Royce Gracie: - Royce Gracie

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant catches up with the legendary fighter Royce Gracie at the UFC 129 press conference, and gets his thoughts on Randy Couture's fight with Lyoto Machida. Royce also answers the question of whether or not he'll be fighting when the UFC goes to Rio in August, 2011, and he lets us know what his secret for staying young and in top fighting shape is.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/royce-gracie/royce-gracie-video_3038d2c21.html

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

Nick Diaz Talks Paul Daley Win - Nick Diaz

Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz talks about his win over Paul Daley.

Source: http://mmalice.com/nick-diaz/nick-diaz-talks-paul-daley-win-video_ecde655b0.html

Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway

Anderson Silva: Yushin Okami Trained with a ?Loser? in Chael Sonnen

Believe it or not, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva isn’t a fan of one time contender Chael Sonnen.

Who would've thought those weeks of trash talk last summer would rub the reigning champion the wrong way? 

Specifically, “The Spider” went off on Sonnen when discussing his upcoming title defense against Yushin Okami; who already owns a disqualification win over Silva.

Silva recently stated that he felt that Sonnen did not deserve a rematch with the UFC’s longest reigning champion, and decided to flat out rip into Sonnen this time around when he was informed that Okami trained with the Team Quest standout recently.

Sherdog.com took the time to find the most noteworthy quotes from Silva during an interview with O Globo, Brazil’s second largest newspaper.

“You have to find the best people to train with, and I think [Okami] chose wrong,” Silva stated. “I’d never align myself with a loser, a loser in every sense.”

Apparently, Silva is getting fed up about hearing Sonnen’s name, despite the fact that the former two-time NCAA All-American wrestler has not fought since last August.

Silva submitted Sonnen in the fifth round of the aforementioned UFC 117 encounter, after hands down losing the four rounds prior.

The Spider explained his logic, saying “He didn’t win the fight [between us] and got caught doping. You want to be a champion? Get with good people, with winners.”

Silva even went as far as to say that Sonnen is not a top tier middleweight, indicating for the first time that Sonnen only gave the Brazilian a good fight due to Silva cracking his ribs during their fight.

“Moreover, Sonnen wasn’t a tough opponent for me. I was injured with cracked ribs and fought five rounds. If I hadn’t been injured, the fight would have been different.”

Despite his harsh criticism in Okami’s choice of training partners, he still expects the Japanese superstar to give him a good fight in a rematch of their 2006 showdown in the Rumble on the Rock tournament.

“I’m starting to feel like Brazil vs. Argentina, not the rivalry but the pressure. I’m trained not to feel pressure, to approach it as just one more fight. And I’ll have to train because [Okami] will be well-trained, just like the Argentines when they come to play here [in soccer].”

Okami vs. Silva will be the main event fight at UFC 134 on August 27, taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.   

Stay tuned for when Uncle Chael fires back at Silva in the very near future.    

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/718268-anderson-silva-yushin-okami-trained-with-a-loser-in-chael-sonnen

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

UFC 130 Results: Power Ranking the Top 15 Welterweights

UFC 130 may not have been the greatest card of all time, but a few fights helped to establish the contenders from the pretenders in their respective divisions.

One example of this is Rick Story, a fighter who was not ranked in most folks top 20 welterweights coming in, pulling off a huge upset over Thiago Alves.

Alves fought for the UFC welterweight belt back in July of 2009, and despite only being 1-2 since then, he was still generally considered a top three welterweight fighter coming into the match up with “The Horror” Story.

This is a major shake up for the UFC’s welterweight division, so an updated power ranking for the top 10 most credentialed fighters in the division seems in order.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/717736-ufc-130-results-power-ranking-the-top-15-welterweights

Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting

Dana White Once Again Unhappy With Frank Mir's Performance

LAS VEGAS - For the second straight fight, Dana White has a bone to pick with Frank Mir, and Roy Nelson this time, too.

Mir beat Roy Nelson by unanimous decision Saturday night at UFC 130 in a dominant performance that included several knees to Nelson's head and plenty of takedowns. In his last outing, at UFC 119 last September, Mir knocked out Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the third round with a knee to the head - and that performance also left White wanting more.

Both fights had the fans vocalizing their displeasure with a perceived lack of action, and after the post-fight press conference Saturday, White elaborated on his disappointment in Mir, in particular.

"I think this time, with the co-main event I was disappointed in both guys, not just in Frank," White said. "I was more disappointed in Frank on that last card, even though he ends up getting a knockout. Frank Mir is a two-time world champion, he's been around for a long time, he's a super talented guy, and I expect more of him."

White said at the post-fight press conference that Mir went to the hospital after the fight with a fractured jaw and fractured rib, though Mir's wife said on Twitter that Mir's jaw was not broken.

As far as Nelson goes, White said he has a meeting scheduled with the Season 10 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" later this week - and wasn't sure what the future might hold for him. Nelson has lost back-to-back fights, both decisions. At UFC 117 in August, he took Junior dos Santos the distance - the first fighter to do that with the top heavyweight contender.

"We saw how durable and tough 'Big Country' is in the dos Santos fight," White said. "But at least in the dos Santos fight, it was action the whole fight."

White said disappointment in fights is nothing new - but when fighters are in one of the two lead positions carrying a pay-per-view, they should be ready to take the heat if their performances aren't up to his - and the fans' - standards.

"It's going to happen sometimes," White said. "If they were earlier in the card - but being in the main and co-main event is when you take the most criticism. When you're the co-main and the main event, you've got to go out there and look good. And when you don't? You're going to hear my opinion about it - and the fans and the media, I'm sure."

White said despite Mir's win, which gives him two straight, he is not currently in the running for heavyweight title consideration.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/29/dana-white-once-again-unhappy-with-frank-mirs-performance/

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

Michael Bisping, Mayhem Miller to Headline TUF 14 Finale Card

Filed under: UFC, News

LAS VEGAS - The UFC made its coaches for Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter" official on Friday. And after UFC 130, it was revealed they'll fight each other on the reality series' live finale card and not on a pay-per-view, as has become customary.

UFC president Dana White said after the post-fight press conference that Michael Bisping and Jason "Mayhem" Miller will headline the TUF 14 Finale, which is likely to take place in early December.

"What we're going to do this season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' is, the coaches will fight on the finale," White said. "It's what we were planning on doing anyway. We've done it before."

White said the decision was made for just the upcoming season of TUF and wouldn't necessarily apply to future seasons. For instance, if future coaches were going to fight for a title, it likely would not take place on a TUF Finale show. After Season 4 of the reality series, coaches BJ Penn and Jens Pulver fought on the finale.

White said the process of selecting the next coaches had plenty of bumps in the road, not the least of which was Chael Sonnen's current suspension by the California State Athletic Commission. Sonnen was rumored to coach against Bisping on the show, which will feature bantamweights and featherweights and will begin taping this summer.

"When we go through the process of making coaches, there are all these different guys we look at," White said. "People were talking about some of the lighter weight champions (as coaches), but a lot of things play factor in what happens - the Chael Sonnen incident, fights, schedules, injuries.

In the end, he settled on Bisping, who coached on Season 9 against Dan Henderson, and Miller, who signed with the UFC after leaving Strikeforce earlier this spring. Miller, the host of the "Bully Beatdown" program on MTV, is a famous talker - plenty outlandish and brash. But White said it wasn't just about making good television with wars of words between coaches.

"There's more that goes into it than just, 'Are these guys going to act goofy and talk to each other?'" White said. "I'm not really into the coaches acting goofy. It's going to happen with the (contestants) anyway."

Season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter," with coaches Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, finishes its broadcast run on Wednesday with the semifinals. On Saturday, the live finale takes place at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Lesnar and dos Santos were scheduled to headline UFC 131 on June 11, but Lesnar had to pull out with a relapse of diverticulitis. He had surgery to remove a portion of his colon on Friday, though doctors say he may be back fighting by January.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/29/michael-bisping-mayhem-miller-to-headline-tuf-14-finale-card/

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

UFC should book ‘Batman dude’ vs. ‘Guy in the white shirt’ II

UFC ran into some more bad luck on its next Las Vegas card. Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard had to back out of their main event title fight at UFC 130. The promotion may simply want to go on a scouting mission to Las Vegas Blvd.

Check out this bizarre clash between a guy in a Batman outfit and a passer by on the Las Vegas strip. (NSFW - language).

While Batman throws with reckless abandon, "Guy in the white shirt" shows excellent poise. Once GITWS gets inside Batman's strikes, he executes a beautiful suplex and shows killer instinct with some ground and pound.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-should-book-Batman-dude-vs-Guy-in-the-wh?urn=mma-wp2309

John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture

Tibau posts ninth UFC win by running over ‘The Tractor’ at UFC 130

LAS VEGAS - Nicknamed "The Tractor," Rafaello Oliveira is a big, strong lightweight. He met his match tonight against the beast of the division and got run off the road. Tibau floored Oliveira with a big left, brutalized him on the ground and finished the fight at 3:28 mark of the second round with a rear-naked choke in bout No. 3 of UFC 130 at the MGM Garden Arena.

"I think I proved tonight that I'm getting close to my peak," Tibau said. "I showed everyone that I can strike, that I can finish guys with jiu-jitsu and that my game is coming together. I'm becoming a more complete fighter every day and I know that I'm heading toward the top of this division. I love the UFC and I want to fight as much as possible so that I can keep rising in this division."

In the opening round, Oliveira held his own. Tibau's size advantage made no difference. In fact, he looked a little slow. When Tibau was able to close space in the second and move the fight near the cage, Oliveira got trapped in a bad spot. He ate a huge left and hit the deck. Tibau jumped on top and moved to mount. Oliveira decided to flip to his back where Tibau got the hooks in and tried to flatten out the fellow Brazilian. Oliveira made a big mistake by trying to rise off the canvas with Tibau on his back. That seemed to sap his energy and allowed Tibau to slap on the choke.

"I think he has some great combos and I didn't see his left hand coming," Oliveira said. "I took this fight on short notice, but there are really no excuses. I need to work on controlling my mind in fights and fighting like I know I can fight. I will be back in the UFC and I will make the necessary changes to my game."

Tibau's won two straight. He's still in search of a huge win to move into the top 10 at lightweight. The 27-year-old Brazilian is 9-5 with the promotion. His only losses have come against Nick Diaz, Jim Miller, Joe Stevenson, Melvin Guillard and Tyson Griffin.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Tibau-posts-ninth-UFC-win-by-running-over-The-T?urn=mma-wp2697

Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields

Nick Diaz and Paul Daley Final Press Conference Highlights - Strikeforce

In a potential candidate for Fight of the Year in the main event, sizzling STRIKEFORCE Welterweight (170 pounds) World Champion Nick Diaz (24-7, 1 NC), of Stockton, Calif., will seek his 10th consecutive victory when he defends against the hard-hitting, notorious British striker, Paul "Semtex" Daley (26-9-2), of Nottingham, England.

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/nick-diaz-and-paul-daley-final-press-conference-highlights-video_afb62767c.html

Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill

Tony Ferguson explains offensive TUF outburst

On Wednesday night's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter," Tony Ferguson crossed the line when in a drunken argument with castmate Charlie Rader. It started with Rader pouring water on Ferguson's head, and with the amount of alcohol and testosterone flying around, things went too far. Ferguson brought up Rader's custody problems with his son, saying, "Hit me, don't hit your son."

Ferguson discussed the incident in his post on the SB Nation MMA blog:

Why did I bring up Charlie's son? I have no idea, but I have a guess. My birth father wasn't there for me growing up. Somehow Charlie's situation mixed in with my adrenaline from fighting and the booze all worked together to bring up my own issues. I learned a lot about myself watching that on tape and how I felt about certain things in my life. I was under a lot of pressure, I was trying to bottle up frustration and it didn't work. Well, it worked for a while, but ultimately did not.

I said some things I shouldn't have said. I was in a weird place. I was having crazy dreams in that house. The entire experience took me out of my own independence and removed all of my release valves.

I really regret saying what I said to Charlie and we've talked about it since the incident. I've spoke to Clay Harvison and Chuck, too. We are in a better place now than we were that night.

In the post, Ferguson mentions that they started drinking immediately after the fights, and adrenaline was still pumping through his veins.

Every TUF castmate I've spoken to has mentioned how weird the experience is. They're in a house for six weeks with no television, books, visitors or privacy. They get to train, drink, and entertain each other. This is not to excuse Ferguson's behavior, but just to point out that this isn't a normal situation, and abnormal behavior comes out of it.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Tony-Ferguson-explains-offensive-TUF-outburst?urn=mma-wp2619

John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture

Georges St. Pierre GSP Freestyle Raps - Georges St Pierre

UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre does a freestyle rap, in both English and French, about BJ Penn.

Source: http://mmalice.com/georges-st-pierre/georges-st-pierre-gsp-freestyle-raps-video_e1defaac8.html

Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle

UFC 130: What's Next for the Winners and Losers of the Main Card Bouts

Sometimes the UFC will host an event that looks somewhat weak on paper, but in the end delivers a surprisingly strong performance. Unfortunately, the weak card that has plagued UFC 130 was about as entertaining people had claimed it would be.

I for one am ready to put this behind me, and I am really looking forward to moving on. The month of June alone will produce a ton of great mixed martial arts bouts. I will be going into just what we have to look forward to in great depth early this upcoming week.

For now, it's time to take a look at the 10 fighters who were on the main card of UFC 130 and see what lies in store for them. There are a lot of questions left unanswered as the UFC enters into the summer months. One thing is for sure: They need to offer stronger cards, especially main events, on their pay-per-views than they did last night.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/716246-ufc-130-aftermath-whats-next-for-the-winners-losers-of-the-main-card-bouts

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

Shark Fights 15 results for 'Villasenor vs Camozzi'

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/5/29/2195739/shark-fights-15-results-for-villasenor-vs-camozzi

Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields

Jones, Evans continue war of words

Just when you thought the drama between UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and Rashad Evans couldn't get any weirder, it did. After a vague altercation at a Las Vegas nightclub, Jones shared text messages that Evans had sent him with our friends at Cage Potato.

Similarly, Evans talked about the Las Vegas incident on "Inside MMA," saying that Jones said he wanted to clear the air, and then went on to say that he wants Evans to be his first "highlight-reel knockout."

Two questions emerge from these two stories. 1) What the heck happened to Jones' phone? It looks like he's been practicing his spinning elbows on the screen. 2) Why are these two still bickering like schoolkids?

These are two grown men, calling each other names and then going to the media to complain about it. They both have important objectives in their career. Evans has a fight coming up with Phil Davis that, if he loses, will kill his shot at a bout with Jones and a chance at the title. Jones has to rehab his hand so that he can fight Evans, if he gets through Davis.They are so focused on each other that they may forget the task at hand.

Gentlemen, Cagewriter has a small bit of advice for you: Let it go. Move on. Keep your eye on the tasks at hand, and give the fans good fights in the Octagon, not meaningless wars of words outside of it.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Jones-Evans-continue-war-of-words?urn=mma-wp2456

Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman

Tim Boetsch Feels Like His Career Is Starting Anew at Middleweight

LAS VEGAS -- MMA Fighting spoke to Tim Boetsch after his dominant win over Kendall Grove at UFC 130, how he felt cutting down to 185 for the first time, his take on the fight and what's next for him.

Check out the exclusive interview after the jump.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/29/tim-boetsch-feels-like-his-career-is-starting-anew-at-middleweig/

Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy

UFC 130 FIght Card: Thiago Alves vs Rick Story Preview

UFC 130 is set to take place on Saturday, May 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main event on the card will feature a light heavyweight battle between former UFC champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Matt Hamill. The co-main event will be a heavyweight showdown between two highly ranked fighters, former UFC champion Frank Mir and Roy "Big Country" Nelson.

Welterweight fighters Thiago Alves (18-7) and Rick Story (12-3) will meet on the pay-per-view portion of the fight card.

Alves, who has struggled mightily in the past with making weight, had no issues on Friday night as he took to the scale with weight cutting guru Mike Dolce at his side.

Alves, while 1-2 in his last three fights, with losses to Jon Fitch and Georges St-Pierre, remains ranked in the top five in the welterweight division. Alves is coming off a win in his last bout, a three-round unanimous decision win over John Howard at UFC 124.

Alves was surprised to hear that Story had requested a fight with him. "He wants to fight me, calling me out like that? Be careful what you wish for."I’m training like a maniac," Alves told MMAWeekly Radio. "I’m training like I’ve never trained before. He’s going to get the best Thiago Alves ever, so I hope he’s training his ass off.”

Alves then offered his prediction for the fight. “He says he wants to stand up with me," he said. "Let’s see if he can back up the talk. It’s going to be a very early night for him.”

Story, extended his winning streak to five fights when he defeated Johny Hendricks in December at The Ultimate Fighter season 12 finale. He then appeared on the Savage Dog Radio Show and requested the fight with Alves, saying “I want to fight Thiago (Alves)."

“I know that somebody like Thiago Alves, beating him, it would make people realize, ‘This guy is for real,’” Story continued. “I just want everybody to know that I am for real and I’m not going to stop until I get that number one spot.”

Story will get his chance to move toward that No. 1 spot on Saturday night, but he has a huge roadblock in his way in Alves.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/715665-ufc-130-fight-card-thiago-alves-vs-rick-story-preview

Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping

UFC 130 Main Event Breakdown: Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill

Filed under: UFC

LAS VEGAS -- The UFC 130 main event match between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Matt Hamill was not supposed to be. Jackson didn't want it, and it's not so difficult to understand why. Hamill wanted it, and it's obvious why. For one man, there seemed to be plenty to lose with little potential upside, and for the other, it would be his first opportunity to show he belongs among the elite. That makes for one of the most classic storylines in sports, but will it make for a classic fight?

As it turns out, the stakes are much higher than originally anticipated. As reported on Wednesday, Jackson is likely fighting for a chance to compete for the championship later this year. What once seemed like a lose/lose situation for him is now bursting with opportunity.

And for Hamill, he not only has the chance to play spoiler, but also to inject himself into the title picture. A victory over Jackson would give him six straight while marking his most meaningful win.

A look at their styles show that Jackson and Hamill aren't so different. Both began with wrestling as their dominant trait but have moved to a striking-heavy style. Both have heavy hands, and each has the ability to take the fight down when he wants to. Neither wants to all that often, though, which should mean this match is determined on the feet.

When it comes to the striking game, Jackson is more dynamic, though he sometimes holsters his kicks and relies on his formidable fists. Working with Muay Thai coach Lance Gibson, though, Jackson seems to be aware of the issue and in his last fight with Lyoto Machida, threw a higher ratio of kicks than he had in recent contests. According to Compustrike, of his standing strikes, about 19 percent were kicks, almost double his usual ratio.

A diverse Rampage is a dangerous Rampage, but really, a motivated Rampage is a dangerous Rampage. So is he motivated? While he made headlines over the last few weeks by saying he's not overly excited to face Hamill, he seems to be in a good state of mind during fight week, fit and lean, smiling and joking. He's even talked about winning to again win a championship, something he once said he didn't care much about.

Jackson gets quite a bit of flack for saying things that are sometimes outlandish or controversial, but the fact of the matter is he's still an elite fighter. Over his last 11 fights, he's 9-2, with wins over former UFC and PRIDE champs like Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson. And neither of his losses has been overly one-sided. Rampage is just a hard fighter to beat, because even if he doesn't come into the fight in optimal shape, he's always going to have fight-changing power, making opponents leery of engaging him.

That's borne out in the stats. A look at Compustrike numbers show that in standing arm strikes, Jackson has out-landed opponents 49 percent to 29 percent over his eight UFC bouts. Now, why is that? Jackson is not a fighter than runs away. He's not super-elusive. But he's not a guy you want to stand too close to. Even if you miss your punch, at least he might not hit you back with a counter.

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More: UFC 130 Fight Card | Watch UFC 130 Live Online | UFC 130 Results

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So where can Hamill attack? While he has heavy hands, most would agree that Jackson's are heavier, and faster. One place Jackson is quite susceptible is with kicks. Opponents land 67 percent while throwing three times as many kicks as he does. Problem? Hamill rarely throws kicks. In his 10 UFC fights, kicks make up just 7 percent of his standing strikes, a number far below the average of top-level fighters. Even Jackson, who many consider boxing-heavy, throws kicks 11.5 percent of the time.

Where else can Hamill win? Everyone knows about his wrestling background, and he's connected on 71 percent of his takedown tries during his UFC career, a very good number. But Jackson is going to be no easy target. His opponents are only successful 36 percent of the time.

That leaves limited options for Hamill. If the fight stays standing, Jackson will likely have the edge. Hamill has said he plans to employ his wrestling and test Jackson's defense, and that seems to be the right plan, because even if he doesn't take the fight down, he can force Jackson into a physical fight and hope that his conditioning lets him take over late. If he does get him down, he might be able to control him and grind out some points. Jackson has been so durable over his career that it seems unlikely Hamill will stop him.

The reverse does not seem so unlikely. Hamill was in serious danger of being stopped by Jon Jones before a disqualification cost Jones the match. He was also stopped by Rich Franklin, though that fight was nearly three years ago. Of course, past performance is no indicator of future success, but it's all that we have to go on as far as projecting what may happen. Hamill says he's bringing his full game together at the right time, and it's certainly possible he will step up to the biggest moment of his career.

By most objective measures, though, Jackson should win. He is more experienced, is a sharper striker, has an excellent chin, and the takedown defense to keep Hamill upright. Jackson seems like he's in a good frame of mind, and I expect to see it reflected in his performance. Jackson via second-round TKO.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/27/ufc-130-main-event-breakdown-rampage-jackson-vs-matt-hamill/

Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway

Nick Diaz - Post Fight - Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley - SHOWTIME Sports - Nick Diaz

Following his 10th consecutive win, Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz briefly shares his thoughts following his title defense against a tough contender Paul Daley.

Source: http://mmalice.com/nick-diaz/nick-diaz-post-fight-strikeforce-diaz-vs-daley-showtime-sports-video_c05412dd2.html

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

Rampage Jackson 'In the Moment' full video from Spike TV special

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/5/27/2193815/rampage-jackson-in-the-moment-full-video-from-spike-tv-special

Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill

Rampage Jackson 'In the Moment' full video from Spike TV special

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/5/27/2193815/rampage-jackson-in-the-moment-full-video-from-spike-tv-special

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

UFC 130 Fight Card: How High Is the Ceiling for Stephan Struve?

At UFC 130 a fight will take place that will determine the future of the heavyweight division...

...and that fight is NOT Frank Mir vs. Roy "Big Country" Nelson.

The fight in question is actually Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve vs. Travis Browne. This fight is just as important as the Mir-Nelson fight, if nor more so! While Mir-Nelson is more important for its short term implications—who gets the next crack at current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez—Struve-Browne is more important in its impact on the heavyweight landscape in the long term.

The fact of the matter is that if Struve is victorious on Saturday night, he will likely find himself in a number one contender fight not too far down the road.

Even if he loses a hypothetical number one contender fight, he would have gained irreplaceable name recognition and popularity—if a fight with Sean McCorkle was good enough to co-main event UFC 124, imagine what the UFC would do if Struve fought a serious contender!

Shockingly, Struve is the considered the underdog in his fight with Browne despite his advantages in experience (25 fights as opposed to 11) and massive size and reach advantage (Struve is 6'11" and will have a five-inch reach advantage).

Browne is only 1-0-1 in the UFC and the only notable wins in his career were over Abe Wagner and James McSweeney. Both fighters are no longer in the UFC and the latter currently has a 4-8 record.

Struve, on the other hand, is 5-2 in the UFC and is overall more experienced on the big stage, having fought such fighters as Paul Buentello, Junior Dos Santos and Roy Nelson.

The only danger for Struve is getting knocked out. He has been knocked out twice in the UFC and has been severely rocked several times. However, this sometimes works to his advantage; his opponents knock him to the ground and aren't careful enough because they think he is dazed. That is when he uses is submission skills to get the tap out.

Should Struve lose to Browne, it still won't lower the ceiling for his career. At 23 years of age, Struve is young enough to improve any holes in his game. Struve's future is also assured by the fact that he always brings the fight and has a tremendous amount of heart; the UFC always takes care of fighters like that.

These factors—Struve's ability to entertain, heart, age, and last but not least his fighting skill—all ensure that Struve will always have a place in the UFC heavyweight division.

The ceiling is very high for Stefan Struve, and not just because of his height.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/715278-ufc-130-fight-card-how-high-is-the-ceiling-for-stephan-struve

Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne

Fitch says his fight against GSP could be most exciting option at 170

There's still no word on what's next for Georges St-Pierre. After he limped across the finish against Jake Shields, many folks have changed their minds about the UFC welterweight champ being invincible at 170 pounds.

Does that mean fans are more open to GSP-Jon Fitch II? Fitch sold the fight on this week's Inside MMA on HDNet (9 p.m. ET).

"You look at all the fights GSP's had, which fight has been the most exciting? Whether or not, you think I could beat him, which fight has been the most exciting fight?" Fitch asked Kenny Rice and company (0:179 mark). "And that's the fight I had with him. You're guaranteed to have an exciting fight with him. He can't hold me down, I can take his punch and I'm always gonna keep moving forward."

Fitch lost that one-sided fight at UFC 87 by a unanimous decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-44). Has he gotten better since then? Fitch's won five straight along with a draw versus B.J. Penn, but he hasn't exactly steamrolled people. Meanwhile, St-Pierre's become a very cerebral fighter and appears to gameplan for decision victories.

If GSP-Fitch II goes five rounds again it may spark another Wiki graffiti incident.

Is Fitch-GSP II the best option? If not, what is?

It looks like a good episode of Inside MMA with Rashad Evans, Mark Munoz, Daniel Cormier and Fitch. Evans appears to be the co-host. Hopefully, he can live up to standard set by Tito Ortiz a few weeks back. Tito struggled a little bit.

Tip via MMAMania

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Fitch-says-his-fight-against-GSP-could-be-most-e?urn=mma-wp2408

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

UFC 129's Lyoto Machida On Randy Couture and Re-inventing - UFC 129

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com *** MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant spends a few minutes with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Lyoto Machida, right after his photo shoot and scanning session with Round 5. The Brazilian star tells us how he feels about having his own action figure, and then talks about his preparation for UFC 129, where he'll face Randy Couture. Lyoto gives his thoughts on Randy's legacy, what this fight means to him and what he did to make sure he's ready for such an important event. 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/ufc-129s-lyoto-machida-on-randy-couture-and-re-inventing-video_979eb192f.html

Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy Carlos Condit

MMA Marketplace: ‘Rampage’ is a doll

With a career that spans 12 years, two major fighting promotions and "The A-Team," Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has earned a legion of fans and a legion of dolls. Seriously, you can start a doll army with the amount of molded plastic that has been devoted to Rampage.

Through eBay, you can purchase any of four Rampage dolls. A UFC Micro Figure (sold with Wanderlei Silva) for $5.99, a Round 5 Limited Edition figurine for just under $35, a PRIDE that's being auctioned, and a tall, skinny Jakks Rampage for $24.95. With this many Jackson dolls in one place, you can face them off for an all-time pound-for-pound leader (among Jackson dolls.)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-Marketplace-Rampage-is-a-doll?urn=mma-wp2532

MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White

What you need to know from this week on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’

Last week, Chris Cope and Ramsey Nijem punched their tickets to the semifinals. Two more fights are on the docket for tonight, as well as the semifinals match-ups. Who will win the quarterfinals? What fighter crosses the line? What is Ramsey doing in that picture? Read on for spoilers and a recap.

Nice guy of the week: Chuck O'Neil plans to give half of his win bonus to Charlie Rader, who needs money to deal with legal problems surrounding his kid. He hasn't seen his son in more than a year. Rader said that he isn't going to take the cash, but O'Neil isn't taking no for an answer.

Rematch of the week: Davis beat O'Neil in their first bout, so they are fighting with good knowledge of each other.

Quarterfinal: Zach Davis (Team dos Santos) vs. Chuck O'Neil (Team Lesnar)

Round one: The two started by throwing every strike in the book at each other until Davis dives in for a takedown attempt. O'Neil defends it, while Davis throws knee after knee. Davis tries to drop to a single leg to get O'Neil to the ground, but O'Neil lands strike after strike on Davis' face that opens a cut under Davis' eye. O'Neil takes over in the final minute, aggressively landing punch after punch while Davis showed little defense. As the round ended, Davis' face was swollen and bleeding, and O'Neil looked fresh and ready for more.

Round two: O'Neil knocks Davis to the ground with a quick leg kick, but as soon as he's in Davis' guard, Lesnar order O'Neil to stand up. Back on their feet, Davis still seems desperate to bring the fight to the ground. No matter what he does, he can't get the fight to the ground. After referee Steve Mazzagatti breaks the two apart, O'Neil stays aggressive. Davis tries another takedown attempt that makes Lesnar say, "That's weak!" For once, I agree with Brock.

O'Neil takes the fight in two rounds, and thoroughly impressed Dana White.

More bad news of the day: The loss was only the first blow to Davis. He tore the retinas in both of his eyes, and now is told that he can't ever fight again. He is clearly heartbroken, mentioning that his career has to end just when it was getting good.

Quarterfinal: Ryan McGillivray (Team dos Santos) vs. Tony Ferguson (Team Lesnar)

Round one: Early in the round, Ferguson caught McGillivray with a uppercut and then added a straight right. McGillivray staggered backwards, and then fell to the ground. Ferguson jumped on top quickly, ending the fight and earning himself another $5,000 bonus for a stoppage.

With that, Lesnar has three semifinalists and dos Santos has one. The semifinal match-ups are:

Ramsey Nijem vs. Chris Cope

Chuck O'Neil vs. Tony Ferguson

The fights will air next Wednesday, and decide who will fight in the finale on June 4.

Hijinks of the week: With the quarterfinals finished, the fighters decide to celebrate. That involves tequila, Ramsey stripping on the pool table, and throwing water.� Apparently, throwing water doesn't sit well with Ferguson, because he tackled Charlie Rader into a coffee table after Rader poured water on Ferguson's head. It turned really ugly from there. Ferguson wouldn't shake Rader's hand, then brought Rader's child into the discussion, saying, "Hit me, don't hit your kid!"

Whoa. That's as over-the-line as it gets. Ferguson didn't let up, despite Rader handling himself as well as can be expected. Later, when the rest of the castmates try to get Ferguson to apologize, he again brings Rader's son into the conversation. Rader had to be held back by several fighters, and Ferguson has marked himself as an enemy to the whole house.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/What-you-need-to-know-from-this-week-on-The-Ult?urn=mma-wp2550

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

MMA takes another step in N.Y. by passing again in the State Senate

MMA made strides again yesterday in New York as another bill passed through the state's senate. The N.Y. Senate voted 42-18 in favor of Bill S1707A and now it's head to the N.Y. State Assembly where it's consistently stalled in recent years.

Assemblyman Bob Reilly, D-Colonie, has led the charge in the past. The assembly session ends on June 20 with just 12 days of actual working time remaining.

It should be noted that the senate vote in favor of MMA in New York was stronger this time. In June of 2010, it only passed 32-26.

Sen. Joe Griffo, R-Rome, introduced S1707A yesterday.

"We made an attempt in the budget and it was taken out as the final agreement was put together," Griffo told the Albany Times-Union. "It's a good idea because the sport exists. It's a recognized sport, and it would generate economic activity and income for the state of New York, and allow New York State athletes to compete in their home state."

UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta was pleased with the outcome.

"It's time to bring the fastest growing sport in the world to New York. With every passing month, our sport gets more and more popular around the country and in New York," Fertitta said in a release. "We want to thank the State Senate, and we're confident that when Assembly members take an objective look at our safety record, our popularity with their constituents, and the economic benefits and jobs we would bring to the State, they will take the same action and UFC fans will finally be able to see live UFC events in their home state."

The UFC has bolstered its efforts recently in New York by holding two press conferences at Madison Square Garden and sending fighters to Albany on several occasions in 2011. UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones pitched in yesterday. New York is just one of six remaining states that don't allow MMA.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-takes-another-step-in-N-Y-by-passing-again-?urn=mma-wp2502

Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle

UFC 130 Fight Card: Breakdowns, Predictions and the Latest News

UFC 130 will have the teacher versus student aspect going full swing in the main event. The former UFC champion and TUF coach Rampage Jackson will be taking on a former TUF student Matt Hamill in what should be a serious blood bath.

Both men are evenly matched in their size and their strength, with Hamill bringing with him youth and Jackson coming in with the wisdom of experience. The last thing in the world Jackson wants to do is get beat by a student. Hamill would love nothing more than to make a name for himself by taking out one of the all time greats.

But UFC 130 doesn’t begin with the main event. This should feature a great undercard of matches as well. The UFC will have a great contest between Frank Mir and Roy Nelson as well. There is plenty to look forward to and we are going to be breaking everything down.

For everything you need and want to know about UFC 130 stay right here. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/714129-ufc-130-fight-card-breakdowns-predictions-and-the-latest-news

John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture

Dana White: - UFC 129

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant catches up with UFC President Dana White, and gets his thoughts in the excitement of bringing UFC 129 to Toronto. Dana also talks about the fight between Randy Couture and Lyoto Machida, whether Strikeforce will be turned into a league similar to AAA baseball and what the UFC's plans are for their own television channel.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/dana-white-video_987fe1f3a.html

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

Roy Nelson Would Like to Have Dual MMA, Pro Wrestling Careers

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos

LAS VEGAS -- MMA Fighting spoke to Roy Nelson about his upcoming fight against Frank Mir at UFC 130, his mullet, why he didn't compete in the WWE Royal Rumble, how he's feeling after knee surgery and more.

Check out the interview after the jump.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/25/roy-nelson-would-like-to-have-dual-mma-pro-wrestling-careers/

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

Mark Hominick Fighting at UFC 129 with Wife About to Give Birth - UFC 129

Mark Hominick talks about fighting while his wife is about to give birth, and what this fight means to him, his family, and his fight team. Get more MMA and UFC news at the World's top MMA News website http://www.mmaweekly.com.

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/mark-hominick-fighting-at-ufc-129-with-wife-about-to-give-birth-video_b0fc38ab7.html

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

One more fight: MMAmania.com interview exclusive with UFC legend Royce Gracie

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/5/25/2188939/mmamania-interview-exclusive-with-royce-gracie-i-have-one-more-fight

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

UFC Quick Quote: Rampage Jackson regrets being too out of shape for title shot against 'Shogun' Rua

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/5/25/2190278/ufc-130-rampage-jackson-regrets-being-too-out-of-shape-for-title-shot

MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White

Royce Gracie: - Royce Gracie

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant catches up with the legendary fighter Royce Gracie at the UFC 129 press conference, and gets his thoughts on Randy Couture's fight with Lyoto Machida. Royce also answers the question of whether or not he'll be fighting when the UFC goes to Rio in August, 2011, and he lets us know what his secret for staying young and in top fighting shape is.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/royce-gracie/royce-gracie-video_3038d2c21.html

Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway

UFC 129 St-Pierre vs Shields Weigh-In Highlights - UFC 129

Georges St-Pierre and Jake Shields get on the scale the day prior to their UFC Welterweight Title bout. Watch UFC 129 Live on Pay-Per-View or www.UFC.tv - Tomorrow, April 30th at 6/9PM PT/ET

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/ufc-129-st-pierre-vs-shields-weigh-in-highlights-video_e0a446320.html

Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping

Injury Forces Darren Uyenoyama Out of DREAM Japan GP

Filed under: DREAM, News, Japan

Strikeforce veteran Darren Uyenoyama has been forced out of his May 29 DREAM bantamweight grand prix bout with Atsushi Yamamoto due to a metacarpal fracture in his right hand.

DREAM Keiichi Sasahara delivered the news of Uyenoyama's withdrawal on Wednesday, stating that the San Francisco-based grappler first injured his hand in his September 2009 demolition of then-Shooto champion Shuichiro Katsumura. The hand was thought to be healed but Uyenoyama re-fractured the bone during a training session on Monday.

Coming in on four days notice will be Seichi Ikemoto pupil and DREAM newcomer Yusaku Nakamura. The Osaka-based striker racked up an 8-1 record in the amateur ranks before turning pro in 2010 and since then Nakamura has gone undefeated in his professional career. His fists have scored him three consecutive knockouts thus far, his most recent a second-round stoppage of the much more experienced Isao Terada at Deep 50.

DREAM "Fight for Japan" - May 29, 2011 at Saitama Super Arena, Japan

Shinya Aoki vs. Rich Clementi
Joachim Hansen vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue vs. Koichiro Matsumoto
Caol Uno vs. Akiyo Nishiura
Katsunori Kikuno vs. Daisuke Nakamura

Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals:
Masakazu Imanari vs. Keisuke Fujiwara
Hideo Tokoro vs. Yoshiro Maeda
Kenji Osawa vs. Takafumi Otsuka
Yusaku Nakamura vs. Atsushi Yamamoto

Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinals:
Masakazu Imanari/Keisuke Fujiwara vs Hideo Tokoro/Yoshiro Maeda
Kenji Osawa/Takafumi Otsuka vs. Yusaku Nakamura/Atsushi Yamamoto

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/25/injury-forces-darren-uyenoyama-out-of-dream-japan-gp/

Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman

Dana White Breaks Down UFC 129 Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields - UFC 129

UFC president Dana White talks about Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto, and answers the question: If GSP wins, will he have cleaned out the welterweight division, opening the door for a possible fight with Anderson Silva? Get more MMA and UFC news at the World's top MMA News website http://www.mmaweekly.com.

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/dana-white-breaks-down-ufc-129-georges-st-pierre-vs-jake-shields-video_58eb47522.html

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

Nick Diaz and Paul Daley Final Press Conference Highlights - Strikeforce

In a potential candidate for Fight of the Year in the main event, sizzling STRIKEFORCE Welterweight (170 pounds) World Champion Nick Diaz (24-7, 1 NC), of Stockton, Calif., will seek his 10th consecutive victory when he defends against the hard-hitting, notorious British striker, Paul "Semtex" Daley (26-9-2), of Nottingham, England.

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/nick-diaz-and-paul-daley-final-press-conference-highlights-video_afb62767c.html

Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle

The Top 5 MMA Fighters Not Currently Fighting Under the ZUFFA Banner

Everyone should now be aware of the fact that ZUFFA, the parent company of the UFC, purchased Strikeforce.

Strikeforce was a rival MMA organization owned by Scott Coker, and as with Pride, ZUFFA bought them out.

Many said Strikeforce had a better heavyweight division, and even if they didn't, the general talent in Strikeforce could not be denied.

Strikeforce does house some of the world's best fighters, and according to some, may house the world's best lightweight.

Now that ZUFFA owns both the UFC and Strikeforce, it could only be a matter of time until these two organizations have cross-promotional fights, or they just merge together completely.

This leaves some to wonder, what other fighters out there are currently not under control of ZUFFA?

Here are the top five fighters who are not under the ZUFFA banner.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/708906-the-top-5-mma-fighters-not-currently-fighting-under-the-zuffa-banner

Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields

Where Would Bellator's Champions Rank with the UFC's Elite?

After UFC parent company Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, the largest MMA organization still standing outside Zuffa's walls (in the U.S., anyway) was the Bellator promotion.

To call Bellator a rival to Zuffa is to reveal a propensity for sentimentality, if not outright delusion. Still, Bellator has been surprisingly deft in carving out a niche for itself, thanks to cable-ready season-long tournaments and a roster of explosive talent.

In many instances, that talent would probably struggle in the UFC. But it seems a few fighters, especially at the championship level, could hold their own and then some. Here's a list of Bellator's champions and where they might fall in the UFC's rankings for each weight class.

Since this list ranks the Bellator champions against their UFC counterparts and not one another, they are organized here in ascending order by weight class. Also, Bellator women's champion Zoila Frausto is not included because the UFC does not have a women's division.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/709590-where-would-bellators-champions-rank-with-the-ufcs-elite

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

Arianny Celeste & the Hottest UFC Girls

With UFC 130 on the line, Rampage vs Hamill is sure to be a spectacle Saturday night. But no great competition has ever been fought without the watchful eyes of a beautiful woman. While the NFL & NBA rely on  the traditional cheerleaders, the UFC has pumped it up a bit with many different roles a female model or athlete could step into. From the Ring and Octagon girls to the spokesmodels & on-air hosts, if you are looking to advance your career the UFC is sure to help.

Join us as we visually explore the 9 Hottest UFC Girls in a new video from Bleacher Report Productions. This video may be all swagger but who knew Natasha Wicks, the winner of the Octagon Girl Search, was all natural? Did you know spokesmodel Andrea Tiede from Las Vegas had a speaking role in ‘Oceans 13’? Better dust of the Blu-Ray and check that out as soon as you are done watching this video.

Click here to watch more videos from Bleacher Report Productions.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/710882-arianny-celeste-the-hottest-ufc-girls

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

Diaz video: Tired of fighting chumps, wants GSP

A German website caught up with the enigmatic Nick Diaz after UFC 129. Mark Bergmann did a good job trying to get Diaz to focus. When he did, Diaz said he was bored and weary of facing opponents whose only chance to win is by landing a miracle shot.

"I'm trying to go on to bigger and better things. I don't just want to keep fighting these chumps," Diaz said. "If they want to keep having me fight these chumps, I'm not afraid to do that, but I'm not going to go ahead fighting these guys unless they're willing to pay me a lot more money."

Diaz is still focused on boxing as an option because as he says, "we're talking big money now." If he has to, he'll leave MMA.

After UFC 129, Dana White told the media that he'll be visiting Stockton, Ca. as soon as this week to speak with Diaz.

When asked if the fight was possible even with Diaz's Showtime contract in place White said he can make any fight he desires.

"I imagine I could do whatever I wanted to if I really wanted to," White said. "I don't know. We're going to have to see how this whole thing works out."

Tip via Fightlinker

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Diaz-video-Tired-of-fighting-chumps-wants-GSP?urn=mma-wp1961

Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy

UFC 130 odds: Frank Mir vs Roy Nelson

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/5/24/2186921/ufc-130-odds-frank-mir-vs-roy-nelson

Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy

Stout interview: Lightweight sides with Maynard, says Gray will beat Pettis

Sam Stout is in Las Vegas prepping for his UFC 131 bout against Yves Edwards. One of the more dynamic strikers in the lightweight division, he needs to put together a winning streak to breakthrough into the UFC's top 10.

Stout looks at the division as the deepest in the world and tends to side with Gray Maynard, who said a few weeks ago that the UFC 155ers have faced better competition than those in the WEC.

With the help of RawVegas.tv, we spoke with Stout about who he thinks will come out the victor by the middle of 2012 and the brewing rivalry between lightweights from the WEC and UFC.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Stout-interview-Lightweight-sides-with-Maynard-?urn=mma-wp2497

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

Tito Ortiz bails out accused suspect in murder-for-hire case

Las Vegas is buzzing about what sounds like a wacky real-life movie plot and now it's reached another level with the inclusion of UFC star Tito Ortiz.

Keith Harriman is facing 12 felony counts connected to a plot to have his 27-year-old son killed. He'd complained of not having the money to hire sufficient legal representation, so putting up the money to cover his $500,000 bond was out of the question. That was until Ortiz came into the picture.

The former UFC light heavyweight champ posted the necessary money on the down low, but because of Harriman's claims that he's indigent, a district judge forced him to reveal who posted the bail.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Ortiz and Harriman, 49, have a relationship through Harriman's brother.

Ortiz, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, apparently has a relationship with Keith Harriman's brother, Wayne Harriman, a used car dealer in Las Vegas.

According to published reports, Wayne Harriman helped bridge a rift between Ortiz and UFC chairman Dana White that led to a six-fight contract.

Ortiz has gotten himself involved in a wild story.

At a preliminary hearing in February, Dominick Harriman testified his father wanted him dead because he told insurance fraud investigators his father's $160,000 burglary loss claim was a scam to feed a crack cocaine addiction. Dominick Harriman also said his father was angry because he had slept with both his dad's ex-girlfriend and his ex-wife.

Dominick Harriman was shot at least nine times Aug. 27 at the used car dealership where he worked for his uncle, Wayne Harriman, at Nice Cars of Nevada, 3401 S. Decatur Blvd. The shooter has not been identified.

Ortiz spent a few days in Las Vegas last week around the UFC's Fighter Summit at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Tito-Ortiz-bails-out-accused-suspect-in-murder-f?urn=mma-wp2303

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

Retired but Busier Than Ever, Randy Couture at Peace with New Chapter of Life

Filed under: UFC, News

It had only been a few days since Randy Couture retired from mixed martial arts competition after his UFC 129 fight with Lyoto Machida when he returned home to Las Vegas, and one of his first stops was one of his most familiar ones: the cage. Couture walked into his Xtreme Couture gym, changed into his workout clothes and commenced training with a group of pro fighters.

Comeback, anyone?

"Everyone was scratching their heads looking at me going, 'You know, this is how rumors get started,'" Couture says with a laugh.

Just three weeks into his post-fight life, things don't feel much different for the five-time, two-division UFC champion. He still works out, he still takes an active role in working with the fighters in his gym, and he remains a student of mixed martial arts. But, he insists, he is in fact retired for good. Professionally, he's already deep into other pursuits. He's getting ready to film a movie role, and reading scripts for other potential projects. He has a minority stake in a combat sports channel, Fight Now TV, that is preparing to launch later this month. He's got his gyms, clothing line and supplement line. Yes, in retirement, Couture is busier than most people are during their careers.

"I don't know what a 'retired fighter' feels like," he said. "I feel great. I'm happy where I'm at in life. I think it was the right time to stop competing. I think I'll always train and I'll always be working with the guys and working in the sport in some capacity, but it was the right time for me to bow out of the octagon. I know there will be some bridges to cross. I think they will try to tempt me to come back in, but I'm comfortable with my decision. It's the right time for me."

If Couture's final fight didn't end the way he and the majority of fans wanted -- he was knocked out in the second round by Machida -- at least the setting and reception were grand. Nearly 56,000 people crammed into Toronto's Rogers Centre, welcoming him for the last time with a roar, and sending him out with a standing ovation. It was the biggest Bon Voyage party MMA had ever thrown, and the mood was only barely dampened by the ending.

Couture, considered a master strategist, tipped his cap to Machida, who used a rarely seen crane kick to end things 1:05 into the second.

"I'm pretty rational, and it's not like I've never lost before," Couture said. "That's the fight game. I got caught with a good one. He set it up nice. It's not one we had seen him do in any of his other fights. He caught me by surprise. He's a great athlete and a great fighter."

While his match was not the main event of the show, the legend's final fight will probably be the takeaway memory for most who were there live or watching on TV. Even as it occurred, there was a tangible appreciation of the moment and its historical implications past the sheer size and scope of what was happening. Before his match, Couture himself snuck out and walked halfway to the cage, just wanting to take in the crowd.

But when it came to the fight, walking down the aisle for the last time was no different than the 29 times that came before it.

"It was different because it was a huge venue and crowd, but it didn't feel any different," he said. "It felt like another fight. I was excited to be there and be part of it for all the right reasons, for the history of it. But the rest of it, it didn't feel different. There was no nostalgia or any of that going on for me. I'm sure that will come at some point down the road."

Perhaps partly because of his unyielding schedule and partly because of the freshness of the situation, that wistfulness has yet to kick in. But Couture, who briefly retired in 2006 before coming back the next year, knows that will come. He's experienced the conflicting emotions that boil within and expects the first hurdle will come when he attends his next event. That will probably come later this month, as he expects to be at UFC 130 on May 28.

"It's always hard when you go to shows and you're around fights and fighters to not get antsy, to not feel like you want to train," he said. "Those are the real tests and challenges."

He's got enough now that he doesn't think there is any chance he'll be drawn back in. He's got plenty of business activities that keep him busy, and he and the UFC are still figuring out his future role in the organization. In his down time, whenever that is, he's looking forward to the opportunity to hunt and fish, two things he's done since he was a kid but has had little time for lately. But when it comes to athletics, there is, he says, "nothing I feel I need to chase." He accomplished nearly everything he ever set out to do. He helped build a sport. It's why looking back, Couture says he's not especially proud of any one moment or achievement. There were plenty of highlights along the way, but it was simply a career well conducted. There were other fighters, but he was in some ways MMA's first true professional.

"I've just had an amazing run for 14 years," he said. "It's been a blast. I'm excited to have been part of all of it. I fought a bunch of tough guys. In some ways I'm excited and relieved that chapter's closed, and this new one is opening."

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/21/retired-but-busier-than-ever-randy-couture-at-peace-with-new-ch/

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