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- Randy Couture plans to take a page out of ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira’s book at UFC 102 … literally
- Chuck Liddell ‘Dancing with the Stars’ behind the scenes (Pic)
- UFC Countdown to 102 ‘Couture vs Nogueira’ video preview
- UFC 104 results and LIVE fight coverage for ‘Machida vs Shogun’ on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles
- Randy Couture UFC 102 video blog (Episode one)
- UFC Quick Quote: Lyoto Machida prefers chess, not luck
- UFC 104: Sean Sherk heads back to California to take on Gleison Tibau
- Keith Jardine doesn’t rule out a Techno Viking entrance …
- Jake Rosholt ready for the ‘fight of his life’ against Chris Leben at UFC 102
- UFC 102: Dan Henderson headlines Q&A session in Portland on Aug. 28
| Randy Couture plans to take a page out of ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira’s book at UFC 102 … literally Posted: 25 Aug 2009 08:19 PM PDT
Five-time UFC champion and Hall of Fame inductee Randy "The Natural" Couture was the featured guest on MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio this week. Just days away from his UFC 102 showdown with former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, “The Natural” weighed in on his upcoming fight, how he thinks Gina Carano will come back an even stronger fighter after her Strikeforce title fight loss to Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and a little bit of everything else in an in-depth conversation with host Larry Pepe. The long awaited fight between the two veterans rounds out the heavyweight mini-tournament that began last fall at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" when Brock beat Couture for the UFC heavyweight title; continued at UFC 92 when Frank Mir defeated "Big Nog" to stake his claim to the interim belt; and culminated at the historic UFC 100 when Lesnar unified the titles by TKOing Mir in the second round. Though his record of 16-9 isn't the most dominant in the sport, the fact that 15 of Couture's fights have been for or in defense of a UFC world title is simply astonishing. The closest any other fighter in UFC history has come to that mark is Matt Hughes with an impressive 12 title fights, himself three fights ahead of the next closest fighter. Couture faces another well-tested veteran in Nogueira, who at 31-5-1 (1 NC) has been in his share of world title fights, mostly in PRIDE FC. While "Minotauro" suffered the first stoppage loss of his career in his last fight against Mir, Couture expects to see a different Nogueira on Saturday:
"I'm not going to factor into the equation that everybody thinks he's slowed down or has been in too many battles and all that. That's not something I can count on. Whether it was a knee injury or a back injury or infection, I've heard all of the above. I don't know, it doesn't matter. I have to count on Nogueira showing up as the best Nogueira we've ever seen and prepare for that." The fight will be waged in familiar territory for Couture, who hails from the Pacific Northwest and called fighting on the first UFC card in the region an "honor." Despite Nogueira's 19 submission victories, Couture expressed confidence no matter where the fight goes: "I think you have to have a healthy respect for that part of his game. He's very dangerous there. He's a master manipulator on the ground. … I certainly need to be attentive, but it's not something I'm worried about. I'm more than capable of surviving and being effective on the ground with anybody, including Nogueira." Perhaps Couture's so confident because he plans to take a page out of Nogueira's own book … literally. He's prepared for the fight by game-planning with Xtreme Couture jiu-jitsu instructor Neal Melanson, who "helped write Nogueira's book," according to the Greco-Roman wrestler. Another part of his buildup to a fight is preparing his mental state. He encourages his fighters to be relaxed, yet intense. He says he's laid back. If there is a switch when you get your game face on, it's when the moutpiece goes in. "I don't see any reason to spend a bunch of extra energy. There's no sense in worrying about a bunch of other things that you can't control. Just stay focused on what you trained to do. And what you want to facilitate and make happen in the fight. And let the rest of it just go. Sometimes that takes practice." One young fighter who has sought advice from Couture is Gina Carano, who is coming off the first loss of her career to "Cyborg" Santos for the first-ever Strikeforce women's title (145 lbs). Couture, who cornered Carano in the fight, broke the action down: "I think we knew Cristiane was going to come out hard and be very, very aggressive, and we'd hoped to be able to stick and move and make her chase us a little bit, and wear her down, slow her down. I definitely think Gina's used to being the bully instead of getting bullied." Couture cited the pressure put on Carano — often called the "face of women's MMA" — going into the fight, and if there's a silver lining in the loss it's that the pressure is now gone. "I think in a lot of ways this is going to work out better for her in the end. The pressure's off. She doesn't have to worry about being undefeated or any of that other stuff anymore. I think a little adversity sometimes for a fighter … I know for me personally the fights I've lost have been very, very important in my development as an athlete and a person. I think we'll see character in Gina that we haven't seen before, and she's rise back up and be better and stronger down the road." Now preparing for the second fight on his current three-fight deal with the UFC, Couture says he's "absolutely" prepared to extend his contract and "more than likely" will finish his career with the promotion that made him famous. In a fascinating interview, Couture comments on what it means to "greenlight" a particularly mouthy young fighter (you "go ahead and show 'em what's what"), the exclusive contract he signed with EA Games prior to returning to the UFC, and filming the upcoming Sylvester Stallone picture "The Expendables" (in which both Nogueira brothers also appear). He also talks about everything from Fedor Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar's "WWE" style antics at UFC 100, to Ray Mercer, Steve Austin, Kit Cope and Forrest Griffin's quick post-fight flight from the cage at UFC 101. To check out the complete interview, as well as the entire Pro MMA Radio archive with host Larry Pepe, click here. |
| Chuck Liddell ‘Dancing with the Stars’ behind the scenes (Pic) Posted: 25 Aug 2009 08:08 PM PDT
Check out more pics of the “Iceman” two-stepping with dance partner Anna Trebunskaya right here. Wonder if lap dances will be featured on this season. |
| UFC Countdown to 102 ‘Couture vs Nogueira’ video preview Posted: 25 Aug 2009 08:07 PM PDT |
| UFC 104 results and LIVE fight coverage for ‘Machida vs Shogun’ on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles Posted: 25 Aug 2009 08:02 PM PDT
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today took a major step toward finalizing the 11-fight line up its first trip back to the "The Golden State" in more than two years, which is scheduled for the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 24. UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun” features the first title defense for undefeated light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida against fellow Brazilian Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the main event of the evening. In addition, rising talent Cain Velasquez and veteran Ben Rothwell will "wage war" in a super-sized heavyweight showdown. Former light heavyweight champion Sean Sherk will also return to action opposite Gleison Tibau in a rock-solid 155-pound showdown. Here is the current UFC 104 fight card:
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 104, beginning with the pay-per-view (PPV) telecast at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action on fight night. We're still a few months away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions on “Machida vs. Shogun” in the comments section below. And remember that MMAmania.com will be the spot for the latest news and event-related highlights before, during and after the event. For everything you need to know about UFC 104 feel free to also hit up our event archive right here. |
| Randy Couture UFC 102 video blog (Episode one) Posted: 25 Aug 2009 01:50 PM PDT |
| UFC Quick Quote: Lyoto Machida prefers chess, not luck Posted: 25 Aug 2009 01:11 PM PDT
– UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida explains to TATAME magazine how he utilizes his unique karate style to dominate his opponents. Rejecting the notion that striking is a "lottery" — where fighters look to land a single punch to end the fight — "The Dragon" instead favors picking his opponents apart from pillar to post. Machida also notes that before his and teammate Anderson Silva's "conquest in the UFC," there was a long tradition of Brazilian strikers, including former world lightweight boxing champion Acelino "Popó" Freitas, as well as UFC veterans Vitor Belfort, Pedro Rizzo and Marco Ruas, the founder of Ruas Vale Tudo, a hybrid of kickboxing and Brazilian submission fighting. Perhaps it's a good thing to note that Brazilian mixed martial artists should be remembered for more than just their sick jiu-jitsu skills. We're now two months out from UFC 104, where Machida will look to make his first title defense against fellow-Brazilian Mauricio Rua. At 18-3, "Shogun" has earned 15 of his wins by (T)KO. Care to share your opinion about who will shout “check mate” when all is said and done? |
