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- Shane Carwin: Whatever Frank Mir says about me is likely justified
- Minowaman gets overdue 'Super Hulk' belt (and 10,000,000 yen) for Dec. 31 tournament win
- Jens Pulver: 'The athlete in me ain't ready to die yet'
- Staph infection sends injured Benji Radach back under the knife
- UFC Quick Quote: A 'fit' Brock Lesnar not just eating the meat
- BJ Penn wants to show you 'what it takes' (Video)
- Bellator completes featherweight tournament with signing of Eric Marriott
- Zuffa brings legal action against dot-com that streams unlicensed feeds of UFC programming
- UFC 110 predictions, preview and analysis
- "Rampage" Jackson talks Michael Bisping; says he never disliked Wanderlei Silva
- UFC Quick Quote: Anthony Johnson isn't dumb enough to fight John Howard with a bum knee
- Cesar Gracie: Nick Diaz a target for little morons and Nevada politics
| Shane Carwin: Whatever Frank Mir says about me is likely justified Posted: 19 Feb 2010 03:21 PM PST Props: TheGarv.com Quoteworthy:
Undefeated heavyweight contender Shane Carwin prepares for his UFC 111 showdown against Frank Mir for the right to challenge Brock lesnar later this year. "The Engineer" has a ton of respect for Mir and is prepared to receive the ex-champ's patented pre-fight trash talk in earnest. Is there any truth to Carwin's assertion that he's not yet on Frank's level? Or is he going to prove he's long since passed it by with a beat down in Newark? Opinions por favor. |
| Minowaman gets overdue 'Super Hulk' belt (and 10,000,000 yen) for Dec. 31 tournament win Posted: 19 Feb 2010 03:04 PM PST From the files of "Better late than never," Ikuhisa Minowa finally received an official belt (along with a giant cardboard check) to reward his unlikely victory in the DREAM "Super Hulk Tournament" held in the latter part of 2009. "Minowaman" entered the open weight, elimination-style tournament as an underdog, partly due to his non-Hulkish size, and partly due to the fact that Gegard Mousasi had also entered. After the "Dreamcatcher" bowed out with a sore shoulder. the possibility of "The Punk" winning it all didn't seem so unrealistic. Especially when he made supersized slugger Bob Sapp cry uncle at DREAM 9 with a textbook Achilles lock in the opening round of the tournament. From there Minowaman was in cruise control, submitting the gigantic Hong Man Choi via heel hook at DREAM 11 and clowning Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou with a barrage of punches to seal the deal at FieLDS Dynamite!! on New Year's Eve. The Japanese promotion was so enamored with his unlikely win that they presented him with a big fat nothing at the conclusion of the tournament. No belt, no paycheck, just a good old fashioned pat on the back. Fortunately for Minowaman, a nine-year old girl from Saitama named "Moeka" crafted a championship belt emblazoned with the words "Super Human" and gifted it to the popular fighter. All's well that ends well I suppose. And Minowaman won't have time to rest on his laurels either. Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) today announced his participation in the upcoming DREAM 13 event against an opponent to be named. And win or lose, at least he has his belt. |
| Jens Pulver: 'The athlete in me ain't ready to die yet' Posted: 19 Feb 2010 01:38 PM PST Props: Pro MMA Radio Quoteworthy:
Former UFC lightweight champ and MMA pioneer Jens Pulver spoke with Larry Pepe of Pro MMA Radio this week about where he stands at this point in his career. After suffering his fourth consecutive loss at the hands of Josh Grispi last summer, "Little Evil" stated in his post-fight interview that he was done with fighting. As we all know now, that's not the case. Pulver is set to take on Javier Vazquez at WEC 47 on March 6 from Columbus, Ohio. And from the sounds of it, the former UFC champ is as motivated as ever. Question is, does it matter at this point? Does he have enough left in the tank to squeeze out one more win, or is this just another case of a fighter hanging on for too long? |
| Staph infection sends injured Benji Radach back under the knife Posted: 19 Feb 2010 01:37 PM PST Stop me if you've heard this before.... Benji Radach has endured a setback to his career due to injury. A victim of an endless laundry list of physical ailments - broken jaw, herniated disc, torn knee ligaments, broken hands, broken collarbone, and of course, the commonly seen venumnous spider bite - Radach can add a couple more injuries to that unwelcomed list. Sherdog.com reports that while helping Jay Silva train for his fight against Chris Leben at UFC Fight Night 20 last month, Radach suffered a debilitating torn pectoral muscle. The 29 year-old UFC and IFL veteran detailed the unfortunate experience. "I was trying to stay in decent shape," he said. "I thought I had warmed up enough. The first thing out of my mouth was, ‘F--k, f--k, f--k!' I felt like my shoulder was going to come out of the socket. I've never had it come out before, but that's what I thought was happening." An MRI test later confirmed what "Razor" had initially thought of the injury. "Lying on my back, I couldn't put my arm straight up," Radach said. "My whole arm was full of blood, down to my hand. They said, sure enough, I had torn [my pectoral muscle] from the bone." To compound the issue, as if a torn pectoral muscle wasn't bad enough to deal with, Radach sustained a staph infection due to the pectoral repairment surgery. Yesterday, Benji went under the knife yet again to try and get rid of the staph, and the ever-growing list of injuries is obviously starting to get to him. "It's really frustrating to me," he said. "I'm just trying to fulfill my goals, and all I get are these setbacks. It's definitely a frustrating thing. I get a few fights in, and then I get pulled off to the sidelines with these injuries." As much as this type of string of injuries can hurt any professional athlete's career, with one fight left on his current Strikeforce contract, Radach is vowing to not let it slow him down and return to the cage by year's end. "On the flipside, my body's not getting beat up," he said. "I'm not taking shots to the head. It's something where I'll spring back and still be full of fire. I always come back ready to roll. I've just got to stay optimistic. Something good will happen." And I wouldn't put it past him. With a thwarted burglary attempt on his record, the man is just capable of doing things that most people aren't. |
| UFC Quick Quote: A 'fit' Brock Lesnar not just eating the meat Posted: 19 Feb 2010 01:37 PM PST
Greg Nelson, trainer and coach for UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, updates the fans on the champ's condition during his upcoming appearance on "Inside Fights" via HDNet. Lesnar is returning from a lengthy battle with diverticulitis that booted him from his UFC 106 title defense against Shane Carwin and is expected to make his return at the yet-unannounced UFC 116 fight card on July 3 in Las Vegas. His opponent has still not been determined as a handful of contenders battle it out within the next few months to win the first crack at his belt. Will the layoff affect Lesnar's chances? Or is the new and improved diet going to make him better than ever? |
| BJ Penn wants to show you 'what it takes' (Video) Posted: 19 Feb 2010 01:36 PM PST And what "being a man" is all about ... |
| Bellator completes featherweight tournament with signing of Eric Marriott Posted: 19 Feb 2010 01:26 PM PST CHICAGO, Ill. (February 19, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships put the finishing touches on its much-anticipated Season 2 featherweight tournament today with the signing of 17-2 submission specialist Eric Marriott. Marriott is the eighth and final confirmed participant in the tournament, which also features the likes of Georgi Karakhanyan, Sean Pierson, Patricio Pitbull, Bao Quach, Wilson Reis, William Romero and Joe Warren. All told, the group boasts a combined professional record of 83-18-2. First-round matchups will be announced next week. Marriott, who turns 24 on Saturday, is in the midst of a nine-fight winning streak since last April with victories coming by armbar, heel hook and rear-naked choke submissions as well as a first-round KO via head kick. Notable career wins have come against Strikeforce’s Pat Benson and WEC veteran Chris Mickle. "Eric has an impressive record and is riding a great win streak," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "He’s a great addition to round out the eighth and final spot in our 145 tournament." Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. with the winners in each division being declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of Bellator champions. Each of Bellator’s 24 Season 2 and 3 events will be broadcast on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Marriott was born and raised in Independence, Mo., and began training in MMA soon after high school. He made his professional debut in April 2008 at the age of 22 after compiling an 18-3 record as an amateur. Through the years, he’s fought, as he puts it, "in almost every weight class from featherweight all the way up to heavyweight," but says that he is most comfortable at 145. He trains at the Kids-to-Leaders (K2L) MMA Gym in Lee’s Summit, Mo. He said that he has been looking for his "big break" for a while now and thinks he’s found it with Bellator. "I’ve been working all my career to get signed by a big-time promotion like Bellator," he said. "Bellator has gotten a lot of recognition over the past few months from the fans and from the fighters as well, and it’s very well-deserved. It’s a great organization for me because there’s not a lot of politics. If you keep winning, you keep fighting, and I really like that." For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. |
| Zuffa brings legal action against dot-com that streams unlicensed feeds of UFC programming Posted: 19 Feb 2010 11:58 AM PST The Zuffa legal eagles are flying high again, this time swooping down and sinking their talons into the scurvy pirates at www.rage-streams.net. After UFC President Dana White vowed to make life miserable for the chiselers who stream illegal feeds of live UFC programming, the Las Vegas Sun reports that the Zuffa legal team may have bagged their latest casualty in the war on pirates. Argh! Zuffa is suing Moazzam Gandu of Stafford, Va., for running the website www.rage-streams.net and reportedly offering UFC 110 for a paltry $6.95 per feed. The suit also alleges Gandu has offered illegal streams of at least 40 past UFC events and profited from the advertising that accompanied his site. No-Gan-Du! The Vancouver Sun outlined the proactive approach from UFC head honcho Lorenzo Fertitta -- who recently testified for the US House Judiciary Committee during a referendum on internet piracy of sporting events. According to him, the Zuffa anti-piracy team uncovered 271 illegal streams of UFC 106 with over 140,000 viewers. From Fertitta:
While I'm sure not many fans are losing sleep over the UFC's missing money, pirating pay-per-views is illegal. They may not be able to stop Internet piracy (many have tried and failed) but it's not unrealistic to think a few high profile cases involving the average Joe would at least help to deter future pirates. Like the idiots who post their links to the illegal streams in forums that record IP addresses. Consider yourself warned! (Again) |
| UFC 110 predictions, preview and analysis Posted: 19 Feb 2010 09:49 AM PST
Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE updates with blow-by-blow, round-by-round commentary of the main card action on fight night, which is slated to air on PPV at 10 p.m. ET. To get us pumped for the event, MMAmania.com Editor and Senior Writer, Jesse Holland (that’s me), has once again rallied the troops for a breakdown of the televised main card fights. All your favorite contributors are here, bringing you an in-depth look at each contest. One of the big stories coming into this event is of course the headlining fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez. Will "Minotauro" return to greatness by dispatching the talented up-and-comer? And what does a victory for Velasquez do to the already crowded title picture? Is he more deserving of a shot at division champion Brock Lesnar (with a win) than the winner of Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir at UFC 111? There are also a lot of unanswered questions regarding the future of Wanderlei Silva. Does the "Axe Murderer" still have the goods at his new weight of 185-pounds? And what happens to Michael Bisping's career if he suffers yet another KO loss to a former PRIDE legend? There will certainly be a lot to talk about on Sunday morning. I’ve also included the current betting lines for each fight so that you can get a feel for what the money has to say about the chances of each combatant. Now, enough with the formalities … let’s get cracking. 265 lbs.: Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez Derek Bolender predicts: The big boys will be on display in the main event of the evening. The winner gets a new feather in his fedora, a Keith Urban greatest hits CD, and the right to take a number behind Frank Mir and Shane Carwin in the pecking order. Cain is currently riding a seven fight win streak and beaming with confidence. He appears to have all the tools including youth, athleticism, a phenomenal wrestling base, and improving jiu-jitsu and boxing. Honing his craft at the American Kickboxing Academy doesn’t hurt either. "Nog," on the other hand, is a legend of the sport and the only man ever to win both UFC and PRIDE championship belts. He has very solid, technical boxing skills, arguably the best jiu-jitsu in the world in the division, and an unrivaled will to win. Although I feel strongly it will be an extremely competitive fight there are two factors I foresee ultimately deciding the outcome. They include: Nog should win the stand-up battle as Cain’s footwork and head movement still need seasoning. His fight against Cheick Kongo at UFC 99 went a long way in exposing the flaws in his boxing. What Cain will look to do is take Nog down and ground and pound his way to victory, or take him down and squeak out a decision. There are issues with these scenarios for Cain, even though I do feel he will be able to get Nog on the ground. For one, Nog has only been stopped due to strikes once in 39 career professional fights. Ask Bob Sapp how hard it is to put him away. Frankly, Cain had a lot of trouble finishing a dazed and confused Ben Rothwell at UFC 104. He was essentially using a Nick Diaz-esque pitter-patter approach to his ground and pound. How is he going to finish off a guy like Nog who has nine lives like a koala? Did I say that wrong? Furthermore, Nog is right at home on his back working for sweeps and attempting submissions. His guard is extremely dangerous. Cain has never faced a guy who has anywhere close to the level of Nog’s submission skills in training or in a real fight. All that said, I fully expect the best version of Cain we have ever seen, which should turn it into an active war of attrition. Now cue the outro and let’s get this party started … "Do you come from a land down under? Nogueira by split decision! Betting lines (as of Feb. 19): Nogueira: -110 ((Bet Now)) Velasquez: -120 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Nogueira via split decision
185 lbs.: Michael "The Count" Bisping vs. Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva Eduardo Cruz predicts: The middleweight battle between Michael "The Count" Bisping and Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva promises to be the one of the most exciting attractions of the card in Australia this weekend. "The Count" has made a respectable career in the UFC scoring eight victories and two losses and was expected to get the title shot until facing Dan Henderson at UFC 100, where he was knocked out in the second round. The British star came back at UFC 105 and got back into the win column again versus Denis Kang with a second round technical knockout in a fight that Bisping showed off his heart after withstanding hard times in round one. "The Axe Murderer" hasn’t had an easy life in UFC. Silva was defeated by Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson and Rich Franlin - all of them former champions. His only victory was a brutal stoppage over TUF grad Keith Jardine. After facing criticism for only giving good shows (and not wins), Wanderlei split from Rafael Alejarra and came back to train with master Rafael Cordeiro, former coach in Chute Boxe. Mr. Pride also changed his tone of just putting on entertaining match-ups and has stated he "must win" this time. Bisping owns a good background in boxing and proved in the past fight that he is able to perform on his back on the ground. From the other side, Wanderlei is aggressive every time he steps into the Octagon, that is, this is going to be literally a striking fight in which the Brazilian veteran will hunt the Brit who will counter-attack with punches all the time. I predict Wanderlei Silva winning this fight by unanimous decision. It won’t be hands down, though. Betting lines (as of Feb. 19): Bisping: +125 ((Bet Now)) Silva: -155 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Silva via unanimous decision
205 lbs.: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine vs. Ryan "Darth" Bader James Kimball predicts: The only light heavyweight contest scheduled to be broadcast features an interesting match up between two fighters heading in opposite directions, Ryan "Darth" Bader and Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine. While Ryan Bader needs the win to join the top level of guys in the division, Jardine likely needs the win just to keep his job. Usually when a fighter loses three fights in a row and four of his last five as Jardine has, a pink slip is waiting for him right around the corner. Though his losses are far from bad – dropping contests to Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson, and Thiago Silva – it’s the way he’s losing them that has fans thinking his career is on the decline. Bader on the other hand seems to have bright future in the sport. Winner of TUF 8 and owner of a perfect 10-0 record, the Arizona Combat Sports product will be looking to win his fourth consecutive fight under the Zuffa banner. As to who has the edge coming into the fight …. it’s gotta be Bader. The way Jardine has gone out in his last couple fights doesn’t inspire much confidence in his chances. Though Bader obviously doesn’t possess the striking tools that Rampage and Thiago Silva do, I think the one clear advantage that he holds over Jardine, his wrestling, will prove to be enough to get the job done. And as we’ve seen before, along with elite wrestling credentials, Bader does have the ability to finish a fight with one punch, (see: Magalhaes, Vinny). The only way Jardine wins this bout is with a finish on the feet. If the fight goes the distance, Bader will have controlled enough of the position with his wrestling throughout the three rounds to get the decision. But I don’t even see it going that far. After doing just enough on his feet to keep Jardine honest, Bader takes him down when he wants and finishes the fight with some serious ground and pound. Ryan Bader gets the win, and earns the respect, with a second round stoppage. Betting lines (as of Feb. 19): Jardine: +130 ((Bet Now)) Bader: -160 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Bader via technical knockout
155 lbs.: Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos "The Mexicutioner" predicts: The fight between Joe "Daddy" Stevenson and George Sotiropoulos is significant in the fact that the Stevenson is looking to get back into title contention, while Sotiropoulos is trying to show that he deserves to be mentioned among the top names in the UFC 155-pound division. Sotiropoulos is coming off a pretty impressive win over Jason Dent and is on a five fight win streak (four wins via submission, one via TKO) with his last official loss being against Shinya Aoki due a groin strike disqualification in 2006. To say he has a good ground game would be an understatement. Plus he has the home team advantage. AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!!!! Stevenson is 3-3 in his last six fights, but those losses were to the division’s top three fighters: Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez and champion BJ Penn. With strength, experience, a better than descent ground game and Team Jackson on his side, Stevenson will be a true test to see where Sotiropoulos really stands in this division. The way I see it: Stevenson is pretty susceptible to rear naked choke's, as evident in two of his last three losses. So in my opinion, the only way Sotiropoulos wins this is if he is able to get Stevenson’s back. With that being said, when this fight does go to the ground, I think the physically stronger Stevenson will be able to maintain control from the top and be able to pull out a pretty dominating and decisive victory. Betting lines (as of Feb. 19): Stevenson: -260 ((Bet Now)) Sotiropoulos: +200 ((Bet Now)) Prediction: Stevenson via unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Anthony "The Hippo" Perosh Akimitsu Kuwabara predicts: Aussie veteran, Anthony "The Hippo" Perosh, steps up on a day's notice to fight on the main card of UFC's inaugural event in his home country against a legend of the sport. How can Perosh resist the opportunity, especially after helping his business and training partner, Elvis Sinosic (who, coincidentally, was also forced off the fight card due to injury) prepare for his fight? Unfortunately, taking the fight on such a short notice in less-than-full fighting shape bodes ill for "The Hippo." Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, former Pride Open Weight Grand Prix champion, has suffered an ignominious fall from grace since he first joined the UFC. With 2-3 record in UFC and no victory over a top-ranked opponent since defeating Josh Barnett in September 2006, he is in the midst of a prolonged downturn that threatens his legacy. After his loss against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103, he confessed that he lost passion for the sport and even contemplated suicide. Nevertheless, he stated in a recent interview that he has been training with Ivan Hippolyte and regained his focus. As difficult as it may be to believe in a rejuvenated Cro Cop, his chance of victory has been given a boost, now that he will face Anthony Perosh, instead of the hulking mauler, Ben Rothwell. Even in his devastating loss against Dos Santos, Cro Cop managed to land some hard shots, especially in the first round. Perosh has demonstrated a detrimental habit of leaving himself dangerously open in a stand-up battle. During his previous stint in UFC, he succumbed to Jeff Monson via TKO and was staggered by Christian Wellisch during their UFC 66 encounter. Unlike Junior Dos Santos, Cheick Kongo, and Gabriel Gonzaga, Perosh does not possess the technical acumen to exploit the hole in Cro Cop's stand-up. While Cro Cop has struggled against opponents with forward pressure who forced him on the back pedal, the characteristic tentativeness of Perosh's stand-up further tilts the fight in his favor. To his credit, Perosh holds a second degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Carlos Machado and has proven to be a capable grappler. Hence, his best chance of victory lies in forcing Cro Cop to the ground. Cro Cop's physical decline has affected his athleticism and explosiveness that once helped him stay upright against grapplers; if Perosh can exercise top control and land elbows on the ground, he may be able to flatten Cro Cop and open up an opportunity for submission. Perosh simply does not stand a chance against Cro Cop in a striking exchange. Will he be able to force Cro Cop into a grappling battle? We shall see, but Cro Cop has a very good chance of scoring a highlight-reel KO that his fans the world over have been craving. Betting lines (as of Feb. 19): Filipovic: NO ACTION (Late replacement) Perosh: NO ACTION (Late replacement) Prediction: Filipovic via technical knockout
That’s a wrap, folks. Remember to come check us out after the show for all the latest results, recaps and coverage of UFC 110: "Nogueira vs. Velasquez." What do you think? Now it’s your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for Saturday’s event. |
| "Rampage" Jackson talks Michael Bisping; says he never disliked Wanderlei Silva Posted: 19 Feb 2010 09:46 AM PST "Rampage" Jackson talks Michael Bisping; says he never disliked Wanderlei Silva |
| UFC Quick Quote: Anthony Johnson isn't dumb enough to fight John Howard with a bum knee Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:05 AM PST
UFC welterweight standout Anthony Johnson updates Steve Cofield on his knee injury and the rationale behind withdrawing from their upcoming fight. "Rumble" is due back in the doctor's office next week to try and figure out a way to get his lingering knee injury corrected once and for all. Johnson and Howard have quite the verbal feud going but fans may have to wait until the latter part of 2010 before these two settle their score. Early predictions? |
| Cesar Gracie: Nick Diaz a target for little morons and Nevada politics Posted: 19 Feb 2010 07:38 AM PST Props: TapouT Radio (via MMAWeekly) Quoteworthy:
Cesar Gracie talks about the obsession some members of the mixed martial arts community have with his top pupil, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, who admittedly includes marijuana as part of his daily training regimen. The foul-mouthed fightmonger had his submission win over Takanori Gomi overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for dope in his first fight outside of the UFC at PRIDE 33 in Feb. 2007. Is Diaz a victim of a Nevada conspiracy? Or a pot-smoking pugilist who doesn't want to play by the rules? |
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