UFC vs MMA

Mike Pyle celebrates after winning at UFC 142 (Zuffa) The UFC returned to Brazil on Saturday night for UFC 142. Two decisions and a quick knockout started off the card in Rio de Janeiro. Pyle's quick win Mike Pyle made quick work of Ricardo Funch with a right hand, a nasty knee and ground and pound to end their bout at 1:22 in the first round. After the bouts, Pyle put out a warning to other welterweights. "That's how I'm going to look every single time I step in the Octagon!" Yuri Alcantara made the hometown crowd happy with a 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 decision over Michihiro Omigawa. Alcantara started with a knee from the bell, and stung Omigawa with several strikes after. Late in the first, Alcantara swarmed with big strikes, including a spinning back elbow that knocked Omigawa to his knees. Omigawa remained calm and used his judo skills to reverse position and end up on top. Alcantara turned stretched out Omigawa in an armbar, but Omigawa was saved by the bell. A ...

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

Fighters from now on will be screened for performance-enhancing drugs prior to signing with the UFC or Strikeforce, Zuffa announced Tuesday. This announcement comes off the heels of two straight Strikeforce events with drug test failures from major Strikeforce players. In the last 11 days, athletic commissions have named both former women's 145-lb. champ Cris Cyborg and former 205-lb. champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal in positive steroid tests. "The health and safety of our athletes is our top priority," UFC president Dana White said in a press release. "We've seen the issues performance-enhancing drugs have caused in other sports and we're going to do everything we can to keep them out of the UFC and Strikeforce. Our athletes are already held to the highest testing standards in all sports by athletic commissions. Our new testing policy for performance-enhancing drugs only further shows how important it is to us to have our athletes competing on a lev...

It probably tells us something that UFC president Dana White knew he hated ESPN's Outside the Lines segment on fighter pay well before he saw it. One gets the sense that he hated the topic more than the source or the approach, and the UFC's heavy-handed response to the story only confirms that this is a conversation the UFC would probably rather stop before it starts. ESPN tells us that many UFC fighters are practically despondent about their pay, even if it can't name any of them or produce any meaningful, verifiable financial figures that make the case. The piece questions Lorenzo Fertitta's claim that the UFC pays somewhere "in the neighborhood" of half its revenue to fighters, as most major sports leagues do, but it can't disprove it. And when ESPN's John Barr says he's spoken with "more than 20 current, former, and potential UFC fighters," the savvy viewer is right to stop and ask just what he means by "potential" UFC fig...

Villante punch to the back of Smith's head (Tracy Lee) LAS VEGAS - After wading into deep water a little soon in his career, Gian Villante is finding his way in the Strikeforce light heavyweight division. The former Hofstra football player rose to the occasion by swarming Trevor Smith and taking him out in less than 70 seconds. He'll take the win, but the way it went down was little questionable. Smith, a former wrestling star at Iowa State, had trouble from the start defending himself on the feet. Fighting from a low wrestling stance, he got rocked by a short left hook. The stunned Smith backed up and then tried a sloppy right kick. Villante caught the kick and pushed forward to land a right, and dropped Smith. On the ground, he got off 13 shots. The last two drilled Smith in the back of the end. That's when referee Kim Winslow stepped in to stop things. A confused Smith began to work a single-leg on the ref. It was all over in just 65 seconds. Villante (9-3) has won two...

The UFC on FUEL TV 2 fight card, headlined by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Alexander Gustafsson, takes place April 14 and marks the live debut of the UFC in Sweden. The event airs live from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm on FUEL TV and Facebook. The current lineup is below. FUEL TV Card - 10 p.m. ET Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Paulo Thiago DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire Facebook Preliminary Card Jörgen Kruth vs. Cyrille Diabate Magnus Cedenblad vs. Francis Carmont Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page James Head vs. Papy Abedi Akira Corassani vs. Jason Young* Simeon Thoresen vs. Besam Yousef *not yet officially announced View the original article here

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre could be considered a Nick Diaz fan, at least for the next several weeks. St-Pierre, who is currently rehabbing his right knee, says he prefers to see Diaz capture the interim title against Carlos Condit at UFC 143 on Feb. 4. "The reason why I wish Nick Diaz to win that fight is because I want to fight Nick Diaz," St-Pierre said Monday during a live studio appearance on HDNet's Inside MMA . "I don't want to fight Carlos Condit. I want to fight Nick Diaz. But in another way, I just hope the best man will win. But if the best man is Nick Diaz I will appreciate it more because it would be a better build up for the fight." St-Pierre's absolutely correct. From a marketing perspective, a St-Pierre showdown against Diaz would be an easy sell. First, there's the backstory of St-Pierre being the UFC champion and Diaz being the former Strikeforce welterweight titleholder. And there's even more anticipation now t...

by Geno Mrosko on Jan 18, 2012 2:48 PM EST in UFC Ratings Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) kicked off its deal with FX by broadcasting a live two-hour "Prelims" special for the UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" event this past Sat., Jan. 14, 2012, from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Well the ratings are in ... and they're not pretty. The first episode on the new network reeled in just 880,000 viewers, which is lower than any "Prelims" special broadcast that aired on Spike TV, according to MMAWeekly.com. This in comparison to the final preliminary card broadcast on Spike at UFC 141 that drew 1.8 million viewers back on Dec. 30. There will, of course, be a transition period as fans get used to the switch from Spike TV to FX. Both cable channels are in roughly 100 million homes but the former spent years cultivating an audience with 14 season of The Ultimate Fighter as well as countless specials and other assorted programming. Baby steps, Mania...

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

Already on Tuesday, we've heard news about former Strikeforce light-heavyweight Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal testing positive for steroids, as well as the UFC implementing a performance-enhancing drugs screening for all new fighters about to sign a contract with the promotion. Suffice it to say, finding a way to stop cheating is a big topic of the day. UFC fighter Sean McCorkle, who has always been known for his blunt honesty, has another idea, though. If it were up to him, McCorkle would level the playing field by doing away with drug testing completely. "What you end up with is a situation of where the guys who are beating the test, where the guys who can afford to get a doctor to prescribe whatever they want, where the guys who have access to stuff, they have an unfair advantage already," he said on Tuesday's edition of The MMA Hour. "I think we'd be pretty naive to think that every person who's ever taken anything was caught. So I think, to me,...

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (Sherdog.com) With its champion on the shelf for at least the next 12 months, Strikeforce's 145-pound female division appears to be on life support. Last night, Scott Coker wanted the media and everyone else to pump the brakes. On Friday, Dana White threw gasoline on the fire by saying the division might be finished (0:39 mark) with Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos' positive steroid test. Twenty-four hours later, Coker said no determination has been made about the reeling division. "I don't think it's time to throw [the division] out to the garbage. I still think we have some great fighters at 145 and a lot of girls that maybe haven't been around for a while ... I believe they're going to be motivated to come back because Cyborg won't be there," Coker told the media at the Strikeforce postfight press conference. The first name that jumps to mind is former 145-pound star Gina Carano, but she's been inacti...

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

After a setback at UFC 136, Melvin Guillard's climb back up the UFC's 155-pound ladder begins Friday night against Jim Miller at UFC on FX Fight Night. MMAFighting.com recently spoke to "The Young Assasin" about what went wrong in his most recent loss against Joe Lauzon, why he decided to leave Greg Jackson's camp, and why he considers this upcoming fight against Miller to be a "blessing." Check out the interview below. Ariel Helwani: Why did you decide to leave Jackson's for the Blackzilians in Florida? Melvin Guillard: [There's] just some things I like about the training here and the place where it has me set mentally. I have a better mental game here. You know, I don't want to go too much into comparing both gyms, but like I said in the past, both gyms are great, just one is giving me something that the other didn't. So I have to look out for my interests and make sure what's best for me at the end of the day so I can become a wor...

by Press Release on Jan 18, 2012 9:33 AM EST in ProElite News & Results LOS ANGELES, CA. (January 17, 2012) - ProElite MMA (PK:PELE) and DREAM, the largest Japanese MMA organization, have initiated a promotional partnership and fighter exchange program, jointly announced today. The alliance will foster co-promoted events, both in the United States and in Japan with fighter exchanges featured on the cards of both fight promotions, respectively. "Our partnership with DREAM forms a promotional bond with the most prominent Japanese MMA organization," said Billy Kelly, President of ProElite and COO of Stratus Media Group Inc. (SMDI:OTCBB) -- parent company of ProElite. "Dream has developed a stable of great fighters on their roster and a strong team behind the scenes. With this exchange, the two organizations are building a cultural and fight-event bridge that our fans are sure to welcome. The initial fighter exchange debuts this Saturday, January 21, in Hawaii when DR...

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

Have you ever wondered how Pat Barry, perhaps the most outgoing and jovial UFC fighter out there, ended up becoming friends and training partners with Mirko Cro Cop and Brock Lesnar, perhaps the two most surly and intimidating fighters in the sport? Well, you're not alone. Over the past year, Barry, who meets Christian Morecraft Friday night at UFC on FX Fight Night, has trained closely with both Lesnar and Cro Cop, and he swears that the sometimes-grumpy heavyweights are nothing like they appear to be. He also understands why they feel comfortable around him, even though he's nothing like them. "When it comes down to all the different characters in the UFC, I definitely believe nobody is afraid of me," Barry said. "People don't fear me. The reason why that is is they get really comfortable with my personality; they get really comfortable with my demeanor, because I'm not a bad ass. I'm a nice guy; I'm a cool guy. I can laugh and joke with anybod...

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

ASSOCIATED PRESS Defending featherweight champion Jose Aldo, from Brazil, celebrates with fans after defeating Chad Mendes, from the US, in the first round during their featherweight title bout at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday Jan. 15, 2012. By Case Keefer (contact) Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 | 10 p.m. ASSOCIATED PRESS Edson Barboza, from Brazil, celebrates after defeating Terry Etim, from the UK, during their lightweight mixed martial arts bout at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. Some UFC events come and go without a single knockout worth remembering. The first card of 2012, Saturday’s UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, featured two vicious finishes that surely will find themselves in the discussion for Knockout of the Year next December. Jose Aldo and Edson Barboza, two 25-year old Brazilian phenoms, showcased their one-strike knockout power in front of their hometown fans. Aldo kept his featherweight belt and put an end to the night in an abrupt fashion,...

"King Mo" walks away from a badly damaged Larkin (Las Vegas Review-Journal) Landing 15 unanswered shots, Muhammed Lawal nearly beat Lorenz Larkin into oblivion to pick up his ninth career win. "King Mo" was far from jubilant. In fact, he was angry following the victory. Lawal lashed out at the referee Kim Winslow for not protecting his opponent. In the ring, Lawal screamed out a suggestion that Winslow shouldn't be reffing fights. In the postfight press conference, he brought it even stronger. "The commission, they need to like to do something with her ... let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref. Let her fight [Cristiane] "Cyborg" Santos and let's do a late stoppage with her," said Lawal."The tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref and I'll do a terrible job like her." Winslow's decision to allow a limp Larkin to absorb 6-8 extra punches was shaky, but her explanation to Lawal was even worse...

by Jesse Holland on Jan 18, 2012 10:26 AM EST in Upcoming UFC Events Maybe he just doesn't like Brazilians. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, known for his quick wit and merciless trash talk, may be heading into his second straight fight with nothing bad to say about his opponent. Go figure. Sonnen was paired off with American war hero Brian Stann at UFC 136, choosing to pay his respects to the chiseled super-soldier before and after wiping the floor with him inside the cage. It was a far cry from the pro-wrestling style verbal attack fans had grown accustomed to in his rage against the 185-pound machine, calling division kingpin Anderson Silva every name in the book following a fifth round submission loss to "The Spider" at UFC 117 back in August 2010. Fans began licking their chops when it was announced that Michael Bisping, who is about as popular with Americans as Sonnen is with Brazilians, would be stepping in to replace an ...

Our long national nightmare is over. The MMA Hour returns after a one-month hiatus this afternoon, for a special live show from a new studio. Here's a rundown of who will be stopping by: * Brazilian MMA journalist Marcelo Alonso of Portal do Vale Tudo will discuss the UFC's second event in Rio de Janeiro. * MMAFighting.com's Ben Fowlkes will look ahead to UFC on FX Fight Night this Friday night. * Friend of the show Sean McCorkle will break some news about his fighting future. * And ProElite's head of fight operations T. Jay Thompson will preview the organization's third show this week and also break some big news. Got a question or comment? Give us a call at (866) 220-2893. Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT . Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here. View the original article here

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

Gonzaga celebrates UFC return (Getty) Back in 2010, Gabriel Gonzaga lost his confidence and his passion. He got both back tonight in Rio de Janeiro. The former heavyweight title contender schooled hotshot prospect Edinaldo Oliveira in less than four minutes. Gonzaga made it look easy as he took the 6-foot-7 Oliveira to the ground and eventually locked on a nasty rear-naked choke to force the tap at 3:22 of the first round. "It felt great to be back in the Octagon. My time away from the UFC was good for me. I dealt with some personal business in my life and came back refocused. Before, I was training well, but my mind just wasn't in it. Now, I'm back, I feel great. I'm focused and I showed that," said Gonzaga. [ Don't miss the action: Watch UFC 142 live on Y! Sports ] Gonzaga (13-6, 8-5 UFC) last fought with the promotion in Oct. of 2010, then abruptly retired. He had a comeback fight with a smaller promotion in October of 2011. After starting off 4-0 with th...

Steve Cofield is a MMA and Boxing blogger for Yahoo! Sports. Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page. View the original article here

by Jesse Holland on Jan 18, 2012 9:54 AM EST in Regional MMA News & Results California Fight Syndicate (CFS) has finalized its "Rivalry" fight card for Jan. 28, 2012, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. The "Rivalry" main event will feature a featherweight bout pitting Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 veteran Jesse Newell against the venerable Aaron Miller, as well as a co-main that has Joe "Leonidas" Henle taking on Hector Carrillo in 185-pound action. Also featured on the card are Johnny Hackleman Jr., son of Chuck Liddell's legendary trainer John Hackleman, Corby Poulis, Makani Sarellano, Sevak Magakian and Jared Papazian, among others. Guest appearances include former CFS Welterweight Champion and TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett and more. Complete fight card and line-up for CFS: "Rivalry" after the jump. -Joseph ...

UFC 142 breakdown, betting odds and picks - Las Vegas Sun Currently: 53° | Complete forecast | Log in Fighting ul#SunNavMenu li { border-bottom:1px solid #333; border-right:1px solid #333; } Home UFC Strikeforce WEC Boxing Multimedia Autos Housing Jobs UFC 141 UFC 140 Schedule Results: Stories Details Comment Print E-mail Share Facebook Fark Digg Delicious Reddit Stumble Tweet UFC 142 breakdown, betting odds and picks Jose Aldo could cap off a memorable night for Brazilian fighters By Case Keefer (contact) Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 | 2:30 p.m. Related Content Vitor Belfort in good spirits before weekend fight against Anthony JohnsonChad Mendes trusting in his wrestling ability to test Jose Aldo at UFC 142UFC 134 results: Brazilians reign supremeUFC coverage All MMA/boxing coverage When the UFC traveled to Rio de Janeiro last year, a Brazilian emerged v...

A UFC event that had been rumored for Montreal in March has been scrapped, the UFC has confirmed in a report published by The Canadian Press. The report cited "complications in scheduling and a desire to deliver a championship card" as the reasons for the cancellation. Despite the move, the UFC is likely to return to Montreal sometime in 2012, UFC's director of Canadian operations Tom Wright told the news outlet. UFC had never formally announced the event, which had been expected to take place at the Bell Centre. But the promotion's news page had listed the possibility, along with with a series of fights that had been planned for the outing. The inability to bring a bonafide headliner to the event likely sealed the show's fate. Among the fights the UFC had planned for the show were Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills, Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs and Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell. Many of the eight announced bouts will be shifted to an April 21 event in Atlanta, whic...

Johnson's weighs 197, but still looks fit (Getty) What the heck just happened? Insert some stronger language and that had to be Dana White's initial reaction to Anthony Johnson's huge gaffe at the UFC 142 weigh-in. Johnson, a massive 170-pounder, took this fight at 185 pounds months ago. Thought by some to be the smaller fighter against Vitor Belfort, Johnson clocked in at a shocking 197 pounds! The backstory was that Johnson got as low as 187.5 and doctors told him to stop. UPDATE: Here's the medical explanation why Johnson stopped cutting weight at 187.5 pounds. [ Don't miss the action: Watch UFC 142 live on Y! Sports ] White was alerted to the issue earlier in the day and announced right around 4 p.m. ET that Johnson wasn't going to make weight. "Rumble Johnson is not on weight today. And when I say he's not on weight he's way off weight," White said on FX. White rightly flips out when fighters miss weight by three or four pounds. This was...