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UFC Quick Quote: Rashad Evans vs Lyoto Machida to be ‘one of the biggest fights ever’ Posted: 27 Apr 2009 04:31 AM PDT "I don't think it's going to go to a decision; I don't think it’s going to go to the score cards. I think this is one of those specialty fights that people should get interested in because this fight, technically, should be one of the biggest fights ever in UFC history." – Color Ed Soares — the manager for several Brazilian mixed martial arts stars, including number one light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida — confident that the UFC 98: “Evans vs. Machida” main event will end early on May 23. Soares also tells MMAWeekly.com that he feels the 205-pound match up will be one for the ages, which is quite a statement because of the styles of both fighters. Machida is an elusive counter striker and Evans is a strong wrestler who has recently showcased incredible punching power. It’s a tough fight to call … tell us who you’ve got and why in the comments section below. Do your share Mr. Soares’ optimism or not so much?

Kyle Maynard fight video highlights make ESPNs SportsCenter Posted: 27 Apr 2009 04:18 AM PDT

Brett Rogers planning to lay on top of Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem Posted: 27 Apr 2009 04:13 AM PDT Props: MMAFighting.com Quoteworthy: "All I know is (Werdum) loves to stay on the ground.  He’ll stand up and try to pretend like he want(s) to fight.  As soon as someone hit him- light- he’s gonna want to take you down … If I know for a fact that’s his "A" game down there, I’m not going to want to stay down there and play with him.  And I consider myself a ‘C’ if anything on the ground … But I would go down there and lay on top of him. I’ll lay on top of him and bang with him.  But I’m definitely not going to try to play that jiu-jitsu game off my back with him. And with Overeem, with him I think it would be a little more exciting because he wants to stand with me. He’s kind of a fast spunky kind of dude, that’s what I’ve been seeing off of his videos.  He’s a dangerous fighter on the ground (in that) he can fight off of his back, too, so I ain’t gonna sleep on him when it comes to that.  But he’s definitely going to have some problems with the weight.  He’s gotta pump it up a little bit or I’ll lay on his ass, put that weight on him, tire him out." Strikeforce heavyweight banger Brett Rogers discusses fight strategies for a potential match-up with both Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem and newly-signed top ten heavyweight Fabricio Werdum. "The Grim" is coming off a second-round TKO stoppage over Abongo Humphrey at Strikeforce "Shamrock vs Diaz" on April 11 and hopes to get his hands on either "Demolition Man" or "Vai Cavalo" later this year. The rumor mill has a potential rematch between Overeem and Werdum at some point in the near future — with the winner going on to face the undefeated Rogers.

