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

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• Cheick Kongo: Back injury may delay possible Roy Nelson fight
• UFC 113: Don't be surprised if Josh Koscheck knocks out Paul Daley (Video)
• Strikeforce books Robbie Lawler vs Renato Sobral for 'Los Angeles' with 'Mayhem' Miller facing possible suspension
• WEC 48 recap and Tito-gate featured on ESPN's 'MMA Live' (Video)
• UFC 113: Matt Mitrione doesn't plan on being a punching bag for Kimbo Slice
• Dana White ranks #41 on Time Magazines "The Best and Worst Sports Executives" list.
• UFC 114 video preview for 'Rampage vs Evans' on May 29
• Programming reminder: 'Countdown to UFC 113' debuts tonight (April 29) on Spike TV
• WEC Quick Pic: Urijah Faber has the leg of a bloated corpse
• Moosin MMA: 'Gods of Martial Arts' fight card announced for May 21 in Worcester
• UFC 115: Rich Franklin wants to make a run at the light heavyweight title starting with Chuck Liddell
• DREAM 14 still on; light heavyweight tournament to be 'restructured'
• UFC rankings/MMA rankings featured in USA Today for April 2010
• Chael Sonnen: Anderson 'The Nuisance' Silva ruined Christmas for Rampage fans
• TMZ reports that Jenna Jameson tested negative for 10 major drugs, including cocaine, weed, meth...

Cheick Kongo: Back injury may delay possible Roy Nelson fight Posted: 29 Apr 2010 10:04 PM PDT Props: Riddum.com Quoteworthy: "I have to be able to start my preparation - the thing I haven't done yet. I am still injured. I don't think it would happen at UFC 116. Maybe later but not then. I didn't get any word from the UFC [on Nelson]. I have my manager Anthony who's working on that and as of today, I'm just actively recovering and nothing else." UFC heavyweight striker Cheick Kongo talks about his slow recovery from a back injury suffered in his fight against Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello at UFC on Versus last March. The Parisian is waiting on word from his doctors on whether or not he needs surgery to correct the lingering problem -- which would pretty much put the kibosh on his rumored UFC 116 fight against Roy Nelson. Anyone else think this may be an opportunity to pair "Big Country" up with Frank Mir for a rematch from Grapplers Quest?

UFC 113: Don't be surprised if Josh Koscheck knocks out Paul Daley (Video) Posted: 29 Apr 2010 05:55 PM PDT

Strikeforce books Robbie Lawler vs Renato Sobral for 'Los Angeles' with 'Mayhem' Miller facing possible suspension Posted: 29 Apr 2010 05:55 PM PDT Time to change your brackets. Strikeforce middleweight Jason Miller could be facing a possible suspension for his participation in the televised CBS brawl following the promotion's April 17 "Nashville" event, and as a result, has been pulled from his tentative bout with Robbie Lawler on June 16, according to Sherdog.com. From Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker: "Miller isn’t fighting because we believe, in speaking with the Tennessee Athletic Commission, that he will put under some type of suspension. After reviewing the tape (of the April 17 incident), we felt that Miller shouldn’t headline our next event. We will honor the Tennessee commission’s decision when it’s announced." Stepping in for "Mayhem" on the upcoming "Los Angeles" fight card is Renato Sobral, who has agreed to meet "Ruthless" at a catchweight of 195-pounds. "Babalu" was supposed to participate at DREAM 14; however, that was nixed when the promotion scrapped its upcoming light heavyweight tournament on May 29. Lawler was last seen making a "Marvelous" comeback against Melvin Manhoef at Strikeforce: "Miami" earlier this year. Despite eating a dozen leg kicks that left him with a serious limp, the hard-hitting Lawler found the Dutchman's sweet spot and put him to bed in the latter part of round one. He may need that power (along with the ability to stay on his feet) to get past the crafty Brazilian. Sobral actually held the promotion's light heavyweight title until he got turned inside out by Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce: "Carano vs. Cyborg" last August. That defeat snapped a five-fight win streak for the former UFC standout and it will be interesting to see his performance at 195-pounds. Strikeforce: "Los Angeles" is also expected to feature heavyweight up-and-comer Bobby Lashley, as well as former EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates on this still-developing fight card.

WEC 48 recap and Tito-gate featured on ESPN's 'MMA Live' (Video) Posted: 29 Apr 2010 03:07 PM PDT

UFC 113: Matt Mitrione doesn't plan on being a punching bag for Kimbo Slice Posted: 29 Apr 2010 01:14 PM PDT Props: ProFightingFans.com Quoteworthy: "You know he did a lot to bring a ton of attention and ratings to TUF. I say good for him, great for him. I mean Kimbo is a cool ass dude. He is humble and from what I saw has a really good work ethic. I was really impressed with him and having nothing bad to say about Kimbo whatsoever. I think he has some power. He seems pretty quick and relatively athletic. He seems pretty aggressive. Honestly I don't see too many things that will be bad for me. If he wants to stand and bang with me, cool! I don't think there are too many people that can take what I throw to the chin. I'm excited; I'm long, strong and athletic. I'm in pretty good cardio shape. I don't see any drawbacks to the fight. If I stand there like a punching bag then it might be different. I don't see that happening." Former Minnesota Viking Matt Mitrione is out to prove he's more than just a heavy hitter with a quarter tank of gas when he collides with fellow Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 contestant Kevin Ferguson at UFC 113 on May 8 from the Bell Centre in Montreal. "Meathead" retired Marcus Jones via second round knockout at last December's TUF 10 Finale but expects a stiffer test against "Kimbo Slice" a week from Saturday. Anyone think this one is going past the first round?

Dana White ranks #41 on Time Magazines "The Best and Worst Sports Executives" list. Posted: 29 Apr 2010 12:26 PM PDT Dana White ranks #41 on Time Magazines "The Best and Worst Sports Executives" list.

UFC 114 video preview for 'Rampage vs Evans' on May 29 Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:24 AM PDT

Programming reminder: 'Countdown to UFC 113' debuts tonight (April 29) on Spike TV Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:01 AM PDT Countdown to UFC 113: "Machida vs. Shogun II" will debut tonight (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.

WEC Quick Pic: Urijah Faber has the leg of a bloated corpse Posted: 29 Apr 2010 10:39 AM PDT Courtesy of Jose Aldo at WEC 48. Hopefully someone shows this to James Toney and asks "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Moosin MMA: 'Gods of Martial Arts' fight card announced for May 21 in Worcester Posted: 29 Apr 2010 09:56 AM PDT Moosin MMA has announced the official line-up for their upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) fight card from the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Friday, May 21. "Gods of Martial Arts" will feature announcers Bas Rutten and Jeff Gorman calling all the action, beginning at 9 p.m. ET with the televised portion of the event which is available to purchase for $29.95 via cable or satellite provider. Set to headline the event is five-time World's Strongest Man, Mariusz "The Dominator" Pudzianowski, taking on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia. Also competing on the May 21 fight card are mixed martial arts veterans Travis Lutter, Yves Edwards, Travis Wiuff, Eric "Butterbean" Esch and Tara LaRosa. Here is the current Moosin MMA: "Gods of Martial Arts" line up: Main event: 265 lbs.: Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Tim Sylvia Main card: 265 lbs.: Mu Bae Choi vs. Travis Wiuff 185 lbs.: Travis Lutter vs. Rafael Natal 155 lbs.: Yves Edwards vs. Mike Campbell 130 lbs.: Tara LaRosa vs. Roxanne Modaferri Exhibition bout: 265+ lbs.: Eric Esch vs. Lyndon Byers Under card 205 lbs.: Chang Seob Lee vs. Lukasz Jurkowski 170 lbs.: Ralph Johnson vs. Forrest Petz 155 lbs.: Matt Lee vs. Brett Oteri 185 lbs.: Fred Belleton vs. Anthony Lapsley 265 lbs.: Paul Barry vs. Stipe Miocic For more on Moosin MMA: "Gods of Martial Arts" click here.

UFC 115: Rich Franklin wants to make a run at the light heavyweight title starting with Chuck Liddell Posted: 29 Apr 2010 08:40 AM PDT Props: Cage Potato Quoteworthy: "If I cut back down to 185, it's a completely different cut to make it and I will have completely undone everything I've done to put on the size I have. I want to make a run for the title and I don't want to keep doing things that are counterproductive to that, like fights at 195. You can't count Chuck out of any fight. Yeah, he hasn't fought in a year, and yeah, he's lost four of his past five fights, but look at what he's done over the span of his career. He's a legend and he has beaten such an incredible list of opponents, it would be a huge mistake to look past a guy like him." Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin appears to have made a permanent return to the light heavyweight division after spending a good portion of his career at 185-pounds (and a pair of catchweight fights at 195-pounds). "Ace" plans on making a run at the division title starting with his UFC 115 bout against Chuck Liddell on June 12 in Vancouver. Will the former school teacher be put on ice against one of the UFC's most recognizable stars? Or will it be the beginning of the Franklin era?

DREAM 14 still on; light heavyweight tournament to be 'restructured' Posted: 29 Apr 2010 08:02 AM PDT Japanese fight fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Reports surfaced earlier today that a portion of the DREAM 14 fight card was being removed, specifically the planned light heavyweight tournament featuring Gegard Mousasi, Renato Sobral, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, among others, leading to speculation that the entire May 29 card was in jeopardy. No worries. Representatives from Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) today told MMAmania.com that DREAM 14 will continue as planned and that the promotion has removed the light heavyweight grand prix in order to restructure the format of the tournament for a later date. An official announcement can be expected in the near future as well as some "surprises" for the still-developing fight card. Here is the current line-up for DREAM 14, which takes place on HDNet from the Saitama Super Arena on May 29 in Saitama, Japan. Main event: 170 lbs.: Nick Diaz vs. Hayato Sakurai Main card: 145 lbs.: Joachim Hansen vs. Hiroyuki Takaya 145 lbs.: Akiyo Nishiura vs. Hideo Tokoro 155 lbs.: Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Takafumi Otsuka Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more announcements regarding DREAM 14 in the coming weeks.

