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Dana White’s latest video blog for UFC 129 features a walkthrough of the Rogers Centre setup for the event tonight. Check it out below:
App Users Click Here For Video: http://youtu.be/GS1dFWmDhe4
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9202.shtml
Yoon Dong Sik Gilbert Yvel Ishkhan Zakharian Roman Zentsov Zhang Chuanlong
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Kenny Florian will have his first fight at featherweight at UFC 131 against Diego Nunes, but he wants to have his plans set for the year. On national television, Florian had no qualms about asking the UFC for the next featherweight title shot after Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick’s bout at UFC 129.
About 2:45 into Dana White’s interview on "MMA Live," Florian, an analyst for the ESPN show, puts White on the spot. "Dana, if I get through Nunes and Aldo gets through Hominick, can
"As far as you getting through the title shot, everybody knows where you stand. You get in there, and if you make that weight, yeah. You’re probably in for the next title shot," White said.
There are two obstacles standing in Florian’s way. First, the weight cut will not be easy. Remember that Florian entered the UFC as a middleweight on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Lightweight was clearly his most natural weight class. Losing another 10 lbs. will not be easy.
Secondly, Nunes shouldn’t be overlooked. His last three wins include a decision over former WEC champ Mike Brown, and he is already comfortable at featherweight. Florian is also returning to the cage for the first time since August. A knee injury prevented him from a planned fight in January.
Another championship shot for Florian would be a change of tune for White. After Florian lost to Gray Maynard in August in a bout that decided the lightweight title shot, White accused Florian of choking in big fights. In addition to the Maynard loss, Florian also has lost in each of his lightweight title shots.
Perhaps this is why White told Florian that another bite at the championship apple is in the offing. This can be KenFlo’s chance to redeem himself.
Valentijn Overeem Shungo Oyama Fredson Paixao Soa Palalei Bart Palaszewski
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Yahoo! Sports and Heavy.com will host Fight Day Live, a preview show for UFC 129, a record-breaking pay-per-view event at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Join us starting at 6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT on Saturday. Look for Yahoo’s own Kevin Iole and Dave Meltzer, Heavy’s Matt Brown and MMA Junkie‘s John Morgan to be joined by UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and featherweight contender Chad Mendes.
Yoshihiro Takayama Daiju Takase Oleg Taktarov Akitoshi Tamura Kiyoshi Tamura
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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor
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Randy Couture recently announced that his UFC 129 fight against Lyoto Machida would be his final fight. That’s cool if that’s what he wants. However, there’s no need for Randy to make this his final fight. It’s not as though he looks impotent in the cage, and there doesn’t seem to be a real danger when he fights.
I think as long as Randy realizes that he’s not the fighter he used to be, he can fight as long as he wants. He just has to scale back his competition. I actually think that’s the main reason why Randy has decided to retire, he knows that he can’t compete at the level he used to be able to. I’m sure movie roles and other aspects of life factored into his decision, but elite athletes don’t like having lost a step. These guys are used to competing at a high level and when they can’t reach that level anymore, they lose interest. It’s only natural that time would eventually catch up to Randy, though he can be damn proud of how long he was able to turn back the clock. It’s time for the next chapter in his life. Randy has earned all the respect he’s been given, and then some.
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I’ve made no secret of how I think the fight between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields for the UFC Welterweight title at UFC 129 will go down. I just don’t think that Shields has the tools needed to defeat GSP. It’s not that I don’t think Shields is a good fighter, it’s just that I consider GSP to be one of the greatest fighters of all-time. Even in 20 years, GSP will still be in the top 3 greatest fighters of all-time. That’s saying something considering how quickly the sport of MMA is evolving. Athletes keep getting better over time. Even an average NFL team today could beat most every great NFL team from the 70’s. It’s why you can’t compare eras, it’s not right. Athletes today are bigger, faster, and stronger than they’ve ever been. Breakthroughs in science and technology allow athletes to do things never thought possible before.
MMA has come a long way. Compare fighters from even 10 years ago to fighters from today, and you’ll see a huge difference. Even taking that into account, though, I still believe that GSP will stand the test of time. There are certain athletes that can be taken from their era and put into a different one, and still enjoy the success they had during their era. Maybe not as much success, but certainly enough to still be considered a great. I consider Bill Russell to be the greatest basketball player of all-time. Some would argue that Michael Jordan was better, but that’s an argument for another place and time. I believe you could take Russell and put him into today’s NBA, or any other era in NBA history, and he would still be one of the greatest players in the league. What made him great in his era would make him great in any era. Bill Russell stands the test of time.
I believe the same is true of GSP. What makes GSP a great fighter today would make him a great fighter in any era. GSP stands the test of time. I would also put Anderson Silva in the same category as GSP.
When I say that I don’t give Jake Shields much of a chance against GSP, I don’t mean that as an insult to Shields. I think he’ll join a long list of guys who didn’t, and don’t, have much of a chance against GSP. I could run through the list of guys who fought GSP and got dominated. I could mention Josh Koscheck (twice), Jon Fitch, B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra; they’ve all lost to GSP in dominating fashion. That doesn’t make them bad fighters, instead it simply strengthens the case for GSP being an all-time great.
The guys I mentioned are really good fighters. They didn’t lie down and let GSP beat them. They fought him as hard as they could, but it wasn’t enough. I think the same will be true for Jake Shields, he’s a really good fighter, but I don’t think he can beat GSP.
In any other era, the UFC Welterweight Title would be one of the most hotly-contested titles in history. The division is stacked with really good fighters, and the belt could easily change hands every time it was fought for. However, this isn’t any era, this is GSP’s era. He stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Every time he fights, GSP just adds to his legend. Nothing against Jake Shields, but he’s just going to be another Wikipedia entry under guys GSP has dominated. There’s no shame in that, and he’ll join a long list of fighters in that entry. But as long as GSP is around, it seems as though everyone else will be competing for second place.
Comments and suggestions can be sent to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/hydenstake/article_9170.shtml
Rodrigo Ruas Gabe Ruediger Mikko Rupponen Bas Rutten Tarec Saffiedine
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Kenny Florian will have his first fight at featherweight at UFC 131 against Diego Nunes, but he wants to have his plans set for the year. On national television, Florian had no qualms about asking the UFC for the next featherweight title shot after Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick’s bout at UFC 129.
About 2:45 into Dana White’s interview on "MMA Live," Florian, an analyst for the ESPN show, puts White on the spot. "Dana, if I get through Nunes and Aldo gets through Hominick, can
"As far as you getting through the title shot, everybody knows where you stand. You get in there, and if you make that weight, yeah. You’re probably in for the next title shot," White said.
There are two obstacles standing in Florian’s way. First, the weight cut will not be easy. Remember that Florian entered the UFC as a middleweight on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Lightweight was clearly his most natural weight class. Losing another 10 lbs. will not be easy.
Secondly, Nunes shouldn’t be overlooked. His last three wins include a decision over former WEC champ Mike Brown, and he is already comfortable at featherweight. Florian is also returning to the cage for the first time since August. A knee injury prevented him from a planned fight in January.
Another championship shot for Florian would be a change of tune for White. After Florian lost to Gray Maynard in August in a bout that decided the lightweight title shot, White accused Florian of choking in big fights. In addition to the Maynard loss, Florian also has lost in each of his lightweight title shots.
Perhaps this is why White told Florian that another bite at the championship apple is in the offing. This can be KenFlo’s chance to redeem himself.
Anderson Silva Antonio Silva Assuerio Silva Paulo Silva Jay Silva
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An injury to Kid Yamamoto has forced him to withdraw from his UFC 130 bout against Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso. UFC president Dana White made the accouncement and indicated that Michael McDonald will step in to take Kid’s spot on the card against Cariaso. In his place will be UFC?s youngest fighter and one of it?s […]
Kid injured, Michael McDonald steps in to face Chris Cariaso at UFC 130 is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News
Masanori Suda Genki Sudo Amar Suloev Mike Swick Takashi Sugiura
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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
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Fans in Toronto this week for UFC 129 will have an opportunity to take part in a historic gathering of UFC Champions on Friday, as for the first time ever all seven UFC Champions will appear together in a special “Super 7” presentation at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.
The gathering will precede the weigh-ins for UFC 129, which will take place immediately following the presentation. Both events will be streamed on UFC.com.
According to the UFC’s release on Tuesday, “UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will take part in a media photo opportunity and participate in a special presentation on stage.”
“We wanted to give fans a truly once-in-a-lifetime chance to see all seven UFC champions gathered together and we couldn?t think of a better place to do it than in Toronto,” UFC President Dana White said. “The entire week is going to be crazy. From the community events to the Fan Expo to 55,000 people at Rogers Centre for UFC 129, I am really looking forward to taking over the city of Toronto.”
UFC 129 then takes place from the Rogers Centre this Saturday night in front of a record sold-out crowd of 55,000 fans. Headlining the card is the Welterweight Championship fight between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9162.shtml
Ivan Salaverry Sean Salmon Diego Sanchez Jorge Santiago Evangelista Santos
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A welterweight match-up is currently targeted for the upcoming ufc 133 event.
Heavy hitters Mike Pierce and Johny Hendricks are expected to collide at the pay-per-view event, which takes place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6th.
Both men have faced some of the top fighters in their divisions, and though […]
Source: http://www.fighters.com/04/29/mike-pierce-vs-johny-hendricks-in-the-works-for-ufc-133
Mike Pyle Nathan Quarry Jordan Radev Hector Ramirez Kevin Randleman
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It’s safe to assume that most MMA fighters didn’t get up to watch the royal wedding, but Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen did. Though the Dutch fighter isn’t a subject of the British Monarchy, she did get into the wedding of Prince William and the new Princess Catherine, donning a fantastic hat. Not this fantastic, but still pretty fantastic, especially considering that it’s a top the head of a woman who beats people up for a living.
Minoru Suzuki Tim Sylvia Javier Torres Tor Troeng Nobuhiko Takada
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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
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Chael Sonnen has once again found himself delayed in getting everything taken care of in order to make his return to the cage, as MMAJunkie.com reports that his licensing hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission has been pushed back from April 27 to mid-May.
Per the report the delay comes as Sonnen’s probation officer won’t clear him to enter Clark County next week due to the Laughlin River Run motorcycle rally. There is apparently a mandate in place to keep convicted felons out of the county during the rally after rampant violence at past versions of the annual rally, namely the 2002 rally that saw a brawl break out between rival motorcycle gangs The Mongols and Hells Angels. That brawl left three bikers dead and led to this “preemptive step” against any felons entering the county during subsequent rallys.
Sonnen will be appearing in front of the commission in an attempt to get himself re-licensed in the state both to fight and to corner other fighters. Sonnen admitted to using testosterone for what he claims is a diagnosed condition of hypogonadism for his fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 117, and at his suspension appeal with the California State Athletic Commission in December, Sonnen stated he had been on the treatment prior to his UFC 109 fight with Nate Marquardt in Nevada, and that he had gotten approval from NSAC executive director Keith Kizer for the treatment.
He has since admitted that no such conversations took place, though he falls back on saying his manager spoke with Kizer and he claims he took his managers advice. Due to those statements, his TRT and more, there’s no guarantee he will be licensed by the state of Nevada. However, he will have a chance to answer the commission’s questions and they will then determine by a majority vote whether or not they will license him to fight and to corner others.
Link to Original Source Article
Penick’s Analysis: This circus is delayed a few weeks longer for Sonnen. This hearing with the NSAC is going to be interesting, and could turn into a similar mess as the one he had with the CSAC in December. Still, moving it to mid-May would still allow the UFC to tap him as one of the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 14 if that’s the route they want to take, as the season won’t begin filming until June. I think signs are still pointing to that unfortunately being the case, but we’ll find out what the NSAC rules at that meeting next month before the next step can be determined.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9125.shtml
Din Thomas Gleison Tibau Anthony Torres Miguel Torres Roberto Traven
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keanogasden 