Rich Franklin Pre-Fight Interview vs Silva at UFC 147 - UFC 147

After a 16-month layoff, Rich Franklin is ready to step back into the Octagon and face the "tornado"known as Wanderlei Silva. Will "Ace" be able to make it 2-0 against Silva at UFC® 147?

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-147/rich-franklin-pre-fight-interview-vs-silva-at-ufc-147-video_03bb864c3.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Bellator Signs Talented Russian Prospect Alexander ?Tiger? Sarnavskiy

Talented Russian lightweight prospect Alexander ?Tiger? Sarnavskiy has signed with Bellator. The 23 year old fighter has a 20-0 record coming into the lightweight tournament. Bellator announced the move earlier today.

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/29109/bellator-signs-talented-russian-prospect-alexander-tiger-sarnavskiy/

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

Justin Lawrence made his mark with a headkick KO (VIDEO)

Though Friday night and "The Ultimate Fighter" finale belonged to Michael Chiesa and Martin Kampmann, Justin Lawrence made a mark with his third-round knockout of John Cofer. Skip 20 seconds into the video to see fighting start.

Lawrence was a favorite heading into "The Ultimate Fighter" and Team Cruz's first pick, but a loss to Chiesa in the quarterfinal round of the show derailed his hopes to win the show. Do you think he'll make a name for himself in the UFC? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/justin-lawrence-made-mark-headkick-ko-video-142224344.html

Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo 

Reports say Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste arrested in Las Vegas

TMZ reports that UFC Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste was arrested on a domestic violence charge. A report from MMA Weekly confirms she was released from the Clarke County Detention Center on a $3,000 bond.

She was not present for the preliminary fights, but was seen on-camera at the beginning of the third-from-last fight of the night. UFC president Dana White commented on her absence from the early fights.

"Arianny is our baby. She has been with us for over five years. She is a good girl and an amazing ambassador for the UFC. I don't know all the details of what happened but we have her back and support her 100 percent," White told Yahoo! Sports.

[Slideshow: Photos of UFC Octagon girl Arianny Celeste]

Celeste was in Las Vegas for UFC 146, and worked weigh-ins on Friday. A UFC Octagon Girl's basic job is to hold up a card between rounds that display round numbers, but they also serve as ambassadors for the UFC, meeting fans, doing autograph signings, modeling UFC gear and serving as one of the faces of the UFC. She hosts the UFC's web show, "UFC Ultimate Insider."

She has worked for the UFC since 2006, and has also modeled for Playboy, Maxim and FHM.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/report-octagon-girl-arianny-celeste-arrested-las-vegas-225421922.html

Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio

Matchmaker, matchmaker: Another fight changed for UFC 149 and lots of bouts for UFC 150

Though the Summer of Injury sounds like a story arc on a daytime soap opera, it's actually what the UFC has experienced as so many fighters have had to pull out from planned bouts. For example:

-- Heavyweight Check Kongo was supposed to fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 149 in Calgary, but an injury to Big Nog forced him out of the fight. Kongo will now fight Shawn Jordan, who won his UFC debut with a second-round TKO of Oil Thompson. As of this writing, every fight on the UFC 149 main card has been altered because of injury.

-- Another heavyweight, Luiz Cane, was also smacked upside the head by the injury bug. Rousimar Palhares, who most recently lost to Alan Belcher, will step in to fight Yushin Okami at UFC 150 in Denver.

Some non-injury-related fight booking news:

-- UFC 150 added four fights, including Justin Lawrence vs. Max Holloway, Nik Lentz vs. Eijii Mitsuoka, Dennis Bermudez vs. Tom Hayden and Michael Kuiper vs. Jared Hamman.

-- Jeff Hougland will fight Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 151 in Las Vegas on Sept. 1. The card will be headlined by Jon Jones' title defense against Dan Henderson.

Want to make fight predictions? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/matchmaker-matchmaker-another-fight-changed-ufc-149-lots-201609529--mma.html

Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè 

Police blotter: More on Jon Jones and Arianny Celeste?s arrests

Checking in on the legal issues of a few members of the UFC:

-- Jon Jones pled guilty to DWI in Binghamton, N.Y. on Tuesday. His driving privileges were suspended and he was ordered to undergo an alcohol abuse and dependency evaluation. His next hearing is in June, where he will find out his exact sentence. He can have up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000.

Also, Sports Illustrated's Loretta Hunt is reporting that Jones was not alone in his Bentley when he hit a pole. He had two passengers. Dana White commented on the arrest on Inside MMA.

"He's a good kid. He made a stupid mistake. The thing about social drinking. Everybody's done it. Everybody was at that age where they jumped in the car, drove home and the next day they said I can't believe that I drove home last night. It's a serious situation that happens here in the United States. I know for a fact Jon has learned from this and hopefully he can educate other people."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people will die in drunk driving accidents this year. A person will be injured in an alcohol-related crash every minute. Shane del Rosario, who fought in the UFC this past weekend, nearly had his MMA career ended because of a drunk driver.

Perhaps the correct attitude for the UFC's president to take on his biggest star getting arrested for drunk driving is to just say how wrong it was, and not try to couch the behavior with, "Everybody's done it," because that's simply not true.

-- Details have emerged from Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste's arrest for domestic violence over the weekend. She was in a fight with her boyfriend, Praveen Chandra, and allegedly kicked him in the face. Police observed cuts on her arms, and also arrested Chandra.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/police-blotter-more-jones-arianny-celeste-arrests-172844601.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro AkiyamaÂ