Nick Diaz was a no-show at the UFC 137 press conference in Las Vegas - just like he was a no-show at the press conference in Toronto the day before. Dana White decided enough is enough and axed him from the card, giving Carlos Condit the title shot in his place. In this interview with MMA:30's Dave Farra; Dana White talks about the trust lost, why he thinks he'll never heard from Diaz again, and touches on Overreem vs. Lesnar and the UFC's return to Japan. See more videos at MMA30.com
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Dana White talks after UFC 137 "I Will Never Trust Nick Diaz Again" - Dana White
Nick Diaz was a no-show at the UFC 137 press conference in Las Vegas - just like he was a no-show at the press conference in Toronto the day before. Dana White decided enough is enough and axed him from the card, giving Carlos Condit the title shot in his place. In this interview with MMA:30's Dave Farra; Dana White talks about the trust lost, why he thinks he'll never heard from Diaz again, and touches on Overreem vs. Lesnar and the UFC's return to Japan. See more videos at MMA30.com
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Junior Dos Santos: Top 10 Threats to Dos Santos' UFC Heavyweight Title in 2012
UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos will square off with striking juggernaut Alistair Overeem later this year. While the immediacy of the contest ushers Overeem to the precipice of MMA glory, the Dutchman is not the only combatant Dos Santos will have to be wary of in 2012.
The UFC heavyweight division, once thought of as the organization's weakest link, is brimming with an influx of talent lent by 2009's heavyweight edition The Ultimate Fighter, the acquisition of top Strikeforce talent and the development of several young big men.
Though Dos Santos is widely regarded as the best fighter on the globe over 205 pounds, the heavyweight waters contain some seriously hungry sharks. In 2012, Dos Santos will have to look out for these 10 fighters in particular.
Dana White UFC 131 Video Blog Day 2 - UFC
Dana White UFC 131 Video Blog Day 2. Behind the Scenes of the UFC 131 press con. Dana talking to fans about fights coming up and hockey.Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc/dana-white-ufc-131-video-blog-day-2-video_348769b2e.html
Georges St-Pierre focused on Nick Diaz and nothing else
LAS VEGAS -- Think Georges St-Pierre isn't obsessed with Nick Diaz? Consider this: The UFC welterweight champion didn't know who is playing in Sunday's Super Bowl.
When the Montreal native was asked if he'd be rooting for the New England Patriots against the New York Giants during a media availability at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Wednesday, St-Pierre replied "Are the Patriots playing? I don't even know who's in the [game]. I think New York is in it. New York is closer to Montreal, so I hope New York will win."
One would think St-Pierre would have plenty of time to keep up with the rest of the sports world, since he's been on the sidelines in Los Angeles, rehabbing from his December surgery to repair his torn left ACL.
But it's clear he's fixated on Diaz, the one fighter who has proven his ability to get under his skin.
"I can be a little, what do you call it? OCD. Obsessive-compulsive," said St-Pierre.
Diaz, who fights Condit for the interim welterweight title in the main event of UFC 143 on Saturday night, is the current object of GSP's self-described OCD. While St-Pierre has all the respect in the world for Condit, the champion is openly rooting for a rematch with St-Pierre, who he feels has openly disrespected him.
"I'm thinking about him right now, said St-Pierre. "I don't try to think too much about him. I hope he wins the fight Saturday night. I hope he does, I pray he does. Maybe he won't, but I hope he does."
"I want Nick Diaz to win for two reasons," said St-Pierre. "First, it is the fight everyone wants to see, he was the champion of Strikeforce and I was the champion of the UFC. What lights the fire in me is challenges. When I don't have a challenge, I feel dead. Also, a lot of the things he has said, he has questioned me and my integrity. I have never cheated in my life. It is one thing when you something to promote the fight but it is another when you attack someone personally. It is what it is and that's why I have my motivation to fight him.
St-Pierre said he won't be able to train all-out until July, which makes November the earliest target date for an Octagon return when you factor in a full training camp if all goes well. His last fight was his April 30, 2011, win over Jake Shields, so a November return would mean a year and a half away from the cage.
But St-Pierre's laser focus is aimed at Diaz, so the champ shook off questions of Octagon rust and dismissed the notion of taking a tune-up fight before facing Diaz.
"In mixed martial arts, there's no such thing as a tune-up fight. There's not guy out there who I can say, oh, I can take him. Who knows, that guy might kick my ass. There is no such thing as tune-up fights. In boxing, they can have optional title fights. I truly believe it's ridiculous. You're champion, you should fight the main guy."
So GSP has made it clear Diaz is the man he wants to fight, preferably as soon as November.
"I want him to wait for me. I want him to go on vacation and relax a bit and wait for me, because I'll be back soon."
Just don't ask him about the NBA Finals or the World Series between now and then.
Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter.
Phil Davis and 5 of the Freakiest Bodies in MMA
One of the best things about MMA is that you don't need a specific body type in order to succeed in the sport.
Whether you have a belly like Roy Nelson, or you're as jacked as Brock Lesnar, as long as you have skill and heart, you can compete in the sport.
But while most guys who like to to get in a certain shape, others naturally, (or tragically), have a different build.
Some guys are just downright weird to look at based off of how their body is.
Here's a look at a few guys who have some of the weirdest bodies in MMA history.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1057582-phil-davis-and-5-of-the-freakiest-bodies-in-mma
UFC on Fox 2?s Three Stars: Oliveira, Johnson and Evans
The UFC's second foray into network television was not exactly thrilling. Some of the best moments happened during the Fuel broadcast, with the fights on Fox providing less-than-exciting action. Who stood out for you? Here are Cagewriter's Three Stars. Tell us yours in the comment section or on Facebook.
No. 1 star -- Charles Oliveira: In his first fight at featherweight, the Brazilian used a leg submission that caused every MMA writer on press row to say, "What was that?" We settled on a calf slicer, while Oliveira walked away with the Submission of the Night bonus.
No. 2 star -- Lavar Johnson: If you haven't watched Johnson's KO of Joey Beltran, go watch it. We'll wait. OK, now that you've watched him take out Beltran with huge uppercuts, you likely will agree with him taking home the Knockout of the Night bonus.
No. 3 star -- Rashad Evans: Put yourself in Evans' shoes. Though you're the No. 1 contender for the light heavyweight belt, injury and bad luck has forced you out of the actual title bout more than a year. Then, you're told you still have to win another fight to get that title shot. You could sulk about it, or you could use the five rounds provided to beat up and outwrestle Phil Davis. Evans chose the latter.
B/R MMA Official Rankings for February: Top 10 Welterweights in MMA
UFC 143 came to a close this weekend, and just like that ,the welterweight rankings had lost one of its premier competitors.
While most fans and analysts alike feel that Nick Diaz will eventually return to create some havoc on the rest of the welterweight division, due to his announced retirement, we have no choice but to eliminate him from this month’s rankings.
Now that the dust has settled on one of the most important welterweight fights in recent memory, it’s time to take a look and see where top level athletes settle in, and more importantly, it’s time to see whether Georges St-Pierre was able to hold off Carlos Condit and retain his spot atop the division.
These rankings are the combined effort of some of Bleacher Report MMA's best writers, as we continue to try to provide you with the best content on the web.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Carlos Condit just wants to watch his cooking shows
Carlos Condit spends most of his time on MMA. From training rabidly for this weekend's interim welterweight championship bout with Nick Diaz to reviewing tape to conducting media interviews and making sponsor appearances, Condit's life is full of MMA.
When he gets home, he wants to shut MMA out, and indulge in some cooking shows. Condit says he is quite the cook. However, Condit told the Orange Country Register that he married an MMA fan and doesn't have control of the remote.
"Sometimes after a long week of training I don't want to watch a Strikeforce card or whatever UFC Fight Night is on. I've been doing it all week and I don't really want to think about it. She's all about watching every single fight card. She gets what she wants and she wants to watch fight cards. I watch a lot of Food Network," Condit said. "I'm a food junkie."
Happy wife, happy life, Carlos. Watching the fights with your wife is a smart move, even if you are missing the latest "Cupcake Wars."
Watch Lavar Johnson knock out Joey Beltran
If you don't have Fuel TV, you didn't see Lavar Johnson's Knockout of the Night. The first Strikeforce heavyweight to cross over the UFC used crushing uppercuts to take out Joey Beltran.
Johnson's last two bouts were submission losses in Strikeforce: Challengers, but on Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 card, he showed that his striking is ready for the UFC.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/watch-lavar-johnson-knock-joey-beltran-140342502.html
Georges St-Pierre answers questions on Nick Diaz, changing weight classes and a spinning back kick
LAS VEGAS -- Georges St-Pierre has been in the cage with some of the world's most fearsome fighters over the years, from Matt Hughes to B.J. Penn to a whole host of others.
But the most fearsome strike he's seen was one thrown by someone who sits outside the Octagon.
In a Q & A session for UFC Fight Club fans Friday afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, St-Pierre said he's never seen anything like UFC color commentator Joe Rogan's spinning back kick.
Speaking about time spent training at Eddie Bravo's gym, St-Pierre said "Joe Rogan was helping me out with the spinning back kick. Joe Rogan has the best spinning back kick I've ever seen in my life. It's incredible. If he was in a fight, if he hits anyone with the spinning back kick, I don't care who he is, he's going down. I don't care who it is, how big he is, it's amazing."
Mike Goldberg, the Q & A's MC, stepped in at that point and told people to check it out on Youtube, so we did, and it's pretty awesome.� Don't believe us? Watch it yourself.
[ Video: Watch UFC 143 live on Yahoo! ]
Rogan's back kick was just one of many topics covered by St-Pierre -- who incidentally is now the second-longest reigning champion in UFC history, having surpassed Tito Ortiz's light heavyweight title reign -- in a half-hour question and answer session done in front of what seemed to be a majority of Canadian fans:
On his UFC Primetime comment that Nick Diaz is "fake crazy:" "What I believe is, he's a very smart guy. He knows what he's doing. He would not be able to do what he's done in his career if he wasn't smart. I do believe maybe he has some mental issues ... I do not believe he is a bad human being. Truth my eyes, because he has been very disrespectful to me and because maybe we'll fight, he's disrespectful, but to you guys, I'm sure if you saw him and asked him for an autograph he'd give it to you.
What if Carlos Condit beats Diaz on Saturday? "I wouldn't be surprised at all if Carlos Condit wins. I would not be surprised if Carlos spoils the whole thing. If he wins, you know, that means he's the best man, and I want to fight the best man. That means Nick Diaz would be out of a title shot and I want to go against the winner."
On whether Hughes should keep fighting: "Matt Hughes is an amazing fighter. It's just, at one point, I'm just concerned about his motivation, if he still has the fight. I'm concerned about Matt Hughes. Physically, Matt Hughes still has the skills, he can still kick ass. It's just up to him, does it still excite him, does he still have the motivation. I think he still can be one of the top guys."
And of course, there were the usual array of questions about fighting somewhere other then welterweight:
On the oft-discussed superfight with Anderson Silva: "It depends on the outcome on all the fights. Maybe if I beat the winner of Condit-Diaz, there will be another up-and-comer for me to fight, that everyone wants me to fight. Maybe Anderson won't be the champion anymore, maybe I won't be the champion. It depends on the outcome."
From a clearly inebriated fan who asked him if he'd fight at 205: "I do training with bigger guys, but a fight is different than training. If I would go [straight to 205 from 170], it would be the stupidest thing I've ever done. It's like you're asking me who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman."
On going down to 155: "If I go down to 155, Frankie Edgar will kick my butt."
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Plenty of outrage over Diaz-Condit decision, winner defends his approach
Defense is an underrated aspect of mixed martial arts. That's unless you're a judge.
Carlos Condit picked his spots and had Nick Diaz whiffing with his punches for much of the night at UFC 143. His strategy and executed resonated with the judges, who scored it 4-1, 4-1 and 3-2 in favor of the new UFC interim welterweight champ. But Condit's ring generalship didn't go over well with many fans.
Here's sampling of tweets from fights fans who thought Condit simply ran the entire night.
Condit didn't see it that way.
"I was pretty confident that I had won the fight. I landed a lot of effective strikes. I stuck to my gameplan. I did what I went in there to do. I punched him in the face. Kicked him in the face. You know, landed more effective strikes than he did in the fight," Condit said. "That's what it boiled down to. If I sat there and fought Nick Diaz's fight, it'd probably be him sitting here with this belt instead of me."
UFC president Dana White agreed.
"The fans are mad about the way Carlos Condit fought ... too [expletive bad]. You're mad at the way he fought? He went in there and he fought a great fight," White said. "He stuck to his gameplan. Nick Diaz is the master of getting you to fight his fight. [...] Carlos Condit kept his cool tonight. He fought a perfect fight."
Condit said when did Diaz did catch him, the shots were weak.
"They weren't all that effective. For the most part, if he did hit me with anything, it was kind of past the power zone. They didn't have a lot on them," said Condit.
Condit thought his kicks paid dividends later in the fight.
"Chopping his legs and affecting his mobility from the very start was working," Condit said. "You don't see the effects of that until later on in the fight. But he stopped coming forward on me."
As Diaz began to talk trash, Condit also stayed under control. He recalled one funny line when Diaz responded to one of the 10-plus spinning backfists and elbows that Condit threw his way.
"We're throwing spinning [expletive] now?," Condit said repeating what Diaz said in the cage. Condit wasn't about to play Diaz's mind games.
"I planned for that. I knew that I to be mentally prepared as well as physically prepared to face Nick Diaz," Condit said. "That's something I had in my mindset as well as the talking and the taunts and stuff. I just needed to stay focused and execute my gameplan. No matter what he said or no matter how many punches he took from me, I couldn't let my focus stray."
What's next for Condit is anyone's guess. The fighter and promotion were non-committal on when he gets back in the Octagon. The champ Georges St-Pierre is hoping for a November return from ACL surgery. Nine months is a long time for the top of the 170-pound division to stay dormant.
Ed Herman continues win streak with UFC 143 win
LAS VEGAS -- If there was ever any doubt that Ed "Short Fuse" Herman was back, he likely erased them with his victory over Clifford Starks at UFC 143 on Saturday night.
Herman missed all of 2010 after a knee injury. But he won both of his bouts in 2011 and looks ready for a step up in competition in the middleweight division after finishing Starks.
Herman (20-8) absorbed several big right hands from Starks in a first round that was mostly a tight positional battle. But in the second round, "Short Fuse" found his opening, scoring a trip and using textbook positioning to get Starks' back and sink in a rear-naked choke. Starks tried to roll out of it, but Herman tightened his grip and Josh Rosenthal called off the fight at 1:42.
"You know, he was landing some good right hands on me," said Herman. "Luckily, I've got a strong chin. I pulled it off."
Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedoylemma
Rampage Jackson Not Excited With Matt Hamill for UFC 130
by Michael David Smith
After some shuffling around of the upcoming UFC 130 fight card, Rampage Jackson has gone from taking on Thiago Silva in the co-main event to fighting Matt Hamill in the main event. He's not particularly thrilled with the change.
"Thiago Silva is the type of guy I would love to fight because he has great stand up and he comes to fight most of the time, so I was looking forward to fighting a guy like that," Jackson said on The MMA Hour. "Matt Hamill wasn't on my radar at all. I wasn't excited at all. But then again, not a whole lot gets me excited."
Jackson's comments about not being excited for the fight stand in contrast to the comments of Hamill, who said he plans to break Jackson's will. But Jackson says that the difference between their public comments is simple: Hamill needs to convince himself that he can beat Jackson, while Jackson already knows that he can beat Hamill.
After some shuffling around of the upcoming UFC 130 fight card, Rampage Jackson has gone from taking on Thiago Silva in the co-main event to fighting Matt Hamill in the main event. He's not particularly thrilled with the change."Thiago Silva is the type of guy I would love to fight because he has great stand up and he comes to fight most of the time, so I was looking forward to fighting a guy like that," Jackson said on The MMA Hour. "Matt Hamill wasn't on my radar at all. I wasn't excited at all. But then again, not a whole lot gets me excited."
Jackson's comments about not being excited for the fight stand in contrast to the comments of Hamill, who said he plans to break Jackson's will. But Jackson says that the difference between their public comments is simple: Hamill needs to convince himself that he can beat Jackson, while Jackson already knows that he can beat Hamill.
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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/17/rampage-jackson-not-excited-with-matt-hamill-for-ufc-130/
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