Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/09/03/yoshihiro-akiyama-dropping-to-welterweight-for-next-fight/
Wladimir Klitscho David Haye Cornelius K9 Bundrage Miguel Cotto
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Yoshihiro Akiyama dropping to welterweight for next fight
After urging from UFC President Dana White and the MMA community at large, it appears popular Japanese fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama will move to the 170-pound division for his next fight. Akiyama is coming off a brutal knockout at the hands of Vitor Belfort last month and has lost three fights in a row, also likely [...]
You tell us: Guida or a title shot for Ben Henderson?
Ben Henderson's dominating win over Jim Miller gave the UFC a conundrum. With a win, Miller was expected to take on the winner of Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar's October title bout. Henderson threw a gigantic wrench in those plans.
Now, what to do with Henderson? Though he was non-committal immediately after his fight, Henderson has since said he is open to either a title shot or a bout with Clay Guida, who has been on an impressive run since losing to Kenny Florian late in 2009.
Clay Guida for the Battle of Crazy Hair and a title shot: Henderson's one recent loss is to Anthony Pettis, a fighter that Guida beat in June. Guida has four wins in a row, with three ending in submissions. With both Guida and Henderson coming off big wins, it would make the most sense to match them up, with the winner getting a shot at the UFC lightweight title.
Give 'Smooth' the title shot now: The beating he gave Miller (who was on a seven-fight win streak), the win over Mark Bocek (in Henderson's UFC debut), and the close (until the Showtime kick) loss to Anthony Pettis mean that Henderson is ready for a title shot. He has been in title fights before and has delivered. Give him a chance to show that readiness in the UFC.
Now, it's your turn to try some UFC matchmaking. What would you do with Henderson?
Saturday, September 3, 2011
ONE FC Results: Kwon vs. Folayang, Baroni vs. Yoshida, More
MMA Fighting has ONE FC results of A Sol Kwon vs. Eduard Folayang, Phil Baroni vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida and the rest of the inaugural ONE FC event on Sept. 3 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.In the main event, lightweight Kwon aims for his seventh straight win against the Martial Combat veteran Folayang.
For live round-by-round updates, click here.
ONE FC results are below.
Eduard Folayang def. A Sol Kwon via unanimous decision (live blog)
Yoshiyuki Yoshida def. Phil Baroni via unanimous decision (live blog)
Eric Kelly def. Mitch Chilson via Technical Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) - Round 1, 3.10
Gregor Gracie def. Seok Mo Kim via Unanimous Decision
Zorobabel Moreira def. Andy Wang via TKO (Knees) - Round 2, 1.49
Eddie Ng def. Yuan Chun Bo via KO (Punches) - Round 1, 0.45
Radeem Rahman def. Susovan Ghosh by TKO (Punches) - Round 1, 3.18
Vuyisile Colossa def. Ma Xing Yu by KO (Punch) - Round 1, 0.49
Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai def. Daniel Mashamaite via TKO (Knee) - Round 2, 0.14
Leandro Issa def. Soo Chul Kim via Unanimous Decision
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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/09/03/one-fc-results-kwon-vs-folayang-baroni-vs-yoshida-more/
Fighters Only Announces Nominees for 2011 World MMA Awards
What? 5thRound.com wasn’t nominated for anything again this year? Alright, fine. We may not have done enough to crack the VIP list, but unlike the other mixed martial arts news websites that got snubbed, we’ll support Fighters Only’s 2011 World MMA Awards, nonetheless. Fans can cast their votes between now and November 25th on a [...]
Source: http://www.5thRound.com/87580/fighters-only-announces-nominees-for-2011-world-mma-awards/
Ranking ?The Ultimate Fighter 14? Contestants
Season 14 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ will feature featherweight and bantamweight fighters.��Sixteen fighters have been announced for each division, though only eight per weight class will make it into the ‘TUF’ house after�a round of elimination bouts. As these divisions are not yet fully established in the UFC, the average ranking of contestants going into [...]
Source: http://www.fightmatrix.com/2011/08/23/ranking-the-ultimate-fighter-14-contestants/
Breaking news: Brazilian fighters love Big Nog
If the thousands of screaming Brazilian fans at HSBC Arena didn't convince you of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's popularity in Brazil, this backstage video of Nogueira's friends and teammates celebrating after his win will.
Filmed by Gesias "J.Z." Cavalcante, it shows the room erupt at Nogueira's win, and the several men grow emotional as the noise dies down. Anderson Silva, who was less than an hour from his own big win, grew emotional from seeing his friend win.
This video reminds us that all the talk that fighters give to the team in MMA is not lip-service. Nogueira's win didn't just belong to him, but to everyone who helped him -- or he helped -- along the way.
Cornelius K9 Bundrage Miguel Cotto Manny Pacquiao Ricky Hatton
New UFC 135 trailer features Jones and Jackson
With their feud boiling over, UFC 135 headliners Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson are unsurprisingly featured prominently in a new video trailer for this month's UFC 135 event.Jones puts his light-heavyweight title on the line at the event.
The championship blockbuster takes place Sept. 24 at Denver's Pepsi Center and airs on pay-per-view.
UFC president promises UFC on FOX will air in U.K., bullish on future partnership in country
U.K. fans won't be left out on UFC's network debut on FOX, Dana White said today.Despite the fact that the promotion's British TV partner, ESPN UK, is under a different corporate roof than that of FOX's U.K. counterpart, Sky, the event won't go dark, the UFC president promised today during an announcement of the Nov. 12 card's main event.
"We'll make this fight available," White said. "We'll figure this thing out."
HDNet Fights Video Vault: Denis Stojnic vs. Mladen Kujundzic at Ultimate Glory 14
It wasn't your typical fight night and had a distinctly Russian feel to it.Back in May, United Glory 14 took place in Moscow, and a solid crowd watched the MMA/kickboxing event cageside by candlelight.
In this week's installment of HDNet Fights Video Vault, we check out a heavyweight bout between UFC vet Denis Stojnic and Croatia's Mladen Kujundzic that took place on the card.
Evan Dunham interview: A few big wins and he?s right back in the mix
The last year hasn't gone as planned for Evan Dunham, but that doesn't mean he's out of the mix in the UFC's lightweight division. As we've seen all year long someone outside the top five get get themselves in the title mix with two big wins. Ben Henderson is the prime example. Bendo just knocked Jim Miller and Mark Bocek to put his name in the hat for the top prize.
Dunham, a 29-year-old who trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, was in Henderson's spot 12 months ago. The Oregon native was on the verge of some big things last September then lost a tight decision against Sean Sherk. Dana White said Dunham was "[expletive] robbed."
The promotion tried to make it up to Dunham by giving him a Kenny Florian fight, but KenFlo had to back out because of injuries. That meant Dunham had to step with Melvin Guillard. Dunham lost that fight at UFC Fight for the Troops 2, admitting that he fought with a bad game plan.
Now he's out to rebuild his reputation. It starts in September against "Ultimate Fighter 13" alum Shamar Bailey at Ultimate Fight Night 25.
Friday, September 2, 2011
"The Sunday Junkie" deadline reminder, win a free Fighters Only subscription!
As a reminder, submissions for the upcoming edition of "The Sunday Junkie" are due Sunday at 10 a.m. ET. All topics - including Dana White's latest "big announcement" - are open for discussion. The person who sends in the submission we deem the best (based on timeliness of subject, clarity and overall persuasiveness) will be invited onto MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the topic.
Each winner also receives a free year's subscription to "Fighters Only," the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine!
Pat Healy in for injured Josh Thomson against Maximo Blanco
When news broke last week regarding Josh Thomson?s inability to compete against Maximo Blanco on September 10 in Cincinnati at the ?Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal? the first fighter to make his voice heard in hopes of filling the vacancy was well-rounded veteran Pat Healy. Now, backed by the overwhelming support of MMA fans everywhere, [...]
