UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com |
| UFC 96 video blog with Dana White (Episode one) Posted: 03 Mar 2009 04:17 AM PST |
| UFC 98 tickets on sale for ‘Lesnar vs Mir 2′ at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 23 Posted: 02 Mar 2009 06:04 PM PST
We all knew it was coming … and today Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made its next big pay-per-view (PPV) event of the 2009 fight season official. “Lesnar vs. Mir” is now a go for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23, featuring the heavyweight title unification match between champion Brock Lesnar and interim belt-keeper, Frank Mir. It’s a blockbuster rematch from UFC 81: “Breaking Point” in Feb. 2008, which Mir won via heart-pounding kneebar in round one after surviving a blistering ham hock attack. Here’s a snip from company president, Dana White, on the announcement:
Tickets for UFC 98 are scheduled to go on sale to the general public on Saturday, March 7 at 10 a.m. PT. UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers, naturally, will be able to scoop up tickets for the big show prior to them being available for public consumption. Here is the UFC 98 tickets sales schedule (all times are PT):
UFC 98 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 PPV for $44.95 on fight night. For more on UFC 98 be sure to stay dialed in to MMAmania.com and remember to check out our event archive right here. Be sure to also check out the latest UFC 98 fight card and rumors right here. |
| March Badness to feature Bobby Lashley against Ken Shamrock on March 21 Posted: 02 Mar 2009 02:27 PM PST
Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley’s opponent for “March Badness” — a hybrid mixed martial arts and boxing event being put on by former boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. — will be none other than UFC Hall-of-Famer Ken Shamrock (27-13-2), according to BloodyElbow.com. The pay-per-view (PPV) event will take place at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Fla., on March 21. Lashley (1-0) is an absolute monster, weighing in right around the 265-pound heavyweight limit for his fights. He destroyed Joshua Franklin in under a minute during his MMA debut last December with devastating takedowns and a ground-and-pound that opened up a nasty fight ending gash on Franklin’s head. One of the newest members of the prestigious American Top Team, Lashley has a rare blend of size, freakish athleticism and blazing quickness. He’s going to be a handful for anybody in a fight, let alone a 45-year-old man who’s lost 8 of his last 11 contests and hasn’t beaten a decent heavyweight since submitting Bas Rutten nearly 14 years ago. “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” managed to win his most recent fight a couple of weeks ago over Ross Clifton at WarGods: “The Valentine’s Eve Massacre;” however Ross Clifton isn’t exactly comparable to a Goliath like Bobby Lashley. The truth is, this is probably a more difficult match-up for Shamrock than even Kimbo Slice was when they were scheduled to lock horns last October, simply because of Lashley’s versatility as a decorated amateur wrestler and his overall explosiveness. Shamrock pulled out of that scheduled match with Slice on fight night due to a cut sustained in warm-ups, and has since been accused by younger brother Frank of cutting himself to get out of the fight. Regardless of whether or not that’s true, the fact is that Shamrock hasn’t seen action inside a cage or ring against a guy as big and as dangerous as Lashley in a long time. This one could get ugly. Also expected to be in action is the man who put an end to the Kimbo Slice hype train last October with a 14-second technical knockout, Seth Petruzelli. He’ll lock horns with ex-WEC 205 pound champion Doug “The Rhino” Marshall. Top heavyweights Roy “Big Country” Nelson and Jeff “The Snowman” Monson will also collide in a featured MMA fight as well. The boxing portion of the event will be headlined by Roy Jones Jr. taking on Omar Sheika. Stay tuned for more updates on “March Badness” as they become available. |
| UFC 96 weigh-in event details and information for ‘Jackson vs Jardine’ Posted: 02 Mar 2009 01:20 PM PST
The official weigh-in event for UFC 96: "Jackson vs. Jardine” is set to take place from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, March 6. It is currently scheduled to air LIVE on UFC.com via streaming video. The first fighter is expected to tip the scale at 4 pm local time. As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the UFC 96 weigh-in, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude. Here's the complete line up:
For those in Columbus this weekend remember that the weigh-ins are FREE to attend and open to the public. Doors to the weigh-in will open at 3 pm local time for the general public. In addition, UFC Fight Club members will be able to attend an exclusive Q&A session with former welterweight champion Matt Hughes on that same day an hour earlier at 2 pm. MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the LIVE main card action on fight night (Saturday, March 7), which is slated to air at 10 pm ET on pay-per-view from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 8 pm ET. It's going to be a good night of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 96 coverage you can handle. For our complete UFC 96 archive click here. |
| Cung Le willing to fight Anderson Silva if UFC is willing to co-promote with Strikeforce (Video) Posted: 02 Mar 2009 12:54 PM PST |
| WEC Quick Quote: Jose Aldo is prepared to fight the best guys Posted: 02 Mar 2009 12:13 PM PST
-Featherweight wrecking ball Jose Aldo goes on the record after his thrashing of Chris Mickle at WEC 39: “Brown vs. Garcia” about getting into the hunt for the 145-pound title. The scary part about “Junior” is that not only he is a world class striker who can end a fight from just about anywhere on his feet, but he's also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who is equally dangerous on the ground. The 14-1 Brazilian is currently riding a seven fight win streak including four straight stoppages. Featherweight elite - you have been warned. |
| The aftermath: Damacio Page knocks out Marcos Galvao at WEC 39 (Video) Posted: 02 Mar 2009 11:20 AM PST Fortunately Galvao was not seriously injured and was released from a local area hospital after undergoing several tests. For more on the scary finish head over to Steve Cofield’s Cagewriter blog right here. |
| Anthony Johnson scheduled to face John Howard at TUF 9 finale on June 20 Posted: 02 Mar 2009 09:49 AM PST
MMAmania.com can confirm that the fight card for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale has at least one bout on paper with the addition of welterweights Anthony Johnson (7-2) and John Howard (11-4), set to do battle at a yet-to-be-named location on June 20. “Rumble” avenged his controversial loss to Kevin Burns at UFC Fight Night 14 last December, knocking the Iowan senseless with a brutal head kick in the opening seconds of round three. He followed that up with a first round destruction of Luigi Fioravanti at UFC Fight Night 17 back in February. The 24-year-old Atlanta, Georgia, native has a ton of buzz because of his size, power and fight-finishing ability. He appears to get better each time out, training with Strikeforce champions Cung Le and Josh Thomson. His road to the upper echelon of 170-pound fighters continues with the surging John Howard. “Doomsday” earned his shot in the big show courtesy of a solid record fighting in smaller shows throughout the Northeast such as Ring of Combat and Cage Fury Fighting Championships. In his first trip to the Octagon he outpointed the venerable Chris Wilson at UFC 94 on January 31. It's going to be a tough test for Howard, but as he will soon find out, there don't appear to be an easy assignments in the loaded UFC welterweight division. The SpikeTV event will debut on April 1 and feature the lightweight and welterweight finales for the upcoming ninth season of TUF with coach Dan Henderson leading a US team against coach Michael Bisping and his British squad. For more on TUF 9 click here. |
| Tom Atencio: ‘I’m kind of between a rock and a hard place’ with third Affliction event Posted: 02 Mar 2009 08:12 AM PST
Props: MMA Fan House Quoteworthy:
Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio talks about the learning curve that is involved with running a successful mixed martial arts promotion. Atencio and Co. have thus far managed to stage two major pay-per-view (PPV) events with mixed results since making a foray in the industry in mid 2008. He plans to hold a show sometime in summer 2009; however, will not commit to a firm date, location or venue because nothing is official at this time. It is expected that WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko will once again anchor the third show against number one contender Josh Barnett if it indeed does take place. |
| Win or go home: Gray Maynard exclusive UFC 96 interview with MMAmania Posted: 02 Mar 2009 05:58 AM PST
One of the more promising fights on the UFC 96: “Jackson vs. Jardine” card is a lightweight scrap between Gray Maynard (6-0, with 1 no contest) and Jim Miller (13-1). Maynard is now perfect (4-0) in the UFC and was last seen at UFC 90, outpointing Rich Clementi on all three judge's scorecards. The three-time Division I All-American wrestler (he wrestled on the same team as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans) is also the only blemish on Frankie Edgar's otherwise perfect record (9-1). Edgar, in turn, is the only loss on Miller's record. The former Virginia Tech wrestler, however, has since rattled off eight wins (the last two inside the Octagon). Most recently, the fighting Miller brother outclassed Matt Wiman at UFC: "Fight for the Troops" in December — a fight he took on just a week's notice with virtually no training camp. A win would push either fighter well up the ranks of the crowded lightweight division. The fight appears on the main card of "Jackson vs. Jardine" and airs live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, this Saturday, March 7. We caught up with Maynard to see how the Xtreme Couture product has been preparing for the explosive southpaw, find out what it's like to work with Randy Couture, and get "The Bully's" thoughts on his former coach from The Ultimate Fighter, BJ Penn, and GreaseGate '09. Let's get to it:
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You last fought Rich Clementi at UFC 90, winning by unanimous decision. Clementi is a veteran, but your wrestling seemed too much for him in the end. I don't know if the Illinois fans appreciated the effort, as there were a few boos. What are your thoughts on the fight? Gray Maynard: It was a fight I really worked on the small details in my training camp. How to box a southpaw, stay out of submissions, and how to be more patient. I think I improved in all of those areas and I got the win. Of course we all want to entertain the fans, but a war between two guys isn't planned, it just happens because it's a good match up. Bottom line is, this is my job, I gotta get the win, there will be plenty of wars in my career. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You next face Jim Miller at UFC 96. What are your thoughts on Miller as an opponent? Gray Maynard: I think Jim is a well-rounded fighter. He's a southpaw, good jiu jitsu, good wrestling, a tough kid. It's almost the exact same camp I had for Rich Clementi. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Many are calling this fight Miller's first big test; however, Miller said in a video posted on YouTube that you haven't faced anyone with the submission skill set that he has. Do you have any reaction to that? Gray Maynard: I think Jim's fought some tough guys already. I think Clementi had really tricky jiu jitsu. Miller does have good jiu jitsu. I really have a good team at Xtreme Couture with world-class jiu jitsu guys like Mike Pyle, Robert Drysdale, Neil Melanson and others at the gym or who come through the gym. So I think I've prepared with the best people. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You're training at Xtreme Couture for this fight. How's that going? Gray Maynard: It's one of the best training facilities in the world. Whenever you finish a training camp at Xtreme Couture, you know you're prepared for your fight. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Couture served as one of your cornermen in the Clementi fight. Will he be cornering you again in this fight? Gray Maynard: Yes, he's always in my corner. He's played a big part in my career, and I appreciate everything he's done for me. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Couture's known as a master tactician when it comes to developing effective strategies to take out an opponent. Do you work closely with him to develop a game plan? Can you talk a bit about the process that you go through to identify strategies that you think will work against an upcoming opponent? Gray Maynard: Well there's a basic strategy for every type of fighter or style of fighting. We then watch some tape on my opponent at the beginning of the training camp and put some of those strategies together. Then plan out the training camp with a focus on the strategies and game plan that we came up with. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Miller's only loss is to Frankie Edgar, who you beat via unanimous decision at Fight Night 13. Did you watch tape of that fight, and if so, what'd you think? Gray Maynard: No, I wasn’t able to watch it. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Lightweight Champion BJ Penn moved up in weight, lost to GSP, and now returns to 155. But he doesn't seem to be letting that fight die, having officially filed a complaint to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Do you have any thoughts on the situation? Do you think it's a justified response on the part of Penn's camp, or do you think it's just sour grapes? Gray Maynard: I think BJ is a competitor, and he doesn't like to lose. Do I think the Vaseline played a part in his loss? I don't think so, but I wasn't in there fighting GSP. But that's how BJ wants to deal with it. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): It's my understanding that you have a history with Penn. You were recruited by Penn as a sparring partner to help improve his wrestling back in 2004. In 2007, you were picked by Penn to win it all on TUF 5. Do you two keep in touch, are you guys still friendly? Gray Maynard: Whenever I see him we catch up. I was going to go down to Hilo to help him prepare for Sean Sherk, but I had a broken hand so it didn't work out. I learned a lot from BJ and respect him. I'll always be a BJ Penn fan. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You were an early favorite to win Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter, but lost a semifinal matchup against Nate Diaz, the eventual winner. Is that a rematch you'd like to see take place? Gray Maynard: Whatever the UFC wants. My focus right now is on Jim Miller. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Would you like to thank any sponsors, or do you have any parting words for your fans? Gray Maynard: Everlast, Cage Fighter, Desert Volkswagen, Select Therapy, Unbreakable Mouthpieces, Xtreme Couture MMA, Las Vegas Elite Boxing, and Body by Bonacci. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
Inbox too full?  Subscribe to the feed version of UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com in a feed reader. | |
| If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment