Pat Barry: Lifetime of Training Helps Battling Stefan Struve's Height, Reach

Filed under: UFC, News

At 6-foot-11, Stefan Struve towers over every fighter in the UFC; he's the tallest competitor fighting under the organization's banner. Meanwhile, his Saturday night opponent, Pat Barry, is 5-foot-11. That height differential will make for an interesting visual at UFC Live 6, and it will also make for a difficult obstacle for Barry to overcome.

Reaching his high target will be no easy feat for Barry, who with a 74.5-inch reach, will have a nearly 10-inch disadvantage in that category. But Barry has no concerns about what appears to be a daunting challenge. In fact, he says that the fight is no different than any other for either him or Struve.

"I'm accustomed to guys being taller than I am whereas Stefan is accustomed to guys being shorter than he is," Barry said recently. "So, like this is going to like play into our games, into our strategies, into our timing, reach, distance. Like this is going to play directly into what we've been training for every day since we started the job, like since we started this sport.

"So I don't think it's going to ... I don't think this fight is going to make it any different," he continued. "I mean, like I said, I don't think he's run across any - I don't think there's any 9-foot-tall kickboxers. It's something that his lifetime of training has prepared him for."

On Thursday, the two squared up for the first time for a pre-fight staredown photo opportunity, and yes, the shot looked a bit comedic. The two could barely keep straight faces, with both cracking smiles and laughing.

Part of those loose attitudes stem from their past, as the two have known each other for a few years and get along well outside of the cage. It has allowed them to fire off one-liners at each other all throughout the leadup to the bout, and on Thursday, Struve got in the best line at the pre-fight press conference.

When asked how he expected to defend Barry's high kicks, Struve nonchalantly answered, "Block it with my shin," a response that drew laughter from the fighters and media.

Earlier, Barry even poked fun at himself, saying when it came to ground skills, Struve could "lay on the ground and submit me while I was standing straight up."

But when the laughter ends and business gets serious, the two are expected to have one of the night's most intriguing fights, not only because of the size and reach differential, but because of their respective kickboxing backgrounds.

Barry has worked hard in his recent camps to round out his game, working wrestling and jiu-jitsu with his new DeathClutch teammates, including former UFC champ Brock Lesnar and current Bellator champ Cole Konrad.

Meanwhile, Struve said he spent time sharpening up his striking, including working with renowned Romanian kickboxer Daniel Ghita.

So there is at least a friendly rivalry over who is the better striker, and neither man will want to be the first to try to take it to the ground. But "friendly" is the key word here. It's not personal for either one. At least on the surface, it's a test of everything that's come before. For Barry, the challenge is simple physics. And for Struve, it's beating Barry at his own game.

"I think that this could turn out to be a really awesome fight to where really when it comes down to it, my short arms won't matter," Barry said. "With his really long arms might, we might cancel each other out in a way and it might stand there and take a long time for the fight to get finished or maybe he can keep me on the end of a jab the way, you know, people eventually started keeping Mike Tyson away from them with a jab. Like, who knows? I mean it could be a little bit of anything. Anything could happen that night. So I mean range, it can be good, but at the same time it can be bad, too."

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/09/30/pat-barry-lifetime-of-training-helps-battling-stefan-struves-h/

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

UFC Live: Cruz vs Johnson Bleacher Report MMA Staff Predictions

In the sixth edition of the UFC Live on Versus series, Dominick Cruz defends his bantamweight title against Demetrious Johnson.  This is the first time a UFC title was up for grabs on free TV since Quinton Jackson defeated Dan Henderson to unify the Pride and UFC light heavyweight belts. 

In a welterweight bout, Anthony Johnson takes on Charlie Brenneman in a bout between two high-level wrestlers, where the winner will no doubt see a big boost in the rankings at 170 pounds.  

Pat Barry takes on Stefan Struve in a rare instance where there will be a one-foot height difference between the two fighters.  This one promises to be a hard-hitting heavyweight bout. 

The final bout on the main card features two scrappy lightweights in Mac Danzig and Matt Wiman in a rematch from last year.  Both guys are looking for blood and bragging rights in this one.  

This time around, the predictions team consists of four Bleacher Report MMA Featured Columnists: Dale De Souza, Jordy McElroy, Dwight Wakabayashi and myself, John Heinis. 

Take a look inside to see who is going to walk home with the "W" on Saturday night.  

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/871972-ufc-live-cruz-vs-johnson-bleacher-report-mma-staff-predictions

Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann

Jon Jones Would Prefer Jet Li in His Corner over Steven Seagal

While champion Jon Jones' dominant performance over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 135 was the talk of the town last weekend, another celebrity wanted to share some of the spotlight.

Aikido black belt and movie star Steven Seagal, whom has infamously helped train such fighters as Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva in the past, wanted to lend his "expertise" to the likes of Jones. 

The 205-pound kingpin is a product of the Jackson-Winkeljohn connection out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones' game has improved dramatically, previously having been a spitfire with potential, to becoming a champion with a limitless roof of expectations.

Seagal made mention that he spoke with Jones in the days leading up to his UFC 135 main event. Though "Bones" recalled the conversation, he fancied it more strange than useful.

"I don't know how he got my number," said Jones in an interview on the Jim Rome Show.

Jones admits that Seagal's motives were in question, since the "Under Siege" star has worked so closely with the aforementioned Machida, somebody whom the champion suggests he could face in the very near future. 

"Machida is definitely someone I want to fight in my near future and I just didn't want to share my psychology with him or anything that would put me at a disadvantage in the future," said Jones.

"It was just confusing, really, to bring in someone you don't work with at all to give you last second advice, it can actually be more detrimental than helpful."

Ultimately, though, Jones, 24, isn't necessarily a "Hard to Kill" or "Above the Law" kind of fan. 

Now had it been Jet Li, who's been in such films as "Lethal Weapon 4" and "The Expendables," that would have been a whole other story. 

“I don’t wanna bad mouth him too bad, he had good intentions, I think", said Jones.

"But yeah, I definitely wasn’t having Steven Seagal in my corner. I could see if it was Jet Li or something. Jet Li would be pretty cool. I would definitely take that call, for sure.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/871270-jon-jones-would-prefer-jet-li-over-steven-seagal-to-be-in-his-corner

Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne

Justin Edwards vs. John Maguire Added to UFC 138

Filed under: UFC, News

Just 11 days after shutting down Wanderlei Silva prospect Jorge Lopez at UFC Fight Night 23, welterweight Justin Edwards accepted on Wednesday a fight against John Maguire at UFC 138 on Nov. 5 in Birmingham, England.

Edwards is a replacement for the injured James Head. Maguire is also a recent addition to the UFC 138 card, signing on last week to replace Mark Scanlon against Head.

