MMA Universe

"Nick Diaz is very good with his hands. He does what he does very, very well. It's not only that he does really well with his hands, but he sets a relentless pace and relentless cardio. Mostly, I'm impressed with his toughness. He's got some great skills: Good boxing, good jiu-jitsu, but just his warrior spirit. I feel I'm a more technical fighter than Diaz. I have more weapons in my arsenal -- I just bring different stuff to the table. I have good movement, use angles. Diaz, for the most part, just comes straightforward. I've been training for this fight since July, I've been putting in a lot of hard work, and I'm excited to go out and show the fans -- along with all the fighters in the division -- the new and improved Carlos Condit. I will defeat Nick Diaz and I will be the UFC welterweight champion."

Carlos Condit admits that he's had a roller coaster ride in recent months, enduring opponent switches, injuries and a whole host of issues outside of his control that have kept him out of the Octagon since a knockout finish of Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132 back in July 2011. Good things apparently do come to those who wait -- Condit is set to tangle with Nick Diaz in the UFC 143 main event inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 4, 2012. The winner of the five-round welterweight fight will win the interim 170-pound title and the opportunity to challenge division champion Georges St. Pierre later this year to unify the belts. "Rush" is currently rehabilitating a knee injury and expects to return in Nov. 2012. If Condit intends to make good on his prediction, he'll have to go through the self-proclaimed "most well-rounded fighter in the world," who literally has the endurance to fight for 25 rounds if required. For "The Natural Born Killer," even though he admits to putting in a "lot of hard work" it might be all in vain if he can't keep pace with the Stockton, Calif., scrap machine. Ring rust is a serious concern ... can Condit it knock it off and go shot-for-shot, or will Diaz simply overwhelm him like he does to most others?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight fighter Tito Ortiz has seen better days.

During a period of more than three years, he won the UFC light heavyweight championship belt and successfully defended it six consecutive times. He was a champion. He was dominant. He ruled the Octagon.

But the sport began to evolve and change rapidly. Ortiz got older and was hampered by constant, nagging injuries, some of which were described as career killers. Nonetheless, throughout his turbulent journey inside the eight-walled cage, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" developed some renowned rivalries (some more even than others).

Of course, his most famous pairing was opposite Chuck Liddell.

Forrest Griffin has been another Ortiz antagonist and it appears that their cage time could possibly resume in the very near future. Tonight (Jan. 30, 2012), Ortiz appeared on HDNet's "Inside MMA" to call out Griffin.

Here's what he had to say:

"Forrest, you know I deserve it, man. Step up. Let's do this. It's an awesome fight for you. I lost my last one. You lost your last one. Let's do this -- unless your scared!"

Griffin's response:

"He knows better than that. You know what's funny about me and Tito? The truth is we each consider the other an easy fight. For me, that's the perfect 'get right' fight. Coming back from a bad loss and beating Tito Ortiz up? No problem. For Tito, he's thinking, 'Forrest ain't that good. He's getting old, prematurely. This is a great way to go out, with a win over Forrest!' So, I think it's a beautiful match up because we both think of the other as an easy fight."

For mixed martial arts (MMA) fans who don't recall, these two former UFC 205-pound hampions have fought twice.

The first contest was a split decision that went in favor of Ortiz when they squared off at UFC 59 on Apr. 15, 2006, in Anaheim, California. Round two of their rivalry took the main stage at UFC 106 on Nov. 21, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The result? Another split decision. This time, the judges scored the match in favor of Griffin.

Ortiz has one fight left on his contract and has made it known that he has every intention of satisfying the terms. He wants a fight and, apparently, also wants a say in who his opponent is.

A rumor had been surfacing that Ortiz might end up matched up with Mauricio Rua, but those were stories primarily circulated from "Shogun's" camp and nowhere else.

The guys at "Inside MMA" pushed the issue with Griffin, who was in studio (Ortiz had merely pre-recorded his segment remotely), asking him if he wanted the fight, as well as if he thought it could possibly come together:

"Wanna know how fights get done now? If enough people get on Twitter, it'll happen. If enough people get on Twitter and tell 'em that's what they want, that's what's gonna happen. It has to be done."

Tweet-tweet, Maniacs, if Ortiz vs. Griffin 3 is one trilogy that you must see come to a concrete conclusion.

On Jan. 22, 2012, UFC.com -- the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) website -- was hacked by the "Anonymous" band of online pirates in retaliation for the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's support of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

After a Twitter war erupted between UFC President Dana White and "Anonymous" hackers, the group threatened to keep going after the promotion and White himself. True to its word, the group made White's personal information available, including his telephone and social security numbers, as well as his home address, for the world to see online.

Or so it appeared.

According to Fox 5 News in Las Vegas, it wasn't the UFC head honcho's information that was plastered all over the Internet, but rather an innocent Las Vegas woman who got caught in the crossfire.

Check out complete details of the mistaken identity after the jump:

Julie Breeler, the woman whose personal information was leaked online instead of White's, says she is enduring non-stop calls to her phone from people asking for jobs or simply wanting a call back from the UFC President:

"It's my phone number and my address. There's no Dana White here folks. "

Breeler also provided a potential explanation as to how the hackers mistook her information with Dana White's. It was through the previous homeowner who has not lived in the residence in more than 20 years, but was named Dana and owned a white cat.

Seriously:

"Her name was Dana and she was a white cat. So that is how he determined where junk mail was coming in."

To say the messy ordeal has been an inconvenience to the innocent woman's daily life, is an understatement:

"It makes me paranoid when I hear things outside. I can't sleep. "

Hearing of the woman's unfortunate ordeal, Dana White took it upon himself to visit the woman unannounced at her home to apologize for the trouble she has been put through because of the mistaken identity and the "online terrorists" failure:

"[I] went over and apologized for all the trouble caused by the online terrorists."

Breeler said when she heard the knock on her door from White, she was very paranoid, and rightfully so:

"I get my gun before answering the door. I crack the door and say ‘Yes?' He says ‘Julie Breeler?' and I'm like ‘Yes.' He says ‘Hi, I'm Dana White!'"

In a battle that does not seem to have an end in sight, White said has stated in the past that he has no plans on backing down or be intimidated by the hacker group.

At the expense of innocent victims, the online battle will, apparently, get worse before it gets better.

To watch a quick video clip of Julie Breeler's bizarre story click here.

No longer undefeated, Strikeforce light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin has remained positive.

The Riverside native had his spotless record snapped by former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal earlier this month at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, although the result will now have a permanent asterisk next to it after "King Mo" tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone.

Believe it or not, this was the second consecutive opponent of Larkin's that failed a drug screening following a bout with him as Nick Rossborough slipped under the radar, testing positive for elevated testosterone after their Strikeforce Challengers 19 headlining fight last fall.

Larkin released a statement following the test result, claiming he's accepted the loss no matter what the official ruling is and he spoke to MMAmania.com to clarify his position on the fight result, what he could have done better and what his future plans are in this exclusive interview.

Check it out.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's start with the statement you and your management put out. You were supporting King Mo and weren't making an excuses. I think a lot of people respected that you didn't hide behind the test result.

Lorenz Larkin: Yeah, I looked at the tape and I looked at it like, as far as my technique, I did things wrong. Things like that, they still wouldn't come into play regardless of if he was or wasn't on anything. It was me not doing what I was supposed to do when I was on the ground. I still take it as a loss and I'm not too sure. I don't know the verdict yet, just that he's appealing it. if everything does come back and he was on something, then that does leave a bad taste in my mouth because it leaves things in the air. Coming into the fight, I knew Mo was strong, nothing to do with steroids, he was just a strong 205-er and if the test results came back and after the appeal and he was suspended for using it, just me being a fighter, like any fighter, I'm sure I'll be thinking, "Could I have stopped the takedowns?" Regardless, there were still things I messed up on that led to that loss.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Were you intimidated at all heading into the fight?

Lorenz Larkin: No. Even before the fight, I'm not really a trash talker. To me, there's no point. Don't get me wrong, I understand the business of fighting and I understand that that makes fights and it makes it exciting but I just really choose not to take that route when I fight. To me, it's funny because I think, it's ridiculous, but there's a need for it in the sport because new fans find it exciting and they want to watch it but to me, nobody in my profession is scared. Nobody is frightened of the other guy. We get contracts if we're lucky like a month and a half before the fight, maybe longer to know who we're fighting and we have to sign it. To me, it doesn't make sense because no one's scared and anybody I fight is not scared of me. They signed the contract too.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Now looking back, was four weeks enough time to prepare for a guy with his elite wrestling skills?

Lorenz Larkin: No, you know, it was a short camp and I wish that Strikeforce would have given me a little more time than that. I don't like short camps like that but it was also really up to me and I made the decision to take the fight. If it was my choice, i would have a longer camp for anybody, even someone who's a lesser caliber. I just like having longer camps than that.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You also really stepped up your training for this fight. You worked with Phil Davis and you worked with Kenny Johnson, the wrestling coach of Black House, so are you going to keep that relationship in place moving forward?

Lorenz Larkin: Oh yeah, I'm going to always be cross-training now. We developed a good relationship with those guys and the door's always open for us and to them so that's an opportunity I plan on taking.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Now this is something that's been talked about the most other than Mo's test result, but you've said multiple times that you would never consider dropping to middleweight until someone was physically manhandling you. Do you have any ideas about dropping to middleweight now after what happened in your last fight?

Lorenz Larkin: To me, it was something I wasn't really interested in but I had an open mind for it. I'm still trying to weigh out my options right now. I want to see who Strikeforce is interested in having me fight next and we'll go from there. It's just something that I wouldn't consider not doing. I guess it matters on the timing or the situation if I was to switch over.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): So what's next for Lorenz Larkin moving forward?

Lorenz Larkin: I'm hoping Strikeforce gives me a call and tells me who I'm fighting next. I had a little bit of red in my eye but that was it from my fight. I'm back to normal. I'm healed up and I'm ready to get back in the gym and start going hard again. My next fight will be better than the last.

Lorenz would like to thank everybody who helped him for his camp, everyone who's behind him. Also, he'd like to thank his sponsors Ion Me and Splat Hair Color. You can follow him on Twitter @da_Monsoon.

So what do you think, Maniacs?

Should Larkin drop down to middleweight despite the fact that the loss was removed from his record? Have you tempered your expectations or does he still have a bright future?

Opinions please.

Fight week, blog week!

UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" takes place this weekend (Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, meaning that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has begun to roll out his promotional video blog series in anticipation of the SuperBowl weekend pay-per-view (PPV) event.

However, before we set our sights on "Sin City," White takes us behind-the-scenes as he prepares his team for the encore performance of his mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion on the FOX network this past weekend (Jan. 28, 2012) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

In addition to seeing White in the high-powered UFC on Fox 2 production booth, we watch the fighters moments before they enter the Octagon, as well as when they return to the locker room after their respective bouts. Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, among others, are all featured in this episode.

Check out "Mr. Wonderful" as his shin gets stitched up after his unanimous decision loss to "Suga," listen to Eric Wisely wonder what submission Charles Oliveira used to make him tap (it was a calf slicer), Chris Weidman explain his sluggish performance and Nik Lentz mugging for the cameras with the gruesome eye cut that forced his fight against Evan Dunham to be stopped early.

For everything you need to know and more about UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Rashad Evans held up his end of the bargain to keep the much anticipated showdown between he and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones alive by defeating Phil Davis this past weekend (Jan. 28, 2012) at UFC on Fox 2 via unanimous decision.

Evans was originally set to receive a shot at the 205-pound title against Mauricio Rua back at UFC 128, but an injury to "Suga" forced him to bow out and his then training partner and friend, Jones, stepped in as a replacement to face "Shogun."

The rest, as they say, is history.

Jones defeated Rua and began his impressive championship run , which ultimately marked the beginning of the end of the friendship between Evan and Jones who trained side-by-side in Albuquerque, N.M., at Jackson's MMA.

Evans has since then parted ways with Greg Jackson's camp and is now a member of Imperial Athletics mixed martial arts (MMA) team, or, "The Blackzillians" as they like to be referred as.

However, even though Evans proved that "Mr. Wonderful" was not on his level by winning the fight handily, Jones was not too impressed with his performance and with his overall evolution, for that matter, in MMA since parting ways with the famed camp down in the 505.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Jones talks about Evans' performance against Davis and talks about the possibility of rekindling their past relationship once the dust settles in their title fight at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Ga., on April 21, 2012.

Check it out:

"I really didn't see much progression. He left teams, I think Mike Winkeljohn and Greg Jackson, really was a great fit for him and they really learned his style and really was teaching him a legit style and I think in his new program I really haven't seen much progression. I didn't see any progression. I feel as if he's coming down the other side of the hill, even his body looked softer. I think his top control looked a little tighter and his passes looked decent. With that being said, Phil, man I don't know what got into him. He didn't really look like a lion, he kind of looked like a sheep out there. He didn't come with much, but with Rashad I really didn't see much progression."

When asked if there would be any chance at renewing their friendship once the dust settles at UFC 145, "Bones" had this to say:

"I definitely don't mean to come off as disrespectful to Rashad by any means, I am just extremely passionate about this fight and I don't want to come across as being a prick towards the guy. I'd love to have a respectful relationship with him because; I actually, deep down liked hanging with the guy. He was cool man, we had good times, you know, we did a lot of good stuff together and it sucked that a competition came between our friendship. So after the fight, I just hope that the respect can be restored. Friendship is not necessary but respect should be restored."

After a heated war of words, the two former training partners were scheduled to collide in 2011, but injuries to both fighters on separate occasions, delayed the much anticipated showdown.

Now that Jones has decided to cut his vacation time short and Evans preserved his title shot, they will have their chance to settle their differences as they are scheduled to swing leather at UFC 145 in little more than three months.

After months of back-and-forth trash talk, and now that the fight has been made official, anyone surprised at the rare, yet pleasant trip down memory lane that Jones had to share about Rashad? Can peace be restored once they go toe-to-toe?

Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock seemed to be able to do it, so I'm sure "Suga" and "Bones" can, too.

Then again, maybe not.

Two very different levels of MMA experience will meet this Saturday night (February 4, 2012) as 11 fight UFC veteran Ed Herman takes on undefeated but relatively green Clifford Starks to open up the UFC 143 main card in Las Vegas.

Herman has been a force ever since returning from a horrific pair of knee injuries which sidelined him from the Octagon for over 21 months and nearly ended his career. His resurgence has been highlighted by a pair of first round finishes against UFC veterans Tim Credeur and Kyle Noke. He'll be looking to enter a new tier at 185 pounds if he can get past Starks on Saturday night.

Clifford Starks takes on all comers. The undefeated wrestler based out of Arizona made his UFC debut just two weeks after competing for 15 full minutes at Shark Fights 20. Not only was he not affected by the short notice and lack of preparation, he imposed his will and dominated fellow newcomer Dustin Jacoby on the UFC 137 preliminary card.

Will Ed Herman continue his incredible comeback story? Can Clifford Starks' wrestling skills be enough to snuff "Short Fuse?" How does each middleweight secure a victory on Saturday night?

Let's find out:

Ed Herman

Record: 19-7 overall, 6-5 in the UFC

Key Wins: Kyle Noke (UFC on Versus 5), Tim Credeur (Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale), David Loiseau (UFC 97)

Key Losses: Aaron Simpson (UFC 102), Alan Belcher (UFC Fight Night 15), Demian Maia (UFC 83)

How he got here: Ed Herman worked the local Pacific northwest circuit before back-to-back victories over Nick Thompson and former UFC champion Dave Menne earned him an invite to The Ultimate Fighter season three. Herman made it to the finals where he would lose a gritty decision to Kendall Grove in a fight that impressed Dana White so much that he awarded both men a "six figure" UFC contract.

Since being awarded the contract, "Short Fuse" had been a mid-level middleweight, defeating all the guys he was supposed to beat while losing to the Demian Maias and Alan Belchers of the world. He was injured badly against Aaron Simpson, but fought on anyways before utterly destroying his knee in the second round.

Herman considered retiring after re-aggravating the injury in training but he stayed the course and returned to action after 21 months away, smashing Tim Credeur in just 40 seconds and then submitting Aussie veteran Kyle Noke with a heel hook in the first round just two months later.

After several months off, "Short Fuse" is back and ready to go against prospect Clifford Starks.

How he gets it done: Herman has been a new man since making his return from injury. His stand-up has been crisp and his submissions have been very active and violent.

Early on, expect to see the Colorado based scrapper test his stand-up skills. He's been sitting on his punches much better and throwing with significantly stronger technique and power lately, so he'll definitely have the edge in that department. If he can tag Starks, he will continue to follow up until he can finish the fight there.

I'm expecting Herman to use his wrestling defensively at first, trying to keep this fight standing so he can continue to pound away. If Starks takes him down, Herman will be extremely active in the submission department, throwing everything up from armbars to leg locks to triangle chokes off of his back.

He's gained a real mean streak and it'll be interesting if he can keep his momentum going.

Clifford Starks

Record: 8-0 overall, 1-0 in the UFC

Key Wins: Dustin Jacoby (UFC 137)

Key Losses: none

How he got here: Clifford Starks is a bit of a late bloomer. He was a Division I wrestler, competing in the prestigious Arizona State program. He signed up with Arizona Combat Sports and made his professional debut in 2009, scoring a second round submission.

Starks became a staple of the Arizona based Rage in the Cage promotion, winning all five of his fights there before competing at Shark Fights 20, where he won a unanimous decision against Artenas Young. The 30 year old got the call from the UFC and made his debut in the promotion just two weeks after his last fight, dominating Dustin Jacoby with his top control wrestling over the course of three rounds at UFC 137.

He agreed to fight veteran Ed Herman in his next bout and was bumped to the main card when the Dustin Poirier vs. Erik Koch fight was scrapped due to injury.

How he gets it done: Starks is still very raw in terms of major MMA skills, but the 30 year old wrestler might just have the recipe for success against Herman. It's a pretty simple gameplan, but it worked very well in his UFC debut against Dustin Jacoby, just take his opponent down and be active enough with ground and pound to avoid stand-ups.

Starks is very strong, and despite being four inches shorter than Herman, he's got an equal reach. He should try to put some pressure on Herman in the stand-up portion and force his opponent to try and counter. If and when Herman counters, that's when Starks needs to close the distance and work for a takedown. Herman showed in his last fight that he's not afraid to fight from his back, as he scored a nasty heel hook after repeated submission attempts from bottom.

The key for Starks is to be able to put Herman on the canvas and keep him there while avoiding getting tapped out. Herman is not going to just be content to use a closed guard and pray for a stand-up. He'll be working for submissions and sweeps constantly so Starks will need to keep a strong base. He'll have to walk the fine line of not being too open with his striking to get tapped or swept and not being too tentative with his ground and pound to force a stand-up.

Fight X-Factor: The X-Factor here has to be experience. Clifford Starks' only major career victory was his UFC debut against Dustin Jacoby, a fighter who most likely will be getting his walking papers after suffering his second consecutive defeat in the promotion this past weekend. While their ages may be similar (Starks is 30, Herman 31), there is a tremendous gap in competition level. Ed Herman will be having his 12th fight in the UFC on Saturday night to Stark's second. Herman is significantly more well-rounded, has seen all different types of styles in his UFC career (including Stark's already).

That said, the last time Herman faced a very strong wrestler, he was defeated by Aaron Simpson. This is not a gimme fight by any stretch of the imagination.

Bottom Line: There are two ways this fight can go. The first would be if Ed Herman gets to continue his resurgence with a strong showing of his full repertoire of skills in his stand-up and submission attack. I can definitely see him clearly outperforming Starks in the striking department and there is a strong possibility that he can overcome his inexperienced foe with his wide array of submission skills. Unfortunately for Starks, I don't see him winning this fight any other way than being very boring by scoring takedowns and not taking many risks on the ground, even if that opens him up to referee stand-ups. We'll see how it turns out, however. I have been wrong plenty of times before.

Who will come out on top at UFC 143? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!

Poll Who will score a big victory in the opening bout of the UFC 143 main card this Saturday night? Ed Herman Clifford Starks

  36 votes | Results

Nick Diaz at lightweight or middleweight?

That might happen if he defeats Carlos Condit at UFC 143 this weekend (Feb. 4, 2012) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The "Diaz vs. Condit" winner will be crowned the Interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion and is expected to take on current UFC 170-pound champion, Georges St. Pierre, once he is recuperated from recent surgery.

Cesar Gracie says that should his star pupil defeat Condit in "Sin City," they will sit back and wait for St. Pierre to return from the injured reserves and not take another fight in the interim. If the wait is longer than expected, they may seek a fight in another division.

Gracie lays out the teams plans on the The MMA Hour, after the jump:

"I'm probably going to get in trouble by saying this, but, we are not taking another fight. There is only one way if we take another fight, I'm not going to get ahead of myself because Nick has not won yet (against Condit). Hypothetically, if we're fortunate and win this fight, I would advise Nick to not take another fight before the GSP fight unless it is at a different weight class. We are going to wait for the Georges St. Pierre fight."

A few seconds after Gracie's segment was over, Carlos Condit's manager, Malki Kawa was not too pleased with the comments and called in to express his displeasure:

"They are thinking they already won over there. At the end of the day, if people are riding Carlos Condit off it is a big mistake. He is coming to fight. He has not stopped training. If Condit wins the belt, we are going to fight and we are not going to wait around for anyone, not even Georges St. Pierre."

Cesar Gracie was respectful and answered a question hypothetically, to which Kawa acknowledged, so what's the beef?

After the much anticipated welterweight showdown between Nick Diaz and Georges St. Pierre, arguably the two top 170-pound fighters in the world, was scrapped twice before (UFC 137 and UFC 143), the Diaz camp, apparently, wants to take all measures to prevent from losing out on the dream match-up between the two once again.

Of course, not putting the cart before the horse, Gracie knows that Diaz first has to defeat ‘The Natural Born Killer" before they can look ahead to a blockbuster matchup against "Rush."

Condit, on the other hand, who also had his title match against St. Pierre scrapped due to injury to the welterweight champion at UFC 137, has no plans on waiting for anyone, according to his manager.

What do you say Maniacs, wise planning on the Diaz camp to hold out for Georges St. Pierre, should he be successful this weekend? If he indeed does take a fight at 155 or 185, who would be a good match up for the Stockton slugger?

A rematch nearly two years in the making.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen, who was just a few short minutes away from defeating Anderson Silva at UFC 117 back in August 2010, will have a chance to exorcize his submission demons in a championship rematch against "The Spider" later this year.

That's according to UFC President Dana White on the UFC on Fox 2 post-fight show, who confirmed that Silva vs. Sonnen II was "set" for June 2012 in Brazil, most likely headlining a pay-per-view event in Sao Paulo.

Sonnen co-headlined the Jan. 28 event opposite Michael Bisping, narrowly squeaking past "The Count" via unanimous decision. That, coupled with his submission win over Brian Stann at UFC 136, was enough to put him back into a main event title fight across from his Brazilian nemesis.

And beating the brakes off Silva for four-and-a-half rounds in their first encounter may have helped expedite the process.

Silva is currently on the sidelines rehabbing multiple injuries and has yet to comment on his return to the fight game; however, White insists he's a lock for this June in the wake of Sonnen's victory over Bisping.

Sonnen claims otherwise.

Regardless, it looks as though this could be the final run for Silva as the top dog in combat sports. If he manages to get past Sonnen in June, few challenges remain inside the anemic 185-pound division.

Until then, expect a lengthy trash-talking campaign from you-know-who.

You ready?

More on the UFC on Fox 2 fallout here.

Bad break for the "Bad Boy."

UFC featherweight brawler Leonard Garcia has suffered an undisclosed injury and withdrawn from his 145-pound contest against Tiequan Zhang at the UFC 144 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Feb. 26, 2012, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

MMA Weekly was the bearer of bad news earlier today.

Garcia (15-8-1) is coming off back-to-back losses to Chan Sung Jung and Nam Phan, capping off an unsuccessful 2011 fight campaign that sent him tumbling down the featherweight rankings. No opponent has been named to replace him; however, "The Mongolian Wolf" is expected to remain on the upcoming fight card.

UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" will be headlined by a 155-pound title fight featuring number one division contender Ben Henderson, fresh off his unanimous decision win over Clay Guida, taking on reigning lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

In addition, a welterweight clash between Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama is on tap, as well as a light heavyweight tilt between Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader.

To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 144 check out our extensive event archive right here.

Viral videos FTW.

UFC President Dana White passed along this clip of UFC 143 event headliner Nick Diaz walking the walk as he prepares to talk the talk this Saturday night (Feb. 4) in Las Vegas.

Carlos Condit, where you at?

Note to all UFC 170-pound title contenders: Stand down, "Bigg Rigg's" got this.

After embalming Jon Fitch at UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" last December in Las Vegas, bearded welterweight brain-scrambler Johny Hendricks is looking for a crack at the crown.

The Interim crown, to be exact.

That's because the 12-1 Okie is on the precipice of a division title shot, and he doesn't want it to fall by the wayside because he failed to keep himself relevant in the aftermath of what is easily the biggest win of his career.

And as he tells ESPN.com, the world's largest fight promotion has two big fights coming up this weekend and a wide open contender's bracket in the wake of UFC 143.

"I've been telling everybody I really want the winner of [Diaz/Condit]. You don't get this opportunity too often. Now that I've done it in the ring, I've got to do it outside the ring. If I don't promote myself outside the ring -- I mean, there are great fights going on and now they're happening almost every week. You can be forgotten. So if I don't say in the news that I want that interim title shot -- there's a fight this weekend in the 170 class, and [if Koscheck or Pierce] does good, I might get bumped. So I always got to be out there making my case. I want my goal. My goal is to be UFC champ some day, and I know I'm right there. I just need that shot. Here's the thing. Unless the UFC says, ‘Johny, you have to fight -- we want you to get a shot at the title, but we have some questions, and you need another one first,' then of course I'm not going to bite the hand that feeds me. I'm going to do what they say. But if it's up to me, I'd much rather go for the UFC interim belt. I've seen so many people who are right there, right there to get that shot and something happens ... it never fails, something happens, and they don't win. And then it takes them three or four fights to get back, which is a year to a year-and-a-half back, and that's if everything lines up perfectly."

Hendricks has just one defeat in 13 professional fights, a close unanimous decision loss to fellow division up-and-comer Rick Story. He's 9-1 under the Zuffa banner and toppled such names as Charlie Brenneman, Amir Sadollah and Mike Pierce.

But has he done enough to warrant a title shot in his next appearance?

Aside from Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck is fighting Pierce on Saturday night's main card. And let's not forget about the winner of Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez at UFC on Fuel TV in mid-February.

Who do you, as a fan, think should get first dibs on the winner of UFC 143?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stormed the United Center last Saturday night (Jan. 28, 2012) in Chicago, Illinois, giving mixed martial arts (MMA) fans another helping of network televised fights courtesy of its UFC on Fox 2 primetime special.

But was anybody watching?

According to estimates from FOX Sports Research, the network is "expected to win the night among Adults 18-49 by a wide margin, and may beat ABC, CBS and NBC combined in the Adults 18-34 demographic" thanks to a 2.7 household overnight rating (5 share), a +42% increase from the previous four weeks of FOX's Saturday night primetime offerings.

Here is the time slot breakdown:

Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman: 2.3 rating with a 4 share.
Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping: 2.9 rating with a 5 share.
Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis: 3.4 rating with a 6 share.

Evans secured his place as light heavyweight number one contender with a five round unanimous decision win over Davis while Sonnen also booked himself for a future middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva by outpointing Michael Bisping. Weidman huffed and puffed his way to a split decision against Maia in the opening fight of the night.

For more results and fallout from UFC on Fox 2 click here.

Were you not entertained?

For many years, fight fans have come to know "The Gladiator Man," the now-famous introduction to all Zuffa pay-per-view (PPV) events that has become a staple for the promotion.

No more.

The unnamed warrior has seen his time in combat sports and now he is gone. UFC President Dana White recently announced that UFC 143 will usher in a new era of UFC introductions and the Gladiator Man will no longer be a part of it.

From The Underground:

Tonight, UFC President Dana White revealed exclusively to the Underground that the opening sequence for its PPV broadcast has been redone and the new introduction will be revealed this Saturday for UFC 143. The event will feature Nick Diaz fighting Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight championship in the main event.

The opening sequence, which has shown a Roman gladiator preparing for battle has often been critiqued by fans and although the sequence hasn’t been used by the UFC on its FOX and Fuel TV broadcasts, it had been present as most recent as this past UFC 142.

To quote the UFC President directly: "He’s been cut."

Anybody gonna miss this guy? Or was it time for a change? And does anyone expect him to surface in Bellator once the no-compete clause expires on his contract?

Yowzers!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones will defend his 205-pound strap against longtime nemesis Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 145 on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

And he'll do it as a -600 favorite.

At least for now. That's according to the Bookmakers on Best Fight Odds, who give "Bones" the whopping favorite line following last weekend's announcement that the former teammates under Greg Jackson would finally hook 'em up in "The Peach State."

Evans limps in as the +400 underdog.

Despite a five round dominant unanimous decision victory over former undefeated division prospect Phil Davis at the Jan. 28 UFC on Fox 2 event in Chicago, Evans was panned for a "cautious" and "uninspired" performance against "Mr. Wonderful," which may have resulted from his failure to finish the fight after 25 minutes of complete control.

Did that affect the opening lines?

Perhaps. Or it could have more to do with the fact that Jones has looked invincible as division champion, laying waste to everyone in his path before, during and after his UFC 128 title win over Mauricio Rua.

Evans remains the final hurdle before he's effectively cleaned out the division.

Anyone think "Bones" is getting too much respect? Let's hear your thoughts on the UFC 145 odds and betting lines in the comments section below and for more on "Jones vs. Evans" click here.

Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen may not have been the blockbuster that many predicted but that didn’t stop the self proclaimed undisputed champion cutting yet another enigmatic interview immediately afterwards. Over thirty five years ago, however, former WWE champion Superstar Billy Graham had cut a very similar promotion which many are citing as Sonnen’s direct [...]

Don't delete that Facebook account just yet.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is divvying up its preliminary card offering for the UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" event this Saturday night (Feb. 4, 2012) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kicking off the UFC 143 "Prelims" at approximately 7pm ET will be the Facebook fights featuring Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson (Welterweight) and Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper (Middleweight).

The action will promptly switch over to the FX Channel around 8pm ET for the bouts of Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier (Featherweight), Henry Martinez vs. Matt Riddle (Welterweight), Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa (Bantamweight) and Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope (Welterweight).

Here's what the finalized UFC 143 fight card and television line-up looks like:

Main event:

170 lbs.: Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz

Main card (pay-per-view):

265 lbs.: Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
170 lbs.: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
145 lbs.: Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen
155 lbs.: Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks

Preliminary card (FX Channel):

145 lbs.: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier
170 lbs.: Matt Riddle vs. Henry Martinez
135 lbs.: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
170 lbs.: Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope

Preliminary card (Facebook):

185 lbs.: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
170 lbs.: Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson

For more on UFC 143: "Condit vs. Diaz" be sure to hit up our event archive right here.

CHICAGO, Ill. (January 30, 2011) - In a continuing effort to bring premier sports and entertainment to those who serve in the United States Armed Forces, Bellator Fighting Championships has once again partnered with the Armed Forces Network, extending a relationship that was formed in 2010.

For the approximately one million service members and their families deployed to 175 countries around the world that depend on AFN, Bellator's sixth season and beyond will be able to be seen via the Armed Forces Network, including Bellator's March 9 premier from The Venue at The Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.

Tickets for this event are on sale and are available at The Horseshoe Casino, Ticketmaster, www.thevenue-chicago.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

"It is an honor for us to be able to continue to provide Bellator programming to the men and women of The United States Armed Forces," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "The strength and courage displayed by the men and women of our armed forces is admirable at the highest level. To be able to give back to them, even a little bit is something I am pleased we can do."

With over 10 years of service in the United States Army, Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Finalist Eric Prindle is well aware of the importance of the AFN.

"When you are stationed overseas, being able to sit down and watch sports or a big fight like Bellator brings back a piece a home, and allows you to keep doing your job," Prindle said. "It's a tremendous honor to know I've got the soldiers watching me fight, and I can promise in my rematch with Thiago Santos, I won't let them down."

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

Want to get your fill of the UFC's middleweight "Crippler," but don't want to wait for his one year suspension to expire? Then you're in luck, as Round 5 is releasing a limited edition Chris Leben figurine this April as part of its "Ultimate Collector" Series 9. Get all the details here.

"Hi everyone! I'm back in Montreal for the weekend. I just started training gymnastics again. I'm very limited in what I can do but I had a great workout. Pat prepared a great training program for me. I'll see everyone next weekend in Las Vegas for the fight, Condit [vs.] Diaz."

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, who was forced to put his 170-pound strap behind glass while he rehabs a surgically repaired knee, gives fans a brief update on his road to recovery as he (and the rest of the mixed martial arts community) gears up for the UFC 143: "Condit vs. Diaz" pay-per-view (PPV) event this Saturday night (Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the two headliners, Nick Diaz or Carlos Condit, will not only win the division's Interim strap, but also solidify themselves as the next opponent for "Rush" when he returns later this year. Is this the beginning of the end for the St. Pierre dynasty? Or just a bump in the road?