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Diaz Vs Condit Trailer (UFC 143) - Full HD

2012-02-01T23:41:00.000-08:00

Countdown to UFC 141 Lesnar vs Overeem 720p

2011-12-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS SALE!!

2011-12-05T16:47:00.001-08:00

Spreading the Christmas Cheer!!

BJ PENN CAMP EP 1 FINAL THE ROAD TO UFC 137

2011-10-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

BJ PENN THE ROAD EP 2 THE ROAD TO UFC 137

2011-10-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

UFC 137: Extended Preview GSP vs Condit!!

2011-10-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

Just a little insight on why John Jones is a beast! Espn Breaks him down.

2011-09-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

A good read from Fox Sports on the UFC/ Fox Deal.

2011-08-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

A good read from Fox Sports on the UFC/ Fox Deal.

Fighters could benefit most from Fox deal

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! SportsAug 18, 7:52 pm EDT

Dana White was the biggest winner Thursday when he fulfilled a long-time dream by signing a deal with Fox to put live UFC events on network television. Fox reportedly is paying the UFC an annual license fee of approximately $100 million for the right to air four live fights per year as well as to put a slew of programming on its cable channels, FX, Fuel and Fox Sports Deportes.

Fox will benefit by attracting the highly desirable 18-to-34-year-old male demographic, which the UFC rules and advertisers crave. And fans will benefit by the increase of exposure for the sport.

No one, though, will benefit more than those who have turned the sport into what it is: its fighters.

UFC fighters like Chael Sonnen might not see their salaries immediately increase, but they could benefit from sponsorship opportunities.
UFC.com

“Fox is a bigger stage than Spike, a bigger stage than Versus, a bigger stage than any outlet the UFC has,” said former UFC fighter Frank Trigg, a broadcaster who once hosted an MMA magazine show on Fox’s regional sports cable channels.

“Fox is the No. 1 network in the United States and this is a huge deal for the fights to be live in prime time. This is mainstream coverage and it’s going to reach an infinitely larger audience than they’ve ever reached. It’s what is going to propel them over the top and that is going to make the fighters major stars.”

The UFC will rake in nearly $750 million over the seven-year lifetime of the exclusive deal it signed with Fox, which should lead to an increase in fighter pay. But the visibility the fighters will receive on Fox will lead to far more lucrative endorsement contracts, as well as open other business opportunities for them.

Fox has been known for the great job it does cross-promoting its programming during sports broadcasts, and it would be no shock to see UFC fighters appearing on popular Fox shows such as American Idol.

[Related: Fox deal smartly targets correct demographic ]

“This is huge for everybody in the sport and I think it’s going to create a lot of opportunities for, maybe not all fighters, but for a lot of fighters, it’s going to open a lot of different opportunities,” said Mike Roberts, the COO of MMA Inc., which manages UFC fighters such as Chael Sonnen and Urijah Faber. “The endorsement opportunities and the sponsorship money will go up for most of the fighters. I hope [salaries] do [increase] in the UFC, but I’m not sure they will, at least not right away.

“Right away, it’s not going to be a huge difference, but long-term, it’s going to be huge. It’s going to happen quickly, but it’s not going to be instantaneous, but as these fighters get out there and get promoted and fight on Fox, they’re going to become household names very quickly.”

White has always scoffed at the notion that the UFC has hit the mainstream. Very few newspapers in the U.S. report regularly on the UFC or run the results of its shows in the agate section. UFC news is generally not included on the local news. FoxSports.com doesn’t have a full-time MMA writer on staff.

That will change over time as the events are broadcast and as the network lends its credibility to the sport. This is the same network that broadcasts the Super Bowl and the World Series paying just about three-quarters of a billion dollars to broadcast cage fighting.

“This isn’t the end, because we still have a lot of work to do,” White said. “Millions of people have never seen the UFC. That’s hard for guys like you and me to believe, because we exist in this tiny bubble, but not only is the UFC not mainstream yet, it’s not even close. This is an opportunity for us to take it to that next level.

“This is another platform and a way we can let people know that these are the greatest athletes in the world and that this is the greatest sport in the world. I always say that once you see your first live fight, you’re hooked, but I think just getting this out to as many people as we’re going to be able to reach as a result of this deal can’t be overstated.”

It’s not MMA’s first foray onto network television – Elite XC had a deal with CBS in 2008 and Strikeforce bought that contract when Elite XC went out – but Trigg said they don’t compare.

The UFC on Fox, Trigg said, is the major leagues of MMA on the largest network in the country.

“Everything is better in the UFC than those other leagues, the production value, the fighters, everything,” Trigg said. “If you look at the Top 10 rankings, 85 percent of all of the top fighters are fighting in the UFC.

“It’s like in football. You can put the Arena [Football] League on CBS or the European league but it’s still minor league football. It doesn’t register because it’s not the highest level. But the UFC is the highest level and you’re putting that on the No. 1 network. If I were a UFC guy starting my career now, I’d be a very, very happy guy.”

Herb Dean Defends His Stoppage in Henderson-Fedor Fight

2011-08-01T22:46:00.001-07:00

August 1 2011 Last updated at 02:55 PM ET

Herb Dean Defends His Stoppage in Henderson-Fedor Fight

By Michael David Smith

Lead Blogger

When Dan Henderson made Fedor Emelianenko fall face-first into the canvas with a hard shot to the chin on Saturday night, referee Herb Dean had a split-second decision to make on whether or not to step in and stop the fight. Dean chose to stop it, awarding Henderson the victory by technical knockout, but Emelianenko said after the fight that Dean's decision was the wrong one, and that he could have kept fighting.

On Monday's MMA Hour, Dean defended his call, saying that Fedor was unconscious when Henderson connected with the punch, and as a result Dean had no choice but to stop the fight.

"I saw Dan hit Fedor with a shot, Fedor fell down flat on his face, face down, his palms were facing up and I saw Dan continuing to punch," Dean said. "He hit him with, I believe, three punches, and I didn't see Fedor doing any movement. It seemed to me he was unconscious. I came in to stop the fight."

Dean said that although he had to make the decision instantly, he watched the replay of the stoppage and stands by his decision with the benefit of hindsight.

"When I made my decision to stop the fight, Fedor was face down, unconscious. When I touched Dan, Fedor was still face down. Once I touch him the fight is over," Dean said.

Dean has also faced some criticism from fans who said Henderson illegally hit Fedor in the back of the head at the end of the fight, but Dean said he saw no fouls there.

"I saw punches that may have been close," Dean said. "But I wouldn't have called those fouls because the way the action was moving, I couldn't say that he intentionally targeted that area."

Ultimately, Dean said, he's very comfortable with his decision to protect Fedor from further damage.

"Fedor was unconscious and unable to defend himself," Dean said.

Although fans watching from home didn't know it, Dean's stoppage was actually the second controversial call he made on Saturday night. In an un-televised undercard bout between Bobby Green and JZ Cavalcante, some fans thought Green had tapped out while Cavalcante had him in a choke. In reality, Dean says, the motion some fans thought was tapping was actually Green signaling to Dean that he was still conscious and not in danger of passing out from the choke.

"It was a very clear thumbs up," Dean said. "I got down close to the mat so I could see his face, made some effort to communicate with him, and he gave me a thumbs-up, clear as day."

Dean said he knows fans don't always agree with referees' decisions, noting that "Sometimes in doing my job I'm not going to be a popular guy." But after a night on which Dean faced major questions about the way he refereed, Dean says he can stand by the calls he made.

SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE!!!!

2011-07-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody just letting you know we are doing some summer cleansing. All Apparel 20% off (excluding Fairtext), We are making room for new gear, apparel and brands coming soon!

Team Tompkins hosts anti-bullying event in Vancouver, fans invited to attend

2011-06-10T07:53:00.001-07:00

Team Tompkins hosts anti-bullying event in Vancouver, fans invited to attend

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jun 08, 2011 at 9:30 am ET

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Team Tompkins head Shawn Tompkins and UFC lightweight Sam Stout are uniting to host an anti-bullying event this Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Scheduled for Friday, June 10, at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT local time), the event takes place at Vancouver Players Chophouse and is open to the public.

Confirmed attendees, according to Tompkins, include UFC vets Pat Militich, Joey Beltran and Chris Horodecki, noted cutman Jacob "Stitch" Duran, as well as Kultar Gill, Mike Straka, professional hockey player Brandon Prust and other UFC and NHL celebrities.

Tompkins and Stout have partnered with MMA and fitness enthusiast Marc St. Jules host the event, which includes food, music and an interview panel.

Additionally, the group is hosting a model search at the event in order to find a panel of calendar subjects for a charity project designed to benefit domestic violence prevention programs in Vancouver.

"We're trying to bring together a variety of great and important people for an event to coincide with the weekend's big UFC 131 event," Tompkins told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Our goal is simply to raise awareness for anti-bullying programs around the world.

"This is a chance for us all to meet and have a great time and enjoy another pre-UFC event. We'd love for everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities, as well as support a great cause."

Vancouver Players Chophouse is located next to Rogers Arena, the host site of UFC 131, at 808 Beatty St. in downtown Vancouver.

(Pictured: Shaw Tompkins)

UFC 131's Dos Santos-Carwin winner to meet Velasquez "in four to five months"

2011-06-10T07:48:00.001-07:00

UFC 131's Dos Santos-Carwin winner to meet Velasquez "in four to five months"

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jun 09, 2011 at 4:35 pm ET

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – As expected, the winner of Saturday's UFC 131 headliner between Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin gets the next heavyweight title shot.

And according to UFC president Dana White, it could happen by year's end.

White discussed the plans during Wednesday's pre-UFC 131 press conference at Robson Square in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

White, who's waiting for UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez (9-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) to recover from shoulder surgery, is hopeful the titleholder will be back to action and ready to defend his title in "four to five months." Velasquez injured the shoulder in an October title win over then-champ Brock Lesnar and underwent surgery earlier this year.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) recently reported, White would like to use Velasquez in the headliner of a UFC 136 event planned for Oct. 8 in Houston.

In the mean time, he's got his interest captured by Saturday's title-eliminator.

"This is one of the best heavyweights fights the UFC has had in a long time," he said.

Of course, Dos Santos (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) vs. Carwin (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) only came about after a series of setbacks. Dos Santos had already been promised a title shot before Velasquez was sidelined by the injury and subsequent surgery. Dos Santos then opted to coach against Lesnar on "The Ultimate Fighter 13," which recently concluded, and meet in a season-ending fight. However, Lesnar was sent to the sidelines with a second bout of diverticulitis. That opened the door for Carwin, who hasn't fought since his own title loss to Lesnar back in July.

For more on UFC 131 and UFC 136, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dana White)

Nick Diaz Will Vacate Title, but Other Strikeforce Questions Still Unanswered

2011-06-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Nick Diaz Will Vacate Title, but Other Strikeforce Questions Still Unanswered

By Ben Fowlkes

MMA Writer

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It's amazing how much can change in the MMA world in just a few short months. Take, for instance, UFC president Dana White's stance on both Strikeforce and its TV partner, Showtime.

Before Zuffa bought Strikeforce, White rarely missed a chance to rip on both his largest competitor and its premium cable home. But now? Even White is a little surprised at the words coming out of his mouth.

"Showtime has worked with us really good," White told reporters following the UFC 131 pre-fight press conference on Thursday. "I can't believe you guys are going to hear me say some positive Showtime stuff right now, but to be honest, and no joking, they've been great with us. We've worked together very well and we'll see what happens."

That doesn't mean the situation isn't sticky at times, however. White explained how the UFC made a deal with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz to come to the UFC and face Georges St. Pierre – a bout he was spurred to sign due to overwhelming fan request for it, White explained.

The move means that Diaz will vacate his Strikeforce title to fight for GSP's UFC belt, White said, leaving the Strikeforce strap behind for two as-of-yet unnamed fighters to compete for.

"He will give up the title. He will give up his Strikeforce title. He will come in and fight Georges St. Pierre. Two guys will fight for the vacant belt in Strikeforce, and then we'll go from there," White said.

"[Diaz] has a UFC contract now. ...If things didn't go well, there'd be no problem with him fighting over in Strikeforce. He'd still make the same money. It's the same company. It's not like we'd say, 'Now you're going to Strikeforce and you got to do this.' Diaz is stepping up. He's going to take this big fight with Georges St. Pierre. We always make it right with the guys, so we'll figure it out."

White seemed upbeat about his recent meeting with Diaz, saying the Stockton, Calif. fighter has "a completely different attitude than he used to have when he was in the UFC."

But has he finally learned, as White long said he'd have to, how to "play the game"?

"That is the million-dollar question," White said.

But just because Diaz got shuffled into a UFC title fight relatively quickly, it doesn't mean all Strikeforce fighters should expect a similar opportunity. White said he wants to "respect the deal that we have with [Showtime]" and not pick Strikeforce clean of all its best talent.

In the end, he said, it's "ninety-nine percent economics."

"We want to make this thing work for them and us. And the big question with Strikeforce is, can we make this thing work on Showtime so that we don't get murdered and lose a bunch of money?"

For now, White and the UFC seem to be taking it one step at a time when it comes to Strikeforce issues. When asked several times and in several different ways what he plans to do with the eventual winner of Strikeforce's heavyweight Grand Prix, White pleaded ignorance, explaining that they had yet to decide on a course of action.

"I have no clue," he said during Thursday's press conference. "I don't know what we're doing with that. We'll see what happens."

White clarified that, at least in his eyes, the winner of the Strikeforce tournament would be "the best heavyweight in Strikeforce," but it wouldn't necessarily mean an immediate pass into the UFC, no matter how much people might love to see that.

"I'm glad that fans are excited about this stuff," White told reporters. "Part of being a fight fan is getting excited about fights. The fact that fans get excited about fights and media get excited about fights and want to know what's going to happen next, I love it. It's good stuff. It's just that the answer is: I don't know. If I knew, I'd tell you. We're trying to figure this thing out

In Hockey-Crazed Vancouver, UFC 131 Not Exactly a Hot Ticket

2011-06-09T09:08:00.001-07:00

In Hockey-Crazed Vancouver, UFC 131 Not Exactly a Hot Ticket

By Ben Fowlkes

MMA Writer

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – In retrospect, the timing could have been better. Or maybe it just couldn't have been worse.

UFC 131 marks the second time in as many years that the worlds' biggest MMA organization has visited this city, and unfortunately for the UFC, all eyes are not exactly on the Octagon this weekend.

With the Vancouver Canucks tied in a 2-2 Stanley Cup finals series against Boston – and game five headed here on Friday night – Saturday's UFC event seems to be almost an afterthought for most of the city's sports fans.

"It's tough. The UFC couldn't have come to Vancouver on a tougher day, or at a tougher time," says Shawn Tompkins, a Canadian-born MMA trainer now living in Las Vegas.

One of his best lightweights, Sam Stout, is fighting on Saturday's card, but he knows that getting people's attention with anything other than hockey this weekend is no easy sell.

"The fact that it's their hometown team in the Stanley Cup finals? The Stanley Cup, in Canada, is everything," Tompkins adds.

If you don't believe him, just take a quick walk around downtown Vancouver. On the afternoon of Wednesday's game four, Canucks flags hang from windows everywhere you look, and fans are already sporting their temporary Canucks tattoos on their faces hours before game time.

And once the puck drops at 5 p.m. local time, you can forget about talking to anyone here about any sport other than hockey.

Take the four fans decked out in Canucks jerseys, waving a Canucks flag and screaming indiscriminately at passing cars on the corner of Hornby and Smithe, for instance. Clearly, these are people who love pro sports – or at least one pro sport. But are they even aware that there's a fight in their town this weekend?

"Who cares about that?" one of them shouts at me when I ask. "Where's your jersey?!"

But to his friend, this sounds familiar.

"Oh yeah, what's his name, Carwin?" he ventures.

That's right, I tell him. Shane Carwin. One half of Saturday night's heavyweight main event. He's heard of him?

"Not really. My boss mentioned it on Facebook."

Inside Earl's restaurant and bar downtown, where a standing-room crowd has gathered to watch the game, the sentiment is the same.

26-year-old Vancouver resident Jamil Sunverji remembers hearing about the fight, but he never considered going, he says. Not with a game in Vancouver on Friday night, and then another on Monday.

"You don't want to waste a night out on that," he says, adding that once he heard the fight card had lost Brock Lesnar from the main event, that's when his interest really waned.

"I pretty much only watch [Georges St. Pierre] and Brock Lesnar," he adds.

Sean Sanbanjin, 30, mostly shares this attitude.

"People here only care about hockey," he says, though he isn't exactly wowed by the turnout or fan enthusiasm tonight.

"I'm from Montreal. There, it'd be way crazier, way more people in a place like this. And the girls would be hotter, too."

The lack of interest is reflected in online ticket sales on sites like StubHub.com, where UFC 131 tickets were going for as little as $38 on Thursday morning. According to a report in the Vancouver Sun, that figure is expected to fall even farther as fight night approaches. It makes for a great deal for bargain-seeking sports fans, and somehow, several of the people I talk to in Earl's during game four know only one thing about the fights, and it's that tickets are suddenly cheap.

"All I heard is that tickets are going for below face value," offers one man, who says he still won't buy them because he'd probably just end up spending twice that in beer and food at the venue.

Not that anyone seems to be thinking about their bar tab at the moment, however.

As the Boston Bruins go up by two goals, then three and then four, the once jovial mood in Earl's sours. The vuvuzelas stop blowing, and the drinking goes from fun to angry, with shots replacing beers. Still, few people are headed for the door midway through the third period.

"It's hockey," says Sunverji. "You can score three or four goals in a couple of minutes."

The Canucks don't, however. They score none, and late in the game the only excitement comes when the game turns more violent than usual. Players drop their gloves and sticks and take their frustrations out on one another, and the crowd here – which ironically has professed little interest in the type of professional fighting that doesn't happen on ice skates – suddenly comes to life.

The enthusiasm is short-lived, and the bar begins emptying out as soon as the game ends. The series comes returns here on Friday night for a pivotal game five. Good luck trying to interest that crowd in coming back the next night for several hours worth of fights.

But then, there's not much the UFC can do about it now. It's bad luck, and bad timing, but all it can do is make the best of it.

Tompkins knows all about it, since he and Stout will be hosting an anti-bullying awareness event at the Vancouver Players Chophouse on Friday night, trying to use a mixed crowd of MMA personalities and NHL players to draw attention to their cause. If they can generate interest on the day of the game, he reasons, the UFC will make do with whatever local attention it can get.

"It's a tough time for them to come, but I'm sure the UFC will persevere," he says. "We've got some great Canadian fighters on the card. At the end of the day, UFC fans are UFC fans, whatever else is going on."

Shane Carwin Looks to Make the Most of His Sudden Good Fortune at UFC 131

2011-05-17T23:26:00.001-07:00

Shane Carwin Looks to Make the Most of His Sudden Good Fortune at UFC 131

By Ben Fowlkes

MMA Writer

Shane Carwin can pinpoint the exact moment he lost his UFC heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar. His record says submission via arm triangle, second round, but forget that. That's just when the fighting officially stopped. Really, he lost it in the first, when his body began to fail him.

"First time it's ever happened to me in my life," Carwin says in his soft, low voice that forces you to lean in just to catch what he's saying. "It was terrible."

It started with a strange feeling that flooded over him right as he was at his most dominant point in the fight. One minute he was focused entirely on pounding Lesnar into an early stoppage, and then the next thing he knew he was all too aware of his surroundings, and in all the wrong ways.

"I'm always in the zone in there," Carwin explains. "I don't see or hear the crowd at all. But I remember raining bombs down on him and then all of a sudden this whoosh came over my body, and then suddenly I could see people in the crowd. Like, individual people who I could see and hear. Then I felt my body slowing down."

Before that feeling came over him he'd been too busy putting a man-sized hurting on the UFC heavyweight champ to notice anything else. A stoppage victory seemed like it couldn't be more than one or two more punches away.

Then those punches lost all their zip. His legs tightened up. His body seized. By the end of the round, it was all he could do to walk to his corner.

When he got up off the stool for round two, he knew he had nothing left. Lesnar, meanwhile, was bloodied but unbroken. He winked at Carwin from across the cage, and Carwin's trainer, Trevor Wittman, felt his heart sink into his socks.

"When you get done kicking a guy's a-- and he gets up and winks at you, that's a bad feeling," Wittman says.

For Carwin and Wittman both, it's a feeling that's lingered ever since the loss last July. Sort of like a break-up, the best way to get over a loss in the world of pro fighting is to find someone new to beat up, but neck surgery and the ensuing rehab kept him out for the last half of 2010 and the first half of 2011. It was all he could do to ramp it up in time for a gradual return to action against UFC newcomer Jon Olav Einemo at UFC 131 on June 11.

That was the plan, anyway. At least until he checked his cell phone following a conditioning workout last week and saw an increasingly frantic list of missed calls from his manager and from Wittman. The mood was urgent, but the message was simple: Lesnar was out of his No. 1 contender fight with Junior dos Santos, and, if he wanted it, Carwin was in.

"When I saw my phone had been blown up by those guys, I thought I had done something wrong," he said. "I was actually pretty concerned. But when I heard the news, I was just so excited."

And why not? Instead of fighting a 6-foot-7 submissions specialist who few fans had ever heard of (and against whom he had much more to lose than gain), Carwin now finds himself one win away from another shot at the title.

It's a good thing, too, because at 36 years old he knows he can't wait forever. The neck surgery gave him back full feeling in his right arm for the first time in a long time, but it was also the third surgery in his five-year career. The deep scar that runs up the inside of his left arm is a reminder of another, and after having his nose temporarily moved to the side of his face by Gabriel Gonzaga let's just say he appreciates the value of facial symmetry more than ever these days.

"It gets a little harder to come back from injuries and surgeries as you get older," he says. "I still want to jump back in there like a 22-year-old."

The good part about the first loss of his career is that it forced Carwin to change some aspects of his training. Instead of trying to blow himself up into a 280-pound beast with the help of creatine and power-lifting, he hired Grudge Training Center nutritionist Josh Ford and slimmed back down to the 250's. That's where he feels better, he says, and where he'll stay if he can "stay away from the chips."

The loss to Lesnar? Sure, it still stings. It stung even worse to watch Cain Velasquez beat him, not only because the new champ avoided making the same mistakes Carwin did when he had Lesnar hurt, but also because it dashed Carwin's hopes of one day taking the belt from Lesnar in a rematch.

"You live and you learn," Carwin says. "If I get somebody in that situation again, I'll probably pick my shots better. I never disagreed with [referee] Josh [Rosenthal]'s decision not to stop it. Brock came back and beat me, so how can you argue with that? But it was all I'd ever known from my previous fights. That's how my fights ended, was me on top of the guy raining punches down."

Now that he's in against dos Santos – by Carwin's estimation, the fourth straight top ten heavyweight he's faced – he might have to learn some new ways. There's nothing but tough opponents from here on out.

Not that Carwin's complaining. He doesn't have the time to wait around or his work his way back up to the top again. If it's going to happen for him, it has to happen soon.

GSP vs. Shields 'Primetime' Show Premieres Wednesday

2011-04-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

- Ray Hui
  MMA Writer

It's not a Georges St-Pierre fight without aPrimetime show leading up to it and there's now a premiere date for the 24/7-style countdown show.

Spike TV announced Monday that the three-episode weekly series will begin airing Wednesday, April 13 at midnight ET.

Cameras have been rolling for a behind-the-scenes look at St-Pierre's training at the TriStar gym in Montreal and opponent Jake Shields' camp with the Cesar Gracie team in California.

As if the UFC 129 card was not strong enough on paper (Aldo vs. Hominick, Couture vs. Machida, among others), the UFC is going all out with its higher-budget Primetime shows. The April 30 event at the Rogers Centre is expected to be the largest event in UFC history with 55,000 in attendance.

The last UFC pay-per-view, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, were built up with the usual Countdown show as well as the debut of In the Moment featuring Jon Jones, which resembled more of a video blog.

UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields will be the fifth installment in the series, which began for UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn in January 2009

Chael Sonnen Breaks Silence on NSAC Troubles, Legal Woes, Fighting Future

2011-04-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

- Mike Chiappetta
- MMA Writer

Speaking publicly for the first time since his California state athletic commission testimony last December, UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour that he considered his UFC contract unfrozen and was looking forward to getting back in the cage as soon as possible.

A return to action will not come, however, until Sonnen steps before the Nevada state athletic commission again. During CSAC testimony last December, Sonnen told commissioners that he had cleared his testosterone replacement therapy use in Nevada with its athletic commission executive direction Keith Kizer. Kizer, however, disputed that. The sides met recently and Sonnen voiced a hope that a second meeting would give more clarity to his situation.

Saying he incorrectly phrased his testimony, Sonnen took blame for the mistake and anticipated the opportunity to allay the concerns of the influential Nevada commission.

"All the frustration and all of the blame is on me," he said. "I'm the one that chose my words. I'm the one that said when I was in California, I represented to them that I had a conversation with Kizer and he approved my medicine use. That is not correct. Those are the wrong words. My manager had the conversation. I relied on information my manager gave me. So director Kizer is absolutely correct. He's correct to be frustrated. I chose the words. It comes to me. Now, I wasn't attempting to mislead anybody, but they're my words all the same, so I should have to answer to Kizer."

Sonnen said the conversation in question took place in 2008 between Kizer and his manager, and that Kizer "remembered something along those lines" but "not quite the way it was relayed" to him. Sonnen said that as a result, he has parted ways with a longtime manager and in the future will personally contact commissions instead of relying on a manager to do it for him.

Fighters in Nevada are by commission rules forced to reapply for licenses on Jan. 1, so Sonnen is not unique in going through re-licensing, but due to his PED suspension in California and the statements about Nevada, his process will require extra steps. Sonnen said he hopes to meet with state officials as early as this Friday. Kizer on Monday told MMA Fighting that Sonnen was more likely to be added to the commission's April 27 meeting.

"I need to clear the air with him and more importantly, I need to clear it on the record," he said. "My takeaway from the meeting with Kizer was not 'We don't want to work with you again.' It was simply, 'There's been some mistakes. Our reservation is you're going to repeat them.' That's not going to happen, but what he wants to do is give me an opportunity to speak on the record so that we can get everything recorded and written down and make sure we don't do those things again. If i was in Kizer's shoes, I wouldn't demand anything less."

Describing the incident as "embarrassing," Sonnen said he is looking forward to the chance to speak with Kizer again, clearing the air, accepting his share of the blame and finally getting a resolution.

As to who he might face in his return, the Oregonian said he had heard rumors about a potential coaching TUF coach slot opposite Michael Bisping, but had not had any contact with the UFC about it. Moving off the serious topics that have been the focus of his life over the last few months, Sonnen came to life when asked about what might be in his fighting future.

"I called them up and said, 'Give me the worst guy you've got under contract,'" he said. "They said, 'Chael, Wanderlei [Silva] won't fight you.' I said, 'Alright. Give me the second worst guy you've got under contract?' They said, 'Chael, how many times do we have to tell you: [Mirko] Cro Cop's a heavyweight.' I said, 'Alright, is there anybody available? How about Bisping? Is his dance card open? And then they said that might be a possibility. So that's where we left off. But that's just not my focus. My focus is making things right with director Kizer."

Last week, Sonnen put his legal case behind him, accepting a penalty of two years' probation, a $10,000 fine and the revocation of his realtor's license in a federal money laundering charge. Without elaborating on the case, Sonnen called the transaction issues that led to the charge a "quirk" in real estate law and said he didn't make a dime in the alleged fraud, but that he would live with the penalty.

"I was a real estate professional. I had a license. That means whether I knew or didn't know, I should've known," he said. "Listen, this is what men do. We take responsibility for our irresponsibilities, and that's what I did.

The Sunday Junkie: April 10 edition

2011-04-10T10:36:00.001-07:00

The Sunday Junkie: April 10 edition

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 10, 2011 at 12:30 pm ET

Few events have sparked fan feedback like Saturday's "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" show did.

In this week's edition of The Sunday Junkie, readers discuss all aspects of the Showtime-televised event, which was Strikeforce's first major show since it was acquired by the UFC's parent company.

This week's winner, Pfc. Sean "Smarty" Rambaran, specifically targeted the night's main event between welterweight champ Nick Diaz and Paul Daley – and why referee "Big" John McCarthy again showed why he's one of the best in the business.

For his winning entry, Sean wins a free one-year subscription to "Fighters Only" magazine, the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine. He'll also be invited onto MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss his topic with the show's hosts.

Want to submit to next week's edition of The Sunday Junkie? Scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions.

Also, as a reminder, please be sure to include your hometown and stick within the 150-word limit. Many quality submissions this week didn't meet those minimum guidelines and couldn't be considered for publication.

(Pictured: Nick Diaz and "Big" John McCarthy)

* * * *

REF "BIG" JOHN MCCARTHY AGAIN SHOWS WHY HE'S THE BEST
The main event of Saturday's Strikeforce event was entertaining to say the least; Nick Diaz and Paul Daley put on a back-and-forth slugfest that was a "Round of the Year" to many fans, including myself. The best part about the fight was that it went on just long enough. With "Big" John McCarthy presiding over the action, he made sure that in any of the numerous knockdowns, the grounded fighter was intelligently defending himself. In addition, a soccer kick by Daley that hit Diaz's body was correctly allowed, and the finish with just seconds left in the round was a legitimate stoppage. "Big" John let this fight go on as long as it should have, and he deserves credit for allowing the main event to live up to its billing.

Pfc. Sean "Smarty" Rambaran
Wiesbaden, Germany (by way of Tucson, Ariz.)

MCCARTHY CLEARLY SAW DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIAZ AND DALEY WHEN STOPPING FIGHT
In the main event of "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," defending champion Nick Diaz scored a TKO via punches with three seconds left on the first round. Some fans might call it an unfair and early stoppage since, not a few seconds earlier, Diaz found himself in a similarly precarious situation. The difference was that when Diaz went down, he quickly protected his head and shifted into a safer position. When challenger Paul Daley went down, it was primarily due to a barrage of strikes received against the cage, which robbed him of his balance. Diaz followed up with unanswered punches while Daley had his back to the mat. It is the referee's job to protect the fighters, no matter what's at stake or how many seconds are left on the clock. This stoppage is further evidence that referee "Big" John McCarthy remains the best in the business.

"CopperHeart"
Westport, Conn.

