Wednesday, August 11, 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

Paul Daley slapped with 30-day suspension for 'Kos-gate' at UFC 113 on May 8

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 04:00 PM PDT

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Former UFC welterweight striker Paul Daley has been slapped with a 30-day suspension for his unprofessional conduct following a UFC 113 loss to Josh Koscheck in what was billed as a 170-pound number one contender's bout back on May 8.

Sherdog.com brings word from Collette Lepianay, information agent for the Governing Body of Alcohol, Races and Games of Quebec (RACJ), which oversees combat sports in the province.

"Semtex" exploded after he was outwrestled for three rounds on the televised portion of the "Machida vs. Shogun II" fight card. Koscheck neutralized the deadly hands of the British banger, effectively earning himself a spot as coach on the upcoming twelfth season of The Ultimate Fighter(TUF) opposite division champion Georges St. Pierre.

Following his expulsion from the world's largest fight promotion, Daley competed "Down Under," defeating Daniel Acacio via submission at Impact FC 2: "The Uprising" on July 18 in Sydney.

He's now slated to appear opposite Bellator standout Jorge Masvidal at Shark Fights 13 on Sept. 11 in Amarillo, Texas. Daley's suspension is not expected to conflict with that appearance.

Any MMA fans out there think that getting kicked out of the UFC was punishment enough? Or was today's suspension too lenient? Let's hear your take on "Kos-gate."

Crossing Over: Dave 'Batista' hoping to 'legitimize himself' as a mixed martial artist (Video)

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 03:44 PM PDT

Shark Fights 13: Paul Daley vs Jorge Masvidal booked for Sept. 11 in Amarillo

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 03:26 PM PDT

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Former UFC welterweight striker Paul Daley (24-9-2) is ready to make good on his one-fight contract with Shark Fights now that the promotion has paired him up with Bellator standout Jorge Masvidal (20-5) for event number 13 on Sept. 11 in Amarillo, Texas.

"Semtex" recently defeated Daniel Acacio via submission at Impact FC 2: "The Uprising" on July 18 in Sydney, marking his first win (and his first fight) since falling to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 earlier this year.

The match with "Kos" was also his last inside the Octagon -- thanks to a cheap shot he unloaded on the AKA wrestler out of frustration from losing in their number one contender bout.

Daley's 30-day suspension for the Montreal screwjob is not expected to interfere with his appearance for Shark Fights.

Standing in his way is Masvidal, who's kept himself busy on the International fight scene, competing ten times over the span of two years.

Aside from taking two out of three under the Bellator banner, "Gamebred" went 2-1 since leaving the promotion, most recently outpointing Naoyuki Kotaniat at Hidehiko Yoshida's "Astra" farewell earlier this year.

Shark Fights 13 will be headlined by "The Dean of Mean," Keith Jardine, as he tangles with well-traveled MMA veteran Trevor Prangley. Also on tap is another light heavyweight war between Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Houston Alexander.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on this still-developing fight card.

UFC 118: 'Edgar vs Penn 2' weigh ins to air live via Spike TV on Aug. 27

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 03:02 PM PDT

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How big is UFC 118?

Big enough for Spike TV to broadcast live coverage of the entire "Edgar vs. Penn 2" weigh-ins from the TD Garden on Friday, August 27 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Maybe that decision has to do with the popularity of BJ Penn, or maybe even James Toney. Or perhaps Spike TV was so happy with the 645,000 gawkers they drew with the UFC 116 televised weigh ins that they opted to go to the well once again.

And as usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the UFC 118 weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude.

UFC 118 will feature a rematch for the lightweight title between B.J. Penn and division champion Frankie Edgar in the main event of the evening. Former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture will introduce professional boxing champion James Toney to the Octagon in the co-featured fight of the night.

Another exciting 155-pound showdown between Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard is also on tap.

For all the latest news and notes on the promotion's first-ever trip to "Beantown" click here.

UFC 121: Diego Sanchez returns to Greg Jackson's camp to train for Paulo Thiago fight (Video)

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 02:42 PM PDT

I guess time really does heal all wounds. Find out why he left after the jump.

Feb. 2008 interview with the "Nightmare:"

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): [Georges St. Pierre is] now with Greg Jackson and you're not. Based on what you've said thus far I'll assume that's more than just a coincidence?

Diego Sanchez: I have so much respect for the Jackson camp. Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, all those guys, they're still my boys. My loyalty was very strong. But GSP could have gone to any camp he wanted. He knew that place was my home, my dream. That took a little something out of my heart. He's training in the cage that I bled in, that I sweat in and cried in.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Did you feel pushed aside when he arrived?

Diego Sanchez: Put yourself there for a minute. You're an undefeated fighter coming off two of the biggest wins of your career (Parisyan/Riggs). Now they're bringing in the champion of your weight class to train with your guys? For three months I was telling Greg that my heart wasn't feeling it. Greg kept telling me "Trust me, trust me, you guys are going to make each other the best" but I kept feeling like their true intentions were to make me go down to 155. I mean most of the Jackson fighters cut a lot of weight and that's not me. I wasn't going to do it. I wasn't bowing down to Georges St. Pierre. I ain't riding nobody's coattails. I'm Diego Sanchez and just because I had two decision losses - one while I was sick and one controversial to a top five welterweight - does not mean that I'm gonna give up on my dream, my dream to be welterweight champion. Maybe me and GSP will throw down in Albuquerque somewhere in the future. Dana told me there is going to be a show in Albuquerque. I don't want to fight him unless it's for the title. I want him for five rounds.

"Rush" rebuttal from Aug. 2008 interview:

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): In my interview with fellow welterweight and former Jackson pupil Diego Sanchez, the "Nightmare" blamed you for his split with Greg Jackson - that you kind of ran him out of town with your arrival. Your response?

Georges St. Pierre: (Pauses) Well, I don't think so. I thought that Diego left because of his kid in California and for his family. I don't know if it was for anything else.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Here is a direct quote from Diego: ‘GSP could have gone to any camp he wanted. He knew that place was my home, my dream. That took a little something out of my heart. He's training in the cage that I bled in, that I sweat in and cried in'.

Georges St. Pierre: Well...he's got to do what he's got to do. I don't have any angry feeling towards Diego Sanchez.

Strikeforce Challengers 10: Meet the lovely ladies set to kick butt on Aug. 13 in Phoenix

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 02:23 PM PDT

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Strikeforce is just days away from their four woman, single elimination tournament set for the upcoming "Challengers X" Showtime event on Aug. 13 from the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona.

The winner of that tournament becomes the number two contender to the Strikeforce Woman's Welterweight Championship, currently held by undefeated Canadian Sarah Kaufman (12-0).

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 now fight Kaufman, setting up a third title bout for 2011 that will include one of those two ladies versus one of these four:

Miesha "Takedown" Tate (9-2)
Carina "Beauty But The Beast" Damm (15-3)
Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano (15-7)
Maiju Kujala (4-1)

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:

"We are going to fast-track these four talented prospects in a quest to determine the best in this deep women's division. Having all four women square off on one night with the chance to separate themselves from the pack is what Strikeforce Challengers is all about."

Should be interesting.

UFC Quick Quote: Randy Couture doesn't believe James Toney's training camp submissions claims

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 12:34 PM PDT

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"Nah, I don't believe that. He's probably doing some wrestling with Mo Lawal. That wouldn't surprise me. I know he's not training with Dean Lister. Dean called me himself when that one broke and said, 'I'm not training with that guy. Don't believe that stuff.' But it doesn't matter. All the talk is just talk. No matter who he can get to say he's tapped them out in training, on the day he's still going to walk down to the cage and get in there with me and that's when all that stuff stops."

Randy Couture ain't buying what James Toney is selling. Those tales of "Lights Out" tapping "King Mo" and Dean Lister in training for their UFC 118 clash on August 28 are all hogwash according to the UFC Hall of Famer. In fact, "The Natural" says he has proof to the contrary. Couture told MMA Fighting that Dean Lister himself called the former champ up and told him he's never even trained with Toney. Whoops. Anyone surprised by this revelation? Does the fact that James is resorting to this type of desperate act tell you all you need to know about who holds the upper hand as the "UFC vs. Boxing" deemed match up in Boston quickly approaches?

Paulo Filho returns to Brazilian Top Team

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 12:22 PM PDT

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Props: Graciemag

Quoteworthy:

"I’ve been alone for some time and saw it doesn’t work out. I realized that I need human material and the strenght from the teammates. Brazilian Top Team is organized and I believe in Murilo Bustamanteso much and I’m back. I’m going to support Toquinho for his upcoming fight at UFC 118 and I’ll take Bebezao and Alexandro Machado and will also try to take Arona with me. I want to be tuned again like we had in the past. It’s like romantism. Looking back to where you lived many things, shared friends losses and cohabit with great names of this sport. I was a boy there and now I feel myself as a veteran who has come back. We got thirsty guys who want to get in and I feel in obligation to help and be helped out".

Once considered top five middleweight in the world, Paulo Filho is back to the academy that placed him in the MMA spotlight. "The Bullet" became famous for his ability in takedowns and capacity to finish opponents using his high level jiu-jitsu. After wandering to unknown teams and going down in the rankings, Filho rejoined BTT and will train with Rousimar Palhares for his match-up versus Nate Marquardt at UFC 118. What do you make of this news? Is Paulo Filho coming to the top status at last or is it just another frustrating attempt? Post your opinion, please.

UFC 117 PPV buys trending towards 1 million

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 11:48 AM PDT

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Talk about putting in work.

Not only did Chael Sonnen deliver inside of the Octagon at UFC 117 in what turned out to be an epic battle against Anderson Silva that won't soon be forgotten, but the brash wrestler's pre-fight verbal assault that drew national media attention appears to have accomplished his ultimate goal ... garnering interest.

From the Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez (via Bloody Elbow):

Sonnen, as recapped in last week's newsletter, did the best one-man build for a PPV in years, perhaps ever. We don't have a buyrate and won't have a really good indication on how the show did until at least next week. I do know that using the method I usually use on Monday mornings, which is usually pretty accurate in terms of a predictor (I came up with 1.5 million for UFC 100 and the real number was 1.6 million, and 1.25 million for UFC 116 and the real number ended up being about 1.1 million, so it's sometimes up and sometimes down but usually close) the show is trending just slightly under the Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans show, which did about 1 million buys. Dana White on Saturday night said his early trending info had him ecstatic and was pointing to the biggest Anderson Silva fight of all time. Keep in mind the previous biggest Anderson fight was versus Forrest Griffin, which did about 900,000. The feeling from the UFC side Monday was that it's likely going to finish at around a million buys or maybe just underneath that. 

This is a prime example of any publicity is good publicity. Yes, often what Chael Sonnen had to say in the lead up to UFC 117 was bizarre, foul, and simply inaccurate. But interest level in August 7th's main event exponentially increased solely due to Sonnen's questionable commentary.

Take it for what it's worth, but Jim Rome led off his television show, Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN, with Chael Sonnen talk after the whole Lance Armstrong debacle. Key phrase there being 'led off his show.' Tiger Woods, the start of the NFL preseason, and MLB pennant races all to a back seat to the Sonnen show. In fact, Rome stated that he had several people call into his nationally syndicated radio show who had never watched or had any interest in MMA or the UFC before, say that they would be tuning in on August 7 just to see what this guy was all about. Looks like they tuned in in droves.

I'm not going to say whether or not Chael deserves an immediate rematch. I'm actually in the camp that believes he doesn't deserve it. But would I have a problem should the UFC decide otherwise? Absolutely not. We all know by now that the UFC, and MMA as a whole, is not just a sport, but a business. If the Zuffa brass are looking to do big business, Silva vs. Sonnen 2 would clearly be the route to take. Fight fans have made that clear.

UFC 120: Dan Hardy is going to 'beat up' Carlos Condit and his 'screwed up face'

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 11:11 AM PDT

 Will "The Outlaw" have the screwed up face come October 16?

Thiago Alves turns to 'The Dolce Diet' in hopes of remaining at welterweight

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 09:51 AM PDT

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Props: MMA Fighting

Quoteworthy:

"It hurts my soul to see these guys work so hard in the gym their whole damn lives, get to the UFC, the biggest stage for MMA in the world, and have it all go to sh-t the couple days before the weigh-in just because they haven't learned the right information or they're listening to the wrong people ... Thiago told me on the phone earlier that he walks around at 195 [pounds] eight weeks before the fight. I said, 'Sh-t, that's it? You can do that the week before the fight with me and you'll feel phenomenal. The sauna to me is like an oven. Most saunas are 180 degrees. You're actually cooking, roasting your organs ... You're bringing them into a detrimental state on the eve of the most important event of your life. Most athletes just think, 'Oh, I have to make weight.' Not, 'I have to make weight and then perform at the best of my ability.' I keep my athletes super-hydrated the week of the fight. I keep them eating food, eating carbohydrates the entire week of the fight. In this business, a lot of guys don't want to pay for anything. They work so hard to make what money they do ... But these guys are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars over time in bonuses, incentives, sponsorships, and purse upgrades, simply by not doing this the right way."

UFC welterweight (and possibly middleweight) Thiago Alves will soon be adhering to "The Dolce Diet" after failing to make weight for his UFC 117 fight against Jon Fitch. "Pitbull" is a repeat offender and has been threatened to be removed from the 170-pound division by UFC President Dana White. Can Mike Dolce, MMA fighter and nutritional guru, cure the Brazilian of his weight cutting issues? And how dangerous can Alves be if he doesn't need the sauna the day before a fight? Time will tell...

Tachi Palace Fights 6 poster for 'High Stakes' on Sept. 9 in Lemoore

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 09:50 AM PDT

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For more on Tachi Palace Fights 6: "High Stakes" click here.

UFC Quick Quote: Detached retina cost Alan Belcher 'Fight Night 22' main event and possibly his career

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 08:50 AM PDT

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"I had a detached retina, I just lost the vision in my right eye. It just happened all of the sudden, pretty much overnight. I was training in Brazil, messing around there for a few days and had surgery the day after I came home. I think it happened in training but I don't exactly know when. It's gonna take a couple of months to heal, to be at its peak, so then I'll know how much my vision comes back. I lost a lot of my peripheral vision but I got that back right away but everything is blurry and distorted, pretty much like it was before the surgery. [The Doctor] says it's definitely not gonna get back the same, but at best it's gonna be something like 20/40, 20/60 vision. There's gonna be more surgeries probably even at the best case scenario. Worst case is I don't get any better than this and I'm only working with one eye and then I probably don't want to risk fighting again with only one eye because if I lose that one I'm gonna be blind. I'm not even thinking about fighting right now. I'm just going to wait a couple of months and see where I'm at. It's disappointing because I was on a roll and getting really close to a title, but there's nothing I can do about it, just deal with it. I'll be back in there if my health allows me to."

UFC middleweight Alan Belcher finally gets a spot in a UFC main event as well as his name on the corresponding poster -- only to lose them both after suffering a detached retina while training for his Sept. 15 fight against Demian Maia. "The Talent" tells PureFight.org that he's on the shelf for several months while his eye heals and will likely face multiple surgeries in 2011 to fully correct his vision. If he can't, it may be the end of his promising fight career, illustrating just how dangerous this sport can be both inside and outside the cage.

UFC 118: "Edgar vs. Penn 2" will continue the trend of showing live UFC pay-per-views in theaters...

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 08:14 AM PDT

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UFC 118: "Edgar vs. Penn 2" will continue the trend of showing live UFC pay-per-views in theaters nationwide.

Bellator 24: Carla Esparza vs Megumi Fujii booked for Aug. 12 with Angela Magana hurt

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 08:12 AM PDT

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CHICAGO, Ill. (August 10, 2010) - Bellator Fighting Championships today confirmed that Angela Magana has suffered a stress fracture to her right big toe that has subsequently forced her out of her scheduled Bellator 24 match-up with Megumi Fujii (20-0).

Magana's injury has provided an opening for undefeated Two-Time NCAA All American wrestler Carla Esparza (3-0) to step up to the challenge and face the World's #1 female fighter at Bellator 24 in the Season 3 Women's Tournament kicking off on August 12th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Esparza, the former two-time NCAA All American wrestler out of Menlo College in Atherton, California. A product of the highly touted Team Oyama is coming off of an impressive performance in her third professional fight against Strikeforce veteran Lacey Schuckman less than a month ago.

Esparza secured a fight-ending rear-naked choke halfway through the second round.

"Angela's unfortunate injury provides a spectacular opportunity for Carla. The two time All - American Wrestler has been working intensively with Team Oyama and now she has the opportunity to shock the world of women's MMA.," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "I have great respect for Carla's willingness to step up on short notice to face Megumi Fujii. She comes into this fight with a pure fighters attitude, she's not here to survive, she's coming here to win.

Fujii is widely regarded as the No.1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world. She was trained in MMA by Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Abe and top heavyweight Josh Barnett and is known for her quick takedowns and skilled submissions. In fact, 16 of the 20 Japanese MMA sensation's wins have come via submission.

However, Esparza plans on countering with her wrestling ability.

"I definitely think my wrestling is going to play a huge factor in this fight with Fujii," said Esparza. "I don't think she's ever encountered a wrestler that has my striking ability. It's not going to be a grappling match. She's going to have to worry about my wrestling and my striking."

"If I wasn't in shape and ready for this fight I wouldn't have taken it. With just three days notice I'm not going to be as prepared as I'd like to be, but I'm not going in there to survive for three rounds - I'm going in there to win."

The two fighters join an impressive crop of female fighters competing in the Bellator Season 3 Women's Tournament with 7-1 knockout artist Zoila Frausto, 12-5 Seattle submission specialist Lisa Ward, 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene, 5-1 Las Vegas-based powerhouse Lynn "Lights Out" Alvarez, 9-0 Irish sensation Aisling Daly and 8-4 American Top Team product Jessica Aguilar.

Additionally, in a late undercard switch up, Farakhad Sharipov (11-3) replaces Chino Duran and takes on Eric Luke in a featherweight contest.

Tickets for the event - which will also be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net along with action-packed highlight shows that will air on NBC Saturday nights - are on sale now at ticketmaster.com

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

Gilbert Melendez wants to prove he's the best lightweight in the world ...

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 08:02 AM PDT

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... unless he moves up to welterweight if and when the Strikeforce 155-pound talent pool dries up.

"Yeah I'm a free agent but at this point I already plan on re-signing with Strikeforce. I really believe it goes number one BJ Penn, number two Frankie Edgar and I really believe I'm number three in the world right now. I'm definitely coming for the number one spot but I got a lot to prove. It's gonna be hard because I don't fight BJ or Frankie Edgar so Strikeforce is going to have to come up with some people in the top ten for me to beat to help me prove that. Maybe I'll go up to 170, who knows."

"El Nino" shares his future goals with Heavy.com and it doesn't sound like they include defecting to the UFC like his friend and team mate Jake Shields. Melendez holds the Strikeforce lightweight championship and consistently finds himself among the top five fighters in his weight class. Can he jump to number one without a tour in Las Vegas? And what kind of impact can he make at 170-pounds?

Roy "Crash Test Country" Nelson and his indestructible stomach (GIF).

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 07:17 AM PDT

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Roy "Crash Test Country" Nelson and his indestructible stomach (GIF).

UFC Fight Night 22: Dave Branch vs Tomaz Drwal planned for Sept. 15 with Nick Catone hurt

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 06:47 AM PDT

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UFC middleweight Nick Catone has been forced to withdraw from his second straight event after succumbing to an injured shoulder while preparing for his UFC Fight Night 22 bout on Sept. 15 in Austin, Texas.

MMA DieHards reports that Catone's team mate, Dave Branch, will step in to replace him against opponent Tomasz Drwal.

Branch made his UFC debut against Gerald Harris last month at UFC 116, falling to the "Hurricane" after being slammed into unconsciousness midway through the third round.

It was the first career loss for the Brooklyn native who scored consecutive submission wins (rear naked choke) over Dennis Olson and Derrick Mehmen under the Bellator banner prior to his Zuffa debut.. None of his six wins have gone the distance and he's a well balanced finisher at three subs and three (T)KO's.

Like Branch, Drwal would probably like to forget his last appearance inside the Octagon. After stringing together three straight wins, the "Gorilla" was forced to surrender his heel to muscular submission master Rousimar Palhares at UFC 111 back in March.

He'll need to once again keep his submission defense in check against the crafty Branch when they collide next month.

UFC Fight Night 22 will feature a "Great" main event between perennial middleweight contender Nate Marquardt and up-and-coming grappling stud Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares.

TUF alumni and lightweight standouts Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig will also hook 'em up in a rematch from their UFC 115 bout that ended in controversy back on June 12.

For the new and improved Fight Night 22 line up click here.
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