Kendall Grove determined to remain in the UFC
(mmajunkie.com)Before Saturday night's "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest" finale main event, "The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner Kendall Grove (10-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) had openly described the bout as having "loser leaves town" implications.
In the bout, Grove defeated former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner (34-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) via split decision and earned what was arguably the most notable victory of his career.
"Da Spyder" was a guest on Monday's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), and explained why he felt he was fighting for his future in the UFC.
"I was taking at as though I was fighting for my job," Grove said about his effort on Saturday. "And I love my job."
In one of the stranger scores in recent memory, Grove won the fight on two judges' cards 30-26 while a third judge awarded the bout to Tanner, 29-28. Grove felt his split-decision victory should have been unanimous.
"That's what happens when you leave it in the judges' eyes," Grove said. "But I don't know. ... Where I come from, I call that a [expletive] beating."
Phil Baroni to welterweight ‘to be a world champion’
(mmamania.com)After dropping four out of his last five bouts at middleweight — albeit to pretty good competition (Kazuo Misaki, Frank Shamrock, Kala Hose and Joey Villasenor) — Phil “The New York Badass” Baroni has decided to drop down to 170 pounds for the first time ever and try his luck at welterweight.
It’s a 15-pound decision that he hopes will help him become a world champion in the near future.
Here are his exact thoughts:
“Im making the move because I want to be a World Champion. I dont fight for pay day’s or fame, to be on tv or chick’s. I got into MMA because I wanted to be the best fighter in the world. This is what I feel at this point in my career I need to do. Im feel Im a better fighter than Ive shown in the ring esp as of late. As far as the move to Welter Weight goes I feel great. Im more athletic. Im in much better condition, my hand speed is back, an I would go as far as to say Im a lot quicker than I was at my previous best. I feel just as strong physically if not stronger do to much greater flexibility. Im not going to make any predictions or promises. Ive been very humbled as of late. Ive been handed a real wake up call. Im going to give it my all 100% and do my best. Its Do or Die for me. Im All In! I love to fight. Im a real fighter, an like I said the day I dont think I can be a World Champion is the day Ill retire. Im not done yet, I have alot of fight left inside me. I have alot to prove to myself an alot of people to prove wrong. NEVER SAY DIE !!!”
Heath Herring has no hesitations with Lesnar
(mmaweekly.com)
When former heavyweight champion Mark Coleman fell out his bout with rising star Brock Lesnar due to injury, the call was quickly made to perennial contender Heath Herring, who stepped up on short notice to take on the Minnesota native in his home state.
Herring made an impressive showing in his last fight defeating Cheick Kongo by split decision at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio. Despite the short notice, Herring says he had no hesitations stepping in to face Lesnar and the only detractor was pulling his camp together on time.
“The only hesitation was trying to get all the chickens back in the chicken coup so to speak. No one was really set up to try and get ready for a fight. I think we got camp established pretty quick and now everything’s going okay,” said Herring.
For his last fight, he admitted that he didn’t work much on his ground game, expecting a stand-up fight with the experienced kickboxer, Kongo. Now facing a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion, he’s on top of his grappling skills again, but definitely isn’t neglecting his striking ability.
“I actually am working a little bit of ground now, but we’re also training stand-up as well,” Herring stated. “Not to slack off in any area. We’re trying to be as well rounded as possible. I have a feeling he might want to come out and try to throw just a little bit, and I’m hoping he does and we’ve got to make him pay when he does.”
Cain Velasquez vs Jake O’Brien UFC Fight Night 14 fight official
(mmamania.com)Over the weekend, the heavyweight showdown between Cain Velesquez (3-0) and jake O’Brien (10-1) was made official for Ultimate Fight Night 14 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 19
Sweet
Rumored Fight Card
-Anderson Silva (#1 Middleweight in the World)* vs. James Irvin (at Light Heavyweight)
-Hermes Franca vs. Frankie Edgar
-Reese Andy vs. Brandon Vera
-Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns
-Nate Loughran vs. Johnny Rees
-Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O'Brien
-Rory Markham vs Brodie Farber
-Dale Hartt vs Shannon Gugherty
-Brad Blackburn vs James Giboo
Pros and Cons: TUF 7 Finale
(fiveouncesofpain.com)Con. Making Evan Tanner fight in Las Vegas. Come on now, you have global expansion and new cards popping up in Minnesota and Georgia and you tell Evan Tanner, perhaps the most addiction-riddled fighter you have, to headline in Las Vegas? Why don’t you just pay him in Crown Royal and casino chips? I’m not saying it is in any way the UFC’s responsibility to protect Evan Tanner from himself, he’ll find a way regardless. If you found out Jason Lambert was addicted to wine and cheese would you put him on the first card in Paris? Oh, breaking news…. EXC is headlining their first ever show in Jamaica. Nick Diaz, phone call on line one. Again, not their faults, there’s just something really funny about it.
