Rick Story (Pictured) will fight Demian Maia at UFC 153. How do we know this? Because Story just announced the welterweight scrap on his Twitter account.
Story manged to snap his two-fight skid last month by posting a unanimous decision win over Brock Larson. Prior to that, ?Horror? had dropped decisions to Martin Kampmann and Charlie Brenneman,�respectively.
It took Maia all of 47 seconds to beat Dong Hyun Kim in his welterweight debut. The Korean suffered a ?freak injury? in the opening ticks of their UFC 148 matchup, giving Maia the easy W.
UFC 153 takes place October 13th inside HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Here are the athletes expected to perform in Brazil:
Cezar ?Mutante? Ferreira vs. TBD
Joey Gambino vs. Diego Brandao
Sergio Moraes vs. Renee Forte
Demian Maia vs. Rick Story
Cristiano Marcello vs. Reza Madadi
Rony ?Jason? Bezerra vs. Sam Sicilia
Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva
Vitor Belfort vs. Alan Belcher
Erik Koch vs. Jose Aldo (UFC featherweight champion)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
UFC 153: Rick Story Announces He Will Face Demian Maia in Brazil
Monday, it was reported that Jon Fitch would meet Erick Silva, while today Rick Story announced that he was set to face Demian Maia on the upcoming card:
I'm fighting Demian Maia in Rio!
— Rick (@Rick_Story) July 31, 2012
Story (14-5) is 1-2 in his last three UFC fights after opening his UFC career by going 6-1. The 27-year-old Story has seen his stock within the welterweight division take a tumble since his two recent losses. The fight against Maia, a former title contender in the middleweight division, provides Story an opportunity to gain some traction among the 170-pounders.
Maia (16-4) dropped to welterweight for his last contest, earning a 47-second TKO victory over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 148. The stoppage was due to what Kim’s translator called “a freak accident.” Kim was unable to continue after suffering a muscle spasm, but a win’s a win and it goes down in the record books as a fast TKO for Maia.
The win was the first stoppage for Maia, a gifted grappler, since he stopped Chael Sonnen at UFC 95 in February 2009.
Lately Maia has been concentrating on showcasing his striking game more than his jiu-jitsu skills and it has not paid off. He had gone 4-4 between the Sonnen and Kim fights with seven of those fights going the distance. The only fight in that group that ended early was a 21- second knockout loss to Nate Marquardt.
UFC 153 will be headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Jose Aldo and Erik Koch. In addition to the aforementioned bout between Fitch and Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will face Glover Teixeira.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Luke Rockhold on UFC's Tim Boetsch: He beat the Bellator Champ, let's see if he can beat the Strikeforce Champ
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold is in a tough spot in the division. After defeating Tim Kennedy on Showtime earlier this month, he's left with very few options within Strikeforce to fight. Because of that, he called out Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for a rematch of the fight that won him the title.
He understands it's not an easy fight, but with so few viable challengers, Souza represents the biggest and best fight for him inside of Strikeforce right now.
"I've already fought [Jacare] and it's probably not the smartest decision to want to fight him again, but at the same time Jacare, he's the best in the division," Rockhold said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "From what I feel, he's the most well rounded fighter and he's the toughest guy there. Like I've always said, I want the toughest guys I can get, and if that's all I can get right now, that's what I want."
Rockhold would like to face some challenges from fighters on the UFC's middleweight roster, but he also knows it's not a likely scenario for him. That said, Frank Mir's move over to face Daniel Cormier this fall has opened that door, and Rockhold thinks there's at least one realistic name that he could be matched up against.
"UFC wise, who's out there that they would let go that would actually allow a crossover?" Rockhold questioned. "Cause you know certain guys you know they wouldn't, but there's certain guys that they might."
"Tim Boetsch looked pretty good last weekend. He just beat the Bellator champion, let's see if he can come beat the Strikeforce champion."
Penick's Analysis: In some respects, ushering Boetsch into a Strikeforce bout with Rockhold could make sense, but when Boetsch is trying to prove himself as a valid challenger to the UFC Middleweight Championship, I just don't see him moving over. Boetsch wouldn't have much to gain, and if he defeated Rockhold, he wouldn't want to be stuck in Strikeforce as their champion. A non-title fight could potentially work, but that doesn't do much for Rockhold as the Strikeforce Champion. It's just not the type of fight that necessarily works in the current Strikeforce/Showtime/Zuffa dynamic. For now, Rockhold has to bide his time and win the fights that are available to him in the organization.
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He understands it's not an easy fight, but with so few viable challengers, Souza represents the biggest and best fight for him inside of Strikeforce right now.
"I've already fought [Jacare] and it's probably not the smartest decision to want to fight him again, but at the same time Jacare, he's the best in the division," Rockhold said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "From what I feel, he's the most well rounded fighter and he's the toughest guy there. Like I've always said, I want the toughest guys I can get, and if that's all I can get right now, that's what I want."
Rockhold would like to face some challenges from fighters on the UFC's middleweight roster, but he also knows it's not a likely scenario for him. That said, Frank Mir's move over to face Daniel Cormier this fall has opened that door, and Rockhold thinks there's at least one realistic name that he could be matched up against.
"UFC wise, who's out there that they would let go that would actually allow a crossover?" Rockhold questioned. "Cause you know certain guys you know they wouldn't, but there's certain guys that they might."
"Tim Boetsch looked pretty good last weekend. He just beat the Bellator champion, let's see if he can come beat the Strikeforce champion."
Penick's Analysis: In some respects, ushering Boetsch into a Strikeforce bout with Rockhold could make sense, but when Boetsch is trying to prove himself as a valid challenger to the UFC Middleweight Championship, I just don't see him moving over. Boetsch wouldn't have much to gain, and if he defeated Rockhold, he wouldn't want to be stuck in Strikeforce as their champion. A non-title fight could potentially work, but that doesn't do much for Rockhold as the Strikeforce Champion. It's just not the type of fight that necessarily works in the current Strikeforce/Showtime/Zuffa dynamic. For now, Rockhold has to bide his time and win the fights that are available to him in the organization.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13970.shtml
12 Fighters That Could Be Action Movie Stars
The world of martial arts extends to many places, whether it be the Olympics, the silver screen or the UFC. It's easy to say that the various arts are immensely popular all over the world.
Some of the greatest action movie stars know some sort of martial art. Among these stars are Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jason Statham and Jackie Chan. All of these men have contributed their particular martial arts in various movies.
Here are 10 fighters who could be action movie stars given the chance.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1278652-12-fighters-that-could-be-action-movie-stars
Why Sonnen vs. Silva III is Possible If Sonnen Starts Mouthing Off Again
Anderson Silva's couch is going to be working overtime for the immediate future, and that is a bad thing for the UFC.
Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is out of commission for perhaps a full year. Welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre is going to fight in November (maybe,) but historically tends to have long layovers between fights. Light heavyweight king Jon Jones has literally beaten every realistic competitor, making any future fights for him questionable from a sales perspective.
Other buy-grabbing fighters not wearing belts are also shelved. Alistair Overeem is in the middle of his suspension for his wacky T/E ratio. Nick Diaz is in the same boat for his wacky tobacky. Matt Hughes may or may not be retired. Frank Mir's next fight will be in Strikeforce, where he will face Daniel Cormier (another fighter the UFC wish they had at their disposal.) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm is still on the mend. The same goes for Mark Hunt's knee.
That is a big headache for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. While the UFC is through the worst of it, they still need cards that can draw 500,000 buys in a really bad way.
UFC 148 drew over one million buys. Though Silva won in convincing fashion, there was more than a little controversy involved. It started even before the fight, with Silva wiping grease from his face onto his chest. It moved on into the second round with Silva grabbing Sonnen's shorts to help in his defending of the American Gangster's takedowns. Finally, the volley of strikes that ended the fight started off with a knee to Sonnen's chest that simultaneously hit him in the face.
This is not to say that Silva did not earn his win. He was still widely favored and likely would have won the fight without, as it is called in football, “gamesmanship.” Still, if roles were reversed, few would deny that an immediate rematch would already be scheduled.
Anderson Silva's management team knows there is no real legitimate opponent for him in the middleweight division right now. Though many are excited about 9-0 phenom Chris Weidman, his most-watched fight remains his wheeze-fest against Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 2. His eerily dominating performance against Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel TV 4 averaged only 211,000 viewers, leaving his drawing power a serious question mark.
The rest of the middleweight top-10 has a similar lack of established success. Alan Belcher and Tim Boetsch are yet to make a serious splash with fans, in spite of solid winning streaks. Everyone else (being Michael Bisping, Brian Stann, Yushin Okami and Vitor Belfort) have all lost to either Sonnen or Silva in the last eighteen months.
Anderson Silva's management team recently made a push for a fight against Georges St-Pierre. However, the scheduling and welterweight title picture make this unrealistic.
St-Pierre is scheduled to face Carlos Condit at UFC 154 to unify the welterweight belt. Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks are slated for a top contender's match that same night. Both offer a true test for St-Pierre, but even if GSP loses, he has a blockbuster opponent waiting for him in Nick Diaz, who he could fight in Spring 2013.
Making things even worse for Anderson is that the always-discussed move to light heavyweight is no longer a viable option for him. While fights like Silva vs. Rashad Evans or Silva vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua would be excellent draws, champion Jon Jones would be a heavy favorite if the two met, given his serious size, reach and wrestling advantage. The UFC, Silva, and Silva's management team all know this.
That leaves Chael Sonnen.
While Chael Sonnen became a household name in large part because of his mouth, he has been nothing but a good sport since losing to Silva at UFC 148. At the post-event media conference, Sonnen downplayed the preliminary talk about Silva's questionable tactics. Since, he has remained quiet on the fight, but acknowledged his reluctance to watch a video of the bout.
While sore losers are not traditionally well-met by sports fans, Sonnen's popularity grew because of his inability to stomach his first loss to Silva. While Dana White dismissed questions about the legitimacy of Silva's win, he must also recognize the matchmaking predicament facing one of his few remaining draws. The UFC's marketing department can easily run promos of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg questioning if that knee went to the face, or pointing out Silva grabbing Sonnen's shorts.
This remains a tough fight for Silva. While Sonnen was knocked out at UFC 148, he is still the most likely candidate to beat Silva. The entire first round had Silva on his back, and there is no question as to whether Sonnen still has the slippery takedowns and sheer quickness and keep “the Spider” off his game.
An immediate rematch is out of the question. However, a fight against Weidman would be a viable headline for a UFC on Fox card and, regardless of the outcome, makes for a strong top contender bout that will either set up for Silva vs. Sonnen III, or make Weidman a household name.
That situation is a win-win for the UFC. While neither a Silva vs. Sonnen III, nor a Silva vs. Weidman headline would draw seven-figure buys, having Sonnen and Weidman face off in a top contender fight is by far the best thing the UFC can do to shake out the top of the middleweight division.
It is a very realistic option that should be available to Sonnen. All he needs to do is start running his mouth.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Rory MacDonald joins B.J. Penn in VADA drug testing for UFC 152 showdown
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Sticking by his word, UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald will join his UFC 152 opponent B.J. Penn in undergoing random drug testing by the Volunteer Anti-Doping Association ahead of their bout.
VADA announced Penn's participation on Thursday, and in an interview with MMAJunkie.com, MacDonald's manager, Lex McMahon, revealed they were doing the same. Both fighters will be subject to random blood and urine tests for eight weeks leading into their bout, in addition to any testing done by the UFC.
"Our camp is very happy that B.J. has decided to participate in the VADA program that he had put forward," McMahon said. "Rory's completing his paperwork and will be joining him soon, and I think that Rory is definitely excited about the possibilities of what this means for the sport in the big picture, and he's happy he can play a small role in this."
Penn initially balked at VADA's need to release results of the tests immediately, wanting to withhold results until after the fight so as not to affect their booking at UFC 152. That's not how the system works, however, and Penn eventually decided to go ahead with the program as it is. Results of any of the random tests during that time period will be immediately revealed to the ABC, Ontario governing body, and the UFC.
Penick's Analysis: MacDonald and Penn are taking a step in a new direction for testing in the sport. It will be interesting to see how many follow suit and whether or not VADA testing starts to gain a foothold in the sport. It's already resulted in some high-profile busts in boxing, and any fighter signing up for it claiming they're clean better be sure they are, or it's going to lead to the same happening in MMA. Still, as the problems surrounding drug use and abuse in MMA continue to grow, a new approach is needed. VADA being the answer or not is still too early to tell, but it's something more comprehensive than what we're seeing from Athletic commissions with simple pre and post fight urine tests.
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VADA announced Penn's participation on Thursday, and in an interview with MMAJunkie.com, MacDonald's manager, Lex McMahon, revealed they were doing the same. Both fighters will be subject to random blood and urine tests for eight weeks leading into their bout, in addition to any testing done by the UFC.
"Our camp is very happy that B.J. has decided to participate in the VADA program that he had put forward," McMahon said. "Rory's completing his paperwork and will be joining him soon, and I think that Rory is definitely excited about the possibilities of what this means for the sport in the big picture, and he's happy he can play a small role in this."
Penn initially balked at VADA's need to release results of the tests immediately, wanting to withhold results until after the fight so as not to affect their booking at UFC 152. That's not how the system works, however, and Penn eventually decided to go ahead with the program as it is. Results of any of the random tests during that time period will be immediately revealed to the ABC, Ontario governing body, and the UFC.
Penick's Analysis: MacDonald and Penn are taking a step in a new direction for testing in the sport. It will be interesting to see how many follow suit and whether or not VADA testing starts to gain a foothold in the sport. It's already resulted in some high-profile busts in boxing, and any fighter signing up for it claiming they're clean better be sure they are, or it's going to lead to the same happening in MMA. Still, as the problems surrounding drug use and abuse in MMA continue to grow, a new approach is needed. VADA being the answer or not is still too early to tell, but it's something more comprehensive than what we're seeing from Athletic commissions with simple pre and post fight urine tests.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13955.shtml
Boxing Insider Notebook: Salido, Dawson, Ward, and More
By: William Holmes The following is the Boxinginsider.com notebook for the week of July 23rd to July 30th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing. Chris Algieri Wins at Star Boxing?s Rocking Fights 4 Chris Algieri won …
Source: http://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/boxinginsider-notebook-salido-dawson-ward-and-more/
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