MMA Mania

Muay Thai trainer 'out of tune' with Anderson Silva; leaves 'Spider' camp

2010-02-09T18:46:51Z

Quoteworthy:

"I thank Anderson for all the time we spent working together. He’s a champion, a born striker, but we won’t continue working together in this partnership due to lack of tune in some moments. I decided to let the way open or him to work his Muay Thai with anyone he decides. The last fight we did was the one against Griffin… I think I ended my work with him in a great way."

French Muay Thai trainer Daniel Woirin, who helped Anderson Silva achieve victory in his previous four bouts, has parted ways with the current UFC Middleweight Champion after failing to find a middle ground with his training. Is there trouble brewing in the "Spider" camp? Or is this a routine change for a fight team heading into a UFC 112 bout against Vitor Belfort on April 10 in Abu Dhabi?

UFC 109 video highlights and recap from 'Relentless'

2010-02-09T17:23:19Z

Joe Lauzon becoming an athlete under the tutelage of BJ Penn and Marv Marinovich

2010-02-09T16:29:56Z

Props: JoeLauzon.com

Quoteworthy:

"It’s been GREAT training. I have only been around for a couple weeks but I can see why BJ has looked so great in his last few fights. Marv and Gary Marinovich are on top of things here. On top of all the great stuff I have learned to do from Marv and Gary… I have really learned a lot of things NOT to do. Apparently I am not much of an athlete, because I do pretty much every activity with the worst form they have ever seen. I have horrible flexibility and I am just a nightmare. As Marv put it though: 'Imagine what you will be able to do when you become a real athlete.' I guess that just means I have a lot of room for improvement, right? I have made good improvements compared to how I started out though. I will have a LOT of time to improve on things before August rolls around anyways."

Bridgewater native Joe Lauzon (18-5) gets a little taste of the BJ Penn camp after flying to Hawaii to train under "The Prodigy" and his head conditioning guru Marv Marinovich. "J-Lau" returned from knee surgery to hook 'em up with Sam Stout in their "Fight of the Night" at UFC 108 in Las Vegas but was unable to break the "Hands of Stone," who took home the unanimous decision victory. Now the former TUF 5 contestant hopes to get back to his winning ways when the UFC comes to his backyard on August 28 in Boston. Will the new and improved Lauzon be a force to be reckoned with at 155-pounds?

UFC 109 ratings on Spike TV attract 1.7 million viewers

2010-02-09T18:10:53Z

Spike TV once again aired a portion of a UFC fight card on its network prior to a major pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast, as fight fans were treated to one hour of uninterrupted mixed martial arts competition on the UFC 109: "Relentless" under card last Saturday night (Feb. 6).

Similar to UFC 103 last Sept. and then UFC 104 in Oct., which both attracted about 1.4 million viewers as the promotion began to test the idea along with its cable television partner, select UFC 109 prelim bouts aired commercial-free and garnered 1.7 million viewers for a 1.2 household rating.

That number beat the 1.5 million viewers tuning in to last month's UFC 108 under card -- and pretty much any other prelim offering since the Spike TV special debuted late last year.

Spike TV today announced the broadcast was also a big hit among men between the ages of 18 to 34 and 18-49, scoring a 1.6 rating and a 1.1 rating, respectively.

Viewers were treated to Mac Danzig and Melvin Guillard taking home "Relentless" decision victories. The Vegan warrior outpointed Justin Buccholz while "The Young Assassin" did enough to sway the judges against Ronnys Torres.

For complete results and coverage of UFC 109: "Relentless" click here and here.

UFC Quick Quote: Goran Reljic is going to show the doctors they were wrong at UFC 110

2010-02-09T15:36:02Z

"Doctors actually told me I'll never fight again, but I love to prove people wrong and now I'm back. I can't wait to step inside and fight again. I said to them, 'I'm going to show you who's not going to be capable of coming back to the sport. I'm going to show you that you're wrong.' I said (that) to them in their face. I told them I'm going to prove you wrong and that's what I did. Look where I am now. I'm coming back. I feel great. I have a heart. I never quit and I proved them all wrong. C.B. (Dollaway) is a great fighter. He's a great wrestler. He has solid stand-up skills as well. I just think we're going to put on a great show for the crowd and I hope everybody's going to see what they expect and everybody's going to be satisfied."

Undefeated Croatian fighter and real life superhero Goran Reljic (via Sherdog.com) anticipates his return to the Octagon at UFC 110 after nearly two years on the injured reserves. After knocking out Wilson Gouveia in his Zuffa debut in May 2008, the grappling phenom underwent surgery to repair a back injury sustained while training for his 185-pound fight against Thales Leites at UFC 90 later that year. It's been a long, hard road for Reljic -- but don't expect any sympathy from CB Dollaway, who looks to spoil the Croat's return in Sydney on Feb. 21.

Bellator Fighting Championships inks deal with middleweight Matt Major

2010-02-09T15:12:46Z

CHICAGO, Ill. (February 9, 2010) – Matt Major, the colorful and sometimes-controversial mixed martial artist known for his appearance on the TapouT reality show and his upset victory over UFC veteran Shonie Carter, has signed on to compete in Bellator Fighting Championships’ upcoming Season 2 middleweight tournament.

The 26-year-old Major—who moonlights as a fashion designer—boasts a professional record of 6-1, but says that his "actual record is closer to 20-1 when you include all the fights I’ve taken in clubs and in bars and in people’s basements." He drew big buzz throughout the MMA world with his 2008 win over Carter in a fight that Sherdog.com described by noting that Major "outclassed a man with 14 times as many professional fights" under his belt.

"Matt has a unique and bigger-than-life persona, but below the personality is a 185 pounder who can really fight," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "If Matt focuses on our upcoming tournament, he’s a very dangerous draw for anyone at 185."

Major says winning the Season 2 tournament and the chance for a title fight against Lombard is his singular goal now that he has signed with Bellator.

"The real question is: ‘Is Hector Lombard ready for Matt Major?’" Major said. "I’ll tell you right now, if Hector Lombard knows I’m in the tournament, I know he’s worried about it. I want to be a world champion more than anything and I don’t care who I have to fight or what I have to do to get there."

Before that, though, Major will have to get through three fights in Bellator’s eight-man Season 2 middleweight tournament. Other tournament competitors announced thus far include Eric Schambari and Bryan "The Beast" Baker. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155, and 170 lbs. The winners in each division will be declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of champions. All 24 fights in Seasons 2 and 3 will be televised on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo.

Major says he has been "fascinated" by the fight game and martial arts "pretty much since the day I was born."

"All I ever wanted to do was be the next Jean Claude Van Damme, the next Steven Segal, the next Bruce Lee," he said. "And now I’m better than all of them. I knew since I was a little kid that I was going to be a great fighter."

Major was born in Miami, but moved to New Jersey at the age of 8 to live with an aunt after both his mother and father passed away. In high school, he passed up the chance to compete on the school wrestling team, instead opting to take classes in fashion design and merchandising at the local community college. Later, he was accepted at the Art Institute of New York. He studied there and at several other art schools before switching his attention to MMA full-time in his early 20s.

"I’ve trained in every kind of combat you can imagine: I’ve done English boxing, American boxing, Aikido, judo, sword, wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, you name it," he said. "If the fight ends up on the ground, someone’s gonna get tapped. If it stays standing up, someone’s gonna get hit in the mouth. It doesn’t matter to me."

Major spent the better part of 2009 training at the famed American Kickboxing Academy is San Jose, Calif. He describes his contract with Bellator as "the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me."

"Bellator, I think, is the new face of MMA," he said. "It’s just a very sophisticated organization and I’m proud to be a part of it."

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

UFC 112: Jon Madsen vs Mostapha Al Turk under consideration for April 10

2010-02-09T15:08:36Z

After a successful bid to get back into the UFC following his early exit on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10, Jon Madsen will be heading overseas to face Mostapha Al Turk at UFC 112 from the Concert Arena, Ferrari World, Yas Island on April 10 in Abu Dhabi.

Our comrades at Around the Octagon confirmed the match up earlier today.

Madsen made a name for himself in the high school and collegiate wrestling scene, but made a bee-line for mixed martial arts immediately following his quest for higher learning.

After joining Matt Hughes H.I.T. Squad, Madsen racked up a perfect 2-0 record in 2008 after his debut at Crossroads Combat Challenge (CCC) 3 in Illinois.

That success (along with his gym affiliation) landed him a spot on TUF 10, but he would eventually fall to finalist Brendan Schaub via knockout in their exhibition match in the quarterfinals. He rebounded against Justin Wren, grinding out a split decision at last year's TUF Finale and is ready to keep the momentum going.

Waiting for him in the United Arab Emirates will be Al Turk — perhaps best known for having his eyes turned into a Croatian shisk kabob at UFC 99 by Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

He came up short in his debut against Cheick Kongo at UFC 92 after a successful run in Europe on the Cage Rage circuit. In fact, he has six wins in seven attempts for the promotion and was riding a two-fight win streak before getting dismantled at "The Ultimate 2008."

Al Turk was going to welcome Rolles Gracie to the Octagon at UFC 109: "Relentless" until Visa issues forced him to withdraw from the event.

He is a pretty well-rounded fighter with serviceable boxing and solid grappling skills -– good enough to earn him the British Cage Rage heavyweight title.

Are they good enough to fend off the hungry up-and-comer? That remains to be seen.

UFC 112 is expected to feature two world title fights, including middleweight champion Anderson Silva taking on Vitor Belfort and lightweight kingpin BJ Penn putting his belt on the line against Frankie Edgar.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on this still-developing fight card.

New Sengoku ring girls!! Their bust, waist, and hip measurements are posted, but I am too...

2010-02-09T14:35:19Z

New Sengoku ring girls!!

Their bust, waist, and hip measurements are posted, but I am too lazy to convert centimeters to inches.

Sacramento Kings to host 'Urijah Faber Night' on Feb. 23

2010-02-09T14:26:30Z

The Sacramento Kings will pay tribute to former WEC Featherweight Champion and local fight favorite Urijah Faber with a special night planned in his honor on Feb. 23 when the Kings host the Detroit Pistons at the ARCO Arena.

Fans who purchase two tickets will receive a free Urijah Faber "Form Athletics" hoodie with the first 500 to be signed by "The California Kid" himself.

From Faber:

"I am a huge Kings fan and so excited about this new, young team we have in Sacramento. I’m pumped to be a part of this special night with the Kings and hope all Kings and WEC fans will join us at ARCO for this fun event."

Faber will try to reclaim his 145-pound title from the seemingly invincible Jose Aldo when the two stars collide in Sacramento on April 24 in the first ever pay-per-view event from the WEC.

Tickets for Urijah Faber Night with the Kings can be purchased by clicking here or visiting the ARCO Arena Box Office.

Mitsuoka-Santos, Blanco-Kunioku added to Sengoku 12

2010-02-09T08:23:29Z

Sengoku 12 fight card continues to take shape with the addition of two big fights. Scheduled for March 7, Sengoku 12 will take place at the fabled sumo arena, Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Eiji Mitsuoka (16-7-2) returns to face Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom, Leonardo Santos (6-3), while the rising star, Maximo Blanco (4-2-1) takes on 65-fight veteran, Kiuma Kunioku (34-22-9) in a collison of youth and experience.

Mitsuoka stumbled against Kazunori Yokota in a battle between Sengoku's top lightweight contenders last November. Prior to fighting in Sengoku, he rose to prominence with a victory over Joachim Hansen in Shooto. In Sengoku, he has gone 4-2 and earned all four victories via submission in the first round.

Leonardo Santos also looks to rebound after a close split decision loss to Yokota last May. A Nova Uniao product and younger brother of current WEC bantamweight, Wagnney Fabiano, Santos boasts an extraordinary list of accolades in BJJ and submission grappling tournaments, including a medal in ADCC.

Maximo Blanco, a former standout freestyle wrestler, has represented his home country of Venezuela in international wrestling competitions. He has been training at Yoshida dojo and seeks to capitalize on his two-fight winning streak; his second-to-last victory over Katsuya Inoue earned him the Lightweight King of Pancrase title.

Kiuma Kunioku has been competing since 1996, mostly in Pancrase. His current three-fight winning streak has come on the heel of a prolonged downturn during which he recorded six losses and two draws in nine fights. In his last fight, he bested A Sol Kwon by unanimous decision at Sengoku 5 in September 2008.

Stay tuned to MMAmania for more information regarding the upcoming Sengoku 12.

UFC Quick Quote: Joe Rogan has a meltdown during 'Ice-gate'

2010-02-09T03:15:17Z

"Oh we got a problem, somebody spilled ice all over the Octagon. That's a big problem, that's a lot of ice. This is gonna take some time. This is a disaster. Look at it, they knocked the bucket over. This is "The Three Stooges." What are you freaks doing? Now everybody's booing. Now there's even more pressure. Now they're sweeping it out. That's good. Put it on the side and watch [Octagon girl] Arianny (Celeste) fall on her head. There's still ice! There's still too much! GET BACK IN THERE! YOU'RE NOT DONE! THERE'S ICE ALL OVER THE FLOOR! What are these guys doing? There's 100 pieces of ice still on the floor and these guys just scrambled out because of the pressure. What a disaster. There's ice everywhere! Those cornermen, somebody needs to kick their ass."

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan empties his tray during the Ronnys Torres vs. Melvin Guillard fight at UFC 109: "Relentless" last Saturday night (Feb. 6). The ice bag applied to the back and neck of Torres ruptured as his corner was exiting the cage, causing a cubed glacier to make its way across the Octagon floor. Team Torres scrambled to get it cleaned up amidst a verbal berating from Joe Rogan, whose hilarious commentary on "Ice-gate" kept pay-per-view subscribers amused during the icy mishap. Video of the incident can be found here or after the jump.

Chuck Liddell sandwich: "Relentless' UFC 109 after party pics. Check out complete gallery here.

2010-02-09T04:33:30Z

Chuck Liddell sandwich: "Relentless' UFC 109 after party pics. Check out complete gallery here.

UFC 109 medical suspensions and injuries for 'Relentless'

2010-02-09T02:25:12Z

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 109: "Relentless," which took place on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

With several of the night's participants sharing a gruesome common denominator, there were a handful of fighters who were flagged follow up visits with their doctors.

Chief among them is Chael Sonnen for his grisly face and head lacerations that made opponent Nate Marquardt look a little like Carrie on prom night. Joining him on the injured reserves is fellow middleweight Demian Maia after the jiu-jitsu phenom tore open his eyelid while putting a beatdown on the venerable Dan Miller.

But that's not all.

Here is the complete list of UFC 109 injuries and their medical instructions:

Mark Coleman: Suspended until March 9 and no contact until Feb. 28 (precautionary reasons)
Nate Marquardt: Suspended until March 9 and no contact until Feb. 28 (precautionary reasons)
Chael Sonnen: Suspended until March 24 and no contact until March 9 (forehead and nasal-bridge lacerations)
Mike Swick: Suspended until Aug. 6 (elbow injury) unless cleared early by an orthopedic doctor; otherwise suspended until March 24 and no contact until March 9 (precautionary reasons)
Demian Maia: Suspended until Aug. 6 (eyelid laceration) unless cleared early by an ophthalmologist or ocular-plastics doctor
Dan Miller: Suspended until March 9 and no contact until Feb. 28 (precautionary reasons)
Frank Trigg: Suspended until March 24 with no contact until March 9 (precautionary reasons)
Mac Danzig: Suspended until Aug. 6 (left knee sprain) unless cleared early by an orthopedic doctor
Justin Buchholz: Suspended until March 9 and no contact until Feb. 28 (precautionary reasons)
Melvin Guillard: Suspended indefinitely unless cleared early by an ophthalmologist by March 26
Rolles Gracie: Suspended until March 9 and no contact until Feb. 28 (precautionary reasons)

Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases.

For complete UFC 109 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

Ed Soares: Chael Sonnen should fight Demian Maia to determine number one contender

2010-02-09T02:04:20Z

Props: Sportsnet.ca

Quoteworthy:

"We've spoken with Chael on many occasions and have the utmost respect for him. He's never really come across in this manner, and it's obvious he's just drumming up hype in hopes to get a bout with Anderson. We are fine if this is what the UFC wants, but if you look at this logistically, Sonnen should fight Demian Maia first. Demian beat up easily, by submission, so why not make them fight first, to determine who gets a shot at the title? It's funny, but really, who actually listens to what Chael Sonnen has to say? The only time people listen is when he talks about Anderson. Who is he, really? If you walk down the street and you mention his name, does anyone really know who this guy is? Likely not, but if you mention Anderson Silva, people know the name. Chael's also said a few things about Anderson's choice of clothes and that he wears earrings, didn't he? Sounds to us like he may have a crush on Anderson."

Sound familiar? Ed Soares, manager and translator for UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, is once again playing matchmaker, this time on the heels of a supposed 185-pound number one contender bout between Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt at UFC 109: "Relentless" this past Saturday night (Feb. 6). UFC President Dana White promised the winner of Sonnen vs. Marquardt the first crack at the division title after "The Spider" defends it at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Now Soares is tampering with the formula -- much like he did after Dan Henderson decapitated Michael Bisping at UFC 100 to earn his rematch (and we all know how that ended up). Does Soares have a legitimate gripe? Or should he zip his lip leave the matchmaking to Joe Silva?

UFC 109 backstage pics behind the scenes for 'Relentless'

2010-02-08T23:38:02Z

Dan Miller exploding the term "Hitchhiker's Thumb."

See the entire UFC 109 backstage gallery here.

Chael Sonnen talks UFC 109 and more on tonight's presentation of Pro MMA Radio (Updated)

2010-02-08T14:08:08Z

Top UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen has been added to tonight's edition of Pro MMA Radio to talk about his dominant performance over fellow contender Nate Marquardt at UFC 109: "Relentless" this past Saturday night (Feb. 6).

The multi-dimensional fighter will also discuss his bid to become Oregon’s next State Representative. To learn more about Chael’s political future, visit VoteSonnen.com.

To hear everything Chael has to say about UFC 109 and beyond, be sure to tune in tonight at 9 p.m. ET for our exclusive live feed!

Chuck Liddell is going to kill Tito Ortiz in 'tune up' fight

2010-02-08T21:48:13Z

UFC 114: Ryan Jensen vs Jesse Forbes on tap for May 29

2010-02-08T20:47:49Z

A middleweight bout between Ryan Jensen (14-6) and Jesse Forbes (11-4) has been signed for UFC 114, which is scheduled to go down at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 29, according to MMAFighting.com.

Both fighters are coming off losses, meaning that this could very well end up being a good 'ole loser leaves town match.

Jensen was last seen in action earlier this year at UFC 108 where he was defeated by Mark Munoz in the first round. Coming into that contest, Jensen had only won three of his previous seven fights and has only tasted victory once in five tries under the UFC banner.

Jesse "Kid Hercules" Forbes, a member of the third season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), has had a bit of a better run lately than his counterpart at UFC 114. Despite dropping his last contest at UFC Fight Night 20 against Nick Catone, Forbes has only lost twice in his last nine fights.

After getting cut from the UFC following his defeat at the hands of Matt Hamill at the TUF 3 Finale, Forbes enjoyed great success in smaller regional shows, but just hasn't been able to put it all together on the sport's biggest stage.

He'll look for his first win in the UFC come Memorial Day weekend.

UFC 114 is expected to be headlined by TUF 10 coaches and now mortal enemies "Suga" Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. The card is also expected to feature an interesting battle between Forrest Griffin and Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. It's all set to go down on May 29 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more news on UFC 114 as it becomes available.

Gomi by first round knockout? You betta recognize ...

2010-02-08T19:46:51Z

... and git with da "Flo."

"I think he will find out very quickly that [knocking me out is] going to be a very difficult thing to do. I didn’t get to where I am by getting beat in the first round and I’m looking forward to seeing if that’s going to come true. Gomi is a tough guy. He was the best in the world for a long time."

Boston bruiser and perennial lightweight contender Kenny Florian (via The Boston Herald) dismisses Takanori's prediction of a first round knockout when "The Fireball Kid" makes his UFC debut opposite "KenFlo" at UFC Fight Night 21 from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, March 31. The MMA community is already abuzz about the prospect of a rematch between Gomi and current division kingpin BJ Penn, but he won't get there without toppling the constantly improving Florian -- whose only losses in his past 12 fights have been at the hands of Sean Sherk and "The Prodigy." Fireball? Or fizzle out? Your prediction on Gomi's debut is ...

Melvin Guillard gunning for title contention under Greg Jackson

2010-02-08T17:07:10Z

Props: Examiner.com

Quoteworthy:

"I was ecstatic to have my first win under Coach Jackson. Like I told everybody tonight, I started out 0-0, now I'm 1-0 under Team Jackson and right now my goal is to just work hard and try to move myself into title contention. Working with Joe Stevenson full-time, we're like brothers now. My confidence grows because of him. He encourages me and I encourage him. Everybody there is just like a big family and just to work with Coach Greg, the best coach in the world, it's awesome. I got turned down by a couple of gyms actually, because people really don't know the real me, they just know what they see out and about, all the bad stuff, but Coach Greg took a chance on me and I won't let him down."

Embattled former Ultimate Fighter 2 contestant and latest addition to the storied Greg Jackson family, Melvin Guillard, reflects on the changes both in his training and in his personal life that helped propel him to a unanimous decision win over Ronnys Torres at UFC 109: "Relentless" from the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Feb. 6. "The Young Assassin" has always held a tremendous amount of potential but never managed to correct the mistakes that led to repeated submission losses to fighters like Joe Stevenson and Nate Diaz. Now with the head training guru taking him in and showing him the light, should we expect to include Guillard's name in the list of 155-pound title contenders in 2011?