After visa issues prevented UFC heavyweight and British fighter Mostapha Al Turk (6-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) from making a fight with Rolles Gracie this past weekend at UFC 109, the promotion has booked him for an international event.Al Turk is set to face "The Ultimate Fighter 10" contestant John Madsen (3-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 112, and sources close to the fighters told MMAjunkie.com that bout agreements have been signed.
UFC 112 takes place April 10 at Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, and it marks the promotion's first trip to the Middle East and a component of a new deal with U.A.E.-based event company Flash Entertainment.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission issued medical suspensions to half of the competitors from this past weekend's "UFC 109: Relentless" event, and four of them were actually winning fighters.
The NSAC today distributed the list of medical suspensions to MMAjunkie.com.
UFC 109 took place Feb. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and aired on Spike TV (two preliminary-card fights) and then pay-per-view (main card).
by Ray HuiFiled under: FanHouse Exclusive, Bellator, News
Wilson Reis (9-1) will first look to capture the Bellator featherweight title before he makes his MMA debut in Japan.Bellator made the announcement Monday that Reis would again be entering the promotion's featherweight tournament, beginning in April. But last week, it appeared Reis was headed to Japan on March 7 to face Cage Force featherweight champion Yuji Hoshino.
World Victory Road's announcement of the Reis-Hoshino fight at Sengoku 12 was apparently premature.
Wilson Reis Expects Bellator Fight on April 8, Sengoku Debut Will Have to Wait originally appeared on MMA Fighting on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
In this talk with Fox News's "Fight Game" it's difficult to tell whether Phil Baroni is drunk or just on the downward slope of a career spent getting punched in the head. It's like that time you did a terrible karaoke rendition of "Little Red Corvette" before throwing up all over your girlfriend's shoes. There's only one acceptable explanation, and it's 'I was drunk.' Let's hope the seven-dollar beers at the Mandalay Bay were to blame for how this interview turned out, and not ten years worth of abuse in the cage.
The catalyst for this particular discussion is the UFC 109 victory by fellow New Yorker Matt Serra over one of Baroni's Xtreme Couture training partners, Frank Trigg. Apparently, gym loyalties are nothing compared to regional ones. Plus, Serra goes into the Starbucks where Baroni's mom works and gives her good tips, while all Trigg has ever done is make an awkward pass at her at Baroni's wedding. Yet another situation where 'I was drunk' is the only explanation that will suffice.
After the jump, Eddie Bravo discusses his path to jiu-jitsu, and subtly overstates his own importance.
by Ray Hui
The Nevada athletic commission has handed down as a precautionary measure medical suspensions to half the fighters on Saturday's UFC 109 card.Mike Swick (left elbow), Demian Maia (upper eyelid cut) and Mac Danzig (possible knee sprain) are required to receive medical clearance to compete before August 6. Melvin Guillard will need to see an eye specialist before March 26.
The seven other suspended fighters received short suspensions.
UFC 109 Medical Suspensions originally appeared on MMA Fighting on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
In his first fight since a surprising release from the Ultimate Fighter Championship, Jake Rosholt (6-2) takes on one-time Bellator Fighting Championships fighter Rudy Lindsey (11-9) at a March 6 X-treme Fighting League in Tulsa, Okla.
Rosholt's camp today alerted MMAjunkie.com of the booking.
Rosholt, a three-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion and four-time All-American at Oklahoma State, received his UFC walking papers following a November submission loss to Kendall Grove at UFC 106.
(Props: MMA Mania)
Michael Bisping is less than two weeks away from what could either be his greatest triumph or his ugliest beatdown — a match against legendary fighter Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 (February 20th; Sydney, Australia). The latest installment of Bisping's video blog shows him handling the usual press obligations and keeping sharp at the Wolfslair in preparation for the battle. Skip to 4:06 for a rare sighting of Rampage Jackson outside of a movie set. As for Bisping's expectations for the Silva fight, the Count recently wrote that Wandy reminds him of another old rival:
Has Wanderlei Silva fallen so far that one could realistically describe him as a more-explosive Chris Leben? Damn, that's a depressing thought. Silva has lost five of his last six fights, with his only win coming against Keith Jardine in May 2008 — but the guys that have beaten him were all legends and former champions. If the Axe Murderer loses this one, there will no longer be any doubt that the game has passed him by. Will he smash the Brit and redeem himself, or are we about to see Wandy's last stand? Your thoughts, please.
As this past Saturday's "UFC 109: Relentless" event kicked off with a trio of un-aired preliminary bouts, UFC newcomer Joey Beltran entered the octagon for the first time.
His legs were sluggish, his feet like concrete blocks. Punches were hitting him, and he soon became oddly aware of his own breathing. None of it made any sense to the first-rime UFC fighter.
As the refreshingly honest heavyweight today told MMAjunkie.com Radio, Beltran initially was fighting nerves more so than opponent Rolles Gracie. But he soon got just the confident boost he needed to know victory was within his grasp.
by Michael David SmithFiled under: UFC
When Joe "Daddy" Stevenson steps into the Octagon against George Sotiropoulos at UFC 110, he'll likely hear the loudest boos of the night. UFC 110 is, after all, the UFC's first card in Australia, and Sotiropoulos is the UFC's top Australian fighter.But Stevenson says he's fine with that.
Joe Stevenson Prepares to Fight an Aussie Down Under originally appeared on MMA Fighting on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
by Mike ChiappettaFiled under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News
A middleweight bout between two fighters in need of a win was added to UFC 114 pitting Ryan Jensen against Jesse Forbes.
Bout agreements have been signed for the fight, according to a UFC source.
Both fighters are in their second stints with the UFC, and are coming off losses.
Ryan Jensen vs. Jesse Forbes Added to UFC 114 originally appeared on MMA Fighting on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Thanks especially to the 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter 10," mixed martial arts has seen more than a few former NFL players make the transition from pro football to pro fighting.
And in a recent MMAjunkie.com/"Inside MMA" poll, we wanted to know which NFL vet will be the best MMA fighter.
Voters could choose from six fighters, but three of them - "TUF 10" runner-up Brendan Schaub, fellow cast members Matt Mitrione, and KOTC vet/Brazilian jiu-jitsu champ Michael Westbrook - took the top three spots.
by Michael David SmithFiled under: UFC
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- When former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell lost to Shogun Rua at UFC 97 in April of 2009, it was supposed to be the end of his career.At least, that's what UFC President Dana White said at the time. But Liddell never wanted the loss to Shogun to be his last time inside the Octagon, and we now know that it won't be: Liddell will square off with Tito Ortiz for a third time this year, most likely at UFC 115 in June. And in a conversation with MMAFighting.com during Super Bowl week, Liddell said he can't wait to get back into the Octagon.
Chuck Liddell 'Strong and Healthy' Preparing for Tito Ortiz originally appeared on MMA Fighting on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
(Ortiz chats with Ariel Helwani, before and after heckling Mark Coleman.)
There are any number of reasons Tito Ortiz might have decided to try and steal the spotlight by shouting at Mark Coleman during his post-fight interview at UFC 109. For instance, he’s just always been kind of a prick, so there’s that. Or, if that’s not comprehensive enough for you, he’s also an opportunist prick, which is exactly the type of prick who would try to start a fight with an elderly opponent who had just shown himself to be easy pickings. But Ortiz’s official explanation for kicking Coleman while he was down? It was payback for that time his manager pointed out what we already know about Ortiz’s lady friend.
Of course, Coleman’s manager only said those things in retaliation for Ortiz calling Coleman a “sissy” after he pulled out of their scheduled bout with an injury, and then he apologized as soon as he calmed down and realized that an attack on Ortiz’s famous porn star girlfriend was neither cool nor necessary. But the HBBB isn’t going to let a little thing like that stop him from a) erroneously attributing the remark to Coleman, and b) being really immature about the whole thing. Why would he? This is Tito Ortiz we’re talking about here, who still insists that his ‘Chuck Liddell was an alcoholic’ comments were meant in the nicest way possible. He’s not one to let the truth get in the way of an opportunity to act like a total jerk.
After recently confirming the possibility of the first-ever international edition of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's reality series "The Ultimate Fighter," UFC president Dana White said he now has a likely location in mind: the Middle East.
Back in November White said the UFC hopes to use "TUF," which first launched on Spike TV in 2005, as a way to enter and educate new regions of the world about the UFC's brand of MMA.
But with the organization's UFC 112 show in Adu Dhabi now a reality with an April 12 event date, more MMA could be coming to the area via the reality series.
(Mark Coleman shows these young whippersnappers what a proper punch-face looks like. Photo courtesy of Fight Magazine's UFC 109 gallery.)
After a night of upsets and several plodding decisions at UFC 109, we turn to the Potato Index to tell us who’s up and who’s down.
Randy Couture +77
Yes, he dominated Mark Coleman. And yes, that would have been impressive ten years ago. But let’s be brutally honest here. The way Coleman looked last night, there aren’t many light heavyweights in the UFC who couldn’t have beaten him. It’s still a good win for Couture, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s ‘getting better with age.’ It just means Coleman isn’t.
Mark Coleman -91
Two months in Vegas working with a striking coach and he still can’t be bothered to move his head out of the way of a punch? DW is right; it’s time for “The Hammer” to hang it up. You don’t want to become another Ken Shamrock, Mark.
by Ray Hui
The last six months have been very lucrative for Randy Couture. The UFC Hall of Famer has headlined three of the last eight numbered UFC events. At this past Saturday's UFC 109, Couture earned $250,000 for his fight against Mark Coleman, representing 26.5% of the entire 22-fighter payroll. The next highest earner was former welterweight champion Matt Serra, who made $150,000 for his first-round knockout against Frank Trigg. Serra posted another $60,000 for Knockout of the Night.
Coleman, headlining his first UFC event since UFC 14 in July 1997, earned $60,000.
UFC 109 Salaries: Randy Couture Makes $250,000 originally appeared on MMA Fighting on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
After defeating Houston Alexander in January and making his UFC debut this past weekend and stopping a member of the famed Gracie clan, Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran today joins MMAjunkie.com Radio and discusses his new four-fight deal, filling in for Mustapha Al Turk on a week's notice, and his win over Rolles Gracie.
We also talk to The Sunday Junkie, Joe ("Khanman"), who discusses the viability of Chael Sonnen as a legitimate middleweight contender.
MMAjunkie.com Radio begins at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.
Former PRIDE fighter and Japanese star Hidehiko Yoshida will fight for the final time on April 25.
Yoshida, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist in judo who turned pro in MMA in 2002, will help organize an event called "ASTRA," though no opponent has been announced.
The event takes place at the 15,000-seat Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, and features fellow Yoshida Dojo fighters Kazuhiro Nakamura, Tatsunao Nagakura, Michihiro Omigawa and Makoto Takimoto.
("Sorry I screwed up your pools, guys. LOL, no I'm not!" Photo courtesy of MMA Weekly.)
Between Chael Sonnen's domination of Nate Marquardt and Paulo Thiago picking up the Sub of the Night over Mike Swick, UFC 109 threw some serious curveballs at us. Most people who participated in MMA FightPicker this week whiffed hard at those curveballs. But some of you dinged 'em out the park. After the first official week of FightPicker play, we'd like to shout out the current point-leaders:
1) Ciarán Parnell: 350 PotatoChips
2) Andrew Palmer: 255 PotatoChips
3) OctoAbortion: 250 PotatoChips
Please, Ciarán, e-mail us at feedback@cagepotato.com and tell us how exactly you have a hundred-point lead on the next closest competitor, this early in the game. There might be a free t-shirt in it for you.
And now for the shameless gloating part of this post. After BG and BF went head-to-head in a Palooka Pool, I (BG) am proud to say my picks were on-point enough to tie for first-place (!!!), while dickface over there tied for fourth. The other winners of Palooka Pool 30 #173 were: nine one siccness, Steve Rowbotham, James Cowley, Michael Aitken, GSPs Swollen Elbow and Torn Groin and Tim Prothero. Take an e-bow, fellas. And I should mention that there was one genius in the pool named James Berberich who managed to get every question wrong. I feel sorry for your mother, bro.
For those who fell short with their UFC 109 picks, you just have to dust yourself off and get back on the horse. Here's what's going on in FightPicker this week...
Matt Serra does not want to fill Randy Couture's shoes.
At 35, Serra has a wife, a new baby, a successful school and a place in MMA history as than man who delivered the greatest upset in UFC history (against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69).
But Serra, who knocked out Frank Trigg at this past weekend at UFC 109, does share Couture's philosophy that fighting past traditional timelines of an athlete's prime is about having fun and challenging one's self.