Tuesday, July 7, 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

UFC 100 video blog with Dana White (Episode two)

Posted: 07 Jul 2009 04:20 AM PDT

Nick Diaz to fight Joe Riggs for Strikeforce welterweight title on August 15

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 10:23 PM PDT

Strikeforce today added a fourth championship title bout to its August 15 mega-card as bitter rivals Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs are set to collide in a 170-pound rematch at the “Carano vs. Cyborg” event from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, for the promotion’s newly created welterweight title.

This bout will serve as the rubber match between the two, who first went to war at UFC 57: "Liddell vs. Couture III" back in February 2006 with “Diesel” squeaking out a close unanimous decision victory.

The mortal enemies staged an immediate (albeit unsanctioned) rematch in a nearby hospital following the event, with Diaz winning via TCO (Technical Crap Out) after Riggs defecated on himself during a botched takedown attempt.

Diaz comes into this fight on an absolute tear. Aside from dismantling the clearly-overmatched Scott Smith at June’s “Lawler vs. Shields” event, the Cesar Gracie-disciple busted up the legendary Frank Shamrock en route to a second round TKO at the last San Jose-based event back in April.

The Stockton, California native is riding a five-fight win streak and has finished each of his opponents in dominating fashion.

Like Diaz, Riggs has found success since leaving the UFC and has put together two impressive back-to-back wins under the Strikeforce banner. After pounding out Luke Stewart at least year’s “Destruction” event, the one-time heavyweight breezed to a unanimous decision victory over Phil Baroni in St. Louis just last month.

No question this bout is going to produce fireworks — probably more so outside of the cage with all the trash-talking that’s anticipated from these two competitors leading up to the event.

Strikeforce: "Carano vs. Cyborg" will feature a 145-pound title fight between female fighting sensation Gina "Conviction" Carano and her nemesis Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos as well as a lightweight title unification bout between reigning champ Josh "The Punk" Thomson and interim champ Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez.

Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum will also hook ‘em up for “Demolition Man’s” heavyweight gold.

For all the latest on this still-developing fight card click here.

Chuck Liddell and Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame this weekend

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 08:31 PM PDT

Former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and late TapouT founder, Charles “Mask” Lewis, will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame during the fan expo at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, July 10.

UFC President Dana White just broke the news in his latest Twitter update:

“Hey guys chuck liddell and charles “mask” lewis will be inducted into the ufc hall of fame at the ufc fan expo this friday at 630 p.m.”

Liddell made his Octagon debut more than a decade ago, earning a decision victory over Noe Hernandez at UFC 17: “Redemption” back in 1998. During the next seven years, which included a quick trip overseas to try his hand in the Pride FC Middleweight Grand Prix in 2003, Liddell would rise to the top of the 205-pound food chain.

His trademark Mohawk, head tattoo and vicious knockouts catapulted him to rock star status inside the cage and outside of it seemingly overnight. And when he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 52: “Couture vs. Liddell 2″ in April 2005, “The Iceman” became the face of the promotion, appealing to fans worldwide and helping elevate the sport into a whole new stratosphere.

The San Louis Obispo, Calif., native would defend his title four times over the next two years before running into Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 71: “Liddell vs. Jackson” in May 2007. Rampage — who bounced Liddell out of the Pride FC tournament four years earlier — scored a convincing first round technical knockout over Liddell.

It was widely believed at the time that Rampage simply had his number; however, Liddell would go onto lose three of his next four fights. His two most recent losses to Rashad Evans and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua were downright decisive, prompting White to prematurely announce that Liddell — his long-time friend — would retire from the sport.

Liddell recently countered that statement, claiming he would sit out until at least April 2010 to heal his brain and give him enough time to make a decision about his future. If he does decide to continue he would join Couture and Mark Coleman as active UFC Hall of Famers.

Also included in the ceremony will be a posthumous induction of Charles Lewis, who was killed in a tragic car accident in the early morning hours on March 11 of this year.

Known simply as “Mask” to his friends and fans in the mixed martial arts community, Lewis helped launch TapouT way back in 1997, with nothing more than a vision and a handful of merchandise — and enough gas in his van to follow fighters across the state of California to promote and sell his MMA-inspired brand of clothing.

Now his empire, along with Dan "Punkass" Caldwell and Timothy "Skyskrape" Katz, includes a reality TV show, a line of bottled water, an impressive stable of mixed martial arts fighters and of course its massive clothing line, which went from a few thousand dollars in sales back in the late 90's to over $100 million in 2008.

His significance in the growth of mixed martial arts through brand awareness and fighter sponsorships cannot be overstated.

Liddell and Lewis will join five other distinguished members in the UFC Hall of Fame, including Couture, Coleman, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie.

Watch UFC 100 online and other bars/places playing PPV on July 11

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 08:17 PM PDT

Okay, Maniacs … the countdown to UFC 100 has begun — we’re now just days away from the landmark pay-per-view (PPV) event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 11.

With two major titles on the line, as well as bad blood beginning to boil between the coaches from this season of The Ultimate Fighter, this is one show that mixed martial arts fans — old and new — will be tuning in to watch this weekend.

Our advice? Make plans now. And maybe meet up with some nearby Maniacs while you’re at it.

For those who intend to pass on the traditional means, ordering it through their cable/satellite providers, there are several local watering holes and fine establishments located throughout the nation that will be airing the action live on fight night.

To check out a complete list of authorized restaurants and sports bars playing UFC 100 live in your backyard click here.

Of course, with international talent such as Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama, among others, slated to compete on the card there is massive global interest in UFC 100. That’s the primary reason the promotion also streams its events live online at Yahoo.com.

Still not enough?

Well, as always, remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, July 11), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that right here around 8 p.m. ET.

Regardless of how or where you watch UFC 100, MMAmania.com will be ground zero for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 100 coverage you can handle. So be sure to hit us up at some point this week and next to talk about anything and everything UFC 100-related with the best collection of fans on the Web.

Buckle up … UFC 100 is going to be one memorable ride. Don’t miss it! For more the latest UFC 100 news and notes click here.

SuperMir: Able to leap former WWE wrestlers in a single bound

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 07:47 PM PDT

Props: Maxim.com (Click the link for the complete list of UFC fighters as superheroes.)

Got anything better … or more amusing? Let loose in the comments section below.

UFC Quick Quote: Holly Madison goes from Playboy to ring girl this weekend

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 05:45 PM PDT

“Had my UFC ring girl fitting today! Outfit looks bad ass!”

– Holly Madison — who is perhaps best known as Hugh Hefner’s favorite girlfriend during “The Girls Next Door” — Tweets about her fitting today for a UFC ring card girl get up. Madison has appeared in a UFC 98 video blog with company president Dana White not too long ago — she’s apparently a big fan of the sport. So is the 29-year-old Oregonian just having fun, getting dolled up for a special saunter at UFC 100 or will she somehow be included in the the first-ever Maxim UFC Octagon Girl Search at the fan expo … or all of the above? Can’t wait to get to the bottom of this …

Josh Barnett is not scared of Fedor Emelianenko

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 02:02 PM PDT

Props: MMAOpinion.com

Quoteworthy:

“You know what? I don't care [about being a big under dog] because there's plenty of times I've fought people where everybody thought I was going to win. It's not what everybody thinks … I'm not scared. So many other people get in the ring and clearly they're scared … I've got the skill set required at any aspect where I can win the fight. I believe in it. I'm not going in there thinking I've got to do one thing or the other. I know when opportunities are there I can take them and win, and I believe in what I'm doing.”

Josh Barnett talks about winning the mental battle before heading into war against the top heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, at Affliction: “Trilogy” from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 1. “The Babyface Assassin” is confident that his experience and all-around skills are good enough to carry him to victory over the stoneface Russian cyborg — something that hasn’t happened in nearly a decade (and that lone loss was because of a grizzly cut 17 seconds into the fight.) So can the confident Barnett do what 30 other men before him have failed to do or will he share their same fate on fight night?

‘Countdown to UFC 100′ video preview

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 11:43 AM PDT

For more on the July 7 debut of “Countdown to UFC 100″ click here.

UFC Quick Quote: ‘Oh (bleep), Joe Silva is calling…’

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 10:43 AM PDT

“Every time Joe Silva calls, you have an excitement but also an, ‘Oh (expletive), Joe Silva is calling. He asks you what you think, but he has a way of making you do it even when at the time you don’t want to do it. He’s got a knack of persuasion where you’ll be talking and then all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Wait, what did I just agree to?’ At (UFC 78), he asked me what I thought about two Ultimate Fighters fighting each other for the first time. And I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to fight Forrest Griffin.’ Then he said (Michael) Bisping. And nothing against Bisping, but I wanted to fight one of the top guys. He told me to think about it and I was like, ‘Fine, I’ll take the fight. He’ll persuade you where he’ll say, ‘Listen, you can do this and you can do that and your styles are like this,’ and eventually you’re like, ‘Yeah Joe, that does sound good. Let’s do it.’”

– Former UFC light heavyweight champion “Sugar” Rashad Evans dishes to the Las Vegas Sun on Zuffa’s mystery man Joe Silva. The high-profile but largely unknown matchmaker is one of the promotion’s biggest players but remains an enigma both inside the organization and out. With UFC 100 just a few days away, one thing fans aren’t complaining about is the quality of the card. So what’s the verdict? Does Silva earn a free pass and get to do his bidding behind the curtain? Or should the man with the plan be an open book? Opinions below.

Alistair Overeem vs Fabricio Werdum booked for August 15 Strikeforce event

Posted: 06 Jul 2009 09:13 AM PDT

Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will return to the San Jose-based promotion after nearly two years of fighting overseas to defend his belt against former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight standout Fabricio Werdum at the “Carano vs. Cyborg” event from the HP Pavilion on August 15.

MMAmania.com confirmed the bout with Strikeforce officials earlier today.

Overeem captured the heavyweight title with a second round submission win over Paul Buentello back in 2007 after repeated knees to the body forced "The Headhunter" to call it quits. “Demolition Man” has since been employed in Japan, racking up a 3-0 record in MMA (1 NC) and a 1-1 record under the K-1 banner during that span.

His most recent mixed martial arts action was against 43-year old accomplished kickboxer and UFC veteran Gary Goodridge at a Glory MMA show in front of his own countrymen in Arnhem, Netherlands last November. Overeem won that bout via first round submission in yet another dominating performance.

Just how far Overeem has improved since his PRIDE days could ultimately be decided when he rematches Werdum on August 15. “Vai Cavalo” holds a second round submission win over the hulk from Holland when they tangled at PRIDE: “Total Elimination Absolute” in May 2006.

The Brazilian had gone 2-2 after joining the UFC in April 2007. After losing a cautious slapfest against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 70, Werdum put together two straight TKO victories over Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera, only to get bounced from the promotion when he was upset (and uppercut) by out-of-the-blue bruiser Junior Dos Santos.

Now each man has a chance to erase some bad memories this August in what is sure to be an entertaining war between two very talented heavyweights.

Strikeforce: "Carano vs. Cyborg" will feature a 145-pound title fight between female fighting sensation Gina “Conviction” Carano and her nemesis Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos as well as a lightweight title unification bout between reigning champ Josh "The Punk" Thomson and interim champ Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez.

For all the latest on this still-developing fight card click here.
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