American Top Team reduces fees to assist up-and-coming fighters

American Top Team has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts teams for the past ten years. Led by Ricardo Liborio who was awarded his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1993 from Master Carlson Gracie, ATT is located in Coconut Creek, Florida. There are many ATT gyms located throughout the country opened by [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/01/04/american-top-team-reduces-fees-to-assist-up-and-coming-fighters

Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto

BJ Penn Takes Random Shot At Nick Diaz, Representative Declares BJ?s Back

So the official BJPenn.com twitter account shot off this rather incendiary tweet at Nick Diaz today. . http://yfrog.com/oc35195437j – @nickdiaz209 Look how much bigger you are in this pic..I thought you were gonna scrap from the beginning homie? What was that coward fence holding strategy to tire out the smaller man? Street fighter my ass! [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/4pXpdlxalds/

Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku 

Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara Slated for UFC on Fuel TV 2

After both having three-fight win streaks snapped, middleweights Brian Stann and Alessio Sakara will look to get back on track when they're expected to square off at UFC on Fuel TV 2 on April 14 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27084/brian-stann-vs-alessio-sakara-slated-for-ufc-on-fuel-tv-2/

Paulo Filho Mirko Cro Cop Filipović Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher

Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara Slated for UFC on FUEL TV in Sweden

Brian Stann will look to get his career back on track when he meets heavy-handed Alessio Sakara at UFC on FUEL TV on April 14 in Stockholm, Sweden. News of the bout was first reported by MMANytt late Wednesday night, and later confirmed by Stann on Twitter.

Stann (11-4) had his three-fight winning streak snapped when he lost via second-round submission to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136. The loss marked Stann's first as a middleweight since dropping down from light heavyweight in 2010.

By the time Sakara (15-8, 1 NC) returns to action, it will be more than 13 months since he last fought inside the Octagon. The Italian-born Sakara lost a unanimous decision to Chris Weidman at UFC Live on Versus 3 last March and hasn't fought since. That loss also snapped a three-fight winning streak for the veteran "Legionarius."

Also expected for the event, which will take place at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Sweden, is Papy Abedi vs. James Head, DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire, and according to MMAnytt, Magnus Cedenblad vs. Francis Carmont, Cyrille Diabate vs. Jorgen Kruth and Besam Yousef vs. Simeon Thoresen.

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/01/05/brian-stann-vs-alessio-sakara-slated-for-ufc-on-fuel-tv-in-swed/

Dennis George Kultar Gill Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi

2012 MMA crystal ball: Who?s a UFC champ 12 months from now?

2012 MMA crystal ball: Who?s a UFC champ 12 months from now?

We keep hearing about mixed martial being in a period of dominant champions. Is that really true? Try to project the champions in each UFC weight class for the end of 2012 and see what you come up with.

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, Frank Trigg and myself debated four of the UFC's title belts during our "The MMA Insiders" show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas.

My choices are:

125 pounds - Joe Benavidez

135 pounds - Urijah Faber

145 pounds - Jose Aldo Jr.

155 pounds - Gray Maynard

170 pounds - Georges St-Pierre

185 pounds - Anderson Silva

205 pounds - Jon Jones

Heavyweight - Junior dos Santos

Trigg and Iole disagreed with me on 155 and heavyweight. They also came up with a few deep sleepers at lightweight and welterweight.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:

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? Get a peek at what Floyd Mayweather's cell will look like

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/2012-MMA-crystal-ball-Who-s-a-UFC-champ-12-mont?urn=mma-wp11094

Kendall Grove Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard

Jordan Mein ready to test himself against Tyron Woodley at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine

22-year old Strikeforce welterweight Jordan Mein has never been afraid of a challenge. It?s a mindset he developed in the formative years of his life, growing up both the son of a fighter/promoter and brother of a twin with severe cerebral palsy. In the first instance he learned about toughness first hand, training with his [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/01/04/jordan-mein-ready-to-test-himself

Hermes Franca Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye

UFC 141 Medical Suspensions: Lesnar, Diaz, Matyushenko, Gamburyan Out 6 Months

Brock Lesnar retired after suffering a first-round TKO to Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141 this past Friday in Las Vegas, but the former UFC heavyweight champion was still among four fighters who received six month medical suspensions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27062/ufc-141-medical-suspensions-lesnar-diaz-matyushenko-gamburyan-out-6-months/

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Sharps vs. Squares: A closer look at UFC 141 at betting odds reveals where the real money is going

Sharps vs. Squares: A closer look at UFC 141 at betting odds reveals where the real money is goingBetting on mixed martial arts is getting more sophisticated with each card. Gone are the days where sports books could fall victim to savvy bettors who had better knowledge of the undercards than the supposed experts did. The bookmakers have gotten wiser, but they're also battling the best minds from all over the sports betting world.

The players who traditionally pounded the major sports like NFL, college football and NBA, are taking their time to find middles, value scenarios and less than sturdy numbers in the world of MMA betting.

A closer look at the line movements for UFC 141 reveals some interesting cases for this Friday's fight card (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET).

[The UFC's top five stories of 2011]

The important number to look at is the percentage of bets taken and where the original odds have moved. The numbers listed are the opener, current and then percentage of bets place on each side with Bovada (former Bodogsports):

UFC 141 betting odds:

Diego Nunes (-325 to -380) 43.44%
Manny Gamburyan (+250 to +290) 56.56%

Jacob Volkmann (-265 to -200) 87.45%
Efrain Escudero (+205 to +160) 12.55%

Danny Castillo (-200 to -200) 48.18%
Anthony Njokuani (+160 to +160) 51.82%

Ross Pearson (-260 to -225) 93.64%
Junior Assuncao (+200 to +175) 6.36%

Nam Phan (-230 to -225) 82.84%
Jim Hettes (+180 to +175) 17.16%

Jon Fitch (-230 to -200) 94.42%
Johny Hendricks (+180 to +160) 5.58%

Donald Cerrone (-280 to -325) 59.31%
Nate Diaz (+220 to +250) 40.69%

Alistair Overeem (-145 to -115) 65.24%
Brock Lesnar (+115 to -115) 34.76

The translation here is that anytime the higher percentage of bets are placed on one side, the line should be moving in that direction, but that's not the case in several fights.

In the Fitch-Hendricks fight, the majority of the bets (94%) are on the favorite yet the number has dropped. That suggests that the bigger money amount is on the side of Hendricks. It's your classic public versus the big bettor scenario. The same goes for Overeem vs. Lesnar, Phan vs. Hettes, Pearson vs. Assuncao and Volkmann vs. Escudero.

Maybe the "sharps" know something in these fights. Maybe not. Either way, it's interesting to see where the big money is going.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Alistair Overeem sets personal issues aside for UFC bout vs. Brock Lesnar
? Donald Cerrone has a chance to avenge a slight from Nate Diaz
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Sharps-vs-Squares-A-closer-look-at-UFC-141-at-?urn=mma-wp11215

Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng David Heath Delson Heleno

Cerrone and Diaz in agreement about UFC 137 run-in, but still want to smash each other on Friday

Cerrone and Diaz in agreement about UFC 137 run-in, but still want to smash each other on FridayDonald Cerrone was annoyed with Nate Diaz back in October. He was insulted by an encounter the fighters had at UFC 137, but now he's come to understand why Diaz was rude.

Cerrone tried to say hello to him, and Diaz responded by telling him off. Diaz explained during workout day that's just the way it has to be. He'd rather fight someone he dislikes than a pal.

"Let's just say for second you're fighting some maniac from the street that's killed 20 people and they're just like crazy as hell, but you get a fair fight with him, and he's just biting his arm off and talking crazy [expletive]," Diaz told MMAjunkie during Tuesday's UFC 141 workout day (3:40 mark). "Then you're going to fight this nice guy that goes to church, and he just comes up and says, 'Hey, man, nice to meet you. It's going to be a good fight.' Who are you guys going to feel more comfortable fighting? I'd rather not go in like the rest of these guys. They're trying to put me in a comfort zone. "

Make sense?

Cerrone and Diaz clash at UFC 141. The UFC returns to its traditional start time of 10 p.m ET/7 p.m. PT.

Yesterday, Cerrone said he understands Diaz's rationale.

"Whatever has to do to justify his fighting tactics. That's what he does. I don't care. I can fight my best friend, we go in there and get paid. That's what we do for a living," Cerrone said. "So whatever he has to do get ready. Whether that's talk [expletive] or not friend people, I understand where he's coming from. 'No, I'm not going to shake your hand because I don't want to create a repore with you that I have to worry about later."

Sounds pretty nice, right? Make no mistake about it, these guys still want to beat the snot out of each other. Cerrone was also asked about going to the ground against Diaz, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

"If he wants to take the fight to the ground, go ahead," Cerrone told Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "He'll just lay on his back, get beat, flip me off and yell '209.'"

The "209" is a reference to the Stockton, Ca. area code. The Diaz brothers are proud of where they come from and carry a chip on their shoulder from one of the rougher towns in California. He meets a rough customer on Friday which should result in a Fight of the Night candidate.

Watch UFC 141 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Cerrone-and-Diaz-in-agreement-about-UFC-137-run-?urn=mma-wp11203

Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade