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

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• Randy Couture plans to sit back and set up James Toney at UFC 118 (Video)
• Bellator 26 weigh in results announced for Kansas City event
• UFC 118 press conference photos gallery for 'Edgar vs Penn 2'
• Alistair Overeem next fight in K-1, no intention to fight Fedor in 2010
• UFC 118 video blog with Dana White (Episode 2)
• M-1 Global & Fedor Emelianenko: 'We want Alistair Overeem'
• In preparation for his UFC 120 fight against Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama has...
• Aaron Simpson: 'If Brock Lesnar doesn't finish Cain Velasquez early, he's going to be in trouble'
• UFC 118: Randy Couture on ESPN's SportsCenter (Video)
• UFC Quick Quote: Kenny Florian has a 'surprise' for 'cocky' Gray Maynard in Boston
• SeatGeek, with the help of MMAmania.com, analyzed the ticket price differential between UFC 118 and...
• Nick Diaz vs KJ Noons rematch official for Strikeforce: 'San Jose' on October 9
• Joe Lauzon: 'It's been a long time since I've been this confident'
• TMZ reports that War Machine has been sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation...

Randy Couture plans to sit back and set up James Toney at UFC 118 (Video) Posted: 25 Aug 2010 09:49 PM PDT

Bellator 26 weigh in results announced for Kansas City event Posted: 25 Aug 2010 09:45 PM PDT Chicago (August 18, 2010) -- One night before Bellator Fighting Championships’ much-anticipated event at Kansas City Power & Light District, the fighters competing in tomorrow’s event participated in an official weigh-in just blocks away at the Mariott KC Downtown. All main-card fighters made weight.  The official results of the Bellator 26 weigh-in are as follows: MAIN CARD: 265 pounds: Mike Hayes (238 lbs.) vs. Alexey Oleinik (230 lbs.) 135 pounds: Jose Vega (134.75 lbs.) vs. Danny Tims (135.5 lbs.) 175 pounds: Tyler Stinson (173 lbs.) vs. Steve Carl (174 lbs.)* 115 pounds: Lisa Ward (114 lbs.) vs. Aisling Daly (115 lbs.) UNDERCARD: 185 pounds: Zak Cummings (181 lbs.) vs. Rudy Bears (182 lbs.) 145 pounds: Kevin Croom (145 lbs.) vs. Brian Davidson (145 lbs.) 185 pounds: JO (184.75 lbs.) vs. BI (185 lbs.) 205 pounds: Demetrius Richards (201 lbs.) vs. Jeb Chiles (203 lbs.) *Catchweight bout @ 175 lbs. Bellator 26 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC and Sunday night on mun2.

UFC 118 press conference photos gallery for 'Edgar vs Penn 2' Posted: 25 Aug 2010 05:44 PM PDT Props: Heavy.com (Click the link to check out the entire collection) Can you comprehend this happening anytime soon? BJ Penn thinks it could be worse ... like having a former WWE superstar (ahem, Brock Lesnar) reign supreme as UFC champion. See what he has to say right here.

Alistair Overeem next fight in K-1, no intention to fight Fedor in 2010 Posted: 25 Aug 2010 04:05 PM PDT That's because the "Demolition Man" planned to fight Fabricio Werdum next, but now that he's on shelf with an injury until early 2011, he tells MMAFighting.com that things have changed: "I'm going to fight in the K-1 tournament, so my first fight will be October for the Final 16 in Korea. If I win the fight, I will advance to the Final 8 in Japan. That fight will be in December. I've stated many times that Strikeforce was my number one priority, but after Fedor lost to Werdum, I had no intention of fighting somebody other than Werdum. I came to the States to challenge the winner of the fight and that was Werdum, so no need to fight somebody else. Furthermore, I like K-1 very much and there are not many opportunities to stay fighting in K-1, so I want to fight if I still can. One of my goals is to be K-1 champion and this is my chance." The Strikeforce heavyweight champion adds more intrigue, saying the announcement released today by M-1 Global is nothing but Russian smoke and mirrors: "My decision was made because nothing was certain and Strikeforce and M-1 didn't act fast enough when I made my decision to start K-1 training. Now I read on the internet that Fedor and his management want to fight me all of sudden. Do they really need two months of thinking and negotiating? I think it's a little strange to be honest. If Fedor challenged me right after the fight it would have been something to take in consideration, but the M-1 management started to say that all the polls on several websites stated that people rather have a Fedor vs. Werdum rematch then a fight against me. There we have another lie by M-1 because every poll I have read stated the opposite and showed that everybody want to see Fedor versus me. Check their current poll at their own Web site (laughs)." The good news (if you can call it that)? Overeem does not rule out the possibility of someday fighting the elusive "Last Emperor:" If Fedor stays in Strikeforce and beats Antonio Silva and I win my fight against Werdum, then there is a big possibility that I will face him. So I still think I will meet him in the cage eventually.... If Fedor stays in Strikeforce and beats Antonio Silva and I win my fight against Werdum, then there is a big possibility that I will face him. So I still think I will meet him in the cage eventually.... [M-1 Global] has a different mentality and culture ... I have the feeling that Fedor doesn't know what M-1 is demanding behind his back. I don't want to go in to details so I won't. All I can say is never have I witnessed a management manipulating and using the amount of tricks as Fedor's management has done.... So now I will move on and focus on my own career." Ho-hum.

UFC 118 video blog with Dana White (Episode 2) Posted: 25 Aug 2010 03:33 PM PDT Dana visits ESPN headquarters.

M-1 Global & Fedor Emelianenko: 'We want Alistair Overeem' Posted: 25 Aug 2010 12:43 PM PDT Fedor: "This is an important match for me and something that I personally want to happen. There have been conversations about putting this match-up together in the past and now is the time to begin making this bout possible." Evgeni Kogan: "As a global mixed martial arts company committed to driving the evolution of the sport and showcasing match-ups that the fans deserve to see, we want to make this bout a reality in 2010." Well, it doesn't get any more clear than that. After years of speculation that Fedor Emelianenko and M-1 Global wanted nothing to do with current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, it appears as though Team "Last Emperor" is finally ready to make this mega-fight happen. In a joint press release from M-1 Global and Fedor himself, the Russian heavyweight has now officially placed the ball in Overeem's court. I'm not even going to ask if anyone is opposed to this match up, because even considering Fedor's recent shocking loss, this fight is among a handful of dream bouts that fight fans have been waiting for. So, if the folks at Strikeforce, or whatever promotion this battle takes place under, and M-1 Global along with "The Reem's" camp can all come together and bring this showdown to fruition, who ya got? Does Emelianenko's first loss in a decade have you leaning toward Overeem? Or, was the Werdum defeat nothing more than a, dare I say it, fluke, while Fedor is still the same cold-blooded killer he always has been? Opinions, please.

In preparation for his UFC 120 fight against Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama has... Posted: 25 Aug 2010 11:27 AM PDT In preparation for his UFC 120 fight against Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama has decided to train with Team Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Yay or Nay on the move?

Aaron Simpson: 'If Brock Lesnar doesn't finish Cain Velasquez early, he's going to be in trouble' Posted: 25 Aug 2010 11:11 AM PDT Props: SB Nation Quoteworthy: "I see Lesnar being a problem because of his size and the fact that he can throw very heavy hands, but unless he does something right off the bat and takes Cain out early, Brock will be in trouble. Cain will take him into deep waters and do serious damage while he controls the later rounds. He could also win a decision. Cain's standup is far and away better than Lesnar's, his wrestling is equal in my opinion, and BJJ I'm not too sure about. I don't know what Lesnar brings on the ground but I know Cain has an awesome camp working with Dave Camarillo. He's dangerous in every aspect. The difference maker will be Lesnar's size to Cain's motor. Cain will be go-go-go, and 25 minutes is nothing to him. He does not get tired. I can't explain it, and I have no idea where he got that gas tank, but I've never seen him get tired. At ASU he was one of the hardest working guys to ever come through that program and being a heavyweight, that's very rare. He used to wrestle like he weighed 155 lbs. It's definitely going to be interesting. I can't wait to watch it." Former Arizona State University assistant wrestling coach and current UFC middleweight Aaron Simpson knows a thing or two about number one heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez. And like most every other MMA observer, he realizes that part of what makes Cain so dangerous in the heavyweight division is the pace he keeps. With a huge, literally, showdown against champion Brock Lesnar set for UFC 121 in October, Simpson makes the case that if Brock doesn't end the fight early, much like he did at UFC 116 against Shane Carwin, he'll be in some serious trouble. How do you see this fight playing out, Maniacs? Let's get some early predictions on this monster heavyweight battle.

UFC 118: Randy Couture on ESPN's SportsCenter (Video) Posted: 25 Aug 2010 10:08 AM PDT

UFC Quick Quote: Kenny Florian has a 'surprise' for 'cocky' Gray Maynard in Boston Posted: 25 Aug 2010 09:27 AM PDT "There's definitely extra motivation for this fight. Whether it's Gray trying to get more attention for himself or whether he is stating to believe his own hype, I definitely sense a certain cockiness and a different attitude. And I've been there. We all fall victim to it. I think he's overlooking me and looking towards the title. He already has a win over the current champion Frankie Edgar. Confidence is good, but when you get cocky, I don't think that's good. I definitely think he's on the cocky side. And I don't think he's faced a fighter like me before. He's faced good guys, but I know I'm gonna surprise him. I don't think he's ready for what he's gonna see Saturday night." The recently announced lightweight number one contender match between Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard hasn't garnered quite the buzz it would have if it were to take place on another, less stacked card. But that doesn't mean it isn't worthy of our attention. Two of the top five lightweights under Zuffa contract are set to fight for the right to take on the winner of UFC 118's main event, Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn. And while there has been little pre-fight trash talk between these two, especially compared to other combatants on the card, KenFlo isn't too happy with Gray Maynard's lack of respect. Florian tells Larry Pepe of Pro MMA Radio that "The Bully" is acting in true form, thinking a bit too highly of himself. Kenny warns Gray that overlooking him would be a grave mistake and that he'll have a surprise waiting for him if that's the case. Time for some predictions on this bout. Who establishes himself as the next challenger for 155-pound gold?

SeatGeek, with the help of MMAmania.com, analyzed the ticket price differential between UFC 118 and... Posted: 25 Aug 2010 08:51 AM PDT SeatGeek, with the help of MMAmania.com, analyzed the ticket price differential between UFC 118 and UFC 119. One of the biggest cards of the year is to no surprise also one of the hardest tickets to get. Head over to SeatGeek for a more in-depth look.

Nick Diaz vs KJ Noons rematch official for Strikeforce: 'San Jose' on October 9 Posted: 25 Aug 2010 07:45 AM PDT Well, this story developed quickly. After a weekly newsletter was sent out to fans hinting at a rematch between Nick Diaz and K.J. Noons for Diaz's welterweight belt, we now have word that the bout is official. Strikeforce officials confirmed the fight with MMAmania.com this morning. Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz will finally get the opportunity to avenge his most recent loss -- to KJ Noons via technical knockout (cuts) way back in 2007 -- when the long-awaited rematch goes down at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on October 9. The bout will be contested at 170-lbs instead of 155-lbs and will be for Diaz's world title. The fight will mark his first defense since defeating Marius Žaromskis earlier this year to win the vacant strap.

Joe Lauzon: 'It's been a long time since I've been this confident' Posted: 25 Aug 2010 07:05 AM PDT Props: Boston Herald Quoteworthy: "One of the things I always say is you're only as good as your last fight. It doesn't matter. You could win 100 fights, but if you lose your last one, that's all anyone is going to talk about. I was definitely trying to fight that urge and be smart about things. I didn't want to rush into something and make it worse and put myself in a deeper hole. The layoff has been good. My last fight camp kind of got me into normal shape and this fight camp is really elevating me to being fight-ready. Right after the fight I really didn't take any time off. I'm definitely ready. I've had more than enough time. I fought 10 months after I had surgery so I was thinking about it a little bit. Now it's in the back of my head but it's not stopping me from doing anything. When I had my layoff before, I was coming off of a win [over Jeremy Stephens]. I don't want to say I was taking it easy, but I didn't really have a reason to push as hard. I was kind of using my knee as a crutch. I could say, ‘Oh, I have to take it easy because of my knee.' But now, I'm coming off of a loss. All I've been doing is thinking about it every single day. It's been so long since I've been confident like this. It's really been since two fights ago, which is a year and a half ago now. The Stout fight I was pretty confident, but it's always in the back of my head about my knee. This has been a way better camp." UFC 118's Joe Lauzon is looking to bounce back from a loss he suffered against Sam Stout back at UFC 108 when he takes on Gabe Ruediger this Saturday night. The Massachusetts-bred fighter is also looking to bounce back from a knee injury that he just now is starting to feel comfortable with. J-Lau hinted at the fact that he might have come back to action a little too soon to face Stout and that it definitely had a negative impact on his training. What kind of Lauzon are we going to see on August 28? Do you think he's fully recovered and ready to reel off a couple wins in the UFC's lightweight division? How do you size up his fight with Gabe?

TMZ reports that War Machine has been sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation... Posted: 25 Aug 2010 06:43 AM PDT TMZ reports that War Machine has been sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation for felony assault stemming from a bar fight earlier this year. He is also banned from any drinking establishments, including bars and nightclubs, during his probation.

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