Monday, September 26, 2011

Fireworks from the start: Episode one of ?The Ultimate Fighter?

Fireworks from the start: Episode one of ?The Ultimate Fighter?

Welcome to another season of "The Ultimate Fighter," the last season of TUF on Spike. This season will feature Michael Bisping an Jason "Mayhem" Miller for coaches, and bantamweights and featherweights for the first time. After watching the elimination show, I am confident in saying that you shouldn't miss this season. Join me for a recap and spoilers, won't you?

In one of the best openings the show has had yet, the fighters meet Dana White in the middle of the Octagon at the Mandalay Bay. White says that he wants the fighters to take it all in. If this setting doesn't make it real for the fighters, nothing will. The elimination bouts will take place there, so only fighters who win their first bout will even make it to the house and UFC training center. After explaining the fan-voted bonuses and introducing the coaches, White gives an expletive-laced but familiar pep talk.

With that, the elimination fights begin.

Josh Ferguson vs. Casey Dyer, bantamweight: Ferguson wasted little time overwhelming the much-taller Dyer with a bevy of strikes, getting the TKO in the first round.

Diego Brandao vs. Jesse Newell, featherweight: Newell started strong, but Brandao didn't let him get too comfortable. He knocked Newell down with a left and finished the fight with a flying forearm. Mayhem pointed out the similarity between that finish and when Dan Henderson finished Bisping.

After the first two bouts, White remarked, "This is going to be a nasty season."

John Dodson vs. Brandoon Merkt, bantamweight: Dodson used a bodyshot to wobble Merkt, then took him out with a flurry of strikes.

Three fights, three first-round finishes. Miller said that he feels like he should have bought a ticket to this. The next fighter, Dennis Bermudez said that his wrestling career was cut short when the woman in his life said she was pregnant with his child, who turned out not to be his. Is this Maury or TUF?

Dennis Bermudez vs. Jimmie Rivera, featherweight: Rivera knocked Bermudez down, and then used wrestling to control Bermudez for much of the first round. Rivera came close to a rear naked choke as the round ended. Bermudez took control in the second round, mounting Rivera's back and hammering his face with strikes until the fight was stopped. The good news for Rivera is that White and the coaches were impressed, which means he could be a replacement fighter if one is needed.

B.J. Ferguson vs. Roland Delorme, bantamweight: B.J. is the brother to Josh, who easily won his bout. Both fighters say that they are coming out to win, which is good. It would be disappointing if they were coming out to crochet White a sweater. Delorme showed off jiu-jitsu skills, transitioning from a deep armbar into a triangle choke until Ferguson passed out.

Marcus Brimage vs. Bryson Wailehua-Hansen, featherweight: Wailehua-Hansen said that he has extra drive because he's from Hawaii and island guys have to fight. I don't understand that but OK. Wailehua-Hansen had Brimage's back for much of the first round, but Brimage unloaded once he got out. He couldn't return many punches, but he withstood strike after strike, impressing White and the coaches.

In the second round, Brimage unloaded again and this time, the fight was stopped, but Wailehua-Hansen definitely made an impression on White.

Carson Beebe vs. Johnny Bedford, bantamweight: Beebe is the younger brother of Chase Beebe, the one-time WEC champ, and wants to get out of the shadow of his brother. Bedford outwrestled Beebe and controlled the standup before submitting him with a guillotine near the end of the first roound.

Dustin Pague vs. Tateki Matsuda, bantamweight: In the closest fight up to this point, Matsuda showed off his Muay Thai skills, while Pague had better ground fighting and defense. Pague won the majority decision, 19-19, 20-18, 20-18.

Paul McVeigh vs. Louis Gaudinot, bantamweight: Bisping knows McVeigh, a Scot, from the English fight scene. Gaudinot has a big mess of green hair. Their first round was back and forth, but Gaudinot and his green hair took over the second round with big takedowns. The fight went to a third and decisive round. Gaudinot threw a back elbow that wobbled and cut up McVeigh, who valiantly tried to go on, but it was too much. Gaudinot won the TKO.

Eric Marriott vs. Bryan Caraway, featherweight: Caraway rode out two rounds to get the win, but didn't impress White or the coaches.

Josh Clopton vs. Dustin Neace, featherweight: In what Bisping called an evenly matched bout, Clopton controlled most of the fight, thought Neace ended each round well. White and Bisping both though Clopton won, but the judges called it for Neace.

Matt Jaggers vs. TJ Dillashaw, bantamweight: Dillashaw, who trains with Urijah Faber at Alpha Male, and controlled the fight with takedowns and ground and pound, then finished Jaggers with elbows in the final seconds.

Steven Siler vs. Micah Miller, featherweight: Miller, Cole Miller's younger brother and a WEC vet, is confident walking into the bout. Siler started with better striking and got a takedown in the first round. He continued the strong striking in the second, but took Miller down and was nearly submitted. In the third, Siler guillotined a gassed Miller for the win.

John Albert vs. Orville Smith, bantamweight: Albert took the upper hand in striking, and then took down Smith to get a rear naked choke win.

Stephen Bass vs. Karsten Lenjoint, featherweight: White called it a back and forth war, until the second round when Bass submitted a tired Lenjoint with a triangle choke.

Brian Pearman vs. Akira Corassani, featherweight: Pearman is a dead ringer for Taylor Lautner. Corassani said that he uses fighting as his brush, as he is an artist. That� art involves big, violent elbows and punches as that's how he knocked out Pearman after almost getting submitted earlier in the round.

The final tally for the elimination round: eight knockouts, five submissions, and three decisions. White, Bisping and Mayhem are blown away with the talent.

"I'm overly impressed. Don't get big-headed and cocky, but I'm impressed," White said.

Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga

UFC 135 Post-Fight Press Conference Video

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Rampage Jackson and other UFC 135 fighters are likely to answer questions at the UFC 135 post-fight press conference.The UFC 135 post-fight press conference is the last piece of business to take care of after the action is over in the Octagon, and we'll carry the video here at MMAFighting.com,

The UFC 135 post-fight press conference is the place to find out who the Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night winners are, and to see how the fighters look and what they have to say following their fights.

The UFC 135 post-fight press conference will begin about half an hour after the main event ends. The highlights are below.

 

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Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Takeya Mizugaki 'Exploded With Emotions' After Knockout Win

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DENVER -- MMA Fighting caught up with Takeya Mizugaki after his second-round TKO against Cole Escovedo at UFC 135. Mizugaki discussed if this was his best UFC performance so far, his post-fight celebration and if he wants to fight next when the UFC returns to Japan early next year .

 

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Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida

Exclusive pictures from Ultimate Fight Night 25

Check out Tracy Lee's exclusive pictures from Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans. See Jake Ellenberger's quick win,� Alan Belcher's return and more from the UFC's first trip to Louisiana.

Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett  Murilo Bustamante 

?The Ultimate Fighter? gives you new reasons to tune in

?The Ultimate Fighter? gives you new reasons to tune inIn its last season on Spike, the people behind "The Ultimate Fighter" are making some big promises to viewers. Next season, when it moves to FX, it will feature live fights, which should help make it more interesting.

In the meantime, neither the UFC nor Spike wants to make it a throwaway season. Ratings have taken a nosedive in the past few seasons, and the show just isn't as compelling as it once was.� They've given us a few good reasons to tune in.

-- "Mayhem" Miller and Michael Bisping: Neither of the coaches will be boring, and both are comfortable with cameras. Bisping previously coached on TUF against Dan Henderson, and Miller hosts "Bully Beatdown" on MTV. Miller said that his first priority is coaching his fighters, but knows that his second priority is to make entertaining TV.

"The second [priority] was to make entertaining television," Miller admitted. "I noticed after the first week that I was a bit bored, so I immediately started cranking it up so that there would be some interaction between me and Mike. At the end of the day, we're doing television, and we need to make something happen so that the audience is engaged. Many things happened."

There two know how to trash talk. There's no telling if it will reach Quinton Jackson/Rashad Evans levels, but it should be fun.

-- Fight-in returns: Last season, the fighters under Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos did not have to fight for a spot in the house, unlike in seasons 7-12. Not only will the fight-in bouts return, but the show's premiere episode will show every full fight.

-- Big bonuses: One of the fun changes, both for fighters and fans, is the creation of bonuses for the fighters that fans can vote on. The UFC will award $25,000 bonuses for the season's best fight, submission and knockout, just like they do for every fight card. Fans will get to vote on the bonuses.

The show will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 9 p.m. ET. Do you plan on tuning in? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

Peter Graham Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian

McGee decisions Yang at Ultimate Fight Night 25

McGee decisions Yang at Ultimate Fight Night 25

"The Ultimate Fighter" winner Court McGee notched a win after a long layoff from the Octagon, taking a decision over Dongi Yang at Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans on Saturday. The judges gave McGee the win 30-27, 29-28, 30-28.

McGee wobbled Yang in the first round, getting the better of Yang in the stand-up battle in a very close round that featured Yang stalking, but McGee striking. The second round showed a tired Yang slowing down, but still throwing big shots. As the round wore on, McGee was able to land more kicks and punches. Yang didn't have enough energy to defend the strikes.

The fight exploded in the third round, as Yang knocked McGee down halfway through the round. He followed up with a flying knee, but took some damage of his own as both fighters emerged with bloody faces. McGee defended a toss attempt by Yang, and then took Yang down and went straight into full mount. Yang's conditioning -- or lack thereof -- played a part, as McGee finished the round with an easy takedown into half-guard. McGee followed up with elbows, then moved into a guillotine choke. The round ended before McGee could finish the submission.

McGee hadn't fought since October of 2010 due to a knee injury. His record moves to 14-1, while Yang falls to 10-2.

David Bielkheden Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan

Diaz destroys Gomi in UFC 135 PPV opener

Diaz destroys Gomi in UFC 135 PPV opener

Nate Diaz has always been considered a step behind his brother Nick. But tonight, he did his big bro one better by tearing through Japanese star Takanori Gomi in just over four minutes. Diaz pummeled Gomi on the feet to set up an armbar stoppage at 4:27 of the first round in Denver, Co.

Gomi was arguably the best 155-pound fighter in the world from 1998-2005 as rolled up a 24-2 record. He got a wake up call against Nick in 2007 at PRIDE 33. The older Diaz won that fight, but he also took some damage. Nate had no such problems. He was never threatened in four-plus minutes by the dangerous power puncher.

The 5-foot-7 Gomi simply couldn't solve the length riddle presented by the 6-foot Diaz. The taller fighter used his reach brilliantly. According to Compustrike, he made good on 52 percent of his punches and outlanded Gomi 44-8.

Diaz (14-7, 9-5 UFC) flicked the jab early as a range finder. It made Gomi incredibly tentative. When Diaz finally threw with bad intentions it was a blowout.

Gomi (33-8, 1-3 UFC) ate a right hook with 3:30 left in the round,� Diaz began to taunt him and dropped his hands. Diaz started to land 1-2's whenever he wanted. A stunned Gomi tried to shoot and found himself under Diaz, who pounded away. Gomi got back to his feet, but he was close to finished as he put his back on the cage.

Diaz let his hands go and battered Gomi. Gomi actually recovered for a split second by pushing Diaz to the ground, but made the silly move of going into the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert's guard. Diaz's legs are a mile long. Gomi got twisted up and caught in a triangle. Diaz eventually transitioned it to an arm bar forcing Gomi to tap.

Diaz is back where he belongs at 155 pounds. He made the strange move up to welterweight where he went 0-2 against Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. If he stays focused, he can certainly get right back into the mix for a run at the lightweight title. Keep in mind, he lost a narrow decision to Gray Maynard just 20 months ago. Maynard fought to a draw at UFC 125 against champion Frank Edgar. The rematch goes down in two weeks at UFC 136 in Houston.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Dream turning into Japanese MMA nightmare
? WNBA star takes former NBA lottery pick to school
? Man impersonating Eagles QB Vince Young arrested

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio

Another Strikeforce defection: Henderson vs. Rua at UFC 139

Another Strikeforce defection: Henderson vs. Rua at UFC 139Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson will reportedly meet up with former UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Nov. 19. This bout should make longtime MMA fans happy, but raises even more questions about the future of Strikeforce.

Both fighters made their names while in the Pride Fighting Championships in Japan. Rua was Pride's Grand Prix middleweight winner, while Henderson held multiple titles with the now-defunct promotion. Even with that shared history, this will be the first time they meet in a fight. Ten years ago, Henderson did defeat Shogun's brother, Murilo.

Henderson's last bout was a knockout of Fedor Emelianenko in what turned out to be the last Strikeforce fight for both men. Just weeks ago at UFC 134 in Brazil, Rua KOed Forrest Griffin.

This will be Henderson's third stint with the UFC. He fought at UFC 17 before Pride, then came back after Zuffa, the promotion that owns the UFC, bought Pride. When Strikeforce offered him a better contract, Henderson defected, but Zuffa purchased Strikeforce in March.

That purchase has allowed the UFC to pick off some of the Strikeforce's champs, like Nick Diaz, who will fight B.J. Penn at UFC 137, and Alistair Overeem, who will take on Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. Three men's championship belts -- heavyweight, light heavyweight and welterweight -- now stand vacant. After his win over Roger Gracie, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Mo Lawal said that he was not interested in fighting for a vacant belt, so that division's future is in flux.

[Related: Win tickets to UFC 135 from Edge Shave Gel and Cagewriter]

Henderson won't be the only former Strikeforcer to fight at UFC 139, as former middleweight champ, Cung Le, will take on Vitor Belfort at 139. The fights are expected to take place in San Jose, the one-time home of Strikeforce's offices.

