Israel FC Results and Shonie Carter's Upsetting Announcement

Israel FC took place this afternoon-possibly the oddest schedule for us in America to watch. The card had exciting fighters, UFC veterans, and only a few fights went the distance. The full results are listed below:

Main Card:
Ricco Rodriguez def. Daniel Tabera (98 KG/215 Pounds catchweight) via decision
Jeff Monson def. Sergey Shemetov (120/265 - Monson's last fight at heavyweight) via submission (Kimura) in Round 1
Frank Trigg def. Roy Neeman (82/181 catchweight) via TKO Round 1
Moshe Kaitz def. Hermes Franca (70/155 lightweight) via decision
Rameau Sokoudjou def. Valdas Pocevicius (93/205 light-heavyweight) by decision
Daniel Gracie def. Martin Wojcik (93/205 light-heavyweight) via submission (rear naked choke) in Round 1
Jeremy Knafo def. Shonie Carter (80/176 catchweight) via decision
Prelim Card:
Alexandre Ceconi def. Vitaly Shemetov (93/205 light-heavyweight) via submission (triangle choke) in Round 1
Thiago Meller def. Ariel Abargel (70/155 lightweight) via submission (armbar) in Round 1
VItali Krabresky def.. Serob Minasyan (70/155 lightweight) by decision
Ido Pariente def. Joshua Hewlett (70/155 lightweight) via submission (armbar) in Round 1
Roy Peretz def. Fabrice Riconneau (70/155 lightweight) via submission (triangle choke) in Round 1
Now onto the upsetting news: 'Mr. International' Shonie Carter lost for the 5th straight time today to Jeremy Knafo (who holds a professional record of...0-0...). Immediately after losing the decision after a solid 3 round fight, Mr. International stepped into the cage and anounced his retirement:
"You may all have just witnessed my retirement, but it has been my pleasure to give this world, all of me."
We've seen many fighters go into retirement only to come back and fight again later, but after a 5 fight losing streak and losing to a 0-0 fighter who you have much more experience over, it may be safe to assume Shonie will be out for good now.

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Jens Pulver's Return to the Cage

Jens Pulver, the original UFC lightweight champion and formerly the only man to defeat BJ Penn at lightweight (now Frankie Edgar has done that as well), is scheduled to make another appearance in the cage in 2011. He is scheduled to fight in the main event (opponent TBD) of a CFX/Extreme Challenge co-promoted event. A loss in this fight would mark the 7th straight loss in a row for Pulver, and it’s fair to assume Pulver just wants to end his career with a win, hence this fight. A little more background on Pulver for those of you who don’t know much about him: first ever UFC lightweight champion, and once he defended his title twice, he left the UFC causing them to take out their lightweight division altogether. I hope everyone will join me in wishing Pulver luck, because I don’t think anyone wants the former dominant UFC champion rack up a 7th loss in a row.

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Gilbert Melendez Looking To Move To UFC?

Gilbert Melendez recently stated he would like to face the best lightweights in the world, and those fighters are in the UFC. El Nino was recently quoted saying:
       
"It's something on my mind. It's not so much the UFC as it is the fighters out there. I think I've taken out most of the guys outside of the UFC."
"The guys I'd like to fight in the UFC are obviously Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, BJ Penn, those are all the guys I'd like to fight out there. So, yeah, it's definitely on my mind."

With his teammate at Cesar Gracie's camp, Jake Shields, recently making his move to the UFC, we could be seeing El Nino in the UFC in the near future.  I definitely think Melendez has what it takes to hang with the best lightweights out there, especially after his win over Shinya Aoki at Strikeforce: Nashville. Melendez should be ranked in the top 5 lightweights, and a move to the UFC would solidify his place as one of the top lightweights in the world.

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WEC/UFC Merger

Sure feels great to be back! Now this is a little more than a week old, but still a relevant and important topic to discuss. The WEC/UFC merger announced by UFC President Dana White on Ocotber 28. Now although this seems like great news, and really is not terrible news for MMA fans, there are some drawbacks. UFC is synonymous with MMA, along with TapouT, and not many casual fans even know of the existence of the WEC, hence the merger. Zuffa wants to bring more popularity to the lighter weight fighters, and this is great for the WEC fighters. For us fans, however, the merger is not great news. Yes, UFC cards will be even more stacked with the absorbed talent, but this means no more stacked and action packed WEC cards filled with fights that are all potential Fight of the Night candidates. Also, NO MORE FREE WEC CARDS! The last WEC card will be WEC 53 on December 16 of this year, and after that all WEC fighters (and ring card girl, Brittany Palmer!) will be televised under the UFC banner. The first lighter weight fight we will see under the UFC banner will be Jose Aldo vs Josh Grispi at UFC 125 on New Year's Day. Can't wait to see how this pans out, but this merger oddly reminds me of PRIDE...and most fans would agree that MMA would be better off with PRIDE as a separate entity.
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MMA Blogg is Back!

After a long respite, MMA Blogg is back and revamped! A new look and a new partner, PUML Clothing. Of course, the content will remain MMA related! Check back daily for up to date MMA updates, and discuss them in the comments.



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Joe Rogan Comments On Who He Wants to See in the UFC

If someone says MMA, the common association is UFC. And for a good reason-they have the best fighters. Lately though, other promotions are gaining more fighters who are proving to be the best in the world. Strikeforce evolved from a Kickboxing promotion to an MMA promotion in 2006 and since then, they have been able to host events that rival the UFC in popularity, and they host some of the best fighters in the world right now. Joe Rogan issued a comment after UFC 114 on who he would like to see fight in the UFC. Video Below:


Rogan stated that he would like to see Alistar Overeem fight the best fighter the UFC has to offer because of his technical striking skills (he competed very successfully in K-1). And he also stated the UFC should bring back the brother of Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz. Fighting out of Cesar Gracie's camp in California, Nick is the current Strikeforce welterweight champion and Joe Rogan believes he is one of the world's top P4P best right now. Seeing these two fighters face the heavy competition in the UFC would be great for us fans, and there are many other fighters we would all like to see compete in the UFC to see how they compare to the great fighters the UFC has to offer (ahem...FEDOR!)

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Post UFC 113

It seems every MMA event (with the exception of WEC 48) in the past month have had some controversy. UFC 111 left many opposed to GSP's tactic to grind out a victory despite his attempts to finish the tough Dan Hardy. UFC 112 had a main event that showed Anderson Silva lacking in performance once again-he could have finished off Maia many times in the fight but instead he chose to dance and mock Maia, then run around the Octagon away from Maia causing the crowd to chant GSP instead of Silva or even Maia. Strikeforce Nashville, of course, had the post fight brawl. And now, UFC 113 had Daley sucker punching Koscheck directly after the fight ended. Video Below:

Koscheck laid and prayed his way to victory after (seemingly) faking an injury from an illegal knee from Daley. Daley immediately got up after the buzzer and threw a left hook to Koscheck's face which did not even phase Kos. Koscheck then offended every fan in attendance during his post fight interview with Joe Rogan, claiming the Pittsburgh Penguins will beat Montreal next week in their hockey match, and that he will beat GSP and they will lose twice. When Daley was asked about this mishap after the fight by Dana White, Daley replied he did not hear the buzzer. Then, after being asked if he would like to fight in the UFC again, he simply shrugged. Needless to say, Dana booted him out of the UFC roster with no questions asked. Dana also released Kimbo Slice after his loss to Matt Mitrione (who utilized his game plan well and took out Kimbo in the second round) claiming he is a great persona and has grew as a fighter, but can not keep up as an MMA fighter. It seems Dana's publicity stunt to attract more viewers and fans has drawn its course...
And of course, Mauricio Rua proved to the world he deserved the title by knocking out Lyoto Machida in the first round. Check back for fight videos soon!

Robbie Lawler vs Renatu Babalu Sobral

Strikeforce: Los Angeles was originally scheduled to be headlined by Jason Miller vs Robbie Lawler. This bout was, of course, scheduled before the Strikeforce: Nashville post fight brawl. The Tennessee state athletic commission is still in the process of investigating the brawl, and it will take time to complete. The time the investigation will take along with the possible suspension of Miller led Strikeforce to cancel his fight with Lawler. The fight will be a catchweight bout at 195 pounds. Although Miller caused the spark to start the brawl, the real punishments should go to the fighters at the Gracie camp. Miller came into the cage and asked "where's my rematch, buddy?" and his question was followed up with shoving from Jake Shields and his cronies from the Gracie camp (Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez, Weleterweight champ Nick Diaz, and Diaz's brother Nate Diaz). A suspension from the Tennessee state athletic commission will most likely be given because he was involved in the brawl and he walked into the cage at a terrible time and interrupted Jake Shield's time to shine after a career defining win over Dan Henderson. But giving a suspension to Miller and not to Shields, Melendez, and Diaz (Nick not Nate as Nate fights in the UFC) is completely unfair. We will have to wait and see how this investigation unfolds, but seeing Miller fight anytime soon is highly unlikely.

Tito Ortiz Charged With Assault

The former UFC Light Heavyweight champion was charged with assault
against his girlfriend Jenna Jameson today, and was hauled off to
jail. Jameson will be pressing charges and has already gotten a
restraining order against Ortiz. But what I'm sure you readers are
curious about (since this is an MMA blog) is how this will affect his
status in the UFC. Well it didn't take long for UFC president Dana
White to step in and issue a comment and stated the UFC can cut Ortiz,
but White has not made an official decision yet. But let's face it-
Ortiz is no longer very popular in the UFC and his fighting career is
nowhere as exciting as it was earlier and his attitude and actions are
not what the UFC or MMA needs now. We may not see Ortiz fighting in
the UFC again (especially because he is in jail now). And if the UFC
cuts Babalu and Nick Diaz, it is very probable they will cut Ortiz.

WEC 48 Fight Videos

Tyler Toner vs. Brandon Visher

Chad Mendes Vs. Anthony Morrison

Brad Pickett Vs. Demetrious Johnson

Anthony Pettis vs. Alex Karalexis

Antonio Banuelos Vs. Scott Jorgensen

Anthony Njokuani Vs. Shane Roller

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung

Part 2

Manny Gamburyan Vs. Mike Brown

Ben Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone

Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber

Part 2

Main Card:
Jose Aldo def. Urijah Faber via Unanimous decision (49-45,49-45,50-45)
Ben Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via Submission (guillotine) rd. 1 (1:57)
Manny Gamburyan def. Mike Brown via KO rd. 1 (2:22)
Shane Roller def. Anthony Njokuani via Submission (Rear-naked choke) rd. 1 (3:07)
Scott Jorgensen def. Antonio Banuelos via Unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Spike TV Preliminary Fights:
Leonard Garcia def. Chan Sung Jung via Split decision (29-28,29-28,29-28)
Anthony Pettis def. Alex Karalexis via Submission (Triangle) rd. 2 (1:35)

Preliminary Card:
Brad Pickett def. Demetrious Johnson via Unanimous decision (30-27,29-28,30-27)
Chad Mendes def. Anthony Morrison via Submission (guillotine) rd. 1 (2:13)
Takeya Mizugaki def. Rani Yahya via Unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Tyler Toner def. Brandon Visher via TKO rd. 1 (2:36)

Post WEC 48

WEC 48 proved to be an exciting night of surprises. Manny Gamburyan proved he can hang with the best after becoming a finalist on TUF 5 and getting a win over former featherweight champion Mike Brown. The lightweight championship bout amd rematch between Donald Cerrone

and Ben Henderson also surprised fans watching tonight. Their first

meeting in the cage went the distance and every second was filled with

excitement. The fight was Sherdog's fight of the year for 2009 and for

a good reason. It seemed safe to assume the fight would at least go

into the championship rounds if not going the distance. However,

Henderson was able to secure his second title defense and a submission

victory in the first round putting him at 12-1 as a pro. Aldo vs Faber

went the distance and Aldo was able to secure a unanimous decision

victory over The California Kid. After the fight, Aldo showed Class

and what this sport is bout by congradulating Faber and baking his

hand over bad over. This is contrary to the end of the last couple MMA

events (the Strikeforce Brawl and Anderson Silva's dance and

embarassing performance at UFC 112) and exactly what MMA needs right

now. Aldo was able to chop down Faber with many leg kicks which took

away all of Faber's power and his ability to stand knocking him down

many times throughout the fight. Aldo's leg kicks and Faber's response

and falls were remeniscent of Matt Hughes' fight against Renzo Gracie

at UFC 112 where Hughes chopped Gravie down to the point where he

couldn't even stand at the end of the third round. Aldo was dominant

over Faber the entire fight but did not finish Faber. Joe Rogan stated

the end of the fight was boring, but in my opinion Aldo was working

the entire fight and simply showed his respect for Faber by not taking

any silly chances to get ko'd by Faber's power. Aldo was close to

finishing but Faber was just too tough for Aldo. Aldo rocked him with

a head kick and swarmed on Faber, but faber stuck in there. After

seeing this, I expected a Scott Smith type comeback similar to his win

over Cung Le at Strikeforce Evolution (he was getting beaten the whole

fight and turned the tides on Le by securing a KO win in the final

minutes of the third round), but he was chopped down with leg kicks

and was not able to do anything against Aldo but hang in the fight.

Now after Aldo's very dominant performance over one of the top

featherweight in the world it is safe to say Aldo is the real deal. It

has been said that Aldo is the second coming of Anderson Silva, and it

may be too early to say so, but he definetely posses the skill and is

only 23, so he has many years o prove himself in the sport. Up next

for Aldo may be Manny Gamburyan after his stunning defeat over former

champion Mike Brown. Fight Videos from WEC 48 coming soon!

WEC 48

The UFC and Strikeforce are two of the top MMA promotions that exist today. The WEC probably falls 4th behind Dream, and that means some MMA fans do not even know of it's existence. However, after this weekend, the WEC will be well known. They have put together a fantastic card which is even good enough to be broadcasted on PPV instead of the usual broadcast available for free on a premium channel (Versus Network). Both the UFC and the WEC are owned by Zuffa, and Dana White, Joe Rogan, and the UFC have been promoting this fight to ensure everyone knows about this event. Now, many of the WEC fighters are not well known-except for Urijah Faber. The California Kid has had 10 fights in the WEC and has 26 Professional MMA fights with a record of 23-3. After wrestling for UC Davis, he took up MMA and has become on of the world's most dominant featherweights. His title was taken away by Mike Brown, who is also fighting on the card on Saturday night. On the 24th Faber will face Sherdog's fighter of the year-Jose Aldo. An explosive striker with a Black Belt in BJJ-Jose Aldo has a very well rounded game. His TKO against Cub Swanson was earned with a FLYING DOUBLE KNEE which is almost as rare to see as a flying armbar submission (and as entertaining!) and he won the fight in just 8 seconds into the fight. This dominant performance earned him a title shot against Mike Brown, who he beat in 1:20 of the second round and became the WEC featherweight champion. The main event of a great card (and the WEC's biggest and best card to date) will see two great fighters fighting for the featherweight title. The co-main event is also a championship fight. Ben Henderson will be fighting Donald Cerrone for the Lightweight Championship. Ben Henderson, with a purple belt in BJJ, has submissions and KO's on his record and will prove to be a challenge for the challenger, Cerrone. Cerrone and Henderson have fought previosly at WEC 43, and the fight went the distance and was filled with non stop action. These two fighters battled it out for 5 rounds for the interim title with not even a moment of boredom. Henderson was able to earn a unanimous decision victory over Cerrone and the fight was chosen as Sherdog's 2009 fight of the year. This event will be very entertaining because, as Cowboy Cerrone says, "The WEC is right there. We deserve the same spotlight. The lighter weight guys are just as exciting and just as talented, if not more. I think we bring a lot more excitement." So there you have it, the WEC fighters always put up entertaining fights and this event is definitely not one to miss!

Strikeforce Nashville Fight Videos

King Mo vs. Gegard Mousasi

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki

Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson

Main Event Post-fight brawl with Mayhem Miller

Post Strikeforce Nashville

Remember Anderson Silva's embarrassing performance last weekend at UFC 112? I'm sure nobody does after the post fight brawl during Strikeforce Nashville. Strikeforce changed from a kickboxing promotion to an MMA promotion, and last night it appeared to have changed into a Pro Wrestling promotion. Jason Mayhem Miller pulled a Georges St. Pierre after the fight by entering the cage to steal the spotlight away from Jake Shields-but instead of saying he was "not impressed"he went into the cage to express his interest in a rematch against Shields. Nick Diaz and his brother Nate Diaz went into the cage at an Elite XC fight to demand a rematch with KJ Noons, so one would think they would be sympathetic towards the situation, but they were among the first to strike Miller. Gilbert Melendez was also involved in the fight along with a dozen others from the Cesar Gracie camp. After a minute of the brawl CBS cut to commercial and the brawl was resolved during that time. We will have to wait to see how the fighters will be dealt with (Scott Coker will review the tapes from the brawl this week). Dana White has been taking heat since UFC 112 dealing with the performance of Anderson Silva and lying about the UFC 115 fight card-but after the mockery of the sport last night nobody will be talking about Dana's mishaps for a while. White acknowledged this by twittering ":)" directly after the brawl last night. Check out the full video of the fight below!

UFC 115-The Rumors Were True

About a month ago, rumors emerged on the internet stating Chuck Liddell would not be facing Tito Ortiz in his return to the octagon, despite being rival coaches on TUF 11. The rumors stating Liddell would now be facing Rich Franklin, former UFC middleweight champion and high school teacher. The rumors were dismissed within hours by Dana White (or so the websites said). However, the UFC website reported on their news section today that the main event of UFC 115 will now be Franklin vs Liddell in the light heavyweight division. The rumors stated Ortiz was not able to complete his role on TUF 11 and was replaced by Franklin. These rumors have not been disproven or proven yet, and Dana has stated he will not tell the fans why the change has taken place and states that we will find out by watching the Ultimate Fighter show this season. Bottom line is UFC 115 will now be headlined by Liddell vs Franklin which is probably a better fight than a third Liddell Ortiz fight in which Liddell has won both of the previous fights.

And good news for the young MMA Blogg-this is the 100th post! Thank you all for reading!

Post UFC 112

It seems the support UFC champions receive from fans is going down hill. GSP was scrutinized after grinding out a win over Dan Hardy at UFC 111 and not finishing the fight (although he tried many times). GSP, however, had many fans (including myself) defending his performance while many other fans simply thought, "I'm not impressed by his performance!" Well this weekend had a lot in store for UFC/MMA fans across the world. BJ Penn lost his belt to Frankie Edgar in a fight in which Edgar looked dominant throughout the fight landing quick combos and having constant movement which even allowed him to dodge BJ's quick jab. Edgar looked great and received the undisputed title, leaving scrutiny on BJ now by some fans now. Now let's get into Anderson Silva's performance. When George St. Pierre fought Dan Hardy in NJ, he sunk in a tight armbar and kimura which Hardy, being tough as nails, defended successfully and did not tap. GSP also landed 2 strong punches right to Hardy's chin which did not even phase the Brit, and nobody can say he didn't try to end the fight. Hardy was just too tough an opponent to finish, and if he had any sort of takedown defense, he could have kept the fight standing and won some rounds on the judges' scorecard at the very least. Silva, however, can not be defended by fans. He began the fight show boating and acting like Rashad Evans in the ring, but he was striking and connecting with his strikes in the first two rounds. Round 3 brought a whole new fighter into the ring-Silva was yelling in Portugese at Maia and rounds 4 and 5 showed Silva running around the cage dodging Maia completely and just slipping out of his takedowns. Silva was even warned by the referee to stop running around the cage or he would be docked a point. The fight, while humorous, was not worth the PPV or the price of tickets to watch the show live. Needless to say, Dana was furious after the fight. This video sums up everyone's feelings towards the fight:

GSP was scrutinized heavily last week for not ending his fights, but after UFC 112 many could argue he is the best champion the UFC has right now-BJ Penn lost his belt and there is a new, fresh champion holding the belt with no title defenses, Silva's performance was lackluster and a disgrace, Lyoto Machida is being scrutinized for his performance against Rua and many think he lost the fight, and Brock Lesnar does not have as many title defenses as GSP and is likely to lose his belt in the near future to either Shane Carwin, or if Carwin does not dethrone Lesnar Cain Velasquez will.
Before this post closes, let's examine the Matt Hughes vs Renzo Gracie fight. The anticipated fight almost went the distance giving fans plenty of action in the bout. Hughes used a Forrest Griffin technique by delivering a series of leg kicks which ended up buckling Gracie many times in the third round. Hughes was able to finish the fight via TKO in round 3 by kicking out the leg of Gracie and delivering a rapid fire of punches. UFC 112 had many entertaining fights and some great performances by the fighters on the card, with the exception of Anderson Silva.

UFC 112 Fight Videos

Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson- Download This Video

Mark Munoz vs. Kendall GroveDownload This Video


Terry Etim vs. Rafael Dos AnjosDownload This Video


Matt Hughes vs. Renzo GracieDownload This Video


Franky Edgar vs. BJ PennDownload This Video

Edgar vs. Penn pt. 2Download This Video


Anderson Silva vs. Demian MaiaDownload This Video



Silva vs. Maia pt. 2
Download This Video

How to Watch UFC 112

Now some MMA fans, including myself, were confused leading up to UFC 112. The UFC ads only showed the 7 PM PST/10 PM EST PPV time slots available for viewing, and that this show time would air a previously recorded show. However, this is not the case! Anyone can watch LIVE on PPV at 10 AM PST/1 PM EST. Now these timings are weird, and many fans will not be able to watch the live show, but it will still be available for replay at 7/10 PM, just don't look at any MMA website, including the UFC page until you watch! Check back tomorrow at 10 AM PST/ 1 PM EST for a live stream right here on MMA Blogg!

And look below for the official UFC 112 weigh in results:

UFC Middleweight Championship

Demian Maia (184) VS Anderson Silva (185)

UFC Lightweight Championship

  Frank Edgar (154) VS BJ Penn (155)

Renzo Gracie (171) VS Matt Hughes (170)

Rafael Dos Anjos (156) VS Terry Etim (154)

Mark Munoz (185) VS Kendall Grove (185)

Phil Davis (204) VS Alexander Gustafsson (205)

John Gunderson (154) VS Paul Taylor (155)

Rick Story (169) VS Nick Osipczak (170)

Brad Blackburn (170) VS DaMarques Johnson (170)

Matt Veach (155) VS Paul Kelly (156)

Mostapha Al Turk (235) VS Jon Madsen (252)

UFC 114 Fight Card Finalized

The epic grudge match which was promoted heavily by TUF 10 is finally set to take place. Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans had their share of smack talk on the reality show, and will be headlining UFC 114. Not only will this fight provide entertainment for the fans, but will also determine the next challenger for the shot at the light heavyweight title against the winner of the UFC 113 Maricio Rua Lyoto Machida fight. The Rampage Rashad fight will not be the only fight fans will want to see either, check out the full fight card listed below:
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
Forrest Griffin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller
Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Amir Sadollah vs. Dong-Hyun Kim
Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon
Melvin Guillard vs. Thiago Tavares
Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate
Aaron Riley vs. Joe Brammer
Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen
The UFC is going all out with the upcoming events, giving us star-studded cards. Strikeforce is also putting out some great events (especially the upcoming Strikeforce:Nashville card with 3 title bouts) and these next few months will be great for MMA fans out there! UFC 114 has great fighters throughout the card and the main card is packed. I would have liked to watch Sadollah fight on the main card but hopefully Spike will be broadcasting this fight for free on May 29!

Post Fight Night 21

What an exciting night of fights from North Carolina! Let's start off with Big Country. He is the real deal, and if there were any nay-sayers out there after he won the Ultimate Fighter season 10 competition, they have probably been silenced by now. It took Roy Nelson only 39 seconds in the first round to take out Stefan Struve. Skyscraper's reach is 83 inches and dwarfed Nelson's reach of 74 inches, but this did not make the slightest difference as Nelson rocked Struve with a big overhand right and finished the fight by raining down shots on Struve who remained grounded after being buckled by Nelson. And Nelson handled himself after the win by showing his humor and graciousness by complimenting Struve and jokingly calling out James Toney.

Takanori Gomi was the last Pride Lightweight champion and seemed to be one of Kenny Florian's biggest challenges yet. However, KenFlo stuck to his game plan and looked like a champ in his fight. He threw many jabs (similar to BJ Penn's jabs) to The Fireball Kid's head and landed a vast majority of them. Florian also studied Gomi's game and that showed when he took caution to cover up against Gomi's right hooks. After an impressive and entertaining stand up battle which favored Florian, KenFlo was able to submit Gomi with a rear naked choke. This win brought Florian closer to another title shot, and maybe the third time will be the charm for Florian who has suffered two losses in title bouts to Sean Sherk as well as BJ Penn.

And how can this post be complete without mentioning the power mishap in the Bojangles Coliseum. This was a UFC first, and was a major problem for the event, as the power was cut during the announcement of the Roy Nelson vs Stefan Struve fight. The power could not be brought back fast enough and for the viewers watching on their televisions, Caol Uno's fight against Gleison Tibau was broadcasted (Uno lost in round 1 in 4 minutes 13 seconds via TKO).

UFC 111 Fight Videos

Mark Bocek vs. Jim Miller:




Kurt Pellegrino vs Fabricio Camoes:


Frank Mir vs Shane Carwin:

Georges St. Pierre vs Dan Hardy:
Part 1:


Part 2:

Post UFC 111

It seems UFC fans have developed a theory that fighters are only great
when they have standup wars with their opponents. Dan Hardy, had he
practiced takedown defense, could have lit up fireworks in his title
shot against Georges St. Pierre. The Outlaw's standup is incredible
and could have knocked out GSP. However the champion was able to take
down Hardy at will and utilize his ground game, perhaps his greatest
strength aside from his wrestling. Rush was 100% with his takedown
attempts and was able to attempt a few submissions while Hardy
defended all of them-2 of the greatest moments of the fight was Hardy
getting trapped in an armbar and kimura but did not tap and was able
to fight out of both of the champion's submissions attempts. I was
watching the fights live in Newark and the crown responded negitavely
whenever the fight stayed on the ground. This response by fans
continued post fight on Twitter as Dana White recieved angry tweets
stating how boring the fight was. MMA has many aspects to it and the
ground game is a significant part, and fans need to realize that. The
excitement of a fight should not be measured by the stand up battle as
it was last Saturday. Some tweets included fans stating that if they
wanted to watch a wrestling match they would watch their local college
matches. Well if fans just want to see standup brawls, why not watch
boxing?

Change in UFC 111 Main Card

Today was an eventful day for the UFC, Rampage Jackson signed a 6 fight contract and is not out of the UFC as many previously thought. But that is not the top story today. Thiago Alves was scheduled to fight Jon Fitch in a Welterweight bout this Saturday at UFC 111. However, Thiago failed his medical exam after doctors found an irregularity in his brain after a CAT Scan. Dana is going to fly Alves out to see a specialist as he believes this injury could be serious and career ending while Alves is not concerned. Pitbull is, however, upset that he will not be able to fight on Saturday. Jon Fitch will not be scrapped from the main card, but Jake Ellenberger will be as Ben Saunders will now be fighting Fitch instead of Ellenberger.

UFC 111 Main Event Breakdown

UFC 111 is on March 27 is 3 days away, with the main card beginning at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST. The main card has 2 title bouts and is a huge step up from the other PPV events the UFC held since the start of this year. So here is a breakdown of the main event- Georges St. Pierre vs Dan Hardy:

GSP is considered one of the world's top pound for pound fighters, currently ranking in the top 3. His wrestling is phenomenal and he appears to be a machine when he fights. However, the holes in his game are in his standup. Now that is not to say his standup isn't great-it is just not his strong suit. Dan Hardy is an excellent striker and appears to be the one who can take out GSP. With a counter left hook and devastating knockout power, Hardy should definitely not be looked passed. If Hardy can land a few of his haymakers, even GSP could fall. And The Outlaw has confidence in his ability to take out GSP. In an interview about his upcoming title shot, he said, "Those GSP fans betting the house on him, there's going to be a lot of homeless GSP fans the day after." GSP fell to Matt Serra back at UFC 69, so he is definitely not super-human as many of his fans may argue, and this Saturday just might bring in a new UFC welterweight champion.

Dana White Video Blog is Back!

Dana White usually leads up to UFC events with Video blogs on YouTube. However, the past few events have not seen those daily videos that lead up to the events. The last videos we saw from Dana were back at UFC 108...possibly because the cards after 108 were not great. But sure enough when the card became more exciting, Dana brought back his Video Blogs and they are great! The first video is of Dana and his "crew" going to Canada to promote the UFC and it is simply hillarious! Check it out here:

The next video shows them in Ontario Canada promoting MMA and the UFC and answering questions from fans! Check it out here:

Second UFC on Versus Event Planned for August 1

UFC Live on Versus was a very exciting card and the night of fights brought Clay Guida and Cheick Kongo's careers back to life while solidifying Jon Jones' spot on the top contender list for the light heavyweight division. As a follow up event and the second of three events contracted for The Versus Network, the UFC has planned their next event for August 1. This event will take place in an unknown venue in Oakland, CA (although it is likely to be the Oracle Arena). This will be the first UFC event in Oakland, and after a the calibre of the event the UFC brought for it's premiere on Versus, we know how the UFC likes to make things big for debuts. UFC on Versus 2 in Oakland should be a great card, keep checking back for updates to the card!

UFC on Versus Fight Videos

Below you will find all the main event fight videos including one undercard fight!
John Doomsday Howard vs Daniel Roberts

Alessio Sakara vs James Irvin

Cheick Congo vs Paul Buentello

Junior Dos Santos vs Gabriel Gonzaga

Brandon Vera vs Jon Jones

UFC on Versus Post Fight

Let me start with the main event for this card. Jon Jones wowed his fans once again by stopping Brandon Vera in the first round. Vera probably knew he was losing when he threw those upkicks, especially after having a point taken away. Jones' entrance song (Jay-Z- Empire State of Mind) was pretty fitting too since he trains and lives in NY, and an important part of pumping up fans is having a good entrance song! Jones has definetely moved up in the top contender list, previously being 9th on the list, and we could see him get his title shot soon.
The co main event was also a great fight with an outcome that probably did not shock most people. No one knew wheter Gabriel Gonzaga or Junior Dos Santos would come out with a W, because these are two top contenders and very dangerous strikers. Dos Santos was able to drop Gonzaga and finish him and earn himself a TKO victory. Both fighters looked great in the fight, and Dos Santos was able to pull off the victory with his lethal striking. Paul Buentello vs Cheik Congo was a good fight, Congo has obviously been working on his wrestling and was able to secure many takedowns against Buentello. But Congo being a dangerous striker as well, it was no surprise that Buentello was finished with strikes, even though he tapped and it was not a TKO. This card was definetely stacked and a very good event especially for not being PPV.

UFC On Versus Live RIGHT HERE!

UFC On Versus Weigh In

The weigh in results are as follows:
Televised card:
Jon Jones (206) vs. Brandon Vera (204)
Junior Dos Santos (238) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (255)
Paul Buentello (246) vs. Cheick Kongo (237)
James Irvin (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185)
Non-televised card:
Shannon Gugerty (155) vs. Clay Guida (155)
Eliot Marshall (204) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
Darren Elkins (155) vs. Duane Ludwig (155)
John Howard (170) vs. Daniel Roberts (169)
Chase Gormley (265) vs. Brendan Schaub (245)
Julio Paulino (170) vs. Mike Pierce (170)
Jason Brilz (205) vs. Eric Schafer (205)
Everyone made weight, and during the stare down between Jones and Vera, Jon Jones almost erupted on Brandon Vera early. Nothing eventful happened during yesterday's weigh in except for Jones' staredown with Vera, watch the video here!:

DO NOT miss this event! It is not a PPV event, just tune in to the VS Network at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST TONIGHT! Also if you do not have access to the channel check back here when the event starts for a live stream embeded on the site!

Scott Coker On UFC, Fedor, and Strikeforce:Nashville+UFC 114 update

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker talks about UFC rivaling Strikeforce: Nashville's star studded event featuring 3 title bouts, their event airing on CBS, and discusses Dan Henderson's title shot right as he enters Strikeforce. And most enticing of all, Coker talks about Fedor! Watch the video here:



And now for the UFC 114 update:
Rival coaches from The Ultimate Fighter season 10 (buy from Amazon Ufc: Ultimate Fighter Season 10 (5pc) (Uncn Box)Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans have a CONFIRMED bout scheduled for UFC 114. The UFC is making the upcoming events very exciting for MMA fans, giving two title fights at UFC 111 and 112, then the highly anticipated rematch between Machida and Shogun at UFC 113. And now the grudge match that we have been waiting for since last year! And let's not forget about Vera vs Jones this Sunday! The UFC fan expo is scheduled for UFC 114 weekend as well. Another exciting bout that scheduled for UFC 114 main card: Griffin vs Noguiera!

UFC Primetime:St. Pierre vs Hardy TONIGHT!

The first episode aired last week on March 10th, and ended in a dramatic way leaving us with the information that Hardy is staying for a month in Newark in preparation for his fight against Georges St. Pierre. We were also left with the final scene showing Dan Hardy going to the school of former welterweight champion Matt Serra who beat GSP for the title at UFC 69 (buy from Amazon: Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vol. 69: Shoot Out). Tonight we will see how The Outlaw will train with Serra and more of GSP's training and how he spends his time leading up to the fight. The first episode was very entertaining, and this episode is sure to pump up MMA fans for UFC 111! Check out some of these exclusive clips from the UFC below and be sure to catch tonight's episode of UFC Primetime at 10 PM EST/7 PM PST on SPIKE:
GSP's accent is always entertaining, check out this clip of GSP going to get a haircut and enjoy the French Canadian accent!


As an extension clip to the ending of episode 1, see Dan Hardy meet Matt Serra outside of his school in New York:


Don't miss this episode!

UFC On Versus Re-available for Direct TV Customers

Direct TV pissed off many MMA fans earlier by taking away the Versus
channel from their channel list. That meant no WEC and no UFC Live on
Versus, which is a pretty stacked card especially for not being on
ppv. So now local bars with Direct tv and households with cable will
be able so show the awesome event this Sunday!

Chuck Liddell may still be fighting Tito Ortiz

Rumors should be taken with a grain of salt. This was just proven with the rumors of Tito Ortiz dropping out if the fight against Chuck Liddell. Dana White stated today,"Not true! We are doing couture vs franklin not chuck. Nothing happened to tito. Tito and I are cool" via Twitter. The Randy Couture vs Rich Franklin fight was brought up a month ago and is probably going to be scheduled for august. The Liddell Ortiz 3 fight still may be in the works for UFC 115, although it is still uncertain. Keep checking back for updates!

Chuck Liddell To Make Octagon Return...But Not Against Ortiz

Let me start this post with the evidence leading up to the cancellation of the third fight between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

1. Many credible MMA sources point to a different opponent for Liddell
1. Fighters Only magazine says Liddell is scheduled for the main event of the UFC's counter event to Strikeforce:Nashville on April 17th
2. MMAJunkie.com reports Liddell will still be fighting at UFC 115, just not against Tito Ortiz
2. A recent Twitter Post by Ortiz points to some new setbacks for Ortiz...it just isn't specific at all

If these rumors are true, Liddell's replacement opponent for  his comeback will be former Middleweight champion and high school teacher Rich Franklin. Rich has been attempting to move up to the Light Heavyweight division many times since 2005, but has only fought in the 205 weight division once, and had 2 catchweight bouts at 195 against Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. This fight could be pivital in both Liddell and Franklin's careers since both have not had great records in their last fights. Franklin is 3-3 in his last 6 fights, losing 2 of 3 of his fights last year. And many know Liddell's fight record is struggling as well, losing 4/5 of his last fights. Liddell has resisted Dana White's advice to retire and still has some fight at the age of 41. A fight against Tito would probably have been a better opponent for Liddell to return with since he won both of those fights against Ortiz. And if Liddell wanted a win before he officially retired, that fight most likely would have won him that final W on his record.

UFC Primetime on Spike

The UFC Primetime for UFC 111 which hosted it's debut episode last night on Spike drew a record 1 million viewers. Be sure to check out this show! It is very exciting and is sure to get you excited for UFC 111 on March 27th. Here's a quick recap of the last episode followed by some exclusive clips from the UFC:

• St. Pierre gave us a look at his training regimen, including traveling to NY to work with Renzo Gracie and Muay Thai expert Phil Nurse
• Dan Hardy gave us a look into his camp back in England training with Andre Winner as well as his coaches who push him to his limits to ensure he is ready for Georges St. Pierre
• Hardy goes to train in Newark a month before his fight, and after a cancellation from his expected new gym, he switches his plans and goes to train with the man who gave GSP his last loss, Matt Serra
• The ending scene involving Hardy training with Serra should attract even more viewers next week considering Serra was only 1 of 2 of GSP's losses in the octagon 

These are some exclusive clips provided by the UFC that gives a decent preview of what to expect from the show, and if you did catch the show last night, these clips were not actually on the show so be sure to check them out!
Dan Hardy talks about trash talk with GSP-very funny!:


GSP talks about a bet he made with his buddy during the winter olympics hockey finals:


some of GSP's intense workout:


Be sure to watch this awesome show every Wednesday leading up to UFC 111!

In Honor of the Newly Retired Jens Pulver-UFC 35 Fight Video

It will probably not be news to anyone that Jens Pulver retired last Saturday after his 5th straight loss at WEC 47. In honor of this pioneer of MMA, here is the fight video from UFC 35. Jens was the first, and still the only man to beat BJ Penn at the lightweight division of the UFC. This is a very exciting fight going the distance (all 5 rounds) and exemplifies the heart and fight of Jens Pulver.

Kimbo Slice Has Confirmed Bout and Jens Pulver Updates

After WEC 47, many speculated Jens Pulver will retire. It is now confirmed that Little Evil is officially done fighting after a devistating loss to Javier Vasquez last Saturday. But as I stated in a previous post, Chuck Liddell has "retired" twice only to be fighting again after TUF 11 airs.
 On another note, UFC 113 has a finalized bout that will interest many fans. Kimbo Slice will be fighting Matt Mitrione, a fellow TUF 10 cast member on the main card of the Machida Shogun rematch event. Keep checking in for more updates leading up to UFC on versus and UFC 111 later this month!

Former UFC Lightweight Star Suffers Devistating Loss

I'm sure everyone knows who this post is referring to. The only man to beat BJ Penn in the lightweight division, Jens "Little Evil" Pulver suffered his 5th straight loss in a row Saturday at WEC 47. WEC 47 brought a new Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, after he beat former champion, Brian Bowles with a TKO due to stoppage because of a broken hand suffered by Bowles. And then Jens suffered a devastating loss to Javier Vasquez, which seems to have marked the end of his career. Jens refused to comment before the fight whether or not a loss would actually bring his career to an end, but as of now it looks as though he is done. After the fight he stated, “I love you all way, way, way too much to put you all through this again." However, Chuck Liddell said previously he would not be fighting but we have seen him return, and he will be fighting again after his coaching stint on TUF 11. Randy Couture also came out of "retirement" in 2007, so this may not be the end for Pulver fans out there!

Strikeforce on CBS vs UFC on Spike

April 17th is now going to host two events from two of the top MMA promotions. Strikeforce has had an event planned for a while now featuring some amazing fighters and 3 title bouts. The event is being billed as Strikeforce: Nashville and now has an official poster too!

The event is free on CBS and has an awesome card:

Middleweight Championship bout: Jake Shields vs.  Dan HendersonLight Heavyweight Championship bout: Gegard Mousasi vs.Muhammed LawalLightweight Championship bout: Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki

(Fedor was originally planned to headline the bout, however he will not be fighting. Cung Le has also expressed interest in fighting)
So we know Strikeforce has a great card that has been being planned out for quite some time now. Nothing could compare right? Well Dana White hopes to change some minds out there by hosting an event on the same day. In the same city. That's right, Spike is the probable channel to be hosting a rival event to Strikeforce's which takes place in Nashville along with Strikeforce. Now we know UFC is a better promotion than Strikeforce but how can the UFC develop such a good card in so little time? It was rumored Mike Swick would be fighting Matt Serra, but Swick quickly put down those rumors himself. Some believe Kimbo Slice will get a main event slot to attract viewers. But only time will tell as of now. But I will leave you with some numbers to consider. UFC countered Strikeforce Miami with a UFC 107 REPLAY on Spike the same night, same time. While the Strikeforce card, which was a very good card in itself, received 517,000 viewers, the replay of the UFC 107 card attracted 2.2 million viewers. So the UFC could attract many more viewers and ticket sales to its event than Strikeforce will, but again, only time will tell! Keep checking back for updates to these events!

Strikeforce on CBS card finalized

Wikipedia rumored Fedor to be on the Strikeforce on CBS card, and probably on the main event. However, Fedor is not actually fighting on April 17th in Nashville Tennessee, but the card remains very strong. As of now, the confirmed main card includes very interesting fighters who we have been wanting to see fight for a while now! 3 Championship bouts (lightweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight) on one amazing card and one of the bouts even includes a UFC veteran and Olympian. That's right! Dan Henderson will be fighting Jake Shields for the Middleweight championship title is the main event as of now, Gegard Mousasi vs. King Mo for the Light Heavyweight title and Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki for the Lightweight Championship. This card is going to be great and MMA promotions including the UFC are really stepping up their cards for this spring. UFC on versus is up next with Jon Jones vs Brandon Vera, then UFC 111 with GSP vs Dan Hardy, and UFC Fight Night 21 just 4 days later! They are really going all out, and most of these events will be free! (UFC on versus, Ultimate Fight Night, and Strikeforce on CBS!)

Diego Sanchez and the Diaz Brothers

Diego Sanchez dropped to 155 and tried his hand at a title shot against BJ Penn at UFC 107 and the fight was stopped due to an unforgettable gash on Diego's forehead. Diego announced he will be moving back up to the 170 pound weight division after his losses in fights against key competitors such as Gray Maynard and BJ Penn. Nate Diaz also confirmed he will be moving up to welterweights along with Diego. Sanchez defeated Nick Diaz(now competing in strikeforce) in 2005 and called out Nate via Twitter!
Oh and speaking of BJ Penn, he was a guest reporter on TV during the Hawaii tsunami watch, check it out here:

Rashad Evans and UFC 114

Any fight fan will agree they are waiting to see Suga Rashad Evans and Quinton Rampage Jackson get in the octagon and fight each other. Especially after TUF 10. All the drama on set has led to an amazing hype for this fight which was originally scheduled for UFC 107 but was pushed back due to Rampage's role in the upcoming A-Team Movie. Today, Rashad confirmed the bout and also updated us fans about his training for the fight. Now many fans know Rashad trains with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, NM along with Joe Stevenson (last fought UFC 110) and his best bud in training Keith Jardine. However, for this fight Rashad is moving his camp up to Denver, CO. UFC 114 will be on May 29th in Vegas at the MGM Grand, and once again the bout is now confirmed! 

(Rashad's fight ending right hook against Chuck Liddell)

Cain Velasquez ready for the title shot

I think it is safe to say everyone was very impressed by Cain Velasquez's victory against Antonio Noguiera last Saturday at UFC 110. Velasquez dropped Noguiera and finished the fight at just 2:25 of the first round with vicious punches landed while Noguiera was grounded. Taking on an MMA legend and finishing him so quick definetely secured Velasquez's spot as a contender for the title. Frank Mir and Shane Carwin will be fighting on March 27 at UFC 111 for the interim title, and that winner will take on the healthy Lesnar over this summer for the undisputed heavyweight title. Up next will most likely be Velasquez challenging for the title (assuming there are no injuries). Velasquez realizes he is at the top for a title shot, and he says, "I have to fight a smart fight. Gotta get with my coaches and figure out a good game plan. Definitely with those kind of guys -- big, strong -- you have to be aware of their power. I think it's going to be a war and fight to the end. You have to try and tire them out, but it's easier said than done" after defeating Noguiera. Hopefully we'll get to see Velasquez take on teh 30 pound heavier Lesnar, who will prove to be a huge challenge to Velasquez's wrestling skills.

UFC On the Big Screen

MMA fans will be happy no know the UFC struck a groundbreaking deal with theaters today. Beginning with UFC 111, over 300 movie theaters will be showcasing the main events of UFC events! This is huge for fans because now we can see our favorite fighters on a giant display reserved only for new release movies! UFC 111 will host GSP vs Dan Hardy on March 27th, so check into your local theaters to see when they will be showing this great fight! Go to http://www.ncm.com/Fathom/Sports/event/UFC_PierrevsHardy.aspx now to buy tickets and check where you can watch UFC live on the big screen in HD!

UFC 110 Fight Videos

Here are all the fight videos from the main card of UFC 110:

Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera



Michael Bisping vs Wanderlei Silva


Joe Stevenson vs George Sotiropoulos





Ryan Bader vs Keith Jardine



Mirko Cro Cop vs Anthony Perosh

Bisping Flips someone off during weigh ins

At the UFC 110 weigh ins just a few hours ago, Michael Bisping weighed in before Wanderlei Silva and flips someone off while on the scale after his weight was announced. Who could he be flipping off? Wanderlei was still back stage, and it appeared to be a joke because he laughed, but the question still remains-who was he flipping off?! Hopefully someone interviews him and asks about this. But the weigh ins for the co main event gave us a preview of the entertainment this fight will provide (Dana had to hold back Wanderlei during the staredown). Check back tomorrow for a LIVE AND FREE STREAM of UFC 110!

UFC 110 and UFC 111 Shirt

Hey everyone be sure to check back here tomorrow at 7 PT/10 ET PM for a LIVE AND FREE stream of UFC 110. My picks for the winners are listed below in a picture format, and these are my choices on fantasy UFC as well.

Also there is now a new shirt up at the MMA Blogg store at cafepress! To support MMA Blogg and GSP at UFC 111 over in Newark on March 27th, please purchase one of the shirts with "GSP" in the title! The design is the same one that is shown below:

The shirts are available in all sizes and a wide variety of colors!