XFC 8 ‘Regional Conflict’ quick results: Jarrod Card wins gold, Bobby Lashley announces September debut Posted: 27 Apr 2009 04:11 AM PDT Knoxville, TN: In the XFC's first-ever fight card to be broadcast live on national television, the next generation of Mixed Martial Artists hurled haymakers, swapped submission holds, and turned Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee into an all-out warzone. The end-result was XFC 8: "Regional Conflict," an event airing live on HDNet that showcased the top emerging talent and most promising up-and-coming fighters in the entire Southeast. In the televised portion of the fight card, 22-year-old, 264-pound debuting heavyweight Chris "The Beast" Barnett outlasted 60+ fight veteran Johnathan Ivey via unanimous decision. Barnett, a two-time statewide heavyweight high school wrestling champion in Georgia and a third degree Taekwondo black belt, began his MMA training just five months earlier, winning an open tryout with the XFC for a spot in the MTV reality TV series "Made." The young prodigy dominated the older fighter from the get-go. "He held position well and was hard to move… he's just better than me," said a dejected Ivey. The well-traveled heavyweight from Clarksville, Tennessee had previously battled the likes of Dan Severn, Gan "The Giant" McGee, Ben Rothwell, Ricco Rodriguez, Travis Wiuff, Jake O'Brien, Sam Hoger and Jeremy Horn. "It was a great experience," exclaimed an excited Barnett, a native of Athens, Georgia. "I knew he'd try to confuse me with his veteran tricks, but I'm a different breed. I can move! Kicks, flips – I can do it all!" Jason Wood survived a back-and-forth battle with Derek Schiffer in a 150-pound showdown between twenty-something contenders with a combined 17-3 professional and amateur record. The first round was a close, competitive matchup with both men delivering – and receiving – colossal head-shots. In round two, Wood rocked Schiffer with a vicious volley of cascading punches, forcing the referee to dive atop Schiffer and stop the bout at the 3:41 mark. Schiffer needed assistance vacating the cage. In the third fight, ex-University of Tennessee linebacker and "wedge-busting" special teams ace Ovince St. Preux won his blood-feud with light heavyweight Ombey "Kryptonite" Mobley of Tampa, Florida, twisting his ankle and winning by submission 2:36 in round one. Mobley brought a theatrical flair to the contest, mocking St. Preux by dropkicking a Smokey hound dog doll and repeatedly making a "Gator Chomp" gesture in the cage; Smokey is the official mascot of the Tennessee Volunteers. The highly-partisan crowd loudly booed Mobley throughout the contest, erupting into a crescendo of boisterous cheers when the hometown hero finally upended his Florida challenger. "It was really satisfying," said St. Preux, reflecting on his victory. "I was really cranking hard [on the submission hold]. If he hadn't tapped, he would've had a serious injury. This was definitely the highlight of my MMA career." Former light heavyweight CT Turner dropped to 185-pounds to face undefeated Julio Gallegos in the fourth fight on HDNet. Both fighters opted to grapple and strike in concussive waves in the first stanza, with neither man able to dominate the other. Arguably, Turner won round one 10-9. But Gallegos began to incrementally deliver the harder and more damaging shots in the second round, locking Turner into a guillotine and refusing to release until he tapped at 2:47. "There was a little bit of déjà vu," noted Gallegos, who also bested Turner as an amateur. "I like CT a lot. He's a good person. In a way it was hard to fight him, because we both overcame adversity – and adversity never overcame us." Both Gallegos and Turner experienced homelessness and other serious setbacks in life before discovering the sport of MMA and embarking upon successful professional careers. In the co-featured bout of the night, Rafaello "Tractor" Oliveira faced XFC Lightweight World Champion John Mahlow at the catchweight of 160-pounds, with Mahlow agreeing to defend his title against Oliveira if he lost to the Brazilian-born BJJ black belt and sparring partner of UFC title-holder B.J. Penn. From the very first round, Oliveira utilized his jujitsu prowess to stymie the XFC champion, winning a three-round unanimous decision. "Rafaello is a good fighter," said Mahlow afterwards. "No excuses. We'll see each other again." Undefeated MMA heavyweight and former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley was on hand to present the XFC Featherweight World Title Belt to the winner of the Bruce "The Noose" Connors versus Jarrod "The Wild Card" Card fight in the main event. Connors entered the fight as the favorite, boasting a 6-0 record – with all six wins coming by first round knockout or submission. By the end of the night, Connors' record would receive its first blemish. Utilizing blazing foot-speed and precision punches, Card confounded Connors, peppering him with strikes from unorthodox angles, slicing his face into a gruesome mask of shredded flesh and free-flowing blood. Connors refused to back down and twice clamped Card into a deep guillotine, but each time the young fighter wrestled free and returned to his feet. Card won the contest – and the XFC world title – via five-round unanimous decision. "I'm the new guy on the scene," said an elated Card, who elevated his record to 10-2-1. "I'm more than ready for the next level. I'll fight anyone." For his part, Bobby Lashley – who announced that he'll finally be fighting for the XFC in September – seemed impressed with the fight card. "I thought it was an incredible night," gushed the former two-time ECW world champion. "I was blown away by all the talent in the cage. These guys now know what it's like to fight in the big show. As for my upcoming fight with the XFC, anyone they want me to take out, I'll do." Veteran sportswriter Dave Link covered XFC 8 for the Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper, and certainly appeared to enjoy the drama and action. "I've covered all kinds of sports for 25-years but I've never covered MMA," said Link. "This was just great! The entire event was first-class. If I wasn't covering it, I'd be here as a fan. I'll definitely be back when the XFC returns." Final results for XFC 8 Undercard: Devan Plaisance defeated Paul McEntee by TKO, 3:06 in round one Matt Traylor defeated Richard Boyd by TKO, 4:37 in round one Corey Krebs defeated Dean Hamilton by TKO, 1:22 in round one Main Card on HDNet Fights: Chris Barnett defeated Johnathan Ivey by three-round unanimous decision Jason Wood defeated Derek Schiffer by TKO, 3:41 in round two Ovince St. Preux defeated Ombey Mobley by submission (ankle lock) 2:36 in round one Julio Gallegos defeated CT Turner by submission (guillotine) 2:47 in round two Rafaello Oliveira defeated John Mahlow by three-round unanimous decision (Oliveira wins guaranteed rematch for Mahlow's XFC Lightweight World Title) Jarrod Card defeated Bruce Connors by five-round unanimous decision (Card wins vacant XFC Featherweight Champion) About Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC): Xtreme Fighting Championships – better known to MMA fight fans worldwide as XFC – is the Southeast's leading independent MMA promotion, and stages the largest live shows in the entire sport this side of UFC. Dedicated to launching the careers of the MMA superstars of tomorrow, XFC's North American fight cards are broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. For more information about XFC, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.

UFC welterweight Ricardo Almeida and DREAM featherweight Joe Warren featured on tonight’s presentation of Pro MMA Radio Posted: 27 Apr 2009 04:11 AM PDT Fresh off his win over Matt Horwich at UFC Fight Night 18, newly minted welterweight Ricardo Almeida (10-3) will join us tonight at 9 p.m. ET on MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio . "Cachorrao" will break down his unanimous decision victory over "Suave," the self-imposed three-year layoff to open the Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Hamilton, N.J., and why he’s dropping to welterweight despite coming off a win at 185-pounds. Also on the show, world champion wrestler and Team Quest standout Joe Warren will drop by to discuss facing one of the world's best, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, in the next round of the Dream Featherweight Grand Prix. Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names. If you're looking for a radio show that revolves around a couple of MMA fans ranting and raving about everything that's already been covered ad nauseam, then Pro MMA Radio probably isn't for you. However, if you want to hear from actual fighters and industry insiders answering questions that are relevant to the current MMA scene, tune in every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET for our exclusive live feed. See you tonight at 9 p.m. ET!

UFC 100 video: Fighters talk about significance of historic PPV and evolution of the sport Posted: 26 Apr 2009 09:36 AM PDT Props: UFC.com

A day in the life of UFCs Brandon Vera (Video) Posted: 26 Apr 2009 06:18 AM PDT

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