Leben vs. Munoz Will Be Five-Round Fight at UFC 138 in England

The UFC is going back to the United Kingdom in 2011 after all.

UFC 138 will be held on Nov. 5 at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England, the organization announced via Twitter on Tuesday.

No official word just yet on where the fight will air in the United States, but reports have indicated it will air on Spike TV via tape delay.

The card will be headlined by Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz, and according to a UFC official, it will mark the first five-round non-title fight main event in UFC history.

UFC 89, headlined by Chris Leben vs. Michael Bisping, was last event to be held in Birmingham. That card took place at the National Indoor Arena. The UFC's last show in England was UFC 120, which took place in October 2010.

Munoz (11-2) has won his last three fights in a row. He most recently defeated Demian Maia at UFC 131 in June.

Leben (26-7) has won four of his last five fights, most recently knocking out Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132 earlier this month.

The entire fight card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Update: Dana White confirmed via Twitter that the event will air on Spike TV in the United States.

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UFC 132 Fight Night Photos
Chris Leben rocks Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber exchanges with Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz misses a punch against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz tries to avoid a kick from Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz punches Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a right hand at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber takes a breather at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber punches Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a flying knee at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/19/leben-vs-munoz-will-be-five-round-fight-at-ufc-138-in-england/

Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku  Tony Bonello

Michael Johnson vs. Paul Sass Set for UFC on Versus 6

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The Ultimate Fighter 12 lightweight runner-up Michael Johnson will make his third trip inside the Octagon when he meets British youngster Paul Sass at UFC on Versus 6, the UFC announced Thursday on its UK Twitter.

The UFC Live event is expected to take place Oct. 1 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.

Despite being Georges St. Pierre's first pick, Johnson (9-5) fell short of becoming "The Ultimate Fighter" in the finals last December against Jonathan Brookins. Johnson then returned last month, stopping Edward Faaloloto in the first round with punches at UFC on Versus 4.

The undefeated 22-year-old Sass (11-0) has not competed since his UFC debut last October at UFC 120 against Mark Holst. The contest earned Sass Submission of the Night honors with an impressive triangle choke, dubbed the "Sassangle," to his displeasure.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Anthony Johnson and Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman are two other bouts currently slated for the card.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/21/michael-johnson-vs-paul-sass-set-for-ufc-on-versus-6/

Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Dream: Fight for Japan Finale To Air On HDNet August 5th ? You Can Now Stop Asking

I get to answer the question every day lately – “Where is the Gegard Mousasi vs Hiroshi Izumi fight video?” HDNet announced today that they will air the Dream: Fight for Japan Finale card from July 16th on August 5th at 10 p.m ET/7 p.m. PT. I will try to find the vids shortly [...]

Source: http://www.mmatko.com/dream-fight-for-japan-finale-to-air-on-hdnet-august-5th-you-can-now-stop-asking/

Ralek Gracie Renzo Gracie Rickson Gracie Rodrigo Gracie

Tim Credeur vs. Brad Tavares Added to UFC 137 Fight Card

Another addition has been made to the UFC 137 fight card, as middleweights Tim Credeur (12-4) and Brad Tavares (7-1) have verbally agreed to meet at the October 29 event in Las Vegas, the UFC announced Wednesday.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/19196/tim-credeur-vs-brad-tavares-added-to-ufc-137-fight-card/

Aldrin de Jesus  Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman  Stav Crazy Bear Economou 

MMA Marketplace: Books to get you through the ?off-season?

It's that time again. After a marathon of fight cards, MMA goes into its traditional "off-season," with no major cards until Strikeforce hits suburban Chicago on July 30. (There will be Strikeforce Challengers, Bellator and DREAM cards in the next few weeks.)

How do you manage? First, be happy that you're not a basketball fan. With the NBA lockout in place, there's no telling when they'll get to see their sport again. Then, you could do something crazy like pop open a book. Here are a few of the latest MMA books that are either new on the market or will be released in the coming weeks.

"Why I Fight: The Belt Is Just an Accessory," by Jay Dee "B.J." Penn and Dave Weintraub: The autobiography of the UFC's former and lightweight champion has been praised for being honest, detail-oriented and well-written. Penn doesn't hold back, touching on everything from the way the UFC does business to his own fighting philosophies.

"MMA Instruction Manual: The Muay Thai Clinch, Takedowns, Takedown Defense, and Ground Fighting" by Anderson Silva and Glen Cordoza: If you're interested in a technical breakdown of MMA, why not learn from the fighter ranked No. 1 in the world? Silva's book focuses on how to employ some of the dangerous attacks he uses in his fights. For some reason, Steven Seagal is not listed as a co-author.

"Fighting Words: In-Depth Interviews with the Biggest Names in Mixed Martial Arts" by Mike Straka: As the host of HDNet's "Fighting Words," Straka has interviewed many of MMA's luminaries. His book promises a close look at MMA through interviews of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Cain Velasquez, Frankie Edgar, Dana White, Renzo Gracie, Ken and Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten and Jon Jones. (Side note: The book's release date is reportedly July 15, but you can it's in-stock at Amazon today.)

"Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival" by Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman: Brock Lesnar is both a loved and hated figure in MMA. If you want to feed your love or your hate of the former UFC heavyweight champ, read the book that promises a look at "about what it takes not only to succeed in the world's fastest-growing sport but to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World."

"Say Uncle!: Catch-As-Catch Can Wrestling and the Roots of Ultimate Fighting, Pro Wrestling & Modern Grappling" by Jake Shannon: If you're a history nerd (like me), you'll get into this look at catch wrestling and how it evolved around the world. With interviews from Karl Gotch and Josh Barnett, the book illustrates catch wrestling's continuing effect on MMA today.

On a completely un-MMA note, Yahoo! Sports own Jay Busbee recently released "Bluff City," an awesome work of fiction that features the Elvis Brawl, a pro wrestling match of Elvis impersonators. Clearly, it is worth your time.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-Marketplace-Books-to-get-you-through-the-o?urn=mma-wp4449

Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie Ralek Gracie

Sean McCorkle Dreaming of Return to UFC, Road Back Starts Saturday

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His stay in the UFC was simply too short for Sean McCorkle. The massive 6-foot-7 fighter, who cuts from over 300 pounds to make the heavyweight limit, shot to notice in the MMA world with a debut win over Mark Hunt last September, was in the co-main event his second fight out, and was cut after his third, a loss to Christian Morecraft. The whirlwind stretch landed just a half-year.

Now pursuing his career in independent organizations as a free agent, McCorkle does so with the hopes of returning back to the UFC's octagon.

"I'd love to be back in the UFC," McCorkle said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "It was one of the highlights of my life, sadly. I would like to get back in. It was a short stay and a short run. Like 10 months."

If he's to get back, he'll have to string together a few wins, starting this Saturday at CFA 2, an event to be held at U.S. Century Bank Arena in Miami. While he had originally been scheduled to fight Mike "300" Hayes in the night's main event, Hayes was unable to receive permission to fight from Bellator, an organization with which he is contracted. So instead, McCorkle will face Cameron Befort, a 22-year-old with a 5-3 record who is riding a three-fight win streak.

McCorkle had no problem with the late change, noting that it allowed him to request his bout to be altered from a heavyweight fight to a 285-pound limit, giving him much less weight to cut.

"Coincidentally, yesterday was my 35th birthday," he said. "I found out I didn't have to make weight, we're going to fight at 285. So I'm happy, my family is happy, they were feeding me cupcakes. Me mom tried to feed me more cupcakes than UFC feeds Matt Mitrione."

Mitrione, a close friend of McCorkle's, was sitting alongside him for the interview and laughed. In fact Mitrione -- an undefeated UFC heavyweight -- paid McCorkle several compliments, saying the strain of the weight cut affects him more than most will ever know.

"I just don't think he's been able to show how good he really is," Mitrione said. "I'm not making excuses for him because I'll rip on him as much as anybody, if not more. But some people, a weight cut like that will kill them. I think his body wants to be 310 or 315. So getting down to 265 is a huge effort in itself. It kind of sucks that that's where the money is, it's under 265. So I don't know if anybody's seen the good Corky."

McCorkle also mentioned how he is often struck by nervousness leading into big fights, and how that affected him while in the UFC.

"I was so afraid to get cut by the UFC," he said. "I was so afraid to lose that I didn't throw my hands or do anything, take any chances because I really, really did not want to lose. It's every bit as bad as I thought it would be to lose and to get cut."

Still 10-2, McCorkle says he feels comfortable competing at his upcoming fight at 285, especially while earning good paydays, ones he termed "UFC money, against not necessarily UFC competition."

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/18/sean-mccorkle-dreaming-of-return-to-ufc-road-back-starts-saturd/

Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan

Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley At Strikeforce "Diaz vs. Daley" Is My Fight Of The Half-Year

Where does the time go, fans and friends? It seems like it was only yesterday that I was ringing in the new year and thinking that 2011 would be a crazy, fantastic year for MMA. I?m very happy to say that I was right, for the most part. Now it?s six months down and six [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/07/07/nick-diaz-vs-paul-daley-is-my-fight-of-the-half-year

Patrick The Predator Côté  Randy The Natural Couture  Dan Cramer Alberto Crane

Jon Jones and ?Rampage? Jackson Exchange Verbal Jabs at UFC 135 Press Conference

Although the curtain won’t be drawn on UFC 135 until September 24th, it didn’t stop light heavyweight king Jon Jones and former champion Quinton ?Rampage? Jackson from exchanging verbal jabs during Tuesday’s press conference in Denver, Colorado. It was a light-hearted affair up until the featured fighters were asked about their respective standup games. Rampage [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/82496/jon-jones-and-rampage-jackson-exchange-verbal-jabs-at-ufc-135-press-conference/

Ed Herman Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott