Thursday, January 21, 2010

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

UFC 112 video: Renzo Gracie 'honored' to fight Matt Hughes on April 10

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 08:52 PM PST

"We’re going to have a big press conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with our new partners from t...

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 08:52 PM PST

"We're going to have a big press conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with our new partners from the region, Flash. [Zuffa CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta] and myself will be there with some of the biggest names on the UFC roster. I don't want to give away the official announcement, but this will be a very unique show and not just because the card itself will be as good as any in UFC history."

-- Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC's managing director of international expansion, talks to Yahoo!Sports.com about the UFC 112 press conference scheduled for next Wednesday (Jan. 27). The event will more than likely be held outside under the stars, which would be a first for the promotion.

Strikeforce Challenger Series: 'Prangley vs. Amoussou' coming together for Feb. 26

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 08:45 PM PST

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Strikeforce will put its partnership with M-1 Global to more good use next month when highly touted M-1 prospect Karl "Psycho" Amoussou (11-2-1) headlines the promotion's "Challenger Series" opposite well rounded veteran Trevor Prangley (22-5) at the San Jose Civic Auditorium in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 26.

The main card will air live on Showtime, beginning at 11 p.m. ET.

Prangley is a winner of five straight, including a unanimous decision win over the company's former top contender, Anthony Ruiz, which took place on Strikeforce's second show at the Playboy Mansion back in September 2008.

The South African also holds notable career wins over Chael Sonnen, Travis Lutter and Andrei Semenov (twice).

"Psycho" is a Frenchman who has shown the ability to finish his opponents quickly with eight career wins inside the first round. He seems to be well rounded with a solid ground and pound attack, as well as boasts a crafty submission game to boot.

He's managed to put together a pretty nice record of (6-2) under the M-1 banner. Prangley is a step up in competition for him, but this should be a very competitive fight.

In the co main event of the night, Japanese import Takayo Hashi (12-1) and undefeated Canadian brawler Sarah Kaufman (10-0) will collide in a 135-pound women's title fight.

Hashi is the more methodical, grind-it-out type fighter who will try to catch her opponents in submissions. Meanwhile, Kaufman is more of a head hunter -- she hits hard and specializes in one thing ... knocking chicks out. She's always a treat to watch.

This should be a nice contrast of styles.

Here's what the lineup for the Showtime televised portion of the event is looking like so far:


185 lbs.: Trevor Prangley (22-5) vs. Karl "Psycho" Amoussou (11-2-1)
135 lbs.: Sarah Kaufman (10-0) vs. Takayo Hashi (12-1)
185 lbs.: Paul Bradley (12-1) vs. Luke Rockhold (6-1)
170 lbs.: Tarec Saffiedine (7-2) vs. James Terry (7-1)
185 lbs.: Raul Castillo (6-0) vs. Yancy Madeiros (4-0)

 

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide live blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night, as well as any other news and notes leading up to the event.

Stay tuned.

UFC Quick Quote: Brock Lesnar looks forward to trilogy match with Frank 'Stalker' Mir

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 04:43 PM PST

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"I don't think I beat him as bad as I could. So for me to get my hands on that stalker again... you know, Frank Mir has made it a mission of his life (to get revenge). Frank Mir the stalker. It's been a while since I've had a stalker, but we'll take of that if I ever face him again."

-- Brock Lesnar and Dana White appeared on ESPN today (Jan. 20) to announce the news that the UFC heavyweight champion would be back in action later this year after a severe illness threatened his career in mixed martial arts. However, it was not until the Lesnar press conference later in the day that the champ seemed himself again. The former WWE superstar wasted little time stating how a rubber match with Frank Mir would be perfectly fine by him. In fact, Lesnar feels he could put an even greater hurting on Mir the third time around. That could all happen sooner rather than later -- Lesnar is expected to take on the winner of the heavyweight interim championship match between Mir and Shane Carwin, which is scheduled for UFC 111 on March 27, sometime in spring 2010.

Coenen ready for 'Cyborg;' Diaz shares little on Strikeforce: 'Miami' media conference call

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 04:43 PM PST

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Strikeforce founder Scott Coker better hope his fighters are more engaging inside the cage than they are outside it.

During the media conference call for the upcoming Strikeforce: "Miami" card, main event fighter Nick Diaz made little effort to engage in any media questions whatsoever.

And when two of your four featured fighters don’t speak English, that’s not exactly the type of support a promotion putting on its 27th event should come to expect ... especially from someone fighting for a world title.

With two title fights on the card, Strikeforce’s Florida debut features a main event to decide the promotion’s first-ever welterweight champion, pitting bad boy Nick Diaz (20-7, 1 NC) against DREAM’s 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix winner and welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis (13-3).

The co-main event features Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos’ (8-1) first title defense of her Strikeforce women’s lightweight belt against Dutch submission grappler Marloes Coenen (17-3).

It takes place Saturday, January 30, 2010 from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., and airs at 10:00 p.m. ET on Showtime.

All talent aside, it’s a wonder Diaz has been featured in as many title fights as he has (five, for various promotions), given his penchant for avoiding straight answers — or any answers at all — with the media. During the call, he continually brushed off reporters’ questions, while deliberately providing as few details as possible in his one- or two-word responses.

Diaz’s pat answer that he used three or four times to field questions was, "Sorry, dude, I just woke up," continuing to use it as an excuse for not answering questions an hour after the call had started.

With Zaromskis and "Cyborg" speaking through interpreters, Diaz should know that it’s his responsibility to pick up a little more of the slack to help sell this card. It’s not like he’s new to the game — five of his last seven fights have appeared on Showtime, and he appeared on Elite XC’s second card to air on network television (CBS).

Luckily for Coker, Coenen was more than willing to engage the media. Coenen — who has waited a decade for another crack at a world title since winning the 2000 ReMix World Cup in Tokyo — talked openly about the role of women’s MMA and her desire to see it grow.

She credits "Cyborg" and Gina Carano for serving as important role models for the sport and hopes one day to be listed among them. While she’s happy that the sport has come a long way — when she was growing up, female fans of combat sports could only compete in judo — she recognizes there is still a long road to travel before average fans look past how female fighters appear, rather than how talented they are.

Speaking of which, just the second question asked of Coenen’s opponent, the fierce Muay Thai striker, "Cyborg" Santos, regarded the rumors that she would pose nude in an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine. In response (through a translator), "Cyborg" said that she was "horrified" one morning when she learned that everyone knew about "the Playboy thing," so she prefers not to talk about it leading up to a fight.

Next question. (Take notes, Nick.)

Reflecting back on her first-round TKO victory over Carano, "Cyborg" said that she was not thinking about "who was the face of MMA" when she fought "Conviction;" she was only thinking about Carano as a worthy opponent and prepared for the fight accordingly.

"It is like with anything else that women do," Santos said through her interpreter, meaning that there is always an over-emphasis on women’s appearances in MMA, like in all sports (Coenen compared it to the concentration on female tennis players’ looks, not their skills).

But in the end, Santos said, "That will not help you win fights."

"Cyborg" says she only trains with men, because she "ends up hurting the women." Similarly, Coenen — who considers herself a complete MMA fighter, rather than simply a ground fighter — says she trains mostly with men for lack of quality female training partners.

When asked to compare Coenen to Carano, "Cyborg" repeated, "Não comparacão, não comparacão." She doesn’t compare any of her opponents, but instead considers their strengths and weaknesses individually. In the opposite corner, Coenen knows she is in for a war.

"I know it will be a tough fight, because Cris is a real powerhouse. … I don’t think it’ll go five rounds at all, because of the person she is and the person I am."

In the main event, some have questioned the promotion’s decision to grant Zaromskis a title shot in this his Strikeforce debut. But anyone who has watched the Lithuanian striker — who has won his last three fights via first-round knockout by way of head kick — is quite familiar with just how explosive a fighter "The Raging Demon" can be.

Zaromskis (through an interpreter) said he doesn’t go out looking to land the high kick, because when you look for it, "you’re the guy who’s going to get knocked out." Instead, he just reacts to what’s made available by his opponent.

When asked if he thinks he’s jumped ahead of other quality contenders for a title shot, Zaromskis responded, "I don’t really think much of it. They tell me who I’m fighting, so I’m fighting."

One of those would-be contenders, Jay Hieron, has little room to argue. Coker first approached him with the offer to fight Zaromskis, but Hieron’s management turned it down, reportedly wanting an opponent with a bigger name.

Zaromskis doesn’t care that he’s not well-known in the States. He said he feels a fighter should fight whoever they put in front of him, whether they are famous or not. And if Hieron doesn’t want to fight him because he’s not famous, maybe the "Thoroughbred" will just have to wait until Zaromskis is more famous.

Perhaps a world title will do something to make a name for "The Whitemare"?

So how does bad boy Nick Diaz prepare for a world title fight? "I do extra pushups." Of course, you do, sleepyhead.

Now get back to that nap.

Jorge Santiago, Maximo Blanco confirmed for upcoming Sengoku Raiden Championship fight card

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 04:43 PM PST

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World Victory Road (WVR) has unveiled some of the fight cards for its March event for the newly christened Sengoku Raiden Championship (formerly known as Sengoku). The first SRC event of 2010 will take place on March 7th at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

The SRC website has confirmed the appearance of the Sengoku middleweight champion, Jorge Santiago (21-8), and current Lightweight King of Pancrase, Maximo Blanco (3-2-1).

Last week, Polish MMA organization, KSW confirmed that its middleweight standout, Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1) will face Joe Doerksen (43-12) in a title eliminator match-up. Though it awaits confirmation from SRC, it is one of the noteworthy bouts on the card. Also, rumor has been circulating that Santiago will collide with Kazuo Misaki in a rematch of their January 4th, 2009 showdown in which they vied for the inaugural Sengoku middleweight championship.

Should Santiago best Misaki once again -- no easy task -- he likely will have the chance to avenge the loss against Mamed Khalidov: Khalidov routed Santiago last November at Sengoku 11 via first-round TKO in a non-title bout.

Maximo Blanco, a current fighter under Sengoku's Fighter Development program, earned a second-round TKO victory over Tetsuya Yamada at Sengoku 10. Prior to the bout, he experienced the first breakthrough of his nascent career when he became the Lightweight King of Pancrase: In the title bout, he defeated Katsuya Inoue -- a veteran fighter who has defeated the former Sengoku lightweight champion, Satoru Kitaoka, twice and fought the current champ, Mizuto Hirota, to a draw -- in the second round via TKO.

Blanco, along with the Fighter Development colleague, Shigeki Osawa, has been fighting out of Yoshida dojo. The contract between WVR and the dojo has all but expired, and WVR director, Sumio Inamoto, stated during a recent press conference that Osawa will change his affiliation and continue to fight for SRC. Since Blanco now finds himself in the same situation as Osawa, it will be interesting where he will now call home in order to maintain his tie to SRC.

Stay tuned to MMAmania for more information regarding the upcoming SRC fight card as they become available.

Roxanne Modafferi returns in 'King of the Cage: Toryumon'

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 04:39 PM PST

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King of the Cage, a household name among the American MMA promotions, embarks on an ambitious campaign to expand its brand overseas in 2010.

KOTC will kick off the new year with a trip to the birthplace of Karate - Okinawa. On January 30, "King of the Cage: Toryumon" will decend upon Okinawa Convention Center in Naha, Okinawa.

The fight card featuring names such as Mamoru Yamaguchi, Kotetsu Boku, Tony Hervey, and Toby Imada, will now have two additional bouts.

Top flight female mixed martial artist, Roxanne Modafferi (13-5), returns to action after a deflating loss to Marloes Coenen at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers." Modafferi, a veteran of Japanese promotions such as Smackgirl and K-Grace, made her Strikeforce debut as a late replacement for Erin Toughill. Against Coenen, whom she bested via split decision in 2007, she succumbed to an arm bar after losing the striking exchange during the first minute of the fight.

On January 30, she will face Molly Helsel (8-8-1) in a bantamweight showdown. Helsel, a veteran of Bodog and HooknShoot, counts top talents such as Carina Damm and Sarah Kauffman among her past opponents.

The second of the newly added bouts pits Scary Jerry Vrbanovic (USA) against Koji Kanechika (Japan) in a heavyweight match. Scary Jerry is known as a ferocious brawler with "take a punch to deliver two" attitude. He promises to deliver an action-packed performance against Kanechika, who is on a three-fight winning streak with an overall record of 4-2.

"KOTC: Toryumon" features a lightweight showdown between Kotetsu Boku and Tony Hervey. Also, an afro-sporting Shooto mainstay, Mamoru Yamaguchi will battle an undefeated prospect, Frank Baca for the promotion's vacant Junior Flyweight title.

The fight card will be available via pay-per-view on In Demand in the US.

'Smokin' Joey Villasenor signs new four-fight deal with Strikeforce

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 12:51 PM PST

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No good deed goes unrewarded.

Joey Villasenor -- who is always exciting whenever he competes, which has recently not been very often -- has finally received a guarantee that he will consistently be stepping inside a cage over the next year and beyond.

In a video released on Jacksons.tv, the cyber home for Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting Camp, "Smokin" Joe announced that he has just signed a new four-fight contract extension with Strikeforce.

Here's a snip:

We're finally doing this. It took us a while but we're here now... What this means is that I'm guaranteed to have three fights within the next year. Four fights total, but three in the next year, so I'm gonna be active... I'm really pleased with it... We're looking at late March for a return. 

Villasenor made his debut for the promotion against Evangelista Santos, defeating "Cyborg" via split decision at Strikeforce: "Challengers Series 2" in June 2009.

When he makes his return to the Strikeforce cage this spring, he'll certainly have to knock off some rust -- it will be just his fourth fight in the last two years. Especially with stiff competition such as division champion Jake Shields, Dan Henderson, Melvin Manhoef, Robbie Lawler, Cung Le and Frank Shamrock, among others, now part of perhaps the promotion's strongest weight class.

The good news is Villasenor trains alongside fighters like Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt and other superstars under Jackson, ensuring that he will be as prepared as possible for whoever stands in his way.

MMAmania will have more on his opponent and an official date for the fight when they are announced.

Brock Lesnar ESPN SportsCenter video talks 'miracle' health improvement with Dana White

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 12:02 PM PST

Bellator Fighting Championships signs Judo master and former Olympian Ferrid 'Hurricane' Kheder

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 12:00 PM PST

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CHICAGO, Ill. (January 21, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships put yet another piece in place for its second season today with the announcement that Judo master and former Olympian Ferrid "Hurricane" Kheder will compete in the promotion’s upcoming lightweight tournament.

Kheder, who placed seventh in the Judo competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, has quickly compiled a solid 16-5 MMA record since giving up Judo to fight full-time in the cage just three years ago. His transition to MMA was put into overdrive in 2008 when he began training under the famed Shawn Tompkins. Since the two teamed up, Kheder has won 11 of his 12 fights.

"I see Ferrid as a real star that’s just waiting to explode," Tompkins said. "He’s one of those guys who’s flown under the radar so far, but in the meantime he’s been able to focus on learning how to incorporate all the other MMA skills into his judo. With that combination, I think he’s really going to be tough to beat."

Kheder is the second fighter to be named by Bellator as a competitor in the promotion’s upcoming eight-man lightweight tournament. The other is 5-0 Mike Ricci, a regular training partner to Georges Saint-Pierre.

Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 170 and 185 lbs. with the winners of this season’s tournaments being declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current roster of champions. Each of Bellator’s 24 events during Seasons 2 and 3 will be televised on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Kheder is the second former Olympian who will be participating in Bellator’s Season 2 tournaments. The other is welterweight Ben Askren, a former Olympic wrestler.

"Ferrid Kheder is a world-class athlete who has already competed at the highest levels and now he’s working with one of MMA’s top coaches to further hone his skills," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Ferrid’s carreer has kicked into high-gear over his last dozen fights and he will be very tough for anyone in our 155 tournament."

The 35-year-old Kheder was born in France to a Spanish mother and Tunisian father. He holds a third-degree judo black belt as well as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt.

He began training judo at the age of four and, over the course of his 25-plus-year career, has won 13 national titles, eight continental medals and two continental titles in Europe. He joined the French National Team in 1993 at the age of 18 and eventually represented that country at the 2000 Olympics, where he finished seventh. Soon after, he moved to the Tunisian National Team, where he stayed until 2004.

Around that time, Kheder contemplated giving up fighting sports altogether but soon became convinced that he could enjoy a career renaissance of sorts by switching to MMA.

Accordingly, he moved to Sydney and began training with Hector Lombard, now Bellator’s reigning World Middleweight Champion. He came to the United States in 2007 and landed with Team Tompkins about a year later. He now trains at Tompkins’ TapouT gym in Las Vegas.

"I’m a judo guy through and through, but I’ve adapted my skills to MMA," he said. "I’ve worked hard on my ground game and my striking and I believe I’m ready to take it to the next level. Bellator is a great promotion … they respect their athletes and put on some great shows. I’m very excited for the opportunity."

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

UFC Quick Quote: Gray Maynard feels Frankie Edgar has fought weaker competition

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 10:06 AM PST

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"He (Matt Veach) did win in the UFC and then he went up against Edgar after Pellegrino dropped out. So it's a new guy. Everyone who I am going up against have maybe one loss, you know? I'm going up against the tough guys. I'm going up against the best every fight. It's always the guys (where) it's like, 'Yeah, we can't get him an opponent because no one really wants to take the fight.' You know what? I'll take that fight always."

Gray Maynard sat down with Pro MMA Radio this past Monday to discuss his win over Nate Diaz, along with his loss of a title shot against BJ Penn - a title shot that has gone to Frankie Edgar. Maynard explained that while Edgar is coming off a dominant performance over Matt Veach, "The Answer" is not facing the tough competition that he is. For the record, Edgar's lone loss did come against "The Bully". Does Maynard have a point? Or are Edgar's dominant performances over Sean Sherk and Matt Veach make him more worthy of a title shot?

Fedor Emelianenko vs Fabricio Werdum '99 percent confirmed' for April 16 on CBS

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 09:51 AM PST

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The long rumored match up between Strikeforce heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko looks to be inching closer to a done deal. In an interview with TATAME.com, Werdum confirmed what we've all been thinking for the last couple months.

Fabrício Werdum revealed to TATAME.com that the rumored fight against Fedor Emelianenko will probably take place in April 16th. "The fight against Fedor is 99% confirmed to April 16th. I have three months to train to the most important fight of my life."

This news isn't much of a surprise. With Alistair Overeem seemingly content to stay out of the current heavyweight picture, there really is no other opponent under the Strikeforce banner that can even make for a competitive fight with Fedor.

Now as to where the fight (presumably to serve as the main event on Strikeforce's return to CBS) is going to take place, that issue appears to still be up in the air. 

Keep it dialed in to MMAmania.com for more updates on the upcoming April 16 fight card, which is also expected to feature a middleweight title fight between Dan Henderson and Jake Shields, as they develop.

Fedor Emelianenko: I am Polar Bear, hear me roar (Pic) As seen on MixFight.ru

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 09:50 AM PST

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Fedor Emelianenko: I am Polar Bear, hear me roar (Pic)

As seen on MixFight.ru

Brock Lesnar health update on ESPN reveals Summer 2010 return for UFC Heavyweight Champion

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 07:55 AM PST

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"It's a miracle!"

Well, that's according to UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who informed ESPN SportsCenter viewers that he would return to the Octagon in Summer 2010 now that he's completely healed from his recent ailments.

With UFC President Dana White by his side, Lesnar recounted his battle with intestinal diverticulitis, the illness that hospitalized him and forced his withdrawal from the UFC 106 title defense against Shane Carwin scheduled for last November.

But no worries, the devastating illness -- that doctors thought was serious enough to contemplate career-ending colon surgery, has up and vanished thanks to a variety of medical, holistic and mental treatments. Did I mention the word "miracle?" Well, so did Dana and Brock -- several times.

From the champ:

"It's a miracle. The (doctors) were dumbfounded. They couldn't find anything wrong with my stomach. I've had colonoscopys done and CTC scans and there was nothing there."

The UFC recently announced that number one contender Shane Carwin will battle former champion Frank Mir at UFC 111 for the division's interim title. The winner will go on to face Lesnar in "Summer 2010," possibly at the UFC's Boston debut on August 28 to unify the belts.

White also went on record to say that the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Nogueira at UFC 110 would be next in line for a title shot should the winner of Mir vs. Carwin be unable to compete due to injury or other unforeseen circumstances.

While questions still remain surrounding Lesnar's medical miracle -- like his ability to drop forty pounds and put thirty of them back on in two months, it's still good news that he is definitely returning. There is no question he makes the UFC heavyweight division more competitive and his ability to sell pay-per-views is well, miraculous.

More details on Lesnar's return are sure to emerge in the coming days. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com -- we've got you covered.

Gina Carano ranks 68 on AskMen.com's Top 99 Women of 2010 (Pic)

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 07:52 AM PST

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Where do you rank her? Arianny Celeste placed 98.

For the other 97 women here.

UFC 110: Minotauro Nogueira is 'training his ass off' for Cain Velasquez

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 07:45 AM PST

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Props: Fight Hype

Quoteworthy:

"Well, I know that Big Nog is training his ass off right now. As everyone saw, unfortunately when he lost to Frank Mir, and not taking anything away from Frank Mir, but Nogueira wasn’t the Nogueira that he normally is because of the staph infection and all of the injuries. But he came back and he fought Randy Couture and put on the fight that he put on and we’re just really excited that he’s training hard and he’s healthy. He’s training with a lot of wrestlers, boxers and Jiu Jitsu guys and Cain Velasquez is a serious competitor. The guy is a beast and an animal. He’s very strong, quick, and relentless and he doesn’t stop. He’s got a lot of gas. I think it’s a great test. A lot of people have a lot of hype behind Cain Velasquez, but I believe in Nogueira and I believe in his boxing and Jiu-Jitsu and I believe Nogueira could have a good night. We’re hoping to beat Cain."

Manager extraordinaire Ed Soares checks in from camp Minotauro to inform the fans that living legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1) is firing on all cylinders for his UFC 110 main event against Cain Velasquez for the promotion's debut "down under" at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia on Saturday, Feb. 21. Big Nog is hoping that a dominating win over the rising star, coupled with his victory over Randy Couture last August can put him back into the heavyweight title picture after a 2008 stoppage to Frank Mir temporarily derailed his ascension. Are there too many miles on the Brazilians tires? Or is he getting his second wind?

Marius Zaromskis: Nick Diaz 'Miami' fight will be a chess match

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 07:18 AM PST

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Props: USA Today

Quoteworthy:

"Head kicks are not part of my actual strategy in the fight. It's something that I'm aware that I have as a weapon ... (but) I don't look for anything. I just see an opening, and when I see an opening, I time it with the head kick. The fighters don't leave as many openings now because they're aware of the kicks. Now I feel like it's going to be even more of a challenge to try and find the perfect timing. That's what makes this fight interesting. The chess match in stand-up is, who's going to fall for it and who's not? ... That's the part I believe is most important."

Recent Strikeforce acquisition Marius Zaromskis talks about meeting Nick Diaz in his promotion debut at the "Miami" event on Saturday, Jan. 30 in Sunrise, FL. The "Whitemare" is coming off a first round mutilation of Myeon Ho Bae at DREAM 12 back on Oct. 25 -- the third consecutive time the Lithuanian won a fight with a head kick in the opening round. He also clowned Jason High and the heavily-favored Hayoto Sakurai to finish his stellar run in the July 20 conclusion to the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix. Can he continue his path of destruction against the foul-mouthed fightmonger? Or will Diaz give him a rude welcome? This one is going to be fireworks -- don't blink.

Charles 'Krazy Horse' Bennett arrested ... yet again

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 06:29 AM PST

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Stop: Slammer time.

Controversial lightweight fighter Charles Bennett (22-16-2) has run afoul of the law once again -- he was arrested for felony aggravated battery on Monday (Jan. 18), according to Sherdog.com.

Bennett was taken into custody at the FIT NHB gym where he trains and booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

This is just the latest transgression for "Krazy Horse" -- the same man who claims to have knocked out Wanderlei Silva backstage at a Pride FC New Year's Eve show in 2005.

He was convicted in Marion County, Fla., for possession and sale of cocaine on August 4, 2000. He was also arrested on charges of assault and false imprisonment in May 2007 and then on charges stemming from a "domestic dispute" in January 2008.

To check out a video montage of his past mug shots click here -- it's rather ridiculous.

Bennet competed three times in 2009 under the King of the Cage (KOTC) banner going 1-2. His last appearance was a knockout loss to Bobby Green at "Fight 4 Hope" back on Dec. 17.
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