Official MMA Thread

[NCRadioMan]

Lots o' MMA news today!

Spike TV to air 10 preliminary cards in 2010

After three successful broadcasts in 2009, Spike TV officials today announced the cable station will air a total of 10 preliminary-card specials prior to UFC pay-per-view events in 2010.

The one-hour specials, now dubbed "UFC Prelim," feature between two and four bouts from the un-aired preliminary cards of each pay-per-view event.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported last week, Spike TV will air a UFC 108 teaser on Jan. 2, and Spike TV officials also confirmed the station will air a UFC 109 teaser on Feb. 6.

The remaining eight broadcast specials will be announced at a later date.

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UFC CONFIRMS MAJOR BOUTS FOR UFC 110 in AUSTRALIA

NOGUEIRA v VELASQUEZ
SILVA v BISPING
STEVENSON v SOTIROPOULOS
JARDINE V BADER
ROTHWELL V CRO COP
SINOSIC v HASEMAN

UFC 110 LIVE AT THE ACER ARENA

December 15, Sydney, Australia - With the second fastest sell-out in the 16-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation, UFC 110 hits Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, February 21 (Airing in the United States on Saturday, February 20).

All 16,500 tickets for the Acer Arena were completely sold out on the first day of public sale on Friday (December 11), placing UFC 110 behind only the record-breaking UFC 83 in Montreal, Canada in April 2008, as the UFC’s hottest ticket ever.

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DREAM and World Victory Road confirm fights for Dec. 31 "Dynamite!! 2009" event!

The fight card for DREAM and World Victory Road's Dec. 31 "Dynamite!! 2009" event got some serious depth today with the official announcement of numerous matchups, many of which pit one of the Japanese organization's fighters against the other promotion's.

The HDNet-televised event features both MMA and K-1 bouts and takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Today's additions include Masanori Kanehara (15-7-5) vs. Norofumi "Kid" Yamamoto (17-2) and Akihiro Gono (30-15-7) vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (35-9-2).

Both of those fights will be conducted under MMA rules with three five-minute rounds. The same goes for the bouts of Katsuyori Shibata (4-6-1) vs. Hiroshi Izumi (0-1), Marlon Sandro (15-1) vs. Hideo Tokoro (25-21-1), Michihiro Omigawa (8-8-1) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (12-7-1), and Kazuyuki Fujita (15-8) vs. Alistair Overeem (31-11).

A K-1 bout of Yosuke Nishijima (0-1) vs. Ray Sefo (54-20-1) was also added to the card.

Previously announced MMA bouts include Japanese gold-medalist judoka Satoshi Ishii (0-0) vs. fellow Olympic gold-medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (8-7-1) and the DREAM "Super Hulk" open-weight grand prix finale of Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa (43-30-8) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-5).

Additional fights will be announced in the next few weeks.

For now, the official lineup include:

* Masato vs. Andy Souwer (K-1)
* Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
* Masanori Kanehara vs. Norofumi "Kid" Yamamoto
* Akihiro Gono vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
* Hiroshi Izumi vs. Katsuyori Shibata
* Marlon Sandro vs. Hideo Tokoro
* Michihiro Omigawa vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
* Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Alistair Overeem
* Yosuke Nishijima vs. Ray Sefo (K-1)
* Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (MMA/"Super Hulk" finale)
* Hiroya vs. Japan Masaaki Noiri (K-1 KOSHIEN semifinal)
* Katsuki Ishida vs. Shota Shimada (K-1 KOSHIEN semifinal)
* Tsukasa Fuji vs. Ryuya Kusakabe (K-1 KOSHIEN semifinal reserve)

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Almeida likely for UFC 111 in March, bout with Thiago Alves

While a knee injury forced grappling ace Ricardo Almeida (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) out of a planned UFC 106 bout with Jon Fitch, "Big Dog" apparently won't sit out for long.

MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the promotion that Almeida is being targeted for a March 27 return to action at UFC 111 in Newark, N.J.

And while Almeida couldn't comment on the potential contest when contacted by MMAjunkie.com, additional sources have indicated Brazilian slugger Thiago Alves (16-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) may be in the running to face the 33-year-old.

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Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin @ UFC 111 For Interim Title

While UFC president Dana White recently said the status of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar would be decided in the next four to six weeks, things are apparently progressing much faster.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the organization that the UFC is targeting an interim heavyweight title matchup between top contender Shane Carwin and former UFC champion Frank Mir.

If both parties agree, the contest may take place at the increasingly attractive UFC 111 event on March 27 in Newark, N.J.

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Quinton Jackson challenges Dana White to a boxing fight

This rings a bell does it not?

"The last thing I want to say is, and this is to Dana White, do me a favour and put two UFC logo's in that octagon and promote them as if they're gonna fight each other and see how many people turn up to watch them fight. If Dana's got a problem with me about any texts I give my friends or anything else... if he's got a problem with me tell him I'll do a boxing fight with him, but I'd show up. I'd show up with bells on. I'd show up dressed looking just like a boxer. He could even wear a head gear for all I care. Dana has a history of talking **** about people on the internet and at press conferences and stuff when they're not there, I'm not that guy... I don't give a (expletive) anymore. Tell Dana if he's still got a problem with me, we can settle the problem like men and he can make as much money out of it as he wants. He can promote it, he can put it on TV and he can pay himself a big purse." -Quinton "Rampage" Jackson


Former UFC light-heavyweight champion turned thespian Quinton "Rampage" Jackson adds more fuel to his ongoing feud with UFC President Dana White courtesy of comments made to MMABay.

Jackson announced recently that he'd like to come back to MMA, after going on a brief hiatus to play B.A. Baracus on a film adaptation of "The A-Team," in order to settle disputes with both UFC President Dana White and fellow former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

Jackson and White have been at odds since the popular brawler abruptly abandoned his planned UFC 107 showdown against bitter, Evans, in order to work on the film; and it appears that Jackson's feud with White has done anything but die down in the wake of Jackson's announced return to the sport.

This isn't the first time White, a former amateur boxer, has been challenged to a boxing match. A couple of years ago famed UFC light-heavyweight Tito Ortiz had a boxing match with White written into his contract. The two agreed to face one another at a Las Vegas gym, but Ortiz failed to show.

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Lorenzo Fertitta: 140,000 People Viewed UFC 106 Illegally

UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta testified Wednesday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on piracy of live sports broadcasting over the Internet, and he said the UFC is potentially losing tens of millions of dollars because people are illegally streaming UFC pay-per-views online.

"Just last month, the broadcast of UFC 106 from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, had over 271 unauthorized streams with over 140,000 views, and those are only the ones that our anti-piracy team and consultants identified," Fertitta told the committee. "There were likely more streams that we simply couldn't find."

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Personally, I don't think they are losing that much at all. It's my belief that those that watch these streams would simply do without and not purchase the ppv and watch the fights at a later date. And like Joe Rogan says on the broadcast of every PPV, "you can't stop the internet, baby".