Ole Laursen Vs Zorobabel Moreira For Lightweight Championship at ONE FC 6

Despite Eduard Folayang’s lopsided win over Felipe Enomoto in what was dubbed a de facto title eliminator this passed weekend, the Filipino wu shu expert will not be receiving a shot at the inaugural ONE FC Lightweight Championship at the promotion’s sixth offering. Instead, Zorobabel Moreira will meet Ole Laursen for the title at ONE [...]

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/30205/ole-laursen-vs-zorobabel-moreira-for-lightweight-championship-at-one-fc-6/

Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett  Murilo Bustamante  Grant Campbell 

Dana White confirms Lyoto Machida will need another win to receive title-shot

In the ever-changing climate of the UFC it looks like another top contender has seen his title-shot laid to waste based on the discretion of promotional president Dana White. Light heavyweight Lyoto Machida, who earned his crack at the championship with a knockout of Ryan Bader last month, recently decided to pass on a short notice bout with 205-pound king Jon Jones based on the reduced amount of time he had been given to prepare. Apparently, not wanting to risk his opportunity without a full camp wasn’t received well by his bosses.

?Machida is not next in line now. He will need to fight somebody else first,? said White on this week?s episode of UFC Tonight.

“Before this happened, he was terrorizing me for a title shot. Then he said four weeks wasn’t enough,? White added angrily.

Machida Details Decision to Turn Down Title-Fight

While White?s words might upset some fighters, Machida?s camp have said in the past he would face any opponent with the right training in place and was open to competing again without a belt being on the line. ?The Dragon? is a former champion himself, beating Rashad Evans in 2009 to lay claim to the gold.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://www.fighters.com/09/05/dana-white-confirms-lyoto-machida-will-need-another-win-to-receive-title-shot

Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch

Jon Fitch, Nate Diaz, UFC 150: The Morning News Roundup ? 8.8.12

As the saying goes, it's all about the Benjamins ? which, if my handy "Biggie Smalls Street Vernacular Dictionary ? Volume 2" is accurate, means it's ultimately all about money.  Money is what fighters get when they take the biggest fights, sign the fattest contracts, and build up the most hype for whatever bouts they have scheduled for that week.  And hey, that's not a bad thing.  Fighting is a job, and the UFC is the top employer in the field, so why not make that wampum while you can?  Anyway, all this should clue you in on what today's morning news roundup is about: money.

  • UFC welterweight Jon Fitch really wants out of his rumored bout against Brazilian Erick Silva at UFC 153 ? or at least, he would much rather have a rematch with Hawaiian fighting legend B.J. Penn.  Case in point: the disingenuous-seeming trash-talk Fitch is spewing.  I don't think Penn is a coward, most (if not all) of the world doesn't think Penn is a coward, and I seriously doubt Fitch truly thinks Penn is a coward.  But Fitch knows a fight with Penn could have a bigger bottom line, so here come the harsh words!

 

  • UFC lightweight contender Nate Diaz is holding a pen, and the tip of that pen is hovering over a new contract that UFC president Dana White has unfurled and flattened on the table.  Seems like a no-brainer that he sticks with the UFC, no?  I mean, where else is he going to go?  The Strikeforce lightweight champ is his buddy, and for him to go to Bellator, he'd have to sit on the shelf for a while.

 

  • The media call for UFC 150 was yesterday and MMAWeekly's got the audio.  Personally, media calls are all the same to me ? the same spoon-fed hype and storylines, the same questions, the same faux-excitement.  They're just something that's done to drive media (and, subsequently, fan) interest, which presumably fuels pay-per-view sales.  The only time media calls are interesting is when PRIDE FC champ Fedor Emelianenko and his manager Vadim Finkelstein are on the line and we hear goats and water splashing and all sorts of weird stuff in the background (which actually happened once).

 

  • The folks at the UFC are helping erect a LGBTQ community center in Las Vegas, N.V., which is a pretty altruistic thing to do if you ask me.  MMAJunkie's got the quote from UFC executive Reed Harris:

"The UFC supports many worthwhile causes, and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center's goals of supporting human rights and offering programs for health and wellness are important causes that the entire UFC organization supports," Harris told MMAJunkie.com.  "We are pleased to be able to show support for an organization that offers health and wellness programs and seeks to better our community."

This little tidbit has nothing to do with money, but it's a good deed that deserves some recognition.

That's all for now.  Now, please, just leave me alone.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jon-fitch-nate-diaz-ufc-150-morning-news-122124512--mma.html

Dan Henderson Josh Hendricks Ed Herman Heath Herring

UFC 150 Preview: The Main Card Breakdown

Because the area was a lawless wasteland, the first two UFCs ever were held in Denver, Colorado.  It was an interesting time back then in the winter of 1993: as a chill hung over the McNichols Sports Arena, within a sumo wrestler was literally getting his teeth kicked out while a bunch of other combat sports newbies were huffing and puffing and on the verge of altitude sickness.  Denver, you see, is so far above sea level that flying birds are in danger of inadvertently leaving Earth's atmosphere.  The UFC has returned to the area many times since, and on Saturday night will be holding UFC 150 there.  So who on the main card will be fully acclimated to the thin air and who will look like they're suffering from asthma?  Here's a breakdown of the fights to tell you that very thing!

[Listen: Benson Henderson talks with Ariel Helwani about the rematch]

  • Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar ? Edgar became the UFC's lightweight champ after he went five rounds with B.J. Penn.  Then he fought Penn for five rounds again, fought Gray Maynard a couple times for a total of nine rounds, and faced former WEC star Henderson, who took the belt from him after another protracted five-round war.  To say that Edgar spends a lot of time in the Octagon is an understatement.  It would be more accurate to say that he lives in the Octagon, and that UFC president Dana White has often floated the idea of charging the New Jersey-based fighter rent.  Unless he can nail a guillotine choke, Henderson is pretty much a decision-type guy as well, so what this one boils down to is who made the best adjustments from their last fight.  Has Edgar trained to avoid those up-kicks that wrecked his nose (an injury that required surgery and forced the postponement of this rematch earlier in the year)?  Will Henderson continue to throw kicks that Edgar catches and use the opportunity to punch him repeatedly in the face while Edgar stands there holding his leg (which happened last time)?  If adjustments have been made, I can see the "Answer" racking up enough points to take the decision over "Smooth".  Either way, though, this one is going the distance.  Oh, and both men will be in great shape.
  • Don Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard ? When it comes to knocking people out, lightweight "The Ultimate Fighter ? Season Two" veteran Guillard is king.  Unfortunately, when it comes to defending submissions, the "Young Assassin" is like a knave or squire, or perhaps even just a scullery maid.  But fear not!  For although former WEC star Cerrone is great at grappling, he's also great at standing and banging ? which is hopefully what we'll get for at least the first few minutes of this co-main event hoedown.  Granted, once things get too hairy for him on the feet, "Cowboy" can flip the switch, take things horizontal and tap Guillard out, but we should at least get some fireworks.  I'm picking Cerrone to win this one via choke, hopefully later rather than sooner.

[Related: Old pals Cerrone, Guillard won't hold back one bit]

  • Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman ? Middleweight jiu-jitsu expert Shields ruled Strikeforce with an iron fist, even handling Dan Henderson like he was nothing in his last fight with the organization.  But since crossing over to the UFC, Shields' performances can best be summed up by the word "meh".  TUF 3 runner-up Herman's career has been a mixed bag of dominant wins and crushing defeats, yet he's a gamer, and if he can prevent Shields from getting him down, he can clinch his way to a decision.  That's not going to happen, as Shield will get him down and tie him in knots, but hey, if Herman was going to win, that's how he'd do it.
  • Yushin Okami vs. Buddy Roberts ? Former middleweight contender Okami didn't look so hot against champ Anderson Silva, and when he took on Tim Boetsch at UFC 144, he was dominant until Boetsch said "Enough of this crap!" and simply beat him unconscious.  Replacing Rousimar Palhares as Okami's dance partner is Roberts, who had a less-than-inspiring UFC debut back in June and who's clearly taking a big step up in competition with this match-up.  Look, I'm not going to pretend that Roberts has the chops to beat Okami if Okami is sharp and "in the zone", but if the Japanese fighter is truly riding a fast train to Suckville, losing to the Greg Jackson-trained young buck would likely mean the end of him in the Octagon.  I predict Okami takes this one by getting Roberts down and pounding on him. And if doesn't? see ya, "Thunder".

[Related: Cagewriter breaks down all the fights on the undercard]

  • Justin Lawrence vs. Max Holloway ? Okay, okay, Lawrence looked extremely impressive earning a win via knockout at the TUF 15 finale, but does that mean we should have a TUFer on the main card of a pay-per-view event so soon after his respective season?  Anyway, Lawrence can strike pretty well, and his opponent ? Hawaii native Holloway ? hasn't really made an impact in two UFC appearances (he lost handily to Dustin Poirier and decisioned Pat Schilling), so this bout is either going to be quick and violent or it's going to make you call your cable company and say you ordered this UFC by mistake.  I'm leaning towards the former, with Lawrence emerging victorious.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Jason Cole: Making a case that Eli Manning is better than brother Peyton
? Usain Bolt rips Carl Lewis: 'I have no respect for him'
? Video: Hope Solo's road to soccer gold medal was a long one

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-150-preview-main-card-breakdown-213107759--mma.html

Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie Royler Gracie

Junior dos Santos victim of hit-and-run in Brazil

After news surfaced of yet another UFC champion involved in an accident in Brazil it’s beginning to appear as though driving a car in the South American nation may be as dangerous an endeavor as competing as a high-level Mixed Martial Artist. Fortunately, as was the case with Jose Aldo, heavyweight Junior dos Santos also [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/09/04/junior-dos-santos-victim-of-hit-and-run-in-brazil/

Joachim Hansen Antoni Hardonk Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell

Report: Cormier vs. Mir Targeted for November 2 in OKC

The UFC's first, and likely only, co-promotional bout has a date and a location. "Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir" is reportedly being targeted for Saturday November 2 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sources revealed the story earlier today. The November event will likely take place at the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Other bout announcements for "Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir" will likely be made in the coming weeks.

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/30212/report-cormier-vs-mir-targeted-for-november-2-in-okc/

Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin  Jason Hollywood Chambers