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Tokyo Five speed dating contest with 'Best of Pride' host Kenda Perez at UFC Fan Expo Boston (Video)
Roger Huerta on street fight: 'I would do it again, I have no regrets'
UFC 118 'Prelims Live' draws series-low 1.1 million viewers on Spike TV
UFC 118: Why was Randy Couture so fired up after steamrolling James Toney in Boston?
Strikeforce: 'Diaz vs Noons II' video trailer for Oct. 9 in San Jose
X-1 announces final fight card for 'Heroes' on Sept. 11 in Honolulu
UltimateFighter.com presents 'Month of Koscheck' featuring the best of 'Kos'
Pat Barry vs Punch Machine video at UFC Fan Expo Boston
UFC 120: Mike Pyle plans to put John Hathaway in 'Quicksand' on Oct. 20 in London
Local Feature Fights Announced for Bellator 27 at Majestic Theatre in San Antonio on Sept. 2
The Oxford University debate club, with past speakers including Sir Winston Churchill, Robert...
Toy Story: Anderson Silva plays with his little 'Spider' (Video)
John Cena: The UFC is over the top but the WWE is safe for anyone to enjoy
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell shaves his head (and patented mohawk) to...
Shine still owes fighter purses for failed 'Worlds Collide' event
'Bigger' Demian Maia still learning, working hard to become a complete MMA fighter (Video)

Tokyo Five speed dating contest with 'Best of Pride' host Kenda Perez at UFC Fan Expo Boston (Video)

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 06:27 PM PDT

I voted for the guy who offered to make her meatballs. The wheelchair Casanova was a close second.

Roger Huerta on street fight: 'I would do it again, I have no regrets'

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 02:12 PM PDT

Roger Huerta discusses what went down on TMZ Live after he saw Rashad Bobino coldcock a helpless woman in the streets of Ausitn, Texas:

"I approached the man and said, "You don't do that. You don't hit a woman." The video doesn't show what happened next, but he said, "F--- you. I'll knock any b---- out I want." The tape also doesn't show that he swung at me two or three times right after that. All you see is me bouncing up and down. He has already swung at me at that point. Then the guy takes off running. I chased him down and you saw what else happened... I can't talk about what exactly happened because it's a legal metter... If the same thing occurred, I would do it all over again. I have no regrets."

Earlier this month, former UFC lightweight and current Bellator fighter Roger Huerta reached a whole new level of stardom thanks to a video of him stomping out a wannabe tough guy who inexplicably sucker punched a woman outside of an Austin, Texas bar. The story has been well documented, and while it earned "El Matador" heaps of respect from just about every person on the planet, it also potentially brought upon some unwanted legal issues. Huerta returned to the scene of the crime, not Austin, but TMZ, to talk about the famed incident. He says he has no regrets. Should he?

UFC 118 'Prelims Live' draws series-low 1.1 million viewers on Spike TV

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 01:09 PM PDT

While the number of pay-per-view buys that the main card for UFC 118: "Edgar vs. Penn 2" did is still unknown at this time, the rating for the prelims special that aired live on Spike TV and featured bouts between Andre Winner and Nik Lentz as well as Joe Lauzon and Gabe Ruediger are in, and they ain't pretty.

A series-low 1.1 million viewers tuned in to the UFC 118 prelims special according to MMA Payout.

As MMA Payout asserts, trying to determine the reasons for a successful "Prelims Live" broadcast really does seem to be a bit of a fool's mission.

UFC 109's prelims broadcast garnered a series-high 1.7 million viewers back in February, but the buyrate for the PPV telecast was right around 300,000. UFC 116 on the other hand, featured prelims that aired on Spike TV and drew 1.3 million viewers. Reports of the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin headlined event PPV buryrate also came in right around 1.3 million.

So the strength or weakness of the actual PPV card seems to have nothing to do with the prelims success, or lack thereof.

As for the strength of the prelims broadcast when it comes to the actual match ups on the card, well, it's tough to come to a conclusion where that has any relevancy as well.

The aforementioned UFC 109 prelims show featured bouts between Melvin Guillard and Ronnys Torres along with Mac Danzig and Justin Buchholz. Not exactly the strongest prelims lineup there has been.

UFC 111's prelims broadcast meanwhile saw Ricardo Almeida battle Matt Brown as well as Nate Diaz take on Rory Markham. An equal to, or greater than pair of fights in terms of interest in my opinion, though the show only drew 1.2 million viewers.

Your guess is as good as mine, Maniacs. Anybody have a theory, with facts to back it up, as to why the ratings for the "UFC Prelims Live" broadcasts on Spike TV appear to be so unpredictably up and down?

UFC 118: Why was Randy Couture so fired up after steamrolling James Toney in Boston?

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 10:54 AM PDT

Props: 790 The Ticket (via SportsRadioInterviews)

Quoteworthy:

"Well you never really know what’s going to happen in a fight. I certainly had to take James seriously and I felt like I had a great chance if I took him to the ground that he wasn’t going to be able to learn enough to survive there and it turned out that was an accurate assessment. That made the night pretty easy for me ... I have never had allusions of being a world class boxer. As long as I’ve been wrestling, James has been boxing. I think it would be silly for me to think that I’m gonna go in and do well against a world champion boxer and I think it was silly for James to think that he was going to step in and do well in mixed martial arts. I think given time, he can be an effective mixed martial artist but he’s got a lot of things to learn."

UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture gives fans a little perspective on his post-fight celebration following his easy submission win over fish-out-of-water James Toney at UFC 118 in Boston. "The Natural" was pegged with the task of representing MMA in a match billed as "UFC vs. Boxing" but may not have such an easy time in his next bout -- if and when the part-time Hollywood action hero returns to the cage. Any fantasy matchmakers want to pick his next opponent?

Strikeforce: 'Diaz vs Noons II' video trailer for Oct. 9 in San Jose

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 10:13 AM PDT

Who ya' got?

X-1 announces final fight card for 'Heroes' on Sept. 11 in Honolulu

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 10:12 AM PDT

Honolulu, HI ( USA ): The top Hawaiian fight promotion, X-1 World Events, today announced the full fight card for its next incredible event, entitled "HEROES." This exciting fight card will feature a main event of X-1 World Middleweight Champion Falaniko Vitale putting his belt on the line against devastating KO artist Kala "Kolohe" Hose.

Also taking place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena that night will be the much-anticipated second round of the X-1 World Light Heavyweight title tournament, as the pairings have been set. Russia's Vitaly Shemetov (7-7), coming off a brutal KO victory over Japanese MMA pioneer Shungo Oyama, will battle Hawaii's own Poai Suganuma (10-3).

Also coming off a big KO win is South Korea 's Sang Soo Lee (14-9), who will lock horns with California 's Roy Boughton (4-0), an undefeated submission specialist. "HEROES" will also showcase two anticipated world title fights, as both the featherweight and bantamweight belts will be up for grabs.

Tickets for this incredible event are on sale now at the Blaisdell Box Office, as well as all Wal-Mart, Kailua Sports Gear outlets, and on Tickemaster.com, or by calling (800) 745-3000. Prices are $200.00 for 1st row/cageside seats, $150.00 for 2nd row seats, $100.00 for floor seats, $50.00 for the risers/lodges, and $35.00 for the upper bowl. Tickets for all military, law enforcement, fire department, and EMT's are available with ID at the Blaisdell Box Office for $10 off of the $50 and $35 seats, and $25 off the $200 floor seats, $150 2nd row seats, and $100 floor seats.

Falaniko Vitale (27-9, fifteen submissions) is one of the most respected Hawaiian combatants fighting today. An experienced athlete who recently celebrated ten years as a professional fighter, Vitale proudly represents the 808 Fight Factory, one of the toughest fight gyms on the Islands, and has fought for some of the most well-known promotions in the world. Fans of King of the Cage, Rage in the Cage, SuperBrawl, Icon Sport, the IFL, StrikeForce, and the UFC have all seen his skill set exhibited.

In his most recent bout, he defended his coveted X-1 strap against former UFC competitor Kalib Starnes, finishing his controversial opponent via submission in the process. Niko, as he is known, has taken on top names in the sport, including "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler, former StrikeForce Middleweight title challenger Jason "Mayhem" Miller, MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn, StrikeForce/UFC veteran Trevor Prangley, and UFC fighter Frank Trigg.

He has beaten notable fighters such as UFC vet Aaron Riley, former UFC Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, and the aforementioned Lindland.

Kala "Kolohe" Hose (7-3, seven KO/TKOs) is known for his devastating knockout power, and has garnered a reputation as one of the toughest Island fighters today. He claimed the ICON Middleweight title in August of 2008 with an exciting TKO victory over current UFC fighter Phil Baroni that was lauded by Island fight fans for its great action.

Also a veteran of Superbrawl and EliteXC, Hose will look to add the X-1 Middleweight belt to his list of accomplishments. During his career, he's faced UFC veterans such as Baroni, "Mayhem" Miller, and Reese Andy. He will face what is probably the toughest opponent of his career in Vitale.

In addition, the second round of the heralded X-1 World Light Heavyweight tourney will commence at this event, as former EliteXC headliner and Hawaii native Poai Suganuma (10-3) will match up with "The Dancing Russian" Vitaly Shemetov (7-7), who brutalized respected veteran Shungo Oyama in the first round of the tournament en route to a KO victory.

Suganuma, for his part, defeated Greg Schmitt via unanimous decision on his way to advancing. The other semifinal matchup will feature Gracie-trained submission specialist Roy Boughton (4-0, four submissions), who tapped out Adam Akau with a first round guillotine choke to garner a place in the second round of the tournament, as he faces extremely tough South Korean SpiritMC veteran Sang Soo Lee (14-9).

Lee knocked out Daniel Madrid with a beautiful right hand in order to move on in the tourney. Also featured will be a 145 lb. World Championship bout between Ricky Wallace and four-time Strikeforce veteran Alvin Cacdac, as well as a 135 lb. World Championship fight between Bryson Hanson and Russell Doane.

"I am very excited about this incredible card. Having two great Island fighters like Niko and Kolohe fight for the belt, along with the second round of the tournament, and throwing in two other title matches...what a card!" exclaimed Mike Miller , Owner/Promoter of X-1 World Events. "It's going to be an amazing night of fights."

The full fight card is as follows:

Main Event: 185 lb. World MMA Championship:

Falaniko Vitale vs. Kala "Kolohe" Hose

Light Heavyweight MMA Championship tournament (second round):

Poai Suganuma ( Hawaii ) vs. Vitaly Shemetov ( Russia )
Sang Soo Lee (S. Korea) vs. Roy Boughton ( California )

145 lb. World MMA Championship:

Ricky Wallace vs. Alvin Cacdac

135 lb. World MMA Championship:

Bryson Hanson vs. Russell Doane

155 lbs. - Max "Lil' Evil" Halloway vs. Duke Saragosa

135 lbs. - Raquel Paaluhi vs. Colleen Schnider

135 lbs. - Eddie Perrell vs. Mark Tajon (State Title Match)

170 lbs. - Anthony Torres vs. Thomas Sedeno

145 lbs. - Dustin Kimura vs. Chris Williams

185 lbs. - Collin Mansanas vs. Caleb Price

135 lbs. - Van Shiroma vs. Timothy Meeks

About X-1 World Events

Founded in 2004 by Mike Miller , X-1 World Events is a world-class mixed martial arts (MMA) promotional company based in Honolulu , HI . Locally-owned and operated, X-1 delivers exciting live arena-based entertainment events to fight fans all over the islands.

The events feature some of the MMA world's most talented fighters, including UFC, Pride, and Abu-Dhabi veterans such as former UFC champions Dan "The Beast" Severn and Ricco Rodriguez, UFC veterans Jeff Monson, Kimo Leopoldo, Chad "The Grinder" Reiner, "Sugar" Shane Nelson, Brandon Wolff, Wes "The Project" Sims, Ronald "The Machine Gun" Juhn, Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, and Falaniko Vitale, as well as Pride veterans Chris Brennan and Ron "H2O-Man" Waterman. X-1 World Events can be found online at http://www.x1events.com/

UltimateFighter.com presents 'Month of Koscheck' featuring the best of 'Kos'

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 09:56 AM PDT

To help prepare fight fans for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), UFC welterweight number one contender and current TUF 12 coach Josh Koscheck is getting the entire month of September dedicated to him on the UFC's UltimateFighter.com website starting tomorrow (Wednesday) September 1.

From the UFC press release:

UltimateFighter.com will celebrate the season 12 coach with "Month of Koscheck," a look at Koscheck's greatest moments during the inaugural season of "The Ultimate Fighter." In 2005, Koscheck was a part of the historic cast of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter," and his shock of bleach blonde hair and explosive feud with Chris Leben made him one of the show's most polarizing figures amongst fans. UltimateFighter.com will feature special content each day of Koscheck including complete episodes, full fights, special clips, all to be kicked off Wednesday, September 1st with an exclusive interview with the coach and a look at his very first fight on season 1.

"Kos" recently wrapped up his stint as coach on TUF 12, coaching against Georges St. Pierre on the Spike TV reality show in a spot he earned with a unanimous decision win over Paul "Semtex" Daley at UFC 113: "Machida vs. Shogun 2" earlier this year.

The former collegiate wrestler and longtime UFC veteran has strung together three consecutive wins since a surprise loss to Brazilian welterweight Paulo Thiago at UFC 95: "Sanchez vs. Stevenson," stopping Frank Trigg via technical knockout at UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort" back in September 2009 and then choking out Anthony Johnson at UFC 106: "Ortiz vs. Griffin 2."

Aside from his success inside the Octagon, his role in the December title fight can also be attributed to St. Pierre's ability to handily dispose of every would-be contender over the past two years, including AKA team mate Jon Fitch.

Of course both fighters have evolved since their first dance at UFC 74: "Respect" way back in August 2007. GSP cruised to a three round unanimous decision win in their non-title affair, the Canadian's first fight after coughing up the strap to Matt Serra at UFC 69: "Shootout."

It's been nothing but easy street since then, rattling off six straight wins and barely breaking a sweat in the process. In fact, the only knock on "Rush" has been his decision to play it safe in recent bouts, employing a suffocating and seemingly unstoppable wrestling-based offense to neutralize his opponents and sweep the judge's scorecards.

Can he finish Koscheck and re-establish himself as the sport's most complete fighter? Or will we see a welterweight version of Wrestlemania?

We'll find out on December 11 in Montreal.

Pat Barry vs Punch Machine video at UFC Fan Expo Boston

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 08:14 AM PDT

UFC 120: Mike Pyle plans to put John Hathaway in 'Quicksand' on Oct. 20 in London

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 08:05 AM PDT

Props: Hurtsbad.com

Quoteworthy:

"My stand up is a little underrated. I might have shown a little bit more in my last fight. I almost had Lennox knocked out, I hit him with some nice shots. That's something that I’m always working on to be better at is my striking. I feel like it’s coming along great. Anything that [Hathaway's] good at, we have guys at Xtreme Couture that are better at it. Maybe his strength is his youth. He’s a young kid, and his striking as well. He did pretty good against Diego. Then again, Diego didn't look good so we will see. We’ll have to see that night exactly what his strengths are. I think I match up well now that I’ve made it to the Mecca of all organizations. I’ve got to step it up and maintain my skill level and get better. That’s what is going to help me, being in the UFC to get better. My plan is to keep climbing up that ladder and put away who ever they put in front of me."

Well-traveled mixed martial arts veteran Mike Pyle is hoping his experience will be the difference when he goes to war with undefeated welterweight prospect John Hathaway at the upcoming UFC 120 event on Oct. 20 in London, England. "Quicksand" is 2-2 in his UFC career but could vault himself to the front of the pack with a big win over "The Hitman." Does Pyle have the chops to get it done? Or will the Brit continue his unblemished ascension through the ranks of the 170-pound division?

Local Feature Fights Announced for Bellator 27 at Majestic Theatre in San Antonio on Sept. 2

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 07:51 AM PDT

CHICAGO, Ill. (August 30, 2010) - Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the official Local Feature Fights line-up for Bellator 27 taking place in San Antonio at the Majestic Theater on September 2nd.

Headlining the local main event are undefeated Texas natives Rodrigo Pinheiro (3-0) and Andrew Craig (1-0). Pinheiro currently owns and operates his own Jiu-Jitsui gym in San Antonio, and looks to continue his impressive rise in the sport when he faces off with the hard-hitting Craig.

Five additional Local Feature Fights join this already stacked card including:

San Antonio based Gilbert Jimenez (2-1) squaring off against Houston's Aaron Barringer(4-2) in the nights local co-main event.

Additionally, 11-year SAPD officer Richard Odoms (1-0) battles Dallas native Dale Mitchell (0-2) in heavyweight action.

Dallas-based Joe Christopher (10-3) will be taking on Houston fighter Andrew Chappelle (9-6) in a Welterweight contest. Both fighters have previous Bellator experience, with Chappelle notching an impressive rear-naked choke at Bellator 20 and Christopher locking up a fight-ending guillotine choke at Bellator 19.

Pasadena, TX native Jon Kirk (15-8) faces San Antonio's Shane Faulkner (3-2) in a middleweight fight.

Rounding out the local card will be two fighters making their professional MMA debuts in Steven Peterson and Ernest De La Cruz.

"San Antonio fans are in for a treat with our Local Feature Fight lineup." said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "The Majestic Theater has been a great venue for Bellator and with our stacked main card in addition to our Local Feature Fights - it should be a great night of fights."

Bellator 27's main card includes:

* Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe "The Hammer" Soto (9-0) defends his title against Bellator Season 2 Featherweight Tournament Champ Joe Warren (5-1) in a Featherweight World Championship fight.

* Two Bellator veterans square off when Nick "Garfield" Mamalis (10-4) and Zack "Fun Size" Makovsky (9-2) collide in an opening round Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament fight. .

* In other bantamweight tournament action hard-hitting Bryan Goldsby (15-7) meets submission specialist Ed West (13-4) in a quarterfinal match-up.

* Rounding out the main card will be another opening round Bantamweight Tournament fight between the always exciting Travis "The Hurricane" Reddinger (14-2) and submission ace Uylsses Gomez (6-1).

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 - tickets 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

The Oxford University debate club, with past speakers including Sir Winston Churchill, Robert...

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 07:31 AM PDT

The Oxford University debate club, with past speakers including Sir Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy and Yasser Arafat, has invited Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White to speak to its members on Oct. 13.

Props: Associated Press

Toy Story: Anderson Silva plays with his little 'Spider' (Video)

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 07:14 AM PDT

This is my clone! Maybe future, I fight my clone!

John Cena: The UFC is over the top but the WWE is safe for anyone to enjoy

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 07:08 AM PDT

Props: Boston.com

Quoteworthy:

"It’s just not something that particularly interests me. UFC is where boxing was years ago, and I was never really into boxing, either. [WWE is] regulated entertainment that’s safe for anyone to enjoy. (The UFC) can be pretty over the top, and it’s not something I’d want my children to watch."

WWE superstar John Cena puts the F in the UFC after the world's largest fight promotion descended upon Boston for its "Edgar vs. Penn 2" pay-per-view event from the TD Garden on Aug. 28. Cena won't let his kids watch anything Octagon related because it's not "regulated entertainment" like the WWE. Anyone think the "Prototype" has a valid argument? Or has he taken one too many chairshots over his illustrious wrestling career?

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell shaves his head (and patented mohawk) to...

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 06:46 AM PDT

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell shaves his head (and patented mohawk) to support DoSomething.org via Bic 4 Good.

(Photo courtesy of http://twitter.com/HeidiNorthcott)

Shine still owes fighter purses for failed 'Worlds Collide' event

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 05:40 AM PDT

Props: MMA Spot

Quoteworthy:

"I have not been paid in any way by Shine. Ron Foster, my only contact who bothered returning my calls, has apparently been fired by the company. Dorian Price, Devin Price, and Jason Chambers have all ignored my every attempt at communication. I haven't received as much as a text message concerning reimbursement. In all my 60 pro and amateur fights, I have never been so disrespected or felt so disposable. My experience with Shine has been nothing short of chaotic; everything from my opponent (who changed five times), to plane tickets (which we got 12 hours before we left), to hotel accommodations was a disaster. The most disrespectful part of the endeavor was the total lack of communication from Shine. I still haven't heard one word from them since this disaster started."

Despite recent claims from Shine Fights CEO Devin Price to reimburse fighters who were stiffed by the cancellation of his "Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas" pay-per-view event back on May 15, well-traveled MMA veteran Zac George insists he hasn't seen a dime -- even as the promotion moves forward with plans to stage another event on Sept. 10 in Fairfax. What recourse do fighters have against promotions that don't pay their athletes? And do fellow fighters have an obligation to refuse work knowing their combat brethren are getting stiffed by the very promotion that wants to employ them? Sound off Maniacs.

(FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com)

'Bigger' Demian Maia still learning, working hard to become a complete MMA fighter (Video)

Posted: 31 Aug 2010 05:26 AM PDT