Massenzio goes unconventional route to smash Cantwell; Simpson, Elkins and Miocic also undercard winners at UFC 136

Massenzio goes unconventional route to smash Cantwell; Simpson, Elkins and Miocic also undercard winners at UFC 136

HOUSTON - Mike Massenzio is a wrestler by trade, but when his takedown game didn't produce results the New Jersey-native made it into a street fight. Massenzio consistently landed uppercuts and straight lefts to brutalize Steve Cantwell on his way to a unanimous decision victory, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, in the first fight at UFC 136.

Massenzio (12-5, 2-3 UFC) has been a loyal soldier for the UFC. He was called in on short notice for his last fight against Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 131. Massenzio was out of his league at light heavyweight. Tonight, at his more natural 185 pounds, he was the better conditioned and tougher fighter.

Cantwell's stand up is very good and he looked to be on his way to a victory at the end of the first round. Massenzio was getting caught by body shots and backing up. In the second, everything changed. Massenzio worked consistently for the takedown. None of them worked, but it wore down Cantwell.

In the final seven minutes of the fight, Cantwell had his nose broken and started dropping his hands.

Simpson dominates Schafer on the way to his sixth UFC victory

Aaron Simpson doesn't have to fight, he simply loves doing so. It doesn't hurt that the 37-year-old, is still a physical specimen. Eric Schafer simply couldn't keep pace with Simpson tonight. The former Arizona State wrestling star stood with Schafer for 15 minutes and tore him up to score a unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all cards, at the Toyota Center.

Simpson (11-2, 6-2 UFC) has a decorated amateur wrestling background, but his hands have improved vastly. Schafer's big strength is his submission game, so Simpson decided to slug it out. It worked. He had Schafer rocked on several occasions and dropped him in the final 15 seconds of the second round.

Massenzio goes unconventional route to smash Cantwell; Simpson, Elkins and Miocic also undercard winners at UFC 136

Elkins thwarts Zhang guillotine attempts to pick up easy win

Tiequan Zhang's guillotine is dangerous, but tonight it was the only thing he tried.  Darren Elkins survived a submission attempt at the start of each round, gained top control and dominated his opponent on the ground for a unanimous decision victory, 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27.

Zhang, the only high level Chinese fighter working under the Zuffa banner, now has a 2-2 record with the company. The UFC is looking to break new ground in China and would love to market some Chinese fighters. It's probably safe to assume there will be dozens of Chinese fighters in the near future, but right now Zhang (15-2, 1-1 UFC) doesn't look like the guy to carry the banner.

Elkins (13-2, 3-1 UFC) fought twice for the UFC at lightweight. After a loss to Charles Oliveira, he dropped to 145, where he's now 2-0.

Miocic outlasts Beltran to get first UFC victory

Joey Beltran is no easy mark so Stipe Miocic knew it was going to be a grind to get a victory in his first UFC fight. Miocic landed some bombs and scored five easy takedowns on the way to a unanimous decision victory, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, in the final fight of the UFC 136 undercard on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Massenzio-goes-unconventional-route-to-smash-Can?urn=mma-wp7932

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

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

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Science! Gray Maynard proves his crazy strength

Gray Maynard has impressive size and strength for a lightweight, making him the opposite of Frankie Edgar, his opponent this weekend at UFC 136, who is one of the smaller lightweights. ESPN's Sport Science took a look at Maynard's strength, and found that he is objectively crazy strong.

That's right. Maynard has the grip strength of men nearly double his size, and the punching strength of heavyweight fighter James Toney. However, that strength was still not enough to finish off Edgar in their New Years' Day brawl. Will it be enough this Saturday, and will Maynard walk away with the UFC lightweight belt? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Science-Gray-Maynard-proves-his-crazy-strength?urn=mma-wp7755

Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo 

UFC 136 interview: Maynard is fighting angry and looking for respect

Gray Maynard is a pretty laid back guy outside the cage, but something's been eating away at him for months. He still believes he did more damage in his January fight against UFC lightweight champ Frank Edgar.

The spin on the fight has also irked Maynard. Many fans and media members focused on what Edgar overcame to stay in the fight. Maynard feels a bit disrespected because few are pointing out what he overcame in the fight.

Watch UFC 136 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-136-interview-Maynard-is-fighting-angry-and?urn=mma-wp7781

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Bellator Bantamweight Champ Zack Makovsky Just Wants to Have Fun

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Zack MakovskyZack Makovsky's nickname seems to apply to more than just his size.

Makovsky's "Fun Size" nickname is mostly a playful jab at his physical stature. But the Bellator bantamweight champion is making the size of the fun he has carry over elsewhere, too.

Makovsky said spending his time just trying to improve as a fighter and compete to the highest of his ability is what keeps mixed martial arts fun for him.

"I think I definitely am understanding how to compete in MMA more," Makovsky told host Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of "The MMA Hour." "I really think I'm trying to put everything together. My mentality is probably the biggest part of it. I revamped my whole mentality, especially from when I was (wrestling) in college. I try not to care if I win or lose. I just try to have fun with it and do the best I can."


So far, that philosophy has translated quite well for Makovsky (13-2, 5-0 Bellator). On Saturday, at Bellator 54, Makovsky has what amounts to a stay-busy fight against Ryan Roberts. His 135-pound title will not be on the line. He won't put his belt up for grabs until next year, when he fights the winner of the ongoing Bellator bantamweight tournament.

Makovsky said he likes Bellator's tournament format - after all, winning the inaugural bantamweight tourney is what put him on the major MMA map. But at the same time, he said it has some drawbacks.

"Going into the tournament, I was unknown to the majority of the MMA community," Makovsky said. "I like that about Bellator - it's a tournament and you control where you go yourself. I like how they let you get there on your own.

"(But) there's a downside as far as once I won the tournament, I've had a lot of downtime. I fought six times in 2010, and I'll only fight twice in 2011 with no title fights. There's ups and downs."

Makovsky even joked that because of the downtime this calendar year, he may have been better off not winning the first bantamweight tournament - just making the finals. That way, he could compete in this year's bantamweight tourney and make more money.

Still, the product of the Fight Factory, in Philadelphia, where he trains alongside Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, said winning the $100,000 tournament a year ago put him in the position, financially, where he can just concentrate on becoming a better fighter. He no longer has to pay the bills by being an assistant wrestling coach at Drexel University, where he competed collegiately.

"I wasn't making a living (fighting) by any means until I got into Bellator," Makovsky said. "My first fight, I fought for $300 to show and $200 to win. I saved a little bit from winning the tournament, but it's definitely different (not having a job). I'm very happy doing what I love for a living. I get to sleep in when I want and set my training schedule - so I'm living the dream."

Though he's on a seven-fight winning streak and holds a title for one of the most prominent MMA promotions in the world, Makovsky said he's not prepared to say he's a Top 10 bantamweight in the world. Not that he isn't confident in his skills, but it's just not his style.

"I think my skills are up there with those guys, (but) I don't like to say where I should be ranked," Makovsky said. "That's up to the media. I want to continue to grow and be the best I can be, and something like that would put extra pressure on myself. That's not where I'll have the most success. I'll have the most success when I'm focusing on me and getting better. Everything else will take care of itself."

Including, he hopes, the fun.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/10/13/bellator-bantamweight-champ-zack-makovsky-just-wants-to-have-fun/

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre AmadeÂ