MMA Hot Stuff

TUF 10 Finale Drug Tests Negative

Of the nine athletes that were tested for drugs/steroid use, all came back negative per the email I received from Keith Kizer (Nevada Athletic Commission). Those nine athletes that were tested were; Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub, Matt Hamill, Jon Jones, Kimbo Slice (Kevin Ferguson), Frankie Edgar, Matt Mitrione, John Howard and Mark Bocek.  

UFC & Spike TV Announce Bouts for TUF Finale

UFC® AND SPIKE TV ANNOUNCE TWO EXCITING BOUTS TO BE FEATURED ON “THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®: HEAVYWEIGHTS” FINALE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5

Undefeated Jon Jones Takes On The Ultimate Fighter^® Alum Matt Hamill And Lightweight Contenders Frankie Edgar And Kurt Pellegrino Do Battle

Las Vegas, NV (USA) October 14, 2009 – The live finale of The Ultimate Fighter^®: Heavyweights on Spike TV will include two bouts showcasing four of the UFC’s rising stars.  Emanating from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 9:00 PM ET, the co-features announced today include a light heavyweight bout between Jon Jones and Matt Hamill and a lightweight matchup pitting Frankie Edgar against Kurt Pellegrino. 

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter^® 10 Finale are $500, $350 and $250, plus any additional box office or service fees, and go on-sale Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12pm PT.  Please visit any Ticketmaster location, call 800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets.

UFC^® Fight Club^™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to The Ultimate Fighter^® 10 Finale Thursday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. PT via the website UFCFIGHTCLUB.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, Oct. 16 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Despite being one of the youngest fighters in the UFC, the 22 year-old Jones has emerged as one of the fastest rising talents in the sport of mixed martial arts.  The Endicott, NY resident has a perfect 9-0 professional record, with his last three victories coming inside the UFC Octagon^™, the most notable of which was a unanimous decision over Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 in January. 

Hamill (8-2) gained national attention as a standout performer on season three of The Ultimate Fighter.  The three-time NCAA wrestling champion with a devastating ground game has won his last two bouts in the UFC, including a knockout of Mark Munoz in the first round of their contest at UFC 96 in March.  This light heavyweight bout will also be a battle for bragging rights in upstate New York, as Hamill trains in Utica.   

Coming off an impressive victory over Sean Sherk at UFC 98 in May, Edgar (10-1) now ranks amongst the top 155 lb fighters in the UFC.  To continue his quest for BJ Penn’s lightweight crown, the Toms River, NJ product must defeat fellow New Jersey resident, Kurt Pellegrino.

The pride of Point Pleasant, NJ, Pellegrino (20-4) is coming off the biggest win of his career, a three-round decision victory over Josh Neer at UFC 101 in August.  His third consecutive win in the Octagon put him in the upper echelon of the 155 lb division, and a victory against Edgar would move him ever-closer to a title shot. 

Other bouts, including the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” will be announced at a later date.  The two finalists will be competing for a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship®. 

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks.  A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com, UK.UFC.com, GERMANY.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

UFC is the largest live pay-per-view provider in the world and the fastest growing main stream sports organization in history.  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, Avail-TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, and Viewers Choice. International distributors include WOWOW in Japan, Premiere Combate and SporTV in Brazil, with worldwide distribution via the Internet on UFC.com and Yahoo! Sports.  UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada.  UFC programming is distributed in 132 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching 415 million homes worldwide.

 

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, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.

Nominations for 2009 World MMA Awards closes on Wednesday

Who do you think was the BreakThrough Fighter of the Year? Best MMA Promotion? 

As a reminder, the nomination stage for the 2009 World MMA Awards closes this Wednesday (tomorrow), Sept. 30. 

The World MMA Awards, which is operated by Fighters Only magazine, is viewed as one of the most prestigious awards for the sport, awarding in 18 different MMA related categories

Nominees will be announced on Oct. 5, and final voting will then run until Dec. 5. Winners will be announced at a Dec. 30 "Oscars-style" black-tie ceremony, which streams live on Versus.com (and throughout January on Versus) from The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

"Response to the World MMA Awards has been huge this year with thousands of fans worldwide taking part," Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt recently stated. "Nominations have been very diverse, and ... most of the categories are still wide open." 

