Dana White on Chuck Liddell: 'A loss at UFC 115 would be the end'
(mmamania.com)"Yes [a loss at UFC 115 would be the end of Chuck Liddell's career], and I think he will say the same thing. But let me tell you what the difference is - the difference before, when I wanted him retired, was that he wasn't doing the right thing. He was out partying every night and doing the wrong thing not the right thing. He wasn't living the life of a professional athlete... He and I sat down and talked and I will tell you what, he has kept his word. He has been phenomenal shape since the beginning of The Ultimate Fighter and it will be interesting to see how he does. Because Rick Franklin is tough, he is no joke. He had that war with Dan Henderson that many people believe he won, he had the war with Wanderlei Silva - he has fought all the best in the world."
TUF 11 Finale prelims include Tavares vs. Baczynski, Camozzi vs Hammortree
(mmajunkie.com)Following tonight's regular-season run of "The Ultimate Fighter 11," the fight card for next week's season finale is taking shape.
Sources close to the event have confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Chris Camozzi (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is set to fight fellow middleweight cast member James Hammortree (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), and in a bout pitting MMAjunkie.com blogger vs. blogger, Brad Tavares (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on Seth Baczynski (11-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
The bouts take place next Saturday, June 19, at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
The night's main card, including the Court McGee vs. Kris McCray finale, airs live on Spike TV.
Jamie Yager vs. Rich Attonito slated for The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale prelims
(mmajunkie.com)A bout pitting Team Ortiz's Jamie Yager (2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Team Liddell's Rich Attonito (7-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is set for the preliminary card of The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale, a source close to the event confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
The meeting of eliminated cast members takes place next Saturday, June 19, at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
The night's main card, including the Court McGee vs. Kris McCray finale, airs live on Spike TV.
Both fighters fell short in the 28-man/32-slot middleweight tournament.
Yager, the fourth pick of Tito Ortiz's team, scored a 26-second knockout of Ben Stark in an elimination-round bout, and he advanced to the quarterfinals with a subsequent TKO of Charles Blanchard. However, his "TUF" run came to an end when he didn't answer the bell for the third round in a fight with Josh Bryant.
Trainer Duke Roufus wants all focus on UFC 115's Pat Barry
(mmajunkie.com)VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Getting kicked by UFC heavyweight Pat Barry on daily basis sucks. Getting kicked by Pat Barry while holding pads from the Reagan era really, really sucks.
Jeff "Duke" Roufus, Barry's trainer, found himself in that position today at an open workout promoting Barry's fight with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic this Saturday at UFC 115.
Delta Airlines lost the luggage containing his gear on the flight into Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and he had to ask UFC welterweight Claude Patrick's trainer for an extra pair of kick pads and hand mitts.
Roufus, a former K-1 kickboxer, has his regular kick pads made special in Thailand. They're packed to the gills with extra padding, which is perfect for absorbing the shock of shins traveling 80 miles per hour.
UFC 115's "Cro Cop" says retirement possible if new contract doesn't materialize
(mmajunkie.com)VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is on the last fight of his UFC contract and wants to keep fighting. But if he doesn't ink a new UFC deal, he's not shopping himself to Japan.
Instead, he's done.
"I will extend the contract, or I will go retire," said Filipovic (26-7-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who on Saturday faces Pat Barry (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 115. "But I think I will keep fighting."
Filipovic inked a three-fight contract extension with the promotion this past July after a rocky patch in which it was speculated that he might defect from the UFC to the Japanese-based DREAM promotion.
Rosenthal officiates UFC 116 main event; Lesnar's camp, UFC speak against Mazzagatti
(mmajunkie.com)LAS VEGAS – Veteran referee Josh Rosenthal today was selected by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to officiate July's UFC 116 main event between UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and interim belt holder Shane Carwin (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC).
Rosenthal was selected from a pool of available officials that also included Herb Dean, Steve Mazzagatti and Mario Yamasaki at today's NSAC meeting in Las Vegas based on the recommendation of NSAC executive director Keith Kizer.
Both Lesnar's camp and the UFC issued objections to Mazzagatti's potential selection, though NSAC chairman Pat Lundvall ultimately dismissed the claims and included the oft-criticized referee in the pool of potential officials.
A "Motivated" And "Grateful" David Loiseau Looks Forward To A Great Performance In Vancouver
(mmamania.com)And the former UFC fighter is happy to be back in the promotion and looking forward to a good performance Saturday, when he faces Mario Miranda. "You know they say 'A God makes no mistakes,' so I just rolled with it and accepted what happened. At first, I was a little upset but you have to accept it and move forward. I'm very motivated, very grateful the UFC took me back and I'm looking forward to putting on a great performance. I will be much more effective. What you think about, you bring about. I'm focusing on the good times ahead and the great times coming up."
NSAC Corrects UFC 114 Attendance & Gate Figures
(mmajunkie.com)The Nevada State Athletic Commission revised its attendance and box-office tallies for this past month's UFC 114 event. The event's official draw now stands at 14,996 spectators for a $3,895,125 live gate. Of the 14,996 fans, there were 13,294 paid and 1,702 comps. 14 tickets went unsold, which resulted in a virtual sellout. The NSAC initially announced an attendance of 14,246 (13,294 paid, 952 complimentary, and 12 unsold) and a $3,730,125 gate. Even with the revisions, UFC 114's gate total still ranks fifth all-time in venue history (UFC 66) but may now be the MGM Grand all-time leader in attendance.
Tyson Griffin says his new form, not rivalry with Evan Dunham, is real story of UFC 115
(mmajunkie.com)While much of the attention leading into this weekend's UFC 115 event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is centered firmly (and deservedly) on the main event between former champions Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin, hardcore fans have another bout circled as a potential "Fight of the Night" candidate.
Evan Dunham (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Tyson Griffin (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
And while most have focused on Dunham's ties with Xtreme Couture and how the Oregonian was forced to leave the camp in favor of Griffin, Griffin himself believes that angle is overblown. Instead, Griffin believes the real story will be his improved fitness and technique.
Couture Signs Contract For UFC 118 Heavyweight Bout Against Toney
(mmanews.com) Former UFC Heavyweight And Light Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture has signed his side of the contract that will welcome James Toney to the UFC on August 28th at UFC 118 in Boston.
Sherdog.com confirmed with Couture earlier today. The bout will be contested in the heavyweight division marking Couture's third stint above 205lbs.
Frank Mir Needs To Get Off That (Light Heavyweight) Crack Pipe
(mmamania.com)That's some maybe-not-sage career advice for the former UFC Heavyweight Champion from someone who knows 205-current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Lawal. "He better get off that crack pipe. The main thing is Frank Mir at 205 would be strong, his skill-set would be enough. Overall strength and power would be down. I would just focus on the cardio. He should lose a little bit of weight as a heavyweight and be more mobile and agile heavyweight."
It May Be One And Done For UFC In Vancouver
(mmamania.com)And if so, Blame Canada. After months of jumping through hoops in trying to bring the UFC to Vancouver, it may very well be that Dana White and the Fertittas wish they never had. The Director of the Greater Vancouver Regional District Board, Kerry Jang, tells the Toronto Sun that it is highly likely that the the UFC's first trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada may also be its last. The issue at hand, as has been reported for months now, is insurance costs. Vancouver Athletic Commission chair Mirko (coincidentally enough) Mladenovic said that the price of insurance is so high (rumored to be $12 million for 115) that the UFC, despite selling out General Motors Place for the event, will most assuredly make no money.
Win Or Lose, One Thing Certain For Pat Barry At UFC 115
(mmajunkie.com)He's leaving with an autograph. From one Mirko Cro Cop, of course. Barry continues to make no secret that the striker has always been one of his favorite fighters. "I had a poster of Mirko on my wall," Barry admitted to MMAjunkie.com on a recent media call promoting the event. "He was in my top-five list of scariest guys on the planet. This was before I had even started training when my brother and I would just sit around watching K-1 fights and watching kickboxing. This was like a guy that I idolized. "When I started training, he was still one of my top-five favorite – and still is – top-five favorite kickboxers on Earth. I mimicked my lefty style to his because he was the best at it. Then when I switched over to MMA, he's like the No. 1 guy on my list." And yes, Barry says, he's serious about getting Cro Cop's autograph.
Rory MacDonald: This Is Perfect Time For Me to Be Fighting Condit
(mmafighting.com)Rory MacDonald is no stranger to fighting opponents older and more experienced than he is. So if you were to ask the 20-year-old if it's too soon to face a guy like final WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in only his second UFC fight, he'll tell you it only feels natural.
"I think is kind of like the perfect time for me to be fighting Carlos Condit," MacDonald told MMAFighting.com. "My career's been progressive every fight, progressing, progressing, progressing and I think this is the natural course for me to be fighting Carlos."
Source: Dan Miller will fight again in the UFC
(mmajunkie.com)Dan Miller (11-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is not done with the UFC.
The middleweight's future was in doubt following a unanimous-decision loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 114 – Miller's third-consecutive setback – which capped a year of struggles inside and outside the cage.
However, a source close to the fighter today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the New Jersey native will get one more chance to get his career back on track.
Anderson Silva moving to 205 after UFC 117?
(mmaweekly.com)Anderson Silva has cleared out the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division outside of his upcoming UFC 117 opponent Chael Sonnen.
Widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, if Silva comes away with a win on Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., the organization plans to enter into talks with the Brazilian about possibly moving to the light heavyweight division.
“He’s got to get through this fight with Chael, and then we’re going to start talking about him going to 205,” said UFC president Dana White at the UFC Fan Expo.
One and done for UFC 115 headliner Chuck Liddell? "Iceman" remains undecided
(mmajunkie.com)Immediately after Chuck Liddell dropped a first-round knockout loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 and suffered his fourth defeat in five fights, UFC president Dana White announced the UFC Hall of Famer's retirement from the sport.
Liddell didn't argue with the big boss, but he didn't exactly close the door on his career either.
So when he comes out of that 14-month imposed layoff for a fight with Rich Franklin at Saturday's UFC 115 event in Vancouver, he's not exactly sure it'll be a one-time thing.
UFC 114 Draws 14,246 For $3.7 Million Gate
(mmajunkie.com)This past month's UFC 114 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas officially drew 14,246 spectators for a $3,730,125 live gate. The attendance figure includes 13,294 paid, 952 comps and only 12 unsold tickets. UFC initially claimed 15,081 and a live gate of $3.895 million for the event. Despite the lower amount, UFC 114's gate total ranks fifth all-time in venue history (UFC 66) and 4th in attendance (UFC 94).
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