UFC 92 Post-Fight Video Interviews

All the post-fight interviews can be found on the front page at UFC.com, when more interviews become available I will post them here.

UFC 92 Predictions: The Big Three

UFC 92 kicks off this Saturday and on paper is the most stacked card of the year, although it will be hard to top the amazing UFC 84. Here are my predictions for the 3 main fights.

Forrest Griffin vs Rashad Evans for the Light Heavyweight Title
People who have followed my sites for awhile, surely know that I have never been a Forrest Griffin believer, but its getting hard not to trust this guy in a fight. He has a huge heart, he's tough as nails and is really big for his weight class, that being said I have to pick against him again. Maybe I'll keep being wrong when it comes to Forrest and maybe one day I'll get over the horrible judge's decision at the TUF 1 finale against Bonnar. Rashad is a hungry fighter, with the skill set to match. He has incredible hand speed and excellent wrestling, he will be quicker to the punch and can certainly take Forrest down. Forrest is hard to finish, but I think Evans can pull it off. Rashad Evans is crowned the new 205 pound champ by third round TKO.

Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
If this fight ends in any way other than a decision, I will be shocked. I think the big question, when it comes to Nog is how long can he keep fighting like he always does. By that, I mean taking tremendous punishment, at some point fighting like that will take its toll. That being said, its a good thing Nog isn't human. I think Nog will grind out a very nice decision win in an entertaining fight, in which he controls the stand-up.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Unanimous Decision.

Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson 3
The REAL main event in my opinion. If you're Quinton Jackson you have the wrestling, the punching power and brute strength to win this fight, but do you have the mental toughness? Do you have the ability to block out the only 2 times you've been knocked out in your career? Have you mentally recovered from all the stuff that's happen to you lately? All questions that will be answered in this fight. Wanderlei has the upper hand in my opinion and he will use Jackson's tentativeness against him. For Wanderlei its about constantly keeping up the pressure on Rampage, which he certainly has the aggression and cardio to do.
Wanderlei Silva by another brutal KO

UFC 92 Weigh-Ins Video

Quote of the Day: Wanderlei Silva: "Dana, Put my Name on the Check for KO of the Night"

UFC.com has video of the UFC 92 press conference, you can check it out by clicking HERE. Wanderlei Silva gave the quote of the press conference.

"Dana, you can put my name on the check for knockout of the night"

Some strong words from the Axe Murderer in what is surely to be another classic brawl. Rampage didn't trash talk at all, he seemed really calm and collected. Mir/Nog and Griffin/Evans also talk about their fights at the above link.

(Props to Tracy Lee of Combat Lifestyle for the Pic)

The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale Post-Fight Video Interviews

Mirko Crocop vs Hong Man Choi Rumored for NYE K-1 FIELDS Dynamite!!

Its not official yet, Fighters Only Magazine has the scoop.

Mirko ‘CroCop' Filopovic is being lined up for a fight with Korean giant Hong Man Choi, it has been rumoured.

Reports on several Korean websites indicate the pair are being offered a fight with each other for K-1 Fields Dynamite on New Year's Eve.

But the reports are unconfirmed and there has been no official statement from either fighter's camp, nor the K-1 organisation.

Filopovic last fought in October, when a long-awaited clash with Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem ended in controversy.

With so many great bouts rumored and comfirmed for this event, it was a foregone conclusion that there had to be one freak show bout thrown in. The rumors are that it will be fought under K-1 kickboxing rules. Choi just got his ass handed to him by Ray Sefo at the K-1 World GP Finals. Can Crocop's left high kick reach Choi's enormous cranium?

Dana White Says Lyoto Machida is Anderson Silva's Successor

From Sensei SporTV via Tatame comes an interview with the UFC Prez in which he gives light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida the ultimate compliment.

He isn’t surprised with the possible retirement of Silva after all “Anderson Silva is rich! I’d also retire if I was him”, said Dana in jest. Though he doesn’t actually believe Anderson will retire any time soon . If it does happen, the president believes Lyoto Machida will become the 'The Spiders“ successor.

"Machida has everything to be the next best pound for pound fighter in MMA" said White.

This is something I've been saying for awhile now, no matter what people think of Machida's fighting style, he knows how to fight to win. I believe he could beat anybody at 205lbs, its just a matter of getting the fights he deserves.

Kimbo Slice to K-1, Possibly to Fight Badr Hari in Kickboxing Bout

This comes from Japanese MMA Blog Omasuki Fight, which was translated over at Bloody Elbow.

Japanese tabloid Tokyo Sports reported that Kimbo Slice will be making appearance at Dec 6 K-1 show in Yokohama Japan to say hi to Japanese fans, K-1 Event Producer Tanigawa confirmed. His K-1 debut match will be in March, vs. current K-1 heavyweight champ, Badr Hari.

K-1 is basically kickboxing without elbow and muay thai clinch. Good for Kimbo not have to worry about ground game.

OK let me get this straight, Kimbo will be signed by K-1 to fight in March and be subsequently destroyed by one of the greatest kickboxers walking the planet. If this is true, maybe Kimbo hasn't done any research on Hari, because he stands ZERO chance of beating Hari in a kickboxing bout. Of course we would even get to see this massacre on HDNET now, more power to him, but if I were his manager I would try to put him in a match where he would at least stand a chance. Bob Sapp, anyone?

Jorge Gurgel Released from UFC, Signs Immediately with Strikeforce

This breaking news is being reported by PlopCulture.

Being Jorge's manager we are privy to this info before anyone else and wanted to break it on the Plop for you fight fans...Within minutes of getting released from the UFC today, Jorge signed on with Strikeforce and will be coming to CALI to fight for the next stage in his career. Today he had a very successful surgery on a recurring bone spur issue with his elbow and should be ready to begin training in a few weeks.

Good for Jorge, I hope he gets a fresh start in Strikeforce and performs at a high level. Say what you will about his game planning, but he always comes to fight and is usually in a war because he is damn near impossible to finish.

(Thanks to PlopCulture for the Tip!)

Fedor Emelianenko Wants Brock Lesnar

MMAJunkie has released an official statement from M-1 Global's Vice President Jerry Millen.

M-1 would like to congratulate Brock Lesnar on his UFC heavyweight title victory as well as acknowledge Randy Couture's return to active competition after a layoff that lasted over a year.

Couture and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko had publicly acknowledged a desire to fight each other multiple times over the course of the past year. While M-1 and Fedor remain interested in a match against Couture, we would also like to publicly state for the record that we would welcome a superfight between Fedor and Lesnar that would be held as a co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment.

We've invited the media to speak with us today to not only make it clear we would welcome a Fedor vs. Lesnar matchup but to act in a preemptive fashion to address the possibility that UFC officials will try and position Lesnar as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, much like they have tried to use a marketing ploy to brand Anderson Silfva as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

In the past, UFC president Dana White and Zuffa, LLC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have tried to claim that Fedor was "overrated" and that his "record was irrelevant." They make these claims in spite of the fact that Fedor holds career victories over UFC champions past and present. While we have tremendous respect for the contributions Mr. Fertitta and Dana have made to this sport, we do not believe they are sincere in their statements.

It is the position of M-1 that the UFC has adopted an anti-Fedor policy because multiple attempts to sign him have not been fruitful. For a company that has tried to market itself as the number one promotion in the world, they are unable to accept the fact that the number one fighter in the world does not reside on its roster of contracted fighters.

We believe that the UFC has determined that it's much more inexpensive for them to use their marketing resources to use smoke and mirrors to brand a fighter as the pound-for-pound best as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market.

While Brock Lesnar is an accomplished athlete and a talented fighter, we do not consider him to be the number one heavyweight in the world. Until someone beats him, we strongly believe that Fedor should continue to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round.

For those who feel our statements in regards to Fedor are self-serving, we'd like to refer you to a video interview on the website RawVegas.tv in which at his UFC 91 after-party Couture himself acknowledges that "Fedor would probably tear Brock up at this point."

Jerry Millen, M-1 Vice President

I really hope this prompts a response from the UFC and Dana White(probably won't), very interested in what they would have to say after reading all the bashing that's in this statement.

Fedor Emelianenko Loses...In Sambo!

Fight Linker Reports

It wasn't a good weekend for MMA fanboys. Wrestling fanboys yes, MMA fanboys no. Not only did Brock Lesnar knock out Randy Couture, but Fedor has lost as well this weekend. No, it wasn't in an MMA match, but still. Fedor was competing at the World Sambo Championships and lost to some Bulgarian dude in an apparently decisive fashion. He still clinched the bronze medal. This is all original reporting care of our bud Matthew Polly, so expect more info soon.

This may not be as shocking as hearing Fedor lost an MMA bout, but its certainly suprising. Considering how dominant Fedor has been in Combat Sambo over the years. I have got to see video of this, please if anyone finds the video of this, post it in the comments.

UFC 91 Post-Fight Video Interviews and Analysis

UFC 91 Weigh-Ins Video

UFC 91 Predictions: Natural Selection

Lets take a look at the rest of the card before we get to the big fight of the night.

Non-Televised Bouts

Ryan Thomas vs. Matt Brown
I gotta go with Thomas in this fight, he is an up and comer with alot of talent. I think he can control this fight with his wrestling and overall ground game. Brown has a significant advantage standing, but I don't think he can avoid this fight going to the floor.- Thomas by decision.

Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
Love this fight, it has the potential to be the fight of the night, but I see Robinson as having better overall skills. He should be able to control the stand-up and avoid Bocek's take downs and submission attempts.- Robinson by TKO.

Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
We all hear in every Gurgel fight how fantastic his Jiu-Jitsu is, but we rarely ever get to see it. Gurgel is the type of fighter that wants to put on a good show and actually winning the fight takes a back seat. This should be a brawl as both fighters have great chins and like to press the action, but if Gurgel decides to stand with Riley(I think he will) he will be in trouble as Riley has some heavy hands. I just can't pick Gurgel because he's showed many times that he will fight away from his own strengths.- Riley by Decision

Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
If Anjos can't get this fight to the mat, he's gettin knocked out. Stephens is a phenomenal striker and I think he gets the stoppage after avoiding some early take down attempts.- Stephens by KO


Televised Card

Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory
Another fight that should be extremely entertaining. Hazelett has the type of potential that could make him a champion one day, but McCrory has that same potential. I think this fight is a toss-up, but ultimately I like Hazelett to pull off another entertaining submission.- Hazelett by Submission

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks
Hendricks makes his UFC debut and Gonzaga is coming off a win against Justin McCully. I don't know much about Hendricks, but I do know that if he has the cardio to take Gonzaga into the third round he has a chance. Gonzaga has shown suspect cardio in his losses against Couture and Werdum. That being said, I'm still picking Gonzaga to finish this fight early.- Gonzaga by TKO

Demian Maia vs. Nathan Quarry
Maia's Jiu-Jitsu is on another level compared to most fighters in the world, on the other hand his stand-up is sub-par to say the least. Quarry ran a track meet in his last fight with Kalib Starnes, so his cardio should be tremendous! Anyways, I think Quarry stays out of the sub and uses the Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares strategy.- Quarry by Decision

Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson
Ken-Flo is one of those fighters that gets better every time we see him. The only real advantage I can see for Stevenson in this fight is maybe he's a little better wrestler than Florian. Other than that I see Florian dominating this fight from start to finish with superior striking and even better Jiu-Jitsu than the recently anointed black belt, Stevenson. edit.- Florian by TKO

Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar
I hear many, many people talking about how great an athlete Brock Lesnar is. I'm sorry, but I disagree strongly with anyone that anoints Lesnar as a "great athlete". He has done nothing to earn a title like that. If you watched "UFC 91 Countdown" you no doubt saw the story about Lesnar's quest to play for the Minnesota Vikings. In the piece his trainers say that he had better numbers in the 40 and bench(not a suprise) than Houston Texans' number one overall choice Mario Williams. His trainers also go on to say that he has the talent to play in the NFL, even though the Vikings cut him. Forgive me for being highly skeptical of that whole situation and I don't know the whole story, but if he truly had the talent to play in the NFL that's where he would be(its not like the NFL is picky about who they let in.) and to insinuate that he is as good an athlete as Mario Williams is, is absolutely ridiculous.

He moves fast for a big man and he's a great wrestler and that gives him a chance in this fight, but I just have a problem with calling the guy a great athlete. When you think of a great athlete in terms of an MMA fighter, among other things, you have to think of overall skill set, heart, chin and endurance. Three things that we have no idea of when it comes to Brock Lesnar. You know who is a great athlete? Randy Couture.

Couture has been the underdog many times and he has risen to the occasion to prove all the critics wrong in the past. I think he pulls it off again here against an inexperienced fighter. Couture will pull out all the old MMA tricks to consistently frustrate the big man. I think dirty boxing will be a huge factor in this fight for Couture in the stand-up. Of course in the highly likely scenario that Couture does end up on his back, I suspect he has a few suprises for Brock either scrambling or submission attempts. I'm picking Couture to end this fight late in the third round after Lesnar realizes that he is outgunned in skill set and fighting intelligence.- Couture by TKO Late in the Third Round.

Official Poster for UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2

UFC 94: JANUARY 31, 2009
venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

Welterweight Bout:
Georges St. Pierre (#1 Welterweight in the World)* vs. B.J. Penn (#1 Lightweight in the World)*

-Lyoto Machida (#4 Light Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Thiago Silva (#10 Light Heavyweight in the World)*
-Karo Parisyan (#10 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Dong Hyun Kim
-Jake O'Brien vs. Christian Wellisch
-Manny Gamburyan vs. Thiago Tavares
-Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones
-Dan Cramer vs. Matt Arroyo

I honestly can't wait for this. Click the picture for up to date fight card and rumors from MMA Weekly.

10 Shooto Fights You Need to Watch, with Videos

Shooto is considered to be the oldest MMA organization on the planet. Started in 1985, there are so many great fights, that its impossible to boil it down to 10, but these are some of the best I've ever seen.

Takanori Gomi vs Joachim Hansen- Shooto- 8/10/03 in Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium


Caol Uno vs Tatsuya Kawajiri- Shooto- 3/22/04 in Korakuen Hall

Caol Uno vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Uploaded by mma-tv

Kenji Osawa vs Takeya Mizugaki- Shooto 2006- 11/10 in Korakuen Hall


Lion Takeshi vs Hiroyuki Abe- Shooto Back to Our Roots 1


Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto vs Tetsuo Katsuta- Shooto- Treasure Hunt 10- 2002


Antonio Carvalho vs Rumina Sato- Shooto: The Victory of the Truth 2006


Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Takumi Nakayama- Shooto- Shooter's Dream 2 2003


Caol Uno vs Rumina Sato 1- Shooto- 10th Anniversary 1999
2 Parts



Jake Shields vs Akira Kikuchi- Shooto- 8/10/03 in Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium

Akira Kikuchi vs. Jake Shields
Uploaded by mma-tv

Shinya Aoki vs Akira Kikuchi 2- Shooto: Back to Our Roots 1 2007

shinya aoki vs akira kikuchi 2
Uploaded by hamoom

Gina Carano and Tonya Evinger Wasted and Getting Close(Pics)

(Props Cage Potato and MMA Fight Girls)

I don't know the story behind these pics, but remember Evinger is the fighter that announced at the pre-fight presser that she wanted to make out with Gina before fighting her.

Deadspin Shows Even More Stupidity About Lloyd Irvin

I recently wrote a fanpost on Bloody Elbow about this whole Deadspin.com vs. Lloyd Irvin situation. For those who don't know the whole situation, click here for the entire story from Bloody Elbow. Lloyd Irvin released a chilling 911 call made by his wife and asked the editors of Deadspin.com to delete the blog post in which they basically accuse him of making up the whole home invasion story to get more business for his academy. Here's the post I made over at Bloody Elbow.


On the front page of Deadspin is a new response to the ongoing Lloyd Irvin and Bloody Elbow vs. Rick Chandler saga. This time from DAULERIO. In typical Deadspin fashion, he decides to pick out some of the worst emails they received from Bloody Elbow readers and then he had this to say.

For the record, Rick will not be fired, he's not guilty of libel, and he will not be hung or shot or killed (by me, at least). But it should be noted (again) that our initial report on this was skeptical based on the facts that were available and then was quickly rectified. Also, in case there is still any skepticism about what Lloyd Irvin and his family went through last night, you can listen to the horrifying 911 call right here.

We wish Mr. Irvin and his family the best in getting through this traumatic time and also in his future business endeavors. The post has not been removed, but has been updated with these links. Hopefully, that makes Mr. Irvin happy and prevents Rick from being pummeled to death by angry Bloody Elbow readers on his way to the grocery store. As you were.

Is it really that hard to delete a blog post? The answer is of course no, I'm a blogger and I do it all the time. These Deadspin writers are just too arrogant and they think everything they say is golden. Get real. Lloyd Irvin probably saved his family's life and he has every right in the world to ask for a stupid blog post to be deleted. Rick Chandler and all the writers at Deadspin are inconsiderate pricks and they know it. So just stay out of our wonderful MMA community and stick to making fun of Terrell Owens!


I say again, what the hell is the big deal about deleting a blog post?

Chris Leben Tests Positive for Steroids, Suspended Nine Months

"The Crippler" has tested positive for the banned substance and anabolic agent stanozolol. Leben will be suspended nine months from fighting and have to forfeit one-third of his UFC 89 purse according to UFC.com.

“I’ve really done everything I can to turn my life around, and this is a huge setback for me, but it is something I will have to deal with. During my time off from fighting, I want to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance enhancing agents and let them know it just doesn’t get you ahead in life. Of course this is a hard hit for me monetarily, but more so this is embarrassing for me and for all of my fans. I apologize to the UFC and everyone who supported me in my fight in England. I hope to work through this and get back to fighting soon.”

Obviously some terrible news for everyone involved, but hey if you cheat you should pay the price. Anytime this happens, especially in the premier MMA organization on the planet, its a black mark on the sport.

Denis Kang Signs Four Fight Deal with the UFC

One of my favorite fighters has finally made the jump to the UFC.

From American Top Team's website.

American Top Team fighter Denis Kang just signed a 4 fight deal with the UFC!

Denis made a big name for himself in Japan and Korea fighting in the PRIDE and SpiritMC organizations, where he developed a huge following.

Denis will now be able to showcase his skills to a whole new audience who hasn;t had the chance to see this exciting fighter in action. Denis has always expressed a desire to fight in the UFC and we are pleased we were able to help him get this deal done. Denis will bring a lot of excitement to the 185# division! Congrats Denis!

Some fantstic news, good for Denis and the UFC!

Anderson Silva to Possibly Fight on November 15th at UFC 91

After the debacle that was Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote at UFC 90, it seems that "The Spider" is willing to redeem himself quickly. UFC President Dana White told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Anderson is ready to go as soon as possible.

"He's flipping out. He wants to fight again, like, on Nov. 15. He's (upset) about his performance and he wants to fight again immediately."

Silva had this to say about his performance.

"I didn't come here to play. I didn't come here to put on a show," Silva said through a translator afterward. "I came here to do my job and I didn't become a champion and defend the title as many times as I have by not doing my job."

I can definitely see Dana White and the UFC brass making this happen. Probably a long shot, but there are some fighters out there that would take this fight on 3 weeks notice. I mean its a win-win for Silva's opponent win or lose.

The best case scenario is if Silva were willing to fight at 205 again. That would open up alot more options, including a super fight with Chuck Liddell.

At middleweight, I think the best possible scenario would be a rematch with Nate Marquardt. In any case, if Dana were to pull this off, UFC 91: Lesnar vs. Couture would probably shatter UFC Pay-Per-View records.

UFC 90 Post-Fight Video Interviews

Anderson Silva and Patrick Cote


Thiago Alves and Josh Koscheck


Sean Sherk

UFC 90 Weigh-Ins Video

EliteXC and Pro Elite Close Down Shop

SI.com and Sherdog's Josh Gross Gets the Scoop

Less than two years following the formation of ProElite, Inc., the group notified employees and fighters Monday it was shutting its doors effective immediately, multiple sources confirmed to SI.com.
ProElite was an entertainment and media company founded in partnership with Showtime Networks and spearheaded by the mixed martial arts promotional brand EliteXC.
Representatives for ProElite, EliteXC and Showtime did not return calls for comment.
Through its partnership with Showtime and later CBS, which in 2008 agreed to broadcast four live EliteXC events in primetime, EliteXC gained a tremendous amount of visibility. The company, however, hemorrhaged tens of millions of dollars during its 22 months in operation.
In September, Showtime, which owned a 20 percent stake in ProElite, entered into preliminary negotiations to purchase a controlling interest in the company. When those negotiations failed, said a source inside ProElite who asked not to be identified, funding dried up and the company was forced out of business.

>

What becomes of Kimbo Slice, Jake Shields and Gina Carano?

UFC 89 Post Fight Video Interviews

Keith Jardine and Chris Lytle


Marcus Davis and Dan Hardy


Chris Leben and Michael Bisping
Head Over to UFC.com for Leben and Bisping Interviews.

UFC 89 Weigh-Ins Video

Rachelle Leah Playboy Cover Picture

It hits the shelves tomorrow!

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski is Official

Props to MMA Rated for breaking the story.

MMARated.com has learned that WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko will face Andrei Arlovski at the upcoming Affliction show tentatively scheduled for January 24th in Anaheim, Calif.

Affliction Entertainment VP Tom Atencio confirmed the news with us earlier today.

Atencio also said that the promotion will officially announce the date, location and main fights on the card sometime next week and that it will be an MMA-only card but still co-promoted with Golden Boy Promotions.

"We sat down with them and couldn't come up with a main event boxing match that everyone wanted," Atenco said.

Some great news for sure. With the way Arlovski has been fighting lately, this will surely be one of the toughest tests for Emelianenko to date. Arlovski may be the only heavyweight in the world that can match Fedor's speed. It should be a great fight and a dream match for fans that have followed both fighter's careers.

Bas Rutten Says Kimbo KO Was Not a Lucky Punch(Video)

Frank Shamrock Offered to Fight Kimbo Slice(Video)

And says he would've kicked his ass!

Kimbo Slice, Seth Petruzelli Post Fight Video Interviews- EliteXC Heat

Seth Petruzelli


Kimbo Slice



If Videos Don't work Click Here to Watch

(Picture Props to Combat Lifestyle)

Fedor Talks About His New Book(Video)

Andrei Arlovski vs Roy Nelson Set for EliteXC on CBS 3 on October 4th

Sherdog's Loretta Hunt has the Scoop

At least two fighters will not sit on the sidelines following the postponement of Affliction’s Oct. 11 “Day of Reckoning” event in Las Vegas.

Former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski (13-5) and IFL kingpin Roy Nelson (13-2) have been offered a heavyweight bout at EliteXC “Heat” Oct. 4 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. The event will be aired live on CBS.

Arlovski’s management team would not comment Wednesday on the proposed bout, while Nelson’s attorney, Rod Donohoo, also refrained from remarks. However, Sherdog.com has learned from separate sources that both fighters have agreed in principle to the match and that contracts have been issued for review.

There are also rumors that Josh Barnett turned down this opportunity to fight Arlovski on CBS because he would've had to take a pay cut.

This certainly strengthens the card for the more knowledgeable fan. I've never been a Roy Nelson fan, it just seems that every time I see an interview with the guy he comes off as a cocky prick. Arlovski is on a different level than Roy is, Arlovski should dominate him.

DREAM 6 Live Blog Results Play-by-Play at 3am EST

I'm staying up all night and I will post the televised results as they happen with full play-by-play, my first time trying it.

Here is the card.

Middleweight tournament final:

Melvin Manhoef or Gegard Mousasi vs. Zelg Galesic or Ronaldo Souza

Middleweight tournament semifinals:

Melvin Manhoef (22-4-1) vs. Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1)
Zelg Galesic (9-3) vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (9-1)

Middleweight tournament reserve bout:

Dong Sik Yoon (4-5) vs. Andrews Nakahara (0-1)

Non-tournament bouts:

265 lbs.: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (23-6-2) vs. Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem (28-11)
265 lbs.: Sergei Kharitonov (15-3-0) vs. Jimmy “The Titan” Ambriz (13-9-1)
185 lbs.: Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (40-28-8) vs. Masakatsu Funaki (38-13-1)
185 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1) vs. Masanori Tonooka (1-1)
170 lbs.: Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (32-8-2) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-5)
160 lbs.: Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki (17-3) vs. Todd “Maniac” Moore (9-2)
160 lbs.: Keita “K-taro” Nakamura (14-3-2) vs. Adriano Martins (9-3)
145 lbs.: Hideo Tokoro (21-13-1) vs. Atsushi Yamamoto (11-5-1)

Play-by-Play begins below at 3am EST.

Let the show begin! The show starts with a nice little description of all the middleweight tourney semi-finalists. Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are talking about tonight's festivities, and they go to Ron Kruck with a little preview of Crocop vs. Overeem. First fight coming up and its gonna be the tourney reserve match of Andrews Nakahara vs. Dong Sik Yoon. We'll have to wait for the action as they announce the judges and officials ringside, now Saitama Super Arena goes dark and they start the opening, looks awesome, but HDNet is not letting us in on the fun, all they're showing is a wide shot of the arena and screen. Some pyrotechnics and now fighter introductions, this will take awhile I'm sure, I'll be back when the match starts.

Middleweight Tournament Reserve Match- Andrews Nakahara vs. Dong Sik Yoon
Round 1- Yoon is sporting a full Gi and here we go. Nakahara misses with a low kick, then stuffs a Yoon takedown attempt. Some clinching in the corner and the fight ends up on the mat with Nakahara on top in Yoon's guard, but Nakahara quickly stands up and out. Low kicks are finding their mark for Nakahara and he also lands a nice knee to the body before being put on his back by Yoon. Yoon moves to side guard and now he moves to full mount and now is going for a Gi choke. Nakahara defends well, but is still mounted. Yoon is throwing some weak punches from the mount. Nakahara finally escapes the back door, both fighters back to their feet. Nakahara's low kicks are starting to take a bit of a toll, he also throws some Andy Hug like Axe kicks. Yoon goes for a takedown, but is stuffed and the round ends with Nakahara in north/south position and landing a knee.
MMA Post Scores the first round for Nakahara 10-9.

Round 2- Fighters come out swinging and Nakahara knocks down Yoon with a couple of well-placed left hooks, Nakahara pounces on Yoon with a flurry of unanswered punches to Yoon's face, Yoon has pretty much stopped defending himself and the ref saves him at 30 seconds into the round. Very good fight by Nakahara, he defended the dangerous submission game of Yoon well and pretty much dominated the stand-up.
Winner-Andrews Nakahara(TKO Punches)


Middleweight Tournament Semi-Final Match- Melvin Manhoef vs. Gegard Mousasi
This is gonna be a hell of a scrap, unless Mousasai gets a quick sub. Bas Rutten really likes Melvin Manhoef, not suprisingly.
Round 1- Fighters come out and Mousasi throws, but misses a low kick and not suprisingly Mousasi shoots in for a takedown. Manhoef initially sprawls, but is still taken down, he gets back to his feet, but Mousasi clinches and now gets a perfect takedown. Manhoef scrambles, Mousasi gets his back, lands some punches to the side of Mahoef's head and is now going for the rear-naked choke. Manhoef gets the sweep, but falls right into a triangle choke! Manhoef picks Mousasi up Rampage style, but man he is still caught in the choke deep while standing-up, Manhoef goes against Bas Rutten's advice and slams him on the mat, now the choke is even tighter. Mousasi pulls the head down hard now and Manhoef is forced to tap just a minute and a half into the fight.. Mousasi just totally dominated Manhoef on the ground, wow that choke was brutal!
Winner- Gegard Mousasi(Submission: Triangle Choke)


Middleweight Tournament Sem-Final Match- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Zelg Galesic
Round 1- Jacare quickly slips a front kick from Zelg and moves in with a nice takedown. Jacare works from the guard, but is immediately looking to pass. Zelg trys to get up, but Jacare keeps him down and easily advance to side mount. Jacare lands some nice punches to the head from side control and now he looks for an arm. Jacare gets knee on belly position and from there goes straight to full mount, awesome grappling display! Zelg goes for a sweep, but Jacare gets a quick armbar and Zelg is forced to tap, also a minute and a half into the fight.
Winner- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza(Submission: Armbar)


The non-tournament bouts begin.

Keita Nakamura vs. Adriano Martins
Round 1- Martins comes out and lands a nice inside low kick. Some sloppy exchanges now. Martins now scores a knockdown with a right hand. Nakamura recovers though. Another right hand stuns Nakamura a little. Nakamura secure a single leg takedown.
Not much going on, on the ground here, but all the pitter-patter punching has led to a cut on the left eye of Nakamura, a replay shows a well-placed elbow from the bottom by Martins led to the cut. The ref stops the fighters and wants to check the cut. It's not a bad cut. The fighters come back and start on the feet. Nakamura is starting to land some good punches now. Martins is taking some shots as the bell sounds.
MMA Post scores Round 1 Nakamura 10-9.

Round 2- Nakamura comes out and lands some nice punches. Martins' chin is way too high. Nakamura now landing numorous unanswered stiff jabs. Alot of clinching going on between the exchanges and thats how the fight ends. Fight started out pretty good, but ended up pretty uneventful.
Should be a unaminous decision victory for Nakamura.
Wow, one judge scored the bout for Martins.
Winner- Keita Nakamura(Split Decision)


Sergei Kharitonov vs. Jimmy Ambriz
Man I can't wait to see Sergei back in action. Bas and Kenny are talking about Ambriz and hey the camera catches Fedor sitting ringside. Sergei is walking out and Kenny talks about Sergei fought Fedor 2 years ago on September tenth? No idea, that has to be a mistake.
Round 1- Sergei lands a nice left and bam! a hard left hook from Sergei knocks down Ambriz, but Ambriz pops back up, gets a body lock and is going for a takedown against the ropes. Sergei is holding the ropes and gets a yellow card for it. The action resumes, the fighters circle each other a little and Sergei is pretty much landing at will, nothing too hard yet, but it looks like this guy is gonna get KO'd pretty soon. Ambriz has zero striking ability and he looks like he's gassing already. Hard right straight to the head lands for Sergei, now a nice straight body shot. Huge overhand right from Sergei staggers Ambriz a little. Sergei is starting to tee off, landing everything he throws. Ambriz is dazed now as Sergei lands a big uppercut. Now some hard knees to the chin of Ambriz, and this is gonna be over soon. Ambriz drops to his knees and Sergei(standing over top) lands two hard body punches and a hard head punch and Ambriz taps. Thats as easy as it gets for Kharitonov.
Winner- Sergei Kharitonov(Submission: Strikes)

Fedor is getting alot of camera time. Kenny(speaking of Kharitonov)-"Bas, ya think Fedor's impressed?", Bas-"NO"!

Now an interview with Zelg, he picks Mousasi to win the tournament.

Featherweights up next.

Hideo Tokoro vs. Atsushi Yamamoto
Round 1- Both fighters come out and some nice boxing from both fighters. Now a beautiful left hook-right straight combo drops Tokoro to the ground. Yamamoto smells blood and jumps on Tokoro, but Tokoro recovers fast and now has Yamamoto in rubber guard. A stall in the action now as both fighters lobby for position. Tokoro goes for an armbar, but Yamamoto escapes and the fighters are back on their feet now. Yamamoto dancing around and getting cocky as he lands a jab. Yamamoto is dropping his hands, taunting Tokoro and he lands another nice jab. Inside low kick finds its mark for Yamamoto. Yamamoto lands a decent flying knee. Tokoro comes back with a nice body kick followed by a one-two. The two fighters clinch and Tokoro goes for a Flying armbar, but ends up pulling guard. Some scrambling and Yamamoto pops back to his feet and the two look to exchange punches again. Tokoro lands some hard punches with a left-right combo to the the chin. Yamamoto is landing his jab at will. Tokoro trys a flip kick, but ends up pulling guard.
MMA Post scores the first round Yamamoto 10-9.

Round 2- Another jab from Yamamoto, this one snaps Tokoro's head back. Tokoro's nose is bloodied up good. Tokoro again trys a flip kick, but again gets guard and goes for an armbar but Yamamoto defends. The ref stops the action to take a look at Tokoro, who now has a mouse under his eye. The action resumes and Yamamoto gets a single-leg to secure his first takedown of the fight. Not much doing on the ground and Yamamoto simply stands up. The fighters are back to the ground with Yamamoto in Tokoro's guard. With 2 minutes left, Tokoro reverses and gets an arm. He has it locked, but can't break the grip of Yamamoto to fully secure the hold. Yamamoto defends all the way to the end of the fight. Really good scrap, but Yamamoto should win it easily and he does.
Winner- Yamamoto(Unanimous Decision)


Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Round 1- Funaki attempts a spinning back kick, but is taken down in the process. Funaki gets a leg and rolls over. Funaki has a heel hook, Minowa is trying for the same move. Funaki gets an inverted heel hook and it is brutal looking as he twists Minowa's foot almost completely around and Minowa is forced to tap just 53 seconds in, Ouch! Bas rutten points out the huge mistake Minowa made wearing shoes against someone like Funaki.
Winner- Funaki(Submission: Inverted Heel Hook)

A break in the action as HDNet shows a nice piece on Eddie Alvarez.

Hey, Fedor is now walking to the ring! Possibly to announce a New Year's match-up? Fedor says he wants to practice the Gold Medalist Judo winner Ishii. Bas and Kenny talk about how they would want to see Fedor fight the winner of Overeem/Crocop, but why would Fedor even mention Ishii? It seems like that fight is probably in the works for New Year's.


Hayato Sakurai vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Round 1- Front kick and spinning back fist attempt misses for Sakurai. Hironaka lands some nice low kicks. The fighters clinch and Hironaka secures a takedown. Hironaka lobbying for position, postures up, but falls back into half guard. The fighters scramble back to their feet. Hard low kick scores for Sakurai. Some uneventful punching exchanges. Sakurai lands a nice left straight and follows up with another nice low kick. A front kick to the chin lands for Sakurai and another good low kick scores. Another really hard low kick for Sakurai. Sakurai is controlling the stand-up and lands another hard low kick. The low kicks are starting to really hurt Hironaka. The fighters clinch now and after a stall the ref re-starts the action. Sakurai loses balance and falls to the canvas. He gets the guard now, Hironaka throwing punches, but nothing significant. Hironaka stands-up and stomps his opponent on the chin(ahh back to the good old Pride days), but Hironaka just gets a warning for it. Sakurai lands a good liver punch and another one, Bas is loving it. Some good front kicks to the gut for Sakurai land and the round ends.
MMA Post scores round 1 for Sakurai 10-9.

Round 2- Hironaka shoots in and secures a double-leg takedown. The fighters are in the corner and the ref moves them to the centers. Sakurai scrambles up as Hironaka goes for a Gulliontine, but Sakurai easily escapes. The fighters on their feet again and Sakurai lands another low kick. Some good straight punches land for Sakurai and some good counters by Hironaka now. Sakurai landing some good combos now to the head of Hironaka and lands 2 good knees. Huge left hook from Sakurai lands flush and drops Hironaka to the ground! Sakurai pounces and is looking for the finish, but there's not enough time left and the bell sounds as he lands some nice ground punches. Sakurai all the way.
Winner- Sakurai(Unanimous Decision)


Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Masanori Tonooka
Round 1- Akiyama in the full Gi, nothing doing as the fighters feel each other out for the first minute. Akiyama lands a short left hook, Tonooka swings wildly. Akiyama gets a body lock and takes the fight to the floor, passes right away into side mount. Nothing happening in side mount, Akiyama goes for an armbar, but switches posiitions and now has his opponent in full mount. Goes for another armbar, but to the suprise of the Bas and Kenny and myself he escapes back to his feet. Akiyama quickly takes it back down with a nice trip. Now he has the armbar and the overmatched Tonooka is forced to tap with 3:33 left in the first round.
Winner- Akiyama(Submission: Armbar)


Shinya Aoki vs. Todd Moore
Round 1- Some strikes from both fighters don't land. They clinch and Aoki jumps on Moore's back and goes for a rear-naked-choke, they fall to the canvas and Aoki has his hips locked up and pulls off a neck crank that forces the tap from Moore. I have never seen something like that before, I've seen positions like that, the fighter always twists out of it. Aoki prevented the hips from twisting.
Winner- Aoki(Submission: Neck Crank)


Crocop vs. Overeem coming up. Kenny Rice says its possible the winner fights Fedor on New Year's Eve. Fedor gets in the ring and gives flowers to both fighters.

Mirko Crocop vs Alistair Overeem
Round 1- Good staredown and here we go. Overeem looks huge. Both fighters circle, crocop lands a inside low kick. They clinch and Overeem throws Crocop to the canvas, wow. Working in Crocop's guard, and Crocop is cut above his left eye. Overeem landing some good strikes from the top. Ref stops to check the cut, its small and restarts it on the ground. The fighters come back to the feet and Crocop lands a hard liver kick and follows up with a high kick that misses and Overeem makes him pay for it and puts him on his back with a trip takedown. Overeem is doing damage to Crocop from top position with body and head punches. Huge hammer fist lands for Overeem. A little stall and the ref stands them up, Overeem lands a hard knee to the body, Crocop complaining it was low, but ref says fight on. They clinch and Overeem is connecting with knees to the body. Knee to the groin does land this time and there is a momentary stoppage. The action resumes and they clinch again and another knee to the groin from Overeem. Crocop doesn't look like he wants to continue, he's laying flat on the ground. He was certainly getting beat up badly before the groin shots, but yep they just called it a no contest. Well this sucks, especially with Kenny Rice now spurting out every minute that Fedor will fight the winner.

I'll say this, Crocop didn't look very good even before the groin shots, but who knows, one high kick later in the fight and just like that he's Crocop again.

Alistair gets the mic and apologizes for the groin shots and says he's number 1 in DREAM and he'll fight anybody.

The final fight of the night coming up.


Middleweight Grand Prix Final- Gegard Mousasi vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza
Round 1- Both fighters tentative early, Mousasi looks like he really doesn't want this fight to go to the ground(with good reason). A jab scores for Mousasi. Jacare goes for a takedown, but misses the legs momentarily, recovers and picks Mousasi up and slams him down to the canvas. Mousasi trying to work his way back to his feet, but ends up securing half-guard. Jacare stands over Mousasi and rains down some punches, but Mousasi lands a devastating upkick that knocks Jacare out cold! Wow!! The replay shows he was out cold before he ever hit the floor.
Winner- Mousasi(KO Upkick)

Gegard Mousasi is the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Champion, Congratulations to Mousasi.

Good event, I wish the Crocop/Alistair fight wouldv'e had a real ending, but I can't complain because the event as a whole was exciting.

Thanks to those who stayed up late with me!!

Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson to be Coaches for "The Ultimate Fighter 9"

The Sun is reporting that the most likely coaches for the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter: Team USA vs. Team UK", will be middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson. Bisping, the UFC's popular British star, will have to beat Chris Leben at UFC 89 first.

The UFC have not yet offered Bisping the coach's role on TUF 9 because he is scheduled to fight Chris Leben at UFC 89 at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena on October 18.

But SunSport understands Dana White will immediately hand the British star a contract to appear on the show if he overcomes Leben next month.

It is believed Dan Henderson will coach the US team, with the TUF 9 finale featuring him in a clash for the No1 middleweight contender's spot against Bisping, which could take place in December next year.

If this comes to fruition then whoever wins the finale fight would probably get a shot at Middleweight champ Anderson Silva, but of course alot can happen and this is a long ways away.

Nate and Nick Diaz Launch into Tirade at UFC Fight Night 15 Post Presser

The Diaz boys are at it again.

From Sports Illustrated

“In what was a baffling and undoubtedly rare moment for the media, Nate Diaz was short of salacious quotes about his latest win and opponent Josh Neer. Diaz’s time was limited in dropping four-letter bombs. Why? Because Nate had noly taken his seat in front of reporters at the post-fight press conference when his older brother Nick launched into a tirade that disrupted the interview and left the UFC staff with the unenviable task of keeping the Diaz clan from causing a scene. Good luck with that one. Nate abandoned the press conference as his brother shouted profanities at no one in particular, and together they took their rant into the hallway. Yes, the notorious potty-mouthed pair struck again. Maybe this was Nick’s way paying his family back for their feud with the Noons’ at EliteXC on Showtime in June. All about reciprocities in the Diaz household.”

Hopefully a video will surface soon and I'll post it.

(Props MMANews.com)

Affliction and Golden Boy Partnering Up and Frankly, I Don't Give a Damn!

MMA Weekly has the worthless scoop.

Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio on Saturday confirmed that his company has entered into an agreement with Golden Boy Promotions, the boxing promotion led by Oscar De La Hoya. The two will co-promote a hybrid evening of boxing and mixed martial arts to be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Jan. 17.

“It’s very good news,” Atencio told MMAWeekly.com. “It’s good for the company, and it’s good for the sport.”

Already confirmed for the fight card is Fedor Emelianenko, who was forced off Affliction’s second card originally scheduled for Oct. 11 due to a chip fracture in his right hand. An opponent for the Russian has not yet been named.

Well, and people still wonder why Dana White and the UFC continue to dominate the market, maybe its because other promotions continue to show unbelievable stupidity. Yep, you know what this means, we will be waiting through boxing matches to see Fedor fight.

I just don't understand who in their right mind would think this is a good idea, this means Affliction head honcho Tom Atencio leap frogs Monte Cox to become MMA's premiere douchebag. Congratulations to Tom for jumping the rankings in record time. I guess the simple fact that the majority of boxing fans hate MMA and vice versa never entered the tiny brains of anyone involved in this soon to be colossal failure. Please UFC, pry Fedor away from this god awful train wreck.

UFC Ruling Pay-Per-View in 2008

The UFC is beating the WWE and HBO in PPV numbers for 2008 so far. Adam Swift goes over the numbers on "Inside MMA" in the video below.


UFC 89 and UFC 90 are solid cards, but they probably won't do much more than the average of 420,000 buys. On the other hand, UFC 91, with the huge match-up of Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar, plus Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva 3 and Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson may break UFC PPV records.

Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson 3 Likely for UFC 91

The long awaited third match in the Rampage vs Wandy saga looks like its finally gonna happen. MMACanada.net has the scoop.

Sources have told us at MMACanada.net that Rampage Jackson will fight Wanderlei Silva at UFC 91 which is headlined by Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on November 15th in Las Vegas. This will mark the third fight between Jackson and Silva since last meeting twice in the PRIDE organization. Both fighters have changed their training around since leaving PRIDE and this will be one fight that has "FIGHT OF THE YEAR" written all over it

UFC 91 is looking like a huge card that may shatter pay-per-view records. The big question in this match-up is can Jackson finally defend the clinch of the Brazilian.

Fedor Emelianenko Will Fight on New January Affliction 2 Card. Tito Ortiz A Possible Opponent?

My speculation of Russian heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko possibly fighting on the rescheduled Affliction 2 "Day of Reckoning" has been confirmed by Affliction COO Michael Cohen. Cohen talked to NBC Sports about the development.

Affliction COO Michael Cohen told NBCSports.com that the company is expecting to run the show in January, and that they would also make a major announcement in the next two weeks that would “change the dynamics of mixed martials arts. Not just nationally, but globally.”

The October event was initially expected to feature a main event with current WAMMA champ Fedor Emelianenko against Arlovski, but the former broke his hand in defeating Tim Sylvia and would not have been ready in time for October, necessitating an opponent switch.

Cohen said that Emelianenko will fight on the new January card, but an opponent has not yet been decided.

“It is to be determined,” he said. “We are considering changing the combatants. We have not finalized that at this time. That is as a result of the issues to be revealed at the announcement.”

Some are speculating that a Fedor vs. Tito Ortiz fight could be the big announcement, but I would lean towards just the Tito signing or possibly a merger with another promotion.

Affliction 2 "Day of Reckoning" for October 11th Canceled, Rescheduled for January 2009

(Photo Props MMA Mania)

Affliction's second MMA event "Day of Reckoning" has been canceled for October 11th, but apparently has been rescheduled for sometime in January 2009.

MMA Rated broke the story earlier

MMARated.com has learned that the second Affliction show scheduled for October 11th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been cancelled.

The show was set to feature a main event heavyweight eliminator between Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski.

As of this morning, the event was taken off the Thomas & Mack Center's schedule.

Additionally, Loretta Hunt confirmed the rescheduling on Sherdog.

The Oct. 11 Affliction event scheduled for the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas has been postponed, Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed Wednesday to Sherdog.com.

Affliction contacted Kizer on Wednesday morning to inform him that the event would be moved to a January date at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Advertising for the Oct. 11 pay-per-view event had already begun, including in New York, where scheduled headliners Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) and Josh Barnett (Pictures) were featured on a billboard in Times Square.

Arlovski’s management said they had not been contacted by Affliction with the cancellation as of this morning, and were “shocked” and “extremely disappointed” by the news.

Some disappointing news for sure, but does this extra time clear Fedor Emelianenko to fight on the card again?