UFC rankings/MMA rankings featured in USA Today for April 2010 Posted: 29 Apr 2010 07:24 AM PDT Our partners in crime over at BloodyElbow.com have once again published their divisional rankings for mixed martial arts in the nation’s largest daily newspaper, USA Today, for the month of April 2010. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, here’s how it works: "The rankings, which will offer a definitive perspective of top MMA fighters across all weight-classes, will be released monthly and published in the Sports section of USA TODAY, online at USATODAY.com and on SB Nation’s MMA commentary and community blog, BloodyElbow.com … The USA TODAY/SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings are compiled each month by Nate Wilcox and Richard Wade of BloodyElbow.com. The rankings utilize each of the top MMA rankings from multiple unique sources. A weighted-formula is applied to normalize and distill the various rankings into one consensus ranking per weight class." To check out the latest USAT/SBN rankings click here. We’ve also listed their top 10 in each class after the jump for your convenience. What do you think? Share your ranking rants in the comments section below. Heavyweight: 1. Fedor Emelianenko 2. Brock Lesnar 3. Shane Carwin 4. Cain Velasquez 5. Frank Mir 6. Junior Dos Santos 7. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 8. Brett Rogers 9. Alistair Overeem 10. Fabricio Werdum Light Heavyweight: 1. Lyoto Machida 2. Mauricio Rua 3. Rashad Evans 4. Quinton Jackson 5. Forrest Griffin 6. Anderson Silva 7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 8. Muhammed Lawal 9. Gegard Mousasi 10. Thiago Silva Middleweight: 1. Anderson Silva 2. Chael Sonnen 3. Jake Shields 4. Vitor Belfort 5. Nate Marquardt 6. Demian Maia 7. Dan Henderson 8. Yushin Okami 9. Jorge Santiago 10. Robbie Lawler Welterweight: 1. Georges St. Pierre 2. Jon Fitch 3. Thiago Alves 4. Josh Koscheck 5. Paulo Thiago 6. Nick Diaz 7. Dan Hardy 8. Paul Daley 9. Matt Hughes 10. Martin Kampmann Lightweight: 1. Frank Edgar 2. B.J. Penn 3. Gilbert Melendez 4. Kenny Florian 5. Eddie Alvarez 6. Gray Maynard 7. Shinya Aoki 8. Tatsuya Kawajiri 9. Tyson Griffin 10. Sean Sherk Featherweight: 1. Jose Aldo 2. Manny Gamburyan 3. Urijah Faber 4. Mike Brown 5. Bibiano Fernandes 6. Hatsu Hioki 7. Michihiro Omigawa 8. Marlon Sandro 9. Masanori Kanehara 10. Josh Grispi Bantamweight: 1. Dominick Cruz 2. Brian Bowles 3. Joseph Benavidez 4. Miguel Torres 5. Scott Jorgensen 6. Takeya Mizugaki 7. Damacio Page 8. Masakatsu Ueda 9. Rani Yaya 10. Wagnney Fabiano Of course, nothing brings MMA fans closer together than a list of divisional rankings. Let’s hear it: Who belongs and who doesn’t? And be sure to say why. "He sucks" is not a valid argument.

Chael Sonnen: Anderson 'The Nuisance' Silva ruined Christmas for Rampage fans Posted: 29 Apr 2010 06:22 AM PDT Props: Heavy.com Quoteworthy: "He’s a grown man with earrings. He’s a grown man with saggy pants, pink t-shirts and crooked hats. Go join a gang, don’t get in the UFC. People don’t care about him. He came out and said he’s gonna go heavyweight, no one cared. So he comes out and says well ‘I’m gonna go light heavyweight,’ no one cared. ‘Well I’m gonna retire.’ Good! Beat it, this is back page news, no one cares about you anyway. ‘Well I’m not gonna retire I’m gonna stick around.’ Or do that. Again, it doesn’t really matter, you’re a nuisance. So who cares, they go make the little action figures and the two little kids that bought em, are probably pretty upset, their parents probably thought it was Quinton Jackson when they bought it for them and the kids had a disappointing Christmas I would imagine. That's a big difference. I became the number one contender on February and February 7 he sent out a press release as to why he shouldn't have to fight me. On August 7 he will fight me. I stand here of my own free will. He stands here because Uncle Dana is making him." UFC middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen talks backstage at the WEC 48: "Aldo vs. Faber" media festivities about fighting Anderson Silva on August 7 for the UFC middleweight championship. Sonnen credits "The Spider" for his skill set, but slams his recent performances inside the cage including the bizarre antics that marred the recent UFC 112 main event. Forget for a second about winning, can the part-time Realtor and political hopeful even force the Brazilian to fight without ending up face first on the canvas ala Forrest Griffin? And to Sonnen's point, does anyone even care if he does?

TMZ reports that Jenna Jameson tested negative for 10 major drugs, including cocaine, weed, meth... Posted: 29 Apr 2010 06:12 AM PDT TMZ reports that Jenna Jameson tested negative for 10 major drugs, including cocaine, weed, meth and oxycodone -- the major ingredient in OxyContin. This all just one day after her live-in boyfriend, Tito Ortiz, accused her of being addicted to drugs. He was subsequently arrested for domestic violence and has since posted bail.

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