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- Dana White goes five rounds with ESPNs 'SportsNation' for UFC 116 (Video)
- UFC 116 weigh in photos gallery for 'Lesnar vs Carwin'
- Cheick Kongo vs Travis Browne targeted for UFC 120 on Oct. 16
- Do or die: MMAmania.com UFC 116 interview exclusive with Stephan Bonnar
- Chris Lytle bringing 'bad intentions' to UFC 116 fight against Matt Brown (Video)
- UFC 116's George Sotiropoulos: 'I see things in Kurt Pellegrino's game I can exploit, he's beatable'
- UFC 116 fighter salaries: Lesnar to make flat $400K, Carwin set to earn $40K/$40K split
- UFC Quick Quote: Frank Mir scraps light heavyweight plans in pursuit of Brock Lesnar
- UFC 116: Kurt Pellegrino may call it a career with a loss on July 3
- The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that "War Machine" will serve one year in jail for his guilty...
- UFC 116 predictions, preview and analysis
- Randy Couture: Crossover fight with James Toney at UFC 118 is going to be 'big' (Video)
- Sho-gone: Mauricio Rua benched until 2011; no decision on 'Rampage vs Nogueira'
- WEC 51: Jose Aldo vs Manny Gamburyan likely for Sept. 8
| Dana White goes five rounds with ESPNs 'SportsNation' for UFC 116 (Video) Posted: 02 Jul 2010 07:34 PM PDT
Dana White joins SportsNation to talk about UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar vs Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin tomorrow night at UFC 116 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. Dana also dicusses Fedor Emelianenko's loss to UFC dropout Fabricio Werdum last Saturday night. White also gives his thoughts on how the main event fight will go tomorrow night. Make sure to tune in tomorrow night to catch Brock Lesnar defend his heavyweight belt against no other than Shane Carwin. |
| UFC 116 weigh in photos gallery for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' Posted: 02 Jul 2010 06:51 PM PDT
Props: CombatLifestyle.com (Click the link to check out the complete gallery) To view the official UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" weigh in results click here. |
| Cheick Kongo vs Travis Browne targeted for UFC 120 on Oct. 16 Posted: 02 Jul 2010 04:52 PM PDT
Heavyweight powerhouse Cheick Kongo today announced that he will return to the Octagon to take on Travis Browne at UFC 120, which is expected to take place at the O2 Arena in London, England, on Oct. 16, 2010 Kongo was supposed to meet Roy Nelson tommorow (July 3) at UFC 116; however, the Parisian withdrew from the event because of an injury sustained during training. Nelson was re-booked to battle Junior dos Santos next month, while Kongo is now set to try and deliver "Hapa" his first career loss. "The French Sensation" won his most recent fight against Paul Buentello at UFC on Versus 1 back in March, elbowing "The Head Hunter" into submission early in the third round. Prior to the win, Kongo dropped big back-to-back fights to Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir. He undoubtedly needs another win against Browne if he has any intentions of getting back into the contender mix sometime in 2011. Browne recently made his promotional debut at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale against James McSweeney, dropping "The Hammer" in the first round en route to a technical knockout win. Browne has never lost (10-0) in his mixed martial arts career, finishing nine out of 10 of his opponents most by knockout. |
| Do or die: MMAmania.com UFC 116 interview exclusive with Stephan Bonnar Posted: 02 Jul 2010 01:17 PM PDT
There has been a lot of talk in the lead up to UFC 116 about Stephan Bonnar's job security. And quite frankly, many people believe his job in the UFC has been in doubt for quite some time. There is also a group of people who feel as though as long as Mr. Bonnar is fighting, he'll be doing it inside the Ocatgon. Stephan himself isn't so sure. On the heels of the UFC's decision to release the popular Keith Jardine after suffering a fourth straight loss inside the Octagon, "The American Psycho" knows that a fourth consecutive defeat of his own could very well signal the end of his time with Zuffa. The man he has to defeat in order to feel comfortable about his future in the fight game is a man he's familiar with. Having just fought Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 110 with the fight being stopped due to a cut and Stephan taking the controversial loss, Bonnar feels confident things will be different this time around. With his career possibly on the line this Saturday night [July 3], Stephan Bonnar joined MMAmania.com to talk about whether he feels this is a do or die fight for him, everything he's involved in outside of the cage, the rematch with Soszynski and more. Enjoy: James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Before we get to your fight with Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 116, I have a few side questions to get out of the way first. Let me get your thoughts on what we saw last Saturday night. Were you in complete shock along with rest of the MMA world, or did you think that Fedor Emelianenko would lose eventually? Stephan Bonnar: Man, I was in shock like everyone else. It looked like Fedor was gonna run right through Fabricio. He came out and dropped him with the first combination he threw. I think Fedor just thought he was above getting caught in a triangle. He fought some tough submission guys in the past like Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira, where the opponent would attempt a triangle, but Fedor would just do the same pass every time and get out of it. And he actually did it again against Fabricio. He got out of his first attempt. But then he put himself back in danger; he thought he was just too strong. But hey, Werdum's got a hell of a triangle. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): With this loss, do you feel as though the winner of Lesnar vs. Carwin will be the true number one heavyweight in the world? Stephan Bonnar: Yeah, for sure. I think the happiest person after Fedor lost was Dana White. He doesn't have to hear about that guy anymore. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Break down how you see the heavyweight title fight playing out. Stephan Bonnar: It's a tough one to call. I'm actually pretty used to breaking down fights but this one is tough. You know, with Lesnar, you have to worry about his medical issue and his long layoff, we don't really know how he's gonna come back. And he doesn't have a lot of experience to begin with. With Carwin, we've never seen him past the first round. There are a lot of unknowns about Carwin. You can't really break down all his strengths and weaknesses because we don't know him well enough. We know he throws some heavy punches, but that's it. Maybe that'll be enough. I just think the guy to land the first big shot will take it. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): I wanted to get your opinion on the UFC's release of Keith Jardine last week. Were you surprised by the move? Stephan Bonnar: I kind of was surprised because of the way he lost that fight. He definitely didn't deserve to get that point taken away for the eye poke. It was purely accidental. And the referee didn't even see it at first. Keith could have jumped all over him and finished the fight, but he did the noble thing and pulled off. And that lost point really hurt because it was a close decision. If they had cut him after the way he was stopped against Ryan Bader, you could maybe understand a bit more. But it's a tough call when a guy loses a close decision like that. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): With that being said, are you at all worried about your job security coming into this fight? Stephan Bonnar: Yeah, I am. It's only fair. You have to give other guys their shot in the UFC. If you're not performing well, you have to go to smaller shows and work your way back up. I always feel pressure when I fight. It's always do or die for me. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): What are your thoughts on Chuck Liddell's future? Obviously you're familiar with Chuck having spent time with him on The Ultimate Fighter 1. He's recently said that he still doesn't think he's done. Do you think it's time for him to hang it up? Stephan Bonnar: I never say it's time for another fighter to hang it up. It's up to how they feel. I did think we were seeing the best Chuck Liddell we had seen in a while. He was winning that round big, I mean obviously, he broke Franklin's arm. He just got a little too hungry and left himself open. But if he feels like he's still got more fight in him, by all means he should keep fighting. It's not up to us. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): I want to talk for a moment about everything you're involved in outside of your fighting career. First up, what's the status on your commentating duties for the WEC. Can fans expect to see you back cage side in the future? Stephan Bonnar: I should be back commentating with the WEC. They offered me to do the last show [WEC 49] but I couldn't because of my training camp for this fight. It sounds like they're gonna keep me around. You can expect to see more of me doing more of that. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Talk about your experience on MMA Live. What's it like working for ESPN? Stephan Bonnar: It's awesome man. I mean, it's what you do all the time with your friends and fans anyway, just breaking down fights. It's what we're doing right now, just talking about MMA. And they're paying me to do that, are you kidding me? To work for ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, and with the show just getting put on TV on ESPN 2, it's a dream come true. Growing up I would always watch NFL live or whatever, and our show is really the same type of show. We use the same set and everything. ESPN is a great company to work for. All the guys over there are great. I consider the main producer a really good friend. I'm having a blast with that. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Alright, and finally, I wanted more about the art company you're involved in; NGAUGE Inc. What's that all about? Stephan Bonnar: Yeah, I started the company with my life long best friend, Tom Scully, and our artist actually works for Leo Burnett [famed advertising executive], a guy by the name of Joe Morris. How it works is we get an idea for something we want to create, and just explain our vision to him. The last piece we did, called "The Offering," is a memorial piece for Charles "Mask" Lewis. It's awesome. We actually unveiled it at the UFC Fan Expo back in May. It's like ten feet tall. And with that piece, we kind of just talked him through it and told Joe what "Mask" was all about, how he was such an inspiration, and just his overall image. We would just give him a lot of stuff to work with, and he'd come back to us with his ideas. It's mixed media artwork, so there is a lot more to it than just throwing some paint on a canvas. It's a building process. He just keeps gradually tweaking it. This "Mask" piece meant a lot to me. This is my own way to honor him and share it with the world. It took a good five months to get it perfect. And it is. Usually with our work, we sell them for profit. Lorenzo Fertitta bought the UFC 100 commemorative one, but all the proceeds went to a cancer foundation that was honoring Dana White at the time. We had a Randy Couture piece that was bought by some savant in the stock market industry. He's won stockman of the year like three straight years. And then we just sold the Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida one to their manager Ed Soares. We want these paintings to go in good hands. But as far as this "Mask" piece, I didn't even want any money for it, we unveiled it at the expo to "Skrape" and "Punkass" and they really loved it. I told them I wanted them to have it and they were super excited. They hung it in Charles' office next to his ashes. That to me means more than any amount of money I could get for it. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): That's great to hear Stephan. Let's talk about Krzysztof now. Before the last fight was stopped due to the cut, did you feel as though you were winning the fight or least employing your strategy to that point? Stephan Bonnar: Well, I know I got off to a pretty slow start as usual. Thank God I have a good chin. If I didn't, I would have been knocked out in every one of my fights in the first minute. He came in right away and landed a bunch of power punches on me. Maybe I'm just too nice. I need to get hit a few times to start fighting. I'm gonna get a quicker start this time, I've been working on that. He probably won that first round, but then I got in my rhythm and I think I won the second round. Dana told me the judges had it even going into the third round. We actually took a picture together back stage after the fight, and both of our faces were pretty busted up. You could tell it was a good scrap. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): How has your training camp differed for this fight as opposed to the last considering you're not having to adjust to a new fighting style? Stephan Bonnar: It has been a good camp. I feel like I've physically gotten stronger. I think my defensive head movement has improved as well. I've been training with real southpaws this time as opposed to the last camp where I just had guys play southpaw, which obviously isn't the same. I've changed things up a bit. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Will you be bringing a different approach to this rematch as far as what you want to try and get done in there? Do you see this fight being any different than the first? Stephan Bonnar: It very well could be the same type of fight. I'm cool with that. But I'm a guy who takes advantage of opportunities. If my opponent puts them self in a bad position, I like to make the most of it. If the fight hits the ground and I'm in an advantageous position, I'm not going to stop, stand up, and say let's bang. On the other hand, it's not like I'm gonna waste a bunch of energy going for a takedown. If it's there, fine. If not, we'll just throw punches. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): So how is this fight going to play out? Let's hear a prediction. Stephan Bonnar: I know I'm gonna get in there and give it everything I have. It's do or die for me. This time it really is. I'm gonna do everything in my power to get the win. That's how I always fight. I don't think he can knock me out, I don't think he can submit me, and I know I'm not gonna get tired. I'm sure he feels the same. I expect it to be fight of the night. James Kimball (MMAmania.com): Thanks a lot for your time here Stephan. I want to give you the opportunity to thank any sponsors you have or plug anything you want. How can fans learn more about NGAUGE Inc.? Stephan Bonnar: Fans can go to ngaugeinc.com. Our work is available at ufcstore.com as well. I want to thank TapouT and Charles. They've been with me since before the first fight with Forrest Griffin. They've believed in me all the way, and that means a lot to me. I want to thank all my coaches and my team too. |
| Chris Lytle bringing 'bad intentions' to UFC 116 fight against Matt Brown (Video) Posted: 02 Jul 2010 12:58 PM PDT |
| UFC 116's George Sotiropoulos: 'I see things in Kurt Pellegrino's game I can exploit, he's beatable' Posted: 02 Jul 2010 12:12 PM PDT
Props: Pro MMA Radio Quoteworthy:
One of the most intriguing bouts on the stacked UFC 116 fight card is the lightweight match up between George Sotiropoulos and Kurt Pellegrino. The winner will likely find them self just a couple fights away from a title shot. George has detailed how he sees the fight playing out. So, what say you? Who has the advantage coming into this contest and which fighter will move one step closer to reaching the top of the 155-pound division? Predict away, Maniacs. |
| UFC 116 fighter salaries: Lesnar to make flat $400K, Carwin set to earn $40K/$40K split Posted: 02 Jul 2010 12:11 PM PDT
With a huge heavyweight showdown comes a huge heavyweight payout. At least if your name is Brock Lesnar. MMAmania.com obtained the early UFC 116 fighter salaries from Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) executive director Keith Kizer, and they hold a bit of a surprise. Current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is slated to make $400K regardless of a win or a loss. The same can't be said for challenger Shane Carwin. The undefeated brawler is set to earn $40K for show and $40K should he win the belt. I think it's safe to say the match up inside of the Octagon isn't as big of a mismatch as inside the fighter's wallets. Co-main event participants Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama will make $43K/$43K and $45K/$25K respectively. While there are other bonus opportunities available to increase the financial wages earned for the main event, does anybody have an issue with the large discrepancy in base salaries for the two main event combatants? For everything UFC 116 related, click here. |
| UFC Quick Quote: Frank Mir scraps light heavyweight plans in pursuit of Brock Lesnar Posted: 02 Jul 2010 10:44 AM PDT
Tweet! Tweet! Win or lose, it sounds like Brock Lesnar has a rubber match with Frank Mir somewhere in his future. Lesnar avenged his submission loss to the Las Vegas grappler by smashing him to pieces at last year's UFC 100 event. Mir was one fight away from trying to take the best out of three until Shane Carwin put him to sleep at UFC 111 to usurp the Interim title and a shot at the division champ on July 3. Is Mir on a fool's errand? Or does the MMA fan base want a third and deciding fight? |
| UFC 116: Kurt Pellegrino may call it a career with a loss on July 3 Posted: 02 Jul 2010 10:13 AM PDT
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| The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that "War Machine" will serve one year in jail for his guilty... Posted: 02 Jul 2010 09:42 AM PDT  The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that "War Machine" will serve one year in jail for his guilty plea stemming from felony assault charges earlier this year. His sentence begins July 16 (allowing him to participate in his July 9 fight against John Alessio at Tachi Palace Fights). |
| UFC 116 predictions, preview and analysis Posted: 02 Jul 2010 08:58 AM PDT
UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" is set to go down this Saturday, July 3, 2010 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, live on pay-per-view. Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE updates with blow-by-blow, round-by-round commentary of the main card action on fight night, which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET. To get us pumped for the event, MMAmania.com Editor and Senior Writer, Jesse Holland (that’s me), will break down the main card matches and take a closer look at the intricacies of each contest. And make no mistake, this is the Brock Lesnar show. We have a pretty decent line-up heading into tomorrow night but let's not pussyfoot around the main event, this is all about who is the world's biggest ass-kicker. Even if you don't agree that Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin are the top two heavyweights on the planet (I don't), the fall of Fedor Emelianenko back on June 26 has certainly added another layer of intrigue to this contest. Who is the baddest of the bad? We're going to find out soon enough. I’ve also included the current betting lines for each fight so that you can get a feel for what the money has to say about the chances of each combatant. Now, enough with the formalities … let’s get cracking: 265 lbs.: Brock Lesnar (4-1) vs. Shane Carwin (12-0) Nostradumbass predicts: UFC President Dana White has been galloping through the streets of "Sin City" on his trusty steed with one of those goofy hats and noisome oil lanterns. "The heavyweights are coming! The heavyweights are coming!" Is this an exciting main event? Absolutely. But that has to do with the allure of Brock Lesnar and not so much the competitiveness of this match-up. The former WWE star is living proof of the combat sports maxim that a big, scary-looking meathead who snarls at pedestrians and barks at passing cars will always fascinate the general fan base. To that end, he's been a smashing success. And to his credit, he's roughed up a few people along the way. But is Brock Lesnar a good fighter? That depends on what your definition of "good" is. Personally, I think he's got the greatest asset you can have in today's MMA: World class wrestling. It's the same reason that Georges St. Pierre is so unbeatable and why "King" Mo made Gegard Mousasi look stupid back in April. But my job in predicting a fight is to peel back the layers of pre-fight hype and the promotion's requisite sales pitch. Granted, there are more layers than usual here, including my own bias, but can I pick a fighter that is 4-1 against an undefeated opponent at 12-0? No, I can't. I want to, because he's Brock Lesnar, but that's just it, I want to pick the name, not the fighter. Critics have called Shane Carwin "unproven," but in reality it's Lesnar with the major shortcomings. He's only fought three people in the UFC. In addition to breaking even with Frank Mir at 1-1, he was taken to a decision by Heath Herring (who's no longer in the UFC) and stopped a geriatric Randy Couture, who is a "Natural" light heavyweight. Brock Lesnar has the division title because he beat a man he outweighs by 50 pounds. Am I taking a dump on Randy's legacy? No way. It's amazing he was able to win the belt at his age in a weight class that has long since outgrown him, but he also won it and kept it by beating Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga, who haven't been able to keep pace with today's goliaths. I'm not suggesting that Carwin is a perfect fighter because he isn't. His striking defense is a little suspect and I was surprised how easily he was taken down against "Napao." But where he showed weakness he also showed tremendous strength. His nose was broken in that fight and not only did he get back to his feet, he won by knockout. Shane Carwin has heart and a warrior's spirit. Just ask him, he'll tell you. Every MMAmaniac knows how I feel about fighters coming off a layoff. Larry Pepe of Pro MMA Radio argues that Lesnar has a simple but effective combination of wrestling and ground-and-pound offense, a style unaffected by his cage absence. He also cites Lesnar's history as a PPV headliner and his comfort zone as the top star. Valid points, but I don't believe you can improve as a fighter without a consistent fight schedule. A year without improvement in a sport that evolves as quickly as MMA does not bode well for any athlete of any caliber. And he spent a good portion of that time out of the gym recuperating from a major illness. But to his point let's assume going into this fight both fighters are equal. Then I have to compare and contrast preparations and training camps. Am I calling my bookie to throw cash at a guy who spends eight months grappling with Chris Tuchscherer and Cole Konrad? Or a guy being groomed under the expert tutelage of Greg Jackson and his stable of UFC all-stars? And if that's not enough to convince you, take a few minutes to watch the footage from Wednesday's media open workout. Watch both fighters hit the pads. Lesnar can throw a decent punch, but Carwin hits like Jax when he got those bionic implants. Scary stuff. In case you can't tell by reading this long-winded prediction, I'm taking Carwin. "Well if Brock can implement his wrestling game and keep him down and blah, blah, blah ..." C'mon people. It's over. We had a good run and Lesnar played a great heel. But he's a circus strongman, not a UFC heavyweight champion. That title belongs to Shane Carwin. Betting lines (as of July 2): Lesnar: -145 ((Bet Now)) Carwin: +115 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Carwin by knockout 185 lbs.: Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama (13-1) vs. Chris "The Crippler" Leben (20-6) Nostradumbass predicts: It's impossible to say this without disrespecting Chris Leben, which is not intended, but man do I wish Wanderlei Silva was still on this card. It doesn't matter much in my prediction, because Akiyama is going down regardless of his opponent. Don't think "The Crippler" is the man to do it? He doesn't need to be. "Sexyama" has already done all the work for him. If you had enough sense to skip over the novel that was my "Lesnar vs. Carwin" prediction, I'll remind you that I don't like fighters who spend a year on the sidelines. Baseball players who miss a significant amount of time don't return and hit .300 right off the bat (pun intended). Why? Because no matter how many swings you take in batting practice, your timing and mechanics need to adjust to a human opponent. Fighting is no different. And to stay on the baseball analogy, a lot of hitters go through a major funk because they're mentally broken. Remember all that second-guessing Akiyama was doing a week before the fight? It's never a good sign when a guy is making excuses for losing before he even steps foot in the cage. Normally a late change in opponents favors the existing fighter, but Leben is fresh off a training camp for another ground attacker in Aaron Simpson. Not only is he fresh out of camp, he's got a huge win to go with it. Leben has the momentum, the preparations and most importantly, the right mindset for this fight. Believe me, I understand Akiyama's disappointment, because the fans have felt it too and that's not even an ounce of what it must be like for him. But this is the fight game and how you handle that kind of adversity is what makes or breaks you in your career. As a total package, Akiyama is clearly the better fighter. Let's not forget it wasn't too long ago that Leben was being submitted by Jake Rosholt. But Akiyama doesn't have the power to KO the TUF 1 bad boy and he won't be as sharp as he need to be mentally to win this. Don't be surprised to see some sloppy attempts to grapple early in the fight only to get stuffed and psychologically broken. From there it will be academic. Upset special kids. Betting lines (as of July 2): Akiyama: -210 ((Bet Now)) Leben: +165 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Leben by knockout 170 lbs.: Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (28-17-5) vs. Matt "The Immortal" Brown (11-8) Nostradumbass predicts: I love giving readers an excuse to call me "Dumbass" and this fight should be no exception. Maybe not in the pick, but perhaps in the logic. You see, I'm convinced that Chris Lytle is going to be knocked out for the first time in his career. And Matt Brown will be the one to do it. "Lights Out" is 35 and he's been doing this for over 11 years. He also has 50 fights (that we know of) to his credit. That's a major toll to take on someone and I feel like the end may be near. And unfortunately the style that's made him a fan favorite will ultimately betray him. Is there ever a gameplan? Hard to tell. It seems like Lytle just likes to fight, to get in there and throw leather until someone goes out. His kneebar over Brian Foster earlier this year was impressive, but I don't believe it was part of some master plan. It was there, and he took it. If he did approach this (and future) fights with that kind of strategy, he might have a few more years left in him. But he doesn't get all those "Fight of the Night" bonuses from being a cage tactician. He gets them from wars. And sooner or later it catches up to you. How am I certain it will be Saturday night? Well, like Monty Burns told Darryl Strawberry when he got pulled in the ninth inning for Homer Simpson, it's called "playing the percentages." The odds are against him because he already has a win over Brown and well, that whole never-been-knocked-out thing. Let me pillage MLB one more time. Is there anything worse to a baseball fan when their favorite hitter gets up and Joe Morgan proudly declares "In 472 plate appearances, Derek Jeter has never struck out with runners at the corners." What do you think happens in that at-bat? After the family of Pete Sell dropped the homicide charges against Brown, he went on to whip James Wilks in a performance that surprised a lot of MMA fans. This kid can fight. Sure, he got choked out by Ricardo Almeida, but there was such a grotesque difference in their grappling skills that I'm willing to give him a pass. Brown want to brawl and Lytle is the guy to oblige him. But as I alluded to earlier, Brown is on his way up while Lytle is on his way down. When they meet in the middle, think of Joe Morgan when the ref is waving Brown off his downed foe. Betting lines (as of July 2): Lytle: -200 ((Bet Now)) Brown: +160 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Brown by technical knockout 205 lbs.: Stephan "The American Psycho" Bonnar (11-7) vs. Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski (21-9-1) Nostradumbass predicts: It must be hard to be Stephan Bonnar. He's lost three straight and looks over to see Keith Jardine being put out to pasture. I'm sure he'll always have a home as a UFC employee, but if you're not out there fighting, do you really want to be in the back smoking a microphone? Like Forrest Griffin, who isn't far behind him in terms of expiration date, the sport doesn't need "The American Psycho" anymore. He was a great addition in the beginning, but his legendary toughness and never-say-die attitude have been overshadowed by his shortcoming inside the Octagon. Simply put, he's good at his craft in a sport that now requires him to be an expert. I don't want to make it sound like he's fighting Anderson Silva or that we should start throwing dirt on the coffin, because Krzysztof Soszynski isn't a world beater. But in this fight he doesn't need to be. I had him ahead on points "Down Under" and he just looked to be more complete. He's had his share of struggles but what you do see is a marked improvement each time out. Bonnar may very well be the same fighter he was in 2005. Not good enough. He's still durable and can win this fight if "The Polish" experiments too much, but I have a sneaking suspicion this may be the last time we see Bonnar on the main card of a pay-per-view. Look for Soszynksi to keep his distance and get the better of the exchanges. It might be closer than he wants it to be as Bonnar will give a valiant effort, but I still see this one going to the cards -- and not in "Psycho's" favor. Betting lines (as of July 2): Soszynski: -230 ((Bet Now)) Bonnar: +180 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Soszynski by unanimous decision 155 lbs.: George Sotiropoulos (12-2) vs. Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino (16-4) Nostradumbass predicts: I'm all for self-confidence, but Kurt Pellegrino has been carrying on like some MMA missionary who just came down from his tete-a-tete with the burning bush. You've been impressive, yes, but you're not really "Batman." What I like about the New Jersey native is that he was able to bounce back (4-0) from an embarrassing loss to Nate Diaz to re-establish himself as force among the lightweight contenders. He has great wrestling, great submissions and the discipline to stick with his gameplan. Josh Neer wanted to punch him. Pellegrino wouldn't let him. Sexy? No, but it's called "winning." In fact, he's looked better and better each fight. But is it enough to quell the Australian uprising? Sotiropoulos has gone 5-0 in the UFC since getting bounced from the TUF competition and like the batty man, he's continued to look better each time out. The destruction of Joe Stevenson was his coming out party and it will be important for him to have the same performance tomorrow night. Breaking down this fight I have them equal or close in skill set. They also share a similar caliber of opponent in recent outings. I'm leaning towards George because he has both the size and the reach advantage and is probably a little crisper in the stand-up, but Pellegrino will not go away so easily and George won't have the home field advantage like he did against "Daddy." In fact, I might as well just pull a Nostradumbass flip-flop and take Kurt in a split decision in what should be "Fight of the Night." I'm notorious for flip-flopping but this may be the first one I've ever done mid-prediction. Not impressed? Me neither. But I have to take Kurt because we're both from New Jersey and "upsets" are the theme for me today anyway. So let it be written, so let it be dumb. Betting lines (as of July 2): George Sotiropoulos: -200 ((Bet Now)) Kurt Pellegrino: +160 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Pellegrino by split decision That’s a wrap, folks. Remember to come check us out after the show for all the latest results, recaps and coverage of "Lesnar vs. Carwin." What do you think? Now it’s your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for Saturday’s event. |
| Randy Couture: Crossover fight with James Toney at UFC 118 is going to be 'big' (Video) Posted: 02 Jul 2010 07:05 AM PDT
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| Sho-gone: Mauricio Rua benched until 2011; no decision on 'Rampage vs Nogueira' Posted: 02 Jul 2010 07:04 AM PDT
UFC President Dana White talks to reporters at yesterday's UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" press conference (via MMA Fighting), confirming that light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua is on the shelf for eight months to rehab a surgically repaired knee. White was also hesitant to confirm the company's plans to have "Minotoro" Nogueira throw hands with former division kingpin Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. There's a lot of wiggle room in the 205-pound division, any match-ups you want to see come to fruition by year's end? |
| WEC 51: Jose Aldo vs Manny Gamburyan likely for Sept. 8 Posted: 02 Jul 2010 06:39 AM PDT
Be careful what you wish for. WEC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo (17-1) will likely make his next title defense against suddenly-relevant division contender Manny Gamburyan (11-4) at the upcoming WEC 51 event planned for Sept. 8. MMA Weekly reported the possible match-up earlier today. Aldo has terrorized the 145-pound division since his promotion debut in 2008. Aside from a torrid 7-0 run, he's finished six of his victims by way of devastating (T)KO. Only Urijah Faber, who apparently earned the champion's mercy, made it to the judges scorecards when they fought back in April. But "The Kid" went home with his leg looking like a "California" raisin. That's the same event that saw his potential foe, Gamburyan, upend former division kingpin Mike Thomas Brown via bookie-busting upset. Prior to knocking out the banger from Bonny Eagle, "Manvil" went to the cards on back-to-back occasions to improve his record to 3-0 as a WEC employee. With Faber and Brown clearly out of the picture, Gamburyan was one of the few remaining contenders outside of Josh Grispi to challenge the Brazilian. Unfortunately for "The Fluke," the former UFC lightweight and Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestant earned his spot while Grispi was still returning from an extended layoff. The Aldo fight is one the Armenian thinks he can win -- agree or disagree? WEC 51 has yet to be formally announced by the promotion but is expected to feature the return of Miguel Torres as well as Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still developing fight card. |
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