Edwards (7-1), a contestant on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, lost his UFC debut in a split decision to Clay Harvison in June, but bounced back two weeks ago with a unanimous decision over Lopez, snapping the Team Wand fighter's 10-fight win streak.

Maguire (16-3) is UK-based submission fighter who will be making his UFC debut. Fighting out of the Tsunami Gym, he has held the Cage Rage UK and OMMAC titles.

UFC 138, headlined by the promotion's first five-round, non-title fight, Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz, will air on same-day, tape-delay on Spike TV.

Spike TV Bouts
Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz
Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barao
Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi
Matt Brown vs. John Hathaway
Paul Taylor vs. Anthony Njokuani

Preliminary Bouts
Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto
Cyrille Diabate vs. Anthony Perosh
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young
Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson
Chris Cope vs. Che Mills
Chris Cariaso vs. Vaughan Lee
James Head vs. Mark Scanlon
Justin Edwards vs. John Maguire

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/09/28/justin-edwards-vs-john-maguire-added-to-ufc-138/

Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill

Strikeforce Weigh Ins Overeem Werdum Barnett Rogers Griggs Noons Masvidal - Strikeforce

SHOWTIME Sports presents the official weigh-in for the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournment. Check out all ten fiighters on the super-sized June 18th fight card: Chad Griggs, Valentijn Overeem, Daniel Cormier, Jeff Monson, KJ Noons, and Jorge Masvidal. Plus headliners Brett Rogers, Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem, and Fabricio Werdum.

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/strikeforce-weigh-ins-overeem-werdum-barnett-rogers-griggs-noons-masvidal-video_ef4f0192c.html

Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne

Triple threat match! Now White and Merchant are trading barbs over Mayweather postfight

Floyd Mayweather is fed up with HBO's Larry Merchant. So are some viewers including UFC president Dana White. Before UFC 135, White critiqued the postfight clash between Merchant and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"This guy always jumps in and is always saying bad stuff about people. And he's attacking Floyd about the punch. Well, how about the headbutt? It's my big beef with Merchant for years, these guys just get done fighting and he jumps in the rings and starts saying off-the-wall, weird, rude [expletive] to these guys," said White (7:11 mark).

Part of the heated conversation between Mayweather and Merchant also included the announcer saying that if he were 50 years younger he'd kick the boxer's ass.

"I thought that was really embarrassing for HBO. The guy is senile. He's out of his mind," said White. "He's up there berating Floyd, but Floyd can't say anything back to you? You've been disrespecting guys your whole career. Guess what, you can go back 60 years, you're not kicking Floyd's ass. Give me a break."

Merchant was recently asked about White's comment and served him a backhanded compliment:

"Let's see, anyone who can make a multimillion dollar business out of street fighting has to be respected. My opinion is that anyone is allowed to put up a tent, put on a show, and invite people to come. And obviously he's had a lot of success," Merchant told Boxing Scene. "Good for him. I don't watch it. I don't get a so-called sport in which you can have a 6-2 record and be called a world champion. I just don't appreciate the finer points of MMA."

Check out White's other concerns about the Mayweather-Ortiz fight. He believes that referee Joe Cortes lost control of the bout (0:40-7:09 mark - NSFW).

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Triple-threat-match-Now-White-and-Merchant-are-?urn=mma-wp7431

Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping

TFC 20: Varner and Rogers lose, Whitney scores dynamite flying knee KO

Jamie Varner and Brett Rogers must've thought a few fights in the minor leagues would be fine on their way back to the bigs. That's not the way it's working out for the former WEC and Strikeforce stars. Both Varner and Rogers lost last night at Titan Fighting Championship 19.

Varner looked sluggish throughout his fight against Dakota Cochrane. He leaned too heavily on his takedown game and couldn't control Cochrane on the ground. Cochrane (11-1) was the much better fighter on the feet taking a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three cards.

Varner, the former WEC lighweight champ, is now 1-4-1 in his last six. He's only 26, but has battle hand problems and other injuries for the last few years. Before the fight, Varner talked about his goals of a Zuffa return.

"I literally just took some time away from actual competition," Varner told the Kansas City Star. "I was still training and working out often. I took some fights last year that might have been (after) a little too quick of a turnaround. I needed my body to fully heal. I also took some college classes so I can have different opportunities in a few years down the road after my MMA career. For now I am 100 percent committed to MMA and getting to the UFC."

MMAjunkie says Varner was hinting at retirement on Twitter after the fight. It appears he deleted the tweet. Cochrane was� a late replacement on this card. His victory shows just how sick the depth is around the country in all weight classes.

Rogers (11-4) was facing a better known entity in former UFC fighter Eddie Sanchez and result was the same. Rogers was a top-rated heavyweight for Strikeforce and even gave Fedor Emelianenko a run for his money during their 2009 fight.

Against Sanchez, he looked tentative and exhibited little growth in his game. Rogers never put his punches together and appeared unable to check a kick. Sanchez beat up his lead leg for 15 minutes. Sanchez took a split decision, 30-27, 28-29 and 30-27, from Rogers, who's now lost 4-of-5.

The best moment of the night came fromn Andrew Whitney. He and Laramie Shaffer engaged in a slugfest for two-plus rounds, but that all changed when Whitney delivered a picture perfect flying knee.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/TFC-20-Varner-and-Rogers-lose-Whitney-scores-d?urn=mma-wp7220

Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill

UFC 137: Is GSP Training with Dan Hardy to Become a More Aggressive Fighter?

Recently Georges “Rush” St-Pierre let the whole world know through Twitter that he was bringing Dan Hardy, a man he has beat, in to help him train for his upcoming fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 137.

Dan Hardy, a fighter who is on a four-fight losing streak, has not only lost to GSP but to Condit as well. So one must beg the question, "Why in the world is GSP bringing Hardy in to his fight camp?"

St-Pierre is a fighter who is constantly evolving. He’s always looking for anyone who can teach him something new.

However, with his last four fights all going to decision, many people have been questioning GSP’s ability to finish fights.

Hardy is a fighter known for an aggressive, in your face, head-hunting style (although he hasn’t knocked out anyone in his past six fights). It’s a fighting style many fans wish GSP displayed.

So is GSP bringing in Hardy to help him get his killer instinct back? No. No he isn’t.

GSP is doing it because it affords him a great opportunity to train with a man who has fought both Condit and himself, and to get inside of Condit’s head.

Mostly, it’s to get inside of Condit’s head.

GSP is a smart fighter, and while he’d like to go out and finish every fight with a knockout, he’d still rather come away with the win.

Sure, Hardy might be able to give him some valuable bits of information, but GSP’s main goal here is to make Condit question his own fight plan.

Rush wants Condit to come into the fight asking himself if what he normally does will work. It’s genius.

A big part of this sport is a fighters mental stability going into the fight. Any fighter will tell you that they get nervous before a fight, but going in questioning your training is a big deal.

“Rampage” Jackson attributed his loss to Jones at UFC 135 with not following through on his game plan, and doubting his pre-fight training.

Condit had originally been training to fight B.J. Penn before things got switched around and he was given his shot at the title.

Now GSP has thrown another wrench in Condit’s gears by giving him yet another thing to question in his fight preparedness.

So as much as we may want GSP to be teaming up with Hardy because he’s looking to put Condit to sleep, he’s not. He’s simply doing what he’s always done, and that's fighting smart.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/870265-ufc-137-is-gsp-training-with-dan-hardy-to-become-a-more-aggressive-fighter

Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting

Countdown to UFC 131 - UFC

Full episode! Vancouver is on notice - heavy hands mean a big-time main event unlikely to go the distance in Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin. Plus Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes and Demian Maia vs. Mark Mu�oz - see what's in store!

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc/countdown-to-ufc-131-video_460590e56.html

Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway

Baczynski, Stone and Boist winners at UFN 25

At Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans on Saturday, the preliminary fights featured two submissions and a decision.

Baczynski makes his way back to UFC with submission

Seth Baczynski, who hasn't fought in the UFC since his stint on "The Ultimate Fighter," used impressive striking to control Harvison in the first round, but that striking is what set up his submission win in the second round. Baczynski knocked Harvison to the ground with a beautiful right, then followed him to the ground with more big punches. Harvison rolled to get away from the punches, but gave up his back. Baczynski sunk in a rear naked choke, causing Harvison to tap at 1:12 of the first.

Stone puts Walker to sleep

Ken Stone won with a perfect rear naked choke, sinking it in early, then holding onto Donny Walker until Walker was asleep. The fight was stopped at 2:47 in the first round. That gives Stone his first UFC win, after suffering scary wins to Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen.

Boist takes bloody decision from Riddle
Boist controlled Riddle with good striking followed by smothering grappling in the first round. In the second, Riddle threw a devastating knee that damaged Benoist's nose. Riddle was also able to get a takedown, but Benoist got out and then got a takedown of his own. Benoist's bigger problem was that his nose was apparently broken, then he made the mistake of blowing his nose. Blood poured out as Benoist continued to work from the top position.

Before the third round started, Riddle, covered in Benoist's blood, danced around to get the crowd cheering. He immediately took down Benoist, and controlled him for the rest of the round. That last round was not enough for Riddle, as he won on the judges' cards, 29-28.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Baczynski-Stone-and-Boist-winners-at-UFN-25?urn=mma-wp6966

Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Dana White Cheick Kongo

UFN 25?s Three Stars: Ellenberger, Belcher and Waldburger

The UFC's first trip to New Orleans was full of decisions, then ended with a knockout that pushed a welterweight into the title picture. Below are Cagewriter's picks for Three Stars from Ultimate Fight Night 25. Tell us yours in the comments or on Facebook.

No. 1 star -- Jake Ellenberger: When Ellenberger first was matched up with Jake Shields, trash talk from Ellenberger made Shields ask, "Who is this guy?" He found out, as Ellenberger knocked out Shields in less than a minute in the main event. Shields disputed the knockout, but considering that he tried to wrestle the referee, it's safe to say it was a reasonable stoppage. With his fifth win, he is looking for a welterweight title shot.

No. 2 star -- Alan Belcher: The Louisiana-born fighter went through dangerous procedures on his eye last year that put his fighting career in doubt. Belcher didn't accept his dire prognosis from doctors. Instead, he worked hard so that he could fight again, and returned to the Octagon with a bang on Saturday night. His unrelenting strikes caused Jason MacDonald to submit in the first round.

No. 3 star -- T.J. Waldburger: If you didn't tune into the preliminary fights on Facebook, you missed out on the jiu-jitsu clinic that Waldburger put on Mike Stumpf. He submitted Stumpf in the first round with a slick transition from an armbar to a triangle choke.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFN-25-8242-s-Three-Stars-Ellenberger-Belcher?urn=mma-wp7021

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

Burger King, Nike and now the ?heartthrob? Anderson Silva is dancing up a storm in Brazil

How big was the UFC's return to Brazil? Simply take a look at Anderson Silva's new found mega-fame in his home country.

After signing deals to pitch Burger King and Nike, the UFC middleweight champ is crossing over into the mainstream with some fine footwork in this video by Brazilian star Marisa Monte.

Tip via Cage Potato

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Burger-King-Nike-and-now-the-heartthrob-Ander?urn=mma-wp7381

Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields

Video picks: Koscheck vs. Hughes, a fight the fans deserve

Josh Koscheck finally got Matt Hughes. It's a fight he wanted two or three years ago, but claims Hughes ducked him and all of his American Kickboxing Academy teammates (Jon Fitch and Mike Swick). Now Koscheck wants a piece of Hughes' hide for what he calls a lack of respect.

"Matt Hughes definitely disrespected me when he called me a kid. I'm a lot younger than him, I'm a lot faster and a lot stronger, I'm a better fighter than him," Koscheck said of the 38-year-old Hughes. "The new kid on the block is going to come up and take out the old man."

Aside from personal reasons, Koscheck. 33, thinks this is a fight that fans have been yearning for:

"Fighting Matt Hughes is a good comeback fight for me," he said. "I think the fans deserved this fight a long time ago, and now we're getting the opportunity to do it," said Koscheck.

Check out ProMMARadio's Larry Pepe and Damon Martin from MMAWeekly as we break down the fight on RawVegas.tv using the Las Vegas betting odds. Koscheck is a minus-600 favorite, while Hughes fetches plus-400 as an underdog.

You can watch UFC 135 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Video-picks-Koscheck-vs-Hughes-a-fight-the-fa?urn=mma-wp7114

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

ProElite: Tim Sylvia vs. Pedro Rizza and Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Fulton

Although it was speculated earlier today that a fourth meeting between former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia would shape up to headline the next ProElite event, the promotion has opted to hold out on their potential blockbuster matchup.

Originally, the two were rumored to square off on November 5th in Atlantic City, New Jersey; however, the event has since been relocated to Moline, Illinois. 

Both Syvlia and Arlovski will remain on the card, though, they will face different competition, as told by MMAFighting.com.

For "The Maine-iac," he will be taking on Brazilian slugger Pedro Rizzo. The former three-time UFC title challenger is currently riding on the strength of a three-fight win streak heading into the bout, which includes victories over notables Jeff Monson, Gary Goodrige and Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock.

Rizzo made public his intentions of returning to the Octagon and with an impressive performance against Sylvia, he could very well find himself in the good graces of the UFC brass.

Sylvia, 35, will not allow the well-traveled Rizzo to use him as a stepping stone. The former champ is 4-1 in his last five fights, with the lone loss coming at the hands of The Ultimate Fighter season 10 veteran Abe Wagner, who needed just 32 seconds to dispatch of Sylvia.

The bout with Rizzo will be the first return to the 265-pound division for Sylvia, who has competed as a Super Heavyweight since a first-round submission loss to former kingpin Fedor Emelianenko in July of 2008.

Arlovski, meanwhile, will be meeting with Travis Fulton, the definition of what is a "journeyman" in mixed martial arts today. "The Ironman" is an IFL, WEC, Vale Tudo and UFC veteran with over 300 professional fights under his belt. He holds notable victories over ex-UFC fighters Joe Riggs, "Cabbage" Correira and Heath Herring. 

Fulton will look to earn the biggest win of his career when he takes on "The Pitbull," who is coming off of a dominant performance against the over-matched Ray Lopez in his last outing.

Arlovski defeated Lopez with a third-round TKO, competing for the first time under the new ProElite banner, which took place on August 27 in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Should Sylvia and Arlovski prove victorious, it would help catapult the star of the burgeoning promotion, while reasserting the winner back into the limelight in the MMA world. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/870451-proelite-tim-sylvia-vs-pedro-rizza-and-andrei-arlovski-vs-travis-fulton

Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping

ProElite Moves Next Show to Moline, Ill.; Tim Sylvia-Pedro Rizzo to Headline

Filed under: News, ProElite

Venue issues have forced ProElite into a change for its November show.

Sources close to the promotion have confirmed to MMA Fighting that ProElite, in its second incarnation after folding up shop in late 2008, will move a planned Nov. 5 event from Atlantic City, N.J., to the iWireless Center in Moline, Ill. An official announcement from the promotion is expected by week's end.

The main event is expected to be a heavyweight bout between former UFC champion Tim Sylvia and three-time UFC heavyweight title challenger Pedro Rizzo. Additionally, fellow former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski will fight Travis Fulton, regarded as the busiest fighter in MMA history with more than 300 career fights.

The event was originally targeted for Nov. 12 at the Resorts Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, but was moved to Nov. 5. Logistical trouble with Resorts caused the promotion to look elsewhere, and sources said when additional venues in Atlantic City didn't work out, the decision was made to move to the Quad Cities area in western Illinois. In addition to Moline, ProElite officials considered the Target Center in Minneapolis as a host venue for the show.

The event now will take place Nov. 5 at the iWireless Center in Moline, which has hosted MMA events in the past - including Adrenaline MMA, the promotion started by MMA promoter and manager Monte Cox several years ago. Cox has been informally consulting with Pro Elite. Both the original Nov. 12 date and the new date of Nov. 5 are up against UFC events.

In addition to the main and co-main events on Nov. 5, sources told MMA Fighting that Reagan Penn, brother of former UFC champion BJ Penn, will fight on the card, as will highly regarded women's 125-pounder Tara LaRosa. ProElite reformed earlier this year and hosted a show in Honolulu last month that included Arlovski, Reagan Penn and Kendall Grove.

Sylvia and Arlovski on the same card sets up the possibility for a future meeting between the two, which would be their fourth fight. Arlovski won their first bout, taking the UFC interim heavyweight title at UFC 51. Sylvia then took the belt from Arlovski with a first-round TKO at UFC 59 and defended it at UFC 61 three months later.

Though a published report says Sylvia and Arlovski will meet on the Nov. 5 show, ProElite VP of Event Operations T. Jay Thompson confirmed to MMA Fighting that Slyvia-Arlovski will not take place on that day. Additional sources told MMA Fighting it will be Rizzo meeting Slyvia - and that Sylvia-Arlovski IV is not in the promotion's current plans, but could be targeted down the road. It's a fight Arlovski, 1-2 against Sylvia, has wanted for some time.

Sylvia (29-7) has rebounded after a rough stretch that saw him lose four of five fights. He lost his heavyweight title to Randy Couture at UFC 68. He then beat Brandon Vera, but followed that with a loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira that ended his run in the UFC. He moved on to Affliction's short-lived MMA promotion and suffered a quick submission to Fedor Emelianenko. Then came a 9-second knockout loss to pro boxer Ray Mercer that will likely be the biggest stain on his record. Since then, though, he has won five of six over the last two years, with all his wins by stoppage - and all at super heavyweight.

Rizzo (19-9) has not fought since a July 2010 win over Ken Shamrock for Impact FC in Sydney. Rizzo has fought some of the sport's heavyweight legends, including Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett and Arlovski. In 2001, he twice lost to Couture challenging for the UFC heavyweight title. Since leaving the UFC in 2003, Rizzo's appearances have been more sporadic - with just nine fights in nearly eight years.

Arlovski (16-9) snapped out of a four-fight skid with a win over Ray Lopez at ProElite's show last month. Prior to that, Arlovski lost to Emelianeko, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva and Sergei Kharitonov, the latter three for Strikeforce.

Fulton is an Iowa-based fighter with a career record of 247-48-10, according to most databases, though it is believed that 10 of those losses came in kickboxing competitions and not in MMA. Fulton fought 13 times in 2010, but has only fought twice in 2011 - going 2-0. The majority of Fulton's losses have come against future UFC fighters like Ben Rothwell, Forrest Griffin, Travis Wiuff, Rich Franklin and Evan Tanner.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/09/28/pro-elite-moves-next-show-to-moline-ill-tim-sylvia-pedro-rizz/

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC 135

Filed under: UFC

In the UFC 135 pre-fight press conference UFC president Dana White said he could tell the Jones-Jackson main event was a "breakthrough fight" because of all the celebrities who were willing to fly to Denver -- Denver, of all places! -- just to see it.

I'm not saying that's not true, but I am saying that maybe you don't want to spit out the name of the host city like you can't believe any famous people would be willing to go there. Denver's actually a pretty great city -- one with pro sports teams and all that jazz. Maybe the nightclubs don't stay open as long as the David Spade types would like, but the fact that they might be willing to make the flight anyway is maybe not as important to John Q. Fight Fan as it is to White. Like any main event, it's a big deal because it's a good fight, not the other way around.

But now that another UFC event is in the books and the dust has settled on the tiny, godforsaken hamlet of Denver, it's time again to sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

Biggest Winner: Jon Jones
No surprise here. The champ defended his belt in dominant fashion, showing that he could do just about anything he felt like to 'Rampage' Jackson. Crawling around on all fours? Sure. Tossing Jackson over his back after the end of a round? Why not. Jackson could hardly lay a glove on Jones until he went to pat him on the shoulder and give him his respect after it was all over. The scary thing is he's only 24 years old. If I were a light heavyweight in the UFC, I'd either want to fight him right away, before he has a chance to get any better, or else much further in the future, after stardom may have taken its toll on him. If you get him somewhere in the middle, as Rashad Evans probably will, it could be big trouble. Now that the mere mention of Evans' name seems to upset Jones, psychological warfare could be "Suga's" best hope against the champ.

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More: UFC 135 Results | UFC 135 Post-Fight Press Conference

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Biggest Loser: Takanori Gomi
Not only did he lose his second straight fight and his third in four UFC attempts, but he got absolutely throttled by Nate Diaz. In a lot of ways it was reminiscent of his loss to Nick Diaz, only without the brief period of effective offense in the beginning (or, hopefully, the eye-popping drug test results later). It's hard not to wonder where this leaves the 33-year-old Gomi. His UFC run has been a disappointment and it's starting to look like his Pride glory days were as good as it's ever going to get for him. The UFC may or may not keep him around just long enough to fight in the Tokyo event, but he doesn't seem to have much of a long-term future in the UFC. It's a shame, but it's not terribly surprising. The game has changed a lot since 2005, and very few fighters have managed to successfully change with it all the way into the present.

Most Improved: Mark Hunt
I'm not sure when Hunt learned to wrestle, but it must have been very, very recently. He didn't just escape the mount and stuff a couple of Ben Rothwell's takedowns, he even got a couple double-legs of his own. Who saw that coming? I've heard some people grumbling about his cardio down the stretch, but after hitting Rothwell with everything but a paternity suit, I don't blame him for being tired. I'm a little amazed that Rothwell took so many bombs from the heavy-handed Hunt, but I'm even more amazed at Hunt's overall improvement as a fighter in the last year. You factor in the feel-good story about him turning down a UFC payoff for a chance to earn a spot on the roster, and you've got a heavyweight who's very quietly earned the admiration and respect of his peers.

Best Worst Use of Ambiguous Phrasing: Matt Hughes
He's not retiring. No way. He just wants to be put on the shelf, whatever that means for a nearly 38-year-old ex-champion. Dana White's known Hughes for a long time, so I'm inclined to go with his translation: Hughes just can't bring himself to say the word 'retirement,' even after his second straight first-round knockout loss. You don't ask to be put on the shelf if you're dying to fight soon. And if you're not trying to squeeze a couple more fights in before Father Time does even more of a number on you, doesn't that mean you're basically easing into retirement like a senior citizen into a water aerobics class? Probably, yeah. And that's okay. If Hughes doesn't want to say the words, he doesn't have to. Not right now, anyway. But six months from now when he dozes off in a recliner while watching a fishing show in the middle of the day, that's when it's going to hit him: my God, this is what retired people do. Maybe by then it won't seem so bad.

Most Impressive in Defeat: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
It might have been hard to tell while he was standing in the cage with Jones, but Jackson hasn't looked that good for a couple years. We've seen many different versions of 'Rampage' over the course of his career, from the hungry, driven one to the plodding, barely interested variety. This time he moved well, was in excellent shape, and stayed in attack mode even when Jones was sticking him at will. It's just a shame that it took a huge title fight to bring out that level of interest in him, and that it did him little good against an opponent as talented as Jones. But look on the bright side: maybe this will show Jackson how good he can be when he puts forth the effort. He says he wants 'Shogun' Rua in Japan, even though Rua already has a date with Dan Henderson coming up. But the mere fact that he's asking for specific names and locations for his next fight at least tells us that he's interested in MMA again. Let's hope that lasts.

Least Impressive in Victory: Travis Browne
By the third round of his heavyweight tilt with Rob Broughton, Browne was content to get the top position and move only as much as was absolutely necessary in order to stay there. He already had the decision locked up, plus he was pretty tuckered out, so there was some logic to it all. That's cool -- and, hey, it's better to win a fight like that than lose it -- but it doesn't exactly propel you up the heavyweight ranks. Browne's knockout wins over Stefan Struve and James McSweeney have established his bona fides as an action fighter, so what gives? Maybe he ran out of gas or simply felt like he had to play it safe against Broughton, but either way this wasn't exactly one for the highlight reel.

Most Surprising: Takeya Mizugaki
Judging by pre and post-fight appearances alone, I don't know if anyone at UFC 135 enjoyed themselves as much as Mizugaki. I guess it helps when you win your fight, especially via dominating second-round TKO. Oddsmakers gave Mizugaki the slight edge coming into the fight, but he had Escovedo's number early and managed to strike a perfect balance between recklessness and strategic aggression. Good thing too, since Mizugaki needed that win. It was the first time he's finished a fight since 2008 and his most impressive performance yet in the UFC. Plus he just seemed to be having so much fun, and who doesn't like to see that?

Biggest Matchmaking Headache: Josh Koscheck
Koscheck may very well be the second-best welterweight in the UFC, but there is absolutely zero interest in seeing him fight Georges St-Pierre a third time, so what now? He's open to a temporary move to middleweight for the sake of a just-for-the-hell-of-it fight with Chris Leben, and maybe that's the best thing the UFC can do with him. But once that's over you still have a guy who's probably too small to make a run at middleweight, but will only knock off potential contenders if you leave him at welterweight. The good news is that, with his abrasive personality and willingness to alienate people, Koscheck can always talk himself into new rivalries. And who knows, maybe he can tread water that way until GSP eventually moves up to middleweight and it's open season in the UFC's 170-pound class again. You know he can't be the only fighter waiting for that day to come.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/09/26/falling-action-best-and-worst-of-ufc-135/

Randy Couture Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill

Talking Strikeforce MMA at the Dallas Mavericks Victory Parade - Strikeforce

Talking Strikeforce MMA at the Dallas Mavericks Victory Parade Video by Strikeforce

Source: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/talking-strikeforce-mma-at-the-dallas-mavericks-victory-parade-video_a7962dda3.html

John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture

UFC 135?s Three Stars: Jones, Koscheck and Diaz

The UFC went to mountains on Saturday, and while the elevation made for some long heavyweight bouts, stars did shine. Here are Cagewriter's picks for the three stars of the evening. Tell us your picks in the comments or on Facebook.

No. 1 star -- Jon Jones: Quinton Jackson wanted "his" belt back, but after Jones picked him apart and choked him out, that belt belongs to no one but Jones. Jackson pointed out that he was in the best shape of his life, and Jones still owned him. Rashad Evans is up next for the champ. Can Jones keep his streak going against his former friend?

No. 2 star -- Josh Koscheck: Taking the fight on very short notice, Koscheck showed that nine months on the shelf didn't slow him at all. His knockout of UFC Hall-of-Famer Matt Hughes earned Kos a $75,000 knockout of the night bonus.

No. 3 star -- Nate Diaz: After bouncing back and forth between welterweight and lightweight, Diaz looked comfortable at lightweight as he outboxed Takanori Gomi, then finished him with an armbar. That submission earned him a $75,000 submission of the night bonus. Diaz said that he was done with welterweight, and with that result, who can blame him?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-135-s-Three-Stars-Jones-Koscheck-and-Diaz?urn=mma-wp7365

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

UFC 139: Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua, Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 139 will mark the return of former Pride champion and current Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson to the UFC.

Welcoming him back to the Octagon will be former UFC champion Shogun Rua, who is coming off a dominant knockout win over Forrest Griffin at UFC 134.

This highly anticipated bout between former Pride stars will mark the first time these two legends will have faced each other and, more importantly, the matchup will be a battle for the top contender spot in the light-heavyweight division.

Here's how these two fighters stack up against each other in this head-to-toe breakdown.  

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/868143-ufc-139-dan-henderson-vs-shogun-rua-early-head-to-toe-breakdown

Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture Jake Shields

The ?24 hours of MMA? begins tonight with HDNet?s Titan Fighting

Football has to take a back seat this weekend. That's not entirely true, but it has some company with a jam--packed fight weekend. Outside of short break Saturday morning, there's live fighting on television from tonight at 10 p.m. ET until late Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Titan Fighting 20 - Kansas City (Friday 10 p.m. ET)

Brett Rogers make his return after serious issues outside the cage to fight UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez. Former lightweight WEC champ Jamie Varner is also back.

Strikeforce Challengers 19 - Las Vegas (Showtime 11 p.m. ET/PT)

The card features prospects like Lavar Johnson and Lorenz Larkin. Ryan Couture and veteran Jason High are also on the televised portion live from the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas.

DREAM 17 - Saitama, Japan (HDNet Saturday 3 a.m. ET/Midnight PT)

DREAM's had a light slate in 2011, but returns with a great card. It features the quarterfinals of a bantamweight tournament headlined by Bibiano Fernandez, Abe Cullum and Hideo Tokoro. Former WEC 135-pound contender Antonio Banuelos (18-7, 8-4 WEC) also makes his DREAM debut. Other feature fights include Shinya Aoki vs. Rob McCullough and Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Joachim Hansen. Gerald Harris, Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa and Caol Uno are also fighting.

UFC 135 preliminary fights -Denver (Facebook 5:30 p.m. ET)

Junior Assuncao vs. Eddie Yagin
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Cole Escovedo
James Te Huna vs. Ricardo Romero

Bellator 51 prelims - Canton, OH (Spike 7 p.m. ET)

UFC 135 undercard fights -Denver (Spike 8 p.m. ET)

Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley
Nick Ring vs. Tim Boetsch

Bellator 51 main card - Canton, OH (MTV2 9 p.m. ET)

Like DREAM, Bellator has its own 135 tournament kicking off. Joe Warren, the promotion's 145-pound champion, begins his quest for the bantamweight title as well. If he wins the tournament, he'll get a date with champion Zach Makovsky.

Joe Warren vs. Alexis Vila
Wilson Reis vs. Eduardo Dantas
Chase Beebe vs. Marcos Galvao
Ed West vs. Luis Nogueira

UFC 135 main card (pay-per-view 9 p.m. ET)

Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson
Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck
Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/The-24-hours-of-MMA-begins-tonight-with-HDNet-?urn=mma-wp7164

Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle

UFC 135: Did Koscheck end Hughes? career with first-round TKO?

It's been a rough 18 months for the UFC's building blocks. Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture are now retired after suffering bad knockouts in their final fights. Now Matt Hughes may have to join them after falling badly against Josh Koscheck as the victim of a first-round knockout at UFC 135 in Denver.

Just Liddell like did in his final fight against Rich Franklin, Hughes was more than holding his own against the younger Koscheck. But when older fighters get popped with a good shot, they can't take it like they used to.

[Related: Complete UFC 135 recap]

Hughes landed some good shots and targeted Koscheck's right eye with some good jabs, but everything turned when he absorbed some nasty right hands in the final minute of the round. Hughes hit the floor in the final seconds. Koscheck jumped on top and poured it on. He landed two big hammer fists with five seconds left and Hughes went limp.

Hughes wouldn't commit to retiring, but appeared both emotional and really frustrated during his postfight conversation with UFC analyst Joe Rogan.

"I'm not retiring," Hughes said. "I'm going to tell the UFC to put me up on shelf and we'll see what happens after that."

This makes it two straight first-round KO or TKO losses for Hughes, the UFC Hall of Famer and two-time former champ. He lost to B.J. Penn in just 21 seconds at UFC 123.

[Related: Jones defends light heavyweight title in convincing fashion]

Koscheck (16-5, 14-5 UFC) is one of the bigger villains in the sport, so Hughes got a huge ovation from the fans at the Pepsi Center. If this was his last fight, he got a great sendoff in his record 26th appearance in the Octagon.

"I loved the crowd support when I came out," said Hughes.

Koscheck talked a lot of trash before the fight claiming that Hughes had been ducking him for years, but he was nothing but respectful after the victory.

"Thanks to Matt Hughes for taking this fight late in his career. He's a legend. I'm really happy that I had the opportunity to fight a legend like Matt Hughes," said Koscheck.

[Related: After yet another thorough win, can anybody stop Jon Jones?]

Hughes was the UFC welterweight champ on two separate occasions from 2001-06, piling up a 12-1 record during that period.

This was a must win for Koscheck, since he had everything to lose. Koscheck dropped a title shot against Georges St-Pierre, the current UFC 170-pound champion back in April. He had the orbital bone around his right eye broken. Koscheck went on the shelf for three months and had to limit all physical activity. He was targeting Nov. 19 for his return when he got the call less than three weeks ago to fill in for Diego Sanchez against Hughes on this card.

"It was actually nice being on shelf. I got to focus on other areas. I'm growing as a person and as a fighter," said Koscheck.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Dream turning into Japanese MMA nightmare
? WNBA star takes former NBA lottery pick to school
? Man impersonating Eagles QB Vince Young arrested

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-135-Did-Koscheck-end-Hughes-career-with-fi?urn=mma-wp7285

Jake Shields Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting

UFC 135 weigh-in: Jackson says it?s time to end the Jones hype

The atmosphere tomorrow night at the Pepsi Center should fiery. That's if the energy carries over from this afternoon's weigh-in.

The main event fighters, Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, were both jacked up as they easily made weight for the UFC light heavyweight title showdown (video).

The staredown was highlighted by some barking back and forth.

"I had to keep it real with him. I'm gonna end his hype tomorrow," Jackson told UFC analyst Joe Rogan. "That's what I had to tell him."

Has Jackson gotten under Jones' skin during the long lead up to the fight? It's impossible to truly know, but he did get Jones to go away from his customary stare away during the face off. Jones looked straight at Jackson and the fighters began to chirp immediately.

"It's about time he grows up and starts acting like a real MMA fighter and quit throwing [out] a front for these fans," Jackson said. "Stare people down! That's what we do."

Check this UFC.com video for a closer look at the face-to-face conversation. Once Jones, 24, walked away he told Rogan there's already been too much talking, he just wants to do his in the cage.

Jackson, 33, was jovial before he hit the scale. He even shook his rump a bit for the crowd. Jones came out screaming "let's go!" and pulled off the "black socks with sneakers look" quite well.

The crowd in Denver seemed stoked for the card. They booed loudly when Josh Kosheck came to the stage. For a guy, who got called in on 19 days notice, Koscheck looked shredded. The greeting and staredown from Matt Hughes was professional. Koscheck has been goading Hughes by saying the UFC Hall of Famer ducked him over the years. Hughes hasn't taken any of the trash talk bait.

There were two minor dust ups. Junior Assuncao burst across the stage and got right in Eddie Yagin's face. The little Filipino was shocked, but didn't retaliate. Nick Ring did the same to Tim Boetsch, but did so in more gentle fashion.

Takanori Gomi's demeanor was interesting. The Japanese legend is usually very stoics, but when the taller Nate Diaz tried to hover over him and get in his face, Gomi glared at him and starting shaking his fists.

All 20 fighters made weight without incident.

UFC 135 weigh-in (Courtesy MMAjunkie):

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

Champ Jon Jones (204.5) vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (170.5)
Mark Hunt (261) vs. Ben Rothwell (263)
Rob Broughton (261) vs. Travis Browne (255)
Nate Diaz (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Aaron Riley (155) vs. Tony Ferguson (155)
Tim Boetsch (186) vs. Nick Ring (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Junior Assuncao (145) vs. Eddie Yagin (145)
Cole Escovedo (135) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (135)
Ricardo Romero (205) vs. James Te Huna (205)

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Player gets last laugh after racist gesture
? Rashard Lewis says NBA owners should 'do better negotiating'
? Big 12 commissioner out of a job

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-135-weigh-in-Jackson-says-it-s-time-to-end-?urn=mma-wp7190

Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez

MMA Marketplace: Battle of the UFC 135 walkout shirts

Quinton Jackson will try to take the UFC light heavyweight belt from Jon Jones this Saturday in Denver, and we finally have the answer to the most important question. What will they wear to the Octagon?

Both fighters have taken into account the changing seasons, which is kind. Among the four choices for Jackson's walkout goods is this long sleeve shirt by MMA Elite, which wins points for being bright and shiny, but is a tad busy. Jones' Form Athletics sweatshirt is made of nice, warm fleece that's perfect for a fall day. The Jackson shirt is $37.99, while Jones' sweatshirt is $65.

Based solely on sartorial factors, who wins the fight? Jackson, as I'm a sucker for anything shiny. You can see my actual fight picks, as well as the rest of the Yahoo! Sports MMA staff, right here.

***

Win tickets to UFC 135 though Edge Shave Gel and Cagewriter. Click here for more information.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-Marketplace-Battle-of-the-UFC-135-walkout-s?urn=mma-wp7083

Dana White Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz

UFC 135 postfight: Hunt, Jones, Seagal, and Hughes

It was a night that possessed a little bit of everything in Denver at UFC 135.

There was another impressive performance by the young UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, plus he brought some sanity to the world of Steven Seagal. We witnessed what was probably the sad end to Matt Hughes' career, a big upset from a guy who the UFC tried to pay to stay away and stamina issues in the high altitude.

- Jones, and his opponent Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, earned an extra $70,000 for Fight of the Night. Josh Koscheck got the same for Knockout of the Night and Nate Diaz pocketed the extra cash for the Submission of the Night.

- Fighting on just 19 days notice, Koscheck took out Matt Hughes. It was the second straight time Hughes lost via first round KO/TKO. His 38th birthday is less than three weeks away and he's got nothing left to prove. Hughes has plenty of money and will always be taken care of by Dana White and the UFC. White thinks it's just a matter of time before the former welterweight king officially says he's done.

"I think he's going to retire. I just don't think Hughes wants to use the word retire," White said during the UFC 135 press conference. "I just talked to him out in the hallway and he's going to fly out to Las Vegas (home of UFC's corporate offices) in the next month or so, and sit down and talk. I'm pretty sure he's going to hang it up."

- Steven Seagal has become a strange character around these big UFC events.

He worked a bit with Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida before they scored big knockout victories earlier this year. Following those wins, the 59-year-old Seagal surprisingly claimed he taught the fighters their slick finishing moves. Silva and Machida were gracious and let the old guy soak in some attention.

Jones, another fighter who can produce those highlight reel finishes, took a different approach with Seagal. He spoke to the 7th-dan degree black belt in Aikido, who asked if he could come visit Jones in the locker room on fight night.

"I didn't think that would be a good idea. My training staff works very hard on me and I'm their prodigy. I wouldn't want to disrespect them by welcoming in someone's else master into our room, our house, our family," explained Jones.

- White made it point to mention that he brought Mark Hunt to press conference. With his upset win over Ben Rothwell, the New Zealander has now won two straight with the UFC.

Hunt's story is pretty cool. The UFC owed Hunt fights because he was carryover from the PRIDE deal in 2008. The promotion offered to pay Hunt, who was just 5-6 at the time, to stay home. Hunt insisted he wouldn't take the money unless he fought for it.

"I give him all the respect and credit in the world," White said. "I'm glad that he opted to come over here and fight, and I'm proud that he fought in the UFC."

Hunt fought in Japan at 290 pounds. With the help of the American Top Team camp in south Florida, he re-worked his body down into the 260's.

- Quinton Jackson seemed to take the loss in stride.

"It is what it is. I trained really hard. I can't beat myself up," Jackson said. "I'm disappointed because I wanted to make my boxing coach [proud]. I wanted to be his first world champion. Other than that, I'm just happy because I made a lot of money," Jackson said with a big smile.

- Following the victory in the cage, Jones said that Rashad Evans had ruined his moment for a second straight time. Halfway through the presser, Jones was blunt in responding to a question about what he said.

"I don't want to talk about Rashad today," said Jones.

He did open up a bit at the close of the presser when asked about Evans knowing his secrets because they trained together.

"I will say this about Rashad, he does not have my number. He's not even close to having my number. Me and Rashad, we sparred a few times and every time we sparred, I know what could've happened," Jones said. "He talks about one day at practice where he held me down and he lives that day in his head every day. So, we'll see."

- White snapped back when told about rumors that Jones and Evans could meet as early as Dec. 10 in the main event of UFC 140 in Toronto. He said there's no way that's happening, but promised to deliver a great main event.

- Nate Diaz spoke repeatedly about fighting Takanori Gomi in a controlled manner. He didn't want to get caught by the Japanese knockout artist. White raved about Diaz's performance, but laughed at the assertion that the fighter fought conservatively.

"If that was playing it safe, I can't wait until he goes crazy," joked White. "He punched from the minute the belt rang until the end when he finished it. He was in his face, stalked him and put it to him."

- White raved about the Denver crowd inside the Pepsi Center saying it got so loud his ears actually hurt. He said the promotion will return, but was non-committal on when.

- Speaking of returns, Jackson reiterated his desire to fight in Japan next February when the UFC goes back there for the first time since 2000. White said every guy who used to fight in Japan and just about everyone who's never fought there has asked to be on the card.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-135-postfight-Hunt-Jones-Seagal-and-Hugh?urn=mma-wp7316

Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway

The little guys are taking over! Warren knocked stiff by Vila and Kawajiri dominates in featherweight debut

Can anyone deny that the bantamweight and featherweight divisions have a chance to lead the way for MMA in the very near future?

The best bantamweight in the world is fighting this weekend on free television when Dominick Cruz defends his UFC title against Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Versus 6. Plus "The Ultimate Fighter" debuted last week featuring the smaller fighters for the first time. It looks like Season 14 may produce more legitimate UFC fighters than any previous season.

But it's not just the UFC that's loaded with intriguing guys at 135 and 145 pounds. This weekend produced several exciting results, including one of the nastiest knockouts of the year.

Bellator's 145-pound champion, Joe Warren is a natural bantamweight and was planning on crushing the field in Bellator's latest 135-pound tournament. Nothing went to plan, as that journey to a second title hit a stone wall in just 64 seconds. Make that some stone fists. Amazingly, the guy who did it is�40 years old.

Alexis Vila, a 1996 Olympic wrestling bronze medalist for Cuba, rocked Warren with a right and then finished him with a left hook that had the American in snooze-mode on his way down. Check out Warren (7-2) as his body is completely locked up on the ground.

Because of his age, who knows what Vila's future holds, but it'll be an interesting story to track. He's made a better life for himself since defecting from Cuba, now living in the Miami area.

At Bellator 51, Vila (10-0) advanced to the Bellator 135-pound semifinals along with Vila, Marcus Galvao, Eduardo Dantas and Ed West. The winner of the tourney gets a shot at Bellator champ Zach Makovsky.

Meanwhile across the Pacific, DREAM kicked off its own bantamweight tourney. Rodolfo Marques, Antonio Banuelos, Bibiano Fernandes and Masakazu Imanari all won in the first round.

The stars of the show were the dominant Japanese lightweights Tatsuya Kawajiri and Shinya Aoki. Both have been just about unbeatable in their home country, but struggled when they came over to the U.S. to take on Gilbert Melendez.

After his loss to Melendez, Aoki's bounced back with six straight wins, but Kawajiri decided it was time to drop a weight class.

The thickly muscled 33-year-old shed some bulk to face Joachim Hansen. There were no negative signs of the weight cut and "The Crusher" looked incredibly strong at featherweight rolling to a third round submission win via arm-triangle choke. Hansen's a smallish 145 pounder, so we won't go crazy over the victory, but the potential is there for Kawajiri to be a real player at featherweight.

Aoki took on former WEC champion Rob McCullough. The outcome was predictable with the submission master catching the American in a neck crank at the end of the first round (11:15 mark).

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/The-little-guys-are-taking-over-Warren-knocked-?urn=mma-wp7402

Martin Kampmann Matt Hamill MMA Fighting Brock Lesnar

Junior dos Santos Looking to Exploit Shane Carwin's Lack of Cardio at UFC 131 - UFC 131

Junior dos Santos Looking to Exploit Shane Carwin's Lack of Cardio at UFC 131 Video by UFC 131

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-131/junior-dos-santos-looking-to-exploit-shane-carwins-lack-of-cardio-at-ufc-131-video_79c418aed.html

John Hathaway Mike Pyle Travis Browne Randy Couture

UFC on Versus 6: Demetrious Johnson Talks Dominick Cruz and Being the Underdog

UFC on Versus 6 will feature a bantamweight title fight between champion Dominick Cruz and challenger Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. The fight is no doubt the biggest and most important of Johnson's career...or at least that's what most would think.

However, for Johnson, nothing is further from the truth. "I’m looking at it as any other fight," Johnson said at the UFC on Versus 6 media call that BleacherReport.com was present for.

"It’s a great opportunity that the UFC has given to me and I’m going to try and take full advantage of the opportunity," he said.

Johnson then offered an insightful reason as to why he's not making a big deal mentally about the fight, saying, "There’s two outcomes. Dominick Cruz can outright destroy me…and I lose a title fight and go back to the gym and get ready for the next fight and keep on going or I go out there and put on a fantastic show and go back home and enjoy my life and go back to the gym and get ready for the next fight.

"So either way, it is what it is…I just gotta go out there and be the best Mighty Mouse on October 1 and just go out there and perform and see what happens."

This nonchalant attitude does not mean that Johnson isn't taking the champion Cruz seriously. "I've made a lot of adjustments in my style in training and preparing for Dominick," he said. In fact, "Mighty Mouse" has even enlisted the help of an aptly nicknamed training partner to help him.

"Everyone goes 'Man it’s so hard to prepare for somebody like Dominick,'" Johnson said. "One of my coaches who teaches me all my footwork and the style I do, I’ve been sparring him and he has watched like 15 hours of footage of Dominick and we call him the 'Black Dominick' in the gym because when I come in he’ll start imitating Dominick and I’ll spar him."

While this seems rigorous and difficult, training has been easier than ever Johnson since he stopped fighting while holding a full-time job in construction.

"I was working 40 hours a week; I barely got any rest," he remembered. "I’d get off of work at three, be at the gym at like four o’clock, work out till like 6:30 and then wake up and do it all over again."

Johnson continued on, saying "I’d get home on Sunday it wasn’t like 'Whoo let’s party come on!' it was like 'I gotta get up and go to work the next morning at six o’clock.' When I broke my leg against Miguel Torres, I was at work that Monday."

Despite the fact that Johnson can finally devote his full heart and soul to a proper training camp, he is still an underdog but to him, it's nothing new. "Every fight I’ve come into I’ve been the underdog and it doesn’t bother me at all. I plan on going there and putting on a great fight for the UFC and for the fans. I’m looking forward to getting in there with Dominick and showing the world what I got."

Perhaps what keeps Johnson so humble are his training partners that push him and test him daily.

"All the guys I train with are bigger than me and they’re better than me," he said. "I’m always fighting for my life when I’m training. I’m not in there running those guys into the ground, they’re running me into the ground and I have to pick myself and be like 'Alright, let’s do it again, show me what you got.'"

The whole process of becoming a full-time fighter, fighting for a title and training with world-class training partners hasn't spoiled Johnson, who is just happy to be where he is. "I’m just grateful to be a full-time fighter...I’m going to go out there and try to make a name for myself and just stick it to ‘em." He'll have his chance on October 1.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/866799-ufc-on-versus-6-demetrious-johnson-talks-dominick-cruz-and-being-the-underdog

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