UFC NEWS: Frank Mir vs. Brendan Schaub reportedly heading to March 2011 event

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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It appears Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir III will not be next after all. According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, Mir has verbally agreed to face Brendan Schaub in early 2011.

Per the report, the fight could take place on either the UFC on Versus 3 card on March 3 or the UFC 129 event on March 19, though it is neither event has yet been announced.

Mir is coming off a knockout victory over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 119 in September. The disappointing main event fight was a bounce back for Mir after a knockout loss to Shane Carwin in February at UFC 110.

Schaub, however, has been on a tear in the UFC since losing to Roy Nelson by knockout in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter's tenth season. After dominating TKO wins over Chase Gormley and Chris Tuchscherer, Schaub defeated Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121 in October with an impressive performance in a unanimous decision victory.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Well, so much for Lesnar and Mir coaching TUF 13. It seemed like a far-fetched possibility, but a possibility nonetheless. Still, this opens the door for a more interesting fight for Lesnar, and this is a fight I was intrigued by when Schaub called Mir out in October. This could be a very good fight, and it's a chance for Schaub to make a huge statement against a very well known Frank Mir. Of course, for Mir it's a chance to get another win under his belt over an intriguing prospect as well, so this could be a very good feature fight on either of these cards in March. It could take the headlining spot on Versus if they go that route, but it shouldn't headline 129 if that will be a pay-per-view.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_7825.shtml

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Dana White on MMA rule changes, judging and wanting Matt Hughes to retire

UFC president Dana White in an interview with USA Today, discusses how tough it is to get into the mixed martial arts business and also need for improving the quality of judging in MMA. He says that he is not for changing any MMA rules even though many fans would like to see certain rule [...]

Dana White on MMA rule changes, judging and wanting Matt Hughes to retire is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/dana-white-on-mma-rule-changes-judging-and-wanting-matt-hughes-to-retire-52643/

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Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera targeted for UFC on Versus 3

A bantamweight bout between WEC imports Takeya Mizugaki and Francisco Rivera will be part of March's UFC on Versus 3 event.

Over the weekend MMAjunkie.com confirmed the planned matchup, which MMAWeekly.com first reported.

UFC on Versus 3 takes place March 3 and airs live on Versus. As MMAjunkie.com first reported, the show could take place in Louisville, Ky.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/0-P7hitoRbk/takeya-mizugaki-vs-francisco-rivera-targeted-for-ufc-on-versus-3.mma

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WEC 53 scores 6,348 attendance in Arizona, seventh-highest mark in history

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Thursday's WEC 53 event at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., scored an attendance figure of 6,348.

A WEC official confirmed the mark with MMAjunkie.com after the show.

If the Arizona State Boxing Commission verifies the figure in the coming week, it'll rank as the seventh-best-attended event in the WEC's nearly 10-year and 53-event history.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/hMCXM1oHaZ8/wec-53-scores-6348-attendance-in-arizona-seventh-highest-mark-in-history.mma

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WEC 53 winner Eddie Wineland: "All I saw was Rampage in my eyes"

GLENDALE, Ariz. - While Anthony Pettis was the talk of the town following WEC 53, it was Eddie Wineland who nearly walked away with the evening's SportsCenter moment.

Fighting on the evening's preliminary card, Wineland earned the card's "Knockout of the Night" with a vicious first-round slam of WEC newcomer Ken Stone.

And while Urijah Faber is the odds-on favorite to draw champion Dominick Cruz in his first defense of the newly minted UFC bantamweight belt, Wineland is quietly clawing his way into the mix, as well.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/HUm2CPOuspc/wec-53-winner-eddie-wineland-all-i-saw-was-rampage-in-my-eyes.mma

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Junk food lover GSP explains the secret to his success

Georges St. Pierre let the cat out of the bag. Why is he so good? Cheeseburgers and nifty footwork.

GSP joined Andrew Krystal on Toronto's The Fan 590 to talk about his victory over Josh Koscheck. The UFC welterweight champ said analysts are concentrating too much on the work he did with his jab, saying his real secret is unique footwork.

He also talked about the only area where he splurges. St. Pierre said he loves taking his buddies out to nice restaurants. When he's solo, the champ eats like the rest of us. Right before this interview, he hit Burger King for a cheeseburger and fries.

Listen here for the entire 15-minute interview.

Tip via Sports Radio Interviews

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Junk-food-lover-GSP-explains-the-secret-to-his-s?urn=mma-297731

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BELLATOR NEWS: Daniel Gracie signed for season four light heavyweight tournament

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Bellator has signed the first light heavyweights for their season four tournament, as MMAWeekly.com reports that Daniel Gracie will join the organization in 2011.

Per the report, Gracie will meet Tim Carpenter in February of 2011 in the opening round of the first ever light heavyweight tournament in Bellator's young history.

Gracie's manager commented on the decision to sign with Bellator.

"Daniel is older, he wants to fight now every month, and this is a good opportunity for him to fight in the tournament," Abdel-Aziz said. "I'm very confident and I think Daniel will have the opportunity to win the tournament."

"Daniel took almost four years off and now he wants to fight every month, and Bellator offered us the opportunity for him to fight, and I think it's going to have a very, very good outcome."

Gracie put together a 4-2-1 record in Japan and in the IFL in the U.S. from 2002-2006 before exiting the sport to concentrate on coaching BJJ at his cousin Renzo Gracie's academy. He returned to action last month at the first ever MMA event in Israel and scored a first round submission win over Martin Wojcik.

Carpenter is 6-0 in his career, and picked up a win in Bellator during season three in October over Gracie's teammate Jamal Patterson.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Looks like Bellator is set to kickstart season four early in 2011, and Gracie is a good addition to the light heavyweight tournament. Despite a four year layoff, he looked good last month on the Israel Fighting Championships card. With a TV deal that will bring them actually live from week to week instead of being preempted in many markets, they'll have a chance to gain some momentum and a stronger viewership. Hopefully we'll get some more announcements in the coming weeks as season four gets closer.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator/article_7826.shtml

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