The Top 5 Fights Of June 2011: Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo, Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin, And More

Hello again fans and friends, and welcome to the start of a new once-a-month series! With how insanely stuffed full of good MMA action June 2011 was, I figured it would only be suitable to start a ?Top 5 Fights of the Month? post with June as the inaugural month. Not only will this topic [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/07/04/top-5-fights-of-july-2011

Heath Herring Branden Lee Hinkle Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

A Closer Look At UFC 132: "UFC Prelims LIVE" On Both Facebook And Spike TV

Hello once more fans and friends, I?m pleased to announce that it?s time for another round of my ?A Closer Look? series! For the next two days, I?ll be diving head-first into this weekend?s UFC 132 fight card, which is shaping up to be one of the UFC?s big can?t-miss events of the summer. Much [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/29/a-closer-look-at-ufc-132-ufc-prelims-live-on-both-facebook-and-spike-tv

Luciano Azevedo  Ba Te er  Ryan Bader  Siyar Bahadurzada

Mixed Martial Arts from A to Z: An Idiot?s Guide to the Fight Game

Mixed martial arts is everywhere, there?s absolutely no way to escape it. Chances are someone at work will find out that you?re a fan and ask if Anderson Silva would have a chance against Bruce Lee. Maybe your girlfriend is confused by what?s going on, yet finds GSP ?really hot.? You?re probably really frustrated that you have to explain all this to the uninitiated. So for your sanity I?ve put this simple guide together to help you and yours understand this crazy sport.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/19077/mixed-martial-arts-from-a-to-z-an-idiot%e2%80%99s-guide-to-the-fight-game/

Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga Lyman Good

MMA Top 10 Bantamweights: Should Faber, Bowles or Johnson Be Next?

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Dominick CruzIf it wasn't clear before, it's certainly clear now: Dominick Cruz is the best bantamweight in mixed martial arts.

Cruz handled his latest challenge, Urijah Faber, at UFC 132, and he has now won nine straight fights while beating most of the sport's other top bantamweights. The only question is whether his next fight should be against Demetrious Johnson, a rematch with former champion Brian Bowles or a third fight with Faber.

I vote for Johnson, for reasons that I'll lay out as I run through the top 135-pounders in mixed martial arts below.

Top 10 Bantamweights in MMA
(Number in parentheses is the fighter's rank in the last bantamweight list.)

1. Dominick Cruz (1): Cruz isn't just the No. 1 bantamweight in MMA, he's also beaten the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 bantamweights. In my rankings, Cruz is the only champion of any weight class who has beaten the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 fighters in the division.

2. Brian Bowles (4): Bowles could make a good case that he deserves to be next in line for Cruz: He's the former champion who lost his title to Cruz when he suffered a broken hand in their fight and had to quit, and after beating Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 132, Bowles is the No. 2 bantamweight in the world, at least in my book. But considering that Cruz was comfortably beating Bowles before Bowles had to stop in their previous fight, I would like to see Bowles show more improvement before he gets another chance with Cruz.

3. Urijah Faber (2): A third Cruz-Faber fight would be the best call for the UFC if it wants to maximize the pay-per-view revenue in its next bantamweight title fight: The cheers for Faber and boos for Cruz at UFC 132 made clear that Faber remains the sport's most popular little man. But I didn't think this fight was close enough to merit giving Faber an immediate rematch, and I'd like to see some new blood get a shot at the bantamweight belt.

4. Joseph Benavidez (3): He's a great fighter, but Benavidez doesn't have many places to go as long as 135 pounds is the UFC's smallest weight class: He's already lost twice to Cruz, so he isn't going to get another title shot. If the UFC ever adds a 125-pound flyweight class, Benavidez will be that division's best fighter.

5. Demetrious Johnson (5): Johnson can make a very good case that he's the most deserving of the next title shot, as he's the highest-ranked bantamweight whom Cruz hasn't already beaten. I also think Johnson's quickness and his impressive takedowns are two attributes that could cause Cruz some stylistic problems. The biggest question is whether Johnson, who suffered a leg injury in his victory over Miguel Torres in May, will be healthy soon enough to get the next shot at Cruz.

6. Scott Jorgensen (6): After losing to Cruz in December, Jorgensen bounced back nicely by knocking out Ken Stone at the Ultimate Fighter Finale in June. I think it would make a lot of sense to put Jorgensen in the Octagon with Miguel Torres next.

7. Miguel Torres (7): After starting his MMA career by winning 37 of 38 fights, Torres has now lost three of his last five. He's on the down side of his career, but I still think he has a few big fights left in him, and I'd love to see Torres take on Faber next.

8. Brad Pickett (8): Pickett was originally slated to fight Torres at UFC 130 before pulling out of the fight with a back injury. Pickett has been talking himself up as a contender for Cruz's title, but he'll need to win at least one more fight before he gets that chance.

9. Eddie Wineland (9): Wineland, the former WEC bantamweight champion who gave Faber a tough fight in March, will return to the Octagon to take on Benavidez in August.

10. Renan Barão (10): Since losing his professional MMA debut in 2005, Barao has gone 26-0 (with one no contest). But he hasn't faced much high-quality opposition during that impressive run. I've got Barao in the Top 10, but I can't move him much higher than this until I see how he looks against a Top 10 opponent.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/07/mma-top-10-bantamweights-should-faber-bowles-or-johnson-be-nex/

Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade 

Guillard brings fireworks to UFC 132 with KO of Roller

Melvin Guillard won his fifth fight in a row with a knockout of Shane Roller that showed off Guillard's speed and striking power at UFC 132 in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Guillard caused problems for Roller early, as his constant movement made it impossible for Roller, an All-American wrestler, to shoot in for a takedown. When Roller did get close enough to land a shot, Guillard countered with a right that put Roller on his back. Roller stood back up, and was met with Guillard's knees, and then a left-right combo that ended the bout at 2:12 in the first round.

After the bout, Guillard wouldn't ask for a title shot, but did say that he is aiming for UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.

"I've battled so much. I've come back to the top of my game, and my life is in order," Guillard said after the bout. "Speed kills! I keep telling y'all!"

This year, Guillard has a TKO over Evan Dunham and now the KO of Roller. The lightweight division of the UFC is stacked, but Guillard has proven that he belongs near the top of it.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Guillard-brings-fireworks-to-UFC-132-with-KO-of-?urn=mma-wp4281

Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku 

Picture gets a little more clear on where Marquardt screwed up

In an effort to clear up his suspension by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and firing by the UFC, Nate Marquardt spoke to one media outlet on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that still left plenty of unanswered questions.

Larry Pepe from PROMMARadio, a media member very familiar with the issue of PED's from his experience in the world of bodybuilding, joined ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas to discuss the issues he had with Marquardt's story.

According to Marquardt and is manager Lex McMahon, he was allowed to fight at UFC 128 in New Jersey even though he was in the midst of actually getting the therapeutic use exemption necessary for approved use of testosterone replacement therapy. The New Jersey State Athletic Commission Board allowed Marquardt to fight with the understanding that he would be tested before and after his fight against Dan Miller. That included going off TRT for eight weeks after the fight to find out if his normal testosterone levels warranted TRT use.

NJSACB legal counsel Nick Lembo said Marquardt went through the process and was officially denied the exemption last week and the news was delivered to the PSAC, last Friday, the day before the UFC on Versus 4 weigh-in. Why was he denied? That seems odd because Lembo also said the postfight testing actually justified Marquardt's use of TRT. So what went wrong?

MMAjunkie indicates that the hang up came with Camp Marquardt's choice of doctor.

All [tests] came back within the acceptable range per the NJSACB's guidelines on exemptions. When he sought to return to the therapy, however, he did so with his personal doctor, who is not an endocrinologist.

[...] Lex McMahon, Marquardt's manager, said the NJSACB had previously raised concerns about the treatment Marquardt was receiving.

"The commission sent a very clear statement that the doctor he was using had been incomplete, (and he) was using protocols that were not approved by the [U.S. Anti-Doping Agency]," McMahon said. "At that point in time, that should have been a significant indicator to go see a specialist, (and) to go see someone whose core competency was this.

"So I think that's another area where Nate and our team have to take responsibility."

So it sounds like this is far from a malicious act. Now will that be enough for Marquardt to gain forgiveness from the UFC? Only time will tell.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Picture-gets-a-little-more-clear-on-where-Marqua?urn=mma-wp4126

Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić

Picture gets a little more clear on where Marquardt screwed up

In an effort to clear up his suspension by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and firing by the UFC, Nate Marquardt spoke to one media outlet on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that still left plenty of unanswered questions.

Larry Pepe from PROMMARadio, a media member very familiar with the issue of PED's from his experience in the world of bodybuilding, joined ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas to discuss the issues he had with Marquardt's story.

According to Marquardt and is manager Lex McMahon, he was allowed to fight at UFC 128 in New Jersey even though he was in the midst of actually getting the therapeutic use exemption necessary for approved use of testosterone replacement therapy. The New Jersey State Athletic Commission Board allowed Marquardt to fight with the understanding that he would be tested before and after his fight against Dan Miller. That included going off TRT for eight weeks after the fight to find out if his normal testosterone levels warranted TRT use.

NJSACB legal counsel Nick Lembo said Marquardt went through the process and was officially denied the exemption last week and the news was delivered to the PSAC, last Friday, the day before the UFC on Versus 4 weigh-in. Why was he denied? That seems odd because Lembo also said the postfight testing actually justified Marquardt's use of TRT. So what went wrong?

MMAjunkie indicates that the hang up came with Camp Marquardt's choice of doctor.

All [tests] came back within the acceptable range per the NJSACB's guidelines on exemptions. When he sought to return to the therapy, however, he did so with his personal doctor, who is not an endocrinologist.

[...] Lex McMahon, Marquardt's manager, said the NJSACB had previously raised concerns about the treatment Marquardt was receiving.

"The commission sent a very clear statement that the doctor he was using had been incomplete, (and he) was using protocols that were not approved by the [U.S. Anti-Doping Agency]," McMahon said. "At that point in time, that should have been a significant indicator to go see a specialist, (and) to go see someone whose core competency was this.

"So I think that's another area where Nate and our team have to take responsibility."

So it sounds like this is far from a malicious act. Now will that be enough for Marquardt to gain forgiveness from the UFC? Only time will tell.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Picture-gets-a-little-more-clear-on-where-Marqua?urn=mma-wp4126

Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki Zelg Benkei Galesić

M-1 Challenge XXVI: ?Bennett vs. Garner? Results & Recap

If coffee is for closers (see ?Glengarry Glen Ross? by David Mamet), then the assortment of fight finishers that graced our TV screens for last night?s M-1 Challenge XXVI on Showtime deserve to have free reign at their nearest Starbucks.  Of the five fights on the Russian-based promotion?s latest US installment, four ended with knockouts.  [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/OgAldIV7oMI/

Kultar Gill Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono

Patricio Freire out until November with injured hand

After a highlight-laden run through the Bellator Season 4 Featherweight Tournament, top contender Patricio ?Pitbull? Freire will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer before getting a second crack at divisional champ Joe Warren rather than face the decorated grappler in a few weeks at Bellator 47 as originally planned. According to Freire, a broken [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/07/06/patricio-freire-out-until-november-with-injured-hand/

Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia