Attonito vs. Patrick slotted for UFC 140 in Toronto
(mmajunkie.com)Welterweights Rory MacDonald vs. Brian Ebersole and Rich Attonito vs. Claude Patrick have been added to December's UFC 140 lineup.
UFC officials today announced that verbal agreements are in place for the fights.
UFC 140 takes place Dec. 10 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view, though it's not clear if either fight will be part of the broadcast.
‘Kid’ Yamamoto Draws UFC Newcomer Uyenoyama for UFC on Fox
(sherdog.com)Bantamweight slugger Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto will make his sophomore trip to the Octagon against another veteran of the Japanese ring, Darren Uyenoyama, on the UFC’s Nov. 12 card.
UFC officials announced Tuesday that Yamamoto (Pictured) and Uyenoyama have agreed to square off at UFC on Fox 1, which takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Alistair Overeem Contract Details Emerge
(bloodyelbow.com)What's sort of getting lost in the news that Brock Lesnar will fight Alistair Overeem on December 30 is the fact that Overeem is now officially signed with the UFC. This coming a day after he denied a report from Swedish MMA site MMAnytt.se stating that he was on a plane to Vegas in order to sign his contract.
ESPN's Brett Okamoto has been tweeting details about Overeem's contract with the UFC:
Per my talks with Overeem and Lorenzo: #UFC offered title fight against Cain/JDS winner. Overeem didn't want to wait that long.
UFC 141 odds: Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem open dead even at -115
(mmajunkie.com)For now, a fight between former UFC champion Brock Lesnar and ex-Strikeforce titleholder Alistair Overeem is a toss-up.
Noted MMA oddsmaker Joey Oddessa today told MMAjunkie.com that he's opened the fight, which headlines a Dec. 30 event that's expected to be UFC 141, with both fighters at -115.
"It doesn't get much easier than this," Oddessa said.
Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson in the works for UFC on FOX 1
(mmajunkie.com)Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar aren't the only ones booking fights today.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed with sources close to the event that Ben Henderson (14-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Clay Guida (29-11 MMA, 9-5 UFC) have verbally agreed to fight at UFC on FOX 1, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.
Nick Diaz still not playing the game, no shows press conference
(mixedmartialarts.com)In April Dana offered the opion that Nick Diaz could be making big money, could be fighting GSP, if only he would play the game.
“When I listen to Nick Diaz talk, you know, this kid’s talented, he’s well-rounded, I like his attitude and the way that he carries himself…to a point.
"He always crosses the line every time he gets out there and talks publicly and…he can be such a big star. This kid could be a big star if he would just calm down a little bit and not so be so angry with everybody."
"Nick has this talent and he talks about the big money and all the other things. He can make this big money. He can do that. He can be that guy. He could fight GSP. He could have all these opportunities. He’s got to tone it down a little bit, you know, and I don’t think that many people out there would disagree with me.
"I’m not asking Nick Diaz not to be Nick Diaz. I like Nick Diaz. I like the way he is and it’s part of the appeal of him, you know. But you gotta tone it down just a little bit…if we could get Nick to a point where he doesn’t cross the line and he doesn’t get so crazy all the time, he could be a big star. People like him. And people dislike him, too. That’s not a bad thing.”
Now Diaz is fighting GSP, but he is still apparently not playing the game, as reported by the Winnipeg Free Press.
Did "Bang" Ludwig score UFC's fastest knockout? NSAC seeks legal opinion
(mmajunkie.com)The Nevada State Athletic Commission is sympathetic to Duane "Bang" Ludwig's claim to the UFC record for fastest knockout.
And it's currently looking into what can be done.
NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer today contacted the Nevada Attorney General's Office to see if there's a legal basis for changing the result of Ludwig's 11-second knockout of Jonathan Goulet, which took place in January 2006 at UFC Fight Night 3 (and by all indications ended around the four- or five-second mark).
Velasquez Spent Time On Shelf Wisely
(proxy.espn.go.com)He didn’t spend the past year focused solely on rehabbing his right shoulder; Velasquez also used the time to improve his overall skills. He feels he's spent his time wisely but taking every aspect of his game to a higher level.
Dos Santos will face a much more refined heavyweight champion on Nov. 12 than the one he saw wrest the title away from Lesnar. Two key areas that Velasquez felt needed improvement -- his footwork and head movement -- are now up to speed with his wrestling acumen. He's even added a few wrinkles to his ground game.
“I’ve gotten a lot better, just from the time off, from a technical standpoint,” Velasquez said. “I’m happy I used the time off wisely, and everything healed up.
“There aren’t a lot of guys who can say that with time off they’ve gotten better. But my technique and understanding of the entire MMA game has gotten better and I’m happy for that.”
Dan Henderson Wants Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson Winner in Unification Bout
(bloodyelbow.com)"I think the biggest fight that the UFC would make money on and the fans would want to see, I would think, would be me against the winner of Jones and Rampage. That would be a fight to unify the titles with Strikeforce and UFC, I think that would be a good move. ... I'm not opposed to (fighting Shogun) but I think it wouldn't be a fight that I would be excited about right now. I think maybe if he's got one more big win on him."
Me thinks Rashad might have a problem with this.....
UFC's Ross Pearson hints at possible drop to featherweight division
(mmajunkie.com)Ross Pearson is considering a move to the featherweight division.
The British fighter, who won "The Ultimate Fighter 9" as a lightweight, won four of his first five UFC fights.
However, following a recent split-decision defeat to Edson Barboza at UFC 134, the 26-year-old stated that he's considering a move from 155 to 145 pounds.
UFC Returns to Japan in February 2012
(sherdog.com)
While a November timeframe was announced for card finalization, all of the Japanese fighters currently on Zuffa roster -- presently, Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Norifumi Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki, Michihiro Omigawa, Takanori Gomi, Riki Fukuda, and Takeya Mizugaki -- were mentioned as likely participants for the event. The UFC will also be aiming for the heart of major-scale MMA in the country by staging the event at the Saitama Super Arena, frequent home to Dream and the defunct Pride Fighting Championships, which will be scaled to accommodate 20,000 seats.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral Talks Strikeforce, Retirement
(bloodyelbow.com)Renato "Babalu" Sobral has been an MMA fighter for 14 years now, and thinks his time in the cage/ring might be coming to an end soon. He still wants to fight again though, and is just waiting for Strikeforce to book him. He spoke to Tatame about his next bout, and how retirement is creeping up:
"I’m just waiting this event of the 10th goes by so that I know when I’ll fight again", tells, explaining how he’s spending his days with no scheduled bouts. "Meanwhile, I’m helping Rafael (Cordeiro) on the trainings, I have my gym, Gracie Barra Cerritos, where I train my student, I have my family… I have a big group of kids I like to teach".
With Koscheck seal of approval, Strikeforce's "King Mo" goes after Roger Gracie
(mmajunkie.com)Sometimes support comes from the unlikeliest of places.
A world traveler in search of deeper MMA knowledge, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has taken residence with American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. It's not Thunderdome in there, but you certainly have to prove yourself. On sparring day, there are few friends.
That's why Lawal was shocked, quite frankly, to hear Josh Koscheck give praise to his efforts as he prepares to meet Roger Gracie at "Strikeforce Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov."
Broken hand forces Diego Sanchez out of UFC 135
(mmajunkie.com)Diego Sanchez (23-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) has been forced to withdraw from a planned UFC 135 co-headlining matchup with Matt Hughes (45-8 MMA, 18-6 UFC).
UFC president Dana White today announced the move via Twitter.
"Diego Sanchez broke his hand," White wrote. "Looking for a replacement for Hughes."
UFC 135 takes place Sept. 24 at Denver's Pepsi Center. A title fight between light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson headlines the pay-per-view main card.
What Chael Sonnen REALLY Thinks About Anderson Silva
(fightofthenight.com)Despite his recent, well-publicized troubles, which have included being suspended for steriods and receiving a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to money laundering charges, ESPN have seen fit to place him alongside host Jon Anik for the past two weeks running.
Sonnen has seized the moment, almost entirely dispensing with his standard UFC persona in favor of something far more professional, sincere, and, dare we say, truthful?
“The bottom line – Anderson Silva did an awesome job,” Sonnen said in his assessment of ‘The Spider’s’ performance at UFC 134 in Rio last weekend. “He continues with his dominance. He’s such a good striker. And what he’s really good at is keeping guys at range and having guys fight his fight, and he showed it again.”
Jon Anik then tested just how much he could get Sonnen to admit on national TV by asking him if his rival was the best in the business.
“I’m not ready to say he’s the best ever,” Sonnen said before conceding, “but he’s certainly special.”
There were flashes of the “old” Chael though, such as when he was asked who Silva can beat.
“For me personally it comes down to this – if you want the job done right, apparently I’m going to have to go out and do it myself.”
i also enjoyed his analysis of Anderson mocking opponents....
“When he drops his hands and mocks you, that’s when he’s getting ready – that’s his set-up. So you gotta make him restart. Either take a couple steps backwards [and] make him come to you, or charge him, but you’ve gotta reset him. That’s when he’s starting to get his footwork down.”
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