Wednesday, December 9, 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

Frank Mir takes a trip down memory lane at Bonanza High School before UFC 107 (Video)

Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:39 AM PST

Ultimate K-1 vs. MMA clash: Sadaharu Tanigawa wants Schilt and Overeem 'to defeat Fedor'

Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:29 AM PST

1206_k-1_medium

During the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 post-fight press conference held on Sunday, Dec. 6, K-1 event producer, Sadaharu Tanigawa, hinted at the continuation of the "K-1 vs. MMA" clash that began in earnest with the Dynamite!! 2008.

In the annual K-1/MMA hybrid fight card on New Year's Eve last year, MMA fighters accomplished a clean sweep of the K-1 squad in a series of matches contested under MMA and K-1 rules.

In the MMA matches, Mirko Cro Cop chopped down the "Techno Goliath," Hong Man Choi, with leg kicks and Minowaman submitted the K-1 fighter and MMA debutant, Errol Zimmerman, in 61 seconds. Then, the MMA trio of Alistair Overeem, Gegard Mousasi, and Tatsuya Kawajiri stepped up to the K-1 turf to hand dispiriting losses to the proud K-1 vets, Badr Hari, Musashi and Kozo Takeda.

Fast forward to 2009: K-1 fighters have staged a reprisal to retrieve their honor.

Remy Bonjasky edged Alistair Overeem in a K-1 Super Fight in March; the soon-to-retire Masato knocked out Tatsuya Kawajiri during the K-1 MAX event in July; finally, Hari avenged the aforementioned loss against Overeem in the semifinal of the K-1 WGP this past weekend.

The ongoing tug-of-war between K-1 and MMA flared up in the days preceding the weekend's K-1 WGP Final, as Overeem commented that "K-1 is easier than MMA" and challenged the fellow GP finalists to MMA matches. In fact, Overeem figured into the Final Eight of the tournament as the MMA outsider threatening to capture the K-1 crown. While Badr Hari sabotaged Overeem's K-1 invasion, it looks like the war is not quite over.

Now, Tanigawa is voicing his wish to have Semmy Schilt and/or Alistair Overeem fight Fedor Emelianenko.

While he did not mention whether the Fedor fights will be contested under K-1 or DREAM MMA rule, he commented that, "looking across the fighters across the world, Schilt and Overeem have the best chance of winning against Fedor, and we are lucky that they fight in K-1." He further stated that fighters with excellent striking have the best chance of beating Fedor and that "Schilt probably has not been training MMA much lately, but if given sufficient time to train, he would be able to face Fedor."

Since he did not disclose the time table for the bouts, it is safe to assume that the Schilt/Overeem vs. Fedor is a mere suggestion at this point.

Schilt captured the fourth K-1 World Grand Prix title on Saturday -- a feat matched only by the retired K-1 legend, Ernesto Hoost. Overeem, on the other hand, knocked Ewerton Texeira out cold with knee strikes in the quarterfinal before falling to Badr Hari in the semi-final.

Herschel Walker MMA workout and training video for Strikeforce debut on Jan. 30

Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:28 AM PST

"I do believe Aoki will probably be here fighting for Strikeforce in March sometime.... The...

Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:27 AM PST

"I do believe Aoki will probably be here fighting for Strikeforce in March sometime.... The toughest part is going to be the scheduling."

Strikeforce President and CEO, Scott Coker, tells MMAWeekly.com that Japanese submission whiz, Shinya Aoki, will likely make his United States debut with his promotion in March 2010. No potential opponent is known at this time.

Strikeforce results and LIVE fight coverage for 'Evolution' on Dec. 19 in San Jose

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 06:15 PM PST

Strikeforce-dec19-1_medium

Strikeforce recently made several official additions to the line up for its upcoming "Evolution" event, which is scheduled for the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 19.

"Evolution" will feature a main event between lightweight champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson and interim division kingpin, Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez, squaring off in a long awaited rematch to decide the promotion's undisputed 155-pound leader.

In the co-featured fight, former middleweight champion and San Jose favorite, Cung Le, make his return to competition after more than a year and a half layoff. He'll lock horns with hard-hitting brawler, Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith.

Here is the current Strikeforce: "Evolution" line up:

Main event:

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC) vs. Gilbert Melendez (16-2)

Main card (Televised):

185 lbs.: Cung Le (6-0) vs. Scott Smith (16-6)
185 lbs.: Matt "The Law" Lindland (21-6) vs. Ronald "Jacare" Souza (10-2)
265 lbs.: Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (5-0) vs. Mike Whitehead (24-6)
185 lbs.: Robbie Lawler vs. Trevor Prangley*

Under card (May not be broadcast):

205 lbs.: Antwain Britt vs. Scott Lighty
170 lbs.: Daisuke Nakamura vs. Bryan Travers
155 lbs.: Juan Nunez vs. Luis Mendoza
155 lbs.: Bobby Stack vs. Alex Trevino
155 lbs.: Alex Crispim vs. A.J. Fonseca

*Fight not yet officially announced by Strikeforce

MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Strikeforce: "Evolution," beginning with the SHOWTIME telecast at 9 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action earlier on fight night.

We’re still a few weeks away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions on "Evolution" 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 Strikeforce feel free to also hit up our event archive right here.

Programming reminder: UFC 'Countdown to 107' debuts tonight (Dec. 8) on Spike TV

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 06:14 PM PST

Cdown-107_medium

Countdown to UFC 107: "Penn vs Sanchez" will debut TONIGHT (Dec. 8) at 11 p.m. ET on Spike TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, December 12.

The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, including current lightweight champion BJ "The Prodigy" Penn and challenger Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez.

For those who miss the "Countdown to UFC 107" premier it will re-air on Wednesday, December 9 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV2.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, Dec. 12), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from the FedEx Forum. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 8 p.m. ET with the preliminary bouts.

To check out the complete UFC 107 fight card click here.

UFC 108: Vladimir Matyushenko vs Steve Cantwell announced for Jan. 2

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 06:14 PM PST

Cantwell_vladimir_medium

Vladimir Matyushenko (23-4) and former WEC champion Steve Cantwell will collide in a light heavyweight bout, which is slated to take place on the UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" preliminary card from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, 2010.

The promotion today made the 205-pound showdown official, along with several other match ups.

Matyushenko is coming off a win against Mirko "Cro Cop's" training partner, Igor Pokrajac, via unanimous decision at UFC 103, picking up his tenth win in his last 11 fights. His only loss during that stretch came under the Affliction Banner at the hands of top rated light heavyweight contender, Antonio Rogerio "Lil Nog" Noguiera.

Cantwell transitioned to the Octagon when the WEC folded its heavier divisions late last year. He was successful in his promotional debut, submitting Razak Al-Hassan with a joint-popping first round armbar at UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight For The Troops."

However, "Robot" is currently reeling with back-to-back losses to Brian Stann in their recent rubber match, which came after a technical knockout loss to Luis Arthur Cane at UFC 97: "Redemption" in April 2009.

UFC 108 features a re-worked main event between former light heavyweight champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans and the hard-hitting 14-1 Thiago Silva. Power-puncher Paul "Semtex" Daley will also try to continue his ascension to the top of the welterweight contender list when he battles grappling wizard and former WEC champ Carlos "Natural Born Killer" Condit.

For everything you need to know about UFC 108 feel free to also hit up our event archive right here.

(This report is a FanPost from John G. promoted to the front page and updated to include additional information)

Jon Fitch hates decisions more than fans (Video)

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 02:31 PM PST

Jon Fitch hates decisions more than fans (Video)

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale tops 5 million viewers; Scores 5.9 rating

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 01:33 PM PST

Kimbo_houston_tuf10_medium

Kimbo did it again.

Ratings for the Spike TV broadcast of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale peaked with 5.2 million viewers during the fight between Kimbo Slice and Houston Alexander last Saturday night, according to the cable network.

This latest milestone comes on the heels of the most successful season ever of the mixed martial arts reality series, which averaged 3.6 million viewers per episode.

Saturday’s event from "The Pearl" in Las Vegas, Nevada, not only featured the return of Slice to national television, but also the bout to decide this season’s "Ultimate Fighter" winner. Roy Nelson and Brendan Schaub squared off to determine the number one heavyweight from the show, and "Big Country" came through with a big knockout to gain the "six-figure" contract with the UFC.

Also, a light heavyweight bout between Jon "Bones" Jones and Matt Hamill left the officials in need of an instant replay, as Jones’ "12-6" elbows were enough to qualify for a disqualification.

However, while the card as a whole brought in a significant number of viewers, according to Spike, the Alexander-Slice 215-pound catchweight bout topped off the viewer rating with 5.9 rating in the highly regarded 18-34 year old male demographic.

Once again, the former bareknuckle Miami street brawler has proven his worth among a national demographic that has consistently shown interest in all facets of his fighting career. It seems only a matter of time before he is back on Spike TV, or the UFC decides to test his worth as a pay-per-view drawing power.

You buying what the promotion is selling?

Jon Jones to reportedly protest disqualification loss to Matt Hamill at TUF 10 Finale

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 01:10 PM PST

Elbones_medium

According to this post on The Underground Forum, Jon Jones’ management team intends to protest its client’s loss to Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale this past Saturday.

It's their belief that they have grounds to overturn the loss to a "No Contest" (NC):

"Let’s be clear, Jon is not 'unhappy' he feels as all things happen for a reason. We are protesting the L because we felt that Jon’s opponent could not effectively communicate why he could not continue. The rules state that an intentional foul and that the fighter cannot continue based on injury sustained from the foul. Hamill could not continue due to a broken shoulder. Jon should have been deducted a point for the accidental illegal blow. Matt should have been treated like we treat the Brazilians and given 5 minutes to regroup and offered a translator so the ref could make the right call and understand Matt could not continue due to his shoulder injury not the blow. This should be a NC for both fighters but not a loss. Hamill continued with an injured Shoulder and only complained once the action was stopped (warrior) but the fight was stopped based on the shoulder injury in our opinion."

Jones absolutely destroyed Hamill in quick fashion during the fight; however, in the process "Bones" rained down illegal elbows (so-called 12-6 elbows, named for their vertical position) from the mount, which led to referee Steve Mazzagatti briefly halting the fight to deduct one point from Jones.

However, when Mazzagatti attempted to restart the action, Hamill was unable to continue.

After consulting instant replay — the first time in MMA history officials used replay to render a decision, based on the new policy recently passed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) — the result was ultimately declared a disqualification loss for Jones (his first).

Jones’ management team claims the reason Hamill couldn’t continue had nothing to do with the 12-6 elbows. Instead, they point to Hamill’s left shoulder injury as the reason he couldn’t continue fighting, and the fact that Mazzagatti was unable to fully understand Hamill because he is deaf.

Indeed, event physicians set Hamill’s shoulder following the fight (an MRI will determine if he requires surgery). But whether this is enough for the NSAC to overturn its decision — especially when it could call into question the effectiveness of their newest toy in instant replay — has yet to be determined.

What do you Maniacs think?

UFC 107 video blog with Diego Sanchez (Episode two)

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 11:52 AM PST

UFC 108 poster for 'Evans vs Silva' in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 11:49 AM PST

Ufc108_600_medium

For everything you need to know about UFC 108 hit up our event archive right here.

UFC medical suspensions and injuries for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 11:45 AM PST

Ouch

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today issued its list of medical suspensions for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale which took place on Saturday, Dec. 5, from the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

With several of the bouts ending violently, there were quite a few fighters who were flagged follow up visits with their doctors. Chief among them are Matt Hamill (shoulder injury) — who went ass over tin cups courtesy of a well-placed Jon Jones tie-up trip  — and Matt Mitrione (wrist injury) -- who spot welded his fist to the face of Marcus Jones en route to crushing second round knockout.

TUF 10 Finalist, Brendan Schaub, will spend his vacation outside of the cage after pile driving himself via Roy Nelson's Whopper of a right hand. Have it his way.

But that's not all.

Here is the complete list of TUF 10 Finale injuries and their medical instructions:

Brendan Schaub (KO loss to Roy Nelson): Suspended until Jan. 20. No contact until Jan. 5 for precautionary reasons.

Matt Hamill (DQ victory over Jon Jones): Suspended until June 4 due to possible left-shoulder injury. Can be cleared early by an orthopedic doctor. If cleared, suspended until Feb. 5 with no contact until Jan. 20.

Marcus Jones (KO loss to Matt Mitrione): Suspended until Feb. 5. No contact until Jan. 20 for precautionary reasons.

Matt Mitrione (KO win over Marcus Jones): Suspended until June 4 due to a possible right-wrist injury. Can be cleared early by an orthopedic doctor after X-rays. If cleared, suspended until Jan. 5 with no contact until Dec. 27.

Darrill Schoonover (KO loss to James McSweeney): Suspended indefinitely due to a possible eye injury until cleared by an ophthalmologic doctor. If cleared, suspended until Feb. 5 with no contact until Jan. 20.

James McSweeney (KO win over Darrill Schoonover): Suspended until June 4 due to a possible right third metacarpal (hand) injury. Can be cleared early by an orthopedic doctor.

Justin Wren (decision loss to Jon Maden): Suspended until June 4 due to possible facial-bone injuries. Can be cleared early by a doctor after a CT scan.

John Howard (TKO win over Dennis Hallman): Suspended until Dec. 27. No contact until Dec. 20 due to a laceration.

Dennis Hallman (TKO loss to John Howard): Suspended until Feb. 5. No contact until Jan. 20 for precautionary reasons.

Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases.

For complete results and coverage of the TUF 10 Finale click here and here.

UFC 109 tickets for Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 6, for sale soon

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 11:45 AM PST

Relentless-tix_medium
Tickets for UFC 109: "Relentless," which is scheduled for the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 6, will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m. PT.

UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers, naturally, will be able to scoop up tickets prior to them being available for public consumption.

UFC 109 is expected to feature a light heavyweight battle between elder statesmen Randy "The Natural" Couture and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. Aging UFC welterweights Matt Serra and Frank Trigg are also slated to hook 'em up.

Here is the UFC 109 tickets sales schedule (all times are PT):

  • UFC Fight Club presale: Thursday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m.
  • UFC Newsletter presale: Friday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m.
  • General tickets sale: Saturday, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m.

UFC 109 tickets can be purchased through StubHub.com (Note: StubHub often has seats available even if the event is "sold out"). It will also be available to watch on PPV at 10 p.m. ET on fight night.

For more on UFC 109 stay dialed in to MMAmania.com and remember to check out the latest fight card and rumors right here.

Frank Mir grades the performances of Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson at TUF 10 Finale (Video)

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 10:40 AM PST

Roy Nelson: I'm paving the road for all the fat guys out there

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 10:35 AM PST

Roy_nelson_4_medium

Props: Cagewriter

Quoteworthy:

"It's entertainment. It's style. Kimbo [Slice] has his style. I have my style. I'm paving the road for all the fat guys out there. Gina Carano did it for the women of MMA and I'm doing it for the fat people who are in shape. After I beat Kimbo a lot of people complained. I'm the fat guy so it doesn't really matter. It's just easier to shut critics up. They're not the ones stepping into the cage. I'm the official UFC suckmeter. If you can't get past me,  you'll get that call from [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva saying you can't fight no more."

Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 10 winner Roy Nelson embraces his success -- as well as his physique after knocking out Brendan Schaub at the TUF 10 Finale on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. "Big Country" breezed through the competition but came under fire for his dreaded pot-belly crucifix that felled Kimbo Slice on Episode 3 of the Spike TV reality show. Now that Nelson has forced his way into the UFC spotlight, does Joe Silva feed him to the lions? Or will he get a chance to grow into a viable contender like winners of season's past? Thoughts?

WEC 44 drug test results come back clean from the NSAC for 'Brown vs Aldo'

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 10:12 AM PST

Ufc86drugresults_medium

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today confirmed that 9 of the 20 competitors who were tested for illegal/banned substances after competing at WEC 44: "Brown vs. Aldo" on Nov. 18 have all passed with flying colors.

Former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown and new division kingpin Jose Aldo, as well as Manny Gamburyan, Karen Darabedyan, Shane Roller, Kamal Shalorus, LC Davis, Ricardo Lamas and Frank Gomez were all screened for performance enhancers such as steroids and drugs of abuse like cocaine and marijuana, among others.

Results from these battery of tests all returned negative.

The fighters mentioned above were randomly selected. However, athletic commissions typically test the main event participants and fight night winners, as well as those who have failed tests in the past.

The WEC dished out $236,500 in fighter salaries for the Versus event at "The Pearl" from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and another $40,000 in additional bonus money for the four participants who delivered outstanding performances.

Jose "Junior" Aldo became the latest 145-pound champion in the WEC 44 main event, sending former belt keeper Mike Brown into another galaxy with a savage combination of strikes that had the ATT product dissolved on the canvas in the second round. And former Ultimate Fighter finalist Manny Gamburyan took care of ex-UFC lightweight Leonard Garcia via unanimous decision in the co featured fight of the night.

For complete WEC 44 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

UFC 109: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Brandon Vera official for 'Relentless' on Feb. 6

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 09:49 AM PST

Rogerio-vera_medium
Surging light heavyweight and UFC sophomore Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) has officially agreed to throw hands with hot-and-cold cage veteran Brandon Vera (11-4) at UFC 109: "Relentless" from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 6.

Nogueira -- the younger (by seven seconds) twin brother of UFC heavyweight contender Rodrigo "Minotauro" -- recently agreed to a multi-fight deal with the organization. "Lil' Nog" made his debut a memorable one, stopping fast-rising prospect Luis Cane via technical knockout for the first time in "Banha's" career.

The win was "Minotoro's" sixth straight.

In addition to pounding out Edwin "Babyface" DeWees at Affliction: "Banned" in July of 2008, Nogueira got his much sought-after revenge on Vladimir Matyushenko by knocking out "The Janitor" in the second round of their 2002 rematch at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" this past January.

A convincing win over Vera could put him at the top of a very short list of 205-pound title contenders.

"The Truth" thought the judges were lying when they announced Randy Couture the winner of their UFC 105 match on Nov. 14. Vera was confident he had done more (and more damage) during his battle with "The Natural" in Manchester but it wasn't to be for the former heavyweight.

Prior to the Couture scrap, Vera last saw action at UFC 102 back on August 29 in Portland, battering former TUF contestant Krzysztof Soszynski on the main card en route to a judges decision.

If he can do the same to Nogueira, it will go a long way in reestablishing him as a force in the light heavyweight division.

UFC 109 is expected to feature a light heavyweight battle between elder statesmen Randy "The Natural" Couture and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. Aging UFC welterweights Matt Serra and Frank Trigg are also slated to hook 'em up.

For more on "Relentless" click here.

UFC 109 poster for 'Relentless' in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 6

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 09:14 AM PST

Ufc-109-poster_medium

For more on UFC 109: "Relentless" click here.

MMA Quick Pic: Event poster for FieLDS Dynamite!! on Dec. 31

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 08:45 AM PST

Props: Nightmare of Battle Dynamite2009poster_medium For more on the New Year's Eve supershow click here.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Recent Articles on Sherdog.com

Loading...

UFC rss

Loading...

Recent Interviews on Sherdog.com

Loading...