UFC 129 RESULTS: Lyoto Machida knocks Randy Couture into retirement with face kick KO in Toronto

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Randy Couture's time as a mixed martial arts fighter has come to a close, and it ended on the business end of one of the most vicious knockouts in UFC history.

Lyoto Machida pulled off a leaping front kick to Couture's face that sent him crashing to the canvas in the second round of their fight at UFC 129 on Saturday night. In front of a crowd of 55,000 at the Rogers Centre, Machida followed in his teammate Anderson Silva's footsteps in pulling off only the second front kick knockout in the UFC, and his came after leaving his feet.

One more follow up strike on the ground was enough to bring an end to the contest, and Couture, less a half tooth knocked out by the kick, reiterated to Joe Rogan in the cage that this is the end of his career as a fighter after 14 years and 30 fights.

Machida snaps a two fight losing streak with the knockout win, and will look to re-insert himself into the top of the division after his first win since October of 2009.

Penick's Analysis: This was one of the most brutal knockout blows ever delivered inside the Octagon. Machida picked a perfect time after picking his spots earlier in the fight, and Couture just never saw it coming. It was insane, creative, amazing and will be in the running for knockout of the year for the rest of 2011.

[Lyoto Machida art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9203.shtml

Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita

Koji Oishi Crowned, Manabu Inoue Retains at Pancrase

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A lightweight tournament got underway and two crowns were up for grabs at Pancrase Impressive Tour 4 at the Differ Ariake in Tokyo Wednesday night.

With Maximo Blanco vacating his King of Pancrase title, Koji Oishi made it three for three against Daisuke Hanazawa, claiming the lightweight crown in the process.

In a rematch of their 2009 classic, Manabu Inoue again showed the heart of a champion as he hounded the hard-hitting Seiya Kawahara for three rounds to retain his bantamweight title.

Full results are after the break.

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/03/koji-oishi-crowned-manabu-inoue-retains-at-pancrase/

Bob Sapp Rumina Sato Kerry Schall Nino Schembri

UFC 129 brings 55,724 fans, $12.1 million live gate; Garza, Machida, Aldo and Hominick earn $129,000 bonuses

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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The UFC upped the ante for their "Fight Night" bonuses with a record gate and attendance at UFC 129, handing out $129,000 bonuses to four fighters for their performance on the card.

After announcing a North American record paying attendance of 55,724 fans and a live gate of $12.1 million, the UFC revealed the night's bonus winners, and Pablo Garza, Lyoto Machida, Mark Hominick and Jose Aldo each have an extra $129,000 for their efforts on Saturday.

Garza took the event's "Submission of the Night" on the very first fight on the card, pulling off a flying triangle submission over Yves Jabouin in the first round. Though Jabouin gave him some fits early, battering him with a few hard leg kicks and combinations, Garza utilized his height and reach advantage, landing a few hard knees in the Thai clinch before trapping Jabouin's left arm and jumping into the triangle. Though it took him a bit longer to get the hold cinched in, ultimately Jabouin was forced to tap.

It looked like John Makdessi would be a run away winner for "Knockout of the Night" after he connected with a vicious spinning back fist to crush Kyle Watson in the third round of their fight on the preliminary card, but Lyoto Machida had other plans. Pulling off a flying crane kick to the face of Randy Couture - a kick that knocked Couture's tooth out and sent him violently to the canvas - Machida took the bonus from Makdessi with a serious "Knockout of the Year" contender.

The "Fight of the Night" went to what wound up to be a thrilling fight between Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick for the UFC Featherweight Championship. The first round of the fight went about as expected, with Aldo being the more precise striker, landing combinations and vicious leg kicks to win the round. However, the second round saw Aldo visibly slowed and allowed Hominick to get back into things, though he was still behind in the fight.

Aldo saw a burst of energy in the third and fourth rounds, laying on more punishment against Hominick and knocking him down with strikes twice. In the fourth, after knocking him to the ground, Aldo landed an elbow to Hominick's forehead that caused a massive hematoma. Somehow the doctors allowed Hominick to continue, and in the fifth round he made an effort to steal the fight. After taking a clearly exhausted Aldo to the ground, Hominick battered the tired champion for the remainder of the round, ending the fight in top position and drawing the cheers of the crowd.

The fifth round effort was too little, too late for Hominick, and Aldo retained the title, but the thrilling five round affair brought an extra $129,000 to both fighters.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9208.shtml

Tim Sylvia Frank Mir Andrei Arlovski Tim Sylvia

Marcos Galvao officially joins Bellator's season-five bantamweight tourney

Following his controversial non-title loss to champion Joe Warren this past month, Marcos Galvao has signed a longterm contract with Bellator Fighting Championships.

As part of the deal, Galvao officially has joined the organization's season-five bantamweight tournament, which kicks off this fall.

Officials today announced the deal.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/Z9TnGzJdGDU/marcos-galvao-officially-joins-bellators-season-five-bantamweight-tourney.mma

Ken Shamrock Sean Sherk Katsuyori Shibata Jake Shields

What made you want to try drugs/alcohol for the first time?

It was probably the dude in my av(Hendrix). Especially the song Purple Haze. I had to try acid. It probably made me want to smoke weed too. Dr. Dre probably made me want to smoke weed or at...

Source: http://ninjashoes.net/forum/showthread.php?74396-What-made-you-want-to-try-drugs-alcohol-for-the-first-time&goto=newpost

Zhang Chuanlong Zhang Tiequan Igor Zinoviev Mark Coleman

Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira headed to UFC 133 in Philadelphia in August

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Light heavyweights Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will meet this August, as the UFC announced on Friday that the two are slated to meet at UFC 133.

The event is expected to take place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Penn., on August 6, though the venue has not yet been officially announced.

Both fighters will be looking to rebound from losses suffered early in 2011 when they clash on this card. Franklin was defeated by Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 in February in his first fight since knocking out Chuck Liddell at UFC 115, while Nogueira lost his second straight decision when Phil Davis bested him in a close decision at Fight Night 24 in March.

Penick's Analysis: This is a very good fight for both fighters after their tough losses this year. Nogueira did a good job of stifling Davis' offense early in the fight, but Davis found a way to take him down a number of times in the second and third rounds to earn the decision. Franklin simply ran into a bigger and stronger fighter in Griffin in February. Both fighters were returning from lengthy injury layoffs, but Griffin's size and grappling ability were the difference in that one. Nogueira needs a win desperately after losing two very close fights, but Franklin will be a very tough opponent. At least for Nogueira he won't be facing another wrestler in a row, and it should leave to a different style of fight than he's been in through his last three fights.

[Rich Franklin art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9144.shtml

Johnnie Morton Ben Mortimer Curtis Mostat Gegard Mousasi

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson Reportedly Booked For July 30 Strikeforce Card (Update)

A long-rumored fight between PRIDE legends Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson has finally been booked, according to SB Nation’s Jonathon Snowden. The fight is expected to headline a major Strikeforce event on July 30 in Chicago. There were a rumblings that this event would mark Strikeforce’s debut on pay-per-view, however MMA Junkie is hearing the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmaconvert/~3/OJ8untJDq1I/

Zhang Tiequan Igor Zinoviev Mark Coleman Maurice Smith

Bellator ? Road to the Championship

The Bellator Fighting Championships takes a break from their Season 4 tournaments to present special titled “Road to the Championship”. The special will recap of this years action, as well as, preview of the next three weeks of championship fights. The next live event takes place with Bellator 43 from the First Council Casino in [...]

Bellator – Road to the Championship is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/bellator-news/bellator-road-to-the-championship-54418/

Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana