Tuesday, April 6, 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

Strikeforce video trailer for 'Nashville' on April 17

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 07:00 PM PDT

MMA Quick Quote: Marius Pudzianowski is the world's scardest man

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 06:48 PM PDT

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"He's a big boy, but I can tell he's scared. He wouldn't stare at me straight on, eye to eye. He kept turning away. So he's definitely worried already."

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia talks to reporters (via Sherdog.com) about his upcoming fight against five-time World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski at the upcoming Moosin "Gods of Martial Arts" event on May 21 in Worcester. The muscular menace is already booked to appear for Polish promotion KSW on May 7 but insists it won't interfere with his "Maine-iac" fight. Anyone think the Polish strongman has a career in MMA? Or will Sylvia send him back to the weight room with his tail between his legs?

Jason 'Mayhem' Miller vs Tim Stout added to Strikeforce CBS event on April 17 in Nashville

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 06:30 PM PDT

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With only three televised fights for the upcoming "Nashville" event from the Bridgestone Arena, Strikeforce apparently didn't want to monkey around with a possible fourth bout in case the main card fights end in a timely fashion.

Enter Jason Miller.

"Mayhem" will take on Memphis native Tim Stout on the "Saturday Night Fights" undercard but could end up on the televised portion of the event if one or more of the main card bouts ends with a quick stoppage.

Sources close to one of the fight camps alerted MMAmania.com to the proposed match-up earlier today and Strikeforce has since confirmed the bout for April 17.

Three championship title fights at five rounds apiece could leave little wiggle room in a broadcast set for two hours -- especially if all three go to the judges scorecards.

Miller is no stranger to "Saturday Night Fights." He last appeared at the "Fedor vs. Rogers" event back in November, dropping a five round unanimous decision to current division kingpin Jake Shields.

The former ICON Sport middleweight champion is 19-7 overall with key victories over Robbie Lawler and Denis Kang.

Stout on the other hand has yet to compete on the big stage, competing primarily in regional promotions. At 8-7, he's coming off a submission loss (rear naked choke) to Roger Carroll at "Clash of the Kings" last October.

Strikeforce: "Nashville" will feature a 185-pound title bout between current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields and former PRIDE champion and UFC import Dan Henderson.

Several of the promotion’s other top fighters will be in action on the card as well, including a lightweight title fight pitting Strikeforce 155-pound champion Gilbert Melendez against DREAM division title holder Shinya Aoki.

Fast-rising light heavyweight prospect Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has also been booked to challenge for the light heavyweight strap when he takes on reigning champion Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi.

For more on the April 17 event click here.

Frankie Edgar UFC 112 video blog (Episode 1)

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 03:41 PM PDT

Strikeforce results and LIVE fight coverage for 'Saturday Night Fights' on April 17 in Nashville

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 03:40 PM PDT

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Strikeforce is close to putting the finishing touches on its upcoming CBS fight card for the promotion's first-ever trip to "Music City" at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, April 17.

"Saturday Night Fights" will feature a 185-pound title bout between current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields and former PRIDE champion and UFC import Dan Henderson.

Several of the promotion’s other top fighters will be in action on the card as well, including a lightweight title fight pitting Strikeforce 155-pound champion Gilbert Melendez against DREAM division title holder Shinya Aoki.

Fast-rising light heavyweight prospect Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has also been booked to challenge for the light heavyweight strap when he takes on reigning champion Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi.

Here is the current "Nashville" line up:

Main event:

185 lbs.: Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson

Main card (Televised):

205 lbs.: Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal
155 lbs.: Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki

Under card (May not be broadcast):

185 lbs.: Zach Underwood vs. Hunter Worsham
185 lbs.: Josh Schockman vs. Cale Yarbrough
125 lbs.: Dustin Ortiz vs. Justin Pennington
170 lbs.: Andrew Uhrich vs. Dustin West
205 lbs.: Chris Hawk vs. Ovince St. Preux
145 lbs.: Thomas Campbell vs. Cody Floyd

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

We’re still a few weeks away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions on "Nashville" 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 more on the April 17 event click here.

Report: Chris Leben vs Aaron Simpson rebooked for TUF 11 Finale on June 19 in Las Vegas

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 01:55 PM PDT

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The UFC appears to be reshuffling the deck for a couple of its upcoming fight cards as the Chris Leben vs. Aaron Simpson middleweight match-up originally penciled in for UFC 114 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 29 has been rebooked for the main card of the June 19 Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

MMAWeekly reported the pending change earlier today.

"The Crippler" is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jay Silva at January's UFC Fight Night 20 event in Fairfax, Virginia. Prior to that, Leben had dropped consecutive fights to Jake Rosholt at UFC 102 and Michael Bisping at UFC 89.

The original TUF 1 contestant was forced to take a long leave of absence from the fight game after he tested positive for steroids following his contest with "The Count."

Conversely, Arizona Combat Sports product Aaron Simpson has reeled off three wins in a row since coming over to the UFC early last year. His most recent fight ended in a bit of controversy after he was awarded a split decision victory over Tom Lawlor, also at UFC Fight Night 20.

Both fighters are hovering in the middle of the pack in the middleweight division but with a win at the TUF 11 Finale, one man could move up another place in the pecking order.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on the TUF 11 Finale as they're released.

UFC 112: Anderson Silva on 'the great challenge' that is Demian Maia (Video)

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 01:02 PM PDT

UFC Quick Quote: Takanori Gomi reflects on his 'utter defeat' at Fight Night 21

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 01:02 PM PDT

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Damn it is frustrating. I was moving pretty well, constantly applying pressure. I want to acclimate myself to the Octagon a little bit more and get myself into the groove. I will continue my challenge (in UFC) as long as I am physically capable. I won't make any excuses but everything will eventually fall into its place. I struck out on my first at-bat, so I will strive to get a hit next time around. The major league (UFC) is no joke, and Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop also faced hardship. It was an utter defeat. There are a lot of things I need to improve.

Former PRIDE Lightweight Champion and Japanese import Takanori Gomi comments to the Japanese media about his place on the growing list of fighters who have found it difficult to make their overseas success translate into a winning performance inside the Octagon. In addition to Wandy and Cro Cop, "Shogun" Rua also went belly up in his UFC debut but is now back on track after turning things around. Can "The Fireball Kid" re-ignite his career under the Zuffa banner despite his crushing loss to Kenny Florian at last month's UFC Fight Night 21? Time will tell...

(Photo courtesy of Sports navi)

DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki sans pants

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 11:39 AM PDT

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Shinya Aoki loses his trademark pants in preparation for his Strikeforce lightweight title fight against Gilbert Melendez on April 17 on CBS.

HT: Esther Lin/All Elbows

Michael Bisping: Dan Miller will be 'very dangerous' at UFC 114

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 09:37 AM PDT

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Props: Fighter's Only

Quoteworthy:

I am looking at (Dan) Miller as a very dangerous opponent. He lost to Demian Maia and Chael Sonnen, no shame in losing to those two. He is a highly decorated grappler and has some great submissions on his record. Apart from Marquardt he is the only guy in the UFC who has gone three rounds with Maia and not get submitted. That speaks volumes to me. I think when he fights me his gameplan is going to be very obvious. He won’t feel threatened by me on the ground so he is going to come in and try to wrestle me down to the floor and try to submit me. For him, he might think this is a good match up. But I have fought these type of fighters before and I have a good ground game and good wrestling. We’ll see. But he has lost two in a row now so if he loses this he will probably be dropped. He’ll be fighting for his contract and that makes him double dangerous.

Michael Bisping tries to get back into the thick of things on May 29 when he takes on Dan Miller at UFC 114 in Las Vegas. "The Count" was in cruise control for the better part of his Octagon career -- until running into a devastating right hand from now-exiled Dan Henderson at last year's UFC 100 event. Though he quickly rebounded with a stoppage over Denis Kang at UFC 105 in Manchester, the Brit came up short against another PRIDE legend when Wanderlei Silva sent him to a unanimous decision loss at UFC 110 on February 21. While losses to "Hendo" and "The Axe Murderer" are forgivable, he's going to need to make a major statement against the venerable Miller if he expects to stay relevant in a very crowded middleweight division.

Former UT linebacker Ovince St. Preux leads Strikeforce 'Nashville' undercard against Chris Hawk

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 09:26 AM PDT

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NASHVILLE (April 5, 2010) - Music City will be rockin' as 11 area fighters, including former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux, will join Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal of Murfreesboro, Tenn., in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition at the STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields event Saturday, April 17, at Bridgestone Arena.

The first MMA fight card in Nashville history that will be televised on network television (CBS) will include nine athletes from Nashville, one from Knoxville (St. Preux) and one from Memphis. They will be featured on the non-televised portion of the fight card.

St. Preux (4-4), who will take on Chris Hawk (3-3) of Memphis, is a 6-foot-3, 26-year-old who played for the Vols from 2001-2004. After graduating with a degree in Sociology in '04, he became heavily involved in MMA, competing in Tennessee's first sanctioned MMA event on Feb. 20, 2009, and has since utilized his impressive wrestling skills and natural athletic abilities.

In a 2009 Sports Illustrated poll, St. Preux, who fights out of Knoxville MMA, finished second for best submission of the year after making Ombey Mobley surrender from a slick pressure submission known as a "calf-slicer" on April 25 in Knoxville.

Hawk, a 6-foot-1, 24-year-old member of Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu, specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.  An all-around athlete, he played baseball, basketball, football and soccer in school.

Four of the undercard bouts will pit Nashville area fighters against one another: Justin "The Punisher'' Pennington (debut) vs. Dustin Ortiz (1-0) at 125 pounds; Hunter "The Future'' Worsham (5-1) vs. Zach "Thunderwood'' Underwood (5-2) at 185; Thomas Campbell (3-0) vs. Cody Floyd (3-0) at 145; and Andy "Stunner'' Uhrich (4-0) vs. Dustin West (2-2) at 170.

Another Nashville fighter, Josh "The Warhammer'' Shockman (6-2), will take on Cale "Aquaman'' Yarbrough (6-1) of Atlanta.

Doors at Bridgestone Arena will open at 6:30 CT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Bridgestone Arena ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE'S official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Pennington is an explosive and charismatic bantamweight. The 5-foot-4-inch, 24-year old specializes in wrestling and trains San Shou boxing at Integrated Martial Arts in Lebanon, Tenn., under Brian Fussell.

The International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) Tennessee Flyweight Champion, Pennington went 7-2 in the amateurs. He won the ISKA belt by knocking out previously unbeaten David James in the first round in Murfreesboro. Pennington is popular with the fans for speaking his mind and never backing down from a fight.

Ortiz triumphed in his pro debut last Feb. 20, in Nashville, winning by impressive first-round submission over Lucas Thomas via an arm triangle just a minute into the match.

Worsham is in the Army and stationed in Ft. Campbell, Ky.  A fine wrestler with strong standup, the 5-foot-10, 26-year-old Worsham is a two-time champion in the Gladiator Challenge.

The son of MMA pioneer Cal Worsham, Hunter turned pro in April 2007 and fought four times that year. Due in large part to his stint in the service, this will be just his third start in two and a half years and second since donning the army green. 

The crowd-pleasing, well-conditioned Worsham won his second MMA belt in his last outing when he captured the Gladiator Challenge light heavyweight (205 pounds) title on March 6. He captured the Gladiator Challenge 170-pound crown on Aug. 13, 2008.

Underwood, a native of Music City who now resides in Union City, is a heavy-handed stand up fighter with a relentless style. He turned pro on April 24, 2009, and won all three of his starts that year. He registered a unanimous decision victory over Terry Robinson last Feb. 27.

Along with an older brother, Jake, the 6-foot-2, 26-year-old Underwood co-owns Thunderdome Training Center, where he is a personal trainer. His MMA squad is called Team Relentless.

West was born and raised in Ashland City, which is 20 miles northwest of Nashville. At Cheatham County High, he earned All-State honors in football. West enlisted in the United States Marine Corp after high school. He served for six years and spent 12 months in Iraq.

Upon returning home, West worked for the Cheatham County Sheriff's Department. He played semi-professional football for several seasons, in Nashville, for a team of law enforcement personnel.  A specialist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, West went undefeated as an amateur before turning pro July 18, 2008. He's coming off a 50-second TKO over Marcus Fletcher in February.

Uhrich, a member of Team Vortex, is a popular 6-foot, 24-year-old known for his elbow strikes and aggressive style. He compiled an amateur record of 6-0 before going pro in October 2007.  Uhrich won a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Barger in his last start in October '09.

Campbell earned "Amateur of the Year" honors in 2009 by an MMA website. An experienced fighter, he is coming off a 37-second knockout over Dan Virtue this past March 6.

Yarbrough has won six in a row since losing his debut on July 19, 2007. This will be the 6-foot-2, 23-year-old's first start in 2010. A top athlete in high school where he participated in baseball, basketball, football, and swimming, Yarbrough attends the University of Georgia where he studies psychology. He got the nickname "Aquaman" for his prowess in the pool.

Shockman , who fought in the UFC, is a talented sort who possesses good boxing and Muay Thai skills and makes for scintillating scraps.

The six undercard fights will precede the televised portion of STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields live on the CBS Television Network. In televised STRIKEFORCE world title fights, legendary MMA superstar and two-time U.S. Olympic wrestling competitor Dan Henderson (25-7) will challenge STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion Jake Shields (24-4-1), who has won 13 straight dating to December 2004, STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) will defend his crown against undefeated MMA star and two-time NCAA All-American wrestling star "King Mo" (6-0) and STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pounds) titlist Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (17-2) will risk his belt against DREAM champion and Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki (23-4).

In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the "Fedor vs. Rogers" mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, Nov. 7, and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world's No. 1 heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett "The Grim" Rogers. 

Spike TV to air UFC 110: 'Nogueira vs Velasquez' opposite Strikeforce 'Nashville' on April 17

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 08:38 AM PDT

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Surprise! (Not really)

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is heading back to Spike TV for a special encore presentation of  UFC 110: "Nogueira vs. Velasquez" to counter program the Strikeforce and CBS "Saturday Night Fights" event from Nashville when the two run head-to-head on Saturday, April 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Ladies and gentlemen, set your DVR's.

Originally airing on pay-per-view (PPV) back in February, UFC 110 marked the Las Vegas-based promotion's debut "Down Under" at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Select bouts from that event scheduled to air on the cable television network on April 17 are as follows:

* Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez

* Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping

* Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos

* Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader

* Mirko Cro Cop vs. Anthony Perosh

* Chris Lytle vs. Brian Foster

Zuffa was rumored to make its own appearance in "Music City" in an effort to not only hurt television ratings, but to impact the ticket sales of its San Jose rivals. While UFC President Dana White later called the trip "all talk," there was little doubt the Octagon would be appearing on television in one form or another to counter program Strikeforce.

And it wouldn't be the first time.

Spike TV debuted UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2" to run head-to-head against "Shamrock vs. Diaz" back on April 11, 2009, and then put UFC 100 up against "Carano vs. Cyborg" later that summer.

Strikeforce can be now be considered a major player in mixed martial arts with its signing of free agents Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson, as well as its recent cable and network television deals.

While UFC President Dana White has long supported the efforts of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, he is now at war with "Strikefarce" since they entered the proverbial big stage.

To see how the "Nashville" card stacks up to the UFC repeat, click here.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira video on his loss to Cain Velasquez and training his brother for UFC 114

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 08:36 AM PDT

"Nog" is back. Is it time to assume the role of trainer and mentor -- or does "Minotauro" still have something tooffer in the heavyweight division?

Additional tickets for UFC 112 for Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi on April 10 on sale now

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 08:23 AM PDT

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Supply and demand.

