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- UFC 119 results, updates and live play-by-play TONIGHT (Sept. 25) for 'Mir vs Cro Cop'
- UFC 119 weigh in photos gallery for 'Mir vs Cro Cop'
- UFC 119 videos blog featuring Matt Serra (Episode 3)
- Who is the new guest ring girl at UFC 119? Brittany Ward, who is Miss Transworld Surf, according to...
- Frank Mir: 'Cro Cop is still the same fighter, it's the cage that's different'
- UFC 119 weigh-in results 'Mir vs Cro Cop'
- MMA Quick Quote: Dana White blasts Josh Barnett
- Georges St. Pierre in Manila with Manny Pacquiao
- UFC 119 predictions, preview and analysis
- Overeem vs Silva in Strikeforce? Well, kind of ...
- Dana White: 'I don't like Todd Duffee's attitude and he made it seem like he didn't want to be in the UFC'
- Chael Sonnen's drug test and UFC 119 video preview for 'Mir vs Cro Cop' on ESPN's 'MMA Live'
- All fighters make weight for DREAM 16 from Nagoya, Japan. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (84 kg/184.8 lb)...
- Ryan Bader: Getting my butt kicked in the gym is a million times better than riding a desk
| UFC 119 results, updates and live play-by-play TONIGHT (Sept. 25) for 'Mir vs Cro Cop' Posted: 24 Sep 2010 10:18 PM PDT
Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 119: "Mir vs. Cro Cop." If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main UFC 119 results post and not this one. Comments in this thread are turned off. Enjoy the show, Maniacs! |
| UFC 119 weigh in photos gallery for 'Mir vs Cro Cop' Posted: 24 Sep 2010 03:14 PM PDT
Props: CombatLifestyle (Click the link to check out the complete gallery) Ryan Bader vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira after the jump. To check out the official UFC 119: "Mir vs. Cro Cop" weigh in results click here.
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| UFC 119 videos blog featuring Matt Serra (Episode 3) Posted: 24 Sep 2010 02:47 PM PDT |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2010 02:33 PM PDT  Who is the new guest ring girl at UFC 119? Brittany Ward, who is Miss Transworld Surf, according to CageWriter.com (Pic). |
| Frank Mir: 'Cro Cop is still the same fighter, it's the cage that's different' Posted: 24 Sep 2010 01:40 PM PDT
Props: Pro MMA Radio Quoteworthy:
UFC 119's main event features two heavyweights who look to be at different stages of their respective careers. But Frank Mir, a two-time UFC champ, believes his opponent, former PRIDE champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, hasn't lost a step, it's just his new surroundings that make it appear otherwise. Frank makes a convincing argument that "Cro Cop's" average performances since coming over to the UFC are more do to the Octagon in which he now calls home. Is Mir right? Would Mirko have struggled all along if he had been fighting in a cage his entire career instead of a ring? |
| UFC 119 weigh-in results 'Mir vs Cro Cop' Posted: 24 Sep 2010 01:02 PM PDT
The official weigh-in event for UFC 119: "Mir vs. Cro Cop" went down today (Sept. 24) from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Every competitor on the card made weight, so there is no purse swapping to be had. "Mir vs. Cro Cop" will feature former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (252) taking on PRIDE Grand Prix Champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (227) in the main event of the evening. Two fantastic showdowns with title implications -- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Ryan Bader (205) and Evan Dunham (156) vs. Sean Sherk (155) -- are also slated to highlight what is another stacked PPV offering from the world's largest fight promotion. Complete UFC 119 weigh-in results after the jump:
Live stream and replay courtesy of UFC.com. It's going to be a fun night of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 119 coverage you can handle. |
| MMA Quick Quote: Dana White blasts Josh Barnett Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:53 PM PDT
When asked by MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani of Chael Sonnen's current unenviable situation in regards to PED use, UFC President Dana White suddenly turned the conversation into a rant about former UFC champion Josh Barnett, a guy who has infamously failed more than one drug test, but has never fully owned up to it. White says it's those kind of people, people who don't show remorse for their wrongdoings, that have no place in the UFC. Thoughts on Dana's remarks about Barnett? (This FanPost was edited and promoted to the front page by James Kimball) |
| Georges St. Pierre in Manila with Manny Pacquiao Posted: 24 Sep 2010 09:31 AM PDT
Check out a quick pic of the UFC Welterweight Champion rubbing elbows with seven-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao after the jump.
Two champs, one Roach. War Philippines! Props: www.abs-cbnnews.com |
| UFC 119 predictions, preview and analysis Posted: 24 Sep 2010 09:23 AM PDT
UFC 119: "Mir vs. Cro Cop" from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, is finally upon us, as the world's largest fight promotion brings its stable of stars to "Circle City" tomorrow night (Sept. 25) live on pay-per-view (PPV). 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 10 p.m. ET. One of the big stories coming into this event is of course the headlining fight between Frank Mir and Mirko Filipovic. Which champion of yesteryear gets back into the title hunt? And does "Cro Cop's" recent ocular trauma leave him at a disadvantage come fight night? There are also a lot of unanswered questions regarding the future of Ryan Bader. Is the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 winner going to finish what Jason Brilz started back at UFC 114? And will a win over "Little Nog" put "Darth" in a number one contender bout against Jon "Bones" Jones? There will certainly be a lot to talk about on Sunday morning. I’ve also included the current betting lines for each fight so that you can get a feel for what the money has to say about the chances of each combatant. Now, enough with the formalities … let’s get cracking: 265 lbs.: Frank Mir (13-5) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-7-2) Nostradumbass predicts: I'm faced with the unfortunate reality that this is the end of 2010. Whatever accomplishments Mirko Filipovic had as a world-beater in PRIDE are no longer applicable to his UFC career. And let's face it, it's tough to make an argument for "Cro Cop" in this fight when to date, his biggest accomplishment inside the Octagon is surviving 2.5 rounds with Junior dos Santos. It's no secret that I used to carry the Croat's cable, but even I can't get excited by his submission win over Pat Barry. The stocky 'Nawlins native dropped him twice and controlled the stand up before breaking his hand AND foot and then succumbing to what has to be one of the ugliest and least technical rear naked chokes in UFC history. Not only was "Get Hype" (or "HD," whatever his nickname is nowadays) starstruck going into the fight, he's a combatant who by his own admission has a complete ignorance of the ground game. Aside from Barry, CroboCop beat the tar out of Eddie Sanchez, Mostapha Outta-Wurk and Anthony Perosh. Those names doing anything for ya'? Me neither. We don't have to talk about his losses, but I will anyway because I have to adhere to a certain word count. Junior dos Santos, Cheick Kongo, and the kick that broke the hearts of millions (myself included), Gabriel Gonzaga. It's been four years since Filipovic peaked. Since then, there isn't one single performance that I can point to that indicates he has the skill set to topple Mir. And does he sound hungry? Is he begging the UFC for a title shot? No, he's here because, and I quote, "they made him an offer he can't refuse." That's translates into Croatian as "I'll be home just as soon as I pick up my check." I believe Cro Cop fights because he's paid to, not because he wants to. Sounds like every other middle-aged schlep who's stuck in a job they've long since outgrown. That was difficult for me to say because I'm not really a Frank Mir fan, but I do recognize that his abilities at this stage of his career are probably better than Filipovic's. And somehow he manages to stay relevant by securing a big win at exactly the right time. It's funny because 2006 was a career year for Cro Cop whereas Mir was one fight away from history. Not making history, from being history. He came back from his layoff to get creamed by "Play da Piano," looked like a beached whale against Dan Christensen before getting KTFO by Brandon Vera. It was starting to get ugly. Then what happened? He beats Antoni Hardonk, Brock Lesnar and "Minotauro" Nogueira. Lesnar got his revenge but Mir kept himself afloat by crushing Cheick Kongo -- only to get flattened by Shane Carwin, which is hardly a knock. "The Engineer" has made a mockery of the heavyweight division and would probably be the champion if Andrew McCarthy didn't leave the building after the first round and force him to turn back into a department store mannequin. My point is that Mir has shown he can find the win when he needs to. You can argue that Lesnar was green, Nog was a corpse and Kongo was cocky, but even if all those arguments are true, Mir still took advantage of them. He got it done and I think he will on Saturday night. Is Cro Cop still dangerous? Sure, any time you let another grown man take a swipe at you you're in danger. But Mir just has too many ways to win and I think at this juncture Filipovic only has one. I would be shocked if this thing remained upright for more than 90 seconds. Betting lines (as of Sept. 24): Mir: -200 ((Bet Now)) Cro Cop: +260 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Mir via submission 205 lbs.: Ryan "Darth" Bader (11-0) vs. Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira (19-3) Nostradumbass predicts: You've heard about twins? How you can hurt one brother and the other one feels it? That sure looked like the case at UFC 114, when Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was outclassed by Jason Brilz. It seemed like "Lil' Nog" had absorbed all the punishment his older twin has been taking over the past umpteen years because he looked way past his prime. I know it's hard to knock a guy who's 19-3, especially coming off a great debut against Luis Cane. Is it possible that he just had a bad night? Or that maybe Brilz is really that good? Perhaps, but we're dealing with a Nogueira here, and if his brother is any indication, once it's over it's REALLY over. That's hardly a scientific assessment and I'm just going with my gut here, but let's throw out the argument that Nog is quickly fading and put him back at the top of his game. Would it still be enough to handle Bader? Tough call, but again, this is 2010 and dominant wrestlers seem to be able to do what they want, when they want. "Darth" is younger, quicker and very powerful. He has a good right hand and hopefully a solid gameplan. Despite his grappling skills, I think Nogueira's best chance is standing up -- if he can avoid the right, and that to me is a very big "if." He may not have the same reaction time he did as a boxer in Brazil and Sokoudjou proved he can be knocked out if you land one on the button. Bader will likely keep it standing for the first round if for nothing else then to work up a nice, slippery sweat. If he's losing the stand-up battle he can always revert to his wrestling in rounds two and three and likely steal both of them. However, if he's doing well on his feet you can expect it to stay there. This fight boils down to which Rogerio Nogueira we see. If his conditioning is on point and he works his guard to his full ability, there's no reason he can't win. Maybe Bader has fallen in love with his striking after the Jardine KO, who knows, but I think he plays it safe here and outworks Xamot to a unanimous decision win. Betting lines (as of Sept. 24): Bader: -175 ((Bet Now)) Nogueira: +145 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Bader via unanimous decision 155 lbs.: Evan Dunham (11-0) vs. Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk (32-4-1) Nostradumbass predicts: I believe the technical term for this is "The Last Hurrah." Sean Sherk went from one of the most dominant champions in UFC history to a mediocre striker who forgot how to shoot. We already have plenty of those in the lightweight division, so why the new look? I'm not saying "The Muscle Shark" could have beaten BJ Penn, but Georges St. Pierre sure made it look easy. How? Wrestling. GSP is bigger, but Sherk is no weakling and he tries what, one or two takedowns the entire Penn fight? Now Sherk could have definitely beaten Frankie Edgar, the same way Gray Maynard did. Sherk shot once late in the fight and what happened? He nearly put "The Answer" through the floor and into the basement. The rest of the three rounds saw him get picked apart by the zippiest lightweight in the game today. It's ironic how wrestling finally catches up to the sport of MMA just as Sherk decides to abandon it. He's just not a good enough striker to be a contender. Good enough to set up the shoot and ground and pound? Absolutely, so then why not do it? Only Sean can say for sure, but I think the past few fights (and the Griffin win was hardly convincing) were a serious wake-up call. He wants to be the champion again and I believe he has a legitimate shot -- but it's now or never. The only way to accomplish that is to go back to basics, the bread and butter of his offense. One dimensional? Sure, but over the span of eight years and 30 fights his only two losses were to Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre, both of whom were welterweights AND championship caliber fighters. His fighting style is not one that is affected by a layoff and I'm convinced that he recognizes the urgency of his situation. If he doesn't, he's a fool. But I truly believe he comes out and puts Evan Dunham into the cage like a crash test dummy before dragging him across the floor and pounding him out. Who is Dunham? An exciting prospect, no doubt, but what has he done that's so terrific? He had a nice comeback win over a sloppy Efrain Escudero (who oh by the way, is no longer with the UFC) and took two split decision wins over Marcus Aurelio and Tyson Griffin. That makes you a -240 against one of the greatest lightweights ever? Well, maybe against the one we've seen in recent fights, but I think Sherk has retired that persona permanently. If he hasn't, the only thing permanent will be his place on future undercards. Betting lines (as of Sept. 24): Dunham: -240 ((Bet Now)) Sherk: +190 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Sherk via technical knockout 170 lbs.: Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (29-17-5) vs. Matt "The Terror" Serra (11-6) Nostradumbass predicts: This is by far the most difficult fight to predict. I think Matt Serra is the better all around fighter, but his inactivity has to be taken into consideration. He averages roughly around one fight per year and he's certainly no spring chicken. In fact, he's only competed four times since they first threw down at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 Finale back in 2006 -- compared to Lytle's 11. Still, "The Terror" has devastating power for a guy his size and world class submissions to boot. Cardio? Not an issue. I think the biggest disadvantage for him at welterweight is his height. Should he have stayed at 155-pounds? Probably, but how do you convince an Italian from New York to give up pasta? I think that his sporadic fight schedule, coupled with his reach, will give Lytle the advantage here and ultimately, the win. I don't want to get too hung up on the 2006 fight because they're both different fighters and it's a completely different sport. What makes it hard to pick against "Lights Out" is that he's never been knocked or submitted -- even against the world's best. It will likely happen one day, but I doubt it will be in front of his hometown crowd, which should serve to energize him. Lytle also has a very underrated ground game, which may start rating higher if he continues the performances we've seen in his past couple of fights. But I'm not sure if he wants to risk turning this into a grappling match against a guy with Serra's resume. His best chance is to use his reach to keep the shorty-and-nearly-forty Long Islander at bay. Serra doesn't have the reach to play the striking game and if he can't get inside he's going to have to try and get it to the ground. He might, but I don't imagine Lytle will make it easy for him if and when he does. I'm picking "Lights Out" via superior gameplan. Betting lines (as of Sept. 24): Lytle: -140 ((Bet Now)) Serra: +110 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Lytle via unanimous decision 155 lbs.: Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard (25-8-2) vs. Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens (17-5) Nostradumbass predicts: Imagine you're Dana White and you can turn back the clock to Fall of 2005. "Hello, Mr. Jackson? I have a young kid here named Melvin Guillard I'd like you to take a look at." Sure, the "Young Assassin" eventually ended up under the tutelage of the MMA guru, but what kind of impact would Melvin have made if he did it five years earlier? Seven of the eight career losses (almost 90 percent) for the Louisiana native have come by way of submission and his lack of sub defense was widely considered the missing piece to the enigmatic puzzle that is Guillard. Will the help of a renowned trainer like Jackson propel him into the upper echelon of the division? Well, he passed his first test against Ronnys Torres. I know "not getting submitted" is faint praise, but for Guillard, it was a monumental victory against a very crafty Brazilian. He followed that up by reorganizing Waylon Lowe's intestinal blueprint at UFC 114 back in May. Just so we have it on paper: Speed, striking, power, submission defense? That's a scary thought, and a combination that I believe will flatten Jeremy Stephens. "Lil' Heathen" is pretty good on his feet as well, stopping 70 percent of his victims by way of (T)KO. He also rebounded from back-to-back losses (Lauzon, Tibau) to win consecutive fights against Justin Buchholz and Sam Stout. They're both on an upswing, but I think the biggest difference here is the speed. I don't know if Stephens can beat Melvin to the punch and as far as taking one? Well, probably not the path of least resistance. What does weigh in his favor is that in 22 fights he's never been knocked out. Then again, there's a first time for everything. Melvin Guillard (version 2.0) all day. Betting lines (as of Sept. 24): Guillard: -160 ((Bet Now)) Stephens: +130 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Guillard via technical knockout That’s a wrap, folks. Remember to come check us out after the show for all the latest results, recaps and coverage of UFC 119: "Mir vs. Cro Cop." What do you think? Now it’s your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for tomorrow night’s event. |
| Overeem vs Silva in Strikeforce? Well, kind of ... Posted: 24 Sep 2010 08:22 AM PDT
But it's Valentijn, not Alistair. That's according to a "Demolition" tweet, who announced his older brother's debut against Antonio Silva on Dec. 4 under the Strikeforce banner. With a surgically repaired Fabricio Werdum on the shelf until 2011 and Fedor Emelianenko still hiding behind the iron curtain, the promotion had very few options for "Bigfoot" following his "Heavy Artillery" win over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. So why not Alistair? Well, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion is already booked to face Ben Edwards under the K-1 banner later this year, and the promotion seems intent on matching him up with either "The Last Emperor" or "Vai Cavalo." Enter "The Python." Overeem (28-25) has been fighting since 1996 and has experience in RINGS, PRIDE and Sengoku. After back-to-back losses in 2009, the Dutchman put together consecutive knockout victories earlier this year. He has good hands and plenty of power, but over half his losses have come by way of submission. 15 if you're keeping score at home. Silva (14-2) likes to stand and bang, but will he exploit this weakness? The Brazilian has enjoyed a pretty successful run at heavyweight since his 2005 debut. His only loss in the past four years was a unanimous decision to Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Rogers" in November 2009. Aside from "The Pitbull," "Pezao" was probably most recognized for his time spent as Elite XC Heavyweight Champion. Strikeforce: "Henderson vs. Babalu" will feature a long overdue rematch between Dan "Hollywood" Henderson and Renato "Babalu" Sobral." Scott Smith is also expected to make his welterweight debut against Jesse Finney. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still-developing fight card. |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2010 06:53 AM PDT
Props: MMA Weekly Quoteworthy:
UFC President Dana White comments on the surprise release of heavyweight up-and-comer Todd Duffee. The talented but ornery rookie set the division ablaze with his record-setting knockout win over Tim Hague, only to go belly up after a KO loss to Mike Russow just a couple of months later. Any chance he shows up in Strikeforce? And what kind of adjustments does he need to make to have a career in the fight game? |
| Chael Sonnen's drug test and UFC 119 video preview for 'Mir vs Cro Cop' on ESPN's 'MMA Live' Posted: 24 Sep 2010 06:30 AM PDT
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| All fighters make weight for DREAM 16 from Nagoya, Japan. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (84 kg/184.8 lb)... Posted: 24 Sep 2010 06:29 AM PDT  All fighters make weight for DREAM 16 from Nagoya, Japan. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (84 kg/184.8 lb) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (83 kg/182.6 lb) Props: MMA Fighting |
| Ryan Bader: Getting my butt kicked in the gym is a million times better than riding a desk Posted: 24 Sep 2010 06:19 AM PDT
Props: Vancouver Sun Quoteworthy:
Former desk jockey Ryan Bader inches his way closer to a light heavyweight title shot when he faces Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at tomorrow night's UFC 119 event in Indianapolis. The TUF 8 champ and undefeated powerhouse may be on a possible collision course with fellow surging prospect Jon Jones -- but must first overcome the experience of "Lil' Nog." Can Bader get it done? Or will the Brazilian put him to sleep in "Naptown?" |
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