MMA Hot Stuff

Week in Review: UFC WEC And Everything In Between

Hi ladies
wow, where have I been?! My body was kind enough to turn a common cold into bronchitis during the weekend of UFC 98 and forced me to take a week "off". But I'm feeling much better and there has been a lot going on!

While UFC 98 has come and gone I need to fess up and say my picks were ALL WRONG. And to those of you that emailed me to point that out, thanks captain obvious(es) and good job in picking the favorites. I had the pleasure of taking my dad to the fights and he had a great time. While you may have better seats while watching the fights at home there's nothing like feeling the excitement in the arena.

Frankie Edgar did an outstanding job against Sean Sherk and I owe him mad props. While I knew Frankie would do well he showed everyone he is deserving of these great match ups. I'm definitely excited to see what is in store for him!

Ohhh so sad. That Matt Serra vs Matt Hughes fight was the fight I was really looking forward to. Hughes had his hands down half way through the first round. Neither of them did a stellar job, but it was a pretty good fight. I had the first round going to Serra, second round going to Hughes and the third round going to Serra. So when it came down to judge's decision, I really thought Serra had won. And frankly, by the expression and body language of both Hughes and Serra I think they both thought Serra had won as well. Everyone in the crowd around me and my Tweeps (people on Twitter) thought the same thing. I guess as the saying goes "Never Leave It Up To The Judges" is very fitting here in this situation. The judges probably saw something that the rest of us didn't.

The Evans vs Machida fight was great. While I thought Evans would have won the fight it was exciting for sure. When Machida knocked Evans out in the second round seeing Evans buckle like that left my mouth open for two minutes. Perhaps we'll be seeing Lyoto face off with Shogun Rua at UFC 104.

All old news but for me the highlight was not only taking my dad to his first UFC event but seeing him get into it and actually say to me stuff like "What a great take down" and knowing the specific hold and submission names really impressed me. I had a great time with him. Thanks for going dad!

Other news worthy items you should know about:

• Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (24-6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will return to the UFC and fight Mostapha Al-Turk (6-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at next weekend's UFC 99 event.
• EA Sports announced they will release a MMA-themed video game "EA Sports MMA" in 2010. This is another sign how mainstream MMA going. Video games will help reach the younger demographic even more than they are now.
• It was announced that Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans are the new coaches for The Ultimate Fighter.
• Tune in to WEC 41 to not only watch Mike Brown defend his title against Urijah Faber but our friend Kenny Florian will be the commentator. Super excited for this card.
• Frank Trigg signed a new deal with the UFC.

June is not only the month of my birthday (33, already?) but it's also a great month for MMA addicts.

EVENTS
June 5th - Bellator Fighting Championships Week 10
June 6th - Strikeforce Robbie Lawler vs Jake Shields (oh yeah AND Andrei Arlovski vs Brett Rogers as well as Nick Diaz vs Scott Smith) YAY
June 7th - WEC Mike Brown vs Urijah Faber
June 12th - Bellator Fighting Championships Week 11
June 13th - UFC 99 Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva (Marcus Davis vs Dan Hardy also on this card)
June 19th - Strikeforce Challengers: Santos vs Villasenor
June 19th - Bellator Fighting Championships Week 12
June 20th - The Ultimate Fighter Finale 9 (Yes we'll get to see TUF finals but also on the card is Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez  and Nate Diaz vs Joe Daddy Stevenson) WTF Chris Lytle is on the prelim card? Breaks my heart. Hopefully he still tries for fight of the night honors!

All in all a great month for MMA fans. More to come. More frequently I promise.

 

Beyond The Octagon LAUNCHES - Have It YOUR Way!

If you're a die hard fan like me not only do you love to watch the fights, but you also wonder what the fighters are up to BEFORE they get into the Octagon. Well, lucky for us now we'll know!

Launching two hours before the UFC 98 pay-per-view telecast goes live, four cameras installed backstage at MGM Grand Garden Arena will stream action from four hot spots:

• Locker room of Rashad "Suga" Evans
• Locker room of Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
• Backstage hallway where the fighters start their "Walk to the Octagon"
• Octagon-side with Dana White (is it audio or just video)

Beyond The Octagon Powered by BK also gives viewers the chance to be the executive producer with the option to choose your screen and enlarge each camera!

While I'll actually be at the fight, for those of you at home this is going to be a real treat! If you still don't know where you're watching the fights here's a list of bars/restaurants showing the PPV event.

THANK YOU UFC & BURGER KING! Now we really CAN have it our way.

UFC 98 Predictions - From A Girl's Perspective.

I've really been looking forward to this card for a while now. Specifically because of the co-main event match up between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Okay okay squeal, see I'm so excited! Here are my predictions for the main card. Where do you agree? Where do you think I have it all wrong? Tell me about it!

Also, if you haven't done so already, don't forget to fill out your UFC Fantasy picks for the fight! I do this solely for bragging rights.

For those of you that have read my predictions before, you know the drill. Winners in green!

Rashad Evans Vs. Lyoto Machida - The interesting thing with this match up is the champion (Rashad) enters the fight as the underdog. As of today, according to gamblerspalace, the odds are Rashad +170  and Lyoto -220. Ladies, trust me I've gone over this a thousand times with my male friends because it can be a little confusing, that but means if you lay down $100 on Rashad and if he wins you'll get $170.00 back (plus you get back the $100 you used to bet). Whereas if you bet on Lyoto, you have to bet $220 to win $100. But that tells you Lyoto is the favorite in this situation.  Rashad comes in with a record of 13-0-1 with some HUGE names under his belt - Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell... He's known for his strong wrestling background, but is also one of the better strikers in the weight class (see victory over Chuck Liddell... wow he has fast hands). Lyoto "the Dragon" is on fire with a record of 14-0. He's known for having a very different style, and a karate background. I don't know that I've ever seen Lyoto take a big punch, he only dishes them out. But I still think if there's anyone out there that can beat him it's Rashad. Remember, Rashad trains out of Greg Jackson's camp, and they're notorious for having full-proof gameplans for every opponent! I'll be putting my money on Rashad on this one. I CAN NOT wait to see it!

Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra - THIS IS IT! I've been waiting. And waiting. This much anticipated match up was supposed to take place over a year ago. The hype has been building. Matt Hughes comes in with a deep record of 43-7. Hughes has lost three of his last four (mind you they were to two of the best in the weight class). He may be more experienced and bigger, but does he have it in him to beat Serra?   Matt Serra is 9-4 and he wants this win badly (say it with a new york/jersey accent).  He lost his last fight to Georges St Pierre over a year ago. Does he have ring rust? Is his age starting to catch up to him? I think not! As you may remember he's the one who beat GSP in April of 2007, showing his power in that TKO victory. The guy has the will to kill Hughes. I'm definitely laying down some Benjamins on Matt Serra for this one. He's going to buy ma'ma a new pair of shoes! I'm also guessing the loser of this fight will probably announce his retirement.

Drew McFedries Vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam - Drew was originally set to face James Irvin but that was scratched due to an injury. Drew is currently 7-5 winning 4 of his last 8 fights in the first round either via TKO or KO. Xavier comes into the fight with a record of 20-9 and has a Muay Thai background. Even with his deep record I still think Drew will win this fight by TKO. Drew has some HEAVY hands, so don't blink.

Dan Miller Vs. Chael Sonnen - This is another fight that was changed up due to injury. Dan was originally scheduled to face Yushin Okami. He's currently 11-1-1 where his only loss was back 2006. Chael is coming off a first round loss against Damien Maia (one of my new favorites) and currently has a record of 21-10-1. Given Chael's experience, I'm picking him to take home the 'W'. A loss to Damien Maia is nothing to be ashamed of as many are saying he's the #1 contender at Middleweight. Chael is a very cerebral fighter, and will come in with a great game plan. He's got good striking, and his wrestling is top notch (2000 Olympic alternate in Greco Roman), so I think Chael takes this fight wherever he wants it to be.

Sean Sherk Vs. Frank Edgar - Another great match up. As you may recall from my previous post about the light weight devision, both of these guys were on my Honorable Mention list. Sean not only has an incredible record of 33-3-1, with his three losses going to TOP TIER guys such as BJ Penn, GSP and Matt Hughes but he has a nickname of "The Muscle Shark"! This former UFC Lightweight Champion is a true legend. Frankie has a record of 9-1, and won his UFC debut against Tyson Griffin in style by being awarded Fight of the Night honors. Both are great wrestlers with great striking and crisp combinations, and I definitely think Frankie Edgar is a great asset to the Lightweight division and he'll be around for a while but I think he's going to be beaten down by Sean. Sean's tenacity and pace are ridiculous. I'd like to see a great fight between these two and would love to see it  go the distance, but I still give this to Sean.

UFC 101 Press Tour And Heeeeere's Kenny!

Dear Dana White
Could you ask for a better 'face' for the UFC than Kenny Florian? I'm not kidding. He has the mad MMA skills, the pretty boy (east coast looking) face, the Boston College brain and his personable manner makes you feel like you're his friend. This interview sums it up perfectly.

In my opinion, UFC 101 BJ vs Kenny is going to be, hands down, the best fight of 2009. The entire island of Hawaii will make the long trip and I'm guessing the entire east coast will commute into Philly to see these two face each other.

Can't wait!

Reed Harris and the WEC Love Women... FANS!

I had the pleasure of meeting with Reed Harris today over lunch. Ladies, Reed is the WEC General Manager. The purpose of the lunch meeting was to discuss the importance of you (us), the female fans, to the sport of MMA.

Reed said "It's great to see the female fan base not only growing but also evolving. Evolving in the sense of their place in the sport. They're no longer going to shows just to tag along with their boyfriends and husbands. They are now dedicated fans who have grown to love the sport."

While the sport itself continues to evolve, so do the fans. This is important for so many reasons. One reason is advertising and sponsorships. Brands/Advertisers are looking for that opportunity to put their brand next to a sport that's widely accepted. The more mainstream the sport, the more mainstream the advertising. Which in the long run means more money. More money means more fights, more fighters and more events. That's what we the MMA fans strive for. Right?

Brands/Advertisers want to reach us because ladies, we tend to control the household finances. When a marquee brand looks at advertising or sponsorship opportunities with a sport they look at the audience. Is the audience a group of people they want to reach? I can tell you right now who advertisers are looking to reach. People that spend money. People that will spend money on their brand.

It's up to us to keep the momentum going. Continue to educate your fellow friends on the sport (or better yet send them to my site) to gain that acceptance, attend the events, and buy the pay per views!

I'll be at UFC 98 where I'll be conducting interviews with some of you. If you're interested in being interviewed please feel free to email me (rachel@mmahotstuff.com) and we'll set something up.
Tell me why you're a fan!!! I want to know, Reed wants to know, and the WEC and UFC want to know!

UFC 98 Pay Per View Locations

Here's a list of bars/restaurants showing UFC 98: Rashad Evans vs Lyoto Machida - Saturday May 23rd live on Pay-Per-View from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

With a combined record of 32-0-1, light heavyweight stars "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida have left a trail of destruction behind them that includes some of the greatest fighters in UFC® history. Now in the main event of UFC® 98, the two will meet in an epic showdown pitting champion Evans against challenger Machida to not only determine the best 205-pound fighter on the planet, but to see who leaves with a loss on their record for the first time.

Also, former UFC® welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra finally meet to settle their long-standing grudge.

Featured Locations:

Hey fellow San Francisco fans! Looking for a place to watch UFC 98 that also serves the best martinis in town?  The Dirty Martini has three 9-foot projection screens and 2 plasma tv's!  There will be a $10.00 cover charge at the door for this event!

click here to see the full list:

UFC 98 adds another grudge match!

As if the grudge match between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir wasn't enough, the UFC has announced that Matt Hughes and Matt Serra will square off on the card as well! This fight has been a long time coming as both fighters were eager to square off after their coaching stints on TUF 6. Since then injuries have riddled both fighters, postponing this bout numerous times. Well the time has come for these two veterans to let their fists fly!

Along with Hughes VS Serra, the UFC has also announced the following bouts as additions to the card:

• Yushin Okami VS Dan Miller
• Sean Sherk VS Franki Edgar
• James Irvin VS Drew McFedries
• Houston Alexander VS Andre Gusmao
• Patrick Barry VS Tim Hague
• Phillipe Nover VS Kyle Bradley
• Dave Kaplan VS George Roop
• Yoshiyuki Yoshida VS Brandon Wolff

UFC 98: Lesnar VS Mir... the rematch!

The UFC has officially announced that UFC 98 will feature the rematch between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, for the Heavyweight Championship! It will take place on May 23rd from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mir first beat Lesnar via submission at UFC 81, which was also Lesnar's UFC debut. Since that time Lesnar went on to beat Heath Herring and then Randy Couture, capturing the UFC Heavyweight title.

Mir also made his way to the "top" after his victory over Lesnar, beating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO for the interim-Heavyweight Title. Mir looked amazing in his victory over Nogueria, putting the veteran away with relative ease.

So what do these two have to say about their upcoming rematch?

"I'm delighted to have a rematch against Frank Mir. I can't wait to get my revenge and finish this fight on the ground the way it should have been finished last time" says Lesnar.

Mir doesn't seem worried, stating "Brock Lesnar has been calling for a rematch with me ever since I beat him the first time. All I can say to Brock is be careful what you wish for because I'm a better, smarter, stronger, and faster fighter than I was the last time. He won't be able to push me around like he's done smaller opponents, and I'm looking forward to becoming the undisputed champion again."

This should make for one exciting fight... and you KNOW I'll be cheering heavily for Frank!

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!