MMA Hot Stuff

UFC 106 Recap - Forrest gets revenge & Koscheck impresses

What did we learn from Saturday's UFC 106 event? The more things change, the more they stay the same. For example, Tito Ortiz is going to whine after losing, no matter what; Anthony Johnsons' eyes seem to have finger magnets in them, and Josh Koscheck says what he thinks.

Ortiz VS Griffin

In his long awaited return to the Octagon, Tito Ortiz looked like 2/3 of the old Tito. Tight and rigid boxing, good takedowns, good top control, and good stamina, for two rounds anyway. Come the third round, Tito did nothing, and I mean nothing. Unless you count blocking Griffin's punches with his face as "doing something". It was as if Tito didn't know it was a 3 round fight and he only trained for 2. Then again, Griffin is no easy fight for someone that hasn't been in the cage for 18 months and is coming off of major back surgery.

UFC 106 Predictions

I sort of hate to make predictions before weigh-ins because I feel you can learn a lot from weigh-ins. Especially anytime Anthony Johnson or Thiago Alves are on the card? With weigh-ins only hours away I'm afraid if I don't get to this now, it'll never happen. For those loyal readers of mine, you know the winners are in Green.

Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin: Okay so FINALLY Tito Ortiz is back in the octagon. But is it the same Tito that left the UFC nearly 18 months ago? A lot has happened during that time. There have been contract disputes, a back surgery, even babies born. In April 2006 Tito beat Forrest Griffin in what is still a talked about as a controversial split decision win. Forrest has beat and lost to some of the biggest names in the sport. While I think everyone is anxious to see a rematch I don't expect to see this go the same way as their last fight. As much as I keep going back and forth on who I think is going to win - I'm giving it to Tito. I think he has a lot to prove. He wants to show everyone he's back... And I'm giving it to him by way of Ground N Pound!

Josh Koscheck vs Anthony Johnson: This could be a great fight where we see a wrestler vs a striker with pretty long reach. Anthony is a very big welterweight and has been known to cut massive pounds (or try and in some cases has failed). The interesting tidbit with these two is Anthony is usually cornered by Josh Thompson who also trains out of the same gym as Koscheck (AKA). Will Josh Thompson corner Anthony? Again, as much as it pains me to say this, I'm giving this win to Anthony by way of TKO. I think those long arms are going to give him the extra reach and he'll use it. Oh and I will say I heart Josh. Any fighter that loves to fight as much and as often as he does is RAD in my book! Thanks Josh.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Luis Cane: For those that don't know much about lil Nog, he's very much like his brother but smaller. He has a chin, can take a lickin' and keep on tickin. Both Nog and Cain are great with submissions and BJJ and because of that, I expect to see this one go to the judges. Given their total effed up ability to make consistent decisions, who really knows how this one will go. I just flipped a coin (not really) and I'm giving this win to Cane by overall points.

Phil Baroni vs Amir Sadollah: Oh vay. This isn't even main card worthy in my book. This could either go with Baroni coming out throwing hay makers, and landing one before he gasses out and winning my TKO. Or Amir is able to stay away from the haymakers and goes in to the second round where Amir gets him in some sort of submission. Out of sheer hope, I'm going to pick Amir by submission. I'd like to state for the record in addition to not thinking this is main card worthy, I also think this is a do or die fight for both of these fighters. I can't believe the UFC thinks Baroni is an interesting addition to the roster and frankly Amir has lost a few fights now and should be on his way out with another loss. Sure I know given his history of TUF the UFC will keep him around for a while..but I think he's a better UFC personality than fighter.

Paulo Thiago vs Jacob Volkmann: This fight has been moved up to the main card to replace Karo Parisyan vs Dustin Hazelett. I know next to nothing on Jacob and seeing how Paulo used his brut strength against Koscheck I'll pick him to win by submission. 

Karo Perisyan vs Dustin Hazelett: Given Karo's 'issues' Dustin wins by way of Karo forfeiting the fight. Oh and Karo also just forfeited his relationship with the UFC. oopsie. Although if you think about it we all win by not seeing this fight. Yay to Karo finally being out of the UFC. Oh and PS if he does have mental issues as Dana announced I hope he gets help. 

UFC 106 Pay Per View Locations

As you may recall, back in 2006 Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin exchange blow for blow in what was a very memorable fight. Some think it was a bit controversial and perhaps the win should have gone to Forrest. Whether you think Forrest is looking to settle the score or Tito is going to put on a performance to prove he's back and better than ever one thing is for sure and that is this will be another electrifying match up!

Looking for a bar or restaurant showing the event on PPV? Look no further. After the jump, I have a complete list of restaurants/bars listed by State and City.

 
 

Forrest Griffin vs Tito Ortiz At UFC 106 CONFIRMED

My UFC wishes have come true. Well at least one of them. 

UFC 59:Reality Check included a fight between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin that was so close to call the judges called it a Split Decision but it left a lot of people talking about the decision, and wanting to see more. That was also during a time when the UFC could get by with paying Forrest $16,000.00 and Tito $200,000. That was back in April of 2006. But a lot has changed since that fight. Forrest has had some big wins and some memorable fights. Tito has fought and beat a legend (Ken Shamrock) twice, lost a few key fights and even left the UFC for a short while.  

Since UFC 59, fans have wanted to see a rematch. Today, Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports confirmed with Dana White that our wishes have come true. With Mark Coleman pulling out of UFC 106 due to a knee injury, Forrest vs Tito will be the co-main event in Las Vegas November 21st where Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar are the main event.

For me the excitement stems from knowing Forrest is coming into the fight for revenge. Whereas TIto needs to prove to everyone that he's now healthy and 'back' to his old self. He's had back surgery and hasn't fought for almost a year and half. Both fighters are coming off losses.  

If I had a big head I'd say my positive thinking had a lot to do with this announcement. If you recall, the day it was announced Mark pulled out, I tweeted that Forrest would be an ideal match up in my opinion. Oh, and yesterday I posted about a Contest/Give-Away my friends over at Lemondrop were running that would give you a chance to win a FREE AUTOGRAPHED book and photo of Forrest Griffin. I'm guessing it was just luck and coincidence. 

I'll be tweeting the event live. I'll also be scheduling meet-ups as well as a launch party for a new project. More on that to come soon.

Please follow LemondropTweets, Kevin Iole, oh and me on Twitter!

What do you think? Do you expect it to go to the ground? Will they stay standing?

Here's my bet. PPV ratings will be huge! Oh and that I will, as always, bet with my heart and not my head and lose lots of money on these fights. But one thing I can guarantee you is I'm going to have a fantastic time.

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

Don't Forget To Thank The Fighters

You can say what you will about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Whether you love it, hate it or just don't understand it, you can definitely walk away with one understanding of the sport if you have time to watch just about any given fight. A big reason why the fighters are in the cage and doing what they do is because of the fans. Okay so not ALL the fighters are always so generous to their fans but never mind the exceptions. The vast majority of the fighters are extremely thoughtful, respectful and GRATEFUL for their fans.

Think about it. After every fight when Joe Rogan (or whoever) is talking to the winning fighter, the fighter always thanks his team, sponsors and the fans. When was the last time a baseball player thanked the fans? A football player? Okay, you can make the argument they're on a team and not being interviewed individually so I'll make more points.

Name a fighter. Any fighter. Have you ever tried to get into contact with that fighter? Most likely they're on Twitter. Or Facebook. Come on give me a name. You even have the Real Chuck Liddell now on Twitter. Randy Couture? Check. Tito Ortiz? Yep. And no offense but those are exactly the youngest of the fighters! Okay mind you I just mentioned the three fighters that probably need the most help with their Twitter-skills! LOL They're great with posting but not so great with being interactive. But come on, they're at least on there and posting what they're up to right? And why do they do this? Purely for the fans. Umm where's Peyton Manning? Not on Twitter. Reggie Bush on Twitter but let's be real here, it's probably just because Kim Kardashian got him up and going on it! Okay, I kid I kid!

Some fighters are very interactive on their personal websites. Daily video posts? Hello have you been on BJPenn.com? The guy shows you what he eats for every meal. 

Oh you want to roll around with these guys. Most likely you can find a gym in a city near you where there's a top tier fighter that's a household name you can roll around with. I'm not kidding. Of course they're not looking to give free lessons to any Larry or Stan off the street, but if you're a dedicated fighter in the making, these guys have opened gyms and are teaching classes. When they're not personally training for a fight they're most likely helping one of their team mates prepare for a fight. 

