Thursday, May 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

Programming reminder: 'Countdown to UFC 114' debuts tonight on Spike TV

Posted: 26 May 2010 08:33 PM PDT

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Countdown to UFC 114: "Rampage vs. Evans" will debut tonight at 12:30 a.m. ET (Wednesday night into Thursday) on Spike TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 29.

The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, featuring former UFC light heavyweight champions and TUF 10 Coaches Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Suga" Rashad Evans.

Also featured on tonight's special is a closer look at the middleweight affair between Michael "The Count" Bisping and Dan Miller, as each man tries to get back into the 185-pound title hunt.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 114 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.

To get up to speed on the "Rampage vs. Evans" event be sure to check out the complete UFC 114 archive by clicking here.

Programming reminder: UFC Primetime 'Rampage vs Evans' tonight (May 26) on Spike TV

Posted: 26 May 2010 08:06 PM PDT

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The UFC returns with the third and final episode 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 final episode will air TONIGHT (May 26) at 11:00 pm ET on Spike TV immediately following episode nine of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11.

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

The winner is expected to challenge current 205-pound champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua later this year.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 114 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.

To get up to speed on the "Rampage vs. Evans" event be sure to check out the complete UFC 114 archive by clicking here.

'Focused' Rampage Jackson is ready to destroy 'ignorant' Rashad Evans at UFC 114 (Video)

Posted: 26 May 2010 06:20 PM PDT

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11: Episode 9 recap and discussion

Posted: 26 May 2010 06:13 PM PDT

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Episode nine of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 11, featuring coaches Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz, gets underway with a quarterfinal weigh in right off the bat for the Kris McCray vs. Kyle Noke fight.

Noke and McCray are bummed they have to fight because they're friends outside of the competition but Dana says the lesson here is that in the UFC there are no friends -- conveniently forgetting the hostage negotiations he has with AKA every 3-6 months.

After the weigh ins we get a Tito interlude about his neck problems. The doctors want him to have surgery and he sounds like he's considering it but ultimately "puts it in God's hands."

Uh-huh.

Quarterfinal fight #2: Kyle Noke (16-4-1) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)

Round 1: McCray shoots and takes him down. Noke pinned against the fence but squirms free and gets to his feet and escapes. Hard right by Noke. McCray ties him up and scores a big takedown. Again Noke breaks free and secures a guillotine on McCray when he fails on a shoot. McCray breaks the hold and pushes Noke to the fence. Noke is holding an arm but gets dragged to the floor and goes back into guard. McCray just laying on top of him and doing nothing but eating jabs from Noke. Round ends with McCray taking a coffee break on top.

Round 2: Quick shot by McCray and Noke pushes off. He tries again and gets a scoop slam. Noke against the fence, stands up and gets slammed down. McCray on top catching 40 winks. He wakes up and fires off a few obligatory body shots while Noke works an arm. Noke escapes and pulls McCray to the ground and jumps on his back but can't lock anything in and McCray reverses him. Noke butt-scoots to the fence but McCray just hugs him until time expires.

After the round is over Dana White tells Kendra to take her Round 3 card and find a chair -- only to get in the cage and realize it's going to sudden victory. Dana tells her "My bad!" He could probably say that for a lot of things this season but I'll save that for another post.

Round 3: Ortiz is a volcano and can't believe McCray didn't win both rounds. Lazy shot by McCray but he still gets the takedown. He doesn't do a whole lot on top and Chuck is calling for a stand-up. McCray starts punching from top but is tired and can't summon any power. McCray switches to elbows and Noke, mouth agape, shows zero urgency to escape. He grabs an arm but gets nothing. A minute left in the fight and Mazzagatti stands them up. McCray responds by shooting and pushing Noke to the fence and holding him there until time expires.

Kris McCray defeats Kyle Noke via unanimous decision

Brad Tavares and Seth Baczynski weigh in for the next quarterfinal fight and the consensus seems to be that Tavares is the favorite. Tito (not surprisingly) is taking Baczynski for the upset.

Back at the house, some of the contestants tell Chuck that Tito is thinking about backing out of the fight to have surgery. Naturally it doesn't sit well with the icy one, who promises to fight Tito at his house if he has to.

Tavares and Baczynski talk tough before the big fight.

Quarterfinal fight #3: Brad Tavares (4-0) vs. Seth Baczynski (11-5)

Round 1: Quick exchange of low kicks and Baczynski rushes and pushes him to the fence, eventually scoring the takedown. He postures up and Tavares rolls out to avoid a bomb but Baczynski uses the roll to take his back. Tavares tries to stand up but Baczynski has the hooks in too good to be shaken off and works for a rear naked choke. Baczynski rolls in a awkward way and it allows Tavares to escape, who is now on top dropping bombs. He gets a little overzealous and Baczynski locks up a triangle -- though Tavares is able to powerbomb his way out of it. Tavares on top punching but Baczynski manages to scramble out of it. Tavares slips and Baczynski gets to his feet before Tavares can and accidentally unloads a PRIDE-style soccer kick that puts Tavares on queer street one second before the bell. Baczynski apologizes and Tavares heads to his corner on rubber legs.

After the round is over the doctor comes in and has a look at Tavares and the fight is stopped.

Brad Tavares defeats Seth Baczynski via disqualification

There seems to be some extracurricular activity on the sidelines after the DQ as Team Ortiz claims Tavares got kicked in the armpit and bitched out so after some verbal jabs Coach Liddell makes a bee line for Tito and the benches clear.

Aside from some pushing and shoving it ends without incident.

Afterward, Dana pulls Chuck aside and tells him Tito withdrew from their fight. Chuck stands up in a rage and that's the show.

Tune in next week as Jamie Yager faces Josh Bryant (with a controversial ending), the semifinal bouts are announced and Dana White must decide what to do with Tito now that he's pulled out of the UFC 115 main event.

See you next week!

Bobby Lashley knee injury forces cancellation of Ron Sparks fight at Strikeforce: 'Los Angeles'

Posted: 26 May 2010 05:07 PM PDT

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Strikeforce heavyweight attraction Bobby Lashley has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight against Ron Sparks at the June 16 "Los Angeles" card from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

The promotion today announced Lashley's departure after "The Dominator" suffered a knee injury in training.

The muscular mass of mayhem was last seen mistreating Wes Sims en route to a TKO stoppage at the "Miami" event earlier this year. The win, his first under the Strikeforce banner, pushed the former WWE wrestler's mixed martial arts record to 5-0.

Lashley entered the world of cage fighting back in December 2008 as a co-headliner for South Florida's Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA). The 6'3" powerhouse needed just 41-seconds to finish Joshua Franklin via doctor's stoppage.

While he remains unbeaten, critics have called for him to step up his level of competition in 2010. Being paired up with the relatively unknown Sparks -- who's only competed twice since 2006 -- did little to help his cause.

No timetable has been set for his return; however, depending on the severity of his injury, it's not unreasonable to think he'll be back in action a little later this year.

But will it be against Sparks?

Stay tuned.

Bellator 20 weigh in results from San Antonio

Posted: 26 May 2010 05:06 PM PDT

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SAN ANTONIO, Texas (May 26, 2010) - On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships' much-anticipated show at the Majestic Theatre in downtown San Antonio, the fighters competing in tomorrow's event participated in an official weigh-in earlier this evening.

Bellator 20 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:

Bryan "The Beast" Baker (186 lbs.) versus Eric Schambari (185 lbs.) - at 185 lbs.

Alexander Shlemenko (184.8 lbs.) versus Jared Hess (185.2 lbs) - at 185 lbs.

Eddie Sanchez (234.4 lbs.) versus Marcus Sursa (219.2 lbs.) - at 265 lbs.

Nik Mamalis (135.2 lbs.) versus Mark Oshiro (135.4 lbs.) - at 135 lbs.

LOCAL FEATURE FIGHTS:

Robert Villegas (205.2 lbs.) versus Aaron Rosa (205.2 lbs.) - at 205 lbs.

Cedric Marks (166.8 lbs.) versus Andrew Chappelle (174.8 lbs.) - at 170 lbs.*

Brian Melancon (161.2 lbs.) versus Adam Schindler (154.8 lbs.) - at 155 lbs.^

Humberto DeLeon (124.6 lbs.) versus Jimmy Flick (124.6 lbs.) - at 125 lbs.

Kenneth Battle (154.8 lbs.) versus Fernando Rodriguez (153.8 lbs.) - at 155 lbs.

* Chappelle and Marks are negotiating a catchweight

^ Melancon and Schindler are negotiating a catchweight

Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Prangley announced for Strikeforce: 'L.A. Live' on June 16

Posted: 26 May 2010 04:30 PM PDT

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NEW YORK (May 26, 2010) -- American military hero and up-and-coming middleweight, Tim Kennedy, will be opposed by the dangerous Trevor Prangley in one of the featured STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on Wednesday, June 16, on SHOWTIME®.

Both 185-pound fighters -- Kennedy (11-2), of Austin, Tex., by way of San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Prangley (22-5-1), of Couer D' Alene, Idaho, via Cape Town, South Africa -- have been impressive in recent starts.

The 5-foot-11, 30-year-old Kennedy, a United States Army Special Forces sniper with the 19th Special Forces outfit based in San Antonio, has toured the Middle East multiple times, and earned the Army's Bronze Medal Star medal for valor under fire.

Inside the cage, Kennedy has won three in a row and 11 of his last 12. In his last outing, he submitted (north-south choke) Zak Cummings in the second round during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25, 2009.

Prangley, a six-foot, 37-year-old former South African national wrestling champion and Olympic alternate who turned to MMA after suffering a knee injury in college, is 11-1-1 in his last 13 fights.

A five-fight winning streak ended Feb. 26, 2010, when a STRIKEFORCE: Challengers fight he seemingly was on his way to winning against Karl Amoussou ended in a technical draw at 4:14 of the first round due to an accidental thumb to Amoussou's eye.

Kennedy has split two fights with Jason "Mayhem'' Miller. Kennedy's only other defeat came to Scott "Hands Of Steel'' Smith in his pro debut on Aug. 31, 2001.

"I am fighting full-time and still in uniform, which is what I've wanted all along,'' Kennedy said. "I am looking forward to fighting again against a good, solid wrestler like Prangley, who trains at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.). "He's got heavy hands and a good chin. This will be a good fight for me."

Kennedy signed with STRIKEFORCE in 2009 after a two-year break the sport due to his military commitments. This will be his third start on SHOWTIME for the San Jose-based organization. Before walking through the previously unbeaten Cummings (10-0 going in) in Tulsa, Okla., Kennedy scored a second-round submission (punches) over former BodogFIGHT champion Nick "The Goat'' Thompson at Kent, Wash.

"I want to keep winning,'' Kennedy said. "STRIKEFORCE has a bunch of guys in my weight class who I match up very well with. I want to fight all of these guys and put on a good show for SHOWTIME and STRIKEFORCE."

Prangley may not be the most feared fighter in MMA, but he is definitely not one many want to enter the cage with. He's capable of besting anyone on any given night. Since his pro debut (as a light heavyweight) in January 2001, Prangley has met some good ones, including "Babalu, Jorge Santiago (his last loss) and Chael Sonnen.

Prangley's most significant victory may have come against Sonnen.

Prangley has fought for STRIKEFORCE in the past. Besides his last start against Amoussou, he also competed in STRIKEFORCE: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives, the first sanctioned MMA tournament in the state of California on November 16, 2007 and was victorious over Anthony "A Train" Ruiz by way of unanimous decision at the second STRIKEFORCE event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Sept. 20, 2008.

In other televised fights on SHOWTIME, hard-knocking, hard-hitting "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (17-5) will collide with former STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight (205 pounds) champion Renato "Babalu'' Sobral, at a catch weight of 195 pounds in the main event and.

DREAM welterweight champion Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis (13-4) will face Evangelista Cyborg (17-13) in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest. A previously announced heavyweight match between Bobby Lashley and Ron Sparks will not transpire. Lashley suffered a knee injury during training.

Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE will open for the event at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. and the first main card fight will begin at 8 p.m. The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

UFC 114: 'Rampage vs Evans' pre-fight press conference highlights and recap

Posted: 26 May 2010 02:24 PM PDT

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UFC 114: "Rampage vs. Evans" is set to take place this Saturday (May 29) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a light heavyweight grudge match between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Suga" Rashad Evans.

In addition, middleweights Michael "The Count" Bising and Dan Miller will do battle in the co-featured fight of the night to see who works their way back into the 185-pound title hunt.

In preparation for this weekend's return trip to "Sin City," the UFC will held a pre-fight press conference featuring the major players from the event including Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Dan Miller and of course, UFC President Dana White.

And quite surprisingly, unlike the UFC 114 media call, both gentlemen, well... acted like gentlemen.

Check out the highlights and a quick recap of the presser after the jump.

 

 

- Dana White said the UFC has sold more tickets for the second UFC Fan Expo already then they did for the first expo last year.

- Dana proclaimed that "Rampage" actually made the right decision in taking time off to do the A-Team.

- White noted that this Primetime show is better than his previous favorite, Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J Penn.

- Dana also said the hype and buzz for this fight has the same feel that UFC 100 did.

- D.W. said that he always felt like "Rampage" would come back to the promotion after their disagreement last year.

- Both fighters say it won't be a problem to keep their emotions intact because they're professional athletes.

- Jackson says Bisping helped him out a lot in training for Evans, says Bisping told him he's much stronger than Rashad.

- Jackson also said Bisping has helped him prepare for Rashad's speed advantage.

- "Rampage" has heard that Mr. T (the original B.A. Baracus) is happy with the remake of the A-Team.

- "Rampage" doesn't think, nor care, about race. The black-on-black crime soundbyte is originally from his Marvin Eastman fight.

- Rashad thinks it's good that two black fighters are in the main event in such a big UFC card, says it's about time.

- Jackson trained harder for this fight than any other. Says he trained to finsh the fight, to destroy Evans.

- Evans thinks Jackson is like an old Mike Tyson. Said he hasn't developed at all over the course of his career.

- Bisping guarantees his fight with Miller won't go three rounds.

- "Rampage" says people forget he wrestled in high school and college. Says he's not worried about being on his back against Rashad.

- Jackson said Lance Gibson is the best Muay Thai coach he's ever had.

- Rashad says he's not worried about the size difference between the two fighters. Says he's always the smaller fighter.

- Finally, ironically enough, Diego Sanchez was the recipient of the Tequila Cazadores Spirit award.

That's all she wrote Maniacs.

MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 114 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.

For more on the May 29 event click here.

Dana White talks UFC 114 grudge match on ESPN 'First Take' (Video)

Posted: 26 May 2010 12:54 PM PDT

UFC 114 pre-fight press conference airs today (May 26) LIVE on MMAmania.com at 4 p.m. ET

Posted: 26 May 2010 12:44 PM PDT

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UFC 114: "Rampage vs. Evans" is set to take place this Saturday (May 29) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a light heavyweight grudge match between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Suga" Rashad Evans.

In addition, middleweights Michael "The Count" Bising and Dan Miller will do battle in the co-featured fight of the night to see who works their way back into the 185-pound title hunt.

In preparation for this weekend's return trip to "Sin City," the UFC will hold a pre-fight press conference featuring the major players from the event including Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Dan Miller and of course, UFC President Dana White.

The press conference will air LIVE right here on MMAmania.com at 4 p.m. ET after the jump.

Live stream and replay courtesy of UFC.com.

Forrest Griffin undergoes shoulder surgery, return to the Octagon likely for this Fall

Posted: 26 May 2010 11:22 AM PDT

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According to a report from the Las Vegas Sun, Forrest Griffin recently underwent minor shoulder surgery to repair an old injury he reaggravated in the lead-up to his scheduled UFC 114 fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueria.

The Las Vegas-based news outlet spoke with Griffin's trainer Jimmy Gifford about the procedure and what is a likely timetable for his return.

"He saw a specialist in Los Angeles and had it worked on. It was minor surgery, nothing crazy. He'll start physical therapy in six weeks and be on the shelf for 12 weeks. We're not sure on a return, but October would be a good guess. Maybe late September... He ended up saying he couldn't do it and I told him, 'Forrest, I told you that three weeks ago.' For us to even have that conversation shows another step in his professionalism. There comes a time when a fighter has to say to himself, 'I'm a pro. I still want to do this for awhile. I have to stay healthy.' But I know it killed him to pull out. The UFC usually does a November show in the U.S. and a December show in Vegas. Rather than go oversees, we'll maybe do a November or December date. He can't stand the travel and he loves fighting in Las Vegas."

 

The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion sustained a shoulder injury in the beginning of May that kept him from competing against Pride FC import "Lil Nog" in the co-main event at UFC 114: "Rampage vs. Evans" which is set for later this week.

Griffin most recently rebounded from an embarrassing knockout loss at the hands of Anderson Silva to avenge a 2006 defeat to Tito Ortiz, outpointing "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" en route to a split decision victory in the main event of UFC 106 last November.

The win snapped a two-fight losing streak that began when he coughed up the 205-pound strap to Rashad Evans at UFC 92 in December 2008.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on Forrest Griffin's return from injury including date, event, and opponent announcements.

Nick Diaz: 'We were attacked' on CBS after Strikeforce 'Nashville' (Video)

Posted: 26 May 2010 09:41 AM PDT

 

Bellator 22: Ben Askren vs Dan Hornbuckle booked for June 17 in Kansas City

Posted: 26 May 2010 09:37 AM PDT

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 26, 2010) - Ben Askren, who won two NCAA wrestling championships while competing at the University of Missouri and then represented the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games, will headline Bellator Fighting Championships' latest event at KC Live! in the Kansas City Power & Light District on June 17th.

Askren (5-0) will take on MMA superstar Dan Hornbuckle (21-2) in the finals of Bellator's ongoing Welterweight Championship Tournament. The winner will become the No. 1 contender to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good (10-0) and will earn the chance to face Good in a world title fight later this year.

The much anticipated Askren-Hornbuckle showdown is one of eight fights scheduled as part of the June 17th event, which marks Bellator's second visit in six weeks to the Power & Light District, a state-of-the-art, open-air, mixed-use entertainment venue in the heart of downtown Kansas City , owned and managed by The Cordish Company.

The event, Bellator 22, will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports Net and during special taped highlight shows the following Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Tickets are on sale now at The Midland by AMC box office in downtown Kansas City and at ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets start at just $15 in advance/$25 at the door. Ringside and VIP tickets are also available and start at $75.

Other scheduled fights include:

- Winfield , Kan. , native Tyler Stinson (17-6) vs. Omaha-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Leonardo Pechana (11-5) in the evening's "Local Main Event"

- Kansas City 's Tammie Schneider vs. Lisa Ward in a "Female Showcase" fight at 115 lbs.

- Kansas City 's John Orr (5-4) vs. former NCAA Champion wrestler and current Brock Lesnar training partner Cole Konrad (3-0) in a "Heavyweight Feature Fight"

"We're thrilled to be coming back to Kansas City for another event at the Power & Light District," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Our first trip to the venue back in late April produced one of the most magical events we've ever been a part of. Kansas City is a great fight town with great fans and the Power & Light District is a one-of-a-kind venue. We can't wait to come back on June 17th with a Main Event fight featuring one of the top welterweights in the world, Dan Hornbuckle, and another star on the rise in Ben Askren."

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

Fightscoops sends word that WWE's "Batista" is contemplating a mixed martial arts career at the...

Posted: 26 May 2010 08:20 AM PDT

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Fightscoops sends word that WWE's "Batista" is contemplating a mixed martial arts career at the tender age of 41.

Bullyproof: Rener Gracie taps Oprah channel for possible reality show

Posted: 26 May 2010 08:09 AM PDT

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Props: Sherdog.com

Quoteworthy:

"We came up with the idea about a year ago. We've had kids coming to our academy that have been tormented by bullies. They've been afraid to go to school. Some have even been suicidal. Training them (in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and working with them helped build their confidence and it has basically inspired us to want to do something on a much larger scale. The plan is to reach out to these kids and take them under our wings. We want to teach them how to defend themselves, but more importantly, we want to build up their confidence and give them the motivation to want to go to school. Bullying is one of the top factors behind suicide in young kids. They don't need to be the victims anymore. We want to find those who are on the borderline and bring them back. Let's show them that there is hope and that they have a bright future. If this happens, it's going to be another shot in the arm for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It was my grandfather Helio's dream to empower the weak and my family would love nothing more than to continue to make that a reality. We've achieved the mount so far with this contest. Now let's go for the submission."

Rener Gracie wants to use jiu-jitsu to help kids stand up to bullies while also learning self-defense and how to improve their self-esteem. Gracie has reached out to the Oprah Channel to pitch his idea for a reality show that would bring kids and teens in need to his Gracie Academy in Torrance, California, for training. You can watch his video audition and vote for him at Oprah.com by clicking here. While no one will ever mistake MTV's "Bully Beatdown" as a deterrent to bullying, can a televised jiu-jitsu camp help restore confidence and self esteem to kids in need? And how does his program differ from a traditional martial arts school that tries to instill the same values? Thoughts?

DREAM 14: Ralek Gracie hoping to avoid the Kimura against Kazushi Sakuraba on May 29 (Video)

Posted: 26 May 2010 07:44 AM PDT

Can "The Gracie Hunter" add another Brazilian to his resume?

Report: Doctor clears Thiago Alves to compete at UFC 117

Posted: 26 May 2010 07:33 AM PDT

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After undergoing minor surgery to correct a brain "irregularity" that prompted his withdrawal from UFC 111 last March, former welterweight number one contender Thiago Alves has reportedly been cleared to participate in his UFC 117 rematch with Jon Fitch scheduled for August 7 from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

TMZ, who seems to have the market cornered on "Pitbull" news, reports that Alves had a successful angiogram yesterday (May 25) and that his doctor "is sending a letter to the New Jersey Boxing Commission declaring him physically fit to fight."

The Brazilian was pulled from a March 27 bout against his 170-pound nemesis after failing a pre-fight CAT Scan.

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 Oakland.

For more on UFC 117 click here.

Michael Bisping: 'Rampage is going to knock Rashad's head off'

Posted: 26 May 2010 07:13 AM PDT

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Props: ESPN.co.uk

Quoteworthy:

"Rampage is going to knock Rashad's head off. I wouldn't want to be Rashad when he gets in there. If he carries on talking shit, it could be an early night for Rashad."

Michael Bisping sends a few words of caution to former nemesis Rashad Evans, who faces Wolfslair friend and team mate Quinton Jackson this Saturday night (May 29) in the UFC 114 main event from Las Vegas. "The Count" went toe-to-toe with "Suga" way back in 2007 as a light heavyweight, dropping a split decision for the first defeat in his career. Does that inside knowledge give "Rampage" an edge? Or will Evans keep his head attached by outworking his fellow ex-TUF coach?

Dana White talks UFC 114, Bill Gates, A-Team and more on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' (Video)

Posted: 26 May 2010 06:42 AM PDT

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

Posted: 26 May 2010 06:37 AM PDT

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Time is running out!

Today is the last day to get your entries in for the MMAmania.com "UFC Undisputed 2010" contest give-a-way that's currently underway and in effect until midnight tonight (May 26).

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.

So 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 this weekend as part of our UFC 114: "Jackson vs. Evans" coverage.

But you have to hurry, the clock is ticking!

Head over to Gamestop and lay your claim on the free Xbox 360 console and UFC Undisputed 2010 video game!
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