MMA FanHouse

Dan Henderson Says He Has Not Signed With Strikeforce Yet

Ariel Helwani — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:24:00 EST

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. -- Dan Henderson is in town to corner Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in his fight against Gegard Mousasi on Saturday night, but the free agent told FanHouse on Friday that he will also talk to Strikeforce officials about possibly fighting for their organization in the near future.

Henderson refuted a recent Yahoo! Sports report which stated he had already signed with Strikeforce and also said that he has not closed the door on re-signing with the UFC. Check out the video interview below.

Shot and edited by E. Casey Leydon.

Dan Henderson Says He Has Not Signed With Strikeforce Yet originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Luke Rockhold Beats Jesse Taylor at Strikeforce Challengers

Michael David Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:51:00 EST

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce

Jesse Taylor, the former Ultimate Fighter cast member who was kicked off the show for misbehavior and dropped by the UFC after a loss in the Octagon, suffered another setback in losing to Luke Rockhold on a Strikeforce Challengers Series card in Fresno Friday night.

Taylor, a former wrestler, immediately shot for a takedown and kept working for it until he finally got Rockhold on his back a little over a minute into the first round. But going to the ground turned out to be a mistake: Rockhold showed superior Brazilian jiu jitsu skills, getting Taylor's back, controlling him with a body triangle, and making him tap with a rear-naked choke.

It was a solid showing for Rockhold, who is now 6-1 in his professional MMA career, with all six wins coming by submission. He's a rising star in the middleweight division, a division in which Strikeforce is developing some strong talent.

As for Taylor, he deserves credit for staying in shape -- he appears to be in better condition than he was on The Ultimate Fighter -- and for staying active, as this was his eighth fight of 2009. But after winning his first six fights of the year, Taylor has now lost two in a row since signing with Strikeforce. With the loss, Taylor falls to 13-5, with four losses by submission. Taylor has enough of a recognizable name that Strikeforce will keep him around, but he has a lot of work to do before he can be considered a complete mixed martial artist.

Luke Rockhold Beats Jesse Taylor at Strikeforce Challengers originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Georges St.-Pierre 100 Percent, Plans to Fight in March or April

Michael David Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:55:00 EST

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC

UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre says the abductor muscle he tore at UFC 100 is completely healed, and he's expecting to fight again in March or April.

"My abductor muscle is pretty much 100 percent now," he says. "I'm back in training and I'm just waiting to see who will be next. ... They haven't told me any date yet, but maybe around March, April, we'll see how it goes."

The UFC has said St. Pierre will defend his title against the winner of next weekend's UFC 105 bout between Mike Swick and Dan Hardy, and St. Pierre said, "Whoever wins the fight, whoever deserves the title shot, I'll be glad to fight him. They're both extremely dangerous fighters so I'll have to be well prepared to fight these guys."

It seems to me that if St. Pierre is already 100 percent, the UFC will want him to fight sooner than March or April. Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is sick, middleweight champion Anderson Silva has an elbow injury and light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida has a hand injury. Can the UFC really afford to keep a champion who's completely healthy on the shelf for that long?

Other notes from the GSP interview:
-- He thinks Shogun Rua deserved to beat Machida at UFC 104.
-- He doesn't plan to watch Saturday night's Strikeforce event: "I don't really watch MMA when I'm not involved in it and when one of my friends is not fighting."
-- He supports Lesnar's decision to pull out of his fight with Shane Carwin if he's not completely healthy.

Georges St.-Pierre 100 Percent, Plans to Fight in March or April originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephan Bonnar: UFC Has Become More Understanding About Injuries

Michael David Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:07:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

The UFC currently has four of its five champions sitting out with either injuries or illness, leading some to wonder whether the promotion has been cursed this fall. But Stephan Bonnar said this week on ESPN's MMA Live that it's not a curse, but a change of attitude within the UFC: According to Bonnar, the UFC brass has started showing more sympathy when its top fighters say they can't go.

"The stakes are higher, they have a lot more depth in the UFC to call in other fighters, and the UFC is more forgiving about injuries," Bonnar said. "A couple of years ago, you'd say, 'I'm injured, I can't fight' and they'd say, 'Well, if you value your job in the UFC, you'll step up and fight.' But if you're a champion and you know you're not going to be 100 percent, nowadays there's too much at stake. you don't have to suck it up anymore. They're more understanding. They'll get another big fight to fill out the card. And I think that's what's going on, because Brock Lesnar pulled out with the flu -- no one pulls out with the flu!"

Lesnar's illness is reportedly mononucleosis, not the flu, but I think there's a lot of truth to Bonnar's larger point: Lesnar is so valuable to the UFC that there's no way they're going to press him into action when he's less than 100%. On the other hand, fighters are often less than 100%, and if they're not going to perform at less than 100%, that means they're not going to perform as often as the UFC would like. The UFC can't be happy that Lesnar will fight only once in 2009, but they're not going to tell him to fight if he says he's not ready.

Stephan Bonnar: UFC Has Become More Understanding About Injuries originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Georges St. Pierre Signs Endorsement Deal With Under Armour

Mike Chiappetta — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

Barriers are not always smashed with a sledgehammer. Sometimes they're chiseled away a little at a time.

A case in point is MMA's move to mainstream acceptance, which has occurred in bits and pieces. The latest step forward comes courtesy of welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with top-selling athletic brand Under Armour.

GSP will serve as the face of the company's underwear line and also be one of a handful of athletes the company uses to push its ColdGear and Recharge lines. He will be featured prominently in Under Armour's upcoming holiday season media campaign, including ads in sporting goods retailers across North America.

"It is quite an honor for me to represent Under Armour," St. Pierre said in a statement announcing the deal. "I have always appreciated the quality of their products, and to be partners with them is a dream come true."

The Under Armour stable of athletes includes NFL stars Ray Lewis and Brandon Jacobs, baseball All-Stars Ryan Zimmerman and Alfonso Soriano, and Olympians Lindsey Vonn and Lindsey Jacobellis, among others.

St. Pierre becomes the second MMA athlete to sign with a mainstream U.S. sporting goods manufacturer. UFC middleweight Nate Quarry inked a deal with And1 in October 2008.

In August, St. Pierre's manager Shari Spencer told FanHouse that she was working on a deal with a "bigger than the sport" company, and Under Armour certainly qualifies, with over $700 million in revenues last year. The company has been one of the fastest growing in its category.

The move could draw the attention of rivals Nike and adidas, both of whom closely monitor the cutting-edge Maryland company.

St. Pierre, who defeated Thiago Alves in his last match, is expected to return to action in early 2010 after recovering from a groin injury. GSP also has an endorsement deal with Gatorade.

Georges St. Pierre Signs Endorsement Deal With Under Armour originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin Off UFC 108

Ray Hui — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:41:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

The plan to reschedule the UFC heavyweight championship bout between champ Brock Lesnar and challenger Shane Carwin at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 has been nixed.

Carwin (11-0) was informed Wednesday evening by the UFC through his manager that the illness that caused Lesnar (4-1) to withdraw last week from their UFC 106 main event on Nov. 21 has persisted, rendering the champ unfit to train for a Jan. 2 fight as well.

"Guys my manager Jason Genet just told me that UFC 108 is not happening," Carwin wrote on his blog. "Brock has mono(nucleosis) and what the UFC has told me is that I have earned the title shot but I have to wait for the title holder."

The two heavyweights had been issued bout agreements for the UFC 108 date happening at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

When reached for comment, UFC president Dana White told Yahoo! Sports that mononucleosis will prevent Lesnar from training for at least a month and possibly up to six weeks.

According to WebMD, mononucleosis "is a common viral illness that can leave you feeling tired and weak for weeks or months. Mono goes away on its own, but lots of rest and good self-care can help you feel better."

White said he is still figuring out if Carwin will fight someone else in the meantime or if he'll have the undefeated heavyweight wait until Lesnar is ready.

Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin Off UFC 108 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MMA Hour: Michael Bisping on UFC 105; Gus Johnson Previews Strikeforce

Ariel Helwani — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:50:00 EST

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

On this week's edition of The MMA Hour, we were first joined by UFC middleweight star Michael Bisping. "The Count" who is gearing up for his fight against Denis Kang at UFC 105 on Nov. 14, talked about putting his recent knockout loss to Dan Henderson behind him and why so many fighters and fans love to hate him.

Later in the show, we talked to play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, who will be calling Saturday night's Strikeforce card on CBS. Johnson discussed MMA's rise in popularity and whether Fedor Emelianenko can become a star in the United States. MDS and I also previewed some of the storylines heading into Saturday's event. Listen to the show below.

[Subscribe to the audio on iTunes. Download the MP3 directly from our feed]

The MMA Hour: Michael Bisping on UFC 105; Gus Johnson Previews Strikeforce originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Football Is Over, but Marcus Jones Is Still a Draft Pick Hoping to Make It

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

Sneak Peek: Last Hope | UFC | SPIKE.com

Not many players from the 1996 NFL draft are still in the league, but one of that year's picks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Marcus Jones, is still a professional athlete: Jones is trying his hand in MMA, and his first fight on The Ultimate Fighter will air Wednesday night on Spike.

Jones was a first-round draft pick in 1996 and had a solid if unspectacular career, finishing eighth in the NFL in sacks in 2000. Now he views himself as simply a draft pick -- drafted by coach Rampage Jackson -- who's trying to make it.

Will he make it in MMA? It won't be easy being a 36-year-old UFC rookie, but he certainly has the athletic talent, and he says he's been working hard on his Brazilian jiu jitsu skills. My full interview with Jones is here, and I found him to be a likable and engaging guy. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in the Octagon.

Football Is Over, but Marcus Jones Is Still a Draft Pick Hoping to Make It originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC 105 Video: Mike Swick Shows Off His Workouts, Promotes His Fight

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC

The latest MMA fighter to use YouTube to promote himself is Mike Swick, who's doing a series of video blogs to promote his UFC 105 fight with Dan Hardy. The first one is above.

The video is fairly interesting: We learn that Swick is serious enough about getting proper nutrition that he drinks some kind of disgusting green concoction because it's good for him, and we get to see Swick doing a workout where he alternates between one minute on a stationary bike and one minute doing circuit drills like mitt work, ropes or hitting bags.

But what I really want to mention about this is how easy it all is, and how crazy it is that upstart promotions don't have their fighters do the same thing: All you have to do is have somebody at your gym follow you along with a camera and upload the best footage to YouTube, and presto: You've got a promotional video that 10,000 or so MMA fans will watch.

It's been surprising to me that over the last few weeks, we haven't seen more of this from Strikeforce fighters. I think CBS has done a pretty good job of promoting its Saturday night main event of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers, but why haven't we seen a Sokoudjou video blog or an Antonio Silva video blog? There are a lot of good fighters on the upcominig Strikeforce show, and not all of them are being promoted. Those fighters could learn a thing or two from Swick.

UFC 105 Video: Mike Swick Shows Off His Workouts, Promotes His Fight originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Roundtable: Will Fedor Ever Be a Major Star in the US?

Ariel Helwani — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce

Heading into a busy next few weeks with Strikeforce's CBS debut this Saturday, and back-to-back UFC Saturdays beginning the following weekend, SI.com's Ben Fowlkes and I discuss the hot topics coming from those events.

We break down CBS' promotion of the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers card, the probable best fight of the month, UFC 106 and whether Fedor will ever be a major star in America.

Check it out below.

What do you think of the way Strikeforce and CBS have promoted Saturday night's event?

Ariel Helwani: The big question I had leading into Saturday night's Strikeforce on CBS show was not whether Brett Rogers could hang with Fedor Emelianenko, but what kind of job CBS and Showtime would do in promoting the fights on the card to the masses.The powers that be need to realize that while boxing promoters only focus on selling one fight on the card to the masses, most MMA fans are as interested in watching the fourth fight on the card as they are in seeing the main event.
-- FanHouse's Ariel Helwani

A few days before the event, I can honestly say that they have done a solid job in getting the word out about Emelianenko and Rogers. Fight Camp 360, the YouTube clips, the CBS ads, it's all been great. But what about the rest of the card? The powers that be need to realize that while boxing promoters only focus on selling one fight on the card to the masses, most MMA fans are as interested in watching the fourth fight on the card as they are in seeing the main event.

This will mark Jake Shields' third fight on CBS; Gegard Mousasi is considered one of the best young light heavyweights in the world; oh, and I heard Jason "Mayhem" Miller has some kind of popular show on MTV. I understand that there is only so much time the network can devote to promoting an event, and we all know both Emelianenko and Rogers needed all the buzz they can get, but I would have liked to see a little more done to let the world know that there are other top-level fighters competing on this card.

Ben Fowlkes: You're right, there is only so much time the network can spend hyping this event, so it only makes sense that they'd choose to spend that time on the main event. Part of that is because, probably due to the influence of boxing, as you mentioned, this is how they're programmed. But part of it is because they're smart enough to realize that they have a better chance of selling this to the general public if they focus on reminding them that this is a chance to see some of this MMA stuff the kids these days are so crazy about, and oh, by the way, this Fedor guy will be there too. They just don't have time after all that to talk about "Mayhem" Miller and Gegard Mousasi.

Fortunately for them, Miller has done much of the work himself, but Mousasi's still a problem. He's not terribly accessible to the media, and there's no reason to think this fight will be any more competitive than his assault on "Babalu" Sobral was. Yes, he's exciting and has a ton of potential. But if he's not fighting anyone who can really push him, it's not surprising that no one is talking about it.

What will be the best fight of the month?

Fowlkes: From a purely competitive standpoint, I think Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera at UFC 105 will give us the most bang for our buck, and that's only partially because it will be free on Spike TV. For one thing, when's the last time Couture was in a boring fight? The guy is closing in on fifty and still he can push the pace and keep coming forward for three rounds. Vera has the appropriate amount of respect for the former champ, but if anybody could use a big win to prove that he's more than just unfulfilled potential, it's Vera. I could see this going either way, but I can't see it being anything other than a very fun fight to watch.

That said, I put the UFC 106 bout between Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson as a close second. I've been waiting to see "Rumble" jump up to that next level of competition for a while now, and Koscheck is the kind of guy who can let you know in a very rude fashion if you don't belong in the upper echelon of the division. Depending on how good Johnson's takedown defense is, it could be a slow-paced ground battle, or it could be quick and furious. Either way, I'm eager to see what happens.

Helwani: Clearly, November is one of the most stacked months in recent history, which means there are plenty of great fights to choose from. But I have to give the nod to the Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo fight for the WEC featherweight title on Nov. 18, as the one which will be the most exciting.

Aldo has yet to produce a boring fight since joining WEC in 2008, and his post-fight celebrations are some of the best in the sport (remember when he ran into the stands in January?). His 8-second victory over Cub Swanson in June was one of the most impressive finishes I have ever seen, but things won't be as easy when he faces Brown, who I consider to be the 2009 MMA fighter of the year. Nov. 18 can't come soon enough.

Will Fedor Emelianenko ever be a major star in the U.S.?

Helwani: Let's put aside the fact that MMA hasn't even hit mainstream yet. As a sports fan that grew up in Canada, I have always felt that Americans related to homegrown athletes a little more. That's why I believe soccer and hockey have never enjoyed the same kind of popularity as football, baseball or basketball.

But UFC president Dana White often brings up the point that MMA fans aren't like the rest of the sports world, as they will cheer for a French Canadian or a Brazilian fighter competing in Las Vegas just as much as any American fighter on the card.

So if Emelianenko racks up a few more impressive wins on American soil, and if Strikeforce, CBS and Showtime do a good enough job of getting the word out before and after his fights, I don't see why he can't also earn the title of the most popular fighter in MMA.

Fowlkes: Naturally fans want to see fighters who they identify with, but the thing that's standing between Fedor and star status isn't nationality or even language. The real barrier is Fedor himself. He really doesn't want to be a star. It doesn't mean anything to him. That's why he does the bare minimum in terms of press and appearances. That's why he hasn't made it a priority to become a fluent speaker of English. He's fine with his celebrity status just the way it is, which is actually very refreshing, if not downright unheard of.

It's interesting to watch the various attempts at marketing Fedor to an American audience. There's this tendency to try and make his reclusiveness into an asset rather than a hindrance. They play up the mystery around him, asking 'Do you know who I am?' or sometimes just promising 'Fedor will return.' But if you're an American who is at all inclined toward MMA or combat sports in general, you've probably at least heard of Fedor by now. The only people who have no idea who the guy is either don't care about watching two grown men fight each other or don't have much access to media in general.

If Fedor wanted to be a huge star in the U.S., he would be. He would have signed with the UFC and he'd be on T-shirts in every mall in America by now. But if he doesn't care about that - and he very clearly doesn't - I don't see why we should.

With the Lesnar/Carwin bout pulled from UFC 106 due to illness, that event is now being headline by Forrest Griffin/Tito Ortiz II. Is this a case of the UFC making the best of a bad situation, or could this be a main event-worthy fight?

Fowlkes: But make no mistake, when the UFC promises Lesnar and Carwin and ends up delivering Ortiz and Griffin, they've already resigned themselves to seeing a lot of disappointed faces on fight night.
-- SI.com's Ben FowlkesIt's not the best of a bad situation; it's the best of a horrible situation. UFC 106 went from being a guaranteed blockbuster to being the kind of event that makes people pay closer attention to that "card subject to change" disclaimer before buying tickets. Lesnar is probably the UFC's biggest and most consistent draw right now. There's no way the UFC can lose him a month out from the fight and have any hope of finding a replacement that will placate fans. So they punted. They promoted Ortiz/Griffin II to main event status, and added Johnson/Koscheck as a consolation prize.

The Griffin/Ortiz rematch could turn out to be a pretty fun little scrap. They definitely both have something to prove, and if nothing else I'm curious to see Tito's t-shirt slogan for his first fight back. But make no mistake, when the UFC promises Lesnar and Carwin and ends up delivering Ortiz and Griffin, they've already resigned themselves to seeing a lot of disappointed faces on fight night.

Helwani: Sure, Ortiz vs. Griffin II isn't an ideal main event at this stage of their respective careers, but I think it is definitely worthy of headlining a card. From a promotional standpoint, the UFC can build up the return of the controversial Ortiz after an 18-month layoff, while also playing up the fact that Griffin is at a crossroads in his career after losing the title to Rashad Evans in December and his forgettable performance against Anderson Silva in August. In other words, there are enough compelling storylines heading into this bout that features two of the most popular fighters in UFC history. I've seen worse scenarios.

Plus, let's not forget that had Mark Coleman not recently pulled out of his fight against Ortiz, he would have been main eventing this card against "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy." Nothing against Coleman, but I like Ortiz vs. Griffin II in this spot a lot more.

Check out more MMA/boxing on SI.com.

MMA Roundtable: Will Fedor Ever Be a Major Star in the US? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Todd Duffee Withdraws from UFC 107

Ray Hui — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:15:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

Unbeaten heavyweight sensation Todd Duffee has suffered an undisclosed injury and has been forced to pull out of his fight against former UFC and Strikeforce title challenger Paul Buentello at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

"[Withdrawing] was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make," the American Top Team fighter told Sherdog.com.

Making his debut for the UFC at UFC 102 in August, Duffee (6-0) scored the quickest knockout in the promotion's history by finishing Canadian Tim Hague in seven seconds.

Buentello (27-10) won his last two fights defeating Gary Goodridge and Kirill Sidelnikov on Affliction cards. Buentello, who went 3-1 for the UFC in 2005-2006, will likely still make his Octagon return on the card. Buentello relayed Mike Russow and Stefan Struve to Sherdog.com as possible replacements.

Todd Duffee Withdraws from UFC 107 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC 105 Video: Randy Couture on 'Solving the Problem, Solving the Puzzle'

Michael David Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC

The referee Big John McCarthy once described Randy Couture as the most mentally impressive athlete in the history of MMA. The way Couture talks about his preparation for his UFC 105 fight with Brandon Vera explains why Couture has always excelled at the mental aspect of the sport.

"The enjoyable part for me is solving the problem, solving the puzzle," Couture says. "It's always kind of been what's intrigued me about this sport -- solving the equation. Seeing each and every opponent as a problem, he poses different things, different strengths and weaknesses and figuring out how I match up with that and what's going to put me in the right places to overcome him."

Couture says that as he watches Vera, he knows the way to solve that problem is "make Brandon wrestle." And he says he hopes beating Vera is a step toward solving the ultimate puzzle of the light heavyweight division, Lyoto Machida.

"A title run is solving a string of problems. Right now the best guy in the weight class is Lyoto," Couture says. "Brandon is definitely a step in that direction."

UFC 105 Video: Randy Couture on 'Solving the Problem, Solving the Puzzle' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC Makes 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane, Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce Official

Ray Hui — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:41:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

The UFC has finally announced Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira's promotional debut at UFC 106 on Nov. 21 against Luiz Cane as well as Mike Pierce as Jon Fitch's new opponent at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

Rogerio Nogueira (17-3), the twin brother of former UFC heavyweight champion Rodrigo Nogueira, is a top 10 light heavyweight who is entering an already stacked 205-pound division in the UFC. He'll be welcomed to the Octagon by rising contender Luiz Cane (11-1-1), who has already compiled three UFC wins.

The wrestler Pierce (9-1) won his UFC debut in September against Brock Larson and faces an even tougher opponent in former title challenger Fitch (19-3), who was slated to face contenders Ricardo Almeida and Thiago Alves before both bowed out due to injury. In Pierce, Fitch is put in the same situation as his last fight against Paulo Thiago, taking on an opponent coming off a name-making UFC debut.

Both fights are scheduled to be televised on pay-per-view in their respective events.

UFC 106:

Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson
Karo Parisyan vs. Dustin Hazelett
Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni
Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis
Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson
George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent
Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno (Not yet announced)
Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

UFC 107:

BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez
Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo
Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce
Paul Buentello vs. Todd Duffee
Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson
Johny Hendricks vs. Ricardo Funch
Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares
DeMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant

UFC Makes 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane, Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce Official originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC 105 Video: Brandon Vera Says He's in the Best Shape of His Career

Michael David Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:45:00 EST

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC

As he prepares to fight Randy Couture on November 14 at UFC 105, Brandon Vera says he's in the best shape of his career.

"My coaches are saying, 'You've got one more round.' My body's like, 'No, three more. Let's do three more before we call it a day,'" Vera says. "I don't know why it's happening, but I'm just riding with it."

No one denies that Vera is extremely talented, but there have been times when I've thought he looked like his preparation was less than stellar. I interviewed Vera on Monday, and he sounded like fighting Couture in what will surely be the most-watched fight of his career has motivated him to prepare like never before.

"He's going to bring out every ounce of what I've got," Vera says. "You're going to see everything on November 14."

UFC 105 Video: Brandon Vera Says He's in the Best Shape of His Career originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Miller Talks Recent Loss, Potential Demian Maia Fight, MMA in New York

Ariel Helwani — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:44:00 EST

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

Middleweight fighter Dan Miller suffered the first loss of his UFC career when he dropped a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen at UFC 98 in May. His road back to title contention won't get any easier if he ends up facing Demian Maia at UFC 109 in February 2010, as has been reported by several media outlets already.

FanHouse recently spoke to Miller about the possibility of facing Maia next year, what went wrong against Sonnen, and his desire to fight in Madison Square Garden. The video interview is below.

Shot and edited for FanHouse by E. Casey Leydon.

Dan Miller Talks Recent Loss, Potential Demian Maia Fight, MMA in New York originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC 105 Videos: Can Dan Hardy Live Up to the Hype?

Michael David Smith — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:35:00 EST

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC

Dan Hardy is a fighter the UFC wants to make into a star, and so he's the subject of the latest series of UFC video blogs (Part 1 above, Part 2 below). On November 14 at UFC 105, he'll fight Mike Swick and get the chance to show whether his fighting skills warrant the promotion he's getting.

Hardy is a charismatic, likable guy, he has an exciting fighting style, and he's from England, where the UFC is working hard to build its audience. That's why the UFC is promoting him, and why the UFC will likely give him the next shot at welterweight champion Georges St Pierre if he beats Swick.

But is he good enough? I'm not sure. Hardy is a good striker, and when I've interviewed him I've come away impressed with how seriously he takes his preparation: He studies tape so obsessively that before he steps into the Octagon he can basically give you a complete play-by-play of his opponent's previous fights.

And yet Hardy still has a lot of work to do, especially with his wrestling and Brazilian jiu jitsu skills, and I think if he does earn a title shot, GSP is just going to take him down and dominate him on the ground. I don't blame the UFC for promoting the 27-year-old Hardy as a future star of the welterweight division, but I don't think he's ready to be a No. 1 contender just yet.

UFC 105 Videos: Can Dan Hardy Live Up to the Hype? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'TUF 10's' Zak Jensen Facing Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Ray Hui — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:35:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

The Ultimate Fighter 10 heavyweight Zak Jensen is facing a wrongful death lawsuit involving the death of a Minnesota college student on a spring break trip in March to Mexico.

Minnesota's Stillwater Gazette is reporting that the family of the student, alleging that the student died during an altercation with Jensen, filed a suit Thursday against Jensen, Jason Jones and company Sterling Systems.

Jensen was on the trip as a bodyguard for Jason Jones' daughter Ashley, a friend of the college student. Ashley Jones and Jensen were allegedly in the same room with the student during the death of the student in a bathroom at the Sheraton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta.

According to KSTP TV, the lawsuit states that Jensen told a hotel worker that he acted in self defense, and that an autopsy revealed that the student had wounds on his face and choked on his own vomit.

The 26-year-old Jensen (7-3), selected on the show as a member of Team Rampage, succumbed to a triangle choke by Darrill Shoonover during week six of The Ultimate Fighter 10.

'TUF 10's' Zak Jensen Facing Wrongful Death Lawsuit originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Twitter Roundtable: CBS Show Better Than UFC Pay-Per-Views?

Michael David Smith — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, M-1 Global

I got an e-mail from an MMA fan Friday saying that he thinks the Strikeforce/M-1 Global fight card that will be shown for free on CBS next weekend is actually a better card than any of the UFC pay-per-views of the latter part of 2009, from UFC 102 on August 29 all the way through UFC 107 on December 12.

Obviously, that's not what we'd expect: The UFC is the world's foremost MMA organization, so you'd think they'd be putting on the best fight cards, and, aside from that, we're conditioned to assume that something we have to pay $50 for is going to be a better product than something we get for free. But is it true in this case? I asked my MMA Twitter followers what they thought, and you can consider what's below sort of a roundtable discussion on the subject.

First, the voices of three good MMA writers, siding with Strikeforce:
savsci: By far...UFC 102-107 have been and/or look pretty weak. SF has Fedor, Shields and Mousasi and trumps any recent UFC lineup.
WatchKalibRun: hard to disagree with that statement.
DanWetzel: Strikeforce card is better than most recent UFC cards. Tough for UFC injuries/illness to 3 champs GSP, Silva, Lesnar
I can't disagree with any of this, and I think Dan Wetzel makes a very good point about the run of bad luck the UFC has had, with champions Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva nursing injuries and Brock Lesnar injured. Throw in Rampage Jackson walking away, and the UFC has taken some big hits over the last few months.

But are the Strikeforce fights competitive enough?

MMAConvert: Hard to say, SF has more star power (lack of a better term) up and down the card, but 3 of the fights are fairly one-sided
munche: The CBS card is better than a low level UFC, but the lack of competitive fights dampens the star power aspect.
The odds say three of the four fights on the CBS card are mismatches, with Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi and Jake Shields all heavily favored. Of course, they're no bigger favorites than Lyoto Machida was against Shogun Rua.

A lot of fans think Strikeforce needs a deeper roster before its cards can compare with the top UFC cards.
OrangeChuck: I like Strikeforce and the 11/7 main event has great potential/good card but top to bottom of the card, I can't say that.
This is an important point in the UFC's favor: The UFC's roster is deep enough that they can put five fights live on pay-per-view and two fights live on Spike, and the fans at home are still hoping they'll get to watch a couple of the preliminary fights on tape delay. Strikeforce cards aren't that deep: The CBS card has four really good fights, but nothing close to the kind of top-to-bottom talent that the UFC has, when the non-televised undercard is included.

BonelessThurs: It's unfair to compare it to any of those cards, cuz it's their premier card. It's only fair to compare it to UFC 100. That being said, you could argue it's better than those cards, but certainly not as good a card as UFC 100.
The question was whether the CBS show is better than UFCs 102-107. I haven't heard anyone argue that it's a better card than UFC 100.

MMASupremacy: Absolutely agreed. Factor in that Fedor vs Rogers will be free on CBS and the best fighter in the world is on it.
There's just something special about having the heavyweight champion of the world on a fight card, and in MMA, that's not Brock Lesnar. It's Fedor.

DanPirozzi: I kind of agree, although, i don't think UFC 107 isn't getting credit, it's a pretty good card
ksconroy55: DISAGREE! 107 is stacked! UFC 105 has high quality fighters!
I loved the UFC 107 card before this morning's news that Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch is off. Now I'd say it's a good pay-per-view card but not a great one. UFC 105 is good by Spike TV standards, but not by pay-per-view standards.

WabKinew: I really doubt it can top the main event of 102. That fight alone made that card a classic
gimpshot: Agreed. The last few UFC PPVs have been a mild letdown.
gx5: It has the big names, but i thought the quality of fights was outstanding at UFC 104.
I thought UFC 104 was a decent show, UFC 103 was a bit disappointing, and the main event at UFC 102 was one of the best fights of the year. We'll have to wait until after the CBS show before we can say whether the quality of the fights was as good.

tehzio: It's much easier to have deeper cards when you don't put one out every 4 weeks. Also they needed to stack this card for CBS.
mmarocks_pl: It's true, but it is also easier to do one stacked 4-fight card 3 months from your last major show
aredub: I may agree but what will they do after. Putting together one sweet card, they won't have anything left to do after that.
No one is suggesting that Strikeforce is capable of putting on a card that's better than a UFC pay-per-view every month. But to say Strikeforce "won't have anything" after the November 7 show misses the mark. The Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers winner against the Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Silva winner would be a great fight next year, as would either of those winners against Alistair Overeem.

dustinriddell: I think that the one CBS card is beter than the one UFC card but if Fedor loses or gets injured it's back to the UFC. I wonder if Strikeforce has prepaired themselves beter than eliteXC did with thier biggest star possibly losing.
This is an interesting issue: Do Strikeforce and CBS need Fedor to win? I'm not so sure that they do. I think a Brett Rogers upset would still give them a heavyweight champion they can promote going forward. And it's not like one loss instantly makes Fedor irrelevant. A Rogers upset would be a shock, but it wouldn't do to Strikeforce what Seth Petruzelli beating Kimbo Slice did to EliteXC.

Bauzen: I think bang-for-your-buck, it's Nov. 7th card is a great deal.
No doubt about that. You can't beat the price of free.

Want to be part of our next MMA Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter.com, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.

MMA Twitter Roundtable: CBS Show Better Than UFC Pay-Per-Views? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kurt Pellegrino Injures Back, Forced to Withdraw from Frankie Edgar Fight

Ariel Helwani — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:27:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

UFC lightweight fighter Frankie Edgar tweeted on Friday that his Dec. 5 fight against Kurt Pellegrino has been scrapped.

FanHouse has learned from sources close to the bout that "Batman" has three herniated discs in his back. Pellegrino, who is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory against Josh Neer at UFC 101, has been ordered by his doctor to rest for at least three weeks.

Edgar is still expected to compete on The Ultimate Fighter Finale show. FanHouse has also learned that Matt Veach, who was scheduled to fight Mark Bocek on the undercard of the event, is currently the leading candidate to replace Pellegrino against Edgar, however, new bout agreements have not been issued or signed just yet.

The show will be headlined by Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones, and will also feature the finals of the current season of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.

The event airs live on Spike TV on Dec. 5.

Kurt Pellegrino Injures Back, Forced to Withdraw from Frankie Edgar Fight originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thiago Alves Out of UFC 107

Ariel Helwani — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:19:00 EST

Filed under: UFC

A knee injury has forced welterweight Thiago Alves to pull out of his scheduled bout against Jon Fitch at UFC 107. FanHouse learned of the news Friday morning.

The Alves-Fitch fight was put together late last week after Fitch's opponent at UFC 106, Ricardo Almeida, pulled out due to a knee injury as well. Alves was originally scheduled to fight Paulo Thiago at UFC 107, but once Fitch was left without an opponent, the UFC booked the rematch. No word just yet on who, if anyone, Fitch will be facing on the Dec. 12 show in Memphis, TN.

Alves suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament while training. According to Alves' manager Dan Lambert, Alves will be out 3-to-4 weeks, and will be ready to fight on any show after Jan. 1. Lambert mentioned that Alves was ready and willing to keep the fight despite the injury, but his management team at American Top Team in Florida felt that it was in his best interest to sit this one out.

Fitch defeated Alves via second-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 5 in June 2006.

Below is a look at the updated UFC 107 card:

Main Card
B.J. Penn (c) vs. Diego Sanchez -- UFC lightweight title
Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir
Jon Fitch vs. TBD
Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
Paul Buentello vs. Todd Duffee

Preliminary Card:
Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
Shane Nelson vs. Matt Wiman
Ricardo Funch vs. Johny Hendricks
Lucio Linhares vs. Rousimar Palhares
Edgar Garcia vs. DaMarques Johnson
Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant

Thiago Alves Out of UFC 107 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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