Injured champ Dominick Cruz says rival Urijah Faber will only fight for ?No. 1 contender?s belt?

A downcast Dominick Cruz said Wednesday that he'll be back better than ever from the anterior cruciate ligament tear he suffered last week that forced cancellation of his bantamweight title defense on July 7 against rival Urijah Faber, that was to be the co-main event of UFC 148 in Las Vegas.

Cruz, the UFC bantamweight champion, was sparring when he injured the knee. The ACL tear was diagnosed on Sunday in Las Vegas following an MRI. Cruz said the swelling needs to decrease before he can proceed with the surgery.

"It was a normal day in practice," Cruz told Cagewriter. "I went for a weird trip and it folded my knee. There was a really loud pop and I was kind of in denial the rest of the night. The next day, I went in and got an MRI. I got the results on Sunday and by Monday, the news was out."

On Tuesday on Fuel TV, UFC president Dana White said that Faber would fight an opponent to be named at UFC 148 for the interim belt. Cruz will fight the winner when he's healed. Cruz said recovery time is six to nine months, which will likely mean it will be at least 14 months between fights for him. He last fought in October when he defeated Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision.

White didn't release names, but Faber did later on the show.

Dominick's been out since his last fight and has had several injuries. I think I'll be fighting Renan Barao, Ivan Menjivar or maybe Michael McDonald.

He'll carry a belt around, should he wins, and that will undoubtedly gall Cruz. There is no love lost between the two and they were paired as coaches on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter as a way to take advantage of the heat between them.

If Faber wins at UFC 148, he'll be the interim champion, but Cruz said that won't mean much.

"First of all, it's not like Faber is a lock to beat whoever they put him again," Cruz said. "If he gets it -- and that's a big if -- he won't be carrying around the championship belt. I am the champion and I have the belt. He'll have a No. 1 contender's belt.

"If he has that, big deal. You have to beat the champ to be the champion and he won't have beaten the champion. It's no guarantee he'll win no matter who he fights, but regardless of what happens, I hope he's happy running around with a No. 1 contender's belt, if he gets it."

Cruz said the only time he thinks of the injury is when he does interviews, which forces him to relieve the bad moment. But he said while it will hurt financially, he'll make it OK.

"I live humbly for this reason exactly," Cruz said. "Every fighter lives and dies by his own body. If you're a Trophy Truck driver and the truck breaks down, there is no season. As fighters, our bodies are our Trophy Trucks. This is a minor setback, but I live humbly knowing a situation like this could occur."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/injured-champ-dominick-cruz-says-rival-urijah-faber-031718593.html

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

Dana White talks after UFC 137 "I Will Never Trust Nick Diaz Again" - Dana White

Nick Diaz was a no-show at the UFC 137 press conference in Las Vegas - just like he was a no-show at the press conference in Toronto the day before. Dana White decided enough is enough and axed him from the card, giving Carlos Condit the title shot in his place. In this interview with MMA:30's Dave Farra; Dana White talks about the trust lost, why he thinks he'll never heard from Diaz again, and touches on Overreem vs. Lesnar and the UFC's return to Japan. See more videos at MMA30.com

Source: http://mmalice.com/dana-white/dana-white-talks-after-ufc-137-i-will-never-trust-nick-diaz-again-video_43e266c70.html

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

UFC on Fox 3 will answer these five questions

UFC returns to network television for the third time on Saturday with four bouts on Fox and six on Fuel TV. What questions will be answered when the fights are over?

1. Is Johny Hendricks ready for the big time? Since losing to Rick Story in 2010, Hendricks has been on a tear. He won three straight fights, including a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch. His last test before being promised a title shot is Josh Koscheck, a one-time welterweight contender who has equally impressive wrestling credentials.

2. Does Nate Diaz deserve a title shot? UFC president Dana White says with a win over Jim Miller, yes. Diaz won his last two fights, but lost the two before that. The lightweight belt is being contested in August and Anthony Pettis is waiting in the wings. Even with a win, Diaz may have some time on his hands before fighting for UFC gold.

3. Is Josh Koscheck over the hill? Koscheck is 34. Hendricks is 28. That age difference means it's easy to look at the fight as old fogie vs. young buck, but Koscheck took offense, calling any media who pointed out the gap between their ages "retards." If he wants to prove he's not an old man, he needs to give a better showing in the cage against Hendricks than he did against Mike Pierce in February, when he barely won a split decision.

4. Will Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson last more than a minute? This bout kicks off the month of the heavyweight, and it promises to be the perfect way to start a May that will feature the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix finals and UFC 146's all heavyweight main card. Barry and Johnson have 20 knockout wins between them. Chances are that number will be 21 by the time the bout is over.

5. How do the latest crop of "The Ultimate Fighter" products stand up? The preliminary card, airing on Fuel TV and Fox Deportes, is full of TUF castmembers from the past few seasons. John Dodson, Louis Gaudinot and Dennis Bermudez are getting their first shots at fights outside of the TUF finale, and this is their chance to show they're more than just good TV.

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Related UFC news from Yahoo! Sports:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-3-answer-five-questions-143924003.html

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

Tom Lawlor?s greatest entrances (VIDEO)

Tom Lawlor brings flair and a touch of MMA history to every one of his weigh-ins and walk outs. For his UFC on Fuel 3 bout with Jason MacDonald, Lawlor has promised the "most obscure reference yet."

Any guesses on the weigh-in shtick Lawlor will use this afternoon? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter, and watch weigh-ins here.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/tom-lawlor-greatest-entrances-video-162026235.html

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Recap: Cormier Controls Barnett, Melendez Edges Thomson

Strikeforce descended upon San Jose for Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Saturday night at the HP Pavillion. The card did not disappoint as Daniel Cormier won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and Gilbert Melendez edged Josh Thomson in their rubber match. Elsewhere on the Showtime card, Rafael "Feijao" Calvacante destroyed opponent Mike Kyle in just thirty-three seconds and Chris Spang knocked out Nah-Shon Burrell.

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/28621/strikeforce-barnett-vs-cormier-recap-cormier-controls-barnett-melendez-edges-thomson/

Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè 

Fedor Emelianenko Set to Retire After June 21 bout with Pedro Rizzo

Fedor Emelianenko has decided to hang it up after an illustrious thirteen-year career in MMA. Reports state the Russian fighter's June 21 bout with Pedro Rizzo will be his last.

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/28598/fedor-emelianenko-set-to-retire-after-june-21-bout-with-pedro-rizzo/

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Nick Diaz no-shows for grappling superfight, Facebook post blames ?shady promoter?

Suspended UFC fighter Nick Diaz was supposed to take on BJJ star Braulio Estima in a grappling supermatch in California Saturday. Diaz was supposed to show off his grappling chops in a match against one of the world's best jiu-jitsu players. He was supposed to donate his entire purse to St. Jude's Children Hospital.

Most importantly, he was supposed to show up for his first competitive match-up since being suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for a positive marijuana test after losing to Carlos Condit in February. He didn't.

Diaz never showed up to the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, where the bout was scheduled to take place. Estima was reasonably steamed for the no-show.

"I know he's supposed to be the big MMA bad guy and he's all tough, he's supposed to be showbiz, but what is this?" said Estima. "When you make an announcement that you're going to fight for charity and you don't show up, what the hell is going on? It's not about showbiz. It's about being a good person. I don't know what is going on."

The Facebook page that purports to represent the Diaz brothers had this post on it early Sunday morning:

Promoter fails to donate the money to charity as agreed. (shady) Promoter changes rules for weigh ins to accommodate fellow Brazilian
Match ain't happening

When Estima communicated with the WJJE organizers that he couldn't get down to the agreed-upon 180-pound weight limit, they renegotiated the weight to 185 pounds. Diaz's camp agreed to the weight change ahead of time. As for the donation, could Diaz not have deposited his purse into his account and then written a check to St. Jude's? Taking five minutes to make the donation himself surely would have been better than depriving the hospital completely.

And if he really made the decision not to show up because of the promoters, he should have communicated it to his fans well before they spent $12.95 on the live stream of the event. That decision would have truly hurt the "shady" promoters in their wallets.

Instead, Diaz again decided not to show up for a commitment. In October, he skipped out on several media opportunities before his planned title fight and was removed from the bout. Again, he bizarrely blamed everyone but himself.

At this point, Diaz not following through on his commitments is par for the course. The MMA world shouldn't expect anything else.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/nick-diaz-no-shows-grappling-superfight-blames-shady-120642645.html

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones arrested for DUI

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested early Saturday morning for a DUI after getting into an accident in Broome County in New York state. The accident was first reported by TMZ who said Jones crashed his Bentley into a pole and was arrested at the scene. Ariel Helwani reports Jones walked away from the accident uninjured.

Malki Kawa, Jones' manager, released a statement on the arrest.

"I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI. While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time."

Jones recently defended his championship with a five-round decision win over Rashad Evans. He is scheduled to fight Dan Henderson in September.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-light-heavyweight-champ-jon-jones-arrested-dui-184604133.html

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz