Inquiring minds want to know.
Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello
Saturday, February 26, 2011
East Coast Ninjabros Gathering: BEAST FROM THE EAST
Who are you, where are you, and how far are you willing to travel?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Waffles
are way better than french toast
Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz
M-1 GLOBAL NEWS: March 25 Showtime event officially announced with two Challenge title fights
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
M-1 Global and Showtime on Wednesday officially announced the first M-1 Challenge event set to come to the network on March 25.
The fight card, the first of four that will air on Showtime from M-1 Global in 2011, takes place from the Constant Center in Norfolk, Va.
The event is headlined by an M-1 Challenge Lightweight Championship bout between Artiom Damkovsky and Jose Figueroa, as well as a bout between Tyson Jeffries and Magomed Sultanakhmedov for the vacant M-1 Challenge Middleweight Title.
"I am extremely happy about the venture between M-1 Global and Showtime," said Vadim Finkelchtein, co-founder of M-1 Global. "There is no better TV network for M-1 than Showtime. And no better market to seriously compete in than the U.S."
"Our ability to televise quality boxing and MMA fights at the highest level has been aided tremendously by our commitment to showcasing prospects and lesser known international stars on our feeder series like ShoBox: The New Generation and Strikeforce Challengers,? said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports. "M-1 Challenge events fit perfectly into that mold and will enhance our mixed martial arts offerings even further."
According to a press release from the two organization, Mauro Ranallo will call the action for the broadcast, while Pat Miletich will serve as the analyst.
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The fight card, the first of four that will air on Showtime from M-1 Global in 2011, takes place from the Constant Center in Norfolk, Va.
The event is headlined by an M-1 Challenge Lightweight Championship bout between Artiom Damkovsky and Jose Figueroa, as well as a bout between Tyson Jeffries and Magomed Sultanakhmedov for the vacant M-1 Challenge Middleweight Title.
"I am extremely happy about the venture between M-1 Global and Showtime," said Vadim Finkelchtein, co-founder of M-1 Global. "There is no better TV network for M-1 than Showtime. And no better market to seriously compete in than the U.S."
"Our ability to televise quality boxing and MMA fights at the highest level has been aided tremendously by our commitment to showcasing prospects and lesser known international stars on our feeder series like ShoBox: The New Generation and Strikeforce Challengers,? said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports. "M-1 Challenge events fit perfectly into that mold and will enhance our mixed martial arts offerings even further."
According to a press release from the two organization, Mauro Ranallo will call the action for the broadcast, while Pat Miletich will serve as the analyst.
Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber Tank Abbott
Friday, February 25, 2011
MMA NEWS: Bobby Lashley returns to MMA this March, headlines Titan FC 17 on HDNet
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Bobby Lashley is returning to MMA action this March, but it won't be for Strikeforce.
New HDNet partner Titan Fighting Championships - which featured Tim Sylvia's latest loss to Abe Wagner live on HDNet this January - announced Friday morning that Lashley will headline their March 25 event on HDNet.
The card, which takes place from the Historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, also features a bout between Phil Baroni and Nick Nolte.
Lashley will meet M-1 challenge veteran James Jack, a 6-2-1 professional, in the night's main event. This fight marks a return home for Lashley, as he was born in Junction City, Kansas, where his parents still live.
"We received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the MMA community following our HDNet debut on January 28," said Titan FC President Joe Kelly in a release. "A lot of unique opportunities have presented themselves to Titan since the show and working with Bobby Lashley was one of them. We are really excited to be working with Bobby as he continues his pursuit of MMA greatness."
"There's a group of regular Titan fans that I communicate with on a regular basis. They serve as a focus group for the promotion, as I bounce ideas off of them and gauge their reaction. When I floated the idea of Bobby fighting on the card, the response was incredible."
Lashley, a former professional wrestler who had been featured in the WWE and TNA, made the move to MMA in 2008, and put together five straight wins before suffering a loss to Chad Griggs in his last fight in August of 2010. There were questions surrounding whether he would return to the sport following the loss, and they've now been answered.
"In the fight game, a fighter is usually viewed as only being good as their last fight. But I don't think that is a fair way to evaluate a fighter, especially an athletically-gifted heavyweight who is only six fights into his career," Kelly stated. "Bobby won't admit it and he refuses to make excuses but the reality is that he was diagnosed with mononucleosis shortly after the fight. Also, if anyone watched Griggs' fight last weekend against Gian Villante, who was widely considered one of the top prospects in MMA coming into that fight, you can clearly see that Griggs is the real deal. Anyone who is writing Bobby off is making a huge mistake. I believe that Titan Fighting will be the perfect platform for Bobby to prove his critics wrong."
Penick's Analysis: This is the right fit for Lashley's next fight. He's still a name that is going to garner some attention, but he means more to a more regionally-based promotion like Titan FC than to Strikeforce for this fight. And with a chance to fight in front of essentially an old hometown crowd it presented a unique opportunity for him. This is the right level of opponent for him to be facing, and hopefully after his loss people can stop trying to project further expectations on him than are necessary, and let him progress as a 5-1 heavyweight.
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New HDNet partner Titan Fighting Championships - which featured Tim Sylvia's latest loss to Abe Wagner live on HDNet this January - announced Friday morning that Lashley will headline their March 25 event on HDNet.
The card, which takes place from the Historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, also features a bout between Phil Baroni and Nick Nolte.
Lashley will meet M-1 challenge veteran James Jack, a 6-2-1 professional, in the night's main event. This fight marks a return home for Lashley, as he was born in Junction City, Kansas, where his parents still live.
"We received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the MMA community following our HDNet debut on January 28," said Titan FC President Joe Kelly in a release. "A lot of unique opportunities have presented themselves to Titan since the show and working with Bobby Lashley was one of them. We are really excited to be working with Bobby as he continues his pursuit of MMA greatness."
"There's a group of regular Titan fans that I communicate with on a regular basis. They serve as a focus group for the promotion, as I bounce ideas off of them and gauge their reaction. When I floated the idea of Bobby fighting on the card, the response was incredible."
Lashley, a former professional wrestler who had been featured in the WWE and TNA, made the move to MMA in 2008, and put together five straight wins before suffering a loss to Chad Griggs in his last fight in August of 2010. There were questions surrounding whether he would return to the sport following the loss, and they've now been answered.
"In the fight game, a fighter is usually viewed as only being good as their last fight. But I don't think that is a fair way to evaluate a fighter, especially an athletically-gifted heavyweight who is only six fights into his career," Kelly stated. "Bobby won't admit it and he refuses to make excuses but the reality is that he was diagnosed with mononucleosis shortly after the fight. Also, if anyone watched Griggs' fight last weekend against Gian Villante, who was widely considered one of the top prospects in MMA coming into that fight, you can clearly see that Griggs is the real deal. Anyone who is writing Bobby off is making a huge mistake. I believe that Titan Fighting will be the perfect platform for Bobby to prove his critics wrong."
Penick's Analysis: This is the right fit for Lashley's next fight. He's still a name that is going to garner some attention, but he means more to a more regionally-based promotion like Titan FC than to Strikeforce for this fight. And with a chance to fight in front of essentially an old hometown crowd it presented a unique opportunity for him. This is the right level of opponent for him to be facing, and hopefully after his loss people can stop trying to project further expectations on him than are necessary, and let him progress as a 5-1 heavyweight.
Shinya Aoki Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio
Reminder: "Countdown to UFC 127" debuts tonight on Versus, Spike TV
As a reminder, the UFC's traditional pre-event preview show returns tonight with the debut of "Countdown to UFC 127" on Spike TV.The pay-per-view event takes place Sunday at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Headlined by a welterweight contender fight between B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch, the card airs in the U.S. in the UFC's traditional Saturday-night slot due to the time difference.
The preview show debuts tonight at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Versus. The first Spike TV airing follows at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.
Pat Barry Vitor Belfort Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping
What If He Wins? Featuring Chris Lytle
At UFC 127, Chris Lytle faces tough veteran Brian Ebersole in Ebersole?s UFC debut. Lytle was originally expected to face fast-rising UFC star and former WEC champion Carlos Condit. Even though Condit was forced to pull out due to an injury, this is still a very important fight for ?Lights Out?. But what happens if [...]
Michael Bisping Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku Tony Bonello
Christian M?Pumbu added to the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament
Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu has been confirmed as a participant for Bellator’s upcoming light heavyweight tournament. M’Pumbu brings an overall professional record of 15-3-1 into the tournament and has 8 submission wins to his credit. A veteran of DEEP and M-1 Challenges, M’Pumbu is looking forward to tessting himself in the tournament as he states on [...]
Christian M’Pumbu added to the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News
Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello Josh Burkman Mikey Burnett
Paul Daley Says Nick Diaz Wouldn't Stand And Trade Punches With Him
Explosive striker Paul Daley still has a BAMMA title fight on Feb. 26th against Yuya Shirai that he has to get through before he can even be thinking about a Strikeforce Welterweight Title Fight with Champion Nick Diaz but that hasn't stopped the hot-headed Brit from starting the smack talk battle early between himself and Diaz:<br><Br>
"I don't mean to be arrogant and I don't mean to continue piping on about it, but I'm a whole different animal when it comes to the stand-up game and I've continued to get better. I highly doubt there's anyone in the welterweight division in MMA at the moment that's on the scene, that's getting press, that hits as hard as me. I don't believe there's a middleweight fighter that can get hit by me and not be in serious trouble. Nick Diaz isn't going to go toe to toe with me. More like my fist and his head landing at my toe, none of this toe to toe business. Diaz, everybody knows if you come stand toe to toe with me, that would be the most stupidest game plan he could ever have. I don't care who you've fought, you've never fought me, you've never been hit by me."<br><br>
Props: MMAWeekly.com
"I don't mean to be arrogant and I don't mean to continue piping on about it, but I'm a whole different animal when it comes to the stand-up game and I've continued to get better. I highly doubt there's anyone in the welterweight division in MMA at the moment that's on the scene, that's getting press, that hits as hard as me. I don't believe there's a middleweight fighter that can get hit by me and not be in serious trouble. Nick Diaz isn't going to go toe to toe with me. More like my fist and his head landing at my toe, none of this toe to toe business. Diaz, everybody knows if you come stand toe to toe with me, that would be the most stupidest game plan he could ever have. I don't care who you've fought, you've never fought me, you've never been hit by me."<br><br>
Props: MMAWeekly.com
Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo Luciano Azevedo Ba Te er Ryan Bader
UFC 127: BJ Penn - 'Training with Matt Hughes gave me More Confidence' {video}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5XqXC5A28
David Bielkheden Michael Bisping Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku
Bisping in Australia for two weeks, is fired up to respond to Rivera videos
Michael Bisping is an easy guy to target in a war of words, so Jorge Rivera has jumped into the fray feet first. The American released a series of videos on YouTube (NSFW) poking fun at the Brit. Apparently, the vids have struck a nerve. during his training videos shot in Australia, Bisping addresses the mocking a few times. Gareth Davies from the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph, who covers Bisping pretty regularly, said Rivera's videos have energized the Brit.
Bisping is privately fuming that Rivera has been conducting a mocking campaign, being rude about his wife and children. “Completely disrespected,” are the words directly from Bisping. Prior to the smack talk, there were those in Bisping’s camp concerned that he was not taking the threat of Rivera strongly enough. The plan may backfire on Rivera.
Davies comes to the defense of Bisping, suggesting he's been unfairly targeted by some American fans and it might be time to back off.
Bisping’s anger is genuine and I understand after initially wanting to be kept apart from the American in build-up week, he got over the hump – so to speak – and his team are delighted with the way he has channelled his ire in training. I’m told by camp insiders that Bisping is "completely focused".
Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning
Wanderlei Silva Says He Isn't Afraid Of Brian Stann
Wanderlei Silva spoke last week about his reasoning behind not accepting a middleweight match up with rising contender Brian Stann and stood by his reasons of for not taking it and reassured fans that at some point down the road, the two will meet inside the UFC Octagon:<br><Br>
"I didn't (want to) fight with (Brian Stann) right now. I don't know what day I'm going to be available to fight. I (didn't) want to hold him. He has his life. Another point, this guy is an American hero. One day, I'm going to fight with him, of course. Don't worry guys. I'm going to fight with him."<br><Br>
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"I didn't (want to) fight with (Brian Stann) right now. I don't know what day I'm going to be available to fight. I (didn't) want to hold him. He has his life. Another point, this guy is an American hero. One day, I'm going to fight with him, of course. Don't worry guys. I'm going to fight with him."<br><Br>
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Pat Barry Vitor Belfort Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping
BELLATOR NEWS: Season four featherweight quarterfinals kick off at Bellator 37, matchups now set
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Bellator's season four featherweight tournament will kick off on March 19 at Bellator 37 from the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla., according to a report from Sherdog.com.
The season four pairings are set, and all eight competitors will be in action.
The first round of the tournament will feature Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, Zac George against Wilson Reis, Eric Larkin vs. Kenny Foster and Daniel Straus vs. Nazareno Malegarie.
The tournament winner will earn $100,000 for their efforts, along with a shot at Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren in season five.
Link to Original Source Article
Penick's Analysis: These are all really solid fights for the opening round of the tournament. "Pitbull" and Reis have got to be early favorites with their tourney experience and success, but as we've seen with Bellator so far, a lot can happen in a three month stretch. This should be an entertaining tournament field, and these fights should be a good start to this tournament in season four.
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The season four pairings are set, and all eight competitors will be in action.
The first round of the tournament will feature Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, Zac George against Wilson Reis, Eric Larkin vs. Kenny Foster and Daniel Straus vs. Nazareno Malegarie.
The tournament winner will earn $100,000 for their efforts, along with a shot at Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren in season five.
Link to Original Source Article
Penick's Analysis: These are all really solid fights for the opening round of the tournament. "Pitbull" and Reis have got to be early favorites with their tourney experience and success, but as we've seen with Bellator so far, a lot can happen in a three month stretch. This should be an entertaining tournament field, and these fights should be a good start to this tournament in season four.
Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus Todd Duffee Marvin Eastman
ENNIS: Lay of the Land - The Middleweight Division (February 2011 - Part One)
By: Shawn Ennis, MMATorch Senior Columnist
This will be the first of two parts breaking down the UFC's middleweight division. This week will focus on the top of the division, while next week looks at the rest of the middleweights and what those outside the UFC have to offer.
Amid the turmoil that has reigned atop most of MMA's weight divisions, two champions have stood head and shoulders above the rest of the competition for sustained amounts of time. Anderson Silva has ruled the middleweight division since 2006, and while some will say that there are chinks in the armor of the world's best fighter, still none have been able to beat him. So what does the future hold for the middleweights? Let's take a look at the top of the division this week, where havoc has been wrought and the field is laying wide open waiting for the next contender.
THE CHAMP
Anderson Silva (28-4): By the time it's all said and done, it will likely be debated for years whether Anderson Silva or Fedor Emelianenko was the top fighter of this era, or perhaps the greatest fighter ever. Since we're focusing on middleweights here and there are simply no more superlatives to describe what Silva has done, let's just list his accomplishments. If you don't count Yushin Okami's DQ win in 2006, Anderson Silva has not been defeated in six years. Since the Okami fight, he's gone 14-0. Ten of those fights have been for titles (his last fight in Cage Rage was against Tony Fryklund for that belt). He has gone the distance only twice in that same period, while fighting top contenders every time out. Say what you will about the quality of the middleweight division, but no one in any division can boast that accomplishment. And maybe the division just looks so bad because no one can touch its champion. During his run, he's beaten three UFC champions, a Pride champion, an Abu Dhabi submission grappling champion, a national champion wrestler, and a Greco-Roman Olympian. He holds the record for most consecutive UFC wins with 13 (the next highest is eight by GSP), most consecutive title defenses with eight (GSP is tied for second with five), and most overall title defenses. There has never been a more dominant force in MMA than Anderson Silva. We're going to leave GSP out of the mix for the moment because that fight deserves its own column, and also he needs to take out Jake Shields before we can entertain it anyway, but for now, while we may all agree that Silva is a tough guy to figure out, there's no denying his greatness.
THE CONTENDER
Yushin Okami (26-5): The prevailing wisdom here is that Okami will need to take a backseat to GSP once he dispatches Jake Shields, but should that fail to happen, the long-time fringe contender will likely be next in line. With his last win over Nate Marquardt, Okami probably sealed his status as the quasi-number one contender, but with the amount of time that could pass while the GSP-Silva superfight takes place, anything can happen. That's especially true with this next crazy person hanging around the corner.
THE WOULD-BE CONTENDER
Chael Sonnen (25-11-1): With consecutive wins over Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt, Sonnen put himself in the position of surprise contender last year. After an epic buildup that showcased some of the most bizarre (and effective) trash talk we've ever seen in MMA, Sonnen did the unthinkable and almost cashed the check that his mouth had written. For almost five rounds, Sonnen dominated Silva, taking him down at will and hurting him with punches on the feet. But we knew going into the fight that Sonnen's Achilles heel was submission defense, and with less than two minutes remaining in the final frame, Silva locked up a triangle choke/armbar and forced the tap. Since then, Sonnen's fall from grace has been epic. A positive steroid test has been followed by a guilty plea to real estate fraud, and Sonnen has been suspended indefinitely from the UFC, pending the resolution of his "personal problems." The remaining question is whether Sonnen will get a title shot immediately upon his return, or whether he'll get another fight first. I can't imagine they'd risk the rematch with Silva by putting Sonnen in there with anyone else, quite honestly.
A STEP OR TWO AWAY
This division is wide open when it comes to potential title contenders. There are very few fighters with any momentum, and those who have a little have built it up on the backs of lower-tier fighters. I've got three guys in mind for this category, but I think I'm being pretty generous by putting anyone at all in here. For the sake of not having an empty category, here we go. (As a disclaimer, this could all very easily change by the time the next contender is decided. That's how wide open the division is).
Brian Stann (10-3): After an inauspicious run at light heavyweight and a thorough thrashing at the hands of up-and-comer Phil Davis, Stann decided to move down to a weight that is better suited him, and he also joined up with the renowned Greg Jackson. Since his move to 185 lbs., Stann is 2-0 and has looked very good. He's got a fight with Wanderlei Silva coming up at UFC 130. A loss to the fading legend would set Stann back quite a bit, but with a win he could be positioned to fight one of the next two guys for a title shot (or at least a trip into the upper echelon if the title timing isn't right, which it likely won't be).
Michael Bisping (20-3): If you'd told me after Bisping's loss to Wanderlei Silva that I'd have him in this category a year later, I wouldn't have believed it. But wins over the uber-tough Dan Miller and Yoshihiro Akiyama and an upcoming tilt with the rejuvenated Jorge Rivera at UFC 127, Bisping has positioned himself nicely for another run at the top. And this time Dan Henderson's right hand won't be waiting for him on the way.
Jorge Rivera (19-7): Another one I wouldn't have believed. Rivera had an impressive win over Nate Quarry last year to follow up his win over Rob Kimmons. With a great backstory, a penchant for exciting fights, and a small window to take advantage of, Rivera is a dark horse for a title shot if he can get through Bisping in a couple of weeks, but I certainly wouldn't discount him with the division looking like it does. Does he have a shot against Silva? Probably not. But then again, who does?
UP AND COMERS
Jesse Bongfeldt (21-7-1): After a sloppy first two rounds in his UFC debut against Rafael Natal (the famed Octagon jitters, perhaps?) Bongfeldt looked downright dominant in the third, earning two elusive 10-8 scores from the Montreal judges and ending up with a draw. If "Water" can come out like he did in the third round of that fight when he makes his next appearance, we may just have something on our hands. It should be noted, by the way, that the Ontario native was coming off of a 15-month layoff to take over for an injured Jason MacDonald, and he has not lost since a 2007 knockout at the hands of Jonathan Goulet. Bongfeldt had won seven straight prior to the draw. A date with a TUF veteran like Rich Attonito or more of a grappler like Tom Lawlor could be interesting.
Maiquel Falcao (26-3): One of the more bizarre storylines coming out of UFC 123 was the release of Gerald Harris following his loss to the debuting Falcao. Harris had won three straight going into the fight, including a candidate for knockout of the year with his vicious slam of Dave Branch in July. Following a thrilling first round, which was revealed later to have been missing nine seconds due to a timekeeper error, the fight stalled resulting in a 10-minute circlefest. Somehow that fight used up all the goodwill that Harris had built and made people forget that if the first round had been properly timed, Falcao likely would have won via submission, as he had sunk a rear naked choke in the waning seconds. But either way, if the first round and eight straight wins is an indicator of what we can expect from Falcao, this could be a rising contender. Falcao could be thrown to the wolves (as they exist in the middleweight division) quickly considering his performance in the Harris fight; a showdown with someone like Nate Quarry or Kendall Grove could be in his future.
Court McGee (13-1): Did anyone really expect Court McGee to win The eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter? I didn't. And did anyone expect him to keep on winning after the show? Well, that's what McGee has done, defeating Ryan Jensen via arm triangle after surviving the first round and a half against the bigger man. McGee has proven durable thus far, but he won't have an easy road ahead of him as the middleweight division is thin but very competitive to see who can break through to the next level. I'd like to see how a fight would go with maybe Aaron Simpson, or the next guy on the list.
Brad Tavares (7-0): One thing we know about Phil Baroni is that he's not the fighter he once was. Another thing, though, is that he's very durable. Baroni has been beaten down by everyone from Frank Shamrock to Amir Sadollah, but he's not easy to stop. Tavares did it in the first round, and left no doubt. Granted, the competition will be more stiff from here on up, but Tavares has shown thus far that he has the tools to compete.
I'll be back next week with a rundown of the rest of the division. Until then, enjoy the fights.
Definitions/Parameters:
The Champ: Self-explanatory
The Contenders: Fighters who could fight for the title immediately and be taken as legitimate contenders. Fighters coming off of a loss will not typically be in this category.
A Step or Two Away: Fighters who could be in contention for a title with another victory or two over legitimate competition.
Up and Comers: Fighters who have no more than three fights in the UFC, who have shown promise. They're not always undefeated, but they have potential.
The Pool: Other fighters of note within the division, who could work their way into the top three categories by going on a run and/or proving themselves/proving themselves again in the Octagon. Also those outside the UFC who could make an impact.
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Amid the turmoil that has reigned atop most of MMA's weight divisions, two champions have stood head and shoulders above the rest of the competition for sustained amounts of time. Anderson Silva has ruled the middleweight division since 2006, and while some will say that there are chinks in the armor of the world's best fighter, still none have been able to beat him. So what does the future hold for the middleweights? Let's take a look at the top of the division this week, where havoc has been wrought and the field is laying wide open waiting for the next contender.
THE CHAMP
Anderson Silva (28-4): By the time it's all said and done, it will likely be debated for years whether Anderson Silva or Fedor Emelianenko was the top fighter of this era, or perhaps the greatest fighter ever. Since we're focusing on middleweights here and there are simply no more superlatives to describe what Silva has done, let's just list his accomplishments. If you don't count Yushin Okami's DQ win in 2006, Anderson Silva has not been defeated in six years. Since the Okami fight, he's gone 14-0. Ten of those fights have been for titles (his last fight in Cage Rage was against Tony Fryklund for that belt). He has gone the distance only twice in that same period, while fighting top contenders every time out. Say what you will about the quality of the middleweight division, but no one in any division can boast that accomplishment. And maybe the division just looks so bad because no one can touch its champion. During his run, he's beaten three UFC champions, a Pride champion, an Abu Dhabi submission grappling champion, a national champion wrestler, and a Greco-Roman Olympian. He holds the record for most consecutive UFC wins with 13 (the next highest is eight by GSP), most consecutive title defenses with eight (GSP is tied for second with five), and most overall title defenses. There has never been a more dominant force in MMA than Anderson Silva. We're going to leave GSP out of the mix for the moment because that fight deserves its own column, and also he needs to take out Jake Shields before we can entertain it anyway, but for now, while we may all agree that Silva is a tough guy to figure out, there's no denying his greatness.
THE CONTENDER
Yushin Okami (26-5): The prevailing wisdom here is that Okami will need to take a backseat to GSP once he dispatches Jake Shields, but should that fail to happen, the long-time fringe contender will likely be next in line. With his last win over Nate Marquardt, Okami probably sealed his status as the quasi-number one contender, but with the amount of time that could pass while the GSP-Silva superfight takes place, anything can happen. That's especially true with this next crazy person hanging around the corner.
THE WOULD-BE CONTENDER
Chael Sonnen (25-11-1): With consecutive wins over Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt, Sonnen put himself in the position of surprise contender last year. After an epic buildup that showcased some of the most bizarre (and effective) trash talk we've ever seen in MMA, Sonnen did the unthinkable and almost cashed the check that his mouth had written. For almost five rounds, Sonnen dominated Silva, taking him down at will and hurting him with punches on the feet. But we knew going into the fight that Sonnen's Achilles heel was submission defense, and with less than two minutes remaining in the final frame, Silva locked up a triangle choke/armbar and forced the tap. Since then, Sonnen's fall from grace has been epic. A positive steroid test has been followed by a guilty plea to real estate fraud, and Sonnen has been suspended indefinitely from the UFC, pending the resolution of his "personal problems." The remaining question is whether Sonnen will get a title shot immediately upon his return, or whether he'll get another fight first. I can't imagine they'd risk the rematch with Silva by putting Sonnen in there with anyone else, quite honestly.
A STEP OR TWO AWAY
This division is wide open when it comes to potential title contenders. There are very few fighters with any momentum, and those who have a little have built it up on the backs of lower-tier fighters. I've got three guys in mind for this category, but I think I'm being pretty generous by putting anyone at all in here. For the sake of not having an empty category, here we go. (As a disclaimer, this could all very easily change by the time the next contender is decided. That's how wide open the division is).
Brian Stann (10-3): After an inauspicious run at light heavyweight and a thorough thrashing at the hands of up-and-comer Phil Davis, Stann decided to move down to a weight that is better suited him, and he also joined up with the renowned Greg Jackson. Since his move to 185 lbs., Stann is 2-0 and has looked very good. He's got a fight with Wanderlei Silva coming up at UFC 130. A loss to the fading legend would set Stann back quite a bit, but with a win he could be positioned to fight one of the next two guys for a title shot (or at least a trip into the upper echelon if the title timing isn't right, which it likely won't be).
Michael Bisping (20-3): If you'd told me after Bisping's loss to Wanderlei Silva that I'd have him in this category a year later, I wouldn't have believed it. But wins over the uber-tough Dan Miller and Yoshihiro Akiyama and an upcoming tilt with the rejuvenated Jorge Rivera at UFC 127, Bisping has positioned himself nicely for another run at the top. And this time Dan Henderson's right hand won't be waiting for him on the way.
Jorge Rivera (19-7): Another one I wouldn't have believed. Rivera had an impressive win over Nate Quarry last year to follow up his win over Rob Kimmons. With a great backstory, a penchant for exciting fights, and a small window to take advantage of, Rivera is a dark horse for a title shot if he can get through Bisping in a couple of weeks, but I certainly wouldn't discount him with the division looking like it does. Does he have a shot against Silva? Probably not. But then again, who does?
UP AND COMERS
Jesse Bongfeldt (21-7-1): After a sloppy first two rounds in his UFC debut against Rafael Natal (the famed Octagon jitters, perhaps?) Bongfeldt looked downright dominant in the third, earning two elusive 10-8 scores from the Montreal judges and ending up with a draw. If "Water" can come out like he did in the third round of that fight when he makes his next appearance, we may just have something on our hands. It should be noted, by the way, that the Ontario native was coming off of a 15-month layoff to take over for an injured Jason MacDonald, and he has not lost since a 2007 knockout at the hands of Jonathan Goulet. Bongfeldt had won seven straight prior to the draw. A date with a TUF veteran like Rich Attonito or more of a grappler like Tom Lawlor could be interesting.
Maiquel Falcao (26-3): One of the more bizarre storylines coming out of UFC 123 was the release of Gerald Harris following his loss to the debuting Falcao. Harris had won three straight going into the fight, including a candidate for knockout of the year with his vicious slam of Dave Branch in July. Following a thrilling first round, which was revealed later to have been missing nine seconds due to a timekeeper error, the fight stalled resulting in a 10-minute circlefest. Somehow that fight used up all the goodwill that Harris had built and made people forget that if the first round had been properly timed, Falcao likely would have won via submission, as he had sunk a rear naked choke in the waning seconds. But either way, if the first round and eight straight wins is an indicator of what we can expect from Falcao, this could be a rising contender. Falcao could be thrown to the wolves (as they exist in the middleweight division) quickly considering his performance in the Harris fight; a showdown with someone like Nate Quarry or Kendall Grove could be in his future.
Court McGee (13-1): Did anyone really expect Court McGee to win The eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter? I didn't. And did anyone expect him to keep on winning after the show? Well, that's what McGee has done, defeating Ryan Jensen via arm triangle after surviving the first round and a half against the bigger man. McGee has proven durable thus far, but he won't have an easy road ahead of him as the middleweight division is thin but very competitive to see who can break through to the next level. I'd like to see how a fight would go with maybe Aaron Simpson, or the next guy on the list.
Brad Tavares (7-0): One thing we know about Phil Baroni is that he's not the fighter he once was. Another thing, though, is that he's very durable. Baroni has been beaten down by everyone from Frank Shamrock to Amir Sadollah, but he's not easy to stop. Tavares did it in the first round, and left no doubt. Granted, the competition will be more stiff from here on up, but Tavares has shown thus far that he has the tools to compete.
I'll be back next week with a rundown of the rest of the division. Until then, enjoy the fights.
Definitions/Parameters:
The Champ: Self-explanatory
The Contenders: Fighters who could fight for the title immediately and be taken as legitimate contenders. Fighters coming off of a loss will not typically be in this category.
A Step or Two Away: Fighters who could be in contention for a title with another victory or two over legitimate competition.
Up and Comers: Fighters who have no more than three fights in the UFC, who have shown promise. They're not always undefeated, but they have potential.
The Pool: Other fighters of note within the division, who could work their way into the top three categories by going on a run and/or proving themselves/proving themselves again in the Octagon. Also those outside the UFC who could make an impact.
Paul Buentello Josh Burkman Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell
Alistair Overeem talks Strikeforce heavyweight tournament - Alistair Overeem
The Fight Nerd caught up with Alistair Overeem at the Strikeforce New York Press Conference to get his predictions on what would happen in the epic heavyweight grand prix, thoughts on fighting Fabricio Werdum again, his response to all the fighters I interviewed seeing him in the finals, and what's up with Japanese MMA. Then I go too far and ask more about Japan which forces "The Reem" to almost melt my spine with his laser beam eyes. This is why you don't interview fighters who have an empty stomach -- they just might eat you! I also nerd out and give Alistair one of my classic Fight Nerd "Art of Fighting" shirts, which are still available for $25 shipped in the US if you email me (since I am too lazy to add a store function).Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito
Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson, March 5
Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson
Saturday, March 5
Nationwide Arena
Columbus Arena
Airing on Showtime
MAIN CARD
* Rafael Cavalcante (#9-tie ranked Light Heavyweight) vs. Dan Henderson (for Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
* Marloes Coenen vs. Miesha Tate (for Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Championship)
* Tim Kennedy vs. Melvin Manhoef
* Billy Evangelista vs. Jorge Masvidal
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Jorge Gurgel vs. Tyler Combs
* Roger Bowling vs. Josh Thornburg
* Jason Riley vs. Kerry Schall
* Mojo Horne vs. Brian Rogers
* Marc Cofer vs. Mitch Whitesel
* JP Felty vs. John Kuhner
Saturday, March 5
Nationwide Arena
Columbus Arena
Airing on Showtime
MAIN CARD
* Rafael Cavalcante (#9-tie ranked Light Heavyweight) vs. Dan Henderson (for Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
* Marloes Coenen vs. Miesha Tate (for Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Championship)
* Tim Kennedy vs. Melvin Manhoef
* Billy Evangelista vs. Jorge Masvidal
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Jorge Gurgel vs. Tyler Combs
* Roger Bowling vs. Josh Thornburg
* Jason Riley vs. Kerry Schall
* Mojo Horne vs. Brian Rogers
* Marc Cofer vs. Mitch Whitesel
* JP Felty vs. John Kuhner
Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello Josh Burkman
Thursday, February 24, 2011
UFC 131, June 11
UFC 131
Saturday June 11
Rogers Arena
Vancouver, BC, Canada, eh
Airing on PPV
MAIN CARD
* Brock Lesnar (#2 Ranked Heavyweight) vs. Junior dos Santos (#5 Ranked Heavyweight)
* Shane Carwin vs. TBA
* Dave Herman vs. Rob Broughton
* Dustin Poirier vs. Rani Yahya
* Michihiro Omigawa (#4 Ranked Featherweight) vs. Darren Elkins
Saturday June 11
Rogers Arena
Vancouver, BC, Canada, eh
Airing on PPV
MAIN CARD
* Brock Lesnar (#2 Ranked Heavyweight) vs. Junior dos Santos (#5 Ranked Heavyweight)
* Shane Carwin vs. TBA
* Dave Herman vs. Rob Broughton
* Dustin Poirier vs. Rani Yahya
* Michihiro Omigawa (#4 Ranked Featherweight) vs. Darren Elkins
Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan Dan The Sandman Christison Logan The Pink Pounder Clark
Houston Alexander to Rematch James Irvin at Shark Fights 14
Filed under: News
Houston Alexander revealed Thursday on Twitter that he will face James Irvin at Shark Fights 14 on March 11 in Lubbock, Texas.The light heavyweight fight will be a rematch from UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008 where Irvin knocked out Alexander with Superman punch in just eight seconds.
Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan
Cub Swanson out at UFC on Versus 3, promotion seeking new opponent for Erik Koch
Perennial featherweight contender Cub Swanson will have to wait to make his octagon debut.MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the promotion that Swanson suffered an undisclosed injury and training and has been forced to withdraw from a planned UFC on Versus 3 bout with Erik Koch.
With the majority of the promotion's 145-pound fighters already booked for fights, UFC officials are currently seeking a featherweight to take the matchup on short notice.
Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte
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