Strikeforce tourney finalist Daniel Cormier confirms broken hand
(https:)Strikeforce grand-prix finalist Daniel Cormier, in fact, did break his right hand.
At this past weekend's "Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event, Cormier and Strikeforce officials determined he likely broke his hand in a Sept. 10 semifinal victory over Antonio "Giant" Silva.
Cormier confirmed the break on
"@dc_mmaDaniel Cormier
Just got done seeing Dr. Hand is broken will be on the shelf 4 a while. Still looking forward to finishing tourney. Thx 4 support. DC"
Mo Lawal on Strikeforce: "Seems like Dr. Kevorkian is waiting to pull the plug"
(mmajunkie.com)At this past weekend's poorly attended Strikeforce event, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal was one of the few to say it – even though most people were thinking it.
Strikeforce appears all but dead.
"I (had) thought Strikeforce was a cancer patient," he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "Man, it's a damn AIDS patient instead – with Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the background ready to pull the plug."
Lawal's criticism began even before the event, "Strikeforce Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov," which took place Saturday at Cincinanti's U.S. Bank Arena. Lawal (8-1 MMA, 3-1 SF) defeated fellow light heavyweight Roger Gracie (4-1 MMA, 2-1 SF) via first-round knockout on the Showtime-televised main card.
Despite learning the "stanky leg," Douglas Lima still eyeing Bellator gold
(mmajunkie.com)Highly touted prospect Douglas Lima (19-4 MMA, 1-0 BFC) recently advanced to the semifinals of Bellator's season-five welterweight tournament, but the win was anything but easy.
In fact, "The Phenom" was nearly ousted from the bracket in the opening round of his Bellator 49 bout with Steve Carl when a right hand clipped him behind the ear.
It was a lesson for Lima, who admitted the early blow affected his performance throughout the fight. However, he said he also learned a few valuable lessons along the way, including his new favorite dance move: the stanky leg.
Confirming rumours: Seth Baczynski vs. Clay Harvison official for UFC Fight Night 25
(mmajunkie.com)Seth Baczynski (13-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is now official as DaMarques Johnson's replacement and will face Clay Harvison (9-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at "UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou."
UFC brass today formally announced the new contest, which was previously reported by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou" takes place Sept. 17 at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The event's main card airs live on Spike TV.
Mark Bocek vs. Nik Lentz Planned for UFC 140 in Toronto
(bloodyelbow.com)An intriguing lightweight bout is in the works for UFC 140 in Toronto this December, according to the Canadian Press's sports editor, Neil Davidson, who tweeted that Toronto native, Mark Bocek, will face Nik Lentz on the December 10th card:
Mark Bocek to face Nik Lentz at UFC 140 in Toronto on Dec. 10.
Daniel Roberts out, Mike Stumpf in for TJ Waldburger this weekend in New Orleans
(mmabay.co.uk)A late change to this weekends UFC Fight Night 25 card has been revealed today as Cesar Gracie trained welterweight, Daniel Roberts has suffered an injury and has been replaced by promotional newcomer, Mike Stumpf in his fight with TJ Waldburger.
The news was confirmed to BJPenn.com earlier today but no reason was given for the injury.
Sorry it's not the best source in the world:
Chris Camozzi returns to octagon, meets Francis Carmont at UFC 137
(mmajunkie.com)"The Ultimate Fighter 11" cast member Chris Camozzi (15-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is getting another chance in the octagon.
UFC brass today announced Camozzi will return at UFC 137, where he'll meet UFC newcomer Francis Carmont (16-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
UFC 137 takes place Oct. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Camozzi vs. Carmont takes place on the evening's preliminary card.
Daniel Roberts out at UFC Fight Night 25, T.J. Waldburger awaits new foe
(mmajunkie.com)So it's not the biggest blow to the card but unfortunatley:
UFC officials today announced that Daniel "Ninja" Roberts (12-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has been injured and forced to withdraw from the preliminary card contest.
Features a welterweight main event between Jake Ellenberger and Jake Shields, UFC Fight Night 25 takes place Sept. 17 at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
The evening's main card airs on Spike TV.
Bellator's Ben Askren vs. Jay Hieron title fight could take place at Mizzou
(mmajunkie.com)Bellator officials are close to naming a date and venue for a season-five title fight between welterweight champion Ben Askren (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BFC) and recent tournament winner Jay Hieron (22-4 MMA, 3-0 BFC).
And if officials get their way, it'll take place on the campus of the University of Missouri, where Askren won two NCAA Division I national wrestling championships.
But as Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), there could be some hurdles.
Anderson Silva Likely Out Until Early 2012 With Shoulder Injury
(bloodyelbow.com)The news isn't exactly shocking, but it's still news - UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will likely not be returning to the cage in 2011. Silva fought Yushin Okami at UFC 134 with a shoulder injury, and he needs time to let it heal. MMA Fighting has the news:
Anderson Silva's injured shoulder will most likely keep him out until early 2012, Silva's manager Ed Soares informed MMA Fighting on Saturday night.
Silva injured his shoulder in training for his UFC 134 fight against Yushin Okami last month, which he won via second-round TKO. There was some fear within his camp that he would have to undergo surgery, but Soares said Silva will simply need rehab to heal it.
Strikeforce's Pat Healy not surprised by Maximo Blanco's illegal kicks
(mmajunkie.com)Pat Healy can't say he's really all that surprised.
Before the lightweight fighter took a late-notice booking against Maximo Blanco, he looked up his opponent's past bouts in Japan and noticed a disturbing trend: He often fought dirty.
Healy's bout with Blanco at Saturday's "Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event nearly ended early due to his opponent's illegal kicks. But Healy was determined to earn his victory the old-fashioned way.
Instead, Healy shook off the affects of nearly a dozen illegal kicks and stormed back for a second-round submission victory on the Showtime-televised main card at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena.
New Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold never doubted AKA's ability to sweep
(mmajunkie.com)Prior to claiming the Strikeforce middleweight title, Luke Rockhold made a bold prediction.
A few days after Brazilian fighters swept their American counterparts at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Rockhold told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he expected revenge.
In fact, he promised he and his American Kickboxing Academy teammates would sweep their Brazilian opponents at Saturday's "Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event. Following an AKA clean sweep, no one's doubting him now.
"I had confidence in my camp," Rockhold told MMAjunkie.com after Saturday's event at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena. "Everyone was just rising to the occasion. We were just pushing each other really hard through this camp.
"Yeah, AKA. Don't step on our turf."
Rockhold (8-1 MMA, 7-0 SF), of course, did his part by upsetting champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (14-3 MMA, 4-1 SF) via unanimous decision. The fighter, who's spent the majority of his career developing under the Strikeforce banner, fought in a featured bout on the night's Showtime-televised main card. While the media's cageside scoring ranged from 48-47 for Rockhold to MMAjunkie.com's 49-46 score for Souza, the judges saw it more clearly and awarded the new champ the victory, 50-45, 48-47 and 48-47.
Strikeforce grand-prix's conclusion determined by Daniel Cormier's hand recovery
(mmajunkie.com)What has five fingers and will determine the future of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix?
It's the hand that led Daniel Cormier to a semifinal-round victory – and the same one that could keep him out the finale.
Cormier, who entered Saturday's semifinals as an injury replacement for tourney favorite Alistair Overeem, picked up an impressive victory at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena. But it came at a cost.
In the night's Showtime-televised co-headliner, Cormier (9-0 MMA, 6-0 SF) blasted former EliteXC champ Antonio Silva (16-3 MMA, 3-2 SF) with a thunderous right hand early in the fight. Silva crashed to the mat and quickly regained his composure, but he was never the same fighter. And that proved to be a blessing for Cormier, who'd score additional knockdowns before a knockout stoppage late in the first round.
"I kind of hurt my hand on the very first right hand when he went down," said Cormier, who entered the night's post-fight press conference with his hand bandaged. "When he got up, I was like, 'How am I going to get through 15 minutes with my hand hurting like it was?' But I kept going. I kept throwing it."
After semifinal win, Strikeforce's Josh Barnett campaigns for shot at regular title
(mmajunkie.com)Alistair Overeem is gone from Strikeforce and part of the UFC, and his heavyweight title now sits vacant.
In the meantime, Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier will fight in early 2012 for a heavyweight-grand-prix championship belt.
But following his main-event victory over Sergei Kharitonov (18-5 MMA, 1-1 SF) at Saturday's "Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event, Barnett (31-5 MMA, 2-0 SF) publicly stated his case for the tourney winner getting the regular title.
Bellator 53 gets Saunders-Santos, Lozano-Lima welterweight-tourney semifinals
(mmajunkie.com)Four fighters remain alive and well in Bellator's season-five welterweight tournament following Saturday's Bellator 49 event, which took place at Caesar's Atlantic City in New Jersey and aired on MTV2.
Following the event, which kicked off the eight-man tournament, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the semifinal matchups with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
They are set for Saturday, Oct. 8, at Bellator 53.
Both the location and venue of Bellator 53 still have yet to be finalized.
Ben Saunders (11-3-2 MMA, 2-0 BFC) squares off against Luis Santos (50-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC) in one semifinal while across the bracket, Chris Lozano (9-1 MMA, 2-1 BFC) meets Douglas Lima (19-4 MMA, 1-0 BFC).
Bellator's Kurt Pellegrino on short retirement: "I fell in love with the sport again"
(mmajunkie.com)Did you miss him yet?
After a brief hiatus from MMA, 12-time UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino (16-6 MMA, 0-0 BFC) has announced his return to the sport. This time, however, he'll call Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney "boss."
The New Jersey native will make his promotional debut at Bellator 59 against Patricky Freire (9-2 MMA, 2-1 BFC). The event takes place Saturday, Nov. 26, at Caesar's Atlantic City in New Jersey.
The official announcement was made during Saturday's Bellator 49 broadcast on MTV2.
It's been just 103 days since Pellegrino announced his retirement to the world via his website.
Eric Schafer returns to UFC, meets Aaron Simpson at UFC 136
(mmajunkie.com)With Nick Catone (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) out of the fight due to injury, UFC veteran and jiu-jisu ace Eric "Red" Schafer (12-5-2 MMA, 3-4 UFC) is returning to the UFC.
Middleweight Aaron Simpson (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) recently announced Schafer as his new opponent.
Featuring a pair of title fights in the evening's headlining contests, UFC 136 takes place Oct. 8 at Houston's Toyota Center.
The evening's main card airs on pay-per-view. Simpson vs. Schafer takes place on the evening's preliminary card.
UFC officials have not formally announced the change...
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