NICK DIAZ'S RECKLESS STYLE WILL LEAD TO HIS DEMISE
After watching the highly entertaining Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley fight, I can only think one thing: Diaz cannot continue to fight the way he does if he wants to continue a career in combat sports. Leaving one's chin up and hands down and taking that kind of punishment – though entertaining – is not conducive to Diaz's future as a fighter. As we have seen with Chuck Liddell and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a solid chin does not last forever. It deteriorates over time, and eventually, all the knockdowns we see Diaz come back from will turn into knockouts. A good chin should be the last line of defense against strikes. If Diaz persists in making it his first, he'll fall from the top just as fast as Liddell did.

James "Beiber" McKenna
Long Island, N.Y.

NICK DIAZ SHOWS RESPECT WHEN IT'S WARRANTED
I know Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz gets a bad rap, and many fans think he's not a respectful fighter. But it's clear that Diaz shows respect when it's warranted. As we saw after his win over Paul Daley at Saturday's Strikeforce show, Diaz made several mentions of trainer Cesar Gracie and teammates such as Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez. Fans like to criticize Diaz because he's not a typical fan favorite during interviews or press conferences. However, I have nothing but respect for a guy who goes out of his way to recognize the people close to him who helped him succeed. Say what you want about Diaz, but in many ways, he represents some of the best things about martial arts.

Ethan Jacobs
Pensacola, Fla.

WITH DIAZ AROUND, GSP HASN'T CLEANED OUT WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
It's bad enough there has been much talk about Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva prior to GSP overcoming his next great challenge in BJJ expert and MMA standout Jake Shields. On Saturday, Nick Diaz also proved any super-fight talk to be premature. With Zuffa LLC's recent purchase of Strikeforce, it is now safe to say GSP has not cleared out his division. What's more interesting is on paper, Diaz has more ways to win a fight with the French-Canadian than his teammate Shields. With that said, I think that if GSP gets past Shields, the responsibility is on him to make this fight happen and call out Diaz in order to "clean out the division."

Cal "cpmpoundfracture" Rocha
Milton, Ontario, Canada

STRIKEFORCE CHAMP MELENDEZ CROSSED A LINE IN POST-FIGHT INTERVIEW
It is not uncommon in the business world for international juggernauts to acquire boutique firms in order to gain market share. This was the case with Zuffa LLC when it purchased the rights to the Strikeforce brand. Typically during a merger, newly acquired employees are on their best behavior because they want to make a good impression for the new boss. It is not a common practice for former boutique employees to publicly advise their new boss on how to operate his business. It is one thing for Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez to let his impressive performance against Tatsuya Kawajiri do the talking, but for Melendez, to call out UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and demand a cross-promotion super fight under the Strikeforce banner in the hexagon is completely disrespectful to the UFC and his new bosses. The UFC built its brand by doing it its way, specifically without cross-promotion. They obviously have been successful. We always hear UFC fighters saying things like, "I will fight whoever the UFC tells me to fight," and not what Melendez just did. Melendez should have said, "I want to terminate my contract with Strikeforce to renegotiate with the UFC," instead of trying to call the shots and stepping over the line.

"The Commish"
Jersey City, N.J.

DIAZ AND MELENDEZ ARE WASTING THEIR TALENT IN STRIKEFORCE
I have no desire to see Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez fight in Strikeforce anymore. Both of them have steamrolled their respective divisions, and there are no intriguing matchups for either of them. The biggest crime would be for these guys to continue to punish their bodies and waste their talents in meaningless title defenses. I don't believe Zuffa LLC has any long-term plans to develop Strikeforce. Strikeforce is – and always will be – the minor leagues, and Diaz and Gilbert don't belong there anymore. So the UFC should just conduct "business as usual" and do now what they were planning to do all along: lure Diaz and Melendez to the UFC octagon.

"Damian S."
Los Angeles, Calif.

PAUL DALEY LOST HIS LAST BARGAINING CHIP
After Saturday's one-round fireworks display, Paul Daley's success is no longer in his own hands. After sucker-punching Josh Koscheck after the bell at UFC 113 and his subsequent release from the organization, suggesting that he might back out of the fight with Nick Diaz after Zuffa LLC purchased Strikeforce, and getting defeated on Saturday night, he has all but sealed his own fate. His only possible bargaining chip before last night was a belt. With Zuffa taking control of yet another monster in the MMA world, Daley may never see another large payday ever again.

"Watdogg"
Hanover, Mass.

AS JARDINE-MOUSASI SHOWED, MMA RULES NEED TO BE BETTER DEFINED
There needs to be less referee discretion in MMA. This weekend's Strikeforce event showcased the need for better definitions in the unified rules. After receiving an illegal upkick, Keith Jardine was given a long time to recover, and a point was taken from Gegard Mousasi. There have been plenty of other occasions in which the ref would just say, "watch the upkicks," and the fight would continue. It played a huge part in that particular fight and the eventual outcome (a draw) because of Jardine's conditioning. Likewise, what constitutes "intelligent defense?" Was Paul Daley more hurt than Nick Diaz was earlier in the same round? Better definitions of rules and fouls would greatly increase the legitimacy of the sport.

Dusty Wallace
Elliston, Va.

SHOWTIME WINS IN UFC'S STRIKEFORCE PURCHASE
After watching Saturday night's Strikeforce fights, I've realized that the fighters and Showtime are the biggest winners in the UFC/Strikeforce purchase. This is the first time that Strikeforce/Showtime was able to show a large card without the UFC competing with a replay on Spike TV. There is the talent in Strikeforce to put on great fight cards, as we saw Saturday. Now the casual fan won't be distracted by four-month old UFC replays being shown on Spike TV, and they will pay attention to the talent that the UFC has overshadowed for the past years.

Edward DeShazer
Milwaukee, Wis.

UFC VETS SHOULD CONSIDER MOVE TO STRIKEFORCE
With the UFC's acquisition of Strikeforce, fans immediately started salivating over potential super cross-promotional fights. With Saturday's Strikeforce event, we saw the welterweight and lightweight belts on the line. These two divisions lack depth of serious contenders for the titles. Therefore, UFC veterans should start to think about the prospect of moving to Strikeforce. Warriors such as Chris Lytle, Dan Hardy, Kurt Pellegrino and Jeremy Stephens all offer entertaining fights but are never realistically going to make it to the top of their divisions. Therefore, they should take advantage of the acquisition and test the waters at Strikeforce, where they would stand a much better chance of becoming champions and also injecting some much needed talent into the weaker divisions.

Paul "Pandemonium" Day
Preston, England

DUE TO LACK OF DEPTH, STRIKEFORCE SHOULD BE ABSORBED
Saturday's Strikeforce event saw two of its champions retain their belts in impressive fashion. With these wins, the question must be asked: Who's next? Heavyweights aside, the other weight classes have little to no depth. The only way to find out how good the Strikeforce champions are is to match them with the top tier of the UFC. Otherwise, who's left for "Jacare" Souza? Maybe "Mayhem" Miller, and that's it. Lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez has fought everyone at lightweight, and titleholder Nick Diaz has no competition at welterweight. Gegard Mousasi was supposed to be next in line for Dan Henderson, but who wants to see him fight for a title when he couldn't even finish Keith Jardine, who had eight days' notice for the fight? The broadcast of Strikeforce is a joke, and I don't see a downside to the UFC completely absorbing the organization.

Travis Coover
Riverside, Calif.

BELLATOR CHAMP BEN ASKREN SHOWS BLUEPRINT FOR WRESTLING IN MMA
Many MMA fans are critical of the way wrestlers utilize their techniques during a contest. Fighters with strong collegiate credentials – such as Rashad Evans and Jon Fitch, as well as Georges St-Pierre (who's hinted at Olympic wrestling) – have drawn the ire of fans for merely "holding position" or "laying and praying" and winning on points. The aforementioned fighters should watch a Ben Askren fight and observe how wrestling should be utilized in MMA. While still in the neophyte stage in his career at 8-0, the Bellator champ's wrestling is arguably the best in MMA. What separates Askren from other wrestlers is that he remains in constant motion, always looking to improving position, never stagnant. Seamlessly transitioning – from single- to double-leg takedowns to body-lock takedowns – is standard practice for Askren. Although he hasn't finished his past four opponents, the ease with which he dominates with wrestling is impressive. If his striking evolves, Askren can be a force at welterweight.

Jason Jackson
Charlotte, N.C.

SATURDAY-NIGHT TIMESLOTS HURT BELLATOR RATINGS
As fans, we put MMA on a pedestal saying, "It's the fastest growing sport." We don't understand why others don't enjoy the fights as we do. As much as I want to say MMA is the greatest sport ever, we have to face the fact that it's really still a baby. As MMAjunkie.com's own John Morgan stated, no one is going out to bars, having Bellator parties or big gatherings in general. The ratings that Bellator is getting on MTV2 are probably accurate. I just think having Bellator on Saturday night is asking a lot from people who don't know what Bellator is and are not willing to give up their Saturday nights. The casuals aren't going to worry about Bellator because, more than likely, Saturday night is for going out rather than staying home to watch fights they haven't been molded to like.

Willis Lucero
Tampa, Fla.

ANDERSON SILVA'S REAL SUPER FIGHTS ARE AT LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Anderson Silva has fundamentally cleaned out the entire middleweight division. The champ has nothing left to prove, but the public is crying for Silva to be involved in a super fight with George St-Pierre. If "UFC Rio" happens with Silva vs. Yushin Okami, then Silva will have the opportunity to avenge one of his few losses, and again, eliminate another middleweight top contender. I believe Silva has more glory to be gained by continuing a run in the light-heavyweight division to eventually become champion of that division. Possible matchups against Lyoto Machida, "Shogun" Rua and "Rampage" Jackson are just as provocative as a bout with GSP. (Not to mention a clash with champ Jon Jones could impulsively be called a super fight.) A super fight with GSP is interesting, but the possibilities of Silva doing what he did to the middleweight division as a light heavyweight is far more intriguing.

David Andrew Massey ("JunkieFan1986")
Oklahoma City, Okla.

MORE RETIRED MMA FIGHTERS NEED TO BECOME JUDGES
Saturday night's latest draw in MMA reinforces the need for more skilled judges. With the announcement this week of Ricardo Almeda retiring to become a licensed judge for the state of New Jersey, this is a strong step in the right direction. If fighters at the end of their careers see this as a viable option, this could be a twofold victory. First and foremost, the judging pool will become much more educated, and the fight results will benefit from this. Secondly, it will give the men (and women too) a way to feel like they are contributing to the sport without having to continue to go out and put their bodies on the line when they are clearly well past their prime. It will give them a source of income and still keep them in a close involvement with the sport that they love and have competed in.

Cameron "xslicricx" Hollins
Salem, Va.

A NEW ERA TO BEGIN FOR MMA'S FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION
Mike Brown went from unheralded journeyman to unstoppable champion. Manny Gamburyan went from 2-3 in the UFC to 3-0 and the new No. 1 contender in the WEC. Dustin Poirier went from unknown right into the title hunt. What's the secret to their success? It's simple: Drop 10 pounds. Now that the 145-pound division is in the UFC, you can expect plenty more struggling lightweights to follow suit. Recently former UFC title challenger Joe Stevenson and Tyson Griffin have made the same decision and are instantly major players in the featherweight division. Kenny Florian has also announced his intentions to drop the weight after a disappointing loss, and he makes his featherweight debut in June. Florian is easily the most accomplished lightweight so far to make the move; he is a two-time UFC title challenger, 10-3 at lightweight, and has finished nine of his 10 victims there. Current top featherweights beware because if history is a good indicator, all three of these men could be serious threats to Jose Aldo's title.

Matthew Fedler
North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada

COULD FIVEFINGERS SHOES HELP IN MMA?
Numerous amounts of fighters have asked for shoes to be a part of MMA (Frank Mir is a great example) for sometime now. There are too many problems, though, since wearing shoes could help your opponent with things such as ankle locks. They also could benefit the person wearing shoes to stuff takedowns. But what about Vibram FiveFingers? They are low-cut and light weight. It would still feel like you're barefoot in the cage. They would help lower the chances of slips, which we see happen sometimes when someone throws a high kick, and since they are slightly padded, they could possibly lower the chances of fracturing someone's foot. There could be a few disadvantages to these shoes, but overall, there probably would be a more positive outcome.

"Jordan"
Sunset Beach, N.C.

* * * *
HOW TO SUBMIT: Do you have an idea for next week's edition of "The Sunday Junkie?" Send your submission of 150 words or fewer (no attachments please) to sundayjunkie @ mmajunkie.com with your full name or nickname, your hometown (city and state), a valid email address and a phone number (not to be published). Incomplete submissions will not be considered for publication. Only one submission per week is suggested, but we'll consider multiple entries if they're submitted separately. All submissions must be received by Sunday at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT) to be considered for that day's installment of The Sunday Junkie.

Fedor-Henderson Bout Targeted For Summer 2011, Coker Confirms

2011-04-10T10:31:00.001-07:00

AText Size

- Ben Fowlkes
- MMA Writer

SAN DIEGO – A fight between Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Hendersonand former Pride heavyweight championFedor Emelianenko is being targeted for July or August of 2011, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said, but is still not yet confirmed.

"The date, I would say, is probably late summer," Coker said after Saturday night's Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley event. "Some things are still being negotiated."

The main sticking point, it seems, is the weight that the fight will be contested at. As first reported by SI.com, the two camps seem to be debating either a catchweight bout or a heavyweight fight. The possibility of meeting at the 205-pound light heavyweight limit was quickly ruled out by Emelianenko's camp, according to Coker.

"We asked Fedor if he'd come down to 205 [pounds], and that didn't come to a good result," said Coker. "So, you know, we're going to keep pushing and hopefully have something to announce in the next two weeks or so. Right now, the fight's not made yet. Sometimes it's the little things – and I don't want to get into the contract negotiations – but it's the little things where somebody wants this, somebody wants that."

Emelianenko had publicly contemplated retirement after being defeated by Antonio Silva in the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix in February, but is now said to be ready to return to action.

Though Strikeforce is now owned by Zuffa, the parent company to the UFC – and though Emelianenko's M-1 Global management team has had a strained relationship with the UFC in the past – Coker said there is no contractual impediment to making an Emelianenko-Henderson fight happen under the Zuffa banner.

"The contract's already in place. We have a multi-fight contract with Fedor, which will continue. He will fight in July or August some time. So that's going to continue. The contract thing, it's just the details now."

Gilbert Melendez Makes His Case as World's No. 1 Lightweight

2011-04-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

- Mike Chiappetta
- MMA Writer

For years, No. 1 has been a guess, an argument, a debate, and nothing more. But in this brave, new world, we move closer than ever to getting our answer. It will never be final, of course. Even when you have a dominant champion, there is always someone else on the way up, someone who plants doubt in your mind. But we're at least finally heading in the right direction. With the recent Zuffa-Strikeforce deal, we have 95 percent of the world's best fighters under the same umbrella, and at some point in the near future, they'll actually get in the cage together and fight.

Right now, it's something like a civil war, two sides who need to be unified for the good of everyone involved, for both the people fighting and those waiting for resolution. Until then we'll keep guessing as soldiers, err... fighters like Gilbert Melendez fire off their best ammunition, both physical and verbal.

The first man to defend a title in our new era, the Strikeforce lightweight champion wasted little time in voicing what was already on everyone's minds.

"I'll tell you what, I think it's time we unify some titles," Melendez said. "Who wants to see me fight for that UFC title? Let's unify them in my hexagon. I'm the No. 1 lightweight in the world, baby. I'm coming for the spot."

It was a bold, brash statement coming before the Zuffa brass, including president Dana White and company co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, who were both present at San Diego's Valley View Casino Center to watch. It was also a necessary one.

Melendez (19-2) might not have been the headliner of the event, which was dubbed Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley, but he might have walked away as the headline star after a blistering performance that saw him smash through Japanese star Tatsuya Kawajiri. It was perhaps the best overall showing of his career, finishing his opponent in just 3:14.

The fact that he won was not especially shocking considering he had already done so once before, but their 2006 fight was very close, with Melendez winning a controversial decision. Since then, Kawajiri broke into the lightweight elite with wins over JZ Cavalcante and Josh Thomson, among others, and that's what made Melendez's win so stunning. He didn't destroy a nobody, he crushed the "Crusher," a fighter who was in everybody's top 10 and had only been TKO'd once before in 35 career fights.

More amazing still was the fact that he did it after nearly a full year off. It was last April when he decimated Shinya Aoki, and after taking time off to enjoy the birth of his first child, Melendez didn't skip a beat. Ring rust? What ring rust? He was sharp standing, landing 17 power strikes, including a right hand that seemed laser-guided to Kawajiri's chin. On the ground, he overwhelmed Kawajiri, and finished with elbow strikes, a ground technique that was previously outlawed in Strikeforce but allowed under new management.

With that, you have to give Melendez real consideration as the world's best lightweight.

While you might argue that Melendez's five-fight win streak is not overly impressive, that's exactly the number of fights UFC champion Frankie Edgar won in a row before drawing with Gray Maynard at UFC 125. And Maynard? He has exactly one win over a top 10 lightweight in his career, his UFC 118 decision over Kenny Florian. You can make a case for Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez, who has won 12 of his last 13, but among common opponents, Melendez beat down Aoki, while Aoki tapped Alvarez in just 92 seconds.

Melendez has won back-to-back fights over top 10 lightweights, something that only Edgar among that group could have boasted when he beat BJ Penn twice in a row. Edgar still has the top slot on most lightweight rankings lists, but now all eyes move to UFC 130, when he and Maynard go back for their third go-around. If Edgar wins, that would make him 1-1-1 against Maynard. If Maynard wins, he remains unbeaten, but he might not be a champ with a huge groundswell of support behind him given that he has not finished an opponent in his last eight fights. Melendez has finished three of his last five.

There's no easy answer here. There is no "right answer" as to who is No. 1 except who wins in the cage. You can play with stats, bend numbers and cherry-pick facts to suit any argument. There's only one way to find out the true answer, and that's man against man. Gilbert Melendez made a strong case for himself on Saturday night. Suddenly, the people who once felt he wasn't for real have to start wondering just how real he might be. Suddenly, we have hope for an answer. Debating and arguing about No. 1 is fun, but not as fun as watching two champions fight for it.

THE NEW COMBAT ATHLETICS® WEB SITE IS UP!

2011-03-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody we just wanted you to know that we have did some online renovations and finally have a new site with a online store to full-fill all your MMA needs. Come by and check us out and if we are missing anything drop us a line.

Combat Athletics Management.

With UFC 132 rematch booked, champ Cruz details origins of Faber feud

2011-03-27T21:40:00.001-07:00

With UFC 132 rematch booked, champ Cruz details origins of Faber feud

by Joshua Carey on Mar 27, 2011 at 3:05 am ET

It has been four years since the sport's two most-talented 135-pound fighters faced one another.

However, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (17-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and No. 1 contender Urijah Faber (25-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meet again at UFC 132,officials announced on Saturday.

After the announcement, Cruz spoke exclusively to MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com) about the highly anticipated rematch and the origins of his feud with Faber.

Then-champion Faber defeated Cruz in a 2007 WEC featherweight title bout, one in which Cruz made his organizational debut.

After sustaining his first professional loss, Cruz decided to make a change in weight classes and virtually every aspect of his game. The result? He has not lost since that night in Las Vegas, and he has made history by becoming the first 135-pound champion in UFC history.

The two fighters have built something of a rivalry in recent months. But Cruz said the grudge goes back to that first fight – and more specifically, the official event poster.

"In the beginning it had nothing to do with him at all," said Cruz, who went 7-1 in the WEC. "In the very beginning, it had to do with the fact that I wasn't even on the event poster and I was fighting him for a world title. That really got under my skin.

"So, my way of getting on the poster was to sign where I signed (over Faber's picture), and it ended up pissing him off. Since then, he's been the one calling me out. He's done a million YouTube videos, went on like a media frenzy, and just done a bunch of YouTube videos running his mouth. After that, that's when everything started up. That's when I started talking because I'm not just going to let him keep running his mouth about me for no reason.

"Originally, it had nothing to do him, I felt like I deserved to be on that poster."

Additionally, the bantamweight champion feels his portrayal throughout the years has been taken out of context. He expects that soon to change.

"I feel like people just take what Faber says and go in stride with it and assume what he says is true – because he tries to play this perfect identity," Cruz said. "And, to be honest, I haven't been able to have quite the spotlight throughout my career that he's had – just from the timeline and the things he's done and when I did it.

"That being said, people are going to take the word of the person they know more than the person that is kind of coming out of nowhere, and I kind of came out of nowhere. So, that automatically makes me the bad guy. And if that's the guy he wants to make me out to be, go for it. But sooner or later people are going to know the truth about me, and they're going to know I'm here to fight. They're going to know I'm here to win. They're going to know I'm a good guy and a good champion."

As for how Cruz will handle the lead-up to his title defense on July 2, he's embracing the opportunity.

"Losing that fight a long time ago was a surreal moment – kind of like winning the UFC belt was a surreal moment," he said. "So, I'm just going to kind of take it day by day as I prepare for the fight. I couldn't be more excited. I feel like every fighter wants the opportunity to fight someone they've lost to in the past, and this is like the best-case scenario for me.

"I've had a lot of time to make improvements to my game, and I'm excited about the fight."

For more on UFC 132, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Dominick Cruz)

DREAM champ Takaya vs. Peralta added to "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley"

2011-03-27T21:39:00.001-07:00

DREAM champ Takaya vs. Peralta added to "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley"

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm ET

A bout between DREAM featherweight champ Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) and Robert Peralta (13-3 MMA, 0-0 SF) has been added to the preliminary card of next month's "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) confirmed the matchup with Strikeforce spokesperson Mike Afromowitz. Sherdog.com first reported the fight.

"Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" takes place April 9 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, and the main card airs live on Showtime. The event is headlined by a welterweight title fight between reigning champ Nick Diaz and Paul Daley.

Takaya returns to the U.S. for the first time since a two-fight stint with the WEC in 2008. Since then, the Japanese fighter has competed exclusively in DREAM, where he posted a runner-up finish in the organization's featherweight grand prix and defeated then-champ Bibiano Fernandes for the title in his most recent fight. He's now won three straight and six of his past eight.

He faces another Strikeforce newcomer in Peralta, who enters the promotion on the heels of a six-fight win streak in the California-based Gladiator Challenge organization. All of the wins have come via stoppage, though his opposition has a combined 5-11 record. However, Peralta does own an early-2009 victory over current Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion Darrell Montague.

The latest "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" card now includes:

MAIN CARD

Champ Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley (for welterweight title)
Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (for lightweight title)
Mike Kyle vs. Gegard Mousasi
Shinya Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm

PRELIMINARY CARD

Robert Peralta vs. Hiroyuki Takaya*
Saad Awad vs. Joe Duarte*
Casey Ryan vs. Paul Song*
Edgar Cardenas vs. Rolando Perez*

* - Not officially announced

For more on "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

Sadollah says UFC Fight Night 24 win just latest lesson on path to the top

2011-03-27T21:37:00.001-07:00

Sadollah says UFC Fight Night 24 win just latest lesson on path to the top

by John Morgan on Mar 27, 2011 at 8:50 am ET

SEATTLE – Put simply, there likely will never be another Amir Sadollah (5-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC).

The season-seven winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," Sadollah has fought his entire professional career inside the octagon – an impossible feat now that "TUF" tryouts require a professional record.

Developing his skills on the sport's biggest stage hasn't been easy, admits Sadollah, but he's comfortable in what he's become. Now it's time to take it to the next level.

"I think my mindset will always be to get better," Sadollah told MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com). "As far as fighting a higher level of competition, that's just something that you've got to want. You've got to be hungry for it, and I'm hungry."

Sadollah shocked the world with his perfect 5-0 record in a now-unheard-of 32-man tournament (four of the bouts were considered exhibitions and are not reflected on his official record). But in his first fight after claiming the "TUF 7" title, Sadollah was stopped in just 29 seconds by Johny Hendricks. Many MMA observers believe the stoppage may have been a touch quick, but a loss is a loss.

Sadollah rebounded with wins over Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn before he once again came up short, this time against Korean Dong Hyun Kim.

"The whole thing is ups and downs," Sadollah said. "The only thing I want to take away from [each fight] is just turning everything into a learning experience and using the good and the bad to get better. That's absolutely the goal."

It's been more good than bad as of late. Sadollah looked fantastic in a November win over Peter Sobotta, and he weathered an early storm against DaMarques Johnson at Saturday's UFC Fight Night 24 event and rallied back to earn a second-round submission-via-strikes victory.

Johnson, who stepped in on late notice to replace James Wilks (who was actually a replacement for Duane Ludwig), impressed early by being quicker to the punch as he moved forward while firing heavy leather. Sadollah credited his opponent for the quick start and said while taking a late replacement into deep waters is always a good idea, you certainly can't bank on an opponent running out of gas.

"It plays in, but I didn't go into this fight thinking he for sure was going to be out of shape," Sadollah said. "I have no idea what he's doing. He could have come in in the best shape of his life.

"We're all pros. That's what we do, is train. I couldn't assume that he was going to gas. It was a fight where I just though that if I put the pressure on, then things would open up."

Both theories were right. Johnson did tire, and as Sadollah continued to press, things continued to open up.

Sadollah stuffed a takedown, netted one of his own, and then went to work blasting away from top position until a bloodied and battered Johnson was forced to surrender to the onslaught. Sadollah was highly respectful of his opponent and appreciative for the opportunity to fight despite all of the card shuffling, and the win marked his second-straight impressive outing.

Where that leaves Sadollah in the UFC's packed welterweight division remains to be seen, but the 30-year-old welcomes a greater challenge. After all, he's in the sport to be the best, and he plans on improving each day along the way.

"Ideally, my entire career is about just trying to get better," Sadollah said. "I never want to be the guy that thinks, 'OK, I'm good at this; I'm good at standup,' or 'I'm good at jiu-jitsu.' The sport's evolving, and you have to evolve as a fighter."

For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

For UFC Fight Night 24's Jung, time was right for historic submission, instant pay raise

2011-03-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

For UFC Fight Night 24's Jung, time was right for historic submission, instant pay raise

by John Morgan on Mar 27, 2011 at 4:30 am ET

SEATTLE – UFC featherweight Chan Sung Jung (11-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was already a legend in MMA circles prior to stepping into the cage at Saturday's UFC Fight Night 24 event.

The only problem was his contract didn't exactly reflect his reputation.

"I'm especially glad to finally get my pay above the $5,000 level since I was stuck there for so long," Jung told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) with a laugh. "I'm glad to finally move up in pay level."

Jung catapulted himself into fight-fan lore with a gutsy loss to Leonard Garcia (15-7-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) at WEC 48 in April 2010. The $65,000 bonus that came along as the evening's "Fight of the Night" bonus was much appreciated, but it did little to up his guaranteed show money.

Ditto with his WEC 51 knockout loss to George Roop.

But when the WEC's talent was transferred to the sport's biggest promotion earlier this year, UFC brass had little question as to whether "The Korean Zombie" would get a shot in the octagon. In a twist of fate, Jung's opportunity came in the form of a short-notice rematch with Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24.

Jung admitted he worried about his future with the promotion should he come up short again, but UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby quelled his nerves just moments before he walked into the cage.

"Before the fight, Sean Shelby came up to me and told me that there was no pressure on me, so I kind of took that as a signal that I didn't have to worry – I think mainly because I took the fight on such short notice," Jung said through an interpreter. "He said not to feel too much pressure. That helped me relax a little bit."

So, too, Jung said, did Garcia's approach to the fight. Normally frantic in his pace and movement, Garcia appeared to desire a more moderately paced fight this time around, and the approach helped Jung remain calm.

"I did plan on trying to be a little bit calmer during this fight," Jung said. "Once the fight started, I actually did have the urge to just kind of go crazy and go for it, but responding to Leonard, he was actually very calm and very calculating, which he tends not to be during a fight. I actually played off that and continued to follow that pace."

Jung fought well in the opening frame, and his controlled striking, along with a late takedown, earned him the round on all three judges' cards. The second round saw more of the same, and it looked like the two would fight to a third round for the second time in as many meetings.

But suddenly, everything changed.

After kicking Garcia's legs out from under him, Jung pounced on his prone opponent and transitioned to the back. He initially sought a rear-naked choke, but Garcia defended well. "Bad Boy" didn't see what was coming next.

"When I started going in for the technique, I knew that there was less than 30 seconds left, so that's actually one of the reasons why I went for that move," Jung said. "If there was more than 30 seconds, I probably wouldn't have tried the move, but since there wasn't much time left, I just kind of went for it. Frankly, it worked out."

The move, the first example of the technique in the UFC, was a twister – a type of combination neck crank and body stretch made famous in MMA circles by Eddie Bravo (though also known in wrestling as a "guillotine" and in submission grappling as an "abdominal stretch" or "cobra twist"). The perfectly executed maneuver forced Garcia to tap with just one tick remaining in the second frame.

While the finish is the first example of the move earning a win in the UFC, Jung said it didn't happen by accident. In fact, the 24-year-old practically called his shot.

"It's something that I actually saw a long time ago on the Internet," Jung said. "It's one of Eddie Bravo's moves. It's something that I've practiced because it looks fun.

"I do it quite a bit in practice, and I always told people I'd try it some time in competition, and I wanted to do it in the UFC. I was able to, finally."

Jung said he was completely aware of the waning clock, and had there been more time left in the round, he probably wouldn't have tried the complex maneuver. However, with the opportunity in front of him, Jung seized the moment to write himself into the UFC's history books.

"I got his back, and I figured I would just try to do something," Jung said. "I didn't necessarily think I was going to try to go for the twister, but it just came out naturally, probably from doing it so much in practice."

The win netted Jung the evening's "Submission of the Night" award, as well as the hefty $55,000 check that accompanied the honor. More importantly to the Korean, his next appearance will include a pay raise.

It's uncertain what comes next for Jung. A trilogy bout with Garcia could certainly lie in his future, but with such a conclusive win, that possibility likely isn't on the table right now. Instead, Jung probably will seek a different challenge in the UFC's deep featherweight division.

Whatever it is, Jung will do so with minimal pressure. His second historic bout in three trips to the cage has likely earned him a spot on the UFC's roster for quite some time.

"I'm glad to get that first win," Jung said. "It definitely takes a lot of the pressure off me, especially in my first fight in the UFC."

For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

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