at Fighters.comTitle Writing: Numbers For Nerds 8 "Age Demographics In The UFC", Part 1 of 3
I have been focusing on current affairs recently and I've not put out any Title Writing pieces in awhile. I have been working on some stuff though and this is the first one I've finished. This part one is going to kind of explain where I was coming from when I started the research, while parts two and three will contain the hard data and my observations.
What can age demographics tell us about prize fighting?
Change has always been a part of the young and fast growing Ultimate Fighting Championships, but it seems to me that it's really been at the forefront for the past year. Since they purchased Strikeforce (a big change in and of itself) there have been a number of immediate and developing changes, both inside the ring and outside of it:
Jon Jones emerged as a dominant champion.
They brought over significant Strikeforce champions Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz.
They signed a TV deal with FOX while at the same time ending their deal with Spike, significantly changing the television aspect of their shows.
Brock Lesnar, the biggest draw in company history, retired.
Georges St. Pierre suffered a minor, then a major knee injury, pulling out of two title fights and forcing Dana White to install an interim belt, which Carlos Condit beat Diaz to earn.
Story continues after the jump
Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre were the most interesting stories to me, in that they inspired me to take a good look at the age of the fighters currently signed to the organization. Jones has constantly been referred to as the "new breed of fighter" ever since he started to have success and sure enough, he already has the title and two defenses under his belt, at 24. He was the face of 2011. Brock was the face of the company from 2008 to 2010 until illness, his one dimensional fighting abilities, and yes, age caught up to him. He retired at 34.
St. Pierre finds himself in the middle of Lesnar and Jones. He is a long time champion, having first won the title in 2006 before losing it in 2007, then winning it directly back from Matt Serra in 2008. When GSP first won the title, the other champions were: Tim Sylvia, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Sean Sherk, Urijah Faber & Eddie Wineland (Faber and Wineland were the WEC champs). Sylvia is long gone and begging to come back, Liddell is retired, Anderson is still the champion of the middleweight division, an incredible feat to be sure, and while Sherk is still in the organization, he hasn't fought since September of 2010. Faber is about to have his last crack at a title (in the 135 division) while Wineland has lost his last two (and first two) in the UFC.
At 30 years old, it seems St. Pierre is closer to the end than the beginning. Anderson has remained dominant well into his 30s, so it's not out of the question that Georges could win another 10 titles before he falls but it's pretty unlikely, especially now that he's suffered a major knee injury which could rob him of his trademark athleticism. While we're on the subject of Anderson, he too is surely not long for the pasture. Who is going to take their place?
It's easy to say that as stars get older, younger ones will be waiting to take their place. In the case of Lesnar, this is indeed what happened. Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos have the heavyweight division in good hands for the next few years and there are enough guys to trot out for them until a new crop of young contenders rise. In the case of a dominant champion though, could there be a real risk that the division grows old with him, leaving a lack of real contenders when the champion finally does step aside?
Take the light heavyweight division, for example. Chuck Liddell monopolized the title for a three year period from 2005 to 2007. The division was thought of as the strongest division in MMA (occupying the position that the welterweight and lightweight divisions are battling over right now). Yet as Liddell won five straight titles, the other contenders were left to fight amongst themselves, all the while growing older and when Liddell lost his championship, no one was able to hold on to it for very long, having spent so much in getting to the top in the first place. And because of the hot potato nature of the belt, there was little room for younger fighters to break through. In fact, the only one who really did was the otherworldly Jones. We now see him as the dominant force atop a division with precious few challengers either currently or on the horizon. It's undeniable that the UFC will have a big competitive problem in feeding Jones' legend if he beats Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
Is something similar going to take place over the next few years in the welterweight and middleweight divisions? What about the lightweight division, or the two newest additions to the roster, the featherweight and bantamweight divisions? All three have a champion with at least three defenses. Are these men set up to be dominant for years to come? Just how old are the top fighters in the world? Are we about to see a dramatic changing of the guard, or will new stars emerge gradually?
I set out to answer these questions by looking at the age demographics of the entire UFC roster.
Some of the findings I will be presenting in parts two and three include:
The average age for the UFC as a whole and for each division.
The Top 25 UFC fighters under 25 as well as the top 25 under 25 outside the UFC (using the Bloody Elbow World Scouting Report as a reference.)
A champions forecasts, based on the age of each champion and the age of the top contenders in their division.
Room to grow: A look at UFC fighters with less than 3 fights in the organization and less than 10 fights overall.
I'll be putting out part two first thing tomorrow morning and will be putting out part three a few hours after that. I look forward to hearing what you guys think of my findings.
Posted in: ufc, title, champion, division, part
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC 144: Should The Winner Of Joe Lauzon Vs. Anthony Pettis Get The Next Title Shot?
I recorded a segment for Press Row with Jordan Breen over at Sherdog last night and during the discussion of all things UFC 144 and Japanese MMA, Breen posed the question of what fighters on the undercard would be likely to get a shot at a title in 2012. In my initial response I glossed over the winner of the lightweight bout between Joe Lauzon and Anthony Pettis.
My thinking was that the UFC's method of setting up title shots and handling the Fox shows had been very clear, they have two guys fight in a main event with a clear "next fight" with the current champion. In my mind that meant that the winner of the Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller fight would be set to face the winner of the UFC 144 main event between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar. But as we talked and Breen argued that the Pettis/Lauzon winner should get a shot, I was a bit swayed, and after sleeping on the idea? I think I'm convinced it is a great idea.
First, some of the segment from Press Row:
Breen: Walk with me for a second, Brent. Tell me when I'm spitting garbage, okay? Because of the fact that they're on the same card and therefore it makes for great timing, it makes the most sense for the UFC...so desperate for anything resembling main events and bankable stars and so forth, that the winner of Frank Edgar/Ben Henderson, if it does end up being Anthony Pettis taking out Joe Lauzon. Do that in late June, early July assuming everybody's totally healthy. Get these guys fighting. What's one of the beefs of champions in the lower weight classes (135, 145, 155)? They're making more money now but they don't make as much money as other dudes. Most of these guys are physically healthy enough to stay that active. Jose Aldo? Maybe not. Dominick Cruz's hands? We'll see. But Frank Edgar seems to be a guy who has the physical ability to fight every 4-5 months. Isn't the real step to fast track the UFC division, even if you were to grant the winner of Miller/Diaz a title shot, you could have the next title fight happening two months after that particular fight so they're waiting six months total for the next fight.
I think you have a real chance with so many cards and deeply wanting to avoid the risk of headlining cards with things like Rashad Evans against Thiago Silva again. How CAN'T you be really, really all in with trying to fasttrack as many light weight guys to fight 3, 4, 5 times a year?
Brookhouse: I think they SHOULD be doing that, but I just look at the way they've been operating and the way they like to do these Fox shows and they like to have the contender status up and have it be very clear who they're going to be fighting. And it's just...if it follows that exact path, then it goes to Miller/Diaz, whoever wins that. But in terms of what makes the most sense, I feel like Edgar gets just straight forgotten by a lot of people. Which is just horrible since he's just one of the best guys to watch in the sport.
(We then go into a whole thing about Edgar's relative place in lightweight history and his chances to be the best 155'er in MMA history by the end of 2012. But circled back to the need to keep Edgar active to build his profile.)
Brookhouse: ...it's this kind of weird situation with Edgar where everyone is waiting for that "yeah, he's really good but..." and waiting for him to screw up in some way and lose. ...I don't know if that's vulnerability shown in the first Penn fight where a lot of people felt he lost and then Maynard fights where he was clearly hurt so he's not exactly St. Pierre and Silva and even Aldo in the level of consistent dominance. He's just exciting and wins. It's a situation where I would almost hope if Pettis wins...If Pettis AND Edgar win I should say...that they would go ahead and do Pettis vs. Edgar and then do the winner of that against the Miller/Diaz winner and keep Edgar in everyone's face and try and build him into what I think he actually is. But get him that kind of recognition from everybody.
I mean, we're constantly engaged with our readers at Bloody Elbow and it seems like EVERYBODY on the UFC roster comes up more often than Frankie Edgar, which is just bizarre to me.
Breen: Well, dude! The fact that Clay Guida is ten times more popular than Frank Edgar is...not that there's anything wrong with Clay Guida and you can see how his personality resounds with people...but the general overlooking of Frank Edgar is something incredible.
More thoughts after the jump..
SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson
It does make sense that if you are annoyed (as I am) with the way Edgar gets lost in the shuffle (even by media types like myself) you should want him fighting as often as possible. And maybe a lot of this is too based on some sort of assumption that Edgar wins a very legitimate, very tough fight against Ben Henderson. But even a Henderson win should demand Ben fight often.
A win by Pettis presents a new challenger who was supposedly in line just two fights ago (three after the Lauzon fight). It's not some crazy idea for him to fight for the title despite losing a hard fought decision to Clay Guida in a fight that was only three rounds but would be five under the sort of "new world" rules for the UFC. If Edgar wins that is simply a great fight and if Henderson wins you're getting the Pettis/Henderson rematch with highlights galore, including maybe the MMA highlight.
As for Lauzon, if he wins that'd be his second straight win over a top ten level challenger who had been in that title challenger range. Despite earlier career failings in big fights, that should be the kind of momentum one needs to put himself in line for a title shot.
While it may break the still young pattern of the Fox shows determining the very next challenger, I think I've come fully to agree with the idea that these two UFC 144 fights should determine the next title fight with the Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz fight setting up the next challenger and establishing a clear, easy to follow divisional picture.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, winner, edgar
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBen Henderson: If Frankie Edgar let's me touch his chin, I will walk away with the title
Top Lightweight contender Ben Henderson, who will challenge Frankie Edgar for the Lightweight title at UFC 144, discusses his opponent, as well as his training and preparation for the bout. Henderson acknowledges that Edgar is the champion for a reason, but says that if "The Answer" gives him an opening, he will leave the Saitama Super Arena with the title.
Posted in: title, henderson, ben henderson, edgar, frankie edgar
Read the full article at Low KickNate Marquardt returns to ZUFFA, will fight for Strikeforce
Good news for Nate Marquardt fans.
Former UFC Middleweight title challenger returns to fight under ZUFFA umbrella, only that this time he will do so for Strikeforce. The news were announced on FuelTV's "UFC Tonight" show.
Further rumors suggest that Marquardt's first opponent could be the 10-0 Tyrone Woodley, in a fight for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight title. The belt was vacated by Nick Diaz's departure to the UFC back in 2011, after defending his title for the last time against another UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, strikeforce, fueltvs ufc, zuffa umbrella
Read the full article at Low KickUFC Quick Quote: Jake Shields is ready to 'destroy' Yoshihiro Akiyama
"I'd love to disappoint the Japanese crowd, I plan to go out there and stop Akiyama. I feel the best I've ever felt right now. I feel stronger and faster, and as long as I can keep this going up until the fight, I'm ready to destroy. I want to start with Akiyama and get back on track. He's a good boxer, a good power-puncher and has world class judo. He's got good submissions too but he seems to be more of a knockout guy. It would be stupid to say I can't be submitted by him, but I'm unlikely to be submitted by him. Ideally I'll take him down into my world and submit him. He's a really hard guy to take down and he's got good boxing so I'm working lots of stand-up for this fight. In 2012 I want to be top contender again. I want a couple of big wins and have a title shot. I want everybody talking about how they want me to fight for the title in 2013."
Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (via ESPN.co.uk) is looking to get back "into the mix" following a disastrous 2011 fight campaign. After stringing together 15 consecutive wins over some of the top names in all of mixed martial arts (MMA), the American Jiu-Jitsu grappler dropped back down to welterweight to make a run at the UFC title held by Georges St. Pierre. Instead, he ended up with a 1-2 record, including a high-profile technical knockout loss to Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 25 back in September. Shields looks to get back into the win column against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 on Feb. 25 by "destroying" the sexy one. Anyone think he's still got the chops to do it?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, he, akiyama
Read the full article at MMA ManiaStrikeforce conference call LIVE updates today (Feb. 21) for 'Tate vs Rousey'
Strikeforce will today (Feb. 21, 2012) hold a media conference call to promote next Saturday's (March 3, 2012) Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" event which will air live on Showtime.
The conference call will begin at 1 p.m. ET. Scheduled to attend will be the main event fighters of the evening: Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey as well as Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.
Tate is the current Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion, having defeated veteran Marloes Coenen to capture the title late last summer. "Takedown" is one of the strongest female wrestlers in MMA and will be looking to legitimize herself as champ with her first title defense.
Her challenger, Ronda Rousey, is a reigning Judo Olympic bronze medalist. She transitioned to mixed martial arts after Beijing and hasn't looked back, winning all four of her professional fights (and all three amateur bouts) inside the first minute via armbar. She talked her way to the title and has become an MMA media darling in the process.
Rousey talking her way to the title doesn't sit well with Tate, who was hoping to defend her belt against former champion Sarah Kaufman, the last woman to defeat her. This should make things interesting on today's call.
We'll have complete updates of the Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" conference call after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The conference call is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, conference, tate, rousey
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144: Lightweight Division State Of The Union
With so many fights coming up spread across eight different weight classes, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in every division. Here, we take a look at where a particular division stands right now, and where it's headed.
This weekend, the UFC Lightweight division takes center stage as reigning champion Frankie Edgar defends his belt against the #4 ranked former WEC champion Ben Henderson. As is often the case in the 155 pound division, things have been rather hectic in recent months with a number of former top contenders pushed aside and new names in to take their places. Melvin Guillard, Dennis Siver, Donald Cerrone, Clay Guida... all close to title contention, now all looking to regroup.
So what comes next for the winner of Edgar/Henderson? And who is our next crop of potential challengers in the deep Lightweight waters? Let's take a look...
Next in Line:
Though not officially a #1 contender fight, chances are good the winner of #6 Jim Miller vs. #8 Nate Diaz on the May 5 UFC on Fox 3 show will be the next title challenger. Miller looked poised to get the current shot, but Henderson snatched it away from him last summer. He's since come back with a good win over Guillard, and a win over Diaz would likely seal the deal. Diaz is only 2-0 since returning to Lightweight after a brief Welterweight run. You could say he's not yet earned his spot, but wins over Cerrone and Miller make a strong case. Plus his last name is Diaz, and right now, that's a good thing to capitalize on.
Key Match Ups:
You never know who is going to emerge from the pack at Lightweight and who is going to fade back into the middle of the field, but the following fights all have the potential to create a future title challenger:
#10 Anthony Pettis vs. #12 Joe Lauzon (UFC 144) - On the undercard of Edgar vs. Henderson is this big fight. Pettis was promised a title shot for being the final WEC champion, but when Edgar vs. Maynard 2 went to a draw and the rematch was first announced, then postponed, he decided to stay active by facing Clay Guida. A loss there set him back, but he's since come back by defeating Jeremy Stephens. Joe Lauzon made big waves with his win over Guillard at UFC 136. If the winner here takes home the victory in thrilling fashion, I'd expect a title eliminator next.
#13 Donald Cerrone vs. Yves Edwards (UFC on Fuel 3) - Had he defeated Diaz at UFC 141, Cerrone would be at the very top of the division, but it didn't happen, and now the Cowboy is way down the ladder. Yves Edwards is no slouch, but he's also not a relevant contender at this point. This is a chance for Cerrone to get back on track, provided he doesn't make a mistake and take Edwards too lightly.
#20 Evan Dunham vs. Edson Barboza (UFC 146) - Just announced, this one is a great potential showcase for Barboza. Though Dunham is ranked higher, it's Barboza who has the clear momentum thanks to his spectacular KO of Terry Etim. That's the kind of moment that you need to shine at Lightweight, and if Barboza can again deliver fireworks, he'll be on the fast track up the ranks.
In The Mix:
A few former contenders sit just outside the title picture, waiting to see what's next. And come to think of it, pairing these two up looks like a pretty good idea to me:
#3 Gray Maynard - Maynard is in the unenviable position of being able to defeat pretty much anyone in the division except the champion. Call it the Jon Fitch spot. He has to be hoping for a Henderson win this weekend, as I can't see a 4th Edgar vs. Maynard happening anytime soon.
#7 Clay Guida - Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Guida is the guy you beat before challenging for the belt. Florian did it, Henderson did it, Pettis tried and failed. But can Clay himself ever get that shot?
Others to Consider:
And finally, a few names from outside the title picture that should be mentioned:
#2 Gilbert Melendez - The Strikeforce champion was rumored to be on his way to the UFC late last year, but now the talk is that he's staying put. But let's be honest - people want him in the UFC, and that's where he should be.
#15 Melvin Guillard - He's lost 2 in a row after being about 1 win from a title shot, but Guillard's combination of personality and KO power make him a constant threat to the top. He'll need some wins to get close again though.
There are tons of other possible contenders out there - Matt Wiman, Mark Bocek, Gleison Tibau... but for the moment they're all stuck together in the middle. As Barboza showed, one big win can elevate you in an instant, but for now, they'll have to fight it out among themselves and see if anyone takes that step up.
Rankings based on the USA Today / SB Nation consensus rankings, dated January 27, 2012.
Poll
Who will be the next Lightweight title challenger?
Nate Diaz
Jim Miller
Other
27 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, vs, division
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowForgotten Fights, Volume 1 - Hayato Sakurai Vs. Frank Trigg
Everyone has a list of fights that they reminisce about whenever they get the chance. Most of us still love Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi, or Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva. But what about the fights that have flown under the radar a bit as the years have passed? There have been a ton of excellent bouts that never quite got the respect they deserved, for a variety of reasons. Well I'm going to make it my goal to expose you to some of these forgotten classics. I'll try to make this a semi-regular figure, and I'm sure with all the fight nerds on the BE staff, others might want to chip in too. I give you (title courtesy of KJ Gould) - Forgotten Fights.
Volume one features a couple of guys you should know of if you follow the sport - Hayato Sakurai and Frank Trigg. But did you know that they fought each other in Shooto in late 2000? And the bout was pretty good?
Setting the stage: Shooto R.E.A.D. Final, December 17th, 2000. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai was the Shooto middleweight (168 lb) champion and was undefeated in 19 pro fights (17-0-2) coming into the bout. Trigg entered the fight at 7-0 , and already had a Pride win under his belt. He had been a finalist in the Olympic wrestling trials earlier in the year as well. Mach's title was not on the line in the bout, and the fight wasn't even the main event of the show. A welterweight (153 lb) title fight between Rumina Sato and Caol Uno had the honors that night (Uno won the title by submitting Sato with less than a minute left in the fight).
The video and synopsis of the fight is after the jump.
The fight: The bout begins at 2:59 of the video. They battle early in the clinch, with Trigg landing a few knees and Sakurai getting in a solid left. The crowd cheers every time Sakurai lands a strike, which includes some solid leg and body kicks. Trigg finally opens up and hurts Mach with undefended punches, which forces Mach to drag Trigg to the ground. Trigg immediately reverses though. Trigg sits in Mach's guard for a while, landing methodical strikes while Sakurai looks to trap an arm or throw his legs up for a triangle. Listening to the announcer yell PUNCHY! always makes me laugh. The last minute of the round sees Trigg really unload on Mach against the ropes, bloodying his nose. He seemed to land a very solid shot slightly after the bell.
I'll admit it, the first round probably isn't going to light your world on fire. You're probably wondering why I picked this fight. Damn you Burke, you're wasting my valuable time!
The second round might offer some redemption.
The fighters exchanged knees, and Sakurai looked for another takedown. Unfortunately he ended up with Trigg on top of him again. Trigg battered him some more, and at one point was clubbing Sakurai with shots while he was hanging out of the ring. They are reset in the middle, and Sakurai quickly gets to his feet. In less than five seconds, Sakurai backs up and cracks Trigg with a beautiful left. Trigg pops up immediately, but Shooto has a standing eight count. Trigg is confused and angry, but he waits out the count and gets going again. They immediately clinch up after Sakurai catches him with a right, and Mach locks up the Thai clinch and lands a perfect knee to Trigg's face that crumples him to the mat. Once again he pops right up, and mocks the second standing eight count. Hands up, ready to go...until Mach immediately clubbers him with another straight right. Triggs clinches, and it's deja vu. Thai clinch, perfect knee, nighty night. Hayato Sakurai wins by knockout at 4:03 of the second round.
Immediate aftermath - Sakurai would lose his Shooto welterweight title in his next defense. To who? Anderson Silva, who defeated Mach by decision. Sakurai would then go on to challenge Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 36, where he was finished in the fourth round by the future UFC Hall of Famer. Trigg won three fights in the WFA after this loss, then famously challenged Hughes for the welterweight title twice. And lost twice.
I hope you enjoyed the first edition of Forgotten Fights, or at least tolerated it. If you have suggestions for future editions, by all means include them in the comments. My only rule (and it's a big one) is - no Pride or UFC fights. They're kinda played out in this regard, and they're not very "forgotten". So...that's all for today.
Posted in: fight, title, trigg, sakurai, mach
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCarlos Condit will wait for Georges St. Pierre to return ... but for how long?
Now that three weeks have passed since UFC 143, which saw Carlos Condit become the UFC Interim Welterweight Champion by defeating Nick Diaz, a lot of the drama, which includes the highly debated decision in the main event between Diaz and Condit, and Diaz' post-fight positive drug test, has simmered down, Carlos Condit can get back to enjoying his accomplishment.
That accomplishment, is becoming the first World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion to successfully win an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) world title since the organization closed up shop in 2010.
Prior to "The Natural Born Killer" joining the UFC, he was on an eight fight win streak which included four title fights in the WEC, along with three straight title defenses.
His UFC debut, however, was not a successful one, as he lost a razor thin split decision to Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night: "Condit vs. Kampmann" on April 1, 2009, in a fight many believed should have gone Condit's way.
Since that setback three years ago, Condit has been on a tear, winning five consecutive fights over a who's-who of welterweights including Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and the aforementioned Nick Diaz, winning 13 of his last 14 bouts in the process.
Now, Condit finds himself at a standstill. That's because he is currently undecided as to what his next move will be.
He can either wait for current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre to finish up his rehab, or possibly defend his title against perennial top contender Jake Ellenberger, who finds himself on a six fight win streak and has not lost in over two years since dropping a split decision to, you guessed it, Carlos Condit.
"The Natural Born Killer" spoke to MMAmania.com about what it's like to be a WEC and UFC champion, as well as his future plans in the UFC's 170-pound division.
Check it out:
In 2010, after the UFC absorbed all of the WEC's talent into its own roster, the promotion created two new divisions and crowned reigning WEC champions Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz the first ever UFC Featherweight and Bantamweight champions, respectively, without ever having competed in the promotion.
Anthony Pettis, the WEC's 155-pound champion, lost his chance at UFC gold when he was defeated by Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale, ending his hopes of a title unification bout against lightweight kingpin, Frankie Edgar.
Condit, the WEC's Welterweight champion, on the other hand, did not receive an immediate title shot nor did he receive a belt.
Instead, he reeled off five wins in the promotion, including "Fight of the Night" and "Knockout of the Night" performances in three consecutive bouts before earning his shot at grabbing UFC gold. Making the most of his opportunity, Condit defeated Nick Diaz at UFC 143 to join Frank Shamrock as the only two fighters to win a title in both organizations and the first to do so since the merger, something Carlos says he is very proud of.
"It feels great. When I got into the UFC, that was my goal, was to have two belts. I defended every time I fought for the WEC belt, so basically I'm still WEC champ because I never lost it and now I'm the interim UFC champion and it feels great."
After winning the interim title at UFC 143, Condit's next move should have been a title unification bout with UFC 170-pound champion, Georges St. Pierre. However, due to all the backlash and criticism received after his victory over Diaz, "The Natural Born Killer" accepted a rematch with the Stockton bad boy in order to silence his critics yet again.
However, one failed drug test by Diaz ended all hopes of the rematch.
Condit is now, once again, expected to face St. Pierre as soon as "Rush" is deemed fit to return to action and would love nothing more to get his chance at dethroning "GSP" and removing the interim tag. However, if it means too long of a wait, Carlos would prefer to stay active and potentially take another fight in the meantime.
"It all depends on GSP and when he will be back. I would like to stay busy. If he won't be back until the end of the year like December, then I may take another fight. But if it's sooner than that then I will wait for him. I'm good health wise, I had some minor stuff I was dealing with before UFC 143, and the fight just kind of aggravated things, but for the most part nothing serious."
It's widely believed the Jake Ellenberger punched his ticket to the top of the number one contender's list when he defeated Condit's training partner, Diego Sanchez, at UFC on Fuel TV on Feb 15, 2012.
With the uncertainty of GSP's return, Condit will keep playing the waiting game for the foreseeable future as the UFC 170-pound division plays itself out further as Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks are scheduled to tangle on UFC on Fox 3 in May in a bout that could produce yet another challenger for the 170-pound title.
For now, Condit may be sharing the top of the Welterweight mountain, but has no problems taking on any and all comers in order to prove he deserves to stand at the top all by himself.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, champion, condit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaPatino-Rivera Lightweight Title Fight, Robert Drysdale Slated for Legacy FC 11
Verbal agreements are in place for three bouts at the May 11 Legacy Fighting Championship event, promotion officials announced on Monday.
Posted in: title, championship, monday, agreement, legacy
Read the full article at SherdogDunham Picks Lauzon Over Pettis, Wants Winner
After suffering the first two losses of his career in consecutive fights, Evan Dunham has now won two straight and is back in the title hunt at 155 pounds.
Posted in: hunt, title, loss, dunham, title hunt
Read the full article at SherdogFor Anthony Pettis, One Spectacular Kick 'Changed Everything' -- For Better or Worse
It’s possible that it was all too much too soon. It’s more than possible, actually. It’s pretty much a fact, and Anthony Pettis doesn’t deny it. Just think: when he showed up in Glendale, Ariz. in December of 2010, he was a 23-year-old underdog heading into the last title fight in the last event before the WEC was shut down for good. By the time he left, he was a star. His face was on SportsCenter every hour, courtesy of the kick that ESPN would later dub one of the top ten plays of the year. Who wouldn’t get caught up in that?"That whole time until the Guida fight," said Pettis, "I was on top of the world. Everything changed. I was 23 years old, just won my first world title. I did it that way and was on ESPN. It was a big, big jump from where I was before. Nothing was the same."
No one wants to think that the best moment of his life might have come when he was 23 years old. Then again, not many people will ever pull off anything so spectacular as the "Showtime Kick" during something as important as that final title fight. Not only was the WEC belt -- now an ultimate collector’s item -- on the line, so too was a guaranteed UFC lightweight title shot. Or so both Pettis and Ben Henderson thought at the time.Even Henderson has to shake his head in admiration when he looks back on that night."In the 24th minute of a championship fight, dead tired, exhausted, and what did he do?" Henderson said. "He went big. For that, I have to take my hat off to Pettis."It was "one of the greatest all-time moves in the history of mixed martial arts," according to Pettis’ longtime coach, Duke Roufus. What followed was "a whirlwind" that the young fighter from Milwaukee wasn’t totally equipped to deal with."People actually wanted to watch me train," said Pettis. "There was a lot of media attention. I did all the news stations and radio shows. I was flying all over and doing appearances, doing seminars, doing a bunch of stuff. Before, I was at home doing nothing but training. I think getting adjusted to that attention was hard for me."The decision loss to Clay Guida in his UFC debut was almost inevitable, looking back. His life had changed so much so quickly, and now he was facing a savvy veteran of the Octagon who knew all the tricks of the trade and knew exactly how to put them to great use."Fighting a guy like Clay Guida, I think I had the wrong game plan," he said. "I was really focused on finishing with a submission. I was on my back the whole time."He didn’t take much damage in the fight, but he lost the decision nonetheless. He also lost his promised title shot. Now the "Showtime Kick" was just a memory, replaced in people’s minds by images of Guida taking him down and keeping him there. The loss was a learning experience outside the cage as well, according to Roufous, who noted that "the people who told [Pettis] how great he was, the girls who wanted to talk to him, the opportunities people were offering him, those all shrank up. I think then he really saw the importance of being the best and winning."The way Pettis saw it, the win over Henderson vaulted him to new heights, but the loss to Guida "knocked all that down and brought me back to reality."Now, after a split decision win over Jeremy Stephens, Pettis finds himself just trying to make it two in a row against Joe Lauzon on the UFC 144 undercard in Tokyo. Meanwhile, in the main event, the man he achieved his greatest triumph over is getting a shot at the UFC lightweight title before him. It’s a turn of events that he never could predicted back when he was watching himself in constant reruns on ESPN, but now all he can do is make the best of it."Last year this time I was guaranteed a title shot, but it all happens for a reason. Now I’ve got to work my way up again," he said.The way Roufus sees it, the highs and the lows are all just practice for riding bigger waves of fame and success in the future. Better to deal with it as WEC lightweight champ than wait until after you’ve got the UFC strap to learn about those pitfalls."It’s only going to get bigger. That’s the thing," said Roufus. "You grow up in the sport, and Anthony has."If you’re looking for someone to undersell Pettis’ abilities, don’t look to Roufus. He’ll tell you that Pettis is already championship material, already the best lightweight in the UFC when he brings his best stuff into the cage. And yes, he knows how that sounds, but he can’t help it."I know I’m saying the same thing every trainer says, but it’s true," he said. "When Anthony Pettis’ A-game is on, it’s like watching Michael Jordan score 63 points against the Boston Celtics. When he’s on and everything comes together, he’s the most dangerous fighter on the planet."As for Pettis himself, he lets his coach do the bragging. He focuses instead on how easily fortunes can be reversed in this sport. It was supposed to be him fighting for that belt. That it’s Henderson instead only shows what can happen when you grow from your losses rather than allowing yourself to be forever tortured by them."Ben was on a tear. He was killing guys in the WEC. Then I come in there, we go five rounds and I win the decision, and he was back to square one. I think a loss makes everyone a little hungrier, and that’s what it did for him."He’s picking Henderson to win that, he said. Naturally, he’s also picking himself to beat Lauzon. Then, who knows? Maybe he and Henderson will eventually get a chance to do it again, this time with the belt on the line. Maybe Pettis will get another opportunity to make some magic happen. He’s already proven that he has what it takes to achieve greatness inside the cage. Now he needs to show that he also has what it takes to live with the repercussions outside of it.
Posted in: ufc, title, petti, henderson, itrsquo
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseMiesha Tate, Ronda Rousey Meet the Press to Discuss Title Fight
Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and challenger Ronda Rousey, along with CEO Scott Coker, recently met with the press discuss their March 3 title fight. Check out a video of their discussion below.
Posted in: fight, title, press, tate, ronda
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseWhy Create an Interim Title that Won’t Be Defended?
When UFC President Dana White announced that the bout between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz scheduled for UFC 143 would be for the UFC Interim Welterweight Title it made sense. Both men were scheduled to face reigning champion Georges St. Pierre at one point in time or another. Diaz lost his first opportunity because of his inability to follow directions and like Condit before him lost an opportunity when GSP was injured.
The reason the interim title was created in the first place was because of the severity of the knee injury GSP had suffered. Surgery would force the Canadian to be out of action until late fall of this year. By having Diaz or Condit become interim champion the UFC could keep the title active until St. Pierre was healthy enough to face whoever was champion at the time of his return. It’s not like there was a shortage of competent challengers waiting to face the winner of the UFC 143 match-up.
After what many felt was a controversial decision that went in Condit’s favor the talk turned to having the two rematch sometime in the middle of the year. This would allow the title to be defended at least once before GSP was ready to unify the championship. As luck would have it Diaz was popped for smoking pot and is facing a lengthy suspension. There goes a high profile rematch between the two, but does that mean Condit should remain on the shelf for the next 9-10 months?
I can name a few legitimate challengers to Condit’s title beginning with Jake Ellenberger. Back in September of 2009 Condit narrowly defeated “The Juggernaut” in his UFC debut. During the first round Condit was floored three times but came back to win a Split Decision. Ellenberger has since won six fights in a row highlighted by a first round knockout over Jake Shields and last night’s thrilling unanimous decision victory over a dangerous Diego Sanchez.
Not only is the story line already in place, but Ellenberger is a legitimate threat to both Condit and St. Pierre. Fans and media are both clamoring for the match-up not only to see the title defended but to see what could be a potential fight of the year. Both fighters have been on a tear since they fought and a case could be made that Ellenberger has improved greatly; that if not for some Octagon jitters would have walked away the victor that night in Oklahoma City.
If not Ellenberger why not the winner of the Josh Koscheck-Johny Hendricks bout scheduled for May in New Jersey? Koscheck has been near the top of the division for years now and would give Condit all he could handle should he be able to get by the man who knocked out Koscheck’s former teammate Jon Fitch in just twelve seconds. Hendricks is 7-1 in the UFC and 9-1 overall under the Zuffa umbrella. He is a dynamic fighter with power in his hands and an ever growing legion of dedicated fans.
Assuming the winner came away injury free they could be ready to face Condit in August or September. That would set up a bout between the winner and GSP for the New Year’s Eve card in Las Vegas. Not only would the UFC be giving fans a great fight between Condit and anyone of the three contenders I have mentioned, but they would allow GSP to be fully prepared to face the winner on a card that has historically been a very successful show.
No matter who Condit faces it is completely unfair to ask him to sit on the sidelines for nearly a year while waiting for St. Pierre to rehab his knee. It also is a slap in the face of the fans that paid good money to watch Diaz and Condit vie for a title that will never be defended. What sense does that make? It’s not like everyone is dying to see Condit take on “Rush” anyway. In all likelihood GSP will out-wrestle “The Natural Born Killer” on his way to another dominating decision.
Against Hendricks or Ellenberger he would face two very good wrestlers who can use their grappling both offensively and defensively all the while having the ability to land that one punch knockout to the long reigning champion. Obviously the only drawback to having Condit face the Hendricks-Koscheck winner is the possibility of GSP having to face “Kos” for a third time. If that’s the case let Ellenberger and Hendricks go at it with the winner facing Condit. The timing makes sense and so do the match-ups, make it happen Dana!
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, face, winner, condit
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainAsian MMA Update: Legend FC 8 Set With Two Title Fights, Jadamba vs. Nam and Tirta vs. Kawanago
MMA in Indonesia has been dormant in the past few years with almost zero programming and promotions running in the country. Interest in the sport has recently been jump-started with ONE FC hosting their second event in Jakarta a few days ago, and it looks like the resurgence will continue.
Legend Fighting Championship held their 7th show this past weekend, and during the show, they announced plans to venture out of their home-base of Hong Kong and Macau, and host a show in Jakarta. Legend FC 8 will happen next month, and Indonesian fans will be fortunate enough to have yet another quality card coming to the country.
Related: Legend FC 7 Fight Videos and Results: Bieke Takes Bantamweight Title, Bae Myung Ho Defends Welterweight Crown
The event will be at the Jakarta Convention Center on March 30, and the moment the announcement has been made, it has been assumed that Indonesia's biggest MMA star, Fransino Tirta (10-0-1) will be competing on the card. BloodyElbow.com has exclusively confirmed with reliable sources that Tirta will indeed be part of two title fights that have been recently signed and set to headline the event.
Tirta will be in his home country, gunning for the Legend FC featherweight title against Yusuke Kawanago (8-3), a talented Japanese fighter coming off a win over Chengjie Wu at Legend 6, and a split decision loss to Mark Striegl at Legend 5.
Another title fight on the top of the card will be Sengoku veteran, Jadamba Narantungalag making his first defense of the Legend FC championship he recently won against Adrian Pang. The Mongolian will be taking on Nam Yui Chul (13-3), the top Korean lightweight who is coming off a monumental win over the highly regarded ONE FC fighter in Vuyisile Colossa.
Much more Asian MMA News after the jump. Don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena.
Speaking of the rising star in Mark Striegl (7-0), the 23-year-old Filipino fighter is coming off an impressive submission finish over Ev Ting at Legend 7, and has recently signed with DARE, a Thailand-based promotion that is part of the ONE FC Network.
More Legend FC 8 news: Also confirmed with reliable sources, a lightweight bout between Yusuke Kasuya (6-0) and Song Un Sik (9-3) is set for Legend FC 8. The match up was first mentioned to be in the works by Lili of MMA in Asia.
I already mentioned that SFL, the promotion in India headlined by the Sapp vs. Thompson freakshow, will be bringing in several musicians to perform on their show. Apparently, one of these performers will likely be Jennifer Lopez. MMA is fairly new to the country, but do they really think JLo fans would be converted to the sport? Or is this just a move to get butts in those seats? Either way, it doesn't seem like a good investment in my eyes.
URCC and PXC, the two top promotions in the Philippines, will be going head-to-head this Saturday, with both shows headlined by flyweight title fights.
URCC will host a show in the mountain province of Baguio. It will be headlined by a Flyweight Super-Fight between URCC champion Roy Docyogen (9-0) from Team Lakay, competing in his home town against former pro-boxer Rodel Orais (2-0).Also on the card, Interim Featherweight Champion Ricardo Sapno defends his title against Arnold Agapito, and Will Chope will take on Reydon Romero in a featherweight bout guaranteed for fireworks.
PXC on the other hand, will host PXC 29 in Pasay City on the same date. It will be headlined by a flyweight title bout between charismatic Filipino Ale Cali, and Guam's Jesse Taitano . Also on the card, a featherweight bout between the well traveled veteran in Harris Sarmiento, and Raja Shippen, along with TUF veteran Dorian Price vs. Ryan Bigler.UFC middleweight contender, Mark Munoz will also be attending the event.
Posted in: mma, title, legend, card, fc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowRematch with Condit in Sight, Jake Ellenberger Expects 'Best Performance' Against Sanchez
Jake Ellenberger's moment is so close, he can taste it.
With the title situation in flux, opportunity has never been so readily available in the UFC's suddenly blown-open welterweight division. And the timing could not have been more intriguing. As the old guard fades into gatekeeper status, a new crop of young guns has stormed the ranks, seemingly overnight.
In truth, none personify the collision of eras quite like Ellenberger. Hungry and unheralded despite a trail of victims four opponents deep, "The Juggernaut" somehow talked his way into a squash match against Jake Shields last September. 53 seconds later, the division had seemingly been flipped on its head.
Now Ellenberger readies for pivotal tilt against Diego Sanchez at tonight's UFC on FUEL main event. For all intensive purposes, the winner could receive the next UFC title shot, a fact that is not lost on the young fighter.
"Diego's an extremely tough opponent, but I would like to think so," Ellenberger admitted when asked about receiving the number-one contender tag on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "(The decision is) definitely with the UFC, but I haven't thought much past Diego. He's a new challenge."
Of course, a title shot is the ultimate goal, but it would be foolish to think there also aren't ulterior motives at play. Ellenberger's lone UFC loss came in his promotional debut, a controversial split decision against, you guessed it, Carlos Condit.
That Condit has become the interim champion just as Ellenberger perches on the doorstep of title contention is not lost on the Nebraskan.
"It's always been in the back of my head. It really just motivates me even more," he confessed. "Carlos has definitely earned where he's at today. He's definitely won fights and proved that he's one of the best, but yeah, for me, it's just kind of motivating. I was right there."
Had Ellenberger emerged with the judge's decision that night three years ago, he surely would have been fighting for a title by now. But what's past is past, and there's no use dwelling on lost opportunities. Besides, in the back of his mind Ellenberger always knew he would get a second chance, so what's wrong with raising the stakes?
"I knew it was going to be a close fight and a hard fight to call, but I would have liked to rematch Carlos win or lose, regardless," he mused. "It's even better now he has the title, so what better chance to do it?"
But first there's Sanchez, a veteran opponent with one title challenge already under his belt, and who could be priming for his last charge towards UFC gold.
Looking past such a dangerous foe would be imprudent, but at just 26 years old, Ellenberger believes his coming-of-age has prepared him for the task.
"He's got a lot more to worry about than me," Ellenberger declared. "I feel like I've evolved so much in the past year and a half. I'm a lot faster and a lot more skilled and I've fine-tuned some things. I'm ready for whatever he wants to do. He needs to worry about my offense a lot more than I need to worry about his."
Confidence certainly drips off Ellenberger's words, but in some strange way, they never seem overly cocky. After all, Ellenberger's whole life has led up to this moment, so please excuse the fighter if he sounds certain of his fate.
"There's nothing I haven't seen that I haven't prepared for," Ellenberger boldly promised. "This is going be my best performance so far.
"There's absolutely no way I'm going to leave the Octagon without my hand being raised."
Posted in: ufc, ellenberger, title, he, there
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseCondit will wait for St-Pierre. No title defense in the works.
submitted by mitchard [link] [6 comments]
Posted in: title, title defense, work, mitchard, stpierre
Read the full article at RedditJake Ellenberger: ‘I Can Beat Anybody in the World’
Jake Ellenberger isn't worried about calling out Carlos Condit or asking for title shots. He knows that if he's on his game, he can beat any fighter in the world, title or no title.
Posted in: jake, title, world title, carlos condit, title shots
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyJake Ellenberger Talks Diego Sanchez & Working Towards A Title Shot
Jake Ellenberger talks to Fight Hub TV about his upcoming fight against Diego Sanchez and taking it one fight at a time until the UFC is ready to give him a title shot. Nice kid, but waiting for a title shot to come to you isn’t the best way to get one. Ask Jon Fitch.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, diego sanchez, shot
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC on Fuel: Welterweight Division State of the Union
With so many fights coming up spread across eight different weight classes, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in every division. Here, we take a look at where a particular division stands right now, and where it's headed.
It's funny how quickly a division can fall into such turmoil. For a few years now the Welterweight division has been a stable place, with Georges St. Pierre calmly dispatching all challengers to his dominance. Now, in the span of 2 months, GSP has gone down to injury, Carlos Condit is the Interim UFC Welterweight champion, Nick Diaz has seen his star rise and fall... In short, the division is a crazy place right now. All bets are off and anything can happen, and that makes it a thrilling time.
So what is on deck at 170? Let's see.
Next in Line:
The next Welterweight title shot hinges entirely on GSP's recovery time. He's hoping for a return near the end of 2012, and the obvious fight will be a title unification bout with the Interim champion. Right now that's the #4 ranked Carlos Condit. But the question is - will Condit defend that belt before GSP comes back, and if he does, against who? It looked like he would face #2 Nick Diaz in a rematch of their controversial UFC 143 fight, but Diaz's positive test for marijuana seems to have ended that idea. And so now we get a big question mark here. What is next for Condit? For GSP? For the belt? We may have to wait awhile before we know.
Key Match Ups:
Still, there's no shortage of Welterweights who are itching to take advantage of GSP's absence and get a shot at Condit, which makes these upcoming fights that much more appealing. And one of the best of these fights comes later this week:
#3 Jake Ellenberger vs. #12 Diego Sanchez (UFC on Fuel TV) - When I ran through the division in December, I said the winner here was my pick for next challenger after Condit vs. Diaz, and I stick by that. Ellenberger has a stronger case - he's on a great run and a main event win over Diego would give him that extra boost. But Sanchez has more name value, and while he may not really have "earned" the shot in the eyes of many, that name will likely propel him to a shot with a win over Ellenberger.
#7 Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC 144) - A tough fight here between two very similar UFC careers. Both men came to the UFC with a lot of hype, both barely won in their debuts, and both have failed to win since. A loss here will be Shields's 3rd straight in the UFC, Akiyama's 4th. Hard to see the loser sticking around, but the winner will be right back in it.
#10 Martin Kampmann vs. #11 Thiago Alves (UFC on FX 2) - At first this looked like nothing more than a highly entertaining fight, but with all the turmoil above these two in the rankings, it's not inconceivable that the winner would suddenly find himself right in the title hunt. Aside from that this should just be a great fight.
#19 Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (UFC on Fuel TV 2) - In all honesty, this probably shouldn't be up here, as both men are still a few fights away from title contention. But I like Siyar and am excited to see what he brings to the UFC, and Thiago is one of those "always dangerous, always in the mix" kind of fighters.
#13 Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills (UFC 145) - This one is primarily about MacDonald. The young rising phenom is ready for big things in the UFC. With his only loss coming against Condit, he'd make a great challenger, but I don't think this is the fight to get him there. It's a shame, as he's a teammate to GSP, so once the champ returns, that will put the young MacDonald at a bit of an impasse.
#5 Johny Hendricks vs. #6 Josh Koscheck (UFC on Fox 3) - This was just announced, and is a big one. Winner here could make a fine substitute for Ellenberger/Sanchez if that winner is injured. Hendricks is red hot after his shocking KO of Jon Fitch, while Kos struggled against Mike Pierce. Another big win for Hendricks will put him at the very top.
In The Mix:
This is rare, but for the moment, I think everyone who is truly in the mix of title contenders at 170 has a fight scheduled. Again, it's an exciting time.
Others to Consider:
Finally, a few names from outside the title picture that should be mentioned:
#7 Jon Fitch - Maybe he deserves to be in the "In the Mix" category, but that loss to Hendricks really tanked him. Fitch was struggling for contender status when he was winning. Now with a 0-1-1 record in his last two, he's definitely on the outside. He has a tough road ahead if he wants a second title shot.
#14 Rick Story - Story had great momentum in 2011, but he's slipped away after two straight loses. He still has the tools to get right back in there, but he needs a few wins.
Erick Silva - The disqualification loss to Carlo Prater at UFC 142 was a shame, but this young fighter still has a very bright future ahead of him. I think he's a future title contender, and look forward to his next fight.
Stephen Thompson - Yeah yeah, he's only 1-0 in the UFC and his opponent didn't look good, but Thompson has big momentum going for him right now. His unique style makes him stand out from the pack, and his highlight reel KO earned him a lot of fans. He's facing Matt Brown at UFC 145 - a second KO of the Night could fast track him to the upper levels of the division. Whether or not that would be a good thing for the young fighter remains to be seen.
Rankings based on the USA Today / SB Nation consensus rankings, dated January 27, 2012.
Poll
What will be the next Welterweight title fight?
Condit vs. GSP
Condit vs. Ellenberger
Condit vs. Sanchez
Condit vs. Hendricks
Condit vs Koscheck
Other
38 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, vs, condit
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowChad Mendes on UFC 142 title loss: 'That's not the end of me'
Chad Mendes is a winner, and he's not used to feeling like this.
He hadn't lost at anything since Ohio State University's J. Jaggers outwrestled him in the 141-pound NCAA championship match when he was a senior at Cal Poly.
That was 2008. The calendar says 2012.
It made his UFC 142 featherweight title loss to Jose Aldo sting that much more. But let's not pretend the Team Alpha Male product should throw in the towel at the age of 26.
Posted in: ufc, title, chad mendes, chad, cal poly
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMFC Announces Ryan McGillivray-Nathan Coy Welterweight Title Bout for May 4
A welterweight title clash between Nathan Coy and Ryan McGillivray will highlight the May 4 Maximum Fighting Championships card, the promotion announced Sunday.
Posted in: title, welterweight, ryan mcgillivray, ryan mcgillivraynathan, championships card
Read the full article at SherdogBellator 65 will be highlighted by Zach Makovsky-Eduardo Dantas for bantamweight title
Bellator has announced that Zach Makovsky will defend his bantamweight title on April 13 at Bellator 65 against season five tournament winner Eduardo Dantas. The event will take place from Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
Along with the title match, the semifinals of the season six middleweight tournament will take place, along with the return of Lyman Good to action against LeVon Maynard.
Dantas rolled through the most recent bantamweight tourney, defeating Wilson Reis, Ed West, and Alexis Vila to secure a shot at Makovsky, who is on an eight-fight winning streak of his own.
“Zach and Eduardo are two of the greatest bantamweights in MMA today, so this should be a really spectacular fight,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in a recent press release. “We always have a packed house whenever we head out to Atlantic City, and I expect nothing less on April 13.”
“I’m here at Bellator to win the bantamweight champion. I plan to not only win the title, but to keep it for many years to come,” added Dantas.
PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR
Posted in: bellator, title, bantamweight, alexis vila, danta
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainJunior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem Title Fight Planned for UFC 146 in May
Junior dos Santos will defend his heavyweight title for the first time when he meets Alistair Overeem at UFC 146 on May 26 in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta announced.
Posted in: ufc, title, do, alistair overeem, heavyweight title
Read the full article at Heavy MMAGeorges St. Pierre Cageside At UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit
Georges St. Pierre has not fought since his UFC 129 bout with Jake Shields due to a knee injury while training for a title defense. That defense was originally scheduled to be against Nick Diaz, but Diaz skipped press obligations and the UFC punished him by giving the title shot to Carlos Condit. Then GSP got injured and the Condit fight was postponed while Diaz ran through B.J. Penn so impressively that Dana White and the UFC brass decided to move Diaz back into the title shot.
GSP would then suffer a major injury to his ACL, shelving him until mid to late 2012. So when the UFC decided to put Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz against the cage from each other for the interim welterweight title, with the winner to face GSP upon his return, it's no surprise that Georges was cageside.
The UFC released video of Georges at the fight, and that can be seen here:
I'd be interested in seeing these videos continue for future title contender bouts.
SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, title, condit
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC looking at Memorial Day Weekend event for Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem
Last night UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta appears to have potentially spilled the beans regarding the date/location of Junior dos Santos‘ upcoming defense of his heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem.
While talking with fans on his Twitter account, Fertitta said that the UFC was looking at JDS-Overeem for UFC 146 on May 26 from Las Vegas, Nevada. The Memorial Day Weekend tag would make sense considering the show’s annual standing as one of the organization’s biggest.
Dos Santos (14-1) won the heavyweight title by defeating Cain Velasquez late in 2011, scoring a first round knockout of the former undefeated champion. He has been on the sidelines since recovering from knee surgery.
Overeem (36-11) made an impact in his UFC debut, knocking out ex-champ Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 to secure the #1 position in the division. “The Reem” is a former Strikeforce heavyweight champ, along with holding titles in several other organizations, and has finished 34 of the 36 opponents he’s beaten.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, heavyweight title, division “
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC On Fuel: With Nick Diaz Out, Jake Ellenberger Leads Welterweight Contender Pack
With Nick Diaz on the shelf for an indeterminate amount of time after failing a post UFC 143 drug test and current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre expected to be out until at least November, Jake Ellenberger has moved into pole position to be the next challenger to interim champion Carlos Condit's 170-pound title.
That is assuming, of course, that Ellenberger can get past Diego Sanchez in this Wednesday's UFC On Fuel main event, something he is favored heavily to do. He is clearly at the top of a mediocre pack of welterweights, a group marred by inconsistency, drawing power and a lack of notable wins.
Jake Ellenberger
Going into February, Ellenberger (26-5, 5-1 UFC) was the division's hottest challenger outside of Diaz. After dropping a tight split decision to Condit in his September 2009 debut, the 26-year-old finished four of his next five opponents by T/KO including Jake Shields in just 53 seconds last September. Even if Diaz hadn't been suspended, an argument could be made that another win would put him in title contention. Now it's undeniable he'd be the No. 1 contender.
While Condit hasn't been warm on a rematch with Ellenberger, he might not have a choice. It's unrealistic that the new champ is going to wait 10 months to fight Diaz when there's money and reputation to be made with a summer title defense. There's been some residual damage from the style in which he beat Diaz, a reason why the talk of a rematch this week made a lot of sense. Sitting on the sidelines for GSP doesn't make sense. Condit has to compete again before a title unification bout can happen.
Johny Hendricks
Following a surprising 13-second knockout of Jon Fitch in December, the Oklahoma State wrestling champion finds himself in another surprising position: title contention if Ellenberger loses. Hendricks (12-1, 7-1 UFC) has flown under some radars but since his August 2009 debut, he's only lost once in eight Octagon battles. The Fitch KO capped a big year and the Diaz situation may open up a much bigger door for him in 2012.
Jon Fitch
The poster boy for the eternal winning vs. entertainment argument, the Hendricks loss greatly hurts him if Ellenberger loses. We all know the deal: Fitch (23-4-1-1, 13-2-1 UFC) isn't a box office draw and constantly has had to defend himself for his fighting style. After his loss to GSP in his only title shot, Fitch won five in a row before going to a draw to B.J. Penn. With the defeat to Hendricks, the UFC has their out in not giving the AKA product another title opportunity, thus avoiding a potential champion that's perceived as bland. Fair? No, but it's reality.
Diego Sanchez
So what of Ellenberger's opponent this Wednesday? Would a win put Sanchez (23-4, 12-4 UFC) in Dana White's mix? It's an outside possibility as it would be his third win in a row after consecutive losses to Penn (lightweight fight) and John Hathaway. While some saw his unanimous decision win over Martin Kampmann as a gift, he also has name value and at 30 years old, White may be tempted to pull a surprise and give him a chance with an impressive win over Ellenberger.
Josh Koscheck
The outsider of the group, Koscheck (17-5, 15-5 UFC) does have consecutive wins over Matt Hughes and Mike Pierce, but the latter wasn't convincing and the fight public isn't clamoring for another Koscheck title opportunity after his eye was busted up by GSP in December 2010. Stranger things have happened, but it would take a lot for Koscheck to be considered a viable opponent for Condit this summer.
When it comes to getting a title shot, Ellenberger simply needs to follow the mantra of the late Al Davis: just win, baby.
More On Nick Diaz from Bloody Elbow:
Op/Ed: Nick Diaz Should Be Released
Dana White "Disappointed" In Diaz
Op/Ed: Diaz Failure Was Inevitable
Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana Use
Posted in: ufc, diaz, ellenberger, title, nick
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMike Dolce-fueled Thiago Alves looks to further mounting title run at UFC on FX 2
Thiago Alves had his chance and blew it.
Regardless, there was no shame in losing a unanimous decision at UFC 100
to Georges St-Pierre in his only career title fight. If you've been in
the 170-pound fray for as long as "Pitbull" has, chances are you've lost
to the Canadian kingpin, too.
So with St-Pierre currently idle and interim champion Carlos Condit
patiently waiting, the rest are free to jockey for position and string
together title runs.
Posted in: ufc, title, georges stpierre, stpierre, canadian kingpin
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator Announces Ben Askren Vs. Douglas Lima April 6 Title Bout
Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren will look to keep his undefeated record intact when he defends his title against No. 1 contender Douglas Lima on Friday, April 6th, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, in the main event of Bellator 64.
The Lima fight will be Askren's second defense of the gold he won in October 2010. His first defense was a year later, a controversial split decision over Jay Hieron that had this writer asking for a rematch. Due to the promotional rules however, only tournament winners can earn title shots and interestingly enough, HIeron is not in this latest tourney field.
After a 3-0 record in the regional scene, Askren (9-0, 6-0 Bellator) debuted in Bjorn Rebney's promotion and has been there ever since.
The two time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestler will have a stiff test in the 24-year-old Lima, who earned his shot with a second round KO of Ben Saunders in the recent 170-pound tourney finale. Lima (21-4, 3-0 Bellator) has finishes in 18 of his victories with 11 submissions and seven T/KOs. He'll carry a nine fight win streak into the title match.
The undercard will feature former WEC fighter Chris Horodecki vs. the dreaded 'opponent to be named later' and the semifinals of the season six featherweight tournament that opens up on March 9th. Some combo of Marlon Sandro, Ronnie Mann, Roberto Vargas, Wagnney Fabiano, Daniel Straus, Alexandre Bezerra, Jeremy Spoon and Genair da Silva will tangle for the opportunity to fight in the finals.
The event airs at 8 PM EST on MTV2.
More recent Bellator news:
Ben Saunders, Brian Foster headline 170-pound tourney
Prindle vs. Santos, 185-pound brackets announced
145-pound tournament matches announced
145-pound champ Joe Warren to defend against Pat Curran
Posted in: bellator, pound, title, ben, lima
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowLegend FC 7 Bantamweight Blog: Jumabieke
Jumabieke trains at Xian Sports University. | Photo: Liu Xiao Ming
Two of Asia’s top 135-pound talents, Honggang Yao and Tuerxun Jumabieke, clash for the second time this Saturday at Legend Fighting Championship 7. Sanda standout Jumabieke boasts a perfect record in MMA and won the pair’s first meeting in 2009. Yao, a shuaijiao (Chinese wrestling) stylist, has since gone 5-1, capturing the Legend bantamweight title along the way.
Sherdog.com asked the fighters to blog their thoughts and experiences in the week leading up to the title bout at City of Dreams resort in Macau. Today’s entry comes from Jumabieke.
This is my first blog in preparation for my upcoming fight at Legend 7 in Macau. Training has been really great these past few weeks and I’m really excited to win the title for Legend. I am confident that I will put on a good show and bring the title back to Xian Sports University, where I train.
Our head coach at Xian, Zhao Xiaojun, has helped us to find cross-training with a new BJJ gym, Black Belt Gym, under black belt Cauan Moreno Cardoso. We’ve been working very intensely on our BJJ in preparation for this fight. Training every day with my teammates and such a high level jiu-jitsu master is very challenging, but I know it will help me defeat my opponent Yao! In fact, this is the second time we have had to face each other in the ring. In 2009, we had our first match, Yao’s debut, which I won. I know that Yao really wants to avenge this, but unfortunately for him, I’m looking to take his title.
Posted in: title, legend, i ’m, jumabieke, yao
Read the full article at SherdogJon Jones-Rashad Evans Title Headliner Confirmed for UFC 145
As expected, Jon Jones will next defend his UFC light heavyweight title against former teammate Rashad Evans.
Posted in: ufc, title, jon, jon jones, evan
Read the full article at SherdogWith debate still raging on Condit's title win, fighters weigh in on UFC 143 result
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, fighter, mattyblayze, mattyblayze link, condits title
Read the full article at RedditJones to defend title against Evans in April
The UFC has confirmed that light-heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones will face former title-holder Rashad Evans at UFC 145 in Atlanta.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, champion, evan
Read the full article at sportsnet.caLong-anticipated bout between feuding rivals Rashad Evans and Jon Jones will headline UFC 145 (Yahoo! Sports)
The former teammates no longer get along, and their bad blood will add intrigue to the light heavyweight title bout.
Posted in: title, bout, jon jones, teammate, longanticipated bout
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsMiesha Tate: This bitch Ronda Rousey is not going to beat me
When Strikeforce returns to Showtime on March 3, 2012, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, it will do so with a fight card headlined by a women's bantamweight championship bout.
Miesha Tate will put her 135-pound title on the line against the Chael Sonnen inspired Ronda Rousey. And because "Rowdy" is doing so much talking, even dragging Tate's boyfriend into the discussion, "Takedown" wants to do more than just retain her belt.
"I think it's just what I need, actually. I think that I've been fighting for long enough that sometimes I get a little bit comfortable, that's the truth of the matter. And when you don't like someone, the idea of losing to them is just unbearable. Like, I cannot think of losing to this girl, it cannot happen. My pride is on the line here, people. You don't understand. It's not just winning a fight or keeping my title, it's like, this bitch is not going to beat me, there's no way this is going to happen. I think, for me, it's just going to make it that much more exciting because you're going to see a much more exhilarated me, you're going to see a much more pumped and vicious, I think. I don't want to just like fight this girl, I don't want to just beat her, I want to really hurt her. I really do, I want to like mar her face if at all possible, that would be nice."
Tate originally campaigned to defend her title against Sarah Kaufman, a woman she lost to earlier in her career and has been champing at the bit to avenge said defeat.
Kaufman was going to get the fight, too, until Rousey stepped in and started popping off at the mouth, creating a firestorm on Twitter that helped reignite interest in women's MMA. In fact, she's been on a press tour the likes of which hasn't been seen since Gina Carano was in her heyday.
All this to the dismay of Tate, of course, who is using Rousey's big mouth as all the motivation she needs to get up for their pending clash next month. If all goes well, it will be one of the most watched women's fights in the history of the sport. And, if all goes well for Miesha, Ronda will leave with a disfigured face.
Should be fun.
Hear more from Tate on her upcoming title defense after the jump.
Posted in: fight, title, tate, dont, rousey
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143 results: Dustin Poirier not ready for a title shot just yet, wants 'Korean Zombie' next
Currently riding a five fight win streak (4-0 inside the Octagon) dating back to his World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) days, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight Dustin Poirier is probably one of the hottest 145-pounders in the promotion today.
Poirier upped his win streak to five with his impressive "Submission of the Night" performance last night (Sat., Feb. 4, 2012) against Max Holloway at UFC 143, which saw "The Diamond" catch the UFC newcomer in a mounted triangle armbar.
Along with a cool $65,000 bonus check, Dustin could have possibly set himself up nicely to challenge the dangerous and nearly impeccable UFC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo.
Then again, maybe not.
Before he even thinks about taking on the deadly Brazilian in a five-round title fight, Poirier tells MMAFighting.com that he wants to build himself up and improve as a fighter by taking on another streaking featherweight -- "The Korean Zombie."
"I just turned 23 two weeks ago, my fourth fight in the UFC, on a good streak, finishing fights. I think the 'Korean Zombie; will be a fun fight, a good match-up. Good fight for him, good fight for me. We both match up well I think and the fans would love it. And we're both on a streak, so I think it would be right. I don't want the title shot just yet. I don't want to sound cliché' over and over, but, I don't want to build myself up and then fall short at the title and then end up back at the bottom. I want to improve every fight, and when I do get the title shot, I'm going to take it and I am going to hold it for a long time. I just don't want to get there premature and have to work back up to it brick-by-brick. It's gonna happen, I will be a world champion. I'd like two or three more fights. Realistically, if I fight Erik Koch or 'Korean Zombie' and win my next fight, then I'll probably fight Jose Aldo."
Chan Sung Jung, better known as "The Korean Zombie," is currently on a two fight win streak and is coming off a seven second knockout victory over Canadian striker Mark Hominick at UFC 140.
With a shortage of contenders for Jose Aldo's 145-pound strap, a number one contender's bout between the two former WEC standouts could make for quite an intriguing match-up.
Then again, Erik Koch, who was set to challenge Poirier at UFC 143 before injury forced him to bow out, may have something to say about that.
What say you, Maniacs? Is there anyone else in the featherweight division who would match up well with "The Diamond?" Or is Jung the most sensible opponent at this time?
Thoughts?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, zombie, korean zombie
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGSP Opens as 3 to 1 Favorite Over Condit
If Carlos Condit does indeed wait to face Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title he will come into the fight as an underdog, but how much of an underdog will he be?
Posted in: title, gsp, condit, carlos condit, underdog
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyDustin Poirier Wants Chan Sung Jung Next, Title Shot Later
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Dustin Poirier discusses his win over Max Holloway at UFC 143, how he set up the armbar finish, why he wants Chan Sung Jung next and why he wants to wait for a title shot.
Posted in: title shot, title, las vegas, shot, max holloway
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 143 Results: Condit Wins Interim Title; Diaz Hints at Retirement
Carlos Condit employed a smart strategy to win the UFC interim welterweight title, while a disheartened Nick Diaz hinted at retirement after losing the fight.
Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, title, retirement, welterweight title
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC 143 Fight Card Primer: Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit
For the first time in almost three years, a UFC welterweight title bout won't have Georges St. Pierre as one of the contestants. Due to GSP's injury, an interim title will be up for grabs in the main event of UFC 143, and what a main event it is. On one side you have one of the most interesting personalities in the game, and his skills in the cage match his unpredictability outside it. On the other side, you have a guy that almost always finishes fights and has heart for days. Ex-Strikeforce champ vs. ex-WEC champ. Nick Diaz (26-7, 1 NC, 7-4 UFC) and Carlos Condit (27-5, 4-1 UFC) face off for the title.
Diaz is ranked at number two at welterweight in the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, while Condit is currently holding down the number four position. The winner of this bout will cement themselves in the two slot and will likely be meeting GSP in the summer to unify the belts. This welterweight UFC 143 fight will be the main event of the night, and will be aired live on pay-per-view. The PPV broadcast begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Diaz: 28 years old | 6'1" | 76" reachCondit: 27 years old | 6'2" | 76" reach
What have these two done recently?
Diaz: W - B.J. Penn (UD) | W - Paul Daley (TKO) | W - Evangelista Santos (SUB) Condit: W - Dong Hyun Kim (KO) | W - Dan Hardy (KO) | W - Rory MacDonald (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Nick Diaz has been competing in MMA for over a decade, and has picked up titles in three different organizations along the way. After winning the WEC welterweight title (a belt Condit later held) way back at WEC 6 and defending his IFC title, Diaz was invited to compete in the UFC. He went 6-4 in his first run overall, engaging in incredible fights with the likes of Karo Parisyan and Diego Sanchez. After he left the UFC of his own accord, he dropped to lightweight and fought Takanori Gomi in one of the best fights of all time. He won by gogoplata, but tested positive for marijuana and the fight was ruled a no-contest. Following an uneven stint at lightweight in EliteXC, he moved back to 170 in Strikeforce and went on a tear, picking up their title and winning all six of his bouts in the organization. By then Diaz was immensely popular, and was brought into the UFC to face Georges St. Pierre at UFC 137. However, he famously missed two press conferences and lost his shot at the title, instead having to fight legend and friend B.J. Penn. A decision win over Penn set up another bout with GSP, but St. Pierre blew out his knee and Diaz will have to face Condit for the interim title now.
Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit has been around the sport of MMA just as long as Diaz has, coming up in the southwest regional circuit and making his bones in Hawaii and Japan. His first taste of notoriety was at the Rumble on the Rock welterweight tournament in Hawaii in 2006, where he made it all the way to the finals before dropping a decision to Jake Shields. A loss in his next bout to Pat Healy seemed to light a fire under Condit, and he has won 12 of his last 13 boths since then. He debuted in the WEC in early 2007, and quickly scooped up their welterweight title. Carlos managed to defend the belt three times before he was brought into the UFC to face Martin Kampmann. He lost an incredibly close split-decision in one of the more underrated bouts in UFC history but cemented his spot in the organization with his performance. He had close calls in his next two bouts, squeaking out a split-decision win over Jake Ellenberger despite being badly hurt in the first round, and stopping Rory MacDonald with just 7 seconds left despite dropping the first two rounds. His last two bouts have both been incredible KO wins for Condit, over Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim. He has definitely earned this opportunity, and a win over Diaz would obviously be the biggest of his career.
Why should you care?
This is one of the most interesting bouts in recent UFC history in terms of styles and technique in the cage. Add two additional rounds and a title to fight over and this could be the best fight of the year. If that doesn't garner your interest, I don't know what will.
You can catch more UFC 143 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Renan Barao Vs. Scott Jorgensen Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Staff Predictions - Tim Burke
Frank Mir Thinks UFC 143's Fabricio Werdum Is Heavyweight's Best Grappler - Matt Roth
Frank Mir Thinks UFC 143's Fabricio Werdum Is Heavyweight's Best Grappler - Matt Roth
UFC 143 Weigh-In Video And Coverage - Tim Burke
UFC 143 Video: Watch Full Countdown Show On Bloody Elbow - Josh Nason
UFC 143 Judo Chop: Carlos Condit Lands A Flying Knee KO - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 143: Dana White 'No One Knew GSP At One Time Either' - Matt Roth
UFC 143: Details Of The New PPV Opening Montage, RIP Gladiator Man - Matt Roth
UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Ed Herman Vs. Clifford Starks Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 143: Picking Knockout, Submission And Fight Of The Night Bonuses - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 143 Judo Chop: The Striking And Grappling Technique Of Nick Diaz - Kid Nate
UFC 143 Pre-Fight Press Conference Coverage And Video - Tim Burke
UFC 143 Video: Josh Koscheck Hopes Georges St. Pierre 'Never Comes Back' From Knee Surgery - Kid Nate
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 131: UFC 143 Preview - Matt Bishop
UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Not Happy With UFC Editing - Tim Burke
UFC 143: A Look At The Ground Games of Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson - Ben Thapa
UFC 143: Nick Diaz Details The Story Behind His Elite Level Conditioning - Anton Tabuena
UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit Betting Lines - Tim Burke
UFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Talks Carlos Condit, Georges St. Pierre - Kid Nate
UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - FX Channel Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 143: Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit Defines 'Gameness' - Kid Nate
UFC 143: Undefeated Stephen Thompson Hopes To Make Case For Karate In MMA - Kid Nate
UFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Facebook Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 143: The Contradictory Marketing Of Nick Diaz And How The Reem May Not Be As Awesome As You Think - Ben Thapa
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, vs, condit
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowHistory in the Making: Nick Diaz, the Strikeforce welterweight kingpin
Every dog has its day.
For Nick Diaz, that day is Saturday (Feb. 4, 2012) in Las Vegas, Nevada when he main events UFC 143 against Carlos Condit. Over five years after walking away from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the bad boy from Stockton gets a title shot -- albeit one for an interim strap -- and the opportunity to take on Georges St. Pierre sometime in the second half of 2012 when the French Canadian heals up from a knee injury.
While some would look at Diaz's performance at UFC 137 against B.J. Penn as the catalyst for this weekend's five-round fight, the genesis of this bout is rooted far deeper. Yes, the Hawaiian was given a beating unlike any in his career -- he left the Octagon a battered and swollen mess, speaking of retirement -- but the legwork Diaz put in to earn a shot at "Rush" and then Condit when St. Pierre bowed out due to aforementioned injury began in Miami with the Strikeforce promotion.
It was there he won the promotion's 170-pound title and he then spent the next year and a half knocking off each challenger Strikeforce put in front of him, one by one. Four title fight victories -- and a fifth non-title bout in Japan just for good measure -- has gotten Diaz where he is, on the cusp of UFC gold.
Let's take a look back at those fights.
Diaz stepped inside the Strikeforce cage at the beginning of 2010 in the port city of Miami to decide Strikeforce's first ever 170-pound champ. Standing opposite him was DREAM's welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis who was looking to add even more gold to his collection. Finding his range and surviving a knockdown, Diaz was able to pick "The Whitemare" apart before securing the stoppage victory late int the first round. After the fight, when asked if the win had emotional significance, the tunnel visioned Diaz said, "I'm just ready to go home and eat, you know what I'm saying?" The awkward silence that followed indicated Stephen Quadros did not, in fact, know what the newly crowned champ was saying. It was the beautifully uncomfortable post-fight interview Diaz would soon be synonymous with.
His next title defense -- after traveling to Japan to submit the legendary Hayato Sakurai -- came over seven months later against the last man to hold a victory over Diaz, K.J. Noons. When the Stockton native was flirting with a drop to 160-pounds, the mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter turned boxer turned back MMA fighter busted Diaz up badly enough to warrant a doctor stoppage. The rematch wouldn't go as smoothly for the Hawaiian as the Cesar Gracie student was able to outstrike Noons over the course of 25 minutes, leading to a one-sided unanimous decision. Diaz had avenged his last loss and also picked up a second successful title defense in one fell swoop.
At the turn of the new year, Diaz found himself inside the cage with Evangelista Santos. The tattooed Brazilian, better known for being married to Cristiane Santos, wasn't seen as much of a challenger beyond having a puncher's chance. He proved the doubters wrong, not by punching, but by kicking. The Brazilian absolutely brutalized the champion with leg kicks, making many wonder how Diaz was able to weather such punishment. The strategy worked well for the challenger until the end of the opening round when the Stockton native began to score with punches and opened the floodgates. Able to compose himself between rounds, "Cyborg" went back to the well upon the restart and the tide seemed to be turning his way. But an ill-advised takedown attempt led to a quick armbar submission for the champion who, in typical Nick Diaz fashion, began trash talking and cursing at some detractors in the audience.
And in his final defense as Strikeforce welterweight champion, Diaz took on UFC pariah Paul Daley. The Briton was banished from the Octagon after throwing a post-fight sucker punch at Josh Koscheck who had used his wrestling abilities to keep the knockout artist on his back for three rounds. "Kos" wanted no part of Daley's stand-up and took the most risk averse route to victory: getting "Semtex" off his feet and going from there. A similar gameplan was expected from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt but what fans got was something else entirely. Opting to stand toe to toe with Daley, Diaz fought fire with fire and exchanged strikes with the knockout artist.
Rocked early into the fight, Diaz does what we've seen time after time and survives. Within two minutes, he has his opponent pinned against the chain-link while delivering lethal combinations, mixing up head strikes with body blows. Against the proverbial ropes, Daley is still dangerous and proves as such when a bomb connects nearly four minutes in. The champion flops to the mat but his challenger, perhaps leery of expending too much energy or not having the energy to spare due to the damage he's taken, doesn't hammer away with much speed. Had he simply went for broke, regardless of whether the strikes were doing much damage, the fight very likely could have been stopped. Instead, Diaz recovers and seconds later has Daley staggered and hurt. The champion's ground and pound lands more effectively and the fight is stopped.
Less than two months later, Diaz vacated his title to fight for another, one held by greats such as Matt Hughes, B.J. Penn and currently held by Georges St. Pierre. Since he left the Octagon in 2006, he has collected 13 wins -- no contest at Pride 33 aside -- while losing only once. Perceiving himself as underrated and underpaid, Diaz was finally on the cusp of achieving everything a fighter could hope for in the sport. But three months and two missed press conferences after his title shot was announced, the Stockton native was yanked from the UFC 137 main event to make way for a more reliable Carlos Condit.
Hours later, Diaz was re-booked against Penn and when "Rush" dropped out, his main event status was reinstated. The rest is brutal history. With the champion still injured, Diaz takes on Condit for an interim title in two days, the culmination of a decade-long journey that began while Diaz was still pondering who to ask to his senior prom. From the streets of Stockton to the bright lights of Las Vegas, it's been quite a ride for Diaz.
Will it pay off Saturday night?
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, champion
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDan Henderson Likely to Sit and Wait for Winner of Jones/Evans
UFC President Dana White says that all signs are pointing towards Dan Henderson sitting and waiting for his crack at the UFC light heavyweight title.
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, dan henderson, dan
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyJosh Koscheck eyes interim title shot, hopes Georges St. Pierre never recovers
Former Welterweight title challenger, Josh Koscheck, who will face Mike Pierce this Saturday night at UFC 143, discusses his opponent, as well as the current 170-pound title mix. Koscheck admits that there is no real animosity between himself and division champion Georges St. Pierre, but says that he hopes the Canadian "never comes back" from his ACL surgery.
Posted in: title shot, saturday night, title, koscheck, pierre
Read the full article at Low KickTitle shot? UFC 143's Dustin Poirier would be content with a gi and crawfish
Atop a scattered featherweight title picture, UFC champion Jose Aldo reigns supreme.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Dustin Poirier could strengthen his case for a title shot if he beats UFC newcomer Max Holloway this weekend at UFC 143. After all, it'd be his fourth straight UFC victory and fifth consecutive win overall.
If he gets the title shot, great. If not? You won't hear Poirier complaining.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, shot, poirier
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 143 press conference LIVE updates today (Feb. 2) for 'Diaz vs Condit' in Las Vegas
Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold a public press conference today (Feb. 2, 2012) in advance of UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit," which will take place this Saturday (Feb. 4, 2012).
The press conference will begin at 4 p.m. ET and will take place at the Mizuya Lounge inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the home city of the event. Scheduled to attend will be the headlining fighters of the evening, Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum.
Nick Diaz is the former Strikeforce welterweight champion who crossed over to the UFC after two title defenses in 2011. After losing a title shot due to failure to make media appearances, he instead battled UFC legend B.J. Penn in the main event of UFC 137, destroying him in the final two rounds to win a unanimous decision. He again was scheduled to fight Georges St. Pierre but an injury got in the way and now he'll battle Carlos Condit for the interim belt.
Carlos Condit has long been one of the most exciting fighters in mixed martial arts today. Think about it, has he had one fight in the UFC thus far that wasn't amazing? From his debut against Martin Kampmann to his tremendous display of heart against both Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald to his violent knockouts of both Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim, he is the literal interpretation of "The Natural Born Killer." He's been delayed repeatedly before getting a shot and we'll see how he handles the big time with this bout.
Roy Nelson was on the verge of a title shot before back to back losses to Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir set him so far off course people were talking about cutting him. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 10 winner got back on track with a stoppage of Mirko Filipovic in his last fight, displaying a trimmer physique and a bitching beard. We'll see how he handles the lanky Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu stylings of Fabricio Werdum on Saturday.
Fabricio Werdum was a top talent in Pride and after losing his UFC debut, was on the verge of title contention after stoppage victories against Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga before showing up overweight and getting pasted by Junior dos Santos in "Cigano's" UFC debut. Outside the UFC, Werdum scored tremendous victorious over Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Silva before dropping a decision to Alistair Overeem in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. He's getting a second chance to make a good first impression this time around. We'll have complete updates of the UFC 143 press conference after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The press conference is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
Posted in: ufc, title, conference, press, condit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaScott Jorgensen Wants Another Shot at Title After Renan Barao at UFC 143
Scott Jorgensen has had a crack at the bantamweight title before. But he says champ Dominick Cruz didn't get the best version of him – and he wants a win over Renan Barao at UFC 143 and one more shot...
Posted in: title, shot, renan barao, bantamweight title, scott jorgensen
Read the full article at Heavy MMAGeorges St. Pierre no longer sees himself as champion
Georges St. Pierre is in the worst position of his career, as the Canadian must sit on the sidelines and watch two others fight for the UFC welterweight title. UFC 143 this Saturday night will feature a bout for the interim UFC 170-pound division’s title, as Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit collide.
St. Pierre, who has successfully defended the title since 2008, tore a ligament in his knee while training for the bout with Diaz and has since undergone successful surgery. The operation will keep him away from competition for several months, forcing the UFC’s hand in crowning a champion in his place.
While technically GSP will still be part owner of the title, he doesn’t feel that way at all.
“The way I see it, I am not the champion anymore on Saturday night,” St. Pierre said, in a recent interview with the UFC’s website. “I have not fought since April, against my will, but I understand the champion must fight. Right now I am not the best in the world, I am injured.”
St. Pierre added that he feels the winner of Diaz-Condit must beat him to call themselves the world champion, while he has to do the same to feel like the best in the world once again.
As for who St. Pierre wants to fight, that’s an easy one, as the soft-spoken fighter said, “I respect Carlos Condit, but I want Diaz to win. I want this fight with Diaz so badly, as badly as I wanted the title shot when I got down on my knees. I have never asked (UFC president) Dana White for anything, but I did ask to fight Nick Diaz.”
GSP’s timetable for a return continues to be a mystery, as he said he won’t be able to properly train until July, pushing him back to late in 2012 for an Octagon return.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, pierre, st
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 143: Carlos Condit on Nick Diaz – “I have a technical approach and feel like I can win this fight on the feet”
by Will Gray Interim titles always bring about a debate among Mixed martial Arts fans. Some see them as an excuse for runner ups to get a title and then a chance to unify against the reigning champ at a later date; others see it as a legitimate opportunity to weed out competition and set [...]
Posted in: title, arts fans, date others, feet ”, runner ups
Read the full article at Fighthub TVUFC 143: Carlos Condit on Nick Diaz – “I have a technical approach and feel like I can win this fight on the feet”
by Will Gray Interim titles always bring about a debate among Mixed martial Arts fans. Some see them as an excuse for runner ups to get a title and then a chance to unify against the reigning champ at a later date; others see it as a legitimate opportunity to weed out competition and set [...]
Posted in: title, arts fans, date others, feet ”, runner ups
Read the full article at Fighthub TVUFC 143: Johny Hendricks calling for the winner of Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit
Note to all UFC 170-pound title contenders: Stand down, "Bigg Rigg's" got this.
After embalming Jon Fitch at UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" last December in Las Vegas, bearded welterweight brain-scrambler Johny Hendricks is looking for a crack at the crown.
The Interim crown, to be exact.
That's because the 12-1 Okie is on the precipice of a division title shot, and he doesn't want it to fall by the wayside because he failed to keep himself relevant in the aftermath of what is easily the biggest win of his career.
And as he tells ESPN.com, the world's largest fight promotion has two big fights coming up this weekend and a wide open contender's bracket in the wake of UFC 143.
"I've been telling everybody I really want the winner of [Diaz/Condit]. You don't get this opportunity too often. Now that I've done it in the ring, I've got to do it outside the ring. If I don't promote myself outside the ring -- I mean, there are great fights going on and now they're happening almost every week. You can be forgotten. So if I don't say in the news that I want that interim title shot -- there's a fight this weekend in the 170 class, and [if Koscheck or Pierce] does good, I might get bumped. So I always got to be out there making my case. I want my goal. My goal is to be UFC champ some day, and I know I'm right there. I just need that shot. Here's the thing. Unless the UFC says, ‘Johny, you have to fight -- we want you to get a shot at the title, but we have some questions, and you need another one first,' then of course I'm not going to bite the hand that feeds me. I'm going to do what they say. But if it's up to me, I'd much rather go for the UFC interim belt. I've seen so many people who are right there, right there to get that shot and something happens ... it never fails, something happens, and they don't win. And then it takes them three or four fights to get back, which is a year to a year-and-a-half back, and that's if everything lines up perfectly."
Hendricks has just one defeat in 13 professional fights, a close unanimous decision loss to fellow division up-and-comer Rick Story. He's 9-1 under the Zuffa banner and toppled such names as Charlie Brenneman, Amir Sadollah and Mike Pierce.
But has he done enough to warrant a title shot in his next appearance?
Aside from Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck is fighting Pierce on Saturday night's main card. And let's not forget about the winner of Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez at UFC on Fuel TV in mid-February.
Who do you, as a fan, think should get first dibs on the winner of UFC 143?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, shot, i dont
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAre we heading into one of the best summers UFC has yet to offer?
Lets look ahead and look at all the different weight division going into the summer Heavyweight Title match - Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem With Cain looking to make his return soon, who could he face? I would love to see him go at it with Frank Mir since Mir's run is really strong right now and Cain just came off the loss of JDS, and with the Strikeforce Heavyweights coming in, there's a whole new sled of fights to be thrown together making the Heavyweight division more of a deeper division. And on top of that, we have Travis Browne who looks like a possible breakthrough in 2012 if he keeps his pace up. Light Heavyweight Title match - Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans Hendo is waiting in line so more likely than not he will get his shot at the title no matter who wins. While this little triangle gets fixed, who will rise up and be a contender? Phil Davis showed he needs a bit more experience before being considered a title contender. Alexander Gustafsson could very well break through that barrier if he manages to beat Lil Nog in impressive fashion. Who else can come through this year? Middleweight Title match - Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen The title match is the one we've been wanting to see much like Evans and Jones. Will Silva finally shut up Sonnen, or will Sonnen prove that past all the adversity that happened in the first fight he actually CAN beat Anderson Silva. Once that is settled... what else is left? If Anderson wins, does he fight Jones and then retire? will he just retire? will he have another title defense? If Sonnen wins, then that just opens the floodgates of contenders. On top of that list, I want to say Munoz. Disagree if you want. I would like to see another Bisping match. Any other contenders im forgetting? Welterweight Interim Title match - Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit Title match - Georges St-Pierre vs. Winner of above match This is the class that we need to clear out the smoke in most. After next weekend, we will know who will fight GSP this summer for the Welterweight title. Nick Diaz is the favorite because that's the man that GSP wants so badly. I myself am pulling for Condit, but hey, this is one unpredictable sport. As far as new contenders go, I think Johnny Hendricks is to be considered. If he can finish another top guy like he did to Jon Fitch, he can definitely be a force to be reckoned with. Same goes for Jake Ellenberger. If he can destroy Diego Sanchez, I like Jake's chances at getting a title shot within 2012. Lightweight Title match: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson That fight has FOTY written all over it IMO. I'm a huge Frankie fan, and Ben Henderson has been amazing since jumping to the UFC. Once its all said and done for this fight, the contender list is VERY long. Lauzon, Pettis, Diaz, Guida, Maynard (If Henderson wins), Miller. Edson Barboza is starting to show that he can definitely start hanging around with the big boys given just a tad more experience. I'm sure we can all agree he is going to have a very successful 2012. Featherweight Title match - Jose Aldo vs. ??? Who IS the #1 contender? The only people I can think of is Hatsu Hioki, and maybe a longshot but Chan Sung Jung. Other than that, who does Aldo have to worry about in the division? Dustin Poirier is definitely one to keep an eye on going into 2012, and it still WAY too soon for Diego Brandao to think of a UFC title shot. Bantamweight Title match - Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber They hate each other. They're going to coach TUF. How else can these two have a better build up than that for what is looking to be an epic 3rd fight? The contender list is short in here, but im sure while these two do TUF and the their title match, we can get a clear #1 contender that will fight either of them next. Flyweight Nothing really much to say here. We will more than likely crown the champion this summer as well, so we will officially have 8 UFC champions. So there you have it fellow redditors. Let me know what you think. Is this really one of the best summers UFC will have to offer? submitted by dp517 [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: fight, title, vs, contender, summer
Read the full article at RedditUFC 143 Video: Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit Primetime 2
FX aired the latest episode of the UFC's Primetime series for UFC 143. The show follows ex-Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz and former WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit as they prepare for their interim title bout at UFC 143 on February 4, 2012 in Las Vegas.
Diaz last fought at UFC 137 when he beat former light- and welterweight champ B.J. Penn by three round decision. Condit was supposed to fight Georges St. Pierre for the title at that same event but didn't get to fight at all when GSP dropped out with a strained knee.
Condit's title shot was to have passed to Diaz at UFC 143, but GSP tore the ACL on his other knee and Condit got called up for the interim title bout.
The third and final episode of UFC 143 Primetime airs on Feb. 3 on FX. In case you missed the first episode, that video is after the jump.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, condit, title bout
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJon Jones vs. Rashad Evans official for UFC 145 in Atlanta
Shortly after UFC went live on FOX last night, company officials confirmed that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones would make his third title defense on April 21. Less than two hours later, Jones’s opponent became official when Rashad Evans defeated Phil Davis in the main event of UFC on FOX. While Evans wasn’t spectacular in his victory over Davis, he managed to shut out “Mr. Wonderful” on the scorecards and set up the highly anticipated showdown between former friends and training partners, which is set to go down in Atlanta at UFC 145.
It’s been a long road back to the title for Evans, who was originally scheduled to fight for the belt after defeating Quinton Jackson back in May 2010. However, due to injuries suffered by him and then champion Mauricio Rua, “Suga” has had to defeat Tito Ortiz and Davis before being able to secure another shot at the gold. Now he returns to Atlanta, where his road to superstardom began when he knocked out UFC hall of famer Chuck Liddell with a highlight reel overhand at UFC 88.
When Evans went down with an injury, it was Jones who stepped up to face Rua in March 2011. “Bones” dominated “Shogun” en route to a third round stoppage and became the youngest fighter ever to hold UFC gold. Jones defended his title twice in 2011, stopping former champions “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida by submission and cementing his status as one of the best fighters in the sport.
Ever since Jones took the place of Evans and capture the title, the two have engaged war of words. Both men trained together under the guidance of Greg Jackson, but Rashad left the camp shortly after Jones became champion, feeling disrespected by the new 205 pound king. The two men will finally settle their differences later this year in a five round fight that is sure to produce fireworks.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, champion, evan
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUnderappreciated Evans earns his shot (Yahoo! Sports)
Few fighters have amassed the sort of record Rashad Evans has, but it will probably take a second UFC title reign to earn real respect.
Posted in: ufc, title, shot, evan, sort
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsRashad Evans, Chael Sonnen Advance to Title Shots at UFC on Fox
Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen both did what they had to do to move on to title fights later this year with their unanimous decision wins at UFC on Fox in Chicago.
Posted in: title, chael sonnen, title fights, chael, title shots
Read the full article at Heavy MMAEvans Clinches Title Shot, Routs Davis at UFC on Fox 2
Rashad Evans removed the last remaining obstacle standing between him and reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Posted in: ufc, title, champion, shot, evan
Read the full article at SherdogJon Jones Defends Light Heavyweight Title in UFC 145 Main Event
It's been rumored and an obvious choice, but on Saturday the UFC made it official. Light heavyweight champ Jon Jones will defend his title in the main event of UFC 145.
Posted in: ufc, title, jon jones, heavyweight, light
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC on FOX 2: It's been a long, hard road back to the title for Rashad Evans
It almost seems like the norm in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for a champion to get a crack at the belt he lost immediately upon getting back into the win column. It happened when Randy Couture was knocked out by Chuck Liddell at UFC 52 and "The Natural" needed only to beat Mike Van Arsdale to rematch "The Iceman." Down at 170 pounds, when Matt Hughes coughed up the welterweight strap to B.J. Penn, a win over Renato Verissimo was all that was necessary to secure another title shot for the long-time champion.
The same should have been said for Rashad Evans. He was removed from the light heavyweight throne -- and from his consciousness -- nearly three years ago way back at UFC 98 when Lyoto Machida knocked him out.
Since then, it seems that Evans' life has been the subject of the newest Lemony Snicket book as injuries, reality television and just overall bad timing have kept him from trying to regain the most prized possession in mixed martial arts (MMA). Should he defeat Phil Davis tonight (Jan. 28) in the main event of UFC on Fox 2 -- and remain injury-free -- he'll take on Jon Jones, presumably at UFC 145.
It's been quite the journey for "Suga" since UFC 98.
After losing his title, Evans returned to his UFC roots when he signed up for a coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). His opposing coach? None other than Quinton Jackson, who shared a tense faceoff with "Suga" after the UFC 96 main event. The season was the highest rated in the show's history thanks in part to Kimbo Slice's participation but also due to the rivalry between the two former light heavyweight champions. As is the norm for the reality TV show, the coaches were set to take each other on once the season ended but "Rampage" announced his abrupt retirement.
Evans instead took on Thiago Silva at UFC 108, an event so plagued by injury and terrible luck, it was thought to be cursed. The bad mojo surrounding the card very well could have acted as an omen for the next couple of years in Evans' career. He survived a last-round scare against the Brazilian and won the fight by decision. By this point, Jackson's brief "retirement" was over and he committed to taking on his TUF rival. At UFC 114, they finally collided and Evans used perfectly timed takedowns -- and one hell of an opening minute right hand -- to capture victory that night, ensuring a title shot against Mauricio Rua who had won the belt one event prior.
But "Shogun" was suffering from a knee injury and needed surgery. Evans opted to wait it out and nearly a year would pass before the Brazilian entered the Octagon again. Except it wasn't opposite "Suga." In a cruel twist of fate, the TUF 2 winner suffered his own injury while waiting for Rua to heal up from his. Unable to cash in his title shot, the opportunity instead went to his Greg Jackson camp teammate Jon Jones. Midway through the scheduled five-round championship fight, "Bones" became the youngest UFC champ in history.
This presented somewhat of a problem for the teammates. The main consensus among professional MMA fighters is that training partners are like family and in fighting simply isn't an option. In fact, Jones had gone on record saying that he would fake an injury in order to avoid fighting Evans, who he viewed as a brother. Interestingly enough, once "Bones" captured the title, his handlers announced a hand injury that required surgery. Evans, once again stuck on the outside looking in while his promised opponent was injured, decided not to make the same mistake twice. This time around, "Suga" decided to stay active and took a fight against Phil Davis for UFC 133.
That fight didn't take place. Why? You guessed it: injury. Davis bowed out and Tito Ortiz took his place on short notice in a rematch of their UFC 73 draw. "Suga" dominated his opponent and stopped "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" with a devastating knee to the body in the second round.
Jones, meanwhile, was miraculously spared surgery and has defended his belt against "Rampage" and Machida. It's expected he will make his third defense at UFC 145 in Atlanta, the same city where Evans jumped into the limelight at UFC 88. If Evans defeats Davis, he'll make another trip to the ATL for another career-defining fight.
That is assuming he suffers no injuries. And "Bones" stays healthy.
That shouldn't be too much to ask, right?
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, injury, evan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMFC 32 results recap from 'Bitter Rivals' last night (Jan. 27) in Edmonton
Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) 32: "Bitter Rivals" took place last night (Fri., Jan. 27, 2012) at the Mayfield Inn Trade and Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
In the main event, a pair of former MFC title challengers squared off as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Wilson Gouveia battled veteran Canadian scrapper Dwayne Lewis in what was planned to be the first five round non-title headlining bout in MFC history.
MFC CEO Mark Pavelich promised this wouldn't need all five rounds, or even three, and his prediction rang true as Gouveia made mince meat of Lewis' lead leg with a series of brutal leg kicks in the opening frame, although the veteran hung tough.
The damage became evident by the second round as Lewis began to visually react to each kick, limping, and when he paused briefly to grab his own shin after a particularly nasty kick, Gouveia pounced, taking down Lewis and finishing the fight after attaining backmount and pounding out a technical knockout victory.
It was Gouveia's first win in more than three years, and was a much needed strong conclusion to a very up-and-down night of fights.
Here's what the rest of the MFC 32 card looked like:
In the co-main event, Antonio McKee, who hours earlier had been stripped of his title for missing weight by seven pounds, got off to a hot start against his originally scheduled title challenger Brian Cobb, working a multifaceted attack that included stand up striking and his patented wrestling.
McKee repeatedly floored Cobb with takedowns and even kicks to the gut early on, but the 41 year old began to fade and Cobb took over in the third round, in which he spent the majority of his time on McKee's back looking for a rear naked choke.
It's kind of humorous, but by taking away the extra two rounds of the title fight, Pavelich may have cost Brian Cobb an opportunity to defeat McKee, a man he dearly wanted to see exit the MFC on a loss. Since they both missed weight, Pavelich promised to cut both men if Cobb were to lose.
No word on if the brash promoter will follow through.
In a highly anticipated welterweight match up, undefeated prospect Dhiego Lima was completely controlled and outclassed by veteran grappler Nathan Coy. Coy repeatedly took Lima down throughout the course of the fight, seven times in all, and never relented, even scoring in the stand up when Lima became too wary of his vaunted All-American level wrestling.
When all was said and done, Coy easily took a unanimous decision victory, handing the Brazilian prospect his first professional defeat and giving him a very important learning experience.
In other welterweight action, former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 13 participant, Ryan McGillivray stepped up against previously undefeated Diego Bautista and tapped him out with a third round armbar. It wasn't a good night to be an undefeated welterweight prospect in Edmonton.
Bautista had his moments, opening up a big gash on the TUF 13 veteran's head, which bloodied up the ring for the rest of the evening, but it simply wasn't enough as McGillivray used his aggression against him, locking up an arm and rolling over over, belly-down to finish the fight.
McGillivray and Coy will now battle for the vacant MFC welterweight title, last held by Dhiego Lima's older brother, Douglas.
Here are the full results from the MFC 32: "Bitter Rivals" main card:
Wilson Gouveia def. Dwayne Lewis via TKO at 3:19 of round twoAntonio McKee def. Brian Cobb via unanimous decisionRyan McGillivray def. Diego Bautista via submission (armbar) at 2:25 of round threeNathan Coy def. Dhiego Lima via unanimous decision Jamie Toney def. Kyle Jackson via unanimous decision Alberta.
To check out our complete MFC 32: "Bitter Rivals" event archive click here.
Posted in: title, round, mfc, cobb, gouveia
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMFC strips Antonio McKee of title after failure to make weight for MFC 32
At a crucial time where Maximum Fighting Championship is taking strides to become one of the largest MMA organizations in the world, the news that lightweight champ Antonio McKee missed weight for his scheduled bout tonight caused the company to take immediate action.
McKee, scheduled to fight Brian Cobb on the at the top of tomorrow night’s MFC 32 event, weighed in for his title match at 162 pounds, seven over the title match limit of 155. The company, owned by the often outspoken Mark Pavelich, took to social media immediately after the weigh-ins to announce McKee had been stripped of his lightweight title and would be released from the promotion regardless of the outcome of the fight.
The fight will go on as the scheduled co-main event but will now be contested at a catch-weight. Cobb’s contender status will be determined in the future after the fight is complete.
As of press time, Pavelich has yet to comment further.
Pavelich Excited About what MFC 32 Has to Offer
MFC 32: Bitter Rivals will commence from the Mayfield Inn Trade and Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will feature a five-round main event between Wilson Gouveia and Dwayne Lewis. The event airs on HDNet starting at 10:00 PM Eastern.
PHOTO CREDIT – MFC
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Posted in: fight, title, event, mfc, mckee
Read the full article at Fighters.comMcKee misses weight, stripped of MFC title
MFC lightweight champion Antonio McKee came in seven pounds overweight ahead of his MFC 32 title defence and was stripped of his belt.
Posted in: title, champion, weight, mfc, mckee
Read the full article at sportsnet.caAntonio “Mandingo” McKee will be stripped of his lightweight title after missing weight...
Antonio “Mandingo” McKee will be stripped of his lightweight title after missing weight by seven pounds for his MFC 32 fight against Brian Cobb on Jan. 27, 2012, from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. He's also expected to be cut from the promotion following tomorrow night's fight, according to Top MMA News.
Posted in: title, weight, mckee, brian cobb, ldquomandingordquo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMcKee Seven Pounds Overweight, Stripped of MFC LW Title
Antonio McKee has been stripped of the Maximum Fighting Championship lightweight title after coming in seven pounds overweight at Thursday’s MFC 32 weigh-ins.
Posted in: pound, title, mfc, thursday, mckee
Read the full article at SherdogChael Sonnen: “It’s not about a title shot – it’s about the title.”
The winner of Chael Sonnen’s co-headlining collision with Michael Bisping this Saturday night at UFC on FOX 2 will earn a coveted crack at the UFC middleweight championship. However, as far as Sonnen is concerned it’s the same as any other fight he’s ever been in.
“I’m not after a title shot, and this is the big thing that separates me from everyone else,” explained Sonnen in an interview with the UFC’s website. “I’ve never asked for a title shot and it’s not about a title shot – it’s about the title.”
Sonnen Plans to do “A Lot of Physical Harm” to Bisping in Chicago
The 34-year old’s interest in the gold is not unlike his peers’ but where his opinion differs from most relates to the difference between the worth of a “title shot” in comparison to that of a champion’s legacy.
“For so many guys, they want that title shot and they sit and they argue and they go to the media and they politick for these opportunities, and I’ll fight my way through,” Sonnen continued. “And if somebody can beat me, then I don’t deserve it; if somebody can beat me, then they should go have it. I don’t need politics or the media or anything else to propel me. If my skills and my ability won’t do it, then I don’t want it. It’s not about the shot and these fake opportunities because you politicked your way through the system. I will punch my way through the system, and if it fails me, then I shouldn’t be there in the first place.”
As far as what belt he’ll actually be fighting for, though UFC President Dana White has been adamant in saying Sonnen will fight Anderson Silva a second time if he emerges victorious, the 26-11-1 grappler has been equally firm in his opinion that “The Spider” won’t face him in a rematch after narrowly escaping their original encounter with his title in tow.
“He can go off and do what he wants,” said Sonnen of Silva. “But he will be remembered the same way Mike Tyson is – as a phony. I had to grow up hearing Mike Tyson was the best fighter in the world when he was never – not for one day of his life – the best fighter in America. He never won a national title as a kid, he never made an Olympic team as an amateur, he could never beat Evander Holyfield, he never was the best fighter in America, but for 10 years they told us he was the world champ. It’s the same with Anderson. He’ll be remembered the same way. His pocketbook and his bank account will look really good, and he’ll be remembered as the wimp that he is.”
Before anything Sonnen will have to get by Bisping at this weekend’s epic event on FOX. The show starts at 8:00 PM EST with preliminary action on FX/Facebook in the hours preceding the main card clashes.
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Posted in: title shot, title, ’t, shot, sonnen
Read the full article at Fighters.comBrian Cobb Wants to Build on 2011 with MFC Title
Last year was a solid step forward for MFC lightweight title contender Brian “The Bandit” Cobb. He plans to keep building on 2011 by adding the MFC championship on Friday night.
Posted in: title, mfc, brian cobb, mfc title, mfc championship
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyTo Get to Jon Jones, Rashad Evans Has to Beat Phil Davis and Greatest Foe: Bad Luck
Filed under: UFCIt's hard enough to win a fight at the highest levels of mixed martial arts. If that was Rashad Evans' only task, it would be plenty to think about. But like every other athlete on the UFC roster, Evans wants not only to win, but also to be the best fighter in his division. Unlike most athletes on the roster, though, it's a real possibility for Evans. But it will require peripheral vision; his eyes have to scan wider than what's in front of them on Saturday night.
First things first, of course. At UFC on FOX 2, he'll have his hands full with Phil Davis, an unbeaten hulk who has had 10 months to add weapons into his arsenal. Still, Evans is the favorite. And in order to accomplish his secondary goal of finally securing a title fight, it's not enough just to win; he'll also have to emerge unscathed.
If he only manages the former and not the latter, he will go at least two years since the moment he was first named No. 1 contender, with no title shot in sight.
Yes, you read that right. Two years.
Timing has undone all of Evans' last three bites at the apple.
First, Evans was knocked out of a March 2011 title shot due to an injured knee suffered in training. Then, he was to fight for the belt in August, but an injury sidelined his opponent, Jon Jones. And finally, an Evans' thumb injury torpedoed a proposed December championship encounter.
Now, Jones is saying he will be ready to fight in the spring, preferably at the April 21 UFC event in Atlanta. That would give Evans -- if victorious -- less than three months to rest and prepare. If he can't make that date, he's likely out of luck again, as UFC has Dan Henderson and his right hand of doom cocked and loaded. That would send Evans to the sidelines again, to wait for some other opportunity to open up, probably in the summer at earliest.
The situation leaves him with a small window, both for this specific title opportunity and for his career.
It was back in May of 2010 when Evans was first declared next in line to fight for the belt. At the time, it seemed like little was standing in his way. He was peaking. At 30 years old, he'd just dispatched Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, while Mauricio "Shogun" Rua had just KO'd Lyoto Machida to take the title. Jones had yet to sniff the division's top 10, and Evans seemed to have a clear path to fight for the belt.
But due to various circumstances, he's never gotten the chance to cash in his chip. He's now 32 years old, and while he hasn't yet shown any signs of slowing, most scientific studies suggest that male athletes peak between the ages of 27-30. That means that two of his best years were at best underused, and at worst, wasted.
Keep in mind that Evans has only fought one time in the last 18 months, a second-round TKO win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 133. Let's face it, that win, while impressive in its dominance, didn't tell us anything we didn't already know about Evans. For all of his importance as an MMA pioneer, Ortiz has been on a steady decline, with only a single victory in the last five years. Even if his losses have come against good opposition, they are still losses.
It was a fight that Evans had to win impressively, and he did so. But he didn't leave it without a hand injury, one that cost him a UFC 140 date with Jones. Davis may be green, but he's likely to be a much more competitive opponent for Evans than Ortiz was. He's younger, stronger and probably hungrier, as well.
So where does that leave Evans? Either he's going to have to fight in a conservative style, minimize risk of injury and edge out a win on points, or he can go for broke, look to finish Davis quickly and get out of dodge. Either way, there's no guarantee he'll finally get what he's long been promised.
Despite all the boos Evans routinely hears walking into arenas, there's no denying that he has publicly handled the situation well. Imagine what it would be like to be so close but so far repeatedly. The frustration of it all must be somewhere inside of him, but he refuses to let it out, even though it envelops his situation.
Just this week, he was asked about the possibility that with Jones' request to fight in April, he could be bypassed yet again, No. 1 contender at large, in perpetuity. His answer was quite diplomatic.
"Jon's the champion and right now he's on top of the world so I guess he gets to make those choices," he said. "I'm trying to get to where he's at. With that said, I don't own any spot. I've had the privilege to be said I'm the No. 1 contender a couple times, but I've still yet to fight for the belt. That said, if the UFC has another contender they want to put in there to make the show go on, then that's by all means what they have to do. But that does not stop what I'm going to do which is keep on winning. And eventually, no matter what, I will get that title shot."
It must seem like forever ago when everything was right in front of him. Everything probably seemed so easy then. But time has passed, and Evans knows that there are no easy routes to the top. As he's learned, becoming the champion is not just about winning, and luck hasn't exactly always been on his side. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, evan, he
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseChael Sonnen - Creature of Habit
In mixed martial arts, variety is often the spice of life. But not to Chael Sonnen, the middleweight contender who has never strayed from his native Oregon and the gifts that familiarity breeds, even after enduring the struggle to get them.“It’s one of the bigger challenges of this sport – the monotony,” he said. “The same drive, the same gym, the same smells, the same sounds, the same awful track playing in the CD player, the same voices, the same drills. It’s very monotonous, and it’s very difficult mentally, aside from the physical work. I’m always looking for some way to add a little excitement back to it, or to freshen things up, but I don’t have the answer for that. I’m stuck more in the rat race end of it.”Surviving that rat race has paid off though, if you consider that Sonnen has won four of his last five UFC bouts, came within 1:50 of winning the middleweight title, and in the process established himself as one of the mixed martial arts’ most compelling stars. So don’t expect him to be switching up from his familiar haunts at Team Quest anytime soon.“I don’t do well on the road, I don’t do well away from home,” he said. “I’m not ever gonna leave. I was born in West Linn, Oregon, I will die in West Linn, Oregon, and I don’t like to go far. I eat here, sleep here, train here, I don’t like to have to go anywhere, and that’s okay, I’m not complaining about it. There is something to be said for doing the same thing over and over each day with the same people in the same place, and you can’t get around it.”And while it’s Sonnen’s outlandish quotes that are the ones lighting up Twitter and message boards around the sporting world in the last couple years, when it comes to his craft, Sonnen is at his best, revealing the parts of the game few prizefighters will, simply because it would make them appear to be less than supermen. Sonnen has never subscribed to that notion, readily admitting that when all is said and done, a fist fight with another well-trained athlete isn’t the ideal night out many of his peers make it out to be. But the 34-year old has never shied away from that walk to the Octagon, even when the situation is less than ideal.“Those are mental skills that I’ve worked on and I’m not gonna share the secret to success because a lot of people do struggle with it, and those athletes can find their own journey,” he said. “But it’s just part of it. The event’s going to take place whether we want to do it or not, whether we feel good or not, whether we’re happy or sad – the event is going to happen. So the question is, how are you going to deal with it when it does?”Since his return to the UFC in 2009, Sonnen has dealt with his second lease on life in the Octagon with wins and brutal honesty, a deadly combination that is also a highly marketable one. But while it’s the soundbites that have made him a star, it’s his fights that have made him arguably the best 185-pound fighter in the world not named Anderson Silva. And should he defeat Michael Bisping this Saturday night in the UFC on FOX co-main event in Chicago, he will get another shot at the champion later this year. Yet Sonnen isn’t concerned with the shot, per se.“I’m not after a title shot, and this is the big thing that separates me from everyone else,” he explains. “I’ve never asked for a title shot and it’s not about a title shot – it’s about the title. And for so many guys, they want that title shot and they sit and they argue and they go to the media and they politick for these opportunities, and I’ll fight my way through. And if somebody can beat me, then I don’t deserve it; if somebody can beat me, then they should go have it. I don’t need politics or the media or anything else to propel me. If my skills and my ability won’t do it, then I don’t want it. It’s not about the shot and these fake opportunities because you politicked your way through the system. I will punch my way through the system, and if it fails me, then I shouldn’t be there in the first place.”So evening the score with Silva isn’t an issue?“That rematch is never gonna happen,” said Sonnen. “Don’t get caught up in that. Anderson and I will never cross paths again.”And Sonnen is okay with that?“Yeah, that’s the way it goes.”But even if he won the title, would never getting another shot at Silva eat at him?“I imagine it will, but such is life. You pack up and you move on.”You guessed it, the Gangster from West Linn is just getting warmed up.“The title’s the goal, not Anderson,” Sonnen continues. “He can go off and do what he wants. But he will be remembered the same way Mike Tyson is – as a phony. I had to grow up hearing Mike Tyson was the best fighter in the world when he was never – not for one day of his life – the best fighter in America. He never won a national title as a kid, he never made an Olympic team as an amateur, he could never beat Evander Holyfield, he never was the best fighter in America, but for 10 years they told us he was the world champ. It’s the same with Anderson. He’ll be remembered the same way. His pocketbook and his bank account will look really good, and he’ll be remembered as the wimp that he is.”Needless to say, Sonnen’s venom for “The Spider” is still strong, and maybe he’s just laying the promotional groundwork for a rematch that would likely shatter attendance and Pay-Per-View records. But first there’s the business of Bisping, the Brit who isn’t about to let his own opportunity for a shot at Silva fade away without a fight. And Sonnen knows this, so he’s taken his foot off the smack talk pedal a bit leading up to this one, instead showing a grudging respect for the skills of “The Count.”“These guys are all so tough,” said Sonnen. “They really are. I look at Bisping’s skills and I don’t know that it’s tickling me with a feather, but I look at Bisping’s record, and I go ‘damn, the one thing that guy knows how to do is win.’ And Bisping’s been in a lot of big fights, he’s headlined shows, sold out arenas, and he’s a winner. First and foremost, he wins matches, so it’s not like they dealt to me from the bottom of the deck here – this guy’s a good fighter, his name’s been in title contention, and I’m a supporter for the most part. A lot of people don’t think Bisping’s ready for title shots and big fights, and I’m sitting on my couch going, well, he’s beating everybody they’re putting in front of him. I don’t think we can badmouth him with a straight face for too much longer.”Whether Bisping is a tougher fight for Sonnen than the man he replaced - the injured Mark Munoz - remains to be seen, but the veteran from Oregon is well aware that whether they talk smack or play nice, when Saturday night comes, they have to fight. “He’s coming after me, I’m coming after him. That’s all the motivation you need.”It’s simple. It’s direct. It’s Chael Sonnen, creature of habit.
Posted in: fight, title, ’t, shot, sonnen
Read the full article at UFCUFC on FOX 2's Davis 'absolutely' expects title shot but has no preference when
It's one of those seemingly one-sided UFC deals: If fighter "A" wins
this fight, he gets a title shot. If fighter "B" wins, well, great job!
You can imagine how fighter "B" feels to get another reminder of the oh-so-frequent lesson that life is rarely fair.
Maybe Phil Davis is just playing Pollyanna, but he
today told MMAjunkie.com that he expects a title
shot if he beats Rashad Evans at UFC on FOX 2,
which takes place Saturday at Chicago's United Center and airs live on
FOX.
Posted in: title shot, title, fighter, rashad evans, fighter b
Read the full article at MMA JunkieNate Diaz vs. Jim Miller Set for UFC on Fox 3 on May 5
Filed under: UFCA lightweight fight that could earn the winner a shot at the championship has been added to the May 5 UFC on Fox event in New Jersey.
UFC President Dana White announced that Nate Diaz will fight Jim Miller on that fight card, making it the first fight announced for the main card to be shown on the Fox network.
Miller is coming off a very impressive first-round submission win over Melvin Guillard in the main event of Friday night's UFC on FX show. The UFC was clearly eager to get Miller back inside the Octagon quickly after that. Diaz is on a two-fight winning streak, having beaten Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone in back-to-back fights since moving back down to lightweight after previously fighting at welterweight.
The winner of the Diaz-Miller fight will have a very good case to make that he deserves to be the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division. Diaz and Miller are two of the best 155-pounders who haven't yet received a shot at the lightweight title.
UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will face Ben Henderson in February at UFC 144, but beyond that the UFC lightweight title picture is murky. None of the top lightweight title contenders are riding winning streaks of longer than a couple of fights, so whoever wins between Diaz and Miller may be next in line. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, miller
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC On Fox 2: Middleweight Division State of the Union
With so many fights coming up spread across eight different weight classes, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in every division. Here, we take a look at where a particular division stands right now, and where it's headed.
On this Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 show, the Middleweight division will take center stage. Though it's Light Heavyweights Rashad Evans and Phil Davis who will be headlining, the show is rounded out by a pair of intriguing Middleweight fights that became even more notable after some recent shuffling. As we prepare to watch 4 of the division's best compete on network television, let's break down where things stand at 185.
Next in Line:
As a result of Mark Munoz bowing out of this weekend's show due to injury, we now have the #2 ranked Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping (#7) on Fox. Dana White has stated that the winner here will be next in line for a title shot, and while those statements from Dana don't always pan out, I imagine this one will. Clearly the big fight here is Sonnen vs. Silva 2, which has been mentioned as possibly going down in Brazil. I'm no Sonnen fan, but I will be strongly rooting for him against Bisping, simply to see that rematch.
Bisping will look to use his striking to be the spoiler here. I think he's in over his head (especially taking the fight on relatively short notice), but if he can somehow manage to avoid the takedowns and outpoint Sonnen on the feet, a Bisping vs. Silva fight in England makes a lot of sense as well. It won't have nearly the sizzle of a Sonnen rematch, but it's a fine title defense.
Key Match Ups:
The problem is what comes after Sonnen or Bisping. Silva has recently started his 6th (!) year as UFC champion, which means he has systematically demolished the division. Two fights from now, Silva will be looking at either a rematch against an opponent who he handily defeated already (Maia, Belfort, Okami) or facing a new challenger who may feel a bit rushed into a title fight (Munoz, Weidman, Stann).
It's hard to know exactly where the division will go in the coming months, and who might step up to the plate. But there are a few notable upcoming fights that may help sort things out.
#5 Demian Maia vs. #19 Chris Weidman (UFC on Fox 2) - With Munoz injured and Bisping bumped up, Chris Weidman gets the call up and the biggest chance of his young career. The 7-0 fighter has been in the UFC for less than a year, but has already impressed. This is a huge fight for him, with massive rewards. A win over Maia vaults him to the top 10, and very possibly a title eliminator fight next time out. Maia is 3-1 since his loss to Silva, and due largely to the notoriously weird title fight, he feels far removed from the title scene. A win over Weidman is unlikely to get him much closer.
#3 Yushin Okami vs. #25 Tim Boetsch (UFC 144) - Okami seems to be in almost the exact same spot as Maia - a very skilled fighter, but one whose loss to Silva and lack of selling points seems to put him way outside the title picture. He's best served as a gate-keeper, which is the role he'll play against Boetsch. The Barbarian is 2-0 at Middleweight, and has looked good each time. This is a major step up for him, but like Weidman, he could really make a move with a win.
#8 Brian Stann vs. #23 Alessio Sakara (UFC on Fuel 2) - Stann is a great story and highly marketable, which makes him a perfect potential challenger. Only trouble is he lost big to Sonnen last time out. This fight feels like a bit of a softball to get him back on track. It's not that Sakara is a bad fighter, but he'll be happy to stand and trade with Stann, providing good opportunity for Stann to add a highlight reel KO and get back on track.
#5 Vitor Belfort vs. #15 Wanderlei Silva (TUF Brazil) - Vitor and Wanderlei are set to coach against each other on the Brazilian version of The Ultimate Fighter, which will air on Fuel. This is not to be confused with the traditional American version with Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz set to coach next. Vitor and Wand will face off in the finals, as is tradition. Details are not 100% yet, with no date known, but this is a much needed fight between two legends who have looked to rematch for over 10 years.
More in the complete entry.
More SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2
In The Mix:
A handful of Middleweights also factor into the title scene, but do not have any fights currently scheduled:
#4 Mark Munoz - Munoz's injury may have cleared things up at the top for a bit, but it did so by pushing him out of the immediate title picture. Hopefully he can bounce back soon. If he does, expect a tough fight against another name close to the top. Perhaps the Sonnen vs. Bisping loser?
#13 Alan Belcher - I really can not fathom Belcher as a title challenger, but he's a very talented fighter who looked good in his return last year. Stranger things have happened.
#18 Rousimar Palhares - As long as the UFC keeps lining opponents up, Toquinho will be there to rip apart their legs. The question for him is, can he defeat the upper tier of fighters? So far, he's beaten every mid level opponent, but when moved up against the likes of Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt, he's lost. That seems like his destiny, but if he can break through that barrier, he'd make a fascinating new name at the top.
Others to Consider:
And finally, as always, those Middleweights who are outside the title picture, but should be mentioned:
Jason Miller - Last time I made this list, Mayhem was in the very closest title mix. Now, he's barely in the UFC. That's what a single truly bad performance can do to you. Where he goes from here is quite up in the air, but you can say this - his next fight out will be perhaps the most crucial fights of his career if he wants to stay in the UFC.
Constantinos Philippou - With two straight wins and the defeat of Hamman at UFC 140 standing out, Costa is starting to make nice name for himself at 185. Next up for him is Court McGee on the main card of UFC on FX 2, where Philippou could use his hands and turn some heads.
Clifford Starks - This undefeated wrestler has good potential, but is still quite new to the UFC. I only include him because his next fight happens to come on a PPV main card, as he faces Ed Herman at UFC 143. Like Jim Hettes vs. Nam Phan, this is a fight that can really launch Starks's career if he puts in a big performance for the PPV audience.
Poll
Who will be the next UFC Middleweight title challenger?
Chael Sonnen
Michael Bisping
Other
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Posted in: ufc, fight, title, vs, sonnen
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC Quick Quote: Miguel Torres wants to win the bantamweight title before 2012 is over
"I'm thankful for my manager Glenn Robinson and (Authentic Sports) Management. He has turned my career around. The 'Blackzilians' have become like family to me. I'm also thankful for the people who run my gym (Torres MMA) and look after things when I'm away training in Florida or with Firas Zahabi. The group at Tristar has really taken me in and made me feel like one of their own. Everybody makes mistakes. I made a mistake and did my best to correct it. Now I look forward to the future and what you can do in the cage. My goal for 2012 is to walk away with the UFC bantamweight title."
-- Miguel Torres talks to Heavy MMA about his plans for 2012, which include winning the bantamweight championship he lost to Brian Bowles way back in the WEC days in 2009. It will be a touch road to traverse for the East Chicago, Ind., native, all things considered. For starters, he's still dealing with with the public relations nightmare created by his tweeting a rape joke and subsequently getting fired by the UFC. He's since been hired back, of course, but the damage was largely done. That's without even mentioning the fact that he's still got quite a ways to go before his name can even come up in a conversation with current 135-pound king Dominick Cruz without laughter immediately following it. His journey back to the title starts with an intriguing match-up against the up-and-coming Michael McDonald at UFC 145 on April 21 in Atlanta. Anyone think the year 2012 will end with Miguel Torres hoisting championship gold?
Posted in: ufc, title, bantamweight, torre, miguel
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC On FX: Miller Vs. Guillard And The UFC Lightweight Title Picture
What a difference 6 months can make. For Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard, the last 6 months have been a time of disappointment. It was not long ago that both men were on the very short list of posible next challengers to Frankie Edgar and the UFC Lightweight title. But Ben Henderson's wrestling and Joe Lauzon's submissions ended those dreams - for now at least. Now Miller and Guillard meet in the main event of UFC on FX tonight. The loser will suffer a second straight loss, while the winner will take a key step on the road back to the title. But where exactly will the winner be on that road? How do these two former close contenders now fit into the UFC Lightweight title picture?
For Miller in particular, a win could vault him right back to the top. At the time of the Henderson fight, he was likely only one win away from a title shot, and a win over Guillard, main eventing on TV, will go a long way towards erasing the memory of that loss. The fact that Henderson is now challenging for the title helps Miller's cause too - it's one thing to lose to a lower tier opponent, and something else entirely to lose to the #1 contender. The only trouble for Miller is that a Henderson win would potentially put Miller on the back burner. While a good fight, Miller vs. Henderson was rather definitive, and is not a fight clamoring for an instant rematch.
For Guillard, the road back up is probably a bit longer. It's unlikely a win over Lauzon would have earned him a title shot, so he was not already as close as Miller. His 5 fight win streak before the Lauzon fight was indeed impressive, but he doesn't yet have that big name on his resume to prop him up. Miller could be that name.
What Guillard does have going for him is something Miller lacks - the Wow factor. Guillard is a big personality with KO power in his hands and a pair of Knockout of the Night bonuses to his credit. He's a flashy fighter who stands in sharp contrast to Miller's more workmanlike approach. When Guillard wins, he often wins in spectacular fashion, and if makes a highlight reel of Miller, that's a huge step towards the belt.
But for both men, the jump from title hunt to title challenger depends on a major factor that is largely out of their control - timing. In the volatile UFC Lightweight division, timing is everything when it comes to title shots. Time and again we've seen possible challengers make a name for themselves, only to fall while waiting for their shot. Miller and Guillard are prime examples, but there's also Dennis Siver, Clay Guida, Anthony Pettis, George Sotiropoulos... all close to challenging, all defeated while waiting. Meanwhile the men who have gotten the shots have not always been the absolute most deserving - they've just been in the right place at the right time. There's no better example than champ Edgar, who challenged B.J. Penn after defeating Matt Veach - not the kind of name you expect to face immediately before a title shot. But Edgar had looked good in his wins and was on a winning streak when Penn needed an opponent. He got the call, and he made the most of it.
Had Maynard vs. Edgar 2 not gone to a draw, had the 3rd fight not been delayed due to injury, perhaps Miller vs. Henderson never would have happened and Jim Miller would already be the UFC Lightweight champion. But in this talent-rich division, you can only last so long before being toppled.
For Miller and Guillard, a Lightweight title shot is still within sight. To get there, they have to get through tonight. And if the winner can get through in an impressive fashion? He could easily find himself suddenly right back where he was 6 months ago - fighting off the sharks of the division, hoping that his time is coming.
SBN coverage of UFC on FX
Posted in: ufc, title, miller, guillard, shot
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFor Mark Munoz, Lost Opportunity Tough to Swallow, But Title Hopes Unphased
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, mark munoz, munoz, mattyblayze link, unphased
Read the full article at RedditPat Curran gets crack at Bellator champion Joe Warren in March at Bellator 61
Bellator featherweight champ Joe Warren (7-2) will defend his title on March 9 against Pat Curran at Bellator 61, an event set for Hammond, Indiana at the Horseshoe Casino. Warren was originally scheduled to put his belt on the line against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire but the Brazilian was forced out of the bout due to injury, thus opening the door for Curran to slide in.
News of the match-up was confirmed by Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.
The 16-4 Curran earned his shot at Warren by winning the promotion’s Summer Series featherweight tournament last year. Curran also competed for the Bellator lightweight title in 2011, falling to Eddie Alvarez via decision, after taking out a slew of savvy 155ers to get the opportunity.
The bout will mark Warren’s return to the featherweight division after making a run at becoming a double-champion by dropping down to 135 pounds. He was defeated in the opening round of last season’s bantamweight tournament via knockout against eventual finalist Alexis Vila.
“Only thing better than Curran vs. Warren is having it in Bellator’s backyard! FW title’s on the line March 9 at Hammond’s Horseshoe,” Rebney posted on his Twitter account. Bellator is based out of Chicago, only a thirty-minute drive from Hammond. Additionally, Curran is a native of nearby Crystal Lake, Illinois, so he should have a large crowd support in his favor for the title contest.
PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR
Posted in: bellator, title, featherweight, warren, curran
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainCurran vs. Warren title fight set for Bellator 61
Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren is set to defend his 145-pound title against Pat Curran in the main event at Bellator 61.
Posted in: bellator, title, champion, warren, curran
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC Lightweight Melvin Guillard: ‘I’m Going to Have a Title Shot in 2012’
Melvin Guillard was close to a UFC title shot when he was submitted by Joe Lauzon. He believes a win over Jim Miller in Nashville will get him back on track.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, joe lauzon, jim miller
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC on FX 1′s Jim Miller Looking for More Than Redemption Against Melvin Guillard
The UFC’s landmark deal with Fox to bring its fights to network television has also put the promotion on Fox’s FX and Fuel TV channels and the UFC will host its first FX event this Friday with UFC on FX 1 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The main event features two lightweights looking to return to title contention in Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller. The latter, Miller, will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since August, when he lost for the first time in over two years at the hands of Ben Henderson.
After seven consecutive wins in the UFC, Miller was on the brink of earning a title shot, and a rematch with UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who beat Miller in 2006 before either was in the UFC. But that streak came to an end, as Miller lost a decision to Henderson, who is now scheduled to fight Edgar for the title at UFC 144 in February.
However, that loss certainly has not changed Miller’s mindset.
“A win on Friday picks either one of us up from our recent losses,” Miller told MMAFrenzy.com, refering to his loss to Henderson and Guillard’s 47-second defeat to Joe Lauzon at UFC 136 in October.
“I would not say it is a number one contender’s bout, as Guillard has stated, but if things go our way, it could definitely set us up for a title shot in the near future.”
While Guillard has been quoted as saying that he was told this fight is indeed a number one contender’s bout, Miller says it’s just another fight in his mind.
“For me, it is just another fight,” said Miller. “I am very excited to fight Melvin as he is very dangerous and has proven that in previous fights. I feel I matchup well, and I have got to make him fight my fight, which I always try to do.”
Aside from Guillard’s hopes that a title shot is on the line, Guillard’s move from Greg Jackson’s team in New Mexico to training with Rashad Evans and the self-anointed “Blackzilians” in Boca Raton, Florida has dominated the pre-fight storylines. While Jackson was seen as a pivotal figure in the stabilization of the lightweight’s career, Guillard decided to begin training full-time in Florida, after doing so part time prior to his most recent fight at UFC 136.
But even with that change, Miller does not make much of it.
“I never expect a fighter to be the same fighter, regardless of their training camp,” said Miller. “I am always changing things with my own training, so I am always changing, too. Wherever he trains, it does not matter.”
Miller is well aware of just how many changes a training camp can bring, both inside and outside of the gym. Those changes were never more evident, leading up to his most recent fight in August, as he started to feel exasperated in the last week leading up to his fight.
“While I am always tired after training, this was different,” Miller explained. “But I just chalked it up to hard training. I didn’t want to make excuses.”
But excuses could certainly have been made after Miller left the cage on fight night. With both a loss and a sense of confusion on his mind, Miller knew there had to be something more. And there was.
“If I had known I had mono (nucleosis) and a kidney infection going into that fight, I would have pulled out.”
Even with that result and the cause for his performance explained, Miller is still not going to make excuses. With an opportunity to redeem himself on Friday against a prime opponent, Miller is solely focused on climbing the ladder to again contend for the title.
“If I can finish Melvin impressively, I think it puts me right back where I was. It would still take another win to get a title shot, but the division is always changing.”
Many fans have felt that Miller does not get the attention he deserves, along with a title shot he should have been in contention for much sooner. Whether that is due to fighting style or personality, Miller knows he can only control so much.
“You would like to think it always comes down to who the best fighter is, but that is not always the case. Sometimes decisions are made on who can sell the most tickets or pay-per-views, but I know that no matter who it is I am going up against, I can make a fight with anyone.”
For complete coverage of UFC on FX 1 stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, miller, guillard
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyMunoz out, Bisping vs. Sonnen on UFC on FOX 2 for a TITLE SHOT
Chael Sonnen just went from fighting a dude with a wrestling aptitude on par with his own, to competing against a guy that hails from a country that is virtually devoid of wrestling. The conventional belief is that when two non-heavyweight fighters are equally matched in stand-up, the determining factor of the hypothetical bout will come down to the attribute of wrestling. Extracting a conclusion based on the previous set of data, one would be inclined to believe there's an elevated probability that Sonnen vs. Silva II will go down at some point this summer for the UFC middleweight title. In no way have I implied that Michael Bisping will lose in exactly the same fashion as Brian Stann -- not in anyway. I'm simply taking your beliefs and filtering them through this vast medium known as the 'Internet.' Believe what you want.
Dana White broke the news today via Twitter that Mark Munoz is out of UFC on FOX 2 and has been replaced by Michael Bisping.White also stated the winner of Sonnen vs. Bisping will get a title shot against Anderson Silva. Correction, if Sonnen defeats Bisping, Anderson Silva will get a shot at Chael Sonnen's title.
Posted in: title, news today, bisping, sonnen, nonheavyweight fighters
Read the full article at Middle EasyGeorges St. Pierre Looking To Return Late This Year
UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has revealed a tentative timeline for his return to action. The injured champion told Inside MMA that he is planning on resuming hard training in July, and is looking to return to the Octagon in late October or early November of this year.
Hard training will [resume] in July, and fighting again... for the timing to get back I would say the beginning of November. I can come back in November.
You think you will fight before this year is up?
Oh yeah, of course. I hope so, please, give it to me... Late October, beginning of November. That would be good.
St. Pierre was scheduled to defend his title at UFC 137, and then at UFC 143, but was sidelined due to an ACL injury. If he does return at the end of October, it will be roughly 18 months since his last fight, an April 2011 title defense against Jake Shields at UFC 129.
The question for the UFC will be what to do with the Welterweight title in the meantime. Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz fight for the interim belt on February 4, leaving a full 9 months before a possible title unification bout with GSP. That's a tough timeline. Do you gamble on GSP returning as scheduled and put the belt on hold for 9 months, potentially leaving a hot Condit or Diaz out of action for the bulk of the year? Or do you schedule an interim title defense - a move that could lead to another title change and potentially weaken interest in the unification match? And if you do schedule another defense, who is the challenger? It's a tough call, and I imagine depends in part on how Condit vs. Diaz plays out.
But either way, it's good to hear that GSP is on his way back. Whatever you think of his style, his absence from the division is notable, and I'd rather see him fight than fade away due to injury.
Full video, including some advice from Phil Davis, in the complete entry.
Posted in: ufc, title, year, november, return
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJose Aldo's Trainer Says No Move To Lightweight Without Immediate Title Shot
There's a very strange desire in the MMA fanbase for UFC champions to jump around in weight as soon as they have defended their title a few times. That noise is popping up again now that Jose Aldo destroyed Chad Mendes in their UFC 142 featherweight title fight. His trainer, Andre Pederneiras, told Sherdog that it's not likely to happen:
"If it depends on me, it won't happen. Unless he leaves the team to train somewhere else and someone agrees with that, because I will not," the coach joked in an interview with Sherdog.com. "It won't happen for now, unless he goes straight for a title shot. Not, ‘Oh no, he left the featherweight belt, moved up to lightweight and started from the beginning,' no way."
He also talked about Aldo running into the crowd following his win:
"I expected him to do something stupid, especially here," Pederneiras laughed, producing from his pocket the Flamengo soccer jersey which Aldo was supposed to wear after the win. "He did [the same thing] in San Diego and he had to hear a lot from the commission staff. But here, with all that crowd, I knew."
Look, I get the desire to see a champion fight other champions and be tested in difficult ways. But, as we've talked about plenty in the past, long-reigning champions are a good thing. Especially when the lower weight classes are still trying to gain traction. The idea that Aldo should be looking to jump up to lightweight after he has his best UFC showing and a great moment with running into the crowd and being mobbed is just crazy talk.
Aldo has the potential to be a real star, but rushing him up in weight isn't going to do him (or the division as a whole) any favors.
SBN coverage of UFC RIO 142: Aldo vs. Mendes
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, champion, aldo
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowGSP says he wants Diaz to win interim title
Even though Georges St-Pierre doesn't like Nick Diaz, he wants him to beat Carlos Condit and win the UFC interim welterweight title.
Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, title, gsp, carlos condit
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 142: Jose Aldo Defends And Vitor Belfort Gets Retribution
Heading in to this evening, UFC 142 looked a little less than a PPV worthy card on paper. However, as Dana White likes to remind us, oftentimes these somewhat lackluster cards deliver in spades on action. And tonight he was proven to be correct.
The main card opened with a guaranteed action fight in Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim. My pre-fight speculation was that Etim could not compete with Barboza's dynamic striking and would lose a unanimous decision. In the opening minute, Etim showed that he thought the same as he tried for takedowns throughout the first round. Barboza spent the first two rounds picking Etim apart with blazing fast striking while simultaneously defending Etim's increasingly desperate takedown attempts. Round 3 seemed to be more of the same until Edson unleashed the beast in an incredible spinning heel kick KO. Considering the wrestler heavy top of the Lightweight division, I don't think Barboza will ever get the title, but he'll definitely continue to be a force. A matchup against Donald Cerrone, who's coming off a loss to Nick Diaz, would be guaranteed fireworks.
In the one dark spot on the card Carlo Prater faced off against Erick Silva. Prater got the rare opportunity to make his UFC debut on the main card, but it came at a hefty price in facing Silva who was coming off a 40 second knockout of Luis Ramos. In less than 30 seconds, it seemed that Silva would continue his streak of quick KO's when Mario Yamasaki pulled Erick Silva off his turtle'd opponent. However, Yamasaki awarded the fight to Prater as a disqualification for (questionable) illegal blows to the back of the head. Despite the loss on his record, I doubt Mario's call will effect Silva's progression in the division since Dana declared it a "BS call for Erick Silva" on Twitter in the moments following the fight.
I have no idea how the UFC gets fighters to sign a contract to fight Rousimar Palhares. The man has a diabolical hate for every ligament of his opponents lower extremities and Mike Massenzio found this out first-hand. Toquinho made it known very quickly that he wanted Massenzio on the ground. When Mike wouldn't oblige, he bullrushed in, pulled guard and grabbed Massenzio's leg mid-scramble. This is a move very few high level grapplers could manage, and Palhares pulled it off with seeming ease. It's is time for him to take a step up in competition and start making a run for the title. I would love to see him matched up against the winner of Maia vs. Bisping while we wait for Anderson Silva to defend the championship against the winner of Munoz vs. Sonnen.
In very rare form, "the old" Vitor Belfort has returned in back-to-back performances. From the opening bell, Anthony Johnson made it clear that he wanted to wear Belfort down. Dan Miragliotta was having none of that though and stood the fighters up both times Johnson got the fight to the ground. After tasting some of Vitor's unparalleled power, Rumble gave up his back and was submitted by Rear Naked Choke in the closing seconds of the first round. For Belfort, this win puts him right back in to title contention and fights at the top of the division. However, the future for Johnson is not so clear after weighing in at an embarrassing 11 pounds over on Friday, he could very well have just lost his contract with the UFC. Personally, I think he's a dynamic and competitive fighter that the Middleweight division needs, and would be disappointed if he was cut, but I wouldn't be surprised by the decision either.
I was really surprised how many people seemed to think Chad Mendes really had a chance against Jose Aldo. I don't mean to take any thing away from Mendes, but he never showed me anything to make me think he could upset Aldo in a title fight. That said, I was not prepared for what happened tonight. The fight began somewhat tentatively with Mendes trying to figure out how to get inside and take Aldo down. Following an exchange of leg kicks and a couple takedown attempts, Mendes was able to secure a back clinch. The champ struggled to stay on his feet (even grabbing the fence). Yet, eventually, he broke free turned quickly and landed one of the most brutal knees I've ever seen to secure a KO victory.
Jose Aldo followed up his highlight reel performance with pure epicness by jumping out of The Octagon and running in to the crowd where he was received with open arms. It was honestly one of the greatest follow ups to a victory in MMA history and there's no doubt that he gained fans as he fought off UFC security to connect with his fan base. Hatsu Hioki may get the next shot at the Featherweight title, but I don't see anyone upsetting Aldo any time soon. That man is built to brutalize his opponents and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
SBN coverage of UFC RIO 142: Aldo vs. Mendes
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, silva, aldo
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC 142 live chat and analysis (Yahoo! Sports)
UFC 142, featuring the featherweight title bout between champion Jose Aldo Jr. and unbeaten challenger Chad...
Posted in: ufc, title, champion, jose, chad
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsChad Mendes Won’t Apologize if He Grinds a Win
Boring wrestler? Chad Mendes says if wrestling carries him to a title win at UFC 142 and it takes five rounds, that's just fine by him.
Posted in: title, chad mendes, chad, mende, rounds thats
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyReport: Three-time UFC Title Challenger Kenny Florian Mulling Retirement
Three-time UFC title challenger Kenny Florian has been sidelined by a back injury that is forcing him to consider doctors' suggestion that he hang up his gloves.
Posted in: ufc, title, florian, kenny, doctors suggestion
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC CENTRAL Aldo vs. Mendes predictions
Fighters make their picks on who they think will walk away with the featherweight title Saturday at UFC 142 in Rio.
Posted in: ufc, title, fighter, prediction, aldo
Read the full article at sportsnet.caTyron Woodley 'frustrated' that Strikeforce won't commit to giving him a title shot
Pretty? No. Effective? Yes.
That might be the best way to describe Tyron Woodley's win over top 170-pound prospect Jordan Mein at the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event that took place last Saturday night (Jan. 7, 2012) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He got the job done.
The undefeated wrestling phenom did exactly what he's done in his last three fights, also decision wins, and that's control the pace with effective grappling and position. While he failed to secure a stoppage, it shouldn't take away from the fights he has finished, including five submissions and one technical knockout across his short but impressive career.
At least, that's "T-Wood's" argument (via Sherdog's Savage Dog Show), one he's making after Strikeforce executives failed to guarantee him a 170-pound title shot.
"To me, it should be, ‘Tyron’s fighting for the belt next.’ That’s the only answer I was looking forward to hearing. Yeah, it concerns me and it kind of really frustrated me that -- what are we guessing about? Did I guess when [Strikeforce] called me and said, ‘Hey, you want to fight this tough kid in three and a half weeks?’ When I was just told basically I was going to fight in February 24 hours before then? Those are my thoughts. I’m just being honest. I’ve knocked guys out. I’ve submitted guys. I’ve made people stop through strikes. I’ve had different kinds of submissions. My response is going to be not very good, number one. Number two, they announced something at the press conference that caught me and several others by surprise: Paul Daley and [Kazuo] Misaki fighting … which draws a huge problem because obviously Misaki would be the most legitimate person to match me up with for a world title. So now it’s like, once again, I’m a victim of circumstances. My world title, me fighting for the belt, is dependent on somebody else. What if Paul Daley beats him? We’re going to rematch for the title? Are they going to have me fight immediately after March? I just fought in January. Are these guys going to fight in March and then turn around and fight in April? I don’t think so."
Woodley's best argument is that no other fighter in the welterweight division, at least in Strikeforce, can be ranked higher than him at 10-0. Two possible contenders, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine, were already victimized by him in previous fights.
So what now?
If the UFC is adamant about keeping the divisions separate, Woodley could become the Robinson Crusoe of the 170-pound island. However, if he does get a cross-town transfer, it could set off an entirely new career trajectory.
Any Maniacs out there have an opinion for (or against) him?
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, world title, woodley
Read the full article at MMA ManiaOne Punch: Johny Hendricks Hopes for Title Shot After UFC 141 KO of Jon Fitch
Twelve seconds. That’s all it took.
Usually that’s how long it takes to drink the remaining milk left from your bowl of cereal, or untie and remove your shoes, or how long it takes for you to tune out your girlfriend.
While Johny Hendricks might be able to untie his shoes rather quickly, he will certainly remember the twelve second milestone for a different reason.
That is when his mixed martial arts career changed forever.
Before December 30th, the last time Jon Fitch was finished in a fight was over nine years prior.
Hendricks was still in high school at that time.
But now, after his now infamous knockout of Fitch at UFC 141, Hendricks is ready to graduate to the top of the UFC.
Going into the fight, Hendricks was seen as an underdog to the veteran. But even with the odds against him, Hendricks knew he had gotten his big break, and he did not want to let this one slip away.
“I finally had my opportunity,” Hendricks told MMAFrenzy.com. “I could either crumble under the pressure, or make my move. And at the beginning of the night, something just felt good. I did a solid warmup and just tried my best to stay relaxed.”
Staying relaxed can certainly be a task, especially when fighting on your first pay-per-view main card. While Hendricks was seen as a formidable opponent in the welterweight division, until UFC 141, he had not yet reached title contender status.
The four time All-American wrestler made his debut at UFC 101 in similar fashion, defeating Amir Sadollah in under thirty seconds. But even with impressive wins over contenders like Charlie Brenneman and Mike Pierce, the most recognizable aspect of Hendricks’ career was his beard. But hey, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being recognized for that.
That beard came into the Octagon against the former title challenger, and Hendricks knew exactly what he wanted to do as soon as he stood opposite of him.
“When I saw Fitch, I couldn’t wait to fight,” Hendricks explained, and fortunately for him he did not have to wait long to fight, and for it to be over.
Hendricks knocked Fitch out with the first punch he threw, a quick left straight to the jaw.
Who better to explain how it happened, than Hendricks himself:
“When Jon throws a straight right, which is what he started with, he wants to take you down. He expects the opponent to back up, then he attacks the legs. When he threw it, I circled away, and I threw everything. His right hand was in the right spot, to protect my counter, but I put it in the right spot. Then it all froze, and I had to tell myself to keep hitting him. Luckily the ref was there when I was going down to hit him again.
“To this day, it still seems unreal.”
Even though it may feel unreal, Hendricks’ quick ascent to the top of the division is absolutely real. And with the welterweight division in a state of flux, due to Georges St. Pierre’s injury, Hendricks wants to take advantage of his newly anointed contender status.
“I want an interim title shot,” said Hendricks. “That is my dream. I did not want to talk that way before UFC 141 so I could protect myself in case I lost. But you’ve got to promote yourself. And I know that. The interim title holder is going to likely have to defend his title at least once. I want to be that person.”
Even if he is not that person, and he has to continue moving up the ladder, Hendricks’ place in the division is confirmed with that victory. But he still knows that can all go away just as quickly as it came about.
“I don’t want people thinking it was a lucky punch. I have to go out and prove that. And I will.”
Posted in: ufc, title, right, fitch, hendrick
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyAsian MMA - URCC Cebu 7 Weigh-In Results: Wadson Teixeira 2 Lbs. Over On Bout Against Eduard Folayang
BloodyElbow.com was on hand at the Veranda Restaurant Parkmall in Mandaue City, for the press conference and weigh-ins of the URCC's 7th trip to Cebu.
Headlining the stacked provincial card is the return of the biggest MMA star from the Philippines in Eduard Folayang. The #6 ranked lightweight in the 2011 World MMA Scouting Report will be fighting in the country for the first time since March of 2010, and will be taking on Wadson Teixeira, a Brazilian Muay Thai champion with a BJJ Brownbelt.
The Wushu expert in Folayang tipped the scales right on the 160 lb. limit of their super-fight. Teixeira on the other hand, was 2 lbs over the limit, and after a brief discussion, Eduard and his Team Lakay camp just agreed to let the fight go on.
Also on the card, the Visayan Pinweight (119 lbs.) and Bantamweight (139 lbs.) titles will be on the line, and the contenders made weight as well. Check out the complete official weigh-in results after the jump.
160 lbs: Eduard Folayang (160) vs. Wadson Texeira (162) [Super-Fight Title]139 lbs: Carry Bullos (137) vs. Rex De Lara (139) [Visayan Bantamweight Title]119 lbs: Geronimo Etac (119) vs. Victor Torre (118) [Visayan Pinweight Title]119 lbs: Renan Noble Franca (119) vs. Jonathan Sumagat (114)149 lbs: Jimmy Yabo (145) vs. Urtych Allarin (142)129 lbs: Arnel Ylanan (128) vs. Richie Rosauro (130)159 lbs: Von Donaire (159) vs. Hang Christian Manilao (157)149 lbs: Arvin De Zosa (149) vs. Samuel Estandate (148)
Posted in: title, vs, lb, eduard, folayang
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowEddie Alvarez Not Making A Lightweight Title Run In Bellator’s Season Six
Michael Chandler threw Bellator a bit of a curveball late last year when he unexpectedly took out their golden boy Eddie Alvarez in a thrilling lightweight title fight at Bellator 58.
In any other organization, Alvarez would probably only need one or two wins to earn a shot at redemption, but that’s not how Bellator operates. CEO Bjorn Rebney has stated time and time again that the only way to earn a title shot in Bellator is to win one of their tournaments which entails three victories over the span of a 12-week season.
The opportunity was there for Alvarez to take that path as the final participant in Bellator’s upcoming season-six lightweight tournament, however as Rebney recently told MMA Junkie, they decided to go in a different direction and pursue a rematch with Shinya Aoki like they planned before the Chandler loss.
“Ed won’t be part of the next tournament during the March kickoff,” Rebney said. “The decision was reached between us that the next right step wouldn’t be to jump back in the season-tournament right now.”
“We’re still talking very regularly about the Aoki fight,” he said. “We’ve been talking to DREAM about making it happen, so it could still happen as his next fight.”
It’s certainly a unique position Eddie Alvarez finds himself in. I’m not sure how many fights Alvarez has left on his Bellator contract, but if he has any inkling to fight in the UFC, it seems like now would be the time to do whatever it is he has to do to fulfill his Bellator contract and make that happen. Otherwise, if he were to enter another Bellator tournament, say in season seven, and wins the fights he needs to reclaim the belt, then he’s just going to find himself in the same position he was in before — defending a secondary title against unknown fighters looking to make a name off his back. If I was him, I would want to write a new chapter in my career, not rehash the same one.
Image via Bellator
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, alvarez, tournament
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC 142: Featherweight Division State Of The Union
With so many fights coming up spread across eight different weight classes, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in every division. Here, we take a look at where a particular division stands right now, and where it's headed.
This weekend, at UFC 142, the 145 pounders take center stage as the UFC Featherweight title will be defended in the main event of a PPV for the first time ever. Champion Jose Aldo has made his claim as the clear top dog at 145, and is in the discussion of top pound for pound fighters in the world, but he faces a tough challenge from undefeated Team Alpha Male wrestler Chad Mendes. It's an intriguing style clash and a classic striker vs. wrestler match-up (plus a showdown between the #1 and #2 ranked Featherweights), although Mendes's low profile may not be ideal for a PPV headlining position.
With this fight set to go down in a few short days, now seemed like a good time to take a look at the UFC Featherweight division. As the division enters its second year of existence, what do we have to look forward to? Who are the big names to watch? And where is the division headed? Let's see what we can figure out.
Next in Line:
After Aldo vs. Mendes, there is no clear cut path to the next title shot. A planned Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier fight at UFC 143 would have very possibly solidified the next #1 contender, but with Koch out of that fight due to injury, the field is wide open. In addition to Koch and Poirier, you also have a possible contender in former Sengoku champion Hatsu Hioki (more on him in a minute).
But my choice for next contender remains the #12 ranked Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung. I made my views on this known after Jung's shock KO of former #1 contender Mark Hominick, and I stick by it now. In his favor: he's a known name for UFC fans, he provides exciting fights, he is coming off a massively marketable win. Obviously, there are reasons to hold off on him - he's only on a 2 fight win streak, and one of those fights was Leonard Garcia - but the division needs some marketability. And let's be frank, they're not going to get it this weekend, as I expect UFC 142 to draw pretty poor numbers. Jung gives the division some interest, while giving time to build up a Koch, Poirier, or Hioki more. I'm not saying this is my prediction for how the UFC will play things, but it's the call I would make.
Key Match Ups:
As always with the newer, lighter weight classes, things remain in a bit of flux, so there are not a tremendous amount of big marquee match-ups on the way. Still, there are some good one to watch for:
#7 Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway (UFC 143) - This is the make-do for Poirier vs. Koch, and, sorry to say, it's a definite step down. Holloway is just not a compelling opponent, and this feels more like Poirier killing time before his next big challenge. Of course, that's a perfect set-up for a complacent Poirier to be upset, which would certainly give Holloway's career a hige boost. But I expect Poirier to win here and perhaps reschedule that showdown with Koch.
#3 Hatsu Hioki vs. #10 Bart Palaszewski (UFC 144) - As I said above, Hioki is a strong possibility for a future (if not the next) title challenger. He came into the UFC on a wave of hype thanks to his achievements in Japan. But as we've seem time and again lately, that hype didn't quite pan out on his debut, a somewhat lackluster, too close win over George Roop. He can get back on track here easily, but needs to look good against the veteran. Bartimus is not someone I expected to see so close to the top of the UFC division, but the journeyman veteran is coming in off a win over Tyson Griffin, and has looked strong lately. I don't see him as a title challenger if he beats Hioki, but he'll be very close.
Leonard Garcia vs. Tiequan Zhang (UFC 144) - OK, ok, it's not really a big match-up by any means. But Garcia is, for better or worse, one of the real staples of the division, and every fight of his will draw at least some attention. He's almost impervious to losses, but also far removed from the title picture. Still, his name is such that a win for him will get him back towards the top, while a win for Zhang will help boost his UFC resume.
#11 Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin (UFC 145) - Hominick is still hurting from that fast KO loss to Jung, but he's also just one fight removed from a gutsy performance against Aldo. He needs a win here, badly, but that win will put him right back at the top. Yagin is taking a huge step up here, and it will be interesting to see how he does.
In The Mix:
A number of Featherweights have no fights set up, but could find themselves in the title picture very soon:
#6 Diego Nunes - He's only on a one fight win streak, but the division is shallow, and he is a very skilled fighter who could easily make a run towards the top if he gets a choice opponent next time out.
#9 Erik Koch - Like I said, the 13-1 fighter was maybe 1 fight away from a title shot when he went down to injury. Hopefully he bounces back soon.
Jim Hettes - He's young, and just 2-0 in the UFC, but again, in a shallow division like Featherweight, the kind of dominating win he had over Nam Phan - and on the Lesnar vs. Overeem PPV main card no less - immediately launches him to the top of the ranks. I am very intrigued to see how the UFC handles him now.
Diego Brandao - An Ultimate Fighter winner, and a super exciting one at that. Not to be a broken record, but shallow division + high profile = in the mix.
Others to Consider:
We wrap it up with a few fighters that may not find themselves in the title picture right now, but should be mentioned:
#8 Kenny Florian - When will he return? Will he stay at Featherweight? Move back up to Lightweight? Dolce diet down to Bantamweight and challenge Dominick Cruz? All unknown, but you can bet that wherever and whenever he returns, it will be in a big fight.
Dennis Bermudez - That Brandao TUF final fight was a great one, and though Bermudez lost, he still comes out in a good place in the division.
Antonio Carvalho - A great prospect for the UFC, with some high-end international experience, including a win over Hioki. He debuts this weekend against Felipe Arantas, and could make a real splash very quickly.
Ross Pearson - The TUF champion made a nice FW debut at UFC 141, defeating Junior Assuncao. I'm not sure how high he can go in the division, but for now, he's in a good position.
Charles Oliviera - Oliveira went from one of the hottest young guns in the UFC to somewhat forgotten in mere months. He was an undefeated 14-0 with 2 UFC wins late last year, but a pair of losses and the Nik Lentz no contest have hurt him. He now goes down to FW to face Eric Wisely at the UFC on Fox 2 show, and I am very excited to see if he can get back on track.
Poll
After Mendes, who will be the next FW title challenger?
Chan Sung Jung
Dustin Poirier
Erik Koch
Hatsu Hioki
Bart Palaszewski
Other
9 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, division, poirier
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowOne-Night 185 Tourney Tops Jan. 28 Pancrase Title Doubleheader
Longstanding Japanese promotion Pancrase has announced its full card for Jan. 28 at Differ Ariake, which features a King of Pancrase championship doubleheader, with titles at 185 and 125 pounds up for grabs.
Posted in: pound, title, pancrase, doubleheader, jan
Read the full article at SherdogLuke Rockhold Stops Keith Jardine in First, Retains Strikeforce Title
Luke Rockhold tore through Keith Jardine in the first round on Saturday to defend his Strikeforce middleweight title. Then he asked for fights against the UFC's best.
Posted in: title, rockhold, luke, luke rockhold, keith jardine
Read the full article at Heavy MMAStrikeforce: Miesha Tate vs Ronda Rousey fight official for March 3 in Ohio
Rumors have been swirling for some time now that Miesha Tate would be defending her women's bantamweight championship against Ronda Rousey on March 3 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
And now it's confirmed.
Strikeforce announced the bout last night (Sat., Jan. 7, 2012) during the "Rockhold vs. Jardine" telecast on Showtime, noting that Tate vs. Rousey would be the main event of the evening.
That wasn't the plan originally, as the idea was to headline the annual show that coincides with The Arnold Sports Festival with the finale of the heavyweight grand prix. Unfortunately, Daniel Cormier, one half of that final, still hasn't healed up enough from his recent hand injury to lock his bout against Josh Barnett in for that date.
Something tells me the lethal ladies will do just find in their place.
These two have been going at it for some time now, both on Twitter and in interviews, most notably when they made a joint appearance on The MMA Hour where Ariel Helwani gave them the opportunity to air their grievances against one another.
Rousey's main point was simple: she's a beautiful women who can tear opponents to shreds and she can give a damn good interview afterwards. That's enough to market a great fight and help women's MMA along in the process:
"Sarah Kaufman kind of gives boring interviews, she's not a supermodel and the way she fights, she doesn't finish matches in extraordinary fashion. It's just kind of being realistic. I'm sorry that I have to say things bluntly and offend some people. I just want there to be a highly marketable, exciting women's title fight, and I want to be part of that because I feel like I could do a really good job, and you could, too. I think the two of us could do a better job of that than you and Sarah Kaufman. I really feel 100-percent that a fight between her and me needs to happen. It'll be great for women's MMA. It'll be the first highly anticipated fight in women's MMA for a long time ... We need to capitalize on the opportunity while we still have it. I don't want to risk her losing the title and us not being able to fight each other for the title."
Tate, meanwhile, still doesn't believe Rousey should be able to move down to a weight class she's never fought in with just three wins under her belt as a professional and earn a title shot. "Takedown" wanted a rematch against Sarah Kaufman, not a showdown against the "Rowdy" one.
"What happens when she gets a failed arm bar and someone ends up on top pounding her face in? Is she going to tap out or quit? We don't know. We haven't seen that yet. I think it's kind of silly to put her in with me because that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take it to her. A lot of people are underestimating me. That's fine. That always seems to be the case. Make no mistake; if Ronda is my next fight, I'm going to come in with a vengeance you've never seen before, because to be quite honest, it's probably going to piss me off."
Sounds juicy.
Considering how wonderfully this fight has been marketed in social media circles, just think of the potential it has once the marketing gurus at Zuffa get their hands on it and start pushing. From now until March 3, it's all about Miesha Tate defending her title against Ronda Rousey.
Anyone complaining?
Posted in: fight, title, tate, women, rousey
Read the full article at MMA Mania'Cyborg' Santos blames dietary supplement for failed drug test (Yahoo! Sports)
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos accepts her suspension and loss of the featherweight title but says she unknowingly took a prohibited substance.
Posted in: title, loss, featherweight title, cyborg, substance
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsCyborg Stripped of Strikeforce Title; Future of Division in Doubt
Strikeforce champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will lose her 145-pound title after testing positive for a banned substance on Dec. 16, UFC President Dana White said during a radio interview on Friday.
Posted in: pound, title, strikeforce, cyborg, radio interview
Read the full article at SherdogKeith Jardine Ready to ‘Get Dirty’ in Strikeforce Title Fight vs. Luke Rockhold
Keith Jardine says the story of his Strikeforce title fight against Luke Rockhold isn't his drop to 185 pounds – it's that Rockhold hasn't had to get dirty before.
Posted in: title, rockhold, keith jardine, jardine, rockhold hasnt
Read the full article at Heavy MMACris ‘Cyborg’ Santos Stripped of Title, End of the 145lb Division?
Cris 'Cyborg' Santos' positive test for steroids following her last fight in Strikeforce will cost her at least the 145lb women's title and may kill the division for good.
Posted in: title, division, lb, cyborg, title end
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyDana White: Cris Cyborg Stripped of Title, Future of Division in Question
Filed under: StrikeforceCris Cyborg is no longer the champion of the Strikeforce women's 145-pound division. And there may not even be a Strikeforce women's 145-pound division.
UFC President Dana White confirmed on ESPN 1100 in Las Vegas on Friday night that Cyborg has been stripped of her title because she tested positive for steroids following her most recent fight, a 16-second knockout of Hiroko Yamanaka. And there may not be any more fights in the 145-pound weight class because Cyborg was the 145-pound weight class.
"We were going to hold that division and just do fights with 'Cyborg' whenever there was a new contender," White said, via USA Today. "She's getting stripped of the title. I don't know. We'll see what happens."
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker also issued a statement on the situation.
"Strikeforce has not seen the test results regarding Ms. Santos," Coker said. "However, we have a consistent and strong stance against any use of performance-enhancing drugs. We also have a long history of supporting effective drug testing of athletes by authorized regulatory bodies. Therefore, we will closely monitor the matter and will work with the California State Athletic Commission regarding any information we may be asked to provide. We also recognize that Ms. Santos has administrative process rights under California law and we hope that she is not prejudged before she has the opportunity to exercise such rights."
In the past, when champions have been suspended for positive drug tests, the division carried on without them, usually with a title fight between two top contenders while the previous champion sat out. But the Strikeforce women's 145-pound weight class is fundamentally different. Cyborg dominates her entire weight class in a way that no other champion, male or female, does. There just aren't enough good 145-pound women on the Strikeforce roster for the division to keep going without her.
And so Cyborg's drug test has cost her the belt. And no one else may ever get the belt. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: pound, title, strikeforce, division, cyborg
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseDana: [Cyborg's] getting stripped of the title
submitted by alphahouse44 [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, dana, cyborg, alphahouse, dana cyborgs
Read the full article at RedditStrikeforce women's champion Santos suspended for steroids (Yahoo! Sports)
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos tested positive for steroids ahead of her Dec. 17 featherweight title defense.
Posted in: title, champion, dec, defense, steroid
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsNot Deserving of a Strikeforce Title Shot? Keith Jardine Says ‘We’ll See’
A reinvigorated Keith Jardine returns to the place where he picked up his first UFC win over 6 years ago, and now plans on taking home the Strikeforce title.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, jardine, shot, keith
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyTyron Woodley: "I should be fighting for the title."
Tyron Woodley has taken the welterweight division in Strikeforce by storm, defeating some very tough and highly respected opposition. While he is happy to step into the cage to stop the rise of Canadian standout Jordan Mein at tomorrow night’s Strikeforce: Jardine vs. Rockhold event, he believes he personally should be fighting for the vacant title.
“I should be fighting for the title. I don’t know about him,” said Woodley in a conversation with Fighters.com. “I don’t think he has the kind of recognition and been on the scene long enough. He’s only got one Strikeforce fight, and has beat a guy that’s lost a couple fights. I think (Evangelista Santos) is a tough opponent, but he’s not the type of guy who he should beat and be fighting for a title afterward.”
Those may sound like harsh words, but Woodley says that he respects Mein’s talents, which was what brought him to taking the fight.
“It’s hard, because (Strikeforce) didn’t have anybody ready (for a title fight,) and I thought, ‘You know what? I should fight somebody I obviously respect and I think is an awesome fighter and brings a lot to the table. I remember when being in (Mein’s) shoes when I was trying to get myself on the map. He’s got the skills, and you saw that against ‘Cyborg’. So I mean, the threat is really there.”
In the end, regardless of the outcome, Woodley believes there is a title shot in his future.
“I think I should be fighting for the world title no matter what. Woodley blankly stated. “I mean, there are only so many fights in the world you can be (told) ‘Your next fight can be for the title.’ We’ve done that three or four times already, so at this point, it’s time to go ahead and do it. I mean, me and Paul Daley went at it, and I thought that could’ve definitely been for the belt.”
Woodley closed by saying it did not matter to him whom his opponent would be for a potential title fight.
Woodley meets Mein on the main card of tomorrow’s show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be broadcast live on Showtime in the United States, and Superchannel in Canada.
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Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, woodley, mein
Read the full article at Fighters.com
Some women aren't happy about Miesha Tate vs Ronda Rousey
The Miesha Tate / Ronda Rousey bantamweight title fight in March hasn't even been officially confirmed yet and people are already spazzing out over it. No, not just in fanboy anticipation - this is after all one of the biggest WMMA fights that can be booked right now. Miesha Tate was quite vocal leading up to all this that she didn't think Ronda was 'worthy', and now replaced #1 contender Sarah Kaufman is telling the press how bullshit the whole thing is:
"I've earned the title shot," she said today. "I've had the Strikeforce title; I've had two good wins coming off my only loss in 15 fights, and I've earned and deserve the right to fight for that title."Having Ronda have the option of coming in and fighting at 145 pounds, having two fights with Strikeforce, and all of a sudden, she gets a title shot at a division she doesn't fight in, it's a slap in the face."..."Ronda talks a lot," Kaufman said. "She's really told everyone that she's attractive, and for that reason, she is marketable and should get a title fight. Definitely, dislocating Julia Budd's arm opened people's eyes. But what doesn't make sense is that she hasn't done anything at 135 pounds; she hasn't even proven that she can make 135 pounds."I just don't understand how she can be given a title shot that she hasn't competed in when there's someone at her weight, (Cristiane) 'Cyborg' (Santos), who's waiting and looking for opponents, and Ronda's the only one in that division that's done well."
Oh, call the Waaaaaambulance, someone's got their panties in a twist. Sarah Kaufman doesn't exactly have the world's most compelling case for a title shot either. She's only had two fights since she lost the belt and they weren't much to write home about. Certainly not Gone in 60 Seconds amazing like Ronda's fights. Everyone sighed when Coker started talking about rolling Kaufman back into the title spot because it represented everything wrong with the way they book women: it's the same thee / four women involved in everything. Now someone new is getting a shot and that's a bad thing?And while Rousey's cage time is lacking because she keeps wrecking opponents too quickly, those fights are still the proof in the pudding that her Olympic judo skills (the ones she used to win a bronze medal) are transferring just fine and should be accounted for whenever we bring up her relative worth in the division. Growing up and training amongst a who's who of Armenian UFC fighters also tells you something about how ready she is. You have to ignore a metric butt-ton of facts to pretend Ronda Rousey is as green as some people pretend she is.Rousey is positioning herself as the next big thing in WMMA, something the scene needs right now as Zombie Strikeforce limps on trying to find some meaning for itself. Zuffa would be stupid not to make this fight and make it now. Kaufman's had two and a half years in the spotlight (a spotlight she didn't always appreciate or shine under). Now it's Ronda's turn. The great thing is if she doesn't deserve it she'll get her ass kicked. MMA is fun like that.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, shot, ronda
Read the full article at FightlinkerLatest UFC/MMA news and notes from around the web for the week of January 1, 2012
Welcome, Maniacs, to the weekly series where we help you catch up on some of the original reporting done by other sites in the vast MMA landscape. Like Rashad Evans and Keith Jardine pictured above, we can all "get along."
Teaming up with MMA sites like MMA Fighting, Cage Potato, Fight Opinion and The Fight Nerd, we'll provide an opportunity for all MMA fans to read some fresh and original voices in the sport.
This week, Five Ounces of Pain speaks with Phil Davis, MMA Fighting gets Sarah Kaufman's thoughts on Ronda Rousey getting a title shot before her and Bleacher Report speaks with former Strikeforce champ Muhammed Lawal.
The full list of links is after the jump.
- Keith Jardine doesn't care what the critics say (LowKick)
UFC veteran and Strikeforce Middleweight title challenger, Keith Jardine, who will look to dethrone division Champion Luke Rockhold this Saturday night, discusses his opponent, as well as the critics who say he doesn't deserve the title shot. Jardine admits that he's avoided the negativity surrounding the match-up, and says that he plans to make it a "real fight."
- 10 most forgettable fights of 2011 (Cage Potato)
- Phil Davis wants a title shot with a victory over Rashad Evans (Five Ounces of Pain)
Much has been made of Rashad Evans wrestling credentials and how he used them during his mixed martial arts career, but what some fail to realize is that his collegiate record is a mediocre 48-34 during his three years at Michigan State. Davis on the other hand has a superb record of 116-17. Will that translate for Davis when the two meet on January 28? "Mr. Wonderful" certainly thinks so.
- Sarah Kaufman feels Ronda Rousey title fight is 'ridiculous' (MMA Fighting)
Sarah Kaufman saw the internet reports of a Miesha Tate-Ronda Rousey title at about the same time the rest of the MMA world did. She wasn't terribly surprised, she told MMA Fighting on Thursday, but neither was she particularly pleased.
"I think it's terrible news," the former Strikeforce 135-pound women's champ said, and you can probably guess why.
- Dana White Eyes Summer Slugfest for Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem (5thRound)
Alistair Overeem secured his date with destiny by viciously disposed of Brock Lesnar last weekend at UFC 141. Now that he's solidified his top contender status, the only question remaining is when will his shootout with heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos take place?
- Luke Rockhold thinks that a few key wins can put him in a position for Anderson Silva's belt (MiddleEasy)
Can I just get this out of the way: I'm so thankful Strikeforce is still around. If Strikeforce wasn't in existence we wouldn't be able to have these fascinating interviews with Strikeforce champions using MMA math to leverage title shots in the UFC.
- Top 10 best fights of 2011 (The Fight Nerd)
In a sport with the sheer variety of outcomes that MMA has, there's no specific formula for what makes a great fight. Instead, truly great matches are made when some or all of the elements of MMA come together in two fighters to make something that is both a highly competitive bout and a dramatic story told through action.
2011 served as a flagship year in the world's largest MMA organization when it came to great fights. To put a bow on this passing age, below are the top ten greatest fights in the UFC for 2011.See who earned the top spot!
- Five big items of fallout from the two NYE shows (Fight Opinion)
Very sad & discouraging to hear the news about 30-year old DEEP fighter Tomoya Miyashita dying on New Year's Eve. He had fought one round of cancer (seminoma) and then was diagnosed with leukemia and lost the battle. He had a personal blog online at Ameba where he commented on his struggles and also posted pictures of those in the fight community who came to visit with him.
- UFC 141: Payout Perspective (MMA Payout)
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we look at a special Friday night event from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada which featured Brock Lesnar versus Alistair Overeem.
- King Mo: It's time to give Larkin his first loss (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
"I can deal with anybody. With Gracie, I could have taken him down a bunch of times and made him just stand back up. The thing is with Larkin is yea I can take him down, but we will see where the fight goes. I'm confident in my hands. Who has (Larkin) knocked out with his kicks? Nobody. I'm prepared for whatever he has. I'm not worried. I've been training with a great camp. I've trained with everybody. I've seen everything I can see. I know flash. I can defeat flash easy."
- What Strikeforce needs to be great (MMA Convert)
Sure, Scott Coker and his baby are beholden to their masters, and as such, the UFC has now laid claim to all of the Strikeforce heavyweights plus assorted other top talent. But gosh darn it, when Lorenzo Fertitta and company ponied up the cheddar and bought the whole thing, the number two MMA organization in the world was something to behold. Rockhold vs. Jardine is whole ‘lotta "not so much". So what, then, does Strikeforce need to be great? I am glad you asked...
- Full interview with Karo Parisyan (Fightline)
Karo Parisyan is tired, you can hear it in his voice. Tired like he's just waking up from a years-long nightmare in which someone else was living in his body, fighting and making his decisions for him. What makes it all worse is that there was no dream, that Parisyan has been the pilot all along, the reason for his own derailment. Now, frustrated but attaining clarity, he's just hoping it's not too late to fix his mistakes.
Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, title, strikeforce
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFormer Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman on title snub: 'It's a slap in the face' | MMAjunkie.com
submitted by alphahouse44 [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, face, kaufman, sarah, face mmajunkiecom
Read the full article at RedditSarah Kaufman on Tate vs. Rousey: 'It's Pretty Ridiculous'
Former Strikeforce women's 135-pound champion Sarah Kaufman isn't happy about Ronda Rousey stealing her spot. Kaufman was tentatively scheduled to face champion Miesha Tate for the belt at a future Strikeforce show, but the flashy and brash Rousey has apparently talked her way into a title shot instead on March 3rd (the bout has been denied by both fighters, but MMA Weekly believes it will happen). Kaufman spoke to MMA Fighting about the situation:
"I think it's terrible news," the former Strikeforce 135-pound women's champ said, and you can probably guess why.
"I put in my time and, being the former champ and having had two fights since the only loss of my career, I've definitely earned the right to fight Miesha Tate and fight for the 135-pound title with Strikeforce," Kaufman explained. "Then there's Ronda, who's only been fighting for a year. Granted, she has her judo experience, but she hasn't fought anyone of a high caliber. She's fought at 145 pounds -- hasn't even competed at 135 pounds at all -- and for her to be given the opportunity to fight for the title, it's pretty ridiculous."
Kaufman also thinks Rousey has earned a title shot at 145 (where all of her fights have taken place), but she's dropping down for a reason:Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.
"She's scared to fight Cyborg, for sure, and understandably. Cyborg is a formidable fighter. But if you're saying you want a title, it shouldn't matter whether it's at 145 [pounds] or 135 [pounds]. Now she's backpedaling and saying, 'Oh, I want Cyborg to come to 135.' Or maybe she'll do it as a catchweight. Or maybe in four or five fights. She's pretty much just pushing the fight off, clearly running from it."
Does Kaufman have a case? I believe she does, but unfortunately the promotional side of fighting will usually win out in these types of situations. The public wants Tate/Rousey, not Tate/Kaufman 2 (Kaufman holds a win over Tate already). Hopefully Kaufman gets to face the winner of the rumored bout at least.
Posted in: fight, pound, title, she, kaufman
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowLuke Rockhold thinks that a few key wins can put him in a position for Anderson's belt
Can I just get this out of the way: I'm so thankful Strikeforce is still around. If Strikeforce wasn't in existence we wouldn't be able to have these fascinating interviews with Strikeforce champions using MMA math to leverage title shots in the UFC.
You know what? They should just make an entirely new reality show focusing around the Strikeforce fighters. It can focus on all of the fighters that the general public doesn't know about and build the brand and the fighters like TUF did. There can even be built in rules, like if you win the title and defend it twice then you are granted the next possible title shot in your weight division in the UFC. Fighters from the UFC will be calling out the fighters from Strikeforce, there will be cross promotional fights and all the while human stories could be told outside the training and cage. Hopefully at the very least this show could get Tim Kennedy and Jacare more fights. Zuffa, you can email me Jason@MiddleEasy.com if you want to flesh out this sure fire hit show.
Now I will get off my TV show pitching soapbox. Watch this interview with Luke Rockhold explaining to LayzieTheSavage what he thinks his future looks like in the Strikeforce middleweight division, and what a good run of wins can do for his chance at Anderson.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, show, fighter, luke rockhold
Read the full article at Middle EasyLuke Rockhold thinks that a few key wins can put him in a position for Anderson Silva's belt
Can I just get this out of the way: I'm so thankful Strikeforce is still around. If Strikeforce wasn't in existence we wouldn't be able to have these fascinating interviews with Strikeforce champions using MMA math to leverage title shots in the UFC.
You know what? They should just make an entirely new reality show focusing around the Strikeforce fighters. It can focus on all of the fighters that the general public doesn't know about and build the brand and the fighters like TUF did. There can even be built in rules, like if you win the title and defend it twice then you are granted the next possible title shot in your weight division in the UFC. Fighters from the UFC will be calling out the fighters from Strikeforce, there will be cross promotional fights and all the while human stories could be told outside the training and cage. Hopefully at the very least this show could get Tim Kennedy and Jacare more fights. Zuffa, you can email me Jason@MiddleEasy.com if you want to flesh out this sure fire hit show.
Now I will get off my TV show pitching soapbox. Watch this interview with Luke Rockhold explaining to LayzieTheSavage what he thinks his future looks like in the Strikeforce middleweight division, and what a good run of wins can do for his chance at Anderson Silva.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, show, fighter, luke rockhold
Read the full article at Middle EasySaffidien Carries Title Pressures into Saturday’s Strikeforce Fight
Tarec Saffiedine has Tyler Stinson to worry about at Saturday's Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, but he's also carrying the weight of a possible title shot into the fight.
Posted in: title shot, title, saturday, title pressures, tyler stinson
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyOctober 2011 MMA Recap: GSP Hurts Knee, Nick Diaz Beats Up B.J. Penn, Chael Sonnen Returns
As 2011 began to rumble toward its wintry end, one of the best fighters in the world and an all-time great was faced with a serious injury, a former champion was battered in what could be his last fight and the final part of a trilogy was as good as advertised.
October 2011: Of Knee-Jerk Reactions
After winning 30 straight rounds and eight straight going into his April 2011 title defense against Jake Shields, it turned out that Georges St. Pierre's toughest opponent was his body as he was pulled from his scheduled UFC 137 title defense against Carlos Condit with two weeks notice due to a knee injury.
Nick Diaz took full advantage of his main event opportunity, ripping apart B.J. Penn with strikes at UFC 137 and cutting an infamous post-fight speech that riled up GSP so much that he leapfrogged Condit to take back his title shot.
Diaz said St. Pierre wasn't hurt but was scared to face him and according to Dana White, GSP demanded he fight Diaz next. White said Condit was fine with it. Uh huh. Penn said he was retiring, but later explained he was going to take some time off instead.
****
UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard weren't mainstream sports sensations going into 2011, but did gain some praise among casual MMA fans for their January 1st Fight Of The Year candidate that ended in a draw. Injuries to both men delayed the third fight in their trilogy, but the UFC 136 main event was worth the wait. Edgar submitted Maynard in the fourth round in a battle that played out much like their second one did.Chael Sonnen returned to action for the first time in more than a year and ran through Brian Stann to seemingly earn an anticipated rematch with Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. He also cut a great post-fight promo (ala Diaz) where he challenged Silva to a bout where if Silva lost, he would leave the 185-pound division and if Sonnen lost, he'd "leave the UFC forever". Outlandish? Yes. Awesome? Double yes. Silva's people said that Sonnen didn't deserve another shot.
While a relatively small amount of people purchased the pay-per-view, it also featured a successful title defense by 145-pound champion Jose Aldo over Kenny Florian and a surprise submission victory by Joe Lauzon over top lightweight contender Melvin Guillard.
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The quest of Rashad Evans to earn another 205-pound title shot suffered a setback as White booked UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida for December's UFC 140 despite rumors that Evans had got the nod. Jones said Evans was ducking him, but an Evans hand injury wouldn't be healed in time for a Toronto show that White desperately wanted a name-value main event for.
For the rest of the month that was October, join us after the jump.
Other Stuff That Happened
UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz defeated Demetrious Johnson in a fun, under-appreciated unanimous decision, the first free TV UFC title match in years...Dana White said that Gilbert Melendez was heading to the UFC (and so did Cesar Gracie) but he had to defend his title against Masvidal first. Melendez was excited to head over. Poor guy...Jon Anik did join the UFC, brought over from ESPN to head up the play-by-play on FX events.
Viacom purchased the majority stake in Bellator and announced plans to move the promotion to Spike TV in 2013. Eddie Alvarez said he was interesting in buying the promotion at one point...UFC PPVs moved back to 10 PM EST...Kimbo Slice had another quick boxing KO...The UFC decided not to use their return to Japan as a lead-in for a U.S. PPV...Mirko Cro Cop announced his retirement.
Fans had to prepare for the end of the UFC Gladiator Guy...Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort were rumored as coaches for the launch of TUF Brazil...Dana White said he would welcome a gay fighter in the UFC...Brett Rogers was arrested again...Kenny Florian said he was going to return to lightweight...Shane Carwin had back surgery and was out until mid-2012...Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler was rebooked for November.
Kurt Angle was justthisclose to being in the TUF 10 house but failed a physical...Brock Lesnar signed a deal to appear in a WWE video game...Tim Kennedy was rumored as heading to the UFC...Showtime Sports lead Ken Hershman left for HBO Sports, an important move toward Zuffa/Strikeforce negotiations...Antonio McKee said Dana White should be voted out of the UFC.
Full archive of October stories on Bloody Elbow
Past Monthly Recaps:
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, champion, sonnen
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowKeith Jardine doesn't care what the critics say, plans to "shock the world" at Middleweight
UFC veteran and Strikeforce Middleweight title challenger, Keith Jardine, who will look to dethrone division Champion Luke Rockhold this Saturday night, discusses his opponent, as well as the critics who say he doesn't deserve the title shot. Jardine admits that he's avoided the negativity surrounding the match-up, and says that he plans to make it a "real fight."
Posted in: saturday night, title, jardine, doesnt, critic
Read the full article at Low KickSarah Kaufman: Rumored Miesha Tate-Ronda Rousey Title Fight Is 'Pretty Ridiculous'
Filed under: StrikeforceSarah Kaufman heard the internet rumors about a Miesha Tate-Ronda Rousey title at about the same time the rest of the MMA world did. She wasn't terribly surprised, she told MMA Fighting on Thursday, but neither was she particularly pleased.
"I think it's terrible news," the former Strikeforce 135-pound women's champ said, and you can probably guess why.
"I put in my time and, being the former champ and having had two fights since the only loss of my career, I've definitely earned the right to fight Miesha Tate and fight for the 135-pound title with Strikeforce," Kaufman explained. "Then there's Ronda, who's only been fighting for a year. Granted, she has her judo experience, but she hasn't fought anyone of a high caliber. She's fought at 145 pounds -- hasn't even competed at 135 pounds at all -- and for her to be given the opportunity to fight for the title, it's pretty ridiculous."
The good news, if there is any for Kaufman, is that the fight is not yet official. Though first reported by MMA Weekly on Wednesday evening, both Tate -- the current 135-pound women's champ -- and the unbeaten Rousey took to their Twitters to explain that the rumored March 3 title fight wasn't yet signed. Kaufman said she was still holding out hope that her phone might ring with a fight offer before Rousey's does, but noted that "usually when rumors happen it's for a reason."
The way Kaufman sees it, if Rousey has earned herself a title shot in any division it's the 145-pound class, where most of her professional bouts have taken place. That Rousey is angling for a shot at Tate rather than at Strikeforce 145-pound champ Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos can only mean one thing, Kaufman said.
"She's scared to fight Cyborg, for sure, and understandably. Cyborg is a formidable fighter. But if you're saying you want a title, it shouldn't matter whether it's at 145 [pounds] or 135 [pounds]. Now she's backpedaling and saying, 'Oh, I want Cyborg to come to 135.' Or maybe she'll do it as a catchweight. Or maybe in four or five fights. She's pretty much just pushing the fight off, clearly running from it."
Kaufman's not the only one to question whether Rousey deserves a crack at the title. Tate had a memorable confrontation with the Olympic bronze medalist in a recent episode of The MMA Hour, during which Tate accused her of trying to leverage her looks for an opportunity she hadn't earned in the cage.
"It's frustrating to see," Kaufman said. "Gina [Carano] is a prime example, but she didn't push her own looks. Everyone else pushed her looks, and she fought. She had good fights that she looked impressive in. Miesha's been a little bit the same. She's definitely pushed her looks and marketed herself in that manner, but she's also put her time in and worked her way up in the fighting game. Ronda's just the opposite. She's had a couple impressive wins, and really fast, and then just told people, 'I'm pretty so I deserve it.'"
While there's no official word on whether Rousey will get the next shot at Tate, all signs seem to be pointing in that direction, and even Kaufman seems resigned to it. She might have nearly four times as many fights as Rousey, and five years more experience in MMA, but with the fickle nature of the women's division she knows that doesn't guarantee her a title shot. What she's left wondering is, what will?
"I've been pushing for the Miesha fight since I fought her," said Kaufman. "That's all I can do, is get in interviews and say what I think, which is that I deserve the fight. Maybe that's not what they want to hear. They want to hear, 'I'm the prettiest and you can market me and sell me to guys.' That's not my thing, and I won't do that. I'll present myself as an athlete and be feminine in my own way without being over the top." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, pound, title, rousey, kaufman
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseJon Jones may compete four times in 2012
Which means there could be up to four light heavyweights who are about to have a very bad year.
UFC 205-pound champion Jon Jones, who is fresh off another dominant win inside the Octagon, this time over former division kingpin Lyoto Machida back at UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, capped off what could be one of the most dominant years in the promotion's history with four straight wins (and four straight finishes).
That was 2011.
In 2012, he hopes to do it all over again, despite his initial plans to take some time off, because the busy schedule can help him become a "better athlete," if that's even possible.
"Bones" breaks it all down for ESPN:
"My goal is to finish every fight in 2012. If I do that, a lot of other things will fall into place naturally. I want to finish every opponent. I've been thinking recently about trying to compete four times in the year again. I grew so much as a person that by doing that again in 2012 will just make me a better athlete. Originally I said I wanted to take off four or five months, but I may reconsider and come back sooner and have three or four fights this year."
Jones kicked off his 2011 fight campaign by defeating Ryan Bader to earn a 205-pound title shot against Mauricio Rua. Just six weeks later, he made the most of his opportunity by dominating "Shogun" at UFC 128 in a way not seen before.
His first title defense came against Quinton Jackson and Jones once again dominated, becoming just the second man in the history of MMA to submit "Rampage." Less than three months later, the Greg Jackson-trained phenom became the first man to submit Machida, putting him out cold with a standing guillotine choke.
That's 4-0, two title defenses, all finishes, against the best competition available, namely three of the four opponents being former champions. All in one year, folks.
Is this going to be a championship run not seen since the likes of Anderson Silva? Or will "Suga" Rashad Evans have something to say about his success in 2012?
Thoughts?
Posted in: ufc, time, title, jone, year
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 142's Mendes more than ready for champ Aldo, no matter what Maynard says
Two-time lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard thinks featherweight Chad Mendes isn't ready for a title shot.
Mendes, who's four years into pro MMA with 11 fights to his name, strongly disagrees.
"Maynard saying that he doesn't think that I'm ready for a title shot - I don't know why Maynard's saying anything about anyone," Mendes said today during a media call in support of UFC 142
Posted in: title, maynard, mende, champ aldo, anyone mendes
Read the full article at MMA JunkieLuke Rockhold: Keith Jardine does not deserve a title shot
On September 10, Luke Rockhold had his hand raised in victory after a five round bout with Ronaldo Souza, advancing his record to 8-1 and more importantly capturing the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.
On Saturday, Rockhold will defend his title for the first time, facing Keith Jardine, who will be making his Middleweight debut in the title bout. The two will headline a Strikeforce card from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
Jardine came to the fight after Rockhold’s
Posted in: title, rockhold, jardine, rock hotel, strikeforce card
Read the full article at Low KickReaction from the Action: “UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem”
Welp, it’s all over.(Trademarked by Mike Goldberg, but with less screaming)Yes, I am talking about 2011, but I am also talking about Brock Lesnar’s MMA career…maybe.2011 brought the UFC to the forefront of American television, with the company’s debut on network television in November. It also introduced us to the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce era, after the company was bought in March.Those two stories highlighted the year in mixed martial arts.However, another huge story that just barely slipped into 2011 was the return of Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, as he welcomed Alistair Overeem to the octagon for the first time.With the purchase of Strikeforce, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta have been given free rein to do pretty much whatever they want with it. That included the acquisitions of former Strikeforce champions Nick Diaz and the aforementioned Overeem.In Overeem, they were bringing over arguably the best striker in the heavyweight division, and a literal larger than life character. We all know Dana loves those.Heck, he brought over one of those four years ago in Brock Lesnar, a fighter with just one fight to his name. But Lesnar also brought guaranteed pay-per-view buys with his WWE experience, as he was one of the most popular wrestlers to ever participate in that organization.Lesnar made his debut at UFC 81 in February 2008, taking on former champion Frank Mir in the co-main event. Ninety seconds later, Lesnar had his first career loss, and Dana had some explaining to do concerning his big acquisition.Just nine months (and one win) later, Dana had even more explaining to do, as Lesnar was set to take on Randy Couture for the Heavyweight Championship.As if it were not obvious before UFC 91, it was now, as Lesnar was the face of the UFC, at least in terms of dollar signs. While he certainly was not the best fighter in the organization, he garnered interest to a sport that was on the peak of breaking through to the mainstream of American sports.Much like David Beckham did for Major League Soccer, Lesnar had people talking about a sport they were never talking about before.Now just 47 months after his debut, Lesnar has graced the octagon for the final time.After two stints with diverticulitis, but more importantly, two defenses of the heavyweight title, Lesnar leaves the organization where he attempted to confirm his desire to prove he did belong with the elite mixed martial artists in the world.Did he?It all depends on what the criteria is.If the criteria is an overwhelming size and athleticism combo the UFC had never seen before? Then he absolutely did.However, even with an NCAA title in wrestling, Lesnar’s wrestling still left quite a bit to desire. He seemingly over relied on that athleticism and strength, which neutralized smaller opponents in Mir and Couture. But once he was put on his heels, instead of on his knees in the mount, he looked lost.In losses in the last two fights of his career against Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem, Lesnar’s defense was exposed, as he was put away easily in the first round in both fights.If Dana White was given the option to go through the process of signing Lesnar again, I am certain he would do the exact same thing, and he would be correct.Lesnar did as much for the sport outside of the octagon as Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre have done during their careers.Biggest winner: Nate Diaz The last few months have been very good for the Diaz brothers. In September, Nate easily demolished Takanori Gomi at UFC 135. The following month, his brother Nick dismantled BJ Penn, thus earning a welterweight title shot. Then on Friday, Nate had the most impressive win of his UFC career. Not only did we see the return of the ‘double birds’ from Diaz, but we saw his continually improving boxing as well. This boxing pressure overwhelmed Donald Cerrone, who was perhaps on the brink of a title shot. In returning to the lightweight division, Diaz certainly has a much better opportunity to contend for UFC gold.Biggest loser: Jon Fitch I would like to put Jacob Volkmann’s microphone skills, because, let’s be honest, that was beyond brutal. Never has a fighter brought such head-scratching performances inside the cage to his post-fight interviews, but Volkmann does it flawlessly with his lackluster humor and yawn-inducing fights. However, even with that awful joke, this has to be given to Fitch. It had been over nine years, or 3,304 days, since Fitch’s last loss to someone not named Georges St. Pierre. That all ended in 12 seconds, as Johny Hendricks ended Fitch’s 2011, and his hopes of garnering another title shot any time soon.Biggest question: How big was UFC 141 for the featherweight division? Both Jimy Hettes and Ross Pearson scored big wins on the night. While Hettes was much more impressive, Pearson is also a big contender in a division that lacks for depth. Going into Friday, Hettes had nine wins, all by submission. But he showed improved striking, and dominated Nam Phan throughout the entire fight. Meanwhile, Pearson took on a very competitive Junior Assuncao. The former Ulimate Fighter winner was making his featherweight debut, but he never showed the effects of the first time cut to 145 pounds.Future Matchups:Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem: This one was pre-determined, as the Lesnar/Overeem bout was a number one contender’s bout. This will pit the superb boxing of dos Santos against the outstanding kickboxing of Overeem. The only thing that needs to be determined is the date of the match, as dos Santos recently underwent knee surgery.Nate Diaz vs. Anthony Pettis/Joe Lauzon winner: This would more than likely be a number one contender’s bout for the lightweight title. Even if it is not, it is at least guaranteed to be one of the most entertaining bouts of the year, no matter who Diaz’ opponent turns out to be.Alexander Gustafsson vs. ‘Shogun’ Rua: This is a bout that has been rumored to become official in the coming days. No better way for ‘The Mauler’ to prove he belongs the elite of the light heavyweight division than taking on the former champion in ‘Shogun’.Johny Hendricks vs. Martin Kampmann/Thiago Alves winner: The scenario that likely occurs with the welterweight division is, if Jake Ellenberger defeats Diego Sanchez, he is likely to take on the winner of Carlos Condit/Nick Diaz. Seemingly, Hendricks is at least one, but likely two fights away from challenging for the title. Kampmann or Alves would be on a two fight win streak at the time of challenging Hendricks, who would serve well from a main event on an FX event.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, division, lesnar
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyWoodley Wants ‘Dominant’ Win Over Mein, Then Title Fight
Tyron Woodley has been in Jordan Mein’s position before: young, hungry and hoping to knock off someone with a name.
Posted in: title, name, woodley, tyron, mein
Read the full article at SherdogAlistair Overeem The Underdog Against Junior dos Santos?
“I thought Brock would move forwards, I hoped more of him. But he told me on the octagon he felt the knees and kicks of Overeem and that he thought he broke his rib. I saw it and it was really red. He told me the last coup destabilized him. And then he wished me good luck on this title defense and that was it… Each fight is different and you gotta be prepared for your next opponent the best way you can. I got to the title with much effort and I’ll do my best to remain as the champion. Overeem is a very strong fighter, but there’s no easy fight when you’re fighting a title fight. He’s big, but he ain’t two.”
— Junior dos Santos talking to Tatame about Brock Lesnar and defending his UFC heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem
Any early predictions for JDS vs. Overeem? They’re both very good at what they do, but I have to say I’m definitely leaning towards Overeem at the moment. JDS is clearly the best boxer in the heavyweight division and certainly has the power to knock Overeem out if he catches him right, but Overeem has more weapons to finish the fight with. Not only that, Overeem will likely have 20-25 pounds of pure muscle on him and JDS is coming off knee surgery. Despite those facts, the early betting lines opened with Overeem as a +190 underdog. That’s crazy if you ask me. I see it closer to even with Overeem being the slight favorite.
Posted in: overeem, alistair overeem, title, fight, jd
Read the full article at MMA ConvertWill The UFC Be Up or Down on Pay-Per-View in 2012?
The UFC had a remarkable 2011 in the face of a painful bad luck streak of injuries, illnesses and suspensions that cost them 11 out of 14 planned main events according to CEO Lorenzo Fertitta talking to the LA Times. There were at most only three UFC cards that sold more than 500,000 pay-per-view buys (UFC 126, 129 and maybe 141) compared with 11 500K + PPVs in 2010.
But it was more than just the injuries and the loss of the mega-events that hurt the UFC in 2011. Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer (subscription required) has put together a comparison of what he calls "baseline shows" from 2009, 2010 and 2011. Once you eliminate the Brock Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre and Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson cards a clear picture emerges, the UFC brand is selling fewer PPVs:
We all know the prime reason UFC was down the level it was down is because of all the injuries this year. There were more baseline shows which took down the average. The only positive to come out of the year was the light heavyweight title, the historically best title when it comes to drawing, had three defenses, plus Jon Jones appears to be a slightly bigger draw as champion than Shogun Rua was. But just the name UFC on PPV seems to mean 14% less than two years ago and 9% less than last year.
Part of the downslide is the weakness of the lighter divisions as PPV attractions. With the loss of superstar champion B.J. Penn, the lightweight title is now one of the weakest headliners possible for a UFC card. The new featherweight and bantamweight divisions are even weaker. It's possible that Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz coaching the first FX season of The Ultimate Fighter will turn things around, but if Faber loses to Cruz again, don't hold your breath waiting for another bantamweight title fight on top of a PPV card.
The next factor hindering growth has been the failure of new stars to emerge as bonafide PPV draws. The generation of UFC stars that the 2005-2010 explosion was built on -- Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes -- has faded from the scene. The only two true stars to emerge since then, Georges St. Pierre and Brock Lesnar, were largely unavailable in 2011 and GSP won't return until late this year. Lesnar is now retired.
Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may yet emerge as a superstar, he's certainly got the talent, but so far he's failed to put up huge PPV numbers. Middleweight champ Anderson Silva finally showed signs of emerging as a draw in 2010/2011 but its clear that he's only a draw when facing a perceived threat to his title. He'll be out with injuries until mid-2012 regardless.
MMA Payout identifies the other big factor hurting the UFC's PPV business:
Of course another factor in addressing the PPV buys is PPV fatigue. There will be 16 PPVs this year with a PPV almost a bimonthly happening. Its hard for a fan to pay over $100 bucks a month in PPVs in addition to their normal cable/satellite bill.
BE alumni nottheface expands on this point at Headkick Legend and even takes the speculation another step:
The common wisom is that the FOX deal will play big dividends for the UFC, and I don't disagree. I just don't think it will stop the decline in payperview sales. For starters they can expect no more than one fight from GSP and none from Brock Lesnar, by far the two biggest draws they've had the last few years. In addition they face the reality that half of all households in the U.S. have no disposable income so none of these new Fox fans are going to buy into a payperview market they've already oversaturated and bled dry (intentionally in my opinion -they knew the fad wouldn't last). The repercussions are going to big, with a lot of disgruntled stars now making a smaller cut of the revenue and large debt payment eating up all the owners profits.
Zuffa will sell the UFC
OK, a couple of caveats wth this one. One, I'm going to give myself an extra 6-months for this to happen. July 1st, 2013. Secondly, I don't mean Zuffa will sell the whole company, although that is a possibility, but they will sell at least 20% of the UFC to an outside party. By doing so Zuffa can eliminate a lot of their debt payments and not have to worry about tightening their belts and eliminating the dividend payments the owners have grown so accustomed to.
I'm a bit more sanguine about the UFC's chances over the short term than NTF. I think that the emergence of Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem as stars is a very real possibility in 2012, especially with the PR muscle of Fox Sports pushing them.
What do you think? Will the UFC turn things around in 2012 or not?
Poll
Will the UFC beat 2011's anemic PPV numbers in 2012?
Yes
No
24 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, ppv, title, star, year
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 143: Primetime Will Make FX Debut to Promote Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit
The first "UFC Primetime" special on the FX network will debut on Friday, January 20, 2012 at 11 p.m. ET. The following episdoes will air on January 27 and February 3. The special promotes the upcoming UFC 143 welterweight interim title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The two are fighting for the right to hold champion Georges St. Pierre's belt until he returns from surgery to repair a torn ACL. GSP had to pull out of his scheduled UFC 137 title bout with Condit due to an injury on his other knee then tore his right knee while training for a UFC 143 title bout with Nick Diaz.
Condit got the call up to take GSP's place and it was decided to make it an interim title bout. St. Pierre has held the UFC welterweight title since beating Matt Serra at UFC 83 in 2008. He's made six successful title defenses in that time.
Dias is the former Strikeforce welterweight champion and came to the UFC to fight GSP. He was originally signed to fight for the title at UFC 137 but blew off two press conferences and was pulled from the title fight. Diaz ultimately ended up facing B.J. Penn and taking a three round decision in the Fight of the Night.
Condit has won four straight bouts in the UFC, with three straight by KO or TKO over Dong Hyun Kim, Dan Hardy and Rory MacDonald. He is the former WEC welterweight champion.
Posted in: ufc, title, bout, welterweight, condit
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowSeptember 2011 MMA Recap: Nick Diaz Booted From Title Match, UFC On Fox Main Event Announced
The month of September belonged to a man from Stockton, CA, who made his disdain for press conferences well known and paid for it dearly. The UFC also made a big change in their pay-per-view (PPV) schedule to make a splash in their Fox debut and Jon Jones continued his year of dominance.
September 2011: Of Beauty Pageants, Ballsy Moves And Big Wins
After years of complaining about not making money and feeling disrespected by seemingly everyone involved in his MMA life, Nick Diaz finally had his big opportunity with a pay-per-view main event against UFC Welterweight Champion and top pound-for-pound fighter Georges St. Pierre. A single win would put Diaz in the elite class and make him a big time name in front of a huge audience.
But the thing with Diaz is that he doesn't like to do things the way he's told, especially with media obligations. He skipped out on a promotional trip to Toronto and then no-showed a presser in Las Vegas in the same week, enough for Dana White to do the unthinkable: pull him from his battle with St. Pierre and give Carlos Condit the title opportunity instead. It was a ballsy move and one that had plenty of people talking, including Diaz' manager Cesar Gracie.
In another bizarre twist, Diaz was booked in the co-main event position shortly thereafter against B.J. Penn, who was agitated that the UFC asked him to trash talk in some pre-fight interviews. That set off a bizarre exchange with White which was later settled but once again highlighted the fragile relationship the two share. Things would get stranger later on in the fall, but Diaz' failure to make the "beauty pageant" was the big story in September.
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Speaking of ballsy moves, White made another one when he bumped up the UFC heavyweight championship clash between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos to the UFC on Fox debut instead of UFC 139. It showed that both the UFC and Fox knew the one-hour November debut was an important stage setter for the relationship and that potentially sacrificing PPV dollars for fresh eyes was a risk they were willing to take. Advertisers responded, buying up all the inventory available.
****
The question of who could challenge UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones continued to be left unanswered as the youngest champ in UFC history made a fourth round submission win over Quinton Jackson look easy at UFC 135. There was plenty who thought the former champ Jackson would give Jones his stiffest test, but that was far from the case, perhaps signaling the beginning of the end of Rampage's days as a top 205'er. Jones had to fend off two challengers as he booted Steven Seagal from his dressing room earlier in the night.
For the rest of a packed September that included a big year-end fight being booked, join us after the jump.
Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem was announced for December's UFC 141 as the Strikeforce champion came into the UFC fold. Amidst all this, Overeem left Golden Glory...Another Strikeforce champion came back to the UFC as Dan Henderson was signed and booked against fellow PRIDE veteran Mauricio Rua to fill the UFC 139 void...Anderson Silva said he was out until early 2012 with a shoulder injury...Wanderlei Silva got another shot at redemption against the UFC debuting Cung Le.
Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier advanced to the Strikeforce Grand Prix finals with quick wins...Fedor Emelianenko vs. Jeff Monson in Russia was announced for November...Brett Rogers denied a history of violence with his wife and said Dana White should man up and call him. He would make a plea agreement in the case against him...Luke Rockhold won the Strikeforce Middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Jacare Souza...Cris "Cyborg" Santos' manager claimed she was the highest-paid female athlete in the world.
Josh Koscheck knocked out Matt Hughes in what could be Hughes' final match...Eddie Alvarez got hurt and had to postpone his Bellator title fight with Michael Chandler...Jake Ellenberger made quick work of Jake Shields...The UFC and the Culinary Union continued their battle...Rashad Evans said he'd never work with Greg Jackson again...Ben Askren vs. Jay Hieron was booked...Rich Franklin had shoulder surgery...Kurt Angle and Floyd Mayweather went a bit nutty...The UFC fights on Facebook era was announced as coming to a close.
Full archive of September stories on Bloody Elbow
Past Monthly Recaps:
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, september, fox debut
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowAfter Cerrone Win at UFC 141, Diaz Hopes for Title Run
Nate Diaz wants to fight the best, and few could argue with such a request after his performance at UFC 141 on Friday night.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, nate diaz, request
Read the full article at SherdogDos Santos Opens as Solid Favorite Over Overeem
Alistair Overeem will now face Junior Dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight title, and he's coming in as the underdog.
Posted in: ufc, title, overeem, do, underdog
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyDREAM New Year 2011: Results and Play by Play
With UFC 141 in the books be sure to stick with Bloody Elbow as we continue this epic MMA marathon for DREAM New Year! 2011 headlined by Fedor Emelianenko fighting Olympic Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii. Shinya Aoki will defend his lightweight title against Satoru Kitaoka and Hiroyuki Takaya defends his featherweight title against Lion Takeshi.
Tonight's event is the brain child of Antonio Inoki, the Japanese professional wrestling legend. Airing immediately after UFC 141, join the Bloody Elbow night crew at 1:00 AM ET/11:00 PM PT. The fights will air live on HDNet. Bloody Elbow night crew assemble!!!SBN coverage of DREAM: New Year! 2011
DREAM Rules
17. HW: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii
DREAM Lightweight Title Fight (5×5 mins)
16. Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka
DREAM Featherweight Title Fight (5×5 mins)
15. Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Lion Takeshi
IGF Rules
14. Kazushi Sakuraba/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinichi Suzukawa/Atsushi Sawada13. Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts12. Jerome Le Banner vs. Tim Sylvia
DREAM World Bantamweight Tournament Finals
11. Final: Imanari/Banuelos vs. Fernandes/Marques
MIX Rules (1st K-1, 2nd DREAM, Automatic Draw)
10. Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno
IGF Rules
9. Josh Barnett vs. Hideki Suzuki
Kickboxing Rules
8. 64kg: Yuta Kubo vs. Nils Widlund7. 64kg: Masaaki Noiri vs. Kengo Sonoda
DREAM Rules
6. FW: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata5. WW: Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan4. Women's 52kg: Megumi Fujii vs. Karla Benitez
DREAM World Bantamweight Tournament Finals
3. Semifinal: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques Diniz2. Semifinal: Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos1. Reserve: Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev
Posted in: title, vs, dream, kg, rule
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowHistory in the Making: Brock Lesnar exacts his revenge on Frank Mir at UFC 100
Brock Lesnar made his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut under more fanfare – and scrutiny -- than any other mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter had or has since received.
While Mirko Filipovic and Quinton Jackson’s first dance inside the Octagon at UFC 67 was definitely part of the marketing for that event, it seemed like UFC 81’s hype machine centered entirely around the former WWE champion and the "Can He Fight?" tagline.
That question was answered in the first minute of his tilt with Frank Mir as the behemoth took his opponent down and hammered down a gaggle of giant forearms. An inadvertent shot to the back of Mir’s head caused a temporary stoppage and seconds after the restart, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist latched onto one of Lesnar’s ankles and forced a tap from a kneebar.
Lesnar lost the fight, but looked pretty good in the process. He would go on to dominate Heath Herring in his next fight before capturing the heavyweight strap by knocking out Randy Couture. A return bout with Mir -- the division's interim title holder at the time -- at the company's centennial event shook in Lesnar's favor.
A major intestinal illness would derail Lesnar about one year later, but now he's healthy and eager to assume his position atop the divisional hill.
Standing in Lesnar's way is another mountain of a man, Alistair Overeem, at UFC 141 this Friday night (Dec. 30, 2011) in Las Vegas, Nevada. With a win, Lesnar will get a chance to reclaim the title he lost. A fight with heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has already been promised to the winner.
Title fights are nothing new for the beastly man -- he's already been in four in his short career. We'll take a look at what might be his most important, the rematch with Mir at UFC 100.
Are you ready?
Even though Lesnar was submitted in his Octagon debut, his performance was enough to impress even some of his staunchest doubters. Seven months later, he battered MMA veteran and former Pride FC title contender Heath Herring for 15 minutes, winning a unanimous decision. The performance even earned Lesnar one 10-8 round from each judge, likely because of a punch that not only floored "The Texas Crazy Horse," but also made him tumble and flip backward as he crashed to the mat.
It was also enough to earn the DeathClutch Gym product a title shot against returning champion Randy Couture. He met "The Natural" at UFC 91 and dropped him with a perfectly placed punch that temporarily destroyed the champ’s equilibrium. Couture crumbled to the mat and after a few hammerfists, Lesnar was the new UFC heavyweight champion.
A month later, the newly crowned champ was sitting cageside as he saw Frank Mir finish Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in similar fashion and snatch away the Brazilian’s interim heavyweight title. Mir hopped on top of the cage, motioned to Lesnar and said, "You’ve got my belt."
The giant man from Minnesota had a smile on his face and dollar signs in his eyes.
A week after Americans across the country celebrated their nation’s independence with hamburgers, beer and fireworks, UFC 100 took center stage in UFC’s hometown of Las Vegas. The card was appropriately stacked for the momentous occasion, including Georges St. Pierre defending his welterweight title against Thiago Alves. Despite "Rush" taking on who many felt was his last real test inside the Octagon and recently signing a huge mainstream deal with Gatorade, his fight was playing second fiddle to the big boys.
Lesnar and Mir’s rematch – the bout to unify both heavyweight titles and establish an undisputed champ – was closing the show.
Mir takes the center of the Octagon while Lesnar circles around. Interestingly enough, Lesnar begins throwing small leg kicks early on. Half a minute in, Mir dives in to close the distance and ends up on the business end of a huge Lesnar cross that elicits an audible response from the Sin City crowd. They clinch up and the champion is able to get Mir to the mat where the BJJ expert attempts to wrangle a leg just like he had a year prior.
Lesnar is able to keep his limbs safe and begins his ground attack. Smothering his opponent from above, short elbows bruise and bump Mir's forehead and open up small cuts along his nose. They give way to more powerful punches that begin to seep away at Mir's gas tank as well as his confidence.
Like a bigger brother picking on his younger sibling, Lesnar holds his opponent in a headlock while delivering unanswered punch after unanswered punch, first to the head, then to the body and then back to the head. At the end of five minutes, Mir's face is already a battered and bloody mess while Lesnar doesn't seem to have a scratch on him.
The second round wouldn't even last half as long as its predecessor. Less than two minutes into the stanza, Lesnar completes the job he started in the first. Mir had a brief moment in the sun, delivering two knees that would fell a normal man but Brock Lesnar simply shrugs them off. After the litany of huge punches that forced a stoppage to the fight, Lesnar went in all-out hulk mode complete with post-beatdown trash talk, rabidly foaming at a camera and flipping off the crowd.
Lesnar would go on to defend his title one more time -- against Shane Carwin -- nearly a full year to the day after his first bout with diverticulitis nearly put an end to his fledgling MMA career. At UFC 121, the champion lost his belt and suffered his second loss after being shellacked by Cain Velasquez in under a round.
He was given the opportunity to earn a rematch against the new champion when the UFC placed him and Brazilian knockout artist Junior dos Santos opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13. Filming began and ended and the two were poised to collide at UFC 131. But fate -- in the form of a painful digestive disorder -- once again intervened and the former heavyweight king was forced to drop out of the bout and have surgery.
Now many months removed from a video Lesnar posted where he declared he was healthy and ready to train, he'll welcome Overeem to the UFC. "The Reem" has all but been declared the champ by some, looking nearly unstoppable since moving up to heavyweight permanently. Lesnar would be coming off a 15-month layoff and a surgery that removed nearly one foot of his colon.
Has the sun set on Lesnar's time at the top? Does Overeem represent a new day and age?
Call it, Maniacs. Who will be facing "Cigano" when all is said and done?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, mir, lesnar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White: Jon Fitch needs a little bit of a reality check
UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch is one of the best fighters on Earth. He's fought in the UFC 15 times spanning six years and he's only ever lost once, to the man widely accepted as the greatest 170-pound fighter of all time.
But for as much success as he's had, at least as far as wins go, he's only been the headliner on two events. And despite winning five of six fights since his title loss, he just can't seem to earn himself another title shot.
Meanwhile guys like Chael Sonnen are popping off at the mouth and being rewarded extensively for it. It's a pro wrestling mentality that Fitch despises and hopes doesn't take over the landscape of MMA.
Because, you know, he wants the sport to remain pure.
Trash talking to earn a title shot is one thing, but doing so and then going out and backing it up is another. Not to mention, the reality of the situation is the business of MMA is driven by who sells pay-per-views. Fitch, simply put, does not.
That's not just because of his monotone delivery during interviews. It's also because his fighting style doesn't exactly get fans on their feet. And while his head trainer, Dave Camarillo can criticize fans who criticize his fighter, UFC President Dana White has the final word on Fitch. And it's a doozy:
"The problem with Jon Fitch is you hear the same thing from everybody about Jon Fitch: If I want to get to sleep and I can't get to sleep at night, I'll put in a Jon Fitch fight. Whatever you think... Jon Fitch is one of the best 170-pounders in the world. And yes, he's in the hunt for a title again, but find one person that will tell you they love a Jon Fitch fight, it's the most exciting thing they've ever seen and they just get so excited for it. So when you say that you have a fight like Cerrone and Diaz on the card and a guy with a record like (Fitch's) is on and people aren't jumping out of their seats for that fight, I think Jon needs to have a little bit of a, you know... he's got to be a little honest with himself and have a little bit of a reality check."
Maybe somebody should get Fitch some ice for that wicked burn White just laid on him. Truth is truth, though, and White isn't doing anything other than speaking it.
Then again, if Fitch comes away victorious in his bout against Johny Hendricks tomorrow night (Fri., Dec. 30, 2011) at UFC 141 in Las Vegas, he could very well be next in line for a welterweight title shot.
Or he could continue to languish on the mid-card, struggling to find an audience. Winning is important but in MMA, it isn't everything.
Posted in: title, jon, fitch, he, jon fitch
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFive Ounces 2011 Year-End Awards: Oops, Oohs, and Arghs
The final week of 2011 has arrived, and though the year may not have delivered on the public’s long-standing dream of flying cars and laser-blasters it was certainly a period filled with memorable months from a Mixed Martial Arts viewpoint. We witnessed champions fall in dramatic fashion, prospects rise from the ranks to become divisional kings, and numerous fighters emerge victorious by the skin of their teeth. We saw shocking signings and ridiculous releases; countless classics and numerous nod-offers; moves in the ring unlike any other before and some hopefully never seen again.
With the close of the year, Five Ounces of Pain is bringing you our annual awards as we wind things down and get ready for the adventures 2012 will undoubtedly bring. Over the next few days we will announce our winners in somewhat unique categories with a final batch of standard distinctions handed out on Saturday, December 31.
As always, 5 Oz. invites our readers to offer their own opinions in the “Comments” section on who should have taken home the hardware (or in this case digital love). We would not be here without you, and rest assured the Staff not only appreciates your contributions from a “page view” standpoint, but genuinely enjoys reading our community’s take on topics. Have an incredibly fun, albeit safe, NYE weekend!
– Sometimes These Things Happen in MMA –
Quick Finishes: Sometimes you build up something so much and then it only lasts a minute or two, leaving everyone disappointed. If you don’t believe me, ask any virgin the night after prom. The “fight of decade” between Chris Leben-Wanderlei Silva lasted 27 seconds. The “biggest fight of all-time” between Cain Velasquez-Junior dos Santos> lasted 64 seconds. Even heavily hyped fights like the one between Chan Sung Jung vs. Mark Hominick only lasted seven seconds. You can hype fights as much as you want, but there are only two people that have control over the outcome and, unlike most sports where you play for a certain amount of time or to a certain score, that outcome can come in the blink of an eye. Quick knockouts are exciting although when you’re expecting a 15 or 25 minute war between two of the best fighters in the world, quick knockouts can leave you limper than the guy who doesn’t get his hand raised at the end of the fight.
– Beatdown of the Year –
Jon Jones vs. Mauricio Rua: Minutes after Jon Jones was done choking out then undefeated Ryan Bader, UFC commentator Joe Rogan had a surprise in store for the talented prodigy. In a cruel twist of fate, Jones’ then-training partner, Rashad Evans, pulled out of his scheduled title fight with champion “Shogun” Rua, and the UFC wanted Jones to step up on five weeks’ notice. Naturally, Jones wasn’t about to pass up on the opportunity, but many questioned whether it was too much too soon for “Bones.”
The answer was beyond anybody’s expectations, as Jones put an absolute beating on the much more experienced – and accomplished – “Shogun.” For three rounds, Jones battered Rua with knees, kicks, elbows, and some absolutely vicious ground-and-pound to the head and body.
What makes this beatdown stand out from any other one sided fight this year is the fact that not only did it take place in a UFC title fight, but it featured two world class mixed martial artists who looked evenly matched on paper. And yet, one was turned into an absolute practice dummy. More impressive is the fact that despite Rua being blessed with an otherworldly chin and inhuman toughness, he was destroyed into pieces by the freight train that is Jon Jones, who is quickly becoming violence personified.
– Trash-Talk Gone Wrong –
Quinton Jackson vs. Jon Jones: From the moment “Rampage” received his official shot at Jones’ title the colorful competitor started talking smack, referring to Jones as a “kid” who earned his title by beating a “rusty as hell” Rua. He amped things up throughout the build, accusing Jones of implanting a spy in his camp along with the standard tough-guy trash-talk insinuating he was going to break “Bones” in the cage. In the end Jones not only picked Jackson apart throughout their fight but became the first person to submit him in a decade.
Also, an honorable mention goes to Evans for attempting to insult upcoming opponent Phil Davis by referring to the systematic sexual abuse of children at Penn State.
Posted in: fight, title, jone, jon jones, rua
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainJon Fitch Won’t Beg and Won’t Plead; He Wants to Earn Another Title Shot
Jon Fitch's record and ranking speak for themselves, but the welterweight contender won't beg, borrow or steal his way to another title shot. He wants to earn it.
Posted in: title shot, title, shot, jon fitch, welterweight contender
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyJunior dos Santos: Winning the title was amazing, but it was just the beginning
Recently crowned Heavyweight Champion, Junior dos Santos, who dethroned Cain Velasquez to claim the title at UFC on Fox, looks back on the match-up, and discusses the recovery process following his knee surgery.
Posted in: title, champion, do, heavyweight champion, recovery process
Read the full article at Low KickFollowing latest win, Gegard Mousasi anticipates title shot, hopes to fight in UFC
Gegard Mousasi is still his biggest critic.
Following a decision over up-and-comer Ovince St. Preux at "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" earlier this month, he is blunt about his shortcomings during the fight. Or rather, the end of the fight.
But he's now got his eye on a Strikeforce title shot and a possible move to the UFC.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, gegard mousasi, shot
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMailbag: Who will hold the gold? (Yahoo! Sports)
Which current UFC champions will still hold their titles at the end of next year, and who will lose their belt?
Posted in: title, champion, end, gold, ufc champions
Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports2012 MMA Predictions - Futures of Each Division and More
Since the dawn of time, people have had a morbid curiosity about predicting the future. Tea leaves, I Ching, crystal balls, palmistry, astrology and more pseudo-science than you can shake a dowsing rod at have been used to guesstimate matters of the heart, war, business deals and everything else under the sun. Of course, this stuff doesn't really work. Nobody genuinely believes in this fortune telling bunk, but let's try it anyways - and make it MMA-specific.
Even though it is winter and I am cheap, pretend that the multi-colored wool beanie I am wearing was given to me by a savant trainer and that the blanket around me shows that I have magical powers of prediction due to many years of learning the ways of the mystical Hindu sages. I, Swami Guru, will tell you with convincing authority exactly what will happen in 2012 division by division and prime mover by prime mover.
Swami Guru predicts that Jon Jones will lose his belt in 2012, Anderson Silva keeps making Anderson Silva money and that Georges St. Pierre will wait until February of 2013 to fight again. Swami Guru is also putting his Lesnar/Overeem pick after the jump.
Hit the jump for the full set of predictions and a look back at how my 2011 predictions matched up to reality. Turns out they were not quite the trainwreck I expected when I begin writing this piece.
Fights and Fighter predictions:
Swami Guru points out that there have been only five dominant weight class champions in mixed martial arts history. Fedor Emelianenko, Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, Cristiane Santos and Wanderlei Silva. The odds of one fighter joining that company are very small. Swami Guru hedges his mystical feelings with odds whenever appropriate and thus foretells that a LHW out there will shock us all and dethrone Jon Jones. Hypothetical karma points will be bet on Rashad Evans being the one to do the king-killing. Avoid those elbows and everything else is easy peasy.
Now that Junior dos Santos has the UFC belt and Alistair Overeem is fighting Brock Lesnar this weekend, we will have a convergence of almost all major heavyweight titles in existence at some point in early 2012. For this weekend, Swami Guru picks Overeem by second round KO. Lesnar is a warrior for sure, yet the time off for the health troubles makes this a too tough jump back into the pool.
The subsequent unification of heavyweight titles is hugely meaningful, but it's too bad that Swami Guru sees this unified belt ping ponging back and forth between the division for the next year. Junior will lose his first defense, Cain Velasquez will rise like the phoenix and yet again be taken down by another. If Lesnar stays in the sport, he will challenge for the title this time next year.
We see a truly wonderful spectacle in Anderson/Bisping over the summer. Weidman takes out everybody en route to the Okami position - including Okami. Edgar continues his storybook run until finally losing in late 2012.
Ben Askren will stand with Douglas Lima. For one round. Zach Makovsky will stand with Dudu Dantas for one minute. Spike TV will love Bellator and the Bellator fighters will go ape en masse if the judging continues to be as spotty as it was in 2011.
Guram Gugenishvili will continue to tantalize while slowly improving his stand-up. Jared Rosholt will use his Overem training camp connections to avoid getting snaked by Bellator before the UFC talent scouting division finally wakes up to his potential. Bigfoot Silva will fight Shane Carwin as a welcome back bout. Satoshi Ishii will take a narrow decision loss to Fedor and then finally fight for Strikeforce as a light heavyweight. Stephan Bonnar will get the delight of welcoming Glover Teixeira to the UFC. Swami Guru also predicts that Yoel Romero does not return to MMA. Jimi Manuwa will stay over in Yurrup for another year, building his skills. People will remember Jordan Smith again. And Yuri Villefort will be surpassed by Erick Silva as THE welterweight prospect to watch. Backflips > ACL Injuries.
Gunnar Nelson doesn't move out of Iceland and continues to fritter away an MMA career. He still rocks the No Gi Euros though. Pato Carvalho works with Paul Heyman and turns heel in order to drive his 2012 campaign for the FW belt. He has to go heel because there is no way anybody on the planet can hate Jose Aldo. Big Nog comes back by September 2012. Frank Mir fights winner of Cormier/Barnett and the winner of that gets the next title shot. Palhares breaks no limbs in 2012. Miguel Torres will get rehired.
General Trends:
People will realize that wrestling is almost as bad as judo in terms of injury potential. Falling correctly will be trained more and more by the smart fighters and trainers. A select few, like Nick Diaz, will start playing around with weird concepts like rolling backwards during a takedown in order to confuse top game wrestlers and cause scrambles.
The Zuffa higher ups will realize that Strikeforce should become the WEC 2.0, with a 135 women's division and continuing to contest every division but heavyweight. Zuffa will stumble massively with the lighter weights because they have not put much into scouting genuine prospects. Promotional limitations will become apparent and another face at Zuffa will emerge.
Nova Uniao will make a serious push to hold prominent MMA organization 145, 135 and 125 belts by the end of 2012. The myth of Black House being the best Brazilian camp will finally be debunked. Or the Blackzilians will take that title.
Random Stuff Definitely Going to Happen:
Grantland collapses. Mayweather/Pacquiao still doesn't happen. Germany wins Euro 2012. The Knicks flame out over the last half of the season and miss the playoffs. The Higgs-Boson is conclusively found and the masses collectively shrug. Swami Guru makes a summer pilgrimage to the Himalayas. Jason High will be shown to be the next best thing to Bill Cosby in all of mixed martial arts when he does a Combustible Huxtable-style race against someone like Tyron Woodley and posts it on Twitter.
Takes Swami Guru hat off.
Way back in January of this year, a group of friends and I posted our predictions for 2011 over on the InStrength board. Looking back on my educated guesses, some are so bad as to make me wince, others are halfway decent and a couple were terrific.
I'm particularly proud of the following:
calling the title reign of Junior dos Santos and
the Chael Sonnen win over Brian Stann
getting the correct result for the Phil Davis vs Antonio Rogerio Noguiera fight
That's not bad. It's almost as good as predicting that Mauricio Rua would lose his LHW title to Jon Jones, who would then beat Quinton Jackson before fighting Lyoto Machida. Unfortunately, I also predicted that Machida would win that match-up with Jones.
Other things that I completely blanked or whiffed on were:
the star turn of Nick Diaz
Jacare Souza losing the Strikeforce middleweight belt to Luke Rockhold in Strikeforce
GSP not moving up to middleweight
the buyout of Strikeforce itself by Zuffa
Predicted an interim title for the wrong weight class (HW instead of WW)
Cheick Kongo did not knee someone else in the groin!!!
If you squint real hard and give me the benefit of every doubt possible, I can't be said to have completely missed the boat on these:
Predicting that Cain would fight one or less times in 2011
Ryan Bader having a very rough time against the elite at 205 lbs
Rafael Oliveira getting another win (the Nik Lentz win, which was officially turned into a no contest) before losing yet again (I picked a wrestler, but Donald Cerrone will certainly do in a pinch).
As yet, unresolved predictions:
Overeem reigns over everything
Edgar/Penn III happens in 2012
Anderson fighting Jacare in 2012.
Jon Fitch takes over the championless welterweight division.
Muhammad Lawal taking a fight with Gegard Mousasi over a Strikeforce title shot because he's ornery that way.
There were many others making predictions within the InStrength thread and some of them - particularly bestrafer7's - were eerily accurate. Tim Burke called JDS/Lesnar being cancelled due to Lesnar having to be replaced. However, Burke also said that Tim Sylvia would return to the UFC. Win some, lose some.
Fire away with your 2012 predictions below.
Posted in: title, division, prediction, guru, swami
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowTyron Woodley in line for Strikeforce welterweight title fight with win in January
Strikeforce is planning on filling the vacant welterweight championship in the coming year, and Tyron Woodley is in line to fight for it.
If Woodley can get past Jordan Mein on January 7 at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says Woodley will be in the title fight against an opponent yet to be determined.
Woodley has risen up from the Strikeforce Challengers series to put himself in contention with a win over Paul Daley earlier this year, improving his record to 9-0.
“Yeah, I think you have to look at it that way. Tyron Woodley, he’s a product of our Challengers show, if you remember when we first discovered Tyron, and he’s proven to be an amazing fight,” said Coker, while appearing on MMA Weekly’s radio show recently. “He’s beaten some of the top guys and his fight with Paul Daley, I think that kind of put the icing on the cake.”
Coker mentioned maybe bringing in an established fighter to meet Woodley for the title, or giving the opportunity to another one of Strikeforce’s up and coming stars.
“I’m going to have to sit back and talk with Sean (Shelby) and find out what they have in store for new guys coming in. It might be one of the old guys, it might be a new guy,” Coker said. “Sometime I think before summertime in 2012 you’ll see a welterweight title fight. T-Wood if he wins and another opponent.”
PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, coker, woodley
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainMy arms get full of lead easily in a fight, is there any way to incorporate some kind of conditioning to prevent this?
let me make it more clear, the title's pretty confusing. I know I can condition while training by simply keeping my hands up and forcing them at that position, but are there other work-outs that would help out my hands covering my face? submitted by DayGreedy [link] [7 comments]
Posted in: title, kind, face, hand, workout
Read the full article at Reddit2011 World MMA Scouting Report Review - Bantamweights
This is a guest post by Rory MacLeod (smoogy)
A year ago, we selected the inaugural class of fighters that would make up the first edition of the World MMA Scouting Report. It's been a gratifying experience to see some of the athletes we selected go on to succeed in major fight opportunties, and a heartbreaking one to see others come up just short. For each pick that claimed a significant title in 2011, there were at least two that didn't make their breakthrough, or fell off the rails entirely. Here's a recap to give you a sampling of the highlights (and lowlights) from a tumultuous time in the careers of these MMA prospects.
1. Eduardo Dantas (13-2)
Eduardo had about as good a year as one could hope. Signing with Bellator for their Season 5 bantamweight tournament, Dantas pulled off the unlikely feat of defeating three veteran opponents in two months to capture the tourney title as the youngest competitor among the field. A bantamweight World Championship fight with title holder Zach Makovsky awaits in season 6; Dantas will likely be the betting favorite.
2. Farkhad Sharipov (13-5)
Farkhad Sharipov took a victory over #8 Tommy Vargas at Tachi Palace fights, but at 1-2 so far in his Bellator career, he finds himself left out of tournament action. Larger, better rounded fighters have proven effective at taking Sharipov out of his grappling rhythm. A drop down to flyweight might be in order to get "Frank" back on track in 2012. But more importantly, he needs to supplement his wrestling with a proper kickboxing attack and improve his transitions on the ground.
3. Jimmie Rivera (8-1)
As the Ring of Combat bantamweight champion, Jimmie Rivera headed into the The Ultimate Fighter 14 elimination round as a presumptive early favorite in the featherweight division. But after a dominant first round in his eliminator, Jimmie was overwhelmed by eventual finalist Dennis Bermudez in one of the most unlikely comebacks ever witnessed on the show. Most recently, a scheduled defense of his Ring of Combat title in November was scratched due to injury. Hopefully he can get back in the cage early in the new year and show UFC he deserves a second chance.
4. Yusup Saadulaev (8-1-1)
Yusup Saadulaev got the call up to DREAM for their inaugural Bantamweight Grand Prix, entering the field as the darkhorse against Brazilian standout Rodolfo Marques Diniz (14-1). Their unheralded quarterfinal matchup turned out to be a sensational debut for both athletes and one of the most underrated fights of the year. In a three round grappling epic, both fighters scrambled and swept like madmen to try and gain an edge, and neither was out of reach of victory at any point in the fight. It seemed like the takedowns and positional advantage of Saadulaev might be enough to eke out a win, but the judges favored Diniz and his technical display of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Yusup now faces fellow GP castoff Hideo Tokoro on New Year's Eve in the BWGP reserve bout.
5. John Lineker (19-5)
Maybe John Lineker should consider the nickname "Al Qaeda", because he terrorized his fellow Brazilian bantamweights in 2011, going 7-0 with four knockouts. His streak culminated in September with a Jungle Fight bantamweight championship fight against Jungle Fight veteran Illiarde Sabino Belo Dos Santos (22-6-1) in Sao Paulo. After seemingly being knocked senseless with ground and pound early, Illiarde somehow scrambled to his feet and not only survived the round, but came back to post two very close latter rounds in the three frame affair. The judges ultimately favored Lineker's early efforts and he was awarded the title, much to the protest of Illiarde's corner.
John recently signed to join his fellow Jungle Fight champion Erick Silva in the UFC as one of the first fighters in the newly-opened flyweight division. Despite being left out of the championship tournament, Lineker will enter the promotion as one of the favorites to challenge for the title early on.
6. Adrian Wooley (7-3)
If it wasn't for bad luck, Adrian Wooley wouldn't have had any luck at all in 2011. The Warrior-1 bantamweight champion put up a solid effort in July against Nick Mamalis (23-8) at the inaugural Score Fighting Series event in Mississauga, Ontario, but came up on the wrong end of a controversial split decision. Wooley was expected to rebound from the false start by breaking off Detroit's David Harris (6-3-1), but a slow start and a surprisingly game opponent led to another split decision defeat. Despite the setbacks, Wooley still has fans among the Canadian MMA scene and is expected to get another opportunity on a nationally-televised card in the near future.
7. Rodrigo Lima (10-1)
"Ratinho" continues to be one of the most stellar young overachievers in Brazilian MMA. Fighting under the Watch Out Combat Show banner, Rodrigo Lima went 3-0 in 2011, finishing all three opponents in a combined time of 5:28. Given Bellator's propensity for acquiring emerging Brazilian talent, it was no surprise to learn Lima has secured a place in the upcoming season 6 bantamweight tournament. In a relatively wide open field, Rodrigo has a great chance to follow his compatriot Eduardo Dantas in seizing the tourney crown as the youngest competitor among the field.
8. Tommy Vargas (9-2)
Unfortunately for Tommy Vargas, the loss to Farkhad Sharipov in May not only took him out of contention for a Tachi Palace Fights title shot, it may have cost him a shot in Bellator as well. Sharipov wasn't able to inflict much damage and almost gave the fight up in the closing minutes by shooting into a knee strike, but the Kyrgyzstani wrestler's stifling top control proved that Vargas still needs to make improvements as a grappler to succeed on the world stage. On the plus side, his conditioning was on display on December 1st when he rebounded to capture the Fight Club OC Bantamweight strap in a five round decision victory over Tyler Weathers (8-7). With his last seven fights all having gone to the judges scorecards, Vargas needs to post an impressive finish to get back on track.
9. Mike Easton (11-1)
It turned out that a two year period between pro fights wasn't an issue for Mike Easton. With the UFC bantamweight division in need of veteran talent, Easton made his debut in Washington, D.C. at the final edition of UFC on Versus as the local favorite. Fellow debutant Byron Bloodworth (6-2) succumbed to the power of Easton's clinch in the second round, folding to some particularly nasty knees to the body. Clearly his hard work put in at Alliance MMA is paying off; he's come a long way from the ignominious decision win over Chase Beebe and the controversy that ensued. With no word yet on Easton's next opponent, perhaps a move to flyweight is in his future?
10. Denis Puric (4-3)
Despite his ugly record and proclivity for getting submitted by superior grapplers, Denis Puric continues to show pugilistic promise and a flair for the dramatic that puts him in high demand on the Canadian MMA circuit. After submittiing to Winnipeg's Cory Houston (4-1) at Score Fighting Series 2 in October, Puric made his Bellator debut less than a month later, taking on Chuck Mady (5-6) on the preliminary card. In a performance reminiscent of his compatriot, UFC Lightweight John Makdessi, Denis dominated with a flashy array of kicking technique, spinning and hooking his way to a sensational TKO stoppage win after two rounds. Although Puric did not do enough to earn a spot in the next Bellator 135lb bracket, the buzz about "that tae kwon do guy" should ensure a return invite to the show in 2012.
Posted in: fight, mma, title, round, bantamweight
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowSonnen wants title shot in different weight class
Chael Sonnen says he is finished with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and wants a title shot in a different weight class.
Posted in: title shot, title, shot, weight, sonnen
Read the full article at sportsnet.caBest UFC/MMA fighter of 2011
Every year in the world of combat sports, there are a handful of fighters who either defy the odds or support them wholeheartedly, laying waste to all in their path in unexpected (or entirely expected) fashion.
Loved, loathed, or regarded with mild disinterest once their rampages get dull, these warriors command the attention of viewers through the universal language of violence.
As such, we’ve seen the meteoric rise (or surprising rebirth) of a select few over the past 12 months. But which combatant was the best of 2011 in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and mixed martial arts (MMA) overall?
Follow me after the jump for some of this year's top candidates and to cast your vote for 2011's "Fighter of the Year:"
(Insert Rocky and/or Hulk music here)
Jon Jones
Photo via Yahoo! Sports
Despite caving in Brandon Vera’s eye socket and unleashing a hailstorm of elbows on Vladimir Matyushenko’s face the previous year, Jones still had plenty of questions to answer as he entered 2011. Unfortunately for the rest of the light heavyweight division, he quickly proved himself up to the task, throttling Ryan Bader at UFC 126 before defeating Mauricio Rua for the 205-pound title on short notice and defending it in dominating fashion against former champions Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida. The young phenom is quickly running out of obstacles in the way of uncontested dominance of the division, and MMA fans await his 2012 campaign with bated breath.
Nick Diaz
Photo via UFC.com
Diaz has long been known for laying a physical and verbal smackdown on anyone unlucky enough to be on the opposite side of the cage, but his low level of competition left his status as a top welterweight up for debate. After submitting Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, however, Diaz took steps to correct that issue, becoming the first man to ever knock out Paul Daley before returning to the UFC and absolutely decimating former champion B.J. Penn. Now scheduled to face former WEC champion Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight title while champion Georges St. Pierre recovers from knee surgury, Diaz has the chance to finally be recognized as the premiere welterweight in the world on Super Bowl weekend.
Donald Cerrone
Photo via UFC.com
WEC lightweights had a stigma attached to them of being second-rate, and the only thing that frustrated Donald Cerrone more than being disrespected was his apparent inability to win a title. After an illegal knee on his end forced an early end to his title fight with Jamie Varner, leading him to lose a technical decision, he took on Ben Henderson twice, falling both times. After getting revenge on Varner, though, "Cowboy" made his way to the UFC and commenced a thorough obliteration of everyone in his path. This year alone, he submitted Paul Kelly, battered Vagner Rocha, scored his first-ever (T)KO over Charles Oliveira, and pummeled Dennis Siver before choking him out. With his fifth fight of 2011, against Nate Diaz, scheduled for Dec. 30, Cerrone may be dangerously close to challenging for the title once again, only this time on the biggest stage there is.
Junior dos Santos
Photo via static.enlapelea.com
Junior dos Santos only fought twice in 2011, but he made up for lack of quantity with sheer brutality. After coaching in Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), "Cigano" was matched up against notorious knockout artist Shane Carwin, who was replacing the ailing Brock Lesnar. Dos Santos barely broke a sweat over the course of the fifteen-minute beatdown, crushing the American wrestler with brutally-precise punches. Impressive as this win was, his greatest highlight was yet to come; the hard-charging Brazilian got the opportunity of a lifetime this past November, headlining the UFC’s first show on FOX opposite heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Stunningly, dos Santos flattened his foe in a grand total of sixty-four seconds despite a torn meniscus, becoming the first Brazilian heavyweight champion since his mentor, "Minotauro" Nogueira, who guillotined Tim Sylvia for the interim title. At only 27, the best is yet to come for dos Santos, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that’s a bloody scary thought.
Dan Henderson
Photo via mmaweekly.com
Dan Henderson has always had a right hand that he needed to register as a concealed weapon to wear a glove on, but in 2011, he truly, unequivocally mastered it. He started the year off by capturing yet another title, knocking out Strikeforce 205-pound champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante. He went on to score one of the biggest upsets of the year in late July, putting the legendary Fedor Emelianenko to sleep for the first time with a hard uppercut from behind. Not content with just making history, however, Henderson also won arguably the best fight of 2011, battering Mauricio Rua for three rounds and fending off a late rally from the deposed champ. On the cusp of a title shot and widely regarded as one of the best light heavyweights in the world, Henderson has defied age and expectations to establish himself as one of the finest fighters in the world.
That's a wrap.
Be sure to let us know if we missed anyone sufficiently awesome in the comments below and be sure to stop by tomorrow for the finale of our "Best of 2011" series, when we look for "Event of the Year."
To see our 2011 "Fight of the Year" nominees and cast another vote click here.
To see our 2011 "Knockout of the Year" nominees and cast another vote click here.
To see our 2011 "Submission of the Year" nominees and cast another vote click here.
Poll
The best fighter of 2011 was:
Jon Jones
Nick Diaz
Donald Cerrone
Junior dos Santos
Dan Henderson
Someone else (see comments)
32 votes | Results
Posted in: diaz, title, henderson, champion, year
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJake Shields Hopes To Work His Way Back A Title Shot In 2012
“I’m feeling great about my opponent. [Akiyama] is someone that I should match up good against… I just wanna have a great year. 2011 wasn’t my best year and I just wanna get back on track and get a couple of big wins to get myself lined back up for another title shot. I would like to be the number one contender by the end of 2012… Right now I wanna see Nick [Diaz} go out there and take that belt and then I’ll worry about what I’m gonna do from there.”
— Jake Shields talking to Fighting Famous TV (transcribed via MMA Mania) about bouncing back in 2012
Jake Shields definitely didn’t have the best year in 2012. In his defense though, the obstacles he was faced with were nearly insurmountable. First, he had to fight Georges St. Pierre which rarely turns out well for anybody. And then he was forced to deal with the unexpected passing of his father/manager, Jack Shields, just weeks before meeting Jake Ellenberger. Considering the circumstances, it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t perform well in that fight.
A new year brings a new beginning though, and now Shields has the opportunity to get his career back on track. The only downside to that is he’s now in the hunt for the same title as his close teammate, Nick Diaz. It’s fact he’s well aware of, but he doesn’t think it will become an issue. The reality is though, as long as Georges St. Pierre or Nick Diaz hold the title, Shields is pretty much out of the welterweight title picture. If he gets a couple wins and one of them has the belt, might a move back to middleweight be in Shields’ future? It’s too soon to tell, but he says he’s open to it.
Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime
Posted in: shield, jake, nick diaz, title, year
Read the full article at MMA ConvertFighter of the Year: Jon Jones
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, BellatorIn October 2010, UFC president Dana White tried to slow down the expectations for Jon Jones. The light-heavyweight talent had just run through veteran Vladimir Matyushenko and the buzz around him had grown to the point where people were trying to project him into the title picture.
White, though, would have none of it. Jones was going to fight Ryan Bader in early 2011 and still probably have to win another 2-3 fights after that before fighting for the belt, White said. Just three months later, circumstances caused him to reconsider.
In a perfect storm of a day, Jones blitzed Bader and White discovered he needed a challenger for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua when Rashad Evans got hurt and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson declined the fight on six weeks' notice. Jones got the call and answered the challenge in historic fashion, annihilating Rua to capture the belt and become the youngest UFC champion in history.
Jones is the easy pick for fighter of the year, but in reality, his 2011 was more than that, arguably the finest single calendar year in MMA history.
Consider this: he became the first man in history to defeat three former UFC champs in a single year. But he didn't just beat them, he finished each one of them (and choked out Bader for good measure).
If you like statistics, Jones' dominance over the opposition can be proved numerically. In his four fights, he out-landed Bader, Rua, Jackson and Lyoto Machida by an obscene total of 233 to 56, according to FightMetric.
Keep in mind, those four came into their respective bouts with Jones with a combined winning percentage of .851, yet Jones won all 11 rounds against them and only Machida had any moments of success.
It's not easy to select a defining moment for Jones in 2011, but his title victory was certainly a moment of clarity for all the remaining skeptics. From the opening touch of gloves until the time referee Herb Dean pulled Jones away signifying the end, Jones' performance was nothing short of a masterpiece, MMA's equivalent of a perfect game.
Rua, a vaunted striker who was believed to have the standup advantage over Jones, was simply overwhelmed in every aspect. Jones out-landed him by a ridiculous amount, 102 to 11 by FightMetric's count. He took him down on all three attempts. He passed his guard repeatedly. And finally, he finished the fight for good with a liver punch that crumpled Rua midway through the third.
Showcasing his versatility, Jones became the first man in a decade to make Jackson tap out when he scored a fourth-round submission in his first title defense. And he saved his most mature performance for last, navigating his way through a rocky first round against Machida before dropping him with a straight left and finishing him by choking him unconscious in the second.
The year saw Jones jump from prospect to champion in seemingly an instant. Just a few months before 2011 began, White thought Jones wasn't yet ready to fight for the belt, but by the time it was over, White, like everyone else, had been converted.
"I don't know how you deny the guy anymore," he said. "He's literally walked through everybody. He fought four times this year, probably the nastiest schedule in the history of the company. He's incredible, man."
And an easy choice for 2011's Fighter of the Year.
2. Dan Henderson
When does time run out on Hendo? Judging from his 2011, it won't be anytime soon. The 41-year-old insists he's got a UFC title run in him, and his recent performances suggest he is indeed still a threat to either Jones or middleweight champ Anderson Silva. He started off the year in March by knocking out Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante to take the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title. Months later, he moved to heavyweight and scored a TKO over Fedor Emelianenko, and he capped off his year by outlasting Rua in an all-time classic at UFC 139.
3. Ben Henderson
With dominant wins over Clay Guida, Jim Miller and Mark Bocek, Henderson proved that he belonged in the UFC's lightweight division and that he was a legitimate challenger to current champ Frankie Edgar. Just as impressive as his performance was his quick climb back from disappointment. It was just about a year ago when he lost to Anthony Pettis during the infamous "Showtime kick" match. The victory was supposed to get Pettis a title shot, yet it's Henderson who got there first.
4. Michael Chandler
It wasn't a huge surprise when Chandler beat Marcin Held and Lloyd Woodard to advance to the Bellator lightweight tournament finals, but his tournament title win over Patricky "Pitbull" Freire raised some eyebrows, and then Chandler one-upped himself by toppling champ Eddie Alvarez in one of 2011's best fights, a wild back-and-forth classic that Chandler closed out with a rear naked choke win.
5. (tie) Nick Diaz
What a wild ride 2011 was for Diaz, who earned early wins over Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and Paul Daley before vacating his welterweight belt to move over to the UFC. He came to fight champ Georges St-Pierre, but never got the chance after he missed media commitments and the UFC removed him from the bout. As it turned out, St-Pierre ended up getting hurt and would have missed the match anyway, but Diaz decided to take a fight with BJ Penn and smashed him in a way that we've only see GSP do lately, building more anticipation for a possible future bout between the pair.
5. (tie) Junior dos Santos
There's no way to keep the new UFC heavyweight champion off this list after he demolished Shane Carwin back in June, and then headlined one of the most important shows in UFC history in November. Sure, the 64-second knockout of Cain Velasquez at the inaugural UFC on FOX show seemed more than a bit anticlimactic, but it also put into perspective just how dominant dos Santos has been. Since signing with the UFC, he has never lost a round.
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Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, year
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseKenny Florian: "I will be moving and staying at Lightweight"
On October 8, 2011Kenny Florian fought Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight title. The bout was Florian’s third shot at a UFC title belt and after 25 minutes it was his third loss in a UFC title fight.
It should be noted that when Florian broke into the UFC he fought in the 185 pound Middleweight division. Florian fought once at the 185 pound limit, losing to Diego Sanchez at the Ultimate Fighter Season One finale. In his next fight he dropped to Welterweight, winning two fights there before dropping
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, florian, fighter season
Read the full article at Low KickGilbert Melendez Says He has Done More Than Ben Henderson to Earn Title Shot
For all the talk of how "thrilled" Gilbert Melendez is to remain in Strikeforce, there are still plenty of moments where he indicates otherwise. Most recently in an interview he did with Famous TV.
ESPN has a transcript of Melendez's statements:
"I don't feel like I shouldn't be in this position, I'm not crying about my position but I think I've done more than Ben Henderson," told Fighting Famous TV. "You know, these guys were on The Ultimate Fighter - I was already fighting in PRIDE and ranked top three in the world but some people just don't understand that.
"I'm not trying to be a cry baby again, but I just know my history and I've been there. I've already hit these bumps in the road and come back. Some of these guys haven't hit that bump in the road where they have to reinvent themselves and I've already hit that and they're still going to hit that."
This is the ultimate problem with Melendez in Strikeforce. Yes, he's a professional, but when a man feels that he isn't getting the opportunities that he deserves, it can lead to complacency through a sense of dissatisfaction.
For Melendez, his future is fights with men he has already defeated or men who aren't truly on his level. When you've spent your career establishing that you're one of the best in the world, get to the #2 spot and now are relegated to fighting fringe talents while you watch men you feel haven't "earned it" as much as you get bigger opportunities, it is bound to create some level of animosity.
For Melendez, what's the end game here?
I'm holding firm to the idea that Zuffa must send some fighters to Strikeforce to challenge Melendez. Yes, it may result in payouts that somewhat outpace the cash generated by the events, but that's what it takes to build up a promotion and fighters.
There's a lot of talk that a UFC fighter may see a temporary move to Strikeforce as some sort of horrible demotion, but it's an opportunity to fight the number two lightweight on the planet. For a man like Kenny Florian, unlikely to ever get another shot at a UFC title, that may be something tempting as a mark on his resume. A title run (yes, a secondary title) and the marquee win in his career.
Or even a Sean Sherk, unlikely to ever get to the top of the UFC heap at this point in his caeer but a fully legitimate test for Melendez.
An option like these is something that has to happen for the good of Melendez and Strikeforce as a whole.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal
Posted in: title, strikeforce, ben henderson, gilbert melendez, melendez
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC Bantamweight Division State of the Union
With so many fights coming up spread across seven different weight classes, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in every division. Here, we take a look at where a particular division stands right now, and where it's headed.
Earlier this month, the UFC announced that UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz would be coaching on the upcoming Ultimate Fighter season 15 alongside former Featherweight kingpin Urijah Faber. As always, the show will culminate in a battle between the coaches, with Cruz defending his title for the third time. It's a good move for the UFC, as the Bantamweight division is still developing and is short on challengers at the moment. Putting these two in the spotlight, while also putting the belt on the sidelines to let other names develop can only help the division increase its profile.
While Cruz and Faber get ready for their time on TUF (set to begin on March 9), let's take a look at the rest of the 135 pounders and see where things stand.
Next in Line:
The date isn't set yet, but it will be Cruz vs. Faber part 3, probably sometime next summer. They're 1-1 so far, with Faber successfully defending his WEC Featherweight belt against Cruz in 2007, and Cruz getting even with a successful UFC Bantamweight title defense last summer at UFC 132. That 2nd fight was a good back and forth, and one of the overlooked fight of the year candidates. Faber has since defeated Brian Bowles, and is now ranked as the #2 Bantamweight in the world behind Cruz. I expect part 3 should be another good one.
Key Match Ups:
Somewhat slim pickings here, with only a few Bantamweight fights scheduled in the coming months, and not that many of note for future challengers. Still, a couple good fights to watch for:
Johnny Bedford vs. Eddie Wineland (UFC on Fox 2) - Admittedly, this isn't a massive fight, but it's a big opportunity for Bedford. He came out of The Ultimate Fighter with a nice win on the live Finale, and thanks to his time on the show, he has a higher profile than many other Bantamweights. Wineland is a good test for him, and if Bedford can take the win, and look good, he'll be in a good position moving forward.
#5 Scott Jorgensen vs. #7 Renan Barao (UFC 143) - Barao made a huge impression with his win over Brad Pickett at UFC 138. He's now in a good position for setting up a future title shot, but he has a tough challenge here in former #1 contender Jorgensen. Barao is a dynamic fighter, and if he can get a big win here it would be great for him and the division, while a Jorgensen win would be, in some ways, another step backwards as the division develops.
#11 Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso (UFC 144) - Cariaso is only 3-2 in the UFC and WEC, but those 2 loses both come against impressive names in Michael McDonald and Renan Barao. He has potential, but will need to show that he can get wins against more upper ranked opponents, and this is a good opportunity to prove it. Mizugaki comes in off an impressive win over Cole Escovedo - he's been a solid staple of the division since his WEC debut against Miguel Torres in 2009.
In The Mix:
There are a handful of other Bantamweight fighters who don't have any fights set up at the moment, but could find themselves in the title picture soon:
#4 Brian Bowles - The last man to hold the belt before Cruz, Bowles was one fight away from a rematch when he lost to Faber at UFC 139. Those are the only two loses on Bowles's record, but his real challenge may be dealing with recurring injuries that have caused him troubles since losing to Cruz. He's an excellent all around fighter who could easily get back to a title shot soon.
#9 Brad Pickett - The loss to Barao was a decided setback, but Pickett has a strong resume, including a win over the last challenger, Demetrious Johnson. He's a seven year veteran with a lot of high level experience. I would love to see him against Bowles in the future.
#12 Michael McDonald - A sort of quiet sleeper in the division, McDonald has put together a 14-1 record, going 4-0 in the WEC and UFC. He's coming off a 1 minute knockout of the night over Alex Soto at UFC 139, and deserves a bigger shot next time out.
Ivan Menjivar - The veteran is finally fighting at a good weight class for him after spending his earlier career at much higher weights. He's fought all kinds of major names, including Georges St. Pierre, Urijah Faber, Matt Serra, and more. He's won his last 2 in the UFC, including the nasty elbow KO of Charlie Valencia at UFC 129. He's only 29 years old, but is an 11 year veteran, so he may not have too much longer to make a run.
John Dodson - The TUF Bantamweight winner is only 1-0 in the UFC and 12-5 overall, so I'm sure many will balk at the idea that he is already in the title mix. But like Bedford, in this shallow of a division, his TUF credentials give him a huge leg up. A few big wins and he will be right there.
Others to Consider:
And finally, a pair of names that may not find themselves in the title picture right now, but should be mentioned:
Darren Uyenoyama - He made his UFC debut at the Fox show, defeating Kid Yamamoto and extending his overall record to 7-3. He has good experience in Strikeforce and Japan, and even though he is new to the UFC, I think he has a bright future ahead of him.
T.J. Dillashaw - Once more, TUF experience + shallow division = good position for the future.
Poll
After Faber vs. Cruz, who will be the next Bantamweight title challenger?
Renan Barao
Brian Bowles
Scott Jorgensen
Other
6 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, title, division, bantamweight, cruz
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowStrikeforce ‘Melendez vs. Masvidal’ Post-Fight News & Notes
Rundown of Strikeforce “Melendez vs. Masvidal” post-fight news and notes…
— Gilbert Melendez didn’t dominate Jorge Masvidal last night, as evidenced by his busted up face, but he did enough to pick up the win and successfully defend his Strikeforce lightweight championship. With the victory, Melendez was supposed to move over to the UFC where he and the rest of the world could find out once and for all if he truly is worthy of being called the number one lightweight in the world like he says he is. Alas, that wasn’t meant to be though now that Strikeforce is going to survive for at least another year.
Melendez doesn’t exactly sound “f-ing excited” about it as Dana White claimed, but he does have faith that the powers that be will take care of him.
“It’s been a roller-coaster trying to stay focused with all of this,” Melendez told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following his win over Jorge Masvidal (22-7 MMA, 4-1 SF) in the main event of Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal” card in San Diego. “I’ve got people telling me I’m going to the UFC. I’ve got people telling me I’m not. I also bring this pressure on myself saying I’m No. 1, you know what I mean? You’ve got to back it up when you talk like that.
“I’ve just got to have faith. What can I do? I’ve got no time to be crying or be negative about [expletive]. I’ve just got to stay focused and see what they bring to the table. We’ll go from there.”
“I’m happy to be a part of Strikeforce and Showtime,” Melendez said. “I’ve got faith that they’re going to do what’s good for me. Dana told me that. ‘It’s going to be great for your career.’
“When I signed with Strikeforce, I was like, ‘I don’t know, Scott.’ Then I was fighting on Showtime. I’m like, ‘Alright, I don’t know, Scott,’ and then he brings me Aoki, the No. 2 fighter in the world. Then I get a great challenge like Jorge. A lot of people underrate him. For me, this was a big win for me to get. Jorge is a guy I’ve seen in the circuit for a long time. I guess what I’m trying to get at is they manage to deliver for me, and I’ve got to continue to have faith that they will continue to deliver for me.
“We’ll all sit down together, and we’ll start talking. I think I’m in a position to ask some questions, and we’ll ask some questions and see what’s next.”
Gilbert Melendez isn’t the only one who has questions. The media and fans are all asking the same thing he is: What’s next? There’s no clear cut answers, however Scott Coker is confident they’ll find someone worthy of challenging Melendez.
“We’re going to keep building our league and keep putting new fighters that aren’t fighting for the UFC in Strikeforce,” Coker said. “There’s plenty of fighters out there. Not sure if you guys feel that way or not, but there’s plenty of fighters out there.
“In 2006, Gilbert fought for Strikeforce, and we had no TV deal. We had no sponsorship. He’s run the course with Strikeforce. I’m so happy that he is with us and has stayed with us. Really, I feel he’s still the No. 1 lightweight in the world. That’s just how I feel personally. He’s been around a long time. He and Frank (Shamrock) and Cung (Le) and Josh were the guys that were there from the very beginning. I’m proud to say he’s our champion, and we’re going to continue getting him great fights.”
Time will tell I suppose, but unless they bring over a worthy challenger from the UFC, there will be plenty of critics who claim his opposition isn’t good enough.
—Another Strikeforce champion in desperate need of worthy challengers is Cris Cyborg. Hiroko Yamanaka proved to be no match for the world’s best female fight last night when she found herself on the wrong end of a Cyborg blitzkrieg in the opening seconds of the fight. Ronda Rousey’s name came up as a possible contender after the fight, but Scott Coker says she is probably going to fight at 135 “for a bit,” presumably to set up a women’s bantamweight title fight with Miesha Tate, before she gets a crack at Cyborg.
“Ronda’s name keeps coming up, but I think Ronda is going to fight at 135 for a bit,” Coker said. “But Ronda has expressed interest in fighting at 145 and fighting for the title at some point.”
“I think all the fights that the media wants to see, the fans want to see, Showtime would like to see and we would like to see, I think all those fights will happen; just be patient,” Coker said. “Sean is out there scouring the earth, and we’re going to find some opponents for ‘Cyborg.’ Truly, she’s the Mike Tyson of female MMA.”
If the opportunity presents itself though, Cyborg says she’ll be ready. Working her way down to 135 is also a possibility.
“I’m ready for a fight with her,” Santos told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I think she talks too much, but she can keep training, and when she’s ready, I’m ready.”
“I’m going to put in a valiant effort to try and make 135,” Santos said through in interpreter. “Maybe if I can make a catchweight and fight at 140 first and slowly make my way down to 135, but I’m going to put in a good effort to get down to 135.”
— Gegard Mousasi may have earned himself a shot at the vacant light heavyweight title with his decision win over prospect Ovince St. Preux last night. Scott Coker says it’s not official yet, but it’s definitely possible that Mousasi could end up facing the King Mo-Lorenzo Larkin winner for the title sometime next year.
“I think the fight we had tonight definitely had title implications for that championship belt,” Coker said. “Then on Jan. 7, we’ve got the fight between ‘King Mo’ and Lorenz Larkin which will have title implications, as well. It hasn’t been decided, but I think that’s kind of the path it’s headed in.”
— It’s unclear what’s next for KJ Noons following his victory over Billy Evangelista. Whoever Noons ends up facing, he just wants to put on a show for the fans.
“I’ll just take whoever Strikeforce throws at me,” Noons said. “I put on fights for the fans. Every single time, no matter who I fight, whether they’re the best or whatever, I always put on the best fight of the night – every time. I just want to get better as a fighter and put on more exciting fights.
“You’re going to get your money’s worth when K.J. Noons shows up, no matter what. I’ll fight anybody at any weightclass, and I’ll put on a good show, but I want to be the best. I’m ready to get back on this winning streak and put on good shows.”
The win was Noons’ first in a little over a year, but considering the lack of depth in Strikeforce’s lightweight division, it seems like the opportunity is there for Noons to clinch a title shot sooner than later.
Image via Tracy Lee for Yahoo! Sports
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, melendez, coker
Read the full article at MMA ConvertStrikeforce Post-Fight Video: Scott Coker Discusses Company’s Future, Titles, Heavyweights
Scott Coker talks Strikeforce business with Erik Fontanez.
Posted in: business, title, strikeforce, coker, scott
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyGegard Mousasi’s Win Puts Him in Line for Shot at Strikeforce Title
With Dan Henderson's light heavyweight title vacated, Strikeforce took the first step toward crowning a new 205-pound champion Saturday with Gegard Mousasi's win over Ovince St. Preux.
Posted in: title, mousasi, gegard, strikeforce title, gegard mousasis
Read the full article at Heavy MMAStrikeforce 'Melendez vs Masvidal' results recap: Gilbert Melendez vs Jorge Masvidal fight review and analysis
For some reason, many people weren't certain that Gilbert Melendez would stand and trade strikes with Jorge Masvidal last night (December 17, 2011) while defending his Strikeforce lightweight title in the main event of Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" in San Diego.
In all, the 25 minute bout spent less than 10 seconds on the canvas as both men looked to showcase their striking skills.
It turns out that Melendez was more than game enough to handle his taller, lengthier opponent on the feet as he turned in a strong performance which resulted in a clean sweep of nearly every scorecard.
So what did 'El Nino" do correctly to help him earn the decision? And what's next for both fighters?
Both men had very set plans of attack and they would primarily implement them over the course of the five round battle. Melendez looked to move forward, cut off Masvidal against the fence and lead the way with his punches, either snapping his left jab or throwing big 1-2 combinations in succession. He was also looking to throw a big lead uppercut as his primary power attack, either looking to land it to the head or the body.
Masvidal, however, was able to primarily ignore the uppercut because he utilized a more upright-centered stance. He kept his hands high in a defensive position and would occasionally flash his jab, which actually did cause some swelling on Melendez's face. Masvidal's secret weapon appeared to be his jumping knee attack as he tried to catch it with Melendez about one time each round but he never caught the champion napping.
For a significant portion of the bout, the following scenario would play out: Melendez would push forward forcing "Gamebred" towards the fence and then he would lunge inside throwing 1-2 combinations. He repeatedly landed his right hand to close off the combo and whenever Masvidal would get hit, he'd showboat, dropping his hands and moving his head around as if to say, "That was nothing. The problem with this was he did it so many times that it actually could have been used by the judges ringside as proof that Masvidal had been hit hard.
This scenario basically played out for the course of five rounds. Masvidal seemed content to lose the decision, never picking up the pace despite clearly being down in every round. There were only about 6 seconds of ground time and barely any clinch as both men were content to stand. The problem is that neither man was actually able to do enough damage or land anything significant enough to make the fight compelling or dramatic. It was jab, hook, back off, 1-2, over and over and over again. The judges officially scored it 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 for Melendez to give him his third official title defense ever since he unified the belts with Josh Thomson.
For Jorge Masvidal, he proved he could hang with Melendez, but that appears all he was content on doing. Other than very few brief spurts of action, he was very defensive for much of the night. He worked his leg kicks pretty well early but the second Melendez caught a kick and took him down for a few seconds, he completely went away from them. Worst of all was that despite being down badly on the scorecards, he showed no sense of urgency whatsoever in the fifth round when he needed a home run. Instead, he actually spent the last 15 seconds of the fight pressing Melendez into the fence and looking for a takedown as if he thought he could steal the round and the fight. He either was being delusional or was getting very bad advice from his corner who told him he was winning.
Expect Masvidal to step in against someone along the lines of Gesias Cavalcante for his next bout, or perhaps fellow event loser Justin Wilcox. If he's finally healthy, they could also throw him in against former champion Josh Thomson.
For Gilbert Melendez, he put on a strong, aggressive showing but it wasn't the type of victory that will be getting people talking about him as the number one lightweight on the planet. Jorge Masvidal was number 24 in the consensus lightweight rankings. If the UFC did similar matchmaking, it would be as if Frankie Edgar took on Sam Stout for the title. One would expect a blowout, most likely a stoppage but Melendez just didn't seem like he could pull the trigger when he had Masvidal cornered. Every time the American Top Team fighter started bobbing and weaving goofily after getting hit hard, it seemed to force Melendez to back off. He should have punished Masvidal for his bravado but he simply didn't.
Who's next for a shot at Melendez's title is a mystery. If the promotion wants to give a title shot to someone from within, there are a couple options. Pat Healy is coming off a big win this past September over Maximo Blanco. Caros Fodor scored a huge 13 second knockout on the undercard last night against Justin Wilcox which gives him a 5-0 record in the promotion. Another intriguing option could be Gray Maynard, who fought for the UFC lightweight title twice this year against Edgar, drawing once and losing once. It's very unlikely he'll get another shot at the belt in the next two years so why not give him a shot against Melendez? That's about as relevant a fight as could be made but we'll just have to wait and see if it's a viable option.
So what did you think, Maniacs?
Were you impressed by Melendez's strong showing, or did you want more? Why do you believe Masvidal never kicked it up a notch event as time was winding down?
Opinions, please.
For complete Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire pay-per-view (PPV) event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.
Posted in: time, title, round, masvidal, melendez
Read the full article at MMA ManiaQuestions Facing Strikeforce Heading into 2012
On Saturday, Strikeforce presented a fight card from San Diego that featured two title bouts. In the first Cristiane Santos defended her 145-pound title with a 16-second TKO win, while in the main event, Gilbert Melendez defended his lightweight title against Jorge Masvidal.
Posted in: title, fight card, san diego, title bouts, saturday strikeforce
Read the full article at Low KickStrikeforce: “Melendez vs. Masvidal” Results: Melendez Cruises, “Cyborg” Dominant
Strikeforce: “Melendez vs. Masvidal” took place tonight in San Diego, California. The card was headlined by a pair of title fights with Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez taking on Jorge Masvidal and women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos taking on Hiroko Yamanaka. Both champions successfully defended their titles in the Strikeforce cage with definitive victories.Melendez retains title over MasvidalWhile Jorge Masvidal was clearly not afraid to taunt and talk trash to the champion, the challenger was unable to translate that into a victory. Melendez controlled the fight from start to finish and kept Masvidal from being able to find his range. Melendez’s training and more polished skill proved to be the main difference as he had multiple answers for nearly everything Masvidal threw.After the fight Melendez challenged the winner of the UFC lightweight championship fight between champ Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson to “come in his hexagon.” While that particular fight is unlikely to materialize, Melendez expressed in the post-fight conference that Strikeforce has always found good opponents for him and he expects that will continue.“Cyborg” crushes YamanakaDespite an 18-month layoff, Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos made quick work of challenger Hiroko Yamanaka. Santos managed to land 15 power shots on Yamanaka in the span of only 16 seconds.Santos expressed her desire to remain at 145 but did state that she would like to fight fast-rising Ronda Rousey since she believes the former US Olympic Judo bronze medalist talks too much.Mousasi defeats St. PreuxDespite winning a close third round, Ovince St. Preux spent the majority of his fight with former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi being thoroughly dominated. Mousasi’s reported work with the Iranian wrestling team appeared to payoff as the Iranian-born fighter out wrestled his opponent in addition to controlling the striking game.After the fight a refreshingly honest and humble Mousasi stated he was unhappy with his performance due to illness. Mousasi also stated that he believed he was at least a fight away from challenging for the currently vacant Strikeforce light heavyweight title despite pressure from Mauro Ranallo to call for a title shot.Noons defeats Evangelista in sloppy fightThe night opened with a sloppy but action packed bout between KJ Noons and Billy Evangelista. After a dismal first round Noons ditched the wrestling he had been training and reverted back to his old self. The move paid off as Noons was able to rebound and secure the hard fought victory.Main Card (Showtime)Lightweight title fight – Gilbert Melendez (c) def. Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)Women’s featherweight title fight – Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (c) def. Hiroko Yamanaka via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:16Gegard Mousasi def. Ovince St. Preux via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)K.J. Noons def. Billy Evangelista via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)PRELIMINARY CARDCaros Fodor def. Justin Wilcox via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:13Roger Bowling def. Jerron Peoples via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:42Devin Cole def. Gabriel Salinas-Jones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)Eddie Mendez def. Fernando Gonzalez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)Herman Terrado def. Chris Brown via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 4:05
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, masvidal, melendez
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyPatino Outpoints Bronzoulis, Retains LFC Welterweight Title
Jorge Patino’s relentless takedowns and iron chin helped him win a unanimous decision over Mike Bronzoulis to retain the Legacy Fighting Championships welterweight title at LFC 9 in Houston on Friday night.
Posted in: title, iron chin, patino, mike bronzoulis, lfc
Read the full article at SherdogMelendez, Masvidal Cleared for Strikeforce Title Bout
Jorge Masvidal stands at the foot of one of the lightweight division’s most intimidating mountains.
Posted in: title, division, masvidal, division ’s, melendez masvidal
Read the full article at SherdogMasvidal takes unusual path to title shot (Yahoo! Sports)
Jorge Masvidal loves fast food, yet he's going to challenge for a lightweight title on Saturday night.
Posted in: title, saturday, shot, masvidal, food
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsMMA Quick Quote: Gegard Mousasi willing to fight Anderson Silva at middleweight
"What I hear from other fighters, how much they cut weight, it could be done. Only if it's really an important fight I would consider it, but otherwise I wouldn't do it. Let's say if they would give me Anderson Silva, then I would do it, but I don't think that's going to happen so it doesn't make any sense to go down to 185."
-- Gegard Mousasi tells MMAWeekly.com that the only way he would put his body through the rigors of a tough weight cut back down to middleweight -- a weight class he called home for a major part of his early mixed martial arts (MMA) career -- is if he gets a chance to dethrone divisional kingpin and current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva. Mousasi, who has even competed at heavyweight, has had much success in the 185-pound division, earning the DREAM middleweight title by running through each of his opponents at the 2008 Dream Middleweight Grand Prix, which included top talents such as Melvin Manhoef, Denis Kang and Ronaldo Souza. After making the jump up to the 205-pound division, Gegard earned the Strikeforce light heavyweight title with a win over Renato Sobral; however, he would lose it to Muhammed Lawal in his first title defense, snapping his 15-fight win streak in the process. With the major announcement today that Strikeforce isn't going anywhere any time soon, the DREAM middleweight champion may not get his chance to make the jump into the UFC in the near future. In fact, with Dan Henderson vacating the Strikeforce light heavyweight title to join the UFC ranks, the Armenian kickboxer may be a prime candidate to vie for the vacant Strikeforce strap. What do you think, should he ever get the opportunity, does Mousasi stand a chance against Silva? Or would he simply be another casualty caught in "The Spider's" web?
Posted in: title, strikeforce, silva, mousasi, middleweight
Read the full article at MMA ManiaRoy Jones Jr. still hunting for a title after recent decision win
When Roy Jones Jr. stepped into the ring this past weekend it’s likely he could have been doing so for the final time had things not gone his way. A loser of three straight prior to the bout against Max Alexander, the 42-year old had been stopped by strikes in two of the stumbles and appeared to have reached the end of the road in his storied career.
However, after picking up the Unanimous Decision win, the flashy Jones Jr. not only wants to keep fighting – he wants a divisional belt.
“I’m feeling wonderful. I want a cruiserweight title, the world title,” explained the former champion in a conversation with the Associated Press. “This is just a start. I’m not through yet.”
As far as what may have made the difference in the performance in comparison to the previous fights he’d lost, Jones stated, “The thing I worked on was not spending so much energy, so much useless energy. Don’t be bouncing around for nothing.”
After improving his record to 55-8 with the victory, as well as possibly finding a new lease on life, it sounds like Jones Jr. may have a reason to be bouncing around after all.
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Posted in: title, jone, jr, jones jr, max alexander
Read the full article at Fighters.comDean Lister Talks ADCC 2011 and Possible Return to MMA
There is a short list of North Americans that have achieved great things in the grappling world and crossed over into mixed martial arts. Dean Lister is one of the best, as he won multiple Abu Dhabi Combat Club submission grappling titles and went 4-2 in the UFC over a two year run. In a recent interview with Kid Peligro, Lister opened up about his run to the ADCC 2011 -99 kg gold medal and a potential return to MMA.
Lister is famous for his half-guard game and nasty footlocks, yet has a surprisingly well-rounded game that comes from years and years of wrestling, sambo and Brazilian jiu jitsu all fused into a seemingly emotionless wrecking machine. All those skills made him a wunderkind in submission grappling and has led to many, many titles and medals. An Absolute title in ADCC 2003 put him on the map and he continued to pile up no-gi titles regularly, while building a mixed martial arts career as well.
However, Lister did not achieve the same levels of success within MMA and may have dropped out of the minds of most fans after his lackluster loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 92 in 2008. He was released upon request from the Zuffa promotion and chose to focus on submission grappling, his academy out in San Diego and seminars. That narrowed focus turned into a surprising September march to the -99 kg title at ADCC 2011 in Nottingham.
Hit the jump to see some quotes and a glimpse into why the match between BJJ phenomenon Rodolfo Vieira and Lister was a bit anti-climatic and why Lister chose not to do the Absolute, which was won by Andre Galvao, the double gold winner.
(For those of you going "Kid Peligro, that's kind of an awesome name," know that it's the nom de plume of Gerry Costa, a prolific grappling writer and black belt under Royler Gracie.)
Again, the full intervew with Kid Peligro is here.
The part relevant to MMA is as follows:
Kid Peligro - What are your plans for the near future?
Dean Lister - I am about ready to finish celebrating, but I'm not going to Disneyland lol. I will have to focus on some recovery for old injuries and I will stay busy doing seminars. I soon will return to MMA because my striking has FINALLY picked up and I believe I have found my way, my style and I want to show everyone my new skills. However, I will not be used by the system or anyone else. I will find the right opportunity and make myself and my team proud.
Now, sometimes MMA pundits get the idea of "Just stick 'im in Bellator/MFC/Jungle Fights and we'll see if he's ready for the big show," a bit too often. However, Lister is likely the best grappler not named Ronaldo Souza or Demian Maia at 185 lbs. His footlocks are nearly on a level with those of Rousimar Palhares. If Lister really has built up some striking and can avoid the "pull half-guard ineffectively" gameplan he stuck to against Okami and Thales Leites, this could be something.
Or maybe I'm just an eternally hopeful fool who wants to see more strong grapplers with decent striking added to the rising crop at 185.
Next up, the big part of the interview where the ADCC 2003 Absolute champion and 2005 Superfight champion talks about the Rodolfo Vieira battle that so many looked forwards to:
KP: You told me that you were hurt, but you were going to go for it. What was your injury? And how did you overcome it?
DL: It is ironic that I injured myself EXACTLY the same way that I injured Viera... I'll explain... When I heel hooked Viera on Sunday, he attempted to twist out of my attack and pulled a rib/muscle in the ribs. Haha - that is exactly, EXACTLY the same way that I hurt myself on Saturday twisting out of a heel hook aplied by Radek Turek (European Champion from Poland, very tough guy as well). I pulled a muscle in my rib and I knew it immediately right away. After I returned the favor to Radek and won by heelhook, I knew I had an injury because during the match my rib popped out and back in. I couldn't move and was difficult to breathe so I spent the superfight watching lying down on the ground in agony. I even waited for most of the people to leave the stadium before I got up and walked slowly back to the hotel, hoping no one had noticed how I was walking. I could hardly sleep cause of my rib, but in a strange way, this kind of adversity seems to focus me more than normal. The next day after icing it a lot, I had to warm it up slowly and I managed to fight and win against the best. This is the reason I didn't compete in the absolute division. But only this year.
What say you? Does Lister have a chance of making himself relevant again in the North American MMA scene? He did go 4-2 in the UFC before voluntarily dropping out...
As a bonus, Dean wrecking Nate Marquardt in the early rounds of the 2003 ADCC.
Posted in: mma, title, adcc, lister, kid peligro
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowGilbert Melendez Focused on Defending Strikeforce Title, But UFC Hopes Remain
Filed under: Strikeforce, News Gilbert Melendez is a Strikeforce original, one of only two fighters the promotion retains from its inaugural event in 2006, and its only remaining male fighter who receives true consideration among the top five of his division.
Since April, Melendez (19-2) has been on the shelf, awaiting his next assignment, but despite that, he's seen his fame grow, mostly because of UFC president Dana White uttering his name regularly during that time in reference to possibly bringing him over to make his octagon debut.
That possibility for now has been moved to the back-burner, but it's one Melendez gets asked about on a regular basis, and one that is lurking in the background of his Saturday night title defense in the main event of Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal.
Many athletes would refuse to acknowledge the possibility of a future past their next scheduled date, but not Melendez. In fact, he candidly states that he's not long for Strikeforce, even as he prepares to headline their event on Showtime.
"It's obvious it's something we've been talking about. I think it's inevitable," he said of a future move to UFC. "I think some of the top fighters need to go to the UFC. And I'm one of those guys, so it's in the works. Things have been talked about. Am I in [the discussions] all the time? Am I the one talking to them? No. But there's some dialogue going on and I mean, the goal is to be the UFC champion at the end of the day. The goal is to be No. 1 in the world at the end of the day. And the only way to do that is by getting the UFC title."
Melendez, ranked No. 2 among world lightweights by MMA Fighting, takes on the role of big fish in a small pond, a star capable of competing among the UFC's deeper, more established talent pool.
Yet, if there's one last challenge he sees for himself in Strikeforce, it's his Saturday opponent, Jorge Masvidal.
The Floridian has quietly been considered among the top talents unsigned by the UFC for a few years. He's also been regarded as a sort of mercurial talent, one who may look like a world-beater on his best days and unmotivated on others.
Masvidal (22-6) signed with Strikeforce in early 2011, moving to the lightweight class in the process, and since then has defeated Billy Evangelista and KJ Noons in consecutive fights. Melendez calls Masvidal an "underrated" fighter who he has been expecting to fight for a couple of years, but the odds will be big in his favor on Saturday, and the pressure is on him to win.
"A lot of people have been talking nonsense, that Jorge is no good," he said. "You're going to run by him and that talk kind of bothers me because some people are ignorant. They don't really follow the game that much. If you don't fight in the UFC, they think you're no good. So what's been the challenge for me is motivating myself and staying motivated and pumping myself up.
"So this means a lot to myself; not to fans, not to anybody," he continued. "This fight is for me, just to prove that I can defend my throne, and I'm the big favorite here and I have a tough guy who's underrated and I got to really come through. So that's what's been motivating me and I think if I can get past this and look real good, I think it will mean a lot to me more than I think it will to anyone else."
If Melendez wins, he won't necessarily push for a shift over to the UFC -- he still has multiple fights left on his current deal -- but he also says that he can't think of any other lightweight on the Strikeforce roster that he's hoping to face or is deserving of a title shot against him. That will make for a tricky situation. He might be the face of Strikeforce, with nothing more to do there.
If that happens, we'll all know what he wants to do. It's UFC title or bust, all in due time.
"The goal is to be No. 1 in the world, you know what I mean?" he said. "If I have to beat Jorge, if I have to beat someone else, if I have to beat five more people before that, then so be it. But, the sooner the better. I think I deserve the chance at the UFC title. So, if I can get it as soon as possible that would be great. If not, I'll have to keep winning and keep working hard. If I feel like I have to constantly prove myself in this MMA industry, then so be it. It's inevitable. I'm coming for that spot." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, strikeforce, melendez
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC CENTRAL: Post-Toronto
Looking back at UFC 140 in Toronto, where Jon (Bones) Jones was dominant again in his title defence.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, toronto, defence
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 143's Carlos Condit: Georges St. Pierre will remain the true champion until beaten
No one has been on a crazier emotional roller-coaster ride as of late than Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Carlos Condit.
"The Natural Born Killer" was supposed to fight B.J. Penn at UFC 137 back on Oct. 29, 2011. However, when Nick Diaz was pulled from the main event, Condit was granted the title shot against 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre.
"Rush" then suffered an injury that would postpone the bout and keep Condit off of the Halloween-weekend card. The fight against St. Pierre was then rescheduled for UFC 143, but his shot was quickly taken away and given back to Nick Diaz after the Stockton scrapper called out the Canadian in the wake of his impressive win over "The Prodigy."
Condit was then offered (and accepted) a fight against the always dangerous Josh Koscheck, which was scheduled for the same Super Bowl weekend card on Feb. 4, 2012. Yet, because of another injury to Georges St. Pierre, Condit has once again been given a title shot.
Sorta.
This time, he is scheduled to face Diaz, in what will be billed as an interim UFC welterweight title fight scheduled for the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That's enough to drive a sane man crazy.
However, speaking to MMAFighting.com earlier today, Condit concedes that he just has to laugh at all the twists and turns that have been tossed his way, while also also talking about his upcoming title fight with Diaz.
Check it out:
"Seeing everything that's happened over the past couple months, I kind of just had to laugh. It's crazy, a lot of ups and downs but after all this turmoil and stuff, it ended up going my way. Whether it's an interim title or not, this is what the fans have been screaming for from the welterweight division. They're looking for exciting fighters, guys who go out and put it on the line and come too thrown down win, lose or draw. I think both Diaz and myself are those guys, but George St. Pierre is the champion and he will remain the champion until me or someone else beats him."
With Condit winning his last four in the Octagon, and winning 12 of his last 13 bouts dating back to the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) days, he is more than deserving of a title shot.
Standing in his way is another streaking welterweight in Diaz, who has won 11 in a row and was the last man to hold the Strikeforce welterweight title. Diaz was specifically brought over into the UFC ranks to face St. Pierre, but because of a bad case of the injury bug (and absence from promotional appearances) the fight has yet to come to fruition.
Diaz made his re-debut at UFC 137, defeating Penn in a three round rout that saw the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter batter the Hawaiian for three rounds of pure stand-up action, earning a unanimous decision victory. Now both Condit and Diaz will finally have a chance to claim UFC gold as they will battle for the interim UFC welterweight title until "Rush" is fit to return to action.
Did the promotion make the right choice to brand the fight between Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz an interim title fight, or should "Rush" fork over the strap and have the opportunity to fight to earn it back to make it official?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, condit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaChan Sung Jung Should Be Next For Jose Aldo and the UFC Featherwight Title
Seven seconds. That's what it took for Chan Sung Jung to knock out Mark Hominick at UFC 140. Seven seconds. That number officially ties The Korean Zombie for fastest KO in UFC history (alongside Todd Duffee). Any fast victory like that is extremely impressive, but the fact that it came against Mark Hominick? That is something special indeed. With that win, Chan Sung Jung suddenly vaults into the upper levels of the Featherweight ranks. But after this win, Jung shouldn't just be near the top.
Chan Sung Jung should be next in line for a shot at the Featherweight title.
That's quite a jump, I know. After all, Jung is only on a 2 fight win streak, and prior to those 2 wins, he had been rather emphatically knocked out himself by George Roop, and lost a controversial decision to Leonard Garcia. There are plenty of fighters above him in the ranks - men like Hatsu Hioki, Roop, Dustin Poirier, and Erik Koch. From a purely sports/rankings perspectives, those men should get the shot, it's true. But that doesn't mean it's the right choice for the division.
Just one year into their time in the UFC, the Featherweights are still struggling for relevance. Aldo looks to be gaining popularity, but it's a slow process, and his lack of big highlight reel wins inside the Octagon is not helping. Next up for the champion is Chad Mendes, in a fight that will perhaps interest the live crowd in Brazil and the hardcore MMA fanbase, but I don't see Aldo vs. Mendes drawing in many casual fans. Same goes for Aldo versus any one of those contenders named above. And that's assuming Aldo wins. A Mendes vs. Poirier title fight would be destined for Fuel or FX.
But Jung is different. Thanks largely to his epic brawl with Garcia, he has a strong appeal for casual fans. Like Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar years ago, Jung will forever get respect for his part in that fight. Add in the nickname, the persona, and the t-shirts, and you have a fighter that casual fans recognize and respond to.
Now, casual fan recognition is not the only factor, obviously. If it was, we'd be looking ahead to UFC 147: Junior dos Santos vs. Kimbo Slice. You need the credentials to back that recognition. At UFC 140, Jung established those credentials.
Mark Hominick is a near 10 year veteran of the sport. He is one of the best strikers in the division. He went 25 minutes with Jose Aldo. He's never been stopped by strikes. And in seven seconds, Jung took him out. Those are serious credentials, and when you pair them with his popularity, you have a strong title contender.
Right now, the division needs a boost. As the division works to establish itself, it needs main event names fans can get behind - as we saw with Kenny Florian's fast-track to a title shot. The WEC always understood this, vaulting men up to title shots quickly if they had momentum. Chan Sung Jung has that momentum, and he will provide that name. He's exactly what the division needs. Can he defeat Jose Aldo? Probably not, but that's not really the point. The point is, he can make you care to find out the answer.
Jose Aldo vs. The Korean Zombie for the UFC Featherweight title. Make it happen Joe Silva.
Posted in: ufc, title, division, jung, aldo
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFrank Mir Proud to Submit Nogueira, Doesn't Know What's Next
Filed under: UFC, NewsTwo days after he broke the arm of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140, Frank Mir said that he felt badly for Nogueira's injury, but he expressed pride in his first-round submission finish.
And as for the talk that Mir might be pressed into service to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, Mir said he doesn't know anything more than the fans know about the reports that Alistair Overeem may not be able to fight Lesnar as scheduled.
In an appearance on The MMA Hour, Mir said that when he locked in the kimura against Nogueira, he simply wanted to hold on until he had won the fight.
"I just locked it up and I wanted to make sure he didn't get out," Mir said. "I'm locking up a submission, and in my mind I want to keep applying force and don't lose it."
Mir, who previously broke Tim Sylvia's arm in a UFC heavyweight title fight, said that doesn't take any satisfaction in injuring an opponent.
"I just want to win the fight," Mir said. "The fact that you have to go get medical treatment after it, I don't take credit for that. That sucked. He's another martial artist I hope he can go back to the gym Monday like everyone else."
Nogueira actually got off to a great start in the fight, hitting Mir hard and appearing to have him badly hurt. Mir acknowledged that Noguiera caught him by surprise by throwing punches, rather than immediately going for a takedown, and that those punches wobbled him.
"I was pretty stunned," Mir said. "He caught me really good on the ear. That's why my legs were so wobbly. When I first shot I was dizzy."
As for the talk that Overeem could be out of his upcoming fight with Lesnar, and that Mir could take Overeem's place, Mir said he doesn't know anything about it but will accept the fight if it's offered to him. But if Lesnar isn't his next opponent, Mir hopes he's fighting someone who gives him a chance to prove that he deserves the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title.
"I want a fight that's a positive step toward a title shot," Mir said. "When they start naming opponents I'll ask, that it's someone that takes me closer to No. 1 title contention." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, nogueira, mir
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 140 Morning After: Jon Jones, a Champ With Staying Power
Filed under: UFCJon Jones is already the most dominant UFC light heavyweight champion since Chuck Liddell. It seems like only a matter of time before he's the most dominant light heavyweight champion we've ever seen inside the Octagon.
Jones, who choked out Lyoto Machida in the second round of their main event showdown at UFC 140, has been the light heavyweight champion for less than nine months, and it might seem premature to proclaim him a dominant champion when he's been a champion for such a short period of time. But the talented 205-pound weight class has been an almost impossible class to rule for any significant period of time.
Until Jones, who in the last nine months has won the belt and dispatched two challengers, dominating all three of those title fights.
For those who don't know the history, Liddell won the UFC light heavyweight title by knocking out Randy Couture at UFC 57, then successfully defended the title four times before losing it to Rampage Jackson. Since then, the light heavyweight belt has been a hot potato: Rampage successfully defended the title against Dan Henderson before losing his second title defense, against Forrest Griffin. Griffin lost his first title defense to Rashad Evans. Evans lost his first title defense to Machida. Machida beat Shogun Rua in a controversial decision in his first title defense, then lost to Rua in his next fight. Rua lost his first title defense to Jones.
More Coverage: UFC 140 Results | UFC 140 Post-Fight Press Conference Video
Now Jones has defended his title by beating Jackson and Machida, making him the first light heavyweight champ since Liddell to defend the title more than once. But the really extraordinary thing about Jones is that he so thoroughly dominates his competition that it's hard to see anyone beating him any time soon. The three men who might be next in line for the light heavyweight title -- Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans and Phil Davis -- are all great fighters, but all of them would be huge betting underdogs against Jones.
The really amazing thing about the 24-year-old Jones is that he became a UFC champion before he even reached his prime. It's shocking to think this, but we might not have seen the best Jon Jones yet. He just completed a 4-0 record in 2011 that was as good a year as we've ever seen anyone have in the Octagon, and yet he might be a better fighter in 2012.
The bottom line is that we're seeing a champion in Jon Jones who might stay the champion for the better part of this decade. There's no telling how long he might be the best at what he does.
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UFC 140 notes
-- According to Compustrike, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira outlanded Frank Mir in total strikes, 31-4. And yet Mir still managed to survive the barrage of punches from Nogueira and get into position to finish Nogueira with a kimura. That was a gutsy showing from Mir.
-- It was nice to see Frank Shamrock on a UFC broadcast for the first time in more than a decade. You had to be looking closely to see him, but Shamrock was in Brian Ebersole's corner, marking the first time he's been spotted at a UFC event since the last time he fought for the promotion, in 1999. Here's hoping Shamrock and the UFC brass eventually bury the hatchet. Shamrock is an MMA legend whose career ought to be celebrated by the UFC.
-- The UFC has something special on its hands in the Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung. There are few fighters in the sport who are as consistently entertaining, win or lose, as Jung, who tied the UFC record for fastest knockout with his seven-second dispatching of Mark Hominick on Saturday night. I don't think Jung is good enough to pose much of a threat to featherweight champion Jose Aldo, but he's a legitimate opponent to almost anyone else at 145 pounds. The UFC desperately needs some star power in the featherweight class, and Jung is one of the few little guys who has really caught on with the fans.
-- Constantinos Philippou was about as impressive as anyone we saw inside the Octagon at UFC 140 in his first-round TKO victory over Jared Hamman. Philippou hammered away at Hamman standing and showed a real killer instinct on the ground, immediately pouncing on Hamman and going for finishes when he knocked him down. Philippou is a vicious striker and has now won two fights in a row.
-- It was surprising how bad Krzysztof Soszynski's striking defense looked in his first-round knockout loss to Jared Hamman, but maybe it shouldn't have been. Soszynski has been around a long time and had some very impressive fights, but he has too often shown a tendency to wilt when he gets hit hard. This was Soszynski's sixth loss by knockout or TKO.
-- It wouldn't be surprising if the UFC decides to tell Tito Ortiz to hang up the gloves after his loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, considering that Ortiz is now 1-6-1 in his last eight fights. But I think Ortiz has done enough in the sport that he has earned the right to go out on his own terms, and I'd like to see him get another fight, as he said he wants. Stephan Bonnar would make a lot of sense as an opponent for Ortiz.
UFC 140 quotes
"It's an honor to be here. One of my dreams was to be here with Joe Rogan. I did it!" -- Yves Jabouin as Joe Rogan interviewed him in the Octagon after his split decision victory over Walel Watson.
"This fight's kind of a wash. I apologize to John for missing weight. Put a little asterisk next to the victory because I didn't make weight." -- Dennis Hallman, being a stand-up guy after coming in 2.5 pounds over for his lightweight fight with John Makdessi. Hallman said his move down from welterweight is permanent, so he's going to need to do a better job of getting the pounds off.
"I feel so great. t's like a dream come true. Tito Ortiz is a legend of the sport. I want to say thanks for fighting him." -- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, showing humility after beating Ortiz.
Good call
Referee Big John McCarthy stopped the first fight of the night at exactly the right time, with 24 seconds left in the second round, as John Cholish was teeing off on Mitch Clarke on the ground. Clarke wasn't very badly hurt and seemed disappointed with the stoppage, but he also wasn't doing anything to fight back, simply turtling up and letting Cholish hit him. With Clarke looking upset at McCarthy stepping in, McCarthy patted him and said, "You got hit with a good shot."
Bad call
Referee Josh Rosenthal should have taken a point away from John Makdessi for grabbing the fence immediately after Rosenthal warned him not to. As Dennis Hallman tried to take Makdessi down early in the fight, Makdessi grabbed the fence to stay up, and Rosenthal immediately warned Makdessi to let go of the fence. Makdessi complied, but only for a couple of seconds before he grabbed the fence again as Hallman tried to take him down again. Rosenthal warned Makdessi again, but at that point he should have also deducted a point. It didn't really matter because Hallman took Makdessi down in the first round and submitted him, but I'd like to see referees more assertively enforcing the rules against grabbing the fence. Too many fighters get away with stopping takedowns by breaking the rules.
Stock up
Jake Hecht looked good in his UFC debut, unleashing a brutal elbow to hurt Rich Attonito in the second round and then finishing him with punches on the ground. Hecht had also looked solid from his back in the first round, and he appears to be a promising UFC newcomer.
Stock down
Nik Lentz went 5-0-1 with one no contest in his first seven UFC fights, and he consistently used his superior wrestling and grappling to control his opponents and grind out wins on the ground. But on Saturday night Mark Bocek beat Lentz at his own game, controlling Lentz on the ground and winning a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three judges' cards. Lentz is a solid lightweight, but we saw on Saturday night that when he runs into a superior grappler, there's not much else he can do.
Fight I want to see next
Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans. I don't like any light heavyweight's chances against Jones, but I at least like the matchup of Jones against Evans, his former friend and training partner who's now a bitter rival. If Evans beats Davis, the UFC might finally book that long-awaited grudge match. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, time, title, jone
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC Adds Flyweight Class; 4-Man Title Tourney Begins March 3
Flyweights are officially coming to the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 3.
Posted in: ufc, title, championship, flyweight, march
Read the full article at SherdogM-1 Challenge 30 results: Last-minute sub earns Enomoto welterweight title
Yasubey Enomoto slapped on a fight-ending guillotine choke in the final minute of his five-round title fight and took the M-1 Challenge welterweight title from Shamil Zavurov.
The rematch headlined Friday's M-1 Challenge 30 event.
The event took place at The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., and the night's main card aired on Showtime.
Posted in: title, event, challenge, shamil zavurov, fightending guillotine
Read the full article at MMA JunkieYasubey Enomoto captures M-1 Challenge Welterweight Title, Sarnavskiy goes 16-0
M-1 GLOBAL’s final U.S. outing for 2011 featured a rematch for the M-1 Challenge Welterweight title as Yasubey Enomoto stopped former champion Shamil Zavurov in the last minute of the bout to claim the gold. The mixed martial arts (MMA) event titled M-1 Challenge XXX: Zavurov vs. Enomoto II took place atThe Hangar in Costa Mesa, California and aired LIVE on SHOWTIME.
Posted in: title, challenge, enomoto, yasubey enomoto, yasubey
Read the full article at Low KickUFC 140's 'Big Nog' indifferent on title shot but still has 'something to show'
TORONTO - Frank Mir says a win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira should put him in line for the title.
Nogueira, however, doesn't want to fight for the belt as long as Junior Dos Santos is the reigning heavyweight champion.
"I want to be in the top three to five guys in my weight division," he said. "I don't have a desire to fight for the title because of Junior."
Posted in: title shot, title, i dont, show toronto, title nogueira
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMachida Ready To Resume An Era Interrupted
Before Jon Jones came along, swooped in and became the youngest champion in UFC history, it was supposed to be the Lyoto Machida era. Just two and a half years ago, the unbeaten Brazilian knocked out Rashad Evans, took the championship belt in his hands and said “Karate is back.” It was the sound bite heard throughout the mixed martial arts world, and with a resume that held wins over Evans, Thiago Silva, Tito Ortiz, BJ Penn, Rich Franklin, and Stephan Bonnar, few would have argued with the idea that Machida was going to reign for a long time.Well, you know how that story went. After a disputed decision win over countryman Mauricio “Shogun” Rua five months after winning the title, Machida lost the belt to Rua in May of 2010. A UFC 123 defeat to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was another shocker, and suddenly a 16-0 record turned to 16-2 and many wondered if what they had seen in the Evans, Silva, and Ortiz fights was just a mirage. And no one took the fall from grace harder than the introspective Machida.“I miss realizing my dreams and my goals, my objectives,” he said, through translator Derek Kronig Lee, when asked what he misses the most about being a world champion.So as 2011 dawned, few would have pegged him as a title challenger come December. But Machida believed he had what it took to get back in contention and then regain the crown, and a stunning knockout of Randy Couture in April only heightened his expectations. But when he didn’t step up to face Evans in a short notice rematch at UFC 133 in August, “The Dragon” thought a short-term title opportunity was out of the question.“In all honesty, at the beginning of 2011 I believed I would fight for the title soon, but as the year progressed I felt like that dream got further away, so I didn’t know if I would be fighting for the title this year.”Ironically, it was an injury suffered by Evans in his win over Ortiz at UFC 133 that opened the door for Machida to face Jones in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC 140 card in Toronto, and now he gets the chance to resume a reign interrupted by the loss to Rua. So is it a different Machida than the one that first reigned over the 205-pound weight class?“I became more focused on details,” he said. “I’m smarter in training in order to get more out of each session.”Each trip to the gym is crucial against a fighter as dynamic as Jones, one that has earned the former champ’s respect with his performances thus far. That doesn’t mean he will be in awe of him when the bell sounds on fight night.“I always saw him as a very versatile fighter and he has a lot of different combinations, but I only began to study him recently,” said Machida. “Every fighter poses difficulties, it’s not because it is Jon Jones or anyone else. He has good reach, a versatile game and he fights well on his feet, on the ground and takedowns. I believe I am well-versed in all three areas as well and I believe this will be a war of strategies, that’s what will count the most in the fight.” It’s what makes Saturday’s clash so intriguing. It wasn’t so long ago that people were saying that Machida’s style wasn’t going to be deciphered anytime soon. Now they’re saying the same thing about Jones. But if anything is a given in the light heavyweight division, it’s that as special as you may be as a fighter, in this shark tank no one lasts on top for long.“This is the best category in the UFC,” said Machida. “We mix speed, strength and technique, and I believe it is the toughest weight class in the UFC.”He’ll get no arguments from the other recent champions pre-Jones, as only Machida and Jackson have managed to successfully defend the title out of the five men to hold the belt in the last four years before “Bones” took the crown. But that doesn’t matter to the 33-year old challenger now. The only history he is concerned about is becoming the second man (along with Couture) to regain the 205-pound title. It would be a feat even sweeter than the first.“Definitely, the ups and downs are important in anyone’s careers,” he said. “You improve a lot after losing, and I believe this victory will have a sweeter taste of accomplishment.”
Posted in: ufc, title, ’t, year, machida
Read the full article at UFCDana White hints at a Dan Henderson title shot if Rashad Evans loses to Phil Davis
It appears that the light heavyweight number one contenders match between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis scheduled for the UFC on FOX 2 event in Chicago may only be a number one contender fight for one man.
During the press conference for UFC 140 today, a fan closed it with a question, "Who will get the next shot at the light heavyweight title, the winner of Evans vs. Davis or Dan Henderson?
White's response?
"The FOX fight, in January will be Evans versus Davis and if Evans wins that fight, Evans will get the next shot at the title. If he doesn't, then, you know, we'll see. "
We'll see, indeed.
MMA is a very fickle business. What's there one day may not be there the next. Ask Jon Fitch and the two or three title shots he was supposed to earn in the last few years.
With that simple two word statement, White has blown open the doors for Dan Henderson to potentially usurp the next title shot at 205 pounds. That is, if Evans were to lose to the upset-minded Phil Davis this upcoming January.
"Hendo" has done more than enough to earn his shot as well.
Dan Henderson is coming off perhaps one of the most impressive one year runs of all time. He destroyed Ranatu Sobral last December, won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title with a knockout of Rafael Cavalcante in March and then followed it up with a first round stoppage of legendary Fedor Emelianenko at heavyweight this past July.
To top it off? Oh, he only went out and had what many consider to be the greatest fight in UFC history, earning a unanimous decision against Mauricio Rua just a few short weeks ago in the main event of UFC 139.
At 41 years old, Henderson's age must be taken into consideration. There's not nearly as lengthy of a window for him to be a relevant title contender as Davis. If there ever was a time for him to earn his shot, it's now.
Lastly, one must not forget that the UFC is a business which runs on a pay-per-view model. Unless Phil Davis knocks Rashad Evans out with a flying, spinning axe kick, he's not going to have the drawing power of Henderson, at least not yet.
Of course, this speculation could all be for naught if Evans goes out and defeats Davis as expected.
What say you, Maniacs?
If Phil Davis upsets Rashad Evans in January, who would you rather see challenge for the belt?
Speak up!
Posted in: title, henderson, shot, evan, davi
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAudio Interview: Cesar Gracie Thinks Georges St. Pierre Should Be Stripped of Title
LayzieTheSavage of Middle Easy reached out to Cesar Gracie to get his thoughts on Georges St. Pierre's injury. Gracie is Nick Diaz' long time trainer and manager and has played an important role in Diaz' development from mid-tier UFC fighter to welterweight title contender.
As usual with Gracie, he is very honest in his assessment of the situation and doesn't pull any punches when discussing the extent of St. PIerre's injury. St. Pierre has been out of action since fighting Jake Shields earlier this year at UFC 129 and with the news that he could be out for 10 months with a blown out ACL, Georges and the welterweight title will be sidelined for close to two years.
The UFC has announced that Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will be fighting for the interim title while GSP recovers from his injuries. Because of this extended time off, Gracie believes that St. Pierre should be stripped of his title. His reasoning isn't off base either. Fans don't view interim champions as the "real" champion and a champion should be active in his defenses.
Gracie believes that Carlos Condit could actually be a tougher opponent for Diaz than St. Pierre. His assessment is that Condit is a more dangerous fighter because he doesn't fight safe. He is a bigger fighter than St. Pierre and has more power in his hands. It should also be commended that Gracie also doesn't allow himself to get baited into calling the injury fake when Layzie attempts to lead the conversation in that direction.
HT: Middle Easy
Audio after the jump...
Posted in: title, pierre, st, gracie, st pierre
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowChaos Reigns: The New UFC Welterweight Division
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As welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre made obsolete even the most hard-nosed and stalwart of contenders. In light of their disastrous title bids, fighters like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Thiago Alves were, in the minds of many, left scrambling for a distant second place. His gentlemanly bearing and congenial nature belied the fact that, upon the UFC welterweight division, the champion imposed a brutal and perfect order: Before all else, Georges St. Pierre.
For the foreseeable future, that order has been suspended. In light of St. Pierre's horrendous injury, someone like Jon Fitch appears different, newly relevant. As Chad Raynard wrote of the wrestling juggernaut:
He has one of the best records in UFC history, yet a second crack at the belt has eluded him for quite some time. It was unlikely Fitch was going to get a shot at GSP without at least another two or three wins, but now he's found a short cut.
Indeed he has. And while the unlikelihood of that second title shot might have had somewhat to do with Fitch's plodding, grinding style, I would suggest that the unprecedented thrashing he received from St. Pierre likewise sticks in everyone's mind. Yet, in the context of the current welterweight title picture, the fact of that beating takes a back seat to Fitch's sterling record and elite rank. Much the same could be said of the aforementioned Koscheck and Alves who, despite the night-terrors they might inflict on the rest of the UFC welterweights, walked away from their title fights much the richer in hematoma and fractures. When it comes to these perennial contenders, what was old is new again.
The heightened relevance also extends to newly surging welterweights like Rory Macdonald, Anthony Johnson, and, perhaps most significantly, Jake Ellenberger. Ellenberger might have been a hard sell next to Georges St. Pierre, but now--given his crowd-pleasing style, his highly competitive fight against title contender Carlos Condit, and his KO of Jake Shields, teammate of UFC 143's other title contender, Nick Diaz--Ellenberger is an infinitely more viable challenger for the belt. And without having to worry too much now about the chance of a third match between St. Pierre and Koscheck, any of this new class can be freely matched up against past contenders en route to a championship fight.
Georges St. Pierre's hiatus from the Octagon is a huge loss for the UFC, fans, and the man himself. However, for the shark tank that is the UFC's welterweight division, there's blood in the water.
Posted in: ufc, title, pierre, st, welterweight
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC 140 press conference LIVE updates today (Dec. 8) for 'Jones vs Machida' in Toronto
Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold a public press conference today (Dec. 8, 2011) to promote UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida", which is scheduled for Dec. 10, 2011.
The conference will begin at 1 p.m. ET live from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, the home city of the event.
Scheduled to attend will be UFC president Dana White, as well as the headlining fighters of the evening, Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion. "Bones" has risen to the top of the light heavyweight heap in 2011, winning the title from Mauricio Rua and then recently defending it last month with a submission against Quinton Jackson.
On the opposite side of the podium will be the challenger to his title, former champion Lyoto Machida. "The Dragon" was awarded a title shot after a knocking out MMA legend Randy Couture in highlight reel fashion at UFC 129. He stepped up when Rashad Evans couldn't heal up his injured thumb in time.
Frank Mir is a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion and has boosted back into the title picture after consecutive victories over veterans Mirko Filipovic and Roy Nelson. He'll be rematching the resurgent Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a former interim UFC heavyweight champion who lost his title to Mir in 2009.
Lastly, former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz, one fight removed from an emotional first round upset of Ryan Bader, will be taking on veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who's dropped two tough fights in a row to strong wrestlers.
We'll have complete updates of the UFC 140 press conference after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The conference is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. eastern time.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, conference, champion
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit: 5 Rounds of Aggression and Fury
As reported earlier today, Georges St. Pierre blew his knee out and has been forced to withdraw from his title fight with Nick Diaz @ UFC 143. Dana White announced that the new game plan for the Welterweight division is Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit for the interim title.
I feel terrible for Georges and of wish him all the best. I hope he gets his riddum back as soon as possible but, ladies and gentlemen......
WE HAVE A SERIOUS FIGHT ON OUR HANDS!
Carlos Condit will be getting his title shot back that was awarded to him after Nick Diaz went AWOL leading up to UFC 137. The same title shot that was taken from him after Georges withdrew from that fight and subsequently given back to Diaz after he steamrolled BJ Penn that same night. That performance by Diaz all but erased any harm done by him irresponsibly pissing away his shot at St. Pierre by no showing repeated media obligations. What a mad world this is.
Carlos Condit - The former WEC Welterweight Champion. The man who has 25 of his 26 career wins via submission or TKO. The man who ether'd Dan Hardy sending Robert Downey Jr. into orbit, flying kneed the previously unbeaten Dong Hyun Kim back to the prelims and mounted a huge comeback against Rory MacDonald beating him down in terrifying fashion with only seconds left in the bout.
Nick Diaz - The former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. He has annihilated Marius Zaromskis and Paul Daley standing up, took home the arms of Evangelista Santos and Hayato Sakurai and methodically beat BJ Penn into retirement.
I'll tell you the truth for once. I am more thrilled at the prospect of this fight than I ever was for St. Pierre v. Diaz or St. Pierre v. Condit. Both of those fights had a very high likelihood of being 50-45 GSP across the cards. This fight for the interim title is straight up nasty. Two of the most aggressive men in the sport are going to go in the cage with the goal of destroying the man across from them beyond recognition. There will be no point fighting or takedowns to steal the round. This will be unharnessed violence. We are talking about unchecked aggression here, Dude. Putting these two men in the cage opposite each other should almost make Dana White and Joe Silva accomplices to a crime given the bad intentions that will be behind every punch, kick, knee and attempted submission. This is going to be an absolute barnburner and I for one cannot wait.
Poll
Who ya got?
Nick Diaz
Carlos Condit
68 votes | Results
Posted in: fight, diaz, title, nick, condit
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendLyoto Machida is Back to Reclaim His Title
Lyoto Machida admits he was surprised when he got the call to face Jon Jones at UFC 140, but he happily accepted.
Posted in: ufc, title, lyoto machida, machida, lyoto
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyGeorges St-Pierre Injures Knee, 10-Month Recovery Time KO's Him from UFC 143; Condit vs Diaz for Interim Title
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [2 comments]
Posted in: title, condit, mattyblayze, georges stpierre, recovery
Read the full article at RedditGeorges St-Pierre Out; Condit Faces Diaz for Interim Title at UFC 143
A blown ACL has sidelined welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, and Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz will fight for the UFC interim title
Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, title, carlos condit, georges stpierre
Read the full article at Heavy MMAGSP is out, Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit for the UFC interim welterweight title
Less than eighteen hours ago, the Vancouver Sun published an interview with Georges St. Pierre in which he states he's 'ready for Nick Diaz.' Sure I could ask questions like 'Why would you give an interview to a massive media source to promote a fight with the knowledge that you are unable to compete?' but at the end of the day, we will never know.
Just minutes ago, Dana White broke everyone's heart when he announced that Georges St. Pierre is out of his bout with Nick Diaz, and instead we will see Carlos Condit take his place in a UFC welterweight interim title fight. That's ten months we won't see the UFC welterweight title contested. Folks, that's October 2012. Here's what Dana White tweeted just moments ago:
Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, title, nick, carlos condit
Read the full article at Middle EasyGSP injured; Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit set for UFC 143 Interim Title fight
Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre has been forced to withdraw from his February 4th title defense against Nick Diaz due to an injured ACL. Stepping in to replace the champ will be top contender Carlos Condit, who will now face Diaz in a 170-pound interim title fight.
Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, title, title defense, carlo
Read the full article at Low KickBreaking news: Georges St. Pierre injured, 'Condit vs. Diaz' for Interim title at UFC 143
Breaking news from the desk of UFC President Dana White -- and it's a doozy.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has suffered an knee injury (ACL) and will be out of action for 10 months, effectively ending his participation at the UFC 143 event on Feb. 4, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dana Tweets:
GSP blown acl will be out for 10 mos. Now Condit vs Diaz for the interim welterweight title on Feb 4th in Las Vegas!!
Nick Diaz will remain as headliner, but will now fight Carlos Condit for the promotion's Interim 170-pound title. That leaves "The Natural Born Killer's" original opponent, Josh Koscheck, without a date to the big dance.
For now.
More on this breaking news in just a bit, but for now, GSP is on the shelf (again) and we're going to have a new champ in early 2012. What are your initial reactions to this sudden turn of events?
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, condit, news
Read the full article at MMA ManiaCesar Gracie: St. Pierre should be stripped of his UFC Welterweight title
Current UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will be on the shelf for 10 months after injuring his ACL while training for his UFC 143 title fight against Nick Diaz.
Carlos Condit, who had been scheduled to face Josh Koscheck on the same card has been moved into St. Pierre’s spot and the fight will be for the interim Welterweight title, something that Diaz’s trainer/manager, Cesar Gracie is not fully in agreement with. In fact, if Gracie had his way, St. Pierre would be stripped of
Posted in: ufc, title, pierre, st, gracie
Read the full article at Low KickUFC Undisputed 3: Jones Dominates Machida in Title Bout Simulation
As the year comes to a close, 2011 has been the hottest in its closing months for MMA action. Exciting, epic fights have been delivered by some of the rising stars and true veterans of the sport and this Saturday night in Toronto will be nothing less as Jon “Bones” Jones will put his title on [...]
Posted in: saturday night, title, jone, mma action, epic fights
Read the full article at Fighthub TVMailbag: Melendez wants to fight the best (Yahoo! Sports)
Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez believes he deserves a UFC title shot
Posted in: ufc, title, shot, melendez, mailbag melendez
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsFrank Mir Has Heavyweight Title Contention on His Mind at UFC 140
If he beats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in their rematch at UFC 140 on Saturday, former champ Frank Mir believes he should be right back in the thick of things.
Posted in: ufc, title, mir, champ, contention
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC Light Heavyweight Division State of the Union
With so many fights coming up spread across seven different weight classes, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in every division. Here, we take a look at where a particular division stands right now, and where it's headed.
At UFC 140, Jon Jones will defend the UFC Light Heavyweight title against former champion Lyoto Machida (currently ranked #6). With this defense, Jones will attempt to do what none of the previous 5 champions since Chuck Liddell have done - defend the title more than once and stop the game of musical chairs around the belt. But no matter who wins on Saturday, there is a strong line of contenders lying in wait, just as there always is in this stacked division. Let's take a look.
Next in Line:
After the Jones vs. Lyoto match, there's two options I see for the next shot.
Option #1 - Dan Henderson (currently ranked #2). He's the last Strikeforce champ, the last Pride champ, and a UFC veteran. But most importantly, he's also coming off a win in what some are calling the greatest fight in MMA history when he defeated Shogun at UFC 139. Momentum is huge, and no one in the entire sport has the momentum of Hendo right now.
Option #2 - The winner of #3 Rashad Evans vs. #7 Phil Davis set for the UFC on Fox 2 show on January 28. Evans will be the clear favorite here, and a Jones vs. Evans fight is the one with the most backstory, but I think any combination of Henderson/Davis/Rashad vs. either Jones or Machida would make for an exciting title fight.
Key Match Ups:
It seems like there is not so much scheduled after the end of the year and UFC 141, but still some big upcoming Light Heavyweight fights to watch out for:
#16 Tito Ortiz vs. #12 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (UFC 140) - Alright, I'll be honest, this one really doesn't have a big impact on the top of the division, as neither man is going to be challenging for the belt, well, ever. Sorry. But it's still a fun fight between two veterans, and the winner will at least keep fighting the upper echelon for now.
#13 Alexander Gustafsson vs. #18 Vladimir Matyushenko (UFC 141) - This one is all about Gustafsson. The 24 year old is 12-1 overall, 4-1 in the UFC with that only loss coming to Phil Davis. He just retired Matt Hamill, looking spectacular in the process, and seems poised on the verge of the uppermost ranks of the division. The Janitor is a great gatekeeper, and if Gustafsson moves past him, I expect a big fight in his future.
#20 Stanislav Nedkov vs. Fabio Maldonado (UFC 142) - Not a major match-up here, but Nedkov is an undefeated fighter making his way up the ranks. If he keeps winning and keeps rising, he'll find himself against a big name soon.
#5 Quinton Jackson vs. #17 Ryan Bader (UFC 144) - It's going to be hard for Bader to live down the Ortiz loss, but if he can somehow pull off the win over Rampage, that will certainly do the trick. Rampage is always at the top of the division, even if he is coming off a loss to Jones, and could be back to title contention at any moment if things line up right.
In The Mix:
A couple others are near the top, just without any fights currently scheduled:
#4 Mauricio Rua - Another former champion, Shogun has been written off pretty much since the moment his UFC debut ended, but he's managed to win the title and stay near the top ever since. I'd love to see him against Bonnar, or Lil Nog once more.
#21 Stephan Bonnar - He's riding high off that Kingsbury win, and is in the best spot since the days just after TUF 1 ended. I wish he had been given the Rampage fight in Japan, but I'll be interested to see what is next for the UFC warhorse.
Others to Consider:
And finally, a few names that may not find themselves in the title picture any time soon, but should be mentioned:
#7 Forrest Griffin - It pains me to say this, as I was once a huge Forrest fan, but he has not looked good lately. I don't know what he has left to offer at this point, or when he'll be back at all. But if he does, his name and history alone guarantees him another fight close to the top.
#14 Thiago Silva - The forgotten Silva will be eligible to return to action early next year. How the UFC handles him, and if he can come back from a two year period of only one fight remain to be seen.
#15 Rich Franklin - The former Middleweight champion has been in limbo for ages, and has been sidelined for a long time now. He's another veteran that will always draw a marquee match-up.
#22 Ryan Jimmo - Probably a bit early for this list, but he's on a solid 16 fight win streak and set to debut against Karlos Vemola at the UFC on FX 1 show. A big win there will make a strong first impression.
#9 Gegard Mousasi, #10 Rafael Cavalcante, #11 King Mo, Ovince St. Preux - The best of the Strikeforce bunch, available at any time if the UFC needs them. Mousasi vs. OSP is on Dec. 17, with Mo and Feijao both sidelined.
Poll
Who will be the next UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger?
Dan Henderson
Rashad Evans
Phil Davis
Other
6 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, vs, division
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDan Henderson Says All Anderson Silva's Injuries Will Heal if Offered Bisping
At 41 years old, the UFC's Dan Henderson has had a wild ride in mixed martial arts. While it appeared that the period of his career in 2007 when he won the PRIDE middleweight title to compliment the welterweight belt he already held would be the highlight of his career, he now rides a four fight win streak that may top that run. During that run he won a title eliminator in Strikeforce, beat Rafael Cavalcante to win the belt, moved up to heavyweight to stop MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko on strikes in the first round and then made a trip back to light heavyweight in the UFC where he won a narrow decision over Mauricio Rua in arguably the best fight in the sport's history.
Dan is now looking for a title shot at either 205 or 185 pounds. Middleweight would mean a rematch with Anderson Silva, something that Henderson seems very interested in.
With Michael Bisping winning at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 14, some feel that the UFC would love to give Bisping a title shot and that may mean closing the door on Henderson's chance.
So when a fan asked Dan what he thought about a potential Silva vs. Bisping fight, here's what he had to say:
danhendoDan Henderson
RT @AverageJoeArt: @danhendo what did you think of last night's main event? Looked like one guy (cont) http://t.co/opduR8TR
Dec 04FavoriteRetweetReply
Nik_juniorNik Powers
@danhendo do you agree with all these crazies claiming Bisping deserves the next shot??
Dec 04FavoriteRetweetReply
in reply to @Nik_junior↑
@danhendoDan Henderson@Nik_junior All the "injuries" that keep Anderson from a rematch w/ me or Chael will heal real fast if they offer Bisping to him.Dec 04 via SeesmicFavoriteRetweetReply
Not exactly subtle in his accusations here, but then again Henderson has never been one for subtlety.
SBN coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale
Posted in: title shot, title, henderson, dan, bisping
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator moving to Friday nights beginning with season six on March 2 via MTV2
CHICAGO, Ill. (December 5, 2011) - After a historic fifth season that saw Michael Chandler capture the Bellator Lightweight Title in a four-round classic that many critics labeled fight-of-the-year, and Eduardo Dantas, Douglas Lima and Alexander Shlemenko all earning tournament championships, Bellator will open their sixth season on Friday, March 2nd from a soon to be announced location. The premiere will mark the first time Bellator has aired on Friday nights.
"Our focus was to find the right night, where the largest number of MMA fans could enjoy the show," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "We've been discussing this move with our partners at Viacom for months. When we looked at the alternatives, we agreed that Fridays provided a great night for us to reach MMA fans with our live, real sport, tournament events every week."
Bellator's Season 6 will feature five tournaments, each loaded with world-class talent from across the globe as well the potential for six World Title fights.
In arguably the deepest division within Bellator, eight featherweights will go to battle looking to earn their right to challenge for the belt.
The lightweights are back, and will be gunning for newly crowned Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler after his fight of the year with Eddie Alvarez.
Fresh off a welterweight tournament that saw Douglas Lima punch his ticket to a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren, eight 170 pounders will compete to earn their title shot against the winner of this tremendous world title fight, and Middleweights collide as the promotion searches for a challenger to take on the winner of Lombard vs. Shlemenko II for the Bellator Middleweight Title.
Bellator Season Five Tournament winner Alexander "Storm" Shlemenko will battle Lombard during Season 6 in a rematch of their third season showdown where Lombard successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision victory.
A fifth tournament will also be featured in Season 6 with an announcement coming shortly.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
Posted in: bellator, title, season, tournament, friday nights
Read the full article at MMA ManiaLyoto Machida: Traning to have an advantage over Jon Jones in all areas
Jon Jones will defend his Light Heavyweight title on Saturday, December 10 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His opponent will be former UFC champion, Lyoto Machida.
Jones will be defending his title for the second time when he meets Machida. His first defense of the belt he won from Mauricio Rua in March of this year occurred at UFC 135, when he forced Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to tap in the fourth round.
For his part, Machida will be looking to regain the title he
Posted in: title, jone, jon jones, mauricio rua, machida
Read the full article at Low KickUFC on FOX 2 will feature Evans-Davis, Sonnen-Munoz in title eliminators (officially announced)
submitted by lumbugg [link] [5 comments]
Posted in: title, lumbugg, evansdavis sonnenmunoz, title eliminators, evansdavi
Read the full article at RedditKarakhanyan, Gomez Capture Titles at TPF 11 'Redemption'
Two new champions were crowned at Tachi Palace Fights 11 "Redemption" on Friday night, as the promotion filled its vacant featherweight and bantamweight title slots at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif.
Posted in: title, friday night, tachi, palace, karakhanyan gomez
Read the full article at SherdogRockhold-Jardine Title Scrap on Tap for Jan. 7 Strikeforce
Keith Jardine will likely meet Luke Rockhold for the Strikeforce middleweight title on Jan. 7, as “The Dean of Mean” makes his 185-pound debut to kick off 2012.
Posted in: pound, title, strikeforce, luke rockhold, jan
Read the full article at SherdogSuspected Injury Forced Tim Kennedy Out of Potential Title Shot
A suspected injury in training has forced Tim Kennedy to the sidelines, which opened the way for Keith Jardine to get a title shot against Luke Rockhold.
Posted in: title shot, title, keith jardine, shot, tim kennedy
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyKeith Jardine Gets Strikeforce Title Shot. Wait. What?!
Strikeforce has a long history of making very questionable matchups, especially pertaining to their titles, but they've really out done themselves this time. It appears their new middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, will not be fighting Tim Kennedy after all. Instead he'll meet Keith Jardine of all people.
I really don't understand what they are thinking anymore. I assumed now that they were under the Zuffa umbrella, these ridiculous matchups would stop; I was wrong. Keith Jardine in no way deserves to be fighting for a title, in any organization. Besides never having fought at 185, he's coming off a draw (realistically it was a loss, Mousasi was robbed), and two wins against nobodies. Before that, he dropped five fights in a row.
I understand they are working with a limited roster, but if they want to make one sided matchups like this they should drop the belts completely. This is not a relevant fight, this is a UFC washout being fed to a rising prospect. How do you make the argument that Jardine is a champion caliber fighter with his current record?
And what if by some miracle, Jardine actually wins? What would that say about the titles and other Strikeforce champions? It would absolutely ruin any semblance of importance that the belts hold, and tarnish the promotions reputation as a whole. This is a big mistake.
If they need to keep Rockhold busy, why not bring over a mid-tier middleweight from the UFC? They've had no problem moving most of Strikeforce's talent to the big leagues, and so the opposite shouldn't be an issue. It's not like the UFC can't spare the likes of Alan Belcher, Tim Boetsch, or Nick Catone. Any of these guys would be a tough challenge for the middleweight champion.
It seems Strikeforce is simply buying time until the promotion folds in 2012. Most of their top talent has already been moved over to the UFC, and matchups like this don't exactly renew any interest in their champions. It's just a shame they aren't going out with some more memorable fights.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, champion, keith jardine, jardine
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendLuke Rockhold to Defend Strikeforce Middleweight Title vs. Keith Jardine
In a surprising move, Keith Jardine, 0-0-1 in Strikeforce, will drop to 185 pounds to challenge for Luke Rockhold's title.
Posted in: title, rockhold, luke, luke rockhold, jardine
Read the full article at Heavy MMALuke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine title fight targeted for Jan. 7 Strikeforce event
Strikeforce appears to have its first fight of what appears to be an uncertain 2012 fight season.
Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com newly minted Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is expected to fight UFC veteran Keith Jardine in a Jan. 7 title fight.
MMAFighting.com first reported the likely bout.
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, event, rockhold
Read the full article at MMA JunkieLuke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine likely for January 7th
Newly crowned Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold will look to make his first title defense when he meets UFC veteran Keith Jardine in January.MMAFighting.com first reported the bout, citing sources close to the situation.Rockhold (8-1) was last seen in action taking a unanimous decision over Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza to capture the title back in September. The victory marked his seventh-straight under the Strikeforce banner, many of which were accumulated while competing on the promotion's
Posted in: title, rockhold, title defense, jardine, strikeforce banner
Read the full article at Low KickReport: Keith Jardine To Challenge Luke Rockhold For Strikeforce Middleweight Title On Jan. 7
It looks like Christmas is coming early for Keith Jardine. Despite going 2-5-1 in his last seven fights, Jardine is reportedly getting a Strikeforce title shot in a weight class he’s never fought in before.
That’s right, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani is reporting that Jardine will challenge Luke Rockhold for his Strikeforce middleweight title on Jan. 7 in Las Vegas.
Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is slated to defend his belt against former UFC veteran Keith Jardine on Jan. 7, MMA Fighting has confirmed with sources close to the fight. The title fight is expected to headline the organization’s first event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Strikeforce has yet to officially announce the card or any fights signed for it as of Thursday evening.
Sherdog also confirmed that Jardine will fight on the card, but didn’t mention anything about the match-up.
According to the MMA Fighting report, Tim Kennedy was originally supposed to face Rockhold in a title fight that would have made more sense, but he suffered an injury and won’t be ready. Considering their second choice, it seems they ran out of reasonable options.
Despite the severe lack of depth on Strikeforce’s roster, rumors still persist that a contract extension with Showtime is possible and may even be likely.
Image via Daniel Archuleta for Sherdog
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, rockhold, jardine
Read the full article at MMA ConvertLuke Rockhold Slated to Defend Strikeforce Middleweight Title Against Keith Jardine
Filed under: Strikeforce, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsStrikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is slated to defend his belt against former UFC veteran Keith Jardine on Jan. 7, MMA Fighting has confirmed with sources close to the fight. The title fight is expected to headline the organization's first event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Strikeforce has yet to officially announce the card or any fights signed for it as of Thursday evening.
Rockhold was expected to meet Tim Kennedy in his first title defense, but according to sources, Kennedy couldn't commit to the fight due to an undisclosed injury.
Rockhold (8-1) won the title in September when he defeated Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza via unanimous decision. The American Kickboxing Academy member has won his last seven fights in a row.
Jardine (17-9-2) fought Gegard Mousasi to a draw in his Strikeforce debut in April. This fight would mark his first at 185 pounds. "The Dean of Mean" is 2-1-1 since his release from the UFC in June 2010. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, rockhold, keith jardine
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseMichael Bisping Wants Title Shot in 2012
Michael Bisping is gunning for a UFC middleweight title shot and he's hoping to earn that opportunity in 2012.
Posted in: title shot, title, bisping, michael bisping, shot
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC 140 conference call updates and LIVE blog today (Dec. 1) at 2 p.m. ET
Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold a special media conference call today (Dec. 1, 2011) to promote UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida, which is scheduled to take place at the Canada Centre in Torontofor Dec. 10, 2011.
The call, which begins at 2 p.m. ET, will feature Jon Jones,Lyoto Machida, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion. "Bones" has risen to the top of the light heavyweight heap in 2011, winning the title from Mauricio Rua and then recently defending it last month against Quinton Jackson.
His challenger is former champion, Lyoto Machida. "The Dragon" was awarded a title shot after a knocking out MMA legend Randy Couture in highlight reel fashion at UFC 129. He stepped up when Rashad Evans couldn't heal up his injured thumb in time.
Frank Mir is a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion and has boosted back into the title picture after consecutive victories over veterans Mirko Filipovic and Roy Nelson. He'll be rematching the resurgent Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a former interim UFC heavyweight champion who lost his title to Mir in 2009.
Lastly, former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz, one fight removed from an emotional first round upset of Ryan Bader, will be taking on veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who's dropped two tough fights in a row to strong wrestlers.
We'll have complete updates of the UFC 140 conference call after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The call is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. eastern time.
Posted in: ufc, title, nogueira, heavyweight, champion
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWant to start watching MMA. What awesome matches/events shall I watch that I've missed so far.
Title says it all. I've been watching pro wrestling for years now, and I just don't find it exciting anymore. After recently watching the film 'Warrior', I decided that I need to watch MMA because it seems so exhilarating and it's real. So, what matches have I missed out on that are a must watch to get me more into MMA. All I have seen so far is a Shamrock/Ortiz fight. submitted by AwesomeHat [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: mma, title, i need, ive, dont
Read the full article at RedditRonda Rousey campaigning for title fight with Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate
Ronda Rousey has definitely been living up to her "Rowdy" moniker in recent days, ruffling some feathers in the Strikeforce women's division.
After winning her fourth professional mixed martial arts fight in as many tries back on Nov. 18 at Strikeforce Challengers: "Britt vs. Sayers" (while snapping Julia Budd's limb in the process with a sickening armbar), Rousey believes she deserves the next title fight against the current women's Strikeforce bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate.
In her four professional bouts and three amateur bouts prior, Rousey has barely broke a sweat as she has finished all seven of her opponents via armbar submission and all under a minute.
Can you blame her for wanting to up the stakes and level of competition?
On the other hand, if you ask Miesha Tate, the current women's Strikeforce bantamweight champion and Alexis Davis, another Strikeforce 135-pound contender; Rousey hasn't earned a title shot yet. Rousey has yet to compete in the bantamweight division as she calls the 145-pound weight class home.
While campaigning to get a title shot, Rousey has not been making any friends, nor is she trying to.
Now it seems that the entire female division is gunning for her.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Tate and Rousey got a little bit testy with one another as both made their claims as to who deserves the next title shot:
Tate says if she gets matched up with Rousey, it won't be pretty:
‘What happens when she gets a failed arm bar and someone ends up on top pounding her face in? Is she going to tap out or quit? We don't know. We haven't seen that yet. I think it's kind of silly to put her in with me because that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take it to her. A lot of people are underestimating me. That's fine. That always seems to be the case. Make no mistake; if Ronda is my next fight, I'm going to come in with a vengeance you've never seen before, because to be quite honest, it's probably going to piss me off."
Let's not forget about Sarah Kaufman, who many believe she is the rightful number one contender. Tate has no problems with a fight against Sarah, in fact, she wants a rematch with Sarah before any other fight:
"I want my rematch against Sarah Kaufman and I think there is a story to be built off of there. You don't always have to have to attractive women you know? It's nothing against Sarah, but I feel like I work my butt off and I want that rematch and I want to avenge a loss. You know Cyborg is one of the most popular women fighters ever and she's not a beauty queen but it's because of her style of fighting, there are different ways to market different women and different ways to market every fight and I don't consider ours to be so special."
Rousey on the other hand disagrees:
"Sarah Kaufman kind of gives boring interviews, she's not a supermodel and the way she fights, she doesn't finish matches in extraordinary fashion. It's just kind of being realistic. I'm sorry that I have to say things bluntly and offend some people. I just want there to be a highly marketable, exciting women's title fight, and I want to be part of that because I feel like I could do a really good job, and you could, too. I think the two of us could do a better job of that than you and Sarah Kaufman. I really feel 100-percent that a fight between her and me needs to happen. It'll be great for women's MMA. It'll be the first highly anticipated fight in women's MMA for a long time ... We need to capitalize on the opportunity while we still have it. I don't want to risk her losing the title and us not being able to fight each other for the title."
Tate believes Rousey "Rowdy" attitude stems from her aspirations of trying to follow in the footsteps on none other than the master fight promoter, Chael Sonnen:
"I think its working because she's pretty. If you weren't pretty, it wouldn't matter what you said or didn't say. That's why you're getting this attention. I don't know, I guess I personally like more of a humble approach. You can say you want to be the Chael Sonnen of women's MMA, and Chael gets a lot of press and everything like that, too, but no one likes him."
Rousey's response:
"Yeah, but he makes a lot of money and he gets a lot of title shots, too, doesn't he?"
Lurking on the sidelines is Alexa Davis, who tells MMAWeekly.com that maybe they need to focus on training instead of talking:
"I've been watching a bit, back and forth, I haven't quite seen it all. I'm busy training in the gym, maybe these girls should be working out and getting ready for their next fights before they're talking all this smack about how much damage they're going to cause. I don't think she's (Rousey) really fought anybody who has been able to give her a challenge, that's had like a serious ground game She talks a lot of smack and on one side that's great, well some of the things she's said, for women's MMA. It's really got everyone's attention. But some of the things she's said, and I think she has talent in there, but has she fought anybody? Let's get to the bottom line. Does she deserve a title shot? Sure, she's doing great and the press and everybody's talking about it, but has she earned it? I don't think quite yet. Sarah Kaufman, she's right up there, she's the top contender right now. I'd like to see Ronda walk all over her, it's not going to happen when you get to that level of fighter. If I can't have Miesha Tate, obviously I'm going to want her first or Sarah Kaufman, then I'll take Ronda."
And what does the current number one contender Sarah Kaufman have to say about all this?
"I think that a fight between Miesha and I is an exciting fight and I think that it could be marketed in a very exciting way. Miesha's kind of that prettier girl and I am definitely more on the serious sporty side and I'm ready to smash Miesha's face and that can be marketed as much as me smashing Ronda's face."
Tate, Rousey, Davis, Kaufman...I have Mrs. "Cyborg" Santos on line one.
It seems as if business is picking up in women's MMA, thanks in large part to up-and-coming contenders and great back-and-forth banter between future opponents.
Tate is trying to give the rightful number one contender their due, while postponing a fight for Rousey at a future date once Rousey has developed further as a mixed marital artist with a stronger fan base.
Rousey on the other hand, believes she has done enough to get a title shot in fight that would definitely be more marketable due to good looks and great storylines.
All Alexis Davis and Sarah Kaufman want is someone to fight.
What do you say Maniacs, are you riled up for these potential matches? And has Rousey done enough in your eyes to contend for the Strikeforce bantamweight title, or is she biting off more than she can chew?
To listen to the full back and forth between Rousey and Tate, as well as Kaufman's thoughts, click here.
Posted in: fight, title, women, rousey, sarah
Read the full article at MMA ManiaShort Memory Helps Ben Henderson Ahead of UFC Title Fight
Everyone remembers "The Kick." But Ben Henderson is hoping his recent wins – and title fight in February – will help them forget it just a little.
Posted in: title, ben, title fight, ben henderson, february –
Read the full article at Heavy MMABellator Notebook: The Groin Kick From Hell, Dantas' Inferno, What's Next
As UFC President Dana White said several weeks ago regarding the short UFC on Fox main event, you can't control what happens in the cage. Bellator found that out at Bellator 59 last Saturday as a bizarre groin kick ended the promotion's strong fifth season on a flat note despite plenty of highlights and building blocks for 2012.
With Thiago Santos' down the pike kick to the nether region of a grounded Eric Prindle, the heavyweight tournament ended without a winner as the fight was called a no-contest, overshadowing the rise of a new bantamweight contender and the return to glory of one of Bellator's top stars.
As of this writing, Prindle is still awaiting the swelling to go down in his right testicle but holds no ill will towards a very apologetic Santos. Prindle posted a pic of the injury on his Twitter feed Saturday which was, well, something else.
Regarding Prindle/Santos, no one could have looked good following Santos' kick, regardless of what the final outcome was. A DQ win for Prindle would have caused controversy and hurt his standing going into a title fight with Cole Konrad. The no contest felt flat but considering the unique situation, nothing was going to make it right. It was the worst case scenario and it came true to everyone's chagrin.However, there is a bright spot in that Bellator's first show of 2012 can be stacked up if they want it to be. With Santos/Prindle, Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu defending against Travis Wiuff in a rightfully earned title shot and Eddie Alvarez competing in the first round of the expected 155-pound tournament, that would be a hell of a way for Bellator to kick off season six.
Youth Prevails
Lost amidst the zaniness of swollen balls was the effort of 22-year-old Eduardo Dantas, who turned it on late and earned a unanimous decision win over the previously undefeated Alexis Vila to earn himself a shot at 135-pound champ Zach Makovsky (14-2) early next year. After losing a bland first round, Dantas (13-2) excelled in the final 10 minutes and did what no other contender has done to Vila yet: make him look old.
Makovsky/Dantas may not be a ratings draw, but the two have combined for 14 straight wins and Dantas represents Makosvky's toughest test to date...in addition to the first defense of the title he won in October 2010.
So What Now?
With this season now history, there are questions about when the final year on MTV2 will kick off. In past seasons, March or April marked the beginning of the Bellator calendar but February has continued to be thrown around as well. The company has four title matches set for next year in addition to five different tournaments, making for what could be the best season in company history.
As of the time of this column, the five divisions represented in those tournaments have yet to be clarified, but one would expect 145, 155, 170, 205 and the women's 125-pound division to be featured with lightweight and welterweight being the standout classes.
News & Notes
Patricky "Pitbull" Freire made his presence felt once again with a first round TKO win over Kurt Pellegrino, his first appearance since a loss to Michael Chandler earlier this year. While the stoppage looked premature, Pellegrino didn't argue too much after the defeat and announced to the crowd he was retiring for good.
In an interview with MMA Junkie Monday, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney suggested that the end is nigh for the women's 115-pound division, meaning current champion Zoila Gurgel will have to go up in weight next year if she wants to compete. If they're abandoning the division, shouldn't she earn a bye into the 125-pound finals?
There was some controversy with the scoring in last Saturday's opening fight between Marcin Held and Phillipe Nover. Held earned a split decision win which many (including color commentator Jimmy Smith) suggested was wrong. This writer scored the final two rounds for Nover, but it wasn't the complete travesty of justice some claim. Bad decision? Yes, but we're used to this by now, aren't we?
Smart move by Bellator/MTV2 last Saturday to replay the Chandler/Alvarez title match from a week prior, in addition to making the fight available for free streaming all last week. By comparison, the UFC still has yet to announce how people can see Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson from the UFC on Fox undercard. I guess we're still supposed to shut up about that, however.
SBN coverage of Bellator 59
Posted in: bellator, pound, title, season, kick
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow
Bisping: Miller not the guy to get me title shot
Michael Bisping has been angling to get himself into the top tier of the UFC middleweight division of late, because he wants to try his hand against Anderson...
Posted in: title, division, bisping, shot, bisping miller
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyMichael Bisping: 'I deserve my shot at the title' (Video)
"I've had to work my way back up [after losing to Dan Henderson]. I've won most of my fights and I've only been stopped once in my career. I've had 17 fights inside the UFC and I deserve my shot at the title. If I beat Miller, probably take one more fight. Chael Sonnen will probably get the next shot, which I disagree with, but whatever. He had his shot, he was using steroids and he tapped, he should go to the back of the queue. He sells fights, he's compelling so it makes sense from a business perspective. But yeah, if I beat Miller, I'll probably have to fight someone else in the meantime and if I win that fight, I should get my shot."
Michael Bisping is ready for his shot at the 185-pound title, assuming he can overcome the jiu-jitsu stylings of Jason Miller at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 Finale this Saturday night (Dec. 3, 2011) at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. "The Count" was one fight away from a showdown opposite Anderson Silva -- until a thunderous right hand from Dan Henderson sent him packing. Anyone think the brash Brit is ready to go all the way? Or will "Mayhem" have him tapping out in "Sin City?"
Posted in: fight, title, shot, ive, fights hes
Read the full article at MMA ManiaYeah, where IS Jon Fitch's title shot???
Jon Fitch is once again acting all confused as to why he isn't buried underneath a big pile of title shots and fan appreciation.
"It is frustrating because the truth of the matter is, I don't understand what the problem is. No one's come up to me and said 'we don't like what you're doing. Do this differently.' I've gotten absolutely zero feedback about what's going on," Fitch said. "I have no idea what's happening or why certain guys are getting title shots. It's a complete mystery to me and no one's approached me and said anything about my style or what I'm doing good or bad."
You know what's frustrating to me? Reading headlines like "Jon Fitch has no clue why his GSP rematch hasn’t come yet." It's this kind of thing that sets you off in a semi-epileptic seizure slapping yourself in the forehead going DUR DURRR DURRRRRRRR DUUUUUUUUURRR.Let's lay this out yet again: Jon Fitch hasn't finished an opponent since 2007. Jon Fitch has shown no new skills or abilities since getting trounced by Georges St Pierre in 2008. Jon Fitch lost that fight so badly that one judge scored it 50-43. Jon Fitch almost lost to a lightweight in his last fight.
Tada. The Mystery of the Missing Title Shot is solved. Send the bill to Scotland Yard, care of Sherlock Fucking Holmes.
Posted in: title, jon, shot, fitch, title shots
Read the full article at FightlinkerMiesha Tate, Ronda Rousey Spar Over Who Should Be Next Title Challenger
Filed under: Strikeforce, MMA Fighting ExclusiveJust four fights into her professional fight career, Strikeforce's Ronda Rousey insists that she is ready to face reigning women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, and that the fight should be signed imminently. Tate, however, says that the young upstart is not quite ready for the increase in opponent caliber, and that she should wait her turn.
The debate between the two stems from the fact that Strikeforce has yet to announce its intended direction for the division's future. For her part, Tate hopes to bypass Rousey's challenge in order to face Sarah Kaufman in a rematch of their May 2009 fight.
In a charged, joint interview on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, the two debated their opposing viewpoints on the 135-pound weight class. While Rousey believes that a title fight with Tate would be the most marketable women's fight available, Tate is skeptical about Rousey's experience level and thinks it would be unfair to see her leapfrog more seasoned fighters simply because she asked the loudest for a title shot.
Tate opened up the proceedings with the first shot.
"What happens when she gets a failed arm bar and someone ends up on top pounding her face in?" she said. "Is she going to tap out or quit? We don't know. We haven't seen that yet. I think it's kind of silly to put her in with me because that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take it to her. A lot of people are underestimating me. That's fine. That always seems to be the case. Make no mistake, if Ronda is my next fight, I'm going to come in with a vengeance you've never seen before, because to be quite honest, it's probably going to piss me off."
Tate said that she believes either Kaufman or Alexis Davis is more deserving than Rousey by virtue of their respective experience levels and longer histories of success. Kaufman -- a former divisional champ -- is 14-1 while Davis is 11-4. Rousey, meanwhile, is 4-0 after turning pro less than nine months ago.
Despite her relative neophyte status in MMA, Rousey's early performances have been so dominant -- each win has come in less than one minute, and finished in arm bar submissions -- the thought of Rousey-Tate has grown steam as Rousey has continued her campaign for the slot.
Rousey responded by noting that Strikeforce does not use a ranking system and simply looks for the fights that will make them the most money. In her mind, Rousey-Tate is the money fight.
"I really feel 100 percent that a fight between her and me needs to happen," Rousey said. "It'll be great for women's MMA. It'll be the first highly anticipated fight in women's MMA for a long time ... We need to capitalize on the opportunity while we still have it. I don't want to risk her losing the title and us not being able to fight each other for the title."
Tate said that Rousey's approach to it has been insulting to the other fighters in the mix, but Rousey justified her tactics, noting the attention it's gotten them in recent weeks.
"I think it's working because she's pretty," Tate said. "If you weren't pretty, it wouldn't matter what you said or didn't say. That's why you're getting this attention. I don't know, I guess I personally like more of a humble approach. You can say you want to be the Chael Sonnen of women's MMA, and Chael gets a lot of press and everything like that, too, but no one likes him."
"Yeah, but he makes a lot of money and he gets a lot of title shots, too, doesn't he?" Rousey responded, pointing out how much Sonnen's profile has grown since changing his promotional approach.
After Tate pointed out that Rousey hasn't even yet competed at 135 pounds a single time, and should have to do so before fighting for the belt, Rousey made a different comparison, one to former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who captured his title in his third fight in the octagon. That led to an interesting exchange between the two about a possible matchup.
"What happens if I go out there and I just cream you?" Tate asked. "Then all your hype is just over. Then Ronda was just another pretty face."
"That's a risk I'm wiling to take, and you should be willing to take some risks, too," Rousey said.
"I'm willing," Tate said.
"The longer you wait, the more of an advantage I'll have," Rousey said, predicting that she'll be improving at a faster rate than Tate in the future.
Moments later, Tate shot back, saying, "I feel like you're being really selfish and only thinking about yourself."
"If you want to be an idealist, go to the Olympics," said Rousey, herself a former judo Olympic bronze medalist. "Go do wrestling in the Olympics. There is no ranking system in the UFC or Zuffa. It's completely up to powers that be, and I think that us debating about it is kind of a moot point, because they're the ones who make the decision when it comes down to it, and they don't care about any rankings. They only are about what's going to sell tickets. You want to be an idealist? Go to the Olympics. I did that. I didn't make anything."
Of course, there is at least one other side to this story, and it's Kaufman's. The former champion wasn't a part of the debate between the two although she did give her take later on. While Tate said that a rematch between her and Kaufman could sell based on the revenge angle, Rousey doubted it would be a big hit with audiences, saying it probably wouldn't gain much more interest than their first go-around.
"Sarah Kaufman kind of gives boring interviews, she's not a supermodel and the way she fights, she doesn't finish matches in extraordinary fashion," she said. "It's just kind of being realistic. I'm sorry that I have to say things bluntly and offend some people. I just want there to be a highly marketable, exciting women's title fight, and I want to be part of that because I feel like I could do a really good job, and you could, too. I think the two of us could do a better job of that than you and Sarah Kaufman."
The two ultimately agreed on little except that in the end, they would abide by the decision of the Strikeforce matchmaker Sean Shelby. That, and the fact that they hope to increase the number of eyeballs on women's MMA, though they disagreed on the method to do so.
As for Kaufman, she is expecting the fight she was promised against Tate, and has no qualms about dealing with Rousey at a future date.
"It would be way smarter for the longevity of the division to work her way up," she said. "If she runs through people -- which I don't think she will -- then I'll be happy to beat her face in. She wants to be pretty? She won't be as pretty after our fight." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, title, tate, rousey, kaufman
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseEdgar to defend lightweight title in Japan
The UFC has confirmed its return to Japan with Frankie (The Answer) Edgar defending his lightweight title against former WEC title-holder Ben Henderson at UFC Japan on Feb. 26.
Posted in: ufc, title, japan, ufc japan, answer edgar
Read the full article at sportsnet.caJon Fitch clueless on lack of title shots, eyes future fights with Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva
All he does is win (win, win).
Yet, UFC welterweight Jon Fitch is clueless as to why he has been passed over time after time when it comes time to hand out title shots.
Despite having one of the most impressive and successful UFC records at 13-1-1, with his only loss coming courtesy of division champion Georges St. Pierre back in 2008 at UFC 87 in his first and only title fight in the UFC, Fitch has yet to receive another crack at the crown.
Fitch, who was last seen fighting to a draw with former multi-division champ BJ Penn at UFC 127 in February of this year, has often been criticized for not finishing his opponents. In fact, nine of his 13 Octagon victories have come via decision.
Regardless of the method, Fitch gets the job done and earns the victories. Still, he tells MMAWeekly.com he just needs someone to tell him what to do in order to get a title shot:
"No one's ever come to speak to me about doing anything wrong or right or whatever, so I'm completely clueless. I have no idea what's expected of me to get the title shots. No one's ever come to me and said they don't like what I'm doing or I need to do more of something else. I'm utterly and completely clueless in that regard."
Fitch also spoke about his future plans, which include fights against the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world:
"I'm living for the fights. That's what I love. I don't think there's anybody out there who I can't beat. If I'm in shape and healthy and my timing is on, there's nobody in the world I can't beat. My goals are: one, to win the welterweight belt; two, avenge my loss to GSP; and three, I would like to move up some day and challenge Anderson (Silva) if he's still around and undefeated, just because that's the kind of person I am. I want to challenge the best. I want to go up against the best. I want to prove to everybody that I'm the best."
Very ambitious indeed.
Before Fitch can pencil in dates for Silva and St. Pierre, he has to get past a game Johny Hendricks at UFC 141 on Dec. 30, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is scheduled to be headlined by a monstrous main event pitting two of the biggest heavyweights in MMA, Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem.
Should he get past Hendricks, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) standout still has to wait his place in line for a title shot in the UFC's talent rich welterweight division. That's because Nick Diaz will get next crack at "Rush's" UFC welterweight strap at UFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend.
On the same card, fellow AKA member and current training partner Josh Koscheck will meet Carlos Condit to determine the next number one contender for the 170-pound title.
Lets just hope for Fitch's sake that he doesn't have to win another eight fights in a row like he did his first go-round before receiving a shot at UFC gold.
Do you feel that Jon Fitch is way past due a title shot given his impressive track record in the UFC? Or are you Maniacs just fine with letting him toil away on the mid-card?
Posted in: ufc, title, shot, fitch, im
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBoxing News and Notes 11/27: Canelo Wins and Calls Out Mayweather, Arce Wins Another Title, Ron Lyle Passes Away
Our weekly rundown of boxing news kicks off on a very sad note. Former heavyweight championship contender Ron Lyle passed away Saturday morning.
Raised by a father who was a preacher and a mother who was a missionary, Lyle ended up screwing up the early part of his life after involvement in the murder of a gang member. The Denver Post talks about the moment when Lyle turned it around:
"(My mother) died a saint. The things I did broke her heart," Lyle told The Post in 1994. "When I was in prison, my mother traveled in the snow to see me. So I decided I would do something to make her proud. I decided to become heavyweight champion of the world."
Lyle would never reach that goal, losing a fight to Muhammad Ali in 1975 after Ali stopped him in the 11th round of a fight Lyle led on two scorecards. Lyle rebounded with a sixth round TKO of Ernie Shavers four months later before meeting George Foreman in one of the greatest heavyweight brawls of all time. Here's the video, I urge you to give it a watch:
Lyle helped train young men for much of his late life, especially through the Cox & Lyle Salvation Army boxing program which helped train up men for the life ahead just as much as it did boxing.
Rest of the week's results after the jump.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez dominated Kermit Cintron last night on HBO's Boxing After Dark. Cintron is well shot and a shell of his former self and hasn't looked like a motivated fighter in years. While Kermit didn't follow his M.O. of looking for a way out once things got tough, he had nothing for Canelo once the 21-year-old turned up the heat. Cintron tried to fight back but was visibly affected by every punch that landed and the referee stopped the fight in the fifth.
Following the fight, Alvarez called out Floyd Mayweather saying he wanted the fight in May. Mayweather already has the May 5 date set for his next fight and as crazy as it may sound, Alvarez has the popularity and name to be Floyd's best non-Pacquiao option. At such a young age it would not be a career killer for him to lose to the best in the world, so there is a really decent chance of this actually happening.
Adrien Broner knocked Martin Rodriguez out in violent fashion in the third round of the HBO broadcast opener and Gary Russell Jr. did the same to Heriberto Ruiz in the first round. Both knockouts were brutal "knockout of the year" level endings, but both fights were horrible mismatches that never should have happened. Broner and Russell are big-time young talents who were given bad opponents in a shameful display. You can't learn anything from fights like these.
One of the best action fighters on the planet, Jorge Arce, won a world title in his fourth different weight class as he took a decision over Angky Angkotta in his usual gutsy brawl that was harder than it should have been. Arce claims an interim title as a world title also to say that he has won world titles in five weight classes, but interim titles don't count.
Much more info on the weekend's events can be found over at Bad Left Hook.
Posted in: fight, world, title, boxing, lyle
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 143: Georges St. Pierre doesn't mind Nick Diaz trash talk because he doesn't understand English very well
What's that you s-eh?
After their first title fight, which was scheduled to headline UFC 137, was scratched after Nick Diaz was yanked from the fight for missing a pair of press conferences, Georges St. Pierre and the Stockton slugger will finally meet in the center of the Octagon.
The title fight will headline UFC 143 on Feb. 5, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to determine the number one mixed martial arts (MMA) welterweight fighter in the world.
In the roller-coaster ride that was UFC 137, Carlos Condit was pegged as Diaz's replacement against St. Pierre; however, an injury forced "Rush" out of the fight. Diaz was then bumped back into the main event slot opposite B.J. Penn while "The Natural Born Killer" was forced to hit the sidelines.
After Diaz forced Penn into retirement due to a three round beating, the bad boy from Stockton took to the mic in his post-fight speech to call out the UFC welterweight champion by claiming he was ducking him by faking the injury.
The speech was enough to force UFC President Dana White to make an executive decision and award Diaz the title fight against St. Pierre instead of Condit, who once again came up on the short end of the stick, missing out on his second title shot.The often humble and reserved St. Pierre doesn't seem to mind the trash talk though, because as he tells the QMI Agency (via Slam.canoe.ca) he doesn't really understand the trash talk of Diaz due to the fact that he does not speak or understand the English language very well:
"He did very well (against Penn.) He's the No. 1 contender and he deserves a shot. I'm very happy to fight him. It's always been the fight I've wanted to have. They only thing is he did not show up at the press conference ... so the fight got cancelled - not because of me, but because of him and what he had done. But me, I wanted to fight him. He wanted to have a title fight and he got it. (Calling me out is) the best way to do it and it's not personal. I've seen it all from everyone before. If they're trying to get into my head and make me fight a bad fight, it's just mind games and it doesn't work. I don't even understand (or) speak English very well. I don't understand most of the things that (Diaz) says when he trash talks. I don't really care. I'm just going to focus on hurting him. If I hit him well, he's going to fall. He's a human being. He's not different than anyone else. He's got good boxing and great at Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It's going to be a good fight."
St. Pierre also briefly talked about Carlos Condit's unfortunate situation of losing his title shot for a second time:
"I haven't spoken to Carlos, but he's going to have a title fight after Diaz. I know he's mad. If I were in that situation, I would have been mad as well. But in the first place it was always Diaz. He was supposed to have the shot."
It's a good thing St. Pierre doesn't mind the trash talk, because he can expect a heavier doseage from Diaz leading up to fight night, though he won't likely engage in a back and forth as he never has been known to be a trash talk specialist.
Instead, the UFC welterweight kingpin will have a chance to let his fists do the talking for him in a little over three months.
As for St. Pierre's training partner Condit, he won't have to ride the pine much longer as he is penciled in to co-headline the event opposite Josh Koscheck to determine who gets the next shot at the UFC welterweight title.
UFC 143 will have no shortage of fireworks as four of the top welterweights on the planet will be in action in the quest to determine the world's number one.
Until then, language barriers permitting, enjoy the trash talk that Nick Diaz is sure to deliver.
Are you buying Georges St. Pierre's claims that he doesn't understand his upcoming opponents trash talk due to the English language barrier?
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, pierre
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143: Josh Koscheck rooting for Nick Diaz to best Georges St. Pierre, eyes future title fight with Diaz
There's no Josh Koscheck vs. Georges St. Pierre trilogy in the former's immediate plans.
That's because the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product wants Nick Diaz to pull out the victory over UFC welterweight champion when they meet at UFC 143 on Feb. 4, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, in order to set up a big fight between the two.
Koscheck, who has already been defeated twice by the Canadian superstar -- first at UFC 74 back on Aug. 25, 2007, and most recently on Dec. 11, 2010, at UFC 124 -- doesn't seem too keen on facing St. Pierre a third time.
Instead, he wants to set up a fight against Diaz, a title fight he believes would do very well given the fact that both athletes have a knack for talking up quite a storm leading up to showtime.
Speaking at a recent UFC Fight Club Q&A, Koscheck tells fans he actually likes Diaz because he sees a lot of himself in the bad boy from Stockton:
"To be honest with you, I like the Diaz kid. I think that he brings something similar to what I bring to the table: he's not afraid to say what's on his mind. Realistically, I think GSP is a strategist and GSP is probably gonna come in with a good game plan, that's where he can play it safe and get the victory. But, I'd love to see Diaz win because when I beat Carlos Condit February 4, then that means me and Diaz for a title shot, and then that means it's a big fight because he talks really good, and I believe I can talk up a fight really good."
Koscheck is coming off of a first round shellacking of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 135 on Sept. 24, 2011.
The victory earned him a number one contender's fight against Carlos Condit, who was left without an opponent after he was pulled from his title fight against St. Pierre in favor of Diaz after Diaz' post fight speech following his victory over B.J. Penn at UFC 137 back on October 29, claiming the UFC welterweight champ was not really hurt, but simply avoiding a fight against him.
Koscheck is set to face "The Natural Born Killer" in the co-main event to Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre‘s title fight on Super Bowl weekend.
Should "Kos" gets past Condit, Diaz still has to defeat "Rush" in order to set up the "big" Koscheck vs. Diaz title fight.
What do you say, Maniacs? If Josh Koscheck gets his wish and all the stars align perfectly, who takes the battle of the welterweights in both the mixed martial arts and trash talk department?
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, koscheck
Read the full article at MMA ManiaThe Evolution of John Alessio Includes Title Run
Testing himself in lighter waters, UFC veteran John Alessio believes his evolution as a fighter includes a run for the title.
Posted in: title, john, evolution, alessio, john alessio
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyJon Jones, Lyoto Machida discuss importance of title in extended UFC 140 preview
The UFC’s 205-pound champion, Jon Jones, will look to put a cap on his incredible 2011 when he meets Lyoto Machida in the main event at UFC 140 on December 10 from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Jones successfully defended his title against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson earlier this year, adding to his championship victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
“I believe it is my destiny to be the UFC champion for many years,” Jones said in an extended preview for the event.
Machida lost the light heavyweight title to Rua after earning a controversial decision victory against “Shogun” last year. After losing to Jackson, “The Dragon” rebounded with a devastating knockout of Randy Couture.
“I want to feel it again, that belt around my waist,” Machida explained of his longing for divisional gold.
Along with Jones-Machida, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will compete in a match pitting former UFC heavyweight champs against each other for a second time. Mir defeated Nogueira in 2008.
Check out the full video below:
PHOTO/VIDEO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, year, machida
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainJake Ellenberger discusses the Welterweight title mix, says he's the guy to beat GSP
Top Welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger, who is expected to face Diego Sanchez at UFC on Fox 2, discusses his opponent, as well as the 170-pound title mix. Though Ellenberger believes that Carlos Condit has a better chance against Georges St. Pierre than Nick Diaz does, he insists that he is the guy to beat the Champion. Photo: Francis Specker
Posted in: jake ellenberger, nick diaz, ellenberger, title, carlos condit
Read the full article at Low KickTwitter Mailbag: Talking Title Shots, Rematches, and Black Friday Deals
Before we jump right into the Twitter Mailbag here, let me pause to remind you of two things: 1) You love this freaking website, which brings you everything from breaking news to video interviews to in-depth stories to entertaining features, and 2) We're nominated for Media Source of the Year at this year's MMA awards, and the voting window is closing rapidly.
I'm not telling you to go this website right now and vote for us. Nope. Not doing that at all. What I am telling you is that, if I were you, and I enjoyed the work of a particular website that was nominated for an award like that, I wouldn't consider it an unreasonable demand on my time to register and vote for my internet pals. But hey, that's me. And I'm not a total jerk.
Now then, who's got the first question?
@Orderx7 Why does @UrijahFaber keep getting title shots? There are other guys in the div. that can sell a fight.
In theory, I agree. But in practice, who else could you possibly give a title shot to right now at 135 pounds? Demetrious Johnson just had his chance. Miguel Torres is still trying to string a couple wins together. Brian Bowles just got utterly smashed by Faber. So who's left?
It's not just that Faber is still the most popular fighter in the division (though, let's be real, he's that too), but he's also earned the shot. Bowles was a former WEC bantamweight champ whose only prior loss was an injury TKO to Cruz, and Faber ran right through him. He's pretty clearly the second-best fighter in the division, and isn't pitting #1 against #2 what a title fight is supposed be all about?
@DaveDomination what are your quick predictions for UFC on Fox 2?
I predict that no matter what the full lineup looks like when it finally hits TV, MMA fans will find a way to complain about it.
@JDRCheckIt how likely is it to see Fedor in a big league again?
Short answer: not very. That's assuming that by 'big league,' you mean the UFC, Strikeforce, or Bellator. If you mean M-1 Global (or an M-1 Global co-promotion), then it's a different story.
Regardless of how we feel about it, seems like Fedor is going to bravely soldier on through one mediocre fight after another. He beat Jeff Monson, which still counts for something, I suppose, and I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he eventually ends up rematching Tim Sylvia or Andrei Arlovski on another 4 a.m. pay-per-view with high school AV club-quality production values. But as for fighting the big boys on the big shows, I'm afraid those days are over for the Last Emperor.
@Dchavez who has the best Black Friday deals and when should I get there?
The answer to those questions are, in order: Best Buy, and six hours ago.
@KevinMarshall mailbag: Hell of a bout between Chandler & Alvarez. Is it me or is there not as big a disparity between UFC & Bellator's LWs?
If I'm reading your question right, what you're asking is, why do the Bellator lightweights seem UFC-caliber, while some of the higher weight classes in Bellator seem populated with fighters who aren't quite ready for primetime? I don't necessarily disagree with that premise, but I think it has less to do with either the UFC or Bellator and more to do with the nature of talent distribution in this sport.
It makes sense that MMA has, on the whole, more talent in the lighter weight classes than the bigger ones. If you're a talented athlete who's 6'3" and 250 pounds, you probably have options when it comes to making a living in pro sports. If you're 5'6" and 165 pounds, it's a different story. Because MMA is one of the few popular pro sports that promises its competitors a chance to go up against someone their own size, it's more likely to draw the little guys who got run off the football field or laughed off the basketball court.
Basically, there are more good lightweights to go around, so it makes sense that Bellator has a few. It also makes sense that heavyweights are at such a premium that it's an issue even in MMA gyms across the country. You hear it from trainers all the time: the toughest thing about developing a good heavyweight is finding good heavyweight sparring partners. What's happening lately is that heavyweights are starting to consolidate in a few select gyms just so they can train with other guys their size, which brings us back to the old teammate-versus-teammate question that's been ridden into the ground. Which reminds me, thanks for not asking that question. I'm just so sick of it.
@noelluperon Have you press row guys ever been sprayed in blood, spit, sweat or any of the less noble fluids flying from the Octagon?
Press row is a good eight to ten feet from the fence, so we're usually safe. Those poor photographers, like our own Esther Lin, are not always so lucky.
@TimKennedyMMA mailbag question. What's the deal with Strikeforce? When is Tim Kennedy going to fight UFC guys?
I keep asking the same thing, Tim. I keep hearing others ask it too. I just haven't heard any satisfying answers yet. Perhaps there's something you'd like to tell us?
@DJNonfiction Hendo vs. Shogun II...Do it all over again (in japan), or leave this one alone to the history books?
Ah, the siren's song of the rematch. If the first fight was great, why not do it all again, beginning with round 6, right? Sadly, it very rarely works out that way. Remember Griffin-Bonnar II? Yeah, neither do I.
Trying to recreate a great fight is like showing up at your high school girlfriend's house with a bouquet of supermarket flowers and a six-pack of wine coolers. Just because it resulted in a magical night once, that doesn't mean it's a formula for success every time. The part of me that scored this fight a draw thinks that a rematch makes sense, but the part of me that thinks it was the greatest fight in MMA history doesn't want to see it defiled by a sad attempt to recreate its glory.
For now, I'm fine with Henderson moving on to a title shot in either the middleweight or light heavyweight class. And who knows, maybe he and Rua will meet again somewhere down the line.
@Futch6 MAILBAG-- question: who do you think will be JDS's toughest opponent: Lesnar, Ubereem, Cain, Mir?
I'm not sure about this 'Ubereem' fellow you mention, but I think Alistair Overeem could create some serious problems for the current UFC heavyweight champ. That is, if he gets past Brock Lesnar, which is a big if.
Overeem's ability to take a punch and give one back (along with a couple kicks and a bunch of knees coming right behind it) could test dos Santos' stand-up game in new and exciting ways. His size alone presents a different sort of challenge, and we know he's not going to freak out the first time he gets hit in the face.
First, however, Overeem has to get past Lesnar. How he manages that will depend heavily on how much he can improve his takedown defense before December 30. Let's hope he's doing more than hitting pads at Xtreme Couture between now and then, because if he ends up on his back with Lesnar on top of him -- even once -- it could be all she wrote.
@LoganasaurusRex if you're @danhendo where do you take the title shot? Also has any other fighter ever secured two title shots at once before?
If I'm Henderson, I take the fight at light heavyweight. He hates that cut to middleweight, and I think it shows in the cage. He'll give up size and reach to Jon Jones (or Lyoto Machida), but he's got a chance against either, if only because one is still slightly inexperienced and the other is vulnerable to his style of fighting. Plus, that way he gets to eat what he wants, and an eating Hendo is a happy Hendo.
@AdriantheWizard After Ben Henderson, who's the next contender at LW if Melendez loses in December?
The phrasing of your question seems a little odd, Mr. Wizard. If Melendez loses? That makes it sound like he might walk in the cage and spontaneously lose consciousness. If Melendez loses, it will be because Jorge Masvidal beat him. And if Masvidal beats him, that would make Masvidal the new Strikeforce lightweight champ, so why not have him fight for the UFC lightweight belt? That is, assuming that whole champion-versus-champion thing is really going down as soon as we all think/hope it is.
@dsmelser13 Who do you have in this on going battle between @arielhelwani and @MieshaTate? Who is right? And Who should get the award?
I wouldn't call it a battle so much as a misunderstanding, but if you're asking me who I think deserves to win the award for female fighter of the year, I have to side with the champ. I realize she only fought once in 2011, but it was a big one. Tate submitted Marloes Coenen to claim the 135-pound Strikeforce title, which is, for the moment, one of the only women's titles that matters.
What's more, female fighters at Tate's level don't get as many opportunities from promoters to do their thing, so I can't fault her for the lack of fights. Ronda Rousey might have had a higher work rate this year, and yes, she did armbar everything on two legs, but she did it against a lesser caliber of opponent, so there were more chances to keep getting in the cage.
That said, I voted for Sarah Kaufman. Because I like Sarah Kaufman. And yes, I realize that's not how you're supposed to vote in these things, but I also don't care.
@stlbites do you ever get discouraged by the lack of thoughtful MMA fans and the seeming girth of meatheads asking for freebies?
Personally, I think there are plenty of thoughtful MMA fans. My Twitter timeline is full of them, even if it also has some idiots sprinkled in there from time to time. I've always thought that, from a fan perspective, MMA is a sport for nerds, and I mean that in the best way. MMA fans obsess about and over-analyze every aspect of this sport, and a great many of them actually do so intelligently. It's just that the idiots yell rather than talk, so they tend to drown everyone else out.
As for the people asking for freebies, Dana White would get a lot less of that if he stopped encouraging it. At the UFC on FOX presser, for example, he specifically told people not to ask him for tickets. Then the first fan who got his mitts on the mic asked for tickets, and DW gave them to him. All I'm saying is, when the children are spoiled, you don't blame the children.
@shplane What did you think of Breaking Dawn?
I assume that's a typo and you mean to ask what I thought of Red Dawn, which of course I watch every Thanksgiving. I thought it was awesome. I think that every year, though.
@tpears86 do you think Maynard is smart about going to AKA?
I happened to be in the AKA gym last week and saw Maynard going through Daniel Cormier's wrestling practice along with the rest of the crew. I have to say that it seems like a good place for him, and one where he'll really fit in. AKA is more of a team than many other gyms. There's a real exchange of ideas happening on those mats, whereas some other places are just workout facilities with a rotating cast of coaches and sparring partners. Xtreme Couture -- and the Las Vegas MMA scene in general, really -- features a lot of coming and going. AKA doesn't. The difference will only benefit Maynard.
Got a question of your own? Find me on Twitter @BenFowlkesMMA and ask away. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, mma, title, question, im
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseHand Injury Forces Weichel from Dec. 9 M-1 Title Defense
Though M-1 Challenge 30 was initially expected to showcase a lightweight title fight, that plan will not come to fruition.
Posted in: fight, title, title fight, injury, force
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 144 Fight Card Shaping Up
The UFC is finally returning to the Land of the Rising Sun. After an eleven year absence from Japan, they will re-emerge on the scene with UFC 144 on February 25th in the Saitama Super Arena. The main event will see Frankie Edgar defend his UFC lightweight title against former WEC lightweight champ Ben Henderson. Along with that, there will be a plethora of fights featuring the best Japanese fighters in the UFC. Yoshihiro Akiyama will make his welterweight debut against Jake Shields, Hatsu Hioki will continue his march to a featherweight title shot when he takes on Bart Palaszewski, and much more. This is already a stacked card, and there have only been seven fights (mostly) confirmed so far. Here's the card as it stands right now
Feb 25th, live on pay-per-view from Saitama, Japan:
Frankie Edgar (14-1) vs. Ben Henderson (15-2) [LW Title]
Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-4, 2 NC) vs. Jake Shields (26-6-1)
Joe Lauzon (21-6) vs. Anthony Pettis (14-2)
Tim Boetsch (14-4) vs. Yushin Okami (26-6)
Hatsu Hioki (25-4-2) vs. Bart Palaszewski (36-14)
Takeya Mizugaki (15-6-2) vs. Chris Cariaso (12-3)
Cheick Kongo (17-6-2) vs. Mark Hunt (7-7)
More SBN coverage of UFC 144
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, vs, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowKing Mo is helping Machida prepare for the Jon Jones title fight
submitted by Like_Wild_Potato [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, machida, king mo, king, likewildpotato link
Read the full article at RedditUFC 139 results: What's next for Dan Henderson and Urijah Faber?
Last night (Nov. 19, 2011), mixed martial arts (MMA) fans at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., were treated to an event full of classic names, rising prospects and exciting fights that exceeded their lofty expectations.
UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Hendo" was a card that did not feature a single championship bout, but it still managed to carry a healthy amount of title implications.
The headline fight between Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson was never confirmed to be a number one contender eliminator match; however, once the dust settled on its brilliance many believe that it very well have been. Meanwhile, the 135-pound showdown between Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles featured two former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champions who were looking to get a crack at Dominick Cruz's bantamweight belt with a victory.
After the jump, we'll talk about what's next for last night's big winners, "Hendo" and "The California Kid:"
Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson will forever go down in MMA history as one of the greatest fights of all time. For five rounds, two absolute legends of the sport threw everything they had at each other in a 205-pound fight that had the crowd roaring and on their feet for a good portion of the 25-minute contest.
It was a fantastic advertisement for five-round non-title main events. It was also proof that the 41-year old Henderson still has some gas in the tank.
The future for "Dangerous Dan" was left up in the air when UFC president Dana White sounded very non-committal in the UFC 139 post-fight press conference about Henderson's next opponent.
At one point, White made the comment that Henderson "could fight for the 185-pound or the 205-pound title." Yet, when reporters in the room tried to nail him down on an answer, he was unwilling to say which was more probable for the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.
White did, however, say that he still feels Chael Sonnen is the number one contender in the middleweight division.
If the promotion does actually offer Henderson the choice between middleweight and light heavyweight, he will likely choose the division that offers him the fastest track to a title shot. Hard to say which weight class would offer that opportunity, but a fight against current light heavyweight Jon Jones seems like the most likely scenario after last night's epic battle.
For everything you need to know about the fight between Henderson and Shogun click here and here.
In regard to Faber, it's not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts.
This expression fairly well epitomizes Faber's career. After every one of his MMA losses, he has come back to finish his opponent in impressive fashion. Thus was the case last night, as Faber bum-rushed former training partner Brian Bowles en route to a devastating second round submission victory.
Faber will now get the trilogy match for which he's been begging, taking on UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz for the third time to see who will emerge with the belt and, perhaps more important, bragging rights.
In the most recent match up between Faber and Cruz, fans witnessed a fast-paced and furious, five-round fight that saw the champion retain his title via unanimous decision. Ever since that fateful night on at UFC 132 on July 2, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Faber has been calling for another crack at Cruz, who he believes he defeated when they last squared off.
No word yet on the date or event for this upcoming title bout, but you can be sure that MMAmania.com will have the news when it becomes available.
For everything you need to know about the fight between Faber and Bowles click here and here.
Do you think "Hendo" should be next in line to fight "Bones" for the 205-pound strap? Are you Maniacs pumped about "Faber vs. Cruz 3?"
Let's hear it.
Posted in: fight, pound, title, henderson, faber
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 139: Shogun vs Henderson Might Be the Best Fight In the History of MMA
I apologize if I come off a little incoherent. This has been about the most amazing 25 minutes I've had with my pants on. Here are some of the thoughts I can muster. I'm typing this article with my eyes wide and a smile on my face. I'll start at the beginning of the match. Dan Henderson looked solid. He was beating Mauricio Rua to the punch, landing clean, handling himself on the ground well and bloodied up Shogun. There was less damage in the second round, but the third was aaaalllll Hendo. I scored that round 10-8 and Shogun's face made it look worse.
But then something funny happened. Dan shook his hand out at the end of that round as if he hurt it. He looked a little tired. Shockingly Shogun looked a little bit fresher. He started to come back a little bit. He hit Dan clean a couple times and at the end of the fourth round, it was Dan with his arms hanging at his sides as he sucked in huge breaths. It was Hendo and not Shogun who was showing weakness after three rounds of all Henderson! Invite the Rocky comparisons immediately, because they are well deserved. The fifth was an incredible display of determination by both men - Shogun desperately wanted to win and Dan was bound to not to get finished.
Round five is one that I really want to expand upon here. First of all, how in the WORLD was that round not a 10-8? Does a fighter have to get a kidney ripped out and somehow not get finished before someone gives a 10-8? Fight Metric has their stat report up. Please filter to round five and look at the striking and the grappling. How does someone get outstruck 79-8 and get mounted five times (I thought I counted six, but whatever) and not lose the round 10-8? I do not understand the rationale of judging this sport at all sometimes.
But I digress. It was tremendous. It showed immense courage and will from both men. They threw such huge absolute BOMBS, especially in the first four rounds. Like a single 1 of those uppercuts they exchanged would have put most people in a coma. Bisping would have been KO'd 500 times tonight. They fought like absolute gladiators going for broke. I can't write enough superlatives about this fight, and I don't think anyone else can either.
Now we need to figure out where this fight falls in the history of greatest MMA fights of all of the times. Let me correct myself. We don't need to, but where's the fun in that? So let's start off with a few other fights that immediately spring to mind. They need to have the following criteria: awesome fight, historical relevance, exemplifies the glory that is MMA.
Garcia vs Jung was an awesome fight, and the go for broke attitude of the combatants certainly highlights the drive, determination, and pushing the human body which I'm looking for in that third category, but it had no relevance to the sport as a whole. It featured a guy in Garcia who probably should be in the minor leagues of the sport against a middle-tier featherweight.
Let's try a few on for size:
Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard II and III Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira I and IIIAnderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Edgar/Maynard were absolute thrashings in round one by the challenger before the champ showed us the heart, courage and measure of greatness that drives our passion for this sport. The historical relevance is somewhat lacking, but this was for the UFC lightweight belt and quite honestly they were two of the best fights of 2011.
Griffin/Bonnar wasn't a title fight and featured two prospects, while the other examples I've given were championship matches, but the historical significance of this can't be understated. Millions of people tuned into this fight as it was happening. Not because they were fans, but because they were channel surfing and stumbled onto this glorious gold nugget. Their friends texted them and told them to flip on Spike, something amazing was happening. It was the cannon shot that thrust MMA into the American psyche for good and helped turn the UFC into one of the biggest sporting companies in the world.
The Fedor/Nog fights weren't the most thrilling of contests in terms of non-stop action, but it was the clear-cut best heavyweight against the clear-cut second best heavyweight for the biggest organization at the time. Fedor spent about 20 more minutes in Nog's guard than any person had done previously and landed some of the most disgustingly powerful ground and pound ever. Josh Gross said it sounded like shotgun blasts going off on Nog's head. Mauro said they sounded like someone hitting a buffalo with a baseball bat. This can't take the top spot in my mind because it slowed down tremendously as Fedor eased off the gas in the last round to coast to a victory as he laid in Nog's guard. Historical, glorious, and definitely exciting, but it was almost anti-climactic at the end.
Silva/Sonnen was about as one sided a beating as Nog took from Fedor, except that Silva won in the final round with a minute left. It didn't have quite as much historical significance, but this was the only time anyone had seen Anderson get beat on like this by anybody. Then Sonnen popped for testosterone injections post-fight. So it lost much of the luster that surrounded it at the time, but really, it was one of the best fights of the year and easily one of the very best comebacks ever.
Now Henderson and Rua didn't fight for a title, but fortunately it was five rounds of everything we look for in this determination. You had two legends, including one of the greatest of all time going at it for 25 minutes. It exemplified the warrior spirit from both men, and likely has propelled Dan into a title shot against either Jon Jones or Anderson.
There have been other great fights. Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le fought a dynamic and exciting fight just minutes ago. Over in Bellator, Michael Chandler knocked off perennial top5 lightweight Eddie Alvarez in a match that likely featured 10-8 rounds from both fighters before Chandler choked him out in the 4th. But neither of those had the same relevance in history that this fight had. Hendo has won titles in Rings, Pride and Strikeforce. He's a 41-year old legend who's held titles in multiple weight classes. Shogun is another multiple title winner. Former Pride middleweight champion and UFC light heavyweight champion. Hendo beat Yvel, Big Nog and a prime Babalu in one night to win Rings. He's beaten Wanderlei, Belfort, Bustamante, Franklin and Fedor. Rua beat Rampage, Lil Nog, Overeem and Arona in succession, the last two in the same night. LEGENDS. Two of the greatest this sport has seen in its young history duking it out until the final bell.
via Facebook.Two of the finest human combatants in the world. Thank you.
Posted in: fight, time, title, round, shogun
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC 139 Results: Faber Submits Bowles, Ready for Trilogy with Cruz
Dominick Cruz, you have an opponent for your next title defense and you know him well.
Posted in: ufc, title, title defense, cruz, faber
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyAlvarez shell-shocked as Bellator belt changes hands
Eddie Alvarez was not the only person left shell-shocked and stunned after the Bellator lightweight title changed hands on Saturday night.Undefeated challenger...
Posted in: bellator, title, alvarez, hand, nightundefeated
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyTitle shot loom for Henderson - but at which weight?
Dan Henderson is now on the cusp of a title shot - and he has two weight classes to choose from.According to UFC president Dana White, Henderson’s...
Posted in: title shot, title, shot, weight, weight classes
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyBellator 58 Live Results and Play-by-Play
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary from Bellator 58. Our live blog will begin with the start of the MTV2 broadcast (7 p.m. EST) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
Tonight brings us a title fight in the lightweight division. Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez will be facing tournament winner Michael Chandler to determine who will take home the lightweight belt. Chandler defeated Patricky Freire in the tournament final at Bellator 44 to become the latest challenger to try to take the title from Alvarez. Alvarez has held the belt since the first 155 tournament in 2009, but this will be only his second title defense.
Also on the televised card tonight are two feature fights: middleweight champ Hector Lombard will face Trevor Prangley in a non-title catchweight bout, and a featherweight contest between Marlon Sandro and Rafael Dias.
Remember, the action starts at 7 p.m. EST tonight, so join us then!
SBN coverage of Bellator 58
Posted in: bellator, title, tournament, marlon sandro, beltnbsp chandler
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow“Shogun” Rua focused on gold but not overlooking Dan Henderson
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua respects Dan Henderson, but the former UFC light heavyweight champ knows that to get back in the title talk he must defeat the affable Californian later today at UFC 139.
“Shogun” was nearly matched up with Henderson while the two were part of PRIDE in Japan a few years ago, and Henderson even fought Rua’s brother, Murilo Rua, in 2001.
“I always admired Dan Henderson as a great fighter. When I started to make a name for myself in PRIDE, people always talked about this fight taking place, and we both entered the Grand Prix tournament in 2005, where we could have met in the second round,” said Rua, in a recent interview with the UFC’s website. “Later on, when he got the (middleweight) belt from my former teammate Wanderlei Silva, I was next in line to challenge him for the belt, but PRIDE collapsed, so that never happened. I am glad we are finally having the chance to fight, as it’s a privilege to fight legends.”
Rua lost the UFC 205-pound title to Jon Jones earlier this year and is hoping that a strong showing over Henderson will place him back near the front of the line to get a rematch. Comparably, Henderson is returning to the UFC after winning the Strikeforce light heavyweight title and then taking out longtime legend Fedor Emelianenko in July.
“It would mean the world,” Rua said of returning to golden glory. “It (regaining the title) is my long-term goal, but my focus now is to beat Dan Henderson, which is a tough task in itself. After that, I’ll think of what’s next and talk to my manager and the UFC about it.”
Rua-Henderson is the main event of UFC 139 with other bouts on the PPV card include Silva vs. Cung Le and Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, dan henderson, rua
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainBellator 58 results and LIVE fight coverage for 'Alvarez vs Chandler' TONIGHT (Nov. 19) on MTV2
Bellator Fighting Championships returns TONIGHT (Nov. 19, 2011) to the The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., with a lightweight title bout and a pair of non-title bouts that should deliver some highlights.
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Bellator 58 below, beginning with the MTV2 telecast at 7 p.m. ET. In addition, we'll deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the undercard action much earlier in the evening.
Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, will look to defend his title for the second time. He'll square off against Bellator season four tournament winner, Michael Chandler, who earned a shot at the title earlier this year.
Also on the card, Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard will compete in a 195-pound catchweight fight against former UFC and Strikeforce competitor Trevor Prangley. Lombard will hope to score his fourth highlight reel stoppage in as many non-title bouts since becoming champ.
Lastly, former Sengoku featherweight champion and Bellator summer series tournament finalist Marlon Sandro will look to get back on track against WEC veteran and fellow Brazilian Rafael Diaz.
Complete Bellator 58 results and play-by-play are after the jump:
Main Card (MTV2)
155 lb. title: Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 195 lbs.: Hector Lombard vs. Trevor Prangley 115 lbs.: Lisa Ward-Ellis vs. Jessica Aguilar155 lbs.: Marlon Sandro vs. Rafael Dias
Undercard (Spike.com)
185 lbs.: Brett Cooper vs. Jared Hess 170 lbs.: Ailton Barbosa vs. Valdir Araujo 155 lbs.: Cosmo Alexander vs. Avery McPhatter185 lbs.: Herbert Goodman vs. Jonas Billstein 135 lbs.: Farkhad Sharipov vs. Fabio Mello
155 lb. title: Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler
Round one:
Round two:
Round three:
Round four:
Round five:
Final Result:
-end-
195 lbs.: Hector Lombard vs. Trevor Prangley
Round one:
Round two:
Round three:
Final Result:
-end-
115 lbs.: Lisa Ward-Ellis vs. Jessica Aguilar
Round one:
Round two:
Round three:
Final Result:
-end-
155 lbs.: Marlon Sandro vs. Rafael Dias
Round one:
Round two:
Round three:
Final Result:
-end-
Posted in: bellator, title, round, vs, lb
Read the full article at MMA ManiaRousey: I Want to Slap the Bantamweight Title Away
submitted by SoCalDan [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: title, socaldan, bantamweight title, rousey, rousey i
Read the full article at RedditAlvarez, Chandler Hit Marks for Bellator 58 Lightweight Title Tilt
Eddie Alvarez's second title defense is now official, as the reigning Bellator Fighting Championships 155-pound kingpin and challenger Michael Chandler both hit their contracted weights at Friday's Bellator 58 weigh-ins.
Posted in: bellator, title, alvarez, title defense, alvarez chandler
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 144: Anthony Pettis thinks a win over Joe Lauzon will earn him a title shot
When Ben Henderson outworked Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 1 this past Saturday night (Nov. 12) in Anaheim, he earned himself a lightweight title shot against Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 on Feb. 26 in Japan.
But who will "Bendo" defend the belt against first if he is to emerge victorious, as many are predicting him to?
Former 155-pound number one contender Anthony Pettis has a good idea. The winner of his bout against Joe Lauzon, which is conveniently taking place on the very same day.
"I want to fight top five guys so I can get that title shot back. (Ben) Henderson's getting a title shot and that's supposed to be my position, so I want to go back for that. Fighting a guy like Joe Lauzon and winning that impressively, would get me right back in that title shot. ... Henderson's on a tear. He deserves a title shot. I'm just eager to get my shot back at him."
Pettis went on to predict that Henderson will win the title from Edgar, which would, in theory, set up a highly anticipated rematch between the two for yet another 155-pound title.
You know, because the first fight they had resulted in this kick right here, quite possibly the greatest moment in WEC (and maybe even MMA) history.
A whole hell of a lot has to go right for us to get to that point, though. But is it possible that Henderson beats Edgar after Pettis beats Lauzon and UFC President Dana White decides a rematch would earn boku bucks for all involved?
Maybe. Maybe not. Stay tuned either way, Maniacs.
In the meantime, here more from "Showtime" after the jump, including what he thought of Henderson's performance against Clay Guida and how he thinks "Bendo" will defeat Edgar in Japan.
Posted in: title shot, title, henderson, shot, joe lauzon
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White Confirms UFC on FOX 2 on Jan. 28 in Chicago with Two ‘Great’ Fights Already Lined Up
MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani caught up with Dana White to talk about a variety of topics heading into UFC 139 including the event, last weekend’s FOX debut, their next FOX card and what’s going on with the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen rematch. Here’s a quick rundown of news and notes.
— Dana White confirmed that UFC on FOX 2 will take place on Jan. 28 in Chicago. They already have two “great” fights lined up to headline the show, but he isn’t spilling the beans until he tells FOX first on Monday. The plan is to air four fights total. There will not be any title fights on the card. Again, Dana wouldn’t drop any names, but there is a lot of speculation floating around that Rashad Evans will be one of the headliners. Just a rumor for now, but it does make sense.
— Dana White blames the lack of buzz for UFC 139 and other year-end events on the “transition period” they’re going through with the networks. They expect the end of the year to be “rocky.” Dana believes all the work they put into the next two years will be more important than the last 10.
— Dana is expecting an “influx” of new people with a lot of money getting into the MMA business in the next few years in addition to Viacom and Showtime. Sounds like he knows something we don’t know.
— A lot of possibilities for Dan Henderson if he wins Saturday including possible title shots at 185 or 205. A win for Shogun would put him back in the title picture (somewhere).
— If Wanderlei Silva gets knocked out again this weekend, he and Dana will “need to talk” about retirement. Dana won’t sit back and watch someone get knocked out over and over again.
— Unless I missed something, it was believed Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles would be fighting for the next bantamweight title shot. When asked about it, all Dana would say is “we’ll see what happens.”
— Dana says they painted the blood on the canvas on the FOX broadcast because they wanted a “clean presentation” and didn’t want the canvas to look like it was used.
— Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2 is definitely going to happen, but they’re still working on the date.
— Dana called the interview Chael Sonnen did with TSN’s Michael Landsberg earlier this week “very weird.”
— No new updates on the Strikeforce situation.
— There’s no fear of the New York MMA situation worsening if they don’t win their lawsuit.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, fox, dana
Read the full article at MMA ConvertYear-end 2011 DREAM event adds Takaya vs. Inoue title fight, and Kawajiri vs. Miyata
submitted by col0rado [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, vs, kawajiri, col, miyata
Read the full article at RedditFaber thinks time is right for another title shot (Yahoo! Sports)
While some say Urijah Faber has gotten his share of title shots, the former champ feels he is peaking at the right time.
Posted in: title, right, shot, urijah faber, title shots
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsAnthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon locked in for UFC 144
It turns out Las Vegas will not get a lightweight clash between future title contenders Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon, as their match up will take place from Japan instead in February at UFC 144.
Pettis and Lauzon did a great job of setting up their match through social media and interviews, as both men felt like they would be a good test for the other. “Showtime” is 5-1 in his last six fights, while “J-Lau” is coming off a submission victory over Melvin Guillard.
The match-up was announced through the UFC’s website.
The UFC’s return to Japan on February 26 is also expected to feature UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar defending his title against Ben Henderson. Henderson’s last loss came at the hands of Pettis when the two met for the WEC 155-pound title last year meaning a win over Lauzon should thrust the Roufusport product back into the spotlight.
Other fights at UFC 144 include Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields and Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, petti, melvin guillard, lauzon
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainDores: "Dos Santos will be champion for a long time"
Luiz Carlos Dorea won the WBC International welterweight title in his short professional career before hanging up his gloves and moving into coaching.He...
Posted in: title, champion, do, welterweight title, dores dos
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyJunior dos Santos Talks Fox Fight With Cain Velasquez, Surgery
As everyone knows by now, Junior dos Santos put Cain Velasquez down in just 64 seconds to claim the UFC heavyweight title last Saturday at UFC on Fox. In an interview with Tatame, he discussed the title win and made a vague statement regarding the knee injury he entered the fight with. First, the fight and whether he was surprised at Cain's gameplan:
No. I guess I was expecting him to kick me a lot and try to take me down, so I was prepared. I tried to scare him off, keep him in a safe distance so I could use my Boxing skills, and, thanks’ God, everything worked out.
On possibly defending the belt in January when the UFC returns to Brazil (which obviously can't happen due to his knee and Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar taking place December 29th):
I guess I can’t, but I really want to fight in Brazil. There’ll be many events in Brazil, like Dana said himself. So I want my first title defense to be in Brazil.
How his knee felt, and how long he'll be out if he has surgery:
I feel some pain in my knee for a while now, like for tem days, and it was aching, but I handled it quite well. It was ok by me.
...
Let’s see. We’ll talk to the doctor and find it out. I thought I could feel some pain or something like that, but I didn’t. I was scared of that, but it never happened.
He was also asked who he was leaning towards in the Overeem/Lesnar matchup and didn't end up picking either one. It's interesting to note that he did pick Lesnar to win when he was asked about it at the UFC on Fox post-fight press conference though. Either way, we might not see a UFC heavyweight title defense for a while.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, brazil, knee
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowShogun Rua vs Dan Henderson odds for UFC 139 fight on Nov. 19
UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" is less than a week away, featuring former PRIDE stars and light heavyweight champions Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson.
The two will battle on Nov. 19, 2011, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, for a spot in the pecking order in what has become a tight division title race. "Hendo" is a slight favorite heading into "Silicon Valley," sitting pretty at -130 while "Shogun" is listed as the +100 underdog.
Henderson's stock is as high as it has ever been, following violent finishes over his last three opponents, including a high-profile stoppage over famed Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko back in July.
The former Olympian hasn't seen the inside of the Octagon since nearly killing Michael Bisping at UFC 100 a little over two years ago.
Now he's back and one division heavier.
Rua has struggled to put together s streak of consistent performances since his UFC debut back in 2007.
His most recent win came at UFC 134, when he smashed Forrest Griffin to avenge his debut loss and erase the memories of the shellacking he took when surrendering the 205-pound title to Jon Jones earlier this year.
A win over Henderson could make a strong argument for a "Bones" rematch -- or at least an title eliminator fight opposite Rashad Evans.
UFC 139 will also feature a middleweight mash-up between everyone's favorite "Axe Murderer," Wanderlei Silva, and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le.
Odds on that fight, and so much more, over at OddsShark.com. For the rest of the UFC 139 fight card and line-up click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, henderson, rua
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDos Santos 'fought with torn meniscus'
After the heavyweight title changed hands at the weekend UFC president Dana White himself admitted that Junior Dos Santos struggles in the later stages...
Posted in: ufc, title, do, heavyweight title, hand
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyUFC on Fox Results: Winners, Losers, and Additional Thoughts
Less than 24 hours ago the UFC made its Fox debut with a heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. The high of the night has worn off and now it's time to break down the fights, the production, and the intangibles from the broadcast television debut.
Winners:
Junior Dos Santos - Some people would say that Junior's had the toughest road to a UFC title than any of the current champions. After beating Fabricio Werdum in his debut, he's faced Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson, and Shane Carwin. Last night was the culmination and he put a stamp on the occassion. He's the undisputed heavyweight champion and it couldn't happen to a more humble guy. My hat's off to him.
Ben Henderson - How much difference a year makes eh? He lost his WEC lightweight belt at WEC 53 along with an immediate shot at the winner of Frankie Edgar/Gray Maynard II. The shot went to Anthony Pettis who opted to not wait around and lost it when he faced Clay Guida at the Ultimate Fighter 13 finale in June. Bendo went on a tear in the UFC and after last night, has been rewarded with a title shot in Japan.
Dustin Poirier - The man to derail the Josh Grispi hype train picked up another big win. He's probably two fights out from a featherweight title shot. He has legitimate skills on the feet and ground. It'll be exciting to see how he progresses moving forward.
Darren Uyenoyama - He's had to deal with a ton of garbage with Shooto in the past and last night he got to showcase that he is one of the top grapplers at 135. He picked up a win over a name fighter and the bantamweight division has a new contender.
Fox and the UFC - Last night was fantastic. The production values added by Fox were noticeable immediately and the format was successful. MMA fans need to realize that last night wasn't for us. It's sole purpose was to introduce the sport to a larger audience. They did it. It was a success.
Losers and additional thoughts after the jump...
SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos
Losers:
Cain Velasquez - It's bad enough that he lost his title in 64 seconds but the champion was absolutely torn apart by UFC President Dana White. He'll obviously return to form and contend for the belt again in the future. For now he's the biggest loser on the night. Props for handling defeat with grace, there's no reason to apologize for a loss.
Clay Guida & Ben Henderson - If a FOTY candidate happens and noone sees it, did it really happen? That's the philosophical question that these two will be dealing with for the next couple of weeks. Absolutely great performance, too bad the only people who saw it were fans who tuned into Facebook.
Fox and the UFC - The plan was for the opening two rounds to be entirely commercial free. This tells me that they had anticipated the fight would at least get out of the first. Having a quick knockout probably isn't what they were hoping for and it may have turned off some new fans that a fight can end so suddenly.
Dana White - The UFC President is an emotional man but he absolutely tore down his former champ for the entirety of the post-fight segment. He never once built up Dos Santos, instead continuously saying "he has a bad gas tank". I said immediately afterwards that White will probably regret not using the time better but such is life. He's a loser on the night for not recognizing how to use Fox better to promote his new champion.
Additional Thought:
The way that MMA fans complained last night was absolutely hilarious. So much so that at this point I'm sure they'll complain about anything. The UFC gave away a title fight on free television and the complaints were that they had to watch the rest of the card on their laptops? Most of you illegally stream fights anyways. And if you do pay for fights then you saved $55 and got a card for free. What can you possibly complain about when it comes to the fights?
Posted in: ufc, fight, night, title, fox
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFrankie Edgar to defend UFC lightweight title against Ben Henderson in Japan
After spending 2011 fighting Gray Maynard, UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar will challenge a new foe to start 2012 by the name of Ben Henderson, fresh off an outstanding performance in a lightweight eliminator fight against Clay Guida at UFC on FOX 1. The bout is set to go down in February when the UFC returns to Japan for the first time since 2000.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the bout during last night’s post-fight press conference.
Losing the WEC lightweight title at the final WEC last December to Anthony Pettis put Henderson’s immediate UFC title aspirations on hold, but with a three fight UFC winning streak under his belt, “Smooth” is exactly where he wants to be. Henderson picked up convincing decision victories over Mark Bocek and the highly touted Jim Miller to earn a #1 contender’s fight against the ultra-popular Guida. The former WEC champ proved once again that he’s as good as anyone in the world at 155 by out-working “The Carpenter” en route to another decision win. The bout, which was not televised on FOX, earned Fight of the Night honors.
While Henderson fought hard to earn a title shot in 2011, Edgar fought hard to keep the title. Facing Maynard, the only man to defeat him in his professional career, twice this year, Edgar was nearly finished in the first round of both contests but somehow survived both times. In January, Edgar fought back from a 10-8 first round to earn a draw and in October, he fought back to finish Maynard in the fourth round to retain the title. Both bouts are on the shortlist for fight of the year.
UFC 144 is scheduled for February 24 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, henderson, edgar
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainDos Santos Thrilled with Title Win, Pegs Lesnar as Next Contender
Though tabbed as a betting underdog prior to his heavyweight title showdown with Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1, Junior dos Santos now sits atop the UFC’s heavyweight division as the undisputed champion.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, do, pegs lesnar
Read the full article at SherdogDos Santos downs Velasquez to claim title
Junior dos Santos stopped Cain Velasquez just 1:04 into their UFC heavyweight title bout Saturday night.
Posted in: title, do, velasquez, downs velasquez, claim title
Read the full article at sportsnet.caDos Santos drops Velasquez for UFC title (Yahoo! Sports)
Junior dos Santos needed just 64 seconds to take the UFC heavyweight title from Cain Velasquez in the company's network TV debut.
Posted in: ufc, title, do, velasquez, network
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsBellator 57 results: Douglas Lima and Alexander Shlemenko win tourney titles
Welterweight Douglas Lima and middleweight Alexander Shlemenko both have staked claim to Bellator tournament titles.
At Saturday's Bellator 57 event, both fighters won their respective season-five eight-man tournaments, and both have now earned guaranteed title shots with their division's champions.
Bellator 57 took place Saturday at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada, and the main card aired on MTV2 and EPIX prior to the Spike.com prelims.
Posted in: bellator, title, place saturday, casino rama, title shots
Read the full article at MMA Junkienew ufc on fox tinychat (without anything bad in the title)
submitted by TheFRIEDman [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, anything, tinychat, thefriedman link, fox tinychat
Read the full article at RedditUFC on FOX 1 fight card: Junior dos Santos has a chance to become the first undisputed Brazilian heavyweight champion
With all due respect to Greece and the art of Pankration, it can be almost universally agreed upon that Brazil is the birthplace of modern mixed martial arts (MMA).
Since the early part of last century, vale tudo fights have engrained themselves in the combat sports culture of the South American country. Not content to develop its own style of martial arts -- like it had with Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) -- the country's best fighters began incorporating techniques from Japan -- like judo -- and Thailand's particular brand of kickboxing in an effort to win accolades at home and across the world.
When thinking of the sport's elite in the past decade, names like Mauricio Rua and Wanderlei Silva immediately come to mind. When discussing who the greatest pound-for-pound fighter today is, you'd be remiss not to mention Anderson Silva. And when the future of MMA is brought up, Jose Aldo and Junior dos Santos are always at the forefront of the conversation.
Tonight (Nov. 12, 2011) at UFC on Fox 1, dos Santos has a chance to make history for his native land, the country that gave life to the sport we all love. Never before has a Brazilian been crowned the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion in the title's long and sordid history. It's an enormous opportunity for "Cigano."
Here's why:
The UFC returned to Brazil this past August after a 13-year sabbatical from the country. Hosting UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, the company broke all sorts of records while the fights themselves provided enough fireworks to light up the Rio skyline.
Current middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva did what he does best and made the latest challenger to his 185-pound title look foolish when he easily knocked out Yushin Okami in the second round. "Shogun" finally got his revenge on Forrest Griffin after the American spoiled Rua's Octagon debut. And Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fought off Brendan Schaub -- and Father Time itself -- when he put the young The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) runner-up to sleep in three minutes.
Brazil was eager to see its favorite sons in action and sold the show out in record time -- 14,000 rabid fans filed into the arena after being denied for well over a decade live Octagon action. And the fighters made sure to repay them in kind with action-packed performances that had every fan -- Brazilian or not -- beaming by night's end.
That night was a lot of fun and a big part of that was the crowd. It just seems that Brazilian's love fighting. They just LOVE it. There are very fews locales that that can be said about. Canada is in the same boat. Anytime the Octagon travels to the Great White North, a great collection of fight fans show up. Brazil welcomed the UFC back into his country so warmly and excitedly that Dana White and company have already made plans to return in January for UFC 142.
So what does any of this have to do with Junior dos Santos?
Since the heavyweight title was introduced in 1997, no Brazilian has worn the belt around their waist. Yes, "Minotauro" defeated Tim Sylvia, but that was for an interim title and solely a legal maneuver by the UFC to keep its current heavyweight champ Randy Couture from jumping ship to Affliction Entertainment.
Simply put, Nogueira didn't beat the man to become the man. The belt was a holdover until the legal mess "The Natural" caused was sorted out. And it's not like the Brazilian reign was long and fruitful. A couple months after submitting "The Maine-iac," Nogueira shipped off to Las Vegas to film a season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) opposite Frank Mir.
Mir would then go on to shock the MMA world by stopping "Big Nog" for the first time in the Brazilian's career at UFC 92. That's the closest a native of Brazil came to one of the most important titles in the fight game. In fact, only two other Brazilians have even challenged for the title before dos Santos gets to tonight. Pedro Rizzo at the turn of the century and Gabriel Gonzaga back in 2007. Both were coincidentally stopped short of their goal by Couture.
Tonight "Cigano" has a chance to change all that. He has a chance to become the first undisputed Brazilian heavyweight champion in UFC history. By defeating Velasquez, he helps his country check off a long overdue accomplishment on its MMA resumé.
If the UFC's history is measured in versions, tonight could be the beginning of 4.0. The first being the early days of the promotion, the second being the Dark Ages when the company was facing bankruptcy and getting squeezed by political pressure. 3.0 of course would be the post-TUF era that we have been enjoying for a little over half a decade now.
But, UFC 4.0 promises more than any longtime fan could have ever imagined. The deal with Fox is monumental and tonight's heavyweight title fight on broadcast television is something I never thought I would ever see. At the forefront could be Junior dos Santos representing Brazil, the country that started the whole thing.
There's a lot of people -- a LOT -- who don't want to be disappointed tonight.
Dana White and the rest of the UFC, millions of fight fans across the United States and the world, and heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez represent a majority of them.
But then there's "Cigano" and the country of Brazil who want something to cheer for possibly more than anyone else.
Will they be dancing in Rio tonight?
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, brazilian, country
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBrydon on UFC: No love lost
For two guys likely a win away from a lightweight title shot, Ben Henderson and Clay Guida aren’t exactly giving each other much respect.
Posted in: title, brydon, shot, guida, aren
Read the full article at sportsnet.caBrydon on UFC: Where is the love?
For two guys likely a win away from a lightweight title shot, Ben Henderson and Clay Guida aren’t exactly giving each other much respect.
Posted in: title, brydon, shot, guida, aren
Read the full article at sportsnet.caHow injured are Cain Velasquez & Junior dos Santos headed into their #UFC fight? @MMASupremacy @kidnate
Are Cain Velaquez & Junior dos Santos going to be fighting with serious injuries during their title fight on Fox?
Posted in: fight, title, do, title fight, mmasupremacy
Read the full article at Fight OpinionHistory in the Making: The UFC heavyweight title during the Zuffa era (Part two)
When Zuffa purchased Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) back in 2001, they surely had lofty goals for their acquisition and the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) in general.
Some of those hopes become realized this Saturday (Nov. 12, 2011) when UFC on Fox debuts with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez taking on Junior Dos Santos in the promotion's first-ever fight on broadcast television.
It's been a rollercoaster ride for the company, one that mirrors the heavyweight division itself. Once as shallow as a kiddie pool, it now boasts a stable of fighters that could represent the future of the sport.
When last we left you, Randy Couture had returned to the Octagon to recapture the title he never lost. He became the promotion's first two-time champion and the face of the heavyweight division as it entered a new era under Zuffa management.
Since then, seven other men would be recognized as the champion along with an eighth holding an interim title. Couture himself would capture the title a third and final time, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Before Saturday's landmark fight, let's take a look at how the heavyweight title got there.
It's time!
After defeating Kevin Randleman, Couture went on to defend the title twice - a record for the heavyweight division - against Pedro Rizzo. The Brazilian took "The Natural" to the brink at UFC 31 and lost what many felt was a bogus decision. Their immediate rematch was at UFC 34 where Couture left nothing up to the judges as he stopped "The Rock" in the third round. It was Rizzo's third title shot in five fights and he failed to capitalize on each attempt.
Nearly five months later, the UFC Hall of Famer would be on the opposite end of a technical knockout (TKO) stoppage when he stepped inside the cage with Josh Barnett. The much larger heavyweight imposed his will on Couture and pounded him out in the main event of UFC 36 with less than a minute remaining in the second round.
The kudos for "The Baby Face Assassin" were short-lived, however, as a post-fight drug test came back hot and the newly crowned champ was stripped of his title. Barnett denied any wrongdoing and left the promotion.
Since the heavyweight title was officially introduced in 1997, there had been five champions and three vacancies in its lineage. First when Couture walked away during a contract dispute, second when Bas Rutten retired and now a third with Barnett.
Not wanting to keep the division without a champion for too long, a fight between "The Natural" and Ricco Rodriguez was booked three events later with the young Latino fighter coming out on top. For "Captain America," it was a sign that perhaps the division had gotten too big for him and he found a new home at 205-pounds soon after.
"Suave" entered 2003 as the champion but wouldn't even get a fourth of the way through the new year before he was usurped. At UFC 41, it only took Tim Sylvia three minutes to become the ninth heavyweight champion. At UFC 44, he successfully defended his title against Gan McGee and infamously called out Pride FC champion Fedor Emelianenko.
While he would eventually get that fight - albeit outside the UFC - the more pressing matter was the tainted urine sample he provided the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Like Barnett, "The Maine-iac" was popped for steroids but unlike the catch wrestler, Sylvia owned up to his wrongdoing. He said he wanted a more chiseled physique and threw himself at the mercy of the proverbial court.
When he returned from his suspension, he took on Frank Mir for the opportunity to win the title he was stripped of six months prior. He failed and as a consolation prize had his arm snapped by the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt in one of the more gruesome moments in MMA history.
Mir might have thought that winning UFC gold was cause for celebration but in the case of the heavyweight title, a curse seems to follow it wherever it goes. The curse fell upon Mir in the form of a motorcycle accident that nearly ended his career.
When it appeared as if the champion would be able to return after a brief recovery period, an interim title bout was set up between - you guessed it - Tim Sylvia and newcomer to the UFC heavyweight elite Andrei Arlovski. "The Pitbull" was able to take advantage of Sylvia's newfound apprehension towards submissions and earned a first round stoppage after dropping the former champ with punches.
What followed the next two years were some of the darkest days the heavyweight title would ever see. It survived multiple positive drugs tests, a retirement, and a contract dispute. But could it survive defenses against Justin Eilers and Paul Buentello?
When Mir sat on the shelf longer than expected, Arlovski was promoted from interim to undisputed champ. While the former, he took on Eilers and during his reign as the latter, he defeated Buentello. It took his old rival Sylvia to wrest the title away from the Belarusian. At UFC 59, Sylvia became the second two-time heavyweight champion when he knocked out "The Pitbull."
Their rubber match less than three months later remains near the top of many fans' "worst fight in history" list. Sylvia would go on to once again match an accomplishment of Couture's when he successfully defended the title a second time when he defeated Jeff Monson.
So who better than "The Natural" himself to come out of retirement to slay the goliath? In one of the most thrilling bouts in UFC history, the 43-year old became the first fighter to become a three-time champion within a single weight division. He caught Sylvia in a matter of seconds as the fight opened and never looked back.
"Captain America" defended against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 and it seemed that maybe, just maybe, there would be some stability at the top of the heavyweight class. But old habits die hard, it would seem. Once again, Couture threatened to walk away from the promotion and the title, citing unhappiness with his contract.
In a legal maneuver, the UFC refused to strip him of the title and instead booked a second interim title match between recent Pride crossover Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and of course, Tim Sylvia. "The Maine-iac" seemed to be the go-to guy when the promotion needed a fighter for a title bout.
The Brazilian took a beating from his American opponent but in typical "Big Nog" fashion pulled off a come-from-behind submission to capture the belt. He would go on to lose it to Frank Mir after the two coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter.
But just to further complicate matters, Couture and the UFC had reconciled and "The Natural" was booked opposite Brock Lesnar just a month prior to the Mir/Nogueira fight. After Lesnar defeated Couture to win that particular belt, he sat in the audience 42 days later and saw Mir stop "Minotauro" to win another belt.
The matter was settled when both champions collided at UFC 100. Lesnar walked out of Las Vegas as the undisputed champion but once again, the curse reared its ugly head. The former WWE wrestler's first bout with diverticulitis threatened to end his career so a third - yes, a THIRD - interim title was created and contested between Mir and Shane Carwin.
To put that into perspective, across the other six weight classes, there have only been two other interim titles in the UFC's history.
"The Engineer" knocked Mir out and took on Lesnar at UFC 116 when the champion returned from his illness. For the second time, the former pro wrestler took on an interim champ to unify the heavyweight belts and for the second time came out on top. But less than four months later, he would lose the title to Cain Velasquez.
Over a year has passed since then without a single defense thanks to a shoulder injury the Mexican-American required surgery for, yet another case of the curse that has taken hold of the heavyweight title.
Can the young Velasquez end the curse on Saturday? Or will a victory by Dos Santos continue the revolving door that seems to be ever present at the top of the heavyweight division?
We will find out when the UFC makes it historic broadcast television debut.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, champion, sylvia
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMariano submits Vieira, Wins Max Fight 145-pound Title
SAO PAULO -- Rony Mariano, Team Nogueira's hot prospect, didn't need much effort to capture Max Fight's featherweight title on Thursday night, forcing local Reginaldo Vieira to tap after a tight arm-lock from the triangle at 1:25 of the first round.
Posted in: fight, title, reginaldo vieira, thursday night, mariano
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 141: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Officially to Determine Number One Contender
The titanic heavyweight battle between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem had been rumored to be a number one contender's matchup for a while. It seems pretty obvious considering that Lesnar lost his title to Velasquez, and Overeem was the Strikeforce heavyweight champion. Well, the UFC confirmed that little tidbit in a press release today:
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that the top heavyweight powerhouses will collide in the five-round main event of the organization's final card of 2011. What's more, the winner will be crowned the number one contender and earn a title shot in the New Year.
Obviously, the outcome of this Saturday's UFC heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos will decide who will face Overeem or Lesnar. It might work out that the losers of each of these bouts end up facing each other as well, due to the lack of other strong challengers at the top of the heavyweight division in the UFC right now. Lesnar and Overeem will both be in attendance at the UFC on Fox event and will participate in a press conference before the weigh-ins tomorrow. Tickets for UFC 141, scheduled for December 30th in Las Vegas, go on sale tomorrow as well.
More SBN coverage of UFC 141
Posted in: ufc, title, overeem, heavyweight, lesnar
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on FOX 1 open workout interviews with Cain, JDS and Bendo
UFC on FOX 1 will take place on Saturday, November 12 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. The main event, and the only fight that will be televised on FOX, will see Cain Velasquez defend his UFC Heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos. The fight will mark the first title defense for Velasquez since winning the title from Brock Lesnar in October 2010. Dos Santos is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Shane Carwin in his last fight, which took place on June 11, 2011.
Open workouts took place
Posted in: fight, title, shane carwin, workout interviews, bendo ufc
Read the full article at Low KickA Not So Fox-y Decision
This upcoming Saturday should prove to be another monumental milestone for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as the world’s leading MMA promotion makes its debut on Fox, in what UFC president Dana White has referred to as the crowning achievement of his ten-year tenure with the company. History will be in the making, as the UFC heavyweight title is on the line when champion Cain Velasquez locks horns with number one contender Junior Dos Santos.
Bidding to capitalize on this opportunity, lightweight contenders Ben Henderson and Clay Guida were also added to the card, in another major bout with potential direct title implications. The announcement was met with expected praise, as showcasing young talent is one of the many benefits of the Fox deal, particularly ones who could very well end up headlining a PPV — and contending for a title no less — in the very near future.
For all intents and purposes, the fight was a sure-fire eliminator bout. With top contenders Anthony Pettis and Jim Miller both faltering recently — to Guida and Henderson respectively — and Melvin Guillard falling emphatically short against Joe Lauzon, Henderson and Guida are unquestionably leading the lightweight contenders pack. This is an especially remarkable feat in the world’s deepest and most robust weight class, as in a division almost too competitive for its own good, putting together any title shot-worthy run is eminently meritorious.
This only makes the recent news of the Fox broadcast consisting strictly of one bout — the heavyweight title fight — all the more lamentable. In a press conference conducted last week, Dana White confirmed that even should the affair end in the first round, it will remain the only fight on the broadcast, while the rest of the card gets the Facebook treatment. This triggered some backlash among fans and pundits alike, who universally agreed that a potentially highly entertaining bout with title ramifications deserved more eyeballs.
However, news recently surfaced that it was in fact Fox’s call not to have any other fight on the televised portion. This was later confirmed by Guida’s manager, who noted that the UFC had approached Fox with the idea of airing the lightweight contest, but the latter decided to pass. And yet, this hardly exempts Zuffa from any responsibility. After all, they opted to place a highly relevant bout on the prelim portion of what was, from the very beginning, a one-fight card (in the most literal sense), without any guarantees that their new partner would be willing to accommodate it to the main broadcast.
Furthermore, the UFC had more than enough time to settle the issue with Fox before actually making the fight official for the card, which would have granted them the window they needed to move the bout to another card if necessary; seeing as it could have easily headlined last week’s UFC 138 event in what would have been a very fitting first five-round non title fight. As it stands, the potential next contender for the lightweight title will have ostensibly competed in a fight that only Facebook viewers were able to witness.
This piece of miscalculation could prove to be a blow for both the UFC and the eventual winner. For the victor, a guaranteed title shot is no longer that, as he finds himself stuck in limbo while Joe Silva and Dana White attempt to figure out a way to clean up the mess. This is made more difficult by the fact that very few — if any — other contenders are lined up for the lightweight title. Silva’s usually astute match-making has been somewhat questionable in the 155-pound division, as he has consistently paired up fighters on the cusp of a title shot against opponents they wouldn’t gain much from beating.
Thus, this meant that in the event of an upset, the UFC loses a top contender without really gaining one. In fact, Dennis Siver didn’t exactly jump right into a title eliminator scenario with his win over George Sotiropoulos, who came into 2011 with a huge wave of momentum. Likewise, risky match-making proved costly when the aforementioned Guillard was choked out by Lauzon in under a minute. And with Gilbert Melendez taking on Jorge Masvidal in December, and surprising news of Strikeforce potentially extending its deal with Showtime, it is unlikely that “El Nino” will be staring Frankie Edgar across the Octagon next.
Considering the underwhelming buy-rate for Edgar’s fights with Gray Maynard at UFC 125 and UFC 136 respectively, the UFC desperately needs a contender who will capture people’s imagination. Whoever emerges victorious in the Guida-Henderson fight should have done so with the largest possible number of onlookers. As it stands, it will be nothing more than hardcore fans tuning in on Facebook.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, bout, contender
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 141 Tickets on Sale This Week
Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) – Former UFC® heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s mission to reclaim the title resumes on FRIDAY, Dec. 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when he meets one of the best strikers of all-time – international superstar Alistair Overeem. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that the top heavyweight powerhouses will collide in the five-round main event of the organization’s final card of 2011. What’s more, the winner will be crowned the number one contender and earn a title shot in the New Year.Lesnar, Overeem and UFC President Dana White will take part in an official press conference TOMORROW, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. PT, from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, Calif. The press conference takes place prior to the weigh-ins for UFC® on FOX: VELASQUEZ vs. DOS SANTOS.“Brock Lesnar is 110 percent healthy and ready to get the world title back,” White said. “He asked for the toughest test we could find for him and there’s no doubt that Alistair Overeem fits the bill. He’s been a champion in other organizations and came to UFC to fight the best guys in the world. He wants to show everyone that he’s the number one heavyweight in the sport. This fight is the perfect fight to close out 2011.”If that wasn’t enough, the night’s co-main event pits rising lightweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone against Nate Diaz in what could be one of the most dynamic 155-pound clashes in the sport’s history.Tickets for UFC®141: LESNAR vs. OVEREEM go on sale Friday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $125 and $75. Tickets will be available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers TODAY, Thursday, Nov. 10, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter. Official UFC VIP packages are also available at http://vip.ufc.com. These packages include tickets to UFC 141, official event merchandise, as well as special VIP experiences with backstage tours and meet and greets with top UFC stars. Get closer to the action than ever before with this unique UFC VIP opportunity.UFC®141: LESNAR vs. OVEREEM will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, BellTV, ShawTV, SaskTel,Viewer’s Choice Canada and Canal Indigo for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$54.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.One of the most captivating figures in sports, Brock Lesnar (fighting out of Alexandria, Minn.) returns to the Octagon® for the first time in over a year after a career-threatening bout with diverticulitis. Healthy, motivated and inspired to regain the heavyweight title that he held for nearly two years, the 34-year-old former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion wants nothing more than a dominant victory on Dec. 30.“I'm not in this just to be a contender,” Lesnar, who owns a 5-2 professional record, said. “I'm in it to be the champion. To get my belt back, it's real simple: beat Overeem and beat whoever walks out with the title on November 12. And, that's exactly what I'll do.”Alistair Overeem (fighting out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) has held world titles all over the globe, but he believes his resume is incomplete without the most coveted championship in combat sports – UFC heavyweight gold. On Dec. 30, the 31-year-old kickboxer extraordinaire, who is 10-0 with one no contest in his last eleven bouts, will battle Lesnar for the right to fight for the UFC title. With wins over the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Vitor Belfort, Mark Hunt and Sergei Kharitonov in his 12-year career, “The Reem” seeks the biggest victory of his career in the final UFC event of 2011.“This fight is going to be the most important fight of my career,” Overeem (35-11-1) said. “I have one important mission left in my career and that is to get the UFC gold around my waist. The winner of this fight gets a title shot, so beating Brock brings me one step closer to having the UFC belt. Our fight on Dec. 30 will be bigger than Godzilla versus King Kong!”Since coming to UFC in February, perhaps no lightweight has garnered as much buzz as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.). With four straight wins inside the Octagon® and six consecutive victories overall, including his most recent submission win over Dennis Siver at UFC 137, the 28-year-old is knocking on the door of a title shot. First, he must defeat Nate Diaz (fighting out of Stockton, Calif.), who returned to the lightweight division in Sept. and submitted Takanori Gomi to improve his record to 14-7. Now, the younger brother of top welterweight contender Nick Diaz has his sights set on ending the impressive winning streak of Cerrone (17-3, 1 NC).
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, overeem, ticket
Read the full article at UFCDos Santos hungry for title at UFC on FOX
Junior Dos Santos talks about his much anticipated heavyweight title fight vs Cain Velasquez in Anaheim.
Posted in: ufc, title, fox, do, anaheim
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC on Fox: Historical Significance of Network TV for Heavyweight Title Fight Being Undersold
There's been a line repeated a lot since the announcement of the UFC on Fox deal and decision to put Cain Velasquez's UFC heavyweight title defense against Junior dos Santos on the first broadcast. That line is usually something involving a return to the days when the heavyweight title was decided on free TV.
Dana White even put it in print in a recent column in the Chicago Sun-Times:
Not only does this mark our first event on FOX since we announced a multi-year broadcast agreement with the network this past summer, but it marks a return to the glory days for many sports fans. It signals a return to the days when sports' biggest prize - the world heavyweight title - is decided live and free on network television.
On today's UFC on Fox media call, White repeated the line again. Saying that this was a return to the Ali vs. Frazier days.
This all strikes me as strange since those "glory days" never really existed. Yes, major fights like Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman's "Rumble in the Jungle" did air on ABC....eventually.
In the glory days of heavyweight boxing, if you wanted to see a major fight, you were going to pay for it and watch it on closed circuit TV at a designated location. Ali vs. Foreman took place on September 24, 1974 but didn't hit ABC's Wide World of Sports until January 5, 1975. "The Thrilla in Manila" between Ali and Frazier took place October 1, 1975 but didn't air on ABC until January 11, 1976, instead airing on HBO.
The legendary call by Howard Cosell of "Down goes Frazier!" in the bout between Smokin' Joe and Foreman is often mistakenly thought of as being on network TV but it was actually HBO's first World Championship Boxing broadcast.
The idea of putting a major title fight on network TV has never been an overly appealing one to fight promoters.
The last time a heavyweight title was fought for on network TV was actually in 1996 when Michael Moorer fought Axel Schulz for the IBF crown. Moorer had picked up a win to get back on track after his shocking upset loss to the returning Foreman. Foreman then ducked a bout with Tony Tucker in favor of middle of the road challenger Schulz. Foreman won an absolute robbery of a decision over Schulz and then vacated his title as he chose to duck a rematch and fight unranked and undeserving Crawford Grimsley, a man whose previous 5 opponents sported a combined 45-117-2 record.
German network RTL outbid HBO to the main rights to the Schulz vs. Moorer bout but somehow ABC was able to score the rights to air it on U.S. network TV for an incredibly low sum. This was far from a glory filled match-up the networks and fans were dying to see, it was more of a matter of opportunity.
Also in 1996 a Larry Holmes vs. Anthony Willis fight (no title on the line) on CBS tanked in the ratings on Father's Day, mainly because nobody cared to see that fight. And in 1995 a fight with no title on the line between Mike Tyson and Buster Mathis, Jr. aired on Fox. The Tyson/Mathis fight was an attempt at a PR move by Don King after ripping fans off with Tyson knocking out Peter McNeeley in under a minute and a half on PPV earlier in the year.
The point here is that the UFC is doing something great. They're not taking quite the loss financially that they're playing up in the media by putting Velasquez vs. dos Santos on network TV, this is not a fight that would have sold 800,000 PPV buys. It also is a long term commercial for future PPV's that they're effectively being paid to put on by Fox.
But this is also a unique and rare situation in the history of professional combat sports. Rarely, if ever, has a heavyweight title fight of this legitimacy and importance been put live on free network TV.
Since JDS and Cain aren't exactly setting the world on fire in the build-up to the event, maybe this is a fact that the UFC could stand to put a little more emphasis on.
Posted in: fight, title, tv, network, network tv
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBen Henderson out to prove a point on FOX
Ben Henderson knows what being in the spotlight can do for you as a fighter, as he was a champion in the WEC and was featured in several main events on the Versus Network.
Now, with a fight against Clay Guida scheduled for this Saturday’s UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos card, Henderson has come to grips with not being part of the television show. The fight, which could decide the next contender to UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar, will be streamed live on Facebook and FOXSports.com.
Henderson is riding a two-fight win streak since dropping his WEC title to Anthony Pettis. He stopped Jim Miller recently, sending himself right back into title contention by knocking Miller out of the top spot. Guida has won four consecutive bouts, including a victory over Pettis.
“It’s just the next step up the ladder. I don’t really care who I fight,” said Henderson, in a recent interview with USA Today. “I like all the guys in the UFC. They’re all nice, good guys, so I don’t really want to call anybody out; I’m not that kind of guy. But I do want to further my career. I want to take the right steps going up the ladder to get to the title shot.”
“Bendo”, who admits he would make a terrible matchmaker, does believe that the winner of his fight with Guida deserves to be the top contender at 155 pounds.
“Makes sense to me. Clay’s on a big fight win streak. There’s a lot of rumors about our fight being a title contentionship and all that stuff,” Henderson said. “I only have two wins so far in the UFC, but both wins (were) over quality opponents. The one win was over who Dana White said was for sure, in fact, the No. 1 contender (Miller) if he had gotten past me. If I were to hear that Clay or I – the winner of us; after I beat Clay – get a title shot, I wouldn’t be too surprised about that.”
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, henderson, clay
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC on Fox: With Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson in the Dark, Lightweight Title Picture Gets Murky
UFC veterans Clay Guida and Ben Henderson couldn't have been pleased with the UFC's newest television partner, Fox, last week when it was confirmed by UFC President Dana White that their lightweight battle wouldn't make the network broadcast on Saturday's inaugural UFC on Fox card. Guida spoke publicly about the situation a couple of days later, stating the snub has motivated him even more. Henderson said he was "a little bit bummed out" by the news, but ultimately came to the conclusion that winning is the only thing that matters.
At this point in the storyline, Henderson has the right attitude in this unique situation. There isn't anything anyone can tell either fighter that will alleviate the disappointment of being denied access to the grand stage. Their highly-relevant showdown could determine the next title challenger in the UFC's lightweight division, yet through bad decision-making -- it's been shrouded in darkness.
Unfortunately, the assumption that the fight's outcome will determine who fights Frankie Edgar next was premature, and the UFC's inability to sell this fight to Fox executives almost assures it won't happen in the near future. When's the last time the UFC determined contention from a bout that wasn't featured on the main card of a pay-per-view or a free event? Start digging.
The strongest argument against my point is that the UFC's lightweight division doesn't have any opponents ready to step up to fight the winner of Guida vs. Henderson. Jim Miller, Melvin Guillard, and Anthony Pettis were derailed in their progression toward the top, leaving the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone at UFC 141 as the most logical choice.
Interestingly enough, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has been heavily rumored to be on the slate to make the transition to the UFC after his title defense against Jorge Masvidal on December 17 in San Diego. If Melendez retains his title, which most fans expect, there's a very good chance he puts himself into immediate title contention for the UFC strap. Why not pit him against the winner of Guida vs. Henderson?
Of course, that suggestion hinges on what the UFC plans to do with Strikeforce. Will they keep Melendez as the Strikeforce lightweight champion if Zuffa keeps Strikeforce around? I imagine Melendez wouldn't be happy with the situation, and I struggle to see the value in keeping Strikeforce around without a change in the organization's goal. That's an argument for another day though.
Exposure is one of the keys to selling a title fight, and Guida vs. Henderson doesn't fit the formula if it's headlining the preliminary card on Facebook. When the UFC tries to sell a title fight off a dark match, it's going to cause a lot of blank stares and shoulder shrugs from casual fans who have no idea how the fight came to fruition. It's especially grim for a guy like Ben Henderson, who still isn't well-known by the UFC's casual fanbase.
Last week's news, in my mind, adds another step to the stairwell. The UFC must create a match-up that's promoted correctly and pushed as the #1 lightweight contender bout to fans. It makes too much sense, especially if we consider how poorly the division's upper-echelon has done in drawing in fans. My prediction? Guida vs. Henderson winner vs. Gilbert Melendez in early 2012.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, vs, henderson
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowIan McCall Draws Newcomer in Tachi Title Fight
Ian McCall still has a fight at Tachi Palace Fights 11, and it is still to contest the title belt wrapped firmly around his waist.
Posted in: fight, title, ian, title belt, ian mccall
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC on FOX: Ben Henderson doesn't need to be on TV, he just needs to beat Clay Guida
UFC on FOX, party of two, your time slot is now available...
Despite a stellar preliminary card, the UFC on FOX network television event, scheduled for Saturday night (Nov. 12, 2011), in Anaheim, California, will only feature two fighters during the hour-long broadcast: Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
That doesn't mater to Ben Henderson.
While he was initially "bummed" about being relegated to the Facebook and FoxSports.com live video stream for this weekend's extravaganza, "Bendo" quickly realized that beating Clay Guida is the only thing that matters, not how many people get to watch him do it.
The former WEC lightweight champion elaborates to USA Today:
"When I heard that, to be honest, I was a little bit sad about that, a little bit bummed out. (But) the more I thought about it, I was able to settle myself down. … Being on Fox or Facebook or Foxsports.com of Spike TV or Versus or pay-per-view, it all doesn't really matter; what matters is you winning, you getting your hand raised.Clay's on a big fight win streak," Henderson says. "I only have two wins so far in the UFC, but both wins over quality opponents. … If I were to hear that Clay or I -- the winner of us; after I beat Clay -- get a title shot, I wouldn't be too surprised about that."
Henderson recently derailed the Jim Miller hype train and spoiled his title plans by dominating him at UFC on Versus 5 to secure a lopsided unanimous decision victory.
With Melvin Guillard no longer in the mix and Anthony Pettis working his way back up, it's very possible the winner of Saturday's lightweight affair could be next in line for a 155-pound title shot.
Unless Gilbert Melendez has something to say about it next month in Strikeforce.
How about it Maniacs, anyone think the winner of Henderson vs. Guida should get an immediate title shot against division kingpin Frankie Edgar?
Why or why not?
Posted in: ufc, title, fox, henderson, clay
Read the full article at MMA ManiaCain vs. JDS the Latest Addition to UFC Heavyweight History
As the inaugural contest to be broadcast on network television, Saturday’s UFC heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior dos Santos on FOX has already earned a place in the history books.The very real possibility exists that it finds a place in the organization’s annals because of the events that transpire inside the cage as well.The champion and challenger stand as the undisputed top two heavyweights in the UFC — dominant forces with matching 7-0 marks within the confines of the Octagon. Both have climbed to the summit of the sport’s marquee division, sweeping aside a combined 14 challengers, only three of whom survived until the final horn sounded.With the potentially historic encounter rapidly approaching, here’s a look back at five other epic heavyweight encounters from the past.Randy Couture vs. Ricco RodriguezUFC 39 (September 27, 2002)Six months after losing the UFC heavyweight title to Josh Barnett, the then 39-year-old Couture and budding star Rodriguez were paired to battle for the vacant championship in the main event of UFC 39: The Warriors Return.Couture got the best of things early, but tired in the championship rounds. Losing on the scorecards at the time, Rodriguez took Couture down in the fifth and began dropping elbows on the former two-time champion, breaking his orbital bone and forcing a verbal submission from Couture to claim the vacant UFC heavyweight title.It was the first time in UFC history a bout was finished in the fifth round, a result that has only been repeated two additional times since — BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, UFC 107 and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen, UFC 117.Tim Sylvia vs. Frank MirUFC 48 (June 19, 2004)At the time, Sylvia was a perfect 16-0 and looking to reclaim the UFC heavyweight title he had been stripped of nine months earlier. Mir had just turned 25 the month prior, was riding a three-fight winning streak, and had the right combination of skills, charisma, and looks to become a huge star as the UFC’s popularity continued to grow.This one may have only lasted 50 seconds, but its place in the history books can’t be denied. Mir caught Sylvia in an armbar, and when the former champion went to pull free of the hold, the heavyweight jiu-jitsu player torqued on his arm a little more, prompting referee Herb Dean to step in and signal the end of the bout.Everyone thought Dean had acted prematurely, but replays — and later x-rays — showed he made the right call; Sylvia’s arm was broken.Tim Sylvia vs. Randy CoutureUFC 68 (March 3, 2007)Sylvia was once again on top of the heavyweight mountain, having reclaimed the title from Andrei Arlvoski at UFC 59. After a pair of successful — though uneventful — title defenses, “The Maine-iac” was short on challengers.Enter Couture.Nearly 13 months after announcing his retirement following his loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57, Couture returned to the Octagon, fighting at heavyweight for the first time since UFC 39.In one of the most unexpected and memorable performances in UFC history, Couture dropped Sylvia right out of the gate, and continued to dominate the heavily favored champion for the duration of the bout’s five rounds.Couture earned a unanimous decision win, claiming the UFC heavyweight title for a third time, the fifth and final championship victory of his illustrious career.Brock Lesnar vs. Frank MirUFC 100 (July 11, 2009)After winning his MMA debut, former WWE superstar Lesnar joined the UFC heavyweight division, and was paired with Mir for his Octagon debut.The former champion submitted the athletically gifted MMA neophyte 90 seconds into the opening round of their bout at UFC 81. Though Lesnar showed promise, his inexperience cost him.Later that year, both men would stake a claim to being the UFC heavyweight champion. Lesnar followed up his victory over Heath Herring by beating Randy Couture at UFC 91, while Mir stopped fellow TUF 8 coach Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira for the interim title a month later at UFC 92.Originally scheduled for UFC 98, their second meeting would headline UFC 100, the biggest event in the organization’s history at the time. Both men entered with titles, but only would emerge as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.Mir had no answers for Lesnar’s raw power and brute strength. Clinched along the cage, Mir attempted a jumping knee, but Lesnar still managed to secure the takedown. He proceeded to pin Mir against the cage and rain down a torrent of unanswered blows, leading to the fight being stopped 1:48 into the second round.Brock Lesnar vs. Shane CarwinUFC 116 (July 3, 2010)A year after unifying the UFC heavyweight titles at UFC 100, Lensar returned to the cage following a career-threatening battle with diverticulitis to face another interim champion, unbeaten Shane Carwin.With a perfect 12-0 record and a 4-0 mark in the UFC, Carwin had spent just over seven minutes in the Octagon. His victory over Frank Mir at UFC 111 lasted longer than his previous three bouts combined, and his explosive knockout power was something Lesnar had not yet experienced in his young career.Carwin rocked Lesnar early, relentlessly pounding on the returning champion throughout the first round, with referee Josh Rosenthal looking like he could stop the fight on a couple different occasions.The bout continued, however, and took a turn in the opposite direction in the second frame.After surviving the opening stanza, Lesnar gave Carwin a smile at the start of the second round. Carwin was spent, and Lesnar capitalized, easily taking him down. Lesnar forced Carwin to tap to an arm triangle choke at 2:19 of the second round, handing him the first loss of his career and unifying the heavyweight title for the second time in his career.
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, champion, lesnar
Read the full article at UFCMark Munoz Says He Deserves A Title Shot More Than Chael Sonnen
Fight Hub TV caught up with Mark Munoz following his big win over Chris Leben to talk about the victory and his post-fight title shot request. Munoz argues that his four-fight winning streak over quality competition, some of which were past top contenders, is more deserving of a shot at the title than Chael Sonnen’s one victory over Brian Stann. Transcription via MMA Mania:
“I feel that I deserve the title shot and here’s my argument. I lost to Yushin Okami, close split decision. He ended fighting … for the title. Since then I’ve been on a four fight winning streak. My third fight in my winning streak I fought Demian Maia, who was a number one contender and fought for the title. I Ended up beating him in a unanimous decision. My next fight, Chris Leben, my fourth fight in my winning streak, I fought him and you guys saw what I did to him. So having beat two top five guys, two number one past contenders, losing to Yushin Okami and being on a four fight winning streak, I feel that I’m next in line. I think that’s a valid argument. Chael Sonnen loses, had his chance, wins one and now he gets a title shot? No. I feel that I’m more of the person who should get a title shot.”
If title shots were awarded purely based on records, Munoz might have a decent argument, but that’s not how it works. I’ve talked about this ad nauseum, so I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but bottom line: Silva-Sonnen II will sell a ton of pay-per-views, Silva-Munoz won’t.
As unfortunate as it is, if Munoz wants a title shot sooner than later, his best bet is to really call Anderson Silva out and start a beef with him to get fans interested. As Joe Silva (allegedly) said, “if you want a fight, call people out.” Munoz sorta did that in his post-fight interview but then stresses in this video that he’s not specifically calling Anderson out. He might as well though because Silva already doesn’t see him as a friend anymore. Via MMA Mania:
“I hadn’t even seen that (Munoz’s challenge). I thought Munoz was a friend, but that’s okay…”
I doubt it would take too much more to really piss him off, but Munoz doesn’t sound like he wants to go there.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, shot, munoz
Read the full article at MMA ConvertVideo: Mark Munoz makes his case for a title shot against Anderson Silva
Just this past Sat., Nov. 5, 2011, Mark Munoz turned in a stellar performance against Chris Leben, stopping him after two rounds in the main event of UFC 138 in Birmingham, England. In fact, he thinks it was good enough to earn him a title shot against Anderson Silva ahead of Chael Sonnen. Here's his case:
"I feel that I deserve the title shot and here's my argument. I lost to Yushin Okami, close split decision. He ended fighting ... for the title. Since then I've been on a four fight winning streak. My third fight in my winning streak I fought Demian Maia, who was a number one contender and fought for the title. I Ended up beating him in a unanimous decision. My next fight, Chris Leben, my fourth fight in my winning streak, I fought him and you guys saw what I did to him. So having beat two top five guys, two number one past contenders, losing to Yushin Okami and being on a four fight winning streak, I feel that I'm next in line. I think that's a valid argument. Chael Sonnen loses, had his chance, wins one and now he gets a title shot? No. I feel that I'm more of the person who should get a title shot."
Is that enough to convince you he deserves to jump ahead of Sonnen? Or is the rematch between the mouthy middleweight and the pound-for-pound king just too juicy to pass up?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, shot, streak i
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBellator: Joe Warren vs Pat Curran booked with Patricio Pitbull hurt
CHICAGO, Ill. (November 8, 2011) — After a tournament run that included dominating victories over a trio of top competitors, Bellator Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Winner Pat Curran rightly earned his title shot and will take on reigning Featherweight Champion and self-proclaimed "Baddest Man on The Planet" Joe Warren early in 2012 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX.
Originally, Patricio Pitbull was scheduled to face Joe Warren, as the explosive Brazilian secured his title shot with a Season 4 Featherweight Tournament win. But Pitbull suffered a hand injury, and just recently elected for surgery that will keep him out of the gym for 3 months.
With the delay, Curran’s title shot has been moved up. Once healed, Pitbull will face the winner of the Curran-Warren Championship fight. "The timing worked out here," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "To be able to temporarily lose a fighter such as Patricio Pitbull and then to be able to plug in another deserving title contender, Tournament winner and top five Featherweight in Pat Curran is a testament to the depth of our featherweight division."
For Curran, the Crystal Lake, Illinois native and Season 2 Lightweight Tournament Winner enters the title fight looking to keep his tournament momentum intact. After an impressive Peruvian necktie submission victory over Luis Palomino in the quarterfinals, Curran collected a unanimous decision win over Ronnie Mann.
With the victory, Curran secured a spot in the Featherweight Finals against Marlon Sandro, widely regarded as one of the Top 5 featherweights in the world. Curran pushed the pace early, and in the second round delivered a devastating, highlight-reel roundhouse kick to the head of Sandro that left the Brazilian down and out.
Curran was awarded the knockout victory, but more importantly a guaranteed world title shot. "This is going to be a great fight," Curran said. ". I know I have a size advantage going in, but the pace is always high with Joe, and is obviously a great wrestler, so I’m expecting the best out of him."
Warren enters the fight in unfamiliar territory as the Team Quest product is coming off his first career Bellator defeat as former Cuban Olympian Alexis Vila took Warren down in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament. That fight is in the past, and the reigning Featherweight Champion is ready to get back into the Bellator cage.
"Everyone knows I’m a world champ at featherweight," Warren said."I’m defending my belt, so there is a lot a pride on the line. I thought I was the best bantamweight in that tournament, but I got caught with a shot. I’m excited to show Pat what it means to be in a war."
Posted in: title, tournament, featherweight, warren, curran
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAnderson Silva responds to being called out by Mark Munoz
Mark Munoz took one step closer to challenging for the 185-pound title when he defeated Chris Leben at UFC 138 last Saturday (Nov. 5, 2011) in Birmingham, England.
Following his technical knockout win over "The Crippler," the "Filipino Wrecking Machine" told Joe Rogan during his post-fight interview that he "deserved" the next shot at reigning division champion Anderson Silva.
"I paid my dues in this weight class and I think I deserve a title shot. Anderson Silva is by far the best pound-for-pound fighter. I give him all the respect and honor, but I think I deserve a title shot right now. I consider him a friend, but right now I'd love to get a title shot."
Not coincidentally, Silva considers Munoz a friend as well. So what did "The Spider" tell Brazil's SporTV when they informed him of the challenge?
Have a look.
"I didn't even see it. For me, Munoz was my friend, but that's okay."
Uh-oh.
Munoz spent some time at Blackhouse MMA after working with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on location. The former collegiate wrestling stud explains the genesis of his relationship in our June interview:
"I was training with Brandon Vera when I didn't have my own gym and Brandon had Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira training at his gym. When I was there, I was rolling with Nogueira and he ended up loving how I rolled and how I did a lot of stuff. He watched me do my circuit training and he asked me about my training, he asked me about how long I'd been doing mixed martial arts. He was impressed and he wanted to train with me a little bit more, which was awesome because I never thought in a million years that I'd ever train with Minotauro Nogueira. I was over at Alliance training center and from then on we built an athletic relationship. Now we're good friends and training partners. From there I met Ed Soares and from him I met Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Junior dos Santos and all the guys from Black House. So it's pretty awesome."
Not as awesome as getting a middleweight title fight.
While it's a possibility, it's also far from a lock. Especially with Chael Sonnen rallying the support of the UFC fanbase for a rematch. And let's not forget about Michael Bisping, who wants his crack at the crown with a win over "Mayhem" Miller in December.
But when will Silva be back? He also told SporTV that he was "still recovering" from his shoulder injury and that it "depends on his doctor" when he will return to the Octagon.
He's coming back eventually ... but against who?
Stay tuned.
MMAmania.com correspondent Eduardo Cruz contributed to this report.
Posted in: title, silva, training, munoz, i didnt
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWith Patricio Pitbull Injured, Pat Curran to Face Joe Warren for Bellator 145-Pound Title
Filed under: Bellator, NewsA hand injury has forced Patricio "Pitbull" Freire to undergo surgery, scuttling plans for his Bellator featherweight title shot against Joe Warren. So instead, Bellator will go to plan B.
By virtue of his recent 2011 Summer Series featherweight tournament win, Pat Curran was next in line after Freire, but now he's been bumped ahead with Freire on the shelf, and Curran will face off with Warren at an early 2012 event.
The promotion confirmed the bout on Tuesday, but has not yet finalized an exact date for the title fight.
This will be Curran's second shot at a Bellator championship. In 2010, he won a lightweight tournament and advanced to face reigning champ Eddie Alvarez, but lost a unanimous decision. Afterward, he dropped to featherweight and impressed during his three fights through the bracket, defeating Luis Palomino via submission, Ronnie Mann by decision, and then stopping pre-tournament favorite Marlon Sandro in a second-round knockout.
Curran is 16-4 overall.
Warren (7-2) recently attempted to become a two-division champion in Bellator, hoping to add a bantamweight belt to his collection, but in a first-round fight with Alexis Vila, he was knocked out in just 64 seconds. He previously won the 145-pound belt in September 2010 with a KO of Joe Soto. This will be his first title defense.
Freire (17-1), who won a season four featherweight tournament, will eventually take on the winner of Curran-Warren. The promotion confirmed that Freire's surgery was expected to keep him out of the gym for three months. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: bellator, title, warren, curran, freire
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseBenson Henderson’s Motto: ‘Just Win, Baby’
Title shots, contender fights, Ben Henderson doesn't really want to think about any of that because he just wants to win, the rest will sort itself out.
Posted in: title, ben, henderson, contender, shot
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyMark Munoz Wants to Be Champ Even if He Has to Face Friends, Teammates
Filed under: UFC, NewsMark Munoz's fast ascension to UFC title contention has been remarkable, but that same rapid progress could put him in a position where he has to face friend and former training partner Anderson Silva.
Munoz, who began fighting MMA professionally just over four years ago, previously trained with Silva with the understanding that they were unlikely to meet in the future.
"When we've had talks about it before, I don't know if I talked to him directly or Ed [Soares], but they said he was going to be gone by the time I would be able to fight for a world championship." Munoz said Monday on The MMA Hour.
In 2008, Silva said he would like to retire the following year. Soares then said Silva would retire at 35 instead. Silva turns 37 next April.
After his win over Chris Leben at UFC 138, Munoz took to the mic to call out Silva. And he did so in the most polite way possible -- a complete 180 from Chael Sonnen's abrasive approach at UFC 136.
"I pay my dues in this weight class and I think I deserve a title shot," Munoz said last Saturday inside the cage. "Anderson Silva is by far the best pound-for-pound fighter. I give him all the respect and honor, but I think I deserve a title shot right now. I consider him a friend, but right now I'd love to get a title shot."
During the UFC 138 meeting with the fighters after the weigh-ins, fighters were encouraged by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and president Dana White to ask for a particular fight if such fight compels them. Munoz said the meeting "sparked" something in him to ask for the Silva fight.
Munoz explained his respectful callout, saying he didn't want Silva to think he was calling him out even though that was what he was doing. Nothing personal, only personal aspirations.
"I'm here to be the best, I'm not here to be a mediocre fighter, [Silva] knows that," Munoz said. "He knew that from the beginning. From me, I just wanted him to know I honor him as a friend, as a training partners, as a teacher -- I told the media about my Bruce Lee moment with him -- I give him all the respect but at the same time I'm here to be a world champion."
Standing in Munoz's way of a title shot though, is the likelihood of Sonnen receiving a title shot first. Munoz listed off his four-fight win streak and valuable wins over Demian Maia and Leben, while Sonnen only won one fight since his return as the reasons why Munoz should be the No. 1 contender.
"I feel that I have a valid argument to fight for the title. I feel that it's my time," Munoz said. "I haven't talked to Anderson, I haven't seen him. There's no disrespect to him, I still consider him a friend, but at the same time I want to be a world champ too."
Munoz says he can be friends with someone and still fight them. He's fought close friend Aaron Simpson already in the UFC and says he would be willing to fight current teammate Jason "Mayhem" Miller if need be. A fight against Miller could be the first instance of UFC Primetime where the two competitors are training inside the same gym, Munoz joked.
Although Munoz wants to be Silva's next opponent, he also understands that the UFC makes fights people want to see most.
"Chael is lobbying very well and he's garnering a lot of interest for that fight," he said. "I know there's a lot of [people that want to watch that fight] and that there's a lot of coin attached to that fight."
He'll be fine to wait in line as long as he stays on track fighting people that will continue to prove he's ready for a title shot.
"Whoever they want to put in front of me I'm going to look to mow down on the way to a world title." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, silva, munoz
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseCurran lands Bellator title shot
Pat Curran has landed himself a title shot against Bellator champ Joe Warren in February.Curran got the slot after leading contender Patricio ‘Pitbull’...
Posted in: title shot, bellator, title, shot, curran
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyMark Munoz vs Michael Bisping? An 'honored' Munoz would 'love' that fight
Mark Munoz punched his ticket to the 185-pound title bowl by defeating Chris Leben via technical knockout (cut) at UFC 138 last Saturday (Nov. 5, 2011) in Birmingham, England.
Following his win over "The Crippler," the former NCAA wrestling standout called for a middleweight title shot against reigning division champion Anderson Silva.
There's just one problem -- Michael Bisping wants a crack at "The Spider" as well.
So if "The Count" is able to overcome Jason Miller at next month's Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 Finale in Las Vegas, how about a title eliminator bout between Munoz and Bisping?
"The Filipino Wrecking Machine" tells ESPN he would "love to fight him:"
"I could see that fight, Michael Bisping is a guy who has proven himself in this sport. He's a great mixed martial artist. I'd love to fight him, it'd be an honor to fight him just like it was an honor to fight Chris Leben. For me, I just want to improve every time, I trust in my team, and it's a testament [to my team-mates] of how I am in the cage. I'm ready man, whoever they bring I'm ready."
Assuming Bisping is victorious, he would still have to make a pretty strong argument to leapfrog Chael Sonnen for a shot at Silva's gold.
While a win over "Mayhem" gives him the credentials to challenge, most of the mixed martial arts community is hoping for a rematch between Silva and Sonnen, who nearly dethroned the champ at UFC 117 in October 2010.
Would you, as a fight fan, be interested in Munoz vs. Bisping? And how do you think that fight unfolds?
Thoughts?
Posted in: fight, title, bisping, arts community, munoz
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Fox: Clay Guida Wants Title Shot After Ben Henderson Bout
Clay Guida may be getting shafted a bit by it being made clear that his fight with Ben Henderson is not going to make the Fox TV broadcast no matter how quickly the bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos ends, but that isn't keeping him down. Guida knows that the Henderson fight is a huge moment in his career and he seems ready to pounce.
In a recent interview with Lowkick.com, Guida made it clear that he has no plans to take Henderson lightly, and thinks a win means big things for his future:
Since coming over from the WEC, Henderson has went 2-0, defeating two top contenders in Jim Miller and Mark Bocek. Are you surprised by the level of success he's found in such a short period of time? And what, if anything, do you feel Miller and/or Bocek could have done differently to change the outcome of those fights?
Ben is obviously a gamer, he always comes to fight and fight hard. From what I know, he is a real good dude and respectful, so add that to an intense work ethic and that's a great recipe for success. As for the other guys, I'm sure they can tell you what they feel they should have done, that's not really something I focus on.
...[Anthony Pettis] was considered the number-one contender heading into your fight. Now that you've taken him out of the equation, Henderson has defeated Jim Miller, and Melvin Guillard recently came up short against Joe Lauzon, that pretty much leaves you and Ben as the last two contenders standing. Have you received confirmation that a win over Henderson will earn you a title shot?
To me, a big win earns a title shot. I want to win big so that there is no question about my title shot. Everyone hyped Melvin Guillard as the obvious next shot, but then he lost in the first-round to Joe (Lauzon). So, I figure with a big win, then it's my turn for that title shot.
It's been a long road in the UFC for Guida and the fact that he is actually primed for a title shot is somewhat surprising for those of us who remember a time when Guida was seen as little more than a very tough gatekeeper.
Posted in: title shot, title, henderson, shot, guida
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC Quick Quote: Clay Guida thinks a big win over Ben Henderson will earn him a title shot
"Ben is obviously a gamer, he always comes to fight and fight hard. From what I know, he is a real good dude and respectful, so add that to an intense work ethic and that's a great recipe for success. ... To me, a big win earns a title shot. I want to win big so that there is no question about my title shot. Everyone hyped Melvin Guillard as the obvious next shot, but then he lost in the first-round to Joe (Lauzon). So, I figure with a big win, then it's my turn for that title shot.
-- When Frankie Edgar successfully defended his lightweight championship at UFC 136 with a knockout victory over Gray Maynard, it ended a near year-long logjam at the top of the 155-pound division. During that time, more than a few worthy candidates made their case for a title shot before eventually losing and falling out of contention, much like Melvin Guillard did when he was submitted by Joe Lauzon at the very same event. The two men left who have just kept winning are Clay Guida and Ben Henderson, who are, conveniently enough, matched up against one another at the upcoming UFC on FOX 1 event this Sat., Nov. 12, 2011, in Anaheim, California. And while the fight has not officially been deemed a number one contender bout, Guida, at least, thinks (via LowKick.com) that's exactly what it should be. A win, if "The Carpenter" can register one, would give him five in a row and make highest ranked UFC lightweight outside of the previously mentioned Edgar and Maynard. That's a roundabout way of saying there simply isn't anyone left. Are you ready for Clay Guida to (potentially) challenge for the 155-pound championship? Or should the UFC President Dana White wait for Gilbert Melendez to come on over from Strikeforce for a title unification bout if it's still possible after his December bout against Jorge Masvidal?
Posted in: ufc, title, clay guida, shot, guida
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNew TV Deal Has Bellator Thinking Globally
Filed under: BellatorWhen Viacom purchased Bellator Fighting Championships, it was a strong sign that the promotion has a good chance to survive as America's No. 2 mixed martial arts promotion. Now Bellator is looking at expanding globally as well.
"I'm really trying to expand this brand into international markets," Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMAFighting.com. "I've always believed since I started watching MMA that this sport was a very easy sport to grasp and understand -- the most basic level of sports competition -- one man vs. another man in a world class competition. So my vision has been building up enough presence domestically so we can start to expand internationally."
Toward that end, Bellator is announcing on Monday a deal with FremantleMedia Enterprises to represent its international TV distribution rights. FremantleMedia has operations in 22 countries and is involved in distributing nearly 10,000 hours of TV programming around the world every year.
"What this really means is we've got the foremost partner in the space out there helping us build this brand from an international perspective," Rebney said. "Domestically I've been clear that we've got the greatest domestic partner you could have from a television perspective. But now internationally we've got them looking to disseminate Bellator content into every single country."
Rebney said he thinks getting on TV channels around the world will help Bellator attract fans from outside North America, as well as compete for the best international MMA talent. He also said he can see Bellator doing international events in Brazil or Europe, although he said the logistics would be difficult to do an overseas show as one of Bellator's weekly seasonal events.
"We'll be able to really expand the power and breadth of the marketing machine," Rebney said. "We're three years old and have never done those things, but now that we have a partner like Fremantle we can start that development process. You'll see more Bellator licensed products, both domestically and internationally. You'll see more home entertainment, video on demand options in Bellator."
As you'd expect from a promoter, Rebney is bullish on what can be expected from Bellator going forward.
"The working relationship with Viacom is spectacular," Rebney said. "This is another very powerful, very large, very well-connected corporate entity that's very invested in the Bellator brand in mixed martial arts."
MMAFighting.com also caught up with Rebney for some other questions and answers regarding issues facing Bellator.
Michael David Smith: Ben Askren beat Jay Hieron in a very close split decision to retain the Bellator welterweight title. Would you consider booking an immediate rematch between the two of them?
Bjorn Rebney: I thought it was a great fight. The reason I went out and signed Jay Hieron was because I thought he was a world-class fighter who had never been given his shot. The key selling point I had with Jay was that if you come here you'll have a clear path to the title. He got it, he bought into it, Ben faced the best fighter he has faced thus far in his career. I thought Ben won the fight. I think the world of Jay Hieron and it would be my pleasure to have him back in another tournament and give him another shot at fighting either Ben Askren or the Ben Saunders-Douglas Lima winner, whoever of them might beat Ben Askren. But I don't give anyone a title shot. Guys earn a title shot in Bellator. So I'm not going to deviate from what's made Bellator unique, and that is that you earn it. Jay got super close, and it was a great fight, but the judges decided Ben won the fight, and if Jay wants another shot he'll come back and earn it.
Are you worried that the tournament format makes your champions too inactive? For instance, Eddie Alvarez likes to stay active, but he's only fought once this year and twice last year.
No, but I'm taking steps right now to increase the frequency of our world title defenses. If you look at other champions you see they typically will defend their titles twice in a year and we're in a position where champions defend their titles twice in a year, but I would like to increase that frequency. So I'm working with our partners at Spike on an adjustment to the format that will allow us to put more tournaments in each season -- not to change the tournaments, but to increase the number of tournaments so we can more regularly provide challengers who have earned the right to fight our champions. Of all the things we've done format wise, the only thing that wasn't as good as I wanted was the superfights. It wasn't an optimal situation in terms of how it should work in a perfect world, which is the guys should be defending their titles every time they step in the cage. That's what we're working on now.
Is Michael Chandler a good enough challenge for Alvarez? And what do you see in Alvarez's future?
I think Mike Chandler is a freak. He's an absolute monster. His maturation in the game, and his progression as a mixed martial artist, is more prolific than anyone I've seen over the last three years. He's a champion wrestler, who showed in his standup with Patricky Pitbull that he's a beast. He trains at an amazing camp with Randy Couture in Vegas and he's an absolute beast. I think Eddie is the best 155-pounder on earth but I think Chandler will be one of the toughest opponents of his career. People will be shocked at how competitive that fight will be.
Is Eddie Alvarez going to fight Shinya Aoki next?
It's signed to happen. The issue becomes what happens in Ed's fight with Mike. Contingent upon the outcome of that fight, it's scheduled to happen in the first quarter of 2012. The folks we're working with it at Dream say they're ready to move forward for it but we have to see how Ed does in his fight with Mike, although Ed losing his title to Mike wouldn't preclude him from fighting Aoki.
Lorenzo Fertitta recently predicted that you guys would end up on pay-per-view. Do you think that will happen?
I didn't see that. There's a potential that we could end up on pay-per-view but our model right now is great because we don't have to get to pay-per-view for our business model to work. Pay-per-view is a difficult model to get to, but hard-core fans of MMA know when pay-per-view is warranted. I don't believe we're there yet but I believe there's the potential for us to get there. The transition to Spike is an amazing step -- they're the name in MMA on TV. I don't know when pay-per-view will occur, but it could occur in the future.
When will Season 6 start?
First quarter of 2012. We don't have a date yet, we'll take some time off after our last fight of this season on November 26 and then get ready to roll.
Which weight classes will you do in Season 6?
We'll definitely have 155, 145 for sure, probably 205 as well because our team has got some amazing signings at light heavyweight, and then we'll figure it out after that. The question is whether we'll do four, five or six tournaments next season.
What do you see as the future of women's MMA in Bellator?
It definitely has a future. It's definitely something we talk about, strategize on and plan for. We've got Jessica Aguilar fighting Lisa Ward coming up. I don't know if Season 6 will see a women's tournament but we'll definitely put women's fights together. Depth is an issue with eight-woman tournaments -- the depth across a weight class isn't one of women's MMA's strengths. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, tournament, rebney
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseHistory in the Making: The early days of the UFC heavyweight title (Part one)
The early days of the UFC were like the wild west, a landscape of very few rules where the man with the biggest gun ruled.
But a little over three years into the promotion's life, they knew something had to change. They realized there was a legitimate sport to be made from the bare-knuckle brawling scraps that remained from the first handful of events and while a fight between a 180-pound man soaking wet and another who tips the scales somewhere close to 250 pounds may fun, it's ultimately archaic if the UFC was to be kept from being labeled as a bloodsport.
At UFC 12, that began to change. It wasn't the meticulously planned weight classes we have now but it was a start. Two weight classes which amounted to everything at and above 200 pounds and then everything underneath was the first step to the sport we enjoy today.
That event also hosted the promotion's very first heavyweight title fight. More men have worn that title than any other in the UFC, giving it a rich and sometimes complicated history. This Saturday (Nov. 12) with the debut of UFC on Fox, the title takes center stage in another significant moment.
Before current champion Cain Velasquez steps inside the Octagon against challenger Junior Dos Santos, we'll take a look at the lineage of the belt that they are fighting over.
Pay attention, Maniacs, it's time for a history lesson!
At UFC 12, Mark Coleman -- who had won the previous two tournaments -- was booked opposite Dan Severn who was the reigning Superfight champion to decide the company's first heavyweight champion. "The Beast" had defeated Ken Shamrock nearly a year prior for that honor which was regarded as somewhat of a de facto heavyweight crown.
That night in the small town of Dothan, Alabama, "The Hammer" continued his dominance and routed Severn. Sinking in a neck crank/choke-type submission less than three minutes into the bout, Coleman forced his opponent to tap and celebrated despite now having a giant bullseye on his back as the heavyweight champ.
His first defense should have been a cakewalk for "The Hammer." Maurice Smith was his opponent despite the fact the kickboxer was making his Octagon debut. "Mo" was the heavyweight kingpin with Extreme Fighting and in an early attempt at co-promotion, the two companies booked their champs against each other.
Smith was a huge underdog due to the combination of him having never fought in the UFC and his awful 4-7 record. Coleman, on the other hand, pretty much destroyed each opponent placed in front of him. The kickboxer was seen as simply a placeholder until "The Hammer" was able to take on a more deserving challenger.
Instead it was Smith who would be taking on those challengers. The Extreme Fighting champion used a modified rope-a-dope strategy to tire out his muscle-bound opponent during the regulation period before turning on the striking gas in overtime.
Coleman has Frank Shamrock to thank -- or condemn -- for Smith's performance as he had been training with the mixed martial arts (MMA) legend to prepare for the big title bout.
Smith won via decision and would later best Tank Abbott by pummeling the brawler with a litany of leg kicks. After eight minutes of having "Mo's" shin smacking against his leg, the original "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" could barely stand and had to give up.
Next up for the champ was a fighter that MMA fans are all duly familiar with, Randy Couture. "The Natural" had won the tournament at UFC 13 and upset Vitor Belfort two events later. It was enough to earn the wrestler a shot at the title and he made the most of it. He fought Smith for 21 minutes, showing hints of the impeccable gameplanning he would later become renowned for by using his wrestling acumen to control the bout. At UFC Japan, Couture earned the decision and with it, the heavyweight title.
The first test for "Captain America" was to be former champion Mark Coleman but an injury kept Couture out of the Octagon and "The Hammer" took on UFC debutee Pete Williams, losing in spectacular fashion. So another recently signed fighter, Bas Rutten, was then thrown around as a possible challenger but in a theme that would be no stranger to Couture's career, a contract dispute led to him dropping the title and putting the entire division on hold.
The UFC then held an informal, unofficial heavyweight tournament dubbed "Road to the Heavyweight Title" which spanned a handful of events. At UFC Brazil, Williams took on Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kosaka and lost while Pedro Rizzo handed Tank Abbott his second knockout loss.
"TK" then took on the debuting Rutten, a fight "El Guapo" won. The victory placed him in one half of the bout to determine a new champion. The other slot was seemingly Pedro Rizzo's for the taking as he defeated Mark Coleman at the same event but the Brazilian was skipped over in favor of Kevin Randleman who defeated Maurice Smith two months later.
There was very little rhyme or reason to justify either fighter getting the nod over "The Rock" but at UFC 20, Rutten defeated "The Monster" in a decision that is debated to this day. The UFC finally had a heavyweight champion.
And then suddenly, it didn't.
Despite spending his entire career at heavyweight, Rutten felt he was more suited for a lighter weight class and made his intention clear to drop down. Before he even could, however, he was forced to retire due to a laundry list of injuries that had accumulated over his career.
Not wanting to go through the trouble of another long, winding tournament to crown yet another new champion, the UFC simply booked Randleman against Williams who was now 3-1 inside the Octagon. "The Monster" walked away after 25 minutes with the heavyweight crown.
Randleman's title reign is best known for two things: the aborted main event of UFC 24 and having the first successful defense since Smith brutalized Abbott's leg way back at UFC 15.
At UFC 24, ironically dubbed "First Defense," Randleman was set to take on Rizzo but slipped on some pipes in the back, fell, and concussed himself. Ah, the early days of the UFC. He would eventually take on "The Rock" two events later, coming out on top.
Five months later, a familiar face was there to wrest the title away from him. It was none other than Randy Couture who had returned to the Octagon and was now the first-ever two-time champion in any weight class. It was only the last heavyweight title the original owners, SEG, promoted before the UFC was bought out and revived by Zuffa.
Next: The Zuffa-era begins! From Couture to Tim Sylvia to Velasquez, part two of the heavyweight title's history is up next!
Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, champion, smith
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 138 Results: Mark Munoz's Case as Title Challenger
Mark Munoz came into UFC 138 as the #4 ranked middleweight in the world in the USA Today / SB Nation Consensus Rankings. Chris Leben had been on a bit of an upswing in his career but still sat at only #13. So with Munoz dominating Leben, one has to wonder if the idea of Munoz vs. Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight championship is something the fans would buy into.
Silva is lacking in fresh title challengers to the point that I was resorting to making a case for Leben as a challenger should he have knocked off Munoz. A rematch with Chael Sonnen should obviously come before anything else, but has Munoz now done enough to put himself in line for a shot?
On one hand, four straight wins has been plenty enough for title shots for others and the idea of a fresh name across from Silva is appealing. As a Filipino, Munoz has a passionate fanbase that is always excited to embrace successful fighters. There are certainly plenty of positives to look back on.
But then one looks at fights like Munoz's performance against Demian Maia. Maia, a much lesser striker than Silva, cracked Munoz and even appeared to have him hurt. The idea of what Silva would do to those openings brings to mind images of sheer brutality. Munoz struggled at times even in success against Kendall Grove and Aaron Simpson, his wrestling has never looked truly dominant in the transition to MMA.
But picking out flaws that Anderson Silva would be able to exploit is a losing game. Silva is as elite as elite gets in this sport and his dominance to this point is a function of his ability to capitalize on every mistake his opponents make.
Munoz is likely as good, if not better, of a challenger than anyone else not named Chael Sonnen at this point. He could probably benefit from another fight and more exposure and it may make sense to utilize the "hot product" of the winner of Bisping vs. Miller in a title shot first but Munoz would appear to be "in the mix" now.
Posted in: title, challenger, silva, chael sonnen, munoz
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 138 results: Not so fast on that title shot, Mark Muñoz
Mark Muñoz had just won the biggest fight of his career and did so in impressive fashion.
Standing inside the Octagon in Birmingham, England, he heard Bruce Buffer bellow his name as the winner of the UFC 138 main event.
Perhaps it was the emotion of the situation or perhaps the "Filipino Wrecking Machine" legitimately feels this way but he made it absolutely clear that he wanted a middleweight title shot. He had defeated the likes of Aaron Simpson and Demian Maia and torn through C.B. Dollaway and Chris Leben on top of winning his first three bouts at 185-pounds and demanded a crack at friend Anderson Silva.
Sporting a 7-1 record at middleweight overall, there shouldn't be much of a debate whether or not Muñoz should get a title shot. He's ranked as the fourth best 185-pounder by SBNation and seems primed as ever for the biggest opportunity that can be afforded to fighers.
So why should he have to win one more fight?
Here's why.
It seems like Muñoz's loss to Yushin Okami was a lifetime ago even though it was only last year. In the UFC Live bout, Okami was able to stifle his opponent's takedown attempts and keep the fight vertical for the most part. Despite how naturally talented Muñoz is, his stand-up simply hadn't had time to evolve beyond that of the Japanese fighter's and "Thunder" walked away with the split decision.
In the 15 months since, the "Filipino Wrecking Machine" has rattled over four straight wins include one over top 10 ranked Demian Maia and last night's victory over top 15-ranked Leben.
But there's another middleweight with a nearly equal record at 185-pounds who might have a thing to say about Muñoz getting the first shot at Anderson Silva.
His name is Michael Bisping and despite how unpopular the idea may be, he's on the cusp of a title shot as well.
Ever since dropping down from light heavyweight, the Briton has gone 7-2 with the losses coming at the hands of Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson which was of course, one of the most famous knockouts in mixed martial arts (MMA) history.
But nearly two years removed from his loss to "The Axe Murderer" and nearly three from "Hendo," Bisping himself is riding a three-fight win streak that will be put on the line next month when he and Jason Miller square off inside the Octagon as the end of this season's The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).
The traditional fight between the two coaches will take place on the TUF Finale for the first time since B.J. Penn and Jens Pulver went head-to-head and promises to be a bout not to be missed. Should "The Count" win, he would be in prime position to be jockeying for a title shot himself. But he wouldn't be quite ready either. Ideally, if Bisping gets the victory over "Mayhem" in a month, he and Muñoz should be booked in a title eliminator bout.
Let's not be naive here. Chael Sonnen will be fighting Anderson Silva next. No matter what Ed Soares says, no matter what anyone says. If someone tries to convince you that Sonnen won't be challenging "The Spider" in the early part of 2012 -- barring injury, of course -- you have legal right to call the police because you are dealing with a legitimately crazy person and those people can be dangerous.
There's just too much money to be made in Silva/Sonnen 2 that Dana White and company would be utterly inept not to book that fight. And they aren't. I know because they have taken the UFC this far. They make -- not always but usually -- good business decisions and a rematch of the UFC 117 main event is a damn good one.
So that leaves Muñoz and Bisping on the outside looking in at least for now. Should Miller end up winning, I could definitely see him getting booked against the "Filipino Wrecking Machine" instead. He's got personality and mainstream exposure from his Bully Beatdown show.
But if the UFC decides not to rush a title shot for "Mayhem," a middleweight bout for UFC 142 has just been announced between former title contender Vitor Belfort and recent welterweight defecter Anthony Johnson. Muñoz taking on the winner of that bout would work as well.
It's not that Muñoz hasn't done enough to earn a title shot. In a more shallow division, he probably would have already gotten one. But with Bisping running around nearly matching the accomplishments on the Filipino's resumé and Sonnen knocking on Silva's door, the time for Muñoz to get a chance at 12-pounds of gold simply isn't now.
But if his performance against Leben is any indication, once he does get that shot, it's going to be a long night for the fighter who happens to be champion.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, shot, muntildeoz
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Quick Quote: Mark Munoz calls out Anderson Silva after win over Chris Leben
"I paid my dues in this weight class and I think I deserve a title shot. Anderson Silva is by far the best pound-for-pound fighter. I give him all the respect and honor, but I think I deserve a title shot right now. I consider him a friend, but right now I'd love to get a title shot."
-- Belts before bros. Immediately following his second round technical knockout win over Chris Leben at UFC 138 earlier today (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011) in Birmingham, England, Mark Munoz set his sights on bigger and badder fish in the middleweight pond. "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" went to work on "The Crippler," using his considerable grappling skill set to ground his opponent into the mat and eventually force a stoppage after Leben couldn't answer the call for the third round due to a cut above his eye. It's a winning formula and one Munoz thinks he can use to win the 185-pound title from striker extraordinaire Anderson Silva. If there's a martial art that will finally dethrone "The Spider," it's wrestling and Munoz most certainly has it. But is a win over Leben enough to earn him a crack at the gold? After all, there's still that pesky little problem known as Chael Sonnen lighting up the boards. Who should get the first shot? Sonnen or Munoz?
Posted in: title, shot, leben, munoz, middleweight pond
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMunoz Carves Up Leben at UFC 138, Calls for Title Shot
They gave Mark Munoz five rounds. He only needed two.
Posted in: title shot, title, shot, mark munoz, munoz
Read the full article at SherdogUFC Quick Quote: Chris Leben would only fight Chael Sonnen if it was for the title
"If Chael gets the title, I'll fight Chael for the title. I'd beat Chael, I know that. I know how to train for him, I've trained with him for years. But I wouldn't fight him. The only reason I would fight him is if he had the title."
-- Thorn, meet Dana White's side ... again. Chris Leben, who takes on Mark Munoz tomorrow (Sat., Nov. 4, 2011) at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England, is already looking ahead to the future. A victory would give him five wins in his last six fights and, he thinks, make him a legitimate title contender. "The Crippler" would love to get revenge on reigning division deity Anderson Silva but its' entirely possible he will no longer be champion after Chael Sonnen gets through with him. That would mean Leben would have to face the prospect of fighting a training partner. He would do it, of course, but only if the 185-pound strap was at stake. He's got the secret to beating Sonnen, too, thanks to his extensive time on the mats with the Oregon native. Anyone think Sonnen beats Silva before Leben beats Sonnen and we've got a "Crippler" for a middleweight champion in 2012? Anyone?
Posted in: title, chris leben, sonnen, chael, leben
Read the full article at MMA ManiaLuke Thomas covers Junior dos Santos talking about his UFC heavyweight title fight with Cain...
Luke Thomas covers Junior dos Santos talking about his UFC heavyweight title fight with Cain Velasquez next weekend, and his impressions of the Fox deal. Check it out over at MMA Nation.
Posted in: ufc, title, luke, do, luke thomas
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFriday Link Club: UFC 138 Preview, Dana White’s Mom Launches Another Public Attack On Her Son
UFC 138 Breakdown: The Main Card | Five Ounces of Pain
While it might be no more than an underwhelming overseas card vastly overshadowed by the following week’s mega title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, UFC 138 still features a main event with direct title implications. In a relatively shallow middleweight division, Chris Leben and Mark Munoz find themselves within touching distance of an improbable title shot. A win could very well propel the victor into a title eliminator scenario, making a shot at the middleweight title in late 2012 not unlikely. Also bidding to make the most out of a main card spot are the likes of Brad Pickett, Renan Barao, local hope Terry Etim, and former welterweight number one contender Thiago Alves.
Singing in the Reign: MMAmania interview exclusive with UFC 138 headliner Mark Munoz | MMA Mania
“I’ll take a submission victory or a knockout. I will take that for sure. I don’t see this fight going five rounds at all. I think we’ll see a guys that come in there swinging and there’s just gonna be fireworks happening. We fight to finish and not just score points so I don’t see this fight going to the end of the fifth round at all.”
Chris Leben: In My Mind, This Is for Number One Contender | MMA Fighting
“Honestly, in my mind this is for number one contender. He’s won three straight, I’ve won four of my last five, just knocked out Wanderlei Silva. I think me and Munoz, if I go out there and defeat him and dominate him that should say that, hey, Chris deserves a crack at the title.”
Mark Munoz: Bombs Away in Birmingham | 5thRound
“He’s a tough, tough dude,” Munoz told 5thRound.com. “He’s going to come straight forward and you know that there is going to be bombs flying at you. For me, it’s no secret, I’m going to use my wrestling. I always say that, [but] I throw bombs, too. So bombs away.”
Dana White’s mom teams up with his bitterest enemy to launch another public attack against her son | Cage Potato
When Dana White’s mom released a “tell-all” book a few months back, we all figured that it was a result of sour grapes for not being cut a check when Dana started making stacks of cash. Now we’re pretty sure we were right and that this crazy woman has some sort of vendetta against her son, considering she’s teamed up with one of Dana’s most bitter enemies, Jerry Millen for the scathing interview above.
The 100 Greatest Moments in UFC History | Bleacher Report
So as a celebration of—and perhaps a token of appreciation for—how far it has all come, here’s a list of the greatest moments in UFC history. This encompasses old school and new, serious and funny, inside and outside the Octagon. Moments that were special to witness or helped in some way to move the sport closer to where it is today, which is to say, on the precipice of world domination.
Bas Rutten on his new show “Punk Payback” and self-defense
| TheFightNerd
The Fight Nerd spoke with Bas Rutten, whose new show on FUEL TV, “Punk Payback” debuts Wednesday, November 2, which is a show that has the former UFC Heavyweight Champ and King of Pancrase breaking down real-life self-defense situations caught on tape, and showing you at home what to do if you were in that situation. We discussed the show at length, explaining what the concept is, how much of the self-defense that Bas shows is improv or scripted (along with the craziness that he says), and what is ahead in Bas’ acting career. We also discuss the real-life implications of some of these scenarios, and what is legal to do if you need to defend yourself.
Photo Gallery: Chael Sonnen, Rampage Jackson and Chuck Liddell test out UFC Undisputed 3 | LowKick
In addition to the electrifying bout between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn, last weekend’s UFC 137 also featured a number of UFC Undisputed 3 promotional events.
One of those events was the PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 rematch between Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Only that this time, two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions squared off inside the virtual Octagon of UFC Undisputed 3.This time it was Chuck Liddell who got his hand raised via TKO (Head Kick), winning the PRIDE FC Grand-Prix belt from the hands of Best of PRIDE host Kenda Perez.
Japan 2011: The more things change, the more they stay the same | Fight Opinion
What’s not incredible or shocking is that there will be yet another attempted New Year’s Eve event at Saitama Super Arena this year, promoted by Real Entertainment. The former employees of PRIDE will work in conjunction with Antonio Inoki as the front man, just like he was last year. The show title will be called “Genki desu ka!” which is Inoki’s trademark slogan. It’s a sweetheart deal for him. The discussion is that there will be 20 matches on the card and that IGF aces Peter Aerts & Jerome Le Banner will be on the card. There is some hope of getting the telecast on broadcast television, but nobody is sure how things will play out given that it’s already November and it’s short time for a TV network to get an ad agency working at the last-second to make the numbers work.
Snoop Dogg invites Anderson Silva on his tour to smoke a green, leafy substance | MiddleEasy
In a few days, Snoop Dogg’s international tour will hit the country of Brazil and in this video, Snoop has extended an invitation to The Spider to hang out on his tour bus, and above all else, smoke some mysterious ‘green, leafy substance.’
Zuffa Maintains “BB” Credit Rating, “Stable” is Key | MMA Payout
Typically, a rating of “BB” implies that Zuffa is less vulnerable in the near term, although it faces major ongoing uncertainties and exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, which can result in failure to meet its financial commitments. On the other hand, it’s a credit rating of “stable”, which is not a bad place to be for a company who’s core business model is so volatile and can be affected by many market variables.
Chael Sonnen: ‘I’m The Biggest Draw In The Industry’ | Fightline
”I’m the biggest draw in the industry today. I sell more tickets, more pay-per-views, and more merchandise than any fighter in history,” said Sonnen, in a recent interview with Fighthype.com. “Comparing GSP to me is like comparing Kimbo (Slice) to (Muhammed) Ali.”
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, card, number
Read the full article at MMA ConvertCarlos Condit Needs to Earn His Title Shot By Fighting the Best
Carlos Condit is a hot topic these days. The last few weeks have been very tumultuous for The Natural Born Killer, and it's not surprising that seemingly everyone has an opinion on how he's been treated and who he should fight next. Josh Nason thinks Condit got screwed. Jonathan Snowden of MMA Nation believes that Condit never earned that title shot in the first place. Leland Roling believes that Jake Ellenberger is the best option for Condit's next fight. Luke Thomas of MMA Nation believes that Josh Koscheck vs. Condit is a terrible idea. And Matt Roth just wants you to know it's Movember (solid analysis as usual, Matt). A big question needs to be asked though:
Why is Carlos Condit so special all of a sudden?
Sure, he's a very talented fighter that has been on a nice four-fight winning streak over the last two years. But as Snowden rightfully said in his piece, he did absolutely nothing to earn a title shot. He just happened to be the only option available when Nick Diaz went temporarily crazy, and when Diaz beat B.J. Penn at UFC 137, the insanity ended and reality was restored. Why have people suddenly forgotten that Condit's winning streak was only good enough to earn a fight with B.J. Penn, not a fight with Georges St. Pierre? And to top it off, people really think the UFC should be protecting a future title shot by having Condit avoid the toughest challenge available for his next fight in February? I can't get on board with that. And I'm going to tell you why.
Many believe that Condit's next fight should be designed as a number one contender's matchup, and a bout against a guy like Josh Koscheck makes no sense since Kos wouldn't earn a title shot if he beat Condit. But that idea can be struck down with one simple fact - Condit was originally scheduled to face Penn at UFC 137. If Condit won, he would have earned a title shot. But if Penn won, he wasn't getting a third shot at GSP (if he had defeated Diaz). The UFC booked Condit against the toughest opponent available at the time, and if Penn won, they lost a potential challenger for the belt. They were willing to risk that, and it was the right decision.
Fast forward to today - if they book Condit against the toughest challenge available (hint - that's not Jake Ellenberger), it would be exactly the same type of matchmaking as UFC 137 was originally designed to be. If it's good enough for Joe Silva, why isn't it good enough for everyone else?
Speaking of Mr. Ellenberger, it seems that the general consensus is that Condit should rematch him in February instead of facing a higher-ranked fighter. The reasoning is that Ellenberger just beat Jake Shields, and the first fight between the two was very close. I have a few problems with that though, the biggest being that Condit beat Ellenberger just four fights ago. Yes, the fight was close. But Condit won, and a rematch this quickly is going back to the well way too soon. In addition, wrapping it up in the "you get a guaranteed title challenger from the matchup" logic isn't based in matchmaking reality, as I pointed out above. You also lose a potential title challenger in the process. Why not let them each take their own route to the top? They don't need to keep crossing paths on the way.
In addition to that, in what world does beating the same dude a second time suddenly make you worthy of a title shot? A second win over Ellenberger is way more valuable now because he dropped Jake Shields with a knee and decisioned Carlos Eduardo Rocha? No, it's not. Condit needs a bigger win to earn a legitimate shot at the title. And there's just one man for the job.
Ellenberger is undoubtedly a tough fight, but Condit should be facing a tougher challenge. He needs to earn a lot more credibility before the general public will take him seriously as a threat to Georges St. Pierre (if he beats Diaz in February). Condit's biggest weakness is his wrestling, and while Ellenberger is good, he's not an elite wrestler in the division. The biggest thing Condit can do for his credibility is to defeat an elite wrestler. There are three in the division. Two are available. One wants the fight.
Here's what should happen. Carlos Condit already beat Jake Ellenberger. If Condit wants to truly earn a credible title shot and the UFC wants to book the best fight possible, he should face Josh Koscheck in February. Koscheck is the highest-ranked available fighter, the fight is a lot more alluring to casual fans than Condit/Ellenberger 2, and Carlos needs that type of win to prove he's worthy of a fight with GSP. The armchair matchmakers can complain about the UFC throwing Condit to the wolves, or ruining a potential title challenger, or a dozen other things. They're still under the false impression that Condit deserves better, because Dana White gave him a gift for a couple of weeks. He does not deserve better. He should earn it like everyone else, and beating Jake Ellenberger again doesn't earn much of anything.
Bring on Kos.
Posted in: fight, ellenberger, title, condit, shot
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowRashad Evans: Donald Cerrone’s growth in MMA is 'ridiculous'
Gitty up.
Donald Cerrone is riding one of the hottest streaks in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, winning four straight in the UFC's stacked lightweight division. Perhaps even more impressive is that "Cowboy" has done it all in a span of only eight months.
And there's no rest for the wicked.
Cerrone already has another fight lined up against Nate Diaz at UFC 141 on Dec. 30, 2011, which will bring his total to five fights inside the Octagon in 2011.
His former stablemate at Jackson Winkeljohn MMA, one-time UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, has taken notice, gushing about his rapid rise in the sport. As "Suga" tells ESPN.co.uk, the former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) standout has a history of putting in hard work with few breaks between.
He also happens to possess all the tools to become UFC champion:
"I definitely think Cerrone can win the title. I love to watch the way he's grown in the sport. I remember when he first came to Jackson's gym; he had absolutely no wrestling at all, like zero wrestling. And his ground was just kind of so-so. He was just all stand-up; he was one of Duane Ludwig's protégés. To watch his growth is ridiculous and every single time I and watch how good he's got and I get chills. He used to come to the gym and he'd live in that gym and those guys would practice all day long, literally. He'd practice with the team, get something to eat, take a nap, and then practice all day for the rest of the day. Donald's a leader too, he had all these guys and he was the leader of the crew and everyone wanted to be like Donald. The work he put in paid off."
"Cowboy" is coming off an impressive first round submission victory over German kickboxer Dennis Siver at UFC 137.
With the upcoming fight between Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida at UFC on FOX 1 likely to determine the division's next number one contender to challenge lightweight champion Frankie Edgar next, Cerrone can move into the next position with another convincing performance over Diaz on New Year's Eve weekend.
Indeed, the title aspirations of Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard recently took major blows after their most recent losses to Ben Henderson and Joe Lauzon, respectively. Cerrone is in a great position to stake his own contender claim ... all he has to do is keep winning.
However, title fights have not been kind to Cerrone in the past. He previoulsy failed to capture lightweight gold in his three attempts in the now defunct WEC, losing once to Jamie Varner and twice to the aforementioned Henderson.
Does "Cowboy" now have the goods to defeat the upper echelon of the UFC lightweight roster and hold the UFC title one day or will he continue to struggle when it matters most?
Posted in: ufc, title, day, cerrone, donald
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNick Diaz: The Blueprint to Beating GSP?
Long time UFC welterweight king Georges St. Pierre is coming off of his sixth successful title defense against Jake Shields. He is one of only two men to defend their title more than five times in a row, the other of course being middleweight Anderson Silva, and has been widely regarded as the #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, again behind Silva, meaning not many are daring enough to dispute that opinion.
However, GSP’s biggest problem in terms of marketing himself as a top P4P fighter is that he hasn’t finished a fight since winning the title back in April of 2008 against Matt Serra. And no, I’m not counting the corner stoppage over BJ Penn at UFC 94 since ‘Greasegate’ had one too many controversial moments for me. Since then, to paraphrase the French-Canadian’s run as champ, “I’m not impressed by your performance.”
GSP is now scheduled to face controversial ex-Strikeforce welterweight title-holder Nick Diaz as a result of Diaz beating down Penn this past weekend. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I see Diaz as the biggest threat GSP has ever faced. Diaz left the ring after his fight at UFC 137, shouting about St. Pierre, then coming out and accusing “Rush” of being scared to face him while adding his belief that he’s faking an injury to dodge fights.
Diaz Talks his Way into Championship Clash
If we look over GSP’s fights since he won the title, every fighter he has faced has had a big downfall. Starting with his first defense against Jon Fitch, the Purdue Boilermaker has an undeniably good ground game made up of excellent wrestling and good submission skills. As such, GSP was able to beat him largely by keeping the fight standing where Fitch has far fewer skills. Moving on to Penn, who I’d argue was the only fighter he has faced since winning the title who matched up with him well in pretty much every sense except for size, I’d say it’s pretty much a wash based on the controversy surrounding the result. Next up was hard-hitting BJJ blackbelt Thiago Alves in the one fight that I thought GSP had looked truly impressive. He managed to nullify Alves’ striking by using his hefty six-inch reach advantage to great effect, mixing up his striking and wrestling to dominate Alves the entire fight.
After that we had Dan Hardy, whom I like but who are we kidding? How many people saw it going the way it did? That’d be EVERYONE. You’re talking about an excellent wrestler with solid stand-up against a contender with equally good stand-up and zero ground game. What happens next? Complete domination is the answer. Clearly you don’t have to be a champion to dominate Hardy on the ground…hell, in all honesty, someone who had just gone on a weeklong wrestling crash-course might even be able to give him a good run for his money. Then St. Pierre more or less used the same game-plan two fights in a row, against Josh Koscheck and Shields, where he again had a significant reach advantage over both of them.
So, how does GSP beat people? He seems to employ one of two different game plans. Either the ‘take him down or keep him there’ plan or the ‘stay standing and jab him to death’ plan. So, will either of these plans work against Diaz?
Well, Diaz comes out of the famous and infamous Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu camp where they’re known as much for their Jiu-Jitsu as they are for their big mouths and close knit family. Diaz has a terrific Jiu-Jitsu game (especially off of his back) leading to numerous submission. But the biggest wrench that Diaz can throw into GSP’s plan is his size. GSP has enjoyed a sizeable reach advantage over most of his opponents, but against Diaz this will not be the case. Diaz also has some of the best boxing in MMA, proven by his picking apart of Penn which is no small feat.
In my humble opinion, Diaz will beat GSP standing though whether or not he will he beat GSP on the ground I don’t know. What I do know is that Diaz will be the biggest test of GSP’s skills in his career. This fight may well show exactly how good GSP actually is because he will need to bring with him a whole new game plan if he wants to win this fight, scheduled to take place Super Bowl Weekend in February of next year.
Your move Greg Jackson.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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Posted in: fight, diaz, title, gsp, plan
Read the full article at Fighters.comRashad Evans: The UFC is a business and Carlos Condit can't be too upset about losing his title shot
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Posted in: title shot, business, title, rashad evans, shot
Read the full article at RedditRashad Evans Chimes in on Carlos Condit's Lost Opportunity to Fight Georges St. Pierre
There may be no man on the current UFC roster more qualified to talk about losing title shots and missed opportunities than Rashad Evans. We've been watching Evans and multiple champions now deal with injuries and behind the scenes political issues that have delayed his title shot since it was announced he would receive a chance to win back the belt after UFC 114 on May 29, 2010.
So with Carlos Condit losing his shot at Georges St. Pierre's welterweight title to Nick Diaz, the man whose shot it was initially anyway, it only made sense to ask Rashad what he thought of the situation. That's exactly what ESPN did:
"You have to understand that the UFC is a business, and it is about putting together the fights people want to see. At the time it made sense for Carlos Condit to step up for the fight, but the reality of the situation was the real fight was Nick Diaz v Georges St-Pierre. So he can't be too upset about that.
"He was the first to be called [to replace Diaz] so he should know exactly where he is. So he should be thinking, 'OK, they thought enough of me to call me in that situation. If I win my next fight then I'll definitely be in that situation'."
If I haven't made it clear enough, I'm fully on the side of giving Diaz the title shot. It's the fight that was supposed to happen and it's a bigger fight. Condit got a lucky break being moved into the title shot and an unlucky break with St. Pierre getting injured. The universe balanced itself out and now all Carlos has to do is keep winning and he'll get his shot.
SBN coverage of UFC 137 Results: Penn vs. Diaz
Posted in: fight, title shot, diaz, title, shot
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowRashad Evans: The UFC is a business and Carlos Condit can't be too upset about losing his title shot
Nothing personal, just business.
If anyone understands what it means to fall by the wayside when it comes to UFC title shots, it's former 205-pound champion Rashad Evans.
That's because "Suga" missed his chance to challenge for the light heavyweight crown when Jon Jones squashed Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 back in March. "Bones" went on to defend against Quinton Jackson while Evans body-blew Tito Ortiz.
The promotion teased him with another title shot, but ultimately gave it to Lyoto Machida at UFC 140. Evans ain't even mad. In fact, he's grown accustomed to the UFC doing what's best for business, even it if stands in contrast to what's best for him.
Which is why he tells ESPN that Carlos Condit "can't be too upset" about getting bumped from a 2012 title fight against Georges St. Pierre:
"You have to understand that the UFC is a business, and it is about putting together the fights people want to see. At the time it made sense for Carlos Condit to step up for the fight, but the reality of the situation was the real fight was Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre. So he can't be too upset about that. He was the first to be called [to replace Diaz] so he should know exactly where he is. So he should be thinking, 'OK, they thought enough of me to call me in that situation. If I win my next fight then I'll definitely be in that situation.'"
Condit was expected to challenge St. Pierre at UFC 137 back on Oct. 29; however, "Rush" blew out his knee and was forced to put their fight on hold until early next year.
In the meantime, Nick Diaz pummeled former champion B.J. Penn at the same event, doing enough in the process to convince the UFC that the former Strikeforce 170-pound kingpin was the better, or at least more marketable, contender.
And it was a fight Diaz had already been assigned, until some media tomfoolery got him demoted.
In the end, all that matters is that Diaz and St. Pierre will be throwing down on Superbowl weekend. And "The Natural Born Killer" will need at least one more fight to get back to the mountaintop. Again.
Nothing personal, just business.
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, business, title
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMalki Kawa Releases Statement Regarding Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit
Last night Inside MMA aired live at the Lemp Brewery in St. Louis, MO. During the show, First Round Management CEO Malki Kawa released a statement regarding the UFC's decision to schedule Georges St. Pierre vs Nick Diaz, effectively passing over his client Carlos Condit, who was originally scheduled to fight St. Pierre upon his return from injury.
"We are obviously disappointed in the UFC's decision to cancel its commitment with Carlos Condit to give another fighter an opportunity at the Welterweight title based on emotional reactions from UFC 137. Contrary to what has been stated, Carlos did not step aside to allow this to happen, and would not just hand over an opportunity for him to achieve his greatest career goal, one that he has earned through his strong performances in the Octagon. No option was given to him.For the second time in less than two weeks, Carlos has had an opportunity swept out from beneath his feet. He has shown nothing but pure class in his drive to the title, and will continue to do so. Carlos does not need motivation to fight for the title, he already has it.This situation will only motivate Carlos more. He will move forward and continue to train at the level that has made him the legitimate number one contender for the UFC Welterweight championship, and he is looking forward to the opportunity to earn that title."
This decision has split the MMA community. Bloody Elbow's own Josh Nason made the case that Carlos Condit earned his title shot and taking it away is bad for business while MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden says that Diaz is the rightful challenge to St. Pierre's belt.
If Kawa is being honest with the way that the decision was made, I do feel for Condit. It's got to be rough to have a fight cancelled last minute and then the title shot that you've been awarded snatched away, especially if there wasn't a discussion and more of a ultimatum.
To his credit, Carlos Condit has handled this well, at least publicly. He hasn't complained about the UFC nor has he complained about St. Pierre's injury. This is in contrast to Diaz who wasn't excited or happy at the post-fight press conference when he was told that he would get his title shot after all. These are things that Zuffa management will remember when Condit's time finally comes.
Posted in: ufc, title, st, condit, carlo
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCondit may have lost his title shot, but when he goes home to this, I'm sure he feels just fine.
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Posted in: title shot, title, condit, shot, im
Read the full article at RedditJose Aldo defends title against Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Brazil
UFC featherweight phenom Jose Aldo‘s wish came true today when it was revealed the dynamic Brazilian will get a chance to defend his divisional title in front of a hometown crowd when the UFC returns to the South American hub on January 14 for UFC 142. As expected, Aldo will face undefeated Team Alpha Male representative Chad Mendes.
Aldo and Mendes could be the start of an America vs. Brazil rivalry, as the two will likely be one of numerous pairings involving the clash of nationalities and also meet a few months before a likely encounter between UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
For Aldo, the bout will mark the first time he has fought in Brazil since 2007. “Scarface” is 20-1 in his career and has won thirteen straight fights including back-to-back decision victories to defend his UFC title against Kenny Florian and Mark Hominick.
Mendes (11-0) is 2-0 in the UFC since the company folded in the WEC. He has won seven of his fights via decision and two each by KO and submission.
“Aldo hasn’t lost in over five years, but Mendes has yet to lose in MMA, and after clearing out all the contenders put in his way, he believes he has what it takes to beat the champion,” said UFC President Dana White in a recent interview with FOX Sports’ website and has since been announced by the UFC.
A venue for the title fight has yet to be decided, but rumors have mentioned Rio de Janeiro as a possible site meaning the promotion would likely return to the HSBC Arenar where UFC 134 was held.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, title, brazil, aldo, mende
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainAldo to defend title at home in January
Jose Aldo will defend his UFC featherweight title against unbeaten Chad Mendes on Jan. 14 in Brazil.
Posted in: title, jose, january, aldo, chad
Read the full article at sportsnet.caMark Munoz Says He’s Arrived, Time to Talk Title
Mark Munoz is hitting his peak and he believes that beating Chris Leben will put him one step closer towards the UFC middleweight title shot he covets very much.
Posted in: mark, title, chris leben, mark munoz, munoz
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyJose Aldo to defend title at UFC 142
Jose Aldo will defend his UFC featherweight title on January 14th at UFC 142.The defence will take place in his native Brazil and the opponent will be...
Posted in: ufc, title, jose, jose aldo, aldo
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyDonald Cerrone Ready For Diaz, Title Shots
Breakout UFC lightweight star Donald Cerrone discusses his win over Dennis Siver and the possibility of a future title shot.
Posted in: title, shot, donald cerrone, dennis siver, donald
Read the full article at Heavy MMAFeel bad that Carlos Condit lost his title shot to Georges St. Pierre? Don't. It wasn't his to keep...
Feel bad that Carlos Condit lost his title shot to Georges St. Pierre? Don't. It wasn't his to keep in the first place. MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden explains why right here.
Posted in: title shot, title, carlos condit, shot, dont
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJonathan Snowden argues that "Nick Diaz' Title Shot Was Not Carlos Condit's To Keep." Read it at...
Jonathan Snowden argues that "Nick Diaz' Title Shot Was Not Carlos Condit's To Keep." Read it at MMA Nation.
Posted in: title, jonathan snowden, snowden, shot, carlos condits
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFormiga Finishes Costa, Retains Title at Shooto Brazil 26
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Jussier “Formiga” da Silva successfully defended his Shooto South America 123-pound title for the second time on Saturday, recording a decisive win over Michael William Costa in the main event of Shooto Brazil 26 at the Hebrew Social and Sports Club.
Posted in: title, brazil, shooto, formiga, saturday recording
Read the full article at SherdogDonald Cerrone Blown Away by Title Talk (UFC 137 video)
With his win over Dennis Siver, Donald Cerrone has put together a six-fight winning streak, but despite calls for a title shot, he's not quite ready to commit.
Posted in: title, cerrone, streak, donald cerrone, donald
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyBellator 56 Results: Ben Askren Tops Jay Hieron to Retain Title
Ben Askren retained his Bellator welterweight title in a hard fought battle with Jay Hieron.
Posted in: bellator, title, ben, askren, jay
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyNick Diaz vs Georges St. Pierre title fight re-booked for Super Bowl weekend, Carlos Condit agrees to wait
Blow your chance at a title shot by no-showing a pair of press conferences? Check. Find yourself back on the card in a potentially more dangerous fight? Check. Kick absolute ass to the point you're reinserted into the title shot you initially blew? Mate.
That's the rare feat Nick Diaz managed to pull off last night (Oct. 29, 2011) at UFC 137 in Las Vegas. He blew past B.J. Penn, beating the Hawaiian so badly he retired immediately after the bout, and was put back in the front of the 170-pound line for his efforts.
That means it's Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title all over again, as announced by UFC President Dana White at the post-fight press conference. The fight is tentatively scheduled for to take place on the Super Bowl weekend fight card.
Sorry, Carlos Condit, this match-up is just a bit more important than yours.
"The Natural Born Killer," ever the class act, has apparently agreed to wait and will likely also get a spot on the event against whoever is determined to be "next in line," as White put it.
Who thinks this match-up looks even better now that Diaz has a high profile UFC victory under his belt and had the chance to call the champion out in the center of the Octagon?
Posted in: fight, title shot, diaz, title, mate thats
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAskren retains title at Bellator 56 (Yahoo! Sports)
Ben Askren was not pleased at all after registering his first successful welterweight title defense over a game...
Posted in: bellator, title, ben, yahoo, askren
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC 137 Results: B.J. Penn Retires After Loss to Nick Diaz
B.J. Penn is one of the best fighters the UFC has ever seen and after his UFC 137 loss to Nick Diaz it appears that we will never see him compete again. Penn looked very good in the opening round against Diaz but faded as Nick turned up the pressure in the second and third round.
In the post fight interview with Joe Rogan, Penn said that he is ready to retire. Penn told Rogan "Hats off to Nick Diaz. He's the man. Joe, this was probably the last time you'll see me in here. I can't keep performing at the top level. That's it Joe. I got a daughter and another daughter on the way, I don't want to go home looking like this. I'm done."
Penn remains one of only two men, along with Randy Couture, to win UFC titles in multiple weight classes. Penn made his professional MMA debut at UFC 31 and became one of the sport's biggest stars, capturing the welterweight title from Matt Hughes in a shocking fight at UFC 46. He would never actually lose that title, instead leaving the UFC for two years. At UFC 80 he captured the UFC lightweight title with a win over Joe Stevenson, a title he would defend three times before losing it to Frankie Edgar.
After tonight, Penn had only won one of his previous five bouts and decided it was time to step away from the sport.
Bloody Elbow will have much more on the card and the great career of B.J. Pen in the coming days.
SBN coverage of UFC 137 Results: Penn vs. Diaz
Posted in: ufc, diaz, title, joe, penn
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowGSP vs. Diaz Back On, Likely for UFC's Super Bowl Card
Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS - The welterweight showdown between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz that was supposed to headline UFC 137 on Saturday needed all of about 90 minutes after the card to be back on.
UFC president Dana White said at Saturday's post-fight press conference that Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside from his pending title fight with welterweight champ St-Pierre - so Diaz could move in for the title shot. The planned headliner is expected to take place as the main event of the UFC's pay-per-view on Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, White said.
Diaz, who vacated his Strikeforce welterweight title to come to the UFC, was originally scheduled to fight St-Pierre but was removed from the bout when he failed to show for a pair of press conferences earlier this fall. In his place, White gave Condit the title shot and put Diaz against BJ Penn, a fight he dominated on Saturday in Las Vegas. But St-Pierre was injured earlier this month.
The potentially complicated waiting game, however, was made a lot simpler when White said St-Pierre "flipped out" over Diaz's post-fight comments in the cage. White made a call to Condit, Condit agreed to put his title shot on hold, and the St-Pierre vs. Diaz welterweight title fight is a reality much quicker than anyone could have expected before Saturday night.
After beating Penn - and potentially sending him into retirement - Diaz told Joe Rogan he believed St-Pierre was not truly injured. "I don't think Georges is hurt. I think he's scared," Diaz said.
White said he saw a side of his welterweight champion after the event that he hadn't seen before.
"Let me put it to you this way," White said. "I've known Georges St-Pierre since 2004 and he's one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He's exactly the same no matter what the situation is, no matter who he's fighting. Since 2004, I've never seen him like he was tonight. Georges St-Pierre flipped out tonight after Nick Diaz was in the ring. Nick needs motivation, he's got it - he's going to fight Georges St-Pierre Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside and fight the next guy."
"This is what I wanted since the beginning," St-Pierre said in a statement. "Let's do what was supposed to be done originally. I've always wanted this fight - now I want it even more. I can't wait for Super Bowl weekend."
White added that St-Pierre was adamant about how he wants his next title defense to go down.
"(St-Pierre) said, and I quote, 'He's the most disrespectful human being I've ever met, and I'm going to put the worst beating you've ever seen on him in the UFC,'" White said.
Diaz stole the press conference on a night that saw the likely retirements of legendary fighters Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Penn, oftentimes nearly rambling about everything from the houses in his neighborhood to why no one wants to help him prepare for fights. He said being the villain is what works to get him fights.
"You've got to come off like that just to get a fight," Diaz said. "Know what I'm saying? I've got to be the bad guy. You point the finger, make me the bad guy, and now I get to fight."
As for Condit, he goes from a title shot against St-Pierre to a top contender's fight, expected for the same card on Feb. 4. White did not reveal who that opponent will be, but possible candidates would likely include Jon Fitch and Jake Ellenberger, who just upset Diaz's training partner Jake Shields last month. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, stpierre
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseNick Diaz gets title shot, Condit steps aside
Nick Diaz is getting his title shot after all. UFC president Dana White announced after Diaz’s win over BJ Penn last night that the Stockton man...
Posted in: title shot, bj penn, nick diaz, title, shot
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyBellator 56: Ben Askren and Jay Hieron Prepare For Quiet Title Clash
If there ever was a glaring example of why Bellator needs to move off Saturday nights, October 29, 2011, is it.
With the eyes of the MMA world focused on UFC 137 and a welterweight contender battle between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, another 170-pound fight is flying so far under the radar that this might be the first time you've heard about it or have been reminded of it.
In the main event of Bellator 56, undefeated champion Ben Askren will defend against veteran Jay Hieron -- a fight that is interesting from several angles:
This will be Askren's first defense of his title since winning it one year ago. He looked stellar in a non-title victory over Nick Thompson in April, but where is the 8-0 Askren at in his career as he enters his prime?
Hieron (22-4) has been working for an opportunity like this for years. A pro since 2003, he's fought for titles before and has won them but the last name value gold he took home was the IFL title in 2007. People are aware of his issues with Strikeforce and now he's got the opportunity he wanted. Can he cash in?
Both men have great wrestling backgrounds, but in these cases, that usually means a stand-up battle. However, neither man is known for KO power. What type of fight are we going to get?
With a win, where does Askren fit in the conversation of the top 170-pounders in the world? With a loss, where does that put Hieron? What would be better for the promotion?
But even with all those talking points, the buzz all week has focused around Penn vs. Diaz, making the placement of tonight's fight a disservice to Askren and Hieron. It's rare when a reigning Bellator champion actually defends their gold (April's Eddie Alvarez/Pat Curran fight was the last time) and unfortunately, this defense is getting overlooked from fans and media alike.
Bellator is a smart organization and Bjorn Rebney has stayed the course with their unique format. The announcement of Viacom purchasing a majority interest in Bellator shows there's something there from a leadership and content standpoint that was more attractive than anything else available on the market. But they need to be better in situations like this. Trying to make stars is hard enough. Trying to make them when you're up against a UFC pay-per-view with two dynamic personalities like Penn and Diaz is damn near impossible.Making WeightAskren (169.6) and Hieron (169.8) both made weight Friday, as did fellow main card fighters Ron Sparks (264.4), Eric Prindle (264.2), Thiago Santos (264.6) and Neil Grove (264.6).The action kicks off at 9 PM EST and Bloody Elbow will have full coverage of Bellator 55 tonight with post-fight analysis and feedback through the weekend.
SBN coverage of Bellator 56
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, askren, hieron
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 137 Prelims: Cerrone Submits Siver in First Round
Former WEC lightweight title contender Donald Cerrone stayed hot.
Posted in: ufc, title, contender, wec, cerrone
Read the full article at SherdogUFC on FOX: Ben Henderson vs Clay Guida may not detemine number one contender
There's a fantastic lightweight clash pitting Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida heading to the UFC on FOX event, which serves as the promotion's network television debut on Nov. 12, 2011, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Unfortunately the outcome is unlikely to determine the next division number one contender in what is a stacked 155-pound division. That's according to UFC President Dana White, who told reporters at yesterday's UFC 137 pre-fight press conference (via MMA Fighting) that neither man is guaranteed a title shot with a win.
At least, not yet.
"I don't know. I have no idea. We're going to have to see what happens. I haven't even thought about it. You have to understand, the only thing I'm thinking about now is FOX. I've just got to get past this event. Everything else is taking a back seat. All the other s--- will work itself out."
Henderson is fresh on the heels of derailing the Jim Miller hype train and spoiling his title plans by dominating him at UFC on Versus 5 for three whole rounds.
Guida also played spoilsport to Anthony Pettis, who had actually earned himself a chance at the lightweight championship but chose to fight in lieu of waiting around.
Unfortunately for "Showtime," that meant a war against the energetic caveman and "The Carpenter" used his superior wrestling to send him to the back of the line, catapulting himself to the front of it in the process.
He's ripped off four wins in a row and if he makes it five at the expense of Henderson, it will become increasingly more difficult to justify not giving him a title shot.
Especially with Melvin Guillard no longer "in the mix."
Anyone think this one's a no-brainer? Or do we wait for the winner of Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal before committing to anything?
Thoughts?
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, fox, henderson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White reaffirms that Carlos Condit is next in line for welterweight title shot
Chael Sonnen thinks the winner of B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz at UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas is getting the next 170-pound title shot against Georges St. Pierre.
Cesar Gracie agrees and wants Diaz to fight St. Pierre next if the former Strikeforce welterweight champion can finish "The Prodigy" this weekend in "Sin City."
Unfortunately for them (and fortunately for Carlos Condit), that decision is up to Dana White, who told reporters yesterday at the UFC 137 press conference (via 5th Round) that no matter the outcome on Saturday night, "The Natural Born Killer" is still next in line.
"No, Condit’s in. Condit’s sitting and waiting. [Georges St-Pierre] should be [out] six to eight weeks. He’s just gotta have some rehab on his knee. Hopefully it doesn’t lead to surgery."
St. Pierre was forced to withdraw from the UFC 137 headliner after injuring his knee in training camp. Condit opted to preserve his 170-pound title shot, which he absconded from Diaz after the Stockton slugger failed to play by the rules.
Now Diaz has a chance to make a convincing argument that he is indeed the second best welterweight on the planet, if he can somehow find a way to overcome the dangerous Hawaiian.
Even if he does, he may need to take another fight while he waits for St. Pierre and Condit to settle their differences. As of now, the only forecast we've heard for the champ's return is "early 2012."
Any fight fans out there want to see the winner of Penn vs. Diaz get the next title shot? Or does it belong to Carlos Condit, for better or for worse?
Thoughts?
Posted in: diaz, title, condit, carlos condit, shot
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 137 Video: B.J. Penn Talks Fighting Nick Diaz and Future Title Shots
B.J. Penn is preparing to fight Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in a fight that was originally not scheduled as Penn was set to face Carlos Condit and Diaz was to fight Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight championship. A series of twists and turns bring the fans Penn vs. Diaz now in the main event and Penn talked to Heavy MMA about the changes.
The video:
On the change of opponent and if he was comfortable fighting someone he likes:
...my brother and Cesar Gracie were talking back and forth and Cesar said basically, that they didn't like the options that they were given of who they were gonna fight. Cesar told my brother "what if we have to fight you guys?" And uh...at the end of the day I talked to my brother, who is my manager, and he said it's the only fight that makes sense.
And on if he thinks a title shot is in his future:
Honestly, as of now, I'm not really thinking about (getting a title shot) too much but I think Dana White gives me title shots easier than everyone else, so I'll probably get it. I don't know, Dana likes me.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, penn, shot
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowHistory in the Making: B.J. Penn becomes the undisputed lightweight king at UFC 84
Cheater or not, Sean Sherk sort of had a point.
No one had actually beaten "The Muscle Shark" inside the Octagon for the UFC lightweight title but here was B.J. Penn, claiming to be the division's champion.
Sherk was, of course, stripped of the title after testing positive for steroids following his UFC 73 bout with Hermes Franca. He appealed and while the suspension was reduced from 12 months, he was still forced to sit on the sidelines for half a year while the recently resurrected 155-pound division played itself out.
A month prior to that controversial bout in Sacramento, Penn had officially returned to the weight class he once called home. "The Prodigy" was more "prodigal," having spent the previous three and a half years of his career outside the UFC and in any weight but lightweight.
What began in June 2007 was a run that rivals that of any in the sport and at the heart of it was a bout with "The Muscle Shark." Before Penn takes part in his 11th main event at UFC 137 against Nick Diaz, we'll take a closer look at his "unification" bout against Sherk at UFC 84: "Ill Will."
It was the beginning of what will be remembered as Penn's legacy.
Sherk made a name for himself dominating the midwest MMA regional scene. By the time he scored a welterweight title shot against Matt Hughes at UFC 42, he had 20 bouts under his belts and not a single loss.
Unfortunately for him, the Hall of Famer was too much for him and Hughes scored a five-round unanimous decision. Despite taking the long-time champion to the limit, Sherk wasn't invited back to the Octagon. There are rumors that management shenanigans had a part in that but regardless, "The Muscle Shark" didn't return to the UFC for two and a half years.
His comeback was anything but glorious as he was on the business end of a Georges St. Pierre technical knockout (TKO). His next bout fared better for him and he beat UFC 137 headliner Nick Diaz by decision. He then announced his intention to drop down to 155-pounds to vie for the recently reactivated lightweight title.
He dominated both Kenny Florian to win the title and Hermes Franca in his first and only defense. Then came the steroid allegations. When his suspension was upheld -- albeit reduced -- the UFC stripped him of his title.
After failing to win the 155-pound strap on two occasions, "The Prodigy" moved up to welterweight and shocked the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by trouncing Hughes. But after his title win, he bolted from the UFC and fought bouts in just about any weight class that tickled his fancy. Welterweight, middleweight, and even beefing up to 191-pounds to take on light heavyweight Lyoto Machida.
He seemed more eager in testing himself as a martial artist -- and getting paid handsomely for it -- than sticking around in the UFC. This was pre-Ultimate Fighter (TUF) days, before Dana White and company had become a mainstay in sports and pop culture.
When he finally returned, he did so as a welterweight. He dropped consecutive bouts to "GSP" and Hughes before another lightweight runaway -- who Penn had some history with -- came back to the UFC. It was Jens Pulver and a rematch fans had been waiting for for five years was signed.
The two coached opposite each other during the fifth season of TUF and in the season finale, Penn finally got his revenge over the man who handed him his first loss. Penn was back at 155-pounds and with a thrashing of Pulver, had put every other lightweight on notice.
With the title vacant, the UFC booked "The Prodigy" and season two TUF winner Joe Stevenson in the UFC 80 main event to determine a new champion. Much like he had Pulver, Penn steamrolled "Daddy" to finally earn what everyone felt should have been his years ago.
But there was a dissenting voice on commentary during the bout. It was that of Sherk, the former champion who lost his title in a California State Athletic Commission boardroom, not the Octagon. And he was hellbent on getting back what he thought was rightfully his.
UFC 84 was set as the date. In an evening of great fights, the lightweights once again stole the show.
Let's dive right in.
Sherk immediately shoots in, grabbing one of the champ's legs. Penn opens up with some punches as he hops around on one foot, preventing the takedown before Sherk lets go.
They circle around the cage, exchanging punches which Penn seems to be getting the better off. His longer reach allows him to employ his infamous jab against the stouter Sherk. It isn't until 90 seconds in that the challenger is able to get inside. He clinches with "The Prodigy," the two exchanging blows but is quickly shoved off.
"The Prodigy" continues to stick his jab out, slipping out of almost every punch that the wrestler throws. "The Muscle Shark," with less than two minutes left in the round, is already bleeding under his right eye.
The story of the opening round is that of Penn's jab. Seemingly unable to figure out a way past it, Sherk is forced to suffer its wrath.
The next stanza opens with Sherk throwing a leg kick, a strike he connected with a couple times in the first but for some reason abandoned. Penn responds in kind with a brutal body shot that is followed up with an uppercut.
They pounce each other like wild animals before they strike, clinching up with Sherk getting the advantage this time out. "The Muscle Shark," despite having his head shoved down in a Thai clinch, unleashes a flurry of short hooks that forces the champion to retreat.
Halfway through the round, it appears as if the challenger is doing better than he did during the first five minutes but each jab that Penn lands tears apart at Sherk's face. His eye, once showing just a little color, is now a bloody mess. Aside from the opening fight single-leg and a half-hearted attempt late in the second, there hasn't been a sniff of wrestling in the bout.
As the round closes, "The Muscle Shark" is now bleeding underneath both eyes. If Sherk can't figure out how to slip Penn's jab and get inside, his night will be over sooner rather than later.
The third and what would be the final round is rather uneventful for the majority of the time. A couple of minutes in, Penn teases with a takedown. While he doesn't get Sherk on his back, he does press him against the cage and lands a couple of punches.
The two circle around for most of the round -- Penn satisfied in his performance and not at all worried about Sherk's offense and Sherk unable to figure out the riddle of "The Prodigy's" striking -- until the closing seconds.
What commenced was one of the most thrilling finishes to a fight in MMA history: Penn pressures Sherk back, throwing a left, uppercut, left and connecting with the last two. Sherk backpedals into the cage, bouncing off the chain-link. As he comes forward, he's met by a flying Hawaiian and a knee crashes into his chin.
"The Muscle Shark" collapses to the mat and Penn swarms with a barrage of punches as the horn sounds. Penn begins to celebrate -- prematurely it would seem -- until it's officially announced that the fight was over and "The Prodigy" had retained his title.
Penn would go on to defend his title twice more before dropping it to current champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 112. A subsequent attempt to get the title back failed and the Hawaiian moved back up to welterweight where he has found mixed success.
The shine of a knockout win over Hughes was darkened by a draw against Jon Fitch, a fight many felt easily could have gone Fitch's way.
Will Penn return to his winning ways on Saturday (Oct. 29) or will the bad boy from Stockton prove his doubters wrong?
We're around 60 hours away, Maniacs. Who do you got?
Posted in: ufc, title, bout, penn, sherk
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 137 videos: Dana White gives BJ Penn title shots easier than everyone else
At least that's what "The Prodigy" thinks (wink, wink):
"Honestly, as of now, I'm not really thinking about (getting a title shot) too much but I think Dana White gives me title shots easier than everyone else, so I'll probably get it. I don't know, Dana likes me."
B.J. Penn will take on Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 137 this Sat., Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and while the winner hasn't exactly been promised a title shot, whoever is the victor will have a better case for one than anyone else. If it's Penn, though, it might be a rocky road considering his two losses to division champion Georges St. Pierre. Time will tell, Maniacs, but would you be down for a third act in the St. Pierre vs. Penn feud? Or is it Diaz or bust?
Posted in: title shot, title, dana, penn, shot
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBJ Penn looking forward to welcoming Nick Diaz back to the UFC
Ever since BJ Penn returned to the UFC welterweight division, fans around the world have wondered how the former double division champion will readjust to 170 pounds. Their questions were put to rest last November when, at UFC 123, Penn knocked out multiple time 170lb champ Matt Hughes in just 21 seconds. He followed this up with a controversial draw over title contender Jon Fitch in February.
Most recently, the popular Hawiian has been promoted to the main event of UFC 137 on Saturday to face ex-Strikeforce welterweight king, Nick Diaz, after welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre was forced from his fight with Carlos Condit due to a knee injury.
In his recent blog with Yahoo Sports, the former double-divisional champ discussed the situation with GSP. “When it comes to GSP, we have had our problems. I said what I said about him in the past, but if he felt like he had to pull out of the fight that’s what it is.”
Penn also talked about a slew of news from last week, saying “It (was) a crazy week. I found out about Georges St. Pierre’s knee injury keeping him and Condit off the UFC 137 card, and me and Diaz being the new main event when I saw it on BJPenn.com. Then (the other day) we had a crazy press conference call where Nick Diaz wasn’t on until 40 minutes into it.”
On whether or not he found the behavior insulting, Penn explained, “I didn’t find it disrespectful; I think it is Nick being Nick, and he’s not gonna change. He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and not do what he’s not going to do. That is cool. I know he will show up for the fight and it will be a great fight in the new UFC 137 main event.”
Penn Heads Home to Hawaii for Final Training Before Diaz Fight
BJ also discussed the possibility of getting a title shot if he beats Diaz come Saturday night, writing, “The funny thing is that title shots – and who gets title shots – are all about timing. If I had beaten Jon Fitch in Sydney in February and not had a draw, I would have gotten a title shot. But now, even if I beat Nick Diaz, I may not get a title shot.” He continued to say. “I realize now it is all about timing, and the timing may not work out for me to get the right title shot unless GSP heals fast and fights Carlos in the next couple of months.”
But he was keen to say that he was not looking past Diaz, saying, “But beating Nick Diaz, title fight or no title fight, is a big deal. He’s a great fighter and dangerous anywhere. I won’t disrespect him, the fans or myself by not concentrating 100 percent on this fight at UFC 137.”
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Tweet
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, title, nick
Read the full article at Fighters.comB.J. Penn focused on winning fights, nothing else
Change of opponents? Check. Last-second bump up to the main event? Check. Ten-month layoff entering said bout? Check. An opponent with a history of talking trash and shirking media obligations? Again, check.
While there might be a million things B.J. Penn could be concerned with going into this weekend’s headlining fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 137 there is only one thing on his mind – winning.
Penn recently elaborated on his new mindset when it comes to competition in his blog for Yahoo Sports where he said all he truly cares about is coming away with his hand raised; not puffing his chest out to prove he’s the baddest kid on the block, not winning a third UFC championship.
Regarding a conference call from last week Diaz showed up forty minutes late for, rather than blow his top or feel insulted, Penn wrote, “I didn’t find it disrespectful; I think it is Nick being Nick, and he’s not gonna change. He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and not do what he’s not going to do. That is cool. I know he will show up for the fight and it will be a great fight in the new UFC 137 main event…That’s all that really matters – who wins this fight and who loses.”
“At this stage in my life, I feel I am too old to talk smack,” the 32-year old Hawaiian continued, also adding he had no problem with Georges St. Pierre withdrawing because at the end of the day the result of his fight with Carlos Condit is all people will remember. “As I get older, what I realize is that all anyone remembers is who wins fights. I find the smack talking funny when fighters do it, but no one remembers anything except who wins the fights.”
“As far as having to hate everyone I fight, or proving I can outbox a boxer, or tap out the best BJJ guy, I don’t need to prove that anymore,” Penn explained. “What I want to do is fight hard, win some big fights and see what happens. I’d like to win the title, but I don’t think about that…The funny thing is that title shots – and who gets title shots – are all about timing. If I had beaten Jon Fitch in Sydney in February and not had a Draw, I would have gotten a title shot. But now, even if I beat Diaz, I may not get a title shot.”
Rather than focus on things outside of his control, Penn will instead concentrate on the mountain he has to climb this Saturday night.
“Beating Diaz, title fight or no title fight, is a big deal. He’s a great fighter and dangerous anywhere. I won’t disrespect him, the fans or myself by not concentrating 100 percent on this fight at UFC 137.”
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, ’t, penn
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainHow are we going to watch Fox prelims?
While I am excited for the title fight, I want to see the Guida v Henderson more. The wiki has no information at the moment. submitted by Hop_Slam [link] [12 comments]
Posted in: title, fox, information, fox prelims, wiki
Read the full article at RedditAsian MMA Update: ONE FC Announces First Three Shows for 2012, URCC 20 and Road FC 5 Fight Card Additions
There's a bunch of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene lately, so let's get right to it:
ONE Fighting Championship had their debut event last September, a few months later, and the promotion breaks their silence and announced the official dates for their next three shows for 2012. It's going to happen on three different countries, with less than a month apart in between them.
Their first destination for 2012 will be on February 11, at the The BritAma Arena (also known as the Kelapa Gading Sports Mall) in Jakarta, Indonesia. That's a 4000 capacity indoor arena that's usually used for basketball games.
Second destination for the year will be on March 31, back in their home base of Singapore, and it will be hosted at the same venue as their debut event, the Singapore Indoor stadium.
Third destination would be on April 27, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event will be on Stadium Negara, an arena with a capacity estimated at 10,200 people. One of the obvious choices as a feature bout of that night would be Malaysian star, Adam Kayoom, who is coming off an impressive submission victory over Seok Mo Kim, a guy who even Gregor Gracie couldn't submit after dozens of attempts.
As reported earlier, there are also plans for them to host co-promoted events with the URCC and Road FC for shows the Philippines and Korea respectively. This was penciled in to happen at back to back months around July and August.
I'm not sure if hosting that many shows on different countries every month would be good for business, but it's certainly a very bold and ambitious goal for a new promotion to undertake.
After the jump, several more news and updates from URCC, Road FC, Legend FC, and more.
Road FC 5 is shaping up really well. Earlier it was reported that UFC vet Denis Kang will take on Shungo Oyama as part of their middleweight tournament, and Evolve MMA's Brian Choi will make his featherweight debut against Bae Young Kwon. If that wasn't good enough, just recently added to the card, is a lightweight bout between dangerous Muay Thai striker, Vuyisile Colossa and Legend FC vet, "The Korean Bulldozer" Yui Chul Nam.
URCC 20, on November 5, also had a lot of changes and updates recently with the URCC finally releasing a bunch of fights for their milestone event. Multiple title fights will still be on the line, but with injuries to Kevin Belingon and Sabah Fadai forcing them to pull out of their respective title bouts, the URCC brass had to shift things around to produce this fight card.
- Jessie Rafols vs. Reydon Romero [Bantamweight Super-Fight Title] - Igor Subora vs. Ryan Pagalinawan [Heavyweight Title]- Nicholas Mann vs Chris Luna [Light Heavyweight Title]- Patrick Manicad vs Honorio Banario [Lightweight Title]- Dexter Mistades vs Froilan Sarenas [Middleweight Title]- Pete Brooks vs. Mac Sabiano [Cruiserweight Title]- Lando Espinosa vs Adam Cacay- Will Chope vs Jerson Estoro- Rodel Orais vs. Jilmar Tangayan
Sabah Fadai, who lost his MFC debut, gave this statement to Zike of MMA Orient: "I was suppose to fight November 5th for the title but I have suffered an injury in my last fight so I’m pulling out. Would have been nice to take Banario's belt though"
The URCC Bacolod Brawl 2011 was concluded last week. Check out the results here.
There are two big events in the region this week. On October 29, in Guam, it's PXC 27 which will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between former URCC champion, Justin Cruz, and Trevin Jones, along with a featherweight championship bout between Guam's most popular fighter, Joe Taimanglo, and their current lightweight champion, Harris Sarmiento.
The following day, it's Legend FC 6, which will be headlined by an excellent lightweight title bout between the champion, Adrian Pang of Australia, and Sengoku vet, Jadamba Narantungalag. The event will be available on PPV in Canada, Australia and the US.
Speaking of Adrian Pang, here's training footage from his camp. (HT: MMA Orient)
Posted in: title, vs, event, urcc, fc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBJ Penn Wants Another Title, Open to Lightweight Return
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [2 comments]
Posted in: bj penn, title, return, bj, mattyblayze
Read the full article at RedditBJ Penn Wants Another Title, Open to Lightweight Return
Former multi-division UFC champion B.J. Penn would like another title shot before his fighting career comes to a close and is open to a return to the lightweight division.
Posted in: title shot, bj penn, title, return, bj
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC 137 Debatable: Did Nick Diaz Deserve A UFC Title Shot?
The former Strikeforce champion was supposed to battle Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title this weekend. Duane Finley and Spencer Kyte debate whether Diaz was deserving of the opportunity in...
Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, title, strikeforce champion, welterweight title
Read the full article at Heavy MMAFaber one win away from another title shot
Urijah Faber is just one fight away from another shot at the UFC bantamweight title.He faces former belt-holder Brian Bowles at UFC 139 on November 19th...
Posted in: ufc, title, shot, faber, titlehe
Read the full article at Fighters Onlyno title needed
submitted by deyterkyerjerb [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, deyterkyerjerb, deyterkyerjerb link
Read the full article at RedditUFC Veteran Kenny Florian to Keep Fighting, Return to Lightweight
In an exclusive interview with the Boston Herald, former UFC lightweight and featherweight title contender Kenny Florian confirmed that he won't be hanging up the gloves yet:
"I still love this sport tremendously and still want to be a part of it," Florian said in an exclusive interview with the Herald. "I know myself and it's not even just being competitive, but it's just being there learning and competing. There's still very much a fire burning there so I'm going to do it."
"I didn't get in this to be second-best, of course. But at the same time, not everybody can be a champion," Florian said. "I'm just going to go back to 155, work my way up, take it one fight at a time and see where it puts me.
"I think there's exciting fights out there for me, there's still challenges out there for me, there's still things I'd like to try to improve on and that's the main thing. I don't necessarily have the title in my eyes, but I do have my own personal goals as far as the technical level that I want to get to."
The 35-year-old fighter, who also works as an ESPN analyst and UFC commentator, lost to Jose Aldo at UFC 136 on October 8. It was his third missed chance at obtaining a coveted UFC title, and it was assumed that Florian would retire in order to take full advantage of the career he had carved out for himself outside of the Octagon.
Florian is still considered one of the top fighters in either the featherweight or lightweight division however. He may be able to make another run toward the 155 lb. title, but I think the UFC may use him as a gatekeeper to the upper-echelon of the division, testing rising prospects and worthy veterans before they make a run toward the title. It isn't unfathomable, however, that he earns another shot if contenders are unavailable or injuries mount. If Kenny can put together two or three solid wins, it's a real possibility we see him in title contention once again.
Posted in: ufc, title, florian, there, ufc commentator
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowKenny Florian Not Retiring, Returning To UFC Lightweight Division
“I still love this sport tremendously and still want to be a part of it. I know myself and it’s not even just being competitive, but it’s just being there learning and competing. There’s still very much a fire burning there so I’m going to do it… I didn’t get in this to be second-best, of course. But at the same time, not everybody can be a champion. I’m just going to go back to 155, work my way up, take it one fight at a time and see where it puts me… I think there’s exciting fights out there for me, there’s still challenges out there for me, there’s still things I’d like to try to improve on and that’s the main thing. I don’t necessarily have the title in my eyes, but I do have my own personal goals as far as the technical level that I want to get to… I don’t like making any limits on how many fights or anything like that. I’m still going to take it one fight at a time. I know I’ve still got several good fights in me. I could fight for the next three years. I could fight maybe another couple of fights. I don’t know. I’m going to take it how I feel in training, how I feel fight after fight and I’m just going to take it like that.”
— Kenny Florian telling The Boston Herald that he’s going to continue fighting at lightweight despite three unsuccessful attempts at winning a UFC championship
Kenny Florian deserves a lot of respect for all the hard work and sacrifice he went through to chase a title at 145, but it really didn’t seem like it was the right fit for him. It was just too much. Whether he works his way back up the ladder or not, the lightweight division really is where he belongs. It’s good to see him getting back on that horse even if his title dreams are all but over. Not many people could come back from three unsuccessful title bids in a sport as demanding as this.
Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog
Posted in: fight, title, ’t, i ’m, ’m
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC 137: Carlos Condit Pre-Fight Interview Video
The top UFC welterweight contender discusses his upcoming UFC 137 title bout with Georges St-Pierre.
Posted in: ufc, title, video, contender, prefight
Read the full article at Heavy MMAMagalhaes doesn't want M-1 title, requests return to UFC
submitted by adamthinks [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: ufc, title, return, magalhaes doesnt, request
Read the full article at RedditAnthony Pettis: 'Joe Lauzon would be a great fight for me'
Let me give you the Lau-down on the next opponent for Anthony Pettis.
Fresh off his UFC 136 strangulation of Melvin Guillard, former "Ultimate Fighter' and perennial dark horse Joe Lauzon has become the man to beat for any 155-pound title chaser.
Including Anthony Pettis, who told Cage Fanatic it would make for a "great fight:"
"I don't know who my next opponent is but I'm going for that title shot, that title shot run, so anybody who's a top five guy, I'm ready for them. Joe Lauzon beat Melvin Guillard, I think that would be a great fight for me."
"Showtime," who also picked up a win at UFC 136 by outpointing Jeremy Stephens, is gunning for an eventual title fight against division kingpin Frankie Edgar, but knows he has his work cut out for him before that dream can become a reality.
Hear more from the former WEC lightweight champion after the jump.
How about it Maniacs, can anyone think of a more exciting fight for either of these two dynamic lightweights?
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, anthony pettis, cage fanatic
Read the full article at MMA ManiaChael Sonnen’s Manager Says Let Dana White Decide if Sonnen vs. Silva 2 Should Happen
Chael Sonnen's manager fires back at Anderson Silva's representative Ed Soares who says that Sonnen needs to get back in line if he wants a shot at the middleweight title.
Posted in: title, silva, sonnen, chael, manager
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyMFC 32 Slated for January 2012, Kicks Off New Year with Lightweight Title Fight
The Maximum Fighting Championship on Sunday announced that MFC 31 brings the promotion’s year to a close. MFC 32 will mark the company's first event of 2012.
Posted in: title, event, year, title fight, mfc
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyMcKee-Cobb Title Bout, Lewis-Gouveia 5-Rounder Set for MFC 32
Lightweights Antonio McKee and Brian Cobb have a new date for their postponed Maximum Fighting Championship title bout, officials from the Canadian promotion announced Sunday.
Posted in: title, bout, mfc, canadian promotion, brian cobb
Read the full article at SherdogMMA Top 10 Lightweights: Breaking Up the Bottleneck at the Top
Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, RankingsNow that Frankie Edgar has finally beaten Gray Maynard, it's time to break up the bottleneck at the top of the lightweight division.
Unfortunately, it's not clear that we're actually close to seeing that happen.
In 2010, the only lightweight title fights were Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn, and in 2011, the only lightweight title fights have been Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. Edgar will definitely fight someone new in 2012, but who? We'll go over some of the options as we run through the list of the Top 10 lightweights in MMA below.
Top 10 Lightweights in MMA
(Editor's Note: The fighter's rankings the last time we ranked the lightweights are in parentheses.)
1. Frankie Edgar (1): UFC President Dana White says Edgar would be even better at featherweight than he is at lightweight, but I disagree. I think part of Edgar's greatness is his speed and stamina, and both of those advantages over his lightweight opponents would be diminished if he were fighting against faster opponents at featherweight, and weakening himself the day before the fight by cutting an additional 10 pounds. I think Edgar is fighting right where he belongs.
2. Gilbert Melendez (3): The Strikeforce lightweight champion would have a good chance of beating Edgar, but he's not going to get that chance just yet. Up next for Melendez is Jorge Masvidal in December.
3. Gray Maynard (2): Maynard will get a long layoff after getting knocked out by Edgar, but when that layoff ends I'd like to see him take on the loser of the upcoming fight between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson, assuming the winner of that fight gets the next crack at Edgar.
4. Clay Guida (4): If he beats Ben Henderson at the upcoming UFC on Fox event, he'd have to be considered the favorite to get the next crack at Edgar. Guida is on a four-fight winning streak and is one of the UFC's most popular lightweights, and it would be hard for the UFC brass to turn down the possibility of a very entertaining Edgar-Guida title fight.
5. Anthony Pettis (5): Pettis is a lot of fun to watch, but I got the sense during his UFC 136 victory over Jeremy Stephens that he had decided to fight with a more cautious, deliberate style, perhaps burned by his last fight, a unanimous decision loss to Guida. What makes Pettis special is his unique, exciting style. I hope he doesn't lose that.
6. Ben Henderson (6): After losing his WEC title to Pettis, Henderson has bounced back in a big way by beating Mark Bocek and Jim Miller in the UFC. If he beats Guida to move to 3-0 in 2011, he'd likely get a title shot in his first fight of 2012.
7. Shinya Aoki (7): Aoki likes to stay active, and he's won six fights since his loss to Melendez a year and a half ago. The problem is that as long as he's fighting in Dream, there aren't many big fights available to him. A Top 10 lightweight should be fighting better opposition than Rob McCullough, whom Aoki beat at Dream.17.
8. Jim Miller (8): Miller had a title shot within his reach before he lost to Henderson. His 20-3 career record is impressive, but the three losses were to Edgar, Maynard and Henderson -- the only three times he's fought truly elite competition.
9. Eddie Alvarez (10): An injury forced Alvarez to delay his Bellator lightweight title fight with Michael Chandler until November 19. Alvarez is Bellator's top fighter and biggest draw, and an inexperienced prospect like Chandler probably won't give him much of a challenge. There's talk of an Alvarez-Aoki rematch in Bellator in 2012, which could be the biggest non-UFC fight of the year.
10. Dennis Siver (NR): With Melvin Guillard dropping out of the Top 10, Siver moves back in. Siver will attempt to run his winning streak to five straight fights when he takes on Donald Cerrone at UFC 137. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, henderson, edgar
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseA sharply dressed Bones Jones talks UFC 140 and Rashad Evans
I made a bet with someone last year that Rashad Evans wouldn't receive a title shot in 2011. Now I wish I could remember who. I still can't believe the circumstances that have led Rashad to still be on the sideline waiting for his shot seventeen months after beating Rampage. Sometimes in MMA, you must move on.
Now Jon Jones is set to defend his light heavyweight title for the second time, leaving Rashad in the rear view mirror. If Bones succeeds in his defense against Machida, he will be the first UFC light heavyweight to defend his title twice since Chuck Liddell. In fact, UFC 140 is a mere three weeks before the five year anniversary of the two title defense mark. Pretty wild if you ask me.
The Fight Network caught up with the champ at the UFC 140 press conference and had quite the interview, even opening a Pandora's box size conundrum by asking Jones if he's sick of people asking about Rashad Evans.
[source]
Posted in: ufc, title, rashad, rashad evans, year anniversary
Read the full article at Middle EasyM-1 Challenge 27 Results: Vinny Magalhaes Retains Title, Garner Wins Interim Heavyweight Belt
Vinny Magalhaes
M-1 Challenge 27, M-1 Global’s latest Showtime-televised event, took place on Friday night in Phoenix, Arizona and featured The Ultimate Fighter 8 runner-up Vinny Magalhaes retaining his light heavyweight title with a third-round TKO of Mikhail Zayats.
The card got off to a fast start with three first-round submissions taking just 2:45 combined, but an interim heavyweight title fight brought the momentum to a halt before Kenny Garner finally stopped Maxim Grishin with less than a minute to go in the fifth and final round.
The official M-1 Challenge 27 results were:
Vinny Magalhaes def. Mikhail Zayats via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 1:13 – to retain light heavyweight title
Kenny Garner def. Maxim Grishin via submission (strikes) – Round 5, 4:07 – to win interim heavyweight title
Arthur Guseinov def. Eddie Arizmendi via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 0:50
Yasubey Enomoto def. Josh Thorpe via submission (triangle) – Round 1, 1:07
Daniel Madrid def. Tom Gallicchio via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:48
Posted in: title, round, heavyweight, submission, vinny magalhaes
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyMagalhaes Rallies to Defend Title, Garner Grabs Interim Strap at M-1 Challenge 27
PHOENIX -- M-1 Challenge 27 was held on the campus of Grand Canyon University, and the seven-bout fight card was anchored by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Vinny Magalhaes and challenger Mikhail Zayats.
Posted in: fight, title, magalhae, canyon university, magalhaes rallies
Read the full article at SherdogMagalhaes Rallies to Defend Title, Garner Grabs M-1 Interim Strap
PHOENIX -- M-1 Challenge 27 was held on the campus of Grand Canyon University, and the seven-bout fight card was anchored by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Vinny Magalhaes and challenger Mikhail Zayats.
Posted in: fight, title, canyon university, magalhaes rallies, grabs m
Read the full article at SherdogWEC to UFC - The Successful Experiment
Around this time last year, the rumors began flying. A few weeks later, the rumors became fact: the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) organization was going to be folded into the UFC, with the bantamweight and featherweight divisions making their debuts in the world’s premier MMA promotion. Also migrating over would be the top guns from the WEC’s lightweight division, bolstering one of the sport’s toughest weight classes even more.It was big news at the time, and considering that four of the nine main events that the UFC has held from July’s UFC 132 show to the UFC 137 event later this month have included WEC alumni, it’s still big news today. And unlike the PRIDE migration that took place after the Zuffa purchase of Japan’s premier promotion, the WEC fighters have adapted perfectly to their new surroundings, with many making immediate impacts on the other side of the MMA street.Here are 20 of those fighters…THE CHAMPSJose AldoDominick CruzA combined 4-0, featherweight champion Jose Aldo and bantamweight boss Dominick Cruz have been the perfect representatives for their divisions in the UFC. Aldo has defended his belt twice thus far, winning Fight of the Night honors in a decision win over Mark Hominick and then notching another five round victory last Saturday against Kenny Florian. The only thing missing from Aldo’s performances thus far is his trademark explosiveness, a trait that earned him finishes in seven of his eight WEC bouts. As for Cruz, it’s hard to picture him being more impressive than he’s been in his UFC wins over Urijah Faber and Demetrious Johnson. Against two ultra-tough challengers, “The Dominator” has shown off his impossible to decipher standup game (Faber) and his underrated wrestling (Johnson), earning decision victories both times. If there’s been a breakout star not named Jon Jones in 2011, it’s Cruz.NEXT IN LINEJoseph Benavidez 2-0Ben Henderson 2-0Chad Mendes 2-0Anthony Pettis 1-1The Fab Four of bantamweight Joseph Benavidez, featherweight Chad Mendes, and lightweights Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis has made their presence known in various ways in 2011. Pettis came in as the WEC Golden Boy after his “Showtime” kick against Henderson in the last WEC show last December, but with the UFC 125 draw between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, his guaranteed title shot was delayed. Admirably, he didn’t sit around waiting for a fight; instead, he took on Clay Guida in June, but was decisioned over three rounds. Forced to regroup, Pettis got back in the race last weekend, defeating tough Jeremy Stephens. It wasn’t a win that will put him in a title fight immediately, but now he’s back in the conversation.As for Henderson, he saw his own hype train derailed by Pettis, but with back-to-back UFC wins over Mark Bocek and Jim Miller, the former WEC lightweight champion has sailed ahead of his old rival, and he, along with Guida (who Henderson will face in November), have got to be considered frontrunners for the next shot at Edgar’s 155-pound belt.In the bantamweight division, the only fighter more dominant than Benavidez is Cruz, and Joe-B-Wan-Kenobi’s wins over Jeff Curran, Rani Yahya, Miguel Torres, Wagnney Fabiano in the WEC, and Ian Loveland and Eddie Wineland in the UFC prove it. Unfortunately, his only two losses as a pro have come in two close battles with the UFC champ, making a third bout a tough marketing sell. But from a fighting standpoint, what fan wouldn’t want to see these two go at it again. Another big win may just seal the deal for Benavidez.The one man who is likely to see his title shot number come up soon though is Benavidez’ teammate Chad Mendes. Unbeaten in 11 pro fights, including two in the UFC, Mendes’ wrestling could give Aldo plenty of trouble if he can close the gap and get his hands on the champion, and with each passing fight – not only his own, but Aldo’s – the Californian’s confidence that he can beat the man at the top grows. KNOCKING ON THE DOORBrian Bowles Donald Cerrone Urijah Faber By the time UFC 139 rolls around in November, the winner of the Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber scrap will move up to the “Next in Line” category while the loser falls a notch on the bantamweight ladder, but high stakes is not the only beauty of this matchup. Truth is, this is a bantamweight dream matchup pitting the former featherweight champ (Faber) against the former bantamweight titleholder (Bowles), and it’s an almost impossible fight to pick. But if you’re going by UFC performances thus far, Faber has the edge due to his stellar efforts in beating Eddie Wineland and dropping a close decision to Cruz. Bowles was in his usual top-notch form in finishing Damacio Page in his UFC debut in March, but didn’t look like himself in a decision win over Takeya Mizugaki in July. But that’s why they fight the fights, and Faber-Bowles should be a classic.And when you’re talking about nearly always delivering a classic performance, that’s the forte of lightweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who followed up a WEC career in which he picked up five Fight of the Night awards with a 3-0 UFC run where he’s scored a Fight of the Night bonus for beating Paul Kelly and earned a Knockout of the Night check for finishing Charles Oliveira. If he can get another win, this time over German contender Dennis Siver, at UFC 137 this month, start talking about Cerrone as being a title challenger sooner rather than later.THE NEXT WAVERenan Barao Pablo Garza Demetrious Johnson Scott Jorgensen Chan Sung Jung Erik Koch Michael McDonald Anthony Njokuani Brad PickettDustin Poirier Miguel Angel TorresThe next group of WEC vets to make some noise in the Octagon have either challenged for UFC gold (Demetrious Johnson), wore a WEC title belt (Miguel Angel Torres), fought for one (Scott Jorgensen), or are hot prospects ready to make their move to the next level. But wherever they’ve been or where they are now, exciting fights usually follow.Leading off is one of the game’s top action heroes, Chan Sung Jung, or as he is commonly known, “The Korean Zombie.” Jung left quite an impression in his two WEC fights, with a war for the ages against Leonard Garcia and a loss to George Roop, but there were just as many question marks heading into his rematch with Garcia in March. So what did the Zombie do? Submit Garcia with the first Twister ever used in Octagon action. If this doesn’t get you amped up for his December battle with Mark Hominick, check your pulse.Featherweight Pablo Garza is making some highlight reel appearances as well, as he rebounded from a short notice WEC loss to Tiequan Zhang with a frightening knockout of Fredson Paixao and a flying triangle finish of Yves Jabouin. Featherweight up and comer Erik Koch and longtime bantamweight contender Scott Jorgensen have also put their names in the hat for Top 10 KO of the Year consideration with their finishes of Raphael Assuncao and Ken Stone.Surprisingly, Muay Thai machine Anthony Njokuani, owner of three WEC KO of the Night awards, hasn’t scored a UFC knockout yet, but it’s not from a lack of trying, as his UFC debut against Edson Barboza earned Fight of the Night honors, and his first UFC win over Andre Winner saw “The Assassin” deliver a hellacious three round pounding on the Brit.A lightweight in the WEC, Louisiana’s Dustin Poirier found his home at 145 pounds in the UFC, and after an upset win over Josh Grispi to kick off his Octagon career in January, he proved that the victory was no fluke (pardon the pun) as he defeated England’s Jason Young at UFC 131. He will be back in action on November 12th in a surefire war against Garza.Like the 22-year old Poirier, 20-year old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald is wise beyond his years in the Octagon, and his exciting three round wins over Edwin Figueroa and Chris Cariaso prove it. Scheduled to return in November, McDonald is one of the top prospects to hit the sport in the last couple years.Staying in the bantamweight division, Brazil’s Renan Barao (1-0 in the UFC) and England’s Brad Pickett (0-0) will meet up in Birmingham, England on November 5th. “One Punch” Pickett always brings it, and Barao (currently riding a 16 fight winning streak) is seen as the next brightest hope for championship honors out of the Nova Uniao camp (home to Jose Aldo), so this UFC 138 match should be a good one.And last, but certainly not least, stand Demetrious Johnson and Miguel Angel Torres, two standouts looking to fight their way back into the title picture after recent losses. “Mighty Mouse” is coming off a competitive five round loss to Cruz in their title bout earlier this month, and a couple wins should get him right back on the contenders’ line. Torres, 1-1 in the UFC with a win over Antonio Banuelos and a close loss to Johnson, has an opportunity to get back on track when he battles Staten Island’s Nick Pace at UFC 139, but it will be how the 30-year old vet looks in November that will determine whether he’s got another title run in him.Note – fighters who came back to the UFC after a stint in the WEC (Mike Brown, Mark Hominick, Leonard Garcia, Manny Gamburyan, etc) or who had previously migrated over (Brian Stann, Mark Munoz, Aaron Simpson, Carlos Condit, Chael Sonnen) were not included in this piece.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, bantamweight, wec
Read the full article at UFCBellator 58 line-up confirmed
The Bellator lightweight title will be on the line November 19th as Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez squares off against undefeated Michael...
Posted in: bellator, title, michael, line-up, square
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyBellator 58 headlined by Alvarez vs. Chandler and Lombard vs. Prangley
Bellator 58 is shaping up to be the organizations biggest card to date with a lightweight title fight and the middleweight champion in action. In the main event of the evening, Eddie Alvarez will defend his Bellator lightweight strap against season four lightweight tournament winner Mike Chandler. Plus Bellator middleweight title holder Hector Lombard will square off against tough veteran Trevor Prangley.
Bellator officials sent out a press release today confirming the event.
Originally scheduled to go down at Bellator 54, Alvarez vs. Chandler was pushed back after Alvarez suffered an injury while training. The 155 champ won the title at Bellator 12, submitting Toby Imada in the finals. He’s only defended the belt once, against Pat Curran, but he picked up non-title victories over Josh Neer and Roger Huerta during his Bellator run. The undefeated Chandler earned a title shot by winning the Season 4 tournament, defeating the very dangerous Patricky Freire in the finals. Alvarez is currently on a seven fight win streak while Chandler is unbeaten in eight professional fights.
The man with the longest winning streak on the card though is Lombard, who has won a very impressive 19 straight bouts, only going the distance in four of them. Lombard has defeated the likes of Brian Ebersole, Jared Hess, Alexander Shlemenko, and Joe Doerksen during his run. The judo champion could have his hands full with Prangley, a veteran of over 30 fights. Prangley has fought many of the top fighters in MMA including Chael Sonnen, Jeremy Horn, Tim Kennedy, and Keith Jardine.
Also on the card will be top featherweight Marlon Sandro taking on Rafael Dias and Jessica Aguilar battling Lisa Ward in a rematch of their 2006 bout.
Bellator 58 is scheduled for November 19 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Posted in: lombard, bellator, title, chandler, alvarez
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainM-1 Global Returns to Showtime Friday Night
Filed under: M-1 Global, NewsM-1 Global returns to Showtime Friday night, and once again, the card has received little to no fanfare or press.
The card will feature former TUF finalist Vinny Magalhaes (8-5), perhaps the most well-known fighter on the M-1 Global roster, defending his light heavyweight title against Mikhail Zayats (14-5).
Magalhaes has won four in a row and six of his last seven fights since losing to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97, while Zayats also enters the title fight riding a four-fight winning streak.
M-1 heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili (11-0) was scheduled to defend his title against Kenny Garner (7-3) on the card but was forced to pull out of the fight after suffering an elbow injury in training. This marks the second fight in a row that Gugenishvili has withdrawn from, as he missed his July 8 title defense against Pat Bennett due to another injury. Maxim Grishin (11-5) will now face Garner for the promotion's interim heavyweight title in the co-main event.
This marks the promotion's third event on Showtime with one remaining on its current contract with the premium cable network.
M-1 Challenge 27 will air on Showtime Friday night at 11 p.m. ET/PT. Mauro Ranallo and Pat Miletich will call the action from Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, AZ.
Below is a look at the entire card.
Televised card:
Vinny Magalhaes (c) vs. Mikhail Zayats -- M-1 Global light heavyweight title fight
Maxim Grishin vs. Kenny Garner -- M-1 Global interim heavyweight title fight
Eddie Arizmendi vs. Arthur Guseinov
Tom Gallicchio vs. Daniel Madrid
Yasubey Enomoto vs. Josh Thorpe
Prelims:
David Morgan vs Silvester Villereal
Mike Chavez vs Joe Martinez Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, title, heavyweight, vs, card
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseVinny Magalhaes eyes first M-1 Global title defense on heels of ADCC gold
The year 2011 has been a banner one for Vinny Magalhaes.
So far he's registered four straight MMA wins (all finishes), captured the M-1 Global light-heavyweight title, and recently won a gold medal at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championships.
The grappling tournament acted as a weekend getaway as Magalhaes finished up his training camp for his first title defense, which takes place at Friday's Showtime-televised M-1 Challenge 27 event.
Posted in: title, title defense, training camp, magalhae, light-heavyweight title
Read the full article at MMA JunkieGrappling with Issues – 10/12/11
Was Frankie Edgar‘s win over Gray Maynard at UFC 136 the best performance by a UFC champion so far this year? Do Chael Sonnen‘s antics rub you the wrong way? Will Rashad Evans get his elusive title-shot in 2012? What’s next for Kenny Florian?
Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!
Welcome to Grappling with Issues, our site’s regular weekly feature highlighting insight and opinion from myself and resident workhorse Jeremy Lambert whose general contributions and “Scorecard” event-breakdowns can be regularly found on Five Ounces. As always, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t hesitate to offer your own take on the topics in the “Comments” section below.
Who do you have advancing this weekend in Bellator’s ongoing middleweight tournament?
Lambert: Bryan Baker and Brian Rogers. I think Baker has a very favorable match up against Vitor Vianna, who wasn’t all that impressive in his first round victory. Baker on the other hand was very impressive against Jared Hess, who is a tough guy Baker not only beat, but finished in the third round. The Rogers vs. Alexander Shlemenko fight is very intriguing. Rogers is a heavy hitter with explosive power while Shlemenko is more of a technical fighter known for his spinning strikes. I favor Rogers though just because of his power and Shlemenko is a very hittable fighter who leaves himself open with all his spinning attacks.
Conlan: I also have Baker going to the final, as I think he’s more polished than Vianna and has proven himself against better competition. However, I’d put my money on Shlemenko when it comes to filling the other slot. Rogers might have power but Shlemenko can take a punch as evident by the fact he’s only been stopped via strikes a single time in his 48-fight career. Whether or not the same is true in the case of Rogers remains to be seen and I’m pretty sure his chin will be put to the test by the 27-year old Russian who has 3X as many TKOs in his career as “The Predator”. Even if he can’t land a solid punch and put Rogers away I think his overall technique is good enough to pull out a decision and set up a rematch of the Season 2 Middleweight Tournament final (which he won by finishing Baker off with strikes less than three minutes into the opening round).
Fill in the Blank: Chael Sonnen’s professional wrestling schtick is _____.
Lambert: Overrated. He’s a great talker and has great delivery, but it’s not like he’s the greatest promo in the history of MMA like so many want to claim. Brock Lesnar‘s promo at UFC 100 was much better than most of the things Sonnen has said, mainly because what Lesnar said was real. We all know what Sonnen is doing is a schtick and it’s refreshing in the world of MMA when most fighters come off generic and boring, but the fact that what he’s doing isn’t exactly ground breaking and that what he says in his promos are a bunch of lies doesn’t make him the greatest promo-artist of all time.
Conlan: A sign of things to come. It’s only a matter of time before other fighters start catching on to the benefit of playing a character in front of cameras rather than responding to questions with the same cookie-cutter answers the public has heard a hundred times. Sonnen is not the first Mixed Martial Artist to market himself through soundbytes in hopes of becoming a bigger draw than he would by resting on the laurels of a mediocre record in the ring. However, he’s done it better than most as of late, and to be able to garner so much attention through ridiculous statements without any foundation in reality will absolutely inspire more fighters to behave in the same silly way.
And sorry Lambert, but Lesnar would be the first to tell you he was playing up a caricature of his true personality after his rematch with Mir. In fact, from the man himself – “People spend money and want to be entertained. If you don’t feel from UFC 100 that you got your money’s worth, you’re probably not gonna tune into something (with me). It’s good entertainment.”
What will Kenny Florian’s next move be?
Lambert: Back to lightweight. I don’t really know why he left in the first place, aside from the fact that he failed on two title shots, but he was a very good lightweight fighter. He beat top fighters and he only lost to top fighters. I think the weight cut is a little too draining for Florian and Frankie Edgar has proven that you can get by being a small lightweight as long as you have the tools to do so. Florian is a very good fighter, he has his flaws, but he’s a hard worker and has talent.
Conlan: Going back up a division works for me. He’s a little old to be cutting significant weight as is and, like Jeremy said, he had solid success before dropping down to 145 pounds. Florian’s only losses at lightweight were to B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard, yet he had wins over a number of reputable opponents like Roger Huerta, Joe Lauzon, and current contender Clay Guida. He needs to accept he’s not going to win a UFC title and take a few more big fights to cement his legacy in the UFC – three more and he’ll have 20 total bouts inside the Octagon – before trading in his gloves for an analyst’s microphone.
Does Ryan Jimmo deserve at least one fight in the UFC?
Conlan: Absolutely. Though watching his fight last weekend against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou may have felt at times like doing laps in a pool filled with chloroform, and he appeared to have earned little more than a “hometown” decision, Jimmo has still won sixteen straight fights including a handful over guys with UFC credentials. He’s a significant draw in Canada and would be perfectly suited for a show like UFC 140. In the best case scenario his name sells a few extra tickets, he wins, and the UFC has a new competitor at light heavyweight with an amazing run behind him for marketing purposes; in the worst his name sells a few extra tickets, he loses, and the MFC’s biggest star goes back to the promotion with his streak broken. Either way the UFC benefits in the short and long term.
And let’s not act like his decisions matter THAT much. He’s stopped as many adversaries as outpointed, a stat a number of UFC fighters can’t lay claim to.
Lambert: Give him the Antonio McKee treatment. McKee has an extremely long winning streak filled with lackluster performances, got one chance in the UFC, lost, and was cut. Jimmo is a lot like McKee. He’s beating less than stellar competition, not putting on exciting performances, but he’s winning. As Bren said, you could give him a fight in Canada against a guy like Luiz Cane, see what he’s really made of, and go from there. If he wins, then great. If he loses, then it’ll just prove that he’s not ready for the UFC and needs to spend more time in MFC or elsewhere.
That said, I’m not sure I’d bring him in after his performance against Sokoudjou. At least McKee was coming off a finishing performance against a solid Luciano Azevedo. Jimmo’s performance against a mediocre Sokoudjou did not help his UFC chances and could have actually hurt him.
Will Rashad Evans fight for the light heavyweight title in 2012?
Conlan: I’m pretty sure Jeremy will go opposite from me here no matter what I say since a solid case can be made for both sides. Regardless, I’m going with “yes”.
Health withstanding, Evans will fight three times in 2012. With Mauricio Rua, Dan Henderson, and Lyoto Machida already tied up the only options out there right now are Phil Davis and a rematch with Quinton Jackson. I’m fairly certain he’ll beat either of them as long as he’s in the same shape he was at UFC 133. That victory alone should cement him a title-shot and buy him a little more time on the sidelines if necessary (which he can’t afford right now after sitting on the sidelines earlier this year while waiting for a crack at the championship).
Even if he somehow loses, as long as he’s competitive, Evans could easily be back in the picture for an opportunity at winning gold by year’s end with success in a follow-up fight. It worked for Machida so why wouldn’t the same apply to a guy who was closer to contendership than “The Dragon” was when handed the UFC 140 bout with Jon Jones?
Lambert: I’m going to go the other way, just for fun.
I’m pretty convinced that the MMA Gods, like most MMA fans, don’t like Evans. His fight against Jackson got pushed back, he won that fight but didn’t get a title shot because he chose to sit out. While sitting out, he got injured and his title shot went to Jones. He was supposed to fight Jones, but Jones “faked an injury” and fought Jackson while Evans beat Ortiz. In beating Ortiz, Evans got injured and his title shot was handed to Machida. This guy was supposed to fight for the title in late 2010, possibly earlier if the Jackson fight happened in December 2009 like originally planned, and still hasn’t received his title shot.
I just think he’s cursed. Remember when Karo Parisyan had the chance to fight for the title against Matt Hughes, got injured, and never sniffed a title shot after that? I feel like the same thing could happen to Evans. The 205 division is very competitive at the top and it only takes one bad night for Evans to be put on the back burner.
Was Frankie Edgar’s UFC 136 performance the best championship performance of the year?
Conlan: I suppose it depends on one’s definition of “performance”. If the question is a matter of the bout’s entertainment value then I would say absolutely. He finished his rivalry with Maynard off in style after nearly seeing it slip away early. If it’s relating to a champion’s actual outing then I’d say it’s not even close since, after all, Edgar did get rocked in the first round and was close to being finished. When compared to Jones’ dominance against Silva or “Rampage”, or Anderson Silva’s mastery against Yushin Okami and Vitor Belfort, “The Answer” getting pummeled doesn’t measure up on that front.
Best or not, one thing I will say is that Edgar did a helluva job in Houston and I won’t ever doubt his ability to win again…until he fights Gilbert Melendez, that is.
Lambert: I know this is an overreaction on my part and concede that both of Silva’s performances were better, because he made it look so easy against really good fighters, but I’m siding with Edgar here.
When I think of a champion, I think of a guy who never quits and who has a ton of heart. That’s Edgar. He not only got blasted in the first round, but he survived, made adjustments between rounds, and came back to finish Maynard to leave it out of the hands of the judges. Making it look as easy as Jones, Silva, and Georges St. Pierre made it look in their title fights this year is a very tough task, but a true champion shows his colors when his back is against the wall. Edgar’s back was not only against the wall, he was getting punched in the face as well. Instead of dropping down and covering up though, Edgar pushed back, and showed why he’s a champion.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, fighter, performance
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 140 press conference LIVE updates today (Oct. 12) for 'Jones vs Machida' in Toronto
Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold a public press conference today (Oct. 12, 2011) to promote UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida, which is scheduled for December 10, 2011.
The conference will begin at 1 p.m. ET live from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, the home city of the event.
Scheduled to attend will be UFC president Dana White, as well as the headlining fighters of the evening, Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida.
Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion. "Bones" has risen to the top of the light heavyweight heap in 2011, winning the title from Mauricio Rua and then recently defending it last month against Quinton Jackson.
On the opposite side of the podium will be the challenger to his title, former champion Lyoto Machida. "The Dragon" was awarded a title shot after a knocking out MMA legend Randy Couture in highlight reel fashion at UFC 129. He stepped up when Rashad Evans couldn't heal up his injured thumb in time.
We'll have complete updates of the UFC 140 press conference after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The conference is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. eastern time.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, conference, machida
Read the full article at MMA ManiaIf Nick Diaz Wins at UFC 137, Dana White is Prepared to Give Him a Title Shot
Despite past misgivings, UFC President Dana White says that Nick Diaz could very well get a title shot if he wins at UFC 137.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, nick diaz, title, shot
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyGilbert Melendez Still in Strikeforce, Defends Title Against Jorge Masvidal
If Gilbert Melendez is going to fight UFC champion Frankie Edgar, he's going to have to earn it with at least one more title defense in Strikeforce.
Posted in: title, strikeforce, title defense, jorge masvidal, gilbert melendez
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyDana White Says Rashad Evans 'Won't Wait' for Title Shot This Time
Rashad Evans' shot at regaining the UFC light heavyweight championship seems to be cursed. Originally scheduled to face then champion Mauricio Rua, the fight was delayed due to a Rua knee injury. Evans sat on the sidelines waiting for Rua to recover rather than staying active, only to suffer a knee injury of his own and see the title shot go to Jon Jones.
Evans was then put into position to face Jones for the title at UFC 133 but Jones pulled out of the bout with a hand injury. After Evans beat Tito Ortiz (the replacement for Phil Davis who replaced Jones) and Jones beat Quinton Jackson, it appeared we would finally see Rashad get his title shot. Instead, a hand injury for Evans forced him out and now Jones will fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 140.
So will Rashad take a chance like he did with the Rua fight and wait on the sidelines for the champion to be ready after his own recovery?
Dana White says no. Via MMA Weekly:
He was like 'I'm not gonna sit around and wait again.' So he probably will (fight). We'll see how this whole thing goes down, we'll see what happens. Plus Jon Jones has fought four times in 10 months. It's crazy.
I'm not exactly sure what fight you go with for Evans that is relevant. The winner of the Rua/Dan Henderson fight would make sense, but White already laid out that whoever won would be in line for a shot behind Rashad. Not that they can't change the plan, but it made sense to have a clear path set up that the title fights would go down.
I'm sure we'll know more over the coming months.
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, jone, evan
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowTime for another UFC Lightweight Title hunt discussion?
Champion: Frankie Edgar Top Contenders (1 fight or less away from title shot): Gilbert Melendez, current Strikeforce LW Champion and scheduled to fight Jorge Masdival in December but the talk is that he will be signing with the UFC instead. Says he wants the UFC belt and many speculate he will be given an immediate title shot. Ben Henderson, coming off a very impressive win over Jim Miller in August, set to fight Clay Guida next month on Fox, a fight that many speculate will decide the number one contender. Clay Guida won a decision over Anthony Pettis in June and is on a four-fight win streak including a Submission of the Night win over PRIDE legend Takanori Gomi. He will face Ben Henderson on Fox Nov. 12. On the Brink (approx. 2 fights away from title shot, listed in no particular order): Gray Maynard may not get another shot against Frankie Edgar in the near future, but he still presents a massive hurdle for anyone looking to rise to the top in this stacked division. Joe Lauzon has catapulted himself into upper echelons of the LW rankings with his dominant upset victory over former title prospect Melvin Guillard. Jim Miller will be looking for another path toward the title conversation after a loss to Ben Henderson halted his momentum in August. Nate Diaz has returned to the 155-lb division with an outstanding submission win over Takanori Gomi, and showed superb boxing and BJJ in that fight. Dennis Siver, riding a four-fight win streak including solid wins over George Sotiropoulous and Matt Wiman, will have an interesting bout against fellow up-and-comer Donald Cerrone (who is replacing Sam Stout) at UFC 137. Others: Sam Stout, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Melvin Guillard, Gleison Tibau, Rafael Dos Anjos. Lots of tough dudes on their way up here... Who do you place at the top of your rankings and what matchups do you make to line up the next few contenders? submitted by lumbugg [link] [15 comments]
Posted in: fight, title shot, title, ben henderson, jim miller
Read the full article at RedditFriday’s M-1 Challenge XXVII Undergoes Title Bout Change-up
After suffering a training injury to his elbow and arm, reigning M-1 Global champion Guram Gugenishvili has been forced to withdraw from his title defense at M-1 Challenge XXVII.
Posted in: title, title defense, challenge xxvii, training injury, xxvii
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyGilbert Melendez wants recognition, immediate UFC title shot against Frankie Edgar
Gilbert Melendez has been riding the pine for six months and hasn't seen action since dismantling Japanese standout Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on April 9, 2011.
"El Nino" is rumored to defend his 155-pound Strikeforce title against Jorge Masvidal in December; however, it is still uncertain if that fight will go on as planned or if he will instead be blended into the UFC mix to battle its lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
Melendez believes he has done enough to get the next shot at the UFC lightweight title. In addition, the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter believes that the only way to earn the respect he feels he deserves is to transition to the Octagon.
He said as much on a recent edition of the MMA Hour, expressing his desire to challenge "The Answer," as well as voicing his frustrations for not getting the proper credit as one of the best lightweight fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today.
Check it out:
"I'm definitely impressed by Frankie. He's an amazing fighter. He's great, I honestly feel like I'm the number one contender and I feel like I'm ready for the title shot now. I've been focusing on Jorge Masvidal, he's the first guy in line. I think he's the No. 1 contender, as of now, in Strikeforce, and as of now I have to focus on that guy. He's real tough. But it's hard not to get excited when you hear all these rumors. The most frustrating thing is the recognition, a lot of people don't recognize me as a great fighter because I haven't beaten any UFC guys."
UFC President Dana White has yet to shine any conclusive light on who exactly will challenge Edgar after he emphatically (and finally) got rid of the ghost that has been haunting him since 2008 by viciously knocking out Gray Maynard this past weekend at UFC 136.
"El Nino" just wants to know where he stands:
"I just wanted to discuss my future with the organization; it looks like I have a good future. ... I just expressed that I want to fight the best. The UFC title is the best belt, I want that belt and I want it as soon as possible."
Following Melvin Gulliard’s stunning first round submission loss to Joe Lauzon this past weekend, the UFC contenders were whittled down to a select few, leaving Clay Guida and Ben Henderson as the top two lightweight candidates. The pair is scheduled to face off on the inaugural UFC on FOX 1 show on Nov. 12, 2011, which features UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez defending his title against Junior Dos Santos in the main event of the evening.
Has Melendez earned enough of your respect to deserve the next shot at Edgar’s title? Or should he wait his turn to see if either "Smooth" or "The Carpenter" can dethrone "The Answer"?
Posted in: ufc, title, fighter,  , el nino
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGilbert Melendez Wants UFC Title Shot and He Wants It Now
Gilbert Melendez may not be in the UFC (yet), but he damn sure wants to be. He also wants a UFC title shot and believes he’s ready for it now, as he told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour today.
“The UFC title is the best belt,” he said. “I want that belt and I want it as soon as possible.”
“I’m definitely impressed by Frankie. He’s an amazing fighter. He’s great,” Melendez said. “I honestly feel like I’m the No. 1 contender and I feel like I’m ready for the title shot now.”
While it’s still unclear if he’ll get that opportunity, Melendez says he’s still focusing on Jorge Masvidal, who he’s expected to fight in December if the UFC doesn’t pull him over sooner. As patient as Melendez is trying to be though, he feels like he’s put in his time and deserves the chance.
“I’m a vet in this sport,” Melendez told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I’ve been here for a long, long time, and I’m ready to prove I’m No. 1. I’m ready to start taking over and holding down the weightclass, promoting the sport and representing MMA. I’ve been ready for that awhile.”
“I’ve been here longer than Frankie,” Melendez said. “I’ve been here longer than Gray. I’ve been here longer than Melvin Guillard. I’ve been here longer than Clay Guida. I’ve been here longer than all these dudes. It’s not like I’m a new kid that needs to get his feet wet. ”
“I know the common fan thinks I haven’t made the big leagues yet,” Melendez said. “I’ve been working my butt off to put on really good shows and really good, entertaining fights. I’ve proven myself.”
With Melvin Guillard knocked out of contention, Frankie Edgar vs. Gilbert Melendez really is the fight that needs to happen. When I think of contenders I don’t just look at who they beat, but how they beat them. Not only has Melendez defeated some of the best lightweights outside the UFC in the last couple years, he dominated them. It’s hard to watch him destroy Tatusya Kawajiri and not want to see him fight Frankie Edgar next. It would be a great lightweight title fight and I hope it happens.
Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, gilbert melendez, melendez
Read the full article at MMA ConvertKenny Florian: The champion that never was
Photo by Josh Hedges via Zuffa LLC/Getty Images.
The Buffalo Bills of the 1990’s went to the Super Bowl four consecutive years from 1990 to 1993. All four times, they came up short, failing to capture a Super Bowl title. Their four year reign over the AFC division was impressive, however, they never obtained the ultimate goal in taking home the coveted Super Bowl Ring.
Many people, surprisingly, mocked the Bills for failing time after time to win a championship. However, what I always found interesting is that they never received the credit that they deserved for actually reaching the Super Bowl.
Does that not deserve some recognition in and of itself?
Then we have Kenny Florian, a humble and talented fighter who truly is one of the most respected veterans in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today. "KenFlo" has now fought in three title fights and much like the Buffalos Bills in the early 1990’s, has failed to win the gold.
Join me after the jump, as we take a look at Florian’s journey to capture the elusive championship.
Kenny burst onto the UFC scene in the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) back in 2005 in which he fought as a middleweight. He fought his way to the finals where he eventually lost to Diego Sanchez via technical knockout.
Florian dropped to welterweight for a brief second to fight Alex Karalexis. After re-arranging Karelexis’ nose, he made the jump to lightweight. After only a two fight win streak, which included wins over Kit Cope and Sam Stout; he received a title shot for the vacant UFC lightweight championship against Sean Sherk at UFC 64 on October 14, 2006.
The bloody fight proved to test both men’s wills as they battled tooth and nail for five rounds. When the final bell rang, a bloodied and battered Sean Sherk walked away the champion and Florian was left to start all over.
Three years and an impressive six fight win streak later, which included five finishes, Kenny Florian was once again in a position to become champion. This time, he would take on arguably the greatest lightweight in mixed martial arts (MMA) history in B.J. Penn.
After three rounds of action, it seemed as if Florian couldn’t do anything against the much more experienced Penn. In the fourth round, "The Prodigy" turned up the heat and this time it was "KenFlo" on the recieving end of a rear naked choke.
Once again, Florian would go home without the belt. Fans and Florian alike questioned where he should go from there.
Florian stayed in the lightweight division and racked up two consecutive submission victories over Clay Guida and former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi.
UFC President Dana White then announced a number one contender’s fight between Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard for UFC 118. The winner would earn the right to take on the new kingpin in the lightweight division, Frankie Edgar.
Gray Maynard controlled the entire fight with superior grappling and eventually earned a unanimous decision, spoiling Florian’s hopes for another title shot and prompting UFC Preisdent Dana White to say the Florian "chokes" in big fights.
At a crossroads in his MMA career, Florian dropped another ten pounds to compete in the newly introduced UFC featherweight division. Making his debut at UFC 131, Florian drew Diego Nunes as his debut to the new weight class. Florian earned the decision victory in a rather unimpressive debut.
Much to many fans dismay, White announced Florian would get a title shot at UFC 136 against the dangerous Brazilian Champion Jose Aldo after only one victory in his new division.
Would the third time be a charm? Would Kenny Florian finally capture the UFC gold he has worked so hard for the last seven years of his career?
Unfortunately, in MMA, there are not always fairytale endings.
After five grueling rounds, Aldo bloodied and battered Florian to prompt the judges to give "Junior" a unanimous decision victory. Florian, once again, would go home empty handed and not complete his goal of becoming UFC champion.
From middleweight to featherweight, Florian has dropped four weight classes in hopes of capturing the title; coming up short in each of his chances.
It is uncertain where he goes from here; but onne thing is for sure, Kenny Florian has the heart of champion and deserves praise for his success and not judgment for his championship match losses. Much like the NFL’s Buffalo Bills of the early 90’s, Florian was good enough to get to the big dance but never earn the title.
Florian should not be judged on his failed attempts at gold, but rather he should be given the credit and respect he deserves for winning all the fights he needed to win in order to even reach a title fight.
Fighting in a UFC title fight is something that the majority of MMA fighters will never get the opportunity to do -- not even once.
What do you say, Maniacs, how do you rate Kenny Florian’s career up to this point?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, florian, kenny
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 136 Results: Winners and Losers Coming Out of the Action
Each event sees winners and losers show up on the results page, but it's more than simply who gets their hand raised and who misses out on their win bonus. We'll take a look at who the biggest winners and losers are coming out of the night's action.
Winners
Frankie Edgar - An obvious choice given that he won the main event, but it's more than that. Many (including myself) felt that Edgar lost his first fight with B.J. Penn. He dominated the rematch and then went to a draw with Gray Maynard. What seemed like a 1-1-1 record in his three title fights and the fact that he was 0-1-1 against Maynard meant that there was still some sort of need for Edgar to get a clear win to feel like he staked his claim as a big time champion. He did so in a big way by knocking out Maynard and getting rid of the one big question mark. He still has some big challenges coming and it's going to be exciting seeing him try to meet them.
The Featherweight Division - There had been a lot of people selling the idea that once the UFC brought in the featherweight division there would be a flurry of current UFC 155'ers dropping weight and taking over the division. The idea that 145 was somehow an incomplete division has been shot down pretty strongly thus far. Tyson Griffin dropped and edged out a majority decision over Manny Gamburyan, Kenny Florian dropped and struggled through a fight with Diego Nunes and was thoroughly dominated by Jose Aldo. Aldo is a legitimate pound for pound top guy, I had him at #3 coming into the year and I still have him there now. Some guys will move to 145 and find success if it's where they belong, but the division wasn't in need of 155'ers who were out of title contention to become legitimate.
Anderson Silva - Silva only has a handful of fights left and it's no secret that he wants to make them count. It's about legacy and making big money. When Chael Sonnen ran through Brian Stann and made the challenge to Silva for their lover leaves the division/the UFC fight, he sold a lot of pay-per-views as long as the UFC sees fit to make the fight happen. There simply are no other money fights at 185 other than maybe a fight with Michael Bisping. The fight with Chael will do big business and provide Silva with a chance to really shut up the guy who will go down as his biggest rival whenever it is he hangs up the gloves.
Losers
Kenny Florian - The story of Florian's career was set in stone at UFC 136. He came up short in the finals of the first Ultimate Fighter, but at least welterweight was simply too high of a weight for him. He was given a lightweight title shot against Sean Sherk and lost 4 of 5 rounds. He was given a lightweight title shot and was drubbed by B.J. Penn before getting submitted. The UFC tried to set up a title eliminator to get him another lightweight title shot and Gray Maynard dominated him. Now he was given a fairly unearned shot at the featherweight title and Aldo calmly and coolly worked him over. In his three title shots he basically won two of fourteen rounds. Florian's legacy is that of a good fighter who never was at the elite level.
Melvin Guillard - More for what the loss represented than simply that he didn't win. This was not the "new Melvin." It was an overexcited kid who didn't fight with the gameplanning that Greg Jackson and Co. had instilled in him. This wasn't the guy who was moving toward a title shot, it was the guy who Dana White said was previously a waste of talent. With power like Guillard's, he simply needed to keep the fight standing, wait for an opening and unload. Instead he fell into the trap of trying to force it and a much more composed fighter busted him.
Tiequan Zhang and Chinese MMA - When the commentary team said that Zhang was the best mixed martial artist in China, he created an expectation for viewers. Instead, we saw the same old guy who is a fringe UFC talent at best. Zhang simply has a low "fight IQ" and even though it appeared he could deal with the shot of Darren Elkins and keep the fight standing where he had an advantage, he continually gave up the takedown to chase a guillotine. It's fine to trust a go-to move but you have to have the wherewithal to know when something isn't working and is repeatedly putting you in a bad position. It's worse than the Yoshihiro Akiyama situation for the UFC because while both men serve a purpose in trying to break into Asian markets, Akiyama is losing to more established fighters and Japan is a market with strong MMA history. China needs a major star to have the fans invest in and Zhang just isn't good enough. There are only so many Jason Reinhardts that can be put in with Zhang to pick up losses.
SBN coverage of UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III
Posted in: ufc, fight, title,  , shot
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort doesn't want friends, he wants to be the best
Over three years ago Vitor Belfort decided to cut down to middleweight after having started his career as a heavyweight and then spending a majority of it at 205-pounds. The Brazilian felt this was the right move to guarantee career longevity.
The plan proved to be a stroke of genius after "The Phenom" scored two knockouts at each Affliction pay-per-view (PPV) event. The second was particularly brutal. A little over half a minute into his bout with Matt Lindland, the Team Quest fighter was out cold and stiffer than a Stan Hansen lariat.
When the clothing company turned mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter went belly up, Belfort returned to the Octagon. His first fight back was against Rich Franklin who met a fate not too dissimilar from that of "The Law." It took place at a catchweight of 195-pounds but the message was clear: Vitor Belfort was a force to be reckoned with at middleweight.
One Steven Seagal-inspired kick later and "The Phenom" finds himself having to climb back up the ladder. At 34-years of age, he's no spring chicken. He realizes he's not the teenager that took the UFC by storm and is planning accordingly.
What's the plan? Read on to find out!
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Belfort was slated to take on Cung Le on next month's UFC 139 card but had to pull out due to an injury. "The doctor told me to take time off to rehabilitate," Belfort explained. "He said, 'You're not a young guy anymore. This might not cost you now but it might in the future'."
In his place, fellow Brazilian Wanderlei Silva has been booked to take on the former Strikeforce middleweight champion. But the injury was minor enough that Belfort is expecting to be well enough to fight before year's end. He's gunning for the co-main event slot supporting the Brock Lesnar/Alistair Overeem bout at UFC 141.
Belfort said, "I have a plan to go five more years. I want to be ready for December but I don't want to jeopardize my career. I also don't want to go inside the Octagon sloppy and insecure. Starting a camp with an injury is not a smart thing. I had to listen to the doctor. I apologized to Lorenzo [Fertitta] and told him I had to pull out."
The injury wasn't something that sprang up overnight. It was something that had been bothering him since before his fight with Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133. "Nobody knew but I almost pulled out. We drained the knee a lot," the Brazilian revealed. "I'm 100 percent now. I'm going back to the gym Monday so I can get ready for December."
Exactly who "The Phenom" will face still isn't known. When asked if he would like to take on Chael Sonnen after the American won his UFC 136 bout against Brian Stann, Belfort said, "I've been dreaming of that fight. Dana said the winner will take on Anderson but I hope they change their mind.
"Chael is an exciting fighter when talking but inside the Octagon, all he knows what to do is wrestle. His ground and pound isn't vicious. But he has a will, a drive and never stops coming forward."
There may be a bit of egg on Belfort's face as the wrestler managed to score a submission win with a slick arm triangle in the second round. Sonnen responded to the Brazilian at the event's post-fight press conference, "He's a fool. He knows not what he says."
Sonnen added, "If my name comes out of his mouth again, I will bury him where he stands." A rivalry seems to be brewing between the two but Belfort insists it's all business. "The only guy I have a personal problem with is the devil," he said.
In fact, "The Phenom" doesn't seem to take anything about his profession personally. "I want to get to the title. The way I beat Akiyama was convincing. He had never been knocked out. I'm just looking for someone who can get me to the title. I want to be the only person to win a title in three different weight classes."
While you won't see the Brazilian's name in the UFC heavyweight title lineage, Belfort did win a heavyweight tournament way back at UFC 12 and won the light heavyweight strap at UFC 46. But while his focus is on getting the middleweight title around his waist, he admits he thinks about how he would fare if he went back to the weight he started off his career off at.
"The weight cut is tough. Right now, I'm 220 pounds," he said. "Sometimes I think it would be easier to fight at heavyweight. I've got power but also speed. I like to challenge myself, though. Fighting at middleweight is a challenge."
When the topic of his UFC 126 bout with Anderson Silva was brought up, Belfort didn't have much to say. "I don't think too much in a way that will get me depressed. It was his night, he delivered." His demeanor wasn't one that implied annoyance at the question but instead acceptance. It's a maturity that comes with a decade and a half in the fight game. It's that same maturity that keeps revenge off "The Phenom's" mind.
If Sonnen were to beat Silva, Belfort said he would rather fight for the belt and then defend it against "The Spider." Belfort added, "The belt isn't personal, it's a goal."
A hot topic in MMA right now is whether or not fighters who train together should be expected to fight each other. It nearly tore Greg Jackson MMA apart and has led to a near endless debate. Belfort's opinion is a bit different from most inside the fight game.
He said he didn't understand how fighters could call themselves professionals but refuse to fight certain people. "Let’s be friends? No! If my brother was in my weight division, I would fight him." He added, "This is a sport, this is a competition. I’m not going to war. I’m here to compete."
"Imagine if the Lakers never competed with the Heat."
For Belfort, it's nothing personal. It's just business.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, middleweight, belfort
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDo you think Lyoto Machida is justified in getting the next title shot?
I was thinking about this the other day. Before the Randy Couture knockout. He lost to Rampage (some would say controversially) and prior to that lost convincingly to Shogun. Seems like he is quite lucky to get another title shot due to the circumstances of Rashad's injury and 140 not having a big main event. What do you guys think? submitted by crunchysloth [link] [6 comments]
Posted in: title shot, title, shot, lyoto machida, machida
Read the full article at RedditUFC 136 Musings
EDGAR—ARE YOU KIDDING ME?Frankie Edgar was a beaten man at the end of the first round. Gray Maynard was landing right uppercuts at will, dropping the champion multiple times. Edgar returned to his corner at the end of the round with a broken nose, a severely cut left eye and down two points on the scorecards.I was debating whether to begin writing the coronation piece for the challenger. Luckily, I didn’t waste my time.Round two got underway and Maynard inexplicably stopped punching. He started circling and posing. Edgar started sticking and moving. His foe started pulling straight back with his head up and his left arm extended, leaving himself wide open for more shots. He stopped countering. And that is when Edgar took over.I have no idea how Edgar survived the opening round. It was basically a carbon copy of the heart he showed in his January bout with Maynard. This time, however, he responded to adversity with even better offense than before. He showed killer instinct by knocking out Maynard, something that I thought was next to impossible for the Jersey-based fighter, in the fourth round.Edgar deserves serious respect as the champion. He won the title from one of the greatest fighters of our generation, BJ Penn. Successfully defended it against Penn in an immediate rematch. Survived a devastating first round in his next fight against Maynard, the only man to ever defeat him, and somehow found a way to pull out a draw. And then he settled the score by stopping Maynard in the third installment of their war, after having to again survive a savage beating in the opening round.The champion not only has skills. This guy has crazy heart. I’m talking Forrest Griffin-like heart. If his next defense is going to come against Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez, there will be several fight cognoscenti, me included, who will label him as the underdog. Well, he was the underdog against Maynard and the underdog against Penn. We all know how that worked out.WHY DID MAYNARD SHUT IT DOWN?That is the proverbial $64,000 question after the main event of UFC 136. Was he injured? Did he once again gas out during his first-round onslaught? Only Maynard and those closest to him know the real truth. All I know is that Edgar was a beaten man when he retreated to his corner in between the first and second round. All Maynard needed to do was come out in the second, land a few good shots early, and remind Edgar that the nightmare of the first round wasn’t yet complete.He did none of those things. He instead let Edgar get into a rhythm, and once the champion gets into a rhythm, he is extremely tough to beat. I’m sure Maynard is bitterly disappointed in himself right about now. Understandably so. He lost the fight as much as Edgar won it, if you know what I mean. I’m not trying to be hyper critical. I just don’t understand why he shut it down after the first round. That decision will forever haunt him, particularly if he never wins the UFC 155-pound title. He will always wonder what if. So will I.ALDO CONTINUES TO MAKE HIS POUND-FOR-POUND CASEWhen most people talk about pound-for-pound greatness in mixed martial arts, they typically discuss only two names: Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. Those in the know also throw around the name Jose Aldo.Aldo handled a much bigger, exceptionally well rounded Kenny Florian with relative ease on Saturday night. It was his 13th consecutive win. GSP has never enjoyed a 13-fight winning streak in his career. His longest is nine—his current winning streak. Silva, on the other hand, is in the midst of 15-fight winning streak. Not to mention the fact that two of those wins came in a division 20 pounds north of his division home. Plus, he has the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses.Silva is, in my opinion, the unquestioned pound-for-pound king. But I think that the number two spot is a toss up between GSP and Aldo. It will be interesting to see if Aldo continues to dominate at 145, or if he will opt to move up to lightweight to continue to build his legacy. He has an extremely difficult time cutting to the division maximum, so a move north may be all but set in stone at some point in the near future.For the time being, he is without a shadow of a doubt the very best featherweight on the planet. And he continues making his case for consideration as the number two guy on the pound-for-pound list.WHAT IS LEFT FOR FLORIAN?Florian is now 0-3 in UFC title fights. It is tough to imagine him receiving another title fight any time soon. Not unless Aldo is dethroned in the short term. That makes for a seriously uncertain future for the affable fighter.Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of interesting fights for Florian at featherweight. But one must wonder if he will have the same motivation to train hard, follow a strict diet, and live the monk-like lifestyle that has helped shape him into arguably the best fighter in the UFC never to win a title. Fighters fight for two reasons: winning championships and paying the bills. That is a gross overgeneralization. I know. Still, the statement has some merit. Remove the first reason from the equation, and that leaves paychecks as the sole motivation for KenFlo. I don’t know him personally, but it seems unlikely to me that money is a sufficient motivation for a true martial artist like Florian. This may very well be the most devastating loss of KenFlo’s career, because this is the one that will weigh on him the most mentally. It is tough to imagine what will motivate him to continue striving for greatness, knowing that he may never receive another shot at a title, in any weight class. Then again, if anyone can find a silver lining in this situation, it is probably Florian.IS THERE ANY DOUBT WITH SONNEN?Chael Sonnen is the most polarizing middleweight in the UFC. He might even be the most polarizing figure in all of mixed martial arts. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that he stands alone as the clear number one challenger for Anderson Silva’s middleweight crown.Sonnen’s utter annihilation of highly regarded Brian Stann after a 14-month layoff was a vivid reminder of that fact. No other man in the UFC has come close to defeating Silva. Sonnen came within 2 minutes of doing just that. He dominated Silva for 23 minutes, just like he dominated Stann on Saturday night.Sonnen’s request to fight Silva on Super Bowl weekend is a great idea, if anyone wants my opinion. I absolutely love his “upping of the stakes,” to use his quote. He wants Silva to retreat to light heavy, if he wins the title. If he fails to win the title, Sonnen claimed he would leave the UFC.I’m sure that was bravado. I don’t see Sonnen retiring if he loses to Silva. But it was an exceptional sound bite. Sonnen is full of those. He is the king of the one-liner. He is the undisputed champion of trash talking. And he may very well be the best middleweight in the world—he certainly thinks so.PHAN EVENS THE SCORE; LET’S DO IT ONE MORE TIMELeonard Garcia received a gift decision over Nam Phan in Las Vegas back in December 2010. There were no gifts at UFC 136. He instead received a beating from Phan in Houston. Garcia and Phan will forever be linked due to their two scintillating fights. Despite the fact that the second bout ended with a clear cut winner, Garcia still thrilled the crowd with a third-round knockdown and 15 full minutes of crazy, all-out attacking, proving that he is one of the most exciting fighters in the promotion, bar none.Phan was all-action in his own right. He isn’t always the most exciting fighter in the world, but when you put him in the cage with Garcia, it brings out the absolute best in him. Phan turns into a whirling dervish. For those who also watch boxing, Phan and Garcia are eerily reminiscent of Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward. Their three fights, which ended with Gatti winning twice, were three of the best fights I’ve ever seen. Another example would be Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, with Barrera winning twice. MMA needs a good trilogy in that same vein. Let’s run it back. What do you say, Dana White?LAUZON BEATS GUILLARD AT HIS OWN GAMEJoe Lauzon knew he could not outstrike Melvin Guillard over the course of three rounds. If the fight devolved into a kickboxing-only bout, he was a dead man walking. Oh, wait a minute. Lauzon didn’t receive a copy of the memo. He stopped Guillard in less than a minute and used a punch to get the win. He didn’t knock out Guillard, but he put him on ice skates with a counter left when Guillard jumped in with a lead left uppercut to the body. The New Orleans native left his jaw wide open when he threw the punch, and Lauzon took full advantage of the situation, re-establishing himself among the always robust group of lightweight contenders. The question for Lauzon is whether he will use this win to put together an impressive streak of performances. To date, he has not been able to win more than three consecutive fights in the UFC, and even that feat (which he accomplished just once) is dubious, since it was interrupted by his stint on “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he came up short. Lauzon has all the tools to be great. Consistency is his enemy. Let’s see if he can fix that in 2012.BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD FOR GUILLARDGuillard was on the cusp of his first UFC title shot. All he had to do was defeat Lauzon. He couldn’t do it, ending his winning streak at five. There is no doubt that UFC President Dana White will make Guillard win at least one more fight, likely more, before he is back in a position to fight for a title. With 155-pound monster Gilbert Melendez expected to head to the UFC sooner rather than later, Clay Guida and Ben Henderson trying to make their claim, and the fact that the lightweight division is the most stacked in the UFC, one must assume that Guillard is now well back in line, which is too bad. He is one fun fighter to watch. Win or lose, his fights are rarely boring.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, ’t, maynard
Read the full article at UFCUFC 136 results: Wasn't Melvin Guillard supposed to knockout Joe Lauzon?
According to "J-Lau," he was. But if history has taught us anything in this sport, it's that you probably shouldn't be talking about a title shot until you actually earn one.
That's because getting a number one contendership bout is often harder than getting the belt itself, as the UFC continues to stack its 155-pound division with world-class talent.
Just ask Anthony Pettis, George Sotiropoulos and Jim Miller.
You know the old adage about "Any Given Sunday?" Well, on any given Saturday night, a heavily-favored fighter can end up getting "put down" if they make even the slightest error in judgment.
Such was the case when an overconfident Melvin Guillard found himself strangled out of title contention on the main card of the UFC 136: "Edgar vs. Maynard III" pay-per-view on Oct. 8 in Houston, Texas.
Lauzon tells UFC.com the "Young Assassin" was supposed to knock him out en route to his title shot -- until the Bostonian "shut that down."
"It's a big win. Melvin won five or six in a row, something crazy. He was supposed to knock me out and then, I put him down. I'm glad I got the finish. It means everything, especially against a guy like Melvin [who's] super-talented, beat a lot of really good guys. They were talking about Melvin getting a title shot and I just shut that down, took it to him and I'm super-happy with my performance."
Lauzon's rear naked choke, which came after he stunned Guillard in the opening frame, earned him a $75,000 "Submission of the Night" bonus at the UFC 136 post-fight press conference.
It's unlikely that "J-Lau" will assume his former opponent's spot in the 155-pound pecking order, but it definitely narrows the field. Guillard was one of the names at the top of a very short list that also includes the winner of Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida at UFC on Fox in just over a month.
So how about it Maniacs, now that Guillard is out of the running, who do you like as the next man to challenge Frankie Edgar for the promotion's lightweight title?
I hear Gilbert Melendez has been on the phone all night ...
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, guillard, melvin
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 136 Results: Frankie Edgar TKOs Gray Maynard, Retains Lightweight Title
Frankie Edgar held onto his lightweight title and finished Gray Maynard at UFC 136. Read here to find out how the champ retained the belt and prevented a repeat draw of UFC 126.
Posted in: ufc, title, frankie edgar, maynard, frankie
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC 136 Live Results & Play-by-Play
Sherdog.com will report from the Toyota Center in Houston at approximately 6:10 p.m. ET (3:10 p.m. PT) with play-by-play and live results of UFC 136, which is headlined by Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard 3 for the UFC lightweight title, and features Jose Aldo's UFC featherweight title defense against Kenny Florian.
Posted in: ufc, title, result, kenny florian, toyota center
Read the full article at SherdogEight Ways of Looking at UFC 136
Musings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration.
I. After the first Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard fight, who'd have guessed we'd want to see two more? Certainly not me. I remember well the feeling of dull obligation when the main event at UFC 125 rolled around. I was at home, watching the pay-per-view with my wife and some friends. After the Leben-Stann fight most of my friends went home (or to the bars that might as well be their homes), and my wife went to bed. If it hadn't been my job to stay up and write, I might have DVR'd the final fight and followed her. Thankfully, I had no choice but to watch it live, and by the end of the first round I was debating waking her up and telling her she just had to see what was happening. I didn't (my wife's a fan, but she doesn't mind waiting until the morning to catch the recorded version), and it was probably the right call for the sake of domestic bliss. Still, that fight served as a reminder that no matter how many events you've seen, you never know for sure what you're going to get. That's a sword that cuts two ways, of course, and with the Edgar-Maynard trilogy we have no way of telling whether the end will be fittingly satisfying or disappointingly mediocre. Maybe the best we can hope for is that finally, after months of waiting, it will really and truly be over.
II. In terms of his legacy, Kenny Florian has never had a more important fight. It's not just because there's a title at stake. He's been there before. It's because, if he loses, this will almost certainly be the last UFC title that Florian ever gets a shot at. He's already dropped as low as he can go, and there's no future for him back at lightweight. Either he's going to finally win a title, or he's going to cement his legacy as one of the best UFC fighters to never be a champion -- a sort of MMA Jim Kelly, if you will. It's not the worst thing that could happen. Better to be Kelly than to be Ryan Leaf. It's better still to be a champion, and Florian is looking at his last best hope.
III. So...have we all just forgotten about that whole Chael Sonnen testosterone thing? The fact that it was a huge issue after the Anderson Silva fight and a complete non-issue before this fight really makes you wonder, are our attention spans that short, or was it all really just a paperwork and disclosure issue after all? No one seems to be asking Sonnen whether he's been using testosterone in the lead-up to UFC 136, with the exception of a guy named Aaron on our recent live chat, and kudos to him. Aaron asked Sonnen point blank whether he's still using it and whether it's legal for him to do so in Texas, to which Sonnen replied:
"I really can't get into it because I don't fully understand it myself. It's one of those things you try to learn as best you go but I'm not the guy who handles that. I'm not a manager. And they don't make it extremely clear. There's not a web site or anything we can go to to find out. ...It would be helpful if the commissions told us more. It makes it tough on a guy to follow a rule when nobody is willing to clarify what the rule is."
Now who's elusive?
IV. Gray Maynard hasn't finished a fight inside the distance since 2007. Edgar hasn't done it since 2009, and that was against not-so-distinguished competition in Matt Veach (who's now riding a two-fight losing streak in the minor leagues, last time I checked). For the fans who crave finishes and berate champions who don't deliver them, is this a kiss of death? Will they continue to care about and/or pay to see UFC lightweight title contests if it's almost a given that it will end up in the hands of the judges? I don't know, but personally I've never understood the line of reasoning that claims the only good fight is a finished fight. Granted, draws like the one we saw last time leave us feeling cold, but who can say they didn't have a great time watching that fight? Just because no one tapped or got knocked out, that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't money well spent.
V. Joey Beltran has never lost to a fighter making his UFC debut. Okay, so he's only fought two of them so far -- Rolles Gracie and Aaron Rosa -- but he won both. Now he'll try to keep the streak intact against undefeated newcomer Stipe Miocic, who the UFC reportedly has high hopes for. Can Beltran play spoiler again? Oddsmakers don't think so. Most have Miocic as a 3-1 favorite. But then, they've been wrong about Beltran before.
VI. We're about to find out a lot about Anthony Pettis' potential. He dazzled us with the Showtime kick in the WEC, then squandered his promised title shot with a loss to Clay Guida in his UFC debut. Now he's relegated to the prelims in a fight against Jeremy Stephens, who is the exact sort of fighter you simply must be able to beat if you want to be a contender at this level. Stephens is a resilient scrapper with knockout power, but he's no world-beater. He's someone who, on paper, Pettis ought to be able to handle. But Stephens never makes it easy on you, and he's never more than one good punch away from ruining your night. If Pettis can't beat him, we'll know that "Showtime" isn't quite ready for primetime.
VII. Jorge Santiago doesn't need to panic just yet, but he should be at least a little concerned. His last UFC run ended after two consecutive losses in 2006. Now he's 0-1 in his return, and facing a heavy favorite in Demian Maia. A loss here doesn't necessarily mean he's gone -- Stann and then Maia is a heck of a one-two punch in your first fights back in the UFC -- but it doesn't bode well for his future either.
VIII. Melvin Guillard didn't have to take this fight, but why wouldn't he? After five straight wins, he could have probably opted to sit around and wait for either a title shot or at least a clear number one contender bout. But the way the lightweight division is looking right now, on the sidelines is no place to be. By continuing to take fights Guillard not only keeps his skills sharp and his bank account full, he also keeps himself in the conversation about top UFC lightweights. When the UFC does finally get around to promoting a 155-pound title fight that doesn't include both Maynard and Edgar, Guillard's recent triumphs will still be fresh in people's minds. That is, if he is indeed triumphant here. Naturally, nothing's guaranteed, but if you didn't think you could beat Joe Lauzon 99 times out of 100, what would make you think you could be UFC champion? Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, time, title, doesn
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 136 Live Results & Play-by-Play (6:50 ET)
Sherdog.com will report from the Toyota Center in Houston at approximately 6:50 p.m. ET (3:50 p.m. PT) with play-by-play and live results of UFC 136, which is headlined by Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard 3 for the UFC lightweight title, and features Jose Aldo's UFC featherweight title defense against Kenny Florian.
Posted in: ufc, title, result, kenny florian, toyota center
Read the full article at SherdogJimmo retains title at MFC 31
Ryan Jimmo retained his light-heavyweight title by unanimous decision in a five-round fight with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in MFC 31.
Posted in: title, mfc, jimmo, sokoudjou, light-heavyweight title
Read the full article at sportsnet.caJimmo wins decision, retains title at MFC 31
Ryan Jimmo retained his light-heavyweight title by unanimous decision in a five-round fight with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in MFC 31.
Posted in: title, decision, mfc, jimmo, light-heavyweight title
Read the full article at sportsnet.caGray Maynard: “I Couldn’t Be More Motivated”
The unbeaten lightweight title challenger opens up about the last ten months and how he's more than ready to get back into the Octagon with Frankie Edgar tomorrow night.
Posted in: title, couldn, tomorrow, maynard, title challenger
Read the full article at Heavy MMAEdgar-Maynard 3 Doesn’t Resolve Lightweight Congestion
Saturday's main event will put the lightweight title back in play, but there is still a collection of contenders to sort out.
Posted in: title, event, saturday, contender, sort
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC 136: Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, and Chael Sonnen are in 'do or die' situations
Bruce Buffer announced the third judge's score as 47-47. 10 months later, UFC President Dana White said that regardless of the outcome of the UFC 136 main event, a fourth bout between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard would not be considered.
The 155-pound division was cut down the middle twice by The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 1 runner-up Kenny Florian but he came up short when he stepped inside the Octagon opposite Sean Sherk. The announcement of the three judges' scores echoed in "KenFlo's" three taps when B.J. Penn wrapped his arm around the challenger's neck. Two opportunities to become a champion, two times Florian left the Octagon empty-handed.
Having spent 22 minutes brutalizing and dominating middleweight champ Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen found himself on the verge of accomplishing what many thought would never happen. A triangle choke led to the end of the bout and a loss while a highly suspect testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) regimen led to a suspension for the Republican wrestler.
These three men -- Maynard, Florian, and Sonnen -- all took different routes to get to tomorrow's (Oct. 8) event, but a loss for any of them amounts to the same fate.
Each faces the same ultimatum: win or risk never getting a title shot again.
"The Bully" spent over three years toiling away and had to earn eight wins before getting a title shot against a man he had already beaten. This was likely because his dominant, stifling style likely didn't earn him fans in the UFC office. While Maynard's rival Edgar wasn't known as a finishing machine himself, the New Jersey-native still managed to thrill fans when he stepped inside the Octagon.
A lot of those fans labeled Maynard a stereotypical wrestler and at worst, a blanket. He became the Jon Fitch of the 155-pound division: no one seemed able to stop him but despite continuing to win, a swelling of fan support never came.
Florian --having spent his season on TUF as a middleweight -- quickly dropped to 170-pounds and then finally settled at lightweight. Well-spoken, well-known, and well-trained, he was the perfect candidate to challenge for the long-vacant 155-pound title. The belt hadn't been worn since Jens Pulver left the promotion the first time and a four-man tournament in which the finals ended in a draw effectively killed the division for a couple of years.
But another recent drop down to lightweight stood in his way. Sean Sherk -- who was built like a human tank -- had taken Matt Hughes to the limit at 170-pounds and at 15 pounds lighter, it seemed like he would be unstoppable. Florian was able to use one of his patented elbows to slice his opponent open early but "The Muscle Shark" would not be denied.
It took "KenFlo" six more wins to get back to a title shot. This time around, it was Penn -- who had finally fulfilled his destiny in becoming the lightweight king we all knew him to be -- who smashed the TUF veteran's dreams of wearing championship gold.
Florian would have gotten a third opportunity if he had beaten Maynard at UFC 118.
Sonnen went from a wrestler who couldn't defend a submission to save his life to somehow working his way to a shot at Anderson Silva's middleweight title. He surprisingly beat Yushin Okami and then even more surprisingly bested Nate Marquardt. But perhaps the most shocking of all Sonnen's accomplishments was the over 20-minute beatdown he handed "The Spider" in August of last year.
It was in the build up to the UFC 117 main event that polarized Sonnen amongst MMA fans. He was either a racially insensitive hate monger or a modern day carnival barker, saying whatever it took to get you to buy a ticket to his show. In the end, over half a million people did and they were treated to quite a fight.
The Team Quest member fought as perfectly as he could have hope to and came within minutes of winning but came up short. Even some of his most ardent critics felt a rematch should be in order. Those who still vilified him were justified in doing so when a shady TRT treatment earned Sonnen a year-long suspension and a heavy fine. Money laundering charges from a real estate scheme was icing on the cake.
It seems tomorrow all three men have reached the end of their ropes. A loss for any man would be devastating and would likely ensure their remaining days would be spent as name talent a newcomer could get a win over.
Maynard's style kept him from a title shot for years already. There's no indication it won't again. Florian would be zero for three in title fights and would solidify his reputation as being good but not great. Sonnen would be shrugged off as a loudmouth who had his moment in the sun but needed some medical help and a Silva rib injury to get there.
None of these men are getting any younger. "The Bully" celebrated his 32nd birthday this year while Florian and Sonnen are 35 and 34-years old respectively. Time is not on their side.
And with a loss tomorrow, time will have run out.
Posted in: title shot, title, florian, sonnen, maynard
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana defends decision to match Machida and Jones
UFC president Dana White has been defending the decision to put Lyoto Machida into a December title fight with Jon Jones. The light-heavyweight title...
Posted in: title, jon jones, lyoto machida, machida, light-heavyweight title
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyDana defends decision to match Machida and Jones
UFC president Dana White has been defending the decision to put Lyoto Machida into a December title fight with Jon Jones. The light-heavyweight title...
Posted in: title, jon jones, lyoto machida, machida, light-heavyweight title
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyUFC 136's Brian Stann: In 2012, 'I want to fight for a title or be ready for a title'
HOUSTON - As in his former life, Brian Stann is always looking for objectives - and how to trample them.
Next, he'd like to put his boot on a middleweight title shot, and Chael Sonnen is the obstacle he must surmount.
"My goal this year was to get into the top 10 (and) solidify myself on the UFC roster," Stann today told MMAjunkie.com. "No more being on the bubble or the guy who could be cut. My next goal, now, is to fight for a title."
Posted in: title, brian stann, ufc roster, stann, stann today
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJones vs. Machida set for UFC 140
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will defend his title next against former champ Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 on December 10th. Dana White announced the fight via twitter.The fight comes as news spread that Rashard Evans injured his hand in training. Once again, Evans is shelved and misses out on another title shot. For his part, Evans understoodthe decision and took the news with grace despite the likely frustration.UFC 140 will be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the co-main event, Frank Mir will face Big Nog in a rematch from 2008 in which Mir won the interim Heavyweight championship. Also, Tito Ortiz will face Little Nog on the same card.
Payout Perspective:
Its a little disappointing that we will not see Jones vs. Evans considering the genuine bad blood and intense staredown in the Octagon at UFC 135. It seems soon for Jones to defend his title again but Jones does not seem worried about it. The UFC needed a big title match-up considering the great fans in Canada. Mir vs. Noguiera just isn’t a top draw main event. Machida was the best opponent available although you may argue that Shogun Rua could have received a rematch after Rua KO’d Forrest Griffin in Rio. It will be interesting to see if Machida is a big enough name for the casual MMA fan. Also, we will see if Jones will improve as a PPV draw.
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, jones vs, machida
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 136 fight card: Jose Aldo vs Kenny Florian preview
The UFC featherweight title is on the line this Saturday night (October 8, 2011) in the co-main event of UFC 136 as champion Jose Aldo takes on previous two-time lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian.
Aldo is one of the most dangerous fighters in the entire world and his top five placement on the pound for pound rankings proves that. He's consistently brought home "Knockout of the Night" and "Fight of the Night" awards in his sting with Zuffa and he's hoping to add to that collection while retaining his title.
For Kenny Florian, this may be his last shot at becoming a champion. He's 35 years old, which is practically Randy Couture-esque for a lighter weight class. He's been labeled a choker by Dana White in the past for repeatedly coming up short when it was all on the line. He's hoping to finally break through and win the big one.
Will Aldo showcase his tremendous skill and defend the title with style? Can Florian finally rise to the challenge of a big fight and fix his reputation? Who will be the UFC featherweight champion after this fight is all said and done?
Jose Aldo
Record: 19-1 overall, 1-0 in the UFC
Key Wins: Urijah Faber (WEC 48), Mike Brown (WEC 44), Mark Hominick (UFC 129)
Key Losses: none
How he got here: After making waves in Brazil, Aldo migrated to the WEC and immediately began wrecking the place. He tore through his first four WEC bouts with deadly striking and decided to cap it off by earning a title shot with an unbelievable eight second knockout of Cub Swanson at WEC 41. Believe it or not, the time of the knockout was the least impressive part of it. Aldo flew through the air and connected on poor Cub's chin with not one but two flying knees at once and finished the stunned Swanson off with quick ground and pound.
The Brazilian made the most of his opportunity and manhandled then-champion Mike Brown, finishing the turtling titleholder with ground and pound from behind. His victory set up a WEC super-fight with the incredibly popolar former champion Urijah Faber at WEC 48. "Scarface" would work a different gameplan for that fight, massacring Faber's legs with sharp kicks until they turned into linguine and "The California Kid's" corner needed to carry him to his stool in between rounds. The champ retained his title one final time, viciously knocking out Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season five finalist Manny Gamburyan early in the second round.
After the UFC/WEC merger, Aldo was handed the UFC featherweight title and got an opportunity to defend it against Mark Hominick this past April. The Brazilian controlled much of the first four rounds, but an illness and a really rough weight cut caught up to him in the final frame where Hominick took over and put a beating on him. Hominick couldn't finish though and lost the decision. Now, Aldo will defend his belt one more time against two-time title challenger Kenny Florian and he's hoping he can look better this next time around.
How he gets it done: Jose Aldo has a very diverse set of skills. He's got heavy hands and some of the nastiest leg kicks you will ever see. His background as a soccer player may be a factor in that.
Look for Aldo to try to keep this fight standing and really go to work with his kicks. He does a terrific job of closing off combinations with a leg kick. If he can connect a few times, it's going to slow Florian down and make him an easier target. If Florian begins to lose some of his lateral quickness, the champion could swoop in with a flying knee or some other devastating frontal attack.
Aldo also mixed in some takedowns with his striking in his last fight so that's not out of the realm of possibility. Kenny Florian has a pretty strong ground game, but if Aldo can put him on his back, he's got some pretty lethal ground and pound. He won his title originally by grounding and pounding Mike Brown, a strong wrestler and he recently knocked Manny Gamburyan out cold with ground and pound after hurting him with an uppercut.
Aldo is such a terrific athlete that you could literally expect anything from him in this fight. At just 25 years old, he can definitely still be learning new tricks.
Kenny Florian
Record: 15-5 overall, 12-4 in the UFC
Key Wins: Clay Guida (UFC 107), Diego Nunes (UFC 131), Joe Lauzon (UFC Fight Night 13)
Key Losses: B.J. Penn (UFC 101), Gray Maynard (UFC 118), Sean Sherk (UFC 64)
How he got here: Kenny Florian earned an invite to the UFC after Dana White watched him lose an incredibly spirited split decision to Drew Fickett. He got his start in the UFC as a cast member of the first ever season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) as a middleweight. Despite his size disadvantage, the Bostonian made it all the way to the finals before losing to Diego Sanchez in the show's finale.
Florian would then drop to welterweight where he scored consecutive second round stoppages. Not satisfied, "Ken-Flo" would cut even lower to lightweight where he would earn a title shot against Sean Sherk at UFC 64. Florian gashed Sherk with his razer-sharp elbows but he couldn't withstand the "Muscle Shark's" tremendous wrestling and core strength, losing a unanimous decision.
After stringing together five straight victories, he would again earn a shot at the title but would put on a perplexing show against the-champion B.J. Penn. Florian tried to work a clinch gameplan that left many confused before losing in the fourth round via rear naked choke to "The Prodigy." Florian would work his way back to the top again but dropped a unanimous decision in a number one contender match to Gray Maynard. While recuperating from an injury, he decided to try a cut to featherweight, his fourth weight class in the UFC.
In his 145 pound debut, Florian got hurt a couple times against scrappy Brazilian Diego Nunes, but his all-around game was enough to give him a decision victory and earn him yet another shot at a UFC title.
How he gets it done: Kenny Florian has a strong area of well-rounded skills. He's put the time in to become a solid striker with excellent Muay Thai and his Brazilian jiu-jitsu game is very aggressive. If he ever has an opponent hurt, his killer instinct takes over and the fight is finished soon after.
What Florian needs to do against Aldo is get inside, whether it's putting him on his back with takedowns or getting up close in the stand-up. He can't stay on the outside and eat kicks or throw punches that Aldo easily avoids with his stellar subtle head movement.
If he can get inside standing, "Ken-Flo" needs to get to work immediately with short attacks of knees and elbows. He's got the sharpest elbows in the business and they've won him numerous fights in the past with doctor stoppages. We've never really seen Jose Aldo bleed before, but if anyone can do it, it's Kenny Florian.
The Tristar fighter needs to really push the pace in this fight. He's been overly cautious in big fights in the past but he needs to get over that mental block and get in Jose Aldo's face from start to finish, similar to what Demetrious Johnson was able to do to Dominick Cruz in the stand-up portion of his title fight last week. If he can do that and not be put on his back, he might have a chance.
Fight "X-Factor:" There are two X-Factors for this bout. The first is Kenny Florian's change of gameplan in big title fights. He's a finishing machine in most of his bouts, but he steps off the gas pedal for his title fights or for important matches in his career. He needs to realize that what got him here is his aggression and killer instinct, who cares if there's tape of it. If he can put that behind him, perhaps he has a chance. A passive "Ken-Flo" will be an unconscious "Ken-Flo."
The other factor is the weight cut, and that's for both fighters. Kenny Florian was a pretty good sized lightweight and he had to be extremely disciplined to drop down to 145 pounds. It may have cost him some of his ability to take a punch as Diego Nunes dropped him at least twice at UFC 131, something no one had really done to him before in a UFC fight. Jose Aldo had some serious issues making weight for UFC 129 and he's still a young fighter and getting bigger. As he gets older, it's going to be increasingly more difficult to make featherweight. At some point, cutting all that weight is going to be counterproductive and it will benefit his opponents. Perhaps this is that time.
Bottom Line: The major thing about this fight is, when both men are at the top of their game, they are straight up killers. Kenny Florian has had only 25 percent of his UFC fights go to a decision. Aldo is in a similar boat with 25 percent of his career fights going to a decision as well. These guys are finishers, they're aggressive and they usually bring it every time out. There's some potential for some serious fireworks with this match-up and especially if Florian's chin has begun to chip, Aldo could score that brutal knockout he needs to put him over with the UFC faithful. Aldo won "Fight of the Night" in his UFC debut despite not being even close to himself. If he's fully healthy, this should be a lot of fun.
Who will come out on top at UFC 136? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
Poll
Who will be the UFC featherweight champion once this co-main event for UFC 136 is officially concluded?
Jose Aldo
Kenny Florian
4 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, florian, aldo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 140: Did Lyoto Machida deserve the next light heavyweight title shot?
Lyoto Machida will challenge Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 140 on Dec. 10, 2011, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
How did "The Dragon" go from 1-2 since 2009 to division number one contender? Well, I'll let UFC President Dana White explain it the way only he can (via Twitter):
rashad hurt dickhead. Evans is Hurt, Hendo is fighting shogun and Davis is hurt. U have to be a fuckin moron not to love machida vs jones.
Considering the back-story, build-up and anticipation of "Jones vs. Evans," the question has to be asked why "Bones" was unable to wait another three weeks after Evans’ manager, Glenn Robinson, told Heavy MMA that's all it would take to get his injured fighter back into training camp following surgery to remove pins from his hand.
It certainly does nothing to dispel the accusations that Jones is avoiding a "Suga" showdown.
But putting that aside, assuming this was all the promotion's doing and that Jones fights "whoever they put in front of him," the question still arises: Did Lyoto Machida deserve the next title shot?
MMA Nation explains why he's not a "credible opponent:"
Prior to dispatching old man Randy Couture, a UFC legend who happened to be 48 years old when Machida kicked his face off in April, Machida had lost consecutive fights. He was outboxed by Rampage Jackson and outhustled by Mauricio Rua. Simply put, Machida hasn't earned a title shot.
If Rashad will really be out for an extended period, I understand Jones can't wait forever. But Machida is not the answer. As the UFC becomes more sport and less spectacle, it's more important than ever that there be method to White's madness. A fighter who has lost his last two competitive fights doesn't belong in a title bout. Credibility is key - and right now Machida is not a credible title challenger.
An argument can be made for Mauricio Rua, who rebounded from losing his UFC 128 title fight by pounding out Forrest Griffin at UFC 134, but "Shogun" was thrashed so mightily by the young phenom, it may be difficult to sell a rematch so close to their initial encounter.
So where does that leave us?
That's up to you, fellow fight fans. Was the few extra weeks Evans needed to recuperate a deal breaker? And if so, how do you feel about "Jones vs. Machida?" The only sellable fight outside of Rashad?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, machida
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWhite: Jones-Machida to Headline UFC 140 in Toronto
UFC President Dana White on Thursday announced that UFC 140 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title confrontation between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida
Posted in: ufc, title, toronto, jon jones, jones-machida
Read the full article at SherdogIs Florian finally ready for a title? (Yahoo! Sports)
Kenny Florian is getting a rare third shot at a UFC title. Will he come through?
Posted in: title, florian, kenny, kenny florian, ufc title
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsDana White: Gilbert Melendez could receive an immediate title shot
So, who gets a shot at the lightweight title by facing the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard, who battle for the third time this Saturday night (Oct. 8) in Houston?
The answer may surprise you.
While a couple of names will surface, most notably Melvin Guillard, Ben Henderson, Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida, that elite group will be cut in half by the end of the year, as all four title contenders are booked to get down inside the Octagon within the next two months.
Enter Gilbert Melendez.
Speaking to a small group of reporters after the UFC 136 pre-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White hinted at the possibility of bringing the reigning Strikeforce lightweight champion over for an immediate title shot.
White elaborates to Heavy.com:
"I've got to run my business, so if I have to yank him over here, I'll do it. There are a couple of different things we could do. Melendez could come over here and fight for the title. But I hate to do that to guys, because everyone who comes over and fights for the UFC for the first time, they have a first tough fight and they have to get those jitters out. That division is so stacked and there are so many people right at that top level, we need to figure it out. We’re going to figure out what we’ll do after the fight on Saturday.”
Pettis was supposed to receive an immediate title shot once WEC closed up shop; however, due to the New Year’s Day draw at UFC 125 with Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, Pettis was forced to take another fight in the meanwhile or sit out a bit longer.
"Showtime" took a fight with Clay Guida and lost by decision -- and also lost his title shot -- sending him tumbling down the ladder, a danger that Melendez may face if he chooses (or is forced) to take another fight. And you know Jorge Masvidal would love to play spoiler.
Does “El Nino” deserve a title shot right away?
Or should he fight another UFC lightweight contender to see if he's worthy?
Sound off!
Posted in: ufc, fight, title shot, title, shot
Read the full article at MMA ManiaThe last man to hold the WEC lightweight title, Anthony Pettis, lost his chance at fighting the...
The last man to hold the WEC lightweight title, Anthony Pettis, lost his chance at fighting the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard after being mugged by Clay Guida back in June. Hear why "Showtime" thinks his UFC 136 fight against Jeremy Stephens will redeem him by clicking here.
Posted in: title, jeremy stephens, anthony pettis, clay guida, wec
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 140: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida
Filed under: UFCThe main event for UFC 140 is set, with Jon Jones set to defend his light heavyweight title against former champion Lyoto Machida.
UFC President Dana White announced on Twitter that Jones vs. Machida will be the main event for the card, which takes place on December 10 in Toronto.
The decision to give the next shot at the light heavyweight title to Machida comes as a surprise because Rashad Evans has long been declared the No. 1 contender. But Evans, who wore a cast on his hand when he faced off with Jones following Jones' victory over Rampage Jackson last month, will apparently not be ready to fight in time for Jones' next title defense.
For Jones, the matchup means he will fight four times in 2011: He beat Ryan Bader in February, Shogun Rua in March and Jackson in September. Fighting this often is rare in the UFC, especially among championship-level fighters, but Jones is apparently ready, and the UFC apparently wants to keep their young star active.
He'll have an interesting stylistic matchup in Machida, whose striking is unlike anything Jones has ever faced before. Then again, Jones' strength, speed and reach is unlike anything Machida has ever faced before. This should be a great fight. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, title, jone, machida, anything machida
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseJon Jones vs. Rashad Evans could headline UFC 140 in December
The UFC brass is looking to strengthen their return to Canada in December by adding a title fight to headline the show. Not just any title fight though. UFC president Dana White is hoping that the highly-anticipated light heavyweight title showdown between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will headline UFC 140. Whether or not the fight will take place in December hinders on the health of the two combatants.
News of the bout was first reported by MMAFighting.com.
At UFC 133, Evans injured his hand in a victory over Tito Ortiz. After finishing “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” in the second round of their bout, Evans had to have pins inserted into his right hand and has been in a cast since the bout. He is scheduled to see the doctor on Wednesday and hopes to be cleared for competition. The former light heavyweight champion has had a string of bad luck when it comes to the 205 strap ever since losing the title to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. Scheduled to get a title shot at UFC 128, Evans had to pull out of the fight with Mauricio Rua due to a knee injury. Jones replaced Evans in that fight. The bout between the former training partners was originally set to go down at UFC 133, but Jones “faked a hand injury” according to Evans, leaving Rashad to fight Tito and Jones to defend his title against Quinton Jackson a month later.
Jones submitted Jackson in the fourth round of their title fight on September 25, and the December 10 turnaround might be too quick for the 24-year-old to handle. Also standing in the way is the fact that Jones was suspended for six months following UFC 135 and needs to be cleared by a doctor before he can step foot back in the octagon. Following his victory over Jackson, “Bones” refused to talk about Evans saying, “he’s ruined my moment twice now” in reference to Evans entering the octagon after Jones’ victories over “Shogun” and “Rampage.”
UFC 140 is scheduled for December 10 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. Also on the card is a heavyweight rematch between former champions Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
*PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, evan
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainStrikeforce Champ Melendez May Get Immediate Title Shot
UFC President Dana White tells HeavyMMA.com that Gilbert Melendez could come into the UFC and earn an immediate title shot.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, shot, gilbert melendez
Read the full article at Heavy MMAJones-Evans Title Headliner Targeted for UFC 140 in Toronto
Former teammates Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will finally collide at UFC 140.
Posted in: ufc, title, toronto, rashad evans, teammate
Read the full article at SherdogGrappling with Issues – 10/5/11
Will 2012 be the year Dominick Cruz finally stops an opponent under the Zuffa banner? Should Brian Stann get a shot at the middleweight title if he wins this weekend at UFC 136? Is it time for the UFC to part ways with Pat Barry? Does Gilbert Melendez deserve an immediate crack at the championship when he joins the UFC?
Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!
Welcome to Grappling with Issues, our site’s regular weekly feature highlighting insight and opinion from myself and resident workhorse Jeremy Lambert whose general contributions and “Scorecard” event-breakdowns can be regularly found on Five Ounces. As always, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t hesitate to offer your own take on the topics in the “Comments” section below.
Should Pat Barry be released after dropping to 3-4 inside the Octagon with all the losses involving some form of stoppage?
Lambert: He won’t be, but he probably should be. Barry has a ton of charisma and is involved in exciting fights while they last, but he’s just not ready for the UFC level of competition. I think he could really benefit from taking fights on a smaller stage where he can improve on his other skills, mainly his takedown defense and grappling. Here’s my problem with Barry though: he has too much Brandon Vera in him. He admires his own work too much and he doesn’t seem to feel bad after losses. I’m not saying he should sulk about losing, but don’t go on Twitter and say “THAT WAS A COOL POWERBOMB!” moments after you lost. Having an upbeat attitude is usually a good thing, but in the fight game, I want guys who are pissed off when they lose, because those are the guys who I know will work harder for their next bout.
Conlan: Like Jeremy said, even if Barry isn’t cut he definitely deserves to be. The UFC needs to set a standard when it comes to the fighters they keep on board. Retaining a guy who is 3-4 in the organization with all four losses involving some sort of finish is not near the level of excellence employment in the UFC should require regardless of how many silly pictures he takes in his underwear or how charming he might be at press conferences. It’s time for Dana White to take a hint from his favorite vendor of frozen treats and pink-slip Barry.
Does Brian Stann deserve a title-shot if he beats Chael Sonnen this weekend?
Lambert: I think the winner of this fight will be given a title shot, so I have to say yes. We all know that UFC wants to do Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva 2, as they were going to do the immediate rematch before Sonnen spent more time in the court room than the gym, so one victory should get him another bout with Silva. That being said, if Stann can beat Sonnen, why not give him a title shot too? He already has victories over Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago, throw in a victory over Sonnen, and combine that with his story (did you know that he’s a former Marine?) and that’s a recipe for a title contender.
Conlan: Yes, at least in the context of having accomplished at least as much (if not more) than the previous challengers to Silva’s strap. Yushin Okami – wins over Nate Marquardt, Mark Munoz, and Lucio Linhares. Vitor Belfort – catchweight success over Rich Franklin and recent victories over Matt Lindland and Terry Martin. Demian Maia – outpointing Dan Miller after being knocked out by Marquardt a fight earlier. Keep going down the list and, with the exception of Sonnen, “The Spider” hasn’t faced a contender with as much momentum as Stann would have entering the bout with consecutive wins over Leben, Santiago, and the guy who was less than two minutes away from becoming middleweight champion before slipping up and getting caught in a submission.
Of the two title-fights at UFC 136, how many will feature a finishing performance – both, one of them, or neither?
Lambert: I expect to see a finish in Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian. I’ve been told that FLORIAN FINISHES FIGHTS and Aldo usually finishes fights too, unless he’s fighting in his opponent’s hometown and doesn’t want to piss off the crowd too much by murdering the guy that everyone came to see. I think Aldo will finish Florian because I feel like Florian is afraid/doesn’t react well when he’s hit, and Aldo is going to hit him a lot. When Florian feels Aldo’s power he’s going to start making mistakes and Aldo is going to capitalize on those mistakes before putting him away.
I see Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard going to the scorecards just because neither guy have a reputation as a finisher and both guys are extremely tough to finish. Maynard had Edgar dead to rights in their last bout, and still couldn’t put him away and the only time Maynard has been finished (not counting TUF) was when he finished himself.
Conlan: Just to be different I’ll go with neither. Edgar/Maynard is likely to go the distance given both fighters’ general tenacity and skill-sets, plus there’s past history to consider as well (eight rounds, zero finishes).
As far as the featherweights, though I think Aldo will retain his title I’m not sure he’ll do more than beat Florian up. Kenny isn’t stopped easily with the submission to B.J. Penn at UFC 101 the only example of such being the case in more than five years (and only one prior to Diego Sanchez as a middleweight on the Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale). He’s well-rounded enough to take on Aldo in any area, and while he may not have the dynamic Brazilian’s power or precision, he’s certainly battle-tested enough to last 25 minutes with him.
Will Dominick Cruz finish an opponent in 2012?
Conlan: No. As talented as Cruz may be he doesn’t seem to have what it takes to put equally apt adversaries away. He’s only finished a single opponent under the Zuffa banner, Brian Bowles, and the stoppage was the result of a broken hand rather than something brought on by a TKO/submission. “The Dominator” won’t fight again until the first quarter of 2012 since he’s got a mangled mitt of his own that needs healing plus Bowles/Urijah Faber still have to square off in November to determine who gets next crack at Cruz’s championship. With that being the case, Cruz will probably only fight twice next year (three times max), and with the level of competition he’s likely to face I don’t see him doing enough – or even possessing the ability – to end his first fight since March 2008.
Lambert: I want to say yes, but based on his past performances, I don’t think it’ll happen. He’ll likely face the winner of Faber vs. Bowles, and since I believe that “The California Kid” will be victorious in that fight, I don’t see Cruz finishing him this time around either. After that, it’s up in the air as to who he faces but if you just look at Cruz’ style, it’s not a style that finishes fights. He doesn’t seem to have natural punching power, and even though he is a good grappler, it’s not like he’s a grappling ace with an overwhelming submission game.
Besides the two title fights, which UFC 136 fight are you most excited for?
Conlan: Much oblige to Jeremy for lofting a slow-moving pitch right over the center of home plate on this topic. Without hesitation I’ll go with Jeremy Stephens vs. Anthony Pettis. Both lightweights love to strike, though each can grapple as well if necessary, and have a tendency to take opponents out before the judges’ scorecards come into play. Pettis has finished eleven of the thirteen fighters he’s beaten while Stephens is 17/20 in that department. It’s going to be fast, furious, and absolutely fantastic. Unless there is something behind the scenes preventing the switch, the fact this bout is on the Spike TV broadcast and Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia is on the PPV portion of UFC 136 still baffles me.
Lambert: There are a lot of great fights on the UFC 136 card that I’m looking forward to. Since Bren already touched on Stephens/Pettis, I’ll show some love to Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon. “The Young Assassin” has really come into his own under Greg Jackson and he’s shown his full potential in recent outings with KO victories over Evan Dunham and Shane Roller. Lauzon might fade after the first five minutes, but he’s still a great fighter for those five minutes and has the skills to catch Guillard with a strike or jump on a submission if Guillard decides to get lazy. I don’t see this fight getting out of the first round and I expect a tremendous finish either way.
Should Gilbert Melendez get an immediate UFC lightweight title shot?
Conlan: Even with a win over Jorge Masvidal in December my answer would still be “no”. It’s not that “El Nino” doesn’t deserve a shot at the UFC belt, because he’s taken a number of highly-respected peers out convincingly and would have an above-average chance at walking away with the championship were he to fight for it. However, examining the current circumstances, the UFC has a few contenders in line at the top right now that should get a title-shot before Melendez based on what they’ve accomplished inside the Octagon. Once Melvin Guillard and Clay Guida have fought each other, or fail to find success in their next outings, then and only then should Melendez get his opportunity at the strap.
Plus, there’s already precedence in regards to Jake Shields, Dan Henderson, and Alistair Overeem coming over from Strikeforce. Nick Diaz was the exception but mainly because the UFC didn’t have another legitimate welterweight contender lined up for Georges St. Pierre, hence why it will take a similar situation at 155-pounds to earn Melendez an immediate shot at the title.
Lambert: No, only because the winner of Guida vs. Henderson definitely deserves a title shot based on their track record. While Melendez is one of the best lightweights in the world, I don’t think he should jump the winner of that fight and get a title shot.
That said, if Melendez fights and beats Masvidal and doesn’t enter the UFC until after the current champion fights the Henderson/Guida winner, then I’d be fine with Melendez getting a title shot and jumping a guy like Guillard or Dennis Siver, pending they win their next fights. My scenario however is that Melendez jumps to the UFC without fighting Masvidal, faces Guillard (if he beats Lauzon), and then the winner of that fight gets a title shot. UFC has a great problem at lightweight in that they have a lot of talented fighters who need to fight each other in order to get a title
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, title shot, title, shot
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC Champ Dominick Cruz to Undergo Surgery for UFC on Versus 6 Injury
UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will require surgery for a finger injury suffered in the opening round of his successful title defense over Demetrious Johnson this past Saturday at UFC on Versus 6 in Washington, D.C., Cruz confirmed to ESPN.
Cruz outpointed Johnson in a five-round unanimous decision after a back-and-forth fight, despite dislocating and tearing ligaments and tendons in the middle finger of his right hand in the first round.
Cruz underwent surgery for a nearly identical injury on his left hand following his WEC title defense over Scott Jorgensen in December before returning in July to defend the UFC title for the first time over Urijah Faber.
Though the surgery is expected to make the finger stronger, Cruz will likely be sidelined a few more months than usual for recovery, with a timeline similar to his first surgery lining him up for a spring return.
For the latest UFC news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Dominick Cruz (via UFC.com)
Posted in: ufc, title, cruz, surgery, finger
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyCage Warriors 44 recap: Ivan Musardo wins vacant title, UFC's Brian Foster cruisess (MMAJunkie.com)
One mistake likely cost Joseph Duffy the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title. In the main event of...
Posted in: title, cage, warrior, cage warriors, ivan musardo
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC 136 Fight Card: Edgar vs. Maynard III
UFC 136 in Houston will be one of the deepest cards of the year. When a fight between Demian Maia and Jorge Santiago can't make the main card, you know things are stacked. With two title fights on a top and a probable number one contenders middleweight matchup as your top three fights, it's hard to go wrong. Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar will face off for the third time with UFC lightweight title up for grabs in the main event, while Jose Aldo will defend his UFC featherweight title against Kenny Florian in the co-main. Here's how the whole card breaks down (the preliminary card can be viewed after the jump):
Oct 8th, live on Pay-per-view from Houston, TX:
Main card:
Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) vs. Gray Maynard (10-0-1, 1 NC) [Lightweight title]
Jose Aldo (19-1) vs. Kenny Florian (15-5) [Featherweight title]
Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) vs. Brian Stann (11-3)
Melvin Guillard (29-8-2) vs. Joe Lauzon (20-6)
Leonard Garcia (15-7-1) vs. Nam Phan (16-9)
More SBN coverage of UFC 136
Spike TV card:
Demian Maia (14-3) vs. Jorge Santiago (23-9)
Anthony Pettis (13-2) vs. Jeremy Stephens (20-6)
Preliminary card:
Joey Beltran (13-5) vs. Stipe Miocic (6-0)
Tiequan Zhang (15-1) vs. Darren Elkins (12-2)
Aaron Simpson (10-2) vs. Eric Schafer (12-5-2)
Steve Cantwell (7-4) vs. Mike Massenzio (12-5)
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, vs, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDespite Rumors, ‘Mighty Mouse’ Focused on 135 Pound Challenges
Demetrious Johnson talks about his effort to strip Dominick Cruz of his title at UFC Live 6.
Posted in: pound, title, johnson, demetriou, mouse ’
Read the full article at SherdogCruz retains title in UFC Live main event
Dominick Cruz demonstrated his versatility Saturday night by winning a unanimous decision over Demetrious (Mighty Mouse) Johnson.
Posted in: title, johnson, saturday, cruz, dominick cruz
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC on Versus 6: Dominick Cruz Defends Title, Decisions Demetrious Johnson
Dominick Cruz held onto his bantamweight title with a successful against Demetrious Johnson. Read here to find out how the champ held up against his quick challenger.
Posted in: title, johnson, demetrious johnson, dominick cruz, bantamweight title
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC on Versus 6 results: Dominick Cruz decisions Demetrious Johnson to retain bantamweight title
The main event of UFC on Versus 6 tonight (Oct. 1) in Washington D.C. featured a championship fight on free TV for the first time since 2007 with bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz putting his belt on the line against Demetrious Johnson.
They may have been forgotten by the promotion in terms of marketing and lacked any clear and present hype but the fight was almost guaranteed to deliver excitement.
And that's exactly what it did.
Cruz and Johnson battled back-and-forth for five long rounds, gutting their way through an absolute war of attrition that ultimately saw Cruz retain his title.
Speed was the name of the game in this one and that was clear from the outset. Johnson, quite possibly the fastest man on the UFC roster, looked to utilize his best attribute early but Cruz, a spry chicken himself, nullified it with quickness and superior technique ... at first.
By the time the horn sounded to signify the end of the opening frame, Johnson was getting the better of the striking game, his speed creating problems for the champion.
Cruz got cerebral in the second, bringing a heavy clinch game to slow his opponent down and lean on him as much as possible. It worked, to an extent, but he couldn't hold Johnson down the entire round and the "Mighty Mouse" continued to create problems.
The third round saw most of the same but this time Cruz utilized a jiu-jitsu game we rarely see from the 135-pound champion. He threatened constantly with a rear-naked choke but Johnson survived and kept the pressure, his aggression and pacing nearly impossible to keep up with.
Still, Cruz was doing just enough to keep himself ahead on the scorecards.
The tale of the rest of the fight remained the same. Brief bursts of brilliance from Johnson were quickly followed by moments of steely resolve from Cruz, who just refused to give up the title he's worked so hard to defend.
One more title defense in the books for the bantamweight king. Was there every any doubt?
For complete results of UFC on Versus 6 and to follow along with live blow-by-blow of all the night's action click here.
Posted in: ufc, title, johnson, game, cruz
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Versus 6 Live Blog: Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson Updates
Filed under: UFCThis is the UFC on Versus 6 live blog for Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson, the main event bantamweight title fight of tonight's UFC Live card from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) defends his bantamweight title for the fourth time. His first three successful defenses were decision wins over Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber. The win over Jorgensen came at the final WEC event, after which Cruz's WEC title became a UFC belt. Johnson (9-1, 2-0 UFC) has won three straight, including a somewhat controversial unanimous decision win over former champion Miguel Torres at UFC 130 in May. That win got him a shot at Cruz's belt.
The live blog is below.
More Coverage: UFC on Versus 6 Results | Latest UFC News
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
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Posted in: ufc, title, round, blog, cruz
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on Versus 6: The Title Fight that Everyone Forgot About
It seems like forever ago that the UFC announced that the title fight between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson would be aired on Versus. The overall reaction was one of total rejoicing where fans felt that the UFC would be giving a great fight away for free. Hindsight being 20/20 it was all part of the ongoing negotiations between the UFC and NBC to purchase a controlling interest in G4. The talks broke down and the UFC signed a monumental deal with Fox to air events on the main network as well as FX and FuelTV.
The Versus card was supposed to be a major event. Washington, D.C. is one of the wealthiest locations of the country and whenever the WWE holds an event in the city or surrounding area, they have major success at the gate. The UFC's event was filled with fighters from Team Lloyd Irvin and the bantamweight title fight at the top of the card. With even the smallest amount of promotion, the card could be a successful show for the UFC. However, even with the first fight starting in just under 7 hours, there is almost no promotion for the card. The interest is minor with most promotion shifted to next week's UFC 136 in Houston. What went so wrong that the UFC hasn't sold this show at all to the local and national audiences?
The first thing to consider is that once those negotiations fell apart, the UFC had no stake in trying to market any events on the NBC owned network. The relationship with Versus began with the WEC but it took years for the station to really get behind mixed martial arts. They have more success with the PBR bull riding shows and hockey, two events that have a far greater return on investment and production.
There is no reason for the UFC to build up the branding of Versus, especially at this point. The original deal with Versus was to prevent the IFL from gaining access to the network. The UFC provided the WEC as the promotion and Versus was off the table as an available cable network. The WEC at times was able to bring solid ratings but the reality was that it suffered from the lack of the UFC's branding. It would be easy to pass the buck off on Zuffa and say that they just needed to promote a show as the UFC. The fact though is that even the UFC shows promoted on the network only found moderate success.
Another issue is that despite being an extremely dominant champion, Dominick Cruz just hasn't captivated the core UFC audience. He's not flashy and doesn't have highlight reel knockouts on his record. He isn't a talker like Chael Sonnen or Josh Koscheck nor is he willing to take one to deliver one like Chris Leben. He's just a humble guy with technical striking that allows him to handily defeat everyone that Sean Shelby and Joe Silva can find to put across from him in the cage. Tonight's fight with Demetrious Johnson is the very definition of unmarketable. Johnson doesn't have the big knockouts or submissions on his record. He just has the ability outwork everyone in the division with his wrestling prowess. The fact that many fans feel that he lost the fight with Miguel Torres doesn't exactly help his case either.
The argument we've been hearing is that the UFC is using this show to establish Dominick Cruz as a legitimate champion for the casual fans. It makes sense since he really hasn't been able to connect with them. This goes back to fans being told that the lighter weight classes aren't marketable or a draw. The UFC is using this fight to try and build the division. That would be a valid argument had the UFC promoted this event even at the slightest. It's easy to continue to push the feather and bantamweights to the undercard if it can be proven that the man at the top of the division can't draw fans or interest in the fights. Cruz is in an awkward situation where he's too dominant yet doesn't dominate in a way that draws eyeballs to his fights.
The card tonight is the last on Versus. The overall line up isn't awful but it isn't great either. The UFC is running on such a busy schedule that they aren't able to stack cards anymore. A title fight should never be co-mained by a fight between Pat Barry and Stefan Struve. Neither fight has really gained a foothold in the division, nor will they ever challenge for a title. The remaining fights on the main card are solid but just not up to par with what fans have come to expect from the UFC's title defenses. The fights between Anthony Johnson and Charlie Brenneman and Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig have legitimate divisional relevance. The Facebook fights are being used to work out some sort of a internal ranking system at lightweight. It's not a terrible card but the UFC just doesn't care enough about it to put any marketing behind the fights. It's a shame but the reality is that it is business as usual.
SBN coverage of UFC on Versus 6: Cruz vs. Johnson
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, event, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 136 conference call updates and LIVE blog today (Sept. 30)
Just one week out from a big event featuring two title fights, The Ultimate Fighting Championship will be holding a media conference call to build up next Saturday's (October 8, 2011) UFC 136: "Edgar vs. Maynard 3" event today, (September 30, 2011).
Scheduled to attend will be the six headlining fighters of the evening: Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Jose Aldo, Kenny Florian, Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen. Yup, that Chael Sonnen.
Frankie Edgar is the current UFC lightweight champion, having twice defeated B.J. Penn in 2010 to win and defend the belt before earning a draw against Maynard earlier this year in one of 2011's most exciting fights. On the opposite side of the podium will be the challenger to his title, Gray Maynard, the only man to defeat Edgar and the man who was literally inches away from earning a first round knockout to take the title at UFC 125 before "The Answer" responded.
Brazilian Jose Aldo is the current UFC featherweight champion, having previously defended his title earlier this year at UFC 129 against Mark Hominick in a bout that won "Fight of the Night" honors. His challenger, veteran of The Ultimate Fighters season one, Kenny Florian, will be competing in his fourth weight class and will be fighting in his third overall title shot in his career. This is perhaps the last opportunity at UFC gold that he will ever get.
Brian Stann was a decorated soldier in the Middle East and has quickly become a contender since dropping down to the UFC's middleweight division after back-to-back knockouts of Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago. His opponent, Chael Sonnen, has made waves for his brash talking style, his insults of everything Anderson Silva and the fact that he was a minute away from the UFC middleweight title before succumbing to a triangle choke.
We'll have complete updates of the UFC 136 media conference call after the jump.
Brian Hemminger here. The conference call is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
Posted in: ufc, title, brian stann, chael sonnen, frankie edgar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBen Askren vs. Jay Hieron on Tap for Bellator 56
Bellator fans have been waiting for this fight for a long time, and one of the biggest fights in the promotion's short history is finally on the calendar. Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren will defend his title against season four welterweight tournament winner Jay Hieron on at Bellator 56 on October 29th in Kansas City. This will be Askren's first title defense.
Askren won the season two welterweight tournament and dominated Lyman Good to take a unanimous decision and the welterweight title back at Bellator 33 last October. He defeated Nick Thompson in a non-title match at Bellator 40 in April. Hieron, as mentioned above, won the season four welterweight tournament by winning close decisions over Brent Weedman in the semi-finals and Rick Hawn in the finals. He is currently on an eight-fight winning streak.
It is well known that these two men do not like each other, and have traded jabs on twitter for months now. It is a bit curious that Bellator would book this fight for the same night as UFC 137 though. With two of the most anticipated welterweight fights of the year on that UFC card, which directly compete with it with their welterweight title fight? Either way, October 29th will be a great night for 170 pound MMA action.
Posted in: fight, bellator, title, welterweight, askren
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCruz Resets for Title Bout, While Johnson Hopes to Complete Underdog Story
Filed under: UFC, NewsOn the surface, Dominick Cruz has settled into the role of champion nicely. He's successfully defended the bantamweight title three times, established himself as one of the sport's pound-for-pound best fighters, and headlines his second straight UFC event at Saturday night's UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson.
Yet Cruz seems to go out of his way to remind himself that it can all change in an instant. He hasn't splurged on a big house or fancy car. Instead, he lives on the cheap and saves his money for a rainy day that might never come. Those reminders serve as motivation for training, and the mindset extends even to his most prized possession: his title belt.
"Really, I'm not going out there to defend anything. I'm going out there to win something new every single time I go out and fight for a title," he said in a Thursday press conference from the Newseum in Washington D.C. "I don't own anything. It's always up for grabs, so I have to always stay on top and stay focused and go out there to win something new, so that's it. This will be like my first time winning it."
Should Cruz beat Demetrious Johnson (10-1) on Saturday, it may feel like a first time for him, but it would mark his fourth straight defense of the 135-pound belt, surpassing the three successful defenses made by Miguel Torres when the belt was a WEC property.
Cruz has done it with a style all his own, mixing active striking and strong wrestling with endless stamina to wear down opponents over time. Overall, he's won nine straight, and on the strength of his 18-1 overall record, his .948 winning percentage is among the best in major MMA.
Rather than falling complacent though, Cruz continually surveys the landscape of his division and considers the oncoming challengers.
"Success feels good," he said. "I'm a fighter and this is what I do. I love to do it. I love my job. It's easy to stay motivated if you see all these maniacs coming up in my division. They all want to beat me up. What other motivation do I need?"
In Johnson, Cruz may be facing the fastest opponent he's ever faced. At just 5-foot-3 and with a 66-inch reach, Johnson has some distance to navigate, but if anyone can figure it out how to make an unlikely journey, it's the man that's nicknamed "Mighty Mouse."
Johnson's rise to one of the division's best has been a largely untold story, though it is one worth telling. He's not a pedigreed athlete with a following who got major breaks along the way. Though he wrestled throughout high school, he was never a state champion, and he had no other martial arts training when he first walked into a gym in October 2005, after watching the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Johnson grinded his way through the northwest regional circuit before debuting tin the WEC, and then he promptly dropped his first fight by decision. The setback hardly set him back, however, and he ran off a streak, winning four straight to earn a shot at Cruz. In his last two fights, he beat Miguel Torres and Kid Yamamoto, who were at one time the best lighter weight fighters in the world. Now Johnson has a chance to join those ranks, but there aren't a lot of believers out there; Cruz is as much as a 5-to-1 favorite.
"Story of my life," Johnson said. "I'm the smallest guy probably in the UFC. It is what it is. Everyone sees me as an underdog. I don't mind. It is what it is. Like I say, story of my life."
Yet Johnson is every bit the story of determination as Cruz. Until recently, he held a full-time job in a Tacoma, Washington recycling plant. During his May win over Torres, he suffered a broken bone in his leg, but he was still back to work at the plant on the following Monday. After accepting the title bout with Cruz, he gave up the job to prepare for the biggest opportunity of his life.
Like an underdog out of central casting, Johnson is quiet and polite in addition to being small. The UFC sat him next to 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve on Thursday, further highlighting just how small he is. He didn't say much on Thursday, and even when he was asked questions, he often clipped his answer short when you had the feeling he might have had a little bit more to say. Like Cruz, perhaps he is holding it back for when it truly matters.
"You guys have all seen me fight, and you know what I do," he said. "I come out and bring the pace and I do my job. I prepare myself to win." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, time, title, johnson, cruz
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseCage Warriors 44's Joseph Duffy puts 'undefeated' record on the line in title fight
Joseph Duffy might appear to be undefeated at first glance, but don't let the record fool you.
Even he doesn't consider himself unblemished, thanks to his short stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 12."
His "winning streak" will again be on the line when he faces Ivan Musardo for the vacant lightweight title in the headliner of Saturday's Cage Warriors 44.
Posted in: title, title fight, joseph duffy, record fool, ivan musardo
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAoki would like to join UFC, but "its not in my control"
Cryptic comments from Shinya Aoki this week regarding Japanese MMA and the UFC.Aoki, who holds the DREAM lightweight title, says he would be fighting for...
Posted in: title, shinya aoki, aoki, japanese mma, control
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyUFC Quick Quote: Carlos Condit deserved a St. Pierre title shot and didn't get it 'by default'
"I've always been a big fan of Georges, I've admired his style and kinda of the way he carries himself and I'm honored to get in their and challenge him for the belt and step in the cage with him. With all that aside I think that I'm the best welterweight in the world and I've been trying to prove that every single time I get in their and this fight is going to be no different. It's a great opportunity for me, but I think whether Nick did what he did or he didn't, I still think I deserve the title shot. I didn't get it by default or anything like that. With that being said it's unfortunate for him. At this stage of the game it's not just fighting. It's selling the fights, you got to show up and do the P.R. It's not always fun but it's part of it. So it is unfortunate for Nick, he kind of blew his opportunity and I think he would have been a tough challenge for Georges. But you got to do the footwork and sell the fight."
Carlos Condit will be challenging Georges St. Pierre for the Canadian's 170-pound title at UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas -- and he has Nick Diaz to thank for that. The former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was bounced from the "Sin City" headliner after failing to uphold his media obligations, paving the way for "The Natural Born Killer" to step in and take his place. But Condit tells Buddha Sport he deserved the championship bout anyway and the promotion didn't "Rush" him into a St. Pierre title fight just to plug the hole. Any fight fans out there disagree?
Posted in: fight, title, pierre, carlos condit, george
Read the full article at MMA ManiaShould Joe Warren Be Stripped of His Bellator FW Title?
I'm testing the waters a bit. Which is to say, I'm writing a thesis with a deliberately provocative title to emphasis said thesis because my work wouldn't be able to speak for itself otherwise. I can't hook you in with prose, or intelligence so I've gotta resort to red meat soundbites. What provokes you into reaction is more important than what stimulates you into reflection. Yes, irony flavors this introduction, but I don't mean to be obtuse. None other than Zach Arnold, who I respect a lot, over at Fight Opinion is the one asking the question.
In case you missed it, Joe Warren finally got knocked out for what felt like a very long time coming for many fans. The word "finally" deserves elaboration because Warren's record is the ultimate on performance deception. The win over Kid Yamamato was questionable given the fact that Kid did most of the damage with Warren offering little in the way of effective offense. He would have subsequent fights with Georgi Karakhanyan, Patricio Freire, Joe Soto, and Marcos Galvao that all raised plenty of questions about the legitimacy of his status.
That's not to say his title was undeserved, but several questionable decisions went his way, and in the aftermath, Warren did little to justify the self proclaimed title of "Baddest Man on the Planet". As a reference to his skills on the feet, a literal interpretation of such a title seems fitting. Warren seemed constantly overwhelmed and showed porous defense until Alexis Vila stuck a Cuban stake through his heart this weekend.
Should that loss be punished with the loss of his belt? But he lost at BW. Not FW. Recognizing the distinction, Arnold responds:
If Warren wasn’t the champion of a weight division, then him jumping around in different weight classes is at both his & the promotion’s discretion. The fact that Bellator allowed him, as a champion who retained his belt in shaky fashion as a Featherweight, to compete in the Bantamweight tournament without any sort of title repercussion really looks mickey mouse, IMO.
I don't agree with this insofar as Warren has a fight lined up at FW. It would be silly to create a frenzy over this after the fact. And obviously, Vila is not going to take the FW title, which would be equally ridiculous. In addition, such a move would fault Warren, as opposed to Bellator themselves: Bellator is to blame here for allowing the fight to happen in the first place. Not Warren for continuing to excel at blocking punches with his chin. So in answer to question, "no", and an emphatic one at that.
But Arnold does raise questions about belt legitimacy. Pride set the stage for this behavior. Wanderlei Silva fought 19 times before losing his Pride belt, and only defended it four times. He was still champion after Ricardo Arona beat him in Pride's Middleweight GP Semifinal. Dan Henderson was still Pride's Welterweight champion afterlosing to Kazuo Misaki at the Welterweight GP Quarterfinal. Fedor Emelianenko fought 14 times in Pride after winning the HW belt, only defending twice
Pride nurtured the mentality that belts were not proper reflections of a fighter's worth given their emphasis on tournaments, and lack of proper title defenses. And I wonder if this "culture of the belt" unique to MMA informs, even in some small way, our propensity for superfights: our inclination to ask that belts be sidelined for spectacle, even when they're not at all warranted as in the case of asking for a Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva bout, which is patently absurd.
Poll
Should Joe Warren be Stripped of his FW title?
Yes. Bellator should send a message to titleholders everywhere.
No. Until a FW beats Joe Warren, then Joe can lose his FW title.
0 votes | Results
Posted in: title, belt, joe warren, warren, fw
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendKoch Itching for Title Shot
Erik Koch did what he had to do to win.
Posted in: title shot, title, koch, shot, erik koch
Read the full article at SherdogHistory in the Making: Kenny Florian barrels through the lightweight division en route to a title shot
Four weight classes and 40 pounds.
When Kenny Florian made his official UFC debut in the finals of the first The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) tournament, he did so as a middleweight. It was out of necessity moreso than choice but "KenFlo" made the most of the opportunity.
He promptly made his return to welterweight before dropping another weight class two fights later. One win at 155-pounds -- along with his exposure on TUF -- put him inside the Octagon opposite Sean Sherk to decide the first UFC lightweight champion since Jens Pulver vacated the title.
Was it undeserved? An argument could be made either way. The division was in a rebuilding stage and Florian had the name recognition that could reel in casual fans but one win in the weight class doesn't exactly scream number one contender.
What one can't argue is whether or not "KenFlo" earned his second title shot. We'll take a look at that impressive run leading up to his bout with B.J. Penn as we look forward to UFC 136: "Edgar vs. Maynard III" next week (Oct. 8) and Florian's opportunity to become featherweight champ four weight classes and forty pounds later.
Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?
After coming up short against Sean Sherk at UFC 64, it was back to the drawing board for Florian. He returned six months later and rattled off three quick submission wins over the likes of veterans Dokonjonosuke Mishima and Din Thomas. After ending 2006 with a disappointment, "KenFlo" bounced back with a clean sheet the following year.
It was after the win over Thomas that "KenFlo" infamously stated inside the Octagon, "I finish fights!" As cocky as it may have been, there was no arguing with results.
His next bout was a headlining tilt against fellow TUF alumni Joe Lauzon. A member of the talent-rich fifth season cast, Lauzon actually made his Octagon debut before his stint on the reality show. He welcomed back Jen Pulver to the UFC fold and did so in particularly brutal fashion.
What was supposed to be a warm homecoming for "Lil Evil" turned into a very short evening for the former champ. Lauzon barreled a knee into Pulver's chin and then finished him off with a hook that dropped the former Miletich Fighting Systems fighter to the mat.
"J-Lau" continued to impress on TUF 5 and also after, winning his next two official bouts. His performances put him on a collision course with Florian in a fight that had title shot implications.
The first round saw Lauzon pushing the pace and getting his opponent on the mat but Florian came out stronger after the break. He secured a takedown on "J-Lau" and swiftly advanced to full mount where a barrage of punches put an exclamation point on his win.
Florian's next test would come in the form of Roger Huerta. "El Matador" was coming off a brilliant and thrilling win over Clay Guida and was poised to become a potential poster boy for the UFC. Huerta was young, good looking, and an incredible talent inside the cage.
Florian didn't care. He dominated him just like he had everyone else.
"KenFlo" controlled the action in the first round, getting Huerta on the mat and moving quickly to full mount. Once back on their feet, Florian bullied his opponent around the Octagon, not allowing him to put together any significant offense.
The next 10 minutes were nearly all Florian as the TUF veteran exhibited superior footwork and mixed his striking and grappling well enough to keep "El Matador" out of his rhythm. Huerta suffered his first UFC loss and second overall that night, dropping all three rounds to his opponent.
Florian was now riding a five-fight win streak and had his eyes dead set on another title shot. But lightweight champion B.J. Penn was keeping himself busy at 170-pounds, preparing for a rematch with Georges St. Pierre. Rather than wait on the sidelines, "KenFlo" decided to keep busy.
He was booked against fellow former title contender Joe Stevenson at UFC 91. "Daddy" was one fight removed from his shot at championship glory and was also looking to get another crack at the 155-pound belt.
Stevenson muscled his opponent early on but "KenFlo" was able to take control midway through the round when he got the fight to the mat. Just like he was able to do against Lauzon and Huerta, Florian got to full mount and began raining down ground and pound.
"J-Lau" couldn't survive the beatdown, Huerta managed to escape after giving up his back. Perhaps trying to replicate "El Matador's" strategy, Stevenson did the same but with disastrous results. Legs wrapped firmly around "Daddy's" waist, Florian refused to give up position and sunk in a rear naked choke, forcing his opponent to tap.
The original TUF runner-up finally earned his second title shot. His dominant run through the lightweight division -- combined with Penn's loss to "GSP" -- convinced some that he may very well be the fighter to upend "The Prodigy" as the 155-pound king.
But at UFC 101, Penn proved himself to be on another level when he easily dispatched of "KenFlo." A year later, Florian dropped a bout to UFC 136 headliner Gray Maynard which prompted his decision to cut down yet another weight class. A successful featherweight debut now places him in front of current 145-pound champion Jose Aldo in the co-main event next Saturday.
Will third time be the charm for "KenFlo"?
Or is he destined to be remember as a good -- but not great -- fighter; always the bridesmaid, never the bride?
What do you think, Maniacs?
Posted in: ufc, pound, title, florian, kenflo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaOpponent announced for Cristiane Santos’ return to the ring
After being away from action since June 2010, featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will return to the Strikeforce cage on December 17 to defend her title against Hiroko Yamanaka. The match-up was announced during the Strikeforce Challengers 19 broadcast and ends a period of limbo due to the Brazilian’s contractual status.
Santos’ reputation as the most ferocious female in MMA is well-earned after finding success in ten straight including eight strike-based stoppages. She has finished all four opponents she’s faced in Strikeforce including victories over Marloes Coenen, Gina Carano, and most recently Jan Finney.
Stylistically, Yamanaka creates an interesting match-up given her ability on the ground. A 12-1 grappler out of Japan, the 32-year old Yamanaka is currently on an eight-fight winning streak.
Also on the card a lightweight title bout between champion Gilbert Melendez, coming off an impressive showing against Tatsuya Kawajiri, and number one contender Jorge Masvidal, who earned his title shot after defeating K.J. Noons last June.
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Posted in: title, strikeforce, masvidal, jorge, k.j
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC on Versus 6 Fight Card: Cruz vs. Johnson
UFC on Versus 6 is set to go down in Washington, DC on October 1st. The main event will see the first UFC title defended on free TV since UFC 75 in 2007 when Dominick Cruz puts his UFC bantamweight title on the line against Demetrious Johnson. In addition to that, a welterweight battle between Charlie Brenneman and Anthony Johnson and a heavyweight showdown between 5'10" Pat Barry and 6'11" Stefan Struve add intrigue to the event. Here's the card as it stands right now (you can catch the undercard after the jump):
Oct 1st, live on Versus from Washington, DC: Main card: Dominick Cruz (18-1) vs. Demetrious Johnson (10-1) [BW Title]
Charlie Brenneman (14-2) vs. Anthony Johnson (9-3)
Pat Barry (6-3) vs. Stefan Struve (21-5)
Mac Danzig (20-8-1) vs. Matt Wiman (13-6)
More SBN coverage of UFC on Versus 6
Preliminary card:
Shane Roller (10-4) vs. T.J. Grant (16-5)
Yves Edwards (40-17-1) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (14-4)
Michael Johnson (9-5) vs. Paul Sass (11-0)
Mike Easton (10-1) vs. Jeff Hougland (10-4)
Josh Neer (31-10-1) vs. Keith Wisniewski (28-12-1)
Joseph Sandoval (6-0) vs. Walel Watson (8-2)
Posted in: ufc, title, vs, johnson, card
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow‘Formiga’ to Defend Shooto South America Flyweight Title Oct. 29
World-ranked flyweight Jussier “Formiga” da Silva will return to action in his home country next month when he defends his Shooto South America 123-pound title against Michael William Costa at Shooto Brazil 25.
Posted in: title, home country, shooto, formiga, flyweight
Read the full article at SherdogGotta ask - WTF is an all-american?
I get that it's some kind of wrestling title. But what does it mean? In contrast to what? Is there anything besides an all-American? submitted by TangentialInterest [link] [comment]
Posted in: title, kind, anything, all-american, tangentialinterest
Read the full article at Reddit‘Bones’ Learns Lessons in Dominant UFC Title Defense
Jon Jones was superior, but not flawless.
Posted in: ufc, title, jon, jon jones, defense
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 135: Jones submits Rampage, defends title
Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title by putting Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in a choke hold and forcing the veteran to tap out Saturday night at UFC 135.
Posted in: ufc, saturday night, title, rampage, jon jones
Read the full article at sportsnet.caStellar Jones Chokes ‘Rampage’
The youngest champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship history has now successfully defended one of the sport’s most volatile titles.
Posted in: title, rampage, champion, championship history, sport ’s
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 135 Fight Card Primer: Rampage Jackson vs. Jon Jones
At UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage, Jon Jones (13-1; 7-1 UFC) will defend his title against challenger Quinton Jackson (32-8; 7-2 UFC). This Light Heavyweight title fight will be the main event of the evening. According to the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, Jones is currently the #1 Light Heavyweight in the world, while Rampage is slightly below him at #4.
What started out as somewhat of a make-up fight has turned into a heated affair over the past weeks. Originally, Jones was set to make his first title defense against Rashad Evans, but a mysterious on-again off-again injury caused Jones to drop out of that fight, only to agree to fight Rampage instead. In recent weeks, things have become heated between the two with Rampage first accusing Jones of having spies in his camp, then beginning a war of words against the young champion. This seems to have lit a fire under Rampage that hasn't been seen in some time. He'll look to become only the second man to regain his title in the history of the Light Heavyweight division.
How do these two stack up?
Jones: 24 years old | 6'4" | 84.5" reachJackson: 33 years old | 6'1" | 73" reach
What have these two done recently?
Jones: W - Mauricio Rua (TKO) | W - Ryan Bader (Sub) | W - Vladimir Matyushenko (TKO)Jackson: W - Matt Hamill (UD) | W - Lyoto Machida (SD) | L - Rashad Evans (UD)
How did these two get here?
Jones comes in as the red hot new young superstar of the UFC. His rise to the top received a sudden burst earlier this year when a Rashad Evans injury led to a surprise Jones title shot. He made the most of that shot, dominating Shogun Rua to become the new champion. Since then, he's rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, first through what some perceive to be ducking Evans, now in the spying allegations from Rampage. Many think he is the man to finally give the division the stability it has lacked since Rampage knocked out Chuck Liddell, but for that to happen, he needs to get past this first title defense.
Rampage has had a very rocky time since losing the Light Heavyweight title to Forrest Griffin. He followed that loss up with a now notorious public breakdown of sorts. He looked to get back on track, only to announce his retirement from MMA to pursue a film career. That retirement didn't last long, and although he's 2-1 since that time, he has not looked particularly motivated. Until now. Whether it's the title shot or something personal about Jones, Rampage seems dedicated once again, and a dedicated Rampage is one of the best in the world.
Why should you care?
Alongside Anderson Silva, Jones is one of the most dynamic and exciting fighters in MMA today. And when Rampage is on, he will absolutely bring it as well. In short, this fight is going to be awesome. Emotion, anger, the young star looking for a legacy, the veteran looking for one last run at the top - it's all here, and it's a thing of beauty. Watch it.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, rampage, jone
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowQuinton 'Rampage' Jackson, UFC 135 and one last shot at championship gold
Quinton Jackson has been at the very top of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world.
In spring 2007, he made his Octagon debut and quickly made good on his promise to win the company’s light heavyweight title. He did so by viciously knocking out long-time champion and UFC poster boy Chuck Liddell.
Then "Rampage" made history by defeating Dan Henderson and unifying the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) 205-pound titles. After years of coming up short against Chute Box fighters in Japan, he was finally recognized as the best light heavyweight in the world.
But by the next summer, the ranking and the belt were both gone. It’s been a series of dizzying highs and dark lows for the former champ since then, punctuated by wins over Wanderlei Silva and Lyoto Machida on one end and a police chase and arrest on the other.
Now more than three years removed from his last title fight, "Rampage" stands on the cusp of once again becoming the number one 205-pounder in the world. Standing in his way at UFC 135 is current champion Jon Jones, who many say is the future of not only the division, but of the entire sport itself.
Tonight is Jackson’s eighth UFC main event and it might be his last if he doesn’t get his hand raised. This very well could be the final opportunity the former champ gets to reclaim the title he once called his.
Why? Well, keep reading to find out!
Much like I posited in yesterday's piece about Josh Koscheck's status as an outsider looking in on the welterweight title picture, a definitive loss tonight for "Rampage" would put the former Pride star in the same boat. But whereas "Kos" only briefly flirted with title contention, Jackson has been a stalwart contender for the light heavyweight title for years.
His performance in Pride’s 2003 grand prix along with knockout wins over Kevin Randleman and Ricardo Arona placed "Rampage" second on the totem pole behind rival Wanderlei Silva. It wasn’t until the emergence of Mauricio Rua that Jackson’s status in the Japanese company began to dip.
Jackson only fought twice more for Pride after his loss to "Shogun" and eventually made his way stateside and to the UFC. Having defeated Liddell in the aforementioned tournament made him the obvious choice for number one contender and a win over Marvin Eastman solidified that.
"The Iceman" was on a rematch tour of sorts and had taken on Jeremy Horn, Randy Couture, Renato Sobral, and Tito Ortiz, all fighters he had previously stepped inside the Octagon with. A match-up with "Rampage" fight the bill perfectly.
That night, at UFC 71, "Rampage" got his first taste of gold. Four months later, he finally won the belt that had eluded him for years across the Pacific Ocean. He outlasted Dan Henderson – who had recently won Pride’s 203-pound title from "The Axe Murderer" – over the course of 25 minutes and became the first undisputed light heavyweight champion in the sport’s history.
After years of furious debate with names like Randy Couture , Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, and Mauricio Rua being argued for and against, the discussion of who was the best 205-pounder in the world at long last had an answer.
It wasn't any of those men. It was "Rampage."
But what goes up must come down. And after his first stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Jackson lost his title in a closely contested bout to Forrest Griffin.
Ten days later, the former champion was arrested after hitting two vehicles with his truck and leading police on a short chase. Jackson claimed it was the result of not enough sleep and too many energy drinks, but the excuse was as shaky as his future seemed to be.
An immediate rematch against Griffin – which had been discussed and extrapolated – was put on the backburner while Jackson tended to his legal matters. "Rampage" finally made his return at UFC 92, knocking out and exacting a measure of revenge against Wanderlei Silva, who had bested him twice before in Pride.
Shortly thereafter, he entered into a plea agreement to help put his – ahem – "rampage" behind him. Since then Jackson became a number one contender only to bow out because of injury, coached another season of TUF, retired, and starred in a blockbluster action movie.
It’s been quite a ride for Jackson in the 12 years since he made his debut. Every time he slipped up and found himself outside the title picture, he managed to work his way back to the top. His loss to Rashad Evans last year was supposed to affirm he no longer had what it takes to compete at the highest level. Two wins -- one against Machida -- later, he's got one final chance to once again prove the naysayers wrong.
I say it's his last chance because it took "Rampage" 1,176 days since his loss to Griffin to get back to this stage. Should he fail tonight, another 1,176 days would put him at 36-years old with a decade and a half worth of fighting having already ravaged his body.
It’s safe to say that the Memphis native wouldn’t have it in him to once again claw his way back up ... very few people would. At UFC 135, it’s do or die for "Rampage."
Posted in: ufc, title, rampage, jackson, &rsquo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 135 fight card: Jon Jones vs Quinton Jackson preview
The UFC light heavyweight title is on the line tomorrow night (Sept. 24, 2011) in the UFC 135 main event when current 205-pound champion Jon Jones takes on former titleholder Quinton Jackson.
Jones has quickly become a mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar. And his rise to the top culminated this past March when he defeated Mauricio Rua with a third round technical knockout to won the division title. He hopes to usher in his own era with his first title defense.
"Rampage" Jackson has repeated it time and time again in the lead-up to this fight: He wants his belt back. He reportedly spent $1 million to prepare for this bout and to get in the best shape of his life. Jackson appears as motivated as ever.
Will "Bones" prove his greatness with a huge victory over a legend at the top of his game? Will "Rampage" end the hype with one big counter left hook? Who will exit the cage with the belt wrapped around their waist tomorrow night?
Jon Jones
Record: 13-1 overall, 7-1 in the UFC
Key Wins: Mauricio Rua (UFC 128), Ryan Bader (UFC 126), Vladimir Matyushenko (UFC on Versus 2)
Key Losses: None to truly speak of
How he got here: Jones' path from can't-miss prospect to world champion has been very fast. Just five months into his professional MMA career, he was already 6-0 and making his UFC debut in place of an injured Tomasz Drwal at UFC 87. He defeated his opponent, Andre Gusmao via decision but his star turn didn't truly take place until his next fight against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 in which he showcased a diverse array of attacks and all kinds of slams and throws.
"Bones'" star continued to brighten as he began finishing his opponents in increasingly impressive fashion, smashing tough light heavyweights Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko in the first round.
After handing Ryan Bader the first loss of his career in another two round destruction, Jones was offered a title shot in place of his injured teammate Rashad Evans. This caused a huge rift in the Greg Jackson camp when Jones admitted he'd be willing to fight Evans which culminated in 'Suga' leaving Albuquerque for Florida.
The young gun took it to the champ, smashing "Shogun" over the course of three rounds and stopping him to become the youngest titleholder in UFC history.
He was all geared up to defend his belt against Evans but a hand injury delayed a UFC 133 title bout. When it turned out Jones didn't need surgery, he instead accepted former champion Quinton Jackson as his first title defense.
How he gets it done: Jones has more methods of "getting it done" than any other fighter in UFC history. He could play it safe and stay on the outside, peppering "Rampage" with his severe reach advantage and a large series of leg kicks.
He could also force the issue with his superior diversity of strikes, attacking Jackson with flying knees and his gnarly elbows up close.
Where Jones may be most lethal of all is if he can take this fight to the ground. "Bones" has one of the most dangerous clinches in the division simply because he has impeccable balance and timing, capable of throwing an opponent on their head after seeing the faintest of openings.
Jackson is stronger in the clinch as opposed to someone who can shoot in with a fast and powerful takedown but Jones may still have the leverage to throw him to the ground. If he can do that, expect some of the most brutal elbows and ground and pound on the canvas as you've ever seen.
Quinton Jackson
Record: 32-8 overall, 7-2 in the UFC
Key Wins: Lyoto Machida (UFC 123), Dan Henderson (UFC 75), Chuck Liddell (UFC 71)
Key Losses: Rashad Evans (UFC 114), Forrest Griffin (UFC 86), Mauricio Rua (Pride Total Elimination 2005)
How he got here: Jackson made the transition to MMA after a moderately successful high school and junior college wrestling career. He got off to a 10-1 start on the local circuit before he was scooped up by Pride Fighting Championships to compete over in Japan.
He would be thrown into the fire immediately against Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba, losing via first round rear naked choke but creating many fans in the process. Jackson would go on to compete 17 times total in Pride, accumulating a 12-5 record over the course of five and a half years.
His contract would be purchased by the UFC and after avenging a loss to Marvin Eastman via knockout in his promotional debut, he was given a title shot against Chuck Liddell, the man he'd previously defeated in the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix.
Jackson destroyed Liddell, knocking him senseless in the first round to end the legend's era. He would go on to defend his belt in a five round thriller against Dan Henderson in one of the most watched MMA fights in history on cable TV.
"Rampage" lost his title to Forrest Griffin in a razor-close decision and would have a mini-meltdown afterwards. He avenged two prior losses to Wanderlei Silva with another vicious first round knockout and was geared up for a title shot before "retiring" to film the A-Team.
Since his return, he lost to Rashad Evans in a number one contender match but then defeated Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill to earn one more shot at the belt against Jon Jones.
How he gets it done: "Rampage" isn't as quick as Jones. He doesn't have the same reach and he's not as skilled on the ground. What he does have is power and (potentially) superior technique with his striking.
Jackson is almost a pure counter puncher. He loves to time his opponents and take advantage of those openings they leave while they're arms are extended in attack. If Jon Jones does anything repetitive, Jackson will pick up on it and explode with some heavy strikes. He's got a nasty left hook and an absolutely brutal right uppercut that can end Jones' night if he can connect solidly.
The former champion has a terrific chin and will be willing to take a shot to give one. Don't be surprised if he does something like leave his head exposed just so he can take advantage of an opening that Jon Jones leaves when he tries to hit him.
If Jones tries to clinch and go for a takedown, "Rampage" has terrific interior strength. He should be able to use underhooks and try to throw "Bones" off and get back to striking.
Jackson has experience in lengthy fights as well. If he can drag Jon Jones into the championship rounds, he could potentially find a weakness in cardio. Jones has looked pretty tired in his two UFC fights that went to a decision.
Fight "X-Factor:" The biggest factor in this fight is distance. Jones, the lengthiest fighter in the UFC, will clearly have an advantage on the outside edge where he can pound on "Rampage" with impunity.
Things get much more interesting inside the pocket where Jackson is in striking range and capable of landing his powerful counter strikes. This is also an area where Jones can actually land elbows because of his ridiculous reach.
Inside, the edge goes back to Jon Jones where he can really hurt Jackson with knees and elbows up close. He can also send the former champion for a ride if he can get both hands on him while utilizing his expertise in leverage.
Whoever can dictate the distance at which this bout takes place will be at a tremendous advantage.
Bottom Line: This is a "can't-miss" type of match. Jones is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet right now and whether you like him or not, there should never be an excuse for missing his fights. Jackson is also one of the UFC's biggest draws because he's always capable of landing that fight-ending knockout blow. With how much these men have begun to grow disdain for each other over the past few weeks, the rivalry has really become intense. It could be a knockout by Jackson, it could also be a one-sided thrashing by Jones. Regardless, you will want to be tuning in.
Who will come out on top at UFC 135? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
Poll
When it's all said and done tomorrow night at UFC 135, who will be the UFC light heavyweight champion?
Jon Jones
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
13 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, jackson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJones, Rampage Cleared for UFC 135 Title Clash
Champion stood before challenger, muscles tensed, eyes locked. The scene has become as familiar as the Octagon itself.
Posted in: ufc, title, rampage, eye, clash
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 135 Weigh-In Results: Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson Official for Title Fight
Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC's version of "Spygate" may still be lingering, but it doesn't matter much now. One of the most anticipated title fights in recent UFC memory goes down Saturday, spy or no spy.
Main event light heavyweights Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson were both on the mark Friday for their title fight, which headlines UFC 135 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The official weigh-in event took place at the Wells Fargo Theater at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
Jones defends the light heavyweight title for the first time since winning it against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 in March. He took that fight on short notice, filling in for then-teammate Rashad Evans when Evans was hurt. Evans now waits in the wings to fight the winner of Jones-Jackson.
Jones, who typically looks away from his opponents during staredowns at the weigh-ins, this time looked right at Jackson and the two talked back and forth to each other in animated fashion before being split apart by UFC president Dana White.
"I had to tell him I'm going to end his hype tomorrow, that's what I told him," Jackson told emcee Joe Rogan. "It's about time he grew up and started acting like a real MMA fighter. We stare each other down - that's what we do in the UFC."
Jones had very little to say: "I feel real good. I've done enough talking, and it's time for me to show what I've got now. So let's do it."
The training camp period for the title fight was interrupted by controversy after Jackson's camp accused the Jones camp of planting a spy to monitor the challenger's training - which Jones' side vehemently denied.
In the co-main event, former title challenger Josh Koscheck returns for the first time since losing to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in December. He takes a short notice fight against UFC Hall of Famer and former world champion Matt Hughes. Koscheck was 170.5 pounds; Hughes was 170.
The main card opens with an intriguing lightweight fight between up-and-down fighters Nate Diaz and Takanori Gomi. Diaz has lost two straight fights, but is always a candidate for an exciting bout. And Gomi has lost two of three since joining the UFC after a lengthy career in Japan. Both losses have been by submission.
And in a pair of heavyweight fights, Travis Browne looks to remain unbeaten when he meets Rob Broughton. And former IFL star Ben Rothwell returns after a long injury layoff to meet Mark Hunt.
The preliminary card features five fights. The first three will stream live on the UFC's Facebook fan page, including a bantamweight bout between former title challenger Takeya Mizugaki and Cole Escovedo.
Those three fights will be followed by a pair of bouts on Spike TV starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tony Ferguson, winner of Season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter" this past June, fights for the first time since winning that title. He'll drop down to lightweight to take on veteran Aaron Riley. And at middleweight, Tim Boetsch meets TUF veteran Nick Ring.
UFC 135 takes place Saturday with the main card airing on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. Eastern.
The complete weigh-in results are below:
Main Card
Jon Jones (204.5) vs. Quinton Jackson (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (170.5)
Ben Rothwell (263) vs. Mark Hunt (261)
Travis Browne (255) vs. Rob Broughton (261)
Nate Diaz (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
Preliminary Card
Tony Ferguson (155) vs. Aaron Riley (155)
Nick Ring (185) vs. Tim Boetsch (186)
Junior Assunção (145) vs. Eddie Yagin (145)
Takeya Mizugaki (135) vs. Cole Escovedo (135)
James Te Huna (205) vs. Ricardo Romero (205) Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, vs
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 135: Is Josh Koscheck throwing in the towel or planning for the future?
"I've got a couple of good fights left in me, whether it's at 170 or 185."
Josh Koscheck said this yesterday (Sept. 22) during the closing press junket leading up to UFC 135: "Jones vs. Rampage."
Those are curious words for a top ten-ranked welterweight who was last seen challenging for the division's title.
But the beating he received at the hands of Georges St. Pierre seems to have broken more than the bones surrounding his eye. It seems that the mouthy, arrogant wrestling powerhouse from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) also suffered a broken spirit.
It's been almost an entire year since the 25-minute shellacking at UFC 124 but wounds like those Koscheck had inflicted on him don't heal too easily and often come with a much higher price than going under the knife and sitting on the sidelines for a few months.
The above quote sounds like a man resigned to his fate. It sounds like a man who not only knows his place in the grand scheme of things but also accepts it and plans on making the most of it.
And is that such a bad thing?
It became painfully -- figuratively for those watching and very literally for "Kos" -- that the wrestler didn't have what it takes to usurp "Rush" from his welterweight throne over the course of their bout last December. St. Pierre was just too fast, too strong, too talented, too good for Koscheck. What little doubt remained in his mind from their fight bout in 2007 was slowly and brutally erased 10 months ago.
Since that night, Koscheck has had time to lick his wound and evaluate his future.
Does he want to put himself through the grueling process of earning another title shot? In between his bouts with "GSP," the TUF veteran took on the likes of Chris Lytle, Thiago Alves, Paulo Thiago and Anthony Johnson. He didn't win all of those fights but he stood toe to toe with a murderer's row of UFC welterweights.
The kind of abuse someone's body takes while competing at that level is not to be taken lightly. Not just the abuse absorbed inside the Octagon but also the wear and tear during training is assuredly felt every day Koscheck gets out of bed. Perhaps his neck clicks; perhaps his knee aches from time to time. The toil of a UFC fighter almost knows no end.
Approaching his mid-30s, the idea of starting from square one to once again attempt to reach the pinnacle of the sport probably doesn't sound all too intriguing. And that's what makes his statement all the more interesting.
A "couple of good fights" aren't likely to put him back in the title picture. His American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) teammate Jon Fitch was on the business end of a beating similar to the one Koscheck received and even after going undefeated in his next six bouts, he's no closer to sniffing a shot at St. Pierre than he was one or two years ago.
There's simply no interest in seeing a replay of a complete and utter one-sided beating and it seem "Kos" recognizes that. The lack of enthusiasm isn't just on the fans' side but a lot resides on the other side of the spectrum as well.
His bout with Matt Hughes -- likely to be the former champion's last -- doesn't have any relevant title implications. It's a special attraction, a showcase fight between two incredible athletes that have long wanted to lock horns. It also serves as a suitable co-main event for the UFC's latest pay-per-view (PPV) offering.
While Koscheck's resignation at finishing his career outside of the title picture might seem like the wrestler has given up and is merely cashing in on name recognition, it's actually a very astute move for someone whose career doesn't last 40 years like that of an accountant or teacher.
His career as an active mixed martial artist (MMA) began ticking to zero the second it began. He's achieved far more than most who enter the field can ever hope to accomplish and has nothing to be ashamed of. Simply put, he's earned this. He's earned bouts that will help line his bank account. Bouts like -- despite having spent nearly all of his career at 170-pounds -- a middleweight return, which he's openly campaigned for.
The most desirable 185-pound contest would be a rematch over five years past due against TUF rival Chris Leben.
Koscheck will earn tens of thousands of dollars on Saturday night and will do so again the next time he steps inside the Octagon, win or lose. No longer worried about fighting for a title shot, "Kos" is now allowed to fight for fun.
And a five-round war with "The Crippler" would be nothing but fun.
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, bout, koscheck
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNowhere Man: Josh Koscheck faces a difficult future after UFC 135 and Matt Hughes, win or lose
[Having fought for the promotion professionally since 2005, Josh Koscheck holds an odd record in the UFC for the most wins without a championship — a dubious honor he shares with teammate Jon Fitch. After UFC 135, the four-time NCAA Division I All-American rejoins a welterweight division where he's no longer a viable title contender. Among dominant champions and deep talent, where does Koscheck fit in the overall UFC picture?]
Had Josh Koscheck been born a little earlier (or later), he would likely be a UFC champion.
Unfortunately, the heavy-handed American Kickboxing Academy alpha male has had to battle his way through a division that has seen only three title changes in the last seven years. Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre have largely dominated the welterweight ranks during Koscheck's entire UFC career — save a brief "Cinderella Man" run by Matt Serra. Even worse, Koscheck has fought for the title only once, but lost to GSP twice in such one-sided thrashings that Dana White won't allow him to challenge for the championship as long as "Rush" holds the belt.
So, after his short-notice fight with a rapidly aging Matt Hughes, what's left for Koscheck?
Again, he can't challenge for the title. And after a blistering five-year, 18-fight pace, Koscheck is still in his prime, but without much left to do in his weight class. He's too good to be pitted against young prospects like Rory MacDonald or John Hathaway, but not bad enough to waste time with sub-par fighters who aren't "Top 25" at the very least.
At 33 years old, the options left for Koscheck look pretty grim, with an utter longshot possibly being his best, most secure, and advantageous route to a UFC championship.
Seeking another shot at the UFC welterweight title
For Josh Koscheck, this is perhaps the most difficult path he can take, given the welterweight division's strict hierarchy. Even if Koscheck notches an impressive win over Matt Hughes this weekend, he'll simply have to wait until GSP loses the title before he can ever be "in the mix" again. Of course, Koscheck could considerably help his case by campaigning for (and winning) fights against B.J. Penn, Nick Diaz, Jake Ellenberger, or even Jake Shields.
However, Dana White has made it clear that he's less likely to reward fighters who won't fight teammates, and Koscheck's long-standing infamous refusal to fight a title eliminator against Jon Fitch has done his career no favors.
Avenging losses to Thiago Alves and Paulo Thiago
While rematching Alves and Thiago won't do anything for Koscheck in the immediate future, there's always value in rankings and credibility for a fighter in attempting to "get back that loss" that they suffered earlier in their career. With Thiago, Koscheck took the fight on just two weeks notice. In his loss to Alves, Koscheck claimed an early stoppage.
However, of the two matches, only Thiago makes sense, as he's currently in the win column with his victory in Rio.
Moving up in weight to the UFC middleweight division
While Koscheck has competed in this weight class before, moving back up a division seems pretty risky for a guy who got boxed to near blindness by a smaller, younger welterweight in St. Pierre. Whatever size and strength advantage Koscheck normally enjoys in his fights will be greatly lessened when he matches up with elite natural middleweights like Michael Bisping, Yushin Okami, Chael Sonnen, Mark Munoz, and Rousimar Palhares. However, it does give Koscheck a fresh start and a batch of interesting opponents, although the risk for losses seems greater.
And of course, if Koscheck did manage to quickly climb to the division's peak, he would have to hope that Anderson Silva was either well past his prime, or out of the division entirely, competing in the light heavyweight ranks.
Moving down in weight to the UFC lightweight division
Although the conversation has long since been forgotten, Koscheck once openly contemplated a drop down to 155 pounds to fight then-champion B.J. Penn:
"I just want to be a world champion, whether it be at 155, 170, 185, wherever," Koscheck said. "I believe I have a lot of fights left in me. With my work ethic and the training partners I have and the coaches I have, I believe some day that dream is going to come true."
"You never know," he said, beaming, when confronted about his ability to make the lightweight limit of 155 pounds. "If people would want to see me fight B.J. Penn at 155 for the title, because there is really nobody there for him to fight, I’d do it."
"I know B.J. very well, but business is business," Koscheck said. "We’re friends, but at the end of the day, it’s about making money together. If the fans would want to see it, I’d suck it up and I’d live that life to where I’d do whatever I have to do to make 155."
Emphasis mine.
However, that conversation at Yahoo Sports took place over three years ago. Koscheck may not even be able to cut that weight, as his 33-year-old body has likely settled into his welterweight frame. But, if Koscheck could make the cut to 155 pounds, the lightweight division's elite fighters would have a very steep challenger on their hands.
Of those four choices, the drop to lightweight seems to be the safest bet for Josh Koscheck to bully his way to a UFC championship reign. But if he can't walk down that path (and I personally think that the weight cut alone would be a significant, Anthony Johnson-esque hurdle), his other three options won't change one sobering fact. Josh Koscheck could very well become the UFC's Nowhere Man, stuck spinning his wheels until the divisions change around him, as his prime athletic years continue to slowly tick away.
[McKinley Noble is a staff editor at GamePro and an MMA conspiracy theorist. Follow his Twitter account for crazy talk, 1990s movie references, and general weirdness. Or you could just stalk him on Google.]
Poll
Where in World is Josh Koscheck Going to Go After UFC 135?
Lightweight: If he can make the cut, he'd be solid.
Welterweight: He can win his way to another title shot.
Welterweight: But he'll have to wait for a title change.
Middleweight: Maybe he'll do better in THAT division.
Get a part-time job as a male nurse?
21 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, koscheck, division
Read the full article at MMA ManiaKevin Belingon vs. Jessie Rafols Among 6 Title Fights on Mammoth URCC 20 Card
The Universal Reality Combat Championship was founded almost 9 years ago, and has been one of the biggest and longest running promotions in Asia. They have hosted around 40 cards, and with this November event being their their 20th major show, the Philippines' top MMA promotion promised this milestone of sorts to be extra special.
URCC officials have exclusively confirmed to BloodyElbow.com a portion of that monumental card, and it pretty much guarantees that it will be their biggest card ever. On November 5, they will announce the first inductee to the URCC Hall-of-Fame, and they will also have at several titles on the line on a stacked card.
As of this writing, 5 title bouts have been officially signed and delivered, with at least one additional championship bout planned for the event.
Headlining the card would be a super-fight between two of the best bantamweights in the region. Undefeated URCC Champion, Kevin Belingon (9-0), who is widely considered to be one of the best bantamweights in the continent, is in for a stiff test. He will be taking on Jessie Rafols (6-1), who has been tearing up the Philippine circuit recently, winning his last bout with a savage beating of Hideo Morikawa that won him the the URCC Interim Bantamweight Championship.
Aside from being two of the best bantamweights in the region, this fight has a bit of a back story as well, with Rafols having already faced two of Belingon's Lakay Wushu teammates. He split both occasions, suffering his only career loss on his MMA debut to a dominant champion in Roy Docyogen (9-0), and choking out a fast rising prospect in Erwin Focad as part of his current 6-fight winning streak. It should be a very entertaining fight, and it's definitely a suitable headliner for the biggest URCC card in history.
Another high-profile match up on the card is Lakay Wushu's youngest champion, Honorio Banario (5-0), defending his URCC lightweight crown against his toughest opponent yet, Martial Combat champ, and recently signed MFC fighter, Sabah Fadai (6-1).
URCC Middleweight (179 lbs.) champion and excellent jiujitsu fighter, Froilan Sarenas (2-0) is set to defend his title against AJ Aguon (3-1) from Guam, who is more known in the region for taking Filipino star Eduard Folayang to a decision back in 2009.
Other title fights include a light heavyweight (189 lbs.) title bout between Australia's Nicholas Mann and Chris Luna of DEFTAC, who made a huge statement on his URCC debut. Mammoth Ukrainian Igor Subora (3-1) will take on Hybrid Yaw Yan's Ryan Palinawan for the recently vacated heavyweight title.
All of those bouts above have been finalized, but at least one more title bout is in the works. The vacant cruiserweight championship is set to be on the line, and it is likely to be undefeated Pete Brooks (3-0), taking on a yet to be named contender.
As mentioned, only a portion of the November 5 fight card has been finalized, but it already looks like URCC 20 will indeed be their biggest yet. This is definitely an event that people in the region shouldn't miss.
Stay tuned to BloodyElbow.com for more updates as we continue give you the best coverage from the Asian MMA scene.
Posted in: fight, title, bout, urcc, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowNicktheface brings it again with an excellent promo for the UFC 137 welterweight title bout between...
Nicktheface brings it again with an excellent promo for the UFC 137 welterweight title bout between champion Georges St. Pierre and challenger Carlos Condit.
This fanshot was edited and front-paged by Tim Burke
Posted in: ufc, title, promo, .... nicktheface, nicktheface
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowHistory in the Making: Did Jon Jones usher in a new era when he destroyed 'Shogun' Rua?
If one didn't know better, they would swear that the UFC light heavyweight championship was cursed.
The allure of the title beckons fighters to it like a siren, leading them down a dangerous path before meeting an untimely and unceremonious end.
Ever since Quinton Jackson knocked long-time champion Chuck Liddell unconscious at UFC 71, no one has managed to keep the belt around their waist for more than one defense. "Rampage" went on to unify the title with that of Pride Fighting Championships' (Pride) but had the crown wrested away from him months later by Forrest Griffin.
Griffin -- and his eventual usurper Rashad Evans -- weren't able to make a single successful defense in the cut-throat world that is the 205-pound division. When Lyoto Machida won the strap, Joe Rogan infamously bellowed, "Welcome to the Machida Era!"
"The Dragon" defended the belt -- albeit unconvincingly -- in what was the title's first defense since Jackson's bout with Dan Henderson only to lose it -- very convincingly -- in the immediate rematch to Mauricio Rua.
The title was his for nearly a year but only due to an injury that put him on the shelf. When "Shogun" did finally step back inside the Octagon, Jon Jones was there to almost literally beat him within an inch of his life to assume the light heavyweight throne.
A little over 48 hours (Sept. 24) remain until "Bones" makes his first defense as champion when he takes on Jackson in the main event of UFC 135: "Jones vs. Rampage." Will the young superstar be able to hang onto the belt?
If he fights like he did against Rua, there will be little chance he doesn't. Let's take a closer look at that bout.
Read on!
Jones, of course, was given the opportunity to challenge for the light heavyweight title when his former teammate Rashad Evans dropped out due to injury.
It was a bit of cosmic irony that Evans -- who opted to wait for "Shogun" to heal up to cash in his title shot -- was now losing his opportunity to once again become champion due to an injury himself. His decision was criticized by many -- including UFC head honcho Dana White -- and it seemed to have come back to bite him.
When "Bones" easily dispatched of fellow up-and-comer Ryan Bader, Joe Rogan was there to break the news to the young fighter. As Rogan explained that "Suga" had stepped down and the promotion was now offering the title shot to him, it appeared that Jones was ready to break down and cry.
He eagerly accepted despite the title fight being only six weeks away. Only six weeks to prepare for the biggest fight of his young career. Only six weeks to scout one of the most dangerous 205-pounders in the history of the sport. Only six weeks before he had to take on "Shogun" Rua.
"Bones" obviously made the most of that time because what occurred at UFC 128 was one of the most dominant performances ever seen in a title bout.
Let's jump right in.
Jones immediately dives in with a flying knee that catches the champion flush. He begins using front kicks to keep "Shogun" at bay, taking advantage of his far superior reach.
A spinning back kick from "Bones" misses its mark and it's followed by an exchange from both fighters that clinches them up. From there, the challenger basically ragdolls Rua to the mat.
Each fighter immediately begins to work: Jones throwing punches and those deadly elbows and Rua trying to close the distance and attempting to transition to a more favorable position. But every time the champion tries to squirm out from under his opponent, Jones is quick to immediately nullify every bit of the Brazilian's grappling.
With less than two minutes remaining, Rua begins to rise back to his feet. With one knee down, he eats a knee straight to the ribcage. As Rua's knee lifts up, a knee crashes into his face. Then a straight from Jones forces "Shogun" to cover up against the cage.
"Bones" resets to the center of the cage and begins to pick away at a visibly woozy Rua. This man knocked out "Rampage," went to war with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and solved that riddle of Machida but it seems he was ill-prepared for the destruction incarnate standing before him.
A punch to the body is followed up with a knee before Jones begins to attack the knees of "Shogun" which have a well-documented history of surgery. The round ends with "Bones" on top, landing more ground and pound.
Not to be outdone by the opening theatrics of the first round, Jones lands a spinning back fist 30 seconds into the next stanza. He is light on his feet, bouncing on his heels while the champion plods forward and back, the energy already having been sapped from his body.
It seems like the only offense Rua is able to land -- a body kick -- is rendered meaningless when Jones catches it and turns it into a takedown. Two stiff punches bounce "Shogun's" head off the canvas before the American drops down into his opponent's guard to inflict more damage. He remains there until the horn sounds, almost like a death rattle for Rua's championship reign.
Going into the third round, Rua is able to get behind the challenger while still on their feet but makes the bad decision to roll into a knee bar. "Bones" is able to break free of the submission and eventually ends up on top, a familiar sight in the bout.
Like a shark smells blood, Jones knows his opponent is on the proverbial ropes. He begins to posture up and land those vicious elbows. Rua enters survival mode and is able to get back to his feet, his face a swollen and bloody mess. Jones pressures him against the cage, lands a perfectly placed body shot and the champion crumbles to the mat.
A titan of the sport falls as a young lion ascends to the throne. Much like Machida had been pegged as the future by both pundits and fans alike, Jones seems to have that same burden placed upon his shoulders.
He's so young and so talented that it seems impossible that anyone in the current crop of fighters would be able to defeat him. But nothing is impossible and "Bones" has history -- in particular that of the title currently around his waist -- against him.
Can "Rampage" become only the second two-time 205-pound champion in UFC history?
Or will the realization of Jones' destiny continue?
We will find out Saturday night.
Posted in: title, jone, shogun, rua, bone
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMelvin Guillard ‘A Force to Be Reckoned With’, Could Be Next In Line for a Title Shot
With a win at UFC 136, Melvin Guillard may just get to realize his dream and fight for the UFC lightweight title.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, guillard, melvin
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyDana has 'rapport' with Diaz, title shot still possible
Nick Diaz’s removal from the UFC 137 title fight with Georges St. Pierre was entirely without prejudice to his future title shot hopes, according...
Posted in: title shot, diaz, title, georges st, shot
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyUFC 139: Henderson vs. Shogun Winner Likely Gets Next Title Shot
According to Dana White, the winner of the UFC 139 fight between Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is likely to get to get the next UFC light heavyweight title shot after Rashad Evans. He made the following statement to a media scrum in the aftermath of the UFC 135 pre-fight press conference that was attended by MMA Nation's Luke Thomas:
"It would be tough not to give the winner of that fight the next shot after Rashad. Rashad's next."
Henderson was the reigning Strikeforce light heavyweight champion when he re-signed with the UFC, and Shogun held the title from March until November of this year when he was defeated by current champion Jon Jones. Obviously Rashad Evans is in line to face the winner of the UFC 135 main event title fight between Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and presumably either Henderson or Rua would face whomever is still the king of the mountain sometime next year.
More SBN coverage of UFC 139
Posted in: ufc, title, henderson, winner, rashad evans
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC boss says Henderson-Rua winner likely for title shot, Guillard leads lightweight pack
DENVER - UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones puts his title on the line at
Saturday's UFC 135 event, and the card marks the beginning of a stretch
that sees six UFC titles defended in a seven-week stretch.
And while UFC president Dana White doesn't typically like to make future
matchups before fight results have been determined, the boss believes
Dan Henderson, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Melvin Guillard have all positioned
themselves within striking distance of UFC gold.
White shared his ideas following Wednesday's UFC 135 pre-event press conference in Denver.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, title, melvin guillard, card marks
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua Winner Gets Next Shot at the Title After Rashad Evans
When Dan Henderson returns at UFC 139 to face Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title will be on the line.
Posted in: title, henderson, rashad evans, face mauricio, shot
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyThe UFC 135 main event, a light heavyweight title fight between Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton...
The UFC 135 main event, a light heavyweight title fight between Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, will be decided by how effectively each fighter is able to implement their gameplan across five different categories. To see those categories, and how they affect the Sept. 24 headliner in Denver, click here.
Posted in: title, heavyweight, event, quinton ...., category
Read the full article at MMA ManiaTITLE Boxing announces TITLE BLACK "30 Gloves in 30 Days" giveaway
MMAjunkie.com readers can now enter to win a pair of TITLE BLACKT Bag Gloves (valued at $200) given away every day in September.
All you have to do to enter is "Like" Title Boxing on Facebook and complete the short entry form.
Act now because we will select a random Facebook fan every day. The sooner you enter, the more chances you have to win!
Posted in: title, day, title boxing, facebook fan, mmajunkie.com readers
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWho’s next after Velasquez-Dos Santos? (Yahoo! Sports)
The winner of the Nov. 12 Cain Velasquez-Junior Dos Santos title fight will have no lack of contenders waiting in the wings.
Posted in: title, velasquez-junior dos, do, title fight, velasquez-do
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsHenderson/Shogun winner probable title contender
Dan Henderson is probably one fight away from a UFC light-heavyweight title shot.Standing in his way is Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, the former champion...
Posted in: title, henderson, dan henderson, title contender, light-heavyweight
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyEddie Alvarez Injured, Bellator Title Defense Postponed
This is a guest post by Josh Nason.
Fans of Eddie Alvarez will have to wait a bit longer before seeing the Bellator Lightweight Champion in action as the promotion announced Tuesday that Alvarez has suffered an injury that will take him off the October 15th event in Atlantic City, NJ, Bellator 54. He was scheduled to defend his title against Michael Chandler.
The injury was undisclosed and there was no rescheduled date announced. In the release that Bellator put out, CEO Bjorn Rebney said that he's hopeful the fight can still happen this fall.
On Twitter, Alvarez said the following:
@EdAlvarezFightEddie Alvarez Guys I apologize , I sincerely don't want to self myself short or anybody watching, this won't be long most likley a 30 day postponementSep 20 via Twitter for AndroidFavoriteRetweetReply
After October 15, Bellator has five more Saturday events remaining in their fifth season, including a November 26th return date in Atlantic City, NJ, that might prove attractive for the Philadelphia, PA-based Alvarez.
Alvarez (22-2) is the only Bellator 155-pound champion in the promotion's history, having won the title in June 2009. He's only defended the title once in an April decision win over Pat Curran, but has wins over Roger Huerta and Josh Neer in non-title bouts.
Chandler (8-0) earned his shot by winning Bellator's lightweight tournament earlier this year, taking a decision win over Patricky "Pitbull" Freire in the May finale.
Posted in: bellator, title, alvarez, eddie alvarez, atlantic city
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowEddie Alvarez unable to defend title at Bellator 54 due to injury.
submitted by JesusHadALittleLamb [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: title, alvarez, eddie alvarez, eddie, injury
Read the full article at RedditAlvarez Injured; Chandler’s Bellator 54 Title Shot Postponed
Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has suffered an injury that will prevent him from defending his title next month against Michael Chandler, the promotion announced Tuesday.
Posted in: bellator, title, chandler, alvarez, michael chandler
Read the full article at SherdogEddie Alvarez Injured and Out of Bellator 54 Title Fight Against Michael Chandler
Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has suffered an injury that has forced him out of his upcoming title defense against Michael Chandler.
Posted in: michael chandler, eddie alvarez, title defense, title, michael
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC Light Heavyweight Division: State of the Union
With so many fights coming up spread across seven different weight classes, it's easy to lose track of what's happening in every division. Here, we take a look at where a particular division stands right now, and where it's headed.
This weekend, the UFC Light Heavyweight title is on the line as Jon Jones faces Rampage Jackson at UFC 135. It's a great fight full of interesting stories. On one side is Rampage's quest for redemption as he attempts to be just the second man in the history of the division to regain the title. On the other side, Jon Jones tries to break the revolving door of champions we've seen since Rampage ended the Chuck Liddell era.
But looking past Saturday paints a surprisingly stagnant picture of the Light Heavyweight division. There's almost no notable action scheduled in the division at all in the coming months, and a lot of men waiting to find out what's next.
Next in Line:
One man who knows what's next - Rashad Evans. The former champion was promised a title shot after his defeat of Tito Ortiz, and a showdown with either Rampage or Jones will make for a very compelling contest. Look for Rashad in a post-fight staredown on Saturday.
Of course, Rashad's been in this position before - patiently waiting for his shot. And it hasn't come. So while that's the next theoretical fight, no one knows better than Rashad that it's not a done deal until the bell rings.
Key Match Ups:
Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua (UFC 139) - This one was just announced, and though it's still not 100%, it looks like this will be Strikeforce champion Henderson's return to the UFC. Considering Shogun's recent destruction of Forrest Griffin, I'd say the winner here is next up after Rashad.
Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (UFC 140) - I almost didn't include this, but don't forget that Tito was miraculously just one win away from a potential title fight earlier this summer. I'd be shocked to see either of this men as an actual title challenger, but you never know.
Future Contenders:
After Evans and the Hendo/Shogun winner, things get incredibly jammed. You have a mix of veterans and younger stars all stuck together, with no one clearly asserting themselves at the top, and few fights booked to help figure that out. Some possibilities:
Phil Davis - Mr. Wonderful was one big win away from a possible title shot when injury forced him out of the Rashad Evans fight. He's still not yet set for a return, but when he does, he will likely again be in a big fight situation.
Rich Franklin - Like Tito and Rogerio, he's highly unlikely to get a title shot, but his status all but guarantees him a big fight every time out.
Alexander Gustafsson - Too early to put him at the top, but he's getting there. His last win was an impressive beat down of Matt Hamill, and another lopsided victory will really push him up.
Lyoto Machida - The former champion has lost a ton of momentum with his back to back loses to Shogun and Rampage, and his win over Randy Couture, while a highlight reel moment, wasn't enough to move him back up far. Still, he's a force in the division, and could get a shot very quickly.
King Mo Lawal - The #2 Light Heavyweight in Strikeforce looked good with his KO of Roger Gracie. He's got a very strong wrestling base, plus a flamboyant personality, and those two factors could easily take him right up to contention in the UFC.
Others to consider:
Not contenders, but two fighters to keep an eye on, for very different reasons:
Forrest Griffin - Another former champion now far outside the title picture. But unlike the others above, Forrest seems like a shell of himself these days. What do you possibly do with him at this point?
Ovince St. Preux - Lots of folks are high on this Strikeforce prospect. I'm not sold yet, but he's worth a look.
Poll
Who will be the next challenger after Rashad Evans?
Dan Henderson
Shogun Rua
Lyoto Machida
Other
1 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, division, rashad
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowEddie Alvarez out of Bellator title defence
Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that reigning lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has suffered an injury that will force the title holder...
Posted in: title, alvarez, eddie alvarez, eddie, title holder
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyFresh Off Biggest Win, Jake Ellenberger Starts Thinking of Georges St-Pierre
Filed under: UFC, NewsLess than 48 hours after the signature win of his career thus far, Jake Ellenberger hasn't quite fully digested his knockout of Jake Shields at Saturday's UFC Fight Night 25. It's not that Ellenberger is surprised he won. After all, it's a fight he asked for, and he basically predicted the result.
But the manner in which he won -- becoming the first man to finish Shields in 11 years, and doing it in just 53 seconds -- seems a little surreal, even to him.
"It's something I'm still definitely trying to wrap my head around," Ellenberger said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "It happened quick, and Jake's definitely one of the best guys I've ever fought so it feels great. It's definitely a big win for me."
Ellenberger says that from studying Shields' past fights, he always felt that his own style would match up well. Couple that with what he perceived to be a speed advantage along with his wrestling skills, and it was a recipe for the upset.
"I know he was looking to take me down and I really wasn't that worried about it," he said. "I saw openings and I knew I definitely had the potential to knock him out. But happening the way it did is still kind of surreal."
The win rocketed him into the conversation of welterweight title contenders. Ellenberger is now 26-5 overall and has won five straight in the UFC, with four of those coming via stoppage.
He said that he hopes to face a highly ranked opponent and would like to fight again before the end of 2011. Ellenberger said that though he's aware he probably opened a few eyes over the weekend, that takes a backseat to his goal of fighting for the UFC title.
"I'm not really looking for attention," he said. "I'm not in the sport for attention. My goal is a world title and that's what it's been since day 1. The more attention the better, but I'm blessed to be where I'm at and do what I love and be part of the UFC. It's been great."
Though he called out Shields dating back to last year, Ellenberger says he's not asking for anyone specific this time around. His goal is the title, and he'll continue to work towards that. As he waits for his next matchup, Ellenberger will keep an eye on the welterweight title picture, where he says Carlos Condit has a "great chance" of upsetting Georges St-Pierre in October because of his fearlessness and power.
Those are some of the same traits that Ellenberger believes could eventually help him should he ever earn a chance to fight GSP. Like any top fighter, he'd like to beat the best, and likes his chances against the division's current king. Citing St-Pierre's tendency to "play it safe a little bit," along with his own strengths, Ellenberger thinks he might just be the man to surprise the MMA world again.
"GSP is phenomenal, if not the best fighter in world," he said. "He's someone you have to pressure. You definitely have to pressure him. You can't stay back on him and let him control the distance and the range. He's definitely beatable. Him and Jake Shields had a great fight. He's proven. I don't know how many times he defended his title, but anyone can be beat. I'm confident I can beat him. Like I said, anyone can be beat, and to beat a guy like GSP, you'd have to keep pressure and look for some holes. He may not have very many, but they're there." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, shield, jake, ellenberger, title
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC Results: Does Jake Shields's KO Loss Prove GSP Can't Finish Fights?
Almost three years.
Four title fights, four over-matched opponents.
Zero finishes.
Not since BJ Penn's corner waved off the fight back at UFC 94 in January of 2009 has welterweight king Georges St. Pierre finished a contest. No matter how outclassed and dominated the opponent, it has become almost a given that GSP title defenses will go the full five rounds with little intrigue throughout. That is partially a testament to how much distance St. Pierre has put between himself and the rest of the division. I, however, believe it speaks to either some sort of psychological or physical impediment that has stymied GSP and prevented him from realizing his stratospheric maximum potential.
GSP hasn't truly been threatened since Matt Serra knocked him out in 2007. Of his recent title defenses, none have seemed a true challenge. Thiago Alves, although a fighter of great talent, has proven to be far from the wrecking machine many assumed him to be. Dan Hardy has been revealed as a mediocre fighter capable of losing by almost any means. Josh Koscheck was already a one-trick pony, a whole lot of KO power but not much ability to use it. And Jake Shields's durability (once deemed tremendous, even by me, despite the fact that Dan Henderson floored him twice before gassing) was more than exposed by a surging yet unheralded Jake Ellenburger in New Orleans last night at UFC Fight Night 25.
Many have speculated the recklessness that led to his defeat against Serra has since been so scaled back that he's become overly cautious.It may be a valid theory. GSP's diverse talents -- a dynamic striking attack augmented by the best wrestling in the division -- should be quite enough to finish these opponents. But, the sort of killer instinct Jake Ellenburger demonstrated last night is something that's been sorely lacking from St. Pierre's game for almost three years now. I can only hope he finds it soon, because upstarts like Ellenburger are anxious to make their name against GSP, and seem to be as hungry as the champ once was in his chase for the title.
Posted in: fight, jake shields, jake, title, gsp
Read the full article at Head Kick Legend