UFC 144 Weigh-In Results: Title Fight On, Rampage Misses The Mark

All of the fighters on the "UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson" fight card tipped the scales today at the Saitama Super Arena; all but Quinton "Rampage" Jackson hit the mark for their respective bouts, meaning the lightweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson is official. Read more for the full weigh-in results.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27703/ufc-144-weigh-in-results-title-fight-on-rampage-misses-the-mark/

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

Video: Ryan Bader knocks out Keith Jardine

Though he has a strong wrestling background, Ryan Bader has plenty of power in his hands. He showed this when he knocked out Keith Jardine in the third round of their bout at UFC 110.

Bader had a long undefeated streak that was stopped by eventual champion Jon Jones. Tito Ortiz added to Bader's troubles by submitting him at UFC 132.

He got back on the winning track with a first-round knockout of Jason Brilz in November. This weekend, he has another chance to show he's in the upper echelon of light heavyweights against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Will he do it, or will Jackson get the win? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/video-ryan-bader-knocks-keith-jardine-151113024.html

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

Sudden death round on tap for UFC?s flyweight tournament

Next week, the UFC will kick off start their flyweight division with a four-man tournament to crown the division's champion. At UFC on FX 2, Joe Benavidez will fight Yasuhiro Urushutani and Demetrious Johnson will face Ian McCall. The winners of those two bouts will meet at a later date to decide the UFC's first 125-lb. champ.

If either of the three-round bouts happen to end in a draw, MMA fans in Australia and those watching on FX will get a bonus: A sudden death round. Johnson talked about the possibility of an extra round to Tapout Radio (transcribed by Five Ounces):

"I don't know if anybody has said anything about it, and this is the first time I'm mentioning it, is that we (McCall and myself) had to sign for a 'sudden death' bout," Johnson said. "If it goes to three rounds, and the judges can't decide who the winner is, then we'll do a fourth round."

Though the likelihood of a draw is small, it does bring the possibility of one of the most exciting circumstances in sports to MMA. Sudden death is thrilling whether it's 10-year-olds playing basketball at the park district or professional football players deciding who is going to the Super Bowl.

The flyweights will already bring a pace that UFC fans have not yet seen in the Octagon, but also the possibility of sudden death.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/sudden-death-round-tap-ufc-flyweight-tournament-182515404.html

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

Jon Jones misses his friendship with Rashad Evans

Since Rashad Evans and Jon Jones stopped being training partners last year, the two have spewed nothing but vitriol at each other. But as UFC 144 and their title bout nears, Jones talked about how he misses their friendship with the Score in Chicago.

"We trained together and we had good times, but this competition has come between our friendship, which sucks," Jones told host Laurence Holmes. "I do miss being friends with the guy. But it's business, and he's coming after my championship. I've gotta do what I've gotta do. It might be a little awkward punching him in the face, but I'm sure the first time he swings at me, it will get reactionary."

Though fighters quite often forget their pre-fight squabbles after bouts, Jones says a renewed friendship is unlikely. He just wants respect between the two.

"I'd like to get to a point of being cordial, but to be friends again is not necessary. There's thousands of wonderful people in the world I can meet. After all that's been said, we can just live our lives. Respect is all that's necessary for me."

Hoping for respect between the two didn't prevent Jones from taking a few digs at Evans and how he performed in his win over Phil Davis.

"I don't know if it's because of changing camps, but his body looked a little softer. He couldn't finish Phil Davis, a guy who is pretty much a rookie. [Ed. note -- Davis has 10 fights.] I got even more motivated to out-train him."

Jones thinks that if the same Evans who fought Davis shows up in Atlanta in April for their bout, it will be another title defense.

"Rashad's been in the game for almost 10 years now [Ed. note -- Eight years], and he didn't really show why he's the No. 2 ranked athlete. We didn't see any legit boxing combinations, no kicking, no powerful double-leg dives. He was really just out there existing. If that's the same fighter who comes out when we fight, easier day for me."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jon-jones-does-miss-friendship-rashad-evans-140911098.html

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Ask and you shall receive: Lorenzo Fertitta?s late night Twitter scrum

As far as breaking news from the press conference dais, Dana White plays it close to the vest. Immediately after the pressers, it's a different story. His boss Lorenzo Fertitta prefers Twitter. He was a news breaker last night in a late night chat with his followers.

According to Michael David Smith from MMAFighting, he revealed some important matchups on the horizon.

Alistair Overeem will challenge UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santoson May 26 in Las Vegas. The winner of that is likely to face the winner of a Frank Mir-Cain Velasquez bout confirmed Fertitta.

Fertitta also said Tito Ortiz's wish has been granted, he'll be getting Forrest Griffin for a third time. With Griffin's desire to always fight in Las Vegas and it being Ortiz's swan song, the fight is a lock for Sin City. Whether it's on May 26 or July 7 is unknown. Fertitta said the July 7 card will be headlined by Dominick Cruz-Urijah Faber III.

More sports news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ask-receive-lorenzo-fertitta-night-twitter-scrum-174205598.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

UFC 144 promo: The Japanese love their animation

It's goofy, but this has to be one of most unique promos we've ever seen for a UFC event. Between the South Park singers and the bulging eyeballs, it's pure dynamite.

[ *Watch UFC 144 right here on Yahoo! Sports ]

UFC 144 card:
Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo
Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami
Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis

Preliminary card:
Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee
Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Zhang Tiequan vs. Issei Tamura

More from Yahoo! Sports: Frankie Edgar fooled by fellow UFC fighter

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-144-promo-japanese-love-animation-150927845.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

UFC 144 video: The search for hardcore UFC fans in a Tokyo square

In what is a very unofficial study of Japan's interest in MMA, Ariel Helwani hit the streets in Tokyo to find hardcore UFC fans.

He combs through a bunch of 18-34 year olds and it was hard to find many that had more than a passing interest in the sport. Is this any worse than you'd find on the streets of most American cities? We're guessing yes. In any case, it's an interesting watch.

On the back end of the video, some of the more educated fans point to a lack of television, poor marketing and few good stories as the reasons for mixed martial arts' downturn in Japan. Others says with a recent spike in crime and the earthquake, people are shying away from events built around violence.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-144-video-search-hardcore-ufc-fans-toyko-221028977.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Strikeforce signs UFC veteran Nate Marquardt, fight with Tyron Woodley possible

In June, the UFC cut middleweight Nate Marquardt after he could not get medical clearance to fight at UFC on Versus 4 just hours before he was scheduled to weigh in. Now, he is back in the Zuffa fold, as Strikeforce signed him to fight in their welterweight division.

His signing will strengthen a promotion that has seen four champions flee to the UFC. A bout with Tyron Woodley is reportedly in the works. Marquardt brings a recognizable name and a well-rounded game to Strikeforce.

Marquardt fought in 14 bouts for the UFC before his out-of-whack testosterone levels caused the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission to deny his chance to fight in the main event. He was immediately dismissed from the UFC by an angry Dana White.

He briefly signed with the British promotion BAMMA, but a fight never materialized. Bellator's Hector Lombard invited Marquardt to fight him in Bellator, but Marquardt didn't take the bait. His last bout was a decision win over Dan Miller at UFC 128.

More from Yahoo! Sports: Frankie Edgar fooled by fellow UFC fighter

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/strikeforce-signs-ufc-veteran-nate-marquardt-fight-tyron-150502615.html

Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè