Thales Leites welcomes fight against Demian Maia
(mmamania.com)
“I’d accept a fight, I’m a professional. Demian is a great fighter and has been doing a great job in UFC. It’s possible that they put this fight, because the belt is with a Brazilian guy and we’re growing, so they can put this fight to take one of the Brazilians from the tops. I believe it’d be a good fight, we almost have the same game and it’s kind of different from the American guys, who goes from striking and work on the ground n’ pound. We know each other’s game and it’d be a huge fight. Demian has been doing a good job, but I’d accept this fight.”
Thales Leites — who is on a five-fight UFC win streak (5-1 overall) — has no problems taking a fight against Demian Maia sometime down the road. Maia is on a four-fight tear of his own inside the Octagon, winning all four of his fights via submission. Locking the two Brazilians inside the cage would go a long way toward helping determine the top contender in the division. It would also be one hell of a ground war — each fighter boasts sick jiu-jitsu skills. Sooner rather than later, please, Joe Silva.
MMA Quick Quote: Robbie Lawler waiting and willing to fight the best
(mmamania.com)
“Just waiting for all the legal stuff to get done with so I can figure out where I’m going to land. I’m willing to fight the best in the world at basically 185. I’ll go to the UFC. I’ll go to Strikeforce. Whoever wants to fight, I want to compete against the best.”
– “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler — the last man to hold the Elite XC middleweight title — vaguely discussed his future following the collapse of his previous employer on the latest episode of “Inside MMA” on HDNet this past Friday. It’s interesting he mentions the UFC as a possible landing spot because he already competed for the promotion seven times over a two year span from 2002 to 2004. After winning his first three fights in the Octagon he went on to drop three of his next four contests, which led to his release. However, Lawler has rebounded nicely since then and has only lost once in 10 fights since the departure. He is currently considered by most outlets to be a top 10 middleweight fighter. And with the UFC still looking for depth in the 185 pound division, we might just see him back in the UFC after all. Perhaps most important he and his management team are on very good terms with company president, Dana White.
Kenny Florian: BJ Penn is ‘human’ and ‘can be beaten’
(mmamania.com)
With B.J., you have to keep him motivated. Hopefully after that performance he does see me as a threat and sees it as a potential great fight. I wanted to let him know that I was there and that’s how I feel about him…. I know I have a lot to learn and a lot to still improve upon, but at the end of the day, B.J. Penn is human. If he’s human, that means he can be beaten and, with the trainers that I have, I feel that anyone can be beat. I know that I’ll figure out a way to do it.”
Kenny Florian talks about the reason he called out UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn during his post-fight comments after defeating Joe Stevenson at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” via first round submission (rear naked choke) to earn the title shot. It was all to keep “The Prodigy” interested in the challenges that still remain in the 155-pound class — Penn is set to fight Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 on January 31 for his 170-pound belt. If Penn sticks around the division Florian will be his next opponent, which would also serve as Florian’s second crack at the crown — he dropped a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk in 2006 for the vacant division title. Penn also already has four defeats on his professional record (Jens Pulver, Lyoto Machida, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre).
Is UWC The East Coast's Strikeforce?
(mmajunkie.com)Some people learn from success and others through abject failure. Savvy businessmen mix both and add a dash of historical lessons learned by others to make a recipe for success. S. Marcello Foran, the CEO of Ultimate Warrior Sports Development-the parent company of upstart MMA promotion Ultimate Warrior Challenge, seems to be one of those people. He even has a 7-step recipe to make UWC successful.
Enson Inoue a new man after 26 days in prison
(mmajunkie.com)In his 13 years in mixed martial arts, UFC, PRIDE and Shooto veteran Enson Inoue (11-8) has earned a reputation as a hard-fighting, hard-living warrior who refused to submit to anyone -- or anything.
But less than two weeks removed from a near-month-long stay in a Japanese prison, Inoue told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) his life has been forever changed.
"I'm this tough dude that doesn't tap, but I'm also human, too," Inoue said. "I had insecurities in prison. I had hard times. I had to overcome it a lot."
Filho Working On Higher Priority
(mmaweekly.com)Paulo Filho started his career with 16 straight wins en route to being considered one of the top middleweights in the world, but much of that mystique came crashing down after a loss to Chael Sonnen recently.
Now that his official release from the WEC has come down, Filho's manager, Ed Soares, told MMAWeekly Radio that he wasn't surprised by what happened after his fighter's strange performance in the cage that night.
'Conspiracy' Pits Davis Against Lytle @ UFC 93
(mmaweekly.com)It’s not much of a secret anymore that Marcus Davis has great hands. The former boxer developed a respectable submission game to keep up with the UFC Joneses, and in doing so, has been more able to use his fighting base in the still-young sport.
With questions of his viability as a complete fighter long behind, Davis has found himself looking for fights that will cement his legacy as a boxer who found greatness in MMA.
Exclusive: Dan Hardy's first interview on Markham fight
(mmabay.co.uk)MMABAY - How do you feel about the fight between you and Rory Markham?
Hardy - I'm excited! Its not only a great fight for me but a great fight for the fans too. Markham is an exciting guy to watch, he always comes to fight and has some impressive knockouts on his record. We are similar fighters in the fact that we like to stand and trade punches and neither of us will be willing to back down. I was at his debut back in July and I remember thinking at the time that I would like to fight him, now I get a chance to do it infront of a British crowd.
GSP vs. Anderson Silva Possible
(dreamfighters.com)
If GSP is victorious against BJ Penn at UFC 94, he could be facing Anderson Silva, as mentioned by Dana White, President of the UFC.
In a interview a few months back with UFC President Dana White, Dana commented on the possibility of GSP facing Anderson Silva.
“(Anderson Silva) could meet Georges St. Pierre at a catch weight,” said White. “This guy wants to challenge himself. He’d probably fight at 145 pounds if we asked him to.”
Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham not official for UFC 95
(fiveouncesofpain.com)A rumored welterweight matchup between Dan Hardy and Rory Markham that would place at UFC 95 at the O2 Arena in London on Feb. 17 has gained a lot of traction on various Internet news outlets over the course of the last week.
Despite the high level of speculation surrounding the proposed matchup, FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned Friday evening that the fight is not yet official.
A source close to Markham confirmed to Five Ounces of Pain that a bout with Hardy was indeed offered and that Markham signed the bout agreement. However, the source added that they were informed by the UFC that the bout wouldn’t be official until Hardy signed and that an executed agreement for the fight has not been returned. Markham’s camp is not entirely certain that Hardy will sign the contract.
Pat Miletich: Rebirth Of A Legend
(mmaweekly.com)Pat Miletich, founder and patriarch of Miletich Fighting Systems, is tired of watching all the young whippersnappers having fun. He wants back in the ring. Miletich says he’s done extensive rehab on a longstanding neck injury, and feels it’s time to test himself in action. On Dec. 11, he will dip a toe back into MMA waters, facing Thomas Denny at Adrenaline MMA’s second show, in Moline, Iowa, Miletich Fighting Systems’ backyard.
Do Heavyweights Need 2 Weight Classes?
(mmaweekly.com)That's a question that has been posed to some Athletic Commission heads in the wake of the massive weight differences in the Brock Lesnar-Randy Couture fight, where Brock weighed in 45 pounds heavier than Randy. While the heads of the NSAC and New Jersey Athletic Commission have differeing views, recent research says that, on a regular basis, David is going to beat Goliath more often than the other way around.
Steve Steinbeiss Moves From WEC To UFC
(mmaweekly.com)Steve Steinbeiss has become the latest of the "bigger" WEC fighters to make the move from the to-be-defunct WEC Light Heavyweight division to UFC. He'll fight out the remainder of his WEC deal in UFC, which currently means he has 3 fights left on his original 4-fight deal. His only WEC fight to date was a split decision loss to Carmelo Marrero at WEC 36.
Brian Bowles: A Little Southern Charm mixed with Plenty of Southern Harm
(wec.tv)Good article on a sometimes overlooked fighter...
"Brian Bowles doesn’t have a nickname, but figures he would adopt a moniker if somebody “came up with a cool one.”
No one has done so and the lack of a nickname actually meshes nicely with Bowles’ laid-back personality and substance-over-style approach to the fight game. He is a former police officer who started his MMA apprenticeship at the HardCore Gym in Athens, Ga. Hailed as a quick learner, Bowles outworks just about everybody in the training room, keeps charging and grinding even when he’s being treated like a punching bag, and if you stick a microphone in his face and ask him to speak publicly, he is a man of precious few words. He has skyrocketed up the rankings and is widely considered one of the top fighters in the world in his weight class."
Affliction balks at signing ex-UFC heavyweight Werdum
(fiveouncesofpain.com)According to a report by Franklin McNeil of ESPN.com and the Newark Star-Ledger, the camp for Fabricio Werdum approached Affliction Entertainment in an attempt to place the former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight with the organization.
McNeil revealed the news during this week’s edition of MMA Live, which can be viewed on FiveOuncesOfPain.com.
McNeil stated that both sides talked about Werdum joining the promotion and possibly competing on its upcoming “Day of Reckoning” pay-per-view event scheduled for Jan. 24 but that Affliction felt that the numbers discussed were “off the charts.”
Mike Van Arsdale switches camps, eyes return to competition
(mmajunkie.com)If things go according to plan, former UFC champion Randy Couture won't be the only well-conditioned wrestler in his forties defying conventional logic.
UFC and IVC veteran Mike Van Arsdale (8-5), at 43 years old, recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he is eying a comeback after two-and-a-half years away from fighting.
"You're getting older and stuff, and you kind of want to let it go," Van Arsdale said. "But I didn't let it go because I always thought, 'I've got to set the record straight here. I lost some fights I shouldn't have lost.'"
New Interview With GSP
(fiveouncesofpain.com)Brock Lesnar versus Randy Couture was the “biggest fight ever” according to UFC President Dana White. It’s now old news, failing to become the biggest PPV extravaganza of all time, but still clearly going to end 2008 as the best box office fight of the year. In 2009, Zuffa looks to draw big numbers early, pitting B.J. Penn against Georges St. Pierre in a battle of champions at UFC 94 on January 31, 2009.
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