UFC on FOX 4, Roy Nelson, Chris Weidman: The Morning News Roundup ? 7.30.12

It's fight week, that precious time in the news cycle when the public relations drones at the UFC and FOX do their best to spawn storylines that will rope in viewers while media members of various degrees of accumen regurgitate or attempt spins on what they perceive the real stories to be.  Yes, it's a kind of dance, but the music is lovely, and at the end of it everyone gets to keep a goody bag of memories, plus whatever silverware they can steal.  With UFC on FOX 4 slated for Saturday, the week will be spent dwelling on all things related to said show, and is that such a bad thing?  We're going to get to see some perennial favorites in action, so I'd say no, it's not bad at all.  Just be prepared to see at least one item about UFC on FOX 4 every day.  I'm certainly prepared.

  • A one-hour special called "UFC's Road to the Octagon", which hypes the UFC on FOX 4 main card, began airing yesterday on FOX.  It will be shown again (and again, and again) on the different FOX-owned networks between now and Saturday night, but since such factors as where you live and whether you have cable, satellite dish or a coat hanger antenna on your TV make it impossible for me to tell you specifically when you can watch it, I'll just say check your local listings.   

 

  • Roy Nelson, who won "The Ultimate Fighter - Season 10" (the season with Kimbo Slice) and has been struggling to find a place in the UFC's heavyweight division ever since, has been tapped to coach the upcoming sixteenth season of the beloved (heh-heh) reality TV show opposite Shane Carwin.  Nelson's also begun his campaign of irreverent hype by releasing the names of people the UFC has forbidden him from using as coaches on the show.  As usual, MMAFighting ace reporter Ariel Helwani has the sweetness:   

Former Strikeforce fighter turned Bellator and TNA Wrestling star Muhammed Lawal, pro wrestling legend Kurt Angle and Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO Laboratories, are "non-UFC allowed," according to Nelson.  Nelson's manager Mike Kogan confirmed to MMAFighting.com that the UFC will not allow the trio to appear on the show.

 

  • Chris Weidman is riding high off his dominant destruction of the usually deadly Mark Munoz, so why not capitalize on that momentum by hounding UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva for a shot at the belt?  Actually, when Silva's manager Jorge Guimaraes calls you an "amateur", I guess you're not really hounding, you're just defending yourself.  Am I right?  Anyway, here's Weidman defending himself, courtesy of MMAWeekly:

"I read them and it's kind of crazy.  The managers they have no right to start putting down professional athletes.  He put me, and (Alan) Belcher, and (Tim) Boetsch down and he's trying to draw attention away from the fact that I'm the No. 1 contender, and then called us amateurs, and we're all top ten fighters," Weidman told MMAWeekly.com when reached for comment.

 

Yeah, tell 'em, Chris.

That's all for now.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-4-roy-nelson-chris-weidman-morning-125617117--mma.html

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Wagner Prado?s UFC debut ends with eye poke, no contest (PHOTO)

Phil Davis and Wagner Prado's night ended quickly. Less than two minutes into their bout during the preliminary card of UFC on Fox 4, Davis hit Prado with an eye poke. When the fight doctor checked on Prado's eye, which was bleeding and swollen, Prado said he was seeing double. Though Prado protested, the bout was stopped and called a no-contest.

The ending of the bout was a disappointing way for Prado's UFC bout to end. His record is now 8-0-1. For Davis, it was his first fight after losing in a title contender fight against Rashad Evans in January.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/wagner-prado-ufc-debut-ends-eye-poke-no-000000875--mma.html

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

Matt ?The Hammer? Hamill ends retirement, will fight at UFC 152

A one-year retirement was just about enough for light heavyweight Matt "The Hammer" Hamill, who has opted to resume his fighting career and will compete next at UFC 152 in Toronto on Sept. 22.

Hamill will meet UFC newcomer Roger Hollett. UFC president Dana White confirmed the move and said the fighters have verbally agreed to fight each other.

Hamill, 35, rose to prominence in 2006 during "The Ultimate Fighter 3." He is deaf and his struggle to overcome his disability and compete at the highest level of mixed martial arts earned him a large following. He was featured in a 2010 movie, "The Hammer."

When he retired, he had a 10-4 record, including a 9-4 mark in the UFC. He is the only man to have a victory over UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, though it was a highly controversial win. Jones controlled the entire fight, but was disqualified by referee Steve Mazzagatti for throwing an illegal elbow.

The most spectacular win of his career came at UFC 96 in Columbus, Ohio, when he knocked out Mark Munoz with a kick to the head. That earned him the UFC's "Knockout of the Night" bonus, one of three fight night bonuses he earned in his career.

Hamill also earned Fight of the Night bonuses following wins over Seth Petruzelli and Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine.

