Bloody Elbow Betting Game Season Opener: UFC 108
December 31st, 2009
Archive
Archive for December, 2009
A Renewed Silva Arrives in 2010
December 31st, 2009
Debbie Lee, UFC - Jamais desistir. Translation: Never quit. The Portuguese phrase is inked handsomely across the underside of Thiago Silva's right forearm in black. It's one of many tattoos that blanket the 27-year-old's body, but this one serves a specific purpose, reminding him to always press on in the face of adversity.
Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez in the works for WEC 47 in March
December 31st, 2009
The WEC recently announced that MMA legend Jens Pulver (22-12 MMA, 1-4
WEC) will return to action at "WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz" in March.Now he's got an opponent.
MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the organization that Pulver will meet fellow featherweight Javier Vazquez (13-4 MMA, 0-2 WEC) on the evening's main card.
FieLDS Dynamite!! photos gallery from Dec. 31 Saitama event (Pic)
December 31st, 2009
UFC 108 Preview: Martin Kampmann Returns to Action Against Jacob Volkmann
December 31st, 2009
Jersey Devil: An MMAmania.com UFC 108 interview exclusive with Jim Miller
December 31st, 2009
Rashad Evans’ goals for 2010: Beat Thiago Silva, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida
December 31st, 2009
Anderson Silva deems Nate Marquardt worthy
December 31st, 2009
Perhaps finally realizing that he’s not helping his PPV numbers (and therefore his wallet) by dismissing all his opponents as unworthy of holding his jockstrap, Anderson Silva talks up a future opponent:
“I think the next champion of this category will be Nate Marquardt,” Anderson said, praising the American fighter who is coming off of a victory over Demian Maia. “If I’m not over with the belt, I believe Nate will be the next champion 84kg, the next guy to win for a long, long time this way.”
Silva also pointed out that Marquardt has improved a lot since losing to by TKO (Punches) him two years ago at UFC 73.
“I’ve been following all his fights and he has evolved a lot since the last time we fought. He has evolved a lot, it’s hard, has a good feature for a fighter, evolved a lot during the fight. I believe he is the next champion in that category, “he added Anderson, who is tipped to put the title match against Vitor Belfort in 2010.
Nate’s next fight is against Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 in February, and it’s the only fight on the main card with any serious implications. If he wins, he’ll undoubtedly get the next crack at Anderson after the Belfort fight (which, by the way, is currently pencilled in for the UFC’s trip to Abu Dhabi in April). And if he loses … well, let’s not think about that. It would be a bitter twist of fate for Marquardt to lose to Chael ‘Mr Decision’ Sonnen now that he’s finally exciting to watch.
Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs targeted for “Strikeforce: Miami” in January
December 31st, 2009
With his welterweight title shot on hold and with a potential bout with Marius Zaromskis ultimately scrapped, Jay Hieron (18-4 MMA, 1-0 SF) instead is expected to meet veteran Joe Riggs (32-11 MMA, 3-2 SF) next month at "Strikeforce: Miami."
Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com the fight is in the works, but bout agreements have not been signed, and the Florida State Boxing Commission must first approve the matchup.
"Strikeforce: Miami" takes place Jan. 30 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., and airs on Showtime.
Programming reminder: TUF Finale and UFC Unleashed airs today (Dec. 31) on Spike TV
December 31st, 2009
More on Mirko’s big training changes
December 31st, 2009
When Mirko Crocop announced that he had switched up his training camp in an attempt to revitalize his career (ie get it off life support), we weren’t very impressed. First off, it’s hard to take a guy seriously when he just stepped away from the edge of another depressed near-retirement, and it’s even harder to imagine that much of a change when your coaching shake up involves dumping one Croatian coach for another Croatian coach you already worked with during your suck stage.
But now Crocop is back, and he’s sharing more details about these huge changes! Not only has he tweaked a few of the guys he’s working with, he’s also changed up the time of day he trains at. Seriously:
Physically and mentally, I was tired. I trained twice a day and I think that was a mistake as the human body cannot recover from training hard morning and evening. The evening training was perhaps harder as I knew I would have to be back in at 5am to start the morning training; it was mentally hard. The morning training stifled me.
Since the loss to Dos Santos, Filipovic has changed his training regimen and has dismissed many of his long-time training coaches and partners. He says that many of his former training partners were only available in the morning which meant he was obliged to be there “for myself and for them” despite often being “ill-prepared for it because of a messed up biorytham or because I was tired.”
Filipovic says he has a different training schedule now and trains at different times to the ones he used to. He also believes he has addressed the issue of lacking motivation. “There is no better motivation than what was mentioned earlier, which is that I am ranked in 20th place.”
I want to believe Crocop. I really do. But let’s face it: historically, Crocop is a headcase and while I’m sure being stuck in 20th place is motivation on some days, I bet most days it’s just a big mindfuck that eats away at his heart. Here’s hoping I’m wrong. Seeing him lose to Ben Rothwell at UFC 111 in Australia would literally make me die a little inside.
Shinya Aoki’s Post-Fight Behavior After Breaking Hirota’s Arm Crosses Line
December 31st, 2009
by Mike ChiappettaFiled under: DREAM, K1, Sengoku
When you're a professional athlete and you hear a competitor's bone snap, that should be enough to draw you out of whatever testosterone- or adrenaline-fueled action you're engaged in.That disgusting, unmistakable sound serves as a reality check that the sport you're participating in has real-world consequences that extend far beyond the arena or stadium.
When that sound doesn't give way to the humanity in you, there's a problem.
Shinya Aoki's Post-Fight Behavior After Breaking Hirota's Arm Crosses Line originally appeared on MMA Fighting on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.