Urijah Faber Looking Forward To His "Brightest Days" With UFC
(mmamania.com)And not just because of the money, even though one nightly bonus could be more than what he made in an entire year's worth of WEC fights. "Some people either think that we are the UFC or think that I fight in the UFC or they ask, ‘When you going to go to the big show?’ For me, I’ve known for a long time that we’re the top fighters in the world at our weights, but not everyone else understands that. We don’t have to explain it anymore. That’s great. Business-wise, you look at the bonuses, you’re going from $10,000 to $65,000. Pay-per-view averages and everything else is up, and viewership’s up.... The bottom line is, I feel like I resonate with fans. You couple that with the UFC fan base, it’s going to be a great thing. I’m looking forward to having my brightest days in the future. I feel great at this new weight. My body feels incredible, and I’m still motivated to fight. These next couple of years are going to be awesome."
Diagnosis, Treatment Clear Swick for Octagon Return
(sherdog.com)
Mike Swick has been off the grid since February, when he lost to Paulo Thiago via second-round submission at UFC 109. It was his second consecutive defeat and sent him to the doctor’s office looking for answers.
“Four years ago, I was told I had dyspepsia,” Swick told Sherdog.com. “I just assumed they were right since I had my stomach scoped twice by different doctors. After [the Thiago loss], I didn’t think I could eat enough to be competitive at the level of the UFC. I didn’t want to quit doing what I love, but I figured I needed to do something if I wanted to stay at this level. I went back to a new doctor who did a totally new evaluation, and he said I had a severely spastic esophagus.”
UFC (Apparently) Cuts Gilbert Yvel
(middleeasy.com)It appears that Gilbert Yvel's latest stint in UFC is over. Although there has been no official announcement from UFC yet, Yvel reportedly has been removed form the promotion's roster following an 0-3 run in UFC, and he's only 1-4 in his last 5 overall fights. This followed an 8-1 run from 2006-2009 that helped him get back to UFC.
Herschel Walker Meets Scott Carson At December SF Event
(mmajunkie.com)Former football great Herschel Walker's second foray into mixed martial arts is now booked. Walker will face Scott Carson at the December 4 Strikeforce event. Carson is 4-1 career, returning this year from a 9-year hiatus after fighting 4 times from 1999-2001, including winning at the first WEC event. ESPN reports the fight will be catch weight at 220.
Bellator Vet Jessica Rakoczy FIned & Suspended by NSAC, Fight Result Changed
(mmajunkie.com)The NSAC has suspended one-time Bellator Fighting Championships veteran and former pro boxer Jessica Rakoczy for 9 months and fined her $833 for a failed drug test following a recent fight. At an administrative hearing held in Las Vegas, Rakoczy admitted to taking one-half a Percocet for back pain the night prior to an Oct. 9 fight with Jennifer Scott at a local event, MMAXplosion. Rakoczy was called before the commission when her post-fight drug screen revealed the presence of banned painkillers Oxymorphone and Oxycodone. She told the commission she took the pain pill after a sleepless night caring for her young son, NASC executive chairman Keith Kizer said, and forgot to inform commission doctors on fight night. "She was very apologetic and contrite at the hearing," said Kizer. "The commissioners appreciated that. What bothered them most was when she got to the arena that night, she didn't tell the doctors there that, 'Hey, I had to take a pain pill this morning for my back.'" Rakoczy beat Scott by 2nd round TKO (doctor stoppage after round 2), but that result is now changed to No Decision. Rakoczy now needs to submit a clean drug test to be re-licensed when her suspension runs its course. She is the first female mixed martial artist in Nevada to fail a post-fight drug screen.
UFC To Stream UFC 122 Free On German Website
(mmajunkie.com)Stateside UFC fans aren't the only ones getting free fights with UFC 122. UFC U.K. president Marshall Zelaznik today said that the fight promotion is countering a TV ban in Germany by offering UFC programming free of charge on the Web. Fans can now watch UFC 122 on popular German sports website Spox.com, as well as the fight promotion's own German-language website. Zelaznik said the fight continues to get the UFC back on German airwaves. In March, the Bavarian state office for new media (BLM) in March withdrew its approval to broadcast the promotion's programming, which prompted UFC lawyers to file suit. That litigation is currently pending and may not be resolved until late next year, the executive said. "We've been through a couple of hearings, and depending on what happens at which level and who appeals what, the soonest would be around six months," Zelaznik said, "But it could be another nine to 12 months."
Aldo Camp Would Have Let Aldo Fight Frank Edgar Or Maybe Sean Sherk-But Not Kenny Florian
(mmamania.com)And it wasn't because Aldo said no, but because manager Andre Pederneiras did, and he tells the TATAME it was because Florian's never been a world champion and-get this-isn't on their Top 10 P4P list. "A counter-offer was made with a fight between Aldo and Kenny Florian. They offered us this and I was the first to decline it. Aldo fighting [Frankie Edgar], the fourth in the world, is one thing. It’s the champion of the event fighting a champion of the same organization, but on the weight division above. It’s the same thing that Ultimate confronts champions of two different divisions of the event ... When they said it’d be Kenny Florian, it’s not that he’s not a tough guy, I think he’s an excellent athlete, but he’s coming from a bad result and, unfortunately for him, he was never Ultimate’s champion, and now he’s not even on the top 10 pound by pound, so I couldn’t see why this fight should happen. Who turned the proposal down was me, and nobody else. Aldo wanted to fight, but who turned it down was me because I understand this fight wouldn’t bring any benefit to him, independently that Kenny Florian is a great fighter or not ... If they have offered Sean Sherk, on a similar situation, maybe I’d have accepted, it was more likely. He was a guy coming from a win and he once was the champion of the event, so we declined the offer because of that. It wasn’t because we were afraid of the other guy, it was because I thought I wasn’t worth it."
Nover And Out: Former TUF Finalist Enjoying Life As A Normal Person
(mmamania.com)Perhaps best known as the guy who fainted in front of Dana White at the start of Ultimate FIghter season 8 before reaching the finals that season, Phillipe Nover is now taking a break after an 0-3 UFC run and has returned to work in the medical professoin. For now, at least. "With MMA, the stability just isn’t there like where I work now ... I lost and basically needed to get my life stabilized ... I needed to get a stable job and not have to wait every three or four months to get paid. I needed a job with insurance and a pension. Now I’m working, and I help doctors put catheters in people’s hearts. It’s a great job that I was looking to get for a while. I’ve also been getting involved in the coaching aspect of fighting, which has been a dream of mine ... My manager did call me, but he knows I’m taking time off right now ... I want to be a normal person for a little bit because fighting does take up a lot of your time."
UFC Targets Spring For Toronto Debut
(thestar.com)When the provincial government ruled in August that it would legislate and regulate pro mixed martial arts (MMA) events, it toppled the legal barrier between the increasingly popular sport and the country’s most populous province. But a mountain of paperwork remained. Three months later, both the UFC and the government say concrete steps have been made toward finalizing the MMA legislation, and both sides are targeting the spring of 2011 for the UFC’s Toronto debut. Tom Wright, who runs the UFC’s Canadian operations, has already scouted out the Air Canada Centre and the Rogers Centre hopes to announce an event date by the end of the year. Instead of drawing up its own rules Ontario will adopt MMA’s unified rules, which are already in effect for MMA events in all 44 states and six provinces in which the sport is regulated. But other regulatory issues still need solving, like medical requirements for fighters coming to Ontario and the types of suspensions levied to fighters who suffer knockouts or fail drug tests. Finally, UFC (and all others interested in promoting or participating in Toronto) must apply for and get a license.
UFC contract not up for grabs in proposed Pedro Rizzo vs. Tim Sylvia bout
(mmajunkie.com)While a heavyweight showdown between former UFC champions Pedro Rizzo (19-9) and Tim Sylvia (27-6) may provide fireworks on the feet, the winner will not be provided a UFC contract.
Contrary to several published reports, UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he has made no such promises to either of his ex-employees.
"Where the [expletive] did that come from?" White asked with a laugh.
Personal note... THANK GOD.
Mike Swick Hoping For "Quick" Recovery From Throat Procedure
(mmamania.com)It turns out that the stomach disorder that caused him to drop to Welterweight from Middleweight was actually a misdiagnosis, but he's hoping for the best and says worst-case is his next fight could be his last depending on how recovery goes. "It's hard to tell yet how effective it was. It's getting better, and I can already tell it's better than it was before, but I have to wait for the swelling to go down so I can see how much back to normal my throat really is. ... I've fought like this for the last four years, so I know I'm able to. It just comes down to, how healthy am I going to be able to get? Am I going to be 100%? Hopefully. But even if not, I can already tell I'm going to be better. Worst case, if it doesn't get any better and the medicine isn't helping at all, that fight [against Mitchell] might be determining whether I can even fight anymore. But I don't see that being an issue. After my last fight, that's what I was scared of. I actually had the thought that I wouldn't fight again. Being able to get this chance again, it's kind of like a rebirth."
Demian Maia Calls On "Batista" To Help Him Train For Kendall Grove
(mmamania.com)Not that Batista though. Naturally Maia is seeking out his fellow Brazilians. "It may hinder or may help. Truth is that it’s something different. Só I’m training with taller people and taking the opportunity to adapt to it. But I don’t feel it’ll be harder or easier, just different. Ednaldo Lula, who fights in the WFE promotion, is helping me. He is over two meters tall. But I also called on (Aldo) Batista, Antonio Peinado, who just won the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals. He’s going to help me. He’s not quite as tall as Kendall, but he’s really tall and long-limbed. I also have some tall students who are helping me out."
TUF 13 Tryouts Draw Several Notables-Including James Toney
(mmajunkie.com)Ah, but not THAT James Toney. With a wry smile on his face, UFC president Dana White called out the name of James Toney and welcomed him to the mat for his chance at a spot on "The Ultimate Fighter 13." That turned out to be a mere Freudian slip, as he was really calling out Jamie Toney, one of nearly 300 who tried out today for season 13 of TUF. Among the notable names at the tryouts: DREAM & Strikeforce veterans Andre Galvao & Karl Amoussou, TUF 9 contestant Frank Lester, TUF 7 contestant Jeremiah Riggs and Nick Newell, a one-armed fighter who wowed on the mat with a dizzying array of submission attempts before tapping his grappling partner with a deftly executed omo plata. Official cast announcements will not be made until just prior to the spring 2011 debut of the season.
Cain Velasquez Is Going To Control Junior Dos Santos-If He Can
(mmamania.com)But the new UFC Heavyweight Champion is preparing to go everywhere with his first challenger. "Everywhere it seems like, everywhere I go, just everybody is just so happy for me and I appreciate everybody being there for me and being behind me through [the Lesnar] fight ... With [Dos Santos], he’s a great stand-up fighter, he has great takedown defense, and he’s athletic. I think it will be a tough fight, but we’re looking for everywhere. We’re looking to strike with him, we’re looking to look for shots like we did with Brock. If the opening is there get the shots, control him on the ground if we can, but we’ll pretty much look to go everywhere with him."
UFC 127 Slated For 2/27 In Australia, To Be PPV
(mmajunkie.com)The UFC makes it return to Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 27. Currently, UFC executives have not formally announced the show or any fights but a rumored Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle fight is possible. Although broadcast plans haven't been finalized, it's expected to be PPV and not on Spike.
Dana: Scott Coker Is No Bob Arum
(mmajunkie.com)In MMA's sister combat sport, boxing executives Don King and Bob Arum are on very different sides of the spectrum when it comes to personalities and promoting styles. King is the flashy guy who's never afraid of the microphone; Arum is considered a comparatively reserved promoter who puts the fights and fighters in the forefront. But UFC president Dana White today aaid he has major beef with Strikeforce CEO's Scott Coker belief he's more like Arum and the UFC boss more like King. "He [expletive] wishes he was Bob Arum," said White while in Las Vegas for "The Ultimate Fighter 13" open tryouts. "Are you [expletive] me? Bob Arum put on some of the biggest fights in boxing history, and Bob is actually successful and made money. "For you to compare yourself to [expletive] Bob Arum is hysterical. You can call me Don King or whatever you want. But calling yourself Bob Arum is a [expletive] joke."
Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran Added to UFC Fight for the Troops 2
(bloodyelbow.com)
A heavyweight bout with dynamite written all over it has been added to the Jan 22 "Fight for the Troops" show as Pat Barry makes his return to action against Joey Beltran.
The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the match-up on Thursday, with verbal agreements in place from the fighters.
Fight for the Troops is looking nasty.
Don't Be Dumb Homie: Nick Diaz Inspires Jason Miller To Raise Awareness For Autism
(mmamania.com)Naturally it seems to be insincere and subliminal messaging as Miller pimps his new website and continues the war or words between the two rivals. "The latest is www.dontbescaredhomie.com. It's a brand new website to let everyone know that somebody is scared and it ain't me. He will not fight against me, but he will go up and do it against somebody else. Obviously Nick Diaz is not as dumb as he acts. I don't know...he makes me want to donate to an Asperger Autism Charity. He makes me want to raise awareness about Autism because something is off about him; maybe it's just all of the weed, I don't know."
|
|
