UFC MMA archive

I know I said that yesterday’s column on Jon Jones’ poor public relations reaction in the wake of UFC 151’s cancellation was the last I’d say about the topic. Turns out, I spoke too soon.

It happens from time to time, and I apologize.

Over the last week, we’ve been looking for people to pin UFC 151’s cancellation on.

We’ve pointed at Dana White and UFC for putting together an event so heavily reliant on the main event that it was impossible to press on when that bout fell apart at the 11th hour. Jon Jones has caught his share of blame because rather than take a tricky fight at the last minute, he put his career and “his brand” above the needs of the company that helped him get to where he is today. Jones’ head coach, Greg Jackson, took some blame as well; after all, he was the one who told Jones fighting Chael Sonnen with such little time to prepare was a bad decision.

Not many people blamed Dan Henderson for not reporting his torn MCL to the UFC sooner, though more people probably should, and no one really seems to care all that much that Lyoto Machida turned down the fight.

There’s one group we’ve missed while passing out of blame: us.

We – the fans and the media – have to shoulder some of the blame for the collapse of this card.

We’re the ones who are so dissatisfied with a late replacement bout featuring a pair of welterweight ranked in the top 25 serving as the main event that White and company felt they had no option but to pull the plug.

Jay Hieron is 11-1 in his last 12 fights, and that one loss was a questionable split decision defeat in a welterweight title fight with currently unbeaten Bellator champ Ben Askren, who happens to be ranked #12 in the world.

Jake Ellenberger has headlined three consecutive televised events, and has been entrenched in the top 10 of the welterweight division since he stopped Jake Shields nearly a year ago. What more does he need to do before we deem him an acceptable candidate to serve in the co-main event of a pay-per-view?


Read More: UFC 151 Cancellation: Fans and Media to Blame Too | The Province

MMA star Bibiano Fernandes and fledgling Asian MMA promotion ONE Fighting Championship appear to be a perfect match for each other. Even if that only lasts for one fight.

The 32-year-old Fernandes, who headlines the Singapore-based organization’s fifth show ONE FC: Pride of Nation in Manila, Philippines against Gustavo Falciroli on Friday, built a name for himself fighting for most of his career in Japan. Joining the Dream organization in March 2009, the Brazilian who now calls Vancouver home reeled off four quick victories to capture the featherweight Grand Prix title and become the organization’s first 145-pound champion.

He beat Japanese favourites Masakazu Imanari and Hiroyuki Takaya in the process, and really captured the interest of the fans overseas with his strong grappling skills. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt then successfully defended his belt with a split-decision victory over Joachim Hansen before losing it in a rematch with Takaya at the 2010 New Year’s Eve show.

After nine months off, he returned to Dream, this time entering the bantamweight Grand Prix, and he won his opening bout with a bang submitting Takafumi Otsuka in 41 seconds. He followed that with two wins on Dec. 31, 2011 to become Dream’s first 135-pound title-holder.


Read More: MMA star Fernandes finds home with ONE FC - sportsnet.ca

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titlist Frankie Edgar has stepped up to fight reigning featherweight king Jose Aldo in UFC 153 in October.

Edgar will be stepping in for the injured Erik Koch, who was supposed to challenge Aldo.

“Obviously, we've had a rough couple of weeks here at the UFC, and then sure enough, I walk in to work today, and Erik Koch is hurt. But Frankie Edgar, being the stud and the warrior that he is, steps up and accepts this fight,” said White in Yahoo! Sports.

Edgar, however, would have to go down to the featherweight level to face Aldo.

He last fought and lost as a lightweight against Benson Henderson on August 11.

White was also glad that Edgar was willing to fight, avoiding a fiasco that led to the cancellation of UFC 151.

Last week, Dan Henderson pulled out of a September 1 title fight against champion Jon Jones.

White offered Chael Sonnen as a replacement for the injured Henderson, but Jones declined.

Jones cited that he didn't want to fight a different opponent on 8 days’ notice.

As a result, the event was scrapped and Jones will now defend the belt against Vitor Belfort on September 22 in UFC 152.


www-abs-cbnnews-com/sports/09/01/12/ufc-edgar-steps-fight-aldo

As time passes and the sport of MMA grows, one can quickly be overwhelmed by the sheer number of cards that come to pass each calendar year.

While time marches on, some of the best cards (for one reason or another, yet all reasons relative) seem doomed to be forgotten. It’s getting harder and harder to find shows from the past that retain the kind of quality that makes them watchable, and when you go to the UFC store, the number of past shows you can buy is quickly fading.

One can only hope that Zuffa will begin to re-release their back catalogue onto Blu-ray, for just as VHS was eclipsed by DVD, now DVD is being eclipsed by high definition, notably in the form of Blu-ray.

Thus far, the only whole UFC show to get the Blu-ray treatment was UFC 100, and while that was a wonderful present from Zuffa, there are still many cards that deserve to be preserved for the sake of history, not to mention the viewing pleasure of new fans who’ve never gotten to see Randy Couture’s first ever epic brawl with Pedro Rizzo, in addition to countless other great fights that are every bit as thrilling as those of today.

While it seems that Dana White and Zuffa have no real interest in releasing shows that have Blu-ray counterparts to the standard DVD releases, we can only hope. Blu-ray is here to stay, and eventually, regular DVDs will be a thing of the past.

In the spirit of that hope, here are some shows I believe merit the Blu-ray treatment. While many of us might not have gotten to see these shows live, Blu-ray is the next best thing, and like the sport itself, it’s as real as it gets without being there.


MMA Events That Deserve the Blu-Ray Treatment | Bleacher Report

Here we go again. Another injury has befallen a UFC pay-per-view main event fighter, as Friday it was discovered that Erik Koch has been forced to pull out of his UFC 153 matchup against Jose Aldo on Oct. 13. It's the sixth such PPV casualty this year. And for the second straight time it's a championship fight challenger who has had to pull out, leaving the UFC needing to find a new top contender.

We all know what happened with UFC 151, now the first ever event the organization has had to outright cancel. This time the UFC had a little less trouble. Frankie Edgar, the former lightweight champion, was eager to step up -- after stepping down in weight, as it were -- to fight for a title for the seventh straight time.

With the new UFC 153 main event, this will also make it two straight numbered shows headlined by a title bout in which the challenger is coming from a different weight class -- UFC 152 on Sept. 22 in Toronto now features light-heavyweight Jon Jones defending his belt against Vitor Belfort, whose last six fights have been at middleweight or at a catchweight below 205 pounds.

Does this illustrate a possible problem for the UFC? Have the divisions become so thin that the organizers now need to go outside weight classes to find the most suitable contenders?

Read More: Brydon on UFC: A super fight too soon? - sportsnet.ca

Indelibly linked with the ‘Thrilla in Manila’, where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier laid their bitter boxing rivalry to rest some 37 years ago, the Araneta Coliseum welcomed “the future of fighting” on Friday in the Philippines’ biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) event.

A tied, yellowing banner marking the date of that brutal battle in 1975 reminded fans of the Araneta’s place in boxing history, but most of the 16,500 people packed into the domed venue were not even born when Ali met Frazier in that last great clash of heavyweight titans.

While the full contact sport of MMA has gone from strength to strength over the last 10 years, boxing, and the heavyweight division in particular, has fallen on hard times.

Years of greed and self interest, and a lack of direction from the alphabet soup of governing bodies, has brought the once proud sport to its knees. Only a handful of superstars such as the Philippines’ own Manny Pacquiao stand between boxing and sporting irrelevance.

Victor Cui, the CEO of Asia’s biggest MMA promotion ONE Fighting Championship, told Reuters one of the keys to success was figuring out what the current generation of fight fans want.


Read More: MMA Thrills New Fight Fans in Manila | The Jakarta Globe

MMA has been called the fastest growing sport in the world by many. Ticket sales and global appeal are at an all time high. However, popularity and growth can be like mountains. Once you get to the top, it's easier to fall.

With that being said, what are some things that could stunt the growth of MMA? No sport or promotion is perfect, even the one on the top.

So let's look into some issues that could lead to stalling the growth of the world's fastest growing sport.


More: MMA: 6 Things That Can Stop the Growth of the Sport | Bleacher Report

After years of speculation, it appears a superfight between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva may be close to becoming a reality.

"I think we're pretty close. I mean if Georges St-Pierre beats [Carlos] Condit, that could be the next fight," UFC president Dana White told Ariel Helwani on FUEL TV's UFC Tonight, on Tuesday.

"These guys want to fight each other now," explained White. "If you're a fighter and you've dominated as long as Anderson has and you've been great as long as Georges has, you finally want to say, 'I think I can beat this guy.'"

If the fight were to take place, White admitted that Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas would be the most likely location.

White went on to describe how Silva had discussed moving down to 170 pounds to challenge St-Pierre for the welterweight title, but that the bout would likely take place at a catch-weight of 180 pounds.

White said that St-Pierre plans to stay at 170 pounds and that a move to 185 would be a permanent one for the Canadian fighter.

St-Pierre (22-2) is slated to defend his title against interim champion Carlos Condit in November at UFC 154 in Montreal. St-Pierre has won nine straight bouts dating back to 2007, but has spent the last year recovering from an ACL injury to his right knee.

Silva (32-4) is undefeated since entering the UFC in 2006, posting 15 consecutive wins in the octagon, including 14 title defences.




UFC president believes St-Pierre vs. Silva superfight is close

UFC star Jon Jones has absorbed more hits against his reputation lately than he has in the cage.

But if "Bones" Jones had the chance to make his decision again, he would still tell UFC President Dana White that he wouldn't accept a replacement light heavyweight title defence on eight days' notice.

Jones was held responsible when the promotion scrapped the UFC 151 card that was set for Sept. 1. Light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson injured his knee leading up to the fight and Jones declined a replacement fight with Chael Sonnen.

White bashed Jones for refusing to accept the fight, calling the decision "selfish" and "disgusting."

UFC was forced to cancel a major card for the first time in his 11 years under White's control.

White said calling off the Las Vegas slate was one of his "all-time lows."

The 25-year-old Jones, one of UFC's brightest stars, said he had no regrets in turning down the fight. He has agreed to defend his title against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 on Sept. 22 in Toronto.

Read more: UFC light heavyweight champ Jones defends decision to back out of fight

UFC has emerged as the giant in mixed martial arts, but there's a new organization ready to compete.

Former Muay Thai and kickboxing legend Ray Sefo believes in the global appeal of MMA. He's predicting the market is ready for more MMA and announced the launch of his new organization, the MMA World Series of Fighting.

"I believe there is a lot more talent out there that is floating all over the place," said Ray Sefo, President of World Series of Fighting.

He hopes to hold 8 to 10 shows a year at the Planet Hollywood Theatre. Former UFC fighter Miguel Torres will headline the first card on November 3rd.

"Any organization has the potential to grow as big as the UFC, it just depends on management, leadership, and fighters they have," said Torres.

The organization signed a one-year deal with the NBC Sports Network to carry their fights.

MMA continues to grow as the organization is ready to jump into the cage and compete.


Video: New Organization Emerges in MMA - 8 News NOW

Earlier today, former MMA fighter Jarrod Wyatt pled guilty to first degree murder and mayhem for one of the more grotesquely violent crimes in recent memory; in 2010, Wyatt cut an 18-inch hole in his friend and sparring partner Taylor Powell's chest before ripping out Powell's heart, tongue and face, all while tripping on mushrooms. As part of his plea Wyatt will serve at least 50 years in prison.

Fifty years does sound like a pretty good deal considering the barbaric nature of the crime, the scene of which is somehow more horrific than you'd imagine: MMA Fighter Who Ripped Friend

Brock Lesnar still generates an abundance of opinions and media. It helps that he’s still in the WWE limelight these days, of course. His last MMA bout was on the last day of 2011, losing a forgettable fight to Alistair Overeem.

But is he UFC Hall-of-Fame material?

The camps are big on both sides. As a former UFC champion, one of the few heavyweights to defend his title, one would think that his nomination would be a matter of time.

But, not so fast.

Looking at the totality of Lesnar’s athletic career. it’s clear that he deserves induction into several HOFs:

Amateur wrestling HOFs (2000 NCAA D-1 champion, 2-time NCAA All-American, 106-5 collegiate record)

Professional Wrestling HOF (Undisputed WWE Champion)

State of Minnesota athletic HOF

But I’m digressing. We’re talking about the UFC Hall-of-Fame.

Lesnar will forever be respected by the professional wrestling community for showing that professional wrestlers are athletes too and not simply performers.

Lesnar chose to go the garden path, taking on better-skilled opponents early and often in order to get to the top faster.

It worked.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the good and bad in Lesnar’s UFC career:

Read More:

In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Jon Jones said that Dan Henderson got lucky that he injured his knee and couldn’t fight Jones at the now cancelled UFC 151 event. “I haven’t said that anywhere, but you can be the first to put that out. There’s some unfinished business, for sure. I don’t think Henderson handled the situation wisely, by making fun of me for not taking the fight (against Sonnen).

"Dude, you just dodged a bullet and you’re talking trash to me? You got injured and you’re going to talk trash that I didn’t fight Chael? He came out with this ad that said, ‘Buy a Hendo shirt and get a free Jon Jones shirt to dry your car off with.’ You’re making fun of me, yet you got hurt and dodged a bullet? You’re sitting at home with ice on your knee and I’m here doing pushups again because I thought my camp should have been over. I have stuff to do and you’re sitting around your home playing video games, or whatever you do during the day. Training camps suck, bro. Training camps suck. The fight is the fun part. So I’ve got to suffer all over again, do a training camp all over again, and you’re at home, laying down, having somebody feed you soup and you’re going to make fun of me because you got hurt? You should shut up and be grateful you dodged a bullet.”

Jones is definitely not taking all the criticism well. At first he accepted the responsibility of the UFC 151 cancellation. Then he amended that, saying he would “carry the cross” for the UFC, as if he is a martyr. Then he redirected blame to Dan Henderson. Now he’s on the offensive, firing back at anyone that’s pointing the finger at him. It is to be expected, one can only take so much. And if he gets past Vitor Belfort, with all this trash talking between them, you can bet the UFC will move to re-book this fight.

In a video interview boxing Hall of Famer and knockout artists Mike Tyson said that he would have definitely gone into Mixed Marital Arts if the paydays were there like they were in Boxing. “I want to slam them, I want to hold them, I want to choke them. That’s what you want to do anyway if you’re in a street fight right? You want to hit them, but you want to get them too, real good. Get them down, get on top of them. So, you have more aspects. If it’s not working this way, you can kick them in the ************************ing head, you know? If they (MMA) had big paydays, yes, no doubt about it.”


Read More: MMA News: Mike Tyson, Chris Weidman, Frankie Edgar, World Series of Fighting and More

Camille Jones remembers when sons Jon and Arthur found out there was just one oatmeal cookie left in the house.

The two boys decided to wrestle for it. Younger brother Chandler had a different idea, however.

"And while they're wrestling, Chandler would come up and eat the cookie and watch them wrestle," Mrs. Jones recalled.

Years later, all three Jones boys are at the top of the sporting food chain.

Arthur Jones, 26, is in his third season with the Baltimore Ravens. The six-foot-three 315-pound defensive end was taken in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Jon (Bones) Jones, 25, is the reigning UFC light-heavyweight champion. The six-foot-four 205-pounder will defend his mixed martial arts title against Brazil's Vitor (The Phenom) Belfort in Toronto at UFC 152 on Sept. 22.

And 22-year-old Chandler Jones is a rookie defensive lineman with the New England Patriots. The six-foot-five 260-pound first-round pick made the highlight reel in the Pats' season opener Sunday when he stripped the ball off Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker, allowing teammate Dont'a Hightower to run it in for the touchdown in a 34-13 win over the Titans.

The Jones boys will be front and centre later this month. The day after Jon (16-1 as a pro fighter) defends his UFC title at the Air Canada Centre, the Patriots and Ravens square off at M&T Bank Stadium.


Read More: From UFC to NFL, Jones brothers making names for themselves

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, from a variety of other combat sports. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be traced back to the ancient Olympics where one of the earliest documented systems of codified full range unarmed combat was utilized in the sport of Pankration. Various mixed style contests took place throughout Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s. The combat sport of Vale Tudo that had developed in Brazil from the 1920s was brought to the United States by the Gracie family in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is the largest MMA promotion company worldwide.[1]

The more dangerous Vale Tudo style bouts of the early UFCs were made safer with the implementation of additional rules, leading to the popular regulated form of MMA seen today. Originally promoted as a competition with the intention of finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors were pitted against one another with minimal rules.[2] Later, fighters employed multiple martial arts into their style while promoters adopted additional rules aimed at increasing safety for competitors and to promote mainstream acceptance of the sport.[3] The name mixed martial arts was coined by Rick Blume, president and CEO of Battlecade, in 1995.[4] Following these changes, the sport has seen increased popularity with a pay per view business that rivals boxing and professional wrestling.


Mixed martial arts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When it comes to finances, MMA is not like other sports. A football fan could have spent all day Sunday watching football without spending a dime. Network television provided plenty of games to satiate the need for football for even the most avid fans. Sure, a fan could spend extra for the NFL Network's Red Zone coverage, or to watch Monday or Thursday night's games on cable. But spending money isn't necessary to watch most football games.

Outside of five cards on Fox and the upstart World Series of Fighting on NBC, MMA fans need to spend money to see fights. It's not a cheap sport to love. Between pay-per-views, cable subscriptions, tickets and DVDs, fans drop a lot of cash on MMA.


Read More: Loving MMA isn

After cancelling UFC 151, there was no way that UFC president Dana White was going to pull the plug again if at all possible, even after both his UFC 153 main and co-main events fell apart on the same day.

Jose Aldo was slated to face late replacement Frankie Edgar, putting his featherweight title on the line, in the UFC 153 headliner, while Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was to make his final Octagon appearance against Glover Teixeira in the top supporting bout.

That was until Aldo fell out with a foot injury related to a recent motorcycle crash, and Jackson also dropped off the card with an undisclosed injury.

Just one day later and UFC officials have shifted gears and put three bouts together to replace the two that fell apart.

While UFC middleweight Anderson Silva wasn’t quick enough to step in and save UFC 151 from collapse, he did make a move in time to help keep UFC 153, which takes place on his home turf in Brazil, moving forward.

Frankie Edgar drops off the card altogether, but Silva steps into the main event to face Stephan Bonnar in a three-round, 205-pound main event, White told USA Today.

Teixeira remains on the fight card, but will now square off with Fabio Maldonado.

Read More: UFC 153 Shell Shocked, Anderson Silva and Stephan Bonnar Step Into New Main Event - Yahoo! Sports

N ten short days the UFC will be crowning it’s very first flyweight champion. Joseph Benavidez will face off against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 152 in Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. Even with the addition of the flyweight division, most probably don’t know who most of these fighters are. Many of them had to fight in higher weight classes, or they had to fight in the lower organizations just to fight at this weight.

Both Benavidez and Demetrious fought at 135 lbs. (bantamweight) or higher. When the largest organization comes calling, you don’t say no just because they don’t have your weight class. You sign the dotted line and fight at a higher class. Many of these fighters did very well, Demetrious had a title shot just before moving down and Benavidez previously fought the a WEC title.

Other guys like Ian McCall fought in organizations like Tachi Palace and had called him the best flyweight in the world. After two close defeats to Johnson, McCall will have to wait to get his first crack at the flyweight belt.

The division as a whole is weak, not because they don’t have good fighters, they actually have some of the best, but because they just don’t have the numbers. With currently only roughly 15 or so fighters under contract with the UFC, we may be seeing some of the same fights for a while. Don’t despair though this is one of the most exciting divisions with up and comers like Chris Cariaso, John Dodson, Louis Gaudinot and Ulysses Gomez waiting for their chance at the champion so no matter who is fighting, it will be spectacular.

So stay tuned for next weeks first ever UFC flyweight title match between Johnson and Benavidez, and plenty more from this division in the future.



MMA Analysis: A Closer Look at the UFC Flyweight Division

First and foremost, I cannot articulate enough just how much I support anyone and everyone who feels that MMA is the sport for them. It’s no secret that it takes a special kind of person to willingly put themselves in a position where bodily harm is not only a possibility, but an expectation.

That being said, there is a fine line between inclusivity and logic, and a finer line even still between extension of opportunity and capitalizing on spectacle.

The announced partnership between the U.K.’s Wheeled Warriors and the Ultimate Cage Fighting Championships, which will make wheelchair mixed martial arts a reality this year, is one that very pointedly brings such boundaries into the spotlight.

The upcoming card, slated to take place in South Yorkshire, England will feature a series of bouts between fighters who will utilize sport-specific wheelchairs similar to those found in wheelchair basketball or football.

The theory behind the concept is undeniably an admirable one– make the sport accessible to any and all comers regardless of physical limitations. However, it has yet to be seen whether or not interest in this new format will truly be driven by a push toward inclusivity, or a product of its controversial nature.

Athletes with physical disabilities are by no means unheard of in MMA; most notably Nick Newell, who competes with only one fully functional arm, has made waves in the XFC with a perfect 8-0 record against entirely able-bodied competition. But wheelchairs have yet to make their way into the cage, and with amputee MMA already as successful as it is, there seems little reason to start now.


Read More: prommanow-com/2012/09/14/wheelchair-mma-hits-the-u-k-to-mixed-reaction/

The Power of One MMA’s Art of Combat 1 drew an estimated 1,500 to First Arena on Saturday night.

Half the arena was closed off to allow spectators a closer view of the octagon, and the other half was almost packed. The floor seats were also just about full.

Power of One MMA announced it would have another card at First Arena on Nov. 10.

In the four bouts that took place Saturday before press time, Joe Cepero from the Power of One in Vestal was the lone Southern Tier fighter to win. He claimed a unanimous decision at 155 pounds, using his knees and a late takedown to defeat Ryan Decilles of D&B Combat Sports of Akwesasne, N.Y.

Shane Wrenn represented Power of One from Elmira, and he dropped a close decision at 135 pounds to Kylan Bomberry of D&B Combat Sports. Wrenn expended so much effort that he threw up after the match and had to be helped from the ring.

Read More: www-pressconnects-com/article/20120915/SPORTS/309150066/MMA-event-draws-large-crowd-First-Arena?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s