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9.10.2008 - 12:38:00 AM -
Believe in the power of ONE: Evan Tanner 1971-2008
I hope that where ever you are that you have truly found what it was you were looking for. I wish that for a month, a week, or even a day that i could live my life as free and with the appreciation that Evan did. Thank you.
Evan would be very happy if people remembered him by doing something unexpectedly nice for someone who is in need.
2.07.2008 - 1:08:00 AM -
Raw Vegas Video: MMA Fix with Nick Thompson, Troy Mandaloniz, Dean Lister, and Jens Pulver
Raw Vegas posted a new video in their MMA Fix series with fighters Nick Thompson, Dean Lister, Troy Mandaloniz, and Jens Pulver comparing the depth of the UFC, WEC, and BodogFIGHT in terms of talent signed to each promotion. Jens has interesting comments about how the UFC is going mainstream but MMA really isn't. Check it out:
- 12:59:00 AM -
Minotauro Becomes Interim Heavyweight Champion; Mir taps Lesnar
I couldn't be happier that jiu jitsu came out on top tonight. Minotauro tapped Big Tim with a guillotine in the third round to become the interim heavyweight champion. After taking some visible damage Frank Mir submitted Brock Lesnar with a knee bar.
Results:
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia by Submission (guillotine choke) at 1:28, R3
Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar by Submission (knee bar) at 1:30, R1
Nathan Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn by Submission (guillotine choke) at 1:37, R2
Ricardo Almeida vs. Rob Yundt by Submission (Rear naked choke), R1
Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau by unanimous decision, R3
Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley by TKO (Strikes) at 0:33, R1
Tim Boetsch def. David Heath by TKO (Strikes) at 4:52, R1
Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin by Unanimous Decision, R3
Robert Emerson def. Keita Nakamura by Split Decision, R3
Lesnar is guaranteed $250,000, the highest of anyone on the show, plus has a $200,000 win bonus. Generally speaking, most UFC headliners earn substantially more than their contracted guarantees. Mir, who has a chance to revitalize his career with a win, has a $40,000 guarantee with a $40,000 win bonus.
1.31.2008 - 7:33:00 PM -
Breaking down Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar
As everyone out in the MMA Blogosphere is saying it all depends on what Frank Mir shows up blah blah blah. It's true, but it's really not worth repeating over and over again. The thing with Mir is that he's a very intelligent fighter, that's never been the question but whether or not he shows up in shape. Frank screamed that he was back after pulling off that kimura against Antoni Hardonk but beating Hardonk on the ground hardly validates that he's back.
Brock Lesnar is a complete variable though. He's 1-0 in MMA period, no amatuer fights, just one MMA fight. It's hard to tell where he's at by his his first fight as he beat said korean can from half guard.
What we do know:
Brock is one hell of an amatuer wrestler and wrestlers have had success in MMA.
He looks to pass guard; this is something that seems to be neglected a lot in MMA but look for Brock to pass Mir's guard if he can't pull off a quick submission.
He's got good power in his hands on the ground; expect Mir to take damage
We can't really tell alot by his stand up as he was only on his feet for a few moments, but it didn't looks completely fluent; I wouldn't expect this fight to take place standing for to long.
Frank Mir is good from his back but if he doesn't pull off a quick submission I don't know if he has the testicles to take to many Brock Lesnar gorilla punches to the face.
It'll be interesting to see how Nate Marquardt rebounds from the loss to Anderson Silva especially against someone that's as tough as Jeremy Horn. It's good to see Horn back in the UFC but who knows if this will be a one stop deal or if we'll see him back. Horn is deserving of being in the UFC but sometimes he just comes across as complacent and might not necessarily be in the best shape come fight time because he knows every situation he could possibly be in having over 100 fights. To wit:
1.30.2008 - 11:08:00 PM -
ESPN Video: Big Nog talks UFC 81
While I hate Tim Sylvia for a multitude of reasons Big Nog has always been one of my favorite fighters being a jiu jitsu guy myself. He seems to have the best blend of boxing and jiu jitsu to be effective in MMA both standing and on the ground. The only knock on Big Nog is his wrestling and that's likely what will determine the winner of this fight, So I don't know how he'll fare against Timmy hugging him into the cage. Big Nog has some of the slickest submissions in MMA. I can only hope that we'll see him pull one off against TIMMAY!
I don't know how this guy keeps getting title shot after title shot considering that he's one of the most boring fighters around. His "I've got a big head and I'm going to hug you against the cage" style is beyond god awful to watch and I imagine to market as well. Yet still time after time the UFC throws him into title shots. Not to mention all the dumb shit he says and does outside the ring, but I digress; here's the video of the big ape talking about his fight at UFC 81:
1.13.2008 - 5:43:00 PM -
Raw Vegas Video: Randy Couture Interview
Raw Vegas recently got an interview with Randy Couture at a recent celebrity poker event he held called Operation All In. Randy talks about the charity event, his UFC contract, the fight with Fedor, and the rest of his plans for 2008.
Top welterweight contender Jon Fitch (15-2) has signed the bout agreement to fight Akihiro Gono (27-12-7) at UFC 82: "Pride of a Champion" on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, MMAmania.com just learned.
- 3:14:00 PM -
UFC 81: Jeremy Horn vs Nathan Marquardt
UFC.com announced that Jeremy Horn will fill in as a replacement at UFC 81: Breaking Point for Thales Leiteswho broke his hand during training and was forced out of the fight.
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Returning to the Octagon for the first time since back to back wins over Trevor Prangley and Chael Sonnen in 2005-2006 , respected middleweight contender Jeremy Horn will replace injured Thales Leites and face Nate Marquardt on February 2nd's UFC 81 card in Las Vegas.
- 5:14:00 PM -
UFN 13: Marcus Aurelio vs Spencer Fisher
The Junkie got word that Marcus Aurelio and Spencer Fisher are set to battle it out at Ultimate Fight Night 13 set for April 2nd in Colorado.
A UFC Fight Night 13 event planned for April 2 will include a lightweight bout between Spencer Fisher (20-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Marcus Aurelio (15-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC).
Sources closes to both fighters told MMAjunkie.com that the rumored bout has been accepted by both fighters. Fisher, specifically, told some of his fellow fighters about the bout earlier today.
- 12:40:00 PM -
UFC 81: Leites scratched with Broken Hand
According to UFC.comThales Leites has been scratched from his UFC 81: Breaking Point fight with Nate Marquardt due to a broken hand suffered during training:
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - A broken right hand suffered in training Monday has forced middleweight contender Thales Leites to withdraw from his UFC 81 bout against Nate Marquardt. Leites, winner of three in a row in the Octagon, will undergo surgery on the hand later this week.
- 1:06:00 AM -
Dan Henderson thinks he's a good matchup for Anderson Silva
Dan Hendersonthinks that he matches up well with Anderson Silva stlye wise. I have to tend to agree. If anyone is going to take out Silva it's going to be a hard nosed wrestler that can take a punch so they can get inside and take The Spider down and hold him there. Henderson does have a great equalizer in that big fucking right hand. That being said I still think Anderson Silva's going to take this one. Here's what Hendo had to say:
"I'm excited. I'm ready to go kick his ass. Style-wise, I'm just a bad fight for him. He's very tough, very talented, but he hasn't fought anybody like me. My strength is the clinch game, and I don't get out of position there to allow strikes. That's what he thrives on - guys that are out of position and not very good in that clinch. For me, that's where I'm going to beat him up, and if he gets there with me, I'm going to be taking him down and beating him up on the ground."
1.07.2008 - 11:37:00 PM -
Video: Rampage is smarter than Forrest
Here's a quick video with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson claiming he's smarter than Forrest Griffin and also talks about their appearance as coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.
- 3:40:00 PM -
Raw Vegas Video: Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson and Jenna Jameson
Raw Vegas has video of Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson and Jenna Jameson at the Red Carpet premiere of Celebrity Apprentice. Tito reveals he might fight on Cinco de Mayo. Jenna continues to transform into a living corpse. Rampage talks about the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. To Wit:
- 12:20:00 PM -
UFC 82: Luigi Fioravanti vs Luke Cummo
MMA Junkie is reporting that Luigi Fioravanti (11-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) will take on Luke Cummo (6-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) on an undercard bout at UFC 82:
"The Ultimate Fighter 2" welterweight runner-up Luke Cummo (6-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will meet UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti (11-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 82 — an event that takes place March 1 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Cummo posted the news on his official website early Monday morning, and MMAjunkie.com recently confirmed the bout.
Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre will meet for the UFC welterweight title during an April event in Montreal, Serra confirmed to NBCSports.com on Friday.
- 5:18:00 AM -
UFC 82: Heath Herring vs Cheick Kongo
MMA Junkie is reporting that Heath Herring has been offered a fight with Cheick Kongo and will likely accept the fight:
Rising heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo (11-3-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) may meet veteran fighter Heath Herring (27-13 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at UFC 82 — an event that takes place March 1 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
A source close to Herring told MMAjunkie.com that the fighter had been offered the rumored bout, plans to accept it, but hasn’t yet signed to make it official.
Roan Carneiro ($10,000) def. Tony DeSouza ($7,000)
Mark Bocek ($6,000) def. Doug Evans ($3,000)
The total disclosed payroll for UFC 79 was a $1,199,000.
$50,000 bonuses were handed out as follows:
Fight of the Night: Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva
Knockout of the Night: Eddie Sanchez (wtf?)
Submission of the Night: Georges. St Pierre for defeating Matt Hughes by armbar.
*Note: The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. The figures do not include money paid by sponsors. They also do not include any bonuses paid to some of the main-card fighters who sometimes earn a small cut of pay-per-view revenue. They also do not include other special/non-disclosed bonuses the UFC sometimes pays.
The UFC ended 2007 with a great card in UFC 79 capped off by an epic battle that has been years in the making. and Wandy vs Chuck didn't disappoint. 15 minutes of 2 of the greatest 205 lbers ever going toe to toe. We also saw the "passing of the torch" so to speak with St. Pierre defeating Matt Hughes by armbar. (Ironically enough the first time they fought Hughes won by armbar) We also got to see a much anticipated fight two up and coming light heavyweights Sokoudjou and Machida. From that fight I took away that Machida is good. Damn good. A master of his craft even. His stand up is just on another level. He's the #2 light heavyweight fighter in my book right now.
As usual there were tons of post fight reviews, press conferences, audio, recaps etc. Here a list of all the goods:
- 1:31:00 AM -
UFC 81: Big Nog vs Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title
The UFC subtly announced tonight that Tim Sylvia will fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 81 for the INTERIM heavyweight title.
Now I'm all fucking confused and thought this interim title bullshit was over and they go and try to sneak this tiny IMPORTANT fucking detail past everyone. I wouldn't know why in the fuck there would need to be an interim heavyweight title unless for some reason the UFC feels that Randy Couture is going to come out of his resignation/retirement. I'm just not quite understanding this shit anymore. I thought we could wash our hands of all this Randy Couture/UFC drama after Randy publicly turned down a fight with Big Nog. But no, just more god damn questions. Maybe this has to do with a championship clause in their contract that the UFC is going to try to use as leverage when this thing inevitably hits the legal system.
- 12:56:00 AM -
UFC 79: Nemesis Results; St. Pierre interim welterweight champion
Chuck Liddell took a unanimous decision victory over Wanderlei Silva in the co-main event while Georges St. Pierre defeated Matt Hughes with an Armbar at 1:54 in the second round to capture the Interim Welterweight Championship.
Here's the results for UFC 79:
Mark Bocek def. Doug Evans by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3) at 5:00, R3
Roan Carneiro def. Tony DeSouza by TKO at 3:33, R2.
Dean Lister def. Jordan Radev by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 3) at 5:00, R3
Manny Gamburyan def. Nate Mohr by submission (ankle lock) at , at 1:31, R1
James Irvin def. Luis Cane by Disqualification (illegal strike to downed opponent) at 1:51, R1
Rich Clementi def. Melvin Guillard by Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:40, R1
Lyoto Machida def. Sokoudjou by Submission (head and arm triangle choke) at 4:20, R2
Eddie Sanchez def. Soa Palelei by TKO (referee's stoppage due to strikes) at 3:24, R3
The preview articles/videos are starting to roll in for UFC 79 after the Christmas break. ESPN kicks it off with four videos from the main event fighters talking about their upcoming fights:
Chuck Liddell on Wanderlei Silva:
Wanderlei talks about his fight with Liddell:
George St. Pierre talks about the fight against Matt Hughes:
12.16.2007 - 12:28:00 AM -
Couture vs Fedor in October 2008?
