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| UFC Fight Night 17 tickets for Sun Dome in Tampa on sale soon Posted: 16 Dec 2008 08:34 AM CST Tickets for UFC Fight Night 17, which is slated for the University of Southern Florida (USF) Sun Dome Tampa, Fla., on February 7, 2009, will go on sale to the general public on Monday, December 22 at 10 a.m. ET. UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers, naturally, will be able to scoop of tickets prior to them being available for public consumption. UFC Fight Night 17 features several — albeit currently "unofficial" — 155-pound match ups. Mac Danzig is expected to take on Josh Neer, Joe Lauzon and Hermes Franca are penciled in to collide and Kurt Pellegrino and Rob Emerson will likely hook 'em up. In addition, top heavyweight blue chip prospect Cain Velasquez recently revealed that he, too, will be in action against a yet to be announced opponent. Here is the UFC Fight Night 17 tickets sales schedule (all times are ET):
UFC Fight Night 17 tickets can be purchased through StubHub.com (Note: StubHub often has seats available even if the event is "sold out"). It will also be available to watch on Spike TV on fight night. To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 17 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Tito Ortiz to attend Affliction press conference Dec. 17 Posted: 16 Dec 2008 08:16 AM CST Perhaps it is finally time for Tito Ortiz to announce his ground-breaking new contract with Affliction MMA (four months later) or he is once again doing his best to stay relevant while he recovers from serious back surgery. We'll find out soon enough when the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” attends an official press conference that the t-shirt company turned mixed martial arts promotion plans to hold tomorrow, December 17. Ortiz still holds the title as the UFC’s most watched fighter ever, but he has managed to remain an unsigned free agent since losing to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84: “Ill Will” back in May. He was released from the UFC following the fight after a long standing feud with company president, Dana White. Perhaps it’s not a matter of whether other promotions want to sign Ortiz — he still remains among the biggest draws in the sport despite his most recent lackluster performances. He could certainly help any promotions get to the next level. However, he appears to want just too much money in exchange for his services.
Ortiz was rumored to be signing with Affliction months ago. He even announced that it was a done deal and that it would be “ground breaking.” That deal never materialized and we now know it was because his price tag was too high. In fact, Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio said the deal just wasn’t “feasible.” Shortly thereafter, Ortiz was spotted in Sunrise, Fla., sitting cageside at an Elite XC event. While there he was quoted as saying that it was possible he could sign with the now defunct organization. Clearly, that never happened, either. Now that Elite XC is dead and the UFC doesn’t want him, there really aren’t a whole lot of options left on the table for Ortiz. Besides Affliction, the only other reasonable suitors would be Strikeforce or one of the Japanese organizations. But realistically neither one of those make sense — Strikeforce probably wouldn’t be able to meet Tito’s high asking price and with him starting a new family with girlfriend Jenna Jameson, a move to Japan also seems unlikely. Therefore, Affliction appears to be the best fit, considering, too, that his old friend Donald Trump is associated with the promotion. If for some reason this latest news is indeed true there are several high profile match ups for Ortiz in Affliction’s 205-pound division, including Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and even a rematch against Vladimir Matyushenko. However, there are those who have their doubts about whether or not Ortiz is still the same fighter who once held the UFC title for more than three straight years. Perhaps rightfully so, too, considering the fact that he’s gone winless in his last three fights and the last man he beat was Ken Shamrock almost two and a half years ago. Not to mention he’s coming off back surgery that has proven to be very difficult to recover from. But Ortiz remains as confident as ever and posted this on his Web site, TitoOrtiz.com, just days after the surgery:
One thing’s for sure, fighting for Affliction, he’ll definitely get his chance to back those words up. We'll find out tomorrow … maybe. |
| Patrick Cote: ‘I feel great’ after successful knee surgery Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:20 PM CST
Props: MMANews.com Quoteworthy:
Patrick Cote tore the meniscus in his right knee during the third round of his main event fight against middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., back in October. He recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair the damage and appears to already be on the road to recovery, which could be up to eight months or even more. Once he is fully fit expect the Canadian to clamor for another crack at “The Spider.” He has indicated since the incident that there is still some unfinished business that needs to be addressed. |
| Randy Couture becomes ‘Expendable’ in blockbuster new movie role Posted: 15 Dec 2008 10:17 PM CST
Lights, camera and some serious ACTION. Former UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture will join action stars Jet Li, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren in Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming action flick ‘The Expendables’ according to Ain’t It Cool News. Joining them will be Oscar-winner Forrest Whitaker in a tale of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator. Stallone has called the film, which he will produce, write and direct, a ‘homecoming of tough guys.’ Fortunately there doesn’t seem to be much of a plot so we don’t have to worry about it interfering with any of the action. Now that’s the Sly we all know and love. As a fan of 80’s action flicks, hearing this news makes me want to go out and eat some red meat. This could be the greatest collection of celluloid toughness since Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura and Sonny Landham joined the Austrian Oak for 1987’s Predator. Stallone is coming off the success of the gory but entertaining ‘John Rambo,’ and could very well elevate Couture’s career to new heights. Or the movie could bomb and “Naych” will be back in the bargain bin with his face covered up by a red discount tag. Couture has been vocal about pursuing a career in acting now that he’s in the twilight of his fighting career and has recently starred in movies like Redbelt and The Scorpion King 2: Direct to Video. I’m not sure how much actual acting this role will require, but it’s still nice to see him in there mixing it up with the big boys. We’ll be sure to bring you more on “The Expendables” as additional information becomes available. |
| Fans vote K-1 bad boy Badr Hari World Grand Prix MVP Posted: 15 Dec 2008 09:55 PM CST
Despite losing his marbles and illegally stomping a downed Remy Bonjasky in the final bout of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008, fans still thought K-1 bad boy Badr Hari had the best outing of the night. K-1 fans were able to vote via the K-1 official website for whom they thought was the event’s most valuable player. Hari's controversial actions didn't seem to have any effect on the voting, considering he garnered a staggering 72.8% of the popular vote. To be specific, 42,425 voted for Hari out of a total 52,287 votes. Errol Zimmerman placed a distant second in the voting and tournament winner Remy Bonjasky came in third. Hari managed to overwhelm K-1 legend Peter Aerts with a TKO win in the second round of the grand prix quarterfinals before brutally knocking out Errol Zimmerman in the third round of the semis. Hari faced Remy Bonjasky in the finals and when he pulled Bonjasky to the ground in the second round, Hari seemed to lose control of himself and started pummeling the downed opponent - even trying to stomp on Bonjasky’s face. Hari was issued a yellow card for his temporary insanity and fined 10% of his purse. Bonjasky was allowed five minutes to recover but was still seeing double after the time elapsed and the referee called the match. Hari lost via disqualification and effectively sabotaged his own chances at winning the 2008 crown. An official disciplinary action has yet to be taken, but Simon Rutz (K-1 Amsterdam) recently stated in an interview that is likely to be around six months. Expect to see Hari back in time for next years Grand Prix. With all 42,425 fans cheering him on. |
| The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 Finale injuries and medical suspension from NSAC Posted: 15 Dec 2008 09:16 PM CST
Light heavyweight winner Ryan Bader is perhaps the most surprising fighter to make the list because of his quick finish of Vinny Magalhaes. He apparently busted up his hand that sent the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist crashing to the canvas early in round one with a glancing blow. Unsurprisingly, Kevin Burns is a little banged up after eating an Anthony Johnson ankle and going night-night. The good news is that none of the injuries appear to be too serious. Here are the complete the injuries and the medical instructions from TUF 8 Finale:
Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. For complete results and coverage of TUF 8 Finale click here and here. |
| Mirko Cro Cop vs Hong Man Choi fight likely for Fields Dynamite!! Dec. 31 Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:53 PM CST
Pride FC 2006 Open Weight grand Prix winner Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2) will indeed compete at Fields Dynamite!! at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on December 31. He will take on the 7'2" Hong Man Choi (1-1) in a heavyweight match under K-1 rules, according to K-1.kr. It's clearly not the fight that fans expected — Cro Cop was supposed to rematch Alistair Overeem on the stacked New Year's Eve card to settle their score once and for all. However, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) recently pushed it to a different card to be held at some point down the road in 2009. The pair first collided at DREAM 6.back in September, which resulted in a controversial "No Contest." "Demolition Man" delivered several illegal groin strikes during the bout, leaving the UFC washout writhing in pain on the canvas. Overeem — who appeared to be winning the fight before it was halted — thought it was all an act and called for an immediate rematch. He continues to allege that Cro Cop is ducking him — a charge that the Croatian vehemently denies. Whatever … it's time to move on. Cro Cop has not looked right in about two years. The once-feared striker has battled injuries, appearing listless and lost since leaving Pride FC almost exactly two years ago. Perhaps a battle against the "Techno Goliath" can help him recapture some of that swagger heading into the New Year. For what it's worth, Overeem is expected to tangle with dangerous Russian striker Sergei Kharitonov on this same card. Fields Dynamite!! is the New Year's Eve supershow featuring a smorgasbord of fighters under the umbrella of FEG coming together on one night to try and kick the crap out of each other. It will showcase participants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien, Fields Dynamite!!, featuring a wide variety of fighting styles and compelling match-ups. Here is the scheduled card to date:
MMA RULES : Heavyweight: Jerome LeBanner (3-1-1) vs. Mark Hunt (5-4) K-1 RULES : Middleweight: Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Musashi (49-28-5-1) K-1 KOSHIEN RULES: U-18 Tournament Semifinals: HIROYA (9-1) vs. Shota Shimada (3-0) **Bout not confirmed by FEG Stay tuned as this massive card continues to come together. |
| UFC Quick Quote: Efrain Escudero eyes future fight against Roger Huerta Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:40 AM CST
– Fresh off his unanimous decision win over Phillipe Nover at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 Finale this weekend, the undefeated Efrain Escudero tells Fight Network Radio that he would welcome a fight against Roger Huerta within the next year. “El Matador” recently inked a new contract extension. He has not competed since losing to Kenny Florian via unanimous decision at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” back in August — his first loss ever inside the Octagon in seven attempts. Chances are Escudero will be groomed a bit more before taking on a guy like Huerta, but at least he’s setting high goals early for a likely long run in the 155-pound division. |
| BJ Penn now sleeping in a plastic bag for UFC 94 (Video) Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:10 AM CST |
| ‘Fight for the Troops’ raises $4 million in donations Posted: 15 Dec 2008 09:29 AM CST
"Fight for the Troops" featured two welterweight clashes between Josh Koscheck and Yoshiyuki Yoshida, as well as Mike Swick against Jonathan Goulet. It was a solid night of mixed martial arts action on several fronts, but it came at a physical cost for several of the fighters. In fact, Corey Hill sustained a gruesome leg fracture in the second round of his preliminary bout against Dale Hartt. He underwent successful surgery to repair the damage at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and will be on the mend for about 12 to 18 months. For the entire list of those wounded click here. "Fight for the Troops" paid tribute to the United States servicemen and women serving in the armed forces. Samuel L. Jackson, Jack Black, Charlie Sheen and other notable celebrities shot promos that aired on the Spike TV broadcast, urging viewers to call in and donate money to support the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. In addition, several heart-wrenching vignettes of injured and broken soldiers returning from battle were inserted between to fights to demonstrate the need for a treatment center. In fact, donations will be used to create a state-of-the-art facility in Bethesda, Md., for wounded soldiers who suffer from various combat-related head injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). For more information visit www.fallenheroesfund.org or cal 1-800-340-HERO. For complete results and coverage of UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" click here and here. |
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