He hated the report, knew he would hate it, and told the world he hated it as soon as ESPN hit “publish.” But UFC president Dana White said he’s communicating again with the sports news giant since a report on fighter pay got everyone talking. White didn’t characterize the nature of the talks but said, “we’re working on this relationship.”
Filed under: UFC We’re just one day away from the UFC on FOX 2 event in Chicago, but that wasn’t all that was on people’s minds in this edition of the Twitter Mailbag. From hacking concerns to supplemental testosterone — even some requests for me to make impossible predictions — you fine people flooded my Twitter with all kinds of crazy questions. In other words, it’s a lot of fun. Now let’s get right down to it. Who’s first? @AFragileSmile what kind of ratings do you expect to see [for UFC on FOX 2]? The first had so much buzz while this one just feels like another show to me. It’s true that the first UFC on FOX event had more of a novelty value. It also had the words “heavyweight championship of the world!” repeated in ads on every FOX NFL and MLB playoff game for weeks. This one has more fights, but the stakes are a little harder to explain in a brief promo (“the fights to see who gets to fight in the more important fights later on!” doesn’t quite ring out the same way). For all those reasons, I don’t expect this event to have the same ratings jump right out of the gate as the first show. The good news is, it will offer way more fighting and way less talking, which should lead to a gradual build-up in the audience — especially if the first two fights deliver the action and get people talking. The first UFC on FOX show peaked with 8.8 million viewers during the only minute of MMA action. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this one break 10 million by the time Rashad Evans and Phil Davis hit the cage. @CRUMxMMA what are your predictions for the bonuses of the night? Fight of the Night: Chael Sonnen outpointing Michael Bisping in a bloody three-round affair. Submission of the Night: Demian Maia triangle choking Chris Weidman. Knockout of the Night: Joey Beltran starching Lavar Johnson with one big punch. Or the other way around. @GaryLaPlante Why would Dana challenge hackers? Does he not realize that UFC.com holds CC information for the people who buy his product? White’s response to the hacking issue has been pretty tone deaf from the very beginning. He dismissed the legitimate concerns of actual UFC fans on Twitter when the site was initially hacked, and has now decided to double-down by daring the hackers to come after his site again, which, as you point out, might not play so well with the people who have entrusted the UFC with their confidential information. It’s a bigger issue than that, though. White says that there’s no difference between illegally streaming a UFC pay-per-view and walking into a store and stealing a watch. But one difference is that, if I steal a watch, the person I stole it from doesn’t have it anymore. They can’t sell that watch to other people, can’t recover the cost of the materials, nothing. The same isn’t true with a pay-per-view broadcast. That’s not to say it’s a victimless crime — ask the fighters who are getting a percentage of pay-per-view sales, for one thing — but it is a different crime. If anything, it’s probably more like sneaking into a movie without buying a ticket. That too is illegal, whether people think of it as a real crime or not. If you want to invoke the categorical imperative and get all Immanuel Kant on it, you’d have to admit that there would be no film industry (or at least no film industry with money for decent effects and costumes) if everyone did this. It’s the same with the UFC…sort of. One thing that hurts White’s argument is the fact that pay-per-views aren’t pay-per-views everywhere. Fans in some countries get them on cable TV, while others are asked to fork over $50 to see the same fight. That tells fans that pay-per-views don’t necessarily have one single value, and that might be all the justification some people need to go ahead and stream that bad boy. Again, that’s a problem. It’s unfair to the UFC and its fighters, and something should be done about it. I just don’t think that something is SOPA. I also don’t think lawmakers are really considering reviving the most unpopular bill in recent memory all because the UFC’s url was redirected for a few hours. And no, that’s not terrorism. No one is terrified by not being able to access UFC.com, and claiming otherwise is a straight-up insult to the victims of actual terrorism. This? It’s an annoyance. It’s a misguided response to a misguided response to a genuinely complex and vexing problem that our society is going to have deal with eventually, but hopefully not like this. @MikeOlenski_MMA do you personally believe TRT/HRT should be 100% banned in mma? Absolutely, and for two reasons. 1) The whole idea behind banning steroids is to force fighters to compete with the hormones they have, rather than the hormones they want. 2) Even if we could determine who has legitimately low levels of testosterone, we can’t determine how they got that way. Reason #1 is more of the broad theory behind banned substances, but reason #2 is a practical concern that’s no less troublesome. Say a fighter comes to the commission with a doctor’s note citing low testosterone levels. How do we know if that’s just the natural state of his body, or if he lowered his own testosterone levels through years of steroid abuse prior to this moment? We can’t. All we know is that we’re helping a man artificially increase the levels of a powerful hormone right before he gets into a cage to fight another human being for money. That’s dangerous territory, and it opens the door for too many cheaters who are looking for a legal loophole. @Macitaloo79 Anderson vs Sonnen 2; will it ever happen? And if so, would it fill a football arena? I’m more concerned about Sonnen being able to get in and out of that soccer stadium alive (especially if he wins) than I am about the rematch drawing a sufficient crowd in Brazil. As for whether it will happen, well, we should know by Sunday morning. Sonnen says that Silva won’t fight him even if he beats Bisping, but that’s just more schtick. Silva will fight who the UFC tells him to fight, and the UFC knows how big a Silva-Sonnen rematch would be. But first, Sonnen has to do his part and prove that he’s earned it. @BIN6H4M should Nate Diaz really have to fight once more to get a crack at title? Edgar should fight both him and miller. Look at it this way: regardless of who wins the Diaz-Miler fight at the UFC on FOX 3 event, we won’t have to ask whether that person deserves a title shot. And regardless of who loses, we won’t have to ask whether they were ready for a crack at the champion. A top contender bout answers all those questions, plus it’s just good TV. You can’t tell me you don’t want to see those two fight. @MMAOutsider Could this card lower FOX’s hopes for UFC? Evans-Davis, Maia-Weidman could be slow, and Sonnen prob won’t finish Bisping This reminds me of Dana White’s response when those of us in the media kept peppering him with questions about what he’d do if something like the Frank Mir-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira arm break happened on a FOX fight. His response: Hey, this is what FOX signed up for. The same is true here, for better or worse. Sometimes fights end right away, and sometimes they stretch on and on like a bad break-up. That unpredictability comes with the territory, and that’s what FOX bought into. You can structure the match-ups any way you want, but you never know for sure what kind of show you’re going to get. I have to think that FOX did its homework before making this deal and came to the conclusion that, sometimes, you…
Welcome, Maniacs, to the weekly series where we help you catch up on some of the original reporting done by other sites in the vast MMA landscape. Like Chael Sonnen and Matt Lindland pictured above, we can all “get along.” Teaming up with MMA sites like MMA Fighting, Cage Potato, Fight Opinion and The Fight Nerd, we’ll provide an opportunity for all MMA fans to read some fresh and original voices in the sport. This week, Lowkick goes inside Team Golden Glory, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden takes a good look inside Chael’s training camp and The Fight Nerd speaks with Eddie Alvarez , confirming his upcoming bout with Shinya Aoki . The full list of links is after the jump. – Combat sports chronicles: Team Golden Glory ( LowKick ) I had an opportunity to attend Team Golden Glory training in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The training took place at Duncan’s Training Center, half of which is currently undergoing a series of improvements to become a fully-operational gym. – All gun, ammo, knife and hunting sponsors are banned ( Cage Potato ) FOX’s ever impressive magical act is set to make all firearm, knife, ammo, and hunting companies disappear from all Zuffa promoted events. – The unfair UFC career of Phil Davis ( Five Ounces of Pain ) From the moment Phil Davis stepped into the Octagon, he was never given a fair chance. In the second round of his first UFC fight against Brian Stann , Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan compared his skills and physique to Georges St. Pierre . In the third round, with three minutes remaining in the bout, Rogan was already bringing up the possibility of Jon Jones vs. Davis – A round the Octagon with Dana White (video) ( MMA Fighting ) White discusses UFC on FOX 2, Sonnen’s belt and “terrorists” online. – UFC announces May 15th event in Virginia ( 5thRound ) – Hackers accept Dana White’s challenge ( MiddleEasy ) Well, when you challenge a group of individuals that hacked the FBI and the Department of Justice’s website all within two weeks, of course they’re going to respond. Here’s what JoshTheGod stated just a few minutes ago regarding Dana White’s digital invite. – Eddie Alvarez confirms Shinya Aoki fight in April, talks loss to Chandler (video) ( The Fight Nerd ) – Why sports media are turning their fire on UFC ( Fight Opinion ) The issue of UFC and its fighters beating up on the media is an old & tired issue… which is why I found it extremely curious that CBS Sports columnist & flame thrower Gregg Doyel decided to bring up the issue yesterday in his column online. Doyel basically admits that he is a UFC fanboy but that he’s all of a sudden had a change in heart to speak truth to power in only a way he possibly can. The timing of this attack raised my eyebrows. – Pro-SOPA editorial may have led to hacking of UFC.com ( MMA Payout ) The UFC’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence Epstein wrote an op-ed in Sunday’s Las Vegas Review Journal in defense of the UFC’s position in favor of SOPA. On the same day, the UFC web site was hacked in what is believed to be a response to the UFC’s position on the bill. – Will the real Chael Sonnen please stand up? Inside Sonnen’s training camp ( BleacherReport.com/MMA ) Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping won’t be able to talk each other to death Saturday night on FOX. In the end, as is the case in all sporting events from tee ball to the Super Bowl, things will be settled on the field of play. And that’s why people at Team Quest in Oregon were all smiles last week when Bisping replaced former NCAA champion Mark Munoz as Sonnen’s opponent in a fight to determine the next top contender for Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight title. – UFC on FOX 2 preview: The undercard ( MMA Convert ) The UFC’s “A” team may be taking to the field on the FOX network on Saturday night, but there’s a sizeable “B” team that’s duking it out on Fuel TV in the three hours before that big hoedown. (Did I just use the word “hoedown”? What the hell?) – Anthony Johnson looks at UFC exile while Nate Marquardt eyes UFC return ( Fightline ) It’s no secret that UFC president Dana White can be quick tempered and is prone to making harsh decisions when heated, only to soften his stance once heads have cooled. Specifically speaking, White has, on occasion, dropped fighters from the UFC after a screw up or disagreement, before eventually welcoming them back into the fold once things are settled or wounds are healed.
CHICAGO – UFC on FOX 2 fighter weigh-ins take place today, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMAjunkie.com. Today’s weigh-ins take place at The Chicago Theater, and the first fighter is on the scale at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT local time). In addition to the video streams, you can get live weigh-in updates in our text-only results post on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.
CHICAGO – MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC on FOX 2 official fighter weigh-ins, where all 20 event competitors look to make weight for Saturday’s event. Today’s festivities take place at The Chicago Theatre, and the first fighter in on the scale at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT local time). Follow along with text-only updates in this post, or catch a live video stream of the proceedings on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.
Filed under: Bellator , News In November, Bellator ‘s heavyweight tournament finals match went to a no contest, after an illegal but accidental low blow by Thiago Santos left Eric Prindle unable to continue. The fight, which will determine the next challenger to face champion Cole Konrad, has now been reset for a March 9 date. The bout will take place at Bellator 61, the second show of Bellator’s sixth season, and will emanate from Bossier City at the Horseshoe Riverdome in Louisiana. At Bellator 59, Santos (10-1, 1 no contest) had Prindle (7-1, 1 no contest) prone on the ground when he landed a kick between Prindle’s legs just 84 seconds into the fight. After a five-minute recovery period, Prindle still couldn’t continue and the fight was ruled a no contest after the referee determined the blow to be accidental. The March 16 event will also host the quarterfinals of a middleweight tournament. Those bouts are also set, and the matchups will pair UFC veteran Maiquel Falcao vs. Norman Paraisy, Brian Rogers vs. Vitor Vianna , Vyacheslav Vasilevsky vs. Victor O’ Donnell and Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana vs. Bruno Santos. Vianna (12-2-1) was a finalist in last season’s middleweight tournament, losing a decision to Alexander Shlemenko in the finals. Vasilevsky is a notable new entrant to the field, coming in with a 15-1 record and riding a 14-fight win streak. The fight will also mark his US debut.
Filed under: UFC , News UFC President Dana White picked a fight with anonymous hackers on Thursday, and the hackers promptly targeted White personally by posting his personal contact information online. Hackers also attacked the UFC’s own web site. Last week hackers first went after UFC.com as a protest against the UFC’s support for SOPA and PIPA, controversial legislation that would greatly expand the powers of the government to protect copyrights — and prosecute those accused of violating copyrights. On Thursday, White challenged the hackers to ” do it again, do it tonight .” They did. This time the hacking of the UFC’s own site appeared to be more significant than what took place last week, when the UFC.com URL was simply redirected to a protest site. On Thursday night, the hackers appeared to gain access to files within the UFC’s site. And now the hackers are also attacking White individually, rather than simply going after the web site. The hackers also posted personal contact information for White as well as information from credit checks and background checks. Through it all, White remained combative. When one person told White on Twitter that he had opened a credit card in White’s name using White’s personal information, White replied, “Go crazy with that f–ker.” When someone else told White on Twitter to expect more trouble from the hackers, White answered, “That s–t don’t work here dork.” The biggest question for the UFC is whether that s–t will work in disrupting the company’s web site, where it sells pay-per-views and streams events. White seems unconcerned about hackers targeting him personally. If the hackers disrupt the UFC’s business, however, that’s a concern to UFC fans.
Filed under: UFC Rashad Evans has been the light-heavyweight division’s No. 1 contender in waiting for 18 months, a lengthy purgatory that will only end if he beats Phil Davis at Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 2 show, and emerges uninjured. On paper, it is a fight he should win. He has twice as many fights as Davis, and has competed against higher-caliber opponents over the last few years. The odds reflect that, with Evans a 2-to-1 favorite by the estimates of most. But there are also factors that suggest the outcome isn’t quite that clear cut. For one, Evans (16-1-1) has only fought once in the last 18 months, against the struggling Tito Ortiz . For another, Davis (9-0) has had 10 months in between fights. Because of the fact that Davis is newer to the sport, he has more to learn, and might have benefited more from the time off between fights. The biggest improvements Davis can hope to show in this matchup are his overall striking game and wrestling transitions. To date, Davis’ best standup weapon has been his kicks, something he has proven to be reliant on. Against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira , for example, he threw 18 kicks and 18 punches while standing. A true 1:1 kick/punch ratio is very unusual at the highest levels of MMA . More: UFC on FOX 2 Fight Card | UFC on FOX 2 Results That ratio alone isn’t troublesome, but the issue comes in the fact that against Nogueira, he landed only two of his 18 arm strikes, just 11 percent. He will have to do more in the pocket to keep Evans honest, because if Evans can completely discount his punches, the fight becomes easier for him. To that end, Davis has been working with fellow light-heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson as well as bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz . After 10 months, it’s hard to imagine we won’t see any real improvements. In recent days, Evans has made headlines for saying that Davis isn’t a very good wrestler, a statement that doesn’t jibe with Davis’ pedigree as a former NCAA national champion. “Your technique is trash,” Evans said during a Thursday press conference . “You won a college championship off junk. You could not win on an international level because you have trash technique.” The statement was no doubt a piece of gamesmanship on Evans’ part, but the fact is that given Davis’ wrestling history, he has underperformed a bit in the takedown department, successfully landing just 50 percent of his tries according to FightMetric . His problems stem from often shooting from too far away with no setup. To date, Nogueira has been his most decorated opponent. Nogueira has no background in wrestling, but Davis was just four of 11 against him. Again, though, this is the type of area that could benefit from some intensive training, and Davis might look significantly better this time around. On the other hand, in his limited time fighting, Davis has shown some of the best defensive work in MMA . According to FightMetric, he’s only been hit .38 times per minute — by far the lowest number in UFC history. He’s also never been taken down, so has a perfect 100 percent takedown defense record. Both of those numbers will be tested by Evans, who has the most complete game of any opponent Davis has yet to face. Evans won’t be lost if just one thing doesn’t work. He has good hands, throws kicks, moves well into takedowns and has effective ground and pound. Evans has said that he has gone back to his wrestling roots, and that showed against Ortiz as most of the fight was spent on the ground. But given the fact that the area is Davis’ strength, it’s worth wondering if Evans will truly engage him there or simply wants to plant the seed in Davis’ mind so he’ll have something else to think about. Evans is a very good MMA wrestler, but it’s unlikely he’ll put Davis on his back for any stretch of time. That leaves a fight where Evans is likely going to be on the defensive, hoping to avoid Davis’ takedowns throughout. Remember, this is a five-round fight, so it could become a grind. Davis may or may not have success in taking the fight to the ground, but he’s also quite likely to work Evans against the fence and hope to wear him down with dirty boxing and sheer physicality. In some ways, that kind of plan could work to Evans’ advantage. He’s always fought well as a counter-striker, and he’s never had any real issues with stamina. Davis has looked strong in fights that have gone the distance, but he’s prepared to go five full rounds for the first time in his career, while Evans has had to do it three times now. Their wrestling games should largely cancel each other out, so unless Davis has made a big leap forward in his striking, this should still be Evans’ fight to lose. Evans is more experienced, has shown more power and has big-fight experience. Davis is still a blue-chip prospect, but there’s no way to know whether his time off helped him by allowing him time to refine his skills, or it hurt him by adding ring rust. A Davis upset wouldn’t be a huge surprise, as he’s capable of grinding out a win with his physicality and will, but most other routes to victory seem to favor Evans, and so his perpetual role as top contender should continue by a close decision.
Live UFC on Fox 2 Weigh-in Results (4 p.m. ET) Sherdog.com reports from Rio de Janeiro with live results from the UFC on Fox 2 weigh-ins, which take place at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Jordan Breen UFC on Fox 2 Prefight Chat (1 p.m. ET) Sherdog.com Administrative Editor Jordan Breen will host his weekly pre-fight chat at 1 p.m. ET
In just over a day, Rashad Evans will take on Phil Davis in the headlining attraction of the UFC on FOX 2 event this Sat., Jan. 28, 2012, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. There’s a lot on the line for “Suga,” as he’s been promised a title shot with a victory. He knows the stakes and already has in his head what he’s got to do to win the fight. “I just gotta impose my will. To come out with the win, I just gotta do what I do best, not just strike, wrestle and just do everything. I don’t think there’s just one avenue to get it done in. I gotta be able to get it done in all facets of the sport.” As for “Mr. Wonderful,” this is as good as it can get for Davis. A win catapults him way up the light heavyweight ladder. “He’s the number one contender and I hope to take that from him. Plain and simple.” Indeed. Evans wins and he gets a title shot, Davis wins and he could put himself in position to have the same. There’s a lot on the line in the “Windy City,” Maniacs. Who ya’ got? For all the latest news and notes on the UFC on FOX 2 event be sure to hit up our complete archive right here .
When Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) first hit the FOX airwaves for UFC on FOX 1: “Velasquez vs. Dos Santos,” company President Dana White and the now retired Brock Lesnar served as booth analysts. So who’s handling duties for UFC on FOX 2? That would be retired former heavyweight champion Randy Couture and current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Anyone excited to see “The Natural” back in the fold as an analyst for FOX?
More highlights from the UFC on FOX 2 pre-fight press conference via MMA Fighting .
Ever wonder how Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) color commentator Joe Rogan got that job? It’s an interesting little story and he told it to Rosie O’Donnell during his appearance on her show recently: “I started out in 1997 with them. I was the post-fight interviewer. That was when we were in little places like Dothan, Alabama, and Augusta, Georgia. We would have to fly in these little propeller planes and it was weird, we would do it in like high school auditoriums, it would be half-filled. It was very strange. I did it for a couple years and then I won the… I got the job. They just needed someone to do post-fight interviews. It just so happens that my manager knew the guy who was the producer and they were, ‘Hey, we need someone to interview fighters after they fight.” And I was like, ‘I’ll do it.’ Not only did they not talk to me about what to do, no one even told me what was going to happen. This is what they did: they brought me there, they gave me a microphone, they put an ear-piece in me and they go, ‘Okay, ready, Joe? We’re going to come to you in three seconds.’ Or, you know, whatever it was. And they just said, ‘Just start talking about the event.’ So I just started talking. Nobody explained to me what I was going to do, how to interview people; it was a weird organization back then.” Rogan’s memory is spot on the money. His very first appearance at a UFC event came at UFC 12: “Judgement Day,” which took place in Dothan, Alabama, all the way back in 1997. And for those of you who don’t appreciate his work now, well, let’s just say he’s come a long way since then. You can see a nervous and shifty Rogan making his debut right here . After the jump, he talks with Rosie about a few more topics, including her super fandom for Urijah Faber . You can click here for more clips from his appearance on her show.
Out with the old, in with the new. The old adage never felt more fitting than on the warm September night when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rolled into Atlanta, Georgia. For the first time in the state capital’s history, the city — once known for being the home of grown men in tights pretend fighting — was playing host to UFC 88 and the fight promotion built a card that would ensure the Peach State residents a night to remember. Indeed it was unforgettable. Not because of the shellacking Nate Marquardt gave Martin Kampmann or even the near-flawless striking display Rich Franklin used to fell Matt Hamill but because of the main event between mixed martial arts (MMA) icon and UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 winner Rashad Evans . Evans steps inside the Octagon again tomorrow (Jan. 28) taking on Phil Davis , headlining the company’s second offering on Fox — and its first proper event on the broadcast station — in a fight that would secure the former champion his second light heavyweight title shot. “Suga” is no stranger to having to win a bout in order to get his chance at gold. He was in the position that night in Atlanta. And the results were shocking. Since being dethroned from the 205-pound mountain by Quinton Jackson a little over a year prior, “The Iceman” appeared to have lost a step or two. After being knocked out by “Rampage,” he dropped a split decision to Keith Jardine at UFC 76 in what was supposed to be a tune-up fight to get him back into the title picture. Losing to Jackson didn’t necessarily make Liddell’s stock plummet but the uninspired showing against “The Dean of Mean” gave fans and analysts more than enough reason to pause and reflect on Liddell’s future among the light heavyweight elite. Thankfully for his fans, Liddell finished off 2007 by stepping inside the Octagon opposite Wanderlei Silva , a fight MMA enthusiasts had been clamoring to see for years. “The Iceman,” on a two-fight skid stood even with Silva who had also lost his two previous bouts. The cynical thoughts of “too little, too late” gave way to a more apathetic feeling of “why not, maybe it’ll be fun” which eventually blossomed into pure and adulterated joy as the fight played out. Over 15 minutes, Liddell and Silva gave fans what could possibly be the greatest fight in the history of the sport and in the end, “The Iceman” stood triumphant. It seemed the deposed king was ready to return to his throne. Evans, since winning the heavyweight tournament during the second season of TUF, had been slowly and steadily climbing the UFC ladder. Two Fight Night co-main events and two wins against fellow TUF alumni Sam Hoger and Stephan Bonnar led to “Suga’s” pay-per-view (PPV) debut, an impressive victory over Jason Lambert who had yet to see defeat inside the Octagon. Evans was ready to top the bill. His first taste at headlining ended as well as he could have hoped. A highlight reel head kick knockout (KO) ended his opponent, Sean Salmon’s, night early in the second round and offered a glimpse of the striking prowess “Suga” had at his disposal. He returned to PPV for his next bout , a draw against Tito Ortiz before headlining UFC 78 against Michael Bisping . Since his split decision win over “The Count” that night, Evans hasn’t been back to the undercard. The roads Liddell and Evans had each been travelling met in Atlanta on Sept. 6, 2008. It was a match-up nearly as old as sports itself. The battle-hardened veteran was taking on the young, up-and-comer. Youth versus experience, the old guard trying to stay secure in its place while the new guard does everything it can to upend it. The first round perfectly epitomized the feeling out process as both fighters circled around each other, hoping to better gauge what each was bringing to the table. Surprisingly, the previously wrestling-heavy Evans attempted no takedowns and opted to stand toe to toe with his knockout artist opponent. What “Suga” lacked in technique, he made up for in speed, both on his feet and in his hands. He continuously avoided Liddell’s attacks, suffering only minimal damage while beating “The Iceman” to the punch several times over. By the end of the round, Liddell was bleeding and nursing a decently sized mouse under one eye. When the second stanza began, each fighter came out much more aggressively. Evans let his hands go with more frequency and with even more speed. Liddell, comfortable enough with his appraisal of Evans’ stand-up, began to pressure his younger opponent with more tenacity. Attempting to pin “Suga” against the cage, Liddell looked to add the TUF winner to his already impressive list of victims. But Evans continued to circle away, avoiding the onslaught and countering punches like … well, like Chuck Liddell. It all culminated when Evans snapped out a jab which Liddell attempted to answer with an uppercut. Had it connected, it may very well have put “Suga” to sleep. We’ll never know as a monster overhand right — the same punch that would be Liddell’s finisher if he was ever in a Mortal Kombat game — barreled its way into the former champion’s jaw. He crumpled to the mat and a shocked silence fell over the Philips Arena. It seemed the only sound emanating from the crowd were the ear-piercing shrieks from Evans’ elated wife. The knockout was vicious; perhaps the most devastating in the sport’s history. There were many fans — like myself — with no dog in this particular fight and simply marveled at the beautiful brutality that had just been unleashed inside the Octagon. Then there were others – a majority of UFC fans – who counted Liddell among their favorite fighters, if not THE favorite. When “The Iceman” dropped, so too did their moods and any hopes of seeing Liddell challenge for the title he once held onto with an iron grip. In fact, Liddell would never see victory again in his career while Evans would only see defeat once in the five fights since. The career arcs of these two fights crossed at UFC 88 but each were going is distinctly different directions. If Evans hopes to continue his upward trend, a win over Davis tomorrow night is necessary to secure a showdown with former teammate Jon Jones . Does “Suga” have what it takes?
Talk is cheap. Perhaps, but it does sell tickets and slam butts in seats. Just ask Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweights Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping , who will share the spotlight together as the co-main event at Saturday night’s (Jan. 28, 2012) event: UFC on FOX 2 , which takes place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Earlier today (Jan. 26, 2012), the talkative twosome joined 102.5 FM’s “The Game Nashville Sports Radio” to discuss their upcoming bout. It didn’t take Sonnen long to get into hype mode: “They (the fans) can expect a fight. They can expect two guys that are coming out to fight. I had to grow up hearing that a fight was boxing. And I had to grow up hearing about this myth: Mike Tyson. Everybody said he was the best fighter in the world. He wasn’t even the best fighter in America. Now we’ve got fighting. Fighting is on TV. Fighting is on FOX. And, you know, the two best fighters in the business just happen to be in the same weight class, and happen to be coming at you live. Eight (o’clock) in the east, five (o’clock) in the west.” For more gems from Sonnen and Bisping, follow me after the jump: Not to be outdone, Bisping threw down a similar gauntlet for fans and potential fight viewers: “Listen, I’ve been fighting since I was eight years old and I’ve been pretty good at it. I’ve had so many fights – I can’t remember. Now, I’m fortunate enough to be paid to fight. My dream, my goal and my destiny is to be world champion. Saturday night, there’s one more man in the way of that, and that’s Chael Sonnen. You’ll be able to watch it live on TV, on FOX TV. It’s gonna be ‘Fight of the Night’ if not ‘Fight of the Year.’ I’m gonna use a quote that I’ve used before: ‘If you’ve got two b—s swinging between your legs, tune in and watch this fight, cuz you ain’t gonna be disappointed.’” Charming, no? It’s talk like that that has garnered “The Count” a bit of a surly reputation. He spoke about how he’s been received, particulary in “The States:” “For me, it started out pretty good, and went downhill pretty fast (laughs). I do get booed, pretty much unanimously, everywhere I go, but I couldn’t care less. My last fight, however, I got booed on the way in and cheered on the way out. So, who knows? Maybe I’m start to turn them around. But, ultimately, I don’t give a damn. People don’t like it. I’m English, I come over and I kick ass and go home! That said, I live here in America now, so it’s changed a little bit. I love America. I love spending time here. I love the people. I love the country. I love the food. That said, I’ve got one American standing in font of me and I wanna kick his ass!” The wrestling match for air time continued as Sonnen went on to continue hyping Saturday’s card, going so far as to proclaim that his fight against Bisping is the real main event: “Yeah, we’ve taken over the airwaves. No doubt about it. Two thousand hours is what we’ve committed to the FOX network stations for the next year. This is a big match coming up this weekend. Not just ours, but it’s a tripleheader. We’re the true main event. We’re the ones that sold the tickets. We’re the ones that are bringing the people in. But the fact of the matter is that there’s a lot of good talent on this card, and ‘Chael Sonnen Promotions’ in conjunction with Zuffa will bring you UFC on FOX 2, LIVE on Saturday night from the United Center. Eight in the east, five in the west, in case you failed to hear me the first time.” Ultimately, both fighters believe this will be no walk in the park. They both predict a war and both believe they themselves will emerge the victor. Here’s what Bisping had to say about the difficulty of the opponent standing in front of him: “I’m under no illusion that this is gonna be easy. I’m gonna overcome adversity. I’m gonna be put in bad positions. I’m gonna be elbowed in the face, punched in the face, repeatedly. But as he said, I’m doing the same thing to him. We match up very well. We’re similar size. I’m assuming we’re gonna have similar strengths, overall. Chael is always in great condition. His endurance is always off the chart. So is mine. I’m known for that as well. This is gonna be a fast paced, high intensity match. I plan on being the victor and so does he. That’s what makes it exciting. You’ve got two guys, very confident, high skill sets, that know how to fight. I almost wanna be a spectator myself. Unfortunately, I’m in the damn thing.” Sonnen agreed. He even complimented Bisping on his toughness and grit: “If I could pay him a compliment, I’d say that his toughness is his greatest attribute. I would say the fact that he goes hard and doesn’t back down the whole time is his strongest point. I’m prepared for war. Michael just made a statement that he’s gonna kick my ass, Saturday night. I don’t really disagree with that. Where I would step in is to say, I’m gonna kick his ass even worse! This is going to be a fight amongst men. I plan to get my ass kicked but I plan to hand one right back.” Sounds like a plan! Are you Maniacs fired up for this fight? Do you think Sonnen will be able to use his wrestling to smother Bisping to death? Or will “The Count” use his striking to grab the upper hand? Comments are welcomed.
Earlier today, UFC president Dana White issued an open challenge to Internet hackers, and it didn’t take long for that community to respond. A Twitter user claiming to be a member of the same Internet group that over the weekend attacked UFC.com, UGNazi.com, posted a link to a file listing the apparent phone number, social security number and current and past addresses of the UFC boss. “We don’t want your site anymore,” the user stated via Twitter. “We are going after YOU! Follow me for tonight’s exciting events.”
Arianny Celeste Rocking A Red Hood And Some Camel Toe In Zoo Magazine Photo Shoot Video.
MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan is a guest on today’s edition of the “Rico and Handsome Rob Show” on Denver’s KZKO Radio. Morgan joins hosts “Rico” and “Handsome Rob” to discuss the UFC’s return to FOX, as well as other news on the MMA landscape. The segment begins at 11:10 p.m. ET. The shows streams online at www.kzkoradio.com .
Watch Rashad Evans and Phil Davis get into it in this UFC on FOX 2 pre-fight press conference highlight via UFC.com .
Dana White sat down with the media following today’s UFC on FOX 2 pre-fight press conference to talk about all the hot topics in MMA. We’ve got a rundown of news and notes coming out of that Q&A session along with Ariel Helwani’s interview with Dana and some other notes from the press conference below. — As you would expect, Chael Sonnen garnered most of the attention at today’s press conference with his fake UFC championship belt. While it’s hard to fathom that he actually believes it’s the real belt, he certainly played it off like it was . “This is the world championship title of which I took from Anderson Silva,” Sonnen explained of the belt in front of him. “In this country, possession is nine-tenths of the law. Finders keepers, losers weepers, and if he wants it back, he knows where to find me.” “I believe that I am the true champion,” Sonnen said. “This is the true UFC belt. This was Anderson Silva’s belt. I took his belt like a gangster in the night … If he wants his belt back, he can come and get it. But as far as I’m concerned, he’s as irrelevant as Mike Tyson. The only thing he hasn’t done is announce his retirement. He sound paint his face, gain a hundred pounds, sit in the third row and hope somebody remembers who they are because neither of those guys matter anymore.” Dana of course had to chime in and set the record straight for anyone who didn’t know any better. “Chael’s nuts,” White said. “He says all kinds of crazy things. He’s [claims he's] champion … Listen to me. Okay? Listen to me. He’s not the champion. He will fight Anderson Silva if he wins. He will not fight for the heavyweight championship or Jon Bones Jones.” Some other choice quotes from Sonnen : “You’re looking at the reflection of perfection. You’re looking at the man who gets all your attention. You’re looking at the man with the biggest arm. At the man, with the greatest charm, the man in Chicago who will do harm to the guy three doors down.” “Whatcha gonna do, when you know who? Howya gonna deal, with the man of steel? How ya gonna react to Sonnen’s attack? Tune in on the 28th! 8 p.m. Eastern Time! You’ll find out who the real champion is.” Michael Bisping tried to spark a litlle back-and-forth between him and Chael with this, but Sonnen never bit. “He can keep his fake belt and shove it up his ass,” Bisping said. “He ain’t fighting Anderson Silva.” — Sonnen and Bisping may not have got into it too much, but Rashad Evans and Phil Davis definitely did. They went at it several times, but this was the highlight . “If I wrestled you in college, I guarantee I would have beaten you,” Evans said. “If you wrestled right now, I guarantee I’d beat you right now.” “That’s interesting. … How many years were you an All-American?” Davis pondered. “You used trash to win,” Evans shot back. “You could not win a world competition, man. You could not win on an international stage because you have trash technique.” “Really? You are believing your own hype, my friend,” said Davis. “Who tells you these stories?” “I watch the way you move,” said Evans. “You have trash technique.” “What have you been watching?” an incredulous Davis asked. The quotes don’t do it justice. Check out the video highlight here . Evans later capped it off with perhaps the funniest statement of the day , saying “Phil lookin’ like Arsenio Hall and John Salley had a baby.” Davis even laughed at that one, probably because it’s kinda true. — Dana White finally commented on the UFC.com hacking from last weekend beyond the “I don’t give a sh*t” that he put out on Twitter. Staying true to himself, Dana basically challenged hackers to try it again . Is SOPA the perfect bill? No, it’s not. The only thing that we’re focused on is piracy. Piracy is stealing. You walk into a store and you steal a (freaking) gold watch, it’s the same as stealing a pay-per-view. I don’t care what your twisted, demented idea of stealing is. These kids that grew upon the Internet have never had to pay for anything, so they think you shouldn’t have to. Keep hacking our site. Do it again. Do it tonight. You know what’s happening is? These guys look like terrorists now, and a bill that was about to die is about to come back. … I’m not afraid of the Internet. I love the Internet. It’s fun to get on there and cruise around and stuff. I’m not afraid of you. You want to keep hacking our site, go for it. Watch what happens. You’re hurting yourself. Call me crazy, but taunting a community of anonymous hackers is probably not the smartest idea when you have people’s credit card information stored for online pay-per-views and merchandise. Just saying. Update : The hackers accepted the challenge alright. The same hacker group that hacked UFC.com posted the following tweet and then released what appeared to be (though not confirmed) Dana White’s personal information including his phone numbers, address and social security number. @danawhite We don’t want your site anymore. We are going after YOU! Follow me for tonights exciting events! #ufc #sopa #acta #pipa Dana didn’t respond specifically to the hacker but he did get into it with several people on Twitter over his statements including the infamous hacking group Anonymous. — Dana White confirmed again that Anthony Johnson is no longer with the UFC, but he at least left the door open for him to return if he can start acting like a professional. “He needs to go fight somewhere else, get some wins, come in on weight,” White said of Johnson. “He needs to prove to me that he can be a professional, show up on weight and do the things he needs to do. If he does, we can talk.” Interestingly enough, Dana did ease up on his stance on Nate Marquardt , saying “I don’t dislike Nate. I like Nate very much. We’ll see what happens.” Marquardt has not fought since Dana booted him out for screwing up the UFC on Versus 4 main event last year. Perhaps his next fight will be in the UFC after all. — It sounds like Dana White is as sick of the tainted supplement excuse as everyone else. In response to a question about King Mo claiming his positive test was the result of a bad supplement, Dana says he doesn’t buy it . “If you get caught doing something, admit you did it,” White said. “The whole ‘Somebody put something in my system that I didn’t know about?’ I mean, who here lets someone put s–t inside them that you don’t know what it is? If you go to the doctor and he gives you a pill, ‘Doc, what am I taking this for?’” “I don’t buy that s–t,” White said. “Own up to what you did. Listen, it’s out there, it happens, and sometimes everybody makes mistakes.” “I don’t buy it,” White said. “Anybody that’s ever said that they didn’t know what’s being put in their body is full of s–t.” —
CHICAGO – UFC president Dana White is proud of the Zuffa’s recently implemented policy that requires all new signees to pass a drug test, and he thinks it’ll help their health in the long run. Today, though, he said expansion of the program to test already-contracted UFC and Strikeforce fighters, as well as to perform year-round and random testing, is unlikely. “That’s the commission’s (responsibility),” White told MMAjunkie.com. “We’re the most regulated sport on Earth. We’re the last guys on Earth who should be getting [expletive] steroid questions.”
UFC president Dana White along with eight fighters from the UFC on Fox 2 card which takes place this Saturday in Chicago’s United Center. The fighters at the event were Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, Demian Maia, Chris Weidman, Mike Russow and Jon Olav Einemo. Show starts at the 24:16 point.
Filed under: MMA Videos , UFC , MMA Fighting Exclusive , News , Videos CHICAGO — MMAFighting.com caught up with WWE champion CM Punk Thursday evening to discuss his relationship with Chael Sonnen , his thoughts on UFC on FOX 2, his take on Brock Lesnar ‘s potential return to WWE, whether he would ever fight in an MMA fight, and the connection between MMA and pro wrestling.
