TUF 14 controversy: Akira says he didn?t tap, but then says he did

Only one guy counts in the discussion and that's referee Herb Dean, but anybody watching last night's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" saw Akira Corassani tap and Dustin Neace robbed of a victory.

Late in the first round, Neace caught Corassani in heel hook/knee bar and it was pretty clear that he tapped, once, if not three times, with his right hand.

TUF 14 controversy: Akira says he didn?t tap, but then says he did

Neace, thinking the fight was finished, let the pressure off and Corassani popped free. Neace was mentally shot from there and got drilled by a left hook in the second that dropped him and eventually sealed the deal for his opponent.

On the tap, that wasn't ruled a tap, Corassani says he didn't tap, but then says he did.

"I've watched it maybe 100 times and I know for myself that I never tapped. Herb Dean has refereed thousands of fights and he didn't see a clear tap. Usually it's a horror scene when somebody taps from a heel hook. People start screaming and crying," wrote Corassani. "I raised my hand and tapped one time on his thigh but it wasn't one of those dramatic taps like a metal drummer. It slipped out and I just went up on him. I would be honest and say I tapped if I did."

Corassani says from there, he slipped out. Is that what happened or did Neace think the fight was over?

"[...] The other was that when he had me in a heel hook it wasn't there. It wasn't in. If you watch the video again you see my knee pop out because he slipped. He lost his grip. I was thinking 'holy shit he's got it!' I changed my mind the moment he slipped."

Corassani said it was survive and advance.

"I was almost gassed just walking into the cage. Whatever, I'm a professional and I got the job done. I had double vision the whole fight. I actually don't remember anything from that fight. I just remember two things. One is the knockdown."

Dana White bit his tongue, but admitted that no one would've complained had the fight been stopped. Dean is highly respected so he's getting a break here. One can only imagine what would've happened had Steve Mazzagatti made the same mistake.

Photo and tip via MMAMania

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/TUF-14-controversy-Akira-says-he-didn-8217-t-t?urn=mma-wp8408

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Dominick Cruz shares his gross, surgically-repaired hand

UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz broke his hand when beating Demetrious Johnson on Oct. 1. His performance had UFC president Dana White raving about Cruz's toughness. Though he's had hand injuries before, Cruz needed surgery this time to repair his hand.

He had that surgery this week, and he was kind enough to share that the picture of his hand just after the procedure.

Dominick Cruz shares his gross, surgically-repaired hand

Look at the size of that thing. Remember that Cruz is a bantamweight, but his hand is so swollen that it looks like he's borrowing Shane Carwin's 4X paw.

What's nice about this picture is that it could effectively be incorporated into your Halloween decorating plans. Print it out, throw some glitter on it, and you'll win the neighborhood decorating contest, all thanks to Dominick Cruz.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Dominick-Cruz-shares-his-gross-surgically-repai?urn=mma-wp8245

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

Party on Halloween with Sonnen, Silva expected to dress as a ?duck or chicken?

Party on Halloween with Sonnen, Silva expected to dress as a ?duck or chicken?

Chael Sonnen is doing everything he can to get that rematch against Anderson Silva, so he'll be front and center in Las Vegas this weekend around UFC 137. That includes hosting a Halloween party at XS, one of Sin City's hottest clubs.

This comes on the heels of Sonnen hijacking ESPN's MMA Live to further promote his cause. The middleweight contender asked hosts Jon Anik and Kenny Florian what they thought Silva would dress as for Halloween.

"A or B: Will Anderson Silva go as a duck for Halloween or will he dress as a chicken? I'm gonna go B, I think he goes as chicken, he already has the costume," said Sonnen.

He also made an interesting point about Silva's manager Ed Soares.

"Apparently the Ed Soares excuse factory is open for business. A champion doesn't call somebody out. If you're the champion, you get called out. I think it's a little odd and unprecedented that Anderson Silva is now trying to pick a fight," Sonnen said. "He's doing the same thing I am, he's calling out Michael Bisping because it's an easy fight. Well, I want an easy fight too, which is why I'm calling him out, so I get it."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Party-on-Halloween-with-Sonnen-Silva-expected-t?urn=mma-wp8534

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

Lesnar shocker! UFC star agrees to new deal with the WWE

This is no way to make those nasty rumors go away. Brock Lesnar, who's been long rumored to be interested in a possible return to the world of fake fighting, just agreed to be one of the primary character in the WWE's new video game. According to TMZ:

After SEVEN YEARS apart, UFC pain machine Brock Lesnar is getting back into business with the company that put him on the map -- WWE -- in a deal that will make him the "featured star" in a brand new video game.

Multiple sources confirm ...the people developing "WWE: 12" approached Brock back in January and asked for permission to use his name and likeness in the game and the advertising campaign.

On Wednesday, UFC president Dana White explained why he was fine with the new deal for Lesnar.

Lesnar's long term future is truly a fight-by-fight proposition in MMA. He's battled diverticulitis over the last 18 months.

The former WWE star is scheduled to face Alistair Overeem on Dec. 30. If he loses, who knows? From the UFC's standpoint if the wrestling game further promotes Lesnar, it certainly can't hurt pay-per-view sales for his MMA bouts.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Lesnar-shocker-UFC-star-agrees-to-new-deal-with?urn=mma-wp8147

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Junior Dos Santos Interview - UFC

Heavy-handed Junior Dos Santos steps back into the Octagon? against a man considered to be an equally dangerous striker, Shane Carwin. Will Junior's speed advantage be enough to hand Carwin his first KO loss? Watch UFC 131 Live on Pay-Per-View and www.UFC.tv on Saturday, Jun 11th at 6/9PM PT/ET.

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc/junior-dos-santos-interview-video_8d42cdb57.html

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Donald Cerrone: 'I'd Rather Fight on Spike'

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LAS VEGAS -- MMA Fighting spoke with Donald Cerrone during Wednesday's media workouts about competing on the Spike TV portion of the UFC 137 card, taking on Dennis Siver, his newfound confidence and the mental aspect of fighting.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/10/26/donald-cerrone-i-rather-fight-on-spike/

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

MMA Marketplace: The UFC Encyclopedia

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC.com's editorial director, has put together a comprehensive look at the promotion's 18-year history in the newly released, "UFC Encyclopedia."

MMA Marketplace: The UFC Encyclopedia

The UFC Encyclopedia uses 400 pages, 1,500 images, 300 fighters and 170 event results to tell the story of the UFC's growth through the years. This Saturday, the UFC will host fighters at book signings around the country. If you can't make it to the signing, buy the book on Amazon for just under $30.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/MMA-Marketplace-The-UFC-Encyclopedia?urn=mma-wp8348

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

White?s behind-the-scenes video blog that you can?t miss

UFC president Dana White has used his fight week video blogs to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at UFC events, ranging from seeing the many celebrities who attend fights to the random stops White will make in promoting the UFC.

This one is a little different and worth your time because it will give you a better idea of the gamut of emotions that fighters experience after a loss. It's a little long, and full of not-safe-for-work language, but turn those speakers down and press play.

Melvin Guillard switches from angry (slamming a chair) to brokenhearted (sobbing in a heap on the floor) rather quickly. He still had plenty of energy left over after his loss to Joe Lauzon in less than a minute, and it had to be exerted somewhere. On the other side of the spectrum, Kenny Florian is despondent after his five-round loss to Jose Aldo, and Gray Maynard is sadly appreciative to his cornermen after brushing off Frankie Edgar.

Seeing all this anger, pain and sadness makes you wonder why a fighter would put himself through such a grind just to lose, but the video blog answers that question in short glimpses of the winners. Edgar's glowing smile, Aldo's celebratory conversation with Anderson Silva, and White handing out bonus checks to the Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night winners show why they risk so much for a win.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/White-s-behind-the-scenes-video-blog-that-you-ca?urn=mma-wp8522

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander