MMA News Thread

[InfamousICON]

lol all the reports coming out is saying TJ Grant got a concussion during fucking BJJ practice. The fight is in 7 weeks, you telling me you can't fight 7 weeks after a concussion? and how the fuck does one get a concussion, especially one serious enough to pull out of a World Championship fight during BJJ practice?

I've never heard in my life a fighter pulling out of a fight for a concussion especially this far out and it magically happened that Pettis gets to step in and fight for the championship in his home town.

LOL

 

[CZAR]

Pettis has had nuthin but bad luck. He had been supposed to get a title shot. He either got put on back burner due to Edgar's rematch with Bendo. Then Nate got a shot first. Then he gets a shot with Aldo and then gets hurt. Pettis will beat both Aldo & Bendo and is easily the top contender and shouldve had a shot already. This is the best news Ive heard in a while. This is the first time I have been happy when someone got hurt and someone had to replace. This is the fight that everyone wants to see. Pettis is the only to beat Bendo. I think he will do it again. Lets go. Got Em!!

 

[B-Buzz]

oh dip, watch this shit everybody.

 

[RM211]

Great comebac

 

[RM211]

Anderson Silva plots revenge, defies 'clowning' critics: 'It should continue, it's pa

It took just days for Anderson Silva to change his mind. His legacy as a champion was not over. His immediate rejection of a rematch would not stick. He wanted a sequel with Chris Weidman, and there was no reason to wait.

So on Saturday, exactly one week after "the Spider" got caught in Weidman's web, the Brazilian legend signed a bout agreement for UFC 168 on Dec. 28. He is favored to win the rematch, at least according to oddsmakers, but most think he will need to fight more conservatively, to tone down his antics of bobbing, weaving and taunting. After all, it was in the immediate seconds after pretending he had been wobbled when Weidman stepped in and landed the game-changer.

But Silva? He doesn't want to hear any talk that he's gone too far.

"If Muhammad Ali came up saying I wasn’t humble, then I’d think if I was humble or not," he said in a Sunday interview on Brazil's Globo TV. "There was no lack of respect. I respect everybody. All the provocation, hands down... It should continue, it’s part of the show"

Still, he acknowledges that he made mistakes.

His longtime coach Cesario Bezerra, speaking in a separate interview with Globo, alluded to issues with focus that dated back to his time in training camp.

"He regrets it, lost his focus," Bezerra said. "He apologized, but it’s done. The important [thing] is that he has a chance to do it all over again. We lost three months. Anderson is complicated, there are too many things around him. We recently had a problem in the gym and I told him: ‘Anderson, your job is with the hands, legs. Don’t listen to those people, you’re not a Hollywood star. Don’t forget where you come from, things you’ve been through. You’re the UFC champion. You’re the star inside there, but here you need to be a simple man. That good and humble man. I don’t understand what’s happening to you.' I’m one of his oldest coaches here in Rio, so he listens to me. He answered me: ‘Do you think so, master?’ And I said: ‘Of course. It wasn’t nice. I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re letting success come to your head, losing humility.' He got upset when I said that, but he later recognized."

Bezerra said even in Silva's corner on fight night, his team tried to wake him up, "scolding" him on one occasion, but there was a sense that Silva knew exactly what he was doing, and that he would emerge victorious as he always had.

After he lost, though, he admitted that he struggled, and that he couldn't hit Weidman. At least part of the problem, in Bezerra's mind, is too many cooks in the kitchen; as many as 40 coaches for various things. That means too much information and not enough focus. But he said, that is how Silva likes it.

"Nobody likes to lose," Silva said. "I train four months to win. But you end [up] learning with your mistakes, and I learned the worst way possible. After everything that happened, we calm down and I realized I had something to question, even question Anderson Silva. I lost to myself, and that’s the worst loss. Losing by knockout shakes you, [it] will be in history, but will leave a lesson."

Silva also seemed annoyed by rumors of a fix, saying no true fan would ever suggest such a thing given his respect for the sport's fans and for Brazil. In December, he plans to show the win was just a harsh lesson. One day, the 38-year-old "Spider" will fight no more. But for now, he has designs on proving he is still the best.

Bezerra certainly thinks he'll prove that, guaranteeing "100 percent" that Silva will get the belt back, and that if his charge fights seriously, he'll finish Weidman inside of two rounds.

"Everybody has to retire, but it’s not my time yet," Silva said. "I’ll get a rematch. Chris gave me this opportunity and we’re fighting again. That’s another chance to overcome, reinvent myself as a person and athlete."

 

[RM211]

Erick Silva UFC negotiates x Dong Hyun Kim to the 9th of October in Brazil

The capixaba welterweight Erick Silva should return to the Octagon against the South Korean Dong Hyun Kim at UFC scheduled for October 9, in Brazil, in the city yet undefined. The duel is being negotiated by the Ultimate and should be implemented soon. The Combate.com found the information to sources close to the organization.
The news had reported firsthand an event that will be held in Brazil on October 9. Popular cities are Jaragua do Sul-SC and Barueri, SP, and this is the first fight of the revealed card.
At age 29, Erick has a record of 15 wins, three losses and a "no contest" (struggle without result). Walking to become the idol of Brazilian MMA, he has a quick submission win over American Jason High in Fortaleza, in early June.
Kim, meanwhile, has 31 years, and a record of 17 wins, two losses, one draw and one "no contest". The South Korean has two straight wins on the Brazilian Paulo Thiago, who is training partner Erick in XGym and Afghan Siyar Bahadurzada.

 

[RM211]

Cyprus asks bout with Belfort, but the TRT controversial quotes: 'not in Brazil'

No. 7 ranking in the UFC, the Cypriot Costa Philippou has a good series of five victories in the Octagon, and top sights toward the middleweight belt. And, for him, a good match for this moment would be the Brazilian Vitor Belfort. The detail is that, in a message on Twitter, polemical and he said he did not want to face the Rio in Brazil.

In an exchange of messages with journalist Ariel Helwani, who works with the UFC website and MMA Fighting , was quoted by the reporter a good fight for the future of Cyprus would rightly face Belfort. And he accepted the idea, on one condition.

"(Facing) Belfort sounds great to me. NOT in Brazil! # TRT". The hashtag refers to hormone replacement therapy that Brazilians do, due to hypogonadism.

Treatment is controversial and one of the reasons he fought Vitor Belfort in Brazil in his last fights is that some athletic commissions do not release the TRT for fighters who have been caught in doping - what happened to him in 2006.

Belfort victory comes with a nice kick on Luke Rockhold, UFC in Jaragua do Sul He was hoping to face Chris Weidman at the belt, but saw his chance to blow up the rematch against the new champion Anderson Silva in December.

Already Philippou comes in series of triumphs against Jorge Rivera (points), Jared Hamman (KO), Court McGee (points), Riki Fukuda (points) and Tim Boetsch (KO).

 

[RM211]

After working past 'lose-lose situation,' Bellator's Joe Riggs hitting stride

Once upon a time, Joe Riggs (39-14 MMA, 0-1 BFC) was MMA's version of a cautionary tale. But now, as a cast member of Bellator MMA's new reality show "Fight Master," the 30-year-old Riggs said he's primed for a second run to prominence.

"My ass kicking has just begun in my career," Riggs recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (MMA Radio, UFC Radio - MMAjunkie Radio*–*MMAjunkie.com). "I'm hitting my second stride."

Riggs already boasts nearly 11 years of professional MMA experience, but he's best known for an eight-fight UFC run followed by seven appearances under the Strikeforce banner. But in 2011, he dropped three-straight fights to Kendall Grove, Bryan Baker and Jordan Mein, leaving him at just 2-4 over a six-fight run that spanned 19 months.

At that point, Riggs returned to Arizona's regional stage, and it seemed his time in the spotlight was done.

Searching for answers, Riggs turned to John Crouch, head coach at Arizona's MMA Lab. Training alongside UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, big-show veterans Jamie Varner, John Moraga, Efrain Escudero and more, Riggs turned a corner.

"John Crouch, my coach, has changed everything," Riggs said.

The results have shown up in Riggs' recent outings, and he now boasts a five-fight win streak – the longest such run of his career over the past nine years.

Riggs success earned him a spot on Bellator's "Fight Master," and he was featured in this past week's third episode. Riggs was expected to fight Frank Carillo in an elimination contest, but he was ruled ineligible just before the fight by the governing athletic commission. Riggs was visibly distracted by the late switch, but he said the episode only showed part of what happened behind the scenes.

"I was supposed to fight Jacob McClintock in the first round," Riggs said. "He pulled out because he cut four pounds and said that was too much. Meanwhile, I cut 16 pounds, and he said he was too dehydrated to fight. Then the other guy (Carillo) faked an injury.

"It bothered me. It was the second time in four hours. You like to know your opponent. Everybody else had 24 hours to prepare for their opponent. I had a half an hour. It was a little bit different for me."

Ultimately, Bellator officials elected to allow Rob Mills, who was eliminated in earlier episode but sustained little damage, back into the tournament to face Riggs. "Diesel" admits he wasn't exactly thrilled with the position in which that left him.

"It was a lose-lose situation," Riggs said. "If you beat him, you're supposed to beat him because he already lost. But if you lose, you're like a f---ing turd."

Fortunately for Riggs, he was able to work past the distractions and score a first-round submission win, earning himself a spot in the "Fight Master" house and working one step closer toward a $100,000 grand prize.

While taping for the reality competition series is complete, Riggs is not at liberty to discuss how far he advances on the Spike TV-broadcast show. Yet he can at least talk about his own career and where he believes it's heading. As a man who knows what it's like to fight at the top, Riggs believes he's well on his way to residing there again.

"I'm feeling great," Riggs said. "I'm literally five times the fighter I was back then. I was nothing back then compared to what I am right now."

 

[RM211]

Jens Pulver vs. Sami Aziz headlines November's Superior Challenge 9 in Sweden

MMA legend Jen Pulver (27-18-1) returns to action in November, when he meets Swedish veteran Sami Aziz (5-3-1) in the headlining bout of Superior Challenge 9.

Superior Challenge officials recently announced the booking, which takes place Nov. 23 in Aziz's hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. The contest serves as Aziz's retirement bout.

"Both of these guys have hands like sledgehammers, so it will probably be an explosion when they meet," Superior Challenge exec Babak Aghavali stated. "Style-wise, it's an incredibly interesting matchup. Both Sami and Jens have wrestling backgrounds and great boxing skills. Jens has his iron fists and tremendous experience, and it's an honor to have him fighting at Superior Challenge."

Additional bouts for the event are expected to be announced soon.

Pulver is a 14-year MMA veteran and was the UFC's first-ever lightweight champion, earning the bely with a 2001 win over Caol Uno. He would go on to defend the belt twice with wins over Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn before ultimately leaving the promotion in search of other opportunities. He would later return to the UFC and its sister promotion, the WEC, after stints with PRIDE and the International Fight League.

The 38-year-old Pulver battled through a six-fight losing streak between 2008 and 2010 but soldiered on and has since gone 5-4 in nine appearances.

Meanwhile, Aziz has represented his home nation in both wrestling and boxing competitions. Now 40 years old, Aziz started his career in 2005 and went 5-0-1 in his first six officials contests. He's since lost three-straight fights, including an October 2010 submission defeat at the the hands of Joachim Hansen, as well as a 2009 bout under the Bellator MMA banner.

 

[RM211]

Michael Bisping's manager: Rumor about sparring knockout 'complete bollocks'

There's a rumor going around that UFC middleweight Michael Bisping was knocked out in a recent sparring session. It's not so much a rumor as it is "complete bollocks," as the fighter's manager put it.

Bisping, the rumor goes, recently visited Wild Card Boxing Club, which is Freddie Roach's famed Los Angeles gym that's home to both boxers and the occasional MMA fighter. After allegedly disrespecting a sparring partner, a coach sent in a "professional boxer," who promptly knocked out Bisping.

The problem, according to manager Audie Attar, is that there's no truth to the rumor. In fact, he said Bisping hasn't been to the gym since 2012.

"I'll use a British word: That's complete bollocks," Attar today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (MMA Radio, UFC Radio - MMAjunkie Radio*–*MMAjunkie.com). "It's rubbish. It's rubbish. And it's really something that pissed Mike off. It really did because, hey, he's gotten knocked in a fight, but in sparring, he's never been knocked out.

"He's been to Wild Card one time, and that was more than a year ago. So it was really disturbing. We're seeing another tweet, and they're saying everything they post is the truth, so now we need to kind of step it and go to the next level. … When you print false words about someone and the person tells you it's not true, you need to either prove it's not true or deal with the consequences."

The rumor originated in MiddleEasy.com's Sunday Morning Rumor Mill earlier this week. The website owners are standing by the claim.

"Folks, if this wasn't from a reliable source then we would have never placed it in our SMRM," they wrote today. "... We know the source of our rumor is a strong one, and we just can't imagine a scenario in which this person would fabricate anything."

Bisping took the denial a step further and today posted a video.

"Whoever's saying I got knocked out recently in sparring is full of s---," he said. "I've never been knocked out sparring in my life."

Bisping then directed a raspberry and middle finger at the website.

Attar, meanwhile, is playing it a bit more cool.

"At the end of the day, they're going to do what they do, and we're going to do what we do," he said. "Hopefully we can resolve this matter and move on in an amicable way, but if not, I guess that's what it is, right?"

In the meantime, Bisping is preparing for his upcoming bout. Although not official, as MMAjunkie.com first reported, Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) is expected to fight Mark Munoz (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) on Oct. 26 at Manchester Arena in England.

 

[RM211]

John Howard replaces Josh Samman, faces Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 26

Seven-time UFC veteran John Howard (20-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC) returns to the octagon for the first time in two years at next month's UFC Fight Night 26 event to face "The Ultimate Fighter 17" finalist Uriah Hall (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

Howard replaces Josh Samman, who himself has replaced Hall's originally scheduled opponent, Nick Ring.

Howard and Hall now meet in a middleweight bout on the FOX Sports 1-televised portion of next month's "UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen" event, which takes place Aug. 17 at Boston's TD Garden.

The new booking was first reported by the Boston Herald, and UFC officials subsequently confirmed the change.

The Boston-based Howard, who competed as a welterweight during his first promotional run, made his UFC debut in 2009 and went unbeaten in his first four fights by registering wins over Daniel Roberts, Dennis Hallman, Tamdan McCrory and Chris Wilson. However, he then dropped consecutive fights to Matt Brown, Thiago Alves and Jake Ellenberger and was released from the promotion.

Since that time, he's gone 6-1 in s seven-fight run, with five of the wins coming by knockout.

Hall was a heavy favorite on "TUF 17," but in the tournament finals against Gastelum, he appeared off his game compared to some of the destructive finishes he had in the "TUF" house and Gastelum won a split decision. The former Ring of Combat fighter will be looking for his first official UFC victory.

 

[InfamousICON]

Josh Samman is probably ducking Hall lol dude was ducking him hard on TUF, even asked Dana White for the Kelvin fight instead of fighting Hall.

 

[RM211]

was lookin forward to that fight!

 

[InfamousICON]

and people say Dana White don't treat fighters well, dude took Conor McGregor out partying in Vegas in his Farrari for Conor's birthday lol



Dana seems like a dope boss, taking a prospect with only 1 fight out partying in Vegas.

 

[B-Buzz]

yeah but the flipside of that is if Halloway lands a rib roaster on Conor and gets a (t)ko he'll be getting the same ride while Conor is sitting around waiting for the next UK card

 

[InfamousICON]

lol damn look at the cut Semtex opened up on this dude on Saturday night, dude looks like he took an axe to the skull.

 

[RM211]

damn, thats ugly...if only paul was more disciplined in his career, the ufc might've gave him another shot. dude has all the talent in the world

 

[RM211]

Paulo Thiago forced out of UFC Fight Night 27, Kelvin Gastelum awaits new foe

Brazilian grappling specialist Paulo Thiago (15-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) has been forced out of a planned UFC Fight Night 27 contest with "The Ultimate Fighter 17" winner Kelvin Gastelum (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

Combate.com first reported the withdrawal, pinning the decision on a knee injury suffered this past week. UFC officials are now seeking a replacement opponent for Gastelum.

Featuring a headlining contest between Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann, UFC Fight Night 27 takes place at Aug. 28 at Indianapolis' Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The evening's main card airs on FOX Sports 1 following preliminary bouts that air on FOX Sports 2 and stream on Facebook.

Picked last on "TUF 17," Gastelum outwrestled and outworked four straight middleweight opponents to earn a spot in the tournament final at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. There, he pulled off a major upset by outpointing show favorite Urijah Hall to win the reality show.

Prior to "TUF," he racked up five straight wins with no losses on the regional circuit.

Thiago, meanwhile, saved his job with the UFC when he outpointed Michel Prazeres at UFC on FX 8. Prior to that, he went 1-4 in the promotion. To date, his most significant accomplishments are a pair of wins over American Kickboxing Academy fighters Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick.

A timetable for Thiago's return wasn't immediately established.

 

[RM211]

Tim Boetsch vs. Luke Rockhold slated for UFC 166 in Houston

A middleweight bout between Tim Boetsch (16-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) and Luke Rockhold (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is the latest addition to October's quickly filling UFC 166 lineup.

UFC officials confirmed the bout with ESPN.com.

UFC 166 takes place Oct. 19 at Houston's Toyota Center. The main card, which features a heavyweight title fight and rubber match between champ Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos, airs on pay-per-view following preliminary-card bouts on FOX Sports 1 and Facebook.

It's not clear if Boetsch vs. Rockhold will be part of the main card.

Rockhold is ranked No. 6 and Boetsch is No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA middleweight rankings.

Boetsch, who had entered the title picture following four consecutive UFC wins in 2012, now finds himself in a must-win situation. The 32-year-old is stuck in a two-fight skid that includes a TKO loss to Constantinos Philippou and a recent decision loss to Mark Munoz. Prior to the setbacks, the former college wrestler was on an 8-1 run that included wins over notables such as Yushin Okami and Hector Lombard.

Rockhold, meanwhile, recently made his UFC debut following a title run in the since-shuttered Strikeforce promotion. However, in May's UFC on FX 8 headliner, he suffered a spinning-back-kick knockout loss to Vitor Belfort. The defeat snapped a nine-fight win streak that included victories over the likes of Ronaldo Souza, Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy.

The latest UFC 166 card includes:
Champ Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos - for heavyweight title
Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson
Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt
Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez
Tim Boetsch vs. Luke Rockhold
Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio

 

[RM211]

Sylvester Stallone announces Ronda Rousey role in 'The Expendables 3'

Ronda Rousey signed with the William Morris Endeavor talent agency earlier this year, and now she has her first major movie role.

The UFC's women's bantamweight champion has landed a role in the upcoming "Expendables 3" action flick. Screenplay writer and star Sylvester Stallone announced the news late Tuesday on his official Twitter account.

Rousey (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is coming off yet another first-round armbar victory. She stopped Liz Carmouche in February in the main event of UFC 157, the first women's fight in UFC history. She currently is taping Season 18 of "The Ultimate Fighter," which she'll coach opposite her fiercest rival, Miesha Tate. The two then will meet in a rematch for Rousey's title at UFC 168 in December in Las Vegas.

It is unknown when Rousey's work on "Expendables 3" will begin or how extensive a role she will have in the film, which also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jackie Chan, Dolph Lundgren, Steven Seagal and former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture – essentially a who's who of Hollywood action stars.

The film currently is in pre-production and, according to the Internet Movie Database, has an expected release date of Aug. 15, 2014.

Rousey will not be the first UFC fighter to venture into movies, of course. Perhaps most famously – or infamously – UFC light heavyweight Quinton Jackson got a major role as B.A. Barracus in "The A-Team." And because of his commitments to the film, "Rampage" had to delay a planned main event at UFC 107 in his home city of Memphis.

That left UFC President Dana White perturbed, and since then he frequently has questioned whether it's wise for his fighters to pass up the money they make fighting for the money they make in the movies – which he argues doesn't compare to their regular jobs.

Earlier this year, not long after she beat Carmouche, Rousey was rumored to be up for a spot in "The Hunger Games" sequel due out later this year starring Best Actress Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence.

"You know how I feel about the movie stuff," White told FUEL TV's "UFC Tonight" earlier this year. "The hard part is, even like the 'Rampage' thing – when 'Rampage' did the movie, it was Rampage's dream to be a part of 'The A-Team' and everything else. I don't want to take away any opportunities away from Ronda, but at the same time, the thing that you have to keep in perspective is that her window of opportunity as a professional athlete is (small). She could make a zillion movies when this sport's over. And where she's really going to make the money is here fighting. I don't care if she's the lead role in ‘The Hunger Games 2,' she would not make anywhere near, and I mean not even in the universe, to the money she makes fighting."

Rousey has been arguably the most marketable fighter in the UFC since her arrival from Strikeforce. She's been on the cover of ESPN Magazine's "Body Issue," UFC 360 magazine's cover, co-hosted "TMZ," been written up in Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated, been on with Conan O'Brien and had her own behind-the-scenes special on Showtime.

A movie role would just add to her constantly expanding resume. The first "Expendables" movie made more than $100 million at the box office when it was released in August 2010. In August 2012, "The Expendables 2" fell a little short of the original's mark, making just north of $85 million around the world.