Fight Champions: 5/12/13

Saturday

Daniel Cormier Doesn?t Care Who His Next Opponent Is, Just Wants to Fight

UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier?s name recently came up in connection with Roy Nelson for a possible pairing down the road. However, though both appear open to facing one another, Cormier recently clarified his position by explaining he had no beef with Nelson and wasn?t in the business of calling out opponents outside of those holding…

The post Daniel Cormier Doesn?t Care Who His Next Opponent Is, Just Wants to Fight appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/14/daniel-cormier-doesnt-care-who-his-next-opponent-is-just-wants-to-fight?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=daniel-cormier-doesnt-care-who-his-next-opponent-is-just-wants-to-fight

Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic Luiz Buscape Firmino Spencer Fisher Jon Fitch

Referee Josh Rosenthal pleads guilty to charges for owning $6 million worth of marijuana

Well-known MMA referee Josh Rosenthal has been a part of some of the UFC's most famous bouts, including Brock Lesnar's championship win over Shane Carwin and Dan Henderson's Fight of the Year win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Now, it turns out he was also part of an illegal drug operation.

In a story that could have been the plot of the show "Weeds," Rosenthal plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana. He and an associate owned a warehouse that kept 1,356 marijuana plants with a street value of $6 million. According to MMA Junkie, he could spend more than three years in prison:

The government is recommending 37 months in jail, fines and five years of probation, during which he would be subject to random searches, according to the agreement. Without a deal, he faced 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and a minimum of five years' probation.

The court will ultimately decide Rosenthal's fate. He is scheduled to appear on May 17.

Rosenthal was once a mainstay on the UFC refereeing rotation, but hasn't been in the cage recently. His license lapsed in California as he dealt with his legal troubles and healed from a staph infection. Though referees are assigned by state commissions, not the UFC, Rosenthal had earned the praise of UFC president Dana White for his role in the Lesnar-Carwin bout.

More news from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/referee-josh-rosenthal-pleads-guilty-charges-owning-6-222133049--mma.html

Nick Diaz Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman

Bryan Caraway denies Bellator fighter's drug accusation, regrets strong anti-marijuana stance

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/5/17/4341394/bryan-caraway-denies-bellator-fighters-drug-allegations-regrets

Aldrin de Jesus Todd Duffee Marvin Eastman Stav Crazy Bear Economou

UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold Weigh-in Video

Watch today's official UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold weigh-ins here following this afternoons live show. The event took place at the Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil with middleweights Vitor Belfort and Luke Rockhold facing off in the main event. The live event goes down tomorrow with the main card airing on FX (@9pm EST), while the prelim card is split between Fuel TV (@6pm EST) and Facebook (@4:30pm EST).

Source: http://www.themmanews.com/ufc-on-fx-belfort-vs-rockhold-weigh-in-video-live-3pm-est/

Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo

UFC on FX 8 ? Hacran Dias On Training Camps

With the likes of Jose Aldo and Renan Barao on his team, Brazilian Hacran Dias has been in the company of world-class fighters and trainers at Nova Uniao. It's an edge that he's counting on as he faces Nik Lentz in a featherweight bout. Dias hasn't lost a fight in almost four years, and hopes to add Lentz to his collection of W's. Catch UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs Rockhold, live from Brazil, Saturday, May 18 at 9PM ET / 6PM PT. Online prelims begin at 4:30PM ET /1:30PM PT, followed by FUEL TV prelims at 6PM ET/ 3PM PT.

Source: http://www.themmanews.com/ufc-on-fx-8-hacran-dias-on-training-camps/

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

Friday

UFC on FX 8?s Most (Violently) Promising Fighters

UFC on FX returns on Saturday for its eighth installment on the channel, and headlining the Brazil-based card is a showdown between the legendary Brazilian testosterone factory Vitor Belfort and former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold. What can we expect from this particular evening of free fights? Hopefully violence, of course. Lot and lots of violence. [...]

The post UFC on FX 8′s Most (Violently) Promising Fighters appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/05/17/ufc-on-fx-8s-most-violently-promising-fighters/

Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus

Nate Diaz?s Decision Making Problem

Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In a recent interview, UFC Lightweight Nate Diaz was as candid as I have ever heard him. He said many things that were over the top, and many things I do not agree with, but I had never heard him as relatable as he was during that conversation. It was so fascinating that it prompted…

The post Nate Diaz’s Decision Making Problem appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/17/nate-diazs-decision-making-problem?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nate-diazs-decision-making-problem

Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen

UFC on FX 8: Fabio Maldonado vs Roger Hollett

Image: http://media.ufc.tv/generated_images_sorted/Fighter/Fabio-Maldonado/Fabio-Maldonado_60507_right30.png Image:...

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc-vbookie-betting/130034-ufc-fx-8-fabio-maldonado-vs-roger-hollett.html

Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch

?UFC Fit? In-Home Fitness And Nutrition Program Launched By UFC

Press Release – Las Vegas, Nevada ? The secrets of the Ultimate Fighting Championship�’s elite athletes are finally revealed in UFC FIT? – the UFC’s first ever in-home fitness and nutrition program. Developed with renowned strength and conditioning coach Mike Dolce, UFC FIT is a lifestyle program based on the same methods the world’s greatest [...]

Source: http://www.themmanews.com/ufc-fit-in-home-fitness-and-nutrition-program-launched-by-ufc/

Zelg Benkei Galesic Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan

Thursday

Jorge Masvidal Steps In For Madadi, Will Face Michael Chiesa On FOX

There has been a change to the UFC On FOX 8: Johnson Vs Moraga card. Reza Madadi has run into visa issues according to a report on UFC Tonight, and has been forced out of his scheduled bout with Michael Chiesa. It has now been announced that Jorge Masvidal will step in and fight Chiesa.…

The post Jorge Masvidal Steps In For Madadi, Will Face Michael Chiesa On FOX appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/15/jorge-masvidal-steps-in-for-madadi-will-face-michael-chiesa-on-fox?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jorge-masvidal-steps-in-for-madadi-will-face-michael-chiesa-on-fox

Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante

The Techniques of MMA

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

Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante

Renzo Gracie: ?Everything I see I see through jiu jitsu eyes.?

When certain individuals talk about fighting, you LISTEN. It doesn?t matter what you know, who you beat up, where you train, or the color of your belt around your gi; you listen. Master Renzo Grazie is one of those guys. Renzo?s roots trace right back to the very foundation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and even…

The post Renzo Gracie: “Everything I see I see through jiu jitsu eyes.” appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/11/renzo-gracie-everything-i-see-i-see-through-jiu-jitsu-eyes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=renzo-gracie-everything-i-see-i-see-through-jiu-jitsu-eyes

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama

Roy Nelson on standby for scrap with Junior dos Santos

UFC officials have been adamant in their belief heavyweight Mark Hunt?s visa issues will be cleared up in time to get him in town for a UFC 160 showdown with Junior dos Santos. Likewise, Hunt has expressed confidence in the same result regardless of how frustrating the situation may be. However, that?s not to say [...]

The post Roy Nelson on standby for scrap with Junior dos Santos appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/05/15/roy-nelson-on-standby-for-scrap-with-junior-dos-santos/

Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo

Chael Sonnen, Nate Diaz and the Empire State: Where did they end up on the Hot or Not list?

UFC 159 hype, suspensions ending and a state still not jumping aboard on the MMA train ? it was another full week of MMA. See who made the hot or not list.

Hot ? Chael Sonnen: We won't know if he's a winner in the cage until late Saturday night as he takes on Jon Jones for the championship belt at UFC 159. However, this man is already a winner in the financial arena. According to the Los Angeles Times, he took home $8 million for his bout with Anderson Silva. Main event fighters quite often get a percentage of pay-per-view buys, which explains both why he made so much at UFC 148 and why he's working so hard to sell his fight with Jones.

Not ? Nate Diaz: He lost by a TKO to Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox on Saturday night, which was enough to land him on the not list. Diaz took an extra step to make it here by saying that Thomson, who knocked him out, was running from him the entire fight.

"He didn't come in there and put no [expletive] whopping on me. You know what I'm saying? He didn't come in there and make anything happen. I have never fought somebody before who had ever wanted out of a fight so bad. I expected a fight. I expected him to grab me and try to hold on to me or throw some kicks and move and throw some punches and move but that [expletive] was straight running and I had to chase him down."

Again, it was Thomson who finished Diaz.

Hot -- Matt Mitrione: His suspension for using hate-filled language against lasted just a few weeks, and he has a fight scheduled for this summer.

Not -- MMA in New York: Even though UFC 159 is in nearby Newark, N.J., MMA is still not sanctioned in New York. The UFC has poured quite a lot of money into lobbying for the sport but it's done nothing. At this point, even UFC president Dana White is "over" MMA in New York.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chael-sonnen-nate-diaz-empire-state-where-did-180323847.html

Cody Guinn Jorge Gurgel Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson

Wednesday

Chael Sonnen, Nate Diaz and the Empire State: Where did they end up on the Hot or Not list?

UFC 159 hype, suspensions ending and a state still not jumping aboard on the MMA train ? it was another full week of MMA. See who made the hot or not list.

"He didn't come in there and put no [expletive] whopping on me. You know what I'm saying? He didn't come in there and make anything happen. I have never fought somebody before who had ever wanted out of a fight so bad. I expected a fight. I expected him to grab me and try to hold on to me or throw some kicks and move and throw some punches and move but that [expletive] was straight running and I had to chase him down."

Again, it was Thomson who finished Diaz.

Hot -- Matt Mitrione: His suspension for using hate-filled language against lasted just a few weeks, and he has a fight scheduled for this summer.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chael-sonnen-nate-diaz-empire-state-where-did-180323847.html

Dai Shuanghai Mac Danzig Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik

Ronda Rousey advises future ?The Ultimate Fighter? hopefuls not to make a $100,000 mistake

Ronda Rousey has already made history as the first woman to sign with the UFC, and its first female champion. Now, she and Cat Zingano will make history as the first female coaches of "The Ultimate Fighter."

She has appeared on TUF as a guest coach twice, and was comfortable acting as a coach. The upcoming season will feature male and female bantamweights. Though Rousey has shown that she is comfortable coaching both men and women, it's the female fighters she has special advice for.

Since men and women will be living and training together, there is a chance fighters will hook up. However, Rousey will warn the women against focusing on anything but their fights.

"If they're the chick that's screwing around in the house, for the rest of their career they'll be known as the chick that was screwing around in that house. Sponsors are going to be looking at that, everybody's going to be looking at that. So if you think it's worth $100,000, that lay, then go for it. But I'm just going to remind them that there's going to be a lot of very permanent consequences to how they carry themselves in house."

Rousey is right that a reputation earned on TUF sticks with fighters well past the airing of the show. Rashad Evans was booed by crowds for years after TUF. Josh Koscheck's bad boy reputation was started on the show. When you hear the names War Machine or Junie Browning, do you think of their fighting skills or their antics on the show?

But it's not just about a reputation for that one fighter. It's how female fighters are viewed. She says it's important for the women to show they're professionals and serious about the fight game.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ronda-rousey-advises-future-ultimate-fighter-hopefuls-not-161614062--mma.html

Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine Andre Yoji Anjo

Tim Sylvia wants to finish his MMA career in the UFC, eyes fights with Mir or Barry

---Quote---
Tim Sylvia wants to finish his MMA career in the UFC, eyes fights with Frank Mir or Pat Barry

By Mookie Alexander on May 14 2013, 11:00a...

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/129674-tim-sylvia-wants-finish-his-mma-career-ufc-eyes-fights-mir-barry.html

Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane

How to Choose Proper Gear in MMA

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Source: http://www.ufcrundown.com/blog/how-to-choose-proper-gear-in-mma/

Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie Royler Gracie

Daily MMA 5/14: Anderson 'The Black Dana' Silva? Rockhold-Belfort, Teixeira-Te Huna previews, Worst MMA Fighter in the World, more

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/5/14/4330602/daily-mma-ufc-5-14-anderson-black-dana-silva-rockhold-belfort-te-huna-teixeira-fx-8-160

Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro

Tuesday

Benson Henderson defends belt, then proposes to girlfriend at UFC on FX 7

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson won a very close decision over Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7. With the win, he held onto his gold championship belt, but right after the decision was read, another piece of jewelry was on his mind.

With the crowd in San Jose booing, Henderson's girlfriend, Maria Magana, was led into the Octagon. Henderson told UFC commentator Joe Rogan, "I gotta see about a girl real quick." He motioned to one of his cornermen, who pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket and handed it to Henderson. The champ then dropped to one knee and popped the question.

"I love you. I'm not perfect. I never have been, but you make me happier every single day than any man has a right to be. I love you. Will you marry me?"

Magana answered yes, even as the crowd continued to boo. The post-fight proposal had to be approved by several parties including UFC president Dana White and Magana's father.

The happy couple posed for a picture right after the fight.

The night could have very easily been much less joyful for the couple, as Henderson's win was razor-close. Melendez, the Strikeforce champion who was making his UFC debut, started strong. He neutralized Henderson by landing several kicks.

But as the fight wore on into the fourth and fifth rounds, the momentum turned towards Henderson. He finished with impressive flurries late in the third round, and was able to land enough kicks on Melendez that a welt appeared on his leg. Melendez slowed down, but neither fighter was able to consistently apply offense.

That didn't matter to Henderson after the bout.

"There's a lot of bigger things than fighting, and I had to take care of one of those things tonight," Henderson told Rogan after the successful fight and proposal.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/benson-henderson-defends-belt-then-proposes-girlfriend-ufc-023837351--mma.html

Jose Aldo John Alessio Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida

Even Vinny Magalhaes can?t believe a judge gave him a round in UFC 159 loss to Phil Davis

At UFC 159 on Saturday night, Phil Davis showed off the best striking of his career. The NCAA Division-I champion wrestler clearly dominated Vinny Magalhaes in all three rounds on the way to a unanimous decision win. However, one of the judges thought Magalhaes won one round, and the score was 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

It was a surprising score. It didn't take anything away from Davis' win, but it was odd enough that Magalhaes spoke up about it.

One insane judge gave me a round... I lost all 3 fair and square...

? Vinny Magalhaes (@VinnyMMA) April 28, 2013

Davis and Magalhaes talked trash to each other for months before their bout. Magalhaes left the bad blood in the cage, and was able to give himself an honest assessment moments after the loss.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/even-vinny-magalhaes-t-believe-judge-gave-him-034024125.html

Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman

Ronaldo ?Jacare? Souza Is Always Dodging Punches, Bullets and Bombs

PHOTO Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

UFC middleweight Ronaldo ?Jacare? Souza had some last minute changes to his opponent, and now finds himself making his UFC debut against a very game Chris Camozzi at UFC On FX 8: Belfort Vs Rockhold. The two will throw hands in the co-main event on Saturday in Brazil, but Jacare says his camp has prepared…

The post Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza Is Always Dodging Punches, Bullets and Bombs appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/14/ronaldo-jacare-souza?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ronaldo-jacare-souza

Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman Heath Herring

Chris Cariaso: A Road Warrior Welcomes His Upcoming Trip to Brazil

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Chris-Cariaso-A-Road-Warrior-Welcomes-His-Upcoming-Trip-to-Brazil

Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber

Monday

Albert vs. Meza Rounds Out July FOX Event

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/fox8-fight-card-update

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

Roy Nelson: ?I?m always down to fight anybody.?

UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson is quietly making his case for a title-shot with a trio of first-frame knockouts in his immediate rear-view mirror including a recent clubbing of Cheick Kongo. The 36-year old isn?t sure who he?ll be booked against next but he has his sights set on a few options, all of whom he…

The post Roy Nelson: ?I?m always down to fight anybody.? appeared first on Fighters.com.

Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/12/roy-nelson-im-always-down-to-fight-anybody?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=roy-nelson-im-always-down-to-fight-anybody

Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio

2013's Biggest Upsets...So Far

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/2013-Biggest-Upsets-So-Far

Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus Todd Duffee

Duane Ludwig: Team Alpha Male's Secret Weapon

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Duane-Ludwig-Team-Alpha-Males-Secret-Weapon

Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng David Heath

Is Chael Sonnen the next Derek Zoolander?

Usually, it's retired UFC fighter Kenny Florian who draws comparisons to Derek Zoolander. But when I was looking for a picture of UFC light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen next week, I noticed that he cannot take a normal picture. Almost all UFC fighters have some sort of picture on file that doesn't involve posing or hamming it up for the cameras. Not so much for Sonnen. Check it out:

Is he mean-mugging 50 Cent?

And of course:

It's good to know that Sonnen can fall back into the world of modeling if this fighting thing doesn't work out for him.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chael-sonnen-next-derek-zoolander-184557089--mma.html

Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie

Sunday

Top Quality MMA Gear

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Source: http://www.ufcrundown.com/blog/top-quality-mma-gear/

Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello

Georges St. Pierre says he's motivated by fear as he enters the cage

Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/5/12/4324508/ufc-georges-st-pierre-gsp-fear-way-of-the-fight

Ryan Bader Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao Josh Barnett

We want your UFC 159 picks

After months and months of build-up, UFC 159 is (almost) here. The light heavyweight championship is on the line, along with other fights that have some animosity behind them. We want your picks, but we're doing things a little differently this time.

Go to Cagewriter's Facebook page and vote for who you think will win. Click on the fight for the poll that bout:

Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen
Alan Belcher vs. Michael Bisping
Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson
Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes
Pat Healy vs. Jim Miller

If you want your picks to show up on Cagewriter next to picks from Kevin Iole and me, write in the comments why you think your choice will win. On Friday, we'll run picks and results of the poll.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/want-ufc-159-picks-164853317--mma.html

Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata

YouTube?s new fee-based subscription service includes UFC channel

MMA Junkie reports that the UFC has launched a fee-based subscription service with YouTube. The UFC is one of several channels that is part of a YouTube Pilot Program that subscribers can pay a fee to watch its programming. ?UFC Select? offers a 2 week free trial but will be $5.99 per month. Eight fights [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Payout/~3/L0O918w2Kgs/

Dan Cramer Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz Luke Cummo

Leonard Garcia taking on Rey Trujillo at Legacy FC 21

It didn?t take long for former UFC featherweight Leonard Garcia to find a new professional home. Released last week, Garcia teased the possibility of signing with World Series of Fighting. Though he may eventually make his way to the organization?s cage, it appears his next outing will instead take place under the Legacy FC banner. [...]

The post Leonard Garcia taking on Rey Trujillo at Legacy FC 21 appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/05/11/leonard-garcia-taking-on-rey-trujillo-at-legacy-fc-21/

Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan