Cage Talk – MMA – All The Latest Mixed Martial Arts News

Lafayette, California (USA) –In the past year, UFC® GYM™ has changed the way people approach fitness, giving individuals the opportunity to achieve results they never thought possible. With two successful locations already in operation in Concord, Calif. and Rosemead, Calif., UFC Gym officials announced today the opening of a third location in Corona, Calif.
 
Beginning March 5, residents of the Inland Empire can experience UFC Gym’s ground-breaking approach to fitness at the new facility located at 470 N. McKinley Street in Corona. Conveniently in close proximity to Highways 91 and 15 in the Costco / Home Depot shopping center, the UFC Gym is expected to become the area’s ultimate fitness destination. By integrating mixed martial arts, innovative fitness training, nutrition, diet support and kids' programming under one roof, UFC Gym is taking exercise to a whole new level.
 
“Corona is our biggest gym yet, fusing together the best of fitness and MMA in one location,” Adam Sedlack, UFC Gym Senior Vice President said. “The popularity in Corona has been incredible as UFC Gym continues to create innovation in the way people train.  People are tired of overcrowded, boring fitness clubs and are looking to be part of a fitness and conditioning community. We are eager to serve the entire Inland Empire’s training needs, being not what you expect, and more than you could imagine!”
 
The 45,000 square-foot facility features cutting-edge training techniques including progressive group fitness classes, Muay Thai, kickboxing, jiu jitsu, self-defense instruction, and offerings such as a 32-foot Octagon®, UFC Kids' Gym, and High-Octane Conditioning.
 
Members will enjoy a variety of amenities, including the signature Arm Bar Café featuring healthy, affordable dining options, a UFC Gym Store for the latest in MMA Lifestyle apparel, and full amenity locker rooms complete with dry saunas. Other exciting features include functional training areas and six unique training rooms. If that wasn’t enough, UFC Gym’s all-new heavy bag room will feature a 55-foot bag rack with a rolling monkey bar system that will inspire members to realize results like never before.
 
The Corona facility will also house 4,330 square-feet of space dedicated specifically to kids, bringing families together in a fun atmosphere. Under this platform, parents can get an ultimate workout experience, knowing that their children are getting great exercise, learning the importance of health and nutrition and developing invaluable character building skills. With a wide range of activities for youth, from MMA classes, to birthday parties, UFC Gym makes health and fitness fun for the whole family.
 
“We’re excited to open our third UFC Gym in Corona and continue to raise the bar in the fitness industry,” UFC President Dana White said. “With the success of our first two gyms in Concord and Rosemead, we’re confident that the UFC Gym experience is second-to-none. Now, we’re creating the ultimate fitness destination for residents of the Inland Empire.”

Members of the community are invited to experience the new facility for FREE by visiting www.ufcgymcorona.com.
 

News

Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is giving its fans yet another opportunity to watch live fights on Facebook®. UFC® officials announced today that two highly-anticipated clashes will be featured this Thursday, March 3, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Both fights will be streamed live and free at www.facebook.com/ufc.

The fights are: a lightweight collision between Danny “Last Call” Castillo and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, as well as a light heavyweight clash between Cyrille Diabate and Steve Cantwell.

By simply “liking” the UFC Facebook page, fans will gain access to the live broadcast of the fights from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., home to Thursday’s UFC® Live card. The event’s main card will be broadcast on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“Thursday is a great night for UFC fans, as we’ll have free fights on Facebook and VERSUS,” UFC President Dana White said. “There are some really good matchups on this card and as always, we’re excited to give UFC fans the chance to catch them for free.”
 

News

Ten years ago, unless your name was Matt Serra, there was little talk of world-class mixed martial artists being produced in the New York / New Jersey area. A decade later, the climate has changed considerably, with the names Edgar, Jones, Miller, Pellegrino, and Catone clearly representing a change in the guard from the days when you weren’t a “real” fighter unless you fought out of California or Iowa.

Toms River’s Frankie Edgar is already a world champion; the Miller brothers (Jim and Dan) proudly represent Whippany; Kurt Pellegrino and Nick Catone fight for the real Jersey shore, and on March 19th; and Endicott, New York’s Jon Jones challenges “Shogun” Rua for the UFC light heavyweight crown.

And this Thursday, the fighter many consider to be the “next big thing” in the sport makes his Octagon debut against veteran Alessio Sakara. Yes, that’s a lot of pressure to be put on the 26-year old shoulders of Mineola, New York’s Chris Weidman, but “The All-American” seems to be handling it well, at least in preparation for the fight. Dealing with the world of social networking at the same time? That’s a little more taxing.

“It’s definitely tough, especially with Facebook and Twitter,” he laughs. “I keep in touch with a lot of people, so everybody wants to get in touch with me and congratulate me, but on top of that, it’s such a short notice fight that I have to be in the gym non-stop and keep one hundred percent focused on my fight. I want to be able to keep peace with everybody, but it’s hard to do right now. That’s probably the most stressful thing.”

If that’s the biggest thing stressing him out before the biggest fight of his career, then it just goes to show you how Weidman handles competition. A two-time junior college All-American, two-time Division I All-American for Hofstra, and a decorated grappler, Weidman is 4-0 with three first round finishes in an MMA career that began in 2009 after opting against a tryout for the 2008 Olympics.

At the time, Weidman was coaching at Hofstra, and he began trying jiu-jitsu out as he helped some local MMA fighters train for upcoming bouts.

“That’s when I kinda fell in love with it,” he said. “And ever since I started I felt like I could do something big in this sport. I was looking at the top guys in the UFC in my division and visualizing how I would do against them. I’ve always been looking at the top.”

Considering that he’s got Ray Longo and Serra in his corner, UFC vets Luke Cummo and Pete Sell also on board, and a wrestling pedigree that includes college wins over current UFC standouts Phil Davis and Ryan Bader, fight game insiders have been expecting him to start assaulting the elite sooner rather than later. Consequently, after only four fights of pro experience, the phone was ringing for him to compete in other organizations such as Strikeforce and Bellator.

“I definitely had some great guidance from my coaches and my family, but it was probably the hardest thing I ever did,” said Weidman, a husband and father living in a basement apartment who turned down the quick money to wait for the only call he really wanted.

“Something was telling me to wait it out even though it also was a huge risk. Say if I got hurt in one of my fights and I was out for six months? There’s so much that goes on in this sport, but it was crazy how God worked this one out.”

As he slept in a Jersey hotel room before his friend, Gian Villante, fought on February 12th, he got the call he was waiting for.

“My manager (Ian Parker) keeps calling me over and over,” said Weidman. “I’m like ‘what does he want?’ Finally, I called back.”

“How much do you love me?” asked Parker.

“I said ‘Why?’ and in the back of my head, I’m thinking the only thing this kid could say to me right now is that I’m in the UFC. Other than that, I wouldn’t care.”

“How does Alessio Sakara sound?” was Parker’s response.

Stunned, Weidman consulted with Serra and Longo, and got to work after getting an expected call at an unexpected time.

“I was anticipating getting a couple other fights in smaller venues and then finally getting in there (the UFC) and then working my way up from the undercard,” he said. “But this is a huge opportunity and it’s exciting and overwhelming.”

And Sakara is no joke. A nine year pro with over five years in the UFC, the Italian banger has won three in a row, and was even scheduled for the UFC 122 co-main event slot before being forced to withdraw on fight day due to illness. It’s a tall order for anyone at 185 pounds, let alone a rookie with four fights. The New Yorker is ready to test himself though.

“I’m expecting him to be well-rounded everywhere and I’m ready for a war if it needs to go that way, but I’m also planning on looking for the finish early,” said Weidman, who has had plenty of help in getting ready for life in the UFC.
 
“It helps seeing what he (Serra) went through and it helps me keep perspective,” he said. “I got signed to the UFC but I need to start winning fights. I’ve got a couple of steps to my goal – the first step is to get into the UFC, and the next is to become UFC champion. I’m excited, but I’m trying to focus on taking it one fight at a time. Even all the media stuff is tougher than I expected. Matt and Drago (Sell) and Luke (Cummo) and the guys I have around the gym, they tell you about the pressures of the fans and the media and stuff like that, but when it’s actually happening to you, it’s different.”

He’s handled it like a champ though. All that remains is the fight, and you get the impression that he likes it like that. No tweets, no interviews, no status updates, just him and Sakara in an Octagon for 15 minutes or less. And after the fight, then he can deal with everything else.

“I hope the fans say that this kid has a big future after the fight,” he said. “I’m hoping to put on a show and I hope that they’re excited to follow me and become a fan of mine.”



 

News

Steve Cantwell holds high standards not only for himself, but also his 125-pound Rottweiler.

“If I see an ugly dog,” the Las Vegan said, “I won’t let my dog breed with her.”

Cantwell’s four-legged friend, who has won several dog shows, has an interesting way of saying ‘Thank you.”

“My dog fetches beers,” said the UFC light heavyweight contender. “I’ll be like, ‘Get me a beer.’ And no joke, my dog will get up, open the fridge door and get me a beer.”

Beer, for the record, is not part of Cantwell’s pre-fight dieting regimen. But he’s had plenty of downtime given that he hasn’t fought since last September, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Brian “All-American” Stann. Since then, Cantwell has had one fight fall through and was then sidelined with a knee injury. The 24-year-old, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Sergio Penha and a capable kickboxer under the tutelage of Nick “OneKick” Blomgren, is eager to return to the Octagon on Thursday night, when he faces former Muay Thai world champion Cyrille Diabate in Louisville.

“I’m excited to get back out there and put my hands on somebody,” Cantwell asserted. “All this hard work and no reward -- I’m hungry for a win.”

Cantwell, with a 7-3 record, is well-rounded but has shown a preference for stand-up wars. Some think he would be wise to abandon that preference against the 6-feet-6-inch Diabate, who boasts an 81-inch reach.

“He’s the real deal but I feel like his chin has expired,” Cantwell said of the 17-7-3 Frenchman. “His last couple of fights every time he has gotten touched his knees wobbled and he fell down. But I have to touch him before he touches me because he’s extremely dangerous so I’ve got to keep my hands up and stay busy the whole time. I’ve got to make him quit. I’ve got to find the quit in him.”

In one breath Cantwell declares that he’d like to put Diabate on his rump with blows, in the next he blasts his foe’s ground game, even though Diabate has submitted five opponents.

“As good as he is on his feet he’s equally as horrible on the ground,” Cantwell said.

Cantwell and Diabate have one opponent in common: Luiz Cane. Diabate annihilated the Brazilian with a first-round knockout; Cantwell dropped a highly-entertaining three-round decision.

Training MMA since age 15, Cantwell previously held the WEC light heavyweight crown after TKO’ing Brian Stann in 2008. There has been some bad blood between the two men and some cageside observers felt Cantwell actually deserved to be declared the victor in their rubber match. While Cantwell agrees, the loss is not a sore spot with him and he has no ambition of ever fighting his archrival again.

“I trained for Brian Stann and I ended up fighting Greg Jackson,” Cantwell said of their third fight. “Brian didn’t fight like himself, he ran for three rounds which is completely out of character for him. But I still felt like I won the fight, caused more damage and landed the bigger shots. All he did was backpedal and kick my front leg.

“The way he fought the third time I wouldn’t want to fight him again. He was definitely afraid of me that fight and literally ran for three rounds. I was begging him to fight. That’s not the kind of guy I want to fight again. The fans were booing and I had no control over it. I want to fight somebody who is going to put on a show and not try to win – call it elusive and win on points and by running. It’s the Ultimate Fighting Championship, not Elusive Fighting Championship.”

Cantwell doubts he’ll experience the same kind of caution from Diabate.

“I’m looking forward to a standup war,” Cantwell said. “He’s a great kickboxing champ and I know he won’t run.”
 

 

News

If you’re a parent, you didn’t envy Joe Stevenson in the aftermath of his knockout loss to Mac Danzig at UFC 124 last December. Sure, it’s easy to explain the ins and outs of the fight game to your children when things are going well, but what about when you have to let them know that despite being knocked out, you’re still okay?

“You have to be more of a man,” said Stevenson, father of four boys. “Anyone can win a fight or be a champion with a six fight winning streak. I think it takes ten times the person to stand up after a loss and say ‘all right, back to the drawing board.’ You have to be strong and you have to show that you’re okay, especially when you’re dealing with kids. That, to me, is more important than anything.”

“And let’s be honest,” he smiles. “I think the kids have seen a little worse when they saw me fight BJ (Penn).”

This is true. And whether it’s giving life lessons, explaining his day job, or just having an ear open, the lightweight standout embodies his nickname, “Joe Daddy”, like no other.

“There are parents that only enroll their kids in private schools or home school them and kinda keep them sheltered from everything,” he said. “Whereas we as a family, we don’t really shelter them from too much other than things that they shouldn’t see at all. We let them know what’s on our minds, and they’re always free to talk to us, no matter what. There are no bad questions, especially with your kids.”

That end of things covered, Stevenson still had to deal with the own questions in his mind after his second loss in a row, and his first knockout defeat since Jens Pulver did the deed in June of 1999, when the Californian was just 16 years old.

“It was more emotionally disturbing,” said Stevenson of the Danzig fight, which saw him taken out by a left hook at the 1:54 mark of the opening round. “I had never been knocked out before. I had fought Jens when I was 16 and he broke my orbital. I wasn’t knocked out – I was in a lot of pain. But it’s definitely the punch you don’t see coming and the one you least expect. I was not even thinking that he would swing on me. I was thinking ‘I rocked him, here it goes.’ And that’s what I get for being greedy and trying to get the finish early when I didn’t stick to my gameplan. You watch the tape and you can hear (trainer) Greg (Jackson) go ‘stick to the gameplan Joe.’ And I take full responsibility for that. But I got a lot of questions out of my head. I kinda wondered what it would feel like to get knocked out, and it doesn’t really feel like anything.”

Stevenson, in keeping with his personality, chooses to see the light instead of the dark. And that’s not surprising, considering that the physical aftermath of a clean knockout loss is in most cases less taxing than the days after a grueling three round war. Of course, the flip side of that is that it looks worse to have a KO defeat on your record than a decision loss. Stevenson is not on the fence when it comes to his preference though.

“I would rather be knocked out or finished in a submission than lose a unanimous decision,” he said. “With a unanimous decision, there’s something I could have done different. I feel at the top level, everyone can beat everyone, given the right day. Stylistically some matchups would be harder than others, but losing a decision, to me, unless it’s Fight of the Night, everyone loses out because there’s no definite answer.”

What is not open to debate is that with two consecutive losses and defeats in four of his last six, Stevenson has his back against the wall when he faces WEC import Danny Castillo this Thursday in Louisville.

“He’s a wild card and he’s dangerous,” said Stevenson of Castillo, who brings a two fight winning streak into the bout. “He wouldn’t have taken the fight if he didn’t think he could win. So I know that he’s not taking it lightly. He hits hard, he is a great wrestler, he’s got good top control, and his submission defense is very admirable. I think for him coming into the UFC, it might be a little more nerve-racking, but the more and more I think about it, there wasn’t much separating the two divisions other than a deeper talent pool than the WEC fighters. And the top WEC fighters were just as good and very dangerous.”

But even though Stevenson knows that he’s in for a tough fight, he may be the real wild card, as he’s calm and prepared for what may be the most pivotal bout of his career.

“I’m coming off two losses and I’m not going into this fight super nervous,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been to the two loss point and back and I know how it feels and I know what to expect. I feel really comfortable, but yet I have a definite sense of urgency with this kid being as tough as he is. It’s gonna be awesome.”

This time around, the 28-year old Stevenson has even added some new wrinkles to his game, as he’s stayed at home in California for the majority of his camp. He still spent some time in Albuquerque with the Jackson’s MMA team and will have Greg Jackson in his corner this week, but also in the corner will be longtime friend and respected boxing trainer Henry Ramirez, who currently guides the careers of world-class heavyweight contender Chris Arreola and rising star Josesito Lopez.

“He (Ramirez) is a great friend of mine and a coach when I’m at home,” said Stevenson, who has been working in Riverside with Ramirez and also at home in Victorville. “He’s one of the smartest coaches that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

And conditioning wise, he still gets a taste of that Albuquerque altitude.

“I have a little bit of altitude where I live here in Victorville,” he said. “And then getting to train at a lower altitude, almost at sea level in Riverside, allows me to actually perform harder there, come back and recover at a higher altitude here. I really like that scenario.”

Yet for all the physical work and the sharpening of techniques, you get the feeling that at this point, after nearly 12 years in the pro game, Stevenson’s greatest weapon is his ability to dig deep and call on that experience to win a dog fight. Castillo, though talented, hasn’t been where Stevenson has in the MMA world, and when you discuss this with the former world title challenger, he reluctantly agrees, then qualifies his response.

“I think it puts me at a bit of an advantage,” he said. “But the guy that says ‘oh, he’s never been there,’ that’s like the golden word to say I’m gonna lose this fight. “I’ve fought people he’s never fought”, “I’ve done things he’s never done”, “he’s never fought anybody like me.” When I read that or see that, I’m like ‘uh oh, wait a minute,’ and that’s a dangerous avenue to take. You’re either cocky or confident in this sport. There’s a fine line between the two, and you’ve got to figure out which one you’re gonna be.”

That statement should tell you where Stevenson stands on that topic, and he doesn’t mince words when it comes to a 2010 campaign that he would probably like to forget.

“2010 was definitely a year that I needed to take a lot from as far as what I did, veering from gameplans, letting the crowd take control of me like in Australia and things like that, and learn from those experiences,” he said. “I’m gonna learn from my mistakes and not allow that to ever take place.”

So what does that mean for him in 2011? He’s going to take a page from the book of his buddy Arreola for that answer.

“2010,” said Stevenson, “forget about it, it sucked, and 2011’s my year.”

News

Experience is life’s best teacher, and Rob Kimmons adheres to this old adage.  Having been a professional mixed martial artist since 2003, Kimmons took a hard five-year journey before entering the UFC.  Since that time he has learned much about himself as a fighter and as a man, lessons which he hopes to translate into more diversified showings in the Octagon.  His next opponent, Dongi Yang, is the perfect candidate for this wish and Kimmons is more than excited for the matchup.

“To be honest he’s got the body style of a guy I like to fight the most so it gives me more opportunity to do more things when I’m not the shorter fighter by four inches and outreached by 3 or 4 inches,” said Kimmons.  “That seems to be my last several fights in the UFC, taller guys with kickboxing experience.  This guy, he’s powerful, but he’s only 5’11 and he’s from a judo background.  I’ve seen his fights and he likes to throw but he’s not a technical guy, he’s a wild guy, and I think I have an advantage striking and I want to finally show the UFC that I can stand up and scrap because all my fights have went to the ground.  Most people think I’m a grappler but it’s because I’ve been fighting kickboxers, so I’m excited for this fight”

South Korea’s Yang held a perfect record of 9-0 until his entrance into the UFC last October.  After fighting Chris Camozzi at UFC 121, Yang saw his unbeaten record get blemished by a split decision loss.  However, Kimmons saw what he feels is Yang’s best strength during that and his other fights, a skill which he believes he is equally prepared for.

“His biggest strengths are that he’s kind of a buff dude but he’s short. He’s wide so he’s going to be hard to take down but I’m not even going to try and take him down,” said Kimmons.  “He’s got some good judo, he doesn’t many any throws like a Karo Parisyan type of fighter but he’ll grab you in the clinch, do inside leg trips or just power you right over.  In his first UFC fight versus Camozzi it looked like he was powering him over almost like a football tackle.  He has good ground and pound, and that was what I was most impressed with from watching his fights. I could only get three fights of his, but he doesn’t seem like too much for me standing up.  His biggest strength is his power and grappling ability.”

