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| UFC 95 main card confirmed for Spike TV broadcast Feb. 21 Posted: 23 Jan 2009 08:11 AM CST
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently confirmed the television line up for its upcoming show at The O2 Arena in London, England, on Feb. 21, which is scheduled to air for free on the United States at 9 p.m. ET via tape delay. Former winners from different seasons of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson, are scheduled to clash in the UFC 95 main event. It will mark the lightweight debut of “Nightmare” — a big time player in the 170-pound division before making the 15-pound cut. Two sensational middleweight match ups will also be featured on the main card. Nate Marquardt will take on Wilson Gouveia and Brazilian jiu-jitsu stud Demian Maia is expected to challenge Chael Sonnen, barring any pre-fight boo-boos. Here is the most recent UFC 95 fight card:
*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com. Stay dialed in to MMAmania.com for all the coverage you can handle before, during and after UFC 95 — the second big show for the promotion overseas in as many months. In the meantime, hit up our UFC 95 event archive for the latest UFC 95 news and notes right here. |
| ‘MMA Live’ episode 37 video on ESPN recaps UFC 93; previews ‘Day of Reckoning’ and WEC 38 Posted: 23 Jan 2009 01:28 AM CST |
| Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir 2 booked for UFC 98 in Las Vegas Posted: 22 Jan 2009 09:45 PM CST
Reigning champion Brock Lesnar will lock hamhocks with Frank Mir for the second time in the main event of the blockbuster pay-per-view (PPV) event, which is sure to be the second — if not the biggest — show of 2009 for the promotion. In fact, with the drawing power of Lesnar, combined with the interest in seeing if he can exact revenge against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist after a “controversial” first encounter, has all the ingredients to be the most-watched event ever in the 15-year history of the organization. Lesnar and Mir first met at UFC 81: "Breaking Point” in February 2008. Mir locked in a fight-ending kneebar in the very first round; however, prior to the stoppage, Lesnar had Mir on ropes and almost The man in charge of the action that night, referee Steve Mazzagatti, pulled Lesnar off Mir because of illegal blows to the back of the head. “The Next Big Thing” was docked a point for the infractions, and when the fight was restarted, Mir was able to pull off the electric victory.
Mir went on to earn a spot as coach The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 as a result of the big win (literally and figuratively) opposite then interim division champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. The pair was then scheduled to fight for the interim title, which was still in a limbo of sorts after Randy Couture walked away from the organization because of a contract dispute, at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008″ on Dec. 27 after the show wrapped. Lesnar — a decorated amateur wrestler and former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar — went on to face mixed martial arts veteran Heath Herring at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” in August. It was just his third professional bout since making the transition to the sport and only the second inside the Octagon. Herring was a 41-fight veteran who had competed all over the world. In short, it was another stiff test for Lesnar right out of the gate. He passed it with flying colors, earning a convincing unanimous decision. And, in the process, a big money championship match against Couture at UFC 91 that same year when “The Natural” decided to return. He went on to defeat Couture via second round technical knockout, which didn’t sit well with too many MMA purists, including Mir. It was the first leg of the mini tournament to declare an undisputed division kingpin — Mir and Nogueira would still face off in the other side of the bracket. On New Year’s Eve weekend Mir and Nogueira — widely regarded as among the top fighters in the sport for year — finally collided. Mir was a massive underdog, but it didn’t appear to be that way when the opening horn sounded to start the match. He peppered Noguiera with a stiff jab and landed several uppercuts that knocked the resilient Brazilian to the mat on numerous occasions. Then, in the second round, Mir did what no man before him ever had, finishing the legendary Nogueira for the first time in his prestigious career. And he did it with crisp stand up and not his bread and butter, the submission game. So here we are finally ready to write the final chapter in this long and unpredictable tale on May 23. There’s currently no way of knowing how it will all end, but rest assured that it will very interesting to witness before, during and after all the action unravels on fight night. Guaranteed. For the latest UFC 98 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Fedor Emelianenko video ‘Road to Reckoning’ (Episode three) Posted: 22 Jan 2009 07:55 PM CST Check out part two of episode three after the jump, during which Gary Millen and Tito Ortiz rip on UFC President Dana White and accuse him of being a steroid user.
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| Fedor Emelianenko action figure coming soon in Series 3 from Round 5 Posted: 22 Jan 2009 07:45 PM CST
The heavyweight joins an All-Star lineup of 12 MMA standouts who currently work with Round 5 to produce their respective figures. The announcement comes on the heels of last week's notice that stars Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski — Fedor's opponent in this Saturday's Affliction "Day of Reckoning" event — will be one of four stars to be featured in Round 5's Series 3 release this spring, along with "Big John" McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira. Series 3 is scheduled to be available at retail outlets throughout North America and online at www.Round5MMA.com beginning in April. Fedor and the Round 5 team will begin work on creating his figurine in the coming weeks. The Fedor figures will be part of a future Series issue to be determined. "This is a tremendous opportunity for me," said Emelianenko. "I am looking forward to going through the process of making this the best figurine that we can. I think fans will appreciate that I will have a big role in how it looks and will enjoy the final product." "We are thrilled to be working with Fedor to customize this superstar's figurine," said Damon Lau, Round 5 President. "His worldwide popularity and recognition as the world's best mixed martial artist make him a natural to make a high-quality collectible that his many fans can enjoy. The timing of his signing is perfect, too, as he will be competing in the highly-anticipated bout with another Round 5 athlete in Andrei Arlovski this weekend." Emelianenko, 32, has been the most dominant MMA heavyweight this decade. He enters the bout with Arlovski with a record of 28-1, including 25 straight victories dating back to December 2000. A long-time PRIDE champion, he won his Affliction debut by submitting Tim Sylvia just 36 seconds into the first round in his last action this past July. Other MMA stars who have worked with Round 5 include Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Quinton 'Rampage’ Jackson and Tito Ortiz (Series 1); and Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva (Series 2). As in the earlier Series, Fedor will maintain creative control of his likenesses, including the pose, facial design and shorts. He will have a major hand in creating the final design and will benefit from a royalty agreement that gives him a considerable portion of the proceeds from the sale of his unit. Round 5 collectible figures may be purchased at leading retailers such as Toys 'R' Us, Champs Sports and FYE. Other retailers can be found at www.Round5MMA.com/wheretobuy.php. In addition to Fedor, Round 5 plans to release collectibles of three additional series of athletes in 2009, one during each quarter. Other athletes to be represented in those series are yet to be announced. |
| Dustin Hazelett injured and unable to fight Ben Saunders at UFC 96 Posted: 22 Jan 2009 07:41 PM CST The rise of Brazilian jiu-jitsu welterweight specialist Dustin Hazelett to the top of the 170-pound contender ladder has been temporarily placed on hold because of an undisclosed injury suffered by “McLovin” during training, according to MMAWeekly.com. Hazelett was expected to challenge The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum 6 Ben Saunders at UFC 96 from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7 in front of a hometown crowd. And while it was never officially announced, it had piqued the interest of fans early as an intriguing match up between two up-and-comers in the crowded division. The 22-year-old Hazelett was surging with two straight — and very slick — armbar submission victories over Tamdan McCrory and Josh Burkman, respectively. Saunders has been perfect (3-0) since his stint on the mixed martial arts reality series, defeating Ryan Thomas at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" in August and Dan Barrera via unanimous decision at TUF 6 Finale in 2008. And, most recently, “Berserk” is coming off a lopsided first round ass-kicking of Brandon Wolff at UFC Night 16: "Fight For the Troops" just last month, channeling the Muay Thai skills of UFC Middleweight Champion to totally rout the Hawaiian in his Octagon debut. It would have been a nice clash of styles, but for now we are forced to wait. In the meantime, Octagon newcomer Ryan Madigan is expected to replace Hazelett against Saunders. “The Lion” has five professional fights in the sport that date back to 2006. He is undefeated, finishing all of his opponents early with a nice mix of (technical) knockouts and submissions. He’ll have his hands full trying to continue that streak against Big Ben when the pair collide in the “Buckeye State” on fight night. UFC 96 features a three-round light heavyweight tilt between former division champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Keith Jardine. Heavyweight hopeful Shane Carwin is also expected to tangle with former number one contender Gabriel Gonzaga in the co-featured fight of the evening. To check out the latest UFC 96 fight cards and rumors click here. |
| Bobby Green to replace Chris Horodecki against Dan Lauzon at Affliction: ‘Day of Reckoning’ Posted: 22 Jan 2009 06:36 PM CST With former International Fight League (IFL) lightweight standout Chris Horodecki forced out of his upcoming bout against Dan Lauzon at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" this weekend, the promotion will apparently look toward Bobby Green (7-1) to step up on short notice to fill the void left by the Canadian, according to Sherdog.com. “King” is currently enjoying a five-fight win streak, competing primarily in smaller shows on the West Coast circuit, as well as down in Mexico under the Warriors Fighting Championship (WCF) banner. All of his eight professional fights in mixed martial arts took place in the span of seven months in 2008. The hungry up-and-comer will more than likely face his stiffest opponent to date in Lauzon … and he’ll have to do it on just about 48 hours notice. Lauzon — younger brother of UFC lightweight fighter and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum Joe Lauzon — most recently made made his third straight start for the Boston area-based World Championship Fighting (WCF). “The Upgrade” registered a first round technical knockout win over Justin Hammertrum in less than a minute on November 14. With the win, Lauzon now has all 11 of his career wins via stoppage — five by submission and six by technical knockout. The Octagon veteran has strung together seven straight wins since a loss to Deividas Taurosevicius at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 3 in early 2007. The 155-pound scrap against “The Polish Hammer” — who is suffering from a bulging disc in his neck — would have been a big stepping stone for Lauzon if he could have pulled out the win. However, he, as well as the fans, will have to settle for Green. The good news is that he’s just 20-years-old and has a very long and promising career ahead of him. His time will come. “Day of Reckoning” features the colossal clash between WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC titleholder Andrei Arlovski. The under card will air on HDNet at 7 p.m. ET and lead into the 9 p.m. ET pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast. To check out the latest fight card click here. Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow results of all the action on fight night. |
| MMA Quick Quote: ‘Pee-Pee taste’ has a name of his own for Andrei Arlvoski Posted: 22 Jan 2009 04:07 PM CST
– Tim Sylvia on Andrei Arlovski via RingLeaderFightNews.com |
| Fedor Emelianenko video: ‘I am a fighter’ Posted: 22 Jan 2009 01:54 PM CST |
| Keith Jardine perhaps expected to lose at UFC 96 … Posted: 22 Jan 2009 01:48 PM CST
… at least that’s what he thinks, anyway, in a recent SI.com article:
“The Dean of Mean” attempts to get his head wrapped around the thought process behind matching him up against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event at UFC 96 on March 1. It doesn’t make much sense on the surface, considering Jardine will not fight training partner, good friend and reigning division champion, Rashad Evans. And that’s a problem because the winner of the 205-pound bout between Jardine and Jackson would more than likely earn number one contender status. In fact, Jackson was already pegged to challenge Evans; however, the seven-week turnaround for “Sugar” between fights proved to be not enough time. Jardine has played spoiler twice before against big-name players in the division, including Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell. Can he pull off the hat trick at the Nationwide Arena? |
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