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

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 95: How to Watch

Lucky for us UFC fans, UFC 95 is NOT on pay-per-view. Here are instructions on how you can watch UFC 95 depending on the country you reside.

And don't forget to cheer on my friend Josh Koscheck.

Networks Click logo for further details	Description	Time
World Wide
	If you are on active US military duty overseas or have access to a military base outside of the US, you can watch all pay-per-view events live as they happen, in 175 countries and aboard ships at sea. AFN | xtra is the first ever television network solely dedicated to 18-24 year olds in the US Armed forces stationed overseas, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
United States
	Live on Spike TV on the east coast, tape delayed for the west coast.
	UFC pay-per-view events are available in Puerto Rico on DirecTV Latin America.	check local listing for show time
United Kingdom
	Setanta Sports is available for £10.99 on Freeview and DTT £12.99 per month, no annual contract required. To subscribe go to www.setanta.com/ufc or call 08712 00 42 80 citing “UFC” as your reason for subscribing.	LIVE at 3am
Australia
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA or Europe are available for viewing through this cable system.	check local listing for show time
	UFC events are available for viewing on this channel in Australia.
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA or Europe are available for viewing through this cable system.
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA or Europe are available for viewing through this cable system.	check local listing for show time
Brazil
	UFC pay-per-view events are shown on Globosat Programadora in Brazil.	check local listing for show time
Canada
	Pay-per-view events are available for viewing through Viewer's Choice.	check local listing for show time
	Check local listings in Canada for show time and station information.
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA are available for viewing through Bell TV.	check local listing for show time
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA are available for viewing through Shaw.	check local listing for show time
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA are available for viewing through Star Choice	check local listing for show time
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA are available for viewing through Canada Star.
Finland
	UFC events can be seen on this Finland TV channel.	check local listing for show time
Italy
	UFC pay-per-view events can be viewed on SkyTV in Italy.	check local listing for show time
Japan
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA are available for viewing through WOWOW.
Korea (South)
	UFC pay-per-view events can be seen in South Korea on IB Sports.	check local listing for show time
New Zealand
	UFC pay-per-view events can be seen on SkyTV in New Zealand.	check local listing for show time
Philippines
	Pay-per-view events that take place in the USA or Europe are available for viewing through this cable system.
	UFC pay-per-view events can be seen across various affiliates in the Philippine Islands.	check local listing for show time
Romania
	Telesport Romania broadcasts UFC® events. Check local listings for exact time and date of show times.
Sweden
	UFC pay-per-view events are available on TV4 Sport.	check local listing for show time
United Arab Emirates
	In Dubai, UFC pay-per-view events can be watched on Showtime Arabia.	check local listing for show time

Josh Koscheck: Interview with MMAHotStuff.com

I had the pleasure of interviewing Josh Koscheck today. As you know he's preparing for his upcoming fight against Paulo Thiago February 21st (UFC 95) at the O2 arena in London.

Rachel: Josh thanks so much for your time, I know you're extremely busy. You're about to fight Paulo Thiago at UFC 95 where you hope to give him his first loss. Little is known about him here in the states, what types of challenges do you think he'll present?
Josh: I don't know anything about him. To be honest with you, I don't even know what he looks like. I've never seen video on him, nothing. For me, it's a fight. I expect to go in there and fight and just do what I do, which is win.

Rachel: We're starting to see fighters change weight classes (BJ Penn & Diego Sanchez for example). Are you staying put at 170lbs or do you have plans to flex up or down?
Josh: I'm staying at 170lbs unless they can get me a big exciting fight at 185lbs. But I'm staying at 170lbs until I've beaten everyone in this weight class.

Rachel: It's always good to see great fighters staying busy. Do you fight so often as a way of staying in tip top shape or just in a hurry for a title shot?
Josh: I fight because I like to fight and this is how I get paid. This is my steady paycheck.

Rachel: What's in your future? I know there was talk about you fighting Karo Parisyan although I'm guessing that is off given the recent drug allegations Karo is facing. Are you still planning to fight on the UFC 98 card in May and if so, who would you like to fight?
Josh: Yes, I'm still planning to fight on that card. But my fight against Karo has been cancelled due to the recent events.  I want them to find someone for me that will put on a good show, a good fight.

Rachel: After graduating college you were a wrestling coach at the University of Buffalo. Did you enjoy coaching, or was it more of a means to stay active and competitive in the sport?
Josh: I really enjoyed coaching. Being able to make an impact on those kids that were 17,18, 19 years old was fun. Helping them accomplish their goals and focus on an education was great. I don't miss it because now I'm training myself.

Rachel: Would you ever consider coaching on TUF?
Josh: Yeah that would be a pretty cool experience. To get back on the show. Although I'd like to see them do something to freshen it up and keep it interesting.

