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- UFC Quick Quote: Fedor Emelianenko doesn't deserve to step inside the Octagon
- Brock Lesnar feels Fedor Emelianenko's pain
- UFC 116 media open workout video highlights for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3
- Rogerio camp: 'Minotoro' gunning for Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson in September return
- UFC 116 media open workout photos gallery for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3
- 'Batman' Forever: MMAmania.com UFC 116 interview exclusive with Kurt Pellegrino
- UFC 116: Brock Lesnar 'coming home with the belt on Sunday morning'
- Dana White: 'I’d rather let Brock punch me in the face than hear 15,000 people blow vuvuzelas'
- Chuck Liddell sues MMA Authentics
- Frankie Edgar: 'If I was Gray Maynard, I'd be upset that BJ Penn got an immediate rematch' (Video)
- Shane Carwin on ESPNs SportsCenter video: 'You're going to see Brock Lesnar knocked out on the canvas'
- DREAM 15: Alistair Overeem vs Ricco Rodriguez possible for July 10 in Saitama (Updated)
- UFC 116 videos blog with Dana White (Episode 1)
- MMAmania.com announces Strikeforce: 'Fedor vs Werdum' Cage Hero Cung Le contest winners
- MMA Quick Quote: Cung Le is too old for the Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament
- Dave Branch talks UFC debut against Gerald Harris at 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3 (Video)
- Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin touch gloves for UFC heaviweight clash next Saturday night. Which...
- Keith Jardine: 'I can't help but to feel a bit like I'm losing a family'
- Programming alert: New 'Best of PRIDE' featuring Shogun Rua tonight (June 30) on Spike TV
| UFC Quick Quote: Fedor Emelianenko doesn't deserve to step inside the Octagon Posted: 30 Jun 2010 08:31 PM PDT
-- Well, that's that. UFC President Dana White tells ESPNRadio1100 (via CageWriter.com) that he's no longer in the hunt for the elusive former Pride FC heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko, after he sustained basically his first loss in a decade of competition last weekend. Emelianenko, who has famously shunned White's repeated attempts to join the UFC fray, got trapped in a Fabricio Werdum triangle choke while competing under the Strikeforce/M-1 banner, losing convincingly to a UFC castoff (Werdum was 2-2 inside the eight-walled cage). It appears that Emelianenko lost more than his aura of invincibility on June 26 -- he may have missed his chance to seal his legacy and go down as the best ever with a successful, high-profile run with the mixed martial arts marketing machine. Having said all of that, he still may go down as the best ever. And he probably doesn't really care one way or the other what fans, or Dana White, think about his career choices. Care to predict who'll have the last laugh in this never-ending saga? |
| Brock Lesnar feels Fedor Emelianenko's pain Posted: 30 Jun 2010 07:32 PM PDT
Props: "The Jim Rome Show" (via 5thRound.com) Quoteworthy:
While all kinds of remarks have been made on Fedor Emelianenko's shocking loss to Fabricio Werdum this past Saturday in San Jose, Calif., one in particular surprised everybody today. UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar stated he feels bad for the outcome, having endured a similar submission misfortune early in his career at the hands of his bitter rival, Frank Mir. Are there any real similarities here? Lesnar's body of work pales in comparison to Emelianenko's. And their losses were at markedly different points in time. Si or no? |
| UFC 116 media open workout video highlights for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3 Posted: 30 Jun 2010 06:50 PM PDT |
| Rogerio camp: 'Minotoro' gunning for Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson in September return Posted: 30 Jun 2010 06:45 PM PDT
Props: Tatame.com Quoteworthy:
Now 2-0 in the UFC light heavyweight division, former PRIDE standout Antonio Rogerio Nogueira sets his sights on the major players in the 205-pound division, starting with former division kingpin Quinton Jackson. Despite struggling in his split decision win over Jason Brilz at UFC 114 back in May, "Minotoro" holds wins over Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem (twice). Is "Rampage" going to be the next high profile name on that list? Or did his May 29 troubles against "The Hitman" convince you that "Lil' Nog" may be on a possible downturn -- like his heavyweight twin brother? |
| UFC 116 media open workout photos gallery for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3 Posted: 30 Jun 2010 06:43 PM PDT |
| 'Batman' Forever: MMAmania.com UFC 116 interview exclusive with Kurt Pellegrino Posted: 30 Jun 2010 02:59 PM PDT
The top of UFC lightweight division is loaded. There's no debating that. What is up for debate however, is what fighters deserve to be mentioned right below an Edgar, a Penn, or a Florian. Kurt Pellegrino is making a strong case for that privilege. Having won four fights in a row and with a chance to defeat another rising top contender in the 155-pound weight class in George Sotiropoulos, "Batman" is reaching his peak at just the right time. Should he make it five consecutive victories on July 3, the lightweight cream of the crop might have to make some elbow room for everyone's favorite fighting superhero. The New Jersey native took some time to talk with MMAmania.com about Twitter, training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia, his fight with George Sotiropoulos, where he gets his motivation to succeed, and much more. Have a look: James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Hard question right off the bat. Do you have Twitter man crushes on Miguel Torres and Kenny Florian, or does your wife hack your account? Kurt Pellegrino: Um, no. I don't know what you're talking about, (said cleary knowing what I was talking about). James Kimball (MMAmania.com): In all seriousness, talk about Twitter. You three guys are some of the most active fighters on Twitter. What makes you like to use it so much? Convince some of our readers to join Twitter. Kurt Pellegrino: I absolutely think people should join Twitter. I got off Facebook and only use Twitter now. Twitter is for fans. You get to see what your favorite football player is doing; movie stars are on there, soccer players, and of course UFC fighters. We get to write whatever we want. My whole family is on Twitter. I really wish Dan Gable had a Twitter account. If he had a Twitter I'd be following him everywhere he went. You know, professional athletes and movie stars let you invade their life a little bit. I think Facebook and Myspace are too personal. You have pictures of my wife and child on Facebook and it just got to be too much. Plus, I like talking to fans and fooling around with people, which is what Twitter allows you to do. And fans that hate me can talk to me there too. If they tell me, ‘hey Kurt, you suck.' I write them back with, ‘yeah, I know. I'm terrible.' The hate mail is the best mail. Twitter is the best, man. I like being able to tell people I'm an idiot. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): I have to ask you. What was the deal with the car security system video with you and Dan Miragliotta? It was amazing. Please explain. Kurt Pellegrino: It was actually a Ford commercial. My brother is one of the top salesmen in the area for Comcast. And after my fight with Fabricio Camoes at UFC 111, coincidentally enough, the guys at a local Ford dealership asked him if he knew this fighter named Kurt Pellegrino. He said, ‘yeah, matter of fact, that's my brother.' They didn't believe him at first. Then one thing led to another and they offered me my choice of whatever I wanted on the lot to do the commercial. They paid for the car and the insurance, everything. I started out driving a Ford Shelby Mustang, but I got rid of that and now I'm driving a Ford F-150 Platinum package, it's insane. The commercial doesn't even air in my county, but I've seen it, of course. It was great work. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Let's move to fighting now. You've won four fights in row and seem to be on a mission. Has anything changed in your training, or are you just reaching your potential now? What's the reason for your recent success? Kurt Pellegrino: My success right now is just because of the way I train. It's really been the same for almost four years. Moving back home to New Jersey from Florida was the big difference. At that point I just said that I have to train with people who are better than me. That's when I hooked up with the Florian brothers. It was great training with those guys. Then Kenny moved on and I moved on. Now I'm with who I believe is the best conditioning coach on the planet, Jonathan Chaimberg. Kenny just opened a lot of doors for me and showed me my true potential, and for about a year straight now, I've just really ramped up my training in all areas. I feel like my strength now is my cardio. The passion and intensity that I have when I'm training is incredible. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Talk about your experience fighting near your hometown in New Jersey at UFC 111. What was that like? Kurt Pellegrino: The week leading up to the fight was great. The weigh-ins, the media stuff, I knew I was in Jersey the whole time. But coming out of the locker room to fight, I didn't know where I was. All I knew was that I was getting ready to fight. And once the fight was over I was like, ‘Holy God. I just submitted a black belt in front of every single person here that came to see me.' That's when I realized it. It's funny; people asked me why did I run to the cage like I did after I won. It was because Jonathan Chaimberg kept me in my hotel room all day. I wasn't allowed to leave for breakfast. He brought me food. From breakfast on, I just stayed in my bed. I watched like four movies. I didn't move from my bed. He brought me lunch and dinner and told me I wasn't leaving. I even called him up at 6 p.m. and begged him to let me go to the top off the roof and run some wind sprints. I was so amped. And of course, he said no. By the time I got into the cage that night I could barely contain myself. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): What's it been like training with Marcelo Garcia for this fight? How's that been going? Kurt Pellegrino: Well, about as good as it can possibly go. I mean, he's a world-class grappler. I brought him in to improve my game. He's the best in the world and he lives 45 minutes from me. It would be stupid to not train with him. There's nothing that George is gonna do, or B.J. Penn would do, that Marcelo can't do. If Marcelo grappled with them it'd be over in three minutes. To be able to have him look at video of my past fights and critique what I was doing wrong, or right, has been out of this world. I'm really grateful and fortunate to have that door open for me. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Did you start working with Marcelo particularly because of George Sotiropoulos' ground game? It was really just the right time and the right place. We didn't hook up for just this one fight. Actually, when I started this camp I was training just for George, but once I started training with Marcelo, he was like, ‘just train for me.' And I thought he was absolutely right. I have a new outlook on life. I don't train for anyone. I never trained for Josh Neer, Rob Emerson, Thiago Tavares, or Fabrico Cameos. I just train the way I want to train and force my opponent to train for me. And that's what I'm doing for this fight. I'm not bringing in anybody with rubber guard. Marcelo Garcia doesn't have rubber guard. I just train with the best people in the world who can push me to my limits and then go out there and fight. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Size up the fight with George. Where do you think you hold an advantage and vice versa? Kurt Pellegrino: Well, I've been reading some comments that George has said that Joe Stevenson is a better wrestler than me and more active than me. My last couple fights, I wasn't able to show anything on my feet because everyone was trying to take me down, which I don't understand. But right now, let me tell you this. I have a 3-year-old daughter at my house and my wife. I'm forced to separate my life from them, and I'm sure George does the same. But I actually, legitimately hate it. It pisses me off more than you can ever imagine. I hate not spending time with my daughter. It makes me insane. That's what I have over everyone I fight. I promised my little girl three years ago that I would never lose, and I tell here every day that I'm coming home a winner. I'm not fighting to not to lose. I'm fighting to perform well and with that will come a win. George has to understand this is not going to be an easy fight. I'm going to try to end the fight in the first 30 seconds. I'm not gonna back up and I'm not getting taken down. I think I hold the edge in being able to determine where the fight takes place. I almost feel invincible right now. I really do feel good. I respect George so much that I trained my ass off. When they offered me this fight I said, ‘absolutely.' I've had almost a 10-week camp. I feel fantastic. I'm really looking forward to it. I don't believe I can beat be beat. I hope he feels the same way, because if he does, that's gonna turn me on, and it's gonna make for one hell of a fight. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Should you win this fight, where do you think you stand in the lightweight division? Do you think you're approaching the top five? Kurt Pellegrino: I'm just happy that people are saying that to me to be honest. If it gets me one step closer to a title fight, awesome. If I have to fight the number one contender after this, awesome. Either way, it's fine. Realistically, I'm not going to know where I stand until the B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar and the Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard fights are over. All I know, is that, God willingly, I'm gonna be 5-0 in my last five fights come July 3, and everyone will have to know that I'm that I'm here. Ultimately, it's up to Joe Silva and Dana White. I just gotta keep coming home with my hand raised. That's all I can do. I just want to keep winning. I'm 31 years old. I'm in no rush. I got a lot of time in this sport. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Alright, lets close this up with some friendly predictions for the fight at UFC 116. What can fans expect to see on July 3? Kurt Pellegrino: My fight with George is gonna be a heck of a fight. I know he believes he can beat me, and of course I know I can beat him. It's gonna come down to who wants it more. I'm not fighting for the title or the number one contender spot here. I'm fighting to beat George Sotiropoulos, and don't think that I'm not coming after him. If I win by knockout, awesome. If I win by submission, great. I do not want this to go three rounds. Don't get me wrong; I'm ready to go five rounds right now. I know I can do this. We'll see if he's up for it. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): I want to thank you for your time today Kurt. Do have any sponsors you'd like to plug? How can fans get at you on Twitter? Kurt Pellegrino: Thank you. Everyone can follow me on Twitter at @kurtpellegrino. I want to thank Ecko. If you're not wearing Ecko clothes you're basically naked. And All-American Ford of Old Bridge. And to my wife and daughter, it's almost over; soon we can go back to living an awesome life. |
| UFC 116: Brock Lesnar 'coming home with the belt on Sunday morning' Posted: 30 Jun 2010 02:42 PM PDT
Props: KFAN in Minneapolis (via Sports Radio Interviews) Quoteworthy:
UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar finds himself "better" than UFC 116 opponent Shane Carwin in every aspect of the fight game. The former WWE wrestler turned mixed martial arts powerhouse hasn't competed since his second round drubbing of Frank Mir at UFC 100 nearly one year ago -- thanks to a crippling case of diverticulitis. Now that a recovered Lesnar is fresh off his "medical miracle," he's cleaned up his diet and refined his training. Will it be enough to topple the undefeated "Engineer" on July 3? |
| Dana White: 'I’d rather let Brock punch me in the face than hear 15,000 people blow vuvuzelas' Posted: 30 Jun 2010 01:56 PM PDT
Props: UFC.com Quoteworthy:
I don't know if I've ever been more in agreement with Dana White than I am with his take on the dreaded vuvuzela. If you have at all followed the 2010 World Cup, you are surely familiar with the headache-inducing noisemaker. If you haven't followed the 2010 World Cup, I envy you for a number of reasons. Suffice it to say, if you were planning on bringing your big horn that makes others around you wish they, well, weren't around you, do not. Though I'm not quite sure where the UFC got the idea that because we were all unfortunately introduced to this devil-made whistle during a soccer game in South Africa, all of America suddenly went to their local Target store to pick one up. Tell me I'm right on that assumption, Maniacs. Please, tell me I'm right. |
| Chuck Liddell sues MMA Authentics Posted: 30 Jun 2010 01:55 PM PDT
Sherdog brings the news that Chuck Liddell and his company, Iceman Productions LLC., have filed a lawsuit against MMA Authentics LLC., a MMA clothing and gear manufacturing company. Liddell alleges that MMA Authentics, which has also operated under the brand Cage Fighter, is in breach of a 2007 contract where Chuck agreed to let the company make clothing and headwear bearing his name and/or likeness, but nothing more, in exchange for 15% of the profit. Turns out they didn't exactly play by the rules. Liddell claims that MMA Authentics began selling novelty items and other merchandise featuring his likeness which was not part of the agreement. It also turns out that this isn't the first time MMA Authentics has been sued by a legend of the fight game. Back in 2008, Dan Henderson sued the company due to a dispute about a sponsorship agreement between the two parties. "The Iceman" is seeking financial retribution, attorney's fees, as well an injuction that prohibit MMA Authtentics from selling Chuck Lideell themed merchandise in the future. MMA Authentics has yet to officially speak on the matter. |
| Frankie Edgar: 'If I was Gray Maynard, I'd be upset that BJ Penn got an immediate rematch' (Video) Posted: 30 Jun 2010 12:07 PM PDT Is B.J. Penn's immediate rematch justified? Or, should B.J. have been forced to work his way back to the top like everyone else? |
| Posted: 30 Jun 2010 09:22 AM PDT
UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin makes a live appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter to remind fans he's coming after Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 on July 3 and even promises a knockout finish in the main event. Of course Lesnar's last fight was with diverticulitis, benching him for almost a year while "The Engineer" has kept himself busy by pummeling Frank Mir back in March. Is anyone that picked Lesnar starting to have second thoughts? Or is Carwin just talking the talk? Check out the full video after the jump: |
| DREAM 15: Alistair Overeem vs Ricco Rodriguez possible for July 10 in Saitama (Updated) Posted: 30 Jun 2010 09:21 AM PDT
***Update: MMA Fighting brings word from Overeem's trainer that his participation is unlikely and that a decision to compete on July 10 will be made by the end of the week. Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem may continue his overseas exploits when he does battle with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez at the upcoming DREAM 15 event scheduled for July 10 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. DREAM officials today informed MMAmania.com of the pending match-up. Overeem (33-11) returned to the states after a lengthy fight tour in Japan, stopping Brett "The Grim" Rogers via technical knockout to retain the division title he earned with a submission win over Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello way back in 2007. Of course all the talk over the past few days has surrounded his pending title defense against Fabricio Werdum, who submitted "Demolition Man" while they competed under the now-defunct PRIDE banner. "Vai Cavalo" earned his shot at the hulking Dutchman by upsetting the heavily-favored Fedor Emelianenko at the June 26 Strikeforce event in San Jose. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, back-to-back Strikeforce fights don't seem to be high on Overeem's priority list. In addition to throwing hands in K-1, the Golden Glory standout has a 3-0 (1 NC) record for DREAM and is widely considered to be one of Japan's top heavyweight attractions. That probably won't mean a whole lot to Rodriguez (42-11), who's also done his share of traveling. "Suave" has competed for both the UFC and PRIDE, but is perhaps best known for his public battles with obesity and drug abuse, even appearing on the "Celebrity Rehab" reality show with Dr. Drew. Outside of his personal issues, Rodriguez is a world-class talent. In addition to capturing the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) title in 1998 (open weight), he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 39 to win the promotion's vacant heavyweight title in 2002. The New York native returned to a slim and trim physique in 2010, competing four times in regional promotions and going 4-0 with four (T)KO finishes. If Rodriguez is indeed "back," Overeem is going to have his hands full. DREAM 15 will feature a light heavyweight grand prix as well as a highly anticipated lightweight title fight between bitter rivals Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri. For more on the July 10 event click here. |
| UFC 116 videos blog with Dana White (Episode 1) Posted: 30 Jun 2010 09:21 AM PDT
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| MMAmania.com announces Strikeforce: 'Fedor vs Werdum' Cage Hero Cung Le contest winners Posted: 30 Jun 2010 08:48 AM PDT
MMAmania.com is proud to announce the three winners of our Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" Cage Hero sponsored contest give-a-way; child, HappyLittleTreez, and jdd1510. To refresh your memories, the rules of the contest stated that the three readers who came closest to predicting the second mark at which the first strike thrown in each round and by whom, would win. The tiebreaker was the prediction for the overall outcome of the fight. But luckily for us, no tiebreaker was need. The actual results from last Saturday night's fight in terms of first strike thrown in each round were as follows; Scott Smith at 3 seconds in round one, and Cung Le at 7 seconds in round two. Your winners, with their prediction, in order of finish: - child: Smith at 6 seconds in round one, Le at 8 seconds in round two. - HappyLittleTreez: Smith at 8 seconds in round one, Le at 7 seconds in round two. - jdd1510: Smith at 7 seconds in round one, Le at 5 seconds in round two. Nice work, fellas. You'll be walking away with Cung Le's walkout tee from Cage Hero. Head over to our contact page and send us your name, home address, and shirt size. Be sure to use the email address in the contact form that you used to register on MMAmania.com and don't forget mention this contest. Then, just be on the lookout from the Cage Hero team -- who will have your stuff in the mail as soon as possible. Thanks again for everyone who participated. And thanks to Cage Hero for making this all possible. If you want to see more Cage Hero gear, click here. |
| MMA Quick Quote: Cung Le is too old for the Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament Posted: 30 Jun 2010 07:52 AM PDT
Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le tells MMAWeekly that he's not sure which direction his career is heading but at 38, it probably won't be the rumored middleweight tournament to find a new waist for Jake Shields vacated belt (assuming the champ defects to the UFC). The San Shou striker is fresh off a TKO drubbing of Scott Smith at last weekend's "Fedor vs. Werdum" event and could return to action later this year if his Hollywood deals are still on hold. But if Le doesn't participate in the 185-pound tournament, who's left for him to fight? |
| Dave Branch talks UFC debut against Gerald Harris at 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3 (Video) Posted: 30 Jun 2010 07:52 AM PDT
The Renzo Gracie Black Belt is 6-0 with six stoppages... |
| Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin touch gloves for UFC heaviweight clash next Saturday night. Which... Posted: 30 Jun 2010 07:25 AM PDT  Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin touch gloves for UFC heaviweight clash next Saturday night. Which hand is going to put the enemy down? |
| Keith Jardine: 'I can't help but to feel a bit like I'm losing a family' Posted: 30 Jun 2010 06:29 AM PDT
Props: KeithJardine.net Quoteworthy:
Keith Jardine reacts to his UFC release following a loss to Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale back on June 19. The "Hammer" loss was the fourth straight for "The Dean of Mean," who is 2-6 over the span of three years. While he's never been accused of being a boring fighter, he was never able to capitalize on his momentum following big wins over Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell. Can the "Mean 1" rise from the ashes in a smaller promotion? Or will he find similar results outside of the UFC? And does anyone think he's a lock for Strikeforce? |
| Programming alert: New 'Best of PRIDE' featuring Shogun Rua tonight (June 30) on Spike TV Posted: 30 Jun 2010 06:11 AM PDT
Also in action will be fellow light heavyweights Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira tonight (June 30) at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV. |
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