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| UFC Quick Quote: Wanderlei Silva on his ‘incredible’ fight against Rich Franklin at UFC 99 Posted: 27 Feb 2009 01:50 PM PST
– Wanderlei Silva talks to Fighters Only Magazine about his upcoming fight against Rich Franklin at UFC 99 from the the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, on June 13. “The Axe Murderer” is confident that he will be able to handle the weight cut to the proposed catchweight of 195 pounds, which could serve as a precursor to future fights at middleweight. This is a big fight for the Brazilian — he has dropped four of his last five fights — against a very tough opponent. He needs a win bad … especially if he does indeed have true aspirations on one day becoming a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. |
| Thales Leites ready for the ‘fight of his life’ against Anderson Silva at UFC 97 (Video) Posted: 27 Feb 2009 11:19 AM PST Took place about a week ago: |
| Former UFC lightweight Din Thomas signs three-fight deal with Affliction Posted: 27 Feb 2009 09:35 AM PST
Former UFC lightweight fighter Din Thomas (23-8), who once competed as a welterweight on season four of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), has signed a three-fight contract with Affliction MMA according to Five Ounces of Pain. No opponent or debut date have been named at this time though Thomas is expected to enter the featherweight ranks. “Dinyero” was a top contender in the stacked UFC 155-pound division prior to back-to-back losses to Kenny Florian (because he blew out his knee during the fight) and Josh Neer. Following that, Thomas announced his desire to compete at 145 pounds. He never got the chance. Thomas was given his walking papers by the UFC last May along with Travis Lutter, David Heath, Kalib Starnes, Joe Doerksen and John Halverson. Since then, he scored a submission win (triangle choke) over Dustin Pierkin at Headhunter Productions “The Patriot Act” earlier this month. Affliction Entertainment Group Vice President, Tom Atencio, recently squashed rumors that pegged his promotion as being "done." Speculation has swirled that the upstart promotion was hemorraghing money after high-priced shows such as "Banned" and "Day of Reckoning" and was looking for a way out of the fight game. Not so fast, says Mr. Atencio, there is more to come. |
| Learn, train, live: One-on-one virtual training with Vitor Belfort Posted: 27 Feb 2009 09:15 AM PST |
| DREAM 7: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Ross Ebanez Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:59 AM PST
Japan's Fighting Entertainment Group (FEG) today announced one additional match-up for DREAM 7 which features the opening round of its 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on March 8. Former PRIDE star Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) will be back in action looking to rebound from his TKO defeat at the hands of Eddie Alvarez last July at DREAM 5. “Crusher" will be taking on former Rumble on the Rock scrapper Ross Ebanez (19-6). Like Kawajiri, “The Boss” shares a recent loss to uber-lightweight Eddie Alvaraez. Also in action is WAMMA Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki (19-3), who was last seen making quick work of Eddie Alvarez in December 2008 (yes, Alvarez gets around). "Magic Pants" will suit up this time for David Gardner (16-10), which is expected to serve as a tune-up fight for the Japanese mainstay. That's because Aoki is getting ready to move up in weight to participate in the DREAM 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix that begins in April. The fight between Aoki and Gardner will be fought at a catchweight of 163 pounds.
Joining them will be Mitsuhiro Ishida (17-4-1) against Daisuke Nakamura (19-9). Nakamura had a very good outing in 2008, winning seven straight — two of which were flying armbar victories … an impressive feat to say the least. He'll take a step up in competition in the likes of Ishida and will certainly have his hands full. Ishida has also been linked to appear in some capacity on Strikeforce's April 11 card, however that could now be in jeopardy depending on if he's able to make a quick enough turn around to fight again when the Showtime special airs on fight night. Here is the current line-up for DREAM 7: Featherweight Grand Prix Opening Round Masakazu Imanari (15-6-1) vs. Atsushi Yamamoto (12-5-1) Catchweight (163 pounds): Shinya Aoki (19-3) vs. David Gardner (16-10) Lightweight: Mitsuhiro Ishida (17-4-1) vs. Daisuke Nakamura (19-9) Stay tuned for more last minute additions or changes as DREAM continues to fire them off. |
| Alistair Overeem set to face Remy Bonjasky at K-1 World GP 2009 on March 28 Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:32 AM PST
Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) has confirmed that Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will return to K-1 on March 28 to face World GP 2008 Champion Remy Bonjasky under K-1 rules at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. “Demolition Man” is coming off a first round destruction of former K-1 heavyweight champion Badr Hari at the Fields Dynamite!! super show on December 31. Overeem has looked solid of late, winning five straight consecutive bouts and — before smashing his balls — was putting it to Mirko Cro Cop at DREAM 6 in September. Overeem has been in against some of the best in the business throughout his career and is still in his prime. Still, one has to wonder if he's in over his head taking on a K-1 champion under K-1 rules. True, he dismantled former champion Hari with relative ease, but the Moroccan was competing just three weeks after his appearance in the 2008 Grand Prix Tournament where he fought three times in one night. One of those opponents was eventual tournament winner Remy Bonjasky, who took the title via controversial disqualification in the GP Finals. Hari pulled Bonjasky to the ground in the second round and seemed to lose control of himself, pummeling the downed opponent and even trying to stomp on Bonjasky's face. Bonjasky was allowed five minutes to recover but was still seeing double after the time elapsed and the referee called the match. Hari was stripped of his heavyweight title and received no pay for his participation in the event. It’s going to be interesting to see just how far Overeem has come in his performance on March 28.
Also on the card, Melvin Manhoef will join the heavyweight tournament in a bid to lay claim to the heavyweight title that was stripped from Badr Hari following last year’s improprieties. While Hari will also be on the card, he is not included in the tournament and will instead rematch Errol Zimmerman from their match at the 2008 GP. Here is the current line-up for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009: Superfights: Heavyweight Tournament: Heavyweight Final: Stay tuned as this fight card continues to develop. |
| Former TUF 6 contestant Troy Mandaloniz released from his UFC contract Posted: 27 Feb 2009 07:47 AM PST
“Rude Boy” went 1-1 in his two appearances inside the Octagon. After losing to Matt Arroyo in the quarter finals on the reality show, he went on to stop his former teammate Richie Hightower via first round technical knockout at the show's finale in December 2007 before getting outpointed by Kelly last Saturday. Still, Mandaloniz is optimistic that he could return after proving himself on the smaller circuit. “I thought I showed them what I was made of, but I guess not. I don’t think I see too many other fighters out there fighting with the same passion and intensity that I bring. I’m a fighter that people want to see fight and maybe one day after I prove myself again I could be back in the UFC.” Mandaloniz joins fellow TUF 6 contestant Matt Arroyo as well as Nate Mohr, Rich Clementi, Luigi Fioravanti, Eddie Sanchez, Christian Wellisch, Reese Andy, and Derek Downey on the list of recent UFC roster cuts. |
| WEC 39 predictions and preview for ‘Brown vs Garcia’ Posted: 27 Feb 2009 06:11 AM PST
WEC 39: “Brown vs. Garcia” is set to go off from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, this Sunday night and will air live on the Versus network beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET. Featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown will defend his title for the first time since knocking off superstar Urijah Faber in November. He’ll face the heavy-handed Greg Jackson trainee, Leonard Garcia, in the main event. There are several other exciting match-ups featured on the card, too, and five bouts will be featured on the televised main card scheduled to air on fight night. Here’s the full WEC 39 lineup:
It’s looks like we’re in for another solid night of fights from the WEC. To help get you better prepared for fight night, we took a closer look at each of the five main card bouts and provided our highly unofficial predictions below. Check it out:
WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Thomas Brown (20-4) vs. Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia (12-3) Garcia’s been on a tear since joining the WEC. In his two appearances for the promotion, he’s handed out first round knock outs to both the world-ranked Hiroyuki Takaya and the former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver. This fight, however, is a little bit different stylistically. Where Takaya and Jens both prefer to stand and trade leather, Brown won’t hesitate to utilize his wrestling background by looking for takedowns to maintain cage control and land ground strikes. That’s not to say necessarily that he won’t test Garcia on his feet for a while first, but if he starts to feel like he’s in trouble, Brown can and will turn to his wrestling. For Garcia, that’s certainly something to be worried about. In April of 2007 at UFC 69, Roger Huerta basically exploited Garcia’s wrestling game, or lack there of, en route to a pretty one-sided beatdown … albeit an exciting beatdown. You wouldn’t know it from his last two fights either, but Garcia does have a solid background in jiu jitsu. He’s dangerous on the ground from his back and can pull a submission off from anywhere. But Mike Brown is one of the strongest 145-pound fighters in the world. If he can manage to keep control of this fight with his strength and wrestling base by keeping a dominant top position when the fight goes to the mat, it’s going to be a long night for the challenger. It’s easy to get sucked into thinking that someone’s going to sleep early on in this one because of the devastating manner in which they both finished their last opponents. But the fact is that both of these guys are grapplers when it comes down to it. This one’s going to the scorecards. Final prediction: Brown via unanimous decision 145 lbs.: Jose "Junior" Aldo (13-1) vs. Chris Mickle (26-11-1) Mickle is a submission guy with notable career wins over Jeremy Stephens, Brian Geraghty, TJ O’Brien and others. He’s making his debut for the WEC in this fight. Aldo, on the other hand, is making his fourth straight start for the promotion. And he’s been very impressive each time out. He boasts a fantastic striking game and is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. And at only 22 years old, the confident fighter already believes he has what it takes to be the best pound for pound mixed martial artist in the world. Here’s a snip:
Mickle — a cagey veteran with numerous underground fights to his credit as well — will no doubt look to avoid trading strikes with the lighting quick Brazilian, but he better be careful when he shoots for takedowns or he might end up on the wrong end of an Aldo knee. We’ve yet to really see what kind of ground game Aldo has, but obviously with the black belt, he has to be formidable. This fight could be the WEC’s way of testing his all around skills before granting him a title shot. He’ll be facing a much more experienced and proven fighter who could easily be considered his toughest opponent to date. Expect this one to be closer than most people think, but Aldo’s overall athleticism and versatility should be enough to get the nod. Final prediction: Aldo via unanimous decision 155 lbs.: Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski (30-11) vs. Ricardo Lamas (15-0) Lamas made his pro debut last January and went on to fight four more times in 2008. Impressive victories over James Birdsley and Cal Ferry are more than likely what prompted the WEC to come calling when Rich Crunkilton went down with a knee injury and was forced to pull out. He steps in on four days notice to face 12 fight IFL veteran Bart Palaszewski who will be making his second appearance for the WEC. This match was initially intended to be a number one contender eliminator match, and that offer is probably still good in Palaszewski’s case if he can win impressively. Bartimus had a tough streak there for a while that saw him lose three fights in a row, but he’s bounced back strong with two technical knockout wins since the IFL went under last year. We look for him to continue that streak by overwhelming the less experienced Lamas. Lamas looks like a decent prospect, and he has a good amateur wrestling background as a NCAA division III All-American. But facing a well tested veteran like Palaszewski in only your sixth pro fight, on only four days notice, is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. Final prediction: Palaszewski via submission 155 lbs.: "Razor" Rob McCullough (16-5) vs. Marcus "The Wrecking Ball" Hicks (8-1) Both these guys have solid wrestling, as well as quick and powerful hands. They’re both explosive and they can both end fights with their hands or with submissions. This is probably the toughest fight on the card to judge. McCullough’s hit a bit of a dry spell recently, losing two of his last three fights, but to be fair, both of those fights were to top level competition and both were extremely competitive. In his most recent loss to Donald Cerrone, his chin was tested numerous times and he probably gained a lot of self confidence from that fight in that regard. That might not necessarily be a good thing against Hicks though. Hicks hits like a truck. If Razor Rob gets too comfortable in the pocket and leaves himself open, Marcus definitely has the power to put him to sleep. McCullough knows what’s at stake here though — he needs a win more than he needs an impressive win. Hicks’ stamina hasn’t really been tested yet. He’s never even been out of the second round. Meanwhile, Razor Rob’s last two fights have both gone to a decision. The longer the fight goes on, therefore, the more it should favor McCullough. Look for him to take sort of a Josh Koscheck approach to Diego Sanchez, where he’ll keep his distance and try to pick his spots, scoring points on his feet while adding some late round take down attempts for icing. Whether that plan will work against the "Wrecking Ball" or not is another story. Final prediction: McCullough via unanimous decision 170 lbs.: Johny Hendricks (4-0) vs. Alex "The Russian Crusher" Serdyukov (8-4) This is probably the last welterweight fight in the history of the WEC and it’s one that was supposed to happen originally way back in September on the WEC 36 card. Hendricks is a decorated wrestler from Oklahoma State University who now trains MMA full time with Team Takedown. He’ll be making his fifth professional start and second under the WEC banner. He has a ton of energy and appears to be able to take a good amount of punishment and still finish a fight. Serdyukov provides an interesting match-up and a stiff test for the fast rising prospect in that he’s just as aggressive, and he’s probably a little more well rounded with his striking and submissions, not to mention more experienced. This feels like a dangerous match-up for Hendricks, but Serdyukov has had trouble with good wrestlers in the past, notably Jon Fitch and John Alessio, who he lost to twice by submission. Look for this to be a very competitive, high paced fight with Hendricks’ hand raised at the end. Final prediction: Hendricks via submission That’s a wrap. Remember, MMAmania.com will provide live coverage of the action on fight night beginning with the 9:30 p.m. telecast on Versus as well as up to the minute quick results of the entire under card. Check in early and often. In the meantime, feel free to leave your WEC 39-related thoughts and predictions in the comments section below. |
| UFC 96 video: Shane Carwin on Gabriel Gonzaga fight Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:49 AM PST (Thanks to BloodyElbow.com via Sherdog.com for the assist.) |
| Feel It! Nutrition blowout sale: $20 off ALL STACKS starting today for a limited time Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:12 AM PST
It’s Fitness Friday ladies and Maniacs and while I usually take this time to cover a certain aspect of training or supplementation, the guys and gals over at Feel It! Nutrition have plum lost their minds and started slashing inventory like Jason Voorhees at a YMCA day camp. Truth be told, no Stack is safe in this fire sale, so don’t just sit there trying to remember how long it’s been since you actually touched a piece of exercise equipment, get clicking and take advantage of the $20 off Feel It! Nutrition is offering on ALL STACKS from now until March 5 — but don’t procrastinate — supplies are limited! Don't worry about trying to figure out which nutritional supplements are going to help you achieve or maintain your current fitness goals. The Feel It! Nutrition experts have already done the research for you and assembled some of the most comprehensive stacks available to help you attain almost any fitness goal. Looking to get huge?
Why not give the mighty Bulk Stack a try. Or perhaps you are already of considerable girth and want to get lean. No problem. Feel It! Nutrition created Lean Stack with you in mind. Of course no MMA blog would be complete without the highly acclaimed MMA Stack. Designed for fighters, by fighters. And in an effort to prove we haven't forgotten about the lovely ladies that bust their butts inside and outside the gym, Feel It! Nutrition is also including their Women's Stack — because a woman's body (besides being able to hypnotize and control the male population) has very distinct nutritional needs. Now it was a big decision here at MMAmania to align ourselves exclusively with one company. When you put your name on something, you sink or swim right along with them. Having said that, the biggest influence in our decision was the reputation Feel It! Nutrition has developed in the industry not just for their rock-bottom prices, but for their customer service and impeccable shipping. It should also be noted that they’re not peddling ‘Tom and Joe’s Protein Powder’ that was cooked up in some dirty lab in Poughkeepsie. This is quality stuff from major brands that are both recognizable and reputable. From personal experience, I have nothing but high praise for their MMA Stack. I use it as a part of my training because it’s such a versatile Stack. Whether I’m bulking up in the off season or going hard to lean out for the summer, it satisfies my core needs. I’m a huge Glutamine guy, especially the ISS Complete. It’s one of those miracle supplements that keeps me from feeling the aches and pains of yesterday’s workout. One serving immediately following the gym and another two hours later and it’s go time by morning. I also like the Pro Lab Whey Chocolate. It’s tasty enough to stand on its own but also mixes well with my oatmeal in the morning when I need to get some protein in my system. MMA Stack consists of the following cutting-edge supplements:
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Just six days removed from his unanimous decision loss to Paul Kelly at UFC 95 “Sanchez vs. Stevenson” on February 21, former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 contestant Troy Mandaloniz has been released from his UFC contract according to BJPenn.com.
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