Monday, February 28, 2011
UFC 127 Sets Attendance Record; Hunt, Noke, Ebersol, Lytle Earn UFC 127 Bonuses
Michael Bisping to Be Disciplined for UFC 127 Spitting Incident
Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News
UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping will face disciplinary action for his behavior following his UFC 127 win, UFC president Dana White told MMA Fighting.Shortly after finishing his second-round TKO over Jorge Rivera, Bisping walked over to the octagon corner closest to Rivera's team and spit in their direction. The incident was caught on camera, though Rivera's cornermen could not be seen from the angle shown.
Rivera's boxing coach Matt Phinney was hit, according to a statement from their camp. Bisping denied spitting at them, saying, "I was spitting on the floor to let him know what I thought of him."
Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto
Attention Goes to UFC 127 Drama, but Praise Belongs With Brian Ebersole
Filed under: UFC
Let's put the UFC 127 controversy and arguments away for a little while, just long enough to celebrate someone deserving of some praise. Can we do that? I mean, it's easy to focus on the negative, but shouldn't we give equal time to the people who beat the odds? That's why we watch sports, isn't it? To watch people win, to overcome obstacles, and celebrate the triumph of the human will. We get enough negativity in this lifetime from the regular news, yet in the sports world, the victory of Brian Ebersole is buried under the headlines of Michael Bisping spitting, and the disputed draw between BJ Penn and Jon Fitch.
Ebersole was never going to have an easy time stealing the limelight from those guys. Despite a career spent in the trenches, he was not well known by anyone other than the hardest of the hardcore fans. Walking in to his fight with Chris Lytle, Ebersole was a major underdog, particularly fighting on short notice as a replacement for the injured Carlos Condit.
Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch
BJ Penn: Training With Matt Hughes Gave Me More Confidence - UFC 127
BJ Penn: Training With Matt Hughes Gave Me More Confidence Video by UFC 127Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi
Interview an artist: Heather Brown
www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-art/interview-an-artist.php
http://www.heatherbrownart.com
Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs Ray Cooper Kit Cope
COTW wins international design award!
The Pixel Awards are a cutting-edge, international website design award, annually honoring compelling sites that have shown excellence in web design and development.
Our Editor remarked: "We're so stoked on this nomination, and not just for us, but for the recognition it gets our incredibly talented and hard-working featured surf artists and photographers".
You can see all the nominees here.
Club Of The Waves is listed under the Art category!
Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert Aldana José Aldo John Alessio
Nick Ring Defends Controversial Decision Win
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos
SYDNEY -- MMA Fighting spoke to Nick Ring about his controversial win over Riki Fukuda at Sunday's UFC 127 in Sydney, Australia. Ring stated his case as to how he won the first two rounds, but admitted he was a "little bit" surprised that he ended up with the unanimous decision win.Mac Danzig Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis Tony DeSouza
Kyle Noke Explains Why He Wore Mask During Entrance
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos
SYDNEY -- MMA Fighting spoke to Kyle Noke about after his submission win over Chris Camozzi at Sunday's UFC 127 in Sydney, Australia and why he wore a high elevation training mask on his way to the cage.Ba Te er Ryan Bader Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao Josh Barnett
Little person Freeland leads a troupe of little guys at California fight card tonight
With the merger of the WEC into the UFC, Zuffa just pushed the 135 and 145-lb weight classes to the forefront. Is it too soon to start talking about the 125ers?
There are several prominent flyweights featured on a Tachi Palace card in Lemoore, California, who'd like to be the next small fighters to step into the spotlight.
The Visalia Times Delta says Tachi Palace Fights 8 (free stream on MMAjunkie.com - 8:30 p.m. ET) is essentially holding its own 125-tournament tonight:
TPF 125-pound champion Ulysses Gomez (7-1) will defend his title in a 5-round bout against Darrell Montague (8-1), and Jussier da Silva (9-0), who is regarded as the world's top 125-pound fighter, will put his undefeated record on the line against World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Ian McCall (8-2).
Tachi Palace Fighting knows it has something specials with the flyweights.
"It is the most important weight class we have," said Tachi Palace entertainment coordinator Jeremy Luchau. "Some people do see it as a tournament because we have some of the best guys in the world. It is an opportunity for guys who have been in our promotion to showcase their skills against some of the top fighters from around the world."
There's also a ton of intrigue around the debut of another small fighter, but this guy is a little thicker. Tyler Freeland, a little person at just 4-foot-11, is making his pro debut.
Freeland, nicknamed "Hulk Hands," put together an impressive 16-4 mark in the amateur ranks.
