Friday, December 11, 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

Dana White confirms Houston Alexander will be cut from the UFC following Dec. 5 loss to Kimbo Slice

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 10:38 PM PST

Alexander-cut_medium
Props: MMA Fanhouse

Quoteworthy:

"Whoever came up with Houston Alexander's game plan ought to be kicked in the nuts for about five minutes. I don't know if his coaches came up with that or whatever but not only did they give him the wrong game plan, they completely destroyed everything about Houston Alexander. It was making me sick. I don't know if Kalib Starnes trained him for that fight or what the deal was but it was horrible. Kimbo was chasing him around the ring asking him to engage, trying to make it a fight and Houston didn't want to fight him. If we didn't cut him yet, we're cutting him -- soon."

UFC President Dana White confirms that light heavyweight Houston Alexander will be released from his UFC contract after his game of tag with Kimbo Slice at the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale back on Dec. 5. "The Assassin," who was brought in to produce fireworks against the bearded brawler, lost a unanimous decision after trying to play keep-away for three rounds, marking his fourth straight loss inside the Octagon. Any Maniacs out there sorry to see him go?

Bobby Lashley signs multi-year contract with Strikeforce MMA

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 08:58 PM PST

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Former WWE star and collegiate wrestling champion Bobby Lashley (4-0) has signed a multi-year agreement with Strikeforce and will make his mixed martial arts debut for the San Jose-based promotion at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday, Jan. 30, against an opponent to be named.

Terms of the contract were not immediately disclosed.

"The Dominator," who also moonlights as a "face" for TNA Wrestling, entered the world of cage fighting back in Dec. 2008 as a co-headliner for South Florida's Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA). The 6'3" powerhouse needed just 41-seconds to extirpate Joshua Franklin via doctor's stoppage.

Of course comparisons to fellow ex-WWE and amateur wrestler Brock Lesnar quickly followed, as the pasty-faced Goliath needed just four fights to win the UFC heavyweight championship from Randy Couture just a month prior to Lashley's MMA debut.

Those comparisons were quickly eradicated courtesy of Jason Guida at "March Badness" earlier this year.

Most expected the American Top Team-trained fighter in just his second professional fight to steamroll the floundering journeyman.

It didn’t happen.

Despite taking the unanimous decision victory, Lashley looked a bit green against the Ultimate Fighter washout and nearly succumbed to a guillotine choke in the third round of their pay-per-view contest.

His inexperience was clearly evident.

What was also evident was his desire to fight -- and improve. The Junction City, Kansas native took a fight against Mike Cook just two months later, submitting the Strikeforce veteran just 24-seconds into the first round at MFC 21: "Hard Knocks."

His most recent fight came against K-1 attraction Bob Sapp in the main event of "Ultimate Chaos" back on June 27. "The Beast" was put down in the first round via technical knockout and along with the quick win over Mike Cook, helped return some of the optimism to Lashley's future as a viable heavyweight contender.

Prior to MMA, Lashley had a successful amateur background in wrestling, twice winning the NAIA college championship and then winning a pair of U.S. Armed Forces titles.

Lashley could debut alongside Herschel Walker at the BankAtlantic Center -- or against him, depending on how the Jan. 30 card shapes up.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on Bobby Lashley's pending Strikeforce debut as it becomes available.

UFC 107: Will Frank Mir's mind games with Cheick Kongo ...

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 06:28 PM PST

Frank_mir_medium

... work like a charm or blow up in his face on Saturday night? The "French Sensation" appears to have had enough:

"Right now I don't care. He was a former UFC champion, heavyweight. That's good. He did a great job, I respect that. But as a person, no ... I can't let anyone judge me or treat me like a piece of shit. And he did."

Mir, who has gone to great lengths to crack on Kongo's ground skills (or lack thereof) leading up to this weekend, today launched his final salvo at the pre-fight press conference, saying "it wasn't fair to exchange words" with the Parisian -- a not so subtle knock on his command of the English language.

So will Mir's "calculated" psychological warfare pay dividends inside the Octagon on fight night or will it motivate Kongo to perform better than he may have without it?

Sound off, Maniacs.

Poll
Will Frank Mir's mind games work with Cheick Kongo at UFC 107?

  1302 votes | Results

UFC Quick Quote: Rampage Jackson wants to fight, not spell

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 06:28 PM PST

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"I had a very unpleasant 45-minute phone call with Rampage before the TUF finale (on Dec. 5). We started fighting on texts that day. He sent me a really bad text so I sent him a really bad text back. He wrote back, 'Call me, I can't spell good enough to fight on texts (laughs).'"

-- UFC President Dana White tells the Las Vegas Sun about his recent grammatically-challenged exchange with "retired" former light heavyweight champion, Rampage Jackson, prior to The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale on Dec. 5. The Memphis, Tenn., native was supposed to be the centerpiece of the promotion's trip to the "Volunteer State" this weekend; however, he hung up the gloves prematurely after a scheduling conflict interfered with his role as BA Baracus on the "A-Team" movie set. Jackson was booked to fight Rashad Evans -- his opposing coach on this season of TUF -- before the spat. He has since indicated that he will return to the Octagon to shut up "Sugar" once and for all. And White intends to give Jackson that opportunity, despite their differences, as long as Evans can get through Thiago Silva at UFC 108 on Jan. 2, 2010. At this rate, even if Evans lost to Silva, it would be hard to imagine any other scenario under which the two jabber-jawing personalities don't settle their score as soon as possible. That is, of course, assuming the promotion learned anything at all from the Matt Hughes and Matt Serra saga.

Dana White UFC 107 video on Brock, Kimbo, Hendo, Rampage and more

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 05:52 PM PST

Quack attack: BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez and the Peabody Ducks at UFC 107 in Memphis (Pic)

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 04:07 PM PST

Ducks

Props: UFC Facebook Fan Page

For more background on the Downtown Memphis Tennessee Hotel marching ducks click here.

Polish Strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski makes MMA debut on Friday

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 03:32 PM PST

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Mariusz Pudzianowski, the 32 year-old five-time World's Strongest Man winner from Poland, makes his MMA debut on Friday night at KSW 12 in Warsaw, Poland.

"Pudzian" will headline the fight card in a heavyweight bout against professional boxer, Marcin "El Testosteron" Najman.

While he has made his name in Strongman competitions, Pudzian is no novice to combat sports: He is a kyokushin karate practitioner who holds a fourth-kyu green belt in the discipline, and had trained in boxing for seven years before launching his Strongman career.

His opponent and fellow MMA newcomer, "El Testosteron" Najman, has compiled a 13-4 record in professional boxing.

Unfazed by Najman's fight game pedigree, Pudzian issued a foreboding warning to his opponent via Fight Magazine:

"If Najman wants to exchange punches with me I wish him luck. I won’t be as slow as an ox and I won’t let him beat me up. My mother didn’t raise me to be a bum. These hands can hurt; believe me."


Aside from the Strongman fame, Pudzian sings in his eponymous musical group, Pudzian Band, that formed in 2005 and toured for the first time in 2006. He also starred in the 2008 Polish version of "Dancing with the Stars" and finished in the second place overall.

With his celebrity status, Mariusz Pudzianowski has the potential to succeed the former Olympic judo gold medalist and PRIDE veteran, Pawel Nastula, as Poland's MMA star.

He, along with Mamed Khalidov, the KSW middleweight champion who recently earned a high-profile upset victory over Jorge Santiago in Sengoku, may become the catalyst for Poland's burgeoning MMA scene.

Elsewhere on the fight card, TUF veteran, Dean "The Renegade" Amasinger (5-1) will face Polish national karate team member, Maciej "Highlander" Gorski (7-3) and UFC veteran and former Cage Rage Light Heavyweight champion, James Zikic will meet Daniel "Kociao" Dowda (5-2) in a middleweight contest. The event will also feature an eight-man heavyweight tournament.

Founded in 2004, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) or "Martial Arts Confrontation" in English, is Poland’s leading MMA organization. Modeled after Pride, KSW stages one-night four and eight-man tournaments, and counts Jason Guida, Antonio Mendes, Peter Sobota, Jordan Radev, and Mamed Khalidov among its past and present stable of fighters.

For those who are curious, here are some more interesting facts and trivia about Pudzianowski:

In an interview with TV magazine, "Fakt TV," he states:

"A local (mafia) boss got me into jail. He's very influential, and a very brutal person. It was because of this brutality. I couldn't just stand and watch as he physically abused an eighteen year old boy. He hit the boy until he fell down, and then he kicked him and put a shoe in/stood on his face. It was that scene with the shoe that made me angry/made me lose it"

Here he is at today's weigh ins (courtesy of sporty-walki.org):

UFC 107: Paul Buentello vs Stefan Struve video fight talk

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 12:23 PM PST

Check out more from the growing "Sky Scraper" after the jump.

 

UFC 107: 'Penn vs Sanchez' pre-fight press conference highlights and quick recap

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 12:13 PM PST

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today (Dec. 10) held a media conference call with a good portion of its main card participants to promote their upcoming pay-per-view event from the city of Memphis, Tennessee, for their live mixed martial arts extravaganza on December 12.

"Penn vs. Sanchez" will feature a main event between lightweight division champion, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, defending his title against number one division contender, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, filling in the hole left by "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson after "Rampage" went Hollywood.

In the co-featured fight of the night, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir will "begin his quest for a third title" when he takes on the hard-hitting striker Cheick Kongo.

Here is a brief recap and highlights of noteworthy items coming out of today's call, featuring all four of the aforementioned fighters:

--A brief recap of the efforts to legislate mixed martial arts is discussed by the brass from the FedEx Forum. BJ Penn is seen yawning in the background while Diego Sanchez fidgets in his seat.

--The Tennessee athletic commissioner comes out and says he feels like Diego Sanchez and breaks into a "YES!" chant. "Nightmare" is not amused. Sanchez stares into the camera without blinking. A "Heaven's Gate" reference is inevitable.

--UFC President Dana White gives the requisite roll call introducing BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo.

--Kongo gets called to the lectern to a Doppler effect of limp applause. He says "Thanks" like Hightower when he got his medal at the end of Police Academy.

--Frank Mir gets his turn on the mic and is surprisingly soft-spoken. He gives a few props and takes his seat.

--Dana's back and he pimps the evolution of BJ Penn. He also states that Diego Sanchez is never in a boring fight, conveniently forgetting his UFC 69 snoozer against Josh Koscheck.

--Diego says he's the official "Duckmaster." (Peabody Duck March) He also says he's prepared for Saturday.

--BJ gets called up to a "Whooo" from the background. Is "The Nature Boy" in the house? He warns Sanchez that he's not fighting Florian or Stevenson and he will see "The Prodigy" inside the cage.

Q: BJ, did stress cause you to change?

Penn: Opportunities are few and far between, wanted to make the best of them and enjoy them, wants to be the best fighter he can be, wasn't stress that prompted a change.

Q: Cheick and Frank, please explain the bad blood:

Mir: I talk a lot and Kongo didn't like hearing it. Frank says not personal but he ruffles feathers.

Kongo: He answers and I can't understand him.Not trying to be a smartass but his accent and the distance of the mic was not helping. Something about Mir being a former champ but not letting him get treated like shit. People whistle and clap.

Q: BJ and Diego? How was the duck march?

Sanchez: QUIET.

Penn: Quiet, but we are professional so it wasn't bad. Ducks were cute.

Q: BJ, are you excited to face the style of Sanchez?

Penn: It's always good to fight a good fighter but he's no different than anyone else, just another fight.

Q: Diego, was dropping to 155-pounds the right move now that you're here?

Sanchez: It brought a new discipline to my career and a better Diego to the cage. It was a faster road to the title.

Q: Dana, what changes do you see in Mir?

White: Post-motorcycle career is different than pre-motorcycle career. Frank hates Brock and likes to talk. Kongo didn't want to hear what he had to say.

Q: BJ, talk about your training camp.

Penn: We went to California eight weeks out with the same crew and everything went great.

Q: Diego, do you have a cardio advantage?

Sanchez: Yes, I have the best conditioning in the business after years of building up to it.

Q: Diego, BJ called you weird.

Sanchez: He's right. I am what I am, that's all that I am. I don't care what people think. Be yourself and have fun. Starts screaming YES! and it gets a little uncomfortable.

Q: Diego, do you regret not taking the drop to 155-pounds sooner?

Sanchez: I trust in the Lord, my time is my time, when it happens it happens and here I am at the perfect time. Everything in my career was in preparation for this.

Q: BJ, how did you react to the announcement of this fight?

Penn: The legacy of BJ Penn means fighting the best and defending the title against whoever is the most dangerous and the biggest draw at the time.

Q: Frank, will your head games backfire?

Mir: I don't do anything by chance. It won't backfire. There is no secret about how this fight will play out. I want to get the fight to the ground. My focus is getting back into title contention.

Q: Dana, what are the goals of 2010?

White: We're going to Australia, Abu Dhabi, Boston and a lot of markets we've never been both here and abroad including New York.

Q: BJ, rumor has it you're sick. Are you not feeling well?

Penn: Not sure where that rumor came from but I'm fine and wouldn't tell you if I wasn't.

Q: Dana, is Rampage coming back?

White: Rampage should be upset he's not fighting in his home town. He's still with us and will fight in the next few months. I'm not mad anymore. I'm over it.

Q: Dana, who will be next in line for the 155-pound title?

White: That depends on who wins.

Q: Dana, when will you bring MMA to Hawaii?

White: We had that tax issue but it's resolved. Hawaii is soon, maybe next year. (One person claps.)

Tequila Cazadores award goes to Frank Mir for his work with children's charities. He proceeds to drop the plaque and it breaks. Dana promises him a new one.

They break for photo ops. Very intense staredown between Penn and Sanchez.

That's a wrap.

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.

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 107 coverage you can handle.

MMA Quick Quote: Herschel Walker calling on his younger personality for upcoming Strikeforce debut

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 11:37 AM PST

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"You know what is strange? I didn’t want to mention my age. Like I said, I have these multiple personalities so that 25 year old that is inside is doing this fighting ... I have been in mixed martial arts for 30-something years and this is a great opportunity for me to get in there and show them what I can do. I tell you I love it. I have been eating one meal a day for over twenty-something years I have been doing that. My regimen hasn’t changed that much. I feel good. I am not going to embarrass AKA. I am not going to embarrass the fighters at AKA. I won’t embarrass Strikeforce and most of all I won’t embarrass myself. When I step into the ring I will be ready to go."

Recent Strikeforce acquisition and former NFL great Herschel Walker (via SportsRadioInterviews.com) comments on his transition to mixed martial arts when he debuts for the San Jose-based promotion in January 2010. Walker, a Taekwondo black belt, maintains his athleticism will propel him to great heights -- along with the 25-year-old personality he keeps on standby to take care of his dirty work. The 47-year-old former running back certainly sounds sincere, but is he headed for disaster when he finally steps into the cage? And does anyone want to take a stab in the comments section on who his first opponent will be?

UFC 107: Kenny Florian vs Clay Guida video fight talk

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 09:28 AM PST

Frank Mir: I drove myself insane thinking I might never fight Lesnar again

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 09:13 AM PST

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Props: Las Vegas Sun

Quoteworthy:

"I remember I panicked when he stuck me against the cage (at UFC 100) and then I remember staring at Herb. I even made a joke like, ‘I didn’t get out, did I?’ When I saw Brock screaming and yelling at me I was confused because I was thinking, ‘What happened from the time I blacked out and the time I woke up?' When he got sick it screwed up my training because he was such a driving force for me. I went into a depression for two to three days where I didn’t go to the gym, I got sick — I drove myself insane thinking we may possibly not fight again. I couldn’t live with that."

Heading into his UFC 107 bout against Cheick Kongo on Saturday night (Dec. 12), former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir reflects on the Brock Lesnar health situation and how the loss of the current champ nearly put the Zuffa veteran in a Las Vegas nut house. Mir is 1-1 against the recuperating goliath and uses the tease of a rubber match to fuel his current drive back to the top of the contender list. Will Cheick Kongo stop him from getting there?

Godsmack: Go to church, watch UFC 107, say three Hail Marys

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 08:30 AM PST

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So, what are you going to do this weekend in church?

If you didn't answer "Watch UFC 107," you may want to consider joining the congregation over at the Canyon Creek Church in Lynnwood, WA. On Saturday night (Dec. 12), they'll broadcast the "Penn vs. Sanchez" pay-per-view in the holiest of places.

MMA in church may be unusual, but so is the anointed "Fight Pastor" who delivers a series of butt-kicking sermons from the pulpit of his Washington house of worship. As SeattlePI.com explains, Brandon Beals is doing the Lord's work -- and he hopes to spread the good word through Fight Pastor merchandise.

"I'm a mixed-martial arts fan who happens to be a pastor. This is who God made me to be. [Fighting is] the simplest metaphor in the world, because there's so many parallels to persevering, no compromise, working hard, being tenacious, sticking with something, not quitting -- it's a really easy, seamless connection. I'm sure when Fight Pastor (merchandise) becomes a lot more mainstream, I will take a lot of shots from the Christian community. What I'm hoping is that the attention is on the brand and on the ministry and not me. I may be completely naive to think that, but that's what I hope. God's taken my hobby and merged it with my passion and maybe something cool will out of it. We'll see."

Religion in sports is not a new concept. Aside from Jesus getting the credit for 85-percent of all NFL touchdowns, football and NASCAR have their own chaplains. Also consider many UFC stars of past and present like Matt Hughes and Diego Sanchez are very vocal about their religious beliefs.

Hopefully the Fight Pastor and his brand of chop-socky worship can peacefully co-exist on the sidelines with the other merchandise brands. Unfortunately as the presence of religion increases, so too does the baggage that comes along with it.

As I'm sure many of us can attest, when two people believe something different, each one thinks the other person is wrong. But hey, that's not exclusive to religion. Hope on to any MMA message board to see human squabbling at its finest. Brock vs. Fedor? Anyone?

In any event, people who used to dread going to church in Canyon Creek may now have something to look forward to. While Beals isn't exactly turning water into wine, he does get his congregation into the spirit by appealing to their love for mixed martial arts.

Anyone out there have a problem with him profiting from it as well?

Matt Hamill: Jon Jones definitely didn't lose our fight -- and I definitely didn't win

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 07:18 AM PST

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Props: MattHamill.com

Quoteworthy:

"I know it looked bad Saturday night but it looked a lot worse than it was. Aside from a few stitches in my nose and a sore shoulder I feel fine. I give all the credit to Jon Jones. He caught me by surprise with an awesome trip and I dislocated my shoulder when we hit the ground. I knew it was probably over at that point but I will die before I tap so I did the best I could under the circumstances. We train to wind up in bad positions and it paid off because I felt I was still able to defend even though I knew I couldn’t get up. Jon’s young and full of so much talent. Aside from making a mistake he did his job and he did it well. He definitely didn’t lose this fight and I definitely didn’t win, but I guess the rules are there for a reason. It is what it is ... I wish Jon all the best and I’d like to thank him for the professional and respectful way he has handled himself. I felt bad for him since a simple mistake caused him to loose a win bonus but as I know first hand, Dana, Lorenzo and the rest of the UFC take great care of their fighters. I’m sure Jon received a win bonus and more. As for me, you know I’ll be back. Fighting in the UFC is my job and I’ll be back to work very soon"

UFC light heavyweight Matt Hamill has no "Bones" about the illegal elbows he received in his disqualification win over Jon Jones at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale from "The Pearl" at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 5. "The Hammer" was completely decimated on the ground, perhaps mere seconds away from a technical knockout until Jones rained down a few 12-6 elbows that caused referee Steve Mazzagatti to halt the contest. After Hamill could not continue and instant replay was utilized, Jones was disqualified for the illegal elbows. But did he deserve it? Matt Hamill doesn't think so. Do you?

Cheick Kongo takes the high road on UFC 107 fight against Frank Mir (Video)

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 07:18 AM PST

WEC Quick Quote: Donald Cerrone is going to call out Jose Aldo

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 06:34 AM PST

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"I’m going to call out Jose Aldo and drop down to 145. I’m really looking forward to that. I’m not running away from the 155 pound weight class. I’m going to stay at 155, but just also going to fight at 145."

-- Perennial WEC lightweight contender Donald Cerrone dropped in on the MMA Madness “The Ground and Pound” radio show this past Monday to discuss his upcoming bout with Ed Ratcliff and, apparently, his desire to move down to the 145-pound division. “The Cowboy” is set to face Ratcliff at WEC 45 on Dec. 19 live from “The Pearl” at the Palms in Las Vegas. Cerrone’s alleged desire to drop down to featherweight to fight the likes of Mike Brown and Jose Aldo is admirable. But is it a bad move for the 155-pound brawler?

UFC 107 pre-fight press conference airs today (Dec. 10) LIVE on MMAmania.com at 1pm ET

Posted: 10 Dec 2009 06:28 AM PST

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UFC 107: "Penn vs. Sanchez" is set to take place this Saturday (Dec. 12) from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. In preparation for this weekend's MMA extravaganza, the UFC will hold a pre-fight press conference featuring the major players from the event including B.J. Penn, Diego Sanchez, Frank Mir, Cheick Kongo and of course, UFC president Dana White.

The press conference will air LIVE right here on MMAmania.com at 1 p.m. ET.

"Penn vs. Sanchez" will feature a main event between lightweight division champion, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, defending his title against number one division contender, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, filling in the hole left by "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson after "Rampage" went Hollywood.

In the co-featured fight of the night, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir will "begin his quest for a third title" when he takes on the hard-hitting Cheick Kongo. In addition, a lightweight showdown between former number one contender Kenny "KenFlo" Florian and Clay "The Carpenter" Guida is also on tap.

Check out the UFC 107 pre-fight press conference after the jump.

Live stream and replay courtesy of UFC.com.

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.

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 107 coverage you can handle.
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