Once a title challenger, Diego Sanchez views himself as MMA?s ?Cinderella Man?

UFC 107 wasn't that long ago and yet it seems like another lifetime for Diego Sanchez.

The 30-year-old challenged B.J. Penn for his UFC lightweight title. Over five rounds, Penn tore apart Sanchez and essentially finished him with a kick to the face. Twenty seven months later Sanchez, fighting to remain relevant, is a minus-320 underdog to a guy who had just made his UFC debut just a few months earlier back in Dec. of 2009.

Sanchez is a respectable 2-1 in three fights since the Penn loss, but it's the way he's looked. His decision to move back to 170 pounds was questionable at best. He doesn't appear to be in tip top shape at the heavier weight and his defensive abilities have slowed. Sounds like he's in big trouble on Wednesday against Jake Ellenberger, right? Sanchez isn't shying away from these thoughts. He's using them as a motivator going into a fight that could get him back on track (FUEL TV 8 p.m. ET).

"I love to watch that movie Cinderella Man. He comes from the top and he goes to the bottom and he makes it back up to the top. I just kind of see myself as a guy like him. Before I was just fighting for my own selfish goals. I had the goal of being champion, and that's fine; that was my dream," Sanchez told USA Today.

Sanchez (23-4, 12-4 UFC) says the up and down nature of the last three years has given him a chance to reevaluate what's important.

"Now I have better reasons to train harder, to fight harder. It's not just me anymore. I have my wife, my son; it's a lot more. I feel like I'm a grizzly bear protecting the cubs," Sanchez said. "I'm just going to fight my hardest. I'm going to fight with all my heart. I'm going to leave it all in the cage."

Sanchez referenced the story of James Braddock. In the late 1920's, Braddock was a rising heavyweight star with a 44-2-2 record before chronic injuries derailed his career and turned him into a card-filling journeyman who went 11-20-2 over his next 33 fights. Braddock achieved the impossible by bouncing back in 1935 to challenge Max Baer for the world heavyweight title. The 30-year-old Braddock pulled off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history as a 10-to-1 underdog.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/once-title-challenger-diego-sanchez-views-himself-mma-075651595.html

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

UFC on Fuel TV 1 postfight: Dana White hammers himself and the NSAC

Dana White always says what's on his mind. He's not afraid to call someone out even if it's himself.

Seconds after Jake Ellenberger crawled across the finish line to win his three-round fight against Diego Sanchez, fans began asking "what happened to all UFC main events being five rounds?"

Fuel TV's Ariel Helwani asked White.

"Because we blew it. It should've been a five round fight. [...] I'm looking at the fight going ... 'yeah, this should've been five rounds.' I think that when Diego and Ellenberger went back in there for that fourth the place would've went crazy. People were ready for it at home," said White.

White wouldn't name names. He took the blame. He confirmed it was not Fuel TV's decision. More importantly, he said all main events will be five rounders. Back in June, White announced that would be the case for all main events. Somehow this fight slipped through the cracks.

White also commented on the latest with Nick Diaz's likely suspension coming from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He knows Diaz will probably get pounded and he has little problem with that.

"How about the Nevada State Athletic Commission royally kissed Floyd Mayweather's ass when he walked in there. This guy is going to jail," White said. "The judge is allowing him to not go to jail until he has his fight. Right?"

It still annoys White that Chael Sonnen was denied a license by the state to coach on "The Ultimate Fighter." Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather facing jail time had his jail arrival delayed and got a license from the commission to fight on May 5.

"You know how much money we bring into Las Vegas every year with the fights that we put on? You know how much we contribute to the city of Las Vegas? Do you think for a second if we had a fighter that was going to go to jail that the athletic commission would license him to fight so that the fight could go on? There's no way in hell," White said. "Am I the only guy on this [expletive] planet who thinks that's crazy? Seriously. It just blows my mind."

White was very complimentary of the effort turned in by Sanchez calling him a professional. When asked about the right weight class for Sanchez, White said he can fight anywhere he wants.

He wasn't so complimentary of Dave Herman. A chiseled, athletic heavyweight, Herman fought well in the first round but lacked focus to stick with a gameplan against Stefan Struve. The 6-foot-11 Struve eventually used his length and effective combinations to put Herman away. White didn't rip Herman's performance, but criticized his prefight antics.

