Gina Carano Agrees to Face Sarah D'Alelio in June Return

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Gina Carano's opponent for her long-awaited return fight will be Sarah D'Alelio, a Washington-based, 4-1 fighter who goes by the nickname "The Monster."

Sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed that both fighters have agreed to the bout, which will take place on June 18 in Dallas. Over the last week, D'Alelio's name had been rumored as a possibility, but sources tell MMA Fighting that it's now essentially a done deal, and that the matchup may be officially announced as early as next week.

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/06/sources-gina-carano-agrees-to-face-sarah-dalelio-in-june-retur/

Ryo Piranha Chonan  Dan The Sandman Christison  Logan The Pink Pounder Clark  Steve The Snake Claveau 

Paulo Thiago, Rousimar Palhares latest Brazilians looking towards UFC Rio

The UFC?s forthcoming foray into Rio de Janeiro took another step towards finalization today when news surfaced of two more Brazilians filling individual slots on the August 27 line-up. While neither man has been officially announced for the event, it appears Rousimar Palhares and Paulo Thiago will likely be slated for action at UFC Rio [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/05/03/paulo-thiago-rousimar-palhares-latest-brazilians-looking-towards-ufc-rio/

Randy Couture Chuck Liddell Quinton Jackson Forrest Griffin

UFC NEWS: Diego Sanchez to face Matt Hughes in the fall

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By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist:

Royce Gracie has been wanting a second shot at Matt Hughes ever since Hughes eviscerated him in 2006 at UFC 60. And by Gracie's way of thinking, what better way to end his career than to face Hughes in Gracie's own home country of Brazil at UFC 134.

Well, according to an article released today on ufc.com, that isn't going to happen. Per the report on ufc.com, Matt Hughes will be facing Diego Sanchez at a yet to be announced event sometime this fall.

Since returning to the UFC's welterweight division after a failed lightweight championship shot in 2009, Sanchez has gone 2-1 in his second run as a UFC welterweight. Sanchez is coming off of consecutive Fight of the Night victories over Paulo thiago and Martin Kampmann.

Matt Hughes' future has been the subject of much speculation since being knocked out a mere 21 seconds into his most recent fight, a loss to BJ Penn at UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Link to Original Source Article

Hansen's Analysis:

It's apparent that Dana White was serious when he said that he firmly believed that Sanchez defeated Kampmann last March. I don't see how Hughes can win this fight, and it appears to be a fight designed to help Sanchez move up the welterweight rankings.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9184.shtml

Johnnie Morton Ben Mortimer Curtis Mostat Gegard Mousasi

UFC 129 media cat fight: Toronto Star writer not happy with dot-com MMA media

If media folks could simply duke it out, wouldn't this be a better world? Instead we use our pens, keyboards and mouths to rip and critique each other. Why not, right? We do it to the athletes, so why not crush each other?

The Toronto Star threw a few haymakers at anonymous MMA media members by calling out the behavior of some of those covering yesterday's UFC 129 press conference:

As for the media, well, the UFC certainly attracts an interesting group of "journalists". Sure, the so-called "mainstream" media was out in force, but so too were a ton of those Dot.com media outlets. You know the ones ... they interview Georges St. Pierre and then ask for his autograph.

Steve Buffery wasn't a huge fan of the delivery from some in attendance.

The mixed martial arts media do not hide the fact that they're huge fans of the sport they cover. One guy actually took the microphone and proceeded to tell Dana White how great his organization is and how intelligent the fighters all are. I can't remember if he actually asked a question.

One media lady stood by the podium taking pictures of pictures. Of course, my good buddy, Toronto Sun photographer Jack (The Scamp) Boland, then took pictures of her taking pictures.

Buffery has a point. Some of us in the MMA media are a bit too fanboy-ish at times.

That said, we could also bore you death with horror stories about members of his "mainstream" media.

I'll never forget the media center at Super Bowl 32 in San Diego. The pizza machine went on the fritz and several media members waiting in line for their FREE food, had a conniption. The pizza girl actually fled the scene crying. Nice job fellas. That was the beginning of the end for the freeloading media expecting lavish spreads at sporting event. Now many venues charge the media for pregame meals.

Don't let the mainstream media dudes fool you. There are just as many unprofessional, butt-kissing hacks running around TV, newspapers and radio stations as they are in the MMA media. Just look for the self-aggrandizing media folks on Twitter who like to update you on their latest healthy meal or even better, their  travel woes. That's a good start.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-129-media-cat-fight-Toronto-Star-writer-not?urn=mma-wp1618

Antônio Rogério Nogueira Karl James Noons Jan Nortje Phillipe Noer

Ramsey Nijem Calls Lew Polley an 'Arrogant Jerk,' Criticizes GSP

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The first five episodes of Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter featured fights that were generally not very compelling. Episode 6 changed things. With two exciting fights that both ended in the first round, Episode 6 provided the best fights of the season so far.

In this week's interview with Ultimate Fighter cast member Ramsey Nijem, we got his thoughts on being in the gym to see the two fights live. We also got Nijem's opinion of his coach, Junior dos Santos, kicking Lew Polley off the team, and on the UFC 129 main event, which saw Nijem's training partner Jake Shields lose to Georges St. Pierre.

The full interview is below.

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/05/ramsey-nijem-calls-lew-polley-an-arrogant-jerk-criticizes-gsp/

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Joe Son Chael Sonnen Krzysztof Soszynski

Dana White: Pay-per-view time change for UFC 129 "the most dangerous thing we've ever done"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Tonight's UFC 129 event doesn't just mark the UFC first event in a stadium, it's also the first time they have moved up the start time of a pay-per-view event.

Now running from 9PM to midnight ET, instead of 10PM to 1AM ET, the organization is taking a bit of a gamble when fans are used to things happening at the same time all the time, and UFC President Dana White this week said the time change is the most dangerous thing the company has done.

"The whole time-move thing scares the [expletive] out of me," White said this week (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com). "It's the right thing to do, and it's what the fans want, but for 10 years we've been at the same time. You become accustomed to it."

UFC 129 is the first event that will take place in the new timeslot, but it will remain a permanent change for UFC pay-per-view events moving forward. The UFC decided earlier this year to make the change after consulting with fans and realizing that east coast fans weren't all happy with events not finishing until 1AM.

With main events not starting until after midnight on the east coast, it made long nights of fights tiresome for fans in that part of the country, and they represented a large portion of the UFC's viewership. The time change will ultimately be a positive, but the UFC is aware they could take an early hit with fans and locations who are used to the routine, and are now bumped up an hour.

"It's the most dangerous thing we've ever done. It's scary as hell for me."

Penick's Analysis: The time change is a smart move, and though there may be some early dangers in fans either not realizing the change or something along those lines, ultimately it will simply become the new routine after a few events. To have events ending by midnight on the east coast, they'll allow fans to continue their late nights on Saturday's out of the house if they desire, or to not be heading up on last call if they're out watching fights at a bar. It will be a positive overall, but I can see how it would be a nerve-wracking situation for the organization, especially for the first event, to see what the reaction will be.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9198.shtml

Luke Cummo  Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai  Mac Danzig 

State of WEC, PRIDE Titles Following Zuffa Acquisitions

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Lineal champions have always interested me for one reason or another, and with talk intensifying of Strikeforce champions facing UFC champions in the near future, I thought it would be interesting to see where the WEC and PRIDE titles have ended up, considering those are the two biggest organizations Zuffa purchased over the years. No disrespect to the EliteXC or the IFLs of the world, but that would just get too confusing.

So check out the state of the WEC and PRIDE titles below. Dare I say more titles than you think have been unified.

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/05/state-of-wec-pride-titles-following-zuffa-acquisitions/

Tim Sylvia Frank Mir Andrei Arlovski Tim Sylvia

Randy Couture expects to be added to roster of next "UFC Undisputed" video game

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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The THQ-produced UFC Undisputed video game franchise has had one glaring absence on the game's fighter roster since it's debut back in 2009: UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.

But that may be changing by the time the next iteration hits store shelves, as Couture says it's a likelihood that he'll be in the next version of the game.

Couture attempted to leave the company back in 2007 in an attempt to get a fight with Fedor Emelianenko after the organization failed to sign "The Last Emperor," and while he was embroiled in a legal battle with the UFC over his contract, he signed on with the EA Sports MMA game. That signing meant he wasn't able to be used in either of the UFC's initial "Undisputed" offerings, released in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and Couture instead appeared with Emelianenko on the cover of EA Sports MMA last year, as well as being featured heavily in the game as both a fighter and one of the in-game trainers in career mode.

Now, in comments made to ESPN.com, Couture has revealed that his contract for that game is up, and he's in talks with the UFC to be a part of the "Undisputed" franchise going forward.

"We've talked about me being in the video game this time around," Couture said. "Obviously, all that stuff with EA Sports happened in a transition period, before I came back [to the UFC.]

"That deal is over now and the [THQ] game is getting ready to come out with a new version. Obviously, they'd still like to include me, me being a guy in their Hall of Fame. It's certainly something we're looking at trying to work out and I think it will probably happen."

Couture faces Lyoto Machida this weekend at UFC 129 in what he says will be his last fight regardless of the outcome. Couture says that his often contentious relationship with Zuffa brass has been smoothed over, and he's ending his time in the organization on good terms.

"I think both Zuffa and myself have come to a much stronger relationship," Couture said. "We have a better understanding of each other and they've left me alone to do my thing while I still comply with rules and regulations they set forth for other fighters."

THQ is reportedly planning an early 2012 release for the next edition of UFC Undisputed, though no firm release date has been set.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: I'm curious to see what happens next with EA Sports' game and the Undisputed franchise. The gameplay mechanics in the EA game were very good, but it didn't have the roster to sell really well and hook casual fans. On the flip side, there were a lot of fans that found the Undisputed games repetitive and lost interest despite the roster. With Zuffa purchasing Strikeforce, I don't know if EA will attempt to make a second game or not, and the UFC is locked in with THQ for a lengthy extension to their agreement. It would be interesting to see if there would be any possibility of EA and THQ working together for a mega-MMA game, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that. Still, getting Couture into the UFC game would be a good move, as he should be a part of that roster as one of the organization's Hall of Fame members.

[Randy Couture art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9173.shtml

Paweł Nastula Kazuhiro Nakamura Yoshihiro Nakao Roy Nelson