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| UFC Quick Quote: Dan Henderson on beating the poop out of Rich Franklin Posted: 15 Jan 2009 08:33 AM CST
– Dan Henderson (via The Mirror) clarifies the remarks he made about beating the shit out Rich Franklin at UFC 93: “Franklin vs. Henderson” at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland, on January 17. “Ace” had an amusing response in the UFC 93 “Countdown” show, which you can catch right here. |
| Josh Koscheck inks 20-month contract extension with UFC; Eager to fight six times in 2009 Posted: 14 Jan 2009 09:37 PM CST
After a unanimous decision loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 90: “Cote vs. Silva” in October 2008 — and an epic spat between officials from his management team at Zinkin Entertainment/American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) and the promotion — the top welterweight contender’s future inside the Octagon was suddenly (and shockingly) a huge question mark. No longer. MMAmania.com can reveal that The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum recently agreed to a 20-month contract extension, which will keep him locked up until almost 2011. “I feel that the extension is a good thing for me because I still have a job,” Koscheck quipped. “The UFC is the only show in town. If I wasn’t with them I would be a struggling fighter looking for work in a struggling country.” Koscheck does not intend to sit back and smell the stale stench of his sweaty gym. On the contrary, the national collegiate wrestling champion intends to continue his blistering pace of taking fight after fight. “There are a lot of reasons I want to fight so much,” he said. “I am in the gym all year around and I would rather be fighting then just training. The only way I make money is by fighting. So I told the UFC that I want to fight five or six times in 2009. I don’t care who I fight, anyone willing to step up I’ll be ready. I am a fighter and that’s what I love to do.” Indeed, Koscheck most recently annihilated Yoshiyuki Yoshida — a very dangerous Japanese fighter — with a scary-looking two-punch knockout at UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" on December 10. He defeated "Zenko" just six weeks after losing to number one division contender, Alves, in the “Windy City.” He took the fight against the bruising Brazilian on less than 14 days notice to replace an injured Diego Sanchez. It didn't go his way and he made no excuses for the loss, making it hard to hold it against him. Koscheck got right back on the horse and does not appear to want to get off anytime soon, wanting to fight as often as possible to get back in the 170-pound title chase. The 13-fight UFC veteran will continue that chase against relative unknown and newcomer to the promotion, Paulo Thiago, at UFC 95 from The O2 Arena in London, England, on February 21. It’s once again a risky move, taking on an opponent who not many will give him enough credit for defeating if he wins. But that doesn’t matter — Koscheck just wants to keep busy. And he will not allow himself to be a stepping stone for Thiago … or anyone else for that matter. “Every fight is a dangerous fight when your in the UFC,” he said. “I have to train hard and not give this kid a chance to make his name off of me. The upside to fighting Paulo is that I get to fight!” Koscheck has won three of his last four fights — he knocked off Dustin Hazelett and Chris Lytle before the Alves loss. With another win, combined with his unrivaled “gameness,” Koscheck could find himself once again on the short list of 170-pound title contenders sooner rather than later. “I want to fight five to six times this year — I’ll be very unhappy if the UFC can’t get me fights,” he said. “I am happy to be back and I’m ready to fight.” One down Feb. 21. Only five more to go … in 2009. |
| UFC 92 drug test results come back clean from NSAC for ‘The Ultimate 2008′ Posted: 14 Jan 2009 07:29 PM CST
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) announced today that 12 of the 20 competitors who were tested for illegal/banned substances after competing at UFC 92: "The Ultimate 2008″ have all passed with flying colors. Newly-crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, Brad Blackburn, Matt Hamill, Antonio Hardonk, Yushin Okami, Cheick Kongo, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, CB Dolloway and Patrick Barry were all screened for performance enhancers such as steroids, as well as drugs of abuse like cocaine and marijuana, among others. Results of those tests all returned negative. The NSAC also officially reported that UFC 92 sold 9,701 tickets for a live gate $3,468,440. More than 4,460 complimentary tickets were issued and 657 went unsold for the promotion's year-end event. UFC dished out a hefty $1,381,000 in fighter salaries for the pay-per-view (PPV) event and another $180,000 in additional bonus money for four participants who delivered outstanding performances. Evans defeated Griffin via third round technical knockout to capture the 205-pound crown in the UFC 92 main event. Mir came one step closer to once again becoming the UFC heavyweight champion of the world with an awesome performance against Nogueira to claim the interim division title. And Jackson scored revenge against his nemesis, Wanderlei Silva, with a brutal first round knockout. For complete results and coverage of "The Ultimate 2008" click here and here. |
| No Cop: Mirko Filipovic recovers from knee surgery in state-of-the-art healthcare facility (Pic) Posted: 14 Jan 2009 07:28 PM CST
– Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic recovers from knee surgery following his bout against Hong Man Choi at Field’s Dynamite!! on New Year’s Eve and is expected to be out at least three to four months. Considering the Croat’s status as a fighter and politician in Croatia you would think he’d be recovering in style. From this pic it looks like Cro Cop’s government-subsidized medical insurance left him on the mend in the basement hallway of Sveti Duh next to the morgue. |
| World beater: Josh Barnett interview exclusive with MMAmania.com Posted: 14 Jan 2009 03:41 PM CST
Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett (23-5) — currently ranked number three on the WAMMA top 10 list for heavyweights — is set to face Dutch striker Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (35-12-1) in a number one contender eliminator match on January 24 in the co-main event at Affliction: “Day of Reckong” at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Barnett sat out all of 2007 after the Japanese promotion Pride FC was sold to the UFC and eventually closed down. In early 2008 he came back onto the Japanese MMA scene, fighting twice on Sengoku cards, defeating training partners Hidehiko Yoshida with a third round heel hook submission and Jeff Monson via unanimous decision. Then in July he competed on the first ever Affliction MMA card, avenging an earlier loss in his career to Pedro Rizzo by knocking him out cold with a left hand in the second round. With WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko out due to a hand injury, The Baby Faced Assassin was booked to fight Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski in the main event of the second Affliction card in October. The winner of the match would get the first crack at Fedor in early 2009. But for whatever reason that card fell through and now, three months later, Barnett is basically left as the odd man out. Regardless, he remains only one fight away from a shot at the title. Affliction higher ups have already guaranteed a shot at the winner of Fedor and Arlovski for Barnett if he can get past Yvel. However, that won’t be an easy task. Yvel is a fantastic striker with 48 professional fights to his credit and 30 of his 35 wins coming by knockout or technical knockout. Not to mention he has a bad reputation in the sport as a dirty fighter. Affliction certainly isn’t making the path to a title shot a walk in the park for Barnett, but he feels confident that’s exactly where he’ll end up. We recently sat down with Josh and discussed his upcoming fight, his friendship with WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko, his future and several other topics about him and MMA in general. He’s a true professional and as confident as they come. Check out the conversation below:
James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): How are you feeling man? Any nagging injuries or anything heading into this fight? Josh Barnett: I’m just one big nagging injury. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) How has your training camp been? Josh Barnett: It’s been going really well actually. I’ve had great sparring partners like Rampage, JP Fletcher, Ben Jones and they’ve been a real big help getting prepared for this. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Are you training at the same place? Josh Barnett: Yep, same place I always train at — CSW in Fullerton. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Your opponent, Gilber Yvel, is a very dangerous striker, perhaps even more so than your last opponent, Pedro Rizzo, which is scary. Do you plan on using the same approach in this fight as you did in July by trying to win the fight on your feet? Josh Barnett: I’m going to try to take him out in any way shape or form possible. I don’t like decisions and I don’t intend to let this one go to one. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Well it’s no secret that perhaps your biggest strength, your ground game is his biggest weakness. Wouldn’t it be easier to just attack that weakness instead of trying to win at his game? Josh Barnett: Sure, but if your gameplan is so exposed right away then it makes the balance easier for them to defend it. The thing is I’m not looking to pass up a knockout just to forward through and get a takedown. There’s no guarantees in anything, but when I have opportunities I take them. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you feel like you have any weaknesses in this fight or do you feel like you’re better than Yvel in most areas? Josh Barnett: No, I don’t consider anybody in the world to be at a level that I can’t compete at or I’m not better than. I’m really not concerned with anybody. It’s all about not allowing them to establish what they want to do. If they can’t dictate the fight, if they can’t find their rhythm, then whatever it is they want to affect in the fight isn’t going to be of much use to them because it’s going to be under my control. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): There were rumors of you facing both Brett Rogers and Aleksander Emelianenko before Yvel was officially announced. Which of the three would you fight if it were your choice? Josh Barnett:Brett Rogers was I guess a possibility, but because of all the legal aspects of the Elite XC scenario right now, it couldn’t happen. I was fine with that. Aleksander was absolutely never a consideration. That was just some sort of propaganda that he or somebody else was trying to put out there. He can’t even be licensed in the state of California so it’s an impossibility for him to be an option for anyone at this point. And Gilbert Yvel was the only solid offer I got, you know, besides Brett, and Brett, well I guess I can’t acknowledge because he could never fight. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): You mention Aleksander having some trouble getting cleared to fight in California. Yvel also had problems getting licensed in Nevada for Pride 33 a couple of years ago and some people believe he’ll have similar problems getting cleared for this fight. Do you know anything on that? Josh Barnett: He’s absolutely cleared to apply for his license. And the only thing that would keep him from getting it, I would imagine, would be if he failed one of his medicals. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): He’s got a pretty bad reputation for his actions inside the ring. He’s been caught eye gouging, biting, kicking to the groin and even striking an official. What are your thoughts on facing a guy like that and what are you going to do if he starts in with the dirty stuff on you on January 24? Josh Barnett: Well if he knocks the ref out there’s not much I can do about that (laughs). And if he tried to bite me, you know, I don’t really know. It’d be ugly, that’s all I can say. I don’t really have the same mercy for my opponents as maybe other people do and that just goes for within the rules. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): I’m sure Affliction has a back up plan in case Yvel doesn’t get cleared. Have you heard of any possible replacements just in case? Josh Barnett: No, I haven’t heard any particular names at all at this point. All I know is I’m going to be ready for them … don’t know if they’ll be ready for me. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) Right on. This is obviously a huge fight for you because a win secures you a match against the winner of Fedor and Arlovski for the WAMMA championship in your next fight. I imagine you’ll be keeping a close eye on that one. How do you see it going down? Josh Barnett: I think it’s really going to come down to Fedor’s ability to put the fight on the ground. Once Arlovski’s on his back I don’t think he’s going to be able to execute very well and the fight is over I think. I think Fedor’s going to establish that control and he’s never going to let it go. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you have a preference as to which one you face? Josh Barnett: I don’t care about who I fight so much, but I want Fedor to win, he’s my friend. I want to see him do well. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Can you elaborate on that friendship a little bit for us and maybe talk about how you guys became friends and what it might be like fighting a friend? Josh Barnett: Well, I never had any trouble fighting friends before. I fought Jeff Monson who was in some ways a person I’ve always, I’ve kind of coached him for the most part, you know. I’ve been in his corner for a lot of big fights. I’ve worked with him in the past as been training partners. We just went out there and fought. Yoshida was a training partner as well. I had no problem fighting him, either. I’ll fight anybody. I’ll fight family if I have to if that’s what it comes down to. In terms of Fedor, we just really got along after we just sat down on a night of me, him and Roman Zentsov just hanging out. It turned out that we got along very well and he’s a very caring and cool guy. We keep in touch and we want the best for each other. But at the same time we’re competitors in the same sport and none of that really overlaps as far as being an issue. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): So if your friendship isn’t holding you guys back why haven’t we seen a fight between you two yet? Josh Barnett: Timing and the promoters is what that really comes down to. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): How do you feel you match up with either Fedor or Andrei? Are both of those fights you feel like you can win? Josh Barnett: Yeah, I think on the feet I can knock either one of them out. I think that Fedor is actually more dangerous because of his ability to mix it up so well between striking and then initiating grapples and taking you down. He keeps people on their toes and he keeps them off balance. It’s really a cool thing to see him implement it. As far as the grappling aspect, I think that Fedor would be a much more difficult fight for me on the ground than Arolvski. Arlovski’s a very strong, capable heavyweight and when he’s doing well he gets stronger as he goes. That’s always something to keep in mind, but when things are going tough you usually test the faith. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What are your thoughts on the rumors of poor ticket sales for this event? Josh Barnett: They’re just that, rumors. I’ve not heard or seen anything to substantiate them. Unfortunately, a lot of things that people like to point out is the negative. I’ve read some of the negativity in terms of — not just Affliction — but any promotion besides the UFC that’s trying to get off the ground. Everybody’s got an opinion and they all think they can do a better job. Instead of being happy for the possibility of seeing more great fights and sometimes the match ups you’ve been wanting to see for a while, I don’t know, people are just very, very hard to please nowadays. But, you know, the economy is hurting things and the UFC has a huge lock on the market so it’ll be hard to establish your brand amongst that. But you do what you can and if you can put on the kind of fights that get people talking then that’s what’s going to keep bringing them back. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): You mention the UFC basically having the market locked down. When Affliction had its first show in July, the UFC — on short notice — put together the fight night card with Anderson Silva. What were your thoughts on that counter programming, I mean, is that the UFC using dirty tactics? Josh Barnett: It is, but I mean all is fair in love and war, and apparently business. Personally, I don’t think the demise of Affliction would help them in the least. I think what it does is it makes your market, your pool, bigger from which to draw from. Therefore, they would see an increase in funds with a bigger viewing audience for the sport as a whole. And appreciate that Affliction is going to go and do things that UFC either won’t or actually couldn’t because they weren’t interested in dealing with the UFC’s particular image, you know, however the view that. But I think if the UFC is a one man show, I guess things will survive, but it’s going to be a lot rougher for not just the UFC but the fighters as well. Just maybe the people at the top will get rich, but in the end everybody’s out for their own anyhow. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you think the second Affliction show in Las Vegas getting canceled had anything to do with the UFC? Josh Barnett: I’m not entirely sure. I mean it very well could have, but it was very disappointing nonetheless. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Right, you were supposed to fight Arlovski then for the number one contender slot. There are some people who believe you’re more deserving of the first shot at Fedor than Arlovski. Do you agree? Josh Barnett: Uh, I just don’t care. I just want to fight. Eventually the fights that are going to be the most important will come my way. And no matter what, I got to win. You never know, the fight that I have with somebody that everybody wants to pass off and just casually dismiss, that might be the fight that’s the most exciting one they’ve ever seen me fight. You just never know what’s going to happen until you get into the ring. Gilbert Yvel is a veteran with well over 40 fights. I really think that there could be a really great match up out of this. I don’t strive to make my name off beating anybody in particular. I’ll make my name off my own merit, my own skills and my own accomplishments. I don’t need to be in any specific organization and I don’t need to fight any specific fighter. I just need to do the best I can do out there. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you think Affliction is going to survive as a mixed martial arts promotion, honestly? Josh Barnett: Uh, well yeah. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have signed with them. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What is your contract status with Affliction? Josh Barnett: Uh, good (laughs). I’m able to fight for both Affliction and Sengoku if I want, and Pancrase. I’m pretty open to being able to fight most places. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): You’re also into the pro wrestling scene over in Japan. What are your thoughts on some of the WWE guys like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley making the move to MMA? Josh Barnett: Well, if they got the talent then I absolutely support it. I just hope that they can keep some of that persona and ability to personalize and make a character out of themselves when they come to MMA. It gives somebody out there in the fans and the audience somebody to really latch onto. Someone that sticks out — that’s an individual and is interesting and that makes people think or hate or love or whatever the case may be to get some sort of emotion out of them. Instead of being carbon copy, tribal tattoo, goatee, shaved head, board short wearing yahoo that you see on every card. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Right, you mention that if they have the talent then you support them. Do you thin Brock Lesnar is the real deal and worthy of the UFC title or is he just a flash in the pan that veteran fighters will eventually figure out? Josh Barnett: He’s new, I mean, he’s green to fighting, I’ll give you that. But he’s got the gold and he beat somebody that whether you think he could beat the best out there is one thing, but I’ll tell you what, any newcomer with three fights getting into the ring would be hard pressed to beat a guy like Randy Couture. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Can Frank Mir beat him again? Josh Barnett: I put my money on Lesnar, but then again it just really depends on what kind of preparation he’s going to do. I think that if he wants to beat Mir, he needs to come out to Fullerton and train at CSW with myself and Erik Paulson. I think if he goes in again he could possibly hit him with those ham hocks and put him out on the ground. The thing is that Mir’s dangerous and explosive and he could very easily end up with another leg submission and there goes his new found title. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you still wrestle at all? Is there any chance we’ll see you in the WWE one day? Josh Barnett: I don’t have any interest necessarily in wrestling in the states so much, but I continue to wrestle over in Japan for the IGF on a fairly regular basis — at least four matches maybe five matches a year. I even have student named Eric Hammer I have working over there, too. In my mind, whether I’m over there in Japan in the IGF or in the ring in Affliction, they’re all pro wrestling to me. I’m fighting for the entertainment of the fans. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What are some of the differences with fighting over in Japan as opposed to the states? And which do you prefer? Josh Barnett: I in general prefer to fight in Japan. I’ve been doing it for a while. The way everything is put together with the promotion, there’s a lot less hassle. Even just some of the simpler things in terms of there’s food and blankets and pillows and mats and everything and it’s all laid out for you backstage. They just really make sure that the fighter is taken care of and that they’re as comfortable as they can be to fight the best fight that they can. But also, I love the events themselves. They seem bigger and larger than life. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): After you defeated Rizzo in July, Mirko Cro Cop is now the only man you have faced in your career that you haven’t beat. Is a fourth fight with him and a win over him something that’s important to you for your legacy? Josh Barnett: Uh, I don’t really know. Sure I would love to beat him. I would love to have a win over him — a very decisive, clear cut, you know, straight up finish. But it seemed to me that it was always a bad omen fighting Cro Cop. Whether it was dislocating my shoulder, to anything else that may have impeded my ability to be at my best. And that guy, when I fought him he was amazing. He fought incredible fights and he was a world champion. He’s tough. He’s tough as nails when he’s on. And a win like that would always look good on my record. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Where do you see yourself on the list of top heavyweights in the world? Josh Barnett: I don’t give a shit about rankings. I just take a look at the list, you know, it doesn’t matter where they place, I just know I can beat them all. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Is there bad blood between you and the UFC and is there ever a chance we’ll see you back there? I mean, you never really lost your title. Josh Barnett: Right, well I don’t see it happening anytime soon, especially with the way that I’m able to fight in different organizations as it is right now. Dana White or whoever else it is out there seems to have a real issue with me beyond business. It doesn’t matter who I like or dislike in terms of what organization. I just know that when it comes to doing business, I do business unless you are unethical or try to do something grievous to me through the rest of the contract or through business, then we can’t work together. But I don’t have to like anybody, I just have to do my job. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you want to make a prediction for the fight against Yvel? Josh Barnett: Sure, I predict that Gilbert is going to be wishing he left his finger in the dike instead of coming over here and getting in the ring with me. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) Nice, thanks man. It was an honor getting a chance to talk with you. Is there anything else you want to talk about or anybody you’d like to thank? Josh Barnett: Just my Web site and my MySpace page. James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Cool. Thanks again Josh and good luck to you in the future. Josh Barnett: Thank you, too. |
| Zuffa sells out the MGM Grand for UFC 94: ‘St. Pierre vs Penn 2′ Posted: 14 Jan 2009 02:51 PM CST
UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ is — believe it or not — almost here. The promotion today made the announcement that the colossal fight card has officially sold out the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, set for January 31. The title of the event speaks for itself — the headlining bout will be a rematch between two of the most talented fighters in the history of this sport. Lightweight champion BJ Penn will step back up to the welterweight division to take a shot at 170-pound kingpin George St. Pierre in hopes of carrying both titles simultaneously. Company President Dana White recently said that it would be the biggest fight in the history of the promotion. He is more than likely right on the money … literally. Also on tap for UFC 94 is a light heavyweight match up of undefeated Brazilian contenders Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. The winner will likely get a crack at 205-pound title holder Rashad Evans (or Quinton "Rampage" Jackson" somewhere down the road in 2009. Something else that's interesting about this card and speaks volumes of just how stacked it is: Former welterweight number one contender Jon Fitch has been relegated to the under card in his bout with Akihiro Gono. To check out the complete UFC 94 fight card click here. |
| Mauricio Shogun Rua UFC 93 video workout Posted: 14 Jan 2009 02:30 PM CST |
| Programming reminder: ‘UFC Primetime’ debuts on Spike TV tonight Posted: 14 Jan 2009 01:50 PM CST
Finally … The much ballyhooed three-part series titled “UFC Primetime,” which features an in-depth look at the colossal UFC 94 welterweight title fight between current champion Georges St. Pierre and former welterweight and current lightweight champion BJ Penn, will debut tonight (January 14) at 10:30 p.m. ET on Spike TV. Episodes two and three will air on January 21 and 28, respectively. Penn and St. Pierre have already met inside the Octagon at UFC 58: "USA vs. Canada" in 2006, which resulted in a controversial split decision win for St. Pierre. ‘The Prodigy’ brutalized St. Pierre for much of the first round, but ‘Rush’ was able to storm back and hang on in the final two frames to get the winning nod. Most at the time felt at the very least it should have been a draw because of the lopsided opening stanza; however, the judges ringside did not agree. Regardless, it was a great fight and the encore will likely be even better since both fighters have improved significantly over time. And that's a scary thing to say — these are two of the most gifted pound-for-pound talents in the sport going up against one another in the prime of their careers. Its historical significance cannot be overstated. UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ takes place January 31 live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and also features the highly anticipated showdown between light heavyweight unbeatens Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. For more on UFC 94 click here. Be sure to also hit up our “UFC Primtetime” archive right here for video teasers of the episode. |
| UFC 96: Rashad Evans vs Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson main event in the works Posted: 14 Jan 2009 12:30 PM CST
MMAmania.com can confirm that a main event title fight between newly crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans (13-0-1) and former 205-pound kingpin Quinton Jackson (29-7) could be added to the UFC 96 card at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7. Perhaps the only thing currently standing in the way is time — both fighters face relatively tight turnarounds (nine weeks) since their most recent winning performances at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008″ on Dec. 27. If the showdown is eventually booked, it would be yet another attempt by the promotion to deliver UFC fans in the "Buckeye State" — who appear to be spoiled with colossal main events — another exciting showdown to cheer about. UFC 82, the most recent pay-per-view (PPV) event to be held there, was a star-studded card that was packed with talent from the bottom up, featuring the 185-pound showdown between UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, and the last man to hold the Pride FC 183-pound belt, Dan Henderson. In addition, Randy Couture blew the lid of the Nationwide Arena back at UFC 68 when he returned from retirement to score and improbable win over Tim Sylvia to capture the heavyweight title at the age of 43. Despite the opportunity to reclaim his light heavyweight title, “Rampage” was initially lukewarm to the idea of facing Evans in his first fight since flatlining Wanderlei Silva with a thunderous left hook at UFC 92: "The Ultimate 2008." The new-look Jackson, poised and confident thanks to a new training camp at Wolfslair in the UK, had his sights set on former title holder and opposing coach from The Ultimate Fighter 7 Forrest Griffin. Griffin scored an unlikely unanimous decision win over Jackson at UFC 86 back in July. This was after Jackson toppled Marvin Eastman, Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson to reign supreme in the talent-rich 205-pound class. Jackson still feels like he was robbed by the judges and wants to prove that he is indeed the superior fighter. It would have been a big money rematch, but more than likely not as big as a fight against "Sugar" now that Evans bested Griffin at UFC 92. Griffin also broke his left hand in the second round of that fight and apparently needed to have pins surgically inserted into his hand to help expedite the healing process. In short, Jackson is the next in line for a shot at the gold with Griffin on the bench until at least the summer while the two other worthy challengers Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida — set to collide at UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs Penn 2″ — determine who will be waiting for him should he prevail. For the latest UFC 96 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Randy Couture: Size will be the difference for ‘Penn vs St. Pierre 2′ Posted: 14 Jan 2009 12:17 PM CST
Props: MMA Fanhouse
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture gives the nod to welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre in his much-anticipated superfight with lightweight diety BJ Penn at UFC 94 ‘Penn vs. St. Pierre 2′ on January 31 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. It's the rematch from UFC 58 that mixed martial arts fans have been demanding for over two years. |
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