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James Toney: Randy Couture is 'garbage' and its 'over' for him at UFC 118 (Video)
Bellator 26: Rory Markham vs Steve Carl booked for Aug. 26
WEC 50 weigh in results LIVE from Las Vegas for 'Cruz vs Benavidez'
Strikeforce open media workout photos gallery for 'Houston'
Chad Griggs: 'Bobby Lashley wants to fight for the title, but he’s got to get through me first'
TUF 12 video trailer for 'Team GSP vs Team Koscheck' on Sept. 15
Rafael dos Anjos: If I hadn’t broken my jaw, I would have beaten Clay Guida
Cro Cop: 'I'm not going to be 100 percent against Frank Mir, but I won't disappoint the fans'
Undefeated welterweight prospect Pascal "Panzer" Krauss (9-0) signs Zuffa contract; expected to...
UFC Quick Quote: Did Vince McMahon inadvertently help drive TUF ratings?
Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and Bruce Buffer on NBC's 'Poker After Dark'
EA Sports MMA Online video preview for October 19 release date
Pre-Order exclusives for EA SPORTS MMA include "Classic" Frank Shamrock, "Big" John McCarthy and...

James Toney: Randy Couture is 'garbage' and its 'over' for him at UFC 118 (Video)

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 07:09 PM PDT

Bellator 26: Rory Markham vs Steve Carl booked for Aug. 26

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 07:08 PM PDT

CHICAGO, Ill. (August 17, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships today announced that Bellator Season 2 welterweight semi-finalist Steve Carl (10-2-0) will take on fellow Iowa-native, hard-hitting UFC veteran Rory Markham (16-6-0) at Bellator 26 taking place at the Kansas City Power & Light District on Aug. 26th.

Carl is coming off of a loss to Season 2 runner-up Dan Hornbuckle at Bellator 19 last May. Prior to the defeat Carl held an impressive seven fight win-streak. Carl’s budding mixed martial arts career is just four years old, but he already has notched 10 impressive wins with six victories coming by way of submission.

The Iraq War veteran now faces one of the toughest fights in his young career when he faces off with the always exciting Rory Markham.

Markham, a product of the Miletich Martial Arts camp out of Bettendorf, Iowa, has yet to see a judge’s decision in his 22 fight career. With sixteen total wins in his six-year plus career, eleven have come via KO or TKO. The 28-year-old fighter showed a combative spirit at a young age, getting involved in traditional Karate and eventually competing in tournaments where he became affiliated with legendary trainer Pat Miletich.

With an established willingness to stand and trade, there is no question that Markhamwill bring-it in his Bellator 26 match-up with Carl. However, Carl is no stranger to a challenge. Just yesterday he received his honorable discharge papers from the U.S. Army, ending an eight-year service commitment that included a tour of Iraq.

Carl became interested in MMA while stationed in Fort Hood, Texas.

"As an MMA fan, I’m really looking forward to this fight," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Markham is one of the toughest guys in the sport and Carl showed huge tenacity in his fight with Brett Cooper — this should be a great fight."

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

WEC 50 weigh in results LIVE from Las Vegas for 'Cruz vs Benavidez'

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 03:32 PM PDT

The official weigh in event for WEC 50: "Cruz vs. Benavidez" is in the books. The last of the formalities before tomorrow night's mixed martial arts extravaganza went down earlier today from "The Pearl" at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Things went smoothly as each of the twenty fighters scheduled for action hit their respective weights without incident.

Newly crowned 135 pound champion Dominick Cruz is set to defend his title for the first time ever in the night's featured bout against team Alpha Male product Joseph Benavidez in a rematch of their war from WEC 42 last summer.

Shane Roller, Anthony Pettis, Scott Jorgensen, Bart Palaszewski, Cub Swanson, and several other WEC stars will be in action on the card as well.

Check out the complete "Cruz vs. Benavidez" weigh-in results and live feed after the jump:

Main Event:

135 lbs.: Dominick Cruz (134) vs. Joseph Benavidez (134)

Main Card (Televised):

155 lbs.: Zach Micklewright (156) vs. Bart Palaszewski (156)
155 lbs.: Scott Jorgensen (135) vs. Brad Pickett (136)
155 lbs.: Anthony Pettis (155) vs. Shane Roller (156)
145 lbs.: Chad Mendes (145) vs. Cub Swanson (146)

Preliminary Card (May not be televised):

145 lbs.: Mackens Semerzier (146) vs. Javier Vazquez (145)
155 lbs.: Dave Jansen (156) vs. Ricardo Lamas (155)
145 lbs.: Bryan Caraway (145) vs. Fredson Paixao (145)
155 lbs.: Maciej Jewtuszko (155) vs. Anthony Njokuani (154)
155 lbs.: Danny Castillo (156) vs. Dustin Poirier (156)

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Wednesday, Aug. 18), which is slated to air at 9 p.m. ET on the Versus network.

It’s going to be a fun night of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to also check us out for all the post-fight WEC 50 coverage you can handle as well.

Strikeforce open media workout photos gallery for 'Houston'

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 02:48 PM PDT

All photos courtesy of Esther Lin and STRIKEFORCE.

Check out pics of KJ Noons, Chad Robichaux and Artenas Young after the jump.

Strikeforce: "Houston" news and notes here.

Chad Griggs: 'Bobby Lashley wants to fight for the title, but he’s got to get through me first'

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 01:54 PM PDT

Props: Strikeforce.com

Quoteworthy:

"He wants to fight for the title, but he’s got to get through me first. Hopefully he’s not overlooking me. He needs to be prepared. If he loses to me, it’s going to take him awhile to get back in the running, getting people to once again believe that he’s the man. Everybody wants to see Bobby fight and wants to see him tested. So the message is that I’m planning on testing him. The goal is to get there and hit him with a few things he hasn’t been hit with yet. We’ll see if he really does want to fight or not. I think the fans will jump over to my side once the tide turns. Once they see he’s not invincible, I think they’ll come over to the underdog’s side. I know I’ll have a few fans there, and hopefully after the fight, I’ll have a few more."

Strikeforce heavyweight Chad Griggs plans on derailing the Bobby Lashley hype train when they collide at the upcoming "Houston" event on Aug. 21. "The Grave Digger" has won three straight fights with three (T)KO finishes and would do a lot to elevate his status by upsetting the "Dominator." Does Griggs have a shot at playing spoiler? Or is he just another regional fighter being "fed" to the former WWE superstar?

TUF 12 video trailer for 'Team GSP vs Team Koscheck' on Sept. 15

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 10:06 AM PDT

If the video doesn't play in your browser click here for an alternate link.

Rafael dos Anjos: If I hadn’t broken my jaw, I would have beaten Clay Guida

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 09:12 AM PDT

Props:Tatame.com

Quoteworthy:

"Well, on the first minute of fight I was going inside him and he punched me twice and it broke my jaw in two different places ... When I touched my teeth with my tongue I felt that everything was out of place and I had swallowed a lot of blood ... The truth is that, after he broke my jaw, I felt it like if it was a series tiny electric shock on my head, it was very weird, and it got sensible too. Any punch or pressure on that area would make the shocks become harder and harder and I got dizzy and lose my strength. When he pressured me on the grid I couldn't handle it. Joe Silva said I'll come back. I think everyone could see I was better in the fight. If I hadn't broken my jaw, I would have won that fight."

UFC lightweight submission specialist Rafael dos Anjos will have six months on the sidelines to think about his loss to Clay Guida t UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" earlier this month in Oakland. "The Carpenter" forced the wily Brazilian to call it quits after shattering his jaw in the first round. Dos Anjos contends it was his fight until the unfortunate injury. Anyone out there agree with his assessment?

Cro Cop: 'I'm not going to be 100 percent against Frank Mir, but I won't disappoint the fans'

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 08:27 AM PDT

Props: Fighters Only

Quoteworthy:

"I am aware that I am not going to be 100-percent for this fight because in this sport five weeks notice is basically last-minute notice. But I know the UFC had no other solution and so I could not refuse the owner of the UFC, who has made me financially secure, or the UFC fans, who I do not want to disappoint."

Croatian sensation Mirko Filipovic confirms his participation in the UFC 119 main event against Frank Mir after "Minotauro" Nogueira was forced to withdraw from the Sept. 25 fight card due to ailing hips. "Cro Cop" doesn't think he can be 100-percent prepared in just five weeks, but was not about to disappoint the UFC or his fans by turning down the fight. Is 85-percent of Crobocop still enough to stop Mir? Let's hear your predictions ...

Undefeated welterweight prospect Pascal "Panzer" Krauss (9-0) signs Zuffa contract; expected to...

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 08:08 AM PDT

Undefeated welterweight prospect Pascal "Panzer" Krauss (9-0) signs Zuffa contract; expected to make his Octagon debut at UFC 122 on Nov. 13 in Oberhausen.

Props: GroundandPound.de

UFC Quick Quote: Did Vince McMahon inadvertently help drive TUF ratings?

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 07:52 AM PDT

Former wrestling deity Paul Heyman seems to think so in his interview with The MMA Hour.

"I was there in the room when we decided whether to let The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) come on after Monday Night Raw. They had the right to approve or decline any programming that followed them. I told [the WWE], they better not let [the UFC] on ... Yeah, I'm the a--hole that almost turned it down. [I said] 'You should be afraid of anything that will take away from your pay-per-view dollar. They are going to reach into your pocket, rip it open, and all those dollars are going to flow right there.' Here's the best way I can tell you about Vince McMahon. It's the ultimate Vince control story. If you're in the room with Vince McMahon and he sneezes, go on your Blackberry for the next 20 minutes because nothing you say to him is going to get through ... Cause he gets really p-----d off. Cause he can't control the sneeze."

WWE czar Vince McMahon didn't see the need to overrule Spike TV's decision to air the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) immediately after the wrestling companies flagship program RAW, despite the outside chance that somewhere down the road it could draw blood from McMahon's viewing audience. Paul Heyman, housed under the WWE banner at the time, sent up a red flag that was ultimately ignored. Now that MMA has surpassed the WWE in overall pay-per-view buys, does McMahon have any regrets? And will his ego allow him to?

Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and Bruce Buffer on NBC's 'Poker After Dark'

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 07:11 AM PDT

But which of these UFC vets will survive during this week's late night tournament on NBC?

From "Poker After Dark:"

High stakes poker is all about intimidation. Pros get rich by knowing how to stare down the competition. But take them away from the table and the average shark is about as scary as a guppy. Players who enter the exclusive poker room might worry about going broke, but not getting something broken. This week that could change. For more than a decade, Randy Couture and Dan Henderson have made their living by hurting people. And with multiple mixed martial arts championships to their names, they’re obviously good at it. Bruce Buffer is the voice of MMA and an imposing figure himself. He would fare much better in the octagon than any of this week’s pros - Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren and Patrik Antonius. But the felt is the pros home turf and their experience is definitely an advantage. But they should remember that a day in the office for the MMA guys means getting punched and kicked within an inch of their lives. So throwing chips at them could just make them angry.

"Buff" may be the most accomplished player of the trio, but can he outlast the pros? Will Hendo or the "Natural" go all in -- or all out? Find out this week on NBC.

EA Sports MMA Online video preview for October 19 release date

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 06:35 AM PDT