UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

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• Shane Carwin: 'I know I belong with the very best, all I need to do is prove it again'
• UFC 117 video trailer for 'Silva vs Sonnen' on Aug. 7
• UFC 116: Brock Lesnar gets punched in the head by Shane Carwin 60 times in round one
• Wanderlei Silva: If Chris Leben is going to wait, then I want to fight with him next
• Brock Lesnar's next fight is against ...
• UFC 116 video highlights of 'Lesnar vs Carwin' PPV event
• Happy Independence Day from the MMAmania.com cast and crew!
• George Sotiropoulos 'here to stay' after big win over Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 116 (Video)
• UFC 116: Stephan Bonnar likes winning ugly with his big nutsack
• Chris Leben: Let me battle it out with Wanderlei Silva -- first on TUF, then in the cage
• UFC Quick Quote: Brock Lesnar thanks referee Josh Rosenthal after Shane Carwin win
• Gerald Harris power bomb knockout slam of Dave Branch at UFC 116 hurts Joe Silva just to watch...
• Dana White: UFC 116 'the best night of my career' (Video)

Shane Carwin: 'I know I belong with the very best, all I need to do is prove it again' Posted: 04 Jul 2010 10:19 PM PDT Props: Shane-Carwin.com Quoteworthy: "The game plan last night was to be patient and let the fight come to you. When I had him in trouble the ref kept saying he was going to stop it and then towards the end of the 1st my body began to seize up. In between rounds I could not move my legs and had what felt like a whole body cramp. My cardio was fine but my body was not. What can you do? You have to stand up and face your opponent. Heading into the second I knew I needed to finish the fight or I was going to be in trouble. Much like the Champion he is I am sure Brock was thinking the same thing. I had zero takedown defense as my legs were dead to me and the rest is as they say history. Brock was a good guy through this entire fight. He did not talk a bunch of smack and he fought like a warrior. He did what he needed to do to keep his belt and that is what being a Champion is all about. I am going to have to claw my way back to the top but I wouldn't want it any other way. I know I belong with the very best; all I need to do is prove it again." Former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin reflects on his second round submission loss to Brock Lesnar in the UFC 116 main event last Saturday night (July 3) in Las Vegas. It was "The Engineer's" first venture into the second stanza which also ended up being his first defeat. Now that he's has a taste of more than one round and the experience of falling short of the ultimate prize, Carwin heads back to the drawing board to work his way back into title contention. Anyone think he'll be back and better than ever? Or is this dog too old to learn new tricks? Let's hear some fantasy matchmaking for his inevitable return. Loser of "Lesnar vs. Velasquez?" Or how about the loser of "Nelson vs. Dos Santos?"

UFC 117 video trailer for 'Silva vs Sonnen' on Aug. 7 Posted: 04 Jul 2010 10:01 PM PDT

UFC 116: Brock Lesnar gets punched in the head by Shane Carwin 60 times in round one Posted: 04 Jul 2010 09:35 PM PDT And lives to tell about it, according to the UFC 116 FightMetric report. That's once every five seconds, which somehow was not enough to dethrone the champion. For the entire FightMetric break down of the "Lesnar vs. Carwin" main event on July 3 click here. For complete UFC 116 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

Wanderlei Silva: If Chris Leben is going to wait, then I want to fight with him next Posted: 04 Jul 2010 09:15 PM PDT Props: RawVegas.tv Quoteworthy: "I think I'll be back to fighting in 6-7 months. {Chris Leben] represented himself very well (at UFC 116) and he's a good opponent. If he's going to wait, then I want to fight with him next. He did very well, gave a great show and I think he's a great opponent to fight with me next." Wanderlei Silva weighs in from the injured reserves on the performance of Chris Leben, who stepped up on short notice to replace "The Axe Murderer" at UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" last Saturday night in Las Vegas. "The Crippler" went toe-to-toe with Yoshihiro Akiyama and submitted the exhausted DREAM import late in the third round. It was a performance that not only won him "Fight of the Night," but also the adulation from the sidelined Silva. Leben asked for the Brazilian in his post-fight interview and it sounds like Wandy is ready to oblige. Is the former TUF 1 bad boy biting off more than he can chew?

Brock Lesnar's next fight is against ... Posted: 04 Jul 2010 11:06 AM PDT Cain Velasquez. Brock Lesnar may have overcome one undefeated heavyweight prospect by submitting Shane Carwin at UFC 116, but he's got another already locked and loaded for his next title defense, expected to take place later this year at an event to be named. UFC President Dana White confirmed the heavyweight title match-up at the July 3 "Lesnar vs. Carwin" post-fight press conference on the heels of Lesnar's successful return to the throne. Successful, but certainly not easy. Carwin demolished the former WWE star with a lopsided beatdown in the opening round of their main event and even came close to a technical knockout stoppage on several occasions. Lesnar survived the blitzkrieg, shook off the cobwebs and fought back to secure an arm-triangle choke and "Submission of the Night" with a second round tap. Now Cain Velasquez will try to finish the job that Carwin started. Fresh off a UFC 110 drubbing of MMA elder statesman Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira back on Feb. 21, Velasquez had long been considered to be the next in line for a chance to rule the 265-pound weight class. Then a pesky Brazilian named Junior dos Santos had to go and complicate things by making a mockery of the heavyweight division with a torrid 5-0 run including five straight finishes. No matter. Despite arguments in favor of "Cigano," the Zuffa brass already had a long term plan for Velasquez, carefully grooming him for royalty ever since his UFC 83 debut back in April 2008. And for good reason. In addition to his perfect record, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) star has won all six of his Octagon fights, finishing five of them by way of technical knockout (punches). His resume thus far has been impressive, but then again, so was Carwin's. No timetable has been set for "Lesnar vs. Velasquez "and probably won't be for at least a couple of weeks. The champ has returned home to be with his wife in anticipation of their second child together. Velasquez, meanwhile, remains on the sidelines until the Batphone rings. He hasn't seen action since UFC 110 but has remained active at AKA while his team mates prepare for upcoming fights. Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez: Who ya' got?

UFC 116 video highlights of 'Lesnar vs Carwin' PPV event Posted: 04 Jul 2010 11:05 AM PDT

Happy Independence Day from the MMAmania.com cast and crew! Posted: 04 Jul 2010 08:52 AM PDT It's that time, Maniacs -- open thread and discussion. Between scarfing barbecue, swilling beers and blowing stuff up today, there's lots to talk about and share in the comments section below. Last night was HUGE. Feel free to pass along anything and everything you want (within reason) right here, whether it's UFC 116-related or not. Videos, gifs, pics, links -- you name it. Just keep it fun and relatively clean. We'll still be in and out all day to provide you with the latest mixed martial arts news and updates. In the meantime, enjoy the day and be safe!

George Sotiropoulos 'here to stay' after big win over Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 116 (Video) Posted: 04 Jul 2010 08:15 AM PDT

UFC 116: Stephan Bonnar likes winning ugly with his big nutsack Posted: 04 Jul 2010 08:08 AM PDT "I like winning ugly, and boy, do I look ugly right now.... I didn't want the fight to get stopped. I didn't want anyone taking this fight away from me. I just kept going for it. [The cuts] got me worried. The plan was to really make it a dog fight and push the pace. You know me, the more I bleed, the more it brings the best out of me. Typical Bonnar.... I'm not the best athlete, but I got a big heart and a big nutsack." -- The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum, Stephan Bonnar, is all smiles and jokes after a huge win last night against Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 116, which once again demonstrated his sheer will to win no matter how much blood he has to spill. The "American Psycho" lost to the "Polish Experiment" his last time out at UFC 112 thanks to a grizzly cut caused by an illegal (albeit accidental) head butt. So when holes started to once again open up inside the Octagon, Bonnar smelled the blood (his own) and went for the finish in the second round. It was an exciting back-and-forth brawl up until that point, making the victory that much sweeter. It was Bonnar's first win since 2007 (he's been injured, in addition to losing a few fights upon his return) and likely his most important in a very, very long time. It was so good, in fact, that Bonnar described the feeling as "better than sex." We'll take his word for it.

Chris Leben: Let me battle it out with Wanderlei Silva -- first on TUF, then in the cage Posted: 04 Jul 2010 07:09 AM PDT Props: UFC.com Quoteworthy: "It's never happened before. Nobody has fought this close together in the UFC and I won them both. It's just a reflection of the support group, the team I have around me. This is crazy, I mean Wanderlei Silva got hurt, I stepped in and I fought one of the toughest guys in the world. I'm just so excited. The fact of the matter is I just beat Wanderlei Silva's opponent. I think I should have him next. I think they should put us both on the (TUF) show, let us battle it out on the show, then put us in the cage and let us battle it out there." An emotional and obviously excited Chris Leben caps off the greatest two weeks of his career by submitting highly-regarded Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" on July 3 in Las Vegas. After finishing Aaron Simpson at the June 16 TUF 11 Finale, "The Crippler" was flown in as a late replacement for the injured Wanderlei Silva, who was expected to face "Sexyama" in the co-main event. Now Leben holds the "W" over "The Axe Murderer's" foe and believes that earned him a spot against the dangerous Brazilian. Anyone disagree?

UFC Quick Quote: Brock Lesnar thanks referee Josh Rosenthal after Shane Carwin win Posted: 04 Jul 2010 07:01 AM PDT "He hit me pretty good, and I don't know, I ended up there on the ground. I just had to go into survival mode and stay busy. I really have to thank the referee for allowing that thing to go on. I wasn't hurt. I thought if I just kept moving -- I could feel Shane's punches getting less and less -- and I thought, well, if I can get out of here then I'm just going to exert a lot energy. I realized there was [not a lot of time left], so I just tried to stay busy. He's a beast. He definitely won the first round [laughs]." -- Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is quick to thank the "Man in Charge of the Octagon," Josh Rosenthal, shortly after his stunning second round submission win over Shane Carwin in the UFC 116 main event. Lesnar somehow survived a gorilla attack in the opening stanza, getting dropped and then completely overwhelmed with 5XL fists of fury for about four straight minutes. There were numerous times that Rosenthal could have stepped in, but didn't, giving Lesnar the benefit of the doubt and giving way to perhaps the most improbable come-from-behind finish in the history of the promotion. It wasn't the fact that Lesnar was able to rebound -- although that in and of itself was impressive -- but rather the way in which he did it. With his sheer size and strength, now coupled with a decent jiu-jitsu arsenal to go along with his already stellar ground game, is there anyone who can stop the Lesnar 'frate' train? Whoever it is might want to think about bringing a sledgehammer into the cage -- Carwin hit him with everything but the kitchen sink and he still hung in there. Would you have stopped it? Check out a UFC 116 post-fight video with Lesnar after the jump, during which he talks more about the fight almost being stopped:

Gerald Harris power bomb knockout slam of Dave Branch at UFC 116 hurts Joe Silva just to watch... Posted: 04 Jul 2010 06:45 AM PDT Gerald Harris power bomb knockout slam of Dave Branch at UFC 116 hurts Joe Silva just to watch (Gif).

Dana White: UFC 116 'the best night of my career' (Video) Posted: 04 Jul 2010 06:30 AM PDT Care to argue otherwise?

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