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February 2012 MMA News Archive - Page 2
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TUF 15 Cast Unveiled - 32 Lightweight Fighters Announced
(mmajunkie.com) The UFC and FX have revealed 32 lightweight fighters who have been selected to compete on "The Ultimate Fighter 15."
The show (also dubbed "TUF: Live") debuts March 9 on FX with a two-and-half-hour episode that features 16 live elimination-round fights. All the winners earn official cast-member status.
UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and top contender Urijah Faber serve as coaches on the tournament-based show, which initially was slated to feature both lightweights and welterweights.
However, the field now includes just lightweights. Notable 155-pounders from the list include "TUF 13" competitor Myles Jury (who was forced off the show with a torn ACL), Cristiano Marcello and James Krause. Cast members come from the U.S., England, Northern Ireland and Brazil.
Jeremy Stephens replaces Yves Edwards (injury) - fights Cerrone at UFC on FUEL 3
(mmajunkie.com) An undisclosed injury has forced lightweight Yves Edwards (41-18-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) to withdraw from a fight with Donald Cerrone (17-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC on FUEL TV 3.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that veteran Jeremy Stephens (20-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) has been tapped to replace Edwards.
UFC on FUEL TV 3 takes place May 15 at Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. The event's main card airs live on FUEL TV while preliminary-card fights are expected to stream on Facebook.
It's not clear where Stephens vs. Cerrone will be situated on the lineup.
Bellator Heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov Stabbed In Bulgaria, Fighting For His Life
(bloodyelbow.com) Bellator heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov was stabbed in the chest in a pub in Sofia, Bulgaria early Sunday morning and despite successful surgery, things are still very dicey for the Combat Sambo world champion. The Sofia News Agency passed along the unfortunate news today:
Bulgarian MMA fighter Blagoi Ivanov, who was stabbed early Sunday morning in a pub brawl in Sofia, is still fighting for his life, announced doctors.
Ivanov has sustained a deep knife wound in his chest that reached to his heard and is currently under artificial respiration at the intensive care unit of Pirogov Hospital in Sofia.
Surgeons have carried out a life-saving operation on their patient, but say his life is still under a real threat.
Sunday night Ivanov and two of his friends had just occupied their places in a bar on Graf Ignatiev Str., when a group of 8 persons armed with bats and knives came in and attacked them.
At 5.10 am police came in to find the attackers escaped and Ivanov with a deep stab wound under his armpit.
Despite controversial loss, UFC 144's Takeya Mizugaki awarded his win bonus
(mmajunkie.com) It can pay – literally and figuratively – to have the boss on your side.
Despite a loss to Chris Cariaso at Saturday's UFC 144 event, Takeya Mizugaki has been awarded his win bonus for the performance.
UFC president Dana White, who felt Mizugaki won the fight, confirmed the additional payment at UFC 144's post-event press conference.
Cariaso (13-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Mizugaki (15-7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) fought on the FX-televised preliminary card of UFC 144, which took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Mizugaki, though, go no hometown scores, and though MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) scored the fight in his favor via a 30-27 score, the judges disagreed, and Cariaso earned the unanimous-decision victory with 29-28 scores across the board.
An otherwise reserved UFC 144 crowd booed in disagreement. And immediately after the bantamweight fight, White also headed to Twitter with a dissenting voice.
"Is it me or did Mizugaki just get screwed by the judges!?" he wrote...
UFC 144 bonuses: Pettis, Lee, Henderson and Edgar earn $65K awards
(mmajunkie.com) SAITAMA, Japan – Anthony Pettis, Vaughan Lee, Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar each earned $65,000 fight-night bonuses for their performances at Saturday's UFC 144 event.
Pettis earned the night's "Knockout of the Night" award, Lee picked up the "Submission of the Night" bonus, and headliners Henderson and Edgar earned "Fight of the Night" honors.
UFC 144 video: Quinton Jackson explains missing weight, warns he'll smack Rich Franklin; Ryan Bader reacts
(mmamania.com)
UFC event targeted for July 21 in Calgary, likely UFC 149
(mmajunkie.com) The UFC's first Canadian event of 2012 is likely to come on July 21 in Calgary.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the tentative plans with multiple event sources following an initial report from Joe Ferraro of Sportsnet's "UFC Central."
Although not official, the event is expected to take place at the 19,000-seat Scotiabank Saddledome.
No fights are rumored the card, which is expected to air on pay-per-view and FX.
Calgary, which is located in the southern portion of the Canadian province of Alberta, has never previously hosted a UFC event. However, the city, which boasts approximately 1.1 million residents, is the third largest in the country. It's home to the NHL's Calgary Flames, who also play at the Scotiabank Saddledome...
Coming Into His Own: Bartimus
(sherdog.com) Bart Palaszewski has 50 professional fights to his name, but, to hear him tell it, his journey has only just begun.
The 28-year-old Palaszewski has worked his way into the Top 10 in the featherweight division following a first-round knockout against Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts representative Tyson Griffin in October and will look to build on his momentum when he meets Hatsu Hioki at UFC 144 “Edgar vs. Henderson” on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Palaszewski has been training with Team Curran since June 1999, when he was 16 years old.
“I’m still developing my game, as crazy as that sounds,” he says. “I’m just kind of getting into my own, 50 guys in.”
Earlier in his career, the Poland-born heavy hitter fought as many as seven to nine times a year, and he certainly does not miss those days.
“I think the only reason I was able to do it was because I was younger,” Palaszewski says. “My body can’t hold up to that anymore, I don’t think.”
Not only has his game evolved over the years, but he also feels stronger mentally.
Brian Stann calls out Michael Bisping; wants to 'walk straight through him with a right hand'
(mmamania.com) UFC middleweight super-slugger Brian Stann must get a kick out of fighting International competition.
On Sat., April 14, 2012, the "All American" will throw hands opposite Italian boxer Alessio Sakara on the main card of the UFC on FUEL TV 2 event from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. After that?
Bring on Michael Bisping.
Apparently Stann isn't too happy with comments "The Count" made following a submission loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136 last October. The brash Brit called Stann a "white belt" who was "exposed."
And as Stann explains to EsNewsReporting, them fightin' words.
Bellator 60 adds Wiuff vs. Gomez, McCorkle vs. White to prelims
(mmajunkie.com) A new pair of matchups is set for Bellator's season-six debut as Anthony Gomez (5-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) faces Travis Wiuff (65-14 MMA, 1-0 BFC) in a light-heavyweight contest and Sean McCorkle (15-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC) meets Richard White (15-12 MMA, 0-0 BFC) in a super-heavyweight bout.
Bellator officials today confirmed the matchups with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Both preliminary-card fights are scheduled for Bellator 60, which takes place March 9 at The Venue at Horseshoe Hammond in Hammond, Ind.
The night's main card, which includes featherweight champ Joe Warren vs. Pat Curran, airs on MTV2 (and in high-definition on EPIX), and prelims stream on Spike TV. Bellator 60 serves as the season-opening show for Bellator's 12-week sixth season.
WELTERWEIGHTS RYAN FORD, LUIS “SAPO” SANTOS TARGETED FOR BELLATOR 67 IN ONTARIO
(sherdog.com) Top Canadian talent Ryan Ford will likely make his Bellator Fighting Championships debut on May 4, as a welterweight confrontation between “The Real Deal” and Luis Santos is in the works for Bellator 67.
Sherdog.com confirmed the news with sources close to the fighters on Friday. The promotion has yet to announce any matchups for the event, which takes place at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, marking the promotion’s fourth trip to Canada in less than a year.
Joe Stevenson Signs Multi-fight Deal with Resurrection Fighting Alliance
(mmavalor.com) Mixed Martial Arts veteran and Ultimate Fighter season 2 winner Joe “Daddy” Stevenson had signed a multi-fight deal with the upstart MMA promotion Resurrection Fighting Alliance. The Nebraska based promotion will be hosting their second fight card on March 30th from the Viaero Event Center in Kearney. Stevenson hasn’t fought since losing to Javier Vazquez at UFC Live last June.
“We are very excited to have him (Joe Stevenson), as he brings a never say die in your face approach to MMA that the fans love. He will not be fighting on our March 30th card, but we expect him to be on a card in late spring or early summer,” said RFS matchmaker Scott Cutbrith.
Legacy Fighting 10 shakeup: Linderman misses weight, Harris-Davila now co-headliner
(mmajunkie.com) Former heavyweight D.J. Linderman (10-2) apparently rushed his move to middleweight too quickly.
The Bellator vet and 185-pound hopeful came in 10 pounds over weight for his Legacy Fighting Championships 10 headliner, and original opponent Gerald Harris (19-4) now will fight Eric Davila (20-11) in the co-headliner on Friday.
Legacy promoter Mick Maynard today confirmed the card's shakeup with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Davila, in fact, was slated to fight Mike Bronzoulis (13-4-1) in a welterweight co-headliner at the event. But Davila weighed 184 pounds for the fight, so he actually proved a better fit for Harris. So despite his opponent missing weight, Bronzoulis has been scratched from the card.
Guillard 'praying' Lauzon loses to Pettis
(mmaweekly.com) “In the 10 losses I have in my MMA career, I haven’t rematched anyone I’ve lost to. Not once, I’ve never really cared for rematches because I felt they won, now I’ll move on. Right now, I’m at the point where this fight means something to me, I have something to prove against Joe Lauzon, so this is a rematch I’m asking for,” said Guillard.
Guillard will be watching UFC 144 with a special interest in the fight between Joe Lauzon and Anthony Pettis because to put it bluntly, he wants Lauzon to lose and then fight him later this year.
“Right now, I’m looking to watch the fights in Japan and I’m praying that he loses to (Anthony) Pettis because I want a rematch against Joe Lauzon. I don’t want to fight nobody next but Joe Lauzon,” Guillard said.
Marius Zaromskis signs with Bellator
(mmafighting.com) Feb 24, 2012 - Marius Zaromskis, the flashy striker who came to prominence capturing the DREAM welterweight title in 2009, has signed with Bellator, MMA Fighting has learned.
According to a source close to the fighter, Zaromskis will debut towards the later part of season six, which is scheduled to start on March 9. Zaromskis couldn't be included in the upcoming season six welterweight tournament, which already had a completed lineup by the time of his signing.
The 31-year-old Lithuanian who is known for his athletic high kicks holds a record of 16-6 with 1 no contest in his career, with 12 victories coming via knockout.
Spike’s New MMA Uncensored Live Debuts Thursday Night
(mmaweekly.com) Spike TV debuts its new mixed martial arts magazine show on Thursday night at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The first episode of MMA Uncensored Live features UFC fighter Dan Henderson as the show’s first guest and takes an inside look at the downfall of Pride Fighting Championships in Japan.
The recently re-named MMA Uncensored Live features radio personality Craig Carton as host with middleweight fighter Nate Quarry and mixed martial arts veteran journalist Mike Straka as fight experts. Each 30-minute episode will be broadcast each week from the MTV Studios in Times Square in New York.
Nevada Suspends Nick Diaz's License, Prepares for Medical Marijuana Exemption Request
(mmafighting.com) A temporary suspension of Nick Diaz's fighter license was issued during a Wednesday meeting of the Nevada state athletic commission, stemming from the positive drug sample he produced during the weekend of UFC 143.
The suspension was requested by Nevada deputy attorney general Christopher Eccles, and unanimously approved by the commission until a follow-up disciplinary meeting can be scheduled. At that hearing, Diaz will have the opportunity to present a defense. He was not present at Wednesday's meeting.
When he does sit before the commission, he will likely have to answer not only for his recent drug screening failure which saw him test positive for marijuana metabolites, but also for a previous failed screening back in February 2007, also for marijuana. At that time, he was suspended for six months and fined 20 percent of his purse.
During Wednesday's meeting, commission chairman Skip Avansino requested notes and minutes from the 2007 Nevada matter, as well as any related disciplinary information from other states in preparation of Diaz's upcoming hearing.
The stage was also set for a possible defense that could include a retroactive request for a medical marijuana exemption, as Eccles noted a belief that "the question will come up" given Diaz's personal license for medical use in California.
NSAC executive director Keith Kizer recently told MMA Fighting that no fighter had ever applied for a medial marijuana therapeutic use exemption, but that the commission would take the same steps as normal when considering the request.
**FREE MMA** Watch today's Cage Warriors 46 live on MMAjunkie.com at 2pm ET
(mmajunkie.com) MAIN CARD (MMAjunkie.com)
Andreas Kraniotakes (12-5) vs. Dmitry Poberezhets (10-4-1)
Diego Gonzalez (14-6) vs. Ivica Truscek (17-9)
Vladimir Katyhin (12-4-1) vs. Anatoly Safronov (7-5)
Phil Harris (19-9) vs. Remi Morvan (8-6)
Dan Hope (8-4) vs. Alexander Voitenko (7-3)
Neil Seery (9-8) vs. Artemij Sitenkov (13-7)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Pavel Kusch (11-2) vs. Alexander Starikov (n/a)
Sergei Churilov (6-0) vs. Anatoly Starodubtsev (n/a)
James Brum (7-2) vs. Leandro Gontijo (3-3)
Facebook fights start at 9:50-10am PT and the Junkie stream starts at 11am PT.
Solid day of fights, I'll be splite screening it while in the Surprise Van for those who want to chat. jjeans, I don't understand Ukrainian if that's what the announcers are going to be speaking, so I'll need you to Skype me play by play throughout the event.
TJ Grant’s Next UFC Fight Announced
(topmmanews.com) TJ Grant will face Carlo Prater at UFC on Fuel 3, according to TJ Grant’s Facebook status. The card will be held in Fairfax, Virginia on May 15th.
Grant (17-5) made his Lightweight debut in October against Shane Roller and finished him in impressive fashion. Against Prater, Grant will look to break his win one, lose one streak he has in the UFC and put together back-to-back wins for the first time in the big show.
Brandao vs. Elkins, del Rosario vs. Gonzaga and Teixeira vs. Kingsbury at UFC 146
(mmaweekly.com) A trio of new bouts have been added to UFC 146 including an Ultimate Fighter winner, a Strikeforce import and a highly touted free agent making his Octagon debut.
First up, Ultimate Fighter season 14 winner Diego Brandao makes his first appearance since winning the reality show last December as he faces wrestler Darren Elkins.
Brandao pulled off the miraculous comeback to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as he beat former housemate Dennis Bermudez to capture the reality show crown. He now faces Darren Elkins, who looks to make it three in a row since dropping to 145lbs last year.
Also added to the UFC 146 card is former Strikeforce heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, who makes his return to action after a car accident in 2011 nearly ended his career.
Del Rosario is still undefeated as a pro fighter and he’ll look to keep that record in tact as he faces former UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga.
After nearly retiring from the sport, Gonzaga returned in January where he made his triumphant return to the UFC with a dominant win over Eduardo Oliveira.
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