Chad Mendes, Anthony Johnson Say Reception Has Been Warm at UFC 142

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Chad MendesThe UFC 142 fight card is designed to get the fans in Rio de Janeiro worked up to support the local guys, with eight fights featuring Brazilians against foreigners, including local fan favorites taking on American challengers in the main event and co-main event.

But those two Americans, Chad Mendes and Anthony Johnson, said on Thursday morning at the pre-fight press conference in Rio that they've had purely positive experiences from the Brazilian fans they've met, and they're being treated more like guests than rivals.

"Brazil has just been great," Johnson said. "The fans have been great. I'm speechless, really, about this country. I had heard good stories and bad stories about this country but so far all I've experienced is great things, so thank you, Brazil."

Mendes described the open workout on Wednesday in front of Brazilian fans on a Rio beach as one of the best experiences of his life, and he said that while he knows his opponent, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, will have a lot of fans in the HSBC Arena, he doesn't worry about what the fans might say.




"I'm probably going to get booed," Mendes said. "It's here in Jose's backyard and he's the champion. But other than boos, I can't speak Portugeuse so I can't understand what anyone's saying anyway. I'm going to be in the zone and ready to get in there and do what I do."

Mendes said being away from home hasn't diminished his confidence.

"I feel great," Mendes said. "I'm basically treating this like it's any other fight, whether it's in Brazil or it's in the United States. I have tunnel vision, I have that goal of winning that belt. That's something I've trained for and it's all I'm thinking about."

And Johnson said he views the opportunity to step into the Octagon with Belfort as a big step in his career.

"I'm looking forward to the fight," Johnson said. "I can't wait. I definitely can't wait."

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/01/12/chad-mendes-anthony-johnson-say-reception-has-been-warm-at-ufc/

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes Fight Video Simulation for UFC 142

UFC Undisputed 3 has released a fight simulation of Saturday's UFC 142 main event, as undefeated contender Chad Mendes challenges UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo on his home turf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Check it out after the jump and stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for complete coverage of UFC 142.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27139/jose-aldo-vs-chad-mendes-fight-video-simulation-for-ufc-142/

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

?King Mo? says he?s not interested in Larkin?s flash

Muhammed Lawal's game can be described as spectacular at times, but he wants to be known as a guy who's solid with his fighting fundamentals. He can't says the same about Lorenz Larkin, his opponent this weekend at Strikeforce in Las Vegas.

"With Lorenz Larkin you've got a flashy guy that does the unpredictable," Lawal, nicknamed "King Mo," told ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas.

Lawal said the fight may resemble the classic 2001 battle between boxers Prince Naseem Hamed and Antonio Barrera. For years, Hamed dazzled people with his unpredictability and power. He met his match in Barrera, who worked angles defensively and brought his attack straight at Hamed.

"You got Hamed who is very flashy and unorthodox and Barrera, who was a hard-nosed, solid Mexican fighter. With me, I'm a solid, hard-nosed, good wrestler and I've got power," said King Mo. "I'm a slugger. I'm going to break him down."

Lawal could also lean on his world class wrestling to slow down the exciting Larkin, who appears to be a little undersized for light heavyweight. Lawal came to Larkin's defense on the size issue.

"Only in America do we think bigger is always better. Sometimes guys like Fedor [Emelianenko] and [Daniel] Cormier might look like 205 pounders but they have the skill set and style to to be successful  at a heavier weight," said Lawal.

Larkin gets to answer that question against Lawal, a legitimate light heavyweight. Will his athleticism be enough to outpace King Mo or will the lack of a high level wrestling background do him in?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/king-mo-says-not-interested-larkin-flash-173529684.html

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana 

Strikeforce prelims: Gian Villante wins quick, shaky stoppage against Trevor Smith

LAS VEGAS - After wading into deep water a little soon in his career, Gian Villante is finding his way in the Strikeforce light heavyweight division. The former Hofstra football player rose to the occasion by swarming Trevor Smith and taking him out in less than 70 seconds.

He'll take the win, but the way it went down was little questionable.

Smith, a former wrestling star at Iowa State, had trouble from the start defending himself on the feet. Fighting from a low wrestling stance, he got rocked by a short left hook. The stunned Smith backed up and then tried a sloppy right kick. Villante caught the kick and pushed forward to land a right, and dropped Smith.

On the ground, he got off 13 shots. The last two drilled Smith in the back of the end. That's when referee Kim Winslow stepped in to stop things. A confused Smith began to work a single-leg on the ref. It was all over in just 65 seconds.

Villante (9-3) has won two straight while Smith drops to 9-2. Villante lost his Strikeforce debut against 235-pound heavyweight Chad Griggs and dropped his second against top-level 205-pound prospect Lorenz Larkin.

Strikeforce undercard results:

Estevan Payan def. Alonzo Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ricky Legere def. Chris Spang via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Nah-Shon Burrell def. James Terry via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/strikeforce-prelims-villante-wins-quick-shaky-stoppage-against-025415385.html

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Rockhold suggests it?s time to shine spotlight on ?true? fighters not guys like Lesnar

As Brock Lesnar prepped to enter the Octagon at UFC 141, Luke Rockhold, who was cageside, knew the big man was in big trouble.

"I think he was just playing a role. I saw right through him. His confidence looked very ... it didn't appear real," Rockhold told ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas.

Rockhold was working the Sin City promotional scene today to push his Saturday fight (Showtime 10 p.m. ET/PT) against Keith Jardine at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel. He didn't pull any punches when it came to Lesnar's performance.

"Did you see him singing the rap country? When he started rapping along to the country song I was like ' what the hell is this guy doing?' I almost saw his lip quivering as he was walking into the cage. He just looked like he was playing a role. He was kind of believing his own hype that people were putting in his ear. I saw true confidence out of Overeem and a true fighter," said Rockhold.

Rockhold called it before the fight and said most of the guys around him at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Ca. were saying the same thing.

"Lesnar's what I thought. All the media and all you guys had Lesnar taking it. The fighters had Overeem," said Rockhold.

Rockhold understands why Lesnar was around, but is hoping younger fighters get more of the spotlight in 2012.

"I think he brought a whole new audience to the sport. So I can't exactly say it's a negative. People really need to see who the true fighters are. Lesnar's not the best in the world. He just got the right matchups and the right fights," said Rockhold.

The 185-pound champ for Strikeforce headlines a deep card with rising prospects like Muhammed Lawal and Tyron Woodley. He was also very bullish on Jordan Mein and Tarec Saffiedine.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Forde: Fertile recruiting ground fuels SEC domination
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? What's the new normal for Tiger Woods in 2012?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/rockhold-says-time-shine-spotlight-true-fighters-not-210031234.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Strikeforce?s Three Stars: Rockhold, Lawler and Lawal

Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine started with two decisions before getting all kinds of knockout power from the top of the card. Here are Cagewriter's Three Stars; tell us yours in the comments or on Facebook.

No. 1 star -- Luke Rockhold: The Strikeforce middleweight champion was not exactly enthused with his match-up with Jardine, so he took out his anger on Jardine's face. Rockhold swarmed the UFC veteran, laying down punch after punch until (finally) Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the fight.

But his frustration came right back after the fight, as he talked about how he wants to take on the great fighters who are in the UFC while he is in Strikeforce. It's just as frustrating for fans, who want to see how Rockhold stacks up against the best middleweights in the world.

No. 2 star -- Robbie Lawler: We all knew that Robbie Lawler had power in his hands, but did anyone expect a flying knee? Adlan Amagov clearly didn't, as Lawler used the knee to stun him before using several more punches to stop the fight in under two minutes.

No. 3 star -- "King Mo" Lawal: Though Lawal used his elite wrestling to control Larkin, it was his powerful punches that put Larkin out. He had to throw a ton of punches before Kim Winslow (finally) stepped in and stopped the fight. The next thing in Lawal's sights is Strikeforce's vacant light heavyweight belt.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/strikeforce-three-stars-rockhold-lawler-lawal-150352863.html

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

The more you climb, the better you?ll climb

I have had a few days away from climbing - in fact, my last session was 3 weekends ago at Froggatt - and so I got back to the gym this week. My local gym has an auto-belay setup so I was able to do some indoor routes without company. And I struggled! Struggled to get [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/m7EzE0aQ8xw/philsheard

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert AldanaÂ