Tuesday, July 28, 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 101 weigh in results information for ‘Declaration’ PPV event on Aug. 8

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 04:37 AM PDT

The official weigh-in event for UFC 101: “Declaration” is set to take place from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia on Friday, Aug. 7, 2009.

It is currently scheduled to air LIVE on UFC.com via streaming video. The first fighter is expected to tip the scale at 4 p.m. ET.

As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the UFC 101 weigh-in, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude.

“Declaration” will feature a main event between lightweight champion BJ Penn and number one contender Kenny Florian. In addition, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will step up once again to compete at light heavyweight against former 205-pound champion, Forrest Griffin, in a three-round, non-title special attraction.

Here's the complete UFC 101 fight card:

Main event:
UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian

Main card (Televised):
205 lbs.: Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva
170 lbs.: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
185 lbs.: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
155 lbs.: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

Under card (May not be broadcast):
155 lbs.: Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
170 lbs.: John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory
185 lbs.: Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites
170 lbs.: Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
170 lbs.: Danillo Villefort vs. Jesse Lennox

For those fortunate enough to be in "The City of Brotherly Love" for the promotion’s first-ever trip to the “Keystone State” remember that the weigh-in is FREE to attend and open to the public. Doors to the weigh-in will open at 3 p.m. local time for the general public.

In addition, UFC Fight Club members will be able to attend an exclusive Q&A session with UFC President Dana White and co-owner, Lorenzo Fertitta, on that same day an hour earlier at 2 p.m.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, Aug. 8), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from the Wachovia Center.

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

It's going to be an awesome and memorable night of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 101 coverage you can handle.

UFC Quick Quote: ‘Shogun’ Rua doesn’t deserve a title shot against Lyoto Machida

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 07:13 PM PDT

"I'm going to root for Lyoto [Machida]. I'm not saying Shogun is not prepared but how long did Lyoto have to wait to get a title shot? The truth is Shogun fought twice and how many fights Machida had to do? Its obvious something is up. I'm not here to talk bad words on nobody but life is made of chances and I said to our managers this fight shouldn't happen. Shogun didn't fight enough to deserve the belt. The thing is precious and if I was Lyoto I wouldn't accept. He is a great champion and must be respected but this is my opinion. [That said], I've much respect for Shogun, who is a great athlete that has showed good performances lately and recovered from injuries."

– UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva shares his thoughts with BrasilCombate.com.br (via Fighters Only) on the first title defense of his good friend and training partner, Lyoto Machida, against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 104 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 24. Rua — widely regarded as the top 205-pound fighter in the world before a submission loss to Forrest Griffin in his Octagon debut in 2007 — is coming off a first round technical knockout of former 205-pound champion, Chuck Liddell, at UFC 97: "Redemption.” He also defeated Mark Coleman via third round technical knockout in a lackluster performance earlier this year at UFC 93: "Franklin vs. Henderson.” So is “Shogun” really ready to slay the “Dragon” or is he merely the only man left standing after Quinton “Rampage” Jackson turned down the opportunity to battle Rashad Evans instead? Or both? And just for the record, Machida had to win six fights, not two, to earn a crack at championship glory.

George St. Pierre has ‘no fear:’ UFC champ featured in Rolling Stone

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 04:56 PM PDT

Props: Rolling Stone

Quoteworthy:

“This former Montreal club bouncer isn’t huge — he’s 5-10, 170 pounds — but it hardly matters. Check any Mixed Martial Arts ranking for his class and you’ll find GSP near the top. Marketers envision him as the sport’s big breakout star — he’s the first MMA guy to pimp Gatorade, for one thing — and his win over Thiago Alves at UFC 100 could very well be the fight that does it. ‘He is a new breed of mixed martial artist,’ says UFC honcho Dana White. ‘He is good at everything and is getting more confident. He has absolutely no fear of any opponent. Anybody that the public or UFC sees as a challenge to him, he wants to fight — anyone.’”

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre is featured in this month’s edition (issue 1084) of Rolling Stone magazine among 17 other “Athletes Without Fear.” “Rush” joins Troy Polamalu, Carl Edwards, Gina Carano and several others as “the boldest and strongest in sports.” To check out the complete list click here or pick up a fresh hard copy, which is now on newsstands.

Faster and stronger: BJ Penn trains for Kenny Florian UFC 101 fight (Video)

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 02:22 PM PDT

Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral vs Gegard Mousasi fight moved to Strikeforce on Aug. 15

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 01:52 PM PDT

After a week of bad news, we finally have some positive information to pass along.

Strikeforce today announced that it has salvaged the dynamite light heavyweight showdown between Renato Sobral and Gegard Mousasi, which appeared to be scrapped when Affliction MMA closed its doors just one week prior to "Trilogy" on Aug. 1, 2009.

It gets better: Sobral, the Strikeforce 205-pound champion, will put his belt on the line when the two fighters collide at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Aug 15. It will be a featured bout on the televised main card, which will air on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET.

Sobral was forced to withdraw from his first-ever light heavyweight title defense against former Elite XC superstar, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, at the Strikeforce: 'Lawler vs. Shields' event slated for the the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., on June 6, due to the birth of his child in late May.

Babalu has won four straight fights since departing from the UFC in late 2007, including a decision win over Mike Whitehead at Affliction: "Banned," a submission win over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" and a first round technical knockout win over Bobby Southworth at Strikeforce: "Destruction" to win the promotion's 205-pound strap.

He will need every ounce of that experience (and his jiu-jitsu chops) to stymie Mousasi.

For Mousasi, who surrendered his DREAM middleweight title to focus on competing at a higher weight class, it is another opportunity to capture a major belt early in his bright career.

Here's what he had to say about fighting Babalu under the Strikeforce banner:

"I am very happy that Strikeforce has resurrected this fight and that I will have the opportunity to become Strikeforce world champion…. Strikeforce is one of the world's top promotions and I am proud to be a part of their roster of world-class fighters."

"The Young Vagabond" (25-2-1) is fresh off a first round submission win over Mark Hunt at Dream 9 on May 26. Mousasi is riding a 12-fight winning streak with victories over Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza. 23 of his 25 wins have been either submission or (T)KO stoppages.

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.

Rani Yahya vs John Hosman bout booked for WEC 42 with Kenji Osawa hurt

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 01:24 PM PDT

Japanese native Kenji Osawa (15-8-2) has been pulled from his bantamweight bout against Brazilian submission specialist Rani Yahya (14-4) at WEC 42 because of a foot injury suffered in training, according to a Versus.com report.

John Hosman (13-4-1) will fill-in on less than two weeks notice for the three-fight WEC veteran at “The Joint” at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Aug. 9.

The 28-year-old promotional newcomer who trains out of the Midwest Training Center has been a winner in 10 of his last 11 contests, including five in a row since last July. He too, brings a solid jiu jitsu game to the cage, having forced seven of his 13 victims to submit. WEC general manager Reed Harris confirmed the bout earlier today.

Here’s a snip:

"Rani Yahya is clearly one of the best grapplers in the division, but we expect John to bring the heat on Aug. 9. This is a big opportunity for him."

While the up-and-coming bantamweight fighter will look to introduce himself to the main stream mixed martial arts world on the under card of WEC 42, perhaps the world’s best known 135 pound fighter, Miguel “Angel” Torres, will headline the event against undefeated Brian Bowles — winner of four straight under the WEC banner.

For more on WEC 42 click here.

King Mo: ‘Rampage’ Jackson is not funny — and talks like he’s in the Klan

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 11:46 AM PDT

Props: Fighthype

Quoteworthy:

“He’s not even funny anymore. Every time Rampage makes a joke about black people, he talks about our features. He says things that someone in the Klan would say to us. When he made that ‘black on black crime’ comment towards Rashad, I didn’t see any black people laughing at that, but the white people was. They say, ‘Rampage is so cool and so funny.’ How is that funny? He then said it three or four times. It’s a minstrel show. Anyone that watched that video know he’s lying about not knowing who I am. We met before that. But he shouldn’t be worried about me. He should be worried about Rashad! My thing is the truth will come out and we will see how it makes us look. Memphis is a highly black-populated area. We’ll see how many blacks show up to his fight.”

Undefeated up-and-comer Muhammed Lawal (4-0) fires back at Quinton Jackson following some disparaging remarks the former UFC light heavyweight champ took at “King Mo” last week. The decorated collegiate wrestling champion and Division I All-American from Oklahoma State University will lock horns with grizzled veteran Don Frye (20-7-1) at "M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough" from the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 28 in his stateside debut. Can a trip to the UFC — and clash with “Rampage” — be far behind?

WEC founder and General Manager Reed Harris featured on tonight’s presentation of Pro MMA Radio

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 11:09 AM PDT

With less than two weeks to go before WEC 42: "Torres vs. Bowles" hits ‘The Joint’ at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, WEC founder and General Manager Reed Harris will join us tonight at 9 p.m. ET on MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio.

Harris will talk about the August 9 event, bringing the WEC to pay-per-view, eliminating the heavier weight divisions and establishing his promotion as the premiere destination for the world's best fighters in the lighter weight classes.

MMAmania.com’s own Nostradumbass will also drop by later in the show to discuss the fallout from the collapse of Affliction MMA and the repercussions it could have on the future of fighting.

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!

Nevada State Athletic Commission to vote on the inclusion of MMA instant replay

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 09:47 AM PDT

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) will soon vote on the inclusion of instant replay within the sport of mixed artial arts to better assist referees in the UFC and other organizations in determining the outcome of televised fights.

Set for August 19, the NSAC will specifically examine the relevance of instant replay as it pertains to fight-ending injuries or fouls, particularly those that may or may not have been ruled a technical knockout, like in the case of Mirko Filipovic vs. Mustapha Al-Turk back at UFC 99 on June 13.

From the NSAC:

Sec. 7.  NAC 467.682 is hereby amended to read as follows:

A referee may view a replay, if available, at the conclusion of a contest or exhibition stopped immediately due to an injury to an unarmed combatant pursuant to NAC 467.718 in order to determine whether the injury in question was caused by a legal blow or a foul.

(a) If the determination is made that the injury was the result of a legal blow, the injured unarmed combatant shall be determined to have lost the contest via technical knockout.

(b) If the determination is made that the injury was the result of a foul, it must be determined whether the foul was intentional or accidental.

(1) If deemed intentional, the outcome of the contest shall be determined in accord with NAC 467.698; or

(2) If deemed accidental, the outcome of the contest shall be determined in accord with NAC 467.702 or 467.7966.

If accepted, the implementation of instant replay is going to be limited in its application (by design). The purpose is to preserve the integrity of a contest’s outcome rather than find faults with judgment calls.

Is the sport of MMA in need of instant replay to compensate for blown calls? Or does the technology in and of itself open a can of worms?

Opinions, please.

WEC Quick Quote: Miguel Torres needed a hug and Mark DellaGrotte gave it to him

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:10 AM PDT

“I said I don’t mind getting hit, and (DellaGrotta) said, ‘That’s not smart. Everyone knows you’re super tough, everyone knows you can take a punch. Everyone knows you’re the man. You want to impress somebody? Don’t get touched. Don’t get hit.’ I was frustrated by that. I said, No, I want someone to hit me. It’s the macho thing. And he said, ‘You know what you need? I’m going to help you.’ And he hugged me. At first, I said, Let go of me man. But he just kept hugging me. It was kind of funny, but I did need a hug. No one ever gave me a hug before. It was what I needed.”

– WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres talks to Yahoo Sports about his evolution inside the gym after training with MMA guru Mark DellaGrotte, who brings a revolutionary “hugs, not drugs” philosophy to his training camp. Torres (37-1), who is widely considered the best bantamweight in the world, will next fight Brian Bowles (7-0) and defend his title once again in the WEC 42 main event on August 9. Could the era of “Lay and Pray” be extinct in favor of the new “Hugs and Slugs?” Stay tuned…
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