MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

“Fighting Politics” Bound to Stir Controversy

The MMA documentary, Fighting Politics, has just been released on DVD and Blu Ray and essentially covers the life story of Matt Lindland where fighting and politics are concerned. However, the film also delves into the politics of fighting, which is bound to stir up a host of controversy in the MMA community.

Below is a rather benign promo clip featuring current UFC fighter Chael Sonnen:


Payout Perspective:

The basic premise of the documentary seems to be that Matt Lindland is the best middleweight in the world – certainly the best middleweight you’ve never heard of – and that he was unfairly pushed out of the UFC. At least that’s the impression the main trailer gives off on the movie’s website. Judge for yourself.

What’s particularly interesting, and bound to stir up the most controversy, is the number of known UFC “enemies of state” that appear in the movie (most notably in the trailer) speaking negatively about Dana White and his influence on the sport. Loretta Hunt, Josh Gross, and Jeff Sherwood all get their shots in.

No wonder Dana White and Josh Gross were involved in a text message slugfest last night at UFC on Versus. This could get ugly.

 

[MOREBASS]

dos Santos giving Pacquiao props. Nice. Is it safe to say a star was born with his KO over Gonzaga? Out of all the heavyweight up and comers...Cain and Cigano seem to be the most exciting to watch, IMO

Would be so sick if they crossed paths.

 

[Assassinator]

Who's going for St-Pierre? Hardy?

im just exited to see what happens!

 

[drunkaholic707]

theres a ufc 111 thread already just a few post down

 

[Johnny Truelove]

 

[007SYBORG]

Liddell/Couture 4 reportedly planned for UFC 116 on July 3

"A source close to the promotion informed Heavy.com of the news on Tuesday afternoon."
"The bout would serve as the co-main event of the blockbuster card that is expected to be headlined by a UFC heavyweight title bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin."
- Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
- Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture
- Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Wanderlei Silva
- Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

http://links.assetize.com/links/93902d

 

[drunkaholic707]

"The Ultimate Fighter 11's" Chuck Liddell says third fight with Tito Ortiz is still on

UFC light heavyweight Chuck Liddell says he still expects to fight nemesis Tito Ortiz. He's earned it, after all.

Liddell (21-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC), who coaches opposite Ortiz (15-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC) on the upcoming 11th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," said it took exactly one week to get motivated for a third meeting with Ortiz at the show's conclusion.

While question marks surround Ortiz's participation on the show – not to mention the location of the traditional post-"TUF" coaches' showdown – the five-time UFC light heavyweight champion said as far as he knows, it's business as usual.

"I've heard the rumors, of course, but from what I understand, [Ortiz] is signed to fight, and he's still going to actually show up and get [the] beating he's supposed to get," Liddell said today during a conference call promoting the 11th season's debut, set for Wednesday at the conclusion of "UFC Fight Night 21: Gomi vs. Florian."

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported earlier this month that Ortiz was unable to complete his filming obligations to the show and had been replaced by former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, with Franklin penciled in to face Liddell at UFC 115.

However, Liddell said Ortiz will be at the receiving end of his wrath.

"I think I earned it having to put up with him for seven weeks," Liddell said. "I earned the right to go out there and beat him."

Liddell and Ortiz have shared an icy relationship as two of the UFC's biggest stars. Once training partners, Ortiz called out the "Iceman" at UFC 37.5 after Liddell's win over Vitor Belfort and opened the door to an eventual grudge match.

Liddell went on to defeat Ortiz twice – once at UFC 47 and again at UFC 66 – which at the time were the most successful UFC events to date.

In the opening days of filming for "TUF 11," Ortiz told MMAjunkie.com that Liddell was an alcoholic who needed an intervention from UFC president Dana White to get ready for the reality show.

The statement was an out-and-out insult to Liddell, who fought White's wish for him to retire following back-to-back losses to Rashad Evans and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

"I was taking that fight as a tune-up fight, fighting a guy that I knocked out twice," Liddell said. "Most of the animosity toward him was gone. I don't really deal with him at all, so I was kind of over it. But within a week, he motivated me to want to try to hurt him – and he just continued to do that throughout the show."

Where the pair's third meeting takes place is now in question. As the call took place, a report said UFC 115, the expected home for the "TUF 11" coaches' battle, is being moved from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Cincinnati, Ohio, as the result of administrative problems with the Vancouver City Council.

Liddell was not asked about a possible location change for the Oritz fight and did not broach the subject.

Ortiz wasn't present on the conference call and has yet to answer repeated requests for comment.




this was from yesterday, but im sure dana doesn't want him sayin ortiz is out

 

[SLRider510]

"The Ultimate Fighter 11's" Chuck Liddell says third fight with Tito Ortiz is still on

wtf its on... its off... its on its off....this is confusing me.

 

[drunkaholic707]

007syborg is more recent mine was info from yesterday

 

[Johnny Truelove]

War Machine Arrested

Several San Diego police swarmed in on former UFC bad boy War Machine last night and threw a spit bag on his head after cops say the dude assaulted someone with a deadly weapon.

 

[007SYBORG]

Chuck Liddell Never Considered Retirement, Comments on Toney in UFC

Today begins the official start of Chuck Liddell's UFC training camp, and though there may be some question about who exactly Liddell is preparing for, the Iceman says one thing was never in doubt, and that was the fact that he would continue his MMA career.

Liddell, speaking on Spike's Inside the Ultimate Fighter podcast, said that although he took some time away from the sport after being knocked out by Mauricio "Shogun" Rua last April and was advised by UFC president Dana White to retire, it was never an option.

"I never considered retiring," he said. "I knew I wasn't done. I wanted to take some time to figure things out, and also have some time off from getting hit in the head, have some time to relax and let some old wounds heal. And I'm back."

Liddell, who reiterated that he expected to fight Tito Ortiz at UFC 115, said that when he was offered a spot as a coach on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, he "argued against the opposing coach pretty adamantly," and would have preferred to coach against anybody but Ortiz. He said he viewed the seven-week stint on TUF as a mini-camp before his official fight camp kicked off.

The former UFC light-heavyweight champ was also asked about his thoughts on the recently signed boxing great James Toney.

"I'd love to fight him if they offered it to me," he said. "He's one of these guys, the way he's talking about the sport, I hope they put him in with someone good. I hope they don't do what some of these other organizations have done and put him in there with someone that's not a high-quality fighter. Give him a high-quality opponent and see what happens to him."

Asked who he'd consider a proper matchup, Liddell said, "Give him anyone that can wrestle. They'll take him down and smash him. Have him fight someone like Cain [Velasquez]. That'd be hysterical."

http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/04/...r-considered-retirement-comments-on-toney-in/

 

[drunkaholic707]

Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch II rebooked for UFC 115 in June

A late addition to the UFC 115 card is set now that a rematch between Thiago Alves (16-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and Jon Fitch (22-3 MMA, 12-1 UFC), which was originally slated for UFC 111, has been rebooked for the Vancouver card.

UFC president Dana White announced the fight via Twitter overnight.

While the long-awaited rematch was expected to be a feature bout last month at UFC 111, Alves was forced off the card due to a failed CT scan and subsequent brain surgery.

UFC 115 takes place June 12 at GM Place, and Alves vs. Fitch II is all but guaranteed to be part of the pay-per-view main card.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last week, Alves underwent surgery on Mach 31 to correct an arteriovenous fistula on the left side of his brain. The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board first caught the problem during the fighter's medicals for UFC 111 and pulled him from the card two days before the March 27 event.

An arteriovenous fistula occurs when there is an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein and can be congenital, created by surgery or caused by disease. After the procedure, which was minimally invasive and separated vessels that had crossed inside Alves' brain, the fighter was told he could return to training in three weeks.

Prior to the surgery, the American Top Team fighter had not competed since a five-round decision to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 100 in July 2009. Alves has twice been scheduled to avenge a second-round TKO loss to Fitch, which came in 2006. A knee injury forced him out of UFC 107, and the failed CT exam once again had "Pitbull" on the sidelines.

Fitch, meanwhile, ended up fighting late replacement Ben Saunders at UFC 111 and won a lopsided unanimous decision. The longtime contender has now won 12 of his 13 UFC fights; the lone came to champ St-Pierre in UFC 87. The American Top Team fighter has gone to a decision for his past six wins, including all four in his recent win streak, though he's faced tough-to-finish opponent such as Mike Pierce, Paulo Thiago and Diego Sanchez.

 

[drunkaholic707]

Wiuff, Monson, Menne, Fickett, Larson and others booked for April 24 Evolution II

In what's being billed as the state's largest mixed-martial-arts event since UFC 87, the star-studded "Evolution II: Mayhem in Minneapolis" event takes place April 24 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Headlined by a heavyweight bout between former UFC fighters Travis Wiuff and Jeff Monson, the card features nearly a dozen UFC and WEC veterans.

The notables include former UFC middleweight champ and Minneapolis' Dave Menne, Drew Fickett, Ray Steinbess, Brock Larson, Travis Fulton and others.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and range from just $15 to $398.

Cage Fighting Xtreme is promoting the show, which features one Minnesota fighter in all but one of the 10 scheduled bouts.

This event marks the first post-UFC fight for Larson, a former top WEC welterweight contender who moved to the UFC in 2009. Larson, who had previous stints with the UFC, picked up back-to-back wins over Jesse Sanders and Mike Pyle and moved to 14-1 in a 15-fight span. However, after a close decision loss to Mike Pierce and an upset TKO defeat to Brian Foster, Larson surprisingly was dropped by the UFC.

He looks to rebound against Brian Green.

The full card includes:

* Jeff Monson (33-9) vs. Travis Wiuff (59-14)
* Colin McKee (8-2) vs. Dave Menne (44-16-2)
* Drew Fickett (35-6) vs. Derrick Noble (26-12-1)
* Shane Olsen (2-0) vs. Yoko Takahashi (14-10-3)
* Isaiah Larson (11-4) vs. Brendan Seguin (18-17-1)
* Matt Delanoit (13-8) vs. Ray Steinbess (12-6)
* Brian Green (19-12) vs. Brock Larson (27-4)
* Surgio Gomez (9-3) vs. Chaz Haag (3-0)
* Travis Fulton (212-44-8) vs. Brad Kohler (11-12)
* Brian Geraghty (21-14-1) vs. Nate Schut (10-4)

 

[drunkaholic707]

Spike TV counters "Strikeforce: Nashville" with UFC 110 replay on April 17

For the first time ever, February's "UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez" event will be available on cable station.

Spike TV officials today announced the event, which initially aired on pay-per-view Feb. 20 from Acer Arena in Australia, will air April 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The broadcast counter-programs "Strikeforce: Nashville," a CBS-televised event that features three title fights.

UFC 110 featured bouts such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez, Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping, and Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos. Also on the main card were Mirko Cro Cop vs. Anthony Perosh vs. Chris Lytle vs. Brian Foster.

"Strikeforce: Nashville" features middleweight champion Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson, light-heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, and lightweight title-holder Gilbert Melendez vs. DREAM champ Shinya Aoki. The event takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Spike TV, the UFC's cable home since 2005, began counter-programming in 2008 when UFC Fight Night 14 went head-to-head with "Affliction: Banned." Since striking a deal with CBS, though, Strikeforce has since been a frequent target of the UFC's counter-programming. For example, Strikeforce's first CBS-televised event, "Fedor vs. Rogers" in November, went against a "UFC Main Events" two-hour special that featured four major bouts from the UFC's 2009 calendar.

 

[drunkaholic707]

"Overwhelming demand" prompts UFC to release additional UFC 112 tickets

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middle East debut is poised for great success.

UFC officials today announced – while citing "overwhelming demand" – that additional tickets have been released for Saturday's "UFC 112: Invincible" event after a seating reconfiguration.

The April 10 show takes place at Concert Arena (at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and airs live and via delay on pay-per-view.

The event will be the UFC's first to take place in an open-air venue; the show is being held in a tented venue. Tickets range from $107 to $1,007, and as of noon ET today, were available in a variety of seating sections at www.boxofficeme.com.

"The response to UFC 112 from fans across the region has been hugely positive," stated John Lickr, managing director of Flash Entertainment, an Abu Dhabi government-owned company that purchased 10 percent of the UFC earlier this year. "We hope that by introducing more tickets to the marketplace, we will be able to satisfy demand for this historic event."

UFC 112 features two title fights – middleweight champ Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia and lightweight title-holder B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar – and a welterweight bout between Renzo Gracie and Matt Hughes.

The full card includes:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia (for middleweight title)
* Champ B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (for lightweight title)
* Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
* Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim
* Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson
* John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor
* Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
* Brad Blackburn vs. DaMarques Johnson
* Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
* Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen

 

[hitthegas]

dos Santos giving Pacquiao props. Nice. Is it safe to say a star was born with his KO over Gonzaga? Out of all the heavyweight up and comers...Cain and Cigano seem to be the most exciting to watch, IMO

Would be so sick if they crossed paths.

ive been saying this for awhile, would be so sick

 

[drunkaholic707]

Tickets for Boston's Bellator 17, Eddie Alvarez vs. Josh Neer "super fight" now on sale

Tickets for Bellator 17, which takes place May 6 at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre in Boston, are now on sale.

As Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced on MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Bellator 17 features a non-title fight between lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez (19-2 MMA, 3-0 BFC) and recent signee Josh Neer (27-9-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC).

The organization also today announced a featured preliminary-card matchup between Northeast notables Nate Kittredge (10-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) and Justin Torrey (5-0 MMA, 1-0 BFC) is also official for the card.

Bellator Fighting Championship launches its 12-week second season tomorrow with Bellator 13. That event and all future Bellator shows air live on FOX Sports Net (or via delay if preempted by local sports programming), and highlights packages air the following Saturday nights on NBC and Telemundo.

"The Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre is a dynamic venue in the heart of Boston," Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated. "We are thrilled to be aligning with Madison Square Garden and the Wang Theatre to bring our world-class, nationally televised mixed martial arts to MMA fans in New England.

"We have eight spectacular fights on our May 6 card, including a matchup of two of the most exciting lightweights in the world, world champion Eddie Alvarez and Josh Neer. We've also signed two of the best middleweights in all of New England and convinced them to fight each other in our local main event. I can promise that the Kittredge-Torrey fight is something fans won't want to miss."

Kittredge, a Vermont native who's a Reality Fighting veteran, enters the bout with a five-fight win streak. Torrey, who fights out of Massachusetts, last year topped EliteXC veteran Matt Makowski at Bellator 11 to move to 5-0 with four stoppage victories.

Bellator 17 tickets can be purchased at www.citicenter.org/bellator. They range from $35 to $150.

 

[drunkaholic707]

As Shine Fights III looms, Din Thomas mixes trash-talk with respect for boxer-opponent

Din Thomas faces a conundrum; how do you talk trash and put down an opponent – one who could give the entire sport of mixed martial arts a black eye – when you actually respect the guy?

Somehow, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter and 12-year MMA veteran has found a comfortable balance.

That's good news for the up-and-coming Shine Fights promotion, which next month hosts a "Worlds Collide" event with arguably the biggest MMA fighter vs. boxer blockbuster to date: Thomas vs. Ricardo Mayorga.

"It's gonna be embarrassing what I do to this guy," Thomas told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com) on Monday. "I'm questioning whether he's even going to show up or not. That's the real question. Is he going to show, or is he going to pull out?

"But he's kinda crazy, though, so I bet he does show up. I just don't see how he thinks he's going to win. It ain't going to happen."

The event takes place May 15 at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., and airs on pay-per-view. The card is deep with many confirmed and rumored notables, but fittingly, much of the spotlight has been on the Thomas vs. Ricardo Mayorga main event. And luckily, both headliners have done plenty to build interest in the fight.

Thomas, a former lightweight and welterweight who's recently fought as light as 145 pounds, said he happily took the bout at a higher weight to assure it'd take place.

"I actually told him I'd fight him at 170," Thomas said. "I said, 'Listen fat boy, I'll break you at 170.' ... He said, 'Let's do it at 160,' and it was a done deal."

Why would Thomas take the fight at such a high weight? Actually, why would he take the fight at all – against an opponent with no professional MMA fights?

Well, like most MMA fighters, Thomas feels like he has something to prove – not just to the MMA world, but the boxing world, too. Boxers such as Roy Jones Jr. and recent UFC signee James Toney have made boastful claims about how boxers would make short work of their MMA counterparts.

And MMA, of course, suffered a black eye in 2009 when 48-year-old boxer Ray Mercer scored a stunning nine-second knockout of former UFC champion Tim Sylvia.

That's why Thomas says – despite his grandstanding – the implications of the fight haven't been lost on him.

"I'm talking a lot of trash, but I'm really taking this seriously," he said. "I feel like I have the whole MMA community on my shoulders. Tim Sylvia had it too, and Tim Sylvia totally blew it. So I can't let that happen. I can't let everyone down. I'm taking this guy really seriously. I've already been watching film on him. I'm making sure there are no holes in [my game plan]."

Thomas (25-8), who's 3-0 since a release from the UFC in 2008, especially can't stand the boxers who take cheap shots with no intention of backing up their claims.

"What I don't like is that they don't respect us," Thomas said. "Whenever they talk about MMA guys, there's always something slick coming out of their mouths. 'These guys are gay. These gay guys are just rolling around.' Or, 'These guys can't throw their hands.' If you want to fight, you need to fight.

"But don't sit on the sidelines and talk trash and then not step up the plate."

That's why Mayorga, a WBA/WBC welterweight champion and former WBC junior middleweight champ who owns a 28-7-1 pro-boxing record, has impressed his MMA opponent.

"In that respect, I give Ricardo Mayorga a lot of respect," Thomas said. "He's actually stepping up to the plate. That's why I gives James Toney a lot of respect. But these [other] guys ... step up the plate because I'm always ready for the challenge. You can come to the crib because I'm always ready. Come to my backyard."

Despite that respect, Thomas said he still plans to wipe the floor with Mayorga. Thomas said his opponent's one-dimensional game will offer few surprises and make him an easy target. Thomas, though, is impressed by one aspect of Mayorga's game: his ability to match trash-talk.

"At first he wasn't talking all that much garbage, but then he came out of nowhere with a bunch of it," Thomas said. "Now, I'm like, 'Let's get it on now. You wanna talk the garbage? Let's get it in on. Let's talk the talk and walk the walk.'"

 

[drunkaholic707]

Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz faces Hayato Sakurai in DREAM.15 non-title fight

Fresh off a successful bid for the Strikeforce welterweight title, Nick Diaz (21-7 MMA, 1-0 DREAM) is set to face Japanese veteran Hayato Sakurai (35-10-2 MMA, 3-1 DREAM) at DREAM. 15.

Graciefighter.com, the online home of trainer Cesar Gracie, first reported the non-title fight. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) subsequently confirmed the matchup with a source close to the event who said Strikeforce officials have cleared the booking.

DREAM.15 is expected to take place May 30 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event is expected to air in North America on HDNet.

The upcoming event also features the first round of an eight-man light-heavyweight tournament that's expected to feature several prominent Strikeforce fighters, including light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi. Strikeforce and DREAM formed an alliance in 2009 and now share talent.

In his most recent performance, Diaz dominated 2009 DREAM welterweight grand prix champion Marius Zaromskis at "Strikeforce: Miami" in January and afterward was awarded the promotion's first-ever 170-pound belt.

The 26-year-old Diaz is currently riding a six-fight win streak since a loss to K.J. Noons in November 2007 for the EliteXC lightweight belt. With the DREAM booking, he's now unlikely to make his first Strikeforce title defense until later this year.

Sakurai, meanwhile, is on a two-fight slide with a submission loss to UFC veteran Akihiro Gono in his most recent performance at "Dynamite!! 2009." Prior to the New Year's Eve showing, he faced Zaromskis at the 2009 DREAM welterweight grand-prix semifinal round and was a victim of a devastating head kick knockout.

However, the 34-year-old Sakurai has shown flashes of brilliance in his later career. At DREAM.8 this past April, he pulled off an upset victory when he knocked out the top-ranked Shinya Aoki with knees and punches in just 27 seconds.

It's not known if Diaz vs. Sakurai will headline the fight card.

 

[007SYBORG]

POSSIBILTIES FOR UFC 116
BROCK LESNAR VS SHANE CARWIN
WANDERLEI SILVA VS YOSHIRO AKIYAMA
THIAGO SILVA VS RYAN BADER
STEPHEN BONNAR VS KRZYSTOF SOSZYNSKI

SILVA AND AKIYAMA ARE A GO,I JUST READ ON THIAGO SILVA'S WIKI ABOUT HIM AND BADER IS LISTED AS OPPONENT FOR THIS EVENT,AND BROCK SHOULD BE RETURNING THIS SUMMER.

EDIT CHUCK VS RICH @ 115