Thursday, August 2, 2012
Hockey Fight of the Day: Sean Avery vs. Mike Mottau
New York, New York! A great song by Frank Sinatra, for sure, as well as a fantastic city, but in this case the NY-NY tagline is associated with the regional clash between rival teams the New York Islanders and New York Rangers. Today’s clip features two of the teams’ most memorable stars in the form of a scrap between Sean Avery and Mike Mottau.
TweetSource: http://www.fighters.com/07/30/hockey-fight-of-the-day-sean-avery-vs-mike-mottau
Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert Aldana
ROUNDTABLE: Predictions for Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4
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JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
People seem convinced that Ryan Bader is the kind of fighter that Lyoto Machida eats for breakfast, but I have my reservations about that. Ryan Bader is a lot better of a wrestler than anyone Machida has faced in the past and packs a big enough punch to keep him guessing.
I think Machida does enough to pick up the decision, but a Ryan Bader victory wouldn't at all surprise me.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think Machida wins by decision. I'll give Bader credit and say that he'll avoid being knocked out or stopped, but I just can't see a plausible scenario where he picks up the win. I think Machida will play it safe and we get a fairly uneventful fight.
CHRIS PARK, MMATORCH UK SPECIALIST
I find it difficult to see how Ryan Bader can turn this one into his fight. Styles make fights, we say it over and over again, and for me this is one where the awkward and unorthodox style of the Karate Kid makes it his fight all night long.
I watched the Rashad Evans vs. Machida title fight again last week and Evans could simply not get anywhere near him. I know Evans and Bader are totally different fighters but when you break down where the fight is won they are on a similar page.
I see Bader having the exact same difficulties in closing the distance and, like Evans, I see Bader being brutally punished when he over commits.
I'm going with a (T)KO victory for Machida. I just see a vicious counter attack finishing of Ryan Bader. @MMATorchUK
GRIFFIN MARSH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I'm going with Lyoto since he's much more skilled and has experience on the big stage. Lyoto by unanimous decision.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Machida is a former champion at 205 and has fought against the top fighters in the division Bader is a top ten fighter not able to make the same claim. I think Bader is a good fighter with respectable wrestling and improving striking. Machida is one of the most elusive fighters ever to compete at light-heavyweight. Machida can win this fight anywhere he chooses. Bader must take the fight to the ground and utilize his ground and pound to win. If Randy Couture could not take down Machida and keep him there, Bader will not be successful with his wrestling against Machida either. I think Machida chooses to keep the fight standing and knocks out Bader with the karate blitz he has made famous.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
This is a genuinely hard fight to pick a winner from. Machida is very elusive and cunning where as Bader has some serious power and can wrestle you down. Machida tends to remain on his feet so it has the makings of a fight of the night or a real snooze fest depending how their respective game plans unfold. I'm going to give the edge to Machida based solely on the fact that he didn't lose to Tito Ortiz, and that is the only way I feel like I can pick a winner. Damn you, Tito, damn you.
SHAWN ENNIS, MMATORCH SENIOR COLUMNIST
Machida wins by knockout and does it pretty easily. Bader may or may not try for a takedown, but he won't get it either way. Machida's takedown defense is too good. And Bader's striking isn't even in the same universe as Machida. I think Machida pulls an Anderson Silva here. He uses the first round to frustrate Bader and figure out the distance, then he evades any kind of punishment and ends it in the second. Bader isn't a bad fighter, but he's in over his head at the top of the division. Honestly I think Phil Davis or Gustafsson would have been a better fight here for Machida. In fact, if you match Machida-Davis and Shogun-Gustafsson, I think that's a way better top two fights. But I digress again. Machida wins handily by second round knockout.
[Lyoto Machida art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_14003.shtml
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.
Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/randy-orton-is-a-work-horse-stacy-keiblergeorge-clooney/
Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers
Rousimar Palhares out of UFC 150 fight with Yushin Okami due to injury
It appears the injury bug did not eat its fill at UFC 149, as a string of health-related issues have carried over to UFC 150 including recent news regarding the status of middleweight Rousimar Palhares. Palhares, who was scheduled to face Yushin Okami at the August 11 event, apparently suffered some sort of damage to his knee while training for the bout and has been forced to withdraw as a result.
UFC officials confirmed Palhares’ withdrawal earlier today, adding that the Brazilian submission specialist would be replaced by Buddy Roberts in the match-up. Palhares himself was a replacement for Luiz Cane who also went down with an injury.
Roberts is 12-2 in his career with nine stoppages to his credit. He is currently on a six-fight winning streak including a successful Octagon debut last month against Caio Magalhaes at UFC on FX 3.
UFC 150 is headlined by lightweight title-holder Benson Henderson making his first defense, facing former champion Frankie Edgar.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
TweetSource: http://www.fighters.com/07/25/rousimar-palhares-out-of-ufc-150-fight-with-yushin-okami-due-to-injury
UFC Champ Jon Jones sentenced in DWI crash in New York
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According to Binghamton's PressConnects.com, Jones received a fine of $1,000, and will have to install ignition interlock devices in all of his vehicles. Additionally, Jones will have his license suspended for six months, and he'll need to complete a victim impact panel within 90 days.
Jones was arrested on the morning of May 19 after crashing his Bentley into a utility pole. He was taken into custody on suspicion of DWI, though he did not submit to breathalyzer or blood testing from the police. He later plead guilty to the misdemeanor DWI charge, with this sentencing being a part of that plea deal.
On top of the fine and the ignition interlock devices - which essentially act as a breathalyzer in the vehicle, disabling it from starting if a driver blows a certain level - Jones will also have to pay $6,563.62 in restitution to the utility company regarding the pole he crashed into.
