Pat Barry Describes No-Win Situation Fighters Face

HATER, as defined by UrbanDictionary.com: “A person that simply cannot be happy for another person’s success. So rather than be happy, they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.” Pat Barry (Pictured) knows this term all too well. In fact, the UFC heavyweight claims he and his fellow mixed martial artists are [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/90864/pat-barry-describes-no-win-situation-fighters-face/

Chael Sonnen

Chuck Liddell to appear on Hawaii Five-0

The Iceman fights another day T...
Hawaii Five-0‘s Steve McGarrett has likely met his match: The head of the Hawaii Five-0 team is going to face off against MMA legend Chuck Liddell. The former top MMA fighter will flex his acting muscles in an episode this fall playing himself as he fights Alex O’Loughlin’s crime-buster in a charity fight. Liddell has previously appeared inCriminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, and he was a former contestant on Dancing With the Stars. Looking forward to seeing one more fight out of the Iceman. -TO
Chuck Liddell Hangs With The Biebers Chuck Lidell Heads for the Hills

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/mma/article_external/chuck_liddell_to_appear_on_hawaii_five_0/7083466

Tito Ortiz

Ben Askren defends Bellator Welterweight Title against Jay Hieron at Bellator 56

Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren will make the first defense of his title on Oct. 29 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., taking on Bellator season four welterweight tournament winner Jay Hieron at Bellator 56, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.

Askren fights for just the second time in 2011 after four appearances in Bellator in 2010. The undefeated champ has won four straight decision victories after stopping his first four opponents.

Hieron gets his title shot after a controversial split decision win over Rick Hawn in the finals of the season four tournament. The former UFC and Strikeforce welterweight has won ten straight fights heading into this fight,

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_10684.shtml

Rashad Evans

UFC on Versus 6: Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve, Head to Toe Breakdown

The UFC's last show on Versus goes down this Saturday, October 1st, at 9 PM ET.

The card is headlined by Dominick Cruz's bantamweight title defense against Demetrious Johnson, but before the little guys go to work, two big guys will face off in the Octagon. Pat "HD" Barry, standing 5'11", will face off against Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve, standing 6'11".

This one should be fun.

Barry is one of the better pure strikers in the heavyweight division, though he has notably struggled when it comes to grappling. Coming off of a shocking KO loss to Cheick Kongo, Barry is looking to get back to winning ways and start climbing the UFC ranks.

Struve is coming off of a tough loss to Travis Browne, who caught him with a brutal superman punch to finish the fight. Struve is a well-rounded fighter, and is looking to showcase improved use of his reach in this fight.

This fight has a lot of interesting things to discuss, so let's go point by point:

 

Striking

Barry is definitely the better striker of the two fighters, with K-1 level kickboxing, but Struve presents a very unique challenge.

Though, as Barry has been quick to remind us, he is used to fighting taller competition, Struve's one foot height advantage and nine inch reach advantage is surely something Barry has never experienced before. The biggest question heading into this fight is how Barry will handle that difference.

More than likely he will work to follow Struve's strikes into the pocket and look to blast away at Struve with his brutal leg kicks, and probably a few overhand rights if the opening presents itself. Struve, on the other hand, will need to keep Barry on the outside in order to avoid the smaller man's power. While he should probably be able to do that, Barry's kickboxing experience will make him hard to stop.

I give Barry the edge here based on his skill level, but Struve's length and size will almost definitely create problems.

Advantage: Barry

 

Grappling

Given Struve's 14 career submission wins, and Barry's historical allergy to the ground, it seems fairly certain that Struve will hold the advantage on the ground.

I actually think that Barry may have developed better wrestling than Struve, especially given his time training with Team DeathClutch and Marty Morgan, but Struve's long limbs make his guard especially dangerous, as demonstrated by his seven career triangle choke victories. We've also yet to actually see any ground game to speak of from Barry, so I'm purely speculating at that.

I doubt that much of this fight will take place on the ground, but if it does, Struve's jiu-jitsu and dangerous guard game should give him the edge. Indeed, Struve's best chance of winning this fight may be to try to take Barry down and nullify his kickboxing, or potentially pull guard and immediately work for submissions.

Advantage: Struve

 

Intangibles

This fight very well may come down to a battle of toughness. Each has a distinct advantage over the other, and the battle of reach will be an interesting twist to this fight.

Struve has shown enormous heart several times in the Octagon, persevering through tough first rounds against Denis Stojnic and Christian Morecraft, as well as a hard fought decision over Paul Buentello. We've also seen his chin do him in, however, in his KO losses to Junior dos Santos, Roy Nelson, and Travis Browne.

Barry is always tough on his feet and seems to be able to shrug off hard shots, though he wasn't so lucky against Cheick Kongo. His relatively extensive kickboxing background has gotten him comfortable with trading shots back and forth, and he should have no problem standing in front of Struve and going to work.

This is pretty evenly split between the two, but I give the slight edge to Barry, if only because he's had his lights turned off less often.

Advantage: Barry, but only slightly

 

This is a tough matchup for both fighters. Though Barry should be the superior striker, he will have his work cut out for him getting past Struve's long reach. Assuming, however, that he can avoid takedowns and undesirable positions on the ground, he should be able to out-work Struve on the feet and make his shots count.

If the betting lines are any indicator, this fight is Barry's to lose, but it's no blowout. No matter how it ends, this should definitely be one of the more exciting fights on the card.

Pick: Pat Barry

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/870540-ufc-on-versus-6-pat-barry-vs-stefan-struve-head-to-toe-breakdown

Minoru Suzuki

NY MMA News: Poll Suggests Opposition to MMA Rising in State ...

NY MMA News: Poll Suggests Opposition to MMA Rising in State. Apparently New York MMA proponents still have some work to do in the PR department. According to an article in PolitickerNY (see below), while New Yorkers ...

Source: http://macsmma.com/ny-mma-news-poll-suggests-opposition-to-mma-rising-in-state

Norifumi Kid Yamamoto

?UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III? Extended Video Preview

To help hype next Saturday?s pay-per-view broadcast, the world?s biggest MMA organization has released an extended video preview for ?UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III.?
The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas will host arguably the Octagon?s most star-studded event of 2011. The card features a pair of championship affairs, headlined by a lightweight title scrap between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.
A featherweight shootout with champ Jose Aldo and Kenny Florian will serve as the card?s co-main event.
If that weren?t enough, what?s believed to be a middleweight top contender contest between Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann will be the night?s third-to-last fight.
Please click the media player below to watch the hype video:

Here are the athletes slated to appear in Texas:
Preliminary Bouts:
Mike Russow vs. TBD
Mike Massenzio vs. Steve Cantwell
Eric Schafer vs. Aaron Simpson
Darren Elkins vs. Tiequan Zhang
Joey Beltran vs. Stipe Miocic
(Spike TV 8PM ET/5PM PT)
Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens
Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago
Main Bouts:
(PPV 9PM ET/6PM PT)
Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia
Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon
Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann
Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo (UFC Featherweight Champion)
Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar (UFC Lightweight Champion)

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/mma/article_external/ufc_136_edgar_vs_maynard_iii_extended_video_preview/7100158

Randy Couture

Jon Jones Faces Six-Month Medical Suspension Unless Cleared by Doctor

The Colorado Office of Boxing has medically suspended 12 “UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage” athletes for various injuries sustained in their respective scraps this past Saturday. Details regarding each fighter’s wounds were not made available.� Reigning light heavyweight champ Jon Jones (Pictured) could be riding the pine for up to six months unless he receives [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/90670/jon-jones-faces-six-month-medical-suspension-unless-cleared-by-doctor/

Masanori Suda

ROUNDTABLE: UFC 135 Grades - Thoughts on the Best and Worst From the Event - Hansen, Hyden, Perez, Hobaugh, Amadi and Pelkey

Grade Saturday's UFC 135 event as a whole from A-F. Also, what stood out as the best and worst of the card?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

C

Grading on a curve, the show was an F.� This was the worst UFC PPV I've seen since UFC 119.� That said, I don't grade on a curve, and I was mildly entertained, so I'll give it a C, because a bad UFC is better than a lot of other Saturday night entertainment options.� The high spots for me were Tim Boetsch's hip toss into a side slam, and of course Jon Jones throttling an elite talent like Quinton Jackson.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

B-

A lot of it depends on if you're a Jon Jones or Josh Koscheck fan. Seeing your guy win always makes the card seem better. The best thing on the card was the continued improvement of Jon Jones as a fighter. He's only going to get better as he ages. It's hard to imagine how good he will one day become. The worst thing on the card was probably Matt Hughes getting crushed by Koscheck. It's obvious MMA has passed Hughes by, but he should hold his head high about what he did during his career. Whether he continues to fight or not, it's for certain that the days of a Hughes fight being a must-see are over.


ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

B-

I did enjoy it, thoroughly in fact.� The small problem I had with it was a weak undercard from the standpoint of the casual fan.� Most people at the place I saw it didn't know who most of the fighters were, save for when the Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck fight began.� That's not the fault of any of the fighters by no means, but for most people it was a two fight card.� I hope with the expansion of mainstream coverage now that the UFC are on Fox, that more fighters will get a higher profile because of it.


ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

C

The Gomi-Diaz fight was never really in doubt. The Hughes-Koscheck�fight was good for two minutes, but not very exciting. The best part of the card was that Jon Jones proved he is for real. He handled Rampage, but not in the totally dominate fashion most people had predicted. It was a good fight. Rampage looked decent and made it a good fight. The worst part of the card was that after the main event the other fights were not great. The UFC needs to do a better job of providing value for the top dollar they charge for their product.


JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

C-

There really weren't any competitive bouts on the main card. The main event was a one sided beating, Gomi and Matt Hughes are shot fighters at this point, and the two heavyweight fights weren't worthy of being on a main card.
�
The main event was obviously the high point of the evening, but it was hard to really even get up for it after the awful Travis Brown-Rob Broughton fight. I mean, why was Rob Broughton even on a pay-per-view?
�
The prelims were just okay, nothing really memorable in any way. UFC 136 and every pay-per-view card after it seem to be much better values, and even the free card on Versus this Saturday night is poised to outdo UFC 135. This wasn't the worst card in the world, but the fights just weren't competitive enough for my taste.


MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
�
B-

I'm only that generous because I knew it was a one fight card going in. Jon Jones, Nate Diaz, and Tony Ferguson all had great performances, but they were against overmatched opposition. The rest of the card ranged from "eh" to "ugh." I know most people will list Rothwell-Hunt as the worst from the card, but for me it was the other heavyweight fight, Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton. Broughton was there solely to be a punching bag for Browne to make him look good, and Browne just stood around doing nothing for three rounds. The best is obviously Jon Jones mesmerizing performance against Rampage. The entire card was built around him and he didn't disappoint.�

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_10672.shtml

Vitor Belfort

UFC Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

From September 15 to October 15, America celebrates Hispanic
Heritage Month, designed to honor the cultural contributions of Hispanics and
Latin Americans. And UFC joins in the festivities with special programming on
UFCLatino.com and UFC on Demand. Check your cable operator?s VOD offerings for free all-Spanish programming, plus 14 remarkable fights for only 99 cents each.

Two current of the seven current UFC champions are American born with Mexican blood -- Dominick Cruz and Cain Velasquez. Heavyweight Velasquez? Mexican heritage is so ingrained in his identity that he walks out to a Mexican ranchero, a song that mirrors the story of his father?s frequent journeys across the border in search of a better life.

Cruz will next defend his title against Demetrious Johnson in the main event of UFC Fight Night Live on October 1; Cain will face Junior Dos Santos in the long-anticipated first UFC on Fox match on November 12th in Anaheim, California.

So what makes Hispanic fighters different? As Cain has said, they always fight their hearts out.

Besides its heaviest and lightest titleholders, the UFC has several notable Hispanic fighters. And with the addition of the bantamweight (135 pound) and featherweight (145 pound) divisions, UFC president Dana White recently told journalists that he believes Latinos will dominate those divisions in the near future, as they have done for years in boxing.

The vast Hispanic diaspora can be seen on the UFC?s diverse roster, featuring athletes descended from El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and more. Here, a quien es quien of Hispanic fighters:

* The Ultimate Fighter series has boasted several standout Hispanic fighters: the always-spectacular season 1 winner Diego Sanchez, a long-time fan favorite for the commitment and fury he shows every time he steps into the Octagon; season 5 winner Nate Diaz; season 8 champ Efra�n ?Hecho en M�xico? Escudero and season 14 king Tony ?El Cucuy? Ferguson, who won via vicious KO on Ramsey Nijem. Ferguson and Diaz both fought Saturday night at UFC 135, alongside Ricardo Romero, who brandishes proud Puerto Rican roots.

* Peruvian-American Kenny Florian also emerged from TUF 1, and after fighting in a record four different weight classes, is preparing to battle for the featherweight title at UFC 136 on October 8^th. TUF 12 fan favorite Alex Caceres ? better known as ?Bruce Leeroy? ? was born to Cuban-Dominican parents in Miami.

* UFC 136 sees two other Mexican-rooted fighters in action: Joey ?The Mexicutioner? Beltr�n welcomes the heavyweight Stipe Miocic to the UFC. Anthony ?Showtime? Pettis, who retired the WEC lightweight belt, is also on the roster (his mother has Mexican blood, and his family name was originally Perez, but it was anglicized by his great-grandfather).

* Another third generation star is Carlos Condit, who will fight against the dominant Georges St-Pierre in the main event of UFC 137 on October 29th in Las Vegas. In the co-main event on that same fight card is former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, older brother of Nate.

* In the lighter weight classes, favorites include Miguel Angel Torres, former WEC Bantamweight Champ; bantamweight contender Joseph Benavidez and his undefeated Alpha Male teammate, featherweight Chad Mendes; Fight of the Night specialist Leonard ?Bad Boy? Garc�a; featherweight Pablo Garza who?s had two flashy Octagon finishes ? his upcoming bout against Dustin Poirier and was the first fight announced for the UFC on Fox debut. Featherweight Ricardo Lamas is also featured on the November 12 card.

  * From known names like Jorge Rivera and Tito Ortiz to up-and-comers like Jorge Lopez, Edwin Figueroa and Robert Peralta; from big guys like Aaron Rosa to bantamweights like Reuben Duran, Ivan Menjivar and Joseph Sandoval, expect more Hispanic warriors on every fight card? and a ton of heart in every one of their fights.

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-hispanic-heritage-month-2011

Miguel Torres

UFC 135 Results: Nate Diaz puts on excellent display in first round submission of Takanori Gomi

In 2007, Takanori Gomi was defeated by Nick Diaz in a fantastic fight in Pride that was overturned due to Diaz testing positive for marijuana. Fast forward four and a half years, and Gomi was once again submitted by a Diaz, Nick's younger brother Nate, at UFC 135 in Denver, Colo.

Diaz put together one of the more complete and impressive fights of his career, out-classing a faded Gomi on the feet and hurting him on numerous occasions before the fight hit the ground.

Once it did, Diaz threatened with a triangle choke that was nearly locked in tight, only to see him transition to an armbar that ended the fight quickly, forcing Gomi to tap with 33 seconds remaining in the first round.

Diaz returned to the lightweight division after consecutive losses at welterweight, and brought himself to an even 3-3 over his last six fights. Gomi has now last three of four appearances in the Octagon, with all three losses coming by submission.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_10621.shtml

Rich Franklin

Bellator 51 Recap: Joe Warren No Longer Feels Like the Baddest Man on the Planet

Or no longer feels anything, for that matter. Props to MiddleEasy for the video. It?s Sunday afternoon. Most of you were too busy with UFC 135 to even bother watching Bellator 51 last night. Today, you?re probably too busy with your religious practices to spend time reading a full recap, so I?ll make this quick for you. For those of you who don?t even have the time to watch that video, damn. Let me first ask you what it?s like to have responsibilities. Let?s also say that Joe Warren will not become Bellator?s first multiple weight class title holder any time soon. Forty year old Bellator newcomer Alexis Vila delivered a left hook that zombified Warren just over one minute into the fight. Look on the bright side, Joe: After getting knocked out like that, you have that featherweight title defense against Patricio Freire to look forward to. Full results, courtesy of MMAJunkie, after the jump.

Source: http://www.cagepotato.com/bellator-51-recap-joe-warren-no-longer-feels-like-the-baddest-man-on-the-planet/

Thiago Silva

UFC 135 Results Recap: Jon Jones Dominates Rampage Jackson to Defend Title

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title for the first time over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the UFC 135 main event on Saturday in Denver, Colorado and made it look easy.

Jones attacked Jackson with a variety of leg kicks that gave him an opening to secure a rear naked choke in the fourth round.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/24478/ufc-135-results-jon-jones-dominates-rampage-jackson-to-defend-title/

Georges St Pierre

UFC 135: Jon Jones vs. Quinton ?Rampage? Jackson Video Highlights

The main event at UFC 135 featured former title holder Quinton “Rampage” Jackson battling reigning light heavyweight king Jon “Bones” Jones (Pictured) for his crown inside the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Jones turned in a dominating performance en route to collecting his first successful title defense. Jackson was never able to find his grove, [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/90429/ufc-135-jon-jones-vs-quinton-rampage-jackson-video-highlights/

Mario Sperry

UFC 135 Live Blog: Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton Updates

Filed under: UFC

DENVER -- This is the UFC 135 live blog for Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton, a heavyweight bout on tonight's UFC pay-per-view from the Pepsi Center.

Browne (11-0-1) won KO of the Night at UFC 130 in May with a Superman punch over Stefan Struve. Broughton (15-5-1) won by rear-naked choke submission in his last fight at UFC 120 in October 2010.

The live blog is below.

---

More Coverage: UFC 135 Results | Latest UFC 135 News

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Round 1: Browne's size advantage is evident as soon as they meet in the center. He swings big and misses, nearly toppling over, then does it again a few seconds later. Browne clinches up and muscles Broughton up against the fence. The big American should have the edge there, but can't do much with it before they separate. Good leg kick by Browne, then a front kick that gets right in Broughton's face. Broughton clips him with a hook but eats a right in exchange. Browne flicks out another kick as the crowd grows restless. Broughton keeps coming, doing most of the forward movement so far but having trouble getting close enough. Browne backs up with a good left hook, but then follows with an ill-timed jumping knee from way too far out and ends up in the clinch. Browne grabs a single-leg and flings Broughton to the mat easily, getting the mount and launching some wild elbows before the horn sounds. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Browne.


Round 2:

Round 3:

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/09/24/ufc-135-live-blog-travis-browne-vs-rob-broughton-updates/

Randy Couture

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson re-booked for UFC 141 this December

A light heavyweight fight between Vladimir Matyushenko and Alexander Gustafsson, originally scheduled for UFC 133 last month, is now coming to UFC 141 on December 30. The UFC announced the re-booked matchup on Wednesday.

Matyushenko suffered an injury that took him out of the event, and Gustafsson took on Matt Hamill instead, defeating him in the second round in Philadelphia.

UFC 141 is headlined by the heavyweight number one contender's bout between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_10583.shtml

Ryuki Ueyama

Report: Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace Planned for UFC 139

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/9/23/2445816/report-miguel-torres-vs-nick-pace-planned-for-ufc-139

Tra Telligman

UFC 135 Weigh-In Results: Jones Vs. Rampage

Source: http://mma.sbnation.com/2011/9/23/2445109/ufc-135-weigh-in-results-jones-rampage-mma-news

Mike Van Arsdale

AMADI: Mirrored paths of Lyoto Machida and Jon Jones to UFC gold should temper UFC 135 expectations

By: Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist

A fighter's ability to trounce lower level guys is usually a pretty good indicator of how good they are. If you subscribe to this idea, then performances against Stephan Bonnar, Matt Hamill, Brandon Vera, and Ryan Bader probably indicate that Jon Jones is an elite fighter. And Jon Jones is most certainly an elite fighter. However, plowing through the lower and even mid-tier of the light heavyweight division doesn't suggest much of anything in regards to how good Jon Jones is relative to other elite fighters at 205 pounds.

Undefeated fighters being expected to rule the light heavyweight division isn't anything new. Most seem to be so caught up in the excitement over Jon Jones that they tend to forget the other fighter who was recently undefeated, untouchable and captured light heavyweight gold, Lyoto Machida.

Two years ago, Lyoto Machida was every bit as fawned over as Jon Jones is now. Machida was never challenged en route to his first UFC title shot, and in fact he never even lost a round. Machida was so elusive and so good at dictating distance that he never got touched. When Machida finally got his crack at then UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, he destroyed him. Evans went into that fight with the worst possible approach to fighting Machida, and he paid the price. Lyoto Machida looked so dominant that after the bout, MMA Live analyst and UFC fighter Kenny Florian said that Machida was "two years ahead" of the light heavyweight division.

That was of course, until he met up with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104. At the time, "Shogun" was just building up steam after a lackluster start to his UFC career, and people thought he was going to get steamrolled by Machida. Prior to this bout, Dana White released statistics indicating that Lyoto Machida was the "least hit fighter in MMA history." I won't interrupt the Jon Jones comparison by going into detail about who came out on top in one of the more controversial decisions in MMA history, but suffice to say at the end of this bout, the aura around Lyoto Machida was gone.

The biggest takeaway from the brief "Machida Era" is that following the destruction of the incumbent Light Heavyweight Champion, Lyoto Machida was untouchable and no one could even imagine him dropping a round, let alone a fight. One fight later, he was just another elite light heavyweight.

Fast forward two years, and this story mirrors Jon Jones' rise almost perfectly. The dominant streak, the brutal victory over the champion, and the title defense against a battle tested former champion all reek of "Machida Era." To make things even creepier, UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage is exactly 23 months removed UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun. All Jon Jones is missing to complete the Lyoto Machida story is a loss.

Obviously MMA fans tempering their expectations for a dominant fighter is a bridge too far, but surely someone out there has to realize that Jones being a 7 to 1 favorite over a top shelf competitor like Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is a bit too much. Likewise, ranking Jones #3 pound-for-pound and calling for his participation in legacy fights are a bit too soon for a fighter just coming into his own.

As we saw with Lyoto Machida, just because you haven't been in a bad spot doesn't mean you can't be put in one.� Similarly, just because you haven't been hit doesn't mean you can't be knocked into oblivion by a massive right hand. Regardless of the outcome this Saturday night, Jon Jones will still be an elite fighter.

Jones' ability to crush good fighters is no longer in question; however whether or not he can dominate the dominators of the sport long-term remains to be seen.
�
Feel free to follow me on Twitter @JasonAmadi. Welcome to the "I'm going continue shamelessly begging for followers" Era.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/amadis_take/article_10599.shtml

Rory Singer

Clash of the Titans: B/R Featured Columnists Blog for TUF 14, Episode 1

Spike TV’s final season of the Ultimate Fighter is airing on Wednesday nights, and there are no two people more excited for it than Bleacher Report featured columnists Vince Carey and Sal Derose. 

The 135- and 145-pound weight classes are the most entertaining in the sport, and to top it off coaches Jason Mayhem Miller and Michael Bisping are bound to create some drama of their own.

Derose considers Miller one of his favorite fighters of all time, and Carey might be the only person outside of England to love Bisping, so expect some verbal assault from both writers to take place as the season goes on. 

We hope to give fans a little insight and a lot of entertainment with this weekly blog that we humbly named Clash of the Titans. As always, hit us up in the comments section with questions or comments. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/862026-clash-of-the-titans-br-featured-columnists-blog-for-tuf-14-episode-1

Luke Stewart

UFC 135 ?Jones vs. Rampage? Pre-Fight Interviews

MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani caught up with Rampage Jackson, Jon Jones, Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, Travis Browne, Rob Broughton and Ben Rothwell to talk about their upcoming fights this weekend at UFC 135.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/64PiX6i-lM4/

Harout Terzyan

Subject: OCTOBER UPNUP - "STAND ALONE" - by: Kinohi

RYRCEO wrote:
How can I sponsor this event

Send me an email with your contact information
legacymmahawaii@yahoo.com

Source: http://www.mmahawaii.com/forum/2-hawaii-mma-discussions/42272-october-upnup-qstand-aloneq.html?limit=12&start=36%2342506

Brian Stann

UFC welterweight division keeps changing

With Jake Ellenberger?s win over Jake Shields on Saturday, the UFC welterweight division has seen another shift. While Georges St. Pierre is obviously still the king of the division, the top contender spots have been constantly shifting. When GSP dominated against Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Shields, it was looking like there would be a shortage of contenders. There was a clear #1 and clear #2-4 who had not demonstrated that a rematch with GSP would be any different. If no one was touching Fitch and Alves, who could touch GSP?
Then BJ Penn drew with Fitch, Fitch got injured, Rick Story beat Alves, Charlie Brenneman beat Story, and everyone beat Dan Hardy. With Nick Diaz pushed out of an automatic title shot via stupidity, Carlos Condit has gotten the next shot at GSP. Condit got his shot by beating Ellenberger in a close split decision before going on to win against Rory MacDonald, Hardy, and Dong Hyun Kim. Condit also lost a close split decision to Martin Kampman...

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/mma/article_external/ufc_welterweight_division_keeps_changing/6900154

Tim Sylvia

Dana White says Dan Henderson now exclusive to UFC after signing on for UFC 139 fight with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

In multiple interviews as a free agent this summer, Dan Henderson expressed an interest in returning to the UFC while at the same time hoping he could defend his Strikeforce belt. However, UFC President Dana White has now confirmed in an interview with 5thRound.com that Henderson is now exclusive to the UFC. News broke this week that Henderson will fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the main event at UFC 139, and White says in signing his new contract with the organization that he will be with the UFC alone. Strikeforce now has just two male Champions left in Middleweight Champ Luke Rockhold and Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_10572.shtml

Renato Babalu Sobral

Rashad Evans on Jon Jones: "He Will Beat (Quinton) Jackson Standing"

Rashad Evans is picking UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to beat Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 135. But to the surprise of many, he's picking Jones to do it standing up.

The former light heavyweight champion was on hand to talk with Spencer Lazara of MMAInterviews.TV about the eagerly anticipated light heavyweight showdown set to go down on Saturday night.

"I think that Jon Jones uses his range and his speed to keep Rampage off balance, and at the same time, using his ability to take Rampage down to try to impose some of his will," said Evans. "I think Jon tries to get it done, and I think he does it standing up."

After watching Jones do surgery in the striking department to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, it wouldn't be shocking to see him find similar success against Jackson.

It all comes down to Jackson's ability to remain unpredictable. If Jackson settles in the pocket and telegraphs hooks, Jones shouldn't have much trouble avoiding the power punch and finding openings to best the stand-up exchanges.

With that said, Evans understands that Jackson is a different style match than Rua, who tends to rely heavily on his Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Jackson's strong core and wrestling background could make things tough on Jones if he attempts takedowns in the open. In his UFC 114 bout with Jackson, Evans struggled to secure takedowns and had to grind the fight out against the cage with short strikes from the clinch.

If Jones decides to engage in a stand-up battle, things could get dangerous for the young champion. His chin is one of the few question marks surrounding his complete game, and there are few fighters in MMA with the vicious knockout power of Jackson.

Coming off a second-round TKO stoppage over Tito Ortiz, Evans is set to face the winner of Jackson and Jones.

Having already defeated Jackson a little over a year ago, there is likely a part of Evans hoping for the opportunity to get a crack at Jones, his former teammate turned nemesis.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/859286-rashad-evans-on-jon-jones-he-will-beat-rampage-standing

Ron Waterman

UFC on FOX ?Cain vs Dos Santos? Press Conference News and Notes

UFC on FOX Press Conference was held today Sept. 20 at the W Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Watch here LIVE. Event Notes: Fighters featured: Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos. Dana White guarantees this fight will be entertaining. “30 seconds or 30 minutes this fight will be exciting” Dana White still uncertain to where the [...]

Source: http://www.cagetoday.com/ufc-on-fox-cain-vs-dos-santos-press-conference-news-and-notes/

Fabricio Werdum

UFC 135 Fight Card: Info and Predictions for Every Fight in Denver, CO

On November 12, 1993, the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held in Denver, Colorado. The sport (if you could even call it that at the time) was billed as a no holds barred spectacle that would determine the ultimate martial artist on planet Earth.

The event featured an eight man single-night tournament, with no weight classes and essentially no rules. Royce Gracie won the tournament, submitting three much larger opponents, and introduced North America to the phenomenon that is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the UFC has evolved into one of the most successful businesses in the entire world and is set to return home to the city where it all began.

UFC 135 brings the organization back to its Denver, Colorado roots. The fight card, which features a light heavyweight championship headliner between champion Jon Jones and challenger Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, will be the first time the UFC has been to its birthing grounds since 1995.

The action takes place this Saturday night, September 24, live on pay-per-view. With that said, let’s take a look at every fight on the card from top to bottom.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/857091-ufc-135-fight-card-info-and-predictions-for-every-fight-in-denver-co

Cain Velasquez

Shogun Rua vs. Dan Henderson: Did Henderson Deserve a UFC Title Shot?

When Nick Diaz came to the UFC, he didn't get an immediate title shot. When Alistair Overeem came to the UFC, he didn't get an immediate title shot.

Dan Henderson's coming to the UFC; why should he get an immediate title shot? He shouldn't, even though he's acted like he should, which is exactly my point.

Said Henderson to MMAInterviews.tv earlier this month:

"I think the biggest fight that the UFC would make money on and the fans would want to see, I would think, would be me against the winner of (Jon) Jones and Rampage (Jackson)."

Just because someone is the champion of another organization doesn't mean that they should automatically earn a shot at the most prestigious championship in MMA, the UFC belt.

I'm talking to you Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold and Hector Lombard.

There's a reason for that, though. The competition outside of the UFC is simply not up to par with the competition inside the Octagon.

Henderson has won three fights since leaving the UFC, against Renato Sobral (not that great), Rafael Cavalcante (not that good) and Fedor Emelianenko (downside of his career).

The one loss he had since leaving the UFC came to Jake Shields at middleweight.

Maybe you remember Shields, he's lost two in a row since coming to the UFC, including a 53-second TKO on Saturday night.

People who come to the UFC from other organizations haven't looked as impressive. They need to earn their title shots the same way as other fighters.

However, there is one other way you should look at this scenario. Not only did Dan Henderson not earn his title shot, but if he were to get an immediate title shot, what do you do with Rashad Evans?

Evans has been one of the unluckiest fighters on the UFC roster, losing his title shot at two different chances due to injuries and other circumstances. If Hendo was to get an immediate title shot, Rashad Evans would be screwed again.

The timing is much better the way things are currently arranged. Jones fights Rampage at UFC 135, then the winner faces off against Rashad Evans around January.

Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua face off at UFC 139, and the winner of that can then take on the winner of the Evans-Jones/Rampage match.

It all works out for the best this way.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @tmt2393.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/857046-shogun-rua-vs-dan-henderson-did-dan-henderson-deserve-a-ufc-title-shot

Alexander Ustinov

Dana White UFC 135 Video Blog (Part 1)

UFC President Dana White kicks-off his customary fight week video blog ahead of this Saturday night's UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage event by taking a look back at the promotion's return to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and last weekend's Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou. Also featured is footage from the UFC 135 Pre-Fight Press Conference, which included headliners Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson.

Source: http://lowkick.blitzcorner.com/UFC/Dana-White-UFC-135-Video-Blog-Part-1-13869

Paul Taylor

QUOTABLES: Alistair Overeem says FEG still hasn't paid him for K-1 Grand Prix win; focusing on challenges in the UFC

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"[FEG] didn't pay me [for winning the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix]. It's a lot of money, I can tell you that... We're on the verge of starting up legal action, but Japan is a hard environment to move. You have the language barrier, you have the culture barrier. Are we expecting something from it? It's hard to say. I actually think it's going to be really hard. FEG has a lot of outstanding liabilities, a lot of unpaid bills, so maybe mine is just going to be put underneath the stack of the other bills. They have a lot of debt.

There are a couple of guys who are interesting fights for me and those guys happen to be in the UFC. That is the big show these days. There were other fights out there, there were other options, but everybody has been sending me messages, hassling me, telling me go to the UFC, 'Alistair, when are you going to the UFC?' ... I always want to fight the best guys, the best guys are in the UFC, so of course I want to fight in the UFC."

-Alistair Overeem talks to MMAFighting.com about getting stiffed by K-1 owners FEG on payment and now looking to his challenges in the UFC.

Penick's Analysis: The failure of FEG to pay fighters in Japan is one clear reason Overeem was more than willing to make the move to the UFC. Part of his deal with Strikeforce was to be able to make money elsewhere, including in K-1 with kickboxing. Going to the UFC exclusively meant those options aren't available, but considering he still hasn't been paid from his last foray into K-1 last year that's not really something he needs to have open anymore. If he is legitimately one of the top fighters in the heavyweight division, he belongs in the UFC, and it's great that he'll have an opportunity to make a statement in his debut against Brock Lesnar this December.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_10551.shtml

B J Penn

Dan Henderson vs. ?Shogun? Rua Expected for UFC 139 Main Event

A light heavyweight fight between Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson and former UFC champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is rumored to be on tap for UFC 139 and is expected to headline the November 19 card.

UFC 139 is expected to be co-headlined by another former-Strikeforce vs. UFC matchup between Vitor Belfort and Cung Le in San Jose, California.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/24388/dan-henderson-versus-mauricio-shogun-rua-possible-for-ufc-139-main-event/

Brian Stann

UFC "Battle on the Bayou" Results: Alan Belcher stops Jason MacDonald with brutal ground and pound assault

Alan Belcher made a successful return to the Octagon after 16 months out of action on Saturday night, stopping Jason MacDonald with a brutal ground and pound attack at UFC Fight Night 25 "Battle on the Bayou" that forced MacDonald to verbally tapout.

MacDonald brought the fight to the ground after a clinch battle when he attempted a throw, but landed on his back. From there, Belcher began throwing strikes from his guard that hurt him, and after a few minutes of back and forth on the ground, Belcher finally got free to side control and delivered a relentless assault to force the stoppage.

After multiple eye surgeries for a detached retina had Belcher's career in jeopardy, the win was absolutely huge. It was his fifth win in his last six fights and his third in a row.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_10536.shtml

Renato Verissimo

Strikeforce vet, ex-WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley signs ... - MMA News

The former WWE wrestler, who made a pro MMA debut in 2008 and fought two times under the Strikeforce banner, has signed a three-fight deal with the Texas-based Shark Fights promotion. Officials formally announced the ...

Source: http://www.mmanewsandresults.com/2011/09/18/strikeforce-vet-ex-wwe-wrestler-bobby-lashley-signs-with-shark-fights/

Ryuki Ueyama

cmon you fuckers

make an effort and provide some entertainment

if only whooped was here,,,, i hope they are healing him in his rape recovery centre.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?76128-cmon-you-fuckers&goto=newpost

Anthony Torres

UFC "BATTLE ON THE BAYOU" LIVE RESULTS: Penick's round by round report of Shields vs. Ellenberger event on Spike

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 25 "BATTLE ON THE BAYOU": SHIELDS VS. ELLENBERGER
SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
LIVE FROM NEW ORLEANS, LA.

-We haven't hit the Fox era quite yet, as we've got the same opening intro song and style, but it's time for the final "Fight Night" event on Spike TV. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the broadcast and run down the fights scheduled tonight. Though it's gotten very little promotion this week, there are a few very entertaining matchups on tonight's card, and it should be a good event.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT ONE: ALAN BELCHER VS. JASON MACDONALD (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Belcher took the center early and walked MacDonald back. MacDonald tried to shoot in but was held up in the clinch and pushed back to the cage. MacDonald held off Belcher's advances and turned him around on the cage, dropping for a single leg attempt. Belcher stopped that and MacDonald went for a body throw. The throw didn't go quite as planned, but MacDonald pulled guard to get the fight down. Belcher landed an elbow. Belcher postured up and hurt MacDonald with punches and started opening up with the strikes. MacDonald is in trouble and Belcher continued the assault. MacDonald looked for a kimura but Belcher passed to side control. MacDonald regained half guard, but Belcher stood up and dropped a couple of big strikes. He passed to side control and continued his ground and pound assault. MacDonald could only cover up and the referee stood in to stop it. Big win in his return.

WINNER: Belcher via submission (strikes) at 3:42 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**) Very nice return to form from Belcher. He didn't show any ill effects from being out for 16 months, but the fight didn't really go long enough to test that at all. Still, that was a great display of striking from the guard, and MacDonald just had enough of it.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT TWO: JONATHAN BROOKINS VS. ERIK KOCH (FEATHERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Koch came right out to the center. Both tested the range early with pawing jabs. Brookins landed an early jab and closed the distance before shooting for a single leg. Koch held off the takedown attempt on the cage. He landed a knee to the head. Brookins landed a few hard knees and then an elbow in the clinch. Brookins got in another knee to the body. Koch landed a short forearm but couldn't shake Brookins off. Brookins dropped levels again and ate a knee. He continued to try for the takedown but was unsuccessful. Koch landed a couple more knees. Brookins landed two hard elbows in the clinch. Koch finally got off the cage and broke free. He landed a hard straight left. He got in a good kick to the leg. He hit Brookins with another hard left. He threw a kick high but it was blocked. Koch landed another hard leg kick. Koch grazed Brookins with another left. Brookins shot in for a single leg again but Koch held him off. Koch landed a few hammerfists to the ear. Koch turned Brookins around but got turned right back around as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Brookins controlled the cage but was unsuccessful with his takedowns. He landed some strikes in the clinch but Koch had the better of the exchanges on the feet. Neither took that one clearly.

ROUND TWO: Koch again came to the center and landed a hard leg kick to start the round. He landed another kick and followed with a few strikes. He landed another short combo. Brookins grabbed a foot and pressed Koch to the cage. Koch broke free. He threw a kick high that was blocked. He landed a left. He got in with a right. Koch landed a short combo, backed off and landed another short left. He landed a couple of big lefts and Brookins shot in again. He couldn't get Koch down once again as he worked for the single leg. Brookins tried to drag him down but Koch landed on top of him. They both got up in the clinch. Koch landed a knee and held off the takedown attempts again on the cage. Koch spun Brookins around and landed a couple of knees. He backed away with a right and separated. Koch landed a hard leg kick. Koch landed a punch and got in a hard kick and held off yet another takedown attempt from Brookins. Brookins finally completed a takedown and put Koch on his back. Koch landed some strokes on the ground, kicked Brookins off and got up. Brookins shot right back in but Koch got to his feet and landed a couple elbows. The round ended in the clinch with Koch taking Brookins' back.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Koch. He out-struck Brookins, held off all but one takedown and did the only damage on the ground when he got put on his back. Good round for the 22-year-old.

ROUND THREE: Koch came forward to start the third. Koch landed a two punch combo and popped in with a third in the follow through. Brookins got in to a clinch and landed a knee but Koch separated. Koch landed a leg kick. Brookins shot in but Koch shrugged him off. Koch landed three hard punches as he walked forward. The crowd got a little restless. Koch landed a nice right in close. Another leg kick and a jab landed from Koch. Brookins again shot for the single leg but got held off. Koch briefly tried to set up a guillotine but went back to defending the takedown. Koch tried to separate but Brookins stayed on him. The crowd started booing the stalling on the wall. They separated and Brookins landed an elbow. Koch nearly landed a head kick. He landed a kick to the leg and a short two punch combo. Koch missed a big punch and Brookins ducked under it. Brookins tried to drop Koch but landed on his back and Koch popped up. Brookins couldn't do anything against the cage again and Koch turned him around. They separated and each landed a strike. The crowd booed as the round came to an end with Brookins failing on another takedown attempt.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Koch. He out-struck Brookins again, and Brookins did nothing against the cage. But of course the judges will probably give this to Brookins for the wall and stall.

Penick's Final Score: 30-28 Koch.

WINNER: Koch via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

STAR RATING: (*+) Not a good fight. Disappointing considering how excited many (myself included) were for it when it was announced. But Brookins couldn't get the fight to the ground, and Koch was tentative and didn't look particularly impressive outside of his takedown defense.

-We get a preview for the new season of The Ultimate Fighter. As an aside, we'll be revealing our TUF blogger for the season this week before the premiere episode, so stay tuned!

-After another commercial break, Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson join Joe Rogan "via satellite" for an interview between the two before their fight next week.

FIGHT THREE: COURT MCGEE VS. DONGI YANG (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: McGee landed an inside leg kick to start the fight. He landed a punch to the body as he circled on the outside. Yang tried to engage but McGee continued to land the first strike. McGee landed another inside leg kick. Yang popped in with a right. Both missed strikes in succession.McGee blocked a punch from Yang and missed one of his own. Yang landed a hard leg kick. McGee got in with one of his own. Each missed a few more punches. McGee landed a hard right as Yang backed out. McGee landed another right. McGee tried to reach in to set up a takedown and almost poked Yang in the eye. Yang landed a couple of hard leg kicks. McGee got in with a couple of his own in return. McGee missed a high kick. Yang landed a kick to the body. McGee landed another right against the cage. McGee continued to press the action. McGee landed a short combo as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Yang got in some hard strikes, but McGee landed more strikes overall and pressed the action.

ROUND TWO: McGee landed a good leg kick. They exchanged hard punches in the center of the cage. Yang popped in and out with a nice right. McGee pressed in and got the clinch. McGee couldn't get him down and they separated. Yang landed a few short strikes. McGee landed a punch to the body. McGee landed a good right in close. Yang landed two hard punches. He landed another nice left and came back with a right hook. McGee threw a high kick that was blocked. McGee landed a couple more strikes. Yang landed a short jab. McGee shot in again but Yang held him off on the cage and separated quickly. McGee landed another short combo and it looked like Yang was tiring. Yang landed another short strike. McGee continued pressing. Yang landed a hard combo. McGee landed a right. He landed a head kick gratingly. McGee cracked Yang with two hard left hooks. He threw a couple of strikes and shot in as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Yang was ahead early, but McGee turned up his attack in the last few minutes and took the round back.

ROUND THREE: McGee came straight ahead to start the third. They each missed a couple of punches early. McGee landed a short punch. Yang landed a couple of counter strikes in close. McGee landed a left hook. Yang popped McGee with a jab. McGee landed a hard leg kick. They exchanged punches in the center. Yang landed a leg kick of his own. Yang landed the knee. Yang rocked McGee with a big right hand and tried to jump in with a knee on the cage. He grabbed a body lock and briefly got McGee down. McGee shrugged him off and they stood up again. Yang landed a hard left. He threw a head kick but McGee backed off. McGee's hurting but still coming forward. McGee landed a kick. McGee grabbed a body lock but let it go at the cage. McGee landed a few short strikes. Yang landed a couple of strikes. McGee came right back at him. He missed a high kick. He shot in again and got stuffed. He grabbed a body lock and pressed Yang to the cage. He completed the takedown and almost had mount but Yang got out of it and got to his feet. McGee landed a few punches in combination. They traded punches. McGee completed another takedown and started throwing elbows. McGee locked on a guillotine that almost finished the fight but he lost the grip as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 McGee. Yang looked to take the round early with a rocking combination, but McGee's conditioning won out, and he nearly finished it with a late guillotine.

WINNER: McGee via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-28)

STAR RATING: (**) This was a decent back and forth fight. McGee pressed the action throughout, and each landed some good shots, as well as surviving when he was hurt in the third round. Then he nearly stopped it with a guillotine choke at the tail end of the fight. Good performance from McGee, and decent showing from Yang.

MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: JAKE SHIELDS VS. JAKE ELLENBERGER (WELTERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Shields came out to the center and pawed in with jabs but wasn't landing. He got in close and Ellenberger threw him to the ground and backed off. Shields came in for another takedown attempt and Ellenberger got loose. Ellenberger cracked Shields with a right, then landed a huge knee that hurt Shields! Shields tried to cover up and Ellenberger started throwing punches and the ref stepped in! Wow. Huge, huge, huge win for Ellenberger.

WINNER: Ellenberger via TKO at :53 of the first round

STAR RATING: (***) Fantastic performance from Jake Ellenberger. He not only shrugged off more than one takedown attempt, but he handed Shields his first stoppage loss since 2000. Ellenberger is in the elite in the welterweight division, and with five straight wins in the UFC he could very well plug himself into the title picture in short order.

-Thanks for joining us for another UFC event! We'll have reactions to this event throughout the week and more as we go into next weekend's UFC 135 pay-per-view event.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_PPVs_6/article_10524.shtml

Victor Valimaki

Jake Ellenberger Knocks Out Jake Shields Early

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/9/17/2432375/jake-ellenberger-knocks-out-jake-shields-early

Yoshihiro Takayama

Inside MMA: 200th Episode

Inside MMA airs on HDNet every Friday night at 9PM ET. Inside MMA Archive More segments after the jump.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/CU400h9AdOQ/

Randy Couture

Ultimate Fight Night 25: Shields vs. Ellenberger Preview Part Five: Bettor Breakdown

This is the perfect underdog situation; why the odds aren't even is baffling to me.

Source: http://insidefights.com/2011/09/17/ultimate-fight-night-25-shields-vs-ellenberger-preview-part-five-bettor-breakdown/

Anderson Silva

Legacy FC 8 Interview Series ? Mo City?s Resident MMA Don Rashon ?Sho-Nuff? Lewis Set to Fight this Friday

MISSOURI CITY, TX, September 13, 2011 ? If you?re reading, then you?re probably fully aware of this already but it?s fight week here in Houston! We?ll have our comprehensive guide to Legacy Fighting Championship 8 coming up soon but before we get to that, we?d like to present our readers with one last pre-fight interview [...]


Related posts:

1. HFD’s Fight Medic to Make MMA Debut this Friday at Legacy Amateur Series; Pre-Fight Interview with Chris Kelly
2. Legacy FC 8 Interview Series – “The Wolverine” Cody Williams Fully-Engaged for Legacy Debut
3. LFC 8 Interview Series ? Jeff Rexroad on Balancing Life as a Houston Police Officer, Husband, Fighter, and Father

Source: http://www.txmma.com/2011/09/13/legacy-fc-8-interview-series-%e2%80%93-mo-citys-resident-mma-don-rashon-sho-nuff-lewis-set-to-fight-this-friday/

Masanori Suda

UFC Fight Night 25 Predictions

Source: http://mma.sbnation.com/2011/9/16/2430380/ufc-fight-night-25-predictions-mma-news

Luke Stewart

UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger Weigh-in Results

Tweet Weigh-ins for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger event are set to take place this evening in Louisiana. Today’s activities will see 24 fighters hit the scales at the New Orleans’ Spanish Plaza at 5:30PM EST (2:30PM PST). Fans can watch a live video stream of the weigh-ins at UFC.tv by hitting the [...]

Source: http://www.themmanews.com/ufc-fight-night-shields-vs-ellenberger-weigh-ins-at-530pm-est/

Victor Valimaki

PELKEY: Despite upsets and line-up changes, Strikeforce Grand Prix raising the profile of UFC-bound heavyweights

By Matt Pelkey, MMATorch Columnist

Way back in the day (which I believe was a Wednesday) when Strikeforce first announced their Heavyweight Grand Prix, the company was still owned and operated by Scott Coker, Showtime, et al, and its primary purpose was to show that Strikeforce, at least in one division, was the UFC's equal. They had all of the non-UFC big names: Fedor, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, "Bigfoot" Silva, Josh Barnett. Scott Coker claimed the winner of the tournament would unquestionably be the #1 heavyweight in the world, considering the three fight path he'd have to navigate to victory. While that might have been a far-fetched thought to many fans, not to mention Cain Velasquez, then and current UFC Heavyweight Champion, #2 in the world certainly seemed reasonable.

Fast forward several months and, while the tournament has slowly but surely been pared down to a final, the landscape has changed quite a bit. First and foremost, after only half of the first round of the tournament had been completed, Strikeforce was purchased by Forza, LLC, a company set up by Zuffa, LLC to complete the sale.

At this point the Grand Prix changed complexions. Gone was pre-tournament favorite and constant thorn in the side of Zuffa Fedor Emelianenko, having been upset in one of the only two tournament fights to take place before the Strikeforce sale by Antonio Silva. Alistair Overeem, reigning Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and other pre-tournament favorite, out-lasted first round opponent Fabricio Werdum, but was quickly pulled from the tournament, reportedly due to an injury that would keep him from competing within the new timeframe set up by the new management (we would later figure out the injury was just an excuse to pull him from the tournament, cut him from the Strikeforce roster, and then sign him to a UFC-exclusive contract without having to fulfill his Strikeforce/Showtime obligations. Shrewd move indeed).

Fans and media wondered aloud if there was even a point in continuing the tournament without Emelianenko and Overeem in the fold, especially considering Strikeforce was now owned by the same company this tournament was designed to compete with. Fedor then lost his next fight to Dan Henderson and was uncerimoniously cut from the roster. Fabricio Werdum, another fighter at odds with the UFC brass considering a contract dispute was the reason he ended up in Strikeforce in the first place, lost to Overeem and hasn't been heard from since. Overeem was a big enough name that he didn't need the tourney. It would only risk him losing and costing the UFC money in potential future match-ups with the big name UFC heavyweights: Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Shane Carwin, Frank Mir, and, of course, his debut opponent Brock Lesnar.

So, really, with all of the stars out of the Strikeforce Grand Prix, what was the point in its continuation? Saturday night it became a little clearer. While Overeem didn't need the tournament and the UFC didn't need Emelianenko and Werdum, heavyweight remains the thinnest division in MMA, and in the UFC in particular. Add Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to the list of names above and that's the entire top tier of UFC heavyweights. After that it gets dicey. The next level is comprised of guys like Cheick Kongo, Pat Barry, Brendan Schaub, and Matt Mitrione. It's quite a drop-off.

Sure, the UFC could've just hand-picked a few Strikeforce heavyweights, given them the "Overeem treatment" to get them out of their contracts, and debuted them in the Octagon in the coming months. But what momentum would they have had? Why would UFC fans care about their debuts other than Joe Rogan telling us, "he's really good!"? The completion of the tournament allows them to build their own momentum. We're now down to the finals between Daniel Cormier and former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett. And Cormier wasn't even in the tournament to begin with, as he was inserted into Overeem's spot when he was pulled.

For all of the faults of the Strikeforce GP, and they're too numerous to get into here, the decision to have alternate fights was a fantastic one. That way, in case of an injury (or in this case, an "injury") they had fighters waiting to take their spot who had earned their way into the draw. Cormier won a lopsided decision over longtime veteran Jeff Monson on the Overeem vs. Werdum card to secure his spot as Overeem's eventual replacement. So, after his somewhat shocking knockout of Antonio Silva in the tourny semifinals, fans will now have three recent (and impressive) Cormier performances in their collective minds before his eventual UFC debut.

Barnett is in a similar situation. Thought to be a long-shot and afterthought going into the grand prix, he now enters the finals as the favorite and going through a career renaissance thanks to some lucky breaks and a relatively easy draw. Scott Coker's claim about the tournament winner being the best heavyweight in the world are as far-fetched as ever, but the winner probably has a spot in the top-five waiting for him. Think about it, Cormier would be coming in off of wins over Jeff Monson, Antonio Silva (already a top-10 heavyweight) and Josh Barnett. Barnett's recent ledger would have victories over Brett Rogers, Sergei Kharitonov, and Daniel Cormier. Maybe neither has a victory over a true marquee name, but those resumes would exceed anyone's not named Velasquez, dos Santos, Overeem, or Lesnar.

Maybe the Grand Prix didn't end up being the greatest collection of heavyweight fighters as it was originally billed, but once Strikeforce was purchased by Forza, its purpose changed. Now the winner (and the loser, and Antonio Silva, and Alistair Overeem of course) comes into the UFC as a legitimate contender and with a top-10 ranking. And they do so now with the UFC promotional machine behind every fight. The best part of all this for the UFC? Now they own the footage.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/pelkystake/article_10479.shtml

Brock Lesnar

Virgil Zwicker out, Nick Rossborough in at Strikeforce Challengers 19

As if Strikeforce hadn?t already dealt with enough adversity over the past few weeks, the injury bug has bitten Strikeforce Challengers 19 headliner Virgil Zwicker who as a result will no longer be able to compete on September 23 against undefeated striker Lorenz Larkin.

News of Zwicker?s removal from the card was announced by Strikeforce officials [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/09/15/virgil-zwicker-out-nick-rossborough-in-at-strikeforce-challengers-19

James Thompson

Strikeforce HWGP finalist Daniel Cormier confirms broken hand suffered in KO over "Bigfoot" Silva

After notching his biggest career win on Saturday night, Daniel Cormier's spot in the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix could be in jeopardy. Cormier injured his hand in his first round KO win over Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, but wasn't immediately sure of its severity. Now he knows, as he posted on Twitter late Monday that the hand was broken.

"Just got done seeing doctor," Cormier wrote. "Hand is broken [and I] will be on the shelf for a while. Still looking forward to finishing the tourney. Thanks for the support."

With the tournament finals targeted for early 2012, he still may keep his spot against Josh Barnett, but if the injury is going to keep him out of action for a significant amount of time, Strikeforce could plug in another alternate the same way Cormier himself was plugged in for Alistair Overeem.

UPDATE: USA Today cites Cormier's management saying he'll be out six to eight weeks and could return to training by late October or early November, which would give him time to prepare for a late January, early February finals bout.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_10471.shtml

Mark Weir

Check Out Tom Hardy?s ?Warrior? Workout

(Hardy's traps are big enough to catch a whale.) If you've seen "Warrior," you've no doubt noticed that Tom Hardy put on some serious muscle, especially in his monster traps, �to play the role of emo brother Tommy Conlon in the film. According to Men's Health UK, the British-born actor actually put on about 30 pounds of lean mass by doing four strength workouts per day on top of his cardio, muay thai, jiu-jitsu and boxing workouts. Show off. Although the movie was filmed nearly two years ago, Hardy has kept on most of his mass and even added some additional size for his upcoming role as "Bane" in "The Dark Knight Rises." Check out his unique workout, which was developed by former U.S. Marine Patrick "P-Nut" Monroe, after the jump.

Source: http://www.cagepotato.com/check-out-tom-hardys-warrior-workout/

Anthony Walsh

Dana White says "King Mo" Lawal "out of his mind" if he thinks UFC planned to bury Strikeforce show last weekend

Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal this week lamented the lack of promotion from Zuffa and the UFC for last weekend's Strikeforce card in Cincinnati. With it severely underperforming, Lawal referred to it as an AIDS patient waiting for Jack Kevorkian to pull the plug. UFC President Dana White has now responded to the notion that the UFC planned the news in the last two weeks that overshadowed the event in comments made to Kevin Iole at Yahoo! Sports:

"If Mo whatever the [expletive] his name is, or any of those guys, think I planned all this [expletive] this week, they're out of their minds. Yes, we signed [Alistair] Overeem and made the Brock [Lesnar] fight. Do you think I expected Nick Diaz to pull this [expletive]? We have all kinds of stuff going and I didn't need this in my life. It is what it is and I never had a thought in my mind of [expletive] with Strikeforce. But I promote the UFC 24/7."

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_10492.shtml

Anthony Walsh

UFC: The 50 Most Exciting Fights in History

Over the past two weeks, UFC President Dana White has announced a myriad of exciting bouts for the remainder of the year.  Fights like Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, and Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn are sure to be battles for the ages.

Looking back, the UFC has put on some of the most legendary fights in the entire history of combat sports—all in less than two decades.

Whether it's brutal knockouts, amazing comebacks, or an intense back and forth battle, the entire spectrum of MMA excitement has been featured inside the confines of the famed Octagon.

With so many amazing matchups on the horizon for the UFC, let's take a look back at the promotion's past as we rank the 50 most exciting fights in UFC history.    

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/844936-the-50-most-exciting-fights-in-ufc-history

Ryuki Ueyama

UFC Live: Shields vs Ellenberger ? Preview and Predictions for Saturday?s Spike TV Card

September 13, 2011 ? The UFC is back this Saturday night with their 25th UFC Fight Night Event entitled UFC Live: Shields vs Ellenberger. This time, the venue is the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, bringing the UFC back to the Bayou state for the seventh time since 2002. As the [...]


Related posts:

1. UFC LIVE 4 – Preview and Predictions for this Sunday Night on Versus!
2. UFC 132 Breakdown – Preview and Predictions of Every Fight on the Card
3. UFC 131 – Preview and Predictions for Every Fight on Tomorrow’s Card!

Source: http://www.txmma.com/2011/09/14/ufc-live-shields-vs-ellenberger-preview-and-predictions-for-saturdays-spike-tv-card/

Forrest Griffin

Lesnar vs. Overeem: Quick Finish Awaits Brock Lesnar in Bout with Overeem

When Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem square off at UFC 141 on December 30, fans know exactly what they are going to get: two fighters with two very distinct styles of fighting.

Lesnar is a world-class wrestler who needs to take the fight to the ground to have a chance to win. Overeem is a world-class striker who needs to keep the fight standing to have a chance to win.

But of all the ways that this fight can go, the odds of it lasting all five rounds are slim-to-none, and Overeem is very conscious of that fact.

In an interview with Shoot Media, the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion said that there is virtually no way that both these men can fight for 25 minutes.

"I'm going to do what I do best. I expect him to do what he does best. This fight is not going to go the distance, that's one thing for certain," Overeem predicted. "Someone is going to get beat up. I'm going to do my best to make sure it's not me."

While Overeem likely does not have the stamina to fight a five-round fight against the best UFC has to offer, he is far more capable of pulling it off than Lesnar is. Overeem has actually had fights that have gone into the third round; Lesnar hasn't. Overeem, while fighting in K-1, has fought multiple times in one night; Lesnar hasn't.

Plus, and this is more important than any of those previous stats, Lesnar has not fought since October 2010 and is coming off major surgery in which he had 12 inches of his colon removed. To think that he is going to come into this fight in peak physical condition is ludicrous.

Overeem has the kind of striking ability that has given Lesnar fits in the past, and he will have more stamina than Lesnar in this fight—which means that an early finish is in store for Lesnar when this fight happens.

There is too much working against the former UFC heavyweight champion to think that he can contend with a fighter the caliber of Overeem. That is not to say that it is impossible for Lesnar to win, but the deck is stacked against him like it never has been before.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/847841-lesnar-vs-overeem-quick-finish-awaits-brock-lesnar-in-bout-with-overeem

Fabricio Werdum

Video: Bellator 49 Highlights

Event: Bellator 49 Where: Caesars, Atlantic City, New Jersey When: Saturday 10th September

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/mmahq/main/%7E3/Fdxu7HZ0NzU/

Sylvester Terkay

Subject: Johnavan Vistante vs Nate Quinola - by: Kinohi

October 15, 2011 @ Waikiki Shell UPNUP - "Stand Alone"


Johnavan Vistante vs Nate Quinola

You will be hardpress to find two better fighters in Hawaii at 155 lbs. The "Immortal Warrior" will look to prove that he is Top Dog when he steps into the cage with "Da Great". Which one of these warriors will impose their WILL come October 15. With the UPNUP 155 lb Title on the line you can bet they will lay it all on the line.

Who do you think will win?

Source: http://www.mmahawaii.com/forum/2-hawaii-mma-discussions/42428-johnavan-vistante-vs-nate-quinola.html%2342428

Ryushi Yanagisawa

STRIKEFORCE "BARNETT VS. KHARITONOV" PICKS: Penick's main card fight predictions for Showtime event

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Tonight's Strikeforce card brings one of the stronger top to bottom events the organization has run. With the semifinals in the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix, a Strikeforce Middleweight Championship fight and two more fights on Showtime with a high probability of excitement. Main card picks below:

Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov: Kharitonov's got a very good striking game, and if he catches Barnett early he certainly has the power to hurt him, and the potential to finish him. But this is Barnett's fight to lose. He's the better grappler, he's bigger, stronger, and he's a pretty good striker in his own right. Barnett's not going to spend much time leaving this fight standing, and he'll be looking to get Kharitonov down quickly. - I'll take Barnett via submission in the second round

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva vs. Daniel Cormier: Cormier is such a good wrestler that, despite the size difference in this fight, it's more than likely he'll be able to keep the fight standing and not have to deal with the brutal top game from Silva. That means this fight will come down to which fighter can out-box the other. Cormier showed off a greatly improved striking game against Jeff Monson, and if he can pop in and out with his strikes without getting clipped by Silva he's got a good chance. - This is a tough fight to pick, but I'm leaning Cormier via unanimous decision

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Luke Rockhold: This Middleweight Championship bout is taking a backseat to the heavyweight grand prix, but it's a Jacare fight and that means it's still going to be fun to watch. Rockhold is a very talented fighter who has won seven of eight fights, and all of them in the first round. However, he hasn't fought in over 18 months, and he's fighting one of the top grapplers in the division in Jacare. If Rockhold had fought more recently I'd see him faring better, but with him being out so long this is absolutely Jacare's fight. - Jacare via submission in the first round

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Roger Gracie: Lawal is fighting for the first time since losing his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title last August, while Gracie comes into his third fight in the organization in 16 months. Gracie's success in MMA has been really contingent on being able to get his opponents down and dominating with his elite jiu jitsu game, but he's not going to be able to do that against Lawal. It's another fight that will be contested on the feet, and in that situation Lawal's heavy hands are going to be favored over Gracie. - Lawal via TKO in the second round

Pat Healy vs. Maximo Blanco: Healy stepped up on short notice in place of an injured Josh Thomson, and though he's got the grappling to stifle a fighter like Blanco, this could be a big U.S. intro for the Venezuelan striker. Blanco is vicious with his striking game, and he'll come out needing to overwhelm Healy before it turns into a grappling affair. If Blanco fails to put Healy away early he could be in trouble, but I don't think it'll get there. - Blanco via TKO in the first round

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Affliction2/article_10439.shtml

Wanderlei Silva

Fitch vs. Hendricks likely for UFC 141

Johny Hendricks (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) may have had his last Triple Baconator and shave for a while as it was announced by ESPN.com that the hard nosed welterweight has verbally accepted a bout with former title contender Jon Fitch (23-3-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC). UFC 141 is likely to be the biggest card of the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/mmahq/main/%7E3/1qo02anOYE8/

Wang Sai

UFC 137 sold out on first day of public presale despite change to top two fights

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Tickets for next month's UFC 137 event in Las Vegas have sold out, just hours after going on sale to the public on Friday.

The event, which was still set to be headlined by a Welterweight Title bout between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz when UFC Fight Club members had their presale on Wednesday, has since undergone a change. With St-Pierre now fighting Carlos Condit and Diaz now facing B.J. Penn, the card still has two strong welterweight fights, and the event still sold out.

"It's been a crazy few days here at UFC, but there's no doubt that UFC 137 is going to be an incredible card," UFC President Dana White said in a release from the organization. "GSP is on his way to becoming the best welterweight of all-time, but Condit wants that belt. He's knocked out his last three opponents and couldn't be more fired up for this fight. Plus, we've got B.J. Penn taking on Nick Diaz in what could be one of the most intense fights of the year."

The card takes place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center on October 29, airing live on pay-per-view.

Penick's Analysis: Much of this sellout is very likely from the first presale prior to the change in the main event, as oftentimes UFC Fight Club members pick up tickets first to sell them later. Whether they're able to recoup their money in scalping them or not remains to be seen, but demand for these tickets even though it's currently sold out may not be high enough for them to get their money back with floor seats going for $1000. Still, it's another sellout for a Georges St-Pierre fight, and it means big money for the UFC whether the seats area actually filled or not.

[Georges St-Pierre art by Travis Beaven (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_10434.shtml

Alexander Ustinov