Betting Odds for UFC 117

Anderson Silva -500 vs. Chael Sonnen +325
Jon Fitch -135 vs. Thiago Alves +105
Clay Guida -130 vs. Rafael dos Anjos -130
Ricardo Almeida -175 vs Matt Hughes +150
Junior dos Santos -385 vs. Roy Nelson +285
Dustin Hazelett -120 vs. Rick Story -105
Phil Davis -700 vs. Rodney Wallace +500

Johny Hendricks -525 vs. Charlie Brenneman +325
Stefan Struve -205 vs. Christian Morecraft +165
Ben Saunders -265 vs. Dennis Hallman +185
        

Injuries going into UFC 117, UFC 118

Not a good day for injuries it seems, with 2 fighters pulling out from 2 different UFC's.  First, Thiago Silva has pulled out of UFC 117, likely due to a back injury he would rather not disclose.  It has been officially confirmed that Todd Brown will replace him in the fight.  Second, Phil Baroni has pulled out of his fight at UFC 118 due to a minor collarbone injury.  Very disappointed he pulled out of such an important card, with what sounds to be such a recoverable injury.

Lyoto Machida - next fight

Finally have a confirmation of Lyoto Machida's next fight.  Via Lyoto on twitter, "Minha próxima luta está confirmada e será contra Rampage. My next fight is confirmed and it's gg to be against Rampage".  Its just too bad that with this much of a wait, he didn't get a title shot.  It just seems that Shogun got several title shots, until he got the belt, but Machida has to wait, and wait, and wait......

Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill

Come October, Tito Ortiz will be back in action at UFC 121, facing his old friend and student, Matt Hamill.  The betting odds for the fight itself look to be pretty darn one sided, but what about the odds of Tito Ortiz keeping his damn mouth shut and not trash talking Matt?  Oh, wait, pretty much the same odds.

Preview of Fight card for UFC 119

Frank Mir (13-5)  vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1)

Ryan Bader (11-0)  vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-3)

Chris Lytle (29-17-5) vs. Matt Serra (11-6)

Evan Dunham (11-0) vs. Sean Sherk (32-4-1)

Melvin Guillard (25-8-2) vs. Jeremy Stephens (17-5)

C.B. Dollaway (10-2) vs. Joe Doerksen (46-12)

Matt Mitrione (2-0) vs. Joey Beltran (12-3)

T.J. Grant (15-4) vs. Julio Paulino (17-3)

Mark Hunt (5-6) vs. Sean McCorkle (9-0)
Aaron Riley (29-12-1) vs. Pat Audinwood (9-0-1)

Waylon Lowe (8-3) vs. Steve Lopez (12-2)

Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen talks so much shit, I'm gonna love it when he gets his ass handed to him!

UFC 117 - 2nd Printer-friendly Fight Card

Ok, the 2nd printer-friendly Fight Card for UFC 117 is all done.  It's usually one of my favorites, but the one I use the least.  Nice to see the addition of the nationality flags this time around =)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2102260/UFC/UFC117_fight_card_2.doc

UFC 117 - First printer-friendly Fight Card

Ok, I got the first printer-friendly Fight Card for UFC 117 done today. I should get the second one done tomorrow as well.  Here's the first one:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2102260/UFC/UFC117%20Full%20Fight%20card.doc

UFC 117 Printer-Friendly Fight Cards

With any luck, I will do up the printer-friendly fight cards this weekend.  Its nice to have them well in advanced, as long as the card doesn't change too much =)

Strikeforce on Primetime CBS

It looks like Strikeforce is delaying the card that they were announcing earlier this year to be on CBS primetime this September.  Now, it will be on in October sometime.  Last time around, Jake Shields did a great job on the card, but I wonder if they are starting to lack in talent that can keep a major card like that interesting.  A lot of people said that Jake Shields shouldn't have been on that card, because it 'got too technical' for the general public.  But at least Jake Shields shows the general public that despite the gore the people want to see, MMA is about a lot more.

UFC 117 coming up soon

Has anyone taken a look at the fight card for UFC 117 yet?  It looks like the entire main card is featuring a USA fighter against a Brazilian fighter.  We have Anderson Silva, Thiago Alves, Rafael Dos Anjos, Ricardo Almeida, and Junior Dos Santos all from Brazil.  Fighting against them are Chael Sonnen, Jon Fitch, Clay Guida, Matt Hughes, Roy Nelson from the USA.  I'll try and have some printer-friendly fight cards done up in the next week, and maybe include a little flag for country of origin?

Official GSP vs. Koscheck rematch

The UFC has told Josh Koscheck that he will get his rematch against Georges St. Pierre in December.  They will be facing each other on December 11th.  Will this UFC event take place in Canada like originally thought?  It doesn't look like it at this point.

UFC Fan Expo - Boston

I'm glad to see that the UFC Fan Expo in Boston finally released their Exhibitor listing, but even more so they are still adding exhibitors every week.  I still haven't seen Hayabusa on any of the lists, which is one of the companies a lot of us have been waiting for.  Can't imagine why =)

Ken Shamrock - Why does he do it?

For those of you that did not see Ken Shamrock fight at Impact FC 2 this past week, don't watch it.  Ken Shamrock was only there in name, nothing else.  He certainly doesn't fight like the Ken Shamrock everyone wants to remember, he doesnt have the draw, the heart, but he sure does have the honesty.  In the post fight interview, Ken Shamrock said "As long as the fans keep coming, I'll keep getting beat up".  Everyone knows Ken is flat broke, and can't find much other work to promote his name, but why this?  Is it pride, determination to still see fans admire his legacy?

Rich Franklin set for quicker comeback

Rich Franklin recently got some good news from the doctors.  His badly injured arm is healing better than expected, and he will most likely not need surgery for it after all.  Its still unlikely he will be fighting again this year, but it does enable an early 2011 matchup.

Jake Shields to come to the UFC?

It is still unconfirmed by the UFC, but it looks like Jake Shields will come to the UFC in the 170 pound division.  While it will certainly make for some awesome matchups later on, his first fight in the UFC is slated to be against Martin Kampmann.

Will Fedor aim for a title shot against Overeem?

Originally, Fedor was in talks with Strikeforce for a title shot with Overeem, including a 'championship clause' where he could not leave if he did win the championship.  After that, Fedor's camp was strongly suggesting that Fedor would really prefer a rematch against Werdum.  Now it is coming to light that Werdum will be going in for a much needed surgery on his left elbow, and will likely be out until 2011.  Will Fedor wait until next year for a rematch with Werdum, or will he resume talks with Strikeforce for a titleshot against Overeem?  Strikeforce has said that it is still interested in this matchup.

Lesnar vs. Velasquez - Confirmed

The much anticipated first title defense by Brock Lesnar of the newly reunited title will come at UFC 121.  Dana White announced over the weekend that Brock Lesnar will defend his title against Cain Velasquez on October 23. 

Paul Daley with Bellator

Rumor has it that Paul Daley has finalized a deal with Bellator.  In Bellator's usual fashion, they denied that they have an agreement with Paul Daley, but offered no details at all.  Bellator's statement "Paul Daley is not under contract with Bellator" seems like the usual runaround, Bellator trying to hold off on any announcement until they can make it into a full promotional.

UFC Fight Night 22

The rumor mill is working overtime on this one, with much of the card rumored to already be decided, but not exactly written in ink.  Here is what's supposedly already set:

Damian Maia vs. Alan Belcher
Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman
Jim Miller vs. Gleison Tibau
Cole Miller vs. Ross Pearson
Efrain Escudero vs. John Gunderson
Nick Catone vs. Tomasz Drwal
Jared Hamman vs. Kyle Kingsbury

How long will Shogun Rua be out for?

Unbeknownst to him, Shogun Rua suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during his victory over Lyoto Machida.  So far, he has had three surgeries on that knee, and doctors are not sure if he will need another.  Given the amount of recovery time he will need, it is very likely that he will not fight again until sometime in 2011.  Will the UFC need to issue another interim belt, this time for the Light Heavyweight division?  If so, will anyone serious compete against Lyoto Machida for an interim title?

Bobby Lashley - So much for 'taking it slow'

Despite Bobby Lashley saying in the past, that he preferred to be in Strikeforce so he could 'taking things slow and gain experience' he is now talking a different tune.  On 'Inside MMA' Lashley talks about wanting to face Fedor in his next matchup.  Yes, Fedor.  He basically says that he is no kid, and needs to face a higher caliper of fighter.  That is certainly one hell of a jump up in caliper alright!

Lesnar vs. Carwin ref Josh Rosenthal

The referee for the big fight, Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin, has finally done a quick interview about his refereeing during that first round:

"He took some hard shots when they were against the fence," Rosenthal said of Lesnar on ESPN's MMA Live. "He was looking for a way out. He was blocking some punches. At one point he tried to spin to push Shane away and took a couple shots. And then again, went for a deep half guard position and took a couple more shots. When he curled up after that is when I commanded him to fight back, which at that point he did, and then he went for feet on the hips to push Carwin away and was able to get to his knees. He pretty much ran with it. He heard -- he responded to my commands."

Maybe now people will pay attention to the actual refereeing, as that was one of the best refereeing in a long time.

David Batista and training in MMA

The latest news on David Batista's new career in MMA is that he is officially training in MMA with Team Cesar Gracie.  So far, Batista has been training in technique with Nate and Nick Diaz, along with Jake Shields.  The more we hear about Batista taking things seriously and training hard, the more we imagine a fight between Batista and Bobby Lashley.

Another rumored addition for UFC 119

A highly likely addition to the card for UFC 119 is Mark Hunt vs. Sean McCorkle.  It looks to be a very interesting matchup, with the Pride veteran Mark Hunt taking on Sean McCorkle, who is still undefeated at 7-0.

UFC 119 - Co-main Event

It's been confirmed today, that the main event for UFC 119 will be Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir in their long awaited rematch.  Not to be outdone, it is assumed that his brother Rogerio will highlight the co-main event against Rampage Jackson, but it has yet to be official announced by the UFC.  More than likely, the UFC will hold off for a little while, to get more people talking about it.

Rumors for the UFC 119 card

So far, sources say these matchups for UFC 119 are all but written in pen:

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Ryan Bader vs. TBA
Chris Lytle vs. TBA
Jeremy Stephens vs. Melvin Guillard
Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk
CB Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen
TJ Grant vs. Julio Paulino
Joey Beltran vs. Matt Mitrione

Looks to be an interesting card already, with Jackson vs. Nog and Lytle, Sherk, and Mitrione on the card as well.

A Title Shot for Fedor?

M-1 Global is now considering giving Fedor, fresh off a loss, a title-shot match against Alistair Overeem.  It may annoy many enthusiasts, but it is pure genius for M-1 Global, who are going to add a 'championship clause' to the contract.  Its a brilliant play by M-1 Global, in that it ensures Fedor has to stay with them if he wins the title, which would almost completely devastate their company.  If Fedor actually loses, it would be 2 huge losses in a row for him, at which point he isn't likely to add much to another organization.

M-1 Global in Crisis Mode?

There have been a number of reports lately that M-1 Global, after the huge loss suffered by their biggest star Fedor, is now on the verge of collapsing.  There is virtually no doubt that Fedor's loss has hurt the company's bottom line, but by how much is anyone's guess.  What we do know is that the management of M-1 Global, while simultaneously stating it has nothing to do with Fedor's loss, announced that they are restructuring their company.  Several inside sources say that M-1 Global will be closing several offices, and eliminating up to a dozen positions.

UFC Live on Versus

Less than 1 week prior to UFC 117, there is going to be a UFC Live on Versus fight.  Strangely, its going to be on a Sunday this time, with some interesting fights too.  Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko.  Mark Munoz vs. Yushin Okami.  Jake Ellenberger vs. John Howard.  Jacob Volkmann vs. Paul Kelly.  Hmmm, does this sound like a card to make up for UFC 112 to anyone else?

The Ultimate Fighter - Season 13

Its looking more and more like Anderson Silva is going to be one of the coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.  The most likely person to be the opposite coach is Demian Maia.  Somehow, this is sounding more and more like a strategy by Dana White to regain a lot of lost ground when it comes to viewers being interested in another Anderson Silva fight.

Should the fight have been stopped?

While most people agree, the ref for the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin fight, Josh Rosenthal, did an excellent job in not stopping the fight too early, some people still disagree.  Some may argue that given that this fight has been hyped and talked about for so long, that the ref was 'encouraged' to keep the fight going, while in a lesser scrutinized fight it would have been stopped.  However, to the ref's credit, Brock covered up very quickly after getting hit repeatedly and covered well on the ground.  Yes, for much of the time in round 1 spent on the ground, Brock wasn't gaining any position or escape, but after the initial barrage of punches, it didn't look like the later punches were doing anywhere as much damage.

UFC 116 Results

Brock Lesnar defeats Shane Carwin by Submission via Arm Triangle in the second round.


Chris Leben defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama by Submission via Triangle Choke in round three.
Stephan Bonnar defeats Krzysztof Soszynski by TKO at 3:08 of round two.

Chris Lytle defeats Matt Brown by armbar at 2:02 of round two.
George Sotiropoulos defeats Kurt Pellegrino by unanimous decision.
Brendan Schaub defeats Chris Tuchscherer by first round TKO.
Ricardo Romero defeats Seth Petruzelli via second round armbar.
Kendall Grove defeats Goran Reljic by split decision.
Gerald Harris defeats Dave Branch by third round TKO.
Daniel Roberts defeats Forrest Petz by split decision.
Jon Madsen defeats Karlos Vemola by unanimous decision.

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin predictions (again)

A lot more of the pros and commentators have been throwing their predictions into the ring, and they do add a few surprises to the mix.  For one, most pros that really have expert knowledge (read:  have had recent fights) stay far away from giving a brief prediction, but others go in depth on who they think will take it.  While the general public may be more or less still split down the middle, commentators and former pros alike mostly give the fight to Brock Lesnar, possibly due to how well he looked at weigh-ins.  Everyone knows that Carwin wants to win by a first round knock-out, but most people realize that Frank Mir, loss or not, proved that it might not be a possibility for Carwin.  With that in mind, will Carwin still have the tools to get it done if/when it goes into the 3rd round and beyond?  Most people seem to be saying Brock may take punishment early on, only to go for the win after the 3rd round opens.

Kurt Pellegrino calling it quits?

Sources are saying that Kurt Pellegrino, sensing the possibilty of another loss at UFC 116 against George Sotiropoulus, will call it quits.  So, if Kurt happens to suffer a loss at UFC 116, expect an announcement declaring his retirement to come shortly after!  Judging by popular opinion, a loss seems fairly likely too.

Frank MIr - Sets his sights on Brock rematch

It appears as if Brock Lesnar's words leading up to UFC 116 have sparked some inspiration in Frank Mir.  Mir has tweeted lately that he has put his plans on going to 205 on hold for a while, so that he can work towards another match with Brock Lesnar.  Is Mir counting on a Brock Lesnar win so he can have another chance at that belt?  Or is Mir just on a suicide mission to even up the score against Brock?