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UFC Quick Quote: ‘Relaxed’ Forrest Griffin hoping to make contact on August 8
UFC nears deal with ESPN to screen MMA events on UK television
UFC 104: Ben Rothwell vs Chase Gormley ‘Trilogy’ fight moved to Oct. 24
LA Times reports that Fedor Emelianenko and UFC are ‘finalizing deal’
WEC 42 conference call recap and highlights: Torres and Bowles talk bantamweight belt
MMA Quick Pic: Gina Carano gets roped into Aug. 15 ‘Cyborg’ fight
Fedor Emelianenko to address media about ‘Trilogy’ cancelation and more on July 29
Josh Barnett next ‘fight’ scheduled for Inoki Genome Federation on Aug. 9
Nick Diaz vs Jay Hieron Strikeforce fight possible for Aug. 15
Amir Sadollah vs Johny Hendricks UFC 102 video fight talk

UFC Quick Quote: ‘Relaxed’ Forrest Griffin hoping to make contact on August 8

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:38 PM PDT

“I don't know if you're going to get Anderson out of his game. He's a cool, calm, relaxed guy. Very focused. He seems to have a good plan for every fight and sticks to it. I think what you can't do is be a big slow guy that follows him around. (You can't) be too aggressive about trying to attack him. He's still a great counter-fighter. And that's why his last fight wasn't so exciting, because he's a tough guy to attack, you know? But you gotta come in smart and just try to land punches. Not big ones. Little ones. Just land something. Just make contact. And stay as loose and relaxed as he does.”

–Former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin talks Anderson Silva during Tuesday's UFC 101: “Declaration” media conference call. The two meet up at the Wachovia Center on August 8 in Philadelphia, Pa., in what will be the middleweight champion's second foray into the UFC's 205-pound division. Griffin compared the difference between training for a fighter with “incredible” reach like “The Spider” against training for a fighter with “explosive inside power” like his last opponent, Rashad Evans. He did however, stop short of giving too much away and promised, “If I had a game plan, I'd be a genius and tell you about it right now.”

UFC nears deal with ESPN to screen MMA events on UK television

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:22 PM PDT

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) may have finally found a permanent home for its live programming in the United Kingdom (UK) after an abrupt end to its partnership with Setanta Sports earlier this year.

According to The Sun, a new deal with ESPN is expected to be announced during a UFC press conference on Friday, July 31. “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” will reportedly launch its UK channel shortly after that on August 3 with plans to air UFC 101 as its first major event on August 8.

Starting with UFC 80 back on January 19, 2008, the Ultimate Fighting Championship struck a deal with international sports broadcaster Setanta Sports to bring the UFC to millions of homes in the United Kingdom.

Setanta operates in Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the United States, Canada and Australia and provides premium sports television channels on a subscription basis, including its multi-year deal with Zuffa.

That deal recently eroded due to the financial instability of Setanta.

Unfortunately, the dissolution of some of its English Premier League rights left Setanta strapped for cash and on the prowl for some emergency funding. A complete and utter collapse in operations — which would effectively blackout any and all UFC programming in the UK, had been reported as inevitable.

It was unknown if UFC 99, scheduled for June 13 in Cologne, Germany, would even make the airwaves in the UK until just a day before the broadcast, jeopardizing the momentum of Zuffa's Europe expansion.

The UFC was also forced to scramble to get airtime for UFC 100, their biggest show of the year. The pay-per-view eventually ended up airing via Sky TV on a defunct ‘Racing World’ channel.

A deal with ESPN would not only solidify the presence of the UFC on UK television, it would be a major step towards Zuffa’s goal of brand globalization.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more developments on this story as they unfold.

UFC 104: Ben Rothwell vs Chase Gormley ‘Trilogy’ fight moved to Oct. 24

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 08:54 PM PDT

Former IFL heavyweight "Big" Ben Rothwell (30-6) will get another chance to battle undefeated Chase Gormley (6-0) as the UFC has opted to resurrect their Aug. 1 Affliction bout for UFC 104 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 24, according to Sherdog.com.

Rothwell and Gormley were originally penciled in for the “Trilogy” event that quickly went up in smoke after Affliction MMA collapsed like a deck of cards on the heels of Josh Barnett’s positive steroid test.

The UFC quickly re-established a working relationship with the clothing company and acquired several of the fighter contracts that were up for grabs.

Rothwell is coming off a dominating TKO win over Chris Guillen at Adrenaline II back in December 2008. Prior to that, “Big” was riding a career high 13-fight win streak before running into former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in July 2008 during the inaugural Affliction event.

Before the loss, he had defeated former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 standout Krzysztof Soszynski, Roy "Big Country" Nelson and others.

The Miletich Fighting Systems (MFS)-trained fighter will add depth and experience to a growing list of talent in the once anemic UFC heavyweight division.

Opposing him is the undefeated Gormley, who burst onto the scene in 2007 with a decision win over Elite XC veteran Jon Murphy. The NAIA All-American Wrestler hasn’t seen action since a decision win over Eric Pele at Maximum Fighting Championships 16 in May 2008.

UFC 104 will feature a main event between UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida and challenger Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez have also been rumored to meet to determine the UFC number one heavyweight contender.

For all the latest news on UFC 104 check out our complete archive right here.

LA Times reports that Fedor Emelianenko and UFC are ‘finalizing deal’

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 04:13 PM PDT

Almost one year to the day it held its first event on July 19, 2008, Affliction Entertainment folded its mixed martial arts division and returned to the UFC under an agreement that will allow the clothing brand to once again sponsor the world's top promotion and the fighters under its umbrella.

Affliction indicated that an inability to find a worthy replacement for Josh Barnett — who tested positive for anabolic steroids and was denied a license to compete — led to the decision to cancel its “Trilogy" event, which was expected to take place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 1.

It was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the critically acclaimed but far from profitable venture.

The end of Affliction MMA — much like the end of Elite XC in 2008 — left a coterie of fighters under contract who no longer have a place to call home.

And at the top of that list of unemployed combatants is perhaps the most prized asset in all of MMA: Former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

Zuffa worked hard to bring the Russian on board after the collapse of Pride FC in 2007; however, talks broke down when the parties could not agree on an exclusive fight contract.

UFC President Dana White and M-1 Global spent the next two years pointing fingers, but a report from the LA Times earlier today suggests that whatever hangups preventing the two promotions from working together in the past may now be water under the bridge.

From the LA Times Web site:

“A long-awaited agreement between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the man considered the world’s best mixed martial arts fighter, Fedor Emelianenko, is expected to be announced by UFC President Dana White on Friday, a source with information about the negotiations told The Times today. The source, who asked not to be identified because he’s not authorized to speak publicly about the dealings, called negotiations between the UFC and Fedor ‘very civil’ just days after Fedor’s scheduled Affliction Trilogy fight Saturday against Josh Barnett was canceled.”

The UFC has scheduled a press conference for July 31 to cover a bevy of formal announcements, including their new Affliction deal, among other things.

White has already gone on record to state that if acquired, Fedor’s first fight would be for the UFC heavyweight championship, presumably against division kingpin Brock Lesnar.

If the signing of “The Last Emperor” is on Friday’s docket, it could represent not just one of the biggest announcements in UFC history, but perhaps a whole new era in mixed martial arts.

However, nothing is official at this time. In fact, M-1 recently denied the LA Times report as “not accurate” in an SI.com article.

Stay tuned … these next three days should tell the tale, hopefully, once and for all.

WEC 42 conference call recap and highlights: Torres and Bowles talk bantamweight belt

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 03:09 PM PDT

WEC 42, featuring a main event between bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and undefeated challenger Brian Bowles, is set to go down from “The Joint” at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, August 9.

Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE updates with blow-by-blow, round-by-round commentary of the main card action on fight night, which is slated to air live on Versus at 9 p.m. ET.

Co-headlining the show is another exciting 135-pound showdown between one of the most dangerous young fighters in the organization, Joseph Benavidez, and the red hot former 145-pound standout, Dominick Cruz, who is currently enjoying a four-fight win streak, including three under the WEC banner.

WEC Vice President Peter Dropick, General Manager Reed Harris and bantamweight championship main event participants Miguel “Angel” Torres and Brian Bowles took part in a conference call earlier today to promote next Sunday’s event.

Check out highlights from the call below:

WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres:

- On having to prepare differently for fights now that he’s more well known and opponents can develop better game plans for him:

“Well, my last fight with Mizugaki I went out there thinking I was going to bully him around with my jab, but the first round he confused me because he was waiting for my left jab. So he was looking for my jab the whole time and then he caught me with a big right hand. So that first round I was trying to adjust the hitting game instead of having him adjust to mine. I came out there with the mentality that I was going to bully him around like I did my past opponents with my jab. So that made me think a little bit about that. I realize that people to have footage on me now and I understand I have holes in my game. I know I’m considered one of the best fighters in the world, but at the same time I have some holes in my game. I’ve been working a lot on my wrestling and fixing my stand up. A lot of times when I go out there and fight I’ll take up points to give a punch, but now I’m trying to become more crafty. I’ve been working with a couple more boxing coaches and I’ve been working a ton on my wrestling to dominate the clinch more. I realize that everybody has holes in their game and I’m trying to make those holes very small.”

- On whose striking is better:

“Well I’ve never seen Brian Bowles throw one kick or one effective knee. He comes with a big right hand and a big left hook, then a left uppercut. He just comes straight forward with big punches. I’ve been working with pro boxers in Chicago and the midwest and they’ve all come in with the idea that they were going to knock me out and it’s always reversed. And I was only using my boxing skills. I wasn’t using knees or kicks or anything like that or elbows. So, if Brian likes to box, to dirty box with elbows, I’m going to surprise Bowles. I think the big difference is that I know I can take a punch. It’s one thing to take a punch in training and it’s one thing to take a punch in a fight in the fifth round. I know I can take damage and keep going. I know I can get hurt and keep going. The guys that he’s shown up against haven’t had the set of skills that I have. They don’t have the ground skills that I have. So, Brian’s earned his shot, but I don’t think he’s faced opponents better than myself, or opponents that can put together the game that he has. I don’t think he’s worked with anybody that has the game that I have. It’s hard to mimick my game, and I think that’s where I’m going to surprise him.”

- On the experience factor:

“I think Brian Bowles has more fights than we think. I think he has an amateur record. I don’t know exactly what the record is, but I know he has wins and losses on that record. I know he’s lost by triangle a couple of times. I looked for his amateur record online, but I couldn’t find it, so I know he’s trying to hide that. I have a couple of buddies that have seen him fight before in local shows. So, there’s a past that Brian keeps secret, which is very smart, to make it seem like he doesn’t have that much experience. As far as myself, I think the biggest thing is mindset when you go into a fight, your mindset and your heart. And mine are unshakable and unquestionable. I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a child. In my mind I’m doing what God wants me to do with my life, and it’s hard to beat that. Especially when I know I have the experience to back it up. I didn’t come in here for fun to impress a couple of buddies or to stumble upon this. I’ve always wanted to do this and I’m living my dream. It’s been a long road to get where I’m at. I haven’t forgotten where I came from. Training is a priority in my life right now. I could be into television or business or doing a bunch of other stuff but I don’t. I put that on the sidelines because I want to be a world champion and I want to dominate my weight class. Brian Bowles is the next road block in my journey and I’m going to go out there and I’m going to bust him down.”

WEC Bantamweight Number One Contender Brian Bowles:

- On fighting for the world title in only his eighth professional fight:

“It’s real important you know. Ideally you’d like to have some more fights, but I took some tough fights with some experienced guys. I won those and they weren’t easy opponents. They were tough opponents and I won handily. I didn’t go to a decision. It’s going to be an honor to fight for the belt and it’s going to be an honor to fight Miguel.”

- On training with American Top Team for this fight:

“It’s always good to be able to get into a room with a bunch of guys like that. Everybody down there is a world champion at something or they’re just really good at something. So, you might get your butt whooped wrestling someday by one guy and teach you a lesson, and you might get your butt whooped on the ground by another guy. It’s a learning experience to get down there with guys like that. They really push you and they have you in their mind when they’re training with you. They try to make you a better person.”

- On thinking he has the keys to end Miguel Torres’ seventeen fight winning streak:

“I don’t think it’s just one thing that I have that’s going to beat him. I don’t think it’s that easy. I just think my style of fighting, you know, I’m always coming forward. I’m well rounded. Some of the people he’s fought aren’t as well rounded as me. And I think I’m bigger and more powerful than any of the guys he’s fought so far.”

- On where a win over Torres would put him in terms of world rankings:

“I definitely think it’s going to get my name starting to get talked about. I don’t know if just beating him one time would instantly put me in his position. I’m sure if I beat him he’ll probably get another title shot soon. Then if I beat him and keep rolling with a few more wins I’ll be in his position, considered one of the best pound for pound.”

Something that’s also worth noting from the call is that the WEC plans to not only air the main card of WEC 42 live on the Versus network, but the promotion will also provide a live stream of the main card on UFC.com and WEC.tv for free in North America and for a fee of $9.99 internationally.

This fight, as well as the WEC 42 card as a whole, have shaped up nicely. Mixed martial arts fans should be in for another great night of fights from the WEC on August 9.

For more on WEC 42 click here.

MMA Quick Pic: Gina Carano gets roped into Aug. 15 ‘Cyborg’ fight

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 03:09 PM PDT

Thanks to Esther Lin at Strikeforce for the pic. See more here.

Fedor Emelianenko to address media about ‘Trilogy’ cancelation and more on July 29

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 11:50 AM PDT

Anaheim, Calif. — Ever since Affliction announced late last week that its “Trilogy” event scheduled for Aug. 1 had been canceled, the combat sports world collectively has waited for an official response from former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

On Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT inside the DoubleTree Hotel in Anaheim, Calif., Emelianenko will address the media for the first time since last week’s sudden cancellation. During the press conference, Emelianenko will discuss the ramifications of the cancellation, comment on his future in the fight game, and respond to questions from members of the media.

“Since the cancellation, there has been a great deal of speculation regarding Fedor and M-1,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, whose M-1 Global fight company not only produces international MMA events but also manages Fedor. “On Wednesday, the media and fans will be able to hear what’s going on with Fedor from the man himself.”

Emelianenko, considered by most pundits to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, had been scheduled to fight top contender Josh Barnett. A win over Barnett would have marked the sixth former UFC heavyweight champion that Emelianenko has defeated in his career.

Unfortunately, Emelianenko was denied his opportunity after the California State Athletic Commission announced last Wednesday that Barnett would not be granted a license in time for the fight.

Emelianenko, 30-1, is perceived by many within the industry to be a free agent and it is believed he is being courted by every major MMA promotion in the world.

Already considered a superstar in many other countries, he has seen his popularity rise in the U.S. since defeating Tim Sylvia, a former UFC heavyweight champion, in just 36 seconds in July of 2008. Emelianenko followed up the dominant Sylvia victory with a first round knockout over Andrei Arlovski — another former UFC heavyweight champion — this past January.

Josh Barnett next ‘fight’ scheduled for Inoki Genome Federation on Aug. 9

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 10:09 AM PDT

Josh Barnett — who recently failed a pre-fight drug screening for anabolic steroids prior to a showdown with Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: “Trilogy” on Aug. 1 — will return to action at Inoki Genome Federation in Japan on Aug. 9, according to his manager, Shannon Hooper, via a report on MMAFanHouse.

However, it’s a professional wrestling gig — not a mixed martial arts bout.

“The Baby Faced Assassin” has enjoyed a successful career in “The Land of the Rising Sun” in this capacity for several years. Now it appears with his options limited stateside, the former UFC champion is already heading overseas to collect a paycheck.

That’s perhaps more than several of the other fighters can say who were scheduled to compete at “Trilogy.”

Barnett’s positive test led to Affliction MMA’s house of cards to come crashing down, calling it quits as a fight promoter and returning to the UFC as a corporate sponsor with its clothing brand. Several intriguing fights were scrapped as a result, forcing fighters to search for work elsewhere … Barnett included.

The good news for Barnett is that Japan is a place that has been very good to him. In fact, in an interview he did with us back in January, he talked about how he still wrestles on a regular basis and how he doesn’t find it to be much different that fighting as a mixed martial artist:

Here’s a snip:

“I continue to wrestle over in Japan for the IGF on a fairly regular basis — at least four matches maybe five matches a year. In my mind, whether I'm over there in Japan in the IGF or in the ring in Affliction, they're all pro wrestling to me. I'm fighting for the entertainment of the fans.”

Barnett indicated that he intends to appeal this most recent steroid finding with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). His second “B” sample is currently being tested to confirm the initial positive result.

If it’s upheld it could mean that Barnett’s license to fight in the United States could be revoked for a good amount of time, forcing him to remain exiled in Japan indefinitely. With a looming Sengoku heavyweight grand prix looming, and a successful wrestling career, however, it may not be such a bad twist of fate after all.

Keep in locked on MMAmania.com as we’ll let you know more on Barnett’s future when it’s announced.

Nick Diaz vs Jay Hieron Strikeforce fight possible for Aug. 15

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 07:11 AM PDT

It appears that International Fighter League (IFL) veteran Jay Hieron is the "frontrunner" to take on Nick Diaz in a 170-pound match at Strikeforce: "Carano vs. Cyborg" from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 15, according to GracieFighter.com.

Hieron — who was training to fight Paul "Semtex" Daley this weekend at Affliction: "Trilogy" this weekend before the promotion folded — apparently beat out Phil Baroni as a late replacement for Joe Riggs.

"Diesel" was hospitalized and forced out of the rematch against Diaz last week, which was supposed to be for Strikeforce's newly created welterweight title. Promotion officials did not immediately confirm the possible Diaz-Hieron bout or whether or not a welterweight title would be up for grabs on fight night.

Stay tuned.

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

Hieron is also currently enjoying a five fight winning streak, including his most recent first round knockout win over the previously unbeaten Jason High on the Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" card back in January.

The Xtreme Couture trainee was a staple under the now defunct IFL, fighting nine times for the promotion in a span of just under two years. Since then, however, "The Thoroughbred" has only been in action twice, defeating High earlier this year and also out-pointing Chris Kennedy en route to a unanimous decision victory at a "Super Fights MMA" event last October.

Hieron and Diaz were actually rumored to face off at the Strikeforce event back in June; however, the promotion instead ended up booking Scott Smith as Diaz's opponent for the event. It was a fight that Hieron wanted real bad at the time.

That's because he was part of KJ Noons corner the night he and Diaz had that melee in the cage following KJ's technical knockout win over Yves Edwards at Elite XC: "Return of the King." There's even video footage of Hieron throwing a punch at the Cesar Gracie-trained black belt.

Now he may get another opportunity to do that several times over, and much more, on Aug. 15.

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.

Amir Sadollah vs Johny Hendricks UFC 102 video fight talk

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 05:52 AM PDT