"Rumble" Johnson unfazed by recent UFC date change
(mmajunkie.com)No stranger to fighting on short notice, UFC welterweight Anthony Johnson (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was recently forced to adjust his training schedule. The UFC moved Johnson's bout with Kevin Burns from UFC 87 on Aug. 9 up three weeks to the newly announced UFC Fight Night 14. But Johnson says that's just fine; the results will still be the same.
Johnson discussed the upcoming bout while a recent guest on TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
UFC 89 (Next UK UFC) Birmingham October 18th
(mmapayout.com)Fighters Only is reporting that the UFC's next European show will be held in Birmingham, England on Saturday October 18th.
UFC VP Marc Ratner made the announcement on the Setanta Television, the UFC's TV partner in Great Britain. The show had been rumored about since UFC 85, at which Michael Bisping intimated in an interview with The Telegraph that he would possibly be on the card in Birmingham. The latest Brit signing Dan Hardy is slated to be on the card. The most likely venue for the show would be The NEC Arena.
I posted this originally a few weeks ago, seems like others are starting to report on now too.
Forrest Griffin's Story Can Draw Big Numbers
(bloodyelbow.com)Although The Ultimate Fighter 7 rebounded in its final 4 weeks with strong ratings and better shows, the show truly failed to hype up the upcoming Forrest/Rampage fight. Even at the finale, I got the impression from their interview that they would be carpooling home from the show. The animosity needed to sell the fight in a conventional way is not there.
However, this fight doesn't need animosity to sell, if they spend the next two weeks on the most obvious narrative of all: The original TUF winner and perrenial underdog against the guy that knocked out Chuck Liddell in the first round.
UFC UK: Birmingham October 18th
(bloodyelbow.com)The UFC's march thru the UK continues in October ...
The UFC's next European show will be held in Birmingham, England on Saturday October 18th.
UFC VP Marc Ratner made the announcement on the Setanta Television, the UFC's TV partner in Great Britain. The show had been rumored about since UFC 85, at which Michael Bisping intimated in an interview with The Telegraph that he would possibly be on the card in Birmingham. The latest Brit signing Dan Hardy is slated to be on the card. The most likely venue for the show would be The NEC Arena.
The plan for Silva/Okami was before this new fight with James Irvin, it is unclear if that is still the idea. Anderson Silva now reportedly wants to fight 5-6 times a year, and they're giving him what he wants because he was so pissed about the Roy Jones fight being shot down
TUF 7 Fighter Payouts Revealed
(mmajunkie.com)The NSAC today revealed the fighter payouts from the TUF 7 Finale. The total disclosed payouts were $410,000 (this assumes Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough get their base pay, awaiting word from Keith Kizer) with the most going to Diego Sanchez-$70,000.
Ivan Salaverry Retires
(mmamania.com)After back-to-back losses in UFC, Ivan Salaverry has decided to call it a career. He says fighting is no longer a priority, but he also is dealing with nagging injuries plus a school and 2 kids.
Salaverry Retires From Competition
(sherdog.com)Middleweight standout Ivan Salaverry (Pictures) has hung up his gloves for good and will no longer compete as a professional fighter. The decision came almost a month following his last bout -- a first-round submission loss to Rousimar Palhares (Pictures) at UFC 84 "Ill Will" in Las Vegas. Salaverry retires with a 12-7 career record.
"Basically, I am just not prioritizing fighting anymore," Salaverry told Sherdog.com. "Even though I love fighting and I had a great run and I enjoyed it, I've transitioned to other things. There are quite a few variables as to why I stepped away and not just one. I'm older now; I'm 37 and not 27. I also have some injuries that are just not recovering, too. And within that scope, I have my school and my two kids. Fighting is not just a priority anymore."
Salaverry's decision to step out of the spotlight shouldn't come as a surprise. His fight with Palhares was the last under his contract with Zuffa, parent company to the UFC, and the Seattle resident hinted beforehand that his performance against Palhares would greatly influence his next move.
Salaverry lost in surprising fashion to the highly touted Brazilian prospect via a deftly executed armbar, though the Chilean-born Canadian cites additional considerations that came into play with his decision to call it a day.
Inter-Promotional Angles
(sherdog.com)Anyone insistent that mixed martial arts has more in common with boxing than professional wrestling should learn their alphabet: UFC, IFL, WAMMA, etc.
Like the televised clown convention that is the WWE, the UFC has a stable of athletes unavailable for lending -- kind of like those musty reference books at the library.
That stands in sharp contrast to boxing's business model, which tends to acquiesce to fans' demands. Lennox Lewis was an HBO commodity. Mike Tyson was on Showtime's leash. Yet, the two networks understood that remaining contentious was just leaving money on the table.
With $106 million in the till, the Lewis-Tyson fight was the second most profitable pay-per-view of all time.
MMA's current problem is that no one -- fans, media or otherwise -- are demanding promoters to make important bouts before age and ring wear make them obsolete.
What follows is a list of fighters from disparate promotions that should swap leather before it's too late.
Diego Sanchez refocused and eyeing UFC gold
(mmaweekly.com)After leaving Team Jackson and trainer Greg Jackson, Diego Sanchez suffered his first professional mixed martial arts loss and dropped two in a row. Now, acclimated to his new training environment, Sanchez defeated Luigi Fioravanti at the Ultimate Fighter 7 Live Finale and has reeled off back-to-back victories. "The Nightmare" appears refocused and is eyeing Ultimate Fighting Championship gold.
"Coming off these two wins now, I feel like I'm back on track," said Sanchez. "The two losses came with perfect timing. To be honest, if I wouldn't have had those loses I maybe would have gone on to become the champion, but the timing wouldn't have been right. Now I feel the timing is right to go and become the champion and hold the belt. That's what every fighter wants to do, become the champion and stay the champion.
C.B. Dollaway comments on "THE TAP"
(mmaweekly.com)C.B. Dollaway got a second chance at becoming "The Ultimate Fighter," and a second chance to defeat Amir Sadollah, who eliminated him from The Ultimate Fighter 7 competition. Dollaway was then brought back when finalist Jesse Taylor was kicked off the show for his conduct only days after filming concluded.
Dollaway lost to Sadollah by arm bar, again, and spoke with the media about the tap that he wishes he could take back.
"With the tap, I didn't fully commit to the tap, but I did hit him once," said the Tempe, Ariz. native. "I guess they ruled that a tap. I thought you had to go on and start tapping out. I did hit him once. Right as I did that, I felt my arm get into a position where I could get out. At that point Herb (Dean) ruled it as a tap out."
The disappointed Dollaway reflected on The Ultimate Fighter 7 Live Finale loss to Sadollah. "It's kind of a crappy way for it to end for me after putting in all the hard work, training and everything for this fight," said the 24-year-old fighter. "I would have at least liked to have went a few more rounds. Having it end so quick is just a disappointment."
Nate Marquardt still confused by lost points
(mmajunkie.com)Two weeks after a controversial decision loss to Thales Leites at UFC 85, middleweight contender Nate Marquardt (26-8-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is still at odds over Herb Dean's decision to deduct a costly point due to elbow strikes the veteran referee deemed illegal.
Marquardt reflected on the exciting bout while a recent guest on TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"I think Herb really couldn't get the angle from where he was at," Marquardt said. "He didn't really see where the shots were landing. And to be honest, when he stood me up, he said 'I warned you about the elbow,' but he never told me he was taking a point away. To be honest, at the end of the fight, I thought I only had one point taken away (from an earlier illegal knee). I didn't know about the second point."
TUF 7 Finale: Dustin Hazelett awarded bonuses for “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night”
(fiveouncesofpain.com)Las Vegas, Nevada – Amir Sadollah may have earned the title of the winner for the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but it was Dustin Hazelett who perhaps is walking out of the TUF 7 live season finale as the event’s biggest winner.
Hazelett, a member of Team Jorge Gurgel in Ohio, fought Josh Burkman during a non-televised portion of the fight. Despite giving up noticeable strength to Burkman, Hazelett still walked away the victor after executing an armbar following a whizzer.
Reason Why Tim/Cale fight was scrapped
(mmajunkie.com)
Just minutes before Tim Credeur was set to face fellow cast member Cale Yarbrough at the live finale for "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest," the bout was pulled from the fight card.
Although the move was met with initial confusion, the UFC confirmed midway through the event that Credeur had tested positive for Adderall, a psychostimulant traditionally prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy..
Note that Credeur faces no disciplinary action because he alerted officials of the drug beforehand.
Yarbrough vs. Creuder cancelled
i didn't post a link because i saw it on the live play by play and don't want to spoil any of the fights, but sherdog says the fight is cancelled, no word as to why just yet.
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