"It’s dwarfism, a bone disorder where my bones stopped growing," Freeland told Sherdog.com in describing his hypochondroplasia. "I’m about four eleven, but I tell everyone I’m five feet. I need that extra inch."
Walking around 160 pounds, Freeland is no tiny guy. But he realizes, he'd have a tough time at 155 pounds, where many of the fighters are in the 5-9 to 5-11 range. He'll make his debut at 145 and hopes to eventually get down to 135. Freeland, 26, recently began training at Las Vegas' TapouT Training Center with Shawn Tompkins.
Tompkins said just like any fighter, Freeland, 26, has to work around certain limitations.
"With his height, it’s always harder to strike with someone taller than you," Tompkins says, "but it’s harder to wrestle with someone shorter. Their level-change is so much faster than yours."
He said Freeland has something you can't necessarily teach.
"What most impressed me is that he has a lot of power in his hands," he adds. "He’s got KO power and very big hands. He hits hard and is very precise. He has a really good wrestling pedigree. I’ve just been banking on rounding his game out, keeping him safe from submissions and working on his standup. We’ve been having fun and building from there."
Freeland faces Diego Melendez. They met in the amateur ranks and Melendez won via triangle. Freeland says he took that fight on short notice and things will be different this time.
Don Barr Pat Barry Vitor Belfort Robert Berry David Bielkheden
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'Bisping's a wanker' chant won't stop the Brit from relocating to Sydney after UFC 127
Michael Bisping is looking to move from Great Britain and open a new Wolfslair Gym.
Where can he move where the fans love him? You know the answer, that place doesn't exist.
Not to be harsh, but the British middleweight just rubs people the wrong way with his general disposition and trash talk before fights. Even 12,000 miles away from his home in England, he was booed lustily during his fight at UFC 110 in Sydney.
Bisping is back in the Australia's largest city and says this time he may not leave. The 31-year-old's wife is Australian and they're strongly considering making their permanent home down under.
"I might be moving Down Under but I'm not gonna kiss anyone's arse to do it," Bisping told The Telegraph of Sydney. "But for those people who wanna chant 'Bispin's a wanker', yeah, they can go and ... well, you know."
That's actually tame compared what he once said in Zoo Magazine about his last Aussie fight experience. According to The Telegraph, Bisping said:
"all Aussies can go %$#@ themselves."
Bisping didn't tone down any of his prefight rhetoric in ancitipation of his meeting with Jorge Rivera on Saturday. In fact, he appeared close to slugging the New England native during the post-presser staredown. Rivera appeared a bit shocked at Bisping's behavior and trash talk.
Watch UFC 127 right here on Yahoo! Sports.
Matt Hamill Volk Han Joachim Hansen Antoni Hardonk Dan Hardy
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Kyle Noke: 'It's Good to Be Home' - UFC 127
Kyle Noke: 'It's Good to Be Home' Video by UFC 127Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan
Jon Fitch: 'I Was a Bit Confused' With Majority Draw
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos
SYDNEY -- MMA Fighting spoke to Jon Fitch after his majority draw against B.J. Penn at Sunday's UFC 127 in Sydney, Australia. Fitch talked about his confusion during the scores announcement and how he would have scored the rounds.Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi
Brian Ebersole Chest Hair the Strangest Sight of UFC 127
Brian Ebersole made his UFC debut this weekend at UFC 127, and he did something we've never seen anyone do in the UFC before: He shaved his chest hair into an arrow, pointing up to his own face.What would make a man shave his chest hair in this way? I have no idea. Ebersole is an odd bird, known for participating in some strange fights and pulling off some unusual moves during his 60-plus fights on the small-time MMA circuit, so maybe he just thought turning his chest hair into an arrow was one more way of distinguishing himself.
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Former 'Crocodile Hunter' bodyguard, Noke rolls over Camozzi at UFC 127
During the many chapters of his life, Kyle Noke has seen it all. He's looking to make the MMA chapter his most interesting. A former bodyguard for Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, Noke has stormed to a 3-0 mark in the UFC after an easy win tonight over Chris Camozzi in the pay-per-view opener at UFC 127.
A native of New South Wales, Australia, Noke served as one of Irwin's bodyguards for three years and also worked with his Aussie brother on his martial arts skills. Irwin, who passed away in 2006, was a huge MMA fan.
"Strong, very strong," Noke told MMAjunkie.com of Irwin's ability. "He had that strength from wrestling crocs all his life from pulling them in and holding them tight. We'd never let him get on top because he would just hold you down as tight as he could."
Irwin did more than employ Noke, he backed his fighting efforts.
