KJ Noons vs Billy Evangelista on tap for Strikeforce: 'Miami' on Jan. 30
(mmamania.com)Noons has been out of mixed martial arts for more than a year following his retirement from the sport in late 2008 after he was stripped of his 155-pound title for refusing to accept a rematch with Nick Diaz under the terms Elite XC was offering."King Karl" felt that his previous performance against Diaz (a first round technical knockout) and his lone title defense -- a first round technical knockout victory over Yves Edwards in June of 2008 -- was enough to at least earn himself a bigger paycheck than Diaz in the rematch.
Dos Santos Must Weather Hurricane To Get Title
(mmaweekly.com)“I feel that he’s opening his mouth a lot,” Dos Santos told MMAWeekly.com. “He’s talking a lot for this fight, and I feel very confident that after this fight, I’m going to shut him up, that he won’t be opening his mouth until 2011.”According to UFC president Dana White, the stakes are high in silencing Yvel. A win would likely put him on the short list of belt contenders.
Aoki's Antics Mar Exciting Night At Dynamite!!
(mmaweekly.com)In a battle of lightweight champions, Dream’s Shinya Aoki immediately put Sengoku’s Mizuto Hirota on the mat and took mount with Hirota’s arm wrapped up and behind his own back. Aoki then proceeded to, quite literally, break Hirota’s arm in an odd sort of twisting armbar. The maneuver popped Hirota’s elbow out of place, leaving his forearm flaccid.
Rampage Hangs In The Balance For Rashad
(mmaweekly.com)Opposing coaches on the tenth season of the Spike TV reality show “The Ultimate Fighter,” Jackson’s hometown of Memphis was slated to host the showdown, originally scheduled to headline UFC 107 on Dec. 12. Jackson instead opted out of the fight to star in the upcoming movie version of the popular ‘80s television series “The A-Team.”
UFC 108's Latest Casualty: Matchmaker Joe Silva
(mmaweekly.com)How bad is the UFC 108 injury bug?
It's so bad, Joe Silva is on the bench.
At a gathering of reporters following the UFC 108 pre-fight press conference, Dana White said the UFC matchmaker tore his MCL (medial collateral ligament) in the lead-up to the event.
UFC 111: Jon Fitch vs Thiago Alves rematch likely for March 27
(mmamania.com)UFC welterweight stalwart Jon Fitch (21-3) is currently in discussions to rematch Thiago Alves (16-6) at UFC 111 from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, on March 27, setting up a fantastic 170-pound showdown that will prove once and for all how far both former number one contenders have come since their initial encounter back in 2006.
Their rematch was originally pegged for UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee; however, "The Pitbull" had to withdraw due to a knee injury. Fitch remained on the card and defeated Mike Pierce via unanimous decision.
Fitch scored a convincing second round technical knockout of the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 5. He would go on to win his next five fights and earn a crack at division champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" in Aug. 2008.
He was overwhelmed by the Canadian for 25 minutes, losing a lopsided unanimous decision.
Alves, too, went on a tear after the loss to Fitch with seven consecutive victories over top-ranked opponents such as Matt Hughes and Karo Parisyan, as well as outpointing Josh Koscheck on all three judges scorecards at UFC 90 in October of 2008.
Clint Godfrey signs with WEC, meets Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 46
(mmajunkie.com)A day after reporting that that bantamweight Frank Gomez (8-1 MMA, 2-1 WEC) has been forced off the WEC 46 card with an undisclosed injury, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed his replacement: WEC newcomer Clint Godfrey (11-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC).WEC officials today confirmed that featherweight prospect Godfrey has signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion and meets Wagnney Fabiano (12-2 MMA, 2-1 WEC) at WEC 46. The officials confirmed the fight will take place at 135 pounds.
Jesse Forbes Returns To UFC, Likely To Face Catone At UFN 20
(mmajunkie.com)It appears Steve Steinbeiss is the recent curse's latest victim, as he has apparently been forced off UFC Fight Night 20 in January due to injury. Replacing him in his fight against Nick Catone is former TUF 3 alum Jesse Forbes, who signed a new deal with UFC and likely will be the replacement. Forbes originally signed with Shine Fights in November but was let out of that deal after explaining interest in the UFC deal.
Mousasi says training “Not Good” for upcoming Dynamite! contest
(fiveouncesofpain.com)Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi recently spoke with the Japanese press about his upcoming fight against Gary Goodridge. When questioned about his training leading up to the fight, Mousasi was very candid in saying that it was “Not good.” Mousasi went on to explain that leading up to the event, he was unsure if the fight would be contested under K-1 kickboxing or MMA rules.
UFC Pres says Cantwell's career in jeopardy
(mmaweekly.com)Steve Cantwell, just days before the event, was the latest fighter to fall victim to what has quickly become known as the UFC 108 curse.
“Just like 97 other fights in the last couple of months that one fell apart. Cantwell has some medical problems; he might not ever fight again,” were the unfortunate words of UFC president Dana White at Wednesday’s UFC 108 press conference.
Fans Warming Up To Rashad Evans
(mmaweekly.com)“What a difference a year makes,” Evans said in between screams of his name. “Last year I would have came in, probably got boo’ed out of the place, but it’s cool that everybody is receiving me well.” His fight on Saturday with Thiago Silva is incredibly important for keeping his place on the light heavyweight ladder, but he’s determined not to let the pressure make him freeze.
An Experienced Dan Lauzon Returns At UFC 108
(mmaweekly.com)Dan Lauzon returns to the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Jan. 2 at UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva taking on Cole Miller in a preliminary fight that will air live on Spike TV.He’s no longer a teenager making his UFC debut at UFC 64 in 2006. Lauzon is on an eight fight win streak and while he admittedly will be nervous returning to the biggest stage in mixed martial arts he feels he’s gained valuable experience since losing to Spencer Fisher that night when he was 18-years old.
Vladimir Matyushenko Likely Off UFC 108
(mmajunkie.com)With original opponent Steve Cantwell now off Saturday's UFC 108 for undisclosed reasons, it now appears Vladimir Matyushenko is off as well. It appears UFC won't be able to find a replacement on roughly 2 days' notice, so Matyushenko has been pulled and 108 will have 10 fights.
(Note: There appears to be a typo saying a replacement could be found in time)
Dana White: If you don't like the UFC 108 fight card -- don't buy it
(mmamania.com)"You get 10 (expletive) hardcores on the Internet going, 'Oh, this card (stinks), there’s no this, there’s no that.' Then guess what: Don’t (expletive) buy the card! It’s usually the ones that they’re bitching about that end up being some of the best. What happened with the last card is people were (complaining) because the Rashad Evans-Rampage fight wasn’t happening. Look at what happened. This is my philosophy on this, if you’re a (expletive) fight fan, we’re going to put on good fights for you."
Frank Gomez forced out of WEC 46; Wagnney Fabiano waits on new opponent
(mmajunkie.com)Greg Jackson's MMA-trained bantamweight Frank Gomez (8-1 MMA, 2-1 WEC) has suffered an undisclosed injury in training and has been forced to withdraw from a planned bout at WEC 46 bout with Wagnney Fabiano (12-2 MMA, 2-1 WEC).
News of the injury was first reported by "The MMA Show" with Mauro Ranallo, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the change with sources close to the promotion.
Fabiano is expected to remain on the card, though a replacement opponent has not yet been secured.
Featuring a lightweight title unification match between dual champs Jamie Varner and Benson Henderson, WEC 46 takes place Jan. 10 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. The main card airs live on Versus.
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