UFC 137 Results: Cerrone Submits Siver, Palaszewski KOs Griffin on Spike Prelims

UFC 137's preliminary card continued on Spike TV, where Donald Cerrone moved to 4-0 inside the Octagon with a first-round submission of Dennis Siver and fellow WEC vet Bart Palaszewski knocked out Tyson Griffin in the opening round in his UFC debut.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/26492/ufc-137-results-cerrone-submits-siver-palaszewski-kos-griffin-on-spike-prelims/

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UFC 137 Breakdown: The Main Event

B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz‘s mutual respect and admiration may have rendered them unusually subdued coming into their upcoming bout, but the moment these two step inside the Octagon at UFC 137, there will be guaranteed violence. The Zuffa brass may not exactly feel “fortunate” following all the main event turmoil leading up to this [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/10/28/ufc-137-breakdown-the-main-event/

Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto

Dana White Defends UFC From Anti-Gay Accusations, Says He'd Welcome Gay Fighter

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LAS VEGAS -- With increased exposure comes increased scrutiny, as the UFC has learned through its fast rise to becoming a sports powerhouse.

As the promotion continues preparation for its network television premiere on FOX on November 12, they have faced a recent, ongoing campaign led by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, charging that the UFC is unfit for children due to abusive and bigoted language by UFC president Dana White and his fighters, a charge White denies.

As part of that campaign, the union, which represents more than 50,000 workers on the Las Vegas Strip but is embroiled in bitter litigation with Fertitta-owned Station Casinos -- recently launched the website UnfitForChildren.org that details some of White's more controversial quotes. More recently, they have pressured some of the UFC's sponsors to pull advertising dollars from the promotion because of their " history of tolerating homophobic conduct that is hostile to millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people all over the world who struggle every day against bigotry and discrimination."

Asked about the recent developments, White argued that they were based in politics more than substance, and said the UFC would gladly welcome a gay fighter.

"Seriously, if you guys look at some of the stuff I said in the last 10 years, some of it stupid, some of it whatever, that's the one that bothers me. It's the only one that bothers me," White said. "The fact that these losers from the culinary union can go out and say I'm a homophobe and things like that, because It's the furthest thing from the truth. I think enough of you here know me that if I was, I'd tell you I was, and I'd tell you why I was. It's not true and it's just something these guys can throw up on a cute little website."

Asked whether he should be better policing anyone in his organization, White said, "I definitely should be policing myself," but noted that he has 375 fighters on his roster and said he could not possibly police every word out of their mouths. A letter to UFC sponsor Anheuser-Busch specifically targeted several recent incidences they termed "anti-gay," that involved Joe Rogan, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Roridgo Nogueira, Michael Bisping and White himself.

"I do what I can do for these guys," White said. "You're dealing with human beings. I love when you get these organizations that try to ... I guess I call it the holier-than-thou approach. Really? So when these guys make mistakes and things happen, bad things happen, you want to point the finger and say the whole organization is bad and these are bad people because these are things they've done? F--- you. Guess what? Everybody makes mistakes and everybody does things that are wrong sometimes. Everybody. I don't care who you are, I don't care what you do for a living and what you've done. I don't deal with the holier-than-thou b-------. We do the best we can do."

White said that while a few fighters occasionally step out of line, the vast majority -- "300-something," in his view are inspirational, role- model types to kids and adults.

Though there has never been an openly gay fighter in the UFC, White said there would be no problems for that individual under his watch.

"I'll tell you right now, if there's a gay fighter in the UFC, I wish he would come out," he said. "I could care less if there's a gay fighter in the UFC. There probably is, and there's probably more than one. It's 2012. Give me a break."

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/10/28/dana-white-defends-anti-gay-accusations-says-ufc-would-welcome/

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki 

UFC releases sneak peek at UFC on FOX Primetime

This Sunday the UFC will up its presence on FOX with an hour-long UFC Primetime special dedicated to the company?s November 12 debut on network television, a card headlined by heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez defending his title against Brazilian bomber Junior dos Santos. The feature rotating around UFC on FOX 1 is set to air [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/27/ufc-releases-sneak-peek-at-ufc-on-fox-primetime

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Josh Koscheck says he wants to fight Carlos Condit at UFC 137

Polarizing pugilist Josh Koscheck is quickly shedding his ?bad boy? persona for that of ?problem solver? after going online to once again volunteer his services in hopes of replacing an injured peer at the last minute. The 33-year old?s latest plea came as the result of welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre?s removal from an October [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/19/josh-koscheck-says-he-wants-to-fight-carlos-condit-at-ufc-137

Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai  Mac Danzig  Karen Darabedyan

Mirko ?Cro Cop? Filipovic Prepared to Call it Quits

It’s hard to argue that any fighter has ever entered the UFC with as much hoopla as Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (Pictured) did back in February of 2007. Unfortunately for the Croatian, he wasn’t able to replicate the magic he created in other organizations over to the Octagon. While CC boasts an impressive 27-9-2 (1 [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/93977/mirko-cro-cop-filipovic-prepared-to-call-it-quits/

Rashad Evans Urijah Faber Wagnney Fabiano Kevin Kimbo Slice Ferguson

Nine Ways of Looking at UFC 137

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Nick DiazQuestions, concerns, comments, and even a little statistical analysis, sort of: UFC 137 gives us a chance to sort through it all, in no particular order. I don't know about you, but to me it sounds like a perfect way to while away the hours on a Friday.

I. Has Nick Diaz ever been happy or content with any situation, ever?
I don't want to call the guy a complainer, but...no, he's a complainer. It's always something with Diaz. Either he's not making enough money or he's being forced into a fight he doesn't want or he wishes he'd taken that boxing contract instead. It makes you wonder, has he ever felt like he got what he wanted in this business -- in this life! -- even once? Most fighters I know go to great lengths to avoid negative thinking, but Diaz seems to thrive on it. It's almost as if the thing motivating him to work so hard in the gym is his belief that the deck is stacked against him. As if he has to be better than everyone else, because the world wants to see him fail. In reality, it's the other way around. Plenty of people want to see Diaz succeed. That's why they keep giving him one opportunity after another, even when he torches olive branches as quickly as they are extended. But hey, whatever works. If, in order to succeed, Diaz needs to feel like he is constantly mired in misery thanks to a universe looking to cheat and crush him at every turn, then so be it. You'd just like to see the guy enjoying the ride a little more while he's on it, because it won't last forever.

II. Age difference, in months, between Mirko Filipovic and Roy Nelson: 27. Believe it or not, "Cro Cop" is just a shade over two years older than Nelson, though you'd swear he had a decade on him. In fighter years, maybe he does. In addition to his kickboxing career, Filipovic is a veteran of nearly 40 pro MMA bouts, while Nelson has about half that many. Nelson also benefitted from fighting the Bo Cantrells and Vince Luceros of the world early in his career, while Cro Cop came up in the Pride heavyweight division back when it was stocked with household names. Still, when you think about this fight it seems like a contest between the old school and the (at least somewhat) new. It doesn't seem like a fight between two dudes who could have, theoretically at least, played on the same high school basketball team.




III. How much did his knockout of Pat Barry really help Cheick Kongo's confidence? Without a doubt, it was one of the greatest comebacks in MMA history, but did you see his face afterward? He looked like a man who had just woken up from a terrible nightmare, and while relieved to find out it wasn't real, was still not totally convinced that there were no monsters under the bed. That's as close as you can come to getting knocked out and still win. It makes for an exciting finish, but it's the kind of excitement most fighters would like to avoid. When you get close enough to the edge to feel your wheels slipping, the temptation to slow down and play it safe after that can sometimes be overwhelming.

IV. Maybe, whether he knows it or not, Nick Diaz is exactly what B.J. Penn needs right now. The last time we saw a truly terrifying Penn was when he got into the cage against Matt Hughes for the third time, muttering to himself like a crazy man at the bus stop. Jon Fitch failed to elicit such a reaction in him (or in UFC fans generally), but how about Diaz, who usually has some choice words for his opponent's mother once the fight gets started? At this point in his career, maybe Penn needs an opponent who will throw his hands in the air like he just doesn't care and taunt his family like they're from separate clans of feuding hill people. If that doesn't help Penn find the old fire, nothing will.

V. Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone could be the best Spike TV prelim fight in ages, and just when the UFC needs it the most.
The Pettis-Stephens and Maia-Santiago bouts on the UFC 136 prelims probably didn't sell many pay-per-views. In fact, they might have even convinced some fans to turn off the TV and go see a movie instead. But the Siver-Cerrone fight looks like a can't-miss scrap, at least on paper, and this card could sure use the boost. Siver's won four straight, while Cerrone's notched five in a row. They both like to stand and mix it up, and Siver's Russo-German stoicism is perhaps the best counterweight to Cerrone's swaggering redneck routine. If this fight turns out to be even half as good as I'm expecting, it won't even matter that the night's other televised prelim -- Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski -- seems like the perfect opportunity to get up and prepare some snacks.

VI. Combined record of UFC 137's curtain-jerking newcomers: 13-0. Neither Dustin Jacoby nor Clifford Starks has lost a professional MMA bout as of yet. Just be advised that, when it comes to guys coming up off local shows, not all undefeated records are created equally.

VII. Now that Jeff Curran is finally here, where can he go? It took a long time for the "Big Frog" to finally make his UFC debut. But look around at the UFC's bantamweight division right now and you'll see a list of guys who already hold wins over him. Joe Benavidez, Takeya Mizugaki, Urijah Faber, "Kid" Yamamoto -- it's almost as if beating Curran is a condition of getting your UFC bantamweight merit badge. I don't mean to be hard on Curran, who's a great guy and a legend of the sport, but it does make me think that maybe this chance has come too late in his career. Going up against a grinder like Scott Jorgensen, that doesn't help matters much.

VIII. It's not hard to see what the UFC brass is thinking with the Brandon Vera-Eliot Marshall match-up.
They cut Vera and more or less had to bring back when it was revealed that the last man to beat him was, in Vera's words, a "juice monkey." Marshall got cut and then brought back when they needed a warm body to throw in against Luiz Cane on short notice, and his willingness to be that body earned him the tiniest bit of slack, resulting in this fight. The UFC doesn't seem interested in keeping both of them around for long, so why not make them fight each other for the last spot on the lifeboat? The winner gets to stick around and survive on rain water and fish guts, hoping for an unlikely rescue. The loser gets thrown overboard, but at least he knows where he stands...or doesn't. You have to admit, there's a certain cruel, yet satisfying economy to it all.

IX. Can Hatsu Hioki avoid the fate of other Japanese transplants to the UFC? One after another, they've come on a wave of hype only to dissipate quickly on rocky shores. From Takanori Gomi to "Kid" Yamamoto, several Japanese fighters have arrived only to appear as if they were much better when we were viewing them from across the Pacific. The big difference is that Hioki seems much closer to his prime, and sure, a UFC debut against George Roop isn't exactly the same as one against Kenny Florian. It's a slightly gentler introduction to life in the UFC than the one some of his countrymen have received. If Hioki can't make the most of it, things aren't likely to get much easier from here on out.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/10/28/nine-ways-of-looking-at-ufc-137/

Rich No Love Clementi  Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs  Ray Cooper