"I won the last fight, which took place three years ago in Las Vegas, because I was the better fighter on the night. After the fight there were all sorts of excuses that Nog was hurt, that he had a staph infection but I personally don't think his staph infection played much part in the fight itself, or the result at the end of it all. Me punching him in the chin repeatedly had nothing to do with a staph infection, believe me. I could be sick as hell going into a fight, but I still remember and can perform the necessary techniques to get me out of trouble. The problem is, you can't keep repeating those techniques over a length of time, as you have nothing much in the tank. Nogueira lost that fight because my striking technique was better than his and that could be the reason he loses this rematch, too."
-- Frank Mir is "ultimate blogging" over at Sportsnet.ca and, surprise surprise, he's still defending his UFC 92 win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which took place three years ago. Mir ran through "Minotauro" that night, frequently battering the Pride legend before becoming the first man to stop him via strikes in 37 professional fights. To be blunt about it, "Big Nog" looked old and slow during the bout, even more so than normal. As we learned later, Nogueira had been suffering from a severe staph infection in the weeks leading up to the contest. It was apparently so bad, in fact, that he spent time in the hospital recovering from the sickness, which sapped his energy and greatly affected his training and preparation. In short, the Nogueira who Mir defeated that night was a shell of the Nogueira who Mir wants to think he beat that night. The good news? The two will lock 'em up one more time at UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and all of this can be fleshed out, excuses be damned. A healthy Mir vs. a healthy Nogueira, Maniacs -- who 'ya got?
Back in June, former Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers was arrested for assaulting his wife, who reportedly suffered injuries to her face, ear, neck and bac.
And now the hammer has come down.
Rogers was sentenced today to 60 days in jail, along with three years of probation that carries a few conditions. TwinCities.com has it:
A heavyweight mixed martial artist was sentenced today to 60 days in jail for beating his wife in June at their Apple Valley home in front of their children and a neighbor.
Brett "Da Grim" Rogers, 30, of Apple Valley, pleaded guilty to felony third-degree assault in Dakota County District Court. Two felonies of domestic assault by strangulation and stalking were dismissed, as well as a gross misdemeanor charge of endangering a child.
This morning, District Judge Karen Asphaug also ordered Rogers to three years probation with several conditions, including having no contact with his wife until he completes a domestic abuse program and his probation officer approves the contact. Rogers also cannot use alcohol and drugs.
The report goes on to note that Rogers already has credit for 26 days served and after serving over half his sentence, he has about 14 days remaining.
After the incident, both Rogers and his wife, Tiuana, proclaimed the whole thing was simply a misunderstanding and he was innocent of all charges. Still, he pleaded guilty and now he'll go through a domestic abuse program to prevent any further "misunderstandings."
Rogers was once viewed as the epitome of a "feel good story" in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world. The one-time Sam's Club tire flipper seemed to come out of nowhere when he debuted with Strikeforce in April 2009.
But then after losing three fights in a row under the Strikeforce banner earlier this year, Rogers was cut by the organization and transitioned to Titan Fighting Championships, a regional promotion based out of Kansas City, Kansas. In his first fight with the promotion, Rogers lost what looked to be a very uninspired split decision to former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Eddie Sanchez at Titan Fighting Championships 20.
Rogers plans on fighting this upcoming Dec. 31. As a condition of the order, he can travel for work but will not be able to postpone his jail sentence until after the fight, as he originally wanted to.
Former lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn hits the Philippines for a UFC press tour and open workout and is absolutely mobbed by thousands of adoring fans.
Here's what "The Prodigy" had to say about the reception he received:
"I wanna thank the fans for coming out and for loving the sport. It won't be long until there's a Filipino champion in the UFC."
Check out one more pic after the jump and head on over to Bloody Elbow to check out a complete gallery from the talented Anton Tabuena.
Jason "Mayhem" Miller gives fans a behind-the-scenes look as he prepares for Michael Bisping in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 Finale on Dec. 3 from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more on their middleweight match-up, which may have 185-pound title implications, click here.
In the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, timing and spacing are everything. From landing a strike first or creating the room to sneak your arm in for a choke, a split second and a millimeter in space can earn you a victory or cost you the fight. It is one of the most intriguing aspects of combat sports in that the smallest errors come with the largest of consequences.
In mixed martial arts you have split seconds to adjust and adapt, it can be implied into any technique from slipping a punch to shooting a takedown. It also can be said that the grappling aspect of the sport is the most intricate in terms of hitting the right timing along with the best spacing.
World Class Jiu Jitsu practitioners can make an opponent pay for mistakes with the most subtle of movements and simplistic methods. Chael Sonnen nearly landed three hundred punches on middleweight champion Anderson Silva prior to a triangle choke that was thrown up at the right moment with just the right amount of space.
And just like that the tables can be turned 180 degrees.
Even though we have had breakdowns on the simple chokes like the guillotine choke and simple joint submissions like the arm bar and several submissions in between, there is one technique that can be used for much more then just a submission attempt.
For more on that follow me into the extended entry.
Dustin Hazelett is a very creative and unique type of grappler. A black belt under Jorge Gurgel, Hazelett had amassed an 11-4 record before his bout with Tamdan McCrory and was fresh off a victory that earned submission of the night against Josh Burkman that saw the skilled grappler pull off a slick arm bar off a "whizzer."
Let us first detail that Hazelett is very flexible and with that he is very crafty. Flexible legs tend to lead guys to using a lot of high guard and even Rubber Guard.
This fight was no exception to that.
While in guard, Hazelett has already broken the posture of McCrory and has sat up with his torso and has his hand and arm around the neck and back of his opponent. At this point Hazelett could attack with a choke or possibly an arm lock from the guard in his posture but instead elects to throw up his rubber guard. He does so by bringing up his left leg and clutching to it with his right hand.
The right hand grabs the foot and pulls it beneath the chin of McCrory. You may remember this is the similar set up to the Gogoplata.
As you can see the shoulder and arm that is trapped of McCrory has pressure already being applied to it, the pain involved isn’t as severe as an arm bar but uncomfortable nonetheless. And too add the hold is very restricting as you can not do very much once trapped.
The left leg goes right over the shoulder and under the chin and Hazelett locks the trapping leg with his free leg to tighten the grip and does so much like he would a triangle choke. Hazelett cuts the angle to sway head towards hip of McCrory and you can see the trapped arm is between the arm pit of Hazelett as well as still being torqued onto by the omoplata.
The omoplata that Hazelett shows in the fight is a set up technique as much as it is a submission. It serves as a way to get back to the feet, take an opponents back or set up an arm bar.
Hazelett capitalizes on his control over McCrory’s posture and mobility and attacks the trapped arm. He cranks the arm up using the left leg of the omoplata to serve as the hip/groin area would when performing a traditional arm bar.
The submission is a little combination of an arm bar and an omoplata.
An omoplata is actually a shoulder lock when used as a submission, the hold is basically a kimura but instead of using the figure four lock with your arms you use your legs. The technique is one of the more versatile in grappling as it can be applied to so many other things then just a straight submission hold.
With good timing to get to the omoplata position it remains all about space once the hold is locked on. Hazelett doesn’t allow any space between the shoulder and the trapping legs to allow an escape. Both the pain and the way the hold keeps you grounded makes escaping very hard and allows fighters time to set up transitions or submissions.
The UFC 144 fight card, featuring a main event between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson, left a lot of fight fans scratching their heads. Was the pay-per-view booked properly for the promotion's long-awaited return to Japan? MMA Nation's Nate Wilcox explores the idea of booking UFC 144 "Pride style," which you can check out by clicking here.
FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com.
On Saturday night (Dec. 3, 2011 the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will host its Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Finale live from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Two of mixed martial arts most colorful personalities will engage in middleweight warfare as Michael Bisping (21-3) trades leather with recently signed and re-debuting Jason Miller (24-7, 1 NC).
For weeks we saw their feud build as the two coaches led their teams consisting of featherweights and bantamweights to their dreams of one day becoming the next 'Ultimate Fighter.' Bisping has one win over 'Mayhem' as he was able to win $10,000 for himself and $1,500 for each of his teammates in a game of good ole' air hockey in the coaches challenge.
