Shogun Rua vs. Bones Jones UFC 128 Hype Video

Shogun Rua vs. Bones Jones UFC 128 Hype Video From NickTheFace. var s1 = new SWFObject("http://www.mmatko.com/player-viral.swf","JW","480","420","9"); s1.addParam("allowscriptaccess", "always"); s1.addParam("allowfullscreen","true"); s1.addParam("wmode","transparent"); s1.addParam("flashvars","file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssI3Gd24U6U"); s1.addVariable("enablejs", "true"); s1.write("mediaspace");

Source: http://www.mmatko.com/shogun-rua-vs-bone-jones-ufc-128-hype-video/

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin 

UFC NEWS: Scott Jorgensen vs. Ken Stone heading to TUF 13 Finale in June

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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The final challenger to the WEC Bantamweight Championship will make his UFC debut this June, as Heavy.com reports that Scott Jorgensen will meet Ken Stone at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in June.

Jorgensen worked his way to a shot at WEC Bantamweight Champ Dominick Cruz with a five fight win streak in the WEC, a streak included two "Fight of the Night" performances. But Jorgensen ran into a buzz-saw in the Champion, losing a one-sided decision on the final WEC event in December.

Stone made his WEC debut on that same card, but suffered a brutal knockout loss at the hands of former division Champion Eddie Wineland. Wineland picked Stone up against the cage and slammed him to the mat early in the first round, knocking him out cold in a very scary scene. But Stone recovered, and at 9-2 will make his UFC debut on this card as well.

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale takes place on June 4 in Las Vegas, headlined by a lightweight bout between Clay Guida and Anthony Pettis.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: This is a solid bantamweight fight for a free card. Jorgensen has always been an exciting fighter, and he's been in a lot of entertaining fights in the WEC. Stone is coming off a vicious loss, and this is a big fight for him. Both guys have a big opportunity in the UFC, and this will be an entertaining fight for this free card.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8471.shtml

Mostapha Al Turk Ryuki Ueyama Caol Uno Alexander Ustinov

BACIOR: How much is too much? Fedor and Arlovski add to the retirement debate following brutal losses

By: Mike Bacior, MMATorch Contributor

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Last night's Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva event brought to the surface a lot of debate about when fighters should retire, after Andrei Arlovski and Fedor Emelianenko both suffered brutal losses on the night's main card. This is not the only time this has been in the news in MMA lately, as Chuck Liddell has recently retired following a string of KO losses and Randy Couture has been pondering retirement himself, while Kazushi Sakuraba continues to take beatings in Japan.

The key question is: how much is too much? Knockouts and heavy damage are a part of MMA, obviously, and the sport would not be the same without them. However, many people fail to realize that if you get knocked out, you do not simply wake up, rest for a few weeks, and totally recover. The brain is a complex organ, and concussions, which almost certainly occur if a fighter loses by KO or TKO, especially multiple concussions within a short period of time, often cause long term problems that can affect a person for the rest of their life. These can include dementia, slurred speech, and a variety of mental illnesses.

With three his four consecutive losses coming by way of KO or TKO, is it time for Andrei Arlovski to hang up the gloves? I say yes. There is truth behind the statement "every knockout weakens the chin" and we have seen this with "the Pitbull." He just does not seem to be able to take the kind of punishment a fighter needs to be able to take to thrive. We also saw this with Chuck Liddell, the invincible striker who at one time could walk through any of his opponents' strikes, but following several KO losses just did not seem to be able to take it anymore. I feel the same is occuring with Arlovski, and he should call it a career and move on to a new chapter in his life.

Fedor is a much different case, as he has never suffered a knockout loss in his entire career. However, as amazing as Fedor's career has been, he has never been a fighter who avoided damage. He has taken many punches throughout his career, and those punches take their toll. This same thing is often seen with boxers. Many have never been KOd, but the same problems associated with many vicious losses show up later in life. This is most likely due to many minor concussions sustained in their many wars inside the ring. I think that Fedor has sustained a lot of damage, but I am not sure if he really should call it quits. I still believe it is up to him, whereas I feel Arlovski almost needs to call it a career.

While these are the two examples everyone will be talking about right now, there are many other fighters who should probably also be thinking about retirement. Jens Pulver, though he broke his long losing streak recently, has lost many fights over the last few years, and has taken a lot of punishment in doing so. Reports have suggested that he is only still fighting for the money, and if this is the case, it is sad, but also very understandable. Tim Sylvia has been on the rough end of a few KOs in the last two years, but I feel that his main problem lies in his desire, as there is no way he should be showing up over 300 pounds for his fights. I believe he either needs to rediscover this desire or move on.

The most tragic case, in my opinion, where a fighter just keeps on fighting long after he should have stopped, is Kazushi Sakuraba. Do not get me wrong here, I, like most MMA fans, love watching him fight. He is certainly one of the all-time greats, maybe Japan's greatest fighter ever. However, I fear for his safety every time he fights these days. His record has taken a dramatic dip over the past five years, and either win or lose, he seems to take a lot of punishment. It also seems to be back and forth on whether or not he will retire. However, he may face severe medical difficulties down the road if he does not call it quits soon. I hope, for his well-being, that we have seen the last of Sakuraba, the fighter.

So with all of these reasons for fighters to stop fighting, what prevents them from actually ending their career? There are many reasons, whether it is need of money, looking to prove something, desire for glory, or anything else. However, as hard as it may be to call it a career, sometimes, too much is TOO much.

[Andrei Arlovski art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Staff_Editorials_19/article_8455.shtml

Gary Myers Chris The Pitbull Myra Jason MacDonald Cory MacDonald

Strikeforce heavyweight GP: Del Rosario remains unbeaten with armbar

Shane del Rosario continues to impress. In six of seven previous fights, his crisp standup was on display, but tonight it was his jiu-jitsu that earned him a win as the first alternate in the heavyweight Grand Prix.

Del Rosario and Lavar Johnson slugged it out standing and also worked the clinch game along the cage for control of the fight.

When the Filipino-American decided to take it the ground, Johnson was in big trouble. With just over two minutes left in the first, Del Rosario (11-0) scored a takedown. Almost immediately, he transitioned from side control to the mount. Johnson was underneath del Rosario and had 2:01 to go to reach the end of the round.

Johnson (15-4) did a solid job of avoiding major damage, but did little to extricate himself from the awful position. He allowed del Rosario to slide up his body. With 40 seconds left, del Rosario got on one knee and went for the armbar. Johnson tried to roll, stand and pull out of the hold. The attempt made things worse. Del Rosario fell to his back and yanked on the arm for the finish.

Del Rosario, 27, is a solid prospect and could make it into the main field if there's an injury that knocks one of the eight fighters from the tournament. It may be a little early for del Rosario to step up to that class, but he'd definitely pose some problems for those experienced fighters.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Strikeforce-heavyweight-GP-Del-Rosario-remains-?urn=mma-320600

Antoni Hardonk Dan Hardy Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall

Team Fedor Needs to Move on Instead of Making Excuses for Loss

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Fedor Emelianenko lost on Saturday night, and while a doctor's stoppage is not the most conclusive way to win or lose a bout, there's no denying that Emelianenko got decisively beaten up in the second and final round. Antonio Silva took him down and smashed him up for nearly the full five minutes. Even if Fedor himself says he could have continued, fighters agree to compete under the care of the referees and doctors in regards to their long-term health and protection, and the ringside physician feared for Emelianenko's vision after seeing his right eye completely closed.

It's only a few days later, but coaches on his team have been quoted many times in the Russian sports media talking about the loss. It's their right to explain what went wrong, but what about when they start floating conspiracy theories?

The most ridiculous one floated? One by his trainer Vladimir Voronov, who claimed in an interview with Lifesports.ru that illegal methods of psychological warfare were used. His claim? Hypnosis.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/02/16/team-fedor-needs-to-move-on-instead-of-making-excuses-for-loss/

Yoshiaki Yatsu Hirotaka Yokoi Hidehiko Yoshida Yoshiyuki Yoshida

"The Ultimate Fighter" goes international with the Philippines, possibly this year

The first international edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" likely will feature fighters from the Philippines, and the show could begin this year.

That's according to UFC president Dana White, who today laid out the plans during a media conference call.

"TUF," which launched in 2005 on Spike TV, kicks off its 13th season next month, but each installment has been based in the U.S. Officials, though, are putting together an aggressive expansion plan to spread the reality series across the globe.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/T2PxRdw2dPc/the-ultimate-fighter-goes-international-with-the-philippines-possibly-this-year.mma

Ray Cooper  Kit Cope  Wesley Cabbage Correira  Patrick The Predator Côté 

The future (and kittens) on former WEC champ Mike Brown's mind

When Mike Brown lost to Rani Yahya at Fight for the Troops 2, I quickly wondered what it meant for the future of the man who stopped Urijah Faber's reign atop the WEC's featherweight division. Brown lost twice in January, first to Diego Nunes a UFC 125 and then to Yahya. With the UFC-WEC merger putting extra pressure on fighters to perform, would Brown find himself on the end of an unpleasant call from the UFC?

Brown kept his job, and is now recovering from an injury he suffered in the Yahya bout. With time to think, he's thought about losing and his future in the sport.

"I thought I might be gone now. I'm just grateful that Sean Shelby, Joe Silva, and Dana White, you know, I think they like me. They kept me around and I wasn't sure I still had a job. They said, 'You're okay; get your body sorted out and we know what you're capable of.' I was just so grateful for that. I know that if I lose another one...well, I'm not necessarily that worried about just getting cut, but maybe it's time for me to go away. I'm not in it to be average."

Because Brown's championship came late in his career, it can be easy to forget that he's not young. He will turn 36 this year, and he's fought in 34 bouts. Two fights in a month are trying for fighters in their mid-20s. Consider how much harder it is for a man who not only is in his mid-30s but who has been fighting since 2001. 

For now, Brown will heal and try to get back his winning edge. He'll also spend time with his two new kittens, Thunder and Mickey.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/The-future-and-kittens-on-former-WEC-champ-Mik?urn=mma-319043

Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago  Tomasz Drwal