Another batch of tickets for UFC 112: "Invincible," which is slated for the Concert Arena, Ferrari World, Yas Island In Abu Dhabi on April 10, were made available for the general public today (April 5) after additional seats were added to the outdoor arena that will host this weekend's combat mega-event.

UFC 112 will feature two world title fights, including middleweight champion Anderson Silva taking on Demian Maia and lightweight kingpin BJ Penn, putting his belt on the line against Frankie Edgar.

Legendary welterweights Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie are also booked to collide on the PPV main card, which kicks off at 10 p.m. ET.

Here's what Flash Managing Director John Lickrish had to say about the additional seating:

"The response to UFC 112 from fans across the region has been hugely positive. We hope that by introducing more tickets to the marketplace we will be able to satisfy demand for this historic event."

To purchase tickets for UFC 112 click here.

For more on "Invincible" stay dialed in to MMAmania.com. In the meantime, remember to check out our complete event archive right here.

Bobby Lashley: 'I'm fully prepared to step into the cage when the time is right'

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 08:23 AM PDT

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Sorry for the delay in responding to all of you who are eager to see me fight again. I will not be on the Strikeforce card in April, but my training is going very well and I'm fully prepared to step into the cage when the time is right. I will let you know as soon as my next fight is set!

Undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight Bobby Lashley (5-0) talks to his Facebook peeps about the when's and where's of his next fight. While we haven't seen "The Dominator" since his "Miami" win over Wes Sims last January, Lashley has been vocal about continuing his slow build to the upper echelon of 265-pounders. Does the part-time professional wrestler pose a legitimate threat to the promotion's top heavyweights? Or does this muscular mass of mayhem still need a few more turns on the spit?

UFC 112 weigh in results, information and details from Abu Dhabi on April 9

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 07:47 AM PDT

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The official weigh-in event for UFC 112: "Invincible" is set to go down from the Dubai Marina Mall in the United Arab Emirates, on Friday, April 9, 2010.

It is currently scheduled to air LIVE right here on MMAmania.com, as well as several other online destinations via streaming video. The first fighter is expected to tip the scale at 8:00 a.m. ET (4:00 p.m local time).

As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the UFC 112 weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude.

UFC 112 will feature two world title fights, including middleweight champion Anderson Silva taking on Demian Maia and lightweight kingpin BJ Penn, putting his belt on the line against Frankie Edgar.

Legendary welterweights Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie are also booked to collide on the PPV main card, which kicks off at 10 p.m. ET.

Here is the current "Invincible" fight card:

Main event:

185 lbs.: UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia

Main card (Televised):

155 lbs.: UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar
170 lbs.: Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
185 lbs.: Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz
155 lbs.: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim

Under card (May not be broadcast):

170 lbs.: Nick Osipczak vs. Ricky Story
170 lbs.: John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor
170 lbs.: Brad Blackburn vs. DaMarques Johnson
265 lbs.: Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen
155 lbs.: Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
205 lbs.: Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson

For those fortunate enough to be in the United Arab Emirates for the promotion’s debut trip to Abu Dhabi, remember that the weigh-in event is FREE to attend and open to the public. Doors to the weigh-in will open at 2:00 p.m. local time for the general public followed by an autograph session at 2:30 p.m.

In addition, UFC Fight Club members will be able to attend an exclusive Q&A session with current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre on that same day at 4:30 p.m. local time immediately following the weigh ins.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the tape-delayed main card action on fight night (Saturday, April 10), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from Abu Dhabi. The latest quick results of the live action will begin to flow earlier in the day around 1 p.m. ET in real-time.

It’s going to be a fun night of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 112 coverage you can handle.

Wanderlei Silva plans on ending Yoshihiro Akiyama's modeling career at UFC 116

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 07:35 AM PDT

Wanderlei Silva plans on ending Yoshihiro Akiyama's modeling career at UFC 116

UFC Quick Quote: A win on April 10 could have BJ Penn 'testing the waters' at 170-pounds

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 06:36 AM PDT

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"If everything goes well on April 10, I definitely would consider moving up to 170. Not that I'm - not that it's 100-percent guaranteed. If I do make that move I'm going to move slow. I'm not going to try to rush anything. Maybe I would think about it more as testing the waters. I'd talk to Dana and see if he would want me to vacate the belt, but maybe try do something like Anderson (Silva) is doing, test the waters, see how everything is going and see how everything plays out. I try to just be true to myself and what my own personal goals are. And if I feel in my life that I want to try to take a fight at 170 pounds, I've got to stay true to myself and to my motivation. Of course, anybody would like a free shot for the title. But like I said, I want to take my time. I want to test the waters. And it's exactly what Anderson said, we just want to put on some other great fights. That's what this whole thing is about is about, putting on the biggest and the greatest fights in history."

Current UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn talks to MMA Weekly about a possible return to welterweight if he has a favorable outcome in his upcoming bout against Frankie Edgar. "The Prodigy" had mixed results at 170-pounds but may find himself running low on suitable challengers if he successfully defends his title at UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu Dhabi. The Hawaiian wants to start slow if he does go back -- any guesses as to who his first opponent would be?

Renzo Gracie and Joe Warren featured on tonight's presentation of Pro MMA Radio

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 06:16 AM PDT

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Just days before his UFC 112 welterweight showdown against fellow mixed martial arts legend Matt Hughes, grappling all-star Renzo Gracie stops by Pro MMA Radio TONIGHT (April 5) at 9 p.m. ET right here on MMAmania.com.

Gracie will talk about his UFC debut at the tender age of 43, his role in bringing the world's largest fight promotion to Abu Dhabi, his match against Hughes and a whole lot more. Anyone that knows how outspoken Renzo is doesn't want to miss this one.

Joining him tonight will be wrestling stud Joe Warren as he breaks down his upcoming debut against Eric Marriott in the first round of the Bellator FC featherweight tournament.

Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names right here on MMAmania.com every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET through our exclusive live feed.

See you tonight at 9 p.m. ET!

UFC 115: Thiago Alves vs Jon Fitch rematch set for Vancouver on June 12

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 05:48 AM PDT

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He's back.

Less than two weeks after undergoing minor surgery to correct a brain "irregularity" that prompted his withdrawal from last month's UFC 111 fight card, former welterweight number one contender Thiago Alves will get another chance to avenge his loss to Jon Fitch at UFC 115 from the GM Place in Vancouver on Saturday, June 12.

UFC President Dana White tweeted the good news earlier today.

The Brazilian was pulled from his scheduled rematch against his 170-pound nemesis after failing a pre-fight CAT Scan just last month. In his absence, Ben Saunders stepped up on short notice to replace him but went home on the wrong end of a unanimous decision after Fitch overwhelmed him with a mixture of wrestling and ground and pound.

This will be the third time the promotion has tried to hook these two up for a long-overdue rematch.

Originally pegged for UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee,"The Pitbull" had to withdraw due to a knee injury. Fitch remained on the card and defeated Mike Pierce via unanimous decision.

Fitch scored a convincing second round technical knockout of the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 5. He would go on to win his next five fights and earn a crack at division champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" in Aug. 2008.

He was overwhelmed by the Canadian for 25 minutes, losing a lopsided unanimous decision.

Alves, too, went on a tear after the loss to Fitch with seven consecutive victories over top-ranked opponents such as Matt Hughes and Karo Parisyan, as well as outpointing Josh Koscheck on all three judges scorecards at UFC 90 in October of 2008.

However, St. Pierre would also end Alves’ run with another five-round clinic at UFC 100 back in July.

On the other hand, Fitch exacted revenge against submission specialist Paulo Thiago with a unanimous decision at UFC 100 and notched a similar result against Akihiro Gono earlier this year. He also outworked Mike Pierce (Alves' replacement at UFC 107) to earn the nod from all three judges sitting ringside.

So is Fitch still better than Alves more than three years later or has Alves matured to a point where his last loss is essentially meaningless because he is a totally different fighter?

We may finally get the chance to find out in Vancouver.

For more on UFC 115 click here.
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