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- UFC Quick Quote: BJ Penn is a little small
- UFC 101 weigh-in photos and gallery for ‘Declaration’
- Tito Ortiz and Matt Serra do the UFC 101 media tour with mixed results (Video)
- UFC 101 weigh in results LIVE from Philadelphia!
- UFC 101 predictions, preview and analysis
- For whom LaBelle tolls: Edith replaced by Octagon ringer Natasha Wicks
- Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos vs Tim Kennedy set for Sept. 25
- UFC 101 press conference videos for ‘Declaration’
- Dan Miller vs Aaron Simpson possible for UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16
- John Howard going for broke against Tamdan McCrory at UFC 101
| UFC Quick Quote: BJ Penn is a little small Posted: 07 Aug 2009 08:41 PM PDT
– Number one lightweight contender, Kenny Florian, shares his post-UFC 101 weigh-in thoughts with Sherdog.com. “Ken Flo,” who looked sucked out himself, contends that the “Prodigy” perhaps did not prepare as much as he did for the lightweight title tilt set for tomorrow night at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Penn has been training in California with strength and conditioning guru, Marv Marinovich, to prepare for the fight. Is this more self motivation from Florian or has Penn not done enough to handle the Bostonian? |
| UFC 101 weigh-in photos and gallery for ‘Declaration’ Posted: 07 Aug 2009 03:40 PM PDT
Props: CombatLifestyle.com (Click the link above to check out the complete UFC 101: “Declaration” weigh-in photos and gallery. For official UFC 101 weigh-in results click here.) Forrest Griffin and Anderson Silva size each other up after the jump:
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| Tito Ortiz and Matt Serra do the UFC 101 media tour with mixed results (Video) Posted: 07 Aug 2009 02:26 PM PDT Matt Serra gets choked out by an anchorwoman and Tito Ortiz thinks he’s in Pittsburgh. A+! (Thanks to Cagewriter for the tip) |
| UFC 101 weigh in results LIVE from Philadelphia! Posted: 07 Aug 2009 12:13 PM PDT
The official weigh-in event for UFC 101: "Declaration" from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has come to a close. All 22 fighters scheduled to compete on the August 8 card tipped the scales today without incident. It was a rather pedestrian affair with no real fireworks — though it did produce an intense staredown between main event participants Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Forrest Griffin. Joe Rogan made it a point to introduce Silva as “The pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet.” Perhaps the only other noteworthy items were Matt Riddle, who was more like “The Riddler” with his dyed hair and Tamdan McCrory, who nearly became “The Towel Cat” after a hard weight cut. Here are the complete UFC 101 weigh in results:
Note: Fighters are allowed to weigh one pound more than the division limit in non-title fights. 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 101 predictions, preview and analysis Posted: 07 Aug 2009 12:06 PM PDT
UFC 101 is set to go down this Saturday, August 8, 2009 from The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, live on pay-per-view (PPV) starting at 10p.m. ET. 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 at 10 p.m. ET. To get us pumped for the event, MMAmania.com Editor and Senior Writer Jesse Holland (that's me) will break down the main event matches and take a closer look at the intricacies of each contest. One of the big stories coming into this event is the return of reigning lightweight champion BJ Penn. After the drubbing Georges St. Pierre gave him at UFC 94, “The Prodigy” is out to prove that he still rules the roost at 155-pounds. Kenny Florian on the other hand is looking to expose “The Master” as nothing more than a myth. And let’s not forget the brass balloons on Forrest Griffin, who kindly agreed to be cannon fodder for Anderson Silva so that Zuffa can once again have a marketable champion at 185-pounds and not a department store mannequin. But before we write off The Ultimate Fighter 1 champ let’s keep in mind he’s surprised us before — including Nostradumbass by sticking it to “Shogun” Rua and “Rampage” Jackson. Every now and then I get the hankering for an outside opinion on my picks and enlist the services of an MMAmania.com veteran to weigh in with their predictions. For this event I’ve given site pimple and resident windbag “Kevin” his chance to outpick the Dumbass or go down in proverbial flames. Be sure to check out his (cough) “analysis” at the top of the comments section. I've also included the current betting lines for each fight so that you can get a feel for what the money has to say about the chances of each combatant. Now, enough with the formalities … let's get cracking:
155 lbs.: BJ “The Prodigy” Penn (13-5-1) vs. Kenny “KenFlo” Florian (11-3) Backgrounds: BJ Penn:
Kenny Florian:
Dumbass predicts: A lot of people laugh when I tell them I’m picking Florian for the upset. The first thing they ask me is ‘What has KenFlo done to prove he can win?’ I of course answer ‘Well what has BJ done to prove he can’t lose?’ Most of use have been nodding up and down like Bobbleheads saying ‘Yeah, BJ is the best lightweight’ for no other reason than that’s what we’ve been told. Well I’m here to say that I’m done drinking the Kool-Aid. What makes him the best? I’m not impressed with the way he dismantled Sherk, who must have hit his head and woke up thinking he was a boxer. The same Sherk who was out-boxed by Frank Edgar at UFC 98. Should I celebrate because Penn choked out Joe Stevenson at UFC 80? Kenny Florian did it too at UFC 91 — only he did it a full five minutes faster. Maybe the fact that he vandalized GSP in the first round of their fight at UFC 58? The same GSP who was scared of his own shadow until Matt Serra beat some sense into him at UFC 69? You’re probably thinking I’m a bitter blasphemer. BJ choked out Gomi! So did Marcus Aurelio, who is far from the world’s best. Well he submitted Matt Hughes! Uh, so did Dennis Hallman. Twice. BJ Penn is a very talented fighter and has the tools to be great, but I have no confidence in his ability to overcome the conditioning issues that have plagued him for a better part of his career. I don’t want to hear about his new training camp and Marv Marinovich or any of that other crap — you can be in great physical shape and still fail inside the cage because there is a marked difference between cardio and fight cardio. Florian has proven he can do five rounds, Penn has proven he can do one. Yes, BJ said he is in the best shape ever but didn’t he also say his last fight with GSP was ‘To the death?” The first two rounds dictate the entire fight. I believe Penn will be in control for those two rounds and likely win them, but the patience and hard work of Kenny will pay off in rounds three through five as “The Prodigy” begins to run out of gas and make mistakes while KenFlo will remain technical and relentless. He won’t be able to finish BJ, but then again he doesn’t have to. A title fight is a marathon, not a sprint. From rounds 3-5, all Florian has to do is work harder than Penn. He doesn’t necessarily have to be more talented to win, but better prepared and more intelligent in his attack. Of course no matter what I say there are some people who just don’t believe Kenny Florian can win. They think that despite how much he’s improved, Kenny Florian is no BJ Penn — and they’re right. He’s BJ Penn 2.0. Betting lines (as of August 7): Penn: -240 ((Bet Now)) Florian: +190 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Florian via unanimous decision 205 lbs.: Anderson “The Spider” Silva (24-4) vs. Forrest Griffin (16-5) Backgrounds: Anderson Silva:
Forrest Griffin:
Dumbass predicts: Anderson Silva is going to murder Forrest Griffin, right? Not so fast. The TUF 1 champ has been making the “experts” look stupid for a while now and this may be no exception. He was supposed to get dominated by Shogun and beaten to a pulp by Rampage Jackson. He was even going to get pummeled by Tito Ortiz way back at UFC 59 but came storming back to prove his worth despite a hairline split decision loss. The bottom line is you just can’t count this guy out. Is Anderson Silva the far superior fighter? Absolutely, but he’s also human. “The Spider” has a couple of submission losses on his record to fighters who are not exactly top five material and we’ve seen him in trouble in the UFC. An emaciated Travis Lutter had him mounted at UFC 67 and Hendo controlled him for the first round at UFC 82. True, they were not able to capitalize and got finished, but Griffin dwarfs both Lutter and Henderson in size — he may not be so easy to shake off. The question is how will Forrest keep Silva at bay? He likes to market himself as a comedic meathead with an aw-shucks-I’ll-do-my-best gameplan — but I don’t buy it. I expect a very calculated Griffin to work the leg kicks much like he did against Rampage. In this fight he must telegraph each one or he’ll end up sleeping with the Irvin’s. The clinch is a bad idea — I mean ‘invading Russia in the winter’ bad — because Silva is just too good. The best thing Griffin can do is hope that Silva continues his cautious approach and just beat up the legs until a takedown presents itself. If it doesn’t or he merely angers Andy, it’s going to get ugly real fast. A decision here would not surprise me based on Silva’s past two fights, but I think he’s going to find an opening and take it. Betting lines (as of August 7): Silva: -350 ((Bet Now)) Griffin: +250 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Silva via TKO 170 lbs.: Amir Sadollah (1-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0) Backgrounds: Amir Sadollah:
Johny Hendricks:
Dumbass predicts: Amir Sadollah is everyone’s favorite mixed martial arts Cinderella story but unfortunately Johny Hendricks is going to take that glass slipper and smash it over his head. I like Sadollah and I think he’s a very unassuming fighter which may have been a big reason for his success. His stint in TUF 7 and against Dolloway at the finale showed that having a good head for the game can often get you out of a precarious situation. However I can’t pick a guy — no matter how much I root for him — when he’s coming off a year-plus layoff. This will be Hendricks fourth bout in a year and a half and he’s not only stayed perfect but looked better in each fight. Hendricks is also a two-time national champion collegiate wrestler out of Oklahoma State University and believe me he will use that against Sadollah with great success. He has to be careful about the submissions but welterweight is his home whereas Sadollah is making his 170-pound debut. In the end there are just too many factors against Sadollah to lead me to believe he has any kind of chance here. I expect Hendricks to come out and dump him on his head before pounding out the bewildered TUF champ en route to a first round stoppage. It will be over before Sadollah can even get anything going — and there won’t be any rabbits being pulled out of any hats here this time. Betting lines (as of August 7): Sadollah: -130 ((Bet Now)) Hendricks: Even ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Hendricks via TKO 185 lbs.: Kendall “The Spider” Grove (1-0) vs. Ricardo "Cachorrao" Almeida (5-0) Backgrounds: Kendall Grove:
Ricardo Almeida:
Dumbass predicts: It’s easy to think that Ricardo Almeida would submit Grove like an overdue tax form, but once this gifted grappler started to rack up more decision wins than submissions, it was clear that tapping out his foes was no longer a foregone conclusion. He still has the technical ability to get it done, but as this sport progresses and he fails to catch up it will become very clear that you can’t get away with just having deadly jits anymore. In today’s mixed martial arts you need the ability to soften up your opponent and create openings instead of jumping into guard from ten feet away ala Nick Serra. Does “Cachorrao” have the chops to do it? Well in ten fights he’s never earned a KO or TKO stoppage — not even by accident. He was probably wondering why Cote’s knee didn’t fold up like a Trapper Keeper in his bout instead of Silva’s — but I digress. Grove has some long-ass limbs and no doubt Almeida will be looking to get a hold of one of them. To do that he has to engage and I like Grove’s clinch here. In fact it would not surprise me to see a repeat of the Alan Belcher fight where Grove just dismantles Almeida. I don’t think he’ll be able to finish him but a lopsided decision is not out of the question either. Sure, Almeida has great jui-jitsu, but it’s 2009 and if you want to be a contender you’re going to need more than that to make it to the promised land. Betting lines (as of August 7): Grove: +135 ((Bet Now)) Almeida: -165 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Grove via unanimous decision 155 lbs.: Josh “The Dentist” Neer (25-7-1) vs. Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino (13-4) Backgrounds: Josh Neer:
Kurt Pellegrino:
Dumbass predicts: This is a bad match-up for Pellegrino. Neer is a huge lightweight and very strong for the division. He also fights like a maniac and somehow manages to remain technically proficient in doing so. Kurt might have the better jits, but he has to survive the onslaught to implement it. That’s not to suggest that Pellegrino isn’t game because he is, but the loss to Stevenson is in the back of my mind when I weigh the options for this fight. I envision a very busy first round with a lot of back and forth but as the fight wears on (and Pellegrino wears down) Neer will begin to impose his will. I don’t know if “The Dentist” will be able to finish it, but a close first will give way to a dominant second and probably a very lopsided third. The biggest concern for Neer is knowing when to “say when.” An overwhelming offense can often breed carelessness (see Mir vs. Lesnar 1) and the finish has to be there before going all in or he risks getting stuck in a submission. The opening frame is probably the most dangerous for Neer, before they get sweaty (or perhaps bloody). If he keeps the pressure on and stays out of danger, he should cruise to a dominant decision. Betting lines (as of August 7): Neer: -220 ((Bet Now)) Pellegrino: +175 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Neer via unanimous decision That's a wrap, folks. Remember to come check us out after the show for all the latest results, recaps and coverage of UFC 101. What do you think? Now it's your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for Saturday's event. |
| For whom LaBelle tolls: Edith replaced by Octagon ringer Natasha Wicks Posted: 07 Aug 2009 07:25 AM PDT
East side, walk it out! Popular UFC Ring Girl Edith LaBelle won’t be strutting her stuff this weekend at UFC 101 in Philadelphia after a falling out with Zuffa has forced her to move on to greener pastures according to MMA Fanhouse. Taking her place will be new UFC Ring Girl Natasha Wicks, who won the Maxim Magazine Octagon Girl search during the UFC 100 weekend last month. She is expected to appear in conjunction with regular ringers Arianny Celeste and Logan Stanton tomorrow night. No word yet on the reason for her departure but we’ll keep you “abreast” of all the details as soon as they become available. Stay tuned! |
| Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos vs Tim Kennedy set for Sept. 25 Posted: 07 Aug 2009 07:05 AM PDT
NEW YORK (August 7, 2009)—American military hero and rising mixed martial arts (MMA) star Tim Kennedy (10-2) will return to the cage to battle power punching Brazilian and middleweight (185 pounds) rival Evangelista Cyborg (16-13) in the main event of a Strikeforce Challengers card live on Showtime from Tulsa, Oklahoma's SpiritBank Event Center on Friday, September 25. Tickets for the event, priced from $25, go on sale Monday, August 10 at 10 a.m. CT and will be available for purchase at the SpiritBank Event Center box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce's official website (www.strikeforce.com). "I think we're both pretty explosive fighters and we both show up to fight. We both like to throw some big bombs so it's a good matchup," said the 29-year-old Kennedy, who recently accepted an offer to serve in the Texas National Guard after spending six years in The United States Army, the last three as a sniper in the Seventh Special Forces Group. In his last start, a June 19 matchup with Nick "The Goat" Thompson at ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington, Kennedy turned out a dominant performance, stopping Thompson on the ground with an onslaught of punches in the second round (2:37) of action. "I don't think anybody can really plan to see what I'm coming in to do this time," said Kennedy. "I'm working with the best boxing coaches and training with Mark DeLaGrotte, one of the best MMA striking coaches in the world, so I think that people are going to see a new Tim that they've never seen before." "Strikeforce has a whole bunch of guys in my weight class who I match up very well with. They pretty much have control of the whole 185 pound division barring two exceptions that are in UFC. I want to fight all of these guys and put on a good show for Showtime and Strikeforce." A graduate of Columbia College in Missouri, Kennedy launched his professional MMA career shortly before enlisting in the military near the end of 2001. "After 9/11 happened, I wanted to do something for my country," he explained. Kennedy's new job will allow him to remain in the armed services while maintaining enough flexibility to take his MMA career to the next level. "The military is my life," said Kennedy. "I am going to serve as long as they'll let me. I'd love to retire in uniform." The 31-year-old Cyborg is looking to turn his fortunes around after suffering two straight defeats, the last of which was to Joey Villasenor by way of split decision in the main event of the June 19 Strikeforce Challengers event. "I was just a little bit out of rhythm and was coming off an injury so my training was not 100 percent," explained Cyborg of his showing in the fight with Villasenor, which also marked Cyborg's first start in nearly nine months. "This is not an excuse. It's just something natural that all athletes go through when they stop fighting for a long period of time." "I believe I will be able to do the opposite this time from the Villasenor fight where we stood up and punched each other," said Cyborg. "I think I will finally be able to show my Jiu-Jitsu game and surprise a lot of people. Cyborg is a member of the famed Chute Boxe fight squad that has produced a number of MMA's finest champions including Anderson Silva, Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva, and brothers Mauricio "Shogun" and Murilo "Ninja" Rua. Cyborg's wife and training partner, Cris Cyborg, is preparing for the biggest fight of her life – a long-awaited, Strikeforce women's 145 pound championship showdown with top rival Gina "Conviction" Carano – on Saturday, August 15. World championship MMA promotion Strikeforce will produce the event at SpiritBank Event Center along with eXtreme Fighting promoter and five-time world kickboxing champion Dale "Apollo" Cook. SpiritBank Event Center doors will open at 7:15 p.m. CT for the Strikeforce Challengers event and the first preliminary bout will begin at 8:00 p.m. The live Showtime telecast of the Strikeforce Challengers event will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). Strikeforce Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today's top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event. |
| UFC 101 press conference videos for ‘Declaration’ Posted: 07 Aug 2009 06:56 AM PDT Watch and listen to video of UFC President Dana White going off on “Strikefarce” and more after the jump.
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| Dan Miller vs Aaron Simpson possible for UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16 Posted: 07 Aug 2009 06:43 AM PDT It’s getting to be rather standard for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva: When in a pinch and in need of a replacement fighter on short notice, call AMA Fight Club in New Jersey and get one of the Miller brothers to step up. MMAmania.com has learned that Dan Miller (11-2) will likely replace Ed Herman against Aaron Simpson (5-0) at UFC Fight Night 19: “Diaz vs. Guillard" from the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sept. 16. “Short Fuse” was needed to plug a gap of his own when James Irvin came up lame once again and was forced out of his middleweight tilt against Wilson Gouveia at UFC 102 later this month. That left Simpson temporarily opponentless … until now. Miller, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, recently had has red-hot three-fight UFC win streak snapped when he faced off against Chael Sonnen at UFC 98 back in May. He was supposed to tangle with Yushin Okami, which would have likely vaulted him to the top of the division with a win. However, “Thunder” got hurt and Miller accepted the bout against the Team Quest product on short notice. It didn’t go his way. Now Miller will look to get back on track against the UFC sophomore.
Miller defeated Rob Kimmons via first round submission in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 15 in September 2008. Four weeks later he followed that up with an encore performance, stepping in for an injured Ricardo Almeida to topple Matt Horwich via unanimous decision at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote." Before the Sonnen bout, the former International Fight League Champion (IFL) filled in again as a replacement to school blue chip prospect, Jake Rosholt, via submission (guillotine choke) at UFC Fight Night 17. Simpson is a a one-fight WEC veteran who made his transition to the UFC when the sister promotion folded its heavier divisions. His UFC debut came at UFC Fight Night 18, where "A-Train" needed just 1:40 of the opening frame to earn a technical knockout victory over Tim McKenzie. In fact, all five of the two-time All-American wrestler's wins have ended in a (technical) knockout, with only one fight making it out of the first round. "Diaz vs. Guillard" will serve as the lead-in to the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and will feature a main event between hungry lightweight up-and-comers and former TUF grads Nate Diaz and Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard. In addition, Roger "El Matador" Huerta will throwdown for perhaps the last time inside the Octagon as he tries to leave on a high note against the stifling super-wrestler Gray "The Bully" Maynard. Nate Quarry, Carlos Condit and Chris Lytle are also scheduled to compete. For all the latest news on UFC Fight Night 19 check out our complete archive right here. |
| John Howard going for broke against Tamdan McCrory at UFC 101 Posted: 07 Aug 2009 06:05 AM PDT
Props: Boston Herald Quoteworthy:
UFC welterweight John Howard describes his troubles outside the Octagon and how his performance inside it is making life better for him and his three young daughters. Howard earned a $65,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus in his debut for the promotion against Chris Wilson at UFC 94 earlier this year, winning a unanimous decision and taking home a total of $71,000 for 15 minutes of hard work. The Boston-area native will look to keep the dream alive when he takes on Tamdan McCrory at UFC 101 from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., this weekend. He’ll also look to extend his win streak to five against “The Barncat.” |
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