In his last outing, Kimmons fought Kyle Noke in Germany at UFC 122.  The result was a second round loss via rear naked choke and it’s a loss that Kimmons blames himself for heartily.

“That last fight I fought so stupid,” he said. “I didn’t think I was doing bad - every time I’d get in a bad position I would get right out of it, but my head was messing with me in that fight.  I kept being like, ‘why did I just give up this takedown to mount?’  I was over thinking stuff instead of just reacting and that was rough on me.  I had never been out of the country before and I didn’t know how bad that was going to affect me.  Here’s the thing going in: everybody said he’s a kick boxer, he’s got reach on you, take him down, you’re a grappler, but then I got out there and I’m winning the standup.  Every time we would start throwing punches I’d push that dude right into the cage and I could see in his eyes that he did not want to bang with me; he wasn’t hurting me and I was hurting him, I could see that.  I got so happy and excited about that I started doing stupid things. I was going for the kill so much that I was throwing big old wild hooks with my elbows way up to his side giving up easy takedowns.  Hindsight’s 20/20 and I really wish I could go back in time and do that fight over, but I learned from that fight.”  

One lesson learned: switch up the training regimen.  It is something that Kimmons had never done and this time he felt it imperative to do so.

“I’ve been going to the same place that I’ve always gone to, Grind House, but I did switch it up and started going to a place called Fight University,” he said. “They teach MMA but they’re mainly a judo school, and I also started going to a place called Sixty-Eight for the same reason because they have a guy on the U.S. Judo team, so that was a no brainer.  One other thing we did was work on strength and conditioning everyday in the mornings in conjunction with my regular training, and because of that I think I’m in better shape than any of my other fights.  I was worried about my cardio, but I’ve been doing two-a-days everyday and I think I’m in better shape than my other fights and I’m definitely stronger than I’ve ever been; that’s the one consensus from all of my training partners at all the different schools.  I’m not going to try to go strength on strength but if we get in a situation and there’s some kind of a scramble where he might think he can just hold me down or power into me or something, he’s going to get shocked probably because I’m a lot stronger than I used to be.”

Rob Kimmons has learned a lot and is ready to make a deeper impact in the UFC.  With Dongi Yang in the way of that goal, all he can do is continue his evolution until fate reveals his destiny.

“I just turned 30, and with age comes wisdom and I’ve been much smarter,” he said. “I’ve branched out instead of staying with the group of guys that I’ve been with, I’ve been going to all the different schools in the city, all the best gyms, I’ve been bringing in training partners, I hired coaches, I hired a brand new strength and conditioning coach, and for the first time ever I spoke to a boxing coach. So the older I get the smarter I’m being about stuff.  For a while when I first got in the UFC I was like, ‘I’ve gotten this far by doing this so I’m going to keep doing these things and just do them well.’  I’ve been in the UFC for three years now and I realized I can’t stop. You’ve got to keep learning more stuff because everyone else is learning stuff.  Win or lose I will never be accused of being soft, so if a guy beats me he’s got to whoop my ass and damn near kill me in the ring almost.  Dongi has never fought anyone like me and it’s early in his career.  I think this is a fight where I can get a bonus and that’s what I want.”

News

Sorry Gina. New lips, new school. Don't go away mad...

News

Spike TV has publicly released the all-welterweight fight roster for the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality TV show. Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos is scheduled to air starting on March 30, with the live finale slated for June 4 in Las Vegas.

The Ultimate Fighter 13 teams are coached by UFC heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, as the show continues to reach new audiences. In addition to the casual UFC fanbase, many hardcore MMA fans also follow the TUF reality show to gauge possible future talent.

The 14-fighter cast features competitors from the United States, Canada, England, Mexico and Germany. Spike TV and Zuffa officials reportedly showed interest in a welterweight and middleweight show, but instead decided to focus on welterweights only.

Here is the full list of fighters:

Clay Harvison (6-1)
Keon Caldwell (8-1)
Ryan McGillivray (11-4-1)
Anthony Ferguson (10-2)
Michael Bowman (7-2)
Nordin Asrih (16-5-1)
Zachary Davis (4-1)
Shamar Bailey (10-3)
Charlie Rader (16-5)
Len Bentley (9-4)
Javier Torres (3-0)
Chris Cope (4-1)
Ramsey Nijem (4-1)
Myles Jury (9-0)

Sherdog recently posted a solid guide to each TUF 13 fighter and what they bring to the table.

News mma

News

Anderson Silva's boxing trainer Josuel Distak talks to Tatame.com:

"Georges St. Pierre should stay in his division (laughs), because if he moves up he’d have much headache. St. Pierre is a strategic fighter. Besides being very dangerous, Anderson is also strategic, so he has two weapons. Anderson has an advantage over St. Pierre because of his reach and game, he has a more efficient Muay Thai and a tough ground game, Anderson will be prepared for him."

Georges "Rush" St. Pierre (21-2) - Height: 5'10", Reach: 76 in.
Win Josh Koscheck - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 124
Win Dan Hardy - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 111
Win Thiago Alves - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 100

Anderson "The Spider" Silva (28-4) - Height: 6'2", Reach: 77.5 in.
Win Vitor Belfort - KO (Front Kick and Punches) UFC 126
Win Chael Sonnen - Submission (Triangle Armbar) UFC 117
Win Demian Maia - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 112

News

What's that? A foreigner who's highly susceptible to shit-talking, you say? 

They say that a shark can detect one drop of blood in a million gallons of water, and if the UFC is the ocean then Michael Bisping is the wounded fish flopping around and sending out a delicious scent that a super-troll like Chael Sonnen is simply powerless to resist. The entire MMA world learned on Saturday that a few youtube videos are more than enough to send Bisping into a frenzy of bruised ego and butthurt paroxysms...so what's he going to do now that dear old "Uncle Chael" has set his sights on him? MMAWeekly scored the following e-mail from Sonnen to Joe Silva, which should be enough to whet any fan's appetite for unending, brutal trash-talk: 

 To: Joe Silva, Matchmaker Extraordinaire, Ultimate Fighting Championship

Re: Spitsbing & his tainted victory

Joe:

If you get a chance to talk with him, please mention to your idiot-in-residence Michael Spitsbing it’ll be a little tougher to knee ME in the head when I’m charging at him like a runaway train and mincing him through the fence like a boiled potato, should we ever have the pleasure of each other’s company for a few (VERY few) moments in the Octagon.

Oh; and I’d suggest to him being a little careful about spitting on any of MY cornermen, since any one of them can beat him up as badly as I can. Thanks ever so much.Hope all is well.

-Chael Sonnen

And so it begins. I genuinely fear for Bisping's mental health if this match comes to fruition or if he gets stuck coaching a season of TUF with Sonnen. Seriously, the guy might have a fucking hate-stroke before they even get in the ring. 

HT: mmaweekly.com

News

The UFC confirmed the full fight card for this Thursday’s UFC on Versus 3 event live from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

The main event features Diego Sanchez, who says he plans to stay in the welterweight division, against Martin Kampmann as he looks to rebound from a disappointing decision loss to Jake Shields.

• Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann
• Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman
• Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page
• Joe Stevenson vs. Danny Castillo
• Steve Cantwell vs. Cyrille Diabate
• Thiago Tavares vs. Shane Roller
• Takeya Mizugaki vs. Reuben Duran
• Rob Kimmons vs. Dongi Yang
• Rousimar Palhares vs. Dave Branch
• Igor Pokrajac vs. Todd Brown

Cub Swanson was supposed to fight Erik Koch during later this week, but Swanson had to withdraw due to a tooth infection. Koch will instead fight Raphael Assuncao during UFC 128 on March 19 in Washington.

VERSUS will host the UFC Live program on 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST — and it will also be shown in 3D. I’m unsure how many current HDTV owners are UFC fans with SPIKE TV, but this should be an interesting gauge of where 3DTVs currently stand in the consumer market.

News mma

UFC on Versus 3 is set to go down this Thursday night (March 3) from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., featuring a welterweight main event between Diego Sanchez and Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann.

Middleweights Mark "The Philippine Wrecking Machine" Munoz and C.B. "The Doberman" Dollaway will also do battle for a spot in the 185-pound title hunt in the co-featured fight of the night.

Much of the attention surrounding the promotion's trip to the "Bluegrass State" centers on the main card match ups; however, the continued expansion of the UFC roster has also brought a bevy of recognizable fighters into the Octagon for the non-televised preliminary portion of the upcoming fight card.

Joe Stevenson, Rousimar Palhares, Takeya Mizugaki and Steve Cantwell, among others, will get the action started on Thursday night. And we've gone ahead and broken down each undercard match-up to help get you better prepared for all the festivities.

Check it out:

155 lbs.: Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (31-12) vs. Danny "Last Call" Castillo (10-3)

It is not a good time to be Joe Stevenson -- he's lost five of his last eight, including a mauling by former lightweight champion BJ Penn (understandable) and a nasty knockout to Mac Danzig (less so). Despite his long history in the organization and his popularity, it's critical that he doesn't drop his third straight contest when he takes on WEC import Castillo.

A member of the increasingly-dominant Alpha Male squad that includes former champion Urijah Faber, as well as title contender Joseph Benavidez and super-prospect Chad Mendes, Castillo's 5-3 record under the Zuffa banner is deceiving. His three losses came to some of the best in the WEC's lightweight division in Donald Cerrone, Shane Roller and Anthony Pettis.

He is currently on a two-fight win streak, including a quick knockout of Will Kerr at the finish-filled WEC 53 and a decision over Dustin Poirier, who went on to crush Josh Grispi's title shot aspirations.

I don't think it's fair to say that Stevenson is done (especially considering that he's actually younger than his opponent), but it's getting harder and harder for him to stay relevant. Castillo's wrestling pedigree and Alpha Male's snowballing success have convinced me to take him by decision.

WEC represent!

205 lbs.: Steve "The Robot" Cantwell (7-3) vs. Cyrille "Snake" Diabaté (16-7-1)

I like to believe that, despite being a kickboxing enthusiast, I'm not one of those guys who turns his nose up at MMA fighters with purportedly good striking. I will, however, admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for kickboxing converts.

Which is one of numerous reasons why I'm taking Diabaté here.

Admittedly, the lanky Frenchman hasn't looked great of late; while his knockout of Luis Cane was impressive, Cane tagged him badly early on and nearly finished the fight. His submission loss to Alexander Gustafsson was even more worrying, as the former kickboxing champ was outclassed both on the ground and on the feet, which is ostensibly his domain.

As good as Cane and Gustafsson are, Diabaté's striking defense was far more porous than it should have been and his lackluster-though-improving ground game was still a glaring weakness.

Cantwell, however, hasn't fought since '09 and has lost two straight to nemesis Brian Stann and the aforementioned Cane. An apparently-serious injury kept him from fighting Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 108, an undisclosed issue kept him from fighting Ricardo Romero at UFC 116, and a knee injury two days before the event kept him from fighting Stanislav Nedkov at UFC 120.

A ridiculous amount of ring rust and a less-than-impressive pre-UFC resume make me hesitant to pick "The Robot", decaying though his opponent may seem. Cantwell doesn't have the striking résumé that Diabaté's past two opponents have and has been out of the game for far too long. Vive la France-Diabaté by knockout.

155 lbs.: Shane Roller (9-3) vs. Thiago Tavares (15-3-1)

As has become increasingly obvious, the remnants of the WEC are out in full force Thursday night. An eternal frontrunner, Roller has combined All-American wrestling and solid BJJ to defeat the likes of Anthony Njokuani and Jamie Varner in his WEC career, falling only to the organization's closing act in Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson.

Tavares, a UFC vet since 2007, has likewise enjoyed a solid Zuffa career but hasn't hit it big; although the Brazilian has three Fight of the Night awards, all were losing efforts. He has, however, beaten world-ranked Michihiro Omigawa before the latter's rebirth at 145 lbs. and also defeated Manny Gamburyan.

Both fighters are coming off impressive first-round submissions, Roller over Varner and Tavares over UFC newcomer Pat Audinwood.

The fight seems rather evenly matched, so I think I'll turn to history and point out that, lately, pure grapplers haven't been doing so well against wrestlers, and Roller is about as good as it gets when it comes to wrestling at 155. While one could bring up his triangle loss to Anthony Pettis, Roller nearly submitted Pettis and did well on his feet; plus, he was exhausted at the time of the tapout.

Look for Shane to shove Tavares back into the middle of the pack by controlling where the fight goes and winning on the feet. Roller by decision.

185 lbs.: Rob "The Rosedale Reaper" Kimmons (23-6) vs. Dongi "The Ox" Yang (9-1)

By all appearances a textbook gatekeeper, Thursday will mark Kimmons's seventh UFC fight. He is currently 3-3, with wins over Joe Vedepo and the no-longer-employed Rob Yundt and Steve Steinbeiss

In contrast, this will only be Yang's second fight in the UFC. His first was an underwhelming split-decision loss to equally-underwhelming TUF alum Chris Camozzi at UFC 121. Impressively, he had eight straight (technical) knockouts heading into the bout with Camozzi.

His UFC debut, however, makes me think that that streak had more to do with his level of opposition than with his own skill. While he displayed the freakish strength that earned him his nickname with nice ground and pound, he appeared to gas out late in the first and never demonstrated quality striking. In addition, for someone with purportedly-good Judo, his takedowns were awfully telegraphed.

While supposedly a high-level grappler, Kimmons is coming off a submission loss to UFC 127 "Submission of the Night" winner Kyle Noke and had lost in the same way to Dan Miller in his second UFC fight.

This one is hard to pick for the sole reason that, much as I want Yang to succeed for his association with Chan Sung Jung, he just hasn't impressed me and neither has Kimmons. I'll go with the one who can fight for more than one round; Kimmons by decision.

205 lbs.: Igor "The Duke" Pokrajac (22-8) vs. Todd "Bulldog" Brown (15-2)

A training partner of Croat GOAT Mirko Filipovic, Pokrajac's UFC career has resembled his famous associate's UFC stint more than his PRIDE days. He has lost three of his four fights with the organization, choking out imploding striker James Irvin in the midst of getting run over by Vladimir Matyushenko, James Te Huna and Stephan Bonnar.

Brown hasn't fared much better, losing his UFC debut to brawny Barbarian Tim Boetsch by decision. Aside from decent leg kicks, he showed very little in that fight, getting tagged easily by the slow punches of his opponent.

In addition, his only win of note before joining the UFC was over Rick Roufus, which would have been kind of impressive had it happened in The Jet's sport of choice (or at least before he turned 42).

As damning as a loss to Stephan Bonnar is in this day and age, at least Pokrajac has shown some modicum of skill. He'll get a TKO after two incredibly uneventful rounds.

185 lbs.: Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares (11-3) vs. Dave Branch (8-1)

Palhares was dangerously close to having an incredibly intriguing scrap with fellow Brazilian leglock specialist Alexandre Ferreira before tragedy and camp conflict struck Cacareco, forcing the UFC to scramble for a replacement.

They found Dave Branch, best known as (in Gerald Harris's words) "The Dude that got Slammed by the Dude who Slammed a Dude". Since his unwanted journey into countless fan-made UFC highlight reels, Branch has bounced back with decision wins over Palhares victim Tomasz Drwal and TUF alum Rich Attonito.

Since both are BJJ specialists, I am forced to turn to my time-honored mantra: "When selecting between two fighters with similar styles, pick the guy who's built like a refrigerator".

In all seriousness, Palhares is a monster who, barring a moment of profound idiocy like in the Marquardt fight, can give most of the middleweight division the worst day of their lives. Considering that Branch's go-to plan is an instant takedown, it's hard to imagine him winning.

The ease with which Palhares has dominated fellow grapplers and his unbelievable resiliency make for a fairly easy pick: Palhares by submission.

135 lbs.: Takeya Mizugaki (13-5) vs. Reuben Duran (7-2-1)

Refreshingly conscious after being on the receiving end of one of 2010's scarier "did he died?" moments at the hands of Urijah Faber, Mizugaki is looking to regain the form that got him into and through a title shot against Miguel Torres. He's had mixed success since that slugfest, beating Jeff Curran and world-ranked Rani Yahya while falling to Scott Jorgenson and Faber.

A skilled-if-not-overwhelming striker, Mizugaki is a tough matchup for most of the bantamweight division.

Duran, a UFC newcomer, has displayed solid speed and power in conjunction with a nasty guillotine in his relatively brief career, but Mizugaki will be his toughest opponent to date by a large margin. The Japanese dynamo is a legitimate top-10 bantamweight and should be looking to bounce back with a vengeance after the only submission loss of his career.

Look for him to pick apart the newbie on the feet and shrug off his grappling en route to a comfortable decision win.

That's a wrap.

Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC on Versus 3, beginning with the network telecast at 9 p.m. ET on March 3. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

We're still a couple of days away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions for "Sanchez vs. Kampmann" in the comments section below.

The floor is now yours, Maniacs.

News

In an email to UFC matchmaker Joe Silva (via MMA Weekly):

To: Joe Silva, Matchmaker Extraordinaire, Ultimate Fighting Championship
Re: Spitsbing & his tainted victory

Joe:

If you get a chance to talk with him, please mention to your idiot-in-residence Michael Spitsbing it’ll be a little tougher to knee ME in the head when I’m charging at him like a runaway train and mincing him through the fence like a boiled potato, should we ever have the pleasure of each other’s company for a few (VERY few) moments in the Octagon.

Oh; and I’d suggest to him being a little careful about spitting on any of MY cornermen, since any one of them can beat him up as badly as I can. Thanks ever so much. Hope all is well.

-Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) [Num. 2]
Loss Anderson Silva - Submission (Triangle Armbar) UFC 117
Win Nate Marquardt - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 109
Win Yushin Okami - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 104

Michael "The Count" Bisping (21-3) [Num. 9]
Win Jorge Rivera - TKO (Punches) UFC 127
Win Yoshihiro Akiyama - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 120
Win Dan Miller - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 114

News

Here we go again:

To: Joe Silva, Matchmaker Extraordinaire, Ultimate Fighting Championship 

Re: Spitsbing & his tainted victory

Joe:

If you get a chance to talk with him, please mention to your idiot-in-residence Michael Spitsbing it’ll be a little tougher to knee ME in the head when I’m charging at him like a runaway train and mincing him through the fence like a boiled potato, should we ever have the pleasure of each other’s company for a few (VERY few) moments in the Octagon.

Oh; and I’d suggest to him being a little careful about spitting on any of MY cornermen, since any one of them can beat him up as badly as I can.

Thanks ever so much. Hope all is well.

-Chael Sonnen

Step aside, Vitor Belfort. Former number one middleweight contender Chael Sonnen wants a piece of Michael Bisping, too, who is fresh off a second round technical knockout win over Jorge Rivera at UFC 127 this past weekend. “The Count” blew his top after the stoppage, unleashing all the anger that built up inside him leading up to the bout in Sydney, Australia. He even spit at (or on, depending on who you ask) his cornermen in his emotionally-charged post-fight celebration. Rivera pulled out all the trash-talking stops before the fight to get under the skin of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 light heavyweight winner. It apparently worked … sort of. Bisping is now facing disciplinary action as a result of his antics, but it will come from company president Dana White, meaning it will likely be a fine or a slap on the wrist to deter similar behavior. Sonnen, meanwhile, is still in limbo after his fight contract was frozen following a guilty plea to money laundering charges in Oregon. When he is fighting, Sonnen is among the best trash-talkers in the business. Would Bisping be able to handle his taunts, let alone his aggressive ground and pound approach, if the fight ever sees the light of day? Opinions, please.

News