MMA Hot Stuff

ESPN MMA Live: From U.K. to Corpus

MMALive recap from UK to corpus



With a recap of Diego/Stevenson fight. There was a lot of emphasis on Stevenson now losing 3 of his last 4 fights. Sure but Joe Stevenson is a fun fighter to watch and if you ask me he's always going to be the opponent the other big guys fight. He's the one you have to fight to get a title shot. He's my Keith Jardine but for lightweights. Joe Stevenson will always be around. As far as the fight between Diego and Stevenson, Diego did get the W however it wasn't the way he wanted it. While that fight went to the judges I think Diego will only get better. He's definitely going to give the 155lbers a run for their money. My guess is he'll get a title shot at some point. Perhaps fighting the loser between Kenny and BJ and then the winner of that fight getting a title shot.

Speaking of Kenny Florian vs BJ Penn - WHEN WHEN WHEN? It won't happen at UFC 99 in Germany (Thank goodness. I think it'd be a great co-main event on UFC 100)! This will allow good recovery time for BJ from the fight with GSP, but is it too much time off for KenFlo? Ha hardly. I assure you his training camp will continue to keep him busy.

p.s. wow did anyone count how many times Diego said YES during his walk out to the octagon.  Think he was a bit excited?


I'm definitely happy  to see Gilbert vs Josh Thomson on the upcoming Strikeforce card. Josh will be defending his title.

Oh and p.s.s. I'm THE "Rachel from San Francisco" that submitted the question about catch weights :)

Keep up the great work ESPN MMA Live crew

“The Fight Expo” on tap March 21-22 in Del Mar

“The Fight Expo” on tap March 21-22 in Del Mar

Dreams come true for 5 Make-A-Wish children

DEL MAR, California (February 25, 2009) -- A massive two-day Mixed Martial Arts and Extreme Sports extravaganza, “The Fight Expo,” is coming to the Del  Mar Fairgrounds, the weekend of March 21-22,  in Del Mar, California.

“The Fight Expo” is the first event of its kind, infusing MMA, Grappling, Pankration, and several Extreme Sports -- Motocross, Skateboarding, Harley Davidson Pulls and much more -- into one giant entertainment supershow.  “The Fight Expo” has chosen The Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego as its beneficiary with portions of proceeds from every ticket sold, charity auctions, and MMA seminars going to this worthwhile cause. 

UFC announcer, Bruce Buffer, “The Voice of the Octagon,” has joined the team to create a very special event for five Make-A-Wish children suffering from life threatening illnesses, which will include the children being escorted around by American Gladiator and the World’s Most Famous Female Fighter, Gina Carano, as well as getting publicly introduced by Bruce Buffer as Honorary Fighters in the Cage. They will also have an opportunity to meet their favorite MMA Superstars from a group including Brandon Vera, Joe Stevenson, Jake Shields, Cung Le, TUF Season 8 finalist Vinny Magalhães, Eliot Marshall, the Tapout Crew (Punkass, Mask and Skrape), Dean Lister, and many more. 

For Grappling and Pankration fans, “The Fight Expo” will host the 10^th anniversary of Grapplers Quest Competition with 300 Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Divisions, plus two mega-Superfight Divisions to crown The World’s Best Submission Fighters, totaling $25,000 in prizes.

Bud Light presents the Pankration Team Battles on Saturday night (Mar. 21), pitting two military teams, 29 Palms vs. Camp Pendleton. 

Greg Jackson, coach of UFC champions Georges St. Pierre and Rashad Evans, will be conducting the inaugural 100% Make-A-Wish Charity MMA Seminar on Sunday (Mar. 22) for MMA fighters and fans.

Other event highlights include G.I. Joe star and world famous model, Channing Tatum, and other stars from the upcoming Rogue Picture's film release, "Fighting," 100+ exhibits selling top MMA clothing, nutrition and health products; special area for women including the "Chic Boutique," which will have clothing, jewelry, massage therapists and an "elite" dating service; as well as the Grappling Hall of Fame award presentations by Grapplers Quest.  

Proceeds from every ticket sale will benefit fundraisers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego.

For discount tickets and more information about “The Fight Expo,” go to www.TheFightExpo.com.

For more information on Grapplers Quest, go to: http://www.GrapplersQuest.com.

For Exhibit & Sponsorship opportunities, contact Ken Schmitz of SALESFISH, the marketing and sponsorship sales agency for “The Fight Expo” at kschmitz@salesfish.com.

“SHAMROCK VS. DIAZ” TICKETS ON SALE TODAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

“SHAMROCK VS. DIAZ” TICKETS ON SALE TODAY

 

 

SAN JOSE, CA (Feb. 23, 2009)—Tickets for “Shamrock vs. Diaz,” the Strikeforce mixed martial arts (MMA) mega-event that will take place at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Saturday, April 11^th, are officially on sale.

 

Priced from $30, “Shamrock vs. Diaz” tickets are available for purchase at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

 

Three-time world champion and MMA legend, Frank Shamrock (24-9-1), will make his long-awaited return to the cage against Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt and hard-hitting brawler, Nick Diaz (18-7, 1 NC), in the main event of the most highly anticipated Strikeforce event of all-time.

 

The headlining matchup, which will be contested at a catch weight of 179 lbs, represents a key opportunity for the 25-year-old Diaz to avenge a devastating, 21 second knockout that his trainer, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master, Cesar Gracie, suffered at the hands of Shamrock in the main event of Strikeforce’s historic, inaugural MMA event at HP Pavilion on March 10, 2006.

 

Middleweight (185-pound limit) sluggers Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (16-5, 1 NC) and Benji “Razor” Radach (19-4) will go to war with each other in a featured contest on the card.  Additional matchups for the Strikeforce event will be announced shortly. 

 

HP Pavilion doors will open for “Shamrock vs. Diaz” at 4:30 p.m. on April 11^th.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 5 p.m. and the main fight card will commence at 7 p.m.

 

About Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” 

Media Contacts:

 

Strikeforce – Mike Afromowitz (917) 566-8754 mafromowitz@strikeforce.com        

 

Cornerman Stitch Talks Vaseline

Vaseline on the face (eyebrows and cheekbones) okay; peanut butter not okay. Huh?

Watch as Cornerman Stitch talks about the GSP Vaseline controversy.

UFC 97 Sold Out

Press Release from the UFC:

For Immediate Release:

February 20, 2009

UFC^® 97: REDEMPTION IS SOLD OUT;

UFC IN MONTREAL, 2-FOR-2 WITH SELL OUTS

ANDERSON SILVA vs. THALES LEITES

CHUCK LIDDELL vs. MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA

 

Live from the Bell Centre, Saturday April 18, 2009

 

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – For the second time in a row, the UFC^® has sold out the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Tickets for UFC 97: REDEMPTION are no longer available less than one week after they went on sale to the public. Now the only place to watch this star-studded event on Saturday, April 18 is on pay-per-view.

 

“I knew going back to Montreal would be another homerun,” UFC President Dana White said. “Our Canadian fan base is incredibly strong and continues to grow even in these hard times. UFC events continue to bring a substantial economic impact to the city of Montreal - tickets for this fight sold out faster than UFC 83 did last year.”

 

For the UFC’s last trip up to Montreal for UFC 83, more than 13,000 tickets were sold the first day through the UFC^® Fight Club^™ Presale. The eventual sellout last year and this year’s record sellout cement Montreal as a true hub for mixed martial arts and the UFC.

 

Unstoppable UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will meet his toughest test to date when he faces submission specialist Thales Leites. Also on the card, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will trade punches with another dangerous striker when he takes on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

 

 

UFC 97: REDEMPTION, presented by TapOut^® will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

 

In the world of mixed martial arts there is not a more feared striker than Anderson Silva (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil). While posting an amazing eight fight win streak in the UFC, the 33-year-old champion has stopped seven of those eight fights within two rounds, with only Patrick Cote seeing daylight in Round 3 before the champion earned the TKO victory at UFC 90. With two impressive wins over former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, one over Nate Marquardt and a submission victory against former Pride® champion Dan Henderson, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is riding high heading into his match with Thales Leites.

 

“I’m looking forward to fighting in Montreal,” Silva said. “I have a lot of Canadian fans. Thales is a very tough opponent, and it’s going to be a great fight.”

 

Winner of his last five UFC matches, 27-year-old Thales Leites (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is truly hitting his stride in the world of mixed martial arts. With a split decision victory against Marquardt, submission victories over Ryan Jensen and Floyd Sword and most recently Drew McFedries, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt could be Silva’s greatest test on the ground to date.

 

“I feel great about this fight and I will be one hundred percent for sure.” Leites said. “I did my job to get recognized by the UFC, and this will be the fight of my life. I know Anderson Silva is a very, very tough guy, but I know that I can do it.”

 

There are a few names that are synonymous with the UFC and Chuck Liddell (fighting out of San Luis Obispo) is one of those. The former UFC light heavyweight champion is coming off a loss to the division’s present title holder Rashad Evans and is looking to recapture the magic that saw him win an amazing 14 of 15 UFC matches from 1999-2006. The 39-year-old is now focused on getting back on another winning streak.

 

“I’m very excited about fighting Shogun,” Liddell said. “It’s another step in getting back my title. I’m going to hit him hard and I plan on knocking him out. The Canadian fans have been great for years. They are some of the most exciting fans in the world.”

 

With an impressive resume overseas, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) is starting to make a name for himself in the UFC. The 27-year-old is coming off a TKO victory against former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman at UFC 93 and is excited at the opportunity to fight a legend.

 

“It is an honor to fight Chuck Liddell, one of the greatest light heavyweights ever in the UFC,” Rua said. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I am very excited to fight him. I like to keep myself challenged, and this fight with Chuck is definitely a big fight for me and for UFC fans.”

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, Bell ExpressVU, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Viewers Choice, and WOWOW in Japan, and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada.  In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or ufcespanol.com.

 

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa™, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.

 

Press Contact:

Jennifer Wenk, UFC Public Relations

BJ Penn's video regarding GSP Vaseline incident

Does the video speak for itself?
Thoughts?
Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

ESPN MMA Live: Previewing UFC 95

Here is this weeks episode of ESPN's MMA Live. The crew takes a look at this weekend's UFC 95 event featuring a lightweight match-up between Joe "Daddy" Stevenson and Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, who makes his lightweight debut. What does Kenny Florian think of this match up? Find out here. Also, how are the negotiations for a BJ Penn VS Ken-Flo showdown coming along?

Fedor calls out Lesnar? What? Take a look.

UFC 99: Rich Franklin meets Wanderlei Silva

I've heard multiple people say Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva are two of the nicest guys in the UFC. Looks like we'll see them meet face to face at UFC 99 which is scheduled to take place June 13 at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.

Apparently this fight isn't signed in ink so to speak just yet. Fingers crossed it'd be a great fight!

I'm working on getting more information from my sources about other fights on the card. Stay tuned!

Gilbert Melendez still awaiting opponent for April Stirkeforce event

Rumored to be part of the April 11th Strikforce card, Gilbert Melendez has yet to be given confirmation on an opponent. Originally rumored to be either Mitsuhiro Ishida or Jorge Grugel, Gilbert told MMAHotStuff, "Ishida is the fight I've asked for and I'd love that rematch, but I'm willing to fight anyone".

It is now being reported that Grugel will not be part of the April card due to an elbow injury and that he's hoping to make his Strikeforce debut in May.

Gilbert is anxiously awaiting confirmation on an opponent and says "I want a tough opponent, but most of all I just want to fight".

Gilbert's friend and training partner Jake Shields has recently been confirmed for the April card against heavy-handed veteran Joe Riggs.

MMAHotStuff.com's Cutest (& Youngest) Fan

Awww I just received these photos of baby Maya who is clearly the cutest and youngest  MMAHotStuff fan.

If you have a baby looking for a cute onesie to support MMHotStuff, just email me!