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Belfot looks to call spirit of underdogs past

Written By Emdua on Rabu, 19 September 2012 | 23.17

Vitor Belfort (above) looks to follow in the footsteps of Matt Serra and Randy Couture, other UFC fighters who sprung huge upsets.

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

UFC 152

Current UFC Champions

Current
UFC Champions

Rare Photos of Jon Jones

Rare Photos
of Jon Jones

As the days wind toward UFC 152 on Saturday night at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, all parties involved in the main event between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Vitor Belfort are saying the right things.

Belfort's a former champion. Jones needs to respect his knockout power. Anything can happen in mixed martial arts.

"Its ridiculous," said UFC president Dana White. "[Belfort] has power in both hands. If the Vitor Belfort shows up that we've seen a million times, that explosive knockout power, if Vitor just stands out there and hangs out there the way he fights, this is a very dangerous fight for Jon Jones."

Sure, Belfort, a former 205-pound champion, is returning to his former weight class after three years at 185. Sure, he was neither Plans A, B, nor C for Jones' fourth defense of his title. And sure, Belfort opened as an eye-popping 13-to-1 underdog.

No matter, says Jones. "I learned really not to put anything towards the odds," the champion said. You know, people who look at the odds, they're the people who don't fight. You know, I fight. And I realize the dangers in this sport and it's, it's a sport. It's a game where anyone can win at any time, so I don't focus on the odds."

Jones (16-1) is on an epic tear and is looking to make Belfort the fifth consecutive former UFC champion on his resume. Belfort (21-9) is 35 and only got the title shot after a well-documented chain of events that included the first-ever event cancellation in UFC history, the UFC 151 card that was scheduled for Sept. 1.

But the funny thing is, in a sport as volatile as MMA, you don't have to search far to find fight postponements or injury fallouts that led to challengers who were derided as being unworthy of their shot at the throne and then rocked the sport's foundation with a memorable title victory.

The most famous example is Matt Serra. UFC 151 was far from the first problem-riddled fight card; Serra was the ultimate beneficiary of a jinxed event less than six years ago.

UFC 67 on Feb. 3, 2007 in Las Vegas was supposed to mark the culmination of The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In that season of the reality series, welterweights and middleweights who had been cut from the UFC were given a second chance in the company. The winner in each weight class was slated for a title shot against newly crowned champions, respectively, in Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, both of whom were scheduled to make their first defense.

The initial jolt to UFC 67 came when St-Pierre injured a knee in training, causing the postponement of his fight with Serra until UFC 69. Then, on the day before the card, Silva's would-be challenger, Travis Lutter, missed weight, causing the bout to be changed into a non-title affair, making Lutter to date the last UFC title challenger to miss weight for a championship bout. Silva won via second-round submission in a match in front of a Mandalay Bay Events Center crowd that bought tickets expecting two title fights, but instead got none.

Two months later, the other shoe from the cursed UFC 67 dropped: Serra, an 8-to-1 underdog, tagged St-Pierre in the early going with a big right hand and the champion was never able to recover. Serra opened with a flurry of punches and won at 3:25 of the first round, making the charismatic Long Islander the most unlikely champion in modern UFC history.

While Serra's win over St-Pierre is regarded as the most stunning underdog story in UFC history, truth is, it came just one month after a fighter whom many felt had no business even stepping into the octagon strapped UFC gold around his waist after a major upset.

Former two-weight-class champion Randy Couture had been retired more than a year and was working as a color commentator when the opportunity to fight Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title came along.

Sylvia was originally slated to meet Brandon Vera, who at the time was considered a champion in the making, with a 9-0 record after his fast knockout of Frank Mir at UFC 65. But Vera got entangled in a legal dispute with his management team, which made him ineligible to fight. With no other suitable challengers available, Couture got the nod.

When the Couture-Sylvia fight was announced, consensus was that the former champion would get slaughtered. He was 43 and facing an opponent who was 11 years younger, six inches taller and 40 pounds heavier. While Sylvia today is a parody of his former self, at the time, the Maine native was at his career peak, with a 23-2 record and six straight victories.

Instead, Couture dominated Sylvia on March 3, 2007, in Columbus, Ohio. He dropped Sylvia with a gigantic overhand right in the bout's opening seconds and nearly finished him. Couture couldn't close out the fight, so he instead embarrassed his bigger foe by using his wrestling to control the bout for the remainder of the 25-minute fight, earning across-the-board scores of 50-45 to claim the title.

Jones, of course, is a far cry from Sylvia. For every example of a fighter pulling a title upset, there were plenty of evenings where bouts that looked one-sided in the champion's favor played out in practice as it did in theory.

But Couture and Serra's victories prove that what is considered impossible can, in fact, happen.

Serra was known as a jiu-jitsu guy going into his upset of St-Pierre. His win can be attributed to landing the lucky punch and then having the wherewithal to back it up.

Belfort, though, is known for his heavy hands. So even if he's also in need of a lucky punch against Jones, he goes in with a history of laying down the leather. The list of luminaries who woke up staring at the lights after being on the wrong end of a Belfort flurry over the years include Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin and Matt Lindland.

Maybe that's why Belfort has taken a zen-like approach to the notion he doesn't stand a chance come Saturday night.

"It's the journey, man," Belfort said. "I'm 35 years old. I've been fighting for 17 years, and I've had great fights. I'm just focusing on the process. I'm not worrying about what people say or what people think. I don't even care, you know?"

20 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/dave_doyle/09/19/ufc-upsets/index.html?sct=mma_t11_a1&xid=si_mma
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MMAFighting: Jones forgives White for remarks

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20 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/9/19/3360192/jon-jones-forgives-dana-white-despite-never-receiving-an-apology?xid=si_mma
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MMAFighting: Mir suffers injury, out vs. Cormier

Sep 19, 2012 - This is beyond unbelievable.

UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir suffered an undisclosed injury in training and will now be forced to withdraw from his cross-promotional clash against Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix champion Daniel Cormier. MMAJunkie.com first confirmed the news late Tuesday night.

Mir, of course, was tapped to become the first active UFC fighter to fight a champion under the Strikeforce banner. The bout was meant to serve as Cormier's final fight in Strikeforce before crossing over into the UFC. Strikeforce officials are currently working on locating a replacement opponent.

I really am speechless at this point. Within the past few weeks, Dan Henderson, Erik Koch, Rampage Jackson, Jose Aldo, and now Frank Mir have all fallen victim to this injury epidemic, slashing and burning a majority of the upcoming autumn fight schedule with them. Every week it's a new disaster, and every time you think we're finally in the clear and there couldn't possibly be any more injuries, someone else bites the dust.

Who knows how Zuffa salvages this one. At the rate guys are dropping like flies, there's apparently a very good chance we'll be back in this same boat next month. Even if this may just be a ridiculous of run of bad luck, it's hard to not be frustrated with such continual disappointment.

Seriously, anyone else need a drink? First round is on me.

Star-divide

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Mir injured. An injury to former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has led to his withdrawal from a November 3 cross-promotional Strikeforce bout against Daniel Cormier. Zuffa officials are currently seeking a replacement opponent for Cormier.

Melendez welcomes fourth Thomson bout. In a surprising change of tune, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez said he would be open to a fourth bout against former champ Josh Thomson. Following his May 19 victory over Thomson, Melendez made it clear he wouldn't entertain the thought of a fourth fight with his rival.

UFC 152 Facebook dissection. David Castillo dissects and predicts UFC 152's three-fight Facebook undercard, which features Kyle Noke vs. Charlie Brenneman, Mitch Gagnon vs. Walel Watson, and Seth Baczynski vs. Simeon Thoresen.

TUF 16 debut ratings. Last Friday's debut of The Ultimate Fighter 16 drew a reported 947,000 viewers, the lowest audience in TUF history. Last season's debut drew 1.3 million viewers.

Pulver joins bantamweight grand prix. Former UFC champion Jens Pulver is one of four announced entrants into ONE FC's bantamweight world grand prix, which is set to kick off at ONE FC 6. In addition, Zorobabel Moreira will challenge former Shooto champion Kotetsu Boku for the inaugural ONE FC lightweight belt.

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MEDIA STEW

For an 8-to-1 underdog, Vitor Belfort sure looks sharp at 205 pounds.

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Let's give this puppy a second try. To quote myself yesterday, if this clip doesn't convince you to fly to Vegas and drop $100 down on Stephan Bonnar over Anderson Silva right now, I don't know what would.

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Hey look, another promo tweeted out by Dana White that uses copyrighted footage and was uploaded to YouTube by a likely UFC dummy account. But hey, at least it's entertaining.

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I don't know what makes this X-Arm knockout better: 1.) The announcers' apparent disregard of any sense of professionalism, or 2.) The fact that these guys' names are freakin' Tater Williams and Bond Laupua. (Actually, who am I kidding? I'll take Tater vs. Bond all day.)

(HT: CagePotato)

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Jon Jones embarked on another ESPN media tour yesterday, at one point stopping by the First Take set to talk shop with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless.

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NO

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OH, FORREST

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A VALID POINT

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WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS...

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Tuesday, September 18, 2012):

- Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir: Frank Mir (16-6) out with injury opposite Daniel Cormier (10-0)

- ONE FC 6: Jens Pulver (26-17-1) vs. Zhao Ya Fei (0-0) for bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal

- ONE FC 6: Min Jung Song (3-4) vs. Masakatsu Ueda (15-2) for bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal

Star-divide

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today's Fanpost of the Day is by HeadKickOfDoom, and it thankfully has nothing to do with Frank Mir: 5 Other Historical Mismatched UFC Main Events

This coming Saturday, we MMA fans will finally be thrown a bone when we finally get some sweet sweet UFC action. It should be an action packed evening with some excellent fights. Then we will get to the main event, and we will get to see what should equate to a legalized murder. Just in case our palates will not be filled then, we can wait a month and watch UFC 153. That event is headlined by Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar, in what could possibly be the biggest one sided beating in the history of the UFC.

Now for newer fans, this is not the first time these things have happened. There have been a couple of times during the history of the company in which the main event was a significant mismatch. Below are 5 other mismatches that have main evented a UFC event before. Please note, I didn't include any of the tournament final matches in this, as those were not booked, they were a progression of the tourney.

UFC 32 - June 29th 2001

Tito Ortiz vs Elvis Sinosic for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

In 2001, Tito Ortiz was at the height of his powers. He had won the LHW championship a year prior at UFC 25 with a victory over Wanderlei Silva, and had already defended his title twice, with victories over Yuki Kondo and the late Evan Tanner. Enter Australian Elvis "The King Of Rock N Rumble" Sinosic. Sinosic entered the fight with a 4 - 3 - 1 record, and basically was given this fight on the strength of his previous submission of Jeremy Horn at UFC 30, as well as managing to not get murdered by the legendary Frank Shamrock in a K-1 fight (an extremely one sided fight at that). Despite Chuck Liddell having a better claim at this fight, Tito had no interest in fighting Chuck, so Elvis was thrown to the wolves.

It was apparent right from the start the Sinosic had no business being in the cage with Ortiz. He was taken down almost immediately, and then proceeded to get a vicious, old school Tito Ortiz s--tkicking for his efforts.

Result: TKO at 3:32 of the 1st round

UFC 53 June 4th 2005

Andrei Arlovski vs Justin Eilers for the Interim Heavyweight Title

Showing just how absolutely terrible the UFC Heavyweight division was at the time, Fedor vs Cro Cop happened about a month after this HW title fight in Pride FC. While Eilers came into this fight with a respectable 9 - 3 record, he was coming off a 1st round KO to Paul Buentello. Arlovski at the time was a beast, having rung off 4 consecutive stoppage victories. Eilers had gotten this fight when Ricco Rodriguez was forced to pull out of the event, and a lot of people were skeptical at the validity of this matchup. The skeptics were proved right, as Arlovski came out firing, constantly beating the former Miletich Fighting Systems fighter to the punch. Eilers' ended up blowing out his knee towards the end of the 1st round, but he was getting battered regardless leading up to the unfortunate injury.

Winner: Andrei Arlovski TKO 4:22 in the 1st round

UFC 21 - July 16th 1999

Pat Miletich vs Andre Pederneiras for the UFC Welterweight Championship

In the dark ages of the UFC, the lighter weight classes were often ignored in favor of large, poorly conditioned heavyweights slobbering all over one another (with of course, some notable exceptions). At the time, Pat Miletich had yet to be defeated in the Octagon. Prior to this fight, Miletich had been submitted in Hawaii at SuperBrawl by a Japanese fighter by the name of Jutaro Nakao. Instead of booking a potential rematch for the Iowa native's UFC title, the UFC brought in 1 - 0 BJJ blackbelt (and future Nova Uniao founder) Andre Pederneiras. Miletich was taking criticism for being a boring fighter, and not being able to finish opponents in the Octagon. He was said to be fighting too safe, so he was basically GSP before GSP.

The fight was a fairly dull affair, as Pederneiras decided he was going to try and stand with Miletich for a little over a round. They traded some single shots for awhile, until Miletich timed a leg kick perfectly and clipped the Brazilian with a crisp right hand. Pederneiras would finally get it to the ground by pulling guard, but the right hand he had eaten opened a gash over his left eye, and ended the fight. While Pederneiras was a decorated BJJ player, after 1 victory he was essentially thrown to the wolves.

Result: Pat Miletich wins via TKO (cut) at 2:20 of the 2nd round.

Found something you'd like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's column.

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20 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/9/19/3354732/morning-report-frank-mir-injury-daniel-cormier-strikeforce-ufc-152-dana-white-jon-jones?xid=si_mma
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Chavez Jr. fails post-fight drug test

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (above) tested positive for a banned substance — reportedly marijuana — after Saturday's fight with Sergio Martinez in Las Vegas. (AP)

Former middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. tested positive for a banned substance following Saturday's unanimous-decision defeat to Sergio Martinez. Chavez's promoter, Top Rank, confirmed the positive test.

According to multiple reports, the banned substance was marijuana.

"Top Rank is reviewing the situation," Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels said in a statement. "Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will have the opportunity to explain this situation to the Nevada State Athletic Commission."

The positive test is the second for Chavez in Nevada. In 2009, Chavez tested positive for Furosemide, a known diuretic that helps with weight loss, after his win over Troy Rowland. Chavez was suspended for seven months and fined $10,000 by the commission. The official result was changed to a no-contest.

Last week, Chavez cited that positive test as one of the turning points of his career.

"I thought about it, and I said, 'What am I doing here? Do I need to be serious about this?'" Chavez said. "'Do I really want this? How much do I want it?'"

NSAC executive director told SI.com there is no mandatory suspension length for a second positive test. Kizer said any violation can result in a fine of up to 100 percent of the fighter's purse — Chavez was guaranteed $3 million against Martinez — and/or a one-year suspension.

The positive test is the latest act of immaturity from the 26-year old Chavez. Last January, Chavez was arrested for suspicion of DUI. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to probation. Before teaming up with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, Chavez had a reputation for being lazy in the gym. Though he seemed to shed that reputation over the last year, in the weeks before the fight with Martinez, Chavez routinely skipped out on training sessions, often preferring to work out at home late at night rather than at the gym.

Roach said he will continue to work with Chavez but that "the first day he misses something, I'm going home."

– Chris Mannix

20 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/09/19/julio-cesar-chavez-jr-tests-positive-for-banned-substance-after-sergio-martinez-fight/?xid=si_mma
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Belfort looks to call spirit of underdogs past

Vitor Belfort (above) looks to follow in the footsteps of Matt Serra and Randy Couture, other UFC fighters who sprung huge upsets.

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

UFC 152

Current UFC Champions

Current
UFC Champions

Rare Photos of Jon Jones

Rare Photos
of Jon Jones

As the days wind toward UFC 152 on Saturday night at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, all parties involved in the main event between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Vitor Belfort are saying the right things.

Belfort's a former champion. Jones needs to respect his knockout power. Anything can happen in mixed martial arts.

"Its ridiculous," said UFC president Dana White. "[Belfort] has power in both hands. If the Vitor Belfort shows up that we've seen a million times, that explosive knockout power, if Vitor just stands out there and hangs out there the way he fights, this is a very dangerous fight for Jon Jones."

Sure, Belfort, a former 205-pound champion, is returning to his former weight class after three years at 185. Sure, he was neither Plans A, B, nor C for Jones' fourth defense of his title. And sure, Belfort opened as an eye-popping 13-to-1 underdog.

No matter, says Jones. "I learned really not to put anything towards the odds," the champion said. You know, people who look at the odds, they're the people who don't fight. You know, I fight. And I realize the dangers in this sport and it's, it's a sport. It's a game where anyone can win at any time, so I don't focus on the odds."

Jones (16-1) is on an epic tear and is looking to make Belfort the fifth consecutive former UFC champion on his resume. Belfort (21-9) is 35 and only got the title shot after a well-documented chain of events that included the first-ever event cancellation in UFC history, the UFC 151 card that was scheduled for Sept. 1.

But the funny thing is, in a sport as volatile as MMA, you don't have to search far to find fight postponements or injury fallouts that led to challengers who were derided as being unworthy of their shot at the throne and then rocked the sport's foundation with a memorable title victory.

The most famous example is Matt Serra. UFC 151 was far from the first problem-riddled fight card; Serra was the ultimate beneficiary of a jinxed event less than six years ago.

UFC 67 on Feb. 3, 2007 in Las Vegas was supposed to mark the culmination of The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In that season of the reality series, welterweights and middleweights who had been cut from the UFC were given a second chance in the company. The winner in each weight class was slated for a title shot against newly crowned champions, respectively, in Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, both of whom were scheduled to make their first defense.

The initial jolt to UFC 67 came when St-Pierre injured a knee in training, causing the postponement of his fight with Serra until UFC 69. Then, on the day before the card, Silva's would-be challenger, Travis Lutter, missed weight, causing the bout to be changed into a non-title affair, making Lutter to date the last UFC title challenger to miss weight for a championship bout. Silva won via second-round submission in a match in front of a Mandalay Bay Events Center crowd that bought tickets expecting two title fights, but instead got none.

Two months later, the other shoe from the cursed UFC 67 dropped: Serra, an 8-to-1 underdog, tagged St-Pierre in the early going with a big right hand and the champion was never able to recover. Serra opened with a flurry of punches and won at 3:25 of the first round, making the charismatic Long Islander the most unlikely champion in modern UFC history.

While Serra's win over St-Pierre is regarded as the most stunning underdog story in UFC history, truth is, it came just one month after a fighter whom many felt had no business even stepping into the octagon strapped UFC gold around his waist after a major upset.

Former two-weight-class champion Randy Couture had been retired more than a year and was working as a color commentator when the opportunity to fight Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title came along.

Sylvia was originally slated to meet Brandon Vera, who at the time was considered a champion in the making, with a 9-0 record after his fast knockout of Frank Mir at UFC 65. But Vera got entangled in a legal dispute with his management team, which made him ineligible to fight. With no other suitable challengers available, Couture got the nod.

When the Couture-Sylvia fight was announced, consensus was that the former champion would get slaughtered. He was 43 and facing an opponent who was 11 years younger, six inches taller and 40 pounds heavier. While Sylvia today is a parody of his former self, at the time, the Maine native was at his career peak, with a 23-2 record and six straight victories.

Instead, Couture dominated Sylvia on March 3, 2007, in Columbus, Ohio. He dropped Sylvia with a gigantic overhand right in the bout's opening seconds and nearly finished him. Couture couldn't close out the fight, so he instead embarrassed his bigger foe by using his wrestling to control the bout for the remainder of the 25-minute fight, earning across-the-board scores of 50-45 to claim the title.

Jones, of course, is a far cry from Sylvia. For every example of a fighter pulling a title upset, there were plenty of evenings where bouts that looked one-sided in the champion's favor played out in practice as it did in theory.

But Couture and Serra's victories prove that what is considered impossible can, in fact, happen.

Serra was known as a jiu-jitsu guy going into his upset of St-Pierre. His win can be attributed to landing the lucky punch and then having the wherewithal to back it up.

Belfort, though, is known for his heavy hands. So even if he's also in need of a lucky punch against Jones, he goes in with a history of laying down the leather. The list of luminaries who woke up staring at the lights after being on the wrong end of a Belfort flurry over the years include Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin and Matt Lindland.

Maybe that's why Belfort has taken a zen-like approach to the notion he doesn't stand a chance come Saturday night.

"It's the journey, man," Belfort said. "I'm 35 years old. I've been fighting for 17 years, and I've had great fights. I'm just focusing on the process. I'm not worrying about what people say or what people think. I don't even care, you know?"

20 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/dave_doyle/09/19/ufc-upsets/index.html?xid=si_mma
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Loretta Hunt: Brian Stann resists war hero storyline ahead of UFC 152 showdown

Brian Stann (above), who fights Michael Bisping at UFC 152 on Saturday, doesn't personally trade on his past as a war hero.

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

UFC 152

Current UFC Champions

Current
UFC Champions

Rare Photos of Jon Jones

Rare Photos
of Jon Jones

Brian Stann doesn't like to talk about that those six nights in Iraq in May 2005 that earned him a Silver Star, the military's third highest award for "gallantry in action."

He doesn't enjoy bringing up the feelings of guilt that surround the night his 42-man Marine Corps battalion was ambushed with rocket-propelled grenades on a pitch-black road, as they attempted to retrieve a downed vehicle they'd abandoned the day before.

These feelings return without coaxing during the 31-year-old Stann's quiet moments, when he questions every minute decision he made as infantry leader that night to execute the mission, then protect and extricate his men in the five days that followed. He still hears the cries from the neighboring infantry tank that was blindsided by a pick-up truck full of explosives, driven by a wide-eyed young boy. He still smells the burning flesh.

"People look at it and say it must be a great, heroic story, but the bottom line is there were a lot of men who were permanently wounded during that time," said Stann. "It's not a fun story for me, so I try to avoid it. I just don't want to do it anymore."

In MMA, UFC middleweight Stann (12-4), who meets Michael Bisping (22-4) at UFC 152 Saturday in Toronto, has been marketed as a war hero, and rightfully so. All 42 soldiers were rescued and lived to talk about the operation that's still used as a Marine Corps recruiting tool today. But Brian Stann is much more than a war hero.

He's a husband and a father to two young daughters, ages 2 and 4. He's a businessman whose day job has helped hundreds of war veterans transition to productive civilian lives. And he's a mixed martial arts fighter amidst changes and a little uncertainty.

He's a son who's never known his real father, and the product of a single mother who worked long shifts away from home as a hospice nurse to provide for him and his older sister until she remarried when Stann was in middle school.

He's a man who began mastering his "fight or flight" reflex as early as third grade, getting into many fights on the streets of the less affluent areas of northeastern Pennsylvania.

He's a person who decided at an early age that he'd much rather lead than follow, and he was going to do everything it took to get into a position to do just that.

Stann got on that track when his mother enrolled him at the Scranton Preparatory School, a private Jesuit high school with attendance fees that put a lot of demands on his family financially.

At Scranton Prep, Stann was the star quarterback, a role he took on so earnestly that it sometimes alienated him from his own friends.

"I took everything seriously -- my sports, my academics. I took it so seriously that I took the fun out of it," said Stann, who maintained a 3.5 GPA. "Over time, I think that would turn a lot of people off."

However, fleeting popularity was a small price to pay. Stann had a timetable to keep.

"I wanted to go to a good school," he said.

By his senior year, Stann was being tracked and scouted by a slew of universities that included Lehigh, Yale, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the military academies. But he injured his throwing arm in the first game of the season, and with that crucial cog out of place, the team underperformed that year.

"For me, a lot of the accolades I thought I'd be competing for -- being All-State and everything else -- fell back," Stann said. "I didn't reach what I'd wanted to. That disappointment, it definitely helped shape who I am."

The Naval Academy became the most attractive option. Stann played linebacker for the Midshipmen all four years, even as he rose to the officer ranks upon graduation in 2003.

"I love leadership," said Stann. "Going from the Naval Academy into the Marine Corps, you learn. You go through tons of simulations and different exercises to learn what's expected of effective leadership."

MMA had started just as a hobby. Martial arts training was mandatory for all Marines, and Stann said he still had an unquenched thirst for competition. When he'd paired together enough skills, he entered local amateur bouts before his first deployment.

"After my first tour in Iraq, the first thing I wanted to do was get my first pro fight," recalls Stann. "It was something I would do on weekends and every night after work."

Following his second tour in Iraq, Stann rattled off six consecutive first-round TKO wins while stationed as a captain at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, accumulating his leave time to put toward training camps. His third pro fight would prove the most life-changing, when he won the WEC light heavyweight title just as UFC owners Zuffa LLC, which had an eye on expansion, purchased the promotion.

Stann left active duty in 2008, just as Zuffa's WEC experiment was coming to an end and the company folded Stann's weight division back into the UFC. He accepted a job offer in Atlanta extended by MedAssets CEO John Bardis, a longtime benefactor of the nation's amateur wrestling program.

"[With] the money I was making at the time coming out of the WEC, and my performance (Stann had back-to-back losses) -- I didn't know if I was a guy who'd last in the UFC and I had kids to provide for, so I couldn't take any chances," said Stann.

In 2009, Bardis re-assigned Stann as CEO of Hire Heroes USA, a not-for-profit organization that has placed 630 veterans in long-term career job positions nationwide since it started in 2007. Of those 630, 500 veterans have been placed in the last two years under Stann's leadership.

With full-time pay and benefits, Stann thought he could afford the inconvenience of working around his day job while balancing a fight career. As CEO, Stann gradually pieced together a support staff that's allowed him to take a big step back six weeks out from a bout to train properly.

In return, Stann said his MMA career has brought added attention to Hire Heroes, which the organization has leveraged for more donations and marketing opportunities to bring more veterans its way.

Last December, Stann left the tutelage of Albuquerque coaching gurus Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn to stay closer to home after his brother-in-law died. Stann had trained with Jackson and Winkeljohn during fight camps for three-and-a-half years and their culled knowledge won't be easy to recreate. Still, Stann has started the rebuilding process at the Warrior Legion Academy in Alpharetta, Ga.

"For me to leave my wife and kids for weeks at a time just wasn't practical," said Stann. "I need to be here. This is my home and I need to be here for support. That's obviously far more important than fighting."

The opportunity to commentate fights fell into Stann's lap in February, when Fox used him as a late-replacement cageside analyst for a Fuel TV broadcast in Omaha, Neb. Fans immediately warmed to Stann's straightforward assessments and the Fox executives were impressed. By April, Fox announced Stann as the third commentator for the quarterly UFC on Fox network broadcasts.

Stann said he partly owes his confident speaking-style to his last commanding position in the Marine Corps. Every Friday at Camp Lejeune, Stann addressed the 900 soldiers who reported to him for their "Liberty speech" about smart decision-making before they were released for the weekend. Stann also speaks at Marine Corps balls and other social events regularly.

In the Octagon, Stann has had an up-and-down year. He rebounded from a humbling loss to Chael Sonnen in October 2011 by knocking out Italian boxer Alessio Sakara in April. But he had to pull out of his biggest fight to date as the UFC on Fox 4 headliner last August over the same shoulder joint-separation injury that had stunted his senior-year run in high school.

Stann opted to forgo surgery for a partially-torn rotator cuff and said he's rehabbed the shoulder back to its full range of motion in time to face British striker Bisping. But it's Bisping's wrestling that Stann, whose strengths lie on his feet and in his fists, might have to look out for. To prepare, Stann brought two-time All-America wrestler Raymond Jordan (University of Missouri) into his Atlanta camp.

Even Bisping, a part-time heel who gets a motivational boost from trashtalking his opponents, hasn't been able to muster the nerve to speak ill of the "The All-American." So, this fight will roll out this week on the momentum of its relevance as a middleweight contender's bout -- possibly the most immediate one to decide champion Anderson Silva's next title challenger.

This week, Stann won't tout his war-hero status, though it is what he's come to be identified as. '"War hero" is a term he honors, but he hopes to eventually leave its current connotation in his past on a pitch-black road in northwestern Iraq.

"I think the preconceived notion of me is that because I was in the military, I'm all for war and conflict," said Stann. "Some of my fondest memories were rebuilding schools, opening stores on the streets of Iraq, and injecting more money into the economy to help families. Some of my fondest memories were fighting for people I've never met."

20 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/loretta_hunt/09/19/brian-stann/index.html?xid=si_mma
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MMAFighting: Melendez open to Thomson again

Written By Emdua on Selasa, 18 September 2012 | 17.37

Sep 18, 2012 - When Gilbert Melendez kept his Strikeforce lightweight title by the skin of his teeth after a May 19 trilogy fight against former champion Josh Thomson, the last thing he wanted was a fourth fight with his rival.

But some time over the past four months, the Californian had a change of heart. Melendez is preparing to defend his title against the underrated Pat Healy on Sept. 29, but during a Tuesday press teleconference, the champion said he's open to the idea of meeting his former training partner one more time.

"I'm definitely down for it," Melendez said. "I'd be up for it. I'm not looking forward to it right away, but I'm definitely not scared of it."

After Thomson defeated Melendez to take the latter's Strikeforce title in 2008, Melendez defeated Thomson via decision the following year. Then in what at the time was presumably their final fight, Thomson rallied after a slow start and came one round short on two cards away from taking the belt.

"I don't think it was my best performance," Melendez said of the bout in Thomson's hometown of San Jose. "I think Thomson's a tough guy, I think we know each other well. It was a close fight and San Jose's his town, and they were 0-for-3 that night until Cormier came in. It's a little hard because I usually don't get booed and I put my life on the line out there. It kind of hurt, but it is what it is. I'm just moving forward, If I have to fight him again, if he keeps winning, it is what it is."

It wouldn't be a Gilbert Melendez interview if there weren't several questions about where he stands in the rankings. Melendez is 21-2 in his career and has won seven straight fights, but because he's under contract to Strikeforce, which doesn't have the deepest of talent pools, his standing among the sport's pound-for-pound best remains a topic of debate.

"I've been around for awhile, and I've done pretty good in the rankings," Melendez said. "If you look at my history, I've beat a lot of guys, I've traveled oversees did some things, at one time I was No. 1 in the world at 145 and I went up to 155."

"I'm up there, I don't know exactly where I am. It used to be a bigger concern of mine, but not so much nowadays. But yeah, I feel like I'm up there. I feel like I could go up to 170 and beat some of those guys as well and if need be I can go back to '45 and be the number one guy as well."

Until that time, Melendez will focus on the things he can control. And for now, that means preparing for his bout with Healy, a tough Team Quest veteran who has won five consecutive bouts and eight of his past nine.

"Sometimes things get stale and you hit a plateau for a minute and you gotta kind of re-evalute everything," Melendez said. "You really use your brain and figure out how to evolve as a fighter and how to improve as a fighter and point out your weaknesses.

"I found my motivation, I'm a student of the sport. I just want to learn and continue to learn and grow and get better as a mixed martial artist. I'm blessed with a really good job. I want to keep going and test myself against new blood and new opponents. Fighting someone like Pat is a guy I look forward to fighting. He likes to come forward, he likes to fight, he's a little old school and I'm old school, and that motivates me. "

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19 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/strikeforce/2012/9/18/3354184/gilbert-melendez-says-hes-open-to-fourth-josh-thomson-bout?xid=si_mma
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MMAFighting: Ortiz 'sick' of pain eyes retirement

Sep 18, 2012 - For Tito Ortiz, the fact that he will never again fight has mostly sunk in by now. His brain still thinks he can do it, he sometimes dreams about it, but his body has the final word, and that word is an emphatic no.

After more than 15 years of mixed martial arts training and competition, his body is tired. It's aching and in some places, it's broken. Everyday, he wakes up with pain and soreness. He needs ACL reconstruction surgery in his right knee. He needs surgery to fuse two vertebrae in his neck, but he wants to wait until after fishing season is over to schedule anything that's going to have him laid up for too long.

"I'm just sick of having surgery," told MMA Fighting. "I'm just sick of the pain."

If the image of Ortiz lazing around in a fishing boat paints a picture of a life of leisure in retirement, nothing could be further from the truth. During his career, Ortiz was always a man looking for outside opportunities. Now free from the daily grind of training, he has ramped up his efforts.

In just the last month, he has announced the formation of a management company named Primetime 360, as well as an amateur MMA fight series in California named Rising Stars. Ortiz also owns a clothing line, nutrition supplement company and a training center.

The hope is that his expanding pursuits put him squarely on the front lines of a growing sport.

When he began his own career in 1997, he competed at UFC 13 as an unpaid amateur. By the time he retired, he was a multi-millionaire. Along the way, there were highs and lows, from winning the UFC light heavyweight championship and becoming one of the biggest draws in the history of the business to feuding with the company owners and being frozen out for a time.

Ortiz has two favorite memories. The first was winning the belt in April 2000. The second came 11 years later, when he upset Ryan Bader to snap a winless streak that lasted through nearly five years, two surgeries and one contract dispute.

"I wasn't there to prove anybody wrong," he said. "I was there to prove all my fans and my family right."

That final moment of glory couldn't completely erase some of the setbacks he'd had along the way, but it at least offset them. His lowest point came during his feud with UFC management, and what he calls the "propaganda" against him when it was portrayed that he was afraid to fight Chuck Liddell.

"If I was scared, I wouldn't have fought him twice," he said. "I wanted to be the best, but it is a business. I wanted to make the right amount of money that I thought I was worth. I really stood my ground."

In those stressful stretches of time, the seeds were planted for a future in the management business, a venture that could capitalize on his own experiences and contacts. His first signing was a big one, the former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.

"It's going to take a little bit of time as I have to prove my worth," he said. "I'm starting by working with Cris. I know she had problems last year but I'm willing to put my name on her and revamp every idea she's ever thought she had to become the champion again. I'm going out and looking to get the next best fighters and giving them opportunities. I'm not going to promise them the world, but I'll promise them the opportunity to get the world. If you have opportunity and you take it and grab it, you can find success. That's the way life is. You've got to have the opportunity and I'm going to give that to a lot of fighters."

Cyborg is in one way a curious first client for Ortiz, who has in the past been quite vocal about fighters who use performance-enhancing drugs. Cyborg is still officially suspended from competing after a California state athletic commission drug test resulted in a finding of the usage of the steroid stanozolol. Because of that, his signing of her appears appears contradictory to his previous stance. Ortiz believes otherwise.

"I'm making a statement," he said. "I'll grab someone who has problems, and I'm going to fix it. I'm going to show them the right way. We've sat down, and she explained to me it was a mistake and she's not going to do it again. Everybody deserves a second chance. If she messes up again, my name is on it. I put my stamp of approval on her, and I believe in her. I promise to the fans it won't happen again."

When Cyborg's suspension is up in December, Ortiz might have his first management battle brewing. A superfight between Cyborg and current Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been much-discussed, but both women want the fight on their own turf -- Cyborg wants it at 145 where she was formerly the champ, while Rousey has insisted she will only fight the Brazilian at 135, where she now reigns.

Ortiz insists that they will have to compromise and use a 140-pound catch weight.

"Ronda has the marketing machine behind her, so of course she'll try to get her way, but people want to see who the best woman is," he said. "Rousey has fought at 145 time and again while Cyborg has been at 145 always, so why should she come down a whole weight class? If you want to put the best against the best, compete with someone cutting an extra five pounds to fight against you."

The Rousey vs. Cyborg issue may turn out to be the first thorny issue that Ortiz faces with the Zuffa promotion in his new role as a manager. While his pro fighting tenure with the group was lengthy, it was also rocky. Ortiz characterizes his current relationship with Dana White as "cool," saying there are no problems between the two and that he has let most of his past grudges go. But he also believes that the troubled times were a learning experience from which to draw when faced with future negotiations scenarios.

"I think things will go a lot easier," he said. "I've learned a lot from mistakes. I won't bring those same things to the table next time. If my guys deserve something, I'm going to show on paper why they deserve it. And if they don't deserve things, then I understand that. But I'm going to make sure my guys understand it's not just about fighting. You have to do promotion. You have to go outside the box and do speech 101 and communications classes in college. Treat it like a business. I want to bring them fighters that are easy to work with."

If this sounds at odds with who Ortiz was during his fighting days, the irony is not lost on him. Someone, he insists, had to pave the way for multi-million dollar paydays, and that couldn't be done with a polite request. Sometimes, it required clashing of heads, fighting in the media and time apart.

"Jon Jones, the reason he's driving around in a Bentley is I'd say a lot because of me standing my ground," he said.

If Jones wins his next fight, he will tie Ortiz's long-standing record for most light heavyweight championship defenses. Ortiz openly admits he will be rooting for Jones' UFC 152 opponent Vitor Belfort, at least partially so that record remains his. But he also insists that he believes Belfort has a much better chance than the lopsided odds indicate.

"He's a southpaw," he said. "Lyoto Machida gave Jon some problems in the beginning with some good shots. If Vitor is able to him hit with the same shots, he's going to take him out."

For the record, Ortiz's analysis could be colored by two things. First, he is friends with Belfort. And second, he recently voiced disappointment in comments Jones made about him regarding contract issues and fighter's rights. In Ortiz's mind, the new wave of fighters like Jones only have the road map to success largely drawn out for them because of people like him charting the course. That's part of the reason he decided to start an amateur series. While he has no desire to compete with the UFC, he does want to guide careers from the very beginning, to teach young athletes about both the sport and the business of MMA.

After 15 years, Ortiz is both just finished, and just getting started.

"I want to be remembered as one of the greatest, and a guy who always gave back to the sport," he said. "Always."

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19 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/9/18/3337216/tito-ortiz-sounds-off-on-retirement-cyborg-rousey-jones-and-new?xid=si_mma
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Latest news on Cotto, Khan and Hatton

Former two-division world champion Ricky Hatton (above), who announced a comeback last week, might be an attractive opponent for compatriot Amir Khan. (AP)

Some quick jabs …

• How much money did Miguel Cotto leave on the table when he passed on a rematch with Manny Pacquiao? According to Bob Arum, a lot. Arum said Cotto's guarantee for a Dec. 1 date with Pacquiao would have been around $13 million, with the possibility of going as high as $15 million if the pay-per-view numbers were strong. Instead, Cotto will settle for significantly less in a fight with unknown junior middleweight Austin Trout while Arum signed Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth fight with Pacquiao by guaranteeing just $6 million.

• HBO was thrilled with the rating it got for the heavily promoted Sept. 8 showdown between Andre Ward and Chad Dawson. According to the Neilsen numbers, Ward-Dawson attracted 1.3 million viewers, the sixth straight World Championship Boxing telecast exceeding 1 million viewers for HBO.

• Here's my one and only thought on the proposed partnership between Manny Pacquiao and 50 Cent: I'll believe it when I see it.

• I'm fully expecting a rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez to take place early next year. Chavez Jr. wants it and Martinez isn't going to sniff that much money against anyone else. Hopefully Chavez will take his training a little more seriously next time. He has the talent to beat Martinez but he has to be in peak condition both mentally and physically if he expects to have a shot against a fighter as fast and skilled as Martinez.

• At 33, comebacking Ricky Hatton probably has one more big fight left in him. And perhaps the biggest one of his career could be out there: Amir Khan. They haven't invented a word for how big Hatton-Khan could be in England and after a tune-up or two both could be ready for it.

• Little tired of strength coach Alex Ariza taking to Twitter and passive aggressively implying that a fighter would have done better had he been more involved. In the aftermath of Chavez's loss to Martinez, Ariza, who had reduced role in Chavez's camp this time around, in a Q&A with his followers, suggested that Chavez would have performed better had he followed his diet and that Chavez was "not in my kind of shape." It's not the first time Ariza has done this and it's getting a little old.

• Arum says he plans on bringing welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley back in December. Possible opponents include Ruslan Provodnikov, Zab Judah, Lamont Peterson and Robert Guerrero. Guerrero is under contract with archrival Golden Boy but Arum told a handful of reporters last week that Bradley-Guerrero was a fight he would really like to make.

• Hasim Rahman, who held the WBC heavyweight title for a year between 2005 and '06, is getting another crack at a world title. Rahman, 39, will travel to Germany to take on Alexander Povetkin on Sept. 29 in a fight that will be televised in the U.S. on Epix.

• Predictably, the Adrien Broner-Antonio DeMarco negotiations are progressing slowly. Broner, who is represented by influential and divisive manager Al Haymon, wants the lion's share of the money and DeMarco isn't willing to give it to him. Like I've said before: Fight each other or don't fight anyone else in your weight class on premium TV.

• How much did it cost 50 Cent to pry Yuri Gamboa away from Top Rank? That would be $1.2 million. From what I hear from Top Rank officials, that's just about how much the company invested in Gamboa.

• The always entertaining Gabriel Rosado (20-5) is back in action on Friday night, when he headlines the next installment of NBC Sports Network's Fight Night series against Charles Whittaker (38-12-2). This is a big fight for Rosado: If he wins, he becomes the No. 1 contender for the IBF junior middleweight title held by Cornelius Bundrage.

• While we all wait (and wait, and wait) for Pacquiao-Mayweather, it's clear Arum is setting up the winner of next month's junior welterweight fight between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado as the next opponent for Pacquiao. Rios-Alvarado is expected to be a war, which should give the winner a nice bounce going into a Pacquiao fight.

• Showtime has to be pleased with the numbers for Saul Alvarez-Josesito Lopez on Saturday. According to Neilsen ratings, Alvarez-Lopez attracted 1.04 million viewers. Still, that's a 42 percent drop from Alvarez's HBO-televised fight against Kermit Cintron in November 2011, which drew 1.47 million viewers.

• Amir Khan is reportedly set to name Virgil Hunter, best known for training super middleweight champion Andre Ward, as his new coach. That's a good call. Hunter has a brilliant boxing mind who believes hit-and-don't-get-hit is the only philosophy a fighter should live by. For a shaky-chinned fighter like Khan, that's the best kind of trainer.

• Speaking of Ward, cross Mikkel Kessler off the list of potential next opponents. Ward had expressed interest in a rematch with Kessler — whom he picked apart over 11 lopsided rounds in 2009 — but Kessler elected to face 37-year old Brian Magee, who owns a minor super middleweight title. It's just as well: Ward-Kessler would have created no buzz in the United States.

• Last week, Arum spent a lot of time talking to reporters about junior middleweight prospect John Jackson, even going as far as to say Jackson would get a televised slot on the Pacquiao pay-per-view telecast. But on Saturday, Jackson (13-1) ran into another pretty good prospect, the Jack Loew-trained Willie Nelson (19-1-1), who beat him in a close decision. Jackson still has potential and a lot of power (12 knockouts) but needs to polish his game so he can out box fighters he can't knock out.

– Chris Mannix

19 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/09/18/quick-jabs-ricky-hatton-comes-back-amir-khan-finds-new-trainer-more/?sct=mma_bf1_a3&xid=si_mma
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Mayweather ordered to pay $113K to Pacquiao

A federal judge has ordered Floyd Mayweather to pay more than $113,000 to Manny Pacquiao for skipping a series of court-ordered deposition dates in 2011, Courthouse News reported Tuesday afternoon.

The deposition dates in question are related to a defamation suit filed by Pacquiao, claiming Mayweather told journalists the Filipino fighter uses performance-enhancing drugs.

When Mayweather was supposed to sit for deposition between June and October last year, he never showed. In a demand for sanctions last year, Pacquiao told the court that Mayweather was photographed at nightclubs across the country, dancing, drinking and burning money, all while claiming that he was too busy training.

"Mayweather decided that he, not the court, would determine if and when his deposition would take place," according to the motion. "Busy living the 'luxurious lifestyle non-stop,' 'pour[ing] champagne for [his] friends,' and keeping the company of 'attractive women,' Mayweather refused to be deposed. He disobeyed properly served deposition notices, filed specious 'emergency' motions, openly defied this court's order directing him to appear, and serially misrepresented his whereabouts to Pacquiao and this court. Exposing Mayweather's untruths was a massive — and expensive — undertaking."

The complete court order can be found here.

– SI.com staff

19 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://mma-boxing.si.com/2012/09/18/floyd-mayweather-owes-manny-pacquiao-more-than-113000-stemming-from-defamation-lawsuit/?xid=si_mma
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Jeff Wagenheim: Viewers' guide to UFC 152

Jon Jones (above) returns to action Saturday for the first time since defending his light heavyweight title against Rashad Evans.

Al Bello/Zuffa LLC

Isn't it comforting to have a fallback plan?

UFC 151 did not, and look what happened. No matter how loudly Dana White screams the names of Jon Jones and his trainer/mentor/guru, Greg Jackson, when the UFC president assesses blame for his fight organization having to cancel an event for the first time in the 12 years he's been running the company, there's got to be a little whisper inside his head reminding him that he's the one who is, um, running the company. Somewhere in the depths of White's manic psyche he must recognize that by top-loading 151 with an appealing main event but little else that might prompt a TV viewer to plunk down $54.95 for a pay-per-view, he'd put all of his eggs in one basket. And eggs are fragile, you know?

No such fragility troubles UFC 152, which goes down Saturday night in Toronto (10 p.m. ET, PPV) -- and will in fact go down, we're pretty certain. When Jones (16-1) was hastily added to this card in a light heavyweight title defense against Vitor Belfort (21-9), it meant fans will be treated to not one main event but two. And the one that had topped the card before Jones vs. Belfort came along was not only another championship bout but an historic one. When Joseph Benavidez (16-2) and Demetrious Johnson (15-2-1) tangle in what is now the co-main event, they will be vying for the honor of being the first UFC flyweight champ. That milestone plays second fiddle to nothing.

Now, if the UFC were to promote this event in late-night television infomercials, we'd next hear a smiling huckster announce: And there's more! The extra set of Ginsu knives that Dana will toss in the box if you purchase UFC 152 in the next 10 minutes is a showdown of middleweight contenders Michael Bisping (22-4) and Brian Stann (12-4). It's a fight that Bisping boldly has declared to be "the real main event of UFC 152." To be fair to "The Count," he made that proclamation before Jones vs. Belfort was added to the bill. But even so, here's what he boasted at a UFC press conference in July: "Two big, hard-hitting guys. No one cares about little flyweights."

Bisping is a buffoon for saying that, of course, demonstrating that whatever weight advantage he has over the 125-pounders derives more from an abundance of mouth than from anything hefty inside his cranium. Whereas Jones vs. Belfort threatens to be a mismatch -- every "Bones" fight so far has been one, and this time the big 205-pounder is taking on a guy who has fought in a weight class 20 pounds lighter for the past five years -- Benavidez vs. Johnson promises to make the whole rest of the night appear to be happening in super-slo-mo. As for Bisping vs. Stann, it might not be a main course, but it'll be one heck of an appetizer.

It all adds up to a UFC 152 with two main events (three, if you live on Planet Bisping) and two title fights. Not a bad recovery from the fiasco of 151.

Jon Jones by the numbers

2.40: Significant strike differential in his UFC fights -- that is, the difference between the number of telling blows he lands and those that his opponents land. According to Fight Metric statistics, he's sixth best in the UFC.

4: World champions (or ex-champs) he has vanquished in the past 17 months, starting with his March 2011 win over Mauricio Rua for the title.

7*: The asterisk is the most important part here, since the statistic it's attached to cites consecutive wins. Eight bouts ago Jones suffered his only career "loss," when he was disqualified for illegal elbows in a fight with Matt Hamill that he was dominating. So he's 16-1 officially, 17-0 in beatdowns.

Vitor Belfort by the numbers

14: Knockouts among his 21 victories, including five in his last six fights.

2,955: Days that will have passed since he was UFC light heavyweight champion when he walks into the cage to try to regain the belt. (His reign ended in his first defense back in 2004, when Randy Couture stopped him at the end of the third round.)

0: Losses to anyone not named Anderson Silva since 2006.

Since numbers don't tell the whole story ...

What we should expect: We know what oddsmakers expect. They've installed Jones as a heavy favorite, with odds reaching 13-1. That sounds like a sure thing, but we all know there's no such thing as a certainty unless you're Brock Lesnar following a WWE script. In real fights, stuff happens. And Belfort has the kind of explosiveness that can make stuff happen. But Jones has the length to keep him out of harm's way while remaining within his own striking distance, and the champ's strength and wrestling acumen will hold him in good stead if Belfort manages to close in on him. An X factor is that Jones might want to prove something to Dana White and all those UFC fans who've ridiculed him for not taking the Chael Sonnen bout on short notice. All we've heard these past few weeks is that Jon Jones is not a real fighter. Maybe those words roll off of him, as "Bones" says, or maybe he'll use Belfort to prove them wrong.

Why we should care: Even at a time when the UFC appears to hand out title shots to the first guy who answers his phone and says yes, we always care about championship fights. And when the champ who is putting it all on the line is the sport's still-coming-into-his-prime young superstar, that's all the more reason to sit up and take notice. Sure, it could end up being an unwatchable mismatch, but we won't know until we're watching. The last time I thought a fight was too much of mismatch to bother watching, I almost choked on my cereal the next morning while reading on the sports pages about how Buster Douglas had won the heavyweight championship of the world.

Fighting words

"You know, I was thinking when I was 19 years old winning the [heavyweight] tournament in the UFC, Jon Jones was 9 years old then. So I never thought in my life I would be able to fight a guy like Jon Jones. ... He's the new phenom."
--Vitor Belfort, during a conference call with MMA media last week

"I got to watch him fight the last time he fought, against Anthony Johnson. I was very impressed with the match. I sat right next to his dad and had a great conversation the whole time. ... Before that, my only real recollection of him was his fight against Wanderlei Silva [in 1998], when he got that really fast knockout. And that was kind of one of the iconic moments in our sport."
--Jon Jones, on Belfort during the conference call

"I used to fight on the same card as Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, you know? ... I'm like a young dinosaur. I'm an old lion in the midst of these young lions. So I'm enjoying this jungle, you know what I mean?"
--Belfort

"I learned not to really put anything towards the odds. People who look at odds, they're the people who don't fight. I fight. And I realize the dangers in this sport. ... It's a game where anyone can win at any time, so I don't focus on odds. I really just focus on giving myself the best odds of winning by extreme preparation."
--Jones

Joseph Benavidez by the numbers

0: People not named Dominick Cruz who have defeated him in his 20-fight career.

25: Percent of takedown accuracy, compared to 54 percent for Johnson.

100: Percent of his flyweight bouts that he's won by knockout. OK, so he's just 1-0 at 125 pounds, but last March's second-round KO of Yasuhiro Urushitani was impressive enough that it deserves mention somewhere.

Demetrious Johnson by the numbers

17: Average fight length in the UFC, in minutes, putting him third in the organization's history.

5: Fights he's had since his last finish (submission of Damacio Page in 2010). By contrast, Benavidez knocked out his last opponent and has finishes in four of his last seven fights.

3.3: Takedowns per 15 minutes, over his UFC career. Benavidez averages 1.56.

Since numbers don't tell the whole story ...

What we should expect: Speed. And more speed. And dry, tired eyes from not daring to take a moment to blink. Benavidez has been faster than anyone he's faced to this point in his career, but this time he will have no such advantage. How will he adjust? Joseph also will have a less stressful adjustment to make: He's not used to being the stronger fighter. But the advantages should ebb and flow in this fight, with each man exploring all areas -- standup, grappling, whatever works -- in an attempt to be one step ahead in a contest that should play out at hyperspeed.

Why we should care: It's history, man. It's not just a title fight, but it's the first in this weight class. That adds luster, and the fighters' tireless pace should make this a joy to watch.

Fighting words

"I love the fact that I'm getting to fight Demetrious Johnson. We're the two best guys in the world. I've always been impressed by him as a fighter, and he's always someone I looked at and was like, 'That would be an awesome fight, me versus this guy.' I know where I'm better than him and I know where he has the advantages. You have to go into a fight like that."
--Joseph Benavidez, in a UFC video

"He's a great fighter, yeah, he's a killer. He goes out there and he tries to finish opponents. He's very methodical with the way he fights. I know he's going to bring it, and he knows I'm going to bring it, too. The speed aspect, absolutely I'm the fastest guy that he's ever fought. I'm going to test everything about him: his heart, his chin, his cardio. How bad does he want it? I'll find out."
--Demetrious Johnson, in a UFC video

"Now I get to fight in the style I wanted to all along but couldn't, because I was fighting bigger guys. Now I get to walk forward, intimidate, seek and destroy."
--Benavidez, during the UFC 152 media conference call

"Me and Joseph, we get along. When we're together, we have a great time. But we know it's a business. At the end of the day, we're gonna get in there, punch each other in the face, try to make history. And after that I'm pretty sure we'll go out and get a milkshake."
--Johnson, in an interview on the HDNet show Inside MMA

And on the undercard ...

No, I mean "And in the true main event ...": Being that it could determine the next contender for Anderson Silva's middleweight belt -- or, if "The Spider" takes a breather after his detour into the light heavyweight division, could determine the next steppingstone for unbeaten Chris Weidman -- I hereby proclaim the Bisping vs. Stann bout to be the true main event.

No, I don't believe that. I just wanted to experience what it feels like to be Michael Bisping. OK, I'm done. Back to reality.

Now let me try to imagine what it will be like to be Brian Stann, punching Bisping and it seeming like every fist that lands causes the room to be filled with a deafening noise that sounds like fight fans cheering. Even on Canadian soil, Stann will get a war hero's welcome, while Bisping likely will be treated like an insurgent.

But all hype and hoopla aside, this does promise to be an explosive fight if Stann can rectify the deficiencies that allowed Chael Sonnen to smother him. Not bad for the third fight on the bill.

Questions? Comments? To reach Jeff Wagenheim or contribute to the SI.com MMA mailbag, click on the E-mail link at the top of the page.

19 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/jeff_wagenheim/09/18/ufc-152-viewers-guide/index.html?xid=si_mma
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MMAFighting: White says Rousey will be rock star

Written By Emdua on Senin, 17 September 2012 | 23.49

Sep 17, 2012 - UFC president Dana White isn't sure if Ronda Rousey will ever fight in the UFC, but he definitely knows the Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion is destined to become a big-time star.

"I took Ronda Rousey to the Sons of Anarchy premiere the other day. And you know how Hollywood premieres are with (expletive) people lined up and down the streets. You got the red carpet," White told a group of media members last week in Las Vegas.

"So we pull up and you got all the Sons guys, and all the celebrities that are there from FX TV shows. We got out of the car and the whole (expletive) place started screaming 'Ronda, Ronda, Ronda,' like (expletive) crazy. Like a (expletive) Kardashian got out of the car.

"I was like holy (expletive) (expletive) this girl is right there."
While White admits Rousey's looks (she was recently on the cover of ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue") play a big part in her success, he says there is another "it" factor that intrigues MMA fans.

"She's a (expletive) unique individual. She's like a Diaz brother," continued White, who said Rousey is actually in full-camp mode, training with the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, in Stockton despite the fact that she does not have a fight scheduled.

"She really is. Inside like a (expletive) dude trapped in this beautiful body. The reason I got interested in women's MMA is because of her … everyone is like it's cause she's good-looking and 'Dana blah-blah.' Gina Carano is good-looking too. She's very pretty. There's (expletive) something different about Ronda Rousey."

But whether that difference allows Rousey — the first-ever American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo, when she took bronze in Beijing in 2008 — to become the first woman to ever fight in the UFC, White said he wasn't sure.

"Let's say we took Ronda Rousey and you brought her in the UFC, you'd have to build an entire division. Then you have to have another place where women can train and work their way up," White said. "For the men you have all these other small shows happening all over the world. They can work their way up and get on The Ultimate Fighter. There's so many different route for the guys to get there, where for the women's (there's not).

"There's Invicta where they can fight and train. But that's only one (expletive) show out there other than Strikeforce where women can work their way up. I just fear bringing Rhonda to the UFC just shuts down the path for other talent to get to Ronda. It's tough, but I'm telling you right now I think she's one of the pound-for-pound best in the world. She's ripping apart all the best girls in the world."

Indeed the 25-year-old's latest performance, a 54-second victory via her signature armbar over former champ Sarah Kaufman in August, not only improved her record to a perfect 6-0, it raised the question: Can anybody even compete with her?

"The thing about Rousey is these girls she's fighting against are the best, they're the best girls in the world," White said. "They know exactly what the (expletive) she's going to do and they can't stop her."

Minus the 4:27 bout she won against Miesha Tate in March, that secured Rousey her 135-pound title, the eight other pro and amateur opponents she's faced haven't lasted a minute against her.

However, MMA fans and White are intrigued by a possible megafight with Strikeforce's featherweight (145-pound) champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.

"Her and Cyborg would be a big fight. Cyborg has some issues she needs to get over first," White said of Santos, who could return from a yearlong steroids suspension in December, but would also have to drop down a weight division to face Rousey.

White said a victory over Santos or the kind of continued domination she's shown so far could force Rousey into Lucia Rijker territory. The famed Dutch boxer, known as "The Most Dangerous Woman in the World," had trouble finding quality opponents because of her dominant victories.

"I just hope it doesn't turn out to be like a Lucia Rijker-type thing, wherever you have this unbelievable (expletive) girl," White said. "But the difference is nobody knew Lucia Rijker her whole career, Ronda Rousey is four (expletive) fights in and the whole world already knows who she is."

Whatever happens, White says Rousey's 15-minutes of fame are just beginning.

"I think she is going to be a (expletive) rock star," White said. "She's got that thing. The women's fighting thing … 'Well this girl's pretty good and they stood toe to toe and everything, Ok.'

"I've been around some of those girls, they're girls. But this girl is like a (expletive) killer man. And all she wants to do is get better, and better, and better; and learn more, and more, and more."

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18 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/9/17/3345986/dana-white-says-ronda-rousey-a-rock-star?xid=si_mma
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Sergio Martinez showed he's a class apart

Sergio Martinez reclaimed his middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

For those who live under the old-fashioned notion that championships must be won and lost in the ring, Saturday's middleweight title showdown between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was gratifying theater.

It had been billed as class warfare. Martinez came up through boxing the hard way, fighting his way out of obscurity to the recognized middleweight title in 2010. He was the lineal champion: the proverbial man who beat the man who beat the man. Chavez by contrast was the coddled son of a fistic legend, who procured the WBC middleweight title only after it had been stripped from Martinez last year, acquiring it from a third party known as an interim champion. (That Chavez happens to be the godson of WBC president Jose Suliaman, who did the stripping, only lent to the stench.)

And for the first 11 rounds of Saturday's fight, it was every bit the mismatch it was thought to be when it first made logical sense a year-and-a-half ago. The 37-year-old Martinez showed that size isn't everything, using his superior hand and foot speed, intelligence, accuracy and ring generalship to box circles around an opponent who looked -- and moved -- more like a plodding cruiserweight. For the first 34 minutes, Chavez was simply too slow, too linear a fighter to compete with Martinez's kinetic assault and prolific work rate. The marvel known as Maravilla preened, he showboated, he played to the crowd.

Then Martinez lost focus for a split-second in the 12th and final round -- and nearly paid the ultimate price. Chavez caught him with a massive right hand with 1:45 remaining, then a three-punch combination that sent Martinez crashing to the canvas with 1:23 left. Hurt badly, Martinez relied on every reserve of willpower to make it to the final bell, where the official scoring proved elementary. Two of the ringside judges had Martinez winning 118-109, while the third scored it 117-110. (SI.com had it 118-109.)

Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KOs) looked as impressive from the opening bell as Chavez looked hesitant. The 26-year-old Mexican didn't throw a punch for the first 105 seconds, appearing unsteady as the Argentine southpaw peppered him with sharp counterpunches. Much of Chavez's hopes pinned on his ability to attack the body, but the agile Martinez never stayed in one place long enough for the Mexican to sustain an attack.

Even as Chavez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) made a concerted effort to close distance in the middle rounds, Martinez kept catching him walking in with right hands. By the end of the seventh, the Argentine had bloodied Chavez's eye, which over the next quarter-hour would close entirely. Martinez only grew more emboldened as the rounds progressed and the score tilted further in his favor, making good on his pre-fight guarantee of prolonged punishment.

So it went until the fateful 12th, where Chavez nearly matched the last-gasp heroics of his famous father, who was also behind on points when he stopped Meldrick Taylor with two seconds left in their unforgettable light welterweight title unification fight in 1990. "I wanted to repeat history, [but] unfortunately I couldn't," said the younger Chavez, defiantly upbeat following his first career loss. "I had him hurt, I could have finished him off. I hurt him like nobody else has hurt him before."

Say what you want about the dubious merit underpinning the stardom of Chavez, who's been matched carefully and brought along at a glacial pace since turning pro at 17 with virtually no amateur background, but there's no denying he is an attraction. Thanks in no small part to the jingoistic hook of Mexican Independence Day weekend, Saturday's fight sold out more than a week in advance, drawing a capacity crowd of 19,186 to the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. There's a reason Chavez was guaranteed $3 million plus a portion of the pay-per-view revenue for the fight, while Martinez -- the 2-to-1 favorite, widely recognized champion and eventual lopsided winner -- will receive a minimum of $1.4 million.

Fights as one-sided as Saturday's contest seldom warrant return bouts. Martinez landed 322 of 908 punches, compared to 178 of 390 for Chavez. But Saturday's nervy denouement makes a rematch -- Cinco de Mayo weekend sounds about right -- all but a foregone conclusion. Same for the similar paydays a second meeting will generate. "Of course we're ready," Martinez said afterward of a second fight. "We're two professionals and we take this seriously."

Within the span of one round near the end of a lost evening, Chavez's perserverance and self-belief justified his ascendant fame, while Martinez's talent and grit reaffirmed his hard-won stardom.

Rarely will two minutes of inspiration pay off more handsomely.

17 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/bryan_armen_graham/09/16/martinez-dominates-chavez-reclaim-middleweight-title/index.html#?xid=si_mma
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Alvarez just misses top 15 in latest SI rankings

Pound-For-Pound Top 15 By Chris Mannix, Richard O'Brien and Bryan Armen Graham, SI.com Sergio Martinez holds at No. 4 after dominating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to retain the lineal middleweight championship and regain the WBC middleweight title that had been stripped from him.

(Note: Results are through September 17.)

 
The Latest: Whether you believe Mayweather's claim that he chose to enter a toe-to-toe battle with Miguel Cotto or you think he showed signs of slippage, the five-division champ proved his greatness on May 5. Immediate plans unclear after early release from 87-day jail sentence.
 
The Latest: The world's top 168-pounder followed up his triumph over Carl Froch in the Super Six final with his highest-profile victory to date: a clinical TKO of fellow pound-for-pounder Chad Dawson that showed us a pitbull that most didn't know the modest Ward had in him.
 
The Latest: The only eight-division champion in history fell victim to a dumbfounding decision on June 9 against Timothy Bradley, losing on points despite outlanding his opponent convincingly. He'll fight longtime rival Juan Manuel Marquez a fourth time on Dec. 8 in Las Vegas.
 
The Latest: The recognized middleweight champion made his fifth defense of the lineal 160-pound title on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas, outboxing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for 11½ rounds before surviving a manic final-reel rally that had him badly hurt -- and made a rematch all but inevitable.
 
The Latest: The Filipino Flash took a big step toward his goal of unifying the 122-pound titles with a points victory over South Africa's Jeffrey Mathebula on July 7 in Carson, Calif. One last fight at super bantamweight looms against Toshiaki Nishioka on Oct. 13 (on HBO).
 
The Latest: After exceeding all expectations and nearly upsetting Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 12, the future Hall of Famer moved up to beat Serhiy Fedchenko in March for a title in a fourth different weight class (at 140 pounds). He'll complete his quadrilogy with Pacquiao on Dec. 8.
 
The Latest: The younger Klitschko defended his WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring magazine titles on July 7 against Tony Thompson with a sixth-round TKO. It's been more than eight years since he lost. Next man up: Polish challenger Mariusz Wach on Nov. 10 at Hamburg's O2 World Arena.
 
The Latest: Bradley was fortunate to get the decision against Pacquiao and the WBO welterweight title that came with it. With the Filipino having chosen Marquez for his next fight, Bradley (who is recovering from torn foot ligaments suffered in the fight) is targeting a December return.
 
The Latest: Cotto acquitted himself nicely against Mayweather, losing his WBA super welterweight title but not before taking the undefeated pound-for-pound king into (arguably) the deepest waters of his career. An intriguing fight with WBA champ Austin Trout on Dec. 1 at MSG is next.
 
The Latest: Gamboa was ahead on all three cards when his Sept. 10 fight with Daniel Ponce De Leon was stopped due to a cut. He's since inked a deal with 50 Cent's upstart company and will return to action Nov. 17 against IBF super featherweight champ Juan Carlos Salgado.
 
The Latest: The other Klitschko brother walked through Manuel Charr on Sept. 8 for his ninth title defense. He's up for election for a parliament seat on Oct. 28, which could spell the end of his boxing career. If not, a lucrative showdown with British bigmouth David Haye could loom.
 
The Latest: Long perceived as a journeyman, Salido blasted his way into pound-for-pound consideration with a pair of crushing knockouts of Juan Manuel Lopez to win and defend the WBO featherweight title. A fight with undefeated contender Mikey Garcia is expected this fall.
 
The Latest: The winner of Showtime's four-man bantamweight tournament moved up to 122 pounds and became a two-division champ, winning the WBC super bantamweight title from Eric Morel. He makes his first defense against Anselmo Moreno on Nov. 10 in Los Angeles.
 
The Latest: The Nottingham native conjured a career performance against Lucian Bute, scoring a fifth-round TKO to win the IBF 168-pound title. He's expected to make his first defense against Yusaf Mack in November, with rematches with Bute and Mikkel Kessler on the horizon.
 
The Latest: Hopkins lost his lineal and Ring light heavyweight championships to Chad Dawson on Apr. 28, but showed well enough to prove he'd still be a handful for any of the division's beltholders, such as Nathan Cleverly (WBO), Tavoris Cloud (IBF) or Beibut Shumenov (WBA).
The Next Five: Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KOs), Chad Dawson (31-2-0, 17 KOs), Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs), Brandon Rios (30-0-1, 22 KOs), Devon Alexander (23-1-0, 13 KOs), Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (86-4-2, 45 KOs).
 

17 Sep, 2012


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Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/mma/boxing/pound-for-pound-ratings/index.html#%23?xid=si_mma
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