Nick is angry video III: Diaz complains about his living conditions

Nick Diaz was on top of the world last night. The former Strikeforce welterweight champ had just beaten a legend in B.J. Penn and talked his way into a title fight against Georges St-Pierre. How did Diaz react?

He ranted for nearly 20 minutes. After explaining why he's not making enough money and that he didn't want to fight B.J. Penn, Diaz told the media that his neighborhood sucks and so does his house.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Nick-is-angry-video-III-Diaz-complains-about-hi?urn=mma-wp8814

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

St-Pierre suffered his knee injury in training Tuesday afternoon

St-Pierre suffered his knee injury in training Tuesday afternoon

Georges St-Pierre was days, if not hours away, from scaling back in his preparation for UFC 137 next weekend. Training for a fight is always a risky proposition and GSP failed to escape these final moments of training without injuring a knee.

At 1:51 p.m. ET Tuesday, GSP tweeted this photo of him working his kicks. A little over four hours later, he spoke of visiting the doctor.

St-Pierre suffered his knee injury in training Tuesday afternoon

His trainer Firas Zahabi gave his account of the afternoon incident to Sherdog:

"He was sparring today and he hurt his knee. I had a feeling it was bad, but then, once he cooled down, he started limping. There's no way he would be able to fight. It was a weird thing. I can't really explain it. Of course, everybody is disappointed," Zahabi said. "[...] We made a lot of sacrifices. We had a lot of people come in to help us train. We put a lot of man hours into getting ready for this fight. But it's not going to waste, it's just being put on hold."

We could get a clearer picture of GSP's recovery timetable Wednesday. There's a UFC 137 media teleconference scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/St-Pierre-suffered-his-knee-injury-in-training-T?urn=mma-wp8338

Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade 

This must happen: Matt Mitrione and Urijah Faber want to race

This must happen: Matt Mitrione and Urijah Faber want to race

Matt Mitrione is an insanely talented athlete. He played in the NFL, and then made a seamless transition into MMA. Going into his bout this weekend with Cheick Kongo, he is undefeated, and every one of his bouts have been in the UFC. But is he athletic enough to beat a bantamweight in a foot race?

When trying to figure out what position in sports is the most athletic, Mitrione tweeted that he would challenge every UFC belt holder to a forty-yard dash, with nothing but pride on the line. Urijah Faber, the one-time UFC featherweight champ, jumped in and challenged every UFC heavyweight to a timed mile. Mitrione said he would take the challenge.

This must happen: Matt Mitrione and Urijah Faber want to race

Oh, please can this happen? Between the trash talk and the idea of Mitrione and Faber competing in anything, this is about as fun as it gets. Is there anyone who wouldn't want to see a heavyweight and a bantamweight in a foot race? If you raised your hand, you clearly don't like fun.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/This-must-happen-Matt-Mitrione-and-Urijah-Faber?urn=mma-wp8598

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

GSP vs. Diaz Back On, Likely for UFC's Super Bowl Card

Filed under: ,

LAS VEGAS - The welterweight showdown between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz that was supposed to headline UFC 137 on Saturday needed all of about 90 minutes after the card to be back on.

UFC president Dana White said at Saturday's post-fight press conference that Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside from his pending title fight with welterweight champ St-Pierre - so Diaz could move in for the title shot. The planned headliner is expected to take place as the main event of the UFC's pay-per-view on Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, White said.

Diaz, who vacated his Strikeforce welterweight title to come to the UFC, was originally scheduled to fight St-Pierre but was removed from the bout when he failed to show for a pair of press conferences earlier this fall. In his place, White gave Condit the title shot and put Diaz against BJ Penn, a fight he dominated on Saturday in Las Vegas. But St-Pierre was injured earlier this month.



The potentially complicated waiting game, however, was made a lot simpler when White said St-Pierre "flipped out" over Diaz's post-fight comments in the cage. White made a call to Condit, Condit agreed to put his title shot on hold, and the St-Pierre vs. Diaz welterweight title fight became a reality and got a date much quicker than anyone could have expected before Saturday night.

After beating Penn - and potentially sending him into retirement - Diaz told Joe Rogan he believed St-Pierre was not truly injured. "I don't think Georges is hurt. I think he's scared," Diaz said. The cameras inside Mandalay Bay Events Center cut to St-Pierre, who was sitting cageside after helping corner his TriStar Gym teammate Francis Carmont.

White said he saw a side of his welterweight champion backstage after the event that he hadn't seen before.

"Let me put it to you this way," White said. "I've known Georges St-Pierre since 2004 and he's one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He's exactly the same no matter what the situation is, no matter who he's fighting. Since 2004, I've never seen him like he was tonight. Georges St-Pierre flipped out tonight after Nick Diaz was in the ring. Nick needs motivation, he's got it - he's going to fight Georges St-Pierre. Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside and fight the next guy."

"This is what I wanted since the beginning," St-Pierre said in a statement. "Let's do what was supposed to be done originally. I've always wanted this fight - now I want it even more. I can't wait for Super Bowl weekend."

White added at the press conference that St-Pierre was adamant about how he wants his title defense against Diaz to go down. St-Pierre has defended his welterweight title six times since reclaiming it from Matt Serra at UFC 83 in April 2008.

"(St-Pierre) said, and I quote, '(Nick Diaz is) the most disrespectful human being I've ever met, and I'm going to put the worst beating you've ever seen on him in the UFC,'" White said.

Diaz stole the press conference on a night that saw the likely retirements of legendary fighters Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Penn, oftentimes nearly rambling about everything from the houses in his Stockton, Calif., neighborhood to why no one wants to help him prepare for fights. He said being the villain is what works to get him fights.

"You've got to come off like that just to get a fight," Diaz said. "Know what I'm saying? I've got to be the bad guy. You point the finger, make me the bad guy, and now I get to fight."

As for Condit, he goes from a title shot against St-Pierre to a top contender's fight, expected for the same card on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas. White did not reveal who that opponent will be, but possible candidates would likely include Jon Fitch and Jake Ellenberger, who upset Diaz's training partner Jake Shields last month.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/10/30/georges-st-pierre-vs-nick-diaz-back-on-likely-for-ufcs-super/

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

What you need to know from this week on ?The Ultimate Fighter?

What you need to know from this week on ?The Ultimate Fighter?

Two fights in one show tonight, which is nothing but good news. More fighting means less time for silly pranks. Who wins the fights? Who is the most hated man int the UFC? Why is Jason "Mayhem" Miller making that face? Read on for spoilers and an episode recap.

The show starts out a reminder of how the last episode ended. Akira Corassani won, even though it seems like tapped in the first round, and Michael Bisping worried about the speck of wood in Jason Miller's eye before removing the plank from his own. Bisping  continued to trash talk about his team's one victory, which helped Miller's assistant coach Ryan Parsons see the light.

"You're the most hated man in the UFC. I didn't get it before. I get it now," Parsons said.

Miller bragged that he had more money than Parsons. Bisping is a class act, as always.

Also a class act? Gator, Mayhem's dog who finally made an appearance in this episode. Adorable puppies make everything better.

Steven Siler (Team Miller) vs. Diego Brandao (Team Bisping) -- featherweight

Round 1: Brandao started with a flying knee that landed nowhere near Siler. Not long after that, he landed a huge right hook that sent Siler to the ground. Brandao followed up with some punches on the ground, but they weren't needed. The fight was over.

Again, Bisping started with the trash talk. Miller responded, "Could you be any more of a douchebag?" Bisping just blathered on after that, saying not a whole lot of note. Miller congratulated Brandao, who wants to win so that he could support his parents.

Bisping continued to trash talk all the way into the locker room, infuriating Miller's coaches. Miller calmed them down, but was befuddled by where Bisping gets his confidence. I don't get it, either.

While Bisping tries to plot out the next fight, Team Mayhem's Roland Delorme showed his badly swollen foot to his coaches. Miller and Parsons are worried that it's a skin infection, and they send him to the doctor.

At the fight announcements, Bisping runs through a long list of rules to keep fighters from "looking like [expletives.]" What he fails to mention is that his fighters are guilty of violating most of the rules. He calls out John Dodson (Team Mayhem*) vs. John Albert (Team Bisping), meaning that T.J. Dillashaw will face Delorme in the final bout.

*Considering Dodson's Benedict Arnoldian ways earlier in the season, he is deserving of an asterisk. His team still doesn't talk to him much, but he says he does not have any regrets because, "If you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin."

Dodson (Mayhem*) vs. Albert (Bisping ) -- bantamweights

Round 1: Dodson is the exact ball of energy that Miller described him as. He starts out by peppering Albert with kicks, but eventually clips him with a punch and a knee. Albert responds with a takedown, but Dodson works his way out from the bottom. He gets top position, then the fight gets back to stand-up. Albert tries to finish the round with a takedown, but Dodson shakes him off, and gets top position to land a bevy of strikes.

Round 2: This round was much slower, and featured more jawing between Bisping and Miller early on then actual striking. Albert landed intermittent kicks, and Dodson got off a punch occasionally. He backed Albert up with every punch. Again, Albert tried to get a takedown by jumping on Dodson's back, but Dodson landed on top and had better position. Dodson ended the round with a takedown.

Via the judges decision, Dodson won and moved to the next round. He admitted that it was a conservative game plan.

Bisping ends the episode by peeking into Team Miller's ready room, and did even more smack talk. It's not getting old or anything. He ended it by saying, "Go back to 'Bully Beatdown."

"I know one bully," Miller responded.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/What-you-need-to-know-from-this-week-on-The-Ult?urn=mma-wp8571

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Smashing pumpkins: Show us your MMA carved pumpkins

Artist Ray Villafane created a pumpkin that reminds me of MMA's best punch-faces.

Smashing pumpkins: Show us your MMA carved pumpkins

That is an impressive work of art, particularly the flying pumpkin teeth. Could you do any better?

Here's the challenge. Create an MMA-inspired pumpkin and post it on the Cagewriter Facebook page. It can be a fighter, a fight, a logo, whatever. It just needs to be obviously related to mixed martial arts and made from a pumpkin, and not obscene, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. We will award the best ones DVDs, fight programs and whatever else we can pull from the Cagewriter prize closet.

Read on to see some inspiration from recent fights via photographer Tracy Lee, or look through a collection of Cagewriter's exclusive pictures.

Smashing pumpkins: Show us your MMA carved pumpkins

Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia at UFC 136

Smashing pumpkins: Show us your MMA carved pumpkins

Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar at UFC 136

Smashing pumpkins: Show us your MMA carved pumpkins

Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy at UFC on Versus 5.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Smashing-pumpkins-Show-us-your-MMA-carved-pumpk?urn=mma-wp8429

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida 

Video analysis: Dana White meets with Showtime, what?s cooking?

Dana White spent time in New York this week, surprisingly he sat down with officials from Showtime.

The UFC president has repeatedly gone on record saying he doesn't want to deal with the network, but now that Ken Hershman, Showtime's former Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sports & Event Programming, has left for HBO, new doors could open.

Yesterday, White teased fans and the MMA media by suggesting something new could be on the horizon.

We checked in with Yahoo! Sports' lead MMA writer Kevin Iole to find out what he's heard about the latest round of talks between the promotion and the network. It was believed that the two would be going their separate ways after the Strikeforce deal is finished, maybe not.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Video-analysis-Dana-White-meets-with-Showtime-?urn=mma-wp8654

Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo 

Condit let down, but still focused on St. Pierre and the belt

Condit let down, but still focused on St. Pierre and the beltCarlos Condit has been through a roller coaster while preparing UFC 137. He started out by preparing for a bout with B.J. Penn. After Nick Diaz's no-show for multiple press obligations, Condit was given the title shot. Today, he found out Georges St. Pierre was injured, and that Condit's title shot would have to wait until December or January.

Still, Condit told Cagewriter that he's not angry about the turn of events.

"It's a letdown, but it's the nature of the sport. I'm going to stay positive, keep training, and be even better when the fight comes."

He said taking another fight in the meantime just doesn't make sense.

"Nothing's been offered, and me and my manager discussed it, and taking another fight doesn't make sense on a lot of levels. As far as my career goes, it doesn't make sense, from a money standpoint, it doesn't make sense."

GSP's injury will not keep him out of training for too long, so Condit will wait for GSP and the title shot.

"In this situation, Georges isn't out six or eight months or anything like that. He's sprained his knee. It's going to be a short recovery, and hopefully we'll be able to get this thing done, and get in the cage by the end of the year, or early next year at the latest."

Both Jake Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck hinted that they would be ready to take the fight, but Condit is focused on the belt.

"I have the opportunity to fight for the title, and I have my heart set on Georges. When and if I beat Georges, I'll take on Ellenberger. I'll give him a rematch. I'll fight anyone, but right now, I have my heart set on Georges."

In the meantime, Condit will not change his training routine.

"My job is to get up every day and go to the gym and train, and improve my skills, and improve myself as a fighter. That's what I'm going to do tomorrow. I'll be able to eat a little bit more, and enjoy not so strict of a diet, but that's about the only difference. "

What will that cheat food be?

"Pizza or enchiladas," Condit said with a laugh.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Condit-let-down-but-still-focused-on-St-Pierre?urn=mma-wp8327

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert AldanaÂ