My Reaction To Brock Lesnar's Abrupt Departure

In news that has been sweeping the internet, Brock Lesnar has now officially pulled out of his upcoming Heavyweight showdown with Junior dos Santos. It?s a fight that the entire thirteenth season of ?The Ultimate Fighter? was designed to promote, and it would likely have been to determine the next man to challenge for the [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/13/my-reaction-to-brock-lesnars-abrupt-departure

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki 

Bellator 44's "Fight of the Night": Cooper vs. Shlemenko

At Bellator 44 last night, there were a lot of highlight reel moments, but none more than the fifteen-minute war between Brett Cooper and Alexander Shlemenko. The two men met in a pivotal middleweight qualifying bout for the upcoming middleweight tournament, which is said to kickoff sometime this summer. Both are all too familiar with [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/15/bellator-44s-fight-of-the-night-cooper-vs-shlemenko

Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku 

Lacy interview: Boxer not impressed with Diaz’s technical boxing

The Nick Diaz-Jeff Lacy fight may never materialize. Either way Diaz has struck a nerve in the boxing world. The MMA champion at 170 pounds has been asking for a boxing match against high level boxers for a year or so. Lacy stepped up and sounded insulted that Diaz, who is 1-0 as a pro boxer, would have the gall to call him out.

"I really don't understand what was going through his mind. I understand he may love a challenge [but] I'm up for this more than you would ever know," Lacy told ESPN1100 in Las Vegas. "I don't want to down talk the sport, I love MMA, but when you have people talking about it's taking away from boxing, no."

Lacy isn't impressed with the technical skills of most MMA fighters when it comes to their boxing.

"It's a 'Toughman' contest when they're striking. Two fighters standing up going blow for blow. That's not boxing. Boxing is not Toughman. You're using skill, dancing around what you can see, but can't hit."

Lacy got testy when he was told the pressure's on him.

"How would you figure the pressure's on me when this is something I've been doing all my life? It's somehting I can close my eyes and do," Lacy said. "There pressure's on him to step over, just like the pressure was on James [Toney] to step over to something he's never done before."

Lacy doesn't think Diaz can box with him.

"This is something I love to do, and I've dealt with way better technical fighters than this guy Diaz, is gonna present to me," Lacy said. "I've dealt with a lot of different styles. He's stepping into my ring, but it's gonna be tougher for me? I don't think so."

Lacy isn't worried about Diaz's chin and knows that the Strikeforce welterweight champ also cuts easily.

Check out the rest of the conversation as Dave Cokin and The Telegraph's Gareth Davies say Diaz has no shot of winning this fight. Davies said the fight won't last three rounds.

It may not come off at all if Diaz's ego is soothe by Zuffa management. When the news emerged that Diaz had signed a boxing bout agreement, his camp was quick to point out that it won't take the boxing match in October if the MMA star is given a shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Lacy-interview-Boxer-not-impressed-with-Diaz-s-?urn=mma-wp2087

Grant Campbell  Gesias JZ Calvancante  Luiz Cane  Dos Caras Jr  

Bellator 44: Karavackas rallies back with submission win

After the Lyman Good and Dan Hornbuckle bout was scrapped, Anthony Morrison and Bryan Goldsby were then promoted to the main-card for Bellator 44. The event, which airs live on MTV2, remains to be one of the larger cards of the year, and Morrison nixed his opportunity to put his name amongst the masses when [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/14/bellator-44-karavackas-rallies-back-with-submission-win

Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić

St-Pierre stumbles to finish line in victory at UFC 129

Georges St-Pierre was far from spectacular, but champions find ways to win. The UFC welterweight champ couldn't take out Jake Shields, but he had enough to survive blurred vision in his left eye and post a unanimous decision win, 48-47, 50-45 and 48-47, in the main event of UFC 129 in front of 55,000 fans at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Even in front his home country faithful, GSP heard some boos,  jeers and whistling in the final round. Because of a damaged left eye, he struggled at times to engage over the final two rounds. He finished the fight with blood dripping down his face and a swollen eye.

"I wasn't able to see. I think it's scratched inside. I can't see with my left. I just see a blur. It's very bad," St-Pierre said during a conversation with UFC color voice Joe Rogan, as he was blinking and testing the vision out of the left.

St-Pierre, as he often does following decision victories, apologized to the massive crowd.

"His striking was much better than I thought. He closed my eyes," GSP said.

St-Pierre (22-2, 17-2 UFC) said thought he'd dominate in the standup game, "and then put and put him down later in the fight. I couldn't deliver much with this [eye]. I wanted to make a KO or submission."

St-Pierre has won nine straight fights and defended the title six times in a row. A bunch of those wins (six) have come via decision. He's a smart fighter, so he's often unwilling to take the risk required to go for the kill.

Before GSP's eye was damaged late in the third round, Shields looked silly on the feet. The former Strikeforce middleweight champ looked silly and slow. Shields (26-5-1, 1-1 UFC) is a renowned jiu-jitsu practitioner, but he never came close to scoring a takedown. He simply lacked the athleticism to catch St-Pierre.

Nelson Hamilton and Richard Bertrand posted the 48-47 scores, while Doug Crosby called it a blowout at 50-45. The FightMetric numbers tell a different story. Shields actually outlanded St-Piere 96-92, but GSP was much more accurate making good on 36.5 to 22.6 percent. Shields downfall was his inability to get the fight to the ground. He was 0-for-6 on takedown attempts while GSP put him down 2-of-3 times.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/St-Pierre-stumbles-to-finish-line-in-victory-at-?urn=mma-wp1875

Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè 

?UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill? Betting Odds (Main Bouts)

“UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill” takes place inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. While much steam has been taken out of the show’s sails with the exit of main eventers Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, the sports books always provide the perfect remedy if additional excitement is what you seek.  Quinton [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/76336/ufc-130-rampage-vs-hamill-betting-odds-main-bouts/

Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza 

Chael Sonnen Can't Re-Apply for a License in California Until May 18, 2012

---Quote--- The saga of Chael Sonnen continued on Thursday when the California State Athletic Commission determined the timeline for the fighter’s...

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/91161-chael-sonnen-cant-re-apply-license-california-until-may-18-2012-a.html

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

Jon Jones on Injured Hand, Future Fights and 'Most Dangerous Man'

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A hand injury has UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones out of commission at the moment, so he's spending less time on the physical side of MMA and more time on the mental side.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Jones said that it will be at least another month before he's cleared for full-contact training again, and that has him working more on strategy and tactics and staying away from striking and grappling. But Jones said he does expect to return to the Octagon this year, and he doesn't think there's any dearth of available opponents.

Jones also talked about his desire to coach on The Ultimate Fighter, the fights he's most looking forward to watching, and whether he deserves to be considered the world's most dangerous man. The full interview is below.

Michael David Smith: Let's start with the question everyone is asking you: How's your hand?
Jon Jones: My hand is healing up, but it's definitely not ready to withstand full-on combat training. But it is healing up.

What can you do and what can't you do?
As far as training, the main thing I can't do is grapple -- catching myself falling hurts it and causes pain. That's actually the biggest thing, catching myself while falling, and that's the thing I have to stay away from the most. As for what I can do, I can run, I can shadow box, I can study footage, I can come up with tactics, come up with strategies to prepare myself for future opponents and I think the mental aspect of combat is really important, and that's something that I can work on right now.

When do you think you'll be ready to fight next?
I'm not sure.

Do you think it will be this year?
Yes, this year would be nice, but I'm really not sure. I know I need exactly one more month before I'm clear to start working out again, so this year would be nice -- I'd be happy.

Who do you think your next opponent will be?
I don't know, man. That's up to Dana White, we'll have to wait and see who wins and who loses and whether people have injuries and stuff like that. So I can't really make a statement on that. I'll just have to let the fights work out.

Given your time frame of maybe fighting late in the year, do you think you might be a coach on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter?
Being a coach on The Ultimate Fighter is on my vision wall -- something I plan to do as a goal and a life dream. Hopefully it happens but when it happens I don't know.

What's your opinion of the state of the light heavyweight division these days? Most people think it's the most talented division in the UFC, but there haven't been a whole lot of title fights, with Shogun Rua and Lyoto Machida fighting twice and then Shogun needing close to a year off before fighting you, and now you needing some time off with your hand, do you think it's a problem that the title isn't being defended all that often?
No, not at all. There are lots of entertaining fights to be had even if there aren't title fights. There's great talent and almost every fighter in the Top 10 could potentially be in a title fight in this organization.

As a fan are there any fights in particular you're looking forward to?
Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin -- that should be a great fight to watch, and that's the fight I'm most looking forward to. And then there's Rampage Jackson against Matt Hamill, that's a fight that could go so many different ways so I'm looking forward to that as well.

You technically have a loss on your record to Matt Hamill although even he admits that you didn't really lose that fight. Do you have any desire to fight him again and maybe get a definitive win over him? Do you think that if he beats Rampage Jackson he'd deserve to fight you?
I don't think him beating Rampage would be enough for him to earn a title fight. I have no desire to fight Matt Hamill again. That was a great performance and it's history now. I'm looking for new opponents, new threats and new challenges. I've already had the Hamill fight.

You're nominated for the most dangerous man in Spike's Guys' Choice Awards. It's you against Manny Pacquiao. Do you think of yourself as the most dangerous man in the world?
No, I don't. I think there are guys out there who would probably beat me up in a fight. If you ever think to yourself as the biggest man there's going to be someone bigger. If you let yourself think you're the best man someone else will be better. I have to focus on getting better myself. So I don't think I'm the world's most dangerous man. But when it comes to me and Pacquiao, I would certainly beat him in an MMA match because I'm so much bigger than him and it's mixed martial arts compared to someone who just uses one martial art in boxing. But the whole situation is just an honor to be a part of, and hopefully they choose me.

Where do you put yourself among all the fighters in MMA? Do you think you're the best, pound for pound?
No, not at all. I would still be behind Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. I've had some great performances but I have some improving to do as a martial artist. Shogun was a great champion to beat but there were a lot of holes in his game. I still have to prove I can beat phenomenal wrestlers and phenomenal boxers. I have to do my best against every style of martial artist and show I'm a complete martial artist. So I don't consider myself the pound-for-pound best. But I do consider myself one of the top martial artists in that I think I'm one of the people who really loves martial arts, who cherishes what it means to be a martial artist in and out of the cage.

Is there anyone you could point to whom you haven't fought yet who would be the best opponent for you?
No. I just look at the whole division. I don't see one guy I haven't fought.

Immediately after you beat Shogun, Joe Rogan said on the pay-per-view broadcast, "He might be the greatest talent that we've ever seen in the UFC." Do you think of yourself along those lines?
I think that could be the case in the future. But I just have to strive for greatness, keep the passion, keep the dedication, keep working toward my goals. Right now I think that's a little premature to say, but I think it could be true one day.

Are you surprised by how fast stardom has come for you? Not just being a UFC champion but also being on The Tonight Show and that sort of thing?
Yes, that's very surprising. My goal was just to be the best fighter I could be and now I'm achieving things beyond that like being a role model and having people know who I am outside of MMA, and that's really, really cool. That's what comes from hard work and dedication and striving for greatness.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/18/jon-jones-on-injured-hand-future-fights-and-most-dangerous-man/

Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia

UFC 129 postfight: Seagal’s the secret weapon, bonuses and someone’s grill got jacked

- UFC 129 delivered a UFC-record gate of $12.075 million. The attendance was 55,724.

- Dana White said there were ticket buyers from all 50 states in the U.S. in attendance, and every continent but Antarctica. He joked that he was angry that the UFC didn't have fans in that continent.

-The bonus winners got a UFC-record $129,000 each. Fight of the Night went to Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick. Lyoto Machida got Knockout of the Night. Pablo Garza was awarded Submission of the Night.

- Georges St. Pierre, Randy Couture and Hominick did not attend the postfight presser. They all went for treatment at a local hospital.

- White said Couture had a tooth loosened on the front kick by Machida. The tooth actually fell out during his postfight discussion with UFC analyst Joe Rogan.

- Steven Seagal told The Telegraph's Gareth A. Davies that "he taught Lyoto Machida the kick that KO'd and retired Randy"

- Machida repeatedly gave credit to Seagal for helping him perfect the kick.

"The technique itself, [Machida and Anderson Silva] have both known for a long time, but definitely thinks Steve Seagal being involved and influencing us and helping us perfect the kick, definitely made a difference," Machida said through his translator Ed Soares.

- White said the promotion will stick with the 9 p.m. ET start on future pay-per-views. The UFC made change after polling was done with east coast fans who said the shows were ending too late.

- Future stadium shows have to be chosen carefully. White said it has to be the right fighters and again mentioned Dallas Cowboys Stadium as a possibility.

- When answering a question about what he thought happened to GSP's eye, Jake Shields had the line of night.

"Uh, I punched him in his eye," deadpanned Shields.

- Aldo laughed when asked if Hominick had hit him harder than any previous opponent. Before the fight, Hominick said he would.

"That's just part of the fight game. I talk with Anderson [Silva] a lot and like he says, 'even a parrot can talk.'"

- White confirmed that Aldo's next opponent was probably Chad Mendes and it could go down at UFC 133 in Philly. UFC in Rio is less likely.

- On the subject of the "dream fight" between GSP and Silva, White reiterated that he's never actually spoken to either fighter about that match. He also said he thinks there's always someone new on the horizon who could face St-Pierre at 170.

- Could it be Nick Diaz or does he have to wait for his contract to end with Showtime?

"I imagine I could do whatever I wanted to if I really wanted to," White said. "I don't know. We're going to have to see how this whole thing works out."

- Shields wants to see that fight.

"He's one of my best friends. I think he's got a good shot," Shields said. "I think his style really matches up good. I think his pressure boxing could hopefully do what I couldn't and cut him off."

- Vladimir Matyushenko finally got the knockout he's long coveted. The Belarussian joked that maybe he "overdid it" by scoring the KO against Jason Brilz in just 20 seconds .

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-129-postfight-Seagal-s-the-secret-weapon-b?urn=mma-wp1902

Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman Heath Herring

A behind-the-scenes video of UFC Fighter Summit

The UFC and its roster of fighters are finishing up huge summit in Las Vegas. The promotion brings 300 athletes to town to discuss marketing, nutrition and various subjects they deal with on a daily basis.

UFC welterweight Charlie Brenneman posted a video report of the goings on at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.

Make sure you check out Pat Barry talking about the new insurance plan UFC is offering all of its fighter for injuries suffered inside and out of the Octagon (4:10 mark).

Not everyone is patting the UFC on the back for it's revolutionary offering of insurance to combat athletes. Longtime MMA opponent, Bob Reilly, a New York Assemblyman rained on the parade:

"What immediately came to my mind was, What's the need for insurance? Because advocates for MMA have been touting how safe this sport is and that no one is ever injured, and in fact, the testimony here is that the worst that ever happened was a broken arm," Reilly told MMAFighting. But I don't think that insurance is going to do anything for the very prevalent brain damage that fighters will suffer.  I think what MMA should be doing is, instead of providing insurance for injuries, is to do away with injuries."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/A-behind-the-scenes-video-of-UFC-Fighter-Summit?urn=mma-wp2201

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