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| Thiago Alves training with Wanderlei Silva for UFC 100 fight against Georges St. Pierre (Video) Posted: 21 Apr 2009 08:44 PM PDT |
| WEC champ Miguel Torres to throw out ceremonial first pitch for Chicago White Sox on May 6 Posted: 21 Apr 2009 05:30 PM PDT
WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres is set to make another appearance in his hometown of Chicago on May 6 — only it won’t be against any of the top 135-pounders in the WEC. Torres, an East Chicago native, will instead throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Chicago White Sox when they face the Detroit Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday, May 6, according to NWI.com. Here’s the champ’s reaction:
Torres (37-1), who is widely considered the best bantamweight in the world, recently gutted out a tough unanimous decision win in a gritty, five round war with Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 40 on Sunday, April 5. The champ has put together five straight wins under the WEC banner beginning with his debut for the promotion in September of 2007 against Jeff Bedard, easily winning with a first round triangle choke. Following that he was granted a title shot against Chase Beebe at WEC 32 in February, also taking it early with a first round submission. Since that time he's successfully defended his title on three occasions. First in a memorable battle with Yoshiro Maeda at WEC 34 followed by a TKO over Manny Tapia in December and then the Mizugaki decision at WEC 40. And based on his reaction from the Chicago crowd at that event, Torres should have plenty of fans in his corner come May 6. Now all he has to do is get it over the plate. |
| UFC 101: Aaron Riley vs Shane Nelson rematch planned for August 8 Posted: 21 Apr 2009 04:41 PM PDT
Grizzled and well traveled mixed martial arts veteran Aaron Riley (27-11-1) could once again tangle with The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 contestant Shane Nelson (12-3) at UFC 101 from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on August 8. The rematch comes on the heels of a controversial stoppage in their first fight back at UFC 96 on March 7 when the fight was prematurely stopped after Riley was dropped with a Nelson right hand. Referee Rick Fike came under fire for halting the bout too soon, and UFC President Dana White promised a rematch and “A more definitive ending” following the event. The stoppage didn’t get much attention however, after Yves Lavigne let Matt Brown bludgeon Pete Sell into an eight-sided near-death experience later on the card. Riley first returned to the Octagon against Jorge Gurgel at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" in November 2008, scoring a thrilling (and tight) three round unanimous decision. It earned "Fight of the Night" honors, which is quite a statement considering the "biggest fight in UFC history" between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar was the featured fight of the night. Riley has competed in Pride FC, Bodog and the International Fight League (IFL), among others, taking on some of the best in the business. He sports notable losses to Robbie Lawler, Spencer Fisher, Chris Lytle and Eddie Alvarez. And even though he did not come out victorious in those contests, the experience factor alone makes him a dangerous opponent. His losses to Lawler and Fisher were under the UFC banner, dating back several years. Riley was riding a three-fight win streak coming into UFC 96. Nelson — who trains under UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn — notched his first win inside the Octagon again cast mate George Roop at TUF 8 Finale via split decision last December. Prior to his stint on the Spike TV-produced reality series, Nelson competed primarily close to home under promotions such as X-1 and Rumble on the Rock. He was knocked out of the eight-man tournament-style TUF show by eventual 155-pound season winner, Efrain Escudero. UFC 101 will likely feature a main event between lightweight champion BJ Penn against number one contender Kenny Florian, as well as a 205-pound showdown between former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and the previously unbeaten Thiago Silva in the co-featured fight of the night. For more on UFC 101, including rumored bouts and all other event-related news, click here. |
| MMA Quick Quote: Alistair Overeem no longer horsing around with his diet Posted: 21 Apr 2009 04:22 PM PDT
–Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem shares some interesting tidbits about his diet over at Index.hr via Big Odds Mike including the new and improved horse meat diet that is apparently all the rage in…uh…well somewhere I’m sure. “Demolition Man” captured the title from Paul Buentello via second round TKO way back in November of 2007. Prior to dropping a close decision to World GP 2008 Champion Remy Bonjasky at last months K-1 event, Overeem had won five straight consecutive bouts — including a first round destruction of former K-1 heavyweight champion Badr Hari at the Fields Dynamite!! super show on December 31. Overeem is expected to make his return to the San Jose-based organization on June 6 in St. Louis against a yet-to-be-named opponent — sans girlfriend and former fight coach. Whatever works, I suppose. |
| UFC 100 video: Frank Mir on Brock Lesnar rematch July 11 Posted: 21 Apr 2009 09:51 AM PDT He also calls out Fedor Emelianenko: |
| Bobby Lashley vs Bob Sapp on tap for June 27 Posted: 21 Apr 2009 09:00 AM PDT
It's a titanic match up that is expected to be among several mixed martial arts bouts slated for the pay-per-view (PPV) event, which is being coordinated and promoted by Prize Fight Promotions Lashley — a former WWE champion and decorated amateur wrestler — is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Jason Guida at "March Badness" just last month. Most expected the American Top Team-trained fighter in just his second professional fight to steamroll the journeyman. It didn't happen — Lashley looked a bit green against Guida an his inexperience was clearly evident. Lashley has recently indicated that his ultimate goal is to be a major player in the UFC, but understands that he must first become a reputable fighter prior to a potential debut, vowing to improve and work his way to the top. He'll have another chance against "The Beast" on fight night. Sapp is no stranger to the sport, as well as the occasional freak show – he recently bested a character from a Japanese anime show, "Kinniku Mantaro," at Fields Dynamite!! in Japan on New Year's Eve 2008. The former NFL offensive lineman is a bonafide star in "The Land of the Rising Sun," however, that popularity has not carried over to the United States. In fact, the 6'5" 350-pound Sapp dropped his United States debut against 6′11" 330-pound South African, Jan "The Giant" Nortje (2-5), via embarrassing first round technical knockout under the Striekforce banner last year. Lashley and Sapp typically rely on their size when fighting, but neither of them will have that advantage on June 27. It should be an interesting sight to say the least. |
| Strikeforce champion Cung Le won’t turn his back on MMA (Video) Posted: 21 Apr 2009 08:57 AM PDT |
| UFC 97 photo gallery for ‘Redemption’ on April 18 Posted: 21 Apr 2009 07:41 AM PDT
Props: NationalPost.com Click the link above to view a tremendous amount of fantastic images from this past weekend. Also … thoughts on the decision in the Sam Stout-Matt Wiman 155-pound brawl? We never talked about it — now is your chance. |
| Chuck Liddell retirement decision likely to come in the ‘next week’ … Posted: 21 Apr 2009 05:47 AM PDT
… according to his long-time trainer, John Hackleman, in the latest interview with Action Sports:
We already know that UFC President Dana White made the decision for him to retire after the first round technical knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” this weekend at UFC 97: “Redemption. “The Iceman,” unsurprisingly, prefers to make that decision on his own when the timing is right for him — there may be a fighting fire that still burns inside the 39-year-old mixed martial arts legends despite his recent struggles inside the Octagon. It should be interesting to see if and when he does make a decision whether or not it drives a wedge between him and White … especially if he wants to stick around and, at the very least, finish the last fight on his current and deal and attempt to go out with his hand raised rather than flattened on the canvas. However, he’d more than likely have to do it against one of the best in the division — fighting a no name would do him no justice. Howard Davis Jr. — the famed boxing trainer who attempted to fix Liddell’s mechanics heading into the Rua fight — thinks that if he does intend to keep fighting that he should do it as a middleweight. And the latest big name to make the drop to 185 pounds, Wanderlei Silva, wants a rematch with Liddell after his UFC 99 fight against Rich Franklin. Hmmm …. any interest in that, maniacs? |
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