The 25-year-old Champion commented on Twitter following today's proceedings, writing "Blessed to still have the full support of Broom County, my fans, and my DWI case officially behind me. Moving forward."
Jones returns to the Octagon on September 1, defending his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for a fourth time in a bout against Dan Henderson at UFC 151.
Penick's Analysis: With the case officially behind him, Jones now can work on moving forward, learning from this major mistake, and so long as it never happens again it's not an issue. The entire saga was unfortunate, and certainly disappointing, but it's not something he's incapable of coming back from, and his fans just now have to hope the summer's proceedings haven't been a distraction as he prepares to step back into the cage on September 1 in Las Vegas.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13976.shtml
Alan Belcher points to Brazil as site of next fight
While an official announcement hasn’t surfaced yet, it appears UFC middleweight Alan Belcher will head to Brazil for his next bout based on a recent message he posted via Twitter. According to Belcher, his upcoming tilt will likely involve “taking a trip down south, very south.”
With the South American nation hosting past events, as well as an upcoming show in October, it seems to be a likely landing spot for Belcher with Vitor Belfort as a potential opponent. Belcher’s management team relayed their client’s willingness to face Belfort in his proverbial backyard last week and “The Phenom” has already been linked to the card.
Belcher Wants Battle with Belfort or Chris Weidman
Belcher has won four straight with all of the victories involving some form of finish. He holds an overall record of 18-6 with sixteen stoppages and success against Jason MacDonald, Patrick Cote, and most recently Rousimar Palhares. He is considered to be among the group of middleweights vying for a title-shot without a clear-cut contender currently in place.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
TweetSource: http://www.fighters.com/07/24/alan-belcher-points-to-brazil-as-site-of-next-fight
Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus Todd Duffee Marvin Eastman
Chris Weidman fires back at Anderson Silva's camp, criticizes interest in GSP, Nick Diaz bouts
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Suffice it to say, Weidman has a response to that.
"I read [those comments] and it's kind of crazy. The managers they have no right to start putting down professional athletes," Weidman said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "He put me, and [Alan] Belcher, and [Tim] Boetsch down and he's trying to draw attention away from the fact that I'm the No. 1 contender, and then called us amateurs, and we're all top ten fighters."
"This is what we do for a living and then you have some manager in Brazil who's calling us amateur fighters and calls me a joke, it's definitely a little crazy and I know I wouldn't want my manager speaking about other fighters like that."
That's not the only issues he's having with Silva's management these days. Not only does he feel overlooked and out of the conversation, but he takes exception to the names being thrown out ahead of him and others in the division, including welterweights Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.
"It's like they're trying to avoid my name being mentioned at all for the title shot. They're trying to deflect with other guy's names so people can start thinking about them as possibilities, but even guys they're choosing to call out like GSP or Diaz, they're both welterweights," Weidman said. "I mean GSP, let's start with him. The guy is coming off ACL surgery, we don't even know for sure when he's fighting, and when he does fight he's fighting Carlos Condit for the welterweight title. You never know what's going to happen and best-case scenario he could fight again around May. So if anything, fight me next, if you beat me then you get your shot with GSP. You're just calling out a 170 pounder coming off ACL surgery."
"Then Nick Diaz, he's another guy he'd have a size advantage over, he's another good name but the guy's not going to be cleared till February. That's just crazy. Nothing to say about me, who has proven to be the No. 1 contender. I beat two top five guys in the division in a row, and no one's come close to doing that, especially in the fashion I did in my last fight against Mark Munoz."
Ultimately, Weidman's just confused by the names being thrown out, and doesn't know why the Champ wouldn't want to take on the biggest challenges possible.
"The guy's a champion of 185, he should be fighting the contenders," Weidman said. "You don't call out guys that aren't going to be able to fight forever and guys that are lighter than you. Why don't you call out Jon Jones? That makes sense, I'm sure a lot of people would watch, I'd love to watch too. If you're not going to fight him, fight me, I'm ready to go...
"I feel like I've made it blatantly obvious with this last fight that I'm ahead of the pack. The champ should want to fight that guy."
Penick's Analysis: Weidman's definitely not the big money pick right now. He is arguably the most deserving from a sporting perspective with what he accomplished against Munoz, but that doesn't mean he's going to be drawing big business for the UFC in this fight. His fight against Munoz came on Fuel, meaning it was seen by significantly smaller number of viewers than any of the other names being talked about here. That's the issue at hand, and though he has his case for the fight, if the UFC doesn't give it to him that's not going to be entirely surprising. With the fights they've been booking, he's got to be in the conversation right now, and he's got a point about Silva's camp eying GSP and Diaz fights right now from a sporting perspective, but in MMA that doesn't always go a long way.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13968.shtml
Diego Brandao vs. Joey Gambino coming to UFC 153 in Brazil
The UFC 153 card continues to fill up, and the latest edition will see Ultimate Fighter season 14 winner Diego Brandao heading home to Brazil to take on Joey Gambino. Brandao announced the bout via Twitter on Monday.
The 24-year-old hopes to bounce back from a disappointing performance against Darren Elkins in May. He dropped a decision in that bout, snapping a four fight win streak and dropping his career record to 14-8.
Gambino made his UFC debut in June, losing for the first time in his career in a submission loss to Steven Siler.
UFC 153 takes place on October 13 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, headlined by a Featherweight Championship bout between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_13969.shtml
With Meeting Planned, Cesar Gracie Hopes Nick Diaz Is Allowed To Fight Overseas
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/sIrjGhsggxc/
Kit Cope Wesley Cabbage Correira Patrick The Predator Côté Randy The Natural Couture
Road To The Octagon: UFC on Fox 4
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/trruMNkFjfE/
Ray Cooper Kit Cope Wesley Cabbage Correira Patrick The Predator Côté
BJ Penn Motivated To Defeat Rory MacDonald In Toronto
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/dExiZoRo1zc/
One Night Only - Mir Travels to Strikeforce to Battle Cormier
The unbeaten Cormier is fresh from a dominant win over another former UFC champ in Josh Barnett, and in his final Strikeforce bout before moving to the UFC, the two-time Olympian will be looking to make a statement against Mir, who is coming off a UFC title fight with Junior dos Santos in May.
More details on this clash of the heavyweight titans, including date and site, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/strikeforce-ufc-mir-cormier-072612
Gustafsson vs Evans
Sent from my SPH-D710 using VerticalSports.Com App
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/103954-gustafsson-vs-evans.html
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The Latest Update On Maryse & Her Recovery Time
Maryse stated on her official website Saturday night that she has recovered from her abdominal hernia surgery on August 24.
“I met with my surgeon today and she said everything is perfect,” she wrote. “There’s a little bit of fluid inside by the incision and where the repairs were done, but its totally normal apparently. The scar healed really good and there is no infection. So the surgery was a total success. I’m sooooooo happy!!!”
The former WWE Divas Champion last competed on the July 25 episode of RAW. She was advertised to compete in the following week’s No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal, but bowed out after determining days earlier that she would undergoing surgery.
Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/the-latest-update-on-maryse-her-recovery-time/
Mike Swick: “I’m going into this fight and every fight afterwards like it’s my last one…”
The extended absence from action coupled with his health issues have left Swick eager to entertain fans while making sure to soak up the moment, knowing better than most it very well could be his final appearance in the ring.
“Obviously you’re always going to be nervous anytime you’re about to fight, but to be honest I’m excited more than anything else. You’re going out there in a position where you can lose something you want and that something for me is to get my career back, but overall my nerves are pretty low on this one. That has a lot to do with all that I’ve been through these past two years,” revealed Swick in an interview with Fighters.com. “At the time of the Paulo Thiago fight I truly felt my career was going to be over. I thought I would never fight again and to be given a second chance to get my career back and fight in the UFC is awesome.”
In 2010 Swick was diagnosed with a serious stomach condition called dyspepsia which forced him onto a strict diet limiting his ability to maintain the fitness necessary for MMA. However, it was later discovered he suffered from a different affliction and he was able to receive other treatment once again making fighting a possibility.
“I am also going in there with a body that is healthier than it has been in years,” he added. “I’m going into this fight and every fight afterwards like it’s my last one because you never know what’s going to happen to you. There’s nothing stopping me from fighting for the next four or five years, but on the flip side nothing is guaranteed either. I’m going to make sure I leave everything I have inside of the Octagon just in case it is my last fight.”
The bout between Swick-Johnson can be caught on FOX when the main card fires up at 8:00 PM EST.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Hockey Fight of the Day: Bobby Orr vs. Pete Mahovlich
Bobby Orr may be known as one of the best defensemen to ever play hockey but he wasn’t afraid of a little offense every now and then as well. In this clip from 1971, Orr mixes it up with Pete Mahovlich where he not only shows a ton of grit but a sweet double-leg takedown technique as well!
TweetSource: http://www.fighters.com/07/26/hockey-fight-of-the-day-bobby-orr-vs-pete-mahovlich
Invicta FC 2 Results – Shayna Baszler vs. Sara McMann
Invcta FC 2 will stream live and free from the Invicta.com website beginning at 7:00pm ET. The card is headlined by a bantamweight bout featuring Olympic wrestling medalist Sara McMann who will take on submission specialist Shayna Baszler.
Invicta FC 2 Results
Liz McCarthy defeated Jessica Philippus by technical knockout (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of the first round.
Jocelyn Lybarger defeated Cheryl Chan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Jessamyn Duke defeated Suzie Montero by technical knockout at 2:32 of the third round.
Raquel Pennington defeated Sarah Moras by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc defeated Angelica Chavez by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Carla Esparza defeated Sarah Schneider by technical knockout at 4:28 of the second round.
Julia Budd defeated Elina Nilsson by technical knockout at 3:49 of the first round.
Barb Honchak defeated Bethany Marshall by technical knockout at 1:22 of the second round.
Sarah D’Alelio defeated Vanessa Porto by armbar submission at 3:16 of the first round.
Amanda Nunes defeated Raquel Pa’Aluhi by rear-naked choke submission at 2:24 of the first round.
Ayaka Hamasaki defeated Lacey Schuckman by armbar submission at 4:45 of the third round.
Liz Carmouche defeated Kaitlin Young by rear-naked choke submission at 3:34 of the second round.
Alexis Davis defeated Hitomi Akano by rear-naked choke submission at 3:41 of the second round.
Sara McMann defeated Shayna Baszler by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28).
Invicta FC 2 Results – Shayna Baszler vs. Sara McMann is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News
Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/invicta/invicta-fc-2-results-shayna-baszler-vs-sara-mcmann-58979/
Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans
Torrie Wilson & ‘Zeus’ Sign On New Reality Series
– Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson and Tiny “Zeus” Lister have signed on for the first-ever reality series offering from the Reelz cable network, “The Z Team”. The show will feature Lorenzo Lamas and Rudy Reyes as a, “group, led by Lamas, contracted by law enforcement agencies and concerned citizens all across the country to confront real life and death situations on the streets of America. The Z Team, relying on years of experience fighting bad guys on the big screen, in the ring and in real life take on drug dealers, the mob and dirty politicians—no case is too much for them.” Here is the official press release on the show…
Fighting Lessons From the Movies Put to the Test as Hollywood Meets Reality on REELZCHANNEL
“The Z Team” To Be Produced by ZOO Productions as the Network’s First Reality Series
REELZCHANNEL today announced that the network is turbo charging its commitment to TV About Movies® by bringing the focus to its first original reality TV series in a development deal with ZOO Productions to create The Z Team. The Z Team stars Lorenzo Lamas, Rudy Reyes, Tommy “Tiny” Lister and Torrie Wilson as a group, led by Lamas, contracted by law enforcement agencies and concerned citizens all across the country to confront real life and death situations on the streets of America. The Z Team, relying on years of experience fighting bad guys on the big screen, in the ring and in real life take on drug dealers, the mob and dirty politicians—no case is too much for them.
“We wanted to make a show that would take the action and drama of Die Hard and The Expendables and combine it with the reality of Cops,” said John Stevens ZOO Productions co-founder and Executive Producer on The Z Team. “REELZ knows the world of movies and entertainment better than any network and they are the perfect partner to make The Z Team come to life.”
“Bringing a Hollywood movie sensibility to the fight against crime is a natural for REELZ,” said Matthew Singerman REELZCHANNEL SVP of Programming. “With The Z Team we’re feeding America’s appetite for the action genre by bringing big screen imagination and technique to reality TV in a show that will be fun for viewers, full of opportunities for marketers and be a tremendous building block in our continuing commitment to TV About Movies.”
Adds Lorenzo Lamas, “Ever since Renegade, my fans and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to take on the next challenge in the world of law enforcement. The Z Team is it – and the group of characters I have assembled is like no other. The best part is we get to take our skills as trained performers and apply them to real life situations. What people will see on this show is like nothing else on television today.”
Lorenzo Lamas, veteran of over 70 movie and TV roles was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work on Falcon Crest and is the only actor who appeared in all 228 episodes. Rudy Reyes is a Recon Marine with multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq who played himself in HBO’s seven-part miniseries Generation Kill. He was also the host of History Channel’s survival show Apocalypse Man. Tommy “Tiny” Lister has over 150 movie and TV credits, most notably One Night with the King, The Fifth Element and Beverly Hills Cop II. Torrie Wilson, a former WWE wrestler, has appeared in several productions including Reality Obsessed, Project Runway, Baywatch and WWF Raw.
About ZOO Productions
ZOO Productions is a recognized leader in reality television. Notable shows produced include NBC’s It’s Worth What?, MTV’s Busted, Fox’s Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, Tru TV’s Southern Fried Stings and the Hub’s Family Game Night. The company was acquired by ALL3 Media in 2008. Gregg Kavet, John Stevens and Barry Poznick are Executive Producers on Z-Team. In addition to his Executive Producer role on Z-Team, Kavet is best known as a Co-Executive Producer for the Emmy® Award-winning Seinfeld.
About REELZCHANNEL
REELZCHANNEL—TV About Movies® is the only cable and satellite network devoted to delivering entertaining and informative programming that is all about movies, including the celebrities, fashion, music and stories behind the stories. With shows featuring movie and entertainment experts, including Leonard Maltin, Richard Roeper, Sam Rubin and John Salley, viewers get trusted insight into movies wherever they’re playing, whether in theaters or at home.
REELZCHANNEL reaches more than 60 million homes on DIRECTV channel 238, Dish Network channel 299, Verizon FiOS TV channel 233, AT&T U-verse channels 799/1799HD and cable systems nationwide. Find REELZCHANNEL in your area by entering your zip code at http://www.reelz.com/watch. Owned by Hubbard Media Group, REELZCHANNEL is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM with an entertainment bureau in Los Angeles and sales office in New York.
Three Lightweight Bouts Added to UFC 151
Also at 155 pounds at that event, Henry "Sicario" Martinez will meet TUF Live kickboxing standout Daron "Detroit Superstar" Cruickshank.
Additionally, the planned UFC 150 lightweight bout between Dennis Hallman and Thiago Tavares has been rescheduled for September 1 and added to UFC 151.
Jake vs. Josh Set for UFC 151 Co-Main updated July 18
Two top-ten ranked welterweights have verbally agreed to meet in the co-main event of UFC 151 as powerhouse wrestlers Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck will battle it out September 1st.
Three More Bouts Added to September 1 updated June 20
The September 1 Las Vegas fight card is starting to come together, with three new bouts verbally agreed upon for the Bones vs. Hendo card.
Danny "Last Call" Castillo and TUF 12 finalist Michael Johnson will meet in a lightweight matchup of powerhouse wrestlers with knockout skills.
Two featherweight sluggers will face off at UFC 151 as Dennis Siver and Eddie Yagin, both coming off hard-fought victories, look to keep moving into title contention.
At bantamweight, Japanese striker Takeya Mizugaki will meet submission specialist Jeff Hougland.
Bones vs. Hendo Coming to Las Vegas September 1 updated May 10
After taking down Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans in succession, UFC light heavyweight boss Jon "Bones" Jones will look to add another high-profile notch to his belt when he defends his title against former two-division PRIDE champion Dan Henderson in the main event of UFC 151 on September 1st.
UFC President Dana White announced the news Wednesday evening.
“Verbal agreements are in for one of the biggest fights of the year, as Dan Henderson, one of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history, will attempt to dethrone reigning UFC world light heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones at UFC 151 in Las Vegas,” said White.
Weekend MMA (3rd-5th Aug)
Mauricio Rua (20-6) vs. Brandon Vera (12-5)
Lyoto Machida (17-3) vs. Ryan Bader (14-2)
Joe Lauzon (21-7) vs. Jamie Varner (20-6)
Mike Swick (14-4) vs. DaMarques Johnson (15-10)
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Phil Davis (9-1) vs. Wagner Prado (8-0)
Josh Grispi (14-3) vs. Rani Yahya (16-7)
Cole Miller (18-6) vs. Nam Phan (17-10)
Michihiro Omigawa (13-11) vs. Manny Gamburyan (11-7)
Ulysses Gomez (9-2) vs. John Moraga (10-1)
Oli Thompson (9-3) vs. Philip De Fries (8-1)
FFC 1
Chase Beebe (20-8) vs. Charles Diaz (11-5)
Shamar Bailey (13-7) vs. Jay Buck (13-11)
Jake O'Brien (13-4) vs. Oliver Petrovski (1-1)
Egidijus Valavicius (23-9) vs. Will Dicke (12-5)
Will Brooks (6-0) vs. Cedric Marks (29-23)
Ed Carpenter (5-2) vs. Maurice Greene (0-0)
Pancrase
Jon Shores (10-1) vs. Guy Delumeau (16-6)
Akihiro Murayama (12-5) vs. Sojiro Orui (11-6)
Akihiro Yamazaki (12-6) vs. Shigeaki Kusayanagi (5-2)
Kazuki Tokudome (10-3) vs. Kengo Ura (9-7)
Yuki Baba (8-2) vs. Takumi Shimazaki (7-8)
Yoshiaki Takahashi (7-2) vs. Juntaro Ami (6-4)
Coro Coro (4-1) vs. Sho Nonaka (2-5)
Best of the Rest
John Howard (16-7) vs. Scott Rehm (6-5) - CES MMA
Luke Zachrich (10-2) vs. Nick Kraus (6-1) - UVC 20
Greg Rebello (13-4) vs. Carlos Cline (3-3) - CES MMA
Greg Atzori (10-2) vs. Nick Robbins (4-3) - Fight World Cup
Mike Campbell (10-4) vs. Don Carlo-Clauss (9-6) - CES MMA
Edilberto De Oliveira (20-10) vs. Manoel Conti (6-3) - CPMMAF
Renato Velame (15-6) vs. Rogerio Wolverine (0-0) - CPMMAF
Chris Lokteff (7-0) vs. Santos Risetto (0-0) - WR 14
Lance Palmer (3-0) vs. Jon Washington (4-2) - UVC 20
Boxing
Mercito Gesta (25-0) v Ty Barnett (20-2)
Roman Martinez (25-1) v Miguel Beltran Jr (27-1)
Diego Magdaleno (22-0) v Antonio Davis (29-7)
Thomas Oosthuizen (19-0) v Rowland Bryant (16-1)
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/general-mma-discussion/103945-weekend-mma-3rd-5th-aug.html
Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo
Renzo Gracie wants to fight again in the Octagon
It looks like one of MMA’s legends is considering another in-ring outing, as renowned trainer (and former fighter) Renzo Gracie has announced he’s looking to compete on an upcoming UFC card. Gracie hasn’t fought in more than two years when he lost to Matt Hughes at UFC 112.
“To push (my students) I’ve got to get myself in shape too. Today we did like eight rounds and then we did three more rounds of grappling. So even if I don’t want to, I get in shape, and if I get in shape, I want to fight,” said the 45-year old in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio.
Gracie’s school in New York is frequented by a number of top fighters including former UFC champion Frankie Edgar.
The submission specialist also has a potential date in mind for his comeback – October 13 at UFC 153. The event marks the organization’s return to Brazil and would be perfectly suited for an icon like Gracie.
“For sure, if I have an opportunity I’ll be there. If it’s not on this next one, believe it’s going to be on a future one,” revealed Gracie of a possible bout this fall.
Gracie was 13-7 in his MMA career including wins over Carlos Newton and Pat Miletich.
TweetSource: http://www.fighters.com/07/24/renzo-gracie-wants-to-fight-again-in-the-octagon
One Night Only - Mir Travels to Strikeforce to Battle Cormier
The unbeaten Cormier is fresh from a dominant win over another former UFC champ in Josh Barnett, and in his final Strikeforce bout before moving to the UFC, the two-time Olympian will be looking to make a statement against Mir, who is coming off a UFC title fight with Junior dos Santos in May.
More details on this clash of the heavyweight titans, including date and site, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/strikeforce-ufc-mir-cormier-072612
Eddie Alvarez returning to the ring in October at Bellator 76
It appears former Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez will fight at least one more time inside the organization’s cage before testing free agency. Alvarez is considered to be one of the top 155ers not signed to a Zuffa roster and will likely be courted by the UFC/Strikeforce the instant his deal runs out.
However, before that can happen Alvarez is contracted to one more match-up and will fulfill it on October 12 at Bellator 76 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Alvarez Sees Career as a Marathon, Not a Sprint
MMAJunkie was first to confirm the clash, though no opponent has been linked to a potential pairing with Alvarez.
Alvarez holds an overall record of 23-3 and is coming off an opening round knockout of Shinya Aoki. He also owns past victories over the likes of Pat Curran, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Josh Neer, Joachim Hansen, and Roger Huerta.
PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR
TweetSource: http://www.fighters.com/07/26/eddie-alvarez-returning-to-the-ring-in-october-at-bellator-76
Kyle Noke vs. Charlie Brenneman set for UFC 151 in September
Noke (19-6-1) has competed at middleweight since his time on The Ultimate Fighter. However, a recent two-fight slide has pushed him to make a change in weight classes according to a report by MMAWeekly.
Brenneman (15-4) is also in desperate need of a win after going 1-2 in his previous three fights. After defeating Rick Story on short notice, Brenneman’s failed to capitalize on the success, including a submission loss to Erick Silva in his latest encounter.
UFC 151 goes down September 1 in Las Vegas where light heavyweight champ Jon Jones will defend his title against Dan Henderson in the main event.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/08/01/kyle-noke-vs-charlie-brenneman-set-for-ufc-151-in-september/
Fitch-Silva, Maia-Story, Brandao-Gambino confirmed for UFC 153
UFC officials revealed that Jon Fitch will face Erick “Indio” Silva, Demian Maia meets Rick “The Horror” Story, and Diego Brandao takes on Joey Gambino.
Fitch (23-4-1) has been a longtime standout in the UFC’s welterweight division. However, he will be looking for his first win since 2010 after fighting BJ Penn to a draw and then suffering a 12 second knockout loss to Johny Hendricks in his most recent bouts. The fast rising Silva (14-2) is the former Jungle Fights welterweight champion. He has wins over Luis Ramos and Charlie Brenneman since joining the UFC. He appeared to have recorded a 29 second knockout of Carlo Prater at UFC 142 but he was disqualified for punches to the back of the head.
Brando (14-8) is the season 14 winner of The Ultimate Fighter. He defeat Dennis Bermudez by a slick armbar submission in the show’s finale. In his most recent bout at UFC 146, Brando would drop a unanimous decision to Darren Elkins. Gambino (9-1) saw his nine fight win streak come to an end in his UFC debut when he was submitted by Steven Siler at UFC on FX 4. A dangerous fighter, Gambino has recorded eight of his wins by stoppage with five submissions and three knockouts.
UFC 153 takes place on October 13th from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event is headlined by a featherweight title bout with champion Jose Aldo defending his title against Erik Koch. In addition, Vitor Belfort takes in Alan Belcher in a key middleweight bout while former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faces the Glover Teixeira.
Fitch-Silva, Maia-Story, Brandao-Gambino confirmed for UFC 153 is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News
Fine, Suspension Of License Issued To Jon Jones
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/-otVUR-mSD8/
Wagnney Fabiano Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipović
Cesar Gracie: “It’s not about the title. We don’t want a title.”
“Why Anderson? Because Anderson is a huge a name, and he’s talking the talk that we’re talking about. He’s talking about doing super-fights. He’s talking about fighting outside of his weight. He’s talking about the things that Nick’s been talking about, that Nick did when he was with Strikeforce, that Nick is into…that’s why,” explained Gracie in an interview with MiddleEasy, adding, “And he’s exciting, he’s a great fighter.”
“It’s not about the title. We don’t want a title. It could be at 185 and we don’t want the title,” continued Gracie. “Nick isn’t trying to be disrespectful to other great middleweights out there…this is about fighting, a super-fight.”
Gracie also clarified that the match-up Diaz truly wants is with Georges St-Pierre, but GSP’s forthcoming date with Carlos Condit has essentially ruled the possibility out for at least the immediate future.
PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/UFC
Mike Swick: UFC on FOX 4 fight with DaMarques Johnson will be a “win-win for the fans”
This weekend original Ultimate Fighter alumnus Mike Swick will take to the Octagon after a lengthy layoff due to injury when he faces DaMarques Johnson at UFC on FOX 4. While plenty has changed since his stint on the groundbreaking reality show, one of the few constants remaining in Swick’s life has been his choice of training grounds.
Swick has been a long time member of the American Kickboxing Academy and was part of the “Big Three” welterweights along with Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Koscheck has packed up and opened up his own gym, but there are still plenty of great teammates to help prepare Swick for his return to action.
“There are a bunch of up and coming guys who have helped me out a lot along with the fighters who have been there with me since day one,” explained Swick in an interview with Fighters.com. “For this camp I trained a lot with Josh Thomson, Justin Wilcox and Davin Clark. We have such a huge camp so there is never a shortage of top talent to help you prepare for your fights. We are like a big family and are always looking to help each other get better. These guys have been by my side through thick and thin.”
Johnson is a formidable opponent for anyone in the UFC. He has the ability to knock his opponent out or end the fight by submission. It’ll be a tough test for Swick, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He is confident that at the end of the night the fans will be sent home happy.
“I feel good about this match-up. I think stylistically this will be an exciting fight,” an eager Swick said. “He’s the type of fighter who likes to go in there and trade, he’s got an explosive, aggressive fighting style and I think it’ll be a win-win for the fans. We’re both going to go out there and try to finish the fight, but only one of us can succeed.”
Another big benefit of fighting on the Fox card for Swick is the fact that it will be held in Los Angeles which is in driving distance from San Jose. He’ll have a ton of support and “Quick” likes the fact that he doesn’t have to travel too far.
“It’s great, I’m really excited to have the chance to fight in L.A.,” offered Swick. “I’ve fought all over the world including twice in England and once in Germany. It’ll be nice to fight so close to home as I don’t like traveling a lot before my fights anyway. I’m just going to take a relaxing drive down to L.A. and have some fun while I’m there. L.A. is one of my favorite cities to visit. I can’t express just how excited I am to be part of this card.”
As the fight gets closer the butterflies will start to gather in his stomach, but as he has stated before he has gone through too much outside of the Octagon to let anything get to him inside of it. He wasn’t sure he would ever get back to this point and now that he’s so close, Swick has a lot to be grateful for.
“Obviously you’re always going to be nervous anytime you’re about to fight, but to be honest I’m excited more than anything else,” Swick admitted. “You’re going out there in a position where you can lose something you want and that something for me is to get my career back, but overall my nerves are pretty low on this one. That has a lot to do with all that I’ve been through these past two years. At the time of the Paulo Thiago fight I truly felt my career was going to be over. I thought I would never fight again and to be given a second chance to get my career back and fight in the UFC is awesome. I am also going in there with a body that is healthier than it has been in years.”
“I look at it as a win-win and I am very grateful. I’m going into this fight and every fight afterwards like it’s my last one because you never know what’s going to happen to you. There’s nothing stopping me from fighting for the next four or five years, but on the flip side nothing is guaranteed either. I’m going to make sure I leave everything I have inside of the Octagon just in case it is my last fight. I have to give a shout out to the fans and everyone who has supported me. It’s tough for people to remember who you are when you’re not fighting and you’re not on TV, but I’ve got a pretty loyal following and I have some great friends and family who have stood behind me 100%. I also have to thank the troops, they are the real heroes and I want to dedicate this fight to them and hopefully I’ll make them proud.”
Fans can catch Swick-Johnson on the network-portion of Saturday night’s card. The show is headlined by a bout between Mauricio Rua-Brandon Vera and also features Joe Lauzon-Jamie Varner as well as Ryan Bader-Lyoto Machida.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
TweetLorenzo Borgomeo Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney Ebenezer Fontes Braga
Greco-Roman Wrestling - Building Toughness Daily
Dan Henderson. That’s all you need right there. If one had to validate to a UFC fan how exemplary an elite background in Greco-Roman wrestling can be for a fighter, one would only need to mention “Hendo,” who, at 42 years old, will be facing UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 151 on September 1st. The born and bred Californian has competed in MMA for 15 years, fought and won in three weight classes, won multiple belts and tournaments in multiple organizations (UFC, Strikeforce, and PRIDE), and still to this day is one of the toughest and most dangerous fighters around, one especially known for his granite chin and outrageous knockout power. Before his incredible nearly 40 fight career in the cage began, Henderson was a two-time US Olympian (1992, 1996), winner of several medals in international competitions like the Pan American Games and World Cup, and, truly, a lifelong wrestler.
“You definitely have to be dedicated,” said Henderson of being an Olympian. “You have to be able to learn and to get into shape and be able to do all the cross-training that is involved. I think that's why I'm so mentally tough, because I competed like that. Wrestlers in general are fairly mentally tough. The biggest thing is the dedication involved - the commitment. It was obviously one of my goals. It was something that I wouldn't trade for anything. It definitely made me much more of a patriotic person. There are all the countries there, and to represent the United States was awesome. Barcelona was my first time and I was 21 years old. I was really excited about it, but it didn't compare to wrestling for my country in my home country in Atlanta. I think I was the first American to compete, so the crowd was really waiting for an American to come out and it happened to be me.”
What Henderson has been able to accomplish in MMA should be reason enough to sway the uninformed of a Greco-Roman wrestling mat’s ability to forge hardened fighters. But “Hendo” is far from alone, as UFC veteran Matt Lindland won a silver medal at 76 kg at the 2000 Olympics, former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture was a three-time Olympic alternate, “The People’s Champ” Chael P. Sonnen won high honors in several international tournaments and was an Olympic alternate, and the original depiction of Greco-Roman wrestling in the Octagon was multiple Olympic alternate and UFC Hall of Famer Dan “The Beast” Severn. The facts of the matter are clear, Greco-Roman wrestling can make a man out of you.
“I believe that Olympic caliber Greco-Roman wrestlers have an advantage in a lot of particular positions, but more importantly, at the highest levels everything is a fight,” affirms Lindland. “You fight for points that don't come easy, you fight to make it on teams, you are fighting to medal at the tournaments. You absolutely have to fight for every inch and the word used is literally ‘pummel’. These are some of the most mentally tough men I know.”
For the uninitiated, Greco-Roman wrestling is part old school brutal, chest to chest battling for positioning and it’s part gut-wrenching suplex superiority. It’s a brand of punishing physical endurance one wouldn’t wish on their worst enemy mixed with near herniating highlight reel lifts and slams. The event is also home to one of the single greatest moments in US Olympic history when Rulon Gardner won gold in Sydney in a 1-0 victory over the seemingly undefeatable three-time Olympic gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin. If the US team’s head coach and 1984 Olympics gold medal winner Steve Fraser has anything to say about it, the 2012 London Games will play host to a similarly dizzying and headline-grabbing effort by his current roster of wrestlers.
“We have high expectations and we truly believe that every one of these six guys can medal for sure,” states Fraser. “There is nobody on our team that doesn't have a chance. With that said, with two young guys who are totally unproven and a few veterans who have won, but haven't won in a few years - you never know. It never gets easy in this sport. Our expectations are to do well and what that means is five medals with at least two gold. If we were to do that, we would be the heroes of the world and have shocked everybody. Nobody in Greco wins five medals usually. The countries that are winning a team title in the World Championships are winning three medals and that's enough to win the team title. Our goal is for everyone to win a medal, which would be six, but, realistically, if we win three then we could win the unofficial Olympic team title.”
It comes down to six guys who will be worked to the bone by Fraser and his illustrious staff of assistant coaches to be ready to give it their all once the lights and cameras are on. Only three countries qualified all seven weight classes on their team and for the US that unattained spot is at 96 kg. The six for the US seem to be split down the middle of young blood or experienced. As mentioned, regardless of which category they fall in, Fraser’s job is to get them in the mindset that they’re going to end up on the medals podium.
“Steve Fraser is one of those individuals who is a great coach, a great motivator,” remembers Henderson. “He tries to make everybody mentally tough and if you're not - he's going to beat it into you. He's on the mat and wrestles with us, grinds with us. At his age and being able to beat us at the same time? Being mentally tough was his biggest thing. Being mentally tough and confident. He always said, 'Expect to win. Expect to win.' I think he is definitely a great asset to USA wrestling.”
The younger trio of Team USA is comprised of three first time Olympians: Ellis Coleman at 60 kg, Ben Provisor at 74 kg, and Chas Betts 84 kg. The latter, Betts, is a well-conditioned grinder from the University of Northern Michigan who won gold at the Pan American Championships earlier this year. In May, Provisor’s profile and confidence shot through the roof as he defeated 2008 Olympic gold medal winner Manuchar Kvirkvelia of Georgia at the Curby Cup. The youngest member of the team is the most famous pop-culturally as Coleman took the internet by storm after successfully landing a “flying squirrel” technique at the Junior World Championships. As US assistant coach and 1976 Olympic gold medal winner Momir Petkovic explains, Coleman’s strengths aren’t his theatrics, but his tenacity.
“On this team, we have younger kids who are just coming up like Ellis Coleman,” says Petkovic. “He is 60 kg. He is a two-time Junior World Bronze medalist. Very focused, very hungry, very determined, loves it so much. This is his first Olympics. He is young, only 20-21 years old, and, hopefully, he will be able to pull out a surprise for us. We know how much he can do, but for the rest of the world this will be his first big, major international competition. I can definitely see Ellis Coleman in MMA. He's got that killer instinct. He's just a unique, unique, unique guy. I've been in this sport for like 50 years and not that many I see like him. I never see anyone have a major surgery, broken ankle, screws, ligaments, four hour surgery. And then the next morning he's in the gym lifting, push-ups, sit-ups, like what the [expletive] is going on with this kid? Where is he coming from? Just a very unique, unique, unique person.”
The leadership of the US team obviously comes from its experienced half of three top candidates for medals in their respective weight classes: Spenser Mango at 55 kg, Justin Lester at 66 kg, and, team stalwart Dremiel Byers at 120 kg. For Mango, a second appearance at the Olympics mixed with his copious amount of World Championships experience and still being only 26 years old should mean trouble for the rest of the competition. Don’t call him “Harry” anymore, as the 2x World bronze medalist, Lester, has proven he is one of the elite at his weight and is highly motivated to prove that in London after shockingly missing out on the team in Beijing. The final and heaviest member of the team is also one of the most decorated wrestlers in country history, as Byers owns a bronze, silver, and gold medal from the World Championships. These three will look to their vast experience to help themselves as well as to guide each other to the ultimate achievement of Olympic glory.
“The Olympics are so special,” asserts Petkovic. “The first time at the Olympics it is overwhelming. Suddenly, you're in the middle of 10,000 athletes and you don't know what you need to do. One thing we try to work with them on is them trying to keep cool and know that this is just another tournament. Get ready to raise your individual game to the level for you to be able to function at the best you can. Everyone at the Olympics has a dream of winning the gold medal. It doesn't matter if they've did anything before or if they didn't do anything before. It doesn't matter where their ranking is before. That all falls apart when the competition starts and anything can happen against anyone at any moment. An 18 year old kid can go in there and kick some ass against a two-time World champion. It's a totally different competition. The whole world is waiting for this and ready to declare, ‘this is my time’.”
In MMA, the buzz word for wrestlers is “control”. Fighters with frightening wrestling talent like past and present Olympians have the ability to dictate where a fight takes place or doesn’t take place. That is an added benefit during a fight, and for a career, as wrestlers can keep themselves out of harm by controlling the action, which can potentially lengthen their career. On top of that, wrestlers are molded over thousands of hours of acclimating themselves to the pain of training and competing. After years of grinning and bearing it in wrestling rooms and day long tournaments, fighting one fight in a cage in one night doesn’t seem so bad.
“It is a fact that the daily grueling training that wrestlers have to go through to become great wrestlers is such a benefit in the MMA world,” explains Fraser. “The conditioning factor alone, both physically and mentally. There is no other sport in the world that requires such grueling training as wrestlers. Wrestling is constant, non-stop attack. The conditioning factor from wrestlers is just huge. There are no better conditioned athletes, mentally and physically, than wrestlers.”
Beginning August 5th and ending August 7th, a sport will take center stage that is one of the most utterly excruciating and muscularly demanding you’ll ever see. As the former two-time member of the US Olympic team, Henderson, prepares to drop an “H-bomb” at his UFC 151 showdown on a champion who is 17 years his junior, fight fans should watch the wrestling event that made this old man “Hendo” so damn tough.
Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Greco-Roman-Wrestling-Building-Toughness-Daily
Kultar Gill Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono
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.
Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/randy-orton-is-a-work-horse-stacy-keiblergeorge-clooney/
Renzo Gracie wants to fight again in the Octagon
It looks like one of MMA’s legends is considering another in-ring outing, as renowned trainer (and former fighter) Renzo Gracie has announced he’s looking to compete on an upcoming UFC card. Gracie hasn’t fought in more than two years when he lost to Matt Hughes at UFC 112.
“To push (my students) I’ve got to get myself in shape too. Today we did like eight rounds and then we did three more rounds of grappling. So even if I don’t want to, I get in shape, and if I get in shape, I want to fight,” said the 45-year old in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio.
Gracie’s school in New York is frequented by a number of top fighters including former UFC champion Frankie Edgar.
The submission specialist also has a potential date in mind for his comeback – October 13 at UFC 153. The event marks the organization’s return to Brazil and would be perfectly suited for an icon like Gracie.
“For sure, if I have an opportunity I’ll be there. If it’s not on this next one, believe it’s going to be on a future one,” revealed Gracie of a possible bout this fall.
Gracie was 13-7 in his MMA career including wins over Carlos Newton and Pat Miletich.
TweetSource: http://www.fighters.com/07/24/renzo-gracie-wants-to-fight-again-in-the-octagon