The categories range from Fight of the Year to KO and Submission of the Year to Best MMA Brand and best MMA Media Source. MMA equipment manufactures also vie for a variety of categories. 

But before you place your vote I encourage you to take a minute and think about things. What makes someone the Best Fighter of the Year? Is it the number of wins? Is it the most vicious KnockOut? The biggest upset? Or is it because of heart and dedication?

Another category is Best MMA Journalist. I've thought a lot about this one (for obvious reasons). Always keep in mind the best Journalist may not be the one that breaks every 'story'... Sadly, fact checking has taken a back seat more often than not over being the first to the party. And then there are times the stories are known weeks before the story actually gets out but can't be discussed for confidential reasons. I personally take pride in the fact that while I consider many Fighters (UFC, WEC & Strikeforce) my personal friends, a lot of the information I hear I keep to myself. I'm so proud of what my friends have accomplished and there are times I know the information is just best left unsaid or unwritten. I want them to have time to train in private for a fight before it's publicly announced who their next opponent is. Who do you consider to be a Journalist that writes funny or interesting stories? Gives a different perspective than the 12 other sites that covered the same thing the day before.

So now that I've given you something to think about, please hurry and vote. 

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/MMAHotStuff

UFC 102 Predictions - FROM A GIRL'S PERSPECTIVE

Okay, I know it feels like I waited until the last minute to post my predictions (and let's be real here, I did) but I have a good reason. I didn't want people to steal my predictions for our fantasy league. Hey, it could happen.

While I thought I was super excited for UFC 101, I'm even more excited for UFC 102. The card doesn't have a title fight but it's stacked with killer match ups. Good job Joe Silva!

Where to start.. It's Friday night and I've got things to do so we'll skip around and cover the fights I'm anxious to see and the main card.

Mark Munoz vs Nick Catone: First of all, this is Mark's second fight in the UFC. If you recall his debut with the UFC was against Matt Hamill (one of my favs), where he was KNOCKED the eff OUT with a head kick early in to the first round. I think a lot of Mark and his wrestling skills. And I'm anxious to see how he does against Nick. But since this is a prediction post I'll just lay it out here. I believe Mark is going to suffer another loss. I have Nick winning by TKO in the first.

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Chris Tuchscherer Even though Gabriel is coming off a loss against Shane Carwin (hello one of the best fights of 2009 so far) he's still a skilled fighter. We all remember how he caught Shane and rocked him pretty good. A lot of people are saying this is a do or die fight for Gonzaga but I disagree. Either way, I have Gonzaga winning the fight by TKO in the first.

Here's an upset pick. Damnit I just gave it away. Ed Herman vs Aaron Simpson. While many people are going to pick Ed, and I understand why, I think Aaron is going to win his UFC debut fight. No real reason. The kid has experience from being in the WEC and he's shown his wins by KO or TKO (all in the first round but one). Impressive in my book. So there you have it. My upset pick. Aaron by TKO in the first

A CAN'T WAIT FOR THESE FIGHTS:

Brandon Vera vs Krzysztof Soszynski I actually had a hard time with this pick. I think both fighters are great. Krz has won submission of the night multiple times and has some big wins under his belt. Assuming Brandon can keep this fight standing, I'm giving him the fight by TKO in the second. 

Nate Marquardt vs Demian Maia This very well could be THE FIGHT OF THE NIGHT. Again, I've gone back and forth on this one. I've even argued with myself over it. Both fighters are some of the top middleweights in the UFC without a doubt. The thing about Demian is he hasn't been a MMA for all that long. However in his short stint he's proven his ability and then some. Currently with a record of 10-0 his style is unusual or as some people say unorthodox. He's won all of his fights (but two) via submission and has won submission of the night honors on many occasions. This is without a doubt going to be Demian's hardest fight yet. However, I have him winning by Choke in the first round.

Chris Leben vs Jake Rosholt Chris Chris Chris... being from Portland I expect the crowd to be rowdy for this fight. Recently in Jon Anik's ESPN chat, some people said Chris is a gatekeeper for the middle weight division. I think he's a good/emotional fighter but definitely NOT a gatekeeper. In my opinion, this is a must win fight for Chris. I don't mean must win as in he'll be cut from the UFC but pretty dang close. Coming off a loss from well over a year ago against Mike Bisping, and then later testing positive for steroids, Chris hasn't been in the public eye for a while now. His record isn't bad, and again he's an emotional fighter. He's fighting someone who has pretty limited MMA experience (5-1) vs Chris' record of 18-5. Because of the emotion, the home town advantage and something to prove attitude, I give this fight to Chris via quick TKO in the first.

Don't think I'm picking every fight to go by TKO! Dun Dun Dun... The Dean of Mean Keith Jardine vs Thiago Silva! I can't wait for this fight! Keith Jardine is one of those fighters I love to watch. He doesn't always win but he always gives his best. Okay that was the girl in me saying that. But it's true he's a fighter that just never (or rarely) leaves the crowd disappointed. I think Keith is going to do everything he can to ensure this doesn't go to the ground given Thiago is known for his ground and pound style. I have this one going the distance my friends. But in the end I'm giving it to Keith by Unanimous Decision. 

And the MAIN EVENT!!! Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - I can list all the reasons why I believe Randy will win. Never mind his age and that he's almost as old as dirt (I kid I kid), his body and mind are that of a youngin'. Did you see him at weigh-ins? The guy is ripped. If I saw him (and were single duh) at the beach I'd be like.. "damn'. He's coming focused and with a game plan. He's going to take Nogueira down but will be smart enough to stay out of his submissions. I'm giving this fight to Randy by TKO in the second.

Again, I'm really looking forward to a great night of fights. Superb card and match ups. I love MMA!

I'll be on twitter ( twitter.com/mmahotstuff ) and we'll also have an open post/chat open during the fights. Check back here later with more details.

Also, friendly reminder. If you haven't already done so MAKE YOUR UFC FANTASY PICKS! Time is running out. 19 hours left. Go to http://fantasy.ufc.com/

If you haven't decided where you're watching the fights, don't worry I'm here to help. Here's a list of bars/restaurants showing the PPV events. http://www.mmahotstuff.com/about/2009/08/ufc-102-pay-per-view-locations.html

UFC 102 in Portland - Rose Garden

I think every time there's a new UFC event announced I say "wow this is going to be one of the best cards ever." Well I'm saying it again. UFC 102 will take place in Portland Oregon (my home state) August 29th at the Rose Garden! And Mr Joe Silva has done it again. He's bringing us some outstanding match ups.

As I previously announced, the main event will be Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Keith Jardine will face Thiago Silva as the co-headliner.

Also on the main card, Chris Leben vs Jake Rosholt, Nate Marquardt vs Demian Maia (MAKINGS OF A GREAT MATCHUP), Matt Hamill vs Brandon Vera.

Preliminary Card:
Wilson Gouveia vs James Irvin
Junior Dos Santos vs Justin McCully
Nick Catone vs Mark Munoz
Evan Dunham vs Matt Veach

It's nice to see some of my "Dream UFC MatchUps" are coming to fruition.

Ticket Sale information:
UFC Fight Club Presale  Thursday, June 18 at 10am pacific time
UFC Newsletter Presale Friday  June 19 at 10am pacific time
Public On-Sale Saturday June 20 at 10am pacific time

ESPN MMA Live: Episode 47

Miguel Torres will be defending his title against Takeya Mizugaki in his own back yard this Sunday!

Miguel called in talked about not feeling the additional pressure fighting in front of his hometown fans, they're what helped him get where he is today. He also talked about his training preparations.

He also talked about his plans to move up a weight class. I'd LOVE to see this.

Kenny confirmed the fight with BJPenn will in fact be happening and as he announced on KennyFlorian.com looks like UFC 101 August 8^th in Philly.

Lashley joined in and he talks about his performance against Jason Guida. Find out what he thought of his performance also find out if he would fight for the UFC now. Is there a possibility he'll appear on The Ultimate Fighter? Also, find out his thoughts on being compared to Lesnar.

 

Announced/Rumored Fights:

• Forrest Griffin vs Thiago Silva happening at UFC 101
• Matt Hamill vs Brandon Verra UFC 101
• Rousimar Palhares vs Alessio Sakara UFC 99
• "JZ" Cavalvante vs Tatsuya Kawajiri Dream 9
• Gegard Mousasi vs Rameau Sokokjou Dream 9

 

Versus to sign multi-year extension with WEC that could run two more years

--I'd like to see old fights hosted on versus.com.

The crew gave a Fight Night debrief. If you missed the fights check out what they had to say.

Loving the training table series keep it up guys. Although I'm still craving a whopper my way.

ESPN MMALive: Episode 44 UFC 96 Recap

This week Kenny was MIA but we were blessed to see Miguel Torres in the studio and Stephan Bonnar via satellite (looking good in the suit/ties boys).

They gave a review of Quinton / Jardine fight. It definitely wasn't Rampage's best performance and he looked a little flat. However having said that Keith deserves credit for making it a difficult fight for Rampage.
It was also noted that Rampage is a bit inconsistent at this point in his career. Having time off to recover before his next fight will do him good.

The MMALive crew also talked about frank mir's announcement at ufc 96 that he will not fight brock Lesnar at UFC 98 as planned due to knee surgery. The question is that will be a pretty significant amount of time off for Brock. Is it too much time off?

Whoa, y'all Don King entering MMA?

Matt Hughes moving to middleweight? I personally think he needs to get through the fight with Matt Serra first and I'm VERY anxious for that match-up!

Shane Carwin called into the program to talk about breaking his nose at UFC 96 against Gabriel Gonzaga. What does Shane think of his performance? And what's next for Shane? Find out...

UFC 96 also showed MORE questionable officiating and everyone had an opinion on that especially Stephan!

Randy couture as a referee?

By the way, I agree with you kevin about the taunting being a bit WWE like. I even sent it out on
my twitter last saturday night after the fights. I'd prefer keeping it alittle more respectful and
leaving the WWE showdown out of MMA.

This week's episode was dedicated to Mask. Friendly reminder; tomorrow is National TapOuT day! Pay your respect to Mask and show support to PunkAss and Skyscrape. More information can be found on my site.

Dream UFC MatchUps

Where have I been?! Sorry y'all, I've been busy with the "day" job. And while I've been away I've put some thought into a few fights I'd like to see.

These are the fights that would really get me pumped up. Before you all send me messages saying "silly girl at least one of these fights has already been announced" I know that. But this is my list of fights I'd like to see. Announced already or not. 
What are your thoughts? Who do you think would win these match-ups?

Oh, and Joe Silva; if you need any more match ups from me feel free to email me. MKThanks.

Brock Lesnar  vs  Shane Carwin

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira  vs  Randy Couture

Rashad Evans  vs  Lyoto Machida

Matt Hamill  vs  Brandon Vera

Dan Henderson  vs  Keith Jardine

Michael Bisping  vs  Patrick Cote

Damien Maia  vs  Anderson Silva

Matt Brown  vs  Tamdan McCrory

Jon Fitch  vs  Marcus Davis

Clay Guida  vs  Joe Stevenson

Sean Sherk  vs  Nate Diaz

ESPN MMA Live: UFC 96 / Episode 43

Here's a recap from today's ESPN MMALive:

This weekend UFC 96 from Nationwide Arena (Ohio) Quinton Jackson vs Keith Jardine.

What does Keith need to do: Use his standup. Jardine has been here before. This would be a big win for Keith.
I personally think Keith is always the underdog but surprises people (remember 2007 vs Chuck).

If Rampage wins this fight he'll most likely fight Rashad Evans for the title.

Also on the card is Matt Hamill vs Mark Munoz. Both wrestlers. Should be a good match up. Frank pointed out he thinks Matt is a bit better on his feet than Mark.

As announced UFC 98: Lesnar vs Mir II - Also, on the card Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra. I can't wait for this. For those of you that follow me on a regular basis (and if you don't, you should) you know why this is a much anticipated card for me!

Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira have both verbally agreed to UFC 101.

We are all blessed by Rashad Evans signing an 8 fight contract with the UFC!

If you missed the Mike Brown vs Leanard Garcia fight last week in Corpus Christi it was a fantastic show of Mike Brown retaining his WEC Featherweight Title. After the end he called out Urijah for another match up. Definitely defended in style.

They also got Stephan Bonnar on the phone asking him his opinion of boxer Hasim Rahman taking a shot at MMA.

Kenny and brother/mma coach Keith (hi keith) showed the foot sweep and how to counter it.

watch the rest of the episode here:

UFC 92 Recap: "Sugar" tastes sweet victory... Rampage & Mir are back!

In an event that lived up to all the hype, UFC 92 truly was the ultimate 2008 card with three headline-worthy fights.

In the first of the three highly anticipated bouts, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Wanderlei "the Axe Murderer" Silva squared off for a third time in their careers. Both fighters looked ready for war and refused to touch gloves (not surprising after their near scuffle at weigh-ins... see picture here thanks to combatlifestyle.com).

The fighters however didn't come out swinging, with Silva seeming especially tentative. But when the two did engage, it didn't take long for Rampage's tight and crisp boxing skills to come out on top. After blocking two of Silva's wild punches he landed a counter left hook that dropped Silva out cold. Silva was out, and Rampage looked amazing with his hands.

After the fight Rampage gave a lot of thanks to his new training camp. "I came to England with the Wolfslair, got my wolf on, now it's right," he said. "Rampage is back, baby. I ain't going nowhere."

So what's next for Rampage? "I would like to get my title back," he said, which is something every fighter wants, and a fight between Evans and Rampage makes "the most sense" according to Dana White. Although it's doubtful Rampage would turn down a title fight, he also had this to say, "To be honest, I really want to fight Forrest. That's the fight that haunts me when I go to sleep... I would like to get Forrest first, if I could."

In the heavyweight division, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira faced off for the light heavyweight interim championship, and for the distinct pleasure of being the next to face Brock Lesnar in order to unify the belt and determine the true heavyweight champion.

Nogueria came into the fight as a huge favorite, with many experts saying his improved boxing would be too much for Mir to handle. From the beginning it was Mir that showed the superior boxing skills and a great uppercut as he dropped Nogueira three times in the first round. The first two times Mir followed Nogueira to the ground to do some damage before quickly backing away to avoid Nogueira's ground game. The third knock down of the round came right at the end with Nogueira hitting the mat as the bell rang. As Mir walked by his fallen opponent to his corner you could see the confidence on his face.

The second round proved to be more of the same, as Mir used superior boxing and quickness to fluster Nogueira. Big Nog did get a few shots in, but not enough to phase Mir. In the end, Mir dropped Nogueira early in the second round with a great three punch combo. He followed Nogueira to the mat dropping a flurry of punches from side control until the ref jumped in to stop the fight. As Nogueira tried to get back up he was clearly wobbly and it was clear that it was a good stoppage.

Immediately after the stoppage Mir circled the cage to find Lesnar in the audience and let him know that he was ready for him. In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, an emotional Mir thanked his family and let everyone know that even he didn't think he could beat Nogueira, but with the support of his loved ones his comeback is complete.

In the main event of the night, Forrest Griffin attempted to make his first title defense against the undefeated "Sugar" RashadEvans. The first few rounds were dead even as both fighters tried to play to their strengths. We saw Forrest using his reach and size advantage while Rashad utlized his speed and quickness. Neither fighter could gain the upper hand. Even towards the end of the second round after Griffin went on a relentless attack, Rashad simply stuck his chin out to show Griffin he wasn't hurt!

At the beginning of the third we saw Rashad take a different approach as he caught one of Griffin's low kicks and took him to the mat. He unloaded with a flurry of punches while Griffin attempted to get to his guard. Once Griffin got to guard he was fairly active, working for a triangle and kumura, however Rashad was having none of it staying very active from the top. Rashad continued to work from Griffin's guard and landed a hard right hand that stunned Griffin. Rashad then postured up and trapped Griffin in a helpless position on bottom while he landed solid blows to Griffin's chin, ultimately knocking Griffin out and forcing the stoppage.

One thought... Griffin's last loss was via the same method, ground and pound from his guard, and was to another fighter out of Greg Jackson's camp, Keith Jardine. Even Forrest admitted that his guard was "lazy". 

Always gracious in defeat, Forrest congratulated Evans on the victory and assured the crowd that he did not tap out, it was simply the appearance that he was tapping because he was completely knocked out and Rashad's punches were simply causing his body to move around. That's why we love Forrest!

All in all, it was an amazing night of fights. The light heavyweight division has once again proven to be wide open with a ton of amazing talent. For Evans, winning the title may have been the easiest part of this championship journey. The heavyweight division will now come down to a re-matchbetween Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar, and if Mir continues to look as impressive as he did against Nogueira, Lesnar will have his work cut out for him.

Also, Congratulations to Matt Hammil on his victory! (Would someone tell me why he was not on the main card!?!?!)