Official MMA Thread

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by Steelergar

really, I swore the annoucers were saying he won the finals of the Grand Prix. Then again I don't know much about kickboxing or which grand prix this is.

Yep. Here are the results: http://mmafrenzy.com/12393/k-1-world...ari-in-finals/

nevermind, I just figured it out. I thought his fight with Teixeira was the final match.

Nice, every fight that but one ended in the 1st round.

[NCRadioMan]

Ortiz and Liddell are Coach's for TUF 11

Former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz have been tapped as rival coaches for the eleventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV, the promotion announced on Saturday.

Ortiz and Liddell will coach opposing teams comprised of middleweight hopefuls, then meet in a rubber match at the conclusion of TUF 11. Liddell has won both of the previous encounters, earning a second-round knockout against Ortiz at UFC 47 in April 2004 and a third-round technical knockout at UFC 66 in December 2006.

TUF 11 will shoot in Las Vegas in early 2010 and debut on Spike TV beginning on March 31.

meh

[NCRadioMan]

Dan Henderson signs with Strikeforce

Free agent Dan Henderson has officially signed to Stikeforce, the UFC's rival promotion, said Ariel Helwani of MMA.Fanhouse.com.

It has been reported that Henderson has signed a multi-fight agreement with Strikeforce, however, a date and opponent for his debut have not yet been named.

For a few months, Henderson had been a free agent after his contract with the UFC ran out. He and UFC President Dana White were looking to renew his contract so that he could continue fighting with the organization, but they never reached an agreement.

The main source of their problems was, reportedly, the amount of money that Henderson was asking for. White recently said that Henderson's payment idea stemmed from his knowledge of how much fellow UFC fighter Tito Ortiz was getting pair.

"I'm just hoping to get out there and fight again and get paid what I would like the get paid," Henderson told MMA.Fanhouse at a recent Strikeforce event. "I'm not asking to be the top-paid guy out there at all... It's a little step up from my last pay check, but a lot less than a lot of other guys are getting paid."

Henderson's last UFC fight was at UFC 100 in July, where he defeated Michael Bisping by second-round KO in a middleweight fight. Before the bout, White had promised that the winner of the fight would get a title shot against champion Anderson Silva. However, after the fight, White changed his mind.

A title shot promise was later given to Nate Marquardt in August. After White recanted again, a match up between Henderson and Marquardt was put into place, however, Henderson was not contracted by the UFC and could not take the fight. A title shot was then given to Vitor Belfort.

Dana White is an arrogant asshat... As much as he has done for UFC, he is going to be the ultimate demise for it as well.

There really isn't any new talent. The big names like Lidell, Ortiz, Couture are all pretty much done for. The HW division sucks. There isn't anyone that can even remotely match up to GSP and Silva.

There is just a severe lack of talent. The fact that there is a $40 PPV event every other week is ridiculous. The last card I saw that was remotely worth the $40 was UFC 100.

Strikeforce is going to start taking a big share and I wouldn't be suprised if it became bigger than UFC very soon.

I guess I'm just tired of Dana White and his crap, along with the boring fights the UFC has been promoting.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by coastietech

I guess I'm just tired of Dana White and his crap, along with the boring fights the UFC has been promoting.

Then you will love this.

Dana: "Henderson Wsn't worth the money".


"He's happy, but the reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal. I told people over the weekend that he'd sign within the next week. I wanted him to s**t or get off the pot. He was in this limbo forever, and he needed more motivation to make a decision. Do you think that there's any guy we can't get that I want? Other than Fedor? So far, he's been the one guy we can't get. But everyone else that we've wanted, we got. If I wanted Dan Henderson, I could've signed him. For the money he wanted, he's not worth it. He's not a big pay-per-view star, he's not a big attraction, and he's not going to sell out arenas. He wants way too much and he doesn't bring anything to the table. Here's the reality: If I wanted him, he'd be in the UFC. It's not like, 'F***, Strikeforce beat me out.' He's been a free agent for a long time. If I wanted him, I would have signed him by now."

UFC President Dana White isn't shedding any tears over the Strikeforce acquisition of free agent and former PRIDE champion Dan Henderson. After five fights under the Zuffa umbrella, "Hendo" signed with the San Jose-based promotion over the weekend and could debut in early 2010 -- though White maintains that his drawing power was not worth the money he wanted to be paid. Will "Dangerous" Dan put asses in the seats when he fights for Scott Coker? Or is the aging Olympian more risk than return?

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I think SF did very well in signing Hendo.

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

Then you will love this.




I think SF did very well in signing Hendo.

I agree with this...

Dana thinks he can have anything he wants and he treats people like ****. He will be the undoing of UFC. I have no doubts in my mind.

[wayner123]

Originally Posted by coastietech

Dana White is an arrogant asshat... As much as he has done for UFC, he is going to be the ultimate demise for it as well.

There really isn't any new talent. The big names like Lidell, Ortiz, Couture are all pretty much done for. The HW division sucks. There isn't anyone that can even remotely match up to GSP and Silva.

There is just a severe lack of talent. The fact that there is a $40 PPV event every other week is ridiculous. The last card I saw that was remotely worth the $40 was UFC 100.

Strikeforce is going to start taking a big share and I wouldn't be suprised if it became bigger than UFC very soon.

I guess I'm just tired of Dana White and his crap, along with the boring fights the UFC has been promoting.

While I agree with you on most parts of Dana White and his attitude, I don't think SF will be bigger than UFC, at least not soon. For one, they too are recycling older fighters. They don't have any projections for up and coming stars. Furthermore, they are free to watch. If they went into UFC's realm of PPV, they would not have near the numbers that they do currently.

As far as the UFC goes, I am pissed at the current rate of PPV's and reality shows that seem to be over reaching. I would much rather them go back to basics.

How about going back to a gauntlet type of system? Make fighters fight 2-3 fights per night. Or mix up the weight classes. Grand Prix style. There are a variety of things they could do internally before they need to look at more PPV's and reality shows.

And yes I know... sanctions kill a lot of these ideas.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by wayner123

How about going back to a gauntlet type of system? Make fighters fight 2-3 fights per night. Or mix up the weight classes. Grand Prix style. There are a variety of things they could do internally before they need to look at more PPV's and reality shows.

And yes I know... sanctions kill a lot of these ideas.

Unfortunately, that will never happen again in the UFC. They are too afraid of fighters getting hurt fighting more than once in the same night and, of course, the sanctions.

However, it would be nice to see a Grand Prix tournament that goes on every 3 months or so.

I enjoy TUF but most of these ppv's are just not worth paying for. That's why I always find a free stream to watch. There are alot of injuries to some big names in the UFC right now and they are scrambling to make fights that people will pay for. Over the last 6-8 months, it seems that what looks like a great card turns out to be so-so and the lack-luster cards turn out to be good, imo. I am looking forward to seeing Penn vs. Sanchez on Saturday.

[wayner123]

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

However, it would be nice to see a Grand Prix tournament that goes on every 3 months or so.

Do I hear GSP vs Anderson Silva??

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by wayner123

Do I hear GSP vs Anderson Silva??

That would be sweet!

Why Henderson chose strikeforce interview.

Sherdog.com: Why did you pick Strikeforce over the UFC?
Henderson: The decision was based on a number of things. It wasn’t just a financial thing. It was the fact that I felt I wasn’t getting the fight that I wanted in the UFC. That was a big part of that -- that I wasn’t and that it got yanked away from me. I think I stepped up for the UFC a number of times and had earned that right again for a title fight. And the fact that publicity-wise, CBS offers quite a bit more than a pay-per-view and Spike TV.

Sherdog.com: In September, you sat down with UFC owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White in Las Vegas and confronted them about being passed over for the next middleweight title bout against Silva. How did they respond?
Henderson: The fight got pulled from me and was offered to Vitor (Belfort). I met with them after Vitor fought Rich Franklin. I told them that it does irritate me. I said, ‘Why does Vitor get to jump the line when there’s me and (Nate) Marquardt here who can both fight for a title shot and Vitor’s never fought for the UFC at 185? He jumps the line, especially since I beat him.’ They acted surprised that I’d even fought him. They weren’t up on those details at the time. It jogged their memory, but either way, to put someone in there that I dominated not that long ago…

Sherdog.com: You’re the first top-ranked UFC fighter to leave that promotion and join Strikeforce’s ranks. What do you think this says about the current climate of the sport?
Henderson: Obviously, I was fighting in Pride for a long time and I’ve never been one to really jump ship. Had I felt a little bit more, I don’t know… I was planning on finishing my career in the UFC. When I signed with the UFC, that’s what I was planning on doing. I think that whatever transpired or how they handled me just didn’t work out at present. Especially for me at this point in my career, it was definitely Strikeforce. I don’t know what that says about the climate of the UFC. I think that they need to really respect the fighters a little bit more.

Sherdog.com: At one point during renegotiations Dana White stated that you were trying to become the highest paid fighter in the UFC --
Henderson: I don’t know what anyone else makes, but didn’t he make a comment after that a couple of weeks later that I was upset about what Tito (Ortiz) makes? I have no idea what Tito makes. So, if I’m trying to be the highest paid fighter, why would I be upset about what Tito makes? These are his own comments contradicting themselves. Either way, I don’t know what Tito makes and I didn’t really know where I was on the totem pole over there, but I felt like I wasn’t getting fair market value for myself.

Sherdog.com: How did the UFC’s banning of your clothing brand, Clinch Gear, from their events affect renegotiations?
Henderson: Well, at least I’ll be able to have Clinch Gear on in the cage when I fight for Strikeforce. The banning didn’t really affect anything though. When the UFC called and said that we could no longer sponsor (other fighters), that we were banned from the UFC, I wasn’t mad at all. It was more funny to me than anything that they would do that. Dana has stated to me that it was nothing personal and that there were no hard feelings at all. If there were no hard feelings, why would they ban a clothing line? We already had a deal; we were paying for the right to sponsor guys just like every other sponsor was. For them to come back and say just because Dan hasn’t re-signed a deal yet, we’re banned.

Sherdog.com: Does that play into your comment earlier that they need to respect fighters more?
Henderson: Absolutely. Things like that aren’t necessary and for them to do that in the middle of negotiations doesn’t make me feel respected. It’s more of a strong-arm tactic and a lot of people turn the other way when that happens. To me, it was just funny. I didn’t take it personally, but it just seemed a little contradictory to the ‘no hard feelings’ thing.

Sherdog.com: How did the Strikeforce negotiations play out in comparison to the UFC renegotiations? You were talking to both promotions at the same time.
Henderson: Yeah, I was to a point. I wasn’t going back and forth to them saying, ‘Hey, so and so is paying me this. Pay me more.’ I didn’t want to do that at all. I don’t think that’s the right way to do things, so basically I was just looking at the offers. I have to be honest, Strikeforce was a little slow in getting back to me on certain things, only because Scott Coker got sick for a couple of weeks and was a little hard to get a hold of. He didn’t want to pass the negotiations over to anyone else. Other than that, everything went great and Scott Coker was very respectful and excited the whole time. I was sincere with negotiating with them obviously because I signed, but I wasn’t just using them to get the UFC to pay me more. Dana was pretty cool throughout negotiations with the UFC. He was OK to deal with. We were pretty much just at a standstill. I thought I was worth more and they didn’t. It was nothing personal really.

Sherdog.com: The critics of this move might say you’re leaving the elite of the sport to go fight lesser competition. How would you respond to that?
Henderson: It’s questionable. Where is (Gegard) Mousasi ranked in there? He might be the guy to beat Anderson Silva up. And obviously Fedor (Emelianenko) is unscathed and has proven that he is probably the top heavyweight in the world. Jake Shields has never fought in the UFC. I think that Strikeforce has a lot of great matchups for me. I’m in this sport not just for the money, but I love the challenge of it. Those three guys are great challenges for me and Strikeforce has quite a few guys that are really top at 185 and above. Their roster is growing rapidly with top guys, not just lower-level guys.

Sherdog.com: Why do you think every fighter wants to fight Fedor Emelianenko?
Henderson: I don’t know. To me, he’s not the reason I signed with Strikeforce just to fight him -- although that is interesting and appealing to me to be able to challenge myself against him. I don’t know who else wants to fight him, but I do know the fans like to see him fight. He’s very effective and likes to finish guys and does a very good job. I think him and I would make an interesting matchup.

Sherdog.com: Do you think you can beat Emelianenko?
Henderson: I think I can beat anyone on any given day. It’s just a matter of making sure that everything is right with that day.

Sherdog.com: How do you look back on your UFC career?
Henderson: I always enjoyed watching the UFC and had good experiences fighting there, so I have nothing bad to say about them. I just think that for me, at this point in my career, maybe it just wasn’t a good matchup for them and me. We were at a sticking point on certain things and maybe they think I don’t have too many years left, so why would they put a lot of stock in me. Who knows?

Sherdog.com: What are your goals now, having signed on for four fights with Strikeforce?
Henderson: I’m planning on fighting more than four fights. I can tell you that. I couldn’t tell you what the future holds. It changes pretty quickly. Like I said, I thought I was going to end my career in the UFC and this came up and obviously I went in a different direction than I thought I was going to. I couldn’t comment on the future and who knows what’s going to happen with Strikeforce? I think that they have great opportunities and have the potential to bring a lot of new fans to the sport and I’m pretty much at the forefront of that. That’s appealing to me.

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

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Steve Cantwell set for UFC 108

A light heavyweight bout between veteran Vladimir Matyushenko (23-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and former WEC champion Steve Cantwell (8-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) is set for the preliminary card of next month's UFC 108 event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the Jan. 2 matchup over the weekend.

Nima Safapour of No Limits Media Group, which represents Matyushenko, today confirmed that bout agreements have been distributed and signed by Matyushenko.

UFC 108 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view.

[ActionAndy]

I love watching Hendo fight. I know it's just his confidence shining but does anyone really think he could take Fedor? Does Dan even walk around at that steep a weight?

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by ActionAndy

I love watching Hendo fight. I know it's just his confidence shining but does anyone really think he could take Fedor? Does Dan even walk around at that steep a weight?

He is a natural 205'er and has fought as a heavyweight before, in his younger days, so I have no doubt he could pull it off. I don't think he could take Fedor but one day Fedor will lose. I would like to see them fight. It would be a blockbuster.

[kgoings]

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

I am looking forward to seeing Penn vs. Sanchez on Saturday.

Me too! And I always love to see Guida fight.

[ActionAndy]

Originally Posted by kgoings

Me too! And I always love to see Guida fight.

Yeah fighting Clay Guida must be like punching a tree trunk for 15 minutes. The thing about him is no matter how much punishment he takes, I still never feel like he really poses huge threats--especially not to a competent guy like Florian.

I'm not saying he isn't an exciting fighter or that he's someone I want to see cut (far from it) but can anyone say they expect him to outstrike Florian? And with Florian's BJJ game, will he be upset when Guida makes it a ground fight?

[kgoings]

Originally Posted by ActionAndy

Yeah fighting Clay Guida must be like punching a tree trunk for 15 minutes. The thing about him is no matter how much punishment he takes, I still never feel like he really poses huge threats--especially not to a competent guy like Florian. I'm not saying he isn't an exciting fighter or someone I want to see cut (far from it) but can anyone say they expect him to outstrike Florian? And with Florian's BJJ game, will he be upset when Guida makes it a ground fight?

I don't think he has much of a chance...but he puts on a good fight and never gives up.

[NCRadioMan]

UFC 109: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Brandon Vera official for 'Relentless' on Feb. 6

Surging light heavyweight and UFC sophomore Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) has officially agreed to throw hands with hot-and-cold cage veteran Brandon Vera (11-4) at UFC 109: "Relentless" from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 6.

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KIMBO SLICE DRAWS 5.2 MILLION VIEWERS FOR HIS FIRST LIVE FIGHT IN THE UFC ON SPIKE TV

Most Watched “The Ultimate Fighter” Finale In Franchise History And Biggest Audience For A Live UFC Fight In 2009

New York, NY, December 8, 2009 – Spike TV’s telecast of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” live finale on Saturday, December 5 was the most watched final episode in the 10 seasons of the TUF franchise, peaking with 5.2 million viewers and a 5.9 rating with Men 18-34 for the Kimbo Slice-Houston Alexander fight. The over 5 million viewers were the most to watch a live UFC fight in 2009.

Overall, the three-hour fight card drew 3.7 million viewers, a 2.4 household rating, a 4.6 in Men 18-34 and was the most-watched show on cable with Men 18-34 and Men 18-49 for the day.

“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” live finale was the third most-watched UFC fight card ever.


Looks like Kimblo will be a UFC fighter for the foreseeable future.

[ActionAndy]

Just in case you have trouble taking Diego Sanchez seriously, I found this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md_8WJzhsow

I like the shot of him meditating. Was it hard to clear your mind, Diego? LOL

Originally Posted by wayner123

I don't think SF will be bigger than UFC, at least not soon. For one, they too are recycling older fighters

How about going back to a gauntlet type of system? Make fighters fight 2-3 fights per night. Or mix up the weight classes. Grand Prix style.

If you like gran prix, watch DREAM thats been the basis of their promotion. Too bad most of their tournaments are coming to an end though they already did a lightweight, middleweight, featherweight, and the super heavyweight ends on new years eve. The stars from these tournaments have been or are going to fight in Strikeforce events. Look for Ronaldo Souza and King Mo December 19th. As far as Strike force recycling old fighters, they might have a few but they have alot of young talent where UFC has some young talent but alot of overhyped tv actor wannabees and alot of has beens. Look no further than the coaches for the next TUF that their trying to sell. Also look for Dream to have a heavyweight and open weight tournament