Alistair Overeem Takes Drug Test For Nevada State Athletic Commission
(bloodyelbow.com)Yesterday, Alistair Overeem said he was going to fight in December but that was shot down by Lorenzo Fertitta. Today, he apparently took a blood test for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, even though he is unlicensed and it isn't required of him. He tweeted about it, and sent a message to UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos as well:
UFC 147's Yuri Alcantara says he always ends up on top in a scramble
(mmajunkie.com)How does a 145-pound grappler end up on top of another who's 250 pounds?
Scramble, scramble, scramble.
Like the majority of his countrymen, Brazilian featherweight Yuri Alcantara doesn't have roots in the American wrestling styles that have been so successful in MMA.
The 30-year-old UFC fighter said he practices a form of wrestling from his hometown of Marajo Island in northeast Brazil called "luta marajoara." It may not have the instant recognizability of Greco Roman, which he said it resembles. But it helps him when he's trying to outwit guys twice his size.
"It's different, so people may not know how to defend my takedowns," Alcantara told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "In a scramble, I may be taken down, but I end up on top."
UFC axes typical tryout format for 'The Ultimate Fighter 16'
(mmajunkie.com)A flurry of calls from UFC officials to MMA managers this week has brought a bevy of welterweights to Las Vegas to try out for the 16th installment of "The Ultimate Fighter."
For the next season officials have scrapped open auditions and opted instead to interview potential contestants directly.
"I've never seen them skip the tryout process and fly guys straight in," one manager told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Newcomer Hacran Dias looks for better life with UFC 147 debut
(mmajunkie.com)Featherweight Hacran Dias is the latest prospect to emerge from the celebrated Nova Uniao camp in Brazil, and like many of the team's fighters, he's endured a hard road on the way to the big show.
Now on the cusp of his UFC debut against fellow Brazilian fighter Yuri Alcantara (27-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Dias (20-1-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) wants to give his family a better life with success in the octagon.
"Everything I do, I do with my daughter in mind," Dias told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I don't want to stay here on the hill (in a favela) around drug trafficking. I want her to go to college, maybe even study overseas."
Dias hopes to make a deposit on that dream when he meets Alcantara on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 147, which takes place Saturday at Estádio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
"I think God does everything at the right time," he said. "If I hadn't managed to get in (to the UFC) before, it's because it wasn't my time yet. I was very happy to get in. It's the opportunity of my life."
UFC on FX 4's Spencer Fisher to Sam Stout: 'You lost the first two fights'
(mmajunkie.com)It's called a rubber match, but as far as Spencer Fisher is concerned, he's going for a clean sweep against fellow lightweight Sam Stout.
After Stout won their first meeting via split decision and Fisher the second one via unanimous decision, they settle the score in the co-headliner of Friday's UFC on FX 4 event.
"I want this win," Fisher told MMAjunkie.com. "I think he knows in the back of his mind I beat him twice already.
Five years have passed since their most recent clash. Despite Stout's apparent short memory, many fans do, in fact, remember their first two meetings, which have been lauded as some of the greatest in recent MMA history. (In 2009, the UFC named their first meeting as the 16th best fight in the promotion's history; the second ranked 65th.)
UFC on FX 4's Sam Stout has finish of Fisher, eventual title contention on his mind
(mmajunkie.com)Sam Stout is realistic about his standing in the UFC's lightweight division.
That doesn't mean he can't have goals. Stout, who on Friday tops off his trilogy against Spencer Fisher at UFC on FX 4, believes he could contend for the 155-pound title.
"I don't like to mark a date on my calendar when I'm going to be in title contention," Stout told MMAjunkie.com. "... If things go well, if I get a couple impressive wins, within a year or two I could be fighting for that title."
Dominick Cruz Could Be Out For Up To Eighteen Months Rehabbing Injury
(bjpenn.com)“UFC Tonight’s” Ariel Helwani spoke with Dominick Cruz about his recovery from surgery.
He’s actually feeling great. You know, he had the surgery on June 6th, a total reconstruction of his ACL and MCL in his left leg. He’s feeling great. He’s saying he’s ahead of schedule right now. Right now, it’s a little too early to say just when he’ll be ready to return. He’s doing the normal physical therapy, right now. This is an injury that could take an athlete nine to maybe 18 months to return to his previous form. So right now, his spirits are high, but he doesn’t want to put any kind of date out as far as when he could return to the Octagon.
Countdown to UFC 147 full video
(youtu.be)Former champions Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva went an unbelievable fifteen minutes in the UFC 99 Fight of the Night. Will they last the full five rounds Saturday night in Brazil?
Two heavyweights, two hometown heroes, two men looking to stay on their win streaks... whose will end when Fabricio Werdum fights Mike Russow at UFC 147?
See the TUF Brasil final matchups between featherweights GodoFredo Pepey and Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra and middleweights and Sergio "Serginho" Moraes. Sarafian was injured and will be replaced at UFC 147 by Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira.
Jason Young vs. Robert Peralta added to UFC on FUEL TV 5 in Nottingham
(mmajunkie.com)After ending a two-fight skid and likely saving his UFC job, Jason Young (9-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) next will fight in his home country.
The English fighter is scheduled to meet fellow 145-pounder Robert Peralta (15-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in September at UFC on FUEL TV 5.
Young today announced the fight via Twitter.
UFC on FUEL TV 5 takes place Sept. 29 at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. The main card airs live on FUEL TV (Saturday afternoon in the U.S.) following prelims on Facebook. Young vs. Peralta likely will be part of the preliminary card.
Young signed with the UFC a year ago but then suffered decisions losses to Dustin Poirier and Michihiro Omigawa in his first two outings. Despite the defeats, he got a third UFC fight and made the most of it while defeating Eric Wisely via unanimous decision at UFC on FUEL TV 2.
Bart Palaszewski Now Fighting Out of Jackson's
(blogtalkradio.com)We spoke with Bart Palaszewski tonight, and he informed us that he is going to change things up and fight out of Jackson's from now on.
This is news to the MMA landscape, as he had not announced it formally.
(Interview about 55 minutes in)
We'll see if this boosts him up the ranks to be able to eventually fight for the 135-lb. crown!
UFC 148: Melvin Guillard Wants A 16 Man Lightweight Tournament
(bloodyelbow.com)UFC 148 may be the biggest card of the summer, and knock on wood, it hasn't been completely turned upside down due to injuries, despite the fact that injury riddled cards are quickly becoming the standard. On a card filled with compelling match-ups, one of the standouts is Melvin Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes. Guillard has had a rough patch in his last two bouts, but considers them effective learning tools in his continuing evolution as a fighter. In a recent TapouT Radio interview, Melvin discusses his transition from being a young knucklead (his own words) to a mature, yet still ambitious competitor.
UFC 152: Rory MacDonald Early Favorite Over B.J. Penn
(bloodyelbow.com)The betting line for the UFC 152 bout between Canadian welterweight uber-prospect Rory MacDonald and future Hall of Famer B.J. Penn opened on the weekend, and Rory was a healthy favorite at -288. Penn sat at +232. Other than a brief blip it basically sat like that until last night, when a bunch of money apparently came in on Penn and the line shifted accordingly. Here's how it looks at the moment:
B.J. Penn +192
Rory MacDonald -248
Rampage Jackson 'Wouldn't Care' If The UFC Buried Him In His Final Fight
(bloodyelbow.com)Quinton Rampage Jackson is a former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, a Pride standout, and one of MMA's biggest stars. But in recent years, he's shown an increasing level of frustration with MMA. From his "retirement" in 2009 to today, Rampage has, at times, looked more focused on his numerous non-MMA projects than his fighting career.
After his UFC 144 upset loss to Ryan Bader, Rampage was very vocal in how he felt he had been mistreated by the UFC, letting a lot of allegations fly against Dana White and Joe Silva and clearly stating: "I don't wanna fight for the UFC no more." With one fight left on his contract, it's very possible the former champion may have just one more Octagon appearance before walking away.
Our SBN colleagues at MMA Mania spoke to Rampage about that final fight, and his comments showed his continued frustration:
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This is the last fight in your contract. Are you concerned at all that [the UFC] might try to bury you like they did with Arlovski in the last fight of his contract?
Quinton Jackson: Actually, I wouldn't care if they did that. I don't care. They can do whatever they want to do. The reasons I made the decision to leave the UFC are the same reasons I left Pride. They can do what they want. I don't care.
UFC 147 Main Card Betting Lines
(bloodyelbow.com)The betting lines for the UFC 147 main card are out, and there are some fairly large differences from site to site. The main event fight rematch between Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin has different lines at almost every major site, and you can get Silva anywhere from +125 to +155, which is a bit unusual. Here's a rundown of the best lines you'll get from any major site, courtesy of BestFightOdds:
Ricardo Funch hoping for 'fast, hard, violent' fight against Dan Miller at UFC on FX 4
(mmajunkie.com)Ricardo Funch (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) has felt the pressure before. But this time, it's greater than ever.
Funch, in his second stint with the UFC, still is in search of his first win with the promotion. Friday, he meets Dan Miller (13-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) at UFC on FX 4 and knows what is at stake.
"This is the fight of my life and it's the only thing I'm thinking about," Funch recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Funch got a second chance with the UFC when he took a short-notice fight against Mike Pyle in his native Brazil this past January at UFC 142. But the Massachusetts-based welterweight didn't find any more success in Brazil than he had in his UFC fights in the States and Canada. Pyle stopped him in just 82 seconds.
Funch realizes that because he helped the UFC out when Paulo Thiago dropped out of the fight against Pyle, he has one more shot Friday in Miller's home state of New Jersey.
UFC 147's Wanderlei Silva disappointed in Belfort injury, but excited to fight in Brazil
(mmajunkie.com)The rematch more than 13 years in the making has to wait a little longer, but when Wanderlei Silva heard the news his worries were bigger than that.
Silva, who was booked to face Brazilian rival Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 147 this Saturday, was simply concerned that he might not be able to stay on the card.
"I was scared because I didn't know if I'd have another opponent," Silva on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.com. "It was bad for me. I had trained hard, and I was ready for the fight."
In hostile territory, UFC 147's Mike Russow says all pressure on Fabricio Werdum
(mmajunkie.com)UFC 147 takes place in Werdum's native Brazil. When the two tangle at Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond (also known as "Mineirinho"), a 25,000-seat arena in Belo Horizonte, Russow said he'll go into cruise control.
"Honestly, (fighting in hostile territory) really doesn't bother me," he said today. "I'm the underdog and glad all the pressure is on him. It doesn't bother me what the fans are doing. I really don't even hear my coaches after the ref says go, so that's not going to bother me at all."
Thiago Alves next fight: 'Pitbull' aims for Dec. 2012 return to UFC following successful surgery
(mmamania.com)Good news "Pitbull" fans: Brazilian wrecking ball Thiago Alves' surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle was a success and is targeting a late 2012 return to the Octagon.
After suffering the injury in training, which forced him to withdraw from his scheduled UFC 149 bout against fellow stand-up specialist Siyar Bahadurzada in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Alves went under the knife to resolve the issue and updated everyone via his official Twitter account of his current health status:
"Great news, just talked to my doctor and my (physical therapist). They both told me I'll be back fighting again by December. I can't wait!"
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