Lesnar vs. Carwin Fighter Predictions

It's only a few days away and the hype machine refuses to slow down. Here is what some of the MMA elite are predicting will happen Saturday night.



http://www.sportsnet.ca

Penn dislikes Edgar

B.J. Penn expresses his dislike for Frankie Edgar after watching the fight between the two at Abu Dhabi for the first time. Edgar requested his first title defense be against Gray Maynard after his victory which as we see in this video makes Penn dislike Edgar very much.




Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

UFC 120: Hardy has found a new opponent

Although not officially announced by the the UFC itself , Dan Hardy (23-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) vs Carlos Condit (25-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) appears to be destined for UFC 120 headliner or co-headliner status according to many sources. Hardy coming off a decision loss against UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, gained a huge fan base in his UFC 111 title fight showing a true warriors grit refusing to submit to the Canadian Superstar. Former WEC Welterweight Champion Condit is fresh off an impressive Fight of the Night TKO victory over Rory MacDonald at UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin.

UFC 120 will take place in the Nottingham born Hardy's backyard airing on SpikeTV in London, England on October 16th.

*Cuddles* does not need to be coddled

Referee Kim Winslow was under plenty of scrutiny Saturday night for not stopping the massacre Cristiane *Cyborg* Santos put on Jan *Cuddles* Finney earlier than the eventual 2nd round stoppage. Finney in Winslow's defense was quoted as saying "It's my decision, leave those people out of it". Finney will be going back to her natural weight class at 135 after this fight.

The only thing Finney was awarded after the fight was three medical suspensions. 180 days for a fractured eye socket, 60 days for laceration to both sides of the face and 45 days for a TKO loss.

source : http://www.mmajunkie.com

Werdum shocks the world.

"The one who doesn't fall doesn't stand up." - Fedor Emelianenko (32-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) explained after history was made Saturday night at the Shark Tank in San Jose, CA. The man responsible for what many are already calling "The tap heard round the world" Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1 MMA, 3-0 SF) made quick work of the Russian legend by submitting him with a triangle choke and an armbar (Fedor is quoted as saying it was the choke that made him tap)69 seconds into the match. When asked about the title shot Werdum has now earned against Strikeforce Heavweight Champion Alistair Overeem, Werdum requested a rematch with Fedor calling him the real champion. Werdum also requested the fight be in Russia, while Fedor said during his post fight interview that he has one fight remaining in his contract in the U.S. and plans to honor it hopefully against Werdum.

More results from Strikeforce/M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum

•Josh Thomson wins over Pat Healy by rear naked choke 3rd Round (4:27)
•Cris *Cyborg* Santos beats Jan Finney via TKO in the 2nd Round (2:56)
I'm no referee but this may have been one of the worst refereed fights in recent memory. Finney was not intelligently defending herself for much of the end of the 1st round and all through the 2nd round.

•Cung Le beats Scott Smith via TKO 2nd Round (1:46)

photo via http://www.latimes.com

Axe Murderer out until 2011*Akiyama new opponent confirmed

"I think now im paying the bill for all these years of fighting."


Maggie Hendricks of http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter reports that Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) was planning to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) with a torn ACL, blowing out his knee. Following this injury Silva managed to break 3 of his ribs in training which caused him to pull out of the upcoming contest. The video shows how upset Wand is about this injury that will require surgery and may sideline him until next year.

*Sexy Yama* who has been patiently waiting for this particular opponent for what seems like forever now will have to settle for Chris Leben (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) who is coming off a victory against Aaron Simpson earlier this month. Akiyama initially protested this change, opting for a higher profile fighter stating the following(from http://www.mmajunkie.com, "If there is to be a replacement, I was hoping for a big name. I spent one year preparing hard for this fight and this news has come as a big disappointment. My motivation has waned. I do not know yet what will happen. ... In the worst case, I will not take part in the [UFC 116] event. We are working hard to resolve this issue." It was learned later on in the day that Akiyama has signed on for the fight.

Bellator 8 Woman Tournament Roster

 Earlier this month we watched Megumii Fujii make easy work of her opponent at Bellator 21. Today we learn the names of the 7 opponents (2 of them undefeated) that will join her in the upcoming tourney for Bellator's new 115 pound Women's Championship. Jessica Aguilar is the 8th and final fighter to be added sporting a 8-4 record . A complete list of the fighters can be found here and below. This blog will be watching this Tournament which begins August 12th (Bellator Season 3) very closely.

Bellator

Megumii Fujii 20-0
Aisling Daly 9-0
Jessica Pene 7-0
Rosi Sexton 11-1
Lynn Alvarez 5-1
Jessica Aguilar 8-4
Angela Magana 8-4
Lisa Ward 12-5

Pictured (Angela Magana, Aisling Daly)

Fedor vs. Werdum * Cyborg vs. Finney Staredown's

Esther Lin Photography for Strikeforce

Fedor Quotable's

Arguably the top ranked in his weight class of all time, Fedor * The Last Emperor* Emelianenko (32-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) sets the record straight before his weekend collision with Top 10 ranked Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1 MMA, 2-0 SF).

"I'm not thinking about a political career. While I am performing, while I am competing in mixed martial arts, I'm not thinking about anything else."

"I did not want to offend the UFC in any way. What I meant is, I don't like to watch fights in general. My main concern is what kind of culture I bring, myself."

"It has always been for me that some fighters would appear and people would want to see me in matches against these fighters. That will always happen. As for the UFC, when my contract with Strikeforce is over – I have two fights left on my contract – the UFC will have the time and the opportunity to prepare and offer a contract that may be interesting to me."

"I am always interesting in performing against top 10 fighters and Werdum has been in the top 10 for a long time." "The talk about me entering politics are false rumors. As long as I am competing in MMA, there will be no politics for me. "I am excited about having my wife with me for the first time for a fight of mine in the United States."

These quotes from http://www.mmafighting.com

UFC says goodbye to Keith Jardine

http://www.mmafighting.com reports that Keith Jardine's 5 year run in the UFC Light Heavyweight division is over . *The Dean of Mean* had some impressive wins over the years defeating the likes of Forrest Griffin & Chuck Liddell, and even in his losses always put on an exciting fight. His unorthodox style may have been what got him the win in his 6 UFC victories but it may also of been what got him cut in the end. Jardine shouldn't have a tough time finding a job fighting for another promotion if he decides to continue on. Always one for an entertaining fight and never one to shy away from an opponent Jardine fell a victim to 5 losses in his last 6 UFC bouts.

Photo from http://www.keithjardine.net/

Amateur Hour 2: Strikeforce & M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum Predictions

Here are my Main Card Predictions for Showtime's Live Broadcast of the Saturday June 26th event at the HP Pavilion .


•Pat Healy vs. Josh Thomson

I will take Thomson by decision in this Lightweight battle between two MMA vets.


•Cung Le vs. Scott Smith

Late last year Smith KO'ed Le in the third round in a fight that Le dominated up until that point. Expect Le to make quick work of Smith this time ending him in the first round via TKO.

•Women's Middleweight Champion Cristiane *Cyborg* Santos vs. Jan Finney

Cyborg 1st Round TKO victory(her 4th straight) over Jan Finney's in the second defense of her title.

•Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum

Werdum has some pretty impressive victories under his belt over the likes of current Strikeforce HW champion Alistair Overeem, Gabriel Gonzaga, & Brandon Vera. Ok well maybe the last one isn't so impressive. He also has a submission win over Fedor's borther Aleksander . If he wins on June 26th against Fedor not only would it go down as one of the biggest Mixed Martial Arts upsets of all time , he would get a shot at the man he's already beaten Alistair Overeem for the Heavyweight Championship. Fedor instead will finish out his Strikeforce contract fighting Overeem later this year for said Championship barring any major injuries. Expect Werdum to get some shots in early and blood Fedor only to inevitably fall late in the 2nd round via punch to the face.

UFC 118 On Sale

Tickets have just gone on sale for UFC Fight Club Members for this event and will go on tomorrow at 10am for the Newsletter Presale. The password for the latter is CELTICS of course. The general public can start purchasing tickets on Friday June 25th at 10am. UFC 118 Edgar vs Penn 2 coincides with the UFC Fan Expo which takes place Aug 27 & 28th in Boston and is already on sale.

Wandy out... Leben in.

http://www.mmafighting.com confirms that PRIDE superstar Wanderlei Silva's services will be unavailable for UFC 116 July 3rd due to cracked ribs. This is bad news for fight fans everywhere but i have a feeling no one is more upset than opponent Yoshihiro Akiyami who has been requesting this match up for some time now.

Coming off a victory at the TUF 11 Finale just this past weekend , Chris Leben has been rumored as the fighter who will take Silva's place .

Shane Carwin Responds

Shane Carwin uses his official website www.shane-carwin.com as an outlet to let anyone who cares know that he's earned his title shot at UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and doesn't have to suck random media cock in the days leading up to the most important fight of his life. Here is the undefeated fighter's entry from earlier today.

"A lot of people are still questioning my reasoning behind limiting my media access. If you read this article it would sound as if I am somehow failing at my duties as a fighter. Or according to the Zuffa "Talking Heads" I am not doing my part to sell this fight.

Lets talk about me selling this fight. I earned this fight. I was "given' my previous opportunity against Brock but this one I earned. I was asked to train for Cain and I began my camp. I was then told Cain is not the opponent I am being bumped up to Lesnar. Then I begin training for Lesnar to only have him pull out of the fight TWICE. His "miracle recovery" underway I was told I am going to have to face Frank Mir to earn the opportunity to face Brock (something I had already been given and taken away now twice). So for those of you confused by the fact that I somehow am fighting Brock because I talked crap or played some hype man you are wrong. I earned this fight and this opportunity. I have never turned down a fight, I have never told Zuffa no, I have and always do a good job and for them. Those that know me know that is who and what I am all about.

Those in the Media that want to chastise me have not even attempted to reach out through proper channels to get an interview. I never said I wasn't doing interviews or eliminating media. I said I was not taking any direct media request. I just do not have the time to spend "just 15 minutes" on the phone answering the same questions over and over. The time adds up and that time has to come from my other job, family or training. None of which are worth sacrificing more than the need to promote a fight. I have however accepted 100% of the interview request that Zuffa has presented me. I have taken my own initiative and went out for the entire month of May meeting fans traveling the US. My team has got me on the Jason Ellis Show (@ellismate) in which I did about a ten minute interview (on my own) to help promote the fight.

For those of you that make this possible (the fans) I have dedicated myself to be more connected with you than ever before. We have this site and other Social Communities that you know you can reach me and you will get a response. I really only care about you the fans. I am not trying to become Dan's best friend or some company guy that says bullsh%t to sell tickets and then says post fight "I was just kidding he is a warrior". I find the smack talk silly kids games. You fans are the backbone of the sport and I do not need some third party outlet reaching you when we can do this directly.

As for July 3rd, I am going to let my fist do the talking. I know #TeamCarwin will tune in to support me or be there at the MGM Grand. Everyday when the training has me near death, the two hour drive to and from the gyn seems endless or coming home to find my family in bed already, I tell myself that I owe my fans and supporters to push on through. That is what this is all about anyway. I don't care if MMA websites like me I just care that you the fan can connect with me.

As for the money side of things. I wont lie and say I wish I was getting a piece of this PPV. Of course I want that, so does every other fighter on the card that is not. I love to fight but I would love to fight for millions of dollars. Who wouldn't want to be paid millions of dollars for doing what they love (aside from that girl in Twilight)? But, I am not fighting for the money. If I was I would have checked out of this sport LONG ago. This is not the NFL and there is no league minimums. You eat what you kill and that is all. I have a great team making sure that I have plenty of game to hunt. I am not dependent upon fighting Brock to cash out. I am making more off of being a fighter than I could ever have imagined. I regularly make calls to my manager thanking him for "changing my families life". I have been blessed by MMA, most of the MMA media, the fans, and even the haters and for that I am forever grateful. For those of you reporting I am only making $50,000 for this fight and that is the reason behind my limiting media, please get your facts right it is $80,000 ($40 to show and $40 to win) plus you have to factor in my generous sponsors (THANKS) and the KO and FOTN bonus that will be awarded to me on July 3rd. I would have done it for less, I love competing and testing myself.

I do not know if I have enough time in the sport to ever be the next "Brock". This is something I am okay with. I just want to be the very best ME I can be. I want to make sure you can reach me and we enjoy this journey together. I am not a superstar just a guy chasing his dream. I am happy with that because I know many that are not in the chase anymore. They speak of their dreams in the past tense, for me I am seeing a future filled with the best fans and fellow athletes anyone could ever hope for.

I am grateful to even be here. I have worked hard my entire life and I do not know any other way. There are no short cuts, I can't throw hundreds of thousands of dollars at trainers and training partners and expect to win. Winning for me is a lifetime of work. I was taught at a very young age that you have to work for whatever you want in life. I am doing that, I have put in the time and I deserve to be fighting for this belt. I know the more I put into it, the harder I work I more chance I have of having my hand raised at the end of the fight.

I hope Brock is ready for a war. I have prepared myself for the very best Brock Lesnar and I hope that is who shows up."

Faber's Top 5.

Urijah Faber shared his Top 5 WEC p4p fighter rankings on The Daily Line post fight show last night. It looks like this.

1. Jose Aldo
2. Dominick Cruz
3. Manny Gamburyan
4. Joseph Benavidez
5. Mike Brown

Waiting in Line : Urijah Faber.

Chuck undecided on Retirement

Liddell spoke with Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports about being undecided on hanging it up or adding some length to one of the most storied careers in the history of the sport following his KO loss in an impressive showing, although coming up on the wrong side of a 1st round KO against Rich Franklin at UFC 115 . Here are some Chuck quotes from Iole's column on the matter.

“I’m still working on evaluating,” Liddell said. “I thought I did great before I was caught. I have to look at it some more and think about it. I think I looked good and I definitely was in great shape. I could have kept that pace up for another four rounds, without a doubt.”

“It’s hard to beat that [aggressiveness] out of me, because that’s who I am and that’s who I’ve been for a long, long time,” Liddell said. “People like watching me because of the way I fight, so it’s hard to get me not to fight that way.”

“There’s a lot still to think about,” Liddell said. “I felt pretty good and I think showed I can compete. I’m not going to rush and I’ll do what I think is best. I’m just not at a point to make that decision yet.”

*Photo from ufc.com

WEC 49 Live Main Card Results

The first bout of the night on the Versus broadcast live from The Rexall Place in Edmonton , Alberta , Canada is a Bantamweight fight between Eddie Wineland and Will Campuzano. Both fighters keep the fight on their feet for the first five minute round with Wineland scoring a couple knockdowns, while Campuzano did land one dangerous kick towards the end of the round. I score the first round 10-9 Wineland.

Round 2 : Although Campuzano continues to throw some dangerous leg kicks, Wineland is dictating the pace of this fight getting the better of him with combinations and catching Campuzano's high leg kick attempts. Neither of these fighters are interested in the ground game here. With a little over a minutes left in the round Wineland catches Campuzano with a superman punch and continues to hammer him on the ground . It's only a matter of time before this fight is over. However, Campuzano somehow stays in the fight getting up and looking like he actually has regained his composure for a split second throwing one of his flying kicks. Not the case, Wineland catches him again and eventually ends the fight with a brutal body shot and follows it with more head shots on Campuazano who is now on the ground and has finally given up on moving forward in this one with 16 seconds left in the fight due to TKO. The WEC's first Bantamweight Champion moves to (17-6-1 MMA, 4-2 WEC), while Campuzano drops to (7-2 MMA, 1-2 WEC).

Chris Horodecki vs. Danny Downes

Round 1: The Lightweight fight between *Danny Boy* and *The Polish Hammer* has now officially begun. The Canadian Horodecki is obviously the fan favorite here garnering many cheers from this Edmonton crowd while Downes receives and ample amounts of boos. Horodecki gets the first takedown of the Main Card tonight and attempts a guillotine that really doesn't threaten ending Downes . *The Polish Hammer* continues to dominate the fight taking Downes back to the ground against the fence. Mounting Downes and then transitioning to taking his back the Canadian applies another submission attempt of the choking variety. In the last minute of the fight Downes comes to life taking Horodecki's back and getting in some punches of his own as the fight becomes upright again. Im scoring this round 10-9 Horodecki.

Round 2: Both fighters come out swinging here with Horodecki getting the better of it in the first minute of the round. Downes looks to be tiring a bit and is taken down again by Horodecki . Downes gets back to his feet only to be punished more with 2 minutes remaining in the round who continues to throw some great combinations on the body and face of the younger fighter. Downes is the more aggreasive fighter in the final minute of the round coming forward missing almost all of his striking attempts landing some weak kicks as the round comes to a close. Again 10-9 Horodecki.

Round 3: Downes comes out guns blazing realizing that he is down 2 rounds to none. Horodecki gets Downes back on the ground eventually , taking his back and choking him out forcing him to tap at 1:09 of the 3rd Round. Horodecki adds another win improving his record to (14-2 MMA, 1-1 WEC) while Downes is serves with his first loss in his WEC debut (6-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC).

John Grispi vs. LC Davis

Round 1: The camera catches Bruce Buffer introducing LC Davis with his patented spinning and pointing for the first time in this broadcast. The introductions are finished and we are under way . Davis's striking looks solid early one while Grispi throws a few high legs kicks that are blocked with ease. LC scores a monster slam taking Grispi down to the mat with just under 3 minutes left in the round. Grispi , with his arm around his opponents neck during the whole sequence, takes advantage from his back putting Davis to sleep with a guillotine at 2:33 of the first round. Grispi improves to (14-1 MMA, 4-0 WEC) while Davis falls to (16-3 MMA, 3-1 WEC).

Mark Hominick vs. Yves Jabouin

Hominick hailing from Ontario, and Jabouin from Quebec ensures that there is no home ring advantage in this featherweight bout. Viewers learn that Yves Jabouin is *The Tiger* , and Mark Hominick is *The Machine*. We also learn that these fighters came up in the same Quebec promotion and this fight has been *8 years in the making*. Hominick enters the ring with *The Final Countdown* as his entrance music. Fuck Yeah.

Round 1: Bruce Buffer informs us that this is the Co - Main Event of the evening. He introduces the two hometown fighters and we are set for action. Both fighters look amped for this one. Lots of early movement and plenty of speed. Yves is the busier of the two in the first couple minutes of the round but neither fighter looks visibly shaken. Hominick pushes the pace forcing Jabouin closer to the cage. As Yves slows down Hominick lands more and more strikes . Jabouin lands a spinning back fist with a little over a minute and a half left in the round. Hominick lands a left jab on Quebec native while Jabouin attempts another spinning back fist but misses wide later in the round. Jabouin closes the round out with a weak spinning leg kick . Scoring this one 10-9 Jabouin . Hominick just didn't do enough at the end of the round but has the momentum going into Round 2.

Round 2: Jabouin looks good early landing some solid kicks but there is no way he can match the pace he brought at the start of the fight. Yves throws some good elbows before being caught with some deadly strikes by Hominick. Hominick keeps punishing Yves with strikes and pushes him against he cage. Yves regains his compsoure and catches Hominick with a gargantuan blow knocking him on his back. Hominick recovers and somehow gets mount on Jabouin in which is easily becoming fight of the night. He keeps raining down punches on down on his opponent refusing to let up. Jabuoin is defending his face yet he is unable to change position. This fight can no longer continue if Jabouin cannot change his position thus is called with Hominick winning by TKO at of the 1st Round. Holy shit . Instant Classic. I could not keep up with this one. Hominick calls out Jose Aldo & Leonard Garcia respectfully in the post fight interview. In my eyes this fight is easily the runner up so far in Fight of the Year Honors coming in second to Leonard Garcia vs Chang Sung Jung epic battle at WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber back in late April. Hominick is now (18-8 MMA, 2-2 WEC) while his opponent on this night Jabouin is (14-6 MMA, 0-2 WEC).

Jamie Varner vs. Kamal Shalorus

The Main Event of the evening is a Lightweight fight that will determine who will be next in line for a title shot against the division's top fighter Ben Henderson. Henderson dethroned Varner at WEC 46 in Sacramento winning the belt, and defended it successfully in his first defense against Donald Cerrone at WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber which also was held at the Arco Arena.

Round 1: Jamie Varner enters the stage to Eminem's *Not Afraid* and a series of boos from the Edmonton crowd. With both fighters now in the ring its time for the introductions. *It's Time!* Buffer screams as both of his feet actually leave the ground together for a split second. Some nice leg kicks performed by Shalorus early while Varner dances around early. Varner does attempt a high leg kick that wows the crowd and both fighters continue to exchange punches from a distance. Shalorus continues to connect with outside and now inside leg kicks which makes Varner smile. Varner connects with consecutive blows to Shalorus and it looks like Kamal may be in a bit of trouble . Shalorus raises his hands and screams and we realize this guy is somewhat of a beast. Shalorus is now throwing Wanderlei Silva type punches at Varner not doing much damage but obviously pumped up as the round comes to a close. 10-9 Shalorus in a very close 1st Round.

Round 2 : The leg kicks to the inner leg of Varner are starting to add up as both fighters continue to battle standing up. Kamal eventually catches Varner with a low blow and the referee gives him some time to recover. Shalorus continues to do damage to the legs of Varner but catching him again in the region and a point is deducted. Varner takes the time Josh Rosenthal gives him here, alot more time than he did during the first stoppage and the crowd gets antsy. Shalorus continues to kick Varner inside and out. He has to be careful here . Varner catches him in the head repeatedly and Shalorus throws his arms up again showing the crowd he is still in it. The crowd responds heavily in Shalorus's favor. He is putting on a show tonight. Varner keeps circling away from his opponent and is almsot knocks himself down bumping his back against the cage in the agrresive circle. Shalorus connects with some decent shots at the end of the Round. I have to score this one 10-8 in Varner's favor due to the point reduction.

Round 3: Another low kick early sends Varner down. Its obvious he is connecting everytime . Varner may be taking a long time during the 2nd and 3rd stoppage but he has every right really. This coming from someone who isn't the biggest Varner fan. The 3rd one as Kenny Florian explains was even worse than the previous two connecting dead on Varner's package. We are back with a little over four minutes Shalorus has now abandoned kicking inside on Varner. Now the crowd seems to be cheering for Varner just before Shalorus perfroms the first takedown of the night. Varner in closed guard, Shalorus on top neither fighter seems to be doing much damage from there respective positions . Varner has great defense not really allowing Shalorus to posture up. Now Shalorus is in half guard and just and now both fighters are back on their feet. Varner throws a goofy kick attempt showing that his whole lower half is pretty damaged. Varner dances around circling away from Shalorus as he eggs his opponent on for the last 10 seconds of the fight. Both fighters pay respects and we await the judges score cards. I have the third round in favor of Shalorus 10-9. Which would make the fight 28-28.

The judges score this one (29-27 Shalorus, 29-27 Varner & 28-28) . This fight is a Draw. Varner is visibly upset about the decision and takes time out of complaining about his broken hand to complain about the judges scoring. Although many were surprised and event upset at this result i find it very fitting. Neither fighter really deserves a title shot after this display. Shalorus very well could have earned a DQ in the 3rd, while Varner only took one round convincingly.

Jamie Varner ends the night (16-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 WEC).
Kamal Shalorus ends it (6-0-2 MMA, 2-0-1 WEC).

RESPECT

Another example of why MMA is the classiest sport in the world. In this photo from www.bjpenn.com we see *The Iceman* signing the cast of the broken arm Rich Franklin received when the two met at UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin.

WEC 49

The Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is the setting tonight for WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus. Bruce Buffer will once again take on ring announcing duties for this event while Kenny Florian will handle color for the 2nd night in a row.

Following the WEC's first foray into Pay Per View which provided Fight of the Year (so far) when Leonard Garcia and Chang Sung Jung traded relentlessly for 3 straight Rounds, the WEC is sure to have gained a wider viewing audience. The man alot of fans love to hate, Jamie Varner, faces off against the undefeated Kamal Shalorus in the Main Event of the night which could decide who gets the next shot at WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson.

Main Card :

Lightweights: Jamie Varner (16-3 MMA, 4-1 WEC) vs. Kamal Shalorus (6-0-1 MMA, 2-0 WEC)

Featherweights: Mark Hominick (17-8 MMA, 1-2 WEC) vs. Yves Jabouin (14-5 MMA, 0-1 WEC)

Featherweights: John Grispi (13-1 MMA, 3-0 WEC) vs. LC Davis (16-2 MMA, 3-0 WEC)

Lightweights: Chris Horodecki (13-2 MMA, 0-1 WEC) vs. Danny Downes (6-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC)

Bantamweights: Eddie Wineland (16-6-1 MMA, 3-2 WEC) vs. Will Campuzano (7-1 MMA, 1-1 WEC)

Back from the Dead

Court McGee came out victorious Saturday night at the 11th Ultimate Fighter Finale with a 6 figure contract and a $25,000 submission of the night bonus. Not bad for a former plumber who was declared clinically dead of a black tar heroin overdose back in 2005. McGee becomes the 17th Ultimate Fighter winner in 11 seasons. Here are the competition's past winners.

Season 1: Middleweight : Diego Sanchez , Light Heavyweight : Forrest Griffin

Season 2: Welterweight : Joe Stevenson, Heavyweight : Rashad Evans

Season 3: Middleweight : Kendall Grove, Light Heavyweight : Michael Bisping

Season 4: Welterweight : Matt Serra, Middleweight : Travis Lutter

Season 5: Lightweight : Nate Diaz

Season 6: Welterweight : Mac Danzig

Season 7: Middleweight : Amir Sadollah

Season 8: Lightweight : Efrain Escudero, Light Heavyweight : Ryan Bader

Season 9: Lightweight : Ross Pearson, Welterweight : James Wilks

Season 10: Heavyweight : Roy Nelson

Season 11: Middleweight : Court McGee

TUF 11 Finale: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz/Franklin Results :

Prelim Card:

Travis Browne TKO victory over James McSweeney 4:32 1st Round

Chris Camozzi over James Hammortree by unanimous decision

Kyle Noke TKO victory over Josh Bryant 3:12 2nd Round

Brad Tavares over Seth Baczynski by unanimous decision

John Gunderson over Mark Holst by unanimous decision

Main Card:

Rich Attonito over Jamie Yager by TKO 4:25 2nd Round

Dennis Siver over Spencer Fisher by unanimous decision

Chris Leben TKO victory over Aaron Simpson 4:17 2nd Round

Matt Hamill decision victory over Keith Jardine

Court McGee submission (rear naked choke) victory over Kris McCray 3:41 2nd Round

UFC 118 Preview

Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for what promises to be the most epic UFC of the year.

Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) faces off against *The Prodigy* B.J. Penn (15-6-1 MMA, 11-5-1 UFC)in the Main Event of the evening. What happened back in Abu Dhabi on April 10th was another fluke in B.J. Penn's career. Im gonna go out on a limb here and say Penn took Edgar lightly while training for the UFC 112 fight. Im also gonna go out on another limb and say Penn will not take Edgar lightly before the B-Mass fight. What's better than being Lightweight champion? Becoming a 3 time UFC Champion and 2 time UFC Lightweight Champion whilst gaining Hall of Famer status. Expect a violent finish in classic Penn fashion for the organization's debut in Boston on August 28th .

In the Co-Main Event of the evening Randy *The Natural* Couture (18-10 MMA, 15-7 UFC) faces off against James *Lights Out* Toney (0-0 MMA, O-0 UFC, 72-6-3 Pro Boxing Career). A Heavyweight Bout that is sure to win over many Professional Boxing PPV viewers , Couture vs. Toney is the fight everyone will be talking about in the weeks before this event. Will Couture's dirty boxing and ground game reign supreme over Toney's striking? Can Toney KO the UFC Hall of Famer with one of his quick strikes before they engage in the MMA aspect of the sport? Will Randy make a fool out of Toney by submitting him early and sending a message? While many are viewing this fight as Boxing vs. MMA, im calling it as it is, a fun novelty match between an accomplished Mixed Martial Artist and a Legendary Boxer. It could really go either way when two FIGHTERS step into the Octagon, the Ring, The Cage or the Streets. Toney could catch Couture with a barrage of punches early, but I find that next to impossible with the way Randy guards his face with his life. Unless Toney is spending 24-7 on his ground and clinch game expect *The Natural* coming out victorious.

Bostonian Kenny Florian (14-4 MMA, 11-3 UFC) will face off against Gray *The Bully* Maynard (9-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) to determine #1 contender status in the Lightweight division, which ultimately turns this event into a lightweight tournament of sorts. Submission artist and jab specialist Florian should come out on top against the undefeated Striker, and guarantee his 3rd shot at the Lightweight title that has eluded him for his 5 year UFC career.

Nate Marquardt (29-9-2 MMA, 8-3 UFC) faces off against Rousimar Palhares (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in a middleweight Main Card bout. Coming off a unanimous decision loss at UFC 109 against Chael Sonnen that would determine who got the next shot at Anderson Silva's Middleweight Title, Nate *The Great* enters this fight as the favorite once again. Palhares is know for his dangerous leg locks, while Marquardt is a 3 time King of Pancrase champion who trains with the best of the best in Mixed Martial Arts.

Fedor is not a fan of the UFC

"I'm not a UFC fan." Strikeforce/M-1 Global Fedor Emelianeko expressed when asked about the importance of his upcoming fight with Fabricio Werdum compared to the July 3rd much anticipated UFC Clash between UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.

"I'm not a fan of watching [the UFC's] fights," Fedor said. "Compared to a lot of the commercials and promotion in anticipation of their fights, and compared to a lot of the shows I've seen, there seems to be a lot of negativity involved in their shows.

It's said that UFC President Dana White has become obsessive over inking Fedor.


"I've signed Brock Lesnar, who came from the WWE, James Toney from boxing – he's a nut chasing me all over the place – Tito Ortiz, whom I hated, and he hated me," White told MMAjunkie.com in an interview following UFC 115. "I've kept Chuck Liddell, kept Matt Hughes, kept Rich Franklin, when they were all champions. Anderson Silva, I've dealt with all the crazy [expletive] with him.

"But I can't sign Fedor? How is this possible that I can't sign this guy? It's not possible. These guys don't want to fight the best in the world."

I personally believe White and the UFC will never have a card that reads "UFC 128/M-Global: Fedor vs. Carwin". It's just not going to happen. The UFC will not succumb to Fedor's ridiculous demands. As a fan of Fedor in the ring i myself like so many others would love nothing more than seeing Fedor fight the best of the best. Unfortunately for now *The Last Emperor* will remain the most popular *indie rock*,if you will, fighter in MMA.

Amateur Hour : TUF 11 Predictions

Pieholes are like opinions. Everybody gotta have one. Here are my mutha fuckin predictions for tonights Finale at the Palms in Vegas.

Prelims:

•McSweeney over Browne
•Camozzi over Hammortree
•Noke over Bryant
•Tavares over Baczynksi
•Gunderson over Holst

Main Card:
•Jamie Yager vs. Rich Attonito

I will take Yager on this fight assuming that he has had some coaching since his last fight , also assuming that people have told him to fight smart and use his freakish athleticism he's been blessed with sparingly. Instead of getting cute and hopping around with no rhyme or reason Yager should pick his spots tonight and win by TKO in the 2nd Round.

•Spencer Fisher vs. Dennis Siver

Fisher over Siver Split Decision.

•Chris Leben vs. Aaron Simpson

Aaron Simpson knocks Chris Leben out of the UFC . 2nd Round TKO.

•Matt Hamill vs. Keith Jardine

This is a very interesting fight in the LHW division, and a tough one too pick. Hamill is coming off a DQ victory over the force of nature known as Jon *Elbows to your face* Jones. The last time Jardine's hand was raised was all the way back in 2008 against Brandon Vera. The only thing in question here is *The Dean of Mean* and his chin. His unorthodox style in the octagon has been traditionally difficult for opponent to train for but it may also be his worst enemy. Its all fine and dandy not to protect your face when you are 100 percent, however , after a couple of strikes or head kicks to the face by Hamill....go ahead and keep your guard down..lets see what happens. Hamill by KO 1st Round.

•Court McGee vs. Kris McCray

McCray can pack a punch, but is his cardio up to par with McGee's? If McGee can protect himself, wear The Saveage down, and get this fight on the ground ill take him by unanimous decision in the Main Event tonight.

'Babalu' by decison, 'Cyborg' TKO

 If you try to drown out the bad...i mean really bad broadcast of Strikeforce on Showtime or any other channel it appears on, you actually have a decent product with potential and some great fighters that fill decent cards. Getting past the brutal Gus Johnson, and half dead Jimmy Lennon Jr, the generic intro music and amateur camerawork, and overall general confusion of everyone involved is a task . Hey this blog is amateur as well and so is my command on the english written language but i will be the first to admit that! That said, tonight was a great night of fights with *Babalu* Sobral taking a close but well deserved victory against Robbie Lawler. I had Lawler winning Rounds 1 & 3 but it was close enough that it could've and did go the other way on the judges scorecards. When asked about a title bout with Strikeforce LHW Champ King Mo Lawal , Babalu refused because of friendship. He wants Middleweight Dan Henderson instead who is coming off a loss in his SF debut against current SF Middleweight champ and future UFC fighter(allegedly) Jake Shields.

Evangelista *Cyborg* Santos put it all out there handling Marius Zaromskis with ease, disposing of him at 2:38 in the first round via TKO.

Tim Kennedy submits Trevor Prangley via rear naked choke in round 1 at 3:35.

KJ Noons defeats Conor Heun via split decision.

3 more MMA events still ahead of us this week. Bellator FC 22 tomorrow , TUF 11 Finale Saturday Night & WEC 49 on Sunday. Dahum!

Strikeforce: Los Angeles

 Robbie Lawler battles *Babalu* Sobral in a 195 pound catchweight fight live in Los Angeles tonight. The Main Card will be aired at 11 pm on Showtime .

Main Card:

Robbie Lawler (19-5 MMA,1-1 SF) vs. Renato *Babalu* Sobral (35-8 MMA, 1-1 SF)



Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (17-13 MMA, 0-0 SF) vs. Marius Zaromskis (13-4 MMA, 0-1 SF)

Tim Kennedy (11-2 MMA, 2-0 SF) vs. Trevor Prangley (22-5-1 MMA, 3-1-1 SF)

Conor Heun (8-3 MMA, 0-1 SF) vs. K.J. Noons (8-1 MMA, 0-0 SF)

Carwin live on Ellis

Shane Carwin made a live call in appearance on the Jason Ellis show today. Here are some of the things that were discussed by the future American Hero and the Sirius/XM radio host who are both undefeated MMA fighters as its stands today and hopefully through the July 4th weekend.

On the fight with Brock : 'Submissions are a possibility although I'd think he'd be a hard guy to submit. I definitely see a knockout in his future.'

On Lesnar being an asshole: 'He thinks he's better than everyone else. If he's going to be a dick to people that's not someone I'd choose to hang out with.'

On the UFC sponsors: 'Hopefully ill be toasting 20,000 fans with Bud Light.'

http://twitter.com/ShaneCarwin

Kampmann wants Hardy in London

As heard on MMAjunkie.com Radio, coming off his recent victory over Paulo Thiago at UFC 115 , Welterweight contender Martin Kampmann wants Dan Hardy at the O2 in London next. Now this sounds like a great free tv headliner. Hopefully Dana and Joe are already on it.

EA Sports MMA

After much delay EA Sports MMA will finally drop for Xbox 360 and PS3 October 19th. Strikeforce/M-1 Global Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture will share cover duties.

Here is a list of the fighters confirmed for this EA Sports release from:

http://mmajunkie.com/news/19540/ea-sports-mma-in-stores-oct-19-emelianenko-and-couture-on-cover.mma

Shinya Aoki, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett, Lyle Beerbohm, Joachim Hansen, Dan Henderson, Roger Gracie, Jay Hieron, Tim Kennedy, Bobby Lashley, Robbie Lawler, Cung Le, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, Matt Lindland, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gilbert Melendez, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Kevin Randleman, Vitor Ribiero, Luke Rockhold, Brett Rogers, Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Frank Shamrock, Jake Shields, Scott Smith, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Nick Thompson, Josh Thomson, Frank Trigg, Fabricio Werdum, Tyron Woodley and Hidehiko Yoshida

It's coming

http://116.ufc.com/

115: Cro Cop, Franklin's Night

Chuck Liddell (21-8 MMA, 16-7 UFC) fell 5 seconds short of completing an impressive 1st Round performance against Rich Franklin (28-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC)last night in Vancouver. Finishing the fight with a right hand knock out punch to the chin , Rich took plenty of damage from Chuck in this fight including a broken arm he received while checking one of *The Iceman's* kicks. It was as entertaining a 1st Round as any of these Legendary fighters past bouts and Chuck Liddell had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in a fight that may be the final one of his storied MMA career.

Patrick *The Pizza Man* Barry (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on the other hand has something to be ashamed of and im pretty sure he won't make this mistake again if he want's to stay in the UFC. Barry had his opponent Mirko *Cro Cop* Filipović (27-7-2) on the ropes a couple times in the first round but instead of going in for the kill he got cute with it. Barry was more concerned about hugs than knockouts on this night. The fighter easily won the first round... a first round that he could of finished by my count at least twice but instead spent his time respecting the Legendary Croatian. After a strong showing in the 2nd Round of the fight Mirko came on even stronger in the third looking like a man possessed and poised pulling off a deadly rear naked choke on Barry preceded by many unanswered punches to the face of his opponent which made his choke attempt all the more easier. This fight not only goes down as the rebirth of Cro Cop, a fighter who may have been one loss away from being booted out of the organization , but also a huge new piece for the highlight reel of a fighter who appears to have something left in the tank.

More UFC 115 results:

Martin Kampmann (17-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) climbs the welterweight ladder with a dominating unanimous decision victory performance over Paulo Thiago (13-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) Saturday night.

Ben Rothwell (31-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) wins in a battle of two fighters with a combined 48 knockouts in surprising unanimous decision fashion. The possibly legally insane Gilbert Yvel (36-15-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was handled in a Heavyweight clash that proved the UFC's deep talent pool in the HW division. Watch this fight and then watch the sloppy Mike Hayes and Steve Banks fight at Bellator earlier in the week. This one entertained for the full 3 rounds with both fighters remaining a punchers chance away from victory at all times.

Carlos Condit (25-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) defeats Canadian Rory MacDonald (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a controversial stoppage that the hometown fans did not approve of.

Evan Dunham and Matt Wiman were also victorious pulling off wins against Tyson Griffin and Mac Danzig on the Spike TV Preliminary Card.

White on Ellismate show

During his radio press tour for UFC 115 Dana White called into the Jason Ellis show on Faction (SiriusXM). Probably quite a relief for Dana talking to a radio station that didn't ask him the same tired questions over and over . The call in was brief but entertaining as always . White expressed that the Evan Dunham vs Tyson Griffin fight is a *sick fucking fight for free TV* and that he predicts Cro Cop vs Barry will win KO of the night.

Megumi Fujii remains undefeated at Bellator 21

Japanese royalty and what many consider the best p4p female fighter in the world Megumi Fujii (20 - 0 MMA, 1 - 0 BFC) dominated Sarah Schneider (4 - 5 MMA, 0 - 1 BFC) at Bellator 21 Thursday night. Fujii will be the favorite to win the very first female 115 pound tourney that will be featured on Season 3 of Bellator which begins August 12th. When asked about her very first tko win in the third round against Schneider, Fujii said she was *very surprised...i want more*.

Winner gets Forrest?

Dana White is quoted as saying

"You know what I was thinking about doing, I was thinking about it could possibly him [Chuck Liddell] and Forrest too. So the winner of Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell could fight Forrest Griffin ."

This reported on www.bloodyelbow.com from an interview on 98 Rock Baltimore.

McGee, McCray move on

TUF 11 Season Finale Results:

McGee def Tavares via Rear Naked Choke Round 3
McCray def Bryant by decision




The Ultimate Fighter Finale event, Sat June 19th at the Pearl at the Palms:


Main Card
Matt Hamill vs. Keith Jardine
Court McGee vs. Kris McCray
Chris Leben vs. Aaron Simpson
Spencer Fisher vs. Dennis Siver

Preliminary Card
Travis Browne vs. James McSweeney
John Gunderson vs. Mark Holst
Jamie Yager vs. Rich Attonio
Chris Camozzi vs. James Hammortree
Seth Baczynski vs. Brad Tavares

Arianny & Rachelle: MMAtheletics

This may be one of the most important posts this blog will ever see. Watch Arianny Celeste and Rachelle Leah try on clothes at Diesel.

UFC 117 Oakland

UFC makes its Northern California Debut August 7th with a stacked card that features Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (26 - 4 MMA, 11 - 0 UFC), making his UFC record 7th title defense, against Chael Sonnen (24 - 10 - 1 MMA, 4 - 3 UFC).

Main Card:
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (Middleweight Championship Fight)
Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida
Clay Guida vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves*
Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos

Prelim Card:
Tim Boetsch vs. Thiago Silva
Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story
Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman
Charlie Brenneman vs. Johnny Hendricks
Christian Morecraft vs. Stefan Struve*
Stanislav Nedkov vs. Rodney Wallace

Faber moves to bantamweight

www.mmajunkie.com reports that Urijah Faber will make the move down to the WEC bantamweight division . Urijah Faber (23 - 4 MMA, 8 - 3 WEC) will make his bantamweight debut at WEC 50 against Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2 MMA, 2-2 WEC) . Coming off the heels his 2nd attempt to regain the featherweight belt against Jose Aldo at WEC 48, (the previous attempt against the man who dethroned him , Mike Brown at WEC 41) Faber being the poster boy for WEC was in need of a quick change.

The Ultimate Fighter Season Finale Tonight

The Team Liddell vs Team Ortiz/Franklin finale airs on Spike TV at 9PM tonight for a special 2 hour season finale . 2 fights and plenty of commercials are slated as well as the introduction to Team Franklin's assistant coaches (Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard & Tyson Griffin).

For the right to appear at the TUF Finale event in Las Vegas on June 19th the Final Four are :

Brad Tavares vs. Court McGee
Josh Bryant vs. Kris McCray

Undisputed 2010

UFC Undisputed has been in stores for a couple of weeks now. With a heavy campaign featuring the likes of Georges St. Pierre, Cain Velasquez & Chuck Liddell , the game proves itself by fixing a few flaws left by its predecessor and stays poised to become the elite in MMA gaming with EA releasing their answer later this year.

My personal favorite mode is the 16 Man Tournament mode which screams *Party!* Me and my brothers having been having just as much fun as we've ever had playing any video game with this mode since its release. For nothing but shits and giggles here is a list of our Tournament Champions so far after the jump.

GSP & Kos + 28

People are getting the piss knocked out of them in Vegas right now on camera, which can only mean one thing, *The Ultimate Fighter* has officially begun it's 12th season.

The season premiere will be aired on Spike TV September 15th. This season will feature 28 lightweights but just like season 11 only 16 will be allowed in the house after Day 1 of squaring off in an elimination round. 2 fighters will be allowed back into the tournament as wild card picks. Like all of the previous season's the 2 coaches will square off upon completion of all episodes airing on Spike. Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his title against Number One Contender Josh Koscheck in December at a UFC event that *rumor has it* could be Ontario's first MMA event if things go as planned.

Taken directly from www.mmajunkie.com here are the coaching staffs for Team St. Pierre & Team Koscheck:

"Team St-Pierre includes jiu-jitsu aces John Danaher and Shawn Williams, Muay Thai specialists Phil Nurse and Jean-Charles Skarbowsky, and St-Pierre's longtime MMA coach, Firas Zahabi.

Team Koscheck includes Strikeforce heavyweight/Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier, boxing coach Teddy Lucio, American Kickboxing Academy founder/former kickboxing champion Javier Mendez, AKA head MMA trainer Bob Cook, and noted Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo competitor/coach Dave Camarillo."

On Tap: June 2010

The first official week of June has begun and another great month of Fights are ahead.





Also:

Bellator FC : June 10, 17 & 24th.
Strikeforce Los Angeles : June 16th
WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus : June 20th

Enjoy!

Fedor running for Congress.

According to fightline.com via MiddleEasy.com MMA Legend Fedor Emelianeko plans to retire after completing his Strikeforce contract . The Last Emperor will be running for a seat in the pro-Kremlin *United Russia* Party.

Bring the Korean Zombie to Detroit!

AMP and the Mixed Martial Arts organization WEC are teaming up to give you the chance to witness some cagefighting action in one of 30 cities this coming December. The top 3 cities right now are Sacarmento (Home of Urijah Faber and host to 3 of the last 8 WEC events), Boise & Detroit.


Vote at: http://promo3.cfapromo.com/wec/vote.asp

Ace up his sleeve.

We all knew Rich Franklin would step in to replace Tito Ortiz and handle the coaching duties for the remainder of TUF 11. What we didn't know is that he will have a former UFC champion as one of his assistants . In true cliffhanger fashion the episode ends as we are about to be introduced Franklin's assistants. Commissioner Dana White expresses how he wanted to *over compensate* for the loss of Ortiz. Let the guessing begin. Either Forrest Griffin or Matt Hughes come to mind as the only ones who really make sense in this situation.

Everybody loves Wandy.

Silva Speaks....and Dances.

The most talented and controversial fighter inside the Octagon is also the most entertaining outside of it.