MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

WEC CHAMP FABER COMMENTS ON CANCELLED FIGHT

Just as World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Urijah Faber was in the final days of preparation for his title defense against Mike Brown, the rug was pulled out from under him by a hurricane named Ike.

Due to potentially dangerous weather conditions in Florida, the promotion decided to postpone its WEC 36 event scheduled for Sept. 10 and push the fights back to Nov. 5 instead.

“Due to the potential of a major hurricane hitting the South Florida area on Wednesday we elected to postpone the event,” said Vice President of Operations and Production Peter Dropick in a statement from the WEC.

Faber, the WEC’s reigning 145-pound king, was on hand at the UFC 88 show held in Atlanta last Saturday night and he commented on the cancellation of the event.

“I’m not a guy that likes to dwell on things too much. I was obviously upset when I first heard the news,” said Faber in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. “They’re looking out for our best interests over there and trying to keep all the fighters and all the staff safe. I can’t complain too much.”

Of course safety issues aside, all of the fighters on the now cancelled show will have to endure the financial hardships of not receiving an expected payday, which could be the hardest part of the missed event.

“There’s a lot of money lost by everyone,” Faber stated. “The organization spent a lot of money promoting the show. I pay training partners, my trainers and stuff like that. It sucks for everyone not getting paid for the fight as well. I feel like it’s just another thing to deal with.

“I’m only going to get two fights this year, and I was hoping to get at least three, maybe four so that’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”

The champion did confirm that Mike Brown will still be his opponent, but it will be on Nov. 5 now instead.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Guillard Pulled from UFC 90 Card

Melvin Guillard (Pictures) will not meet Spencer Fisher (Pictures) at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., Sherdog.com has learned. Reasons for Guillard’s removal from the card were not immediately known.

In Guillard’s absence, Fisher will face Shannon Gugerty (Pictures), an up-and-comer who will enter the bout on an eight-fight winning streak.

“Melvin is off the card, and they went through three or four opponents and settled on Gugerty,” Fisher told Sherdog.com.

Based out of the revered Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa, Fisher (21-4) last fought in June when he earned a unanimous decision against Jeremy Stephens (Pictures) at “The Ultimate Fighter 7” Live Finale. The 32-year-old North Carolinian has won 12 of his past 15 fights and holds notable victories against American Top Team’s Thiago Alves (Pictures), TKO lightweight champion Sam Stout (Pictures) and fast-rising UFC lightweight prospect Matt Wiman (Pictures). Fisher has been finished only once -- by Hermes Franca (Pictures) -- in 25 career bouts.

Gugerty (11-2), meanwhile, made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 14 in July and submitted the previously unbeaten Dale Hartt with a first-round rear naked choke. A talented grappler, he has stopped his last eight opponents, five of them by submission. Gugerty also owns a submission victory against World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight contender Cub Swanson (Pictures).

A middleweight title fight pairing champion Anderson Silva (Pictures) with Canadian Patrick Cote (Pictures) will anchor UFC 90, along with a key welterweight showdown between Alves and Diego Sanchez (Pictures). In addition, former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk (Pictures) will collide with Tyson Griffin (Pictures).

 

[Shogun Locc]

Corey Hill vs. Dale Hartt possible for UFC's Dec. 10 military event

A potential Dec. 10 event that the UFC would hold at a U.S. military base may have its first fight.

Sources close to the fighters told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that "The Ultimate Fighter 5" stand-out Corey Hill (2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is expected to meet Navy veteran Dale Hartt (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at the Spike TV-televised event.

However, bout agreements are not signed, and the UFC hasn't yet even officially announced the Dec. 10 event.

But, as we recently reported, multiple sources have told MMAjunkie.com that the event is in the works, though Spike TV declined to comment on the matter. However, much like the organization's first military event (UFC Fight Night 7 at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in December 2006), the UFC is expected to book many of its fighters who come from a military background for the event.

Hill, 30, entered "TUF 5" with a state high school wrestling title and just one professional MMA bout -- but a ton of raw talent. Hill, a towering 6-foot-4 lightweight who was eliminated by Nate Diaz in the semifinals of "TUF," made his official UFC debut in January at UFC Fight Night 12 and defeated Joe Veres via second-round TKO. However, in his most recent fight -- at UFC 86 in July -- Hill suffered a second-round submission loss (via rear-naked choke) to Justin Buchholz.

Hartt, meanwhile, began his professional career with a 5-0 record while fighting primarily for the Massachusetts-based for Full Force Productions. The Marcus Davis- and Mark DellaGrotte-trained fighter made his octagon debut in July at the organization's "UFC: Silva vs. Irvin" event, where the 29-year-old Hartt suffered a first-round submission loss (via rear-naked choke) to fellow newcomer Shannon Gugerty.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Rashad Evans clarifies nipple twisting, Bill Gates T-shirt

If it weren't for his stunning overhand right that sent Chuck Liddell to the canvas for one of the UFC's biggest main-event upsets, Rashad Evans would likely be fielding questions about two other topics.

Why exactly was he twisting his nipples during pre-fight introductions? And what was up the Bill Gates mugshot T-shirt Evans sported throughout this past weekend?

On today's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Evans said they were just inside jokes that originated at his home with Team Jackson.

During this past Saturday's UFC 88 event at Atlanta's Philips Arena, as Bruce Buffer bellowed Evans' bio and name during pre-fight introductions, cameras caught Evans licking his fingers and then tweaking his nipples. The strange move has fueled more than a few forum postings -- especially since teammate and current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre did the same thing before his latest title defense over Jon Fitch.

"Georges St. Pierre was the first do it, and it's just sort of an inside joke," Evans said.

Evans said St. Pierre had heard it was supposed to bring good luck -- according to some ancient fighting myths, anyway. And if there's anything the New Mexico-based Team Jackson group knows, it's unity. Led by famed fight strategist and head trainer Greg Jackson, the team has created a sense of brotherhood among team members Evans, St. Pierre, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, Joey Villasenor and others.

"Georges said it was supposed to good luck or something, so I said, 'Cool, alright,'" Evans said, laughing.

As for the T-shirt, Evans said it was also an inside joke with the team.

"That shirt, it's [Gates'] mugshot," Evans said. "He was arrested in Albuquerque, N.M. He started off Microsoft in the basement of the Bank One Building. That's right next to the (Team Jackson) gym.

That's the only association right now, but the team is hopeful Gates could become more involved with Team Jackson someday.

"Maybe one day he'll be part of my crew," Evans joked.

Evans knew people might be confused those things, and it's been easy for him to laugh it off. However, there's been another byproduct from this past weekend's win, and it's no laughing matter.

"It just bothers me that people are so quick to be so judgmental and negative toward me even when I win a fight," Evans said.

Evans, "The Ultimate Fighter 2" winner who pushed his career record to 12-0-1 with the win over Liddell, attributed much of the current hostility to his toppling of a giant -- scoring an upset over such a fan favorite.

He also thinks some fans misinterpreted some of his foot and head work as showboating, which he said just isn't true.

"People are just so upset that I won this fight," Evans said. "They're like, 'Oh, those antics, he's such a showboater.' I'm like, 'How was I showboating?' They way I move is the way I move. When I wrestled in college, I wrestled the exact same way. I have a lot of movement. That's just the way I move. That's what makes me feel comfortable, and people just get so mad about that.

"(UFC broadcaster) Joe Rogan is like, 'I don't know if Rashad Evans is trying to throw [Liddell] off his game or of he's trying to showboat. First of all, you showboat when you do something. If I haven't done anything, there's nothing to showboat about.

"I'm just trying to get my game going. I'm just like, 'What are you talking about?' If Anderson Silva did it, it would be 'superb technique,' but when I do it, it's showboating."

To hear the full interview with Evans, download Tuesday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley: ‘Im going to be real mean’ in Jake Shields Elite XC fight

“I’m gonna be real mean in this fight, fuck Jake Shields, you’re going to see. I am stronger, I hit harder, I take punishment and he will not take me down, or hold me there for long if I make a mistake. This is gonna be a shock to those Jake Shields nut huggers. Once I am in that top ten, I’m coming after everyone above me.”

Elite XC number one contender in the welterweight division, Paul “Semtex” Daley, has some choice fighting words for division champion Jake Shields. “Semtex” is one of the best kept secrets in mixed martial arts and will have the biggest opportunity of his career when he faces Shields at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on October 4 for the Elite XC welterweight title. The bout will air on national television as part of the “Saturday Night Fights” series on CBS. Despite his relative anonymity, comments like this have become the norm from the charismatic Brit. He certainly ain’t shy.

 

[Unk1ne]

RIP TANNER sad shit

 

[Shogun Locc]

JON JONES: "I CALL MY STYLE OF FIGHTING LOOK-SEE-DO"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3394.html?PHPSESSID=c55000e8707b9c610ccb7e736d6adee7
"I call my style of fighting look-see-do. If I can see it, I can try it. I pull off a lot of stuff that I see so what's going to separate me and hopefully move me up the ladder is my unique style," stated UFC up-and-coming light heavyweight Jon Jones as he talked about his style and what makes him unique. Check out what else he had to say about his recent win over Andre Gusmao, his future plans and more.

 

[Shogun Locc]

With UFC 88 win, Nate Marquardt anxious for second title shot

Nate Marquardt's destruction of the very game Martin Kampmann (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 88 has put the rest of the middleweight division on notice and cemented his status as a top contender.

It's also got Marquardt (27-8-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) thinking about a potential rematch with current champ Anderson Silva.

Marquardt discussed this past weekend's fight and the possibility of second bout with Silva while a guest on Monday’s edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

"I felt good during the fight, confident during the fight," Marquardt said of his win over Kampmann. "I just went in and did my game plan."

Many had predicted Marquardt a favorite over the Danish kickboxer, but nobody could have expected the sheer ferocity and the ease with which the Team Jackson member would finish off such a seasoned fighter. Marquardt, sometimes dogged for dragging fights to decisions, has now earned stoppage victories in three of his past four victories.

"When the opportunity is there, I want to take it," Marquardt said. "I have fought a lot of tough guys, but I think I am getting a lot better at being able to finish fights."

Now a mature 29 years old, Marquardt admits he's become a lot more comfortable and patient in the cage. In the past, at the first sign of blood, Marquardt would sometimes launch into a frantic and wild game plan as he chased his opponents.

"I would hurt them, but I would get so excited and just throw wild punches and not land," he said. "In this fight when I had him hurt, I took my time and tried to land my punches."

With a UFC middleweight division thin on top talent, and with Marquardt's eights wins in his past 10 fights (which included a controversial split-decision loss to Thales Leites earlier this year), Marquardt is again in the thick of the title picture.

Having fought the current title-holder once previously, Marquardt knows exactly what Silva brings to the table. Marquardt was stopped in the first round of their encounter in 2007 at UFC 73. Not fazed by the loss, Marquardt welcomes a rematch and believes this time there would be a different outcome.

"I don’t know what the UFC's plans are," he said. "I feel I am ready for Anderson. I learned my lesson the last time I fought him. I feel like I am twice as good and twice as dangerous as before.

"I think it would turn into a war. Right now I am confident in my skills."

To hear the full interview with Marquardt, which includes more on the Kampmann fight and Marquardt's love of MMA, download Monday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC signs top Euro light heavyweight Ivan Serati

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has inked a multi-fight deal with talented Italian light heavyweight Ivan Serati (10-2).

Serati, a Cage Rage veteran, joins a growing number of European fighters who have recently signed with the UFC as the organization continues to expand throughout Europe.

Sources close to Serati told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the signing over the weekend, though terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Serati is an aggressive striker with heavy hands who has fought most of his career in the regional UK scene. Eight of his 10 pro wins have come via knockout or submission due to strikes.

Debuting in 2006, Serati made an explosive start to his career by stopping his first five opponents with strikes. Not a single opponent survived more than 60 seconds.

However in his sixth career bout, at an April 2007 Cage Rage event, Serati suffered his first loss -- a first-round TKO to former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (17-8).

Serati is currently on a four fight win streak. He's stopped all four opponents in that stretch -- with three of the wins coming in the first round.

Serati is expected to make his UFC debut before year's end.

 

[WXS STOMP3R]

With UFC 88 win, Nate Marquardt anxious for second title shot

Nate Marquardt's destruction of the very game Martin Kampmann (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 88 has put the rest of the middleweight division on notice and cemented his status as a top contender.

It's also got Marquardt (27-8-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) thinking about a potential rematch with current champ Anderson Silva.

Marquardt discussed this past weekend's fight and the possibility of second bout with Silva while a guest on Monday’s edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

"I felt good during the fight, confident during the fight," Marquardt said of his win over Kampmann. "I just went in and did my game plan."

Many had predicted Marquardt a favorite over the Danish kickboxer, but nobody could have expected the sheer ferocity and the ease with which the Team Jackson member would finish off such a seasoned fighter. Marquardt, sometimes dogged for dragging fights to decisions, has now earned stoppage victories in three of his past four victories.

"When the opportunity is there, I want to take it," Marquardt said. "I have fought a lot of tough guys, but I think I am getting a lot better at being able to finish fights."

Now a mature 29 years old, Marquardt admits he's become a lot more comfortable and patient in the cage. In the past, at the first sign of blood, Marquardt would sometimes launch into a frantic and wild game plan as he chased his opponents.

"I would hurt them, but I would get so excited and just throw wild punches and not land," he said. "In this fight when I had him hurt, I took my time and tried to land my punches."

With a UFC middleweight division thin on top talent, and with Marquardt's eights wins in his past 10 fights (which included a controversial split-decision loss to Thales Leites earlier this year), Marquardt is again in the thick of the title picture.

Having fought the current title-holder once previously, Marquardt knows exactly what Silva brings to the table. Marquardt was stopped in the first round of their encounter in 2007 at UFC 73. Not fazed by the loss, Marquardt welcomes a rematch and believes this time there would be a different outcome.

"I don’t know what the UFC's plans are," he said. "I feel I am ready for Anderson. I learned my lesson the last time I fought him. I feel like I am twice as good and twice as dangerous as before.

"I think it would turn into a war. Right now I am confident in my skills."

To hear the full interview with Marquardt, which includes more on the Kampmann fight and Marquardt's love of MMA, download Monday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives.

LOL HE GETS A FEW WINS AND THINKS HE CAN FUCK WITH THE SPIDER...HE'D GET WRECKED AGAIN.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mirko Crocop: Update Regarding Training

Hi everyone, thank you for being patient while waiting for updates. MMA-ID will air an exclusive video footages from my trainings soon and you'll see the most interesting parts of my preparations for an upcoming fight.

I'll be also very happy to answer your questions, so please submit them in form of comments to this blog. I'll try to answer as many as I can. Some questions may end up in MMA-ID's video interview, scheduled for Thursday.

I can't thank you enough for your support, but I can promise that I'll be here online for you on another chat session in early October. I had a great time during last session and it will be great to meet you all online again.

Mirko

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jim Rome Blasts Chuck Liddell For Calling Out The Spider

Chuck Liddell is apparently considering a showdown with P4P stud Anderson Silva to get his mojo back after dropping three of his past four fights...not so fast says popular mainstream sports commentator Jim Rome:
“Chuck you now look like the drunken frat guy at a party who hit on the wrong guy’s girl and ended up on queer street…. There’s now speculation that Liddell will try to get his cred back by challenging Anderson Silva. Chuck, my man, if you got any sense and you don’t want to end up nose flat on the mat, you’d be wise to stay as far away from The Spider as possible.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

YOSHIDA FACES DISAPPOINTMENT INSTEAD OF KARO

After an impressive debut win in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, Japanese Judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida was ready to make a big advance in the welterweight division by facing perennial contender Karo Parisyan.

But with just over 24 hours to go until their scheduled fight, Parisyan fell out of the fight with a reported back injury and just like that Yoshida had to watch UFC 88 as a fan instead of as a fighter.

Before the fight, Yoshida spoke to MMAWeekly.com about his anticipation for the showdown with Parisyan at UFC 88.

“I’m aware of the fact that this is the biggest chance for me in my career, so to capitalize on this opportunity I’m going to have to come up with a positive result,” Yoshida commented. “So I want to make sure I win this fight.”

Following UFC 88, president Dana White addressed the situation surrounding the fight cancellation, including the great number of media members in from Japan to cover Yoshida.

“There were a lot of Japanese media that came out for him,” said White. “These things happen in the fight business. Karo got hurt, nothing you can do. It’s unfortunate; it sucks.

“Both of them trained this whole time, come out here the whole week of the fight, and the day before the weigh-ins, somebody gets hurt.”

While nothing has been officially confirmed by the UFC, it is believed that at least Yoshida received his contractual pay from the fight, but it is unknown about win bonus money or sponsorships potentially lost from the canceled fight.

First indications out of Yoshida’s camp are that they have asked for a spot on the Nov. 15 fight card at UFC 91 in Las Vegas, which will give the Japanese fighter plenty of time to go home and basically wind down from this last camp and get ready for another fight instead.

The severity of Parisyan’s back injury has not been reported yet, but it sounds as if Yoshida will be requesting a different opponent if he is able to get on a fight card coming up soon.

MMAWeekly.com will have more information on Yoshiyuki Yoshida’s next fight as it becomes available.

 

[trips]

Jim Rome Blasts Chuck Liddell For Calling Out The Spider

Chuck Liddell is apparently considering a showdown with P4P stud Anderson Silva to get his mojo back after dropping three of his past four fights...not so fast says popular mainstream sports commentator Jim Rome:
“Chuck you now look like the drunken frat guy at a party who hit on the wrong guy’s girl and ended up on queer street…. There’s now speculation that Liddell will try to get his cred back by challenging Anderson Silva. Chuck, my man, if you got any sense and you don’t want to end up nose flat on the mat, you’d be wise to stay as far away from The Spider as possible.”

LOL!!!! Chuck is joking right, Dana white must b coming up with this bullshit. straight comedy

 

[UCDgreek]

^^chuck loses a fight and all of a sudden hes the biggest joke and he cant fight for shit?

everyone gets fucking caught once in a while.

you want chuck to hide in the corner and ask for shitty oppenents he can beat the shit out of.
he still wants to fight the best. how is anyone gonna talk shit on that.

 

[BROWN GUERRERO]

^^chuck loses a fight and all of a sudden hes the biggest joke and he cant fight for shit?

everyone gets fucking caught once in a while.

you want chuck to hide in the corner and ask for shitty oppenents he can beat the shit out of.
he still wants to fight the best. how is anyone gonna talk shit on that.

Real talk. You got retards like Tony posting in the open forum about how losing to Rashad means Kimbo would destroy Chuck.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shannon Gugerty to replace Melvin Guillard at UFC 90

Recent UFC newcomer Shannon Gugerty (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will replace Melvin Guillard (21-7-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in a scheduled bout with Spencer Fisher (21-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at UFC 90, which takes place Oct. 25 at the Allstate Arena near Chicago.

Fisher's sponsorship team at K.O. Sports Dynasty today confirmed the opponent switch with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Gugerty didn't immediately return messages requesting comment.

The reason for Guillard's departure wasn't immediately known, and the UFC has yet to announce the Gugerty-Fisher bout.

Fisher, a three-year veteran of the UFC, most recently defeated highly regarded lightweight prospect Jeremy Stephens at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in June. The 32-year-old, a member of Iowa's famed Miletich Fighting Systems team, will go for his fifth win in his seven fights as he continues his long-running quest for a UFC title shot.

Gugerty, meanwhile, made his debut at July's UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas, where he scored a first-round submission victory over the previously undefeated Dale Hartt. It was the 26-year-old's eighth straight victory -- all of which have come via stoppage (five in the first round).

As for Guillard, his up-and-down career recently took a turn for the better when he scored a March victory at a Rage in the Cage event. Guillard, 25, then returned to the UFC and posted an impressive 36-second TKO of Dennis Siver at UFC 86. "The Ultimate Fighter 2" alumnus has won four of his past six fights.

 

[rylor206]

I wont be suprised if chuck beats a big name in his next fight. I bet dana understands that chuck cant lose to anymore Jardines or Rashads but losing to the spider, Shogun or any other big name is not as bad.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Real talk. You got retards like Tony posting in the open forum about how losing to Rashad means Kimbo would destroy Chuck.

I think Chuck needs to leave the pit and form his own mma team just like Randy did when he left team quest. oh I like Kimbo but he is not Rashad or Rampage.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Injury strikes again: "Babalu" off Sept. 20 Strikeforce-Playboy card

A leg injury has forced Renato "Babalu" Sobral (30-7) out of his upcoming bout with Anthony Ruiz (21-11), which was set to take place Sept. 20 at "Strikeforce at the Mansion II."

Strikeforce executive Mike Afromowitz today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Sobral was forced off the card and said the organization is looking for a replacement.

Ruiz was actually a recent replacement for Strikeforce world light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth (9-5), who was forced off the card last month after after suffering a leg injury of his own.

Strikeforce at the Mansion II takes place at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., and will be streamed for free at Sherdog.com.

Sobral, a former UFC fighter who signed with Strikeforce following a victory over David Heath at UFC 74, is currently riding a three-fight win streak, which included a unanimous-decision victory over Mike Whitehead at Affliction's debut event in July.

Strikeforce officials aren't sure when he'll return to action.

Ruiz, meanwhile, most recently scored a unanimous-decision victory over Jeremy Freitag at EliteXC's July 26 event. He will return to Strikeforce for the first time since his title loss to Southworth in June. Ruiz won their first meeting -- a non-title bout -- via second-round TKO (due to a cut) in 2007, but Southworth cruised to a decision victory in the second meeting.

Ruiz will go for his eighth win in nine fights.