MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Tito Ortiz Talks the UFC, Negotiations, Loretta Hunt & Babalu

On the UFC Light Heavyweight Division & his Return:

It is just kind of funny how the light heavyweight division in the UFC consists of some of the guys that I have fought and they are considered to be at the top of the division. I have either beaten them, tied them or lost by decision. I cannot wait until I am 100% recovered from my back injury and get the go-ahead from my doctors to start training full-time. I have been in the gym for the last 10 days straight working on my cardio and strength. My back feels great but I am still unable to wrestle yet per doctor's orders. I feel great and I cannot wait until I get full clearance. I am still young at the age of 34 and I am very excited about being able to compete again. My fans deserve it and I think that I deserve it. I have a new family now and with that comes inspiration and I want a world title belt around my waist again. I should be able to train hard-core in about another month or two, so maybe I will be back in the mix again by August.

Regarding negotiations:

That is the great thing! Since I am no longer affiliated with the UFC, I am finally getting some positive reinforcement from the companies that I am dealing with (Strikeforce and Affliction) as opposed to the UFC. Dana White and the UFC tried everything they could to make sure that the moniker “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” stuck. Now I am talking with people that are affiliated with CBS and Showtime and it is not only a great business opportunity for me but the lack of negativity is great. I think that a real bad picture of me as a fighter was painted by the president of the UFC....a lot of people boo me and hate me because of what he said and it has all been lies and fabrications of the truth. What can I do against billion dollar company? Dana White told ultimate lies and I had to stand there and take it and I tried to get the truth out to the fans. At the same time everything happens for a reason and the Lord above will give me opportunities to make things right.

On Dana’s ripping of Sherdog’s Loretta Hunt:

Dana has always been that type of person, he is an egotistical maniac. So many people do not get the chance to see the real Dana White because of all of the money that he has backing him. You can paint a picture or however you want and this time he got caught and he wasn't lying; he was telling the truth about his views. He was saying the way he felt and even though he apologized. It is not going to change his views or opinions. Hopefully the owners of the UFC will finally step up and discipline him for the things that he does. Dana wants to be a superstar and the icon of mixed martial arts, the person who made this sport what it is today but hopefully the fans will see who he really is. I have been saying this for a long time but some people don't listen to it because all they hear is the negative stuff that Dana has to say about me. I stick up for all of the fighters and then myself. I don't care how much power Dana has, I was never going to back down from him. No matter what you do or say, at the end of the day you have to be able to look in the mirror and respect yourself. After everything that Dana has said and done, I don't think that he can look in the mirror and have much respect for himself. Loretta Hunt is a great woman and she has done a lot for the sport. There was no reason for him to attack a journalist for doing their job. What he said about the gays is another subject.....

Talking about the Babalu altercation at Strikeforce:

I was doing my autographs for the fans and security told me that too many people were coming up and that the fights were starting. I started walking back to my seat and Babalu didn't really have any fans asking him for anything. They don't care who he is, I mean “Baba-Who”. Anyways, he tried to shoulder check me and I haven't even gotten my doctors clearance to start training full-time. He knows that and tried to use that against me, it was a pussy move. I told him that we're going to fight no matter what, whether it was in the cage or anywhere else and to act like a punk was just stupid. He started talking with his heavy accent and was trying to talk shit; I told him one way or another that he was going to get his ass beat and then after we fight everybody was going to be saying “Baba-Who”. Nobody gives a shit about him and if I get the chance I am going to take his title. He sat down after that and was all red-faced and lips shaking and shivering. I just want to be 100% when I give him the beating he deserves.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Wanderlei on Anderson: ‘War is Declared’

Anderson Silva discussed former teammate Wanderlei Silva’s move to 185 pounds last week, calling it “pretentious.” Wanderlei hasn’t taken too kindly to Anderson's remarks.

“I thought it was excellent being quoted by the champion without having had a fight in (Anderson’s) division,” Wanderlei told Sherdog.com. “It’s a sign that I’m already bothering him. Nobody kicks a tree that is not able to give fruits.”

Wanderlei also criticized Anderson for discussing Chute Boxe training sessions.

“Anyone who is a man knows that training shouldn’t be talked about. That’s a basic rule for any fighter: training is training. I’ll not say that I already knocked him out in training. … What happens in training has to stay inside the gym. Training is training and a real fight is a real fight.

“He is too cocky. I hope he can read this. … I never talked anything bad about him; I always respected him. He has always been my friend, always respected me, but now he came with that statement. I can’t understand that. I didn’t come down to 185 to face him. Actually I didn’t have that intention. … Changing divisions and fighting the champion would be too pretentious. I should have to have many fights before facing him, but concerning his last statements, I think the way is open and the war is declared.

“If he beats Thales, we will meet and we will see if he will be able to do everything he says. … He knows me; I know him. We trained a lot together. He knows my failures, but I also know his failures, and I know nobody has given him a hard time. Nobody has beaten his face badly. I believe the future is pretty promising. Let’s wait and see.”

While Wanderlei declared war on one former teammate, he opened the doors of his gym to another in Rafael Cordeiro, who recently left Chute Boxe.

“Besides being a great friend, Rafael is one of the best MMA trainers in the world,” Wanderlei said. “I can say that because I was trained by him for more than 10 years. The doors of my academy are open to him. It would be a pleasure to be trained by him again.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson set for WEC 41 in June

A featherweight bout between Jose Also (14-1) and fellow contender Cub Swanson (13-2) is set for WEC 41.

Swanson informed MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the booking on late Friday.

WEC 41 takes place June 7 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif. The Versus-televised event features the highly anticipated rematch between WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown and former title-holder Urijah Faber.

The Aldo-Swanson fight could turn out to be a No. 1 contender's fight for the division and will appear on the night's televised main card.

"I believe it could be, but that's the last thing on my mind," Swanson said of the possibility.

Aldo, a 22-year-old member of the fast-rising Nova Uniao team, recently moved to 4-0 in the WEC with a first-round TKO of Chris Mickle. All of Aldo's WEC victories have come via knockout, and his current win streak stands at seven fights.

He meets a nearly equally dominat Swanson, who's won 11 of his past 12 fights, including three of four in the WEC. The lone loss came to Jens Pulver at WEC 31, but the 25-year-old Swanson has rebounded for back-to-back wins, including a unanimous-decision victory over Hiroyuki Takaya in December.

Swanson had been slated to fight Diego Nunes earlier this month at WEC 40. However, the bout was scrapped when Nunes suffered a hand injury just days prior to the show.

Swanson looks forward to fighting another tough opponent.

"It's an honor to fight an opponent who thinks of himself so highly," Swanson said. "He [sees] himself as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. (When) someone thinks of himself as such a great fighter, I'm up for the challenge."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Hector Lombard and Dave Menne enter tourneys at Bellator's Week 3 event

Bellator Fighting Championships held its third show and launched the entire first round of its eight-man middleweight tournament Friday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.

The event, which took place on Oklahoma University's campus, featured the long-anticipated U.S. debut of former Cuban Judo Olympian Hector Lombard as well as the return of former UFC champion Dave Menne.

The show, which airs tonight on ESPN Deportes (one-day tape delay), also featured six non-tournament bouts with the likes of Norman native Wayne Cole.

Lombard wasted little time to advance to the middleweight bracket's semifinal round. He rocked and knocked out cold opponent Virgil Lozano with a first-round uppercut. The stoppage came just 70 seconds into the fight and moves Lombard's career record to 18-2.

Also advancing to the middleweight semifinals were Damien Stelly (who defeated Alex Andrade via unanimous decision), Jared Hess (who submitted Daniel Tabera) and Yosmany Cabezas (who submitted Edwin Aguilar).

In the night's lone first-round welterweight tournament bout, Menne scored a come-from-behind third-round submission victory over Norman Paraisy. After failing with submission attempts for two rounds and taking punishment from his opponent's effective ground and pound, Menne eventually forced a tapout via rear-naked choke at 2:39 of the final round.

Friday's event reportedly drew approximately 4,000 fans. Bellator officials had distributed thousands of free tickets to military personnel prior to the show.

Full results from the card included:

* 185 tourney: Jared Hess def. Daniel Tabera via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:34
* 170 tourney: Dave Menne def. Norman Paraisy via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 2:39
* 185 tourney: Damien Stelly def. Alex Andrade via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
* Non-tourney: Jason Norwood def. John Kirk via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:52
* Non-tourney: Rudy Lindsay def. Wayne Cole via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 8:37
* 185 tourney: Hector Lombard def. Virgil Lozano via KO (punch) - Round 1, 1:10
* 185 tourney: Yosmany Cabezas def. Edwin Aguilar via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 4:31
* Non-tourney: Tyler East def. Amedio Viola via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:40
* Non-tourney: Marcello Alfaia def. Joey Gorczynski via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:32
* Non-tourney: Johnny Eduardo def. Donald Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Non-tourney: William Albrecht def. Mike Messina via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:30

Bellator, which features a 12-event schedule this year, will take a week off from live events this Friday. The bouts from last night's event will air on two separate episodes of the ESPN Deportes program. The first debuts April 18, while the second will air for the first time on April 25.

The May 2 broadcast will include May 1 fights from Bellator Week 4, which takes place at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Lightweight tournament semifinalists Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal compete in separate bouts on the card.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 97's David Loiseau "never lost faith" after being cut from the UFC

Make no mistake, Saturday night's UFC 97 event from the Bell Centre in Montreal is special for David Loiseau (18-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

Fighting in front of 22,000 people in his hometown is special enough. Add in the fact that "The Crow" is fighting for the UFC for the first time in two-and-a-half years, and the moment becomes amazing.

"It's very motivating," Loiseau told The Lights Out Show (www.thelightsoutshow.com), a content partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Some people would feel pressure. I feel motivation."

Loiseau will face former "TUF 3" finalist Ed Herman (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) on Saturday's preliminary card. And while Herman has struggled as of late against top contender Demian Maia and rising talent Alan Belcher, Loiseau knows "Short Fuse" will present a stern test.

"I have to be the best David Loiseau I can be," Loiseau said. "Ed Herman's a grinder. He's a very good fighter. He's got good experience. He comes from a good camp. Me and my camp have put together a great game plan. It's going to be a great fight."

Loiseau compiled a 4-2 record during his time away from the UFC, including a current streak of three-straight victories. The 29-year-old admits it was tough being on the outside looking in, but Loiseau insists he never lost sight of his potential return to the organization.

"It's hard when you get cut from the UFC," Loiseau said. "The UFC is the biggest show in the world, so it affects you financially, it affects your life. It's a different ball game when you – the sponsorships, the purses – when you fight outside the UFC. But I never lost faith and always kept working hard.

"I always work hard. I don't cut corners. I kept on fighting hard and kept the vision in my mind, kept the faith."

Rejoining the UFC while others are being released, Loiseau said there's no pressure to put on an exciting fight because that's the only way he knows to perform.

"I completely changed the way I fight and the way I approach fights (and) the way I fight," Loiseau said. "It would be pressure if I was a boring fighter that just wanted to hold on to someone and take him down and hold him down.

"I do the fancy stuff, the exciting but effective techniques. I make the fans happy, I make the promoters happy, and I make myself happy at the same time."

Loiseau will get a chance on Saturday to display the highlight-reel strikes that took down Charles McCarthy. He'll get a chance to show the slashing elbows that helped put away Evan Tanner and Gideon Ray.

But more importantly, Loiseau will get to return home – in more ways than one.

"This is where I started fighting," Loiseau said. "This is where I started my career. Fighting in Montreal, fighting at home, it's a big event for me."

 

[Shogun Locc]

MAYHEM AND KOLOHE WEIGH-IN FOR KINGDOM MMA

Kingdom MMA, the new fight promotion from mixed martial arts pioneer T.Jay Thompson, makes its debut on Saturday night at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. Headlining the debut event is a battle between Kala "Kolohe" Hose and Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

Hose came in exactly on weight at 185 pounds. Miller tipped the scale at 185.4 and needed additional time to make weight.

-Kala “Kolohe” Hose (185) vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (185.4)
-Brandon Pieper (154.8) vs. Ricky “Hoku” Wallace (153.6)
-Pisa “Ata” Tivao (208) vs. Tasi Edwards (220)
-Geno Venti (185.6) vs. Sale Sproat (184.6)
-L. John Borges (162.4) vs. Andres Cohea (170.2)
-Tommy Tuiloma (154.4) vs. Dejuan Hathaway (152.6)
-Elijah Manners (153.2) vs. Trey Corrales (---)
-Paul Lopez (144.2) vs. Rob Anduha (145.6)
-Bernard Beroti (164) vs. Nathan Haring (170.6)

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nick Diaz's Test Results for Drugs of Abuse

A week after he thumbed his nose at the California State Athletic Commission's drug testing policies, MMAInsider has learned the outcome of Nick Diaz's post-Strikeforce test for drugs of abuse.

According to Bill Douglas, CSAC's Assistant Executive Officer, they are negative.

In an interview with the LA Times the week before the fight, Diaz claimed he could beat the Accutest drug screens employed by the commission using herbal urine cleansers.

"Diaz was fine," wrote Douglas via email. "The test went through a full battery which checks for cleansing agents."

Though Diaz claimed to have a long history of getting stoned in his hotel room the night before a fight, in the end, the talk may have just been a smokescreen.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bob Cook steps in as match-up consultant for Strikeforce

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has received a report that another AKA trainer has stepped up to assist with the matchmaking duties at Strikeforce.

Crazy Bob Cook has just confirmed via telephone to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that he has been enlisted as a match-up consultant for the organization.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com recently first reported the news that American Kickboxing Academy trainer Javier Mendez had decided to step down from his position as the matchmaker for Strikeforce.

“I was neglecting my fighters and my love is training them,” confirmed Mendez in a recent report to FiveOuncesOfPain.com. “I couldn’t do both. I had to do one or the other.”

Bob Cook is the head manager and trainer at the highly respected American Kickboxing Academy and put together a professional record of 5-0 between 1998 and 2000.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shinya Aoki returns to lightweight at DREAM 10

WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (20-4) will return to lightweight at DREAM 10 after flunking out in the opening round of the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix.

In the tournament fight, Aoki was brutally ground and pounded by favorite Hayato "Mach" Sakurai in 27 seconds. Aoki fought at lightweight a month prior to the fight, in March, submitting David Gardner in the first round.

DREAM 10, featuring the finals for the welterweight tournament, happens July 20 at the Saitama Supera Arena in Japan.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Big MMA Organization Starting In Korea! Ivanov, Bae, And Aleksander Mentioned

A new big MMA organization which will be called “Fighter Mania Championship” (FMC) is starting in South Korea. The first event is planned to take place in September in Seoul and a press conference is planned for July. Aleksander Emelianenko, Choi Mu Bae, and Blagoi Ivanov (the guy who beat Fedor in Combat Sambo) are already at the verbal level in regards to participation. They are planning to hold an event per 2-3 months all around South Korea.

The company behind the event is an MMA/Martial Arts management company called “Fighter Mania Entertainment”. The company will also hold amateur events (starting in July) for domestic talent between the big FMC events.

FME representative Kim said that they are aiming at the organization becoming to the level that PRIDE was and the UFC is.

There are rumors that they are currently negotiating with all three of the Emelianenko brothers (Aleksander is already confirmed). PRIDE was very popular in Korea and Fedor is well-known there. I have even seen UFC and K-1 mentioned in Korean movies.

Kim also mentioned Mirko CroCop, Mark Hunt, and Jerome Le Banner.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Randleman, Sefo and Bravo Featured on ‘Inside MMA’
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Randleman-Sefo-and-Bravo-Featured-on-Inside-MMA-1972
On this week's HDNet "Inside MMA," Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten talk fight styles and disciplines as they are joined by former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman, Ray Sefo and Eddie Bravo.

Ron Kruck has the latest in MMA news and also a feature on the Paradise Warrior Retreat Center.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SHOGUN PART OF $70,000 BONUSES FOR UFC 97

Despite a lackluster finish to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's second trip to Montreal, UFC 97 did have its shining moments. Several fighters left the Bell Centre on Saturday night with an extra check worth $70,000 in their pockets.

Although the fight was originally scheduled to take place on the untelevised preliminary portion of the fight card, Matt Wiman and Sam Stout scored a double bonus at UFC 97. Not only did their fight get moved up to the pay-per-view portion of the card when several decisions used up the time allotted for the prelims, but they also earned UFC 97 Fight of the Night honors. Stout ended up on the winning end of the fight, as he took home a unanimous decision victory.

UFC officials notified MMAWeekly of the bonuses shortly after the fights.

The Knockout of the Night left a melancholy feeling over many fans, as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's left hand sent Chuck Liddell crashing to the canvas, and contemplating retirement. The win puts Shogun back on track, but it was the third time in Liddell's past five fights that he has been knocked out. He may now find himself on the outside of the Octagon looking in.

Welcoming former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann to the UFC, Krzysztof Soszynski used an impressive Kimura to finish the fight. The shoulder lock earned him the UFC 97 Submission of the Night honors.

UFC 97 AWARDS AND BONUSES:

UFC 97 Fight of the Night:
-Sam Stout and Matt Wiman

UFC 97 Knockout of the Night:
-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

UFC 97 Submission of the Night:
-Krzysztof Soszynski

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 97 sets new North American MMA attendance record with 21,451

MONTREAL – The Ultimate Fighting Championship's sophomore event in Montreal set a new North American MMA attendance record with 21,451 attendees, who combined for a staggering $4.9 million gate.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the numbers from UFC President Dana White in the post-UFC 97 press conference.

If the numbers are made official by the Quebec Athletic Commission, UFC 97 will have outdrawn Montreal's first record-breaking event, UFC 83, by just 61 people.

UFC 83 took place a year ago on April 19, 2008. The show, headlined by then-UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra vs. Canadian fighter Georges St. Pierre, drew 21,390 fans. The event set a then-new North American MMA record previously held by UFC 68, which took place in Columbus, Ohio, in 2007. That show, which featured then-UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture, drew 19,049 fans.

However, this year's event couldn't top UFC 83's live gate of $5.1 million. However, UFC 97 does rank fourth in UFC and North American MMA history, falling less than $400,000 short of the record $5.4 million gate registered with UFC 66 and the highly anticipated rematch between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

The top five UFC and North American MMA gates now include:

* UFC 66 (Liddell vs. Ortiz II): $5,397,300 gate (12,191 attendance)
* UFC 83 (St. Pierre vs. Serra II): $5,100,000 gate (21,390 attendance)
* UFC 79 (St. Pierre vs. Hughes): $4,994,050 gate (9,704 attendance)
* UFC 97 (Silva vs. Leites): $4,900,000 gate (21,451 attendance)*
* UFC 91 (Couture vs. Lesnar): $4,815,675 gate (13,224 attendance)

* - Total not verified by regulatory body

UFC 97 is another blockbuster event for the world's top MMA promotion, which thus far, has proven to be essentially recession-proof; three of the UFC's top five gates of all time have now taken place in the past year – despite the decline of the U.S. and other economies around the world.

UFC 97 featured UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites and Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The event sold out in just one week.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Leites Reflects on Disappointing Loss
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Leites-Reflects-on-Disappointing-Loss-1973
Thales Leites discussed his performance against Anderson Silva at UFC 97 with Sherdog.com news editor Loretta Hunt.

 

[Shogun Locc]

"Mayhem" makes quick work of Hose at Kingdom MMA's debut event

In his first fight since returning from an apparent faux-retirement, Jason "Mayhem" Miller (22-6) cruised to a first-round submission win over Hawaiian brawler Kala "Kolohe" Hose (7-3) on Saturday night.

The Kingdom MMA middleweight title fight served as the main event of Kingdom MMA's debut event at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The win was Miller's first since a May 2008 TKO victory over Katsuyori Shibata under the DREAM banner, and Miller was crowned the organization's first middleweight champion.

While Miller had promised a toe-to-toe battle in the days leading up to the fight, cooler heads prevailed after the opening bell. Miller shot in quickly, secured the takedown, and unleashed his attack.

Miller passed quickly to mount, then began an effective ground-and-pound assault. Hose rolled to avoid the blows, and the crafty submission ace quickly sunk in a rear-naked choke, forcing the tap at 2:23 of the first round.

In a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Miller insisted his short-lived retirement was simply a matter of miscommunication.

"The thing was, the way it started was I said I was retarded in an interview," Miller said. "I was like, 'Yeah, I'm retarded.' He was like, 'You're retired?' I went, 'What? Yeah, I'm retired.'

"The guy was like, 'Oh, wow. This is big news.' I was like, 'This guy is a moron.' And I just kept saying, 'Yeah, I'm retired.' I had no fights coming up, so everybody bought it. I was like, 'This is retarded. Why the hell did I retire? It just makes no sense.'"

Miller announced he is planning on a rematch with the man who handed him his most recent loss, Ronald "Jacare" Souza, at DREAM.9 in May, though contracts have yet to be finalized.

On the evening's preliminary card, amateur welterweight and longtime MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reader Andy "Danger" Cohea earned a hard-fought victory over 808 Fight Factory's L. John Borges. Despite taking the fight on late notice, Cohea was able to dominate throughout the three-round affair en route to a unanimous-decision win.

"I came out kind of flat," Cohea posted in the MMAjunkie.com forums after the bout. "There was a lot going on in the locker room and (it) kind of threw off my focus, but I got the job done and landed some heavy shot from on top.

"[Borges] hung in there. My foot is swollen from hitting my foot on his elbow on one of the kicks. It's cool though, nothing broken."

 

[Shogun Locc]

White apologizes for Silva, still believes "The Spider" is world's best

The Bell Centre crowd let UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (24-4 MMA, 9-0 UFC) know what it thought of his performance in his UFC 97 main-event victory over Thales Leites (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) with a chorus of boos and obscenities.

UFC President Dana White let the champion know how he felt in the evening's post-event press conference.

"I personally apologize for what happened tonight," White said. "You guys know this is not what the UFC was built on. This is not the way fights usually go."

When pressed as to whether the blame for the 25-minute snoozer lied with Silva or his opponent, White declined to speculate.

"I'm personally unhappy with the whole fight," White said. "I did not like the fight at all, period, on either side."

The course of the fight was an unfortunate carbon copy of Silva's October 2008 win over Patrick Cote, also considered a disappointing performance. While Silva made history in Saturday's bout with his ninth consecutive UFC win – besting the previous mark of eight set by MMA pioneer Royce Gracie and recently equaled by Jon Fitch – the bout will be more widely remembered for what it didn't provide: namely, action.

"I don't know if it's that people don't understand my style of fighting, but I go out there to train to try and be efficient and have a perfect fight," Silva said through his manager and interpreter, Ed Soares, at the conference. "Not every fight is going to be a knockout, and not every fight is going to be some spectacular finish."

Silva said he heard the reaction of the fans in attendance and understands he will endure further criticism for his second-consecutive lackluster win.

"I'm comfortable with people's opinion," Silva said. "People have a right to their own opinion. But when I go out there, everything I do in training I feel that I executed in the fight.

"My gameplan, I wanted to go into the later rounds with Thales. I was unable to finish. Sometimes I'm able to finish guys, sometimes I'm not able to. (But) I felt that I proved to everybody that I'm able to go five rounds, and I'm in good shape."

Unfortunately for White, it's those people's opinion that will make his job harder in future Silva title defenses.

"I've never not wanted to come to a press conference, and I didn't want to come to this one," White said. "I'm serious.

"I'm in the business of selling fights, and I think I'm pretty good at it. But I'm going to have a hard time letting people know that, 'I promise, his next one is going to be good.' I need to talk to him and figure out what's going on and why this is happening."

White admitted he was surprised by the performance.

"In Chicago (after the Cote fight), it was like, 'Listen, everybody has a bad night,'" White said. "You name all the greats that have ever played any game in the history of playing games, every guy has an off night.' That night, how upset [Silva] was and all the flak he got, I honestly thought he was going to come back strong."

But with Silva's second-straight sub-par performance, the UFC executive said he will need to have a serious conversation with his 185-pound champ.

"We run a fight company, and when guys don't fight, we sit down (with them) and have a conversation on why they're not fighting," White said. "This is what I do. It's like having any other business and the guy doesn't come out and perform at work."

Never one to reserve his true feelings, White's criticism of his champion was certainly warranted. But despite all of the negative discussion surrounding Saturday's main event, White still believes "The Spider" is the world's best fighter.

"Anderson Silva has the talent and the skill, in my opinion – this is just my opinion – to stop anybody in the 185-pound division. When he's on and lets his hands and feet go, there [aren't] too many things people can do about it.

"When he leg-kicks people, people spin around in circles. When he hits people, people don't want to get hit again. When he lets these things go, people don't like it. Again, I just don't feel he has let them go like he can. You know me. You ask me a question, you're going to get the answer whether you like it or not. That's how I feel about it."

And beyond being simply the world's top middleweight, White believes Silva's record-setting run in the UFC also warrants him being called the world's top pound-for-pound fighter.

"He's still the champ," White said of Silva. "There's still no way you can deny that this guy is the best fighter in the world. I can honestly say I didn't like his fight tonight. I was unhappy with it, whatever it is. But I'll tell you right now, he's the best.

"(WAMMA heavyweight champion) Fedor (Emelianenko) is not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. These guys continue to fight the best. Fedor's at a buffet somewhere in Russia. So until this guy decides to get in shape, take it serious and consistently fight the best in the world, for you guys to even think about calling him the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is insane."

While still very supportive of his middleweight champ, White's message to Silva was stern and direct. Silva's reply was equally transparent.

"Dana, I'm sorry," Silva said. "Next time I'll be better."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dana White: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua proved he's back in UFC 97 win

While the apparent impending retirement of former champ Chuck Liddell and the odd performance of current title holder Anderson Silva were disappointing story lines for the UFC following Saturday night's UFC 97 event in Montreal, UFC President Dana White did find a bright spot in the evening.

After a stunning defeat of Liddell that earned Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (18-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) the evening's "Knockout of the Night," White declared the formerly feared striker is back to peak form.

"Chuck wanted this fight bad," White said. "'Shogun' took this fight, came out tonight and looked great. It was an awesome fight."

Just two short years ago, Rua had won 12 of 13 fights – the lone loss coming via injury 49 seconds into his first bout with Mark Coleman – and was considered perhaps the best light heavyweight in the world.

A pair of surgeries to an ailing knee, and a pair of lackluster performances in a January win over Coleman and a 2007 loss to Forrest Griffin, left many wondering if "Shogun" could ever revert to prior form.

"A lot of people were dogging 'Shogun' about his last few performances," White said. "I said this probably many times before the fight: The kid had two knee surgeries. He was off for a long time, and he had ring rust. The best thing he could of done was jump back on the bike.

"Everybody was dogging him about his fight with Mark Coleman. That night back in the locker room, he took [this] fight against Chuck Liddell, who is always dangerous, who is motivated."

Rua took the best Liddell had left to offer on Saturday night, and a crushing left hand from the younger fighter led to a TKO finish at 4:28 of the opening round.

"I am very happy with my performance," Rua said through an interpreter at the conference. "I did everything that I could do right. I prepared right. I ate right. I dedicated myself the most so I could say that I gave a good performance and I showcased my best. I hope to stay like this."

Rua said his knees are no longer a concern and that the additional cage time has instilled a renewed sense of confidence.

"When I fought Coleman (in January), my knees were already healed," Rua said. "I was already clinically 100 percent, but I wasn't in fight rhythm. I still needed to adapt to the space of the octagon. I needed more fights in a row, more training and rhythm.

"Now, I can say I feel much better acquainted to the UFC and to the octagon and am in much better shape because of the continuous training."

Just 27-years-old, Rua's performance was indeed reminiscent of past greatness.

"My strategy was to fight three rounds with [Liddell] standing up because I understand that he is a very good wrestler, that I could get very tired trying to take him down, forcing the takedowns," Rua said. "I understood I had to train standup and exchange blows with him. That was the only way to fight.

"To fight a guy like Chuck Liddell gave me a lot of motivation because he is a legend in the sport, someone that I admire. So to fight him, much like Coleman is also a legend, but to fight Chuck Liddell meant a lot."

With the win, Rua immediately establishes himself a true player in the UFC's deep 205-pound division. White believes the Brazilian just needed time to make a complete recovery.

"I think 'Shogun' proved tonight that all the people that were talking about him – I said this earlier – this kid had ring rust. He had been off for a while. He had two knee surgeries. You just can't sit out that long, I don't care who you are. Muhammad Ali, whoever.

"Anybody who's taken too much time off in the ring, it hurts you. You've got to get back on your horse, get in there and start fighting again. 'Shogun' proved tonight that he's back. He got hit with some big shots from a guy who knocks people out. He took them. He was throwing hard leg kicks form the beginning of the fight."

While White stopped short of calling Rua a contender, the UFC executive did say he would be keeping an eye on the resurgent slugger.

"[Rua] looked amazing," White said. "He's another interesting guy in the 205-pound division."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bigfoot loses the fight against the CSAC

The dispute between Antônio "Bigfoot" Silva and the California Athletic Commission reached the end of one more stage last Friday, and the result once again wasn’t favorable to the Brazilian. After months of hearings in different courts, Silva lost in the civil justice in the United States. "Unfortunately, once again wasn’t favorable. It’s a difficult situation, but I knew that it wasn’t impossible", regrets the fighter.

Suspended on charges of using boldenone, after his last fight in EliteXC, Bigfoot denied the use of any illegal substance and started the battle, but couldn’t avoid the defeat. "I knew it was difficult, I'm just a Brazilian fighting against an American Commission at the American justice, unfortunately, even if I proved, they wouldn’t admit it. Now it's wait and see what happens, if they’ll give me a new penalty, increase my punishment, cancel my fighter license", said the Brazilian, who is suspended until July 27th. "I’m sad for the fans, who ask me when I’ll return, but here (United States) isn’t the only place in the world to fight. Japan has a large market. I already have a lot of fights here, I like to fight in America, but doesn’t end there", finalized.

Manager of the fighter, Alex Davis regrets the decision of the justice, but ensures that won’t give up. "The Commission has punished because gave positive of boldenone, but we showed that it didn’t have boldenone, that had been a false positive caused by novedex. But the judge of the civil justice turned to the lawyer and said that Bigfoot would remain guilty because he used novedex, and that was a drug, which isn’t true. Novedex is a sold anywhere... This is a decision, at least, bizarre", argues Alex. "Novedex isn’t at the list of products banned from any commission and isn’t drug, then we couldn’t understand the judge's decision. The truth is that is Antônio Silva against the American system, and perhaps the judge and the Commission didn’t want to open precedents. Antonio is still innocent and not even the Commission has proved that he used boldenone", concluded Alex.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Despite three losses in four fights, Jason MacDonald unlikely to get UFC release

After bursting on the UFC scene as the "TUF Killer" with submission victories over "The Ultimate Fighter" contestants Ed Herman and Chris Leben in 2006, Jason MacDonald is just 1-3 in his past four fights (and 2-4 in his past six), which included a brutal first-round TKO loss to Nate Quarry at this past weekend's UFC 97 event.

MacDonald (21-12 MMA, 5-5 UFC) has defeated only UFC castoffs Jason Lambert and Joe Doerksen in the past two years.

Despite his recent setbacks, which have largely come to top-10 middleweight fighters, don't expect MacDonald to be released from the UFC's roster of fighters.

"Here's the thing that we love," White said in the post-UFC 97 press conference. "Anybody who goes out there and tries to fight – MacDonald is always awesome, man. He's always in an exciting fight."

MacDonald's latest loss, which came midway through the first round, was never really close. Quarry spoiled an early takedown attempt, took the top position, and then battered MacDonald with a series of elbow strikes from inside guard.

An early blow opened a deep gash on MacDonald's forehead. Additional cuts and the smear of blood from Quarry's rapid fire strikes left MacDonald coated in a sparkling coat of red. Mario Yamasaki wanted to give MacDonald an opportunity to survive, but he was forced to halt the bout at the 2:27 mark.

MacDonald, from Edmonton, was a clear favorite with the crowd at Montreal's Bell Centre. But according to Quarry, he simply got his game plan implemented before MacDonald could.

"I knew I hit him with a good elbow and cut him," Quarry said. "From where the cut was, I knew the blood would get in his eyes and mess with his mind. I just knew that I didn't want to be on the bottom against him."

White, who wasn't as encouraging about David Loiseau's future in the UFC after his loss to Herman, hinted we haven't seen the last of MacDonald, though that decision would ultimately come down to UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva, who's been trimming the UFC roster in recent months.

"We want guys like Jason," White said. "They come to fight."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mark Munoz to make middleweight debut vs. Nick Catone at UFC 102

Mark Munoz (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who recently made his UFC debut with a loss to Matt Hamill at UFC 96, will drop a weight class to meet middleweight Nick Catone (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 102.

Sources close to the bout told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) verbal agreements are in place and that bout agreements were recently distributed.

Although not officially announced, UFC 102 is expected to take place on Aug. 29, most likely in Portland, Ore.

As previously reported, UFC 102 is expected to feature a main event between former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and UFC hall-of-famer Randy Couture.

Munoz, a former WEC fighter, quickly moved up the MMA ladder after his successful collegiate wrestling career, which included two-time All-American honors and two Big 12 titles while at Oklahoma State University. The 31-year-old, though, suffered his first loss in six pro fights when he was floored by a first-round knockout via head kick by Hamill.

He'll look for his first octagon win when he meets Catone, a fighter originally brought into the UFC to fight "The Ultimate Fighter 7" winner Amir Sadollah. However, two scheduled bouts with Sadollah fell through due to injuries, and Catone instead made his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 17 with a second-round submission victory over fellow UFC newcomer Derek Downey. Catone returned less than two months later at UFC Fight Night 18 but was tapped out by Tim Credeur in the second round.

The latest UFC 102 card now includes:

* Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira*
* Matt Hamill vs. Brandon Vera*
* Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt*
* Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz*
* Junior dos Santos vs. Justin McCully*