According to Sherdog.com, Randy Couture (16-8, 13-5 UFC) says that he could possibly fight Fedor Emelianenko (26-1, 15-0 PRIDE) in October if the UFC won't co-promote the fight with M-1 Global:
"Unless the UFC wants to do a co-promotion with M-1 and make the Fedor fight happen, I'm going to have to wait 'til my contract expires," Couture told HDNet's Ron Kruk. "I have no intention of breaching that contract; that expires in July. My employment contract expires with them in October. So I would assume the soonest you'd see me fight Emelianenko would be in October."
If thats the truth then why wouldn't the UFC put that fight together? They have two options; co-promote an event with M-1 Global and sign the biggest fight in MMA history. I don't give a shit what anyone says, Chuck vs Wandy was the biggest fight 2 years ago, not now. The other option according to The Natural is that he wait out the length of his contract and apparently fight Fedor in October '08 under the M-1 Global banner.
MMA Weekly has this quote from Couture from last nights HDNet Fights:
"I am not retired," said Couture at the HDNet Fights show in Dallas, Texas. "I am waiting for my UFC contract to expire. I will fight Fedor Emelianenko."
12.15.2007 - 4:08:00 PM -
Roger Huerta taking 6-8 Months off
After going 5-0 in 2007 and basically fighting every 2 months Roger Huerta (20-1-1, 6-0 UFC) told MMA Weekly that he was going to take 6-8 months off:
"I'm not fighting for 6, 7, 8 months," said Huerta. "I did everything I could this year, I tried to keep helping promote the sport, keep making it grow, but I think I didn't get a lot of R&R. I trained through Thanksgiving for this fight, I didn't even go home to Texas to spend time with my family."
"I think I'm going to take some time off. You know the truth is I need to finish school too. I fought 5 times this year and I think that's the most anybody's ever done in the UFC and I think I'm going to take some time off."
MMA Mania got the word that Evan Tanner (32-6, 11-4 UFC) will be making his return to the Octagon on March 2nd at UFC 82:
MMAmania.com recently learned that former middleweight champion Evan Tanner (32-6) will return to the Octagon at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio, at the Nationwide Arena on March 2.
12.09.2007 - 10:42:00 PM -
Quinton Jackson officially announced as a coach on TUF 7
Dana White officially announced that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would join Forrest Griffin as a coach on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter moments ago on SpikeTV's Video Game Awards.
I didn't do a preview and review thread for the finale but if you're looking for a good review head on over to Five Ounces of Pain and read what Adam Morgan had to say. Sam Caplan also has a complete thorough breakdown at his ProElite.com blog.
- 12:07:00 AM -
The Ultimate Fighter Season 7: Forrest Griffin announced as first coach.
The UFC announced tonight that Forrest Griffin will be one of the coaches on the TUF 7, and that they were going to change the format up. They didn't give any hints as to what they are changing but Dana seemed excited.
The other coach will be announced tomorrow during the VGA's on SpikeTV.
If Forrest Griffin is the new #1 contender and he'll fight the other coach could it possibly be Rampage?
Sherdog.com broke word that Sean Sherk's suspension has been reduced to six months by the California State Athletic Commission following his appeal hearing today. Sherk will be eligible to fight in January.
While I think that some of the shows this season have been real weak and ending with weak fights I completely enjoyed last nights show. I don't really like Tommy's fighting style but it seems effective. I think that had Ben not gotten sick then that fight definately would have went the other way. Strength can go along way for Tommy but eventually he's going to run into problems when he can't rely on his strength. Same thing happened to Matt Hughes, they have very very similar fighting style. I'm just itching to see Ben fight again, he's exciting and he's as good off of his back as he is standing.
The whole part of the show about taking a shit in the upper part of the toilet was hilarious. I don't care who you are thats funny shit. Well maybe if I had to clean it it wouldn't be funny but Mac and J-ROCK to that shit way to serious. Maybe thats just me. Anyway here's the rest of the day-after-TUF madness:
- 2:10:00 PM -
Leonard Garcia to move to WEC Featherweight division
It looks like Leonard Garcia (10-3, 1-2 UFC) is the next UFC lightweight to move to the WEC featherweight division following the likes of Jens Pulver. Here's what his trainer, Greg Jackson, had to say about the move to 145:
"Leonard (Garcia) is such a great fighter and a strong guy, but he walks around at like three pounds over weight," said Jackson about his fighter's move to featherweight. "He had to eat the morning of the weigh-ins the last time. We've got to bring him down a weight class where he's going to be more effective."
While I think they need to bolster the ranks of the other divisions it seems like the 145 lb. division of the WEC is going to be the place to be to fight the best in the world.
- 1:53:00 PM -
UFC 81: David Heath vs. Andre Gusmao
MMA Weekly posted in their rumors section that Andrew Gusmao (5-0, 0-0 UFC) is set to make his octagon debut against David Heath (7-2, 2-2 UFC) at UFC 82. With these rumors surfacing one could only wonder why the IFL hadn't tied him up with his impressive wins this year.
Sam Caplan used his connections within the IFL and found out that IFL has a contract option with Gusmao that they will be excercising in 2008.
ProElite.com has learned that those reports are incorrect, as the IFL has a contract option to retain Gusmao for the 2008 season and will be exercising that option.
The UFC had been in discussions with someone falsely claiming to be representing Gusmao and misrepresenting information during the faux negotiations. According to the source, the UFC was contacted by the IFL soon after hearing the reports of Gusmao's departure.
The UFC, which had never extended a formal offer and never made an official announcement, ceased all negotiations with Gusmao after being contacted by the IFL.
- 1:49:00 PM -
UFC 82: Jorge Gurgel vs John Halverson
MMA Junkie got the scoop that Jorge Gurgel (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) would return action against John Halverson (16-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio. To wit:
UFC lightweight Jorge Gurgel (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who runs a mixed-martial-arts training center just north of Cincinnati, and John Halverson (16-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) have agreed to a bout that will take place at a UFC 82 event in Columbus, Ohio. The show is set for March 1 at Nationwide Arena.
A source close to Halverson alerted MMAjunkie.com of the fight earlier this morning. Gurgel's camp could not immediately be reached for comment.
MMA Junkie revealed that UFC 80: Rapid Fire would be broadcast on PPV rather than SpikeTV as some of the other European based fight cards have been. This strikes me as odd that after UFC 72 they would be willing to broadcast a european show live in the afternoon. The UFC has said publicly that having UFC 72 on live on PPV was a mistake and the numbers weren't as good as expected. So why would they do it again? Why would they risk low numbers when that ultimately equals less $$$ in the bank. To top it off they have UFC 81 scheduled for PPV 2 weeks later. Most people are going to have to choose one or the other and that largest factor of the choice may not be the fight card but the fight time. Anyway, to wit:
Jan. 19's UFC 80 event that takes place in Newcastle, England, will be shown on pay-per-view - not on free television as a Spike TV broadcast.
MMAjunkie.com was told of the UFC's broadcast plans by a representative from one of the nation's biggest cable companies, who said a Zuffa LLC representative contacted the company about the pay-per-view broadcast.
Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, was initially concerned about the cable company's ability to broadcast two major events - UFC 80 and a Roy Jones Jr. vs. Felix Trinidad boxing match - via pay-per-view on the same day. The Jones-Trinidad fight takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Although the cable-company representative says that UFC 80 will likely be shown (via tape delay) in its normal pay-per-view broadcast slot at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, the UFC says that it'll be a live pay-per-view event. The event starts at 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. GT) in Newcastle.
MMA Junkie got word of 2 fights that look to round out Ultimate Fight Night 12 card in January. The Junkie announced that Gray Maynard (3-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will fight Matt Grice (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and then confirmed that Corey Hill (1-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) would be making his octagon debut against Joe Veres (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC). These 2 bouts cap off the Ultimate Fight Night card that looks to be quite an exciting card.
Here's the fight card info:
Date: Jan. 23, 2008 Location: Hollywood, FL Venue: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Broadcast: Spike TV
- 11:34:00 AM -
UFC 82: Josh Koscheck vs Dustin Hazelett
It seems that MMA Mania knows all things AKA. They reported earlier that Dustin Hazelett (10-3, 3-1 UFC) could possibly fight Josh Koscheck (9-2, 7-2 UFC) at UFC 82. To wit:
MMAmania.com learned late last week that Dustin Hazelett (10-3,) has been approached about taking a fight with Josh Koscheck (9-2,) at UFC 82 at the Nationwide Arena on March 1 in Columbus, Ohio.
11.26.2007 - 1:49:00 AM -
UFN 12: Mike Swick vs Josh Burkman
MMA Mania is reporting that Mike Swick (10-2, 5-1 UFC) will fight Josh Burkman (8-4, 4-2 UFC) at Ultimate Fight Night 12. They did have this to say though:
No official bout agreements have been signed; however, the match up is more or less a "done deal" from what we hear.
They also got word that UFN 12 would take place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
11.25.2007 - 5:14:00 PM -
UFC 79: Hughes vs GSP III
Matt Hughes (41-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) broke the news yesterday that he was going to be fighting George St. Pierre (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at UFC 79 for the interim title:
I'm going to fight Georges St. Pierre on December 29th. I've got a couple reasons why I've made this decision and I will share those at a later time. I've asked for this to be for an interim title and if Matt Serra can't fight in a year, then this would just be the title fight; but I don't know if that is going to happen right now. I will keep you all posted. -Matt
EDIT: This WILL BE for the interim title, so it will be a 5-round fight. -Matt
In the UFC, when one door closes, another opens, and on December 29th, that adage will ring true once against when Matt Hughes battles Georges St-Pierre for the interim UFC Welterweight Championship in the main event of UFC 79: Nemesis, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
St-Pierre replaces UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra, who was forced to withdraw from his bout with Hughes last week due to a herniated disc in his back.
I wasn't expecting this to come out of Serra's withdrawal. I don't think that Serra's a slouch by any means but on paper this is a much better match up. The UFC has stepped up in a big way with this matchup. The UFC brass could have easily selected an insequential fight to the undercard and just left it as is. Instead we get to see an interim title fight against two of the best fighters in the game right now. I was completely disappointed when I found out Serra had to pull out with all the TUF 6 hype leading up to the event but when they announced Hughes vs GSP III you really have to give credit to Hughes, GSP and the UFC where credit is due.
MMA Mania is reporting that Nate Diaz (7-2, 2-0 UFC) will fight Alvin Robinson (9-2, 1-1 UFC) at Ultimate Fight Night 12 in January.
Nate Diaz is coming off a win against Junio Assuncao (5-3, 1-2 UFC) at UFN 11 where he tapped him with a guillotine. Alvin Robinson looked overwhelmed in his debut against KenFlo but was impressive at UFC 77 last month taking an unanimous decision from Jorge Gurgel (11-3, 2-2 UFC).
- 4:11:00 PM -
Kenny Florian to fight in February or March
Kenny Florian (7-3, 6-2 UFC) is likely to return to the octagon in February or March according to an interview he did with Sam Caplan at CBSSports.com.
Q: Do you know when you'll be fighting next?
KF: Probably February or March. Based on what happens in the next two weeks, we've got some lightweight matches. Hopefully it will be a tough, top guy.
The interview didn't have any info on who a possible opponent may be but when asked about fighting the winner of Clay Guida and Roger Huerta he seemed to be all for it. That could very well set up a #1 contender's match for the winner of Sherk vs. Penn/Stevenson depending on how things unfold with Sherk over the next few months.
- 3:51:00 PM -
UFC 81: Alan Belcher vs Ricardo Almeida
MMA Weekly is reporting that Alan Belcher (11-3, 3-2 UFC) will fight Ricardo Almeida (8-2, 1-2 UFC) at UFC 81 in February.
Alan Belcher is coming off a recent TKO stoppage over Kalib Starnes (8-2, 2-2 UFC) at UFC 77 due to a huge cut he opened on Starnes' head with an elbow. Ricardo Almeida is a Renzo Gracie trained fighter that recently signed with the UFC. He is the former King of Pancrase and has fought in PRIDE and at UFC 31, 33, and 35.
11.24.2007 - 5:00:00 PM -
Thiago Alves or Jon Fitch could replace Serra at UFC 79
According to Dave MeltzerJon Fitch and Thiago Alves are likely candidates to replace Matt Serra in a fight with Matt Hughes at UFC 79: Nemesis.
According to a UFC official, if Serra is out for a long period of time and Hughes agrees to fight on Dec. 29, the two most likely candidates to for an opponent would be Jon Fitch or Thiago Alves. Josh Koscheck and Diego Sanchez are both coming off losses, and Sanchez has talked about cutting to 155.
MMA Mania got word that Fitch won't be available to fight at UFC 79.
MMAmania.com can confirm that Fitch is not available to fight that weekend. In fact, he told us today, "I'm not even going to be in the country. I'll be in Vietnam tending to some personal matters."
I highly doubt that we'll see Thiago Alves fight again so soon after fighting what would be a little over a month ago. He last fought a week ago today at UFC 78. Everything really depends on how long Matt Serra's going to be out for. It doesn't make sense for Matt Hughes to take another fight if Serra would be ready in February/March. But if its going to be another few months then they'll have to decide on what to do with the title.
The welterweight title has been in limbo since April at UFC 69. They really can't shelf the belt any longer with the heavyweight title being in limbo with the randy couture situation and the lightweight title with the Sean Sherk steroid appeal. Anderson Silva last defended his title at UFC 77 just a month and his next fight will be against Dan Henderson at UFC 82. Rampage hurt his hand in the fight against Dan Henderson and I've heard that he will be out for a little bit. The point I'm trying to make is that it is very well possible that we'll see quite a few PPV's like UFC 76 and UFC 78 without title fights.
11.23.2007 - 3:57:00 PM -
Matt Serra injured; withdraws from UFC 79
The UFC announced today that Matt Serra had to withdraw from his Welterweight Championship fight with Matt Hughes at UFC 79 due to an injury. Serra sustained an injury to his back after a Jiu Jitsu seminar where he was demonstrating a move and fell to ground in excruciating pain.
After going to the hospital and having an MRI they found out that Serra had suffered a herniated disk. Serra has this to say about the injury:
"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do," said Serra. "I've never had a back injury before; I could hardly get off the MRI table. There is no way I can train through this, and I'm devastated, especially because this was such an important fight. I was looking forward to fighting Matt Hughes. All my training was going phenomenally until Monday - All I can do now is to get better and to fight again as soon as possible."
Now I know that this isn't Matt Serra's fault but the fucking 170 lb. division has been frozen for 6 god damn months now because of this whole TUF 6 Serra vs Hughes thing and now it's not even going to happen. Well it may but then we'll put the welterweight division on freeze again for another 3 or 4 months. This not only effects Serra and Hughes but it also fucks over GSP, Fitch, Parisyan and all the other 170 lbers out there waiting for there chance.
The other bad thing for the UFC is that they could potentially have back to back PPV broadcasts without title fights. Now I don't really have shit else to do but we should be seeing some damn title defenses. I understand that Chuck vs Wandy is a big fight and definitely Main Event worthy but both are coming off 2 losses and I just have a bad feeling we're seeing the Iceman on a downward slope. I think this fight will probably end up being a little quicker than most think.
The article makes no mention of a replacement match or what's next for Hughes now. I'd bet they'd add another fight but it'll be an under card fight.
As of now, Matt Serra is out of the fight because of a herniated disc in his lower back. I believe Serra is actually hurt, so I don't think this is just a ploy not to fight. Before my Royce fight, I had three bulged discs that I was able to repair enough to fight. As everybody knows you never go into a fight 100%. So, I'm just going to continue to train until I find out what's next. -Matt
The UFC updated the fight card for The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale on December 8th with 4 more fights in addition to the Main Event that was announced earlier of Roger Huerta vs Clay Guida. Here's the fight card:
- 2:09:00 PM -
Ultimate Fight Night 12: Patrick Cote vs Drew McFedries
The Junkie is a whore for the social networking pages but atleast he comes across some good MMA content every once in a while. Patrick Cote announced on his facebook profile that he would be fighting Drew McFedries at Ultimate Fight Night 12 on January 23rd.
Welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (9-2) will return to action at UFC 82 at the Nationwide Arena on March 1, joining American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) teammate Jon Fitch on the Columbus, Ohio, fight card.
Opponents have been discussed to face the former NCAA Division I wrestling champion, but no bout agreements have been signed at this time.
Anothering interesting note to come out of the article is that this is the final fight on the original 10-fight contract that Koscheck signed as a member of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) back in 2005. All such contracts expire in April 2008.
MMAmania.com just learned that lightweight grapplers Kurt Pellegrino (10-3) and Alberto Crane (8-1) will go at it on January 23 at UFC Fight Night 12. It's a showdown that pits two of the top jiu-jitsu fighters in the division against one another.
- 11:08:00 PM -
Ultimate Fight Night 12: Thiago Tavares vs Michihiro Omigawa
Sherdog.com got the dish that Thiago Tavares will be fighting Michihiro Omigawa at Ultimate Fight Night 12.
Tavares is coming off a loss to Tyson Griffin at UFC 76 but it was a damn good fight. This guys a real contender. His fight against Jason Black was amazing and the triangle he locked in looked so tight. Omigawa is coming over from PRIDE. He made his UFC debut against Matt Wiman and took a unanimous decision loss at UFC 76 as well.
There was a lot of speculation that the UFC would let middleweight contender Yushin Okami go due to his not so exciting fight style. The last fight on his contract was at UFC 77 against Jason Macdonald. After a month or so without any word of what was going on with Okami MMA Junkie got word that he has in fact resigned with the promotion.
MMAjunkie.com today heard from UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva, who stated that Okami has inked a new deal with the organization.
The length of the contract and financial terms of the deal were not released, and Okami could not be reached for comment.
This could possibly set up a rematch with Anderson Silva if he gets past Dan Henderson in March.
11.20.2007 - 11:45:00 PM -
UFC 82: Jon Fitch vs Akihiro Gono
MMA Mania got word that Jon Fitch has been contacted about fighting Akihiro Gono at UFC 82. Here's what they had to say:
MMAmania.com learned earlier this morning that welterweight contender Jon Fitch (15-2) has been approached about fighting Akihiro Gono (27-12-7) at UFC 82 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 1.
Fitch will fight on the card; however, Gono is not a lock to be his opponent at this time. Our sources indicate that the Fitch camp is working hard to line up a showdown with Karo Parisyan instead. That fight makes the most sense in terms of clearing up the 170-pound log jam.
- 1:10:00 AM -
UFN 12: Cole Miller vs Jeremy Stephens
MMA Junkie got word today that we could possibly see Cole Miller take on Jeremy Stephens at Ultimate Fight Night 12. No venue has been announced so it was said that the contracts weren't signed at this time.
11.19.2007 - 10:43:00 PM -
CBS and NBC interested in airing MMA
Rumors have been circulating that CBS is interested in airing MMA programming. The writer's strike has left many television stations scrambling for content to air during prime time. It's been rumored we could possibly see UFC 81 on CBS on Super Saturday.
Along with the CBS rumors apparently NBC has decided to throw their hat into the circle and pick up some MMA content too. The article goes on to state that the IFL, M-1 Global, and K-1 are all possibilities for NBC. It seems as though the UFC is going to land on CBS:
One thing appears clear: NBC won't be airing the most popular MMA events, which come from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The UFC is in advanced negotiations to air specials on CBS in the first quarter if the strike continues, the source said--adding that a deal could close as soon as this week, facilitated by Viacom network Spike, which holds UFC cable rights.
MMA Mania is reporting that they ran into Corey Hill at UFC 78 this weekend and got the dish that he'd be making his octagon debut at UFN 12 on January 23. No opponent has been named so far.
11.18.2007 - 4:52:00 PM -
UFC 82: Dan Henderson vs Anderson Silva
At the post UFC 78 press conference it was announced that former pride 205 lb. and 183 lb champion Dan Henderson will face Anderson Silva at UFC 82. UFC 82 is set for March 1st at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
There has been a lot of talk of Dan Henderson dropping to 185 after Anderson Silva's dismantling of Rich Franklin at UFC 77. Henderson has said he didn't want to drop to 185 when he can beat people at 205. He also stated that he wanted to stay at 205 because thats where the big money fights are. Henderson only had one fight left on his contract after the fight with Rampage. I would assume if this bout were to take place that they have come to some sort of terms on an extension. This could very possibly be another reason as to why they signed Sokoudjou.
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