Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Fedor fans, this is hillarious!

http://www.cagetoday.com/video-even-...or-in-the-ufc/

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Hitler's got a point, I can't take UFC's heavyweight division seriously knowing that Fedor exists.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Alot of MMA news!

Dana White responds to reports of Affliction’s plans to counter-program UFC 100

If Affliction Entertainment is looking to create a sense of panic from the UFC regarding reported plans to counter-program UFC 100 on July 11, it would appear they will need to do a little more to rattle the cage of UFC President Dana White.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com submitted a request for comment to White via text message Sunday afternoon seeking his response to reports that Affliction is looking to go head-to-head on July 11 with one of the most historic cards in UFC history.

White responded to our request via voicemail and didn’t sound concerned in the least about Affliction’s plans.

“How do I feel about them trying to counter-program UFC 100?,” White began his statement, before continuing, “I love it. I f'ng love it. I love it. I don’t like these guys and I want to see them spend more of their t-shirt money. What they should be worrying about is — they’ve already seen first hand that nobody gives a **** about Affliction MMA — what they need to starting worrying about is nobody wants to wear their goofy f'ng clothes anymore either. The fad is over and they better start saving as much of that t-shirt money as they can.”

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

A much discussed rematch between current WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown (17-4 MMA, 3-0 WEC) and the man from whom he took the belt, Urijah Faber (22-2 MMA, 7-1 WEC), has been signed according to a report from FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

According to the report, the bout will headline the as-yet-unannounced WEC 41 event on June 7 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

Brown defied conventional logic in the pair's November 2008 title bout, earning a first-round TKO victory over then-champion Faber. The American Top Team product has since defended the belt in a submission win over Leonard Garcia in the main event of March's WEC 39. The win marked the ninth-straight victory for the 33-year-old.

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

Affliction 3 on July 11; Fedor and Barnett in Separate Bouts

It will happen...

MMAWeekly.com is reporting that Affliction will indeed hold their third MMA event on July 11, the same night as UFC 100.

The possibility of the July 11 date for Affliction was first reported by fiveouncesofpain.com. The event is planned to be aired on non-premium cable television, not pay-per-view.

The expected match up of top heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett will not be taking place at Affliction 3. Sources say the cost of the bout would be too great to be held on free TV. No opponent for either fighter is known at this time. However, sources say Affliction is trying to put together a bout between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia and Paul Buentello.

The report also debunked other reports claiming the event would be Affliction's last. Affliction Entertainment COO Michael D. Cohen told Versus.com's Ariel Helwani, "It's absolutely untrue... Trump's Affliction Entertainment is going nowhere except to the top, and the company will continue throughout 2009 and well into 2010."

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

The Japanese-based DREAM organization today announced a number of DREAM.8 bouts, including a heavyweight matchup of Jeff Monson (28-8) vs. Sergey Kharitonov (16-3) and the opening-round bouts for its eight-man welterweight grand prix.

The show, DREAM.8, takes place at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan.

The event broadcast debuts in North America on April 10 at 10 p.m. EST on HDNet.

In addition to Monson vs. Kharitonov, DREAM also officially announced the previously reported addition of PRIDE and EliteXC veteran Murilo "Ninja" Rua (16-9-1) to the card. He'll take on Dong Sik Yoon (4-6) in a middleweight bout.

Also in non-tournament action is a middleweight bout between Andrews Nakahara (1-1) and Shungo Oyama (7-11), who is a late replacement for Zelg Galesic (9-4).

In tournament action, the eight-man grand prix is headed by an intriguing and previously reported rematch between WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (20-3) and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (34-8-2). The two fighters first met at an August 2005 Shooto event, and Aoki suffered a close unanimous-decision loss; it's one of only three career losses for the former PRIDE fighter and 2008 DREAM lightweight grand prix runner-up.

Other DREAM welterweight grand-prix bouts include UFC veteran John Alessio (24-12) vs. Andre Galvao (2-0), one-time Affliction fighter Jason High (6-1) vs. Yuya Shirai (15-7), and Seichi Ikemoto (18-14-5) vs. Marius Zaromskis (8-2).

The full DREAM.8 card now includes:

Shinya Aoki vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Hideo Tokoro vs. DJ.taiki
Yuya Shirai vs. Jason High
Marius Zaromskis vs. Seichi Ikemoto
Andre Galvao vs. John Alessio
Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Dong Sik Yoon
Andrews Nakahara vs. Shungo Oyama
Sergey Kharitonov vs. Jeff Monson

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

Akihiro Gono has been rumored that he was fired from the UFC (he was released) since he said he was currently looking for a job at Sengoku.7 on March 20.

Dream Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara commented about Gono after the press conference at Deep official Gym in Tokyo on March 26. "He is a very attractive fighter because he has unique individuality. I believe he can attract and bring more fans into Dream. We have our first welterweight champion in July, and I want him to fight our champion for the welterweight belt."

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

The main event for UFC 101 has been set, and lightweight champion BJ Penn will defend his title against Kenny Florian on August 8 in Philadelphia.

MMA Weekly reports that Penn said on his own web site that it's official, and that Penn will make his first title defense since May of 2008. Lately Penn has seemed to be obsessed with getting justice for what he perceives as cheating by Georges St. Pierre during their fight at UFC 94, but now Penn says he's ready to turn all his attention to facing Florian.

Said Florian, "I am looking forward to testing myself against one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- lightweight fighter in the world."

Other fights expected to be part of the UFC 101 card include:

Forrest Griffin vs. Thiago Silva
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Thiago Tavares vs. Melvin Guillard
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
Danillo Villefort vs. Jesse Lennox

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

UFC Fight Night 18 this Wednesday night @ 8pm Live from Nashville.

Matchups:

Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
Efrain Escudero vs. Jeremy Stephens
Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero
Cole Miller vs. Junie Allen Browning
Tyson Griffin vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich
Brock Larson vs. Jesse Sanders
Jorge Rivera vs. Nissen Osterneck
Rob Kimmons vs. Joe Vedepo
Tim McKenzie vs. Aaron Simpson
Steve Steinbeiss vs. Ryan Jensen

The new season of The Ultimate Fighter premiers after the fights. This season is the US vs. the UK.

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

WEC 40 this Sunday night!

WEC Bantamweight Championship
Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles

Jeff Curran vs. Joseph Benavidez
Benson Henderson vs. Shane Roller
Manny Tapia vs. Akitoshi Tamura
Cub Swanson vs. Diego Nunes
Rafael Dias vs. Cole Province

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I don't know about anyone else - but I'm pretty geeked about the Shamrock v. Diaz fight at a catchweight of 179lb. :D

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

me2, but i don't know what geeked means, so i'm just looking forward to it :D

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Great fight last night between Carlos Condit & Martin Kampman!! I really expected Condit to win fairly easy, biy was I wrong. Kampman was amazing and got the hard fought decision. One of the most intriguing fights I have seen in years.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Great strikeforce event last night! The Scott Smith and Benji Radach fight was awesome - lots of drama!

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Smith pulls another out of his arse. It's time for Frank Shamrock to retire. He looked really bad against Diaz. Really bad.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Jason McDonald cut with a few others from the UFC. I know McDonald has last his last few, but he has some talent and a much better fighter than many that get to linger around for some odd reason. He should make a good pay check in Strike Force; I'm betting they pick him up.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I've liked The Athlete since I first saw him fight. That's a shame.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin!

What are your thoughts? I'm thinking Silva wins it. I like Forrest for his personality and heart, but Anderson Silva is the Bruce Lee of our times. Just a pin-point accurate, no-nonsense, cut your throat ninja.

Interview with Griffin.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Just in time for the Vanderherf!

UFC 98
Date: May 23, 2009
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena

Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Yushin Okami vs. Dan Miller
Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Wilson
James Irvin vs. Drew McFedries
Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
Patrick Barry vs. Tim Hague
Houston Alexander vs. Andre Gusmao
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
David Kaplan vs. George Roop

My picks in bold.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Nice picks.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Back from Maui just in time for this Saturday's fight :D

Had a quick moment of stress while on vacation as I thought the fight was last weekend. Was scrambling to find a place on the island to watch it LOL

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I'm the only one that gives a damn about the Silva Griffin fight? Haters.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I don't think so, i just think August is a long ways away, and not as hot a topic as what's happening tmrw night :p

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I give a damn :D I just don't see it as being a particularly well matched fight that's all.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

i think machida will beat rashad. His style is very evasive. Could go either way tho

and i HOPE serra beats hughes...but doubt it ;/

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

The Machida/Evans fight is going to be an exciting one, no doubt. I'll be pulling for Lyoto but as you said, it could go either way. Rashad has some great power behind his punches and generally works the angles pretty well. But I would love to see Lyoto knock him out with a well placed kick :D

I also hope Serra beats Hughes but really I can't see it happening. Nover takes Bradley IMO

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I hate Hughes and Evans. I'll smoke something nice if they both get their teeth kicked in.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

:r

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I went with Machida and wasn't disappointed. Great fight!!

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Man Lyoto did an amazing job of holding back and waiting for Rashad to attack as well as pressing the action and staying aggressive. I was so happy with the result of the fight! With his first initial flurry of punches he reminded me of old Vitor Belfort when he was young. Just super quick hands/feet

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Even though I don't care much for Matt Serra, but I think he should have won that fight.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I agree. I have always liked Lyoto's style. I just got caught up and watched the fight and he was uber-impressive.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

In case you were interested, per MMAMania:

Total Disclosed Payouts: $957,000

Lyoto Machida — $140,000 ($70,000 to show, $70,000 to win)
Rashad Evans — $200,000
Machida defeated Evans via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Matt Hughes — $200,000 ($100,000 to show, $100,000 to win)
Matt Serra — $75,000
Hughes defeated Serra via unanimous decision

Drew McFedries — $34,000 ($17,000 to show, $17,000 to win)
Xavier Foupas-Pokam — $6,000
McFedries defeated Foupas-Pokam via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Chael Sonnen — $50,000 ($25,000 to show, $25,000 to win)
Dan Miller — $15,000
Sonnen defeated Miller via unanimous decision

Frank Edgar — $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Sean Sherk — $40,000
Edgar defeated Sherk via unanimous decision

Brock Larson — $42,000 ($21,000 to show, $21,000 to win)
Mike Pyle — $15,000
Larson defeated Pyle via submission (arm triangle choke) in round one

Tim Hague — $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Pat Barry — $7,000
Hague defeated Barry via submission (guillotine choke) in round one

Kyle Bradley — $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 to win)
Phillipe Nover — $10,000
Bradley defeated Nover via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Krzysztof Soszynski — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Andre Gusmao — $5,000
Soszynski defeated Gusmao via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Yoshiyuki Yoshida — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Brandon Wolff — $3,000
Yoshida defeated Wolff via submission (guillotine choke) in round one

George Roop — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Dave Kaplan — $8,000
Roop defeated Kaplan via split decision

Fight of the Night: $60,000/each - Matt Serra and Matt Hughes
KO of the Night: $60,000 - Lyoto Machida
Submission of the Night: $60,000 - Brock Larson

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Some MMA news:

UFC president Dana White announced at the UFC 98 post-fight press conference that former light heavyweight titleholder Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will get the first crack at newly crowned Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida's belt. Speculation immediately arose whether Jackson and Machida would be coaches on the next season of the Spike TV reality show "The Ultimate Fighter."

White was asked point blank at the press conference if the coaches for the tenth season of the show had been picked. White confirmed they have been chosen, but wouldn't divulge any names.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...8850&zoneid=13
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frank Trigg, broadcaster and fighter extraordinaire, announced on MMAJunkie Radio that he has rejoined the welterweight ranks in the UFC. The 37 year old fighter has signed a 4 fight contract with his old organization after a long stint outside the UFC where he went 9 and 2. Inside the UFC back in 2004 and 2005, he was 2 and 3 with two huge losses against Matt Hughes (Seen on the UFC intro to this day) and a single loss against George St. Pierre.

With four fights scheduled in the UFC, a rematch with Hughes is a definite possibility. Frank is currently training at Xtreme Couture with some of the best out there and has consistently talked about his lifestyle changes that he has had to embrace to remain relevant fight-wise as he has gotten older. These changes along with the passage of time could make for a different and refreshing outcome of a Hughes / Trigg rematch.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
per mmaweekly.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White on Thursday, via an Ultimate Fighter 10 teleconference, announced that the next season of the venerable Spike TV reality series would see Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches.

The tenth season, titled The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, kicks off on Sept. 16. It will be comprised completely of heavyweight athletes and culminate in a grudge match on Dec. 12 between Jackson and Evans.

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

SHOGUN AGREES TO MACHIDA BOUT, IN PRINCIPLE (so much for the previous report about Rampage and Machida)

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has in principle accepted a bout with new light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, MMAWeekly.com has learned from sources close to negotiations.

Though a concrete date for the fight could not be confirmed, and Machida’s management could not be reached at the time of this writing, sources say it would likely take place in October or November.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...8862&zoneid=13

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I like the fight, but I'm with you on Silva taking it.

I like the way Machida is finishing his fights I think he'll do the same with Rua. Rua looks back from his injuries and likes to pressure his opponents so this one should be another good fight with no worries of making it to the decision.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

More news:

UFC president Dana White talks to EdgeBoston.com about his longing to sign WAMMA heavyweight champion and arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, Fedor Emelianenko. Since ZUFFA acquired PRIDE in 2007, a deal with the "Last Emperor" has long eluded the UFC and Dana White. Emelianenko is set to fight former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett at Affliction's third event in August.

Emelianenko is widely considered the top heavyweight fighter in the world as he sports an impressive 30-1 MMA record, with his lone loss coming as a disqualification against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in 2000. Emelianenko avenged the loss to Kohsaka at PRIDE: "Bushido 6" in 2005 and holds notable wins over Ricardo Arona, Renato Sobral, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (2x), Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Matt Lindland, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia and Mirko Filipovic.

“I would never cross-promote. Regarding Fedor, he either wants to come over and fight here or he doesn’t. If he came over and wanted to fight I’d do a deal with him in a minute. You know we’ve been chasing him since we bought Pride. In my opinion, I think it’s going to happen. He’d be crazy not to. I mean, why not? He’ll come over here and make a bunch of money and maybe even win the title and go down in history as the greatest heavyweight ever. The problem is it’s one thing for everyone to say it, I mean I can say, “Brock is the greatest heavyweight ever” but they have got to fight. It’s the only way to find out. We can argue about it all day but in the end you just have got to get out there and fight.”

http://www.fiveknuckles.com/mma-news...ventually.html

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou talks to HDNet's "Inside MMA" about his recent behavior in the ring following a win over Jan Nortje at DREAM 9. Sokoudjou quickly defeated the South African by getting him to the ground before unleashing a series of vicious blows from top position. The referee called the fight, but Sokoudjou continued punching, landing a solid five or six hard punches to a downed Nortje before finally being pulled off. A brief fracas broke out afterwords, with both corners entering the ring, but was quickly dispersed.

Sokoudjou (6-4) who had lost two straight and three of his last four had described this fight as a "must win" and have let his emotions get the best of him. He'd recently been released from the UFC after going 1-2 with the promotion and lost his first fight outside of the promotion as well, that to Renato Sobral. His win over Nortje pushed him into the semifinals of DREAM's "Super Hulk" tournament where he'll draw Hong Man Choi, Ikuhisa Minowa, or Gegard Mousasi.

"There is no bad blood. Actually, he's a really cool guy. We met at the bus on the way to the hotel. We were always nice to each other. It's just one of those moments where, you know, I lost two fights in a row and I was in a state where I told myself, 'There's no way I can lose this fight.' I got him on the ground just like I thought I would do and I was pounding and I didn't want to stop. But I should have stopped. There's no bad blood. He's been nice. We've run into each other, and every time he's always been a gentlemen. I feel like a douchebag for doing it. I'm really sorry for it."

http://www.fiveknuckles.com/mma-news...t-DREAM-9.html

Matt Hughes addresses Rashad Evans' loss to Lyoto Machida via his personal website, calling into question the strategy employed by Evans through famed MMA trainer Greg Jackson. Jackson has long been viewed as one of the best tacticians in the game, but his gameplan for Machida has been called into question by many who believe that Evans played to Machida's strengths by not utilizing wrestling skills to press Machida and get him on his back.

"I went back and watched the Rashad fight again, and I think it comes down to bad coaching. In the prefight press conference, I heard Rashad say that he didn't bring anybody in who would resemble Machida's style. When I heard that, I knew that there might be some problems. That is probably a big reason why Rashad didn't do very well in the striking area. I also think Rashad should have been coached on using his wrestling talent. He didn't shoot one takedown that I can remember and he just made it a sparring match. If I was to coach Rashad against Machida, I would have told him to make it a fight, use his wrestling and groundwork to really dictate the match. Not just go out and spar with him. I think Rashad could have done a lot better in that fight. I'm not saying he should have won, but he's a lot better than he showed on Saturday."

http://www.fiveknuckles.com/mma-news...vans-loss.html

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

This Sunday...............the rematch!

http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/even...-41-poster.jpg

WEC Featherweight Title
* Champ Mike Brown vs. Urijah Faber (for WEC featherweight title)

* Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson
* Donald Cerrone vs. James Krause
* Josh Grispi vs. Jens Pulver

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

What channel is this WEC fight on?

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

on Versus

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

In case you all haven't already seen, Kimblow Slice is on the next season of TUF with Rampage and Rashad as coaches. Also, conveniently for the first time in like 6 seasons, Dana isn't making fighters fight their way into the house. As much as I hate Kimbo, this was a great business decision by Dana. He'll get the TUF ratings back to where they used to be years ago, and he'll likely let Kimbo get destroyed and never let him back in the UFC just to prove the point that he's said all along, that Kimbo is a hack.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Wow, no action tonight in this thread with one of the best MMA cards in years on Showtime. I gotta say I'm a little surprised.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I thought the Diaz vs. Smith fight was pretty entertaining. Diaz put on a boxing clinic then finished nicely. Smack talk about the guys training partners and gym to boot!

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I agree, Diaz threw I think it was 221 punches in the 2nd ROUND alone. Scott Smith's head looked like the speed bag bouncing back and forth. The KO that Rogers put on AA was insane. It's a shame such a great fighter like AA lost his edge so fast. Rise to the top than crash to the bottom. Sucks. Shields choke out of Lawler was text book, which kinda disappoints me as Lawler has recently become one of my favorite fighters. Young, talented, hungry, and not afraid to bang and go for the KO. Joe Riggs just completely dominated Baroni. The only fight that was kind of a bore to me was the Randleman fight which I had high hopes for. Still, Whitehead owned him all three rounds. All in all, an EXCELLENT CARD by Showtime and Strikeforce. Looking forward to Rogers and Overeem and Carano vs. Cyborg.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Damn too bad Faber broke his hand in the first round, great fight! I thought Jogenson should have won his fight. Great night of fighting!

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Faber is one tough dude to keep fighting with this: OUCH!!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41.../faberhand.jpg

WEC 41 AWARDS AND BONUSES
(All awards include a $10,000 bonus for each fighter.)

WEC 41 Fight of the Night
Mike Brown and Urijah Faber

WEC 41 Knockout of the Night
Jose Aldo

WEC 41 Submission of the Night
Seth Dikun

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

The Strikeforce card was pretty good. I'm not the biggest AA fan but I was pulling for him for about 12 seconds.:D Not sure where he's going to go after that loss.

Diaz has been looking good (don't even) in his past several fights. Smith wasn't being very elusive, but not Diaz's fualt, and picked him apart. He just has one of those odd striking styles that are harder to deal with compared to a straight boxer/mma striker. Hope to see him going for the belt very soon.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

If Diaz is going for any belt, it will have to be against Lawler for his MW belt. Diaz and Jake Shields are good friends and training partners and have already publicly stated that they won't fight each other. Diaz vs. Lawler could be a war though. Only problem them is Lawler cuts a good amount of weight to fight at 85, and Diaz walks around at 85. Regardless, I think it'd be a great fight.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

MMA News:

Exiled former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia reveals that future plans for getting back into the UFC include getting a couple of fights and wins under his belt, but would scrap that idea for a shot at current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

"I want to fight a couple of times and get some wins, get some momentum again but if the UFC called and said 'We want you to fight Brock in three months', I would do it," Sylvia told Fighters Only. "I think Randy (Couture) was kicking his ass and then Brock caught him with that big overhand right. I thought Randy was manhandling him in the first round and I thought the second round was going the exact same way, then Brock landed that big shot and... he's a big boy. When he hits you it is going to hurt. Plus you know, he had fifty or sixty pounds on Randy."

http://www.fiveknuckles.com/mma-news...ht-Lesnar.html

Sorry, but he is and never was that good, imo.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carano - Cyborg Winner to be Named First Female Champ

It’s been three months since StrikeForce acquired ProElite’s assets, however it wasn’t until this past Saturday at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields that the San Jose-based organization announced that have come to terms with female superstar, Gina Carano.
“We look forward to having Gina back, and I think that Showtime and CBS did a fantastic job of teeing up this fight so that it’s a relevant fight in the sport,” Coker stated of their latest signing.

Before ProElite’s demise, EliteXC had tentatively scheduled the highly anticipated Carano vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos bout for this past November, however due to their financial woes, they were forced to scrap the show.

Now that Coker officially has full access to both female sensations, he fully intends to pick up where EliteXC left off, as he will throw Carano immediately into the cage against Cyborg to headline their August 15 promotion.

http://www.fightline.com/news/mma/20...er/index.shtml

WAR Carano!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dana on Cro-Cop's 1 fight deal "I've never done this before"

When Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic returns from a nearly two-year break from the organization and fights at UFC 99, he'll do so under an unprecedented one-fight deal.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the unusual arrangement during a recent media call with the Filipovic (24-6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who takes on Mustapha Al-Turk (6-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a UFC 99 televised main-card bout.

"In this history of the company, I've never done this with anybody ever," White said of the deal. "I've never done that ever in nine years of being in this business."

White, currently in Germany for Saturday's pay-per-view event at Cologne's Lanxess Arena, said Filipovic's return resulted from a simple call the fighter made to him.

"When Mirko and I talked on the phone, the day that he said that he wanted to come back, let me tell you he was all fired up and basically saying, 'Listen, I got my surgery, I've been training, I want this, I want to come back, I want to win that title, and I want to take a run at it,'" said White, who estimated the deal was reached in just three days' time.

Filipovic, a longtime PRIDE fighter perhaps best known for winning the organization's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix, entered the UFC in 2007, when he was still ranked as one of the world's very top heavyweights. However, after a win over Eddie Sanchez in his UFC debut, the Croatian fighter suffered back-to-back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga (via stunning head-kick KO) and Cheick Kongo.

The UFC and the 34-year-old fighter split ways soon after, though both sides said it was a temporary split and that the ultimate goal was for "Cro Cop" to return to the UFC. Filipovic has since competed three times for DREAM, going 2-0 (with a no-contest with Alistair Overeem). Filipovic said he wanted to return to the UFC, where he knows he failed to live up to expectations, especially with the UFC heading to Europe for Germany's first-ever UFC card.

"I owe a lot to the UFC and to the UFC fans," he said. "I owe a lot. ... (The) UFC was the black spot in my career and in my life, and I'm the man who dedicates his life to fighting, and I just want ... to justify the (trust) Dana White gave me two years ago and calling me to UFC after I went from PRIDE."

Filipovic repeatedly tried to dodge questions about his health during his first UFC stint. He began to discuss some injuries but cut himself short and said he didn't want to make any excuses. However, he said he's entering Saturday's bout fully healthy following recent knee surgery, in good spirits and with a sound mind. White said any decisions about his future in the organization after UFC 99 will be made after the show is over.

"I just want to return – to return to the top, and I just want to prove everyone that they were wrong," Filipovic said. "They were wrong. I just hope that God will give me the strength that I can prove my worth. I don't like to talk too much now on the phone about it because I have to prove my worth in the cage.

"And that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Now that Dana has done what he said he would never do, sign a fighter to a one fight deal, I think this paves the way to get Fedor in the door!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Andrei Arlovski realizes Boxing doesnt translate well to MMA

Great article here: http://www.watchkalibrun.com/2009/6/...ealizes-boxing

"Whatever it was Arlovski has learned the error of his ways. He posted this comment on his official website,

I focused too much on boxing and not enough on the wrestling and jiu-jitsu. It wasn't right. It's another thing I have to think about. MMA is not boxing. I have to change something. I don't understand this question about my chin. When you open your face for four or five punches it doesn't matter your chin, you will get KOed. Rogers was great, he did what he did. I took the fight and I got my ass kicked, it's that simple. It's embarrassing, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I have to move on. I'm definitely going to come back.

For the fledgling boxer the knockout loss to Rogers was even worse now that it has prevented him from making his debut on June 27th."

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I was never big on Arlovski until the Fedor fight, and then he really started to grow on me. I mean yeah, he lost that one too, but he was fighting well. Really hard to see him get blasted so quickly by a guy I'd never heard of (Rogers)...Here's hoping he makes a comeback.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

UFC 99 - This card should blow the doors off the building. No titles here but it would be shocking if any of these fights lacked excitement and made it to a decision.

Rich Franklin Vs. Wanderlei Silva
Cheick Kongo Vs. Cain Velasquez
Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders
Marcus Davis Vs. Dan Hardy
Spencer Fisher Vs. Caol Uno
Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Mostapha Al Turk

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I'm especially looking forward to the Davis vs Hardy fight. I love a good grudge match and with all the hate these two guys have for each other - I hope it's a war.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I want to see Cro Cop pull someone's heart out and show it to them....LOL

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

That x-ray is crazy. I cant believe he fought as many rounds as he did with that break. He is a stud.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Flawless Victory! :r

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0...0140_super.png

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Post fight interview with Joe Rogan would be pretty bizarre...

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I hope CroCop has his head on straight this time around. I just rewatched his open weight grand prix fights against Wandy and Barnett and they were awesome. Kind of hard to believe he took out those two in the same night. I especially liked the body kicks to Barnett, wicked!:banger

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Agreed. This is a great card. I agree with your picks too, Ken. Except I think Swick will take Saunders.


Rich Franklin Vs. Wanderlei Silva
Cheick Kongo Vs. Cain Velasquez (tough one)
Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders
Marcus Davis Vs. Dan Hardy
Spencer Fisher Vs. Caol Uno
Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Mostapha Al Turk

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...C99_Poster.jpg