"I like Dave Herman. The stuff that he pulled this week? I can't stand that stuff," White told Fuel TV.

That stuff was Herman growing a huge beard and then dying his beard and thick body hair all black. Not the biggest deal, but when you lose the way Herman did, it opens the door for the critics.

"Listen, if you want to get noticed ... get noticed for your fighting skills," White said. "Not for coming in like a gorilla or wearing pink scarfs. And coming in to "Macho Man?" As I was sitting there, I'm thinking 'did I seriously let him come into this song?'"

White said he's not anti-Village People, but he's not into the joking around.

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

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fuel-tv-1-postfight-dana-white-hammers-190155148.html

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Quick strikes: Why Condit-Diaz 2 makes sense, Barao?s rankings, and Alvarez?s smart choice

*Dana White tweeted on Tuesday night that a Carlos Condit-Nick Diaz rematch will in fact take place. Wednesday, rumors abounded that the fight won't happen after all; as of the time of this posting, things remain murky.

But the bout makes sense on several levels. For one, the most optimistic scenario for Georges St-Pierre's return to the cage is November. In addition to GSP, Condit and Diaz, the welterweight division has vets like Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch hanging around and up-and-comers like Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks knocking on the door. A nine-month gap between Condit winning the interim title and challenging St-Pierre, which, again, is a best-case scenario, is a long time to have both guys with title belts on the sidelines when so many solid fighters are looking for their opportunity.

For another, as much as both Condit and Diaz's fans want to claim their guy won in a convincing manner, the margin of victory in their UFC 143 bout was razor-thin. The fact the decision is still the lead topic of conversation in MMA days later shows there's plenty of interest. Which leads to our final reason to make the match: Business. Condit-Diaz 2 is a surefire hit in a year in which the UFC has already had to scrap a planned Montreal date because of a lack of viable headlining bouts. Whether the rematch is a pay-per-view or UFC on Fox headliner, the match will attract attention along the lines of the biggest bouts of the year.

*Renan Barao moved up to No. 4 in MMAWeekly's bantamweight rankings after his UFC 143 win over Scott Jorgensen. Gaudy 28-fight win streak notwithstanding, I'm not convinced Barao is the next big thing at bantamweight. An inability to finish Jorgensen, in and of itself, is nothing to be ashamed of, as Jorgensen has only been stopped once in his career.

But Barao's pace slowed considerably starting around the midpoint of the fight, and that's not going to cut it if he's in the cage with Dominick Cruz for five rounds, or with Urijah Faber, for that matter. A matchup with Joe Benavidez, assuming Benavidez gets the win over Yasuhiro Urushitani on March 3, would be an interesting gauge of where Barao reallly stands among the bantamweight elite. (Update: I straight-up forgot Benavidez is going into the flyweight tourney. I still think he'd be a good match for Barao, though).

*Kudos to Eddie Alvarez for turning down entry into Bellator's next lightweight tournament and taking a date with Shinya Aoki instead. The bout takes place April 20 at a location yet to be announced. Alvarez's decision puts the spotlight on what's going to be a kink in Bellator's tourney system going forward: Why should Alvarez have to fight his way through three opponents just to get another crack at the championship?

Tourneys are a great way for an up-and-coming fighter to gain exposure, but when you've already made a name for yourself, as Alvarez has, there's little to gain and tons to lose. Alvarez needs to stay sharp in the wake of his title loss. He'll have a far bigger test of his skills fighting someone the caliber of Aoki, and will have more motivation in attempting to avenge his 2008 submission loss, than he would in slogging his way through another tournament.

Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedoylemma

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/quick-strikes-why-condit-diaz-2-makes-sense-203254468.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

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

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

Carlos Condit pulls upset on Nick Diaz to take UFC interim welterweight title, loser says he?s done with fighting

LAS VEGAS -- Nick Diaz is brilliant at playing mind games with his opponents, but it didn't work on any level tonight.

Carlos Condit never took the bait before or during the fight, stuck to the gameplan and outsmarted Diaz to get himself a share of the UFC welterweight title.

