Re: Official MMA Thread
 

UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort has already undergone successful shoulder surgery and is expected to be out of training for at least four months, a source told MMA Fighting.

Belfort had suffered through shoulder pain since mid-2009 and had undergone several anti-inflammatory injections since that time, including leading up to his Sept. 2009 match with Rich Franklin, a fight he won by first-round TKO to set up his expected title match with Anderson Silva.

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

It's official.

Demian Maia has been tapped as Vitor Belfort's replacement for the UFC middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 112 from the Concert Arena from Ferrari World, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on Saturday, April 10.

MMAmania.com (www.mmamania.com) confirmed the news with a source close to the situation earlier today

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I love it, can't wait. I think its funny when I hear people compare demian maia to thales leites, those people are in for a suprise.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Maia's striking looked pitiful in his last fight. I just don't see how he can get close enough to pull guard. Someone with a Sonnen-type gameplan could feasibly take a decision against Silva but that fight's quite a ways away...

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Can't even see that right now. Anderson is just as dangerous from his back as he is anywhere. I don't give Maia much of a chance but I hope he can make it a good fight nonetheless.

BTW, UFC 110 prelims will not air on Spike this time.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I don't see him pulling guard in most situations , he's better than that.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

ROTHWELL OUT, PEROSH IN

A last second change has been made to this weekend's UFC 110 card in Australia as Ben Rothwell has been forced to drop out of his fight against Mirko CroCop due to illness, and will be replaced by veteran fighter, Anthony Perosh.

Also the Australian undercard rematch between Elvis Sinosic and Chris Haseman has been pulled off the card completely due to a late shoulder injury to Sinosic.

The UFC announced by moves on Thursday, while also stating that the card will stand at a total of 9 bouts for the Sunday afternoon show.

Anthony Perosh (10-5), who trains along with Elvis Sinosic in Sydney, Australia, gets the call to step in on short notice and face the former Pride Grand Prix winner.

Winning his last fight by TKO in December, Perosh steps in just a day before the official weigh-in for the event, but with the bout being contested at heavyweight it shouldn't present any problems.

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

CroCop cut in sparring, required stitches, still fighting UFC 110

Just 24 hours after learning that his kickboxer opponent Ben Rothwell is out ot UFC 110 and will be replaced by a ground fighter, Mirko ‘CroCop’ Filipovic has reportedly had more bad news. According to sources in Croatia, he has received a bad cut in a pre-fight sparring workout and has had to have stitches.

Croatian website MMA Axion reported this morning that Filipovic was sparring with his team mate Sasa Mucnjak when he received a bad cut above the eyeline. The cut was stitched and Filipovic has declined to pull out of the fight, saying he will not let weeks of hard preparation go to waste.

But those weeks of hard preparation were to face a kickboxing stylist and yesterday Ben Rothwell was pulled off the card because of an infection and replaced by Anthony Perosh, a second-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a completely different style to Rothwell.

The UFC allegedly asked Randy Couture and Quinton ‘Ramapge’ Jackson if they would take the fight with Filipovic at short notice but both turned it down flat. Perosh - who has an 0-2 record in the UFC from 2006 - took it on two days notice on the understanding he would get a four-fight contract out of it.

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

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_as...110_medium.jpg

Event: UFC 110
Location: Sydney, Australia
Date: Sunday February 21st, 2010 (airs Saturday @ 10pm in the US)

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs Anthony Perosh
Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine

Undercard:

Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle
James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac
CB Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic
Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I don't think its a question whos Jits is better, but Thales has far superior stand-up to Maia. I am a big Maia fan, he is a very easy guy to root foor. But lets face it, He isn't going to get close enough to Anderson to take him down without taking serious damage. If there is any question watch the 40 second debacle of his against Nate.

I think the only way Anderson loses is to a wrestler who can manage a take down, and ground and pound out a win.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping Always ready to see Wanderlei fight
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs Anthony Perosh Go Crocop
Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine

Undercard:

Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle
James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac
CB Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic I wonder if CB will show up and fight
Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski This should be good

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Let's start estimating how long this can lasts against Cro Cop. I'm saying 2 minutes and thirty five seconds.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Remember last time people bet on cro-cop against a no-name:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5fJbNg1SsW...ga-cro-cop.jpg

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Yeah he got Cro-Cop'd

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I hearing cro crop might be out. If so they should move goran reljic into the main event I want to see him fight.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Nope, he is still in.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

glad wandy won, he was punching to win not to score points like bisbings weak takedowns. Valasquez is a beast, those 2 fights were great, the rest - meh

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Joe "daddy' losing was a good fight as well.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

bisbing should quit he's losing to old men.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Agreed! Cain is for real, no doubt.

Agreed again. :D

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

I hope Brock Lesnar Dies in the Ring

Well we all knew Mir was getting a bit mental regarding Lesnar, and that some of the boasting is great to create some hype, but now he seems to have outdone himself!

UFC star Frank Mir has unleashed a sickening rant about former WWE world champion Brock Lesnar — saying he wants to kill him.

Lesnar lost on his UFC debut to Mir, but later defeated the Vegas-born star to win the company's heavyweight world championship.

But ahead of talk about a third possible clash, Mir says he HATES Lesnar and wants him to DIE.

During a radio interview with former WCW commentator Mark Madden, he stormed: "I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person.

"I want to break his neck in the ring."

"I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...-the-ring.html

Just as I was gaining a little bit of respect for Frank Mir, he opens his mouth....again. Unreal. I can't wait to see Lesnar/Mir III!

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Is he back on a cycle?

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Probably. How else could he put on 30 pounds of muscle in a few months, no doubt. But I think he is a little "off" in the head to begin with. Major delusions of grandeur. :r

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Just wondering if anyone else here trains? I train an BJJ at Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu in central Jersey, and MMA also.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Ricardo Mayorga: I will shock MMA fans and destroy Din Thomas

"I conquered the world in the boxing ring all the while I was puffing cigarettes and drinking beer. I won three world title belts and I stood toe-to-toe with so many legends, beating some of them. Vernon Forrest, God rest his soul, was a great boxer yet I beat him back twice. I cannot be denied as I am a force of nature. Now I will shock the MMA fans and I know so many of my fans from boxing will follow me as I expand my repertoire. They can't deny me in MMA and I will destroy Din Thomas. I am going to smash him the way I smashed all the big superstars of boxing. To me, a fight is a fight in a ring, in a cage or on the street. Fighting is my middle name."

Nicaraguan nightmare Ricardo Mayorga prepares for his mixed martial arts debut against well-traveled veteran Din Thomas at "Worlds Collide" under the Shine Fights banner on May 15, from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC, live on pay-per-view.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

M-1: Fedor Emelianenko fighting Fabricio Werdum in May, off planned April CBS card

After weeks of doubt about the fighter's once-expected participation, Fedor Emelianenko will not, in fact, fight in April during Strikeforce's return to CBS airwaves.

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, M-1 officials today said at M-1 Selection Eastern European press conference that Emelianenko will fight Fabricio Werdum – but not until May.

Strikeforce officials have not confirmed plans for the April show, but as MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) reported on Wednesday, it could move to Showtime (or be delayed altogether) now that Emelianenko won't be involved.

As part of his contract with Strikeforce, Emelianenko's fights have to air on CBS rather than its premium-cable partner, Showtime, which has a fraction of the audience.

If it does go on, Strikeforce's April show is likely to take place April 17 in Nashville, Tenn., though Tennessee Athletic Commission Executive Director Jeff Mullen told MMAjunkie.com the organization hasn't officially requested the date. A long-expected bout between Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and UFC veteran/recent signee Dan Henderson would likely take the event's headline slot, and a likely bout between Strikeforce 205-pound champ Gegard Mousasi and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal could take the co-main-event slot.

Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz on Wednesday said the organization hopes to have the event details locked in by week's end.

As for Emelianenko's involvement, MMAjunkie.com reported on Wednesday that it had been downgraded from questionable to "unlikely." With M-1's confirmation that Emelianenko will fight in May, a recently rumored May DREAM meeting with Alistair Overeem now also would appear unlikely.

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

Lesnar's camp responds to Mir

Finally, official statement has been released from Lesnar's camp relating Mir's death comments about Lesnar, where Mir wanted to break Lesnar's neck and wanted Lesnar to be the first person to die due to octagon related injuries. Lesnar's camp released this statement:

"Frank Mir wants murder? The beast is now even angrier than last time. It's okay, Frankie ‘The Stalker’ Mir could use another beatdown. Except this time, it will be more vicious. The Champion hopes Frank Mir makes it past Shane Carwin. Frank may never be able to fight again after the third fight is over. Expect the unexpected Mr. Submission Man, you may leave without an arm."

Frank Mir fights Shane Carwin at UFC 111 for the interm-heavyweight championship the winner of the fight gets a possible shot at Brock Lesnar unless they are too heavly injured during the fight. In that case Cain Velasquez will fight Brock Lesnar for the title.

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

SHIELDS VS. HENDO...ITS OFFICIAL

It's been a long time coming, but now it's official.

Dan Henderson and Jake Shields have agreed to meet in Strikeforce with the middleweight title on the line in April. Shields confirmed the bout when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio on Tuesday night.

"It's a go now. We finally worked it out a few days ago," he said about the fight with Henderson. "It's a done deal, it's been agreed upon by both parties as far as I know, and I think it's set to go."

As recently as six weeks ago when Shields left to help out as assistant coach on the eleventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter," a deal had still not been sealed for the fight to happen.

Now, both Shields and Henderson have a deal in place to put the two middleweights in the cage together in April, although according to the current Strikeforce champion, while a date and venue have been given to the fighters, the actual broadcast has yet to be determined.

"I have a date (and) venue, but they told me to hold that back," said Shields. "Hopefully CBS. I think it's CBS. There's a slight possibility of Showtime because they're still (working it out). I don't know the rest of the card or any of that yet. But me and Dan's on, and I'm hoping it's on CBS."

Shields admits that the waiting game was tough because contract negotiations are something that have to be done, but now it's all over and he's happy to fight again soon.

"I really wanted the fight, the fans really wanted it, so I knew it was going to happen," he commented. "There was a few little things holding it back, but luckily everything's been worked out and I'm just happy the fight's happening, and I want to go out there and put on an exciting fight."

Even though Shields will enter the fight as the Strikeforce middleweight champion, Henderson brings with him a wealth of experience, and a resume of impressive wins. If the betting odds come out placing Henderson as the favorite, it's nothing new to Shields, and he'll happily play the underdog.

"I always prefer to be the underdog. Dan's a great fighter, he doesn’t have a lot of holes in his game, but I think he does have a few, and I'm going to go out there and try to exploit them," stated Shields.

The fight will likely either headline or co-headline the card in April, depending on what happens with Fedor Emelianenko, who is also rumored for the same show

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Yvel to meet Ben Rothwell, not Pat Barry, at UFC 115

Although initially expected to fight Pat Barry (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), heavyweight Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) instead will fight Ben Rothwell (30-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in June at UFC 115.

Sources close to the event today confirmed the change with MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) and said verbal agreements are in place for the bout.

UFC 115 is expected to take place June 12 at GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view.

With Barry no longer facing Yvel, Barry vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is expected for UFC 115.

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

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Pat Barry agree to UFC 115

A pair of heavyweight strikers collide in June at UFC 115 now that Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (26-7-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and Pat Barry (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) have agreed to a matchup.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) bout agreement should be distributed shortly and that the competitors were told it'll be part of the night's pay-per-view main card. MMAScrapsRadio.com first reported the fight earlier today.

Barry initially was expected to fight Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at the June 12 event.

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

Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Tim Sylvia set for April 23 in Boston

According to the bostonherald.com:

Also signed for the card are UFC veterans Rich Clementi, Yves Edwards and Houston Alexander.

"This will be the biggest card ever done, probably in the Northeast," said [promoter Corey] Fischer. "The UFC is coming here in August and they’re going to have a hard gate to beat. I think this fight card will be better than what they’re bringing."

"It’ll be on pay-per-view and shown live in Korea, Poland, Canada and about 14 other countries," said Fischer. "This will have more viewers than (the UFC’s) show."

As of now, Moosin will be the first big MMA organization to come to Boston. As announced earlier, Bellator Fighting Championships will head to the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre on May 6 and the UFC makes its Massachusetts debut on August 28 at the TD Garden.

Big Tim will get beaten down again. This time by one of the world's strongest men and although he is new to mma, he is no joke in the ring.

http://images.tmuscle.com/avatar_ima...dzianowski.jpg

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Oh my god RIP Tim....

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Oh hells yeah!

King Mo vs Mousasi set to rumble on CBS

It looks like the king will get the chance to add a new jewel to his crown in April.

Charismatic fighter Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has signed on to fight for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title when he faces champion Gegard Mousasi on April 17 at the promotion's next major CBS card.

The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation on Monday.

Since debuting in 2008, King Mo has taken the sport of MMA by storm, proclaiming he was destined for greatness and that he was happy to prove it against any and all comers. After dispatching of veterans like Travis Wiuff and Mike Whitehead, it looks like Lawal will now try to prove he's championship material.

Rapidly rising up the ranks as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Gegard Mousasi has made everyone take notice of his considerable skills and technique as he's gone undefeated for almost three years.

After conquering the middleweight division in Dream, Mousasi decided to move up to light heavyweight. Since that time he's beaten all of his opponents, including fighters like Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Recently leaving his management team of M-1, Mousasi is ready to once again prove he belongs with the best fighters in the world, and try to take some of the swagger out of the step of the always confident Lawal.

The bout between Mousasi and Lawal will serve as co-main event for the upcoming Strikeforce show in April, headlined by middleweight champ Jake Shields defending his title against Dan Henderson. MMAWeekly.com will have more news on this event in the coming days.



This has "fight of the year" written all over it, imo.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Yes, the end of the world is near. Here is another sign...........................:rolleyes:

Toney signs with UFC

Sometimes trash talkers get what they want.

After berating UFC president Dana White on several media outlets in recent months, 41-year-old boxing champion James Toney (72-6 Boxing, 0-0 MMA) has reportedly signed a multi-fight agreement with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

The report was issued Tuesday by FiveOuncesOfPain.com citing sources close to negotiations, and MMAFighting.com's Mike Chiappetta has since confirmed the deal after speaking to White.

Toney, the current NABO and IBA heavyweight champion, pitched himself to White before cameras following UFC 108 in January and afterward blasted the UFC president for what he considered a "laughable" offer to fight in the octagon.

Ever since, Toney has taken every opportunity to challenge White for a contract.

"Dana White is a straight up ho!" Toney told Fighthype.com this past week. "He makes me a five-fight offer for chump change and said I can't box anymore if I accept it. He must have lost his damn mind."

It appears talks have brightened considerably since then.

At least one UFC fighter will welcome Toney into the cage.

"I think a lot of people would pay to see that," UFC heavyweight contender and "The Ultimate Fighter 10" winner Roy Nelson recently told Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports.

A timetable for Toney's debut is unknown at the time of this writing. Requests to the UFC for comment by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) were not immediately answered.

The 41-year-old Toney's most recent fight was this past September when he defeated Matthew Greer by TKO in a boxing match. Prior to that, he defeated Fres Oquendo for the vacant NABO and IBA heavyweight belts.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Toney can take a punch, but let's not hope that someone will standup with him! Put him on the ground and take him out of his element!

Poor Dana, he let's Hendo go, cant sign Fedor or Mousasi................BUT he can Sign Sweat Boy?

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Welcome to the Asylum!

I love Toney and always have but this is not boxing and he is 41 years old. Anyone that he fights will take him down to ground. Even those that have no ground game would look like a bjj black belt against somebody that doesn't know anything about ground fighting. Maybe Dana signed him just to let him get beaten and to shut him up. I think alot of boxers think they can do well in mma after Mercer ko'd the goof, Big Tim.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Thanks for the welcome! The majority of the boxers just see how many openings they would have against some of the MMA Pros. But they dont understand that they have to adjust their stance in order to stuff the take down attempt.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Date: TONIGHT!
Event Type: Versus - Live Event
Location: Nationwide Arena, OH

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/22...ter_medium.jpg

On Saturday, March 6, 2010, WEC heads to Columbus, Ohio with a stacked card headlined by a world bantamweight title fight between champion Brian Bowles and number one contender Dominick Cruz. What’s more, WEC’s first trip to Columbus features the return of former bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres, as well as the comeback of former UFC® lightweight titleholder Jens Pulver.

Bantamweight title fight
Brian Bowles Vs. Dominick Cruz

Miguel Angel Torres Vs. Joseph Benavidez
Jens Pulver Vs. Javier Vazquez
Deividas Taurosevicius Vs. LC Davis
Bart Palaszewski Vs. Karen Darabedyan

Undercard:

Fredson Paixao Vs. Courtney Buck
Leonard Garcia Vs. George Roop
Scott Jorgensen Vs. Chad George
Chad Mendes Vs. Erik Koch
Danny Castillo Vs. Anthony Pettis
Ricardo Lamas Vs. Bendy Casimir

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Wow, 2 major upsets................Cruz looked like a fictional character with his moves! The Gash on the forehead of Torres was skully.........


Jorgensen is a Cardio Beast!

Atleast my boy Bartimus from the IFL won.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I watched this last night. Bowles, what a puss-vagina. I quit, because I think my hand might be broken. No you quit because you were getting your ass handed to you. Look at Faber, he had both hands broken, and still fought a few more rounds.

Don't get me wrong, I would never step into the octagon/ring.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Yeah, I think he quit because he had no answer not the broken hand. Besides, turns out that Cruz sustained a broken hand and will be out 6 months. Never seen anything like the movement he was showing though, wow! Torres also had no answer.

Here is a pic of the gash he sustained before he tapped:

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/fan_shot_im...torreshead.jpg

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

James Toney is now certified delusional:

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Here it is stitched up. Actually looks worse with stitches in it.

http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/...esstitches.jpg

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Sometimes I hate seeing things like this. Brings back memories. :r

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs216...._3519052_n.jpg

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

All I know is there was a lot of ass kicking going on in the fight card! With UFC I think at the top and WEC getting better it makes Strike Force is becoming more of a joke! But I will still watch LOL

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Just a few on the SF Roster:

Heavyweight:

Alistair Overeem (Champion)
Fedor Emelienenko (The greatest MMA fighter of all time)
Brett Rogers
Bobby Lashley
Fabricio Werdum
Andrei Arlovski
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva

Light Heavyweight:

Gerard Mousasi (Champion)
Kevin Randalman
Muhammed Lawal
Anthony Ruiz
Renato "Babalu" Sobral
Dan Henderson

Middleweight:

Jake Shields (champion)
Robbie Lawler
Kazuo Misaki
Jason Miller
Benji Radach
Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos
Anthony Ruiz
Matt Lindland

Welterweight:

Nick Diaz (champion)
Nick Thompson
Jay Heiron

Lightweight:

Gilbert Melendez (Champion)
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Josh Thomson
K.J. Noons

Hardly a joke. In fact, they are getting stronger and stronger. I still think Dream is the #1 promotion in the world.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

The fighters may not be a joke, but you can't tell me that last fight card they put out was a good one! Its one thing to have good fighters, but when you are making cards putting sub par fighters in the ring just to give a guy a win it totally sucks! And thats what they did with H Walker and the wrestler guy that both had their first MMA fights. Thats all I'm saying. If they want to put their best against their best in every fight on the card then they will be good. Just my opinion of course.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

You can't tell me UFC is putting out good cards. Mediocre at best. Oh, and Dana did the same thing (feeding a can) with Kimblo. And most likely will to the same for Toney. The guy Walker fought had 2 fights under his belt.

