Dan Hardy in no hurry to return to UFC, will consider all options in and out of the cage
(mmajunkie.com)In the main event of Sunday's UFC on Versus 5 card, British slugger Dan Hardy finally got the fight for which he had long pined.
And yet somehow, even though fellow scrapper Chris Lytle stood in front of him for a little more than 14 minutes, Hardy still came up short.
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta put an end to all speculation by tweeting post-fight that Hardy will get at least one more fight in the octagon. But "The Outlaw" isn't quite sure when he'll take the UFC co-owner up on the offer.
Renowned Trainer Shawn Tompkins passes away at 37
(mmajunkie.com)Sources: Renowned MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins dead at 37
by Steven Marrocco on Aug 14, 2011 at 8:44 pm ET
A fighter close to Shawn Tompkins says the renowned trainer passed away this morning.
Veteran lightweight John Gunderson today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Tompkins "didn't wake up," but he was still unclear on the details surrounding his passing.
Longtime friend and confidant Chris Horodecki said the trainer was in Canada and had spoken to him yesterday but was unaware of the bad news when contacted today.
Additional sources ultimately confirmed the trainer's death with MMAjunkie.com.
Tompkins first emerged on the national MMA scene as a coach in the now-defunct International Fight League. He was first an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Anacondas and was later promoted to head coach after MMA legend Bas Rutten stepped down from the role to assume a commentator position. He later split with the company.
Tompkins then migrated to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and served as a coach there before splitting with the gym and joining the TapouT Training Facility.
The coach, who also competed professionally for a handful of fights a decade ago, nurtured the careers of several notable fighters in his career, including Gunderson, Horodecki, Sam Stout and Mark Hominick. Tompkins, who frequently appeared on MMAjunkie.com Radio, was 37.
Check back with MMAjunkie.com for an update on this unfortunate news.
UFC on Versus 5 main-event winner gets new Harley motorcycle
(mmajunkie.com)The winner of tonight's UFC on Versus 5 main event will leave Milwaukee with more than just a victory and win bonus.
UFC officials today announced that either Chris Lytle or opponent Dan Hardy also will receive a 2012 Harley-Davidson Blackline motorcycle.
In the buildup to tonight's UFC on Versus 5 event, the UFC teamed up with Milwaukee's Harley-Davidson Museum to host pre-event festivities.
Report: Lyoto Machida vs Phil Davis fight possibly in the works
(mmamania.com)When Phil Davis went down with an injury just weeks before UFC 133, Lyoto Machida was initially tapped to replace him against Rashad Evans.
Then "The Dragon" decided he wanted "Anderson Silva money" and freshly minted company man Tito Ortiz stepped in to save the day. That left both Machida and Davis out in the cold with no dance partners.
Chris Lytle set to retire after UFC on Versus 5 main event
(mmajunkie.com)MILWAUKEE – Perhaps there's a reason UFC welterweight Chris Lytle said he's willing to stand and trade with British slugger Dan Hardy.
Apparently, it doesn't really matter where a win or loss puts him in the UFC's 170-pound division.
Lytle on Saturday informed his employers that Sunday's UFC on Versus 5 contest would be his last in the octagon
UFC on Versus 5 official weigh-in results
(mmajunkie.com)
MAIN CARD (Versus)
•Dan Hardy (170)* vs. Chris Lytle (170.5)
•Ben Henderson (156) vs. Jim Miller (155.5)
•Donald Cerrone (156) vs. Charles Oliveira (155)
•Duane Ludwig (170.5) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
•C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Jared Hamman (185)
•Joseph Benavidez (135.5) vs. Eddie Wineland (136)
•Ed Herman (186) vs. Kyle Noke (185)
•Ronny Markes (205) vs. Karlos Vemola (205.5)
•Alex Caceres (146) vs. Jim Hettes (145.5)
•Cole Miller (155) vs. T.J. O'Brien (155.5)
•Danny Castillo (156) vs. Jacob Volkmann (156)
•Edwin Figueroa (136) vs. Jason Reinhardt (135)
* - Missed weight on first attempt (171.5 pounds); made weight on second attempt
Kimbo Slice: 17 Second KO in Boxing Debut
(mmafighting.com)Kimbo Slice, the former street fighter turned MMA fighter who has been out of the fight game since the UFC cut him 15 months ago, stepped into the ring for his first professional boxing match on Saturday night. It went about as well as he could have hoped.
According to multiple accounts of the bout posted on Twitter, Kimbo knocked out his opponent, a man named James Wade, in just 17 seconds.
Zhang Tie Quan vs. Darren Elkins at UFC 136
(bloodyelbow.com)According to his coach from China Top Team, Chinese superstar, Zhang Tie Quan will be making his return to the Octagon against Darren Elkins this October. Tatame has the report:
Another fight is coming up to UFC 136 card. The event, headlined by two title fights (lightweights Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard and featherweights Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian), will mark the return of Zhang Tiequan to the octagon.
His coach at China Top Team, Ruy Menezes told TATAME that his protégé is set to fight Darren Elkins at UFC 136, on October 8th.
UFC on Versus 5's Lytle still eyes title, not "pulling an Anthony Johnson" to get it
(mmajunkie.com)MILWAUKEE – British welterweight scrapper Dan Hardy (23-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has been begging for someone to stand on the opposite side of the UFC's octagon and offer him a slugfest.
Despite the dangers in doing so, longtime veteran Chris Lytle (30-18-5 MMA, 9-10 UFC) promises he'll do exactly that in the main event of Sunday's UFC on Versus 5 card.
The five-time "Fight of the Night" winner insists it's not a suicide mission. At nearly 37 years old, "Lights Out" still has eyes on the UFC's welterweight title – he's just not "pulling an Anthony Johnson" to get there.
"I want the type of fight that everybody afterward says, 'That's the best fight I've seen in a long time,'" Lytle told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "So, there's no thought in my head of pulling an Anthony Johnson (because) I've got to get that 'W.' I'd rather lose a fight than get a win like that, to be honest with you.
If victorious, UFC on Versus 5's Ben Henderson plans GSP-like post-fight speech
(mmajunkie.com)MILWAUKEE – Former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson proved naysayers wrong when he successfully made his UFC debut in April.
Henderson outclassed Mark Bocek en route to a decision victory and proved WEC talent is on par with the UFC's. Henderson's next foe is tough veteran Jim Miller, who has only seen defeat once in his UFC career.
And if victorious in the UFC on Versus 5 headliner, Henderson has a Georges St-Pierre-inspired speech planned.
Junie Browning Way Overweight For MMA Fight Pit: Genesis Bout
(mmafighting.com)Junie Browning, the former Ultimate Fighter bad boy who was cut by the UFC after an arrest in 2009, has his biggest fight since then on Saturday night, on the MMA Fight Pit: Genesis pay-per-view. But if Friday's weigh-in is any indication, Browning still doesn't have his head screwed on right.
Browning weighed in at 162.25 pounds for the lightweight fight, or 7.25 pounds over the limit. A fighter coming in overweight by any amount is unprofessional, but coming in overweight by that much is absolutely inexcusable.
Cerrone says "cocky" Oliveira perfect recipe for fast start at UFC on Versus 5
(mmajunkie.com)MILWAUKEE – Three-time WEC title challenger Donald Cerrone is the type of explosive fighter who can capitalize on a single mistake made by any opponent.
And if Cerrone's predictions for his upcoming UFC on Versus 5 fight with Charles Oliveira hold true, the Brazilian youngster may have already made an unfortunate move: an errant smirk pointed "Cowboy's" way.
"I seen him looking at me the other day, smirking; that to me is cocky," Cerrone said. "Come Sunday night, it's on. I can't wait to peer across that ring and see his little cocky ass standing there. I'm excited."
Gerald Harris vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura targeted for DREAM.17
(mmajunkie.com)Newly signed light-heavyweight Gerald Harris (18-4 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) and Japanese veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura (15-10 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) are penciled in for DREAM.17.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the matchup from sources close to the bout, who said verbal agreements are in place with contracts expected shortly.
DREAM.17 takes place Sept. 24 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Although broadcast plans have yet to be announced, negotiations are underway between the promotion and previous U.S. television partner HDNet to possibly air the event.
Josh Grispi out, Nam Phan in against Matt Grice at UFC 136 in Houston
(mmajunkie.com)An undisclosed injury has forced Josh Grispi (14-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) out of October's UFC 136 event.
In his place steps featherweight replacement Nam Phan (16-9 MMA, 0-2 UFC), who now takes on Matt Grice (13-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) at the event, officials recently announced.
Featuring a championship doubleheader, UFC 136 takes place Oct. 8 at Houston's Toyota Center.
The evening's main card airs on pay-per-view. However, Phan vs. Grice is expected to take place on the evening's preliminary card.
UFC on Versus 5 gets last-minute TV partner in U.K. with Premier Sports TV
(mmajunkie.com)Sunday's UFC on Versus 5 event will air live in the U.K. after all.
UFC officials today announced that Premier Sports TV channel 433 will show the event live.
Officials from the UFC's usual TV outlet – the premium-cable channel ESPN UK – recently announced they won't be carrying the Aug. 14 event, and other future events could be affected. (ESPN UK doesn't have the rights to air Versus events and must negotiated them on an event-by-event basis.)
Prior to the addition of Premier Sports TV, which will air the event in free-view mode, UFC officials planned to stream the entire card in the U.K. via UFC.tv. Premier Sports is available on the Sky platform, though Virgin and Freeview customers still will need to use the free UFC.tv. stream as an alternative since they don't have access to Premier Sports.
FORMER M-1 EXEC: Dana White is 100% Correct
(mixedmartialarts.com)I left M1 and it was amicable, but there was a huge amount of money still owed to me for the M1 Series production. I was told I would be taken care of, and I never was. A portion of the money owed was supposed to be for the M1 commentators, Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock. They were never paid by M-1, so I paid them out of my own pocket."
"I'm selling these tapes as a way to recoup the substantial amount of money that is owned to me. M1 didn't pay the invoices and the past year and a half they've been giving me BS excuses. I know financially things aren't well for them, but this is a complete reflection of M1.
"This is not aimed to hurt Fedor Emelianenko in anyway. He's been completely mismanaged. I hate to say that Dana White is right, but he's 100% right with most of the comments he's made towards M-1. They unfortunately ruined Fedor's career. Can it be salvaged? Sure. But M1 as a management company is ridiculous.
Strikeforce exec denies Marloes Coenen's claims of fight week mistreatment
(mmajunkie.com)As a former Strikeforce champion, Marloes Coenen is understandably upset at the promotion for cutting her following a title-bout loss to Miesha Tate at this past month's "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson" event.
But as a Strikeforce executive, former WEC boss Reed Harris doesn't understand why she's not being exactly truthful about the circumstances surrounding her release.
"When I read [what Coenen told MMAjunkie.com], I thought, 'Wow, there's some motive behind this because to take that situation and turn it around is just not right,'" Harris told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
Earlier this week, Coenen told MMAjunkie.com that she sensed a brewing issue even before her fight. The Golden Glory product was conspicuously absent from the July 30 event's pre-fight press conference, and she seemed to suggest that was no accident.
"We wanted to go with somebody else, and they said, 'No, no, you don't have to come any more. It's already done and you can stay [at the hotel],'" Coenen said. "Really weird to me because you don't leave the champion out of the press conference. If you say you will leave at 10 o'clock, you won't leave at 9:55. That happened throughout the entire week, that kind of stuff."
Harris, who was actually driving the vehicle Coenen was expected to take from her Hoffman Estates hotel to the downtown Chicago press conference, said her recounting of the situation wasn't exactly accurate...
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