UFC News - Page 3

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, apparently content since moving up a weight class to the light-heavyweight division, is open to a rematch with Lyoto Machida, who defeated "Ace" at a December 2003 event in Kobe, Japan. Franklin said he's willing to do the rematch now that both fighters are in the 205-pound division, but he has one concern. "I'd fight him," Franklin said. "The thing about a Machida fight that isn't appealing to me is that stylistically, Machida is kind of a boring fighter. "That's not a putdown. It's not a putdown. He's very, very effective. He's good at what he does. He's constantly backing away and forces his opponent into mistakes, and that's how he catches you."

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The anticipated rematch and possible nest Light Heavyweight Title challenger match is now official: Ryoto (Lyoto) Machida vs. Thiago SIlva has now been confirmed for UFC 94.

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Pulling off another victory with a great finish, Dustin Hazelett moved his career UFC record to 5-2 while earning another bonus for the slickest submission of the night. In the fight against Tamdan McCrory, it was Hazelett's rubber guard transition to oma plata and then into a reverse armbar that saw the fight finished, but he says that is a regular move for him to practice versus the maneuver he used to submit Josh Burkman in his last fight.

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Boxer Ricky Hatton was among the many fans at UFC 91 and tell The Daily Star that boxing can learn a thing or two from the promotion: Hatton was at ringside in Las Vegas to see Randy Couture lose his world heavyweight title to man-mountain Brock Lesnar, who beat him with a second-round stoppage. And ‘The Hitman’, who faces Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand Arena next Saturday, told me: “The presentation and general approach of the UFC is something that boxing can learn a great deal from.” It was Hatton’s first taste of live UFC action and he said: “The whole aspect of it was great and, rather than boxing ignore it, it should take a leaf out of the UFC book.

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Dana White has made it very clear in the past that he is not depending on a network television deal to further the promotion's popularity. On network television, we've seen EliteXC, the International Fight League and Strikeforce. However, the world's most popular mixed martial arts promotion has yet to fill a network TV timeslot.

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Demian Maia continued his impressive run in the Octagon Saturday night, submitting much loved Ultimate Fighter 1 veteran Nate Quarry in the first round with a rear naked choke. The win now puts Maia at 4-0 in the UFC with all four of his wins coming by the way of submission. He remains undefeated as a professional. With the middleweight division quickly running out fresh challengers for UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva, Maia has put himself on the short list for a possible title fight down the line. Since joining the UFC in October of 2007, he has been impressive in his run. His ground game has looked absolutely perfect, using flawless technique to set up all four of his submission victories in the UFC. The only question mark surrounding Maia is how good is his striking, which is a key component to every fighter’s arsenal.

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Looking at Brock Lesnar’s performance against Randy Couture on Saturday, it’s hard to believe many reporters called him the next Kimbo Slice. With a record of 2-1 in professional mixed martial arts competition, some critics made the most of very little ammunition in Lesnar’s video library. No matter how hard Dana White tried, he couldn’t shake the Slice comparisons. “If I had hair, I’d pull it out,” the UFC president quipped. But any parallels between the titanic champion and his backyard-bred counterpart were erased at UFC 91. Lesnar’s size and strength bridged the gap in experience between he and Couture, setting the stage for a unique changing of the guard in the UFC’s inconsistent heavyweight division. Lesnar is the greenest—and possibly the most promising—champion in its history.

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For Lesnar, the road to UFC gold proved surprisingly short. Within roughly six months, the former WWE Superstar climbed to the top of the ultimate fighting heap, capping his ascent with the upset victory over Couture. Critics have noted that many of the fights on the UFC pay-per-view ended in the first round, leaving UFC producers scrambling to fill the three-hour event with content. The dearth of hearty competition left many viewers to watch less prestigious under-card fights and only served to bolster claims that UFC pay-per-view events can often be a "crap shoot" in regards to filling the full three hours. For his part, Lesnar took the encouragment of the WWE Universe and the hard lessons forged during his fiery time at WWE and showed UFC and the world why he is not only a man of mettle but also a former three-time WWE Champion. -- WWE.com.

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UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (23-4) could take another break from the 185-pound division and trade leather with former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (21-6) in a special 205-pound match up in the works for the UFC 95 main event, according to The Sun.

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With Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson reportedly not interested in coaching the US side in TUF 9, Dana's gone looking for new coaches and may have found one after UFC 91-enter emerging middleweight Demian Maia, who may have just worked his way into the spot.

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UFC Fight Club Members - Monday 17th November (9.00am) UFC Newsletter Presale - Wednesday 19th Nevember (9.00am) Public - Friday 21st November (9.00am)

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The abrupt end to Chuck Liddell's participation in an international USO tour to support American troops has raised a few eyebrows. The former UFC light heavyweight champion was part of a contingent of five celebrities joining a U.S. Marine general on an eight-day, five-country USO tour this week. Liddell made the first part of the trek on Monday to Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska, with rap duo the Ying Yang Twins, model and singer Mayra Veronica and comedians Gabriel Iglesias and Edwin San Juan. However, Liddell pulled out of the tour on Tuesday due to what both the USO and his management team, Zinkin Entertainment, deemed to be an unspecified illness. However, unconfirmed reports quickly surfaced following Liddell's decision to bow out, including one that he was asked to leave by the USO after members of his entourage were found partying with minors............

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Brock Lesnar defeats Randy Couture via TKO (strikes) Round 2 Kenny Florian defeats Joe Stevenson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1 Dustin Hazelett defeats Tamden McCrory via Submission (Armbar) Round 1 Gabriel Gonzaga defeats Josh Hendricks via TKO (Strikes) Round 1 Demian Maia defeats Nate Quarry via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1 Aaron Riley defeats Jorge Gurgel via unanimous decision Jeremy Stephens defeats Rafael dos Anjos via knockout in round three Mark Bocek defeats Alvin Robinson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 3 Matt Brown defeats Ryan Thomas via Submission (Armbar) Round 2 Sub - Dustin Hazelett KO - Jeremy Stephens Fight - Riley/Gurgel

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) released early salary figures for UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” main event participants, Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, on the eve of their showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 15. Couture is on course to pocket $250,000 for his participation in the “biggest fight in UFC history” and can double his purse ($500,000) with a win, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. Lesnar, too, will earn a quarter million dollars just for showing up, but his won bonus is $50, 000 less ($200,000) that “The Natural.”

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After suffering back to back losses for the first time in his career, Gabriel Gonzaga got right back on track with a dominant win over Justin McCully in his last fight at UFC 86 in July. Knowing the pressure is always on a fighter to get quality wins, Gonzaga felt no extra stress going into the fight and just did what he does to get the job done. “The pressure was the same in every fight, but I knew that I had a great training camp and the result should be good,” Gonzaga told MMAWeekly.com recently. “Definitely I was happy with the win it bring me back on track.” With that win, Gonzaga is right back in the hunt in the UFC heavyweight division, but his upcoming opponent, Josh Hendricks, is a newcomer to the Octagon, and the Brazilian is anxious to welcome him.

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One of mixed martial arts’ most beloved and important figures will make his eagerly awaited return to the Octagon this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Poised to defend his heavyweight title against behemoth Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, Randy Couture will face arguably his most daunting task when he climbs into battle for the 25th time. Sherdog.com spoke with dozens of experts, from fighters to trainers to analysts, and got their opinions on the Couture/Lesnar showdown.

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