Thursday, November 5, 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


Gegard Mousasi has ‘done everything’ to defeat Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou on CBS Nov. 7 (Video)

Posted: 05 Nov 2009 04:33 AM PST

That shoulder injury sounded real serious:

Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller doesn’t want to hug Jake Shields on Nov. 7 …

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST

Mayhem_CBS_interview

… he wants to beat him up:

"I think it's funny how some people are underestimating me. I'm shocked at the odds. I should be the favorite. But oddsmakers' jobs are to make money and to get action. I'm going to turn this into a brawl. I'm not interested in turning it into a hugging contest, which is what he may do. I want to keep the fight at a fast pace, while I think Jake will want to slow it down and grind it out. It's possible, if I have my way, and Shields does his part, that we will have the fight of the night.”

Will ‘Mayhem’ be able to keep it upright or will Shields grind out another decision and/or submission win to capture the Strikeforce middleweight championship this Saturday night? Predictions, please.

Strikeforce: ‘Fedor vs Rogers’ photos gallery from open media workout in Chicago

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 08:43 PM PST

Fedor_shadowboxing

Check out more pics from the final pre-fight workout after the jump. All photos courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce.

More Fedor:

Fedor_workout1

Mousasi:

Mousasi_shadowboxing

Mayhem and Mo:

Mayhem_messing_w_Mo_Lawal

Fabricio:

werdum_workout

“Bigfoot:”

Silva_shadowboxing

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10: Episode 8 recap and discussion

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 06:57 PM PST

Episode 8 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 10 gets underway with a recap of the alleged fight between Matt Mitrione and Scott’s Junk. The battered Junk insists he could have won the fight if there had been a third round. At least, that’s probably what his team mates told him after they defibrillated him at the end of round two.

Rampage tees off on the gym door in disgust and ironically waits until Episode 8 to show any genuine emotion. Perhaps if he had been this fired up earlier in the season, he could have driven his team to a better record.

Or perhaps not.

He later apologizes to the door — who is probably glad to be off the show, especially after some of the “fights” that have taken place this season.

Wes Sims decides to throw Matt Mitrione a party in celebration of his fight but the former NFLer appears to be a little too busted up to attend the grand shebang — despite being the guest of honor.

On the stationary bike, Marcus Jones pedals his way into Rampage’s heart, probably because he’s all that stands between a spot in the semis and the total embarrassment of being the first coach in TUF history to lead his team to an 0-8 showing.

The next morning, Jones has the pleasure of waking up to a Vegas creepy-crawly trying to make a nest in the big man’s shoe. He lets out a girlish yelp and Wes Sims swoops in and bludgeons it to death with a ski pole.

We get our first piano solo in several episodes as Mike Wessel hits the confessional and gets choked up talking about his wife who is stricken with cancer.

Fortunately he doesn’t dwell on it and switches his focus to Marcus Jones, who he describes as a “massive man.” Sounds like the Team Evans scouts have really done their homework. Regardless, Wessel is confident that he has a good shot to overcome the brute strength of his opponent.

Jones recounts his days in the NFL and admits he had the size and the competitive spirit, but not the desire to excel. In mixed martial arts, he wants to become “a student of the game.”

He lets out a giggle and a grunt every time he masters a new aspect of training. He wants to remembered as a hell of a fighter, which unfortunately may not come at the expense of Mike Wessel, no matter how well he performs.

Some of the guys from Team Evans draw a caricature of Marcus Jones that accuses him of sucking balls. The jovial “Big Baby” goes from happy-go-lucky to Larry Drake in Dr. Giggles, complete with menacing death stare and threatening psycho-babble.

At the weigh-ins, Rampage tries to make nice with “Titties” but Schoonover isn’t having it –especially after Jackson plays “Tune in Tokyo” with Darryl’s prodigious chest. They have to be separated and once again cooler heads prevail.

The fighters make their predictions and it’s pretty clear that Jones is the favorite heading into the fight. Wessel says he isn’t afraid of Marcus Jones, he’s afraid of being away from his wife for six weeks and having it all be for nothing.

Heavyweight elimination fight #8: Marcus Jones (4-2) vs. Mike Wessel (8-2)

Round 1: Jones stalking and eats a right. They clinch and struggle for position until Jones uses a trip attempt to wrestle Wessel to the ground. Jones gets his back but Wessel defends and rolls into mount. Unfortunately Jones is there waiting for him and locks up a painful armbar for the immediate tap. Jones looked a bit rigid on his feet but was very impressive on the ground.

Marcus Jones defeats Mike Wessel via submission (armbar)

Cue the piano solo as a defeated Wessel has to cope with the fact that he lost but also tries to stay upbeat and look to the future. Jones on the other hand is positively giddy for getting the biggest win of his career (to date).

Coach Jackson tells Jones that he’s “Team Rampage for life” and I can’t help but laugh out loud seeing as how Team Rampage ended up 1-7 in the competition.

Some distinction.

Following the fight’s conclusion, Dana White gathers the coaches and the winning fighters to choose the semifinal match-ups. Roy Nelson rubs Dana the wrong way and White blasts him for the Kimbo fight.

Again.

Marcus Jones defaults to Rampage when asked who he wants to fight, so Jackson tries to feed him Darryl Schoonover. He’s successful — much to the chagrin of Coach Evans.

The Quarterfinal matches are announced and as follows:

Roy Nelson vs. Justin Wren

Brendan Schaub vs. John Madsen

James McSweeney vs. Matt Mitrione

Marcus Jones vs. Darryl Schoonover

After the announcements, Coach Evans extends an invitation to anyone on Team Rampage who wants to come and train with his guys. While I’m sure some of them wanted to go, they don’t want to be disrespectful when the cameras are rolling and stand fast.

What a shock, Rampage and Rashad end up jawing at each other. Obscenities fly and crotches are grabbed.

Yawn.

Stay tuned next week as Matt Mitrione gets sent to the hospital, Kimbo tries to replace him and Roy Nelson hooks ‘em up with Justin Wren. Who wins? Find out next Wednesday!

See you in seven!

UFC Quick Quote: Georges St. Pierre is healthy, ready for Mike Swick or Dan Hardy

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 05:57 PM PST

Georges St Pierre

“My injury is 100 percent now, I’m ready to go. I’m waiting to see what’s going to happen next with the UFC…. I look forward to fighting again and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen between Swick and Hardy…. It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting, it’s always dangerous. I learned my mistake when I fought Matt Serra, who was a big underdog. I’m the kind of person who never makes the same mistake twice…. [Dan Hardy is] a great fighter, he really deserves it. … He’s got very lethal, very powerful hands. He can knock you out with one punch. It’s always a big danger when you fight a guy like him…. Mike Swick is very very fast, has probably the fastest hands in MMA. A very accurate puncher, he’s very well-rounded so it’s going to be a very interesting fight. They both have the tools to beat each other. I think the winner of this fight will be the guy who has the best strategy and who fights the smartest.”

– UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre informs the Canadian Press that he has completely recovered from a groin injury sustained during a five-round battle with Thiago Alves back at UFC 100 back in July. “Rush” refined his stand up skills while nursing his abductor ligament back to full strength. And now he’s apparently back in the gym, training full strength in preparation for his next title defense in early 2010. It will likely come against the winner of the 170-pound showdown between Mike Swick and Dan Hardy at UFC 105 next weekend. Any preferences on St. Pierre’s next opponent, Maniacs?

UFC 108: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Cain Velasquez in the works for Jan. 2

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 04:21 PM PST

Former UFC interim heavyweight champion and mixed martial arts legend, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, is in talks to take on undefeated rising star Cain Velasquez at UFC 108, which is slated for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2.

Sensei Sportv (via Tatame.com) was the first to report the potential showdown. No official announcement has come from the promotion, or Velasquez’s camp, at this time.

Stay tuned.

UFC 108 is expected to feature a reshuffled main event between ailing heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar (if he can recover from a serious illness), and number one division contender, Shane Carwin. Former 205-pound champion, Rashad Evans, is currently penciled in to collide with Brazilian slugger, Thiago Silva, in the co-featured fight of the night.

Sneak peek video of Marcus Jones and Episode 8 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 11:30 AM PST

Will Marcus Jones be the lone man to score a “W” for Team Rampage? Or will it be a clean sweep for Team Evans? Find out tonight at 10 p.m. ET!

UFC Quick Pic: Dana White has a nice car — and wrecks it

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 11:29 AM PST

Check out his official Twitter account for more.

Jon Fitch: ‘Waiting around for Thiago Alves to get better was not an option’

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 11:28 AM PST

Props: Pro MMA Radio

Quoteworthy:

“I needed to fight, I was (previously) scheduled for Nov. 21 and I’ve been training 5-6 weeks already. I don’t like a lot of down time, I like to fight often. Waiting around for Thiago (Alves) to get better was not an option. The last week has just been up and down, changing training camps from one day to the next and emotionally getting up and down for different opponents. Mike Pierce is not well know but sometimes these kinds of fights are harder than the high profile fights because people expect you to go out and smash a guy they don’t know so if you don’t, they hold it against you. This fight can very easily turn into one of my tougher fights.”

Former UFC welterweight number one contender Jon Fitch shares the frustration of undergoing multiple changes in both events and opponents after Ricardo Almeida and Thiago Alves both went down with knee injuries and were forced out of action. Now Fitch must face the unknown Mike Pierce, which as the former Purdue wrestling standout explains is perhaps more dangerous than a high profile opponent due to the limited scouting report and lofty expectations. Is Fitch in a no-win situation?

To hear the entire interview click here.

Brett Rogers video from ESPNs ‘First Take’

Posted: 04 Nov 2009 10:04 AM PST

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