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| UFC Quick Quote: More middleweight confidence Nate Marquardt edition Posted: 26 Nov 2008 08:43 AM CST
– Yesterday it was Michael Bisping and today it’s Nate Marquardt. The former number one middleweight contender talks about what he would do to either Bisping or Demian Maia in a Sherdog.com interview. The former King of Pancrase also lobbies hard to be named the coach opposite “The Count” on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9. If gets his wish he’ll certainly be one step closer toward achieving two objectives — fighting Bisping and rematching Silva. |
| Mauricio Shogun Rua video training for Mark Coleman UFC 93 fight Posted: 26 Nov 2008 08:23 AM CST Good to see him back in good health: |
| Fighting Fedor: Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski Affliction interview with MMAmania.com Posted: 25 Nov 2008 09:09 PM CST
If all goes according to plan, Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski (15-5) might have a new nickname in store come January. How's "The Emperor Slayer" sound? Now riding a five-fight win streak and set to challenge for the WAMMA title, Arlovski's career is on the up and up to say the least. It's worth noting that Arlovski, once considered fairly unbeatable himself during his reign atop the UFC's heavyweight division, hasn't lost to a fighter who wasn't named "Tim Sylvia" since March 2002. That's six-and-a-half years and 11 wins over some of the best heavyweights in mixed martial arts, including Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), Tim Sylvia (24-5) (the first time) Paul Buentello (26-10) and Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3). Arlovski recently added two more KO's to his fighter resume, battering "Big" Ben Rothwell (29-6) in the third round at Affliction: "Banned" in July and knocking out Roy "Big Country" Nelson (13-3) in the second round under the EliteXC banner on October 4. The first fight snapped Rothwell's 13-fight win streak, while the second fight makes Arlovski the only man to ever finish Nelson in his 16-fight career. He's now set to face off against the man many claim is unbeatable, Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko (28-1). The two Sambo Masters of Sport will go head to head at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" on Saturday, January 24, 2009, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The superfight is also expected to feature such stars as Josh Barnett, Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Chris Horodecki, Dan Lauzon, Vladimir Matyushenko and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, as well as Ozzy "The Prince of F-n' Darkness" Osbourne, who will be on hand as the musical guest. We recently caught up with Arlovski to discuss his upcoming fight with Fedor, how his infamously prolonged UFC contract dispute affected him and if there's any cultural rivalry between him (a Belorussian) and Fedor (a Russian). NOTE: If you haven't already, you might want to check out Arlovski's Web site, www.arlovski.com. The site is, at least from this writer's perspective, unlike anything else in the MMA community. More than just a fighter's personal blog, it's a full-fledged social networking site that's translated into 25 different languages and currently sees more traffic than both Randy "The Natural" Couture and Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell's Web sites. They frequently sponsor a variety of contests and recently flew a contest winner from North Carolina out to Chicago to spend a day with "The Pitbull." Not too shabby. Not too shabby indeed. Let's get after it.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): After eight years and 14 fights, what are your feelings on leaving the UFC? Andrei Arlovski: I was kind of sad when I left the UFC (implying that eight years is a long time), but I then had the opportunity with Affliction, so, so far I am good. Affliction has the best, I would say, 10 best heavyweights. And right now I have the opportunity to fight Fedor on January 24, so all is good. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Was one of the reasons that you had a contract dispute with the UFC their lack of competition in the heavyweight division? Andrei Arlovski: That too and I have some other reasons. [Note: To clarify, Arlovski was implying that there were multiple reasons for not being able to come to terms with the UFC. The fact that Affliction was, at the same time, drawing in a lot of top heavyweight talent made the decision to sign with Affliction an attractive option. I do not think that he was trying to imply that the UFC's heavyweight roster was lacking.] Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): With the way the UFC handled your contract negotiation — with not letting you fight for a year, and then when you finally did, putting you on the undercard against Jake O'Brien, rather than featuring you against a top contender — did you feel that that was disrespectful? Andrei Arlovski: I don't think so. It was discussed before I fought at that UFC, and Dana White discussed what's good for business. It was good for them, so I am (fine). Of course I was kind of disappointed to not fight for months — it was a hard time for me — but otherwise everything was good. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Dana White has said that losing you "hurt" the UFC. He obviously didn't want you to leave, at least according to that statement. Do you ever think that a return to the UFC could be possible at some point down the road? Andrei Arlovski: I have a great relationship with the UFC and Dana White and the Fertittas, and he told me, "When you are ready, you are welcome," you know. Maybe one day, I don't know. (When I left the UFC), everything changed according to this world that I know, and after all the fights … I (still) have a great relationship with the UFC. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You've had two recent fights now outside the UFC, both of them ending in KOs. Are you getting more comfortable outside of the Octagon? Andrei Arlovski: There's not really a big difference if I am fighting inside the Octagon or in a ring, because I do all my sparring in a ring, so I'm really comfortable. Some complain about fighting in a cage or in a ring, but there's not really a difference for me, because I do a lot of sparring for my boxing, and all the time I'm sparring in the ring, so I'm pretty comfortable. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What's it like working with Freddie Roach? Andrei Arlovski: Great. Yes, I see him about three or four times per year. I will spend a few weeks with Freddie Roach (at the Wildcard Boxing Club) in L.A. But I am still training MMA with another great boxing trainer, Mike Garcia in Chicago. They're both great. They have different (lessons) for me. So the time that I spend training with (Freddie) I learn something, and every single time when I step in the ring and I look out at Mike in Chicago, he teaches me something new. I think I'm pretty lucky because I have the best trainers in my camp: Dino Costeas, jiu-jitsu, he's been with me from day one, almost eight years; my wrestling coaches, Sean Bormet and John Kading — Sean Bormet was a wrestling coach for the last Olympic games — Freddie Roach and Mike Garcia. Great trainers. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): It was reported that you were interested in competing in boxing as well as MMA. Has there been any movement there? Andrei Arlovski: Right now I am focused on the fight on January 24, so we'll see after that. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You most recently defeated Roy Nelson via KO. How pleased were you with your performance overall? Andrei Arlovski: First of all, I don't like taking fights on short notice — it was short notice, two weeks before the fight. But as far as my game plan, one of my trainers told me, "You have to move a lot in the first round." But actually I didn't move a lot in the first round. In the second round, I had to use more of my boxing, my wrestling, my jiu-jitsu. But actually, I wasn't happy about the fight, I wasn't happy with my performance, but I got the victory and I knocked him out. I am happy about that. But after the fight, I watched my fight many, many times, and I understood that I have a lot of work, everywhere, but especially wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You're now set to face Fedor Emelianenko — widely considered the best heavyweight on the planet. How do you feel about that? Andrei Arlovski: Well, I'm very happy that they call him the best fighter on the planet, so it's good for me. Everybody is, "Oh, Fedor, Fedor." And it's okay, it's fine with me. He deserves it. He's a great fighter who has fought many, many great fighters. Yeah, it's great. I think it's a great opportunity for me. And we'll find out on January 24 who's better, the Belarusian or the Russian. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Is there any cultural rivalry that exists since between the two of you, just because he's Russian, and you're Belarusian? Andrei Arlovski: If you do want to be the best fighter, you have to fight the best fighter. We'll see January 24 who will be the best fighter. It's a great opportunity for me. I've waited for this fight for a long time, so finally I got it. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): He is tremendous on the ground and has extremely dangerous submissions, armbars, etc. Would you prefer to keep this fight standing as long as possible to avoid a submission? Andrei Arlovski: Yeah, but ground game is not everything. You have to at least (be) a good striker and kickboxer or Muay Thai striker. We'll see, we'll see. Of course I have a game plan. I have a lot of input from all my trainers. We'll see. I spend a lot of time on wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Yeah, I'll be ready for him. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Since leaving the UFC, you've fought twice in three months. Going forward, how many times per year would you like to fight? Andrei Arlovski: At least three or four. You know, every fighter likes about a month between. Yeah, three or four times I think is very good for me. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, Andrei, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us and I know that you have a ton of fans who frequent MMAmania.com. Lastly, would you like to thank any sponsors or do you have any parting words for your fans? Andrei Arlovski: Thanks to MMAmania.com for the interview, and thanks to all my fans for the support. You should check out my Web site, www.arlovski.com. Special thanks to Keith Gelman, Andrei Arlovski's marketing agent, for helping to set up this interview. |
| Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture sounds off on life before, during and after UFC 91 Posted: 25 Nov 2008 08:47 PM 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 Couture was the featured guest on MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio. And ‘The Natural’ didn’t disappoint. It was just two months ago that Randy agreed to make his much-celebrated return to the Octagon to defend the championship belt he no longer wanted following a bitter contract dispute that forced his shocking retirement from the UFC. Like most break-ups, things started getting ugly after some contractual mud started slinging between the two sides. Couture was painted as a money-grubbing diva, interested only in himself and a superfight with the world’s greatest heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko. The UFC on the other hand was portrayed as the evil empire, crushing dreams and fighter bonuses beneath the wheels of corporate slavery. Of course there are always two sides to every story, but as ‘The Natural’ explains, things were problematic from the very beginning. “It started when Zuffa bought the company, I ended up in a rhubarb with them over the ancillary rights back then. I was one of the few guys that had managers and agents that came from the Hollywood team that understood what those ancillary rights were and what they were worth. At the time I was the heavyweight champion so we weren’t just going to sign and give those things away - and that created an issue.” Ancillary rights in the case of the UFC are the rights to use a fighter’s name, likeness or image and to promote and profit from that usage. They can be used in the production of spin-off products such as action figures, posters, DVD’s, T-shirts, and even video games - and can be incredibly lucrative (C. Osbourne, 2008). Ancillary rights are a difficult thing to surrender, because the value of those rights in the long term are often hard to predict, especially in a sport that continues to evolve and become more profitable, like the UFC. Does the Jon Fitch fiasco ring a bell? Not rolling over on command didn’t sit well with the Zuffa brass, and Couture thinks that may have been a precursor to future tensions later on. “I think that set the tone for Zuffa kind of not feeling like I was one of their guys. At that time Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes - those were all kind of their guys, they just signed everything over to them and let them do everything. I was still trying to control some of my stuff. I think that kind of irritated them. They pulled me out of that initial ad campaign with Carmen Electra, they pulled me out of the video game at that time, and I think that just set a tone that carried through that I felt like I was operating against.” Those early roots may come as a surprise to some fans, who felt Randy was leaving because the UFC’s efforts to sign former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko included offering him a blank check. While it wasn’t the sole reason Randy walked, it may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. “The Fedor thing was a whole other thing. I was offended at that time the amount of money that was being thrown at [Fedor], at Cro Cop and some of these other guys coming from PRIDE. [Those guys] hadn’t really been there knocking it out and selling tickets and pay-per-views for the company for as long as a lot of us other guys had been.” More than a year after walking out on the UFC, Randy knew that at his age the window for competing at the top level was getting smaller and smaller. The UFC was open to negotiations, and the time was right for both sides to try and make amends. “At some point both sides kind of had to let things go. I wanted to get back to fighting. I could have spent another year toiling away, spending a lot of money and still not getting to fight Fedor or anybody else. You kind of have to weigh that out. The best idea for me was to try to come back, make amends and compete. You don’t want to cut your nose off to spite your face.” Couture does not regret his decision to leave, but was concerned about how it would affect his fans. “I hesitate always to mention money as an issue because then you sound like some spoiled athlete, you start to sound like Terrell Owens.” No matter. All was forgiven when Randy returned in September to face the UFC’s newest heavyweight heel in Brock Lesnar, fresh off a three-round mauling of talented striker Heath Herring. Couture went down in the second round after a flying ham-hock put him on his back. He didn’t make excuses, nor does he attribute anything that happened inside the Octagon to his time away from competition. “I don’t think the time away was an issue. I wasn’t in any position where I wasn’t doing what I trained to do. The outcome wasn’t what I wanted but the performance was. I never felt overwhelmed by Brock. He’s a big, strong guy, no doubt about that. I felt like things were going my way, things were working, not that it was easy. I slipped that right hand but I didn’t slip it enough, he had about another four inches on his reach - and his fist is about three inches wider than most people. Randy doesn’t remember getting hit. Aside from the stoppage, he didn’t sustain any damage and actually goes against the popular belief that Mario Yamasaki had a “Better-late-than-never” approach to stopping the fight. “He hit me right behind the ear. It was a flash (KO). One second we were in the flurry the next second I was on the ground and I wasn’t really sure what had happened. I don’t think there was anything wrong with the stoppage. I appreciated that Yamasaki gave me some time to recover.” Now that Couture is back, the big question is where he goes from here. There has been speculation that he could meet Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell for a fourth time in 2009, but for Randy it’s still too early to contemplate his next move. “I have two more fights left on my contract. I’m taking it one fight at a time. I don’t know what I want to do. I would certainly like to fight Brock again, but I’m just kind of letting all this settle. I’m sure the inkling and the idea will come to me. I don’t want to make any rash decisions or do anything silly. I just want to see what presents itself and we’ll go from there.” One of the things that has presented itself is a life outside of fighting. After successful roles in Hollywood movies like David Mamet’s Redbelt and The Scorpion King, Couture has been bitten by the acting bug and looks forward to the challenges that Hollywood presents. “I’ve got a lot of other things going on, several other movie projects coming down the pike. It’s gonna be a very, very good year this next year. I’m trying to be smart and pick the right kinds of parts and pictures. I don’t want to just be a thug and a fighter. I would really like to play some characters and do some things that are different. I’m very intrigued by the movie process and all that stuff and it’s certainly a lot easier than getting punched in the head.” |
| UFC video on ‘VIP Experience’ told by Dana White Posted: 25 Nov 2008 08:28 PM CST |
| Urijah Faber vs Jens Pulver 2 fight likely for WEC 38 on Jan. 25 Posted: 25 Nov 2008 08:27 PM CST
In the meantime, several published reports indicate that “The California Kid” (21-2) will once again challenge former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver at WEC 38 in San Diego, Calif., on January 25. Faber and Pulver first met in an action-packed five round scrap at WEC 34 back in June. Faber came away with a clear unanimous decision in what is to date the most successful event ever for the promotion. Perhaps the WEC is hoping that lightning will strike twice the second time around even though “Lil Evil” has fallen on tough times of late. In fact, the long-time Miletich Fighting Systems (MFS)-trained fighter — who recently switched camps — has dropped four of his last five fights. The soon-to-be 34-year-old veteran was most recently stopped early by Garcia in their showdown at WEC 36: “Faber vs. Brown” earlier this month. It’s safe to say that this is a huge opportunity for Pulver to turn things around … fast. The only problem, however, is that he has to do it against a fighter who is widely regarded as among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world today. Faber held the WEC 145-pound title for two and a half years before getting caught by a well-placed, fight-ending right hand courtesy of the powerful Mike Brown in the first round of the WEC 36 main event three weeks ago. The loss was only the second of his career and the first since getting stopped in the third round by Tyson Griffin at Gladiator Challenge 42: “Summer Slam” in September of 2005. Before the upset, Faber was widely considered to be the number one featherweight mixed martial artist in the world. He was on a 13-fight win streak that included victories over Pulver, Jeff Curran, Chance Farrar, Dominic Cruz, Krazy Horse Bennett, Ivan Menjivar, Charlie Valencia and others. He’ll likely be out for redemption just like Pulver, making this rematch an exciting fight to kick off 2009 for the WEC. Lightweight champ Jamie Varner is scheduled to headline the show, defending his 155-pound title against number one contender Donald Cerrone. WEC 38 will air on the Versus network, beginning at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. |
| BJ Penn: ‘I get to beat one of the best fighters of all-time’ at UFC 94 (Video) Posted: 25 Nov 2008 02:18 PM CST |
| MMA Quick Quote: Cung Le still chooses movies over MMA for now Posted: 25 Nov 2008 01:24 PM CST
– Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le talks with MMArated.com about potentially sitting out all of 2009 to focus on his movie career. He already has two movies set to be released in the near future, including the big screen version of the popular video game “Tekken” in which Le will play the role of Marshall Law. With three more movies waiting to be shot it could be a while before Strikeforce puts on another middleweight title fight. It’s already been nearly nearly eight months since he captured the title from Frank Shamrock in his hometown of San Jose. And another year away from competition would surely hurt the momentum the 36-year-old has built up to this point in his career. |
| Hermes Franca vs Joe Lauzon UFC Fight Night 17 bout possible Posted: 25 Nov 2008 11:32 AM CST
MMAmania.com today confirmed that the lightweight bout, which would likely air on the televised Spike TV main card, is currently in the works. Franca has been on a roller coaster ride during the past 18 months. The former number one contender recently returned from a 12-month steroids suspension, losing to Frank Edgar in his July comeback fight at UFC Fight Night 14. The Brazilian then rebounded with a win against his former Brazilian jiu-jitsu teacher Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" in October. And shortly thereafter he was arrested in Jupiter, Fla., on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence (DUI). That case is still pending; however, Franca has insisted that he was exhausted, which caused him to drive erratically. He is innocent until proven guilty. Lauzon, too, rebounded from a recent loss — a first for him inside the Octagon — to stop Kyle Bradley via technical knockout (strikes) at UFC Fight Night 15 in September. Prior to the win, he was one of the many recent victims of Kenny Florian courtesy of a second round technical knockout loss at UFC Fight Night 13 back in April. “J-Lau” was the favorite to win The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 season before meeting up with Manny Gamburyan in the semifinals. He has four wins in five attempts inside the Octagon. To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 17 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Michael Bisping can beat both Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson Posted: 25 Nov 2008 10:14 AM CST
Quoteworthy:
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 coach and season three light heavyweight winner Michael Bisping talks about his chances against the top fighters in his category (sorta). Interestingly enough, “Ace” and “Hollywood” are set to collide in a 205-pound bout at UFC 93 on January 17, which could determine “The Count’s” opposing coach on the next installment of the mixed martial arts reality series … if the winner wants to compete at 185 pounds and if he wants to serve as coach. There’s a lot of “ifs,” but now that Bisping has ascended to the top of the division he’ll have to go through someone with the ilk of someone like Franklin or Henderson if he wants to earn a title shot in 2009. |
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