***

Win tickets to UFC 135 though Edge Shave Gel and Cagewriter. Click here for more information.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? NFL player beans bystander during touchdown celebration
? Brad Pitt's 'shameful' baseball secret
? High school team punished for 9/11 tribute

Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi

Saturday, September 24, 2011

UFC 135 Results Recap: Jon Jones Dominates Rampage Jackson to Defend Title

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title for the first time over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the UFC 135 main event on Saturday in Denver, Colorado and made it look easy.

Jones attacked Jackson with a variety of leg kicks that gave him an opening to secure a rear naked choke in the fourth round.

Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao  Josh Barnett  David Baron 

On the eve of fight Evans changes his tune, now likes Jackson?s chances

Rashad Evans loves screwing with Jon Jones, so it doesn't come as a shocker that a little over 24 hours away from Jones' showdown against Quinton Jackson, "Suga" is now leaning towards "Rampage" at UFC 135.

Evans got a chance to see how serious Jackson was training for the fight:

"Yeah. I went to Muscle Pharm yesterday and I walked through the facility and I seen some of the things that he was doing and then I seen him and he was looking good, better than I've ever seen him before and I was actually really surprised. I just think that a guy like that that can get focused and get dialed Is a dangerous guy if he can get focused and dialed in. I think Jon Jones' mistake is he thinks he's too good right now. He thinks he can't be beat," Evans told 106.7 The Fan.

He also has extensive first-hand experience training with Jones and believe he may break at some point tomorrow night.

"Well, I've seen him get pushed in practice and I've seen him be very human and not as good as he looks on TV. I've seen that there's times where he looks great in practice but there's times where I've seen him quit in practice," said Evans.

Evans was really selling Jackson hard:

"A Rampage that's focused is a dangerous Rampage and I think that the biggest problem with Jon Jones is the fact that he's getting so overly confident and cocky that he can't get beat and all he has to do is step in the cage Saturday and collect his belt. I think that's dangerous thinking when you've got somebody in front of you who's been training hard."

Wow, the drama continues on "as the UFC light heavyweights turn." Keep in mind, earlier in the week Evans was having a tough time picking Jackson.

"I think that Jon Jones uses his range and his speed to keep Rampage off balance and at the same time using his ability to take Rampage down to try to impose some of his will. I think Jon tries to get it done, I think he does it standing up," said Evans.

Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku 

Silent for too long: Bisping is back and ready to make ?Mayhem? pay

Silent for too long: Bisping is back and ready to make ?Mayhem? payPut anyone around Jason "Mayhem" Miller for two months and they may want to whack the middleweight veteran. Throw the highly-volatile Michael Bisping into that situation and all hell is probably going to break loose.

Taping for Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter" is done, but now the fun begins between the coaches. The testy Brit said he's ready to shred Mayhem at the TUF 14 Finale.

"[There was] a bit of friction between me and Miller, just a little bit, ups and downs. At the start of the season I thought he was an OK guy. By the end of the season I wanted to kill him. Fortunately, December 3, I'll get that opportunity," Bisping told Ariel Helwani on AOL's "The MMA Hour."

Bisping is annoyed by lots of people, so it's not shocking to hear that the needling host of MTV's "Bully Beatdown" irked him.

"Personally I find [the 'Mayhem' persona] quite annoying. Each to their own, though, I mean a lot of people find me annoying, so you know what I mean, I'll take the rough with the smooth," Bisping said. "He's not a bad guy, but he just rubs me up the wrong way a little bit. As I said, not everyone's gonna like everybody. He certainly doesn't like me, and I don't think I like him particularly."

In the end, Bisping thought he won the majority of the verbal sparring.

"Yeah, I mean he tried to [get under my skin], unfortunately Miller's mouth is bigger than his brain, so he didn't do a very good job of it. He tried to do it a few times, but they were really quite pitiful?I definitely get the upper hand throughout the entire season," Bisping said. "I feel he crossed the line a few times, there were a few instances that he definitely crossed the line, so come December 3rd, I'm looking forward to making him pay for his words and pay for his disrespect."

This is a great opportunity for both fighters especially Bisping. He was quieted for most of 2011 following a spitting incident after his Jorge Rivera fight in February at UFC 127.

The prefight trash talk between the camps got personal. Seconds after Bisping pounded out Rivera, he approached the American's corner and spit in the direction of Matt Phinney. There was no official suspension or disciplinary action taken by the UFC, but Bisping disappeared from the scene for a few months.

When we spoke to him back in June, he was still seething about the whole incident.

Quotes via Cage Potato

Luke Cummo  Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai  Mac Danzig 

Koch takes UFN 25 decision over TUF winner Brookins

Koch takes UFN 25 decision over TUF winner Brookins

Erik Koch took a unanimous decision win at Ultimate Fight Night 25 over "The Ultimate Fighter" winner Jonathan Brookins. Koch won the fight 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 on the judges cards.

Koch was strong in the first round, landing more strikes and controlling Brookins against the fence. After Koch got the better of Brookins in striking in the second round, Brookins tried for a takedown. He had a hard time bringing the fight to the ground and when he did, Koch landed on top of him. They worked back to their feet, where Koch landed leg kicks. Brookins finally got the takedown in the final minute of the second, but was not able to do much with it except take knees from Koch as they returned to their feet.

Koch continued to win the striking game in the third round, as he stuck to the game plan of punch-punch-kick and using his speed to throw Brookins off. He also continued to be successful in holding off Brookins' takedown attempts.

A one-time WEC fighter, Koch has rattled off four straight wins. His record is now 13-1, with the lone loss coming to Chad Mendes. Brookins, who won the 12th season of TUF, falls to 12-4. His last previous loss was to featherweight champ Jose Aldo.

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

Video weigh-in: ?Rampage? makes weight nine days before the fight

Quinton Jackson doesn't want to hear anything about his lack of commitment, so check out this behind-the-scenes video from Camp Rampage.

Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn Dennis George

Miguel Torres, Nick Pace Slated for UFC 139 Bantamweight Bout in San Jose

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A pair of bantamweights coming off losses will meet in San Jose, Calif., looking to get back in the win column.

Former WEC 135-pound champion Miguel Torres and Nick Pace have verbally agreed to a fight at UFC 139 in November. Both ex-WEC fighters won their UFC debuts, but suffered setbacks in their second outings with the promotion.

Pace said on his Twitter account Friday that he was fighting Torres - but later removed the Tweet from his page. But early Saturday, sources close to the fight confirmed to MMA Fighting that the bout has been agreed to.

Torres (38-4, 1-1 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 130 in May - a fight most analysts and observers believe Torres won. That loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Torres. But more importantly for Johnson, it got him a title shot against Dominick Cruz next week.

Torres went nearly six years without a loss, catapulting himself into the conversation of pound-for-pound top fighters in the world. But in his fourth defense of the WEC bantamweight title, he suffered the first knockout of his career, surrendering the belt to Brian Bowles at WEC 42. He followed that loss up with a submission to Joseph Benavidez - his first tapout loss. That defeat prompted him to change his training strategy, and rather than mostly training himself at his gym in Northwest Indiana, he moved his camps to the Tristar Gym in Montreal under the direction of Firas Zahabi.

Pace (6-2, 1-1 UFC) was the Ring of Combat bantamweight champ before signing with the WEC last year. His first loss under the Zuffa banner came to Johnson by unanimous decision. After a submission win over Will Campuzano at the TUF 12 Finale last December, Pace dropped a unanimous decision to Ivan Menjivar at UFC 133 in August.

UFC 139 was expected to feature a heavyweight title fight between champ Cain Velasquez, who trains in San Jose, and Junior dos Sanots. But that fight was moved to the UFC's debut on the Fox network Nov. 12. Instead, Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson will return to the UFC and headline the event against former champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Also on the card, Wanderlei Silva faces Cung Le in Le's UFC debut. Former champs Urijah Faber and Bowles meet in a bantamweight bout. TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader faces Jason Brilz. And TUF 1 runner-up Stephan Bonnar meets Kyle Kingsbury.

 

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Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie

New art from Damian Fulton

Just added a bunch of new art to Damian Fulton's showcase on Club Of The Waves. Awesome stuff, check it out…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/damian-fulton.php

Surf Art by Damian Fulton

www.damianfulton.com

Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees 

Friday, September 23, 2011

Yahoo! Sports and Heavy present Fight Day Live from UFC 135

UFC 135's Fight Day will come to you live from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. on September 24 at 5pm ET/2pm PT. �Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will get fight night started, and Fight Day will break down all of the main card action with expert panelists Matt Brown of Heavy MMA, John Morgan of MMA Junkie and "Showdown" Joe Ferraro of Rogers Sportsnet. �UFC middleweight and coach on the current season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Michael Bisping, will join Fight Day live on set. �Also on set will be light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans. �Evans will have much to say as he will face the winner of the night's main event for the light heavyweight Championship. �Fight Day will also feature an interview with longtime UFC play-by-play commentator Mike Goldberg to talk about his favorite fights, favorite fighters and life on the road.

Fight Day airs live from UFC 135 at 5pm EDT/2pm PDT.

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo 

We know there?s at least one Diaz fan left; White gives him Penn fight at UFC 137

Just when you thought everyone was steaming mad at Nick Diaz, Dana White pulled off a shocker by re-booking the quirky fighter for another fight at UFC 137 against B.J. Penn.

Thursday evening, White announced the move via Twitter. This was less than 24 hours after he dropped Diaz from the main event title fight against Georges St-Pierre.

When it comes down it, White is willing to deal with all of� Diaz's drama to simply satisfy fight fans. Are you any less excited for the Diaz-Penn versus Diaz-GSP? That's been a dream fight for many fans, for years. White could've easily banished Diaz to the MMA minor leagues for life, but the recognizes the guy is a great fighter with some serious psychological issues.

The door opened for Diaz when a Penn-Jon Fitch rematch couldn't be made. Penn ripped Fitch on Twitter and said he had enough of waiting for Fitch to commit. Twitter is hilarious though. Penn went from nasty to nice in 42 minutes when he was offered the Diaz fight.

Why did Diaz get another chance? White spoke to him and got a basic understanding of what was going through his head when he missed two prefight conferences and missed three flights.

"To tell you the truth, the excuses he gave me made no sense," White told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. "You've interviewed Nick Diaz before. You know what I'm talking about. But I started thinking about this: This kid is a real fighter and I love the B.J. Penn-Nick Diaz fight. He always does show up to fight. We have trouble with him doing p.r. We also sometimes have problems with [his brother] Nate, whom I have a great relationship with, in getting him to do his p.r."

"What basically happened is, Nick freaked out. He disappeared. He told me he couldn't handle the pressure of the main event. It wasn't that he couldn't fight it or wouldn't have fought it, but all the responsibilities that come with fighting in the main event, he said he couldn't deal with that. The fighting part is the easy part to him."

Dos Caras Jr   Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin 

News and notes from Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov press conference

CINCINNATI -- In preparation for the semifinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, the promotion's top fighters held court with media at the U.S. Bank Area. Here's what you need to know:

-- The start time is at 10:30 p.m. ET because of a documentary airing on Saturday night. Called "The Love We Make," it's a documentary about a show that Paul McCartney put together right after September 11. Strikeforce's bouts will start after that.

-- Daniel Cormier was added to the GP after Alistair Overeem -- who is now signed with the UFC -- dropped out of the tourney. Cormier isn't concerned about being a replacement adding extra pressure because he already puts pressure on himself.

"It's not that big of a deal to me. Pressure would be only if I didn't put high expectations on myself. I put enough pressure on myself to begin with, so being in this tournament could not add anything more."

He also said he was surprised that Overeem, or anyone would drop out of the tournament because it was such a good opportunity.

-- Mo Lawal said that he has been ready since January, but hasn't been able to get a fight until now. Though all of the major MMA media outlets were there, Lawal was disappointed in the turnout at the press conference.

"I was hoping there would be more media. More questions. Roger and me are going to put on a good fight, but everyone's going to miss it because they're worried about other issues."

-- Roger Gracie is known for his ground game, as he is a highly accomplished jiu-jitsu player. But with Lawal's world class wrestling background, Gracie may not be able to control where the bout will take place.

"It's hard to predict. Mo Lawal is a great wrestler. We'll just have to see and be prepared for everything. He's a good striker but an unbelievable wrestler. You try to plan a strategy, but you have to be prepared for everything," Gracie said.

Quoteworthy:

"It'll be a main-event worthy fight. I know he's going to bring a never-say-die attitude. It'll be a good tussle. I think we're going to finish one another. No decisions here." -- Josh Barnett, on his Grand Prix bout with Sergei Kharitonov.

"Josh said that he and Sergei were going to finish their fight. Just to put it out there, I'm fine winning the decision." -- Daniel Cormier

Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden

The Ultimate Fighter 14: Episode 1 Recap and Results for ?Team Bisping vs. Team Miller?

The Ultimate Fighter 14 debuted Wednesday night on Spike TV featuring Michael Bisping and Jason "Mayhem" Miller as coaches of featherweight and bantamweight fighters for the first time in TUF history.

The 145- and 135-pounders squared off in 16 elimination matchups on the two-hour premiere to decide who would advance to The Ultimate Fighter house and who would be going home.

Edson Drago  Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus 

McGee decisions Yang at Ultimate Fight Night 25

McGee decisions Yang at Ultimate Fight Night 25

"The Ultimate Fighter" winner Court McGee notched a win after a long layoff from the Octagon, taking a decision over Dongi Yang at Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans on Saturday. The judges gave McGee the win 30-27, 29-28, 30-28.

McGee wobbled Yang in the first round, getting the better of Yang in the stand-up battle in a very close round that featured Yang stalking, but McGee striking. The second round showed a tired Yang slowing down, but still throwing big shots. As the round wore on, McGee was able to land more kicks and punches. Yang didn't have enough energy to defend the strikes.

The fight exploded in the third round, as Yang knocked McGee down halfway through the round. He followed up with a flying knee, but took some damage of his own as both fighters emerged with bloody faces. McGee defended a toss attempt by Yang, and then took Yang down and went straight into full mount. Yang's conditioning -- or lack thereof -- played a part, as McGee finished the round with an easy takedown into half-guard. McGee followed up with elbows, then moved into a guillotine choke. The round ended before McGee could finish the submission.

McGee hadn't fought since October of 2010 due to a knee injury. His record moves to 14-1, while Yang falls to 10-2.

Justin Eilers  Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis

Jorge Masvidal Makes the Case for Title Shot - Strikeforce

Jorge Masvidal Makes the Case for Title Shot Video by Strikeforce

Aldrin de Jesus  Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman  Stav Crazy Bear Economou 

Baczynski, Stone and Boist winners at UFN 25

Baczynski, Stone and Boist winners at UFN 25

At Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans on Saturday, the preliminary fights featured two submissions and a decision.

Baczynski makes his way back to UFC with submission

Seth Baczynski, who hasn't fought in the UFC since his stint on "The Ultimate Fighter," used impressive striking to control Harvison in the first round, but that striking is what set up his submission win in the second round. Baczynski knocked Harvison to the ground with a beautiful right, then followed him to the ground with more big punches. Harvison rolled to get away from the punches, but gave up his back. Baczynski sunk in a rear naked choke, causing Harvison to tap at 1:12 of the first.

Stone puts Walker to sleep

Ken Stone won with a perfect rear naked choke, sinking it in early, then holding onto Donny Walker until Walker was asleep. The fight was stopped at 2:47 in the first round. That gives Stone his first UFC win, after suffering scary wins to Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen.

Boist takes bloody decision from Riddle
Boist controlled Riddle with good striking followed by smothering grappling in the first round. In the second, Riddle threw a devastating knee that damaged Benoist's nose. Riddle was also able to get a takedown, but Benoist got out and then got a takedown of his own. Benoist's bigger problem was that his nose was apparently broken, then he made the mistake of blowing his nose. Blood poured out as Benoist continued to work from the top position.

Before the third round started, Riddle, covered in Benoist's blood, danced around to get the crowd cheering. He immediately took down Benoist, and controlled him for the rest of the round. That last round was not enough for Riddle, as he won on the judges' cards, 29-28.

David Bielkheden Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Surf Artist - Robert Heeley

We've just added a new featured artist; Californian Robert Heeley. "Robert draws upon his surfing and sailing lifestyle to create inspired images of seascapes and ocean living. He captures the surfer's dream of spectacular waves at famous surf spots throughout California, Hawaii, Mexico and beyond." Enjoy…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/robert-heeley.php

Surf Art by Robert Heeley

- www.robertheeleyfineart.com
- www.facebook.com/robertheeleysurfart

Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees 

Strikeforce card brings a little more clarity to messy 205 division

With its champion Dan Henderson in limbo, it's anyone's guess at what Strikeforce's light heavyweight division will look like at the end of the year.

The picture should clear up a bit more tomorrow night as several 205-pound contenders square off in Cincinnati on the undercard of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix semifinals. It's imperative that Mo Lawal and Rafael Cavalcante avoid upsets to stay in the mix.

"King Mo" Lawal takes on upstart MMA newcomer in Roger Gracie. Yes, he's from the famed Gracie family, and to no one's surprise he has a brilliant submission game. Gracie also has just four MMA fights under his belt. King Mo (7-1) doesn't have much more experience in terms of fights, but his toolbox is full of more weapons.

In an excellent Strikeforce preview, USA Today built a strong case for Lawal:

CASE FOR LAWAL -- Other than jiu-jitsu, superior to Gracie in every way. Has showcased his strength with knockout punches and high-impact slams. Superb wrestling gives him the ability to take down virtually anyone he faces. Adept at avoiding submissions and staying in good positions.

Lawal has been wise in bouncing around the country from camp to camp. He got high marks from the folks at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Ca.

Cagewriter's Maggie Hendricks did a great profile on Cavalcante's opponent Yoel Romero Palacio. The 34-year-old Cuban is just 4-0 in MMA and yet "Feijao" is a small favorite at minus-135. That tells you a lot about former Olympic silver medal wrestler's potential.

"I know he's a very good wrestler. He's an elite wrestler. I don't know why, I always fight with wrestlers, man," Cavalcante told MMAFighting. "I keep my game plan, I'm training a lot with my conditioning coach, with my training partners. I don't care if it's his first fight in Strikeforce or not. I always train for the worst thing. I train with the best in the world. In MMA it's like *snaps* that, you know? I never underestimate anyone."

That said, Feijao (10-3) can't afford to lose the fight. Feijao dealt with King Mo's wrestler just fine. His heavy hands and massive size should be able to get him by Romero Palacio.

Kit Cope  Wesley Cabbage Correira  Patrick The Predator Côté  Randy The Natural Couture 

Vitor Belfort Out, Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le Set for UFC 139

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Wanderlei Silva will make his return to the Octagon on November 19 in San Jose, when he takes on former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le at UFC 139.

UFC President Dana White announced today that Vitor Belfort had to pull out of his fight with Le because of an injury, and as a result Silva will step in and take it.

Although the fight was only booked because of Belfort's injury, Silva vs. Le is actually a better fight all around than Belfort vs. Le. It should be a better draw for the UFC because Silva is such a fan favorite, and it should be a more competitive fight because, frankly, Belfort was probably going to put Le to sleep. Silva has a chance to do that, too, but he also has a chance of being put to sleep himself.


No matter who gets knocked out, Silva and Le promise to put on a highly entertaining fight. They're too of the most exciting strikers in the middleweight division, and two guys who rarely if ever put on a sub-par performance: Win or lose, Silva and Le both deliver.

UFC 139 will be headlined by the return of Dan Henderson, who will fight Shogun Rua, and will also feature Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber, Jason Brilz vs. Ryan Bader, Kyle Kingsbury vs. Stephan Bonnar and Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story.

 

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Video: Highlights from stellar Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov card

If you were busy doing something nowhere near as important as watching fights last night, and missed Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, here are the highlights from a top-to-bottom fantastic card. Strikeforce commentator Mauro Renallo is slightly excited in this clip, so you may want to turn the sound on your computer down.

The main card featured two submissions, two knockouts and a tight five-round decision. Daniel Cormier delivered an upset, Mo Lawal provided a comeback after more than a year off, and Pat Healy started things off with a come-from-behind victory. Really, what more can you ask from a card?

Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees  Nick Diaz  Tadhg Steamfist Dixon

Fireworks from the start: Episode one of ?The Ultimate Fighter?

Fireworks from the start: Episode one of ?The Ultimate Fighter?

Welcome to another season of "The Ultimate Fighter," the last season of TUF on Spike. This season will feature Michael Bisping an Jason "Mayhem" Miller for coaches, and bantamweights and featherweights for the first time. After watching the elimination show, I am confident in saying that you shouldn't miss this season. Join me for a recap and spoilers, won't you?

In one of the best openings the show has had yet, the fighters meet Dana White in the middle of the Octagon at the Mandalay Bay. White says that he wants the fighters to take it all in. If this setting doesn't make it real for the fighters, nothing will. The elimination bouts will take place there, so only fighters who win their first bout will even make it to the house and UFC training center. After explaining the fan-voted bonuses and introducing the coaches, White gives an expletive-laced but familiar pep talk.

With that, the elimination fights begin.

Josh Ferguson vs. Casey Dyer, bantamweight: Ferguson wasted little time overwhelming the much-taller Dyer with a bevy of strikes, getting the TKO in the first round.

Diego Brandao vs. Jesse Newell, featherweight: Newell started strong, but Brandao didn't let him get too comfortable. He knocked Newell down with a left and finished the fight with a flying forearm. Mayhem pointed out the similarity between that finish and when Dan Henderson finished Bisping.

After the first two bouts, White remarked, "This is going to be a nasty season."

John Dodson vs. Brandoon Merkt, bantamweight: Dodson used a bodyshot to wobble Merkt, then took him out with a flurry of strikes.

Three fights, three first-round finishes. Miller said that he feels like he should have bought a ticket to this. The next fighter, Dennis Bermudez said that his wrestling career was cut short when the woman in his life said she was pregnant with his child, who turned out not to be his. Is this Maury or TUF?

Dennis Bermudez vs. Jimmie Rivera, featherweight: Rivera knocked Bermudez down, and then used wrestling to control Bermudez for much of the first round. Rivera came close to a rear naked choke as the round ended. Bermudez took control in the second round, mounting Rivera's back and hammering his face with strikes until the fight was stopped. The good news for Rivera is that White and the coaches were impressed, which means he could be a replacement fighter if one is needed.

B.J. Ferguson vs. Roland Delorme, bantamweight: B.J. is the brother to Josh, who easily won his bout. Both fighters say that they are coming out to win, which is good. It would be disappointing if they were coming out to crochet White a sweater. Delorme showed off jiu-jitsu skills, transitioning from a deep armbar into a triangle choke until Ferguson passed out.

Marcus Brimage vs. Bryson Wailehua-Hansen, featherweight: Wailehua-Hansen said that he has extra drive because he's from Hawaii and island guys have to fight. I don't understand that but OK. Wailehua-Hansen had Brimage's back for much of the first round, but Brimage unloaded once he got out. He couldn't return many punches, but he withstood strike after strike, impressing White and the coaches.

In the second round, Brimage unloaded again and this time, the fight was stopped, but Wailehua-Hansen definitely made an impression on White.

Carson Beebe vs. Johnny Bedford, bantamweight: Beebe is the younger brother of Chase Beebe, the one-time WEC champ, and wants to get out of the shadow of his brother. Bedford outwrestled Beebe and controlled the standup before submitting him with a guillotine near the end of the first roound.

Dustin Pague vs. Tateki Matsuda, bantamweight: In the closest fight up to this point, Matsuda showed off his Muay Thai skills, while Pague had better ground fighting and defense. Pague won the majority decision, 19-19, 20-18, 20-18.

Paul McVeigh vs. Louis Gaudinot, bantamweight: Bisping knows McVeigh, a Scot, from the English fight scene. Gaudinot has a big mess of green hair. Their first round was back and forth, but Gaudinot and his green hair took over the second round with big takedowns. The fight went to a third and decisive round. Gaudinot threw a back elbow that wobbled and cut up McVeigh, who valiantly tried to go on, but it was too much. Gaudinot won the TKO.

Eric Marriott vs. Bryan Caraway, featherweight: Caraway rode out two rounds to get the win, but didn't impress White or the coaches.

Josh Clopton vs. Dustin Neace, featherweight: In what Bisping called an evenly matched bout, Clopton controlled most of the fight, thought Neace ended each round well. White and Bisping both though Clopton won, but the judges called it for Neace.

Matt Jaggers vs. TJ Dillashaw, bantamweight: Dillashaw, who trains with Urijah Faber at Alpha Male, and controlled the fight with takedowns and ground and pound, then finished Jaggers with elbows in the final seconds.

Steven Siler vs. Micah Miller, featherweight: Miller, Cole Miller's younger brother and a WEC vet, is confident walking into the bout. Siler started with better striking and got a takedown in the first round. He continued the strong striking in the second, but took Miller down and was nearly submitted. In the third, Siler guillotined a gassed Miller for the win.

John Albert vs. Orville Smith, bantamweight: Albert took the upper hand in striking, and then took down Smith to get a rear naked choke win.

Stephen Bass vs. Karsten Lenjoint, featherweight: White called it a back and forth war, until the second round when Bass submitted a tired Lenjoint with a triangle choke.

Brian Pearman vs. Akira Corassani, featherweight: Pearman is a dead ringer for Taylor Lautner. Corassani said that he uses fighting as his brush, as he is an artist. That� art involves big, violent elbows and punches as that's how he knocked out Pearman after almost getting submitted earlier in the round.

The final tally for the elimination round: eight knockouts, five submissions, and three decisions. White, Bisping and Mayhem are blown away with the talent.

"I'm overly impressed. Don't get big-headed and cocky, but I'm impressed," White said.

Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn

Ben Rothwell Feels He's Heading Into UFC 135 as an 0-0 Fighter

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DENVER -- MMA Fighting spoke to Ben Rothwell about returning to the UFC at UFC 135 on Saturday night against Mark Hunt, the injuries he had to overcome, why he's a different fighter, his place in the heavyweight division and his take on the fight.

 

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Luciano Azevedo  Ba Te er  Ryan Bader  Siyar Bahadurzada

Dana White UFC 131 Video Blog Day 2 - UFC

Dana White UFC 131 Video Blog Day 2. Behind the Scenes of the UFC 131 press con. Dana talking to fans about fights coming up and hockey.

Gabriel Gonzaga Lyman Good Gary Goodridge Gerard Gordeau

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Another Strikeforce defection: Henderson vs. Rua at UFC 139

Another Strikeforce defection: Henderson vs. Rua at UFC 139Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson will reportedly meet up with former UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Nov. 19. This bout should make longtime MMA fans happy, but raises even more questions about the future of Strikeforce.

Both fighters made their names while in the Pride Fighting Championships in Japan. Rua was Pride's Grand Prix middleweight winner, while Henderson held multiple titles with the now-defunct promotion. Even with that shared history, this will be the first time they meet in a fight. Ten years ago, Henderson did defeat Shogun's brother, Murilo.

Henderson's last bout was a knockout of Fedor Emelianenko in what turned out to be the last Strikeforce fight for both men. Just weeks ago at UFC 134 in Brazil, Rua KOed Forrest Griffin.

This will be Henderson's third stint with the UFC. He fought at UFC 17 before Pride, then came back after Zuffa, the promotion that owns the UFC, bought Pride. When Strikeforce offered him a better contract, Henderson defected, but Zuffa purchased Strikeforce in March.

That purchase has allowed the UFC to pick off some of the Strikeforce's champs, like Nick Diaz, who will fight B.J. Penn at UFC 137, and Alistair Overeem, who will take on Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. Three men's championship belts -- heavyweight, light heavyweight and welterweight -- now stand vacant. After his win over Roger Gracie, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Mo Lawal said that he was not interested in fighting for a vacant belt, so that division's future is in flux.

[Related: Win tickets to UFC 135 from Edge Shave Gel and Cagewriter]

Henderson won't be the only former Strikeforcer to fight at UFC 139, as former middleweight champ, Cung Le, will take on Vitor Belfort at 139. The fights are expected to take place in San Jose, the one-time home of Strikeforce's offices.

***

Win tickets to UFC 135 though Edge Shave Gel and Cagewriter. Click here for more information.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? NFL player beans bystander during touchdown celebration
? Brad Pitt's 'shameful' baseball secret
? High school team punished for 9/11 tribute

Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman  Stav Crazy Bear Economou  Yves Edwards 

Yoel Romero?s long road to Strikeforce debut

CINCINNATI -- Yoel Romero Palacio will make his Strikeforce debut on Saturday against former light heavyweight champ Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, a tough test in just his fifth fight. But his journey to MMA was one that prepared him for any test.

Romero wrestled for Cuba, and around the turn of the century, was one of the world's best at 84 kg. He has world and Olympic medals, including a world championship in 1999, but he defected from Cuba after a wrestling tournament in Germany in 2005.

This was a dangerous decision, because top wrestlers are well-known athletes in Cuba. He had to sell all of his belongings and leave his family. His wife and young daughter are now with him in Germany, but his six-year-old son is still in Cuba. He told Cagewriter that it was a terribly difficult decision to defect from the Communist country.

"It wasn't just Cuba. It was my family."

He coached wrestling before starting to train in MMA. Though he didn't have his first fight until 2009, MMA was on his mind even when he was still in Cuba.

"It's a sport that I think God gave me the talent to be good at, and I felt that attraction when I was in Cuba and watched a few of the first UFCs, with Royce Gracie, and his wins made me really feel a passion to try the sport. I felt like it was in me to be able to try it out," he told Cagewriter.

He hopes to find the same success and satisfaction in MMA that he did in wrestling. He has yet to have a fight go to a decision, winning all four by TKO or knockout. Romero Palacio is hoping for a true test in Cavalcante.

"I haven't been able to let it go like I wanted to because those fights were just the beginners. To let it go the way I can? I will have even better satisfaction than in wrestling."

Though wrestlers are often tagged with being boring fighters, Romero Palacio promises that fans will enjoy watching him fight.

"I always fight for the public. It's always been my style to fight for the public. I like the fans to feel satisfied with what I have done," he said. "It's going to be a gladiators fight."

But that doesn't mean that he has forgotten his roots as a wrestler. With the Olympics coming up next summer, he does have the itch to compete again. His one-time nemesis, American Cael Sanderson, is returning to competition after retiring to coach. Romero Palacio smiled at the idea of wrestling Sanderson, who beat him at the 2004 Olympics, again.

"I would love to. I want to show the world who is the world's best wrestler at that weight class. I don't think [Cael Sanderson] would like it if I came back."

Romero Palacio's bout with Feijao and the rest of the preliminary fights for Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov will air on HDNet starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin 

News and notes from Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov press conference

CINCINNATI -- In preparation for the semifinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, the promotion's top fighters held court with media at the U.S. Bank Area. Here's what you need to know:

-- The start time is at 10:30 p.m. ET because of a documentary airing on Saturday night. Called "The Love We Make," it's a documentary about a show that Paul McCartney put together right after September 11. Strikeforce's bouts will start after that.

-- Daniel Cormier was added to the GP after Alistair Overeem -- who is now signed with the UFC -- dropped out of the tourney. Cormier isn't concerned about being a replacement adding extra pressure because he already puts pressure on himself.

"It's not that big of a deal to me. Pressure would be only if I didn't put high expectations on myself. I put enough pressure on myself to begin with, so being in this tournament could not add anything more."

He also said he was surprised that Overeem, or anyone would drop out of the tournament because it was such a good opportunity.

-- Mo Lawal said that he has been ready since January, but hasn't been able to get a fight until now. Though all of the major MMA media outlets were there, Lawal was disappointed in the turnout at the press conference.

"I was hoping there would be more media. More questions. Roger and me are going to put on a good fight, but everyone's going to miss it because they're worried about other issues."

-- Roger Gracie is known for his ground game, as he is a highly accomplished jiu-jitsu player. But with Lawal's world class wrestling background, Gracie may not be able to control where the bout will take place.

"It's hard to predict. Mo Lawal is a great wrestler. We'll just have to see and be prepared for everything. He's a good striker but an unbelievable wrestler. You try to plan a strategy, but you have to be prepared for everything," Gracie said.

Quoteworthy:

"It'll be a main-event worthy fight. I know he's going to bring a never-say-die attitude. It'll be a good tussle. I think we're going to finish one another. No decisions here." -- Josh Barnett, on his Grand Prix bout with Sergei Kharitonov.

"Josh said that he and Sergei were going to finish their fight. Just to put it out there, I'm fine winning the decision." -- Daniel Cormier

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo 

Featherweight Erik Koch brings GTL to the UFC

Erik Koch is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and trains in Milwaukee, Wisc. Neither place is known for its sunshine, so Koch's George Hamilton-esque tan was noticed by reporters at the Ultimate Fight Night 25 open workouts.

At least he admits that the tan is not au natural, though someone should break it to Koch that a glass of milk is a way better source of vitamin D.

Koch will face "The Ultimate Fighter" winner Jonathan Brookins on Saturday. He was supposed to face Cub Swanson at UFC 132, but Swanson pulled out due to an injury. Koch is coming into this fight on a three-fight win streak. His one loss under the Zuffa banner is to Chad Mendes on a fight that Koch took on short notice.

Joachim Hansen Antoni Hardonk Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell

Talking Strikeforce MMA at the Dallas Mavericks Victory Parade - Strikeforce

Talking Strikeforce MMA at the Dallas Mavericks Victory Parade Video by Strikeforce

Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle

UFC 135 Preview Video for Jones vs. Rampage, Hughes vs. Koscheck

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones puts the 205-pound title on the line for the first time against former champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the main event of UFC 135, which also features Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck on Sept. 24 in Denver. For UFC 135 results and complete UFC 135 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Delson Heleno Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman

Yoel Romero?s long road to Strikeforce debut

CINCINNATI -- Yoel Romero Palacio will make his Strikeforce debut on Saturday against former light heavyweight champ Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, a tough test in just his fifth fight. But his journey to MMA was one that prepared him for any test.

Romero wrestled for Cuba, and around the turn of the century, was one of the world's best at 84 kg. He has world and Olympic medals, including a world championship in 1999, but he defected from Cuba after a wrestling tournament in Germany in 2005.

This was a dangerous decision, because top wrestlers are well-known athletes in Cuba. He had to sell all of his belongings and leave his family. His wife and young daughter are now with him in Germany, but his six-year-old son is still in Cuba. He told Cagewriter that it was a terribly difficult decision to defect from the Communist country.

"It wasn't just Cuba. It was my family."

He coached wrestling before starting to train in MMA. Though he didn't have his first fight until 2009, MMA was on his mind even when he was still in Cuba.

"It's a sport that I think God gave me the talent to be good at, and I felt that attraction when I was in Cuba and watched a few of the first UFCs, with Royce Gracie, and his wins made me really feel a passion to try the sport. I felt like it was in me to be able to try it out," he told Cagewriter.

He hopes to find the same success and satisfaction in MMA that he did in wrestling. He has yet to have a fight go to a decision, winning all four by TKO or knockout. Romero Palacio is hoping for a true test in Cavalcante.

"I haven't been able to let it go like I wanted to because those fights were just the beginners. To let it go the way I can? I will have even better satisfaction than in wrestling."

Though wrestlers are often tagged with being boring fighters, Romero Palacio promises that fans will enjoy watching him fight.

"I always fight for the public. It's always been my style to fight for the public. I like the fans to feel satisfied with what I have done," he said. "It's going to be a gladiators fight."

But that doesn't mean that he has forgotten his roots as a wrestler. With the Olympics coming up next summer, he does have the itch to compete again. His one-time nemesis, American Cael Sanderson, is returning to competition after retiring to coach. Romero Palacio smiled at the idea of wrestling Sanderson, who beat him at the 2004 Olympics, again.

"I would love to. I want to show the world who is the world's best wrestler at that weight class. I don't think [Cael Sanderson] would like it if I came back."

Romero Palacio's bout with Feijao and the rest of the preliminary fights for Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov will air on HDNet starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipović Luiz Buscapé Firmino

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

White vlog: MMA shows off its sportsmanship

The UFC's schedule is intense right now. UFC 135 comes later this week. With Ultimate Fight Night 25 and UFC 134 in the rear mirror, it gave Dana White a chance to catch the fans up on what happened in his first UFC 135 vlog.

The UFC president's personal videographer Eliot shot a lot of behind-the-scenes footage of fighters shortly after their fights at UFN 25. There's awesome exchanges between winner Matt Riddle and loser Lance Benoist as well as Shamar Bailey and Evan Dunham (4:35).

Any chance White thought this was a good time to put MMA sportsmanship on display because of what just happened with Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz? He says, no. Either way, it's a good showcase for MMA.

Also check out the beginning of the hype for UFC 135's title fight between Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson. Someone from MMA Meltdown radio show in Denver asked the timeless prefight question about when the UFC would be coming back to the city? For some reason, that sent "Rampage" rolling off the stage in laughter.

You can watch UFC 135 here on Yahoo! Sports

Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito  Rob Broughton  Mike Brown 

Shane Carwin Discusses Leaner Diet, Plan of Attack Against Junior dos Santos - UFC 131

Shane Carwin Discusses Leaner Diet, Plan of Attack Against Junior dos Santos Video by UFC 131

Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga Lyman Good Gary Goodridge

Floyd Mayweather, Larry Merchant Go Toe to Toe

HBO analyst Larry Merchant had some choice words for Floyd Mayweather after their post-fight interview.Just moments after Floyd Mayweather knocked out Victor Ortiz in controversial fashion on Saturday night, another controversy erupted in the ring during Mayweather's post-fight interview with HBO's longtime boxing commentator Larry Merchant.

As he always does after big fights, Merchant stepped into the ring after Mayweather beat Ortiz and began to pepper Mayweather with tough questions. But these questions were tougher than most because the circumstances were unprecedented: Mayweather had just knocked Ortiz out at a point when the referee had appeared to call time out, and the fans at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas were loudly booing Mayweather, rather than celebrating his latest victory.

As Merchant's questions heated up, Mayweather became enraged.

"You never give me a fair shake. HBO needs to fire you," Mayweather screamed. "You don't know s--t about boxing."



The 80-year-old Merchant replied, "I wish I was 50 years younger and I'd kick your ass."

With that, Mayweather stormed off, and Merchant began to interview Ortiz, who was much more mild-mannered. But once the interview with Ortiz was over, Merchant returned to the subject of his own confrontation with Mayweather.

"I don't really think I could have kicked his ass 50 years ago, but I would have tried it," Merchant said.

Merchant added that he believed the real reason Mayweather cut the interview short is that he didn't want to face questions about why he has refused to fight Manny Pacquiao, who is widely regarded as the opponent with the best chance to hand Mayweather his first career loss.

"What happened? I think Floyd Mayweather knew that the next question was going to be about, Why don't you fight Pacquiao? That's still the question that will linger long after this fight," Merchant said.

If nothing else, the exchange between Merchant and Mayweather will bolster Merchant's reputation as a journalist who's not afraid to ask any question -- and bolster Mayweather's reputation as boxing's greatest villain.

 

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Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett  Murilo Bustamante 

UFC allows questionable music choices at UFN 25

UFC allows questionable music choices at UFN 25One of the fun parts of a live UFC event is the way fighters use music to pump up as they walk out to the Octagon, but two fighters made questionable choices in their walkout songs at Ultimate Fight Night 25. Those bad decisions were then repeated by UFC president Dana White, who approves every song that is used by fighters.

Ken Stone, who won via submission, walked out to the Prodigy song, "Smack My Bitch Up." The song repeats two lines, "Smack my bitch up, change my pitch up." When it was released in 1997, it was protested by women's groups as condoning violence towards women. MTV only allowed the song to be played late at night, and Wal-Mart and K-Mart pulled the CD from its stores. Prodigy released a statement that the song was not about violence, but that's not apparent from its lyrics.

The next bad decision was when Matt Riddle walked out to the Scorpions song, "Rock You Like a Hurricane." In most cities, it's the perfect song to walk out to, but these fights took place in New Orleans. That's a city that was literally rocked by a hurricane in 2005. Hurricane Katrina's effects are still being felt in New Orleans, as they struggle to restore their population and status as a tourist destination to pre-Katrina levels.

The UFC generally controls their brand very tightly, and UFC officials confirmed to Cagewriter that White approves every walkout song. He has vetoed songs in the past. It's surprising that the UFC would let these two songs slip through.

Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia