Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[#98QBKiller]

Wand looks a little better IMO. He looked a little younger when he walked out with Maia, but he also looks like he's had a facelift or something. You can tell that he's had a lot of tissue removed because his face doesn't look quite as puffy. It will help with facial injuries during fights but I don't know if it will save him from KTFOs.

And....I found some goodies (some of them are oldies)

[#98QBKiller]

Randy back to 205?

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/couture-likes-light-heavyweight-19448

Probably not a bad idea. He had some success at HW when he first transitioned but the UFC's HW division has gotten a lot of larger guys since then. I think Randy's just too small to be totally competitive in that weight class.

Bas said on Inside MMA not too long ago that the sport needs a 230-235ish class because the difference in a 225 HW like Randy and a 265 HW like Brock or Carwin is just too much.

Randy Couture is looking to lighten his load.

The UFC Hall of Famer said he’s leaning toward dropping from heavyweight back down to the UFC’s light heavyweight division, where Couture clinched the title (and its interim version) on three separate occasions.

“Maybe this year, or maybe the first of next year,” said Couture of his next bout. “I haven’t really looked at the cards and the shows that they have. What’s on the schedule, I don’t know, but I’m especially leaning towards dropping down. I’m pushing in weight. It would be easy for me to make 205 and there’s more interesting fights there right now.”

The choice appears to be Couture’s to make. UFC President Dana White told reporters Saturday following UFC 102 that he’d welcome bouts for the 46-year-old legend in both divisions, though White made his preference clear.

“I’d love to see him at light heavyweight, but he proved he can hang with heavyweights,” said White. “He’s had probably the best fight against Brock Lesnar, other than Heath Herring, since Lesnar’s been in here. I think he’s a monster at light heavyweight. It’s up to him, to be honest with you. Whatever he wants to do, I’m in.”

Couture announced on Saturday that he’d renewed his contract with the UFC for seven bouts over 28 months. The new contract was drafted and signed hours before Couture’s 20th Octagon appearance, and included the Nogueira bout. Sources have indicated to Sherdog.com that Couture’s new deal pays him six times more per fight guaranteed up front, along with a percentage of the pay-per-view sales profit.

Couture would not comment on the figures.

“They’re taking care of me very well, and they have since I came back,” said Couture, who left the promotion for 11 months in 2007 over a contract dispute. “The pay-per-view deal that I had, with this last contract, was good and took care of me as well. I don’t have any complaints there.”

Couture weighed in at a relatively svelte 220 pounds for his bout with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira last Saturday at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore. Nogueira knocked Couture down in the first and third rounds and tied the veteran wrestler up with an array of submission attempts en route to a unanimous decision.

The move would be Couture’s third between the heavyweight division, where he began his career in 1997, and the 205-pound ranks. Couture, a three-time All-American for the famed Oklahoma State University, wrestled at 190 pounds and competed internationally at 198 pounds for 16 years.

A plethora of potential matchups await Couture in the division, from Keith Jardine to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to champion Lyoto Machida.

The decision might also ensure the four-time Olympic alternate never rematches Lesnar, who finished Couture with second-round ground strikes at UFC 91 last November to earn the heavyweight title in only his fourth career bout.

“I kind of got moved off that track losing the decision Saturday anyways,” said Couture. “I don’t know how realistic it is to think I’m going to be the guy in line to fight Lesnar after dropping the decision Saturday night.”

The only obstacle for Couture now might be his flourishing acting career.

Couture said he’s under consideration for two action film projects, either of which could materialize with an offer in the next couple for weeks.

“That would put me in work very quickly this month or next month,” said Couture.

In that scenario, Couture said he would aim to fight again in the beginning of 2010.

Couture also has a supporting role alongside action stars Jason Statham and Jet Li in Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables,” due out in April.

“It’s a constant juggling act with all the stuff that I’m doing, so I’ll have to get plenty of notice for fights and when I get a fight that comes on the radar that’s interesting, I shut everything else down for that nine or 10-week period,” said Couture. “Right now, none of the movie deals are inked, so I don’t know what’s going to be real and happen and what’s not.

“I realize at this stage in my career that I can’t fight forever, so it’s not logical for me to put the movie stuff on hold,” added Couture. “I have too many opportunities and options right now.”

Copyright © 2009, Sherdog.com - All rights reserved.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

[StillUnknown]

i think its only a matter of time before they create a 206-235lb division

seems like every HW dana signs nowadays is 250+

i'm not big on adding more weight classes, but 206-235 makes sense

[StillUnknown]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mighty-Morphin-Power-Ranger-morphs-into-an-MMA-f?urn=mma,186758

Jason David Frank, who was once a Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger, is now trying to use his super powers to turn into a mixed martial artist.

The former action star from the hit series

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" has officially made the move to mixed martial arts, and while training with UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, he hopes to make his real fighting experience as successful as he did on television.

Frank is hoping to fight as soon as possible.

"I was supposed to fight in 2007, but it fell through. In truth, I've wanted to put the work in until I'm ready," Frank said in an interview from the Suckerpunch website. "I know I have a target on my back. Everyone is going to want to beat up the Green Ranger."

And this is the moment where I weep for MMA.

Frank may just turn into a great fighter, though it's doubtful considering that he is 35 and worried about signing a management team before trying to schedule a fight. But this just furthers the notion that MMA is a fad, and can be used as a publicity stunt for someone with a flailing career. Considering that Frank's last acting job was a 2007 direct-to-video film called, "The Junior Defenders," he clearly needs a career boost.

At the same time, the beauty of MMA is that there is no hiding in the cage. When pretenders have tried it out in the past, they've been shown the floor of the cage, very quickly.

[#98QBKiller]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mighty-Morphin-Power-Ranger-morphs-into-an-MMA-f?urn=mma,186758

:laugh:

[TheGoodBits]

This kinda got on my nerves:

"But this just furthers the notion that MMA is a fad, and can be used as a publicity stunt for someone with a flailing career. Considering that Frank's last acting job was a 2007 direct-to-video film called, "The Junior Defenders," he clearly needs a career boost."

But this made it better:

"At the same time, the beauty of MMA is that there is no hiding in the cage. When pretenders have tried it out in the past, they've been shown the floor of the cage, very quickly."

Edited September 3, 2009 by skinsfan_1215

[#98QBKiller]

"At the same time, the beauty of MMA is that there is no hiding in the cage. When pretenders have tried it out in the past, they've been shown the floor of the cage, very quickly."

Very true.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

You guys oughta' read Sherdog's reply to that article, I'll find it in a second.

Here it is:

Over a thousand fights and sixteen years in the books without anything more serious than a punctured lung: think the UFC can ever get a break? OregonLive.com writer John Canzano watched in abject horror Saturday as combat athletes got banged up (gasp!), spit blood (good Lord!), and appeared to be “wobbling.” (This never happens in golf!)

Disruption of one’s equilibrium, Canzano concluded, is a harbinger of death. (Lesson? Do not ever get on a merry-go-round. Unless you want to die.)

“Someone is going to die in the Octagon someday,” he wrote. “We're headed straight there, and anyone who saw the damaging blows to the brains on Saturday, including UFC head Dana White, can't ever say they didn't see it coming.”

I sincerely hope Canzano walks to work, because the mortality rate for driving is substantially worse than it is for a mixed martial arts contest.

But wait -- there’s more! “The best moments for me came when I saw two skilled fighters, each too talented to get knocked out by the other, working against each other.” Yes, John. The absolute best thing for the neurons is to sustain dozens of blows to the head instead of one or two. Remind me to cancel the appointment with my neurologist and have a consultation with you instead.

I’ll give Canzano credit: unlike most Chicken Little critics, he actually sat down to watch a live event in its entirety before commenting. But in the end, it was probably unnecessary.

“I don't see any redeeming social value in smashing another man's face for entertainment. I don't see the athleticism through the violence. I don't see how we can turn a gladiator vs. gladiator event into anything more than an organized pay-per-view street fight.” This was Canzano, writing two days before the fight.

Intelligence isn’t really about the ability to understand a premise: it’s about how rapidly you can sift through it. If you give me a year to solve a complex math problem, I could probably handle it. But the smart guys can do it in a few minutes. That’s intelligence.

Give it another sixteen years, John. You’ll figure it out.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/oregon-writer-has-nervous-breakdown-over-ufc-102-19403

Edited September 3, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Word is Lesnar is jogging through snow for cardio.

[lovetoaster]

Per MMAJunkie, Swick is out of the Kampmann fight at UFC103. Paul Daley is in. That sucks, I was really looking forward to that fight.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16086/swick-out-at-ufc-103-daley-vs-kampmann-set-for-main-card-of-sept-19-event.mma

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Damn! I actually think Swick would pose a legit problem to GSP on the feet, however little time the fight would actually spend up there.

Kampmann is a good fighter, as is Daley, but I think both of them will clearly get the Alves/Fitch treatment.

[StillUnknown]

kampmann would be wise to get Daley to the ground immediately

daley is dynamite standing, but a fish out of water on the ground

[#98QBKiller]

Damn, so I wonder how they'll handle the title contention scenario now? It was supposed to be the winner of Swick/Kampmann...I imagine if Kampmann wins he could still be up for it but what if he gets beat?

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Damn, so I wonder how they'll handle the title contention scenario now? It was supposed to be the winner of Swick/Kampmann...I imagine if Kampmann wins he could still be up for it but what if he gets beat?

BJ Baby!!!! On the same card as Arlovski/Sylvia 4 and Shamrock/Ortiz 4!

I can see it now, UFC 108: Dry Paint

[#98QBKiller]

BJ Baby!!!! On the same card as Arlovski/Sylvia 4 and Shamrock/Ortiz 4!

I can see it now, UFC 108: Dry Paint

Don't forget Brandon Vera/Reese Andy II!!!!

[StillUnknown]

Don't forget Brandon Vera/Reese Andy II!!!!

i would stab my eyes with a rusty fork before i submit them to seeing that abomination again

[#98QBKiller]

That card was free and I was still pissed that I had to witness that fight.

[WALEOVECHKIN]

Rampage has dropped out of his UFC 107 bout v Rashad to film the new A-Team movie. Diego-Penn is the new main event

Source

[StillUnknown]

Rampage has dropped out of his UFC 107 bout v Rashad to film the new A-Team movie. Diego-Penn is the new main event

Source

dana's got to be pissed

rampage passed up (*cough* ducked *cough*) a shot to fight machida because he allegedly wanted to fight Rashad soooooo bad. the ufc builds on the rivalry letting them coach TUF, planned to bring back the UFC Primetime for the match, even went as far as to give rampage a homefield advantage by fighting in Memphis, and he backs out to do a movie that he will ruin.

*dana white* rampage doesn't want to be ****in' fighter *dana white*

on another note, Anderson is having elbow surgery and will not fight anymore this year

Edited September 5, 2009 by StillUnknown

[Sebowski]

dana's got to be pissed

rampage passed up (*cough* ducked *cough*) a shot to fight machida because he allegedly wanted to fight Rashad soooooo bad. the ufc builds on the rivalry letting them coach TUF, planned to bring back the UFC Primetime for the match, even went as far as to give rampage a homefield advantage by fighting in Memphis, and he backs out to do a movie that he will ruin.

*dana white* rampage doesn't want to be ****in' fighter *dana white*

on another note, Anderson is having elbow surgery and will not fight anymore this year

Dana is going to be super pissed about this.

lol at Rampage ruining the movie. I totally agree with you. They didn't have to go far to find someone that would actually do well in that roe. How about Kimbo Barraccus?

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Rampage looked relatively soft and weak against Jardine. All he does now is box, he only using his wrestling for defense, which is a huge dissapointment for me personally. I still laugh my ass off watching the Sakuraba fight. When you put it all in perspective, he came in to the UFC at just the right time. Knocking off Chuck in the twighlight of his career to get the belt was a gimme compared to the level of competition at LHW now.

Shogun could perhaps be returning to his old form, Machida is seemlingly untouchable, as is Anderson Silva. A lot of people think Rampage would lose to Rashad (including me), and as bad as Forrest looked against Anderson I think he'd still give Rampage trouble in a rematch.

When Rampage was champion we were hearing that "Houston Alexander is for real." Now we have fighters like Thiago Silva, Luis Cane and Lil' Nog in the picture. I'll just put it out there that I think Rampage is done as an elite fighter.

[StillUnknown]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Sylvia-finds-his-calling-in-latest-Friday-the-13?urn=mma,187398

After showing up as a sloppy, hairy 315-pound beast for his last fight, Tim Sylvia is a natural to be cast as a horror film monster. Fighters.com is reporting that he got a gig in the latest Friday the 13th movie. Yes, we're serious.

Sylvia has been a blogosphere punchline since he was knocked out in 10 seconds by 48-year-old Ray Mercer. He's a favorite of photoshoppers. We can't even imagine what comes now when MMA fans find out Sylvia is the latest Jason Vorhees.

Sylvia does have a return fight in less than three weeks on September 18 at Adrenaline MMA 4 in Iowa. The movie is filming in the Boston area. Here's hoping that filming is taking just a few hours a day and he's actually training for his fight against Jason Riley. Fighters.com says Sylvia is working with Boston-based trainer Mark DellaGrotte.

:doh:

[WALEOVECHKIN]

Proving yet again that at least some of the folks at UK tabloid The Sun are lying liars, MTV has confirmed that UFC champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has not been cast as B.A. Baracus in the coming big screen adaptation of "The A-Team." I'm not even going to link to the story, as these jokers don't deserve the traffic.

What I CAN tell you is that I reached out to Jackson's publicist who checked with the fighter's manager, as Jackson himself is currently on hiatus. The response? "His manager said it wasn't true." Move along people. There's absolutely nothing to see here.

Interesting, but then we have the story from earlier in the week where White confirmed that Rampage was heavily involved in the A-Team movie, Rampage on his twitter denied being in the movie...

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

The only reason he won't do the movie is if he's denied the part. It's sounds like they're trying to angle it like Rampage isn't interested. I'll tell you what, while you're practicing your lines in the mirror, Rampage, Rashad is training with Greg Jackson in his ear. Good luck at 107, if you're there.

[StillUnknown]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16115/matt-hamill-vs-jon-jones-expected-for-the-ultimate-fighter-10-finale-in-december.mma

A light heavyweight clash between fast-rising prospects Matt Hamill (7-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Jon Jones (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is expected to feature prominently at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in December.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that a bout between Jones and Hamill is currently in negotiations, and at least one fighter's camp says verbal agreements are in place.

The bout would be expected to serve in at least a co-main-event role for the Dec. 5 event in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on Spike TV.

Jones will be looking to continue his meteoric rise up the ranks of the UFC's 205-pound division. The undefeated youngster, just 22 years old, has earned wins over Jake O'Brien, Stephan Bonnar and Andre Gusmao in his first three octagon bouts.

Meanwhile, Hamill, a former cast member of "The Ultimate Fighter 3," will be looking to build on the strength of two-straight wins. Back-to-back impressive victories over Mark Munoz and Reese Andy have garnered the 32-year-old some well-deserved buzz, putting behind the sting of a September 2008 loss to Rich Franklin.

Hamill had been expected to fight at UFC 102, but a knee injury suffered in training forced "The Hammer" out of a planned bout with Brandon Vera.

good matchup