Latest B.J. Penn video blog should squelch rumors about a possible UFC 101 withdrawal
(mmajunkie.com)Rumors about B.J. Penn possibly pulling out of UFC 101, recently fueled by Diego Sanchez's comments that he could be ready to fight Kenny Florian at UFC 101, took a hit today with Penn's latest video blog.
The short, 19-second clip simply shows Penn, who defends his lightweight title against Florian at the Aug. 8 UFC 101 event, weighing in on a scale.
With six weeks left until the event, Penn is shown weighing a svelte 166.8 pounds, fewer than 12 pounds over the 155-pound limit.
"I better slow down and stopping losing too much weight," Penn says in the video. "I'm actually surprised the weight is coming off so quick."
UFC confirms list of 30-plus fighters for meet-and-greets at 2009 UFC Fan Expo
(mmajunkie.com)Billed as a "fight fan's dream event," the UFC's first-ever Fan Expo, scheduled for July 10 and 11 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, will feature an astounding amount of current and former UFC, PRIDE and WEC fighters.
The organization today announced a list of more than 30 confirmed attendees ranging from Royce Gracie and Gary Goodridge to Junie Browning and Efrain Escudero.
Tickets are currently available for the event on the 2009 UFC Fan Expo's official website. Advance-purchase tickets are $30 for July 10, $35 for July 11 or $50 for a two-day pass.
Ten Questions for Minotauro Nogueira
(sherdog.com)10 years of fighting, four title belts, 31 wins and a couple of million dollars in his bank account. You might think it’s time for Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira to retire. The heavyweight legend says it’s not.
In the following interview, Nogueira discusses his recovery since losing to Frank Mir, his upcoming bout with Randy Couture and his thoughts on Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva and more.
UFC bans more sponsors
(mmacube.com)According to the article the UFC has banned Dethrone, One More Round, and Rolling Stone. The UFC has also banned online poker sponsors for UFC 100 Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, and Party Poker.
To make matters worse, companies will have to pay a $100,000 fee to the UFC to gain the ability to sponsor a fighter during a UFC promoted event.
Todd Duffee vs Mike Russow confirmed for UFC 102
(mmaweekly.com)A rumored heavyweight match-up between heavyweights Todd Duffee and Mike Russow is a done deal for UFC 102 in August.
Sources close to the fight Wednesday confirmed the news to MMAWeekly.com, stating that bout agreements had been finalized. The bout will highlight the Portland, Ore., event's undercard.
With broken hand healed, Houston Alexander working ground game for fall UFC return
(mmajunkie.com)Now recovered from a broken hand that forced him out of a scheduled UFC 98 fight with Andre Gusmao, UFC light heavyweight Houston Alexander is planning a late summer or early fall return to the octagon.
Alexander (8-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who's in a must-win situation after three consecutive UFC losses, never quit training after the injury.
"We spent the down time working on techniques and ran him through a six-week speed and agility program, so other than not hitting anything and not getting to fight, we never missed a beat training wise," Alexander's trainer, Mick Doyle, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer official for UFC 102 preliminary card
(mmajunkie.com)A heavyweight bout between UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and octagon newcomer Chris Tuchscherer (17-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been officially added to the UFC 102 fight card.
UFC 102 takes place Aug. 29 at the Rose Center in Portland, Ore., and features a heavyweight main event between former UFC champions Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Shane Carwin: Brock Lesnar ‘is a freaking liar’
(fiveouncesofpain.com)Threat to the UFC heavyweight crown and human wrecking machine Shane Carwin has recently been on the receiving end of a few rumors that have him mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore.
Carwin recently took the time to issue a statement through FiveOuncesOfPain.com in response to several stories regarding himself recently.
In a recent interview with GroundNPound.org, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar spoke about an encounter he had with Carwin prior to UFC 96 where the two powerhouses had the force of their punches tested. According to Brock, it was he who possessed the more powerful hammer.
Keep an Eye on Tomasz Drwal
(mma.fanhouse.com)Saturday night's Ultimate Fighter Finale featured five televised fights, three of which won co-Fight of the Night honors and the other two which crowned the winners of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. So there wasn't much time left over to talk about the fights that didn't make the Spike TV broadcast.
But you can watch those non-televised fights on UFC.com, and after watching the undercard online I think it's worth mentioning one fighter in particular: Tomasz Drwal, who beat Mike Ciesnolevicz by first-round technical knockout.
