UFC News - Page 241

And he intends to have a killer instinct against Cro Cop, something he notes while also taking a jab at Mirko's most recent opponents. "I think guys get so caught up in respecting Mirko so much they don't approach him with a killer instinct. They don't look for the finish. If you look at his last few fights he fought some tough guys, Frank Mir and Pat Barry, but they go out there and show him too much respect. I respect the guy just as much as those guys do if not more. It was the same with Gonazaga. I respect these guys so much that I give them the best fight I can on the night. That's my way of showing respect to these guys - I go in there and try and take their heads off. I put the pressure on them. There's going to be no high-fiving. There's going to be no hugging. I can tell you that."

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Two of the world's top heavyweights may cross promotional boundaries and one big ocean for some training. In a recent media call promoting his Feb. 12 fight with Antonio Silva, Strikeforce grand-prix entrant and famed veteran Fedor Emelianenko said his fight camp will be based in his native Russia but that he'd like to train with someone such as Shane Carwin. The U.S.-based Carwin said it'd be an "honor." In a forum post on The Underground, Carwin, a former interim champ who nearly defeated then-titleholder Brock Lesnar in 2010, explains his affinity for the former PRIDE great. "Fedor has been a good guy to me," he wrote. "After the Lesnar fight, he sent me some very kind words that put things into perspective. He is a great guy and a great fighter. "I am going to be traveling for training this time around. I want to take in as much MMA as I can. I hope to make it out to Duke [Roufus'] and maybe even a trip to Russia if all things go as planned."

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The news that Mark Hominick is one win away from a UFC featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo has been questioned by some MMA fans who wonder whether Hominick has really done enough to merit fighting for a belt. But for his part, Hominick insists that he has exactly what it takes to beat Aldo, and that he's ready to throw things at Aldo in the cage that the champion has never seen before. "Aldo has faced everybody -- he's faced top grapplers, top jiu jitsu guys, wrestlers," Hominick said on HDNet's Inside MMA. "But he hasn't faced a top elite striker like myself. I'm going to be in his face."

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For as long as there has been judging in MMA, there has been complaining about judging in MMA. Now Nate Diaz is piling on with his critique of the scoring system currently in place. According to the "Kid from Stockton," all you have to do to win a fight is get on top of your opponent and hold him down. In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that Diaz was largely out-wrestled and controlled by Dong Hyun Kim en route to a decision loss at UFC 125 on Jan. 1.

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Mark Holst's "Boots" are indeed made for walking, in this case walking away from MMA. The former UFC fighter, who was cut by the promotion after an 0-2 stint in the promotion, announced yesterday he will retire from active competition after what is expected to be his final fight on January 28. He plans to focus on tournament competition and opening a new martial arts school.

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"Superman" should fly through this year if he can keep winning. Dennis Hallman this week signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC on the heels of a booking against T.J. Waldburger at UFC Fight Night 24. It's but an added bonus that the event is a short drive from his home in Yelm, Wash. UFC Fight Night 24 takes place March 26 at Seattle's Key Arena and airs live on Spike.

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One-time UFC title challenger Shane Carwin recently revealed he was offered a UFC 131 matchup with Roy Nelson (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) before "Big Country" ultimately drew a UFC 130 fight with Frank Mir. It was the second time the two were linked together, as a back injury forced Carwin to withdraw from a planned UFC 125 bout with Nelson. But with rumors swirling that Nelson turned down the second Carwin offering, the winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 10" has a simple message: Bring it on.

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Bad news for all you slobberknocker fans out there. Maiquel Falcao is now off UFC On Versus 3 due to an injury. He was to have faced Alessio Sakara. Rafael Natal is the replacement.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship will visit the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas for February's highly-anticipated UFC 126 event, and the organization apparently won't take long to book a return trip. UFC is planning to book the same venue for a July 2 event, which could possibly serve as UFC 132. Additionally, the UFC's first U.S.-based UFC Fan Expo of 2011 is also targeted for Sin City's Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Update: The planned Fan Expo is likely off.

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An injury has forced Mark Scanlon off the upcoming UFC on Versus 3 card, and Matt Riddle has agreed to step in and face Matt Brown in a welterweight bout on the Louisville, KY card. The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the match-up on Friday. MMA Scraps Radio first reported the replacement.

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The growing rivalry between UFC lightweight stars Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will see its next chapter at UFC 130 in May, when the two square off for the third time. UFC president Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting that the lightweight championship bout would take place on May 28 in Las Vegas.

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A change was announced today to UFC 129-James Wilks is now off the card for as-yet-unknown reasons. He was to have faced Rory McDonald. Nate Diaz is the replacement, paperwork has been signed and an official announcement is on the way.

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UFC matchmaker Joe Silva's job is never done. While a bevy of new fight announcements were issued on Thursday, another apparently fell apart during the flourish. Mark Scanlon is now off UFC On Versus 3 for as-yet-unknown reasons. He was to have faced Matt Brown. No replacement named yet. UPDATE: Matt Riddle is the replacement.

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None other than Michael Bisping, and in England. "The British fans are very knowledgeable and passionate about MMA. I would love to fight there once more. Michael Bisping is very impressive. He's been in the UFC for a long time now and beaten some very good fighters. It would be an honor to fight him, perhaps in England. He is fast, is very busy and makes adjustments quickly. I am the champion of the world, not just Brazil or America. Being a world champion means taking on the best fighters from around the world all over the world. If the chance came I would like to fight Bisping in the UK if that's what the UFC put together."

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In the months since Wanderlei Silva went on the shelf recovering from a knee injury and subsequent surgery, it seems like practically every middleweight in the division has asked to face him in his comeback fight. Chael Sonnen, Nate Marquardt, Alan Belcher and Chris Leben are all among the names that have publically lobbied to face the MMA legend. But it seems the most recent man to request Silva may be the one to get the much-desired bout. Brian Stann is the most likely opponent for Silva upon his return, UFC president Dana White told MMA Fighting.

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The NSAC today announced the official attendance and live gate figures for UFC 125 on January 1. Although the total attendance was 12,974, only 6978 tickets were sold and there were 5896 comps and 1077 unsold tickets. The total live gate was $2,174,780.

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With tickets already on sale to the general public for UFC 128, the company's executives are busy lining out the evening's official plans. And while a main-card matchup between Yoshihiro Akiyama and Nate Marquardt was confirmed earlier today, the UFC wasn't quite done making announcements. Company brass also announced two additional matchups for the evening's preliminary card, including a previously unreported featherweight bout of Raphael Assuncao vs. Manny Gamburyan. The other confirmed fight is Luiz Cane vs. Karlos Vemola.

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In March, the UFC makes its first-ever trip to Seattle, and a highly anticipated featherweight rematch will be featured on the evening's main card. UFC executives today announced that UFC Fight Night 24 takes place March 26 at Key Arena in Seattle and airs on Spike TV. While the card is expected to be headlined by a light heavyweight contest between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Tito Ortiz, Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan II is the first fight officially announced for the event.

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Vitor Belfort, who about a year ago, earned his Karate Blue Belt from Vinicio Antony, believes that his Shotokan Karate skills will play a huge part on his UFC 126 title bout against Anderson Silva. Joining his camp is Jayme Sandall, the South American Karate champ, who is one of the top Shotokan practitioners in the world.

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And he certainly didn't appreciate Jones calling him out after his recent win over Brandon Vera, as he tells the TATAME. "This guy is a jerk. Everybody’s a professional fighter and all fights include provocations. Brandon Vera said he’s break my legs, that I wasn’t on his level. I don’t say things, I do. You get recognized when you do things. I’m a professional fighter, but I can’t always please everybody. There’s always somebody behind the computed with a plate filled with French fries, ready to criticize you. I fight for the fans, for the money and to put my name up there. Talking is too much easy, nobody knows what goes on in your life, your trainings… I think I did my job. Who likes it, likes it, but you can dislike it if you want."

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