***The Official MMA Thread***

[KC//CRIMSON]

Haha, ok, I sure did. How old are you again?

Old enough to admit when my fighter loses with humility.

Too bad you can't admit your fighter got beat like a ragdoll and lost his p4p ranking, but I guess that's what five year old fanboys do, huh?

Of course not, you blame it on the ref, an injury, or what the fortune teller down the street tells you.

Keep on using my avatar effect, Captain Originality!

[Knippz]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/Sherdogcoms-Pound-for-Pound-Top-10-26292

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis is hinting at a Super Bowl run for his team this season. Regardless of those lofty hopes, the black-and-silver city got to see a pretty special championship meeting at UFC 117.

After one of the most over-the-top and memorable fight build-ups we've ever seen, Chael Sonnen walked the walk for 23 minutes, dominating pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva. Then, in the blink of an eye, "The Spider" struck with a triangle armbar, exploiting Sonnen's well-known Achilles heel, submission defense.

Between the perfect foil in Sonnen, Silva's ability to snatch victory from the seemingly hopeless and the narrative of having done so with a rib injury, it's exactly the sort of folklore we've come to expect from transcendental athletes in other sports. However, Silva has still been subject to criticism, questioning whether his dominance is deteriorating, and whether or not he should still be considered the sport's numero uno.

Similarly, welterweight Jon Fitch won his 21st fight in his last 22 efforts in Oakland. He dominated Thiago Alves from bell to bell to stake his claim as the second-best welterweight in the game. However, Fitch's no-frills fight style continues to enrage those thirsting for action over accomplishment. Fortunately for Fitch, only one of those criteria counts on this list.

1. Anderson Silva (27-4)
If great champions need signature moments, Silva may have excelled himself in Oakland on Aug. 7. The brash and bombastic Chael Sonnen bombed on a hapless Silva for 23 minutes. Then a sudden triangle armbar earned "The Spider" the come-from-behind victory. In spite of his win and the rib injury he reportedly carried into the bout, post-fight discussion has focused on the waning dominance and increasing fragility of Silva. However, Silva continues to achieve the most important criterion of this list: winning decisively.

2. Georges St. Pierre (20-2)
The story remains the same for St. Pierre. Coming off a dominant title performance against Dan Hardy in March, he has been positioned for a rematch with yet another elite welterweight in Josh Koscheck, courtesy of the former NCAA national wrestling champion’s May 8 win over Paul Daley. They met previously in August 2007, with St. Pierre winning a unanimous decision. Now, when they collide three-plus years later, it will be on the heels of the 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which figures to build the second GSP-Koscheck bout with an easy and obvious face-heel dynamic.

3. Jose Aldo (17-1)
Though Alexandre Franca Nogueira was perhaps the first true dominant featherweight during the division's embryonic stages, it is his countryman Aldo who is now situated as the first truly great 145-pounder. Coming off a brutal blowout of divisional posterboy Urijah Faber in April, Aldo will return to action at WEC 51 on Sept. 30 to make his second title defense. Taking on the enormous task of trying to be a dent in the Brazilian dynamo will be veteran Manny Gamburyan, who has been rejuvenated after cutting down to the more appropriate featherweight division.

4. Frankie Edgar (12-1)
At UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Edgar scored one of the most significant wins of 2010, dethroning lightweight kingpin B.J. Penn and taking the UFC 155-pound title. Though it was not exactly a popular decision, Edgar took all three judges’ scorecards on the back of his aggressive combination punching and stellar movement. However, the surprise champion will have to replicate his feat in order to earn unanimous consideration as the sport’s top lightweight. He meets Penn again at UFC 118 on Aug. 28.

5. B.J. Penn (15-6-1)
From one controversy to another, Penn lost his UFC lightweight title and MMA’s 155-pound mantle on April 12 with his shocking upset to Frankie Edgar. With debate still raging over the bout’s outcome, Penn started his book tour to promote his eye-opening biography. The book has drawn the particular ire of UFC President Dana White over its anecdotes on the Hawaiian’s past dealings with the company. Brouhahas notwithstanding, “The Prodigy” will get his chance for redemption and the opportunity to regain top status at 155 pounds. He fights Edgar for a second time at UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28.

6. Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC)
Love him or hate him, Fitch was in his element at UFC 117, where he duplicated his June 2006 win over Thiago Alves with a commanding, one-sided unanimous decision. Whether or not the victory will earn Fitch another shot at the UFC welterweight title is as yet unclear. What is clear, however, is that Fitch has entrenched himself as the hands-down second-best fighter in one of MMA's historically rich weight classes. His grinding fight style will continue to make him a polarizing figure among fans, but Fitch absolutely meets the most pivotal requirement -- consistently beating great fighters -- of this list.

7. Mauricio Rua (19-4)
“Shogun” Rua’s current resume remains a far cry from where it was in 2005, when he tore through four top-10 opponents in half a year. However, assuming his recovery from a worrying third knee surgery goes swimmingly, the Curitiba native will have plenty of opportunity to carve out more outstanding pound-for-pound-quality wins in a talent-rich 205-pound division. First on deck for "Shogun" post-recovery will be former champion Rashad Evans in a highly alluring clash of premier fighters in one of MMA's premier divisions.

8. Jake Shields (25-4-1)
There was a time just a few short years ago when Shields was reviled for being one of MMA’s most loathsome fighters to watch. During the last five years, the Cesar Gracie protégé has transformed himself from a drab, peripheral contender to one of the sport’s elite fighters. With elite credentials at both 170 and 185 pounds, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion has now signed with the UFC, where he'll head back to the talent-rich welterweight division. The first step for Shields inside the Octagon will come Oct. 23 at UFC 121 in Anaheim, when he takes on Martin Kampmann.

9. Lyoto Machida (16-1)
"The Machida Era" lasted less than a year, as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua brutally plunked MMA's proudest karateka in Montreal to take the UFC light heavyweight title and 205-pound supremacy. However, Machida still enjoys considerable stature in MMA with high-quality wins in one of MMA's most talented and star-laden weight classes. Though it won't restore him to the lofty status he previously enjoyed as champion, Machida will have the chance to build on his resume at UFC 123 this coming November. He's likely to face fellow former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in a high-stakes bout for both men.

10. Rashad Evans (15-1-1)
Evans' May 29 win over rival Quinton "Rampage" Jackson didn't exactly set the world on fire. Evans walked away with a unanimous decision win, though, that gave him yet another high-quality victory in MMA's historically strongest division. Better still, Evans will have the chance to take his resume from "very strong" to "exceptional" in the near future, as his win over Jackson installed him as the UFC's top 205-pound contender. Whenever Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is recovered from knee surgery, Evans will have the chance to regain the UFC light heavyweight title and even loftier pound-for-pound status.

[Knippz]

That's sherdog, which I don't take into account too much, but they get the most attention (their rankings are ESPN's rankings too.) Still waiting on Yahoo's.

Honestly, as much as I trash the guy, I can't believe Fedor isn't on this list somewhere. I can't decide if it's more funny or more ridiculous.

[Knippz]

By the way, has anyone caught the ridiculous amount of similarity between P4P rankings and college football rankings?

[Knippz]

Ok, Yahoo! ranking is out, GSP is ranked 1, Silva 2. It appears we have a struggle over who is the P4P # 1.

I'm with the half that says Anderson is #1.

[Boomer.....]

That's surprising. I definitely think GSP holds it right now.

[Knippz]

I'm going to be seriously disappointed if Fedor fights Big Foot. Not at all interested.

[Big Red Ron]

I'd say if you polled 500 UFC viewers that GSP would be considered the pound for pound best fighter in the game, followed closely by the freak heavyweight champ of the world, B. Lesner. Silva's in the conversation but he doesn't strike me as all that, especially after watching a no-name wrestler beat him up for almost 5 rounds.

[Knippz]

Tonight's card is sick. All around good/intriguing fights. I admit, I'm even pretty pumped to see Toney get dumped and GnP'd.

[Knippz]

Wasn't expecting the Kenflo and Bj fights to go how they went. Couture fight was funny though.

[KC//CRIMSON]

The Couture/Toney fight was a waste of time. Toney steps into the Octagon, he gets owned. Couture steps into a boxing ring, he gets owned. These type of fights are pointless.

[Collier11]

Diff IMO KC is that some MMA fighters could hang with boxers, ZERO boxers could hang with an MMA fighter

[KC//CRIMSON]

ZERO boxers could hang with an MMA fighter

Ray Mercer say's you're wrong. ;-)

[Collier11]

pfffftttt, and im talking with less than a year of training

[tbl]

Man how'd I miss all this talk? A few things to note...

Knippz - You're delusional on many levels. Silva got beat up the entire fight, and it shouldn't have been stood up at any point. Chael landed the most strikes in the history of the UFC that night. That's called keeping busy holmes... Also, he wasn't in the hospital after the fight; Silva was. Claim it was bc of his "broken ribs" that he had coming into the fight all you want, but that's just a copout and you know it.

When the rematch comes, Silva's gonna be in the same predicament again. Unless Sonnen gets sloppy with his bjj (which is very likely), he's in for another beating. High level wrestlers are king in MMA.

KC - Don't lump me in like I was getting my feelings hurt over this fight. My opinion of AS changed radically over his past couple of fights, as you can tell through this thread. I was rooting for Chael big-time.

[Knippz]

Here's a good question - if Silva WINS the rematch, no matter how it goes, what trash will y'all have to say about him next? You can continue to trash a guy that has won 12 straight fights in the UFC, and has held the title for FOUR YEARS without losing. It's not like these fights are easy fights. Nearly every contender won X amount of fights and beat contenders X, Y, and Z to get there.

My point is, every fighter has a bad fight. Fedor against Werdum, GSP against Serra and Hughes (and the first fight with BJ). Shogun lost to Forrest Griffin. Machida got KTFO.

All of those guys got finished in some way. But on Anderson's worst night, he hung in for 4 and a half rounds without getting sub'd, KO'd, or TKO'd, and then proceeded to finish the fight himself and win.

Every fighter comes in with a bad gameplan or has a bad night at some point. And with the high level of competition in this sport, that quickly will end their night. But Andy, rather than get finished, hung in, and turned what seemed to be a sure loss into a dramatic, finishing win.

[Knippz]

According to Anderson Silva's boxing trainer, Josuel Distak in an interview with tatame.com:

"(Chael) Sonnen was 100% and showed what he’s got… Now it’s th
e time for him to see Anderson from the right angle. I want to see how it’ll be like this time."

"Anderson Silva is taking
care of himself in order to be 100% recovered from this injury. I think he’s coming back to Brazil to train with the team and, for sure, now you’ll see Anderson at his best. It’s not just him, but Anderson also wants this rematch to happen."
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2 is rumored for the Super Bowl card in early February.

[tbl]

I agree he's still way up there and should be ranked in the top 3... but he's proven he does have a weakness against top notch wrestlers. Anyone who isn't a top level wrestler will always have that disadvantage against a dude that's been wrestling since they were 4. The great thing about GSP is he didn't grow up wrestling but was able to accomplish the rare feat of not only hanging with, but dominating guys in the discipline they've spent their entire lives doing. Not just a rare feat... it's exceptionally rare in that he is the ONLY guy to ever do it.

AS is great... but he will most likely never have the wrestling ability to hang with the Sonnen's of the world. Another thing this fight made me rethink my position on was GSP/Andy. With GSP's ability to take opponents down at will, I believe he would beat Andy if they were to ever fight considering his BJJ is better than Sonnen's. Just an opinion...

I still vehemently disagree with Silva playing up the injury card. Absolutely NO fighter is ever 100% when they come into the cage. None of them. Training is a tough deal that always sends fighters in with dings, bruises, and injuries all over. Fighters break bones early on in fights and still find ways to win. Franklin broke his freaking arm and still ko'd Chuck, and that stuff happens all the time. Boo hoo for Silva that he had a rib "injury". It's a copout and the fact is he could come in 100% and still be taken down at will by Sonnen. You have to know that is true...

[Knippz]

Honestly, I'm very excited (and nervous) for the rematch. Anderson is going to take this fight more seriously than any fight since Franklin. We'll see how well he improves his takedown defense.

GSP has a very different style than Anderson, and both don't like to fight out of their element. Fedor will fight out of his element, but as shown, he can't do that anymore with the new breed of fighters.

It's a wish-wash for the top fighter, and obviously it's between Anderson and Georges. We aren't going to agree until one of them loses.

[Collier11]

Why are you nervous, are you fighting for him? Just sit back and watch some good fightins and enjoy the show

[Knippz]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/CSAC-Sonnen-Positive-for-PEDs-at-UFC-117-26978

According to California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer George Dodd, Chael Sonnen has been notified that he failed post-fight drug screening following his loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117, which was held Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

“[Sonnen] received his notice yesterday,” Dodd told Sherdog.com shortly after the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora boxing match ended Saturday night in Los Angeles.

In a conversation the day before, Dodd declined to comment on the situation, other than answering that all fighters from UFC 117 had passed drugs-of-abuse scans, but that the commission was still waiting on performance-enhancing drug screens from the event.

Dodd did not state which banned substance was red-flagged, but with a clean drugs-of-abuse scan it is clear the positive test was for a performance-enhancing substance.

The last major UFC banned-substance case in the state centered on UFC 73’s lightweight title match, which saw both competitors -- Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca -- test positive for PEDs. Both fighters were suspended for one year and fined, though Sherk appealed and had his suspension shortened to six months.

Sonnen is staring at a long layoff if he elects not to appeal or is denied. He was scheduled to rematch Silva Feb. 6 in Las Vegas, but that fight may be delayed or scrapped in light of these allegations.

Text messages to Sonnen went unreturned.

His manager Matt Lindland told Sherdog.com that he was cornering a fighter on the East Coast and had no knowledge of the positive test results.

Silva’s manager Ed Soares, who engaged in some heated exchanges via the media in the build up to the fight, was stunned when asked for his reaction.

“If it’s true, I feel really bad for him,” said Soares. “I know he did it to himself but it is really sad, he put on such a great performance that night. It is just a shame it will be tarnished.”

[Knippz]

L. O. L.

[Breadburner]

So the ****ing loud mouth was a cheater.......

[ousooners182]

Man i cant wait until aldo comes to the ufc lightweight eventually...will be nice to see.

ready for hughes and penn 3....im a big bj fan...hopefully hes training right and comes ready to fight but thats a big question mark as always.

ready for the silva belfort to...will be some fireworks...nice to see belfort finally get the shot..

[tommieharris91]

Bump for the OUI migrants.

[reflector]

Hello everyone. I am new here. I am a huge MMA fan. I have been following the sport since UFC 3. I have seen two UFCs live, UFC 62 and UFC 79. I try to watch as much MMA as I can.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Whats up...since UFC 1....loosely related to ufc 1 and 2 fighter patrick smith..

[Boomer.....]

Whats up...since UFC 1....loosely related to ufc 1 and 2 fighter patrick smith..

Says Mr. I start the thread but never post in it.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

sorry..i get so busy hatin on the football board

[Collier11]

sorry..i get so busy faggin on the football board

Fixed

[Boomer.....]

sorry..i get so busy faggin on the interwebs

He doesn't just limit himself to one outlet.



Or inlet.

[reflector]

I think this should be a good New Year's card.



http://www.mmamania.com/2010/10/14/1751129/frankie-edgar-vs-gray-maynard-ii-official-for-ufc-125-on-jan-1-in-las



Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard II official for UFC 125 on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas

Tomcat_tiny by Jesse Holland on Oct 14, 2010 1:11 PM EDT


One final hurdle remains for Frankie Edgar if he hopes to silence the last of the doubters.

The reigning UFC Lightweight Champion will get his long overdue rematch with Gray Maynard, as the two 155-pound standouts hook 'em up for a second time at UFC 125 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the promotion announced today.

And this time it's for the title.

"The Answer" shocked the world (again) when he defeated BJ Penn for a second time this year at UFC 118 in the promotion's Boston debut back in August. The Toms River native claimed "The Prodigy's" belt when they first met at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi last March.

Edgar holds but one loss on his stellar record, and it just so happens to be against his new challenger to the 155-pound throne, Gray Maynard.

Star-divide

"The Bully" earned his title shot on the same night Edgar dominated Penn in "Beantown," claiming a convincing unanimous decision win over Kenny Florian.

Maynard to this day remains undefeated at 10-0. With a unanimous decision victory over the current champ at UFC Fight Night 13 back in 2008, one has to imagine that confidence is something that Maynard won't be lacking come New Year's Day.

But will it be enough to overcome Edgar 2.0?

UFC 125, recently announced via the website's "Ultimate Insider," will feature a super-sized showdown between Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson as both heavyweights try to get back into the 265-pound title hunt.

Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann and Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera are also expected to be announced for the Jan. 1 pay-per-view in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to this still-developing fight card.

[northspeter]

if you've been watching the primetime series... how much bigger and stronger does brock look than he did versus carwin in july??? he's a moutain gorilla.... velasquez is quick and has tighter boxing... but brock is such a freakish athlete, i think he'll eventually get cain to ground and pound him into submission... he's just a freaking beast...

[reflector]

if you've been watching the primetime series... how much bigger and stronger does brock look than he did versus carwin in july??? he's a moutain gorilla.... velasquez is quick and has tighter boxing... but brock is such a freakish athlete, i think he'll eventually get cain to ground and ound him into submission... he's just a freaking beast...

I don't know who to pick in this fight. Cain seems to be very durable. I would see how Brock fights in the fourth and fifth rounds. Maybe we will get to see it. I think Brock will manhandle him early though.

[reflector]

I think there will be some good fights tomorrow. It is good to see that everyone made weight.


http://mmajunkie.com/news/21007/ufc-120-bisping-vs-akiyama-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




UFC 120 weigh-in results: Headliners Bisping and Akiyama, all others on weight

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 15, 2010 at 11:20 am ET

LONDON – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's official "UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama" fighter weigh-ins, where all 22 event competitors made weight.

Today's festivities took place at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, the same site as the UFC's first-ever European-based fan expo. Saturday's Spike TV-broadcast fight card takes place nearby at The O2.

Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama both weighed 185 pounds for their middleweight headliner.

The festivities went off without a hitch, and all fighters made weight on their initial attempts.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD

* Yoshihiro Akiyama (185) vs. Michael Bisping (185)
* Carlos Condit (170) vs. Dan Hardy (171)
* John Hathaway (171) vs. Mike Pyle (170)
* Travis Browne (251) vs. Cheick Kongo (228)
* Claude Patrick (171) vs. James Wilks (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

* Cyrille Diabate (204) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (204)
* Rob Broughton (257) vs. Vinicius Kappke de Quieroz (239)
* Mark Holst (155) vs. Paul Sass (155)
* Spencer Fisher (155) vs. Kurt Warburton (154)
* Fabio Maldonado (204) vs. James McSweeney (205)

Stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com for a full photo gallery of all the event's competitors.

For more on UFC 120, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Michael Bisping)

[Boomer.....]

Just so everyone knows, tomorrow nights fight is free on Spike and starts at 7pm so set your DVR.

[reflector]

Just so everyone knows, tomorrow nights fight is free on Spike and starts at 7pm so set your DVR.

There is also a free replay afterward. I think the replay starts at 11. So you don't have to miss the OU game in order to watch it.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Im looking forward to watching the "Oil of Olay" Akiyama fight

[northspeter]

beware visiting this thread or other mma sites throughout the day... the fights begin at 11am central... so there may be some that post the results before you get to see the Spike broadcast tonite...

[reflector]

I am still rather surprised with the way Condit won. I thought he might catch him in a submission or win a decision. I never thought he would knock Hardy out.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21045/ufc-120-main-card-recap-bisping-decisions-akiyama-condit-stuns-hardy.mma



UFC 120 main-card recap: Bisping decisions Akiyama, Condit stuns Hardy
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Oct 16, 2010 at 5:30 pm ET

LONDON – Prior to the final frame of his bout with Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama, veteran UFC middleweight Michael Bisping circled the cage, lifted his arms and summoned the energy of a soldout crowd at The 02 in London.

His fellow Brits apparently fueled the championship hopeful, and Bisping ultimately closed out the fight in dominant fashion to earn a unanimous-decision victory.

The fight headlined Saturday's UFC 120 event, which aired live in most parts of the world but via same-day delay on Spike TV in the U.S.

The win, though, did come with a bit of controversy.

Both fighters kept the three-rounder in the upright position, and after two competitive rounds in which each competitor landed some significant blows, Bisping unloaded the biggest in the third. Unfortunately, it was an illegal kick to the groin, which connected and echoed throughout the arena and sent Akiyama into a heap on the canvas.

The ref called for a timeout, and Bisping, who had unloaded a nice series of punches and head kicks before the crotch shot, immediately apologized. Akiyama quickly acknowledged it was accidental, but the fighter lay on the mat in obviously excruciating pain.

After a few minutes of recovery time, Akiyama returned to his feet and signaled that he was OK to continue. But he was never the same, and Bisping closed out the round in dominant fashion to earn the win via scores of 30-27 on all three judges' cards.

It was a nice win and recovery for Bisping, who was rocked early in the fight by one of his opponent's stiff right-handed punches.

"I thought, 'Ah [expletive], this isn't a good start,'" Bisping joked. "I expected a tough challenge, but I truly believed in my training and my skills and my ability to win this fight."

Following the win, Bisping was asked about his future goals, including a shot at a thus-far-elusive middleweight title. But "The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner shrugged off mounting criticism that his heart isn't in the sport and said his goal remains the same.

"No one works harder than me, and no one wants it more than me," he said. "Hopefully, with a bit of luck, I'll get the gold soon."

Bisping (20-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) now has won three of four fights since a setback KO defeat to Dan Henderson at UFC 100. Akiyama (13-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who was submitted by Chris Leben earlier this year, suffers the first back-to-back losses of his career.

Despite a dozen career knockouts wins, Carlos Condit had never gotten much respect as a striker. But following a vicious knockout of KO artist Dan Hardy in UFC 120's co-headliner, the former WEC champ is likely to get a bit more respect.

The vicious first-round KO left both Hardy and his numerous British fans in stunned silence.

With a strategic first round apparently headed to the judges, both fighters swung wildly with looping punches. Condit missed on a right, and Hardy's missed wide with one of his own. But Condit continued the combo and caught his opponent with a perfectly placed and absolutely crushing left hook to the cheek.

Hardy instantly fell to his back, and Condit follow with a quick right-left combo before referee Dan Miragliotta could push him away and stop the fight.

The crushing KO came at the 4:27 mark of the round.

"We had been working on that," Condit said.

Although initially dazed from the big blow, Hardy pushed away the ref and medical personnel and quickly returned to his feet.

So what went wrong?

"I got punched in the face," Hardy deadpanned. "That's why it's a sport. You can win or lose at anytime."

For Condit (26-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC), it was his first knockout win since a beatdown of WEC fighter Hiromitsu Miura more than two years ago. Hardy (23-8 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who dropped a decision to welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre back in March, now has suffered back-to-back losses for just the second time in his career.

John Hathaway is undefeated no more.

After dealing with some inconsistency upon his long-awaited UFC arrival in 2009, veteran welterweight Mike Pyle saved one of his most impressive performances for one of his toughest opponents of late, and he scored a unanimous-decision victory over the previously unbeaten Hathaway.

Pyle – a former WEC champ and IFL/EliteXC/Strikeforce/Sengoku veteran who's defeated fighters such as Jon Fitch and Dan Hornbuckle during an illustrious 11-year career– simply overwhelmed Hathaway and took the British youngster out of his game. With quick takedowns, a smothering top game and dominant ground positions, Pyle kept his opponent from mounting any type of sustained offense and ultimately swept Hathaway on the judges' scorecards.

Pyle was especially effective in the second round, when he secured an inverted triangle choke from side position. He secured the hold for the final two minutes of the round and delivered a steady stream of punches and elbow strikes as Hathaway dejectedly tried to block the blows. The assault continued in the third, when more takedowns allowed Pyle to smother and batter his over-matched opponent.

In the end, Pyle, who entered the fight as a 4-to-1 underdog, won every round on each scorecard and earned the unanimous-decision victory via 30-27 scores.

Among his 21 career wins, Pyle (21-7-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) now has gone to a decision for just the second time in his career. Hathaway (14-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who was entered the UFC's welterweight title picture with recent wins over the likes of Rick Story and Diego Sanchez, tastes defeat for the first time in his four-year career.

In the main card's lone heavyweight bout, it appeared only a matter of time until Travis Browne's wild and frantic striking would cost him dearly. Luckily for the once-unheralded heavyweight, that time never came.

Instead, Browne's baffling offense – which initially included big looping punches until the majority of his work came from the clinch and against the cage – left opponent Cheick Kongo confused, unable to mount any substantial offense, and forced to resort to some dirty tactics. Still, it wasn't enough to pick up the win, and instead, the fight was declared a disappointing draw via 28-28 scores.

After that dominant first round and a closer second, which ultimately was scored in Kongo's favor, Browne clearly was winded in the third. But despite his heavy breathing and some damage Kongo inflicted with short knees strikes to the inside thigh, Browne avoided any major damage. But with Kongo's third-round point deduction for grabbing his opponent's shorts while in the clinch (yet no deductions for multiple knees to the groin), the round ended with a 9-9 score and overall draw.

The decision, though, was largely expected, and the fight result was met largely with disinterest from The 02 crowd.

Browne (10-0-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) remains undefeated with the draw while Kongo (15-6-2 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) falls to 1-2-1 in his past four fights, all in the UFC.

Anyone who thought UFC 120 would be a showcase bout for "The Ultimate Fighter 9" winner and British fighter James Wilks can blame Claude Patrick for a rude surprise.

The Canadian fighter thoroughly dominated and outclassed Wilks both standing (with effective clinch work) and especially on the mat (with a dominating and smothering top game) to pick up a unanimous-decision victory.

It wasn't the flashiest win, but Patrick completely shut down Wilks' offense and left his opponent desperately looking for any type of submission attempt from his back. With few mistakes made and avoiding troublesome positions, the Canadian-fight-circuit veteran never gave Wilks the opportunity.

In the end, Patrick earned the unanimous-decision win via scores of 30-27.

With the win, Patrick (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who submitted Ricardo Funch in his UFC debut earlier this year, now owns a 12-fight win streak with 12 stoppages. Wilks (7-4 MMA, 2-2), meanwhile, has dropped two of three, which included a TKO loss to Matt Brown a year ago in England.

SEE ALSO: UFC 120 preliminary-card recap: British fighters Broughton and Sass victorious

MAIN CARD

* Michael Bisping def. Yoshihiro Akiyama via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Carlos Condit def. Dan Hardy via KO (punch) - Round 1, 4:27
* Mike Pyle def. John Hathaway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Travis Browne vs. Cheick Kongo declared a draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
* Claude Patrick def. James Wilks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Alexander Gustafsson def. Cyrille Diabate via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 2:41
* Rob Broughton def. Vinicius Quieroz via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 1:43
* Paul Sass def. Mark Holst via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 4:45
* Spencer Fisher def. Kurt Warburton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Fabio Maldonado def. James McSweeney via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 0:48

For more on UFC 120, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Michael Bisping)

[KC//CRIMSON]

The fighter everyone says could be the next big thing.........

HDHu7AH9hVg

[reflector]

Condit's KO was pretty vicious.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21046/ufc-120-bonuses-bisping-akiyama-condit-and-sass-earn-50k-fighter-awards.mma



UFC 120 bonuses: Bisping, Akiyama, Condit and Sass earn $60K awards (Updated)

by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Oct 16, 2010 at 6:25 pm ET

LONDON – Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Carlos Condit and Paul Sass each earned $60,000 "Fight Night" bonuses for their performances at Saturday's UFC 120 event.

Condit earned the night's "Knockout of the Night" award, Sass picked up the "Submission of the Night" bonus, and Bisping and Akiyama scored "Fight of the Night" honors.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the bonus winners and award amounts while in UFC 120 post-event press conference.

The event took place at The 02 in London and airs via same-day delay on Spike TV in the U.S.

The bonuses provided few surprised.

Condit scored the night's most vicious KO when he stopped striker Dan Hardy with a vicious first-round knockout. Late in the third, Condit unloaded a right-left combo. The right missed, but the left landed perfectly and set Hardy crashing to the mat. The former WEC welterweight champ provided two additional punches to his downed opponent before the fight was stopped.

Sass, meanwhile, lived up to the hype and secured his trademark submission in a victory over Canadian Mark Holst. Sass, who opened his career with seven consecutive triangle-choke submissions, continually attempted the move and finally secured it midway through the first round. The undefeated fighter and UFC newcomer now has eight such submission wins among his 11 career victories.

Bisping and Akiyama, meanwhile, met in a largely standup affair in the main event. Akiyama landed a few powerful shots and clearly dazed his middleweight opponent in the opening seconds of the fight, but Bisping fought back and ultimately swept the judges' scorecards for a shutout unanimous-decision victory. He closed out the round in dominant fashion to send home his fellow countrymen in good spirits.

For more on UFC 120, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Carlos Condit)

* * * *

(Updated at 9:20 p.m. ET to reflect the actual bonuses of $60,000. The original figure was mis-reported as $50,000)

[reflector]

For those who want to watch it, the UFC 121 Countdown show is tonight on Spike.

[reflector]

Sam Stout On UFC 121 Bout



rYT9Z57SsSs

[Knippz]

121 and 126 should be insane

[northspeter]

the 116 replay is on now... the end of the akiyama/leben fight is currently on, then carwin v. brock will be coming up shortly...

[reflector]

The last episode of the Primetime series with Lesnar and Velasquez airs tonight before the TUF episode tonight.

[tbl]

Dude I cannot WAIT for GSP to smash this guy, AGAIN.

[Knippz]

FWIW, GSP never "smashed" Kos. He decisioned him with 29-28 scores, and did no damage. He proved more dominant in 2 rounds, but did nothing along the lines of "smash". Aka, no knockdowns, few significant punches landed, and several minutes going for a very unsuccessful kimura.

[reflector]

Alvarez smashed Huerta tonight.

[Shakadoodoo]

I didn't know this thread existed - Home sweet Home!!!!!!

[northspeter]

Alvarez smashed Huerta tonight.

yeah, that was brutal... i had a friend who hadn't seen alvarez fight before.. and he came away thinking eddie may be the best lightweight in the world... he looked very very good last night...


also you can see the weigh-ins for UFC121 live at 4pm central time today on UFC.com

[northspeter]

jake shields ad brock lesnar both looked like beasts ready for battle.. i think both are gonna have big nights tomorrow!!!

[reflector]

I think there should be some good fights tomorrow.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21101/ufc-121-live-weigh-in-results.mma



UFC 121 weigh-in results: Champ Lesnar (264), Velasquez (244) on weight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 22, 2010 at 5:30 pm ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's official UFC 121 fighter weigh-ins, where all 22 fighters successfully made weight.

Today's festivities took place outside of the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., in front of a throng of a couple-thousand fans.

Headliner and heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar weighed 264 pounds while challenger Cain Velasquez weighed 244.

In addition to the championship headliner, UFC 121 features the long-awaited promotional debut of former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields, who returns to his usual weight class to fight welterweight contender Martin Kampmann. Shields, who received a warm welcome in his home state, weighed 170.5 pounds, and Kampmann was a half pound lighter.

Saturday's event features a two-bout "UFC Prelims" broadcast on Spike TV before the main card airs on pay-per-view.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Brock Lesnar (264) vs. Cain Velasquez (244)
* Martin Kampmann (170) vs. Jake Shields (170.5)
* Diego Sanchez (170.5) vs. Paulo Thiago (170.5)
* Matt Hamill (203.5) vs. Tito Ortiz (206)
* Gabriel Gonzaga (254) vs. Brendan Schaub (239)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Ryan Jensen (185) vs. Court McGee (184.5)
* Patrick Cote (185) vs. Tom Lawlor (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

* Sam Stout (155.5) vs. Paul Taylor (155)
* Mike Guymon (170) vs. Daniel Roberts (170)
* Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Dongi Yang (186)
* Jon Madsen (254.5)vs. Gilbert Yvel (249)

For complete coverage of UFC 121, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Cain Velasquez)

[reflector]

I was surprised at how bad Bowling looked in the second round. He looked good in the first round.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21128/strikeforce-challengers-11-recap-voelker-stops-bowling-in-second.mma




Strikeforce Challengers 11 recap: Bobby Voelker stops Roger Bowling in second

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 23, 2010 at 12:50 am ET

Roger Bowling predicted a war in his rematch with Bobby Voelker.

Unfortunately for "Relentless," Voelker proved just a little too "Vicious."

After a slow start, Voelker earned a second-round stoppage over Bowling in the main event of Friday's Showtime-broadcast "Strikeforce Challengers 11: Bowling vs. Voelker II" event in Fresno, Calif. The contest served as a rematch of the pair's May bout, which Bowling won via technical decision.

Just as in their first meeting, Bowling and Voelker looked to bang it out on the feet in the early going. Bowling earned the best of the early exchanges, and he looked capable of pouring on the offense. Instead, he settled for a bit of clinchwork in the closing seconds of the round, and Voelker slowed the momentum.

In the second, Voelker landed the better shots on the feet after each fighter failed to land a takedown. Apparently wobbled, Bowling settled for pulling guard. Voelker made him pay with a barrage of blows from the top. He avoided an armbar attempt from underneath and continued to unload until the stoppage came with 62 seconds left in the round.

With the victory, Voelker (23-8 MMA, 3-1 SF) has now won three of his past four fights. The loss is the first for Bowling (8-1 MMA, 1-1 SF) as a professional.

The awe-inspiring comeback from a near-fatal gunshot wound of Lavar Johnson endured a few speedbumps in the evening's co-feature, but opponent Virgil Swicker, outweighed by some 24 pounds, ultimately proved incapable of dealing with his foe's "Big" power.

Zwicker tried to use mobility to his advantage and chop down Johnson with low kicks. The plan worked, but things changed when Johnson finally landed one of his massive punches. Several more followed, and Zwicker slumped against the cage in the face of the attack.

Johnson was declared the winner 2 minutes and 17 seconds into the opening round.

With the win, Johnson (15-3 MMA, 3-0 SF) now has seven-straight wins. Zwicker (8-2 MMA, 0-1 SF) falls short in his Strikeforce debut.

Fighting in front of his hometown crowd, striking specialist Billy Evangelista survived a first-round scare to battle back to a unanimous-decision win over Waachiim Spiritwolf in a catchweight affair.

Evangelista found himself on his back after being clipped early in the first frame, but the undefeated lightweight managed to return to his feet and remain upright for the remainder of the contest. And beyond simply maintaining his feet, Evangelista began to deliver his hallmark striking flurries.

To his credit, the "Native Warrior" also returned fire in an entertaining affair, but his cardio began to fail as time wore on, and his face showed the wear of Evangelista's fists. The fight was tight throughout, but all three judges believed Evangelista had done enough to take home the decision.

Victorious again, Evangelista (11-0 MMA, 7-0 SF) remains undefeated and appears primed to take on some of Strikeforce's best 155-pounders. Meanwhile, Spiritwolf (8-7-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) falls to 2-2-1 in 2010.

In the night's lone female contest, Canadian Muay Thai specialist Julia Budd showed flashes of her striking pedigree on the feet, but it was her ground game that eventually earned the debuting mixed martial artist a win over the previously undefeated Shana Olsen.

Budd landed a few powerful punches in the opening round, and even reversed an Olsen takedown attempt to wind up in top position. However, from there Budd's inexperience was evident as she landed a series of illegal elbows from top position and was deducted a point.

It wouldn't matter.

In the second, Olsen looked for the takedown from a bodylock but wound up pulling Budd on top of her. This time, Budd went with punches rather than elbows and earned a TKO stoppage at the 2:51 mark of the round.

Budd (1-0 MMA, 1-0 SF) tastes victory in her first MMA contest, and her striking pedigree (coupled with a few more wins) will likely lead to quick calls for a matchup with dominant 145-pound champ Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. Meanwhile, Olsen loses for the first time since turning pro in May 2009.

In the night's broadcast-opening contest, heavyweight John Devine kept former top prospect Brandon Cash winless since Feburary 2009.

After trading a few inconsequential strikes on the feet and Devine began to attack the back of Cash. "Money" tried his best to defend the advances, but after a brief stall warranted a restart, Devine work quickly to the back with both hooks in and sunk in the fight-ending rear-naked choke.

Devine (6-4 MMA, 1-1 SF), who was defeated in 69 seconds by top prospect Daniel Cormier earlier this year, improves to 3-1 in his past four fights. Cash (5-3 MMA, 0-2 SF) has now dropped three consecutive fights.

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Bobby Voelker def. Roger Bowling via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 3:58
* Lavar Johnson def. Virgil Zwicker via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:17
* Billy Evangelista def. Waachiim Spiritwolf via unanimous decision
* Julia Budd def. Shana Olsen via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 2:51
* John Devine def. Brandon Cash via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:05

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* David Douglas def. Dominic Clark via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 2:33

For more on Strikeforce Challengers 11, check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Bobby Voelker)

[Knippz]

Anyone got a live stream?

[KC//CRIMSON]

Big Dumb Oaf just got downsized.

[reflector]

Big Dumb Oaf just got downsized.

I think Lesnar needs a few more fights before he fights someone like Cain again. Cain dominated him.

[Collier11]

never deserved a title IMO

[reflector]

I thought Cain looked really impressive last night.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21134/ufc-121-main-card-recap.mma




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UFC 121 main-card recap: Velasquez stuns Lesnar in first, claims heavyweight title
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 24, 2010 at 12:50 am ET


ANAHEIM, Calif. – Brock Lesnar couldn't escape this time.

New UFC champion Cain Velasquez sent a reported 14,856 fans into a frenzy by stopping Lesnar with strikes in the first round of UFC 121's main event, which took place Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The action-heavy affair, which saw the entire building on its feet throughout the matchup, capped off the evening's pay-per-view broadcast and saw perhaps the UFC's biggest star stripped of his title.

Lesnar came out like gangbusters in the opening frame of the headlining bout in a clear bid to gain top position on the mat. But he ran headlong into the challenger, and the two traded wildly before a second try got him what he wanted.

That was the last ray of sunshine for the former WWE professional wrestler.

Velasquez popped up like a jack-in-the-box and charged back with his own takedown. Punches came at Lesnar on both sides as he struggled to stand, and when he did, Velasquez had him cornered. Still, Lesnar fired back with punches. But Velasquez rocked him in a subsequent exchange, and he tumbled to the mat.

From there, Velasquez rained down punches overhead, and it looked as though the fight would be ended in seconds. But Lesnar somehow survived, and Velasquez's punches seemed to slow.

Would Velasquez run out of gas as Lesnar's last challenger, Shane Carwin?

The answer was an emphatic no. Lesnar righted himself and shortly afterward took another hard punch that dropped him once again. Curled up and rolling away as Velasquez continued to rain down strikes, referee Herb Dean ended the punishment with 59 seconds left in the first round.

The audience was absolutely beside itself as the belt was wrapped around the waist of the new champion

"He's a great fighter," Lesnar said afterward. "Congratulations, Cain. What can I say? He was better than me tonight."

UFC newcomer Jake Shields did exactly as expected against welterweight standout Martin Kampmann. And though Kampmann gave him all he could handle, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion's patented jiu-jitsu skills narrowly won the day.

Following a sole high kick, Shields put his plan in motion and got a charging single-leg takedown in the opening moments of the fight. There, he gained mount position after a short struggle, and for a moment it looked to be a usual night in the life of Jake Shields.

Of course, the experienced Kampmann did not go quietly into the night. When Shields advanced position, he scrambled to his feet and forced the submission specialist to stand in the first round's latter half. He did not, however, let his hands go, and despite several successful sprawls, Shields had round one in the books.

The Danish fighter smartened up in the second round. Shields kept distance by throwing using his legs and locked the action against the cage after a short struggle. But Kampmann dropped him with a knee, and Shields dove for a takedown. When Kampmann again escaped another hairy situation on the mat, he caught the former Strikeforce middleweight champion with another knee. Shields looked at the clock; this wouldn't be easy.

Again, though, the Cesar Gracie black belt's skills did not fail him, and he brought the fight to the mat. By the final frame, it became clear the fight would be won by the guy with more gas.

Although he looked ready to expire by the end of the second, Shields continued press for a takedown and got it. Every time he did, Kampmann made him pay for it by cinching a front headlock and ending exchanges with strikes. That wrestler's position nearly won him the fight midway through the final frame.

As Shields attempted to right himself, Kampmann went to work on an arm-in north-south choke that threatened a tapout. But Shields managed to escape, and after yet another reversal, he had Kampmann's back, where he remained until the final bell. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.

One judge saw the fight in Kampmann's favor by a score of 29-28, though the remaining two gave Shields the fight with scores of 29-28 and, generously, 30-27.

Shields (26-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) may now lay claim to a shot at Georges St-Pierre's welterweight title if UFC president Dana White gives him the green light. He has not lost since December 2004, when Akira Kikuchi took his Shooto middleweight championship.

Kampmann (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), meanwhile, is back to the drawing board.

Diego Sanchez turned the tides on a discouraging run of luck inside the octagon with a dominant win over Paulo Thiago.

Initially, Sanchez thought he could bully Thiago with a series of lunging combinations. But when Thiago met one charge with a flurry of knees and punches, Sanchez dove for the takedown. Thiago rebuffed the attempt and soon after ducked under another lunging combination for a takedown. There, he nearly locked up his signature D'arce choke, but Sanchez had clearly prepped for such a scenario and wiggled his way free.

Back on their feet, Sanchez punched his way in and tried to rack up some points with his own takedown. Thiago had other ideas and again kept "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner at bay with a flurry of punches as the first frame ended.

Now hip to Sanchez's attack, Thiago cornered Sanchez and unloaded with more straight punches. Sanchez needed a takedown, and needed one fast. After an awkward bullrush took top position, Thiago immediately went for a kimura from the bottom. Using his right leg to trap and crank Sanchez's right arm, it looked like the Brazilian might pull out a submission.

But Sanchez got out, and afterward sent the crowd into a frenzy with a Matt Hughes-style slam. He couldn't seal the deal when Thiago gave up his back, but he sure put an exclamation point on the second round. Thiago looked exhausted between rounds, but Sanchez looked no more fresher.

Thiago had one last charge left, though, and attempted to stop Sanchez's charge with another flurry of punches. Instead, he got bowled over. Again, he responded with a kimura, but Sanchez was ready and worked his way toward a rear naked choke. That submission wasn't meant to be, but the tide turned dramatically in favor of "The Nightmare."

In a flurry of transitions, Sanchez took mount and pounded on Thiago, who frantically tried to escape the position by punching his way out. He somehow managed to free himself and nearly plastered Sanchez with an upkick. But Sanchez kept top position and ended the fight punishing the Brazilian from up top.

All three judges gave Sanchez the fight with scores of 30-26, 29-28 and 29-28.

"I was really humbled by my last two losses," Sanchez (22-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC), said afterward. "My [motivation] for this camp was just to earn it."

The win snapped a two-fight skid to former lightweight champion B.J. Penn and John Hathaway.

Thiago (13-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC), meanwhile, has now lost back-to-back fights inside the octagon after a decision loss to Kampmann at UFC 115.

As it turned out, Matt Hamill did have a lesson or two for his former teacher Tito Ortiz. After a slow start, "The Hammer" hit his target and turned in an impressive unanimous-decision victory.

Ortiz, a five-time light heavyweight champion and favorite whipping boy among fans, looked almost nothing like the fighter who grounded and pounded his way to dominance in the early days of the Zuffa-owned promotion. Instead, he did his best impression of a K-1 fighter and chased Hamill, his former pupil on "The Ultimate Fighter 3," around the octagon with punches and kicks.

Hamill caught one of those kicks early on and deposited the bleached bad-boy to the canvas. But he couldn't keep him there, and Ortiz returned fire with his legs.

Maybe it was respect for his former teacher, but Hamill did not get off first in the second round and was simply outworked in the opening round while competing chants of "Ortiz" and "Hamill" ricocheted around the Honda Center. Hamill, though, got busy in the second round and even popped Ortiz with a high kick of his own. Ortiz stayed busy and kept moving while trying to evade his pupil's heavy hands.

Midway through the second, Hamill caught Ortiz napping and got an easy takedown, where he doled out a taste of Ortiz's medicine.

Ortiz, however, stayed busy from the bottom with armbar and triangle choke attempts, and he even rolled for a kneebar. But he gave up position in the subsequent scramble and wound up eating a few elbows from the bottom as the second frame ended.

With one round apiece, haters were on the edge of their seat.

While Ortiz has often faded in post-championship appearances, this time he kept going strong in the final frame. But Hamill more frequently was first to get off with punches, and Ortiz couldn't corner him. Instead, the former champion waded in and ate counter after counter from Hamill. A mid-round takedown attempt proved fruitless.

Hamill, however, had no such difficulty in getting the fight down, and spent the final minute of the fight punishing Ortiz with punches and elbows. When the final bell rung, there was little doubt as to who had racked up more points.

Judges quickly handed down unanimous scores for Hamill by two tallies of 29-28 and one of 30-27.

Despite the controversy that accompanied the fight's early buildup, the two hugged it out at the bell.

"I'm just happy I won the fight," said Hamill (10-2 MMA 9-2 UFC) afterward.

Ortiz (15-8-1 MMA, 14-8-1 UFC) is now 0-4-1 since he beat down Ken Shamrock in 2006, while Hamill is unbeaten – at least on paper – in his five most recent fights.

"The Ultimate Fighter 10" runner-up Brendan Schaub continued his rise in the UFC heavyweight division with a decisive victory over former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga.

Although both fighters seemed hesitant in the bout's opening moments, Schaub soon after proved that wasn't the case when he caught the Brazilian's leg and slapped him with a flurry of right hands.

That right hand proved to be just the doctor's order against Gonzaga. When Gonzaga angled for a leg attack, Schaub retorted with the punch. And though Gonzaga toted Xtreme Couture striking coach Ron Frazier to his corner, he appeared to be just a bit slower in exchanges. When he threw his trademark high kick, Shaub was ready. A subsequent takedown attempt proved fruitless, and he was forced to trade.

Schaub's right hand nearly put an end to the fight in the final seconds of the first frame. Again, he caught Gonzaga in close with the shot, and Gonzaga reeled backward, frozen, as the punches kept coming. The final one deposited him on his butt, and only the bell saved him.

Gonzaga's legs still worked, though, when the fight's second round got underway, and he popped Schaub with several stinging low kicks. That speeded Schaub's decision to turn on the pressure. Schaub again charged forward with that right hand and rocked the Brazilian several times, though he couldn't finish the fight, and several times Gonzaga broke up the attack with punches of his own.

Nevertheless, Gonzaga needed to do something big in the fight's third and final frame.

For starters, he shrugged off Schaub's takedown attempt with a solid sprawl, and landed more hard leg kicks. But when he got close, he missed or was simply beaten to the punch. And when he managed to leap across the octagon and land a heavy right hook on the tail end of the round, Schaub kept going.

When Schaub, a former NFL hopeful, heard the clap of the 10-second warning, he threw caution to the wind and nearly got himself choked out as Gonzaga wheeled around to his back. But time ran out, and the judges' conclusion was forgone.

With unanimous 30-27 scores read following the final bell, Schaub (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) secured his third consecutive octagon victory. Gonzaga (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), meanwhile, is now 3-4 since he vied unsuccessfully for the UFC heavyweight title against Randy Couture at UFC 74.

"Gabe is one of the top heavyweights in the world, and it's a big step up for me, so I'm just happy to get the victory," Schaub said afterward.

SEE ALSO: UFC 121 preliminary-card recap: McGee taps Jensen; Lawlor smothers Cote

MAIN CARD

* Cain Velasquez def. Brock Lesnar via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:12 - to become new UFC heavyweight champion
* Jake Shields def. Martin Kampmann via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
* Diego Sanchez def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
* Matt Hamill def. Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
* Brendan Schaub def. Gabriel Gonzaga via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Court McGee def. Ryan Jensen via submission (arm-triangle choke) -Round 3, 1:21
* Tom Lawlor def. Patrick Cote via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Daniel Roberts def. Mike Guymon via submission (anaconda choke) - Round 1, 1:13
* Sam Stout def. Paul Taylor via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
* Chris Camozzi def. Dongi Yang via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
* Jon Madsen def. Gilbert Yvel via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:48

For complete coverage of UFC 121, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

(Pictured: Cain Velasquez)

[Boomer.....]

never deserved a title IMO

Why? He beat everyone that he faced. (after the first Mir fight)

[northspeter]

Why? He beat everyone that he faced. (after the first Mir fight)

no kidding, Brock faced far tougher competition that cain had to this point in his career... Cain is just better right now... way more technical... he needs to spend his entire next camp working on his standup, very pedestrian...

[tbl]

Not to mention Brock has not only a glass chin, but his entire head is made of glass. Dude does NOT like to get punched.

[northspeter]

i wouldn't say he's made out of glass... he doesnt like to get hit, true... but he can take a pounding and stand back up, he's proven as much... he needs to really study basic standup defense and counters before he steps back into the cage...

fyi, i just read carwin is out of the ufc 125 bout against big country with a back injury... maybe brock will be ready by then or maybe they push big country back a month and give him brock... that would be an interesting fight, in my opinion...

[OU_Sooners75]

I would like to see any of the UFC Heavyweights go up against Fedor.

Fedor is the best HW in the world, IMO.

[Collier11]

Fedor got Fd up recently

[Knippz]

He didn't really get fd up, but he did get submitted pretty quick.

The Brock fight seriously looked like something from Bully Beatdown.

[Collier11]

getting tapped out in a cpl minutes when you are the supposed greatest fighter in the world is F'd up in my book

[KC//CRIMSON]

Fedor got Fd up recently

He didn't get f***** up, goober. He knocked Werdum to the ground with one punch five seconds into the fight. He went to finish him and got carless. Fedor beats him nine out of ten times. It was a fluke.

[Boomer.....]

Here we go again.

[Collier11]

all of you are wrong and im right :D

[reflector]

I hope he is eventually able to get back to the UFC.



http://www.mmamania.com/2010/10/27/1778029/patrick-cote-cut-by-ufc




Patrick 'The Predator' Cote released by the UFC

Securedownload_tiny by kevjack115 on Oct 27, 2010 3:06 PM EDT

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Cote-cut_medium

Former number one middleweight contender, Patrick Cote, has been released from the UFC following his unanimous decision loss to Tom Lawlor at UFC 121 on Oct. 23 in Anaheim, California.

"The Predator" dropped the unfortunate news via his official Twitter account earlier today.

Cote made his first appearance inside the cage after nearly 20 months on the sidelines to tangle with Alan Belcher at UFC 113 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, back on May 1.

It did not end well.

The Canadian was submitted by "The Talent" after a controversial piledriver left him stiffer than a frozen mukluk. It was Cote's first bout since shredding his knee while inside the Octagon opposite reigning division champion Anderson Silva at UFC 90 way back in October 2008.

Star-divide

The "Spider" bout resulted in a technical knockout loss for the eight-year veteran, which he feels may have gone his way if the freak accident never happened.

Cote underwent major ACL knee surgery following his loss to Silva and then again in late summer 2009 to repair a damaged MCL (in the same knee).

The 185-pound class continued to see an influx of talented competitors in his absence, making his road back to the summit a long and difficult one. His loss to Lawlor marked his third straight inside the Octagon and the UFC had decided they'd seen enough.

The good news is there are still plenty of options for him to compete in promotions outside of Las Vegas and with his name recognition, don't be surprised to see him back in the cage sooner rather than later.

Strikeforce? MFC? Bellator?

Let's hear your take on this latest release.

[OU_Sooners75]

Fedor got Fd up recently
No, he got submitted pretty quickly. Not ****ed up.

[reflector]

This news stinks. I have enjoyed the WEC events. It stinks that they only have two events left.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21191/winners-of-henderson-vs-pettis-edgar-vs-maynard-to-merge-ufc-wec-titles.mma



Winners of Henderson vs. Pettis, Edgar vs. Maynard to merge UFC, WEC titles
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 28, 2010 at 1:40 pm ET


A showdown between WEC and UFC champions is on the horizon.

The winner of an upcoming WEC title fight between champion Ben Henderson (12-1 MMA, 5-0 WEC) and challenger Anthony Pettis (11-1 MMA, 4-1 WEC) will meet the winner of an upcoming UFC title fight between champion Frankie Edgar (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and challenger Gray Maynard (10-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC).

The news was shared today by UFC president Dana White on the heels of an announcement that the UFC is folding the WEC into its promotion in January 2011, though he did not provide a timeline for the meeting between the two promotions' lightweight champions.

Henderson vs. Pettis is set to take place at WEC 53, which takes place at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., while Edgar vs. Maynard is set for UFC 125 on Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Until today's merger announcement, the WEC lightweight division was the only class which overlapped with UFC's lightweight division. That, of course, led to airy speculation on potential matchups between the promotion's champions, though both UFC and WEC officials repeatedly downplayed the possibility.

WEC 52, which takes place Nov. 11, and WEC 53 are the final events scheduled for the WEC.

For the latest on WEC 52, WEC 53 and UFC 125 stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

[Collier11]

Why does it stink? A bigger and better UFC, all WEC fighters are retained under their current contracts. I think this is a great thing for MMA fans

[Collier11]

No, he got submitted pretty quickly. Not ****ed up.

Same thing fart face

[reflector]

Why does it stink? A bigger and better UFC, all WEC fighters are retained under their current contracts. I think this is a great thing for MMA fans

The WEC events were generally free. UFC events generally aren't. I prefer free MMA.

[Collier11]

Well yea, who doesnt. Also though, you might consider that the bigger it gets they might be able to offer it at a cheaper price or offer more free events

[northspeter]

The WEC events were generally free. UFC events generally aren't. I prefer free MMA.

they will continue to put free fights on spike and versus... i think this is awesome news... and dana said they will be adding a 125 division in the future as well... great news for fight fans and fighters...

[Boomer.....]

I don't mind it.

[reflector]

I think this will be a great fight. Hopefully both guys can stay healthy for the fight.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21208/ryan-bader-vs-jon-jones-official-for-ufc-126-on-feb-5.mma




Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones official for UFC 126 on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 29, 2010 at 5:30 pm ET

The much-discussed light heavyweight contest between top prospects Ryan Bader (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Jon Jones (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is finally official.

UFC brass recently confirmed on this week's edition of "The Ultimate Insider" that Jones and Bader will meet on the main card of the previously unannounced UFC 126 event.

While the highly anticipated and previously reported main event of Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort was not confirmed, the promotion did confirm that UFC 126 takes place Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported the event and the matchup.

There was some concern the matchup between the two fast-rising stars had dissolved following UFC president Dana White's proclamation at the UFC Fan Expo London 2010 that the bout was "in jeopardy."

Jones took to the stage the following day to quiet the concern.

"I've been really busy, so I haven't gotten a chance to sign my contract yet, but I think that fight will be set for Feb. 5," Jones said at the expo.

"Bones" finally found that time.

Bader recently earned a high-profile decision win over longtime veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at this past-month's UFC 119 event. The win was Bader's fifth-straight in the octagon and 12-straight victory overall since turning pro.

Winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 8," Bader also holds octagon victories over Keith Jardine, Eric Schafer, Carmelo Marrero and Vinny Magalhaes,

Meanwhile, Jones fought most recently in August, when he needed just 1 minute and 52 seconds to dispatch of longtime veteran Vladimir Matyushenko. The victory was Jones' second-straight win since suffering his lone career loss in a disqualification result against Matt Hamill.

For more on UFC 126, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Ryan Bader)

[Boomer.....]

Very interesting fight. Both fighters have been rolling through opponents.

[reflector]

I think a fight between Melendez and Alvarez would be awesome.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21219/as-callouts-continue-scott-coker-not-opposed-to-strikeforce-vs-bellator-superfights.mma




As callouts continue, Scott Coker "not opposed" to Strikeforce vs. Bellator superfights

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 30, 2010 at 4:35 pm ET

Maybe there's something to these Bellator vs. Strikeforce superfights, after all.

While Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has openly lobbied for a matchup between his company's lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez, and Strikeforce's 155-pound kingpin Gilbert Melendez, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has yet to commit to a potential superfight.

But with Rebney now publicly pushing for his champions Hector Lombard and Ben Askren to face their Strikeforce counterparts – Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Nick Diaz, respectively – Coker says it's time for the Bellator CEO to get serious if he's ready to deal.

"It's something that Bjorn has chosen to take up publicly and come after us," Coker told HDNet in this week's new edition of "Inside MMA." "Really, if he wants to put something together, he should call me direct."

It was Melendez who first called for the contest while a guest on "Inside MMA" earlier this year. Rebney quickly replied via press release and openly welcomed the fight.

But Coker says after a brief initial discussion with Rebney regarding the fight, the two have yet to talk again. With a number of obstacles remaining – who would host the fight, where would it be broadcast, what impact would it have on the titles, etc. – Coker says things simply can't be worked out through addresses to the media.

"We talked like three or four months ago," Coker said. "Gilbert was hurt at the time, but Gilbert is going to be scheduled most likely to go to Japan. Timing will be an issue.

"There's a lot of business issues that people would not normally think about. I don't blame [Rebney] because who is Eddie going to fight in Bellator now? Eddie beat Roger Huerta, and if you look at their roster, I'm not sure who he fights."

In May, Coker told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he was open to putting his champion up against the belt holder for any mixed martial arts promotion. Citing current and past co-promotion arrangements with DREAM, M-1 Global and the now-defunct EliteXC, Coker said he was willing to deal.

But with pressure growing from Bellator's side, and many MMA pundits openly lobbying for the organizations to work together, Coker says Rebney knows where to find him – and it's not on the receiving end of a press release.

"You know what, we're not opposed to the fight, but the circumstances and the timing have to be right," Coker said. "But like I said, if Bjorn wants to do a business deal, he should call me directly."

(Pictured: Scott Coker)

[reflector]

This could be a good fight. I think Fitch is too much for Ellenberger though.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21223/jon-fitch-vs-jake-ellenberger-targeted-for-ufc-126-in-february.mma





Jon Fitch vs. Jake Ellenberger targeted for UFC 126 in February
by Steven Marrocco on Nov 01, 2010 at 2:40 pm ET


A welterweight matchup between perennial contender Jon Fitch (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and Jake Ellenberger (23-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is on tap for UFC 126's pay-per-view card.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that at least one fighter has agreed to the fight and that bout agreements are in the process of being finalized.

UFC 126 takes place Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and is expected to feature a middleweight title fight between reigning champion Anderson Silva and challenger Vitor Belfort.

The event takes place on Super Bowl weekend and airs on pay-per-view.

It's been a long road back to title contention for the American Kickboxing Academy's Fitch. In his most recent appearance, he took on former contender Thiago Alves at UFC 117 and earned a solid unanimous decision. Prior to the bout, UFC president Dana White said the fight would determine the next welterweight contender. But the executive hedged on that promise earlier this month by announcing recent octagon import Jake Shields would get the next crack at the 170-pound belt if he were victorious over Martin Kampmann at this past Saturday's UFC 121.

Shields eked out a decision, and Fitch again must hold his spot in line.

For Ellenberger, it's a chance to climb several steps on the welterweight ladder. The Nebraskan most recently took home an impressive victory at UFC on Versus 2, when his ground and pound skills forced a third-round doctor's stoppage against John Howard. It was his second consecutive win after a second-round TKO over Mike Pyle at UFC 109.

Fitch, meanwhile, has not lost since August 2008, when he fell short in a bid to take Georges St-Pierre's title at UFC 87. It was his sole setback inside the octagon; he is one of the UFC's most winningest competitors with 13 victories to his credit.

Josh Koscheck, Fitch's AKA teammate, will meet St-Pierre on Dec. 11 at UFC 124. In an earlier interview with MMAjunkie.com, Fitch said he won't vie for the welterweight belt if Koscheck is victorious and may instead move up to the middleweight division.

"GSP is first on my list," he said. "But by the time I win the belt at 170, there will be one or two fights left because I will have fought everybody else, and I'll want to move up. That's just where my career will progress.

"Just like the other guys who want to fight the best in the world, I'm the same way. It's always been my intention to clear out 170 and move up. It's just one guy left, and I've been chasing him since the last loss, and I'll continue to chase him until I beat him and get the welterweight title and move up."

For now, though, Fitch has one tough obstacle to clear.

The latest UFC 126 card now includes:

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)*
* Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin*
* Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones*
* Jake Ellenberger vs. Jon Fitch*
* Evan Dunham vs. Kenny Florian*

* - Not officially announced

For more on UFC 126, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Jon Fitch)

[tbl]

Fitch... the day can't come too soon that he retires...

[reflector]

I think this could be a good fight.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21281/pat-barry-vs-joey-beltran-set-for-ufc-fight-night-23-troops-show.mma



Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran set for UFC Fight Night 23 "Troops" show
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Nov 04, 2010 at 5:15 pm ET

Heavyweights Pat Barry (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Joey Beltran (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will meet at the UFC's second "Fight for the Troops" event.

Barry confirmed the impending matchup with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after Tweeting that it'll be part of the main card.

"UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fight for the Troops 2" is expected to be held Jan. 22 in conjunction with Fort Hood in Texas. Several fights are now booked for the card, which could air on Spike TV.

However, officials said the booking and announcement process is slow one because of "security concerns" that come with working with the military.

The bout is Barry's first fight since he took on his idol, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, at UFC 115. Although he dropped Filipovic early in the fight, he also broke his hand in the process and later injured his foot on a kick. That set in motion a late-fight surge from Filipovic, a former PRIDE champion, and a rear-naked choke that forced him to submit in the third round.

The injury put Barry on the bench for several months, though he healed up by summer's end and took residence with then-heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's camp as the former champ prepared to defend his title at UFC 121 against Cain Velasquez.

Barry told MMAjunkie.com that he hasn't decided where he'll center his camp for Jan. 22's fight.

Beltran returns to action after a grueling encounter with "The Ultimate Fighter 10" veteran Matt Mitrione at UFC 119. He took a lot of punches during the three-round bout but stubbornly refused to quit and several times returned the favor in frenzied exchanges with the former NFL player. Still, judges declared him short on points and awarded a unanimous decision to Mitrione.

The loss snapped a two-fight win streak for "The Mexicutioner," who stopped Rolles Gracie in his UFC 109 debut and followed with a decision victory over Tim Hague at UFC 113.

For more on "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fight for the Troops 2" event, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Pat Barry)

[reflector]

I think this has the potential to be a great fight.



http://www.mmamania.com/2010/11/10/1806209/ufc-125-marcus-davis-vs-jeremy-stephens-booked-for-jan-1-in-las-vegas



UFC 125: Marcus Davis vs Jeremy Stephens booked for Jan. 1 in Las Vegas

Tapout_400x300b_tiny by Fernando Quiles Jr. on Nov 10, 2010 3:43 PM EST

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Davis-stephens_medium

Marcus Davis will indeed be making his lightweight debut when he meets Jeremy Stephens at the upcoming UFC 125: "Resolution" event on Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sherdog.com was able to confirm the pending contest earlier today.

Davis was on a hot streak with the UFC after his win over Chris Lytle back in January 2009, running his record to 8-1 inside the Octagon. Dan Hardy however rained on Davis' parade with a split decision victory at UFC 99.

"The Irish Hand Grenade" looked to rebound from that loss, but couldn't escape the knees of Ben Saunders and was stopped later that year. After a TKO win over Jonathan Goulet, Davis submitted to a guillotine choke courtesy of Nate Diaz, putting the former TUF 2 contestant at 1-3 in his last four bouts.

Will "Lil' Heathen" put a damper on Davis' lightweight debut?

Star-divide

Stephens got off to a rocky start with the UFC when veteran Din Thomas submitted him in his debut. He would bounce back however with a decision victory over Diego Saraiva. He then earned a TKO win over Cole Miller but struggled in his next three bouts going 1-2.

The Victory MMA product would rebound with a TKO win over Justin Buchholz and earn a split decision nod over Sam Stout. Stephens recently lost to Melvin Guillard at UFC 119 by split decision.

In the main event of "Resolution," UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar will not only look to retain his belt, but he'll also be looking for revenge as he battles the only man to hand him a loss in his professional career, Gray Maynard.

Another title will be on the line as newly crowned UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo looks to keep his gold and his pound-for-pound status in check when he battles Josh Grispi. Japanese sensation and former Pride Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi looks to build off his recent knockout win over Tyson Griffin when he meets former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Clay Guida.

For the current UFC 125 fight card and rumors click here.

[reflector]

This is the second to last WEC event. Be sure to check it out.



http://www.mmamania.com/2010/11/10/1805389/wec-52-weigh-in-results-live-from-las-vegas-for-faber-vs-mizugaki



WEC 52 weigh in results LIVE from Las Vegas for 'Faber vs Mizugaki'

Tiny by James Iannotti on Nov 10, 2010 5:35 PM EST

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Urijah-faber-weigh-in_medium_medium

The official weigh-in event for WEC 52: "Faber vs. Mizugaki" has come to a close from the Key West Ballroom at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Undercard fighter Zack Micklewright was the only competitor on the eleven-fight card to miss weight. He came in at 158 pounds for his lightweight battle against Dustin Poirier. He has been given one hour to try and cut the excess baggage. Each of the other twenty-one fighters set for action tomorrow night (Nov. 11) hit their respective marks without incident.

WEC 52: "Faber vs. Mizugaki" will feature former featherweight champion Urijah Faber making his 135-pound debut against one of the division's toughest in Japanese striking sensation Takeya Mizugaki.

Late replacement and former bantamweight title contender Joseph Benavidez will be featured in the co main event, battling grappling ace Wagnney Fabiano.

Check out the complete WEC 52 weigh in results and video feed after the jump:

Star-divide

Main event:

135 lbs.: Urijah Faber (136) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (136)

Main card (Televised):

135 lbs.: Joseph Benavidez (136) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (136)
145 lbs.: Francisco Rivera (146) vs. Erik Koch (146)
145 lbs.: Chad Mendes (145.5) vs. Javier Vazquez (146)
135 lbs.: Demetrious Johnson (135) vs. Damacio Page (136)

Under card (May not be broadcast):

155 lbs.: Zack Micklewright (158)* vs. Dustin Poirier (155)
135 lbs.: Clint Godfrey (136) vs. Michael McDonald (135)
145 lbs.: Mackens Semerzier (145) vs. Cub Swanson (145)
145 lbs.: Raphael Assuncao (146) vs. L.C. Davis (146)
155 lbs.: Anthony Njokuani (156) vs. Edward Faaloloto (154)
145 lbs.: Yves Jabouin (145) vs. Brandon Visher (145)

*Micklewright will have 1 hour to cut the extra 2 lbs.



Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of WEC 52 beginning with the Versus telecast at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 11. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

It's going to be a fun night of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight WEC 52 coverage you can handle.

[Boomer.....]

Faber's return to dominance begins tonight. It will be intersesting to see him at 135. Is he still planning on moving up to 155 in his next fight?

[Knippz]

Should catch the main events of each of these events (WEC/UFC). Neither have a great card.

[Sooner_Bob]

Don't forget about Friday night's MFC event on HDNet. Okies Pete Spratt and David Heath will be in action.

[reflector]

I really enjoyed this event. I thought Faber looked really good for his first fight at 135 pounds in the WEC.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21360/wec-52-main-card-recap-faber-submits-mizugaki-as-team-aklpha-males-sweeps.mma




WEC 52 main-card recap: Faber submits Mizugaki as Team Alpha Male sweeps
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Nov 11, 2010 at 11:40 pm ET
LAS VEGAS – Few camps have had the type of recent success – or even a single successful night – like Team Alpha Male has.

The California-based team's biggest star, Urijah Faber, posted an impressive bantamweight debut and scored a first-round submission-victory over former title-challenger Takeya Mizugaki.

The victory concluded a perfect night for Team Alpha Male at WEC 52, which took place Thursday at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

The event was the second-to-last-one before the WEC merges with its sister promotion, the UFC, in January.

In the night's Versus-televised headliner, former featherweight champ Faber dropped a weight class and easily topped Mizugaki. "The California Kid" closed the distance and fought from close quarters until he got the opening he needed. As Mizugaki fought for better position against the cage, Faber hopped on his back, secured his hooks, and tightened the grip once his opponent tried slamming him to the mat. Within a half minute, Faber secured the rear-naked choke, and Mizugaki opted to go to sleep instead of tap-out.

Referee Josh Rosenthal tested Mizugaki's arm, and when it was clear the Japanese fighter was out cold, the fight was halted at the 4:50 mark of the opening round.

"The Japanese have that fighting spirit, and this guy is known for being a guy who goes to the end, so I knew I'd need to do something drastic to take him out," Faber said.

After emerging as the WEC's biggest star and sometimes single-handedly carrying major shows, Faber admitted the moment was bittersweet.

"We're going to the UFC after this," Faber said with glassy eyes. "It's been an awesome run for the WEC. I love these guys. But it's time to step it up and get my belt in the UFC and live my dreams."

Faber (24-4 MMA, 9-3 WEC), who needed the win to avoid a potentially disastrous third consecutive loss, concludes his WEC career with a solid .750 winning percentage. Mizugaki, meanwhile, (13-5-2 MMA, 2-3 WEC) alternates between wins and losses for the sixth straight fight.

Faber, though, wasn't the only Team Alpha Male fighter to enter the winner's circle.

In the night's other featured attraction, veteran fighter Javier Vazquez talked his way into a co-headliner slot after publicly thrashing Chad Mendes as a coddled prospect who was "spoon fed" opponents by WEC officials.

The fast-rising featherweight prospect, though, easily dispatched of Vazquez like every opponent before him.

The former NCAA Division I national wrestling runner-up and Team Alpha Male staple used his trademark takedowns, smothering top game, apt submission defense and steady ground and pound to grind out a decisive and shutout unanimous-decision victory (30-27 on all three judges' cards).

Vazquez attempted nearly every conceivable defense from his back, but nothing could slow Mendes and his dominant ground game. And as was evident from his bag of tricks, the scariest thing about Mendes' ground skills are that they only keep getting better. Aside from a failed attempt to somersault over his opponent's guard, Mendes registered barely a single misstep in the dominating performance.

The victory keeps Mendes (9-0 MMA, 4-0 WEC) undefeated and moves him ever closer to a title shot. Vazquez (16-4 MMA, 2-3 WEC), meanwhile, halts a two-fight win streak he put together after a pair of split-decision losses in his first two WEC fights.

In a bout that received third billing, Erik Koch showed the type of striking that's all too common among Duke Roufus-trained fighters and knocked out late replacement and WEC newcomer Francisco Rivera with a first-round headkick.

Koch originally was slated to fight Josh Grispi in a No. 1 contender's bout, but the featherweight standout instead was booked for a title fight with WEC/UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo at UFC 125. In his place stepped Rivera, who could never combat Koch's long reach and vicious kicks.

After chopping away at Rivera's legs, Koch went high and floored his opponent with a left shin to the side of the head. Rivera fell to the mat, and Koch finished him off with hammerfists to force the stoppage at the 1:36 mark of the first round.

"Hopefully I get a bonus for this," a beaming Koch said. "I thought it was a pretty good knockout. But I've got to give it to Francisco. He took [the fight] on two weeks' notice. I didn't know if I was going to have an opponent."

Koch (11-1 MMA, 3-1 WEC) now has posted back-to-back wins since a decision loss to Mendes earlier this year. Rivera (5-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC) suffers the first loss of his young career.

Never mind the short layoff, never mind his size and reach disadvantage, and never mind his opponent's jiu-jitsu credentials. A focused and energetic Joseph Benavidez bounced back from an August title loss to bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and tapped out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Wagnney Fabiano with a second-round guillotine choke.

Benavidez, a late replacement for injured Brian Bowles, perhaps was a bit surprised to find Fabiano's willingness to keep the fight standing in an evenly matched first round. He may have been even more surprised to find Fabiano more than capable of avoiding Benavidez's frantic striking and ability to dish out his own.

But in the second round, Fabiano may have underestimated his opponent's ground skills and left himself prone to submissions. He narrowly escaped a tight guillotine choke that cageside observers thought prompted a tap-out (replays show it didn't), and a subsequent Peruvian necktie nearly sealed the deal. Ultimately, though, after again securing a dominant position, Benavidez returned to the guillotine choke, dropped to his back, and torqued the hold to force the tap-out at the 2:45 mark.

"I'm always in shape, and I have my two brothers [backstage]," said Benavidez, referring to Team Alpha Male teammates Faber and Mendes. "I thought it was a great matchup for me, so I took it. I fight. That's what I do."

Benavidez (13-2 MMA, 5-2 WEC), whose only two pro losses have come in close decisions to Cruz, secured his standing as a top contender. Fabiano (14-3 MMA, 4-2 WEC), meanwhile, loses for just the second time in 12 fights.

Make no mistake about it; Demetrious Johnson – not ring rust – resulted in a loss for Damacio Page.

Fighting for the first time in 13 months after a series of injuries forced him to the sidelines, Page posted an impressive first round against fellow bantamweight Johnson with a dominant ground game. However, Johnson took control in the next two rounds and ultimately scored a third-round submission win for one of the night's biggest upsets.

Page scored a trio of beautiful tosses in the first round and smothered his opponent with an effective top game and ground and pound. But Johnson regrouped between rounds and came out strong in the second. In addition to vicious leg kicks and solid punches from a variety of angles, "Mighty Mouse" dictated where the fight would unfold with a series of his own takedowns. By the third round, Page was slowing, and Johnson capitalized with a final takedown that set up a guillotine choke when his opponent desperately tried to get back to his feet.

The tap-out came at the 2:27 mark of the round.

"I needed to keep my hips away from him," said Johnson, a smaller bantamweight who said he tried to bulk up for the fight. "That's what he was doing, taking advantage of my hips (to get the first-round takedowns)."

With the biggest win of his career, Johnson (8-1 MMA, 2-1 WEC) rides a two-fight win streak into the UFC. Page (12-5 MMA, 3-2 WEC), meanwhile, suffers setback after a recent streak of four wins in five fights.

SEE ALSO: WEC 52 preliminary-card recap: Assuncao, Njokuani, McDonald and Swanson shine

MAIN CARD

* Urijah Faber def. Takeya Mizugaki via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:50
* Chad Mendes def. Javier Vazquez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Erik Koch def. Francisco Rivera via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:36
* Joseph Benavidez def. Wagnney Fabiano via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 2:45
* Demetrious Johnson def. Damacio Page via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 3, 2:27

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Raphael Assuncao def. L.C. Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Anthony Njokuani def. Edward Faaloloto via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:54
* Dustin Poirier def. Zack Micklewright via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 0:53
* Michael McDonald def. Clint Godfrey via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 2:42
* Cub Swanson def. Mackens Semerzier via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* Yves Jabouin def. Brandon Visher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more coverage of WEC 52, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: XXX)

[Boomer.....]

Faber did look good and very cut up. Mizugaki looked dead after they stopped the fight. I'm sure he was out for a few seconds before they stopped the fight.

What weight will Faber fight at in the UFC?

[reflector]

Faber did look good and very cut up. Mizugaki looked dead after they stopped the fight. I'm sure he was out for a few seconds before they stopped the fight.

What weight will Faber fight at in the UFC?

135 pounds. The WEC only has one more show, then they are done. The 135 and 145 pound weight classes will be moved to the UFC. The 155 pound weight class in the WEC will be merged with the UFC.

[Knippz]

I think Nate takes this fight, but I'm rooting for Okami. I want Silva to have a chance to avenge his BS loss. Either way I'm actually pretty excited to watch this fight, because it's two big middleweights that have consistently been 1 win away from a title shot.

[reflector]

There had been a lot of talk lately about the WEC adding a 125 pound weight division. Now with the UFC absorbing the WEC, I thought it might take a little longer to get that division going in the UFC. I hope they are able to get the division going fairly quickly.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21380/dana-white-ufc-soon-will-add-125-pound-flyweight-division.mma




Dana White: UFC soon will add 125-pound flyweight division
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Nov 12, 2010 at 4:30 pm ET

OBERHAUSEN, Germany – Every major weight class soon will be under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner.

Following January's upcoming absorption of World Extreme Cagefighting and its 145-pound featherweights and 135-pound bantamweights, the UFC then will add 125-pound flyweights.

That's according to UFC president Dana White, who said the new weight class could soon debut.

"I believe we'll add it a lot sooner than people think we will," White said during today's Q&A session at at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.

His comments come a day after two potential stars of the division – WEC 52 fighters Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson – picked up wins as bantamweights in Las Vegas.

However, while an in-studio guest on MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Johnson said he'd prefer to fight at the lighter weight class if it were available.

"I walk around at about 140 or 142 (pounds)," said "Mighty Mouse," who earned a come-from-behind submission win over veteran Damacio Page. "But I really have to eat to keep that weight on. It's a struggle. ... I'd love to fight at flyweight."

Currently, the best 125-pounders are spread throughout the world with no single organization having a stronghold on the division. Undefeated Brazilian fighter Jussier da Silva (7-0) widely is regarded as the best, and he fights at next month's Tachi Palace Fights 7 event that streams on MMAjunkie.com.

However, many others fight in Japan and in regional promotions throughout the world.

WEC officials long discussed the possibility of adding the division at various points throughout 2009 and 2010, but it never materialized.

However, once the UFC adds the division, White said he and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva will pursue the best talent available. That could lead Benavidez, Johnson and other smaller WEC bantamweights to consider a drop in weight class, where a new UFC belt will be up for grabs.

(Pictured: Demetrious Johnson)

[reflector]

I thought this was a pretty good event. It was cool that it was free.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21394/ufc-122-main-card-recap.mma




UFC 122 main-card recap: Okami decisions Marquardt, earns title shot
by John Morgan and Steven Marrocco on Nov 13, 2010 at 5:15 pm ET

OBERHAUSEN, Germany – UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami didn't exactly bring the thunder, but the durable Japanese brute did outmatch the highly respected Nate Marquardt over the course of their 15-minute affair.

In a contest arranged to determine the next challenger to the UFC's middleweight crown, Okami stifled Marquardt for three rounds and was awarded a unanimous-decision victory.

The bout served as the main event for Saturday's "UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami," which took place Saturday at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, and aired via same-day tape delay in the U.S.

The opening round saw Marquardt establish top position early after stuffing an Okami takedown attempt. The advantage would be short-lived after Okami was able to pull free from a Marquardt guillotine-choke attempt and take his turn in the dominant position.

There was little action on the floor, and Okami elected to return to feet. On the way, he evaded Marquardt's attempt to finish the fight with a leglock. After some brief exchanges on the feet and in the clinch, Okami scored a late takedown that appeared to help him seal the round.

The second-round was equally well-matched with each fighter looking to take the other to the canvas. Okami was driven to a sitting position briefly, but neither was able to work to an advantageous position. A flurry in the final seconds saw both fighters land significant strikes, though it seemed to favor Marquardt slightly, and it appeared the fight would be decided in the final frame.

With the grappling game proving a relative stalemate, Okami turned to his much-improved striking skills in the final frame, and the gamble paid off.

Working a stiff jab, Okami cut Marquardt and grabbed the momentum. Marquardt wouldn't go away quietly, and he stood and traded in the pocket while also mixing in a successful takedown. However, Okami popped right back up and resumed his punching pursuit. When the final bell sounded, Okami was awarded a unanimous-decision win, with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.

Prior to the fight, UFC president Dana White promised the winner of the UFC 122 matchup a shot at the middleweight title, and Okami will now wait for the winner of a February bout between current champ Anderson Silva and top contender Vitor Belfort.

Okami (26-5 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who has won six of his past seven fights, owns a 2006 win over Silva, though it came via technicality after "The Spider" was disqualified for landing an illegal upkick from which his opponent could not continue.

Meanwhile, Marquardt (30-10-2 MMA, 9-4 UFC) must go back to the drawing board once again after dropping a No. 1 contender fight for the second time in his past three trips to the cage.

Siver wows countrymen in first-round stoppage

While UFC middleweight sluggers Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara were expected to meet in the evening's co-main event, the Italian boxer was forced to withdraw from the event at that last moment after suffering flu-like symptoms. UFC officials said Sakara wanted to compete despite his condition, but the promotion was forced to pull the fighter when he was vomiting backstage mere hours before he was scheduled to compete.

To fill the role, the UFC turned to lightweight bangers Dennis Siver and Andre Winner, who were expected to deliver fireworks. In the end, it was the German native who provided the fight's highlights.

After a few brief exchanges on the feet, Winner leaped in to strike, but Siver delivered a perfectly timed counter-left to the chin, and Winner hit the deck. Siver looked as if he's finish the fight with his fists as a right scored to Winner's dome on the way to the floor, and the ground and pound came hard and heavy. Referee Kevin Mulhall gave Winner every chance to recover, and Sive switched to plan B.

In a slick transition indicative of Siver's abilities as a complete mixed martial artist, the German used his left leg to trap Winner's left arm and transitioned around to his opponent's back with both hooks firmly in place. The rear-naked choke was applied instantly, and Winner's fate was sealed.

The Brit relented as long as possible in the precarious position, but he was forced to submit at the 3:37 mark of the opening round.

After starting his UFC career 1-3, the streaking Siver (17-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is now 6-1 in his past seven overall outings. Winner (11-5-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has now dropped two-straight fights.

Sadollah outpoints Sobotta

Welterweight prospects Amir Sadollah and Peter Sobotta were each looking to return to the win column after recent setbacks, but in the opening minutes, it became clear who would walk away with their hand raised.

The winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 7," Sadollah's vaunted Muay Thai attack was simply too much for Sobotta over the course of 15 minutes.

Sobotta's best opportunity to change the flow of the fight may have been in the opening round when he was nearly able to take the back in a scramble on the feet. But Sadollah patiently peeled Sobotta off his back and resumed his striking approach.

Sabotta remained game in his counter-attack, but the quality and volume of the standup fell to Sadollah. A moderate-paced matchup throughout, the victor was clear at the final bell, and Sadollah was correctly awarded the unanimous decision with a clean sweep of all three rounds.

Despite remaining in control throughout, Sadollah praised his opponent's effort.

"He's a super-tough guy and definitely on his way up," Sadollah said.

Sadollah (4-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has now earned victory in three of his past four fights. Sobotta (8-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) is winless in three trips to the octagon and is likely facing a release.

Soszynski overpowers Reljic in gritty three-rounder

Sporting a history of tough three-round contests, light heavyweights Krzysztof Soszynski and Goran Reljic didn't fail to live up to their reputations.

The opening round saw Soszynski moving forward for most of the frame with an impressive mix of low kicks and stiff punches, including a left that staggered Reljic briefly. Sensing he was falling behind on the feet, Reljic scores a successful takedown – yet it was Soszynski who went on the attack from his back by immediately looking for a kimura.

Reljic survived, but he could do nothing from the top other than defend.

The second frame proved more of a stalemate. Reljic nailed an early takedown, but his respect for Soszynski's submission skills left him unable to commit to an attack. When returned to the feet by the referee, the two were left jockeying for position in the clinch.

With the fight potentially in the balance in the final frame, Soszynski turned up the heat. Reljic again tried for the takedown, but Soszynski stuffed the attempt. Reljic tried to roll for a knee, but Soszynski pulled free. When Reljic returned to his feet, he was staggering sightly and visibly fatigued.

Soszynski poured on the attack in the closing minutes by delivering several heavy ground-and-pound blows when Reljic willingly dropped to his back to avoid being blasted with a knee. Reljic covered well, but Soszynski still found his mark on occasion. When the final bell sounded, Soszynski was awarded a unanimous-decision win, 30-27 on all three judges' cards.

"That boy is tough," Soszynski said following the win. "You never what the judges are going to score. ... I think that third round sealed the deal for me."

With the win, Soszynski (25-11-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) rebounds successfully from a disappointing loss to Stephan Bonnar in July. Meanwhile, a gritty Reljic (8-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) loses for the third time in three outings and faces a likely release from the promotion.

Ludwig outlasts Ospipczak to earn split

The evening's first televised contest featured welterweights Duane "Bang" Ludwig and Nick Osipczak. Promoted to the main card following the cancellation of the Rivera vs. Sakara matchup, the two fighters started went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in what would end up a split-decision affair.

Osipczak took clear control of the first frame by rocking Ludwig on the feet and grinding away from top position on the ground. The exchanges left Ludwig's brow bleeding, and he seemed to be facing an uphill battle against the larger Osipczak.

The second round proved tougher to score. The two traded shots on the feet, and Ludwig seemed to be edging out his foe slightly in the standup. Osipczak looked to reverse that momentum with a takedown, though he couldn't truly capitalize on the position and referee Marc Goddard returned the pair to the feet. MMAjunkie.com scores the round in Osipczak's favor, but the edge was slight, at best.

After briefly starting the final round without his mouthpiece, Osipczak slowed considerable in the final five minutes. He retreated for much of the round with his hands down by his side. Unfortunately for Ludwig, he couldn't land the necessary big bang. Knees and punches came in punches as Osipczak feebly covered up against the cage, but a tiring Ludwig simply couldn't seal the deal.

Nevertheless, it appeared Osipczak may have done enough to take the fight. Only one judge agreed, and even that score was puzzling. Instead, Ludwig took the fight via split decision with scores of 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28.

The win was the first for Ludwig (20-11 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in the UFC since 2006. While impressive early in the matchup, Osipczak (5-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has now dropped three consecutive fights by decision, including two split results.

SEE ALSO: UFC 122 preliminary-card recap: Matyushenko tops Ferreira in a head-scratcher

MAIN CARD
Yushin Okami def. Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Dennis Siver def. Andre Winner via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:37
Amir Sadollah def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Goran Reljic by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Duane Ludwig vs. Nick Osipczak via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Vladimir Matyushenko def. Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:20
Pascal Krauss def. Mark Scanlon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kyle Noke def. Rob Kimmons via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:33
Karlos Vemola def. Seth Petruzelli via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:46
Carlos Eduardo Rocha def. Kris McCray via submission (kneebar) - Round 1, 2:21
For more on UFC 122, stay tuned to the UFC events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Yushin Okami)

[reflector]

Just a reminder, the Countdown to UFC 123 show premieres tonight on Spike.

[Knippz]

That fight was pretty bad, but now Silva can avenge a loss.

I'll take Lyoto and BJ this weekend.

[reflector]

I enjoyed watching the event. The Zaromskis fight was unfortunate though.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21474/strikeforce-challengers-12-recap-wilcox-dominates-ribeiro-st-preux-tops-britt.mma (http://mmajunkie.com/news/21474/strikeforce-challengers-12-recap-wilcox-dominates-ribeiro-st-preux-tops-britt.mma)





Strikeforce Challengers 12 recap: Wilcox dominates Ribeiro, St. Preux tops Britt

by Dann Stupp on Nov 20, 2010 at 12:50 am ET

After paying his dues on preliminary cards and Strikeforce Challengers events, lightweight Justin Wilcox has earned the right to main-card billings on major shows.

The American Kickboxing Academy fighter and longtime Strikeforce fighter scored a unanimous-decision victory over the struggling Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro.

The fight headlined Strikeforce Challengers 12, which took place Saturday at the Jackson Convention Complex in Mississippi and aired on Showtime.

Wilcox, a former collegiate wrestler and competitive bodybuilder, avoided his opponent's dangerous ground game with an effective sprawl, battered him with efficient and calculated striking, and displayed stellar conditioning to neutralize his opponent's game plan during all three rounds of the fight.

Wilcox took an early lead by connecting with straight rights, and an exceptionally adept sprawl during a second-round takedown attempt seemed to take the wind out of Ribeiro's sails. In the third, Ribeiro clearly was in desperation mode, and Wilcox easily snuffed out his telegraphed advances and punished him with additional uppercuts.

In the end, all three judges scored the fight 30-27 in Wilcox's favor.

"We wanted to exploit his standup," said Wilcox, who campaigned for a fight with Lyle Beerbohm in his post-fight interview. "At AKA, we have great standup."

Wilcox (10-3 MMA, 4-1 SF) now owns a five-fight win streak, and the past four wins have come under the Strikeforce banner. Ribeiro (20-5 MMA, 0-2 SF), who was once one of the 155-pound division's most promising prospects, now has last four of his past five fights.

St. Preux dominates first round, wins decision

Antwain Britt survived a first-round beating and came back to win the second, but light heavyweight Ovince St. Preux's smothering top game allowed him to win the decisive third round to pick up a unanimous-decision victory in the night's co-headliner.

After a brief delay at the beginning of the fight when Britt took an accidental finger to the eye, St. Preux went on the offensive with body-jarring body kicks. And once he wrestled Britt to the mat and had him in the kneeling section, St. Preux took his back and unloaded a vicious barrage of strikes. First came punches to the head then knees to the ribs and then a perhaps-unwise heel-hook attempt.

Britt amazingly survived the round and dominated the ground action in the second, but St. Preux returned the favor in the third and secured the round and the win with a smothering top game.

"I knew coming into the fight Antwain would be a tough opponent, and it showed," St. Preux said.

St. Preux (8-4 MMA, 2-0 SF), who scored an eight-second knockout of UFC vet Jason Day in his previous bout, now owns five straight wins. Britt (11-5 MMA, 1-2 SF), meanwhile, suffers his third loss in four fights.

Zaromskis-Spiritwolf ends in no-contest; Carmouche and Fodor cruise

An intriguing welterweight bout between DREAM champion Marius Zaromskis (13-5 MMA, 0-2 SF) and Waachiim Spiritwolf (8-7-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) lasted a mere seven seconds and concluded with a disappointing no-contest.

Zaromskis, who looked to rebound from back-to-back Strikeforce losses to Nick Diaz and Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, shot across the cage at the opening bell with a flying knee. Unfortunately, a finger entered and lacerated Spiritwolf's eye during the process, and the referee immediately called for a timeout.

Spiritwolf tried to shake it off with a few minutes of recovery time, but after confirming the fighter couldn't see out of the bleeding eye, the cageside physician was forced to halt the bout due to the laceration, which resulted in the no-contest.

After suffering a brutal knockout loss to Strikeforce women's middleweight champ Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos in June, Jan Finney (8-9 MMA, 0-2 SF) didn't fare much better against undefeated 135-pounder Liz Carmouche (5-0 MMA, 2-0 SF) and was stopped by strikes in the third round.

Carmouche used crisper striking and multiple takedowns to win the first two rounds, and then in the third, she scored a takedown, hopped into mount and rained down a steady stream of blows to force the referee's intervention at the 1:30 mark.

"Girl-Rilla" now owns five consecutive wins, four of which have come via stoppage.

In the night's opening bout, Northwest submission specialist Caros Fodor (7-2 MMA, 2-0 SF) scored a first-round drag-takedown and easily maneuvered into a dominant ground position to force a tap-out from fellow lightweight Derek Getzel (1-2 MMA, 0-1 SF).

Once on the mat, Fodor quickly moved into north-south position and locked in the fight-ending D'arce choke at the 4:39 mark of the round. Fodor, who trains with Matt Hume's AMC gym in Washington, now owns six submissions in his seven career wins.

MAIN CARD

* Justin Wilcox def. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Ovince St. Preux def. Antwain Britt via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Waachim Spiritwolf vs. Marius Zaromskis declared no-contest (Spiritwolf's eye laceration)
* Liz Carmouche def. Jan Finney via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 1:30
* Caros Fodor def. Derek Getzel via submission (D'arce choke) - Round 1, 4:39

For more on Strikeforce Challengers 12, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Justin Wilcox)

[reflector]

I was surprised with how quick Penn won.






http://mmajunkie.com/news/21479/ufc-123-main-card-recap.mma



UFC 123 main-card recap: Shocked "Rampage" awarded split-decision win
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Nov 21, 2010 at 1:05 am ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – When the final bell sounded following Saturday's "UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida" main event, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson raised the hand of Lyoto Machida in victory. When the two walked to the center of the cage for the official announcement, the opposite was true.

While Machida looked to have done enough in the 15-minute affair to earn his own decision win, two of the three judges at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich., disagreed.

Jackson, who looked as surprised as anyone when the final scores were read, was instead awarded the split-decision result after a tightly-contested affair.

As the bout opened, Jackson charged forward with punches, but the always-elusive Machida was able to evade any real damage. Instead, Machida relied on kicks to the legs and body as he tried to evade Jackson's boxing attack. Jackson tried to control the action in the clinch, as well, and he resorted to a few footstomps against the cage, but there was little to differentiate between the two combatants.

The second round played out largely as the first, though Jackson appeared to open up the arsenal a bit and score with a touch more frequency. Keeping the pressure high, Machida had little room to dance and trade. Jackson scores a takedown along the way, though he did little to establish the position. Nevertheless, with two rounds in the books, the fight appeared up in the air.

While the first two frames were light on action, things picked up in the third. Jackson scored with his hands, though Machida immediately landed stiff counterstrikes that appeared to have his opponent in trouble. Jackson looked to answer, but Machida dumped him on the floor. With Jackson on his back, Machida looked in complete control. However, he didn't take full advantage of the position and instead relied on control over damage.

When Machida did look for an armbar attempt, Jackson nearly powered into a vintage slam. Machida wisely released his legs and landed on his feet.

Jackson would try one final striking flurry, but Machida pulled him to the floor and finished the round there. It was a clear final frame for Machida, but when the total scores were tallied, it was Jackson who walked away the winner.

Following the result, Jackson (31-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) admitted he was shocked to earn the result, but is now 3-1 in his past four octagon appearances. Meanwhile, Machida (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has now dropped two-straight fights after opening his career with 16 consecutive wins.

Both fighters said they would be open to a rematch.

Penn shocks Hughes in 21-second stunner

A focused, in-shape B.J. Penn has proven throughout his career to be among the world's best fighters. Apparently, that can still be true at 170 pounds.

Fighting at welterweight for the first time since a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre in January 2009, Penn overwhelmed longtime rival Matt Hughes in shocking 21 seconds.

Penn was on the attack from the opening bell and came out swinging. As Hughes tried to return fire, Penn blasted the UFC Hall of Famer with a right hand that saw the legend crash to the canvas. Penn rushed to a loose mount and delivered several crushing follow-up shots that sealed the knockout result.

Penn sprinted from the cage in celebration, though he was quickly calmed and brought back to the octagon. Meanwhile, Hughes was forced to ask his cornermen what happened.

With the win, Penn (16-7-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) snaps a frustrating two-fight win streak and claims victory in a trilogy series with Hughes that began at UFC 46 in 2004.

Meanwhile, an obviously disappointed Hughes (45-8 MMA, 18-6 UFC) must again consider his future with little left to prove in the sport.

Falcao nearly taps Harris, settles for decision win

Carrying a gaudy 25-3 record into his UFC debut, Brazilian banger Maquiel Falco showed promise in stretches, but he and opponent Gerald Harris ultimately failed to keep the crowd's interest.

The fight opened with a cautious feeling-out process by both fighters, though it was Harris' jab that was doing the best work. Then Falco decided to fight, and his powerful kicks drew Harris' attention. "Hurricane" scored a takedown, but it was Falco who reversed to the top and sunk in a rear-naked choke. The hold was deep, and Harris looked dangerously close to tapping, though he was saved by the bell.

That didn't stop Falcao from cranking the choke, and he was peeled off by the referee, much to Harris' dismay.

There was no penalty enforced, and the fight carried on in similar fashion in the second round.

Falcao again worked to the rear-naked choke position, and while Harris tried to slam out of the hold, the Brazilian remained tight on his back. Harris somehow survived as Falcao's arm was trapped mainly on the chin, and the newcomer was forced to release the hold. Harris tried to turn the tides, but for the remaining round-and-a-half, he looked exhausted, and Falcao looked disinterested.

The final round played out to a chorus of boos with a complete lack of activity. Still, Falcao had done enough in the opening two rounds and walked away with the clear-cut decision, 29-27, 29-28, 29-28.

Falcao (26-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) wins in his UFC debut, though he did show room for improvement. Meanwhile, Harris (17-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) sees a 10-fight win streak snapped.

Davis taps Boetsch, twice, with "Wonder-mura"

Favored by just about every MMA fan and pundit heading into his light heavyweight matchup with Tim Boetsch, fast-rising prospect Phil Davis delivered on the expectations.

Davis ventured into Boetsch's field of expertise for the opening half of the opening round and did just fine in the striking exchanges, kicking from the outside and keeping his hands high in defense. When he tired of that, Davis did the inevitable and took the fight to the floor.

Boetsch showed little ability to work back to his feet as Davis methodically delivered damage from the top, but he did make back to the standup in the final seconds when "Mr. Wonderful" scrambled away.

In the second, Davis took the fight again to the floor, and this time he brought in a rarely-seen kimura variation the UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan described as a "police maneuver."

Working for a kimura on Boetsch's left arm, Davis used just one arm to pin his opponent's behind his back. Torquing the maneuver with Boetsch unable to escape, Davis forced the tap. The initial submission wasn't seen, but Davis continued to crank and forced another, more definitive tapout.

Following the win, Davis said the finishing hold was a bit of an improvisation.

"I kind of make it up as I go," Davis said. "I think I just invented it. It's called the 'Mr. Wonderful.' In wrestling we call it a chicken wing, but that’s when the person is on their stomach."

Davis (8-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) remains undefeated and appears to have a bright future in the UFC's light heavyweight division. Meanwhile, Boetsch (12-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) sees a three-fight win streak snapped as he drops to .500 in the UFC.

Sotiropoulos taps Lauzon in second

In the evening's first pay-per-view fight, lightweights George Sotiropoulos and Joe Lauzon combined to deliver every bit of the toe-to-toe matchup that was expected of the two fast-rising contenders. But while Lauzon looked sharp in his feet early, he ultimately elected to engage on the floor and paid the price for the decision.

Lauzon actually was able to work to top position briefly in the frame, and he also reversed Sotiropoulos in the losing seconds in a closely contested round. That all changed in the second.

Sotiropoulos, sporting just one knee brace and one ankle wrap, continued to land the hands fly in the second frame, and he worked Lauzon's body on the feet. As Lauzon looked to tire, the Australian contender kicked it into overdrive.

The fighters hit the floor on a scramble, and Sotiropoulos took top position. From there, he smothered his opponent from the top as he set up a kimura. When Lauzon defended the hold, Sotiropoulos opted for an armbar attempt that ultimately failed, but he worked again immediately for the kimura. Locked in , the hold was tight, and Lauzon was forced to tap.

Following the victory, Sotiropoulos said he worked frequently on the final maneuver while also once again expressing his desire to fight in his native Australia in February.

"The Kimura is something we trained every day, and it was something I was looking for," Sotiropoulos said. "I want to thank Eddie Bravo for helping me with my jiu-jitsu.

"I can't wait to go back to Australia and celebrate with my family. I want to fight in Australia, too."

With the impressive win, Sotiropoulos (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has now earned seven-consecutive octagon wins. Meanwhile, Lauzon (19-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) falls to just 1-2 in his past three fights and continues to come up short in his biggest fights.

For more, see: UFC 123 preliminary-card recap: Brian Foster taps Matt Brown in second

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Lyoto Machida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* B.J. Penn def. Matt Hughes via KO (punches) - Round 1, 0:21
* Maiquel Falcao def. Gerald Harris via unanimous decision (29-27. 29-28, 29-28)
* Phil Davis def. Tim Boetsch via submission (kimura) - Round 2, 2:55
* George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Lauzon via submission (kimura) - Round 2, 2:43

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* Brian Foster def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 2:11
* Mark Munoz def. Aaron Simpson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Dennis Hallman def. Karo Parisyan via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:47
* Edson Barboza def. Mike Lullo via TKO (leg kicks) - Round 3, 0:26
* Paul Kelly def. T.J. O'Brien via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:16
* Nik Lentz def. Tyson Griffin via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC 123, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson)

[reflector]

I think this will be a good fight. I think Bisping will win though.



http://www.mmamania.com/2010/11/23/1832127/jorge-rivera-i-think-i-have-what-it-takes-to-knock-michael-bisping-out





Jorge Rivera: 'I think I have what it takes to knock Michael Bisping out'

Tomcat_tiny by Jesse Holland on Nov 23, 2010 10:58 AM EST

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Jorge-rivera_medium

Props: Sherdog.com

Quoteworthy:

"I promise you that I’m going to come to fight. If Michael Bisping comes to fight, then we’re going to have a good fight. I know it will make for a good fight. I think I can knock him out. I think I have what it takes to keep him standing and to knock him out. I was honestly thinking right away what would be a good fight for me, and I just thought that Michael Bisping would be a good fight. That’s why I asked for it."

Middleweight striker Jorge Rivera, who saw his UFC 122 bout with Alessio Sakara go up in smoke after "Legionarius" fell ill, is ready for a "good fight" against Michael Bisping at UFC 127 -- if and when the promotion finalizes the proposed 185-pound match-up. "El Conquistador" (19-7) is riding a three-fight winning streak, including back-to-back TKO wins over Rob Kimmons and Nate Quarry. Will "The Count" be the next to fall? Or is Rivera getting sent to the back of the line by the British banger? Opinions, please.

[reflector]

This news absolutely stinks.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21510/new-ufc-champ-jose-aldo-forced-to-withdraw-from-ufc-125.mma




Injury forces new UFC champ Jose Aldo to withdraw from UFC 125
by John Morgan on Nov 23, 2010 at 6:10 pm ET

The UFC's new featherweight champion will have to wait a little bit longer to make his first defense of the belt.

The WEC's final 145-pound champ, Jose Aldo (18-1 MMA, 8-0 WEC), who was officially awarded his new UFC title prior to this past Saturday's UFC 123 event, has suffered an undisclosed injury in training and has been forced to withdraw from a scheduled bout with top contender Josh Grispi (14-1 MMA, 4-0 WEC) .

The two had been expected to meet in the co-main event of "UFC 125: Resolution," which takes place Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today verified Aldo's withdrawal, which was first reported by Heavy.com.

According to ESPN.com's Josh Gross, who posted the news on his official Twitter account, the injury was a "compacted vertebrae (which) caused tingling in both arms" and will force Aldo out of action for "at least a month for therapy."

Currently, officials have not decided how to plug the hole on the card or if Grispi will get a new opponent.

Aldo, who was installed as a UFC champion following the recent decision to merge the world's largest MMA promotion with its sister company, the WEC, was formally awarded the UFC's first-ever featherweight title this past weekend.

Aldo debuted for the WEC in June 2008 with a second-round TKO win over Shooto legend Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira.

Following five consecutive knockout wins to open his WEC run – including three in the first round – Aldo was granted a title shot against then-champion Mike Brown. Aldo halted Brown with strikes in the second round.

Aldo then defended his belt twice with wins over Manny Gamburyan and Urijah Faber and is currently considered among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

For the latest on UFC 125 stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Dana White and Jose Aldo)

[reflector]

This could be a really good fight. I hope it ends up taking place.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21524/spencer-fisher-vs-ross-pearson-targeted-for-ufc-127-in-australia.mma





Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson targeted for UFC 127 in Australia
by Dann Stupp on Nov 24, 2010 at 2:20 pm ET

A lightweight bout between UFC veteran Spencer Fisher (24-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and "The Ultimate Fighter 9" lightweight winner Ross Pearson (11-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is expected to be part of UFC 127.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) verbal agreements are in place and that contracts should be signed shortly.

Although not officially announced by the organization, UFC 127 is expected to take place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

The event airs live on pay-per-view, though it's not clear if Fisher vs. Pearson will be part of the broadcast.

After a three-fight win streak in the UFC, which included wins over notables Caol Uno and Jeremy Stephens, Fisher dropped consecutive losses to Joe Stevenson and Dennis Siver. But he then signed a new UFC deal and got back in the win column with a unanimous-decision victory over Kurt Warburton this past at UFC 120.

He looks for his fifth win in five fights when he meets Pearson, who opened his UFC career with wins over Andre Winner, Aaron Riley and Siver (which earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus). But in his most recent bout, his four-fight win streak came to a halt with a submission loss to Cole Miller.

For more on UFC 127, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Spencer Fisher)

[reflector]

This could be a good fight.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21557/mike-kyle-in-meets-antonio-silva-at-strikeforce-henderson-vs-babalu.mma




Replacement Mike Kyle meets Antonio Silva at "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu"

by Steven Marrocco and Dann Stupp on Nov 29, 2010 at 2:00 pm ET

Mike Kyle (18-7-1 MMA, 2-2-1 SF) has stepped in as an injury replacement for Valentijn Overeem (28-25 MMA, 0-0 SF) and now meets heavyweight Antonio Silva (14-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) at Saturday's "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu" event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the switch with multiple sources close to the show, including a Strikeforce official.

The fight is part of the Showtime-televised main card of the show, which takes place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Overeem was forced off the card this past week with an elbow injury.

Kyle carries a five-fight streak into the fight and 8-1 record (with one no-contest) during his past 10 fights. During that stretch, he scored a submission victory over Abongo Humphrey at Strikeforce Challengers 9. Recently, the UFC and WEC vet has competed at light heavyweight (and even won a 205-pound title in the Australian XMMA organization in his most recent bout), so Kyle literally faces a big challenge in 265-pound Silva.

Prior to the injury shuffle, Kyle was expected to take on former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi in a possible title-eliminator bout expected for February. It's unknown if Saturday's bout will change those plans.

Silva's most recent appearance resulted in a May decision win over Andrei Arlovski at "Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery." The former and only EliteXC heavyweight champ originally was under consideration for a meeting with Fedor Emelianenko, but the matchup did not materialize. The former EliteXC champion has won seven of his past eight contests overall, and the lone loss came via decision to Fabricio Werdum at a November 2009 Strikeforce event.

For more on "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Mike Kyle)

[reflector]

I might try to catch the end of this.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21565/versus-com-streams-wednesdays-2010-world-mma-awards-ceremony-live.mma




Versus.com streams Wednesday's 2010 World MMA Awards ceremony live
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Nov 30, 2010 at 10:45 am ET

Wednesday's 2010 World MMA Awards ceremony streams live on Versus.com, officials today announced.

The black-tie event recognizes the year's best in MMA.

The event streams live at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) from The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The Versus cable station then debuts an edited version of the show on Dec. 9 at 10 p.m. ET.

UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and Versus reporter Molly Qerim host the ceremony.

The awards program, which "Fighters Only" launched in 2008, honors people and organizations in 19 different categories, including "Fight of the Year," "KO of the Year," "Breakthrough Fighter of the Year," "Best Promotion" and others. The finalists for the prestigious "Fighter of the Year" category include Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

All winners are determined by a fan vote. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast for this year's awards, which recognize achievements from September 2009 to September 2010.

MMAjunkie.com is nominated in the "Best Media Category" and looks for the three-peat, and lead staff reporter John Morgan looks to win his second "Journalist of the Year" trophy.

(Pictured: 2008 and 2009 "Ring Girl of the Year" Arianny Celeste)

[reflector]

Freddie Roach Predicts GSP Will Knock Koscheck Out With a Left Hook


kpkjn8Wufz8

[reflector]

Chael Sonnen got his suspension reduced from one year to six months.

[reflector]

This is awesome news. I think it would be cool for MMA to be on FX.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21608/exclusive-bellator-expected-to-air-live-on-fx-delayed-on-fsn-and-fuel-tv-in-2011.mma




Exclusive: Bellator expected to air live on FX, delayed on FSN and Fuel TV in 2011

by Dann Stupp on Dec 03, 2010 at 1:15 pm ET

Bellator Fighting Championships officials are expected to announce a multi-year broadcast deal with FOX Entertainment Group, sources today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

As part of the deal, future Bellator events are expected to air live on the FX cable station with tape-delayed broadcasts on sister stations FOX Sports Net and Fuel TV.

Bellator aired its first first season on the Spanish-language ESPN Deportes and its two most recent seasons on FSN.

Sources said the deal is in the process of being finalized and soon could be announced.

MMAjunkie.com today spoke to Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. The former boxing executive said he can't comment on the organization's television efforts but promised fans will be pleased.

"We're super excited about our next evolution on TV," Rebney said. "We're always trying to produce the most exciting and captivating MMA for our fans. Our next step is a significant move in that direction. But at this time, I can't elaborate on what those alliances would be."

Sources, though, said Bellator likely will keep its Thursday-night live timeslots with the move to FX. The FSN and Fuel TV broadcasts likely will include "highlights" packages from those events.

Although more prominent than many MMA promotions' broadcast deals, Bellator's have been criticized since the company launched in 2008. Few fans had ESPN Deportes on their basic cable lineup, and FSN often pre-empted live Bellator shows for other programming in many markets. Replays/highlights packages that aired via delay in weekend slots on NBC, Telemundo and mun2 did little to curb complaints about fans' inability to watch the shows live.

However, in recent months, Rebney continually has promised that a better broadcast deal is in the works. The promoter, who recently earned a 2010 World MMA Award "Leading Man" nomination, has had to debunk rumors of a potential demise and sponsorship troubles.

This latest deal, though, could take Bellator and its 12-week fight seasons to a new level. FX, which launched in 1994, is available on most basic-cable packages and can be scene in approximately 100 million households (which is about the same as ESPN in the U.S.).

Prominently featuring eight-man (and eight-woman) tournaments that span each three-month/12-show season, Bellator now ranks among the top three to four MMA promotions in the world. Notable Bellator fighters include middleweight champion Hector Lombard, lightweight title-holder Eddie Alvarez, welterweight champ Ben Askren and others. In addition to the tourney bouts, Bellator events also feature many notables in traditional fight bookings, and as the organization travels each week to venues across the U.S., regional fighters are featured in untelevised preliminary-card fights.

Bellator's upcoming fourth season is expected to launch in the spring of 2011 with another slate of tournaments in various weight classes.

[reflector]

I will probably just have to watch the replay. There is a replay at 11:30 tomorrow night, so I won't have to miss the Big XII Championship game.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21601/the-ultimate-fighter-12-finale-live-weigh-in-results.mma




The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale live weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 03, 2010 at 5:44 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – MMAjunkie.com is on scene for today's official fighter weigh-ins for The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.

You can get text-only results in this post, or check out live video feed of the proceedings on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

Today's festivities begin at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time) at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, the same venue that hosts Saturday's Spike TV-televised event and Michael Johnson vs. Jonathan Brookins "TUF 12" championship bout.

In addition to the "TUF 12" tournament finale, which concludes the latest and a lightweights-only season of the UFC's long-running reality series, Saturday's show features a headliner between "TUF 1" runner-up Stephan Bonner and fellow light heavyweight Igor Pokrajac. Additionally, some of the first WEC fighters to enter the UFC following the merger compete on the card.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD

* Jonathan Brookins (154) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
* Stephan Bonnar (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (205)
* Kendall Grove (186) vs. Demian Maia (186)
* Rick Story (170) vs. Johny Hendricks (171)
* Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Nam Phan (146)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Cody McKenzie (154) vs. Aaron Wilkinson (155)
* Ian Loveland (145) vs. Tyler Toner (146)
* Kyle Watson (156) vs. Sako Chivitchian (156)
* Will Campuzano (136) vs. Nick Pace (138)
* Pablo Garza (126) vs. Fredson Paixao (125)
* Rich Attonito (185) vs. Dave Branch (185)

For the latest on The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Igor Pokrajac)

[Shakadoodoo]

Where will the replay be at? On spike tv?


I will probably just have to watch the replay. There is a replay at 11:30 tomorrow night, so I won't have to miss the Big XII Championship game.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21601/the-ultimate-fighter-12-finale-live-weigh-in-results.mma




The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale live weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 03, 2010 at 5:44 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – MMAjunkie.com is on scene for today's official fighter weigh-ins for The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.

You can get text-only results in this post, or check out live video feed of the proceedings on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

Today's festivities begin at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time) at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, the same venue that hosts Saturday's Spike TV-televised event and Michael Johnson vs. Jonathan Brookins "TUF 12" championship bout.

In addition to the "TUF 12" tournament finale, which concludes the latest and a lightweights-only season of the UFC's long-running reality series, Saturday's show features a headliner between "TUF 1" runner-up Stephan Bonner and fellow light heavyweight Igor Pokrajac. Additionally, some of the first WEC fighters to enter the UFC following the merger compete on the card.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD

* Jonathan Brookins (154) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
* Stephan Bonnar (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (205)
* Kendall Grove (186) vs. Demian Maia (186)
* Rick Story (170) vs. Johny Hendricks (171)
* Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Nam Phan (146)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Cody McKenzie (154) vs. Aaron Wilkinson (155)
* Ian Loveland (145) vs. Tyler Toner (146)
* Kyle Watson (156) vs. Sako Chivitchian (156)
* Will Campuzano (136) vs. Nick Pace (138)
* Pablo Garza (126) vs. Fredson Paixao (125)
* Rich Attonito (185) vs. Dave Branch (185)

For the latest on The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Igor Pokrajac)

[reflector]

Where will the replay be at? On spike tv?

It may not be for a while. The Brookins fight actually took place after the end of the Big XII Championship game. I was able to see that.

[reflector]

I thought Brookins looked impressive in his fight.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21624/the-ultimate-fighter-12-finale-recap.mma






The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale recap: Brookins earns impressive comeback win
by John Morgan on Dec 05, 2010 at 12:20 am ET

LAS VEGAS – Michael Johnson was so close to winning the 12th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," he was probably considering exactly where he was going to display his trophy.

Then suddenly, it was all snatched away.

Fellow "TUF 12" finalist Jonathan Brookins mounted a rousing comeback in the final two frames of the pair's tournament-final matchup and earned a unanimous decision and the title of "the next Ultimate Fighter."

The matchup served as the main event for Saturday's The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale event, which was broadcast on Spike TV and took place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Johnson attacked from the opening bell with an improved standup attack that rocked Brookins on a handful of occasions. After being dropped, Brookins fought back to his feet, though he was stumbling while he was there. But Johnson neglected to finish the fight as he slowed his attack, and Brookins was given the reprieve he needed when the bell signaled to conclude the frame.

Between rounds, the fight took on a completely different feel. As the second round opened, gone was the dominating striking of Johnson. Instead, the wrestling prowess of Brookins was on full display as he worked Johnson to the floor and smothered him from the top position. The momentum shifted completely in Brookins' favor, and he refused to relent the move.

Johnson opened the third with one final salvo, but Brookins locked up the takedown yet again and took control of the final five minutes to claim the clear-cut unanimous decision.

With the victory, Brookins (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) runs his official win streak to four fights and will forever be known as the winner of "the Ultimate Fighter 12" instead of "the dude that lose to Jose Aldo." Johnson (8-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) sees a three-fight win streak snapped in his octagon debut.

Bonnar dominates Pokrajac in foul-laden affair

While the buzz surrounding the night's co-main event between light heavyweights Stephan Bonnar and Igor Pokrajac earned little pre-fight buzz, the odd events of the contest will unquestionably earn some post-match chatter.

Bonnar was unquestionably the better man in the fight. Rushing forward at the opening bell of all three rounds, Bonnar engaged sternly on the feet and was dangerous in the Thai clinch, though it was his work on the floor that had him in charge. Bonnar scored from the top with punches and looked frequently to work in submissions. To Pokrajac's credit, he never found himself in serious trouble, though he never truly threatened back, either.

The fight looked to be heading toward a fairly uneventful win for Bonnar until referee Steve Mazzagatti found himself issuing a pair of odd calls.

In the second frame, with both fighters grappling on the floor, Pokrajac delivered a few illegal knees to Bonnar's head. Mazzagatti barked out a warning, but he did not stop the action. Nevertheless, he deducted a point at the close of the frame rather than during the course of the bout, as is normally the case.

In the third, Mazzagatti warned Bonnar for punches to the back of the head. Minutes later, with Bonnar still delivering punches from top position, Mazzagatti stopped the fight to issue a deduction to Bonnar. While perhaps justified, the timekeeper did not see the referee's signal, and the round ended while Mazzagatti was deducting the point. It was a bizarre series of events, but it all added up to a unanimous-decision win for Bonnar, 29-26 across the board.

Bonnar (13-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) has now won two-straight fights and appears to have put much of his past struggles behind. Meanwhile, Pokrajic (22-8 MMA, 1-3 UFC) has dropped three of four octagon fights.

Maia outclasses Grove on floor, takes unanimous decision

In an intriguing middleweight affair, grappling studs Demian Maia and Kendall Grove spent their fair share of time on the ground, but Maia was surprisingly willing to stand in large doses, as well. It likely cost him the third round, but Maia still cruised to a unanimous-decision win.

The lanky Grove did his best to strike from distance in all three frames, but Maia showed improved striking as he avoided absorbing any significant strikes while also countering well with punches to the head. The Brazilian didn't shy completely away from his world-class grappling, as he took Grove down in both the first and second frames. Each time, he earned looks from both the mount and rear-mount positions, but Grove spun and defended well enough to avoid a submission. Alas, he was also unable to counter.

In the third, Grove came out on fire and looked to push the pace. With the crowd firmly behind him, Grove tried to go for broke on the feet. It was not to be.

Content to trade, Maia absorbed a few punches but never looked in trouble. He stalled with an extended takedown attempt in the closing moments and walked away with a unanimous decision result, 29-28 on all three cards.

Maia (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has now won two-straight fights since his title loss to Anderson Silva in April. Grove (12-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is now 2-3 in his past five after alternating results in each of the contests.

Story outlast Hendricks, runs win streak to five

In a highly-anticipated welterweight affair, up-and-comers Rick Story and Johny Hendricks went toe-to-toe for two rounds before settling for a slow-paced final frame. The action was close throughout, but it was Story that was ultimately awarded a unanimous decision.

While most MMA observers believed Story would outclass Hendricks on the feet, the wrestler held his own in defense. Unfortunately for Hendricks, his vaunted wrestling attack was nullified by Story, as well. After claiming the opening frame, Story's striking slowed halfway through the second, but Hendricks was unable to capitalize, and a late takedown from Story may have sealed the round for him.

The final frame was a lackluster five minutes with Hendricks looking for a takedown that just wouldn't come. He continually pressed in while holding a bodylock, but Story remained upright while countering with a kimura setup. The uneventful round was the lone frame Hendricks would win, and Story was awarded a unanimous decision win, 29-28 on all three cards.

The win was the fifth-straight for Story (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC), while Hendricks (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) loses for the first time as a pro.

Garcia tops Phan in controversial split decision

The night's main-card opening fight saw featherweights Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan put on every bit of the striking-heavy slugfest most MMA fans and pundits predicted. But in the matchup of Garcia's wild haymakers and Phan's technical striking, it was "Bad Boy" who proved successful, albeit with controversy.

The opening round was probably the closest. While both fighters were willing to engage on the feet, Garcia was throwing bombs while Phan strung together several combinations. Leg kicks were mixed in, as well, but both fighters were relying heavily on boxing throughout.

The second round was a clear-cut Phan round. "The Ultimate Figher 12" cast member dug frequently to the body, and he also delivered a few impressive head kicks. A kick to the body saw Garcia hit the deck, and Phan took the back for much of the round, though he was unable to finish.

The third was again close, and it featured Phan moving forward with aggressive power shots. Phan managed to avoid most of the shots while delivering counters in a more measured fashion. However, his passivity was likely what ultimately cost him.

Phan (16-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) looked absolutely baffled as Garcia was awarded a split-decision win, 29-28, 27-30, 29-28, and much of the crowd showered the result with a chorus of obscenities. Judge Junichiro Kamijo was the lone dissenting official.

Following the win, Garcia said he welcomes a rematch, which would likely prove a hit with fans, as well.

"I'm not a judge," Garcia (15-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) said. "I'd love to have a rematch. Just him and I for three more rounds to decide the winner."

McKenzie extends impressive streak, Loveland and Watson pick up decision wins

With an astounding streak of nine-straight guillotine choke wins to his credit, it was fairly obvious what Cody McKenzie would be looking to do to Aaron Wilkinson in the pair's first post-"TUF" outing. It didn't matter.

McKenzie rushed forward from the opening bell and brought "English" to the floor. From there, it was a non-stop onslaught of guillotine choke attempts. From the top, from the bottom, standing, arm-in and arm-out, it simply didn't matter. Finally, McKenzie found one that worked from the half-mount. While Wilkinson (6-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) appeared to have his chin in the hold for defense, McKenzie (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) torqued and torqued until the tap at the 2:03 mark of the first.

Featherweight newcomer Ian Loveland made an immediate impression by dropping Tyler Toner in the opening seconds of their preliminary card contest. He would repeat the feat in the second round with a spinning backfist that produced a spectacular delayed knockdown of his opponent, though Toner quickly recovered each time and remained active from his back.

Toner worked forward in the final frame, and Loveland appeared to fatigue as the third wore on, but it was too little, too late. Loveland's lead was insurmountable, and his rapid-fire counterstrikes carried him through to a unanimous-decision victory, 30-27, 29-28, 30-26. Judge Kamijo was the only official to award Toner (10-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) the third round, while judge Tony Weeks gave Loveland (14-7 MMA, 1-0 UFC) a 10-8 opening frame.

In the evening's first fight to feature contestants from "The Ultimate Fighter 12," lightweights Kyle Watson and Sako Chivitchian stood toe-to-toe for much of the 15-minute affair. While Watson was able to score a few early takedowns in the opening round, Chivitchian popped back up each time and forced his opponent to stand and trade.

Watson obliged, and a few high kicks impressed. Chivitchian was game in return, but he ran out of steam as the fight wore on. Watson (13-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) managed to stay busy enough to outpoint his foe, and he took a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27. Judge Patricia Morse-Jarman was the only judge to award Chivitchian (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) the second frame.

WEC imports Pace, Garza shine in early action

In a 138-pound catchweight affair created when Nick Pace missed the bantamweight mark at Friday's weigh-ins, the former WEC fighter used a slick submission to finish opponent Will Campuzano in what was a back-and-forth affair for nearly 15 minutes.

With Campuzano (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) looking very lively on his feet and in top position in the final round, Pace locked in a unique choke that he admitted following the contest he basically made up on the fly. Dubbing the move the "Pace choke," the bantamweight locked his right leg across the back of Campuzano's neck and reached under the neck with his arm to complete the choke. Pressing down with his left hand to increase the pressure, Pace (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) forced the tap with 33 seconds remaining and made an early bid for "Submission of the Night."

The evening's second preliminary fought saw the UFC host its first-ever featherweight contest. Pablo Garza made sure it was as memorable as it was historic.

After a failed submission attempt by Fredson Paixao, Garza moved away and used his significant height advantage to deliver a powerful flying knee right on the button. Paixao (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was out before he hit the canvas. Garza delivered one unnecessary hammerfist before referee Steve Mazzagatti could dive in and shove him off. The whole process took just 51 seconds and certainly solidified Garza (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) as an early "Knockout of the Night" candidate.

In the evening's first preliminary bout, middleweight grappler Dave Branch used a smothering arack both on the fence and the floor to overcome the potent striking of Rich Attonito (9-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC). The American Top Team product found little space on the feet to work and scored only a handful of strikes as Branch (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) worked his grappling-based offense en route to a moderately paced unanimous-decision round.

MAIN CARD

* Jonathan Brookins def. Michael Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
* Stephan Bonnar def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)
* Demian Maia def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Rick Story def. Johny Hendricks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Leonard Garcia def. Nam Phan via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Cody McKenzie def. Aaron Wilkinson via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:03
* Ian Loveland def. Tyler Toner via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
* Kyle Watson def. Sako Chivitchian via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
* Nick Pace def. Will Campuzano via submission (Pace choke) - Round 3, 4:27
* Pablo Garza def. Fredson Paixao via knockout (knee) - Round 1, 0:51
* Dave Branch def. Rich Attonito via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)

(Pictured: Jonathan Brookins)

[reflector]

I was able to watch Hendo knockout Babalu.






http://mmajunkie.com/news/21623/strikeforce-henderson-vs-babalu-ii-recap-hendo-daley-and-lawler-earn-kos.mma





"Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II" recap: Hendo, Daley and Lawler earn KOs

by Dann Stupp on Dec 05, 2010 at 12:00 am ET

ST. LOUIS – Dan Henderson wasn't about to be left out of the party.

On a fight night that featured some of the year's most vicious knockouts, Dan Henderson scored one of his own in a main-event fight with fellow light-heavyweight Renato "Babalu" Sobral.

The event, "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II," took place Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, and the night's main card aired on Showtime.

The bout actually was a rematch from their fight at a 1999 RINGS event in Japan. Henderson also won that fight, which ended in a majority decision, but both fighters admitted they're no longer the one-dimensional ground fighters they were back then.

Henderson, in fact, displayed the kind of striking that carried him to a pair of PRIDE titles and a couple UFC title shots. It also was the type of striking that was noticeably absent during his disappointing title loss to then-champ Jake Shields.

The first substantial blow to land was a right. Sobral deflected part of it, but the sting was there. Sobral stumbled and was taken to the mat, where Henderson unloaded additional heavy blows. Sobral initially defended but took another big blow, and the fight was waved off at the 1:53 mark.

"My body felt better than it has in a long time," Henderson said. "I was trying to be patient. I knew it was going to come. It was just faster than I expected."

Henderson (26-8 MMA, 1-1 SF) is now 4-1 since a title loss to Anderson Silva back in 2008, and with the win, likely gets a title shot. Sobral (36-9 MMA, 2-2 SF), who once held the title, is now 1-2 over his past three fights.

In the night's co-headliner, Strikeforce newcomer Paul Daley reigned supreme in a battle of welterweight sluggers and scored a stunning first-round knockout of Scott Smith.

Daley, fighting for a major organization for the first time since a post-fight suckerpunch of Josh Koscheck cost him his UFC job, was taunted by fans during Friday's weigh-in. But the British slugger did his talking in the cage. There, after the fighters initially traded wild blows, Daley connected on two quick lefts to Smith's chin. With the third, he got the leverage he needed and dropped Smith face first into the canvas.

Knowing it was a fight-ending blow, Daley simply walked away from his sleeping opponent.

After the fight, Daley called out lightweight/welterweight and sometimes-pro-boxer K.J. Noons, whom he thinks could help propel him to a title shot with champion Nick Diaz.

"Nick's the champ, and I'm going to be the champion," Daley said.

With the win, Daley (26-9-2 MMA, 1-0 SF) is now 7-1 over the past year and a half. Smith (17-8 MMA, 3-3 SF), a former middleweight making his 170-pound debut, now is stuck in a 1-3 skid after hoping the drop in weight would resurrect his career.

Matt Lindland's days as an elite-level middleweight may be over.

The once-top-ranked 185-pounder suffered his third loss in four fights with a quick knockout loss to hard-hitting Robbie Lawler.

Lindland, an Olympic silver-medal wrestler, opted to stand with Lawler, which would prove an unwise decision. While initially able to dodge the heavy blows, Lindland ate a stiff jab and then took a right cross straight to the chin before crashing to the mat.

Lawler followed with an additional punch to his grounded opponent. But with Lindland clearly in a daze and unable to defend himself, Lawler look to the ref, who mercifully halted the bout just 50 seconds after it began.

"I really didn't expect him to stand with me," an exasperated Lawler said after the fight.

Lawler (20-6 MMA, 2-2 SF) notches career win No. 20 and successfully rebounds from a June loss to Sobral. Lindland, meanwhile, falls to 2-4 since a solid 9-1 run from 2004-2007.

For one night anyway, size mattered.

Heavyweight Antonio Silva survived an early onslaught from late replacement and usual light heavyweight Mike Kyle and ultimately scored a come-from-behind second-round TKO victory in a bout crucial to his title hopes.

Kyle, who replaced an injured Valentijn Overeem on just a week's notice, gave up nearly 50 pounds in the fight. However, in the opening seconds, he connected on a vicious right punch that sent Silva crashing to the mat. Kyle spent the next four minutes delivering punches to the head and body, hammerfists to the face, and even some (illegal) headbutts to the gut in an effort to stop by the mighty giant.

Silva, though, survived the round. And after forcing the fight to the mat in the second, he unloaded his own barrage of ground and pound. Once in the dominant mount position, the former EliteXC champion had the leverage he needed to rain down heavy blows. After a few landed flush and crushed Kyle's head into the canvas, the referee was forced to halt the bout.

The end came at the 2:49 mark.

Silva (15-2 MMA, 2-1 SF), who now eyes a heavyweight title shot in 2011, has won eight of his past nine fights; the lone loss came to top contender Fabricio Werdum. Kyle (18-8-1 MMA, 2-3-1 SF), meanwhile, sees a five-fight win streak come to and end and suffers just his second loss in his past 10 official bouts.

In the night's first bout, which was a late addition the card, fast-rising light heavyweight and former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux picked up a signature career win with a dominating unanimous-decision victory over veteran middleweight Benji Radach.

The fight went to the judges' scorecards but should have been stopped midway through the first round. After forcing the fight to the mat, St. Preux enveloped a kneeling Radach and unloaded dozens upon dozens of unanswered blows. Radach could do little but cover up and tried to absorb the blows, which soon came to the ribs and upper body, as well.

Radach amazingly survived that lopsided first round, but the second round played out much like the first with dominant ground and pound. St. Preux avoided potential disaster in the third round when a desperate Radach let his hands fly. However, St. Preux survived the round and closed it out in a dominant top position. MMAjunkie.com scored it 30-26 for St. Preux, and the judges' unanimous decision also boasted dominating scores (30-27, 30-26 and 30-25).

St. Preux (9-4 MMA, 3-0 SF), who scored a unanimous-decision win over Antwain Britt just two weeks ago at Strikeforce Challengers 12, now has won six straight fights. Radach (19-6 MMA, 0-2 SF), fighting for the first time in 20 months, now has dropped three of his past four since his run in the IFL.

MAIN CARD

* Dan Henderson def. Renato "Babalu" Sobral via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:53
* Paul Daley def. Scott Smith via KO (punch) - Round 1, 2:09
* Robbie Lawler def. Matt Lindland via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:50
* Antonio Silva def. Mike Kyle via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 2:49
* Ovince St. Preux def. Benji Radach via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Wayne Phillips def. Fernando Bettega via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
* Justin Lawrence def. Max Martyniouk via technical unanimous decision (accidental illegal kick) - (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Patrick Cummins def. Terrell Brown via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:44
* Cortez Coleman def. Lucas Lopes via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:04
* Matt Ricehouse def. Tom Aaron via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
* Mike Glenn def. Lee Brousseau via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:00
* Booker DeRousse def. Coltin Cole via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:04
* J.W. Wright def. Josh Epps via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 1:29

For complete coverage of "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II," stay tuned to the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Dan Henderson)

[reflector]

This news stinks.


http://mmajunkie.com/news/21645/kenny-florian-injured-forced-to-withdraw-from-ufc-fight-night-23.mma



Kenny Florian injured, forced to withdraw from UFC Fight Night 23
by John Morgan on Dec 06, 2010 at 5:25 pm ET

A highly anticipated lightweight main event between top UFC contenders Kenny Florian (14-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) and Evan Dunham (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will not take place as scheduled.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the promotion that Florian suffered an undisclosed injury while training for a planned matchup with Dunham and has been forced to withdraw from the bout.

The pair was expected to meet in the main event of "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fight for the Troops 2," which takes place Jan. 22 at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

The UFC has yet to announce the change, and it's currently unknown whether a replacement opponent will be found or if the matchup will be pushed back to a later date.

Florian's manager, Malki Kawa, declined to comment on the report when contacted by MMAjunkie.com.

Both Florian and Dunham were looking to recover from recent losses.

Dunham faced former UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk in September and was dealt the first loss of his career via close split decision. After suffering a huge gash near his right eye in the opening round of the UFC 119 fight, Dunham battled back with an impressive blend of striking from distance and a capable takedown attack. Nevertheless, Sherk was granted the decision.

Prior to the loss, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt posted UFC wins over Per Eklund, Marcus Aurelio, Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin.

Florian, meanwhile, hoped to return to the cage for the first time since suffering a unanimous-decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC 118 in August. In a fight to determine the 155-pound division's next title challenger, Florian was unable to defend against Maynard's wrestling attack and lost the fight on all three judges' cards.

The former title challenger now is just 2-2 in his past four fights, though the defeats have come at the hands of current No. 1 contender Maynard and former lightweight champion B.J. Penn.

For more on UFC 126 and the "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fight for the Troops" event, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Kenny Florian)

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 124 Video Blog Episode One (NSFW)


aqeJAX6BeEk


Dana White often does these the week leading up to UFC events. There is always foul language, so be aware of that. There is also the disturbing event that happened at the 2010 MMA Awards, so be aware of that as well. I like watching these leading up to the UFC events. Maybe others will as well.

[Sooner_Bob]

MAIN CARD

* Jonathan Brookins def. Michael Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
* Stephan Bonnar def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)
* Demian Maia def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Rick Story def. Johny Hendricks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Leonard Garcia def. Nam Phan via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Cody McKenzie def. Aaron Wilkinson via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:03
* Ian Loveland def. Tyler Toner via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
* Kyle Watson def. Sako Chivitchian via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
* Nick Pace def. Will Campuzano via submission (Pace choke) - Round 3, 4:27
* Pablo Garza def. Fredson Paixao via knockout (knee) - Round 1, 0:51
* Dave Branch def. Rich Attonito via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)

(Pictured: Jonathan Brookins)


Nam Phan got robbed plain and simple. I'm glad Brookins won . . . I thought he showed the most improvement throughout the season.

[reflector]

It is cool that we will still be able to see some Prelim fights for free.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21677/ufc-com-streams-ufc-124s-hazelett-vs-bocek-miller-vs-doerksen-prelims-live.mma




UFC.com streams UFC 124's Hazelett vs. Bocek, Miller vs. Doerksen prelims live

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 08, 2010 at 5:50 pm ET

With Spike TV unable to air a "UFC Prelims" special due to the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, UFC.com is stepping up to plate.

On Saturday the UFC's official website provides live streams of two UFC 124 preliminary-card fights beginning at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

They include bouts of lightweights Dustin Hazelett vs. Mark Bocek and middleweights Joe Doerksen vs. Dan Miller.

UFC 124 takes place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, and the main card, including a champion Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck welterweight title fight, airs live on pay-per-view. This marks the first time UFC.com has provided live streams of preliminary-card fights., which are available worldwide.

Hazelett (12-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has earned some submission wins that have added several clips to the UFC's highlight reel (and some bonus money to his pockets), but he's struggled in his most recent performances. The Ohio-based fighter suffered a knockout loss to Paul Daley in the co-main event of January's UFC 108 event. The defeat left him with a broken orbital bone that necessitated a long recovery process, and upon his return at UFC 117 in August, he suffered another knockout loss to Rick Story.

He now heads to lightweight, where he first fought under the UFC banner, to meet fellow jiu-jitsu ace Bocek (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). The Canadian posted three consecutive rear-naked choke victories over Alvin Robinson, David Bielkheden and Joe Brammer to emerge in the title picture. But most recently at UFC 111, he dropped a decision to the always-game Jim Miller and saw his win streak come to an end.

Miller (12-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC), a former IFL champion, recently rebounded from a three-fight losing skid with a submission victory over John Salter at UFC 118 in August. Prior to the triumph, the streaky Miller lost unanimous decisions to Demian Maia, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, which followed a three-fight win streak over the likes of Rob Kimmons, Matt Horwich and Jake Rosholt to open his UFC career.

Doerksen (46-13 MMA, 2-6 UFC), an 11-year pro, is fighting for his future after an octagon resurgence proved short lived. The Canadian replaced injured Tim Credeur and met Tom Lawlor at UFC 113 and pulled off a coup with a second-round submission victory. It was the veteran's second UFC win (but first since 2005) after two unsuccessful stints in the industry-leading promotion. But at UFC 119, Doerksen fell victim to C.B. Dollaway's quick guillotine choke and now likely needs a win to remain employed.

The full UFC 124 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

* Champ Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck (for welterweight title)
* Sean McCorkle vs. Stefan Struve
* Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira
* Mac Danzig vs. Joe Stevenson
* Thiago Alves vs. John Howard

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC.com)

* Mark Bocek vs. Dustin Hazelett
* Jesse Bongfeldt vs. Rafael Natal

PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)

* Sean Pierson vs. Matthew Riddle
* Joe Doerksen vs. Dan Miller
* Ricardo Almeida vs. T.J. Grant
* Pat Audinwood vs. John Makdessi

For more on UFC 124, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Mark Bocek)

[reflector]

This is a pretty big deal.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21693/white-ufc-124-to-set-records-with-23000-plus-attendance-5-million-gate.mma



White: UFC 124 to set records with 23,000-plus attendance, $5 million gate
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Dec 09, 2010 at 1:25 pm ET

MONTREAL – The records will fall at Saturday's UFC 124 event.

During today's pre-event press conference, UFC president Dana White said both the North American MMA attendance and worldwide MMA gate records will be broken with the show.

The UFC boss said Montreal's Bell Centre will draw more than 23,000 fans and produce a gate of more than $5 million for the heavily anticipated show.

Both marks also will break the UFC's current records. They're currently held by UFC 97 in Montreal (21,451 attendees) and UFC 66 in Las Vegas ($5,397,300 live gate).

However, the worldwide attendance record is unlikely to be broken anytime soon on North American soil. During its heyday, the Japanese-based PRIDE Fighting Championships often drew crowds of approximately 50,000. In fact, the "Pride Shockwave 2002" year-end event drew a staggering 91,107 attendees to the Tokyo National Stadium.

UFC 124 airs on pay-per-view with a title fight between welterweight champ (and French-Canadian) Georges St-Pierre and top contender Josh Koscheck. Montreal's past three shows all have produced stellar gates and attendance figures, but White said UFC 124 benefits primarily because of the hometown hero.

"As many of you know, and I've been saying it forever ... GSP is the most famous athlete ever to come out of Canada," he said.

Despite the expected success of this weekend's show, the records could be short lived. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) recently reported, the organization this week announced UFC 131 will take April 30 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Officials haven't decided what type of seating configuration will be used for the 69,000-seat arena, but the attendance and gate figures likely will fall in the MMA-crazed city.

For more on UFC 124, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Dana White)

[Breadburner]

Sorry,but GSP being the most famous athelete out of Canada is a huge stretch....

[reflector]

This is a big deal. I remember when Faber was ruling the Featherweight division in the WEC, people were questioning how Faber would do against Yamamoto. Now I guess we can see how Yamamoto does against a lot of the other best Featherweights in the world.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21705/dana-white-ufc-inks-japanese-notable-norifumi-kid-yamamoto.mma




Dana White: UFC inks Japanese notable Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 10, 2010 at 10:50 am ET

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has signed featherweight standout Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (18-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported the contract negotiations earlier this week, and UFC president Dana White recently took to Twitter to confirm the signing.

MMAjunkie.com could not immediately confirm the deal or contract details with UFC officials or the fighter's camp.

Along with recent signee Michihiro Omigawa, Yamamoto represents a key acquisition following the announcement of a WEC-UFC merger. The WEC's final show takes place next week, and as part of this past weekend's UFC event (The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale), the UFC hosted its first-ever featherweight fight.

Now, the organization looks to stock the newly adopted featherweight and bantamweight divisions, and Japan's crop of lighter-weight fighters could be prime pickings.

Yamamoto, the 2005 K-1 HERO's middleweight (155-pound) grand-prix champion, in May was set to make his U.S. debut in a fight against Federico Lopez at "Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery." But he subsequently was pulled off the card at the request of DREAM officials and instead fought Lopez at DREAM.14, where he delivered a first-round knockout. The win snapped a two-fight skid that included decision losses to Joe Warren (in the quarterfinals of the 2009 DREAM featherweight grand prix) and Masanori Kanehara (at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2009").

During a 14-fight win streak from 2002 to 2007, he defeated the likes of Jeff Curran, Caol Uno, Bibiano Fernandes and Rani Yahya.

Once the top-ranked featherweight in the world, Yamamoto considered a run for the 2008 Olympic games in freestyle wrestling but was forced to abandon that goal by a serious elbow injury.

As MMAjunkie.com reported earlier this week, Yamamoto could make his UFC debut as as soon as February or March.

[Boomer.....]

Would Faber bump back up to 145? He seems happy at 135.

[reflector]

Would Faber bump back up to 145? He seems happy at 135.

I was just illustrating how big of a signing Kid Yamamoto was, for those who did not know. I think Faber will stay at 135 though.

[reflector]

I am really excited for this fight card tomorrow night.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21684/ufc-124-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




UFC 124 official weigh-in results: Champ St-Pierre, challenger Koscheck on weight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 10, 2010 at 4:25 pm ET

MONTREAL – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's official "UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck II" fighter weigh-ins.

Today's festivities took place at Montreal's Bell Centre, the same venue that hosts Saturday night's UFC 124 pay-per-view event and Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck title fight.

All fighters, including St-Pierre (170) and Koscheck (169), successfully made weight for the show.

UFC 124, which is expected to set a new North American attendance record for an MMA event, features hometown hero St-Pierre defending his UFC welterweight title against top contender and opposing coach on "The Ultimate Fighter 12," Koscheck. The co-feature sees a pair of towering heavyweights clash in the octagon as Sean McCorkle (264) meets Stefan Struve (253).

The festivities went off without a hitch. All competitors, including scale-challenged Thiago Alves (171) and opponent John Howard (171), made weight for the show with no problems.

Koscheck, of course, was showered with boos. The American fighter continually has needled the French-Canadian champ to hype the fight. The usually reserved St-Pierre, though, delighted fans when he promised to "kick Koscheck's ***" during tomorrow's five-round title fight.

Prior to Saturday's PPV main card, the UFC streams a pair of bouts on the promotion's official website. Mark Bocek (155.5) vs. Dustin Hazelett (155_ and Joe Doerksen (185.5) vs. Dan Miller (184.5) stream live on UFC.com.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

* Champ Georges St-Pierre (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (169) - for welterweight title
* Sean McCorkle (264) vs. Stefan Struve (253)
* Mac Danzig (156) vs. Joe Stevenson (155.5)
* Thiago Alves (171) vs. John Howard (171)
* Jim Miller (155) vs. Charles Oliveira (153.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC.com)

* Joe Doerksen (185.5) vs. Dan Miller (184.5)
* Mark Bocek (155.5) vs. Dustin Hazelett (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)

* Jesse Bongfeldt (185.5) vs. Rafael Natal (185)
* Sean Pierson (170.5) vs. Matthew Riddle (170.5)
* Ricardo Almeida (170.5) vs. T.J. Grant (170)
* Pat Audinwood (156) vs. John Makdessi (155)

For the latest on UFC 124, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Josh Koscheck)

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 124 Video Blog Episode Two (NSFW)


2dMFsgkU4Pw


Both the second and third episodes were posted today.

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 124 Video Blog Episode Three (NSFW)


fnHKQhrnFqU

[Boomer.....]

GSP with a dominating performance against Kos. I wish he would have ended it though. Almost all of his fights go to decision but he fights smart.

[reflector]

GSP looked pretty dominant in his fight.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21720/ufc-124-main-card-recap-champ-st-pierre-dominates-rival-koscheck.mma






UFC 124 main-card recap: Champ St-Pierre dominates rival Koscheck
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Dec 12, 2010 at 12:35 am ET

MONTREAL – After waiting more than three years for the rematch, Josh Koscheck could implement little new and suffered a lopsided unanimous-decision loss to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in the headliner of Saturday's UFC 124 event.

St-Pierre set the tone early with crisp striking, and he continually wore down the challenger through the five-round title fight.

The bout headlined a record-breaking event at Montreal's Bell Centre, which drew nearly 24,000 fans and is expected to break the UFC's and North America's MMA attendance and live-gate records.

With the French-Canadian St-Pierre fighting Koscheck, a rival coach on the recently concluded 12th season of "The Ultimate Fighter 12," UFC 124 proved December's can't-miss affair. But St-Pierre never found himself in real trouble and cruised to another dominant title defense.

St-Pierre scored the fight's first takedown just 20 seconds into the opening round, though Koscheck quickly got back to his feet. Subsequent attempts were easily snuffed out by the challenger, but a steady stream of jabs worked their way through Koscheck's defenses and connected sharply. A late-round takedown was the only way Koscheck could avoid the effective punches, which left his right eye swollen shut between rounds.

Koscheck entered the second round more tentatively and bounced in and out of the pocket. But St-Pierre's jabs and low kicks continued to score, and Koscheck's hesitation allowed him to mix in superman punches and lunging shots to the head and body. A flurry of low-kick-jab-jab combos closed out a second dominant round for the champ.

With what proved to be an ineffective game plan, Koscheck opted for takedown attempts in the third. He continually clinched with the champ, but St-Pierre usually took dominant clinch positions, avoided the mat, and created room to continue landing with precision striking and his remarkably effective left jab.

As the fight entered championship territory, Greg Jackson and his fellow cornermen told St-Pierre to go for the knockout. Meanwhile, Koscheck faced a possible TKO stoppage due to the cageside doctor's inspection of his left eye, but referee Herb Dean swooped in and got the fighter to admit he could continue. Despite a deer-in-headlights look, Koscheck came out for the fourth round. But St-Pierre picked him apart with punches and kicks – specifically to Koscheck's lead leg – while avoiding his wild desperation punches.

Before the fifth and final round, Koscheck's American Kickboxing Academy corner implored the fighter to swing for the fences. But the round played out much like the first four, and St-Pierre continually popped him with the destructive jabs and leg kicks. A pair of takedowns late in the round sealed the deal for perhaps the sport's most dominant competitors.

"My goal was to take him out, but he's very tough," said St-Pierre, who embraced Koscheck after the fight and actually thanked him for hyping the fight. "I'm very sorry everyone."

Despite a hostile crowd, Koscheck thanked them anyway and said he hopes to one day win them over.

"I hope one day I get to come back here and put on a better show," he said. "But GSP is the man tonight."

St-Pierre (21-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) now has won eight consecutive fights with five straight title defenses. Koscheck (15-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC), who went 6-2 after a decision loss to St-Pierre at UFC 74 to get the rematch, snaps a three-fight win streak.

Struve gets last laugh in McCorkle feud

Sean McCorkle's bark couldn't match his bite, after all. In a heavyweight co-headliner fueled by his boastful opponent's pre-fight trash-talk and taunting, Dutch youngster Stefan Struve scored a first-round TKO victory.

McCorkle earned the fight's first takedown in dramatic fashion after scooping and slamming his opponent to the mat. He then locked in a trademark kimura that Struve only narrowly escaped. But after sweeping and taking top position with full mount, Struve quickly rained down blows that forced referee Yves Lavigne's intervention at the 3:55 mark.

While initial gasps suggested the stoppage may have been premature, a bloodied McCorkle lay on his back with his arms outstretched while clearly in a daze.

Struve, who attempted to ignore much of McCorkle's online taunting in the buildup to the fight, continually promised to settle the score in the cage.

"He can trash-talk all he wants," he said after the fight. "Our jobs are in here."

Immediately at the bout's conclusion, Struve shook hands and embraced his opponent, signifying an end to a largely manufactured beef that surprisingly (and some may say undeservedly) got the fighters co-headliner status.

Struve (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC), a 22-year-old who's won five of his past six UFC fights, should get a top contender in his next bout. McCorkle (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a former super heavyweight who got a UFC contract primarily because the UFC came to his hometown of Indianapolis in September, suffers his first defeat.

Miller derails the Oliveira hype train

UFC officials are going to have a hard time withholding a title shot from Jim Miller, who picked up his sixth straight UFC victory and derailed one of the organization's most-hyped prospects with a slick first-round kneebar.

Facing the quick and well-rounded Charles Oliveira, who splashed onto the UFC scene earlier this year with impressive submission wins over Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero, Miller scored a takedown but immediately was on the defensive. Oliveira nearly secured an armbar, and then he came dangerously close to cinching a triangle choke. He then attempted a kneebar, which Miller also escaped.

In the ensuing scramble, Miller saw a free leg and secured a kneebar of his own. Oliveira initially delivered punches to the body but soon panicked and tapped out without so much as an escape attempt.

The surprisingly quick finish came at the 1:59 mark of the opening round.

"I think a lot of people underestimated me coming into the fight," said Miller, who immediately campaigned for a title shot. "I'm one of the best in the world. ... I wanted to go out there and prove a point."

Miller (19-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC), whose only losses have come to current champ Frankie Edgar (in 2006 at Reality Fighting 14) and upcoming challenger Gray Maynard (at UFC 96) did just that.

Oliveira (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), meanwhile, tastes defeat for the first time in his three-year pro career.

Danzig scores stunning KO win over Stevenson

In a lightweight bout between former winners of "The Ultimate Fighter," season-six champion Mac Danzig used a perfectly timed counter left to floor and knock out season-two victor Joe Stevenson.

Stevenson got the better of the stand-up early in the fight, but a patient Danzig saw the opening he needed. And despite throwing the counter punch from his back foot, Danzig masterfully connected on a left hook to the button. Steven was knocked out cold at the 1:54 mark of the opening round and fell face first into the canvas.

"I had been landing that for years to years, and I just learned how to get power behind it," Danzig said. "I knew he was going to come in and lead with the left hook ... and the whole thing was hitting the jaw, not the forehead."

The precision strike undoubtedly saved the career of Danzig (20-8-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC), who entered the bout with four losses in an especially frustrating five-fight span. Stevenson (31-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC), a former title challenger who suffered a decision loss to George Sotiropoulos back in February, now has lost two straight and four of his past six.

Alves sharp in decision win over Howard

In a main-card opener with welterweight bruisers, Thiago Alves and John Howard didn't disappoint the many fans expecting an all-out brawl.

Howard went for an early takedown, but the first round was spent entirely upright. Alves sapped his opponent with crushing leg kicks, and when countered with similar strikes, he popped Howard with looping lefts and straight right jabs that continually found their mark. In the second, Howard ignored his corner's instructions to stay out of the pocket, and despite some solid blows of his own, he ate far more strikes than he threw. The stinging low kicks allowed Alves to score a takedown midway through the second frame, and he closed out the round with effective hammerfists to the head and rib-rattling punches to the body.

Alves slowed the pace in the third and appeared content to counter-punch, and the strategy resulted in a flash-knockdown midway through the round. Howard, though, survived and got back to his feet, but continued low kicks and crisp striking put the exclamation point on Alves' clear-cut decision victory.

The judges ultimately awarded him a shutout unanimous-decision win via 30-27 scores.

"I worked really, really hard to get here," said Alves, who specifically thanked fellow fighter Mike Dolce, whose "Dolce Diet" quickly is becoming a favorite among weight-challenged competitors. "Not just me, but my whole camp. ... Dolce you're the main."

Alves (18-7 MMA, 10-4 UFC) avoided a third consecutive loss following a 2009 title defeat to St-Pierre and a decision loss to top contender Jon Fitch back in August. Howard (14-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) opened his UFC career with four consecutive wins but now has suffered his second straight defeat.

SEE ALSO: UFC 124 preliminary-card recap: Dan Miller, Mark Bocek victorious in featured bouts

MAIN CARD

* Champ Georges St-Pierre def. Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – retains welterweight title
* Stefan Struve def. Sean McCorkle via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 3:55
* Jim Miller def. Charles Oliveira via submission (kneebar) - Round 1, 1:59
* Mac Danzig def. Joe Stevenson via KO (punch) - Round 1, 1:54
* Thiago Alves def. John Howard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Dan Miller def. Joe Doerksen via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* Mark Bocek def. Dustin Hazelett via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 2:33
* Rafael Natal and Jesse Bongfeldt fight to a majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-28)
* Sean Pierson def. Matt Riddle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Ricardo Almeida def. T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* John Makdessi def. Pat Audinwood via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

For more on UFC 124, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Georges St-Pierre)

[Boomer.....]

His standup has improved. Kos eye was nasty!

[reflector]

Jake Shields is the next fight for GSP.

[Collier11]

GSP owned that fight, did whatever he wanted to...the work with Freddie Roach really has helped

[reflector]

This sounds painful.




http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=5912299




UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck suffered a broken orbital bone during the first round of his championship fight versus Georges St. Pierre (21-2) Saturday night in Montreal, a source told ESPN.com.

Koscheck (15-5) was released from a Montreal-area hospital Sunday afternoon, according to his trainer, Bob Cook. He cannot fly home to San Jose, Calif., because an air pocket formed behind the broken orbital bone, making air travel dangerous. UFC officials arranged for Koscheck and Cook to drive Sunday afternoon from Montreal to Boston, where the 33-year-old fighter is expected to undergo surgery Monday or Tuesday.

"We're going to have a much better sense of the injury when we get to the States," Cook said. "We'll get it checked down there. Hopefully he can have the surgery there and head home as soon as possible."

St. Pierre, who went on to win a unanimous decision after five rounds, shut Koscheck's right eye in the opening round in front of 23,152 wildly partisan supporters inside the Belle Centre with a lunging jab. The 29-year-old champion attacked the right side of Koscheck's face the remainder of the bout with quick jabs and powerful left hooks. A ringside physician nearly called the bout at the end of the third round, however Koscheck was allowed to continue fighting.

Josh Gross covers mixed martial arts for ESPN.com.

[Collier11]

Funny, on the fightcast the guy said that he wouldnt be shocked if his Orbital was broken

[reflector]

Funny, on the fightcast the guy said that he wouldnt be shocked if his Orbital was broken

The report I read today is that his orbital is broken. He can't fly home because of the way it broke. He will have to be driven home after he gets out of the hospital.

[Knippz]

GSP is a very dominant fighter, winning his last 30 some rounds. But those rounds added up fast with all those decisions. He is no doubt top 2 P4P, but I still have him at 2. When Silva fights, I always have a feeling he can end it at any point, no matter where the fight is, and other than 2 decisions that weren't entirely his fault, he has done that. I don't get that feeling with GSP. Instead, I always think that GSP's opponent has 5 rounds to catch him, or it's going to decision. The last time I thought GSP could finish during a fight was against Fitch, who he didn't end up finishing. I just don't think GSP respects his skills more than he respects his opponents skills.

[Collier11]

St.Pierre vs Silva talks heating up


MONTREAL -- It's going to happen.

It's going to require a little patience, but if Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva win their next fights, they are headed for a collision course. That's my own feeling, based off the words of UFC president Dana White, who indicated he's running out of reasons to deny the fans a superfight that many are dying to see.

St. Pierre vs. Silva is in many ways the biggest fight the UFC can make, two dominant champions deep into their reigns, from different parts of the world and with vastly divergent styles.

For the longest time, fans have asked for it, but White always thought Silva would one day be on his way up a weight class to light-heavyweight, but it's a move Silva has never made. Instead, outside of a pair of short but successful dips into the 205-pound waters, he's stayed parked at middleweight, a winner of 13 straight fights, and seven consecutive title defenses.

For the longest time, White thought St. Pierre was just too small. He used to cut from 185 pounds down to 170; Silva sometimes gets as large as 210 between fights. But St. Pierre says he walks around at 190 now, and the gap between him and Silva is not even as great as the one Cain Velasquez overcame to beat Brock Lesnar a few months back.

Moreover, neither Silva or St. Pierre has anything much to prove by staying in their respective divisions. Even White can admit that.

"I don't like guys talking about fighting each other at different weights until they've done what those two have done," he said. "And they both have done it. It's hard to say no. It's hard for me to say this fight doesn't make sense."

There's more than one catch to it happening, though. Not only do Silva and St. Pierre both have to win their upcoming fights (Silva has Vitor Belfort on Feb. 5, St. Pierre will likely fight Jake Shields in the spring), but they'll have to agree on a weight.

St. Pierre said on early Sunday morning that if he went up to middleweight, it would be for good. He'd surrender his welterweight belt, put on some muscle and stay at 185 instead of yo-yoing back and forth.

If that was the case, it would be an easy set-up for White and co.

"If Georges said he was going to go to [185] and stay there, it would be for the title," White said. "It would be a superfight for the 185-pound title."

But another possibility would be a catch weight fight. Silva has said in the past that he's capable of going lower than 185. Perhaps they could meet at 182 or even lower.

"It seems insane to me, but who the f--- am I? I'm not his trainer," White said. "To think that the guy who walks around at 210, 215, could make it down to 182 or 180? I don't know. It's crazy, but maybe he could do it. The thing is with him, as big as he is, you've never heard crazy stories about him cutting tons of weight and not being able to make weight ever."

Whatever number they agree on, they need to agree on a number. St. Pierre is fast running out of fresh challengers. His fight with Shields is likely to go down on the upcoming April 30 event in Toronto, an event he said he would like to fight on. Beyond that, he's beaten most of the top contenders in the division. It's the same thing for Silva, who beyond Belfort and Yushin Okami, has few ready-made fresh UFC matchups (he fought Okami outside the UFC years ago).

A Silva-St. Pierre fight would be fascinating from a matchup standpoint. St. Pierre has superb wrestling but also features dynamic striking in his arsenal. Silva is a brilliant striker with good takedown defense and a dangerous jiu-jitsu game. The noted strategist St. Pierre would have a tough time finding a hole to exploit, and Silva might not find St. Pierre's chin as easy to find as that of most of his other opponents.

White seems committed to following through on his promise to giving Shields a shot at St. Pierre, but beyond that, he's open to other, bigger possibilities.

Where once he said it wasn't going to happen, now he admits that if demand is high enough, the fans can make Silva vs. St. Pierre a reality.

"I say it all the time: I truly believe that my job is to give people the fights they want to see and the fights they want to pay for," he said. "We'll see what happens."

One more win each is all it's going to take. The fans want it. The fighters are interested. It's going to happen.

[ouleaf]

Definitely saw that GSP had a game plan and he stuck to it. He kept Kos at distance all night with the Jab and leg kicks and looked for take downs when they presented themselves.

I was upset by Kos' lack of aggressiveness. Maybe the broken orbital had something to do with that, but he just didn't really seem to take any chances and really attack GSP.

GSP's work with Freddie Roach has definitely paid off though...you almost never see that kind of precision, control, and power with the jab in MMA fights, unless the fighter's background is in boxing. Anyone else think it was eerily similar to what Pacquiao did to Margarito's right eye as well.

GSP was in great shape for the fight, he looked fresh and ready to go at the beginning of each round, and aside for one slight mistake where Kos might have had a chance for a leg lock GSP was in control the whole way.

[Breadburner]

What if they both lose....Why not fight anyway......

[reflector]

I kept hearing that Belllator was going to do a deal with FX. I guess MTV2 won out though. I don't even have MTV2 right now. I might have to subscribe to watch the Bellator events now.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21747/ceo-bjorn-rebney-details-bellators-new-three-year-deal-with-mtv2.mma




CEO Bjorn Rebney details Bellator's new three-year deal with MTV2
by Dann Stupp on Dec 14, 2010 at 12:15 pm ET

A seemingly all-but-official deal with the FOX Entertainment Group wasn't in the cards for Bellator Fighting Championships, after all.

Officials today announced the mixed-martial-arts promotion has signed a three-year broadcasting deal with MTV2, which will air two annual 12-week seasons live in the cable station's 80 million homes in 2011. Additionally, "offseason" events will air live between seasons.

In an exclusive interview with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the organization was in "advanced negotiations" with three TV groups but that the MTV option was, by far, the most attractive.

"There is absolutely no question our first choice was MTV2," Rebney said today from Bellator's Chicago offices. "It's about who you reach and how reach them. There was no mistake in this deal or in this structure. TNT or USA or ESPN or FX or CBS or NBC or every network TV station, the biggest concentration of men ages 12-34 is on MTV2. It's the same demo that lives and breathes MMA.

"If you're going to build a brand ... in this space, where could there be a better home? There's no question this was the No. 1 option."

MTV2 begins airing Bellator's fourth season, which again will travel to cities across the U.S. each week, in March.

Bellator gets year-round presence

Earlier this month, MMAjunkie.com reported that Bellator was close to finalizing a deal with the FOX Entertainment Group that would put live shows on FX and highlights shows on FOX Sports Net, the organization's season-two and season-three home, and Fuel TV. Rebney declined to comment on any of the deals that failed to materialize. He confirmed there were options, but he said MTV2 was the best fit.

"There were options, but far and away, the top option and best alliance was with the MTV family and MTV2," he said. "When you're building out something like this, it's about growth and progression. ... If you hope to have success and be in business in the long term, you need to take steps to get this type of alliance."

Rebney divulged some additional deal points with MMAjunkie.com. In 2011, the organization hosts two 12-weeks seasons, which include 11 live events and a highlights-geared "Road to the Championship" special. Additionally, MTV2 will air three live events between seasons in 2011, which assures the fight promotion has a year-round presence (and that top fighters don't experience extended layoffs).

Each season in 2012 will get a few additional events, which means they'll run longer than three months each.

Additionally, the organization could move from its usual Thursday-night timeslots to a new day of the week. Weekend slots are a possibility.

Rebney said addition information about the deal, including replay times and other specialty programming, will be announced in the coming days.

Why MTV2?

Bellator focuses heavily on eight-slot tournaments in various weight classes. The combination of tourney and non-tourney bouts proved effective on FSN, but the organization continually dealt with headaches from preempted programming and shifting time slots. In fact, a few events didn't air live on a single FSN affiliate.

That's won't be the case with MTV2, and Rebney said the consistency was a major reason they went with the station.

MTV2 is a spin-off of MTV that launched in 1996. Once home strictly to music videos, the channel underwent a shift in 2003 with more specialty programming. Then in 2005, another relaunch saw the channel geared more toward the young-male demo with a smaller amount of music-related content. Today, MTV2 primarily features few music videos and focuses more on original programming and second-run content geared toward the young-male demo.

Rebney calls the Bellator-MTV2 alliance a "dream marriage" and a "perfect fit" (among other superlatives).

"The receptive nature was based on who their audience is," Rebney said of the Bellator-MTV2 talks. "If you were to carve out the perfect demographic ... this is it. This is the network with the biggest concentration of males 12-34 in all of television. That's verifiable. ... And MTV2 is available in virtually every household."

So would Rebney actually prefer MTV2 and its 80 million households over, say, FX and its 100 million?

"Absolutely," he said. "Three-year deals in TV are extremely, extremely rare. This partnership – and I say partnership – is magical."

(Pictured: Bjorn Rebney)

[Sooner_Bob]

Gah . . . MMA on MTV and professional wrestling on Scy-Fy . . . that ain't right.

[Sooner_Bob]

Definitely saw that GSP had a game plan and he stuck to it. He kept Kos at distance all night with the Jab and leg kicks and looked for take downs when they presented themselves.

I was upset by Kos' lack of aggressiveness. Maybe the broken orbital had something to do with that, but he just didn't really seem to take any chances and really attack GSP.

GSP's work with Freddie Roach has definitely paid off though...you almost never see that kind of precision, control, and power with the jab in MMA fights, unless the fighter's background is in boxing. Anyone else think it was eerily similar to what Pacquiao did to Margarito's right eye as well.

GSP was in great shape for the fight, he looked fresh and ready to go at the beginning of each round, and aside for one slight mistake where Kos might have had a chance for a leg lock GSP was in control the whole way.

I thought it was a fairly boring fight . . . :(

[Sooner_Bob]

No comments on Allistair winning the K-1 Championship?

[reflector]

I think tomorrow will kind of stink. I have enjoyed all the free fights on Versus. Now there will only be 4 free events a year on Versus after this, I believe. I think there will be some really good fights tomorrow night though. I think it is a really good card for the final WEC card.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21757/wec-53-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma






WEC 53 live and official weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 15, 2010 at 5:09 pm ET

GLENDALE, Ariz. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's official "WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis" fighter weigh-ins.

Today's festivities take place at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., the same site that hosts Thursday's Versus-broadcast event.

Follow along with live text-only updates here, or watch a live WEC 53 weigh-ins video stream on the MMAjunkie.com homepage beginning at 7 p.m. ET (5 p.m. MT local time).

WEC 53 features lightweight champ Ben Henderson (12-1 MMA, 5-0 WEC) vs. Anthony Pettis (11-1 MMA, 4-1 WEC) and bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz (16-1 MMA, 6-1 WEC) vs. Scott Jorgensen (11-3 MMA, 7-2 WEC) in the co-headliners. The show serves as the WEC's swan song; the fan-friendly organization mergers with its sister promotion, the UFC, in 2011. The Henderson vs. Pettis winner gets an immediate UFC title shot, and the Cruz vs. Jorgensen winner will be crowned the first-ever UFC bantamweight champ.

The official WEC 53 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Benson Henderson (155) vs. Anthony Pettis (154.5) - for lightweight title
* Champ Dominick Cruz (134.5) vs. Scott Jorgensen (135) - for bantamweight title
* Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Chris Horodecki (155)
* Bart Palaszewski (156) vs. Kamal Shalorus (156)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Danny Downes (154.5) vs. Tiequan Zhang (155.5)
* Shane Roller (155) vs. Jamie Varner (156)
* Ivan Menjivar (135) vs. Brad Pickett (136)
* Ken Stone (135) vs. Eddie Wineland (136)
* Danny Castillo (155.5) vs. Will Kerr (155)
* Yuri Alcantara (154.5) vs. Ricardo Lamas (156)
* Renan Barao (136) vs. Chris Cariaso (136)

For the latest on WEC 53, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Anthony Pettis)

[reflector]

The kick that Pettis landed in the fifth round is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21789/wec-53-main-card-recap-pettis-tops-champ-henderson-cruz-claims-ufc-gold.mma





WEC 53 main-card recap: Pettis tops champ Henderson, Cruz claims UFC gold
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Dec 17, 2010 at 12:00 am ET


GLENDALE, Ariz. – It's only fitting that World Extreme Cagefighting closed its doors with an awe-inspiring kick and closely contested main event that saw the crowning of a new and final WEC lightweight champion.

A late-fight fence walk that resulted in a highlight-reel head kick allowed challenger Anthony Pettis to edge champ Benson Henderson in the main event of Thursday's WEC 53 event.

It was the final fight in the history of the always-entertaining WEC, which now merges with its sister promotion, the UFC.

The historic event took place at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., and aired on Versus.

After nearly 10 years in the business and four years under the UFC's ownership, the WEC now joins forces with its sister promotion. But the WEC undoubtedly went out in its trademark, crowd-pleasing style.

After an undercard filled with quick finishes and toe-to-toe brawls, Henderson and Pettis took the cage with the WEC belt and a guaranteed UFC title shot on the line.

The first round largely was a feeling-out process as the fighters tested their range and Pettis experimented with his takedown defense. It proved only marginally successful against the more effective Henderson. But in the second, Pettis connected with a right hook that briefly staggered the champ. Henderson quickly defended against a choke attempt and kept close the remainder of the striking-heavy round.

After those two close rounds, Pettis put together his first sustained attacked in the third. After stuffing a kick, he forced Henderson to the mat, took his back, and looked to secure a rear-naked choke. Henderson eventually got to his feet, but Henderson secured a body lock, clung to his back for more than three minutes, and softened him up with heavy blows to the ribs and head. Henderson, though, controlled his right arm, absorbed the blows and survived the round.

The fourth, though, picked up the pace with frantic early-round scrambles. Pettis stuffed a kick and nearly secured a guillotine choke before Henderson rolled free, took his opponent's back and locked in a rear-naked choke. The submission was deep on multiple occasions, but Pettis continually survived before escaping, taking top position and eventually getting back to his feet. After a subsequent trip to the mat, Pettis worked a guillotine choke but simply didn't have the leverage he needed as the round ended.

With the fight possibly tied entering the fifth and final round, Pettis opened up with his striking and landed a couple solid blows from distance. He then tagged Henderson with a knee on a takedown attempt. Although possibly rocked by the shot, the champ continued pressing forward from his knees and ultimately got the takedown. Pettis, though, masterfully escaped and return to his feet for the fight's final 90 seconds. Then, with a move that'll likely remain a fixture in highlight reels for years to come, Pettis circled around his opponent, ran across the fencing perpendicular to the canvas, and floored Henderson with a right kick to the head. Henderson remained alert enough to survive the round, but the ninja-like kick surely left an impression with the judges.

And in the end, they awarded Pettis the victory via scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

Despite Pettis' title win and a date with the winner of UFC 125's headliner between UFC champ Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, all anyone wanted to know about was the gravity-defying kick.

"(Trainer) Duke Roufus and I practice that all the time," Pettis said. "We just have fun in the cage. I've got 10 more kicks of those coming for the UFC.

"How do you like that to end the WEC?"

Pettis (12-1 MMA, 5-1 WEC) heads to the UFC with a four-fight win streak while Henderson (12-2 MMA, 4-1 WEC) suffers his first loss in 10 fights and nearly four years.

Cruz outclasses Jorgensen, earns UFC gold

Dominick Cruz and his frantic, unorthodox, herky-jerky and amazingly effective style are coming to the UFC with gold around his waist.

In a WEC 53 co-headliner that determined the WEC's final bantamweight champion and the first-ever UFC 135-pound champ, Cruz outmaneuvered, out-strategized and simply out-fought challenger Scott Jorgensen en route to a unanimous-decision victory and second successful title defense.

In the first round, Cruz darted in and out of range and picked apart Jorgesen with punches and kicks from all angles. Jorgensen, a three-time Pac-10 champion, could barely adjust before Cruz swooped back in with additional blows. In the second round, he scored a takedown and unloaded nearly five minutes of damaging ground and pound from top position.

Despite the early damage, Jorgensen appeared fresh for the third round. But Cruz quickly scored a flash knockdown with a short right hook and then embarrassed his opponent with stellar footwork, videogame-like head movement, and a continued steady stream of blows. Even when Jorgensen could cut off the cage to corral Cruz's sticking and moving, he was popped with shots from all angles and largely on the defensive.

The final two rounds played out much like the first two, and though Jorgensen tried to solve Cruz's riddle until the final minute, he simply had no solution. Despite a late-fight takedown that finally gave Jorgensen an opening, Cruz simply hopped back to his feet, scored a takedown of his own, and then closed the fight with ground and pound.

The dominant performance earned the champ a unanimous-decision victory via scores of 50-45, 50-45, 50-45.

Cruz hopes the performance silences the naysayers.

"I felt I did have a chip on my shoulder because a lot of people didn't believe in me," he said. "I think after this fight ... I think people will believe."

Cruz (17-1 MMA, 7-1 WEC) enters the UFC on the strength of an eight-fight win streak he accumulated after a WEC-debut loss to Urijah Faber. And after the fight, he said he's anxious for a rematch.

"I'm ready to fight Urijah," he said. "Let's do it in Sacramento or here in Arizona."

Jorgensen (11-4 MMA, 8-2 WEC) sees a five-fight win streak come to an end and closes out his WEC career with seven victories in his past nine fights.

Patient Cerrone taps out Horodecki

Chris Horodecki played with fire and got burned.

After a close first round with fellow lightweight Donald Cerrone, the Canadian kickboxer's corner surprisingly encouraged Horodecki to take his opponent to the mat. Granted, Cerrone had a sizable height and reach advantage standing up, but Horodecki slowly was figuring him out and soon found successf with counter-punches to the body.

But in the second, after the fighters were knocked off balance and forced to scramble, Horodecki took top position and planned to go to work. But Cerrone immediately worked an omoplata, which after methodically making the needed adjustments, transitioned into a triangle-choke attempt. A game Horodecki fought off the choke for more than a minute, but Cerrone ultimately got the leverage he needed and forced the tap-out at the 2:43 mark of the second round.

Now headed to the UFC, Cerrone already has an eye on his a potential opponent.

"Cole Miller," he said. "He beat a good friend of mine in Leonard Garcia, and before I was anything, I told him, 'I'm coming for you, Cole.' Cole, I'm coming for you."

Cerrone (13-3 MMA 5-3 WEC) closes out a competitive WEC career with losses only to current or former champs. Horodecki (16-3 MMA, 2-2 WEC), meanwhile, may reconsider a much-needed drop to featherweight following a 2-2 stint as a WEC lightweight.

Palaszewski's rally falls short, Shalorus earns decision

His once-dominating opponent petered out, but Bart Palaszewski's late rally came up short, and Kamal Shalorus earned a close split-decision victory.

The lightweight bout opened the night's Versus broadcast and saw Shalorus grab an early lead with a takedown and dominant ground and pound. That fight continued like that well into the second round before Shalorus began to fade and Palaszewski successfully fended off the wrestler's takedown attempts.

After getting back to his feet from a final takedown in the third round, Palaszewski teed off on his tiring opponent. Shalorus' takedowns were stuffed, and Palaszewski punished him with knees to the head and body, head kicks and counter-punches. But Palaszewski, too, was low on energy and couldn't muster the energy he needed to get the needed stoppage.

In the end, the judges awarded Shalorus the split decision via scores of 30-27, 28-29 and 29-28.

"I made a little mistake, and I slowed down after I didn't finish him in the first round," he said. "In the second round, I gassed out a little bit."

Shalorus (7-0-2 MMA, 3-0-1 WEC), who promised to be in better condition for his next bout, now will take his undefeated record to the UFC. Palaszewski (35-14 MMA, 4-3 WEC), meanwhile, sees a four-fight win streak come to an end.

SEE ALSO: WEC 53 preliminary-card recap: Roller, Wineland, Castillo dazzle with quick wins

MAIN CARD

* Anthony Pettis def. champ Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) - claims WEC lightweight title
* Champ Dominick Cruz def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) - defends WEC title and becomes first-ever UFC bantamweight champ
* Donald Cerrone def. Chris Horodecki via submission (triangle choke) - Round 2, 2:43
* Kamal Shalorus def. Bart Palaszewski via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Danny Downes def. Tiequan Zhang via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
* Shane Roller def. Jamie Varner via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:55
* Brad Pickett def. Ivan Menjivar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Eddie Wineland def. Ken Stone via knockout (slam) - Round 1, 2:11
* Danny Castillo def. Will Kerr via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 1:25
* Yuri Alcantara def. Ricardo Lamas via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 3:26
* Renan Barao def. Chris Cariaso via submission via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:47

For the latest on WEC 53, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Anthony Pettis)

[reflector]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zz3p63WSXZE/TQrst99qWTI/AAAAAAAAA-4/pduzoiHqZww/s1600/12.gif


http://ezpicshare.com/images/kick.gif

[Knippz]

That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in a fight.

[reflector]

That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in a fight.

I thought it was really cool to see.

[reflector]

The Road to UFC 125: Frankie Edgar


YNV8NygiN38


I am looking forward to this fight.

[reflector]

GSP was voted as the 2010 Canadian Athlete of the Year.


http://www.sportsnet.ca/more/athleteoftheyear2010/

[reflector]

Fighter Predictions For UFC 125


EejOefr3d3o

[reflector]

There had been a lot of talk that this might happen. I guess it finally did.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/21870/former-wec-champ-jamie-varner-released-by-promotion.mma




Former WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner released by promotion
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 28, 2010 at 3:10 pm ET

Two-time UFC veteran Jamie Varner (16-5-2 MMA, 4-3-1 WEC) will have to wait to make his triumphant return to the octagon.

Following a recent four-fight winless streak, the former WEC champion was released by Zuffa officials.

News of the roster move was first reported by PunchDrunkGamer.com, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) subsequently confirmed Varner's release with his management.

"I am ready for 2011," Varner told PunchDrunkGamer.com. "There will be some changes in my game.

"It has been a nice ride with the WEC, but it's time for a change. Perhaps UFC will be in my future down the road. ... We shall see."

Varner made his UFC debut in August 2006. The Arizona native suffered a submission loss to Hermes Franca at UFC 62 before bouncing back with an octagon win over Jason Gilliam at UFC 68 in March 2007.

From there, Varner took his talents to the WEC, where he went on a four-fight win streak and claimed the WEC's lightweight title with a February 2008 win over "Razor" Rob McCullough.

Varner went on to successfully defend the title twice, including a controversial January 2009 victory over rival Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. Ahead on the cards in the fifth and final round of the WEC 38, Varner was tagged with an illegal knee on the ground and was declared unfit to continue. The stoppage resulted in a technical split-decision victory for Varner, though he was widely vilified by MMA fans following the bout.

The win was Varner's final victory in the WEC cage.

Varner saw his lightweight title wrapped around Ben Henderson's waist following a third-round submission loss this past January, and he returned in June in a split draw with Kamal Shalorus. Varner was then defeated by Cerrone via unanimous decision in a September rematch before being submitted by Shane Roller at December's WEC 53, the final event in the promotion's history.

[reflector]

Don't forget to watch tonight.



http://www.mmamania.com/2010/12/29/1902146/programming-reminder-countdown-to-ufc-125-debuts-tonight-dec-29-on




Programming reminder: 'Countdown to UFC 125' debuts tonight (Dec. 29) on Spike TV

Tomcat_tiny by Jesse Holland on Dec 29, 2010 10:53 AM EST

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Ufc125_countdown_email_medium

Countdown to UFC 125: "Resolution" will debut tonight (Dec. 29) at 11:30 p.m. ET on Spike TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011.

The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, featuring current UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie "The Answer" Edgar and division number one contender Gray "The Bully" Maynard.

UFC.com currently lists replays of "Countdown to UFC 125" at the following times:

Thursday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. ET (Versus Network)
Friday, Dec. 31 at 9 a.m. ET (Spike TV) and Midnight (Versus Network)
Saturday, Jan. 1 at 6 p.m. ET (Spike TV)

UFC 125 will also feature a co-main event between hard-hitting welterweights Chris "The Crippler" Leben and Brian "All American" Stann.

Star-divide

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 125 beginning with the PPV telecast at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

For the latest UFC 125 fight card and rumors click here.

[reflector]

I am glad to see Liddell get a title like this. He really helped the UFC get to where it is today.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21887/chuck-liddells-ufc-retirement-official-named-vp-of-business-development.mma




Chuck Liddell's UFC retirement official, named executive VP of business development
by Dann Stupp on Dec 29, 2010 at 4:35 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – Chuck Liddell officially is retired from the UFC cage, but "The Iceman's" career isn't over.

The UFC Hall of Famer and former champion has turned in his fight gloves for a spot in the UFC's front office.

The 41-year-old MMA legend and business-school graduate today was named the UFC's executive vice president of business development.

"He's now on level and on par with all the top executives," UFC president Dana White said at today's pre-UFC 125 press conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

An emotional Liddell briefly addressed the media and fans. He thanked the UFC for a memorable career and said he looks forward to promoting a sport he helped put on the map.

"I love this sport, and I'm ready for a new chapter in my career," he said.

His new gig isn't a ceremonial one. Liddell, a former wrestler at Cal Poly who earned his bachelor's degree in business management and accounting, will be involved in the daily business development of the organization and will help lead the UFC's international expansion. In recent years, he also helped the UFC campaign for regulation in new states, and he's served as an MMA ambassador in various platforms.

"He's seen this sport evolve from a very niche sport to ... a worldwide sport," UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said. "He's going to be very involved."

In recent years, White has struggled whether to announce Liddell's retirement while "The Iceman" appeared on the fence. The fighter wanted to continue to compete, but White felt he might need to protect Liddell after he went 1-5 in his past six fights with four knockouts. But White never wavered in his unabashed praise for the superstar.

"We all owe a lot to Chuck Liddell," he said.

Liddell retires with a 21-8 record, including a 16-7 mark in the UFC. His 16 wins in the organization were a previous UFC record, and the peak of his popularity coincided with the UFC's move into the mainstream.

Liddell, who turned pro in 1998, made his MMA and UFC debut at UFC 17. He won the UFC's light-heavyweight title in 2005 and made four consecutive title defenses before losing the belt to Quinton Jackson in 2007.

[reflector]

There is lots of MMA news breaking today. This news stinks. I like watching Cain fight.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21892/trainer-ufc-champ-velasquez-out-a-minimum-of-6-8-months-with-torn-rotator-cuff.mma





Trainer: UFC champ Velasquez out a minimum of 6-8 months with torn rotator cuff
by Steven Marrocco on Dec 29, 2010 at 7:50 pm ET

Heavy speculation that UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (9-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) would make his first title defense against Junior Dos Santos in Toronto came to naught today with news that Velasquez is on the bench with an injury.

American Kickboxing Academy trainer Javier Mendez today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the champ injured his right shoulder during a winning bid for Brock Lesnar's title at UFC 121, though he declined to disclose it at the time because the severity of the injury was unknown after an initial MRI.

When a second MRI this past week revealed a badly torn rotator cuff which could bench Velasquez for a minimum of 4-6 months – if not longer – a defense in April became unrealistic.

News of the injury was first reported today by MMAFighting.com, who confirmed the injury with UFC president Dana White.

Although disappointed, Velasquez is optimistic about his recovery and wants to undergo surgery as soon as possible, Mendez said. Velasquez's rotator cuff is 90 percent torn and will need extensive physical therapy.

"That's the fight game," the trainer said. "You've got to expect that in this trade."

The UFC was made aware of the injury following UFC 121 and put the brakes on a Velasquez vs. Dos Santos showdown. Dos Santos manager Ed Soares could not be reached for comment on the injury development, and it's unknown at this time whether the UFC will forge ahead with another bout for the challenger.

An interim title situation would also seem premature at this point. White anticipated Velasquez would return in summer 2011.

Mendez, however, thinks that timeline might be a bit too charitable.

"They say the rehab on that type of injury is going to take anywhere from 4-6 months," he said. "Then from there he's got to get fight-ready."

So for now, the top of the heavyweight division is in flux. Meanwhile, a welterweight title match between reigning champ Georges St-Pierre and challenger Jake Shields could headline the UFC's first trip to Toronto, possibly UFC 129, in April at the Rogers Centre.

Unbeaten inside the octagon, Velasquez stormed his way to a title shot with six consecutive victories and took the belt from Lesnar with a first-round beatdown.

For more on UFC 129, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Cain Velasquez)

[northspeter]

no comment on the UFC 125 prelims airing on the Ion network saturday night??? 3 fights, supposedly less commercials than spike uses... apparently this is a trial for network...

[reflector]

no comment on the UFC 125 prelims airing on the Ion network saturday night??? 3 fights, supposedly less commercials than spike uses... apparently this is a trial for network...

Do you live in OKlahoma? What channel is Ion for those of us who live in the OKC area and have Cox cable?

[northspeter]

cox cable in tulsa it's channel 4..... on dish network its 216... not sure about the other providers...

[reflector]

cox cable in tulsa it's channel 4..... on dish network its 216... not sure about the other providers...

I will find it.

[reflector]

I think it should be a pretty good fight card tomorrow night.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21910/ufc-125-live-weigh-in-results.mma






UFC 125 live weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 31, 2010 at 4:29 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's "UFC 125: Resolution" fighter weigh-ins.

The festivities, which include all 22 event competitors, take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and begin at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

You can get text-only results in this post, or check out a live video stream of the proceedings on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

The weigh-ins take place on the eve of UFC 125, an event that takes place at the same Las Vegas venue. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view, and for the first time ever, a three-fight preliminary card airs on ION Television.

Among those weighing in today are UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who meets Gray Maynard in the night's headliner, and Chris Leben, who takes on former WEC champ Brian Stann in the co-headliner.

The full UFC 125 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

Champ Frankie Edgar (155) vs. Gray Maynard (155)
Chris Leben (186) vs. Brian Stann (186)
Nate Diaz (170) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (171)
Takanori Gomi (155) vs. Clay Guida (156)
Thiago Silva (206) vs. Brandon Vera (205)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Ion Television)

Marcus Davis (156) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156)
Josh Grispi (146) vs. Dustin Poirier (145)
Phil Baroni (186) vs. Brad Tavares (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)

Mike Brown (146) vs. Diego Nunes (146)
Daniel Roberts (171) vs. Greg Soto (171)
Antonio McKee (156) vs. Jacob Volkmann (156)

For more on UFC 125, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Gray Maynard)

[reflector]

I thought Stann looked really good in beating Leben. I thought the Edgar fight was close.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21937/ufc-125-main-card-recap-edgar-vs-maynard-ends-in-draw-stann-blasts-leben.mma






UFC 125 main-card recap: Edgar vs. Maynard ends in draw, Stann blasts Leben
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Jan 02, 2011 at 12:45 am ET

LAS VEGAS – Frankie Edgar didn't leave UFC 125 a winner, but he left the event with his lightweight championship belt.

Opponent Gray Maynard battered the champion with a first-round beatdown, but Edgar survived and ultimately evened up the score with the judges, who scored a rousing five-round championship bout a disappointing draw.

The nail-biter headlined Saturday's "UFC 125: Resolution" pay-per-view card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Things began disastrously for Edgar, who was floored early with a left hook. The champ tried to get back to his feet, but two quick and flush uppercuts sent him to the mat for a second time. The rest of the frame was spent in survival mode as Maynard landed a total of 97 punches, but Edgar somehow got out of the round. However, all three judges scores it 10-8 for Maynard.

In the second, Edgar shook off the cobwebs and got the better of the standup. He landed multiple big blows in the boxing-heavy round, including a pair of jaw-rattling right hands, and he punctuated his comeback with a high-flying power-slam takedown toward the end of the round.

Appropriately, the fighters finally were on the same page in the third, a back-and-forth round in which both Maynard and Edgar landed some heavy blows. Maynard may have gotten the edge, but Edgar evened the score in the fourth with quick footwork, pinpoint-accurate punches and an effective sprawl.

In what surely both fighters and corners considered a pivotal fifth round, things were a bit more conservative. Neither fighter wanted to gamble with so much on the line, and each looked to counter-strike the other. Maynard's takedown attempts were easily thwarted, but Edgar's punches were just as easily avoided. The champ slipped through a right hook in the final minute, but Maynard returned one of his own.

No clear winner emerged from the final frame, and the judges, too, were split on that verdict. And it carried over to the final scores.

After a few tense and uncertain moments, they rendered their verdict: a draw via scores of 48-46, 46-48 and 47-47.

Judge Patricia Morse-Jarman scored it 47-47 with Edgar getting the second, third and fourth rounds. Glenn Trowbridge has it for Maynard (who got the first, third and fifth rounds), and Marcos Rosales had it for Edgar (with rounds two through five).

"It was a close fight," said Edgar (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC), who had virtually no memory of the first round.

Maynard (10-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC), though, clearly thought he won.

"I kind of pulled back (in the second round), but I thought I won one, three and five," he said. "I thought I pushed the pace. I thought it was a 10-8 (in the first) and me in the third and fifth."

A victory, of course, would have allowed Edgar to avenge the only loss of his career, which came via decision to Maynard back at UFC Fight Night 13.

So doesn't an immediate rematch seem in order?

"Let's [expletive] hope so," Maynard said. "Let's do this [expletive] again in 2011."

Stann demolishes Leben via TKO

Brian Stann got sucked into Chris Leben's kind of fight.

And it hardly mattered.

Derailing the longtime UFC fighter's recent resurgence, Stann put down a prolific beatdown on Leben en route to a vicious first-round TKO victory in the night's co-headliner.

Hands flew early in the middleweight fight, and a few shots clearly stunned Stann, who bought himself some recovery time by clinching with Leben against the cage. Soon, though, Stann would dominate in the striking department. First came a knockdown with a well-time right hand. Leben survived, but a quick succession of left hands sent him to the mat for a second time. Leben survived again, but a final knee to the head and volley of followup shots finally forced referee Josh Rosenthal to halt the action.

The end came at the 3:37 mark of the opening round. Leben lay on the mat in a dazed stupor.

Stann, a former Marine captain and decorated war veteran, dedicated the fight to one of his former soldiers who died in Afghanistan this past week. The win likely helped lift the emotional fighter's spirits.

"I asked for Chris Leben because he is the toughest guy on the UFC roster, and I need to challenge myself," the former WEC light-heavyweight champion said after the win. "That could have happened to either one of us, but luckily it was my night."

Stann (10-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) now has won four of his past five fights, all in the UFC. Leben (25-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) sees a three-fight win streak come to an end.

Silva overpowers Vera for decision win

Brandon Vera may very well be on his way out of the organization, and he got a rearranged face as a parting gift.

The one-time top heavyweight contender and light-heavyweight title hopeful suffered his third consecutive loss and sixth defeat in his past nine fights after dropping an embarrassing unanimous decision to fellow 205-pounder Thiago Silva.

Silva took the early lead after scoring a single-leg takedown. He maintained the top position, though his attacks were only sporadic. Vera ultimately got back to his feet, but before the round ended, Silva took him back down and then stood over and mean-mugged him as the round ended. The posturing didn't sit well with Vera, who popped to his feet for a nose-to-nose confrontation.

The bad blood continued in the second; each fighter came out swinging, and both landed with heavy leather. But Silva scored a trip-takedown and spent the majority of another round in top position; Vera, meanwhile, appeared largely clueless on his back. Silva simply overpowered his opponent to keep him pinned to the mat and then closed out the frame with some solid ground and pound.

Reprimanded by his corner between rounds, Silva was told not to get sucked into a slugfest. The message didn't fall on deaf ears even when Vera swept him with a leg kick and raised his arms in a taunting way. Silva quickly popped up, clinched, easily got the takedown, took his back and soon embarrassed him with a steady stream of punches and slaps to both sides of the head. He also badly broke Vera's nose, which was bloodied and turned sideways by the end of the fight.

It was one of the few sequences that pleased the fans. Nonetheless, it was a dominating victory for Silva, who earned the unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 and 30-27).

After dropping two of three fights and returning from a yearlong layoff due to injuries, Silva (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) gets back in the win column. Vera (11-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC), meanwhile, may be looking for employment elsewhere.

Unbeaten Kim outclasses Diaz for decision win

Heading into his bout with fellow welterweight and "The Ultimate Fighter 5" winner Nate Diaz, Dong Hyun Kim said he had one goal: to fight UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

And following a convincing and well-rounded decision victory, Kim took a major stride toward that goal.

Kim took the early lead after scoring a first-round takedown and controlling the action from top position. The Korean fighter mixed in short punches to the head and body but landed an especially clean shot after posturing up with a big right hand. Diaz attempted a heel hook to get back to his feet, but the round belonged to Kim.

In the second, Kim again forced the fight to the mat with a slick trip-takedown. Diaz remained active while searching for submission attempts, and he successfully fended off his opponent's efforts to pass guard. With two minutes remaining, Diaz put his soles to his opponent's chest and kicked his way free, but Kim quickly scored another easy takedown and closed out the round by outgrappling the Cesar Gracie product to take the lead, two rounds to none.

Things got interesting in the third, though, when Diaz corralled Kim with overhooks from the standing position. Susceptible to knees but well aware of MMA's unified rules, Kim put a hand on the mat. Diaz, though, fired off a knee anyway, and a timeout was called and a warning was issued for Diaz's illegal strike.

Kim gave the green light to continue, and the fighters quickly clinched and jockeyed for position both standing and on the mat. Kim initially got the better of it, but Diaz fired off a head kick, knees to the body and quick punches to his tiring opponent in a desperate attempt to win the fight. Diaz landed plenty of heavy blows in that final exchange, but Kim survived the round to win the decision.

In the end, all three judges scored it 29-28 in his favor.

Kim said he initially wanted to stand and trade with his opponent but opted to grapple with the grappler once things got underway.

"I really wanted to stand with him, but with the way he was acting in the octagon, I wanted to shut him down," he said.

The undefeated Kim (14-0-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) now owns three consecutive decision wins following a split-decision loss that was overturned when opponent Karo Parisyan failed a post-fight drug test. Diaz (13-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) suffers his first loss in three fights since a move up from lightweight.

Resilient Guida taps Gomi

Clay Guida's ability to absorb punishment without slowing his frantic style led him to one of his biggest wins yet.

In the opening bout of the night's PPV broadcast, the energetic and light-footed Guida darted in and out of range before scoring a second-round takedown and locking in a fight-ending guillotine-choke submission.

Despite his lightweight opponent's constant movement and sometimes-baffling head bobs, Gomi landed a couple solid head kicks and a half dozen or so solid knees to the body. But Guida never so much as winced from the blows and instantly would counter with takedowns, clinches or heavy shots of his own.

In fact, in the second round, Guida ate a stiff knee to the body during a takedown attempt. He simply shrugged it off, got the takedown anyway, set up from the top position, secured the guillotine choke, and then rolled to his back to put more pressure on the choke. Although the hold initially didn't look all that tight, Guida had the leverage he needed and forced a quick tap-out at the 4:27 mark of the round.

After the fight, Guida thanked fellow UFC lightweight Joe Stevenson for teaching him the move and admitted his game plan was defense-oriented.

"You saw him tag me a couple times," he said. "I'm already ugly, and I don't need to be uglier."

With his third straight win, Guida (28-11 MMA, 8-5 UFC) graduates from fringe contender to legitimate title challenger. Gomi (32-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who once perhaps was the world's No. 1 lightweight, now has dropped four of seven since a memorable 15-1 run in PRIDE.

SEE ALSO: UFC 125 preliminary-card recap: Stephens floors Davis, Poirier shocks Grispi

MAIN CARD

* Champion Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard declared a draw (48-46, 46-48, 47-47) - lightweight championship fight
* Brian Stann def. Chris Leben via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:37
* Thiago Silva def. Brandon Vera via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
* Dong Hyun Kim def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Clay Guida def. Takanori Gomi via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 4:27

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Jeremy Stephens def. Marcus Davis via knockout (punch) - Round 3, 2:33
* Dustin Poirier def. Josh Grispi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Brad Tavares def. Phil Baroni via knockout (strikes) - Round 1, 4:20
* Diego Nunes def. Mike Brown via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* Daniel Roberts def. Greg Soto via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:45
* Jacob Volkmann def. Antonio McKee via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on UFC 125, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Frankie Edgar)

[northspeter]

i was pretty shocked by stann's domination of leben... the title fight was pretty darn exciting... i was torn between a 47-47 draw or a 48-46 win for frankie... but ultimately i think the 47-47 draw was the right score... i don't see any way that gray won 3 rounds... i think round 3 was a toss-up, but frankie won rounds 2, 4 and 5... and round 1 was an obvious 10-8 for gray... i was hoping pettis would still get the next shot... but apparently its gonna be another immediate rematch with gray... sucks for frankie, he'll have 4 straight fights against 2 guys...

[reflector]

i was pretty shocked by stann's domination of leben... the title fight was pretty darn exciting... i was torn between a 47-47 draw or a 48-46 win for frankie... but ultimately i think the 47-47 draw was the right score... i don't see any way that gray won 3 rounds... i think round 3 was a toss-up, but frankie won rounds 2, 4 and 5... and round 1 was an obvious 10-8 for gray... i was hoping pettis would still get the next shot... but apparently its gonna be another immediate rematch with gray... sucks for frankie, he'll have 4 straight fights against 2 guys...

I thought Gray won the first round 10-8. I had Frankie winning rounds 2-5 though. I had Frankie winning 48-46. It was a close fight though.

[reflector]

I hope this fight ends up taking place in April. I am looking forward to this fight.






http://www.mmamania.com/2011/1/2/1909393/ufc-129-georges-st-pierre-vs-jake-shields-booked-for-toronto-on-april






UFC 129: Georges St. Pierre vs Jake Shields booked for Toronto on April 30

Bear_down_tiny by Geno Mrosko on Jan 2, 2011 4:36 PM EST

* 52 comments
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164724_182311591792805_100000418967615_574060_4471 162_n_medium

We thought it might be and now it looks so.

Company President Dana White announced Saturday (via Yahoo! Sports) that Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his title as expected against Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto on April 30.

With the recent news that Randy Couture will potentially return to fight Lyoto Machida at the same event, it's now expected that this show will be the biggest in UFC history.

"GSP" will come into this match-up having run through nearly every challenger at 170-pounds matchmaker Joe Silva could possibly offer him. In fact, Shields just might be the only one left.

If "Rush" wins again, is he finally headed up to bigger fights at 185-pounds?

Star-divide

Shields entered the UFC as the reigning Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and riding a 14 fight winning streak. He was matched up against top contender Martin Kampmann and although he struggled with a bad weight cut, walked away with a split decision win.

He was all he needed to do to earn a crack at arguably the best fighter in the world today.

A win for "GSP" may necessitate a jump up to middleweight for the champion but it also may mean a jump up in weight for Shields.

Is the lifelong vegetarian the one to finally dethrone the long-standing welterweight king?

UFC 129 is rumored for Toronto on April 30 and will feature, on top of GSP vs Shields as the main event, a light-heavyweight showdown between Randy Couture and Lyoto Machida.

Stay tuned to MMAMania.com for more on this still-developing fight card.

[Sooner_Bob]

I was most impressed with Stann. I really thought Leben would punch him in the mouth and he would fold.

I hate that Maynard/Edgar was a draw. Anthony Pettis better not be held out of the octagon until Maynard/Edgar III. That would be a longer lay-off than he wants/needs.

Anyone catch Dynamite? There were some pretty decent fights. Duffy didn't last 20 seconds against Overeem.

[Sooner_Bob]

no comment on the UFC 125 prelims airing on the Ion network saturday night??? 3 fights, supposedly less commercials than spike uses... apparently this is a trial for network...

I didn't even know Ion was going to do this. How'd it go?

[reflector]

I think the fight between Shogun and Rashad will be interesting.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/21973/ufc-128-official-for-march-19-in-new-jersey-with-rua-vs-evans-faber-vs-wineland.mma



UFC 128 official for March 19 in New Jersey with Rua vs. Evans, Faber vs. Wineland
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jan 04, 2011 at 3:20 pm ET

The UFC's return to New Jersey is official.

As expected, the world largest mixed martial arts promotion heads to the Garden State on March 19 for "UFC 128: Shogun vs. Evans."

Featuring a long-awated light heavyweight title clash between current champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former title holder Rashad Evans, UFC 128 takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

"This is the light heavyweight title fight that everyone has been waiting to see," UFC president Dana White stated in today's official release. "'Shogun' has been on an absolute tear and proved that by knocking out Lyoto Machida to take the belt. Now he faces Rashad Evans, who is coming off back-to-back wins over Thiago Silva and 'Rampage' Jackson and has never been hungrier to reclaim the title.

"With the main event and the other fights we're putting together, we're bringing another awesome card to New Jersey, and I'm excited to get back to the East Coast."

Rua (19-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC), a longtime star with the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships, is 3-1 since his promotional-debut loss to Forrest Griffin. The lone defeat came to Lyoto Machida in their first meeting, and many in the industry panned the unanimous decision and felt Rua won the fight. Seven months later in the rematch, he needed less than a round to score a knockout and win the belt from his fellow Brazilian.

Evans (15-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) earned another shot at the title with a May win over rival Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the main event of UFC 114. Although he said he'd be open to an interim-title fight if Rua were to experience a lengthy layoff while recovering from knee surgery, he later said he'd prefer to wait for the champion. Evans, who also has defeated Thiago Silva since losing his belt, will have a yearlong layoff while waiting for his shot to reclaim the title.

In addition to the main event, UFC brass also officially announced the previously reported clash between former WEC champions Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland.

The bantamweight bout marks the UFC debut of Faber (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Wineland (18-6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who were both victorious in their final obligations to the WEC before the promotion officially ceded its talent to the industry leader.

Faber met former contender Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52 in his first bout as a bantamweight and cinched a first-round rear-naked choke that won him "Submission of the Night" honors.

Wineland slammed his way out of the WEC in the promotion's final event, WEC 53. Newcomer Ken Stone made the unwise move of pulling a standing guard on the Indiana native in the first round of their preliminary-card meeting and found himself violently introduced to the canvas and knocked out.

The sensational finish capped off a four-fight streak for Wineland, who became the first WEC bantamweight champion when he knocked out Antonio Banuelos for the belt at WEC 20. (He subsequently lost the strap to Chase Beebe when he returned the next year to the Zuffa-owned promotion.)

Tickets for UFC 128, which range in price from $60 to $500, go on sale Thursday, Jan. 13, at Ticketmaster.com.

The latest UFC 128 card includes:

* Champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Rashad Evans (for light-heavyweight title)
* Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
* Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chael Sonnen*
* Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub*
* Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus*
* Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle*
* Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau*
* Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani*
* Luiz Cane vs. Karlos Vemola*

* - Not officially announced

For the latest on UFC 128, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua)

[Collier11]

Kinda interested to see Schaub vs Cro Cop honestly

[reflector]

This tournament sounds awesome. I hope they are able to make it all the way through. With injuries, I could see problems with the tournament. On paper, this tournament sounds awesome though.




http://www.mmamania.com/






http://cdn2.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/170041/2s987j8_medium.jpg

The official Strikeforce heavyweight tournament bracket is now live. The winner of the eight-man Grand Prix will be crowned heavyweight champion according to executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, Ken Hershman (via ESPN.com).

Who is your early favorite to win it all, Maniacs?

[Boomer.....]

[KC//CRIMSON]Fedor is the greatest and all others will die![/KC//CRIMSON]

[Sooner_Bob]

Kinda interested to see Schaub vs Cro Cop honestly

I want to see Schaub vs Mir . . . . I'd love for Cro Cop to get a chance to use is head kick of death during this fight.

[Sooner_Bob]

This tournament sounds awesome. I hope they are able to make it all the way through. With injuries, I could see problems with the tournament. On paper, this tournament sounds awesome though.




http://www.mmamania.com/






http://cdn2.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/170041/2s987j8_medium.jpg

The official Strikeforce heavyweight tournament bracket is now live. The winner of the eight-man Grand Prix will be crowned heavyweight champion according to executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, Ken Hershman (via ESPN.com).

Who is your early favorite to win it all, Maniacs?

I'm hoping with the first two fights scheduled for next month and then the next two in March that everyone will make it through to the Semi's healthy.

I've seen two different versions of the bracket. One with Fedor and Overeem on the same side and one with them on opposite sides.

I really hope they're on opposite sides.

[reflector]

I am not really surprised by this.





http://www.mmamania.com/2011/1/6/1918622/brandon-vera-cut-by-the-ufc-following-jan-1-loss-to-thiago-silva





Brandon Vera cut by the UFC following Jan. 1 loss to Thiago Silva

Tomcat_tiny by Jesse Holland on Jan 6, 2011 10:41 AM EST

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Brandon-vera-broken-nose-photos_medium

Three strikes, you're out.

Brandon Vera has been released from his Zuffa contract following his third straight loss inside the Octagon, a UFC 125: "Resolution" unanimous decision defeat to Brazilian wrecking ball Thiago Silva back on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas.

Five Ounces of Pain brought word of the light heavyweight's expected release earlier today.

Vera, whose 2008 goal was to unify the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles, saw his career take a nosedive after a messy contract dispute (here and here) followed by a unanimous decision loss to former division champion Tim Sylvia.

His bout against "The Maine-iac" was for the right to face PRIDE legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the Interim heavyweight title.

In defeat, the first of his career, he was sent to the back of the line, eventually settling on another stiff test when he was booked to face Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85: "Bedlam."

"The Truth" is, it did not end well for Vera, who was stopped via technical knockout in round one.

Star-divide

Like most fighters who begin to struggle inside their division, the Filipino shed a few pounds to try his luck at light heavyweight.

Despite initial success against Reese Andy and Michael Patt (sandwiched around a razor-thin split decision loss to Keith Jardine), Vera would see his momentum from a UFC 102 win against Krzysztof Soszynski go by the wayside against Randy Couture at UFC 105 in November 2009.

His next two losses would be the last of his UFC career, as both Jon Jones and fellow light heavyweight contender Thiago Silva dominated him in their respective bouts.

Talent, potential and plenty of trash talk. Unfortunately Vera didn't have the wins to back them up.

Now "The Truth" will likely be found competing in smaller promotions, following a lengthy layoff to have his broken nose repaired courtesy of a Thiago Silva mauling back on New Year's Day.

Anyone think he can somehow work his way back to the big show?

[Sooner_Bob]

No shock that Vera got cut . . . I figured he was out after Silva smacked him around.

[reflector]

I always enjoyed watching him fight. Hopefully he can make his way back to the UFC in the future.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/21997/ufc-releases-former-contender-marcus-davis-following-ufc-125-loss.mma




UFC releases former contender Marcus Davis following UFC 125 loss
by Steven Marrocco on Jan 06, 2011 at 12:50 pm ET

After 15 fights, four fight-night bonuses, a spot on the organization's reality series, former welterweight title contention, and a handful of high-profile international fights, Marcus Davis (17-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) received his UFC walking papers following a UFC 125 loss to Jeremy Stephens.

Davis' manager, Joe Cavallaro, today confirmed the release with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The 37-year-old will continue fighting in MMA professionally, and he'll do so at 155 pounds with the hopes of getting back to the UFC.

Davis, fighting for the first time since a drop from welterweight to lightweight, met fellow striker Stephens on the ION Television preliminary card of the Jan. 1 UFC 125 card. Davis wobbled his opponent in the first round and was positioned for a close decision victory, but Stephens connected on a perfectly placed right hook that set up his KO win in the third round.

Davis, a former pro boxer (16-1-1) who went 13-1 from 2006 to 2009 in MMA, now has lost four of his past five fights. The other losses, though, came to notables Nate Diaz, Dan Hardy and Ben Saunders.

"He felt real strong at 155 (pounds)," Cavallaro said. "He made a mistake. The guy's been fighting forever, and he has no plans of retiring. Between all the 'Fight of the Night,' 'Knockout of the Night,' and 'Submission of the Night' bonuses, he's showed that he's a very exciting fighter to watch. Now, it's just a matter of figuring out the next move. We're talking to a few people right now."

Cavallaro said the comfortable weight cut and otherwise solid performance convinced Davis he should keep fighting.

"If he'd taken a sustained beating and didn't look good or didn't look sharp, maybe we'd be having a different conversation," he said.
But he did none of those things. His weight cut was perfect. He felt healthy. Like he said, he thought he was winning that fight, and he just got caught. Jeremy Stephens is a very tough kid, and that's what his bread and butter is. He can stop you at any time. But hats off to Jeremy. He stayed in the fight until the last second."

Davis first joined the UFC in 2005 as a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 2," but as a fairly one-dimension striker, he lost an opening-round matchup to eventual show winner Joe Stevenson. He then dropped a TKO (due to cuts) to Melvin Guillard at the show's live finale and was released for the first time.

Davis, though, dedicated himself to the sport and specifically jiu-jitsu improvement. He won 13 of his next 14 fights, including seven via submission, which included a return to the UFC in 2006. Over the past few years, he's been a fixture on the UFC's international cards. Eight of his past 11 UFC fights came in overseas markets.

In the meantime, he and Cavallaro are preparing to field offers.

"I'm open talking to anybody who's interested," Cavallaro said.

[Breadburner]

Vera was a Dick....!!!

[reflector]

This should be a pretty good fight card on Showtime.




http://www.mmamania.com/2011/1/7/1920340/strikeforce-challengers-13-weigh-in-results-for-woodley-vs-saffiedine




Strikeforce Challengers 13 weigh in results for 'Woodley vs Saffiedine' (Video)

Tiny by James Iannotti on Jan 7, 2011 12:05 AM EST

* 7 comments
* Story-email Email
* Printer Print

Woodley-weight_medium

The official weigh-in event for the Strikeforce Challengers 13 is now in the books. The last of the formalities before tonight's five-fight, Showtime-televised card took place yesterday evening in Nashville, Tennessee.

Each of the ten main card participants who will compete on the Showtime televised portion of the card hit their respective weights without incident.

The main event will feature a welterweight battle between undefeated wrestling stud Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley and Tarec "Sponge" Saffiedine. Former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux will also be in action, along with former United States Olympians Daniel Cormier and Rhadi Ferguson.

Check out the Challengers: "Woodley vs. Saffiedine" weigh-in results and video after the jump:

Star-divide

170 lbs.: Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley (170.2) vs. Tarec "Sponge" Saffiedine (170.2)
265 lbs.: Daniel Cormier (249) vs. Devin Cole (239.2)
205 lbs.: Ovince St. Preux (204.8) vs. Ray "Abongo" Humphrey (205.4)
145 lbs.: Julia Budd (144.2) vs. Amanda Nunes (143.2)
205 lbs.: Rhadi Ferguson (205) vs. John Richard (206)

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of "Woodley vs. Saffiedine" beginning with the Showtime telecast at 11 p.m. ET.

It's going to be a fun night of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the post-fight coverage you can handle.

[Sooner_Bob]

That's on tonight right?

[reflector]

That's on tonight right?

Yes.

[reflector]

Showtime is having a free preview weekend for a lot of people, so they are advertising this weekend a lot. They created these two videos for tonight's main event on their Strikeforce card. You should probably check to see if your cable or satellite provider is part of the free preview weekend. I think this is going to be a good event tonight. If you already subscribe to Showtime, you should definitely watch tonight.



gnT7Xe4XM00



WjeA4XiuALc

[reflector]

I thought this was a pretty good event.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22022/strikeforce-challengers-13-recap-woodley-tops-saffiedine-st-preux-wins-again.mma




Strikeforce Challengers 13 recap: Woodley tops Saffiedine, St. Preux wins again
by Dann Stupp on Jan 08, 2011 at 1:05 am ET

Tyron Woodley knew fellow welterweight Tarec Saffiedine would be one of his toughest opponents yet, so understandably, he needed a win-first gameplan.

So, his gravity-defying slams and lunging strikes were put on the shelf. Still, the fast-rising welterweight prospect remains undefeated with a unanimous-decision victory on Friday night.

The bout headlined Strikeforce Challengers 13, which aired on Showtime from Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

The bout, which pitted two of the organization's top 170-pound prospects against each other, saw mostly clinch fighting. The action there was mostly even, but Woodley mixed in some timely takedowns and usually was the aggressor during their exchanges. The combination was enough to lead him to a decision victory via scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

"I did well," the satisfied former University of Missouri wrestler said. "Tarec is a very tough guy, has some power and some pop. He switches his stance. He's a difficult guy.

"I endured. I pressed him. I think I kept the pressure on him and kept him from doing a lot of pressing."

With the win, Woodley (8-0 MMA, 6-0 SF) is expected to graduate to the organization's "Arena Series" shows and now finds himself within reach of a title shot.

Saffiedine (10-3 MMA, 2-1 SF), who finally won the third round with a well-balanced attack, snaps a three-fight win streak and suffers just his second loss in 11 fights.

St. Preux wins third fight in seven weeks

It didn't come easy, and Ron "Abongo" Humphrey proved a game opponent, but former University of Tennessee football player and fast-rising light heavyweight Ovince St. Preux picked up his third win in seven weeks with a unanimous-decision victory.

St. Preux jumped out to an early lead with a dominant first round that included solid foot and ground work. Only Humphrey's kneebar attempt in the first slowed St-Preux. And though he'd have to fight off additional submission attempts in later rounds and even took a few heavy shots to the chin, St. Preux proved the clear winner in the often-entertaining three-rounder.

In the end, all three judges awarded the nimble and powerful prospect the decision win via scores of 30-27.

After the fight, St-Preux, who also picked up Challengers wins on Nov. 19 and Dec. 4, admitted he's looking forward to a breather.

"He was definitely a tough opponent," St-Preux said. "I need to (take a break)."

St-Preux (10-4 MMA, 4-0 SF) now has won seven straight while Humphrey (7-3 MMA, 1-3 SF) suffers his third defeat in his past four fights.

Cormier gets first decision win

The evolution of Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier continues, and though the heavyweight went to a decision for the first time in his career, it still resulted in a lopsided unanimous-decision victory over Devin Cole.

Although the pace slowed in the second half of the fight, Cormier showed solid striking, improved ground work, and an effective top game to keep himself out of any real trouble. Cole, though, proved a game opponent and took many heavy shots without so much as a stumble.

In the end, though, all three judges awarded Cormier, a product of the American Kickboxing Academy, a decision victory via 30-27 scores.

"He did an incredible job," said Cormier, who admitted he was disappointed with the performance. "He fought well, fought hard. He can take a shot. I landed some pretty decent shots on him.

"I think we don't expect a performance like that with AKA and my punches. But I appreciate the opportunity from Strikeforce and Devin for taking the fight."

The ever-busy Cormier (7-0 MMA, 4-0 SF) now has seven wins in 17 months of pro fighting. Cole (18-9-1 MMA, 0-1 SF), a longtime IFL fighter, losses for just the second time in nine fights.

Nunes stuns Nunes with 14-second KO

If Strikeforce officials need a marketable opponent for seemingly unbeatable 145-pound champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, they may now have one.

In the night's lone female matchup, fellow Brazilian striker Amanda Nunes shocked opponent Julia Budd with an open flurry of punches, dropped her, and then forced a lightning-quick 14-second knockout stoppage with a series of hammerfists.

After the quick victory, Nunes said her ultimate wish in the organization is a shot at Santos.

"'Cyborg' is my final goal," she said through a translator. "That time will come."

Since a loss in his pro debut, Nunes (6-1 MMA, 1-0 SF), a Strikeforce newcomer, has won six consecutive fights. Budd (1-1 MMA, 1-1 SF), who made her MMA and Strikeforce debut with a knockout of Shana Olsen in October, suffers her first defeat.

Ferguson survives early trouble

Late replacement John Richard wasn't about to settle for an easy paycheck and twice had his opponent in trouble, but fellow light heavyweight and former Olympic judoka Rhadi Ferguson stormed back for a slick second-round submission victory.

Richard, who replaced Ion Cherdivara (visa issues) on just a few days' notice, scored the fight's first takedown and nearly cinched a rear-naked choke. But Ferguson escaped and closed out the round with a dominant ground-and-pound display. Toss in Richard's one-point deduction for spitting out his mouthpiece three times, and Ferguson had a 10-8 lead.

In the second, Richard again struck early, but an inside leg kick may have caught more groin than thigh. Ferguson was stunned by the pain, and Richard quickly took him to the mat. But Ferguson quickly looked for kneebar before expertly transitioning into a fight-ending heel hook.

The stoppage came at the 2:00 mark of the second round.

"That leg lock, straight Lloyd Irvin," said Ferguson, who said a pulled groin slowed his training camp. "I'm a neophyte in this sport. I'm young, I'm still learning, and I'm humble."

With the win over Richard (3-2 MMA, 0-1 SF), Ferguson (3-0 MMA, 1-0 SF) remains undefeated in his young career.

MAIN CARD

* Tyron Woodley def. Tarec Saffiedine via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
* Ovince St. Preux def. Ron "Abongo" Humphrey via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Daniel Cormier def. Devin Cole via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Amanda Nunes def. Julia Budd via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:14
* Rhadi Ferguson def. John Richard via submission (heel hook) - Round 2, 2:00

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Thomas Campbell def. Jeremy Wallace via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:26
* John Salter def. Casey Huffman via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:59
* Dustin Ortiz def. Matt Horning via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 2:10
* Dustin West def. Daniel Schmitt via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:09
* Charles McTorry def. Krishaun Gilmore via submission (rear naked choke) - Round 2, 3:46
* Chris Barnhizer def. Karl Willis via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 2:35
* Jason Blackford def. Jeremy Boczulak via submission (heel hook) - Round 2, 1:54
* Luke Sanders def. Josh Jarvis via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:15
* Stoney Hale def. Gerric Hayes via split decision (28-29, 29-28. 29-28)

For more on Strikeforce Challengers 13, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Tyron Woodley)

[reflector]

I want to know who the coaches are already.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/22040/the-ultimate-fighter-13-cast-shifts-to-all-welterweights-coaches-named-this-week.mma



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/other/the-ultimate-fighter-13-joe-silva-dana-white.jpg



"The Ultimate Fighter 13" cast shifts to all welterweights, coaches named this week
by Dann Stupp on Jan 10, 2011 at 2:00 pm ET

While initially intended to feature welterweights and middleweights, the upcoming 13th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" instead now will be a welterweights-only season.

A source close to the long-running competition/reality series today confirmed the plans with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The show begins taping this month, and it debuts March 30 on Spike TV. Coaches are expected to be announced this week, a source said.

With the single weight class, "TUF 13" is expected to use the same 28-man, 32-slot tournament that has been employed in recent seasons. The initial 28 elimination-round fights, which air over the first episode or two of the show, will determine the initial cast of 14. The fighters then enter a 16-slot bracket, and two opening-round losers will get a second shot as "wild card" picks. ("TUF 11" wild-card pick Kris McCray eventually became the show's runner-up.)

The show again tapes in Las Vegas.

Many fighters, who traditionally meet in a season-ending fight, have been rumored for coaching slots on "TUF 13." But UFC officials haven't tipped their hand, and many leading candidates now instead are slotted for spring/early-summer UFC events.

Welterweights haven't been featured on the show since "TUF 9," a U.S. vs. U.K. version of the reality series that featured both 155- and 170-pounders.

The "TUF" series, which debuted in 2005, was the primary tool to get MMA and the UFC into the mainstream. The show has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters, and past cast members such as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra have gone on to win UFC titles.

For more on "The Ultimate Fighter 13," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and president Dana White at "TUF 13" open tryouts.)

[northspeter]

im more interested in the fighters... i love it when they have some local guys on the show... i know there were a number of tulsa area guys who made the final interview portion of the tryouts... and a few were guys who can and have fought at welterweight before...

[reflector]

I am looking forward to the next season of the show.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22057/brock-lesnar-and-junior-dos-santos-named-the-ultimate-fighter-13-coaches.mma



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/junior-dos-santos-4.jpg


Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos named "The Ultimate Fighter 13" coaches
by Dann Stupp on Jan 11, 2011 at 5:45 pm ET

After months of speculation and more than a dozen rumored names, UFC president Dana White today announced heavyweight contenders Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos will be coaches on the upcoming 13th season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

White made the announcement during a media call.

"The Ultimate Fighter 13" debuts March 30 on Spike TV, and a live finale is slated for June 4. The coaches meet in a season-ending fight in June, possibly at UFC 131 in Toronto.

Although initially announced as a middleweight and welterweight season of the UFC's long-running reality series, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported earlier this week that producers instead opted to make "TUF 13" a welterweights-only show. Production begins this month in Las Vegas. In an elimination round of fights, 28 hopefuls will fight for 14 official cast spots. The show uses a 32-slot tournament, which includes two "wild card" picks who earn a second life in the quarterfinals.

Over the past couple months, many UFC veterans had been rumored for potential "TUF 13" coaching slots, including Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Frank Mir, Shane Carwin, Wanderlei Silva, Chael Sonnen, Chris Leben, Brian Stann, Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber, Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo and others. Ultimately, though, officials went with the big men, Lesnar and Dos Santos.

White said Velasquez's recent shoulder surgery and long layoff opened the door for Lesnar and Dos Santos, which then "made all the sense in the world." However, no interim title will be on the line when the coaches fight, though the winner gets an immediate title shot with Velasquez.

Lesnar (5-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is a former titleholder who lost his belt to current champ Cain Velasquez in October. The former WWE star has emerged as the UFC's top pay-per-view draw, and his inclusion in "TUF" should translate to big ratings.

Dos Santos (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), meanwhile, recently claimed top-contender status by posting a 6-0 record in the UFC. Recent wins have come over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Gilbert Yvel, Gabriel Gonzaga and Roy Nelson.

"TUF" debuted in 2005 and proved a ratings hit. It also helped the UFC's and MMA's move into the mainstream. Since the debut season, the show has launched the career of more than 100 UFC fighters, and past cast members Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Matt Serra went on to win UFC titles.

For more on "The Ultimate Fighter 13," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Junior Dos Santos)

[Boomer.....]

Isn't Lesnar a little green to be coaching? I guess that is why you have experienced assistant coaches.

I'll definitely be watching though.

[reflector]

I hope MMA gets regulated in New York sometime soon.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/22087/ufc-predicts-two-new-york-events-in-first-year-of-regulation-23-million-impact.mma



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/executives/dana-white-38.jpg


UFC predicts two New York events in first year of regulation, $23 million impact
by John Morgan on Jan 13, 2011 at 2:45 pm ET

The full-court press is on.

In a Thursday press conference held at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, UFC president Dana White and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta made their intentions known loud and clear.

The UFC re-affirmed its plans to see through the legalization of mixed martial arts in the state of New York, and according to UFC brass, MMA fans can expect the Empire State to host at least two events – including one at Madison Square Garden – within the first year of legal promotion in the state.

"This sport is global, and we think it's time we should be able to hold events in New York," Fertitta said.

White and Fertitta brought UFC lightweight champion and New Jersey native Frankie Edgar along for support, but the real focus of the event was the an independent economic impact study conducted by Jamie Springer of HR&A Advisors, which suggests New York stands to create hundreds of jobs and generate more than $23 million in annual new spending for the local economy through the legalization of mixed martial arts.

An obviously excited Madison Square Garden Sports president Scott O'Neil – who classified White and Fertitta both as "great guys and spectacular businessmen" – recounted his first live UFC event, March 2010's UFC 111 card, which the exec attended with his nephew.

"I've spent a lot of my carer around professional athletes, and I've never seen anything like a saw that day," O'Neil recounted. "We cant wait for this to be sanctioned here."

New York assemblyman Dean Murray, who was also on hand, said he has already contacted Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in hopes of the inclusion of MMA regulation on the state's upcoming budget – a step Murray said would streamline the entire process.

Murray also pointed to the potential economic impact of MMA regulation as an important reason to support the move.

"In this economic climate, we don't need to be raising any taxes," Murray said. "We need a chance to raise revenue, and this is a wonderful chance."

Springer said his firm predicts New York could host as many as 70 MMA events annually and that $16 million of the new revenue would come from the combination of one UFC event at Madison Square Garden and another in upstate New York at Buffalo's HSBC Arena. A full copy of the study can be found at MMAFacts.com/econstudy.

White, who has oftentimes hinted at an eminent change in New York (one of only six states that doesn't currently regulate MMA) only to be forced to retract his prediction, insisted he remains positive about the UFC's chances in the coming year.

"I'm a little baffled but not frustrated," White said. "It's an education process.

"We've got a good team here in New York, and I feel like we're going to get this thing done. ... I think we're right there."

(Pictured: Dana White)

[Knippz]

Brock and JDS should be great!

Can't wait for UFC 126!! Such a good card! I'm so ready for the Silva-Belfort fight, it's gonna be so exciting. Forrest and Rich should be a great fight as well, and we get to see Bones, as well as Kid. Then the next week we kick of the Strikeforce "Tournament", with Fedor fighting (GASP)!

[Sooner_Bob]

I just hope Ed Soares doesn't make any regular appearances on the show. That dude is annoying.

[reflector]

Dana White Talks MMA in New York (NSFW)


FiuwaxK7lM4

[reflector]

I hope Cain is able to fight again soon.




http://www.mmamania.com/2011/1/17/1939993/cain-velasquez-surgery-update-ufc-heavyweight-champion-already




http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/635130/cainundisputed_medium.jpg


Cain Velasquez surgery update: UFC Heavyweight Champion already 'lifting legs'

Tomcat_tiny by Jesse Holland on Jan 17, 2011 12:21 PM EST

* 25 comments
* Story-email Email
* Printer Print

Cainundisputed_medium

Down, but not out.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez today (Jan. 17) tweeted a health update following his recent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff that is expected to keep him out of the Octagon until late 2011.

And while most post-op patients are at home watching television and eating ice cream, the undefeated American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) star is already back in the gym:

Surgery went well. Back at Joe Grasso's lifting legs . Best place to train.

After making it look easy against his first seven opponents, Velasquez scored a "Knockout of the Night" against mixed martial arts legend and former Pride Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, securing himself an October 2010 title bout opposite division champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in Anaheim.

Four minutes and twelve seconds later, the pasty-faced ex-WWE star was officially dethroned.

Star-divide

Patient pugilist Junior dos Santos was expected to get the first crack at Velasquez' belt; however, injuries suffered in the Lesnar bout failed to heal on their own, leaving the newly-minted champion with no other alternative but to undergo invasive shoulder surgery.

And that would have kept "Cigano" out of action for over a year.

Well, a Brazilian's gotta get paid, so out went his claim to the division's number one contender spot (by choice) in order to cash in on a big ticket payday against Lesnar, who will likely face Dos Santos at UFC 131 on June 11 following their respective coaching gigs on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13.

And you can be sure it's a bout that Velasquez will be watching very carefully, as he's expected to face the winner in his return bout in late summer or early fall.

But will he be ready?

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to the champion's return as they become available.

[reflector]

Nick Diaz Promo


LOzVs6zcWWU

[Sooner_Bob]

I will laugh if Cyborg beats him.

[OUthunder]

It should be a great show, I just wish that it wasn't censored. Brock is still a beast, but it's obvious to me that he's not the same since his illness. I had the same illness, and it took THREE YEARS before my stomach felt normal. I hope that he continues to heal, but I think that he honestly should have stepped away from the sport for a longer duration than he did.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Brock gets beat.

[KC//CRIMSON]

The big dumb oaf's past illness sure didn't seem to bother him when he fought Carwin. The bottom line is, Dana White's pride and joy WWE poster-child is a hack.

[reflector]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22166/ufc-fight-night-23-ufc-fights-for-the-troops-2-live-weigh-in-results.mma



"UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2" weigh-in results: All on weight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jan 21, 2011 at 5:25 pm ET

KILLEEN, Texas – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's official "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2" fighter weigh-ins.

The festivities took place at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, though due to its secure location, the venue was closed to the public.

All fighters successfully made weight for the event without incident.

Today's festivities preceded Saturday's big event, an 11-fight lineup that serves as a fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Two preliminary-card fights stream for free on Facebook, and the night's main card then airs on Spike TV.

In addition to the Evan Dunham (156 pounds) vs. Melvin Guillard (155) headliner, heavyweights Tim Hague (240) and Matt Mitrione (260) meet in the co-headliner. Additionally, Mark Hominick (145.5) can earn a guaranteed title shot with featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 129 if he can get by George Roop (145) in their main-card bout.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

* Evan Dunham (156) vs. Melvin Guillard (155)
* Tim Hague (256.5) vs. Matt Mitrione (260)
* Mark Hominick (145.5) vs. George Roop (145)
* Pat Barry (240) vs. Joey Beltran (230)
* Cole Miller (155.5) vs. Matt Wiman (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Yves Edwards (155) vs. Cody McKenzie (155)
* Mike Guymon (170.5) vs. DaMarques Johnson (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mike Brown (146) vs. Rani Yahya (145)
* Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire (155) vs. Waylon Lowe (156)
* Amilcar Alves (171) vs. Charlie Brenneman (171)
* Chris Cariaso (135) vs. Will Campuzano (135)

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 23, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Evan Dunham)

[reflector]

I think that was the best that Guillard has ever looked in the UFC



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/melvin-guillard-9.jpg




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/melvin-guillard-9.jpg


UFC Fight Night 23 main-card recap: Guillard makes quick work of Dunham
by Dann Stupp on Jan 22, 2011 at 11:45 pm ET

KILLEEN, Texas – Which Melvin Guillard would show up for UFC Fight Night 23? The fast-rising lightweight contender answered that question emphatically with a first-round knockout of Evan Dunham.

Guillard's impressive and trademark performance capped off the second installment of "UFC Fights for the Troops," a UFC event series that serves as a fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

The event took place Saturday in front of active military personnel at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, and the night's main card aired on Spike TV after a four-fight preliminary-card stream on Facebook.

Guillard, whose inconsistency often mirrored a questionable commitment to the sport, has transformed himself in recent years, thanks largely to Greg Jackson's camp. The "new" Guillard has seen the fruits of his labor, and against Dunham, he picked up his seventh win in eight fights.

Guillard's quick hands and light feet wasted little time picking apart fellow contender Dunham, who simply was too slow to the punch. Guillard first dropped him with a left-right combo and then wobbled him again with a vicious uppercut. The blows kept coming as Guillard delivered a series of knee strikes to the head that set up the knockout win just three minutes into the fight.

After the fight, Guillard made some bold predictions.

"I want my title shot," he said. "I'm the dark horse in this game at 155. No disrespect to anybody in my weight class, but I am the best 155-pound fighter in the UFC. ... You keep lining them up, and I'll keep knocking them down. And I will go undefeated in 2011, and I will get a title by the end of 2011 or by 2012 at the latest."

Guillard (27-8-2 MMA, 9-4 UFC) now counts 17 knockout victories among his 27 career wins.

Dunham (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who was coming off a controversial decision loss to former champ Sean Sherk in September, suffers the first decisive defeat of his pro career.

Mitrione KOs Hague, remains undefeated

At some point, even his harshest critics have to admit Matt Mitrione has graduated from "former NFL player" to legit MMA fighter.

Again showing marked improvement from fight to fight, Mitrione remained light on his feet, avoided Tim Hague's takedown attempts, and ultimately stopped the fight with a straight left that dropped his opponent and set up a quick barrage of ground and pound.

The ending came just three minutes into the fight.

Mitrione, who played for the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings before joining "The Ultimate Fighter 10," moved well for a big man. The Duke Roufus-trained fighter said he's modeling his game after a guy half his size: the UFC's bantamweight champion, whose uses a trademark herky-jerky style.

"For this fight, I wanted to emulate Dominick Cruz," he said. "I wanted to be a 260-pound Dominick Cruz."

Mitrione (4-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) remains undefeated with his win. But Hague (12-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC), who recently fought his way back into the organization after regional wins over Travis Wiuff and Zak Jensen, has dropped four straight in the UFC.

Hominick secures title shot with quick win

Mark Hominick wasted little time in claiming his title shot. And he suffered virtually no damage in doing it.

Hominick, whom UFC president Dana White promised a UFC 129 title shot with featherweight champion Jose Aldo if victorious on Saturday, quickly tagged opponent George Roop with pinpoint-accurate strikes that set up a quick first-round knockout victory.

Hominick first dropped his opponent with a right hook, and he then wobbled the lanky fighter with a straight left and follow-up right. The fight-stopping blow came seconds later when Roop was floored and dazed with another lunging left hook. Hominick delivered a quick followup punch to the face of his downed opponent, which forced the referee's intervention at the 1:28 mark of the opening round.

Roop initially protested the stoppage but stumbled when he got to his feet. In fact, Hominick's embrace likely kept Roop, who's usually a training partner as Shawn Tompkins' Las Vegas gym, from taking another tumble.

For Hominick, it was just the performance he needed going into his April 30 title fight.

"I know if you're next in line for a title shot, you need to go out and prove it, and I think I did with my punches," he said. "Jose is next. I think he's the best pound for pound, but he's never faced someone like me, and I'm going to prove it."

Hominick (20-8 MMA, 3-0 UFC), fighting in the UFC for the first time since a pair of wins in 2006, now has won five straight fights and seven of his past eight. Roop (11-7-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC), a cast member from "The Ultimate Fighter 8" who eventually migrated to the WEC, falls to 1-2-1 over his past four fights.

Leg kicks the difference-maker as Barry tops Beltran

It took Pat Barry 14 of a scheduled 15 minutes to get the damage he needed from his bone-rattling leg kicks. But he got it.

In the night's first heavyweight bout, the former K-1 kickboxer slowly wore down a game Joey Beltran before a vicious final minute hobbled the brawler and secured Barry a unanimous-decision victory.

Beltran initially avoided most of Barry's trademark low kicks, and his bursts of punches and dirty boxing from the clinch actually earned him in the first round on two of the judges' scorecards. But as the fight wore on, Barry found better accuracy with his kicks, which slowly but surely took effect. By the third round, Beltran clearly was struggling with his balance due to his battered left leg. Only an accidental eyepoke brought a brief reprieve, but in the remaining 70 seconds of the fight, Barry unloaded a dozen kicks that left him sprawled on the mat at the final bell.

In the end, the judges awarded the unanimous decision to Barry via scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

"Joey Beltran, I say it in every interview, that dude is a zombie," said Barry, who continually fended off his takedowns. "I kicked him him in his face 300 times, and I think I beat his leg to death, and he was going to keep coming no matter what. If we had two more rounds, he'd be hopping around on one leg. That guy is a monster."

Barry's post-fight interview initially was an emotional one as he paid tribute to his father, a military veteran who died when his son was just 6 years old. It led Barry to dedicate the victory to the other servicemen and women in the audience.

"This is the greatest country in the world," said Barry, who also had a brother who served in the war. "It's an honor to be able to give you a few hours away from your everyday lives, just to relax and sit back. I salute you with both hands."

Barry (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), fighting for the first time since a UFC 119 loss to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, has alternated between wins and losses during all five of his UFC fights. Beltran (12-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC), meanwhile, drops his second straight in the UFC.

Wiman impressive in win over Miller

In the week prior to the fight, "The Ultimate Fighter 5" cast members Matt Wiman and Cole Miller discussed their the ability to set aside their friendship. By fight night, which included an ultra-intense staredown, they appeared bitter rivals.

The ill will proved more beneficial for Wiman, who used a sustained and oftentimes relentless offensive attack to dominate Miller en route to a unanimous-decision win.

While the bout pitted two of the lightweight division's fastest-rising contenders, Wiman appeared on a different level than his over-matched opponent. After getting the better of the stand-up exchanges and scoring frequent takedowns, Wiman stood over and stacked Miller to deliver violent bursts of ground and pound. The relentless attacks continued throughout the three-round affair, and Miller never put together any serious threats.

In the end, the judges scored the fight 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 for Wiman.

The fighter, whose brother is a special-forces soldier in Afghanistan, admits that he had butterflies before the fight. But as with a recent win over Thiago Tavares, they didn't affect an otherwise impressive performance.

"I was going through a lot of nerves before this fight," Wiman said. 'It was one of those things like with Thiago Tavares. It's probably the most nervous I've been besides that night. ... To get your self there mentally, physically and spiritually, it's so crazy tough."

Wiman (13-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) now has won three straight fights and seven of his past nine, all in the UFC. Miller (17-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC), meanwhile, now has followed back-to-back wins with a defeat for the ninth consecutive UFC fight.

SEE ALSO: UFC Fight Night 23 preliminary-card recap: Edwards taps resilient McKenzie

MAIN CARD

* Melvin Guillard def. Evan Dunham via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:59
* Matt Mitrione def. Tim Hague via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:59
* Mark Hominick def. George Roop via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:28
* Pat Barry def. Joey Beltran via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
* Matt Wiman def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Yves Edwards def. Cody McKenzie via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 4:33
* DaMarques Johnson def. Mike Guymon via verbal submission (injury from body triangle) - Round 1, 3:22
* Rani Yahya def. Mike Brown via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
* Waylon Lowe def. Willamy Freire via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Charlie Brenneman def. Amilcar Alves via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Chris Cariaso def. Will Campuzano via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on UFC Fight Night 23, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Melvin Guillard)

[reflector]

I am ready for the new season to begin.





http://www.mmamania.com/2011/1/24/1953502/the-ultimate-fighter-tuf-13-filming-starts-today-for-brock-lesnar-vs




http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/640622/lesnar-dossantos-f_medium.jpg


The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 filming starts today (Jan. 24) for Brock Lesnar vs Junior dos Santos

Bear_down_tiny by Geno Mrosko on Jan 24, 2011 2:43 PM EST

* 35 comments
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Lesnar-dossantos-f_medium

Friendly reminder for all you TUF guys and gals.

Filming started today in Las Vegas for what should be the most commercially successful installment of the show to date, as Brock Lesnar will coach against Junior dos Santos for season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter.

It may have taken the UFC up to the final hour to make it happen, but they somehow managed to persuade the pasty and reclusive Lesnar to appear on the popular Spike reality television show.

They also convinced "JDS" to put his number one contender spot for the heavyweight title on the line by accepting what could be a tough match-up. No date or venue for the contest has been named but an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

Questions abound regarding the show, including what coaches each fighter will choose, how an entire season can work with a Brazilian that speaks extremely broken English and whether or not this entire thing is a scam (Roy Nelson's words, not mine).

The season is set to debut March 30 on Spike TV, so tune in to find out.

[northspeter]

also on this season... it just begins with 14 cast members... no fight to get in the house like that past 6 or so seasons have been... still have the wild card though...

[reflector]

also on this season... it just begins with 14 cast members... no fight to get in the house like that past 6 or so seasons have been... still have the wild card though...

Yep. I was just about to post an article on this. I guess there is no need to now though.

[Sooner_Bob]

Matt Mitrione is becoming one of my favorite HWs . . .

[Boomer.....]

I didn't like him on TUF but he has developed nicely.

What does it take for Melvin Guillard to get some respect? That dude is wicked.

[OUthunder]

Maybe it's just me because I'm a Lesnar fan, but he just doesn't look right to me. He doesn't look healthy to me either. In his last fight, he looked really slow as well and it'll be interesting to see how he looks in his next fight.

I honestly don't think he's the same guy that he was before the ilnness.

Can't wait for the show.

[reflector]

Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweights


OdiYLeRMJF0


I am really looking forward to this tournament.

[reflector]

I think this will be a good fight card tomorrow night.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22246/strikeforce-diaz-vs-cyborg-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/nick-diaz-13.jpg


"Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg" official weigh-in results: Dual title fights set
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jan 28, 2011 at 7:45 pm ET

SAN JOSE, Calif. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg" fighter weigh-ins, and the evening's dual title fights are now official.

Strikeforce champions Nick Diaz and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza each made weight without issue, as did challengers Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and Robbie Lawler.

Today's festivities precede Saturday's Showtime-televised event, which features a championship doubleheader in the same San Jose venue.

While Diaz and Santos are expected to provide fireworks in the cage, their pre-fight staredown was relatively tame. With Santos already official, Diaz simply walked over for a brief nose-to-nose face-off before turning to the crowd just a few brief seconds later. Diaz then turned and walked away without incident.

Notables Herschel Walker, Roger Gracie and Trevor Prangley, who each compete in televised action, also made weight without issue.

The full "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg" weigh-in results include:

* Champ Nick Diaz (169.5) vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (169.5)
* Champ Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (184.25) vs. Robbie Lawler (184)
* Herschel Walker (220.75) vs. Scott Carson (214)
* Roger Gracie (206) vs. Trevor Prangley (205.25)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Nate Coy (171.25)* vs. Nate Moore (171)
* Isaiah Hill (155.5) vs. Bobby Stack (154.75)
* Ron Keslar (179.5) vs. Eric Lawson (180)
* Germaine de Randamie (135.5) vs. Stephanie Webber (135.75)
* Lucas Gamaza (171) vs. James Terry (170.5)
* Jenna Castillo (121.5) vs. Charlene Gellner (118)^
* Anthony Dariano (149.5) vs. Alan Perez (151) (a)
* Niko Jackson (166) vs. Ricky Jackson (164.5) (a)
* Sam Bracamonte (168) vs. Armin Safiari (169.5) (a)

* - Coy has been given additional time to lose the remaining one-quarter pound
* - Castillo has been given additional time to lose the remaining one-half pound

(a) - Amaetur bout

For more on the "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Nick Diaz)

[northspeter]

i dont get how santos is anywhere near worthy of a title shot in any organization... im not sure hes won more than 2 straight fights in his entire career... diaz should be able stop him...

[KC//CRIMSON]

I think Diaz should fight the other Cyborg. She does have a penis, right?

[reflector]

i dont get how santos is anywhere near worthy of a title shot in any organization... im not sure hes won more than 2 straight fights in his entire career... diaz should be able stop him...

I do think Diaz will win. I still think it could be a good fight though. I think the fight between Jacare and Robbie Lawler will be competitive. I like seeing Herschel Walker progress as a fighter. I am still looking forward to the event tomorrow night.

[reflector]

Only about two more hours to go.


7Qa2oIs4jpM

[reflector]

I thought Diaz looked really impressive. I would like to see him fight Daley next. Walker also looked really impressive.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22269/strikeforce-diaz-vs-cyborg-results-champs-diaz-and-souza-defend-titles.mma





http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/nick-diaz-14.jpg


"Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg" results: Champs Diaz and Souza defend titles
by Dann Stupp on Jan 29, 2011 at 11:40 pm ET

SAN JOSE, Calif. – No titles changed hands in Strikeforce's first championship doubleheader of 2011.

In the organization's first major show of the year, Strikeforce welterweight champion survived very live underdog Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and ultimately scored a second-round submission victory.

The bout headlined Saturday's "Strikeforce: Cyborg vs. Santos" event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The event aired on Showtime.

Although scheduled for five rounds, Santos clearly had no intention of going the distance. And though criticized as an unworthy title challenger, the former PRIDE fighter tripped up Diaz early.

But after chopping away with leg kicks and proving the durability of Diaz's chin with some heavy blows, Santos simply ate punch after punch as his defenses faded away. Santos likely gained some confidence from the low kicks that bettered Diaz's right knee. But Diaz closed out the round with his usual quick fire of punches, few of which Santos defended. A big left hand in the final seconds likely won the champ the round.

The slugfest continued in the second round, and each fighter's chin was tested. Santos finally went on the defensive when Diaz sneaked through a few effective elbow-strike crosses. But Santos regrouped and found success with a few well-places counter-shots. But then came what would prove to be a mistake.

Santos scored the ill-advised trip-takedown late in the round. Diaz quickly saw an opening for an armbar, and though he initially defended by rolling out of the pressure, Santos was forced to tap out from the submission with just 10 seconds remaining in the fight.

Diaz admittedly got a challenge in his second successful title defense.

"I figured I'd put on pressure so he'd have to do something to avoid more punches," the jiu-jitsu based Diaz said while explaining why Santos went for the takedown.

While known for a brash attitude and plenty of trash-talking, Diaz was all compliments when it came to Santos.

"I respect the way he fights," Diaz said. "He doesn't mess around. He came out here and fought me. He didn't play games."

Diaz (24-7 MMA, 5-0 SF) now has won nine straight fights, eight via stoppage, and Strikeforce's thin welterweight division offers few high-profile candidates outside of Paul Daley for a next title challenge.

Santos (18-4 MMA, 1-2 SF) sees a two-fight win streak come to an end while suffering his fifth loss in eight fights.

Souza uses ground assault to defend title

Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza has his first title defense in the books, though challenger Robbie Lawler may be kicking himself for a lost opportunity.

Lawler had his opening in the first round when Souza got into a slugfest with the striker. Souza was stunned and then floored when Lawler unloaded a lunging knee and quick left hook. But the challenger inexplicably followed Souza to the mat, where the champ was able to regain his wits while awaiting the round's end.

Souza then put on a ground clinic in the second round. After getting the takedown, Souza rotated between dominant positions with heavy ground and pound and multiple near-successful submission attempts. Lawler took substantial damage in the round but escaped an armbar attempt to survive it. Still, MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-8 for the champ due to the sheer dominance.

Souza again took the fight to the mat in what would prove to be the decisive third round. Lawler did little to defend, and Souza quickly moved to his back and secured his hooks. While initially fending it off, Lawler eventually succumbed to the rear-naked choke when Souza torqued it at the 2:00 mark of the round.

"I came prepared for everything," said Souza, who won the belt, which was vacated by Jake Shields, with an August win over Tim Kennedy. "I have great coaches, friends and training partners. I feel great now."

Souza (14-2 MMA, 4-0 SF) now has won his past four fights, all in Strikeforce. Lawler (20-7 MMA, 2-3 SF), meanwhile, has rotated between wins and losses for the fifth time under the Strikeforce banner.

NFL vet Walker makes quick work of Carson

Don't **** off Herschel Walker.

That's the lesson Scott Carson will take away from his heavyweight bout with the former NFL great. After grazing Walker with a head kick in the opening seconds of their fight, Carson would offer little the rest of the way and ultimately suffered a first-round TKO loss.

After taking the kick, Walker yelled, likely more in frustration than anger. But either way, Carson paid the price. Walker dropped him with a quick right hand, avoided a leg lock, and then blasted away on the one-time WEC fighter with countless blows as he turtled up on the mat. Tired of the abuse, Carson attempted to get back to his feet, but he quickly was put back on the canvas with Walker straight right.

The ref had seen enough and halted the bout at the 3:13 mark of the opening round.

"I took a kick when I think I was getting a little too excited," Walker said. "When you're in an MMA fight, you shouldn't take a kick like that."

Walker said his and American Kickboxing Academy trainer Javier Mendez's plan was to launch a quick assault.

"One thing Javier told me is to be on offense," he said. "That's what I've been saying. I've got to be on offense ... and control what I'm doing in the cage."

Walker (2-0 MMA, 1-0 SF), who was forced out of a December fight with Carson after suffering a facial cut in training, saw 12 months between his first two pro bouts. But the soon-to-be 49-year-old said he plans to fight more frequently this year.

Carson (4-2 MMA, 0-1 SF), meanwhile, suffers his first loss since a nine-year break from pro competition.

Gracie chokes out Prangley

Roger Gracie continue his winning ways and picked up arguably the biggest victory of his MMA career with a first-round submission victory over veteran light heavyweight Trevor Prangley.

After a few uneventful minutes with limited standup from both competitors, Gracie got the takedown he needed. Prangley remained in a seated position against the cage, but Gracie methodically flattened him out, took his back, and secured a vise-like body lock before securing the fight-ending rear-naked choke.

The end, which Prangley frantically tried to fight off, came at the 4:19 mark of the round.

"I think everything happened as planned," Gracie said. "I knew he was heavy-handed, but I know I have the reach on my feet. So I played with the jab, and I knew he was going to come in hard. That was my plan to shoot in, and it happened exactly like that."

Gracie (4-0 MMA, 2-0 SF), who registered just three pro MMA bouts in his first four years while mixing in numerous grappling tournaments, plans to amp up the frequency of his MMA fights in 2011. Prangley (23-7-1 MMA, 3-2-1 SF) falls to 1-2-1 in his past four fights.

Hill, Kesler score upsets in prelims

Nate Moore (7-2 MMA, 2-1 SF) used a quick start to the second round to set up a knockout victory over fellow welterweight Nathan Coy (8-4 MMA, 1-2 SF) in the night's featured preliminary-card bout. The fighters, who originally were slated to fight earlier this month before the bout was delayed a few weeks, jockeyed for position on the mat through the first round. But once standing in the second, Moore connected on a brutal right that was followed by a quick left. Coy, who was sent to the mat, was forced to cover up from the blows just 25 seconds into the round.

In a shocking upset, Isaiah Hill (5-7-1 MMA, 1-2 SF) used two devastating knees and snapped a six-fight winless streak to score a first-round submission victory over lightweight Bobby Stack (8-2 MMA, 3-2 SF). After some flashy kicks fell short, Hill countered Stack's takedown attempt with a grazing knee to the head. With his opponent wobbly, Hill followed with another flying knee that popped Stack, set up a takedown and resulted in a fight-ending triangle choke just 62 seconds into the fight.

In a 180-pound catchweight fight, Ron Keslar (5-3 MMA, 2-0 SF) scored an upset and snapped his opponent's five-fight win streak by stopping Eric Lawson (9-3 MMA, 5-1 SF) with a first-round submission victory. Lawson attempted to get the fight to the mat, but Keslar wrestled him for dominant position. Although he fended off a triangle choke, Lawson immediately was forced to tap out from the following armbar at the 1:57 mark.

Former undefeated kickboxer Germaine de Randamie (2-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) used a decent enough ground game to avoid trouble and set up her heavy blows en route to a first-round TKO victory over Stephanie Webber (1-2 MMA, 0-1 SF). After surviving her opponent's submission attempts, De Randamie got back to her feet, secured the clinch and knocked out her opponent with a vicious knee to the face at the 4:25 mark of the opening round.

James Terry (9-2 MMA, 4-1 SF) quietly picked up his fourth win in five Strikeforce fights with an impressive striking display against fellow welterweight Lucas Gamaza (4-2 MMA, 0-1 SF). Terry unloaded a steady stream of blows that eventually forced Gamaza to the mat to cover up. The end came at the 3:26 mark of the opening round.

In the night's opening bout, Jenna Castillo (1-0 MMA, 0-1 SF) made a successful pro debut, displayed impressive striking skills and suitable ground defense, and ultimately scored a second-round TKO of Charlene Gellner (0-1 MMA, 0-1 SF). Castillo, who dominated the action standing, used a right cross that was followed with a knee to the head to set up the stoppage at the 3:57 mark of the round.

MAIN CARD

* Champ Nick Diaz def. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos via submission (armbar) - Round 2, 4:50 (retains welterweight title)
* Champ Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza def. Robbie Lawler via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 2:00 (retains middleweight title)
* Herschel Walker def. Scott Carson via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:13
* Roger Gracie def. Trevor Prangley via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:19

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Nate Moore def. Nathan Coy via KO (punches) - Round 2, 0:25
* Isaiah Hill def. Bobby Stack via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 1:02
* Ron Keslar def. Eric Lawson via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 1:57
* Germaine de Randamie def. Stephanie Webber via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:25
* James Terry def. Lucas Gamaza via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:26
* Jenna Castillo def. Charlene Gellner via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:57
* Anthony Dariano def. Alan Perez via unanimous decision (no scores announced)*
* Ricky Jackson def. Niko Jackson via unanimous decision (no scores announced)*
* Armin Safiari def. Sam Bracamonte via unanimous decision (no scores announced)*

* - Amateur bout

For more on "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg," stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Nick Diaz)

[northspeter]

i was actually pretty impressed with santos's gameplan... he seemed to be executing it quite well till that takedown at the end of the 2nd... i wouldnt say im that impressed with walker... he basically has 2 ammatuer wins over far inferior opponents...

[reflector]

UFC 126 Vitor Belfort Video Blog


JNVG4u7BzKI

[Collier11]

This is my HS buddy, try and remember to check him out in March

http://www.boxeomundial.net/boxeo.php?category=english&id=21310

[northspeter]

This is my HS buddy, try and remember to check him out in March

http://www.boxeomundial.net/boxeo.php?category=english&id=21310

he's fought locally a bunch hasn't he??? i know a lot of people around tulsa thought he was gonna be on the Ultimate Fighter last season... but i guess they took Budnik from our area instead...

[Collier11]

Yea he made it to the finals of the tryouts but Dana didnt take him, he is trying to get on the show

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 126 Video Blog (NSFW)


3Hz6Uq4Ar9o


There is always foul language on these videos. So beware of that.

[Boomer.....]

Really looking forward to this fight. 3 great matches.

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 126 Video Blog Episode Two (NSFW)


78jM3wrCNdU

[Sooner_Bob]

i was actually pretty impressed with santos's gameplan... he seemed to be executing it quite well till that takedown at the end of the 2nd... i wouldnt say im that impressed with walker... he basically has 2 ammatuer wins over far inferior opponents...

Cyborg had no business staying on the mat when he took Nick down. I think he was winning it while standing. No telling how he could've handled Nick if he was in good shape. Those kicks were getting brutal.

[reflector]

Anderson put on a white mask during the stare down after the weigh ins. It was kind of strange.




http://www.mmamania.com/2011/2/4/1974168/ufc-126-weigh-in-results-live-from-las-vegas-for-silva-vs-belfort




http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/399338/anderson-silva.jpg



UFC 126 weigh in results LIVE from Las Vegas for 'Silva vs Belfort'
by Jesse Holland on Feb 4, 2011 6:21 PM EST


88 COMMENTS EMAIL PRINT


The official weigh-in event for UFC 126: "Silva vs. Belfort" is set to go down tonight (Friday, Feb. 4, 2011) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It is currently scheduled to air LIVE right here on MMAmania.com, as well as several other online destinations via streaming video. The first fighter is expected to tip the scale at 7 p.m. ET.

As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the UFC 126 weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude.

UFC 126 will be headlined by middleweight champion Anderson Silva, defending his world title against fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort. Up-and-coming light heavyweights Ryan Bader and Jon Jones will also hook 'em up in a battle that could determine the next division contender.

And 205-pound veterans and former champions Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin will collide in what promises to be an action-packed showdown on the televised pay-per-view (PPV) card.

Complete UFC 126 weigh in results and live video feed after the jump:



Main Event:

185 lbs.: Anderson Silva (185) vs. Vitor Belfort (185)

Main Card (Televised):

205 lbs.: Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Rich Franklin (203)
170 lbs.: Jake Ellenberger (171) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170)
205 lbs.: Ryan Bader (205) vs. Jon Jones (206)
135 lbs.: Antonio Banuelos (136) vs. Miguel Torres (136)

Undercard (May not be broadcast):

155 lbs.: Paul Kelly (155) vs. Donald Cerrone (155)
145 lbs.: Chad Mendes (146) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (146)
155 lbs.: Gabe Ruediger (155) vs. Paul Taylor (156)
135 lbs.: Demetrious Johnson (136) vs. Norifumi Yamamoto (135)
205 lbs.: Kyle Kingsbury (205) vs. Ricardo Romero (205)
170 lbs.: Mike Pierce (172)* vs. Kenny Robertson (170)

[OUthunder]

Silva is a prick, I hope he gets knocked the **** out!

[Boomer.....]

It would be nice and he has struggled lately. Hopefully Forrest can get a good win (even though I love Ace also). I really like Bader but Bones is a beast.

[reflector]

They posted a video of the staredown at the weigh ins.


oboeedF4EeI

[Big Red Ron]

Anyone renting this? I'm on vacation and can't. Updates PLEASE!!!

[KC//CRIMSON]

Bones is a freak.

Bones vs Shogun next!

[Boomer.....]

Bones handled Bader pretty easily and won with a second round guillotine choke. They announced that Rashad Evans blew out his knee and gave Bones a title shot against Shogun. Look for a new light heavyweight champ. Bones Jones is a BAAAAAAD Man.

Forrest looked good against Ace and won with a unanimous decision.

Silva and Belfort danced for a couple minutes but then Silva knocked him out with a wicked front kick to the jaw.

[KC//CRIMSON]

Silva needs to step up to 205 permanently and quit wasting everyone's time including his own.

[Collier11]

Im still with GSP, call me crazy but I think he would beat Silva

[reflector]

Silva looked really good in his fight. The kick was really impressive.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22359/ufc-126-main-card-results-champ-silva-defends-title-with-front-kick-ko-of-belfort.mma



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/anderson-silva-28.jpg



UFC 126 main-card results: Champ Silva defends title with front-kick KO of Belfort
by Dann Stupp on Feb 06, 2011 at 12:30 am ET

LAS VEGAS – The stakes were huge, the anticipation was unmatched, and the rivalry never so bitter or heated.

Leave it to middleweight champion Anderson Silva to save one of his most impressive performances for just such a scenario.

The UFC's long-reigning middleweight champion used a slick front-kick knockdown to set up an eventual knockout victory over rival Vitor Belfort in the headliner of Saturday's UFC 126 event, which aired live on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The highlight-reel knockout came at the 3:25 mark of the opening round.

Although former training partners, Silva and Belfort's relationship deteriorated throughout the week with various insults and accusations, which culminated with an intense staredown at Friday's event weigh-ins. Belfort previously accused the champion of "wearing a mask" to the public and hiding his true self. That didn't sit well with Silva, who wore a mask to the weigh-ins and went nose to nose with the title challenger.

But the bad blood created by the stunt didn't initially spill over to the fight.

Only a single strike – a leg kick from Belfort – landed in the first half round of the fight. Belfort, though, soon followed with a lunging left, set up a takedown with a left head kick, but then ate a knee strike as Silva quickly got to his feet.

And then it came.

Silva followed the scramble with a vicious front kick to the chin that instantly dropped the challenger. As a dazed Belfort fell to his back, Silva's remarkable knockout was finalized with two quick follow-up punches that prompted the referee's intervention.

"That's just one of the strikes [I] was working on, but [I] was really focused on various types of kicks and attacks," Silva said through translator and manager Ed Soares.

Belfort had no answer for what will be remembered as one of the sport's impressive kicks.

"There's no excuse," he said. "He caught me with a kick. Anderson Silva is a very good fighter. I got caught up. I was waiting and doing my thing. My punches weren't landing, but he ... caught (me). That's how champions are made.

"I'll be back."

Despite their bad beef, the Brazilian fighters embraced immediately after the stoppage and then praised each other in their post-fight interviews.

Silva (28-4 MMA, 13-0 UFC) now has won 14 straight fights and extended his UFC record with eight consecutive title defenses. Belfort (19-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC), meanwhile, snaps a five-fight win streak.

Griffin edges fellow fan fave Franklin

Rarely has a fight featured two bigger fan favorites, and rarely has the matchup appeared so evenly matched on paper.

But when former champions and future UFC Hall of Famers Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin finally climbed into the cage for their light-heavyweight co-headliner, one fighter quickly proved to have the advantage: Griffin.

Griffin, who was fighting for the first time in 15 months due to a shoulder injury and long recovery, met a fighter also dealing with possible ring rust. Franklin defeated Chuck Liddell seventh months ago at UFC 115 but suffered a broken arm in the process.

Neither fighter's injuries appeared to make a difference, and both seemed healthy and confident heading into the bout. But Griffin jumped out to a quick lead after corralling his opponent, taking him to the mat, and delivering a sustained attack of punches and elbow strikes throughout the opening round.

Griffin kept the action standing in the second but still had the edge. His striking proved more effective, and a low-kick/jab combination proved especially effective. Franklin had his moments and landed a few clean shots, but Griffin stole the round after connecting on a left hook that staggered the former middleweight champ midway through the frame.

Franklin came back to win the third round, thanks partially to his ability to figure out Griffin's timing, but it was too little too late. All three judges awarded Griffin the victory, 29-28, for the unanimous-decision victory.

The win likely was far more important for his confidence than any title aspirations, but it's a signature victory when Griffin (18-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) needed it most.

Franklin (28-6 MMA, 13-5 UFC), meanwhile, has rotated between wins and losses for the sixth consecutive fight.

Jones submits Bader, surprised with title shot

Not only did Jon Jones defeat a fellow top light-heavyweight prospect in Ryan Bader, he got a surprise after the fight – one that's going to give him a shot at the title.

Soon after dominating Bader en route to a second-round submission win via guillotine choke, Jones waited for a post-fight interview with UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan. But Rogan was more genie that interviewer, and he told Jones that an injury had forced Rashad Evans out of a scheduled UFC 128 headliner with light-heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

That March 19 title fight is now his.

"I feel great," Jones said. "I've got it so great. I'm going for a world title, baby."

Jones' quick journey to a UFC title shot spanned fewer than three years of professional competition and just 13 fights. The latest victory came in surprisingly easy fashion against previously unbeaten Bader, the winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 8" who had been on a similar quick rise to the top. But unfortunately for the former Arizona State wrestler, Jones easily stuffed his takedowns, controlled the action on the ground, and cinched chokes with remarkable ease.

Bader survived a north-south choke in a lopsided first round, but after the fighters tumbled to the mat in the second, he couldn't fight off a tight guillotine choke. His tap-out came at the 4:20 mark of the round.

Jones (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), whose only loss came via controversial disqualification to Matt Hamill in 2009, enters his upcoming title fight with three straight wins, all of which have come via stoppage.

Bader (12-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) suffers his first career defeat.

Ellenberger survives Rocha for split-decision win

Jake Ellenberger overcame a rough first round and avoided his opponent's dangerous ground game to score a come-from-behind split-decision victory over fellow welterweight Carlos Eduardo Rocha.

Rocha put on a ground clinic in the first round while moving from dominant ground positions into various submission attempts. Ellenberger had little answer as Rocha sought out an inverted triangle choke, kneebar and other finishes. Ellenberger got back to his feet only to be taken down with a slick counter-kimura that nearly set up the victory.

Ellenberger, though, survived the round, and with his lessons learned, he struck more cautiously and appeared hesitant to shoot for the takedown. But he had success with his hands before Rocha began countering with shots of his own. No clear victor emerged from the round, which ultimately would be reflected in the final score.

In the final frame, though, Ellenberger finally put it all together. He mixed in his effective striking with a few well-timed takedowns, and some final punches to his downed opponent late in the round likely sealed the deal.

Both fighters celebrated as though victorious, but when the final scores were read, Ellenberger got the split-decision nod via scores of 27-30, 29-28 and 29-28.

Ellenberger (24-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC), whose only UFC loss came to contender Carlos Condit, has won three straight and moved a step closer to a desired future matchup with original UFC 126 opponent Jon Fitch.

Rocha (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who submitted Kris McCray during his 2010 octagon debut, tastes defeat for the first time.

Lanky Torres outpoints fellow WEC vet Banuelos

Within a minute of their PPV-opening bout, Antonio Banuelos clearly didn't have an answer for former WEC champion Miguel Torres or his reach.

The fighters, who both recently headed to the UFC following a merger with the WEC, engaged in a three-round kickboxing bout in which Torres and his 13-inch reach advantage simply picked apart Banuelos. Torres used an especially effective jab, which no doubt was a tool he learned from new trainer Firas Zahabi, and fought from distance as Banuelos spent most of the fight swinging at air.

With Torres teeing away while moving in and out of range, the stout Banuelos simply couldn't close the distance. Any counter-shots missed wide by a good foot, and only a few punches landed clean and usually resulted in a battering of counter-shots.

With Torres racking up three dominant rounds due to the strategy, Banuelos finally went for broke in the waning seconds of the fight. He grazed his opponent on a few occasions, but it was too little too late for the John Hackleman-trained fighter, who screamed in frustration at the bout's conclusion.

Still, the fight was showered with boos for the lulls in action.

"I did what my coaches told me to do," said Torres, who out-struck his opponent 87 to 17. "I stuck to my game plan. I wanted to use my range and land my shots. I have to be a smart fighter. I try to be as exciting as possible, but I spend too much time in my life on fighting to be reckless. I have a family and an academy to think of, as well."

Torres (39-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a former top-five pound-for-pound fighter, now has won back-to-back fights since a title loss was followed by an upset to Joseph Benavidez in the WEC. Banuelos (18-7 MMA, 0-1 WEC) has dropped two of his past three.

SEE ALSO: UFC 126 preliminary-card results: Cerrone submits Kelly, Japanese fighters falter

MAIN CARD

* Champ Anderson Silva def. Vitor Belfort via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:25 (retains middleweight title)
* Forrest Griffin def. Rich Franklin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Jon Jones def. Ryan Bader via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 4:20
* Jake Ellenberger def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
* Miguel Torres def. Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Donald Cerrone def. Paul Kelly via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 3:48
* Chad Mendes def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Demetrious Johnson def. Norifumi Yamamoto via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
* Paul Taylor def. Gabe Ruediger via knockout (strikes) - Round 2, 1:42
* Kyle Kingsbury def. Ricardo Romero via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 0:21
* Mike Pierce def. Kenny Robertson via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 0:29

For more on UFC 126, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Anderson Silva)

[Knippz]

P4P best fighter in the world. I've stood by it for a long time, and I'm not changing my tune!

Man that was sick though! What an incredible knockout! And Bones just completely dominated Bader. He's really gonna be an interesting match up for Shogun.

That announcement about Bones getting the title shot got me so excited! The KO topped it off of what was a great night!

[Sooner_Bob]

Silva needs to step up to 205 permanently and quit wasting everyone's time including his own.

Exactly.

[Sooner_Bob]

what was a great night!

Not one of my favorite UFC PPVs . . . sorry. With the exception of Silva's wicked KO none of the other fights were that great IMO.

Kingsbury's win was the second most exciting fight to me . . .

[Knippz]

Not one of my favorite UFC PPVs . . . sorry. With the exception of Silva's wicked KO none of the other fights were that great IMO.

Kingsbury's win was the second most exciting fight to me . . .

The Bones fight was nice. Jones' display of skills that many fighter need many many years to perfect was very impressive. He said he didn't even practice that choke before, yet he pulled it off in a fight against an undefeated contender.

The announcement of his title shot against Shogun got me PUMPED. It's a very interesting matchup. I think Shogun is a much better striker and BJJ practicioner than Jones, but Jones' strength, wrestling and ability to control guys on the ground could pose major problems against Shogun. Very exciting, and only 6 weeks away!

[reflector]

The Bones fight was nice. Jones' display of skills that many fighter need many many years to perfect was very impressive. He said he didn't even practice that choke before, yet he pulled it off in a fight against an undefeated contender.

The announcement of his title shot against Shogun got me PUMPED. It's a very interesting matchup. I think Shogun is a much better striker and BJJ practicioner than Jones, but Jones' strength, wrestling and ability to control guys on the ground could pose major problems against Shogun. Very exciting, and only 6 weeks away!

I am really excited about this fight as well.

[Sooner_Bob]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XgUh-2vXAbs/TU4xkCmiDzI/AAAAAAAABD8/TQz11Td_1tA/s1600/2.gif

[Sooner_Bob]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XgUh-2vXAbs/TU4b2xPKCjI/AAAAAAAABCA/uWls9FsqTzU/s1600/333333333333333.gif

[Collier11]

Jones is a BAD dude

[Sooner_Bob]

Jones is a BAD dude

Who will get schooled by Shogun. :D

[Collier11]

No Way

[Boomer.....]

Bones is already the betting line favorite. I like him over Shogun.

[Sooner_Bob]

We'll see . . .

[Sooner_Bob]

The Bones fight was nice. Jones' display of skills that many fighter need many many years to perfect was very impressive. He said he didn't even practice that choke before, yet he pulled it off in a fight against an undefeated contender.

The announcement of his title shot against Shogun got me PUMPED. It's a very interesting matchup. I think Shogun is a much better striker and BJJ practicioner than Jones, but Jones' strength, wrestling and ability to control guys on the ground could pose major problems against Shogun. Very exciting, and only 6 weeks away!

Bones has an 84" reach . . . that in itself puts him years ahead of many fighters.;)

[reflector]

Fedor Training For Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament


5GR-gPbcO_g

[northspeter]

i'll take shogun... Jones hasn't faced anyone like him yet... shogun has been battling top 10 guys since Jones was in highschool...

[OUthunder]

Not one of my favorite UFC PPVs . . . sorry. With the exception of Silva's wicked KO none of the other fights were that great IMO.

Kingsbury's win was the second most exciting fight to me . . .

Agreed. Was across the street at a friends house watching the fights with friends, and we talked and drank more than we watched the fights. We all did watch Silva's bad azz kick that took his opponent almost out of this life.

Kinda boring really. Glad I drank.

[Sooner_Bob]

I'm gonna laugh if Jake Shields beats GSP and spoils this supposed "super fight" between Anderson and GSP.

[reflector]

Strikeforce Heavyweights Take Manhattan


LL4Kf2sPvxk


I am really excited for this tournament to begin.

[northspeter]

it appears as though Thiago Silva is out of the fight with Rampage... either due to injury or a possible failed drug test from his win over Brandon Vera... either way... that means Rashad Evans is stepping in... so we get Rampage v. Evans II.... i can't wait... i think Rampage knocks that fool out this time...

[Collier11]

I bough UFC for ps3, good game...just an fyi :D

[Sooner_Bob]

it appears as though Thiago Silva is out of the fight with Rampage... either due to injury or a possible failed drug test from his win over Brandon Vera... either way... that means Rashad Evans is stepping in... so we get Rampage v. Evans II.... i can't wait... i think Rampage knocks that fool out this time...

He's too hurt to fight Shogun, but he's ok to fight Rampage again? Hmmmm.

[northspeter]

He's too hurt to fight Shogun, but he's ok to fight Rampage again? Hmmmm.

it's a difference of almost 2 months... i think the shogun fight was supposed to be in march... and the rampage fight i believe is in may... i'll recheck that though..


yep, Shogun fight is at UFC 128 march 19th... and Rampage is UFC 130 May 28th...

[Sooner_Bob]

it's a difference of almost 2 months... i think the shogun fight was supposed to be in march... and the rampage fight i believe is in may... i'll recheck that though..


yep, Shogun fight is at UFC 128 march 19th... and Rampage is UFC 130 May 28th...


Still seems odd to me . . . he wanted to wait and let Shogun heal to fight for the belt. Guess he needs to get paid. :D