UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com |
| MMA Quick Quote: Fedor officially a free agent … again Posted: 26 Mar 2008 08:43 AM CDT
– Monte Cox — President and CEO of M-1 Global — confirms that Fedor Emelianenko is now free to sign on with another MMA promotion if he desires in a Sherdog.com interview. The Russian and American sides never saw eye-to-eye, and as a result, Fedor never competed under the M-1 Global banner. Most recently it was reported that ProElite offered Fedor a four-fight, incentive-laden contract; however, no decision has been made on his next home. Naturally, reports are indicating that his management team is also speaking with the UFC, as well as Japanese organizations overseas. Stay tuned. |
| Affliction Clothing commercial with MMA stars and others (Video) Posted: 25 Mar 2008 10:04 PM CDT
|
| Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen Strikforce fight booked for March 29 Posted: 25 Mar 2008 09:29 PM CDT
Strikeforce Vice President Mike Afromowitz today confirmed the match up and revealed that it will air on the main card of the Showtime broadcast that is set to begin at 10 p.m. ET. Jensen has lost his last two fights, both of which have been in the UFC. He was submitted in the first round in both fights — first to Thales Leites at UFC 74: “Respect” with an armbar and then to Demian Maia at UFC 77: “Hostile Territory” via rear naked choke. Even though Jensen had an impressive record outside the Octagon (11-1), it will not be easy for him to beat Villasenor on such short notice. Villasenor was originally tapped to fight Joe “Diesel” Riggs, but Riggs had to withdraw with a spinal injury. Cyborg was then Riggs’ replacement, but Friday he was forced to back out of the fight because he was having visa problems in Brazil. Villasenor I’m sure by now just wants to fight regardless of who his opponent is. He’s a Greg Jackson-trained fighter, so I’m sure he’s been staying in great shape and he’ll be prepared and ready to go on Saturday. He recently defeated Riki Fukuda in September with a split decision. Before that he lost an EliteXC middleweight title fight to Murilo “Ninja” Rua by technical knockout in June of last year. Jensen will be a good replacement and this fight should be solid. After losing the Jake Shields and Drew Fickett title fight already today, at least they found a replacement for this fight and we didn’t lose it altogether. Saturday night should still be a great night of fights. |
| Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle UFC 86 fight being discussed Posted: 25 Mar 2008 08:51 PM CDT
MMAmania.com confirmed this evening that the bout is in the works and will more than likely take place (although nothing is official at this time — Koscheck’s contract status is still up in the air). Both fighters appeared on separate seasons of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — “Kos” on the bebut show and “Lights Out” made it to the finals in the fourth installment. Koscheck most recently defeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, Dustin Hazelett, in a surprisingly action-packed bout that was going back-and-forth. The former NCAA wrestling champion weathered an early storm to stop Hazelett in the second round via technical knockout set up by a sweet head kick. Lytle was recently on the losing end of a “Fight of the Night” at UFC 78: “Validation” back in November 2007 against Thiago Alves. The fireman and family man rebounded in his next bout at UFC 81: “Breaking Point,” introducing Kyle Bradley to the Octagon with an impressive first round stoppage because of strikes. With Koscheck’s new emphasis on the stand up aspect of his game, it will be interesting to see if he goes toe-to-toe with a former professional boxer. To check out the rapidly evolving UFC 86 fight card click here. |
| KJ Noons vs. Yves Edwards EliteXC lightweight title fight postponed Posted: 25 Mar 2008 08:24 PM CDT
Champion KJ Noons was set to defend his strap against Yves Edwards on April 26 in Hawaii; however, he will now have to wait until June 14 instead. There was no reason given for the change, but I would think a title fight would be more suitable for the May 31 show on CBS if EliteXC planned to move it. That’s not the case — apparently it will take place a couple weeks after EliteXC’s network debut. Noons became the lightweight champ last November, defeating Nick Diaz for the vacant belt. He faces a true test in the rejuvenated Edwards. The self-professed “Thug-jitsu Master” has reeled off three straight wins since joining the prestigious American Top Team camp. He most recently knocked out Edson Berto with a beautiful flying knee while balancing on one leg. It was a highlight for the ages, and one that is surely going a long way toward continuing to rebuild the confidence Edwards established earlier in his career. Heres a few thoughts on the fight from Yves:
This looks to be a great fight no matter when it takes place. Definitely don’t miss it. |
| EliteXC on CBS: Phil Baroni vs. Ninja Rua fight booked for May 31 Posted: 25 Mar 2008 08:05 PM CDT
Another fight was added today to the highly anticipated network debut for EliteXC on CBS this upcoming May 31, according to CageSideLive.net. “The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (10-9) will step in the cage with Brazilain Chute Boxe fighter and former EliteXC middleweight champion, Murilo “Ninja” Rua (15-8-1). Baroni is coming off back-to-back losses to Frank Shamrock and Kala Kolohe Hose. While Baroni lost both those fights he still managed to win the admiration of a lot of fans with his display of heart and courage. His fight with Hose — for the vacant Icon Sport 185-pound title — was less than two weeks ago. It was a five round war and one that Baroni showed a lot of aggression and power in during the early rounds. Hose, however, just rode the hometown crowd through the early storm and persevered in the later rounds. Rua, on the other hand, has won four of his last five fights, splitting two bouts under the EliteXC banner. His loss was his first title defense against Robbie Lawler last September. After that loss he defeated Xavier Foupa-Pokam with a rear naked choke in the second round at Cage Rage 24. Ninja has shown somewhat of a suspect chin in the past and that could prove to be a problem against the power of Baroni. But Baroni for his part doesn’t posses any real jiu-jitsu skills, so this fight should be a nice clash of styles. This is another fight for the CBS show that has some name recognition and should provide some exciting action. Lawler and Scott Smith are also booked to duke it our for the Elitexc middleweight title and Kimbo Slice is also set to compete that night at The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. |
| UFC Fight Night 13 afterparty with Karo Parisyan and others in Westminster Colorado Posted: 25 Mar 2008 04:27 PM CDT |
| Randy Couture motion to dismiss in Zuffa (UFC) suit denied (Video) Posted: 25 Mar 2008 04:08 PM CDT (Thanks to FiveOuncesOfPain.com for the assist.) |
| Jake Shields vs. Drew Fickett Strikeforce fight canceled Posted: 25 Mar 2008 01:40 PM CDT
Props: ProElite.com Quoteworthy:
Bad, bad, bad news right here. This was one of three title fights slated for a nice night of mixed martial arts action at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., on March 29. I thought that Shields would handle Fickett, but the “Master” always seems to come prepared to scrap. Oh well. Stay tuned for more details. |
| WEC 33 predictions and preview for Marshall vs. Stann Posted: 25 Mar 2008 11:48 AM CDT
Coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET on Versus. We've still got to wait more than 24 hours until the action begins; therefore, let's go through the complete card and provide some predictions of the winners. "All-American" Brian Stann vs. Doug "Rhino" Marshall Prediction: Stann by TKO, round 1. Chael Sonnen vs. Bryan Baker Sonnen was set for a much-deserved middleweight title fight rematch with Paulo Filho before the Brazilian's personal issues forced him to withdraw. Sonnen will get a match, but it's a non-title fight against the undefeated Bryan Baker. A loss could potentially ruin Sonnen's shot at Filho down the road, but I think he wins the fight. Six of Sonnen's nine losses have been submissions to fighters like Jeremy Horn, Babalu Sobral and Forrest Griffin. Baker is not skilled enough on the ground to take this one. Prediction: Sonnen by TKO, round 2. Ed "9mm" Ratcliff vs. Marcus "Wrecking Ball" Hicks Both fighters come into this fight with perfect records, 6-0 for Ratcliff and 7-0 for Hicks. Ratcliff won his first fight via submission, but since then he's racked up five consecutive knockout wins. Hicks, on the other hand, has five submission wins and two technical knockouts. Look for Hicks to use his strength advantage to bring Ratcliff to the mat and either lock up an arm or sink in a choke. Prediction: Hicks by rear naked choke, round 2. Steve Cantwell vs. Tim "Wrecking Machine" McKenzie With a solid 11-4 record, including a knockout victory over current light-heavyweight champion Doug Marshall last March, McKenzie would probably be looking at a title shot with a win over Cantwell. Cantwell will try to improve on his 4-1 record, but McKenzie's experience should be enough to help him get a convincing win. Prediction: McKenzie by TKO, round 1. Hiromitsu Miura vs. Blas Avena Hiromitsu Miura looks for his fourth win in his last five fights. With four technical knockout wins and a tapout win because of strikes to his credit, Miura will look to bang with Avena. Avena has two submission wins by choke in his last two fights. Look for Miura, who has faced significantly harder competition in several organizations, including K-1 and Pancrase to prevail. Prediction: Miura by TKO, round 2. John "The Natural" Alessio vs. Brock Larson Alessio fought five times in 2007 with his only loss coming to WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit. Larson also has just one loss in the last two years, also to Condit. The winner should get the first chance to avenge his loss. Larson is a powerful wrestler with an excellent submission game. I like him to beat up Alessio on the ground before winning with a choke. Prediction: Larson by rear naked choke, round 2. Gomez has a solid 7-1 record, but the only time he stepped up in competition he got choked out. Crunkilton has 14 wins against just two losses, both of which came against world-class fighters. Look for him to get back to his winning ways with a TKO of Gomez. Prediction: Crunkilton by TKO, round 1.
Ryan Stonitsch takes a perfect 8-0 record with six stoppage wins into his WEC debut. Serdyukov is 8-4 overall and 3-2 in the WEC octagon with both losses at the hands of John Alessio. It might be a bit of an upset, but I think Stonitsch gets a ground and pound win here. Prediction: Stonitsch by TKO, round 2. Chris Manuel vs. Kenji Osawa Prediction: Manuel by TKO, round 1. Logan "The Pink Pounder" Clark vs. Scott Haper Clark, who has the most unfortunate nickname I've ever seen, is 1-1 in WEC and 7-1 overall, including a UFC win. Harper is 8-3 overall and making a step up in competition in WEC debut. Harper won his first two fights by knock-out, but five of his six wins since then have been submissions. All of Pink Pounder's wins are via KO or decision. Look for Clark to try to work some ground and pound while Harper goes for submissions. Prediction: Clark via unanimous decision That’s a wrap. It’s going to be great show tomorrow night — don’t miss it. In the meantime share your thoughts and predictions in the comments sections below. |
The first-ever scheduled EliteXC lightweight title defense has been postponed, according to 
No comments:
Post a Comment