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- UFC fighter bonuses and awards for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale
- Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale results recap from last night on Spike TV
- TUF 11 Finale results and LIVE coverage TONIGHT (June 19) from Las Vegas!
- WEC 49 weigh in results LIVE from Edmonton for 'Varner vs Shalorus'
- Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin UFC 116 video trailer (Extended)
- WEC 49 predictions, preview and analysis
- Fedor Emelianenko considering retirement -- not a career in the UFC
- TUF 11 Finale: Jamie Yager 'excited' to 'put on a show' against Rich Attonito (Video)
- Chuck Liddell: One week after losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 115 via knockout (Pic).
- The Agony Of Defeat: How losses can make (or break) a fighter's career (Volume 1)
| UFC fighter bonuses and awards for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale Posted: 19 Jun 2010 11:05 PM PDT
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale from "The Pearl" at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, has officially wrapped, which means that it’s time for those select fighters who went above and beyond in their respective fights to get a little extra grease for their efforts. To the tune of $25,000 each. The promotion dished out its standard post-fight monetary bonuses to three out of the 20 fighters on the card. And it may not surprise you which fighters are leaving "Sin City" with another round of green. In addition to their base salaries, the UFC awarded light heavyweight brawlers Keith Jardine and Matt Hamill "Fight of the Night" for their three round bloodbath that saw "The Hammer" squeak by with a majority decision win. Also bringing home the proverbial bacon was newly-crowned TUF 11 champion Court McGee. "Crusher" made his Octagon debut a memorable one, strangling Kris McCray in the second round to win the glass trophy and "Submission of the Night." Rounding out the honors was Chris Leben, who scored a "Knockout of the Night" over the previously undefeated wrestler Aaron Simpson to climb back into middleweight relevancy. Here are the special fight bonuses for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale:
Again, each fighter received $25,000 extra for their performances in addition to their respective base salaries, which we will pass along as soon as possible. For complete TUF 11 Finale results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here. |
| Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale results recap from last night on Spike TV Posted: 19 Jun 2010 08:50 PM PDT
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale from the "The Pearl" at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, which went down earlier this evening (Sat., June 10, 2010), is in record books. Court McGee and Kris McCray were featured in the main event of the evening, competing for the "six-figure" contract and the top spot in the 16-man tournament. McGee, a grinder, lived up to that billing tonight against McCray, putting his head down and getting his opponent on his back early and often. McCray, obviously, put up a fight, but the relentless and smothering attack from McGee was just too much to overcome. The Team Liddell product eventually went on to register a second round rear naked choke victory, putting a ribbon on a very gritty performance this evening and on the show. He's certainly not the most marketable TUF winner, but it could not have happened to a more deserving participant. Truly, a storybook ending. Matt Hamill and Keith Jardine threw down in a co main event between two losing fighters (in their most recent bouts) who needed big wins to prove that they belonged in very stacked 205-pound division. Despite a very trim, focused and "renewed" Jardine, Hamill was able to find his range and plod forward en route to a close majority decision win. An inadvertent eye poke in the second round, which cost "The Dean of Mean" a point, was more than likely a huge help in the final decision. Jardine, sporting a massive Frankenstein cut on his forehead, did what he could, but that one point appeared to be a huge difference maker. Hamill didn't do anything super special ... he was just gritty enough to earn a win on the judges scorecards. Ho-hum. The original TUF bad boy, Chris Leben, needed a win tonight bad after losing two of his last three contests. And UFC matchmaker Joe Silva did him zero favors by matching him up with the undefeated, and very durabale, wrestling standout Aaron Simpson. "The Crippler" answered the call. Leben denied the takedowns and broke Simpson down with solid punches through two rounds. He eventually found a home for his patented left haymaker, which left Simpson dazed and confused. In fact, Simpson had enough and tried to get away from Leben after several well-placed blows, which sent him stumbling across the Octagon like a town drunk. Fortunately, the referee saw enough and called a halt to the action ... to the benefit of Mr. Simpson and his fight future. Spencer Fisher and Dennis Siver went toe-to-toe in a lightweight showdown, which was teed up to be a strike fest. It was, but apparently their styles did something to cancel out the excitement. Both fighters traded blows for 15 minutes -- the fight never made it to the ground -- but neither one of them ever appeared to be hurt or damage the other with significant force.In theory, the matchmaking was solid, the fight, however, just didn't deliver. Nonetheless, "The King" is on a two fight skid, and his counterpart, Siver, has won five of his last six. Wonder who will move on to bigger, and better, competition moving forward (sarcasm). Polarizing contestant Jamie Yager looked to redeem himself against, Rich Attonito, who was forced off the show because of a hand injury, in the opening fight of the televised card. Didn't happen. Even though Yager started off strong (as usual) he quickly wilted as the New Jersey-born wrestler took the fight to him, taking him down and beating him up in the inside. It wasn't long before Attonito broke him down and took his back, angling for a submission finish. Yager defended, but couldn't stop the ground-and-pound of the American Top Team product, proving that you can't judge a book by its cover ... or he's all bark but no bite. Whatever, pick your cliche. Yager is toast. That’s enough from us — now it’s your turn to discuss TUF 11 Finale in the comments section below. Sound off, Maniacs. Let’s hear what you have to say. For complete TUF 11 Finale results and detailed blow-by-blow commentary of the televised main card fights click here. |
| TUF 11 Finale results and LIVE coverage TONIGHT (June 19) from Las Vegas! Posted: 19 Jun 2010 04:34 PM PDT
Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale. If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main TUF 11 Finale results post and not this one. Enjoy the show, Maniacs! |
| WEC 49 weigh in results LIVE from Edmonton for 'Varner vs Shalorus' Posted: 19 Jun 2010 03:39 PM PDT
The official WEC 49: "Varner vs. Shalorus" weigh-ins are now in the books from Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Each of the twenty-two fighters were on weight, and all eleven bouts are good to go for tomorrow night (June 20.) The five-bout main card will air live on the Versus network beginning at 9 p.m. ET. WEC 49 marks the first ever event for the promotion outside of the United States. Canadian fighters Mark "The Machine" Hominick and Yves "Tiger" Jabouin will meet in the co-featured fight of the night, while Jamie "C-4" Varner and Kamal "Prince of Persia" Shalorus will headline the card in a battle of top lightweight contenders. Check out the complete "Varner vs. Shalorus" weigh-in results and live feed after the jump: Main event:
Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Sunday, June 20), which is slated to air at 9 p.m. ET on the Versus network. It’s going to be a fun night of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to also check us out for all the post-fight WEC 49 coverage you can handle as well. |
| Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin UFC 116 video trailer (Extended) Posted: 19 Jun 2010 11:42 AM PDT
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| WEC 49 predictions, preview and analysis Posted: 19 Jun 2010 11:41 AM PDT
WEC 49: "Varner vs. Shalorus" will complete an action packed week of mixed martial arts this Sunday night (June 20) at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The event marks the first ever for the WEC outside of the United States. Canadian fighters Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki, Mark "The Machine" Hominick and Yves "Tiger" Jabouin will be in action on the main card which will air live on the Versus network beginning at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. Jamie "C-4" Varner and Kamal "Prince of Persia" Shalorus will headline the card in a battle of top lightweight contenders. Featherweights L.C. Davis and Josh "The Fluke" Grispi will be featured in the co-main event. To help get you better prepared for the festivities we've given some analysis and predictions for the main card below. Check it out. 155 lbs.: Jamie "C-4" Varner vs. Kamal "Prince of Persia" Shalorus Call me crazy, but I think the "Prince of Persia" has the tools to pull off the upset here. First, I think he's the better stand-up fighter head to head against Varner. I like his counter striking and I think his movement is better. They're actually pretty even, though, because both guys have the ability to be effective with punches as well as kicks, and both have fight-ending power. The difference is going to be Varner's reluctance to use his kicks because of Shalorus' wrestling skills. Normally Varner wouldn't sweat the possibility of getting taken down. After all, he's a fantastic wrestler himself, with a better than average ground game and nine career wins by submission. But even he went on record saying that Shalorus' wrestling is on another level. That was apparent when the former Olympic standout owned the previously unbeaten Dave Jansen at WEC 46 by stuffing takedown attempt after takedown attempt and scoring points with his stand-up. I think a similar formula will be enough to beat Varner, but rest assured that this guy has the ability to put the former champ on his back and keep him there if he needs to. And don't sleep on his submission skills, either. Don't get me wrong, Varner is still one of the best lightweights in the WEC, but this is going to be a frustrating fight for him. "C-4" was winning against Ben Henderson before he made a rookie mistake in the third round, which led to a guillotine choke out. The last thing he wants to do now is lose two in a row, especially to a fighter that not many fans know much about. Because of that, I believe he comes out with a cautious mindset, and Shalorus is going to jump on him early. I think he'll wear Varner down and frustrate him early on with strikes and takedown defense. He'll eventually end up on top on the ground. Varner will give up his back and Shalorus will choke him out. Final prediction: Kamal Shalorus via submission (rear naked choke) 145 lbs.: L.C. Davis vs. Josh "The Fluke" Grispi A lot of fans have looked at this card and been unimpressed with the apparent lack of star power. But when this event is over, there are going to be at least one name that will leave a lasting impression, and that's Josh Grispi. L.C. Davis is a high level mixed martial artist who has proven himself with some big wins over some stiff competition during his eighteen fight career. But he's not going to be much more than a stepping stone in this fight. It was no "Fluke" when Grispi destroyed Jens Pulver in less than a minute of work at WEC 41 last year, despite coming into the fight on an injured ankle that later required surgery. This guy is the real deal. He has a great killer instict, having won twelve of his thirteen fights inside the first round, including all three of his WEC fights in less than a total of four minutes and twenty seconds. He hasn't exactly been facing scrubs, either. Besides Pulver, Mark Hominick and Micah Miller have also joined Grispi's hit list during his time with the promotion. The thing I like the most about Grispi, though, is his size. He's enormous for a featherweight. He's just under six feet tall, but he somehow still carries a solid frame. That physical advantage combined with his non stop motor and killer instict allow him to impose his will on his opponents, which has led to all the early stoppages. I don't see this fight being any different. Davis is a very good fighter, but he's been getting by recently by squeaking out a lot of close decisions. He's a slow starter, and that's just not good at all against Grispi. Final prediction: Josh Grispi via technical knockout 155 lbs.: Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki vs. Danny "Boy" Downes "The Polish Hammer" made a huge mistake by turning his back to Anthony Njokuani in his debut with the promotion at WEC 45. He ended up on the receiving end of a highlight reel head kick because of the error, which was the exact opposite of the first impression he made with IFL fans four years ago when he knocked out Erik Owings with a similar blow. There's no such thing as a second chance at a first impression, but Horodecki will undoubtedly be looking for a much more impressive showing for his second start in front of the WEC fans. It looks like he'll have a great opportunity to do just that against Downes, too, who is stepping in on super-short notice for Ed "9mm" Ratcliff, who was forced to back out of the fight just a couple of days ago due to injury. Danny "Boy" looks to be a solid prospect, though. He's undefeated in six pro fights. He's a Muay Thai and Tae-Kwon-Do specialist with five of those wins coming by technical knockout. This should be a fun fight for the fans between two sluggers with a lot to prove. Sign me up. Final prediction: "The Polish Hammer" by technical knockout 155 lbs.: Yves "Tiger" Jabouin vs. Mark "The Machine" Hominick Hominick had a bad showing against Grispi at WEC 36, but it's unfair to judge him on that fight. He's won both of his starts since then, including a first round submission win over Bryan Caraway at WEC 46 back in January. And remember, he also previously fought as a lightweight in the UFC and produced wins over Yves Edwards and Jorge Grugel. He's a very good all-around fighter with a solid resume. "Tiger" is an extremely dangerous striker with knockout power in both his hands and feet. Eleven of his fourteen wins have been by (T)KO. Hominick will probably look to negate that power with a lot of takedowns and clinching. If he can have success with that, he should be able to get a win here. Hominick gets a lot of quality training with top notch strikers at Team Tompkins. He'll be well prepared to deal with Jabouin's strengths. Plus he has more experience against tougher competition. And one of his training partners, Sam Stout, has a previous win over Jabouin. I think "The Machine" hold his own in the stand-up and score enough takedowns throughout the fight to win on the cards. Final prediction: Mark Hominick via unanimous decision 135 lbs.: Will Campuzano vs. Eddie Wineland Campuzano stepped up on short notice to fight one of the most dangerous fighters on the roster in his WEC debut in Damacio Page. He paid for it with a first round submission loss, but he came back three months later and grabbed his first WEC win and a "fight of the night" bonus, to boot. Now the WEC has paired him up against a former champion in Eddie Wineland, who has won two straight fights against two very tough fighters in George Roop and Manny Tapia. Both of these guys are young and hungry fighters and this should be another solid fight. Campuzano is giving up a little bit in the experience department, though. Wineland has nearly three times as many pro fights, and he's clearly faced stiffer competition. I have to think the ex-champ finds a way to win this one. Final prediction: Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision That's a wrap. Sound off with your predictions in the comments section below. And Remember that MMAmania.com will provide live blow-by-blow commentary of the main card beginning with the Versus telecast at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. Check in early and often. |
| Fedor Emelianenko considering retirement -- not a career in the UFC Posted: 19 Jun 2010 11:41 AM PDT
Top ranked heavyweight and Strikeforce marquee attraction Fedor Emelianenko talks to media heading into his June 26 contest against Fabricio Werdum with an eye to the future -- which to the chagrin of many mixed martial arts fans doesn't appear to include a run under the UFC banner. "The Last Emperor" was being courted by the Zuffa zealots on more than one occasion but Dana White and the Fertitta brothers could never find a middle ground with M-1 Global. If Emelianenko manages to defeat "Vai Cavalo," a much-anticipated title fight with Alistair Overeem awaits. Will Fedor ride off into the sunset as Strikeforce heavyweight champion? |
| TUF 11 Finale: Jamie Yager 'excited' to 'put on a show' against Rich Attonito (Video) Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:50 AM PDT |
| Chuck Liddell: One week after losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 115 via knockout (Pic). Posted: 19 Jun 2010 07:43 AM PDT  Chuck Liddell: One week after losing to Rich Franklin at UFC 115 via knockout (Pic). |
| The Agony Of Defeat: How losses can make (or break) a fighter's career (Volume 1) Posted: 18 Jun 2010 06:39 PM PDT
What does a loss really do to the mentality of a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter? In the aftermath of UFC 115: "Liddell vs. Franklin" and the apparent end to "The Iceman's" legendary career, I've been motivated to start a mini-series about looking into the psychological effects that losing has on cage fighters. Its not a clear cut answer, as there are so many factors in determining and analyzing the effects which commonly are unique to each fighter and the emotions that are felt are different every time. The psychological aspect of losing can be devastating, it can curtail a career or define one. Or both. Being defeated is much more then striking an "L" on a fighters resume. It can be the difference between mediocre and legendary. Being defeated can feel like being conquered -- it's not just the failure to win; it can be a dream destroyed, vanquished. A defeat can be submissive, frustrating and morally crushing. I often describe MMA as a "heroic" game, especially because MMA appears to have underlying themes of gladiators, combat, victory, and defeat that probably trigger some collective unconscious related to our hunter-gatherer past. Fans watching their favorite fighters win experience both a sense of elation and relief, while fans watching their favorite fighters lose experience despair, much as observers of ancient combat knew that the outcome of their army’s performance would mean life, death, or slavery to them. That may be a stretch but the inner psychologist in me thinks that way. The inner doctor in me will let you all know that a study was done on the 1994 Soccer World Cup where fans that saw their country Brazil win has higher levels of testosterone while the Italian fans had a reduced testosterone level. Clearly winning is much more to the fans too. Let's get back to the fighters. A loss can be devastating as previously stated. Success is what drives all of us. Sooner or later, you're going to want something more, to progress and to continue to succeed. It's in our very nature to succeed. It is a primary survival instinct. The benefits of success are obvious: Sense of accomplishment, self worth and self-actualization are a few. Other, less obvious by-products are confidence and attitude. These feelings help to drive us and are our eventual goals and reasons to be successful. They are psychological effects of accomplishment. The technical growth, the real "nuts and bolts" however, lay in every setback and every failure. Let's take a look at fighters, their losses and we can dig into the deeper issues at play. In this mini-series we will see numerous fighters and the differences that losses made in their careers. Volume One begins with... George St. Pierre (20-2): Current UFC Welterweight Champion
Georges St. Pierre is highly regarded in the MMA world; he is labeled as the most well rounded fighter in the sport and is easily one of the most athletically gifted specimens we have in all of mixed martial arts today. With a savage wrestling game and a diverse striking arsenal, GSP more often then not finds himself with his hand being raised at the conclusion of his fights. At the age of 29, "Rush" sports a 20-2 record, putting forth winning streaks of 7-6-7. He has shown his wrestling dominance over four-time Division I NCAA All-American and an NCAA wrestling champion Josh Koscheck, former Purdue wrestling captain Jon Fitch, two-time Division I All-American wrestler Matt Hughes and state wrestling champion and national Junior College Champion Jay Hieron. He has also faced tough grapplers, jiu-jitsu fighters and strikers. Accolades aside, St. Pierre begins my list because of the heart and mental toughness he has displayed in his career, especially after losses.
St. Pierre burst onto the scene in January of 2002. He racked up seven straight wins including named guys like Pete Spratt, Thomas Denny, Jay Hieron and Karo Pariysan. In October of 2004 Matt Hughes hands St. Pierre his first loss with one second left in the first round. Of course St. Pierre had not grown to be the well-rounded fighter he is today and Matt Hughes was still widely considered the most dominant welterweight on the planet at the time. This is the first time the athletic specimen that is GSP had found himself outclassed and staring at a loss. St. Pierre goes on to say that he saw Hughes as a hero and was starstruck going into this fight. Needless to say he never experiences being star struck again. As a fighter he grew and he realized that he was on the biggest stage in all of MMA. Maturity helped him develop.
After the loss, St. Pierre fights once outside of the UFC, winning by Kimura and then returning to run right through Jason "Mayhem" Miller in a bloody and brutal fight. He follows that by submitting Frank Trigg and consecutively beating three former champions. First Sean Sherk as GSP becomes the first person to ever finish Sherk in his career. He then fought a tough, three round war with B.J. Penn and gained vengeance on Matt Hughes. He unleashed brutal ground and pound and very effective striking. His dominating, aggressive and explosive skills were now coming out full force. He worked on his speed, his striking which incorporated a lot of karate-esque strikes and his strike-to-takedown ability. His grappling became more refined. He was grasping his potential and evolving instead of relying on pure athletic gifts. His training camps became more hands-on and he showed early signs of a true champion when he faced adversity for the first time. St. Pierre "grew up" in MMA terms, he got ahead of the curve, he educated himself and took strides forward. Here we see just a small clip on the second fight between St. Pierre and Hughes. Just When St. Pierre gains vengeance as he finished Hughes, once again he is knocked off the top of the mountain. This time by Matt Serra. Serra was a huge underdog after gaining his spot (from all places) The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show. "The Comeback" season featured contestants who were already UFC fighters looking to once again rise to the top. Most people knew Serra from his KO loss via spinning back fist to Shonie Carter; the hardcores may remember him from a hard fought decision loss to BJ Penn. I didn't know of anyone willing to bet on Serra, and if I would have made a bet it would have been on a miracle submission when St. Pierre dug too deep into Serra's guard. What really happened was shocking and sent goose bumps down the backs of MMA fans everywhere. See below.
The MMA World stood quietly without any movement for a very long time. When the belt was tied smugly on to Serra, not only was Dana White in complete shock but Matt Serra himself in disbelief. GSP went on later to say he was not fully focused on the fight citing personal/family issues prior to the event. That may have been -- or it could have simply been GSP looking past an 11-to-1 underdog like the rest of us all were. St. Pierre later on said Serra was just the better fighter that evening and should never have made any excuses. He would also depart with a lot of his trainers as well as a lot of people that were in his inner circle. St. Pierre, now humbled after the loss, then strings together a very impressive run to the top, beating and outclassing Josh Koscheck, easily winning the rubber match against Matt Hughes and of course avenging his second loss by destroying Matt Serra. St. Pierre turned up his training level (again) and between trainers Firas Zahabi & Greg Jackson he worked heavily on his defensive striking. He continued to tweak it when he enlisted the help of Phil Nurse and further learned the ground game under Renzo Gracie. He immediately improved an already spectacular wrestling game and his name was mentioned in Olympic talk as he sat atop a high profile list of fighters claiming to possess the best MMA wrestling. Instead of cowering down after losing in two title fights, he continued to take strides forward. With a mental toughness not found as relentless, St. Pierre did not let an embarrassing loss deter him from once again climbing the ranks to win back the UFC title.
After the Serra victory he has been dominant and none of his opponents have come even close to even winning a single round. He has beaten Jon Fitch, B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy. After the absolute destruction of the tough-as-nails Fitch, St. Pierre put on one of the most dominating performances in a "super fight" atmosphere when he turned BJ Penn inside-out at the heavily hyped UFC 94. The evolution in his game has been a direct result of his maturity as a fighter and his ability to take losses and grow from them. He has made a name for himself; he has been recognized for having the best MMA wrestling in the world today and has placed himself in the top three pound-for-pound discussion. This would never be possible without mental toughness, heart and pure dedication to refining weaknesses and building on the strengths GSP has already found success with. From being toppled by an icon to being embarrassed by a massive underdog, St. Pierre has come back stronger each time and for now looks as unbeatable as can be on top the of the welterweight division. The path George St. Pierre journeyed down after his losses is much different then other fighters who have found themselves in the same scenario. As this mini-series continues we will look at other fighters at how losing impacted their careers. Until next time... |
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