JZ Cavalcante Post Fight vs Wilcox Wants to Return to Action Soon - JZ Cavalcante
JZ Cavalcante Post Fight vs Wilcox Wants to Return to Action Soon Video by JZ CavalcanteGilbert Aldana José Aldo John Alessio Houston Alexander Ricardo AlmeidaÂ
JZ Cavalcante Post Fight vs Wilcox Wants to Return to Action Soon Video by JZ CavalcanteGilbert Aldana José Aldo John Alessio Houston Alexander Ricardo AlmeidaÂ

LAS VEGAS - It was a short and frustrating night for TJ Dillashaw at the Season 14 "Ultimate Fighter Finale." It's one thing to lose. It's another when a fighter feels like he wasn't given the opportunity to push through hard times.
TJ Dillashaw was drilled with two left hands and three hammerfists on the ground and it was over in a matter of seconds as referee Herb Dean decided to stop the fight.
"I wish I could've got to show what I can do and let the fight go on. Usually in fights you see in the UFC ... Frankie Edgar gets the chance to fight through it," Dillashaw said during the TUF 14 postfight press conference. "I'm in good shape. I can push through those things. Obviously, I was coming through a single-leg. They stopped the fight a little early in my opinion. I didn't agree with the stoppage but what are you going to do? You can't argue your way out of it."
Dodson disagreed. He thought it was a valid stoppage. Frankly, he was surprised the whole scenario developed so quickly.
"When I hit him. I felt like I hit him with an open palm. I thought I bitch-slapped him," Dodson said, then apologized for using the terminology. "I thought I slapped him and didn't think I hit him with any real power until I saw him crumble. When I saw him hit the ground I just wanted to jump on him as fast as I could."
- It was a fabulous night for Diego Brandao. Not only did the young Brazilian gain a guaranteed UFC contract, he also banked an extra $80,000 for Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night. The latter was pretty amazing considering the fight against Dennis Bermudez lasted less than one round. Brandao said he wanted to use a significant portion of tonight's winnings to treat kids back in his hometown of Manaus to a special Christmas.
- Dodson got Knockout of the Night and $40,000.
- Dodson addressed himself as a flyweight during the press conference, but quickly added that he wants to fight at both weights. Then he grabbed Brandao's shoulder and said if they need to fight for a title at 145, he'll do that too.
- Brandao was surprised that Bermudez decided to box with him. He expected the former college wrestler to try and get the fight to the ground. Brandao said with 14 years of jiu-jitsu training under his black belt, he was more than comfortable on his back.
- Although he's being compared by some to fellow Manaus-native Jose Aldo Jr., Brandao quickly shot down talk that he's already in contention for the UFC featherweight title. He called himself a kid and pointed out that he just got his job with the UFC. Dodson answered in similar fashion and said he wants to fight as often as possible. He'd even take a fight on the Dec. 30 card back here in Las Vegas.
Andre Amade Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex AndradeÂ

Stockton's reputation has taken a beating over the years. Between foreclosures, a struggling school system and climbing crime rates, the northern California city needs to something to hang its hat on. According to the local newspaper, that something may be mixed martial artist Nick Diaz.
Yes, the same Diaz who goes on foul-mouthed rants, misses drug tests, no-shows press conferences, produces hilarious YouTube driving rants and sucker punched Jason Miller on national TV, is the guy who can help remake poor Stockton's image.
MMAWeekly found a gem. Diaz was placed on this list by Stockton Record writer Mike Klocke:
» Kenya Hernandez: The then eighth-grade student at Roosevelt School in Stockton testified on Capitol Hill about issues faced in inner city schools. Hernandez was strong, forthright and powerful in her messages to policy makers.
» Sheldon Arce, Alex Pascua and Jonah Phillips: The three students at Marshall Elementary School in Stockton sat down with Record reporter Lori Gilbert and school officials to relate their personal experiences about being bullied at school. Their comments were the most compelling and powerful words in a Record interview the past year. I applaud them for their courage.
» Nick Diaz: This isn't about maturity or proper behavior and decision making. The Stockton mixed martial arts fighter has none of those. What he has is talent and presence and - if he can keep (or get) that head of his on his shoulders - the potential to be a Stockton athletic rallying cry, ala Dallas Braden. Perhaps this is a year early. If he can win a huge upcoming fight and learn to act like an adult, maybe we'll have another Yaqui Lopez on our hands.
» LaCresia Hawkins: She grew up in southeast Stockton and has become a leader in promoting healthy eating and combating childhood obesity through her work with the Community Partnership for Families of San Joaquin. She helps organize the group's grass-roots health efforts.
» Gregory Basso: The retired Stockton businessman made a video which quickly went viral and became the rallying point for a community-wide assault on Forbes magazine's misery rankings of Stockton.
All kidding aside, athletes can serve a major role in boosting civic pride. Diaz may be a little off his rocker, but his success in the cage can at least give Stockton something positive to trumpet.
Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine AndrèÂ

Jon Jones took the mixed martial arts world by storm in 2011, so it was no surprise to see the "Swagger Jacker" steal the show in Las Vegas tonight.
The Palms hosted the third annual World MMA Awards show in the Pearl at the Palms.
Jones entered the year as a possible contender to compete for the UFC light heavyweight title. Three fights later and he's been labeled as nearly unbeatable by some. Jones received the Charles "Mask" Lewis Fighter of the Year award.
Below are the other significant awards pertaining to action in the cage with my personal choice for winner. We stuck with the five finalists that were chosen through fan voting at the Fighters Only magazine website (winners courtesy MMAjunkie).
CHARLES "MASK" LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Dominick Cruz, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.
Winner: Jon Jones; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz
BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Donald Cerrone, Daniel Cormier, Phil Davis, Demetrious Johnson and Brian Stann. Winner: Donald Cerrone; Cofield winner: Demetrious Johnson
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR
Nominees: "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24, Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin at UFC 129, Richard Hale vs. Nik Fekete at Bellator 38, Vinny Magalhaes vs. Viktor Nemkov at M-1 Challenge 25, and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 132
Winner: Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24: Cofield winner: "Korean Zombie"
KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Patricky "Pitbull" Freire vs. Toby Imada at Bellator 39, Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture at UFC 129, and Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126
Winner: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126; Cofield winner: Lyoto Machida
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick at UFC 129, Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 132, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125, Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," and Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC Live 3
Winner: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz vs. Paul DaleyINTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR. Nominees: Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Joachim Hansen, Alistair Overeem and Dennis Siver. Winner: Alistair Overeem; Cofield Winner: Overeem
REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Herb Dean, "Big" John McCarthy, Dan Miragliotta, Josh Rosenthal and Mario Yamasaki. Winner: Herb Dean; Cofield winner: Josh Rosenthal
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche at "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (career), Tito Ortiz (career) and Joe Warren vs. Joe Soto at Bellator 27. Winner: Cheick Kongo: Cofield winner: Tito Ortiz
FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Marloes Coenen, Zoila Gurgel, Sarah Kaufman, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
Winner: Miesha Tate; Cofield winner: Tate
RING ENTRANCE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, Vitor Belfort at UFC 133, Dave Herman at UFC 131, Mark Hominick at UFC 129 and Jason "Mayhem" Miller at DREAM.16
Winner: Jason "Mayhem" Miller; Cofield winner: How is Tom Lawlor not on this list?
Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril AbidiÂ

Jason Miller has a lot to prove to UFC fans tonight at the Season 14 "Ultimate Fighter Finale."
He's built a nice following amongst hardcore MMA fans by augmenting his fight career with satellite radio and television shows, but his opponent says Miller's standing in the MMA world is built on a myth.
"While I've been in the UFC fighting the best fighters in the world, he's been flying around the world fighting a bunch of washed-up journeymen and not doing a very good job of it," Bisping told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "The only reason he's here now and the only reason he got "The Ultimate Fighter" spot is because he's a loudmouth TV personality."
Miller (24-7, 0-1 UFC) laughs at that assertion. He's a highly sought after teacher of the sport in southern California. Even with all of his side gigs, he still has his eyes on the fighting prize.
"It's paramount. That's what kicked off all this other stuff," Miller said. "I wouldn't have a radio career or a television career without fighting. The past year, I really put in the effort into doing the things in the gym that are going to help my fight career."
Miller will flash a little of that entertainment-world star power with "King of Queen" stars Kevin James in his corner. The 30-year-old Miller met James during the filming of MMA-themed film "Here's Comes the Boom."
Below is James speaking about the UFC-approved film.
Tips via Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal and Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.
For live undercard, main card and postfight coverage follow Cofield and Maggie Hendricks on Twitter this evening.
Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert AldanaÂ
Filed under: UFC
The main event of Saturday night's Ultimate Fighter Finale featured Jason "Mayhem" Miller getting a bully beatdown, as Michael Bisping dominated the second round before finishing the fight with a technical knockout in the third. Bisping and Miller had coached against each other on this season of The Ultimate Fighter and developed a rivalry, but it wasn't much of a rivalry in the Octagon on Saturday night: Although Miller got off to a fast start, Bisping took it to Miller as the fight wore on and won it handily. "He's a tough son of a gun," Bisping said of Miller afterward. "I'm here to entertain. I think me and Jason put on a fantastic season of The Ultimate Fighter. ... I'm proud to be part of The Ultimate Fighter, proud to be part of the UFC."
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Gilbert Aldana José Aldo John Alessio Houston Alexander Ricardo AlmeidaÂ

Wanderlei Silva survived big kicks from Cung Le to get a second-round TKO win at UFC 139 in San Jose on Saturday.
In the first round, Silva became aggressive first, throwing a series of punches then moving back to create distance again. Le stuck with his trademark kicks, wobbling Silva with a kick and then a spinning backfist. He threw plenty of 360 kicks, but Silva still came in when he could and opened a cut on Le's face. He followed up with some kicks of his own, wobbling Le.
This same back and forth continued in the second round. Le threw every kind of kick that can be imagined, including an axe kick and a wheel kick. Silva took over in the final minute, wobbling Silva with a head kick and a right hand. Then Silva grabbed Le in a headlock, and landed several knees to Le's face. He then followed Le to the ground, and finished with ground and pound at 4:49 in the second round.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan disagreed with the stoppage, saying that Le was hurt but going for a takedown when on the ground. Le's face showed plenty of damage after the bout, as his nose was disfigured and his face was bloody and swollen.
Silva was emotional in the win. He said this past year was tough, but he had to return to hard work with his team to get back to his vintage form.
This was a landmark fight for both men. Silva, who has a long career that spans Pride and the UFC, appeared to be on the edge of retirement after a punishing loss to Chris Leben. For Le, it was his first bout in the UFC after being a pioneer fighter for Strikeforce.
Now, Silva appears rejuvenated. Le was impressive for much of the fight, but clearly has work to do.
Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo Tank Abbott

Jon Jones took the mixed martial arts world by storm in 2011, so it was no surprise to see the "Swagger Jacker" steal the show in Las Vegas tonight.
The Palms hosted the third annual World MMA Awards show in the Pearl at the Palms.
Jones entered the year as a possible contender to compete for the UFC light heavyweight title. Three fights later and he's been labeled as nearly unbeatable by some. Jones received the Charles "Mask" Lewis Fighter of the Year award.
Below are the other significant awards pertaining to action in the cage with my personal choice for winner. We stuck with the five finalists that were chosen through fan voting at the Fighters Only magazine website (winners courtesy MMAjunkie).
CHARLES "MASK" LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Dominick Cruz, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.
Winner: Jon Jones; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz
BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Donald Cerrone, Daniel Cormier, Phil Davis, Demetrious Johnson and Brian Stann. Winner: Donald Cerrone; Cofield winner: Demetrious Johnson
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR
Nominees: "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24, Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin at UFC 129, Richard Hale vs. Nik Fekete at Bellator 38, Vinny Magalhaes vs. Viktor Nemkov at M-1 Challenge 25, and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 132
Winner: Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24: Cofield winner: "Korean Zombie"
KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Patricky "Pitbull" Freire vs. Toby Imada at Bellator 39, Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture at UFC 129, and Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126
Winner: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126; Cofield winner: Lyoto Machida
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick at UFC 129, Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 132, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125, Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," and Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC Live 3
Winner: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz vs. Paul DaleyINTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR. Nominees: Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Joachim Hansen, Alistair Overeem and Dennis Siver. Winner: Alistair Overeem; Cofield Winner: Overeem
REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Herb Dean, "Big" John McCarthy, Dan Miragliotta, Josh Rosenthal and Mario Yamasaki. Winner: Herb Dean; Cofield winner: Josh Rosenthal
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche at "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (career), Tito Ortiz (career) and Joe Warren vs. Joe Soto at Bellator 27. Winner: Cheick Kongo: Cofield winner: Tito Ortiz
FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Marloes Coenen, Zoila Gurgel, Sarah Kaufman, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
Winner: Miesha Tate; Cofield winner: Tate
RING ENTRANCE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, Vitor Belfort at UFC 133, Dave Herman at UFC 131, Mark Hominick at UFC 129 and Jason "Mayhem" Miller at DREAM.16
Winner: Jason "Mayhem" Miller; Cofield winner: How is Tom Lawlor not on this list?
Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama Gilbert AldanaÂ
SAN JOSE, Calif. - It was refreshing to see three guys who've had a large part in helping to build mixed martial arts were big winners tonight at UFC 139. Urijah Faber, Stephan Bonnar and Wanderlei Silva all made it to the postfight press conference.
Faber picked up an extra $70,000 Submission of the Night while Silva's explosive tilt against Cung Le got one of the two Fight of Night awards handed out by UFC president Dana White. Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua also got $70,000 for FON.
- The event drew 13,173 and a live gate of $1.268 million.
- Faber took out Brian Bowles less than six and half minutes to seal the deal on another title shot against UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz. White confirmed that Faber is getting Cruz next, but that the champ is sidelined for a while with his latest hand surgery.
"We've got some ideas we were getting together tonight and talking about," White said. "We've got to talk to Urijah and Cruz first. Cruz just had hand surgery, so he's out for a little bit, but we have an idea. We have a plan."
When Faber made the suggestion that he and Cruz could be the coaches for Season 15 of "Ultimate Fighter," White raised his eyebrows as if to confirm that the pair have been discussed as possible candidates.
- Speaking of champs on the mend, Anderson Silva is working through shoulder issues. When a Brazilian reporter pressed White on reports that the promotion is headed to Sao Paolo, Brazil next June, he seemed shocked and wondered aloud how the news leaked. White didn't confirm or deny the report. When asked a followup question during his media scrum following the presser, White said it's very possible Silva could be held out until June.
- It's official that the UFC on Fox 2 will be in Chicago. White said the show will be two hours long and feature four fights. He would not elaborate on any of the candidates to fill the four main card fights at the United Center.
- UFC 139 Knockout of the Night went to 20-year-old Michael McDonald, who devastated UFC newcomer Alex Soto in just 56 seconds.
It's been quite a year for McDonald. He's 3-0 in 2011. Tonight, he likely made $7,000 to show and $7,000 to win. UFC 139's payday totals $84,000 for McDonald. He made $12,00 at UFC 132 and also won a fight of the Night bonus at Ultimate Fight Night 24 in March good for a total payday of $70,000. The Modesto-native has earned $166,000 this year.
Jermaine Andrè Yoji Anjo Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril AbidiÂ

LAS VEGAS - This is a huge night for so many fighters in Sin City.
Michael Bisping is fighting to stay in the mix for a title shot against Anderson Silva. While Diego Brandao, Dennis Bermudez, John Dodson and TJ Dillashaw are all out to prove they're legitimate UFC prospects.
The other cast members from Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter?" They all look to prove their losses during the show were a fluke.
Betting on TUF Finales always ranks as one of the biggest challenges for MMA bettors. It's difficult to judge how talented some of the competition was on the show.
Is Brandao, who won three fights via first-round TKO, overrated? Is Dodson simply too small for Dillashaw? Maybe the uber-confident Dillashaw is overlooking Dodson.
Adam Hill from the Las Vegas Review-Journal joined myself on ESPN1100/98.9 FM's "MMA Insiders" to break down TUF 14 using the Las Vegas numbers.
TUF 14 betting odds:
Best bets in bold
[ Related: Iole: Bad boy Bisping ready for all comers ]
Michael Bisping (-190) vs. Jason Miller (+165) - Middleweight
Yves Edwards (+260) vs. Tony Ferguson (-320) - Lightweight
John Dodson (+175) vs. TJ Dillashaw (-210)- Bantamweight
Dennis Bermudez (+275) vs. Diego Brandao (-335) - Featherweight
Johnny Bedford (-235) vs. Louis Gaudinot (+195) - Bantamweight
Marcus Brimage (+130) vs. Stephen Bass (-150) - Featherweight
Dustin Pague (-270) vs. John Albert (+230) - Bantamweight
Josh Ferguson (-120) vs. Roland Delorme (Even) - Bantamweight
Steven Siler (-165) vs. Josh Clopton (+145) - Featherweight
Bryan Caraway (-425) vs. Dustin Neace (+340) - Featherweight
For live undercard, main card and postfight coverage follow Cofield and Maggie Hendricks on Twitter this evening.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Dispute over Mickey Mantle card leads to fork stabbing
? Guy gets tattoo of player with factual error on it
? Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes public debut with girlfriend
Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves Andre AmadeÂ