Now the fight is just days away and I shall give you a closer look at who should win this bout
Follow me after the jump.
Striking
Michael Bisping wins by TKO/KO: 13
Jason Miller wins by TKO/KO: 6
Michael Bisping losses by TKO/KO: 1
Jason Miller losses by TKO/KO: 1
Bisping's reach: 75.5"
Miller's reach: 77.0"
No bones about this one as Michael Bisping is a much better striker then Miller.
Bisping is actually a very accomplished kickboxer in Britain as he's held the North West Area title and the Pro British light heavyweight kickboxing title. Bisping actually left combat sports on at least two different occasions and when he came back the second time, he reclaimed the Pro British light heavyweight kickboxing title.
Bisping seems to have lost a lot of his power shot since dropping to middleweight because while in British promotions Cage Rage and Cage Warrior he had many TKO stoppages. Of his first ten professional MMA bouts he had 10 stoppages and seven were due to strikes. In his first five bouts for the UFC at light heavyweight he had three TKO wins.
In his nine fights at middleweight he has only three stoppages by strikes and a TKO (arm injury) win over Charles McCarthy at UFC 83, his middleweight debut.
Jason Miller is not a striker by any stretch of the imagination as he has all of six TKO/KO wins in his life. The one thing he has is a toughness about him as we saw him get his ass handed to him by current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 52.
Miller uses his striking to obtain sweeps and take downs so he can apply his jiu-jitsu game. He uses Muay Thai as his main striking discipline but uses it more to get inside and start working his way to the ground.
Both men have chins and each have a single loss from strikes in their 20+ fights each. People love to recall the night Dan Henderson dropped an 'H-Bomb' upon Michael Bisping not once but twice at UFC 100. Bisping has a knack for taking an overhand right and stumbling but one man was able to crack that, that man also holds the only knockout over Fedor Emelianenko. Miller may have one loss via strikes to Frank Trigg but has been used as a punching bag even more then Bisping has.
I see Bisping using his jab to keep out of Miller's grappling game and slowly pick him apart on the feet. Bisping is just far too good a striker to get outstruck or knocked out by 'Mayhem.' As long as Bisping keeps range he could pile on the points or slowly outstrike Miller for a TKO.
Edge: Michael Bisping
Submission:
Bisping wins by submission: 4
Miller wins by submission: 14
Bisping losses by submission: 0
Miller losses by submission: 1
Bisping submission attempts per 15 minutes: 0.8
Miller submission attempts per 15 minutes: 1.18
In the case of Bisping, don't let the zero in his losses by submission fool you. Bisping has not faced any elite grapplers and the best he has faced was arguably Denis Kang or Dan Miller. Kang, a fighter once touted as the next big thing, is no longer with the UFC and Dan Miller is a toughed-nosed journeymen.
Bisping surprisingly has four wins by submission and unless you are a huge Bisping fan that should raise an eyebrow. Bisping's last submission win was in 2005 over fellow British fighter Ross Pointon. One of his submission wins was really a tap out due to strikes in 2005 over Jakob Lovstad.
Bisping's main goal to avoid the ground and trade punches instead of transitions. Jason Miller will be his toughest test in classic match-ups of striker vs. grappler.
Miller holds all the dominance in this category and if he can clinch and sweep then it's a race. If he can keep Bisping on his back the he should be able to do his damage. Miller recently earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at King's MMA and it's well deserved.
Miller holds notable submission wins over Kazushi Sakuraba, Kala Hose, Robbie Lawler, Lodune Sincaid. Falaniko Vitale and Denis Kang. As you can see he holds one win over a pure striker like Bisping in Robbie Lawler. The thing is Bisping tends to be a lot more active and shifty in comparison to Lawler who doesn't use his angles and stands in the pocket. Lawler stinks on the ground as best seen in his recent title fight loss to Ronaldo Souza at Strikeforce: 'Diaz vs. Cyborg.'
Edge: Jason Miller
Wrestling
Bisping takedown accuracy: 51%
Miller takedown accuracy: 40%
Bisping takedown defense: 58%
Miller takedown defense: 44%
Bisping has some of the most impressive takedown defense at middleweight as he has done fairly well against powerhouse wrestlers Rashad Evans and Matt Hamill. Now he didn't stuff all their takedowns and lost the Evans fight due to his inability to stuff enough of them, but he did good. When you rewind your mind and see where he has come from since his stint on TUF 3, he has progressed quite a bit. In Britain wrestling isn't a high school or university sport and we've seen very few British do well against collegiate level wrestlers.
Bisping is one of the few who has.
As you can see he stuffs nearly 60% of the takedown opportunities and the one thing that number doesn't show is that Bisping usually gets up without absorbing a whole lot of damage. Bisping doesn't waste energy on useless takedowns and has scored some nice slams. He uses his striking to set up his shoots but late in fights trying to score some point he gets denied.
I must say Fight Metric shocked me when I saw the low numbers for Miller who needs takedowns to win fights. His entire game is based off his ability to keep you down and smother you until an opening for a submission is available.
If you look at Miller's record he only has one win against an elite level wrestler in Tim Kennedy (HDnet Fights: Reckless Abandon) but also holds a loss to Kennedy. He also has losses to Chael Sonnen (HFP 1), Georges St. Pierre (UFC 52) and Frank Trigg (Icon Sport: Mayhem vs. Trigg).
Edge: Michael Bisping
Variables
Common opponent(s)
- Both Bisping and Miller have one common opponent in former PRIDE star Denis Kang.
Michael Bisping def. Denis Kang via TKO (punches and knees) UFC 105
Jason Miller def. Denis Kang via submission (rear naked choke) Extreme Challenge 50
This one is a toss up as both Miller and Bisping stopped Denis Kang with a submission and TKO respectively. Now neither faced Denis Kang in his run at PRIDE and this isn't me knocking PRIDE's excellent track record of pre/post fight drug testing, but Kang never looked the same before or after.
Edge: TIE
Last five (5) fights:
Bisping (4-1): Wins over Jorge Rivera (UFC 127), Yoshiro Akiyama (UFC 120), Dan Miller (UFC 114), Denis Kang (UFC 105). Loss(s) to Wanderlei Silva (UFC 110).
Analysis: Bisping hasn't faced the cream of the crop and Miller is his best test since losing to Wanderlei Silva. His loss to Wanderlei wasn't a one-sided beat down but he did get caught a few times in a close fight. Two of his four wins were stoppages of Jorge Rivera and Denis Kang. He looked good in both wins over 'Sexyama' and Dan Miller who may not be winners in the grand scheme of things but both are good fighters.
Miller (3-1 and 1 NC): Wins over Kala Hose (Kingdom MMA: Miller vs. Hose), Tim Stout (Strikeforce: Nashville), Kazushi Sakuraba (DREAM 16). Loss(s) to Jake Shields (Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers). No contest for illegal soccer kick (cut) against Ronaldo Souza (Dream 9).
Analysis: Jason Miller hasn't been active since Sept. 2010 after the 'Nashville Brawl' where it is rumored no major network wanted 'Mayhem' to compete on their broadcasts. Miller has one notable win and that's Sakuraba but this isn't the 'Gracie Killer' we once saw. The Sakuraba we see now is vastly diminished due to his body being punished by oversized fighters. Miller did push Shields to a near choking but wasn't able to beat the bell. Miller has looked decent against the men he has beaten but not great when stepping up in challenge much like Bisping.
Edge: Michael Bisping
Cardio
Bisping average fight time: 08:19 mins
Miller average fight time: 08:56 mins
The fight isn't far off between the two and both have different methods to winning. Bisping being the better striker is able to finish guys quicker but Miller needs to work his submissions.
Bisping may have lost to Hamill in the eyes of the people but be honest, who looked fresher? Bisping who had that last flurry of Hamill who looked gassed enough to collapse. A big reason the judges gave Bisping the nod was the activity from underneath Hamill who didn't do much when on top (See: Bas Rutten vs. Kevin Randleman).
Miller has been beaten by wrestlers and has been outworked by some of the best. His pace isn't very fast by any stretch of the imagination. GSP outgunned him from bell to bell at UFC 52 and 'Rush' was exploding at all cylinders then.
Edge: Michael Bisping
(Michael Buffer with the announcement)
The winner after three rounds by unanimous decision......MICHAEL 'THE COUNT' BISPING!
Why? I think Bisping's use of range is just far too good and will frustrate Jason Miller from the get go. Miller's takedowns and wrestling aren't impressive while Bisping has a ground 'sprawl n' brawl.' Bisping's jab and bale to create combos also gives me the thought he will slowly accumulate damage upon Miller. I don't see either one getting knocked out and put into harm's way.
Bisping is just better standing and wrestling and the only way Miller wins is by takedown which he hasn't had much success in. Bisping may not have faced the best fighters in the middleweight class but he has a win over a one dimensional slugger in Leben and Miller doesn't even have Leben's power.
Thanks for reading and comment below to argue.
"I'm so sad about it I don't even want to call anybody and talk to them about it. It sucks. Patrice, we're gonna miss you. Miss you a lot, man. He was a comic man, a real comic. He was just a real quick guy, a really unique thinker and a guy who I always really loved to see and whenever I ran into him I was always happy."
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan says goodbye to friend and fellow comedian Patrice O'Neal during his latest podcast. O'Neal, who was perhaps best known for his stand-up on Comedy Central and frequent appearances on the Opie & Anthony radio show, passed away at the age of 41 on Tuesday (Nov. 29, 2011) due to complications from a stroke suffered earlier this month. Any fight fans out there have a favorite bit from the late comedian? Fans unfamiliar with his work can check out his "Elephant in the Room" special tonight at 8 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
Remember when Brock Lesnar slammed the "Third World" health care system in Canada? He probably didn't know just how good he actually had it.
Especially when compared to the hospital for "everyday folks" in Russia, where stocky submission specialist Jeff Monson wound up after breaking his leg against Fedor Emelianenko back on Nov. 20 in Moscow.
From "The Snowman" (via MMA Connection):
"After the fight I had a choice of two hospitals. One for everyday folks and one for visitors and government officials. I picked the local everyday folk hospital as I was told it was closer to the arena. I’m obviously not a big fan of the medical industrial complex in the US as it is profit driven however, the experience at this hospital did make me appreciate the comfort of health care in this country. Upon arrival there were ER staff smoking in the lobby. The hallways were full of wandering patients that looked like they were just out of a civil war battle. I had to fight with one of the doctors to avoid having my skull x-rayed. Eventually I got an x-ray for my leg which showed it was broken (something I already knew) and had it casted. I got 16 stitches on the inside and outside of my lip with a material that could of passed for chicken wire. It was so sharp it was making my gums bleed so I took them out myself. Saying that, the doctors were very kind and despite the inadequate medical equipment/supplies they knew what they were doing."
Monson lost a unanimous decision in the main event of M-1 Global: "Battle of the Legends," which took place at the grand Olympic Arena in Moscow, Russia, earlier this month. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak for "The Last Emperor" and sent Monson to just his second defeat in ten fights.
For complete "Fedor vs. Monson" results click here and here.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is close to putting the finishing touches on its upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) fight card from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Fri., Dec. 30, 2011.
UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" will be headlined by the return of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, back from intestinal surgery to welcome ex-Strikeforce and K-1 Champion Alistair Overeem to the Octagon.
In lightweight action, Donald Cerrone will try to continue his rise to the top of the division against the dangerous Nate Diaz.
That's not all.
Check out the current UFC 141 fight card and line up:
Main card (pay-per-view):
170 lbs.: Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone
145 lbs.: Jim Hettes vs. Nam Phan
205 lbs.: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Spike TV Prelims:
145 lbs.: Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assuncao
155 lbs.: Ramsey Nijem vs. Anthony Njokuani
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
155 lbs.: T.J. Grant vs. Jacob Volkmann
170 lbs.: Luis Ramos vs. Matt Riddle
170 lbs.: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson
145 lbs.: Manny Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 141, beginning with the PPV telecast at 9 p.m. ET on Dec. 30. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.
We're still a few weeks away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions for "Lesnar vs. Overeem" in the comments section below. And remember that MMAmania.com will be the spot for the latest news and event-related highlights before, during and after the event.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 141 check out our extensive event archive right here.
Props: GQ Online (via MMA.tv)
It was a historic year for mixed martial arts - the sport exploded in popularity on prime time TV - and especially for Anderson Silva. By defending his middleweight belt for the ninth time, "The Spider" won the fight of the year against Japan's Yushin Okami in Brazil, and was proclaimed the greatest athlete in the history of MMA.
"I know that my victories helped the success in the sport. I'm glad that people talk on the streets, that the academies sign up new students. We need new idols," says the 36 year old fighter.
The accolades continue to pour in for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who was named "Man of the Year" by GQ Brazil. "The Spider" is currently sidelined while recuperating from a shoulder injury and isn't expected back inside the Octagon until June 2012. When he does return, expect a pack of hungry 185-pounders to be waiting for him.
"I always knew that I would fight Lyoto one day. Lyoto's a great opponent, man, he's game. I think he takes this sport seriously. I think he's unpredictable, he's fast. Lyoto loves distance and I love distance but I have the longer limbs and I believe I'm just as fast. So if Lyoto wants to play the distance game with me, I think that's going to be awesome. ... I will defeat Lyoto Machida. I believe that it's my destiny to be UFC champion for many years."
-- UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones thinks (via UFC.com) that it would be "awesome" if Lyoto Machida, the number one contender to his title, tries to fight him using distance when the two lock horns at UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. That's because Jones feels like he's just as fast as Machida but his "bones" are much longer, giving him the natural advantage. "The Dragon" has to move in and out to score with effective offense, while the champion can simply stay on the outside and use his freakish length to control the contest. That's not necessarily what he's going to do come fight night but at the very least, he'll be prepared if that's what Machida wants to do. Jones is prepared for anything, in fact, because he feels as though it is "his destiny" to hold the 205-pound title for "many years" to come. Any Maniacs out there picking the Brazilian for the upset? Or do we all agree with Jones that the belt is going to stay with him for a while?
No Zuffa, no FOX? No problem.
Despite not having the marketing monster that is the UFC and the support of one of the most dominate sports networks on the planet, M-1 Global's "Fedor vs. Monson" event, which aired live from Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 20, 2011, did rather well for itself in the ratings department.
Extremely well, actually.
The promotion announced today that the event, which marked the return and resurgence of the great Fedor Emelianenko, raked in an impressive 7.5 million viewers.
The event drew better numbers than both the Russian Premier League and the English Premier League matches that took place on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The M-1 Global event also broke the attendance record for the largest gathering of fans in Europe for a mixed martial arts event with a total of 22,153 attendees.
Who says Fedor has no drawing power anymore?
Here's a full breakdown of the numbers:
The report states that an exact number of 4.9 million watched the event live, which is about four million less than the 8.8 million viewers that watched the highly anticipated UFC on Fox 1. That event aired a week prior and featured a heavyweight championship fight that saw Junior dos Santos knocking out Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds to win the heavyweight championship.
Here's more from the M-1 Global report, courtesy of LowKick.com:
It's important to note than 7.5 million is a "total number". According to the report, 4.9 million people watched the event live, 1.1 million on the same day replay, and nearly 3 million during another replay on the following day. The total number includes only the unique viewers, excluding those who watched the show more than once.
Impressive.
M-1 Global: "Fedor vs. Monson" saw Fedor return to his winning ways by defeating Jeff Monson via unanimous decision. After dropping three straight, it's safe to say the victory was career saver for "The Last Emperor."
For three rounds, Fedor battered and bruised "The Snowman" to the point that Monson needed assistance just to get out of the ring. The next day, it was reported that he had suffered a broken leg, courtesy of Fedor repeatedly landing vicious kicks.
One can only imagine what the numbers would look like if M-1, along with Fedor, of course, ever partnered up with the Zuffa marketing masterminds.
Anyone impressed with these numbers, though? Higher or lower than what you expected?
Let's try this one again ... but on a much bigger stage.
Light heavyweight contenders Rashad Evans and Phil Davis have been re-booked to square off as the headlining fight of the UFC on Fox 2 event scheduled for Jan. 28, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois.
ESPN.com brought word of the pending match-up a short while ago.
The first time these two were matched up was back in August for a fight at UFC 133 in Philadelphia. That is until Davis injured his knee and Tito Ortiz stepped in on short notice. Evans ended up scoring a technical knockout win in the ensuing fight.
That victory earned him a title shot against Jon Jones, who defeated Quinton Jackson to set up what promised to be the most heavily hyped fight of the year.
Then, of course, it all unraveled ... again.
As it turned out, Evans hurt his thumb during his win over Ortiz and this forced the UFC to once again make a difficult decision. It could keep it's budding superstar light heavyweight champion on the sidelines until "Suga" got healthy or book him for a bout while Rashad healed up.
Which is exactly what they did.
But if Jones is going to be fighting Lyoto Machida on Dec. 10, surely Evans, who will be healthy by January, should get a fight in the meantime.
And that's where Phil Davis comes in.
"Mr. Wonderful" has been recovering from the knee issue that kept him out of the first scheduled booking against Evans during the summer. Now, though, he's finally healthy and raring to get back inside the Octagon.
What better way to do it than against the number one contender to the 205-pound belt?
Evans vs. Davis is reportedly set to serve as the main event of the UFC on Fox 2 fight card going down on Jan. 28, 2012, from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Other match-ups booked for the card are Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz, Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow and Demetrious Johnson vs. Eddie Wineland.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this still-developing fight card.
MMA Junkie reports that Bellator 59’s ratings this past Saturday received an average of 265,000 viewers. A replay of the event Saturday night received an average of 136,000 viewers.
Bellator also ran an encore showing of the much talked about Alvarez-Chandler fight from Bellator 58. The replay received an average viewership of 237,000 viewers.
Payout Perspective:
Although Bellator 59 was slightly lower than 58 (269,000 viewers), the numbers are steady. The slight decline this past weekend is likely due to the long weekend and holiday shopping. But still the numbers for the replay of the Alvarez-Chandler fight shows an increase in fan viewership.
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 winner, Amir Sadollah, will look to rebound from a recent loss when he tangles with Jorge Lopez in a welterweight fight planned for UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 4, 2012.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced that verbal agreements are in place for the 170-pound contest to be featured on the SuperBowl weekend "St. Pierre vs. Diaz" fight card.
Sadollah had a nice two-fight win streak rudely interrupted by mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Duane Ludwig at UFC on Versus 5 on Aug. 14, 2011, dropping a lopsided unanimous decision. Prior to the defeat, Sadollah had won four of five fights inside the Octagon, including a brutal second round finish of DaMarques Johnson.
If he intends to get back in the win column, he'll have to go through Wanderlei Silva's 23-year-old protege.
Lopez, a Wand Fight Team member, struggled in his promotional debut, losing a unanimous decision to Justin Edwards at UFC Fight Night 15 back in Sept. 2011. "Lil Monster" has finished nearly half the opponents (five) who he has faced thus far in his young professional career via (technical) knockout and has never been stopped early.
UFC 143 will feature welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre putting his title on the line against Stockton bad boy and former Strikeforce king Nick Diaz. In the co-main event, Carlos Condit will attempt to earn a date with the winner in a bid against Josh Koscheck.
To check out the latest UFC 143 fight card and rumors click here. To sift through the most comprehensive collection of UFC 143 news and notes be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.
Finish him!
Behold, the Karate Kid-inspired ending to the upcoming UFC 140 main event between Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, which will take place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Dec. 10, 2011.
Machida plays the underdog, Daniel Larusso, taking on Cobra Kai Darth Maul Johnny Lawrence, who is played by none other than the favored light heavyweight champion, Jones. Mixed martial arts (MMA) trainer to the Brazilian stars, Steven Seagal, naturally assumes the role of Mr. Miyagi, while Greg Jackson was cast for the role of mean-spirited sensei, John Kreese.
Dana White, Anderson Silva, Herb Dean, Arianny Celeste and even Ed Soares also make animated cameo appearances.
Will life imitate ridiculous art in less than a fortnight, returning us to the Machida Era, or will Jones wax the Brazilian's hopes with a trick of his own?
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today put the finishing touches on its upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) fight card from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sat., Jan. 14, 2012.
UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" will be headlined by featherweight champion Jose Aldo, defending his 145-pound title against undefeated wrestler Chad Mendes. In addition, Vitor Belfort will strap on the gloves to try and ruin Anthony Johnson's debut at middleweight.
That's not all.
Check out the current UFC 142 fight card and line up:
Main event:
145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
Main card (pay-per-view):
185 lbs.: Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson
155 lbs.: Thiago Tavares vs. Sam Stout
155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim
185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
170 lbs.: Paulo Thiago vs. Mike Pyle
205 lbs.: Fabio Maldonado vs. Stanislav Nedkov
170 lbs.: Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Erick Silva
145 lbs.: Michihiro Omigawa vs. Yuri Alcantara
145 lbs.: Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho
265 lbs.: Rob Broughton vs. Ednaldo Oliveira
**Fight card and line up subject to change**
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 142, beginning with the PPV telecast at on Jan. 14. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.
We're still a few weeks away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions for "Aldo vs. Mendes" in the comments section below. And remember that MMAmania.com will be the spot for the latest news and event-related highlights before, during and after the event.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 142 check out our extensive event archive right here.
T.J. Dillashaw entered The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 with very high expectations.
What can you expect when you train at Team Alpha Male alongside the likes of former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion Urijah Faber, former number one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 145-pound contender Joseph Benavidez and current top featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes every single day?
However, perhaps living and training with an elite team of fighters left Dillashaw unprepared for life in TUF house during the six-week filming session in Las Vegas, Nevada. That's because he had some pretty rough things to say about being cooped up there during a recent guest appearance on Pro MMA Radio, even going as far as to say that perhaps prisoners would be better off than he and his fellow cast mates.
Read all about the unbearable conditions after the jump:
"[Prisoners] almost have it even better. They get to watch TV, they don't have to make weight, they get to listen to music, they don't have cameras following them around everywhere they go in the house. It was crazy, man. You're hanging out with people you could possibly be fighting with shortly. You don't know who or what's going on, you've got people getting in cliques together, talking crap about each other, hearing the same stories that guys are telling over and over and over because they're running out of crap to talk about. Some of the guys are out of the tournament so they're getting drunk and being ridiculous. It's crazy when you have that much testosterone in one house."
Dillashaw was a member of Team Bisping and if you watched this season, you noticed that coach Michael Bisping wasn't exactly the easiest guy to get along with. In fact, "The Count" went out of his way to be as disrespectful as possible at times.
While he also had some nice things to say about his coach, Dillashaw relayed some of the worst parts of being a member of the team:
"The worst thing, he gets involved in competitions, any type of competition that there is. The competition was pranking each other and being jerks to the other team and he exceeded that level and kinda pushed it to the extreme, he wanted to be the best at what we were doing so I think he was being a bit of a hypocrite at some points and kinda got out of hand in terms of antagonizing the other team."
Dillashaw got into the sport because Mark Munoz was one of his wrestling coaches when he was attending Cal State Fullerton. And through him, he actually had an opportunity to train with opposing TUF coach, Jason Miller, before casting for the show ever began.
Thus, with his unique experience rolling with "Mayhem," as well as spending six weeks being coached by Bisping, he was able to offer a little more insight into their upcoming fight than the average Joe:
"It all depends where it goes. If it stays on the feet, Bisping's got good takedown defense and it seemed like he was working on that a lot while we were there, I think Bisping's gonna win the fight if it stays on the feet. If it goes to the ground, I just feel like Miller's experience in jiu-jitsu will take over and he'll win the fight on the ground so it all depends on where this fight ends up going."
Dillashaw will battle the winner of Johnny Bedford versus John Dodson this Saturday night (Dec. 3, 2011) at TUF 14 Finale, which is set to take place at The Palms in Las Vegas. The winner of the fight will win the 145-pound tournament-style competition and earn a "six-figure" UFC contract.
Will the painstaking six-week prison-like experience ultimately payoff for Dillashaw this weekend or was he better off serving his time in solitary confinement?
Sound off!