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| Miguel Torres vs Manny Tapia WEC video fight preview Posted: 24 Nov 2008 08:41 AM CST Check out some more video hype and analysis after the jump.
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| Amir Sadollah vs Nick Catone fight rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 17 Feb. 7 Posted: 24 Nov 2008 08:23 AM CST
Middleweights Amir Sadollah and Nick Catone have been rebooked to hook 'em up at UFC Fight Night 17 at The Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 7, according to iGuillotine.com. Sadollah — winner — was recently forced to withdraw from the originally scheduled showdown at UFC 91: "Lesnar vs. Couture" on November 15 just four days before fight night because of a leg infection. It was so severe that The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 season winner was hospitalized for the condition. The good news is that he now appears to be just fine. Sadollah — the unlikely champion of the most recent edition of the Spike TV mixed martial arts reality series — shocked just about everyone (including himself) with wins over Steve Byrnes, Gerald Harris, Matt Brown and CB Dollaway in just six weeks. And he stopped them all early despite sustaining damage in most if not all of his fights. Not bad for a fighter who had zero professional fights under his belt prior to the show, He's a super resilient and crafty fighter in the mold of UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Sadollah defeated Dollaway (again) in the finals of the tournament-style format via first round armbar after Jesse Taylor pissed away his chances — literally and figuratively — with a drunken rampage in "Sin City" shortly after the show wrapped. Catone — who trains under Brazilian jiu-jitsu stud Ricardo Almeida in Hamilton, N.J. — has been active since 2007 on the northeast fighting circuit. He has finished his last three opponents via technical knockout under the Ring of Combat banner. This will mark the first fight for Catone inside the Octagon — a replacement opponent for UFC 91 was unable to be secured on such short notice. UFC Fight Night 17 likely features a lightweight match up between Mac Danzig and Josh Neer, as well as several other bouts still in the works that should make fans happy. Therefore, stay glued to MMAmania.com for more announcements and updates regarding UFC Fight Night 17. |
| Mac Danzig vs Josh Neer UFC Fight Night 17 fight possible for Feb. 7 Posted: 23 Nov 2008 08:04 PM CST
It’s a 155-pound tilt that will make the televised Spike TV broadcast on fight night, according to a recent message from Danzig on his MySpace.com page. Danzig — season six welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — is coming off a frustrating unanimous decision loss to Clay Guida at UFC Fight Night 15 back in September. “The Carpenter’s” relentless cardio and wrestling proved to be just to much for Danzig to overcome. Prior to the loss he submitted Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Mark Bocek with a rear naked choke at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ in April. He stopped Tommy Speer in similar fashion before that to earn the TUF crown nearly one year ago. This will be the fourth fight for mixed martial arts veteran inside the Octagon. And it’s not getting any easier with opponents like “The Dentist.” Neer is also looking to rebound from a loss at UFC Fight Night 15 — he dropped a tight split decision to Nate Diaz in a fight that was awarded with “Fight of the Night.” A five-year veteran of the sport, Neer is no slouch on the ground or on his feet —- 10 of his wins have come via submission, with 10 more coming via (technical) knockout. After posting a 2-3 record in the UFC, Neer won six of seven fights outside the promotion before returning to the Octagon and defeating Din Thomas by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 13. In addition to Thomas, Neer holds wins over UFC veterans Joe Stevenson, Melvin Guillard and Forrest Petz. Stay tuned for more updates on UFC Fight Night 17 — we are aware of several other bouts in the works, which should make for another solid event for the promotion on Spike TV. |
| Black-eyed pea: A conversation with UFC lightweight Jeremy Stephens Posted: 23 Nov 2008 07:34 PM CST
It was a jaw-dropping ending to a fight that Stephens admits wasn’t exactly heading in the direction he was hoping for when things first got underway. "He took me down. I really wasn’t expecting for him to take me down. He’s really strong. I was trying to get back up, but he had really, really tight jiu-jitsu. I couldn’t move. I’ve been working on getting up but he left no spaces. He did a good job holding me down. Once I was able to reverse, I made a mistake and he capitalized on it. But you know I’m not going to tap. I’ve got too much heart, too much on the line." Stephens credits his tremendous heart to more than just his training and iron will. "Lil’ Heathen" has his roots in a state that’s been a breeding ground for some of the UFC’s top fighters, including former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich. "515 (area code) that’s my city: Des Moines, Iowa. If you throw a dart in the middle of the United States it would actually land on Des Moines, Iowa. That’s why we say we have a lot of heart because Des Moines, Iowa is the heart of the United States." After his uppercut sent dos Anjos to the land of heavy eyelids, an elated Stephens was overcome with joy, running face-first into the side of the cage - much to the crowd’s enjoyment. "[The moment was] explosive as you could probably tell. I ran into the cage! I was just so hyped up. I have so much going on in my life and it was like I was reborn again. It felt really great." The bout against dos Anjos, Stephens fifth under the UFC banner, was a culmination of five months of hard work and determination spent trying to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to Spencer Fisher back at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 7 in June of 2008. That preparation sent him all over the country to train with some of some of the UFC’s most recognizable fighters and trainers. "I met up with Hermes Franca. I flew out to San Diego to Saulo Ribeiro’s gym. We trained with Diego Sanchez a little bit. Went up to Throwdown Elite and trained with Baret Yoshida – not with Baret but with his gym and War Machine (former UFC fighter Jon Koppenhaver). I was moving around a lot, then I went back to Davenport to finish up training and then I met Hermes a week before the fight out in Vegas." Despite hurting his foot at UFC 91, Stephens doesn’t plan on taking any extended time off away from the gym. His goal is to ride the momentum from his exciting KO at UFC 91 right into his next bout. "The first round I kicked him and it kind of messed up my foot. I’m going to take this week off then on Monday I’m going to get right back into the gym. I expect to perform here very soon. Josh Neer and Hermes Franca were both in my corner and they are going to be fighting in February. I’m hoping to spend a lot of time with those guys and train and fight maybe on the same card or afterward." Stephens has dedicated himself to his craft and understands that it demands time away from friends and family. But he also understands that it’s exactly those kind of sacrifices that will elevate him to the next level of mixed martial arts, in turn helping him support his family through a successful career. "[Cindy] is my girlfriend of a little bit over a year. Tuesday she flew into Vegas and that week was our one year (anniversary) and she is currently pregnant. She is a little bit over four months and in two weeks we are going to get an ultrasound and find out what sex our baby is. She is a real big help she is always there for me and it was all work for our baby so I had to give her a shout-out (after the fight)." Aside from girlfriend Cindy, Stephens also gives thanks to his mother for helping him become the man he is today, including branding him with his nickname "Lil’ Heathen". "When I was a little kid I was more of a wild man I guess. That is the only way she could describe me. I spent a lot of time with her when I was younger. She definitely made me the best." Being the best is Stephens ultimate goal. His thrilling win over Rafael dos Anjos was a big step in the right direction in his ascension to the top of the lightweight division. Just don’t expect another victory collision with the Octagon walls. "It left me with a black eye." |
| Georges St. Pierre eats cat in Hawaii on UFC 94 media tour (Video) Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:43 PM CST Where’s Joe Rogan and the “Fear Factor” crew when you need them? |
| UFC plans to invade Hawaii sometime in 2009 put on hold … perhaps indefinitely Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:27 PM CST
The K-1: "World Grand Prix Hawaii" event at Aloha Stadium in 2005, which drew 12,000 fans to watch its native son BJ Penn defeat Renzo Gracie, is the show to beat. And it appears that it could remain that way for a very long time because the UFC has put its plans on hold, according to the company president while in town to promote UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ on January 31. Dana White indicated that even though regulation is finally right around the corner (July 2009) the prospect of staging a show in the Hawaii is now too expensive thanks to a huge tax that was tacked on to the bill. “We finally get some regulations and they slap this huge tax on us that’s out of control, so probably never,” White recently told that Star Bulletin. “I guess it’s their way of saying ‘OK, we’ll sanction this, but we’ll make sure nobody ever shows up and comes and does an event here.’” The article indicates that already the bill is hurting other smaller promotions that operate on the islands, including Icon Sport. That’s bad news for fans located there — Hawaii is known for its “fighting culture” and appreciation of the sport. But perhaps some records are indeed made to not be broken. |
| Five-time UFC champion Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture headlines Monday’s PRO MMA Radio Posted: 23 Nov 2008 10:28 AM CST
Just a little over a week after his historical fight with Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, mixed martial arts legend and five-time UFC champion Randy "The Natural" Couture headlines MMAmania.com’s exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio. Tune in this Monday, November 24 at 9pm ET as we spend an hour with Randy and talk Lesnar, his future plans in the UFC and beyond, predictions for Nogueira vs Mir at UFC 92 and the bitter contract dispute that kept him out of the Octagon for over a year. In addition, “The Natural” weighs-in on watching his wife Kim fight, his acting career, life at Xtreme Couture and the secrets that have allowed him to compete at the highest level of competition at 45 years of age. Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names. If you're looking for a radio show that revolves around a couple of MMA fans ranting and raving about everything that's already been covered ad nauseam, then Pro MMA Radio probably isn't for you. However, if you want to hear from actual fighters and industry insiders answering questions that are relevant to the current MMA scene, tune in every Monday night at 9pm ET for our exclusive live feed. See you tomorrow! |
| Shooto ‘Gig North Volume 3′ results & quick recap Posted: 23 Nov 2008 10:14 AM CST
Shooto hosted volume three of their ‘Gig North’ series of mixed martial arts events earlier yesterday morning at Zepp Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. Not many big names on this event but remember the word "Shooto" translates to "learn combat" and the organization is a breeding ground for many up and coming fighters. Superstars and headliners such as Takanori Gomi, Hayato Sakurai and Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida all kick started their careers in Shooto. Shooto veteran Junji Ikoma battled it out with Paraestra Sapporo’s Takuya Mori in a fight that went the distance. Mori was behind on points and was headed to decision loss when luckily (or maybe not so luckily) he was on the receiving end of a inadvertent low blow by Ikoma. This caused the ref to deduct one point from Ikoma and when the fight was said and done the judges ruled it a draw. There were also a lot of decision wins on this event with five of the eight bouts going to the scorecards - one of which saw Junpei Chikano break out and getting his first ever win after previously losing three in a row. His opponent Yoshiki Noguchi was not as fortunate and now stands at a very dire 0-4. Perhaps he can still turn things around but for now it's not looking so good. The event also featured a couple of nice submission wins. The first came from Tatsuya Yamamoto when he was able to finish off Kazuyuki Yoshida with a rear naked choke in round two, taking his record to an even 2-2. The second slick submission came courtesy of newcomer Takashi Nikuni. He locked in an armbar in the second round on the also debuting Toshiaki Hayasaka. Here are the official Shooto 'Gig North Vol: 3' results: Junji Ikoma (11-9-4) fought Takuya Mori (5-3-1) to a draw For more on Shooto click here . |
| Fight for the Troops tickets opened to public through auction for Dec. 10 event Posted: 23 Nov 2008 09:38 AM CST
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is making just 30 tickets available to the public for its "Fight for the Troops" event, which is scheduled to take place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., on Wednesday, December 10. Prior to the news, the three-hour Spike TV special was open only to military personnel from nearby Fort Bragg and beyond, as well as vetted members of the media. So if you are among the hundreds of civilians (literally) who have emailed us about tickets then this appears to be your best opportunity. Albeit a very limited one. Here’s the deal:
To place a bid on tickets to UFC Fight Night 16: “Fight for the Troops” click here. Josh Koscheck will headline the event against Yoshiyuki Yoshida. There was some concern that "Kos" would be unable to battle "Zenko" after losing a tough unanimous decision to Thiago Alves at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" on October 25. Fortunately, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product is apparently good to go … and very game To check our the complete and final fight card click here. For all the latest on UFC Fight Night 16 be sure to hit up our event archive right here. MMAmania.com will also provide complete “Fight for the Troops” coverage before, during and after the show. Donations to support the cause are accepted and encouraged online at www.fallenheroesfund.org or by calling 1-800-340-HERO. |
| UFC Quick Quote: ‘Extreme Makeover’ Rampage Jackson UFC 92 edition Posted: 23 Nov 2008 09:15 AM CST
– Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has enlisted the services of Kerry Kayes — the long-time strength and nutrition coach for Ricky Hatton and other star athletes in the Manchester area — to help get him fit for his upcoming clash with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008″ on December 27. Kayes has more than 40 years experience in the field and now serves as a consultant at Rampage’s new gym, Wolf’s Laire MMA. His manager, Anthony McGann, tells the Telegraph that the addition of Kayes is already paying dividends — we could see Rampage 2.0 on New Year’s Eve weekend if indeed accurate. And he’ll need to be in the best shape of his life if he intends to defeat “The Axe Murderer” for the first time in three attempts. |
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