Saturday

Four questions that will be answered by UFC 156

UFC 156 is the UFC's annual Super Bowl weekend card, and as usual, it's a big one. A former champion will drop down to try to win a belt in a new weight class, a Strikeforce champion will try to win a shot at the UFC heavyweight belt, and these questions will be answered.

What have the layoff and injuries done to Jose Aldo? By the time he walks into the cage on Saturday night, it will have been 385 days between Aldo's fights. He had several injuries and had bouts canceled twice. It's hard to say if we'll see the invincible Aldo who fought Chad Mendes last January.

How does the new weight class suit Frankie Edgar? Since starting as a lightweight, Edgar has had doubters because he was on the small side for 155 lbs. It worked for him, as he did win and defend the UFC lightweight championship. Now that he's lost it, he's trying again for the belt at 145 lbs. Will the new weight class fit him even better than lightweight did?

[Related: UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo is perfectly suited for superstar status]

Did Alistair Overeem look past Antonio Silva? At the pre-fight press conference, Overeem called the bout with Silva a warm-up fight.

"Obviously I've not fought for 13 months, so it's going to be a good test for me," Overeem said. "I should not overlook 'Bigfoot' Silva, but if I look at my training and what I do to my sparring partners, I should not make 'Bigfoot' Silva more than he is. He should not be a problem, but that's why it's a warm-up fight."

That's dangerous ground to tread, as looking past the man who is about to punch you makes it lightly you'll get knocked out. Overeem should beat Silva, but the one way he can lose is to not take Silva seriously.

[Related: Rashad Evans' best path to title shot could be cutting weight, facing Anderson Silva]

Can Jon Fitch use his wrestling to neutralize Demian Maia? You may not like to watch Fitch's matches. You may have used the words "lay and pray." But you cannot deny Fitch's ability to use his wrestling to hold off opponent's strengths. This time, he'll be using it against Maia, whose submissions and jiu-jitsu are tough to beat. This is Fitch's chance to show he can hold off even the best ground games.

What are you most looking forward to for UFC 156 -- or are you not looking forward to it at all? Speak up in the comments, Facebook or Twitter.

Super Bowl video from Yahoo! Sports:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/four-questions-answered-ufc-156-183941245--mma.html

Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

Manny Gamburian Out of UFC 157 Bout with Chad Mendes

manny-gamburyan1-300x225

Manny Gamburyan has been forced out of his UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche fight with Chad Mendes. According to reports, Gamburyan injured his thumb in training and is waiting on MRI results to figure out the extent of the damage. MMAWeekly reported the bout change, stating that the UFC is scrambling to find Mendes an…

The post Manny Gamburian Out of UFC 157 Bout with Chad Mendes appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/02/08/manny-gamburian-out-of-ufc-157?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=manny-gamburian-out-of-ufc-157

Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic Luiz Buscape Firmino

Ian McCall Reveals What Was So Funny in his UFC 156 Fight with Benavidez

Ian Mccall UFC 156 flyweight contender

There was a moment in Ian McCall?s flyweight bout with Joseph Benavidez at UFC 156 where both fighters seemed to be laughing in the Octagon. Even commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg pointed out that McCall was smiling, and the two were talking. In most cases fans would never know what happened or what was…

The post Ian McCall Reveals What Was So Funny in his UFC 156 Fight with Benavidez appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/02/04/ian-mccall-reveals-what-was-so-funny-in-his-ufc-156-fight-with-benavidez?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ian-mccall-reveals-what-was-so-funny-in-his-ufc-156-fight-with-benavidez

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

Lucas Martins thought his manager was pranking him about UFC on FX 7 debut

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.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/lucas-martins-thought-manager-pranking-him-ufc-fx-173333471--mma.html

Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao

Friday

Ronda Rousey is not impressed with Georges St-Pierre?s fighting style

In six fights, UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has ended every fight in the first round. Her go-to armbar submission means her fights are predictable, but they're rarely boring.

But as for fighters she finds exciting? Don't put welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre on her list. Rousey called him boring last year, and confirmed what she said.

"I respect Georges St. Pierre as a businessman and an athlete," Rousey said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I don't have anything against him personally. But he's not the kind of fighter I like watching."

"He fights to win matches. He doesn't fight to defeat his opponents. I lost a lot of judo matches because of points fighters. It was extremely frustrating for me. And when I see that same style being played out in a different sport, it brings out the same reaction in me."

The last time GSP didn't have a fight go to the judges was when he won by TKO over B.J. Penn in 2009. Rousey is hardly the first person to criticized GSP's strategic style, but this is from a fellow champion who has the standing to say what she likes. It gives the criticism even more weight.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ronda-rousey-not-impressed-georges-st-pierre-fighting-000126630--mma.html

Gary Goodridge Gerard Gordeau Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia

Frankie Edgar: What?s Next?

Aldo v Edgar

After last night?s unanimous decision loss to the champion Jose Aldo, the question is where does Frankie Edgar go from here? He was the lightweight champion and lost the belt. Now he has had a shot at the featherweight title, and lost in a close but convincing fight. Luckily for Edgar, he put together one…

The post Frankie Edgar: What’s Next? appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/02/03/frankie-edgar-whats-next?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=frankie-edgar-whats-next

Rich No Love Clementi  Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs  Ray Cooper 

UFC Quick Quote: Josh Koscheck might take some time off, do some bad things, then fight for a title

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2013/2/7/3965964/josh-koscheck-time-off-bad-things-nick-diaz-ufc

Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago 

UFC 157: Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche Full Video Primetime - Episode 1

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/2/8/3967026/ufc-157-ronda-rousey-vs-liz-carmouche-full-video

Ryo Piranha Chonan  Dan The Sandman Christison  Logan The Pink Pounder Clark  Steve The Snake Claveau 

The Techniques of MMA

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Source: http://www.ufcrundown.com/blog/the-techniques-of-mma/

Ed Herman Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott

Thursday

Michael Bisping keeps losing his title shot to fighters on TRT, but does it matter?

Source: http://www.mmamania.com/2013/2/7/3964858/michael-bisping-ufc-trt-vitor-belfort-mma

Tiki Ghosn Dennis George Kultar Gill Allan Goes

Zoila Gurgel splits with Bellator, signs with Invicta FC

Bellator is officially minus a champion today after Invicta FC announced former title-holder Zoila Gurgel had signed with the all-female promotion with a debut already scheduled for April. Though no specific date has been attached to the event, Gurgel does have a foe in the form of submission-specialist Jennifer Maia (6-2). Five Ounces of Pain [...]

The post Zoila Gurgel splits with Bellator, signs with Invicta FC appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/02/05/zoila-gurgel-splits-with-bellator-signs-with-invicta-fc/

Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida Jason Guida

Check out pictures from UFC on Fox 6

Check out UFC on Fox 6 pictures from the always-amazing Tracy Lee. She caught images of Demetrious Johnson outlasting John Dodson, Quinton Jackson's final UFC fight, and more from Saturday night's fights. To see more of Lee's work, follow her on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/check-pictures-ufc-fox-6-204314877--mma.html

Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago  Tomasz Drwal