Wednesday, December 16, 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


UFN 21: Jon Jones vs Brandon Vera possible on March 21 with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira injured

Posted: 16 Dec 2009 12:25 AM PST

Exciting light heavyweights Brandon Vera and Jon Jones will collide at UFC Fight Night 21 in Denver, Colo., on March 21, 2010, according to a late night "Tweet" from the "Truth."

Vera was supposed to take on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 109; however, the Brazilian apparently fractured his ankle and was forced to pull out of the event.

As of right now the promotion has yest to make an official announcement.

Stay tuned for more this breaking news.

UFC Quick Quote: UFC 108 is stacked with great fights

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 08:16 PM PST

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"In almost 10 years this stuff has never happened. [But] it's part of the business. Trust me bro, guys getting injured and falling off, I got bigger problems than that everyday. Guess what, it's our job to make other fights.... If you're a fight fan and want to see good fights, how many bad fights have we really put on?... Our business hasn't been affected one bit. If you're a fight fan, I don't know how you don't think that that card is a great card.... Do we have the card stacked with all those A-list guys? No, but it's a card stacked with great fights."

-- UFC President Dana White tells Cagewriter.com that the traditional year-end pay-per-view (PPV) event for the promotion is still loaded with great fights even though it has been plagued by a ridiculous amount of injuries and changes. Champions Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva, as well as heavyweight contenders Shane Carwin and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, have all been rumored to compete -- and then ultimately scratched from -- the fight card. Other notables such as Gabriel Gonzaga, Carlos Condit and Tyson Griffin have also been forced out of competition. UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva," which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, 2010, now features a main event between light heavyweights Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva -- certainly not big name draws who are capable of carrying an event alone. Is the supporting main card cast good enough to ensure that UFC 108 delivers? More specifically, do you intend to shell out the money to watch it? Keep in mind that events like this are sometimes action-packed "sleepers." Let's hear it, Maniacs.

Strikeforce weigh in results information and details for 'Evolution' on Dec. 18

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 05:15 PM PST

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The official weigh-in event for Strikeforce: "Evolution" is set to take place at the San Jose Marriott in Downtown San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009.

It's expected that the first fighter will tip the scale at 4:30 p.m. local time.

As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the Strikeforce weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude.

"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" fight card:

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 Lindland (21-6) vs. Ronaldo Souza (10-2)
265 lbs.: Muhammed Lawal (5-0) vs. Mike Whitehead (24-6)
185 lbs.: Robbie Lawler (16-5) vs. TBA*

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 confirmed by Strikeforce.

For those fortunate enough to be in town this weekend remember that the weigh-in is FREE to attend and open to the public. Doors to the weigh-in will open around 4:00 p.m. local time for the general public.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of "Evolution," beginning with the SHOWTIME telecast at 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 19. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action as it starts to flow around 8:15 p.m. ET.

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 "Evolution" coverage you can handle.

Strikeforce video trailer for 'Evolution' on Dec. 19

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 01:47 PM PST

Shane Carwin: YES! I would fight 'The Legend' Frank Mir

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 11:52 AM PST

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Props: Shane-Carwin.com

Quoteworthy:

"The main question I am getting is would I fight Frank? The answer is easy YES. I am not a fighter who decides who he fights, I fight who I am told to fight. I like it that way, I am not trying to build a legacy I am trying to fight the best fighters in the World and determine where I fit in. Mir is a multiple time Champion, who has been counted out more than Mike Tyson to only find himself right back at the top. He is a LEGEND of the sport and I would be honored to fight him."

Number one heavyweight contender Shane Carwin is back in training for whoever the UFC matches him up against in Spring 2010. "The Engineer" was surprised by Frank Mir's striking presentation versus Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 and states he is open to fighting the former champion. In fact, it's a bout that makes perfect sense while division champion Brock Lesnar recuperates from his long-term illness. Any Maniacs out there NOT wanting to see this fight?

MMA Quick Pic: Diego Sanchez recovers from UFC 107 beatdown by BJ Penn

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 11:44 AM PST

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Pic courtesy of UFC President Dana White via his official Twitter account.

WEC 47 poster for 'Bowles vs Cruz' in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 11:11 AM PST

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Fedor Emelianenko 2009 Russian 'Athlete of the Year' (Video)

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 10:37 AM PST

"The Last Emperor" beat out a bunch of people I can't pronounce to win the honor in the male category. Take that Mr. 2009 Canadian Athlete of the Year!

Dan Hardy: If Matt Serra can beat Georges St. Pierre, so can I

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 10:37 AM PST

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Props: Sherdog.com

Quoteworthy:

"To be honest, that’s not something I am too concerned with, as strange as it sounds. I’ve accepted that, at some point, he’s going to take me down. I’ve accepted that I’m going to be fighting off my back for some of the fight and I’m just going to work to get back to my feet and do what damage I can from my back. I don’t want it to become too much of an issue -- defending the takedown -- because I won’t throw like I do against anybody else. I don’t want to be holding back on any of my kicks and punches because, at the end of the day, that’s what is going to win me the fight. My intention is to go in there, throw hard, just like Matt Serra did, but obviously a little more technical -- I’m a little quicker and more technical. I’ve got reach and weight on Matt Serra, so I can do exactly what he did but a lot better."

Number one welterweight contender Dan Hardy joins a long list of former challengers who also believed they had what it takes to dethrone reigning UFC 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre. "The Outlaw" is fresh of a unanimous decision victory over fellow surging welterweight Mike Swick at last month's UFC 105: "Couture vs. Vera" event in Manchester. Does Hardy, who only has one finish in four Octagon appearances, have the skill set to beat "Rush?" Or does he simply need a full gas tank and a well-placed bomb? Opinions please.

UFC Quick Quote: Kenny Florian doesn't want to fight any wimps

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 10:23 AM PST

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"I just want to face the top guys. I would just love to face one of the top guys hopefully in March; maybe on the New Jersey show. Maybe we can do it in New Jersey and get one in before the UFC comes to Boston. Hopefully I can get one in March. That way I can stay on pace for every 3 or 4 months. I want to stay active man. I think that's when I am at my best and I just want it to be against someone tough."

-- Fresh of his UFC 107 submission win over Clay Guida on Dec. 12, Kenny Florian tells FightHype.com that he doesn't want to get lost in the mix or lose momentum by fighting up-and-comers with something to prove or mid-level fighters who are not in the title hunt. In fact, "KenFlo" wants to continue on his quest for another shot at lightweight gold. Is a potential rematch with Diego Sanchez on the horizon? Aside from both getting tooled by BJ Penn, they've already faced off in 2005, when the "Nightmare" captured the TUF crown via TKO. Anyone want to see the rematch?

Josh 'The Punk' Thomson makes his case for the Strikeforce lightweight division (Video)

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 09:30 AM PST

How does it stack up against the UFC 155-pound elite?

UFC 110 bouts announced for Australia on the heels of second-fastest arena sellout in promotion history

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 07:14 AM PST

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UFC 110 has been officially announced with a total of six fights confirmed for the promotion's first ever trip "down under" on Feb. 21 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

I don't want to say the Aussies are pumped for some cage fighting, but the Acer Arena sold all 16,500 tickets for the upcoming event on the first day they went up for public sale -- before the promotion even confirmed a single match for fight night.

Those numbers put UFC 110 behind only UFC 83 in Montreal, Canada, in April 2008 as the fastest selling event in Zuffa history.

From UFC’s Managing Director of International Development, Marshall Zelaznik:

"We knew we had an unbelievably passionate fanbase in Australia, but we are blown away by the speed of the sell-out. We had a massive uptake of tickets to the Australian members of our Fight Club and newsletter readers, and tickets were completely gone within hours of going on sale to the public. What is even more incredible is that we completely sold out without even confirming a single fight on the card. Our fans trust us to bring the very best fights and fighters Down Under and we are delighted to reward that trust in us with what is already a frontrunner for the card of the New Year with UFC 110."

The main event for UFC 110 pits Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez in a bout that could determine the next heavyweight number one contender. In the co-main event, Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva will try to put TUF grad Michael Bisping down for "The Count."

Here is the current UFC 110 line up:

Main event:

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez

Main card (Televised):

Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva
Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader
Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Ben Rothwell

Under card (May not be broadcast):

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski*
Chris Lytle vs. TBA*
Elvis Sinosic vs. Chris Haseman
James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac*

*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more fight announcements in the coming weeks. In the meantime, get up to speed on UFC 110 by checking out our archive here.

UFC 108: John Gunderson vs Rafaello Oliveira booked for Jan. 2

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 06:48 AM PST

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Former IFL lightweight combatant John Gunderson (22-6) has been penciled in to collide with UFC sophomore Rafaello Oliveira (9-2) at UFC 108, which is slated for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, as reported by MMAWeekly.

Oliveira was supposed to battle former champion Sean Sherk at the same event, but "The Muscle Shark" was switched to face Jim Miller when his foe, Tyson Griffin, was forced off the card with an injury.

Gunderson made a name for himself in Oregon's DesertBrawl promotion before making the cut for Ken Shamrock's Lions in the now-defunct International Fight League. "Quick Guns" has finished 15 of his 22 opponents by way of submission and could get people talking with a big win on Jan. 2.

But don't expect any free passes from Oliveira.

The "Tractor" had won three straight prior to coughing up a unanimous decision to Nik Lentz in his Octagon debut at UFC 104: "Machida vs. Shogun" just last month. Like Gunderson, he is also an aggressive fighter with a strong rate of finishing fights, having stopped 75 percent of his opponents before the final bell.

UFC 108 features a re-worked main event between former light heavyweight champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans and the hard-hitting Thiago Silva. It's unclear at this time which fight will serve as the co main event; however, the recently promoted lightweight clash between Sean Sherk and Jim Miller will be featured on the televised main card.

To check out the latest UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" fight card click here. It's changed quite a bit.

Injury forces Trevor Prangley to withdraw from Strikeforce: 'Evolution'

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 06:23 AM PST

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I guess last-minute injuries aren't exclusive to the UFC.

Strikeforce acquisition and MMA veteran Trevor Prangley has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout against Robbie Lawler at "Evolution" on Dec. 19 in San Jose, California, after suffering an undisclosed injury during training, according to Sherdog.com.

The promotion is currently scrambling to find a short notice replacement.

After getting the boot from Canada's Maximum Fighting Championship for double-dipping in smaller promotions, Prangley ran roughshod over Dennis Reed at Arena Rumble and Marcus Sursa at Shark Fights 7 -- both within the span of the last three months.

In fact, Prangley has competed four times in 2009, winning each of his bouts convincingly. He was expected to use that momentum to give Lawler the fits, but it apparently was not to be.

Strikeforce "Evolution" will feature lightweight champion Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC) returning to action to battle the promotion's interim 155-pound kingpin, Gilbert Melendez (16-2). Former middleweight champion Cung Le is also coming back to trade fists with the always-entertaining Scott Smith.

To check out the complete fight card for "Evolution" click here.

Kid Yamamoto, Alistair Overeem, Hayato Sakurai and others confirmed for "DREAM vs SRC" at Dynamite!! 2009

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 05:32 AM PST

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On Tuesday, Fighting and Entertainment Group held a press conference to announce seven fight cards that have been confirmed for the Dynamite!! 2009 on New Year's Eve.

Six of the seven announced cards are part of the "DREAM vs. SRC" series that are scheduled to comprise a total of seven to ten bouts and will be among the main highlights of the event.

They are as follows:

  • Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Masanori Kanehara (Sengoku featherweight champion)
  • Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Akihiro Gono
  • Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Izumi
  • Hideo Tokoro vs. Marlon Sandro
  • Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Michihiro Omigawa
  • Alistair Overeem vs. Kazuyuki Fujita

Additionally, a heavyweight K-1 match pits Ray Sefo against the PRIDE veteran and former World Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion, Yosuke Nishijima.

"Kid" Yamamoto initially requested a rematch with DREAM featherweight champion, Bibiano Fernandes, whom he bested in the previous encounter; however, an injury has prevented Fernandes from fighting in Dynamite!! and Kid voiced the wish to face the SRC champion in the inter-promotional fight card.

2009 has not been kind to the Japanese MMA icon. Upon returning from an injury-marred, seventeen-month-long hiatus in May, he dropped a split decision to the fast-rising former Greco-Roman world champion, Joe Warren at DREAM 9. To add insult to injury, he suffered a KO loss to an unheralded Korean K-1 prospect, Jae Hee Cheon in a K-1 bout in July.

Outside the ring, his personal life has also hit a rough patch with the dissolution of marriage to his supermodel wife. Despite announcing in August the plan to travel overseas for a training sabbatical, he opted to stay in Japan.

While he did not reveal the specific details regarding the training camp, Kid stated that the training has been fruitful. He is in a terrific shape and excited to fight on a New Year's Eve for the first time in two years.

Masanori Kanehara, who ascended from a tournament dark horse to champion in the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix earlier this year, expressed his gratitude in facing Kid, who is a "bigger name than the current DREAM champion."

Despite professing mutual respect and friendship, the Shooto/UFC/PRIDE veterans, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Akihiro Gono assumed a martial tone behind the mic.

Gono led the charge, stating, "Mach and I made our Shooto debut during the same year, but he has since gone so far ahead of me. But I believe that I have now surpassed him and want to affirm that I have been doing the right thing all along, before welcoming in the new year. I want to batter Mach so severely that he won't be able to speak."

Sakurai reciprocated by paying his respect to Gono and shooting back his opponent's words: "Gono and I have been friends for a long time, and thanks to his cornering me during the 1999 ADCC submission wrestling championship, I was able to earn a second place in the Open Weight division. Even though I am not a homosexual, I go on a date with Gono to shop for clothes and eat out. Never have I imagined fighting him but if it is a card the fans want to see, I cannot lose. I would like to batter Gono until he is unable to speak."

FEG president, Sadaharu Tanigawa revealed that he offered Alistair Overeem, Hong Man Choi, and Jerome LeBanner as potential opponents for the PRIDE and Sengoku veteran, Kazuyuki Fujita. Fujita, who has been training in Los Angeles with Marco Ruas, expressed his wish to fight "Alistair Overeem, who is the best out of the three." FEG subsequently granted his wish.

Elsewhere, 2004 Olympic judo silver medalist, Hiroshi Izumi makes his second MMA appearance after suffering a KO loss to former kickboxer, Antz "Notorious" Nansen in his debut in September. Izumi, who thrilled the crowd by engaging in a valiant striking match in his debut, will take on a former pro wrestler, Katsuyori Shibata. The contract weight at which the bout will be contested is still under negotiation.

PRIDE/UFC veteran, Michihiro Omigawa, who has reeled off two controversial decision victories in his last three Sengoku fights, squares off with the WEC veteran, Hiroyuki Takaya. Omigawa, who is in the middle of a training camp, was absent at the conference: In the statement he delivered for the media, he stated that he and Takaya -- as the runner-ups in Sengoku and DREAM featherweight tourneys, respectively -- have nothing to lose and are willing to go toe to toe in a slugfest.

With 14 out of 18/19 hybrid K-1/MMA fight cards confirmed, the Dynamite!! 2009 will likely see the finalization of its line-up by the end of the week. Stay tuned to MMAmania for further news over the course of the week.

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