MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
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the problem with diaz vs martinez is I don't think it could get sanctioned. There are rules in boxing and a guy with no real pro boxing experience (what does he have, 1 fight?) can't just fight the middleweight champion of the world.
Unless I suppose they fought in some backwards state with no real state athletics commission and it's an unsanctioned bout labeled purely as an exhibition match.
Unless I suppose they fought in some backwards state with no real state athletics commission and it's an unsanctioned bout labeled purely as an exhibition match.
Akiyama vs Belfort Official for UFC 133
UFC 133 will feature an explosive middleweight encounter between Yoshihiro Akiyama and Vitor Belfort, ESPN can exclusively reveal.
Speculation has mounted over the timing and identity of Belfort's next opponent, with UFC Rio widely touted for his return following defeat to Anderson Silva. The names of Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva have been linked in recent times, although Silva is now slated to fight Chris Leben at UFC 132, and the UFC has officially confirmed The Phenom's next challenge for August 6.
"Verbal agreements are in for a battle between two of the most exciting fighters in the middleweight division," UFC president Dana White told ESPN.
"Coming off three straight Fight of the Night performances, Yoshihiro Akiyama will take on former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort in Philadelphia."
Like Belfort, Akiyama is coming off a loss - to Bisping - but his last three wars have all gone to a third round. By contrast, Belfort's last three encounters have all ended inside the opening stanza via knockout. Something has to give.
The middleweight showdown bolsters a card already boasting a middleweight collision between Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara and the next outing of exciting 20-year-old bantamweight Michael McDonald against Nick Pace.
UFC 133 will feature an explosive middleweight encounter between Yoshihiro Akiyama and Vitor Belfort, ESPN can exclusively reveal.
Speculation has mounted over the timing and identity of Belfort's next opponent, with UFC Rio widely touted for his return following defeat to Anderson Silva. The names of Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva have been linked in recent times, although Silva is now slated to fight Chris Leben at UFC 132, and the UFC has officially confirmed The Phenom's next challenge for August 6.
"Verbal agreements are in for a battle between two of the most exciting fighters in the middleweight division," UFC president Dana White told ESPN.
"Coming off three straight Fight of the Night performances, Yoshihiro Akiyama will take on former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort in Philadelphia."
Like Belfort, Akiyama is coming off a loss - to Bisping - but his last three wars have all gone to a third round. By contrast, Belfort's last three encounters have all ended inside the opening stanza via knockout. Something has to give.
The middleweight showdown bolsters a card already boasting a middleweight collision between Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara and the next outing of exciting 20-year-old bantamweight Michael McDonald against Nick Pace.
Jason 'Mayhem' Miller Signs With UFC
Jason "Mayhem" Miller is going back to the UFC.
The popular middleweight has signed a new multi-fight agreement with the organization, Miller's manager Ryan Parsons confirmed with MMA Fighting.
The 30-year-old Miller (24-7, 1 NC) was able to sign with the UFC due to the fact that his contract with Strikeforce had expired. No word just yet on when his first fight back inside the Octagon will take place.
"Mayhem" had not competed for Strikeforce since last April when he defeated Tim Stout on the undercard of Strikeforce: Nashville. He went on to defeat one of his MMA idols, Kazushi Sakuraba, at DREAM.16 in September, which stands as his last fight to date.
He was close to returning to action against the likes of Nick Diaz and Tim Kennedy, but for various reasons, some even still unknown, those fights never materialized.
The star of MTV's Bully Beatdown last fought for the UFC in 2005 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre. Two years later, Miller returned to Zuffa, defeating Hiromitsu Miura via unanimous decision at WEC 27.
Miller was a guest on a recent episode of The MMA Hour, and he appeared excited at the prospect of facing some of the UFC's best middleweights.
"I will beat the brakes off most of the guys in the middleweight divisions in the UFC," he said. "I guaran-damn-tee it."
Jason "Mayhem" Miller is going back to the UFC.
The popular middleweight has signed a new multi-fight agreement with the organization, Miller's manager Ryan Parsons confirmed with MMA Fighting.
The 30-year-old Miller (24-7, 1 NC) was able to sign with the UFC due to the fact that his contract with Strikeforce had expired. No word just yet on when his first fight back inside the Octagon will take place.
"Mayhem" had not competed for Strikeforce since last April when he defeated Tim Stout on the undercard of Strikeforce: Nashville. He went on to defeat one of his MMA idols, Kazushi Sakuraba, at DREAM.16 in September, which stands as his last fight to date.
He was close to returning to action against the likes of Nick Diaz and Tim Kennedy, but for various reasons, some even still unknown, those fights never materialized.
The star of MTV's Bully Beatdown last fought for the UFC in 2005 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre. Two years later, Miller returned to Zuffa, defeating Hiromitsu Miura via unanimous decision at WEC 27.
Miller was a guest on a recent episode of The MMA Hour, and he appeared excited at the prospect of facing some of the UFC's best middleweights.
"I will beat the brakes off most of the guys in the middleweight divisions in the UFC," he said. "I guaran-damn-tee it."
Jason "Mayhem" Miller meets Aaron Simpson at UFC 132
On Friday, Jason "Mayhem" Miller (24-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) announced he was returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
On Saturday, UFC brass announced he's already lined up to fight.
UFC officials today announced Miller will meet wrestling standout Aaron Simpson (8-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at July's "UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II" event.
Miller's return comes six years after a lone appearance at welterweight in which he was dominated by Georges St-Pierre. "Mayhem" now returns to the UFC as a thoroughly experienced middleweight. Miller is 12-3 with one no contest since his ill-fated trip to the octagon and lost a unanimous decision to Jake Shields for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt in November 2009.
Outside of the cage, Miller has kept busy as the host of MTV's popular reality show "Bully Beatdown," which completed its third season this past December. It's unknown whether a fourth season is in the works.
Meanwhile, Simpson returns to action after a recent one-sided beatdown of Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Simpson, who had dropped back-to-back outings against Mark Munoz and Chris Leben. Prior to the skid, Simpson had notched seven-straight wins to open his career, including three octagon victories and one win under the WEC banner.
UFC 132, which is the UFC's Independence Day-weekend show, takes place July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The night's main card, including a championship headliner between bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, airs live on pay-per-view.
On Friday, Jason "Mayhem" Miller (24-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) announced he was returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
On Saturday, UFC brass announced he's already lined up to fight.
UFC officials today announced Miller will meet wrestling standout Aaron Simpson (8-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at July's "UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II" event.
Miller's return comes six years after a lone appearance at welterweight in which he was dominated by Georges St-Pierre. "Mayhem" now returns to the UFC as a thoroughly experienced middleweight. Miller is 12-3 with one no contest since his ill-fated trip to the octagon and lost a unanimous decision to Jake Shields for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt in November 2009.
Outside of the cage, Miller has kept busy as the host of MTV's popular reality show "Bully Beatdown," which completed its third season this past December. It's unknown whether a fourth season is in the works.
Meanwhile, Simpson returns to action after a recent one-sided beatdown of Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Simpson, who had dropped back-to-back outings against Mark Munoz and Chris Leben. Prior to the skid, Simpson had notched seven-straight wins to open his career, including three octagon victories and one win under the WEC banner.
UFC 132, which is the UFC's Independence Day-weekend show, takes place July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The night's main card, including a championship headliner between bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, airs live on pay-per-view.
think this might be too much too soon for Davis
Bones Injured, Davis To Step In Against Rashad At UFC 133
With UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) injured, UFC officials have now booked a bout between the champ's original opponent, Rashad Evans (15-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC), and replacement Phil Davis (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC).
Sources today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the new matchup, which takes place at UFC 133. The Canadian Press' Neil Davidson first reported the opponent switch, which was later officially announced by the UFC.
A source told MMAjunkie.com that Jones is facing a lengthy recovery from a torn right-hand ligament suffered in his title win. A timetable for his return wasn't immediately available.
Although not officially announced, UFC 133 is expected to take place Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. The main card is expected to air on pay-per-view.
The change of plans means another speed bump in Evans' request to reclaim the UFC's light-heavyweight title.
Evans had been in line to fight then-champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 before a knee injury forced Evans off the card. As Rua healed from his own knee injury, Evans sat out nearly a year waiting for the title shot rather than taking a non-championship bout and risking his shot at the belt. But when he lost the slot due to injury, UFC officials gave it to Jones following his early-February victory over fellow top prospect Ryan Bader at UFC 126.
Jones won the title from Rua in dominant fashion at UFC 128, which set up a meeting with Evans, a former training partner with whom he's now had a very public fallout.
But rather than Jones, Evans next will fight Davis, a former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion. Davis is 9-0 in his pro career, and the past five fights have come in the UFC. With victories over Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, Rodney Wallace and Tim Boetsch, he began drawing comparisons to Jones. In this past month's UFC Fight Night 24 headliner, Davis scored one of his biggest wins yet: a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory over notable Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
For the latest on UFC 133, stay to tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
Bones Injured, Davis To Step In Against Rashad At UFC 133
With UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) injured, UFC officials have now booked a bout between the champ's original opponent, Rashad Evans (15-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC), and replacement Phil Davis (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC).
Sources today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the new matchup, which takes place at UFC 133. The Canadian Press' Neil Davidson first reported the opponent switch, which was later officially announced by the UFC.
A source told MMAjunkie.com that Jones is facing a lengthy recovery from a torn right-hand ligament suffered in his title win. A timetable for his return wasn't immediately available.
Although not officially announced, UFC 133 is expected to take place Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. The main card is expected to air on pay-per-view.
The change of plans means another speed bump in Evans' request to reclaim the UFC's light-heavyweight title.
Evans had been in line to fight then-champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 before a knee injury forced Evans off the card. As Rua healed from his own knee injury, Evans sat out nearly a year waiting for the title shot rather than taking a non-championship bout and risking his shot at the belt. But when he lost the slot due to injury, UFC officials gave it to Jones following his early-February victory over fellow top prospect Ryan Bader at UFC 126.
Jones won the title from Rua in dominant fashion at UFC 128, which set up a meeting with Evans, a former training partner with whom he's now had a very public fallout.
But rather than Jones, Evans next will fight Davis, a former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion. Davis is 9-0 in his pro career, and the past five fights have come in the UFC. With victories over Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, Rodney Wallace and Tim Boetsch, he began drawing comparisons to Jones. In this past month's UFC Fight Night 24 headliner, Davis scored one of his biggest wins yet: a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory over notable Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
For the latest on UFC 133, stay to tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
"DREAM.17: Fight For Japan" Adds Hellboy vs. Ishida, Uno vs. Wicky
Two bouts have been added to next month's "DREAM.17: Fight for Japan" event, officials today announced.
They include featherweights Joachim Hansen (21-10-1 MMA, 4-4 DREAM) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (20-6-1 MMA, 3-1 DREAM) and Caol Uno (27-14-5 MMA, 1-2 DREAM) vs. Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura (11-6-1 MMA, 1-2 DREAM).
The event takes place May 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
As previously announced, the event also features the opening round and semifinals of DREAM's Japan bantamweight grand prix. DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (27-5 MMA, 11-2 DREAM) and Katsunori Kikuno (14-3-2 MMA, 2-2 DREAM) also are expected to be in action, though their opponent haven't been determined.
As MMAjunkie.com reported, HDNet officials are "optimistic" they'll air the event in North America.
Hansen, a former DREAM lightweight champion, lost his belt to Aoki in late 2009 and then suffered a split-decision defeat to featherweight champ Bibiano Fernandes in his next bout. He then suffered a knockout loss to Hiroyuki Takaya that resulted in the first three-fight losing streak of his career. However, 31-year-old "Hellboy," a former Shooto champ, since has picked up back-to-back submission wins over Hideo Tokoro at DREAM.16 and Sami Aziz at Super Challenge 6.
Ishida, a former PRIDE fighter, has bounced back from an August 2009 Strikeforce interim-title loss to Gilbert Melendez with a pair of decisions victories over Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata (DREAM.15) and Akiyo Nishiura (DREAM.16). The two fights came at 145 pounds after having spent most of his career at lightweight.
Uno, meanwhile, recently made an unsuccessful drop to featherweight and suffered a decision loss to Kazuyuki Miyata at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2010." It's now part of a career-worse 0-4-1 skid that included a semifinal-round loss to Aoki in the 2008 DREAM lightweight grand prix and an unsuccessful (0-2-1) return to the UFC.
Nishiura has alternated between wins and losses over his past five fights, which included a split-decision loss to Ishida in his most recent bout (DREAM.16). This past December he made his kickboxing debut and fought K-1 veteran Tetsuya Yamato to a draw.
FEG's most recent event was its traditional year-end offering, DREAM "Dynamite 2010!!" The promotion, however, has suffered well-documented financial struggles, and several fighters have in recent months come forward to complain they haven't been paid for recent fights.
DREAM officials plan for the May 29 event to serve as a fundraiser for the April earthquakes and tsunami that ravaged Japan.
Two bouts have been added to next month's "DREAM.17: Fight for Japan" event, officials today announced.
They include featherweights Joachim Hansen (21-10-1 MMA, 4-4 DREAM) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (20-6-1 MMA, 3-1 DREAM) and Caol Uno (27-14-5 MMA, 1-2 DREAM) vs. Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura (11-6-1 MMA, 1-2 DREAM).
The event takes place May 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
As previously announced, the event also features the opening round and semifinals of DREAM's Japan bantamweight grand prix. DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (27-5 MMA, 11-2 DREAM) and Katsunori Kikuno (14-3-2 MMA, 2-2 DREAM) also are expected to be in action, though their opponent haven't been determined.
As MMAjunkie.com reported, HDNet officials are "optimistic" they'll air the event in North America.
Hansen, a former DREAM lightweight champion, lost his belt to Aoki in late 2009 and then suffered a split-decision defeat to featherweight champ Bibiano Fernandes in his next bout. He then suffered a knockout loss to Hiroyuki Takaya that resulted in the first three-fight losing streak of his career. However, 31-year-old "Hellboy," a former Shooto champ, since has picked up back-to-back submission wins over Hideo Tokoro at DREAM.16 and Sami Aziz at Super Challenge 6.
Ishida, a former PRIDE fighter, has bounced back from an August 2009 Strikeforce interim-title loss to Gilbert Melendez with a pair of decisions victories over Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata (DREAM.15) and Akiyo Nishiura (DREAM.16). The two fights came at 145 pounds after having spent most of his career at lightweight.
Uno, meanwhile, recently made an unsuccessful drop to featherweight and suffered a decision loss to Kazuyuki Miyata at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2010." It's now part of a career-worse 0-4-1 skid that included a semifinal-round loss to Aoki in the 2008 DREAM lightweight grand prix and an unsuccessful (0-2-1) return to the UFC.
Nishiura has alternated between wins and losses over his past five fights, which included a split-decision loss to Ishida in his most recent bout (DREAM.16). This past December he made his kickboxing debut and fought K-1 veteran Tetsuya Yamato to a draw.
FEG's most recent event was its traditional year-end offering, DREAM "Dynamite 2010!!" The promotion, however, has suffered well-documented financial struggles, and several fighters have in recent months come forward to complain they haven't been paid for recent fights.
DREAM officials plan for the May 29 event to serve as a fundraiser for the April earthquakes and tsunami that ravaged Japan.
