Thursday, May 14, 2009

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

M-1 season two to debut on HDNET on May 13

Posted: 14 May 2009 05:53 AM PDT

Amsterdam, Holland — The U.S. season premiere of the 2009 “M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction” is scheduled for Friday, May 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET on HDNet and will feature the season debut of the 2008 M-1 Challenge Cup Champions, Fedor Emelianenko’s Team Imperial. And when viewers tune in for the premiere, they will be treated to one of the most dramatic fights in M-1 Challenge history.

Formerly known as Russia Red Devil, Team Imperial returned to action at the ‘09 season opener in Tacoma, Wash. earlier this year having brought back all five of members of its championship roster.

Led by top lightweight prospect Mikhail Malyutin and light heavyweight ace Mikhail Zayats, Team Imperial’s road to a second consecutive title will not be easy. With this year’s M-1 Challenge expanding from ten teams to 16, Imperial finds itself in a deep Pool B with USA West, Team Brazil, and a vastly improved South Korean team.

Imperial’s quest for a second championship during Friday’s premiere will come against a South Korean team led by returnees heavyweight Sang Soo Lee and lightweight Do Hyung Kim. The premiere will also feature the incredible M-1 Challenge debut of light heavyweight newcomer Jae Young Kim.

With an 11-6 record at the time, Kim was considered a massive underdog heading into his 205 pound encounter with Zayats, who went 4-0 in M-1 Challenge play in 2008, with notable wins over jiu-jitsu black belt Lucio Linhares of Finland as well as Holland’s David Haagsma in the ‘08 finals. Overall, Zayats was a stellar 8-1 heading into the ‘09 opener vs. Kim.

In addition to the exciting Zayats vs. Kim fight, viewers will also see heavyweights Lee and Alexy Oleinik go head-to-head along with a bout featuring two of the M-1 Challenge’s best lightweights, Malyutin and Do Hyung Kim.

Lee made headlines last year after recording a first round submission victory over striking standout Roman Zentsov in a “superfight” held at an M-1 Challenge event in Seoul, South Korea. Zentsov, a veteran of PRIDE and BodogFIGHT, was forced to tap at 4:33 of round 1 and has not competed since.

During Friday night’s premiere, Lee will once again find himself in the ring against a top Russian competitor in Oleinik, who competed on U.S. soil last year during YAMMA’s heavyweight tournament held in Atlantic City, N.J.

Oleinik was added to the Team Imperial roster just prior to the ‘08 finals after Kirill Sidelnikov was promoted to Affliction and M-1’s “Day of Reckoning” event this past January. An underdog vs. Holland’s Jessie Gibbs, Oleinik proved himself to his teammates after submitting Gibbs with an Ezekiel choke at 3:42 of round 2. Who will keep their win streak alive? Tune into HDNet at 8 p.m. ET on Friday to find out.

With commentary provided my Affliction and M-1 pay-per-view announcers Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith, Friday’s premiere also includes a welterweight matchup featuring Imperial’s Erik Oganov vs. South Korea’s Myeon Ho Bae and a middleweight contest between Dmitry Samoilov of Imperial and Hyun Gyu Lim of South Korea.

With a total of 16 teams featuring fighters from Russia, the U.S., Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Finland, and Benelux, the 2009 M-1 Challenge will be available in the U.S. each and every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on HDNet starting Friday, May 15.

MMA Quick Pic: Gina Carano hits the red carpet as one of Maxim’s ‘Hot 100′

Posted: 13 May 2009 10:32 PM PDT

Props: Maxim.com

(Thanks to Isaac Hinds of Lift Studios for the assist.)

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9: Episode 7 recap and discussion

Posted: 13 May 2009 07:01 PM PDT

Episode seven of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 gets underway with a Team UK training session and Dave Faulkner is doing the worm. Somewhere in Westbrook, Maine, Scott Garland is suing for royalties. The cameras poll some of the Brits and they all concur that Dave can win it all because he excels in every area.

Even wrestling!

At the TUF house, Richie Whitson introduces the gang to impetigo, which is basically scabs gone wild. Jason Pierce takes a can of Lysol and douses the quarters with a spray-on defense.

Team USA hits the gym and Jason Pierce — who is slated to meet Dave Faulkner later in the show — starts complaining about broken blood vessels in his foot. He trains bouncing around on one leg like Zach Gowan until Hendo tells him to hit the bench. The seeds of withdrawal are already being planted.

Bisping thinks it would be a swell idea to have the guys bash tractor tires with giant sledgehammers. What he fails to realize is that unless you’ve logged some serious hours under the sledge, it can be a tricky piece of equipment to negotiate.

When all is said and done, Andre takes a piece out of the mats, Dean throws an airball and Faulkner smashes himself in the leg like he’s trying to ring that little bell at the carnival.

Apparently “The Count” overestimated the dexterity of his team.

When the Yanks arrive there seems to be an equipment failure. Jason Pierce doesn’t have his cup — or the will to succeed — since every task he’s presented with draws a scowl and a complaint.

Coach Cyrille calls him a pain in the neck. Hendo responds with three complete sentences — a personal best for this season.

Pierce hits the showers without finishing his training and the rest of the team thinks he’s afraid of Faulkner and starting to unravel.

The downstairs room at TUF manor has been labeled the “bash room” because it’s where the haters congregate to talk trash about whichever fighter happens to be absent from the group. Lester begins to confront the bashers but then quickly scurries off, presumably to get to second period French before the bell rings.

On the other side of town, Faulkner is late for practice after having a lump in his shin treated following the hammer fiasco.

Both teams are called to some nearby tennis courts for the much anticipated “Coaches Challenge.” On tap? You guessed it, a friendly game of tennis. As usual, winning coach gets 10g and his crew gets 1.5k a piece.

Mercifully, Dana modifies the tennis rules to allow each Coach the ability to serve outside the lines. First to six games wins and the winner must win by two games.

As expected, both Coaches are absolutely dreadful with the rackets. Hendo gaffes on the first serve but rebounds to take the game one. He then masters the serve and goes up 2-0. Bisping is starting to crack under the relentless trash talk from Team US. “The Count” squeaks out two wins to make it 2-5 but can’t sustain his momentum and goes down in the next set.

Afterward, Bisping seems more upset that Damarques Johnson was shooting his mouth off than he was at losing in tennis. That my friends, is a fighter.

Fight announcement pits lightweights Ross Pearson vs. Richie Whitson.

A “4th and Long” commercial introduces us to the term “Slapdick Operation.” Thumbs up from this viewer. Unfortunately it’s followed up by that annoying Subway commercial that features a montage of American Idol rejects trying to sing A Capella.

I decide to watch the remainder of the episode from the comfort of my idling car — with a potato in my tailpipe.

Back to business and Whitson gives us the “I’m from a small town” speech. He works on his striking but not his ability to take a fall as he does an Irvin-Southworth right out the cage door and onto the floor.

Later that night, Coach Henderson brings Whitson a cake for his birthday and Cameron Dollar spoils the good cheer by bawling on the balcony over past due bills and going home to Mom and Pop. Lester seems slightly amused over the whole incident.

At the weigh-ins, both fighters hit their mark. Dana White labels it “The Pitbull” vs. “The Scrappy Snowboarder.” Dah-dum-dum.

Ross Pearson does a hard sparring session with Bisping — just long enough to burn the time necessary to assure me we aren’t going to see Jason Pierce face off against Dave Faulkner.

Lightweight elimination fight #3: Ross Pearson (9-3) vs. Richie Whitson (4-0)

Round 1: Kick lands for Whitson and they clinch. They go to the cage and struggle for a bit before pushing off. Whitson misses a big head kick and Pearson takes him down hard. Whitson stands up and they exchange. Huge knee from Pearson and Whitson tries for a guillotine and gets slammed for his efforts. Pearson throws another huge knee — unfortunately Whitson was downed and it was illegal. Referee Herb Dean allows Whitson time to recover and deducts a point from Pearson. They resume and throw hands. Whitson misses a kick. And again — and this time gets pushed to the cage. Pearson with another huge takedown. Whitson stands up and gets taken down yet again. Pearson takes his back and works for the choke but transitions to an armbar and taps him out. Total domination by Pearson.

Ross Pearson defeated Richie Whitson via submission (armbar)

Whitson doesn’t make any excuses for the loss and Pearson is ready to rumble some more.

Stay tuned next week as American morale hits a new low, the Brits get bitten by the injury bug and Pierce has to decide whether or not he wants to be an F-ing fighter.

See you in seven!

UFCs Dana White ESPN ‘E:60′ video episode (Complete)

Posted: 13 May 2009 01:09 PM PDT

Eddie Wineland scratched from WEC 41 fight against Frank Gomez with an elbow injury

Posted: 13 May 2009 12:32 PM PDT

Former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland (14-6-1) has suffered a right elbow injury and has been forced to withdraw from his 135-pound contest against Frank Gomez (6-1) at WEC 41: "Brown vs. Faber 2," according to NWI.com.

It's one that he has apparently had issues with in the past.

Here's a snip from him:

“It’s a recurring injury. This time, it’s been a little more severe than normal. I’m not 100 percent sure, but I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of tendonitis. It gets to the point where I can’t even pick up a bottle to take a drink. If I relax it and leave it alone for a little while, it’ll go away. But as soon as I start activity again, it starts to flare up.”

No replacement for Wineland is know at this time; however, the promotion is currently looking for a worthy opponent who is willing to step in and take on Gomez on short notice at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on June 7.

It had been more than two years since Wineland last fought for the promotion before he made his return to the WEC cage last month at "Torres vs. Mizugaki." Unfortunately for him, his homecoming wasn't a memorable one — Wineland was submitted in just over a minute via rear naked choke by one of the division's rising contenders, Rani Yahya.

It was a crushing defeat after putting together back-to-back stoppage victories over Jason Tabor and Wade Choate on the smaller circuit during his absence to earn another shot with the Zuffa-owned promotion.

The good news is that the former champ will surely get another chance to prove himself in the vastly improved WEC 135-pound division as soon as he is fully recovered.

WEC 41 is set to feature a featherweight championship rematch between current title holder Mike Thomas Brown and former division kingpin, Urijah "The California Kid" Faber. Jose Aldo, Cub Swanson, Manny Gamburyan, Jens Pulver and others are expected to be in action on the card as well.

As usual, the main card will air live on the Versus network on fight night. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for the latest WEC 41 news and rumors.

A grappler’s quest: An MMAmania.com interview exclusive with Jake Shields

Posted: 13 May 2009 12:13 PM PDT

Eight months is a long time to wait. Especially for a fighter who is more than anxious to prove he belongs alongside the elite welterweights in the world.

Yet that’s exactly how long it has been since Jake Shields successfully defended his Elite XC welterweight title against Paul “Semtex” Daley at Elite XC: “Heat” way back in October 2008.

Needless to say, a lot of events have transpired in between.

EliteXC announced shortly thereafter it would cease operations. Then in February 2009, Strikeforce stepped up to purchase the remaining Pro Elite assets, including the contract of Shields and many others.

For his first Strikeforce fight, Shields was scheduled to do battle against Joe Riggs at the “Shamrock vs. Diaz” event on April 11, but instead opted for a step up in competition (and in weight), much to the dismay of “Diesel.”

Shields’ new and improved adversary?

Another former EliteXC champion in “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, who once laid claim to the 185-pound crown.

The result is a headlining fight at a catchweight of 182 pounds — and a classic “striker vs. grappler” matchup that’s sure to produce fireworks.

We caught up with the grappling phenom in between training sessions to share his thoughts on Elite XC, how close he came to signing with the UFC, facing Robbie Lawler and his uncertain future in the fight game.

Check it out:

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): I understand you started your MMA career at Chuck Liddell’s SLO Kickboxing Academy in 1999. Did you know Chuck prior to going there or did you meet him at the gym?

Jake Shields: I knew who he was. He wasn’t really known to the world back then but he was known around town. I didn’t actually personally know him. I’d see him around town and he had a rep as the town tough guy, but I didn’t actually get a chance to meet him until I went to the gym.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): What were those first few weeks and months of MMA training like for you and what comes to mind when you look back at your experience there?

Jake Shields: It was awesome for me. I was just a young kid. I was like 20 or 21 and just went in there. I was watching old UFC’s and then getting to go in there with Chuck. I mean Chuck wasn’t news back then but he still just knew a ton. It was just the wealth of knowledge between the stand up and the submission fighting. It was an awesome experience.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): I want to jump forward to the end of your EliteXC tenure. The news comes out that they were ceasing operations. At that point everything was in limbo. What was that uncertainly like for you, not knowing what organization you were going to fight for or when your next fight would be?

Jake Shields: It sucked definitely not really knowing what was going on. It’s never fun. There’s nothing you can do about it. I just tried to look at the positive side. I could open my gym. I concentrated my energy into that. I just took time to get my gym running good. I kept training, kept working on new skills, and now I’m just happy it finally got resolved with Strikeforce and I’m excited to be back in the cage.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): It took a good three to four months between that point and the announced purchase of the remaining assets by Strikeforce. In that time I’m assuming you and your management explored all avenues. Was joining the UFC one of the things you looked into?

Jake Shields: That was definitely my number one option. We were just trying to get the contract cleared. We were very ready to go to the UFC. At my weight that is where the top competition is. I was pushing really hard to go to the UFC. I already hired a lawyer. We had a lawsuit all ready to file.

Then Scott Coker bought it and I have a good relationship with Scott Coker. I sat down and had a good meeting with him and decided I would honor my contract with Strikeforce.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Is it safe to say you would be in the UFC today if Strikeforce didn’t come in and purchase your contract?

Jake Shields: Oh yeah, definitely. That was definitely my plan. If someone would have bought the contract I didn’t like we probably would have gone ahead with the lawsuit. Since I get along quite well with Scott Coker and he’s doing a great job I figured I’d fight for him.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Now it will be roughly eight months between your last fight against Paul Daley and your upcoming Strikeforce fight with Robbie Lawler. How bad have you been chomping at the bit to get back to competing on that stage?

Jake Shields: Bad. I just feel like I’m right in my prime right now. I want to be out doing big fights. I feel like in your prime you only have a certain amount of time, so I don’t want to be taking too much time off.

I want to get to the top and I’m trying to get back in there. I’m really excited they gave me Robbie because I think he’s a guy that really lets me test myself.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How has training camp been going? What is a typical day like for you?

Jake Shields: It’s going really good right now. I mix it up a little bit, but pretty busy. For example, I just got done sparring a bunch of rounds and hit mitts.

Now I’m going in for my lifting training. I’m trying to put on a little weight for this fight so I’ve been doing a little more lifting than usual.

After that I’ll head to jiu-jitsu practice. It’s going to be a good workout today between sparring, grappling, pad work, lifting, and running. It’s quite a bit of training.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): With regards to Robbie, we know he has great hands and likes to go toe-to-toe with guys and turn his fights into stand up battles. How do you plan on attacking him and what are some of his weaknesses you want to hone in on?

Jake Shields: I don’t put big game plans together, but obviously I’m more the grappler and he’s more the striker, so at some point I would like to get this to the mat. I don’t want to go out there too fast, but get out there, speed things up a little bit, and see where it goes. Hopefully put him on his back.

His biggest weakness is fighting off his back. His strength is the stand up and I think he’s got a solid top game as well. Obviously, if I want to work at his weakness I can put him on his back and try to submit him.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): If you could pass along a message to Robbie about what he needs to be prepared for on June 6 what would that be?

Jake Shields: I think Robbie is going to be prepared so there’s nothing really to know. He knows what he’s up against. He’s going to do everything in his power to get ready for me and I’m going to do everything in mine. I think we’re both going to show up ready and I’ll be really surprised if Robbie doesn’t show up ready to fight.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): What I really want to know is do you think Robbie is going to have the same fate as the kid you fought on MTV’s Bully Beatdown?

Jake Shields: (Laughs) Certainly not. Robbie’s a top five middleweight. It’s not going to be an easy fight like that. I think I’ll go out there and be able to stand my turf. I wouldn’t take the fight if I didn’t think I could win. I don’t think it’ll be that easy of a fight though.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Looking further into the future, is it safe to say you could be at the 185-pound limit for a while because there are more quality opponents there?

Jake Shields: It’s definitely a possibility. At this point I’m just worried about getting through Robbie and see how I feel, if I feel strong enough at this weight or not. If I do get through Robbie and do feel strong then maybe I’ll stay here for a few fights.

I think overall 170 is my best weight though. That’s where I want to spend most of my career. If it’s a good move to get the big fights I’m willing to stay up.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): It’s a fact that the majority of the best welterweights in the world are in the UFC. Who out of that group would you like to challenge yourself against?

Jake Shields: There are a lot of guys I’d like to fight. They have a really stacked division. If I could pick one it would have to be GSP (Georges St. Pierre). He’s been the standout in the UFC right now and I think it would be awesome to get a chance to get in there and fight him.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Is there any doubt in your mind you could step into the UFC and be a title contender from day one?

Jake Shields: There’s no doubt in my mind I’d be in there with the top. You never know what’s going to happen when you get there and fight but I know for sure I could go in there and compete with the best.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your current contract status? When does that expire? Is it by year or by fight?

Jake Shields: There is time and fights on it. I don’t deal with that. Any contract coming in my manager deals with that. Things were shifted around a bit with the buying out and renegotiation so I don’t know exactly what’s on there, but I think it’s somewhere around a year.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Is coming to the UFC still realistic sometime in the future or is it completely out of the realm of possibility?

Jake Shields: At this point I just want to fight for Strikeforce and get these fights done and see how things go. I’m really happy with Strikeforce so I don’t want to be like, “Oh, I’m going to run to the UFC.”

I’ve been a huge fan of the UFC for years and I really do want to go out there and fight the best at my weight, so it puts me in a tough situation. For now, I think I’m just going to worry about getting through my contract and then reevaluating the situation and take it from there.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Is it safe to say you are going to try to fight again before the end of the year? It won’t be another eight month gap will it?

Jake Shields: Man I sure hope not. I would really like to get a few fights in. I’d really like to fight right now. As long as the Lawler fight goes good and I’m not hurt at all I’d like to fight again in the show in August. I would love to jump right back on that one.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Well Jake that’s all I had for you. Is there anything you would like to pass along to your fans out there or any sponsors you would like to thank?

Jake Shields: Just thanks for the support. Be sure to watch June 6. I’m sure it’s going to be a good fight. Be sure to tune into Showtime.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Thanks again. I appreciate the time. We’ll do it again in the future. Best of luck to you in a few weeks.

Jake Shields: Awesome man. Thank you.

Derek Bolender is a staff writer for Inside Fights, as well as a syndicated writer to FoxSports and CBSSports. Look for future articles from him on MMAmania.com.

Lyoto Machida: Our father, who art in Brazil, Karate be thy name …

Posted: 13 May 2009 11:59 AM PDT

“Karate was discredited in mixed martial arts so my father and I are developing and adapting some aspects in karate to prove that all arts are efficient. My target is holding the Machida Karate flag and raising the name of my family, father and everyone who takes part in my training.”

– Undefeated light heavyweight Lyoto Machida talks to Fighters Only magazine about returning karate — currently a punchline in the eyes of many MMA fans — to the respected and feared discipline it once was. To do that, he’ll need to chop his way to victory against reigning 205-pound champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans at UFC 98 on May 23. "Dragon" — who has six wins, including two finishes inside the Octagon — recently upped his stock with a fantastic finish of the previously unbeaten Thiago Silva at UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ on Jan. 31. He'll now look to stifle the juking and jiving champion in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Can he do it … or will Evans somehow find a way to solve the enigma that is Lyoto Machida? For the record: Machida is currently a -225 favorite among the sportsbooks to win the fight.

DREAM 9, Super Hulk Tournament set to air live on HDNet on May 26

Posted: 13 May 2009 10:58 AM PDT

Japan's Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) is set to present 'DREAM 9' taking place on May 26 from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

For fans in North America it will be aired live early Tuesday morning on HDNet at 3:00am ET. Should you miss it you'll be able to catch the replay on Friday, May 29 at 10:00pm ET.

The card will play host to the promotion’s featherweight Grand Prix Tournament.

The focal point of which will boast the long awaited return of 139-pound superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, who was offered a first-round bye in the tournament in hopes that he will have recovered from a previous injury in time to compete.

He's coming off a long 16-month layoff but now he's finally ready to compete and will take on wrestling stud Joe Warren.

The popular Masakazu Imanari will have his hands full with jiu-jitsu ace Bibiano Fernandes when they both collide in their quarterfinal bout.

Yoshiro Maeda, who some may know for his highly exciting showdown but losing effort with WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres (37-1) last year at 'WEC 34,' will also be in action. He takes on Hiroyuki Takaya who earned his spot by thrashing debuting Korean Judoka Jong Won Kim in their opening round fight at 'DREAM 7.'

Despite winning his Tournament bout, Daiki Hata will not compete due to an eye injury. The man who he defeated, Hideo Tokoro, will now step up and take his spot. He'll go to war with BJJ expert Abel Cullum, which should present an exciting showdown.

And who could forget DREAM's recently constructed open weight Tournament, which is being billed as a "Super Hulk Tournament” with the tag line "The Tournament to end all Tournaments."

That may very well be the case — but likely for all the wrong reasons.

It will feature eight fighters of varying size and ability.

First up will be Japanese fan favorite Ikuhisa Minowa, who’s fought every name under the sun (albeit to inconsistent results). He will be put to the task of facing off against Bob "The Beast" Sapp, who relies on his size when fighting and not so much technical prowess.

UFC washout Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will look to get back to his wining ways but will be considerably outsized in his attempt to do so when he clashes with 6' 11", 330 lb. Jan "The Giant" Nortje.

Gegard Mousasi, who vacated his DREAM Middleweight title recently because he desired a move to Light Heavyweight, will face off against dangerous kickboxer Mark Hunt.

And baseball star Jose ‘Can’seco is also set to compete, making his first appearance in mixed martial arts — which may also serve as his last. That's because he's been put up to the task of doing battle against 7' 2" gargantuan Hong Man Choi.

Unreal.

In non-tournament action will be highly regarded lightweight standout Gesias "JZ" Calvancante who is set to do battle with Japanese mainstay Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri.

And grappling phenom Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is slated to once again do battle with the charismatic Jason "Mayhem" Miller, in a bout that will be contested for the vacant DREAM Middleweight title.

And although the card looks to be complete, DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara teased that there is more to come.

Oh my.

Here is the current line-up for 'DREAM 9':

Featherweight grand prix quarterfinals:
Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1) vs. Joe Warren (1-0)
Masakazu Imanari (16-6-1) vs. Bibiano Fernandes (4-2)
Yoshiro Maeda (24-6-2) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (10-6-1)
Abel Cullum (14-2) vs. Hideo Tokoro (21-16-1)

"Super Hulk" Open weight quarterfinals:
Ikuhisa Minowa (41-30) vs. Bob Sapp (10-3-1)
Jan Nortje (2-5) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-4)
Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Mark Hunt (5-5)
Hong Man Choi (1-2) vs. Jose Canseco (0-0)

DREAM middleweight title:
Ronaldo Souza (10-2) vs. Jason Miller (22-6)

Non-tournament bout:
Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (23-5-2)

For more on Dream 9 and the Super Hulk Tournament, click here.

Programming reminder: UFC stars to appear on May 15 episode of Dr. Phil

Posted: 13 May 2009 10:16 AM PDT

UFC President Dana White along with former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and number one lightweight contender Kenny Florian will be appearing on the Dr. Phil show this Friday, May 15, at 3 PM ET on CBS.

Titled “Dangerous Teen Trends,” the episode will have the UFC stars confront a group of reckless teenagers engaged in underground street fighting in hopes of preparing themselves for a future in combat sports.

Can Dana and Co. convince them that mixed martial arts is a sport and not a street fight in a cage?

An excerpt from the Dr. Phil Web site:

Adela worries for her 17-year-old son, Alex’s, safety after discovering that he’s participating in an underground extreme sport — teen fight clubs. Alex and his 16-year-old friend, Casanova, say that these amateur boxing matches train them to reach their goals of becoming Ultimate Fighting Champions (UFC). How do the teens respond when they come face-to-face with real UFC fighters?

Dana White is making his second guest appearance on the Dr. Phil show. Back in February, the Zuffa chief came to the aid of a heartbroken wife who felt she would lose her husband to the world of ultimate fighting when he suddenly and unexpectedly began pursuing a career in MMA.

It’s interesting to see the UFC — what many of yesterday’s experts perceived as “part of the problem” — now being called in to help be “part of the solution.”

UFC 98 videos: Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra fight talk

Posted: 13 May 2009 10:16 AM PDT

Check out what Matt Serra has to say after the jump.

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