Tito Ortiz shocks Ryan Bader with first round submission at UFC 132

Fighting for his UFC career, former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz scores an incredible first round submission over Ryan Bader. Ortiz entered the bout not having won a fight since 2006 when he defeated Ken Shamrock. Bader, a powerful wrestler and striker, entered the bout as almost a mirror image of a younger Ortiz. Few [...]

Tito Ortiz shocks Ryan Bader with first round submission at UFC 132 is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/tito-ortiz-shocks-ryan-bader-with-first-round-submission-at-ufc-132-54937/

Kevin Randleman Vitor Ribeiro Aaron Riley Joe Riggs

Dos Anjos pulls off upset in style at UFC 132, Sotiropoulos knocked silly in the first

LAS VEGAS - If George Sotiropoulos has an achilles heel it's  holding his chin too high. It also didn't help tonight that he kept leaving his hands out after throwing a punch.

The Aussie got mixed up in some wild swinging with Rafael dos Anjos and the next thing he knew, referee Yves Lavigne was desperately trying to pull dos Anjos from on top him. Dos Anjos scored a vicious knockout at the 0:59 mark of the first round in the first Spike fight at UFC 132.

Sotiropoulos, No. 15 lightweight in the world according to the USA Today/Bloody Elbow rankings, was a minus-270 favorite. This was a huge win for dos Anjos (15-5, 4-2 UFC), who was coming off a 10-month layoff after suffering a jaw injury in his last fight, a loss against Clay Guida.

"I wanted to stay standing, but if it went to the ground, I was confident in my jiu-jitsu. I wanted to show the fans my striking tonight and I'm happy I got this knockout," said dos Anjos. "I went through a rough patch after my last fight, but I came back and truly believe I'm better than ever. A few years down the road, I can see myself winning the world title. This is a big win for me."

This has been a rotten year for Sotiropoulos. Following a win last November at UFC 123 that put him in position to ask for a title shot against either Frank Edgar or Gray Maynard, Sotiropoulos (14-4, 7-2 UFC) begged for a quick turnaround and a fight in February in his native Australia at UFC 127. That plan backfired as he suffered his first loss in the UFC against Denis Siver.

Tonight, was even more damaging. The lightweight division is so deep, two straight losses puts you miles away from a title shot.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Dos-Anjos-pulls-off-upset-in-style-at-UFC-132-S?urn=mma-wp4275

Zach Light Scott Lighty Jae Suk Lim Daniel Lima

Bellator Middleweight Champ Hector Lombard wants to fight "cheater" Nate Marquardt now that Marquardt is cleared to fight

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Hector_Lombard_180_1.jpg

*Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard wants to fight Nate Marquardt, and he's going to keep pushing for it until he gets it.

Earlier this week in an interview with Sherdog.com, Lombard went on the offensive, following the lead of fellow Bellator Champion Ben Askren.

"I want to show everybody what I'm capable of doing. I just want to fight that guy bad," Lombard said. "Ben Askren said it all. I think [Marquardt] is a cheater, but [against] me, he can take all the drugs he wants. I'm going to whoop his ass anyway."

Lombard claimed that Marquardt had turned down an immediate title shot against him, a claim that was shot down and not believable anyway with Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney's stern stance that title shots are only earned by winning tournaments in the organization. Still, with Marquardt's suspension being lifted today by the PSAC, Lombard again called Marquardt out for a fight in the organization.

In a video message posted to YouTube, Lombard stated "I'm very happy that your suspension has been lifted, so now it's no excuses anymore again, and let's make this fight happen, brother."

If Marquardt signs with Bellator and stays in the middleweight division, this fight can certainly be made, but Lombard's title would not be on the line.

Penick's Analysis: This would be the biggest and most legitimate fight Lombard has taken in years, and it's not even close, so it's no wonder he's calling for it. Marquardt has been a perennial top five fighter, and Lombard is battling for the respect as one of the top fighters in the world. Despite his lengthy winning streak and a lot of success overall in his career, his level of competition isn't up to speed with the rest of the division, and that has not allowed him to break into the top 10 on the rankings of many. If Marquardt signs with Bellator, it will be a very legitimate "super fight" for Bellator as an organization, but the title wouldn't be up for grabs.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator/article_9894.shtml

Randy Couture Josh Barnett Ricco Rodriguez Tim Sylvia

Injured Phil Davis Still Wanted to Go Through With Rashad Evans Fight

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The UFC found out about Phil Davis' knee injury last week, and soon broke the glass on its emergency backup plans. Even before they knew the extent of Davis' knee problems, they reached out to two fighters about possibly replacing him. One of them -- Lyoto Machida -- said yes, then changed his mind. The other -- Tito Ortiz -- said no, then agreed to step in.

But according to UFC president Dana White, all of it wouldn't have been necessary if it was up to Davis, who wanted to remain in the UFC 133 main event against Rashad Evans regardless of his knee issues.

"Let me tell you this: Phil Davis 100 percent still wanted this fight," he said. "And I'm like, there's no way, kid."

White said the injury, the extent of which was later revealed in an MRI, would not allow Davis to kickbox for nearly three weeks. While he was able to do some training, White pulled him from the match for a pair of reasons.

"What if he starts full training again and fully blows it out and gets hurt?," he said. "Now, he's going to be out for God knows how long, and we just lost the main event a week before the fight."

The other factor was Davis' youth in the game. The 26-year-old is a perfect 9-0, and White saw no reason to put him in an important, high-pressure match when he was nowhere close to being full strength.

"Why would I want to do that to a young, up-and-coming kid?" he said.

White could not recall the exact injury diagnosis, but said it was either a sprain or strain that wouldn't sideline Davis long. And when Davis returns, it will be in a similar situation as the one he just left. According to White, Davis can expect his next bout to be against a top 10 light-heavyweight.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/14/injured-phil-davis-still-wanted-to-go-through-with-rashad-evans/

Matt Hume Mark Hunt Brad Imes Enson Inoue

Shark Fights 17: Rosholt vs. Horwich and Ricco's Return

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The only live mixed martial arts on TV this week takes place on HDNet Friday at 10 PM ET, with Shark Fights 17 providing us with a few hours of entertainment in what is otherwise just about the slowest time of the year for MMA fans.

Shark Fights is a Texas-based promotion that has a reputation for putting together good cards, drawing impressive crowds by regional standards and generally giving the fans their money's worth. Friday night's card takes place at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas, with Jake Rosholt vs. Matt Horwich in the main event and Ricco Rodriguez vs. Doug Williams in the co-main event.

We'll take a look at three reasons why you should watch below.

1. Ricco Rodriguez is returning to relevance. Rodriguez is a former UFC heavyweight champion who struggled with drug problems and wandered in the MMA wilderness for years, but he's currently riding an 11-fight winning streak, and at age 33 he likely has a few more good years left in him.

Granted, Rodriguez has achieved that 11-fight winning streak while taking on lesser opposition in smaller promotions, and "lesser opposition in smaller promotions" doesn't even begin to describe his Shark Fights bout with Doug Williams. Rodriguez was originally supposed to face Karl Knothe, but when Knothe weighed in at 257 pounds, Rodriguez refused to fight him, saying he had agreed to the bout only at a 230-pound catchweight, even though the fight had been advertised as a heavyweight fight.

So now Rodriguez is instead fighting Williams, a guy who has lost nine of his last 10 bouts -- including previously getting choked out by Rodriguez in 62 seconds. This is a complete squash match, and it's disappointing that Shark Fights couldn't give the fans something better.

Still, the mere fact that Rodriguez is keeping himself together enough that he's fighting regularly and winning when he fights is a sign that he's becoming a relevant fighter in the heavyweight division again. Next month he's supposed to take on Seth Petruzelli in a Bellator bout that will be a much better indicator of whether he's ready to return to the big time.

2. Jake Rosholt is proving he's better than his UFC stint would have you believe. Rosholt was a three-time NCAA wrestling champion at Oklahoma State, and when he arrived in the UFC in 2009, he was one of the most heralded prospects in MMA. Unfortunately, Rosholt went just 1-2 in three UFC fights, with both losses by first-round submission, and the UFC handed him his walking papers.

But Rosholt may be better than he looked inside the Octagon. For starters, his one win was against Chris Leben, and that's a win that looks more impressive in hindsight, as Leben has gone 4-1 since. And Rosholt has dominated everyone he's faced in seven fights since leaving the UFC -- everyone, that is, except Horwich, who beat Rosholt by third-round TKO on an Xtreme Fight Night card in November. The Rosholt-Horwich rematch should make for a very good main event.

3. You never know what you're going to get with Matt Horwich. Horwich, who was also cut by the UFC in 2009, is one of the most interesting characters in the sport, as a recent Inside MMA profile revealed. He's been all over the map in the last couple of years: He's maddeningly inconsistent, and his record since leaving the UFC is just 3-5, but he's been extremely impressive when he's on, including beating Rosholt as well as becoming the only person ever to submit Thales Leites.

The Horwich-Rosholt rematch is just the kind of fight that a smaller promotion should put together. If nothing else, it's some decent MMA in the midst of a five-week stretch without the UFC.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/15/shark-fights-17-rosholt-vs-horwich-and-riccos-return-to-relev/

Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita

Marquardt not heading to Bellator as he fights off criticism from B.J. Penn

Apparently the "Nate Marquardt's a nice guy" stuff is long gone. The former UFC middleweight contender, who had run ins with both Pennsylvania and New Jersey over his testosterone replacement therapy use, is getting battered from all sides. Bellator's Hector Lombard called him a cheater earlier this week and now B.J. Penn has jumped on board the "Slam Nate Express."

@BJPenndontcom and @NathanMarquardt engaged in a little Twitter throw down yesterday.

MMA fans on Twitter are choosing sides. A newly combative Marquardt is getting blasted by some followers and spoke with MMAjunkie to defend himself.

"Some of the fighters that think they're so cool and tough by kicking a guy when he's down ? as far as my career, this has been one of the worst times of my life, and these guys are calling me a cheater and talking crap ? I've taken note as to who those guys are, and I'm going to come for them. Eventually, I'll get them. I don't care if it's in a superfight or if they want to come down to my gym. I'll beat them up for free," Marquardt said.

"I think you know who these guys are ? Ben Askren, B.J. Penn, Paul Daley, Hector Lombard, cowards talking crap about a guy when he's in such a situation. They're trying to take advantage of the situation. They're bullies. Those are the guys I want to beat up."

Not everyone is slamming Marquardt. Others on Twitter have started a #bringnateback hash tag. They're including UFC president Dana White on many of those tweets.

Marquardt and his management team must be banking on White eventually softening his stance. Bellator made an offer to Marquardt, but the two sides couldn't come to terms. It sounds like Marquardt wanted an immediate title shot against Lombard, but Bellator wouldn't back off it's standard tournament format. All new fighters are usually put into a tournament and have to earn a title shot against the reigning champ.

"The reality is that it's not often that a top-10 guy is available... especially when he's coming off a win. Nate's situation was pretty unique. It's an anomaly for a guy like that to become available, so we had discussions. But it just became pretty clear it wasn't the right fit," Rebney told MMAjunkie.

Who's making the mistake in that case? Wouldn't it benefit Bellator to steal away a high profile fighter? Or is it Marquardt, for not taking the only major opportunity that may come his way?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Marquardt-not-heading-to-Bellator-as-he-fights-o?urn=mma-wp4698

B J Penn Frankie Edgar Ken Shamrock Dan Severn