3
Sep
Iron sharpens iron: Vitor Belfort focuses on fine tuning his striking with Gil Martinez at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas in preparation for his showdown with Yushin Okami at UFC 122 in November (Pic).
"People finishing fights is a big topic right now and that’s how I fight. You look at Frankie in both fights with B.J. and it seems that no one wants to fight right now. Fans see these guys like Edgar or these other bouncy wrestler types and fans are like "oh…he fights you everywhere," when in reality they don’t fight you anywhere! They just want to hit you three or four times, shoot in for a takedown, stay on the ground for a minute or so then get back up. They want to wear you down because they don’t want to fight you on the ground either."
-- Cole Miller (pictured above) tells BJPenn.com that he's not too impressed with fighters who "bounce" and takedown their opponents, including UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. "The Answer" has been able to solve all of his opponents inside the Octagon -- a hit list that includes BJ Penn (twice) -- with the exception of a bigger, stronger version of himself, Gray Maynard. Edgar is willing to stand and trade, leveraging his fancy footwork, but he floats in and out, picks his shots and looks for takedowns. He's certainly not a brawler, but a more intelligent mixed martial artist who uses his strength (wrestling) to carry him to victory. Is Edgar, and all of the other fighters who "bounce," really avoiding a fight at the expense of fan enjoyment or just doing what needs to be done, knowing that the stoppages will eventually follow? For the record, Miller has finished 14 (more than 85 percent) of his 16 professional wins. Edgar? Nearly 40 percent (five out of 13).
Props: "MMA Live"
Quoteworthy:
"There’s absolutely going to be a sequel. Part two is tentatively scheduled for New Year’s weekend, it may take place Super Bowl weekend. Either way, it will be in Vegas. Last time I defeated the myth, this time I’m gonna defeat the man.... The only thing [that's going to be] different is that I’m leaving there with the belt. That’s it. We were one minute away from pulling it off. Look, if I had beat him, I would have had to come back and beat him again anyways. So nothing in my career has changed. I was the best fighter before the fight, I’m the best fighter after it.... We're not here to get along. I’m not here to be number two. It’s number one or let's move on, and I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be."
Here we go again. The Chael Sonnen hype train has already left the station, with about four to six months still to go before his rematch with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen feels he's still the better fighter despite losing at UFC 117 via last minute, fifth round submission to the Brazilian. He may have a point: He squashed the "Spider" for more than four rounds, taking him down repeatedly and pounding on him relentlessly. Sonnen even got the better of the stand up exchanges during the few minutes/seconds that the pair were on their feet. But, at the end of the day, he did lose. And Silva revealed after the fight that he took it despite doctor's advice to withdraw with a back injury. So is a healthy, and seemingly motivated Silva, Sonnen's ultimate undoing or were those just excuses to cover up the fact that Sonnen has all the tools to untangle the Spider's sticky web?
The official weigh-in event for UFC Fight Night 22: "Marquardt vs. Palhares" is set to go down Tuesday, September 14, 2010, from the Fr
It is currently scheduled to air LIVE right here on MMAmania.com, as well as several other online destinations via streaming video. The first fighter is expected to tip the scale at 7 p.m. ET.
As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the UFC Fight Night 22 weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude.
"Marquardt vs. Palhares" will feature a main event between perennial middleweight contender Nate "The Great" Marquardt and muscular submission master Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares.
TUF alumni and lightweight standouts Ross Pearson and Cole Miller will also hook 'em up in a bout that could push the winner into the 155-pound contender's mix.
Here is the current UFC Fight Night 22 fight card:
Main event:
185 lbs.: Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares
Main card (Televised):
155 lbs.: Efrain Escudero vs. Charles Oliveira
155 lbs.: Jim Miller vs. Gleison Tibau
155 lbs.: Cole Miller vs. Ross PearsonUnder card (May not be broadcast):
155 lbs.: Yves Edwards vs. John Gunderson*
185 lbs.: Dave Branch vs. Tomasz Drwal
185 lbs.: Rich Attonito vs. Rafael Natal
155 lbs.: Jared Hamman vs. Kyle Kingsbury
170 lbs.: Brian Foster vs. Forrest Petz
170 lbs.: David Mitchell vs. Anthony Waldburger*Fight not officially confirmed by UFC.com.
For those fortunate enough to be in "The Lone Star State" for the promotion's highly-anticipated debut inside the Frank Erwin Special Events Center, remember that the weigh-in is FREE to attend and open to the public. Doors to the weigh-in will open at 3 p.m. local time.
In addition, UFC Fight Club members will be able to attend an exclusive Q&A session with UFC Middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen at 2 p.m. local time (check-in starts at 1:30 p.m.).
Remember that UFC Fight Night 22 serves as the lead-in to the twelfth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), featuring coaches and welterweight rivals Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck.
It's going to be a fun night of fights so don't miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC Fight Night 22 coverage you can handle.
3
Sep
Former Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko will be featured in Season 2 of Spike TV's "Best of Pride" series according to Dana White.
Hey Maniacs,
OJR here and it's time once again to pick out the best of the best for MMAmaniac Quote of the Week. Not surprisingly, we have a very competitive bunch this week.
But before we vote :
Congratulations to last week's winner! In reference to GSP learning something every time he watches A. Silva fight :
Anderson Silva tries to watch GSP fights, but falls asleep in the 4th round every time.
by ViolentMike on Aug 23, 2010 1:37 PM
Good stuff. Now, on to the voting...
1) In reference to the medical suspensions list after UFC 118 :
B.J. Penn Has been suspended indefinately after an examination after the fight showed that he had no heart.
by Shadyone33 on Sep 2, 2010 11:53 AM PDT
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2) In reference to Bisping's tweet re: Sexyama hugging him due to training at Jackson's :
As opposed to Michael Bisping + Wolf’s Lair = three rounds of circling the wrong direction while running backwards and throwing meaningless pitter-pat strikes with no discernable gameplan whatsoever.
by Jeremyjackson on Sep 1, 2010 12:25 PM PDT
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3) In reference to one of the regulars being labeled as a Bisping fan and his response:
Of course i do really ;-) Seriously though Bizzzzbing vs Akiyama is a great match up. Huge ramifications for both these fighters as the winner gets a guaranteed shot at Patrick Cote.
by attakdog on Sep 1, 2010 12:22 PM EDT
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4) In reference to the Gray Maynard story about why he doesn't finish:
lmfao lets put it like this gray has finished himself just as many times as he has finished his opponent.
by GOLDIGGAH on Aug 31, 2010 12:38 AM PDT
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5) In reference to Randy's low single take down of Toney:
Randy basically went cow-tipping
by Onemansyn on Aug 30, 2010 9:32 AM PDT
*FYI to my fellow Maniacs. I will be taking a hiatus from QOTW because I will be going on vacation. QOTW will return on 09/27/10. Have a great holiday weekend and be safe.*
Have fun!
Props: UFC.com
Quoteworthy:
"Any fight you go into you want to win that fight, it’s important to you. [Foster]’s the type of guy that, even when he’s on top, he’s not looking to lay on you. He’s looking to really press the action. It’s definitely the kind of fight I want to be involved with. But yeah, I’ve definitely got a chip on my shoulder because when this is all over I want to have something I can point to. I want to have accomplishments that are mine, and I want to have a winning record in the UFC."
Longtime mixed martial arts veteran and part-time purchaser for a Northern Ohio industrial supplies seller, Forrest Petz, doesn't want to get bounced from the UFC for not getting the job done. Petz wants to go out on his own terms, but will that motivation be enough for "The Meat Cleaver" to cut his way through the venerable Brian Foster on Sept. 15?