Tara LaRosa discusses record contract, Gina Carano
(mmajunkie.com)LEXINGTON, KY. -- It seemed that no sooner than the ink had dried on the American Fight League's contract with female MMA superstar Tara LaRosa (15-1) that rumors began to spread throughout the MMA community of a half-million-dollar price tag.
LaRosa told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Thursday that sum wasn't exactly true -- it could actually be worth more.
"I stand to make between 500,000 and 750,000 (dollars) depending on my performance and how I do with all of my fights," said LaRosa, now the sport's highest-paid female fighter.
Karo Parisyan restarts title hunt in September
(mmajunkie.com)After suffering a disappointing, albeit perhaps controversial, loss to Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13 in April, perennial welterweight contender Karo Parisyan (18-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) feels primed to once again work his way back to title contention.
Parisyan had been tentatively scheduled to face "The Ultimate Fighter 6" semifinalist George Sotiropoulos at UFC 87. However, Sotiropoulos was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Burkman Looking To Get Back To The KO
(mmaweekly.com)Josh Burkman’s last fight with Mike Swick did not go the way he was hoping it would go. Burkman, who is known for his good wrestling ability and pressure, came out on the losing end of what ended up being a fairly lackluster bout.
He was unhappy with his performance even though he believes he won the fight. However, “The People’s Warrior” decided it was time for a change and moved out to Las Vegas to join Xtreme Couture.
Baroni Moving To Welterweight At Cage Rage 27 ?
(mmaweekly.com)It appears Phil Baroni will be looking to bounce back from consecutive losses on July 12 at Cage Rage 27 “Step Up” against an opponent to be determined. Cage Rage promoter Dave O’Donnell revealed to MMAWeekly.com that EliteXC has granted a path to the U.K. as means of getting the New York brawler back on track and to provide some much needed international star power for the upcoming card.
“Baroni will be fighting on the July 12 show,” revealed O’Donnell, adding, “but I can’t release the name of his opponent yet. He will be a British guy and it will make for an exciting fight, as we all know how Baroni likes to go about things. We are talking to a few people now, but until contracts are signed, I won’t be mentioning any names.”
According to Baroni’s manager, Ken Pavia, they are deep into negotiations with Cage Rage for the bout and a deal appears likely, but it has yet to be finalized.
McFedries Looks To Rebound Tonight
(mmarated.com)Coming off a tough loss at the hands of Patrick Côté, Drew McFedries needs a win in the worst way. Tonight, he faces Marvin Eastman on "The Ultimate Fighter Finale" in what some believe is a 'loser leaves promotion' fight. MMARated.com recently spoke with the hard-hitting middleweight to discuss what it’s like training under Pat Miletich, his fight against Eastman, his mother's tragic death and his UFC future
Forrest Griffin: ''Upcoming Title Fight, Harderst Hitters, and More''
(mmafrenzy.com)Chris Fries and The JDH of Tagg Radio’s The Lights Out Show interviewed the #1 UFC Light Heavyweight contender, Forrest Griffin on their last show (volume 132). Forrest speaks out on his experience as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, his upcoming title fight against Rampage Jackson and a few other interesting things.
ON HIS UPCOMING UFC TITLE FIGHT AGAINST RAMPAGE JACKSON
“If I have to hit him with a payphone, hey man, that’s just part of my style.”
Ken Shamrock Next Up For Frank Shamrock
(fightline.com)Frank Shamrock on his next opponent:
"My goal for my next fight is to fight Ken, to fight my brother Ken, to have a brother versus brother match. I think that's a huge fight that everybody gets–easy to understand. You could use it as a huge promotional vehicle because it's got such a great hook in it, and I think it's just a huge fight, so I've been working hard on that one. First quarter of next year, I'll get it done."
UFC 88 in Atlanta (Will the fans fill the stadium?)
(mmapayout.com)Tickets go on sale tomorrow for UFC 88 in Atlanta. It is UFC’s first show in the market, and features UFC’s top draw in Chuck Liddell. Those signs point to a strong gate, and indeed the show may do well.
However, one thing to keep in mind in advance is that Atlanta may be the worst sports town in the United States. Despite having the 9th largest metropolitan area in the United States, no Atlanta team has drawn the 9th or better attendance in any sport in the past five years.
Alessio submits Spratt, Couture injured in pro debut during night of free fights
(mmajunkie.com)LAS VEGAS - John Alessio choked out fellow UFC veteran Pete Spratt in the night's main event, and Kim Couture was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision in her professional MMA debut, during Friday's "Free for All, A Night of Combat" event.
The fights took place at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas as part of a combination boxing/MMA event.
Approximately 18,000 tickets were distributed for the night of free fights.
After four boxing bouts, the MMA portion of the night kicked off with a five-fight card.
Spencer Fisher Hurt in Wreck; "I'm all Jacked Up"
(fighthype.com)Spencer Fisher wrecked his bike this week...says he's all jacked up with rash burns, but still plans on fight.
On his accident...
"I’ve been better. I wrecked my bicycle 2 days ago and I’m all jacked up. I got rash burns on my knees all the way up to my elbows; it’s bad."
UFC 86-The Coaches Test Clean
(mmamania.com)The NSAC today confirmed that it tested both Forrest Griffin and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson for drugs and illegal substances heading into UFC 86. Both passed with one more test likely right before the fight, so it's so far so good with regards to their main event matchup.
Between viewers or fighters, T.U.F. chooses the former
(sportsillustrated.cnn.com)It's hard to believe more than three years have past since Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar lit up televisions across America during the finale of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter.
On Saturday, the Spike TV reality show completes yet another season -- its seventh -- in a world where mixed martial arts has become a fairly regular installment on television.
Of course, roughly three-and-a-half years ago, that wasn't the case. Few realized it, but the gimmicky show on a network no one had ever heard of was MMA's chance -- maybe even its last chance -- to make it big. While mounting debt put Zuffa, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, in a perilous spot, co-owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta cobbled together $10 million to pay for one season of the show.
It wasn't some great discovery. Everyone around the sport rightly believed that exposure in large doses of an underappreciated sport was the only way to get MMA off life support and on the path of progression. The problem resided in getting a deal done. Networks weren't interested in taking a risk on something they hadn't a clue about, especially when the targeted audience was unclear.
Thanks to The Ultimate Fighter, we now know that young men take to MMA.
The show's concept was new, or at least the MMA spin was unforseen. There wasn't a template, and everyone seemed to be winging it -- from the fighters to the promoters, and even the producers. Whether it was genius casting or a moment of serendipity, the first group of fighters was special. Not only could most of the guys prove themselves in the cage, but they were also boiling over with personality. From the pranks of Chris Leben and Dana White's infamous "Do you want to be a [deleted expletive] fighter?" speech, to, perhaps, the best battle in T.U.F. history between Griffin and Bonnar, no season has yet to compare...
Chris Leben Reflects On Jail Time
(mmafrenzy.com)UFC Middleweight Chris “The Crippler” Leben, who recently finished up an 11 day stint in a Portland, Oregon jail for parole violation, divulged to MMAWeekly.com how his incarcerated experience has helped him to see things more clearly, and evolve into a more mature individual. Personally, I found his anecdote about an inmate choking to be the highlight:
Matt Arroyo wants redemption with Matt Brown
(mmajunkie.com)Avenging a loss is always at the top of a fighter's list of priorities, though some have to wait years for the opportunity.
Matt Arroyo will have to wait just 19 months, though, when he attempts to avenge the only loss of his career on Saturday. He faces off with "The Ultimate Fighter 7" quarterfinalist Matt Brown. The two met in November 2006 at a Real Fighting Championships event, and Arroyo suffered a second-round TKO.
Kendall Grove On Evan Tanner: "I Hope He Tries To Kill Me"
(fighthype.com)Kendall Grove is dead! My next tattoo that I get on Sunday, I'm going to put 'In loving memoryof Kendall Grove' right down my right hand. That dude was killing me. He was pulling me down; he was too weak. He was helping everybody else and you have to help yourself before you could help anyone else. F*#k that guy. I'm back to being ruthless," stated UFC middleweight contender Kendall Grove as he talked about his upcoming clash with Evan Tanner. In this raw and uncut exclusive, Grove breaks down his prior performances and blah, blah, blah…
*Exclusive New Interview with Thiago "The PitBull" Alves*
mmaturf.net Check out for exclusive interview from Thiago Alves done by MMATurf's very own Penny Buffington!!
From part of the Interview:
“The end of 2006 I got caught with diuretics and I got suspended for 8 months. But not for this fight though I really sprained my ankle. I was going to turn down the fight and I called my manager and everything and we called the UFC management.” -Thiago Alves
For the Complete interview go to and click on Interviews...New ones are posted daily!!!!!!
Three Smart Moves for the UFC
(mmapayout.com)Usually, the UFC is a dart board at which most MMA analysts and fans hurl their harshest critiques of how the promotion handles its business. But this week the UFC deserves a pat on the back for three of the decisions they made:
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