The choke Blog: February 2010

Tim Sylvia vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski set for April 23rd

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With Massachusetts’ new mixed marital arts regulations going into effect on Monday, there is already a card being planned for the DCU Center in Worcester on April 23.

Promoters Corey Fischer and Eric “Butterbean” Esch have told the Herald that they have scheduled the bouts under the Korean-based promotion company, Moosin, and the featured fight will pit former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia against Mariusz Pudzianowski.

Pudzianowski has won the World’s Strongest Man title a record five times. The 33-year-old made his MMA debut in December and this show will mark his U.S. debut.

Also signed for the card are UFC veterans Rich Clementi, Yves Edwards and Houston Alexander, according to Fischer.

“This will be the biggest card ever done, probably in the Northeast,” said Fischer. “The UFC is coming here in August and they’re going to have a hard gate to beat. I think this fight card will be better than what they’re bringing.”
According to Fischer, Moosin will be traveling all over the country. After the stop in Massachusetts, the company will stage fights in Poland and Shanghai, China. The April 23 card will be shown all over the world.

“It’ll be on pay-per-view and shown live in Korea, Poland, Canada and about 14 other countries,” said Fischer. “This will have more viewers than (the UFC’s) show.”

Butterbean, 41, said he still has one or two fights left in his body, but he will not fight in Worcester. He feels that hooking up with Moosin as a business partner will benefit him long after his fighting days are over.

“I’ve been doing it for a while now, but this is a much bigger venture,” said Esch. “This is a big show coming up.”

Brock Lesnar wants to meet Frank Mir in the “July Beatdown”

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UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar discussed the situation between him and “the stalker” Frank Mir in the latest interview to KFAN sports Radio AM 1130. Lesnar related to the questionable Frank Mir’s comments, stating that he “doesn’t know what he has to do to make Mir to shut up”. Brock Lesnar has now fully recovered from his stomach infection, and is expected to return to The Octagon probably on July 3rd.

Frank Mir will face Shane Carwin for the Interim ufc Heavyweight Title at UFC 111 on March 27th, as Cain Velasquez is the “Plan B” replacement for the shot at Brock Lesnar’s title. If Lesnars enters The Octagon on July 3rd it will be nearly a year (357 days) since his last fight at UFC 100, against Frank Mir.

UFC 111 card

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Location: Newark, N.J.
Venue: Prudential Center
Broadcast: Pay-per-view and Spike TV

MAIN CARD

* Champ georges st pierre vs. Dan Hardy (for welterweight title)
* Shane Carwin vs. frank mir (for interim heavyweight title)
* Jake Ellenberger vs. Ben Saunders
* Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch
* Mark Bocek vs. Jim Miller

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
* Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown

PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-aired)

* Fabricio Camoes vs. Kurt Pellegrino
* Jared Hamman vs. Rodney Wallace
* Tomasz Drwal vs. Rousimar Palhares
* Matthew Riddle vs. Greg Soto*

Pat Barry to fight Cro Cop at UFC 115!

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Impressed with Pat's willingness to fight Cro Cop on short notice for the Australia card, it now appears that MMA Scraps Radio Co-host, Pat Barry will be fighting Cro Cop at UFC 115 in what will be a main card attraction. Pat talked about his willingness to fight crocop and is more than excited for this fight.

No contracts have been signed, but sources say that both sides have been offered the fight.

Fan reaction of the possibility of this fight was largely positive when it was rumored for UFC 110. With 2 former K-1 Strikers in the Octagon, there will be no shortage of excitement in Vancouver.

Listen in to future shows for more information

ufc 111

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this card is gunna kik ass!!!

HD Trailer for UFC 111: St-Pierre vs Hardy

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FEDOR WON’T FIGHT OVEREEM UNLESS HE TESTS CLEAN

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Rumors about a possible Fedor Emelianenko v. Alistair Overeem fight in 2010 seem to have been squashed earlier today when M-1 announced that Fedor would face Fabricio Werdum in May. However, Overeem still looms large over Fedor, both as one of the toughest non-UFC HWs Fedor has not yet defeated, and as (theoretically) the champion of Strikeforce. Dutch site Mixfight.nl decided to get in touch with Fedor’s management regarding a fight with Overeem; M-1’s Apy Echteld said that they were interested in fighting Overeem, however they would not fight unless Overeem was drug tested leading up to the fight. In response, Martijn de Jong from Overeem’s team expressed his belief that Fedor deserves a shot at this Strikeforce title, and that they look forward to a potential fight.

While there is a strong possibility of Fedor v. Overeem later in the year, this drug testing could indeed throw a Pacquaio/Mayweather-style monkeywrench into the fight. We’ll have to see how that plays out.

In the meantime, Overeem is rumored for the K-1 Yokohama event, and now Dutch sites are reporting that he may be facing Brett Rogers on an upcoming Strikeforce event. Again, we’ll have to wait and see, but if we do get Fedor v. Werdum and Overeem v. Rogers this spring with the two winners meeting later in 2010, it certainly would be a tremendous year for Strikeforce’s previously spotty heavyweight division.

GABRIEL GONZAGA GETTING READY FOR FIGHT AGAINST JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

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UFC 111 – SHANE CARWIN DOESN’T APPROVE OF FRANK MIR’S NEW SIZE

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When asked about Mir’s decision to add weight to his frame and how he plans to deal with it, Carwin said:

“Let’s see how he carries it for 25 minutes. Brock and I have been big since college. This is not an experience it is genetics and I know I can go 25 minutes full speed without fatigue from the extra weight. Also guys like Brock and I have been using our weight as a weapon and it takes a few years to master using your weight correctly.”

“I think Frank is making a good decision by putting on the weight as I see the division getting bigger not smaller. I just don’t see it as being the great equalizer that he does. If I was paying several hundred dollars a month to be my size I’d probably have to convince myself it is worth it. Only way we will know is when we meet up and see who is pushing who.”

SARAH KAUFMAN IS LOOKING TO BECOME THE NEXT BIG NAME IN WOMEN’S MMA

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Sarah Kaufman (10-0-0) is fighting Takayo Hashi for the women’s 135 lb title this weekend for Strikeforce and if your unaware just how much potential this fight has to be fight of the night consider yourself aware now. Sarah has won fight of the night on more than one occasion and is sure to put on a striking clinic once again and from what I have seen of Takayo she is no pushover and very hard to finish.

I had the privilege to train out of ZUMA (ZUGEC ULTIMATE MARTIAL ARTS) for almost two years and saw first hand Sarah Kaufmans commitment to her coach and the sport of MMA. Adam Zugec, Sarah’s coach has a BJJ Black Belt under Marcus Saurez and has been training in the art Muay Tai for over ten years. Adam and Sarah train with some of MMA’s brightest stars such as Greg Jackson and his team of who’s who in the MMA world. Not to mention his team of local boys at Zuma that are quickly making their mark in rings and cages through out Canada.

Sarah is not your average 24 year old girl. For one she does not like to be hugged but she will tolerate it when it’s socially unavoidable, she hates the sun and Adam rightfully so calls her the whitest Chic in MMA. Because of these and other quirky personality traits she is not Easily distracted from her goal to be the best female fighter in the world at 135 lbs.

Adam told me once that he has never coached someone that is so comfortable before a fight. She smiles and it’s not fake, she really is happiest when she is fighting. So when you watch the Strikeforce card on Friday night don’t be one of the uninformed people wondering why the girls are the main event. Grab a beer and wonder if Sarah could kick your ass because you won’t be the only one impressed with this fighter and wondering the same thing.

Don’t forget to check out Sarah Kaufman fight for women’s bantamweight title at Strikeforce Challengers 6 this weekend Feb, 26th

WANDERLEI SILVA FREE FOR POTENTIAL UFC 115 BOUT WITH AKIYAMA

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Former PrideFC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva has finally found his way back on the the winning track with his ufc 110 victory. Now that he remembers how to win, there’s a certain Japanese import calling for him and the Brazilian’s ready to answer.

“[Yoshihiro] Akiyama wants to fight Wanderlei very bad,” UFC president Dana White said at the UFC 110 post-fight presser. “It’s a big fight that he wants. We offered him another fight, and he said he wants Wanderlei.”

Silva was one fighter the 13-1 Akiyama never crossed paths with while in the Orient, but it appears he’s been chompin’ at the bit to get a piece for quite some time. Despite a less than spectacular split decision victory over Alan Belcher in his Octagon debut at UFC 100, Akiyama has his sights set on adding “The Axe Murderer” to his resume.

“Wanderlei is sitting here with stitches in his chin and a black eye and everything else,” White said. “He’s going to go home, relax, heal, and then we’ll talk to Wanderlei and see when he’s ready again. But yeah, Akiyama wants that fight really bad.”

IS BACK!!!

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ive been away for a while n the bnlog has not been updated for a bit so im back n im on it!!!!

GEORGES ST PIERRE TALKS ABOUT THE MOVING UP TO MIDDLEWEIGHT

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JARDINE TAKES ON BADER AT UFC 110

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ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA TRAINS FOR UFC 110

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WANDERLEI SILVA: “I DON’T JUST HAVE TO PUT ON A SHOW, I HAVE TO WIN”

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Wanderlei Silva faces Michael Bisping at UFC 110, to take place February 20 in Australia. Coming off two losses in a row, the latest a decision dropped to Rich Franklin at UFC 99, Wand knows how important a win is to him now.

“This is a new time in my life. I’m hungry. I need a win; I have to win. I will try for a win from the first minute to the last. This fight is really important to me. I don’t just have to put on a show, I have to win,”

“I don’t fight for money. I fight because I like it. I like to get the crowd moving and that’s what I’m going to do in Australia. I’m going to drive the crowd wild.”

Wand apparently is not afraid of Bispings punching power.

“I like to fight standing. I’m not afraid of punches or cuts. I’m not afraid of anything. I want to give the fans a big knockout. I don’t believe this guy is strong enough to knock me out. That’s what I feel,”

WANDERLEI SILVA AND MICHAEL BISPING SQUARE OFF IN A RADIO INTERVIEW

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A very interesting radio interview where both Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping are both interviewed at the same time. They debate for some time on whether or not they are respecting eachother prefight. Bisping also makes his point clear that he is not here to promote the “Axe Murderer” .

Davis v Gustafsson in the pipeline for UFC 112

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The preliminary card for UFC 112 is set to be boosted by a hugely intriguing light-heavyweight encounter as wrestling powerhouse Phil Davis prepares to take on big-punching Alexander Gustafsson.

The bout is yet to be confirmed by the UFC but it is believed Davis has received positive MRI results following his recent fight at UFC 109, when he pounded his way to a very impressive unanimous decision win over Brian Stann.

Gustafsson's most recent fight came in England when he knocked out Jared Hamman in just 41 seconds. The 23-year-old has explosive hands, and he poses a stylistic challenge to Davis, whose striking game clearly had some rough edges in the win over Stann.

Both men would enter the bout undefeated, and it would certainly generate plenty of interest in the UFC 112 undercard, particularly after Davis drew comparisons to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre with his aggressive wrestling technique at UFC 109. The NCAA Division 1 national wrestling champion was particularly sharp at changing levels to set up the takedown, something that could upset Gustafsson.

UFC 112 promises to be one of the biggest events of the MMA calendar with the middleweight title clash between Anderson Silva and Demian Maia headlining the card, in addition to a co-main event that sees BJ Penn put his lightweight strap on the line against Frankie Edgar.

Expect A Lot Of Standing & Banging At UFC 110

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If you like a good stand-up war, you’re probably going to see a few this weekend at UFC 110. Wanderlei Silva, Keith Jardine and Mirko Cro Cop all face opponents with decent ground games, but if have anything to say about it, there’s going to be a lot of standing and banging going on at UFC 110.

Randy Couture’s Next Fight Against Rich Franklin At UFC 115 ????

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It appears the UFC is already hard at work lining up Randy Couture’s next fight. According to Sherdog, they’ve approached Couture about the possibility of fighting Rich Franklin at UFC 115.

Randy Couture, fresh off his submission win over fellow hall of famer Mark Coleman may be heading back to the Octagon this June to take on former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

The fight is in the early planning stages, and Couture confirmed to Sherdog.com on Thursday that he has been broached about it. He said he had to contemplate committing to the bout due to prior commitments with his film acting career.

The fight would most likely be the co-main event of UFC 115 alongside the third installment of the ongoing Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz feud, which is scheduled for June 12 at Vancouver’s GM Place.

Couture’s name has already been thrown out there by a bunch of media members to step in and fight Anderson Silva at UFC 112, but it’s nothing more than ideas at this point. It’s unclear who the UFC is considering for Belfort’s replacement, but I’m not sure Randy Couture would be anywhere near the top of their list. Dana White has been pushing Couture hard as a potential light heavyweight title contender recently, so I doubt they’d be willing to risk getting him in one last title fight by putting him in the cage with someone as dangerous as Anderson Silva.

Franklin on the other hand is a solid opponent that has the skills to test Couture, but doesn’t nearly as much of a threat to put Couture’s lights out like Silva does. They could sell a Couture title fight off a win against either name, but he has to win, and his chances of doing that are dramatically higher against Franklin than they are against Silva.

Franklin has yet to be approached about the fight, so we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, but it does make a lot of sense if the UFC’s goal is to get Couture in a title fight at the end of 2010.

MICHAEL BISPING UFC 110 VIDEO BLOG: 2-16-2010

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FEDOR EMELIANENKO THINKS HE KNOWS WHY CROCOP IS LOSING

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In a recent interview with fightersonlymagazine. Fedor was asked what his weaknesses are. Some have speculated that he lacks decent cardio or it’s his stand-up. He doesn’t deny he has weaknesses in his game, but rather say’s he has them and constantly working on them. He also mentions that Crocop and chuck lidell focused too much on their strengths instead of working on their weaknesses.

Q: What are your weaknesses?

Fedor: I do not talk about my weaknesses, I work on them.

Q: What about your strengths? Your key strengths?

Fedor: I try to improve in all directions, training in all aspects. As far as key strengths… I’ll give you an example: Mirko Cro Cop. He was destroying everybody with his left foot. He hit with it in a way that people were being knocked out. When he started putting everything on that key strength, he lost.

I believe that a fighter has his favorite techniques, but he cannot focus on just that, instead he should always go forward. So that he can always be unpredictable during the fight. There are fighters that try to focus on their striking technique. There are fighters that try to do anything possible to get the fight to the ground – they all lack well roundedness; they all miss some part of the game.

Chuck Liddell, the ex-LHW champion of the UFC used to always focus more on his striking technique. He also wrestled of course, but always tried to stay away from the ground because he could lose. Randy Couture – lacks submissions and doesn’t have the best striking technique.

In his last statement about Randy Couture, what I think he was trying to say is that Randy Couture has been working on those weaknesses and has improved his striking.

WEC 47 weigh-ins to coincide with Arnold Sports Festival on March 6

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To tap into the thousands of sports fans already in town, World Extreme Cagefighting officials have opted to hold weigh-ins for next month's WEC 47 event in conjunction with the Arnold Sports Festival.

Rather than holding the weigh-ins at WEC 47 host site Nationwide Arena, the weigh-ins will be hosted nearby at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio, WEC officials today confirmed with mmajunkie

The weigh-ins take place Friday, March 6, at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

The Arnold Sports Festival, a three-day sports and fitness exhibition headquartered at the convention center, annually brings tens of thousands of people to Columbus. While the WEC's sister promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, hosted yearly shows in conjunction with the festival from 2007 to 2009, the WEC took the spot this year.

WEC 47 takes place March 7 at Nationwide Arena with a headliner of bantamweight champion Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz.

The WEC plans to announce additional weigh-in activities, including its traditional autograph session and Q&A panel, in the coming week. They, too, will be held at the convention center, rather than Nationwide Arena.

The day also features an "MMA Workshop" with Randy Couture and other trainers, and WEC GM Reed Harris and some of the organization's top stars are booked for a "WEC Meet and Greet" session that also take place at the convention center.

For more on the Arnold Sports Festival (formerly known as the Arnold Sports Classic) and to purchase tickets, go towww.arnoldsportsfestival.com.

UFC 114: Luis Arthur Cane Versus Cyrile Diabate Reported

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Former top ten ranked UFC light heavyweight “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-2) of Brazil and 6′6″ French UFC newcomer “Snake” Cyrille Diabate (15-6-1) will matchup at UFC 114 in Las Vegas May 29, according to an MMA Fighting report.

Diabate signed a four-fight deal with the UFC, according to MMA Junkie. He’s bounced around promotions across the globe and had a four-fight losing streak in 2004 and 2005. But, Diabate enters the Octagon on a five-fight winning streak, though against mediocre competition and lower. Most recently, Diabate tapped out Robert Smith (0-1) in a rear naked choke at Gladiator Challenge in Lemoore, California last December.

Cane enters the fight off of a rise-halting knockout loss to seventh-ranked “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3).

Wanderlei Silva Will Not Get Cut from the UFC

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This coming Saturday UFC 110 takes place and we get to see a man that was once considered the most feared fighter in mixed martial arts, “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1). The question has been posed that if Silva were to lose what happens to him on what is commonly referred to as “UFC Cut Day”. I am hear to tell you that Wanderlei is not going anywhere.

The UFC frowns on fighters that have multiple losses in a row and they tend to get cut. Wanderlei is coming into his fight with “The Count” Michael Bisping (18-2) with back to back losses. His last win inside the Octagon came at UFC 84 in May of 2008 against “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine(14-6-1). Obviously Silva wants a win but what happens if he were to lose Bisping?

The UFC would not cut Silva like they have other fighters with three straight losses. Wanderlei is a high profile fighter who has been involved in some of the best MMA fights we have ever witnessed. One does not release a guy like that as it would be promotional suicide. The UFC would essentially be giving a huge gift to Scott Coker and Strikeforce.

Dana White and the UFC brass would need to do something if he were to lose and the only option I see is them forcing him into retirement. Much to the dismay of fans of the now defunct Pride FC, this is the only solution that makes sense for the UFC.

They can allow (force) him to retire and use him as a spokesperson for the UFC. Of course all this talk is premature as the fight has yet to happen and Wanderlei told us in the media conference call that he was looking to bring back the destructive knees we saw him use in Pride. Since his arrival in the UFC those knees have been MIA and many fans have been calling for Wanderlei to get back to his roots.

This fight will be a great one involving two men that desperately need wins but for much different reasons. Wanderlei needs to win in order to keep the talks of retirement away but there is not a chance in hell that the UFC would cut him.

UFC 112 Phil Davis Versus Alexander Gustafsson Reported

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Undefeated UFC light heavyweight prospects Phil Davis (4-0) and “Mauler” Alexander Gustafsson (9-0) will matchup at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi April 10, according to MMA Junkie.

Davis debuted in the Octagon with a grueling beat-down of former WEC light heavyweight champion “All American” 'brian stann' (8-3) leading to a unanimous decision at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.

Gustafsson debuted in the Octagon with a 41-second TKO of 'jared hamman (9-2) at UFC 105 in Manchester November 14.

Heath Herring calls out Dana White and Zuffa for being cheapskates

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UFC heavyweight (for the time being at least) Heath “The Texas Crazy Horse” Herring had some choice words for Dana White and company when he spoke to Fight Night Radio on ESPN 1080 about the current state of his mixed martial arts career.

“I really don’t care too much for them, and I don’t think they care too much for me (Dana White and the UFC ownership group)…. They’ve got their guys they want to push, guys they want to market. Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir are the guys they want to push and market. The problem is if you’re one of the guys who’s not one of their favorites, they want to keep you out of the competition…. I’m trying to make money for myself, feed my family, and these guys are trying to do everything they can to make it impossible for me…. With the way the UFC’s pay scale is and as much as it costs me to get ready for a fight, at the end of the day I made like 40 grand…. If I was getting a little more money and it was worth my while I’d get back into fighting. But right now I’m making more in movies. I’ve got to look out for number one as far as that goes…. These guys are literally making money off our blood, sweat and tears. We don’t get any health insurance. If you get hurt training for a fight, you’re screwed. It’s really kind of crazy…. Dana White’s got six Ferraris. Hell, I just want one.”

Mike Bisping UFC 110 Australia blog 2-14-10

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Thiag Alves vows to knock out Jon Fitch at UFC 111

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Machida vs. Rua 2 UFC 113

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Las Vegas, NV (USA) – It was so good, the UFC^® decided to do it again.

At UFC 104 last October, UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua engaged in a five round war that divided the mixed martial arts world when the unanimous decision verdict was rendered in Machida’s favor. On Saturday, May 8, these two warriors will have a chance to do it again and erase any doubt as to who is the best 205-pound fighter in the world, and both are vowing to take matters out of the judges’ hands, and into their own when The Ultimate Fighting Championship^® heads back to Montreal for UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2, live from the Bell Centre and only on Pay-Per-View.

“The first fight between Machida and Shogun was very controversial, I think fans are very excited to see them fight again and find out who the best light heavyweight in the world is,” said UFC President Dana White.

Tickets for UFC 113 will go on sale Saturday, February 20 at 10am ET and will be priced at $600, $400, $250, $150, $100 and $50. Tickets are available at the Bell Centre box office, by phone at (514) 790-2525 / 1-877-668-8269 or at www.geg.ca.

UFC^® Fight Club^™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, February 18 at 10 a.m. ET via the website ufc.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, February 19 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.

UFC 113 will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

With eight fights and eight wins in the UFC, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (fighting out of Belem, Brazil, 16-0 professional record) is cementing his place as one of the most dangerous men in the Octagon™ in any weight class. The 31-year-old Machida Karate black belt turned many heads with his wins over Thiago Silva, Tito Ortiz and Rameau Sokoudjou, but it was his second round knockout over then champion Rashad Evans at UFC 98 last May, that put him at the top of the 205-pound class. But on May 8^th, he expects to be pushed to the limit once again as he turns his attention back to the man that gave him his greatest challenge yet.

With TKO victories over Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil, 18-4) re-established himself as one of the premier light heavyweights on the planet. The devastating 28-year-old striker came the closest to putting a blemish on Machida’s undefeated record last October and the former PRIDE^® star, who holds wins over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Ricardo Arona, Kevin Randleman and Alistair Overeem, now looks to capture the very same title he came so close to winning in 2009.

Dong Hyun Kim vs Amir UFC 114

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Memorial Day weekend’s UFC 114, rumored to be headlined by the highly anticipated "Rampage" Jackson vs. "Suga" Rashad Evans showdown, is beginning to take shape. The most recent addition to the card is a clash of welterweight prospects, pitting “The Ultimate Fighter 7” winner Amir Sadollah against the undefeated prospect "Stun Gun" Dong Hyun Kim. MMA Junkie recently broke the news that both men have verbally agreed to face one-another on May 29.

Sadollah (3-1) is coming off back-to-back wins against Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn. After he defeated C.B. Dollaway for "The Ultimate Fighter" crown, Sadollah was inactive for over a year due to injury. When he returned to the Octagon he suffered a controversial first round stoppage to Johny Hendricks at UFC 101, and has since rebounded with two dominant performances. Sadollah remains one of the few fighters in history to enter the UFC with no fights on his professional record.

Kim (14-0-1, 1 NC) looks to keep his nearly perfect record intact while adding a win over another tough opponent to his list of accomplishments. "Stun Gun" (3-0, 1 NC UFC) made his UFC debut at UFC 84 when he dominated Jason Tan in a third round TKO victory. His current tenure has seen him take victories over the aforementioned Tan, Matt Brown and T.J. Grant. Kim also faced Karo Parisyan at UFC 94 where he lost a controversial split decision which was eventually overturned when Karo tested positive for banned substances.

Kim was slated to face Dan hardy at UFC 105 and Chris Lytle at UFC 110 before pulling out of both fights due to injury.

Breaking News: Demian Maia to face Anderson Silva for middleweight title at UFC 112

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The speculation is over.

Demian Maia has been tapped as Vitor Belfort's replacement for the UFC middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 112 from the Concert Arena from Ferrari World, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on Saturday, April 10.

MMAmania confirmed the news with a source close to the situation earlier today.

Belfort's shoulder injury that forced him to pull out of the title fight yesterday shook the MMA world to its core. Discussion as to who would step in to face Silva in the main event at UFC 112 immediately took center stage with names like Chael Sonnen, Thiago Silva, and even Randy Couture getting thrown into the mix. But as UFC President Dana White announced last night, Silva would fight at middleweight instead of taking on a top light heavyweight.And though Chael Sonnen earned number one contender status with his victory over Nate Marquardt at UFC 109, the cut he suffered during the fight will not heal in time for Sonnen to get his shot.Instead, the man who submitted Sonnen at UFC 95, Demain Maia, gets the lucky break. Maia (12-1) was on his own path to earning the title shot before the aforementioned Nate Marquardt derailed his efforts with one punch at UFC 102. The recipient of four "Submission of the Night" awards under the UFC banner, Maia will bring an unrivaled Brazilian jui-jitsu pedigree to the Octagon in an attempt to knock off middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva."The Spider" has successfully defended his middleweight belt five times since he put the MMA community on notice when he dominated former champ Rich Franklin at UFC 64 to wrestle the title away from "Ace."Owner of an unblemished 10-0 record inside the Octagon, Silva (25-4) has twice jumped up in weight class to fight at light heavyweight in an attempt to challenge himself, but neither James Irvin nor Forrest Griffin were capable of doing so.

Can Demian Maia represent that challenge? We'll see on April 10. But the question remains; is Maia the best option the UFC had to fill in for the injured Belfort? Would you have rather seen Silva take on another top light heavyweight?

UFC Fight Night – Kenny Florian vs Takanori Gomi

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Two of the world’s best lightweight (155 lb.) mixed martial arts fighters, Kenny Florian and Takanori Gomi, will square off in the main event of Spike TV’s “UFC Fight Night” on Wednesday, March 31 at 8:00pm ET/PT. Emanating from the Bojangles Colisuem in Charlotte, NC, the bout marks the long-awaited UFC debut of the Japanese lightweight mixed martial arts star, Gomi.

Florian (14-4), fighting out of Brookline, MA. burst onto the mixed martial arts scene as a finalist in Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in April 2005. After losing to Sean Sherk in a title bout at UFC 64 in October 2006, Florian went almost three years without a loss, riding an impressive six fight winning-streak defeating many of the lightweight division’s top contenders including Joe Stevenson and Roger Huerta. Florian’s streak ended at the hands of UFC champ BJ Penn, who submitted Florian in the fourth round of their lightweight championship bout this past August at UFC 101. Following a victory over Clay Guida at UFC 107 in December, Florian is back on the winning track and needs a win over Gomi for a third shot at the belt.

“The Fireball Kid,” Gomi (31-5) has a long, decorated career fighting in his native Japan. He is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the final holder of the lightweight title from the defunct promotion Pride Fighting Championships. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. The 31 year-old has fought many of the division’s elite fighters including BJ Penn and Jens Pulver, and is now looking to secure the belt in the world’s premier mixed martial organization, The Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Axe-Wound of the Day: Kampmann Out of UFC 111 With Monster Gash; Ellenberger to Replace

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The poor bastard you see in the picture above is UFC welterweight contender Martin Kampmann, who had to pull out of his UFC 111 fight against Ben Saunders on Tuesday due to a stomach-turning gash over his right eye, which he suffered in training. (Damn, those Xtreme Couture guys need to take it easy with the broken-glass kickboxing matches.) Kampmann hopes to return to the cage in May. Saunders, who's coming off his first-round knockout of Marcus Davis at UFC 106, will now take on Jake Ellenberger, who's fresh off his TKO victory over Mike Pyle. In other UFC matchup news...

— According to a report on MMA Weekly, TUF 7 winner/Master Tweeter Amir Sadollah will compete next against undefeated Judo specialist Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 114 (May 29th, Las Vegas). Sadollah is riding back-to-back unanimous decision wins against Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn; due to injury, Kim hasn't competed since his decision win over TJ Grant at UFC 100 last July.

Now Vitor Belfort Is Out of UFC 112 With an Injury

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Get your disappointed faces on, chokenation. Vitor Belfort won't be challenging Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight strap in Abu Dhabi this April, after all. Brazilian website Tatame broke the news today, which was later confirmed, that Belfort is out of the fight with a shoulder injury. This is the second time the bout has been put off, and now we're starting to wonder whether we'll ever see it happen or whether the MMA gods have deemed it too potentially awesome to take place on an earthly realm.

The immediate question for the UFC is, what now? They could postpone it yet again, relying instead on the novelty of the event to draw a crowd in the Middle East, or they could get crazy and try to shuffle newly-crowned contender Chael Sonnen into the challenger spot. It seems unlikely that he'd be able to make the April 10 date considering all the damage he suffered in the win over Nate Marquardt, however. Physical exhaustion aside, the guy got his forehead sliced in half, which means he's going to need time to heal before he can even resume full-contact sparring. Not only would the UFC be asking him to forego a full training camp, they'd be asking him to fight the world's best 185-pounder with just two months rest after the toughest fight of his career.

Besides, Sonnen seems to have other things on his mind just now...

Rolles Gracie: One and Done

08:11 choke!!

Following his ugly loss to Joey "The Mexecutioner" Beltran last Saturday at UFC 109, Rolles Gracie has reportedly been cut from the UFC, joining Mark Coleman, Phillipe Nover, Tim Hague, and Frank Trigg in the list of fighters who didn't make it out of that show with their jobs intact.

It's not a common occurrence for a new UFC fighter to immediately get cut if they lose their debut, but Rolles wasn't just any prospect — his last name gave him a lot to live up to. Whether the pressure came from Dana White or the fighter's humiliated uncle, there may have been concern about Rolles tarnishing the Gracies' UFC legacy with any more godawful performances. As a 3-1 fighter, his story is by no means over. But he'll need a little more seasoning before he makes a return to the bright lights and high pressure of MMA's biggest stage.

11:37 choke!!

We left one name out of yesterday's recap of the post-UFC 109 contract-cutting bloodbath, and it is perhaps the least surprising one of all. Frank Trigg, who suffered his second KO loss in as many fights after being brought back to the UFC in 2009, was also invited to seek other opportunities/paychecks this week. One has to think that Trigg saw the firing coming after his poor showing against Matt Serra last Saturday. Not only did he get knocked out, but this fight had loser-leaves-town written all over it from the start. Why Trigg would dare show up for a fight of that importance with hair is beyond us.

Unlike Mark Coleman, Trigg says he's not sure yet whether he'll try to land a gig fighting outside the UFC. He has some on-camera experience and can probably land a job of some sort in broadcasting, or maybe he's had enough of working for other people and will resurrect the Triggonomics brand as MMA's next clothing giant. Changing the name so it no longer "sounds like a lemonade stand" might be a good first step.

Mark Coleman cut from the UFC

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Despite being one of the introductory members of the UFC’s Hall of Fame, as well as being the company’s first Heavyweight Champion, Mark Coleman (7-5 UFC) was cut today from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Coleman, who put on a dominating performance just 7 months ago at UFC 100 defeating Stephan Bonnar, was given his walking papers earlier this morning. The news was first reported by fiveouncesofpain.com and has since been confirmed.

UFC 111: Jake Ellenberger Replaces Martin Kampmann Versus Ben Saunders

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UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger (21-4) has been drafted to replace “Hitman” Martin Kampmann(16-3) versus Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked welterweight “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2) at UFC 111 in Newark March 27, according to MMA Weekly.

Ellenberger TKO’d “Quicksand” Mike Pyle (19-7-1) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2, his first victory in the Octagon.

Saunders enters the fight off his biggest victory, a knockout of “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis(16-6) at UFC 106 in Las Vegas last November and verges on entering serious title contention.

Kampmann suffered a cut over his eye that required stitches and forced him from the fight, he told MMA Weekly.

THE BOBBLE HEAD (TITO ORTIZ)

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I thought id post a quick rant about how much i hate tito (the bobble head) ortiz!!

what a fuckin arse/cock mouth dick is he?! all the talk about coleman and how he said, coleman said his wifs a whore?... erm hello! cock!

M-1 Selection 2010 explaination of there concept for the year 2010

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RAMPAGE THINKS IL BEAT WAND WITH EYES CLOSED

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“We have been discussing tactics for the fight, little tips and discussions about Wanderlei’s movement and shots, and Rampage thinks I will beat Wanderlei easily. He has inspired me and has kept confidence in the camp high. I have to keep my composure in this fight. We know what Wanderlei does – he throws aggressive shots with reckless abandon, and I’m psyched to put my game plan into practise. I have nothing but respect for Wanderlei, but I do believe I’m a better technical fighter and more well-rounded. I was very happy when it was announced that my opponent would be Wanderlei Silva. In fact, there was a lot of talk of it being at ufc105, and I was delighted. I want to prove I am at this level. I made a mistake against Dan Henderson, but that is the level I want to fight at – and I want membership to that level by beating fighters like Wanderlei Silva.”

frm the telegraph

UFC 110: Nogueira vs Velasquez in Sydney, Australia

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Faber recently answered questions from the fans during a Q&A on Thursday

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I’ll probably go down to 135 (pounds) [then] go up to 155. I don’t want to fight any of my buddies at [135 pounds]. I’ll just fight people I don’t like, and fights the fans want to see. (It’s the) same with going up in weight. I’m not trying to mow through the weight class; I’m trying to fight superfights that fans want to see. At this point for me, I’ve had 26 fights, and I just want to do big, exciting fights. Go up? Go down? It’s all good. I would feel really comfortable at [155], but I would be at a disadvantage size-wise with my body structure and everything… B.J. and I went on a USO tour together, and we’re buddies, and we’ve trained together, but we’re in the fight game to find out who’s the man. I’m sure B.J. wouldn’t have a problem fighting me, and I don’t have a problem fighting him. We’ll be buddies later.”

:P

16:00 choke!!

Soooo happy about serra's win over trigg the better man usualy win's!!

AND STILL PISSED

15:59 choke!!

Gutted about nate's loss to chael too, soooo close and i thought he had it in the bag but!!

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