UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com |
| Kenny Florian to try and avoid Joe Stevenson guillotine choke at UFC 91 (Video) Posted: 05 Nov 2008 08:39 AM CST It’s “Daddy’s” signature fight-ending move … and Kenny knows he can’t get caught in it: |
| ‘Big’ John McCarthy to return to referee action at Strikeforce Nov. 21 Posted: 05 Nov 2008 08:04 AM CST
McCarthy — perhaps the most recognized and respected referee in the history of mixed martial arts — left the sport less than one year ago to work in the announcer’s booth for The Fight Network. He also did the color commentary for Affliction’s inaugural event in July. Here’s what he had to say about leaving the booth for a return to refereeing via Sherdog.com: “I missed doing it. Sometimes when you walk away from something and you think it's time, once you're away you realize what you're missing –- it's kind of like why guys come back to fighting. It's what I like doing. It's what I was meant to do.” “Big” John was a staple in the UFC from the early days all the way through until last December. He currently has 535 career matches under his belt. His return to the Octagon, however, will be out of his control. The athletic commission will determine when and where he is assigned work. But, with his resume and reputation it shouldn’t be long before he’s back in the big show officiating main events. As far as the Strikeforce: “Destruction” event he’s been assigned to first, company lightweight champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson will defend his title in the main event against Yves Edwards. And Bobby Southworth and Babalu Sobral will duke it out for Southworth’s 205-pound belt in the co-featured fight of the night. Perhaps McCarthy will get the call in either one of those important bouts. |
| Showtime to sell select ProElite assets at November 17 public auction Posted: 04 Nov 2008 11:40 PM CST
After its biggest star, Kimbo Slice, lost in just 14 seconds to replacement journeyman Seth Petruzelli in front of 4.5 million people on CBS, Elite XC had apparently been hit with a knockout blow of its own. The main event fight influencing controversy that surrounded the "Heat" CBS event scared away what few investors it had at CBS and Showtime. Left with the nearly $60 million in debt EliteXC had already piled up in the less than two years since the organization's creation, ProElite was left with little choice but to declare bankruptcy. Now Showtime is hoping to salvage what value still remains in the promotion by offering its tape library and fighter contracts to the highest bidder, as outlined in the public notice of its pending auction. Notice is hereby given that the Collateral (as defined below) will be sold by Showtime Networks Inc. (“Showtime”) at a public sale on November 17, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time) at the offices of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, 350 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90071. The term “Collateral” means all of ProElite, Inc.’s (“ProElite”), Real Sport, Inc.’s (“Real Sport”), ProElite.com’s (“ProElite.com”), EliteXC Live’s (“EliteXC”) and King of the Cage, Inc.’s (“KOTC”; each of ProElite, Real Sport, ProElite.com, EliteXC and KOTC, a “Debtor” and collectively, the “Debtors”) right, title and interest in, to and under, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by such Debtor, all present and after acquired personal property of such Debtor, whether tangible or intangible, wherever located and of whatever nature. The Collateral includes all contracts between any Debtor and mixed martial arts fighters (including, but not limited to, Kevin Ferguson a.k.a. “Kimbo Slice”, Gina Carano, Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Frank Shamrock, Antonio Silva, Brett Rogers, Dave Herman, Scott Smith, Nick Diaz, Cristiane Venancio Justino a.k.a. “Chris Cyborg”, Eddie Alvarez, Yves Edwards and Wilson Reis) and all of each Debtor’s video library, still photographs and home videos (e.g., DVDs and VHS tapes). The Collateral will be sold to the highest qualified bidder in public on November 17, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time) at the offices of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, 350 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90071. The Collateral will be sold on an “as-is, where-is” basis, without recourse, warranty or guarantee of any kind, express or implied, including as to title, possession, enforceability, validity, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Interested bidders who would like further information regarding the Collateral to be sold should contact Kent Sevener at (212) 708-3259. Showtime reserves its right to adjourn or cancel the sale at any time. While unfortunate for the employees of ProElite, there is an upside to this from a fan’s perspective. There's going to be a bunch of great fighters soon finding their way to other promotions and possibly ending up in fantasy or dream matches never before possible due to the lack of cooperation between entities. It's going to be interesting to see how many of these guys (and gals) end up in the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, Affliction, or any of the other organizations out there. Expect to see these guys beefing up their rosters with names like Jake Shields, Eddie Alvarez, Nick Diaz, Antonio Silva, Rafael Feijao, Paul Daley, KJ Noons, Wilson Reis, Cyrille Diabate, and countless others. Who knows … maybe even Kimbo Slice. In the end, the talent was there near the top … it just wasn't enough to compensate for all the other shortcomings and struggles that upstart mixed martial arts promotions face attempting to get off the ground. Elite XC joins Pride FC, International Fight League (IFL) and World Fighting Alliance (WFA) as recent MMA organizations that were forced to fold. Hopefully, the list ends there.
|
| WEC predictions and preview for ‘Faber vs Brown’ Posted: 04 Nov 2008 10:53 PM CST
Unfortunately, only one world title will be on the line instead of two. In the main event, WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah “The California Kid” Faber will defend his 145-pound strap against American Top Team product Mike Brown. And in the co-main event, Chael Sonnen will finally get his rematch with middleweight title holder Paulo Filho; however, because the Brazilian today missed weight on two separate occassions the 185-pound belt will not be on the line. That bad news is made a little better because two other former world champions — Jens Pulver and Rob McCullough — will also be in action. And a battle of undefeated up-and-coming stars, Jake Rosholt and Nissen Osterneck, will round out the main card. If that wasn’t enough, the under card looks suitable for an event all on its own. There’s a chance with some quick finishes in the other matches that we’ll get to see a few of those gems. To get you pumped for the event check out some thoughts and predictions on each of the main card bouts below.
WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah " The California Kid" Faber (21-1) vs. Mike Brown (19-4) Mike Brown could prove to be one of Urijah Faber’s toughest opponents to date in the WEC. He’s coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over the former number one contender, Jeff Curran, and hasn’t lost a fight since 2005. Expect to see him in top physical condition and to bring a very good gameplan into this fight. He trains with American Top Team in Florida, which is one of the more respected camps around. However, Faber always comes in in great shape, too. He has a pretty decent winning percentage of his own. This will be his sixth title defense and he’ll come in as a definite favorite to bring that total to seven. He failed to put away an opponent for the first time since 2004 when he fought Jens Pulver at WEC 34, which came as a surprise since “Little Evil” had never previously gone the distance in a losing effort throughout his entire career. That should be enough motivation enough for Urijah to end this fight sometime before the five rounds are up. Expect Brown to stay competitive in the early rounds, but Faber’s overall athleticism and natural talent should prevail in this one … as usual. Prediction: Urijah Faber via submission (rear naked choke) in round three. WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho (16-0) vs. Chael Sonnen (22-9-1) By now, everybody knows that Filho failed to make the 185-pound limit for this fight. In fact, he was seven pounds heavy on his first attempt … not even close! Clearly, he wasn’t properly prepared for this fight, which is completely disrespectful to not only the WEC and its title, but also to his opponent and his team. In their first meeting, Sonnen was controlling the champion for most of the fight. He was clearly ahead on the score cards before the arm bar incident at the end of round two. It didn’t appear that Sonnen was tapping out. In fact, he was screaming at the official not to stop the fight. Nonetheless, the referee called a stop to the bout with only seconds remaining in the round. It was a controversial ending to say the least and the rematch was a foregone conclusion. Filho hasn’t been himself over the last year or so. He’s been battling mental health issues and substance abuse problems throughout that time. And it’s safe to say he still doesn’t have his act together after this latest incident. It’s not as if we’re talking about some stiff, either. Filho is (or was) widely considered one of the best middleweights in the world. This is a guy who holds wins over Kazuo Misaki, Ninja Rua, Ryo Chonan, Yuki Kondo and many others. Where has that guy gone? Regardless, Sonnen is a tough match up for Filho. Even before the drama this afternoon at the weigh in Sonnen posed a tough challenge for the Brazilian …. perhaps his toughest. He’s smart enough to know that he has to use his height and reach advantage to keep the jiu-jitsu expert away from him. Sonnen will learn from his mistakes and ensure the fight remains upright, keeping the Brazilian away from him with jabs and kicks long enough to wear him down (or tire him out fast) to score a technical knockout of some kind. Who knows how serious Filho even took his training for this fight. He might come in even slower and sloppier than he was in the first match up between these two. If that’s the case, then Sonnen might win this fight even quicker than we think he will. Prediction: Chael Sonnen via technical knockout in round two "Razor" Rob McCullough (16-4) vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (8-0) “Cowboy” has an impressive Muay Thai skill set, but he ends almost all of his fights via submission. He also trains with the Greg Jackson camp, which means he’ll come into this fight in great shape mentally and physically. “Razor” Rob is a step up in competition for him, however. He’s a powerhouse with good hands and a nice wrestling base. He’s a dangerous opponent for anybody at 155 pounds. He’s not the former WEC lightweight champion for nothing. However, his last two performances haven’t been too impressive. He lost his belt to Jamie Varner by technical knockout at WEC 32 and then won a lackluster split decision over Kenneth Alexander at WEC 34 three and a half months later. “Razor” could have some trouble with the fast rising Cerrone if he finds himself in a stand and trade situation. Under those circumstances, Cowboy is probably going to be a little quicker to the punch — or kick — than McCullough. And we saw in the Varner fight that the former champ is definitely vulnerable at times in the stand up. Look for Cerrone to score the biggest win of his career against the ex champ. Most likely with a late technical knockout and challenge Varner for the title sometime in early 2009. Prediction: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone via technical knockout in round three Jens " Little Evil" Pulver (22-9-1) vs Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia (15-3) This is one of the more anticipated fights on the card. Everybody knows these two guys love to bang, meaning this match up looks to be a surefire recipe for success. Jens showed he can still compete at a high level in both of his first two fights under the WEC banner. He beat Cub Swanson easily at WEC 31 and then took the champion Urijah Faber the distance at WEC 34 in June. Garcia is known for his memorable fight with Roger Huerta in the UFC last year — a fight that was nominated and later finished eighth for “Fight of the Year” in the UFC. The move over to the WEC allows him to compete at his more natural weight of 145 pounds. He clearly feels more comfortable there, as evidenced by his first round knockout of world ranked Hiroyuki Takaya at WEC 32 in February. Garcia knows a win against “Little Evil” will put him on a short list of possible candidates to face the winner of Faber vs. Brown in 2009. This is a huge opportunity to score a win over a big time name while he’s still at a respectable point in his career. It won’t come easy, we know that, but the “Bad Boy” gets the win here. Prediction: Leonard Garcia via technical knockout in round three Jake Rosholt (4-0) vs. Nissen Osterneck (5-0) This is a huge opportunity for both of these guys to win a high profile fight for the first time on the big stage. Both of these undefeated promising prospects are making their debuts for the WEC … on the televised main card no less. It’s a classic wrestler vs. grappler, which have proven in the past to be very difficult match ups to predict. Rosholt’s an animal in the gym and it shows when he competes. He gets his training with one of the best camps around in X-treme Couture. They’ll definitely have a solid gameplan heading into this fight based around control and submission defense. As long as Jake can avoid getting his back taken or leaving a limb out there for Osterneck to work on, he should be able to score the win. Prediction: Jake Rosholt via unanimous decision That’s a wrap. Remember that MMAmania will provide live coverage of WEC 36 tomorrow night, so check in early and often. The event airs live on the Versus network beginning at 8 p.m. ET. In the meantime feel free to leave your WEC 36 predictions in the comments section below! |
| Paulo Filho vs Chael Sonnen to fight three-round non title WEC fight Posted: 04 Nov 2008 06:57 PM CST
The Brazilian was given two hours to shed the extra baggage. Unfortunately, on his second attempt Filho tipped the scales at 189 pounds — still four pounds too much. As a result, the promotion made the decision to go one with the bout; however, it will be contested as a three-round nontitle fight rather than a five rounder with championship gold on the line. He will also likely have to forfeit a percentage of his purse to Sonnen. This is a horrible development, considering all the hype and controversy that surrounded this showdown. It was back in December 2007 when the first clash was stopped by the referee after Sonnen was caught in a tight armbar. He yelped, but didn’t tap. And a rematch was ordered shortly therafter to settle once and for all with no reservations who the best man was … or so we thought. We’re now almost one year removed from that night in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we will be nowhere closer to getting the grudge match expected tomorrow night. Perhaps the only silver lining in all of this is that the middleweight belt would have been dissolved after the bout because the WEC is abolishing the 185 and 205-pound divisions as of January 1, 2009. Small consolation. (Thanks as always to Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com for the pics. See more right here.) |
| UFC Quick Quote: Brock Lesnar is sick and tired of the steroid allegations Posted: 04 Nov 2008 03:08 PM CST
– UFC heavyweight title contender Brock Lesnar tells Larry Pepe on Pro MMA Radio last night about how he feels regarding the allegations that he is/was a steroid user — allegations that have apparently followed him for well more than a decade. Lesnar is a massive specimen, weighing near 285 pounds these days and cutting down to the heavyweight division limit of 265 pounds around fight time. He will challenge heavyweight champion Randy Couture for his division title at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” on November 15. It’s important to note that Lesnar has recently been tested by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for illegal/banned substances and passed with flying colors. Lesnar and other competitors on the card will also be test on or around fight night. We’ll have more on Lesnar’s appearance on Pro MMA Radio shortly. |
| WEC weigh in results for ‘Faber vs Brown’ — Filho comes in seven pounds over! Posted: 04 Nov 2008 02:35 PM CST
It’s the last of the formalities leading up to highly anticipated show, which was delayed because of the threat Hurricane Ike posed to the South Florida region back in September. WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah “The California Kid” Faber (21-1) and middleweight title holder Paulo Filho (16-0) will defend their respective belts in the featured matches on the card. Here are the official WEC 36 weigh in results:
*Fighters are allowed one extra pound in non-title bouts *UPDATE* Three fighters on the card failed to make weight on their first attempt. Rani Yahya came in one pound heavy in his scheduled 135 pound bout. His opponent Yoshiro Maeda has agreed to fight him at that weight. **Main event participant Mike Brown weighed in a half a pound heavy for his featherweight title fight with Urijah Faber. He was eventually able to make the contracted weight of 145 pounds on his second attempt. ***And middleweight champion Paulo Filho tipped the scales for his rematch against Chael Sonnen seven pounds over the 185 pound limit. He, too, was given two hours to lose the weight. However, he came in at 189 pounds on his second attempt. Filho and Sonnen will still fight; however it will be a three-round nontitle match. Remember that MMAmania.com will provide up to the minute news and results before, during and after tomorrow night’s festivities. WEC 36 will air live on the Versus network, beginning at 8 p.m. ET — don’t miss it … this could be among the best events of the year! (Thanks as always to Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com for the pics. See more right here.) |
| MMA fighters on Election Day 2008 (Video) Posted: 04 Nov 2008 11:54 AM CST Let’s not go nuts here like the Hughes/Obama thread otherwise we’ll shut down the comments section again. It’s interesting to hear some feedback from several fighters on their respective choices and the reasons behind those choices. In case you didn’t know, today is Election Day in the United States. For more head over to Sherdog.com, which includes a more detailed explanation from Karo Parisyan (he holds back in the video above). |
| Marcus Davis vs Chris Lytle UFC 93 fight set for Dublin Posted: 04 Nov 2008 10:58 AM CST
As expected, welterweight sluggers Marcus Davis (15–4) and Chris Lytle (26-16–5) will indeed throw leather at UFC 93: "Dublin," setting up a 170-pound match up that already has "Fight of the Night" written all over it. One would imagine that "Knockout of the Night" would be more appropriate, but believe it or not neither the "Irish Hand Grenade" nor "Lights Out" have ever been stopped by strikes in their respective mixed martial arts careers. That could all change in early 2009 … at least for one fighter. Davis — who openly questioned whether or not Lytle was deserving of the opportunity to fight him at this time — is coming off a slick second round submission win over Paul Kelly at UFC 89: "Bisping vs. Leben" just last month. It marked the twelfth with in 13 fights for the former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2. The Bangor, Maine, native has notched several of the wins during that span overseas in Europe, making quite a name for himself among the many fans located there. Lytle is also fresh of a win at UFC 89, decisioning Paul Taylor in an action-packed back-and-forth brawl that actually earned "Fight of the Night" honors. With the victory, Lytle has now won just four of his last eight. However, the losses during that stretch were to Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves, Matt Hughes and Matt Serra — some pretty good competition. He'll get another big test against Davis because inside the Octagon no good deed ever goes unpunished. Already, Davis is calling in several radio interviews for Lytle to keep this fight standing, adding that whoever takes the match to the ground will be branded a pussy. Game on. Rich "Ace" Franklin (24-3) and Dan "Hollywood" Henderson (23-7) — two of the world's most elite 205-pound fighters — will headline UFC 93. Also featured is the return of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua as he takes on UFC pioneer Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. To check out the latest UFC 93 fight card and rumors click here. |
| PRIDE TOTAL ELIMINATION DVD ABSOLUTE 2006 Posted: 04 Nov 2008 09:31 AM CST
Tournament Bouts: Alternate Bout:
PRIDE: ‘TOTAL ELIMINATION ABSOLUTE 2006′ is now available for purchase in our DVD store for $19.99 by clicking here. To check out our massive library of MMA DVD titles, including PRIDE DVD and UFC DVD click here. We also have Elite XC, WEC, Cage Rage, IFL, King of the Cage and other products for sale in our store. Looking for a title but don't see it in our store? Email us and we'll be happy to check its availability. Please keep in mind that we are only able to ship within the continental United States at this time. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner |
Inbox too full?  Subscribe to the feed version of UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com in a feed reader. | |
| If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment