MMA Hot Stuff

UFC Fighters Signing at Barnes & Noble Near You!

Join fighters of the UFC® for the release of the trade edition of Octagon book at Barnes & Noble. Fighters will sign purchased copies, so check back as we add more fighters and locations!

The UFC® Octagon Trade Edition gets up close and personal with the warriors of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Explore the work of photographer Kevin Lynch and track the evolution of UFC over five years through incredible photos of the fighters. See these amazing warriors from the tense moments before going into battle through to the emotional end of the combat. Explosive photographs capture the confidence, fear and passion in the eyes of key athletes from Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell to Georges St. Pierre and B.J.Penn.

ALBUQUERQUE     Keith Jardine    7:00 PM 6600 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
BOSTON    Kenny Florian    6:00 PM 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02119
CHICAGO    Clay Guida    7:30 PM 297 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523
INDIANAPOLIS    Chris Lytle    6:00 PM 3748 East 82nd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240
LAS VEGAS    Stephan Bonnar    7:00 PM 8915 W. Charleston, Las Vegas, NV  89117
LONG ISLAND    Matt Serra    7:00 PM 600 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, NY 11755
MAUI    Kendall Grove    7:00 PM 325 Keawe #101, Lahaina, Hi 96761
MIAMI    Thiago Alves    7:00 PM 12405 N Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33186
NEW ORLEANS    Rich Clementi    7:00 PM 3721 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA  70002
OMAHA    Houston Alexander    7:00 PM 3333 Oakview Dr, Omaha, NE 68144
PORTLAND    Nate Quarry    6:30 PM 12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97266
SACRAMENTO    James Irvin    7:00 PM 1725 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA  95815
SAN DIEGO    Diego Sanchez    7:00 PM 2015 Birch Rd, San Diego, CA 91915
SAN JOSE    Mike Swick    7:00 PM 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose, CA 95122
SAN LUIS OBISPO    Chuck Liddell    7:00 PM 894 Marsh Street, Bldg. G, San Luis Obispo, CA  93401

UFC Fight Night 14 Results

Here are the results from UFC Fight Night 14...

CB DOLLAWAY VS. JESSE TAYLOR
CB Dollaway defeats Jesse Taylor by submission (Peruvian Necktie) at 3:57 of the first round. For those girls out there reading my blog, the Peruvian Necktie is not an article of clothing.

KEVIN BURNS VS. ANTHONY JOHNSON
Kevin had been warned about poking Anthony in the eye and in the 3rd round while Kevin threw a left jab and his finger poked Anthony in the eye causing him to turn and fall (after yelling in pain) and then Kevin threw a right uppercut that just grazed Anthony... Kevin defeats Anthony by TKO at 3:35 of the third round. Johnson is gracious in defeat, as he's interviewed by Rogan he asks the crowd to stop booing Burns, noting that "it's a fight and things happen, give the man his props."  If you ask me it was a cheap win. I mean I know shit happens but what a shitty way to win. Even though I did pick Kevin to win this fight, I wasn't happy with the way it ended. Although, I also must say that I think Kevin would have gotten the judges decision had it gone the distance.

JAKE O'BRIEN VS. CAIN VELASQUEZ
I want to go on record and say you guys sent me a lot of emails giving me shit for picking Cain on this fight. Well  while I can't say I picked 'em all right tonight, I did pick this match up. Cain defeats Jake by TKO at 2:02 of the first round!
 
FRANKIE EDGAR VS. HERMES FRANCA
This was the one and only fight I didn't get right with my predictions. Frankie did an unbelievable job getting out of Herme's submission attempts. Hermes hit a beautiful armbar in the first round and I thought Frankie would tap for sure, but he managed to escape. The only other offense that Hermes could muster came at the end of the third round when he threw a nice knee as Frankie shot in, catching him flush on the nose and ringing his bell, but Frankie maintained his composure for the final few seconds. It ended up going all three rounds and in the end Frankie defeated Hermes by unanimous decision.

REESE ANDY VS. BRANDON VERA
Wow is about all I can say for this fight. I was NOT impressed. In fact I was a little disappointed with Brandon. I understand he probably had to cut the weight for the new weight class but I thought Brandon would eat this guy for lunch. That wasn't the case. It ended up going all three rounds and quite frankly was just overall boring. In fact the crowd booed. Don't blame them. Brandon defeated Reese by unanimous decision.

JAMES IRVIN VS. ANDERSON SILVA
Round 1 - The fighters touch gloves and the main event is underway. Anderson circles around from the outside.  He throws a couple low leg kicks, then steps inside and lands a 1-2 combination to the head.  Goldberg lets us know that Anderson's "precision is very precise."  :) Funny how everyone in the room burst into laughs at the same time. James throws a right kick towards the body. Anderson catches it and lands a perfect right hand to the button (that's a technical term for temple I'm guessing).James  is down immediately in the fetal position.  Anderson jumps on top and lands eight punches in a row, putting James out cold before the referee can step in.  Anderson defeats James by knockout at 1:01 of the first round.  Jame's right eye has a massive cut under it! I'm guessing that's going to bruise.

Anderson Silva is still the best fighter pound for pound in my book...

Anderson Silva VS James Irvin: The Keys to Victory

Want to know what "The Sandman" James Irvin thinks about his upcoming battle with the current UFC welterweight champ and best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? You can check out his thoughts here.

It's always good to hear from the fighters themselves, but what do some past opponents of both Irvin and Silva think? You can find out what Stephan Bonnar thinks the keys to an Irvin victory are by checking out this video. Bonnar claimed a submission victory over Irvin in 2006 at Ultimate Fight Night 3.

But what about "The Spider" Silva? Check out what Rich Franklin has to say about Anderson's abilities and if he's a real threat to the light heavyweight belt. I'm sure we all remember how "the Spider" dismantled Franklin not once, but twice.

I haven't made my pick for this fight yet, but check back later for my fight card predictions! Oh and remember, if you're looking to put down some money on fights you can see my advice here!

Tit for Tat: The UFC schedules a counter to EliteXC Saturday Night Fights

According to the UFC's TV Programming schedule, they are set to air quite a bit of MMA on Spike TV during the same time slot as the next installment of EliteXC and CBS' Saturday Night Fights on July 26th. The UFC has made no secret that they will counter every competitors show with a show of their own.

First they countered the first EliteXC / CBS event on May 31st with a tribute to "The Iceman", Chuck Liddell on Spike TV, followed by a replay of his victory over Wanderlei Silva. Next they countered the Affliction: Banned card with a card of their own, thrown together at the last minute, featuring Anderson Silva VS James Irvin as well as a host of other talent. Now they are set to counter the second EliteXC / CBS prime-time card with a whole host of programming on Spike. The line-up looks like this:

Saturday, July 26thMMA Television Schedule
Time (EST)	CBS / EliteXC	Spike / UFC
4 PM		UFC: Silva vs Irvin
7 PM		UFC Unleashed
8 PM	Live – Under card Fights	Ultimate Knockouts 5
9 PM	Live – Main Card	UFC 84: Penn vs Sherk (Replay)
11:30 PM		UFC 84: Penn vs Sherk (Replay)

They didn't go so far as to pull together another fight card, but they will be re-airing the very exciting UFC 84 card featuring BJ Penn VS Sean Sherk, Wanderlei Silva VS Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida VS Tito Ortiz and other great fights.

It's pretty clear Dana White is sending a message to every competitor that dare try and step in the sandbox, he's going to make them earn their share of the pie. The UFC, through it's wealth of fighter talent and relationship with Spike TV has the ability to pull this sort of thing off on short notice and wreak havoc on another promotions goal of attracting fans. The UFC currently has two attributes that no one else has, the ability to immediately put fights (new or replayed) on free TV, and consistent talent that is well known to the MMA fan base.

Unfortunately for competing promotions the UFC can offer high quality fights consistently on free TV. For Affliction, in the age of YouTube, it's tough for a fan to justify shelling out some hard earned money for fights they can watch later on the Internet. Especially when they can watch one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in Anderson Silva make his light-heavyweight debut on free TV.

As for the July 26th counter to EliteXC / CBS, that may be a little harder for the UFC to yank fans away from. After all, EliteXC / CBS is offering new fights on free TV, versus the UFC's re-run of older fights. The UFC definitely has the ability to make life difficult for new promotions trying to earn a fan base, and their tactics probably aren't good for the sport but then again the UFC isn't a sport, it's a business.

From my point of view, EliteXC has a few things the UFC doesn't on July 26th. They've got the rematch between Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields fighting for the EliteXC welterweight title, and Nick Diaz fighting in front of his hometown of Stockton, CA. Sorry UFC, that's too much to pass up... which is why I'll be in Stockton watching the fights LIVE!!!

If I were a betting girl...

Welcome to the first installment of "If I was a betting girl" (which I am by the way... did I mention I won $230 on Forrest's victory over Rampage?)! In this post I'll be discussing the odds on some upcoming fights that I find too hard to resist. Now mind you, when it comes to MMA I like to bet on the underdogs. First off, it makes it more fun and second I find it hard to lay down $100 to win $20 on a sport where anything can happen (see Matt Serra over GSP).

I decided after my win last weekend on Forrest vs Rampage to share my thoughts on upcoming fights for those of you looking for some help in placing your bets.
** These odds were taken from Sportsbook.com on 7/10/09.

Here we go, let's start with the July 19th UFC event feature Anderson Silva:

• Anderson Silva (-600) VS James Irvin (+400) - I have to put some money on Irvin here. This is Anderson Silva's first fight at light-heavyweight, so who knows how he'll adjust to the bigger and stronger opponent. Plus, Irvin is a guy that likes to stand up and bang so he always has a shot at landing something, and, he's got power in those punches. Although standing with Anderson Silva isn't always advised, when it's James Irvin at +400 I'll take some of that action.
• Brandon Vera (-625) VS Reese Andy (+425)- Vera is definitely the favorite in this fight, but Andy is a great wrestler and a very powerful fighter. He's the kind of fighter that could take Vera down, hold him there, and land some decent shots for 3 full rounds. Although it wouldn't make for a very exciting fight, it could produce a victory fo Andy. This is Vera's first fight down at 205, but he was never that big of a heavyweight so I don't see him having a huge size advantage over Andy. I think the odds on this are so skewed because it's Andy's first fight in the UFC, but he's 7-1 with 6 fights in the IFL and was a high caliber NCAA wrestler, so he's no newcomer to competition. If Andy can get the fight to the mat consistently, I think this is a great underdog bet.

On to UFC 87 in August:

• Brock Lesnar (-275) VS Heath Herring (+215)- To be honest, I'm not quite sure why Brock Lesnar, at 1-1 in his MMA career, is favored over Heath Herring at 28-13. I would be all over this. Heath has fought the best and toughest at heavyweight, and often made it very close. He's on a new strength and conditioning program and is coming off a victory over a very big and strong Cheick Kongo, so he knows how to fight bigger and strong opponents. Herring did have some problems with a wrestler when he lost to Jake O'Brien over a year ago, but I think his experience and toughness will win this fight for him. I don't think Brock has what it takes yet to compete with a veteran like Herring.
• GSP (-265) VS John Fitch (+205)- The odds on this one aren't "great" and GSP is the man, showing he can deal with wrestlers in his victory over Josh Koshchek, but I think Fitch has the talent to make this fight really close. For that reason, I wouldn't mind dropping some money on Fitch. This isn't as good of a bet as the others, but a gut feeling.

Affliction: Banned:

• Fedor Emelianeko (-450) VS Tim Sylvia (+300)- Yes, Fedor is considered by many to be the best heavyweight ever, and even the best pound-for-pound fighter ever. But Sylvia has serious reach and a very awkward style. We saw him beat up on Nogueira's face for a few rounds before being caught in a submission, so we know he can cause a fighter fits. Sylvia definitely has the ability to use his jab and create a very slow paced fight on the feet, and thus eake out a boring victory. But a boring victory at -300 when I've got money down is pretty exciting to me. Fedor hasn't fought a quality opponent in about 18 months (disclaimer - Matt Lindland is a quality fighter, but the size difference was a little silly), so look for him to have some rust when it comes to dealing with a quality fighter as awkward as Sylvia.

So there you go, installment #1 and some thoughts on good underdogs to lay some money on. You can let me know what you think by leaving a comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Affliction Banned VS UFC Fight Night 14: Anderson Silva makes his light-heavyweight debut!

As many of you know, Affliction is set to make its MMA debut with "Banned" on July 19th from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. They've got a pretty damn good line up for their first promtion, with fighters like Fedor, Tim Sylvia, Andre Arlovski, Matt Lindland, Ben Rothwell, Mike Whitehead, Babalu, and Josh Barnett. Not too shabby... oh yeah, and they have "The Donald" as one of their financial backers.

But what kind of company would the UFC be if they didn't offer up some competition? Did you think the UFC was just going to sit back and let Affliction, a clothing company by nature, come in and steal MMA fans away from them? Hell no... So what do they do? They create Ultimate Fight Night 14, scheduled for July 19th from Las Vegas, and (here's the kicker), it's said to be airing for free on SPIKE TV.

Now I know what you're thinking, "I thought UFN 14 was in September", well the word is that will now be called UFN 15, and we'll still get to see Nate Diaz take on Josh Neer. But for now, UFN 14 on July 19th is reported to have some good fights for us MMA fans that like free TV. As reported by MMAJunkie, UFN 14 will feature:

• Anderson "The Spider" Silva VS James "The Sandman" Irvin - More on this below!
• Jake O'Brien VS Cain Velasquez
• Brandon Vera VS Reese Andy
• Anthony Johnson VS Kevin Burns

Not a bad card for an event pulled together at the last minute. But that's clearly the strength of the UFC, they have a number of high quality fighters under contract which they can call on at any time to step up in situations like this.

After tearing through every middleweight fighter put in front of him, the question remained, "What do you do with Anderson Silva?". The only logical thing seemed to be having "the Spider" move up to light-heavyweight to see if his skills really are so amazing that they woudl negate a weight and / or strength advantage of his opponent. Although James Irvin isn't necessarily the dream opponent that we'd all like to see Silva fight (Chuck maybe?), it will be an interesting introduction into the new weight class. Irvin is a heavy hitter with a good chin. He doesn't spend much time on the ground and would much rather stand and trade punches. This plays well for Silva, as we know his striking is probably the best in all of MMA, but his ground game is also great as we saw in his fight with Dan Henderson. So if he gets in trouble on his feet, if he's overpowered by a bigger fighter, he can likely take it to the ground where Irvin isn't as comfortable.

Some of the other fights are quite interesting as well. Click to read more!