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Tag: UFC

  • Anderson Silva Shuns Weidman Rematch; Eyes Diaz

    At UFC 168 in December of 2013, Anderson Silva, once undefeated MMA middleweight champion of the UFC, suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in sports history, shattering his leg against the shin of competitor Chris Weidman. The injury not only led to Silva’s second consecutive defeat to the now UFC middleweight champion but also led to a longtime layoff from the sport itself.

    Currently, Silva and his trainers expect “The Spider” to return to the octagon in 2015, with his manager Ed Soares saying, “He’s definitely coming back. He’s feeling good, he’s training hard. Everything is good, man. Hopefully we’ll see him back. We won’t see him back any earlier than the end of this year or, most likely, the beginning of next year. There’s always a chance (he comes back in 2014), but as of right now I think his mind is set on fighting at the beginning of next year.”

    However, when Silva returns to the octagon, revenge for his two losses against Weidman is the furthest thing from his mind:

    Rematch with Chris Weidman is something that is not in my plans. He already defeated me twice, everybody saw this. Lyoto (Machida) has an opportunity to fight him, we also have ‘Jacare’ (Souza), who’s coming and looking for his way. Let’s root for them to get their space in the UFC and get their shot at the title, win it, become great champions and bring big wins for Brazil.

    If not Weidman, then who? Apparently, “The Spider” wants his next victim to be the Stockton Slugger himself, Nick Diaz.

    Silva is not the only person who wants to see him weigh-in across from Diaz. Diaz, himself, has been asking for the match-up since at least October of 2012. Soares, Silva’s manager, believes that the match-up has potential as well:

    There’s Michael Bisping, there’s Cung Le. Even Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz has said he’s wanted to fight him before. Nick Diaz wanted to box Roy Jones Jr. You could argue that Nick Diaz and Anderson probably have some of the best boxing in MMA, so we’ll see what happens.

    Whatever the decision, one thing is certain – Whoever matches up against Silva should still be scared, regardless of his two recent defeats at the hands of Weidman.

    “Quitting is taking an eternal defeat. In Team Nogueira, we never give up – strength, honor and determination are fundamental. Here at Team Nogueira, we are family. Ready and determined to do that, we have to do. Never give up and never surrender. Believe that we can and like you too – believe that you can, exceed your limits, overcome problems, and believe,” stated Silva.

    Image via YouTube

  • Gina Carano At Standstill With UFC Negotiations

    The on-again, off-again talks between former Strikeforce champion Gina Carano and the UFC are currently at a standstill.

    Carano was under a contract with Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, until June when her contract expired. She is now a free agent and had been discussing coming to the octagon with UFC president Dana White for several months now to fight the current women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

    However, it seems as though White and Carano can not come to an agreement. Carano’s management apparently pushed for a big payday for her UFC debut. The request was seemingly so absurd that White has reportedly said that he no longer interested in her services.

    Gina’s last fight was nearly five years ago when she lost her title to Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. Since then, Carano has been focusing on a career in films and television, but had revealed that she would be open to returning to MMA.

    There are some fighters who feel that it makes no sense for Carano to be able to come to the UFC to fight Rousey after she has been out for so long. Miesha Tate was one of the current UFC fighters that voiced their opinions on the situation.

    “I really feel that it’s just kind of a joke,” Tate told MMA Junkie Radio. “It really is. Gina was a great fighter, and she’s a beautiful women. Ronda is a great fighter, and she’s an attractive girl. But to say that Gina should be able to come in after five years of nothing and take on arguably the best female fighter ever? Come on.”

    “If Gina is serious about making a comeback, then I think I would be the perfect person for her to step in to fight against,” Tate added. “I’m not the champion, and it makes kind of a mockery of women’s MMA to have her come in and fight the champion. “If she can beat me, I’ll wish her well on her way to the title, and I’ll definitely be rooting for her.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mike Tyson Roughs Up Dana White, Takes His Plane Seat

    Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson proved that he gets what he wants, as seen on an Instagram video that was posted on June 17.

    Tyson and UFC President Dana White were in a private flight together when Tyson smacked White on his shoulder and said “Hey, come on, move it!” White was shocked and said, “I like this seat.” The boxer replied, “I like it better.” White got up and moved to an opposite seat and Tyson sat down in White’s seat with a satisfied look on his face. Tyson got a neck pillow and relaxed, while White had a baffled look on his face.

    White posted the video on his account with the caption “Got punked. #miketyson #worstflightever #headinhome #ufc.”

    Apparently, getting White’s seat wasn’t enough for Tyson. When White fell asleep during the flight, Tyson got a Sharpie and wrote on White’s forehead.

    White posted another picture on Instagram and said, “Alright it’s official no more flying with @miketyson!!!! #ufc #miketyson #sharpie #dontfallasleep.” He also added “He’s lucky I was sleeping!!! ;)”

    Tyson and White have been friends for a long time. In an interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, White said that Tyson is his “favorite all-time” fighter. He also shared that Tyson used a large customized punching bag for his boxing training, as he would destroy the regular-sized punching bags. “You know when you break a firecracker in half? That’s what the bag would look like when he would hit it,” White said.

    The funny video was a hit with many fans who were not used to seeing “Iron” Mike Tyson with a playful demeanor.

    White has learned his lesson and now knows that he shouldn’t fall asleep during the flight and he should always give his seat up for Tyson if he doesn’t want to end up like a destroyed punching bag.

    Image via danawhiteufc, Instagram

  • Jon Jones vs. Gustaffson Rematch Slated for UFC 178

    With the defeat of Renan Barao at UFC 173, Dana White now believes that “There’s no debate now. Jon Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.” With such notoriety comes many burdens and great responsibility. Jones knows that he is expected to face the best of the best; yet, that has not stopped him from voicing his opinion about who he really wants to fight.

    The UFC originally leaked word that a Jones vs. Gustaffson rematch was scheduled for August 30th, despite the fact that Jones had yet to sign a contract for the fight. And, much to the chagrin of the UFC, Jones was insistent that he not fight Gustaffson next, but undefeated former Strikeforce champion and Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier instead. Upon hearing of Jones’s wishes, many UFC fans began to criticize Jones, saying that he was ducking a rematch against the man who has given him his closest contest inside the octagon thus far.

    Jones’s desire for the Cormier matchup was so intense, however, that he took to his favorite social media outlet, Instagram, to share his views with his critics:

    “Asking for an undefeated Olympic wrestler (and) Strikeforce champion makes me somehow a coward? How ’bout the fact that I beat Gustafsson already, whether you guys like how close it was or not? It’s my career, not yours,” Jones states in the video.

    The backlash against Jones for expressing his preference to fight Cormier over Gustaffson was so vehement that Jones’s coach, Greg Jackson, also stepped in to defend his fighter:

    I’ve never heard him say, ‘I’ll never fight Gustafsson again. I’m scared.’ I’ve never seen that from him at all. I don’t really think courage is a problem for Jon Jones. He goes up against the best guys in the division. It might be a career move… Maybe he’s looking for a challenge and doesn’t feel that Gustafsson is the challenge everybody else thinks he is. I honestly don’t know, but it could be that Cormier would escalate his greatness more than someone he has already beaten.

    Luckily for both Jones and the UFC, Jones has decided to forego his insistence to fight Cormier and has signed the contract for a rematch against Gustaffson for September 27 at UFC 178, almost one year to the day from their previous fight which Gustaffson lost in a unanimous decision.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoGE5WExph0

    “I think Cormier is the tougher fighter, but the fans want to see me fight Gustafsson. There was never an issue with taking the Gustafsson fight. The issue was that my brother is getting married in July and I would have preferred a later date. I didn’t want to go this early and I would have preferred to go later in October or November. It is what it is. We have a date now, Sept. 27. This was a personal decision for me. I will be at my brother’s wedding and have a proper training camp,” explained Jones after he signed the contract.

    While all of this controversy has been surrounding the Jones camp, Gustaffson has been quietly preparing for his shot at the title against an opponent who he thinks he can beat.

    “… I think it’s a bad match up for him [Jones]. I don’t think he’s afraid. He knows it’s a bad match up and I think he tried to delay a little bit. Who knows why ? He just fought and I don’t know how he thinks … but for me it’s easy. It’s very easy. I didn’t have to think twice [about signing]. I want that fight no matter where it is. I’m ready to go.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Dana White Banned From Palms Casino

    UFC president Dana White has been banned from playing at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas for the second time in two years.

    The first time White was cut from the casino was two years ago, and he vowed that he would not bring any UFC events back there. However, the tension seemed to have settled in March when Palms chief executive Dan Lee, who has since left the company, sent White a case of his favorite wine, 2001 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet, that is said to be sold for $5,000 per bottle.

    White made a peaceful return, and once again hit the blackjack tables. Over a three month period White is said to have won $2 million from the casino, which led to him being asked not to play anymore. His limit was initially reduced from $25,000 to $5,000 per hand, but then he was simply told that he could no longer play.

    “A lot of people are going to think I’m a card counter after that Ben Affleck thing at the Hard Rock,” White told the Review-Journal during a recent interview. “I’m the farthest thing from card counter.”

    “Casinos don’t want to gamble anymore,” White added. “They’re all owned by hedge funds and corporations. They want to stack the odds so much against you that won’t play. Realistically, there’s only one place to play left in town. That’s Caesars. They will let you play what you want to play. No messing around with limits.”

    White has been receiving criticism from those who feel that his gambling habits are out of control. However, White said that they should not worry about what he does in his personal time, and that it is not affecting his professional life.

    “Has it affected my personal life?” White said. “Has it affected my professional life? Have I lost all my money? There’s nothing negative about what I’ve been doing lately.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Jamie Varner Suffers Broken Ankle at UFC 173

    Admittedly, UFC 173 was not billed as a blockbuster event. Most people dismissed the headlining fight between bantamweights Renan Barao and T.J. Dillashaw, seeing Barao as the much more talented fighter, having won his last 22 fights and going into the contest with a 34-fight unbeaten streak.

    Fortunately for the UFC and Dana White, UFC 173 would go down as one of the most entertaining events in quite some time, with Barao losing handedly to Dillashaw in a stunning upset and another bout giving spectators that gut-wrenching, nauseating feeling of witnessing a broken limb.

    Jamie Varner, a 29-year-old American who had lost three of his last four bouts coming into UFC 173, had no expectations of stealing the limelight. While he most certainly felt he had something to prove to continue in his second stint in the UFC, Varner did not realize the pain he would have to endure in order to assure himself of more fights in the future.

    It became quite apparent early in the first round of Varner’s fight against James Krause that something was wrong with his left leg. Despite the injury, however, Varner continued to fight.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4sqUw8pqXc

    Unfortunately for Varner, he did not receive much sympathy after he informed the doctors and referee that he could not continue the fight after the first round. During his days with the World Extreme Cagefighting, Varner developed a reputation of looking for ways to get out of fights instead of finishing them, something he continued to receive flak from following his bout against Krause.

    During a post-fight examination, though, it was discovered that Varner did in fact receive quite an injury to his ankle during the fight:

    An injury which was perhaps exacerbated by the ringside doctor:

    While Varner did not win the fight, his grit and resiliency did not go unnoticed by UFC President Dana White, who had several glowing comments for Varner following his loss.

    “Usually they’ll quit, guys will tap out and say ‘ahhh, I broke my ankle. There was no quit in that kid. That’s one of those situations where, he kept going. That’s a tough one,” stated White.

    Despite certifying Varner as a “bad ass” and commending his courage inside the octagon, White did express common sense in the post-fight interviews: “If that was my guy, I would have thrown the towel in, in a second.”

    Despite now having lost four of his last five contests, Varner hopes his toughness inside the ring will lead to another chance to prove his worth in the UFC in the near future.

    Image via YouTube

  • Brock Lesnar Begs Dana White For A Favor

    Brock Lesnar Begs Dana White For A Favor

    Brock Lesnar will be the first to admit that he doesn’t have a lot of close friends. However, there is one guy that Brock feels is worth his time and effort.

    Former UFC fighter Pat Berry recently came out of retirement to fight in the kickboxing Glory World Series, but recently suffered a first-round-knockout. That is why Brock is trying his hardest to get his friend to go back into retirement.

    Brock feels so strongly about this matter that he contacted the UFC president Dana White in hopes that he would be able to convince Berry to give the sport up. “Brock Lesnar called me and begged me to make [Pat Barry] retire,” White said and then added, ““He said, ‘I don’t consider too many people my friend, and I consider Pat Barry a friend. Dana, you got to get this guy to retire.’”

    White said that he explained to Brock that it is tough to make someone who needs to make a living fighting retire. “I said, ‘Listen, he’s a grown man Brock. What am I gonna do?’ It’s different with guys like Forrest (Griffin) and Chuck (Liddell), guys that I’ve had relationships with for a long time. Guys who have made a lot of money. That’s the difference. You look at guys like Forrest. Forrest and Chuck are multimillionaires. It’s easy to make them quit.”

    “It’s a lot tougher to make a guy quit that has to make a living,” White continued. “I don’t want to hurt Pat Barry or throw a monkey wrench in his life or anything, but at the end of the day, the state athletic commission is gonna need to step in and help a guy like Pat Barry retire… or people that care about him.”

    Berry’s final fight in the UFC Octagon was in December 2013. Prior to that, Berry lost four out of his six fights by knock-out.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Gina Carano Fighting Ronda Rousey Is A Joke

    The UFC has been diligently working to get former Strikeforce champion Gina Carano to come back to MMA and take on the current UFC women’s bantam weight champion Ronda Rousey.

    Carano has been on hiatus for nearly five years after losing to Cyborg, and some feel that it would be unfair for her to join the UFC and immediately get to fight the champ.

    Miesha Tate recently voiced her opinion on the issue, saying that the possible fight between Rousey and Carano sounds like a joke.

    “I really feel that it’s just kind of a joke,” Tate told MMA Junkie Radio. “It really is. Gina was a great fighter, and she’s a beautiful women. Ronda is a great fighter, and she’s an attractive girl. But to say that Gina should be able to come in after five years of nothing and take on arguably the best female fighter ever? Come on.”

    Tate has fought Rousey twice, and lost both times. She recently landed her first win and says that letting Carano have an immediate title fight would be a set back for women in the UFC.

    “Women’s MMA has been working to legitimize ourselves for so long, and we finally broke the ice, we’re finally in the UFC, and we’re getting some credibility. Don’t take that away by putting a fight together that is based entirely on looks and has little to nothing to do with skill set,” Tate explained.

    “The only thing that drives that is they’re both attractive,” Tate added. “It makes the women’s title hold no value. It makes it look like it’s a joke and they just put whatever’s going to sell. If we’re going to really legitimize women’s MMA as a sport and have it respected as a sport, then you have to treat it as such.”

    Tate revealed that she thinks Carano should take her on first. “If Gina is serious about making a comeback, then I think I would be the perfect person for her to step in to fight against,” Tate said. “I’m not the champion, and it makes kind of a mockery of women’s MMA to have her come in and fight the champion. “If she can beat me, I’ll wish her well on her way to the title, and I’ll definitely be rooting for her.”

    Should Carano be allowed to fight Rousey upon entering the UFC? Leave your comments below.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Tecia Torres Prepares For The Ultimate Fighter

    Tecia Torres, also known as The Tiny Tornado, will soon be leaving her home in Florida and will be headed to be on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

    Although she doesn’t know the exact date she will be leaving, she was told it would be sometime in late spring or summer. “Honestly I wish we had a little bit more details but all I know is that the date we leave is supposed to be in late spring or early summer,” Torres said.

    Torres explained that she is taking the time she has left to get her affairs in order before she goes. “Right now, there’s only a little bit more time left so I don’t have that much time to prep. What I’m doing right now before I leave is pay my bills and take care of personal stuff,” she said.

    This season of TUF will feature elite fighters, rather than prospects, who will be fighting for the ultimate prize … a belt! The UFC has brought over Invicta’s top 115-pound fighters to promote their new women’s division- straw weight.

    Torres said she is training as much as possible and is preparing for any and all styles of fighters. “When I go in there, my coaches will definitely be in my heart and mind. Everybody is a potential opponent on the show so I’ve got to be ready for fifteen different styles,” she explained.

    “I’m upping my game in all aspects – striking, Jiu Jitsu, wrestling – so I can be ready for every single thing. All my coaches and teammates who have been on TUF or Fight Master before have given me advice,” she added. “My coaches have looked at tape of a lot of the girls on the show. We haven’t gone into detail about game plans, we are just working on the basics. From what I hear the biggest issue is the mental aspect of being on the show. Weight cutting won’t be an issue for me. But not having access to the world and your people is a mental challenge.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Ronda Rousey Calls Cyborg An ‘It’

    Ronda Rousey Calls Cyborg An ‘It’

    In a recent interview with Yahoo Sports, Ronda Rousey made an alleged homophobic/transphobic comment about Cris Cyborg, calling her an ‘it’ rather than a woman.

    “This girl has been on steroids for so long and [has been] injecting herself for so long that she’s not even a woman anymore,” Rousey was quoted as saying. “She’s an ‘it.’”

    Although Rousey’s comment has caused quite a stir, UFC president Dana White says that he doesn’t believe Rousey meant the comment the way that everybody took it.

    “She’s not a transgender fighter,” White. “She’s a woman. What Ronda is saying is [Cyborg has] taken so many drugs, she’s probably not a woman anymore. She’s not a transgender fighter. She didn’t have a surgery. She called [Cyborg] an ‘it,’” White continued. “[Cyborg] calls Ronda a chicken. Is Ronda a chicken? Should Ronda be offended by being called a chicken? Grow the f*** up, everybody.”

    Cyborg tested positive for steroids in 2009, but has since been clean. White explained that all fighters talk about one another, and even admitted to trash talking Cyborg himself. “I said when I saw her at the MMA Awards, she looked like Wanderlei Silva in a dress and heels,” White admitted. “And she did. Did she not? Who wants to dispute that she didn’t look like Wanderlei? [She was] jacked up on steroids beyond belief and looked like Wanderlei Silva.”

    White has no intentions of signing Cyborg in the UFC as of now, but did say it could possibly happen in the future. He is hesitant due to her past performances and her use of steroids. “She’s a nightmare in every way shape and form to bring in as a professional athlete in an organization like this,” White said, and then added, “I’m not saying it could never be done.”

    Rousey’s next fight will be against Alexis Davis in Las Vegas on July 5.

    Image via Twitter

  • Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate Fight A Close One

    Liz Carmouche came to the cage on Saturday evening with enough aggression and drive to dominate the first round, leading opponent Miesha Tate to believe Carmouche would come out the victor of the UFC fight. Tate dug up her reserves, however, and went on to secure a win that was voted unanimously among the judges.

    The athletes put up a hard fight over three rounds, with Tate throwing punches but getting pinned for long periods of time by Carmouche. The first round and first half of the second round went to Carmouche, but Tate came back with more fire and took the final round, bringing her total record to 14-5. It was the first UFC win for her, but she almost thought it didn’t happen.

    “I really thought that… I honestly actually thought that Liz probably won the fight, because she had more riding time,” Tate said. “But I haven’t watched the fight. That’s just what was going through my mind. I knew she won round 1. Round 2, like I said, she kinda just held me there for a while. And from what I heard from other people, the reason that the judges said I won Round 2 was based on damage – the fact that I was staying busy when she was just holding me. I was trying to throw elbows, I had the guillotine attempt, I had the sweep and popped up and did some damage, towards the end of the round. The reason I won the round the round was just based on damage. That’s all I can really say — I haven’t watched the fight.”

    The outcome of the fight might have been on the controversial side for some, since it was difficult to see right away how much damage each fighter gave and received. Even UFC president Dana White was unsure at first which of the ladies had it.

    “I thought Liz won rounds one and two, and I thought Miesha won the third round. But it’s one of those things where if you look at the second round, Liz didn’t really do any damage. She took her down, she held her. If you give Miesha points for submission attempts, it’s not crazy to say that Miesha won the fight either,” said White. “If you want to guarantee yourself a victory, take the judges out of it – finish fights. I’m sure other people thought Liz won the fight too, but if you look at what Liz did, just laid on her and didn’t do any damage, it’s not crazy to say that you could give the second round to Miesha.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Michael Bisping Gives Tim Kennedy His Biggest UFC Win Yet

    When Tim Kennedy joined the UFC in 2013, nobody knew what he was capable of, and many raised their doubts and questions regarding his abilities. In his recent fight, however, Kennedy was able to show the audience just what he is all about.

    The middleweight clash between Kennedy and Michael Bisping happened on Wednesday at The Ultimate Fighter: Nations Finale. Kennedy was able to control Bisping in most of the five rounds that the match lasted. Kennedy won by unanimous decision with 49-46, 49-46, 50-45.

    Bisping is well-known for getting back to his feet when down on the mat, but on Wednesday night, he wasn’t able to do so, as Kennedy was determined to keep him down.

    After the match, Kennedy approached Bisping and said, “I hit you with my best shots. You took them. I have nothing but respect for you.”

    The rivalry between Kennedy and Bisping started back in 2010, when Kennedy challenged Bisping even though he was still with another organization.

    Despite his win, Kennedy was not all smiles, as he might have broken his right hand with all the action that happened. He hopes to get his hand checked on Thursday.

    This is considered Kennedy’s biggest fight, as he was able to take down Bisping, who is ranked higher than him at No. 5. Kennedy is now at 18-4, while Bisping is at 24-6. Wednesday’s affair was also significant for Bisping, as it was the first time he fought in almost a year because of an eye injury that almost ended his career in the UFC.

    Now that Kennedy has defeated one of his rivals, who’s next in line for him? Rumors say that it might be Luke Rockhold or Souza. Kennedy has lost to both of them, but has showed a lot of improvement since. Beating either one of the fighters would be another big win for him if the match happens, as they are both part of the top five.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ronda Rousey Set To Defend Title In July

    It’s official … Ronda Rousey’s next opponent will NOT be Gina Carano.

    Dana White announced, via Twitter, that Rousey would be defending her bantamweight title against Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on July 5, 2014.

    “Ronda Rousey vs Alexis Davis Saturday, July 5th for the women’s bantamweight title in Las Vegas for International Fight Week!!!” White tweeted.

    Rousey defended her title in December 2013 at UFC 168 against Miesha Tate, and then again in February at UFC 170 against Sara McMann. She is currently 9-0 and the first 135-pound women’s champion in UFC history.

    Her opponent Davis is 16-5, and hasn’t been beat in her three fights since joining the UFC last year. Rousey has been taking some time off from fighting to focus on her acting career, but will be coming back full force for her fight in July.

    It was originally rumored that Gina Carano, former Strikeforce champion, was on making an MMA comeback to fight Rousey, however it looks like she isn’t quite ready to make her return. After White met with Carano on Wednesday, it was determined that she would not be able to fight by July.

    UFC 175 has a stacked card. Not only will Rousey and Davis be facing off as the co-main event, middleweights Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida will be headlining. The Ultimate Fighter Brazil coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva will also battling in out in the octagon for International Fight Week.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chael Sonnen Explains Fight With Wanderlei Silva

    One of the most anticipated unsanctioned fights of the year aired on Sunday on UFC’s Fight Pass.

    The fight was between The Ultimate Fighter Brazil coaches Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen, who, prior to the event, during the weigh-ins, had a verbal and physical altercation.

    The tension between the two coaches had been building throughout the whole season, instigated by Sonnen’s constant tweets about Silva, when it finally came to blows.

    Silva had been taunting Sonnen, upset over comments that Sonnen had made about Anderson Silva and Brazilians in general, and then proceeded to get in his face. Sonnen shoved Silva and said “I can’t let you get close.” In the next instance, Silva threw the first punch. Sonnen ducked under the punch and then took Silva to the ground as other contestants tried to break them up.

    To make matters worse, Silva’s assistant coach Andre Dida took the opportunity to jump into the mix and started throwing punches at Sonnen as well. Dida seemed very proud of the fact that he was able to “deform” Sonnen’s face, and continued to brag about it afterwards. “I’m taking this home. This is worth gold,” he said while holding Sonnen’s jersey. “To punch that guy is priceless. His face is all deformed. I landed two good ones,” he boasted.

    Now, several months after the altercation, Dida is trying to justify his actions. “My intention was to separate them, but I saw that Sonnen was trying to punch him, so in my mind I realized I needed to get Sonnen out of there as fast as possible to make him stop punching Wanderlei,” he explained to MMAfighting.com. “I would never let Wanderlei Silva in a bad situation in front of me. I punched Sonnen to make him stop, but he didn’t. (The other coaches) tried to get me out of there, but I came back and punched him again.”

    Dida is still allowed to coach in the UFC, but was firmly told that if he ever did anything like that again then he would be banned. “I had to sign a deal agreeing that I would never get involved in something like that in the UFC anymore, or I’ll get banned from the corner,” he explained. “What happened in the show, died in there. If something worse happened to Sonnen, maybe they would make another decision about it.”

    Viewers were under the impression that the fight was staged for dramatic purposes. However, Sonnen admitted that the fight was one hundred percent real. “[The fight] was 100 percent real and there was nothing fake about it, Sonnen said. “It was real unfortunate and it never should have happened. It’s not a bravado moment in the least. It was a bad moment. It was a negative thing between he and I. It’s regrettable. It never should have happened. It never should have turned physical. It’s never happened in the past.”

    “If you watch The Ultimate Fighter at all over the course of the time it’s been on the air, you see a lot of situations where the coaches don’t care for each other,” Sonnen continued. “They bring coaches in who don’t like each other and you get a little banter back and forth. But on our very first day, he threatened me and physically shoved me twice.”

    Do you think the coaches took things too far? Leave your comments below.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Bruce Lee to Appear in ‘EA Sports UFC’

    Bruce Lee to Appear in ‘EA Sports UFC’

    EA is bringing UFC back to video game consoles this year, complete with a few surprises. Last fall the publisher announced that the upcoming EA Sports UFC will include female fighters such as Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. Now the publisher has announced that one of the greatest martial artists of all time will appear in the game.

    EA and UFC today revealed that late actor Bruce Lee will be a playable character in EA Sports UFC. Calling Lee “the father of mixed martial arts,” the organizations revealed that fans will be able to play as Lee across four different weight classes, pitting him against modern UFC fighters.

    “There’s no debate, Bruce Lee is the father of mixed martial arts,” said Dana White, President of UFC. “He believed not one style of fighting was the best and that you had to have a little piece of everything to be a complete fighter. He was proven right when the first UFC event took place in 1993.”

    Gamers who pre-order EA Sports UFC will be able to unlock Bruce Lee as a playable fighter on day one, no skill needed. Those who pick up the game at a later date will have to complete the game’s career mode on Pro difficulty to unlock Lee.

    “I am so excited about this opportunity to bring my father back to videogames!” said Shannon Lee, chair of the Bruce Lee Foundation and Bruce Lee’s daughter. “I’m thrilled that fans can now interact with him in a new way. The EA Sports UFC development team has been incredible to work with, and they’ve done a great job capturing the look and feel of my father. I think people will love getting a chance to fulfill a fight fantasy by playing Bruce Lee in the new UFC game.

    In addition to the announcement, EA today released a new cinematic trailer for EA Sports UFC. The video is called the Bruce Lee reveal, though the legendary actor doesn’t appear until its final moments and isn’t shown fighting.

  • Gina Carano ‘Very Open’ to Returning to MMA

    Gina Carano ‘Very Open’ to Returning to MMA

    In an interview with Fox Sports’ Damon Martin, actress, television personality and fitness model Gina Carano has expressed that she’s “very open” to returning to the MMA cage.

    Carano commented, “I’ve never retired. I’ve never officially said that,” and added that, “For some reason a part of me has always kept it open. I don’t know, there’s a certain part of me that thinks if circumstances were right, and I could keep doing what I’m trying to make my future into, that’s an ideal world. If circumstances were right, you never know. I’m very open to it.”

    Carano, 31, left the ring for an acting career 5 years ago, and has been featured in films including Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire alongside Channing Tatum, as well as Fast & Furious 6, which starred the late Paul Walker.

    Here Carano beats up Tatum in a clip from “Haywire”:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Qsl_6muRY

    UFC president Dana White has expressed enthusiasm at having Carano return to MMA, though Carano realizes that five years outside of the ring will have diminished her Muy Thai fighting skills. “I would definitely take something like that extremely seriously,” Carano said, adding, “I would dedicate myself to it, and need the time because you’re taking somebody who hasn’t fought in a while, that hasn’t been in the fight camp-type environment; and it would have to be done in a time where there would be enough time for me to get ready for that and be able to support myself during that time because that’s all I’d be doing is taking that seriously, and it would take me away from other projects or potential projects that I’ve been working this far in my life to get to.”

    UFC fans are excited about a possible rematch between former Strikeforce champion Carano and current bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey. Carano said she’d return to the ring if the circumstances were right.

    Carano recently filmed “In The Blood,” directed by John Stockell, which costars Luis Guzmán and Danny Trejo.

    Here’s the trailer:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Gina Carano Open To Returning To MMA

    Gina Carano Open To Returning To MMA

    Former Strikeforce champion Gina Carano has been on hiatus since her 2009 loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. She chose to leave MMA to pursue a career in acting, but recently revealed that she would be “very open” to making a return.

    Earlier this month, there was speculation that Carano was next in line to take a shot at the current Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantam weight champion Ronda Rousey. However, Dana White confirmed that no one was currently scheduled to fight Rousey, but he would gladly welcome Carano into the UFC.

    “When you go on a hiatus, whether you’re injured or semi-retired, you’re still under contract,” White explained. “If you come back, you’re still under contract with us. So she is under contract with us, but I have no plans right now.”

    During a recent interview with Damon Martin, Carano addressed the rumors, and said that she “never retired,” and would return if the circumstances were right.

    “I’ve never retired. I’ve never officially said that,” Carano said. “For some reason a part of me has always kept it open. I don’t know, there’s a certain part of me that thinks if circumstances were right, and I could keep doing what I’m trying to make my future into, that’s an ideal world. If circumstances were right, you never know. I’m very open to it.”

    Carano was careful not to reveal too much information, and basically left it at the circumstances having to be just right. “I feel like I can’t say too much. I’ve got all this information that if I could just speak freely, this is actually what’s going on,” Carano continued. “I wish I could open up my mind and tell you exactly the things that I’ve seen and the conversations that I’ve had, but I think to sum it up in a nice, safe way for me is if circumstances were right, and if it’s a good enough circumstance I would come back because my first love is MMA.”

    Would you like to see Gina Carano make a comeback? Leave your comments below.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ronda Rousey In Love With WWE’s CM Punk

    Ronda Rousey In Love With WWE’s CM Punk

    Ronda Rousey is the current UFC bantam weight champion, and considered to be the best pound-for-pound woman fighter in the word. However, despite her toughness, Rousey is still a woman, and recently expressed her admiration for WWE star Phil Brooks, also known as CM Punk.

    After defending her title for the second time against Sara McMann on February 22 in Las Vegas, Rousey got a chance to meet and hang out with Punk. She admitted that her first impression was not very good, and did not go as smoothly as she had planned. “I think the first thing I said to him was ‘I love you,’ which was terrible and not smooth at all,” Roused revealed. Rousey described Punk as “super cool” and “sexy.”

    Rousey and her roommates Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke are all huge WWE fans, and have made it a Monday night ritual to watch Raw. They even have a special name for themselves … “The Four Horsewomen.”

    When asked if she would like to be involved in professional wresting, Rousey explained that she would consider it, but that she has an awful lot on her plate right now. “Professionally, who knows?” Rousey said. “Me and all the girls are huge fans. If they were all down to do something, I’d be happy to jump in with them. But I have the most hectic schedule ever with the fights and the movies right now and adding an entire career on top of that right now is a tall order.”

    Not only has Rousey been defending her title, she has also been cast in several films. Her first two films were the Fast and Furious and Expendables that are scheduled to debut sometime this year. She is currently working on Entourage , set to premiere this fall, and has another film The Athena Project lined up after that. Needless to say, Rousey is staying incredibly busy.

    Image via Twitter

  • Gina Carano To Fight Ronda Rousey?

    Fans are anxiously awaiting to find out who will be the next fighter to take on the UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey .

    While nothing has been confirmed, UFC host Rogan hinted that former Strikeforce Gina Carano, who is still under contract with the UFC’s parent company Zuffa, would be making a return to MMA to fight Rousey in the UFC.

    Speaking with KROQ’s Kevin & Bean Show in Los Angeles on Friday, Rogan admitted that he knows some “secret stuff” regarding Rousey’s next opponent. “I wish I could tell you what I know. I wish I could tell you. I know some secret stuff. I know some secret stuff, but I can’t tell you,” he confessed to the radio hosts.

    Rogan also revealed that there would be a huge announcement about women’s UFC fighting coming soon.

    “You might actually know, but I can’t tell you,” said Rogan. “I can say no more than I’ve already said. I will tell you this, and this is a KROQ exclusive, within the next probably week or so a huge announcement will come about women’s fighting and I’ll be back in [the studio] and we’ll talk some more. It’s going to be crazy. Madness. I wish I could [talk about it now], but I would betray the confidence of my friend and employer.”

    Dana White, the UFC president, refuted the rumors, that were started by Rogan, claiming that there is no one lined up to fight Rousey at this time. “[Rogan] blew my whole week with that interview,” White said. “There’s nothing done as far as [Rousey’s] next opponent.”

    However, White said that he would not be opposed to Carano joining the UFC, and would gladly welcome her. “If [Carano] wanted to fight in the UFC, of course,” said White. “If Gina Carano wanted to fight in the UFC, we would definitely do it.”

    White explained that Carano is has currently been on hiatus since her 2009 loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. However, she is still under contract if she ever chose to fight again. “When you go on a hiatus, whether you’re injured or semi-retired, you’re still under contract,” White explained. “If you come back, you’re still under contract with us. So she is under contract with us, but I have no plans right now.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ronda Rousey Boasts She Could Beat Floyd Mayweather

    Ronda Rousey has taken the MMA world by storm since signing a contract with the UFC in 2012. Over that time period, Rousey has won all 9 of her fights in dominating fashion: 8 by arm-bar submission, and her latest fight against Sara McMann was won in just 66 seconds by TKO – a new record for women UFC MMA fighters.

    Not only has Rousey been successful inside the Octagon but also in her ventures outside the octagon. Rousey has filmed two movies (Fast & Furious 7 and The Expendables 3, become a star in the next UFC video game, and has been a coach on the UFC’s successful reality show, The Ultimate Fighter.

    Rousey’s successes has prompted UFC owner Dana White to proclaim that “She’s the hugest superstar.” White would further add to his grandiose statement: “I’m going to go out and say she’s the biggest star we’ve ever had.”

    Unfortunately for Rousey, the sport doesn’t have much more to offer. She has defeated all of the top stars currently fighting in the UFC and is currently awaiting any newcomers hoping to challenge for her title.

    Perhaps it is this “boredom” that pushed Rousey to declare that she could best world-famous, undefeated, and current WBC welterweight world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. In speaking to hosts at Power 106 FM, Rousey unveiled her plan to defeat Mayweather if the two were ever placed in the same octagon:

    “I’ll tell you what I’d do… You ready? I would drop down to the ground and crawl over to him as fast I as I can and then I’d grab him by … I wouldn’t even stand up. I wouldn’t be anywhere near him. I would just do a little army crawl over there [laughs]. He’d have to run away and I’d be skittering after him, like the one dude in ‘Bloodsport’ who was doing the whole monkey-crawl fight system. I would do that. I would just bear crawl over there, just too low for him to hit me and tackle him down.”

    (Here is a video for any who do not get the reference.)

    With UFC 170 not making the amount of money Dana White wanted, perhaps the Mayweather v. Rousey fight will come to fruition sooner than later. Let’s hope.

    Image via Facebook

  • Ronda Rousey Defeats McMann, Keeps Title

    Ronda Rousey Defeats McMann, Keeps Title

    On Saturday night, Ronda Rousey defeated Sara McMann, keeping her bantamweight title, after kneeing her opponent in the liver 66 seconds into the fight.

    The main event took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas in front of more than 10,000 fans, many of whom booed the 27-year old during the post-fight interview.

    “I didn’t think it was too soon,” Rousey said, even though McMann seemed hurt. “Obviously, that’s why we have a referee in there. I just went to that spot.”

    According to Yahoo News, Rousey was also booed after her last title fight against Meisha Tate, whom she refused to shake hands with after their face-off in December.

    33-year old McMann, an Olympic wrestling silver medalist, was billed as Rousey’s most difficult challenger, yet Saturday night’s much-anticipated UFC fight was shorter than expected.

    “Looking back, it seems kind of quick,” McMann said. “I should get up quicker. If you want to win fights, you have to get up quicker. When I hit the ground, I got my bearings back. When I heard his voice, I was reaching for a leg.”

    The battle began with McMann entering the arena with a T-shirt that read “ETG,” which stands for Embrace the Grind. Rousey followed, mean-mugging the area in front of her.

    The two took the center for instructions from referee Herb Dean, touched gloves, and then immediately began to brawl, McMann getting in a nice right blow. Rousey then began to attack with her knees and with a vicious blow to her mid-section, McMann crumbled. Rousey threw a few more shots at her to finish, but when McMann didn’t react, Dean stopped the fight. TKO at 1:06 in Round One.

    “If she doesn’t make a move to protect herself, how long do I wait until I stop it?” Dean said. “I don’t know how big of a knee it was, because I didn’t take it, but she was just holding her midsection and after a while, I had to stop it.”

    “I promised my coach this time that I was going to drop her with a body shot,” Rousey said. “I called it. We’ve been training it a lot and it’s just a goal that I had. I don’t like calling it or saying it to anyone else, like the media, because I like to keep my mind open to whatever’s there. But to my coach, I promised him I was really going to try.”

    McMann was gracious in her defeat, though she was obviously disappointed.

    “Things were slowed down in my head,” McMann said at a news conference. “I felt it connect and my body just moved to protect itself. I heard [Dean’s] voice and I immediately tried to get back up. I’m not going to blame the referee for something I feel I should be able to control.”

    She added, “I should have gotten up quicker. If you want to win fights, you just have to do it regardless of what is going on.”

    Ronda Rousey is not only getting better each time she fights, but is also stepping into Hollywood, currently filming The Expendables 3, her first role in a major motion picture.

    She will also be appearing in Fast & Furious 7 with Dwayne Johnson.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD9ctE4dnv4

    Image via YouTube