Forrest Griffin Forced Off UFC 155 Card With Knee Injury

Once again the injury bug has dropped a bomb on the UFC. Just a few short weeks outside of UFC 155 it has been announced that former light heavyweight champion and TUF season 1 winner, Forrest Griffin, will be forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout with Phil Davis.

Dana White revealed today (Dec. 5, 2012) via his trusty twitter account that Forrest has been taken off the December 29^th card due to a knee injury. Here is what White tweeted:

Dana White 
@danawhite

Forrest Has MCL tear and ACL strain. 20 cc's of blood removed from his knee and the saga continues at the UFC!! 

Reply · Retweet · Favorite
46 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

Although Dana White did not specifically state that Forrest has been removed from the card it would only make sense considering he would not be able to pass the pre-fight physical in order to fight Davis on the scheduled UFC 155 card on December 29^th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It is still unclear whether Davis will be paired up with a replacement for the night or if the fight is going to be postponed and pushed back to a later date and card.

So what do you think Penn Nation!? Should Dana White find a replacement or should he push the fight back a few months and let the two scrap at a later date? Let's hear some suggestions, fight fans…

-Jake Chastain

Josh Grispi vs. Any Ogle in Works for UFC on FX 7

Strap yourselves in, fight fans…we have another explosive fight brewing on the horizon. According to Fighters Only the UFC is in negotiation with featherweight stars Josh Grispi and Andy Ogle to square off on February 16, 2013 in London when the organization heads overseas to host the upcoming UFC on FX 7 event.

Grispi (14-4), once considered one of the top prospects at 145 pounds, is in desperate need of a win insde the octagon. He is riding the tail of a three-fight losing streak that includes a submission loss (north-south choke) to Rani Yahya and a body shot knockout at the hands of George Roop. Grispi will enter the fight with his back undoubtedly against the wall and will be enter into hostile territory as he takes on the local London boy and TUF vet, Andy Ogle. If Grispi doesn’t leave London with a victory we could very well be watching him make his last appearance inside the octagon. This is what they call a “do-or-die” fight for “The Fluke”.

Andy Ogle (8-2) will be looking to spoil the second-coming late push of Grispi and leave with a victory in front of his home crowd. Ogle had his featherweight debut ruined by Hamid Corassani in a losing effort as he dropped a split decision to "Akira" at the UFC on FUEL TV 5 even just a few months back. Ogle will also be looking to keep his UFC career afloat and I guarantee both competitors are feeling the pressure heading into this fight. This will surely be a great addition to the UFC on FX 7 card in London and is a promising treat for the fans.

UFC on FX 7 is scheduled for February 16^th, 2013 at the Wembley Arena in London, England. For more information and news leading up to this event be sure to stay glued to BJPenn.com.

-Jake Chastain

MacDonald Dishes Out Words For War at UFC 154 Q&A

The anticipation continues to rise as we approach the December 8^th return of “The Prodigy” BJ Penn. Standing opposite of Penn in the UFC octagon on that upcoming December night will be the rising Tri-Star gym standout, Rory “Ares” MacDonald. The fight, which will be featured on the main card of the upcoming UFC on FOX 5 event in Seattle, Washington, will be a battle of old school vs. new school as Penn will be playing the role of the experienced and battle-tested vet looking to tame the young, fiery stallion in MacDonald. Both men knowingly admit that they will have their hands full on the 8^th but MacDonald recently had the opportunity to let his feelings toward Penn and the fight be heard on a larger stage as he took questions from the media and fans at the UFC 154 Q&A.

When asked about Penn’s training and his mindset toward this fight MacDonald made it clear that he doesn’t care what kind of BJ Penn steps in to the cage that night because he is going to fight him the same way regardless of how prepared Penn is.

“I don’t really care, I just see a body in front of me to tell you the truth. It doesn’t matter if he’s in shape or not. It’s gonna be best for you guys if he’s in shape, cause it will probably be a better fight,” MacDonald explained.

Rory also spoke about the all around skill-set that he and Penn posses. Although Penn clearly has the experience advantage coming into the fight “Ares” still feels that he has sharper tools than Penn in every position of the fight game. He made it very clear that he is not afraid to fight Penn from anywhere.

“I just think that I’m a better fighter. I’m not really scared to fight him anywhere. He’s obviously very good on the ground, and a good striker; you have to be competent in all areas of mixed martial arts, and I am,” MacDonald said.

He continued by stating, “I feel I’m a better striker, a better wrestler and better on the ground as far as MMA jiu-jitsu. Probably not straight jiu-jitsu because we all know what he’s done there, but I feel in a straight mixed martial arts fight, I’m a little more well rounded than he is.”

Interesting thoughts considering Penn has been in the game much longer than MacDonald and has almost twice as many fights. Still, it seemed the confidence “Ares” displayed during the press UFC 154 Q&A continued to grow as he spoke with the fans and media. He even explained some things about Penn that were “annoying” to him, such as the VADA testing that he and BJ are participating in prior to their fight. When asked about how the testing or even the comments Penn was making affected him MacDonald explained that he doesn’t let those things bother him and could care less about the head games BJ is trying to induce.

“He’s got a lot of excuses that guy. He likes to start (expletive); he likes to get people excited. I don’t really think about it too much. He asked me to do the VADA random testing and I accepted it,” MacDonald explained. “I’ll prove to him that I’m a clean fighter. At the end of the day, he can say whatever he wants to say, get people excited, but I’m still going to beat his ass.”

Those, my friends, are fighting words. It’s a good thing this is going to be settled in just a couple of short weeks because it seems that the boiling point is just about to be reached. We’ll see who truly gets the ass-beating on December 8^th at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Don’t miss it fight fans!

And for more news, updates, and information on UFC on FOX 5 stay glued to BJPenn.com and follow us on twitter @bjpenndotcom & @jchastain45

The Champ Returns; RUSH Looks to Reclaim His Throne

UFC welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre is finally set to make his long awaited return from ACL knee surgery tonight in front of his home crowd at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and to be completely honest the stakes could not be any higher. The organization is not giving GSP an easy fight to ease his way back into the sport after the 18 month layoff due to his injury. St. Pierre will be entering the octagon tonight against a man that could very well be the biggest threat he’s ever faced while defending his crown. On this frosty November night in 2012 that will likely go down in MMA history he’ll be taking on “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit; the interim UFC Welterweight Champion.

The big question that everyone is curious to find the answer to is whether GSP will come back as explosive and athletic as he was before having one of the most serious operations an athlete can undergo in his ACL knee repair. The word out of Georges’ camp is that he is stronger and faster than he was before the operation, but let’s get real for a second: the reality is that no athlete is ever stronger and faster than before such a major operation to such a critical part of what makes premiere athletes so dominant. Some athletes never return from similar operations, some come back and never find their full stride again…and some come back only to watch themselves lose all that they once had in a tragic passing of the torch.

However, we are indeed talking about Georges St. Pierre, one of the most dominant and explosive athletes we’ve ever seen in any sport, let alone in MMA. Georges has explained on several occasions that he was nervous about his return but then realized that he had nothing but the best doctors and rehabilitation specialists working with him around the clock to get him back to the top of his game. So the question everyone wants to know is, “will Georges be the same fighter?”

My guess is yes. St. Pierre has never failed to blow my expectations out of the water. He improves in every single appearance, he never stops growing, learning, and he continually becomes a better professional. As much time and money as the UFC has put in to making Jon Jones the face of the company their efforts will never elevate Jones to the level of Georges St. Pierre, not because he is not as talented or full of potential, but because St. Pierre is the most humble, honest, and respectful champion I have ever seen in any sport. The way he carries himself in and outside of the cage is unmatched by anyone and that type of professionalism does not lead to a sudden collapse after a single injury, regardless of the severity. St. Pierre is here to stay and his resurgence of dominance will be on display for the MMA world to see tonight as he battles Carlos Condit in a Champion vs. Champion bout that will tell us more about Georges St. Pierre than any of his past fights have combined. The task may not come easy but my gut tells me that GSP will, like he always has, exploit the weakness of his opponent and attack it without restraint.

Condit, although he is a dangerous fighter in every position known to the fight game, has always had a weakness in defending the takedown. Well, it just so happens that GSP has the highest takedown percentage of any fighter…ever. That should give fans a better understanding of the probability that Condit may fight the majority of this fight from his back…and the stats show that if St. Pierre is successful in taking Condit to the ground that this could be a very long, brutal night for “The Natural Born Killer”. This is not to say that Condit will not be able to stop St. Pierre’s takedown attacks. After all, Condit implemented an outstanding game plan that saw him outpoint, out speed, and outsmart Nick Diaz to claim the interim welterweight strap last February. His footwork in that fight proved to the world that Condit is surely the threat to GSP. His talent and veteran experience will test Georges, but I still have to believe that “RUSH” will be too dominant in every aspect of the fight. Condit may give GSP a run for his money, but when all is said and done St. Pierre will unify the two welterweight straps and walk away King of the UFC welterweights once again.

Tonight, the Champion will reclaim his spot atop the MMA world and leave the MMA community in awe at how great he can still look even after so much time.

-Jake Chastain

TUF 15 Finale Results

Cofer vs. Lawrence: Round One: The two get in to an early scramble, they come back to their feet, both men find range and land. Both men land, good footwork. Round one goes to Lawrence. Round Two: The two scrapped throughout, I score the second to Lawrence by cage control, pace, strikes and footwork, and he ended the round on top. Round Three: Lights out! Justin Lawrence lands a beautiful right head kick to the jaw! It was the third time he threw the kick in the fight; the first was blocked, the second connected slightly, then the third landed clean for the KO! Great fight! Big step for Justin Lawrence. Max Holloway vs. Schilling (featherweight) Round One: Schilling works hard for takedowns after Holloway boxes his face in. Round one goes to Holloway; 10/9 by pure, crisp striking. Round two: More dominant boxing and takedown defense by Holloway. Clean 10-8 round from excellent boxing/striking; body shots, jabs, straights, hooks. Round Three: Dominant boxing by Holloway, cuts open Schilling, 54% of significant strikes landed in the fight. Brilliant performance put in by Holloway in his UFC debut (18 years old/ youngest in organization history). Who should this kid get next? Charles Oliveira vs. Jonathan Brookins (featherweight) Round One: Oliveira lands a few strikes and starts to get comfortable. Brookins takes him down after a good scramble. Oliveira gets back to his feet, the two start to scrap (applause from the crowd), the horn sounds, the two smile. I score it Oliveira by a slight margin, 10-9. Round Two: the two exchange, clinch, Brookins goes for a guillotine but ends up on bottom, scrambles, gets choked against the cage by a beautiful guillotine put on by Oliveira. Oliveira wins by way of submission. Michael Chisea vs. Al Iaquinta (TUF Finals) Round One: Chisea finishes the fight in dynamic fashion after getting hit a few solid times by the bombs of Iaquinta in the opening minutes. He managed to create a scramble and clinch the back of Iaquinta against the cage, transition to sink in two hooks, gain a tight body triangle, then secure a deep rear-naked choke that put the lights of Iaquinta out. A great performance put in for Chisea to gain the TUF 15 title and a three-fight contract with the UFC. Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann (Main Event/ Welterweight) Round One: An explosive left hook drops Kampmann in the opening moment, Jake leaps into Martin’s guard and somehow Kampmann survives and early, vicious onslaught by Ellenberger. Kampmann keeps Ellenberger at bay with several guillotine attempts and uses it to eventually come back up to his feet, reverse position pressing Jake against the cage and turns the tide of the fight as the horn sounds for round one. I score it 10/9 Ellenberger for the big shot that rocked Kampmann and the majority of control from the top. Round Two: Both fighters come out swinging, brawling, banging, and Kampmann gets rocked again, this time coming out of the exchange extremely bloody from a busted nose. Still, he’s right in front of Ellenberger, taking the center of the cage! Suddenly, Kampmann clips Jake with a straight right and charges him. The two end up against the cage and Kampmann comes out with a nice Muay Thai clinch. With it he lands three precise knees with the third dropping Ellenberger to the canvas like a sack of potatoes. The fight is over! Kampmann wins by KO in by way of knees/strikes. After the fight it was announced that Kampmann is now in line to scarp with the surging Jonny Hendricks in a title contention eliminator. Huge, exciting news and a great cap to a solid TUF Finale card. -Jake Chastain

The Modern Relevance of "The Ultimate Fighter"

So, at this point it is no secret that MMA is the world’s fastest growing sport, popularity-wise as well as competition-wise. Everywhere you turn there is a new MMA gym opening up with prospective fighters moving through its ranks, a new television program that wants to host an MMA promotion, and fans continue to spill over the already-packed railings of the MMA community. This is a great thing for those of us that love the sport so much. New clothing lines and sponsors are spawned, new fan events and expos are becoming more abundant, and most importantly; the absolute best fighters in the world are finally making their way into the sport as full time professional athletes.

MMA is rapidly sweeping the globe with popularity and the cause is not by luck or accident. The UFC has become such an amazingly successful sporting promotion that it almost puts every other MMA promotion to shame. I’m even confident enough to say that it puts other sporting promotions to shame in some aspects as well. What the UFC has singlehandedly done for the sport is remarkable. The way it has steadily grown, taken baby steps when necessary and giant leaps when it was able to, the way it held itself so professionally as “THE NUMBER ONE” MMA promotion on earth, and the way it still continues to flourish and grow in so many different areas, is astounding. And if you ask any fan or UFC executive what originally helped launch this ongoing growth they will all tell you the same thing: although it was a combination of several things done right, the debut of the UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, was what sparked the raging fire we now see blazing across the sporting globe.

This show, which for the first 14 seasons aired on the “man-channel” of SPIKE TV, gained enormous popularity after its first season aired back in 2005. The finale featured one of the most popular and important fights in UFC history as Forrest Griffin scrapped with Stephan Bonnar for three rounds of non-stop stand-up action. The two solidified their place in MMA history after that fight, which was broadcasted over record breaking viewership numbers across the country. That season set the stage for a revolution in the MMA industry. Since season one the UFC has aired 13 other seasons, some of which showcased multiple weigh classes and an abundance of future talents. The Ultimate Fighter reality show has produced three UFC champions and an overwhelming number of other talents that are still vying to hold the UFC strap one day, and it wouldn’t be crazy to think that the reality show could produce another champion in the near future.

The UFC is now at a huge turning point in its ongoing evolution. The promotion recently signed a huge 7 year deal with FOX TV and has already begun making the many transition that they feel will take the sport and the promotion to an entirely new level. For starters, FOX is now in control of the reality show we were just talking about. The first season under the new FOX contract (which is the 15th installment in the reality series) is now airing on FX and is broadcasting every fight live on Friday nights. The transitions and adjustments made to the show have been abundant and at times hard to swallow, but as time goes on the changes will become less noticeable and the many adjustments will start paying off.

My point is that as the UFC has steadily grown and overtaken the sporting industry in such a rapid manner that there have been many things that have changed and have been adjusted to better suit the growth and popularity expansion of the UFC. However, one thing has not faded away: The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
In a business mindset one must always be willing to cut losses and move on to new and expansive ideas, but in order to stay legitimate over a long period of time one must also realize that the working pieces of a machine must be kept fresh, oiled, and running smoothly. This is exactly what the UFC is doing in its latest installment of the reality show. Small tweaks have been made to the show over time, some things that fans sometimes don’t even catch…but the important thing is that the show is producing new viewers, expanding its popularity, and is fishing out the best talent that the MMA community has to offer.

Here is something to think about: last season (season 14) showcased bantamweights and featherweights. It was the first time the show had played host to either of the two weight classes. At the season’s end I found it easy to say that the show had produced at least four or five legitimate UFC caliber fighters from its cast. These are promising numbers considering both the featherweight and bantamweight classes are newly adopted in the UFC, meaning the talent is still not as deep as most of the other weight classes. My point is that although many fans felt that last season was not as interesting or exciting as some of the seasons past, the main goal of the show was still reached: new talents were found…and both winners of season 14 could very well be title contenders in the future.

So even as old-school fans start to feel as if each season is the same thing re-spun over and over again the reality is that the show is still extremely successful in what it is setting out to do, and that’s to find all the hidden gems that are scattered and buried within the MMA community.

Now the UFC finds itself hosting its first “LIVE” season in Las Vegas (The Ultimate Fighter: Live) while it is also hosting its first ever TUF season abroad (The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil), which is being coached by legendary Brazilian fighters, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. Not only is the show continuing to grow and transform in the U.S. but Dana White and the UFC brass have decided to take it a step further and take the show overseas. Brazil is the perfect stop for the first TUF season abroad because it has been widely considered by many to play home to many of the best MMA talents. This hosting a TUF season in the heart of Brazil seems like the perfect way to discover the best Brazilian talent. This is not only huge for the promotion and the sport but this will finally give the fans a chance to compare the fighting talent abroad to that produced here in the U.S. This is a giant step for MMA because there is often a debate about how many great fighters get passed over just because they never get the chance to showcase their skills on a big stage…well, it seems as if that problem is now solved.

Brazil is the first stop, with the show currently airing as we speak, and White has expressed interest in taking the show to several other countries including India, the UK, and many more. I never would have imagined that 15 seasons into the reality series that I would have the ability to say that “this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
I felt that this was a relevant topic to discuss because I’ve recently noticed that the viewership ratings for TUF have dropped slightly and many fans have voiced their displeasure with how the series has started to transform its image and how the show has become less interesting with each passing season. Now, I’m not one to say that The Ultimate Fighter is not obligated to hook fans and keep us intrigued, but I just feel that I need to point out that the show is not solely for the fans. The Ultimate Fighter has become one of the easiest ways for the UFC to find new MMA talents and contenders while also creating characters that the organization can market in the future. The MMA evolution continues to transform and as it does so does The Ultimate Fighter reality show. As long as the show is being produced we can rest easy that new, competitive fighters are indeed on the rise. Keep your eyes open, fight fans…you don’t want to look over the next big thing in the sport. After all, he may just come from the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

-Jake Chastain

The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain

Welcome back, fight fans. Another day has passed and sure enough the MMA world did not skip a beat. Although today was a fairly slow day for fight announcements and shocking news there were still a few things that are worth mentioning.

First, and what I feel is the biggest news to hit the media stream today, was a UFC fight announcement in which we found out that Mike Pierce would be squaring off with Eduardo Rocha at UFC on FX 3. Both men are top welterweights in the UFC but are both coming off of close decision losses to fellow top ranked welterweights (Koscheck and Ellenberger, respectively). This is going to be a huge fight between two very talented, athletic welterweights. The event is rumored to be on tap for June 8th but no official announcement has been made yet.

We also heard a little bit from UFC middleweight, Mark Munoz, today. In a n interview Munoz expressed his surprise in the recent announcement that Michael Bisping would be fighting Tim Boetsch next. Munoz stated that he felt he and Bisping were on “a collision course,” but then went on to say it doesn’t matter and the Bisping is going to have his hands full with Mr. Boetsch. I think that a lot of people agreed with Munoz in thinking that the two would meet, but because Bisping is now set to face Boetch who does that leave for Mark Munoz to face next? We’ll see what the UFC decides to do.

Mirko Cro-Cop made top news today by explaining that after his recent K1 victory over Ray Sefo that he is in negotiation talks with K1 and several other MMA promotions, which means that the Croatian is not going to retire like many thought he would after leave the famed octagon. This is risky business, in my opinion. CroCop is obviously riding high after getting a much need victory but he is not getting any younger and the talent in every organization is only rising. We’ll keep a close eye on what Mirko decides to do with his future.

And in other news we heard that Rampage still wants out of his last fight with the UFC, in which he is set to take on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The verbal war between Jackson and the UFC continues to rise and I’m sure we’ll hear more about this subject tomorrow. We also saw another interview with UFC Lightweight Champion, Benson Henderson, get released today. In the interview Henderson once again explained that he wanted to break Anderson Silva’s record for most UFC title defenses and wants to beat everyone on the UFC 155lbs roster. It seems that the confidence of the new champ is unwavering and unshakable. But before he starts looking down the lightweight roster he’ll have to get past Edgar one more time.

Jon Jones released a blog today that touched on his sudden rise to MMA stardom, his growth over the past year as champion, and how Rashad Evans is sorely wrong for assuming that he has Jones’ number. The entire blog can be viewed at BJPenn.com

And to close out today’s top MMA news we heard that Alistair Overeem will be a guest making his debut at the 2012 MMA Weekender at SENI, Ross Pearson doesn’t want his coaching on this season of TUF to prevent him from getting a fight, and Revel, Atlantic City’s newest hotel and resort casino, will be playing host to the upcoming UFC on FX 4 event in July.

And that wraps up today’s top news in the MMA world. For more in depth coverage, interviews, and videos be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until next time, fight fans; stay classy

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain

Welcome to another installment of “The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain.” Monday was quit a jammed packed day in the MMA world. We experienced a flurry of great fight announcements, ratings results, and of course we saw build up for the upcoming shows that will be taking place across the globe.

First, let’s look at the viewer ratings that were revealed for last Friday’s TUF episode. We found out today that the show, which featured the first bracket fight for the show’s season, garnered approximately 1.1 million views nationwide. This is slightly lower than the season’s premiere episode last week, which pulled in 1.3 million views. These are still very strong, promising numbers that I’m sure will rise as the season continues to build within its new FX home.

We heard today that UFC middleweight, Chael Sonnen is releasing a book, entitled, “The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P Pass to Enlightenment.” The book is sure to be filled with hilarious tales filled with the satiric genius of Chael Sonnen. The 320 page book titled will be available on May 15 at Amazon.com for $16.47.
We also had a handful of amazing fight announcements take place today. UFC 148, which is expected to take place on July 8th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, added three fights to its card today. First, news broke the Michael Bisping would be fighting the recently victorious Tim Boetsch. This fight in itself is a co-main event caliber brawl in the making. Both men are at the top of the weight class and trying to stay there.

Then we heard the UFC 148 card would also be adding Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le. Franklin will be returning to the middleweight division for the first time since moving to light heavyweight in 2008. Anderson Silva has been the only man to defeat Franklin in the 185 pound weight class. Le is coming off of a loss to Wanderlei Silva but is an explosive, dangerous fighter with kicks that can give any fighter problems. This is a gem of a fight.

Then, in the closing hours of Monday night, Tito Ortiz broke news via his Twitter account that he and Forrest Griffin would be completing their trilogy at UFC 148 as well. The two have split the last two meetings with Ortiz taking the first back at UFC 59 and Griffin getting his revenge at UFC 106. This should be an exciting fight between two declining yet huge names in the MMA world. This is a great addition to the card, which is more than likely going to be headlined by another trilogy fight between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.
And then on top of these three fight announcements we found out that UFC 148 would also be adding a bantamweight scrap between Renan Barao and Jeff Hougland. Barao is the current owner of the longest MMA winning streak, which is now at 31 after his UFC debut victory at UFC 143, and Hougland is also riding a nine-fight winning streak. These four fights announcements quickly shaped UFC 148 into a “can’t miss” PPV event. We’ll see how the remainder of the card stacks up in the coming weeks.

And while we’re on the topic of UFC fight announcements I may as mention that UFC on FX 4 added its main event bout today, and it’ll be a lightweight war between Clay Guida and Gray Maynard. The two have verbally agreed to the fight and will look to face off in Atlantic City on June 22nd, although the UFC has not yet made the date and venue official. This will be a very interesting fight as both fighters will be coming off of losses at the top level. Maynard will be making his first appearance after dropping his first official MMA loss to Frankie Edgar in their title fight, and Guida will be returning after his number-one contender fight with current champion Benson Henderson. Both Maynard and Guida are explosive, top-notch lightweights that need this win to move back up the ranks of the UFC lightweight division.

The UFC also finalized its 5-fight UFC on FUEL TV 3 card today. The event is set to take place on May 15th in Fairfax, VA. Here is how the card currently stands:
MAIN CARD: (FUEL TV)
Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung
Donald Cerrone vs. Jeremy Stephens
Mike Easton vs. Yves Jabouin
Tom Lawlor vs. Jason MacDonald
Jorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah

PRELIMINARY CARD: (Facebook)
Jeff Curran vs. Johnny Eduardo
Cody McKenzie vs. Aaron Riley
Brad Tavares vs. Dongi Yang
T.J. Grant vs. Carlo Prater
Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Kamal Shalorus
Azamat Gashimov vs. Alex Soto
Fabio Maldonado vs. Igor Pokrajac

The MMA world heard from Dan Henderson today as he spoke with ESPN and explained, despite what UFC president Dana White says, that he would only be willing to cut down to fight at middleweight if it was a fight with current champion, Anderson Silva. Other than that he wants to focus on capturing gold at light heavyweight. We’ll see how this shakes out in the coming week as Henderson is still opponent-less.

And in other news we witnessed a small verbal war begin between Dana White and Ken Shamrock, early betting odds on Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva heavily favor Belfort, Matt Serra earned his 3rd Dan in BJJ from Renzo Gracie, and the Jon Jones/Rashad Evans verbal war continued.

For more in depth MMA news, interviews, and videos be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until next time, fight fans; stay classy.

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain

Thursday was another fairly slow day in the MMA world. Not much happened with the UFC, other than an interview with Dana White regarding the upcoming, first ever LIVE season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The show is set to premiere tomorrow night on FX at 9pm. He touched on great information about how the show will run this season, the attitude of the fighters, and how this season will be so much different than any before it. The interview can be viewed at BJPenn.com

The betting odds for the Henderson vs. Edgar II fight came out today and surprisingly the experts are favoring the former champ, Frankie Edgar…again. This made me very curious for a little while, then I realized that if Frankie can just avoid the big, devastating strikes (like the up-kick he absorbed from Henderson in the last fight) then I can understand how the precision and durability of Edgar can give him the early betting edge. Not to mention, Edgar is 2 for 2 in his last 2 rematches…just something else to think about.

Speaking of Benson Henderson, a video of him losing a jiu-jitsu match this past weekend hit the media stream today. Henderson wasted little time after winning the UFC lightweight belt to get back into competition. In the video Henderson gets submitted by an arm bar in the early moments of the match. The entire video can be viewed at BJPenn.com

And rumors began today about a possible signing of current Bellator Middleweight Champion, Hector Lombard, to the UFC. These are still just talks in the wind, but here is a quote from Dana White on the situation: “I’ve been hearing all about him since I’ve been here. I hear he’s under contract though with someone else, so we’ll see. I’ll probably end up with him. If he wants to fight in the UFC, then we’ll probably end up with him.”Lombard is currently in renegotiation talks with Bellator, but sooner or later the Big Dog has to eat, so we’ll keep a close eye on this situation. This is especially interesting because the UFC middleweight division could always use another huge name contender to stir up Anderson Silva talks again. More news on this should come in the next few days.

And the Bellator 60 weigh-ins took place today in Hammond, Ind. and things got a little rocky. Four of the scheduled fighters missed weight on their first attempts. That seems like a huge disaster that Bellator is going to have to address in the coming days. However, regardless of a rocky weigh-in Bellator 60 will go down tomorrow night on MTV2 as featherweight champ, Joe Warren takes on Pat Curran.

And that just about wraps up today’s top MMA news. For more in depth coverage, interviews, and videos be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

And don’t forget to watch the season premiere of “The Ultimate Fighter” LIVE on FX tomorrow night at 9pm.

Until next time, fight fans; stay classy.

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain

Welcome back, fight fans. Here we are once again in the midst of a ton of MMA announcements and fight additions in the span of a quick 24 hours. Today was Wednesday, which is usually the day we are hit with the most news and announcements. However, the MMA current was quite calm today. With the exception of a few big UFC fight additions the day was fairly uneventful.

Still, even on a slow day, the MMA world never really rests. Today’s top news starts off with two huge fight announcements coming way of the UFC. We found out that UFC 146, which is being headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Junior Dos Santos Alistair Overeem, just got a whole lot heavier.

First, we caught news that “Big Country” Roy Nelson will take on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a massive heavyweight collision. Silva will be making his UFC debut while Nelson is 3-3 in the famed UFC octagon. Both fighters are coming off of losses and are in desperate need of a win. This should be a great bout.

Then we later heard that UFC 146 would also be adding another heavyweight bout, this time between two men vying for the UFC heavyweight number one contender spot: Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez. Both men have already been UFC champs, both men want the strap again, both are only two straight wins away. This fight, along with the Nelson vs. Silva fight and the main event title fight between Dos Santos and Overeem have already made this a “must-watch” fight card. All three of these fights will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 26th.

A quote from a legend made MMA headlines today as Fedor Emelianenko stated that even after three consecutive losses he still desires to fight in the world’s largest MMA promotion, the UFC. He explained that he loves fighting in front of his home countrymen but he realizes that the best competition exists in The States, fighting in the UFC. Fedor, now 35 years old and having lost three in a row to top notch competitors, may be trying to make his second coming in MMA just a little too late. However, I have seen crazier things, and there are a few compelling match-ups in the UFC that could draw the masses, which eventually equals money…so there you go. I‘ll leave it at that.

Speaking of fighters past their prime, Tim Sylvia has recently been campaigning throughout numerous media outlets and networks to get a spot back on the UFC heavyweight roster. He stated that he could beat a majority of the heavyweights currently listed on the UFC roster and felt he deserved to at least be given one more shot in the octagon. Well, we found out from an interview with MMA Fighting on Tuesday that UFC President Dana White said, “hell no,” to a Sylvia return to the octagon. I guess that’s enough said.

A video interview with Nate Diaz from Tuesday’s UFC on FOX 3 presser hit top news today. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani talked with Diaz about his upcoming fight with Jim Miller, his thoughts on Henderson, Edgar, and Pettis, and he also talked about his brother’s future in MMA.

We also heard today that Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will face off against UFC and PRIDE veteran Akihiro Gono, in a three-round non-title “superfight” at Bellator 67 on Friday, May 4th in Ontario, Canada.

And in other news, Chael Sonnen stated, “Anderson, you can kiss my ass,” on national television, Rampage Jackson’s future with the UFC is still drifting over rocky waters, and the UFC continues to battle for MMA sanctioning in New York.

And to top off the night’s MMA news, a quote from the current UFC light heavyweight champion, Jonny “Bones” Jones, in his recent interview with mensjournal.com. Jones was talking about his image and how some people view his confidence and faith as cockiness. Jones explained,” My road wasn’t easy, by any means. That’s why when people call me cocky, it’s, like, the biggest blow I can get. It’s like, ‘It’s not me! I’m sorry I’m coming across that way.’ I don’t think I’m better than ¬anyone. I heard this story once of this football player who, whenever he scored, just handed the ball to the ref. And I thought that was really cool, like, ‘This is what I do. I score touchdowns.’ I wasn’t trying to be cocky or anything, but that’s what I was thinking: ‘This is what I do. I defend my title.’ ”Jones will meet former UFC champion and former training partner, Rashad Evans, on April 21st.

And that wraps up another Day in MMA with Jake Chastain. For more in depth MMA news, interviews, and updates visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until next time, fight fans; stay classy.

-Jake Chastain
@jcahstain45

The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain

Hello, fight fans. Welcome to another edition of The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain. Today’s top MMA news was quite explosive. Let’s start with what I found most informative: The UFC on FOX 3 presser was held today. We heard from Dana White on a ton of different topics, Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, Johnny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck, and few others fighting on the card. Most of the commotion revolved around the talks between Hendricks and Koscheck. Koscheck continued to live out his role of being “the heel”. I have to admit though; he’s pretty damn good at it. This card, which take place in New Jersey on May 5th, is shaping up to be a very interesting one with several contenders providing interesting storylines while vying to move up UFC ladder. This card will surely not disappoint. The entire press conference can be viewed at BJPenn.com

In other news we found out that the rematch that Frankie Edgar so desperately wanted with lightweight champion, Benson Henderson, has been granted to him. The two will fight in an immediate rematch sometime this summer for Henderson’s UFC lightweight strap. Edgar and Dana White broke the news via their trusty Twitter accounts. Once again, just when we thought we were out of the clogged-up phase of the UFC lightweight division, we’re right back to being clogged up again. Frankie Edgar, although I am fan, has undoubtedly become the rematch king. But I can’t blame him…considering the circumstances, I sort of think he deserves it too. We’ll see how the MMA world reacts and how quickly Henderson’s recent injuries heal up.

The heavyweight title fight between current champ, Junior Dos Santos, and number one contender, Alistair Overeem was made official by the UFC today. The two will collide for the UFC Heavyweight crown on May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 146. Don’t miss this fight. It will be unlike any heavyweight fight we’ve ever seen. Two of the purest heavyweight strikers we’ve ever seen, masters of their crafts, meeting for the belt. This one could be legendary.

Little Nog was recently injured in training for his upcoming fight with rising star Alexander Gustafsson. Noguira announced today that he is unable to compete and the UFC immediately reacted and replaced Little Nog with the always dangerous, Thiago Silva. Silva will be coming off of almost a year and half layoff due to a suspension involving a failed drug test. Gustafsson and Silva will now square off on April 14th for UFC on FUEL 2. Although the injury to Noguira is unfortunate the fight between Silva and Gustafsson seems a little more appealing to me. This should test both fighters and will likely move the winner into the light heavyweight title picture. Don’t blink during this one, fight fans.

We also received the viewing numbers for this past weekend’s fight cards. UFC on FX 2 drew in an average of 1.4 million viewers. The final tally of viewers was approximately 100,000 more than the UFC on FX debut. These numbers are very promising for the promotion and for FOX. And then the Strikeforce card which headlined the women’s title bout between Tate and Rousey drew in 431,00 viewers. This is neither the highest nor the lowest Strikeforce and Showtime have pulled in, but for a card that was headlined by women I think that these are pretty decent numbers. And Dana White today explained that he believes Rousey is going to be a huge star and a big draw in the future. As MMA continues to grow and evolve I think that the Rousey vs. Tate fight was a huge, positive step in the on-going process.

And in other news Benson Henderson said he doesn’t care who he fights next because he’s wants to line them all up and knock them all down, one by one. Jim Miller appeared on “Good Day New York” to promote his upcoming May UFC on FOX 3 fight with Nate Diaz (the video can be seen at BJPenn.com). And Rampage Jackson stated that he will fight one more time in the UFC and that’s it, but then suggested that he may continue fighting elsewhere. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out with the UFC organization as they look for a final fight to give Rampage.

And that just about wraps up the top news from the MMA world for today. For more in depth news, interviews, and coverage be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until next time; stay classy, fight fans.

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA

Hello, fight fans. Welcome back to another addition of The Day in MMA. Today was a fairly big day in MMA. With such a big weekend for the sport starting tomorrow the buzz seems to have reached its peak.

Tomorrow will play host to UFC on FX 2 in Sydney, Australia. Today’s biggest news was that all the fighters for tomorrow night’s card weighed-in on weight to make all the bouts official. I personally think this is the perfect way to start the weekend. The card is being broadcast on FX and is headlined by a welterweight scrap between Martin “the Hitman” Kampmann and Thiago “Pitbull” Alves. This card will also be the UFC’s first to host the newly adopted flyweight class. Don’t miss this card, fight fans. It’s history in the making.

And then on Saturday we’ll get to see Miesha Tate defend her women’s bantamweight title against the new girl on the block, Ronda Rousey. The fight will headline a Strikeforce card that will air on Showtime. The press conference for the event took place today and the build-up and tension between the two headliners has been escalating for the past month. The tension peaked today during the conference as both women went back and forth, accusations were confronted, and the fight is just two days away! The highlights of the presser can be found at BJPenn.com

Bellator made the Shinya Aoki vs. Eddie Alvarez II fight official today. The two will face off on April 20th on Bellator 66. The fight will be a rematch between the two (in which Aoki won by hell hook) three and a half years in the making. Don’t miss it next month on MTV2.

We also found out today that newly crowned lightweight champion, Benson Henderson, and Rampage Jackson received medical suspensions today that could amount to six months each. Henderson may have fractured both hands and a foot while Rampage has been suffering from a knee injury even before his fight with Bader last weekend. More news on these medical suspensions will come soon.

Rampage also admitted to using testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) prior to his fight with Bader at UFC 144. Rampage said his levels were never exceeding the legal amount for the sport and that he plans to fight many more times because he now feels 25 again. We’ll see if this shakes up the MMA sporting world at all. Many fighters have already admitted to using TRT, like Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt, but the more popular it gets the more attention it’s going to get, so we’ll see what happens.

The UFC announced three more fights to be added to its upcoming UFC on FUEL 3 card earlier today. Lightweights Kamal Shalorus and Rafael Dos Anjos have agreed to face off, bantamweights Azamat Gashimov and Alex Soto have agreed to throw down, and top featherweight stars Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung have signed on to do battle. UFC on FUEL 3 is set to take place from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA on May 15. This card has been a big topic of discussion this entire week, adding several bouts to its lineup. These additions are another big plus for the upcoming event.

We heard Dana White speak more about the Frankie Edgar situation today. He explained that he really wants Edgar to drop to featherweight and that if he did he would gain an immediate title fight with Jose Aldo. However, he also said that if he did not drop and decides to stay at lightweight he may have to climb the ladder again before getting the immediate rematch that Frankie feels he deserves. This is surely going to be a huge topic of discussion in the coming days.

And in other news Paul Daley stated that after he beats Misaki this Saturday on the Strikeforce card he wants to fight newly acquired Nate “The Great” Marquardt for the vacant welterweight strap, the TUF 15 preview show aired tonight, and Dana White stated that TUF was headed to Australia, India, and the Philippines next.

And that wraps up another day in MMA news. For more in depth coverage, videos, and interviews visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until tomorrow, fight fans, stay classy.

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA

Good afternoon, fight fans. Welcome to the Tuesday installment of “The Day in MMA.” As we get closer to the end of February I find it important to look ahead to what the spring holds just around the corner. This weekend is huge for MMA as the two biggest promotions in the sport are hosting large events.

On Friday night the UFC is hosting UFC on FX 2 which will debut the promotions newly added flyweight class (125 lbs) as the two semi-final fights for the vacant flyweight strap will take place. Also headlining the card will be a great matchup between Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves. This is a card fight fans won’t want to miss.

And then on Saturday night Strikeforce will host its highly anticipated fight card featuring the women’s title fight between bantamweight champion Meisha Tate and number one contender Ronda Rousey. The two have verbally battled back and forth for the past couple of months and this weekend will finally settle the score. Also included on the card will be a lightweight tilt between Josh Thomson and KJ Noons and a welterweight scrap between Paul Daley and Kazuo Misaki. The fights will air on the Strikeforce home network of Showtime.

So with all of this looming on the horizon there will surely be lots to talk about in the coming days. Like, today we heard from Strikeforce welterweight contender, Paul Daley. Daley, who is fighting on Saturday, had a quote released today stating that he wants a rematch with Tyrone Woodley for the vacant welterweight belt after he wins this weekend. Here is what Daley said: “Real fighters let the fight evolve in whichever way it should go, and they fight to finish, not stall…..real lions go for the kill. I beat Woodley in my opinion, so it wasn’t that frustrating. He fought a scared fight and was tired by the second round. I feel bad that the referee’s decisions gave him the win in the judges’ eyes. Three minutes of inactivity on the floor…that’s not scoring points, and it certainly ain’t entertaining for the fans, who all cheered when it was stood back up. After this fight, the only fight I should be offered is a rematch with Tyrone Woodley for the welterweight belt. It (the division) is interesting, but I think I am the only real character left, now that Nick Diaz has gone.” If Daley can indeed pull off a fashionable win this weekend I don’t see any reason as to why he shouldn’t get another shot at Woodley, although we’ve come to find that Daley’s main weakness in his fight game has been his wrestling defense. Anyone think Daley can take out the wrestler in Woodley in a rematch? We’ll see how he looks this weekend.

The UFC 144 prelims on FX garnered a whopping 1.5 million viewers this past weekend. These are good, promising numbers for the future. This number marks the highest viewership of the UFC’s three showings on FX so far.
We also heard that Kimbo Slice will be hosting “The Ultimate Fighter Friday’s” for SPIKE TV starting on March 9th. The show will feature all the greatest moments from the past 14 seasons on TUF, and now with Slice hosting we’ll see how much viewership pull SPIKE can empty out of its UFC tank.

Today the UFC has finalized a deal that will get bantamweights Jeff Curran and Johnny Eduardo to face off at May 15th’s UFC on FUEL 3 card. This is a great matchup between two top level bantamweights. Both are very skilled and exciting fighters so this is a great addition to the card.

Jose Aldo’s coach today tweeted a fair warning to former UFC lightweight champ, Frankie Edgar. In the tweet Pederneiras said that a drop to featherweights would only lose Frankie the only fight advantage he knows: speed. At first I laughed at the tweet, then I thought more about it and realized that Andre Pederneiras is actually on to something. Frankie has always out-struck his opponents with his speed and precision. Aldo is just as fast as Edgar, if not faster. This is interesting to consider as we wait to see what Edgar does next with his career. (Still, I would love to see Aldo vs. Edgar, no doubt).

“The Ultimate Fighter 15” broke top news again today as we found out that one of the cast members was in several gay porn movies in the past (Dakota Cochrane). This is not really big news in the modern world, but in the “fight world” this is fairly rattling. It will be interesting to see how the other cast members react to the news, especially because they will be living in the same house for several weeks. As an open minded, socially accepting modernist I don’t really see what the big deal is, but for most this will surely kick up some controversy. We’ll see how this plays out in the coming days. Will this draw in more viewers, hurt the show, or not shake it up at all?

Shogun recently spoke with Tatame.com and stated that he is definitely planning on fighting Quinton Jackson again before either of them retires. When asked about the possibility of the two meeting again Shogun stated, “Absolutely. The fight against Rampage will happen eventually. It’s inevitable and UFC knows it. He won’t retire before fighting me and neither am I.” I definitely feel that this is a great re-match for the MMA world (the two last fought in PRIDE in Shogun’s 2005 MW Grand Prix championship run). With “Rampage” losing to Ryan Bader last weekend and Shogun recently losing to Dan Henderson it will be interesting to see what the promotion is going to do with both fighters. Is a rematch finally in the in-line for these two? Time will tell.

Strikeforce’s “King Mo” Lawal is fighting a serious staph infection that began after his recovery from the recent ACL surgery he had. He underwent his seventh procedure on Sunday to try and fight the infection, which can place a fighter’s career and life in danger if it is not treated properly. Our best hopes and wishes for a speedy recover go out to Muhammad Lawal. We hope to see him back in the cage when he gets himself healthy again.

And in other news Anthony Pettis explained why he deserves the first shot at new lightweight champion, Benson Henderson and why Henderson doesn’t want to fight him, Strikeforce welterweight Roger Bowling is flirting with the idea of dropping to lightweight, Michael Bisping thinks that he deserves the winner of the Sonnen/Silva II, and Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz started their trash talking early this time around.
For more in depth news, videos, and coverage be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until tomorrow, stay classy, fight fans.

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA

Alright fight fans, here we are once again, celebrating and craving more of the fastest growing sports in the world: MMA. Fresh off the heels of a jammed packed UFC 144 card in Japan there is a lot of news to cover, ponder over, and get excited about.

First, I must lend out a heartfelt congratulation to the new UFC Lightweight Champion, Benson Henderson. Henderson put on a fabulous performance against Frankie Edgar on Saturday night to claim the UFC strap after a 25 minute war. The fight was close, but I clearly thought that Henderson won the fight. I also would like to congratulate Ryan Bader, Jake Shields, and Anthony Pettis. All three fighters won huge fights against top competition and really gave the MMA world good things to talk about. And to all the fighters that competed in UFC 144, thank you greatly for putting on a fantastic show. Keep working hard. Your fans, and even haters, recognize and appreciate all that you do. Cheers, guys.

Now on to today’s news…Let’s start with what I thought was the most exciting news today. First we found out that Yves Edwards was injured while getting ready for his upcoming fight with Donald Cerrone at UFC on FX 3 in May. The news was at first upsetting, as Yves is a brilliant veteran of the game that is extremely fun to watch, but the UFC reacted well, as they always do, and replaced the injured Edwards with the talented and always exciting, Jeremy Stephens. Now Cerrone and Stephens will meet at UFC on FX 3 on May 13th. Keep an eye on this fight. I’m promising fireworks.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani in Japan this past weekend Carlos Condit explained that he is going to sit out and wait for Georges St Pierre to recover from his recent ACL surgery. This will now freeze two welterweight belts in the UFC. I thought the whole idea behind having an interim champion was to keep a belt active until the original belt is back in service. I’m interested to see what the UFC is going to make of this, especially since GSP doesn’t want to “rush” (ironically) his recovery and comeback. Hmmm...
The UFC today released a roster of 32 lightweight fighters for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. TUF 15 will begin on March 9th and will be coached by UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and number one contender, again, Urijah Faber. The two will fight at the conclusion of the season to complete a very closely contested trilogy. The two have split the first two fights.

The first season of the Ultimate fighter abroad, “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil”, also broke through to the top news today. The season, which is being coached UFC middleweights, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, will begin on March 25th. It was announced late today that FUEL TV will air the show in the U.S, although it is still unclear when. How strange it will be to have two different seasons of TUF airing at the same time…interesting. The coaches and the final’s contestants from this show are expected to fight on the UFC 147 card in Brazil. Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen are also expected to headline the card, although the fight is still yet to be announced. More news regarding TUF: Brazil will follow in the coming days.

The UFC announced today that fans are invited to a press conference next week to help promote May's UFC on FOX 3 event. The presser takes place March 6 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and includes many fighters from the card, including lightweight headliners Jim Miller and Nate Diaz.

Officials today announced that India’s Super Fight League has singed Todd Duffy, Trevor Prangley, and Baga Agaev all to four fight deals. This is a big day for that promotion as all three of those fighters have competed against top competition world-wide. We’ll if the addition helps the company expand.

After last week’s Cage Warriors 46 main-event victory, Andreas Kraniotakes will now fight recent Bellator competitor Mike Hayes for the organization's vacant heavyweight title. We’ll keep an eye on these two fighters as the heavyweight division continues to become more competitive and deep.
Bellator also announced its officially finalized 11-bout “Bellator 60” card. The card will air on MTV2.

An interesting quote came out today: UFC 144 winner, Tim Boetsch stated that he wanted to fight Dan Henderson next. He stated, “Honestly, the name that really pops in my head is Dan Henderson just because they’re wondering what to do with him. Dan Henderson has been a hero of mine since I started in this sport. I really admire the guy. He’s a great fighter, been at the top for a long time. I think part of taking that step to the next level is beating one of your hero’s and for me, that would be Dan Henderson. I think that would be interesting and very exciting.” This is interesting because Boetsch just defeated one of the top ranked middleweights in the world in Okami last weekend and Dan Henderson is sort of floating in limbo right now. The two would surly make for a great fight, so we’ll see if anything comes from Boetsch’s comments.

And in other news the build up for this weekend’s women’s Strikeforce title fight between Champion Meisha Tate and Ronda Rousey has continued, Thiago Alves said he’s going to break Martin Kampmann, and Jose Conseco tweeted that he wants to host an MMA tournament in Las Vegas with Mike Tyson, Herschel Walker, Shaq Daddy, and himself. Anyone think this will get an promotional bites?

And that wraps up today in MMA. For more in depth news, video interviews, and coverage check out BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until tomorrow, fight fans, stay classy.

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA

So we’re one day away from UFC 144 in Japan. Today’s news, although mostly build-up for tomorrow’s card, was very interesting and informative.

First things first and most importantly, the fighter’s for UFC 144 hit the scales today for the weigh-in. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson failed to make the 206 lbs weight limit and forfeited 20% of his fight purse. Jackson weighed-in at 211. Everyone else made weight, including Yoshihiro Akiyama, who is making his welterweight debut against Jake Shields. You can view the weigh-in ceremony in its entirety at BJPenn.com. Rampage recently released an interview explaining why he missed the weight. Here is what he had to say about the situation:

“I wasn’t going to say anything. I thought I was going to make weight. I got injured in my camp and it kind of hindered me from doing a lot running. I didn’t want to miss this fight, this fight was important to me and I fought so hard to get it so I said forget it I’m just going to man up and still make the fight. I kept training in other ways but I just couldn’t get the road work in, then I healed up and starting get road work in but it was a little bit too late. I started cutting weight but I had a lot of weight to cut. I cut 21 pounds I just couldn’t get the last six. It’s kind of difficult you got to weigh-in earlier and I kind of underestimated the time. I woke up at three o’clock this morning to cut weight. I cut everything I had. I’m not going to say [what the injury is] because I don’t want Ryan Bader to find out and go for it. I’m pretty much healed up right now. I had to cut a lot of weight, I’m not comfortable with saying how much weight I had to cut but it’s the most weight I’ve ever had to cut in my life and when I got off the airplane I knew that I retained a lot of water and I really didn’t eat that much on the airplane, just a few snacks that I brought with me and I was even more surprised that I gained more weight on the airplane. I was like ‘Whoa, what is going on?’, it kind of surprised me. By now I can run so I was running on the treadmill and stuff and I was trying to get it off, I didn’t know I wasn’t going to make weight until a couple of hours ago.”

We’ll see if the sudden drop in a lot of weight or the injury that Rampage claims is healed have any effect on his performance tomorrow night.

On another note, a video interview with Nick Diaz was released today. This kicked up a lot of attention because it is Diaz’s first interview since his fight with Condit and testing positive for marijuana. This video can also be viewed at BJPenn.com

A lightweight bout between Carlo Prater and TJ Grant was announced today as well. The two will meet at UFC on FUEL TV 3 on May 15th. Both men are coming off of big victories so this fight will heavy implications on the near future of their careers.

Brian Stann made the media streamline today by commenting on who he would like to fight next. He explained that he would love to fight Michael Bisping next, mainly because of some comments that Bisping made following Stann’s last fight. Here is a portion of what Stann said: Michael Bisping. I wouldn’t try to anything but walk straight through him with a right hand. Here’s the deal: I don’t know Michael personally, sometimes I think he gets a bum rap and I’ve learned not to judge people off the media and things of that nature. After my last fight he had a few comments about my technique and who I was as a fighter that I thought were a little odd. He called me a ‘white belt’ and said that I was ‘exposed’ so I’d love to see him put his money where his mouth is. We can fight and we can solve that. He may be a great guy, I don’t know, and maybe he is, but I would just like to compete against him since he made those comments.”

MMAJunkie.com today broke news that the UFC was targeting its first trip to Canada in 2012 to happen in Calgary, at the 19,000 seat Scotiabank Saddledome. The event is still just a “rumor” but the plan is to make this happen in July for UFC 149. We’ll see if these plans stick.

Bellator today signed DREAM champion and former Strikeforce welterweight title challenger Marius Zaromskis (16-6 MMA, 0-0 BFC) to a multi-fight deal. Zaromskis will likely make his debut in Bellator’s upcoming sixth season, which starts in two short weeks.

We also found out today that two new fights have been scheduled for Bellator's season-six debut. Anthony Gomez (5-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) will face Travis Wiuff (65-14 MMA, 1-0 BFC) in a light-heavyweight contest and Sean McCorkle (15-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC) will take on Richard White (15-12 MMA, 0-0 BFC) in a super-heavyweight bout.

The UFC on FX 2 weigh-ins were inked in today. The fighters will hit the scales on March 2nd in Sydney, Australia. We also found out that the 11-fight card was finalized today and the prelims will air on Facebook.

And that just about wraps up the final day before UFC 144 take place I Tokyo, Japan. The day mostly revolved around the weigh-ins and the build up for tomorrows stacked card. For more MMA news and interviews, videos, and updates be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Happy Eve of UFC 144, fight fans! See you all tomorrow for post fight discussions!
Cheers!

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA

Just three days away from UFC 144 in Japan and the interviews and trash talk have just about reached their peaks. Let’s review some of the news worth mentioning from today.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com spoke with UFC president Dana White in his first interview since landing in Japan at 6 a.m. this morning. White discussed how amazing and beautiful the country is, the battle and work that was put in to get the show back to Japan, and how the growth of the UFC will be a gradual climb from this point forward in this weekend’s hosting country of Japan. White also touched on how MC Hammer helped get Nate Marquardt back into the ZUFFA scene and also revisited his current beef with boxing great Floyd Mayweather, stating that Mayweather is only destroying his sport while White is helping his grow.

Ariel Helwani also released a video via MMAFighting.com in which he spends 45 minutes (at least on camera) with UFC 144’s Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two talk fights, Jackson’s past in Japan, and everything else that Jackson decides to ramble on about. This is a must see for any true Rampage fan or any fan that wants to walk the streets of Tokyo with the always hilarious Rampage and Ariel.

More big news regarding May’s UFC 146 event hit the airwaves today. We found out late last night that three new fights have been added to the card, including the official UFC debut of TUF14 winner, Diego Brandao. The additions include Del Rosario vs. Gonzaga, Brandao vs. Elkins, and Kingsbury vs. Teixeira. These are all very solid additions to an already stacked fight card. Del Rosario and Teixeira will both be making their octagon debuts with very high expectations following them into the cage. Keep your eyes on these fights, folks.

Many videos were released today revolving around training and interviews with this weekend’s fighters. Of the videos we saw a segment of Frankie Edgar’s training with Muay Thai coach, Phil Nurse and another of his challenger, Benson Henderson, talking about his rise to the top, owning his own gym, and what’s still to come for him in the future. Look forward to saying bye-bye to Lin-sanity and saying hello to “Ben-sanity!” Those were his Benson’s words, not mine…but I do kind of like it.

Joe Lauzon released a very cool video blog of his travels and time in Japan. It’s well edited and gives fans an inside look at what it’s like for the fighters to make the trip, adjust, enjoy, and then fight in another country. The video can be viewed at BJPenn.com

The stare down photos and the video from yesterday’s UFC 144 press conference we’re released today as well. All the fighters seem very well prepared, healthy, and focused. Plus the atmosphere seems electric in Japan. This is truly building itself into an epic fight card for the UFC and MMA as a whole.

And in other news we heard that Demetrious Johnson broke word that he signed a clause in his recent UFC flyweight championship tournament contract that there will be a “sudden death” round if needed. This means that if the fight goes all three regulation rounds and the judges rule it a “draw” or can’t decide on winner then the fight will go one more “winner takes all” round. One for the money, baby! This is something we’ve never seen as UFC fans. What makes this a little odd is that an even number of rounds can win the fight for a contestant. This is the first time we’re hearing anything about this, so I’m sure this will be something that is thoroughly discussed by fans and media members in the coming days.

And then in other news the verbal war between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey continued, Vitor Belfort made the latest cover of GQ Brazil (congrats Vitor), and Jake Shields commented on his UFC 144 opponent, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and his previous “cheating” ways.

That just about sums up today in MMA. for more in depth MMA news and coverage be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until tomorrow, stay classy, fight fans.

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45

The Day in MMA

Lorenzo Fertitta today flexed his financial muscle while also contributing to a great cause. At a charity auction put together to raise money for brain research through the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, Fertitta bid $1.1 million for a pair of the GOAT’s (Muhammad Ali) gloves and won. The gloves he purchased where the same gloves Ali wore in his 1965 heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada in his victory over Floyd Patterson. During the auction Fertitta also put in a special stipulation that got boxing promoter Bob Arum to confess that he “loves the UFC.” Arum has, in the past, bashed the UFC while trying to promote his own sport of boxing. Looks like Fertitta, the MMA world, and the foundation for brain health all won today at the auction!

InsiderMMA released a quote from their interview with UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz last night. Cruz, who is coaching the upcoming season of TUF and will complete a trilogy with rival Urijah Faber at the season’s close, had this to say about his style and Faber’s ability to stop it: “At the end of the show, I get to fight Faber and you know, I’ll always fight him better than he’ll fight me. As much as he wants to talk about being the more dangerous fighter, this and that — the dude was on his heels the entire fight. He didn’t wanna come forward. He was countering the whole time, looking to counter, because he didn’t know when I was gonna come or go. So, there’s a style that he doesn’t understand, the way that I fight him, that he chooses to say negative things about it, because he can’t understand it. What you can’t understand, you choose to talk bad about. He’s not gonna beat me. He doesn’t know how. I’m gonna go in there and have my way with him, just like I did in the last fight. Keep the pace high, put him on his butt and beat him down.” We’ll see if Cruz is right or if Faber is able to crack the “Cruz Code” this time around.

Yesterday I brought out a quote from lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, so I felt it was necessary to release a quote from his upcoming opponent and number one contender, Benson Henderson. Here is what Henderson said last week in a pre-fight interview: “I definitely have long term goals and short term goals, but that has been my goal since I first got into fighting, period: Just to be the best fighter on the planet — no ifs, ands or buts about it. Not one of the best, not top three, top five, whatever — I want to be the best fighter in the world, period. That goal is still in my sights, I still wake up thinking about that. I don’t think me beating Frankie at all gets me anywhere near the conversation. I’d have to beat Frankie, then beat a couple other guys, defend the belt — what is Anderson up to? He’s up to like, twelve right now? Thirteen? After I beat Anderson’s record, whatever he stops at — fourteen times, fifteen times — after I beat that, then the conversation can begin.”First things first though…he has to get through the man that holds the belt right now. One of the pound-for-pound best, “The Answer” Frankie Edgar.

Joe Rogan responded today to the quotes released by Rampage Jackson yesterday. Rampage expressed his displeasure with Rogan calling him “one-dimensional.” Rogan responded today by stating that Rampage is one of his favorite fighters and is one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet. He said that he was not knocking Rampage or his style, but merely doing his job and giving analysis from an objective point of view.

Rising star Derek Brunson (9-0 MMA, 3-0 SF) was pulled from his upcoming fight with former champ Jacare Souza for his inability to pass his pre-fight medical exam. It was later reported that Brunson did not pass the eye exam required from the Ohio Athletic Commission. The two were supposed to fight on the upcoming Strikeforce card on March 3rd. Strikeforce is now in search of a replacement for Brunson. This is unfortunate because this fight was really going to give fans a glimpse at how bright Derek Brunson’s future is going to be. Brunson later responded to the situation and stated that he is going to seek Lasik surgery. Best of luck to Mr. Brunson.

KJ Noons was also having trouble getting cleared for his fight against Josh Thomson on the same card, but later we found out that he is good to go. The California State Athletic Commission lifted its medical suspension from Noons’ last fight and now Thomson vs. Noons on March 3rd is a go! And while we’re talking about this card I must mention that there has been a late welterweight addition to the card. Roger Bowling will take on Saling. Both are Ohio natives, so this will be a hometown, homegrown fight. This is definitely a nice addition to the card.

Jacob Volkman (14-2) and undefeated Paul Sass (12-0), two extremely talented lightweights, are now in talks to meet at UFC 146 in May. I’ll keep you updated on the status of those fight talks…

And Glover Teixeira (17-2 MMA), owner of a fifteen fight winning streak, has inked a deal with the world’s most talented MMA promotions, the big leagues, the UFC. He is expected to make his promotional debut in the early summer. Keep your eyes on this talented light heavyweight. He hasn’t lost in over six years, so we’ll so how he fares against the worlds best 205 pounders. Will he sink or swim? We’ll find out this summer.

And interesting news outside of Rousey and Tate in the world of women’s MMA broke today. We found out that ex-Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen will take on Romy Ruyssen in the headliner of April 28th’s all female “Invicta 1” card. It will be interesting to see how well the new promotion does. That’s a nice headliner to help pull in some fans. I’ll keep you updated as that card approaches.

And we gained breaking news late that Nate “The Great” Marquardt has resigned with Zuffa. He will now fight under the Strikeforce banner and the promotion wants to give him a debut fight with undefeated rinsing star, Tyron Woodley (10-0 MMA), for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight strap. This is awesome news to cap off the night. Hopefully this fight truly happens because it will definitely be a stylistically brilliant matchup. I’ll let you know more as the news pours on.

In other MMA news today we heard that UFC light heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, will serve as an honorary race official at the Daytona 500, Dana White went off on Floyd Mayweather by calling him racist and a dummy, and the verbal war continued between Rousey and Tate, and the UFC on Fuel 1 medical suspension were released today. Only four fighters received suspensions and here they are: Ronny Markes, Vagner Rocha, Phil De Fries and Dave Herman.

And that just about wraps up the day in MMA, folks. Thanks for staying caught up and don’t forget to stay posted here daily for all of the day’s top MMA news.

For more news and in depth MMA interviews and coverage be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jcashtain

Until next time, stay classy fight fans!

-Jake Chastain