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

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• EA Sports MMA gameplay trailer and footage for 'late 2010' release date
• Programming reminder: 'Countdown to UFC 111' debuts tonight (March 17) on Spike TV
• Programming reminder: UFC Primetime 'St. Pierre vs Hardy' tonight (March 17) on Spike TV
• Happy St. Patrick's Day from MMAmania.com!
• Miguel Torres plastic surgery video to repair cut suffered at WEC 47
• James Irvin ready to start anew after battling drug addiction
• Bellator finalizes lightweight tournament roster with addition of Pat Curran
• Three Amigos: Wanderlei Silva meets old training mates Murilo "Ninja" and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in...
• Arianny Celeste graces Lopez Tonight with her presence
• Ricardo Almeida on UFC 111 bout with Matt Brown: 'I can win this fight anywhere it goes'
• UFC Undisputed 2010 'Legends' one of several PS3 exclusives available on May 25
• Andrei Arlovski Strikeforce video journal for May 15 'Bigfoot' Silva fight (Part 1)
• Report: Paulo Filho vs Hector Lombard possible for May 20 Bellator event

EA Sports MMA gameplay trailer and footage for 'late 2010' release date Posted: 17 Mar 2010 09:48 PM PDT Comparisons to UFC Undisputed 2010 are inevitable. What's your take? More videos after the jump.

Programming reminder: 'Countdown to UFC 111' debuts tonight (March 17) on Spike TV Posted: 17 Mar 2010 06:17 PM PDT Countdown to UFC 111: "St. Pierre vs. Hardy" will debut TONIGHT (March 17) at 10:30 p.m. ET on Spike TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, March 27. The premiere immediately follows Episode 2 of "UFC Primetime" which starts at 10 p.m. ET. The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, featuring current UFC welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre and number one contender Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy. For those who miss the "Countdown to UFC 111" premier it will re-air at the following times: March 19 at 11 p.m. ET March 25 at 2 a.m. ET March 26 at 12:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET March 27 at 2:30 p.m. ET Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, March 27), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from Newark. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 8 p.m. ET with the preliminary bouts. To get up to speed on the "St. Pierre vs. Hardy" event be sure to check out the complete UFC 111 archive by clicking here.

Programming reminder: UFC Primetime 'St. Pierre vs Hardy' tonight (March 17) on Spike TV Posted: 17 Mar 2010 06:16 PM PDT Spike TV is back with Episode 2 of  "UFC Primetime" TONIGHT (March 17) at 10:00 pm ET, bringing you another 30 minutes of hype from the promotion's three-part series featuring an in-depth look at the upcoming UFC 111 welterweight title fight between current champion Georges St. Pierre (19-2) and number one contender Dan Hardy (23-6). The UFC scored a ratings bonanza for its premiere episode of "Primetime." According to the cable television network, the debut episode aired on March 10 at 10:00 pm ET on Spike TV and recorded a record-high one million viewers for a 1.1 rating overall. In comparison, last year's "Primetime" special, constructed around the colossal UFC 94 welterweight title fight between St. Pierre and BJ Penn landed 880,000 viewers for a .73 rating. Episode three of "St. Pierre vs. Hardy" will air on March 24. For more on UFC 111 click here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from MMAmania.com! Posted: 17 Mar 2010 01:19 PM PDT Drink lots of green beer and be merry today, Maniacs. This is an open thread so discuss or link to whatever you wish in the comments section below. Let's try and keep it as MMA-related as possible -- and keep it clean, please. Slainte!

Miguel Torres plastic surgery video to repair cut suffered at WEC 47 Posted: 17 Mar 2010 01:00 PM PDT Warning: Not for the squeamish ... Gangsters only

James Irvin ready to start anew after battling drug addiction Posted: 17 Mar 2010 01:00 PM PDT Props: The Canadian Press Quoteworthy: "I needed to get caught. I needed to get in trouble for it and wake me up and get off of those things. I never even heard the word withdrawal. I didn't know what withdrawals were. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know to speak to a doctor about it. I took it the wrong way, kind of the cowardly path. I just kept on using the prescription drugs, but it's a tough push-pull kind of thing in my line of sport... Since then, since I've had that suspension, I've been drug free, it's been the happiest time of my life. I can honestly say that. A lot of people throw that around, but I can tell you with my family, with my wife, my training. I've found a new love in training again, it's something that I had lost while using prescription drugs and I just feel like a new person." James Irvin is set to make his middleweight debut at UFC on Versus 1 this Sunday night, March 21, against Alessio Sakara after a 20-month long layoff from fighting due to a suspension and injuries. But to get to this point, "The Sandman" had to overcome some serious issues with an addiction to painkillers. In talking to The Canadian Press, Irvin candidly detailed his struggles with pain medicine and the difficult road he took to get to where he is today. As to how he will fare in his first fight since having his face split open by Anderson Silva back in the summer of 2008, what are we leaning towards? Is James ready for the stand-up war that is likely to occur when he squares off with Sakara this weekend, or is the extended time away from the game going to be detrimental to his chances?

Bellator finalizes lightweight tournament roster with addition of Pat Curran Posted: 17 Mar 2010 12:58 PM PDT CHICAGO, Ill. (March 17, 2010) - Bellator Fighting Championships put the final piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 2 lightweight tournament today with the signing of 9-3 up-and-comer Pat Curran. The 22-year-old Curran is the cousin of UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and PRIDE veteran Jeff Curran but is quickly stepping out of his cousin's shadow and carving his own path in the MMA world. Pat Curran first gained widespread notoriety thanks to his appearance on Season 2 of the short-lived TapouT reality show, where he was given the nickname "Paddy Mike" by the show's host, Mask. Most recently, in late February, Curran won a unanimous decision over Robbie Olivier, one of Britain's top ranked fighters, at an event in Olivier's home country. "My cousin and I have the same last name and he helped pave the way for me, but that doesn't help me once I'm in the cage-it's all on me then," Curran said. "Bellator is a huge step in my career and I'm excited for the chance to really prove myself and make a name for myself around the world." Curran grew up in South Florida where he was an All-State high school wrestler and moved to Illinois in 2007 to begin training at his cousin's Curran Martial Arts Academy in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake. He will make his Bellator debut at Bellator XIV on April 15th in front of a hometown crowd at the Chicago Theatre. Curran is the final competitor to be added to Bellator's eight-man Season 2 155 lbs. tournament along with former UFC superstar Roger Huerta, Season 1 runner-up Toby Imada, former Olympian Ferrid Kheder, undefeated Canadian phenom Mike Ricci, European stalwart Janne Tulirinta, the undefeated Chad Hinton and former All-American wrestler Carey Vanier. Each tournament fight will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net every Thursday night beginning April 8th and replayed in special highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo every Saturday night beginning April 10th. First round matchups will be announced later this week. "Pat is a very solid addition to our stacked 155 lbs. tournament," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Pat comes from MMA royalty and is ready to make his own impact on the sport. He was sought after very aggressively by several other major promotions, so I'm excited for him to be a part of our organization. It will be great to see him fight in front of his many hometown fans next month at the Chicago Theatre." For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

Three Amigos: Wanderlei Silva meets old training mates Murilo "Ninja" and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in... Posted: 17 Mar 2010 11:29 AM PDT Three Amigos: Wanderlei Silva meets old training mates Murilo "Ninja" and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in Curitiba, Brazil.

Arianny Celeste graces Lopez Tonight with her presence Posted: 17 Mar 2010 11:25 AM PDT Arianny Celeste graces Lopez Tonight with her presence

Ricardo Almeida on UFC 111 bout with Matt Brown: 'I can win this fight anywhere it goes' Posted: 17 Mar 2010 11:18 AM PDT Props: Pro MMA Radio Quoteworthy: "He's [Matt Brown] a grinder. He's got good standup. He wears guys down and then goes for the kill. I gotta have the right mental attitude to deal with his pressure. I believe I have the experience and technique to do it. I feel confident that I can win this fight anywhere it goes... I brought in a nutritionist for this camp. We did a mock weight cut a couple weeks ago and I got down to 173 lbs. with ease. I'm at about 190 right now. I feel like getting down to 171 will be no problem. If I lose on March 27, I won't be blaming it on the weight cut. It'll be because of Matt Brown." When Brazilian Jui-Jitsu ace Ricardo Almeida makes his welterweight debut against Matt Brown at UFC 111 on March 27, all eyes will be focused on the effects of his weight cut. But just in case people are doubting his ability to successfully transition from 185 lbs. to 170 lbs., the Renzo Gracie pupil reassured Larry Pepe on Monday's edition of Pro MMA Radio presented by MMAmania.com that there will be no problems concerning his newfound weight class. Almeida also added that though Brown is known for pressuring his opponents and taking the fight to them, he will be ready and able to compete anywhere the fight goes. So what do we think? Will Almeida make the smooth transition to welterweight that he promises, and will it have any impact on who walks away from this fight as the victor?

UFC Undisputed 2010 'Legends' one of several PS3 exclusives available on May 25 Posted: 17 Mar 2010 09:08 AM PDT Ever wonder how a 1990's Dan "The Beast" Severn would do in a slugfest against Junior dos Santos? Could a prime Royce Gracie submit Anderson Silva? How would today's up-and-coming lightweights do against a young Jens Pulver? Well, now you can find out with UFC Undisputed 2010, which offers all three mixed martial arts legends as playable characters in the upcoming video game from THQ. Sorry to all the Microsoft sympathizers, but this one is for Playstation 3 only. On the heels of their wildly successful entry in the the mixed martial arts and video game community with UFC Undisputed 2009, THQ went back into the lab to tinker around with some of the mechanics that caused a portion of gamers to say "If only I could..." when talking about a sequel. In fact, after selling 3.5 million copies of Undisputed since it's release in 2009, THQ has been hard at work to reward gamers with an ever more realistic and fluid experience for their 2010 entry, set to hit retail shelves on May 25. Bigger, better, badder -- which could explain the inclusion of UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar on this year's cover. But they didn't just stop at the addition of UFC legends. Five additional exclusive events for the PS3 after the jump: Ultimate 2009 Category UFN 18 - Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann Ultimate Knockouts Category UFC 102 - Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia Ultimate Classics Category UFC 60 - Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie UFC 66 - Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin Ultimate Submissions Category UFC 68 - Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFredries THQ has apparently upped the ante in this new version in response to the pending debut of Electronic Arts "EA Sports MMA" featuring a roster of mostly Strikeforce fighters (with a few exceptions). Competition breeds excellence and with two major publishers vying for a very specific market, the fans choice for their digitized butt-kicking could depend on just the slightest of variables. Let's hear it Maniacs, do these improvements satisfy your gripes with the 2009 version? And will you be motivated to buy UFC Undisputed 2010?

Andrei Arlovski Strikeforce video journal for May 15 'Bigfoot' Silva fight (Part 1) Posted: 17 Mar 2010 08:26 AM PDT Can the former UFC Heavyweight Champion snap a two-fight losing streak and get back to his winning ways?

Report: Paulo Filho vs Hector Lombard possible for May 20 Bellator event Posted: 17 Mar 2010 07:00 AM PDT The underrated and often overlooked Hector Lombard (24-2-1) has been clamoring for a step up in competition to make some noise in the middleweight division. Well, if it's attention he wanted, he probably couldn't have picked a better fighter to square off with than Paulo Filho (19-1). That's according to a report from Tatame.com, who was informed of the all-Brazilian brouhaha by Conan Silveira, Lombard’s Jiu-Jitsu trainer at American Top Team, who is preparing his student for the possible May 20 showdown under the Bellator banner. In addition to cleaning out his division in Australia's Cage Fighting Championships (CFC), "Hektor" spent most of 2009 making a mockery of the Bellator FC middleweight division, capturing the 185-pound championship after three straight (T)KO wins for the upstart promotion. The Cuban-born Australian is expected to defend that title later this year, and Filho would make a very worthy opponent. Assuming he shows up. The former WEC Middleweight Champion bailed on a scheduled appearance against Yuki Sasaki at Bitetti Combat 6 back on Feb. 25 after insisting his financial agreement wasn't worked out with the promoters beforehand and the terms were unfavorable. The talented-but-troubled Filho has been all over the map, both figuratively and literally since his bizarre loss to Chael Sonnen at WEC 36 in November 2008 and hasn't faced a competitor even remotely close to his level of skill in over two years. Still, it's hard not to get excited about the prospect of a dedicated and in-shape "Ely" getting back into the 185-pound mix. And a win over Lombard would go a long way in re-establishing him as a force to be reckoned with in Bellator -- and beyond. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates on this still-developing story.

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