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/08/29/pat-healy-in-for-injured-josh-thomson-against-maximo-blanco/
Heavyweight title-fight headlines UFC on FOX
After intense speculation on what bout would serve as the crown jewel on the UFC?s debut on network television, fans now have an answer in the form of a match-up that could grace the top of a PPV card and nearly did.
According to Dana White on a conference call with media, heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez [...]
According to Dana White on a conference call with media, heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez [...]
Source: http://www.fighters.com/09/02/heavyweight-title-fight-headlines-ufc-on-fox
UFC 134 "Silva vs. Okami" Spike TV Broadcast Features The Tough Dan Miller, Heel Hook Master Rousimar Palhares, And Lightweight Veterans
With every new UFC super-card comes another entry into my special ?A Closer Look? series, which takes many of the top fights of the card and examines them in-detail while also giving some pre-fight commentary. UFC 134 strikes particularly close to home for me since most of my favorite UFC fighters are Brazilians, and Brazilians [...]
Ronda Rousey returns in November against Julia Budd
Undefeated featherweight female Ronda Rousey will look to continue her successful transition from Olympic medaling judoka to Mixed Martial Artist this November when she faces Julia Budd at a still unannounced Strikeforce Challengers event.
News of the match-up was revealed by Strikeforce through their Twitter account.
Rousey is considered to be one of the brightest female prospects [...]
News of the match-up was revealed by Strikeforce through their Twitter account.
Rousey is considered to be one of the brightest female prospects [...]
Source: http://www.fighters.com/09/01/ronda-rousey-returns-in-november-against-julia-budd
Jon Olav Einemo Discusses Five-Year Hiatus From MMA - UFC 131
Jon Olav Einemo Discusses Five-Year Hiatus From MMA Video by UFC 131Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-131/jon-olav-einemo-discusses-five-year-hiatus-from-mma-video_ec1095481.html
Union urges FTC to investigate UFC and Strikeforce?s parent company
Rumblings of Zuffa's union problems grew a bit louder today as the Culinary Union's Local 226, based in Las Vegas, sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, urging them to investigate the company that owns the UFC and Strikeforce for anti-trust violations.
The letter, provided to Yahoo! Sports and dated Aug. 31, 2011, said that Zuffa has risen to the top of the MMA marketplace by buying up entities like PRIDE, World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce. They estimate that Zuffa controls 80-90 percent of the MMA market, and because of that power, they can wield power over their fighters.
Some examples from the letter include:
-- The champion's clause, which automatically renews a contract for UFC champions.
-- Merchandising rights that give Zuffa rights to a fighter's image in perpetuity. This clause is what Jon Fitch had a problem with when he was briefly cut from the organization.
-- Restraints on athlete's mobility and pay, meaning that by buying up the marketplace, Zuffa can keep a fighter from engaging the marketplace for fair pay.
The letter distinguishes Zuffa, who is not a league, from a league like the NFL, because contracts within a league must have these sorts of restraints for competitive balance. Zuffa is not competing with anyone.
"The anticompetitive restrictions it imposes on athlete mobility serves no legitimate business justification beyond stifling competition and increasing Zuffa's already dominant position in the market."
The letter is concluded by urging the FTC to look into Zuffa's practices.
The Culinary Union is not without ulterior motive in this case, as they take issue with Zuffa's majority owners, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. The Fertittas own Station Casinos, one of the largest non-union casino companies in the world.
But while their motive might be suspect, it doesn't soften who they are and what they have to say. Unions are meant to protect workers, and fighters are without union protection. Zuffa has made great strides in taking care of their fighters. Providing health insurance was a huge milestone in that, but all the benefits in the world doesn't mean that Zuffa can violate anti-trust laws.
Kimbo Slice Sugar Ray Leonard Sugar Ray Robinson Rocky Marciano
Daniel Cormier Talks About Training For Bigfoot Silva Stikeforce Fight
Undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight Cormier takes on Antonio “Bigfoot” Siva in the Sept. 10 Grand Prix in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Source: http://www.mmatko.com/daniel-cormier-talks-about-training-for-bigfoot-silva-stikeforce-fight/
Thursday, September 1, 2011
HDNet Fights Video Vault: Denis Stojnic vs. Mladen Kujundzic at Ultimate Glory 14
It wasn't your typical fight night and had a distinctly Russian feel to it.Back in May, United Glory 14 took place in Moscow, and a solid crowd watched the MMA/kickboxing event cageside by candlelight.
In this week's installment of HDNet Fights Video Vault, we check out a heavyweight bout between UFC vet Denis Stojnic and Croatia's Mladen Kujundzic that took place on the card.
Vitali Klitschko Wladimir Klitscho David Haye Cornelius K9 Bundrage
Brazilian crowd set a high bar for every UFC crowd hereafter
In most post-fight press conferences, UFC president Dana White compliments the crowd and the city that they've just visited. It's a smart business move to lavish praise on every city the UFC visits, whether they have packed the place or not. Even if the UFC never returns, White does want that city's inhabitants to continue watching fights.
But when he called the crowd in Rio de Janeiro the best crowd he's ever been around, it was not empty rhetoric. Even through my television, it was clear that the fans in Brazil would make UFC 134 unlike any event the UFC has ever produced.
It started with the very first fight. Usually, the preliminary fights take place in a half-filled stadium, with only the fighters' loved ones truly invested in the bout. There were no Brazilians in the opening bout, but the crowd still went nuts for Ian Loveland vs. Yves Jabouin. They even chanted the name of a popular soccer player who happened to be black, like Jabouin.
The chanting never stopped. Yahoo! Sports Brazil's Fernando Zanchetta gave us insight on some of the chants that popped up over the course of the evening, which spanned from the beautiful to the profane.
The chants included, "I am Brazilian, with great pride, with love" (sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor) which really makes "U-S-A, U-S-A" pale in comparison. Next, was, "Uh, will die, uh, gonna die!" Zanchetta said that this is used to frighten foreigners. Finally, they had a special one for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's win. "Ih, [expletive that rhymes with ducked]... Minotauro appeared'��(ih, fodeu... Minotauro apareceu)."
Paulo Thiago's appearance also set the crowd into a frenzy, and deservedly so. In addition to being a fighter, Thiago is a member of BOPE, Brazil's version of special forces. Much as Tim Kennedy and Brian Stann are cheered in the U.S. for serving the country, Thiago is revered there. The crowd chanted "skull" in Portugese, which is BOPE's symbol.
But the crowd hit their apex during the main card, when three Brazilian stars won with KOs. Nogueira's win put them into a beer-throwing frenzy that continued with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Anderson Silva's wins.
What should U.S. crowds learn from this? We can step it up a notch. Chants, cheers, arena-shaking yells -- let's learn from our Brazilian friends. Everything except the beer-throwing. There's no good reason in the world to waste a perfectly good beer.
Nogueira hopes to answer the critics in his comeback fight
It seems like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira went from contender to card filler overnight. That really hasn't been the case, but for many there's a lot of doubt over what the PRIDE fighting legend has left in the tank.
"Big Nog" is only 35 years old, but he's battled injuries over the last three years and gone just 1-2. Now he's facing one of the UFC's young lions in Brendan Schaub. It's been a long battle against knee and hip injuries.
"Besides my physical and technical performance, I have the will to do anything. See four months ago, I couldn't walk. I recovered for several months to take this challenge to fight at UFC Rio," said Nogueira.
Nogueira said his rapid return was made possible by his high level training partners like Junior dos Santos, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Rafael Cavalcante and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva.
Damon Martin from MMAWeekly and ProMMARadio's Larry Pepe joined Cagewriter to break down Big Nog's chances against Schaub.
Cornelius K9 Bundrage Miguel Cotto Manny Pacquiao Ricky Hatton
?One Punch? Pickett on tap for UFC 138 vs. Renan ?Barao?
Two highly-exciting bantamweights will battle it out in Birmingham, England come November 5 and the UFC?s return to the UK, as a bout between Brad Pickett and Renan ?Barao? Pegado was confirmed through the organization?s website. Pickett and Pegado are both well-rounded competitors with a high rate of finishing their opponents including a total of [...]
Tito and ?Big Nog? repped the old guard, fellow veterans hope to stay alive during the fall
The victories by Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira produced high drama at UFC 132 and UFC 134, respectively.
Without a win over Ryan Bader, Ortiz was on his way out of the UFC. A a bad loss by Nogueira against Brendan Schaub, would've inevitably prompted retirement talk. They live another day.
Nothing in the fall will match the stories of Tito and Big Nog, but there are plenty of showcase fights where veterans need to avoid a bad loss to ensure their future with the UFC. The sport is evolving so quickly, a veteran fighter can go from a UFC contender to the minor leagues or even retirement in just a few fights.
The fall slate is filled with older fighters who are under the gun.
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson - UFC 137
There's some pressure on Nelson, but this is really about Cro Cop. Following a loss at UFC 128, Dana White said it was time for the legendary heavyweight to walk away. Because of contractual obligations to the 36-year-old, the promotion had to give him another fight. Cro Cop (27-9-2, 4-5 UFC) was competitive in the losses Frank Mir and Schaub, but seems to run out of gas in the middle of fights and lacks the athleticism to use his trademark kicks as a big weapon. Cro Cop was the No. 2 heavyweight in the world from 2004-2006.
Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell, UFC 135
Hunt is another strange case. Believe it or not, he made his UFC debut coming off of five straight losses (Melvin Manhoef, Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Gegard Mousasi, Josh Barnett). He got the shot solely because of an old PRIDE contract the UFC had to honor. Hunt, 37, saved himself at UFC 127 with a surprise win over Chris Tuchscherer. Give him credit, Hunt used to fight at a sloppy 290-plus pounds. Now he's dedicated himself to better conditioning. Hunt certainly has the one-punch knockout power to keep on trucking with a win over Rothwell.
Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello Oliveira - UFC on Versus 6
Edwards is far from ancient, but the 34-year-old does have 58 fights under his belt. One has wonder how he'll bounce back from a devastating knockout against Sam Stout. His job may still be safe even if loses to the 29-year-old Oliveira. After all, the UFC has some loyalty to Edwards (40-17-1, 8-5 UFC) who first fought for the promotion back in 2001.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury -UFC 139
Bonnar is the most unique name on this list. As a participant in the biggest fight in UFC history (Dana White's words) the finale of "The Ultimate Fighter 1," the promotion is extremely loyal to Bonnar and his opponent Forrest Griffin. That said, Bonnar absorbs a lot of abuse during his fights and has little hope of ever getting back into the light heavyweight top 10. If he suffered a loss, you wonder if White and Co. tell Bonnar it's time to walk away from the Octagon. It's a much easier decision knowing the UFC will take care of him with a job for the rest of his life. That said, the 34-year-old has won two straight. So the decision will be left up to him. Maybe he gets to go out like Chris Lytle did when he walked away after a win over Dan Hardy.
Josh Barnett vs. Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix field
Barnett, 33, isn't back with the UFC, but he controls his own destiny. The former UFC champ, White adversary and two-time PED policy violator probably has to make the final to even be considered for a return. He faces Sergei Kharitonov on Sept. 10 and the winner of Antonio "Big Foot" Silva sometime in the beginning of 2012. Would a close performance in a loss in the final still get Barnett back in the UFC? It's a tough call.
The big boys get rid of few online players to obtain time period inside of unsafe win
Creating cornerback Terrell Johnson wasn't the main Manhattan Giant wasted in the period into their preseason golf game versus the Philadelphia...
?One Punch? Pickett on tap for UFC 138 vs. Renan ?Barao?
Two highly-exciting bantamweights will battle it out in Birmingham, England come November 5 and the UFC?s return to the UK, as a bout between Brad Pickett and Renan ?Barao? Pegado was confirmed through the organization?s website. Pickett and Pegado are both well-rounded competitors with a high rate of finishing their opponents including a total of [...]
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