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- UFC Quick Quote: BJ Penn wants Diego Sanchez sooner rather than later
- Strikeforce odds and betting lines for ‘Carano vs Cyborg’
- Shaquille O’Neil promotes WEC 43 at the Covelli Center in Ohio on Sept. 2 (Video)
- Strikeforce announces release of Phil Baroni with talk of possible UFC return
- Strikeforce: ‘Carano vs Cyborg’ video preview and WEC 42 review on ESPNs ‘MMA Live’
- Would MMA fans ‘love to see’ Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz III?
- MMA Quick Pic: Gegard Mousasi prepares to capture ‘Babalu’ belt on Aug. 15
- Nick Diaz signs with Don Chargin to compete as a professional boxer
- Zuffa releases Thales Leites following UFC 101 loss
- Houston Alexander possible for Sept. 18 bout against Sherman Pendergarst at Adrenaline MMA IV
| UFC Quick Quote: BJ Penn wants Diego Sanchez sooner rather than later Posted: 13 Aug 2009 09:14 PM PDT
– UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn talks to the Hawaii Tribune Herald about his fight future, including his next title defense against Diego Sanchez. No date for the 155-pound title fight had been announced; however, if the Hawaiian had his druthers he’d like it to happen before 2009 expires. He’s fresh of a submission win over former number one division contender, Kenny Florian, at UFC 101: “Declaration” on Aug. 8. It was his first title defense in more than one year. Despite a fight against Georges St. Pierre earlier this year at 170 pounds, it’s clear that “The Prodigy” doesn’t want to wait that long again to put his belt on the line. The blockbuster year-end pay-per-view (PPV) show perhaps? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeforce odds and betting lines for ‘Carano vs Cyborg’ Posted: 13 Aug 2009 08:19 PM PDT
The clock is ticking to get your bets in for Strikeforce: “Carano vs Cyborg” — it'll be here before we know it. The Showtime event from HP Pavilion in San Jose, California., begins Saturday, Aug. 15 at 10:30 p.m. ET. That means, of course, that you should start to think about placing possible bets on the fight outcomes before it's too late. It’s an historic event, featuring the first-ever female 145-pound championship match between Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos in the main event of the evening. “Cyborg” is currently a rather decent under dog bet — confident Carano can topple the Brazilian powerhouse? Well, then, put your money where your mouth is, Maniacs. Here are the latest Strikeforce: “Carano vs Cyborg” odds (- = favorite; + = underdog):
Time to put up or shut up for all us keyboard warriors — get in on the action before it's too late. For a little help with how to bet on MMA fights and what all the numbers mean check out this post right HERE (Disregard the UFC 85 references … all the information is still accurate and helpful.) Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, Aug. 15). It's going to be an exciting evening of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight “Carano vs. Cyborg” coverage you can handle. To check out our complete Strikeforce archive click here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shaquille O’Neil promotes WEC 43 at the Covelli Center in Ohio on Sept. 2 (Video) Posted: 13 Aug 2009 05:27 PM PDT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeforce announces release of Phil Baroni with talk of possible UFC return Posted: 13 Aug 2009 03:28 PM PDT
Strikeforce today announced that it was parting ways with Phil Baroni, coming on the heels of a Sherdog.com report that “The New York Badass” was likely headed back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Here’s a snip from Strikeforce Founder and CEO, Scott Coker:
Baroni has competed twice for Strikeforce in his 24-fight career that dates back to 2000. He was submitted by long-time rival, Frank Shamrock, in an event co-promoted with Elite XC in 2007 and was most recently on the wrong end of a lopsided unanimous decision to Joe Riggs at “Lawler vs. Shields” this past June. The performance against “Diesel” marked his first defeat in four fights since rebounding from a three fight losing skid, as well as his first loss at 170 pounds. The former heavy-handed middleweight seemed revitalized welterweight, closing out 2008 with three straight wins over Scott Jansen (KO), Ron Verdadero (TKO), and Olaf Alfonso (decision) after dropping down to compete as a welterweight in the 170 pound division. The 33-year-old Pride FC, Elite XC and Strikeforce veteran, reportedly, has now verbally agreed to return to where his career essentially began with the UFC. No contract details were revealed at press time; however, it seems plausible based on his good relationship with company president, Dana White, and his colorful ability to promote fights. Baroni competed eight times inside the Octagon between 2001 and 2005, compiling a lackluster record (3-5) during that span. He fought Evan Tanner and Matt Lindland twice (four total fights) and lost all of those middleweight matches. Baroni is perhaps best known for being upset by up-and-comer Pete Sell thanks to a guillotine choke that put the Long Island, N.Y., native to sleep. He’ll need to certainly step up his game if he is indeed UFC bound because the promotion boasts the most talent-rich 170-pound division on the planet. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeforce: ‘Carano vs Cyborg’ video preview and WEC 42 review on ESPNs ‘MMA Live’ Posted: 13 Aug 2009 02:21 PM PDT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Would MMA fans ‘love to see’ Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz III? Posted: 13 Aug 2009 11:40 AM PDT
According to the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” they would:
The former light heavyweight champ talks via SportsRadioInterviews.com about his ‘comeback’ under the tutelage of famed boxing coach Freddie Roach. Ortiz is coming off major spinal fusion surgery to correct a back problem that plagued him in his most recent bouts. His last appearance was in May 2008 — a unanimous decision loss to now 205-pound champion, Lyoto Machida. Speculation has swirled that Ortiz could return to competition at UFC 106 opposite Mark Coleman, but nothing is official at this time. Is a win over the aging wrestler going to propel him back into the mix? Or would any fans out there rather see him tangle with “The Iceman” for a third time instead? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MMA Quick Pic: Gegard Mousasi prepares to capture ‘Babalu’ belt on Aug. 15 Posted: 13 Aug 2009 10:28 AM PDT
(Photos courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce) Be sure to check out Renato Sobral, Mitsuhiro Ishida and Gilbert Melendez after the jump.
“Babalu” “Endless Fighter” “El Nino” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nick Diaz signs with Don Chargin to compete as a professional boxer Posted: 13 Aug 2009 10:13 AM PDT
Hall-of-fame boxing promoter Don Chargin has confirmed that embattled Strikeforce welterweight Nick Diaz has signed with “War-a-Week” to enter the world of boxing under his direction, according to Boxingscene.com. The deal will not affect his contractual obligations with Strikeforce. The surprising news comes just days after Diaz was scratched from the upcoming Strikeforce “Carano vs. Cyborg” event on August 15 after failing to appear for his initial pre-fight drug test on August 7 and again for the make-up exam on August 10. Saturday’s bout was to be against Jay Hieron for the newly-created Strikeforce welterweight championship. UFC exile Jesse “JT Money” Taylor has agreed to step in and take his place. Diaz has long been known for his unorthodox but effective striking style. Prior to dismantling the clearly-overmatched Scott Smith at June's "Lawler vs. Shields" event, the foul-mouthed fightmonger 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.
However, it should be noted that he was picked apart on his feet by boxer-tuned-MMA fighter-turned boxer KJ Noons en route to a TKO loss (cuts) back at Elite XC: “Renegade” in November 2007. Still, Chargin believes the Cesar Gracie-disciple has what it takes to cut it inside the ring. Here’s a snip:
The one upside to Diaz becoming a pugilist is that he may eventually have that long awaited rematch with Noons. Not only would it be an entertaining scrap, it would be a pretty good indicator of where his skills are at in the “sweet science.” Stay tuned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zuffa releases Thales Leites following UFC 101 loss Posted: 13 Aug 2009 09:19 AM PDT
It's win or go home lately inside the Octagon … literally. The UFC — in a move to trim its roster and offer the better fighters more opportunities to compete — has once again released several fighters from their contracts including one half of the Montreal Snoozejob, Thales Leites, according to MMA Fanhouse. The Brazilian joins George Roop, Dan Cramer and Tamdan McCrory on the growing list of recent Zuffa contract casualties. Leites was heading into UFC 101 on August 8 in a must-win situation after his lackluster performance against middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 97: "Redemption" last April. The Nova Uniao product was able to do what no man has done up until this point — survive five rounds with "The Spider." But “survive” was all he seemed willing to do — there was very little offense for 25 minutes. In fact, he basically played keep-away once he realized that he would be unable to implement his slick jiu-jitsu skills.
The performance did not go over well with the public at large, as well as UFC executives, including company president Dana White, who admitted at the post-fight press conference that he was "embarrassed." Leites had five wins in six attempts prior to the loss, three of which came via submissions. His chance to turn things around and perhaps dazzle fans with an electrifying finish was stifled by hard-hitting Alessio Sakara in Philadelphia. “Legionarious” forced him to the judges scorecards and walked out of “The Keystone State” with a split decision victory. The only positive to being released is that opportunities to fight still exist outside of Zuffa. Don't be surprised to see any one of these talents reappear in competing promotions sooner rather than later. If nothing else this latest news puts more pressure on fighters to not only win, but perform well if given the chance to fight for the UFC. It also ensures that, hopefully, we see more of the top fighters competing against better competition more often. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Alexander possible for Sept. 18 bout against Sherman Pendergarst at Adrenaline MMA IV Posted: 13 Aug 2009 08:40 AM PDT
In spite of the upcoming bout, Alexander remains under contract to Zuffa. The hard-hitting radio DJ was relatively unknown to the masses until he burst onto the scene with two destructive performances inside the Octagon, taking out top contender Keith Jardine in his debut back at UFC 71: "Liddell vs. Jackson" in May 2007 and then crumbling Alessio Sakara at UFC 75: "Champion vs. Champion" less than four months later. "The Assassin," however, quickly returned to Earth — practically crash landing with three straight losses to Thiago Silva at UFC 78, James Irvin at Fight Night 13 and Eric Schafer at Fight Night 15. The charismatic father of six was on track to slug it out with Andre Gusmao at UFC 98: “Evans vs. Machida” until he broke his hand just three weeks out from the event. Now it appears he’ll get things going again when he faces “The Tank” this September.
Pendergarst had one appearance inside the Octagon back in November 2006 opposite Antoni Hardonk at UFC 65: “Bad Intentions.” The Dutch kickboxer sent him packing with a brutal first round knockout. It hasn’t slowed down his progress, but Sherm is in desperate need of a win. In addition to losing five straight, he’s just 3-13 since his the loss to Hardonk. Upsetting Alexander would be the perfect catalyst for a comeback — if he can stay away from those heavy hands. Adrenaline MMA IV is expected to feature former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia returning to the cage against Jason Riley. MMA veteran Jeremy Horn will also be in action. Stay tuned for more information on this developing fight card as it becomes available. |
UFC light heavyweight Houston Alexander (8-4) could be making a quick pit stop before returning to the UFC as the Nebraskan has been slotted to face Sherman Pendergarst (11-14) in the co-main event for Adrenaline MMA IV from the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Sept. 18.| You are subscribed to email updates from UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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