UFC Fight Night 21: Roy Nelson vs Stefan Struve on tap for March 31
(mmamania.com)A heavyweight battle between the division's tallest fighter on the UFC roster, Stephan "Skyscraper" Struve (19-3,) and perhaps its most rotund, Roy "Big Country" Nelson (14-4,) is in the works for UFC Fight Night 21 in North Carolina on March 31.The event, which will mark the second of three scheduled events for the promotion in a two-week span, will serve as the lead-in to season 11 of "The Ultimate Fighter" (TUF), which will debut on Spike TV immediately after.
Trainer Says Lesnar Will 'Definitely' Return
(tsn.ca)
While UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has yet to comment on his future, those around him have begun to voice their positive outlooks regarding his potential return to the octagon.
Lesnar's trainer Greg Nelson was interviewed on ESPN's MMA Live on Thursday, and once again reiterated that his fighter plans to continue his UFC career.
Walker to Donate Strikeforce Purse to Charity
(sherdog.com)
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Herschel Walker plans to donate his entire purse from his professional mixed martial arts debut to charity.
Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and 1992 Olympian, will meet Greg Nagy in a featured matchup at Strikeforce “Miami” on Jan. 30 at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. The soon-to-be 48-year-old will surrender his purse to Project Turnaround, a Dallas-based charity that aims to “rebuild communities from the inside out with a comprehensive, faith-based program designed to improve and enrich the lives of urban youth and families.”
“When I decided to fight, it wasn’t anything I was doing for money,” Walker said. “I love competition; I love to compete. It just so happens I was going to get paid. What I wanted to do was help someone else. I’ve been blessed in life through a lot of different things.”
Yohan Banks Not Approved By FSBC, Will Not Face Lashley
(mmajunkie.com)With only 2 weeks until his Strikeforce debut, Bobby Lashley now finds himself without an opponent for now. His original planned foe, Yohan Banks, was not approved by the Florida State Boxing Commission, saying the decision to decline Banks as an opponent for Lashley was made based on a review of the fighters' records, at which point the commission "determined that the bout was not competitive." No replacement named yet.
Hendo Says He's Got Shields In April, SF Says Not Yet Official
(mmajunkie.com)Although Dan Henderson says his Strikeforce debut will be against Jake Shields in April, Strikeforce officials says the bout is not yet confirmed. No date was given and Hendo also said the fight's at 185, but it's not known if it's for the SF Middleweight Title held by Shields. No comment on the report from Shields' father, who is also his manager.
Strikeforce's Benji Radach re-injured but plans to return in April
(mmajunkie.com)The injury bug has struck Benji Radach again.The Strikeforce middleweight on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that his right bicep, shoulder and pectoral muscle could be torn and an MRI will reveal the extent of the damage."It's somewhere between pink and black and all the colors in that range," Radach said.
Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Falaniko Vitale set for Shine Fights III
(mmajunkie.com)A bout between former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo "Ninja" Rua (17-10-1) and Strikeforce veteran and longtime SuperBrawl fighter Falaniko Vitale (26-9) is set for the next Shine Fights card.Company officials today announced the bout, which MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported as likely in November.
Wilson Gouveia talks UFC release and return to light heavyweight
(mmajunkie.com)Although the UFC released him in December, Wilson Gouveia (12-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) is moving back up to light heavyweight, and he plans to work his way back to the octagon.Gouveia failed to make weight for a middleweight fight with Alan Belcher at UFC 107 – the second time he had done so in a three-year, 10-fight stint with the promotion – and he recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he was done trying to cut the extra pounds.
Beating Chael Sonnen Will Get Nate Marquardt The Next Title Shot
(mmamania.com)According to Marquardt, of course. He is of the understanding that a win over the streaking Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 gets him a one way ticket to a 185-pound title match. Dan Henderson seemed to think the same thing, until a series of setbacks led to his departure after his Zuffa contract dried up. He also doesn't agree with Vitor Belfort getting the next shot at Anderson Silva "just because he hasn't really fought at 185".
UFC bolsters UFC 110 preliminary card with Lytle vs. Foster, Dollaway vs. Reljic
(mmajunkie.com)Two previously reported bouts are now official for next month's UFC 110 preliminary card.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship today confirmed Chris Lytle (27-17-5 MMA, 6-9 UFC) meets fellow welterweight Brian Foster (13-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), and middleweight C.B. Dollaway (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on Goran Reljic (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously passed along news of both bouts, which take place Feb. 21 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
The show, which is the UFC's first in Australia, features a heavyweight pay-per-view headliner between contenders Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez. Fan favorite Wanderlei Silva takes on Michael Bisping in the co-headliner.
Kendall Grove Could Face Mark Munoz At UFC 112
(mmajunkie.com)Kendall Grove's mystery opponent at the as-yet-unannounced UFC 112 event could be "The Filipino Wrecking Machine." Mark Munoz reportedly is under "intense consideration" to be the opponent for Grove in Abu Dhabi. It is unknown whether bout agreements have been distributed, but at least one fighter has verbally agreed to the contest. However, Munoz first needs to be cleared by an orthopedic doctor for injuries suffered during his UFC 108 bout earlier this month before getting the green-light to begin camp (he is under medical suspension until July 2 unless cleared early).
Stout Living the Dream in the UFC
(tsn.ca)
Sam Stout didn't hesitate for a moment when asked what the coolest thing he has experienced over the last 10 days.
'I was at my after(fight) party in Vegas, and MC Hammer came up to me to congratulate me. He sat down and we hung out and talked for a bit too.'
You can't touch that.
Brock Lesnar's fighting future to be revealed next week via press conference
(mmamania.com)UFC President Dana White has revealed that both he UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar will hold a joint press conference next week in Las Vegas to discuss Brock's future as a mixed-martial-artist.
White confirmed the news to MMAfighting.com recently on a trip to New York, refusing to elaborate on the nature of the press conference, only saying Lesnar’s future would be out in the open. Confusing yet very positive reports have surfaced recently with Randy Couture revealing previous conversations with the champ and that he's already back in training and may be fighting by spring.
Lesnar required surgery to repair damage inflicted by intestinal diverticulitis. The promotion recently announced that number one contender Shane Carwin will battle former champion Frank Mir at UFC 111 in his absence and we may finally know by the end of next week if that bout will be contested for an interim title or the true title (if the Minnesotan is forced to surrender the belt in anticipation of a long or permanent absence).
Melvin Manhoef training at American Top Team for Robbie Lawler
(fiveouncesofpain.com)FiveOuncesofPain.com has recently learned from sources close to the fighter that Melvin Manhoef is currently “training like a maniac” for his upcoming middleweight showdown with fellow heavy handed slugger Robbie Lawler, and furthermore has made the trip out to the American Top Team in Coconut Creek for the match-up.
This isn’t the first time Manhoef has made the journey to the Florida based gym to sharpen his skills, as the feared Dutch knockout specialist admitted his intentions of returning to the gym in a 2009 conversation with 5 Oz.
“I will definitely go back to ATT to train,” said Manhoef. “The guys there help me to improve my ground skills and have become good friends of mine.”
Keith Florian Says Brother Ready For Gomi, Whoever
(mmaweekly.com)The rumors have circled since the weekend of UFC 108 when Gomi's signing was announced, and immediately Florian's name was mentioned as a possible opponent. Florian's brother and head coach, Keith Florian, says they'd take that fight in a second, but as of now it's still up to the UFC."I think Gomi would be a great fight for Kenny. He's one of those people who was No. 1 in the world for a long time, and I think that would be a great fight for us," Keith told MMAWeekly.com recently.
Bellator Adds To Featherweight Roster
(mmaweekly.com)Bellator Fighting Championships on Wednesday announced the latest addition to the growing roster for its Season 2 featherweight tournament, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.The 23-year-old Pitbull is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is known throughout his home country for his devastating striking ability. He boasts a perfect 12-0 record with all but two of his fights finishing via KO, TKO or submission. Six of these 10 early finishes occurred in the first round.
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