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- 'The Expendables' cast, Randy Couture and Terry Crew, on ESPNs 'First Take' (Video)
- Jon Jones: Vladimir Matyushenko is not flashy, exciting or dynamic
- Brendan Schaub set to meet Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121 on Oct. 23 in Anaheim
- UFC 121: Tito Ortiz vs Matt Hamill booked for Oct. 23 in Anaheim
- UFC 117: 'Mr. Wonderful' returns to face Rodney Wallace with Stanislav Nedkov hurt
- Strikeforce confirms four-woman, single-elimination 135-pound tournament for Aug. 13 in Phoenix
- Bellator 28: Clementi vs Vanier and Karakhanyan vs Skelly official for Sept. 9 in New Orleans
- DREAM 16 officially announced for Sept. 25 at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. Props:...
- Strikeforce Challengers 9 preview and quick picks for 'Del Rosario vs Mahe'
- Vladimir Matyushenko: 'My job is to stop Jon Jones from getting to the top'
- UFC 117 weigh in results, information and details from Oakland, CA, on Aug. 6
- UFC 120: Michael Bisping already spending his 'Fight of the Night' bonus for Oct. 16
- Marcus Davis breaks down Nate Diaz fight at UFC 118 in Boston (Video)
| 'The Expendables' cast, Randy Couture and Terry Crew, on ESPNs 'First Take' (Video) Posted: 22 Jul 2010 07:47 PM PDT |
| Jon Jones: Vladimir Matyushenko is not flashy, exciting or dynamic Posted: 22 Jul 2010 06:28 PM PDT
Props: Penny Buffington of MMA2DAY Quoteworthy:
Just win, baby. That's how flashy, exciting and dynamic 205-pound up-and-comer, Jon Jones, views the success of his UFC on Versus 2 opponent, Vladimir Matyushenko, who has won three straight fights and 11 of his last 12 appearances. "The Janitor" has cleaned up the competition with a relatively even mix of submissions, (technical) knockouts and decisions, proving that he does whatever it takes to walkaway a winner more times than not. The 39-year-old veteran mixed martial arts fighter, however, has probably never encountered such a young, hungry and talented star such as Jones. Can he somehow summon his old man strength and experience to find another way to secure victory or is "Bones" just way too much too handle? |
| Brendan Schaub set to meet Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121 on Oct. 23 in Anaheim Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:06 PM PDT
Up-and-coming heavyweight hopeful Brendan Schaub (6-1) will face yet another gargantuan challenger when he collides with Gabriel Gonzaga (11-5) for a super-sized slugfest at UFC 121 on Oct. 23 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The incomparable "Showdown" Joe Ferraro first reported the match-up earlier today. Schaub was an early favorite to win it all on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). In fact, the Denver dynamo plowed through the Spike TV reality show to earn a spot in the TUF 10 Finale last December. Unfortunately "The Hybrid" saw his hype train temporarily derailed by portly powerhouse Roy Nelson, who went on to win the Finale and earn a spot in the suddenly-crowded heavyweight division. It didn't take long for Schaub to recover and remind fans why he's such a highly touted prospect, knocking out Chase Gormley at UFC on Versus 1 and then repeating that performance against Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 116 earlier this month. Trying to stop his ascension will be Gonzaga, whose ship has seemingly run aground after an electric start under the UFC banner. In fact, after a 4-0 start with the promotion, "Napao" was one fight away from holding the heavyweight strap, until Randy Couture finished him at UFC 74: "Respect" in late 2007. Since then, the Brazilian Yeti is an even 3-3 inside the Octagon, coming off a first round beatdown at the hands of Junior dos Santos at UFC on Versus 1 last March. It's make or break time against Schaub. Headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez, UFC 121 will also feature the Octagon debut of Jake Shields when he takes on Martin Kampmann. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on this quickly-developing fight card. |
| UFC 121: Tito Ortiz vs Matt Hamill booked for Oct. 23 in Anaheim Posted: 22 Jul 2010 01:24 PM PDT
It's teacher versus student at UFC 121 as former light heavyweight champion and Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 Coach Tito Ortiz takes on one-time pupil Matt Hamill on Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, according to a report from MMAfighting.com. Ortiz (15-7-1) has continued to struggle inside the Octagon, failing to notch a win since abusing a geriatric Ken Shamrock at UFC "The Final Chapter" back in October 2006. He most recently coughed up a split decision loss to Forrest Griffin in the UFC 106 main event from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas this past November. Following the fight -- his first since returning from major back surgery -- the former 205-pound kingpin complained of a "cracked skull" and other maladies, including an empty gas tank. While the medical layoff was behind some of his rust, it's been evident for some time that Ortiz is no longer the dominant force he was in the early 2000's. That, coupled with another neck surgery that booted him from his TUF 10 duties and subsequent trilogy with Chuck Liddell at UFC 115, and it's hard to imagine just how much "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" has to offer at this stage of his career. Hamill (9-2) has quietly strung together four straight wins since a technical knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" in September 2008. Of course no one is celebrating his DQ win over Jon Jones after "Bones" dropped a few 12-6 "hammers" on the former wrestler's mug at the TUF 10 Finale last December, but the "W" stands regardless of the beating he took. His most recent effort was a majority decision win over Keith Jardine at the TUF 11 Finale that ultimately resulted in the "Dean of Mean" getting his UFC pink slip. Can he do likewise against Ortiz? Headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez, UFC 121 will also feature the Octagon debut of Jake Shields when he takes on Martin Kampmann. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on this still-developing fight card. (FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com) |
| UFC 117: 'Mr. Wonderful' returns to face Rodney Wallace with Stanislav Nedkov hurt Posted: 22 Jul 2010 01:23 PM PDT
Stanislav Nedkov will quietly bow out of his UFC 117 fight against Rodney Wallace after suffering an undisclosed injury in training, allowing Phil Davis to step in on short notice to try and keep his undefeated streak alive, according to MMAWeekly. Davis (6-0) is coming off a "Wonderful" performance against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 112: "Invincible" earlier this year, giving the "Mauler" all he could handle before choking him out at the end of the first round. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt is an absolute beast on the mat, winning the NCAA Division I at 197 pounds in 2008. He made the transition to mixed martial arts shortly after graduation, winning his first four bouts in impressive fashion before getting the invitation to join the deep UFC 205-pound roster. Opposing him is Rodney Wallace, who is in dire need of a win to keep himself inside the Octagon. "Sho'Nuff the Master" sailed into the UFC with lofty expectations after a torrid 9-0 run on the independent circuit, including a submission win (armbar) over Strikeforce light heavyweight prospect Antwain Britt. Unfortunately Brian Stann wasn't impressed, outpointing Wallace en route to a unanimous decision win at last year's Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale. The Salisbury native would drop his second straight decision, albeit in exciting fashion, to Jared Hamman at UFC 111: "St. Pierre vs. Hardy" last March. Getting back into the win column over a highly-touted prospect like Davis would go along way in securing future UFC appearances. UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" is set to be headlined by the middleweight title bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Also featured will be perennial top welterweight contenders Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves along with another 170-pound showdown between Matt Hughes and Ricardo Almeida. For more on UFC 117 click here. |
| Strikeforce confirms four-woman, single-elimination 135-pound tournament for Aug. 13 in Phoenix Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:03 AM PDT
Strikeforce is moving forward with a four woman, single elimination tournament on Aug. 13 at the upcoming "Challengers X" Showtime event from the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. The winner of that tournament becomes the number two contender to the Strikeforce Woman's Welterweight Championship, which will be decided when current division queenpin Sarah Kaufman defends her strap against the crafty Roxanne Modafferi. So why number two? Well, dazzling Dutch damsel Marloes Coenen dibbed the number one contender spot after she slimmed down from 145-pounds following her gruesome sepulture at the hands of "Cyborg" Santos earlier this year. Coenen will fight the winner of Kaufman vs. Modafferi, setting up a third title bout for 2011 that will include one of those three ladies versus one of these four:
Tournament rules and the draw to determine the semifinal match-ups won't be revealed until the official "Challengers X" weigh-ins on Thursday, Aug. 12. So not only does the winner have to compete twice in one night, they have to go in blind until a day before the contest. Each of the three tournament bouts are scheduled for three, three-minute rounds. The Aug. 13 telecast will air live at 11 p.m. ET beginning with the two semi-final bouts. The winners of each bout will compete in the tournament final later that night prior to the main event match-up of Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor. From Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker:
Should be interesting. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on Strikeforce Challengers X as it becomes available. |
| Bellator 28: Clementi vs Vanier and Karakhanyan vs Skelly official for Sept. 9 in New Orleans Posted: 22 Jul 2010 09:36 AM PDT
NEW ORLEANS, La. (July 22, 2010) - Bellator Fighting Championships will bring its action-packed brand of mixed martial arts to the Big Easy this fall during a nationally-televised show at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in downtown New Orleans on Thursday, Sept. 9th. The show marks the first time that a major MMA promotion has traveled to New Orleans in nearly 10 years and the first time that the 36-year-old theater will host a professional sporting event. Tickets go on sale at 1 p.m. CT Friday at Ticketmaster.com. The event, Bellator 28, will be headlined by two semifinal-round bouts in Bellator's ongoing Season 3 tournaments as well as two "Qualifier Fights" for Bellator's Season 4 Lightweight and Featherweight Tournaments. Those fights will feature: - New Orleans-area native and beloved UFC veteran Rich "No Love" Clementi (36-16-1) vs. Bellator Season 2 veteran Carey Vanier (9-3) at 155 lbs., and - Bellator Season 2 veteran Georgi "Insane" Karakhanyan (13-2-1) vs. undefeated Texas-based submission ace Chas Skelly (7-0) at 145 lbs. "We are really happy to be bringing Bellator to the die-hard MMA fans in New Orleans ," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "The Mahalia Jackson Theater is the perfect venue to continue the semifinal rounds of our Season 3 tournaments and to host a couple of great "Qualifier Fights" that will help build our tournaments at 145 and 155 for our fourth season." The theater, which opened in January 1973 with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Messa di Requiem, is home to the New Orleans Opera Association and the New Orleans Ballet Association and regularly plays host to stage plays such as Mama Mia, the Color Purple, Wicked and Avenue Q. The theatre was shuttered for more than three years after it suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, but celebrated a triumphant grand re-opening in January 2009. Bellator 28 will once again be broadcast LIVE nationwide 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. |
| DREAM 16 officially announced for Sept. 25 at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. Props:... Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:02 AM PDT  DREAM 16 officially announced for Sept. 25 at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. Props: Bloody Elbow |
| Strikeforce Challengers 9 preview and quick picks for 'Del Rosario vs Mahe' Posted: 22 Jul 2010 07:41 AM PDT
The ninth installment of Strikeforce Challengers is set for this Friday night (July 23) at "The Ice Box" at Comcast Arena in Everett, Washington. The five-fight main card will air live on the premium cable channel Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. ET on fight night. In a fight that is sure to provide fireworks, heavyweight sluggers Lolohea Mahe and Shane del Rosario are set to trade leather in the night's featured main event. Meanwhile Strikeforce female welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman will defend her title for the first time ever against dangerous top contender Roxanne Modefferi in the co-headliner. To help get you better prepared for the festivities, I've given some analysis and predictions on those two fights as well as two others from the main card that is set to hit the Showtime airwaves on Friday night. Check it out below. 265 lbs.: Shane del Rosario vs. Lolohea MaheShane del Rosario is easily the better overall fighter between the two, but Mahe is a dangerous opponent for anybody because he's so powerful. The thing is, though, if you can make it past the first five minutes of the fight with the Hawaiian, you've got a pretty good shot at beating him. He's a typical power punching heavyweight whose stamina is non-existent outside of the first round. As long as del Rosario can weather the early storm, this fight is his to win. On top of that, I'm not convinced that del Rosario isn't capable of finishing the fight himself inside the first frame. He also has a pair of extremely heavy hands, not to mention a bit more versatility on his feet than Mahe with his ability to mix in kicks and knees. Mahe has a better chin, though, so del Rosario should be careful about standing in the pocket for too long. However, the good news for fans of the Californian is that he's too smart to fall into that trap. He knows that the most important bit of strategy for himself in this fight is to avoid Mahe's power early on, more specifically his counter right hand. It wasn't all that surprising to see Mahe looking for takedowns against Lavarr Johnson in his last fight, but I'd be shocked if he starts shooting in on del Rosario on Friday night. Del Rosario's ground game is much much better than Johnson's or anybody else that Mahe has faced so far in his career for that matter. If anybody is going to be initiating clinches or looking for takedowns, it'll be del Rosario. Regardless, like I said above, this is del Rosario's fight to win as long as he avoids Mahe's power early on. Still, in the first five minutes, this is anybody's fight. Final prediction: Shane Del Rosario via knockout
Modefferi is a much more suitable number one contender for Kaufman than the chick (Jan Finney) Strikeforce fed to Cyborg last month at "Fedor vs. Werdum." Finney put on a decent show in that fight, but in my opinion she didn't really deserve to be there. The same can't be said about Modefferi, though, who has won eight of her last nine fights, including a recent split decision victory over Tara LaRosa, who was once considered the top female mixed martial artist in the world. Modefferi probably likes this match-up, too. Her biggest weakness, which is probably submission defense, shouldn't be an issue in this fight, since Kaufman has never won by submission and prefers to trade strikes instead. That seems to also work in Modefferi's favor because she's never been knocked out or stopped from strikes in a fight. Even with all that said, I still think Kaufman retains her title. I just don't think she'll get the finish, which has sort of become the norm with her lately anyway, with all three of her previous appearances under the Strikeforce banner going the distance as well. The truth is, though, while she hasn't been finishing her opponents as of late, it's still easy to see that she has improved each time out since joining Strikeforce. Her takedown defense was stellar against Takayo Hashi, and her striking, as far as her control and technique go, has improved dramatically from what it was when she was knocking out bums on small shows in Canada a few years ago. She's no longer a power puncher who swings for the fences or goes for broke when she thinks her opponent is wounded. She has learned to pick her spots and control her power while maintaining a good base for takedown defense. It's been fun to watch her improvement, despite her not being able to finish fights. Eventually fans are going to want to start seeing the knockouts again, and eventually I expect that to happen. I just don't think it'll be this fight. Look for a similar result to the Hashi fight from the Challengers 6 card with Kaufman winning decisively on the cards. The champ should be able to stay on her feet and pick Modefferi apart with her striking. Final prediction: Sarah Kaufman via unanimous decision
Voelker is about as tough as they come. He's only been stopped three times in just under thirty professional fights. And he took an absolute beating from Roger Bowling his last time out at Challengers 8, yet somehow made it to the scorecards, even if it wasn't quite a full fifteen minute decision. If Bowling - who had destroyed all seven of his previous opponents, including TUF alum Seth Baczynski - couldn't put him away with his high level boxing skills, I have a hard time believing Devela can win this fight with strikes either, which means Voelker's best chance to win is on his feet. That last part becomes even more apparent when you consider that Devela has been on the losing end in his last two fights because he was dropped with big punches, and also that Voelker has thirteen career wins by (T)KO. Devela's best plan of attack is clearly to take Voelker to the mat and look for submissions and ground and pound. Bowling had some success with takedowns against Voelker, so Devela - who has much better wrestling credentials - should be able to be effective in that area as well. Add the fact that he'll be making his debut in the welterweight division after previously competing as a middleweight to this point in his career, and one can certainly see where wrestling and ground control become "The One's" biggest weapons in this fight. Voelker is dangerous on his feet, and Devela has been out of action for over a year while helping his girlfriend through a battle with cancer. Cage rust and/or cardio could certainly become an issue, but I still look for Devela to grind out a three round decision with a lot of top control here. Wrestling trumps striking when the striker has no takedown defense. Final prediction: Cory "The One" Devela via unanimous decision
Kyle is a devastating striker from the American Kickboxing Academy camp who is on a solid four fight winning streak since being submitted in the first round by Fabricio Werdum last summer. The way to beat him usually doesn't involve trading strikes, which is basically all that "Abongo" Humphrey is good for. For that reason, I think this is going to be a fun fight for the fans, but it's also one that Kyle should come away victorious from. The former heavyweight has a decent high kick, which could provide an problem for Kyle, but I give every other advantage in the striking department to the AKA guy, who is bigger, stronger, meaner and more experienced. It seems likely that somebody is going to get knocked out in this fight. My money says "Abongo." Final prediction: Mike Kyle via knockout That's a wrap. Now it's time for you to sound off with some of your predictions in the comments section below. |
| Vladimir Matyushenko: 'My job is to stop Jon Jones from getting to the top' Posted: 22 Jul 2010 07:25 AM PDT Props: TSN.ca Quoteworthy:
The world's most dangerous "Janitor," Vladimir Matyushenko, plans on mopping up the mess Jon Jones has made in the light heavyweight division when they clash at UFC on Versus 2 on Aug. 1 in San Diego. "Bones" has looked nearly invincible in his meteoric rise to the top of his weight class and a recent UFC poll found an anemic 8-percent of fans who think that Vladdy's got the chops to defeat the dynamic young up-and-comer. But in a sport where anything can happen, are fans "calling" for a Jones victory while secretly crossing their fingers behind their backs? |
| UFC 117 weigh in results, information and details from Oakland, CA, on Aug. 6 Posted: 22 Jul 2010 06:47 AM PDT
The official weigh-in event for UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" is set to go down Friday, August 6, 2010, from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. It is currently scheduled to air LIVE right here on MMAmania.com, as well as several other online destinations via streaming video. The first fighter is expected to tip the scale at 7 p.m. ET. As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the UFC 117 weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude. "Silva vs. Sonnen" will feature the put-up-or-shut-up middleweight title fight between division champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva and the sharp-tongued Chael Sonnen in the main event of the evening. Two fantastic showdowns with title implications -- Roy "Big Country" Nelson vs. Junior "Cigano" dos Santos and Jon Fitch vs. Thiago "Pitbull" Alves -- are also slated to highlight what is another stacked PPV offering from the world's largest fight promotion. Here is the current UFC 117 fight card:
For those fortunate enough to be in "Oaktown" for the promotion's highly-anticipated debut inside the Oracle Arena, remember that the weigh-in is FREE to attend and open to the public. Doors to the weigh-in will open at 3 p.m. PT. Former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) stars Court McGee, Mike Swick and Matt Wiman will also be on hand signing autographs for the general public beginning at 1 p.m. PT. In addition, UFC Fight Club members will be able to attend an exclusive Q&A session with five-time UFC champion Randy "The Natural" Couture at 2 p.m. PT (check-in starts at 1 p.m.). It's going to be a fun night of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 117 coverage you can handle. |
| UFC 120: Michael Bisping already spending his 'Fight of the Night' bonus for Oct. 16 Posted: 22 Jul 2010 06:31 AM PDT
Props: Echo.co.uk Quoteworthy:
Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 champion Michael Bisping returns to the United Kingdom where he remains undefeated with intent to vault himself into the middleweight title hunt with a big win over International star Yoshihiro Akiyama. "The Count" rebounded from a unanimous decision loss to Wanderlei Silva "Down Under" back on February 20 to outwork the venerable Dan Miller and take all three judge's scorecards at UFC 114 last May. Bisping is 3-2 in his last five fights with losses to Silva and Dan Henderson. In addition to Miller, the Brit also stopped Denis Kang at UFC 105 and decisioned Chris Leben way back at UFC 89. Is he championship material? Or do we reserve judgment for the "Sexyama" fight? And does anyone have them as front-runners for "Fight of the Night?" |
| Marcus Davis breaks down Nate Diaz fight at UFC 118 in Boston (Video) Posted: 22 Jul 2010 06:30 AM PDT
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