Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Blueprint: Silva vs. Stann

UFC on FUEL TV 8 - Silva vs. Stann Wanderlei Silva will someday be remembered as one of the best fighters in the history of the sport. Fans who have only seen him compete in the UFC will never quite appreciate how truly great this guy once was.

Here is a little taste:

•    22 total wins
•    20 consecutive fights without a loss
•    18 consecutive wins
•    15 knockouts in PRIDE
•    4 successful defenses of the PRIDE 205-pound championship
•    First man to win both a Grand Prix and a championship belt in PRIDE

Each of those is a PRIDE Fighting Championships record that will never be broken because the Japanese promotion was shut down several years ago.

Silva is no longer the same guy who once ruled the Land of the Rising Sun as “The Axe Murderer.” At 36 years old and with tons and tons of fistic miles on his back, he is nearing the end of his illustrious career. We know that because he has dropped seven of his last 10 bouts.

Yet, he remains a seriously dangerous opponent. Just ask Cung Le. Silva savagely knocked him out two fights ago, and in his last bout against Rich Franklin last June, he nearly knocked Franklin out before losing a decision. Another win like the one against Le and Silva will likely continue competing. If he loses his second fight in a row, I have a feeling that the curtain will come down on one of the most exciting careers in the history of the sport.

Brian Stann, by contrast, is still trying to figure out whether there is more upside in a career that hasn’t quite reached the upper echelon of the sport. He is one of the best middleweights in the world as well as a former WEC light heavyweight champion returning to 205 pounds for this bout. He has a nice list of conquered opponents. But he hasn’t yet scored that one marquee win that has either earned him a title shot or cemented him as a headlining attraction.

Stann is 6-4 in his last 10. Like Silva, he is coming off a loss. But unlike Silva, he is only a win or two away from putting himself back in the title picture. A loss to Silva would basically eliminate him from title contention for the foreseeable future.

Yes sir, there is a lot on the line on Saturday night.

The one advantage that Stann has in this fight is he knows exactly how Silva will approach the bout. The legend only knows how to fight one way—berserker style.

Silva stalks the vast majority of the time. Every now and then, he will circle and retreat as he tries to bait an opponent into coming forward. Either way, he has only one goal in mind—violence.

“The Axe Murderer” completely eschews the jab in favor of crazy, winging hooks solely designed to bring the fight to an instant end. He throws those shots in bunches. Actually, a better description would be whirling dervish. Both arms move as fast and as powerfully as he can move them in search of a knockout. He only stops throwing when his foe is out of reach.

If he can work all the way to the inside, he refocuses his efforts on securing a Thai plumb. Equally aggressive knees are sure to follow, once the plumb is in place. And those knees are just as devastating—probably more so, actually—than his fists.

Rinse. Repeat.

That style is perfectly suited for a standup bomber who likes to throw shots right down the middle. The shortest path between any two points is a straight line. When Silva wings those wild hooks, Stann can counter right down the middle, and his shot should either land simultaneously or first.

A decade ago, that wouldn’t have mattered because Silva’s chin and the speed with which he threw his shots overwhelmed opponents, even those with the cleanest standup technique. Today, firing down the middle with fast, straight punches is a big key to controlling Silva.

Of course, putting him on his back is another great way to neutralize the former champ. Stann doesn’t have the strongest wrestling in the division, but he is a much bigger, stronger man than the Brazilian. He may be able to drag him down, if he can survive an onslaught of knees from the clinch.

My guess is that Stann will seek to throw hands with Silva early, though takedowns will always be on his mind.

When throwing hands, Stann needs to be very careful not to retreat straight back. Silva’s winging hooks are very effective against guys who pull back with their chin up. Just ask Michael Bisping.

Stann has an exceptional chin. It is unlikely that a single punch thrown in isolation will render him unconscious, unless he simply doesn’t see it coming. With that said, all chins are breakable for a guy like Silva. Two or three shots on the button are certainly enough for him to turn out the lights on Stann or anyone else, even at this stage of his career.

Thus, I expect Stann to use lots of footwork to pop in and out of range. He will want to slam and then slide. Hammer and then hiatus. Bludgeon and then bail. Whatever and then whatever. You get the point.

If the fight hits the ground, it will be all about ground and pound for Stann. Silva isn’t going to submit him from his guard. No way. No chance. Stann knows that, so he can be aggressive with his fists and elbows on the ground. All he has to worry about is Silva working back to his feet.

Similarly, if Silva happens to stumble into a takedown of his own, which is highly unlikely, he will exclusively focus on raining punches from the top position. Submissions have never been a focus of his. That won’t change on Saturday night.

Taking all that into account, who is going to win this weekend? This fight has Brian Stann written all over it. He is the younger, fresher, stronger fighter. He also has more recent momentum, despite the fact that he is coming off a loss, just like Silva.

One would be foolish, however, to count out the former champion. He remains extremely dangerous for anyone who wants to stand and trade with him. Cung Le found that out, as mentioned.

Without guaranteeing the outcome, the one thing I feel good about guaranteeing is that this will be an extremely fun fight to watch. Both guys are known for all-action efforts. They are known for thrilling performances.

In fact, Silva is more concerned with thrilling the crowd at this stage in his career than he is maximizing his chances at winning. His last two bouts—and three of his last five—ended in Fight of the Night performances. I would be shocked if Saturday night doesn’t follow suit (or at least win Knockout of the Night).

QUICK FACTS

Brian Stann
•    12-5
•    6’1, 205 lbs
•    74-inch reach
•    32 years old
•    8-3 as a light heavyweight
•    First fight at light heavy since Feb. 6, 2010
•    75.0% of wins by KO/TKO
•    8.3% of wins by submission
•    16.7% of wins by decision
•    First fight against a former UFC/PRIDE champion
•    First-time headlining a UFC event
•    Fight of the Night 2x
•    Current layoff is 162 days
•    Longest layoff of career is 285 days

Wanderlei Silva
•    34-12-1, 1 NC
•    5’11, 205 lbs
•    74-inch reach
•    36 years old
•    First fight at light heavy since Dec. 27, 2008
•    70.6% of wins by KO/TKO
•    8.8% of wins by submission
•    20.6% of wins by decision
•    Fight of the Night 4x (including last 2 bouts)
•    KO of the Night 1x
•    Current layoff is 253 days
•    Longest layoff of career 496 days

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/The-Blueprint-Silva-vs-Stann

Xavier Foupa Pokam Hermes Franca Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye

Spent the day shooting @spideranderson and got some cool shots of him training in his brand new gym…

From My Inst@gram:

0dc5ba1280a611e28fba22000a1fb1a7 71 Spent the day shooting @spideranderson and got some cool shots of him training in his brand new gym...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TracyLee/~3/fVep_oIJMIQ/spent-the-day-shooting-spideranderson-and-got-some-cool-shots-of-him-training-in-his-brand-new-gym-2.html

Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan  Dan The Sandman Christison  Logan The Pink Pounder Clark  Steve The Snake Claveau 

Siyar Bahadurzada: Fired Up for Kim and 2013

UFC welterweight Siyar BahadurzadaAs far as insults go, this one was pretty bad if you ask UFC welterweight Siyar Bahadurzada. So as he prepares for his Saturday meeting with Dong Hyun Kim, the Afghanistan native has turned a business trip into something very personal.

“When the UFC offered him (Kim) the fight, he went out there and said ‘who is Siyar Bahadurzada, I don’t know him. I was expecting that the UFC would give me a better name or a higher profile fighter,’” said Bahadurzada about the roots of this growing feud. “What is he talking about? He says he doesn’t know me? How many guys put Paulo Thiago to sleep? I’m pretty sure when he analyzed his tapes he knew who I was. I think he’s scared of me, and that’s why he said that.”

Needless to say, the 28-year-old is a proud man, one who takes his craft seriously. He looks at mixed martial arts as a fight sport, but also something that has several layers of depth in terms of the ideas of respect, honor, and having a warrior’s spirit. So if you respect him, he will respect you right back. Case in point, Bahadurzada’s UFC debut last April against Brazil’s Paulo Thiago.

“When I fought Paulo Thiago, I knew he was a great fighter and I respected him because he was a warrior,” he said. “He’s a tough guy with a tough mentality, and he’s tough to break. He’s a Special Forces guy and I’ve seen movies of BOPE (the Special Forces unit of the Military Police in Brazil) – they go through a lot of extreme stuff, so I knew he was mentally tough, and I respected him for that as well. So going into that fight, I respected him a lot, and I still respect him for being a warrior. But Dong Hyun Kim, he fought ten fights in the UFC and there are still people asking me ‘hey, are you fighting ‘The Korean Zombie (Chan Sung Jung)?’ I’m not fighting him, I’m fighting the other boring guy. After ten fights in the UFC, there are still people who don’t know who this guy is, and that says something about him being a high-profile UFC fighter and how terrible he is. If I fight ten UFC fights, I will leave my footprints in the history of the UFC.”

Bahadurzada pauses before uttering the obvious.

“I don’t like this guy.”

It’s this passion for the game that has made Siyar “The Great” a popular figure in the Octagon after just one fight in his UFC career. Of course that one fight was a 42 second finish of Thiago that earned him Knockout of the Night honors, but with his statements before, during, and after his debut, along with his 20 previous wins and a current seven fight winning streak, he has the potential to make a lot of noise in the welterweight division in the coming years, even if that growth was stunted after the Thiago fight due to injury.

“2012 was a year with a great start and a bad ending,” said Bahadurzada. “I fought Paulo Thiago, I had a dream debut, having a Knockout of the Night bonus. Then I broke my hand, went to Holland, and nine weeks later my doctor said I had to get surgery and put a pin in my hand. So he had to re-break my hand and put a pin in it. But now my right hand has never been stronger. I just tore my first pair of gloves by hitting the mitts and the bags, and I’m really happy. It’s healing well, it’s stronger than before, and I’ve got surprises for Dong Hyun Kim.”

He also has a new camp, having left his home in the Netherlands to train with the Blackzilians camp in South Florida.

“The training is so good here with the Blackzilians that it didn’t even cross my mind not to move here,” said Bahadurzada. “Being in Holland is great, being among family and friends, but to achieve great things in life and greatness, you have to make big sacrifices. And right now I’m here in South Florida, totally alone and by myself with no distractions. I rest, train, eat, and sleep, that’s it. Sometimes on the weekend I’ll go with Alistair and friends to the beach or play poker at Alistair’s place, but that’s all I do. I’m motivated and I don’t let anything distract my mind. I just have one goal in front of me; I’m determined and I want to achieve my goals.”

That’s not to say it was easy leaving friends and family behind. It was difficult for him to make the move to the States, but as the saying goes, great sacrifices are necessary to achieve great rewards.

“I’m someone who loves family,” he said. “I have a very tight bond with my family, and my friends also. So leaving them behind was the biggest decision of my life so far, and it was a tough decision for me, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. I believe I’m destined for big things. I believe the work I put in and the sacrifices will pay off, and everybody will suffer who stands in the way.”

The first one in the way is South Korea’s Kim, winner of five of his last seven bouts, including victories over TJ Grant, Nate Diaz, and Thiago. He’s a physically strong presence who usually takes control of his foes as soon as he gets his hands on them. Bahadurzada insists that he will not be a pawn in Kim’s game.

“I will make him fight me,” he said. “He will not impose his will on me; that’s not gonna work. I will impose my will on him and I will make him pay for making my sport ugly. We need guys like ‘Showtime’ Pettis to make this sport more beautiful. We need guys like Anderson Silva to introduce this sport to the mainstream. But guys like Dong Hyun Kim, he makes the sport ugly. He stalls and controls people and doesn’t do damage. Why would you do that? It doesn’t make sense. If he fights like that, he will have 30 more UFC fights and he will never get a title shot because people don’t want to see a boring champion.”

If you haven’t noticed by now, Bahadurzada means business, and it’s probably a safe bet to say that if he does reach the top of the 170-pound division, he certainly won’t be boring. That quest to take the next step in his career now begins in earnest.

“2012 was a great start of turning heads and having people say ‘hey, who is this guy?’” he said. “In 2013 I will establish my name in the UFC and I will get close to a UFC belt. I don’t want to take the easy way to the belt. I know what I can do and I know what I want, and I want it the hard way. I want to win the respect of everyone. I want to fight the best wrestlers, I want to fight the best grapplers, and I want to fight the best strikers. And when I’m the champion, I want to be the kind of champion that everybody’s like ‘you know what, I’ll just wait until this guy retires and I’ll fight the other champion.’ I want to be a champion that nobody dares challenge, the most vicious UFC champion that’s ever been.”

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Siyar-Bahadurzada-Fired-Up-for-Kim-and-2013

Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher Jon Fitch Kenny Florian Jesse Forbes

Jan. 11 tapped for 2012 World MMA Awards ceremony in Las Vegas, tickets on sale

The winners of the 2012 World MMA Awards will be unveiled at a Jan. 11 ceremony in Las Vegas. 

The awards ceremony, which is the fifth one that Fighters Only has organized, takes place at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. 

The awards feature 21 fan-voted categories, and Strikeforce/UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is nominated in a record four, including the prestigious Charles "Mask" Lewis Fighter of the Year.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/GnYR9DeJvGo/jan-11-tapped-for-2012-world-mma-awards-ceremony-in-las-vegas-tickets-on-sale.mma

Hermes Franca Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund

Demetrious Johnson injured, Flyweight Title bout with John Moraga at TUF 17 Finale off [UPDATED]

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The next UFC Flyweight Championship bout is in danger of not taking place this April at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale event, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.

Per the report, NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer said he's been informed by UFC officials that the fight between Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and John Moraga may not take place as planned on the April 13 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

However, while the fight may not be taking place, there's no word on exactly why that is, and neither the UFC nor Johnson gave any comment on the matter. For now, the bout is still scheduled, but an injury or something else may not allow the bout to happen.

Penick's Analysis: It's not yet a definitive "this fight is off" statement, but it's likely an injury has been suffered by one of the competitors, and they may be awaiting word on its severity. For now there's no use speculating, but it would be unfortunate for that TUF Finale card if the fight isn't taking place.

Update: The bout is now officially off, as it was reported on UFC Tonight on Fuel TV Tuesday night that Johnson has suffered an injury, taking him out of the fight.

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_16066.shtml

Dave Gomez Keith Hackney Matt Hamill Volk Han Joachim Hansen

Diego Sanchez hints at possible UFC on FUEL TV 8 bout with Takanori Gomi

Diego Sanchez may soon have his first fight in more than a year.

The UFC veteran today tweeted that he may fight fellow lightweight Takanori Gomi at UFC on FUEL TV 8 in Japan, assuming the Japanese fighter takes the bout.

UFC on FUEL TV 8 takes place March 3 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Following Facebook prelims, the night's main card airs on FUEL TV.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/DvODt6Cmv3c/diego-sanchez-hints-at-possible-ufc-on-fuel-tv-8-bout-with-takanori-gomi.mma

Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber Wagnney Fabiano

Ex-UFC fighter Dennis Hallman says house burned down prior to Thanksgiving

Former UFC fighter Dennis Hallman is undoubtedly on an unlucky streak.

Weeks after the UFC released him from the promotion, the veteran fighter today said via social media that his house burned down on the night before Thanksgiving.

Hallman said no one, including his kids, was injured during the blaze.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/hlLz19nrSsE/ex-ufc-fighter-dennis-hallman-says-house-burned-down-prior-to-thanksgiving.mma

Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio  Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo 

PENICK: Putting Ronda Rousey's UFC 157 Pay-Per-View Performance Into Perspective

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

With early estimates for Saturday's UFC 157 pay-per-view event coming in around 450,000 buys - and other reports suggesting it could wind up even higher - it's worth taking a look at where she stands amongst the UFC's pay-per-view draws after one event. UFC President Dana White said before the event that she was getting the most media they've ever gotten for a fight, basing it on the numerous outlets who covered her in the lead up to the first women's bout in UFC history. However, that didn't translate to her being one of the top pay-per-view stars in the company.

That's not a slight against Rousey, either, because she still managed some historic numbers. They weren't UFC records, but they put her in her own league in a certain subset of the UFC. But before we get there, let's take a look at the UFC's numbers (WEC 48 included for this analysis as well) on pay-per-view since 2006 (all pay-per-view numbers via the MMAPayout.com Blue Book):

UFC 100 Lesnar v. Mir 1600000
UFC 116 Lesnar vs. Carwin 1060000
UFC 66 Liddell v. Ortiz II 1050000
UFC 91 Lesnar v. Couture 1010000
UFC 92 Griffin v. Evans 1000000
UFC 114 Evans vs. Jackson 1000000
UFC 148 Silva vs. Sonnen II 925000
UFC 94 GSP v. Penn II 920000
UFC 121 Lesnar vs. Velasquez 900000
UFC 101 Penn v. Florian 850000
UFC 129 GSP vs. Shields 800000
UFC 124 GSP vs. Koscheck 785000
UFC 61 Ortiz v. Shamrock 775000
UFC 111 GSP vs. Hardy 770000
UFC 126 Silva vs. Belfort 725000
UFC 145 Jones vs. Evans 700000
UFC 154 GSP vs. Condit 700000
UFC 71 Liddell v. Jackson II 675000
UFC 79 GSP v. Hughes III 650000
UFC 97 Silva v. Leites 650000
UFC 98 Evans v. Machida 635000
UFC 87 GSP / Lesnar 625000
UFC 60 Hughes v. Gracie 620000
UFC 107 Penn v. Sanchez 620000
UFC 81 Sylvia/Nog, 600000
UFC 117 Silva vs. Sonnen 600000
UFC 155 JDS vs. Velasquez II 590000
UFC 146 Dos Santos vs. Mir 560000
UFC 68 Sylvia v. Couture 540000
UFC 86 Griffin v. Jackson 540000
UFC 118 Edgar vs. Penn 2 535000
UFC 141 Lesnar vs. Overeem 535000
UFC 83 GSP v. Serra 530000
UFC 115 Liddell vs. Franklin 525000
UFC 74 Couture v. Gonzaga 520000
UFC 113 Machida vs. Rua 520000
UFC 135 Jones vs. Rampage 520000
UFC 62 Liddell v. Sobral 500000
UFC 65 Hughes v. GSP II 500000
UFC 104 Machida v. Rua 500000
UFC 112 Silva vs. Maia 500000
UFC 123 Jackson vs. Machida 500000
UFC 128 Shogun vs. Jones 490000
UFC 88 Liddell v. Evans 480000
UFC 140 Jones vs. Machida 480000
UFC 76 Liddel v. Jardine 475000
UFC 84 Ortiz v. Machida 475000
UFC 152 Jones vs. Belfort 450000
UFC 157 Rousey vs Carmouche 450000
UFC 102 Couture v. Nogueira 435000
UFC 59 Ortiz v. Griffin 425000
UFC 73 Ortiz v. Evans 425000
UFC 153 Silva vs. Bonnar 410000
UFC 57 Couture v. Liddell III 400000
UFC 63 Hughes v. Penn 400000
UFC 67 Silva v. Lutter 400000
UFC 69 GSP v. Serra 400000
UFC 143 Condit vs. Diaz 400000
UFC 103 Franklin v. Belfort 375000
UFC 106 Ortiz v. Griffin II 375000
UFC 99 Franklin v. Silva 360000
UFC 93 Franklin v. Hendo 350000
UFC 96 Jackson v. Jardine 350000
UFC 134 Silva vs. Okami 335000
UFC 131 JDS vs. Carwin 330000
UFC 156 Aldo vs Edgar 330000
UFC 77 Franklin v. Silva II 325000
UFC 78 Evans v. Bisbing 325000
UFC 82 Silva v. Henderson 325000
UFC 130 Rampage vs. Hamill 325000
UFC 144 Edgar vs. Henderson 325000
UFC 132 Cruz vs. Faber 320000
UFC 133 Evans vs. Ortiz 310000
UFC 58 Franklin v. Loiseau 300000
UFC 64 Franklin v. Silva 300000
UFC 90 Silva v. Cote 300000
UFC 108 Evans vs. Silva 300000
UFC 119 Mir vs. Cro Cop 295000
UFC 139 Henderson vs. Rua 290000
UFC 137 Penn vs. Diaz 280000
UFC 109 Couture vs. Coleman 275000
UFC 125 Edgar vs. Maynard II 260000
UFC 127 Penn vs. Fitch 260000
UFC 110 Nog v. Velasquez 240000
UFC 149 Faber vs. Barao 230000
UFC 80 Penn v. Stevenson 225000
UFC 136 Edgar vs. Maynard III 225000
UFC 85 Hughes v. Alves 215000
UFC 142 Aldo vs Mendes 215000
UFC 72 Franklin v. Okami 200000
UFC 150 Henderson v. Edgar II190000
WEC 48 Aldo vs. Faber 175000
UFC 147 Silva vs. Franklin II 140000


That puts UFC 157 and Rousey firmly in the middle of the pack. That in and of itself is a very big deal, but as far as the very best draws in the UFC on pay-per-view, Rousey's got work to do. Here are the top UFC draws on pay-per-view since 2006 (includes events where fighter served as main event or featured co-main event, rounded to the nearest hundred):

Brock Lesnar

Average: 904,300
High: 1,600,000 (UFC 100)
Low: 535,000 (UFC 141)

Georges St-Pierre

Average: 752,700
High: 1,600,000 (UFC 100 co-main)
Low: 400,000 (UFC 69)

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Average: 593,300
High: 1,000,000 (UFC 114)
Low: 325,000 (UFC 130)

Chuck Liddell

Average: 586,400
High: 1,050,000 (UFC 66)
Low: 400,000 (UFC 57)

Rashad Evans

Average: 575,000
High: 1,000,000 (UFC 114)
Low: 300,000 (UFC 108)

Tito Ortiz

Average: 547,900
High: 1,050,000 (UFC 66)
Low: 310,000 (UFC 133)

Jon Jones

Average: 528,000
High: 700,000 (UFC 145)
Low: 450,000 (UFC 152)

B.J. Penn

Average: 506,500
High: 920,000 (UFC 94)
Low: 225,000 (UFC 80)

Anderson Silva

Average: 500,400
High: 925,000 (UFC 148)
Low: 300,000 (UFC 90)


Turning back to Rousey for a minute here. It's clear that 450,000 is a significant number. It's her first ever pay-per-view headlining slot, and she drew a larger number than many of these big names have on their worst days. But it's not necessarily fair to compare her numbers to the historically top draws in the sport, because fans have always come out in bigger numbers for the bigger weight classes. Where Rousey's numbers really stand out are in comparison to the lighter weight classes, those at 155 lbs. and below.

The outlier there is B.J. Penn, who has been a solid to excellent draw for a long time. His overall average as a headliner - which includes his run as a welterweight - is 506,500 buys, but in his run as UFC Lightweight Champion, he averaged even better at 534,100 buys. But outside of Penn, no one in the lightweight division or below has come close to the numbers that Rousey drew last weekend.

Here are the numbers for every pay-per-view event headlined by a Championship bout in the Lightweight, Featherweight, or Bantamweight divisions (without B.J. Penn):

UFC 156 Aldo vs. Edgar 330,000
UFC 144 Edgar vs. Henderson 325,000
UFC 132 Cruz vs. Faber 320,000
UFC 125 Edgar vs. Maynard 2 260,000
UFC 149 Faber vs. Barao 230,000
UFC 136 Edgar vs. Maynard 3 225,000
UFC 142 Aldo vs. Mendes 215,000
UFC 150 Bendo vs. Edgar 2 190,000
WEC 48 Aldo vs. Faber 175,000

That works out to an average of just over 252,000 buys per event. Rousey bested that by 200,000 buys, and possibly more when more numbers come in. But it's more than that, as Rousey out-drew the best non-B.J. Penn fights in these lower weight classes by over 100,000 buys.

All of this is significant - if she can follow it up. As you can see with all of these fighters, these buys can fluctuate from event to event, depending on the fighter, the opponent, and any other number of factors, but given Rousey was the draw in this fight, and Carmouche was just another name for all intents and purposes coming in, this is a very encouraging start.

Now, the UFC could have helped themselves more by putting that fight on free TV first, and having a massive audience tune in to see her fight like that for free. It could have made her eventual pay-per-view comparable to those top draws. But that's not the route they took, and they'll have to see if they can keep those who bought this event interested in Rousey's next fight, and the next fight after that as well.

With that said, this first event is absolutely a success; and though Rousey's allegedly unprecedented mainstream media attention didn't translate into record numbers for the UFC, her performance in comparison to her counterparts at 155 and below is a clear sign of her star power. At the very least, it shows the UFC's ability to pique the curiosity of fans for this first fight more than any of their other up and coming weight classes.


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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/penickstake/article_16076.shtml

Murilo Bustamante  Grant Campbell  Gesias JZ Calvancante  Luiz Cane  Dos Caras Jr  

Dennis Bermudez vs Matt Grice

Dennis Bermudez vs Matt Grice. Fight of the YEAR.

That is all.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80170-Dennis-Bermudez-vs-Matt-Grice&goto=newpost

Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping 

APP USER - NEW IPHONE/IPAD UPDATE as of 2/23 - Please Update

MMATorch App users, please update to our latest version of our free app. Just click on the App Store on your device and click update.

Also, Android users, our Android App was updated last week so if you haven't yet, be sure that it updated automatically or manually.

Keep spreading the word on social media about MMATorch.

And as always, when you're on your laptop or at your computer, be sure to visit us on the web, too, at www.mmatorch.com.

Thanks!

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/vipfeaturealert/article_16033.shtml

Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko

MMA Tete-A-Tete: Nate and Eugene on Matt Riddle, pot vs TRT, and UFC Silva vs. Stann

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/2/27/4036210/ufc-silva-vs-stann-mma-tete-a-tete-eugene-matt-riddle-pot-vs-trt

Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein

UFC adds Sarah Kaufman, Julie Kedzie, Amanda Nunes, and Germaine de Randamie to women's roster

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC recently added four more fighters to their women's bantamweight division, as UFC President Dana White revealed on Friday that their current roster is now up to ten.

Alongside Champ Ronda Rousey, and the challenger she dispatched at UFC 157 on Saturday night Liz Carmouche, the women's division was bolstered recently with the addition of Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, Alexis Davis, and Sara McMann. Now, four more are officially under contract.

White revealed to Fox Sports' AJ Perez that Sarah Kaufman, Julie Kedzie, Amanda Nunes, and Germaine de Randamie are now all under contract with the UFC.

Kaufman, the former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion, will fight for Invicta FC in April against Leslie Smith in an attempt to bounce back from her loss to Rousey last summer. She'll then make her UFC debut sometime later this year.

Kedzie enters the UFC on a two fight losing streak in Strikeforce, but she was in an exciting fight with Miesha Tate in her last bout in August of 2012.

Nunes is 2-2 in her last four fights, alternating wins and losses in both Strikeforce and Invicta. In her most recent bout, she dropped a decision to Sarah D'Alelio at Invicta FC 4 in January.

Finally, de Randamie will enter the UFC with the least MMA experience amongst those coming to the UFC. However, the former kickboxer has plenty of fight experience, having entered MMA with an undefeated 37-0 kickboxing record. She's won three of her five MMA fights, including a win over Hiroko Yamanaka in her last bout in August of 2012.

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_16051.shtml

Patrick The Predator Côté  Randy The Natural Couture  Dan Cramer Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Sunday Junkie: Nov. 25 edition

Even if the Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre super fight never happens, it sure has given fans plenty to talk about.

This week, The Sunday Junkie got reams of entries on the potential fight between the UFC's middleweight and welterweight champs, which could be in the works after St-Pierre's win over Carlos Condit at UFC 154.

But this week's Canadian winner, "A-shock," from London, Ontario, has some interesting ideas on how to infuse new life into the UFC's reality series, "The Ultimate Fighter."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/QmshJdmNpwo/the-sunday-junkie-nov-25-edition.mma

Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao  Josh Barnett  David Baron  Phil Baroni

Dana White plans to attend Strikeforce show, disappointed with turn of events

Dana White never has been one to mince words.

In recent months, when it comes to Strikeforce, the Zuffa president has forced himself to be mum on the topic of the UFC's sibling promotion. "I don't have anything to do with them" was a common response when reporters wanted to get his take on Strikeforce.

White recently, though, admitted he's disappointed with how things have turned out for the promotion.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/YAMogZRYgEI/dana-white-plans-to-attend-strikeforce-show-disappointed-with-turn-of-events.mma

Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie Ralek Gracie

Fight Path: Flyweight prospect Jake Rosenbaum aided by Indiana's big-show vets

When a staph infection recently caused an ensuing skin infection for Jake Rosenbaum, it wasn't hard to spot.

"Big and nasty looking," Rosenbaum told MMAjunkie.com.

The remedy was also unpleasant. The infection was near his belt line, and doctors produced what appeared to Rosenbaum to be a needle about the size of a bazooka. Even more, the mixed martial artist from northwest Indiana is scared of needles.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/kYLJdjad7RE/fight-path-flyweight-prospect-jake-rosenbaum-aided-by-indianas-big-show-vets.mma

Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng David Heath Delson Heleno Dan Henderson

Middleweight champ Luke Rockhold out of Jan. 12 Strikeforce event

For an event entitled "Champions," Strikeforce's Jan. 12 event is apparently running out of them very quickly.

According to a report by The MMA Corner, Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has suffered a wrist injury and has been forced to withdraw from the card.

Strikeforce and Showtime officials were unavailable for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie.com, and executives from both companies have yet to make an official announcement. However, sources close to the bout have indicated Rockhold is indeed a scratch.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/0aVJIXoMQtc/report-middleweight-champ-luke-rockhold-out-of-jan-12-strikeforce-event.mma

Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie Royler Gracie

Congrats to The Fire for his RNC win on TUF 17

Good job Dan.... and to think that some people doubted you


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Fuck Bubba!

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War Fireman Dan!!


Attached Images

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80151-Congrats-to-The-Fire-for-his-RNC-win-on-TUF-17&goto=newpost

Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar Lorenzo Borgomeo  Kyle Bradley  Jai Bradney 

Jon Fitch among 16 fighters released from UFC

http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/2/20...ufc-on-tuesday

Former welterweight contender Jon Fitch was among the 16 UFC fighters who were released from the promotion on Tuesday.

UFC president Dana White also confirmed with MMAFighting.com that the following fighters were also let go: Wagner Prado, Mike Russow, Jacob Volkmann, Vladimir Matyushenko, Che Mills, Jay Hieron, Terry Etim, Paul Sass, Jorge Santiago, Mike Stumpf, Simeon Thoresen, C.J. Keith, Motonobu Tezuka, Josh Grispi and Ulysses Gomez.

Each fighter was coming off at least one loss in his most recent fight.

Jon Fitch (Overall record: 24-5-1, 1 no-contest; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Demian Maia at UFC 156; 1-2-1 in last four UFC fights)

Wagner Prado (Overall record: 8-2-1, 1 no-contest; Last fight: Submitted by Ildemar Alcantara at UFC on FX 6; 0-2 with 1 no-contest in last three UFC fights)

Mike Russow (Overall record: 15-3, 1 no-contest; Last fight: TKO loss by Shawn Jordan at UFC on FOX 6; 0-2 in last two UFC fights)

Jacob Volkmann (Overall record: 15-4; Last fight: Submitted by Bobby Green at UFC 156; 1-2 in last three UFC fights)

Vladimir Matyushenko (Overall record: 26-7; Last fight: Submitted by Ryan Bader at UFC on FOX 6; 0-2 in last two UFC fights)

Che Mills (Overall record: 15-6, 1 no-contest; Last fight: Lost split decision to Matthew Riddle at UFC on FUEL TV 7; 1-2 in last three UFC fights)

Jay Hieron (Overall record: 23-7; Last fight: KO loss to Tyron Woodley at UFC 156; 0-2 in last two UFC fights)

Terry Etim (Overall record: 15-5; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Renee Forte at UFC on FUEL 7; 1-3 in last four UFC fights)

Paul Sass (Overall record: 13-2; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Danny Castillo at UFC on FUEL 7; 0-2 in last two UFC fights)

Jorge Santiago (Overall record: 25-11; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Gunnar Nelson at UFC on FUEL TV 7; 0-3 in his last three UFC fights)

Mike Stumpf (Overall record: 11-4; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Pascal Krauss at UFC on FOX 6; 0-2 in his last two UFC fights)

Simeon Thoresen (Overall record: 17-4; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to David Mithcell at UFC on FOX 6; 0-2 in his last two UFC fights)

C.J. Keith (Overall record: 8-2; Last fight: Submitted by Francisco Trinaldo at UFC on FX 7; 0-2 in his last two UFC fights)

Motonobu Tezuka (Overall record: 19-6; Last fight: Unanimous decsion loss to Vaughan Lee at UFC on FUEL TV 7; 0-2 in his last two UFC fights)

Josh Grispi (Overall record: 14-5; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Andy Ogle at UFC on FUEL TV 7; 0-4 in his last four UFC fights)

Ulysses Gomez (Overall record: 9-4; Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Phil Harris at UFC on FUEL TV 7; 0-2 in his last two UFC fights)

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80144-Jon-Fitch-among-16-fighters-released-from-UFC&goto=newpost

Dan The Sandman Christison  Logan The Pink Pounder Clark  Steve The Snake Claveau  Rich No Love Clementi  Mark The Hammer Coleman

Caros Fodor: The Next to Wave the Strikeforce Flag

UFC lightweight Caros FodorAs a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served in the Iraq War in 2003, Caros Fodor is well-equipped for whatever curveballs life throws his way. But when his September 2012 Strikeforce bout with Josh Thomson was scrapped, he was momentarily tossed into a limbo that he had never encountered before.

“It was so crazy,” said Fodor. “When they canceled the Josh fight, I was leaving to get on the plane the next day, so it was unbelievable. In my mind it wasn’t even possible for that to happen, so that was just a huge drain. And morale wise it sucked because the whole camp was over with and I had dieted and everything.”

The Thomson fight was a big one for the Washington state native. He was coming off just the second loss of his pro career against top contender Pat Healy six months earlier, and a win over a former Strikeforce champ in Thomson would be the perfect way to get back on track. It wasn’t meant to be though, and to add to Fodor’s woes, Strikeforce’s days were soon to be numbered, so an instant call over to the UFC in 2013 wasn’t a given for a prospect coming off a loss.

“I was hoping (for the UFC call),” said Fodor. “I was a little worried though, because I was coming off a loss and the fact that the 155 division in the UFC is pretty stacked. So I wasn’t sure if they were even interested in taking anymore guys.”

They were, and he was one of the fighters the UFC was interested in, so just before the end of the year, his phone rang with an invite to the UFC and a February 23rd fight with Sam Stout.

“It was the week of New Year’s Eve, so it was a combination,” laughed Fodor when asked if he celebrated or ran right to Matt Hume’s AMC Pankration gym to start training. “I definitely celebrated and then I pulled everything together right after on the first, and I started going harder than ever. I’m in the best shape and everything’s so great right now. It’s awesome.”

The “180 flip” in emotions, as Fodor describes it, ended on a positive note for him, and if you’ve seen his talent grow through his journey up the Strikeforce ranks, it’s not surprising that the UFC brought him into the fold. And if you look at the last three names that were on his fight docket: Healy, Thomson, and Stout, it’s clear that the Zuffa matchmaking team has high hopes that he can deal with high level competition despite having only nine pro fights.

“I think it would just have to be the early success I had with Strikeforce,” he said when asked his thoughts on Zuffa’s willingness to give him big names. “I had a five fight winning streak, and if I hadn’t lost to Healy I was hoping to get a title shot against (Gilbert) Melendez. So I’m thinking they’re probably going off that. Healy did bounce me back in the bracket of things, but I’m hoping that my skill level and that winning streak makes them confident that I won’t go out there and just buckle against these name guys. And these are the type of guys I definitely want to be fighting. I’m not getting any younger, so I want to start trying to make my run and make my mark in the sport, and I need to fight these guys in order to do that.”

You gotta love when 29 year olds claim that they’re not getting any younger, but at the same time, you have to respect Fodor’s desire to test himself against the big names and not simply battle lesser foes and build his record. In Canada’s Stout, Fodor will be giving up plenty of pro and UFC experience, but he’s not about to back down.

“He (Stout) is a real tough guy and a durable guy,” said Fodor, who holds Strikeforce wins over James Terry and Justin Wilcox. “He’s hard to put away. I don’t think he’s been submitted in several years, he’s got a great chin, he takes shots, and he’s gonna be there the entire time. I’m planning for a long, hard fight, but as far as being well-rounded goes, I think I have an advantage in that aspect and have a few more weapons. I’m confident going into the fight, but I’m expecting that he’s gonna be there in the third just as hard as he was in the first. He’s a gamer for sure, and he has way more experience than me, so I don’t want to fall into that trap like I did with Healy.”

Against Healy, Fodor met a seasoned veteran who used all of that experience to control Fodor before submitting him in the third round. It was a tough loss for Fodor to take after such a hot run to start his Strikeforce career, but in preparing for Stout, he now knows what to do when dealing with a fighter that’s nearly impossible to get out of there before the 15 minute time limit is up.

“I think they are very similar except for their two styles,” he said. “Healy’s a grinder and durable on the ground, and Stout’s the same way, but on his feet. So it’s awesome that I’m getting a chance to fight a guy with the style that beat me in the way that they’re in there the whole time. It surprised me and kind of caused my loss last time, so I’m excited to get in there and try to knock this fear out. If I can beat Stout, then I’ll be even more confident for future fights.”

And while he knows that “there’s not gonna be a lot of easy fights, for sure,” that’s the kind of challenge athletes like Caros Fodor crave, and he’ll get his wish beginning Saturday night. Given the events of the last six months it’s probably not the way he envisioned getting into the UFC, but that doesn’t matter now that he’s here. And now he can even wear a UFC shirt around the gym with fellow UFC teammates Demetrious Johnson and Tim Boetsch, right?

“Almost,” he laughs. “I’ve got to actually fight there first.”
 
 

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Caros-Fodor-The-Next-to-Wave-the-Strikeforce-Flag

Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan

Bellator's 'Vote for the Fight' series continues with Daley, Saunders, Lima, War Machine

Bellator's interactive feature allowing fans to pick the first fight on the promotion's Spike TV debut continues with the second episode in an ongoing web series.

The promotion recently announced "Vote for the Fight" during the MTV2 broadcast of Bellator 79.

Bellator events currently air Fridays on MTV2 through the remainder of Season 7, but will move to Spike TV starting in January 2013.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/_EWno4XR2UQ/bellators-vote-for-the-fight-series-continues-with-daley-saunders-lima-war-machine.mma

Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo