Marcus Davis could draw Nate Diaz at UFC 118 if commission issues are resolved
(mmajunkie.com)The "Irish Hand Grenade" got his wish to fight in Beantown.
Not long after Marcus Davis (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) told MMAjunkie.com Radio that UFC officials were trying to get him a spot on the UFC 118 fight card, Nate Diaz (12-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has answered the call to fight him at the East Coast event.
Sources close to the promotion today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the two have verbally agreed to the fight with bout agreements expected to be signed shortly.
Daley Officially Cut By UFC Today, To Australia Next
(mmaweekly.com)Paul Daley has revealed that he was officially cut by UFC today, just 4 days after his post-fight sucker punch of Josh Koscheck that led Dana White to vow he'd never fight in UFC again. But he's already moving on, having signed to fight on a PPV in Australia on July 3 and is also considering fights in Japan and in Canada for MFC. MFC operates on an Indian reservation and is thus exempt from a governing commission. Australia and Japan also both operate sans athletic commission. That means any suspensions he receives wouldn't keep him from fighting in those places.
Saturday's SF Countered By Ultimate Fights Special
(mmajunkie.com)Another Strikeforce event. Another counter-programming special from Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Didn't think UFC forgot, did you? They didn't-While Strikeforce hosts a Showtime-televised "St. Louis: Heavy Artillery" card on Saturday from the Scottrade Center, Spike TV airs seven of 2010's best UFC fights as part of a two-and-a-half hour "UFC Ultimate Fights" special that begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Featured bouts includes the already-legendary WEC 48 fight between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung, as well a UFC 111 interim heavyweight title fight between Shane Carwin and Frank Mir. Other bouts slated for the special include Mark Munoz vs. Kendall Grove (UFC 112), Terry Etim vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (UFC 112), Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg (UFC 109), Nate Diaz vs Rory Markham (UFC 111) and Paulo Thiago vs Mike Swick (UFC 109). "Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery," which also airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT, features five main-card bouts, including headliners of heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers and ex-UFC champ Andrei Arlovski vs. former EliteXC champ Antonio Silva.
Rashad Evans Is A "Step Backward", But Nice "Warmup" For Quinton Jackson
(mmamania.com)And in a recent interview with Fighters Only magazine, he even sounded a little like the Quinton Jackson of old. "I want to go get Rashad. Nice warm-up fight, kick his ass. Fight Shogun, redeem myself for my sleep, for my mind. Then go and beat the hell out of Forrest, retire him.... I feel like fighting Rashad is a step backwards, because he doesn’t have the belt anymore. But if things go right, this will be a nice warm-up fight for Shogun. If everything works out it will be nice. Everybody knows I took time off, it would be stupid to go right into a title fight with Shogun so this will be a good test for me. If I lose to Rashad I don’t even deserve to get my belt back!"
Couture-Toney UFC 118 Fight Nearly Set; Weight Issue Last Hurdle
(mmafighting.com)Randy Couture wants it, James Toney wants it, and Dana White wants it, so what's holding up the Couture-Toney UFC 118 fight? Simple, it's a weight-ing game.
The fight, according to two sources MMA Fighting spoke with, could be signed as early as this weekend. There are only a few small issues to be worked out, including what weight the fight will be contested at.
Waylon Lowe steps in to face Melvin Guillard at UFC 114
(mmaweekly.com)Just a day after American Top Team lightweight Thiago Tavares was forced off the UFC 114 card with an injury, Cincinnati based fighter Waylon Lowe has been called on to step in on short notice to face Melvin Guillard on the Las Vegas card set for May 29.
Lowe's placement into the fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the negotiations on Tuesday. The bout was first reported by Heavy.com.
Waylon Lowe (8-2) comes to the UFC on a 6-fight winning streak including his last victory in King of the Cage over UFC veteran Steve Berger by knockout.
UFC 115 Prelims On Spike: Griffin-Dunham & Danzig-Wiman
(mmamania.com)Spike TV will once again offer mixed martial arts fans a look at select preliminary bouts when it airs live under card action from the upcoming UFC 115: "Liddell vs. Franklin" pay-per-view on June 12 from the GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. UFC lightweight stars Mac Danzig and Matt Wiman will bring their bout to the airwaves alongside the 155-pound scrap between Evan Dunham and Tyson Griffin.
UFC 113 Medical Suspensions
(mmajunkie.com)The Quebec Athletic Commission has issued the medical suspensions from UFC 113. Everyone gets a brief vacation because all the fighters are suspended, but only 2 fighters-Lyoto Machida and Jonathan Goulet-got suspensions of longer than 2 weeks (60 & 30 days, respectively).
Thiago Tavares Off UFC 114
(mmajunkie.com)A planned Thiago Tavares vs. Melvin Guillard fight at UFC 114 is now off as Tavares has pulled out due to an elbow injury. According to his manager, Tavares suffered a hyperextended elbow in training. It's not yet known how long he'll be out. No replacement named yet and UFC has yet to announce the change.
Rampage-Rashad Winner Gets Title Shot
(mmaweekly.com)It now appears that the winner of Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans on May 29 at UFC 114 will go to the head of the line of challengers for new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua. UFC president Dana White confirmed with the Carmichael Dave Show on Sports 1140 in Sacramento, that the winner gets Shogun first. "The winner of the Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans fight will get the first shot at Shogun," White said via text message to Carmichael Dave. This comes amidst rumors that Randy Couture would be first in line if he beat James Toney when/if that fight happens.
Quebec Athletic Commission investigating Paul Daley after UFC 113 sucker punch
(mmajunkie.com)Although the smoking gun is in plain sight, the Quebec Athletic Commission is conducting an investigation to determine whether to suspend welterweight Paul Daley's fight license.
Daley drew unanimous scorn this past Saturday when he slugged opponent Josh Koscheck after the final bell in a title eliminator bout at UFC 113. UFC president Dana White quickly condemned Daley's actions and said the fighter, who dropped a unanimous decision, will no longer fight in his promotion.
UFC 113 winner Marcus Davis, UFC officials eyeing spot on Boston's UFC 118 card
(mmajunkie.com)With his impressive and vital victory over Jonathan Goulet at this past weekend's UFC 113 event, Marcus Davis is laying off the usual post-event food binges and today settled for a boring lunch salad.
Why the discipline?
Davis – and UFC officials – hope to get the Maine native and Massachusetts-based Team Sityodtong fighter on an Aug. 28 UFC 118 card slated to take place at Boston's TD Garden.
Paul Daley: 'There Is No Excuse for My Actions' at UFC 113
(mmafighting.com)Paul Daley apologized on Sunday for hitting Josh Koscheck with a sucker punch after their UFC 113 fight, a gesture that may be the first step in repairing his tarnished image, but that likely won't be enough to get him back into the UFC which fired him immediately after the incident.
"I've had a long flight home to consider my actions and regret the mistake I made on Saturday. I would like to apologise to the UFC and the Athletic Commission for what I've done as well as all the fans and sponsors that support me," the English Daley said in a prepared statement he gave the Telegraph. "I would also like to offer my sincerest apologies to Josh Koscheck who did not deserve the cheap shot I threw. He did what he needed to do in order to win the fight and get the job done, and I foolishly reacted to the situation."
Quinton Jackson Fighting To KO Rashad Evans-Not For Glory Or Fame
(mmamania.com)And in recent comments he made on Michael Bisping's website, he wants people to know that...and that apparently he can talk about other fighters without saying "whoop their @$$" at some point. "I still want to clear [something] up...some of my fans don't understand why I didn't fight Rashad in the beginning. I don't think...the fans that don't understand now, I don't think they'll ever understand. Just because I'm a fighter, doesn't mean I can't do other things. I just want my fans to know...no matter what, even though I haven't been in the cage for a while...people think that I went Hollywood, people always got negative stuff to say. People always underestimate me. I've been in this game for a while; I just think it's funny. I'm just gonna go out there and do my job. I wanna knock Rashad out as quick as possible and get on with my career ... I don't fight for glory and fame like some fighters. I don't wanna walk around acting all tough coz I'm a fighter. But when people run they mouth like Rashad...they get dealt with. I hope he learns his lesson."
Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos In The Works For UFC 117
(mmajunkie.com)It looks like the rumors of Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo at UFC 116 being off are true-multiple reports state Kongo has pulled out due to a back injury. As a result, Nelson will now be move to UFC 117 to face a surprising replacement-Junior Dos Santos. At least one fighter has agreed to the fight with the intention to sign. The fight likely will be on the main card if it happens.