Michael Bisping on Dan Henderson: I'll Be the First to Knock Him Out
(mma.fanhouse.com)Michael Bisping is an underdog in his UFC 100 fight with Dan Henderson, but he's sounding increasingly confident as the fight approaches.
"He's got a vicious right hand with a lot of power in it -- he's knocked out a lot of guys," Bisping said, before adding, "I think I'm going to be too quick for him. I don't think he's going to land that big shot. I don't see Dan Henderson -- no disrespect -- at 38 years of age, I think he's got to be slowing down a bit. I don't think he's going to catch me with it. ... Tune in to see the first time ever Dan Henderson gets knocked out."
How Likely Is Vitor Belfort-UFC Deal? Just Follow the Evidence
(mma.fanhouse.com)Last week, UFC President Dana White surprised a few people by saying that he'd like to put together a matchup between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and current Affliction middleweight Vitor Belfort.
The statement was surprising because White's been burned in the past announcing matchups that never happened and deals that fell through. Most recently, he did a verbal contract with Mirko Cro Cop prior to UFC 99, but the Croatian star bolted after one fight. Most famously, he had then-PRIDE fighter Wanderlei Silva enter the octagon at UFC 61 to announce a matchup with UFC superstar Chuck Liddell. But talks soon fizzled and White wasn't able to put the two together until after he bought PRIDE and acquired Silva's contract.
Quote of the Day: Joe Rogan Talks MMA Judging
(bloodyelbow.com)TM: You've seen a lot of good judging and a lot of bad judging over the years, and a lot of good refereeing and bad refereeing. What's your natural reaction when you see a judging or refereeing decision you disagree with? Is it pretty much what we get on the air, or do you try to temper it a little bit because you don't want to pile on?
Joe Rogan: The problem with the referees when we go to a place like Nashville is we have to use local referees and a lot of these guys just aren't prepared for the big show. They're not good enough, and they're nervous and some are real trigger happy. They want to step in and stop the action or tell the guys what to do. They make mistakes and don't know what to do...
Chris Lytle's post-UFC career could include political run in Indiana
(mmajunkie.com)Fulltime firefighter, professional boxer, star mixed-martial-arts fighter, devoted family man.
Could Renaissance Man and UFC welterweight Chris Lytle's list of job responsibilities soon include rookie politician?
On Monday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), the longtime fighter mentioned interest in entering the political ring once his career in the cage runs its course.
"I've been talking to some people in my state about it, trying to use whatever popularity I have from my name to help me run for some sort of political office," Lytle said.
Lytle, a fan favorite who's stand-and-bang style and no-nonsense interviews have earned him a home in the UFC for nearly a decade, joked about another qualification.
Richie Whitson Final TUF 9 Q&A
(punchdrunkgamer.com)
8. After watching all of the episodes was there anything of note that didn’t get shown on TV?
Richie Whitson – Yes, after me and Jason Pierce got into the argument that you saw on TV. Santino and I were roommates in the house and Pierce decided to put a sign on our door that said “Gingers Only, Queers Only, Please Knock”. So Santino, Frank, Cameron, Demarques, Mark and I sat around thinking of some way to get even with Pierce. We made stick figure drawings with each of the British team members and on each one of the pictures was a picture of Pierce on his knees &^%#$@ &**&. Then we made one more picture with Bisping and the rest of the British coaches doing all kinds of things to defile Pierce. The next morning we got up at like 5 a.m. and put all of the pictures up on the walls of the living room. I went back to sleep and was woke up by the loud laughing of the U.K. team.
Takanori Gomi To UFC?
(411mania.com)Possible. In a recent interview, Gomi confirmed that he has offers from both UFC an dAffliction and is negotiating with both. Gomi also says his next fight will be in the US and he wants current UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn.
UFC Severs Ties With Setanta Sports
(mmamania.com)Those of you over in Europe used to watching UFC on Setanta now must get your fix elsewhere. The financial instability of the network has caused it to lose it's deal with UFC. Negotiations to get UFC back on the air in England in time for UFC 100 are currently underway.
BRAD BLACKBURN ADDRESSES CONTROVERSIAL WIN
(mmaweekly.com)Heading into Saturday’s Ultimate Fighter Season 9 Finale versus Edgar Garcia, “Bad” Brad Blackburn was anticipating a war of attrition, and that’s exactly what he got.
Over the course of three rounds, Blackburn and Garcia battered each other, with Blackburn ultimately coming out on top via a close, controversial split-decision.
Upon return to his home in Washington, Blackburn spoke to MMAWeekly.com about his controversial win and what he feels was the deciding factor in the fight.
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