Urijah Faber and Phil Davis Launch Promotional Platform for Amateur Fighters
(mmaweekly.com)UFC fighters Urijah Faber and Phil Davis announced the official launch of MMADraft.com on Monday, a platform created for martial artists by martial artists to generate opportunities and exposure for combat sports athletes at the amateur level. Backed by pros that know what it takes to get ahead in the competitive world of mixed martial arts, MMADraft.com provides amateur athletes with valuable tools and resources to help them excel in every aspect of their fight career...
After ironing out ‘discrepancies' with Dana White, Mark Hunt ready to ‘test his mettle' against dos Santos
(mmafighting.com)While the first 'Rally for Mark Hunt' failed, the second edition proved to be a resounding success. Much to the delight of his "Army of Doom," Hunt replaced an injured Alistair Overeem against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos as the co-main event of UFC 160. Though the journey wasn't as straightforward as the result.
Despite the "Super Samoan" immediately campaigning for the vacant shot at dos Santos, UFC President Dana White announced on Twitter that Hunt had turned the fight down. It wasn't until days later, after White posted an ominous tweet that described a positive phone conversation he had with Hunt, that the fight was officially booked...
Transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox faces licensing problems
(sportsillustrated.cnn.com)Fallon Fox is bracing herself for controversy, and as the first on-record transgender female fighter in mixed martial arts, she's going to get plenty of it.
On Monday, the 37-year-old Fox (2-0) revealed exclusively to SI.com that she's a transgender fighter -- the first on record, male or female, to compete in the combat sport. Fox won her second professional bout with a 39-second knockout (via knee) last Saturday at Championship Fighting Alliance 10 in Coral Gables, Fla.
Fox, who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2006 along with the supplemental hormonal therapy, is scheduled to fight again for the CFA on April 20 in the semifinals of its eight-woman featherweight tournament. However, Fox's license approval is now under investigation with Florida's Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation...
Dave Meltzer: Ronda Rousey is the number five PPV draw in UFC
(fightopinion.com)The early estimate for the UFC 157 PPV buy rate is in the 400,000-500,000 range, more or less in the middle of that range. Dave claims UFC budgeted itself for 250,000 PPV buys for the Anaheim Pond event, hoping that Ronda would draw around what the smaller fighters like Jose Aldo & Frankie Edgar draw. Drawing 250,000 PPV buys is fine, 300,000 is good, and 400,000 is very good.
“A big success” even though “it’s still Liz Carmouche in the main event.” Both women made north of $150,000 USD in terms of money from the fight.
When Dave first saw the original PPV barker ad for the UFC 157 show (the now infamous Rousey mean/smile combo ad), he said it hit him that it’s two girls fighting and that it wasn’t going to draw so well. The early ticket sales in Anaheim were around 4,000 sold for $600,000 at the gate. However, unlike normal UFC business trends, the event ended up sold out and had more momentum for the close...
Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald Retires from MMA
(sportsnet.ca)
Longtime UFC middleweight fighter Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald has retired from mixed martial arts. The Red Deer, Alta., fighter told Sportsnet.ca that he informed the UFC of his decision on Thursday. The 37-year-old, who was born in New Glasgow, N.S., has a career MMA record of 25-16, but lost his last two fights. He first joined the UFC in October 2006.
Hunger Games? Nike? What’s Next After Ronda Rousey Signs with WME Talent Agency?
(mmaweekly.com)The UFC women’s bantamweight championship now firmly around her waist, is The Hunger Games franchise, as rumored, next on the list for Ronda Rousey to conquer?
Maybe or maybe not, but an entirely new world of sponsorships and other endeavors has opened up, as Rousey signed on with WME (William Morris Endeavor), the largest and oldest talent agency in the world.
Rousey’s signing with WME was first revealed by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday...
Signal to Noise: UFC 157's best and worst
(mmafighting.com)UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche was, generally speaking, an excellent event. We all bore witness to an historic moment with women making their way to the UFC, a thrilling preliminary card and much more. Not everything was perfect, though. We all were forced also had to sit through a dreadful co-main event, not all of the referee stoppages were as good as they could be, among other problems.
Let's separate the winners from the losers, the best from the worst and the signal from the noise at UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche...
Fortunes changed for five at UFC 157
(mmafighting.com)When we look at who the fortunes changed for at UFC 157, the correct answer is far more than many of the fighters, but fortunes also changed for the sport.
Whether Saturday night's show at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., was the beginning of a period where Ronda Rousey will become the female equivalent to a Georges St-Pierre or Brock Lesnar as one of the UFC's biggest money generators (something 18 months ago which would have been inconceivable) or it was one night where she just became a curiosity piece is something only time will tell...
Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche turned out to be the perfect storm
(mmafighting.com)From the start, UFC 157 was themed as a night that would be making history. And no matter what happened Saturday night when Ronda Rousey made her first defense of the newly- created UFC women’s bantamweight title, that wasn’t going to be an overstatement. The only question is what that history was going to be.
There may be bigger fights this year, in the sense that they sell more tickets and do more pay-per-views. In fact, there will be one in just three weeks, when Georges-St. Pierre faces Nick Diaz. But 20 years from now, unless the company can finally produce the elusive Anderson Silva dream match with St-Pierre or Jon Jones, Saturday night’s main event from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., will be the most historically significant fight of the year...
Diaz petition for judicial review of Nevada suspension, fine denied
(mmapayout.com)A Nevada Court has denied Nick Diaz’s request for a judicial review of his drug suspension. Diaz was seeking review of his drug suspension for not disclosing his marijuana use and fine fo $79,500.
The order which recites the Findings of Facts and Conclusions of Law found substantial evidence that Diaz used marijuana, a banned substance per the NAC, after testing positive following his post-UFC143 urine test. The use was a violation. The Court concluded that Diaz understood that his use of marijuana should have been disclosed to the Commission and on its pre-fight questionnaire...
'Nervous' Tito explains bungled press conference
(mmamania.com)Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion, Tito Ortiz, was undoubtedly a great mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter during his tenure with the promotion.
Now that he's turned his attention to the management side of the business, he, admittedly, has some work to do when it comes to his public speaking skills. A tongue-tied Tito admitted on "The MMA Hour" he was rather nervous having to go live and says the stresses of setting up the press conference all by his lonesome only added to the pressure.
"Yes, I'm happy, just because I wanted to let (everyone) know the future of Cris Cyborg and what she is going to be doing. That was my main goal, just letting people know what she is going to be doing. But, in general? No, not really. I think I got some work to do, but, you know, (I) set up the whole press conference myself, literally. From the stage, the podium to the banners to the PR, press, everything, the people being there, I kind of put a little too much on my plate. And to go live TV on AXS television, this is as nervous as I've ever been with anything I've ever done with anything about mixed martial arts and I was so nervous because instead of holding my career, I'm holding someone else's career. I'll get better in time, as Dana White said. I'll get better. I just got to do a little more work and just make sure to get more comfortable on live television. I'm just so used to doing it during fights. You don't have nervousness after fights because your emotions are high. But making sure you say the right things for people to understand you, it's going to take a little work for me I guess. It's just time for me to slow down and explore exactly what I'm trying to say. It's going to take work and I will get better."
Top free agent Georgi Karakhanyan ready to hear more offers, including UFC's
(mmajunkie.com)With a sterling 20-3-1 record, a six-fight win streak and a recent high-profile victory over DREAM champion Hiroyuki Takaya, featherweight Georgi Karakhanyan is ready to hear some offers.
The 27-year-old Armenian-American fighter has never looked so good to potential suitors. And though he's talking to a few organizations – including Bellator MMA, as well as GLORY for both MMA and kickboxing bouts – he's certainly open to a UFC deal, as well.
The spike in interest is largely due to the Takaya win, which followed Karakhanyan's Tachi Palace Fights title victory over Isaac DeJesus and a successful defense over Micah Miller.
Bellator Reality Show Coaches Include Couture, Shamrock, Warren and Greg Jackson
(bleacherreport.com)Bellator and Spike TV are pulling out all the stops for their new reality show titled Fight Master: Bellator MMA that debuts later this year.
It was first announced last week that UFC Hall of Famer and two-weight class champion Randy Couture had signed on to be a coach on the new Bellator reality show.
He was the first confirmed coach, but now three more very well known names in the MMA industry have been announced to join Couture on the new reality show.
MMA legend and former UFC and Strikeforce champion Frank Shamrock, MMA coach and guru Greg Jackson and former Bellator champion Joe Warren will serve as the other three coaches working with a group of 32 up and coming athletes hoping to make their way to the Bellator cage later this year.
The greenest grass grows everywhere but under 'Rampage' Jackson's own feet
(mmajunkie.com)Quinton "Rampage" Jackson might not have given us everything we wanted in his farewell UFC fight, but he did give us all that we had a right to expect.
He came, he saw, he took his beating bravely. He went down but refused to stay put. He threw murderous hooks and uppercuts that sliced through the air, finding nothing. He looked at times like he might have wanted to quit, but he never did. Only in brief spasms did he resemble a fighter the UFC might be willing to shell out the big bucks in order to retain. At no point did he seem particularly bothered by that fact...
TUF 17 Recap, Week 1: A New Take Rejuvenates Ultimate Fighter Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen
(mmaweekly.com)The Ultimate Fighter returned on Tuesday night with a two-hour premier, narrowing the 28 welterweight hopefuls down to the 14 fighters that fought their way into the house.
The essence of the series is primarily the same as past seasons. There are 28 fighters trying to win a spot in The Ultimate Fighter house via a series of elimination bouts in the opening episode. The winner goes in the house; the loser goes home.
The series will see the 14 competitors fight their way through a series of tournament bouts, while shacked up in close quarters for six weeks...
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