This weekend Quinton Jackson is likely to take to the Octagon for the final time in his career when he faces Glover Teixeira at UFC on FOX 6. Over the past six months, the former light heavyweight champ has expressed displeasure with how the UFC has handled his career by putting him up against wrestlers…
The post Mo Lawal Would Love to See ?Rampage? Jackson in Bellator appeared first on Fighters.com.
Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga
CHICAGO -- Donald Cerrone and John Dodson are at it again. After needling each other throughout the UFC on Fox 6 open workouts, the flyweight and the lightweight start teasing each other during Thursday's press conference. If you didn't see the smile in their eyes, you would think these two are opponents, not teammates.
But they are teammates, working together at Jackson's MMA in New Mexico as they prepared for their fights this weekend along with Shawn Jordan and Clay Guida. The camaraderie that has grown from their time in the gym showed as Cerrone and Dodson go back and forth.
"There's no tension or anything because we play around with John, and I will keep picking on him," Cerrone said.
"I already told you that. Me and Demetrious [Johnson, Dodson's opponent on Saturday] will beat your [expletive]," Dodson replies to Cerrone, before turning back to the gaggle of reporters. "With all of us playing around, it's just my family. It's my big brother trying to pick on me."
For Guida, that playfulness has turned into a second family he finds at the gym in Albuqurque, New Mexico.
"It's my family here, it's my family in Albuquerque, and it's a homecoming for Greg Jackson, too. He's from the west suburbs. To see Coach come back and get to work with his students, to see John Dodson be the main event in the flyweight title bout, that's just huge."
Jackson, the coach behind the fighters, still has most of his family in Chicago. He claims Chicago sports teams -- because his mother would never forgive him if he didn't -- and he likes bringing his fighters back here.
"When I'm downtown, it reminds me of being a kid. I spent a lot of summers here. When I come back, I get to see some old friends. I love Chicago."
"It's a cool camaraderie. A lot of ways, it's just another day at the office. It's kind of, we've been training together and now we'll see each other at the event. They're all pretty pro about it. It's cool because you get good training partners, and they're all in the same boat."
Dodson is often the man behind tension being broken. He has worked with Jackson since he was in his teens, and has always been in that role of tension breaker.
"What he's brought is that he's always in a good mood. All the time. He's just a happy-go-lucky guy. There's some people in your life who are sunshiney, who are elevating, they don't complain, they work hard, and that's him. It's nice to see him get that title shot. Hopefully he'll win, because he deserves it. He's really a great, great kid. He's always been a great kid."
As usual, Jackson has several fighters on the card this weekend. He's gotten used to juggling fighters for every UFC card, and dismisses with a laugh anyone who calls those many fighters boring.
"Donald Cerrone? My God that guy is boring. You know who is even more boring? Little John himself. Name one guy he's knocked out in the UFC ... oh wait," Jackson said sarcastically. "It's silly. Even Clay Guida. He had one bad fight, but calling that guy boring is the height of stupidity. I think that argument is pretty well dead."
The fights that will air on Fox will feature two Jackson's fighters -- Cerrone and Dodson. But he doesn't point to that to show his fighters are not boring.
"The validation is every week when we have an exciting fight. When you have the numbers of fighters I do, not every fight is going to blow everyone out of the water. That's just numbers. But to have the numbers that we have and have the success that we have, and have exciting fighters. That argument never bothers me because it's so silly."
UFC middleweight Vitor Belfort usually plays the ?good guy?, remaining quiet in regards to opponents even in the face of trash-talk. However, Belfort let loose on Chael Sonnen shortly after beating Michael Bisping at UFC on FX 7, calling him a number of names and challenging him for his shot at light heavyweight champ Jon…
The post Chael Sonnen Happy to Fight Vitor Belfort After He Beats Jon Jones appeared first on Fighters.com.
Lucas Martins is making his UFC debut at UFC on FX 7 on Saturday night as a late add to the card. Justin Salas was injured in training around New Year's Eve, and Martins didn't believe it when he got the call to fill in. He told MMA Junkie he thought his management was pranking him.
"It was New Year's Day," Martins said. "I could not believe my management and the UFC were working on New Year's Day. When they called I thought, 'Is this a joke? This is New Year's Day. No one is working. They are recovering from the celebration."
Now, that would be a mean joke. Hey, Lucas your dream has just come true! Call your friends, your family and everyone who has ever helped you get to the UFC ... oh wait. We're kidding. Pretty sure I'd fire my manager for a joke like that.
But Martins' record is no joke. He's 12-0, and won the last six fights by knockout or submission, making him an interesting test for Edson Barboza.
Lucas Martins is making his UFC debut at UFC on FX 7 on Saturday night as a late add to the card. Justin Salas was injured in training around New Year's Eve, and Martins didn't believe it when he got the call to fill in. He told MMA Junkie he thought his management was pranking him.
"It was New Year's Day," Martins said. "I could not believe my management and the UFC were working on New Year's Day. When they called I thought, 'Is this a joke? This is New Year's Day. No one is working. They are recovering from the celebration."
Now, that would be a mean joke. Hey, Lucas your dream has just come true! Call your friends, your family and everyone who has ever helped you get to the UFC ... oh wait. We're kidding. Pretty sure I'd fire my manager for a joke like that.
But Martins' record is no joke. He's 12-0, and won the last six fights by knockout or submission, making him an interesting test for Edson Barboza.
Do you want to own your favorite fighter's sports bra without committing a felony and support a worthy cause? Good news. Some of your favorite female fighters are auctioning off signed sports bras and rash guards to help fight breast cancer.
Ronda Rousey, Felice Herrig, Liz Carmouche and Julie Kedize are among the fighters who have handed over their sports bras for an eBay auction. Rosie Sexton gave her top and shorts. Proceeds will go to Keep A Breast, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating breast cancer for future generations.
As of this writing, UFC women's bantamweight champion Rousey has the highest bid. It's going for $340, plus shipping. The bra that belonged to Bec Hyatt, who will fight for Invicta's straw weight title on Saturday, is up to $330. Check it out, and help a good cause.
Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan
MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant talks via skype with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson about his upcoming fight with Glover Teixeira, set to take place at UFC On Fox 6 on January 26, 2013. Rampage talks about the kind of fight he'd prefer to have, how he feels about it being his (likely) last fight in the Octagon and what he plans to do if/when he departs the UFC.?
Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers
Michael Bisping needed a win at UFC on FX 7 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on Saturday night to keep his title shot hopes alive. But Vitor Belfort got the better of him, winning with a second round TKO.
Belfort ended the first round well, wobbling Bisping with a head kick followed by aggressive punches and knees. The round ended before Belfort could put Bisping in real danger, but it was a sign of things to come.
In the second round, Belfort landed another head kick, but this one sent Bisping to the ground. Belfort followed with several strikes on the ground until the fight was stopped at 1:27 in the second round.
Bisping, who got into a heated exchange with Belfort during a pre-fight press conference, was humble in defeat.
"It was a beautiful kick. He caught me. He was better than me tonight," he said after the fight.
Bisping was hoping for a big win so that he could get a chance at Anderson Silva and the UFC middleweight belt. In his Yahoo! Sports pre-fight blog, Bisping said his motivation for wanting to fight Belfort was simple.
"He?s trying to take my title shot off me. He?s trying to take my family?s security off me," Bisping wrote.
But now it's unlikely he'll get near a title shot any time soon. Bisping is 1-2 in his last three fights. Though he's been in the UFC since 2006, this fight was his best chance of earning a shot at the title.
[Related: UFC on FX 7 bonuses: Belfort wins Knockout of the Night]
Belfort fought for the middleweight title in 2011 and light heavyweight title in 2012. He lost both times, but didn't hesitate to ask for a title shot in his post-fight interview.
"I want that belt. Get that punk Chael Sonnen out. Let me fight Jon Jones! Not that clown!"
Sonnen, who has fought at light heavyweight in the UFC since 2005, is fighting for the UFC light heavyweight belt against champion Jones in April.
Dolloway, Gonzaga, Nurmagomedov notch wins
C.B. Dolloway took a thrilling win in the co-main event over Daniel Sarafian, who was making his UFC debut. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Dolloway, who came back to win the fight after not having a great start. Sarafian easily took the first round. He slowed Dolloway down early in the round, and got the better of exchanges throughout.
Sarafian owned the second round with big punches, but almost lost late in the round. Dolloway hit Sarafian with an uppercut, and then swarmed with several more strikes on the ground. The horn to sound the end of the round saved Sarafian from a stoppage that looked seconds away.
[Also: Bellator's debut on Spike TV ends up a mixed bag ratings-wise]
Dolloway started out the third round well with takedowns and much better positioning, but Sarafian swept to get on late. Sarafian took Dolloway's back, but couldn't get in a rear naked choke. Then Dolloway reversed position as the fight ended. His record moves to 13-4.
Gabriel Gonzaga's condition deep into a fight is often a problem, but he didn't have to worry about it with a second-round submission win over Ben Rothwell. After outstriking and outwrestling Rothwell in the first, Gonzaga grabbed an arm-in guillotine from the standing position. To get more leverage, Gonzaga jumped guard. He cinched Rothwell with his legs and tightened the guillotine. Rothwell tapped at 1:01 in the second round.
This is the second straight win for Gonzaga since returning to the UFC. Both have come by submission.
Khabib Nurmagomedov started the main card off with a quick and exciting win over Thiago Tavares. Nurmagomedov dropped Tavares with an uppercut, and then finished with several elbows. The fight was stopped at 1:55 in the first round, though not quickly enough for UFC president Dana White, who tweeted, "Ok that is officially the END of Dan M!!!! Guys head is straight up his [expletive] 2 night!!!! 17 vicious strikes!!!! After he was already hurt"
With this win, Nurmagomedov has three straight wins in the UFC, and an overall record of 19-0.
Outside the Game from Yahoo! Sports
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It?s fairly common for UFC fans to see fighters spill blood inside the Octagon. However, the notion of UFC President Dana White being caught on camera with a crimson coat seems strange to say the least. However, as it turns out, the outspoken executive decided to give the MMA community a chance to get a [...]
The post Dana White documents recent surgery in graphic UFC on FOX 6 video blog appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/01/22/dana-white-surgery-video/
Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/bellator-news/bellator-season-8-on-spike-tv-promo-video-60578/
Lightweight Rick Hawn saw more than his hopes of hoisting a Bellator championship above his head go out the window last week when he came up short in bid to beat divisional king Michael Chandler at Bellator 85. Hawn, who had gone 14-1 prior to the bout, was never able to implement his gameplan against [...]
The post Rick Hawn suing sponsor after loss causes company to cancel check appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.
A featherweight bout originally on tap for February is headed to Sweden. Swedish fighter Akira Corassani will take on Robbie Peralta when the UFC returns to the former’s homeland this Spring. It is unclear where the bout will land on the card. A TUF 14 veteran, Corassani made a successful UFC debut this past September, [...]
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/32254/ufc-on-fuel-9-corassani-vs-peralta-tapped-for-sweden/
Randy The Natural Couture Dan Cramer Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz
Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/bellator-news/bellator-season-8-on-spike-tv-promo-video-60578/
Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton
Source: http://www.5thRound.com/136566/bellator-86-fight-card-finalized/
Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs
UFC on FX 7 fighter Yuri Alcantara will still be awarded his win bonus despite his controversial ?no contest? on the night?s undercard. The UFC announced the move at the UFC on FX 7 post-fight news conference.
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/32242/ufc-on-fx-7-yuri-alcantara-awarded-win-bonus-despite-no-contest/
Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle
Michael Bisping needed a win at UFC on FX 7 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on Saturday night to keep his title shot hopes alive. But Vitor Belfort got the better of him, winning with a second round TKO.
Belfort ended the first round well, wobbling Bisping with a head kick followed by aggressive punches and knees. The round ended before Belfort could put Bisping in real danger, but it was a sign of things to come.
In the second round, Belfort landed another head kick, but this one sent Bisping to the ground. Belfort followed with several strikes on the ground until the fight was stopped at 1:27 in the second round.
Bisping, who got into a heated exchange with Belfort during a pre-fight press conference, was humble in defeat.
"It was a beautiful kick. He caught me. He was better than me tonight," he said after the fight.
Bisping was hoping for a big win so that he could get a chance at Anderson Silva and the UFC middleweight belt. In his Yahoo! Sports pre-fight blog, Bisping said his motivation for wanting to fight Belfort was simple.
"He?s trying to take my title shot off me. He?s trying to take my family?s security off me," Bisping wrote.
But now it's unlikely he'll get near a title shot any time soon. Bisping is 1-2 in his last three fights. Though he's been in the UFC since 2006, this fight was his best chance of earning a shot at the title.
[Related: UFC on FX 7 bonuses: Belfort wins Knockout of the Night]
Belfort fought for the middleweight title in 2011 and light heavyweight title in 2012. He lost both times, but didn't hesitate to ask for a title shot in his post-fight interview.
"I want that belt. Get that punk Chael Sonnen out. Let me fight Jon Jones! Not that clown!"
Sonnen, who has fought at light heavyweight in the UFC since 2005, is fighting for the UFC light heavyweight belt against champion Jones in April.
Dolloway, Gonzaga, Nurmagomedov notch wins
C.B. Dolloway took a thrilling win in the co-main event over Daniel Sarafian, who was making his UFC debut. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Dolloway, who came back to win the fight after not having a great start. Sarafian easily took the first round. He slowed Dolloway down early in the round, and got the better of exchanges throughout.
Sarafian owned the second round with big punches, but almost lost late in the round. Dolloway hit Sarafian with an uppercut, and then swarmed with several more strikes on the ground. The horn to sound the end of the round saved Sarafian from a stoppage that looked seconds away.
[Also: Bellator's debut on Spike TV ends up a mixed bag ratings-wise]
Dolloway started out the third round well with takedowns and much better positioning, but Sarafian swept to get on late. Sarafian took Dolloway's back, but couldn't get in a rear naked choke. Then Dolloway reversed position as the fight ended. His record moves to 13-4.
Gabriel Gonzaga's condition deep into a fight is often a problem, but he didn't have to worry about it with a second-round submission win over Ben Rothwell. After outstriking and outwrestling Rothwell in the first, Gonzaga grabbed an arm-in guillotine from the standing position. To get more leverage, Gonzaga jumped guard. He cinched Rothwell with his legs and tightened the guillotine. Rothwell tapped at 1:01 in the second round.
This is the second straight win for Gonzaga since returning to the UFC. Both have come by submission.
Khabib Nurmagomedov started the main card off with a quick and exciting win over Thiago Tavares. Nurmagomedov dropped Tavares with an uppercut, and then finished with several elbows. The fight was stopped at 1:55 in the first round, though not quickly enough for UFC president Dana White, who tweeted, "Ok that is officially the END of Dan M!!!! Guys head is straight up his [expletive] 2 night!!!! 17 vicious strikes!!!! After he was already hurt"
With this win, Nurmagomedov has three straight wins in the UFC, and an overall record of 19-0.
Outside the Game from Yahoo! Sports
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? NBA admits botched call in Raptors' loss to Bulls
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? Pats' running game is key to a return trip to Super Bowl
? Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial dies at age 92
Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi
UFC middleweight Michael Bisping has come close to title-shots before but never managed to seal the deal. The 23-4 Brit looked to change that tonight at UFC on FX 7 when he battled beloved veteran Vitor Belfort in the main event, setting the stage for either a showdown with champion Anderson Silva or another disappointing [...]
The post UFC on FX 7 Results: Vitor Belfort blasts Michael Bisping to score strike-based stoppage appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/01/19/ufc-on-fx-7-belfort-vs-bisping-real-time-results/
Follow to UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson, Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis, as well as Glover Teixeira and Rampage Jackson as they prepare to enter the Octagon this Saturday for UFC on FOX.
Source: http://www.themmanews.com/ufc-on-fox-johnson-vs-dodson-road-to-the-octagon-full-video/
Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves
The UFC's end-of-the-year cards are usually stacked. Despite injuries, UFC 155 is no different. It features intriguing bouts that will answer some burning questions.
Did a knee injury hold back Cain Velasquez the first time he fought Junior dos Santos? When the two first met up last November, Velasquez reportedly had a badly injured knee. He was knocked out in 64 seconds. This time a (seemingly) healthy Velasquez will get to show if he deserves the heavyweight belt.
Has Chris Leben returned to form, for really real this time? Since Leben was on the original "Ultimate Fighter," he has been a man who wrestled with his demons. Most recently, those demons took the form of a banned pain killer which resulted in a one-year suspension from the UFC. Against Derek Brunson, Leben can show he's again the man who knocked out Wanderlei Silva.
Can Tim Boetsch be the next guy to challenge Anderson Silva? Though his original bout with Chris Weidman was called off because of an injury to Weidman, Boetsch still has another opportunity to show he can beat up opponents. He wants a chance to beat up Silva,* and this bout with Costa Phillippou is an opportunity for Boetsch's fighting to shine.
Or should Alan Belcher be the man to take on Silva? It's been more than three years since Belcher lost a fight. His last four fights have been stoppage wins. An impressive win over Yushin Okami could put him in line to fight for the middleweight belt.*
Is Todd Duffee still the knockout artist who once graced the octagon? Back in 2009, Duffee knocked out Tim Hague in a mere seven seconds. After that, the hype train was running behind him full steam. It was derailed when Mike Russow came back to knock Duffee out in the third round of their bout. Duffee was cut from the UFC, and is getting another shot at the octagon on Saturday. He'll fight Philip De Fries on the Facebook preliminaries, and get a chance to show if he can still knock people out very quickly.
*Assuming the next middleweight belt is based on competitiveness and earning a title shot by fighting, not by calling opponents out. Considering what has happened recently in the UFC welterweight and light heavyweight divisions, there are no guarantees.
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/five-questions-answered-ufc-155-221719074--mma.html
The UFC encourages exciting fights by giving out fight-night bonuses. On each card, fighters can earn an extra $40-100K if they win Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night, and Submission of the Night. The extra cash can make a huge difference in a fighter's finances. But according to a report by MMA Junkie, the UFC is changing the way the bonuses will be handed out.
Starting with Saturday night's fights, the checks for bonuses won't be handed out until drug tests come back. Also, every fighter on an international card will be drug tested. In the U.S., testing is handled by the state commission where the fights are held. International fights are regulated by the UFC.
Recently, Joey Beltran and Rousimar Palhares were suspended nine months for failing a drug test the UFC gave in Australia. An independent lab handles the actual testing.
UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo has been outspoken on his Twitter account about how he wants to see UFC president Dana White take bigger steps to clean up the sport:
Get Doping Out Of UFC . Real Fighters have nothing to do with Liars, Cheaters and Drug-Addicts @ufc @danawhite Clean Up The Sport. #MMA
? Cheick Kongo (@kongo4real) January 11, 2013
Tying bonuses to testing and suspensions are a good start, but out-of-competition testing is the best option. The UFC has yet to implement testing beyond competition. State commissions sometimes require it for licensing. Nevada did random testing with Alistair Overeem before giving him a license, but it's the exception. Fighters need to have no idea when the test is coming.
What more should the UFC do to ensure a clean sport? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Source: http://www.5thRound.com/136343/brother-vs-brother-jon-jones-makes-his-pick-for-ravens-vs-patriots/
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/wZrPMSoEkMA/
Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus Todd Duffee Marvin Eastman