HUERTA PLANS TO WORK AT TEAM JACKSON
(mmaweekly.com)The list of fighters who have sought out training and gameplan master Greg Jackson continues to grow as Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight contender, Roger Huerta, is expected to travel to the camp’s home in New Mexico to help him prepare for his August match-up against Kenny Florian.
Pitbull unafraid of Hughes
(graciemag.com)
Even so, Pitbull is not intimidated, and in a talk with GRACIEMAG.com affirms that he is the perfect adversary to take him to his objective: the belt.
“I’m training like mad and I’m really strong with a lot of wind. MMA demands a lot of effort and training to not leave anything to chance. We brought in some wrestlers to train and we’re putting together the right strategy for the fight. To me, experience is what counts. Hughes is already in the UFC Hall of Fame and has only lost to Saint-Pierre. But I’ve been doing this since I was 15 in muay thai and MMA. I can’t be satisfied being just another one, I want to be the best and I’ll only leave dead. They were giving me ever tougher opponents each time and now they send in Matt, but the name doesn’t matter, I’m taking this win for the ATT,” Thiago guaranteed
Joe Lauzon rolls with punches
(bostonherald.com)
“I think I won the first round,” the East Bridgewater native said. “If it was at sea level, I think I would have been able to push that pace for all three rounds, but being in Colorado, I couldn’t do it. I came out for the second round and I felt like my legs weighed 1,000 pounds each. I thought I had a good first round, but cardio killed me and a couple of other things just didn’t go my way.”
Quarry discusses new camp, Starnes fight, future challenges
(mmajunkie.com)Earlier this month at UFC 83, Nathan "Rock" Quarry (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) used everything from Muay-Thai strikes to a playground taunt en route to earning one of the most lopsided decisions in UFC history. His opponent, "The Ultimate Fighter 3" cast member Kalib Starnes (8-3-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC), has since been released from the UFC, and Quarry is anxious to return to the octagon for an opportunity to again prove himself as a top middleweight contender.
UFC tackles long-term growth issues
(sports.yahoo.com)he success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship over the past three years has always carried with it one major question: Is this a long-term sport or a short-term fad?
After all, when what was essentially an underground sport suddenly becomes popular based largely on a reality show on a cable station, it’s easy to question its longevity.
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Roger Huerta – Leaving ‘Normal’ Behind
(ufc.com)For much of his young life, Roger Huerta just wanted to be normal. He wanted to have two parents sitting around the dinner table at night, a white picket fence around a house with a yard, and the type of stability that could be dubbed by some as boring.
Kalib Starnes Explanation
(sherdog.net)The former UFC fighter had this to say about his performance at UFC 83
"I will say again what I've said before; I had the game plan of circling and moving to stay out of exchanges and to work off of my jab because he hits so hard, to avoid the clinch because he was very strong and I'd taken knees and elbows there in my previous fight, and to throw some kicks as the fight wore on."
i apologize ahead of time if this has already been posted, i didnt have time to look for a previous post
Travis Lutter Wants His Damn Money
(cagepotato.com)
Our friend Ariel at MMARated did an audio interview with Travis Lutter shortly after he was cut by the UFC, and if you’re curious about where “The Serial Killer” goes from here you should give it a listen. Lutter still sounds a little dazed by his layoff — and bitter that he was cut while other two-time-losers like Kendall Grove are still in the mix — but there were some interesting revelations. For example:
— After his dismissal, Lutter e-mailed Dana White about the $36,000 that Xyience still owes him. That e-mail has not yet been returned.
— When he said that fans of MMA suck, he was specifically referring to the ones that send him hate mail; according to Travis, the only person who deserves that kind of hate mail is Osama Bin Laden. [ed. note: I know, right? If only we had his address!]
— Since his firing, he’s been called by the IFL and HDNet/Affliction; he’d love to fight Matt Lindland.
— Lutter still doesn’t know why he gassed against Rich Franklin. He also hasn’t watched the fight yet, because he doesn’t feel like it.
— He says “y’know” more than maybe anyone else in the world, ever.
WANDERLEI STRENGTH COACH PREPARING FOR JARDINE
(mmaweekly.com)MMAWeekly’s Ivan Canello recently caught up with Wanderlei Silva’s personal strength and conditioning trainer, Rafael Alejarra. Besides Silva, he has or does also train the likes of Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Robert Drysdale, an Phil Baroni, among others.
Alejarra discussed the recent performance of Jacare at the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix, where he won his opening round bout, Silva’s upcoming fight with Keith Jardine at UFC 84, training mixed martial artists, and more.
MMAWeekly.com: What did you think about the Jacare’s fight in the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix?
Rafael Alejarra: I think Jacare is a complete athlete, even without too much experience in big events. But I am sure that he came to stay. About the fight, everything went exactly how we predicted. Thanks to God, Jacare was strong, explosive and with his technique at a very high level. Because of this, it happened exactly the way we wanted.
MMAWeekly: How was the preparation? Was there anything special to this fight since the opponent changed a few days before the fight?
Alejarra: No, in fact, we don't train for this or that opponent. We train for any kind of opponent, and we had to be well prepared for all situations possible in one fight. Fortunately, we had a positive result.
MMAWeekly: Will Jacare keep the relationship going with you and during Wanderlei’s training?
Alejarra: Yes, he’ll go to Brazil to see his girlfriend and soon he will come to Vegas and will join us to start the training again and help Wanderlei for his next fight.
Rich Franklin may return to Light Heavyweight
mmamania.com
“Rich has to make a decision. We’ve certainly considered going to 205 and seeing how he does up there. He’s fought almost everybody in the 185-pound division. There are some guys that he could fight, but if he beats them it knocks them out of title contention. And nobody is looking to see Rich and Anderson Silva 3 right now, including me. He’s not helping the 185-pound division right now by beating everybody up in it. We’ve talked about going to 205 and how would he match up with some of those guys, with a Forrest Griffin or a Keith Jardine. There’s a whole bunch of 205’s that I think would be interesting. In the end, we do what the UFC wants. If they want us to try 205, we’re up for it. If they want to keep us at 185, then we’ll do that too.”
Chris Wilson vs. Steve Bruno
I just read on wikipedia that chris Wilson will be fighting Steve Bruno at UFC 87. Wilson looked very impressive against Jon Fitch at UFC 82, I'll take Wilson RD 2 TKO
Tito Ortiz: “It’s not about money anymore, it’s about respect”
(fiveouncesofpain.com)Tito Ortiz made himself available for a Q&A session with The Sun in the U.K. and confirmed his plans to leave the UFC after his fight with Lyoto Machida at UFC 84:
I’m getting ready for that fight right now, May 24th in Las Vegas , Nevada at the MGM Grand. This is the last fight in my contract with the UFC. Then I’m going to go and sign up with somebody else just because the way Dana White treats me as a fighter is very disrespectable.
Clean & Sober: Sherk and Penn pass random drug tests
(mmamania.com)BJ Penn (12-4-1) and Sean Sherk (31-2-1) are set to do battle on May 24 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand for the UFC lightweight championship. But not before submitting to random drug tests - which both fighters have passed according to MSNBC.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) voted in favor of the extra measure because the “Muscle Shark” tested positive for a banned anabolic agent (Nandrolone) in the wake of his successful title defense against Hermes Franca at UFC 73: “Stacked” in July 2007.
He was subsequently stripped of his crown, suspended and fined by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) — a ruling that he bitterly denies and blames on a mix of dietary supplements, shoddy lab work, breaches in the “chain of custody” and other factors.
It was enough to get his suspension reduced from 12 months to six; however, Sherk’s reputation has taken a big hit in the court of public opinion throughout the ordeal.
Sherk was present for the NSAC proceedings last month via telephone and agreed to submit the extra sample during the week of April 21 — one full month prior to his fight with Penn.
Now that he (and Penn) are officially clean (and hopefully sober), there can be no excuses one way or the other after May 24.
The best man will win.
Chris Leben looks to clear up DUI charge prior to UFC 85
(mmamania.com)Chris Leben flew from Hawaii to Oregon to turn himself in on an old Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charge, clearing the way for him to obtain his visa and take on Michael Bisping at UFC 85: “Bedlam” at the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7.
According to TJ Thompson of Icon Sport, “The Crippler” will have to sit in jail for 8-10 days before he gets a hearing because the warrant was a “no bail” warrant.
Here’s a snip:
“When he got the call to fight Bisping on June 7th in London he knew what he had to do. He immediately flew to Oregon and turned himself in on the probation violation…. The moment he appeared before the judge after turning himself in the warrant was revoked and he is able to get his VISA for London.”
This appears to be just minor setback for Leben — with more than eight weeks to prepare for “The Count” a little time in the slammer doesn’t seem like it will impact his preparation for the 185-pound tilt.
In fact, Thompson affirms that Leben is in excellent shape and that his decision to turn himself in shows his growth “spiritually and mentally” as a fighter and person.
Leben, he affirms, will be ready for Bisping on June 7.
Rumor: Rich Franklin Moving To 205?
(mmaweekly.com)It's possible, according to Rich Franklin's manager, Monte Cox. Although Ace hasn't fought at 205 since 2004, it seems Franklin's side thinks it might be best for both him and UFC if he moves up in weight, although their decision will ultimately be based on what UFC wants to do.
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