Sunday, September 6, 2009

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

Ross Clifton 1977-2009

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 12:46 AM PDT

ross-clifton

Former Gladiator Challenge Super Heavyweight Champion Ross Clifton has passed away from an apparent heart attack on the morning of September 5 according to MMAWeekly.

“The Grizzly” is perhaps best known for being fed to a juiced-up Ken Shamrock at the War Gods: "Valentine's Eve Massacre" event which took place at the Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., back on Feb. 13.

Despite submitting Clifton via first round armbar, Shammy was popped for steroids nearly one month after the event.

The 6′8″, 360-pound goliath tried to rebound from “The World’s Most Dangerous Loss” by throwing leather with Rick Vardell last July, but the portly powerhouse was stopped in the first round for his fifth straight loss.

Clifton ran a mixed martial arts  school called “Grizzly’s Den” in Cameron Park, California and is survived by his wife.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Clifton family during this difficult time.

Junior dos Santos on fight against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 103 and more (Video)

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 03:12 PM PDT

Pending elbow surgery sidelines Anderson Silva until 2010

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 10:34 AM PDT

Looks like we’ll have a little more time to figure out which middleweight contender is going to be next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva’s 185-pound crown — courtesy of a bum elbow “The Spider” has elected to have surgery to repair.

While details of the procedure are still unclear, the gang down at ESPN’s “MMA Live” posted the unfortunate (but not surprising) news on their official Twitter account.

Not surprising because “Spider” spokesman and manager Ed Soares has been adamant about his client taking a few months off to rest and recover from some existing injuries following his dissection of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 back on August 8.

Soares even made the unofficial match-up of Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Henderson following “The Great” knockout over Demian Maia at last month’s UFC 102 in order determine a number one contender for the division title while Silva recuperates.

While it makes sense on paper considering both competitors have faced Silva before, it was an idea not warmly received by Hendo.

UFC President Dana White has not yet committed to a direction for the 185-pound division, but with Silva going under the knife, he’ll have plenty of time to consider different scenarios.

But how long are fans willing to wait?

With a surgically repaired “Axe Murderer” already planning a middleweight debut plus the return of a suddenly slimmer Vitor Belfort, there should be enough to keep us busy for the next six months.

Who knows, maybe even Yushin Okami will “Thunder” his way back into contention.

Yves Edwards and Roan Carneiro victorious at Shine 2: ‘American Top Team vs The World’

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 09:54 AM PDT

Former UFC fighters Yves Edwards and Roan Carneiro helped propel the American Top Team (ATT) camp to victory at the Shine Fights event from the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Fla., on Sept. 4.

Shine 2: "American Top Team vs. The World" featured an assortment of members competing out of the well known Florida-based mixed martial arts camp taking on fighters from around the world.

For those keeping score, the boys down at ATT made it a clean sweep at the pay-per-view event, taking home the "W" in all four of the fights they represented.

Edwards, ATT’s "Master of Thug-jitsu," managed to rebound from a two-fight losing skid to choke out "Madtown Throwdown" veteran James Warfield with a sneaky triangle choke late in the second frame.

Also breaking out of an 0-2 slump was the Brazilian welterweight Carneiro, who outclassed Chute Boxe product Jorge "Macaco" Patino en route to a unanimous decision victory. Like Edwards, it was the first fight for "Jucao" in nearly a year.

With any luck, we won’t have to wait another twelve months to see these two talented veterans get their fight on.

Here are the Shine 2 official results:

Roan Carneiro defeated Jorge Patino via unanimous decision
Yves Edwards defeated James Warfield via submission (triangle choke) 4:48-R2
Luiz Firmino defeated Ryan Healy via unanimous decision
Flavio Alvaro defeated Jean Silva via majority decision
Micah Miller defeated Anthony Morrison via submission (arm-triangle choke) 4:25-R2
Junior Assuncao defeated Pete Grimes via split decision
Herbert Goodman defeated James Brasco via TKO (strikes) 3:24-R3
Brian Fuery defeated Phil Friedman via submission (neck crank) 2:03-R1

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on future events from Shine Fight Promotions in the coming months.

New-look Wanderlei Silva explains reasons for recent facial surgery, new tattoo and more (Video)

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 06:46 AM PDT

Report: ‘Rampage’ Jackson out of UFC 107 in Memphis in favor of ‘A-Team’

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 06:39 AM PDT

Scheduling conflicts will force former light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson out of his upcoming grudge match against Rashad Evans at UFC 107 from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 12.

No new date is known at this time for when the pair will settle their score once and for all, but early 2010 now seems like the most likely possibility.

Vancouver Sun reports that “Rampage” will soon report for duty on the set of "The A-Team" for his role as B.A. Baracus in the upcoming feature film.

He was recently in town to discuss the production schedule, which is apparently a six-week commitment that will prevent him from being fully prepared to compete in front of his hometown crowd (Memphis) for the first time ever inside the Octagon.

Company president, Dana White, who more was more than likely banking on Jackson to make a big splash at the box office, is unhappy with the news.

Here’s a snip:

“Guess what Rashad Evans is thinking about right now. He's thinking about beating your f**king ass. He's not sitting around thinking about how him and his mom used to watch the f**king Love Boat together and he wants to get the role of Isaac the bartender.”

Jackson recently completed taping for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (10) on Spike TV, which is set to debut after UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16. He served as a coach opposite his new-found arch enemy, Evans.

This is not the first time in 2009 Jackson didn’t stick to the script.

Remember that he passed on the opportunity try and pry the 205-pound title from newly-minted division kingpin, Lyoto Machida, opting to take on the recently dethroned "Sugar" instead. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua happily stepped in for Jackson and is set to battle the “Dragon” at UFC 104 on Oct. 24.

Timing is certainly not on his side the year, which is something he will have to work on while on the silver screen along with castmates Liam Neeson (Col. John "Hannibal") and Bradley Cooper (Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck) in the 20th Century Fox-produced movie. The "Murdock" character has yet to be cast.

"A-Team," while certainly the most high profile, is not the first acting gig for Jackson. He has appeared in "Confessions of a Pit Fighter," "Bad Guys" and "The Midnight Meat Train," as well as an episode of "The King of Queens."

With Jackson now scratched, UFC 107 will feature a main event between lightweight division champion BJ Penn defending his title against number one division contender Diego Sanchez, as well as a heavyweight showdown between former champion Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo.

Cheick mate: ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira wants Frank Mir rematch at UFC 107 on Dec. 12

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 04:01 AM PDT

Props: MMAWeekly.com

Quoteworthy:

"If I was making excuses, I would have been making excuses right after the fight. I’m not making excuses, I’m giving you a reason…. If Mir feels it's an excuse, then lets get in the Octagon and see whether it’s an excuse or a reason in December and settle it. I'd love to fight Frank Mir at UFC 107."

Move over Cheick Kongo, former Pride FC and UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira wants to rematch Frank Mir at UFC 107 from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 12. Mir handed “Big Nog” his first ever technical knockout loss at last year's UFC 92 event, opening the door for speculation that years of abuse had finally caught up to the battle-weary Brazilian and that his fighting days were numbered. He recently silenced the critics with a thrilling unanimous decision win over Randy Couture at UFC 102 last month. In doing so, it also brought up questions about his health in the fight against Mir — Nogueira was hospitalized with staph infection days before the bout and was also nursing a torn ligament in his knee. Mir was upset with the post-fight questions, saying that all it did was hollow out his win rather than give him credit for stopping a legend in the sport dead in his tracks. So should the promotion push Kongo aside and book Nogueira opposite Mir in December to eliminate any and all excuses? It’s certainly got a much more intriguing back story that can be hyped, don’t ya’ think?

MMA Quick Quote: Brett Rogers’ power + cage experience = Fedor Emelianenko knockout

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 02:47 AM PDT

"In the cage it's a different environment. The angles in a cage are a lot different than in a boxing ring and there's no give against that fence, so I'm definitely going to use the cage as an advantage … he's really good at recovering. He knows to duck his head and clinch on to the body, and just kind of wait it out until he can really wake up. That's good for him, but I'm not the type of person to give him an inch. As soon as I see him hurt, I'm on him. I'm on him. I'm gonna finish the fight. I don't like to play around too much in the cage because anything can happen at any time, so I take them out as soon as possible…. I definitely have a huge advantage when it comes down to exchanging punches. That's my strong point, and that's definitely going to be his weak point. I want to keep moving, keep him back pedaling, and just keep him off balance. That's my main goal in this fight. I really don't see him wanting to stand and bang with me. He's gonna taste my power, and then he's going to try to take me down to hopefully get me with some ground and pound or just whatever. Hopefully he's not sleeping on the fact that I do have wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu training too. I guarantee you I'm going to be prepared for whatever…. Fedor's just another man to me. It's nice to say that I'm fighting the guy most people consider to be the number one fighter in the world but on the other side of that coin he's just a man. He's just a man that's in my way. A lot of people see Fedor as this unbeatable, mythical creature, but if I put one on his chin, Fedor is going to sleep. Right now I'm in training and I'm just visualizing knocking him out every day. I can see that he's been rocked several times before, so I'm going in there for the kill. I can't not picture me knocking him out. So he better do some chin-ups or whatever he needs to do to make him strong, because I'm coming for him. He's not going to be able to handle my power standing and banging. He stands in the pocket with me, he's gonna get knocked out. He better keep on his toes and move around."

– Brett Rogers talks to FiveOuncesOfPain.com about his keys to victory against Fedor Emelianenko when the heavyweights collide under the Strikeforce banner later this year. No firm date, location or venue is known at this time. However, that hasn’t stopped the hype train from rolling out of the station several months from fight night. In 10 professional mixed martial arts bouts Rogers has been perfect, ending all of his contests early via strikes. On the other hand, Emelianenko has never been stopped in his illustrious 31-fight career sans a 17-second fight-ending injury (cut) he sustained way back in 2001. So is “The Grimm” really the man who can topple the Russian cyborg with his heavy hands/cage experience or is Emelianenko just too savvy, talented and experienced to go out like that?
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Saturday, September 5, 2009

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

Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley vs Martin Kampmann for UFC 103 booked with Mike Swick hurt

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 10:56 AM PDT

A concussion suffered during training on Sept. 3 has forced UFC welterweight Mike Swick to withdraw from his UFC 103 fight against fellow 170-pound contender Martin Kampmann at the “Belfort vs. Franklin” event in Dallas, Texas.

MMAmania.com has confirmed with Swick’s camp that the former Ultimate Fighter contestant has indeed been pulled from the line-up following his head injury.

The news was first reported by The Sun , who also pegs Affliction transplant Paul “Semtex” Daley as the last-minute replacement for “Quick” opposite “The Hitman” on Sept. 19.

The Nottingham, England, native was to make his Octagon debut against fellow promotional newcomer Brian Foster after recently inking a four-fight deal with the UFC in late July following the collapse of Affliction MMA.

The status of Foster for UFC 103 is unknown at this time.

Daley is currently enjoying back-to-back wins after dropping two out of three to Nick "The Goat" Thompson and Jake Shields prior to that. He most recently put his stamp on Junior Barata, needing less than three minutes to take care of business.

The hard-hitting Brit will look to do the same against Kampmann; however, he may not get the chance if he can't stay upright.

The 26-year-old slugger boasts 16 (technical) knockout wins in 21 career bouts (more than 75 percent). However, he is often criticized for his ground game, or lack thereof, for which he apparently makes no excuses (he has lost five times via submission in his eight career losses).

The crafty “Hitman" does have five submission wins to his credit, including a memorable arm-triangle choke over Drew McFedries at UFC 68 in March 2007.

Kampmann last competed at UFC Fight Night 18: "Condit vs. Kampmann," spoiling the Octagon debut of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Welterweight Champion and top-ranked 170-pound fighter Carlos Condit.

He defeated Alexandre Barros via second round technical knockout at UFC 93: "Franklin vs. Henderson" in his 170-pound debut earlier this year.

This will mark the third time that Kampmann competes at 170 pounds after getting booted from the middleweight division by Nate Marquardt at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" back in September 2008.

And if he is able to perform well like he did on April 1, he’ll likely face Georges St. Pierre for the division crown in early 2010.

UFC 103 will feature a main event between Rich "Ace" Franklin and Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort at a 195-pound catchweight. Also slated for the main card is a heavyweight tilt between former PRIDE superstar Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and surging heavyweight prospect Junior Dos Santos.

For the latest UFC 103 fight card click here .

Mike Swick video talks UFC 103 fight against Martin Kampmann

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 08:38 AM PDT

James Malec convicted in the shooting death of former UFC fighter Justin Eilers

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 08:32 AM PDT

James Robert Malec was convicted of voluntary manslaughter yesterday (Sept. 3) for the 2008 shooting death of his stepson, former UFC and Elite XC heavyweight contender Justin Eilers, according to the Idaho Statesman .

Sentencing is expected this October and his conviction is punishable by a fine of up to $15,000 and/or up to 15 years in prison.

Malec was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after shooting Eilers once in the chest on Christmas day in Canyon County, Idaho, in a domestic disturbance turned deadly.

Paramedics were called to the scene but were unsuccessful in their attempts to stabilize him.

Malec worked as a Canyon County corrections officer and dog handler in the late 1990's and according to Eilers’ mother, carried a firearm on a regular basis.

Problems arose when Eilers and his ex-girlfriend began arguing, which further escalated when Malec reportedly ordered Eilers to leave. Eilers refused and one witness reports Eilers challenged Malec to a fight before the shooting took place.

From Deputy Canyon County Prosecutor Scott James:

“Justin Eilers was acting like a jerk, there’s no question. He was ruining Christmas. He was disrespecting the defendant in his own home. But he didn’t deserve to die.”

Eilers (19-7-1) was probably most known among casual fans for his three straight losses over a year's span in the UFC. From February 2005 to February 2006 he dropped three fights — each by first round technical knockout — to Paul Buentello, Andrei Arlovski and Brandon Vera, respectively.

However, Eilers was on a very impressive streak before passing, having won 10 of his past 12 fights. After falling to Antonio Silva at EliteXC 'Unfinished Business' back in July 2008, Eilers was targeting a debut at light heavyweight to further refine his improved skill set and once again prove he was ready for the big stage.

The unfortunate news came barely a week after former UFC and WEC competitor Justin Levens was found dead - also by gunshot - in his California home.

From Gwen Moore, Malec’s wife and Eilers’ mother:

“I didn’t want to make that determination as a wife and a mother. Everyone asked me what justice I wanted. I want my son back, that’s what I want. And I’m not going to get that.”

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on Malec’s sentencing in the coming weeks.

MMA Quick Quote: When in doubt, fake an injury

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 07:43 AM PDT

"There's loopholes in everybody's game, and in his game, the way I see it, he can sometimes get a little sloppy. He is a patient guy, but when he feels that he has to give, he kind of rushes it a little bit. Just on that, I can kinda set him up for a knockout just by faking an injury or something, just jump in and out his offense a little more than not. Hit and move. Hit and move. Fedor, he's definitely done and proved to the world that he's capable of doing whatever he needs to to get the job done. That right there –- that's the type of fighter that I'm looking forward to fighting because it's all about testing your might and he's definitely got it to test."

Undefeated heavyweight wrecking machine Brett Rogers tells Sherdog.com that he anticipates capitalizing on a "sloppy" former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko when the two clash this Fall for the Strikeforce promotion on Showtime. "Da Grim" has taken a serious step up in competition after knocking out Andrei Arlovski at the "Lawler vs. Shields" event back in June. Is he ready to dethrone "The Last Emperor?" Or will Emelianenko drop the iron curtain on the aspiring heavyweight? Time will tell…

(Photo courtesey of Esther Lin/Strikeforce)

Strikeforce: Alistair Overeem will defend his heavyweight title following K-1 event

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 07:03 AM PDT

There were more than a few eyebrows raised after the official line up was recently announced for the upcoming K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16 — primarily because one of its participants was Alistair Overeem, current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion.

“Demolition Man” was forced to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Fabricio Werdum at the August 15 "Carano vs. Cyborg" event in San Jose after re-aggravating a previous hand injury .

It was that same injury that booted him from the promotion’s June 6 card in St. Louis, where Andrei Arlovski (on loan from Affliction) stepped in to take his place to get creamed by Brett Rogers at 0:22 of the first round.

In light of the recent acquisition of famed heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko, fans were beginning to get restless with no clear timetable for Overeem’s return, even calling for an interim title in his absence, much like they did for the middleweight strap when 185-pound champ Cung Le went Hollywood.

The Dutch striker has yet to defend his heavyweight crown after capturing it with a second round submission win over Paul Buentello way back in 2007. Overeem has since been employed in Japan, racking up a 3-0 record in MMA (1 NC) and a 1-1 record under the K-1 banner during that span.

Now he will return to K-1 to battle aging “Dutch Lumberjack” Peter Aerts on September 26 in Seoul, Korea.

When contacted by MMAmania.com (www.MMAmania.com ), Strikeforce officials were happy to report that Overeem’s injuries have finally healed and that he will compete in the upcoming kickboxing bout as part of his existing contract with K-1.

Following that bout, as well as a planned fight for Golden Glory, Overeem is expected to return to Strikeforce to defend his title.

And with Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko all gunning for first dibs, don’t expect him to receive a very warm welcome.

Vitor Belfort: Fighting Randy Couture for a fourth time is ‘not a bad idea’

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 06:29 AM PDT

Props: Tatame.com

Quoteworthy:

"That's not a bad idea. Whatever has to happen, will happen … If Dana White and the fans want it, what can I do? I'll fight (Couture) and try to invert the score. How do I think it'd be? Just put us there, my friend … That's how we see the things."

Newly re-signed UFC star Vitor Belfort contemplates a future match against one-time arch nemesis Randy Couture. The two met three times inside the Octagon starting all the way back at UFC 15 in 1997 and "The Natural" is ahead on the scorecards 2-1. Since they last met at UFC 49, both Couture and "The Phenom" have juggled weight classes with mixed results. Anyone want to see them hook ‘em up one last time as Captain America nears the end of his career? Or was the third time the charm? Opinions please.
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Friday, September 4, 2009

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

UFC 102 video review and Fedor-Rogers preview on ESPNs ‘MMA Live’

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 09:09 PM PDT

Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller won’t sign a contract to fight Jake Shields in October …

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 08:59 PM PDT

… according to the former Elite XC welterweight champion via GracieFighter.com:

“… he’ll beat the piss out of me? He’s the one that won’t sign the contract. I would sign that fight tonight but he just wants to talk and act tough, but he’s the one that won’t sign. His manager tells us the fight is on, Miller has agreed and then I’m hearing he’s decided he can’t fight in October but would maybe do it in December. He thinks he’s a star now but just like the show I was the only one doing the fighting while he just did the talking. He must think he’s Cung Le now.”

It’s interesting that Miller prematurely announced that he would fight Shields for the Strikeforce interim middleweight belt and now the rumored bout is in jeopardy because “Mayhem” wants to fight, according to Shields, in December. Perhaps it’s because “Mayhem” wants another crack at Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza first under the DREAM banner; however, Strikeforce and the Japanese-based recently forged a strategic alliance to work together and share talent. There is certainly some funny business going on here, which should come as no surprise when “Mayhem” is involved. Stay tuned …

MMA Quick Quote: Sean Salmon in hot water in Ohio for taking a dive

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 08:40 PM PDT

“I’m going to confront him with it. I’m not going to stand for this kind of shit. If he doesn’t print a retraction, then he’s out. I’m not going to compromise the integrity of the sport and have someone throw a fight. … If I had proof, he’d be banned for life in Ohio.”

– Ohio State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bernie Profato tells ESPN.com that he’s none too pleased with an admission from former UFC veteran, Sean Salmon, that he “gave” Allan Weickert an armbar submission win in a June 3 bout in Ohio to avoid further damage. Salmon, who is perhaps best known for a brutal knockout loss to Rashad Evans, apparently had much more important work to do in the near future as a training partner for Michael Bisping and Cheick Kongo and did not want to risk injury. His admission set off a firestorm on the message boards among mixed martial arts purists and he has since attempted to clarify his incendiary remarks. He’ll have to plead his case to Profato and the Commission in an Oct. 14 hearing, during which he could face serious repercussions. And if he does get banned in the “Buckeye State” it could be a major blow to his career — Salmon is an Ohio native who also operates an MMA facility in the area, S.S. Combat & Fitness Center.

Mirko Cro Cop vs Junior dos Santos UFC 103 video preview

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 05:14 PM PDT

UFC 107: BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez booked for Memphis on Dec. 12

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 02:44 PM PDT

UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is set to put his 155-pound title on the line once again, agreeing to face number one division contender Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 12.

Company president Dana White recently teased during UFC 102 weekend that the highly anticipated championship match up would likely happen in November, but not on any of the previously announced events on pay-per-view (PPV) or Spike TV.

It appeared that the promotion was on the verge of signing a television deal with a major national network; however, it appears that those plans, at least for now, are once again on pause.

Penn is fresh off a submission win over Kenny Florian at UFC 101 on Aug. 8, solidifying himself as the best lightweight in the UFC … and perhaps the world.

“Nightmare” will now look to assume that mantle.

Sanchez — an original winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — earned his shot after dropping to lightweight and outpointing Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida, effectively vaulting himself to the top of the number one contender list.

His impressive run at welterweight (8-2) more than likely contributed to finally getting a crack at a world title.

UFC 107 is expected to feature a 205-pound bout between bitter rivals and opposing coaches on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter, "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, as well as a heavyweight showdown between former champion Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo.

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing fight card. In the meantime, check out the announcement from “The Prodigy” after the jump.

Matt Hughes signs multi-fight UFC contract

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 11:36 AM PDT

Looks like former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (43-7) — much like fellow elder statesmen Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture — has just signed a multi-fight UFC contract that will likely insure he finishes his career inside the Octagon before hanging up the gloves once and for all.

Following his unanimous decision win over Matt Serra at UFC 98: “Evans vs. Machida,” the future Hall of Famer revealed his desire to continue fighting, however it's still unclear at this time where the 35-year-old veteran fits in the grand scheme of things.

From Hughes’ official blog :

“Last week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, which is much like my last contract. I also brought up the fact that I wanted to do a hunting show and they thought that would be a good thing. They still have to find out who, where and when my next fight will be and I will try to post that info ASAP. Nothing is decided yet, so anything you might be reading on the internet right now is just rumors and speculation. However, one name the UFC did bring up is a person I've never fought before.”

While it may still be too early to speculate when and where Hughes will make his first appearance, it’s not unfair to wonder if his old school smothering "ground and pound" approach to competition is going to cut it against younger, faster and more versatile talents such as Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick, among others.

No question Mr. Country Breakfast has an irrefutable legacy inside the Octagon, but he’s a mediocre 3-3 since manhandling Royce Gracie at UFC 60: “Hughes vs. Gracie” way back in May of 2006.

Hughes may not be on the verge of another title run, but it will be interesting to see if this old dog can learn some new tricks and keep up with the new generation of mixed martial arts competitors. Perhaps the H.I.T. Squad founder still has a few tricks up his sleeve?

Time will tell.

Brother’s Keeper: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira planning UFC 105 debut in Manchester

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 10:26 AM PDT

Former PRIDE light heavyweight sensation Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is getting closer to joining his twin brother Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the ranks of the UFC as Fighter’s Only reports that “Minotoro” is being considered for a UFC 105 debut on November 14 in Manchester, England.

After dropping a close unanimous decision to Vladimir Matyushenko way back in 2002 in his sophomore effort for the now-defunct PRIDE FC promotion, Lil’ Nog went on an absolute tear, rattling off eight straight victories including a TKO win over current Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem and a submission victory (armbar) over UFC middleweight contender Dan Henderson.

His momentum however was quickly derailed courtesy of a flash KO just 23 seconds into his bout against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at PRIDE 33 — his last appearance for the struggling promotion. It was the first time in his career that Nogueria had been stopped, but he quickly got back to his winning ways after nearly a year on the sidelines.

In addition to pounding out Edwin “Babyface” DeWees at Affliction: “Banned” in July of 2008, Nogueira got his much sought-after revenge on Matyushenko by knocking out “The Janitor” in the second round of their rematch at Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” this past January.

Like his brother “Minotauro,” the younger-by-seven-seconds Nogueira is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and talented boxer. Aside from his mixed martial arts exploits, Nog Jr. also competed as a pugilist, capturing a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games.

It will be interesting to see who the UFC puts in front of him for his November debut.

UFC 105 will be the first show held at the MEN Arena since UFC 70: "Nations Collide," which featured one of the sport's biggest upsets when Gabriel Gonzaga defeated Mirko Filipovic via crushing head kick.

The event has yet to be officially announced by the promotion; however hometown favorite Michael “The Count” Bisping is expected to compete on the main card opposite Denis Kang. To see how the card has been shaping up thus far be sure to hit up or event archive right here .

Bjorn Rebney video talks pending television deal for season two of Bellator FC

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 09:59 AM PDT

UFC invades Ameba Blog to increase presence in Japanese market

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 08:44 AM PDT

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to creep into the Japanese market after partnering with Japan’s number one social networking and blog site, Ameba Blog, to create UFC/WEC fighter blog pages.

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Ameba … get those bookmarks organized folks.

Though you must be able to read Japanese to comprehend the content of these blogs, the non-Japanese fans can nevertheless get a glimpse of the day-to-day happenings and musings of the fighters, as a lot of the entries include pictures.

Interestingly enough, UFC Octagon girl, Logan Stanton (who apparently is quarter-Japanese) maintains her page on Ameba Blog. Her blog, of course, is in English so her fans can rejoice as they can “get the inside scoop they can’t get anywhere else” (euphemism for stalking!?)

To the delight of the “Sexyama” worshippers, Yoshihiro Akiyama is one of the current fighters with a blog page: Now they will have a daily dose of pictures of their idol.

As posted on the UFC news section, the following are the blog pages for the select UFC/WEC fighters (and Logan Stanton): Caol Uno, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Logan Stanton, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Takeya Mizugaki, Kenji Osawa and Akitoshi Tamura.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Ameba-UFC connection as more fighters sign on — or in the best case scenario, the UFC finally makes its return to Japan.

UFC 103 fight card and complete line up announced for Sept. 19 in Dallas

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 08:23 AM PDT

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has confirmed the remaining under card bouts for its next major pay-per-view (PPV) event, which is scheduled for the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009.

The final 13-fight line up for UFC 103 — the promotion's first trip Texas since UFC 69 in April 2007 — is now official (even though we've known about the match ups for some time now).

UFC 103 will feature a main event between Rich "Ace" Franklin and Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort at a 195-pound catchweight. Also slated for the main card is a heavyweight tilt between former PRIDE superstar Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and surging heavyweight prospect Junior Dos Santos.

In addition, Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick will collide to determine the number one contender for Georges St. Pierre's 170-pound title.

Here is the complete UFC 103 fight card:

Main event:

195 lbs.: Rich "Ace" Franklin (25-4) vs. Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort (18-8)

Main card (Televised on PPV):

265 lbs.: Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos (8-1) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (25-6-2)
170 lbs.: Martin "Hitman" Kampmann (15-2) vs. Mike "Quick" Swick (15-2)
170 lbs.: Josh "Kos" Koscheck (12-4) vs. Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg (19-6)
155 lbs.: Hermes Franca (19-7) vs. Tyson Griffin (13-2)

Under card (Partially televised on Spike TV):

155 lbs.: Efrain "Hecho en Mexico" Escudero (11-0) vs. Cole "Magrino" Miller (15-3)
155 lbs.: Jim Miller (14-2) vs. Steve Lopez (12-1)
155 lbs.: Rafaello "Tractor" Oliveira (8-1) vs. Nick "The Carnie" Lentz (16-3-1)
170 lbs.: Paul "Semtex" Daley (21-8-2) vs. Brian Foster (10-3)
185 lbs.: Tomasz "The Gorilla" Drwal (16-2-1) vs. Drew "The Massacre" McFedries (8-5)
205 lbs.: Eliot "The Fire" Marshall (7-1) vs. Jason Brilz (17-1-1)
205 lbs.: Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (22-4) vs. Igor Pokrajac (21-5)
155 lbs.: Rafael dos Anjos (11-4) vs. Rob "The Saint" Emerson (9-7)

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 103, beginning with the PPV telecast at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action on fight night.

We're now just over two weeks away from showtime, which will have its share of storylines. Can Belfort return to form and make a run at another UFC championship? Will Dos Santos rename Mirko Filipovic "KO Cop?"

And who will be the next man to challenge uber-champion Georges St. Pierre at 170-pounds?

Feel free to share your thoughts and predictions on "Franklin vs. Belfort" in the comments section below. And remember that MMAmania.com will be the spot for the latest news and event-related highlights before, during and after the event.

For everything you need to know about UFC 103 feel free to also hit up our event archive right here .
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