davidkhanz05

Friday, March 8, 2013

Goyito Gets Newark Fight

Winner of eight straight fights, Erik "Goyito" Perez has verbally agreed to face "Brutal" Johnny Bedford, who is on a three-fight win streak of his own, April 26 at UFC 159 in Newark, New Jersey.

UFC 159 Adds High-Profile Bouts

updated March 4
Updated: The third-ever women's bantamweight bout will go down at UFC 159 April 27 in Newark, as Olympic medalist Sara McMann faces off against German knockout artist Sheila Gaff.

At featherweight, fan favorites Leonard Garcia and Cody McKenzie have rebooked their bout. The two were originally slated to meet at UFC 155 in December, but McKenzie was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Earlier today: Two Strikeforce light heavyweight standouts have verbally agreed to make their UFC debuts against each other as 12-5 Ovince St. Preux will face 10-3 Gian "GP" Villante at UFC 159 April 27 in Newark, NJ.

Plus, featherweight prospects Jimy Hettes and Steven Siler will square off at the same event.

Heavyweights and Lightweights Added to UFC 159

updated January 31

A heavyweight matchup between Cheick Kongo and Roy "Big Country" Nelson has been booked for UFC 159 on April 27 in Newark, New Jersey, one of three new bouts confirmed today.

Former TUF Live teammates Joe Proctor will face Al Iaquinta in an all-East Coast showdown. Also at lightweight, 9-0 Yancy "Frisson" Medeiros will put his undefeated record on the line against 15-1 suplex king Rustam "Tiger" Khabilov.

Verbal agreements are in for all three matchups.

Bisping, Belcher, Miller Among UFC 159 Adds

updated January 29

Newark's April event is beefing up: The co-main event of UFC 159 will feature a grudge match between two top middleweights looking to get back into the title picture as Alan "The Talent" Belcher takes on Michael "The Count" Bisping.

Coming off of six straight wins, Pat "Bam Bam" Healy will face top ten-ranked lightweight Jim Miller. Miller, who hails from Sparta, New Jersey, is coming off a Fight of the Night-winning victory over Joe Lauzon.

Plus, welterweights James Head and Nick "The Jersey Devil" Catone will collide. Verbal agreements are in for all three bouts.

Davis and Magalhaes Set for April Showdown

updated January 29

After weeks of sparring between the two on Twitter, verbal agreements are in for a light heavyweight showdown between Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Vinny Magalhaes and top ten ranked Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis.

The two will meet at UFC 159 in Newark April 27, on the same card headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, a jiu-jitsu student of Magalhaes.

UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen Tickets on Sale Jan. 23

updated January 14

UFC light heavyweight champion and New Yorker Jon “Bones” Jones returns to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, April 27 to defend his title against controversial and unpredictable star, Chael Sonnen. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that it will be returning to the Garden State this spring for this long awaited grudge match between two of the sport’s most recognizable names.

Jones and Sonnen serve as coaches on this season’s The Ultimate Fighter®, the longest running sports reality show on television.

Tickets for UFC® 159: JONES vs. SONNEN are now on sale. onnen serve as coaches on this

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/UFC-159-fight-card-updates

Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo Luciano Azevedo Ba Te er Ryan Bader

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

Ralek Gracie Renzo Gracie Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie

Women's MMA Report: Invicta FC and Jewels announce 115-pound title fights

Invicta Fighting Championships is set to crown its second champion on Jan. 5 with 115-pounders Claudia "Claudinha" Gadelha vs. Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza.

Additionally, Japan's Jewels promotion will feature a title fight three weeks prior with strawweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Emi "Kamikaze Angel" Fujino.

In our latest Women's MMA Report, MMAjunkie.com's Robert Sargent looks at both cards and discusses other news and notes from the world's top female fighters.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/zd8zEUaBbVw/womens-mma-report-invicta-fc-and-jewels-announce-115-pound-title-fights.mma

Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita

UFC to run twelve 'Fight Night' cards on Fox Sports 1 starting from August through end-of-year

Big news for MMA fans broke today, as Fox Sports executives confirmed that the UFC will hold bi-weekly fight cards on the new Fox Sports 1 channel, which will launch on Saturday, August 17th.

Today Fox is formally announcing their plans for their new sports channels. The launch date for Fox Sports 1 is set for Saturday, August 17th of this year, and MMA fans have been wondering what that would mean for the UFC, who will have their FX and Fuel content shifted to the sports networks. Richard Deitsch, who is at the press conference in New York, reported that the UFC will broadcast 12 live cards on Wednesdays through the end of the year:

Richard Deitsch ✔ @richarddeitsch

Fox Sports One will air 12 UFC "Fight Nights" on Wednesdays from Aug 17 through end of year. Bouts will air from 8PM-11PM.

Not all the details have been sorted out or clarified yet. It should also be pointed out that August 17th (launch date) is a Saturday and not a Wednesday. The 12 fight night cards through the end of the calendar year would be roughly one event per two weeks on FS1.

Deitsch also confirmed that UFC Tonight, currently on Fuel TV, will move to Fox Sports 1 and air on Wednesdays from 7:30-8 PM ET.

Fox Sports 1 is expected to be available in 90 million homes nationwide.

The UFC's deal with Fox has just taken a dramatic turn, and that means a rise in free fight cards starting this summer.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80248-UFC-to-run-twelve-Fight-Night-cards-on-Fox-Sports-1-starting-from-August-through-end-of-year&goto=newpost

Marvin Eastman Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Former WEC announcer Joe Martinez tapped for octagon debut at UFC on FX 6

Former WEC announcer Joe Martinez will soon make his octagon debut.

Martinez recently revealed to Examiner.com that he has been hired for in-cage duties at next month's UFC on FX 6 event, which takes place on Saturday, Dec. 15 in Australia but due to the time difference airs live in the U.S. on Friday night.

Promotion mainstay Bruce Buffer is set for his familiar announcing role that same weekend at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/RQ-GO0r9eIE/former-wec-announcer-joe-martinez-tapped-for-octagon-debut-at-ufc-on-fx-6.mma

Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia

Damn good to see Wandy come out to Sandstorm in Japan again

Its been awhile I got pumped for that congrats Wandy I got a new shirt coming

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80230-Damn-good-to-see-Wandy-come-out-to-Sandstorm-in-Japan-again&goto=newpost

Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie

UFC 161 Adds Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-tryon-woodley

Several fight announcements continue to roll out for the UFC 161 card in Canada, as a heavyweight and welterweight match have been confirmed for June 15.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, heavyweights Pat Barry and Shawn Jordan will join the card, along with Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley.

UFC Canada's official Twitter account further solidified the news, posting it on their feed:

More #UFC161 bouts!! @savageshawn vs. @HypeOrDie & @TWooodley vs. @jakeshieldsajj http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/spo...195679501.html …

This will mark "HD" Barry's second fight in Canada during his MMA career, with his last bout there ending in a submission defeat to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

Since then, Barry has posted a split 3-3 record in the UFC and will enter UFC 161 off a knockout win over Shane del Rosario.

Early Call: Barry or Jordan?
Pat Barry Shawn Jordan Submit Vote vote to see results

Bellator MMA and Strikeforce veteran Jordan has also stayed afloat in the heavyweight ranks, posting a 2-1 record in his three UFC fights with a recent TKO win against Mike Russow—Jordan's 14th victory out of 18 career bouts.

"The Savage" is far from the only former Strikeforce veteran on the card, though.

Woodley enters his fight with Jake Shields riding the momentum of a fantastic 36-second knockout finish over Jay Hieron, which boosts an 11-1 record against strong competition including Nate Marquardt, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine.

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Shields will mark this as his first fight back off a positive test for banned substances. Originally, he had pulled out a decision win against Ed Herman at UFC 150, but the result has since been changed to a no-contest.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80266-UFC-161-Adds-Pat-Barry-vs-Shawn-Jordan&goto=newpost

Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez Keith Hackney Matt Hamill

UFC 157 Results – Ronda Rousey submits Liz Carmouche by armbar

It is a historic night for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as women will enter the Octagon for the very first time at UFC 157. Undefeated Ronda Rousey will take on Liz Carmouche in the main event for the women’s bantamweight championship. The co-main event features a light heavyweight battle between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida. The winner of that bout is said to get the next shot at the light heavyweight title.

UFC 157 takes place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The main card will be televised on pay-per-view beginning at 10:00pm ET.

Preliminary Card Results (Online, 6:35pm ET)

Nah-Shon Burrell defeated Yuri Villefort by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

Neil Magny defeated Jon Manley by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Kenny Robertson defeated Brock Jardine by submission at 2:57 of the first round.

Preliminary Card Results (FX, 8:00pm ET)

Sam Stout defeated Caros Fodor by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Dennis Bermudez defeated Matt Grice by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).

Michael Chiesa defeated Anton Kuivanen by rear-naked choke submission at 2:29 of the second round.

Brendan Schaub defeated Lavar Johnson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Main Card Results (PPV, 10:00pm ET)

Robbie Lawler defeated Josh Koscheck by technical knockout at 3:57 of the first round.

Court McGee defeated Josh Neer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Urijah Faber defeated Ivan Menjivar by rear-naked choke submission at 4:34 of the first round.

Lyoto Machida defeated Dan Henderson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).

Ronda Rousey defeated Liz Carmouche by armbar submission 4:49 of the first round. Rousey remains undefeated as she defends the bantamweight title by winning her seventh fight by armbar.

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc/ufc-157-results-ronda-rousey-vs-liz-carmouche-67675/

Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao

Hale vs. Volkov, Held vs. Jansen cleared for tourney finals at Bellator 84

bellator 85 poster 195x300 Hale vs. Volkov, Held vs. Jansen cleared for tourney finals at Bellator 84 The Season 7 lightweight and heavyweight tournament titles are for set for Bellator 84 on Friday, December 14th. All four of the main event fighters successfully made weight on Thursday. Alexander Volkov weighed-in at 232.2lbs while his heavyweight opponent Rich Hale tipped the scales at 240lbs. Lightweight final competitors Marcin Held and Dave Jansen both weighed-in at 156lbs.

The preliminary card is highlighted by a women’s feature fight matching the ultra popular Felice “Lil Bulldog” Herrig against Patricia Vidonic.

The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana plays host to Bellator 84. The preliminary card actin kicks on with a free stream on Spike.com at 6:30pm ET. The main card will be televised live on MTV 2 and EPIX HD at 8:00pm ET.

Bellator 84 Weigh-in Results

Main Card

Alexander Volkov (232.2) vs. Rich Hale (240) – Heavyweight Final

Marcin Held (156) vs. Dave Jansen (156) – Lightweight Final

Joe Vedepo (185.6) vs. Louis Taylor (185.8)

Jack Hermansson (185) vs. Daniel Vizcaya (186)

Preliminary Card

Quinton McCottrell (170.4) vs. Belal Muhammad (170.2)

Cliff Wright (155.8) vs. Christian Uflacker (155.2)

Patricia Vidonic (117.8) vs. Felice Herrig (115.8)

Anton Talamantes (214.2) vs. Anthony Gomez (214)

Jerald Williams (126) vs. Joey Diehl (125.2)

Eddie Castillo (266) vs. Dave Sharp (265)

Robert White (155) vs. Kenny Booker (158.2)

Credit: Bellator.com

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/bellator-news/hale-vs-volkov-held-vs-jansen-cleared-for-tourney-finals-at-bellator-84-60602/

Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi

Goyito Gets Newark Fight

Heavyweights and Lightweights Added to UFC 159

updated January 31

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/UFC-159-fight-card-updates

Edwin Dewees Nick Diaz Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman

Sleep issues.

How many of you guys have to deal with tough sleeping issues?

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80247-Sleep-issues&goto=newpost

Josh Burkman Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante

Fuck Diego

The punk ass cant even make weight and then loses but the idiot judges give it to him. Was Cecil reffing? Everyone knows The fireball kid won that fight. Now that makes 2 bullshit decisions for the nightmare ye he is a nightmare for fair judging.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80218-Fuck-Diego&goto=newpost

Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao

UFC to run twelve 'Fight Night' cards on Fox Sports 1 starting from August through TBA date in 2

By Mookie Alexander on Mar 5 2013, 2:32p @SSReporters213

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Big news for MMA fans broke today, as Fox Sports executives confirmed that the UFC will hold multiple fight cards on the new Fox Sports 1 channel, which will launch on Saturday, August 17th.
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Today Fox is formally announcing their plans for their new sports channels. The launch date for Fox Sports 1 is set for Saturday, August 17th of this year, and MMA fans have been wondering what that would mean for the UFC, who will have their FX and Fuel content shifted to the sports networks. Richard Deitsch, who is at the press conference in New York, reported that the UFC will broadcast 12 live cards on Wednesdays through the end of the year:
Not all the details have been sorted out or clarified yet. It should also be pointed out that August 17th (launch date) is a Saturday and not a Wednesday. The 12 fight night cards through the end of the calendar year would be roughly one event per two weeks on FS1.
Deitsch also confirmed that UFC Tonight, currently on Fuel TV, will move to Fox Sports 1 and air on Wednesdays from 7:30-8 PM ET.
Fox Sports 1 is expected to be available in 90 million homes nationwide.
The UFC's deal with Fox has just taken a dramatic turn, and that means a rise in free fight cards starting this summer.
Stay tuned for more details on UFC content on Fox as they come in.
UPDATE: These events will NOT be weekly, bi-weekly, or anything like it. Richard Deitsch spoke to Dana White, who confirmed that the 12 fight cards will be held on select Wednesdays from August to a TBA date in 2014.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80251-UFC-to-run-twelve-Fight-Night-cards-on-Fox-Sports-1-starting-from-August-through-TBA-date-in-2&goto=newpost

Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan

Score Fighting Series 7 results: Mein quickly stops Petz, Ronson batters Healy

Strikeforce took a gamble by loaning out Jordan Mein, one of its top welterweight prospects, for Friday's Score Fighting Series 7 headliner.

Against UFC vet Forrest Petz, he faced a heavy-handed fighter with proven knockout power.

Yet, quickly in the main-event fight, it looked like anything but a risky proposition.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/6g8-voA-wek/score-fighting-series-7-results.mma

David Heath Delson Heleno Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman

Will You Be Fired After Your Recent Loss in the UFC? [FLOWCHART]

http://www.cagepotato.com/will-you-b...ufc-flowchart/

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80214-Will-You-Be-Fired-After-Your-Recent-Loss-in-the-UFC-FLOWCHART&goto=newpost

Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie Royler Gracie Ryan Gracie Peter Graham

Thiago Silva vs. Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante reportedly added to UFC 162 card in July

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Two light heavyweight fighters coming off of suspensions for failed drug tests will meet this July, as MMAFighting.com reports that Thiago Silva will face Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante at UFC 162 on July 6.

Silva's career has essentially been on a tailspin since suffering his very first loss back in 2009 against Lyoto Machida. Though he essentially alternated wins and losses from there, two of his three wins were overturned to no contests due to drug test failures.

The first came in 2011, when his win over Brandon Vera was overturned after he submitted a false urine sample to mask steroids he ultimately admitted to taking for a back injury. After a loss to Alexander Gustafsson in his return fight, Silva then defeated Stanislav Nedkov in November with a third round submission. However, that was also overturned when he tested positive for marijuana metabolites, and handed a six-month suspension.

That will expire just a bit before the suspension of Cavalcante, who hasn't fought since last May. The former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion defeated Mike Kyle at Strikeforce "Barnett vs. Cormier", but he tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol, and the win was overturned. He attempted to appeal the drug test failure, but was unsuccessful.

They'll both now return against one another at UFC 162, which is expected to take place in Las Vegas and will be headlined by the Middleweight Championship bout between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman.

[Thiago Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_16149.shtml

Gary Goodridge Gerard Gordeau Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

UFC on FUEL TV 8 Musings

SILVA FINALLY FINDS A HOME

It is no great secret that Wanderlei Silva is on the downside of his amazing career. The living legend certainly has a bit more gas in the tank, though it is closer to empty than full. Nonetheless, he proved that opponents had better take him deadly seriously if they choose to sign on the dotted line to face him. Brian Stann found that out in painful, thudding fashion on Saturday night, when the living legend turned out the lights of the middleweight contender.

I think Silva’s move back to light heavy is the right decision at this point in his career. The 36-year-old simply taxes his body too much when he diets and then cuts down to the middleweight limit. On fight night, the 185-pound version of Silva is a tired, depleted and mentally exhausted fighter. At light heavy, which is the weight where he spent the vast majority of his career, Silva is a fully energized, strong, savage beast.

Don’t get me wrong. Silva is not going to compete for the light heavyweight title any time soon. Despite the fact that he is better served competing at 205 pounds, his frame remains that of an average-sized middleweight. Thus, he will always face size and strength disadvantages at that weight.

Thus, I think “The Axe Murderer” should continue competing against middleweights who are open to competing one weight class up. If he does that and continues securing matchups against non-wrestlers, then Silva likely has a few more solid performances left in the tank.

TACTICAL ERROR LEADS TO LOSS, BUT FURTHER CEMENTS STANN’S APPEAL

Brian Stann is a war hero, having thrived in real-life combat situations. Those life-and-death moments forever change a man. There is no argument to the contrary.

Whether it is a renewed sense of mortality or an irrational conviction of immortality, combat veterans are different after experiencing life’s most harrowing moments.

I didn’t know Stann before he bravely served our country. Heck, I’ve never actually spoken to the man. No matter, watching him compete at the Saitama Super Arena made it perfectly clear that this man fears nobody. And he is very comfortable putting himself in harm’s way in search of sudden victory.

Stann’s bout with Silva was the single-most entertaining bout of 2013, in my opinion. Both guys scored multiple knockdowns. Neither man so much as raised his hands in defense of incoming fire. Well, not until Stann was flat on his back and defending in an auto-pilot state. Instead, the combatants freely fired their fists, embracing the notion that the best defense is great offense.

Despite getting bloodied and battered, Stann got the better of Silva in the first round. Then he got knocked out. Cold. You know, the sort of knockout where the body is temporarily rendered limp.

It was a savagely brutal end to a beautiful fight. Silva displayed amazing restraint and sportsmanship by halting his attack the minute he realized Stann was unconscious. Stann remained a gentleman in defeat, humbly acknowledging that he had always been a huge fan of Silva and stating that it was an honor to compete with him, heartbreaking loss notwithstanding.

If those two fought 10 times, I have a feeling that Stann wins more often than not. But that doesn’t matter. He didn’t win on Saturday night. Yet, the loss does nothing to diminish his star appeal. In fact, I think quite the opposite happened.

Competing with such a brave, crowd-pleasing effort makes fans want more. The outcome is irrelevant. It is the Arturo Gatti effect. And Stann has it in spades.

My guess is Stann will headline another fight card before the end of the year. If not, he will certainly receive co-main event status.

HUNT CREATING INTERESTING POSSIBILITIES

Mark Hunt has lots of things working against him. For starters, he is unbelievably short for a heavyweight. He also has a notoriously low gas tank, thanks to the unnecessary pounds of padding on his body. Hey, that is as politely as I could write it.

Most importantly, he is something of a one-trick pony. Hunt’s ground game remains fairly nascent, though he is improving it each and every fight.

Those are the negatives. Those negatives were largely responsible for the New Zealander suffering through a horrifying six-fight losing streak from July 1, 2006 to September 25, 2010. To put it into perspective, I’m struggling to think of a single fighter on a six-fight losing streak who has received a bout in the Zuffa-owned UFC. I’m not saying he doesn’t exist. But that certainly hasn’t happened in the last three or four years.

Despite all of those shortcomings, Hunt has three features that make him a live opponent against any human alive—raw, bone-crushing power in both hands, world-class kickboxing technique and probably the sturdiest chin in the sport.

His knockout win over Stefan Struve was a career-defining moment for the new heavyweight contender. It suggests, in my opinion, that Hunt can easily become the UFC heavyweight champion, if everyone is brave enough to stand and trade with him, like Struve did in Japan. Those sledgehammers for fists that Hunt wields in fights makes him fun to watch and extremely dangerous to fight, unless an opponent is focused on nothing other than taking the fight to the ground and keeping it there.

For my money, I’m not sure I would pick UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez or former champion Junior dos Santos as odds on favorites to survive a standup-only bout with this guy.

GOMI GOT ROBBED

I’m going to keep this short and simple. Takanori Gomi deserved the judges’ decision on Saturday night. He easily outpointed Diego Sanchez in my opinion. I will concede that the first round could have gone either way. Sanchez scored a couple of takedowns, but did absolutely nothing with him. Gomi completely dominated on the feet. The only good shots Sanchez landed were illegal ones to his opponent’s cup.

The second and third rounds were landslides in favor of Gomi. He controlled the action from bell to bell in those rounds, putting on a striking clinic. Sanchez did nothing.

Enough lamenting. We all know that any fight that lasts the distance is fair game for a bizarre decision. That is just part of the sport. Fighters know it. UFC president Dana White knows it. The press knows it. The fans know it. Unfortunately, it’s the fighters who pay in the end.

LOMBARD MUST MOVE SOUTH

Hector Lombard is one bad dude. He mixes world-class judo skills with Mike Tyson-like punching power. The problem, however, is he is short. Very short for a middleweight, actually. As a result, he is at a severe disadvantage against just about every 185-pounder in the UFC.

Sure, he can win Mark Hunt style with a crowd-erupting knockout at just about any moment of any fight. But more often than not, he will be taken down and controlled on the ground against top middleweights, just like Yushin Okami did to him.

Height is an irrelevant factor on the feet. On the ground, it is a very real impediment for a significantly shorter fighter, particularly one with a short torso, when it comes to defending and executing ground-and-pound attacks. The closer an opponent’s head and shoulders are to his attacker’s hips, the more leverage the attacker can put on ground-and-pound strikes from inside the guard.

Tito Ortiz made a career out of that reality, using the fact that he had an extremely long torso for his weight class as a major advantage when dishing out fists and elbows from inside an opponent’s guard with the sort of leverage that is usually only experienced from side control or the mount.

The same logic applies in the reverse when trying to attack from inside an opponent’s guard. That was on vivid display when Lombard tried to punch Okami in the face over the weekend. Lombard’s head and shoulders are so far from Okami’s head and shoulders that he could only throw meaningless arm punches. Sure, maybe hammer fists will do occasional damage, but Lombard isn’t knocking anybody out on the ground from that position. Not unless he takes a real risk by stacking up his foe, which opens the door to a host of submissions.

Lombard isn’t going to get any taller any time soon, and I seriously doubt that UFC middleweights will begin to get shorter. Thus, the Cuba native has a couple of options. He can continue facing the same issues my buddy Phil Baroni faced during his UFC and PRIDE career, or he can shed some of that unneeded muscle and fight at welterweight.

While Lombard is shaping up to be a middle-of-the-pack middleweight, I think he would be an extremely dangerous threat to Georges St-Pierre’s reign at welterweight. Assuming that the diet and ensuing weight cut doesn’t sap him of his explosiveness and already light gas tank, he could very well become a dominant champion one division to the south.

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/UFC-on-FUEL-TV-8-Musings

Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis Tony DeSouza Edwin Dewees

UFC bantamweight Nick Denis retires, cites potential brain injuries

UFC bantamweight Nick Denis has announced his MMA retirement.

The 29-year-old Canadian fighter, who made an impressive UFC debut earlier this year, made the announcement on Thursday on his personal blog.

Denis, who went 1-1 in the UFC, cited concerns over potential brain injuries.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/_N6Ggezy4SA/ufc-bantamweight-nick-denis-retires-cites-potential-brain-injuries.mma

Renzo Gracie Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie

Mark Hunt broke Stefan Struve’s jaw at UFC on Fuel 8

When Mark Hunt knocked out Stefan Struve at UFC on Fuel 8 over the weekend, Hunt did more than post his fourth straight win. He also earned a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus and broke Struve's jaw.

Struve tweeted about the injury and how he wanted to fight on.

Thanks for the support everybody, I wanted Herb to take the tooth out of my cheek and continue but then it turned out my jaw was broken..
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) March 3, 2013

Wired my jaw in the hospital here and flying back tomorrow to get surgery as soon as we land monday in Holland, thnx for the great care @ufc
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) March 3, 2013

I ment to say, look at that jaw! Painkillers are having me tripping lol twitter.com/StefanStruve/s…
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) March 3, 2013

Yep, it doesn't take medical school to see the clean break in Struve's jaw. He joked that his face is so swollen for the flight home that it will keep him warm. That's truly seeing the glass as half-full.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/mark-hunt-broke-stefan-struve-jaw-ufc-fuel-153732714--mma.html

Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita

BAMMA UK comes to Newcastle (UK) on March 9th

The UK’s premier Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce BAMMA 12, which takes place at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena in response to popular demand on Saturday 9th March 2013. Tickets will go on sale on Friday 1st February.

The event will feature in a two hour live broadcast on 5* in the UK with highlights to follow on Channel 5; and will be televised on AXS-TV in the US, The Fight Network in Canada, Red Media in Russia, TV Esporte Interativo in Brazil, Setanta in Africa and TDN in Latin America.

The event will also be the first BAMMA show conducted under the umbrella of independent UK medical body, Safe MMA. Membership requires all competitors to be Safe MMA registered, to have undergone standardized GP medicals and blood tests, and to be medically cleared to fight. On-the-night post-fight medical results will be submitted to a confidential, medical database held by Safe MMA at the Centre of Health and Human Performance at 76 Harley Street, London. For more information about Safe MMA go to http://www.safemma.co.uk

BAMMA’s director, David Green, said:

“Newcastle is a renowned hotspot for British fighting talent and in many ways a spiritual home to BAMMA: An array of BAMMA fighters have hailed from the region and Newcastle is home to our equipment partner Lonsdale and also to one of our official ring girls, Georgia Graham. There’s a strong MMA fan base up there and Newcastle is an energetic city that loves to party; it’s where the Fans have been calling for us to go for a while, so it is definitely the natural place for BAMMA 12 and the atmosphere is going to be immense.”

BAMMA’s Managing Director, Ashley Bothwell said:

“BAMMA is proud to be working with Safe MMA. It’s major step forward for MMA in this country and has brought the different promotions together for the first time to ensure that the safety of fighters comes first and to work for the greater good of the sport. Our continued programming with terrestrial Channel 5 also reflects the rising popularity of MMA in the UK and it’s exciting to be working in two partnerships that are helping shape the growth of the sport here. The North East is a hot bed for UK MMA and BAMMA in Newcastle has been a long time coming. We look forward to the opportunity to broadcast some of that talent to our global fan base and showcase some of the best that the region has to offer”.

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/bamma-2/bamma-uk-comes-to-newcastle-uk-on-march-9th-67665/

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UFC Champ Demetrious Johnson undergoes shoulder surgery this week, hopes for June return

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson had to pull out of a planned title fight against John Moraga when he found out he had a torn labrum last month. It wasn't a move Johnson wanted to make, but it was the best choice given the issues he was having with his shoulder.

The 26-year-old captured the title last September by defeating Joseph Benavidez, then defended it in January when he defeated John Dodson. He was hoping to make a very quick turnaround with an April defense, but as he picked up work in training camp, he began noticing that something wasn't right.

"Basically, we were getting ready for the training camp, and we signed the contract, and we thought everything was good to go," Johnson explained in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. "My shoulder was still bugging me after the Dodson fight, and I started training and I was starting to work out and pull on the rope, which is one of our conditioning [drills], and I couldn't pull on the rope.

"And I was like ‘well, I'm not doing that exercise, time to work on something else,'" he continued. "And then they noticed 'Hey, you already did that exercise, can you go on the rope?' and I was like, ‘Hey, I can't, that hurts.' And it was like, 'Well that's not good,' and you know, the way it is, we go hard."

Johnson got an MRI on the shoulder, which revealed the torn labrum. He'll now undergo surgery this week, and he's hopeful that he can make a quick turnaround to return by early this summer.

"The doctor said I'll be in a sling for 3-4 days, after that just rehabbing," he said. "With rehab and a full training camp, you'll be ready to fight 100 percent in 8-12 weeks. ... You only get one body. It just so happens, Matt told me, 'Your fights are not as hard as your training camps. Your training camps are the hardest things you can do for a fight.'

"When I'm in training camp, I push my body to where I just get sore, and when I get into a fight, it shows, I never get tired. That's why Matt made me do the surgery. He said, 'you could probably do this fight against John Moraga and you could possibly win it, or you could possibly lose it.' I don’t want to take that risk. I want to have a full training camp going into a championship fight. This is not a joke, we take this very seriously. That's why we decided to get the surgery. If things go well, I'm going to push for June 15."

Penick's Analysis: That's the smart approach from Johnson and his camp. He's only 26-years-old, and getting this taken care of and allowing it to heal properly is the right thing to do. He obviously wants to get back to action as quickly as he can, but it's important to take care of a problem like this and to not try fighting through it. Hopefully all goes well with the surgery and he's able to get back when he wants to this summer.

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_16132.shtml

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UFC on FX 8 additions of Rio-Trinaldo, Hollet-Maldanado

http://www.bjpenn.com/ufc-on-fx-8-of...+NEWS+BLOGS%29

“UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold” is set for May 18 at Arena Jaragua in Santa Catarina. UFC officials on Tuesday made a formal announcement of the card and its current lineup of fights.

The main card of UFC on FX 8, featuring a middleweight bout between Brazilian favorite Vitor Belfort (22-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC) and final Strikeforce 185-pound champ Luke Rockhold (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), airs on FX following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook.

The card was made official Tuesday and according to reports, the UFC announced bouts between lightweights Mike Rio (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Francisco Trinaldo (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and light heavyweights Roger Hollett (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Fabio Maldonado (18-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC).

Mike Rio was a cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter Live” a year ago, though he returns for his second fight in the octagon, he was injured on the show and couldn’t compete on Season 15′s live finale, delaying his official debut with the promotion to December, which was a submission win over John Cofer at the TUF 16 Finale.

Trinaldo, is also a “TUF” alum, as he was part of the inaugural “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” cast looks to win his second straight in the octagon. Trinaldo has had all three of his fights in the UFC in his home country of Brazil, including a second-round submission of C.J. Keith in January at UFC on FX 7, giving him six wins in his past seven fights.

In the light-heavyweight division, Roger Hollett will try to get back on track after dropping his UFC debut this past September in Toronto to Matt Hamill at UFC 152. Hamill was returning from retirement and picked up a unanimous decision, snapping the Canadian’s five-fight win streak.

Hollet will take on Fabio Maldonado, who is also coming off a loss at the hands of Glover Teixeira at UFC 153, in a fight that was very one-sided. Maldonado showed tons of heart in a losing effort, showing he has one of the best chins in the sport, while taking tons of punishment. With three straight losses, the Brazilian will get one more shot. But a loss is likely to send him packing, especially with UFC President Dana White’s recent revelation that the promotion still needed to trim its roster by roughly 100 fighters this year. Maldonado won his UFC debut in October 2010, but since has dropped unanimous decisions to Kyle Kingsbury and Igor Pokrajac, then the doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Teixeira in October.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?80255-UFC-on-FX-8-additions-of-Rio-Trinaldo-Hollet-Maldanado&goto=newpost

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Yushin Okami wants Michael Bisping after UFC on Fuel 8 win, Bisping says "join the back of the line"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Yushin Okami won his third straight fight in the UFC on Saturday, defeating Hector Lombard in Japan by decision. After the event, Okami was asked who he'd like to fight next, and he threw out the name of British middleweight Michael Bisping.

The longtime UFC veteran, winner of The Ultimate Fighter's third season in 2006, will try to bounce back from a loss to Vitor Belfort when he takes on Alan Belcher this April. But this weekend, he was serving as a guest analyst on Fuel TV's post-fight show, and was able to respond to Okami's call-out in quick fashion.

"Join the back of the line is all I'm going to say," Bisping responded. "Everyone seems to call me out at the moment and I'm happy with that, it means I'm going to have a job for a long, long time."

Penick's Analysis: Bisping probably doesn't have much interest in a fight with Okami, but he's right that the more callouts he has the more the UFC's going to book him regardless of the outcomes. He needs a win over Belcher to get himself back, because the Belfort loss was a major setback. But taking a fight with Okami afterward may not be the best option from a risk/reward standpoint. Okami's not known for thrilling and exciting fights, and that's something Bisping would rather be involved in at this stage of his career. The last thing anyone wants to take in the UFC right now is a risky fight against a "boring" opponent.

[Michael Bisping art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_16128.shtml

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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

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Reported Tim Kennedy vs. Roger Gracie bout now headed to UFC's July 6 event in Las Vegas

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Though the middleweight bout between Tim Kennedy and Roger Gracie was originally reported as part of the UFC on FX 8 card in Brazil this May, Brazilian outlet SporTV now reports that the fight will take place on the July 6 card in Las Vegas.

The fight was initially offered for the May 18 event in Brazil, but Gracie declined the date due to the birth of his daughter. The bout was then shifted to the July 6 event.

"I think this fight will be, if you slip up, the most difficult of my career," Gracie said of the bout. "He is a very experienced guy, very complete. From everyone I've ever fought against, he's the best on the floor for sure, and it's good standing as well. I think it will be a good challenge."

Both fighters are making their UFC debuts on the card after submission wins on the final Strikeforce event in January.

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_16129.shtml

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