Rachel: It seems to me the fighters who start with the wrestling foundation are more successful in MMA overall. You've been recognized as having picked up the other skills rather quickly. but do you think that wrestling is the hard of the fundamentals to learn?
Josh: Wrestling is definitely the harder to learn however the sport has changed so much. It used to be striker vs grappler. Now it's full on MMA. The sport has definitely evolved.

Rachel: I love Mar Clothing. The designs are great. Where did the idea for Mar Clothing come from and what lead you to fashion?
Josh: I've always loved the California style -- surf and skate clothing. I've always been a huge fan of it, and growing up on the East coast, it was hard to come across. So when I'd go out there, I'd come back with board shorts, straight-billed caps and all the gear I could get.
I love that overall West-coast style, and I knew it could be a cool clothing line to really stand out. MAR is it. "Mar" means ocean-beach in Spanish, but in English, it can mean to fight or destroy. You can mar a wave when surfing, or you can mar a trick when skateboarding. We loved the idea -- that it can basically mean whatever you want it to. We launch about 2 years ago and we're in over 100 stores. I have a great group of employees and we're having a lot of fun. It's always been my dream.

Rachel: With TUF you became a quasi celebrity. What's the worst thing about it and what's the best thing?
Josh: The best thing about it is I get paid to be in the public eye. The worst thing is I can't steal. I mean I'm not a thief but I can't steal a candy bar because everyone knows who I am.

Thanks for your time Josh and I wish you the best of luck at UFC 95!!!

I'm guessing we'll be seeing Josh around for quite some time. And often... either shirtless in the octagon or sporting something from his own clothing line. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to check it out. Buy something for your boyfriend/husband as well!

UFC 95 to air for free on Spike TV!

It has been announcedthat UFC 95 will air for free on Spike TV!

The event, scheduled for Saturday, February 21st at London's O2 Arena, will feature a main event bout between Season 1 TUF winner Diego Sanchez and Season 2 TUF winner Joe Stevenson. The bout marks Diego Sanchez's first fight at lightweight.

The card is also set to feature Nate Marquardt versus Wilson Gouveia, Rory Markham versus Dan Hardy, Damian Maia versus Chael Sonnen, andJosh Koscheck versus UFC newcomer Paulo Thiago.

Stevenson is looking to bounce back from a recent loss to Kenny Florian at UFC 91, and get back on track for a title shot. While Sanchez is looking to make an immediate impact at his new weight class, and is coming in on a two fight win streak in the welterweight division.

The event will air via same-day tape delay at 9 PM ET/PT.

UFC 95: Josh Koscheck staying busy with possible fight at UFC 95

Josh Koscheck is apparently making a run at the "most active fighter of the year" award, as he is rumored to be added to the UFC 95 card, coming to you from the O2 Arena in London.

In what would be his 3rd fight in only 4 months, Koscheck is rumored to be taking on UFC newcomer Paulo Thiago. Koscheck is coming off a stunning KO victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida at "UFC's Fight for the Troops" on December 10th. Prior to that he suffered a tough loss to Thiago Alves while stepping in on short notice at UFC 90 on October 25th.

Paulo Thiago comes to the UFC with an unblemished record of 7-0, fighting mostly for the "Jungle Fight" promotion out of Brazil. The UFC is wasting no time throwing Thiago into the mix at the welterweight division by giving him a shot at one of the top contenders at that weight class.

UFC 95: Diego Sanchez moves to lightweight to face Joe Stevenson

MMAJunkie has reportedthat a bout between Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson will headline UFC 95 from London, although it has not yet been officially announced by the UFC.

Rumors of Sanchez's move to lightweight started when he posted a message on his MySpace page about the possible move, an was followed up by a statement from his management about Diego's willingness to fight at both welterweight or lightweight.

On a two fight win streak at welterweight, this would be Diego's first fight in the lightweight division, and the UFC would be wasting no time throwing him into the mix with a fight against Stevenson.

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson is coming off a disappointing loss to Kenny Florian at UFC 91, where he was submitted in the first round. This bout of gives the UFC some breathing room regarding what to do with the lightweight division since BJ Penn will be fighting at welterweight in January and there is no clear plan as to when he would defend his lightweight belt, especially if he beats GSP.

The move by Penn to welterweight left Kenny Florian in a precarious position given he has proven himself the number one contender at lightweight. However, should Sanchez defeat Stevenson, it could not only provide another worthy opponent for Florian while he waits for BJ Penn to return to lightweight, but it would also set up a rematch of the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 finale, which was originally fought at middleweight!

UFC 95: The Spider VS The Iceman??? Rumors begin!

UFC 95, which is said to be taking place on February 21st in London, England is rumored to feature Anderson Silva as the main event. Who will he fight? The rumor is that discussions are in progress to possibly match up Silva against "The Iceman", Chuck Liddell at light heavyweight.

We'll keep you posted as more information is released!