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MMA Quick Quote: Couture wants 6-10 million to face Emelianenko Posted: 14 Aug 2008 01:35 AM CDT They’re still trying to call me the heavyweight champion. I resigned and relinquished the title. Noguera’s in my opinion the champion now in the UFC…I need to be free and clear of that before I can pursue this fight somewhere else with Fedor (Emelianenko). I’d love for the UFC to step up and make the fight happen. It has the potential to be the biggest mixed martial arts fight to date…It has the potential to do 700,000+ pay-per-view buys which is a helluva lotta money. I think 6-10 [million should be the salary] for each of us and they’re still gonna make a boatload of money on top of that. -Former (or current, depending on who you ask) UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture tries to crunch the PPV numbers during a recent guest appearance on The Adam Corrolla Radio Show. Couture is currently in exile after walking out midway through his UFC contract and does not wish to return to action unless a bout with WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko can be arranged.

Matt Hughes: ‘It’s going to be Matt Serra in January or February’ Posted: 13 Aug 2008 11:47 PM CDT “Right now, I've talked to Joe Silva quite a few times and we're looking at maybe January. He has told me it's going to be Matt Serra, so I'm looking at January or February. That'll give my knee plenty of time to heal, if [it heals] natural. If I have to go under the knife, I don't know what my time frame will be but we’ll see. Right now we’re looking like January." – Former welterweight champion Matt Hughes talks on the PWB Podcast about a knee injury that he sustained in his loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 85: "Bedlam″ back in June, as well as his looming showdown with Matt Serra tentatively set for January. Serra and Hughes — who are about as opposite as two people can get — were opposing coaches in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 and were supposed to fight at UFC 79: "Nemesis" in December 2007. However, Serra had to withdraw because of a serious back injury. The pair have been yapping about getting in the Octagon together for more than a year … expect more of the same until this thing is settled.

Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale set for December 13 in Las Vegas Posted: 13 Aug 2008 09:54 PM CDT The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 Finale is set to take place live from The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 13, according to a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter. It’s the conclusion of the upcoming mixed martial arts reality series, which is set to debut on Spike TV on September 17, featuring a mix of light heavyweight and lightweight hopefuls who will compete in a tournament-style elimination format to earn a “six-figure” contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Of course, UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and former division kingpin Frank Mir will serve as opposing coaches and eventually go toe-to-toe at the year-end pay-per-view (PPV) event set for December 27. UFC Fight Night 15 will serve as the lead-in to the season eight debut of TUF on September 17. Two lightweight showdowns — Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer and Mac Danzig vs. Clay Guida — will co-headline the Spike TV special. Stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime feel free to visit our TUF 8 archive early and often for the most recent news surrounding the show.

Chris Leben video: The Evolution of an Icon (Episode 5) Posted: 13 Aug 2008 09:36 PM CDT Episode one | Episode two | Episode three | Episode four

Strikeforce to Denver with ‘Payback’ on October 3 Posted: 13 Aug 2008 06:25 PM CDT Strikeforce will follow up its annual show at the Playboy Mansion on September 20 with an event at the Broomfield Event Center in Denver, Colo., on October 3. Appropriately titled, “Payback,” the card will feature a main event rematch between former UFC fighters Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan (19-10) and Duane “Bang” Ludwig (16-8). Morgan was able to score a surprise 52-second knockout victory over “Bang” in a “Ring of Fire” show back in April of 2005. Ludwig — a Denver local — will indeed be looking for some “Payback” October 3. Phil “The New York Badass” Baroni and Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg are also expected to be in action. Opponents have not been confirmed for either fighter, however, at this time. Baroni is coming off consecutive first round technical knockout wins over Scott Jansen and Ron Verdadero since dropping down to the welterweight division. His career needed some new direction after dropping three straight middleweight fights — two of which were for world championships — over the past year. Trigg — still considered by some to be a top 10 middleweight in the world — has not competed since December of last year — a first round submission (kimura) win over Edwin Dewees at HDNet Fights: “Reckless Abandon.” Before that, Trigg lost his Icon Sport middleweight title to current Elite XC champion Robbie Lawler in an instant classic that ended with a vicious fourth round knockout. This will be an important event for Strikeforce as the San Jose-based promotion continues to look to expand its fan base with more and more shows outside of its regional strongholda. "That's been our plan the whole time," said Strikeforce vice president Mike Afromowitz. "We just have to make sure that it makes sense." With local talent, Duane Ludwig in the main event — along with the recognition involved with names like Baroni and Trigg — Strikeforce shouldn’t have a hard time creating a buzz and winning over many new fans in the “Mile High City.” There is nothing definitive as far as a television deal to air this event yet, but Afromowitz confirmed that the late Saturday night program “Strikeforce on NBC” will air the action in one or more parts after the event if need be.

WEC 35 drug test results come back clean for ‘Condit vs Miura’ event Posted: 13 Aug 2008 02:50 PM CDT MMAmania.com has confirmed that drug tests for all 10 fighters from WEC 35 who were tested have come back negative. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) conducted random testing for the August 3 event, with only half of the fighters required to undergo screening. The following fighters all tested negative for drugs of abuse (including marijuana, cocaine, etc.), as well as for steroids: Carlos Condit, Hiromitsu Miura, Steve Cantwell, Brian Stann, Jamie Varner, Marcus Hicks, Brian Bowles, Josh Grispi, Brock Larson and Scott Jorgensen. Other fighters, including Damacio Page, Micah Miller, Carlo Prater, Blas Avena, Dave Terrel, Shane Roller, Todd Moore, Mike Budnik, Greg McIntyre and Kenji Osawa, were not required to undergo screening. Held at the "The Joint" at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, WEC 35 featured three title fights, including one of the better fights of the year in the main event between WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit (23-4) and Hiromitsu Miura (9-5). Lightweight Champion Jamie "The Worm" Varner (15-2) successfully defended his title over the then-unbeaten Marcus "The Wrecking Ball" Hicks (8-1), while Steve Cantwell (6-1) avenged the only loss of his career to dethrone Brian "All American" Stann (6-1) to become the promotion's new Light Heavyweight Champion. In other action, welterweight Brock Larson (24-2) made short work of Carlo Prater (23-6-1) in just 37 seconds to make a case for his own rematch against Condit. The two fought at WEC 29 one year ago, where Condit submitted Larson via armbar in just 2:21 of the first round.

Renato Babalu Sobral vs Bobby Southworth Strikeforce title fight set for Playboy Mansion Posted: 13 Aug 2008 01:43 PM CDT Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) will put his 205-pound strap on the line against Renato "Babalu" Sobral (30-7) at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., on September 20. The San Jose, California-based mixed martial arts promotion today made the showdown official for its encore show at Hugh Hefner's legendary residence. Southworth most recently outlasted Anthony Ruiz in a five-round fight at Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Thomson" to earn a unanimous decision win back in June. The former contestant on season one of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) has three wins in four attempts under the Strikeforce banner. His lone loss during that stretch was against Ruiz because of a fight-ending cut. Sobral recently defeated Mike Whitehead via unanimous decision at Affliction: "Banned" last month. The Brazilian is on a three-fight win streak since back-to-back losses to Jason Lambert and Chuck Liddell. He actually redeemed himself within the organization in his next fight against David Heath at UFC 74: "Respect" in May 2007; however, he held onto a choke well after the referee waived off the fight, which resulted in Heath losing consciousness and Babalu losing his UFC contract. Here's what Babalu had to say about the upcoming title fight: “He is the protector and I am the hunter. I am already in shape and prepared to take it from him. I want to be the new Strikeforce world champion and , if I could become champion while fighting at a venue like the Playboy Mansion, that would make a good win even better." "Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion II" will also feature a middleweight showdown between Kazuo Misaki and Joe "Diesel "Riggs, as well as Strikeforce World Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson against a soon to be named opponent that has to be named. To check out the latest "Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion II" card and fight rumors click here.

Fedor Emelianenko: Brock Lesnar is ‘a fight I would like to have’ (Video) Posted: 13 Aug 2008 11:27 AM CDT

Dangity Dangity Dang: Bas Rutten motivates 49ers Posted: 13 Aug 2008 11:06 AM CDT Props: The Mercury News “Fighting is easy to understand. You just hit the guy as hard as you can…. My message to them is about how to mentally deal with things. Some of what I talk about will be conditioning of the body, but my belief is that everything starts with the mind. You win a fight not with your strength but with your mind.” Former UFC heavyweight champion, ringside commentator and mixed martial arts legend, Bas Rutten, was recently invited to deliver a motivational speech to the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). The 43-year-old pioneer admits he doesn’t know much about the sport, but that doesn’t really matter — he sure knows how to talk. While a nice touch, the five-time Super Bowl champions will likely need a lot more help than “el Guapo” to improve on their lackluster 2007 record and finish anywhere near the top of the NFC West.

Pete Sell vs Josh Burkman UFC 90 fight on tap Posted: 13 Aug 2008 08:56 AM CDT Pete Sell (7-4) and Josh Burkman (9-6) are penciled in to clash in a welterweight bout at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Ill., on October 25, according to TriStateFighter.com. Matt Serra – Sell's mentor and coach – broke the news in a recent radio interview of his fighter's 170-pound debut against "The People's Warrior" in the "Windy City." "Drago" has endured a recent string of bad luck inside the Octagon, losing his last three fights. He had Scott Smith all but finished in their epic battle back at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 Finale; however, he was iced with a Hail Mary punch when he went in for the kill. He then dropped a unanimous decision to top 185-pound contender Thales Leites at UFC 69: "Shootout" and was knocked out in his next appearance by Nate Quarry in the third round at UFC Fight Night 11 after dictating the pace of most of that fight. Sell should have a size and power advantage over most of his opponents in the 170-pound division – he's a big guy who can pack a punch. This decision to test the welterweight waters is perhaps his last chance to prove that he belongs in the premier mixed martial arts promotion on the planet. Burkman, too, has not had much recent success within the eight-sided cage. In fact, he has lost three of his last four fights and the lone win over Forrest Petz during that span was a controversial split decision. To his credit, Burkman has not been in against any marshmallows during the rough stretch — Dustin Hazelett, Mike Swick and Karo Parisyan are all very talented fighters and very tough opponents. It is also very important for him to bring home the win, making this a fight that could provide some very serious action as both fighter press for a convincing finish. To check out the latest UFC 90 card and fight rumors click here.

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