UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

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• UFC 108 preview, Strikeforce: 'Evolution' and WEC 45 in review on ESPNs 'MMA Live' (Video)
• Alistair Overdraft: Lord Overeem pocketing Euros before 2010 return to Strikeforce
• Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather fight dead in the water ...
• Frank Mir: Brock Lesnar may need to be stripped of the UFC heavyweight title
• Scott Smith talks to Fox Fight Game about upset win over Cung Le at Strikeforce: 'Evolution' (Video)
• UFC Quick Quote: Cole Miller would rather have fun than get knocked out
• Nick Penner prepped to expose ‘The Exorcist’ at MFC 24: 'Heat XC'

UFC 108 preview, Strikeforce: 'Evolution' and WEC 45 in review on ESPNs 'MMA Live' (Video) Posted: 24 Dec 2009 04:09 PM PST

Alistair Overdraft: Lord Overeem pocketing Euros before 2010 return to Strikeforce Posted: 24 Dec 2009 04:04 PM PST Props: MMAWeekly (via Watch Kalib Run) Quoteworthy: "I never said he wasn’t fighting in April. What I said was there will be a fight by the end of March or April in K-1, and actually, he did very well in K-1 and he’s got an extremely good contract. Commercial-wise, it’s better for him, and we agreed to this already on K-1, that we will do that fight. After that fight, he will fight in Strikeforce. Two, three times, whatever is available in May, June, July, we don’t care. Think about it, man, he’s broadcast in 150 countries (on K-1). Right now, he’s got more sponsors than he ever had before. In his own country, he had a crazy rating during the Grand Prix, but also on EuroSport and also in Thailand. And this is where the UFC isn’t even broadcast. UFC is not even broadcast in Europe. Nobody knows about the UFC. Semmy Schilt and Alistair Overeem are gods there. You’re talking about a continent with 280 million people. I understand Americans look at America as the number one country in the world, but we also have stadiums with 20,000 people and broadcast live on TV all over Europe and in a lot of different countries. Worldwide, (Alistair) gained a lot more popularity, financially he got a lot better off, and that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be obliged to our contract with Strikeforce. Yes, he’s going to fight in 2010, and it will not be mid, but it will be earlier in the year. In May, for sure, he will fight in America. It just depends on the date." Bas Boon, manager for Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, touts the international appeal of his top fighter despite a recent defeat at the hands of Badr Hari in the K-1 WORLD GP 2009 FINAL back on Dec. 5. Still, "Demolition Man" hasn't lost an MMA match in nearly two years -- a win streak that actually began when he submitted Paul Buentello to capture the title back in 2007. The only problem is he hasn't even attempted to defend his title once since that time. Will he ever? And at what point does the new-look Strikeforce strip him of the title?

Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather fight dead in the water ... Posted: 24 Dec 2009 03:52 PM PST ... according to fossilized fight promoter Bob Arum: "It's over. O-V-E-R. (The USADA) is viewed by the Pacquiao side as being partisan. He doesn't want to use them. I don't want to use them. They're so inflexible they can't be used. As far as I'm concerned the fight is over. Can it be revisited in the autumn? We'll see." It seems Floyd Mayweather's and Co. have demanded that blood tests be administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) prior to his mega-fight against Manny Pacquiao so that the "Pac-Man" can't get away with performance enhancing drugs that are undetectable in urine tests (like human growth hormone). Pacquiao is not opposed to blood testing -- but is opposed to testing immediately before the fight because he believes any kind of blood loss that close to showtime has the potential to weaken him. Anyone out there have a reasonable solution to save boxing's biggest fight of all time?

Frank Mir: Brock Lesnar may need to be stripped of the UFC heavyweight title Posted: 24 Dec 2009 08:16 AM PST Props: Cagewriter Quoteworthy: "If (Brock Lesnar) is going to be out for that long, should he even hold on to the belt at all? The interim title works if a champion is not able to defend his belt within a year-long period, you know he's going to be out eight, nine months, you make the interim belt than he comes back after a year but as of now his last fight was in July. If he's out a year from today's date that's a year and a half and at that point, I don't think you can hold the belt ransom. They gave me about a year when I had my injury so I've been on that side of the coin and I was more than happy to relinquish the belt because I felt kind of selfish that I really couldn't do anything with it. I don't how successful he's going to be coming back. That's going to be a question over his head for a while. It wasn't like he was a slick, technical fighter to begin with. A lot of his style went upon his brute power and strength. If Brock Lesnar is unable to put on the same kind of size as he had before ... I don't think he's going to be very successful as a fighter at 245." Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir understands the difficulty in trying to come back from a devastating physical impairment as he talks about the slow road to recovery for the ailing Brock Lesnar. Mir was stripped of his division crown after 14 months on the sidelines thanks to a motorcycle accident that shattered his leg and tore the ligaments in his knee. There is also the question of how well Lesnar will be able to rebuild his mass after having intestinal trouble in a weight class that gets bigger by the month. Should Lesnar turn in his belt? Or will we see him much sooner than everyone thinks?

Scott Smith talks to Fox Fight Game about upset win over Cung Le at Strikeforce: 'Evolution' (Video) Posted: 24 Dec 2009 07:25 AM PST

UFC Quick Quote: Cole Miller would rather have fun than get knocked out Posted: 24 Dec 2009 07:12 AM PST "I hope this fight is as fun as it has the potential to be. (Lauzon) is a very aggressive fighter and I'm an aggressive fighter too I like to preach attack, attack, attack and he's the same way. I'm always seeing him on the offense. I have the experience but he's been the more active fighter. He's coming off eight wins in a row and I think it should be a great fight. Hopefully I don't get knocked out in the first three minutes." UFC lightweight Cole Miller talks to Sherdog.com about his upcoming scrap against Dan Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 20 scheduled for Jan. 11 in Fairfax. "Magrino" was stopped by rising star Efrain Escudero at UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort" back on Sept. 19 and hopes to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Can he "Upgrade" his standing in the 155-pound division? Or will the former WCF star turn him into vaporware?

Nick Penner prepped to expose ‘The Exorcist’ at MFC 24: 'Heat XC' Posted: 24 Dec 2009 07:10 AM PST First light heavyweight test for high-rated prospect Coming off a gusty win in his last outing, Nick "The Quiet Assassin" Penner will make his much-anticipated debut as a light heavyweight at MFC 24. Penner (9-1) won’t get an easy assignment as a 205-pounder, however, when he meets Chris "The Exorcist" Price (15-3) on Friday, February 26 at the River Cree Resort and Casino, just outside Edmonton , Alberta . The bout, agreed to in principle, will be one of the main-card attractions underneath the main event of the evening featuring a clash between lightweight title contenders Hermes Franca and Per Eklund. Penner has won six straight fights including his return to the organization when he topped Ryan Fortin in a rugged heavyweight tilt at MFC 23. Despite suffering a nasty cut over his eye, Penner retained his composure to ultimately pull off a rear-naked choke submission finish late in Round 2. The Edmonton , Alberta , native could quickly become a serious threat in the light heavyweight ranks with his ample skills in both stand-up and on the ground. He has not lost since a narrow decision defeat to former MFC heavyweight title contender Jimmy Ambriz in April 2008. Meanwhile, Price is on a tear of late as well, coming out on top in seven of his last eight fights with six of those wins coming in the first round. Price also has a well-balanced attack, claiming victory seven times by knockout and four by submission. The former U.S. Marine, who trains in Indianapolis , Indiana , holds a recent victory over veteran Ron Faircloth, coaxing a second-round tapout via triangle choke. In addition to the light heavyweight bout, Derrick "The Eraser" Noble has tentatively been added to the MFC 24 card with his opponent expected to be finalized shortly. Noble (24-12-1) will be out to reaffirm himself as a top contender for the MFC lightweight championship, a title he fell short of acquiring at MFC 20 when he dropped a hard-fought five-round decision to Antonio McKee. The Illinois product found success at MFC 19, earning a second-round submission via guillotine choke over Ariel Sexton. Noble’s career has been spotted with impressive victories over such notables as MFC welterweight champ Pat Healy, Thiago Alves, Shonie Carter, and Jake Ellenberger. The final list of matchups for MFC 24 will be completed soon. MFC 24: Heat XC will be the first show that combines the rosters of the Maximum Fighting Championship and Heat XC, the two organizations under the umbrella of Pavelich Sports. It will also be the first fight card streamlined live on www.maximumfighting.com. Tickets are going fast for MFC 24: Heat XC and are available via the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024 as well as Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca, charge-by-phone (780) 451-8000 and Ticketmaster outlets.

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