"He's one of the reasons why I'm here where I am now. He sponsored me and paid for my first flights to the States. He really pushed me to follow my career and follow my passion," Noke told the Sydney Morning Herald. "He used to help us prepare for fights. He had such an eye for detail through what he had been doing for so many years. You only have to watch the guy on TV to know how much passion the guy has got. If I could channel that passion in fighting for wildlife then that's a great start."
Irwin was an MMA devotee and according to Noke, the reality star even entertained fighting and donating the proceeds to charity.
Noke looked inspired from the opening seconds. Camozzi charged him for a single-leg takedown attempt, but the Aussie thwarted the effort with some underhooks. He showed his power by pushing forward, scoring a takedown and falling into the mount position. Camozzi did a solid job of avoiding big shots for a few seconds, but allowed Noke to crawl up his body.
Noke (19-4-1, 3-0 UFC) appeared to be setting up an armbar or inverted triangle when Camozzi tried to escape out the backdoor. Noke was quick to react by taking Camozzi's back. The Aussie flattened out Camozzi and tapped him with a rear-naked choke at 1:35 of the first.
Camozzi was a familiar opponent for Noke. They were castmates on Season 11 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Noke lost via unanimous decision to Kris McCray during the TUF 11 quarterfinals, but heappeared to be one of the better prospect on the show. Fighting out of Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque, Noke, 30, is just moving into his prime. He has a well-rounded game and a chance to do some damage in the UFC.
Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr
UFC 127 prelims on ION and Facebook
It looks like fans win out again at UFC 127 with more "free" fights. The promotion is throwing a total of four fights on the combination of Facebook and Ion.
Visit the UFC's Facebook page hit "like" at 8 p.m. ET to watch Jason Reinhardt battle Tiequan Zhang plus Tom Blackledge against Aussie Anthony Perosh.
At 9 p.m. ET, ION will air Alexander Gustaffson against James Te Huna, Ross Pearson trying to bounce back against Spencer Fisher and Riki Fukuda's UFC debut versus "the Ultimate Fighter 11 alum Nick Ring.
According to MMAjunkie, the first ION telecast of UFC 125 delivered pretty well with 829,000 viewers. That's half of Spike's normal numbers but the ION deal wasn't announced until a few days before the event and certainly doesn't have the coverage that Spike has and isn't well known to most television viewers.
The photos are from today's UFC 127 workout at Star City Casino.
Watch UFC 127 right here on Yahoo! Sports.
Kenny Florian Jesse Forbes Xavier Foupa Pokam Hermes Franca Rich Franklin
Can B.J. Penn pull a repeat performance?
In his last fight and his first fight at welterweight since losing the lightweight title, B.J. Penn quickly disposed of MMA legend Matt Hughes at UFC 123.
But though Hughes was one of the best welterweight fighters ever in the UFC, it's been a while since he was in his prime. This weekend, Penn will face a fighter in his prime: Jon Fitch.
Fitch uses his wrestling background to smother opponents. It's not the most exciting style, but it's effective. He hasn't lost since August of 2008, when he dropped a decision to champ Georges St. Pierre. Of Penn's recent losses, all three are in fights with opponents who used their wrestling skills to their advantage.
But as the video shows, that doesn't mean that Penn can't knock out a wrestler, as Hughes proudly touts wrestling as his base. What do you think will happen this weekend? Will Penn be able to stop Fitch's wrestling?
Ba Te er Ryan Bader Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao Josh Barnett
President's Day: Which fighter should run for president?
Happy Presidents' Day! In honor of this day that salutes our commanders-in-chief, Cagewriter took a second to ponder: which fighters would be at home in the Oval Office?
Brian Stann: The Marine-turned-fighter has professed political ambitions, and spends his time away from fighting running Hire Heroes, a not-for-profit that aims to help veterans find meaningful employment after their time with the Armed Forces.
Matt Lindland: One of few fighters with campaign experience, Lindland would also meet the constitutional age requirement for the presidency, and did the MMA world a favor by stopping the run of . He also has plenty of time on his hands, since an injury just forced him out of his planned KSW bout. But I fear how many campaign ads would take advantage of his bad knockouts.
Jacob Volkmann: He already has some strong feelings on the health care policy, but something tells me that having a Secret Service investigation in your background doesn't help you earn the trust of the electorate. (Suggested by Aaron Daane)
Kenny Florian: Through his side job as the lead analyst on ESPN's "MMA Live," Florian has shown an ease discussing many subjects on camera, a key trait for presidents. But what would his ever-dropping weight class do to his judgment? I wouldn't want Florian to have the nuclear codes while he drops down to featherweight to face Diego Nunes, but I would have faith that Vice President Kurt Pellegrino and Secretary of State Miguel Torres would keep Florian in line. (Suggested by Danielle Hobeika)
It's not as far-fetched as it seems. Plenty of presidents were also athletes. George H.W. Bush captained the Yale football team, Gerald Ford played football at Michigan, and according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, 11 presidents have wrestled, the sport that is the base to so many fighters.
Which fighter would you vote for?
Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner
Inside MMA talks to Alistair and Valentijn Overeem - Alistair Overeem
Ron Kruck catches up with Valentijn Overeem after his victory over Ray Sefo, and gets some sage interview advice from his brother Alastair
President's Day: Which fighter should run for president?
Happy Presidents' Day! In honor of this day that salutes our commanders-in-chief, Cagewriter took a second to ponder: which fighters would be at home in the Oval Office?
Brian Stann: The Marine-turned-fighter has professed political ambitions, and spends his time away from fighting running Hire Heroes, a not-for-profit that aims to help veterans find meaningful employment after their time with the Armed Forces.
Matt Lindland: One of few fighters with campaign experience, Lindland would also meet the constitutional age requirement for the presidency, and did the MMA world a favor by stopping the run of . He also has plenty of time on his hands, since an injury just forced him out of his planned KSW bout. But I fear how many campaign ads would take advantage of his bad knockouts.
Jacob Volkmann: He already has some strong feelings on the health care policy, but something tells me that having a Secret Service investigation in your background doesn't help you earn the trust of the electorate. (Suggested by Aaron Daane)
Kenny Florian: Through his side job as the lead analyst on ESPN's "MMA Live," Florian has shown an ease discussing many subjects on camera, a key trait for presidents. But what would his ever-dropping weight class do to his judgment? I wouldn't want Florian to have the nuclear codes while he drops down to featherweight to face Diego Nunes, but I would have faith that Vice President Kurt Pellegrino and Secretary of State Miguel Torres would keep Florian in line. (Suggested by Danielle Hobeika)
It's not as far-fetched as it seems. Plenty of presidents were also athletes. George H.W. Bush captained the Yale football team, Gerald Ford played football at Michigan, and according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, 11 presidents have wrestled, the sport that is the base to so many fighters.
Which fighter would you vote for?
Edwin Dewees Nick Diaz Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman
Re-writing history: The ridiculous bashing of Fedor
All fighters get old. The game catches up with them and moves along. Combine those absolutes with the fact that we live in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately era and you get what Fedor Emelianenko has had to hear the last few days after his loss to Antonio Silva.
A guy goes without a loss for 10 years and now he was never really that good? Essentially a fraud?
We addressed the topic on ESPN1100 in Las Vegas, discussing the premise that most athletes from previous eras were never really that good because they wouldn't be able to compete with the modern-day athlete. Should they all be disrespected?
If that's the case, let's eliminate all pre-1980 NFL offensive linemen from the NFL Hall of Fame. After all, those 250 pounders would get destroyed today in an era of 300-pound behemoths. Frankly, 6-foot-6 power NBA Hall of Fame power forward Dave DeBusschere sucked and Joe Louis wasn't really a great heavyweight boxer. The guy fought most of his career between 195-205 pounds.
Ridiculous, right?
Not according to guys like Jim Rome, who teed up Fedor and smashed him out the park on Rome is Burning:
"Now it’s pretty obvious why he didn’t want to sign with the UFC. While Strikeforce does have competitive heavyweights, he didn’t want to fight the best of the best on the biggest stage, he knew better. He refused to take any chances; he milked it for all its worth and he got paid and then exposed and now it’s over."
Which company has a better heavyweight division is certainly up for debate. As far as "not taking chances and milking it," Rome is off base. Fedor wasn't afraid to face the UFC heavyweights and anyone who follows the story knows it's never been the fighter who's making the decision. If critics want to kill M-1, that's fine. But the fighter himself faced all comers and was a dominant forced from 2001-2006. Just like Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and Matt Hughes, the other dominant fighters of the time deserve respect, so does Fedor.
Tip via MMAConvert
Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal
UFC 127: Sotiropoulos in line for lightweight title shot
George Sotiropoulos is one of the hottest names in the world at 155 pounds, but he's not waiting around for his UFC title shot. Frankly, he can't. There'd be no paychecks and who knows what the future holds.
Seconds after Sotiropoulos beat Joe Lauzon at UFC 123 in Detroit, he was asking for a quick turnaround so he could fight 13 weeks later in his homeland of Australia. UFC champ Frank Edgar will defend the title again against Gray Maynard at UFC 130 in May. Anthony Pettis is next in line for the winner. He fights Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in June. Sotiropoulos may be waiting a while and that's only if he can avodi the upset against Denis Siver this weekend.
Yahoo! Sports' lead MMA writer Kevin Iole joined us to talk about Sotiropoulos' mindset and just where he sits in the UFC's 155-pound pecking order.
Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan
UFC 127 prelims on ION and Facebook
It looks like fans win out again at UFC 127 with more "free" fights. The promotion is throwing a total of four fights on the combination of Facebook and Ion.
Visit the UFC's Facebook page hit "like" at 8 p.m. ET to watch Jason Reinhardt battle Tiequan Zhang plus Tom Blackledge against Aussie Anthony Perosh.
At 9 p.m. ET, ION will air Alexander Gustaffson against James Te Huna, Ross Pearson trying to bounce back against Spencer Fisher and Riki Fukuda's UFC debut versus "the Ultimate Fighter 11 alum Nick Ring.
According to MMAjunkie, the first ION telecast of UFC 125 delivered pretty well with 829,000 viewers. That's half of Spike's normal numbers but the ION deal wasn't announced until a few days before the event and certainly doesn't have the coverage that Spike has and isn't well known to most television viewers.
The photos are from today's UFC 127 workout at Star City Casino.
Watch UFC 127 right here on Yahoo! Sports.
Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng David Heath
Saturday, February 26, 2011
UFC 127: Michael Bisping Beats Jorge Rivera
Filed under: UFC
Michael Bisping showed off an impressive, well-rounded offensive arsenal against Jorge Rivera at UFC 127, using a combination of takedowns and punches to win a second-round technical knockout.The fight was the culmination of a rivalry between Bisping and Rivera that included bad blood and harsh trash talk from both fighters over the last few weeks, including Bisping spewing a homophobic slur toward Rivera at the weigh-in. After the fight Bisping and Rivera appeared to have some more harsh words for each other, as did their respective corner men. But they eventually exchanged a hug, and Bisping said he was sorry in his post-fight interview.
"I just want to apologize," Bisping said afterward. "He touched a nerve and I'm a sensitive guy."
Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva Post-Fight Interview after Fedor Fight - Bigfoot
Forgive me, folks. The lighting was garbage in the back alley where they held the post-fight press activities, and I forgot to turn my camera light on here so don't hate too much for the green and grainy mess you see above. The audio still works fine! So, about an hour after Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva did the unthinkable and beat Fedor Emelianenko for the third time in his career, Silva told us how it felt, if this was his plan all along, if he was surprised that Fedor seemed unable to do anything on his back and if Fedor will retire for good. Then he palms my microphone and mocks me. Frikkin' giants.Vitor Belfort Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping Dan Bobish
'The other Overeem' grounds and quickly submits Sefo
Little bro is getting all the attention, but don't sleep on Valentijn Overeem. The MMA veteran is dangerous and especially a guy like Ray Sefo, who has so liittle MMA experience. Overeem stood with the kickboxer Sefo for a while then got it to the ground easily and submitted Sefo in a matter of seconds via neck crank at 1:37 of the first at the Izod Center in New Jersey.
Overeem's younger brother, Alistair is one of the favorites in the main field of the tournament. He's also the Strikeforce heavyweight champ.Sefo, 39, is a very good kickboxer, but trying to play catch up with his knowledge of the ground game. Sefo (2-1 MMA, 56-21-1 kickboxing) was more than holding his own on the feet. The more athletic and younger Overeem (29-25) was getting hit with some jabs and overhand rights.
With 3:10 gone by in the fight, Overeem, 34, dropped for a sloppy double-leg takedown. Sefo sprawled, but Overeem was still able to crawl his way into a takedown. Sefo found himself underneath Overeem, who was in side control. The Dutch kickboxer got his right arm under Sefo's head and pulled up. The New Zealander quickly tapped. When he rose to his feet, he was grabbing his left shoulder.
Strikeforce undercard (Courtesy MMAjunkie):
Jason McLean def. Kevin Roddy via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Josh LaBerge def. Anthony Leone via TKO (cut) - Round 1, 5:00
Sam Oropeza def. Don Carlo-Clauss via submission (strikes) - Round 1, 4:10
Igor Gracie def. John Salgado via tech. submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 2, 3:04.
John Cholish def. Marc Stevens via submission (kneebar) - Round 2, 3:57
Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao
Michael Bisping Says Jorge Rivera Is Selling His Soul for YouTube Hits - UFC 127
Michael Bisping Says Jorge Rivera Is Selling His Soul for YouTube Hits Video by UFC 127Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr
BJ Penn: Training With Matt Hughes Gave Me More Confidence - UFC 127
BJ Penn: Training With Matt Hughes Gave Me More Confidence Video by UFC 127Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar
Melvin Manhoef Says MMA Is His Priority, Expects Epic Fight with Tim Kennedy
Filed under: Strikeforce, News
After years of constant back and forth shuttling between mixed martial arts and kickboxing, Dutch striking powerhouse Melvin Manhoef is committed solely to MMA in 2011. His year kicks off at March 5's Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson event, when he takes on former No. 1 middleweight contender Tim Kennedy.Speaking on a teleconference, the 34-year-old Manhoef said while he was not retiring from kickboxing, he would shelve his pursuits in that sport for the foreseeable future while working to round out his MMA game, which has been criticized for holes in his ground defense.
Ralek Gracie Renzo Gracie Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie
Surf Artist - Michael Ahearne
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Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello
Can Andrei Arlovski stop his losing streak in the Strikeforce GP?
Andrei Arlovski's place in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix will give him a shot to correct his downward spiral that started with a knockout by GP favorite Fedor Emelianenko, then was continued by Brett Rogers and Antonio Silva, who are also both in the GP.
To get back in the W column, Arlovski has to beat Sergei Kharitonov on Saturday. Kharitonov is fresh off a quick win at Dynamite!!! in Japan and is not discounting Arlovski.
"I don't think I'm getting Arlovski at a good time because of his losses. (His opponents) were some of the best fighters in the world. It's probably worse for me because he is hungry to win," Kharitonov said at the pre-fight press conference.
With his last win coming in 2008, Arlovski definitely is desperate to win.
"These three last guys who kicked my (butt) have motivated me. I'm determined. This tournament is a great opportunity," Arlovski said, sitting on the same stage as Emelianenko, Rogers and Silva.
Do you think that Arlovski can correct his ways and win?
Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita
WEC Vet Ian McCall Upsets Top Flyweight Jussier da Silva
McCall, who was cut by the WEC after losing to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in 2009, put on an impressive performance to beat da Silva by unanimous decision on Friday night's Tachi Palace Fights card. McCall would now have to be considered one of the elite flyweights in the sport, and maybe the best flyweight in the world.
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Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber
Scott Coker Strongly Believes Fedor Emelianenko Will Fight Again - Scott Coker
Scott Coker Strongly Believes Fedor Emelianenko Will Fight Again Video by Scott CokerTyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida
Lesnar picks Fitch; White can already see his nightmare on the horizon
It's all coming together perfectly. Georges St. Pierre could be leaving the welterweight division soon and the man to beat will be Jon Fitch. Fitch is a great fighter, but seems to drive UFC management, led by the president Dana White, nuts because he usually wins by decision. When it was time for Junior dos Santos and Brock Lesnar, on the set of Season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter," to pick UFC 127's main event they had trouble deviating from the usual Fitch script.
Both fighters picked Fitch to take out B.J. Penn via decision. That's not surprising since Fitch has won five straight decisions and his last eight have gone the distance. What was surprising was Lesnar actually throwing down some Fitch knowledge. when he made his selection, he seemed to be aware of Fitch's game.
Each time Lesnar has been asked in the past to pick a fight, it's clear he really doesn't own a computer or watch much television. He fights, but doesn't watch the stuff.
Penn is the smaller fighter at 170 pounds and may have trouble keeping Fitch off him. White's nightmare would be another three-round lay and pray with Fitch rolling to a win and into position to fight for an interim welterweight belt.
White's first vlog for UFC 127 (NSFW) also includes the immediate aftermath of Anderson Silva's amazing kick that finished Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva calls the champ some sort of mother[expletive] and White kept saying "I've never even seen that before."
Watch UFC 127 right here on Yahoo! Sports.
Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle
Action and lifestyle photos by Jim Russi
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Strikeforce Challengers: Pat Healy Hands Lyle Beerbohm His First Loss
Lyle Beerbohm is no longer undefeated, as Pat Healy gave him the first loss of his career in an entertaining fight on Friday night's Strikeforce Challengers card.After 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, all three judges scored it 29-28 for Healy, as did I. The victory improved Healy's record to 26-17, while Beerbohm fell to 15-1.
"Good fight," Healy said afterward. "If they want a rematch, any time. I think I out-worked him, out-hustled him, won the exchanges on the feet and had some real close submissions."
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Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah
Friday, February 25, 2011
MMA Marketplace: For the baking fight fan (We exist!)
What? You think there aren't fight fans who also like baking? Well, you're wrong. Not only are there fight fans who bake -- like me -- there are even more fight fans who like to eat homebaked treats. Cagewriter is here to help.
If you're a cupcake fan, go with the toppers from Crumby Art's Etsy shop. They are completely edible and have drawings of cages, wrapped fists and fighter silhouettes, and you can get 18 for $20. The cookie bakers among us need the Ninjabread Men cookie cutters for $7.99.
If you do any MMA baking, share your pictures on the Cagewriter Facebook page.
WEC Vet Ian McCall Upsets Top Flyweight Jussier da Silva
McCall, who was cut by the WEC after losing to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in 2009, put on an impressive performance to beat da Silva by unanimous decision on Friday night's Tachi Palace Fights card. McCall would now have to be considered one of the elite flyweights in the sport, and maybe the best flyweight in the world.
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Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie Ralek Gracie Renzo Gracie
Kyle Noke: 'It's Good to Be Home' - UFC 127
Kyle Noke: 'It's Good to Be Home' Video by UFC 127Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva Fight Video
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Renzo Gracie Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie
(Surreal) Surf Artist - John Coopwood
www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/john-coopwood.php
www.coopwoodart.com
Ed Herman Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe
Action and lifestyle photos by Jim Russi
www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-photography/exhibit-jim-russi.php
www.jimrussi.com
Royce Gracie Royler Gracie Ryan Gracie Peter Graham Forrest Griffin
Can B.J. Penn pull a repeat performance?
In his last fight and his first fight at welterweight since losing the lightweight title, B.J. Penn quickly disposed of MMA legend Matt Hughes at UFC 123.
But though Hughes was one of the best welterweight fighters ever in the UFC, it's been a while since he was in his prime. This weekend, Penn will face a fighter in his prime: Jon Fitch.
Fitch uses his wrestling background to smother opponents. It's not the most exciting style, but it's effective. He hasn't lost since August of 2008, when he dropped a decision to champ Georges St. Pierre. Of Penn's recent losses, all three are in fights with opponents who used their wrestling skills to their advantage.
But as the video shows, that doesn't mean that Penn can't knock out a wrestler, as Hughes proudly touts wrestling as his base. What do you think will happen this weekend? Will Penn be able to stop Fitch's wrestling?
Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez
UFC 'Would Be Happy' to Sign Hatsu Hioki
Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News, Japan
SYDNEY -- Hatsu Hioki is still contracted to fight for Sengoku Raiden Championships, but should he be released from his contract like top SRC fighters Jorge Santiago, Ronnie Mann and Marlon Sandro were recently, the UFC wants the Japanese featherweight to know that they would welcome him with open arms."If Hioki wanted in the UFC, I would be happy to have him," UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby told MMA Fighting on Friday.
"Because of the way the merger is, my roster is full. I wasn't looking to add talent until June or July, but I would make room for Hioki at any point."
Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert Aldana José Aldo
'Rampage' now wants Hamill: 'I'm gonna knock him into tomorrow'
All it takes is a little trash talk or perceived disrespect to get the juices flowing for Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
Over the weekend on Twitter @rampage4real, the former UFC champ sounded disappointed that he was booked to fight Matt Hamill at UFC 130 in May.
Hamill is filling in for Thiago Silva. Initially there were rumors the fill-in would be Rashad Evans. That fight never came to fruition, so Hamill it is.
Jackson's manager Anthony McGann told Yahoo! Sports' that Hamill's been running his mouth and it's lit a fire under Rampage.
"We found out that Matt Hamill actually requested to fight Rampage. His camp pushed hard for it turning down other possible opponents. When Quinton found this out, his opinion rapidly changed on Matt Hamill," McGann said. "Matt's strategically aiming at Quinton with the words if he takes out the ex-champ then he's in the mix for a shot. Those are brave words considering Rampage just beat (Lyoto) Machida. So the fight is set for May 28, Rampage doesn't take lightly to being called out."
Jackson said bring it on.
"He wants me? Well, he can have me," Jackson told Yahoo! Sports. "I'm gonna knock him into tomorrow."
McGann also wanted to clear the air about what happened when Jackson was offered UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on short notice.
"We were signed to fight Thiago Silva on May 28 in Las Vegas. He had some problems and we were told straight away," McGann said. "Around the same time Rashad (Evans) got injured and we were offered Shogun on short notice."
Rumors had it that Jackson was walking around in the 250-pound neighborhood in .
"Quinton wanted the fight but he was too heavy and there wasn't enough time. Both Thiago and Shogun, are guys that will get into a fight with Quinton, something his last two opponents haven't. (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva gave (Jon) 'Bones' Jones the opportunity (to fight Rua), as he was good with the short time and we waited for our opponent."
McGann explained that the Hamill offer caught Team Rampage off guard.
"We were given Hamill on the May show and initially Quinton was disappointed. Matt just wasn't one of the guys he has been focusing on. He really wants Rashad again or Stephen Bonnar because both guys are disrespectful to him," McGann said. "He respects Matt as a tough opponent and he believes that Matt is someone who will put on a show which is what he loves to do. He just had never paid him no mind until Joe Silva offered him."
Silva was forced off the card because some of his drug test samples, from his win at UFC 125 over Brandon Vera, were in question.Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson
Little person Freeland leads a troupe of little guys at California fight card tonight
With the merger of the WEC into the UFC, Zuffa just pushed the 135 and 145-lb weight classes to the forefront. Is it too soon to start talking about the 125ers?
There are several prominent flyweights featured on a Tachi Palace card in Lemoore, California, who'd like to be the next small fighters to step into the spotlight.
The Visalia Times Delta says Tachi Palace Fights 8 (free stream on MMAjunkie.com - 8:30 p.m. ET) is essentially holding its own 125-tournament tonight:
TPF 125-pound champion Ulysses Gomez (7-1) will defend his title in a 5-round bout against Darrell Montague (8-1), and Jussier da Silva (9-0), who is regarded as the world's top 125-pound fighter, will put his undefeated record on the line against World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Ian McCall (8-2).
Tachi Palace Fighting knows it has something specials with the flyweights.
"It is the most important weight class we have," said Tachi Palace entertainment coordinator Jeremy Luchau. "Some people do see it as a tournament because we have some of the best guys in the world. It is an opportunity for guys who have been in our promotion to showcase their skills against some of the top fighters from around the world."
There's also a ton of intrigue around the debut of another small fighter, but this guy is a little thicker. Tyler Freeland, a little person at just 4-foot-11, is making his pro debut.
Freeland, nicknamed "Hulk Hands," put together an impressive 16-4 mark in the amateur ranks.
"It’s dwarfism, a bone disorder where my bones stopped growing," Freeland told Sherdog.com in describing his hypochondroplasia. "I’m about four eleven, but I tell everyone I’m five feet. I need that extra inch."
Walking around 160 pounds, Freeland is no tiny guy. But he realizes, he'd have a tough time at 155 pounds, where many of the fighters are in the 5-9 to 5-11 range. He'll make his debut at 145 and hopes to eventually get down to 135. Freeland, 26, recently began training at Las Vegas' TapouT Training Center with Shawn Tompkins.
Tompkins said just like any fighter, Freeland, 26, has to work around certain limitations.
"With his height, it’s always harder to strike with someone taller than you," Tompkins says, "but it’s harder to wrestle with someone shorter. Their level-change is so much faster than yours."
He said Freeland has something you can't necessarily teach.
"What most impressed me is that he has a lot of power in his hands," he adds. "He’s got KO power and very big hands. He hits hard and is very precise. He has a really good wrestling pedigree. I’ve just been banking on rounding his game out, keeping him safe from submissions and working on his standup. We’ve been having fun and building from there."
Freeland faces Diego Melendez. They met in the amateur ranks and Melendez won via triangle. Freeland says he took that fight on short notice and things will be different this time.
Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipović Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Gilbert Melendez on a Mission - Gilbert Melendez
Director Rick Lee and Writer/Producer Danny Acosta find Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez is on a mission from San Francisco to Japan to be the best fighter in the world. Delson Heleno Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman Heath Herring
Arum says MMA audience is still too white
Bob Arum irked mixed martial arts followers a few years back when he said the majority of fans were "skinhead white guys."
Even with MMA pay-per-view and arena audiences exploding across the U.S. and the world, Arum still believes MMA's scope is limited.
"It's the same audience over and over," Arum told USA Today. "It's white males, and they have never been able to expand their demographic."
For that reason, the UFC and MMA can only reach certain heights according to Arum.
"The Hispanics don't care anything for it. Most African-Americans don't watch it. Hey, this country is becoming more and more Hispanic, and it's growing African-American (in the) audience," Arum said.
"So the future success of UFC is limited. The success of boxing is not, because boxing reaches those groups. The only demographic that boxing has lost is the white, young males, period."
Arum believes the fight market includes all males and that MMA doesn't draw the eyes of Hispanics and African-Americans. He also hints at the fact that boxing may experience a resurgence if it can mend fences with network television and deliver more of its product for free.
We posted the latest fan video from Strikeforce. The audience at the Izod Center appeared to be pretty diverse.
Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama
Local Hero Peggy Oki
Peggy has more than earned this honor with her inspiring & enduring support for protecting cetaceans and ocean life, through her Origami Whales Project… An international campaign, aimed at getting the message across to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), to put a stop to the slaughter of whales and the cruelty of commercial whaling in Japan, Norway and Iceland.
Photo: Peggy Oki. Photo by Matt Dayka
You may remember Peggy Oki as the only female member of the legendary Zephyr Skate Team (a.k.a. Z-Boys of Dogtown)…
www.peggy-oki.com
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