Alessio Sakara scratched from UFC 122 - Ludwig/Oscipzak Promoted to Main Card
(5thround.com)And then there were 10. As in only ten bouts remain on the “UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami” roster. Although the event is officially underway inside the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, Alessio Sakara was abruptly scratched from tonight’s co-main event against Jorge Rivera.
According to FightersOnly, Sakara came down with “flu-like symptoms” early this morning. An Octagon source told FO the Italian, “Woke up sick, with nausea and flu-like symptoms. He saw a doctor and he was really ill. He came to the arena anyway and was going to fight, but his symptoms came back in a big way and he is too sick to fight.”
There are also reports the striker was vomiting backstage, which prompted the world’s premier mixed martial arts show to scrap the co-featured contest.
Dana: UFC Will Soon Add Flyweights
(mmajunkie.com)Every major weight class soon will be under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner. Following January's upcoming absorption of World Extreme Cagefighting and its 145-pound featherweights and 135-pound bantamweights, the UFC then will add 125-pound flyweights. That's according to UFC president Dana White, who said the new weight class could soon debut. "I believe we'll add it a lot sooner than people think we will," White said during today's Q&A session at at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. His comments come a day after two potential stars of the division – WEC 52 fighters Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson – picked up wins as bantamweights in Las Vegas.
Dana: We Probably Will See Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir Next
(mmamania.com)Again, like it or not, while also denying another rumored fight. "He never asked for Roy Nelson, that's not true. The last thing I did hear was that he wants to fight Frank Mir again. That fight kind of makes sense so ... we will probably see Lesnar fight Mir next, I think that the rubber match makes sense."
Nogueira vs. Tito Ortiz in the works for 2011
(tatame.com)With two wins in three fights in the UFC, Rogério “Minotouro” Nogueira revealed he wanted to return to the as soon as possible, but it looks like he’ll have to wait until 2011. According to souces close to his camp, Nogueira will face the former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, who lost four of his last five fights, in 2011. TATAME.com called Rogerio, who didn’t confirmed the news, but revealed he also head Ortiz’s name. “I’ve heard some rumors of this fight, but there’s nothing signed. In my last fight they said about (Quinton) Rampage and they changed to Ryan Bader”, Nogueira said. Stay tuned for more news about the UFC.
Wanderlei Silva Has A Message For Vitor Belfort...
(mmamania.com)You want a rival, you got one! "You know, I was missing something. But then I found out I needed a rival. I never trained as hard as the time I fought (Ricardo) Arona. But now, I want (Vitor) Belfort, and I'm already trained for you. I'm gonna get you, you'll see!" This stems from an ongoing feud that started when Wanderlei predicted Anderson Silva would "destroy" Belfort at UFC 126, and Silva's reaction is to these comments from Belfort: "I didn’t waste my time watching [Wanderlei's video blog]. It’s just a spectator’s opinion. Spectators can say whatever they want. He just wanted to get some attention for himself. I don’t take it seriously. I will use my best characteristic - that is trading hits, boxing. It’s going to be a great test to strike with him. This is my job, right? I’m training Muay Thai a lot with a world champion and my karate coach is coming next month. I’ll be ready when I get there, you can be sure."
UFC 122 Tickets Selling Well, But Not Sellout
(mmajunkie.com)A representative from the UFC's German partner said UFC 122 has sold very well, though this weekend's show hasn't sold out. Marek Lieberberg, a concert promoter who also promotes the UFC within the country, today said that between 8,000 and 9,000 tickets have been sold for the show. UFC 122 takes place Saturday at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. The event's seating configuration allows for 11,000 people, according to Lieberberg. Ticket sales have remained strong despite an advertisement campaign based entirely on the Web, he said.
UFC 1/22 Event Now (Finally) Official
(411mania.com)UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fight for the Troops 2 is official for January 22nd, and will take place at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. The event will raise funds for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and will air on Spike TV. UFC Fight Night 16 served as the first UFC Fight for the Troops, and raised more than $4 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides assistance to our nation's military heroes who have been critically injured in the performance of their duty. Dana White had the following to say about the event…"It's always a great honor for us to entertain the men and women of the military by bringing them some great fights while raising money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. It's the least we can do for the people who are defending this country and making so many sacrifices for our freedom, and this is a cause the UFC will always support." The 5 TV fights have been confirmed, with Evan Dunham-Kenny Florian the main event. 5 prelims are currently rumored but not officially announced yet.
Darren Elkins Off UFC 123
(mmajunkie.com)A late change has been made today to next week's UFC 123 event-Darren Elkins is now off due to injury. He was to have faced the debuting Edson Barboza. Mike Lullo, another UFC newcomer with an 8-2 career record, is the replacement. Lullo lost his first 2 career fights but has won 8 in a row since including 6 in a row by submission-the most recent being in June when he gogoplata'd Jeremy Castro in the first round.
Marcus Davis To Make Lightweight Debut At UFC 125
(mmajunkie.com)After announcing recently he planned to drop from Welterweight to Lightweight, Marcus Davis will make his 155 debut at UFC 125 on January 1. His opponent will likely be a fighter who openly campaigned for a fight with him after his announcement-Jeremy Stephens. The fight is expected to be finalized in the coming days.
Daniel Roberts Set To Take On Greg Soto At UFC 125
(mmamania.com)That's the word according to Roberts via Twitter-he'll face Soto in a battle of rising prospects at UFC 125 on January 1. Roberts has won 2 in a row since being KO'd by John Howard in his UFC debut, while Soto beat Nick Osipczak at UFC 118 after being DQ'd in his UFC debut against Matt Riddle for an illegal upkick.
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What's The Bottom Line On Brock Lesnar? He's Coming Back Stronger Than Ever 'Cause Stone Cold Says So
(mmamania.com)And not just because Austin 3:16 says Cain Velasquez whooped his @$$. But fellow former wrestler Steve Austin does believe Brock will be back and better because of the loss. "It was... man, Brock, I know him from my WWE days. Of course I was cheering for Brock. I think Cain had a great game plan and Cain’s a great fighter. You know, he took it to Brock. But I think the kind of gifted athlete that Brock is and the kind of mindset that he has, I think he’s going to go back home, I think he’s going to work on his striking game, I think he’s going to get used to being hit, and I think he’s going to come back and be stronger than ever. Now he’s got some proving to do. I’ll always bet on Brock Lesnar, he’s a great Pay Per View attraction, and he’s good for the sport. He’ll be back, and he’ll be a lot better of a fighter from this loss."
UFC 123 Lineup Finalized With 11 Fights
(mmajunkie.com)As expected next week's "UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida" event boasts an 11-fight lineup. Executives today finalized the long-rumored fight card, which is headlined by former UFC light-heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, which is not an official #1 contender fight but the winner could make a solid case with a convincing win. Therw also will be 2 TV fights on Spike before the PPV: Matt Brown vs. Brian Foster and Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson.
Health Permitting, Mark Hominick vs. George Roop Likely For 1/22 UFC
(mmajunkie.com)2 WEC featherweights could meet in January as Mark Hominick vs. George Roop is tentatively set for the still-unannounced January 22 UFC event. Although not officially announced by the organization, UFC Fight Night 23 is expected to take place in conjunction with Fort Hood in Texas. The matchup is contingent on Hominick being fully healed from a lingering hand injury in time for the event.
UFC Middleweights Pick Marquardt Over Okami By 6-1 Margin
(mmajunkie.com)Of the few sportsbooks taking action on the fight, Nate Marquardt is being given an approximately 66 percent chance of defeating Ysuhin Okami at Saturday's UFC 122 event. But in a sampling of top UFC middleweight contenders, Marquardt's favorite status was much more pronounced. 9 fighters recently gave Spike their opinion on the fight and only one-Michael Bisping-picked Okami to win. 6 of the 9-Wanderlei Silva, Alan Belcher, Tom Lawlor, Kyle Noke, Alessio Sakara and Kendall Grove-picked Marquardt while 2 chose to Push (Undecided)-Anderson SIlva and Chris Leben.
Mike Swick: Still Recovering, January Fight Agreed To But Not Official
(mmamania.com)In a post on The Underground message board, UFC fighter Mike Swick, recovering from a recent throat procedure, updates fans on his recovery and also clears up rumors about his UFC return in January-namely that it's not past "paperwork pending" status. "Just wanted to clear up some rumors... I did agree to fight in the UFC in January but nothing is signed. Considering it is for the Troops and in Texas, how could I not! I am still recovering from my medical procedure (BoTox injections into my esophagus) but look to make a good recovery."
Urijah Faber Looking Forward To His "Brightest Days" With UFC
(mmamania.com)And not just because of the money, even though one nightly bonus could be more than what he made in an entire year's worth of WEC fights. "Some people either think that we are the UFC or think that I fight in the UFC or they ask, ‘When you going to go to the big show?’ For me, I’ve known for a long time that we’re the top fighters in the world at our weights, but not everyone else understands that. We don’t have to explain it anymore. That’s great. Business-wise, you look at the bonuses, you’re going from $10,000 to $65,000. Pay-per-view averages and everything else is up, and viewership’s up.... The bottom line is, I feel like I resonate with fans. You couple that with the UFC fan base, it’s going to be a great thing. I’m looking forward to having my brightest days in the future. I feel great at this new weight. My body feels incredible, and I’m still motivated to fight. These next couple of years are going to be awesome."
Diagnosis, Treatment Clear Swick for Octagon Return
(sherdog.com)
Mike Swick has been off the grid since February, when he lost to Paulo Thiago via second-round submission at UFC 109. It was his second consecutive defeat and sent him to the doctor’s office looking for answers.
“Four years ago, I was told I had dyspepsia,” Swick told Sherdog.com. “I just assumed they were right since I had my stomach scoped twice by different doctors. After [the Thiago loss], I didn’t think I could eat enough to be competitive at the level of the UFC. I didn’t want to quit doing what I love, but I figured I needed to do something if I wanted to stay at this level. I went back to a new doctor who did a totally new evaluation, and he said I had a severely spastic esophagus.”
UFC (Apparently) Cuts Gilbert Yvel
(middleeasy.com)It appears that Gilbert Yvel's latest stint in UFC is over. Although there has been no official announcement from UFC yet, Yvel reportedly has been removed form the promotion's roster following an 0-3 run in UFC, and he's only 1-4 in his last 5 overall fights. This followed an 8-1 run from 2006-2009 that helped him get back to UFC.
UFC To Stream UFC 122 Free On German Website
(mmajunkie.com)Stateside UFC fans aren't the only ones getting free fights with UFC 122. UFC U.K. president Marshall Zelaznik today said that the fight promotion is countering a TV ban in Germany by offering UFC programming free of charge on the Web. Fans can now watch UFC 122 on popular German sports website Spox.com, as well as the fight promotion's own German-language website. Zelaznik said the fight continues to get the UFC back on German airwaves. In March, the Bavarian state office for new media (BLM) in March withdrew its approval to broadcast the promotion's programming, which prompted UFC lawyers to file suit. That litigation is currently pending and may not be resolved until late next year, the executive said. "We've been through a couple of hearings, and depending on what happens at which level and who appeals what, the soonest would be around six months," Zelaznik said, "But it could be another nine to 12 months."
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