Friday, December 18, 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


Latest UFC Castoffs: Logan Stanton and Natasha Wicks

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 06:38 PM PST

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UFC has delivered early Holiday gifts to its lovely Octagon girls, Logan Stanton and Natasha Wicks: Pink slips.

MMAmadness and Cagewriter report that Stanton and Wicks have been relieved of their duties as ring girls.

Stanton, who has graced the Octagon with her presence since UFC 92, received her walking paper after UFC decided not to renew her contract that expired after UFC 107. On the other hand, Wicks, who made her debut at UFC 101 to replace Edith Labelle, received the unfortunate news that her stint came to an end before her contract expired.

Arianny Celeste, who recently re-negotiated her contract with UFC, will remain on the payroll with a new companion: According to multiple sources, UFC will employ only two ring girls from now on. While awaiting official confirmation, rumors suggest that Chandella Powell, a former playmate, will replace Stanton and Wicks.

The reasons for the release of Stanton and Wicks remain under wraps. Could it be UFC's peripheral cost-cutting measure? Did UFC deem Stanton and Wicks "poor fit within UFC/Zuffa's organizational culture"?

Chime in, Maniacs!!

Vancouver City Council passes bill to regulate sport of mixed martial arts

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 06:27 PM PST

Vancouver City Council has passed the bill to regulate the sport of mixed martial arts by a margin of 6-3 today, meaning fans in the city can expect a UFC event in the very near future.

The resolution didn’t come without conditions, however, with a two year trial period put in place.

City councillor, Tim Stevenson said:

“In the final analysis I do think we have to regulate this. In this society there are certain things that I might not agree with but the best way to deal with these is to regulate them. That’s what we're doing and I think a two-year deal is the best way to do that.”

The news follows on from Massachusetts passing a bill to regulate the sport in that state earlier this month. With a UFC event planned for Montreal in May, fans in Vancouver may have something to look forward to at the back end of the summer.

When will Brock Lesnar fight next? Summer 2010, perhaps (Video)

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 01:35 PM PST

The Prodigy: 'Penn vs St. Pierre 3' if you want to sell 40,000 tickets at the Aloha Stadium

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 01:28 PM PST

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Props: Honolulu Advertiser

Quoteworthy:

"I definitely want to fight (St. Pierre) again. What kind of fight do they want to put on in Abu Dhabi? Do they want me to fight a Frankie Edgar or a Gray Maynard? Or do they want me to fight a 'super fight' against somebody in Aloha Stadium, and do they think they can sell 40,000 tickets by putting me in against a Gray Maynard, or do they want me up against a bigger name?"

Fresh off his UFC 107 drubbing of Diego Sanchez, 155-pound champion BJ Penn looks forward to a future rematch with Georges St. Pierre after cleaning house in his current division. UFC President Dana White has gone on record approving of his eventual move back to welterweight, but "The Prodigy" can expect to fight a few contenders in the 170-pound weight class before getting a third crack at "Rush." We know Penn wants a third dance -- do the fans?

TUF 10 Finale nabs $503,600 at the gate with 1,310 tickets sold on Dec. 5

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 01:28 PM PST

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The Dec. 5 Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale on Spike TV took in a gate of $503,600 from "The Pearl" at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to official figures from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) released today.

The final tally was a result of 1,310 tickets sold. Those figures do not include the 481 comped tickets or the 355 unsold tickets.

The UFC dished out $351,000 in fighter salaries for the live event and another $25,000 in additional bonus money for the four participants who delivered outstanding performances.

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale featured newly-crowned TUF 10 champion Roy Nelson making his Octagon debut a memorable one, treating Brendan Schaub like fruit at a Gallagher concert and scoring "Knockout of the Night" with a single punch.

Also in action, Kimbo Slice huffed and puffed his way to a unanimous decision victory over the fast-stepping of Houston Alexander while Jon Jones picked up a controversial disqualification loss to Matt Hamill after hammering him with some illegal elbows.

Good times.

For complete results and coverage of TUF 10 Finale click here and here.

UFC Quick Quote: The 'Nightmare' has a new dream

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 01:16 PM PST

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"To be honest I’m really f’nnnn pist off I hate losing and am more hungry for victory than ever ... All I can think about is working my way back to earn another shot at Bj Penn. My dream has changed it is no longer just become ufc champion it is to fight Bj Penn again. I will put my heart and soul into this!!! Im on a mission now. All you doubters shut up and watch me!"

-- Former UFC number one lightweight contender Diego Sanchez tweeted yesterday on TwitLonger.com that his dream of becoming a UFC champion might not be burning as brightly inside his heart as his desire to rematch B.J. Penn. Lucky for Sanchez, he can kill two birds with one stone by earning another title shot. After all, based on Penn’s destruction of "Nightmare" at UFC 107, does anyone really think there’s another lightweight out there capable of dethroning "The Prodigy"? While it’s too soon to tell what road Sanchez will need to take to work his way back into title contention, this writer would like to point toward the obvious: Isn’t it time we saw Sanchez vs. Florian 2?

Watch Strikeforce: 'Evolution' online with 'All Access' on Dec. 19

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 12:19 PM PST

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Fans who don't have Showtime as part of their cable or satellite package can still catch all the action from Strikeforce: "Evolution" via live Internet stream on Saturday, Dec. 19 from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

For $24.95 per user, Strikeforce: "All Access" will stream simultaneously with the live Showtime telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET and be available on a global basis as opposes to previous "All Access" events that were restricted to Stateside streams.

To order Evolution "All Access" click here or go to http://strikeforce.sho.com now. Purchase includes access to the live stream and replays anytime thereafter through December 24, 2009.

From Strikeforce:

With Strikeforce: All Access, fans can be their own director and toggle among five live cameras with full pause and rewind capabilities including Showtime Sports exclusive CageCam®—a small, high quality camera worn by the referee which takes viewers inside the cage during the fights. Audio tracks will include the Showtime telecast fight call by host and play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo, and color commentators Frank Shamrock and Stephen Quadros, as well as the corresponding audio to the selected camera. Showtime is again working with BitGravity, Inc. and Episodic, Inc. to enable this unique multi-media experience. All Access fans also will receive a live Twitter feed from the event and can join behind-the scenes staff in tweeting about "Strikeforce" and "Showtime Sports" during the evening. Through a Facebook® Connect application, fans will be able to make predictions, comment on the live fights, discuss outcomes and more directly on the All Access page.

"Evolution" will feature a main event between lightweight champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson and interim division kingpin, Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez, squaring off in a long awaited rematch to decide the promotion's undisputed 155-pound leader.

In the co-featured fight, former middleweight champion and San Jose favorite, Cung Le, make his return to competition after more than a year and a half layoff. He'll lock horns with hard-hitting brawler, Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith.

MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Strikeforce: "Evolution," beginning with the SHOWTIME telecast at 9 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action earlier on fight night.

It's going to be a great night of fights. And don't forget to hit us up for all the pre, during and post-fight coverage you can handle.

TUF 10: Was Kimbo Slice merely a decoy for the Roy Nelson 'Big Country' marketing machine?

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 10:32 AM PST

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Props: MMA Manifesto

Quoteworthy:

"I believe I'd very competitive with the top heavyweights right now.  I think that's the reason why the UFC did their marketing with me and Kimbo.  We're the most watched show on Spike.  I was in three of the top 10 (most) watched cards in MMA history.  So it's one of those things that I think that definitely (they) marketed me to make sure I was shown to the UFC fans and the public so they could just throw me in right with the other guys. The only guy that I ever had my eye on when I chose to go to the UFC was whoever had the belt - that was Brock at the time.  It's pretty much whoever is the man to beat.  Those are always my goals.  And then after I get that goal then the next one is to kind of spread the wings and just fight whoever I haven't fought yet just to see how I prepare.  The thing about once you're at this level it is about styles in matches.  My thing is I always want to be very competitive and fight the best in the world so even if they're not the champ I always just want to challenge myself and fight the guys that I thought were legends, all the way from a Randy (Couture) to a (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira - there's guys that you just want to fight."

Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 winner Roy Nelson believes he was purposely matched against Kimbo Slice on Episode 3 of the Spike TV reality series to help the masses become more familiar with his brand of corpulent cage fighting. "Big Country" stopped the former Elite XC attraction via buffet tongs after using his prodigious girth to secure the bearded brawler in an iron-clad crucifix. A staggering 6.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the two heavyweights throw down and Nelson was panned for his play-it-safe strategy to boot Slice from the competition. Was he purposely plopped into a ratings bonanza for future marketability against the promotion's top stars? Or did Dana White hope that his least favorite contestant would get KTFO? Opinions?

(Thanks to Watch Kalib Run for the tip)

UFC rankings/MMA rankings featured in USA Today for December 2009

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 10:13 AM PST

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Our partners in crime over at BloodyElbow.com have once again published their divisional rankings for mixed martial arts in the nation’s largest daily newspaper, USA Today, for the month of December 2009.

For those of you unfamiliar with the process, here’s how it works:

"The rankings, which will offer a definitive perspective of top MMA fighters across all weight-classes, will be released monthly and published in the Sports section of USA TODAY, online at USATODAY.com and on SB Nation’s MMA commentary and community blog, BloodyElbow.com … The USA TODAY/SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings are compiled each month by Nate Wilcox and Richard Wade of BloodyElbow.com. The rankings utilize each of the top MMA rankings from multiple unique sources. A weighted-formula is applied to normalize and distill the various rankings into one consensus ranking per weight class."

To check out the latest USAT/SBN rankings click here. We’ve also listed their top 10 in each class after the jump for your convenience.

What do you think? Share your ranking rants in the comments section below.

Heavyweight:

1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
4. Frank Mir
5. Junior Dos Santos
6. Cain Velasquez
7. Josh Barnett
8. Shane Carwin
9. Brett Rogers
10. Alistair Overeem

Light Heavyweight:

1. Lyoto Machida
2. Mauricio Rua
3. Rashad Evans
4. Quinton Jackson
5. Forrest Griffin
6. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
7. Gegard Mousasi
8. Thiago Silva
9. Anderson Silva
10. Randy Couture

Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Nate Marquardt
3. Dan Henderson
4. Demian Maia
5. Vitor Belfort
6. Chael Sonnen
7. Jake Shields
8. Yushin Okami
9. Yoshihiro Akiyama
10. Mamed Khalidov

Welterweight:

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Dan Hardy
6. Mike Swick
7. Paulo Thiago
8. Matt Hughes
9. Carlos Condit
10. Paul Daley

Lightweight:

1. B.J. Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alvarez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Gray Maynard
6. Frank Edgar
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Joachim Hansen

Featherweight:

1. Jose Aldo
2. Mike Brown
3. Urijah Faber
4. Bibiano Fernandes
5. Hatsu Hioki
6. Rafael Assuncao
7. Manny Gamburyan
8. Wagnney Fabiano
9. Michihiro Omigawa
10. Mackens Semerzier

Of course, nothing brings MMA fans closer together than a list of divisional rankings. Let’s hear it: Who belongs and who doesn’t? And be sure to say why. "He sucks" is not a valid argument.

UFC 108 video preview for 'Evans vs Silva' on Jan. 2 (Extended)

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 08:39 AM PST

Dan Hornbuckle signs multi-fight contract with Bellator Fighting Championships

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 08:38 AM PST

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Chicago, Ill. (December 17, 2009) – Bellator Fighting Championships continued its active offseason on Thursday when it announced the acquisition of one of MMA’s most heralded free agents, 19-2 welterweight standout Dan Hornbuckle.

"When we began the recruiting process for Season 2 and beyond, Dan Hornbuckle was one of our top targets," said Bjorn Rebney, founder and CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. "To be able to land a fighter like Dan is another sign of our commitment to bring world class fights to MMA fans on a weekly basis."

Rebney has confirmed that, with Hornbuckle’s signing, he has also received an invitation to compete in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man welterweight tournament, which commences during Bellator’s Season 2 kickoff on April 8, 2010. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155, and 185 lbs. with the winners of this year’s tournaments being declared number one contenders to Bellator’s current cache of champions.

Nicknamed "The Handler," Hornbuckle, 28, has been a highly-touted prospect since compiling a sensational 8-1 record as a rookie in 2006. However, it wasn’t until two-high profile wins in Japan earlier this year that he was able to shed his blue chip prospect label in favor of being known as an elite, world-class competitor.

In August, Hornbuckle sent shockwaves through the industry with his brutal knockout of PRIDE and UFC veteran Akihiro Gono following a devastating high kick. The fantastic finish will go down as one of the most memorable of 2009.

For an encore, Hornbuckle made a statement following the Gono win just six weeks later when he TKO’d former BodogFIGHT welterweight champion Nick Thompson just 1:30 into Round 2. With the win, Hornbuckle closed out 2009 with a perfect 3-0 record and improved his record to a remarkable 18-1 over the course of his last 19 contests.

A versatile and well-rounded fighter, Hornbuckle has earned a reputation for being one of the toughest fighters in a sport in which toughness is a given. He says that much of his strength is derived from his Native American ancestry. A member of the Eastern Band Cherokee tribe, Hornbuckle fights out of Cherokee, N.C.

"My heritage is where I pull my energy from," he says. "Every time I fight, I feel like my whole tribe is there with me inside the cage."

A union sprinkler-fitter who lives in the small town of Mahomet in Central Illinois with his wife Melody and three daughters (ages 11, 7 and 21 months), Hornbuckle says he plans on winning the Bellator Season 2 welterweight tournament and aspires to someday become a legend in the sport.

"I want to be a guy who people bring up whenever they talk about MMA," he said. "I want to be the name that all the guys on the construction sites are talking about the morning after a big fight."

Hornbuckle’s signing comes on the heels of last week’s announcements that Bellator had also signed former U.S. Olympic wrestler Ben Askren and undefeated blue chip prospect Jacob "Tick Tock" McClintock. Like Hornbuckle, both compete at 170 lbs. and will be featured players when the promotion’s new television platform launches in April. Bellator’s highly touted 170 lbs. tournament will be available live every Thursday on FOX Sports Net and every Saturday on NBC and Telemundo.

"With the addition of Hornbuckle to an already steady tournament field that includes Askren and McClintock, we’ve created a great tournament field in a division that many experts said was thin when it came to available talent," Rebney said. "What we now have is the beginning of a 170 lbs. field that has created a feeling amongst hardcore MMA fans that April can’t come soon enough."

Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. Each of the three broadcasts will be aired in high definition.

For more information, please visit Bellator.com.

Moving forward: Shogun Rua to start training in January for second battle with Lyoto Machida

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 08:32 AM PST

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Props: UOL.com.br

Quoteworthy:

“I no longer think [about UFC 104] and can’t live from it anymore. I must only think on the next fight that’s going to be a battle. I was glad with my performance but not with the outcome. I wanted the win but this is past for me. Actually I don’t know what criteria was taken in account for that fight. I just know they (judges) used it in favor of Lyoto. [Machida] is a tough guy and I already expected a complicated fight against him. In fact, he has been fighting for over ten years, so that, I think it’s difficult for him to change something now. He has done what he does well along his whole life, so as it’s also hard for me to change my game.”

Almost two months after his unanimous decision loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 104, Mauricio Rua says he overcame the controversial outcome and is focused on their second encounter in 2010. "Shogun" intends to map out the campaign for the next fight starting in January, when he will sit down with his team to plan all the arrangements. Will history repeat itself? Or will Rua get the win many feel he should have gotten back in October?

Team Napao: Gabriel Gonzaga expected to return to UFC action in Spring 2010

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 08:32 AM PST

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Props: Terra Magazine

Quoteworthy:

“I believe Napao will be ready to fight in March or April. His arm is better and he is going to train at a full swing in January. It’s a slight infection, however, it turns out difficult to the training because he can’t stay in contact with other people.”

Former heavyweight number one contender Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga was forced to withdraw from the UFC 108 card due staph infection where he would face Junior “Cigano” dos Santos. The Brazilian has been doing light training but must still taken antibiotics. Team Link manager Marco Alvan expects his athlete to fight in the first quarter of 2010. Who should be his opponent?

Poll
Who would GG square off?

  1059 votes | Results

Strikeforce 'Evolution' video: Josh Thomson vs Gilbert Melendez fight talk

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 08:30 AM PST

The Strikeforce Lightweight Championship unification bout between Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez. Who takes it?

Cristiane Santos considering offer to show her Cyborgs in Playboy magazine

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 07:48 AM PST

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Strikeforce property Gina Carano may have stuck with her "Convictions" when Playboy magazine came calling, but that doesn't mean another female fight-monger is completely opposed to baring her balloons for the adult publishing empire.

If Carano is the face of women's MMA, then perhaps Santos wants to become its bosom?

From Cyborg, courtesy of Sherdog.com:

"Actually we are still talking, and I’m thinking about that possibility. After all, only one man saw me naked in my entire life and I have to think deeply about that."

Personally, I'm all for it.

Since I can't get within ten feet of her at any of these events thanks to some ridiculous security protocol that frowns on stalkers and gawkers, this could be my only chance to ogle her goods without getting my ass kicked by that menacing husband of hers.

Anyone besides me want to see what she's offering? I know some of you scaredy-cats won't answer honestly so I've attached a poll for you to retain your precious anonymity.

Sound off.

Poll
Would you pick-up an issue of Playboy magazine that featured Strikeforce Women's Champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos?

  2502 votes | Results

WEC Quick Quote: Takeya Mizugaki has never fought anybody like Scott Jorgensen

Posted: 17 Dec 2009 07:47 AM PST

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"I knew as soon as that bell rang, I could tear (Noah Thomas) apart any way I wanted and that’s the same thing going into this Mizugaki fight. I don’t care if he did take Miguel (Torres) to five rounds and he beat Jeff Curran in a decision. He’s never fought anybody like me. He’s not going to be able to handle me."

Strong words from Scott Jorgensen on Pro MMA Radio this past Monday when discussing his upcoming fight with Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 45: "Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" on Dec. 19. Although Mizugaki was fighting for a title merely eight months ago, Jorgensen believes he will be unable to handle what the Idaho native will throw at him. Will Jorgensen be able to do what even Miguel Torres was unable to and stop former bantamweight top contender Mizugaki? Or will this fight be just another step for Japanese slugger back to top contender status in the WEC 135-pound division?

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