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- UFC Quick Quote: 'Real training' helped Brock Lesnar weather first round storm
- Lyoto Machida ready to fight the best, whoever it is, at 205 pounds
- UFC 116 medical suspensions and injuries for 'Lesnar vs Carwin'
- UFC 116: Brocky Balboa makes second round comeback -- with a little help from Josh Rosenthal
- UFC 117: Is Jon Fitch the welterweight contender the UFC forgot?
- UFC 116 fighter salaries and paydays for 'Lesnar vs Carwin'
- 'Panic' attack: Evgeni Kogan calls report of M-1 Global's pending collapse '100-percent made up'
- UFC 117: Clay Guida bringing 'experience and momentum' into his 'huge fight' against Rafael dos Anjos (Video)
- Alistair Overeem and DREAM 15: No Arlovski, no title, no 'Demolition Man'
- UFC on Versus 2: The importance of 'Munoz vs Okami' as the UFC expands into a global market
- 'Animal' farm: Batista's addition to the Strikeforce roster 'a possibility'
- James Toney on Randy Couture: 12 losses a legend? That's why MMA is so messed up (Video)
- Cro Cop: 'I could not refuse a rematch with Nogueira'
| UFC Quick Quote: 'Real training' helped Brock Lesnar weather first round storm Posted: 06 Jul 2010 05:47 PM PDT
-- Brock Lesnar’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, Rodrigo Medeiros, recently spoke to Abril.com.br about preparing the UFC heavyweight champion for his monumental showdown against Shane Carwin at UFC 116 last weekend. Lesnar gushed about "Comprido" at the post-fight press conference and his lessons, which led him to a stunning second round submission after enduring a brutal first round of punishment. In fact, "Brocky Balboa" ate about 60 unanswered punches in the first round of the event's main event. Whether it's his toughness or quick learning curve, the coach feels that Lesnar is the best heavyweight alive and will continue to improve, keeping him on top for a very long time. Care to argue otherwise? |
| Lyoto Machida ready to fight the best, whoever it is, at 205 pounds Posted: 06 Jul 2010 04:33 PM PDT
Props: MMAWeekly.com Quoteworthy:
Former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, through his translator Ed Soares, declares that he's ready to get back in the 205-pound mix. With the man who handed him his first career loss, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, on the shelf with another knee injury, "The Dragon" has his eyes set on whoever gets him back to the top of the mountain quicker. Is it Vitor Belfort? Rich Franklin? Or a rematch with the man who he defeated to win the belt, Rashad Evans, to determine an interim division champion? Make us a match, Maniacs. |
| UFC 116 medical suspensions and injuries for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' Posted: 06 Jul 2010 02:36 PM PDT
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin," which took place on Saturday, July 3, 2010, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. With several of the bouts ending early (and violently), there were a handful of fighters who were flagged follow up visits with their doctors. Chief among them is Ricardo Romero (broken jaw) — who took a licking and kept on ticking against fellow light heavyweight Seth Petruzelli, also taking a leave of absence for a right elbow strain. Other mandatory vacations were issued to Stephan Bonnar (facial lacerations), Krzysztof Soszynski (left thumb) and Chris Tuchscherer (hearing loss). But that's not all. Here is the complete list of UFC 116 injuries and their medical instructions:
Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. For complete UFC 116 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here. |
| UFC 116: Brocky Balboa makes second round comeback -- with a little help from Josh Rosenthal Posted: 06 Jul 2010 02:04 PM PDT
Props: KFAN in Minneapolis (via Sports Radio Interviews) Quoteworthy:
UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar recalls the danger he was in prior to his stunning second round submission win over Shane Carwin in the UFC 116 main event. Lesnar somehow survived 60 punches to the head 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. Anyone out there thinking that Lesnar, who is a pay-per-view cash cow, got special treatment? Or was it just a (rare) case of superb officiating? |
| UFC 117: Is Jon Fitch the welterweight contender the UFC forgot? Posted: 06 Jul 2010 11:20 AM PDT
Currently unbeaten at 11-0, middleweight champion Anderson Silva has the best UFC record of any fighter still active within the organization. Somewhat surprisingly, second place does not go to Georges St Pierre, who stands at 14-2. It actually goes to Jon Fitch, who has a UFC record of 12-1 which, on paper at least, is slightly superior to St Pierre's. I am not suggesting that having a better record necessarily makes him a more accomplished fighter than "Rush." The Canadian gave us ample proof of his superiority when handing Fitch the first and only loss of his UFC career in 2008. However I think Fitch's achievement in winning 12 out of 13 fights in what has always been a highly competitive welterweight division is all too easily overlooked. I spoke to him soon after the loss to "Rush," and he told me that he thought he would need a few more wins to get another title shot. "I would like another title shot but I don't think I will get the opportunity again until late 2009 or early 2010 and I am going to have to win two, maybe three more fights to get back into contention," he said. It is now mid 2010 and Fitch has already won four UFC fights since our conversation, but with his American Kickboxing Academy team mate Josh Koscheck next in line for a rematch with St. Pierre, he does not seem any closer to getting a second shot at the welterweight strap. Part of the problem for Fitch has been his recent inability to finish fights. His last seven UFC outings have all gone the distance with the judges seeing fit to award Fitch the decision on every occasion bar one, the loss to St. Pierre. It seems winning alone is not enough in today's Octagon. The emphasis is on stoppages, submissions and fan friendly entertainment. Fitch might well have a happy habit of winning fights, but he has yet to find a way of doing so in the sort of style the UFC matchmakers want to see. Dana White even suggested that Fitch should be forced to fight Koscheck for the right to face St. Pierre. The idea was not one Fitch was willing to countenance and when word of this reached the UFC president he remarked that "[Fitch] doesn’t want the title shot that bad then." In the unlikely event that Koscheck is able to actually beat St. Pierre, Fitch has announced he will return to the middleweight division where he began his UFC career. If, as expected, GSP emerges victorious, Fitch feels that he is better equipped to face him than the first time they met. Speaking after his last win against Ben Saunders at UFC 111, the former Purdue wrestling standout said "I’m a better fighter than I was the first time we fought and I want a title shot. I think I’m at the point where I can technically matchup with him and I’m just waiting for the opportunity to prove it." Before he can even think about such an opportunity he will need to defeat Thiago Alves for the second time. Fitch finished Alves in the second round of their fight in 2006 and he remains to this day the only UFC opponent Fitch has ever stopped with strikes. Fitch only seems to fights top welterweights and Alves is no exception. He has not fought since losing to St. Pierre a year ago but between the losses to Fitch and GSP, he put together seven straight wins, one of which was actually against Josh Koscheck. "Kos" has four more fights inside the Octagon than Fitch -- but has two more losses. He has also been defeated by two men who Fitch has already beaten: Paulo Thiago and Thiago Alves. Fitch could be forgiven for feeling that the UFC chose the wrong AKA fighter to face Paul "Semtex" Daley for the right to first coach on TUF 12 against (and then fight) St. Pierre. If Jon Fitch keeps on winning fights, the UFC will be forced to give him a second title shot eventually. If he manages to stop Alves inside the distance for the second time at UFC 117, that opportunity might come around sooner rather than later. (FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com) |
| UFC 116 fighter salaries and paydays for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' Posted: 06 Jul 2010 10:14 AM PDT
The official fighter purses for those who competed at UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" this past Saturday night (July 3) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, were released earlier today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. As expected, main event participant and UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar was the big earner of the night, banking $400,000 for his submission win over former Interim titlist Shane Carwin, who collected only 10% of Lesnar's purse at $40,000. Former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 1 contestant Chris Leben also had a big night (and a big month), pulling in a sexy $86,000 for his submission win over Yoshihiro Akiyama ($45,000). Not far behind him was fellow TUF 1 star Stephan Bonnar, who pocket $50,000 for stopping Krzsyztof Soszynski ($10,000) in their main card rematch. Here is the complete list of UFC 116 payouts: Brock Lesnar -- $400,000 (no win bonus) Chris Leben -- $86,000 ($43,000 to show, $43,000 to win) Stephan Bonnar -- $50,000 ($25,000 to show, $25,000 to win) Chris Lytle -- $52,000 ($26,000 to show, $26,000 to win) George Sotiropoulos -- $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 to win) Brendan Schaub -- $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win) Ricardo Romero -- $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win) Kendall Grove -- $50,000 ($25,000 to show, $25,000 to win) Gerald Harris -- $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win) Daniel Roberts -- $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win) Jon Madsen -- $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win) Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc. For example, the UFC often hands out extra cash for "Fight of the Night," "Knockout of the Night" and "Submission of the Night." To check out these figures for UFC 116 go here. For complete results and coverage of "Lesnar vs. Carwin" click here and here. |
| 'Panic' attack: Evgeni Kogan calls report of M-1 Global's pending collapse '100-percent made up' Posted: 06 Jul 2010 09:54 AM PDT
"Human sacrifices, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!" The mixed martial arts community has been waiting for the other shoe to drop after top ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko suffered his first defeat in nine years at the hands of Fabricio Werdum on Showtime's June 26 Strikeforce card in San Jose. While the fighter will likely rebound, what about Strikeforce? Or M-1 Global -- who may have placed all their financial eggs in the Russian's basket? According to a report from MMA Fighting, "The Last Emperor's" promotional organization "is in disarray" after the former PRIDE champion's defeat, even closing its head office in the Netherlands as investors begin to jump ship at the prospect of M-1 losing their negotiating power. UFC President Dana White, who was obsessed with the acquisition of Emelianenko, has publicly stated he now has "zero interest" in signing the WAMMA kingpin, who lost some of his mystique following the Werdum loss. From blank checks to "no thanks" is a tough spot to be in from a bargaining standpoint, especially with just one fight remaining on Emelianenko's current Strikeforce contract. Yet M-1 Global's Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan is not giving the article much credence, telling Luke Thomas at Bloody Elbow the report is "100-percent made up."
It's hard to imagine such a disparity between the two sides, but there is no question that investors would express concern if their top money maker was no longer able to provide the same return on investment. But is it enough to cause a company-wide "panic?" That remains to be seen. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to this still-developing story. |
| Posted: 06 Jul 2010 07:59 AM PDT |
| Alistair Overeem and DREAM 15: No Arlovski, no title, no 'Demolition Man' Posted: 06 Jul 2010 07:07 AM PDT
Props: MMA Fighting Quoteworthy:
Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem sheds some light on his recent withdrawal from the DREAM 15 event on July 10 following the Japanese fight promotion's failure to agree to the Dutchman's terms. "Demolition Man" was of the understanding that he would face Andrei Arlovski for the DREAM heavyweight title but when that bout failed to materialize, so did Overeem's interest in participating on the upcoming fight card. Is this another example of DREAM mis-managing its fighters? Or does Overeem need to lower his demands? What's your take? |
| UFC on Versus 2: The importance of 'Munoz vs Okami' as the UFC expands into a global market Posted: 06 Jul 2010 06:48 AM PDT
Some time ago, as an MMA fan I expressed my disappointment of Yushin Okami being matched up with Mark Munoz for the upcoming UFC on Versus 2 card on August 1 in San Diego. I felt that Munoz, who in his most recent fight at UFC 112 rallied from behind to secure a devastating TKO against Kendall Grove, was a step in the wrong direction for Okami, who I believed should have been fighting someone of higher prominence in a bid for title contention. Then, a couple days ago, it dawned on me that this match-up could be of greater importance than I first perceived. For Okami, a win over "The Philippine Wrecking Machine" would put him at 5 - 1 in his last six fights, with his only loss coming to current number one contender Chael Sonnen back at UFC 104. The Zuffa brass could favor his overall record in the company, an impressive 8-2, over the quality of his opponents (no disrespect to them) and fast-track him to a bout with the winner of "Silva vs. Sonnen." For Munoz, a win over "Thunder" would speak volumes and likely propel him to the upper echelon of the middleweight division. Obviously, the reward that comes with a victory would be greater for Munoz, but should Okami emerge victorious, his only reward would be (hopefully) more than just a pat on the back from Joe Silva and Dana White. However, despite the relevance of the fight for both athletes, It struck me that this fight is of most importance to one party. The UFC. First we must ask ourselves: "Who is fighting?" If we take a step back, away from the micro-analysis of the fight and what it means to each fighter, we can answer that this is a match-up between a Japanese fighter and a Filipino-American fighter. But why is this important? Because of the UFC's plans to expand into Asia. Zuffa got the ball rolling back in March when the promotion secured a deal with ASN (Asia's HD Sports Channel) and took a major step forward when they hosted UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Plans to open an office in China are expected to come to fruition later this week. Furthermore, slowly but steadily, Zuffa has been snapping up prominent and/or emerging East-Asian fighters such as Takeya Mizugaki, 'Korean Zombie' Chan Jung Sung, Takanori Gomi and most recently, Korean middleweight Dong-Yi Yan. The Okami vs. Munoz match-up will also help accomplish their expansion goals following the events of UFC 116, which may have stalled Zuffa's hopes of capturing a portion of the Japanese market. By matching national fight celebrity Yoshihiro Akiyama with the extremely popular Wanderlei Silva, the UFC had hoped to attract more fans from the East-Asian region who continue to follow the exploits of both fighters. However, Silva was sidelined with an injury and Akiyama ended up losing to his replacement, Chris Leben. While the UFC richly rewarded Leben for accepting the fight on short notice, their attempts to preserve Akiyama (by giving him a fighter who fought two weeks previously) were unsuccessful, unraveling their plans of building a future mega-fight that would appeal to the Asian masses. Fortunately, all is not lost. With the Okami vs. Munoz fight, the UFC can still continue to progress in the Asian market if they decide to play the race card and promote the fight correctly. And until the UFC hosts an event in Eastern Asia, the most they can do to capture the regional audience is to build super-fights such as Akiyama vs. Silva or present more all-Asian fights. This option is currently limited due to the small number of Asian fighters competing for Zuffa, but the likelihood of all-Asian matches will increase in the future as they continue to recruit more fighters and further expand into the global market. Starting with Mark Munoz vs. Yushin Okami. (FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com) |
| 'Animal' farm: Batista's addition to the Strikeforce roster 'a possibility' Posted: 06 Jul 2010 06:10 AM PDT
Props: Sherdog.com Quoteworthy:
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is not opposed to giving former WWE attraction Dave Bautista (Batista) an opportunity to prove that he can successfully transition from pro wrestler to pro fighter much like his former stablemates Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley. The 41-year-old "Animal" has been flirting with the San Jose based MMA promotion following their June 16 trip to Los Angeles but as of yet, no agreement has been reached. Can Strikeforce come under fire for putting on "freak shows" in light of James Toney's UFC 118 pay-per-view? Or does it cast MMA in a bad light to sign every wannabe fighter who has a smidgen of celebrity status? |
| James Toney on Randy Couture: 12 losses a legend? That's why MMA is so messed up (Video) Posted: 06 Jul 2010 05:40 AM PDT |
| Cro Cop: 'I could not refuse a rematch with Nogueira' Posted: 06 Jul 2010 04:39 AM PDT
Props: Fighters Only Quoteworthy:
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira recently stated his desire to face either Frank Mir or Mirko Filipovic (check here) in his next bout, which sounds good to the erstwhile Croatian, saying a rematch would be a fight he could not refuse. “Big Nog” and “Cro Cop” fought at Pride: "Final Conflict" in 2003 with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert using the sweet art to manage a submission win in the second round of an unforgettable match-up. Would you feel fired up to see them go at it again in the UFC Octagon? Care to predict which MMA legend would win this confrontation? Sound off, Maniacs. |
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