Archived News Posts - 2009 Q3
"The Ultimate Fighter" Draws 6.1 Million Viewers
On an episode featuring a battle between street fighter and former EliteXC megastar Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and final IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy "Big Country" Nelson, The Ultimate Fighter reality show drew a whopping 6.1 million viewers.The show drew a 3.7 household rating overall, which made it the most-watched episode of an original series in the six-year history of Spike TV. |
Round 5 MMA Announces UFC Series 1
Following their landmark deal with JAKKS Pacific earlier this year, Round 5 MMA has revealed the lineup for their first series of UFC figurines, which includes UFC champions Georges "Rush" St. Pierre and Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.Also included in the six-fighter series are Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, "Sugar" Rashad Evans, Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian and Clay "The Carpenter" Guida. |
Alvarez vs Kikuno Set For Dream.12
In the promotion's first event inside a (white) cage, DREAM will feature a battle of champions at Dream.12 when Bellator Fighting Championships Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez takes on DEEP Lightweight Champion Katsunori Kikuno.Alvarez, known mostly for his striking, has won three straight fights by submission since his quick and disappointing loss to Shinya Aoki at K-1 "Dynamite!!" |
Hardy vs Swick Confirmed For UFC 105
After an injury sidelined Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim, Mike "Quick" Swick will step in to face Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy at UFC 105. The bout has been confirmed as a title eliminator and the victor will move on to face Georges "Rush" St. Pierre.The announcement ends a week of speculation regarding the title picture after Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann's UFC 103 loss to Paul "Semtex" Daley. |
Strikeforce Challengers 3 Live Results
Strikeforce came to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the third edition of their Challengers Series and MMARising.com was on-hand to provide live coverage of the event, which was headlined by a middleweight bout between Tim Kennedy and Zak Cummings.Elsewhere on the event's televised main card, Thomas "Thunderkick" Longacre defeated Travis "The Dark Knight" Calanoc in a great battle. |
Vitor Ribeiro Signs With Strikeforce
Once a top-five ranked lightweight in the world, former DREAM and K-1 HERO's star Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro has signed with Strikeforce and will look to become an immediate contender among the promotion's competitive lightweight division.Ribeiro (20-3-0) returned to competition at Dream.8 following an 18-month layoff due to injury and will look to get his career back on-track in Strikeforce. |
Sengoku: "Tenth Battle" Results
Showcasing a solid event after their controversial Featherweight Grand Prix, Sengoku: "Tenth Battle" saw "Notorious" Antz Nansen knock out Hiroshi Izumi in a battle of MMA debutants, while Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva submitted "Big" Jim York.In other action, Makoto Takimoto picked up his second straight victory with a win over Jae Sun Lee and Kazunori Yokota knocked out Ryan "The Lion" Schultz. |
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Allegedly Retiring
In a posting today on his official website, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has announced his intentions to retire from mixed martial arts due to ongoing disagreements with the UFC and UFC President Dana White.The post outlines a number of situations that Jackson has been forced or tricked into and addresses White's recent online insults regarding Jackson. |
Exclusive Interview With Elena Reid
As one of the fastest rising prospects in mixed martial arts, former WIBA and IFBA Women's Flyweight Boxing Champion Elena "Babydoll" Reid is seen by many as the future of the sport. She talks with MMARising.com about her career to date.There are very few mixed martial artists who are touted as the future of an entire division after just two fights, but Reid is one of those few. |
Matsumoto vs Sunaba Set For DEEP: "44th Impact"
Japan's fastest-rising female star, Miku "Supernova" Matsumoto, will return to competition to defend her DEEP Women's Lightweight Championship at DEEP: "44th Impact" on October 10th against veteran Japanese striker "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba.Should Matsumoto successfully defend her title, she has expressed a desire to challenge #1-ranked female fighter Megumi "Mega Megu" Fujii in her next bout. |
Belfort vs Silva In The Works
Following his destruction of Rich "Ace" Franklin at UFC 103, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort has emerged as the frontrunner to next challenge Anderson "The Spider" Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship at an event sometime early next year.Top contenders Dan "Hendo" Henderson and Nate "The Great" Marquardt are expected to face each other to determine the next title challenger after Belfort. |
UFC 103: "Franklin vs Belfort" Results
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Texas for UFC 103: "Franklin vs Belfort" tonight and the card was an excellent one. In the main event, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort knocked out Rich "Ace" Franklin in a catchweight bout.In other main card action, British knockout artist Paul "Semtex" Daley put the UFC's welterweight division on notice with a first-round TKO victory. |
UFC 103: "Franklin vs Belfort" Predictions
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Texas with a massive 13-fight card at UFC 103. MMARising.com breaks down the solid card, which is headlined by a catchweight bout between Rich "Ace" Franklin and Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort.In the co-main event, knockout artists Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović and Junior "Cigano" dos Santos square off to determine who climbs further up the ranks. |
Cung Le Vacates Strikeforce Middleweight Championship
With another acting role on the horizon, Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le has opted to vacate his title. As a result, final EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields will face Jason "Mayhem" Miller to crown a new champion.The fight between Shields and Miller is expected to be a part of the upcoming November 7th Strikeforce event on CBS, which the promotion announced yesterday. |
Emelianenko vs Rogers To Air On CBS
On November 7th, mixed martial arts will return to primetime network television when Strikeforce puts on their biggest event to date on CBS. Headlining the historic night will be a heavyweight bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers.No venue has been officially confirmed as of yet, but the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois has emerged as one of the frontrunners to house the event. |
UFC Fight Night 19 Results
Easily the best Fight Night to date, and one of the best UFC events period, UFC Fight Night 19 featured four action-packed main card bouts. In the final fight of the evening, Nate Diaz took advantage of a mistake and submitted Melvin Guillard.The opening bout of the telecast was an all-out back-and-forth war between Nate Quarry and Tim Credeur, and Quarry rallied to win a very hard-fought decision. |
Exclusive Interview With Kaitlin Young
From first becoming an overnight sensation with three devastating knockouts in one night to later competing on primetime CBS television, Kaitlin Young has made an impact at every step. She talks with MMARising.com about a return to competition.With a smile that belies her vicious knockout power, Young first rose to prominence as the 2007 HOOKnSHOOT Women's Grand Prix Champion. |
Exclusive Interview With Jessica Pene
Quickly establishing herself as a force in the flyweight division, Jessica Pene is one of the top prospects in women's MMA today. She talks with MMARising.com about her undefeated career to date and preparations for her upcoming fight.Believing that it is key to take gradual steps up in competition, Jessica has compiled a very impressive record of 6-0-0 with four wins by stoppage. |
Jewels: "Fifth Ring" Results
Beginning their inaugural Rough Stone Tournaments, Jewels showcased a series of excellent fights at "Fifth Ring," with some surprise victors. In the main event, South Korean star Seo Hee Ham defeated Japanese veteran Misaki Takimoto.In tournament action, Tomoko Morii and Alexandra Sanchez picked up 60kg wins, Mika Nagano and Yuko Kagoshima won at 54kg and Asami Kodera and Kikuyo Ishikawa advanced at 48kg. |
Couture vs Vera To Headline UFC 105
After two weeks of speculation, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's next event in England now has a main event. In a light heavyweight bout, former two-division champion Randy "The Natural" Couture will face Brandon "The Truth" Vera.The fight will headline the event and sees Couture return to the light heavyweight division, but it remains to be seen whether that change will be permanent. |
Nogueira vs Cane Likely For UFC 106
Earlier today, it was reported that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, twin brother of former UFC Interim and PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, will make his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC 106 against feared striker Luiz Cane.The bout is expected to be a part of the event's main card, which is headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. |
Strikeforce Signs Vera, Postpones Women's Tournaments
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker made a pair of announcements today regarding the future of his promotion's women's division. Kerry Vera, wife of UFC star Brandon Vera, has signed with Strikeforce, but women's tournaments have been postponed.The 135-pound and 145-pound women's tournaments will now take place in early 2010, which will allow new members of the roster to become more familiar among fans. |
Exclusive Interview With Gray Maynard
Already an outstanding wrestler, Gray "The Bully" Maynard has developed into a well-rounded mixed martial artist since his time on the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter. He speaks with MMARising.com about his career and upcoming fight.Using his wrestling to "bully" his opponents around the cage, Maynard has yet to taste defeat and is currently one of the top lightweight prospects in the UFC. |
Changes Made To UFC 107 Card
Following his inclusion as B.A. Baracus in the upcoming movie remake of "A-Team," Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will no longer compete against fellow TUF 10 coach "Sugar" Rashad Evans in front of his hometown Memphis fans at UFC 107 on December 12th.In place of the original main event, the UFC has moved the UFC Lightweight Championship bout between "The Prodigy" BJ Penn and Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez to UFC 107. |
Exclusive Interview With Martin Kampmann
After a successful run as a middleweight, Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann has since become a force in the UFC's welterweight division. He talks with MMARising.com about his title aspirations and upcoming fight with Paul Daley at UFC 103.Though the fight with Daley may no longer determine the next UFC Welterweight title challenger, that hasn't affected Kampmann's goal of capturing UFC gold. |
Reid vs Yoshida Confirmed For October 24th
Following weeks of uncertainty, former two-time women's boxing champion and rising MMA star Elena "Babydoll" Reid has confirmed that she will face Japanese veteran Masako Yoshida in a title fight at Extreme Beatdown on October 24th.Undefeated thus far in her growing mixed martial arts career, Reid will look to add MMA gold to her already impressive collection of world title belts. |
Swick Injured, Daley To Face Kampmann
With only two weeks until UFC 103 in Dallas, Texas, welterweight contender Mike "Quick" Swick has been forced to withdraw from the card and his #1 contender's fight with Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann after suffering a concussion in training.In Swick's place, British knockout artist Paul "Semtex" Daley will take on Kampmann to determine the next challenger for UFC Welterweight Champion George "Rush" St. Pierre. |
Exclusive Interview With Amanda Buckner
As one of the top female fighters in the world, Amanda Buckner has competed among the best since her debut in mixed martial arts in 2002. Now focused on joining the Strikeforce roster, she talks with MMARising.com about her future plans.Recently receiving her Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and motivated by the upcoming Strikeforce women's tournaments, Buckner knows that she can be a force in the division. |
UFC 102: "Couture vs Nogueira" Results
The UFC's first trip to Oregon was very successful, though most of the home state fighters came up short. In an incredible main event, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira put on a great performance and defeated Randy "The Natural" Couture.The co-main event did not last long, as Thiago Silva weathered early strikes from "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine and picked up a first-round knockout win. |
UFC 102: "Couture vs Nogueira" Predictions
The Ultimate Fighting Championship comes to Portland, Oregon for the first time tomorrow night at UFC 102: "Couture vs Nogueira," and MMARising.com looks over the card, which pits two legends against each other in the main event.Also on the event's main card, "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine squares off with Brazilian knockout artist Thiago Silva in a pivotal light heavyweight bout. |
WEC 43 Moved To October 10th
After the event was postponed earlier this week due to an injury to main event participant Benson "Smooth" Henderson, World Extreme Cagefighting has rescheduled its WEC 43 event for October 10th at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.The event, which was originally set to take place on September 2nd at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, will still retain all of its scheduled fights. |
Emelianenko vs Rogers Made Official
At a press conference in New York City earlier today, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that #1-ranked heavyweight and WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Champion "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko will face Brett "The Grim" Rogers in his next fight.The fight will pit Emelianenko against the undefeated Rogers, who has won all of his fights by stoppage and is coming off of a 22-second knockout of Andrei Arlovski. |
Hazelett vs Parisyan Added To UFC 106
Adding to an already solid card, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will pit jiu-jitsu against judo at UFC 106 when fast-rising star Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett takes on Karo "The Heat" Parisyan, who is making his return after a suspension.The welterweight bout is a very interesting one, as a loss, coupled with his recent troubles, could send Parisyan packing, while Hazelett has everything to gain. |
Evangelista vs Aina Ruled A No Decision
Months after the controversial bout took place at Strikeforce Challengers 1 in May, the California State Athletic Commission has overturned the result of the main event between Billy Evangelista and "Iron" Mike Aina and ruled it a No Decision.Aina had originally been awarded a victory by disqualification for an illegal knee to the face on the ground, but replays showed that the knee hit Aina's shoulder. |
Exclusive Interview With Roxanne Modafferi
Seeking an imminent return to competition from her home in Kanagawa, Japan, multi-time world champion Roxanne Modafferi speaks with MMARising.com about her career accomplishments to date and her aspirations to debut for Strikeforce.Already the holder of numerous championships, Roxanne now has her sights set on competing among the elite in the Strikeforce 135-pound women's division. |
Fights Set For UFC 105
In addition to a UFC Lightweight Championship main event between "The Prodigy" BJ Penn and Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, England's UFC 105 will also feature a middleweight bout between Denis "Super Korean" Kang and Michael "The Count" Bisping.Also on the event's main card, rising British star Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy will battle undefeated Judo ace Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim in a welterweight tilt. |
Exclusive Interview With Michelle Waterson
Eagerly looking to get back into action, former Fight Girls contestant and current mixed martial arts star Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson talks with MMARising.com about her future goals as she continues to shine in the sport.After turning pro in her very first MMA fight, Michelle has tallied an impressive 6-3-0 record and has established herself as a top prospect for the coming years. |
Lesnar vs Carwin Now Set For UFC 106
Following the changes to the heavyweight bouts at UFC 104, it has now been confirmed that Shane Carwin will challenge Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 106. Tito Ortiz will also face Mark Coleman on the event's main card.This is a tremendous opportunity for Carwin, who was originally set to battle undefeated star Cain Velasquez at UFC 104, and he now gets an immediate shot at the title. |
Major Changes Made For UFC 104
Anxious to get UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar back inside the Octagon before the end of 2009, the UFC has made significant changes to a pair of prominent heavyweight fights at UFC 104. "Big" Ben Rothwell will now face Cain Velasquez.Rothwell's original opponent, the undefeated Chase Gormley, will now take on Dutch star Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve in a fight on the event's undercard. |
Gina Carano Pockets $125,000 In Defeat
Though she was handily defeated by Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos on Saturday, things were not all bad for Gina Carano. Picking up a total of $125,000 in disclosed pay - five times what she made in EliteXC - Carano set a precedence for future fights.Despite besting Carano, Santos made just $25,000 for her title-winning efforts, which included a $5,000 bonus for winning the rather lopsided fight. |
Diaz vs Sakurai Possible For Dream.11
Over a year after the fight was originally scheduled to take place, Nick Diaz may in fact travel to Japan to compete for DREAM once again, as it has been reported that he will battle Japanese legend Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at Dream.11.The fight, which was originally set to be contested for the DREAM Welterweight Championship last year, will now be a non-title bout, but could be a pivotal one. |
Strikeforce: "Carano vs Cyborg" Results
Easily their biggest event to date, Strikeforce showcased an exciting night of action at "Carano vs Cyborg," which concluded with Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos defeating Gina "Conviction" Carano to become Strikeforce Women's Lightweight Champion.In the co-main event, breakout star Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi knocked out Renato "Babalu" Sobral for the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Strikeforce Post-Fight Press Conference Recap
Immediately following Strikeforce: "Carano vs Cyborg" on Saturday, the night's main card victors gathered at the post-fight press conference to offer their thoughts on the fights. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker also introduced a special guest.Among the topics discussed at the press conference were future title bouts in each division and the returns of Strikeforce champions Alistair Overeem and Cung Le. |
EA Sports MMA Press Conference Recap
Adding to a roster that already includes the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Electronic Arts announced today that former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture will be part of their "EA Sports: MMA" video game.The announcement came at a press conference this afternoon where EA Sports President Peter Moore discussed the game and answered questions regarding its development. |
Video Interview With Marloes Coenen
Following Strikeforce: "Carano vs Cyborg" on Saturday, MMARising.com spoke with new Strikeforce addition Marloes Coenen (19-3-0) regarding her signing with Strikeforce and expected debut against new Strikeforce Women's Lightweight Champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.Marloes also discusses other opponents whom she would like to face and clarifies past comments involving fellow recent Strikeforce signee Erin Toughill. |
Phil Baroni Returns To The UFC
Mere hours after Strikeforce officially announced that "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni had been released from his contract, it has been reported that Baroni (13-11-0) will be making his return to the UFC sometime in the coming months.This decision by the UFC, especially in light of the recent releases of Tamdan McCrory and Thales Leites, is a puzzling one, at best, as Baroni is 3-5 inside the Octagon. |
McCrory & Leites Released By The UFC
After both suffered tough Split Decision losses at UFC 101, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has made a controversial decision to release welterweight Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory and former UFC Middleweight title challenger Thales Leites.Neither decision makes much sense, as McCrory (11-3-0) never had a boring fight and Leites (14-3-0) was 5-3 in the promotion and just challenged for a title. |
Diaz Out, Taylor To Face Hieron
In yet another late change to the card, Nick Diaz will not be competing against Jay Hieron at Strikeforce: "Carano vs Cyborg" this Saturday after failing to show up for a pre-fight drug test. Jesse Taylor will now take his place.The fight, which was originally set to be contested for the newly-created Strikeforce Welterweight Championship, will now be a non-title bout. |
WEC 42: "Torres vs Bowles" Results
World Extreme Cagefighting crowned a new WEC Bantamweight Champion at WEC 42, as undefeated rising star Brian Bowles shocked everyone in attendance by knocking out long-time bantamweight king Miguel Torres in the first round to claim the title.In the co-main event, Dominick Cruz handed Joseph Benavidez his first loss with a dominant Unanimous Decision victory that may set up a future title fight. |
UFC 101: "Declaration" Results
A lacklustre night of fights at UFC 101: "Declaration" concluded with BJ Penn successfully retaining his UFC Lightweight Championship against Kenny Florian, but it was Anderson Silva's destruction of Forrest Griffin that created headlines.Credit must be given to Florian for putting forth his best effort, but he was unable to do anything to threaten Penn and was submitted late in the fourth round. |
UFC 101: "Declaration" Predictions
The Ultimate Fighting Championship invades the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania tonight for UFC 101: "Declaration," which is headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian.MMARising.com looks over the card, which also features a light heavyweight bout between former champion Forrest Griffin and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. |
Round 5 MMA & JAKKS Pacific Join Forces
Already the leaders in the industry, Round 5 MMA and JAKKS Pacific have signed a sub-licensing agreement to share access to the top fighters in mixed martial arts in order to develop the largest line of collectible figurines and accessories.The agreement will allow both companies to manufacture, market and distribute MMA action figures and related products for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. |
Fedor Signs With Strikeforce
Ending one week of rampant speculation following the demise of Affliction: "Trilogy," #1-ranked heavyweight "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko has officially signed with Strikeforce and aims to compete in the promotion later this Fall.The deal officially confirms that Emelianenko will not be signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, whose owners had courted the Russian throughout the past week. |
Sengoku: "Ninth Battle" Results
World Victory Road crowned its first Featherweight Champion at Sengoku: "Ninth Battle," but it wasn't without considerable controversy. After losing earlier in the night, Masanori Kanehara replaced an injured Hatsu Hioki and won the tournament.In the main event of the evening, knockout artist Mizuto Hirota knocked out Satoru Kitaoka in the fourth round to claim the Sengoku Lightweight Championship. |
Tito Ortiz Re-Signs With The UFC
Days after it was announced that he and UFC President Dana White had squashed their long-time feud, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz has officially re-signed with the UFC and aims to fight soon.The announcement ends months of speculation, as Ortiz had been thought to be joining either Affliction or Strikeforce, but ultimately chose to return to his roots. |
Vitor Belfort Returns To The UFC
With the collapse of Affliction and the poor fan reaction to the original UFC 103 main event, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has re-signed former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort to face Rich "Ace" Franklin.The fight will headline UFC 103 in place of the originally scheduled main event rematch between Franklin and Dan "Hendo" Henderson, and will be contested at 195 pounds. |
Exclusive Interview With Julie Kedzie
Speaking with MMARising.com, 2005 HOOKnSHOOT Women's Grand Prix Champion and former EliteXC star Julie "Fireball" Kedzie discusses the numerous exciting fights from her past and her plans for the future in this entertaining interview.Known as one of the most charismatic and fan-friendly female fighters in mixed martial arts, Kedzie has endured highs and lows in her career, but has always kept a smile on her face. |
Exclusive Interview With Shane Carwin
As he prepares for the biggest fight of his career against Cain Velasquez at UFC 104, undefeated heavyweight sensation Shane Carwin speaks exclusively with MMARising.com on his preparations for the fight and his goal to become champion.Undefeated at 11-0, former Ring of Fire Heavyweight Champion Carwin will battle Velasquez to determine the #1 contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. |
Thomson Off Strikeforce Card Again
A leg injury has once again delayed the proposed rematch between Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson and Interim Champion Gilbert "El Niņo" Melendez, and "The Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida will step in on August 15th.The fight will be contested for the Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Championship and gives Melendez a chance to avenge his first career loss from "Yarennoka" in 2007. |
Rothwell vs Gormley Set For UFC 104
Another cancelled Affliction bout has been picked up by another promotion, as former IFL heavyweight star "Big" Ben Rothwell will now battle undefeated former NAIA All-American wrestler Chase Gormley inside the Octagon at UFC 104 on October 24th.This fight marks the first two UFC signings of former Affliction talent, and could pave the way for more ex-Affliction fighters who aim to move up to the UFC. |
Sobral vs Mousasi Moved To Strikeforce
Days after being cancelled along with the remainder of the Affliction: "Trilogy" card, the bout between Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi will now take place in Strikeforce for Sobral's Light Heavyweight title.The fight will be part of the upcoming Strikeforce: "Carano vs Cyborg" event on August 15th, on a card that has already undergone a number of recent changes. |
Women's MMA Division, Part II
Picking up where we left off last year, MMARising.com once again looks at the top fighters in the women's division of mixed martial arts. From the dominant females to the wildcards, the competitors are finally getting their due respect.Women's MMA has come a long way in the past two years and we are mere weeks away from the historic headlining bout between Gina "Conviction" Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. |
Affliction Cancels August 1st Event
In the wake of the loss of main event participant Josh Barnett following a steroid scandal, Affliction Entertainment has made the difficult decision to cancel their upcoming August 1st "Trilogy" event due to inadequate time for promotion.The cancellation of the card more than likely spells the end of Affliction's involvement in promoting MMA events, and also leaves nearly two dozen fighters without paycheques. |
Barnett Tests Positive For Steroids
Earlier today, it was confirmed that former UFC Heavyweight Champion "The Babyfaced Assassin" Josh Barnett had failed a pre-fight drug test before his scheduled bout with WAMMA Heavyweight Champion "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko.The fight with Emelianenko is now off and Affliction is currently scrambling to find an opponent for the Russian, in an effort to salvage their August 1st "Trilogy" event. |
Overeem Injured, Off Strikeforce Card
After aggravating a hand injury that originally stemmed from an altercation with nightclub security in Amsterdam, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem has been forced to withdraw from his August 15th fight.The scheduled bout, which would have been a rematch against former PRIDE and UFC star Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum, will be replaced, but it is unclear whether Werdum will participate. |
Henderson vs Franklin II At UFC 103
In a rather confusing turn of events, the UFC has announced that UFC 103 will be headlined by a rematch between former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion Dan "Hendo" Henderson and former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich "Ace" Franklin.The near-immediate rematch from their UFC 93 bout, which Henderson won by Split Decision, makes little sense because neither fighter appears to have much to gain at all. |
DREAM: Heiwa Dream.10 Results
DREAM returned to the Saitama Super Arena for Heiwa Dream.10, where the promotion's first Welterweight Champion was crowned. Picking up an unbelievable two head-kick knockouts in one night, Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis captured DREAM gold.In non-tournament action, Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki defeated Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, while Paulo "Ely" Filho rallied to submit "Marvellous" Melvin Manhoef. |
Fights Announced For UFC 103
Following the controversial aftermath of UFC 99, in which he left the promotion and chose to return to competing in Japan, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović will step inside the Octagon again at UFC 103 when he meets Junior "Cigano" dos Santos.In addition to the confusing return of Filipović, other action on the card includes a UFC Welterweight title eliminator between Mike "Quick" Swick and Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann. |
UFC 100 Results & Recap
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's prized UFC 100 card will sure to have people talking in the weeks ahead, though not necessarily for the best reasons. A great night of fights was marred by Brock Lesnar returning to his WWE "bad guy" roots.After destroying Frank Mir, Lesnar's post-fight antics overshadowed the event and he was later forced to apologise for his actions, which included mocking a major UFC sponsor. |
Jewels: "Fourth Ring" Results
Taking her undefeated record to an unbelievable 18-0, #1-ranked female Megumi "Mega Megu" Fujii picked up an impressive submission victory late in round two over tough challenger Saori Ishioka in the main event of Jewels: "Fourth Ring."In other action, former SmackGIRL 128-Pound Champion Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano rebounded from her controversial loss to Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos by submitting Miki Morifuji. |
UFC 100 Predictions
At long last, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's historic UFC 100 event is upon us, and MMARising.com looks over the impressive card, which is headlined by a rematch for the UFC Heavyweight Championship between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.The co-main event of the evening, which could arguably headline the show, is a UFC Welterweight Championship showdown between Georges "Rush" St. Pierre and Thiago "Pitbull" Alves. |
More Strikeforce Fights Announced
In addition to title fights that will see undefeated female star Gina Carano take on Cristiane Santos and Josh Thomson rematch Gilbert Melendez, Strikeforce's stacked August 15th card will now feature two other championship bouts.The Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Alistair Overeem looks to avenge a loss to Fabricio Werdum, while Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs rematch for the new Welterweight title. |
Carwin vs Velasquez Likely For UFC 104
While not yet officially confirmed, UFC 104 is poised to feature a showdown between the top two prospects (both undefeated) in the UFC's heavyweight division, as heavy-hitting wrestler Shane Carwin has agreed to face MMA prodigy Cain Velasquez.The fight, which should establish a future challenger for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, will determine which of the undefeated rising stars will continue their rise to the top. |
Exclusive Interview With Dennis Hallman
In an exclusive interview with MMARising.com, two-time Matt Hughes conqueror Dennis "Superman" Hallman discusses his fights with Hughes, his UFC title bout, which fighters he would most like to face and why he'd like to return to the UFC.Hallman has competed against many of the biggest names in the sport, including a pair of quick and dominant victories over long-time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes. |
