kellytibbetts91

Friday, August 17, 2012

AW Fired After Inappropriate Joke, Criticizes Treatment by WWE

WWE Performer AW, most recently featured as the manager of the Primetime Players (Darren Young and Titus O’Neil), was released yesterday from his contract. AW ran into trouble on RAW on July 30, when he made a regrettable and decidedly non-PG joke referencing Kobe Bryant‘s alleged sexual assault in Colorado. He made his final appearance on Smackdown last Friday night, accompanying the Players to the ring for a match with his usual headset mic.

WWE officials confirmed the move on the company’s website.

WWE confirmed on TMZ that the Bryant remark led to AW’s release, stating, “Unfortunately, Brian Jossie, playing the character of A.W. was terminated because he continued to exhibit poor judgment by making offensive and inappropriate comments on live television and on social media.”

AW took to Twitter to get a few last words in, writing, “AWPromotions is no more ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your support and hate, it’s been a great run. Now I get to do me which isn’t PG! @TitusONeilWWE & @DarrenYoungWWE thank you for allowing me to speak on your behalf. You guys are the best and I’m glad to call u my friends! Let this be a lesson to up and coming talent in the WWE don’t try and be great like the Rock or Stone Cold. WWE isn’t the same…”

“Thanks to the fans who showed me support over the whole Kobe thing and to those I upset I apologize again. Remember it’s entertainment folks,” AW continued. “I really do hope Linda wins that election because If not then all of this BS has been for nothing. #GoLinda!! Thank you WWE for creating me and then killing me because I only portrayed what I grew up watching… The #WWE!!”

No word has surfaced on how The Primetime Players will be handled or how AW’s removal from the group will be addressed.

PHOTO CREDIT – WWE

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/11/aw-fired-after-inappropriate-joke-bashes-wwe-for-hypocrisy-on-the-way-out

Phil Baroni Don Barr Pat Barry Vitor Belfort

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Pic: Former Strikeforce featherweight fighter Gina Carano rubbing elbows with ex-WWE Champion...

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2012/8/16/3247666/pic-former-strikeforce-featherweight-fighter-gina-carano-rubbing

John Alessio Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida Eddie Alvarez

UFC 151 Fan-made Trailer

NickTheFace does it again. This is a great promo.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/r6-5V8n-W_Y/

Jon Fitch Kenny Florian Jesse Forbes Xavier Foupa Pokam

Chael Sonnen out to avenge loss this December in duel with Forrest Griffin

After a month of speculation surrounding Chael Sonnen’s future the outspoken UFC competitor has finally let the world know what his next move will be and it does indeed involve the light heavyweight division. While Sonnen fighting at 205 pounds is not necessarily a surprise, the opponent he’ll be facing in his promotional unveiling at the weight most certainly was – Forrest Griffin.

The match-up is set to take place at the UFC’s annual year-end event on New Year’s Eve Weekend.

Sonnen revealed the information on this week’s episode of UFC Tonight where he praised Griffin as a tough competitor and showed the utmost respect for the former light heavyweight champion.

“Sure, I could go up to 205 and I could take Jon Jones’ belt away the same as I could take his candy on Halloween. He’s a little punk kid. I could snatch it away all I want,” explained Sonnen of his intent at 205 in standard trash-talking fashion. “But there’s something to be said in sportsmanship about earning your shot and on 29th of December I’m gonna go through Forrest Griffin to do it.”

Griffin holds an overall record of 19-7 including wins over former title-holders Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson. He and Sonnen fought in 2003 before either ever appeared inside the Octagon with Griffin taking home a submission win in the opening round of action.

Check out Sonnen’s announcement/statements below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/15/chael-sonnen-out-to-avenge-loss-this-december-in-duel-with-forrest-griffin

Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson tweeted a pic from the set of Fast 6, where he's working with former...

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/8/16/3247740/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-tweeted-a-pic-from-the-set-of-fast-6-where

He Peng David Heath Delson Heleno Dan Henderson

Randy Orton Is A Work Horse, Stacy Keibler/George Clooney

– Many people that have tickets to the Night of Champions PPV stated they were invited to take part in a group survey to discuss upcoming WWE Studios films. They would be paid $20 to watch scenes from a film and discuss the positives and negatives. WWE has John Cena’s Family Reunion, Edge’s Inside Out, and the horror film No One Lives on the way.

– It has been reported that from August 27th through September 5th, World champion Randy Orton wrestled every day except for one that was used for a travel day from the United States to France.

– Stacy Keibler did not walk the red carpet with George Clooney at the Toronto Film Festival, but was with him during the after-party for his films. TMZ.com has a story up on the new couple.

Wrestling News

Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/randy-orton-is-a-work-horse-stacy-keiblergeorge-clooney/

Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson tweeted a pic from the set of Fast 6, where he's working with former...

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/8/16/3247740/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-tweeted-a-pic-from-the-set-of-fast-6-where

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio

Ronda Rousey says sex helps performance inside the cage

Before the start of a fight, famed referee “Big” John McCarthy is known for telling the competitors to “get it on”. However, Strikeforce bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey was recently asked about a different type of activity associated with the phrase in relation to how it affects her ability to Armbar adversaries inside the cage and left more than a few jaws dropped with her response.

The topic came up while Rousey stopped by the Conan show where host Conan O’Brien inquired as to whether or not sex was prohibited during the final build towards a fight based on how it affects an individual’s physiology. Surprisingly, she not only said it was okay but encouraged.

“It’s actually the opposite for women. If you have sex it raises your testosterone. So it kind of sucks I don’t have a boyfriend right now,” Rousey joked, saying her Twitter account would undoubtedly be full of volunteers after the episode aired. “I don’t know the exact science behind it. Maybe it was a pick-up line or something I heard before.”

“It at least would help your confidence I think,” she added with a smile.

Rousey Unapologetic About Blending Sex Appeal with Skill

The 5-0 Rousey fights Sarah Kaufman on August 18 where she’ll put her title on the line for the first time.

Check out the complete clip of Rousey on Conan below:

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/09/ronda-rousey-says-sex-helps-performance-inside-the-cage

Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs Ray Cooper

Former WWE champ Dave Bautista headed for MMA debut on October 6

David Bautista may have made a name for himself as one of the premier members of the WWE roster during his highly successful run in the organization but it appears his next athletic endeavor will involve actual violence rather than scripted stunts. Bautista, who wrestled as “Batista”, was recently confirmed to be making his MMA debut on October 6 at CES: Real Pain in Providence, Rhode Island.

The former WWE champion will face Rashid Evans at the event, a newcomer in his own right with a 1-2 record professionally. A bout between UFC veteran David Louiseau and Mike Campbell is also scheduled for the show.

Bautista labeled the opportunity as a “dream come true” in an official statement from the organization.

“CES treats me like family and I can’t wait to make my debut with them. MMA has been my lifelong dream and I’m glad to be able to do it with them on the East Coast,” explained the 43-year old.

In addition to the cage, Bautista can also be seen dishing out punishment in a theatre later this year as part of the cast for The Man with the Iron Fists. The film is directed by Wu Tang Clan’s RZA, stars Russell Crowe, and was produced by Quinton Tarantino.

PHOTO CREDIT – WWE

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/09/former-wwe-champ-dave-bautista-headed-for-mma-debut-on-october-6

Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida

Waiting for the right fight, UFC still wants to run an event at Cowboys Stadium

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Since getting 55,000 fans into the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in April of 2011, the UFC has been eying the right fight for another major stadium event. They thought they had that with the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen rematch, which they initially planned to bring to a soccer stadium in Brazil, but logistical issues plagued that card, and the bout was moved to Las Vegas instead.

They don't have that right fight set just yet, but they're still looking into bringing an event to Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas. There were talks initially of bringing a fight there by January of 2013, but that time frame isn't feasible yet for the organization.

UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta still wants to bring a fight there, but they need the right fight, as well as a date that works for them.

"I don't think we'd do anything in January but we've been in contact with them," Fertitta said in an interview with ESPN.com. "Dallas Cowboys Stadium is something we definitely want to do and we're focused on, but it's tricky. It's so busy, it's hard to get a date that works for us."

"We'll keep an eye on it. It's got to be the right fight. If we're doing Dallas Cowboys Stadium it would probably either be a catchweight superfight or something else that's huge."

That fight could very well be a bout between UFC Champions Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. It has been discussed for some time, but it's coming closer to reality as Silva is waiting to return until 2013, and St-Pierre could be his opponent with a win over Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in November.

Penick's Analysis: If St-Pierre defeats Condit in November, I can almost guarantee the UFC will be targeting that super fight for Cowboys Stadium by April. It's the only fight they can put on right now - outside of maybe Silva vs. Jon Jones - that could garner the hype and buzz needed to set records with a stadium show in Dallas. If that fight doesn't come together, I can't think of another bout the UFC has on tap that could bring that same level of interest. Not at this stage, at least. Still, if it's St-Pierre against Silva, I'd have to imagine the UFC would pull out all the stops for that type of an event.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14128.shtml

Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn

Chael Sonnen eyes UFC Title bout with Jon Jones as he moves back to light heavyweight

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Chael Sonnen's move back to the light heavyweight division is an opportunity for him to make one more run at a UFC Championship. After failing to capture the belt in two major bouts with Anderson Silva, his only option for getting into another title fight was the 205 lb. division, and he'll take his first step towards that on Dec. 29 when he takes on Forrest Griffin.

Still, though he's moving up against a fighter who holds a win over him, he feels he's leaving the toughest division in the UFC.

"A change is always nice," Sonnen said in an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday. "You do the same thing over and over, you're always looking for change. 185 is the toughest weight class out there. We sent our champion (Silva) up to face their [former] champion, Forrest Griffin (in 2009). It lasted 93 seconds. There's no debate to what the toughest weight class is. They used to have a karate guy (Lyoto Machida) that was champion at that weight."

Jokes aside, Sonnen is eying a fight against the division's current Champion, Jon Jones, provided Jones gets past Sonnen's former Team Quest fighter Dan Henderson, who meets Jones on Sept. 1.

"I don't think there's gonna be much left of [Jones] when Dan Henderson gets done with him,” Sonnen said. “If there's anything left of him, I'd be happy to play cleanup."

Penick's Analysis: Sonnen could immediately be a more interesting opponent for Jones than some of the other options, considering Jones has already defeated almost every main challenger in the division. Should Sonnen get past Griffin on Dec. 29, I'd expect Jones fights and defeats Lyoto Machida between December and February himself, so as Rich Hansen commented on Tuesday night, let's just book Jones vs. Sonnen for Memorial Day or July 4 weekend right now.

[Chael Sonnen art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14140.shtml

Dennis George Kultar Gill Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi

Chael Sonnen eyes UFC Title bout with Jon Jones as he moves back to light heavyweight

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14140.shtml

Josh Burkman Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell

“Mayhem” Miller behind bars after burglarizing, vandalizing church

After middleweight Jason Miller’s previous two performances in the Octagon it seemed as though the fan-favorite had hit an all-time low career-wise. Miller was released by the UFC a few months back due to being thoroughly outclassed by Michael Bisping and following it up with a sloppy decision loss to CB Dollaway.

However, Miller’s stock sunk even further this week when the 31-year old fighter was arrested in California for an incident involving a church, fire extinguishers, and a questionable choice of clothing (or lack thereof as the case may be).

Miller Claims Retirement After Latest Loss

According to TMZ, Miller was booked on burglary charges Monday morning after police investigating a break-in call found the interior of a church completely wrecked including a variety of debris thrown around and the spray from a fire extinguisher covering both of the building’s floors. Were that not enough, “Mayhem” was found relaxing on a couch in the church while nude no less.

A follow-up report by Inside MMA revealed Miller is currently being held on a $20,000 bond and will be in court on Wednesday. He has also been forced to undergo a medical evaluation.

Miller’s representatives have yet to comment on the charges or his status/health.

Check out Inside MMA’s report on the situation below:

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/14/%e2%80%9cmayhem%e2%80%9d-miller-behind-bars-after-burglarizing-vandalizing-church

Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo

Alistair Overeem doesn’t believe Junior dos Santos wants to fight him

It’s hard to believe the heavyweight champion of the world would be afraid of any challenge inside the cage but, according to Alistair Overeem, that’s exactly the case when it comes to Junior dos Santos’ desire to face him in a fight. Dos Santos recently changed his stance on fighting Overeem after the Dutch challenger called him out publicly, spurring “Cigano” to supposedly tell UFC President Dana White he preferred to fight Overeem rather than Cain Velasquez as originally planned.

However, Overeem isn’t buying Dos Santos’ statements to White as he made clear on this week’s episode of UFC Tonight.

Dos Santos Explains Reasons for Wanting to Fight Overeem

“I think he’s talking a lot because he’s expecting that fight not to happen anyways,” explained Overeem. “I think he’s afraid of me. I think he was happy that the last fight on May 26 didn’t happen. I met him at the UFC Fighter Summit in Vegas when Anderson Silva fought Chael Sonnen and I approached him. And I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it. Let’s both prove something to the world and let’s fight.’ He suddenly acted as if he didn’t understand English and didn’t know what I was talking about and blah blah blah and afterwards I hear about how he wants to fight Cain first. Well I’m still here. I wanna fight you.”

Dos Santos and Overeem were supposed to fight at UFC 146 but the bout was cancelled due to a failed drug screening where testosterone use was indicated. With Overeem working to resolve the matter through voluntary testing it seems he feels there is no reason the two of them shouldn’t tangle before the end of the year.

“The fact of the matter is, I’m the number-one heavyweight in the world and if he wants to be the number-one he’s gonna have to go through me. He’s gonna have to fight me,” Overeem concluded.

Overeem is currently unable to receive a license to fight in Nevada until late December. However, the UFC has an event planned for New Year’s Eve weekend allowing the slim possibility of Overeem’s presence on the lineup.

The complete interview with Overeem can be found below:

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/08/alistair-overeem-doesn%e2%80%99t-believe-junior-dos-santos-wants-to-fight-him

Thiago Alves Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz

Saffiedine Closing In On His Shot at 170-Pound Gold

At the Team Quest gym in Temecula, California, where Strikeforce welterweight Tarec Saffiedine is preparing for his Saturday bout against Roger Bowling with his organizational stablemates Ovince St. Preux and Keith Berry, as well as number one UFC light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson, the Brussels native has one important thing to say about himself and the aforementioned team.

“We are all on weight,” he laughs, referring to the sauna-like atmosphere in the gym, which was rendered as such thanks to no air conditioning and the usual Southern California heat. That’s the bad side. The other side is that in keeping with the old fight game adage that steel sharpens steel, Saffiedine and company are more than prepared for the short trip to San Diego for this weekend’s fights.

“It’s great,” he said. “Right now at the gym we’ve got Ovince St. Preux and Keith Berry, who are fighting on the same card, and of course Dan, and we have a lot of other guys training for fights this weekend as well, so the gym is packed, there are a lot of different styles coming from everywhere and we have a lot of sparring partners. Everybody’s motivated and ready to fight.”

Perhaps no one more than Saffiedine, who could be closing in on a shot at new Strikeforce welterweight boss Nate Marquardt if he can turn his two fight winning streak into three against the hard-hitting Bowling, whose wild-swinging style may just be the perfect match for the precision striking attack of the “Sponge.”

“I’m excited to fight somebody like Roger,” said Saffiedine. “I know he (Bowling) is not the most technical fighter, but he brings it every time and I know it’s gonna be a good fight. We put a good gameplan together with my coaches and everybody, so I’m feeling great and I’m looking forward to the fight.”

4-1 in Strikeforce since making his organizational debut with a decision win over James Terry in February of 2010, Saffiedine’s only loss in that stretch came via decision to Tyron Woodley in January of 2011, so with Marquardt beating Woodley for the title last month, it makes a possible bout with Saffiedine more sellable than a rematch with Woodley. The 25-year old was impressed with both 170-pounders in their recent war.

“Nate and Woodley both looked great in the last fight,” he said. “Woodley came out pretty strong but I think he gassed a little bit, and Nate looked good at the weight. I didn’t expect him to be in such good shape with the weight cut, but they both looked really good and that’s good for the division.”

And good for Saffiedine, who was impressive in his own right in his most recent win over Tyler Stinson in January, and not for reasons you would expect. Battered and bloodied in the first round, Saffiedine had to rally in the next two rounds to pull out the split decision victory. Was it a vintage performance? No, but it showed that he had the heart and resilience to gut out a tough win, something that will serve him well should he get a shot at the belt.

“I didn’t really like the way I fought that fight,” he admits. “I know I was able to come back from a tough first round, but I wasn’t in the best shape coming into that fight. I had only four weeks to get ready, and Tyler was a really tough opponent. It builds confidence a little bit because I was able to come back and I know I can do that, but between the fight with Scott Smith (in July of 2011) when I had an eight week camp and the fight with Tyler, when I only had four weeks, I think there is a big difference in how I came prepared to the fight. I like to have a good camp, and that’s what I had for this fight, so hopefully it will work out better.”

Fighting close to his adopted home in Southern California adds to his confidence coming into this week’s fight, as he gets to eliminate traveling from the equation while simply focusing on training. It’s his first fight in the state since the Terry bout over two years ago, and while he’s used to not competing at home, he does enjoy the rare times when it does happen.

“I’m from Belgium and everywhere I fight, it’s not my hometown,” he said. “But I would say that San Diego, even though I don’t go there often, is close to my hometown because I’m from Temecula, and a lot of people are able to drive down there. I have my brother coming from Europe to watch me fight for the first time, so I’m really excited, and I’ll have all the support from all the people from my team that are coming down for the fight, so it’s pretty exciting and I’m looking forward to it.”

The most exciting part is the fight though, or more accurately, what could happen should he win. Saffiedine knows the positive consequences that a big win could deliver, but after 15 pro MMA fights and over six years in the game, he’s also aware of the perils of peeking too far ahead.

“I never look past anybody and never underestimate anybody and Roger is a tough opponent and I’m really focused on him, but I don’t take my eyes off my goal,” he said. “I want that title shot down the line and that’s what motivates me for each and every fight because I want to get closer and closer.”

So how close is he?

“I think the way I win is gonna determine if I get the title shot or not, but of course I’m not the one who decides that,” said Saffiedine. “Hopefully after this fight I will be ready, and I want to make a statement. I want to show that I’m ready to (Strikeforce CEO) Mr. (Scott) Coker and all the fans that I’m ready to get that belt, so I’ve got to make a big statement and win in a good fashion.”

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Saffiedine-Closing-In-On-His-Shot-at-170-Pound-Gold

Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto

Hulk Hogan On WWE.com, How Old Is Paul Heyman?, More

– The official WWE website has ranked Hulk Hogan turning his back on millions of Hulkamaniacs to join Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in forming one of the most infamous groups in history, the New World Order, as No. 1 in their “List This: Legends of the Fall.”

– Former WWE talent Paul Heyman turns 46 years old today.

– Rosa Mendes, who has not appeared on WWE programming since SummerSlam, posted her first message on Twitter since August 20 by ranting about fellow SmackDown Diva A.J. The three-year veteran doesn’t feel the Union City native “looks like a WWE Diva.”

She wrote, “But what one thing I don’t miss is looking at rookies that call themselves divas when they can’t get a hold of some proactive to clear their Awful skin up, and start dressing like actual Divas instead of shopping at consignment stores in the kid section. You want to be a Diva? Look like one AJ. You look like a cashier that works at my local grocery store.

“Why you are on the roster boggles my mind!!!!!!!!”

Wrestling News

Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/hulk-hogan-on-wwe-com-how-old-is-paul-heyman-more/

Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia

UFC 150 CONTESTS: Prediction and Betting Contests Results

By: Dan Moore, MMATorch UK Contributor

If you wagered some of your confidence points or money on Frankie Edgar I genuinely sympathise with you, but take it on the chin, dry your eyes and move on, it just wasn't meant to be. That result had a huge impact on the outcome of these games, a defeat for Henderson would have changed the entire complex of both competitions. On a brighter note, everyone who entered made huge improvements on their UFC 149 scores, but then again, that wasn't too difficult to do was it?

As a side note, I am busy trying to secure a couple of prizes to hand out at the end of the year for the best overall scorers. From UFC 149 to the last event of 2012, i'll be keeping a record of your scores, the highest average scores recorded will win (Confidence and Betting). To be eligible you are only allowed to miss a maximum of TWO events. Any more and you won't be considered for the big prize (well not that big!). I'll be doing every event in addition to the PPV's, however one or two might just be for bonus points and money, similar to what Rich used to do. UFC on FUEL 5 next month will be the first non PPV event where the titles are defended.

Without further ado, let's take a look at how UFC 150 panned out for you all:

CONFIDENCE GAME PRE FIGHT PREDICTIONS

48 people submitted entries for this card. Here’s a combined breakdown of how many confidence points you placed on each fighter (Winner in bold):

Nik Lentz - 272
Eiji Mitsuoka - 0

Chico Camus - 26
Dustin Pague - 122

Erik Perez - 56
Ken Stone - 84

Michael Kuiper - 55
Jared Hamman - 75

Dennis Bermudez - 262
Tommy Hayden - 28

Max Holloway - 62
Justin Lawrence - 163

Yushin Okami - 418
Buddy Roberts - 0

Jake Shields - 270
Ed Herman - 61

Donald Cerrone - 311
Melvin Guillard - 18

Benson Henderson - 272
Frankie Edgar - 30

CONFIDENCE GAME RESULTS

Dionicio Ortiz (47 points) defeats "Ravishing" Mark Sacchetti (47 points) to remain the undisputed MMA Torch Confidence Picks Champion. This one was extremely close rather like the main event, and maybe a little controversial too. Let me explain, both competitors ended up with 47 points and both of them predicted 8 correct winners. Next way to separate them was to count the number of winning methods they correctly predicted. Dionicio hit on Camus to win by Unanimous Decision, and that was the crucial tiebreaker right there.

Mark had predicted a KO win for Okami, and Dionicio predicted a KO win for Perez. Both mentioned fighters won by TKO, and not KO (There is a difference). Therefore neither competitor earned a point for those picks and Dionicio scraped home to victory by the thinnest of margins. Very rarely does a contest go to such a close decision, but it's worth noting the importance of getting your methods and rounds correct just in case. If you write KO it's what I'm using, same goes for TKO, or Unanimous Decision, or Split Decision etc etc.

Dionicio moves on to UFC 151 as reigning champion, where he'll face off against the great Chris Wallner who went a perfect 10 for 10 last night.

Here are the results of the Confidence Picks pool:

55 - Chris Wallner
53 - Paul Connellan
50 - Michael Douglas
50 - Rich Hansen
50 - Mark Bunce
49 - Joel Wielenga
48 - Dominic Marchionna
48 - Nick Williams
48 - Tom Bell
48 - Shaun Louis
47 - Matt Page
47 - Chris McCann
46 - Harry Cooper
46 - Scott Pipher
46 - Kyle Watson
46 - David (UFCTALK2012)
46 - James Cater
45 - Anthony Sinnott
44 - David Little
44 - Dan Moore
43 - Carll Light
42 - Avery Clarke
41 - John Theis
41 - Jason McKee
41 - Casey Vaccaro
41 - Sam Martin
40 - Jason Thompson
40 - Mike Jensen
40 - Daryl Chumbley
39 - James Scott
39 - Marcos Rodriguez
39 - Tyson Kubas
39 - John Penyak
38 - Cambo Nelson
38 - Erwin "Skarz" Bouwman
38 - JayMon 1002
37 - Wallace Stone
37 - Scott Cumming
37 - Tommy Strong
36 - Joe Williams
35 - Clay Burley
35 - David Moxon
34 - Richard Race
33 - James Tippett III
31 - Ben Ackermann

Note: Should either the champion, or challenger fail to submit their picks for UFC 151 (Jones vs. Henderson), Paul Connellan would step up as a challenger, and so on. Everyone else will be fighting for the No 1 contender slot on the night, and the right to face off against Dionicio or Chris at UFC 152 (Benavidez vs. Johnson).

BETTING GAME RESULTS

Dan Moore ($839.47) defeats Clay Burley ($300.00) to become the new undisputed MMA Torch Betting Picks Champion. Neither contender turned in a profit, but my conservative approach worked over Clay's more adventurous approach. In the first fight Clay missed on Mitsuoka for $200, losing his parlay in the process and it was a formality from that point on. Some weeks you can hit for nearly $10,000 picking underdogs, but realistically it isn't going to happen on consecutive fight cards. Unlucky Clay, always a next time young Jedi.

Clay Burley: $300.00

$200 on Henderson for $300

Dan Moore: $839.47

$250 on Shields for $381.58

$200 parlay on Shields, Lentz and Okami for $457.89

Up next for me is the one and only Rich Hansen who hit for an impressive $1739.15 having invested his money wisely. Rich bet $500 on Shields (-190) while others bet the same amount on Okami (-600) who win or lose, was never going to provide a big return due to the huge odds. Sometimes it pays to be conservative, but more often than not, throwing a little bit of caution to the wind can be highly lucrative. So it's Master vs. Apprentice at UFC 151 for the title, a bit like Bolt vs. Blake in the 100m, only a lot slower and not as fun to watch!

Here are the results of the Betting Picks pool:

Rich Hansen: $1739.15

$500 on Shields for $763.16

$250 on Henderson for $375

$200 parlay on Shields, Cerrone and Henderson for $600.99

Paul Connellan: $1683.95

$250 on Camus for $650

$100 on Perez for $205

$400 on Henderson for $600

$100 parlay on Lentz, Shields and Okami for $228.95

Chris McCann: $1627.43

$500 on Henderson for $750

$200 on Perez for $410

$200 parlay on Okami, Shields and Cerrone for $467.43

Dominic Marchionna: $1517.31

$450 on Okami for $525

$350 on Shields for $534.21

$100 on Holloway for $190.91

$100 parlay on Bermudez, Cerrone and Henderson for $267.19

Chris Wallner: $1490.00

$400 on Camus for $1040

$200 on Lentz, Okami and Henderson for $450

Nick Williams: $1467.76

$500 on Henderson for $750

$200 on Cerrone for $262.50

$200 on Shields for $305.26

$100 parlay on Okami and Lentz for $150

Scott Pipher: $1413.16

$500 on Shields for $763.16

$250 on Camus for $650

Joel Wielenga: $1340.16

$300 on Holloway for $572.73

$200 on Henderson for $300

$200 parlay on Shields, Okami and Cerrone for $467.43

Jason McKee: $1308.75

$300 on Perez for $615

$200 on Henderson for $300

$200 parlay for Lentz, Okami and Cerrone for $393.75

James Scott: $1300.00

$500 on Camus for $1300

Cambo Nelson: $1247.43

$300 on Camus for $780

$200 parlay on Okami, Shields and Cerrone for $467.43

Mark Bunce: $1188.72

$400 on Henderson for $600

$200 parlay on Lentz, Shields and Henderson for $588.72

"Ravishing" Mark Sacchetti: $1136.08

$450 on Cerrone for $590.63

$300 on Henderson for $450

$50 on Holloway for $95.45

John Penyak: $1130.11

$300 on Henderson for $450

$150 on Holloway for $286.36

$200 parlay on Lentz, Okami and Cerrone for $393.75

Daryl Chumbley: $1121.44

$400 on Okami for $466.67

$300 on Shields for $457.89

$150 on Cerrone for $196.88

David Little: $1101.09

$200 on Shields for $305.26

$200 on Cerrone for $262.50

$200 on Okami for $233.33

$200 on Henderson for $300

Matt Page: $1100.00

$500 on Henderson for $750

$300 on Okami for $350

Shaun Louis: $1017.67

$400 on Shields for $610.53

$200 parlay on Bermudez, Lentz and Okami for $407.14

James Cater: $1012.50

$500 on Henderson for $750

$200 on Cerrone for $262.50

Jason Thompson: $968.16

$100 on Perez for $205

$500 on Shields for $763.16

Michael Douglas: $944.21

$200 on Perez for $410

$200 parlay on Okami, Shields and Henderson for $534.21

Dionicio Ortiz: $930.00

$200 on Camus for $520

$200 on Perez for $410

Anthony Sinnott: $908.29

$200 on Kuiper for $373.91

$200 parlay on Bermudez, Cerrone and Henderson for $534.38

Tommy Strong: $863.86

$150 on Lentz for $192.86

$150 on Bermudez for $203.57

$200 parlay on Okami, Shields and Cerrone for $467.43

Marcos Rodriguez: $538.59

$200 on Okami for $233.33

$200 on Shields for $305.26

Tyson Kubas: $520.00

$200 on Camus for $520

Avery Clarke: $520.00

$200 on Camus for $520

Harry Cooper: $520.00

$200 on Camus for $520

Carll Light: $505.00

$200 on Henderson for $300

$100 on Perez for $205

Joe Williams: $459.38

$200 parlay on Okami, Cerrone and Henderson for $459.38

Mike Jensen: $456.58

$250 on Shields for $381.58

$50 on Henderson for $75

Clay Burley: $300.00

$200 on Henderson for $300

James Tippett III: $262.50

$200 on Cerrone for $262.50

JayMon1002: $260.00

$100 on Camus for $260

Erwin "Skarz" Bouwman: $150.00

$100 on Henderson for $150

Richard Race: $135.71

$100 on Bermudez for $135.71

Trey Witzell: $0
David Moxon: $0
Ben Ackermann: $0
Casey Vaccaro $0
Sam Martin: $0

Note: Should either contender fail to submit their picks for UFC 151 (Jones vs. Henderson), Paul Connellan would step up as a challenger, and so on. Everyone else will be fighting for the No 1 contender slot on the night, and the right to face off against Rich or me at UFC 152 (Benavidez vs. Johnson) next month.

RECAP

MMA Torch Confidence Picks Championship Match Up (UFC 151)

Dionicio Ortiz (Champion) vs. Chris Wallner (Challenger)

MMA Torch Betting Picks Championship Match Up (UFC 151)

Dan Moore (Champion) vs. Rich Hansen (Challenger)

Performer of the Night: A fairly easy call to make this week with Chris Wallner going a perfect 10 for 10 on the confidence picks. It could have been a really great night for him had he not picked Guillard and Roberts for bets totaling $400, but hey no one's perfect. Honorable mention to Paul Connellan who performed solidly in both games and just missed out on becoming a title contender.

Goat of the Night: Step forward Ben Ackermann for the big fat zero you came away with tonight. To lose every dollar, when most of the favorites actually won, is some achievement buddy. In his defense, Ben wasn't the only one to waste a $1000, but the 31 points, and bottom finish in the confidence picks, just gave you the edge (not that you wanted it of course).

We will be back for UFC 151 in a couple weeks, so keep an eye out for that. I'll also continue to post links on my Twitter account when the contests go live on the website.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @MMATorchDan

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/prediction_and_betting_contests/article_14124.shtml

Luiz Azeredo Luciano Azevedo Ba Te er Ryan Bader

Georges St-Pierre wasn't having fun in MMA prior to injury, aims to be more exciting in UFC return

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre has long been considered one of the best fighters in the world, but he's also been criticized in his last several performances for a risk-averse strategy that has led to some less-than-thrilling fights. Being forced to the sidelines for over a year already due to multiple injuries and ultimately knee surgery, St-Pierre has had time to reflect on a lot of things, and the 31-year-old Champion realizes that he's had some issues in those fights.

"Towards the end, I didn't have the drive anymore," St-Pierre said in an interview with MMAFighting.com. "I was doing it because I had to do it. I didn't have fun anymore. I lost a little bit of the love for the sport."

"There is a saying in English that you don't repair something that is not broken," he said. "Sometimes I believe you have to break it yourself to repair it, to make it better. Because the sport of mixed martial arts will evolve. If I stay at the same level, they will catch up to me. I need to evolve, to stay ahead of game. The critics are always there. I listen to the critics. I'm very critical on myself. I want to make more finishes myself. I want to be more exciting, take more risks, be more opportunistic. I've been working on that a lot."

As he prepares to make his return to action this November against Carlos Condit, there has been a lot of conversation surrounding a potential super fight with Anderson Silva. While St-Pierre is open to the fight, he's also realistic about the fact that there are other things that could impact the ability for the UFC to put that bout together.

"It could happen of course," St-Pierre said of the fight. "It definitely can happen, but for me, that's far ahead in time. Right now, I’m not thinking about that. I can't. My main thing right now is to get better, and then when I'm going to fight, to get ready to win the fight, what I need to do to win and beat the guy. I need to focus on one thing at a time."

"You never know what's going to happen in the future. A lot of things can change. There are a lot of big fights coming up. Chris Weidman, I've seen him in training. He's at a different level. He can be world champion if he fights Anderson first. So, this fight is not written in blood. If all goes well and all the stars are aligned, yeah, maybe one day it will happen. But right now, I just came back and I need to fight Carlos Condit. We'll see what's going to happen next."

Penick's Analysis: St-Pierre has been very analytical towards his MMA career, and is one of the more cerebral fighters in the sport. That has led him to avoid unnecessary risks, a change that's been evident since he was knocked out in shocking fashion by Matt Serra in 2007, and it's something that made him content with simply grinding out opponents whom he's had a very big advantage over. Whether that same type of style remains prevalent for him is something that's up to him. If he's serious about changing things up a bit, we may see something very special from him as he returns this fall, and if that leads to a bout with Anderson Silva next year it's all for the better.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14131.shtml

Thiago Alves Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz

Bellator Champ Pat Curran suffers broken orbital bone, out of August 24 bout with Patricio Freire

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

In massively disappointing information, Bellator's scheduled Featherweight Championship bout next week between Pat Curran and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is off, as Curran has suffered an injury in his final week of training.

Curran announced via twitter that he has suffered a broken orbital bone, an injury that happened in his second to last sparring session before next week's event on MTV2. He is out of training for at least six weeks.

"It's an incredibly frustrating injury, especially to happen so close to the fight, but these things happen," Curran said in an interview with ESPN.com about the injury. "I can honestly say I'm in the best shape of my life, but injuries happen and once I heal up, I'm going to continue to train and come back stronger than ever to defend the Bellator Featherweight Title."

Curran captured the title this spring, knocking out Joe Warren in vicious fashion. He actually leapfrogged Freire to his title shot, as Freire won an earlier Bellator tournament, but was himself out injured. With this fight now delayed, Curran will have both Freire and last season's tournament winner Daniel Straus awaiting his return.

"First and foremost I feel horrible for Pat, he's been looking forward to this fight pitting two of the best 145 pounds in the world against each other for months," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "Pat always elevates his game as the stakes get higher and higher. Right now the focus is Pat healing and getting back to 100 percent and we will get that fight rescheduled as quickly as Pat's health will allow us to."

Penick's Analysis: This is really unfortunate news for Curran, for Freire, for Bellator, and for the fans. This was going to be a fantastic matchup for Bellator's Featherweight Title, and it was their headlining fight for an event that is a week and a half away. It also backs up their featherweight division further once again, with Freire and Straus waiting in the wings and another tournament in the division likely to start by January, if not this fall. It's been one of their most competitive fields, and this just really puts things on hold. Hopefully Curran heals up quickly and can be back to 100% for the fall/winter months, as every Bellator fan wants to see this fight.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator/article_14136.shtml

Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle

Lyoto Machida focused on potential rematch with Jon Jones

Even though UFC light heavyweight Lyoto Machida hasn’t gone on record with a pick in the upcoming bout between divisional champion Jon Jones and challenger Dan Henderson, the 205-pound top contender seems to be leaning in one direction based on some recent comments pointing to a possible meeting with the man currently wearing the belt.

Machida and Jones faced off this past December with Jones retaining his belt after an evenly-matched first round was followed up by a submission finish in the second. Now it seems Machida may want some revenge.

According to Machida, while he has the upmost respect for Jones, he already has a few areas in mind to work on when it comes to being the first man to legitimately beat “Bones” en route to reclaiming the championship he once wore himself.

“I beat him in the first round, but Jones is a great athlete and fighter. He changes his style all the time. He has a good coach and good strategy, but I think I have a chance to beat him,” explained Machida in an interview with MMAJunkie Radio. “He has good wrestling, and his reach is very long. I have to train a lot on how to get inside, and how I can beat him. He’s very tough. He can control the fight when he uses his wrestling. That’s why I have to train more wrestling, and more defense.”

However, if Jones comes up short against Henderson it appears Machida is equally open to mixing it up with the first-ballot Hall of Fame fighter, saying simply, “I just want to be a champion again. It doesn’t matter who my opponent is.”

“Hendo” Likes Idea of Match-Up with Machida

Jones-Henderson are scheduled to serve as the main event at UFC 151 on September 1. Based on the date it seems likely the winner will face Machida before the end of the year, health-permitting.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/08/lyoto-machida-focused-on-potential-rematch-with-jon-jones

Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Dana White Regrets Mayhem Miller Twitter War

Source: http://mmasportsreport.com/1554/dana-white-regrets-mayhem-miller-twitter-war

Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipović Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher

UFC 150 Musings

NO CLOSURE FOR BENDO-EDGAR

Benson Henderson is done dealing with Frankie Edgar—for now, at least. His split decision win gives him back-to-back victories over the former champion. Despite the fact that both bouts were extremely close, with Saturday’s arguably ending in a controversial decision, it seems unlikely that Edgar will receive a third opportunity at Bendo any time soon. That makes perfect sense, from a sporting perspective. But it is hard to suggest that there has been any real closure for the Bendo-Edgar saga.

I’m not suggesting that the judges got it wrong. The fight was close enough where neither man has a legitimate complaint no matter how the judges scored it. Both are probably wondering why they didn’t press a little harder in search of a more conclusive ending, particularly Edgar, who wound up on the short side of the scorecards. It’s tough for him to complain too vigorously about the decision because he never really left his comfort zone in an attempt to clearly pull ahead of his opponent.

NATE DIAZ IS NEXT

Nate Diaz is a perfect 3-0 since he returned to the lightweight division. He won a post-fight bonus in each of those bouts—once getting the nod for Fight of the Night and twice for Submission of the Night. He will be next up for champion Benson Henderson, according to UFC president Dana White.

I think Bendo-Diaz is a spectacular matchup. Bendo has the clear wrestling and strength advantages. Diaz is the better striker and a far superior submission artist. Sounds like a good matchup for the Stockton native, doesn’t it? Will Nate be the first of the Diaz brothers to win UFC gold? We will find out soon enough.

IT’S TIME FOR EDGAR TO HEAD SOUTH

Frankie Edgar looked a full weight class smaller than his opponent on Saturday night. That wasn’t surprising because he looks smaller than his foe in every fight. But this was after the former champion claimed he had added some much needed muscle in the months leading up to the bout.

I don’t know for certain, but I’m guessing that Edgar still cuts less than 10 pounds for the fight. If I am correct, he is still far too small for the lightweight division. That may read like crazy words to some because Edgar has already climbed to the top of the lightweight mountain, and he did it by defeating one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, B.J. Penn. Not once, but twice.

That doesn’t matter to me. It is tough to argue that Edgar’s lack of size didn’t hurt him on Saturday night. I’ll take that one step farther. His lack of size hurts him in every fight. Ten of his 13 UFC bouts have gone the distance. That is far too much time spent in the cage because those miles accumulate over time, resulting in very real wear and tear that can prematurely end the prime of a fighter’s career. The lack of finishes either suggests that Edgar is a poor finisher or he is just too small to finish his foes. I’ll bet on the latter, not the former.

If Edgar drops to 145, I think he will be one of the bigger, stronger fighters. It will allow him to utilize his wrestling a bit more than he can at lightweight. Smaller opponents will also suffer a bit more from the power of his punches.

Of course, there is no guarantee that he will win the title at featherweight, despite having spent time as the lightweight champion. Why? Some guy named Jose Aldo. Look him up, if you don’t already know.

CERRONE IS ONE BAD DUDE

How many of you thought the fight was over when Melvin Guillard put Donald Cerrone on ice skates early in the first round? I certainly did. I didn’t think there was any way that Cerrone would recover in time to survive what seemed certain to be a savage Guillard assault in search of a knockout.

Well, I was correct. The fight did end moments later. The only issue with my assumption seconds into the fight was that I assumed Guillard would be the one standing with his hand raised. Instead, he was left lying on the canvas-covered floor thanks to a perfectly timed Cerrone counter—one that was probably thrown on pure instinct due to a very cloudy head at the time.

Cerrone is now 6-1 since the UFC acquired the WEC. His lone loss came in lopsided fashion to arch rival Nate Diaz almost a year ago. With Diaz standing in the front of the championship challenger queue, a strong argument can be made that Cerrone deserves to be standing immediately behind him.

Cerrone mentioned after the win over Guillard that he remains interested in fighting fellow 155-pound shining star Anthony Pettis. That could be the perfect title eliminator for the winner of Bendo-Diaz.

SHIELDS GETS THE SHIP IS GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Jake Shields was widely considered to be the best fighter in the world who wasn’t under contract with the UFC back in 2010. It was a fair assessment because he was on a five-year, 14-fight winning streak that culminated with the destruction of surefire future Hall of Famer Dan Henderson in a Strikeforce middleweight title bout.

Then, everything changed when Shields arrived in the UFC. He dropped back down to welterweight after nearly 18 months of competing 15 pounds to the north. I don’t think Shields grasped how difficult that would be. Stripping his body of all the added muscle undoubtedly impacted his cardio in an adverse manner. He looked completely exhausted for much of the bout in his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann. Shields barely escaped with a win that night.

He put on a much better showing against Georges St-Pierre in his next bout, but Shields still came up short. It was his first loss in his last 16 fights. He followed that bout with a 53-second knockout loss to Jake Ellenberger, something that most thought was unfathomable just months earlier. It was the first time Shields had been stopped in more than a decade. The former Strikeforce two-division champion certainly gets a complete pass for that outcome because he had just lost his father a few weeks earlier.

Shields scored a solid unanimous decision win against Yoshihiro Akiyama five months later. But he again appeared to tire prematurely compared to his pre-UFC performances. And he certainly did not appear to be as dominant as he had in the past. Thus, the Cesar Gracie team fighter opted to move back to middleweight.

Saturday was his middleweight debut. Although his win over Ed Herman wasn’t pretty, it was just what the doctor ordered. There was no doubt when the bout was over who had won. Herman proved to be an extremely tough opponent. Anyone who has been watching the sport for the last five or six years knew that he would be. Shields prevailing in a grueling, clinch-filled fight suggests to me that he is in the right weight class.

I expect Shields to build upon this effort in his next fight as he re-acclimates to the return of the extra 10-15 pounds of muscle. While he hasn’t yet lived up to the great hype that surrounded him when he entered the UFC, I think he will make a very real run at fulfilling those expectations over the next year.

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/UFC-150-Musings

Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton

Dan Henderson invites Jon Jones to try and TKO him

In a recent interview, UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones expressed extreme confidence in his ability to stop challenger Dan Henderson with strikes despite his iconic adversary never having been TKO’d in the past. He also went on record to label “Hendo” as a “one trick pony” based on Henderson’s propensity for putting opponents away with his infamous “H-Bomb” rather than finding other ways to finish them.

Henderson had a chance to address Jones’ comments this week on UFC Tonight where he shrugged off both statements in typical laid-back fashion.

“Must be a pretty good trick. It’s kept me in the sport this long, especially if people keep wanting to see it,” responded Henderson on the subject of his reputation for knocking people out. “It doesn’t matter. People know what I do and I still seem to be able to do it.”

“As far as being TKO’d, I’d love for him to try. It means he’s coming after me and I don’t have to chase him as much,” he concluded.

The 41-year old veteran, who incidentally celebrates a birthday next week, also commented on entering the bout without having much of a chance in the eyes of a lot of fans and media members who see Jones’ victory as a foregone conclusion.

“I kinda love it. It’s great. I love being the underdog. I like being challenged. I feel like it’s a bigger challenge and I’m gonna step up and prove people wrong. It adds to the motivation, fuel to the fire,” explained the 29-8 Henderson.

Jones-Henderson will meet on September 1 in the main event at UFC 151.

The complete interview with Henderson can be found below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/08/15/dan-henderson-invites-jon-jones-to-try-and-tko-him/

Josh Burkman Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell

UFC 150 Results – Ben Henderson retains title with split decision over Frankie Edgar

UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson defends his title for the first time when he takes on former champion Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC 150. Taking place from the Pepsi Center in Denver, UFC 150 also features another dynamic lightweight bout matching Donald Cerrone against Melvin Guillard.

The preliminary card kicks off with a single fight on the UFC’s Facebook page beginning at 7:30pm ET then FX will televise four bouts at 8:00pm ET. The main card of UFC 150 will be shown on pay-per-view beginning at 10:00pm ET. In addition, the fight card results will be posted below following each bout.

UFC 150 Results

Preliminary Card (Online)

Nik Lentz defeated Eiji Mitsuoka by technical knockout at 3:45 of the first round.
It was an impressive featherweight debut by Lentz who controlled Mitsuoka with his grappling then finished him on the ground.

Preliminary Card (FX)

Chico Camus defeated Dustin Pague by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Camus picks up a win in his UFC debut in what was primarily a ground battle with Pague.

Erik Perez defeated Ken Stone by technical knockout at 0:17 of the first round.
If you blinked you missed it…like me. Perez scores the fast bantamweight knockout in UFC and WEC history. A big right from Perez dropped Stone then another crushing right finished him.

Michael Kuiper defeated Jared Hamman by technical knockout at 2:16 of the second round.
Hamman could barely stand as Kuiper punished his lead leg with kicks. With Hamman’s movement limited, he could offer little resistance while Kuiper picked him apart. Hamman later tweeted that he tore his hamstring, “sorry guys, my hammy tore through when he took me down, couldnt stabilize the leg, felt like gumby, love you guys and appreciate the sup …”

Dennis Bermudez defeated Tommy Hayden by guillotine choke submission at 4:43 of the first round.
It was a back-and-forth wrestling match until Hayden caught Bermudez with a big knee. Hayden then took Bermudez’s back and trapped his arm. After a few tense moments Bermudez was able to escape and get back to his feet. Bermudez landed a front kick to the chest of Hayden who shot for a takedown only to get caught in a standing guillotine.

Main Card (PPV)

Max Holloway defeated Justin Lawrence by technical knockout at 4:49 of the second round.
Holloway landed a big kee to the body that appeared to hurt Lawrence. Holloway then ripped a right and a left to the midsection of Lawrence who slumped down against the cage. A quick flurry by Holloway brought an end to the fight.

Yushin Okami defeated Buddy Roberts by technical knockout at 3:05 of the second round.
Roberts had some success in the stand-up game early but it was the ground control of Okami that was the difference. Okami was able to get a full mount on Roberts in the first round and then again in the second. Roberts rolled to escape but offered little resistance as Okami pounded away from his back.

Jake Shields defeated Ed Herman by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
Shields picks up a win in his UFC middleweight debut. Shields was able to get the fight where he wanted it…on the ground. He took Herman down in each round and was active from the top.

Donald Cerrone defeated Melvin Guillard by knockout at 1:16 of the first round.
It was an action packed 76 seconds with both fighters having their moments. Cerrone came out aggressively looking to take the fight to Guillard. However, Guillard landed a big left hook that dropped Cerrone who appeared to be in trouble. Guillard attacked a wobbly Cerrone but couldn’t capitalize. Cerrone reset and fired a high kick which glanced off Guillard’s head rocking him. Cerrone rushed in a landed a straight right to the temple which put Guillard down and out.

Benson Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar by split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47).
Henderson retains the lightweight championship with the win. It was another close fight and Edgar was upset with the decision. Henderson came out strong as he attacked Edgar’s lead leg with low kicks to the calf. Edgar would get going in the second round as he dropped Henderson and threatened with a submission. It appeared to be a round apiece after two rounds. The rounds would be closer as the fight progressed. Henderson landed more strikes but Edgar had a knockdown, more takedowns and submission attempts.

After two straight losses, you have to wonder now if Edgar will drop down a weight class to compete at featherweight. Henderson’s next title defense is set as he will square off against Nate Diaz.

The FightMetric Report for the title fight gives the edge to the challenger Edgar.

UFC 150 Results – Ben Henderson retains title with split decision over Frankie Edgar is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/ufc-150-results-ben-henderson-vs-frankie-edgar-59154/

Mirko Cro Cop Filipović Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher Jon Fitch

Crossover fight between Frank Mir and Daniel Cormier labeled as “one-time situation”

Since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, MMA fans have been calling for fights to take place pitting the organization’s competitors against those calling the UFC home. While the idea was initially written off due to the difficulty in appeasing all involved parties, some hope was given when news surfaced last month pertaining to UFC heavyweight Frank Mir heading to Strikeforce to face Strikeforce Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier.

Unfortunately, it appears Mir’s match-up with Cormier will be the only instance of a UFC fighter appearing under the Strikeforce banner as CEO Lorenzo Fertitta made clear in a recent interview.

“You’re not going to see more of it. This is a one-time situation,” said Fertitta in an interview with ESPN. “It was a situation where Cormier had to fight one more time for Showtime. All the Strikeforce heavyweights had come to the UFC and that didn’t leave us with a stable of guys. We wanted to put on a very relevant fight that is credible.”

Fertitta continued on to explain the company also had to get approval from FOX first before making the bout.

Mir Says Cormier is a “Very Dangerous Opponent”

No specific date has been linked to the bout between Cormier-Mir though they are expected to collide in late fall (October/November).

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/07/crossover-fight-between-frank-mir-and-daniel-cormier-labeled-as-%e2%80%9cone-time-situation%e2%80%9d

Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson

takedown defense king (light heavy weight and heavyweight)

who has the best takedown defense in MMA today? Dos Santos would be my obvious pick but trying to takedown a guy like cormier is gonna be a one difficult task for any heavyweight. please name some underrated names cause takedown defense is one of my most favorite aspects of MMA.

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/general-mma-discussion/104336-takedown-defense-king-light-heavy-weight-heavyweight.html

Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber

Ronda Rousey: Judo Gene LeBell Says She’s the Best He’s Ever Seen

Source: http://mmasportsreport.com/1541/ronda-rousey-judo-gene-lebell-says-shes-the-best-hes-ever-seen

Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez

Benson Henderson-Nate Diaz Set To Headline UFC On Fox 5

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will defend his title against Nate Diaz this December, according to a report by USA Today. Henderson and Diaz will headline UFC on Fox 5, which goes down December 8. The site for the card is currently unknown. Henderson (17-2) successfully defended his belt earlier this month against Frankie Edgar, [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/JlEQ8lupTHg/

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

Dana White and the UFC Continue "Make It Rain" Approach to New York Legalization

Source: http://www.watchkalibrun.com/2011/1/11/1928962/dana-white-and-the-ufc-continue-make-it-rain-approach-to-new-york

Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove

UFC 150 Results – Ben Henderson retains title with split decision over Frankie Edgar

UFC 150 Results

Preliminary Card (Online)

Preliminary Card (FX)

Chico Camus defeated Dustin Pague by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Camus picks up a win in his UFC debut in what was primarily a ground battle with Pague.

Main Card (PPV)

After two straight losses, you have to wonder now if Edgar will drop down a weight class to compete at featherweight. Henderson’s next title defense is set as he will square off against Nate Diaz.

The FightMetric Report for the title fight gives the edge to the challenger Edgar.

UFC 150 Results – Ben Henderson retains title with split decision over Frankie Edgar is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/ufc-150-results-ben-henderson-vs-frankie-edgar-59154/

Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton