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| MMA Karma? Sean Sherk on Armando Garcia resignation Posted: 12 Nov 2008 08:47 AM CST Props: MMARated.com Quoteworthy:
Former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk talks about the recent and abrupt resignation on California State Athletic Director (CSAC) Executive Director Armando Garcia. Last year, Sherk tested positive for steroids after defeating Hermes Franca at UFC 73: “Stacked.” He was suspended for six months, fined and stripped of his title as a result of the finding. Sherk claims to this day that he was/is innocent and that the CSAC botched the case. He vowed to never fight in the “Golden State” ever again, which he may now rethink thanks to Garcia’s departure. Garcia — who may or may not have been forced out because of looming sexual harassment charges — has been involved in several high profile questionable mixed martial arts-related decisions. To check out an exhaustive (and perhaps over the top) laundry list click here. |
| UFC Quick Quote: Wanderlei Silva vs Forrest Griffin fight would be ’sad situation’ Posted: 12 Nov 2008 08:20 AM CST
– Former Pride FC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva tells Fighters Only magazine that he could earn a title shot with a win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008″ on December 27. It will be their third fight — “The Axe Murderer” won the first two back in Japan. Undefeated light heavyweights Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva are set to collide about at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ on January 31, meaning Silva — who just snapped a three-fight losing skid with a first round knockout of Keith Jardine at UFC 84: “Ill Will” back in May — would leapfrog the winner of that match as the number one contender. In addition, Griffin would have to successfully defend his 205-pound belt against Rashad Evans on New Year’s Eve weekend, too. In short, it seems like a lot of things need to happen for Silva to get the next crack at the belt. But ya’ never know … |
| UFC 91 video blog with Dana White (Day two) Posted: 12 Nov 2008 06:21 AM CST |
| UFC 91: Amir Sadollah out with leg infection Posted: 11 Nov 2008 02:03 PM CST
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 middleweight winner, Amir Sadollah, has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout against Nick Catone at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15 because of a leg infection. Unfortunately, the promotion was unable to secure a replacement on such short notice, meaning that Catone will have to wait to make his Octagon debut and the show will go on with nine fights instead on the original 10. In addition, according to an official announcement on UFC.com, the welterweight match up between Dustin Hazelett and Tamdan McCrory has been promoted to the televised portion of the pay-per-view (PPV) telecast. Some fans may actually be happy to hear the latter news — "McLovin" and "Barn Cat" are both bright up-and-coming talents who come to scrap. UFC 91 features the main event between heavyweight champion Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar. In addition, lightweights Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson will do battle for the right to be considered the top title contender in the 155-pound division in the co-featured fight of the evening. Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night, which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on PPV. Of course, the latest quick updates of the prelim bouts will begin to flow earlier than that at around 8:30 p.m. ET. (Thanks to MMAmania.com reader "liamd" for the assist.) |
| UFC 91 video preview with Dana White on ESPNs ‘First Take’ Posted: 11 Nov 2008 01:41 PM CST The expectation from UFC President Dana White is that UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” will score around 1.2 million pay-per-view (PPV) buys this weekend. Is that possible? |
| Yves Edwards vs Duane Ludwig Strikeforce fight set with Josh Thomson injured Posted: 11 Nov 2008 11:30 AM CST
Duane “Bang” Ludwig (17-8) will now replace the champ against Edwards in a three round non-title fight at a catchweight of 164 pounds on the Strikeforce: “Destruction” card, which is set to go down at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., on November 21. Ludwig is coming off a first round technical knockout win over Sam Morgan on the Strikeforce: “Payback” card last month. The victory was revenge for a previous loss the Denver native suffered at the hands of Morgan more than three years ago. He’s a very accomplished mixed martial artist who has competed professionally since early 2000. During his nearly nine year career he’s stood across the ring or cage with mixed results against such world class caliber fighters as BJ Penn (loss), Takanori Gomi (loss), Jens Pulver (win), Thomas Denny (win), Tony Frykland (win), Tyson Griffin (loss), Paul Daley (loss) and Josh Thomson (loss). In short, he’ll be well prepared to step in on short notice to face the very experienced Yves Edwards. Edwards’ last fight was a first round technical knockout loss to KJ Noons in June for the Elite XC lightweight championship. Before that loss, he strung together three consecutive wins since joining the infamous American Top Team (ATT) camp in Coconut Creek, Florida. His career has been revitalized under the new camp, putting his lackluster record of (1-5) from late 2005 through late 2007 behind him for the most part. Obviously, the loss to Noons was a set back, but this high profile fight should be a better example of which Yves Edwards we should expect to see from here on out … title fight or not. Strikeforce: “Destruction” will air live on HDNet beginning at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. For the complete fight card click here. |
| No pressure: Amir Sadollah UFC 91 interview exclusive with MMAmania.com Posted: 11 Nov 2008 09:38 AM CST
When The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 7 kicked off, we saw for the first time a group of 32 fighters who had to fight and win to make it on to the show. Few would have bet that a 27-year-old amateur kickboxer with zero professional MMA fights to his name would have won the entire thing — especially one who, upon winning his first match, leapt onto the top of the cage and, just as quickly, fell off. But that's exactly what Amir Sadollah did. He racked up wins against Steve Byrnes (armbar) to earn his spot on the show, Gerald Harris (TKO due to strikes), Matt Brown (guillotine choke), and C.B. Dollaway (armbar) to make it to the Finale. Then, thanks to some monkey business from Jesse Taylor, Amir faced C.B. Dollaway once again at the Finale and won, once again, via armbar. Talk about déjà vu all over again. But now Amir faces a bigger challenge: transforming his skill set from his days on TUF to that of a full-time mixed martial artist. He'll get his first test in Nick Catone (5-0) this Saturday, November 15, at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar." It all starts at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. We caught up with Amir recently to talk about his days on TUF, ask if Dollaway is still protesting his tap at the Finale, and find out how he is preparing to fight the two-time NCAA Division I Conference Champion wrestler, Nick Catone. Let's get after it.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You last fought C.B. Dollaway at the TUF 8 Finale. First, congratulations on becoming the winner of The Ultimate Fighter. Amir Sadollah: Well thank you. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Looking back on it, when you first entered the house, did you think you stood a pretty good chance of walking away the winner? Amir Sadollah: Um … I remember thinking actually the first day when we found out there was going to be 32 of us originally, I just remember wondering, "Who is gonna win this thing? This thing's tough." But it was something that I did a pretty good job of not pressuring myself either. I never thought, "Oh man, I gotta win this thing." I just thought about doing as well as I could for the next six months. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Did you watch the episodes on television? Amir Sadollah: I did. I actually wrote a blog on it, so they sent me episodes a couple days earlier, and I watched them. Usually by the time an episode came on TV I had already watched it once or twice. So yeah, I definitely watched it. It was worth watching. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): How do you feel about the way the editors portrayed you? Amir Sadollah: Um … I wasn't unhappy with it. I was pretty quiet there a lot of times. You know, it's a strange situation; everyone reacts in their own way. I wasn't too worried about getting camera time. I was just trying to learn as much as I could and get better. So no, I don't think they portrayed me in a negative way or anything I was unhappy with. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Yeah, I thought it was a great show — a great season. Amir Sadollah: Probably the best ever. (laughs) Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) Certainly up there. After that first win, you jumped up onto the cage and then immediately fell off of it. (Laughs) Do you remember that happening? Amir Sadollah: (Laughs) Yeah, I did not think I would catch so much crap about that. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Yeah, my girlfriend and I were sitting there watching it, and she goes, "Man, I hope that guy doesn't end up winning the whole thing." (Laughs) Amir Sadollah: (Laughs) Damn. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I'd like to ask you a few questions about the C.B. Dollaway fight at the Finale. How did you feel about how the fight went? Obviously you're happy with the victory, but in terms of things that you learned from the fight and areas to improve on. Amir Sadollah: Well, there weren't a lot of surprises. I definitely saw that there were some things I need to work on and get better at — like my wrestling, for example. But overall I was happy with the fight. I guess you can't complain if you get the victory. But I didn't think it was going to be easy, and I didn't expect it to end so quickly. But it turned out all right. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): When you sunk in the armbar, did you think, "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening in almost the exact same way that it happened before, he's falling right into this again?" Amir Sadollah: At the time, I was just thinking more like, "I better capitalize on this while I have it." But yeah, afterwards it was something that, after the fight was over, I was just kind of in shock that the whole thing was happening. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Dollaway seemed equally shocked that it had happened like that, and seemingly, before he even knew it, he tapped. He then protested a bit, as if he didn't fully commit to the tap. Have you run into him since the fight, and have you talked about it at all? Amir Sadollah: Oh yeah, I saw him later that night, and we talked about it a bit. We're definitely cool. He's definitely a good guy. I mean, I consider us friends. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): So I assume he now knows that he committed to that tap? Amir Sadollah: Yeah, I saw a couple of interviews with him afterwards. He kind of explained himself. It was something that he admits he tapped, but then he thought he could get out, but by that time the ref saw it and stopped the fight. So … that's how it goes. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You're facing Nick Catone here at UFC 91. I've never watched a Nick Catone fight. Have you? Amir Sadollah: Yeah, I've seen a couple tapes on him, yeah. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well from what I've read about him, he's 5-0 with his last four fights all being stoppages in the first round. He's also the Ring of Combat Middleweight Champion and comes from a strong collegiate wrestling background. How do you see the fight going in terms of his strengths and your strengths matching up? Do you think his wrestling background is going to be an issue? Amir Sadollah: Yeah, obviously it's a strength of his and something that I'm working on. I think he's a strong guy, an aggressive guy, he's somebody that is going to put a lot of pressure on me. So that's what I'm preparing for. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): From a training perspective, what have you been focusing most on since your days on TUF? Amir Sadollah: Since I got off the show, I've just been working out here in Vegas with a lot of high level guys. So I've just been trying to catch up and improve all my areas, really. I mean definitely wrestling has been a big part of it for me, but just ground damage, striking and everything. It's definitely been a step up. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you relocated out there to Vegas permanently? Amir Sadollah: Yes. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): From Richmond? Amir Sadollah: Correct. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): If you had to guess how this Catone fight's gonna end, do you think it's going to be a three-round battle? Do you anticipate a long drawn-out war? Amir Sadollah: I have really never liked to make predictions. I just feel like when you do, that's the one guaranteed thing that's not going to happen. So, I definitely expect it's going to be tough, and whether it's one round or three, I know it's going to be a battle all the way through. That's what I'm preparing for, and that's what I'm expecting. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you brought in any new coaches or training partners specifically for this fight? Amir Sadollah: My striking coach from Holland is here for this fight, and he helped me out in my last fight as well. I just work with a lot of the same guys I worked with before out here, but I try to work more with guys who I think simulate who I'm going to fight, you know … better wrestlers or just bigger, stronger, faster … things like that. So I'll break it up, as far as bringing in a partner who I think specifically is the same type of fighter. That's the cool thing about out here, there's so many guys that are good at everything, you can kinda pick someone and be like, "All right this guy's good at jitz, I'm gonna work at that with him. Or this guy's a good wrestler or this guy's a good striker." Things like that. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What weight do you normally cut from? Amir Sadollah: I usually walk around at about 95, so it's not a horrible cut for me at all. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you thought about dropping to welterweight at all? Amir Sadollah: Yeah. It's something that I was definitely, or am definitely considering. I didn't drop to 170 after the show just because there were so many things changing with me, I just wanted one element of familiar territory as far as the weight I'm cutting. I've seen a lot of guys who, the first time they fight at a new weight, it's just different. It can change things a little bit. So I just wanted a little bit more time to get used to everything, and just make a gradual progression. But I can definitely see myself going to 170 after this fight. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): So are you in the market for a new nutritionist, or do you currently work with someone in your camp? Amir Sadollah: Um … yeah, I mean if I found a nutritionist who is willing to work with me and who I trust, then I suppose. I think nutrition is a huge tool and a key element in your training. It's definitely a factor for a lot of guys and for myself. I work a lot on that as well — not just training, but eating right. It's not easy, and it's a full-time job. You go in, you train for two hours, you leave, you're good. But you gotta eat well all day. And there's a lot of different theories and a lot of different things. So it's another one of those big things that I'm always trying to hammer down and optimize. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, Amir, I really appreciate the time you took to talk with us, and I wanted to give you an opportunity to plug any sponsors or if you have any parting words for your fans. Amir Sadollah: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for all the support from everyone I get. Everyone who does. It's definitely very uplifting and very positive. Thanks to my sponsors TapouT and Sprawl. And check out The Punisher in theaters December 5. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. Check out my Web site AmirMMA.com. |
| Kenny Florian vs Joe Stevenson odds at UFC 91 upset ‘Daddy’ Posted: 11 Nov 2008 09:04 AM CST
Quoteworthy:
Joe Stevenson appears to have a chip on his shoulder heading into his lightweight fight against Kenny Florian this weekend at UFC 91: "Lesnar vs. Couture" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently, sportsbooks have "Daddy" at +145, which is actually not a huge underdog. Regardless, it clearly does not sit well with the new Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. And he intends to prove the oddsmakers wrong on November 15. To bet the current line CLICK HERE. |
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