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- Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor, women's tournament at Strikeforce Challengers in Phoenix Aug. 13
- Mark Hunt signs four-fight contract, debut against Sean McCorkle set for UFC 119
- UFC settles with 500 businesses and individuals as part of aggressive anti-piracy effort
- DREAM 15: Expect an 'aggressive' Gegard Mousasi against Jake O'Brien on July 10
- UFC 119: Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira rematch booked for Set. 25 in Indianapolis
- 'Zombie' land: Chan Sung Jung vs George Roop possible for WEC 51 in Broomfield
- Never give up: Wanderlei Silva begins to chronicle his comeback from knee surgery (Video)
- Excuse these nuts: James Toney wants to make an example out of Dana White
- Bellator 25 brings the 'Polish Pitbull' to Chicago Theatre on Aug. 19
- Hate on this: Jorge Gurgel and Zoila Frausto are in love (Pic)
- UFC 119: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Ryan Bader possible for Sept. 25 in Indianapolis
- Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen odds for UFC 117 in Oakland
- Frank Mir's goals for 2011: Retire Big Nog and KO Brock Lesnar
- Former WWE wrestler "Batista" is now training with Cesar Gracie and Co. Then again, so was Jose...
| Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor, women's tournament at Strikeforce Challengers in Phoenix Aug. 13 Posted: 08 Jul 2010 08:31 PM PDT
Phoenix, Ariz. (July 8, 2010) - Phoenix native and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star Joe "Diesel" Riggs will headline a stacked STRIKEFORCE Challengers event from Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., when he takes on knockout artist Louis Taylor at a catch weight of 182 pounds in the main event on Friday, Aug. 13, LIVE on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). The event, STRIKEFORCE's first in the state of Arizona, will also feature a four-woman single elimination welterweight (135 pound) tournament comprised of four female prospects to be announced soon. The tournament will be completed over the course of the evening's fight card. The winner of the tournament will likely face the champion of the July 23 STRIKEFORCE Women's Welterweight Title fight between undefeated, defending champ Sarah Kaufman and challenger Roxanne Modafferi in Everett, Wash., LIVE on SHOWTIME. A former super heavyweight who once competed at over 300 pounds, the 27-year-old Riggs (32-12) is now a dangerous threat in multiple STRIKEFORCE divisions. He holds the rare distinction of having competed at heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, and welterweight during the course of his eight-year career. A former UFC star, Riggs holds notable victories over STRIKEFORCE Welterweight champ Nick Diaz, Kendall Grove, Chris Lytle and "The N.Y. Badass" Phil Baroni. He is coming off a controversial unanimous decision loss to streaking, former world champ Jay Hieron at STRIKEFORCE: Miami on Jan. 30, 2010. Prior to the loss to Hieron, the 6-foot Riggs tallied up four consecutive wins including an impressive unanimous decision victory over Baroni at STRIKEFORCE: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6, 2010 in St. Louis, Mo. Taylor (6-1), of Chicago, has rattled off two consecutive knockout wins since his first career loss to Nate Moore on the undercard of the STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL: Fedor vs. Rogers event in Hoffman Estates, Ill. on Nov. 7, 2009. The 5-foot-11 Taylor has scored knockouts in four of his six consecutive victories and has only gone to the judges scorecards once in his professional career. |
| Mark Hunt signs four-fight contract, debut against Sean McCorkle set for UFC 119 Posted: 08 Jul 2010 08:21 PM PDT
If a picture really is worth a thousand words, then this expression may sum up fan reaction to a puzzling addition to the UFC roster. Five straight losses will not stop former Pride FC fan favorite, Mark Hunt, from making his Octagon debut against undefeated Sean McCorkle at UFC 119, which is scheduled for the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sept. 25, according to FiveOuncesOfPain.com. Hunt, who has tipped the scales well over 300 pounds during his heyday competing in Japan, will have to shed quite a few pounds (if he hasn't already) to make the 265-pound heavyweight division limit. The granite-chinned New Zealander was last seen at Dream 9 in May 2009, getting submitted (armbar) by a much smaller Gegard Mousasi in the first round of the "Super Hulk" tournament. Prior to that, the former K-1 kickboxing standout was finished by the heavy-handed (and again much smaller) Melvin Manhoef in the first round of the year-end "Dynamite!!" show in 2008. Hunt is perhaps best known for notable wins over stars such as Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva, as well as nearly finishing Fedor Emelianenko with a submission (Americana) of all things. He went on to eventually lose to "The Last Emperor" via kimura shortly after the wily Russian escaped. He'll certainly need to be on his toes inside the Octagon, otherwise he can expect to add more losses to his already lopsided mixed martial arts record. McCorkle, too, will be making his promotional debut in the "Circle City." He's a local prospect who has competed primarily under the "Legends of Fighting" banner. He most recently defeated Jonathan Ivey vie second round technical knockout (strikes) back in May. He turned pro about five years ago and only has six fights under his belt, meaning that he fights relatively infrequently ... just like his upcoming opponent. Should be interesting. UFC 119 will feature a rematch between former heavyweight champions, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in the main event of the evening. Light heavyweights Antonio Rogerio Noguiera and Ryan Bader are so to throw leather in the co-featured fight of the night. For more on the upcoming UFC 119 event click here. |
| UFC settles with 500 businesses and individuals as part of aggressive anti-piracy effort Posted: 08 Jul 2010 08:20 PM PDT
Props: UFC.com Quoteworthy:
UFC President Dana White praises his high-powered legal eagles, who have "reached confidential settlements with over 500 businesses and individuals as a result of illegal broadcasts and views of UFC events." It's a staggering statistic more than two years in the making. Piracy is an issue that the promotion clearly takes very serious to protect its brand and profitability. In fact, Lorenzo Fertitta recently sat elbow-to-elbow with ESPN Executive VP Ed Durso to testify at a congressional hearing on the matter, saying that piracy "kills jobs" and "threatens the expansion of U.S.-based companies." Message heard loud and clear. Are you listening, Justin.TV? |
| DREAM 15: Expect an 'aggressive' Gegard Mousasi against Jake O'Brien on July 10 Posted: 08 Jul 2010 01:05 PM PDT |
| UFC 119: Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira rematch booked for Set. 25 in Indianapolis Posted: 08 Jul 2010 12:59 PM PDT
Frank Mir wants to prove he finished Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92 because he's the better fighter -- not because the Brazilian was still wobbly from Staph infection, which is what "Minotauro" has maintained. Now we'll get the chance to see who's right when they finally rematch at the upcoming UFC 119 event scheduled for the Conseco Fieldhouse on Sept. 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to a report from Tatame.com. After facing off as opposing coaches on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Mir and Nogueira battled for the right to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 in July 2009. While both heavyweights are decorated grapplers with black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it was Mir's striking that ultimately felled his opponent early in the second frame. It was the first time in his career that Nog had been finished via (T)KO. After word spread that the Brazilian was afflicted with a crippling case of Staph, some of the luster began to wear off Mir's accomplishment. Since then, he's been hoping for the chance to prove that he is indeed better than Nogueira, healthy or otherwise. Unfortunately the momentum from his UFC 92 win wasn't enough to help him overcome Brock Lesnar in his bid to recapture the UFC heavyweight title. After submitting Cheick Kongo at UFC 107, the Las Vegas submission specialist took another step backwards when he was finished by Shane Carwin at UFC 111 last March. Nogueira rebounded from the Dec. 2008 loss to outpoint Randy "The Natural" Couture at last year's UFC 102 event in Portland, but undefeated prospect Cain Velasquez sent him tumbling down the heavyweight ladder with a first round knockout at UFC 110 earlier this year. Now in their thirties, both fighters are trying to re-establish their relevancy in the 265-pound division. The winner moves on and the loser may be out of the title picture for good. Who ya' got? For more on the upcoming UFC 119 event click here. |
| 'Zombie' land: Chan Sung Jung vs George Roop possible for WEC 51 in Broomfield Posted: 08 Jul 2010 12:59 PM PDT
Roop! (There it is) WEC 51 will welcome Chan Sung Jung back to "that other Octagon" when he goes toe-to-toe with former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 contestant George Roop at the promotion's upcoming trip to the 1STBank Center this September in Broomfield, Colorado. MMA Fighting brought word of the potential match-up earlier today. Jung (10-2) dropped his promotion debut to Leonard Garcia at WEC 47 back in March but endeared himself to MMA fans and media with his balls-to-the-wall slugfest against the "Bad Boy" in one of the most exciting bouts this year. In fact, he may have trouble living up to those lofty expectations heading into WEC 51 but anyone familiar with his time in Pancrase and Sengoku knows "The Korean Zombie" is never in a boring fight. That could be bad news for Roop. After coming up short against Shane Nelson in the TUF 8 Finale, Roop (10-6-1) would take a split decision over Dave Kaplan before George Sotiropoulos arm-locked him right out of the promotion. He picked up a win against Matt Dell in Rage in the Cage before heading over to the WEC and falling to Eddie Wineland on January 10. The former lightweight agreed to step in on short notice to face Leonard Garcia at WEC 47 where he took his fellow ex-Zuffa employee to a draw. It's not unrealistic to think that a loss against Jung could be the last we see of the Tucson native. WEC 51 is expected to feature a 145-pound title fight between reigning champion Jose Aldo and number one contender Manny Gamburyan. Miguel Torres is also expected to compete. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still-developing fight card. |
| Never give up: Wanderlei Silva begins to chronicle his comeback from knee surgery (Video) Posted: 08 Jul 2010 11:24 AM PDT He also celebrates his birthday, lights off some fireworks and meets Chris Leben:
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| Excuse these nuts: James Toney wants to make an example out of Dana White Posted: 08 Jul 2010 10:24 AM PDT
Props: MMAWeekly Quoteworthy:
Boxing blowhard James Toney thinks UFC President Dana White is the one who's going to be made an example of when the portly pugilist knocks out Randy Couture at UFC 118 in Boston. "Lights Out" has given the Zuffa prez a case of buyer's remorse and could prove once and for all what a prediction from Dana White means -- if and when he finishes "The Natural." Anyone think Toney can pull it off? |
| Bellator 25 brings the 'Polish Pitbull' to Chicago Theatre on Aug. 19 Posted: 08 Jul 2010 10:21 AM PDT
CHICAGO (July 8, 2010) - Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that the nationally televised mixed martial arts promotion will return to the Windy City for a Season 3 event at the historic Chicago Theatre on Aug. 19th. Bellator 25 will mark the Chicago landmark's second-ever mixed martial arts event - the first being Bellator 14 which took place on April 15, 2010. The Bellator 25 card will feature two quarterfinal fights in both the Season 3 Heavyweight and Women's World Championship tournaments. Headlining the Fox Sports Net event will be undefeated heavyweight sensation Damian "The Polish Pitbull" Grabowski who will make his U.S. debut in a quarterfinal heavyweight world championship tournament fight against knock-out artist Scott Barrett. Grabowski, who was considered one of the top heavyweight free agents in the world before signing with Bellator, boasts a perfect 13-0 pro record. The Polish Pitbull has not only finished each of his opponents by TKO or submission, but not one of his opponents has yet to see the third round of a fight. His spectacular tenacity was on full display in April 2009, when he competed in a one-night, 16-man heavyweight tournament in an Austrian promotion that featured no-time-limit bouts. Grabowski dismantled each of his four opponents, winning the tournament with his longest fight lasting only 3:48 into the second frame. In his most recent fight last month Grabowski TKO'd the highly regarded heavyweight Michal Kita in the first round.Barrett, who owns a four-fight win streak coming into the tournament, fought earlier this year at Bellator 19 where he knocked out formerly undefeated Ty Lee just 2:25 into Round 1. Bellator 25 will also include an opening-round fight in Bellator's World Championship Women's Tournament featuring Zoila "The Warrior Princess" Frausto and the world's No. 6-ranked flyweight, undefeated Jessica Pene. Frausto was added to the tournament after she shocked the MMA world recently at Bellator 23 with her stunning KO of the world's top-ranked and heavily favored Rosi Sexton. Sexton was subsequently forced out of the tournament due to a 60-day medical suspension from the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority. Pene debuted for Bellator in May 2009 with a first round TKO against Tammie Schneider at Bellator 5. Her unblemished record also features a submission victory over fellow tournament participant and No. 8 world ranked 115 pounder, Angela Magana. In other action, Aisling Daly, the best female mixed martial artist in Ireland and the world's No. 3-ranked 125 lbs. woman, will drop down to 115 lbs. to face 13-5 submission ace and No. 3-ranked flyweight Lisa Ward in the opening round of the World Championship Women's Tournament. The 22-year-old Daly will make her U.S. MMA debut backed by a pristine 9-0 record, while Ward enters the fight with one win already coming under the Bellator banner. Just two weeks ago at Bellator 22, she dismantled Stephanie Frausto with a slick rear naked choke 2:01 into the first round. The Bellator Season 3 Heavyweight and Women's World Championship tournaments begin Aug. 12 and will once again be televised LIVE in primetime every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. |
| Hate on this: Jorge Gurgel and Zoila Frausto are in love (Pic) Posted: 08 Jul 2010 09:30 AM PDT
From Gurgel's Facebook (courtesy of Bloody Elbow):
Not impressed? See what he's laid claim to after the jump.
Frausto landed a spot in Bellator's upcoming women's tournament after knocking out Rosi Sexton while Gurgel is expected to fight K.J. Noons at Strikeforce: "Houston" on Aug. 21. After that ... fatal four way against the Cyborgs? |
| UFC 119: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Ryan Bader possible for Sept. 25 in Indianapolis Posted: 08 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT
Who's the next contender for the UFC light heavyweight title? We may find out on September 25 when Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ryan Bader hook 'em up in a 205-pound scrum at the UFC 119 pay-per-view from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. MMA Weekly brought word of the potential match-up earlier today. Nogueira (19-3) could have an opportunity to prove he's able to hang with high-caliber wrestlers when he tangles with Bader. There were more than a few lingering questions following his last performance, a controversial split decision victory over the very game Jason Brilz back at UFC 114. "Minotoro" was controlled on his feet and on the ground but managed to weather the storm and come out ahead on points. It was a surprising follow-up to a dominating debut over Luis Arthur Cane last November. Nevertheless, a convincing win over one of the division's top prospects could make the argument for a 2011 title fight, pending the return of the surgically repaired champion, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, who is expected to battle "Sugar" Rashad Evans early next year. Likewise, Bader (11-0) could vault himself into the top contender spot if he manages to win his fourth straight under the Zuffa banner. "Darth" won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 8 competition by knocking the block off Vinny Magalhaes at the December 2008 TUF Finale and hasn't looked back. After consecutive decision wins against Carmelo Marrero and Eric Schafer, Bader turned the lights out on Keith Jardine at UFC 110 in Australia. Finishing Nogueira could be a feather in his cap -- and a one-way ticket to light heavyweight gold. UFC 119 is expected to feature the lightweight return of Sean Sherk as he faces up-and-coming star Evan Dunham. Former TUF stars Matt Mitrione, Melvin Guillard and CB Dollaway are also expected to compete. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still-developing fight card. |
| Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen odds for UFC 117 in Oakland Posted: 08 Jul 2010 07:23 AM PDT
Preliminary odds and betting lines have been released for the upcoming UFC 117 main event from the Oracle Arena on August 7 in Oakland, California, featuring a put-up-or-shut-up middleweight title fight between division champion Anderson Silva and number one contender Chael Sonnen. After enjoying a bloated -700 line against Demian Maia at UFC 112, "The Spider" has lost some of his webbing, coming in at a more realistic -450 as the favorite against the mouthy ex-politician, Chael Sonnen, who currently stands as a +275 underdog. That's Silva's closest line in the past few years, matching his -450 against Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Maybe it was his antics last April, or maybe Fedor Emelianenko's loss to Fabricio Werdum back on June 26 proved that no fighter is invincible -- including Silva. Keep that in mind if you want to try and make some money on Sonnen as the UFC heads to "The O." Get 'em in early, and also check out the spread on some other combatants throwing hands at UFC 117, like Junior dos Santos (-350) vs. Roy Nelson (+250), by clicking here. It might surprise you who the underdog is in a classic rivalry -- and what's the spread on Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch? I couldn't believe it either. Click here to see why. |
| Frank Mir's goals for 2011: Retire Big Nog and KO Brock Lesnar Posted: 08 Jul 2010 06:07 AM PDT
Props: Las Vegas Sun Quoteworthy:
Boxing guru Jimmy Gifford is confident that Frank Mir is going to avenge his loss to Brock Lesnar by knocking him out in a rubber match that may or may not come to fruition. Now that Lesnar has unified the heavyweight titles, Cain Velasquez is next in line as is the winner of Roy Nelson vs. Junior dos Santos. That means Mir has some free time on his hands and it sounds as if he wants to spend it retiring "Minotauro" Nogueira, who claims to have lost their first bout because of the health issues stemming from a long bout with Staph infection. Is Mir on a fool's errand? Or does the former champ still have what it takes to become the best of the best? |
| Former WWE wrestler "Batista" is now training with Cesar Gracie and Co. Then again, so was Jose... Posted: 07 Jul 2010 10:24 PM PDT  Former WWE wrestler "Batista" is now training with Cesar Gracie and Co. Then again, so was Jose Canseco. Could "The Animal" end up in Strikeforce, taking on Bobby Lashley for MMA supremacy? |
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