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Saturday, June 30, 2012
Alert for iPhone MMATorch Users: Upcoming Events section update
We've had several questions regarding the "Upcoming Events" section on the iPhone and iPad apps, so we wanted to respond here. On the Android versions of the app, there is an "Event Calendar" that is updated daily; unfortunately that feature is not yet in the iPhone version of the app. Instead, for now, there is one post in the "Upcoming Events" section that is being regularly updated with all of the fights for future events. There are no longer individual events posts, but everything is being kept up to date in the post entitled "Updated Upcoming Events Calendar." Hope that clears up any confusion!
UFC 149's Urijah Faber: "I think this sport needs guys like Chael Sonnen"
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"I think this sport needs guys like Chael Sonnen... The guy was coming over from the WEC as world champion and then came over and got put on the undercard for the UFC. I think he chose to make a switch and said 'I need to stand out in this sport and just being the nice, intelligent guy that I am is not enough.' He probably won't admit to that, but the guy made a switch and decided, 'hey, I'm gonna stand out in this sport. I'm gonna create my own opportunities,' and he does it in an interesting way that people either really hate or really love."
-UFC 149 headliner Urijah Faber gives his thoughts on UFC 148 title challenger Chael Sonnen during a Q&A session (transcribed by MMAWeekly.com).
Penick's Analysis: There are a lot of things that can be said about Chael Sonnen, but Faber hits on the real point in that final line: people either really hate his schtick or they really love it. Either way, they have an opinion, and he drives interest. It's a very different spot from where he was upon his entrance into the UFC. He had come off a bizarre fight with Paulo Filho in his final WEC bout, and even then he wasn't considered to be a thrilling fighter to watch, nor one worth paying much attention to. He changed that into the first Silva fight, and he's brought out even stronger opinions on both sides in the time since then. More fighters could certainly learn something from his approach, though it's not an easy thing to pull off. Still, at a time when the UFC is in need of more marketable fighters, having a few more names who can drive interest outside the cage as well would be a big boon to the organization.
[Urijah Faber art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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-UFC 149 headliner Urijah Faber gives his thoughts on UFC 148 title challenger Chael Sonnen during a Q&A session (transcribed by MMAWeekly.com).
Penick's Analysis: There are a lot of things that can be said about Chael Sonnen, but Faber hits on the real point in that final line: people either really hate his schtick or they really love it. Either way, they have an opinion, and he drives interest. It's a very different spot from where he was upon his entrance into the UFC. He had come off a bizarre fight with Paulo Filho in his final WEC bout, and even then he wasn't considered to be a thrilling fighter to watch, nor one worth paying much attention to. He changed that into the first Silva fight, and he's brought out even stronger opinions on both sides in the time since then. More fighters could certainly learn something from his approach, though it's not an easy thing to pull off. Still, at a time when the UFC is in need of more marketable fighters, having a few more names who can drive interest outside the cage as well would be a big boon to the organization.
[Urijah Faber art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans
UFC 148: Chael Sonnen says Anderson Silva "kind of like the Mike Tyson of our era"
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Chael Sonnen's been making some media rounds with his UFC 148 bout with Anderson Silva fast approaching. The outspoken American challenger appeared on 750 the Game in Portland with John Canzano this week, and said he's got just one thing on his mind: capturing the title.
"I like to say I've waited my whole life," Silva said (transcribed by SportsRadioInterviews.com. "I've been in sports forever and I've always tried to, if I wasn't trying to be an Olympic Gold medalist, I was trying to be a World Champion so this is the opportunity and this guy specifically, we competed a couple of years ago so I've waited two years just for the opportunity so it's really a life's work that's going to come down to five rounds."
"I've only got one style. I've only got one mindset to go in regardless of the opponent or what the circumstances are. My skills are my skills. I will bring those into the ring. I'm going to be on him and there's going to be a fist fight I can tell you that."
When it comes to Silva, Sonnen's had many negative things to say over the past two years. Ultimately, it comes down to Sonnen not believing in the mystique Silva has built up over his undefeated run in the UFC, and feeling like he can and will expose him on July 7.
"Yeah he's just a person," Sonnen said. "You hear those things but they told us that about Mike Tyson too and what a wimp that guy turned out to be when he finally got some real competition. He's kind of like the Mike Tyson of our era where they say certain things but at the end of the day when they lock that cage door he's not going to have a friend and he's not going to have a two-by-four and I'm sure he could use either one when I get my hands on him."
"I have tunnel vision. I have a goal. I don't think you can retire from a sport unless you win a world title. I think you just quit. I had to quit wrestling. I tried to win an Olympic medal and I couldn't make the team so it hurts and that's not a good feeling when you dedicate and sacrifice so I'm going to do everything I can to win but that's capitalism. That's the way it goes in all business. You succeed and you have a great path, if you don't you don't so I will control my own destiny and I will bring everything on the seventh."
Penick's Analysis: Silva's got a better record of sustained success than Tyson did down the stretch, but it's an interesting comparison. Sonnen's essentially saying Silva's never had any legitimate competition (a funny notion considering names Silva has beat and who Sonnen has lost to), and that he's the one that's going to expose Silva for who he believes him to be. Well, he nearly accomplished something similar at UFC 117, but he lost the fight in a spectacular final finish by Silva. Whether he's able to repeat that what brought him success for four and a half rounds remains to be seen, but he'll clearly need something more to finish the job this time around.
[Chael Sonnen art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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"I like to say I've waited my whole life," Silva said (transcribed by SportsRadioInterviews.com. "I've been in sports forever and I've always tried to, if I wasn't trying to be an Olympic Gold medalist, I was trying to be a World Champion so this is the opportunity and this guy specifically, we competed a couple of years ago so I've waited two years just for the opportunity so it's really a life's work that's going to come down to five rounds."
"I've only got one style. I've only got one mindset to go in regardless of the opponent or what the circumstances are. My skills are my skills. I will bring those into the ring. I'm going to be on him and there's going to be a fist fight I can tell you that."
When it comes to Silva, Sonnen's had many negative things to say over the past two years. Ultimately, it comes down to Sonnen not believing in the mystique Silva has built up over his undefeated run in the UFC, and feeling like he can and will expose him on July 7.
"Yeah he's just a person," Sonnen said. "You hear those things but they told us that about Mike Tyson too and what a wimp that guy turned out to be when he finally got some real competition. He's kind of like the Mike Tyson of our era where they say certain things but at the end of the day when they lock that cage door he's not going to have a friend and he's not going to have a two-by-four and I'm sure he could use either one when I get my hands on him."
"I have tunnel vision. I have a goal. I don't think you can retire from a sport unless you win a world title. I think you just quit. I had to quit wrestling. I tried to win an Olympic medal and I couldn't make the team so it hurts and that's not a good feeling when you dedicate and sacrifice so I'm going to do everything I can to win but that's capitalism. That's the way it goes in all business. You succeed and you have a great path, if you don't you don't so I will control my own destiny and I will bring everything on the seventh."
Penick's Analysis: Silva's got a better record of sustained success than Tyson did down the stretch, but it's an interesting comparison. Sonnen's essentially saying Silva's never had any legitimate competition (a funny notion considering names Silva has beat and who Sonnen has lost to), and that he's the one that's going to expose Silva for who he believes him to be. Well, he nearly accomplished something similar at UFC 117, but he lost the fight in a spectacular final finish by Silva. Whether he's able to repeat that what brought him success for four and a half rounds remains to be seen, but he'll clearly need something more to finish the job this time around.
[Chael Sonnen art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
Don Barr Pat Barry Vitor Belfort Robert Berry David Bielkheden
Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman official for August 18 Strikeforce headliner in San Diego; tickets on sale this week
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Ronda Rousey's first defense of her Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship will indeed take place on August 18, as Strikeforce officials announced this week that the fight will headline a card at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif. on that date.
"We're excited to head back to the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego with the first title defense of bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, arguably the best female fighter in the sport today," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. "She's submitted all of her opponents thus far, but number one contender Sarah Kaufman has the experience and tenacity to push her like no one else. This is a great title fight for Strikeforce fans and we look forward to another tremendous night of fights in San Diego!"
Rousey comes into the event with an undefeated record, which was extended in March when she nearly tore former Champ Miesha Tate's arm apart with an armbar, finally forcing her to submit. All of her career wins have come by armbar.
Kaufman, the division's former Champion, earned her way back into a title fight with a decision win over Alexis Davis on that same card in March. The win was her third straight win since losing her title to Marloes Coenen back in October of 2010.
Tickets for the event go on sale this week. UFC Fight Club members have their first crack at tickets today, June 27, beginning at 10AM PT. UFC and Strikeforce Newsletter subscribers will have a presale tomorrow, June 28, and tickets will open up to the public on Friday, June 29. Prices range from $45 to $150.
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"We're excited to head back to the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego with the first title defense of bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, arguably the best female fighter in the sport today," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. "She's submitted all of her opponents thus far, but number one contender Sarah Kaufman has the experience and tenacity to push her like no one else. This is a great title fight for Strikeforce fans and we look forward to another tremendous night of fights in San Diego!"
Rousey comes into the event with an undefeated record, which was extended in March when she nearly tore former Champ Miesha Tate's arm apart with an armbar, finally forcing her to submit. All of her career wins have come by armbar.
Kaufman, the division's former Champion, earned her way back into a title fight with a decision win over Alexis Davis on that same card in March. The win was her third straight win since losing her title to Marloes Coenen back in October of 2010.
Tickets for the event go on sale this week. UFC Fight Club members have their first crack at tickets today, June 27, beginning at 10AM PT. UFC and Strikeforce Newsletter subscribers will have a presale tomorrow, June 28, and tickets will open up to the public on Friday, June 29. Prices range from $45 to $150.
Antoni Hardonk Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata
HYDEN BLOG: Anderson SIlva's Trash Talk Heading Into His Fight With Chael Sonnen
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Anderson Silva went off on Chael Sonnen this during a conference call promoting their UFC 148 fight on July 7. Silva promised to destroy Sonnen. It's really an entertaining read to see the normally stoic Silva spew such venom, especially at such a deserving target. Some are trying to spin this as being a good thing for Sonnen, that he's in Silva's head and this will make Silva act in a rash manner during the fight.
Let me be perfectly clear, I don't think that there's any way that this is a good thing for Sonnen. Anderson Silva is the greatest MMA fighter of all-time. I doubt you will find very many people who will try to dispute that, there's just too much evidence backing up Silva as the best. Guys on this level are motivated by trash-talking wannabes. Imagine a Michael Jordan, a Kobe Bryant, a Tiger Woods. Trash-talk motivates these guys. No one gets in their heads, that's for lesser beings. That's the mentality these guys have. Hell, Jordan was famous for inventing trash-talk from his opponents and using that to crush them. That motivated him. I believe the same holds true for Silva.
The deck was totally stacked in Sonnen's favor in the first fight between the two, with Silva having injured ribs and Sonnen on TRT that he hadn't been approved for ahead of time, yet he still found a way to lose. The fatal flaw that Sonnen has is that his submission defense isn't very good. Silva is fantastic on the ground, so Sonnen's not going to want to stay on the ground for long, even if he's on top. Eight of Sonnen's 11 losses have come by submission. There's no question he's a good wrestler, but he's never complimented that with good stand-up or a good ground game. At best, Sonnen is the same fighter he was the first time he fought Silva. The same fighter who had an injured opponent yet still couldn't close the deal.
Since losing to Silva in 2010, Sonnen has a nice submission win over Brian Stann, a guy not exactly known for his submission skills, and a lackluster win over Michael Bisping. How exactly can he draw confidence from this?
One of the bigger knocks on Silva has been the times he's toyed with his opponents. I hated when he did that because it was wrong on so many levels. However, Silva made it clear during the conference call that this wasn't going to be the case during this fight.
Sonnen has been playing a dangerous game. He's walking a fine line. He needs to beat Silva or else his gimmick is over. A loss here means the end of all his talk about being the uncrowned champion and all the other trash he's said. For his sake, he better hope he's gotten in Silva's head. I think that even if he's gotten into Silva's head that it's not going to help him, though. The Sonnen train either gains a ton more steam after this fight, or it goes completely off the rails. If Sonnen loses again, no one is going to want to hear what he has to say.
Sonnen has turned himself into the biggest villain in MMA. Every movie needs a villain. This has made Sonnen some money and fame, but the final act is approaching. If Sonnen is hoping for a sequel he better finish the job. When that cage door closes all the talking is thrown out and it's time to show what you got. Will Chael choke again? Or will he finally deliver on the promises he's been making for two years?
Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com
Chris Dolman Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus
Clay Guida still feels Gray Maynard game plan "played out perfectly" at UFC on FX 4
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Despite a widespread criticism of his performance at UFC on FX 4 last week, Clay Guida continues to see nothing wrong with the way he fought Gray Maynard in Sunrise, Fla. His strategy in the fight was to avoid the attacks from Maynard, and avoid getting into a firefight or grappling battle with a superior wrestler and harder hitter.
That strategy technically worked, as he didn't suffer much damage in the fight, but he seemed to forget the offensive component of the fight, as his avoidance led to very little action in the first three rounds, and turned the crowd against him. Still, Guida remains unapologetic for how he performed, and vehemently disagrees with the criticism aimed his way.
"I thought the game plan and strategy we came up with, I thought it played out perfectly, almost too good as a matter of fact," Guida said in an interview with "Inside the Cage" on ESPN 760 in West Palm Beach, Fla.. "Yeah, we could have landed a couple more combinations here, we could have gotten into wrestling a little bit more, but Gray is a very dominant wrestler. He's a very good counter wrestler, too. I've only seen him be taken down once, maybe twice, in the UFC, and that was by Frankie Edgar, and was just for a brief moment."
"I thought we did enough to stop his wrestling. He gave us his best double leg blast takedown that no one stopped in the UFC and in his mixed martial arts career. We stuffed it on numerous occasions. We stood him up. We landed the two and three punch combinations. We stunned him with kicks. He was swinging and missing like Sammy Sosa in one of his worst slumps. We left him frustrated. We left him with a face of desperation when he was flipping me off and cursing me and dropping 'f-bombs' in the cage. Need I go on?"
It was here that Guida began to get a bit indignant and petulant about the entire fight, launching into a tirade about how the fight played out and the way the judges scored the fight.
"Yes, I can still go on," he continued. Let's see. Oh yeah, I defended the submission. I got to half guard and I passed his guard. Oh, did I mention I stopped his takedowns? Yeah, I stopped his takedowns. I kicked him in the face three or four times cleanly. I rocked him in the fifth round. Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, did I say that we were more elusive than he's probably seen any opponent? Oh yeah, how about the time I moved and he ran face first into the cage. Need I go on? Let's see. Oh, the judges. Yeah, the three blind mice. Yeah, they definitely got paid for their job that night. They did a hell of a job. I want to commend them and the New Jersey Athletic Commission for blowing another [one], taking someone's victory."
But it wasn't just the judges or the fans coming down hard on his performance, as UFC President Dana White was vocal in his opposition to the gameplan. He even stated that Guida's performance was similar to that of Kalib Starnes in his infamous bout with Nate Quarry. Needless to say, Guida wasn't in line with the criticism.
"Yeah, I wasn't very thrilled about it, but I spoke with Dana Sunday after the fight, after I watched it and we kind of hashed things out," Guida said. "As far as how I thought [I did], I won pretty much each round. I can maybe see it 3-2 somehow for me, but I thought it was 4-1. I thought we almost pulled the shutout on him."
Penick's Analysis: I've gone over this already this week, but the major issue with the performance was the lack of offense to go along with a smart defensive strategy. Guida couldn't go punch for punch with Maynard and survive. Likewise, had he engaged in a grappling bout instead of playing solely defense it wouldn't have been a smart strategy for him either. He wasn't going to be able to beat Maynard unless he completely avoided damage throughout the fight and found a way to get in offense himself. Unfortunately, he only accomplished one part of that plan, despite his protestations to the contrary. You can just look at the numbers to see the issue. Through the first three rounds of the fight, Guida landed a combined total of 24 strikes. For comparison's sake, in the fight many tried to equate this performance to in Carlos Condit's win over Nick Diaz, Condit landed more strikes in the first round than Guida did in the first three. Not only that, but Condit had landed more strikes through two rounds of his fight with Diaz than Guida did the entire fight with Maynard. This wasn't a good performance, and he needs to get it out of his head that it was. He had a solid defensive gameplan, but didn't do anything else to claim the fight decisively.
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That strategy technically worked, as he didn't suffer much damage in the fight, but he seemed to forget the offensive component of the fight, as his avoidance led to very little action in the first three rounds, and turned the crowd against him. Still, Guida remains unapologetic for how he performed, and vehemently disagrees with the criticism aimed his way.
"I thought the game plan and strategy we came up with, I thought it played out perfectly, almost too good as a matter of fact," Guida said in an interview with "Inside the Cage" on ESPN 760 in West Palm Beach, Fla.. "Yeah, we could have landed a couple more combinations here, we could have gotten into wrestling a little bit more, but Gray is a very dominant wrestler. He's a very good counter wrestler, too. I've only seen him be taken down once, maybe twice, in the UFC, and that was by Frankie Edgar, and was just for a brief moment."
"I thought we did enough to stop his wrestling. He gave us his best double leg blast takedown that no one stopped in the UFC and in his mixed martial arts career. We stuffed it on numerous occasions. We stood him up. We landed the two and three punch combinations. We stunned him with kicks. He was swinging and missing like Sammy Sosa in one of his worst slumps. We left him frustrated. We left him with a face of desperation when he was flipping me off and cursing me and dropping 'f-bombs' in the cage. Need I go on?"
It was here that Guida began to get a bit indignant and petulant about the entire fight, launching into a tirade about how the fight played out and the way the judges scored the fight.
"Yes, I can still go on," he continued. Let's see. Oh yeah, I defended the submission. I got to half guard and I passed his guard. Oh, did I mention I stopped his takedowns? Yeah, I stopped his takedowns. I kicked him in the face three or four times cleanly. I rocked him in the fifth round. Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, did I say that we were more elusive than he's probably seen any opponent? Oh yeah, how about the time I moved and he ran face first into the cage. Need I go on? Let's see. Oh, the judges. Yeah, the three blind mice. Yeah, they definitely got paid for their job that night. They did a hell of a job. I want to commend them and the New Jersey Athletic Commission for blowing another [one], taking someone's victory."
But it wasn't just the judges or the fans coming down hard on his performance, as UFC President Dana White was vocal in his opposition to the gameplan. He even stated that Guida's performance was similar to that of Kalib Starnes in his infamous bout with Nate Quarry. Needless to say, Guida wasn't in line with the criticism.
"Yeah, I wasn't very thrilled about it, but I spoke with Dana Sunday after the fight, after I watched it and we kind of hashed things out," Guida said. "As far as how I thought [I did], I won pretty much each round. I can maybe see it 3-2 somehow for me, but I thought it was 4-1. I thought we almost pulled the shutout on him."
Penick's Analysis: I've gone over this already this week, but the major issue with the performance was the lack of offense to go along with a smart defensive strategy. Guida couldn't go punch for punch with Maynard and survive. Likewise, had he engaged in a grappling bout instead of playing solely defense it wouldn't have been a smart strategy for him either. He wasn't going to be able to beat Maynard unless he completely avoided damage throughout the fight and found a way to get in offense himself. Unfortunately, he only accomplished one part of that plan, despite his protestations to the contrary. You can just look at the numbers to see the issue. Through the first three rounds of the fight, Guida landed a combined total of 24 strikes. For comparison's sake, in the fight many tried to equate this performance to in Carlos Condit's win over Nick Diaz, Condit landed more strikes in the first round than Guida did in the first three. Not only that, but Condit had landed more strikes through two rounds of his fight with Diaz than Guida did the entire fight with Maynard. This wasn't a good performance, and he needs to get it out of his head that it was. He had a solid defensive gameplan, but didn't do anything else to claim the fight decisively.
Hermes Franca Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund
UFC Primetime returns Saturday for UFC 148's Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen bout
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
It's being thrown together a little late, but the UFC will premiere a one episode Primetime special for UFC 148's Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch this Sunday on Fuel TV. The program, which will feature Silva and Sonnen behind the scenes in the last weeks before their fight in Las Vegas, will air on Fuel TV at 7PM ET on Saturday, June 30. The program will be available for viewing on UFC.com as well following it's initial airing, and replays will air on Fuel and FX, along with Fox Sports Net. Here is a list of replay times:
SATURDAY, JUNE 30
7PM ET/4 pm PT - FUEL TV
7:30PM ET/4:30PM PT - UFC.com premiere
4:30PM ET/1:30PM PT - FUEL TV
SUNDAY, JULY 1
Check regional listings - Fox Sports Network
MONDAY, JULY 2
Available on-demand - Blockbuster Studio, channel 102 on DISH
THURSDAY, JULY 5
2AM ET/PT - FX
FRIDAY, JULY 6
2AM ET/PT - FX
It's being thrown together a little late, but the UFC will premiere a one episode Primetime special for UFC 148's Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch this Sunday on Fuel TV. The program, which will feature Silva and Sonnen behind the scenes in the last weeks before their fight in Las Vegas, will air on Fuel TV at 7PM ET on Saturday, June 30. The program will be available for viewing on UFC.com as well following it's initial airing, and replays will air on Fuel and FX, along with Fox Sports Net. Here is a list of replay times:
SATURDAY, JUNE 30
7PM ET/4 pm PT - FUEL TV
7:30PM ET/4:30PM PT - UFC.com premiere
4:30PM ET/1:30PM PT - FUEL TV
SUNDAY, JULY 1
Check regional listings - Fox Sports Network
MONDAY, JULY 2
Available on-demand - Blockbuster Studio, channel 102 on DISH
THURSDAY, JULY 5
2AM ET/PT - FX
FRIDAY, JULY 6
2AM ET/PT - FX
Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison
Clay Guida says tenacity will be difference in key fight with Gray Maynard
The one difference, though, that Guida believes will carry him to victory over Maynard in their five-round lightweight fight Friday in Atlantic City, N.J., is his tenacity.
"Without a doubt, I think that's going to be in my favor," Guida told Cagewriter. "I've been in fights where I've been down and come back. I am never, ever, going to quit or concede in a fight and I think that's a major advantage for me."
Guida's movement and tenacity are two of his trademarks, but he's also at least as well known for his wild, flowing hairstyle. Maynard's new coaches at the American Kickboxing Academy, but not Maynard himself, complained to the New Jersey commission about it.
Guida agreed to put his hair in cornrows to end any controversy before it began and laughed it off as a non-issue.
"I'm not sure what they were trying to do by complaining about that, but whatever it was, it didn't work," Guida said. "I'm here to fight and not talk about my hair."
Guida knows a win over Maynard, who had a draw and a knockout loss to Edgar in back-to-back title fights last year, will go a long way toward getting him his coveted first title shot.
The UFC has promised Nate Diaz a championship shot against the winner of the rematch between Henderson and Edgar at UFC 150, but Guida told Sherdog Radio he believes an impressive win over Maynard could force the UFC brass to rethink its plans.
If I go out there and beat the brakes off of him and really put it on him, I think the UFC is going to have a hard time denying us. I know Nate Diaz is right up there. Yeah, he won three in a row, but look, Gray won six or seven in a row. He hadn't lost for how many years? ? [And] I went on a decent little run there. I won four over a couple of tough guys, former world champs, [Takanori] Gomi in Pride and [Anthony] Pettis in the WEC, and I lost a very, very close fight to Ben Henderson. So it's one of those, it all depends on the way of victory.
The five-round fight figures to work to Guida's advantage. One of the reasons for his popularity is his ability to fight at a frenetic pace pretty much all of the time. The pace often slows in the latter stages of a long fight, but Guida insists that will never happen to him.
He said he's better conditioned now, at 30 years old, than he's ever been.
"Five rounds is tailor-made for me," he said. "When I'm done with three rounds, really, I'm just getting loose and ready to go. I go through a grind every day to get to where I am and you haven't seen anything from me in terms of pace and stamina. The longer this fight goes, people are going to be shocked at the way I can go.
"It's a mindset. I refuse to be tired and I have always vowed to work harder than my opponents. I put myself in the worst possible situations in training and I go and go and go. It makes the fight seem easy by comparison."
Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah
California State Athletic Commission facing major financial difficulties
MMA Fighting is reporting the group that oversees MMA events is already under water, and could run a deficit of $700,000 by the time the year is over.
"Without the ability to pay for even basic services, the Commission will have no choice but to cease operation immediately and cancel or postpone indefinitely all Commission regulated events," Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) director Denise Brown wrote in a recent letter to CSAC's executive director George Dodd.
Zuffa has three events scheduled for California in the next two months. UFC on Fuel 4 will be in San Jose, UFC on Fox 4 will take place in Los Angeles, and Strikeforce's championship bout between Ronda Rousey and Sarah Kaufman is set for San Diego. None of these events are expected to be affected, but California is a go-to state for Zuffa. California hosted four UFC and Strikeforce events in 2011.
Considering the state's financial problems, it's not a surprise to see the CSAC stumble. California is projecting a deficit of $4 billion and has been running in the red for four years. Its financial problems are so well-known there is a Wikipedia entry devoted to California's budget crisis.
But where the true problem lies for the CSAC is how to dig out of its hole. Without money, it can't run high-grossing events, but without high-grossing events, it can't earn money.
Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher
?Shogun? Rua would rather lose his job than fight phenom Glover Teixeira
After Thiago Silva scrapped his fight with Rua because of an injury, the UFC needed a new opponent for Shogun.
"He said that he'd actually rather be cut than have to fight him," White said during a UFC on FX 3 post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani. "Dude, nobody wants to fight this guy. We're trying to match the guy up with somebody, but he didn't mind fighting Brandon Vera, so he's fighting Brandon Vera. I don't want to sound like I'm disrespecting Shogun, because I'm not. I'm just telling the truth. It's verbatim what his people said when we talked to them. You know me. I tell it like it is. If you don't want that out in public, then don't say it to me on the phone, because I'm going to say what was said. Shogun's a warrior. The guy's fought everybody from PRIDE to the UFC. His last fight with Dan Henderson was awesome. It is what it is."
Now, Rua will fight Vera, whose last win was over Eliot Marshall. Before that, Vera loss a bout to Silva which was later turned into a no-contest because of a positive drug test for Silva. The Rua-Verabout will main event the UFC's next show on Fox.
Teixeira made his UFC debut at UFC 146 with an overpowering submission of Kyle Kingsbury. Who do you want to see him fight next? Speak your mind in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis Tony DeSouza Edwin Dewees
Brazilians don?t mind lackluster UFC 147 card (VIDEO)
Dana White tweeted out this video with the simple phrase, "Brazil is crazy!" Apparently, the lackluster card that created apathy about UFC 147 didn't bother Brazilian fans as they lined up for the preliminary card. Check it out, and as always when White is involved, be ready for some salty language.
David Heath Delson Heleno Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman
UFC Champ Georges St-Pierre admits he was burned out before injury, plans to have fun upon return
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre has been out of action for over 15 months, and though he's getting back to full training after two knee injuries in the last year, he still does not have a firm timetable for his return. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing for the 31-year-old Champion.
For a long time he's been considered one of the greatest in the sport, but in his last several fights the skill gap between he and his opponents has resulted in some less than thrilling fights. These bouts had brought criticisms on St-Pierre for fighting too safe or for becoming a "boring" fighter, and as he continued going through the motions, he says that all was beginning to weigh on him.
"This is the first big injury that's kept me out of the sport for such a long time. I was completely burned out before I got it," he admitted in an interview with UK publication The Sun. "I was over-trained and wasn't having as much fun as I used to before because of all the pressure and all the critics. So the fact that I hurt my knee allowed me to take a break, step back and see what my priorities were and change a lot of things in my life and in my training.
"I'm coming back as a new guy and I've never been as relieved. I'm having fun again. The key to this whole thing is to have fun so that's what I'm going to focus on. When you have fun in what you do best ? that's when you're successful."
While he was tired and burned out, with the criticism weighing heavy on him as well as the pressure to keep himself on top, he insists he wasn't ready to walk away from the sport. Instead, he's excited after the layoff, and is very much looking forward to taking on new challenges in the division.
"I never felt like quitting," he said. "I've trained almost every day since I was seven years old. I never took a break in my life and now that it's happened for the first time I took it as a blessing to come back fresh, better and sharper.
"It's been the most frustrating period of my career but it's allowed a whole lot of new challengers to appear. It's going to be fun because I'm not going to have to fight the same guys all over again ? it's a new challenge and I feel very motivated about that."
First up on that list is Carlos Condit, who defeated Nick Diaz in February to capture the Interim Welterweight Championship. Some other names have emerged in recent months as well, with Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks likely locking horns this November to determine the next challenger for the title. Then there's Nick Diaz, who will likely be in the mix when his suspension for marijuana metabolites expires next February. That last fight is one St-Pierre still hopes to get, but he's got other things on his plate first.
"He is the champion and I want to beat the champion ? I want to beat the best guy.
"I'm confident I could beat him. I would also like to fight Nick Diaz ? but I have to fight one guy at a time!"
Ultimately, St-Pierre believes he's coming back strong, and even though he's been on top for so long he feels he hasn't reached his apex just yet.
"I believe my best years are to come," he said. "I want to be the best of the best at the end of my career.
"I aim very high. I love what I do for a living and I don't plan on retiring any time soon."
Penick's Analysis: If St-Pierre having fun upon his return gets him back to the dominating, violent force of nature we had seen from him on his path to the title and back again to recapturing the title a second time that can only be a good thing. I've never been a harsh critic of St-Pierre's dominating style, but considering the way other fighters finished some of the opponents that St-Pierre allowed to survive for five rounds with him, there's something to be said about his overly conservative nature at times. That said, he's still the greatest fighter the 170 lb. division has ever seen, and if he comes back from this knee injury healthy and prepared to be better than ever, that can mean only positive things for fans and the UFC for years ahead.
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For a long time he's been considered one of the greatest in the sport, but in his last several fights the skill gap between he and his opponents has resulted in some less than thrilling fights. These bouts had brought criticisms on St-Pierre for fighting too safe or for becoming a "boring" fighter, and as he continued going through the motions, he says that all was beginning to weigh on him.
"This is the first big injury that's kept me out of the sport for such a long time. I was completely burned out before I got it," he admitted in an interview with UK publication The Sun. "I was over-trained and wasn't having as much fun as I used to before because of all the pressure and all the critics. So the fact that I hurt my knee allowed me to take a break, step back and see what my priorities were and change a lot of things in my life and in my training.
"I'm coming back as a new guy and I've never been as relieved. I'm having fun again. The key to this whole thing is to have fun so that's what I'm going to focus on. When you have fun in what you do best ? that's when you're successful."
While he was tired and burned out, with the criticism weighing heavy on him as well as the pressure to keep himself on top, he insists he wasn't ready to walk away from the sport. Instead, he's excited after the layoff, and is very much looking forward to taking on new challenges in the division.
"I never felt like quitting," he said. "I've trained almost every day since I was seven years old. I never took a break in my life and now that it's happened for the first time I took it as a blessing to come back fresh, better and sharper.
"It's been the most frustrating period of my career but it's allowed a whole lot of new challengers to appear. It's going to be fun because I'm not going to have to fight the same guys all over again ? it's a new challenge and I feel very motivated about that."
First up on that list is Carlos Condit, who defeated Nick Diaz in February to capture the Interim Welterweight Championship. Some other names have emerged in recent months as well, with Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks likely locking horns this November to determine the next challenger for the title. Then there's Nick Diaz, who will likely be in the mix when his suspension for marijuana metabolites expires next February. That last fight is one St-Pierre still hopes to get, but he's got other things on his plate first.
"He is the champion and I want to beat the champion ? I want to beat the best guy.
"I'm confident I could beat him. I would also like to fight Nick Diaz ? but I have to fight one guy at a time!"
Ultimately, St-Pierre believes he's coming back strong, and even though he's been on top for so long he feels he hasn't reached his apex just yet.
"I believe my best years are to come," he said. "I want to be the best of the best at the end of my career.
"I aim very high. I love what I do for a living and I don't plan on retiring any time soon."
Penick's Analysis: If St-Pierre having fun upon his return gets him back to the dominating, violent force of nature we had seen from him on his path to the title and back again to recapturing the title a second time that can only be a good thing. I've never been a harsh critic of St-Pierre's dominating style, but considering the way other fighters finished some of the opponents that St-Pierre allowed to survive for five rounds with him, there's something to be said about his overly conservative nature at times. That said, he's still the greatest fighter the 170 lb. division has ever seen, and if he comes back from this knee injury healthy and prepared to be better than ever, that can mean only positive things for fans and the UFC for years ahead.
Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesic Mauro Galvao
George Roop injured, out of bout with Antonio Carvalho at UFC 149
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
George Roop has suffered an injury and is out of his UFC 149 bout with Antonio Carvalho next month. Carvalho Tweeted news of Roop's injury, but said he's got an opponent already lined up. However, he couldn't yet reveal the name, saying it would be announced soon.
Roop has lost three of his last four, and will now have to wait before attempting to get out of that hole. Carvalho is also looking to bounce back from a loss, having dropped a decision to Felipe Arantes in his UFC debut in January at UFC 142.
George Roop has suffered an injury and is out of his UFC 149 bout with Antonio Carvalho next month. Carvalho Tweeted news of Roop's injury, but said he's got an opponent already lined up. However, he couldn't yet reveal the name, saying it would be announced soon.
Roop has lost three of his last four, and will now have to wait before attempting to get out of that hole. Carvalho is also looking to bounce back from a loss, having dropped a decision to Felipe Arantes in his UFC debut in January at UFC 142.
Luke Cummo Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai Mac Danzig Karen Darabedyan
UFC 147 Results: Rich Franklin survives Wanderlei Silva onslaught for decision win; Werdum stops Russow
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
For almost two minutes of a 25-minute fight in Belo Horizonte in Brazil on Saturday night, it looked like Wanderlei Silva might pull out a win over Rich Franklin. However, Franklin won most of the remaining 23 minutes of their UFC 147 bout, taking a unanimous decision four rounds to one in the night's main event.
Much of the fight consisted of Franklin popping in and out with strikes, pressing the action on Silva and avoiding the counter blows. However, Silva rocked Franklin in the second round and sent him to the canvas. Following up on the ground, Silva landed several big strikes and came very close to finishing the fight during the frame.
However, Franklin survived the onslaught, and Silva didn't have much to offer from there on out. The final three rounds all looked similar, with Franklin doing enough offensively to take the rounds while avoiding any of the limited strikes Silva was throwing his way. Silva finally tried to make a statement at the end of the fight, but it was too little, too late, and didn't win the round.
In other action on the night's card, Fabricio Werdum kept himself in the discussion as a possible title challenger at heavyweight, finishing Mike Russow in just over a couple of minutes, handing the American just his second career loss.
Werdum dropped Russow with an uppercut, then unleashed a series of strikes on the ground - many of which hit the back of the head. Ultimately, the assault was too much for Russow, and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight, giving Werdum his second straight win since returning to the UFC.
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Much of the fight consisted of Franklin popping in and out with strikes, pressing the action on Silva and avoiding the counter blows. However, Silva rocked Franklin in the second round and sent him to the canvas. Following up on the ground, Silva landed several big strikes and came very close to finishing the fight during the frame.
However, Franklin survived the onslaught, and Silva didn't have much to offer from there on out. The final three rounds all looked similar, with Franklin doing enough offensively to take the rounds while avoiding any of the limited strikes Silva was throwing his way. Silva finally tried to make a statement at the end of the fight, but it was too little, too late, and didn't win the round.
In other action on the night's card, Fabricio Werdum kept himself in the discussion as a possible title challenger at heavyweight, finishing Mike Russow in just over a couple of minutes, handing the American just his second career loss.
Werdum dropped Russow with an uppercut, then unleashed a series of strikes on the ground - many of which hit the back of the head. Ultimately, the assault was too much for Russow, and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight, giving Werdum his second straight win since returning to the UFC.
Shinya Aoki Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio
Maurico ?Shogun? Rua vs. Brandon Vera is the new main event for UFC on Fox 4
Rua was supposed to fight Thiago Silva in July, but that bout was scrapped because of an injury to Silva. Vera was training for a fight with James Te Huna earlier in July, but Te Huna now needs a new opponent.
Lombard is opponentless. With the UFC so packed with fights over the summer, there aren't many healthy middleweights available to take on Lombard in his UFC debut. The UFC just had to juggle middleweights around to handle Vitor Belfort's injury and removal from the UFC 147 main event.
Who should Lombard face? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.
UPDATE: Lombard will fight Tim Boetsch, who was available because Michael Bisping had to pull out of their UFC 149 bout with an injury. Lombard/Boetsch will take place at UFC 149.
Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello Josh Burkman Mikey Burnett
We want your UFC 148 picks
We've talked about this fight for nearly two years. The build-up for Chael Sonnen's bout with middleweight champion Anderson Silva has been bigger than for any fight that I can remember. Now, it's almost here, and it's time for you to pick a side.
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Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie
Friday, June 29, 2012
Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado Confirmed for ?UFC on FOX 4?
As expected, light heavyweight Phil Davis (Pictured) will now meet Wagner Prado at ?UFC on FOX: Shogun vs. Vera.? Mr. Wonderful was initially slotted to fight Chad Griggs in the August 4th event, but the former Strikeforce slugger had to bow out with an undisclosed injury. After posting an unblemished record through his first nine [...]
Xavier Foupa Pokam Hermes Franca Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye
Rashad Evans says bout with Anderson Silva the only one he'd take at middleweight in the UFC
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"I thought about [moving to middleweight], then I thought about how hard that weight cut is. I used to wrestle at 174 in college, I would cut so much weight on a continuous basis and I was like, 'You know what? If I ever have to compete again, I'm not cutting weight like that.' Because what ends up happening is, the philosophy is, 'Oh well you go down to a lower weight and you'll be stronger.' Not necessarily. Some people go down to a lower weight and they're actually weaker, and I felt like when I was the best athlete I could be in college wrestling, is when I wrestled to my natural weight. So that's what I try to do in fighting, I try to compete at my natural weight. I may go to 185 and not be the same fighter because I'm maybe cutting too much weight.
Anderson [Silva] is somebody I would love to fight because when it's all said and done, whether you win or lose, to compete against the best in the sport is really what it's all about. You know, if I can walk away from my career and say I competed against some of the best in the sport in my time and era, then I can wrap up and say I had a really great career. So if the opportunity comes, and that fight happens, yeah I would drop to 185 to fight."
-Rashad Evans talks to ProMMANow.com about his thoughts on moving to middleweight (transcribed by Fight Cove).
Penick's Analysis: That's the type of fight the UFC could be more likely to put together than some others, but that doesn't necessarily make it a likelihood. Evans is in a tough spot at 205 lbs. right now after his loss to Jones. He's capable of defeating just about anyone in the division, but with how the first fight played out a rematch isn't going to happen anytime soon. If he did want to make a drop to middleweight, he'd be much more likely to make another title run. As he doesn't want to make that move, he's stuck for now. He'll have to figure out just what makes the most sense for him, and if that's keeping himself at 205 lbs. with no title opportunities anytime soon, that's where he'll stay. But a bout between Rashad and Anderson Silva could make for a really good event for the UFC sometime in the next year.
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Anderson [Silva] is somebody I would love to fight because when it's all said and done, whether you win or lose, to compete against the best in the sport is really what it's all about. You know, if I can walk away from my career and say I competed against some of the best in the sport in my time and era, then I can wrap up and say I had a really great career. So if the opportunity comes, and that fight happens, yeah I would drop to 185 to fight."
-Rashad Evans talks to ProMMANow.com about his thoughts on moving to middleweight (transcribed by Fight Cove).
Penick's Analysis: That's the type of fight the UFC could be more likely to put together than some others, but that doesn't necessarily make it a likelihood. Evans is in a tough spot at 205 lbs. right now after his loss to Jones. He's capable of defeating just about anyone in the division, but with how the first fight played out a rematch isn't going to happen anytime soon. If he did want to make a drop to middleweight, he'd be much more likely to make another title run. As he doesn't want to make that move, he's stuck for now. He'll have to figure out just what makes the most sense for him, and if that's keeping himself at 205 lbs. with no title opportunities anytime soon, that's where he'll stay. But a bout between Rashad and Anderson Silva could make for a really good event for the UFC sometime in the next year.
Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito
UFC 148: Alternate translation of Anderson Silva's tirade against Chael Sonnen
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"Sonnen is the sport's slag. He doesn't deserve to be in the UFC. He has legal problems, he's a jerk. I'll kick his ass. I'll rip every one of his teeth off. Who lives from the past are museum guys. I don't live in the past. I'll kick his ass. No more kidding, no more trashtalking. He's going down and I'll hit him like he's never been hit before. All of the times he didn't get beaten up by his mama and papa are coming back to him now... He's gonna get hurt. He'll swallow his teeth. After I spank him people will get frightened. I'll do something no one has ever done in the UFC: I'll break his face, his arms and legs. He's gonna get carried on a gurney. It's a professional fight but I'll tear him apart. He's gonna learn to respect the country that created the sport. He's a criminal, a scumbag, a piece of crap. He's not saying one bit of other fighters anymore. It ends here and now. No more jokes."
-Anderson Silva's comments during today's UFC 148 conference call were translated by his manager Ed Soares. Here are a few of those comments as translated and transcribed by Tatame.com.
Penick's Analysis: Mike Bacior made an interesting point this evening about Silva essentially being out for blood, and how fighting with that emotion instead of fighting to defeat Sonnen could work against him. It's certainly possible that Sonnen is too far in Silva's head for the Champion to effectively work, and we could see him off his game as he's intent on hurting Sonnen. However, it is just as possible that he's got all this pent up frustration sitting in the tank in order to unleash it on Sonnen come July 7. One thing's for sure, it's a bit refreshing to hear Silva's emotion for the fight, and if he indeed can channel the anger he's feeling into something dangerous and effective on July 7, fans could be in for something special.
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-Anderson Silva's comments during today's UFC 148 conference call were translated by his manager Ed Soares. Here are a few of those comments as translated and transcribed by Tatame.com.
Penick's Analysis: Mike Bacior made an interesting point this evening about Silva essentially being out for blood, and how fighting with that emotion instead of fighting to defeat Sonnen could work against him. It's certainly possible that Sonnen is too far in Silva's head for the Champion to effectively work, and we could see him off his game as he's intent on hurting Sonnen. However, it is just as possible that he's got all this pent up frustration sitting in the tank in order to unleash it on Sonnen come July 7. One thing's for sure, it's a bit refreshing to hear Silva's emotion for the fight, and if he indeed can channel the anger he's feeling into something dangerous and effective on July 7, fans could be in for something special.
Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah
Randy Couture says Anderson Silva ?didn?t really? beat Chael Sonnen
It appears UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture has been dipping into middleweight Chael Sonnen?s Kool-Aid. Couture, who can usually be counted on for an informed opinion and intricate analysis, was recently asked to weigh in on Sonnen?s upcoming fight with Anderson Silva and gave an answer possibly raising a few eyebrows outside of West [...]
Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund
UFC Heavyweight Alistair Overeem: "I want to show the world that I am a clean fighter"
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Since testing positive for an elevated testosterone to epitestosterone ratio back in March, UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem has remained mostly silent, outside of his hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
At that licensing hearing, Overeem's explanation for the presence of synthetic testosterone in his system was that he was given a mixture of drugs by his doctor to treat an injury. Unbeknownst to him, Overeem claimed, the mixture contained testosterone. His license was denied, though they reduced the amount of time he needed to wait before reapplying for a license.
Overeem continues to maintain that he's a clean fighter, and in an interview on Tuesday's edition of UFC Tonight, Overeem commented on a number of subjects surrounding his positive test, his elevated testosterone ratio, and more.
"Well, I'm back and the question is: why was I quiet? When I had the positive test results, I didn't even know what that was and I didn't want to talk about something I didn't know about. So we sat back and researched the whole topic," Overeem explained. "The positive test came as a surprise to me and everyone, and by the time we researched it, we figured we would just explain the situation in front of the commission. When you try to answer the media about something you don't know, I don't think it is the right thing to do."
"Like I explained in front of the commission, the spike was due to medication that I received from a licensed doctor to help my injury. I did it. I took responsibility and stepped away from the title fight. And now, I am doing random testing with the commission to prove I am a legit fighter.?
This so-called "random testing" Overeem spoke of is a self administered series of tests while he's waiting on the sidelines for nine months. Though he has already received criticism for doing a "random" test on his own, he says it's going to be an ongoing series of tests to show prove that he's got nothing to hide.
"I want to show the world that I am a clean fighter," he said. "One test doesn't say anything. But if you do the test every three to four weeks, than you prove to people that you are clean. You are being observed, and it is by different people who I don't know every time, so there is no foul play. I am hoping that I can prove to the world that I am a clean fighter. I am also doing this for myself, my fans, and the commission to show that I am a clean fighter and ready to come back and fight for a title in the UFC."
Overeem has also received heavy criticism from UFC President Dana White, who was incensed with the positive test after Overeem assured him to his face that he wouldn't fail any tests. Overeem said he hasn't yet talked to White, but hopes to prove to him and the fans that he is being honest.
"I have not spoken to Dana personally," Overeem said. "But he is a busy man, has a company to run and fans to take care of. I respect Dana and I want to convince Dana through my actions that I am a legit fighter and through tests... [The only way to convince anyone is] by doing these tests. What else can you do? I will be doing any tests that are requested of me at any time."
Penick's Analysis: Overeem can test himself every other day at this point and it's not going to change the opinions of some. Considering the questions that surrounded his massive size gain as he moved into the heavyweight division, the fact that he had synthetic testosterone in his system in March was enough to condemn him for many skeptics. It's going to be hard for anyone to take his word at face value with how this situation went down. For a fighter who has been so adamant that he knows what's going into his body to not know what was going into his body was a laughable excuse, and when the doctor in question had as shady a past as his doctor did, it didn't make for a believable story. He can pass all the tests he wants in this next year, all that will say to some is that he's off of whatever he was on before. He'll try to move past it, and provided he doesn't fail another test the UFC will still book him in major fights, and likely will still give him a title run, but this is going to remain a stain on him for a long time to come.
[Alistair Overeem art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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At that licensing hearing, Overeem's explanation for the presence of synthetic testosterone in his system was that he was given a mixture of drugs by his doctor to treat an injury. Unbeknownst to him, Overeem claimed, the mixture contained testosterone. His license was denied, though they reduced the amount of time he needed to wait before reapplying for a license.
Overeem continues to maintain that he's a clean fighter, and in an interview on Tuesday's edition of UFC Tonight, Overeem commented on a number of subjects surrounding his positive test, his elevated testosterone ratio, and more.
"Well, I'm back and the question is: why was I quiet? When I had the positive test results, I didn't even know what that was and I didn't want to talk about something I didn't know about. So we sat back and researched the whole topic," Overeem explained. "The positive test came as a surprise to me and everyone, and by the time we researched it, we figured we would just explain the situation in front of the commission. When you try to answer the media about something you don't know, I don't think it is the right thing to do."
"Like I explained in front of the commission, the spike was due to medication that I received from a licensed doctor to help my injury. I did it. I took responsibility and stepped away from the title fight. And now, I am doing random testing with the commission to prove I am a legit fighter.?
This so-called "random testing" Overeem spoke of is a self administered series of tests while he's waiting on the sidelines for nine months. Though he has already received criticism for doing a "random" test on his own, he says it's going to be an ongoing series of tests to show prove that he's got nothing to hide.
"I want to show the world that I am a clean fighter," he said. "One test doesn't say anything. But if you do the test every three to four weeks, than you prove to people that you are clean. You are being observed, and it is by different people who I don't know every time, so there is no foul play. I am hoping that I can prove to the world that I am a clean fighter. I am also doing this for myself, my fans, and the commission to show that I am a clean fighter and ready to come back and fight for a title in the UFC."
Overeem has also received heavy criticism from UFC President Dana White, who was incensed with the positive test after Overeem assured him to his face that he wouldn't fail any tests. Overeem said he hasn't yet talked to White, but hopes to prove to him and the fans that he is being honest.
"I have not spoken to Dana personally," Overeem said. "But he is a busy man, has a company to run and fans to take care of. I respect Dana and I want to convince Dana through my actions that I am a legit fighter and through tests... [The only way to convince anyone is] by doing these tests. What else can you do? I will be doing any tests that are requested of me at any time."
Penick's Analysis: Overeem can test himself every other day at this point and it's not going to change the opinions of some. Considering the questions that surrounded his massive size gain as he moved into the heavyweight division, the fact that he had synthetic testosterone in his system in March was enough to condemn him for many skeptics. It's going to be hard for anyone to take his word at face value with how this situation went down. For a fighter who has been so adamant that he knows what's going into his body to not know what was going into his body was a laughable excuse, and when the doctor in question had as shady a past as his doctor did, it didn't make for a believable story. He can pass all the tests he wants in this next year, all that will say to some is that he's off of whatever he was on before. He'll try to move past it, and provided he doesn't fail another test the UFC will still book him in major fights, and likely will still give him a title run, but this is going to remain a stain on him for a long time to come.
[Alistair Overeem art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida Jason Guida
Bad Boy going to UFC Hall of Fame
The UFC announced that Tito Ortiz will join the UFC Hall of Fame with an induction ceremony the same day as his fight with Forrest Griffin on Saturday, July 7th. �Thus, Ortiz will be fighting his last bout in the UFC as a current Hall of Famer. Via UFC Press Release: Ortiz will be officially [...]
Edwin Dewees Nick Diaz Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman
This week in callouts: B.J. Penn accepts Rory MacDonald?s challenge while Johny Hendricks eyes Carlos Condit
But in MMA, if fighters play their cards right, they can push, whine, cajole, or just ask for a certain opponent. Ronda Rousey was able to get her fight against Miesha Tate via combination of armbars and callouts. Frank Mir raising his hand after Alistair Overeem was not licensed for his bout with Junior dos Santos earned him an ill-fated title shot.
With that in mind, both Johnny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald have called out the opponent they want to see on the other side of the Octagon.
For MacDonald, it's the seemingly retired B.J. Penn. MacDonald told the MMA Hour he wanted to face Penn while he could.
"It's more of the idea that he may be retiring, so how many opportunities am l going to get to fight a guy like BJ after he's gone?" he said. "I think it'd be a great fight. I know I'm going to fight all these guys in the top 10 eventually. I'm a young guy and these guys are going to be around for a long time and I know I'm going to get my shot against all these guys, and maybe I'll be missing my opportunity if I wait too long with B.J."
Penn, who recently shot down Josh Koscheck's hopes for a fight, accepted the challenge from the 13-1 MacDonald. On Penn's website, he posted this simple message.
"Rory, I accept your challenge!"
Their bout will reportedly happen at UFC 152 in Toronto.
Perhaps Johny Hendricks was inspired by MacDonald. After learning he will have to fight Martin Kampmann to get a shot at the UFC welterweight belt, Hendricks turned his sights on interim belt holder Carlos Condit. On Wednesday, he tweeted:
No more waiting @CarlosCondit. Let's see who the #1 Contender really is.
Condit won the interim belt after his bout with Georges St-Pierre was shelved because of GSP's torn ACL. However, Condit has indicated he wants to wait to fight GSP and the chance to unite the belts. GSP is aiming for a November return. It's the beginning of June, and both Hendricks and Condit are healthy. Hendricks wants to both stay active and get a shot to move up a rung or two on the welterweight ladder. It's a fight that makes sense. Will Hendricks be able to get the fight he wants? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Gilbert Aldana José Aldo John Alessio Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida
Vitor Belfort has strong feelings on shaving
Vitor Belfort missed out on the chance to fight in front of a home crowd over the weekend, as he had to pull out from his bout with Wanderlei Silva because of an injury. However, he is not going to miss on the chance to tell fellow Brazilians how to sh...
Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo Luciano Azevedo Ba Te er Ryan Bader
UFC on FX 4 "Maynard vs. Guida" draws average of 1.3 million viewers
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Friday's UFC on FX 4 event saw a bit of an increase in viewership from the previous two events on the network this month. According to TVBytheNumbers.com, Friday's two-hour broadcast on FX brought in a .7 rating in adults 18-49, and drew an average of just over 1.3 million viewers.
That number is up from the 1.1 million average viewers for UFC on FX 3 on June 8, and the one million viewers for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on June 1. Friday's event, which tied for fifth out of ten fight broadcasts on the network in 2012, was headlined by the lightweight bout between Gray Maynard and Clay Guida.
Friday's UFC on FX 4 event saw a bit of an increase in viewership from the previous two events on the network this month. According to TVBytheNumbers.com, Friday's two-hour broadcast on FX brought in a .7 rating in adults 18-49, and drew an average of just over 1.3 million viewers.
That number is up from the 1.1 million average viewers for UFC on FX 3 on June 8, and the one million viewers for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on June 1. Friday's event, which tied for fifth out of ten fight broadcasts on the network in 2012, was headlined by the lightweight bout between Gray Maynard and Clay Guida.
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Two Fights Added to ?Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman? Roster
Now that tickets for “Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman” have officially hit the box offices, it’s time for the UFC’s little brother to start filling out the event’s roster. On Tuesday night, the mixed martial arts promotion diligently announced a pair of scraps to the August 18th extravaganza. Former Strikeforce middleweight champ� Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (Pictured0) [...]
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Actress Charlize Theron wonders what her love of the UFC says about her
Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron was out promoting "Prometheus" and "Snow White and the Huntsman" when she took a chance to discuss her love for the UFC. She told Conan O'Brien that a friend introduced her to fights and she hasn't looked back.
"I wonder what it says about me that I like sweaty, hot men bleeding all over each other and bashing each other in the face, but I can live with that," Theron said.
Oh, Charlize. You're not truly an MMA fan until you have that conversation with yourself. Welcome to the fold.
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Aaron Simpson will honor Pat Tillman at UFC on Fuel 4
Aaron Simpson went to Arizona State with NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman. Simpson became friends with Pat's brother Kevin, and Pat and Kevin would come to wrestling meets to support Simpson and the other Sun Devil wrestlers.
"I can remember exac...
"I can remember exac...
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UFC 147 Bonuses: Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Rodrigo Damm, and Marcos Vinicius earn extra $65,000
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Saturday's UFC 147 event was a success in Brazil, drawing an energetic and raucous crowd of 16,643 to the Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It was a card meant for the Brazilian fans, and though the biggest star on the card in Wanderlei Silva fell short, fans were happy with what they witnessed.
Four fighters were made even happier with their performances as well, as the UFC handed out $65,000 bonuses to Silva, Rich Franklin, Rodrigo Damm, and Marcos "Vina" Vinicius for their efforts.
Franklin and Silva took the "Fight of the Night" for their five round battle in the night's main event. Franklin was able to use footwork to avoid Silva's rushes, while attacking with his own combinations and staying active throughout four of the five rounds. However, Silva nearly ended the fight in the second round when he dropped Franklin with a big strike and landed a torrent of punches on the ground. Franklin survived, however, and took over for the rest of the bout.
Damm, the former Strikeforce competitor and "TUF: Brazil" featherweight competitor, took out rival Anistavio "Gasparzinho" Medeiros in quick fashion, knocking him down and locking on a rear naked choke in fairly quick fashion in the first round. That finish earned him the "Submission of the Night."
Another featherweight competitor from "TUF: Brazil" took home the night's "Knockout of the Night" award, as Vinicius took out Wagner Campos with a huge flurry of strikes against the cage.
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Four fighters were made even happier with their performances as well, as the UFC handed out $65,000 bonuses to Silva, Rich Franklin, Rodrigo Damm, and Marcos "Vina" Vinicius for their efforts.
Franklin and Silva took the "Fight of the Night" for their five round battle in the night's main event. Franklin was able to use footwork to avoid Silva's rushes, while attacking with his own combinations and staying active throughout four of the five rounds. However, Silva nearly ended the fight in the second round when he dropped Franklin with a big strike and landed a torrent of punches on the ground. Franklin survived, however, and took over for the rest of the bout.
Damm, the former Strikeforce competitor and "TUF: Brazil" featherweight competitor, took out rival Anistavio "Gasparzinho" Medeiros in quick fashion, knocking him down and locking on a rear naked choke in fairly quick fashion in the first round. That finish earned him the "Submission of the Night."
Another featherweight competitor from "TUF: Brazil" took home the night's "Knockout of the Night" award, as Vinicius took out Wagner Campos with a huge flurry of strikes against the cage.
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UFC Champ Georges St-Pierre admits he was burned out before injury, plans to have fun upon return
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre has been out of action for over 15 months, and though he's getting back to full training after two knee injuries in the last year, he still does not have a firm timetable for his return. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing for the 31-year-old Champion.
For a long time he's been considered one of the greatest in the sport, but in his last several fights the skill gap between he and his opponents has resulted in some less than thrilling fights. These bouts had brought criticisms on St-Pierre for fighting too safe or for becoming a "boring" fighter, and as he continued going through the motions, he says that all was beginning to weigh on him.
"This is the first big injury that's kept me out of the sport for such a long time. I was completely burned out before I got it," he admitted in an interview with UK publication The Sun. "I was over-trained and wasn't having as much fun as I used to before because of all the pressure and all the critics. So the fact that I hurt my knee allowed me to take a break, step back and see what my priorities were and change a lot of things in my life and in my training.
"I'm coming back as a new guy and I've never been as relieved. I'm having fun again. The key to this whole thing is to have fun so that's what I'm going to focus on. When you have fun in what you do best ? that's when you're successful."
While he was tired and burned out, with the criticism weighing heavy on him as well as the pressure to keep himself on top, he insists he wasn't ready to walk away from the sport. Instead, he's excited after the layoff, and is very much looking forward to taking on new challenges in the division.
"I never felt like quitting," he said. "I've trained almost every day since I was seven years old. I never took a break in my life and now that it's happened for the first time I took it as a blessing to come back fresh, better and sharper.
"It's been the most frustrating period of my career but it's allowed a whole lot of new challengers to appear. It's going to be fun because I'm not going to have to fight the same guys all over again ? it's a new challenge and I feel very motivated about that."
First up on that list is Carlos Condit, who defeated Nick Diaz in February to capture the Interim Welterweight Championship. Some other names have emerged in recent months as well, with Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks likely locking horns this November to determine the next challenger for the title. Then there's Nick Diaz, who will likely be in the mix when his suspension for marijuana metabolites expires next February. That last fight is one St-Pierre still hopes to get, but he's got other things on his plate first.
"He is the champion and I want to beat the champion ? I want to beat the best guy.
"I'm confident I could beat him. I would also like to fight Nick Diaz ? but I have to fight one guy at a time!"
Ultimately, St-Pierre believes he's coming back strong, and even though he's been on top for so long he feels he hasn't reached his apex just yet.
"I believe my best years are to come," he said. "I want to be the best of the best at the end of my career.
"I aim very high. I love what I do for a living and I don't plan on retiring any time soon."
Penick's Analysis: If St-Pierre having fun upon his return gets him back to the dominating, violent force of nature we had seen from him on his path to the title and back again to recapturing the title a second time that can only be a good thing. I've never been a harsh critic of St-Pierre's dominating style, but considering the way other fighters finished some of the opponents that St-Pierre allowed to survive for five rounds with him, there's something to be said about his overly conservative nature at times. That said, he's still the greatest fighter the 170 lb. division has ever seen, and if he comes back from this knee injury healthy and prepared to be better than ever, that can mean only positive things for fans and the UFC for years ahead.
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For a long time he's been considered one of the greatest in the sport, but in his last several fights the skill gap between he and his opponents has resulted in some less than thrilling fights. These bouts had brought criticisms on St-Pierre for fighting too safe or for becoming a "boring" fighter, and as he continued going through the motions, he says that all was beginning to weigh on him.
"This is the first big injury that's kept me out of the sport for such a long time. I was completely burned out before I got it," he admitted in an interview with UK publication The Sun. "I was over-trained and wasn't having as much fun as I used to before because of all the pressure and all the critics. So the fact that I hurt my knee allowed me to take a break, step back and see what my priorities were and change a lot of things in my life and in my training.
"I'm coming back as a new guy and I've never been as relieved. I'm having fun again. The key to this whole thing is to have fun so that's what I'm going to focus on. When you have fun in what you do best ? that's when you're successful."
While he was tired and burned out, with the criticism weighing heavy on him as well as the pressure to keep himself on top, he insists he wasn't ready to walk away from the sport. Instead, he's excited after the layoff, and is very much looking forward to taking on new challenges in the division.
"I never felt like quitting," he said. "I've trained almost every day since I was seven years old. I never took a break in my life and now that it's happened for the first time I took it as a blessing to come back fresh, better and sharper.
"It's been the most frustrating period of my career but it's allowed a whole lot of new challengers to appear. It's going to be fun because I'm not going to have to fight the same guys all over again ? it's a new challenge and I feel very motivated about that."
First up on that list is Carlos Condit, who defeated Nick Diaz in February to capture the Interim Welterweight Championship. Some other names have emerged in recent months as well, with Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks likely locking horns this November to determine the next challenger for the title. Then there's Nick Diaz, who will likely be in the mix when his suspension for marijuana metabolites expires next February. That last fight is one St-Pierre still hopes to get, but he's got other things on his plate first.
"He is the champion and I want to beat the champion ? I want to beat the best guy.
"I'm confident I could beat him. I would also like to fight Nick Diaz ? but I have to fight one guy at a time!"
Ultimately, St-Pierre believes he's coming back strong, and even though he's been on top for so long he feels he hasn't reached his apex just yet.
"I believe my best years are to come," he said. "I want to be the best of the best at the end of my career.
"I aim very high. I love what I do for a living and I don't plan on retiring any time soon."
Penick's Analysis: If St-Pierre having fun upon his return gets him back to the dominating, violent force of nature we had seen from him on his path to the title and back again to recapturing the title a second time that can only be a good thing. I've never been a harsh critic of St-Pierre's dominating style, but considering the way other fighters finished some of the opponents that St-Pierre allowed to survive for five rounds with him, there's something to be said about his overly conservative nature at times. That said, he's still the greatest fighter the 170 lb. division has ever seen, and if he comes back from this knee injury healthy and prepared to be better than ever, that can mean only positive things for fans and the UFC for years ahead.
Spencer Fisher Jon Fitch Kenny Florian Jesse Forbes Xavier Foupa Pokam
?UFC 148: It?s Personal? Video Promo
Anderson Silva’s (Pictured) outburst during Monday’s conference call was out of character and unexpected, but the UFC is going to milk his lambasting of Chael Sonnen for all it’s worth. In the latest UFC 148 video promo to hit the airwaves, the organization pieced together some of Sonnen’s banter over the past several months and [...]
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UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147 picks from Kevin Iole, Maggie Hendricks and you
UFC on FX 4
Kevin Iole: Maynard TKO3 Guida -- This should be a highly entertaining fight that has a chance to be a Fight of the Year. I expect Maynard to get Guida onto his back at some point and finish him with some good elbows.
Maggie Hendricks: Guida W5 Maynard -- Guida has the motor to neutralize Maynard and grind out a five-rounder.
Cagereader: Gray beats Clay TKO in the 3rd. Clay doesn't have the foot work needed to avoid the heavy hands of Gray. Meanwhile Gray will use his wrestling and size to power through any take down attempts Guida throws his way. -- Joe Merla
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Kevin Iole: Sam Stout TKO1 Spencer Fisher -- This is one of the most entertaining series in MMA history, but Stout is much improved. I think he catches Fisher and ends it in the first.
Maggie Hendricks: Sam Stout KO1 Spencer Fisher -- Since their last (very exciting) bout, Stout has steadily improved while Fisher's age has shown. This should be an easy win for him.
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Kevin Iole: Brian Ebersole W3 T.J. Waldburger -- Ebersole's experience the difference in a nip-and--tuck fight.
Maggie Hendricks: Brian Ebersole SUB1 T.J. Waldburger -- Ebersole and his sculptural body body hair will continue his winning streak, which currently sits at 10 wins in a row.
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Kevin Iole: Ross Pearson TKO2 Cub Swanson -- This is an important fight for Pearson, who is going to coach on TUF and needs to come in with a win. He hasn't won two in a row in more than two years, but I think he'll do it this time.
Maggie Hendricks: Ross Pearson W3 Cub Swanson -- Pearson's win over Junior Assuncao showed he was more comfortable at featherweight.
Kevin Iole: Rich Franklin TKO2 Wanderlei Silva -- Franklin got one legend when he knocked out Chuck Liddell and I think he does it in this fight to another legend. The issue here is there are great questions about both men. Franklin is fighting for the first time in 16 months after a major shoulder injury, but I think he has more left and finds a way to stop Silva in a fun fight.
Maggie Hendricks: Rich Franklin W3 Wanderlei Silva -- Though it's not the fight we were hoping for, it's still going to be fun to watch two legends face off. They'll both get bloody and bruised, but Franklin will come out the winner.
Cagereader: Franklin's tough chin, technical striking and solid footwork will lead him to out point Silva and win a decision ... again.� -- Daniel Christian
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Kevin Iole: Fabricio Werdum SUB2 Mike Russow -- Russow has been on a nice roll, but Werdum is on another level from the men he's been fighting. Werdum's striking edge will set him up for a submission, which he'll get in the second.
Maggie Hendricks: Mike Russow W3 Fabricio Werdum -- If Russow keeps the fight standing, he can land some good shots and keep his winning streak going.
Cagereader -- Werdum beats Russow because he's the best submission fighter in the UFC heavyweight division at present time. He has a number of unique weapons in his arsenal, including a superb attack off his back. I say a win here by Werdum sets up a match between him and Frank Mir, in a fight to determine who is the best pure BJJ expert among UFC heavyweights. -- Eric Holden
Related UFC news from Yahoo! Sports:
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UFC Champs Jon Jones, Anderson Silva nominated for ESPY award for "Best Fighter"
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
No MMA fighter has ever been handed the "Best Fighter" award at ESPN's "ESPY Awards," but that could change in 2012 as two UFC Champions are in the running.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva join boxers Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Andre Ward. Mayweather has previously won the award in 2007, 2008, and 2010.
Jones earns his first nomination after an incredible run in the MMA world over the last 15 months. After capturing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Mauricio "Shogun" Rua last March, Jones has defeated three former champions in Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans consecutively to retain his title.
"It's an honor to not only be nominated for the ESPY for Best Fighter, but to also be included in a category with some of the greatest fighters in MMA and boxing history," Jones commented in a statement released by his management group.
Fans can vote on ESPY award categories online or by heading to ESPN.com/ESPYS on their mobile devices. The awards ceremony takes place on July 11 at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, hosted by Rob Riggle.
Penick's Analysis: There's no earthly reason anyone but Jones should win the award this year. No MMA fighter has gotten the nod in past years, but what Jones has done inside the cage in the last calendar year is nothing short of spectacular. Regardless of anything else outside of the cage, his work inside has been unparalleled. Stopping three Champions in a row and becoming only the second person to defeat Evans, all in such a short time period, is an incredible feat, and he deserves to be recognized as the best fighter of the last year. Silva only fought once during the last calendar year, and though it was a fantastic knockout of Yushin Okami, it's not up to Jones' three fight stretch.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva join boxers Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Andre Ward. Mayweather has previously won the award in 2007, 2008, and 2010.
Jones earns his first nomination after an incredible run in the MMA world over the last 15 months. After capturing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Mauricio "Shogun" Rua last March, Jones has defeated three former champions in Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans consecutively to retain his title.
"It's an honor to not only be nominated for the ESPY for Best Fighter, but to also be included in a category with some of the greatest fighters in MMA and boxing history," Jones commented in a statement released by his management group.
Fans can vote on ESPY award categories online or by heading to ESPN.com/ESPYS on their mobile devices. The awards ceremony takes place on July 11 at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, hosted by Rob Riggle.
Penick's Analysis: There's no earthly reason anyone but Jones should win the award this year. No MMA fighter has gotten the nod in past years, but what Jones has done inside the cage in the last calendar year is nothing short of spectacular. Regardless of anything else outside of the cage, his work inside has been unparalleled. Stopping three Champions in a row and becoming only the second person to defeat Evans, all in such a short time period, is an incredible feat, and he deserves to be recognized as the best fighter of the last year. Silva only fought once during the last calendar year, and though it was a fantastic knockout of Yushin Okami, it's not up to Jones' three fight stretch.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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UFC set to stage 2,000th fight in company history
It will mark the 2,000th fight in UFC history. The first came on Nov. 12, 1993, at McNichols Arena in Denver, when Gerard Gordeau opened UFC 1 by stopping Teila Tuli in just 26 seconds. Gordeau kicked Tuli in the face and reportedly knocked out three of his teeth.
Zuffa, which currently owns the company, took control of the UFC from Semaphore Entertainment Group in January 2001 and has promoted all of its shows since. In the pre-Zuffa days, the UFC had to move to states without athletic commissions in order to hold its events. It was banned from cable for a period of time and was infamously referred to as "human cockfighting" by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
"This company runs so fast, most of the time we don't even stop to think about these milestones." White said. "But 2000 UFC fights is a pretty crazy number when you remember the UFC was supposed to be a one-and-done event.
"This weekend, we've got two huge shows in two different countries. On Friday, we're in Atlantic City with a great FX card headlined by a five rounder between Gray Maynard and Clay Guida, and then the next day we're in Brazil with a pay-per-view headlined by Wanderlei Silva versus Rich Franklin. The UFC has come a long way since fight No.1."
Alcantara and Dias will share a piece of history if there are no cancellations either on Friday or on Saturday's preliminary card. They are supposed to open the pay-per-view broadcast Saturday and if all goes according plan, they'll be in the 2,000th fight and the answer to a trivia question.
One of the great things about mixed martial arts, though, is that things don't always go as planned. The 2,000th bout will be held on Saturday and it will likely be between Alcantara and Dias, but stay tuned.
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Clay Guida?s hair won?t be flying free on Friday
UFC lightweight Clay Guida is as known for his hair as he is for his unlimited cardio and ability to withstand a punch. However, it won't be flying free on Friday when he faces Gray Maynard in Atlantic City. After a request from Maynard's camp to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, Guida's hair will be braided back.
Though Guida usually fights with his long, curly locks flowing free and doesn't want to put his hair back, he also doesn't want a disagreement over hair to distract him before the fight. His manager said Guida plans to comply, which means the two sides won't have to go through a hearing.
"He doesn't want to do it, and I don't believe he's 100 percent happy about it, but he's being very understanding and very cooperative about it and he agreed to it," Nick Lembo of the New Jersey commission told MMAjunkie.com. "Otherwise, if he said, 'No, I'm not going to do that,' we'd have to have a hearing on it and let both sides present their case and have a commissioner's ruling on the issue."
Guida's hair has often been the topic of discussion. When the UFC's first video game came out, Guida was not included because the game's designers couldn't recreate his hair in video game form. UFC president Dana White offered Guida $10,000 to cut his hair, but he said to add a few zeroes on the number.
"The hair's here to� stay. It's part of my style, part of my trademark," Guida told Cagewriter in 2009.
Guida's hair flies around when he fights. He often has to push it out of his face as he is fighting. Because it moves every time he is punched or kicked, it can actually give his opponents an advantage. Judges can more easily tell when Guida gets hit, usually giving his opponent an advantage.
But as Guida said, his hair is his trademark. Taking it away may not be about a physical advantage, but a mental one. Maynard's camp may be engaged in a bit of gamesmanship.
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Michael Bisping eying September return, believes he deserves rematch with Chael Sonnen
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Michael Bisping was set to take on a tough challenge in Tim Boetsch this summer at UFC 149 in Calgary, but a knee injury forced him out of the fight. He had surgery on the knee last week, and in an interview with MMAWeekly.com this week, he gave an update on his recovery.
"It's getting better. The swelling's starting to go down, I'm walking but only with a severe limp, but I can't bend the knee yet properly so I don't know when it is yet that I?ll be back in the gym," Bisping said. "I'm icing the hell out of it everyday, and hopefully within another week I can do some things."
He's hoping to return as early as UFC 151 on Sept. 1, an event headlined by the Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Jon Jones and Dan Henderson. Still, regardless of when he returns, he continues to be vocal about where he stands in the middleweight division, and is still eying a rematch with Chael Sonnen as soon as possible.
"I definitely think [I should face Chael if he beats Anderson Silva]," Bisping said. "The fight [at UFC on Fox 2 in January] was super, super close and a lot of people felt I won that fight, even the UFC, Dana [White] and Lorenzo [Fertitta] thought I won the fight. Chael Sonnen even thought I won the fight. In the Octagon he said he thought I won the first two rounds. So, everyone else seems to get a rematch these days instantly, why can't I get one?"
"I was fighting the No. 1 contender, but the judges awarded it to Chael. He won the fight, just because I lost doesn't mean I go to the back of the pile, it should mean I'm next in line. I just gave him the hardest fight he ever had and I'll give it to him again without a problem."
One of the reasons he's so adamant about deserving a spot in that potential title fight is the dearth of challengers in the middleweight division, all of whom he believes he should be above.
"You look at the contenders, who is there?" Bisping questioned. "Vitor Belfort just recently got beat, plus now he's injured. Yushin Okami's just been beat. There isn't too many challengers, I'm right there. Mark Munoz has a fight lined up with Chris Weidman, so if Chael wins, he needs a challenger, I'm right here."
Penick's Analysis: Bisping is delusional when it comes to the January fight. It was a close fight, and in the heat of it Sonnen may have felt he was down into the third round, but for most in attendance that night it was clear Sonnen was and did win the fight. Bisping needs to turn his concentration to recovery, then winning a fight before he starts talking Title fights. Besides, if he's hoping to return as soon as possible, the UFC isn't going to rush a title fight to suit his needs. He performed well against Sonnen, for the most part. However, he was dominated in the final round of that fight. He still doesn't have that big marquee win that will deliver a title fight, and he needs to work towards that in his next fight.
[Michael Bisping art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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"It's getting better. The swelling's starting to go down, I'm walking but only with a severe limp, but I can't bend the knee yet properly so I don't know when it is yet that I?ll be back in the gym," Bisping said. "I'm icing the hell out of it everyday, and hopefully within another week I can do some things."
He's hoping to return as early as UFC 151 on Sept. 1, an event headlined by the Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Jon Jones and Dan Henderson. Still, regardless of when he returns, he continues to be vocal about where he stands in the middleweight division, and is still eying a rematch with Chael Sonnen as soon as possible.
"I definitely think [I should face Chael if he beats Anderson Silva]," Bisping said. "The fight [at UFC on Fox 2 in January] was super, super close and a lot of people felt I won that fight, even the UFC, Dana [White] and Lorenzo [Fertitta] thought I won the fight. Chael Sonnen even thought I won the fight. In the Octagon he said he thought I won the first two rounds. So, everyone else seems to get a rematch these days instantly, why can't I get one?"
"I was fighting the No. 1 contender, but the judges awarded it to Chael. He won the fight, just because I lost doesn't mean I go to the back of the pile, it should mean I'm next in line. I just gave him the hardest fight he ever had and I'll give it to him again without a problem."
One of the reasons he's so adamant about deserving a spot in that potential title fight is the dearth of challengers in the middleweight division, all of whom he believes he should be above.
"You look at the contenders, who is there?" Bisping questioned. "Vitor Belfort just recently got beat, plus now he's injured. Yushin Okami's just been beat. There isn't too many challengers, I'm right there. Mark Munoz has a fight lined up with Chris Weidman, so if Chael wins, he needs a challenger, I'm right here."
Penick's Analysis: Bisping is delusional when it comes to the January fight. It was a close fight, and in the heat of it Sonnen may have felt he was down into the third round, but for most in attendance that night it was clear Sonnen was and did win the fight. Bisping needs to turn his concentration to recovery, then winning a fight before he starts talking Title fights. Besides, if he's hoping to return as soon as possible, the UFC isn't going to rush a title fight to suit his needs. He performed well against Sonnen, for the most part. However, he was dominated in the final round of that fight. He still doesn't have that big marquee win that will deliver a title fight, and he needs to work towards that in his next fight.
[Michael Bisping art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Tito Ortiz will be inducted into the Hall of Fame
"He pound for pound was doing some of the most damage at a time when we were hurting," said White. "But it's part of our history the way the storylines played out between me, Chuck and Tito. He's definitely a part of the history of the sport."
Ortiz has been given a great honor in being added to the names of Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and the rest. What undermines that honor is the arbitrary nature of the UFC Hall of Fame. Since it's the UFC's Hall, and not a non-partisan, MMA Hall of Fame, it has the right to do it. As Ben Fowlkes pointed out, it's no different than a company's employee of the month award. The UFC's brass is pleased with what Ortiz has brought to their company, so they want to honor him.
But it shouldn't be compared to the Halls of Fame that award retired football players or boxers. There is no transparent criteria. There are no rules on entry, and no apparent voting process. As MMA ages, hopefully the sport's top names will see the value in a Hall of Fame that is not limited to fighters who were just in the UFC.
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Picture of the day: Flying Donald Cerrone
After beating Jeremy Stephens in a decision at UFC on Fuel 3, Donald Cerrone is taking a well-deserved vacation. In addition to being a fighter, a rodeo-er (because I assume that's the word for someone involved with rodeos) and a fan of pontoon boats, Cerrone is also a wakeboarder.
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UFC Champs Jon Jones, Anderson Silva nominated for ESPY award for "Best Fighter"
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
No MMA fighter has ever been handed the "Best Fighter" award at ESPN's "ESPY Awards," but that could change in 2012 as two UFC Champions are in the running.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva join boxers Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Andre Ward. Mayweather has previously won the award in 2007, 2008, and 2010.
Jones earns his first nomination after an incredible run in the MMA world over the last 15 months. After capturing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Mauricio "Shogun" Rua last March, Jones has defeated three former champions in Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans consecutively to retain his title.
"It's an honor to not only be nominated for the ESPY for Best Fighter, but to also be included in a category with some of the greatest fighters in MMA and boxing history," Jones commented in a statement released by his management group.
Fans can vote on ESPY award categories online or by heading to ESPN.com/ESPYS on their mobile devices. The awards ceremony takes place on July 11 at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, hosted by Rob Riggle.
Penick's Analysis: There's no earthly reason anyone but Jones should win the award this year. No MMA fighter has gotten the nod in past years, but what Jones has done inside the cage in the last calendar year is nothing short of spectacular. Regardless of anything else outside of the cage, his work inside has been unparalleled. Stopping three Champions in a row and becoming only the second person to defeat Evans, all in such a short time period, is an incredible feat, and he deserves to be recognized as the best fighter of the last year. Silva only fought once during the last calendar year, and though it was a fantastic knockout of Yushin Okami, it's not up to Jones' three fight stretch.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva join boxers Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Andre Ward. Mayweather has previously won the award in 2007, 2008, and 2010.
Jones earns his first nomination after an incredible run in the MMA world over the last 15 months. After capturing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Mauricio "Shogun" Rua last March, Jones has defeated three former champions in Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans consecutively to retain his title.
"It's an honor to not only be nominated for the ESPY for Best Fighter, but to also be included in a category with some of the greatest fighters in MMA and boxing history," Jones commented in a statement released by his management group.
Fans can vote on ESPY award categories online or by heading to ESPN.com/ESPYS on their mobile devices. The awards ceremony takes place on July 11 at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, hosted by Rob Riggle.
Penick's Analysis: There's no earthly reason anyone but Jones should win the award this year. No MMA fighter has gotten the nod in past years, but what Jones has done inside the cage in the last calendar year is nothing short of spectacular. Regardless of anything else outside of the cage, his work inside has been unparalleled. Stopping three Champions in a row and becoming only the second person to defeat Evans, all in such a short time period, is an incredible feat, and he deserves to be recognized as the best fighter of the last year. Silva only fought once during the last calendar year, and though it was a fantastic knockout of Yushin Okami, it's not up to Jones' three fight stretch.
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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