Dream cards are always great.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

2 fights don't make you a good fighter, I was talking about it being Walkers first. I think it just made Walker look bad, I would rather him get beat by a good fighter and giving great effort then see him beat a bad fighter. Do you really think Walker looked good? He was stiff as a board and moved really slow.

Yes I think UFC puts out good cards, almost all their fights are entertaining fights from top to bottom. Of course you can always get a fight that doesn't turn out so good but I do think they try harder to get better matched fighters against each other.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Yes, for a 40+ year old in his first MMA fight with a bjj player, I thought he looked pretty good. Alot better than most people, including me, thought he would. Is he a world class mma fighter, far from it but for a novice, yep. Kinda like Kimblo. :r

Don't get me wrong, I like the UFC (some favorites are Brock, Penn, KenFlo, Big Country and Guida) but they are not the be-all-end-all in MMA like most Americans think. Japanese MMA still rulz, imo.

Welcome to the Asylum btw! :D

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I guess you didnt see the Cung Li Smith card......Melendez thompson probably got fight of the year. Strikeforce has a deep bench and dont be toooo fast to stay on the UFC wagon. I have Been involved for years in MMA and Dana is doing plenty of wrong things for the sport. I love all the MMA organizations who have came and gone. Walker was more of an exhibition and entertainment bout. Nothing wrong with not wanting a Great Football player to get brutally battered!

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

The only problem I have with SF is the commentator. I can't place it, something about his voice, and the way he talks just drives me nuts. I'm not a big fan of the announcer either. The fights though, are top notch, IMO.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Well I'm not trying to start any fights, come on thats funny! I watch all if them when I get a chance, I have missed some Strike Force just because they don't market very well. But if I know its coming on will watch it.

And to be honest I would have no problem with the Walker thing if they would come out and say it was a exhibition, but that is not the way they marketed it at all. And then during the fight they where talking like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, thats all.

Kimbo, he can never make it in any real MMA, but I will admit that during the TV show he was pretty funny.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

You talking about the color man, Frank Shamrock? If so, yeah he blows.

Which announcer? CBS's shill Gus Johnson or Mauro Ranallo. Surly not Ranallo. He was the English voice of Pride. He rules!

Frank, stay tuned to this thread. I like to give updates and to make sure everyone here knows about any card from any organization that will be aired. :tu

As a matter of fact, next up:

Event: Dream 13
Location: Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan
Broadcast: HDNet

http://www.dreamofficial.com/free/fi...0322/title.jpg

Bibiano Fernandes v. Joachim Hansen
Katsunori Kikuno v. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Marius Zaromskis v. Kiyoshi Tamura
KJ Noons v. Andre Amade
Ryo Chonan v. Andrews Nakahara
Ikuhisa Minowa v. Jimmy Ambriz

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Good card............................KJ Noons boxing skills are great! Would like to see a pure stand up bout between BJ and KJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Chuck Liddell will be fighting Rich Franklin in his next bout and not rival TUF 11 coach Tito Ortiz, Fighters Only(Zuffa credentialed) has heard from a reliable source. The switch was initially reported to us just under two weeks ago but was only a rumour at that time.

However, the rumour hit message boards late last night and an industry source confirmed that Liddell will indeed be facing former middleweight champion Rich Franklin. The fight is to headline an April 17th Fight Night event which will counter Strikeforce's show on the same date.

They also report that Tito Ortiz won't be fighting Liddell, but not for health reasons and that the "reason for his withdrawal is known to Fighters Only is something that may significantly impact his future as a fighter."

Interesting.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Update to above post. Dana has stated that Chuck will NOT fight Franklin. Franklin will fight the expert at wall and stall, Randy Couture. Supposedly, the fight is still on with Chuck and Tito.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

StrikeForce + DREAM = Win!

Strikeforce has recently partnered up with DREAM to exchange fighters across the Pacific Ocean, and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he envisions a flourishing relationship moving forward.

"I worked for K-1 for about eight years, and the ownership group of K-1 and DREAM is still the same," Coker said. "I've maintained good relationships over there, and it's always been my dream – that's kind of a pun, right? – to have our guys fight their guys and to see who would end up on top. If our guys win, that's fantastic. If [their guy] wins, then that's just great. It's just good competition.

"I think it's the true nature of sports to compete. Now we have the DREAM champion against our champion, and especially for the hardcore fans, I don't think it gets any better than that."

Things didn't go so well for the Japanese promotion at January's "Strikeforce: Miami" event. DREAM sent over welterweight Marius Zaromskis, who was promptly drubbed by Nick Diaz.

DREAM will get a second shot at respect in April when lightweight Shinya Aoki faces Gilbert Melendez.

Coker said even he was a bit amazed that DREAM would be so willing to send over Aoki, the organization's lightweight title holder and widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world.

"I feel very content," Coker said. "Aoki-Gibert, that's a fight that I thought 60-40 was not going to happen, even though I was pitching for it and pulling for it, because there's just so many things that can break down. I'm very appreciative to DREAM for honoring their word and sending Aoki to come over and compete against Gilbert."

Of course, Melendez's power could prove troublesome for Aoki. Would the Japanese be willing to continue the program even if Strikeforce's roster were to prove the better list?

"Timing is everything, and there was a time when PRIDE was taking it to everybody, and they probably had the best roster in the world," Coker said. "In some weight classes, I think [DREAM is] a little thin right now, but for our guys, we can test our guys and make those fights happen – like the UFC would never have their guys fight the other leagues' champion – so it's an interesting time.

"In Nashville, we're all going to get to see it as fans. I'm a fan, too, so I'm going to sit back and watch that fight, and whatever happens, happens. Let the chips fall where they may."

And with K.J. Noons set to fight at DREAM.13 later this month, Coker said the return plan is already underway.

"We're sending K.J. Noons over there in a coupe of weeks to compete," Coker said. "We'll be sending Nick Diaz over there, probably, at some point this year. They're going to ask for certain fighters. I think they've already requested Andrei Arlovski, which let's see how he does in the May fight."

It's an interesting time for Strikeforce, who – depending on who's talking – are either firmly entrenched as MMA's No. 2 promotion or on the brink of collapse.

Coker believes the former, and he hopes to continue to utilize the partnership with DREAM to make entertaining matchups.

"If the schedule permits, we'll let our guys go over there, and hopefully Tatsuya Kawajiri and Hayato 'Mach' Sakurai and all the fighters that we'd like to see over here eventually make their way over here and fight our top guys," Coker said. "Let's get it on."

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Roger Huerta in Bellator

According to MMAJunkie, Roger Huerta (20-3-1) will be participating in Bellator's Season two Lightweight Tournament:

Sources close to the situation confirmed to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the popular lightweight received his formal release from the UFC this week, which opened the door to finalize a deal with the upstart promotion.

Bellator has called a video press conference for Monday at 3 p.m. ET that will stream live at Bellator.com.

Huerta will part of the 8-man tourney, which already includes talented prospects, Toby Imada (23-13), Jorge Masvidal (19-5), Chad Hinton (6-0), Mike Ricci (5-0), Ferrid Kheder (16-5), Janne Tulirinta (12-3), and Carey Vanier (7-2). Should he come out victorious, Roger will then earn a shot at Season 1 winner, and current Bellator lightweight champ, Eddie Alvarez.