Who is to blame for UFC 151 cancellation?

Plenty of anger bubbled up after UFC 151 was canceled. From UFC president Dana White to fans who posted on Cagewriter's Facebook page, people are angry there won't be fights in Las Vegas next weekend. Anger quickly turns into a search for blame. Who do you blame for UFC 151's demise?

Jon Jones: When an injury happens, fighters often have to make sacrifices to still be able to fight. Ask Rich Franklin about the many times he has stepped up when the UFC needed him to, and how he's been rewarded. Jones didn't do that, and missed out on an opportunity to win a ton of fans. He made a business decision, but now will have to face the business consequences for how fans react when fights at UFC 152.

The UFC: In planning a top-heavy card with UFC 151, they were playing with fire. Main event fighters are injured all the time. Even Jones has had to postpone fights for an injury. Putting a holiday weekend pay-per-view on the backs of two fighters was begging for a problem, as was hoping for a late replacement after a very busy summer of MMA.

Greg Jackson: UFC president Dana White threw some blame towards Jackson, Jones' coach.

"Jones's trainer, Greg Jackson, told Jon that taking the fight with Chael would be the biggest mistake of his life. That's what he told Jon Jones. Let me tell you, this guy (Greg Jackson) is a sport killer," White said on a media conference call.

"When you are a champion, much less one of the guys who is supposed to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, you are supposed to step up. Jon Jones is a guy a lot of fans don't like, and I don't think this is going to make him any more popular. Lorenzo Fertitta (UFC chairman and CEO) and I are disgusted with Jon Jones and Greg Jackson."

Dan Henderson's knee: And here we come to the real culprit behind the cancellation of UFC 151. How dare you become injured when training in a brutal, dangerous sport, knee?

Canada: Always blame Canada.

Does any one person or group deserve the blame for UFC 151 being canceled? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/blame-ufc-151-cancellation-120222893--mma.html

Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago  Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte

ROUNDTABLE: Did the UFC make the right decision in canceling UFC 151? What could have been done without Jon Jones?

Did the UFC make the right decision in canceling UFC 151? If not, what should (or could) they have done to keep the show on without a Jon Jones fight?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Depends who you ask. If you ask the 20 non-main event fighters who aren't getting paid until weeks or months later when they get rescheduled, then it was a horrible decision. I mean, babies won't be fed, wives won't be clothed, homes will be foreclosed upon, locusts and plagues will descend. If you ask UFC management, who was looking at a grand total of 42 PPV buys and not one more ticket sold from the moment Jones pulled out until the night of the fight, then yeah, good call Skippy. If you ask me, with no financial stake in the decision, I too am ambivalent. I mean, on one hand the UFC just sent a major slap in the face to Jake Ellenberger, Jay Hieron, Dennis Hallman, Yasuhiro Urushitani, et. al. by making it clear that the UFC cares more about their own bottom line than the bottom lines of the mid-card (and below). But on the other hand, the idea of a UFC PPV in an empty airport hangar, with a card devoid of even one drawing card would wind up being the source of even more ridicule than the cancellation of the event itself.

Of course, the three biggest sources of blame are getting off scott-free here. Dan Henderson, Lyoto Machida, and Dana White are far more responsible than their convenient scapegoat Jon Jones (although Jones really should have done them a solid, and isn't blameless). Henderson was injured for weeks before he told the UFC he was injured. Even if he thought he was going to be ready for September 1, he had a responsibility to keep the UFC in the loop so they could make backup plans. You know, as opposed to cancelling the card in a panic. Had the UFC known in time, they could have discreetly gotten another fighter (even Chael) to start training hard on a parallel course so that if Henderson pulled out, UFC management could have said, "Hendo is out. But in our infinite wisdom we strategerized a backup plan, and Jon Jones will now defend agaonst (fill in the blank)." If Chael was willing to take the fight on eight days notice, he clearly would have taken it on 24 days notice. And if Jones is willing to fight Chael on September 22, then he would have been willing to fight Chael on September 1 had he known immediately upon Henderson's injury.

While we're holding feet to the fire, Lyoto Machida also could have done the UFC a solid by accepting the September 1 fight with Jones. Seeing as how he already fought the man once, he's seen all the tape. He's with an elite camp who is more than well aware of what Jon Jones brings to the table. It's not perfect for Machida to take Jones on nine days notice, but it's not like Jones would have been training for Machida for three months either. Had Machida manned-up, we might still have a fight week to gear up for.

And of course, the UFC is to blame here. I understand that they are running approximately seven events per day this year so the cards are thin as a result. But this is a bed they made for themselves. They signed off on a model where they're booking a zillion fight cards, and a lot of those fights that are going to Fox, FX, and Fuel would have been solid PPV fights. But I don't remember anyone pointing a gun at Dana White's head forcing to run so many cards. What happened to UFC 151 was completely predictable. The last time Jon Jones fought, Che Mills was in the co-main event, okay? Numerous people were speculating about what would happen to UFC 145 if Jones or Rashad Evans got injured, and now we know the result.

It's fine for the UFC to book a thin undercard when they have a potentially massive main event, but there's a different between thin and non-existent. In a perfect world, injuries don't happen, every card that is booked stays fully in tact, I win the damn lottery, Brad Walker loses 75 pounds without blowing out both hamstrings, and Dan Moore gets his green card. But that aint the world we live in. So in conclusion, everyone is to blame, s*** happens, UFC 152 is less than four weeks away, and I'm glad to have more than three days between PPVs.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I don't think they made the right decision canceling. As soon as Anderson Silva tells me that he's willing to fight I run with that. I don't care if they already starting the process of canceling, you've got a chance to have the greatest fighter of all-time filling in on short notice. No one in their right mind would complain about that. Considering that Chael Sonnen and Chris Weidman were also willing to fight on short notice, there's no reason to cancel now. Match Sonnen and Weidman against each other, and then ask around to see if anyone is willing to fight Silva on short notice. I'm sure there would be at least a couple guys willing to do that.


ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

This is such an interesting question with so many variables. First, we should talk about who is at fault for this entire situation. It's Dan Henderson's fault. If he had told the UFC when his injury occurred, this whole thing could have been avoided. We have enough reasons to dislike Jon Jones, the cancellation of UFC 151 should not be one of them. Seriously, do you think Fedor would have taken on Randy Couture on one week's notice? HELL NO! It is not Jon Jones' fault, but we can still dislike him for the DUI, allegedly being in the company of two women who were not the mother of his children when he got the DUI, his super arrogance, and his disrespect of so many fighters in MMA. The UFC could have moved the card to free TV and made the fans happy. I agree the card would not have made a great PPV, but how many crappy PPV shows have we seen in recent memory? I think this is a case of Dana White being mad, because he lost control of one of his largest superstars. I think Jon Jones will become an even bigger thorn in the side of Zuffa after he starts to get some of the fame that will come along with his forty million dollar Nike sponsorship. Jon Jones did the right thing by waiting for his next opponent. Many fighters will do what the UFC and White ask, because they cannot make a living in any other organization. I think as long as fighters are doing exactly what White wants, things are fine. When fighters do not surrender to his whims, White makes these split- second, poor decisions like the cancellation of UFC 151 and everyone loses. Cancelling this UFC was a mistake and handling it any other way would have been better.


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

From a business standpoint absolutely not. Jones vs. Sonnen would have still been an entertaining fight, with Jones coming out as the victor. If Dana White had not rushed to cancel the card we may have wound up with an equally as good fight with Anderson Silva fighting at light heavyweight against an unknown opponent. That would have made for every bit of pay per view sales as Jones vs Hendo or Jones vs Sonnen. The call to cancel was too quick and too erratic, and far too dramatic by Dana White, that was a huge mistake that hurt fans, fighters and publicity all at once.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

The UFC were in a no win situation last week, a lot of it self inflicted, some of it just unfortunate circumstance. To start with, they left themselves wide open when putting the card together. Relying on Jones vs. Henderson, and to a lesser extent Koscheck vs. Ellenberger. When Koscheck was unfortunately injured they failed to find a marketable replacement, and went with Jay Hieron. Despite two solid outings in Bellator recently, Hieron isn't a name many people would pay over $50 to see in a PPV main event.

When you've got a (usually reliable) 42 year old in the main event, surely it would have been prudent of the UFC to have a Plan B, Plan C and Plan D, but they didn't. It was however extremely unfortunate that the withdrawal happened so late in the day, and no one should shoulder the blame for that. They were left with Ellenberger vs. Hieron and that wasn't going to entice but the most diehard fanatics. I do wonder if they ever considered bringing the Bisping vs. Stann fight forward 3 weeks. It's a very marketable match up, and I'm sure both fighters would have been game if the money was right. Maybe it was a week too late, but it would have saved the card, and a ton of negative press in the process.


JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

The only way to answer this question with absolute certainty is to open up the Zuffa books, look at their costs, and compare those numbers to projected figures for what they would take in for the show.

But since no one really has access to that kind of information outside of Zuffa, we have to assume that the loss they would have taken for continuing with the show would have been greater than the cancellation.

There isn't anything they could have done to save the show in the time they had to put things together.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_14254.shtml

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Chris Clements - Brakes Guy's Jaw Over A Girl!

Ringside MMA Welterweight Champ - Chris Clements prepares for his first ever UFC Fight.copyright2012vipproductions

Source: http://www.mmanews.com/video/TrainingWithProsTV/1267

Don Barr Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden

Cote vs. Sakara Set for Quebec

A middleweight matchup that should be a classic has been verbally agreed to as boxer Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara will take on Quebecois kickboxer Patrick "The Predator" Cote at UFC 154 in Montreal.

Verbal agreements are also in for a welterweight bout that night between Sweden's 6-1 Besam Yousef and South Carolina's 6-1 Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

Montreal Secures Co-Main Bout updated August 22
The co-main event of UFC 154 on November 17th has been verbally agreed to as top-ranked welterweights Johny "Bigg Rigg" Hendricks and Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann battle it out on the way to a world title shot.

The bout could establish a clear next contender for the welterweight title, with the winner likely earning the right to fight the welterweight king. The title is now held by Georges St-Pierre, who must first face interim champion Carlos Condit when he returns from rehabbing the injury that's sidelined him since 2011. The St-Pierre-Condit bout is expected to take place late this year.

Montreal Fight Card Begins to Build updated August 20
First announced in March, UFC 154's Montreal fight card is beginning to fill up as verbal agreements are in for a handful of bouts.

At middleweight, "Filthy" Tom Lawlor will take on France's Francis "Limitless" Carmont.

At lightweight, two grappling specialists will meet in a chess match between BJJ black belts as Toronto's Mark Bocek faces Rio's Rafael Dos Anjos.

In yet another battle between black belts hailing from Canada and Brazil, Ontario's Antonio Carvalho will face TUF Brasil alum Rodrigo Damm. Both fighters are coming off impressive first-round finishes and looking to make names for themselves in the crowded, talent-rich featherweight division.

Also at featherweight, Canadian kickboxing standout Mark Hominick will go to war with submission specialist Pablo Garza.

Montreal, home to UFC® welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, has set several previous UFC live event records including fastest sellout, largest gate and attendance.More details about the event, including main event and ticket on-sale information, will be released in coming weeks on ufc.com

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-154-fight-card-updates

Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs  Ray Cooper  Kit Cope  Wesley Cabbage Correira 

Georges St-Pierre medically cleared, bout with Carlos Condit on for UFC 154 in Montreal

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

After a spring and summer that has featured nothing but injury woes and shakeups for the UFC, some good news came out on Tuesday for one of the events this fall.

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, who has been on the sidelines since last year with a pair of knee injuries, and who has spent most of 2012 rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn ACL, announced on Tuesday that he's been medically cleared to return to competition.

Going on Twitter and other social networking platforms, St-Pierre revealed the good news, and confirmed that he's set for Nov. 17 and UFC 154 in Montreal. His bout with Carlos Condit has been expected for that event for the better part of the year, and now he's set to return home for sure.

Penick's Analysis: This is fantastic confirmation for a fight we've been expecting. St-Pierre's return has been long-awaited, and this fight with Condit should be a fantastic event. After a string of really negative news in the last couple of weeks, it's nice to have something to truly look forward to, and St-Pierre's return is just that.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14247.shtml

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Ultimate Fighter cast includes a former TUF coach and plenty of drama between Dana White and Roy Nelson

Nearly every season since the UFC created the reality series 'The Ultimate Fighter,' UFC president Dana White raves about the bouts and promises it will be the "best season ever." That's the promoter in him.

But as the 15th season is about to begin, White's focus is slightly different. The series, now known as 'The Ultimate Fighter Fridays,' seems to be as much about the battle between White and coach Roy Nelson as it is about the fighters or Nelson's upcoming fight with opposing coach Shane Carwin.

The series will return to the taped format on Sept. 14 with a two-hour special that will include all 16 fights to get into the house. The season features welterweight fighters, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Cameron Diffley, who served as the jiu jitsu instructor when Forrest Griffin was the coach.

There have been plenty of times a fighter has fought on the show and then coached, but this might be the first time a man coached and then showed up as the contestant.

But the big news seems to be about the battles between White and the outspoken Nelson, the winner of Season 10.

"Carwin and Nelson are two guys who just can't stand each other and Roy and I haven't exactly seen eye to eye either," White said in a statement. "He's been a nightmare for me to work with on this show with all of his stupid b.s."

Nelson kicked things off in an interview with MMA Junkie in which he publicly blasted White. That is big news in and of itself, since so few of the UFC fighters are willing to take White on publicly.

Nelson, though, had no such qualms. He tore into White in an interview with MMA Junkie's Steven Marrocco.

It's probably because he wants to be a fighter, and he's not

Nelson continued to poke at White, painting himself as a guy looking to carry the sport to the next level.

I'm always at the back of the bus when it comes to the UFC. I'm just trying to further MMA to the next level, hold journalism up to higher standards, holding fights to higher standards, holding promotions to higher standards, holding athletic commissions to higher standards, and even holding the fans to higher standards.

White responded to Nelson following the UFC on Fox 4 card in Los Angeles, telling MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani that Nelson "is a huge pain in the [expletive]."

The dynamic between White and Nelson may wind up being the highlight of the season.

The 32 fighters who will compete on Sept. 14 for the 16 slots in the house and the chance at the UFC contract are:

Bristol Marunde, 30, Las Vegas

Cameron Diffley, 27, Las Vegas

Colton Smith, 30, Fort Hood, Texas, via Ankeny, Iowa

Cortez Coleman, 30, Hugo, Okla.

David Michaud, 23, Pine Ridge, S.D.

Diego Bautista, 26, Lakewood, Calif.

Dom Waters, 23, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Eddy Ellis, 29, Olympia, Wash.

Frank Camacho, 23, Camp Springs, Md.

George Lockhart, 29, Atlanta, Ga.

Igor Araujo, 31, Albuquerque, N.M., via Patos De Minas, Brazil

James Chaney, 25, Klamath Falls, Ore.

Jason South, 34, West Jordan, Utah

Jerel Clark, 23, Reno, Nev.

Jesse Barrett, 26, Tempe, Ariz.

Joey Rivera, 32, Tucson, Ariz.

Jon Manley, 26, Ludlow, Mass.

Julian Lane, 25, Mansfield, Ohio

Kevin Nowaczyk, 23, Chicago

Leo Kuntz, 28, Bismarck, N.D.

Lev Magen, 25, Las Vegas

Matt Secor, 25, South Glens Falls, N.Y.

Max Griffin, 26, Sacramento, Calif.

Michael Hill, 25, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Mike Ricci, 26, Montreal

Neil Magny, 24, Chicago

Nic Herron-Webb, 22, Anchorage, Alaska

Ricky Legere Jr., 26, Corona, Calif.

Saad Awad, 23, San Bernardino, Calif.

Sam Alvey, 26, Murrieta, Calif.

Tim Ruberg, 30, Harrison, Ohio

Zane Kamaka, 23, Klaianae, Hawaii

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ultimate-fighter-cast-includes-former-tuf-coach-plenty-155956379--mma.html

Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić

Jon Jones is a fucking prick

He just cost the fans paying to come see the fight. sports bars advertising the fight and countless other people thousands of dollars cause he wants to pull this prima donna bullshit thinking hes too good to fight Chael. Who the fuck does he think he is. Chuck woulda fought anyone when he was champ because he was a company man. Jon dont give a fuck about anyone but himself and I hope they fuckin but him on the back burner until his contract is up and give him the fucking boot.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?79109-Jon-Jones-is-a-fucking-prick&goto=newpost

Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan  Dan The Sandman Christison  Logan The Pink Pounder Clark  Steve The Snake Claveau 

Hendo Injured, UFC 151 Card Scrapped (Updated)

After a knee injury suffered by number one light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson has forced him from September 1st’s UFC 151 main event against champion Jon Jones, the event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas has been canceled.

UFC president Dana White made the announcement on Thursday during a media teleconference.

“This is probably one of my all-time lows as president of the UFC over the last 11 years,” said White. “For the first time in 11 years, we’re going to cancel an event. Dan Henderson has a partial tear in his MCL and couldn’t continue. He tried to train and tried to continue to work out, he saw doctors and there was nothing we could do to save that fight.”

Said Henderson in a statement, “Sadly and unfortunately, I partially tore a ligament in my knee in training. As a result I've had to make one of the toughest decisions that I have ever had to make...for the first time in my career I am forced to pull out of a fight, my fight with Jon Jones at UFC 151. Luckily, surgery is not needed at this time and I will be completely devoted to rehabbing my knee as quickly as possible. I feel that I owe it to my fans and all the people supporting me to fight at my full potential in order to give myself a chance to win the UFC title. I appreciate the loyal support that I have felt from my fans. I want to thank all of my coaches and team of guys for the great support with my training camp. Most importantly, I appreciate their honesty when I needed them the most to make this very difficult decision. I also want to thank Dana and Lorenzo for being so understanding and supportive. I will continue to pursue the UFC belt with all of my heart!”

With Henderson out, White tried to salvage the event before making the decision to pull the plug on the 11 fight card, with one particular loquacious contender willing to step up and take the bout with the youngest champion in UFC history.

“One of the things you’ve heard me brag about a million times is how UFC doesn’t have to cancel events and that we can always find a replacement,” he said. “For somebody to fight Jon Jones on eight days’ notice is tough to do. But to be totally honest, one guy did. Not only when I called him did he say I’ll take the fight, he said I’ll fly to Las Vegas tonight and fight him. And that was Chael Sonnen. Chael Sonnen accepted the fight with Jon Jones, wanted the fight bad, so as of eight, nine o’clock last night, we had a fight. We started working, started creating commercials, PR started getting ready to crank up, but the one thing that I never thought in a million years would happen happened. Jon Jones said I’m not fighting Chael Sonnen with eight days notice.”

If the fight was going to happen, it would have been Sonnen’s first at 205 pounds in the UFC since 2005, but that didn’t deter the self-proclaimed “Gangster from West Linn,” who has poking at Jones on Twitter since moving back to light heavyweight.

“These guys have been talking smack back and forth to each other and I thought it was a fight that people would be interested in, and Chael was the guy who accepted it,” said White. “And Chael was pumped and excited for this fight. In the heat of the moment, when things are going down, this is the guy that you pick up the phone and call, and he will fight anybody.”

White, obviously disappointed at Jones’ decision to not accept the bout, scrapped the UFC 151 card and has moved “Bones” to September 22nd’s UFC 152 show in Toronto, where he will face Lyoto Machida, who is fresh off a spectacular knockout win over Ryan Bader earlier this month. This bout will now be the Toronto main event, joining the UFC’s first ever flyweight championship fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson. UPDATE: Later in the day, the UFC announced that Machida had opted not to take the fight. Instead, the UFC 152 headlining title fight will be between Jon Jones and former champion Vitor Belfort.

Ticket holders for UFC 151 can obtain refunds at their place of purchase. As for the rest of the fighters on the September 1st card, White said “I don’t know what the fallout’s gonna be from this thing for the undercard, but we’ll figure it out.”

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Hendo-Injured-UFC-151-Card-Scrapped

Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn

Greg Valentine Posts Explanation For No-Showing Event

WWE Hall of Famer Greg “The Hammer” Valentine offered an explanation on his Facebook page for no-showing Great North Wrestling’s Randy Savage tribute show on Sept. 3 in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada after the organization paid $2,000 for his services.

Here is my Official Statement on my Canada Booking. I hope this clears things up.

I was booked for the Macho Man Memorial Show in Canada. That’s true. I told the promoter I was coming. That’s true. I received my deposit from the promoter. That’s true. Now let me clear some things up…

A few days before the scheduled booking, my mother-n-law had to go into the hospital for an emergency surgery. I sent my wife, Julie, to Nashville to be by her side. I stayed back in Tampa to continue with my weekend booking schedule. I called the promoter when I saw my flight itinerary. He had me on a 715 flight to Miami from Tampa, then Miami to Chicago, then Chicago to Ottawa, then a couple hour drive to the show, plus going thru customs when I land…which can take an hour for me to get thru.

When I saw this, I called the promoter and left the message that many of you heard. I asked for the remainder of the money if I was going to be jumping on THREE different airplanes to get to this event. And yes, I promised him I would be there. Now what you need to understand is this… My message to him was stern. I was angry. My wife was a bundle of nerves because she is seeing her mother suffer. I was not with her, and I now have a flight schedule that is beyond crazy. Last time I went there I didn’t need to go on THREE planes to get there. So, with all that being said, I was stressed out, and I do apologize to the fans who heard the voice mail that I left. The pressure got the best of me and I used language I shouldn’t have. We all make mistakes.

This is what then unfolded as the reason I did not show up… The promoter sent me the remainder of the money as I asked. I was going to his booking as I promised him…even though I was under a lot of pressure with what has been going on with my mother-n-law (something that the promoter knew about). The morning of the booking came, I was still going. I then got a call from my wife in Nashville that her mom was given 2 days to live. That did it for me. How can I, as a husband, NOT be with my wife and mother-n-law, and the rest of the family? What would you do? If you were a son or daughter of adult age, and had a vacation scheduled, but your Mom or Dad was given two days to live…would you still go away on your vacation, or put things in priority order, and be with your family?

As I write this to you, I am with the family in Nashville, filling my days with my wife and the rest of the family at my mother-n-law’s bedside. It’s been 2 days already and she is still with us, but I attribute that to the many fans and friends who have been praying for her. I have received numerous emails expressing your concern and support in my situation.

If the promoter is angry, and out to try and hurt my reputation, shame on him. I called him and apologized for not being able to come, and TOLD HIM I was not going to make it because of the news we got from the hospital the morning of the show… that her death was expected. I even went as far to tell him that I would return the money he sent…all of it, and I STILL stand by it. When I return to Tampa, I will be heading to my bank and mailing him the money. This was never the issue, so why he had to go off and try to hurt me at a time where we are having a tragedy in our family, I don’t know.

What tends to hurt me the most, is that I asked him to please tell the fans that I was sorry and that i was not going to be able to make it to the event. I purposely made sure that he would express that to the fans who came out to see me, and to celebrate the life of Randy Savage. Instead, he tells everyone that I pulled a “No show”. He didn’t give any reason for my absence, just told people I didn’t show up. This is not how I operate. However, when push comes to shove with family, family will always win out.

That is the truth. This is what happened. Yes, I did not like the flight itinerary, and I did ask him for the balance of my payoff, but that had nothing to do with me not being there. It was getting the news that my mother-n-law was about to die that caused me to decide not to go the day of. As stated earlier, my mother-n-law seems to be doing better, and I thank you all for praying. I believe that is the only reason why. For those that got offended, I do apologize, and I do hope to see you again one day soon. Thank you for your support throughout this time, and for being such dedicated fans and friends.

-Greg “The Hammer” Valentine

Wrestling News

Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/greg-valentine-posts-explanation-for-no-showing-event/

Nick Diaz  Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago 

Antonio Banuelos signs with Legacy Fighting Championship, debuts vs. Josh Sampo

Antonio Banuelos has signed with Legacy Fighting Championship and will debut for the promotion at Legacy FC 14 next month.

With Rafael De Freitas out with an injury, the former UFC and WEC fighter will meet Josh Sampo in the co-main event. Legacy promoter Mick Maynard on Tuesday confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com.

Legacy FC 14 takes place Sept. 14 at Houston's Arena Theater, and the main card airs on AXS TV (formerly HDNet).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/qigbZz0LZ_o/antonio-banuelos-signs-with-legacy-fighting-championship-debuts-vs-josh-sampo.mma

Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez Keith Hackney Matt Hamill Volk Han

Video - Bellator Bantamweight Champ Eduardo Dantas knocked out at Shooto Brazil event

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator Fighting Championships only runs so many events, and when their Champions must await a tournament winner to defend their belts, they may be looking for action outside of the organization. Bellator will allow them to do so, provided the fight takes place outside of the U.S. Well, that policy backfired on Saturday night, as their Bantamweight Champion, Eduardo Dantas, got knocked out by Tyson Nam at a Shooto event in Brazil. Check out video of the bout in the embedded clip below:



Video URL: http://youtu.be/rl66lCBdElM

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/quicknews/article_14231.shtml

Mac Danzig  Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza 

Randy Couture isn’t planning a return to the cage, unless Steven Seagal gets in first

You will be disappointed if you want to see UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture fight again. He is focused on his movie career, and recently told me he is starting to feel more like an actor and less like a professional athlete.

"I still feel like a professional athlete. That's slowly, I think, changing. I'm starting to get recognized for my movies. Hopefully, being considered by the industry as a bona fide actor. That's a transition I'm embracing."

But there just may be one challenge who could bring Couture back to the cage. On G4's "Attack of the Show," he said:

"Not unless (Steven) Seagal wants to sign up," Couture answered with a smile and a laugh.

Though Couture was joking, oh please oh please oh please can this happen? Seagal claims to have taught Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida some of their best moves. In fact, he claimed the kick Machida used to knock out Couture in his last fight. In a cage with Couture, Seagal would have to back up everything he's said about teaching some of MMA's best fighters.

Plus, it would be one heck of a way to sell a movie.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/randy-couture-isn-t-planning-return-cage-unless-131654528--mma.html

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

Mark Bocek battling Rafael dos Anjos in Montreal

As might be expected, the UFC is taking care of its fans from North of the Border this fall by stacking a pair of Canadian cards with athletes hailing from the nation. The latest fighter to join the group is Mark Bocek, a Toronto native who will see action on November 17 at UFC 154 in Montreal.

