UFC on FX 4 Targeted for Atlantic City on June 22

After visiting East Rutherford, New Jersey for UFC on Fox 3 on May 5, the UFC is planning to make a quick return to the state for a UFC on FX event on June 22 in Atlantic City, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta recently confirmed to ESPN.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27519/ufc-on-fx-4-targeted-for-atlantic-city-on-june-22/

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Tabbed No. 1 welterweight prospect, Jake Ellenberger sounds pretty confident about upcoming fight

If Jake Ellenberger isn't fighting for some sort of UFC welterweight title by the end of 2012 he can only blame himself.

The 26-year-old has put himself in prime position and can lock up a title fight if he posts something impressive next week against Diego Sanchez at UFC on FUEL in Omaha, NE.

At minus-350, Ellenberger is a huge favorite against the veteran fighter. He thinks he'll win but Ellenberger respects what Sanchez has done.

"I'm going to expect the best Diego Sanchez. He's going to come after me. He's going to move froward like he always does," Ellenberger told "The MMA Insiders" on ESPN1100/98.9 FM. "He trains with a great camp, a great strategist. I'm preparing for the best Diego yet."

Sanchez is back working with Greg Jackson and Jackson's MMA. That's a good thing. But the recent wars and beatings Sanchez (23-4, 12.4 UFC) has put his body through probably isn't.

"He's somewhat predictable. He moves forward. I think I can definitely win the transitions and win in the striking area," said Ellenberger.

Ellenberger's game is perfectly suited to challenge the two UFC welterweight champions. That's ESPN's MMA expert Adam Hill named him the top prospect at 170 pounds (parameters include - Have not held a UFC belt in the weight class; have not previously fought for a title in the weight class).

Carlos Condit and Ellenberger met in Sept. of 2009. The current UFC interim welterweight champ took a narrow split decision from Ellenberger. At the time, some may have thought it was a fluke. Not the case since Ellenberger has reeled off five straight victories including four KO finishes. I'd put Rory MacDonald and Johny Hendricks ahead of Ellenberger on the 170 list, but it's obvious the ranks of challengers for both UFC titles is growing each month.

Adam Hill Top 10 welterweight prospects:

1. Jake Ellenberger
2. Rory MacDonald
3. Johny Hendricks
4. Erick Silva
5. Tyron Woodley
6. Ben Askren
7. Martin Kampmann
8. Douglas Lima
9. Jordan Mein
10. Siyar Bahadurzada

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/tabbed-no-1-welterweight-prospect-jake-ellenberger-sounds-162454867.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

UFC on Fuel TV 1 Fight Card Set for ?Ellenberger vs. Sanchez? on Feb. 15

The lineup for next Wednesday's UFC on Fuel TV 1 event in Omaha, Nebraska is now set, as a bantamweight matchup between T.J. Dillashaw and Walel Watson recently filled the five-fight main card on Fuel TV. UFC on Fuel TV 1 is headlined by welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27507/ufc-on-fuel-tv-1-fight-card-set-for-ellenberger-vs-sanchez-on-feb-15/

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

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

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Angry Nick Diaz face, Dustin Poirier?s submission and more pictures from UFC 143

Check out Tracy Lee's pictures from Saturday night's fights. See Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit's fight played out in pictures, Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum's Fight of the Night, Dustin Poirier's submission and more.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/angry-nick-diaz-face-dustin-poirier-submission-more-230423548.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Heavy?s UFC 143 Fight Day starts at 6 p.m. ET

Fight Day Live is back today for another star-studded show from UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will prepare you for all the fighting action and the expert panel of Matt Brown, John Morgan and Larry Pepe will break down the pay-per-view card and give their opinion on who'll take home the victory between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz.

Also slated for Fight Day Live are two interviews. The first is with "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey, the number one contender for women's 135-pound belt. Rousey is a human soundbite, so you won't want to miss that one. Also on set is crowd favorite Clay "The Carpenter" Guida.

Main event fighter Carlos Condit will also be featured during an exclusive one-on-one interview. Be sure and tune into Fight Day Live at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT.

You can watch UFC 143 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/heavy-ufc-143-fight-day-starts-6-p-173659753.html

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana 

Georges St-Pierre focused on Nick Diaz and nothing else

LAS VEGAS -- Think Georges St-Pierre isn't obsessed with Nick Diaz? Consider this: The UFC welterweight champion didn't know who is playing in Sunday's Super Bowl.

When the Montreal native was asked if he'd be rooting for the New England Patriots against the New York Giants during a media availability at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Wednesday, St-Pierre replied "Are the Patriots playing? I don't even know who's in the [game]. I think New York is in it. New York is closer to Montreal, so I hope New York will win."

One would think St-Pierre would have plenty of time to keep up with the rest of the sports world, since he's been on the sidelines in Los Angeles, rehabbing from his December surgery to repair his torn left ACL.

But it's clear he's fixated on Diaz, the one fighter who has proven his ability to get under his skin.

"I can be a little, what do you call it? OCD. Obsessive-compulsive," said St-Pierre.

Diaz, who fights Condit for the interim welterweight title in the main event of UFC 143 on Saturday night, is the current object of GSP's self-described OCD. While St-Pierre has all the respect in the world for Condit, the champion is openly rooting for a rematch with St-Pierre, who he feels has openly disrespected him.

"I'm thinking about him right now, said St-Pierre. "I don't try to think too much about him. I hope he wins the fight Saturday night. I hope he does, I pray he does. Maybe he won't, but I hope he does."

"I want Nick Diaz to win for two reasons," said St-Pierre. "First, it is the fight everyone wants to see, he was the champion of Strikeforce and I was the champion of the UFC. What lights the fire in me is challenges. When I don't have a challenge, I feel dead. Also, a lot of the things he has said, he has questioned me and my integrity. I have never cheated in my life. It is one thing when you something to promote the fight but it is another when you attack someone personally. It is what it is and that's why I have my motivation to fight him.

St-Pierre said he won't be able to train all-out until July, which makes November the earliest target date for an Octagon return when you factor in a full training camp if all goes well. His last fight was his April 30, 2011, win over Jake Shields, so a November return would mean a year and a half away from the cage.

But St-Pierre's laser focus is aimed at Diaz, so the champ shook off questions of Octagon rust and dismissed the notion of taking a tune-up fight before facing Diaz.

"In mixed martial arts, there's no such thing as a tune-up fight. There's not guy out there who I can say, oh, I can take him. Who knows, that guy might kick my ass. There is no such thing as tune-up fights. In boxing, they can have optional title fights. I truly believe it's ridiculous. You're champion, you should fight the main guy."

So GSP has made it clear Diaz is the man he wants to fight, preferably as soon as November.

"I want him to wait for me. I want him to go on vacation and relax a bit and wait for me, because I'll be back soon."

Just don't ask him about the NBA Finals or the World Series between now and then.

Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/georges-st-pierre-focused-nick-diaz-nothing-else-014029383.html

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves