Strikeforce Challengers 19 targeted for Sept. 23rd in Las Vegas
(mmajunkie.com)The next installment of Strikeforce's "Challengers Series" events is expected to take place Sept. 23 in Las Vegas.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned that Strikeforce executives have tentatively reserved that date at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort for the 19th edition of the prospect-focused event series.
An official announcement from the promotion is expected shortly.
UFC President Dana White: We Always Planned to Come Back to Denver
(mmaweekly.com)The Ultimate Fighting Championship began in Denver nearly 20 years ago, but the promotion hasn’t operated a pay-per-view event in the Mile High City since “The Ultimate Ultimate” in 1995. Zuffa, the UFC’s parent company, wasn’t even the owner back then.
UFC president Dana White, in an exclusive interview with MMAWeekly.com, says that the company he is part owner of, alongside Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, has long been on a course to return to Denver, but they wanted to do it the right way.
Article includes video of Dana talking of the return to Denver.
UFC veterans Sean McCorkle and Efrain Escudero win at Championship Fighting Alliance 2 on July 23
(mmamania.com)Championship Fighting Alliance (CFA) 2 took place last night (July 23, 2011) from the U.S. Century Bank Arena in Miami, Florida.
The 12-fight card featured a couple of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veterans in action, as Sean McCorkle headlined the show in his first appearance since his dismissal from the world's largest fight promotion earlier this year.
"Big Sexy" took on extremely late replacement Cameron Befort and dominated the superheavyweight contest, knocking Befort down before locking in a kimura and earning himself a rather easy first-round submission win.
Strikeforce prospect Ovince St. Preux: I just think it's my time
(mmajunkie.com)Fewer than two years ago, Strikeforce light heavyweight Ovince St. Preux (11-4 MMA, 5-0 SF) was an unknown commodity with a losing record looking to rebound from back-to-back defeats.
Now, he's one of the brightest young stars in the promotion and has openly challenged the likes of former Strikeforce champions Gegard Mousasi and Renato "Bablu" Sobral.
Following his eighth consecutive victory, the 28-year-old former collegiate linebacker said he remembers the moment things turned around.
Rampage irritated with everyone trying to wrestle him. Wants someone who will "come to fight"
(mmamania.com)Both sides of this issue are very understandable... Rampage wants someone to let him throw his hands because he sees this as a chance to entertain fans and have some fun, but if I was in a cage with that mad man I would try to hold him down for as long as I can.. anything to keep those cinderblocks he calls hands away from me.
"Jackson is also quite adamant that he feels Jones will execute the same game plan Evans had. He's already attempting to avoid that by engaging in a bit of psychological warfare in challenging "Bones'" manhood if he does, in fact, make it wrestlemania in Denver on Sept. 24 at UFC 135."
Strikeforce boss says promotion seeking options to broadcast preliminary fights
(mmajunkie.com)For as many entertaining scraps as Strikeforce broadcast in its pre-Zuffa era, fans of the sport always had one complaint: Where are the preliminary card fights?
Perhaps spoiled by the UFC's recent strategy of utilizing varying combinations Spike TV, ION Television, Facebook and UFC.com to air entire fight cards, MMA fans wanted to know why Strikeforce wasn't doing the same.
Now that the promotion is under the same ownership umbrella as the UFC, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said things may be changing.
Dana White, Frank Shamrock and Mike Swick Engage In Twitter War
(bloodyelbow.com)Tonight people were either watching Strikeforce Challengers on Showtime or Legacy Fights on HDNet. The best fight however is taking place right now on Twitter between Dana White and Frank Shamrock. It all started with a simple tweet to Frank Shamrock where a fan asked him if there was a single fight that could bring him out of retirement. Shamrock's response kicked it off...
John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss set for UFC 138 in England
(mmajunkie.com)German UFC prospect Pascal Krauss (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will put his unblemished mark on the line against the once-beaten John Hathaway (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at UFC 138.
Hathaway on Friday broke news of the matchup via his official Twitter account, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed that verbal agreements are in place.
UFC 138 takes place Nov. 5 at the 16,000-seat LG Arena at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
UFC 133: Rich Franklin turned down a fight against Alexander Gustafsson
(mmamania.com)
When Rich Franklin was taken off the UFC 133 fight card, it was widely believed the promotion was unable to find him a suitable replacement for the injured Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on the Aug. 6 pay-per-view (PPV) in Philadelphia.
Turns out he had a suitable replacement, he just didn't want to fight him, because he wasn't a "top name guy."
Ready to step in was Alexander Gustafsson, the 24-year-old prospect out of Alliance and Gladius MMA who's lost just once in his budding professional career. That defeat came at the hands of fellow rising contender Phil Davis back at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, a second round submission (anaconda choke).
UFC Signs Pennsylvania-based featherweight, Jim "The Kid" Hettes
(bloodyelbow.com)The UFC has signed undefeated Pennsylvania-based featherweight, Jim "The Kid" Hettes (8-0), to a contract according to his hometown newspaper, The Citizen's Voice.
The 24 year-old is a BJJ and judo specialist and has finished all eight of his opponents by submission, with six of those submissions happening in the first round.
CCSC finding supports ref in Couture bout
(mixedmartialarts.com)Judging and refereeing in MMA have recently come under heavy criticism due to a series of questionable actions in high profile matches.
on July 8 at AX Combat 1 on July 8 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada a fight between Kim Couture and Sheila Bird hit the mat, and Bird secured a head scissor on her opponent. As can be seen in the video below (1:50 mark), Couture's entire body went visbily limp, and several long seconds passed before the ref ended the bout. Further, the ref ended it not by tapping the winning competitor or physically pulling the legs apart, but by waving his hands overhead.
Couture quiickly recovered, suffered no damage from the choke, and publicly stated she had no problem with the officiating.
Lashley scratched from Titan FC 19; French vs. Krause, Evinger vs. McMann headline
(mmajunkie.com)Former professional wrestling superstar Bobby Lashley (6-1) has been forced to withdraw from next week's Titan Fighting Championship 19 event due to personal reasons.
Titan Fighting Championship officials on Friday morning announced the heavyweight's removal from the card, simultaneously promoting a 160-pound catchweight fight between Clay French (18-6) and James Krause (12-3) to the evening's main event.
A female scrap between Tonya Evinger (8-5) and Olympic wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann (2-0).
Lashley is now expected to return to action at Titan Fighting Championship 20, which takes place Aug. 26.
British Association of Mixed Martial Arts signs top free-agent Nate Marquardt
(mmajunkie.com)Nate Marqaurdt (31-10-2) is heading across the Pond.
British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) officials today announced a multi-fight contract with the former UFC contender and King of Pancrase.
"As soon as we received word that the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission lifted Marquardt's suspension, we jumped at the chance to sign him," BAMMA exec Liam Fisher stated. "He is a top-ranked contender and an asset to any promotion. Words cannot express how excited we are that Marquardt is now fighting under the BAMMA banner."
Dominick Cruz vs Demetrious Johnson title fight set for free TV at UFC on Versus 6
(mmamania.com)Good news, fight fans.
The UFC will offer a title fight on free television for the first time since Sept. 2007 when Quinton Jackson defended his light heavyweight title against Dan Henderson at UFC 75 on Spike TV.
This time it will be Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz putting his strap on the line against Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Versus 6, which is set for Oct. 1 in Washington D.C.
NBCSports.com brought word of the pending match-up a short time ago.
Jon Fitch Speaks His Mind: 'I'm Irritated' (Also goes off on Nick Diaz)
(bloodyelbow.com)UFC welterweight Jon Fitch is normally pretty calm and doesn't talk a lot of trash, but he recently did an interview with MMACanada.net where he doesn't hold back at all. He discusses why he didn't get the fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 137, then goes on to trash Nick Diaz and explain that he's sick of being passed over. It's quite possibly the best Jon Fitch interview I've ever seen. He starts with the Penn situation:
"Well, you know...BJ's healthy and I'm not. They wanted to get him active and be active, because he kinda has a lot of buzz on him right now, and they can't schedule me a fight, being injured. I know they won't sign me until I get cleared by the doctor, which is gonna be August 9th, I mean August 16th. So I'm kinda in no man's land. I tried to save the fight and I tried to wedge myself in there and make sure I didn't get skipped over, because I was injured and I didn't want to get forgotten about. You know, through twitter.
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