Thursday, October 21, 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


Dana White: I call Cain Velasquez 'The Terminator' -- he won't stop until he finishes you (Video)

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 09:20 PM PDT

Bellator 33 weigh in results for 'Alvarez vs Huerta'

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 09:16 PM PDT

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Philadelphia, PA. (October 20, 2010) - On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships' debut in Philadelphia, the fighters competing in tomorrow's event participated in an official weigh-in earlier this afternoon.

Bellator 33 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 mun2.

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:

MAIN CARD:

Roger Huerta (155 lbs.) vs. Eddie Alvarez (155 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.

Ben Askren (170 lbs.) vs. Lyman Good (170 lbs.) @ 170 lbs.

Deividas Taurosevicius (145 lbs.) vs. Wilson Reis (146 lbs.) @145 lbs.

Rick Hawn (171 lbs.) vs. LeVon Maynard (171 lbs.) @170 lbs.

UNDERCARD:

Jamal Patterson (206 lbs.) vs. Tim Carpenter (206.5 lbs.) @205 lbs.

Edward Gueddes (159 lbs.) vs. Luis Azeredo (159 lbs.) @ 160 lbs (catchweight).

Nick Cottone (130 lbs.) vs. Tuan Pham (129.5 lbs.) @ 130 lbs (catchweight)

Kenny Foster (146 lbs.) vs. Lester Caslow (146 lbs.) @ 145 lbs.

For more on Bellator 33: "Alvarez vs. Huerta" click here.

Bellator 33 weigh in results for 'Alvarez vs Huerta'

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 09:15 PM PDT

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Philadelphia, PA. (October 20, 2010) - On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships' debut in Philadelphia, the fighters competing in tomorrow's event participated in an official weigh-in earlier this afternoon.

Bellator 33 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 mun2.

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:

MAIN CARD:

Roger Huerta (155 lbs.) vs. Eddie Alvarez (155 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.

Ben Askren (170 lbs.) vs. Lyman Good (170 lbs.) @ 170 lbs.

Deividas Taurosevicius (145 lbs.) vs. Wilson Reis (146 lbs.) @145 lbs.

Rick Hawn (171 lbs.) vs. LeVon Maynard (171 lbs.) @170 lbs.

UNDERCARD:

Jamal Patterson (206 lbs.) vs. Tim Carpenter (206.5 lbs.) @205 lbs.

Edward Gueddes (159 lbs.) vs. Luis Azeredo (159 lbs.) @ 160 lbs (catchweight).

Nick Cottone (130 lbs.) vs. Tuan Pham (129.5 lbs.) @ 130 lbs (catchweight)

Kenny Foster (146 lbs.) vs. Lester Caslow (146 lbs.) @ 145 lbs.

For more on Bellator 33: "Alvarez vs. Huerta" click here.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12: Episode 6 recap and discussion

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 07:00 PM PDT

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The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 12, featuring welterweight coaches (and division rivals) Josh Koscheck and Georges St. Pierre, is back for Episode 6 and Koscheck opens the episode by "double teaming" Michael Johnson while he stretches out.

Spirits are up for Kos and Co. now that they finally bagged their first win. He turns to the team to get some input on the final matches. Assistant Coach Dave Camarillo is playing field general and shares the stress behind trying to match up the fighters to their advantage.

Back at the house, Johnson continues to get his buttons pushed, now that Team Koscheck is "acting immature" and "not like good sports" following Nam Phan's win on Episode 5. Coach K shows up at the pad to ruffle a few feathers -- especially Johnson's.

Time for the first fight announcement and Marc Stevens will fight Cody McKenzie, who flicks Koscheck in the face after the stare down.

Coach St. Pierre finally makes an appearance and he tells his team not to fall for the antics of Team Troll, who just want to get a rise out of them by acting like bozos.

McKenzie trains for Stevens, who they've dubbed "Little Koscheck," and admits to not being a wrestler or athletic guy, but likes to scrap and throw hands.

And of course he has that tricky guillotine.

He runs into Koscheck in between the changeover and McKenzie tells the camera with a straight face that if they ever fought he "would give him a beating."

Uh-huh.

Stevens gets busy in the gym and drops the tried-and-true "He's never fought anybody like me." He's also adamant about not getting submitted. While McKenzie sees him as a "paycheck," Stevens considers his fight just another day at the office.

Both fighters weigh in without incident.

Dana White drops by for another stellar analysis. He's calling Stevens the favorite and that takedowns will be few and far between because of the fear of the guillotine.

Unfortunately McKenzie tells the guys that Stevens is better than him and every area but "once we get in there it doesn't matter what we learned." Sounds like a good philosophy. So what the hell are these guys paying Greg Jackson all that money for?

Stevens promises to send Cody back to his Crown Royal and chew.

Elimination fight #5: Marc Stevens (12-5) vs. Cody McKenzie (10-0)

Round 1: Wow, it's 10:31. This must be a quick fight if they plan on getting another one in before the show's over. And what happens? Stevens dives in for the takedown on a high kick attempt, lands it, and gets caught in the one place he didn't want to be: The friggin' guillotine. Peace out.

Cody McKenzie defeats Marc Stevens via submission (rear naked choke).

Koscheck looks shell-shocked. Stevens mans up and congratulates McKenzie before promising to come back stronger if given another chance. Hard to knock a guy like that.

In the locker room, GSP warns the team not to pound the walls or act like A-holes just because they pulled off the huge upset. Better to act nice and go crazy inside the cage.

In the opposing locker room, it's eerily quiet, almost like Jonestown. Nothing but a bunch of still bodies slumped across the wall and on benches.

Fight pick, take two, and Coach St. Pierre (back in control) picks Jonathan Brookins to fight Sevak Magakian.

Brookins is outside getting his yoga on, stretching and becoming one with nature. Then he's shown kicking some butt in training and getting plenty of accolades from Coach GSP. Brookins refers to himself as "just a baby" in this sport.

Unfortunately they go head-to-head on the mat and "Rush" gets busted open. He tries to keep it hidden from Koscheck but nope, Kos sniffs it out and starts the name calling.

"The Crazy Armenian" gets his chance to shine and Coach K calls him the "Alpha Male" because Sevak growls a lot and scowls in training. He wants to win to honor his late father and the rest of his supportive family.

And he knows Judo, go figure.

Koscheck says being a fighter is not about training or athleticism, it's about heart. And to think these guys wasted all that time in the gym when all they needed was to murk the Tin Man and jack his goods.

Elimination fight #6: Jonathan Brookins (11-2) vs. Sevak Magakian (8-3)

Round 1: 10:55. Another quickie. Both guys a little tentative on the feet. Sevak rushes in and Brookins soufflés him like a rag doll. They scramble on the ground and Sevak jumps up. Brookins is all over him, takes his back and rides him like a monkey. It's only a matter of time before he locks in the rear naked choke and Sevak crumbles to the mat. Dana White approves.

Jonathan Brookins defeats Sevak Mgakian via submission (rear naked choke).

Brookins doesn't want to be feared, he wants to be respected. Uh, mission accomplished.

Stay tuned next week as we get the final preliminary fight between Dane Sayers and Sako Chivitchian, the coaches challenge has Koscheck and St. Pierre going yard and the wild card is announced!

See you in seven!

UFC 121 pre-fight press conference airs today (Oct. 20) LIVE on MMAmania.com at 5 p.m. ET

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:56 PM PDT

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UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" is set to take place this Saturday night (Oct. 23) from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, featuring a heavyweight title fight between current champion Brock Lesnar and undefeated number one contender Cain Velasquez.

In addition, Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields will make his Octagon debut against well-rounded welterweight stalwart Martin Kampmann in the co-featured fight of the night.

Another high-profile showdown between Tito Ortiz and Matt Hamill has also been made official.

In preparation for this weekend's return to Orange County, the UFC will hold a pre-fight press conference featuring the major players from the event including Lesnar, Velasquez, Shields, Kampmann, Ortiz, Hamill and of course, UFC President Dana White.

The press conference will air LIVE right here on MMAmania.com at 5 p.m. ET after the jump.

Live stream and replay courtesy of UFC.com.

UFC 121: Jake Shields ready to earn his respect with a debut win over Martin Kampmann in Anaheim

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:55 PM PDT

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Former Elite XC welterweight and Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields (25-4) will face Martin Kampmann (17-3) at UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" this Saturday night (Oct. 23) on pay-per-view.

Dana White stated that if Shields wins this fight, then he will likely become the number one contender for the UFC welterweight title.

Despite defeating the likes of Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller and most recently Dan Henderson, Shields admits to Pro MMA Radio that he probably isn't getting the recognition he deserves.

"It's really frustrating because I've beaten all these top fighters and pretty much got no recognition for it. Even before the Henderson fight I was a 4 to 1 underdog even though I've beaten pretty even competition to him. It feels nice to finally get a little respect, especially now coming into the UFC."

Being a top fighter in other promotions probably won't mean much to the causal fans. Shields is fully aware that the hardcore fans may recognize other fighters, but the casual fans want to see fighters in the UFC to earn their respect.

"Fedor was considered one of the best in the world by the hardcore fans, but I think you do."

With a win over Kampmann, casual fans may know the competitor Shields is.

One might think that being a title holder would get you praised by the promotion, but Shields didn't feel like a champion in Strikeforce as time passed.

"In the beginning Strikeforce treated me good so I don't have anything bad to say. They kinda knew I wanted to go to the UFC so they weren't really treating me that good. I can understand them being upset, but they could've treated me a little better. So far I'm new to the UFC and they've been treating me great. They're treating me the way I felt Strikeforce should've been."

Having held titles in both the welterweight division and middleweight division, Shields feels more comfortable now fighting at welterweight.

"I'm in better shape at 170 and I can move faster, quicker in and out. I do like the strength at 185, but I feel like I've kept most of it dropping down. Dropping the weight sucks, but I've pretty much got all the weight off. I'm at 184Ibs right now. It wasn't fun getting down here, but I'm down."

Defeating "The Hitman" can be a tough task for any welterweight. 20 fighters have tried, but only three succeeded. Shields, however is up for the job.

"I think he's a great fighter. He keeps a really good distance. He circles really good, stays out of range so it's hard to shoot on him because he knows how to stay out of that punching range by using punches. Punches and kicks, great sprawl, good takedowns, great guillotine. He's a really dangerous guy, I think people are overlooking him or being stupid. I'm certainly not overlooking him, he's a true challenge for me."

While Kampmann respects the takedown abilities of Shields, he didn't really give him credit for his skills outside of grappling. The Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter believes that's a mistake.

"We've never boxed or anything so he really doesn't know what to expect. I think he's underestimating my standup, but again my game plan's gonna be to take him down and submit him."

Knowing that not only does a possible welterweight title shot hang in the balance, but also making his UFC debut on the biggest card of the year, Shields admits that he feels a bit of pressure to perform well.

"I don't wanna go out there and squeak out a decision. I gotta go out there and win, try to finish him and make it exciting. It's my UFC debut, I need to make fans, I need to make Dana say yeah he deserves a title shot."

If Shields is able to earn a title shot by beating Kampmann, he'll meet either Josh Koscheck or George St. Pierre down the road. He knows it would be a tough fight either way and gives his prediction on their fight at UFC 124.

"It's a tough fight. They're both great wrestlers, great athletes, good standup and well-rounded. Tough fight to predict, but I'm leaning toward GSP. He's been so consistent, I just think he might have Koscheck's number."

The birth of his daughter gave Shields a whole new approach to MMA. Despite getting himself pumped up before the fights, it doesn't hurt to have a little extra motivation.

"I'm a self motivated type person and driven anyways, but it gives you an extra motivation thinking you gotta make it in fighting because I kinda put all my eggs in one basket. I dropped out of college and I don't have too many job skills at this point, so I need to make some good money so I can get my daughter a good life."

We'll see if daddy Jake can gun down "The Hitman" at UFC 121.

For more on Shields, check out MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio by clicking here.

Cain Velasquez video on ESPNs 'SportsCenter' to promote Brock Lesnar fight at UFC 121

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:54 PM PDT

UFC Quick Quote: Cheick Kongo wanted a 'high-crotch,' not a handful of shorts

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:54 PM PDT

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"My take on it is that it was something of a simple, honest mistake. He looked to me like he was reaching between Browne’s legs looking to get a position for a high-crotch or something, but just coming away with a handful of shorts each time.”

Wolfslair Muay Thai coach Dave Jackson (via Fighters Only) doesn't believe Cheick Kongo is a dirty fighter. Kongo was deducted a point in his bout at UFC 120 with Travis Browne that could've won him the fight. Referee Marc Goddard took away the point when his warnings of repeated short grabbing were ignored by the French fighter. Instead of a win for Kongo, the fight ended up being a 28-28 draw on all three judges' scorecards. This isn't the first time Kongo has been accused of being a dirty fighter. In his win over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 75, Kongo was able to land multiple knees to the groin without getting penalized. Do you give Kongo the benefit of the doubt? Or do you think the UFC vet has gone too far?

MC Hammer's Alchemist MMA today announced the acquisition of six new MMA fighters, including former...

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:45 PM PDT

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MC Hammer's Alchemist MMA today announced the acquisition of six new MMA fighters, including former WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho.

Jon Jones: 'I will never fight Rashad Evans'

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:24 PM PDT

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Props: ESPN.co.uk

Quoteworthy:

"Absolutely not. If Rashad Evans won the belt, which I'm hoping he does, my only goal would be to be the toughest contender there is, and keep whipping butt without being champion. I'd stay at 205 and be the second best. That would be my goal. As I said, I'm hoping he wins, we're very proud of him. I couldn't [fight him], he's my mate. All my dreams and aspirations are in the light-heavyweight division, and I'm growing and getting older, but I have quite some time left in the light-heavyweight division. I have a good work ethic because of the wrestling, cutting weight comes easily to me, so I'll wait until weight-cutting becomes miserable before I step up."

UFC light heavyweight contender Jon Jones is pulling for Rashad Evans when "Suga" faces Mauricio Rua in Spring 2011 -- even if it means he never gets a title shot while Evans is champion. Of course "Bones" has to first get past Ryan Bader on Feb. 5 to even be considered for a title bout, but if he does, can he put an end to the "Shogun" era? Or will Evans hold the title hostage for the immediate future? And what will Dana White have to say about Jon Jones taking over for Keith Jardine in the "I won't fight Rashad" fan club?

UFC 121: Paulo Thiago will 'contain' Diego Sanchez on Oct. 23 in Anaheim (Video)

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:21 PM PDT

Programming reminder: UFC 116 & Primetime 'Lesnar vs Velasquez' tonight (Oct. 20) on Spike TV

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 01:17 PM PDT

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Brocktober continues!

The UFC returns with "Primetime," a three-part series featuring an in-depth look at the upcoming UFC 121 heavyweight title fight between reigning division champion Brock Lesnar and undefeated number one contender Cain Velasquez..

Episode three will air TONIGHT (Oct. 20) at 9:30 pm ET on Spike TV and lead into episode six of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12.

And of course, this being "Brocktober," that's just the tip of the iceberg from a programming standpoint.

Things get started nice and early as UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" makes its way to the cable television network starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Check out the rest of this month's television line-up after the jump.

UFC PRIMETIME: LESNAR VS. VELASQUEZ
Premiere Episode #3 - Wednesday, October 20 at 9:30pm

UFC 116: LESNAR VS. CARWIN (re-air)
Wednesday, October 20 (7:00pm-9:30pm)

UFC UNLEASHED
Lesnar vs. Herring - Saturday, October 23 (6:00pm-7:00pm)
Lesnar vs. Couture - Saturday, October 23 (7:00-8:00pm)
Lesnar vs. Mir 2 - Saturday, October 23 (8:00-9:00pm)
Lesnar vs. Mir 1 - Saturday, October 23 (3:00-4:00pm)

UFC 121 COUNTDOWN
Thursday, October 21 at 12:30am
Saturday, October 23 at 1:00pm

UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" will air live on pay-per-view Saturday, October 23, from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, at 10:00 PM ET.

For the complete UFC 121 fight card and line-up click here.

Eddie Alvarez: 'I'm going to finish' Roger Huerta at Bellator 33

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 11:14 AM PDT

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Props: Sherdog

Quoteworthy:

"I’m going to get in his face like nobody’s got in his face before. I’m going to finish him. I don’t think there’s going to be a part of the fight where Roger’s dominant. I want to get right after him and beat him like nobody’s beaten him."

Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez believes he has the tools to dominate Roger Huerta in their non-title bout tomorrow night (Oct. 21) at Bellator 33. "The Silent Assassin" hasn't lost a bout since December of 2008 when he tapped to Shinya Aoki's heel hook. It's a different story for "El Matador" who is 1-3 in his last four bouts. Can Huerta get back on the winning track by stunning lightweight champion Alvarez? Or will the champ be too much to handle for the once promising UFC lightweight contender?

UFC 121: Brock Lesnar and his epic beard will 'nullify' Cain Velasquez on fight night (Video)

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 09:23 AM PDT

Latest UFC 121 odds and betting lines for 'Lesnar vs Velasquez' on Oct. 23

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 09:11 AM PDT

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The clock is ticking ... literally.

We're just a few days away from the upcoming UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" pay-per-view event, which takes place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday, October 23.

And the closer we get to showtime, is less time that you have to place your bets.

This weekend's action is, of course, headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, as he defends his title against undefeated number one contender Cain Velasquez.

In addition, Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields will make his Octagon debut against well-rounded welterweight stalwart Martin Kampmann in the co-featured fight of the night.

As the "Cain Train" continues to pick up speed, the yawning chasm that was the betting lines in favor of Lesnar are now nothing more than a crack in the sidewalk.

We're three days away from the promotion's biggest event of the year, and Lesnar is now a -135 favorite to Velasquez, the underdog at +105.

In contrast to the main event, Shields (-220) has remained below the -200 mark since his contest against "The Hitman" (+175) was announced. Will the great Dane make the bookies pay the price for their lack of vision?

Here are the latest UFC 121 odds (- = favorite; + = underdog):

Brock Lesnar
-135 BET NOW
Cain Velasquez
+105 BET NOW
Jake Shields
-220 BET NOW
Martin Kampmann
+175 BET NOW
Matt Hamill
-155 BET NOW
Tito Ortiz
+125 BET NOW
Paulo Thiago
-130 BET NOW
Diego Sanchez
+100 BET NOW
Gabriel Gonzaga
-165 BET NOW
Brendan Schaub +135 BET NOW

 

To check out the complete UFC 121 odds and betting lines for the preliminary fight card click here.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 121 beginning with the PPV telecast at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 23. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

For the latest UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" news and notes click here.

UFC 124: Rafael Natal vs Jason Bongfeldt booked for Dec. 11 with Jason MacDonald hurt

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 08:29 AM PDT

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There's hurts ...and there's "not exactly."

Unfortunately for Jason MacDonald, he qualifies for the latter after withdrawing from his UFC 124 bout against Rafael Natal on Dec. 11 in Montreal.

Natal's management group today tweets that Canadian MMA fixture Jesse Bongfeldt will step in to replace "The Athlete" at Quebec's Bell Centre.

McDonald's 2010 return to the Octagon went from dream to nightmare after breaking his leg while defending a takedown against opponent John Salter at UFC 113 back in May. The grisly injury required surgery and has kept the former division contender away from action for several months.

Now it appears he will remain on the disabled list until 2011.

Natal entered the Octagon as a highly touted but relatively unknown fighter with a record of 12-2. "Sapo" would drop his promotion debut to Ultimate Fighter (TUF) cast member Rich Attonito by unanimous decision on Sept. 15.

He needs a win to avoid the dreaded 0-2 debut, but don't expect Bongfeldt (21-6) to make it easy on him.

"Water" has been terrorizing the regional circuit for the past three years, winning seven straight fights including a 2008 submission win over UFC veteran TJ Grant. Is he ready for the big time? We'll know soon enough.

UFC 124 will be headlined by Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre taking on fellow TUF 12 coach Josh Koscheck. Thiago Alves and John Howard as well as Dustin Hazelett and Mark Bocek are also expected to hook 'em up.

For the latest UFC 124 fight card and rumors click here.

Tonight, the role of 'Pot' will be played by Yoshihiro Akiyama ...

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 07:50 AM PDT

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... as he calls the kettle "black" (via MMA Fighting):

"I only went for one takedown (at UFC 120) but Bisping's body was really slippery. Even if I do say so myself..."

And if anyone has experience with being slippery, it's Akiyama, who cemented his status as one of Japan's biggest heels after going Exxon Valdez on Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba at K-1 Premium Dynamite!! in 2006. His TKO victory over the legend was changed to a No Contest after some questions were raised about his pre-fight ritual of getting intimate with a jar of Olay and a Japanese "grease-gate" was born. Is "Sexyama" trying to save face overseas? Or was "The Count" hitting the Jergens on fight night?

UFC Quick Quote: What happens to Cain Velasquez if Brock Lesnar doesn't get tired?

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 07:12 AM PDT

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"[Brock] went three rounds with Heath Herring and was fine. We expect this is going five rounds, and we expect him to be there all five rounds. If you go in with the idea he’s going to get tired, what happens if he doesn’t? Cain is more skilled than Brock Lesnar at every aspect of the game. But can that overcome the size and strength? That’s the big question. If they execute their game plan and we don’t, they win. I think I know what their game plan is, and it’s a good one. But if they execute their game plan and we execute our game plan, we win. If it goes to a decision, we’re winning the decision."

American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) chief Javier Mendez (via Yahoo! Sports) wants to have all his bases covered heading into UFC 121 on Saturday night (Oct. 23) when his star pupil, undefeated heavyweight number one contender Cain Velasquez will try to dethrone reigning champion Brock Lesnar in the night's main event. Mendez is confident that gameplan-to-gameplan, the great Mexican hope is in a better position to win. But what if Lesnar has an answer for every "big question" they have? We'll find out in just a few days.

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