Roger Gracie Accepts Tim Kenndy?s Challenge

After losing a unanimous decision to Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold earlier this month, Tim Kennedy ended much speculation as to what his next move would be by calling out grappling ace Roger Gracie on twitter last week. The former US Army sniper said “ I heard Scott Coker say Roger Gracie was the best grappler in [...]

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/29655/roger-gracie-accepts-tim-kenndeys-challenge/

Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees  Nick Diaz  Tadhg Steamfist Dixon

UFC 149 will answer these four questions

UFC 149 in Calgary has made more headlines for injuries than it did for high expectations. However, there are still important fights on Saturday in Calgary. They will answer these questions:

1. Does Urijah Faber have another title win in him? Perhaps because of his nickname "The California Kid," or perhaps because he looks so young, it's easy to forget Urijah Faber is 33 years old and has been fighting since 2003. With a shot at the bantamweight interim title on Saturday, Faber has a shot at what might be his last title run. Can he earn the belt, and with it, another shot at champion Dominick Cruz?

2. Is Hector Lombard the real deal? He has a record of 31-2-1, and hasn't lost since 2006. He blew through Bellator to get the middleweight title. Now, he's getting a shot at the UFC and its top-flight talent. Before he can be taken seriously as a contender for Anderson Silva's throne, he needs to get through Tim Boetsch.

3. Is Brian Ebersole ready for a jump in competition? If you were to make a list of UFC fighters with 50 or more UFC wins, would Ebersole be the first name to jump in your head? Because it should. He's 50-14-1, and hasn't lost since dropping a 2008 bout to the larger Lombard. With a win over James Head, Ebersole can leap into the proverbial title mix for a welterweight title.

4. Will fans still care about an injury-ravaged card? Remember when Jose Aldo and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua were on UFC 149? And Thiago Silva? And Michael Bisping and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira? The card presented on Saturday will look very different than the one fans expected.  Canadian fans are known to be very loyal to MMA, but will they still turn out for Faber vs. Barao? And will fans buy the pay-per-view just a few weeks after shelling out cash for UFC 148 and Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva?

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-149-answer-four-questions-213911833--mma.html

Steve The Snake Claveau  Rich No Love Clementi  Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs 

Before he defends his belt, some Luke Rockhold highlights to start your day

Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold will get a second chance to defend his belt in Portland on Saturday night. Before you tune into the fights on Showtime, here's a handy dandy reminder of Rockhold's capabilities.

He's undefeated in Strikeforce and 9-1 overall. Only one of Rockhold's fights have gone to the judges; the rest were first-round stoppages. Will Rockhold keep a hold of his belt on Saturday night, or will Tim Kennedy walk away the champion? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/defends-belt-luke-rockhold-highlights-start-day-133704258--mma.html

Justin Eilers  Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis

Should Hector Lombard drop to welterweight after debut loss at UFC 149?

Hector Lombard came into UFC 149 riding a long win streak and an unstoppable hype train. He walked out of UFC 149 with a decision loss and a disappointed boss.

"It wasn't the fight I was expecting," UFC president Dana White admitted. "It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Whether it was Boetsch or Lombard winning, I was expecting a real war. I thought this thing was going to be a war."

It was far from an exciting bout, as Lombard, known for his aggression and knockouts, showed little aggressiveness in the bout. White wondered if Octagon jitters got the best of Lombard, and also threw out the idea that middleweight is too big of a weight class.

"Lombard maybe should fight at 170," White said. "He made 185 easily. He's short and wide, but I think he could make 170."

In a Q and A before the UFC 149 weigh-ins, middleweight Michael Bisping made jokes about Lombard's height.

"I bumped into Hector Lombard in the elevator, and I thought someone was playing a practical joke. I was like, 'Who is this dwarf?' I think he's in the wrong weight class. I think he's in the 125 weight class."

At 5-foot-9, Lombard is one of the shortest middleweights in the division. Most 185ers in the UFC are at least six-foot. Champion Anderson Silva is 6-foot-2. Though fighters have overcome height and reach differences in bouts -- think Travis Browne knocking out Stefan Struve -- there is no reason for Lombard to come into the fight at a disadvantage if he is comfortable dropping down.

Should he drop down? Tell us your thoughts in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/hector-lombard-drop-welterweight-debut-loss-ufc-149-135354108--mma.html

Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz Luke Cummo  Jeff Big Frog Curran

Hockey Fight of the Day: Mike Comrie vs. Ilya Kovalchuk

Every so often fans will see a hockey fight where the smaller man comes out triumphant against a larger opponent. This clip from 2002 between Mike Comrie (David) and Ilya Kovalchuk (Goliath) is not one of those times, as Comrie not only ends up eating at on of shots but also loses his jersey as [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/07/29/hockey-fight-of-the-day-mike-comrie-vs-ilya-kovalchuk

Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki

Dana White reverses course, gives title shot to fighter with best performance Saturday

UFC president Dana White made a shockingly bad decision during a conference call Monday with mixed martial arts reporters when he said that the winner of Saturday's UFC on Fox 4 main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Brandon Vera would get the next title shot.

Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who defends his belt on Sept. 1 against former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson, has already crushed all four fighters who are competing on Saturday's card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ryan Bader meets ex-champion Lyoto Machida in the co-main event.

But it was Vera's so-so record that prompted outrage among media and fans. Vera enters Saturday's bout at the Staples Center 1-2 with a no contest in his last four fights. His best win at light heavyweight was over Krzysztof Soszynski.

When Jones was told on Twitter the Rua-Vera winner would get a title shot, he wrote, "Scratching my head." He wasn't alone in being perplexed by White's call.

So, late Monday, White changed his mind and opened the picture up. He said the fighter who looks the best on Saturday will get the title shot against the Jones-Henderson winner, giving Bader and Machida a chance, as well.

"When the fans speak, we listen," White said in a news release. "So whoever scores the best win, whoever gets the fans excited by going out there on Saturday and looking the most impressive, he will get the winner of Jones vs. Henderson. It is down to what these four guys do Saturday night in the Octagon. Winning isn't enough, they've got to win impressively. Any one of these four fighters can take things into their own hands and make a title shot happen."

Rua lost his title to Jones at UFC 128. Before the fight that day, Jones broke up a mugging, then went out and stopped Rua at 2:37 of the third in a stunningly one-sided performance.

Rua has gone 1-1 since, beating Forrest Griffin and losing to Henderson in what has been called the best fight in UFC history.

"I want the winner of Jones vs. Henderson," Rua said. "The fight I had with Henderson was a great fight, the fight of the year, and it was a very close fight. I am OK with that. It was a great fight. But the loss to Jones, I can't live with. I could have done so much better and I want to fight him again. First, though, I have to beat Brandon Vera and winning isn't good enough. I have to be very impressive, but that it what I have trained to do."

Vera took the change in stride. He has been upbeat and confident despite the naysayers who roared when he was put into a main event. White's announcement doesn't change much for him, because Vera has been saying all along he plans to win impressively.

If he does that, he'll make a very strong case for himself.

"Beating Shogun, and beating him the way I want, corrects all the mistakes I've made and wipes away all the bad performances," Vera said. "Beating Frank Mir is probably my best performance, but people don't realize that was nothing compared to what I do all the time in the gym. I'm going to show off what 'The Truth' really is on Fox."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-reverses-course-gives-title-shot-fighter-141434320--mma.html

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Hockey Fight of the Day: Bobby Orr vs. Pete Mahovlich

Bobby Orr may be known as one of the best defensemen to ever play hockey but he wasn’t afraid of a little offense every now and then as well. In this clip from 1971, Orr mixes it up with Pete Mahovlich where he not only shows a ton of grit but a sweet double-leg takedown [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/07/26/hockey-fight-of-the-day-bobby-orr-vs-pete-mahovlich

Xavier Foupa Pokam Hermes Franca Rich Franklin Ian Freeman

Titan Fighting Championship 23: Fight For the Troops Preview - Titan 23

Titan Fighting Championship 23: Fight for the Troops LIVE from legendary Marshall Army Airfield on Fort Riley, Kansas. Former UFC standout Jorge "The Sandman" Santiago faces Justin Guthrie in the main event.

Source: http://mmalice.com/titan-23/titan-fighting-championship-23-fight-for-the-troops-preview-video_092bcba23.html

Luke Cummo  Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai  Mac DanzigÂ