Anabolic Steroids | Bodybuilding Discussion Forums - MMA Discussions

rumored matchup

jipped genes — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:10:44 GMT

roy nelson vs shane carwin.

i heard roy was begging for this fight.

and if carwins cardio is as bad as when he fought lesnar roy can win

Who's everybody going for on the Marquardt/Palhares fight?

MR. BMJ — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:31:25 GMT

????

I think i'll go with Palhares

BMJ

UFC 118 Salaries

forsberg21 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:25:08 GMT

Yeah, tell me Toney wasn't in int for the money.....lol

The Massachusetts State Athletic Commission released the UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 fighter salary information on Thursday. The main event featured UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defending his title in a rematch with former champion B.J. Penn. The event took place on Saturday, Aug. 28, at the TD Garden in Boston.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to the athletic commissions (such as pay-per-view bonuses), are not included in the figures below.

MAIN CARD FIGHTERS:

-Frankie Edgar: $96,000 (includes $48,000 win bonus) def. B.J. Penn: $150,000

-Randy Couture: $250,000 (no win bonus) def. James Toney: $500,000

-Demian Maia: $68,000 (includes $34,000 win bonus) def. Mario Miranda: $16,000

-Gray Maynard: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Kenny Florian: $65,000

-Nate Diaz: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Davis: $31,000

PRELIMINARY CARD (NON-TELEVISED) FIGHTERS:

-Joe Lauzon: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Gabe Ruediger: $8,000

-Nik Lentz: $22,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus) def. Andre Winner: $10,000

-Dan Miller: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. John Salter: $8,000

-Greg Soto: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Nick Osipczak: $10,000

-Mike Pierce: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Amilcar Alves: $6,000

UFC 118 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,436,000

Edgar vs Maynard next + No more boxing for UFC

ripsid — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:56:48 GMT

BOSTON � This time, there will be no question.

After eight straight wins in the UFC, undefeated lightweight contender Gray Maynard (10-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will finally get his shot at the title in a rematch with current champion Frankie Edgar (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

And while their first encounter wasn't exactly a barnburner, UFC president Dana White says he has no concerns over the challenge of making the fight a financial success.

The UFC boss made the upcoming bout official following Saturday night's UFC 118 event in Boston, where Maynard earned a three-round decision over top challenger Kenny Florian and Edgar successfully defended his belt against former champion B.J. Penn.

"I said if Gray beats Kenny, Gray gets his shot," White said. "He absolutely beat Kenny."

Maynard handed Edgar the lone loss of his career in an April 2008 contest, but "The Bully" was passed over for a shot at Penn in April in favor of "The Answer" despite the head-to-head result. White said he couldn't possibly pass over the Xtreme Couture fighter a second time, and he's interested to see how he fighters stack up two-and-a-half years later.

"It's an interesting fight," White said.

Maynard claimed all three rounds of a strategically fought contest with Florian to secure his seventh-straight win via decision. Meanwhile, Edgar was impressive in a five-round shutout of the legendary Penn, but he's also gone the distance in six of his eight career octagon wins.

Both fighters' finishing abilities have been questioned by critics, but White says the concerns are unwarranted.

"People always have their opinions on what they think," White told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com). "Frankie, what does this kid have to do to get the respect? Frankie Edgar just dominated B.J. Penn. Dominated him. [Maynard] just beat Kenny Florian.

"That fight's going to be just fine."

Maynard said he's looking forward to replicating the results of the first matchup and believes he still has the tools to beat Edgar despite the champion's evolution since their original encounter.

"It's a nice belt to have, and I want it for sure," Maynard said. "Everybody's beatable."

Meanwhile, Edgar believes the upcoming fight will be a great opportunity to fight the top contender in the division while also gaining a bit of revenge.

"For me, it's a great opportunity," Edgar said. "He has a win over me. He deserves a shot, and I'll get a chance to possibly avenge that loss."

White said he's not yet certain when the proposed Edgar vs. Maynard II fight will take place, but he believes in the abilities of both of his fighters regardless of critics' concerns.

And after a second-straight win over the once-invincible Penn, Edgar deserves some serious respect according to White.

"You've got to give credit where credit is due," White said. "He absolutely dominated B.J. Penn everywhere in the octagon tonight � on his feet, on the ground, wrestling. The first couple of times he took him down, I couldn't believe it. Not only did he take him down, he took him down hard. He put on an incredibly dominant performance tonight against a guy who's been the best in the world for a long time.

"There were a lot of questions out there and a lot of people doubting Frankie Edgar. ... You've got to be a complete jackass not to give Edgar credit after what he did tonight. I thought it was a masterpiece. He looked unbelievable."

UFC 118 Bonus'

ripsid — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:55:51 GMT

BOSTON � Joe Lauzon, Nate Diaz and Marcus Davis earned $60,000 fight-night bonuses for their performances at Saturday's UFC 118 event.

Lauzon picked up the "Submission of the Night" bonus, and Diaz and Davis earned "Fight of the Night" honors. The usual "Knockout of the Night" bonus wasn't awarded since the the event featured no KO victories.

MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) learned of the award winners and bonus amounts while at the post-UFC 118 press conference.

UFC 118 took place at Boston's TD Garden. After Spike TV broadcast a two-fight preliminary card, the night's main card aired on pay-per-view.

Lauzon earned his award after launching a relentless attack on "The Ultimate Fighter 5" castmate Gabe Ruediger. In the featured bout of the night's "UFC Prelims" broadcast on Spike TV, Lauzon launched dozens of blows before taking the fight to the mat and forcing a quick first-round stoppage via armbar.

Ruediger, who posted a six-fight win streak in outside organizations to earn his way back into the UFC, appeared overwhelmed from the opening bell.

Diaz vs. Davis, meanwhile, provided one of the night's more competitive bouts. But after a first close round in which Davis landed some decent left-handed punches, Diaz continued attacking his opponent's deep eyelid gash. The wound continually bothered Davis throughout the fight and was a noticeable hematoma by the third round. With his eye swollen shut and covered in blood, Davis was smothered in the third round with Diaz's dominant ground game and went unconscious from a guillotine choke at the 4:02 mark.

Ufc 118 recap

ripsid — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:52:39 GMT

**Way to go Capt. America! and Same to my Frankie Edgar! I'm a huge fan of BJ but I was stoked to see Frankie win! I hope to be training at the same schools with him this winter (maybe), Ricardo Almeida Academies.**
I'm DLing this now, looking for a place to upload it for you guys.

BOSTON � The first win wasn't a fluke, and UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar couldn't make it any clearer.

In a rematch that played out much like their first meeting � a UFC 112 fight in which Penn lost his belt � Edgar outclassed the once-dominant champ using a stick-and-move game plan and frequent takedowns to earn a lopsided unanimous-decision victory.

The title fight headlined Saturday's UFC 118 pay-per-view event, which took at Boston's TD Garden as part of the UFC's Massachusetts debut.

Despite winning their first meeting, Edgar nonetheless entered the UFC 118 rematch as an underdog. Oddsmakers, in fact, gave him less than a one-in-three chance of pulling off a second victory.

Undaunted by the doubters, Edgar picked up where he left off in April and continued battering the Hawaiian with strikes from all angles. He really set the tone early, though, with a cage-rattling slam-takedown. Fearing additional trips to the mat, Penn became a bit flatfooted, and Edgar moved in and out with punches and kicks from all angles.

Penn finally scored his own takedown in the fourth round and quickly worked for the mount position. But despite being literally inches away from the dominant and much-needed ground position, Edgar turned his hips and then over-powered Penn to get back to his feet. Once there, the punches continued, and the champ locked up a 4-0 lead when he checked a high kick and swept Penn's other leg out from under him.

Penn returned to his corner before the fifth and final round, and by then, his team had little to offer in the way of advice. The former champ appeared frustrated, even a bit dejected. In a last-ditch effort, Penn immediately shot for a takedown and actually took Edgar's back while crashing to the mat. But the champ took all the wind out of Penn's sails when he again muscled his way back to the standing position. Bur rather than sit back and relax with his comfortable lead, Edgar continued attacking with the ever-effective stick-and-move striking.

Ultimately, the judges gave him the shutout victory, and Edgar won the fight via scores of 50-45 on all three cards.

"B.J. really brought the best out in me," said Edgar, who now can stake claim to the world's No. 1 lightweight ranking. "I knew he was going to come in tough again. It was close the first time, and I just wanted to make a point."

Penn had no answer during or after the fight.

"Frankie fought a great fight," said Penn, who's unsure if he'll remain at lightweight or try his luck at 170 pounds. "He fought me twice, and he walked away with a decision twice. What can I say?"

Penn Penn (15-7-1 MMA, 11-7-1 UFC) suffers back-to-back losses for just the second time in his career. Edgar improves to 13-1 (8-1 in the UFC), and thanks to an earlier bout now knows his next challenger.

Meanwhile, in the night's co-main event, one has to give props to James Toney for getting in the cage when so few other boxers will. Otherwise, there was little to celebrate about the 42-year-old's MMA debut.

UFC Hall of Famer (and unofficial MMA ambassador) Randy Couture didn't eat a single punch in the heavyweight bout before he scored a takedown, quickly hopped into the mount position, and then unloaded dozens of punches en route to securing an eventual fight-ending arm-triangle choke a little more than three minutes into the first round.

Toney was simply a fish out of water once he was put on his back. Clearly confused as to how to defend against Couture's attacks, Toney simply went along for the ride. Couture twice reset the choke attempt, but Toney was clueless as to how to defend himself. Finally, bordering on unconsciousness, Toney ultimately tapped out at the 3:19 mark of the opening round.

"I worked on that arm-triangle choke for more than a year," said Couture, who now owns the biggest "MMA vs. boxing" victory in the short history of head-to-head competition between the two combat sports. "It was nice to finally get it."

While no doubt a win for MMA, the 47-year-old Couture admitted that Toney had a tall order ahead of him.

"I think realistically even if he were training for nine months, that's a lot of stuff you have to pick up in a short matter of time," he said. "I give him credit for getting in here."

Despite Couture telegraphing the takedown attempt and shooting from a distance, Toney simply was too slow to respond.

"He just caught me," the boxer said. "He got me on the ground, and I couldn't get back up."

Although the win came against a clearly over-matched opponent and in a higher weight class, Couture (19-10 MMA, 16-7 UFC) nonetheless has moved closer to a potential light-heavyweight title shot with his third consecutive win.

Toney (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who posted a solid 72-6-3 record during his 22-year pro boxing career, hasn't ruled out a return to MMA. But he'll need some serious work on his ground game before he poses much of a threat to anyone in the UFC's heavyweight division.

In a middleweight matchup of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, Demian Maia took down, controlled and ultimately dominated Mario Miranda en route to a lopsided unanimous-decision victory.

Maia proved too polished for Miranda, who spent most of the fight on his back and defending against submission attempts. And though his performance proved dominant (Maia earned the win via scores of 30-27 on all three judges' cards), it was far from a crowd-pleaser and booed by most of the TD Garden crowd.

Maia (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), though, was fighting for the first time since his disappointing loss to champ Anderson Silva in April. For the middleweight contender, who wants a second shot at the belt, the win was more important than the manner in which it came.

Miranda (12-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), meanwhile, has lost two of three since joining the UFC on the heels of a perfect 11-0 run.

In a No. 1 contender's bout, lightweight Gray Maynard earned a shot at the title � but he did little to change his reputation as a lay-and-pray wrestler without finishing ability.

The former state Michigan State University wrestler used frequent takedowns and a smothering top game to earn a unanimous-decision victory over perpetual contender and Boston-based fighter Kenny Florian.

Florian attempted to keep the fight standing, where he had his best shot at victory. But Maynard's relentless attacks left Florian clearly frustrated as he was taken to the mat again and again. A late string of submission attempts fell short, and Florian was denied his third shot at a UFC belt.

Instead, Maynard earned the unanimous-decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) and went the distance for the seventh consecutive time.

"I finally get to the spot where I get a chance at the belt," Maynard said. "Love me or hate me, I come out and win."

Back in January, Maynard was expected to get a title shot, but a lackluster split-decision win over Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20 instead opened the door for Frankie Edgar. But with his eighth straight win in the octagon, Maynard (10-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is going to be difficult to pass over gain.

Florian, meanwhile, falls to 14-5 (11-4 UFC) and halts the momentum he built from recent back-to-back wins over Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi.

In the night's first PPV bout, welterweight Marcus Davis was cut early above the right eye with a slicing left hook and spent three rounds trying to fight a game Nate Diaz with his one good eye.

Against a well-rounded fighter who a significant reach advantage, it was simply too much for the former boxer.

Davis, who boxed in and around Boston during his former career, continually wiped away blood as Diaz used a traditional game plan with a steady stream of strikes. "The Irish Hand Grenade" kept things even through two rounds. But by the third, with his eye blown up from a hematoma and bleeding profusely, Davis probably couldn't even see Diaz's final takedown.

Davis tried to escape once on the mat, but Diaz quickly slapped on a tight guillotine choke. Referee Yves Lavigne halted the bout at the 4:02 mark of the final frame with Davis clearly out cold.

Diaz, who picked up his second win since a move up from lightweight, isn't sure he'll stay at 170 pounds.

"I don't know," said the "TUF 5" champ, who complained of a likely broken hand suffered in the second round. "I want to go back (to lightweight). There's a lot of tough guys at 155 � Gray Maynard and all those hotshots."

Diaz (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) now has won three of his past four fights, and the lone loss came via close split decision to Maynard back in January. Diaz (17-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC), meanwhile, now has lost three of his past four.

SEE ALSO: UFC 118 preliminary-card recap: Hometown hero Joe Lauzon shines in featured bout

MAIN CARD

* Frankie Edgar def. B.J. Penn via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to retain lightweight title
* Randy Couture def. James Toney via submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:19
* Demian Maia def. Mario Miranda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Gray Maynard def. Kenny Florian via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
* Nate Diaz def. Marcus Davis via technical submission (guillotine) - Round 3, 4:02

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Joe Lauzon def. Gabe Ruediger via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 2:01
* Nik Lentz def. Andre Winner via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
* Dan Miller def. John Salter via submission (anaconda choke) - Round 2, 1:53.
* Greg Soto def. Nick Osipczak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Mike Pierce def. Amilcar Alves via submission (cross-body armbar) - Round 3, 3:11

KIMBO to make Pro Boxing Debut by end of year

ripsid — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:57:53 GMT

Former UFC fighter and "The Ultimate Fighter 10" cast member Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson reportedly is leaving MMA for professional boxing.

The fighter was a backyard and bare-knuckle brawler whose fight videos earned him a big underground following.

Gary Shaw, the boxing promoter who eventually inked Ferguson to the now-defunct EliteXC MMA promotion, told ESPNNewYork.com that he now has a boxing deal in place with the fight and that "Kimbo" could debut by year's end.

MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) could not immediately reach Ferguson or his representatives for comment.

However, according to the ESPNNewYork.com report, Ferguson is working with California-based trainer Clemente Medina and is expected to debut sometime between October and December. Shaw thinks a successful run could have Ferguson poised for title contention within six or so fights.

Time, though, isn't on Ferguson's side. The fighter turned 36 years old back in February, and as we saw on "TUF 10" and his brief time in the UFC, he's struggled with knee and conditioning issues.

On the MMA circuit, Ferguson (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) found mixed success. With a string of favorable matchups, he went 3-0 under the EliteXC banner before an embarrassing and nationally televised 14-second TKO loss to late replacement Seth Petruzelli in 2008. But a year later, the UFC took a gamble and geared an entire season of its reality series around him. (Producers initially sought fighters in three weight classes but opted only for heavyweights once Ferguson was secured.)

Ferguson lost to eventual show champion and former IFL title-holder Roy Nelson in a first-round matchup on "TUF 10." But on the undercard of the show's live finale, he scored a unanimous-decision win over Houston Alexander to avoid a contract termination. That release, though, came this past May when Ferguson suffered a second-round TKO loss to Matt Mitrione at UFC 113.

Some pundits panned the UFC for releasing a still-marketable fighter, but "Kimbo" hasn't fought professionally since the Mitrione loss.`

BJ wants busier schedule if he wins back belt

ripsid — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:56:47 GMT

BOSTON � Although B.J. Penn could retire today and be remembered as one of the most accomplished and influential fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, the former champ thinks his career really is just beginning.

Penn headlines Saturday's UFC 118 event at Boston's TD Garden and looks to reclaim his title from Frankie Edgar, who upset "the Prodigy" in April to win the belt.

And though he won't delude himself into thinking the loss was a godsend, Penn does think it's made him a better and more-focused fighter.

"Honestly, Frankie beating me, I'm not going to say it's the best thing that happened in my life, but it's a great thing that happened in my life," Penn told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) on Thursday. "If I would have won that day, I wouldn't have changed anything, and I would have fallen harder later."

Penn (15-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Edgar (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) via scores of 50�45, 48�47 and 49�46. Edgar scored takedowns � something nearly every other opponent has struggled to do against Penn � and his stick-and-move game plan allowed him to chip away at his opponent. It wasn't a dominating win, but it was a strategic one and resulted from the perfect game plan.

The loss, of course, was just the second of Penn's decade-long career and his first in more than eight years at 155 pounds.

"As soon as that experience was over, I didn't learn anything then," he said of the Edgar defeat. "Now, looking back to where I am today, it all makes sense to me now when I look back at my career. The fool looks at today and asks, 'What's going on?' And the wise man looks at yesterday and asks, 'What happened?' I realize how everything kind of played its way out."

Penn didn't hide his desire for a rematch � and a quick one, at that. He wants to put the performance behind him. He's heard the criticism, and he wants to shut up the doubters.

"Criticism is hard to take from friends, family and strangers," he said. "When everyone's criticizing you, it's hard to take. And the critics, after I lose, they wish I would roll over and die. I'm sure they don't want to see B.J. Penn anymore, but they're not going to stop me. They're not going to be holding me down. I'm just going to be irritating them every time I come back better, and it's just going to be pissing them off."

Penn, who first joined the UFC more than nine years ago, often flourished with a minimal commitment to training. Even UFC president Dana White often has poked fun of it. And though raw talent and a quick mastery of Brazilian jiu jitsu were enough to keep Penn one of the sport's best in the early years, MMA evolved, and the 31-year-old fighter vowed he won't be left behind.

But that presented another problem in recent years: Penn spending too much time in the gym.

"I have a problem with over-training," he said. "I'm a chronic over-trainer, and I've always got a bad rap of not training hard enough, so it made me overtrain even worse. Now, I found a perfect balance for myself."

The new philosophy now makes him feel like a different fighter, one with a new appreciation for the sport.

"I got asked a lot of times about my six losses," he said. "I kind of feel like that was my amateur career. There it was. It's time to turn pro. Now, I feel I'm going to be a professional. I'm going to act like a professional. I'm going to try and be as consistent as I can, and I'll just enjoy this ride. It's wonderful.

"I won't get to fight for my whole life, so I better enjoy it while it's here."

So of victorious at UFC 118, Penn is open to all challenges. He won't handpick opponents, he won't limit himself to one weight class, and � as has become the normal for many UFC champs � he won't spend extended periods of time on the sidelines.

"When I get past Frankie Edgar, I want to fight everybody," he said. "I'll fight the No. 1 contender all the way to the No. 15 contender. If no one's ready and they need more time to prepare for me, Dana, give me a welterweight fight. I don't care.

"I just want to fight. I can't do this forever. I'm 31 years old. I think I'm in my prime. Let's do it now."

UFC 118 Official Weigh-in results

ripsid — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:55:48 GMT

BOSTON � MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's official UFC 118 fighter weigh-ins, where all 20 event competitors successfully made weight.

Today's festivities took place at Boston's TD Garden, the same venue that hosts Saturday's pay-per-view event.

Lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and fellow headliner B.J. Penn both weighed 154 pounds for their championship matchup.

Randy Couture had no trouble making weight for his heavyweight matchup and weighed 220 pounds � even though he wore his jeans onto the scale. Opponent, boxer and MMA newcomer James Toney, who "accidentally" half-mooned fans while removing his pants, weighed 237 pounds.

The afternoon's most entertaining moment came courtesy of preliminary-card fighter Gabe Ruediger, who's returning to the organization for the first time since flaming out of "The Ultimate Fighter 5," a reality show on which he failed to make weight. In the lead-up to the fight, opponent Joe Lauzon continually has poked fun at Ruediger, who was seen indulging in chocolate cake before the "TUF 5" incident. Turning the tables, Ruediger handed Lauzon a cake during the weigh-ins. It read, "Sorry for your loss."

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

* Champ Frankie Edgar (154) vs. B.J. Penn (154) - for lightweight title
* Randy Couture () vs. James Toney (237)
* Kenny Florian (156) vs. Gray Maynard (156)
* Marcus Davis (170) vs. Nate Diaz (171)
* Demian Maia (184) vs. Mario Miranda (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Joe Lauzon (156) vs. Gabe Ruediger (155)
* Nik Lentz (155) vs. Andre Winner (154)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Dan Miller (185) vs. John Salter (185)
* Nick Osipczak (171) vs. Greg Soto (170)
* Amilcar Alves (171) vs. Mike Pierce (171)

Stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com for a full photo gallery of all the event's competitors.

Mayhem vs Sakuraba + others for Dream

ripsid — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:54:38 GMT

With his grudge match on hold, Jason "Mayhem" Miller (23-7 MMA, 1-1 DREAM) will tide himself over by fighting an MMA legend.

The colorful Strikeforce fighter will returns overseas to face Kazushi Sakuraba (26-13-1 MMA, 3-3 DREAM) at DREAM.16, which takes place Sept. 25 at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan.

HDNet Fights today announced the fight, as well as a previously reported fight between Tatsuya Mizuno (8-5 MMA, 1-0 DREAM) and Gegard Mousasi (29-3-1 MMA, 7-0 DREAM) for the first-ever DREAM light-heavyweight title.

Also announced was a long-rumored bout between Bellator season-two featherweight-tournament winner Joe Warren (5-1 MMA, 2-1 DREAM) and UFC/PRIDE vet Michihiro Omigawa (11-8-1 MMA, 2-0 DREAM). Warren, of course, is also slated to fight Bellator champ Joe Soto at Bellator 27 on Sept. 2, three weeks before his DREAM.16 bout.

Miller's move comes not long after a meeting with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz failed to materialize. Diaz this past week signed to face K.J. Noons on Oct. 9 at "Strikeforce: Noons vs. Diaz," which squashed a wave of fan interest in a grudge match between Miller and the champion.

The two were involved in a post-fight brawl four months ago at "Strikeforce: Nashville" and had pumped up their mutual disdain in interviews (self-conducted and otherwise) after Miller said this past month that he'd like to repay Diaz for the melee with a kick to the face.

Earlier this week, Cesar Gracie, Diaz's manager and trainer, told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) that a potential Miller matchup had been bandied about by Strikeforce officials but never formally offered. He said his fighter would be open to a catchweight fight in the near future but not a fight at middleweight.

"If you want to call out the champion, that means you're prepared to go to his weight," Gracie said. "If you're not prepared, don't call him out. If he just wants to fight Nick, come by the academy, and Nick will oblige him on the spot at any weight."

Rather than take on a gaggle of Gracie's for free, Miller has opted to get paid. In his most recent fights � at least those of the legal, sanctioned variety � he met Jake Shields for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title on the CBS-televised "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" event and came up short on points after a five-round, grappling-heavy bout, then defeated Tim Stout on the preliminary card of "Strikeforce Nashville" prior to the infamous brawl.

Prior to that, Miller has to settle for a "no contest" result during a rematch with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the vacant DREAM middleweight title when he threw an illegal kick to the downed submission ace.

Meanwhile, the rapidly aging Sakuraba most recently fought Ralek Gracie at May's DREAM.14 event and lost by unanimous decision. The setback came after back-to-back wins over unheralded opponents Zelg Galesic and Rubin Williams.

Considered a forefather of Japanese MMA and a living legend in the sport's early days, the 41-year-old Sakuraba has been riding ever so slowly into the sunset of his 14-year-career.

Sakuraba won the UFC's Ultimate Japan heavyweight tournament in his third professional fight. He perfected the colorful masks and ring entrances that Miller has employed in recent years.

For the latest on DREAM.16, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

Wandy looking to Feb return

ripsid — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:53:22 GMT

BOSTON � MMA legend Wander Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) may have needed crutches to make his way around this weekend's 2010 UFC Fan Expo Boston, but that doesn't mean he's not already thinking about his next trip to the cage.

"The Axe Murderer" on Friday told fans at a Fan Expo Q&A session that he was eyeing a return to action as soon as February.

And while an opponent has not yet been secured for his next fight, Silva said he's got a list of idea in his mind that includes Chris Leben, Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen.

The 34-year-old Silva, who recently underwent surgery on his knee after being forced out of a planned UFC 116 matchup with Yoshihiro Akiyama, says he now feels ready to fight another six years with his newly reconstructed body.

"I had surgery on my knee," Silva said. "In this last year, I repaired my face, I repaired my knee, and I feel better now. I think I'm going to fight for another six years. I want to fight into my 40s."

Silva said he's currently targeting a February return date, and he believes Leben, who has openly lobbied to fight the Brazilian at the culmination of a season of "The Ultimate Fighter," would provide a suitable return opponent.

"I want to fight again in February or March," Silva said. "That's my plans.

"I saw Leben's fight with Akiyama. It was a great match. He's a real tough guy. I think he's a perfect opponent for my next fight."

While Silva said he's a fan of Leben's recent work in the octagon, the Brazilian brawler believes he holds a clear advantage over "The Crippler."

"Respect is outside the octagon," Silva said. "Inside, it doesn't matter who the other guy is.

"[Leben] won't pass the first round with me."

After Leben, Silva hopes to revisit a ghost from his past by avenging a 1998 loss to current top middleweight contender Belfort.

"I want to fight with [Belfort] soon," Silva said. "He's a good opponent, and I know we're going to have a good match. I'm going to try to beat him.

"Vitor Belfort is a good opponent. I want to fight with him in the future."

Belfort may be tied up in a title fight in 2011 depending how events in the 185-pound division play out this fall. If that's the case, Silva has another idea in mind: Sonnen.

"I like to fight with guys like that because it makes more motivation for training," Silva said. "Sometimes you fight a guy that's so respectful. That's good because this is our job. But sometimes when you fight guys that talk a lot, it's great."

In his debut at 185 pounds this past February, Silva earned a unanimous-decision win over top contender Michael Bisping. That fight followed a one-fight stint as a 195-pound catchweight fighter.

While Silva looked rejuvenated at 185 pounds, a division that better suits him the modern era of MMA, the MMA legend and former PRIDE champion says there's always one fight at light heavyweight that is worth a return trip to the division: against arch-rival Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

"I think it's interesting for the public," Silva said. "I think it's interesting for the UFC. For me, it's OK. I fought at 205 (pounds) my whole life. For sure, if Dana White wants it, I'm back to 205 for a fight with [Jackson] � no problem."

So for now, Silva will take his time to heal. But while many MMA observers had recently expressed concern that Silva was on the downside of his storied career, the heavy-handed wildman said the opposite it actually true.

"I was world champion in 2003," Silva said. "Those days were the best days of my career. Now, I think my best days are going to be back soon.

My title shot was called a draw

rocketw19 — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:05:50 GMT

cant belive it but it is true. Only went 1 round I stuck to my game plan and was winning threw 4 mins 1st round when he got me down I got in a scramble and he ended up hitting me 6-7 times back of the head ref stopped it doc called it. I have some lumps and a light headache but other than that I am good. I asked to do it over ASAP promoter did not like the way he acted and might not let him fight for him again we will see.

God I love Forrest, Forrest on Anderson Silva Fight

ripsid — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:12:00 GMT

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When Forrest Griffin ran out of the Octagon after getting sat down by Anderson Silva at UFC 101, most of us MMA media types thought, "There's something we won't be able to ask him about in an interview."

Apparently time heals all wounds because Forrest has finally broken his silence on what happened in the fight and what was going through his mind as he was jabbed into a living death by "The Spider" and he has apparently taken the advice he gave me at the MMA Expo about making fun of yourself.

Earlier this week on the The Jason Ellis Show, Forrest brought up the fight with Silva on his own when he was asked if he would be fighting Jon Jones in his next bout

"I hope I'm not fighting Jon "Bones" Jones. I might be. Fuck it; if I am, I am. I'll do it, but I'm not even training right now. That's a bad dude. That dude wil' whup my ass. Fuck it. What's the worst...I mean, it couldn't be worse than Anderson Silva. It shouldn't be worse than that, right? Every fight I go into, no matter what happens, it couldn't be worse than Anderson Silva," Griffin pointed out. "'Cos that shit was a year ago and literally every day people ask me something about that. 'What happened...What happened?' You want to know what happened? It's on page 23 [of my new book] if you need to know. Check it out."

"He punched you in the chin," Ellis deadpanned.

"Repeatedly," Griffin pointed out. "And I was very confused. I tried to punch him and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, 'Why would you do such a stupid thing?' He looked at me like, 'Oh, did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think you slow, slow white boy,' and then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad."

Ufc confirms cro cop will face mir at ufc 119

forsberg21 — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:53:25 GMT

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday made the Frank Mir vs. Mirko �Cro Cop� Filipovic UFC 119 main event official.

The plan for the promotion�s debut in Indianapolis was to pit Mir against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a rematch. That was before Nogueira revealed that he injured his hips in training. The injury requires surgery to both sides of his hips and to one of his knees.

The UFC was quick to react, enlisting Cro Cop, who is coming off of an impressive victory over Pat Barry at UFC 115 in June. The former Pride open-weight champion was quick to accept, knowing the UFC needed a marquee match-up, which also provided a big step back into the limelight for the Croatian on his second go around in the Octagon.

Mir is looking to rebound from losses to Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar in two of his three most recent fights. Those two losses sandwiched an impressive submission of Cheick Kongo.

-MMAWEEKLY-

Silva and hughes top ufc 117 payroll

forsberg21 — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:51:48 GMT

The California State Athletic Commission released the UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen fighter salary information on Monday. The main event featured UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva defending his title from Chael Sonnen. The event took place on Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to the athletic commissions (such as pay-per-view bonuses), are not included in the figures below.

MAIN CARD FIGHTERS:

-Anderson Silva: $200,000 (no win bonus) def. Chael Sonnen: $35,000

-Jon Fitch: $108,000 (includes $54,000 win bonus) def. Thiago Alves: $60,000

-Clay Guida: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus) def. Rafael dos Anjos: $12,000

-Matt Hughes: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Ricardo Almeida: $35,000

-Junior Dos Santos: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Roy Nelson: $15,000

PRELIMINARY CARD (NON-TELEVISED) FIGHTERS:

-Rick Story: $22,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus) def. Dustin Hazelett: $18,000

-Phil Davis: $18,000 (includes $9,000 win bonus) def. Rodney Wallace: $6,000

-Johny Hendricks: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Charlie Brenneman: $8,000

-Tim Boetsch: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Todd Brown: $6,000

-Stefan Struve: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Christian Morecraft: $6,000

-Dennis Hallman: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Ben Saunders: $12,000

UFC 117 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,029,000