MMA Hot Stuff

MMAHotStuff Says So Long.... For Now

Where to start. 

I started the brand MMAHotStuff almost three years ago. It started as a hobby without even really knowing it. While working at Six Apart, I wanted to better understand the product so I started "writing" about MMA plus a plethora of other things that pertained to every day life at mmahotstuff.vox.com. I noticed the posts about MMA got the most traffic and comments. 

Then organically as my interest in the sport grew, so did my frequency in writing about it. When I chose the name MMAHotStuff it was an off the cuff name, one I didn't plan out too much. MMA was in the URL SEO purposes and HotStuff meaning the hot news, rumors and interviews. I didn't really look at it from a brand perspective.  True story, when I met Molly Qerim at UFC 100 she said she didn't even know my name, she only new me as MMAHotStuff. Maybe I should have given more thought to the brand that became who I am.

The next thing I knew I wanted to figure out how to domain map a site on my own so MMAHotStuff.com was officially born.

I've had a lot of fun with the site.  To say I've met some fascinating people is an understatement. To say I've met some people that I now consider dear friends is the truth. The more I started to gain trust from people the more information I was told. But it's turned into friends telling me their news friend to friend, rather than fighter to "a girl with website that will tell the news." 

I never had a goal of making MMAHotStuff.com a major MMA news site. I don't care about traffic numbers. How could I possibly compete with the likes of Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, Heavy.com and MMAJunkie? I'm just one girl.

I've become this person that has been keeping everything I'm told off the record. Which really doesn't make for a very interesting or even informative site. So rather than losing sleep over the fact that I haven't been updating, I've decided to give MMAHotStuff.com a bit of a vacation.

MMASocialites.com will now have more of my attention and I'm also excited to announce I'm working on something new. It's still very much in the MMA space but I'll be in stealth mode for a few months.

I'll keep my twitter account active, because we all know I'm addicted. I'll still be attending events and whatnot but all of my opinions and interviews will be on MMASocialites. At least for now.

Continue to support the sport we all love.

MMAHotStuff Contest QUESTIONS

Every day, I'll ask THREE questions for a week. The questions will be posted here so come back (book mark) to this page every day for the new questions...

Friendly reminder of the rules and prizes can be found at this link!

Questions:

Tuesday (day 1)

1. Name one of Ben Henderson's favorite books!

2. In what years did Shane Carwin work as an Assistant Wrestling Coach at the Colorado School of Mines?

3. Eliot Marshall shared a training room with someone at UFC 97. Who was it?

Wednesday (day 2)

1. Efrain Escudero was in Miami on Feb 2nd. Which hotel did he blog from?

2. What's the address of the MTX retailer in Salem, Oregon?

3. How much are the Warrior Pro Handwraps (Warrior International)?

Thursday (day 3)

1. BJJSupplements.com gave Brawl Nutrition an award. What was it?

2. What are the different flavors of Beaver Buzz Energy Drinks?

3. Shane Carwin recently sang the praises of his coaches on Twitter. Who were the coaches he mentioned?

Friday (day 4) TGIF people!

1. MMASocialites.com recently interview Jon Jones. How did he meet his fiance Jessie?

2. What's George Ganem's nickname (of Night Rider Jewelry)?

3. Shane Carwin supports the troops! What's the name of the website he recently promoted on his twitter? Hint: they are dedicated to assisting Post Traumatic Stress Disordered Veterans!

Saturday (day 5)

1. Who is Eliot Marshalls BJJ Coach?

2. Where does Edgar Garcia get his hair cut?

3. Dethrone sponsors two title holders, who are they?

Sunday (day 6)

1. What's the name of the female athlete (fighter) managed by Magnetic Marketing Associates?

2. MMASocialites recently interviewed Ann Serra (Matt's wife). Who did she watch UFC 109 with?

3. Shane Carwin has posted the name of his baby girl that is due ANY DAY NOW.. What's her name?

Monday (day 7) (will be posted Monday between 4-4:30pm pacific time) FINAL DAY

1. Ben Henderson recently took his fiance to a concert. Who did they go see?

2. Efrain Escudero is scheduled to fight at UFC 114. Who will he be fighting? Efrain tweeted it and I need the spelling he used on his tweet!

3. Ben Henderson is ranked what level in taekwondo?

After the week is up and all the questions have been asked, EMAIL ME your answers at MMAHotStuff@gmail.com. The first three people that have the right answers will win. First winner with the right answers, Grand prize winner. Etc.

Email me if you have questions!

Thanks

Rachel

Announcing MMA Socialites

I’m excited to announce the launch of MMA Socialites in partnership with Lani Carwin, wife of UFC Heavyweight contender Shane Carwin. MMA Socialites was created as a way to bring the fans into the lives of MMA fighters and their families, as well as all others deeply involved in this sport, within a community atmosphere. We’ve taken our passion for the sport and the lifestyle we both live, coupled with the stories we’re told, to share with you, the fans. Regardless of the juncture, whether training for the first MMA fight or defending a title, every fighter has a story to tell and we wanted to share them with you.

Our goal is to tell the stories of the fighters outside the cage, and present the side of them that fans rarely see. We’re confident that by showing the fans who these fighters are outside the cage, the more MMA will gain mainstream acceptance and the more the sport will grow. We won’t focus on breaking news, but rather on interviews, event coverage, as well as community meet-ups at events. We’ll bring you into the lives of the fighters, their families, and get the perspective and stories of those non-fighters that still play a key role in the growth of this sport. 

Lani says “I am thrilled to be involved with MMA Socialites, and the launch of the site is so exciting!  The MMA industry is a passion of mine; not only because my husband, Shane Carwin, is a top-notch talent in the UFC, but because the potential for growth and advancement of the sport is incredible. As my knowledge base has grown through the years of my direct exposure, my excitement for the sport has as well. MMA Socialites was born to expose an entire population, a group that has been completely neglected, to something they are just as interested in as I am.  There are so many women that love the sport and crave more knowledge and insight into our industry.  We are here to bring that - to give them a place to bond, gain insight, and attain a whole different perspective that I have no doubt will be so interesting for them.  Thank you to Rachel for all her hard work - and let the ride begin!”

And what a ride it will be. Please come and join the community -www.mmasocialites.com- to stay in the loop on our efforts, also,  follow us on twitter. If there’s a fighter or fighter’s wife you want us to interview just email and let us know. We want to hear from you, the fans!

Team Pellegrino

It's funny, I always have such a hard time giving posts titles, but once you read this interview I did with Melissa Pellegrino, you'll see that she and Kurt are just that; a Team.

Q: How did you and Kurt meet?

A: Kurt and I met in high school.  We started dating as seniors and we were married 8 years later.

Q: How long have you been married?

A: Married for 3 years, together for 11 years.

Q: I understand you two have a little girl (Priscilla), does she watch daddy’s fights?

A: Yes, she's seen some of his fights on dvd's, never live though.  She is only 2 so she doesn’t really get the concept, so any time she sees a fighter on TV she thinks its 'daddy'.  It could be Mike Tyson fighting and she'll be yelling 'go daddy!!'  So its pretty funny.

Q: Were you a MMA fan prior to meeting Kurt or did him being a fighter get you involved in the sport?

A: I never knew about the sport until he started training back in 2000.  Kurt was a wrestler through high school and college so I was always of fan of him competing.  So i went from a wrestling fan to an MMA fan.  I now really enjoy the MMA game.  He likes to make fun of me because he thinks I know more about the fighters and whatnot than he does.  But I really don’t.  Its hard to be this connected to the sport and to the UFC and not be an educated fan, so I try my best!

Q: Care to share any inside information on how you support him? Do you do anything special while he’s training for a fight? Special recipes to help him lose weight before the big weight cut?

A: Yes!  I'd like to think he'd be lost without me! haha.  The whole training camp is definitely a process, and a huge support system has to be in place so that he doesn’t have to worry about anything else besides training 2-3 times per day.  So this even includes both of our parents helping out.  We start about 8 weeks out with the weight cutting.  I prepare all his meals, 3 times a day.  As long as he is eating clean, that’s the main concern.  Making sure he's eating properly to shed some of the initial weight and also to keep his body fueled to keep up with the intense training.  He doesn’t actually lose the 10-12 pounds until fight week.  But he takes off about 10 pounds during the 8 weeks.  Its also a challenge to have a 2 year old running around the house when Kurt is trying to nap between training sessions, so when he comes home for lunch, I make sure he eats and then Priscilla and I go out so he can get his sleep for an hour or two.  We have become shopping pro's! ha

Q: Have you ever cut weight with him?

A: Ummm, no! ha.  Although I wish i did.  In the beginning I eat healthy with him, but then I get so sick of making such healthy meals that i just find something tasty to eat! I give Kurt credit because I couldn’t eat the healthy for 8 weeks! ha  It gets real hairy the week or two before he leaves for the fight...he can smell a potato chip on my breath from 20 feet away, so I’m very careful to keep that stuff away from him.  Again though, very hard with a 2 year old who loves Oreos!  It never fails though, fight week I lose 4 or 5 pounds, in stress alone. ha!

Q: Sounds like he’s been cleared by his orthopedic to get back to training full time and he’s doing Active Release Therapy. Any idea when we’ll see him back in the octagon?

A: Yes, he's been cleared to start training again back in the 2nd week of December.  Which is great, because I thought he was miserable cutting weight, but I found out he's much more miserable when he can’t train! In all seriousness tho, its great that he's feeling better, it was a little scary for him to have a back injury, but he's coming along.  He wants to be back fighting hopefully in March.  That gives him a good 10 weeks to get back in fighting shape.  He was even training on Christmas Eve he is so excited to be back in the gym again.

Q: What do you as a family like to do when he’s not training?

A: We are pretty low key people.  We like to do dinners and movies and spend time with friends and family, the typical things.  Winters in NJ are kind of miserable, but the summer time we love the beach and parks and anything outside!  Regardless of the season, we are always at our academy, and so is Priscilla.  Its our home away from home.  We definitely take advantage of the time between fights to do 'normal' family things.  We love the life we have, but the fight camps are definitely hard, so we just try to work together and stay on the same page to make things run smoothly! 

Q: How’s the academy coming along? Anything you want to promote or tell our readers?

A: Our academy is great.  We've been open for about 14 months now.  We are up to about 175 students.  We teach brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, submission grappling, & kickboxing for adults and for kids.  It definitely takes up 90% of our time.  I am a stay at home mom, but with the academy its more like 2 full time jobs!!  Its great though, and I really enjoy being there and all the dedicated students we have.

Q: Do you always go to Kurt’s fights and if so, what’s your routine so to speak?

A: Kurt leaves usually 5 days prior to his fight and I go out about 2-3 days later.  I usually show up the night before weigh ins.  I check into my own room so Kurt can be with his team and concentrate on losing the last pounds. I see him that night, but only for a little bit.  The day of the weigh in I wait to hear thru text from his coaches when he makes weight, then i meet him in his hotel room after he's done.  He leaves for the weigh in and I meet him there.  After the weigh in we go back to the hotel for a bit, kurt rests and then we go out to eat with the whole team.  Then its back to hotel for rest.  I usually stay with him and watch TV and stuff.  Usually about midnight or 1am, we go out and get pancakes for more carbs!  Sometimes I end up staying in his room.  Fight day is all about relaxing in bed watching TV.  I stay with him most of the day until it comes close to him leaving.  I let him get into 'fight mode'.  I can really tell when its time to leave because there's this switch that goes off with him and he just is really quiet and focused.  So that’s my queue to let him be with his coaches.  I see him immediately after the fight, he always manages to come into the crowd and find me...even if he gets mauled by the fans on the way!  That’s the best part.  Finally being able to see him when its all over... after 12 weeks of craziness, and being able to breath again is always a plus :)

 
 

You can read more about the Kurt at http://www.kurtpellegrino.com/

Info on their Academy can be found at http://www.pellegrinomma.com/ 

Follow Kurt on Twitter at twitter.com/kurtpellegrino

Rachel - twitter.com/mmahotstuff 

UFC 104 Machida vs Shogun Controversy CONTINUES

UFC 104: Machida vs. Rua

10/24/09 - Los Angeles, CA

CompuStrike Round-by-Round Stats

 Main Event

Lyoto Machida W 5 (Unan) Maurico Rua

View Round-by-Round Stats

 

Inside the Numbers: Rua outlanded Machida 89-50 in Total Strikes landed including 73 Leg Strikes landed. Rua dominated the fight and did just about everything he needed to do to beat the undefeated Machida, including out-landing Machida in every round, but apparently it wasn't enough for the judges. All 3 judges scored it 48-47 or 3-2.

The Arm Strikes were virtually the same as both fighters landed 16 total Arm Strikes but it was Rua who dominated every position by landing the damaging Leg Strikes. Rua was able to land 46 kicks when going toe-to-toe with Machida, and landing 27 knees when in the clinch. (thanks Compustrike for the info)

You can read more here: Machida vs Shogun Controversy

Follow me on Twitter!

 

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 103 Pay Per View Locations

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® presents the fight the entire mixed martial arts world is talking about when “The Phenom”, former UFC® light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon™ to face UFC superstar Rich “Ace” Franklin in the main event of UFC 103. Also featured on the biggest MMA event to ever hit Texas will be perhaps the most explosive heavyweight battle of the year when one of the sport’s most feared strikers, Mirko Cro Cop, takes on Brazilian knockout artist Junior Dos Santos.

UFC® 103 FRANKLIN vs BELFORT - Saturday, September 19th, live on Pay-Per-View from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

American Airlines Center doors open at 4:50pm CENTRAL TIME
First bout is scheduled to begin at 5:20pm CT
First fight on television at 9pm CT (7pm PT / 10pm ET)

Pay Per View Locations after the jump:

UFC 103 Card Confirmed

We're all anxious to see the Rich Franklin vs Vitor Belfort at UFC 103 next Saturday Sept 19th taking place in Dallas Texas at the American Airlines Center. Today, the UFC officially confirmed the rest of the bouts for the card. Not only will the people attending the event see a pretty stacked card of great match ups but those at home can watch the main card as a PPV event as always and see the prelim bouts FREE on Spike!

 

Here's the rest of the 103 bouts!

MIRKO CRO COP vs. JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

MARTIN KAMPMANN vs. PAUL DALEY

JOSH KOSCHECK vs. FRANK TRIGG

TYSON GRIFFIN vs. HERMES FRANCA

EFRAIN ESCUDERO vs. COLE MILLER

DREW MCFEDRIES vs. TOMASZ DRWAL

JIM MILLER vs. STEVE LOPEZ

NIK LENTZ vs. RAFAELLO OLIVEIRA

RICK STORY vs. BRIAN FOSTER

ELIOT MARSHALL vs. JASON BRILZ

VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO vs. IGOR POKRAJAC

ROBERT EMERSON vs. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS

 

LIVE FROM THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER

 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

 

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas – including the fight cards. With the superfight between former middleweight champion Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort already signed, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) is set to put on a record 13 fights for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort, which is presented by TEQUILA CAZADORES, live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 19.

 

Tickets for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort are still on sale and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, AmericanAirlinesCenter.com, American Airlines Center Box Office and by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Prices do not include service charges.

 

Mirko Cro Cop (fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia) has fought some of the best heavyweights in the world. The seasoned striker with 25 professional wins is coming off a TKO victory against Mostapha Al Turk in June, but the former PRIDE® Grand Prix champion could be facing one of his toughest challenges in recent memory when he takes on the dangerous Brazilian Junior Dos Santos (fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil). With two knockout wins in his first two UFC fights, no one has lasted longer than 80 seconds in the UFC against the 25-year-old. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound fighter will need to bring his sharpest standup game yet against the feared Croatian kickboxer.

 

Coming off the biggest win of his career, welterweight contender Martin Kampmann (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) is fresh from an impressive split decision victory over former World Extreme Cagefighting® welterweight champion Carlos Condit in April. Since dropping down to the 170-pound weight class, the 27-year-old former Danish Thai boxing champion is a perfect 2-0 but will be pitted against the extremely explosive Paul Daley (fighting out of Nottingham, England). An exciting striker that has fought around the globe, Daley owns KO wins over UFC veterans John Alessio and Duane Ludwig and is making his UFC debut.

 

A former national college wrestling champion, Josh Koscheck (fighting out of Fresno, Calif.) has compiled 10 UFC wins in his career. The Waynesburg, Pennsylvania native has wins over Diego Sanchez, Chris Lytle and Dustin Hazelett, but he has never faced someone like returning UFC veteran Frank Trigg (fighting out of Las Vegas, NV.). One half of two memorable fights with then UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, Trigg has the experience, wrestling background and Octagon savvy to give Koscheck the most difficult test of his career. With two UFC victories already on his resume`, Trigg makes his first trip back into the Octagon™ since 2005.

 

At only 25 years old, Tyson Griffin (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) has already compiled six wins in the UFC. The powerful lightweight fighter holds victories over Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau and most recently a unanimous decision win against Rafael Dos Anjos in April. But now the Sacramento, California born mixed martial artist turns his attention to another tough Brazilian in Hermes Franca (fighting out of Miami, Fla.). The decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt holds two submission victories in the UFC and is coming off a unanimous decision win against his former jiu-jitsu instructor Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90.

 

Winner of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter™, Efrain Escudero (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz.) remains undefeated (12-0) as a professional mixed martial artist and holds a win over Phillipe Nover in the show’s finale. Now the former All-American college wrestler and Mexico-born fighter will face the red-hot Cole Miller (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.). The 25-year-old Augusta, Ga. native is coming off two consecutive submission victories, tapping out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel and TUF 8’s Junie Browning in successive bouts. The 6-foot-1 lightweight has four total wins in the UFC, and he’ll be looking for number five on September 19^th.

 

With all four of his UFC wins coming via KO/TKO, Drew McFedries (fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa) has the power and the talent to put anyone’s lights out. It took the Ames, Iowa born fighter only 37 seconds to take Xavier Foupa-Pokam out in his last fight at UFC 98 and the talented middleweight will need every bit of his standup skill when he mixes it up with the aggressive Tomasz Drwal (fighting out of San Diego, Calif. / Krakow, Poland). The heavy-handed 27-year-old is coming off of two knockout victories, including a devastating TKO win over Mike Ciesnolevicz in June. Drwal, who has a 16-2 record, will look for his third UFC win in 2009.

 

Jim Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J.) has impressed many during his time in the UFC. Winner of three of his four UFC fights, the Sparta, New Jersey native earned a unanimous decision win against the experienced Mac Danzig at UFC 100 in July. Now the lightweight with the 14-2 pro record faces UFC newcomer Steve Lopez (fighting out of South Bend, Ind.). A national qualifier as a college wrestler, the 25-year-old Lopez holds a 12-1 record and makes his UFC debut on September 19.

 

Two fighters that are making their UFC debuts, Nik Lentz (fighting out of Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Rafaello Oliveira (fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn. / Janja, Brazil) are looking to put on a show in their respective premieres. Lentz, an El Paso, Texas native, wrestled at the University of Minnesota, where he is one semester away from graduating in Pre-Med. Lentz puts his 18-3-1 career mark against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafaello Oliveira. Riding a three-fight win streak, the 9-1 Oliveira has three wins by submission and three by TKO.

 

Heading into his second UFC fight, Rick Story (Vancouver, Wash.) is coming off a three-round battle with John Hathaway. The 25-year-old welterweight holds a 7-3 pro record and is looking for his first UFC win when he takes on Sallisaw, Oklahoma’s Brian Foster (fighting out of Granite City, Ill.). With an impressive 14-3 pro record, Foster has eight wins by KO/TKO, four by submission and is making his UFC debut.

 

Making plenty of noise in the ultra-stacked light heavyweight division is Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Eliot Marshall (fighting out of Boulder, Colo.). With back-to-back wins against Jules Bruchez and Vinny Magalhaes, the Franklinville, N.J. native is a perfect 2-0 in the UFC and 7-2 overall. Marshall looks for his third UFC win when he faces Jason Brilz (fighting out of Omaha, Neb.). The Bismarck, North Dakota fighter also has wins in his two UFC fights, including a unanimous decision victory against Tim Boetsch in March.

 

Making his return to the Octagon after six years, Vladimir Matyushenko (fighting out of El Segundo, Calif.) is back and has won nine of his last 10 fights. The 22-4 Belarusian holds seven wins by submission and seven by TKO and is looking to shake up the light heavyweight division when he returns to face Igor Pokrajac (fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia). A protégé of Mirko Cro Cop, Pokrajac is on an eight-fight win streak and brings a 21-5 record into his UFC debut.

 

A veteran of four UFC fights, lightweight Rob Emerson (fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) is remembered for his 12 second TKO victory against the aggressive Manny Gamburyan. Now the 28-year-old from Huntington, California looks for his third UFC win when he takes on Rafael Dos Anjos (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro). The 24-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion last fought Tyson Griffin in a three-round battle that turned many heads. Now Dos Anjos heads into his third UFC match against the experienced Emerson.

 

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. 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, TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Viewers Choice, and WOWOW in Japan, and Premiere Combate and SporTV in Brazil, and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada.  In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world.

 

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.

 

UFC 101 Contest: And the winner is...

The lucky winner of two tickets to UFC 101 is Michael from Pennsauken, New Jersey! Michael just returned from serving our country in the Army two weeks ago and by that timetickets for 101 had been sold out. Michael and his brother Chris are long time UFC (and BJ Penn) fans, but have never had the opportunity to attend a live event. Well, the time has come! Michael is the lucky winner of two lower level tickets for this weekend's UFC 101. Congrats Michael, and thank you for serving your country so proudly!

There were a number of great responses, and you all deserve tickets in my opinion, unfortunately there could only be one winner. Thanks to all of you for supporting MMA, BJ, and MMAHotStuff!

Remember, if you're looking for local bars that are showing the event on Pay Per View, check out the listing here.

UFC 101 Pay Per View Locations

Here's a list of bars/restaurants showing UFC 101 as Pay Per View sorted by city and state.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its Philadelphia debut on Saturday, August 8th for UFC 101: Declaration. In the main event, the two best 155-pound fighters in the world finally meet when UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to defend his crown against number one contender Kenny Florian. Penn has never lost at 155-pounds, and Florian is looking to change that stat this summer.

In the co-feature, the pound-for-pound king of mixed martial arts, middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva, tests the waters at 205 pounds once again when he battles former light heavyweight champ and Ultimate Fighter season one winner Forrest Griffin.

UFC 101: Declaration - Saturday, August 8th, live on Pay-Per-View from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

7:30 pm ET Wachovia Center doors open
8:15 pm ET First Bout
10:00 pm ET Live on television and online

If you haven't already done so, don't forget to fill out your fantasy picks! fantasy.ufc.com