Tuesday, April 27, 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 113: Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua to make a statement in Lyoto Machida rematch (Video)

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 06:36 PM PDT

Pic of Tito Ortiz in his jail cell via TMZ.com.

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 06:35 PM PDT

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Pic of Tito Ortiz in his jail cell via TMZ.com.

Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale poster for 'Hamill vs Jardine' on June 19 in Las Vegas

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 03:35 PM PDT

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For more on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale click here.

UFC 116: Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer possible for July 3

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 03:35 PM PDT

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Up-and-coming heavyweight hopefuls Brendan Schaub (5-1) and Chris Tuchscherer (18-2) have been paired up for a possible super-sized slugfest at UFC 116 on July 3 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, MMAmania.com has learned.

"Showdown" Joe Ferraro first reported the match-up late Friday night.

Schaub was an early favorite to win it all on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). In fact, the Denver dynamo plowed through the Spike TV reality show to earn a spot in the TUF 10 Finale last December.

Unfortunately "The Hybrid" saw his hype train temporarily derailed by portly powerhouse Roy Nelson, who went on to win the Finale and earn a spot in the suddenly-crowded heavyweight division.

It didn't take long for Schaub to recover and remind fans why he's such a highly touted prospect, knocking out Chase Gormley in the first round of their brouhaha at the UFC on Versus event just last month.

Standing in his way is the massive Tuchscherer, who is perhaps best remembered for being involuntarily neutered in a TKO loss to Brazilian yeti Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 102 last August.

Fortunately he regained the use of his lower half and managed to win a majority decision in a rather uninspiring performance against Tim Hague at UFC 109 in February.

Which of these prospects gets to move up another rung on the heavyweight ladder?

UFC 116 is set to be headlined by returning heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, as he tries to quell the uprising of undefeated division contender Shane Carwin. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Wanderlei Silva will also square off in a battle of sexy vs. psycho.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates on this still-developing fight card.

Frankie "The Answer" Edgar on life as the new UFC Lightweight Champion.

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 01:52 PM PDT

Frankie "The Answer" Edgar on life as the new UFC Lightweight Champion.

Tito Ortiz arrested for alleged felony domestic violence (Updated)

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 01:33 PM PDT

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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has been arrested and taken into custody by the Huntington Beach Police Department on charges of alleged felony domestic violence.

TMZ.com first reported the disturbing news earlier today.

A "disturbance" was called into 911 this morning by an anonymous person and when cops arrived on the scene, Tito's longtime girlfriend and the mother of two of his children, Jenna Jameson, reportedly had visible injuries.

This story is still developing. MMAmania.com will have more news when it's made available.

UPDATE: The above photo says it all. Ortiz has indeed been arrested and presumably charged with felony domestic violence -- but should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

UPDATE #2: TMZ.com now reports that Jameson's father was the person who called 911 and that she will be pressing charges.

UPDATE #3: Dana White tells TMZ that it's possible Ortiz could be cut if the charges prove to be true.

"We're gonna be fair, but we could cut him. Other than going on a killing spree, being accused of domestic violence is the worst thing you can have going for you."

You can view videos of Ortiz being escorted out of his house in handcuffs as well as Jameson speaking to one of the photographers after the jump.

UFC Quick Quote: Kimbo Slice continuing to improve, says someone is getting knocked out at UFC 113

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 01:32 PM PDT

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"I take every fight in perspective for what it is. I just love fighting. The whole transformation of mixed martial arts is still a learning process and being at a place like American Top Team it's not just a gym, for me it's a learning center. I'm learning a lot. It took a lot of commitment and a great deal of sacrifice to get here. In mixed martial arts you have to continue to advance, you have to constantly work on the ground, you have to constantly work on your standup, it doesn't stop. You have to continue to train, continue to learn... To put me against an opponent like [Mitrione], it's a good fight. Somebody's going to get knocked out in this fight."

During the WEC 48/Aldo vs. Faber pay-per-view broadcast this past Saturday night, Kimbo Slice spoke with Joe Rogan (transcription via tsn.ca) about his upcoming bout with fellow TUF 10 cast member Matt Mitrione at UFC 113 on May 8 in Montreal. Once again, Kimbo is saying all the right things, but do we actually believe he's putting in the time over at ATT that is necessary to compete at this level? Who do you like in this fight, "Meathead" or Slice? Do you even care? Let's hear it, Maniacs.

Rashad Evans appears on Spike TV's 'Deadliest Warrior' (Video)

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 11:43 AM PDT

The former UFC light heavyweight champ will help decide just who is the 'Deadliest Warrior' between Attila the Hun and Alexander the Great. The episode will air on April 27 at 10 p.m. ET on Spike TV. I got my money on Alex.

Keith Jardine vs Matt Hamill to headline The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale on June 19

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 10:41 AM PDT

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Former TUF participants Keith Jardine (season two) and Matt Hamill (season three) have agreed to clash at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale on June 19 from The Pearl at the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, live on Spike TV.

The contest was officially announced today by Spike TV and the UFC.

"The Dean of Mean" was last seen in action against Ryan Bader at UFC 110 where he was viciously finished in the final frame of the bout. Jardine has lost three straight inside the Octagon and four of his last five fights to run his record to 15-7-1.

Although those four losses came to formidable opponents the likes of the aforementioned Bader as well as "Rampage" Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, and Thiago Silva; a loss here could very well mark the end of his time with the UFC.

 

Hamill (8-2) is coming off a controversial win over fast-rising phenom Jon Jones at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale last December where Hamill was graciously awarded a victory once Jones was disqualified due to illegal elbow strikes.

Prior to that bout, Hamill had won two fights in a row against Reese Andy at UFC 92 and against Mark Munoz at UFC 96, both ending early via strikes.

The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale is also expected to feature main card match ups between Chris Leben and Aaron Simpson as well as Spencer Fisher and Dennis Siver.

Keep it locked to MMAmania.com for more news on this card as it breaks.

UFC Undisputed Developer Q&A talks features and enhancements for 2010

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 10:07 AM PDT

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We're less than a month away!

On the heels of their wildly successful entry in the the mixed martial arts and video game community with UFC Undisputed 2009, THQ went back into the lab to tinker around with some of the mechanics that caused a portion of gamers to say "If only I could..." when talking about a sequel.

In fact, after selling 3.5 million copies of Undisputed since it's release in 2009, THQ has been hard at work to reward gamers with an ever more realistic and fluid experience for their 2010 entry, set to hit retail shelves on May 25.

Bigger, better, badder -- which could explain the inclusion of UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar on this year's cover. For the latest details on the gameplay improvements, game developers held a special Q&A over at the UFC Undisputed Community Forum.

A list of features and enhancements after the jump.

What's the downside of disrespecting your opponent in Career Mode?
Well, it's not a negative... it's more of a wing of consequences.  We have this faction relationship – each fighter is associated with a camp.  Disrespecting a fighter affects your popularity and it can affect your association with different camps.  It's more of a strategy than a flat out positive and negative.  We didn't want to make a system where the obvious choice was to always respect a fighter, because that would be very close ended.... So we wanted to give different motivations for respecting and disrespecting.

Will the game make you retire in career like in 2009?
It does yes, but the length of the career has been extended from 7 to 12 years.

For the voices for your CAF, how many exactly are there?
There are 5 voices.

Can certain slams and throws from body clinch be countered into submissions again? Or are the parameters of this happening less predictable or even unscripted?
No.  When we went with the unified grappling system we tried to not only adopt the control scheme that the ground uses but also the general rules that govern the ground system as well... and that's just something that didn't exist on the ground (being able to reverse a transition into a submission) so we took it out of the standing clinching.  So reversing a standing clinch gains you a positional advantage, but it doesn't automatically initiate a submission.

In Undisputed 2009, weak attacks -- jabs, straights, weak leg/body kicks, etc -- did NOT interrupt stronger attacks.  On the contrary, a stronger attack that took a larger frame count to execute would interrupt weaker attacks.  Has this system been changed in 2010?
That system still exists now.  We didn't want to introduce a system where weak attacks beat strong attacks, because that would have introduced a hierarchy that we weren't interested in exploring.  But weak attacks definitely have a purpose in the game.  I don't want to explicitly say how I think weak attacks should be used, because I have faith that the Community will figure out the use for them.  The savvier players will understand where you can integrate the weak attacks in conjunction with the sway system to maximize their benefit.

In Undisputed 2010, players can now catch their opponent's kick and decide what they want to do.  If the player who caught the leg opts for a takedown, is his takedown then unstoppable?
No.

Will leg kicks be more effective?  Is there going to be very visible damage on the body of the fighters, like continuous body kicks will start to bruise the ribs and leg kicks to the thighs?
Yes.  In Undisputed 2010 attacks to the head are extremely important, as is true in real life. What we've done to the body and legs is introduce a system called Critical Damage.  As you incur more damage to these areas, your fighter gets penalized in performance.  Once you've incurred critical damage, these penalties get very severe.  So as your fighter's legs are hurt, the damage you can inflict with your own kicks are lessened, as is your movement.  Also, your propensity to be taken down is increased.  Eventually the damage of all of your attacks is lessened.  You will see this accumulated damage show up on your fighter's body.

You guys mentioned something about a benefit for participating in online camps (aside from actually getting experience against humans), what would this benefit be?
This is going to be discussed in more detail in the future.  Without going into too much detail now, we'll just say that you receive an additional value to one of the existing Career Mode elements.

How much will you be updating fighter stats/ records?  For instance, Yushin okami jsut showed some wicked striking skills his last fight. will you be upgrading his striking in the game? Or will you be changing anyone as time goes by based on their recent performances in the Octagon?
We don't have a fixed schedule yet, but we plan on updating them where appropriate.  I hesitate to say we'll be updating after every single fight, but when there is a strong enough case for stats to be updated, we will do it.

Who are the Octagon Girls in the game? 
Arianny and Chandella.

For the rest of the Developer's Q&A check out the UFC Undisputed Community Forum by clicking here.

From a Fanpost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com.

UFC 118: James Toney vs Randy Couture in the works for August 28

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 09:52 AM PDT

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Looks like the UFC is going to have its own 40-40 club.

Past-his-prime pugilist James Toney wants to prove that boxing (with takedown defense) trumps mixed martial arts on any given Saturday -- and he may finally get the chance to do it against former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 118 on August 28 in Boston.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the bout was in the works at last Saturday's "Aldo vs. Faber" media festivities.

"Lights Out" has enlisted the help of Juanito Ibarra, perhaps best known as the former trainer of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to help him transition to MMA. Despite his rookie status, the NABO heavyweight boxing champion has called out everyone from Chuck Liddell to Brock Lesnar, citing his desire to tests himself against "the best."

You know the old saying, be careful what you wish for.

No one will ever mistake "The Natural" as a world class striker, but he's as good (or better) than anyone in the game today at identifying an opponent's weakness and exploiting it. Also consider his wrestling background and experience inside the cage and this folks, is what we call "having a puncher's chance."

It's just a question of how long Couture allows Toney to stay upright.

UFC 118 is expected to feature a lightweight bout between current 155-pound contenders Kenny "KenFlo" Florian and Gray "The Bully" Maynard as they try to stake their claim to the winner of a possible championship rematch between Frankie "The Answer" Edgar and BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, also expected on the Aug. 28 card.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to the UFC's debut in Boston as they become available.

Dear Urijah: Please retire! Love, Sacramento

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 09:38 AM PDT

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"Without Faber, the WEC would not have had its first pay-per-view event Saturday night at Arco Arena. Without Faber, the WEC still would be in the shadows of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Without Faber, WEC fighters would not make the money they do in and out of the ring. But featherweight champion José Aldo delivered a message to Faber – through numerous, painful leg whips – that should have come through loud and clear: Retire. Retire now, not after another loss in which you're cheered entering the octagon and booed leaving it. Faber couldn't beat Aldo on Saturday night or any other day of the week. No shame in that. Aldo is a young, powerful kid. He didn't even use most of his aggressive arsenal against a foe he truly respected. Faber has made Sacramento proud, restoring pride to a once-great fighting city. He's a true warrior who has survived many battles. Why risk tarnishing that image or risk the chance of injury? Take a bow, Urijah."