| UFC 104: Sean Sherk heads back to California to take on Gleison Tibau Posted: 25 Aug 2009 11:21 AM PDT
Former lightweight champion Sean Sherk (33-4) — who vowed to never again fight in California after a positive test for steroids in 2007 that he refuted vigorously — is headed back to the "The Golden State" to take on Gleison Tibau (17-7) at UFC 104: "Machida vs. Shogun" from the Staples Center is Los Angeles on Oct. 24. The 155-pound match up was expected to take place next month at UFC 103; however, it appears that the promotion switched things up to help bolster the pay-per-view (PPV) event. Sherk failed to reclaim his title against BJ Penn at UFC 84: "Ill Will" back in May 2008. It was his first fight since being stripped of the title and suspended by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) for allegedly testing dirty for banned substances. At the ripe old age of 35, the "Muscle Shark" rebounded with unanimous decision win over Tyson Griffin at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote," demonstrating much improved striking skills. Primarily known for his overwhelming wrestling attack, Sherk's new multidimensional approach earned him and Griffin the "Fight of the Night." Unfortunately, he may have become too reliant on his stand-up and not his wrestling, which was a big factor is his divisional dominance for so many years. That helped Frankie Edgar outpoint him en route to a unanimous decision loss at UFC 98: "Evans vs. Machida" back in May. Which Sherk shows up for the Tibau fight remains to be seen.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard is also coming off a decision loss (split) after Melvin Guillard took him the distance at the TUF 9 Finale less than a month ago. It snapped a two-fight win streak for the Brazilian, who’s been up and down since his debut against Nick Diaz at UFC 65 way back in November 2006. The streaking American Top Team (ATT) product followed the Diaz loss by winning his next three fights inside the Octagon before dropping consecutive bouts to perennial division threats Tyson Griffin and Joe Stevenson. Tibau could make a major statement with a win against the former champ. UFC 104 features the first title defense for undefeated light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida against fellow Brazilian Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the main event of the evening. In addition, rising talent Cain Velasquez and veteran Ben Rothwell will "wage war" in a super-sized heavyweight showdown. To check out the latest UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun” fight card and rumors click here. |
| Keith Jardine doesn’t rule out a Techno Viking entrance … Posted: 25 Aug 2009 07:34 AM PDT
… just don’t expect it to happen this weekend when he takes on Thiago Silva at UFC 102: “Couture vs. Nogueira” from the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore., according to MMAFanhouse.com:
Check out the epic Techno Viking video after the jump. The “Dean of Mean” can at least get the point and stare down. Baby steps.
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| Jake Rosholt ready for the ‘fight of his life’ against Chris Leben at UFC 102 Posted: 25 Aug 2009 07:06 AM PDT
Props: Fight! magazine Quoteworthy:
Four-time All-American and three-time Division I NCAA wrestling champion from Oklahoma State University, Jake Rosholt, talks about dictating the location of his upcoming fight against Chris Leben at UFC 102 this upcoming Saturday night. Rosholt — who dropped his promotional debut to Dan Miller via submission at Fight Night 17 — is at a serious disadvantage on his feet. Leben has earned a reputation as a hard-hitting brawler who can eat punches and keep moving forward. He’ll likely give Rosholt — who barely survived a Nissen Osterneck onslaught two fights ago — hell if this middleweight match up doesn’t hit the mat sooner rather than later. Will Rosholt be able to do his thing before getting clipped by the “Crippler?” Check out a video interview with Rosholt after the jump.
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| UFC 102: Dan Henderson headlines Q&A session in Portland on Aug. 28 Posted: 25 Aug 2009 07:06 AM PDT
UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, Nate Quarry, Chael Sonnen and Shane Carwin will also be on hand to sign autographs. For more on the UFC 102: “Couture vs. Nogueira” weigh-in festivities set for this Friday click here. |
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