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UFC Quick Quote: Brock Lesnar is opportunistic Posted: 14 Nov 2008 11:07 PM CST “I don’t think I deserve anything. I was asked if I wanted a title shot against Randy Couture and I accepted it. I don’t think that I deserve anything…. This is an opportunity and I’m going to seize the moment and try and take that title away tomorrow night…. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I understand that. If there was any other heavyweight in the division that was asked for this opportunity they probably would have also not turned the opportunity down.” – Brock Lesnar tells ESPNs “First Take” this morning that he is merely taking advantage of an opportunity that was presented to him to challenge Randy Couture for his heavyweight title. With just three professional mixed martial arts bouts to his credit, including an average record inside the Octagon (1-1), several people questioned the decision to grant him a world title shot so soon in his career. But this is a business and UFC President Dana White and all the others at Zuffa know that, deserving or not, Lesnar is going to put butts in seats at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15. It’s good to see Lesnar is under no illusions and that he is shooting straight from the hip. Who can blame him …he makes a valid point.

Rich Franklin still knows nothing about possibly being The Ultimate Fighter 9 coach Posted: 14 Nov 2008 10:48 PM CST Props: UFC.com Quoteworthy: “It’ll be interesting to see when they actually come to me because the UFC are actually the ones who encouraged me to move up to 205 pounds. And with Bisping now being at 185 I’m not sure what they are going to do about that. I did [The Ultimate Fighter] one time and it was great, but I’m not as excited about it this time. But I’m always willing to help the UFC out and do what they need me to do so we’ll talk about it after the fight.” Former middleweight champion Rich Franklin shares his thoughts on the rumors that he is on the short list of coaching candidates for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) opposite Michael Bisping during the UFC Fight Club question and answer session today for UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar.” He still says he has never even been approached about the possibility and finds it a bit weird since he no longer fights in the middleweight division. “Ace” will take on Dan Henderson in the main event at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, on January 17. It’s widely assumed that the winner of that match will get the nod — both fighters have competed at 185 pounds. However, it’s also possible that if Franklin defeats Henderson the UFC could go in a different direction altogether and select someone like Nate Marquardt because a third match with Anderson Silva, by his own admission, is not that interesting (the TUF 9 coaches will likely compete at the conclusion of the show for the right to challenge “The Spider” at a later date). In short, a decision on a TUF 9 U.S. coach will likely be made shortly after January 17.

Dana White: ‘We are definitely going to adjust ticket prices’ because of bad economy (Video) Posted: 14 Nov 2008 08:47 PM CST

Vladimir Matyushenko vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Affliction fight booked Jan. 24 Posted: 14 Nov 2008 08:58 PM CST The featured bout of the HDNet portion of Affliction: “Day of Reckoning,” which will serve as a lead-in to the pay-per-view (PPV) telecast on January 24, will be a light heavyweight rematch between Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3). The two first met at a Universal Fighting-Arts Organization show in August of 2002 with Matyushenko earning the win by unanimous decision. Matyushenko is coming off an impressive run through the International Fight League’s (IFL) 205-pound division over the last couple of years. In fact, he defeated Alex Schoenauer last November to become the first ever IFL light heavyweight champion. He successfully defended the belt five months later with a second round technical knockout over Jamal Patterson. When the promotion went under earlier this year, Matyushenko left as the only division champion in the two-year history of the organization. The Russian is also a five-fight UFC veteran, posting a record of (3-2) during his time in the Octagon. He was granted a shot at Tito Ortiz’s 205-pound belt at UFC 33, but came up just shy in the decision loss. Nogueira has won all three of his fights since a loss to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Pride 33 nearly two years ago. He defeated Moise Rimbon by unanimous decision two weeks ago at Sengoku: “Sixth Battle.” Before that he took out Edwin Dewees at Affliction’s first event back in July, and also stopped Todd Gouwenberg back in February at a Hardcore Championship Fighting event. A heavyweight bout between Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello and Kiril Sidelnikov has also been confirmed for the HDNet telecast. HDNet will air the undercard of Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” live on January 24 before the PPV, which will be headlined by WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko defending his title for the first time against former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski.

Randy Couture video on ‘Best Damn Sports Show Period’ to promote UFC 91 Posted: 14 Nov 2008 08:42 PM CST Props: MSN.com

UFC 91 weigh in results for ‘Couture vs Lesnar’ PPV event Posted: 14 Nov 2008 04:12 PM CST The official weigh-in event for UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" today took place from a jam-packed MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. All fighters set to compete on the card made their respective marks on the scale. As promised, ESPN.com provided in-depth coverage of the festivities before, during and after the weigh in. While there were no real surprises, perhaps the biggest storyline heading into the show is that UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture tipped the scale at just 220 pounds. Meanwhile, his opponent Brock Lesnar came in at a massive 265 pounds. That’s a 45-pound difference — the equivalent of a big lightweight fighting a small light heavyweight. Yikes. The special guest ESPN announcers, including Frank Mir and Stephan Bonnar, indicated that it is likely on purpose to provide “The Natural” with a speed and cardio edge that will carry him to victory. We’ll find out tomorrow night. In the meantime, here are the official UFC 91 weigh-in results: 265 lbs.: UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture (220) vs. Brock Lesnar (265) 155 lbs.: Kenny Florian (156) vs. Joe Stevenson (156) 265 lbs.: Gabriel Gonzaga (256) vs. Josh Hendricks (238) 185 lbs.: Demian Maia (185) vs. Nate Quarry (185) 170 lbs.: Dustin Hazelett (170) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170) 155 lbs.: Jorge Gurgel (155) vs. Aaron Riley (156) 155 lbs.: Jeremy Stephens (155) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (155) 155 lbs.: Alvin Robinson (155) vs. Mark Bocek (155) 170 lbs.: Matt Brown (171) vs. Ryan Thomas (170) *Note: Fighters are allowed to weigh one pound more than the division limit in non-title fights. 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 pay-per-view (PPV) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 15. Of course, the latest quick updates of the prelim bouts will begin to flow earlier than that at around 8:30 p.m. ET. It's going to be a fun night of fights … check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight coverage you can handle. (Thanks as always to Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com for the pics. See more right here.)

Afflictions Todd Beard tenders resignation after Couture fiasco Posted: 14 Nov 2008 03:49 PM CST In wake of the restraining order filed by Kim Couture against Todd Beard — one of the original founders of the Affliction clothing brand — earlier this week, the t-shirt manufacturer/mixed martial arts promotion today announced that Beard would be resign from his post with the company. Beard has a history of violence against women, including allegations of punching his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach in 1996, as well as several other cases of domestic abuse. He also served 30 months in a federal prison for three felony counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and mail fraud. In short, Beard is not the straightest arrow in the quiver. As a result of his latest actions, he issued a public apology regarding the Couture situation along with his resignation. Here’s a snip: “I would like to apologize for my comments that may have offended Kim and Randy Couture and Mr. Spira. I had a long-standing relationship with the Coutures and I was deeply and emotionally hurt by some of their recent business decisions. I have only the best of intentions for the success of the Affliction and Xtreme Couture clothing brands and understand that there are personal issues I must address.” Beard also addressed the fact that he has an alcohol abuse problem to go along with his anger management issues. He’ll be seeking professional help for both problems. All of this comes a little more than two months before Affliction MMA’s second ever event, “Day of Reckoning,” which is set for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on January 24. The highly anticipated heavyweight showdown between WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski is scheduled as the featured bout of the night. For what it’s worth, it’s important to note that Tom Atencio, not Beard, is the one who runs the MMA promotional side of the business. Therefore, from an inhouse logistics perspective, his departure should not have much –if any — impact on them running live events.

Arianny Celeste pics of UFC ring girl birthday bash Posted: 14 Nov 2008 02:32 PM CST Props: CombatLIfestyle.com (Remember to click the link above for more shots of Ms. Celeste in her birthday suit gear. Feel free to send along some wishes in the comments section below. She will totally read them. Mania is rad.)

BJ Penn video: ‘I should be the best pound for pound’ if I beat Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 Posted: 14 Nov 2008 02:16 PM CST Note that Penn also adds that if St. Pierre beats him, “Rush” should be crowned the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Jason MacDonald vs Wilson Gouveia to fight at TUF 8 Finale Posted: 14 Nov 2008 01:39 PM CST Wilson Gouveia (11–5) and Jason MacDonald (21–10) will throwdown in a middleweight bout slated for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 Finale at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 13, according to GracieFighter.com. It will be just the second fight for Gouveia at 185 pounds. The American Top Team-trained product scored a submission win (armbar) over late replacement Ryan Jensen at UFC Fight Night 15 in his divisional debut back in September. He was originally booked to fight veteran Jeremy Horn before "Gumby" got hurt while training and was forced to withdraw. Gouveia feels good in the lighter division: "I like the new category. I felt much bigger than the other guys. I made this move because I never was a very big light heavyweight, so we decided as a team I should drop to middleweight. Yes, I'm doing quite well. Making weight the first time was pretty rough, but now everything is fine, I've adapted." The latest win for the former light heavyweight was his fifth in seven attempts inside the Octagon. He suffered just the second UFC loss of his career to Goran Reljic earlier this year. MacDonald, too, is in a similar situation. He rebounded from a loss with a finish of Jason Lambert via submission (rear naked choke) at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" in his mst recent appearance also back in September. "The Athlete" has demonstrated tremendous skill during his time with the promotion; however, he has been terribly inconsistent. With the exception of his first two UFC fights, which he won, MacDonald has alternated wins and losses in his last six fights. Therefore, if current trends continue, Gouveia will come away with the win at the conclusion of the bout. But that's of course completely inexact. This is a fight that he is very capable of winning; however, he will not have an edge in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu department in this one. And we all know how that worked out for him the last time. See Maia, Demian. TUF 8 Finale will also feature the finals of the lightweight and light heavyweight tournament-style format that is currently in progress on the mixed martial arts reality series. It will air live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. To check out the latest TUF 8 fight card and rumors click here.

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