According to the UFC, the red-headed submission specialist will face Rafael dos Anjos at the event. The show is expected to be headlined by welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre attempting to unify his belt by beating interim title-holder Carlos Condit.

Bocek will enter the bout with the momentum of back-to-back wins behind him. He holds an overall record of 11-4 including seven submissions and victories over Dustin Hazelett, Nik Lentz, and most recently John Alessio.

A Closer Look at Bocek’s Latest Performance

The 17-6 Dos Anjos has also been hot as of late, scoring consecutive instances of success against Kamal Shalorus and Anthony Njokuani in his last two outings.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/21/mark-bocek-battling-rafael-dos-anjos-in-montreal

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

UFC 150 Main Card Predictions- Kamikaze Overdrive

UFC 150- Henderson vs Edgar 2 Saturday August 11th 2012UFC 150 Main Card Predictions- This Episode of the show covers Predictions for the 5 Main Card Fights on the UFC 150- Henderson vs Edgar 2 card. The Undercard Predictions are available here: h...

Source: http://www.mmanews.com/video/mrj86/1264

Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie

Lanny Poffo Wants Greg Valentine In An MMA Fight

WWE Hall of Famer Greg “The Hammer” Valentine no-showing Great North Wrestling’s Randy Savage tribute show on Sept. 3 in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada has been turned into an angle.

Lanny Poffo, the brother of the late superstar wrestler, posted a video on YouTube challenged the 60-year-old to a mixed martial arts match on December 30 in Gatineau. The wrestler formerly known as The Genius says he will throw cash he received from his recent inheritance to bait Valentine into the fight. He also taunts Valentine by calling him a “mangina” and that he may be left in a body bag.

The video was uploaded at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R53Bkdi2hEA It has since been made private.

Valentine posted an explanation Friday on his Facebook account apologizing for no-showing the event and leaving a nasty voice message to Great North Wrestling promoter Devon Nicholson. Valentine says he no-showed the event because he received a phone call on the morning of the show that his mother-in-law had two days left to live, so he flew to Nashville to be by her side—she recovered. Nicholson said between Valentine’s flight from Tampa, hotel, pay and photos he printed up to sell, he was out $2,000. Valentine said he would return Nicholson the money when he arrived in Tampa.

“This was never the issue, so why he had to go off and try to hurt me at a time where we are having a tragedy in our family, I don’t know,” Valentine wrote of Nicholson releasing his angry voice message and saying he no-showed the event after he was paid.

He continues, “What tends to hurt me the most, is that I asked him to please tell the fans that I was sorry and that I was not going to be able to make it to the event. I purposely made sure that he would express that to the fans who came out to see me, and to celebrate the life of Randy Savage. Instead, he tells everyone that I pulled a “No show”. He didn’t give any reason for my absence, just told people I didn’t show up. This is not how I operate. However, when push comes to shove with family, family will always win out.”

Wrestling News

Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/lanny-poffo-wants-greg-valentine-in-an-mma-fight/

Gerard Gordeau Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie

Joe Rogan positive people will forget about Jon Jones' role in UFC 151 cancellation

Longtime UFC announcer (and rabid MMA fan) Joe Rogan understands why so many people are upset at light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. He might even agree with them to an extent. However, Rogan has also kept perspective on the entire situation instead of instantly labeling Jones as a coward or questioning his contributions to the sport.

Rogan recently went online to offer up his take on the situation where he reminded fans about another UFC champion who was once viewed in a negative light but has since regained status as one of MMA’s biggest stars.

“Everyone was SUPER pissed at Anderson Silva after the Demian Maia fight, and even (UFC President Dana White) said he would cut Anderson if he fought that way again. Look at what time has healed,” explained Rogan in a post on The Underground. “After the spectacular Vitor Belfort KO, the Chael Sonnen comeback Triangle and the complete dismantling of Chael in the rematch, no one ever talks about Abu Dhabi and the Maia fight anymore.”

Silva took a good deal of heat after his win over Maia for toying around and refusing to engage instead of going in for the kill against a massively out-classed competitor.

“If Jon Jones can stay on track, keep being the amazing fighter that he’s shown himself to be inside the Octagon in EVERY single fight he’s ever had, and continue to improve at the staggering rate that he’s shown so far, in two fights no one will talk about this cancelled fight,” Rogan concluded. “The man is young, and he’s made a mistake or two, but he’s still got all the potential to go down in history as an all time great, if not THE all time great.”

Pat Miletich Disagrees with UFC’s Handling of Jones

Jones will get a chance to make the first step back towards getting in the good graces of his superiors and former supporters in a few weeks when he faces Belfort at UFC 152.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/30/joe-rogan-positive-people-will-forget-about-jon-jones-role-in-ufc-151-cancellation

Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku  Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar

World Series of Fighting Receives Nevada Promoter’s License; First Event in November

http://www.mmaweekly.com/world-serie...nt-in-november

The World Series of Fighting is officially headed to Las Vegas later this year after receiving their promoter’s license last week.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed with MMAWeekly.com on Monday that the World Series of Fighting had their promoter’s license officially approved last Friday, and they are now able to put on events in the state.

The World Series of Fighting is a new organization headed up by K-1 legend Ray Sefo, and already has several high profile fighters expected to compete on their debut card.


The first World Series of Fighting event is expected to take place in early November in Las Vegas, and sources have indicated that they will have ‘a major media partner’ in place for the broadcast of the show.

The World Series of Fighting is based around the tournament format of events with 16-man brackets filling up five different weight classes in the promotion.

The first card however will just be a standard fight card as they introduce themselves to the world of MMA.

Dominance MMA owner and operator Ali Abdel-Aziz will be acting as matchmaker for the new promotion.

Several former UFC, Strikeforce and Pride competitors are expected to be a part of the World Series of Fighting when they make their debut later this year.

The tournament will include 16 fighters in each weight class and will take place over a span of 12 months. Here are some of the fighters scheduled to participate in the tournaments (According to the company website).

Lightweight- Roger Huerta, Shane Nelson, Ronys Torres, John Gunderson, Brian Cobb, Jared Downing, Norman Parke and Kurt Southern.

Welterweight- Ramico Blackmon, Igor Gracie, Gregor Gracie, Andrews Nakahara, Yordan Radev, Tyson Stelle and Tim Welch.

Middleweight- David Branch, Thales Leites, Jorge Santiago and Warren Thompson.

Light Heavyweight- Tom Murphy, Jamal Patterson, Eric Smith, Tyrone Sprong and Gilbert Yvel.

Heavyweight- Chris Barnett, Rolles Gracie, Jerome LaBanner and Justin McCully.

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?79134-World-Series-of-Fighting-Receives-Nevada-Promoter’s-License-First-Event-in-November&goto=newpost

Ryan Bader  Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao  Josh Barnett  David Baron 

Ronda Rousey, Sarah Kaufman and the rest of Saturday’s fights official after weigh-ins

All Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman fights are now official as every fighter made weight in San Diego on Friday. The weigh-ins went off without a hitch and were mostly uneventful. Champion Ronda Rousey and her challenger Sarah Kaufman were both ready to go at and under the bantamweight limit. Without further adieu, weigh-in results courtesy of MMA Junkie:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)
•    Champ Ronda Rousey (135) vs. Sarah Kaufman (134)
•    Derek Brunson (186) vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (186)
•    Roger Bowling (170) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (169.5)
•    Lumumba Sayers (185) vs. Anthony Smith (186)
•    T.J. Cook (203) vs. Ovince St. Preux (205.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Showtime Extreme, 8 p.m. ET)
•    Julie Kedzie (135) vs. Miesha Tate (136)
•    Adlan Amagov (186) vs. Keith Berry (186)
•    Germaine de Randamie (144) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (145)
•    Bobby Green (155) vs. Matt Ricehouse (155)

Related MMA video from Yahoo! Sports

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ronda-rousey-sarah-kaufman-rest-saturday-fights-official-003045978--mma.html

Ryan Gracie Peter Graham Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian

could you beat Bob Sapp?

given the state of his "career" right now...

Source: http://forums.ufc.production.sparkart.net/showthread.php?t=125324&goto=newpost

Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona 

Hey Beets..yeah u bitch! You said " your boyfriend dump u Rudy! why you mad??"????????????

You know faggot....just because you love to get fucked by niggers from Brixton doesnt mean every ninjabro is a faggot like u ok?
Dont come to me with cheap jokes, u said " your boyfriend " ?? motherfucker since i was 13 years old i only fuck young girls, mature hot bitches, and sometimes i fuck some fat girl...just to make her world better cos im a cool guy.
So get real yellow teeth britfag and dont ever make a stupid joke like that again.
by the way!

--------------------

















P.S

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?79127-Hey-Beets-yeah-u-bitch!-You-said-quot-your-boyfriend-dump-u-Rudy!-why-you-mad-quot&goto=newpost

Kendall Grove Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn

CSAC turns heads with mishandling of information surrounding Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman drug tests

The California State Athletic Commission has created some confusion surrounding the lab results from Strikeforce‘s August 18 card after sending an email to members of the media saying the results for the event’s drug screening were deemed invalid, then followed up with another email saying there would be no further comment or explanation.

CSAC Interim Executive Officer Kathi Burns has since done some damage control, and saying the situation was all a misunderstanding.

“The information provided…is erroneous,” wrote Burns in an email to MMAJunkie. “The results of the drug testing for the August 18, 2012 Strikeforce event will be provided later this week or early next week. I spoke with the lab just a few moments ago and found that a delay in processing the results has occurred due to a simple, but correctable clerical error. I apologize for the confusion.”

The story also took a strange turn when the UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner told MMAFighting there “was something wrong with the collection method but the fighters in good conscience gave their specimens.”

It is not known if every fighter on the Strikeforce lineup was asked to submit samples though it is logical to assume main event combatants Ronda Rousey and Sarah Kaufman were tested.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/08/29/csac-turns-heads-with-mishandling-of-information-surrounding-strikeforce-rousey-vs-kaufman-drug-tests/

Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner

Michael Bisping Feels Like Jon Jones Should Have Stepped Up To Chael Sonnen

Michael Bisping accepted a fight with Chael Sonnen on short notice earlier this year. Jon Jones, the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion, declined a bout with Sonnen recently, and Bisping fired off several shots on “Bones” during an interview with Inside MMA. When you’re the champion, when you’re the UFC light heavyweight champion of the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/AdM56kZuUvw/

Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan  Dan The Sandman Christison  Logan The Pink Pounder Clark  Steve The Snake Claveau 

Diego Sanchez, Don Cerrone, Cain Velasquez: The Morning News Roundup – 8.7.12

Any day when the news doesn't involve a fighter getting injured, a fighter failing a drug screening or a fighting going to jail is a good one, and hey, today looks like a good one.  A well-liked scrapper is switching weight classes again, a co-main event fighter has given his upcoming bout a thumbs-up, a heavyweight wants his title shot, and another fighter went to the doctor, but that's it.  No cuts requiring stitches, no marijuana metabolites and no 40-person brawls — as the indomitable Ice Cube would say, "It was a good day."

• Winner of the inaugural season of "The Ultimate Fighter" and longtime fan-favorite fighter Diego Sanchez announced that he's moving down to lightweight.  Again.  If you'll recall, his last trip down to the 155-pound weight class ended with a showdown against B.J. Penn, and that match-up wasn't even competitive.  However, Sanchez's recent return to welterweight yielded mixed results, so you know how that goes.

 

• UFC lightweight stalwart Don Cerrone says that he's cool with fighting Melvin Guillard this weekend at UFC 150.  Which is good because it's only the co-main event and Cerrone signed the bout agreement months ago and if he were to suddenly say he wasn't cool with it the UFC would probably sue him for breach of contract plus damages.

 

• Who will be next to challenge UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos?  Will it be Dutch behemoth Alistair Overeem, who's currently serving a suspension for excessive horsemeat?  Or should it be former champ Cain Velasquez, who turned Antonio Silva into a Dexter-ish blood-splatter pattern on the Octagon floor back at UFC 146?

 

• Brazilian light-heavyweight striker Wagner Prado reportedly saw a doctor yesterday for his eye injury, which he incurred via accidental foul at the hands (or fingers) of Phil Davis on UFC on FOX 4 Saturday night.  No word yet on the prognosis, but it's great that Prado is getting professional help.  Eye injuries are no joke. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/diego-sanchez-don-cerrone-cain-velasquez-morning-news-132037148--mma.html

Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie Ralek Gracie

CFB: Clemson vs Auburn

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/sports-vbookie/104791-cfb-clemson-vs-auburn.html

Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson

Journey

Not the band...but a very good downloadable game for the PS3.



Gameplay is simplistic, but this game is gorgeous. It's also only 5-6 hours long as well.

One strong edible + Journey = Amazing

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?79098-Journey&goto=newpost

Jai Bradney  Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito  Rob Broughton 

Rashad Evans Wants To Return In December At 205

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/8/29/3277024/ufc-rashad-evans-december-205-silva-mma-news

Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito  Rob Broughton  Mike Brown 

Anderson Silva: “Even if St-Pierre loses a fight with me can happen.”

Quote:

With news finally surfacing stating UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre has been cleared to return to competition it looks like his November date with interim title-holder Carlos Condit is a certainty barring unforeseen circumstances. It also appears a future meeting with Anderson Silva is set in stone, at least if “The Spider” has his say in the matter. When asked about the possibility of facing GSP during a recent conversation with SporTV, Silva not only put the pairing on a pedestal above all other potential fights but said he’d be open to the match-up no matter what happens in St-Pierre’s fall meeting with Condit. “Regardless of who wins, even if St-Pierre loses, a fight with me can happen. A fight like this is above anything else. St-Pierre is one of the greatest of the UFC. Right now, a fight with Condit is meaningless,” commented Silva (translation by Bloody Elbow). The response from Silva seems to confirm the 37-year old is in the market for the biggest bouts possible rather than defending his title against worthy yet lesser-known contenders. The two longtime champions have been linked to a super-fight for a few years. Combined St-Pierre and Silva have compiled sixteen total title-defenses between them and won 25 consecutive clashes.

Fiveouncesofpain

I'm fairly positive we won't be stripped of this fight.

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/104783-anderson-silva-even-if-st-pierre-loses-fight-me-can-happen.html

Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan

Chael Sonnen Believes He Will Be Facing Jon Jones On September 22

Chael Sonnen sees Vitor Belfort and believes that “The Phenom” will not show up to UFC 152 and meet UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. If that happens, Sonnen is prepared to step in and take on “Bones.” Sonnen, during a recent appearance on ESPN Radio, discussed why he believes Belfort will not show up [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/OLtlonQzRXc/

Xavier Foupa Pokam Hermes Franca Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye

Honorio Banario: "I am ready to attack for three rounds if I have to but normally my opponents don't last that long."

Honorio Banario‘s name is not as well known as other Filipino fighters such as Eduard Folayang and Eric Kelly but the 6-1 featherweight is on a mission to change that next weekend. His bout with Andrew Benibe is penciled as the show-opener at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation and all eyes will be on these two Filipinos at an event expected to attract 16,500 fans.

An emphatic win for Banario, who holds the URCC lightweight belt, would thrust him instantly into the limelight, and, after winning six fights out of six in the Philippines, he is very confident of victory on August 31 as he made clear in an interview with Fighters.com.

“I have seen Andrew fight before so I know what to expect, I have been training very hard with Team Lakay and my condition is good and I believe I will win this fight, I am hoping for a first round knockout,” explained Banario.

The 24-year old is looking to get back into title contention after suffering a disappointing submission loss to top Korean featherweight Bae Young Kwon in his last outing. It was the first time he had ever experienced defeat and it left a bitter taste which has lingered longer than he would have liked.

“I did not get a chance to show what I can do at ONE FC because I lost in the first round,” admitted the frustrated fighter. “I am very happy that I have another opportunity to fight for the ONE FC and to show everyone what sort of a fighter I am, at Team Lakay we train to be aggressive and to fight very hard and I think the fans like that sort of style, it is entertaining.”

The fight against Kwon was Banario’s first at 145 pounds after competing his entire career at 159 pounds (the URCC lightweight limit). Though he says the weight cut was uncomfortable, het has learned from the experience and thinks things will be easier next time around.

In addition to his interest in redemption, it is also a good time for him to be getting back in the ONE FC cage because championship belts are going to be introduced as early as October. At present Kelly is the forerunner for the featherweight strap after beating Mitch Chilson and Kwon but Banario wants to work his way back into contention.

“Of course I want to challenge for the title but first I must win some fights. I am ready to fight anyone, I would like to fight Bae Young Kwon again but for now I am training to beat Benibe and I know that I need to win this fight to get my reputation back,” said Banario.

Kelly and Banario both came up through the Baguio scene and Kelly, who is the URCC featherweight champion, was once a member of Team Lakay. With both signed to ONE FC and competing at featherweight their paths could potentially collide even though Banario hopes it won’t happen too soon.

“Me and Eric sparred together a lot when he was training for his first fight for ONE FC although he is not in Baguio anymore,” he revealed. “I prefer not to fight against my fellow Filipino and I hope that ONE FC can find me opponents from other places in the world because I am very proud to represent the Philippines when I fight but it is not up to me, if ONE FC want the fight then it can happen.”

Before he can start thinking about title shots and future fights Banario must erase the memories of his last loss by winning at the Araneta Coliseum. He doesn’t want to offer any predictions but has never been to a decision in his entire career and doesn’t intend to start now,

“I always try to finish the fight, that is my style. I am confident in my Wushu but if I see the chance to go for the takedown I can do that too and I like to use the ground and pound to beat people up. I am ready to attack for three rounds if I have to but normally my opponents do not last that long.”

Fans can catch Banario-Benibe in streaming action when things fire up on August 31. ONE FC is broadcasting the entire event through their website.

PHOTO CREDIT – ONE FC

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/23/honorio-banario-i-am-ready-to-attack-for-three-rounds-if-i-have-to-but-normally-my-opponents-dont-last-that-long

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Gagnon Taking It One Goal at a Time

It was October 2011 in Montreal’s Bell Centre and Canadian fighter Mitch Gagnon (8-2) was staring across the cage at David Harris, a fighter from Detroit, Michigan. Both fighters were riding win streaks of three or better and Harris was making a splash north of the border.

For Gagnon, who was making his bantamweight debut, it was the moment of truth.

“I fought mostly local talent up until Harris, who is American,” he said. “He was considered the Canadian Killer, and he was walking through the bantamweights here in Canada.”

The two fighters met in the center of the cage and Harris sent Gagnon stumbling backwards after glancing him with a head kick. Mitch answered with several inside leg kicks before Harris dove in for the takedown – his first and last mistake of the match – as Gagnon quickly secured a guillotine, forcing the tap at just 2:09 of the first round.

“I put a stop to that pretty quick,” Gagnon said. “It was really at that point that I felt like I deserved the shot in the UFC, but I always feared that unknown of how UFC fighters really are.”

Gagnon found out first hand at UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he got the call up to the big leagues to take on a tough-as-nails Bryan Caraway.

“The minute I grabbed Bryan Caraway and the way my positioning on him was really great, I felt I belonged in there,” he says. “Even though I lost that bout, I feel like I can match up well with any fighter in the bantamweight division.”

Indeed, Gagnon has nothing to be ashamed about in suffering his first loss in over three years against Caraway. Their fight was a war of attrition, with both guys being dominant at several points during the fight, and Gagnon nearly finishing Caraway with vicious ground and pound in the first round. The two bantamweights eventually took Fight of the Night honors, earning them both an extra $60,000 for their crowd pleasing efforts.

“The experience was awesome,” says Gagnon. “I enjoyed it right up to the moment I lost. I really felt like I belonged. It was hard because I hadn’t suffered a loss in three years so I forgot how that felt. But it made me a better fighter. I got to look back to see what I did wrong and what I could have done better.”

Gagnon next faces Walel Watson (9-4) at UFC 152 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 22nd.  For this camp Mitch – who usually fights bigger guys at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada’s Team Shredder, where he has a personal fitness and training business - headed north to train with Antonio Carvalho, a fellow UFC bantamweight who himself made an impressive showing at UFC 149 with a knockout of Daniel Pineda.

“I felt like I needed to train with other bantamweights,” says Gagnon. “It’s different fighting 170 pounders and then fighting 135 pounders. They’re faster down at this weight so I needed to get time in with faster guys.”

In Watson, Gagnon faces a dynamic striker who is also very tricky on the ground.

“Walel is really tall,” says Gagnon. “He likes to throw head kicks and his length allows him to throw these weird angle submissions that most other guys just can’t. He throws these anaconda chokes at these really weird angles and you have to be aware of that and be cautious of that. I’m sure he’s working a lot on his wrestling. I’m thinking he’s going to try to stuff my takedowns, but I’ve got a really good game plan and I know what I have to do. I’ve been drilling and drilling a lot.”

Aside from drilling technique, Gagnon is also dieting better and approaching this weight cut a bit more scientifically then he did for the last two cuts to bantamweight.

“I cut 17 pounds during fight week last time and I think that’s too much for any bantamweight,” he said, adding that the tough cut might have contributed to what he considers a poor performance against Caraway.

“I think there was a point in that first round where I could have stopped hitting him while he was recovering,” he says. “My fighting style is really high paced and I thought I was conditioned enough to sustain that pace throughout three rounds, and leading up to the fight I think my weight cut was a little rough as well. That was only my second time fighting at 135 and the first time I did that I also had a hard cut but that fight only lasted two minutes. I didn’t really know how the weight cut was going to affect me over three rounds, so looking back on that fight, for this next fight I’m making sure my diet is good and that I’m leaner going into the cut so that it’s not too hard.”

For any fighter, the UFC is the biggest deal going, and Gagnon is taking his opportunity as seriously as one can get. He is focused full-time on his next fight, leaving his personal training clients to two colleagues in Sudbury so that he can train full time. He’s also left his fiancé back home.

“She’s never once told me to miss a training session or to not go away for camp,” he said. “She’s very supportive. I have a lot of support from my family, my sponsors and the local community, so that I can focus 100 percent on Walel Watson and nothing else.”

And while for most guys a Fight of the Night bonus might take away the sting of a loss, for Gagnon, he’s not in it for the money, although it does help.

“The bonuses in the UFC are great and if I’m smart with my money it will help me be better financially, but I’m a short-term goal setter. I like to set little goals and go out and meet them. Right now my goal is to get the W against Walel,” he said. “But I don’t want to just say I made it to the UFC. I want to make a good run at this. I feel like I can beat guys in the division and I can have a long career with Zuffa.”

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Gagnon-Taking-It-One-Goal-at-a-Time

Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan

Ronda Rousey’s Manager Darin Harvey Talks About Potential Cris Cyborg Matchup

Source: http://mmasportsreport.com/1664/ronda-rouseys-manager-darin-harvey-talks-about-potential-cris-cyborg-matchup

Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn Dennis George Kultar Gill

Record push-ups @ UFC Fan Expo!

Host Jeff Ransome beats the record at UFC Fan Expo for the amount of pushups in 1 minute - while wearing a weighted vest. He totalled 85. copyright2012vipproductions

Source: http://www.mmanews.com/video/TrainingWithProsTV/1253

Mike Brown  Junie Browning Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett 

Lunch at humphreys w/ @panicswitcharmy – thanks @charis_b @lukeburrett !

From My Inst@gram:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TracyLee/~3/8TQxMH7n0t8/lunch-at-humphreys-w-panicswitcharmy-thanks-charis_b-lukeburrett.html

Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga Lyman Good Gary Goodridge Gerard Gordeau

Battery charge pending for Mendes after brawl

UFC Featherweight Chad Mendes will be charged with battery according to The Hanford Sentinel.  The charges stem from a bar brawl in late July where it was claimed he “sucker punched” a bar patron and then left the scene.

Mendes was sought for questioning by authorities after the incident.  According to this Friday’s article in the Sentinel, Mendes claimed he had left for Ohio to coach one of his teammates after the fight.  Spokespeople for Mendes stated that the “majority of the facts pertaining to him (Mendes) in the story are absolutely false.”

Payout Perspective:

Another headache for the UFC to address.  Not only is the UFC dealing with the cancellation and aftermath of UFC 151, it now has one of its fighters wanted for battery.  Mendes has yet to give further information on what happened that night and from a public relations standpoint he may want to reveal the allegations he feels are false.  It will be interesting to see what the UFC will do (if anything) with Mendes.  The report of a “sucker punch” must be addressed by Mendes as this allegation puts him in a bad light.  People will think that not only is he a fighter by vocation, he is slinging punches at unsuspecting victims in bars.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Payout/~3/JZ2cFzMAL-M/

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Georges St-Pierre Set for UFC 154, Receives Medical Clearance on Knee

The mixed martial arts news just keeps getting better and better for them Canadians. Less than a week after discovering light heavyweight champ Jon Jones would now headline the UFC’s Toronto show, enabling the September 22nd card to showcase two title affairs, welterweight king Georges St-Pierre (Pictured) confirmed Tuesday his surgically-repaired right knee has received medical clearance – green lighting his participation in UFC 154.

“I’m now medically cleared to compete in professional mixed martial arts events- Rendez-vous le 17 novembre, @UFC 154, Montréal!!!” St-Pierre tweeted just moments ago.

St-Pierre and interim champion Carlos Condit will collide inside Montreal’s Bell Centre to unify the 170-pound crown.

Prior to undergoing surgery in December, St-Pierre was originally scheduled to defend his hardware against Condit at UFC 137 this past October. The baddest welterweight in bare feet hasn’t been seen since beating Jake Shields at UFC 129 in April 2011. The fight marked his ninth consecutive victory and sixth straight title defense.

“Rush’s” extended absence forced the UFC to manufacture a welterweight belt. Condit captured the fabricated title by taking a controversial decision win over Nick Diaz at UFC 143 in February.

Here are the athletes slated to appear in the November 17th extravaganza:

Rodrigo Damm vs. Antonio Carvalho

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Mark Bocek

Pablo Garza vs. Mark Hominick

Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor

Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks

Carlos Condit (UFC interim welterweight champion) vs. Georges St-Pierre (UFC welterweight champion)

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/126782/georges-st-pierre-set-for-ufc-154-receives-medical-clearance-on-knee/

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