Friday, July 30, 2010

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

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

Phil Baroni: 'Don't forget about me, I'm not dead yet'

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 07:53 AM PDT

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Props: MMA Fighting

Quoteworthy:

"First off, I really want to fight. [UFC 118 is] a big show -- first one in Boston. It would have been great. The card is huge, and maybe I could have a good fight and get on TV. Get some exposure. I need it now badly. I'm left out of a lot of sh** nowadays. I'm forgotten at the expos and appearances. Just everything with the UFC. I wanted to win a big fight, look impressive and get considered again. I wanted to say, 'Hey Dana, I'm still f**king here. I still can fight.' I wanted to say it to everyone: the fans, the media. I'm still Phil f**king Baroni. That used to mean something. I want it to mean something again. I want to say, 'Hey Strikeforce, you made a big mistake letting me go. You f**ked up. You blew it. I'm still somebody, and I still bring things to the table that not many fighters do.' I just want to be a contender. I want respect from my peers, the fans, media and the promotions. I wanted to say, 'I'm still here, don't f**king forget about me. I'm not dead yet. I want to be a contender -- I want to matter again. I want to be the biggest comeback story ever -- a Cinderella Man."

Longtime mixed martial arts veteran Phil Baroni doesn't want to fade away after being forced to withdraw from his upcoming UFC 118: "Edgar vs. Penn 2" fight against John Salter on Aug. 28 in Boston, Mass., after suffering a minor injury to his collarbone. The artist formerly known as "The Best Eva" is facing an uphill battle against today's newer generation of well rounded fighters. Baroni is trying to keep up with the times and get back into contendership -- but is it too little, too late? Can the "New York Bad Ass" make one last run before hanging up the gloves?

UFC on Versus 2 predictions, preview and analysis

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 07:26 AM PDT

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is all set for the second installment of "UFC on Versus" this Sunday night (Aug. 1) from the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.

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 9 p.m. ET on the Versus network.

"Jones vs. Matyushenko" will feature a main event between light heavyweight superstar in the making Jon "Bones" Jones and Belarusian brawler Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko. 

Also on tap for Aug. 1 is a middleweight mash-up between Mark Munoz and Yushin Okami while Takanori Gomi looks for his first win as a Zuffa lightweight against Tyson Griffin.

To help get you better prepared for the festivities, I've given some analysis and predictions on all the main card fights set to hit the Versus airwaves this Sunday night.

Check it out below.

205 lbs.: Jon "Bones" Jones (10-1) vs. Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (24-4)

There are quite a few things that concern me when I look at this match-up from Vlad's perspective, but one of the main issues I have is that he's only fought a handful of strikers throughout his near thirty-fight career. And the results haven't been all that great in those type of match-ups for "The Janitor."

In fact, his last two losses have come against fighters who boast quality stand-up attacks - Andrei Arlovski and Rogerio Nogueira. Obviously the "Pitbull" fight was a long time ago and Jones is a much different type of striker than Nogueira, but the point is, Vlad isn't going to like it if he's forced into trading strikes with "Bones."

So, look for him to do everything possible to try and close the distance in this fight. I expect him to initiate a lot of clinching and to try and put the youngster on his back early and often. The farther away he stays, the easier it'll be for Jones to pick him apart. He needs to get right in his face and do everything he can to take him out of his comfort zone.

That's not to say he'll be safe in the clinch, because he won't be. Jones is just as effective from there with his knees and elbows, but at least from the clinch Vlad is one step closer to taking the fight to the ground, which is where he wants to be, even though what little we've seen from Jones' ground game suggests there's not much relief down there, either.

Matt Hamill, Jake O'Brien and Stephen Bonnar all came into their fights with Jones thinking they had the skills and the gameplan necessary to beat him, but all three were dominated by the youngster. Just being a good wrestler or grappler isn't enough against this guy. It's going to take a different type of gameplan to unlock the Jon Jones mystery, one that Matyushenko just doesn't have in his arsenal.

It's not out of the realm of possibility to think that Matyushenko could potentially succeed where those guys failed, but it's no secret that he's getting a little long in the tooth. At some point he's going to have to come to the realization that he isn't the same fighter that he was ten years ago.

I mean, does anyone really think Elliot Marshall would have taken Matyushenko to a split decision in his heyday? I have my doubts (no disrespect to Marshall.) Not like he hasn't already had a few of them, but this is going to be a statement fight for the Greg Jackson pupil.

I think "Bones" cruises in this one.

Final prediction: Jon Jones via knockout

185 lbs.: Mark "The Philippine Wrecking Machine" Munoz (8-1) vs. Yushin "Thunder" Okami (24-5)

Munoz is a fantastic wrestler, but that's about it. His chin is suspect, his stand-up isn't anything special, and he hasn't really faced all that great of competition. He was smart to move down to 185 pounds, where his strength and wrestling could be more of an advantage for him, but that advantage goes out the window against a guy like Okami, who is a monster middleweight, not to mention a very strong wrestler himself. I can't see Munoz just overpowering him with his wrestling.

I think Okami is clearly the better overall mixed martial artist, and I think he wins this fight with his striking and takedown defense.

Chael Sonnen proved that Okami can be taken down, but Chael put the pressure on big time in that fight and used a lot of striking to set up those takedowns. I just can't see Munoz being as effective. And even if he is, he's going to have a hard time keeping the Japanese fighter pinned down. Sonnen will vouch for that.

I think Okami will have a similar gameplan in this fight to what he used against Sonnen, which is to stand back and try to pick his opponent apart with jabs and combinations. The difference will be that Munoz is nowhere near as good as Sonnen in the stand-up or at pushing the pace.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Okami scored a knockout in this fight, but the smart money says it'll go the full three rounds. Either way, Okami is going to win.

Final prediction: Yushin Okami via unanimous decision

170 lbs.: Jake Ellenberger (22-5) vs. John "Doomsday" Howard (14-4)

I like Ellenberger in this fight.

I haven't been all that impressed with Howard since he joined the UFC. Sure, he's an explosive, strong, athletic guy, but he hasn't blown me away yet. Winning the "knockout of the night" award against a Cesar Gracie trainee in his last fight put him on the right track towards winning me over, but his three previous fights inside the Octagon left a lot to be desired, in my opinion.

If he didn't score a last second knockout over Dennis Hallman at the TUF 10 Finale, he was probably going to lose that decision, and I could make an argument that his other two split decision victories over Tamdan McCrory and Chris Wilson could have easily gone the other way as well.

Ellenberger, on the other hand, has always impressed me, even before coming to the UFC. Since joining the top promotion, though, he dominated a very tough Mike Pyle at UFC 108 and came up just short against one of the division's top contenders, Carlos Condit, in his Octagon debut at Fight Night 19.

He has a strong wrestling and boxing background, and he matches up well in the strength department with Howard, too. It's also worth noting that he's never been knocked out, and he's only been submitted once in his twenty seven-fight career, which was a fight he took on super short notice against a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt (Delson Heleno.)

I think whoever can be more successful with takedowns and avoid more damage in the stand-up is going to win this one. My money is on Ellenberger.

Final prediction: Jake Ellenberger via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi (31-6) vs. Tyson Griffin (14-3)

Is it just me or does Gomi always seem to get tired really quickly in his fights?

For his sake, he better hope that's not that case, because Tyson Griffin is not a guy you want to gas out against. The Xtreme Couture trainee can go forever, and he is a handful for anybody, especially in the later rounds.

If Gomi has one thing going for him, it's that he's about as heavy handed as a 155 pound fighter can be, but he hasn't really evolved as a fighter since his days as the Pride FC poster boy when he was knocking a bunch of dudes out. He's basically a one-trick pony these days, and that is another very bad characteristic to have coming into a fight against a guy who is as well rounded as Tyson Griffin.

Griffin is coming off a very frustrating loss against training partner Evan Dunham. It was a competitive fight, but Griffin clearly came up short, despite the split decision. The good news for him is that he has never lost back to back fights in his career. He's followed each of his other two losses with big victories over tough opponents.

Gomi, on the other hand, who is also coming off a loss, has dropped back to back fights twice in his career. That may not seem like a big deal, but for a guy who has fought thirty seven times professionally with only six losses, it looks like a trend. For whatever reason, he has traditionally followed up a letdown with another letdown.

Regardless of that last part, I'm picking Tyson. He has more ways that he can impress the judges, and his gas tank is much deeper than Gomi's. To me, Gomi has a puncher's chance and that's about it. Griffin isn't a -325 favorite for nothing.

Final prediction: Tyson Griffin via unanimous decision

That's a wrap, folks.

Remember to come check us out after the show for all the latest results, recaps and coverage of "Jones vs. Matyushenko."

What do you think? Now it's your turn ... let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for Sunday's event.

UFC Quick Quote: Will you forget that Tyson Griffin lost to Evan Dunham if he can beat Takanori Gomi?

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 06:22 AM PDT

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"I was actually the one that let the UFC know that I was ready to get back in there right away if any of the upcoming lightweights fighting got injured, so I was ready, stayed in shape and got back in the gym a week after the (UFC 115) fight and kept the ball rolling. I don't really need much time to prepare. It's not like Gomi's got anything spectacular about him. He's just a hard-nosed fighter and aggressive. I've dealt with that a lot. I think that's a perfect matchup for me. (It’s) not necessarily the loss, (I’m) just disappointed with my performance and just making simple mistakes ... I'd rather be beaten than lose the fight and I feel like I lost the fight against Dunham just being stupid and forcing myself out of similar positions when he's on my back and kind of expecting him to choose a different option and him going for something else. I want to erase that out of my head and the fans’ memories as well."

Hot-and-cold UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin tells Sherdog.com that he hopes to purge the bad memories of his disappointing split decision loss to Evan Dunham at UFC 115 back on June 12 in Vancouver by roughing up promotion sophomore Takanori Gomi when they collide at UFC on Versus 2 this Sunday in San Diego. "The Fireball Kid" burned out against Kenny Florian in his Zuffa debut and will get no favors from Griffin, who stepped in on short notice to replace the injured Joe Stevenson. Will you believe in Tyson Griffin if he can stop the Japanese import?

UFC on Versus 2 video preview, Dana White, Ross Pearson and more on ESPNs 'MMA Live'

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 05:06 AM PDT

Impact FC: Salaries not coming from a land down under

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 12:28 PM PDT

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If a fighter travels to Australia to compete on a pay-per-view that's being headlined by Ken Shamrock vs. Pedro Rizzo, the chances are pretty good that they did it because they needed the money.

And it the unfortunately case of Impact FC, they may not get it.

Cage Potato reveals that most, if not all of the combatants who participated on the Impact FC fight cards on July 10 (Brisbane) and July 18 (Sydney) are not in receipt of their complete fight purses.

Karo Parisyan, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Jesse Taylor have since confirmed the report.

And it may come as a complete shock (not really) that the failure to compensate said fighters stems from a lack of communication/cooperation between the financial backer and the MMA promoter.

First up is Impact FC financial backer Andrew McManus, as he throws promoter Tom Huggins under the bus:

“[Tom] Huggins has run back to Brazil and is uncontactable, whilst I (who never negotiated, contracted or was a party to any deal) have now been left trying to find funds to pay the men whilst all the false promises of sponsorships (never happened) and late gate sales and walk up all turned out to be lies.”

Huggins, naturally, didn't appreciate the accusations (or the tire marks):

“That statement is categorically untrue. I can provide you with the agreement between Andrew and myself, which clearly demonstrates that my responsibility was to procure fighters and make matches for the event within a given budget. The agreement clearly shows that ALL of the financing for the events, including fighter purses, was the responsibility of McManus. That being said, I feel that at the end of the day McManus being the professional that he is will fulfill his obligations and that the fighters will be paid.”

There's much more to the story over at Cage Potato but in the end there is really only one thing that matters: A group of fighters who are trying to make a living traveled to Australia to compete. They held up their end of the bargain and now it's time for someone at Impact FC to hold up theirs.

There's a lot of heat on the UFC for the low pay scale that up-and-coming fighters receive when competing inside the Octagon for the first time. But they can at least rest assured that win or lose, they're still getting paid. That's one of the unspoken benefits of competing under the jurisdiction of a state athletic commission.

Stay tuned for further details to this developing story as they become available.

UFC 120 on Spike TV confirmed for Oct. 16 in London

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 11:32 AM PDT

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Bugger all!

As expected, UFC 120 will air via tape-delay courtesy of the Spike TV network when Zuffa blows the roof off the O2 Arena on Saturday, Oct. 16 in London, England.

Leading the charge of Britain's best butt-kickers will be Michael "The Count" Bisping in a hard-hitting middleweight battle against Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama in the main event of the evening.

Joining them will be Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy as he tries to fight his way back into 170-pound title contention against Carlos "Natural Born Killer" Condit in the co-featured fight of the night.

Here is the current UFC 120 line-up:

Main event:

185 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Michael Bisping

Main card (Televised):

170 lbs.: Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy
170 lbs.: John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle
265 lbs.: Travis Browne vs. Cheick Kongo
170 lbs.: James Wilks vs. Claude Patrick

Under card (May not be broadcast):

205 lbs.: Steven Cantwell vs. Stanislav Nedkov
205 lbs.: Cyrille Diabate vs. Alexander Gustafsson
205 lbs.: Tom Blackledge vs. James McSweeney*
155 lbs.: Spencer Fisher vs. Kurt Warburton*
265 lbs.: Rob Broughton vs. Vinicius Kappke de Quieroz*

*Fight not officially confirmed by UFC.com.

Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE quick results of all the UFC 120 bouts as they happen on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 16) in London, as well as live blow-by-blow coverage of the tape delayed Spike TV broadcast beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

To get up to speed on the recent UFC 120 news and notes be sure to hit up our archive here.

Wanderlei Silva surgery video: 'One day I will raise the UFC belt -- or die trying'

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 11:09 AM PDT

UFC rankings/MMA rankings featured in USA Today for July 2010

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 10:56 AM PDT

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Our partners in crime over at BloodyElbow.com have once again published their divisional rankings for mixed martial arts in the nation’s largest daily newspaper, USA Today, for the month of July 2010.

For those of you unfamiliar with the process, here’s how it works:

"The rankings, which will offer a definitive perspective of top MMA fighters across all weight-classes, will be released monthly and published in the Sports section of USA TODAY, online at USATODAY.com and on SB Nation’s MMA commentary and community blog, BloodyElbow.com … The USA TODAY/SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings are compiled each month by Nate Wilcox and Richard Wade of BloodyElbow.com. The rankings utilize each of the top MMA rankings from multiple unique sources. A weighted-formula is applied to normalize and distill the various rankings into one consensus ranking per weight class."

To check out the latest USAT/SBN rankings click here. We’ve also listed their top 10 in each class after the jump for your convenience.

Heavyweight:

1. Brock Lesnar
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Cain Velasquez
4. Fabricio Werdum
5. Shane Carwin
6. Junior dos Santos
7. Frank Mir
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Josh Barnett

Light Heavyweight:

1. Mauricio Rua
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Rashad Evans
4. Quinton Jackson
5. Anderson Silva
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
8. Muhammed Lawal
9. Gegard Mousasi
10. Thiago Silva

Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Chael Sonnen
3. Jake Shields
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Vitor Belfort
6. Demian Maia
7. Dan Henderson
8. Yushin Okami
9. Jorge Santiago
10. Robbie Lawler

Welterweight:

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Nick Diaz
6. Dan Hardy
7. Martin Kampmann
8. Paulo Thiago
9. Matt Hughes
10. Paul Daley

Lightweight:

1. Frank Edgar
2. B.J. Penn
3. Gilbert Melendez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Eddie Alvarez
6. Shinya Aoki
7. Gray Maynard
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. George Sotiropoulos
10. Evan Dunham

Featherweight:

1. Jose Aldo
2. Manny Gamburyan
3. Mike Brown
3. Urijah Faber
5. Marlon Sandro
6. Bibiano Fernandes
7. Hatsu Hioki
8. Josh Grispi
9. Michihiro Omigawa
10. Masanori Kanehara

Bantamweight:

1. Dominick Cruz
2. Brian Bowles
3. Joseph Benavidez
4. Miguel Torres
5. Scott Jorgensen
6. Takeya Mizugaki
7. Masakatsu Ueda
8. Rani Yahya
9. Damacio Page
10. Wagnney Fabiano

What do you think? How much will these rankings change after the very busy month of MMA action this August?

Share your ranking rants in the comments section below.

Bellator 24: Yves Edwards vs Luis Palomino official for Aug. 12 in Hollywood

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 10:41 AM PDT

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CHICAGO, Ill. (July 29, 2010) - A showdown between one of MMA's most exciting lightweights and a colorful, highly-regarded South Florida fan favorite will serve as the "Local Main Event" when Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood , Fla. , for its Season 3 debut on Aug. 12th.

The much anticipated fight pits UFC and PRIDE veteran Yves Edwards (37-16-1) against four-time Bellator veteran and Miami native Luis "Baboon" Palomino (13-5) in a battle for bragging rights between two of South Florida's top MMA gyms, American Top Team and MMA Masters.

Edwards, one of MMA's most battle-tested veterans, is known as one of the most vicious finishers in the sport with 15 knockouts and 15 submissions to total 30 stoppages during his 13-year pro career. He has notable recent wins over UFC veteran Derrick Noble and WEC vet Kyle Jensen and is one of only three pros to have defeated former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson.

Palomino, who won a clear-cut unanimous decision victory over ATT up-and-comer Jose Figueroa at Bellator 21 on June 10th, has notched 7 of his 13 pro victories via KO or TKO. He also owns career wins versus Strikeforce and EliteXC vet Nick Gonzalez and Bellator, Strikeforce and Sengoku mainstay Jorge Masvidal.

Edwards and Palomino join a stacked Bellator 24 card that also features:

- A special non-title "Super Fight" between reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard (26-2-1) and former NFL standout Herbert "Whisper" Goodman (15-8);

- An opening-round fight in Bellator's Women's World Championship Tournament featuring the world's No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter, Megumi Fujii, and veteran submission grappler Angela Magana, the world's No. 8-ranked female fighter at 115 lbs.;

- Another opening-round Women's Tournament fight between the world's No. 6-ranked 125-pounder, Lynn "Lights Out" Alvarez, and Jessica Aguilar, the world's No.7-ranked 115-pounder; and

- An opening-round fight in Bellator's Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament between heavy-handed UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez and British behemoth Neil "Goliath" Grove.

Tickets for the event - which will also be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net - are on sale now at ticketmaster.com.

"The Edward-Palomino fight is just part of a talent-stacked Bellator 24 card that will kick off our third season in exciting fashion," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Yves Edwards has a well-earned reputation as a show-stopper and Luis Palomino has been known to knock guys out with impunity as well. It should be a very interesting fight and one that I'm definitely looking forward to watching."

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

Former Power Ranger and 4-0 amateur MMA fighter Jason David Frank intends to turn pro and hopes to...

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 10:26 AM PDT

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Former Power Ranger and 4-0 amateur MMA fighter Jason David Frank intends to turn pro and hopes to secure a future deal with Strikeforce.

Props: MMA Weekly. Photo courtesy of Justin Trapp via Fighter Portraits.

UFC 117: Jon Fitch plans to finish Thiago Alves (again), demand rematch with Georges St. Pierre (Video)

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 07:46 AM PDT

Strikeforce Challengers 10: Ryan Couture vs Lucas Stark booked for Aug. 13 in Phoenix

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 07:44 AM PDT

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 29, 2010) - Ryan Couture, son of MMA legend Randy "The Natural" Couture, has signed a multi-fight agreement with world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE and will make his professional MMA debut on Friday, Aug. 13 at the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., LIVE on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

The 27-year-old Couture, a member of the Las Vegas, Nev., based Xtreme Couture fight team, will face Lucas Stark of Chandler, Ariz. in a three-round lightweight (155 pounds) bout.

Looking to make a name for himself in the sport his father helped pioneer, Couture compiled an amateur record of 5-1-1 competing as a lightweight with all five wins coming by way of submission. He has had access to a who's who of MMA royalty as training partners and coaches, which, coupled with a solid amateur career, has given him the background and confidence to take his fight career to the next level.

Couture, whose parents split up when he was in sixth grade, spent his high school years in suburban Seattle. With his father being a former wrestling coach at Oklahoma State University, Couture naturally developed into a talented high school wrestler.

Following high school, Couture enrolled in Western Washington University in Bellingham, where he graduated in 2004 with a mathematics degree. He worked at a local bank until he realized his desire to work in the family business.

Couture began his MMA training in 2006, working diligently to mature into a well-rounded fighter, adding Muay Thai and a dangerous submission game to his repertoire. In January 2008, he moved to Las Vegas to train with his father.

In his final amateur bout on March 26, Couture fought to a draw against Sean Bollinger for the Tuff-N-UFF 155-pound title fight at The Orleans in Las Vegas.

Tickets for the Aug. 13 STRIKEFORCE Challengers event are on sale now through www.livenation.com , www.STRIKEFORCE.com , the Dodge Theatre Box Office, any Ticketmaster outlet or by phone at (800) 745-3000

In the main event, Phoenix native and MMA star Joe "Diesel" Riggs will take on knockout artist Louis Taylor at a catch weight of 182 pounds.

The event will also showcase a four-woman, single-elimination 135-pound tournament featuring STRIKEFORCE Women's welterweight prospects Miesha "Takedown" Tate, Carina "Beauty But The Beast" Damm, Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano and Maiju Kujala.

Dodge Theatre doors will open at 5:15 p.m. MT for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today's top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

Programming alert: 'Countdown to UFC 117' debuts Aug. 2 on Spike TV

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 07:30 AM PDT

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Countdown to UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" will debut Monday, Aug. 2 at 11:00 p.m. ET on Spike TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Saturday, Aug. 7.

The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, featuring current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and division number one contender Chael Sonnen.

Replays of "Countdown to UFC 117" will air at the following times:

Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 1 a.m. ET (Monday night into Tuesday morning on MTV tr3s)
Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. ET (Spike TV)
Thursday, Aug. 5 at Midnight ET (Versus)

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 117, beginning with the PPV telecast at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

To get up to speed on the "Silva vs. Sonnen" event be sure to check out the complete UFC 117 archive by clicking here.

Miguel Torres: Jake Shields dropped to 170 because he's afraid of Anderson Silva

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 07:07 AM PDT

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Props: MMA Live (via CageWriter)

Quoteworthy:

"I think he's getting out of 185 because he's a little bit afraid of Anderson (Silva). Anderson's a tough guy to fight at that weight class and he's thinking (Georges) St. Pierre's an easier fight. I think it might be too much of a weight cut. Sometimes trying to cut that it's a little bit too much for you and I think Shields is going to find out right off the bat. He's a great wrestler but at that weight class, cutting that weight is going to be rough."

Former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres has an unflattering assessment of Jake Shields return to the welterweight division after leaving behind his 185-pound title in Strikeforce to test his might inside the Octagon. Shields has competed in both divisions with great success but according to Torres, some of that wrestling prowess will be compromised in the weight cut. Will Martin Kampmann prove him right at UFC 121 in Anaheim? Or will Shields return to greatness regardless of weight class? And is Torres becoming a bantamweight version of Chael Sonnen with his recent trash talk?

UFC confirms first wave of fighters in attendance for UFC Fan Expo on Aug. 27-28 in Boston

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 06:52 AM PDT

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Dana White wasn't messing around when he promised to pull out all the stops for the promotion's first-ever trip to Boston, Mass., which is scheduled for the TD Garden on Aug. 28, 2010.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced the first wave of fighters who are expected to attend the Beantown Fan Expo at the John B. Hynes Convention Center from Aug. 27-28, leading right up until fight time to coincide with UFC 118: "Edgar vs. Penn 2."

Included in the fan experience are meet and greets with legendary UFC, Pride FC and WEC fighters, mixed martial arts (MMA) demonstrations, grappling "Super Fights," fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions, as well as other combat related opportunities and entertainment.

Confirmed for autograph sessions and a variety of other fan-related activities thus far is as follows:

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson, WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, Carlos Condit, Clay Guida, Cole Miller, Efrain Escudero, Gabriel Gonzaga, Jon Jones, Josh Grispi, Kurt Pellegrino, Matt Hamill, Martin Kampmann, Pat Barry, Roy Nelson, Thiago Alves, Anthony Johnson, Ricardo Almeida, Renzo Gracie, and former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber.

Additional fighters added to the upcoming UFC Fan Expo are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The exhibit floor will also feature apparel, electronic gaming, food & beverages, fight gear, fitness equipment and supplies, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products and much more.

Oh, and by the way, there are also some huge fights taking place that weekend.

UFC 118 will be headlined by a rematch for the lightweight title between B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn and division champion Frankie "The Answer" Edgar, as well as another exciting 155-pound showdown between Kenny "KenFlo" Florian and Gray "The Bully" Maynard.

Former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy "The Natural" Couture is also booked to introduce professional boxing champion James "Lights Out" Toney to the Octagon.

Sounds like a blast.

For more on UFC 118 be sure to hit up our event archive right here.

Jon Jones UFC on Versus 2 video blog with Brian Stann (Episode 1)

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 06:40 AM PDT

Anderson Silva joins Arianny Celeste and Kendra Perez at ESPN’s 'X Games 16' on July 29

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 06:38 AM PDT

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Calling all "Spider" fans and those who like to ogle hot women.

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will join Octagon girl Arianny Celeste and "Best of Pride" host Kendra Perez at ESPN’s X Games 16 tonight (July 29) at the L.A. Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.

"The Spider" will be attending the Moto X Freestyle Final, Women’s Super X Final and Men’s Super X Final, among other competitions -- all televised live nationally via ESPN.

Celeste and Perez will also be strutting their stuff throughout the evening.

ESPN X Games: Come for the dirt bikes, stay for the hotness (and Silva too).

War on the Mainland: Nobody's going to tell Jens Pulver he's too old or when to stop

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 06:18 AM PDT

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"I can’t keep getting cut and submitted. It’s not like I’m getting knocked unconscious or beat-up. I’m tired of losing. It’s important that I win this fight and do it my way. I always win my way. I have a game plan: I need to be open-minded, listen to my corner and be confident. Obviously, it’s not easy being confident having lost my last five fights, but I’m excited to find out. I have to win and fight smart doing it. I’m sick and tired of losing, even though I’m getting caught in submission holds, not getting beat up. I’m only 34 and nobody is going to tell me I’m too old or when to stop. This is a crossroad fight for me, though. If I can’t fix these little things and keep losing, it’s time for me to hang it up."

Former UFC lightweight champion and ex-WEC featherweight contender Jens Pulver releases a statement prior to his upcoming lightweight fight against Diego Garijo on the "War on the Mainland" pay-per-view card from Bren Events Center on Aug. 14 in Irvine, California. "Lil' Evil" was released from his Zuffa contract after falling to Javier Vasquez at WEC 47: "Bowles vs. Cruz" back on March 6. It was his seventh loss in eight fights and extended his losing streak to five. Will "El Nino" make it six? Or can Pulver finally get himself back into the win column at the expense of the Bellator veteran?

Vladimir Matyushenko 'Inside the Janitor's Closet' UFC on Versus 2 video blog (Episode 1)

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 06:01 AM PDT
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