Thursday, January 14, 2010

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

Herschel Walker MMA media tour photos in NYC for Strikeforce

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 09:00 PM PST

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Props: ShoSports Flickr (Click the link to check out the entire gallery)

MFC 25: Wilson Gouveia vs Ryan Jimmo set for April 9

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 08:59 PM PST

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American Top Team's Wilson Gouveia (12-7) has inked a big return to mixed martial arts -- Monday he signed a multi-fight deal with Maximum Fighting Championship and will fight Canadian star "Big Deal" Ryan Jimmo (12-1) at MFC 25: Vindication at the Winspear Centre/Enmax Hall in Edmonton, Alberta April 9.

Wednesday, Gouveia told MaximumFighting.com, "I’m excited! I have friends that fight for MFC and they all tell me good things." The event will broadcast live on HDNet and feature a soon to be announced major title fight. T

The matchup marks Gouveia's return to 205 pounds after a disastrous stint fighting at middleweight. The Brazilian lost consecutive stoppages to Nate "The Great" Marquardt (29-8-2) and Alan "The Talent" Belcher (15-6) at 185 pounds, missed weight by three pounds before a victory over fellow MFC fighter "The Athlete" Jason MacDonald (22-13), and won his middleweight debut over Ryan Jensen (14-6).

Gouveia moved to middleweight because he thought he’d be one of the bigger guys in that division, but never wore 185 pounds confidently. He looked gaunt at weigh-ins and fought with diminished ferociousness.

"It was too much sacrifice and too hard, man," said Gouveia about his time at middleweight. "I’m a professional. I do this for a living and I love it, but I don’t like to miss weight, you know? And, I would pass out in the sauna and guys would drag me out and say, ‘You have to stop this.’ It was just too much sacrifice and too hard on my body."

At light heavyweight, however, Gouveia bulldozed through four consecutive stoppage victories over "Soldier" Wes Combs (14-4), Kimbo Slice-killer "Silverback" Seth Petruzelli (11-4), "Fury" Carmelo Marrero (10-4), and "Punisher" Jason Lambert (23-11).

"I hope the fans will see that I’m a better, more exciting fighter at 205 pounds," said Gouveia. But, Gouveia will have a big challenge in "Big Deal" Ryan Jimmo, who is on a 12-fight winning streak dating back to April 2007.

Jimmo returned to MFC in May 2009 and has racked up three decision victories over Mychal Clark (6-9) and veteran fighters "The Beastman" Marvin Eastman (16-12-1) and "The Hardcore Kid" Emanuel Newton (12-6-1). Jimmo is peaking!

Like the world’s top light heavyweight "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (16-0), Jimmo has transitioned a traditional karate background into success in MMA:

"My karate training has taught me not so much the fighting techniques but great discipline, focus and work ethic," Jimmo explains. "It’s taught me to understand a system of fighting and understand how to learn it in a more efficient manner. The athleticism and physicality are great attributes. I found my kicks are a step above most MMA practitioners as well as my footwork. There are two sides to most karate systems, traditional and sport and both have attributes that warrant praise. My time in karate has been invaluable in my life and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it."

Gouveia told MFC.com about his opponent, "I don’t know much about him. I know he’s a big, muscle guy and he’s a good guy. His record shows that. But, I train with some big guys: Luiz Cane, Thiago Silva, ‘Big Foot’ Antonio Silva. These are strong guys." Gouveia added, "I haven’t fought a karate guy since Seth Petruzelli. He liked to show a karate stance too."

Of course, Gouveia submitted Petruzelli in a guillotine choke, but Jimmo has never been submitted. There’ll be a lot on the line when these two fighters matchup at MFC 25: Vindication at the Winspear Centre/Enmax Hall in Edmonton, Alberta April 9.

UFC 109 video: Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman promo for Feb. 6

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 05:35 PM PST

Is it really what UFC fans have waited 10 years for?

WEC 46 ratings score impressive 640,000 Versus viewers for 'Henderson vs Varner'

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 05:29 PM PST

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World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) kicked-off the New Year with its most ratings in several months, attracting 640,000 viewers for "Varner vs. Henderson," which took place from the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on Jan. 10. 

It's a nice ratings bump, which is significantly more than the recent numbers the promotion and the network have been pulling in.

By comparison, WEC 45: "Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" -- the promotion's final event of 2009 -- managed to only bring in 330,000 viewers. That's more than double. And the promotion likely has the "California Kid" to thank for a juicy chunk of additional viewers.

Urijah Faber made his return to the blue cage against Raphael Assuncao, submitting the Brazilian in an exciting, fast-paced war that had the fans screaming for more. And that's exactly what they got when Benson Henderson and Jamie Varner went toe-to-toe in the main event of the evening to unify the lightweight title.

"Smooth" would go on to take home the 155-pound gold.

Both fights made a successful combination, bringing in the most viewers for a WEC event since the Versus and DirecTV fallout.

For complete WEC 46 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

BJ Penn: UFC 112 fight against Frank Edgar is going to be 'great' (Video)

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 05:04 PM PST

Do you agree or disagree with the "Prodigy?"

Rampage surges ahead in a legal battle against former management company

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 04:32 PM PST

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Besides launching an acting career, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been busy extricating himself from legal complications during his time away from the Octagon.

Last week, the former UFC light heavyweight champion was sentenced to three years of probation for a July 2008 traffic incident in which he was arrested following a high-speed car chase with the police. He also completed over 200 hours of community service.

Now, he has taken a step toward settling a million-dollar legal battle with a former management company.

According to MMAfighting, Jackson's former management company, White Chocolate Management, had sued the UFC star and his former manager Juanito Ibarra for several counts of "bad faith" breach of contract.

The suit alleges that, beginning in February 2007, Jackson and Ibarra had reneged on the non-exclusive deal with White Chocolate by rejecting every business opportunity offered. Also, the pair had been accused of disparaging the management company behind their backs.

In a decision dated Dec. 14, 2009 and obtained by MMA Fighting, New York Supreme Court Judge Barbara Kapnick dismissed all seven causes of action against Jackson, but left the door open for continued action on two causes if the plaintiffs can provide documentation to support their allegations.

The two causes that await final verdict are breach of contract, and aiding and abetting tortious acts against plaintiff. The aforementioned seven causes were dismissed with prejudice -- meaning the suit cannot be filed again: They included claims of tortious interference, trade disparagement, prima facie tort, defamation, and breach of covenant in good faith and fair dealing.

Robert Hantman, an attorney at the New York-based firm Hantman & Associates, delivered the following comment to MMAfighting on behalf of White Chocolate Management:

"The gist of our case was against Juanito Ibarra and his company, and Judge Kapnicks decision leaves the claims against him intact. As to Rampage, we intend to file an amended complaint on the breach of contract and aiding and abetting counts and go the distance, as neither WCM or our firm will submit.'"

Jackson, a former PRIDE star, has been filming the Mr. T "B.A. Baracus" role in a film adaptation of "The A-Team." He recently voiced his intent to return to the Octagon to face Rashad Evans in a showdown between opposing coaches in The Ultimate Fighter 10.

UFC Fight Night 20 ratings SmackDown on Spike TV for 'Maynard vs Diaz'

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:28 PM PST

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UFC Fight Night 20, featuring a lightweight main event between fellow former TUF 5 housemates Gray "The Bully" Maynard and Nate Diaz, pulled in an average of 1.7 million viewers and a 1.2 share for Monday's Spike TV broadcast, according to the network.

The numbers are worth looking at because the event was held on a Monday, which is clearly not standard protocol for a UFC show. WWE's "Monday Night Raw" has traditionally owned the Monday night ratings slot, and, apparently it still does despite the the powerhouse promotion's latest efforts.

That's right, WWE dominated the numbers by hauling in an average of 5.45 million viewers. For those keeping score at home, that's more than three times that of the UFC.

Of course, it didn't hurt that WWE president Vince McMahon had booked former boxing heavyweight champion "Iron" Mike Tyson as the quest host. For some reason, people still can't seem to ever get enough of the Bronx bomber.

UFC President Dana White expressed before the fight that going head-to-head competing for ratings with the WWE on Monday nights is not something that will become a regular thing.

Looking at these numbers, who could blame him?

Here's a snip:

"I love Vince. He's an animal isn't he? I mean, we're not trying to go against him. That night is the night Spike wanted the fight. Spike wanted the fight that night. They got some show airing, so that's the night that they called for. Vince goes into war mode man. He's calling up Tyson, he's bringing this guy back and the Rock might come back. I love it. He's a fucking animal. To be honest, you've never heard me say, "we're going to kick the shit out of them. Vince is going down." I think that we're two totally different, you know, wrestling is completely different than the UFC and mixed martial arts. I respect Vince McMahon. I like this guy. I've had breakfast with him, this and that, but he is a fucking animal man. I'm not trying to beat him on Monday night. I don't think we would beat him. Those guys pull killer ratings. It's been like the highest rated show on television forever. We're just putting on a fight on Monday night because Spike wants us to. Now if he was in the MMA business, that would be a whole different ballgame."

For complete UFC Fight Night 20: "Maynard vs. Diaz" results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

Junior dos Santos vs Gabriel Gonzaga confirmed for UFC on Versus 1: 'Vera vs Jones'

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 01:59 PM PST

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Brazilian heavyweights Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos (10-1) and Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga (11-4) have officially been re-booked to square off in the co-main event of the first-ever UFC on Versus event, which is scheduled for the Odeum Colorado in Broomfield, Colo., on March 21.

The two were originally set to tangle at UFC 108 on Jan. 2; however, "Napao"  was forced to withdraw from the fight about five weeks out because of a severe staph infection.

Pride FC veteran, Gilbert Yvel, filled in on short notice for Gonzaga and wound up on the wrong end of Dos Santos' third first round technical knockout inside the Octagon.

Before that, "Cigano" had cemented his place among the heavyweight big guns when he had former Pride FC star Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic pleading for "No Mas!" after a three-round drubbing at UFC 103. The hard-hitting monster is likely right on the cusp of his first opportunity to fight for a world title.

And a win over the promotion's former number one contender may just push him over the top.

Gonzaga, on the other hand, warmly welcomed Chris Tuchscherer to the promotion with a devastating first round ball bash at UFC 102 back in August. The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy-trained fighter was given time to recover; however, he returned to get utterly smashed shortly thereafter by a relentless "Napao."

It marked the third win in four attempts for Gonzaga. But the former number one contender has struggled against top competition. He'll try to shuck that label once again when he squares off against his fellow countryman on fight night.

UFC on Versus 1 is set to feature a ridiculous main event between dynamic light heavyweight strikers Brandon "The Truth" Vera and Jon "Bones" Jones. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Clay "The Carpenter" Guida, John "Doomsday" Howard, Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk, Spencer "The King" Fisher and others are also expected to be in action on what is shaping up to be a great card for the promotion's debut on the Versus network.

To check out the latest fight card and rumors for UFC on Versus 1: "Vera vs. Jones" click here.

UFC on Versus 1 poster for 'Vera vs Jones' on March 21

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 11:29 AM PST

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To check out the latest UFC on Versus 1: "Vera vs. Jones" fight card and rumors click here.

Brock Lesnar's fighting future to be revealed next week via press conference

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 10:22 AM PST

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UFC President Dana White has revealed that both he UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar will hold a joint press conference next week in Las Vegas to discuss Brock's future as a mixed-martial-artist.

White confirmed the news to MMAfighting.com recently on a trip to New York, refusing to elaborate on the nature of the press conference, only saying Lesnar’s future would be out in the open. Confusing yet very positive reports have surfaced recently with Randy Couture revealing previous conversations with the champ and that he's already back in training and may be fighting by spring.

Lesnar required surgery to repair damage inflicted by intestinal diverticulitis. The promotion recently announced that number one contender Shane Carwin will battle former champion Frank Mir at UFC 111 in his absence and we may finally know by the end of next week if that bout will be contested for an interim title or the true title (if the Minnesotan is forced to surrender the belt in anticipation of a long or permanent absence).

In a perfect world, Lesnar would get fully cleared by his doctor and make his return in Boston on August 28 against the winner of Mir vs. Carwin or Nogueira vs. Velasquez.

Personally, I don't know what to think of this but I'm starting to assume the worst.  For some reason I feel a press conference is going to be for Brock to announce his retirement or give up his belt. I guess maybe this could be a publicity move to make it more dramatic for his return, but I've seen so many athletes give press conferences that were designed to announce their retirement.

I'm going to think the worst but pray for the best and hopefully we'll know more next week.

Anyone else care to speculate?

UFC Quick Quote: 'Dan Hardy is a legitimate threat and needs to be treated as such'

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 10:06 AM PST

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"He has a lot of skills. He's got really good power. The problem with guys like Dan Hardy is that he's young, he's hungry, he's got very good skills and if he catches you the wrong way, you zig when you should have zagged and that might be it. Remember that Matt Serra was never considered a real threat to Georges. Everyone was laughing it off, then all of a sudden Georges was in a lot of trouble. So if you go into any fight thinking this guy is going to be easy, this guy is going to be a walkover, this isn't a legitimate threat, it puts you in a place mentally where you aren't going to train as hard, you're not going to be as hungry and Hardy is a legitimate serious threat and needs to be treated as such."

Trainer extraordinaire Greg Jackson stops by Sherdog.com to remind GSP sack-straddlers that anything can happen in a mixed martial arts fight -- case in point UFC 69 when Matt Serra put "Rush" on Canadian queer street with a few well-placed bombs. "The Outlaw" is a heavy underdog based on the champion's recent performances where he barely broke a sweat to win six straight. Can Hardy shock the world? Or is this going to be a lopsided beatdown? Opinions please.

Herschel Walker training video talks Strikeforce: "Miami" debut

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 09:08 AM PST

Herschel Walker training video talks Strikeforce: "Miami" debut

Dana White: UFC pay-per-view in Washington D.C. likely for 2011

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 08:49 AM PST

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Props: Washington Post (via USA Today)

Quoteworthy:

"Probably in the next year, year and a half, we'll bring a big pay-per-view here. It's that simple. We've got to plan it. ... Do a deal with the venue, make sure the venue is available and we do it."

UFC President Dana White talks about bringing his brand of mixed martial arts to Washington D.C. after a wildly successful trip to Fairfax, Virginia for the Spike TV broadcast of UFC Fight Night 20: "Maynard vs. Diaz" back on Jan. 11. While it's still at least a year away, it's another stop on the road to East Coast dominance after the August 2010 trip to Boston. Are you paying attention, New York?

Strikeforce video trailer for 'Miami' on Jan. 30 on Showtime

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 08:24 AM PST

We're less than two weeks away!:

UFC on Versus 1 adds Duane Ludwig vs Spencer Fisher to March 21 event

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 08:24 AM PST

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Denver native Duane Ludwig (19-10) will get another chance to prove he belongs back inside the Octagon when he welcomes Spencer Fisher (23-5) to the Rockies at the upcoming UFC on Versus 1 event scheduled for the Odeum Colorado on March 21 in Broomfield.

Ludwig returned to the UFC for the first time since 2006 when he appeared opposite Jim Miller as a last minute replacement for the injured Sean Sherk at UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" on Jan. 2. Unfortunately his homecoming ended on a sour note after Miller sent him to Tapsville with a first round armbar.

In between Octagon stints, "Bang" competed primarily under the Strikeforce banner and amassed a respectable record of 8-5. A loss to Fisher would put him in an 0-2 hole with a possible one-way ticket back to San Jose.

Either way, expect him to try and dethrone "The King."

Fisher saw his three fight winning streak come to a violent end at the elbows of Joe Stevenson at UFC 104: "Machida vs. Shogun" back in October 2009. Fisher has a whopping 12 fights to his credit inside the Octagon and has beaten some stiff competition including Thiago Alves, Aaron Riley and Caol Uno.

If he's in top form on March 21 he'll likely be handing Ludwig his pink slip.

UFC on Versus 1 will feature light heavyweights Brandon Vera and Jon Jones in an exciting match-up that could determine the fate of "Bones" 205-pound contendership status. In addition, lightweights Clay "The Carpenter" Guida and Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk are in talks for a potential throwdown as are warring welterweights John "Doomsday" Howard and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.

For more on UFC on Versus 1 click here.

Bellator Fighting Championships signs 12-0 Brazilian featherweight phenom Patricio Pitbull

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 07:57 AM PST

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CHICAGO, Ill. (January 13, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships’ search for its next great featherweight has moved south to Brazil, where it was announced today that undefeated MMA phenom Patricio Pitbull has signed a long-term promotional agreement and will compete in Bellator’s Season 2 tournament.

The 23-year-old Pitbull is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is known throughout his home country for his devastating striking ability. He boasts a perfect 12-0 record with all but two of his fights finishing via KO, TKO or submission. Six of these 10 early finishes occurred in Round 1.

"In Bellator Season 1, Joe Soto came from nowhere to win our featherweight tournament and a six-figure check in just 90 days" said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "I believe Patricio Pitbull has the chance to do the same thing in Season 2. While he may be undiscovered by most U.S. fans, I can tell you that he is the real deal. I encourage you to go to YouTube and check him out for yourself."

Pitbull is the third fighter to join Bellator’s upcoming eight-man 145 lbs. tournament along with 12-1-1 Russian-born Georgi "Insane" Karakhanyan and 5-0 Canadian fighting prodigy William Romero. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. with the winners of this year’s tournaments being declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current roster of champions.

"I have been waiting for the opportunity to make my international debut for a long time," Pitbull, who speaks Portuguese, said through a translator. "Bellator has some outstanding featherweight fighters – particularly Joe Soto – and I am excited to have my chance to show America and the world what I can do in the cage."

Pitbull got his start in fighting sports at the age of 12 when he took up Jiu-Jitsu and, several years later, began training at Brazil’s famed Chute Boxe Academy, which has, over the years, produced such fighters as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Wanderlei Silva and reigning Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.

Pitbull took his first professional MMA fight in 2004 while he was still a teenager and has been dominant in nearly every fight since, according to his manager, Ivan Canello.

"This guy really is like a pitbull—very small, but very, very powerful," Canello said. "From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe that he can win the Bellator tournament. He’s been waiting for his big chance for a long time and now he’s ready to go."

Pitbull is also excited for the exposure offered by Bellator’s historic TV distribution alliance, which Canello called "something that no other organization in the U.S. can provide."

Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m.

"Here in Brazil, it’s every fighter’s dream to come to the mecca for MMA — the United States," Canello said. "I know that Pitbull is going to take full advantage of this opportunity."

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bjorn Rebney on Twitter @BjornRebney or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

Dear Diary: I'm way better than Wanderlei Silva! Signed, Michael Bisping

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 07:14 AM PST

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Props: The Daily Telegraph

Quoteworthy:

"I believe it's a very winnable fight for me, though. I know Wanderlei's a legend but I truly believe styles make fights and that I've got the perfect style to beat him. Obviously I'm going to have to be wary of his aggressive style and his punch power, but I'm very confident of going to Australia and beating Wanderlei. He's experienced and possesses heavy hands but, other than, I feel I'm way better than him. I know I have the ability to beat him – it's now just about executing my game plan on the night…"

Michael Bisping scribbles in his online diary about his pending middleweight clash with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 21. "The Count" was able to rebound from a comatose performance against the exiled Dan Henderson at UFC 100 to stop Denis Kang at UFC 105 last November. Pundits believed the Hendo loss put a serious dent in Bisping's credibility as a 185-pound title contender. Would a highlight reel finish over "The Axe Murderer" change their minds? Or yours?
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