Condit moved beautifully all night and landed 60-plus kicks. He never stood in front of Diaz for more than a few seconds. It all added up to a unanimous decision victory, 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, in the main event of UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

It was a difficult fight to score. Judge Cecil Peoples scored it 49-46 (Condit 1, 2, 4, 5), Patricia Morse Jarman had 49-46 (Condit 1, 2, 4, 5) and Junichiro Kamijo 49-46 (Condit 1, 3, 4). Aside the from the fourth round, each round was razor thin.

When the decision was read, Diaz was shocked. His behavior is nearly impossible to predict, but he threw everyone for a loop during his postfight discussion with UFC analyst Joe Rogan. He complained about the decision and then said he's had it with the sport.

"I'm not going to accept the fact that was a loss.That ain't right. I pushed him back all fight. I walked him down. Carlos is a great guy. I'm happy for him and his family, but I think I'm done with this MMA," said Diaz.

Diaz (26-8, 7-5 UFC) appeared to be the aggressor all night, but was it "effective aggression" as the unified rules state in detailing how to score a fight? Condit's constant move stymied Diaz, who was outlanded outlanded 159-117 according to Fight Metric. Compustrike had total strikes 146- 110 in favor of Condit. It also said kicks landed were 104-19 for Condit.

The loss ended an 11-fight, four-year win streak. Diaz is just 28 years old and one of the rising stars of the sport. He's got a bright future with massive earning potential.

"You guys pay me way too much, but I don't think I'm going to get enough to keep going in this. I don't need this [expletive]," Diaz said. "I pushed him backwards the whole time. I landed the harder shots. He ran the whole time. He kicked me in my leg with little baby leg kicks. I don't want to play this game no more. I'm out of this [expletive]."

Condit (28-5, 5-1 UFC) picks up the UFC's interim welterweight belt. After undergoing surgery for a torn ACL, The champion Georges St-Pierre is sidelined until late 2012. Before the fight, UFC president Dana White couldn't say for certain if the winner tonight would sit out 8-9 months until GSP is ready.

Coming into tonight's tilt, Condit was sizable underdog at plus-185. A possible Diaz-GSP fight was expected to be one of the biggest UFC fights of 2012. A St-Pierre-Condit fight won't have the same sizzle, but it should be a helluva brawl based on what the new interim champ showed tonight.

The judges made the right call. The first round was tough to call with Condit starting out strong and Diaz closing well. Condit ran a little too much in the second and lost the round. He corrected his mistake from there and was simply brilliant over the final three rounds. Diaz stalked him for 15 more minutes eating kick after kick. In most cases, when Diaz tried to settle and throw punches, Condit was nowhere to be found. He scooted out of the way in when it looked like a classic Diaz 10-12 punch flurry was coming. The early work to Diaz's legs really sapped him late. He looked a step slow in the final round.

The fight didn't end without drama and that's where Diaz backers may have their biggest complaint. With 1:23 left, Diaz got standing back control, immediately dropped to the ground and quickly got his hooks in.

With 1:02 left, Diaz changed his legs to a body lock. He work for the choke, but never got his hands in position. Diaz had his right arm across the face, but Condit did a good job of tucking his chin. With around eight seconds left, Diaz threatened with an armbar attempt, but Condit was too slick and slipped out instantly. Some thought that was enough to take the round. It's hard call after watching Condit make Diaz look desperate and slow for the first three and half minutes of the round.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/carlos-condit-pulls-upset-nick-diaz-ufc-interim-060229290.html

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

Carlos Condit pulls upset on Nick Diaz to take UFC interim welterweight title, loser says he?s done with fighting

LAS VEGAS -- Nick Diaz is brilliant at playing mind games with his opponents, but it didn't work on any level tonight.

Carlos Condit never took the bait before or during the fight, stuck to the gameplan and outsmarted Diaz to get himself a share of the UFC welterweight title.

Condit moved beautifully all night and landed 60-plus kicks. He never stood in front of Diaz for more than a few seconds. It all added up to a unanimous decision victory, 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, in the main event of UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

It was a difficult fight to score. Judge Cecil Peoples scored it 49-46 (Condit 1, 2, 4, 5), Patricia Morse Jarman had 49-46 (Condit 1, 2, 4, 5) and Junichiro Kamijo 49-46 (Condit 1, 3, 4). Aside the from the fourth round, each round was razor thin.

When the decision was read, Diaz was shocked. His behavior is nearly impossible to predict, but he threw everyone for a loop during his postfight discussion with UFC analyst Joe Rogan. He complained about the decision and then said he's had it with the sport.

"I'm not going to accept the fact that was a loss.That ain't right. I pushed him back all fight. I walked him down. Carlos is a great guy. I'm happy for him and his family, but I think I'm done with this MMA," said Diaz.

Diaz (26-8, 7-5 UFC) appeared to be the aggressor all night, but was it "effective aggression" as the unified rules state in detailing how to score a fight? Condit's constant move stymied Diaz, who was outlanded outlanded 159-117 according to Fight Metric. Compustrike had total strikes 146- 110 in favor of Condit. It also said kicks landed were 104-19 for Condit.

The loss ended an 11-fight, four-year win streak. Diaz is just 28 years old and one of the rising stars of the sport. He's got a bright future with massive earning potential.

"You guys pay me way too much, but I don't think I'm going to get enough to keep going in this. I don't need this [expletive]," Diaz said. "I pushed him backwards the whole time. I landed the harder shots. He ran the whole time. He kicked me in my leg with little baby leg kicks. I don't want to play this game no more. I'm out of this [expletive]."

Condit (28-5, 5-1 UFC) picks up the UFC's interim welterweight belt. After undergoing surgery for a torn ACL, The champion Georges St-Pierre is sidelined until late 2012. Before the fight, UFC president Dana White couldn't say for certain if the winner tonight would sit out 8-9 months until GSP is ready.

Coming into tonight's tilt, Condit was sizable underdog at plus-185. A possible Diaz-GSP fight was expected to be one of the biggest UFC fights of 2012. A St-Pierre-Condit fight won't have the same sizzle, but it should be a helluva brawl based on what the new interim champ showed tonight.

The judges made the right call. The first round was tough to call with Condit starting out strong and Diaz closing well. Condit ran a little too much in the second and lost the round. He corrected his mistake from there and was simply brilliant over the final three rounds. Diaz stalked him for 15 more minutes eating kick after kick. In most cases, when Diaz tried to settle and throw punches, Condit was nowhere to be found. He scooted out of the way in when it looked like a classic Diaz 10-12 punch flurry was coming. The early work to Diaz's legs really sapped him late. He looked a step slow in the final round.

The fight didn't end without drama and that's where Diaz backers may have their biggest complaint. With 1:23 left, Diaz got standing back control, immediately dropped to the ground and quickly got his hooks in.

With 1:02 left, Diaz changed his legs to a body lock. He work for the choke, but never got his hands in position. Diaz had his right arm across the face, but Condit did a good job of tucking his chin. With around eight seconds left, Diaz threatened with an armbar attempt, but Condit was too slick and slipped out instantly. Some thought that was enough to take the round. It's hard call after watching Condit make Diaz look desperate and slow for the first three and half minutes of the round.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/carlos-condit-pulls-upset-nick-diaz-ufc-interim-060229290.html

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

Thursday Fight Night: TUF 3 champ Kendall Grove alive, kicking and with a new attitude

Diego Sanchez fought his rear end off last night in losing to Jake Ellenberger. The lead in to the fight was very revealing as Sanchez admitted he hadn't taken all elements of his career seriously enough. He seemed apologetic.

Just like the Season 1 "Ultimate Fighter" champion, Kendall Grove knows he's made mistakes along the way too, but he's not about to say he's sorry.

The headstrong Grove, who won TUF 3, is back fighting tonight in Las Vegas with a smaller promotion. Grove is headlining Superior Cage Combat 4 at the Orleans Arena. It's a solid card dotted with several UFC veterans. He may not be in the biggest show in the world, but Grove is happy with where he's at in his career.

"UFC was good, no doubt. But when I wanted to fight more it was 'no wait, wait. We'll tell you when you can fight.'  It's more easier on my head," Grove told ESPN1100/98.9 FM. Don't get me wrong, I love competing with the best fighters in the world, but not all thebest fighters are in the UFC. There's other fighters out there."

Tonight, he faces another UFC veteran in Jay Silva (7-5, 0-2 UFC). He's looking for the finish. That's something he wasn't doing in his last few fights with the UFC.

"I kind of stalled in my UFC career ... just trying to survive and keep my job. I'm at the highest level, you don't want to go back down," said Grove. "That's where I messed up. I was just trying to survive."

Grove (14-9, 7-6 UFC) said in his mind he was a scrub and lucky to be there. His mindset has changed. He's fighting as often as possible. In fact the turnaround for this tilt was less than four weeks. Grove took out Japanese legend Ikuhisa Minowa back on Jan. 21 in Honolulu.

John Gunderson faces Justin Buchholz for the SCC lightweight title. TUF 13 alum Jamie Yager is also featured on the card. Two other UFC vets Terry Martin and Jesse Taylor were slated to square off, but the fight was canceled according to MMAWeekly.

SCC 4 weigh-in:
Kendall Grove (185) vs. Jay Silva (184) - Middleweight
John Gunderson (154.5) vs. Justin Buchholz (155) - Title fight
Danny Davis Jr. (170) vs. Jamie Yager (170) - Welterweight
Dominique Robinson (156) vs. Paulo Bananada (155) - Lightweight
Brandon Bender (145) vs. Shorty Weikel (144) -Bantamweight
Walt Harris (255) vs. Anthony Hamilton (265) - Heavyweight
Jimmy Jones (145) vs. Joao Victor (145) - Bantamweight

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

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/tuf-3-champ-kendall-grove-alive-kicking-attitude-174612058.html

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

What to look for: UFC on Fuel TV 1

The UFC rolls out its first major card debut tonight on Fuel TV in Omaha, Ne. Jake Ellenberger has a chance to work his way into the welterweight title mix with a big win over Diego Sanchez, but the card features much more beyond the main event (Fuel TV 8 p.m. ET).

The heavyweights are definitely can't miss this evening. Stefan Struve faces the division's great anamoly in Dave Herman. A chiseled 235 pounder Herman seems to fight with little strategy, but he is dangerous. He's mocked jiu-jitsu in the past. He'd better take it seriously against Struve, who has 15 submission wins in his 21 victories.

The other thing to watch for with Herman is what sort of look he brings to the Octagon tonight. Yesterday, he looked like a Russian lumberjack.

Ellenberger returns home

Sanchez will be walking into a road spot against Omaha's Ellenberger. The city is fired up for the return of the rising UFC star.

Today Ellenberger ? born and bred in Omaha and the assistant coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha ? was presented with the Key to the City by David Dover, Deputy Chief of Staff to Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle. The former US Marine said: "I'm honored to be recognized by the city I grew up in and fight for. It's extra pressure to fight in your hometown with all your family and friends in the front row, but I know the support from the local fans will be awesome."

UFC looks to boost FUEL

The Fox deal was a no brainer for the promotion, but it does come with some early risks by using FUEL as its clearance house for programming.

Spike was in 100 million home. Fuel is still a work-in-progress with only 36 millions. That will get boosted into the mid-40's tonight due to a free preview this week. Unfortunately, like many young networks FUEL is fighting for clearance with cable companies. Comcast, the nation's biggest cable carrier, still doesn't offer the channel. That said, the Fox folks are enthused by the early uptick with the UFC partnership.

"We've had an 80 percent increase in the target demographic of men ages 18-49, and a near 230 percent increase in overall prime-time ratings from past ratings periods," Fuel TV vice president George Greenberg said. "To say I'm jacked would be putting it mildly."

Dillashaw needs a quick bounce back victory

The pre-show favorite for the 135-pound title on Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter," Dillashaw was surprised by the much smaller John Dodson in the final. He was finished on what he thought was a flash knockdown.

The powerful wrestler faces a challenge in the very rangy Walel Watson. He's not impressed.

"He's obviously going to be the tallest bantamweight I'll ever fight. He's got a long reach. Other than that, I don't find him too dangerous. Yeah, he's going to use his reach to his advantage, but he's not dangerous with it. He likes to stay on the outside obviously and use it to his advantage, but I'm not too impressed with his ground game or his [aggression]," Dillashaw told Sherdog.

The key phrase there is aggression. Watson's striking game can be dynamic, but he rarely sits down on his strikes. He is dangerous off his back which makes this fight really interesting since Dillashaw is probably going to look for the takedown and top control. He needs to be consistently active or he could get caught.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/look-ufc-fuel-tv-1-155155936.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro AkiyamaÂ