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Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/29/2142137/road-to-toronto-jake-shields-jumps-to-the-strikeforce-middleweight

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Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

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UFC fans have not been pleased from past non-title fights that have concluded to three rounds rather than five rounds, especially once controversy revolves heavily on the final decision. And according to UFC president Dana White, fans might just get what's coming to them.

MMAWeekly reports that White was asked about the topic at a UFC Q&A session at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto, and he said the UFC is nearing closer to the idea.

"We were actually going to start it Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, but we had already made the fight,” White said.

“We had already made the fight so it’s kind of hard to go back to those guys after you already make the fight and say you know what this is going to be five (rounds) instead of three (rounds).”

While the deal has been finalized between both Lesnar and Dos Santos to meet later this summer, White said fans can expect five round non- title bouts to appear in the near future.

"We’re very close to doing it,” White revealed to the audience.

One the bouts that has drawn controversy was between welterweights BJ Penn and Jon Fitch at UFC 127 this past February.

Penn and Fitch fought to a draw. White said he is not pleased with draws, specifically the bout involving Penn and Fitch, but he did not reveal whether a rematch between the two competitors is planned for a future event.

This bout is just one of the many problems the UFC has had to endure over the past year, but with White insisting that five round non-title bouts are possibility, implementing it as soon as possible would benefit the company and eliminate the controversial decisions.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/684504-ufc-news-dana-white-says-non-title-five-round-fights-are-on-the-horizion

Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill

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As has become the norm during fight week, UFC president Dana White is posting video blogs in the days leading up to the event. On Friday, he posted the second of his UFC 129 video blogs.

The video starts off innocently enough, with White and a UFC employee detailing just how large UFC 129 is compared to their other events. To put it in perspective, the floor of the Rogers Centre in Toronto will hold as many fans as the UFC normally packs into the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

From there it's off to the press conference, where White runs into the nattily attired Jose Aldo and Georges St-Pierre, as well as the not so well dressed Randy Couture—who compares his attire to that of a "mechanic."

The video ends with White sending his normal event Twitter ticket giveaway. White is then mobbed almost immediately by fans looking to get tickets to the sold-out event.

The sheer number of fans that begin crowding White is overwhelming, and he retreats to higher ground. White shows his appreciation to the security guards that got "f***ed up" during the rush.

After the crowd disperses and White is safely in his car, he reflects on the giveaway. "Holy s**t," White exclaims. "That's why I was nervous about doing it here."

When asked how that giveaway compares to California, White responds, "Not even f***ing close."

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/683874-ufc-129-video-watch-ufc-president-dana-white-almost-cause-a-riot

Source: http://mmalice.com/paul-daley/paul-daley-i-feel-the-fight-was-stopped-early-with-3-seconds-left-in-a-championship-fight-video_f44d004f5.html

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Fight Hub TV caught exclusively with Paul Daley right after his bout with Nick Diaz as he talks ti us about his thoughts on the fight, Jon McCarthy stopping the bout when he did and his plans for the future.

Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting

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*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant spends a few minutes with UFC Welterweight Champ Georges St. Pierre, right after his photo shoot and scanning session with Round 5. Georges talks about having his own action figure, and also admits to us the one thing in this world he's not good at: video games. The conversation turns to his title defense against Jake Shields at UFC 129, and Georges lets us know what this fight means to him and how he prepared for his biggest challenge. The champ also tells us about his workout DVD set "Rush Fit," and whether or not it's possible to actually complete it.Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and archived episodes of our 1/2 hour TV show. N�s falamos Portugu�s! * We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat * Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat * Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/georges-st-pierre-on-jake-shields-ufc-undisputed-his-round-5-action-figure-video_2a389fc16.html

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

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Filed under: UFC

TORONTO - Kyle Watson doesn't want to make too big a fuss over his fight against John Makdessi (pictured, right) because, well, the two are "definitely not teammates."

But in a sport in which every little advantage could be the difference between a win and a loss, Watson will take what he can get.

Watson (13-6-1, 1-0 UFC) and Makdessi (8-0, 1-0 UFC) meet on the preliminary card of UFC 129 in Toronto on Saturday, but it was the short time they spent together at the Tristar Gym in Montreal that is eliciting a few whispers.

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/04/29/kyle-watson-hopes-for-slight-advantage-vs-john-makdessi/

Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne

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If media folks could simply duke it out, wouldn't this be a better world? Instead we use our pens, keyboards and mouths to rip and critique each other. Why not, right? We do it to the athletes, so why not crush each other?

The Toronto Star threw a few haymakers at anonymous MMA media members by calling out the behavior of some of those covering yesterday's UFC 129 press conference:

As for the media, well, the UFC certainly attracts an interesting group of "journalists". Sure, the so-called "mainstream" media was out in force, but so too were a ton of those Dot.com media outlets. You know the ones ... they interview Georges St. Pierre and then ask for his autograph.

Steve Buffery wasn't a huge fan of the delivery from some in attendance.

The mixed martial arts media do not hide the fact that they're huge fans of the sport they cover. One guy actually took the microphone and proceeded to tell Dana White how great his organization is and how intelligent the fighters all are. I can't remember if he actually asked a question.

One media lady stood by the podium taking pictures of pictures. Of course, my good buddy, Toronto Sun photographer Jack (The Scamp) Boland, then took pictures of her taking pictures.

Buffery has a point. Some of us in the MMA media are a bit too fanboy-ish at times.

That said, we could also bore you death with horror stories about members of his "mainstream" media.

I'll never forget the media center at Super Bowl 32 in San Diego. The pizza machine went on the fritz and several media members waiting in line for their FREE food, had a conniption. The pizza girl actually fled the scene crying. Nice job fellas. That was the beginning of the end for the freeloading media expecting lavish spreads at sporting event. Now many venues charge the media for pregame meals.

Don't let the mainstream media dudes fool you. There are just as many unprofessional, butt-kissing hacks running around TV, newspapers and radio stations as they are in the MMA media. Just look for the self-aggrandizing media folks on Twitter who like to update you on their latest healthy meal or even better, their� travel woes. That's a good start.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-129-media-cat-fight-Toronto-Star-writer-not?urn=mma-wp1618

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

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Jason MacDonald has heard it all, but after what he's gone through the middleweight fighter can block out dummy fans saying he should retire.� A resident of Red Deer, Alta, Canada, MacDonald is fighting for the first time since breaking his tibia and fibula, and tearing both ligaments off the bone.

"Initially the injury was horrible and the surgery and the months following the surgery were pretty rough. You feel a lot of pain," MacDonald told the Canadian Press.

"When you're laid up and not able to get around and not able to do things you're used to doing, you do a lot of soul-searching, you doubt yourself and you doubt if you can even recover. But as your body gets stronger, you become stronger mentally and you get healthy mentally again and you start to realize 'Hey I'm good."'

MacDonald (23-14) faces Ryan Jensen (16-6) on the undercard at UFC 129. The fight will air on the UFC's Facebook page.

Frankly, it's amazing the 35-year-old is back this soon after suffering the terrible injury last May against John Salter at UFC 113. Believe it or not, he actually tried to return in December at UFC 124. Then reality struck and MacDonald realized he'd better slow it down.

"I was training two or three times a day and I was waking up in the morning barely able to walk to the washroom, so I had to just pull back on the training a little bit and ease up and get it a little bit stronger."

This is MacDonald's 12th fight with the promotion. He's gone 5-6 with wins over Ed Herman and Chris Leben. He's got three losses against high level fighters in Rich Franklin, Demian Maia and Yushin Okami. None of that will matter Saturday night. No one's going to feel sorry for him or accept the injury as an excuse, so MacDonald knows this is a make or break fight.

"For me this fight is huge. Let's be realistic. I'm coming off an injury and not just an injury, it was still considered a loss. So in my eyes, I'm fighting for my job."

Good for MacDonald. It's nice to see him back and hopefully he can prove schmucks like these wrong:

turbosteve29

1 day ago

I think its time for macdonald to hang up the gloves, hes washed up too old

ianzacks

2 days ago

this guy always gets knocked out , the only reason he makes ufc cards , they need canadian content when fighting in canada. He looks the part , and gets knocked out better then anyone else .... report this comment

Let's hope the majority of fans get it. Give MacDonald credit for sacrificing this much to give us a little entertainment on a Saturday night.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Welcome-back-Jason-MacDonald-UFC-vet-battles-ba?urn=mma-wp1604

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/28/2139965/m-1-challenge-xxv-results-and-recap-for-zavurov-vs-enomoto-on-april-28

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Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

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Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/28/2139204/road-to-toronto-georges-st-pierre-brutalizes-matt-serra-to-reclaim

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Jones-Evans-soap-opera-done-for-now-Davis-in-fo?urn=mma-wp1457

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Rashad Evans can't catch a break. The former UFC light heavyweight champ turned to the only option he thought he had by agreeing to fight teammate Jon Jones for the title. Now Jones is out with an injury and the UFC has slotted in Phil Davis.

The Canadian Press' Neil Davidson first reported the change.

The verbal sparring on the Internet, through blog and radio interviews, was getting pretty intense between Jones and Evans. Evans called Jones childish at one point. Jones later responded by suggesting he dominated the veteran at times during training camps.

For Evans, this is a huge blow. He loses another immediate shot at the title and gets a tough bout in Davis. The former Penn State has only fought six times with the promotion and a win over Evans� could launch him into the title chase. Evans has everything to lose in this fight rumored to be going down at UFC 133 in Philadelphia.

Evans also has to deal with the awkward scenario of possibly rejoining his team in Albuquerque. He decided to leave Jackson's Submission Fighting and allow Jones to work with the team there. Now that it's Davis on the docket, will he return?

John Morgan from MMAjunkie reports that Jones is still recovering from a right hand ligament injury he suffered during his win over Rua and that he faces a "long recovery."

Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill

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MMA is bigger than ever, with that comes a lot of media responsibilities from the main event fighters. Jake Shields and Georges St. Pierre are growing weary of speaking to idiots like us.

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/ufc-129-press-conference-gsp-and-shields-already-sick-of-the-media-video_fccc4b34f.html

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/27/2137704/before-they-were-stars-jake-shields

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MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White

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Welcome to the weekly recap of "The Ultimate Fighter." In the last episode, Team Lesnar turned the momentum in their favor as Chris Cope won his fight and Team dos Santos' Keon Caldwell left the show. What will happen in tonight's epsiode? Why is Junior smiling? Will anyone learn how to pronounce the name McGillivray? Read on for answers to those questions and spoilers.

Wait, what did he call us? of the week: Brock Lesnar said many times in this season that he was turning chicken [expletive] into chicken salad. After the 700th time he said it, his team said, "Wait a second. We're not chicken [expletive]" They were quick on the uptake, ya see.

Lesnar tries to explain away his statement but it seems that his definition of chicken [expletive] is different than the popular definition.

New guy of the week: Team dos Santos meets Justin Edwards, the replacement for Caldwell. He has an uncanny resemblance to Randy Couture, or at least what Couture looked like when he was younger.

That's gotta hurt of the week: Lew Polley runs dos Santos' practices with an iron fist, which appears to makes Junior uncomfortable. After Shamar Bailey gets cut over the eye, dos Santos speaks up, telling his team that he's not comfortable with Polley's style.

Fight pick of the week: Len Bentley (Team Lesnar) vs. Ryan McGillivray (Team dos Santos)

Meanwhile, at the house of the week: Cope has made friends on both teams, which in the fish bowl world of a reality show, means he's a spy for the other team. Bentley gets slightly paranoid before his fight and takes his concerns about espionage to Lesnar, who tells him to calm down.

Communication breakdown of the week: Dos Santos reminds Polley who is in charge. Despite what commercials have touted, it has the drama of a status meeting about the TPS reports in conference room B.

Weight-cut weirdness of the week: We get an up-close look of dos Santos and the coaches as they help McGillivray cut down to welterweight, and a get a bit closer look at McGillivray's backside then he wanted. Afterwards, both fighters made weight.

Absentee of the week: Lesnar won't be present for Bentley's fight because of "a personal issue in his personal life." Awkwardly, Lesnar tells the camera that his personal life comes first, then runs away.

Awwww of the week: McGillvray's daughter is his motivation, and he asks dos Santos to hold onto a picture of his daughter in the corner. He is also missing her birthday, so he puts aside a pie to celebrate when the fight is over.

Fight of the week: Bentley vs. McGillivray

Round one: A left hook early in the round from Bentley sends McGillivray to the canvas. Bentley follows up with a full mount, peppering McGillivray with punches. McGillivray pushes Bentley to side control then closed guard, but Bentley punishes him with elbows along the way. McGillivray gets out from underneath Bentley, and they return to their feet. This time, he sends Bentley to the canvas with a straight left, and follows Bentley to the ground. After some time grappling, Bentley tries for an armbar. He can't get it. McGillivray tries for a choke, and he can't get it. The time runs out on the first round.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, who is watching the fight, asks Dana White, "Who won the round?" Dana answers that he doesn't know. It's a round that could go either way, as both fighters scored knockdowns and submission attempts.

Round two: Both fighters start the round more conservatively than they did the first, but McGillivray breaks it up with an elbow, and Bentley answer with kicks. They both start to land more strikes as the round goes on, but their fatigue is starting to show. Bentley tries a spinning backfist but ends up just hitting McGillivray's back. McGillivray charges in and pushes Bentley to the fence in an attempt for a takedown. Bentley succumbs to the takedown but gets back to his feet. The two finish the round by throwing every strikes under the sun at each other. Was it technically perfect? Nah. But it was two fighters giving everything they had in a bout, which is always fun to watch.

Surprisingly, it was finished in two rounds. The judges scored it 19-19, 20-18, 20-18 for Ryan McGillivray. In good news for Bentley, White found Bentley to tell him specifically that he had fought a great fight. TUF is about catching the UFC's eye and getting a contract, and if you don't win the show, impressing White is crucial. Bentley did that.

Back in the locker room, McGillivray emotionally looks at the picture of his daughter, while dos Santos and his teammates tell him to be proud. Awwww. Pie for everyone!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/What-you-need-to-know-from-this-week-on-The-Ult?urn=mma-wp1210

Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle

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Strikeforce champs Marloes Coenen and Alistair Overeem got in a little practice.

Overeem is preparing for his June fight with Fabricio Werdum in June. This picture is exactly why I love MMA. Overeem doubles Coenen in weight. Women don't fight men, but they can still train together and get each other ready for their fights. That's not true of many other sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Picture-of-the-day-Two-champs-in-training?urn=mma-wp1387

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/621439-ufc-129-are-randy-coutures-believers-delusional

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"You can never count out Randy Couture."

A sentence that once accurately described the dangers of overlooking a legend has since become an almost zombie-like response from fans around the globe.

Once upon a time, however, Randy Couture more than deserved such a reputation.

It's not that he didn't lose—he lost 10 times. It's that when he was supposed to lose, he often found ways to win.

Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga were all favored over Couture, but Couture managed to beat them all. A man this successful in the underdog role perhaps should have never been in that role at all.

However, nothing lasts forever. Even Couture's fountain of youth shall eventually run dry.

It's been almost four years since Couture upset Gabriel Gonzaga—that's a long time for an athlete in his mid-40s.

In his fights since, we've seen some signs of Couture's decline.

"Minotauro" Nogueira is without question one of the most accomplished fighters in all of MMA, but he's also one of the most shopworn.

Even so, a shopworn Nogueira was able to win all three rounds against Couture, knocking him down twice, securing two near-submissions and hitting two sweeps to dominant positions.

Had another fighter been in there against Nogueira, the narrative would have been about Nogueira's dominance. Instead, the narrative was about two legends going the distance.

After the loss, Couture dropped back down to 205 pounds to fight Brandon Vera, where he won in a lackluster and controversial decision.

After that, the UFC seemed to recognize Couture's proper place, and put him on a sort of novelty retirement tour against Mark Coleman and James Toney.

Couture won decisively in both cases, but the wins were hardly meaningful.

Coleman was only barely granted a licence to fight, while James Toney's complete lack of grappling skills would have rendered him helpless against any fighter worthy of the UFC.

The two wins were gifts straight from the UFC to Randy Couture's bank account.

That's not to say that Couture had lost his fighting spirit, however.

On the contrary, Couture longed for a real fight and pursued the match against Lyoto Machida, even as people like myself thought him only interested in entertaining novelty fights.

Even so, for all his will and courage, I can't believe he has much of a shot at winning.

It's been four years since Couture fought Gonzaga and Sylvia—Machida is far better than either of those two.

Dana White has reason to believe that Couture can win, and fostering that belief is a lucrative proposition.

For the rest of Couture's believers, you're four years too late.

This time Randy Couture has bitten off more than he can chew.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting

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Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/27/2136337/ufc-129-fight-card-randy-couture-vs-lyoto-machida-preview

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

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Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/27/2137402/almost-a-year-to-the-day-of-their-last-trip-across-the-pond-the-ufc

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

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by Michael David SmithWhether the Bellator Fighting Championships can carve out a niche for itself and survive in the UFC-dominated world of American mixed martial arts is an open question. But there's no question at all that Bellator continues to sign talented fighters.

Heavyweight Tony Johnson is the latest acquisition to demonstrate just how good Bellator is at attracting top fighters: Bellator formally announced Thursday that Johnson has signed, and that he'll fight the 4-0 Carlos Flores at Bellator 41 on April 16.

"Tony is a fighter we have had our eye on for quite some time," Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney said. "He's one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world right now, and will make a great addition to our already impressive heavyweight lineup."

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/04/07/bellator-books-top-prospect-tony-johnson-vs-carlos-flores/

Click here to read the entire article.

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Bleacher Report's Tim Davey:

When Lyoto Machida enters the Octagon to square off with Randy Couture at UFC 129, he will be under more pressure than he has been under in his career to date.

After two losses in a row (the only two of his career), ?The Dragon? finds himself in the unfamiliar situation of needing a win to stay in his divisions elite.

So, whats next for the former champion?

If Machida is able to beat Randy Couture then he will face a high-quality opponent and will not be far away from another title shot. An especially dominant victory could even result in him being thrown into a title eliminator fight later this year, such is the goodwill he built during an eight-fight unbeaten start to his UFC career.

Quentin Jackson, Phil Davis and Rashad Evans are all currently closer to a title shot than Machida. However, if he defeats ?The Natural? then he should leapfrog the loser of the upcoming Evans/Davis bout.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/647187-ufc-129-fight-card-st-pierre-vs-shields-odds-predictions-analysis-and-news/entry/72229-ufc-129-fight-card-whats-next-for-lyoto-machida-if-he-falls-to-the-natural

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/ESPN-the-Mag-story-tabs-Lesnar-as-highest-paid-f?urn=mma-wp1366

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In the major sports, stories about athletes' salaries generally draw derision and jealous reactions. In the case of mixed martial arts, fans probably have a more supportive stance for the fighters. The combatants aren't making a killing relative to athletes from the NFL, NBA and MLB yet they're putting their safety on the line.

According to ESPN the Magazine, the highest paid MMA fighter in 2010 was Lesnar at ONLY $5.3 million. Boxer Manny Pacquiao led the way in the other major combat sport at $32 million.

On the surface, that makes MMA look pathetic. Should MMA stars like Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva be making $15 million-plus a year? Maybe, but the argument from MMA promoters is that the gap between boxing's haves and have-nots is massive while MMA can boast of dozens of fighters making in excess of $500,000 per year.

The StarPhoenix's Dave Deibert points out that Lesnar is actually a bigger draw than 99.9 percent of the fighters in the modern history of combat sports:

Lesnar has recently become the biggest pay-per-view draw in the world. In 2010, he joined Mike Tyson as the only athletes to twice draw more than one million buys on pay-per-view in a single year ? Tyson did it three times in 1996.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Shakira anguished over soccer game
? Pitcher David Aardsma blames entrance music for wild rehab effort
? Kid steals towel from NBA player

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mousasi-and-Jardine-s-great-bout-scored-to-a-dra?urn=mma-wp1067

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After a fantastic fight, Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fought to a majority draw, 29-27, 28-28, 28-28 at Strikeforce on Saturday night.

Mousasi had better striking than Jardine, but still couldn't keep Jardine from taking him down. While on the ground, Mousasi threw an illegal upkick, and was deducted a point. Jardine was given time to recover, and when the fight restarted, Mousasi still had the edge in striking.

In the second round, cuts on Jardine's face opened up as Mousasi employed a strategy of excellent counterpunching. Jardine was still able to take Mousasi down, but could not keep him there. Jardine also had trouble landing strikes after the takedown.

Jardine stuck with the takedown strategy early, but couldn't get the fresher Mousasi down. Mousasi flipped the script and took Jardine down and sunk in a deep guillotine. But the blood that was pouring out of Jardine's face helped him, as he was slippery enough to pull out from a guillotine that should have been able to finish him.

Mousasi stayed strong through the rest of the round, despite Jardine's ability to hang on and withstand punishment. Mousasi landed strikes and knees, but Jardine stuck around and even tried for an armbar in the final second of the fight.

The third round was stopped twice, once for an inadvertent groin strike and again because Mousasi's mouth piece fell out.

Jardine and Mousasi were both disappointed after the fight, comparing the draw to "kissing your sister." Jardine, a former UFC fighter who took the�match on short notice and showed toughness throughout, clearly was outstruck by Mousasi. If it weren't for that point deducted for the upkick, Mousasi would have walked out a winner.

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

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Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker spoke with media at the Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley pre-fight press conference about being bought by Zuffa LLC, parent company of the UFC.

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/scott-coker-talks-strikeforce-30-powered-by-zuffa-video_01eba60db.html

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/diaz-vs-daley-mma-preview-show-video_2552f09f0.html

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The Fight Network previews Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley featuring two Strikeforce championship bouts and live coverage from Ringside MMA featuring Patrick Cote and Kalib Starnes.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Faber-starting-Cruz-smack-talk-videos-early?urn=mma-wp1308

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Urijah Faber is not a fan of the UFC bantamweight champ, Dominick Cruz, so it's helpful that they are fighting on July 2 at UFC 132. Unfortunately, that's more than two months away, so they have to express their animosity in some way, like YouTube videos.

The pair last fought in 2007 at featherweight. Faber won with a first-round submission, but has expressed his dislike for the "not-that-cool" Cruz many times. If it's like this months out from the fight, it's going to be a fun ride to UFC 132.

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

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With some of their behavior in and out of the cage, they've both painted themselves into a corner . But in the end, it's their chops that probably landed both Nick Diaz and Paul Daley in a position where the UFC told them to go bye-bye. In a strange twist, both will be collecting a check tomorrow night from Zuffa, their old boss, as they square in the main event of Strikeforce in San Diego (Showtime 10 p.m. ET/PT).

Yahoo!'s lead MMA writer Kevin Iole joined us to talk about the sins of the past and what mistakes may turn out to be most easily forgiven.

Who has a better shot at securing a long future with the UFC - Daley or Diaz? Or maybe the answer is neither and they might be just fine with that.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Video-analysis-Diaz-or-Daley-Who-will-be-with-?urn=mma-wp1021

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

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Filed under: MMA Media Watch, UFC, News

"Like Water," the documentary film about UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, is like martial arts itself, a focus on journey as much as destination. The film follows Silva during arguably the most turbulent time of his fighting life, from just after his baffling performance against Demian Maia last April through his career-defining moment in a fifth-round comeback win against Chael Sonnen four months later.

The film, which just had its world premiere at the renowned Tribeca Film Festival, is a step forward not only for Silva, but for mixed martial arts, which too often depends on manufactured drama as a selling point for its main events. Director Pablo Croce strips away any pretense and gives a three-dimensional look at the human side of one of MMA's signature athletes. In a sport that is often depicted as cartoonish or dismissed as a B-level fad by surface-grazing mainstream media, it is one of the first layered, mature examinations of a top fighter and his world. For some, it might come as a revelation that fighters are real people with real lives.

Central to the drama is Silva as a family man. For the Sonnen camp, he left Brazil for two months to live in Los Angeles and train with Team Black House. To do that, he leaves behind his family -- his wife, three sons and two daughters -- and spends much of the time pining for them. At one point before the Sonnen fight, he is asked what his goal is. "To come back home in one piece," he says without hesitation. For a champion at the top of his game, in the midst of a record title run, it's a candid admission, one rooted in his love of family, noting that to them, winning or losing is not important. "To them, I will always be champion," he says.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/04/23/like-water-documentary-a-3-d-look-at-anderson-silvas-life-in/

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

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Randy the Natural Couture visits the Inside MMA set via satellite to announce that UFC 129 will be his last show

Source: http://mmalice.com/randy-couture/randy-couture-says-he-will-retire-after-ufc-129-video_4ae17c184.html

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/25/2131745/after-going-0-2-in-his-ufc-comeback-seth-petruzelli-13-6-blasted-his

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Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

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Bleacher Report's Jared McKiernan:

We all love Georges St. Pierre. He possesses that combination of skill, work ethic, and class rarely seen in sports. He is classy in victory and in defeat (both times). He is one of the UFC's most marketable fighters and second biggest pay-per view draw, trailing only Brock Lesnar.

But, he's also been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism regarding his inability to finish fights. He is one of the only fighters in the sport capable of absolutely dominating a fight while still playing it safe. We get the idea he's not truly unleashing his best stuff and, for that, it leaves us wanting more from the welterweight kingpin.

For how talented and driven a fighter GSP is, there is no reason he shouldn't be finishing more of his fights.

And that's just what he'll have to do at UFC 129 when he takes on fellow wrestler, Jake Shields.

Here are five reasons why GSP must finish Jake Shields...

Click here to read the entire article.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/647187-ufc-129-fight-card-st-pierre-vs-shields-odds-predictions-analysis-and-news/entry/70810-ufc-129-fight-card-5-reasons-georges-st-pierre-needs-to-finish-jake-shields

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mousasi-and-Jardine-s-great-bout-scored-to-a-dra?urn=mma-wp1067

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After a fantastic fight, Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fought to a majority draw, 29-27, 28-28, 28-28 at Strikeforce on Saturday night.

Mousasi had better striking than Jardine, but still couldn't keep Jardine from taking him down. While on the ground, Mousasi threw an illegal upkick, and was deducted a point. Jardine was given time to recover, and when the fight restarted, Mousasi still had the edge in striking.

In the second round, cuts on Jardine's face opened up as Mousasi employed a strategy of excellent counterpunching. Jardine was still able to take Mousasi down, but could not keep him there. Jardine also had trouble landing strikes after the takedown.

Jardine stuck with the takedown strategy early, but couldn't get the fresher Mousasi down. Mousasi flipped the script and took Jardine down and sunk in a deep guillotine. But the blood that was pouring out of Jardine's face helped him, as he was slippery enough to pull out from a guillotine that should have been able to finish him.

Mousasi stayed strong through the rest of the round, despite Jardine's ability to hang on and withstand punishment. Mousasi landed strikes and knees, but Jardine stuck around and even tried for an armbar in the final second of the fight.

The third round was stopped twice, once for an inadvertent groin strike and again because Mousasi's mouth piece fell out.

Jardine and Mousasi were both disappointed after the fight, comparing the draw to "kissing your sister." Jardine, a former UFC fighter who took the�match on short notice and showed toughness throughout, clearly was outstruck by Mousasi. If it weren't for that point deducted for the upkick, Mousasi would have walked out a winner.

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/recap-strikeforce-diaz-vs-daley-melendez-vs-kawajiri-mousasi-vs-jardine-aoki-vs-beerbohm-video_a53818203.html

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The official recap of April 9th Strikeforce Diaz vs. Daley. Relive the main event between Nick Diaz and Paul Daley, plus Gilbert Melendez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gegard Mousasi, Keith Jardine, Shinya Aoki, and Lyle Beerbohm.

MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White

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Who saw this one coming? Back in May of 2010, Paul Daley was fired by the UFC.�Seconds after a�loss to�Josh Koscheck, Daley lost his cool and�threw a punch at the winner. When he was approached by an angry Dana White in the cage, Daley�didn't exactly grovel for forgiveness. An�incensed White, cut Daley and said he'd never fight for the UFC again. This weekend because of a bizarre twist in the fight game,�Daley's�already back collecting a check from�the UFC's parent company�Zuffa.

Daley challenges Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce welterweight title (Showtime 10 p.m ET/PT). This�is the first major�Strikeforce since the promotion was purchased by the UFC three weeks ago. So Daley didn't make it 12 months without once again fighting for his former employer. �

"All this is good for me.�This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be the rival.�I wanted to prove something," Daley told Cagewriter.com about his motivation after�being fired. "This now is the biggest opportunity, the biggest stage. How�better to be the champion of an organization, that they're rivaling is owned by the same company,�that shunned you, kicked you away�to be their chanpion again?"

It's a helluva storyline. Never before has a fighter who crossed White been presented with such a chance.

"It makes a lot more interesting if I become the champion," Daley said. "The black sheep of the family becomes the greatest provider for the family ... now, what's up with that?"

Daley doesn't sound like he has anything against the UFC or White, but he's steadfast in his belief that he's handle the postfight apologies appropriately since the incident went down.

"If there's still an opportunity there,�I ain't gonna reach out for it," Daley said. "As far as I'm concerned I've done enough�in apologizing through the press and the media for what I've."

Ultimately, the guy he needs to smooth things over with is White. �

"I've never spoke to Dana personally or face-to-face or on the phone about the incident itself. I have no reason to reach out to him. He's the employer. If he wants me with a company,�then he reaches out to me and says 'hey look I want you to be with my company. Let's sit down and talk."

Daley thinks his problems with White began well before the Koscheck fight saying he was brought in to lose against guys like Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett. When he didn't and carried himself in arrogant fashion, it may have turned off the powers that be.

Daley wants the win and Strikeforce title belt in the worst way. If he doesn't win and never makes it back to the UFC, the Brit is confident that he'll be fine. He's got an entrepreneurial spirit, is a good self-promoter and knows he can�draw a crowd to watch him fight somewhere around the world. �

"I'll be fine no matter what," Daley said. "I've always been good at making money. That's why I ain't scared to say what I've got to say.�They're feeding me now but away from her, I'll still get fed."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Daley-interview-The-Brit-is-open-to-UFC-return-?urn=mma-wp1029

John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture

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At UFC 134, Anderson Silva will face the last fighter to earn a victory over him, Yushin Okami. Okami was granted a win over Silva after Silva delivered an illegal upkick to the face of Okami at "Rumble on the Rock 8" in January of 2006.

The way that Okami won the fight still seems to eat away at Silva, the UFC middleweight champion. "I was a little surprised with his reaction to that," Silva told the LA Times. "Do I think he could have continued? I do think he could have continued. But he had the rules in his favor. I did an illegal kick and he chose that it was better not to continue."

Since that loss, Silva has gone on a 14-fight winning streak, with all but one of those wins coming in the UFC. His 13-fight UFC streak is the longest in the promotion's history.

Since capturing the UFC middleweight title from Rich Franklin in 2006, he has defended the title eight times, also a UFC record.

The attached video shows the full fight from the first time Silva and Okami met.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/676302-ufc-134-preview-video-anderson-silva-loses-to-yushin-okami-via-illegal-kick

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/676267-ufc-129-bleacher-report-roundtable-jake-shields-vs-georges-st-pierre

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The roundtable is another concept I wanted to bring back once I decided to begin writing for Bleacher Report once again. Much like the "Who's on the Hot Seat," it's another one of those columns that is fun, interactive and gets the juices flowing.

The idea behind the roundtable is simple. Robert Gardner and I, along with a different guest columnist each time, will discuss the top three bouts of a particular card. Each bout will be given its own separate column and the three of us will talk about each bout as though we were sitting in a bar, drinking a beer after work somewhere.

For UFC 129 we have chosen the esteemed Mr. Nick Caron to join us. A Bleacher Report Featured Columnist since February of this year, Nick has shown himself to be a very insightful writer with a ton of versatility.

Look for our roundtable on the Jose Aldo-Mark Hominick bout on Tuesday and the Lyoto Machida-Randy Couture matchup on Thursday. Let's get down to the task at hand.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields Roundtable Discussion

Robert:

Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields is a great matchup, but I fear that they are so similar we could be in for a massive snooze fest; Shields and St-Pierre have both been known to take part in them from time to time.

On the other hand, Jake Shields just may have the tools to give GSP a real run for his money. The way Shields was able to dominate Dan Henderson, a much larger wrestler, has me at least seeing the possibility of an upset.

Bryan:

I expect to see some artistry here. I see a war of attrition between two fighters who are not afraid to fight off of their backs and forgo a slug-out in favor of ground battle. I am really looking forward to seeing some high level Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I spoke with Shields, and he sounded more confident than he ever has.

We know what we are getting with GSP; he is either going to keep the fight standing where he has a huge advantage or he will want to challenge Shields where he is at his best and that is on the ground. GSP loves to face new challenges head on and I don't see that changing here.

Nick:

I feel that this a classic stylistic nightmare for the challenger, Jake Shields. Though he may be the best overall grappler in the world at the welterweight division in MMA, Shields does not display excellent striking skills in any area.

Many will turn to Shields' defeat of Dan Henderson as an example of how great he is, and there really is no denying that he showed his determination and skills. But Henderson's lack of energy has to be considered when looking at that fight. After a tough weight cut to 185 pounds which may turn out to be the last time he ever does that, Henderson completely gassed after crushing Shields with punches in the first round.

Georges St-Pierre doesn't have the one-punch knockout power that Henderson does, but he does have an ever-improving stand-up game which he most recently used to pick apart Josh Koscheck. With Shields' stand-up game being his biggest weakness, expect St-Pierre to do damage there before taking Shields to the ground where he will work his ground-and-pound attack.

Jake Shields' best chance of winning this fight is catching St-Pierre in a submission from his back, or somehow knocking him out on the feet. Neither of which seems very likely to happen due to St-Pierre's cautious style.

Robert:

All valid points Nick but if you look at the dominance Shields' fellow "Scrap Pack" fighters Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez it is foolish to think that Shields has not improved by leaps and bounds as well.

I don't question GSP's ability at all but there are times that I have questioned his true heart. I think if Shields and bring the fight early and keep GSP of balance he has a great chance of pulling off the upset.

Bryan:

Listen, I have to agree with Robert about the fact that Shields has improved and a lot of it has to do with how good his teammates are. When you train with the caliber of fighters he has been training with, it's only natural that he would get better. Obviously GSP trains with some of the best in the world and at times trains with guys that fight in higher weight divisions so the caliber of camps has helped both fighters tremendously.

I don't see how you can question GSP's heart. He takes on all challenges and meets them head on. Koscheck told anyone who would listen and even those who didn't want to hear it that GSP would never take a chance and stand with him. Not only did GSP stand with him, he completely dominated the entire fight. The two spent a total of 68 seconds on the ground. One would have to look at Koscheck's eye and the damage that GSP caused to understand the exact nature of the ass whoopin' St-Pierre handed out.

Nick:

I’m not trying to say that Shields hasn’t improved, only that he has a long way to go before he’s going to be on a level of striking with Georges St-Pierre.

Even though GSP isn’t known as a knockout artist, his boxing skills and safe approach on his feet since the Matt Serra fight have served him extremely well, and he really hasn’t taken much damage on the feet since that crazy night.

Also, I think it’s important to remember who Shields has brought in to try to prepare for St-Pierre. He’s not bringing in guys who are highly skilled strikers—he brought in Matt Lindland and Chael Sonnen.

Shields is fully expecting this to turn into a wrestling match, which seems to be what Koscheck thought as well... And we see how that turned out.

Robert:

There is no question that GSP is light years ahead of Shields on the feet and if this fight turns into a standing battle I expect to see a similar result as the GSP-Koscheck fight, but if Shields can turn this into a grappling match I see this fight as being a coin flip.

GSP is more athletic and, for all intents and purposes, the best functional wrestler in all of MMA but Shields is not far behind and I would argue that he has the better BJJ.

It’s going to be a close fight and as much as I want to pick the upset here, I think GSP is the more complete fighter and I think he will pull out the unanimous decision victory.

Bryan:

It’s amazing to me how Shields can be so damn dominate on the ground and so proficient in BJJ yet suffer so mightily with his striking. I truly hope that we get to see these two grapple and show the fans who are infatuated with the knockout just how awesome a good ground battle can be,

GSP knows he can control this fight on the feet, but I think the athlete and competitor in him will cause him to test himself against the jiu-jitsu of Shields. Regardless of how long this bout remains on the mat, I don’t see GSP being submitted. Shields will have to look to score points any way he can, but in the end I think he’ll come up short as GSP will use all his tools which are plentiful.

Georges St-Pierre via fourth-round TKO (Ground-n-Pound)

Nick:

I truly believe it’s going to come down to how nervous GSP is. If he goes into the fight as cool and collected as he has against his recent opponents, I don’t see Shields standing much of a chance.

Realistically, Shields has the better jiu-jitsu, but unless he can submit St-Pierre, I don’t see how he can win this fight. It’s going to be tough to do that, too, because St-Pierre has made such a change in his style to where he is constantly avoiding danger and picking the right spots to do his own damage.

St-Pierre might be the most frustrating fighter in the sport to fight against, and I think he’ll end up winning a decision in a fight where neither fighter does a whole lot of damage.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway

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Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir sat down with MMA:30's Dave Farra and discussed his long history with the UFC, the motorcycle accident that almost ended his career, and where he is now with Dana White and the UFC. Mir also gives his thoughts on Fedor, Overeem and other heavyweights coming over to the UFC, and talks about his upcoming fight with Roy Nelson at UFC 130.

Source: http://mmalice.com/frank-mir/frank-mir-talks-ufc-130-fedor-dana-overeem-nelson-video_b0936bfda.html

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/diaz-vs-daley-mma-preview-show-video_2552f09f0.html

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The Fight Network previews Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley featuring two Strikeforce championship bouts and live coverage from Ringside MMA featuring Patrick Cote and Kalib Starnes.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mousasi-and-Jardine-s-great-bout-scored-to-a-dra?urn=mma-wp1067

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After a fantastic fight, Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fought to a majority draw, 29-27, 28-28, 28-28 at Strikeforce on Saturday night.

Mousasi had better striking than Jardine, but still couldn't keep Jardine from taking him down. While on the ground, Mousasi threw an illegal upkick, and was deducted a point. Jardine was given time to recover, and when the fight restarted, Mousasi still had the edge in striking.

In the second round, cuts on Jardine's face opened up as Mousasi employed a strategy of excellent counterpunching. Jardine was still able to take Mousasi down, but could not keep him there. Jardine also had trouble landing strikes after the takedown.

Jardine stuck with the takedown strategy early, but couldn't get the fresher Mousasi down. Mousasi flipped the script and took Jardine down and sunk in a deep guillotine. But the blood that was pouring out of Jardine's face helped him, as he was slippery enough to pull out from a guillotine that should have been able to finish him.

Mousasi stayed strong through the rest of the round, despite Jardine's ability to hang on and withstand punishment. Mousasi landed strikes and knees, but Jardine stuck around and even tried for an armbar in the final second of the fight.

The third round was stopped twice, once for an inadvertent groin strike and again because Mousasi's mouth piece fell out.

Jardine and Mousasi were both disappointed after the fight, comparing the draw to "kissing your sister." Jardine, a former UFC fighter who took the�match on short notice and showed toughness throughout, clearly was outstruck by Mousasi. If it weren't for that point deducted for the upkick, Mousasi would have walked out a winner.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/04/22/ken-shamrock-sidelined-by-staph-infection/

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Filed under: Fighting, News

A staph infection is the reason why UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock was forced to pull out of Friday's fight at World Extreme Fighting 46 in Orlando.

Shamrock's wife Tonya tells MMAFighting.com that Shamrock came down with MRSA recently while taking care of his son who had been hospitalized for a week due to the same infection. For the safety of himself and others, the 47-year-old Shamrock was asked by doctors to withdraw from the fight and was placed on antibiotics for several weeks.

Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne

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Live from San Diego, the official weigh-in from Strikeforce Diaz vs. Daley. Headliners Nick Diaz and Paul Daley, plus Gilbert Melendez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gegard Mousasi, Keith Jardine, Shinya Aoki, and Lyle Beerbohm.

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/strikeforce-weigh-in-diaz-vs-daley-melendez-vs-kawajiri-mousasi-vs-jardine-aoki-vs-beerbohm-video_15b7eeb58.html

Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman

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Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/22/2128078/for-you-maniacs-making-the-trip-up-to-the-great-white-north-for-the

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/strikeforce-weigh-in-diaz-vs-daley-melendez-vs-kawajiri-mousasi-vs-jardine-aoki-vs-beerbohm-video_15b7eeb58.html

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Live from San Diego, the official weigh-in from Strikeforce Diaz vs. Daley. Headliners Nick Diaz and Paul Daley, plus Gilbert Melendez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gegard Mousasi, Keith Jardine, Shinya Aoki, and Lyle Beerbohm.

Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting

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Filed under: Fighting

Frank Trigg isn't done yet.

"Twinkle Toes" has officially signed a contract to fight John Phillips at BAMMA 6, Trigg's manager Sam Spira confirmed with MMA Fighting Friday. MMAFighting.com first reported Trigg's involvement on the card last month.

BAMMA 6 takes place May 21 at Wembley Arena in London, England.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/04/22/frank-trigg-vs-john-phillips-signed-for-bamma-6/