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UFC 114 video predictions for 'Rampage vs Evans' on May 29
Programming reminder: UFC Primetime 'Rampage vs Evans' tonight (May 19) on Spike TV
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11: Episode 8 recap and discussion
Gone in 45 seconds: Tim Sylvia expecting 'some fun' against Mariusz Pudzianowski on May 21
Bellator 19 weigh in results from Grand Prairie for May 20 event
UFC Undisputed 2010 contest: Win FREE Xbox 360 console and 'Undisputed' video game!
Chael Sonnen wins Oregon's Republican primary election in landslide
Matt Betzold's MMA career may only need one leg to stand on
UFC 116 results and LIVE fight coverage for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3 in Las Vegas
UFC officially announces Leben vs Simpson and Fisher vs Siver for TUF 11 Finale on June 19
Mission impossible? Fabricio Werdum has a secret that he doesn't want Fedor to hear...
Matt Lindland training video for Kevin Casey at Strikeforce Challengers 8
Ringside 8: Michel Gagnon (6-1) vs. John Franchi (5-2) for the featherweight title on August 7 in...
Lyle Beerbohm vs Vitor Ribeiro from 'Heavy Artillery' replays today (May 19) on Strikeforce.com
UFC Quick Quote: 'Cigano' coach has no doubt that Junior dos Santos will become heavyweight champion
Jon Fitch UFC action figure unveiled (Video)

UFC 114 video predictions for 'Rampage vs Evans' on May 29

Posted: 20 May 2010 04:25 AM PDT

Programming reminder: UFC Primetime 'Rampage vs Evans' tonight (May 19) on Spike TV

Posted: 20 May 2010 04:24 AM PDT

The UFC returns with part two of "Primetime," a three-part series featuring an in-depth look at the upcoming UFC 114 light heavyweight grudge match between former light heavyweight champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Sugar" Rashad Evans.

The second episode will air TONIGHT (May 19) at 11:00 pm ET on Spike TV immediately following episode eight of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11. Episode three will air next Wednesday, May 26.

The long anticipated bout between former TUF 10 coaches will serve as the headlining contest for UFC 114, which is set to go down on May 29 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Last week's "Primetime" debut reeled in a record high 1.2 million viewers for the cable television network, outdrawing the first two installments of the recurring series, which both featured welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre.

For more on UFC 114 click here.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11: Episode 8 recap and discussion

Posted: 19 May 2010 05:03 PM PDT

Episode eight of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 11, featuring coaches Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz, gets underway with Kyacey Uscola phoning home to celebrate the birth of his son.

Speaking of rebirth, Uscola has a chance to get back into the competition as he faces Kris McCray in the first-ever TUF wildcard elimination match. Since both fighters are from Team Ortiz, Tito sits this one out from a coaching perspective.

Uscola feels more pressure now that his son has been born but McCray isn't going to just roll over and promises fireworks.

Wildcard elimination fight: Kyacey Uscola (18-15) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)

Round 1: Low kick by McCray and a jab. Hard low kick answers for Uscola. Quick exchange and they back away. McCray gets kicked in the leg and grimaces hard with a Peter Griffin-esque Arrrrgh. Uscola swarms him but McCray is able to stay upright and they go to the cage. McCray knees the legs. And again. Uscola tied up and has no offense while McCray knees him. Referee Steve Mazzagatti separates them. Another quick exchange. They tie up after a failed takedown and leather is flying. Both men reckless in their striking. McCray gets a big takedown and whales on the body after Uscola turtles up. McCray working the rear naked choke as time expires. This round was all McCray.

Round 2: Uscola aggressive and pushes McCray to the cage who answers with a powerful takedown right into side control. McCray has the arm and is cranking it hard. Uscola pressed against the cage and has nowhere to go but tapsville.

Kris McCray defeats Kyacey Uscola via submission

After the fight Dana White rounds up the coaches to pick the quarterfinal fights. Chuck has no input until Tito gives his and now the bickering begins. Dana can't make a decision while they're arguing so he kicks them out of the room to decide on his own.

Dana chooses:

Nick Ring vs. Court McGee (Rematch!)

Kyle Noke vs. Kris McCray

Brad Tavares vs. Seth Baczynsky

Jamie Yager vs. Josh Bryant

Back at the TUF house Forrest Griffin shows up with a copy of UFC Undisputed 2010. Nothing like a little product placement. I half expected Bill Cosby to pop in with a bottle of Coke doing his Leonard 6 shtick.

Nick Ring goes to the doctor to have his knee looked at. It appears his ACL is torn and he could be looking at a third reconstruction. The doctor clears him to fight and says he can press on but instead Ring opts to bow out and go under the knife to possibly avoid further damage.

That sends Dana to the TUF house.

Ring reaffirms his decision to leave and Dana has to pick a replacement. That requires him to have a pow-wow with Chuck and Tito but Joe Henle is convinced he's the only eligible candidate. James Hammertree isn't letting Dana walk away without knowing he wants that spot so he chases him down in the parking lot and lets him know.

Dana is impressed that someone finally steps up and gives him the spot. Henle protests but like Yager says, a closed mouth doesn't get fed.

Both guys make weight without incident.

Quarterfinal fight number #1: Court McGee (9-1) vs. James Hammertree (5-1)

Round 1: Hammertree comes out firing. McGee shoots and gets nothing. Low kick misses for McGee. Then a high kick. Hammertree gets a low kick caught and McGee pushes him to the fence and takes him down. Hammertree right back up and spins out. Low kick lands for McGee. They exchange and back away. Low kick for McGee and they tie up. McGee with a big takedown but Hammertree powers out. Back on the feet and McGee charges him into the cage but fails to secure the takedown. Spinning back kick for McGee and Hammertree laughs it off and they get all tied up. McGee works it into a takedown. Round over and it's a close one but likely goes to McGee for the takedowns.

Round 2: Hard exchange but nothing lands. Hammertree dives in for a takedown and right into a standing guillotine choke. Just like that and it's over.

Court McGee defeats James Hammertree via submission

After the fight Dana calls McGee the dark horse of the competition.

Stay tuned next week as Team Ortiz faces the possibility of losing their coach, two more quarterfinal bouts go down and Chuck and Tito nearly come to blows.

See you next week!

Gone in 45 seconds: Tim Sylvia expecting 'some fun' against Mariusz Pudzianowski on May 21

Posted: 19 May 2010 05:03 PM PDT

"It’s going to be a good fight Friday night. I’ve been asked if it’s been difficult finding workout partners like my opponent who is 280 pounds with 4-percent body fat and gasses-out after 45-seconds. Yeah, my workout partners don’t usually gas-out after 45-seconds. He (Pudzianowski) is big, strong and a worthy opponent. Friday night we’re going to have some fun."

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia talks to reporters at today's Moosin MMA press conference about his upcoming fight against five-time World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski at the "Gods of Martial Arts" event on May 21 in Worcester. The muscular menace could be facing a difficult task on Friday night if he indeed runs out of steam within the first minute against the "Maine-iac." Anyone think the Polish strongman can pull a Ray Mercer? Or will Sylvia send him back to the weight room with his tail between his legs?

Bellator 19 weigh in results from Grand Prairie for May 20 event

Posted: 19 May 2010 04:12 PM PDT

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (May 19, 2010) - On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships' much-anticipated show at the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas, the fighters competing in tomorrow's event participated in an official weigh-in earlier this evening.

Bellator 19 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:

MAIN CARD:

Diego Saraiva (145.8 lbs.) versus Joe Soto (145.8 lbs) - at 145 lbs.

Ryan Thomas (170.6 lbs.) versus Ben Askren (170.4 lbs) - at 170 lbs.

Steve Carl (170.6 lbs.) versus Dan Hornbuckle (170 lbs.) - at 170 lbs.

Ty Lee (256.8 lbs.) versus Scott Barrett (262.8 lbs.) - at 265 lbs.

LOCAL FEATURE FIGHTS:

Daniel Pineda (144.8 lbs.) versus Chas Skelly (145.2) - at 145 lbs.

Brandon McDowell (169 lbs.) versus Joe Christopher (170.6) - at 170 lbs.

Jared Lopez (135.2 lbs.) versus Johnny Bedford (135.6 lbs.) - at 135 lbs.

Donyiell Winrow (185 lbs.) versus Josh Smith (185.2 lbs.) - at 185 lbs.

Aaron Wise (136 lbs.) versus Douglas Frey (135.8 lbs.) - at 135 lbs.

UFC Undisputed 2010 contest: Win FREE Xbox 360 console and 'Undisputed' video game!

Posted: 19 May 2010 01:40 PM PDT

No, that wasn't a typo.

MMAmania.com is proud to announce a "UFC Undisputed 2010" contest give-a-way currently underway and in effect until Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

We will award one lucky fan an unbelievable prize package consisting of a brand-spanking new X-Box 360 console along with a copy of UFC Undisputed 2010 in what is easily our biggest contest to date. And we couldn't have done it without the help of our friends over at Gamestop.

What do you have to do to win?

It's simple. First, head over to Gamestop.com and check out their UFC Undisputed 2010 site by going to https://www.gamestopufc2010.com or by clicking here. Once you're there, enter to win their "Ultimate Fight Party" sweepstakes in the lower left corner.

You must enter accurate information if you expect to be eligible to win. Now's not the time to get cute. Make sure your Email address and phone number are correct. And hey, you might even be lucky enough to win the Xbox console, Undisputed game and Gamestop's "Ultimate Fight Party."

And now for the best part. See you after the jump.

Once you've entered Gamestop's "Ultimate Fight Party" sweepstakes (required), head back here to this post and enter your greatest fight party memory. Be sure to include the UFC event and the reason it was "The Ultimate Fight Party."

Example:

"My friends and I got together for a UFC 94 fight party at a bar in Chicago. My friend Stanky is the biggest BJ Penn fan and when Penn lost, he got so drunk that he threw up on some French guy out of revenge! Then he got his ass kicked for being a tool."

Pictures are not required, but sure go a long way in impressing the judges. And remember, only one entry per user. Multiple entries from the same IP address will disqualify you.

So remember, head over to Gamestop, enter their "Ultimate Fight Party" sweepstakes, then come right back here and tell us why yours was so memorable. And the judges have already seen "The Hangover" so don't try and pull a fast one.

Winners will be announced the weekend of UFC 114: "Jackson vs. Evans."

Get started now by heading over to Gamestop and lay your claim on the free Xbox 360 console and UFC Undisputed 2010 video game!

Chael Sonnen wins Oregon's Republican primary election in landslide

Posted: 19 May 2010 12:06 PM PDT

Of course he wasn't running against anybody, but it's a great accomplishment for Mr. Sonnen nonetheless.

The UFC number one middleweight contender earned 99.13 percent of the vote in Oregon's 37th district, moving on to battle Democratic nominee Will Rasmussen at the general election on November 2 later this year.

Nineteen write-in ballots were cast as opposed to the 2,167 votes that favored Chael.

But before the Team Quest wrestler faces Rasmussen in November, he'll be taking on a challenge of a different kind in the form of Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in Oakland, California on August 7.

So let me pose this question to you dear Maniacs; which contest does Sonnen stand a better chance at winning -- Capturing a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives, or capturing UFC middleweight gold?

Matt Betzold's MMA career may only need one leg to stand on

Posted: 19 May 2010 10:17 AM PDT

Twenty-six year-old Matt Betzold isn't your average aspiring professional mixed martial artist.

For starters, the Phoenix, Arizona native was forced to embark on his journey with only one leg. But it's how he came to this unfortunate circumstance that really gets your attention.

At the age of six, young Betzold, like millions of kids have done before him, ate a piece of candy. Only his sugar-filled treat happened to be poisoned with mushroom spores and intended for his dad's consumption.

In an attempt to seek revenge against Matt's father, an enemy of the elder Betzold laced the piece of candy with poisonous mushrooms, hoping he would ingest the sweet and the toxin along with it. After Matt mistakingly ate the candy, his life was immediately at risk. In order to preserve it, doctors had to amputate his left leg below the knee.

When Matt grew older and could better understand what had happened to him, his parents told him of the unfortunate turn of events that led to him being forced to live the rest of his life handicapped, and also filled him in on his father's troubled past including his time as a member of a motorcycle gang.

"My dad was wrapped up with some people he shouldn't have been wrapped up with," Betzold told ESPN.com.

Growing up and going to school was no easy task for Betzold, as one would easily assume. Kids of course routinely picked on him for being "different," so much so that the taunting eventually led to physical altercations. And that's just the way Matt wanted it.

"I grew up scrapping. When I fought a guy in school I'd always take him down to the ground and punch him," Matt said.

And along with only having one leg, Betzold was small in stature, as he currently weighs just 145 pounds.

"The littler ones are always the scrappy ones," he said.

As fighting became second nature to him and more of a necessity than a preference, Matt took to mixed martial arts training not only to develop as a fighter, but to stay out of trouble.

"I used it to grow up. And now people use me as an inspiration, you could say. I guess it's true, I hear it all the time. That's one of the main reasons I fight now. Plus, I love it. You've got to do what you love to do, I believe."

A 3-1 amateur record and a silver medal at the 2009 Grappling World Championships later, Betzold is on the verge of realizing his dream of turning professional.

And if this story sounds somewhat familiar, it's because it is.

Congenital amputee Kyle Maynard made competing in a mixed martial arts contest a dream of his, one that he accomplished last spring. Though it ended in defeat, his triumph was no less impressive. Betzold is just one fight away from doing the same.

The general guideline for amateurs to turn professional in the state of Arizona is to compete in at least five bouts, so says Arizona Boxing Commission Executive Director Dennis O'Connell.

"Five seems kind of a rule of thumb. I wouldn't say it's uphill [battle for him], but he's going into new territory."

If, and more likely when, Betzold turns pro, he'll have to adapt not only to stronger competition, but to some new rules as well. As an amateur in Arizona, strikes to the head are illegal on the ground, but they are of course allowed at the professional level. And as you would expect, Matt competes without his prosthetic leg and therefore fights from his knees, which technically makes him a grounded fighter.

But if you think it's a challenge that he isn't ready for, well, he's ready to prove you wrong.

"I've proved that because of my leg it's not going to hinder me running through people. I know that the boxing commissioner has to look at the safety of the fighters but the fact of the matter is I'm dominating all of these fighters on the mat. Why can't I fight?"

As a husband and a father of two kids, who's to say Matt Betzold's dream of becoming a professional mixed martial artist is unattainable? I sure wouldn't bet against him.

UFC 116 results and LIVE fight coverage for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3 in Las Vegas

Posted: 19 May 2010 09:33 AM PDT

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently put the finishing touches on its annual Independence Day weekend mega pay-per-view (PPV) event, which is queued up to blow the lid off the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on on July 3.

UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" will feature a titanic heavyweight showdown between division champion Brock Lesnar and interim titlist Shane Carwin. It marks the return of the promotion's biggest box office draw, Lesnar, who will return from a career-threatening intestinal problem to once again establish himself as the undisputed man among men.

"Lesnar vs. Carwin" will also feature a middleweight showdown between Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama, as well as a highly-anticipated rematch between Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski.

Here is the current UFC 116 line up:

Main event:

265 lbs.: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

Main card (Televised):

185 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Wanderlei Silva 
155 lbs.: Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropoulos 
205 lbs.: Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

Under card (May not be broadcast):

265 lbs.: Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer 
170 lbs.: Paul Kelly vs. Jacob Volkmann
270 lbs.: Matt Brown vs. Chris Lytle
265 lbs.: Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola 
170 lbs.: Daniel Roberts vs. Julio Paulion 
170 lbs.: Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic

MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 116, beginning with the PPV telecast at 10 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 several weeks away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions on "Lesnar vs. Carwin" 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 the latest UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" news and notes click here.

UFC officially announces Leben vs Simpson and Fisher vs Siver for TUF 11 Finale on June 19

Posted: 19 May 2010 09:17 AM PDT

The UFC today officially announced the match-ups of Chris Leben vs. Aaron Simpson and Spencer Fisher vs. Dennis Siver for the main card of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Spike TV broadcast airs live on June 19 at 9 p.m. ET.

"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.

In the lightweight division, Fisher is hoping to rebound from a disappointing TKO loss to Joe Stevenson at UFC 104: "Machida vs. Shogun" last October. "The King" took too many elbows to the crown from "Daddy" and saw his three-fight winning streak come to an end.

In his twelve appearances inside the Octagon, Fisher has notable wins over Thiago Alves, Aaron Riley and Jeremy Stephens.

Like Fisher, Siver was in cruise control over his past couple of fights -- until he found out that Ross Pearson was "The Real Deal" at UFC Fight Night 21 just last month.

His unanimous decision loss to the Brit was his first since stringing together four straight wins (with four straight finishes). He's an outstanding striker with a punishing spinning back kick and has been in the fight game since 2004, compiling an impressive resume in both the UFC and his native Germany.

In addition to showcasing the top two finalists from this season of the Spike TV reality series, TUF 11 Finale will feature a main event between light heavyweights Matt Hamill and Keith Jardine, as both fighters try to re-establish their credibility in a extremely competitive 205-pound division.

For the current TUF 11 Finale fight card click here.

Mission impossible? Fabricio Werdum has a secret that he doesn't want Fedor to hear...

Posted: 19 May 2010 07:56 AM PDT

Props: MMA Fighting

Quoteworthy:

"This is my life fight, a very good opportunity. I'm training every day for six months because my last fight was in November. I want this fight. I have a lot of respect for Fedor, he's very good, very tough, but it's my opportunity and my turn now. Fedor's a very good puncher, very strong with his right cross. Everybody tries the same game every time. Cro Cop, Arlovski, Minotauro -- everybody tries the same thing. I'm trying a different technique this time. I have a good surprise. I have a good strategy but it's a secret."

Former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum tries to do what 31 other men couldn't: Defeat Fedor Emelianenko. While "The Last Emperor" has one official loss on his record, it was the result of a cut suffered from an illegal elbow in RINGS over ten years ago. Since then, the Russian superstar has remained perfect, steamrolling his way through every non-UFC promotion that had a bank account large enough to sign him. It may only be a matter of time before the sport -- or someone in it -- catches up to him and ends his reign of terror. After all it's MMA and everyone loses eventually. Or do they? "Vai Cavalo" seem to think so. Do you?

Matt Lindland training video for Kevin Casey at Strikeforce Challengers 8

Posted: 19 May 2010 07:55 AM PDT

Will "The Law" be broken on May 21?

Ringside 8: Michel Gagnon (6-1) vs. John Franchi (5-2) for the featherweight title on August 7 in...

Posted: 19 May 2010 07:06 AM PDT

Ringside 8: Michel Gagnon (6-1) vs. John Franchi (5-2) for the featherweight title on August 7 in Quebec City.

Lyle Beerbohm vs Vitor Ribeiro from 'Heavy Artillery' replays today (May 19) on Strikeforce.com

Posted: 19 May 2010 06:50 AM PDT

After a controversial decision in the Lyle Beerbohm vs. Vitor Ribeiro fight from last Saturday's "Heavy Artillery" card in St. Louis, Strikeforce has decided to replay the 155-pound brouhaha so that fight fans can finally see what all the fuss is about.

Tune in tonight (May 19) at 6 p.m. ET at Strikeforce.com for a replay of the "Beerbohm vs. Ribeiro" preliminary fight, which did not air on the televised portion of the May 8 broadcast -- much to the chagrin of the home viewing audience.

"Fancy Pants" and "Shaolin" were entrenched in a three-round war that saw the Brazilian come up short on the judges scorecards. Ribeiro contends that he was the victim of questionable scoring and that Beerbohm's split decision win should have gone in his favor.

Perhaps a rematch to settle the score?

In the meantime, be sure to check out the replay at Strikeforce.com a little later tonight. If you missed any of the "Heavy Artillery action from last weekend you can hit up our results and recap here and here.

UFC Quick Quote: 'Cigano' coach has no doubt that Junior dos Santos will become heavyweight champion

Posted: 19 May 2010 06:04 AM PDT

"I have no doubt that Cigano is going to be another Brazilian champion. In the past, he was a hope, but today is a reality in the UFC. He’s a heavyweight with skilled hands and he easily learns the tecniques during the trainings, not only in boxing. He’s either good in jiu-jitsu or wrestling. The next fight is still away, then we keep focusing boxing. When the fight is closer we start to mix the styles".

Highly regarded coach and trainer Luiz Dorea, who has worked with the Nogueira Brothers since they started training boxing, tells UOL that he foresees a new chance to form yet another champion. His pupil, Junior dos Santos, has won five straight fights under the UFC banner thanks to his devastating hands that puts his opponents dizzy and down. Roy Nelson is rumoured to be the next in line at UFC 117, another fight to solidify the contender status of the knockout artist. Do you go with Dorea and believe "Cigano" will be the UFC heavyweight champion? Or will he fall to the division's top wrestlers? Opinions, please.

Jon Fitch UFC action figure unveiled (Video)

Posted: 19 May 2010 05:56 AM PDT