MMA Marketplace: ?Chocolate Al? shirts to raise money for Danny Miller Foundation

A writer at Cage Potato's daughter drew a picture of her father meeting "Chocolate Al" at an MMA seminar. (Say it out loud ...  maybe one more time ... there it is!) CP took that adorable story and turned it into a t-shirt.

MMA Marketplace: ?Chocolate Al? shirts to raise money for Danny Miller Foundation

Not only is it cool, but every shirt sold will raise between $14 and $17 for Danny Miller, the infant son of UFC fighter Dan Miller who needs help getting a life-saving surgery. It comes in three colors. Buy it here for $23.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-Marketplace-Chocolate-Al-shirts-to-raise-?urn=mma-wp10030

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Michael Bisping doesn?t want to hear about Jason Miller?s stamina, ?Mayhem? just needs work on his game

Michael Bisping doesn?t want to hear about Jason Miller?s stamina, ?Mayhem? just needs work on his game

Michael Bisping just wanted a little more credit following his win over Jason "Mayhem" Miller, so he scolded the media who were saying the American ran out of steam early in the fight.

"Did you see the pace of the fight? Did you see how many punches I was throwing? Any time I stop someone it's because they gassed. I guarantee Jason didn't gas. I guarantee Jason could've gone five rounds," said Bisping.

The Brit said he was the reason Miller was physically and mentally sapped by the middle of the third round.

"Guess what? You might have cardio but when someone's landing big body shots like I was ... kneeing you in the stomach and punching you repeatedly in the face, your cardio gets affected," Bisping said. "Even the best runner would gas. You get Lindford Christie in there and beat the [expletive] out of him, see how fast he runs the 100 meters."

Bisping believes Miller can compete in the UFC, but the 30-year-old MMA veteran needs a lot of work.

"I've got good takedown defense and he took me down. Against someone less experienced, he could've gotten a submission. He gave me a tough first round," Bisping said. "If I were him, I'd go train striking, keep his shape a little bit more when he's standing up and be a little more orthodox."

Because Miller was launching his head each time he threw an overhand right, it almost became a short night for Bisping. He got drilled in the first when the fighter's clashed heads.

"He was throwing it and really committing with his head. I could feel it instantly and a big lump on my head," Bisping said. "When I'm sparring I prefer a really good, high-level boxer. Someone who's really good and technical. I do great against those guys. Someone who's unorthodox, a beginner if you will ... they catch you with shots because they do stupid things that they're not supposed to do. They don't follow the guidelines."

Miller has survived solely on his grappling by fighting in Japan, Strikeforce and some of the minor leagues around the U.S. He definitely needs to dedicate himself to the stand-up game or his stay in the UFC could be very brief.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Michael-Bisping-doesn-t-want-to-hear-about-Jason?urn=mma-wp10296

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo 

UFC on Fox 2: Is Sonnen vs. Munoz on tap? Should there be a qualifier fight before they get to face Silva?

UFC on Fox 2: Is Sonnen vs. Munoz on tap? Should there be a qualifier fight before they get to face Silva?

Two of the top middleweights in the world posed for a photo during UFC 139. One looked like he was ready to scrap right there in the crowd. It wasn't the case, there isn't any angst that we know about between Mark Munoz and Chael Sonnen, but there may be soon.

If Anderson Silva is truly on the shelf until the UFC potentially hits Sao Paolo next summer, the promotion may book a Munoz-Sonnen fight. Between Sonnen's chops and Munoz's good-guy image, it'd be home-run promotion with the old-guard sports media.

Munoz is now 7-1 at 185 pounds and just posted a dominant win over Chris Leben at UFC 138. Sonnen, who dominated Silva for 23-plus minutes at UFC 117, just ran through Brian Stann at UFC 136.

When Sonnen appeared on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas two weeks ago it sounded like he was fine facing someone while Silva stayed dormant.

"I'm not going to sit around and wait for him. [...] I don't just need the title, I need to be the best fighter in the world. If there's someone who can knock me off and beat me then I don't deserve to be there. So God bless them and let that guy have his shot," said Sonnen.

After UFC 139, Dana White said there will be four fights on Jan. 28 in Chicago on the second Fox card. Sonnen-Munoz would be a great headliner, but is it fair to the fighters?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-on-Fox-2-Is-Sonnen-vs-Munoz-on-tap-Should?urn=mma-wp9925

Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Diego Brandao wins ?The Ultimate Fighter? with BJJ skills

Diego Brandao wins ?The Ultimate Fighter? with BJJ skills

Though he showed knockout power over the course of the 14th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Diego Brandao won the season with submission prowess. He beat Dennis Bermudez with a first-round armbar.

Diego Brandao wins ?The Ultimate Fighter? with BJJ skillsThe featherweights came out winging punches, but it was Bermudez who got the advantage early, ducking from Brandao's punch, then taking him down and landing a huge ground shot before Brandao got back to his feet. Bermudez did not back down, but was knocked down by a Brandao punch three minutes in. Somehow, Bermudez survived and landed big strikes of his own. Brandao landed a flying knee, then tried to control Bermudez on the ground. Bermudez got back to his feet, narrowly avoiding a Brandao kick.

The fight took a turn in the final minute. Bermudez showed power of his own, knocking down Brandao late in the round with a short right. Bermudez threw punch after punch, and looked close to finishing the fight. Brandao avoided Bermudez's strikes, then grabbed on to Bermudez's arm. Brandao threw his legs over to secure a fast, perfect arm bar, and Bermudez tapped at 4:51 in the first round.

With that tap, Brandao won a six-figure contract with the UFC. The Brazilian who calls Wanderlei Silva his hero is looking forward to using his money to buy his mother a home in Brazil.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Diego-Brandao-wins-The-Ultimate-Fighter-with-B?urn=mma-wp10213

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

Louis Gaudinot interview: Green-haired little guy fighting to secure a spot in 125-pound division

Louis Gaudinot interview: Green-haired little guy fighting to secure a spot in 125-pound divisionReality shows are rarely a true glance at reality and the same goes for "The Ultimate Fighter." Sure the fights are real, but the cast members aren't always battling in their true weight divisions.

During the 14 seasons of TUF, loads of fighters have chosen to bail from their natural weight class and move up simply for a shot at the big leagues.

Louis Gaudinot and several other flyweight did so this year on TUF 14.

The 5-foot-3 Gaudinot, a true 125er went for broke. He lost in the round of 8, but he's been invited back for tomorrow night's TUF 14 Finale where he hopes to not only win, but make a lasting impression so he can be a mainstay in the soon-to-be-established UFC 125-pound divsion.

"When I was on the show, every time I saw Dana [White], you know me (John) Dodson, (Josh) Ferguson, we used to bug him about when the division was coming," Gaudinot told ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas. "[...] I'm a top 10 at flyweight. It's kind of frustrating that that's the only division the UFC doesn't have."

Gaudinot lost a three-round battle against Dustin Pague. The 5-9 Pague simply overpowered the diminutive  New Yorker over the final half of fight. He has the same challenge tomorrow night against another 5-9 fighter in Johnny Bedford.

"On the show, he wanted to face Josh, who's also a 125er. Then he wanted to fight Dodson, who's also 125er. So I've gone around calling him the flyweight bully because he likes to pick on people who are smaller than him," said Gaudinot.

Gaudinot says the TUF 14 Finale will be different. His lack of size will help him.

"But his size advantage isn't going to be that much of an advantage. It's going to be harder for him to shoot on me and get low," Gaudinot said. "I'm going to be able to close the distance becaus I think I have better kickboxing than he does. I don't care how tall he is."

Gaudinot is a plus-190 underdog against Bedford. In the 135-pound title fight, Gaudinot chose Dodson to pull the upset at +190 over T.J. Dillashaw. He went with the favorite in Diego Brandao (-350) over Dennis Bermudez in the 145-pound fight.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Louis-Gaudinot-interview-Green-haired-little-gu?urn=mma-wp10119

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

Never accuse Urijah Faber of running from a bet

Urijah Faber is a busy man. In addition to running Team Alpha Male and training, he's also been spending time at the hospital as his sister recovers from a serious car accident. (He tweeted that she's alert, aware and rapidly improving.)

But even with all that on his plate, Faber still met the obligations of a bet he made with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Faber bet that his teammate T.J. Dillashaw would beat John Dodson, Jones' teammate at Jackson's MMA. Dodson won the fight at Saturday's "The Ultimate Fighter" finale, so Faber paid up.

Well done, Faber.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Never-accuse-Urijah-Faber-of-running-from-a-bet?urn=mma-wp10342

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

America wants ?Mayhem? Miller to punch Michael Bisping in the face

The fine folks at Ranger Up created a short film expressing a desire that is present in so many proud Americans: the wish to see Michael Bisping punched in the face.

Over the course of this season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Bisping has endeared himself to few people. His "pranks," dislike of Miller's dog, and use of a mole to try to find out inside information on his opponent add on to to tarnish the image of a man who isn't exactly loved in the U.S. as is.

Miller will get the chance to make America happy on Saturday at "The Ultimate Fighter" finale. It's been more than a year since he last fought, with his last bout a submission of Kazushi Sakuraba. Bisping's last fight was a TKO of Jorge Rivera, most remembered for how Bisping spit at Rivera's cornermen after the win. Will Miller take the win, or will the British fighter? Speak your mind in the comments or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/America-wants-Mayhem-Miller-to-punch-Michael-B?urn=mma-wp9965

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

Drop what you?re doing, and watch this Marius Zaromskis KO

Strikeforce and Dream vet Marius Zaromskis fought Bruno Carvalho in Sweden this weekend, and the ending of the fight will make your jaw drop.

Yep, that's a forward roll into an axe kick. Though Carvalho is dropped by the incredible kick, he does survive to return to his feet, only for Zaromskis to end the bout with sharp elbows and then ground and pound.

Miguel Torres once tried a similar move when in the WEC, but didn't connect. This kick can be put alongside the Anthony Pettis "Showtime Kick," and Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida's front kicks.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Drop-what-you-re-doing-and-watch-this-Marius-Za?urn=mma-wp9944

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Fights, bonus finalists announced for ?The Ultimate Fighter? finale

Fights, bonus finalists announced for ?The Ultimate Fighter? finaleLast night, we learned that the two finals from season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter" will be T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Dodson and Diego Brandao vs. Denis Bermudez. The card will be headlined by a grudge match between the coaches Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Michael Bisping.

The rest of the card will feature several cast members. A bantamweight bout between Johnny Bedford against Louis Gaudinot will be aired on Spike, while the preliminary fights will feature:

Stephen Bass vs Marcus Brimage
John Albert vs Dustin Pague
Josh Ferguson vs Roland Delorme
Josh Clopton vs Steven Siler
Dustin Neace vs Bryan Caraway

For the first time, the UFC is letting fans vote on bonuses from the best fights, knockouts and submissions of the season. Each winner will receive $25,000. The finalists are:

Best fight

Louis Gaudinot vs. Dustin Pague
Dustin Neace vs. Akira Corassani
John Dodson vs. John Albert
Dennis Bermudez vs. Akira Corassani
John Dodson vs. Johnny Bedford

Best knockout

Diego Brandao def. Steve Silver
Diego Brandao def. Bryan Caraway
John Dodson def. Johnny Bedford
Akira Corassani def. Brian Pearman
Diego Brandao def. Jesse Newell

Best submission

Bryan Caraway def. Marcus Brimage
Dustin Pague def. Louis Gaudinot
T.J. Dillashaw def. Roland Delorme
Dennis Bermudez def. Akira Corassani
Roland Delorme def. B.J. Ferguson

It says something about Brandao's power that he's been nominated for three different knockouts. My vote for best submission will go to Denis Bermudez, and best fight to Gaudinot vs. Pague. You can cast your vote here.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Fights-bonus-finalists-announced-for-The-Ultim?urn=mma-wp10068

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine AndrèÂ