Former boxing champ Holly Holm inks deal with UFC

The UFC is quickly running out of viable challengers for women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, as the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist has run roughshod over the 135-pound division.

On Thursday, the UFC may have gotten her some stiff competition.

UFC president Dana White announced on Twitter that the company had signed former boxing champion Holly Holm, who is 7-0 in her mixed martial arts career.

Holm is expected to debut with the promotion in the fall, but isn't expected to land an immediate title shot against Rousey. She was 33-2-3 as a boxer and was 2-1 as a kick boxer.

Holm is 5-8, an inch taller than the 5-7 Rousey, and has a 70-66 advantage in reach.

The UFC had been in talks with Holm for several months. Holm began boxing in 2002 and won a number of world championships. Included among her victories were 2005 wins over Christy Martin and Mia St. John.

Holm made her MMA debut on March 4, 2011, defeating Christina Domke by leg kicks in the second round. Later that month, on March 27, 2011, Rousey made her pro MMA debut by submitting Ediane Gomes with an arm bar in just 25 seconds of the first round.

Rousey is now 10-0 and coming off a 16-second TKO victory over Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on July 5.

No one in the UFC seems remotely on her level at this point, and Rousey was a resounding 10-1 favorite over Davis, who had entered the bout 3-0 in the UFC and a winner of eight of nine matches overall.

So, the UFC is hopeful that Holm's game is advanced enough to give Rousey a run for the money.

Welcome to the UFC @_HOLLYHOLM pic.twitter.com/BxNVy8SYTR

? Dana White (@danawhite) July 10, 2014

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/former-boxing-champ-holly-holm-inks-deal-with-ufc-045428069.html

Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie Ralek Gracie Renzo Gracie

Chad Mendes: 'Jose Aldo is running from me'

UFC featherweight contender had to wait a bit longer to fight Jose Aldo the first time around when the champ delayed their scheduled title bout because of injury. Eventually, the two met, in January 2012 and Aldo won via first round KO.

Since that fight, Mendes has won five straight fights and once more earned a crack at the belt. They were scheduled to rematch next month in Los Angeles until another injury to Aldo postponed the fight.

Mendes doesn't quite seem to see Aldo's point of view on the whole issue and recently called out the champion for supposedly running from him.�"I'm tired of it," Mendes said recently to MMA Fighting.

"This is something he's been doing for so long. The first time he did the same thing. �I ended up taking another fight, I ended up fighting Rani Yahya in the meantime because I didn't want to be on the shelf for a year. I beat Yahya, I got the title shot. As far as injuries and backing out of fights, it's irritating and it pissed me off. It's time everyone sees the real picture here."

What do you make of Mendes' comments? Does he believe that Aldo is faking injuries or choosing not to fight through ones that he could?

Or, is the challenger just taking an opportunity to irritate the champion to try and get in his head? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chad-mendes---jose-aldo-is-running-from-me-122718360.html

Urijah Faber Wagnney Fabiano Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson Paulo Filho

UFC 175 medical suspensions released.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ufc-175-medical-suspensions-weidman-154501312--mma.html



UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida took place on Saturday, July 5,...

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/177498-ufc-175-medical-suspensions-released.html

Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan Kendall Grove Clay Guida

[VIDEO] Countdown to UFC 175

Here's your chance to get inside the training camps of UFC 175's biggest stars, with the Countdown to UFC 175 mini-documentary show. This Saturday, Chris Weidman defends his middleweight title against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and tells fans that he's expecting the bout to be a struggle.

�"I'm expecting a war, and a guy that I'm really going to have to figure out," he says.

As for the co-headliners of UFC 175 - bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Alexis Davis, they've each been working hard to make their dreams come true. For Davis, it is to become a world champion for the first time.

"You can feel the gold around your waist, with your hand raised," she says.

For the dominant champ Rousey, it's about building on her legacy.

"Maybe one day I'll be satisfied," she says.

"But that day hasn't come yet."

Check out what else these UFC stars have to say as well as find out more about how they have prepared for battle in the episode above. Then, give us your UFC 175 picks in the comments section!

Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/-video--countdown-to-ufc-175-152012449.html

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Russian outdoor record set as 23,255 fans attend M-1 Challenge 49

L-R: Akhmed Kotiev, Ingushetia Minister of Sports; Vadim Finkelstein, CEO & Founder of M-1 Global; Stanislav Kononev, Book of Records representative A record for highest attendance of any event held above sea level (1500+-meters) in Russian history was established this past June 7 as an astonishing 23,255 fans attended M-1 Challenge 49: Battle in the […]

Russian outdoor record set as 23,255 fans attend M-1 Challenge 49 is a post from: MMA Interplay

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/mma/russian-outdoor-record-set-as-23255-fans-attend-m-1-challenge-49-68284/

Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio 

Dana White Fine with Joe Rogan, Livid with UFC Production Team

UFC president Dana White seemed livid inside the Octagon after wrapping the bantamweight belt around Ronda Rousey’s waist. Not because Rousey disposed of Alexis Davis with the greatest of ease, but because UFC color commentator Joe Rogan put Rousey on the spot during her post-fight interview. ?The truck just asked me to ask you if [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/171508/dana-white-fine-with-joe-rogan-livid-with-ufc-production-team/

Andre Gusmao Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez

Kevin Lee: The Good Son

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/Kevin-Lee-The-Good-Son

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  Jose Aldo  John Alessio 

[VIDEO] Most extreme sport ever: Full Contact Skydiving

Ever watch a skydiving video or an MMA fight video and think, 'wow, those guys and girls are crazy. I'd never do that,'? Well, here at Cagewriter we can relate more to the desire to get in a ring or cage and fight for sport than we can to jumping out of planes recreationally, but apparently now there's no need to choose between the two adrenaline rushes.

In the video above, former MMA world champion Urijah Faber coaches skydivers in what would have to be considered one of the most extreme, and stupid, sports of all time - Full Contact Skydiving. The whole concept is a ruse, but still, it's a funny, good watch.

The stuff out of action movies, Faber coaches skydivers on how to fight one another in the air, as they hurtle towards earth and blinding speeds. "Fan out, guys. Work on your fan out," Faber coaches, hilariously.�

"The biggest weapon in the air, is gravity."

Indeed. Check out these nut-jobs actually jump out of planes and engage in a "savage ballet," in the air.

Here's the question - If it were a real thing, would you do Full-Contact Skydiving?

Let us know in the comments section!

Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/-video--most-extreme-sport-ever--full-contact-skydiving-185305913.html

Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki