Mixed Martial Arts

Frank Shamrock thinks Ken cut himself

2009-03-01T22:42:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that there is no love lost between estranged adoptive brothers and MMA pioneers Frank Shamrock and Ken Shamrock. Frank has taken every opportunity he's had in the spotlight over the last few months to hype a potential PPV event featuring him VS Ken. But he kind of took things to a new level in a recent interview with fiveouncesofpain.com.

Frank made it clear in the interview that he believes Ken cut himself before his fight that he had scheduled with Elite XC to fight Kimbo Slice. His motivation, Frank speculates, was that his ego couldn't handle the fact that Kimbo was making so much more money for the fight than he was.

He went on to also say that a real fighter would not have gone to the emergency room for a cut like that sustained on fight day. They would have superglued it and fought anyway. He also said that he was willing to step in and take Ken's place against Kimbo Slice, but he didn't think the network could handle that.

It all just sounds like more Shamrock brothers trash talking to me.

A PPV fight between the Shamrock brothers is not likely, and Franks next fight will be on April 11th against Nick Diaz.

Rashad Evans vs Chuck Liddel at UFC 85

2008-03-06T22:12:00.002-05:00

"Sugar" Rashad Evans steps in for the injured Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to fight Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell in London at UFC 85.

Evans (16-0-1) first made his mark when he won the heavyweight finale of The Ultimate Fighter season 2. He then dropped to 205 pounds and has been on fire since with wins over notable fighters like Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping and his fight against Tito Ortiz in July of '07 ended in a draw.

Richie Hightower to fight in PFC welterweight title fight

2008-03-06T21:55:00.002-05:00

The Ultimate Fighter season 6 contestant Richie Hightower will compete for the PFC welter weight title at Palace Fighting Championship 7 on March 20th. He is taking on Brian Travers.

This is Hightower's return to the PFC after being eliminated from TUF 6 when he lost a quarterfinal fight to George Sotiropoulous then losing by TKO in the first round to Troy Mandaloniz at the TUF 6 finale.

Here is the PFC 7 fight card:

Jeromy Freitag vs. Jorge Oliveira - 205 lbs
Richie Hightower vs. Bryan Travers - 170 lbs
Justin Levens vs. Phil Collins - 185 lbs
Jorge Evangelista vs. Enoch Wilson - 145 lbs
Glover Teixeira vs. Buckley Acosta - 205 lbs
Carlton Jones vs. Rafael Del Real - 265 lbs
Jeremiah Metcalf vs. Jimmy Dexter - 185 lbs
Ulysses Gomez vs. Greg McDowell - 135 lbs
Luis Gonzales vs. David Mitchell - 135 lbs
Danny Castillo vs. Andy Salazar - 155 lbs
Manuel Quezada vs. Sal Farnetti - 265 lbs
Robert Breslin vs. Brandon Jinnies - 145 lbs

Kim Couture's Smoker Muay Thai debut at Xtreme Couture

2008-03-06T21:49:00.003-05:00

Randy Couture's wife Kim Couture had her first muay thai fight at Xtreme Couture. Here's the video from Raw Vegas.

UFC 84 : Ill Will

2008-03-04T21:06:00.002-05:00

UFC officially announced UFC 84:Ill Will. The event will be on May 24th, 2008 from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will be a lightweight championship bout between "The Prodigy" BJ Penn and Sean "The Muscle Shark"Sherk.

The fight card is as follows:

Main Event:

BJ Penn (champion) vs Sean Sherk for the lightweight championship

Undercard:

205 lbs.: Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (12-0)
205 lbs.: Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) vs. Keith Jardine (13-3-1)

Unconfirmed:

205 lbs.: Rashad Evans (11-0-1) vs. Thiago Silva (12-0)
205 lbs.: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7)
185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares (7-1) vs. Ivan Salaverry (12-5)
205 lbs.: Goran Reljic (7-0) vs. Wilson Gouveia (10-4)
170 lbs.: Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) vs. TBA
170 lbs.: Dong Hyun Kim (9-1-1) vs. Jason Tan (5-2)
155 lbs.: Terry Etim (10-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (13-2)
265 lbs.: Shane Carwin (8-0) vs. Christian Wellisch (8-3)

UFC 85 - Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell in London

2008-03-04T20:54:00.002-05:00

Chuck "The Iceman Liddell" will make his first UK appearance at UFC 85 on June 7th, 2008 at o2 Arena in London. His opponent hasn't been officially announced yet, but should be soon along with the rest of the fight card. Chick was originally supposed to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but Rua re-injured his knee and will have to undergo surgery and was forced to withdraw.

Chuck's fight will be the main event and he says he is ready to fight anyone. For UK fans tickets go on sale on march 7th, 2008.

Mark Coleman in UFC hall of fame - will fight Brock Lesnar

2008-03-03T16:04:00.002-05:00

At UFC 82 on March 1st, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio the UFC's very first heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman was inducted into the UFC hall of fame. Later in the evening it was announced that he will fight UFC newcomer and college and professional wrestling legend Brock Lesnar.

Coleman made it very clear in a quick interview with Joe Rogan at the pay-per-view event Saturday night that he is not retired and that he has been wanting to get back into the octagon and fight.

Coleman, now 43 years old, began a dominant run in the UFC back in 1996 winning the tournaments at UFC 10 and 11 then defeating Dan Severn for the heavyweight title at UFC 12. Coleman is 15-8 in his professional career and was an NCAA National Champion Wrestler at Ohio State.

Still, Coleman recognizes that he is the underdog against Lesnar but says, "Don't bet the house against me."

He took the fight with 5 months notice and the fight is scheduled to take place in August.

UFC 82 fight results

2008-03-02T09:25:00.004-05:00

Here are the results from UFC 82 Pride of a Champion in Columbus Ohio on March 1st 2008.

Main Event:

Anderson Silva submitted Dan Henderson at 4:52 of round 2 with a rear naked choke

Main Card:

Heath Herring defeated Cheick Kongo by split decision
Chris Leben defeated Alessio Sakara by TKO at 3:16 in round one
Yushin Okami defeated Evan Tanner by knockout at 3:00 in round two
Jon Fitch beat Chris Wilson by unanimous decision

Under Card:

Andre Arlovski defeated Jake O’Brien by TKO (strikes) at 4:17 in round two
Luigi Fiorvanti beat Luke Cummo by unanimous decision
Josh Koscheck defeated Dustin Hazelett by TKO (strikes) at 1:24 in round two
Diego Sanchez submitted David Bielkheden with strikes at 4:43 in round two
Jorge Gurgel defeated John Halverson by unanimous decision

It was a great fight night overall as was expected. Dan Henderson took control of Anderson Silva in round one on the ground, not doing a lot of damage but frustrating him and grinding on him. Then in round two Henderson learned that standing in front of Silva wasn't the best strategy as it resulted in Henderson on the ground in defense mode as Anderson Silva worked his way to his back and finished him with a rear naked choke late in the second round.

Heath Herring surprised many and silenced some critics by defeating Cheik Kongo by split decision in a very close fight. The two big heavyweights spent quite a bit of time on the ground despite predictions that this would be a stand up war. Herring was without question in much better shape than he has been in the past. There's no doubt we'll be seeing more of both of these fighters in the UFC.

Chris Leben defeated Alessio Sakara in typical Chris Leben fashion. The two traded strikes early in the first round and Leben admitted that some of Sakara's strikes had him hurt. However Leben punched his way to another impressive TKO at 3:16 in the first round.

Evan Tanner's return to the octagon after a two year hiatus was not successful as rising star Yushin Okami was able to knock him out with a knee in round two, after repeatedly feeding him left hands.

To see the full rundown as always check out UFC.com.

UFC 82 Pride of a Champion Fight Card

2008-02-28T07:42:00.003-05:00

Main Event:

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (20-4) vs. Dan Henderson (22-6)

Main card (televised):

265 lbs.: Cheick Kongo (11-3-1) vs. Heath Herring (27-13)
185 lbs.: Alessio Sakara (12-6) vs. Chris Leben (17-4)
185 lbs.: Evan Tanner (32-6) vs. Yushin Okami (21-4)
170 lbs.: Jon Fitch (15-2) vs. Chris Wilson (13-3)

Under card (may not be broadcast):

265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski (11-5) vs. Jake O’Brien (10-0)
170 lbs.: Luke Cummo (6-4) vs. Luigi Fioravanti (11-3)
170 lbs.: Josh Koscheck (9-2) vs. Dustin Hazelett (10-3)
170 lbs.: Diego Sanchez (17-2) vs. David Bielkheden (12-5)
155 lbs.: Jorge Gurgel (11-3) vs. John Halverson (16-5)

Lots of good fights here, even on the under card. What's everybody's take on these? Leave some comments and let us know...

Kimbo Slice Beats Tank Abbott

2008-02-17T00:09:00.003-05:00

The EliteXC bout between Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott ended the way many though it would and not without controversy. Action was stopped early in th first round and Kimbo was warned about strikes to the back of the head and then stopped again for something being thrown into the cage from the crowd. This seemed to energize Kimbo even more, and it wasn't long after the fight was under way again that Kimbo got the knockout.

Also, Antonio "Big Foot" Silva defeated Ricco "Suave (Seriously)" Rodriguez in a split decision, Scott Smith defeated Kyle Noke and Brett Rogers Defeated James Thompson.

So what's next for Kimbo? Is he going to be taken seriously as a professional MMA fighter? It's difficult to say because this fight was anything but traditional MMA and while Tank Abbott may have been his most formidable professional opponent thus far there are certainly more difficult challenges ahead for Slice.

TUF Season 6 Semi Final Fights tonight on Spike

2007-12-05T18:32:00.000-05:00

The semi-finalists for the season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter will air on Spike tonight at 10pm Eastern. The 2 fights will be Matt Arroyo vs Mac Danzig and George Sotiropoulos vs Tommy Speer. If I recall the preview of this weeks episode hinted that one of those fighters wouldn't be able to compete. Possibly Tommy Speer's cuts prevent him from fighting? Hard to say. We'll have to see.

I think George might be the sleeper here. He seems to have kept kind of a low profile on the show so who knows what he's really got. I don't really care as long as Mac Danzig gets his ass kicked. I know he's a decent fighter but what a fucking douche bag. Even I want to hit him in the face.

UFC: Ultimate FIghter 6 Finale FIght Card

2007-12-05T18:24:00.001-05:00

The season finale for UFC's reality show "The Ultimate Fighter" will air on Saturday Dec. 8th on Spike TV live from The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada at 9 PM Eastern Time.

The fight card is as follows:

Main Event:
Clay Guida (22-8) vs. Roger Huerta (19-1)

Undercard:
170 lbs.: TUF 6 Finalist #1 vs. TUF 6 Finalist #2
170 lbs.: Ben Saunders (4-0-2) vs. Dan Barrera (0-0)
170 lbs.: Jared Rollins (5-3) vs. John “War Machine” Koppenhaver (4-1)
170 lbs.: Troy “Rude Boy” Mandaloniz (2-1) vs. Richie Hightower (7-1)
170 lbs.: Roman Mitichyan (3-1) vs. Dorian Price (7-2)
170 lbs.: Paul Georgieff (5-1) vs. Jonathan Goulet (19-9)

BodogFight New Jersey on ION TV

2007-08-20T17:06:00.000-05:00

The fifth season of BodogFight will kick off on ION TV on Tues. August 21st.

The episode was taped at BodogFight's first event in the US which took place in Trenton, NJ on July 14th.

You can catch BodogFight : New Jersey on ION every Tuesday at 11 pm Eastern.

Here's the card:

heavyweight: Mark Burch vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
145 lbs: David Love vs. Eben Oroz
155 lbs: Jorge Masvidalvs. Yves Edwards
185 lbs: Chael Sonnen vs. Amar Suloev
heavyweight: Branden Lee Hinkle vs. Roman Zentsov
155 lbs: Nick Agallar vs. James "Binky" Jones
135 lbs: Blair Tugman vs. Dan Hawley
185 lbs: Trevor Prangley vs. Yuki Kondo
135 lbs: Tara LaRosa vs. Kelly Kobold
170 lbs: Eddie Alvarez vs. Matt Lee

MMA videos part 1

2007-08-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

OK so I'm browsing Youtube looking for some MMA fight videos to share on my blog and I'm thinking blood, brutal knockouts, big slams... then I came across the MMA girls, Joanne and Lauren.

Not exactly the kind of knockouts I was looking for, but hey, it works for me :)

So basically these cuties started out on Myspace and Youtube and have been increasing popularity for a while. They make videos demonstrating MMA techniques and making fight predictions.

Cute girls + MMA = well I'm not very good at math but it seems like a pretty good combo to me. So I figure I'll post a few of their Youtube vids here since they seem to be so popular.

You can also check out more of the MMA girls at their site.

And here's one of their videos, MMA Girls Lesson #1

Wanderlei Sliva signs with the UFC

2007-08-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

We finally get to see Wanderlei Silva's return to the octagon.

Silva said that he has been looking forward to coming to the UFC and competing for the belt at 205 pounds for a long time. This adds even more depth to one of the most exciting weight classes in the UFC, along with greats like Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson and Dan Henderson.

The date and opponent for Wanderlei Silva's fist fight back in the UFC has yet to be announced. You can bet your ass we'll keep you posted.

As excited as I am about this, I don't think I'm quite as excited as Dana White, who looks like he just scored a hot date for the prom or something in the pics an videos over at UFC.com.

Silva's last fight was in PRIDE against champion Dan Henderson back in February, so I would expect to his first fight take place pretty soon.

UFC 75 - Championship fight on Spike TV

2007-07-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion will air on Spike TV. This is a milestone for a couple of reasons. For one, it is the first title fight to be aired on Spike. Secondly it is the first unification title fight since the UFC's acquisition of PRIDE FC.

The light heavyweight (205 lbs.) title bout will be between UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and PRIDE FC light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson.

This is the kind of fight MMA fans have been waiting for for a long time, to determine who is the top 205 pounder in both organizations.

The fight will be in London at the O2 Arena and will air on Spike on Sept. 8th at 9:00pm Eastern Time.

Also on the card:
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Cheick Kongo (Heavyweight) and
Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill (Light Heavyweight)

Royce Gracie suspended for steroid use

2007-07-16T21:41:00.000-05:00

The one year suspension that Royce Gracie received from the California State Athletic Commission is now official.

He tested positive or anabolic steroids in June after a fight. His time frame to appeal the suspension and $2,500 fine has run out so they will stand.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral arrested

2007-07-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

UFC contract fighter Renato "Babalu" Sobral was arrested on Saturday, July 14th on charges of battery and trespassing.

There was an altercation between Sobral and a bouncer at a party. According to witnesses there was no physical altercation but "Babalu" may have spit at the bouncer.

Sobral was a guest at WEC IV on Friday night. He was released from Hillsboro County (Florida) jail after posting bond.

UFC 74: Respect

2007-07-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

UFC 74 will take place on Saturday, August 25th at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Randy Couture will defend his heavyweight title against Gabe Gonzaga, who knocked out Cro Cop to get his title shot.

The only other fight that has been announced so far is a welterweight match between Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck. You can keep up with the latest news over at UFC.com or at the official UFC 74 web site.

WEC on Versus

2007-05-08T22:42:00.000-05:00

Starting in June Versus will be airing live WEC fights and highlight shows. Here is the current schedule:

6-3-07 8:00pm-9:00pm WEC highlights
6-3-07 9:00pm-11:00pm World Extreme Cagefighting
6-6-07 9:00pm-10:00pm WEC Highlights
6-13-07 9:00pm-10:00pm WEC Highlights
8-5-07 8:00pm-9:00pm WEC Highlights
8-5-07 9:00pm-11:00pm World Extreme Cagefighting
8-8-07 9:00pm-10:00pm WEC Highlights
8-15-07 9:00pm-10:00pm WEC Highlights
9-5-07 9:00pm-11:00pm World Extreme Cagefighting

IFL Fighter Jeremy Williams has died

2007-05-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

The IFL has confirmed that Jeremy Williams has died. This press release was issued on May 6:

NEW YORK - The International Fight League, the world's first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Southern California Condors middleweight Jeremy Williams, 27, of Laguna Niguel, Calif. The Orange County, Calif., Sheriff's Department - Coroner Division confirmed that Williams died Saturday and that an autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death.

"This is a very sad day for the Williams family, Jeremy's teammates and all of the Mixed Martial Arts community," IFL Co-founder and Commissioner Kurt Otto said. "Jeremy was a tremendous competitor and teammate, as well as being a very strong person who lifted the spirits of everyone around him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jeremy's wife, Lauren, their young daughter and the rest of his family, as well as his coaches Marco Ruas and Debi Purcell and all his teammates. Everyone at the IFL, as well as the entire MMA community, will do everything we can to support them in their hour of need."

Williams owned a professional record of 7-2 and was undefeated in his first two IFL fights, last competing at the Forum in Los Angeles on March 17, when he defeated the Tokyo Sabres' Kazuhiro Hamanaka. One of the rising stars of the first-year league, Williams was going to miss the Condors' next matchup at the Sears Centre in Chicago on May 19, due to a recent recurrence of a sternum injury.

Memorial details will be announced as they become available.

The ongoing debate: boxing vs. mixed martial arts

2007-05-08T22:31:00.000-05:00

Sympatico MSN
by Scott Carefoot

"Will boxing have to cede its place on the stage to other fighting forms, like mixed martial arts? Mixed martial arts is entertaining. The kind of skill level you saw in the ring tonight - there's nothing in mixed martial arts which is within light years of what Mayweather and de la Hoya are able to do with their hands."
– HBO boxing commentator Jim Lampley

Lampley gave that unsolicited opinion on mixed martial arts at the end of last Saturday's Super Welterwight boxing title fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar de la Hoya, which Mayweather won by decision. For the most part, it was a 12-round snoozefest as Mayweather's admittedly superb defensive skill prevented de la Hoya from landing any significant shots, while Mayweather's lack of power meant that his punches inflicted minimal damage on The Golden Boy's mug. Looking at their faces after 36 minutes of this supposed fight, I couldn't tell if they'd been in a boxing ring or at a health spa.

Full Story >>

Liddell, White have it covered

2007-05-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

From
BostonHerald.com

By Herald staff
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 - Updated: 09:35 PM EST

The smiling face of Chuck Liddell, holding his son, Cade, beams from the cover of the upcoming ESPN The Magazine. The UFC coverboy is being profiled by writer Allison Glock in the May 21 issue.
Back in Vegas, Dana White is smiling too.
“I went to the fight that night,” said White, the UFC president, referring to last Saturday night’s Oscar de la Hoya-Floyd Mayweather match, “and I tell you this: Inside the arena, there was no energy whatsoever.
“On my way out of the arena, people were screaming at me, ‘The UFC rules!’”
The so-called “Fight to save boxing” has come and gone and it definitely scored big at the box office and in pay-per-view sales. People attended it and viewed it because of De la Hoya, Mayweather and the HBO 24/7 show that promoted their matchup so compellingly.

Full story >>

UFC on HBO

2007-05-02T15:06:00.000-05:00

Apparently it's a done deal (we think). The UFC should hit HBO some time this summer.
Here's the story from ivansblog.com:

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Mixed Martial Arts--- UFC Reaches Deal with HBO, According to UFC
Originally Published on MMAWeekly

The UFC has reached a deal to air live events on HBO, according to statements made by UFC president Dana White during a teleconference prior to UFC 70.

White said that the UFC will be putting on live events for HBO and that the first UFC event on HBO will air this summer. When asked by a reporter if the HBO deal is "signed, sealed, and delivered," White said, "Yes." When asked if the deal should be reported as official, White said, "Yeah. We will be on HBO this summer."

White also spoke of struggling to sign the HBO deal in the past tense, as he said, "We would have never signed a deal if we weren't comfortable with it."

However, at a post-UFC 70 press conference, White said that a deal between the UFC and HBO has not yet been signed.

White said during the pre-UFC 70 teleconference that the UFC broadcasts on HBO will have an HBO production team and HBO announcers, so UFC announcers Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan will not be doing commentary on the UFC's HBO events. White said that he doesn't know who will be on the HBO announcing team for UFC events, but when asked if Jim Lampley would be on the team, White said, "Hell no."

White inferred that the HBO events will be higher in stature than the Spike TV events but still lower in stature than the pay-per-view events. As an example, White said that you could expect to see the winners from future seasons of The Ultimate Fighter have their first post-TUF fights on HBO after they win the TUF competition, whereas the UFC Fight Night events would be the home for all of the fighters who are on TUF and get UFC contracts even though they didn't win the TUF competition.

As another example, White said that you can expect to see Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fight on HBO, and he added that Nogueira "will fight one of the top guys right off the bat." White said that fans can expect to see top-quality fights whether any given UFC event is on HBO, Spike TV, or pay-per-view.

White said that the UFC's June 16th event in Belfast, Northern Ireland will not be the HBO debut show, as he said that the June 16th show will be "on Spike TV or pay-per-view." The UFC web site previously said that the June 16th would be on Spike TV in the United States.

The statements made by White would seem to end a period of more than one year wherein the UFC and HBO were close to a deal but had not reached a deal. White has said consistently over the past year that the UFC would be on HBO "very soon," dating back to an April 2006 radio interview on 1140 KHTK in Sacramento, California.

Acclaimed boxing writer Thomas Hauser wrote in an article on the Seconds Out web site in January 2007 that HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg had "opposed the UFC deal as vigorously as possible" and was doing "everything in his power not to televise mixed martial arts." In the same article, former HBO Sports president Seth Abraham actually compared MMA to "naked boxing" and said that MMA would tarnish HBO's boxing heritage

In an unprecedented move, HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht veto'd HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg and insisted that HBO would air MMA programming at some point, leaving Greenburg only to negotiate the details of such a deal. According to Hauser, this move "represented a marked shift in HBO's corporate culture... in the past, an HBO chief executive officer would not have ordered sports programming over the objection of the sports department."

Left only to come to terms on the details, some of the key disagreements between Zuffa and HBO Sports were whose production crew will film the event, whose announcers will commentate on the event, and how those announcers will go about commentating on the event.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer recently summarized the dispute as follows: "HBO wants full control of the product, and to use its crew and its announcers and cover it like a network broadcast team would cover a major sporting event. UFC doesn't want to give up its control of the product, wants its own crew to film it, and wants to use its own announcers, who are closer to pro wrestling announcers whose role is to build up the product as opposed to providing detached, objective commentary."

With those issues resolved, there were no remaining obstacles standing in the way of a deal between the UFC and HBO.

Mixed Martial Arts Blog is Back!

2007-05-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

After a long hiatus the MMA blog is back and will be updating regularly again. Sorry for the off time. Some good stuff is going on in the MMA world so stay tuned!

‘Rampage’ comes to the UFC

2007-01-08T23:41:00.000-05:00

By Thomas Gerbasi

What’s in a nickname? Well, if you go by the moniker ‘Rampage’, you’d better not lay and pray, jab and grab, or practice any other less than scintillating technique in search of victory in the mixed martial arts arena. Luckily, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson has only one speed in competition and life, and it’s all out.

“The fans should expect a good show – win, lose or draw,” said Jackson, the outstanding light heavyweight contender who will make his long-awaited UFC debut on February 3rd against Marvin Eastman. “They’re gonna see the best show they’ve ever seen in their life, before I even get to the cage.”

He’s not kidding. From the first interview to the final bell, Jackson has always made it a point to entertain. Whether it’s with his self-effacing and sometimes outrageous humor outside the Octagon or with his trademark slams inside of it, this is a fighter who doesn’t let the fight come to him – he’s going after it. He’s not looking to calmly take you down with technical brilliance, he wants to pick you up and put you through the mat; he’s not looking to jab his way to victory, he wants to punch a hole in you.

That’s entertainment.

Full story >>

UFC 68 in Ohio

2007-01-08T23:38:00.000-05:00

UFC 68: THE UPRISING

TIM SYLVIA - RICH FRANKLIN - MATT HUGHES

SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2007
LIVE FROM NATIONWIDE ARENA IN COLUMBUS

Tickets Go on Sale Tuesday, Jan. 9

Las Vegas – A star-studded lineup comes to Ohio featuring current UFC® Heavyweight Champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia along with Rich “Ace” Franklin and Matt Hughes – two former UFC champions who are hot on the championship trail and loaded with a vengeance. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization presents UFC 68: THE UPRISING live from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Saturday, March 3.

Full story>>

Georges St. Pierre injured

2007-01-08T23:35:00.000-05:00

From UFC.com:

LAS VEGAS – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization today announced UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre has been forced to withdraw from the Feb. 3rd UFC 67: ALL OR NOTHING card due to a knee injury suffered during training for his first title defense against Matt Serra. The rest of the card, which includes the UFC Middleweight title bout between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Travis Lutter, as well as the UFC debuts of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Marvin Eastman and Mirko Cro Cop vs. Eddie Sanchez remain intact.

Full story>>

UFC 66: Liddell keeps belt, Ortiz concedes

2007-01-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

From ufcfightnews.com:

Having climbed back up the ranks after losing his title in 2003, former light heavyweight champion Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz was, undoubtedly in as good of shape as he could ever hope to be in his long-awaited rematch with Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell last night before a sold-out crowd at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas.

It still wasn’t good enough.

Full Story >>

UFC 66 Results

2007-01-08T23:20:00.000-05:00

Better late than never. I hope everybody had a great time during the holidays and enjoyed some great fights on PPV.

In case you missed UFC 66 (shame on you) the highlight of the evening was Chuck Liddel defeating Tito Ortiz in the third round.

The run down of all the fights is as follows:

Kieth Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin - Jardine wins
Arlovski vs. Cruz - Arlovski wins
Leben vs. MacDonald - Macdonald wins
Bisping vs. Schafer - Bisping wins
Alves vs. DeSouza - Alves wins
Gonzaga vs. Marrero - Gonzaga wins
Okami vs. Singer - Okami wins
Wellish vs. Perosh - Wellish wins

UFC popularity is skyrocketing

2006-12-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

Wow. I've said it many times and I'm not the only one. MMA is the combat sport of the future. UFC 66 will make history tomorrow night with both attendance and pay per view sales. Sold out MGM Grand. $4 million live gate. $40 million in PPV sales. That means UFC 66 will be in a million living rooms tomorrow night. Look out boxing. MMA has arrived.

NEWS: UFC becomes fighting empire

2006-12-26T13:50:00.000-05:00

Kevin Iole- LV Review Journal

The transition from the old Ultimate Fighting Championship to the new was completed May 27 in Los Angeles, when Matt Hughes destroyed Royce Gracie in less than one round.
Gracie was the Babe Ruth of mixed martial arts. He owned its most recognizable name and most storied wins.
But it was clear from the early seconds of the fight that Gracie was in well over his head.

read the whole story here >>

PRIDE Shockwave 2006 final fight card

2006-12-26T13:47:00.000-05:00

PRIDE Heavyweight Title Bout: Emelianenko Fedor vs. Mark Hunt
Lightweight Non-Title Bout: Takanori Gomi vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Joachim Hansen vs. Shinya Aoki
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Josh Barnett vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Akihiro Gono vs. Yuki Kondo
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Eldar Kurtandze
Hidehiko Yoshida vs. James Thompson

UFC 67 All or Nothing

2006-12-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

The winners from The Ultimate Fighter 4 will get their title shots on Feb. 3, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Georges St. Pierre will defend his title for the first time against TUF 4 welter weight winner Matt Serra and Anderson Silva will make his first title defense against Travis Lutter. TUF 4 alumni Patrick Cote and Scott Smith will also face off.

The fight card as of right now is:

Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra (Welterweight Title Bout)
Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter (Middleweight Title Bout)
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Marvin Eastman
Patrick Cote vs. Scott Smith
Dustin Hazelett vs. Melvin Guillard

TUF 5 - BJ Penn and Jens Pulver

2006-12-23T16:21:00.000-05:00

The 5th season of Spike TV's hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter will begin production in January '07, featuring coaches BJ Penn and Jens Pulver. It will also feature a cast of 16 lightweights and the live finale will not only feature the final fight but a Penn vs. Pulver rematch at 155 lbs. You may recall that Penn and Pulver faced off 2002 resulting in a win by Pulver.

Elite Xtreme Combat - Look out UFC

2006-12-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

From LATimes.com:

Mixed martial arts groups to fight for fighters
Elite Xtreme Combat is introduced as a competitor to Ultimate Fighting Championship.
By Lance Pugmire, Times Staff Writer
December 15, 2006

Emerging as a potential challenger to Ultimate Fighting Championship, Elite Xtreme Combat, a new mixed martial arts organization — Showtime television contract in hand — was introduced Thursday.

Elite XC arrived on the scene the same week UFC announced its purchase of a second-tier mixed martial arts circuit known as World Fighting Alliance.

And in announcing the main event of its first card, Elite XC said that Frank Shamrock, who was UFC's first middleweight champion, would fight veteran Renzo Gracie on Feb. 10 in Southaven, Miss.

"I won't interfere with a contract, but we've been contacted by other fighters and I do want to work with other fighters," said Elite XC President Gary Shaw, a veteran boxing promoter. "If they're coming out of contracts, we'll talk."

Shaw had one of those conversations Thursday when unbeaten UFC heavyweight Brandon Vera (8-0) attended the Elite XC news conference at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel, and said he had only one fight remaining on his UFC contract.

"Whoever wants to take care of me the best," Vera, 29, said when asked what organization he would continue fighting with.

Read the full story here.

Rashad Evans Kicks Off 2007

2006-12-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

The Ultimate Fighter 2 light heavyweight division winner Rashad Evans will return to the octagon to kick off 2007 for the UFC. He will fight Sean Salmon at the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida on Thursday January 25th and the fight will be live on Spike TV.

Rashad is 14-0 in his MMA career and is still unbeaten in the UFC with impressive wins over TUF alumni Sam Hoger and Stephan Bonnar.

Both Evans and Salmon have impressive wrestling skills, Evans being a former Michigan State wrestler and Salmon wrestled at Ohio State.

UFC Fight Night Live Results

2006-12-15T00:46:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CA

Televised Bouts:

- Marcus Davis def. Shonie Carter via unanimous decision.
- Karo Parisyan def. Drew Fickett via unanimous decision.
- Josh Koscheck def. Jeff Joslin via unanimous decision.
- Diego Sanchez def. Joe Riggs via KO at 1:45 of round 1.

Preliminary Bouts:

- Logan Clark def. Steve Byrnes via unanimous decision.
- Brock Larson def. Keita Nakamura via unanimous decision.
- Luigi Fioravanti def. Dave Menne via TKO at 4:44 of round 1.
- Alan Belcher def. Jorge Santiago via KO at 2:45 of round 3.
- David Heath def. Victor Valimaki via split decision.

Strikeforce Results

2006-12-11T20:56:00.000-05:00

Strikeforce "Triple Threat"
Friday, December 8, 2006
HP Pavilion in San Jose, California

182 lbs: Cung Le def. Jason Von Flue via doctor stoppage (cut) at 0:43 of round 1.

155 lbs: Josh Thomson def. Nam Phan via unanimous decision.

150 lbs: Gina Carano def. Elaina Maxwell via unanimous decision.

205 lbs: Bobby Southworth def. Vernon "Tiger" White via unanimous decision.

170 lbs: Duane "Bang" Ludwig def. Tony Fryklund via TKO at 3:37 of round 2.

185 lbs: Eugene Jackson def. Ronald Jhun via rear naked choke at 2:01 of round 1.

HWT: Paul Buentello def. Ruben "Warpath" Villareal via corner stoppage at 3:57 of ro und 2.

HWT: Daniel Puder def. Mike Cook via rear naked choke at 2:31 of round 2.

HWT: Rex Richards def. Kyle Leviton via kimura at 2:02 of round 1.

155 lbs: David Smith def. Sean Basset via referee stoppage (strikes) at 1:36 of round 3.

205 lbs: Scott Graham def. Drew Dimanlig via unanimous decision.

130 lbs: Anthony Figueroa def. David Barrios via unanimous decision.

185 lbs: Raul Castillo def. Andrew Montanez via referee stoppage (strikes) at 2:10 of round 1.

Bodogfight Strikeforce final fight card

2006-12-08T00:25:00.000-05:00

The fight card for BodogFight's Strikeforce Triple Threat on Dec. 8th, 2006 at the HP Pavilion has been finalized. There will be 3 title fights and a few familiar faces, inlcuding TUF alumni Bobby Southworth and Jason Von Flue.

Here is the fight card:

STRIKEFORCE: TRIPLE THREAT
HP Pavilion
December 8, 2006

PRELIMINARY BOUTS

Raul Castillo vs. Jeff Quinlan
Anthony Figueroa vs. David Barrios
Scott Graham vs. Drew Dimanlig
Sean Basset vs. David Smith

MAIN CARD BOUTS

Rex Richards vs. Kyle Leviton
Daniel Puder vs. Mike Cook
Paul Buentello vs. Ruben “Warpath” Villareal

Strikeforce U.S. Middleweight Championship

Eugene Jackson vs. Ronald Jhun

Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Tony “The Freak” Fryklund

Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight Championship

Bobby Southworth vs. Vernon “Tiger” White

Elaina Maxwell vs. Gina Carano

Strikeforce U.S. Lightweight Championship

Josh “The Punk” Thomson vs. Nam Phan

Cung Le vs. Jason Von Flue

PRIDE FC Shockwave fight card update

2006-12-08T00:20:00.000-05:00

Confirmed Shockwave fights:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mark Hunt
Shinya Aoki vs. Joachim Hansen
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Gilbert Melendez
Mauricio Rua vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Takanori Gomi vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida

PRIDE for sale?

2006-12-06T01:55:00.000-05:00

The Wrestling Observer newsletter has reported that Dream Stage Entertainment is shopping around for a buyer for PRIDE Fighting Championships, speculating that WWE may have been approached and UFC was definitely approached. Here's a piece from the newsletter:

"According to several different sources in both Japan and the United States, Dream Stage Entertainment has talked with various groups about selling the Pride Fighting Championships. Most of the prospective buyers are outside the country. Among them are a group from South Korea, as well as several different U.S. groups. It is believed WWE was approached and it is known UFC has been approached....

It's really a shame, because Dream Stage Entertainment elevated the quality of MMA...to an incredible degree....All of this stems from losing the Fuji Network deal in Japan a few months back...."

It will be very interesting to see what comes of this. We will definitely keep you posted as news develops.

BodogFight - Fedor Emelianenko vs. Jeff Monson

2006-12-06T01:40:00.000-05:00

BodogFight has signed the PRIDE FC heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko to fight UFC heavyweight contender Jeff Monson on March 3rd in St. Petersburg, Russia. Fedor is considered by most to be the best fighter in the world and will defend his title at PRIDE Shockwave 2006 on New Year's Eve. Jeff Monson was, until recently, the number one contender for the UFC heavyweight title, but lost his fight against Tim Silvia last month.

Fedor's fight on Dec. 31st will be his final fight on his current contract with PRIDE. His contract with BodogFight is for just one fight.

More about what MMA is all about

2006-12-06T01:36:00.000-05:00

Here's some more general info about mixed martial arts from Wikipedia:

Mixed martial arts was originally based around the concept of pitting different martial arts and fighting styles against each other in competition with minimal rules, in an attempt to determine which system would be more effective in a real, unregulated combat situation. Modern MMA competition is an evolution of such events, but rules have been implemented to promote acceptance of the sport, while at the same time maintaining as much of the original no-holds-barred concept as possible. There is however no general sanctioning body for the sport, and the sets of rules vary according to the laws of individual organizations and localities (although there were attempts to make the sport, under the banner of pankration an Olympic sanctioned sport for the 2004 games in Athens).

The techniques utilized in MMA competition generally fall into two categories: striking techniques (such as kicks, knees and punches) and grappling techniques (such as clinch holds, pinning holds, submission holds, sweeps, takedowns and throws). Some unarmed hand to hand combat techniques are considered illegal in arguably all modern MMA competition, such as biting, eye-gouging, fish-hooking and small joint manipulation. Over the last ten years, strikes to the groin have become illegal in all sanctioned MMA organizations. The legality of other techniques such as elbows, headbutts and spinal locks vary according to competition or organization.

Victory is normally gained by judges' decision after an allotted amount of time has elapsed, a stoppage by the referee or the fight doctor (in the event that the competitor is injured or can no longer defend himself intelligently), a submission, by a competitor's cornerman (throwing in the towel), or knockout.

While MMA competition is occassionally depicted as brutal by the media, there has never been a death or crippling injury in a sanctioned MMA event in North America.

UFC 66 and PRIDE FC Shockwave fight cards

2006-12-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

The updated UFC 66 (Liddel vs. Ortiz 2) for Dec. 30, 2006 from MGM Gran Garden Arena in Las Vegas is as followl:

Chick Lidell vs. Tito Ortiz (205)
Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcio Cruz (Heavyweight)
Forrest Griffin vs. Kieth Jardine (205)
Jason MacDonald vs. Chris Leben (185)
Eric Shafer vs. Michael Bisping (205)
Carmelo Marrero vcs. Gabriel Gonzaga (Heavyweight)
Anthony Perosh vs. Christian Wellisch (Heavyweight)
Tony DeSouza vs. Thiago Alves (170)

As of Dec 1 there are only 2 confirmed fights for the New Year's Eve PRIDE FC show, Shockwave 2006 in Japan. Emelianenko Fedor will defend his heavyweight title against 2001 K1 GP champ Mark Hunt and Gilbert Melendez will fight Tatsuya Kawajiri in the lightweight class.

UFC Fight Night 12-13 fight card

2006-12-04T16:59:00.000-05:00

Here is an updated fight card for the Ultimate Fight Night airing live on Spike TV on Dec. 13, 2006 from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, California.

Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Riggs
Drew Fickett vc. Karo Parisyan
Marcus Davis vs. Shonie Carter
Alan Belcher vs. Jorge Santiago
Dave Menne vs Luigi Fioravanti
Victor Valimaki vs. David Heath
Jeff Joslin vs. Josh Koscheck
Keita Nakamura vs. Brock Larson
Logan Clark vs. Steve Byrnes

TUF 1 Report

2006-12-04T16:46:00.000-05:00

There's a really cool article today on UFC.com about some of the TUF 1 fighters and where they are now and what they've accomplished since the first season of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. Most notably they point out that Diego Sanchez is the only fighter still undefeated overall in MMA and Mike Swick also remains undefeated in the UFC, each with 5 wins. Forrest Griffin is the third of what they call the "Top Guns" with only one loss in his 5 UFC fights, that being the loss to Tito Ortiz in April.

They also list the other fighters in 4 other categories: "A win or two away", "On the bubble", "Question marks" and "Off the radar. Kind of a "where are they now?" of TUF 1 fighters.

Leben will face Macdonald at UFC 66

2006-12-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

In a middleweight fight on the UFC 66 card on Dec. 30th Chris Leben (16-2) will face Canadian Jason MacDonald (18-7).

Leben was beaten by current UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva in Silva's UFC debut. The loss came after a 5 win streak for Leben in the UFC. Leben quickly scored a win in his next fight against Jorge Santiago in August.

MacDonald submitted Leben's Team Quest teammate Ed Herman in October. This fight against Leben will be MacDonald's second in the UFC.

Read the full story from UFC.com here.

Bisping makes UFC return

2006-12-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

Michael Bisping (12-0), who you may remember, won The Ultimate Ultimate Fighter 3 finally in the light heavyweight division will finally return to the octagon on Dec. 30th at UFC 66. He will fight Eric Schafer (9-1-2) who submitted Rob MacDonald in his UFC debut in August. The two were supposed to face off at TUF 4 finally but VISA issues prohibited the fight from happening.

The full story from UFC.com can be found here.

Of course, headlining UFC 66 will be the light heavyweight title bout between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

What is MMA?

2006-11-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

What is MMA? Wikipedia defines mixed martial arts as follows:

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combat sport in which two competitors attempt to achieve dominance over one another by using a wide variety of permitted martial arts techniques, including striking and grappling. Well-known MMA organizations include the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championships.

MMA has also been referred to as no holds barred (NHB) fighting, but this term is no longer considered an accurate description of the modern sport, with its formalized rules and banned techniques that have been developed for the fighter's safety. A common misconception is that the sport is called "ultimate fighting", due to the popularization of the sport by the UFC.

Later we will discuss general information about MMA and the history, current news and future of the sport.

Mike Swick wants Anderson Sliva

2006-10-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

A story published on UFC.com on 10/19 reports that Mike Swick wants his next fight to be a title fight against Anderson Sliva, who defeated Rich Franklin for the middleweight belt at UFC 64.

Swick seems to think that his Muay Thai skills will match well against those of Sliva, but clearly there are skeptics. Swift notes that he got into MMA to challenge himself and that's what he's looking for in this fight.

Of course, the middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show on Spike will win a title shot, along with $100, 000 cash, and a $100, 000 deal with Xyience. The exact date of the title fight has not been announced. The TUF4 finally will air live on Spike on Nov. 11.

Welcome to MMA

2006-10-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) blog. If you're a seasoned fan or new to the scene this blog will have something for everyone. All the MMA news, info, stats and data is right here. Think of this as a one stop shop for the MMA fan. Enjoy!