Frank Trigg vs. Tomato Can Coming To An Octagon Near You?
(mmamania.com)Don't laugh too hard. If Frank Trigg has his way that could happen. That's kinda what he wants because he realizes he's likely out of UFC again if he loses his next fight, which could be against Matt Serra. Thus Trigg for his next fight wants "a tomato can, like some low-level martial artist, so I can beat the crap out of somebody for a change and get a win streak going, but the way they work with me, it’s going to be somebody tough no matter who it is.”
Who Wins If Cain Velasquez Fights Fedor?
(mmamania.com)Cain, if you ask him. While making the rounds promoting his fight with Ben Rothwell at UFC 104, Velasquez said he definitely wins against Fedor, should that fight ever happen. "I'm a proud Mexican fighter. Anybody who steps in that ring with me, it’s like **** them, I’m gonna beat them. The guy’s gonna have to kill me. I think he’s an awesome fighter, he’s the best. It’s not like the movies or TV with the biggest and most muscular guy going out there and he’s the baddest guy, it’s not always like that. Like Cheick Kongo, I don’t look anything like him, but if you got the heart and the fighter spirit, that counts for a lot.”
Anderson Silva Doesn't Think Vitor Belfort Has Earned a Title Shot, May Not Fight at UFC 108
(bloodyelbow.com)(Anderson Silva's manager Ed) Soares maintains a title eliminator between Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson is the most logical idea for Silva's next contender, given their recent victories and Henderson's 2007 win over Belfort in PRIDE Fighting Championships. He first pitched the idea to White following UFC 102 in August, but White did not commit.
They also are complaining since Belfort had trouble making 195lbs for his UFC 103 fight against Rich Franklin:
Soares believes Belfort's weight issues may persist should his fighter accept the fight.
Shogun "will knock Machida out in round 3"
(fightersonlymagazine.co.uk)Mauricio Ruas’s coach Andre Dida (the Muay Thai specialist and K-1 fighter) has been reponsible for Shogun’s preparation for his upcoming fight against light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida on October 24th.
Dida says, “He is very confident. He’ll face a striker and he is trained for it. It won’t be only a stand-up fight but Mauricio is ready to surprise everybody. Shogun is well-trained. We worked knowing that Lyoto is an athlete who moves very much. We know how this fight will go and have A, B, C and D plans. Shogun will know all the moves from Machida”.
Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander possible for UFC 107
(fiveouncesofpain.com)A slugfest between Kimbo Slice and Houston Alexander is looking like a strong possibility for UFC 107.
A source close to the situation advised FiveOuncesofPain.com today that although no bout agreements have been sent, at least one of the fighters has been formally approached about the possibility of the bout.
UFC 107 is scheduled for December 12 from Memphis, Tennessee, and will feature a headlining lightweight championship bout between B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez.
BJ Penn: "I definitely want to fight GSP again"
(mmamania.com)“I definitely want to fight GSP again. I’m biased and I have confidence in myself and I don’t think the fight would go anything like that if we fought again. I’ve got to defend the lightweight title and take on all challenges that make me better but if I get a chance to fight GSP again — even if it was a non-title fight — I’d jump at the opportunity. There will always be people to beat and as the lightweight champion I have to honor that and keep defending the title. But as a businessman you hope it’s someone with a big name who can bring a big fan base into the fight. This is a business — it’s the entertainment business and the biggest fights that can be put together will only benefit me. I am surprised Georges St. Pierre hasn’t tried to push for a fight with Anderson Silva. If I was the welterweight champion I’d try and push myself and see what I could do up at middleweight.”
Despite the fact that he’s heading into a very dangerous fight with Diego Sachez on Dec. 12, UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is still hoping to get revenge on reigning welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre — as well as other “superfights” before he hangs up the gloves for good.
Demian Maia still hopeful for a title shot despite "tremendous error" against Nate Marquardt
(mmamania.com)“Depending on the opponents, if they’re tough guys, well known, I think I will get the chance of fighting for the belt in two or three fights. I want a hard adversary to show everything what I couldn’t in the past fight, all my training. I made tremendous errors versus Nate. There was excess from my side and too much confidence in the beginning, that is the most dangerous part of the fight. There was also a technical mistake. I kicked three times of the same way. I threw a kick and went towards him when I had to wait to exchange some hits and put him to walk behind. I wanted to land a kick and made the big mistake.”
Former undefeated submission deity Demian Maia (10-1) reflects on his first round knockout loss to middleweight contender Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 back on August 29 in Portland. The Brazilian was headed for a possible title shot opposite Anderson Silva until a “Great” knockout punch floored him — and any immediate title opportunities.
Caol Uno Vs Fabricio Camoes at UFC 106 + Wanderlei Silva Vs Yoshihiro Akiyama
(bloodyelbow.com)The UFC, THQ and WOWOW held a joint press conference today in Tokyo to promote the Japanese broadcast of The Ultimate Fighter 9 (not 10) and release of "UFC Undisputed 2009." A couple interesting notes came out of the session, which was attended by Zuffa's top Japanese stars, as well as Tony Loiseleur, who gives us this via Twitter:
[Caol Uno] just announced he'll be fighting Fabricio Camoes at UFC 106. Welcome to the UFC, "Morango!"
Furthermore, the [Yoshihiro Akiyama - Wanderlei Silva] bout will likely happen @ UFC 110 or 111, Las Vegas, NV or Sydney, Australia, respectively.
Filho thinks the UFC is conspiring against his fellow Brazilian fighters
(mmabay.co.uk)Speaking to Tatame Magazine, Filho said:
“The UFC is a great event, but the Americans do everything so that you cannot get the advantage. They [do] everything to get you down. American is American, they want to see Americans with the belt and so eliminate as many Brazilians as possible - but they will have to work a lot, because we are the best.”
“It is an uphill struggle for Shogun. Machida is very strategic, the Shogun is real, very brave. Both have star quality, but I would venture to say Lyoto [will win] by strategy. But a fight is fight and we will only know when it is over. It will be a fight all the way.”
UFC 108 targeted for MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas + Gilbert Yvel applies for NSAC License
(mmajunkie.com)The UFC has officially requested approval for a Jan 2 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported in September, the UFC's traditional "year-end" event in Las Vegas is slotted for after the new year, and a formal request for the date will now be considered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Oct. 16.
The process is generally a mere formality for the UFC, and the new event is expected to serve as UFC 108.
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PS: In addition to the new UFC date, the NSAC will also address a request by controversial Dutch striker Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1) for a license to fight in the state and conduct a disciplinary hearing for WEC featherweight Cole Province (6-1 MMA, 1-1 WEC).
The NSAC previously denied Yvel's 2007 request for a license based on his 2004 attack of a referee in a bout with Atte Backman in Finland. Yvel has since fought twice on U.S. soil, including a January bout with Josh Barnett under the supervision of the California State Athletic Commission.
Dan Hardy: Mike Swick has ‘no clue’ about ‘the beating’ he will get at UFC 105
(mmamania.com)“I have read some articles on the internet saying that I may lack the “killer instinct” in this fight with Swick because I’ve hung out with Mike and we get along very well. Not gonna happen…. A couple of days of pleasant conversation with Swick won’t save him from the beating I am going to give him next month … on the whole, it is easier for me to prepare for Swick than it is for Swick to prepare for me. I’ve only had three fights in the UFC and I’ve not shown even half of my skills yet. There are lots of things I do well that Swick has no clue about, whereas Swick has been in the UFC for four years and I know exactly what he can and can’t do. I think this is the fight of the night. My style will gel very well with Mike’s. We both come from a kickboxing background, we both have very fast strikes and there’s so much on the line for us both.”
Johny Hendricks Vs Ricardo Funch At UFC 107
(mmaweekly.com)Undefeated welterweights Johny Hendricks and Ricardo Funch have signed to do battle on the undercard of UFC 107, according to multiple sources MMAWeekly.com spoke to on Monday evening.
UFC 107 is headlined by a lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez and is expected to take place at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.
Hendricks (6-0) successfully migrated to the Octagon with a win over Amir Sadollah at UFC 101 following a March appearance in the last WEC show to feature welterweights. A two-time NCAA wrestling champion, Hendricks lives and trains in Las Vegas along with fellow Team Takedown fighter and UFC prospect Jake Rosholt.
Funch (7-0) is a former collegiate soccer player who hails from Lencois, Brazil, and trains with Team Link in Ludlow, Mass. Despite a focus on jiu-jitsu, Funch has finished the majority of his fights by TKO.
Gonzaga vs. Dos Santos targeted for UFC 108
(mmaweekly.com)Heavyweights Junior Dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga are expected to meet at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.
Multiple sources on Monday told MMAWeekly.com that the fight has been agreed to and contracts are expected to be signed shortly. Fiveknuckles.com was first to report the pairing on Sunday. The bout has yet to be officially announced by the UFC.
Sources tell MMAWeekly.com that the match-up is expected to groom the next contender for the heavyweight title.
Spike TV to air UFC 104 prelim fights of Bader vs. Schafer, Hardonk vs. Barry on Oct. 24
In what MMA fans will surely hope is sign of things to come, Spike TV today announced it'll air two fights from the UFC 104 preliminary card before the event's main card goes live on pay-per-view.
The two bouts chosen for free viewing are "The Ultimate Fighter 8" light heavyweight winner Ryan Bader (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. Eric Schafer (11-3-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Antoni Hardonk (8-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) vs. fellow heavyweight Patrick Barry (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC).
UFC 104, headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, takes place Oct. 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the one-hour Spike TV broadcast kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Strangely, though, while Bader vs. Schafer and Hardonk vs. Barry were chosen for the broadcast, a fight between Yushin Okami (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Chael Sonnen (23-10-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) remains on the un-aired portion of the card. Okami is a longtime middleweight contender who's only career UFC loss came via close decision to former champ Rich Franklin in 2007. However, many criticize the fighter for a lackluster fighting style that often leads to decisions.
Bader most recently fought in an April win over Carmelo Marrero at UFC Fight Night 18. The Arizona Combat Sports-trained fighter injured his knee in the contest, tearing both his MCL and PCL. It was the "TUF" champion's first bout since defeating Vinicius Magalhaes at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale in December 2008, Bader's first official contest in the UFC. Bader has won all nine of his professional fights, seven of them by stoppage.
His opponent, Schafer, is in his second stint with the UFC. After back-to-back losses to Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping in 2006 and 2007, "Red" earned two wins in the Wisconsin-based Gladiators Cage Fighting organization. Now back in the UFC, he has since defeated Antonio Mendes and Houston Alexander to run his current win streak to four bouts.
Hardonk, meanwhile, most recently suffered a defeat via TKO to Cheick Kongo at UFC 97 in April. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for the Dutch striker, a run that included victories over Mike Wessel, Eddie Sanchez and Colin Robinson.
Barry also looks to bounce back from a loss, which was the first of the former kickboxer's MMA career. After earning four-straight wins to open his career, which included a first-round TKO of Dan Evensen, Barry suffered a submission loss to Tim Hague in May at UFC 98.
The UFC and Spike TV first used the teaser-fight setup last month for UFC 103 in Dallas. The Sept. 19 broadcast, which featured Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller and Tomasz Drwal vs Drew McFedries, drew 1.4 million viewers (1.0 rating) and was the No. 2 rated program in the coveted 18-to-34 year old male demographic.
Following UFC 103, UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he wasn't sure if the organization would use other Spike TV/PPV tandem cards in the future. However, the organization apparently will do so with its first opportunity. Still, it's not known if this will be a standard setup for future cards or simply a matter of the UFC again gathering data.
Regardless, Spike TV officials said the broadcast will air commercial-free.
The full UFC 103 card includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
•Champ Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (for light-heavyweight title)
•Ben Rothwell vs. Cain Velasquez
•Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau
•Spencer Fisher vs. Joe Stevenson
•Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
•Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
•Patrick Barry vs. Antoni Hardonk
PRELIMINARY CARD (Not televised)
•Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
•Rob Kimmons vs. Jorge Rivera
•Razak Al-Hassan vs. Kyle Kingsbury
•Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley
For complete coverage of UFC 104, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
UFC planning to make Australian debut in February at Sydney's Acer Arena
(mmajunkie.com)The Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon head to Australia.
The UFC, which has never previously previously hosted an event on the continent nation, has contacted the Combat Sports Authority about holding a show at Acer Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Frank Trigg actually first told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about the possibility of the Australia event last month and said he hoped to compete on the card.
No date has been nailed down for the show.
Junior Dos Santos Versus Gabriel Gonzaga in UFC Heavyweight Matchup
(fighters.com)A matchup between Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked heavyweight “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1) and former UFC title challenger “Napão” Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4) is in the works, Fighters.com has confirmed with a source close to one of the fighters.
Fighters.com hasn’t confirmed the date of the fight and no contracts are signed. If the matchup is in December, it’s likely to occur at UFC 107 at the FedExForum in Memphis December 12. However, according to unconfirmed reports, that card is already stacked with pay-per-view quality matchups. UFC 108 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas January 2 and is also a likely event for the matchup.
Mir "extremely interested" in fight with "The Spider," open to rematch with Nogueira
(mmajunkie.com)SAN ANTONIO – Frank Mir (12-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) may be currently planning to fight Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 in December, but the French striker isn't the only opponent on the former UFC champ's mind.
In fact, lessons learned in his UFC 100 loss to Brock Lesnar have led Mir to express his desire to face middleweight champ Anderson Silva in a previously rumored heavyweight superfight.
"I'm extremely interested in the fight," Mir said at Friday's post-WEC 43 weigh-in Q&A session. "I've learned that size helps people win fights. It would be nice to be on the other end of that."
Mir didn't discount the danger that Silva presents to any opponent, but he did consider himself a pretty clear-cut favorite should the bout materialize.
UFC 108 - Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva signed for Vegas
(mmabay.co.uk)UFC light heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans and Brazilian bad boy, Thiago Silva have put pen to paper and made official their fight at UFC 108.
Evans will look to rebound from a loss for the first time in his mixed martial arts career after dropping the title to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 back in May. As for Silva, he managed to bounce back from his own loss to Machida in January to knockout Keith Jardine in August.
UFC 108 is set to be headlined by the middleweight clash between UFC champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva and “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort.
Mike Swick blasts Paul Daley
(fightersonlymagazine.co.uk)Mike ‘Quick’ Swick has blasted Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley via Twitter in the latest round of a war of words that has developed between the pair. Daley has been talking up a fight with Swick since standing in for him against Martin Kampmann at UFC 103. Swick is not impressed.
“Daley you are delusional saying I started this trash talk. Immediately after you beat Kampmann you said you would knock me out in 1 round,” he wrote. “You know how many guys have said that? Everyone I have fought. Your own people say Hardy is better than you so we will see November 14th.”
“Quit trying to make a name off talking trash to me and go earn it. Koscheck needs an opponent now, ask for that one if your so tough,” Swick concluded.
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