Former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber gets an odd request from The Sacramento Bee, calling for his retirement because he was dominated for five rounds by Jose Aldo at the WEC 48 pay-per-view back on April 24. "The California Kid" has only lost to "Junior" and Mike Brown since 2005 over a span of 18 fights. Is this a poor display of hometown loyalty to the fighter who helped build the WEC? Or a realistic argument after Saturday's performance? What's your take, Maniacs?

UFC 116: Nate Marquardt vs Alessio Sakara probable for July 3 in Las Vegas

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 08:39 AM PDT

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A middleweight battle between former number one contender Nate Marquardt and Italian striker Alessio Sakara is likely for UFC 116 on July 3 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

First reported by Joe Ferraro, a source from one of the fight camps has confirmed to MMAmania.com that bout agreements have indeed been distributed but are not yet signed.

Marquardt (29-9-2) is of course coming off a fairly one-sided beat down at the hands of now number one middleweight contender Chael Sonnen at UFC 109. Many people pegged the fight as an easy win for "The Great," but Mr. Sonnen showed us all yet again what good ole American wrestling can do for you in this sport.

Prior to the Sonnen defeat, Nate had won three consecutive fights inside the Octagon including a 21 second dismantling of Demian Maia at UFC 102. That win propelled Marquardt back to the top of the division, but another title shot was just not meant to be at the moment.

 

The man they call "Legionarius," Alessio Sakara (15-7, 1 NC), has put together a decent winning streak over the last couple years. Having defeated the likes of Thales Leites at UFC 101 and most recently James Irvin at UFC on Versus 1, Sakara has put himself in position to really climb up the middleweight ladder if he can get by Marquardt.

Just recently, Alessio actually called out Michael Bisping in an attempt to get a fight with the Brit, but "The Count" was already scheduled to face Dan Miller at UFC 114, so that contest will have to wait. However, one could easily view this bout as a better opportunity for Sakara to showcase his talents and take the next step in his career as Nate is undoubtedly thought of as a tougher opponent at this time.

UFC 116 is already shaping up to be one of the promotion's biggest cards of the year. The July 4 weekend event will be headlined by the return of Brock Lesnar as he defends his heavyweight crown against undefeated mauler Shane Carwin.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more news on UFC 116 as it becomes available.

Josh Koscheck: 'Paul Daley isn't gonna hit me with anything I haven’t been hit with'

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 07:54 AM PDT

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Props: UFC.com

Quoteworthy:

"The way I see it, Paul Daley is just a guy that just likes to talk trash and he’s a one-dimensional fighter. Those guys are from the old days – like the one-dimensional wrestler or the one-dimensional striker. Those days are over, and you’ve got to become a complete mixed martial artist. But I was at that point once. I was a one-dimensional wrestler, and coming from The Ultimate Fighter days, if you look at the evolution of Josh Koscheck, I’ve changed and I’m excited about the transition I made and the sacrifices I made to get here. I can submit guys, I can knock guys out, I can head kick guys, and I’m not gonna have a problem standing toe-to-toe with Paul Daley. He’s not gonna hit me with anything I haven’t been hit with."

Former UFC welterweight number one contender Josh Koscheck hopes to get another crack at Georges St. Pierre by defeating the hard-hitting British import Paul Daley at UFC 113 on May 8 in Montreal. "Semtex" has won four straight with four first round knockouts. Will "Kos" be number five? The AKA standout doesn't seem too worried over Daley's power, but after what happened against Paulo Thiago, should he be? Or is this just pre-fight posturing that will see him rely on his wrestling to grind out a win?

UFC Undisputed 2010 video trailer featuring Antonio Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 07:31 AM PDT

"Never give up..."

Programming alert: 'Countdown to UFC 113' debuts on Spike TV April 29

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 07:18 AM PDT

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Countdown to UFC 113: "Machida vs. Shogun II" will debut Thursday, April 29 at 11:00 p.m. ET on Spike TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Saturday, May 8.

The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, featuring current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida and number one contender Mauricio "Shogun Rua."

Also featured on the hour-long special will be a closer look at a welterweight affair that could determine the next number one contender for division champion Georges St. Pierre when Josh Koscheck answers the call of fast-rising super-slugger Paul "Semtex" Daley.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, May 8), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from Quebec. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 8 p.m. ET with the preliminary bouts.

To get up to speed on the "Machida vs. Shogun II" event be sure to check out the complete UFC 113 archive by clicking here.

Bellator 16: Alexander Shlemenko vs Matt Major booked for April 29 middleweight tournament

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 07:18 AM PDT

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CHICAGO, Ill. (April 26, 2010) - Bellator Fighting Championships saved one of its most intriguing new fighter signings of 2010 for last, announcing today that one of the top unsigned fighters in Europe, Russian Alexander "Storm" Shlemenko, will premiere in the Season 2 middleweight tournament this week.

The 27-4 Shlemenko-who arrived in the U.S. from his home in Siberia, Russia, on Sunday-will make his Bellator debut this Thursday in a tournament quarterfinal matchup against Matt Major at Bellator 16 in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets for the event are still available at ticketmaster.com.

Shlemenko is the eighth and final entrant into Bellator's middleweight tournament and the 32nd and final fighter to sign on as a participant in Bellator's four Season 2 tournaments.

With his superb record, devastating power and well-earned reputation as a finisher (17 of his wins have come via KO or TKO), the 25-year-old Shlemenko enters the middleweight tournament as an early favorite to emerge as the No. 1 contender to reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard.

"Alexander is a dangerous fighter who poses a serious threat to anyone he faces at 185," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "We've been working on signing Russia's top middleweight for some time and I'm glad we'll finally get to see him fight in our tournament and beyond. Alexander's style -- spinning back fists, flying knees and non-stop strikes -- make for great fights."

Shlemenko first took an interest in MMA in the early 2000s after watching the various UFC VHS tapes that were on sale in his country. He began training in Muay Thai and, when he heard that a Russian MMA promotion was staging an event in his hometown of Omsk early in 2004, he entered and ended up winning. He went on to win each of his first 15 pro fights (including three fights in one night in December 2004) and was soon regarded as one of the top prospects in Russia and all of Europe.

He enters the Bellator middleweight tournament having won 11 of his last 12 bouts, with his only loss in that span coming to former UFC standout and Bulgarian Olympic wrestler Jordan Radev. Shlemenko's most recent win was a stunning first round KO of one-time UFC headliner Sean Salmon.

(Watch the fight here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsXoGCrp0mo)

"I feel that Bellator is a really great opportunity for me," Shlemenko said through his interpreter. "I love the tournament format and I think it's a great chance for me to get exposure here in the U.S. market. My only goal is to be the No. 1 middleweight fighter in the world and Bellator will help me do that. I've seen Hector Lombard fight, I've studied his style and I know it well. I'd love to fight him and become the champion at his expense."

Shlemenko's debut this Thursday (like each of Bellator's other remaining Season 2 events) will be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net and during taped weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

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

Urijah Faber, Scott Jorgensen and Chad Mendes featured tonight (April 26) on Pro MMA Radio

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 06:35 AM PDT

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Just days after their historic "Aldo vs. Faber" pay-per-view event, WEC 48 stars Urijah Faber, Scott Jorgensen and Chad Mendes will be featured guests on MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio tonight (April 26) at 9 p.m. ET.

What did "The California Kid" think about his performance against Jose Aldo? Was Scott Jorgensen satisfied with his decision victory in his rematch with Antonio Banuelos? Where does Chad Mendes go from here?

Find out the answers to those questions plus a whole lot more a little later tonight.

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!

Aleksander Emelianenko knocks out Eddy Bengtsson in the first round (0:40) with a marshmallow jab...

Posted: 26 Apr 2010 06:23 AM PDT

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Aleksander Emelianenko knocks out Eddy Bengtsson in the first round (0:40) with a marshmallow jab at ProFC: "Commonwealth Cup" on April 23 in Moscow.
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