And now you're starting to see fighters go one step further in how they interact with fans. Shane Carwin will send you a hand written and signed letter. The guy is BUSY. I mean crazy busy. And he hand writes letters. Who even writes letters now days? You can go to Shane's store http://www.performancemma.com/Shane-Carwin-s/215.htm?Click=1592  buy something and you'll get the letter with the merchandise! 

I just think it's worth noting and making sure the MMA fans (like me) don't take the accessibility of fighters for granted. I think this is one of the many things that makes this sport so special. The next time you see a fighter you should thank him for everything he does since they're so quick to thank us.

UFC Media Call Updates - Dana White talks Tito, Fedor and more!

Here are some updates from Dana White today about the UFC!

1. No deal with Fedor.

"We offered this guy an amazing deal, we were open to everything but a co-promotion".

"We tried everything to make this happen. We didn't hold back anything. To turn down a deal like this, you don't care about proving your the best in the world, you don't care about competing against the best talent, you don't care about money. Why in the world would I let these guys come in and promote wtih us?"

"Also the Fretita brothers have a gaming license, you don't just come in and jump right into it. You have to go through background checks and all kinds of sh*t, it just doens't happen."

"I went out and tried to make this happen, I did everything we could possibly do, and they didn't want to do it. They just don't want to sign with the UFC... I garauntee you he will not be offered a better deal in MMA."

"It's not about competition for this guy. The heavyweight class in the UFC is stronger than it's ever been before with Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Randy Couture, Shane Carwin..."

What does co-promote mean?

Dana essentially said that M-1 had nothing to offer. What were they going to co-promote? What would they bring to the table? Nothing. "Maybe that shit works in Russia, but it doesn't work here".

Is Dana done trying to sign Fedor?

"I want to make a deal! I wanted this thing so bad and I was so confident this was gonna happen. If they want to make a deal they can call me right now and we'll make a deal."

If co-promotion was off the table would you have a deal with Fedor?

"We'd be done. We'd be announcing a fight for him right now".

Dana reiterated MULTIPLE times, Fedor's people can call him RIGHT NOW and they can do a deal. He was miserable that this deal didn't get done. But the UFC is still open to a deal (other than co-promotion obviously).

This is great... Dana states, "I wasn't a dick at all in these negotiations. I was the nicest Dana White ever in these negotiations... we went in there to make this deal. I went down to Huntington Beach and walked into Tito's front door to make a deal. There were a lot of emotional and financial sh*t to work through. When I tell you we caved on EVERYTHING with Fedor to make this deal, I mean we caved on everything to make this deal. I can tell you that this deal didn't fall through because of me and Lorenzo."

"We have a standing offer out to Fedor. We have not pulled anything back. I'm ready to roll. The fans want to see this fight, it's my job, it's my job to make this happen."

"For anyone to call this guy the best fighter in the world is insanity. He got offered an assload of money, he can go fight in Sambo every Thursday night if he wants to. We held nothing back. The guy doesn't want to fight the best in the world".

"We have 300 guys that want to fight the best in the world 3 times a year, a guy that doesn't, f*ck him, I don't even want to talk about him anymore".

2. Vitor Belfort signs with the UFC, will headline UFC 103

"When we announced Franklin VS Henderson for Dallas, fans were pissed."

Rich Franklin VS Vitor Belfort headlines Dallas show, UFC 103

Dan Henderson is still next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva

3. UFC 101 will be free for English and Irish fans via ESPN

UFC signs a 3 year deal with ESPN for England and Ireland

Is there a bigger deal with ESPN in the US in the works?

"Once we get the right offer, we will be on network television. We haven't gotten the right offer yet."

"If we get a network deal, we're putting serious fights on TV. That's what's wrong with the boxing model. If we get a network deal, it's gonna be good for the fans, good for network, and good for the UFC."

4. Tito Ortiz joins the Conference Call and is back in the UFC!

"Tito is a guy fans still want to see fight..."

"One way or another people give a shit about him, so he's back... "

"Tito Ortiz will retire in the UFC."

Tito says:

"For me personally it was about competition. My fans deserve the best Tito Ortiz. It's not about the money, I'm fine there... Competition was my biggest factor."

"I'm healthy, I'm 100%. I'm very excited. The hell with all the money, it's about competition. I look at the past UFC champions. Forrest Griffin, I beat. Rashad Evans, they called it a draw but I felt I beat him. Machida, I gave him the best fight of anyone out there."

"The best fighters are in the UFC, it's the best promotion, and that's why I'm here."

"Dana and I are like boyfriend / girlfriend, Dana being the girlfriend."

"I just started working last week, I'm looking towards November / December. I want to fight before end of the year. It's up to Dana. I'm excited to be back in the UFC, and I know my fans are."

"You will never hear anything about money out of my mouth again." (WHAT???? Someone please file this quote away for future use)

How far away from title contention is Tito?

"Tito's not getting an easy road. We're talking about him fighting Mark Coleman for his first fight."

"Ring rust is real, and Tito's gonna have it..."

Will Tito and Chuck possibly fight again?

Dana says "I don't know, I just don't know. Chuck hasn't asked me for it". Tito says "I asked Dana about that when I first signed and he said "no way", so since he's now saying "I don't know" that's huge for me. Thank you!"

Does Tito have any interest in moving up to heavyweight?

"If I dominate the light heavyweight class like I once did, and have run through everyone in that weight class, then I'd consider it".

Tito wants another 4 to 5 years of competition, so he's not going to rush into a comeback. He'd love to fight in his hometown of LA, but he's not going to rush back before he's ready and risk injury that might cots him his career. He's willing to hold off another month or two if it means gaining another 4 to 5 years of competition for his career.

Does Dana think Tito is still only interested in being a movie star, and that he's not a fighter? "The best in the world to me are the guys that compete 3 times a year against the best in the world. These guys challenge themselves 3 times a year against the best in the world. Tito Ortiz, no matter what I've said about him over the years, he's got his surgery done, he's gonna come back and fight the best in the world. Tito's gonna come back right now and he's gonna go for it. He's coming into the UFC and he's gonna fight the best 205 pounders in the world. PERIOD".

Tito says... "I'm gonna get that belt back. People forget I was the longest reigning champ in UFC history."

5. Affliction Fighters

Dana mentions quite a few names of Affliction fighters that are now with Zuffa and will be going to the UFC and WEC. They are still working with 8 or 9 fighters.

Dana has no interest in Arlovski or Tim Sylvia.

6. Dan Henderson

Where does this leave the winner of Nate Marquardt and Damien Maia?

Hendo is definitely next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva, and Marquardt and Maia are in the mix. This is a good problem to have according to Dana, Silva has been so dominant for so long that it's good to have a group of guys lined up that pose a threat.

How soon will Henderson and Silva fight?

According to Dana it depends in what happens between Silva and Griffin next week. If he doesn't get too busted up, it should be fairly soon.

Tito Ortiz Back In The Octagon?

Awww man here we go again. Just when I thought Tito was about to sign on the dotted line with Strikeforce and be out of the UFC limelight, the rumor is he's made nice with Dana White and he may be back as early as UFC 103. Sigh. Really?

Here's a blurb of what is being reported he said on TapouT Radio:

“I’m very thankful for Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta from the UFC and I’m glad that me and Dana (White) kind of got to brush each other off. We may not still like each other or whatever but we came to amends — which is awesome. I gotta thank Strikeforce for giving me an opportunity and I want to thank Affliction for giving me an opportunity.”

What do you guys think about this?  Please feel free to either comment here or send me an email with your thoughts. I'll gather the feedback and write another post in the next day or so.

Tito Ortiz Close To Deal with Strikeforce

Guest editor: Salvatore DeRosalia

Tito Ortiz announces pending 4 fight deal with StrikeForce.

When I was at the Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz fight in San Jose in April of this year none other then Tito Ortiz was there making an appearance. Today my suspicions have been given new life as Tito Ortiz announced on his Facebook page today, “I am extremely close to signing a four-fight deal with Strikeforce. Babalu, you have my title...”

StikeForce is only getting stronger folks. If they can get this deal done in time I would look to see Tito possibly fight on the August 15th card where Gina “Conviction” Carano (7-0) will take on Cris “Cyborg” (7-1) in the 145LB Female Championship match. If not that card you will see him fight shortly there after. The StrikeForce roster keeps improving and with it, their position in the MMA game. Exciting stuff…

Tito Ortiz is Many Things, Including a Daddy!

As being reported (exclusively) at AVN Business, Tito Ortiz is Jenna Jameson are proud parents to two healthy baby boys. The couple welcomed their twins this morning at a Newport hospital.

Congrats.