He announced his retirement on his website after he was thoroughly beaten on Aug. 8, 2011, by Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 133 in Philadelphia. Hamill nearly retired after he lost to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 130 earlier last year, but was convinced to give it one more shot.

But after he was stopped by Gustafsson, he had enough of the physical toll the sport was taking on his body and walked away.

I was ready to make this decision after UFC 130, but my friends, family, coaches and most importantly my daughter encouraged me to give it one last chance. My career has been plagued by injuries starting with 'The Ultimate Fighter' and disrupted my training ever since.

There hasn't been even one training camp where I've been able to train without training around an injury. I have not been kind to my body, and it has nothing left after 28 years of nonstop competition. It's time to finally give it a rest.

Hamill could not be reached for comment Friday and his manager, Duff Holmes, failed to return messages seeking comment.

It is not clear what changed his mind nor how much longer he plans to compete.

UPDATE at 5:32 p.m. ET: Holmes said Hamill had gotten too comfortable with the fame and the lifestyle of a star and that he retired because he didn't have the same drive. Holmes said injuries were a part of it, but a big issue was Hamill's lack of motivation.

He said that Hamill came to the gym in Utica, N.Y., to work out with some of his younger fighters and that those workouts rekindled Hamill's fire.

"I just wanted to make him decided he still wanted to do this," Holmes said. "This is far too difficult a sport to go into fights just half-assing it. When Matt is trained and on, he's a beast. But I was negotiating for him and telling people how great he was looking and then he would come out and look like he did against Rampage. It would make me look like an idiot.

"We talked about what happened. That fame that comes from being a UFC fighter, that's addictive, like a drug. When he retired, the big checks weren't rolling in. He wasn't on a pedestal. It's funny. There's really no difference in him. He was a UFC fighter and now he's a former UFC fighter, but people reacted to him differently. He wasn't being treated like a superstar and I think he missed that and wanted it back."

Holmes said Hamill is back for the long haul and is committed to making a run at the title once again. He said UFC officials had asked him if Hamill would consider middleweight, but Holmes said there is no chance that Hamill could cut to 185 pounds.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/matt-hammer-hamill-ends-retirement-fight-ufc-152-191259330--mma.html

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Frank Mir, the Strikeforce Crossover, and Who Should Be Next

Former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir has done us all a great service by agreeing to meet Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand-Prix winner Daniel Cormier in the Strikeforce cage this fall.  After all, the other opponents rumored to have been under consideration ? Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett (again), KJ Noons sitting on Ryan Couture's shoulders ? weren't really options at all, and who else is there on the Strikeforce roster to challenge Cormier?  The answer is no one, and with Mir shucking the bonds of the UFC for a one-time-only crossover bout, we get to have a match-up that's compelling on paper and will likely be very fun to watch. 

However, the move doesn't address the other glaring holes that need to be filled in the roster of the House That Scott Coker Built.  Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez has beaten everyone that matters in his division, middleweight champ Luke Rockhold is without a worthy foe, and gosh darn it, you can only spread Keith Jardine so thin.  So who else should the UFC send over to fill Strikeforce's ranks?  Sure, the dough and exposure is nowhere near as great compared to what you get for fighting in the Octagon, but look at Nate Marquardt.  The ex-UFC welterweight waltzed in, put up a heck of a fight against Tyron Woodley, and is now the owner of a shiny new belt.  For the fighters, there is certainly value in crossing over.  Here, then, is a list of fighters on the UFC roster who could be prime candidates for taking the Strikeforce fieldtrip.  It is by no means complete ? please, feel free to add to them in the comments.  And if you disagree with my suggestions? picture me sad.  So very sad.

 

  • Evan Dunham ? At one time, the word on the street was that the brass wanted B.J. Penn to take on Melendez in Strikeforce.  But Penn is too much of a viable pay-per-view commodity, and it would've been senseless to waste him on the subscription-based channel Showtime.  Evan Dunham, though, is another story entirely.  The jiu-jitsu specialist had a pretty good win streak going before he was outpointed by Sean Sherk at UFC 119 and smashed by Melvin Guillard at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2, and his well-rounded skills could conceivably give Melendez fits no matter where the fight goes.

 

  • Clay Guida ? Fast, frenetic, and fun when he wants to be (i.e., when he's not running away for five rounds), Clay Guida could definitely make Melendez miserable in the cage.  Besides, what's left for him in the UFC?  It would take Ben Henderson, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz all slipping on banana peels and breaking their legs before Guida could come close to tasting championship glory.

  • Gray Maynard ? As a former "wrestling man-blanket" turned "dangerous slugger", Gray Maynard could stuff Melendez's takedowns, squash his jiu-jitsu, and hit "El Nino" so hard his pet parrot dies.  Also, what else is the UFC going to do with Maynard?  If Edgar reclaims the lightweight championship from Henderson, watching Maynard and Edgar go at it once more is about as palatable as a plate of dirt. 

 

  • Thiago Alves ? Once upon a time, Thiago Alves was in contention for the UFC welterweight title.  Those days are gone now, but that doesn't mean that Alves isn't skilled and dangerous enough to make waves among Strikeforce's welterweights.  Maybe, maybe Woodley could hold Alves down for three rounds.  Maybe not, though, and Alves is just capable enough to beat him and beat Marquardt and take the belt.

 

  • Jon Fitch ? UFC welterweight king Georges St. Pierre mauled him, Johny Hendricks KO'd him, and he drew with Penn.  However, other than that, Jon Fitch's run in the Octagon has been flawless.  Boring, but flawless.  Do you think Marquardt can prevent Fitch from hugging him to death?  I don't.  And I'd wager that once Fitch stepped into the cage to face Woodley, the two would stare at each other for a full fifteen minutes, unsure of what to do.

 

  • Chris Leben ? UFC middleweight stud Chris Leben is good for about two or three fights a year before his annual steroid suspension forces him to sit on the sidelines, so why not let him do those bouts in Strikeforce?  In terms of skill set, he's got enough grappling to keep Rockhold from really hurting him.  As for his striking? yeah, no way could Rockhold eat one of those concrete fists and survive.

 

  • Vladimir Matyushenko ? Look, it's not like any of the Strikeforce light-heavyweights can hold onto the belt for any length of time, but it's boring watching the same three guys fight for it over and over again.  Put Vladimir Matyushenko in there against Mike Kyle, Gegard Mousasi and Rafael Cavalcante and let's see where it goes. 

 

Jim Genia gets his tweet on here.  Giddyup.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/frank-mir-strikeforce-crossover-next-191308784--mma.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

UFC on Fox 4 Draws an Average of 2.44 Million Viewers

The UFC's fourth appearance on Fox average 2.44 million viewers during last Saturday's broadcast, which narrowly edged out UFC on Fox 3's 2.42 million viewers. This improved upon the initial numbers released on Sunday by Fox, which reported a peak of 2.36 million viewers in the last half hour. The reason for the increase being that the preliminary ratings were not able to factor in the fact that the show ran over its allotted time on Saturday.

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/29805/ufc-on-fox-4-draws-an-average-of-2-44-million-viewers/

Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo 

Melvin Guillard Misses Weight at UFC 150 Weigh-Ins

You can blame it on living in Florida and eating too many conch fritters, or you can try to pinpoint another reason, but UFC lightweight (usually) Melvin Guillard failed to make the 156-pound limit at today's UFC 150 weigh-ins, which took place in Denver, C.O.  Tipping the scales at 157.5 pounds and forgoing further efforts to lose the excess baggage, Guillard will now be fined an undisclosed percentage of his fight purse by the state's athletic commission; however, his co-main event fight against Don Cerrone (who weighed in at 155) is still a go.  All other fighters on the card made weight, including main eventers Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar, who will be meeting again in a lightweight championship tilt.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/melvin-guillard-misses-weight-ufc-150-weigh-ins-225318903--mma.html

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida 

Eddie Alvarez, Shogun/Vera, UFC Light-Heavyweight Title Shot: Morning News Roundup ? 7.31.12

The Rexplex Sports Complex in Elizabeth, N.J., in December of 2003.  Ah yes, I remember it well.  The ring was set up next to a skate ramp, with a big curtain seperating us MMA folks from the kids doing tricks on their skateboards.  As for the fights, some lanky dude named Luke Cummo put his jiu-jitsu skills to good use and won his bout via submission, while another up-and-comer named Jay Hieron completely steamrolled over his foe.  We paid attention to those bouts a bit more because Cummo and Hieron were somewhat established in the area, and though people cheered when Eddie Alvarez scored a dominant KO in his MMA debut, no one knew who Alvarez was or what he'd eventually accomplish in the sport.  Why did I take this stroll down memory lane?  Because Alvarez is leading off your morning news roundup.

  • Former Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez has one fight left on his contract, and it looks like it's going to be used for a match-up against fearsome Brazilian monster Patricky "Pitbull" Freire.  When it comes to fighter contracts and the willingness of promotions to re-sign their stars, there are a lot of moving parts that must taken into consideration - things like actual cost, anticipated revenue and just what the parties can do to further each other's interests.  As one of Bellator's first "big" signings, Alvarez brought a ton of credibility to the organization, and Bjorn Rebney definitely made it worthwhile for the Philadelphia native in terms of cheddar.  But nothing lasts forever, so here we are with a high-ranking lightweight very likely about to enter free agency.  What do you do with him if you're Bellator?  Give him a tough, sure-fire exciting match-up that will make your October 12 show a memorable one of course.  And if you're Alvarez, you're going to want to win in the most impressive way possible to make sure your value when you enter free agency is at its highest.  Well, you know who wins in all this?  Us fans, because, Alvarez vs. Freire... yikes!  That's all kinds of "wow"!

 

  • Yesterday UFC president Dana White said Saturday's UFC on FOX 4 main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Brandon Vera would determine the number one contender for UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones' belt.  Reactions were mixed (to put it lightly).  Now White is backtracking a little bit and saying that if either of the occupants of Saturday's co-main event - a tilt between Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader - look impressive enough in victory, they could get the title shot instead.  This certainly makes more sense.  At least, only insomuch as Jones has pretty much slaughtered everyone that he's faced (including Shogun, Vera, Machida and Bader in prior match-ups), and why not offer up the title shot to whoever looks good?  At this rate, Jones is going to be the first UFC champ to get to fight two challengers in the cage at once.  (He'd probably win that fight, too.)

 

  • Former UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch will be facing rising star Erick Silva at UFC 153 in Brazil.  You have to imagine that at this point, after having had a run at the title but failing to move the needle in terms of exciting the fans, Fitch is on that spreadsheet that the UFC keeps that's titled "Fighters To Get Rid Of".  Dude has to do something to get off that list...

 

That's all for now.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/eddie-alvarez-shogun-vera-ufc-light-heavyweight-title-141513056--mma.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

Dana White reverses course, gives title shot to fighter with best performance Saturday

UFC president Dana White made a shockingly bad decision during a conference call Monday with mixed martial arts reporters when he said that the winner of Saturday's UFC on Fox 4 main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Brandon Vera would get the next title shot.

Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who defends his belt on Sept. 1 against former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson, has already crushed all four fighters who are competing on Saturday's card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ryan Bader meets ex-champion Lyoto Machida in the co-main event.

But it was Vera's so-so record that prompted outrage among media and fans. Vera enters Saturday's bout at the Staples Center 1-2 with a no contest in his last four fights. His best win at light heavyweight was over Krzysztof Soszynski.

When Jones was told on Twitter the Rua-Vera winner would get a title shot, he wrote, "Scratching my head." He wasn't alone in being perplexed by White's call.

So, late Monday, White changed his mind and opened the picture up. He said the fighter who looks the best on Saturday will get the title shot against the Jones-Henderson winner, giving Bader and Machida a chance, as well.

"When the fans speak, we listen," White said in a news release. "So whoever scores the best win, whoever gets the fans excited by going out there on Saturday and looking the most impressive, he will get the winner of Jones vs. Henderson. It is down to what these four guys do Saturday night in the Octagon. Winning isn't enough, they've got to win impressively. Any one of these four fighters can take things into their own hands and make a title shot happen."

Rua lost his title to Jones at UFC 128. Before the fight that day, Jones broke up a mugging, then went out and stopped Rua at 2:37 of the third in a stunningly one-sided performance.

Rua has gone 1-1 since, beating Forrest Griffin and losing to Henderson in what has been called the best fight in UFC history.

"I want the winner of Jones vs. Henderson," Rua said. "The fight I had with Henderson was a great fight, the fight of the year, and it was a very close fight. I am OK with that. It was a great fight. But the loss to Jones, I can't live with. I could have done so much better and I want to fight him again. First, though, I have to beat Brandon Vera and winning isn't good enough. I have to be very impressive, but that it what I have trained to do."

Vera took the change in stride. He has been upbeat and confident despite the naysayers who roared when he was put into a main event. White's announcement doesn't change much for him, because Vera has been saying all along he plans to win impressively.

If he does that, he'll make a very strong case for himself.

"Beating Shogun, and beating him the way I want, corrects all the mistakes I've made and wipes away all the bad performances," Vera said. "Beating Frank Mir is probably my best performance, but people don't realize that was nothing compared to what I do all the time in the gym. I'm going to show off what 'The Truth' really is on Fox."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-reverses-course-gives-title-shot-fighter-141434320--mma.html

Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade 

Pedro Rizzo talks about Fedor and how he will KO him - Pedro Rizzo

Inside MMA correspondent Ron Kruck talks to Pedro Rizzo as he prepares to fight Fedor Emelianenko at M1 in St. Petersburg, Russia June 21, 2012 Win or lose the fight is expected to be Fedor's final bout.

Source: http://mmalice.com/pedro-rizzo/pedro-rizzo-talks-about-fedor-and-how-he-will-ko-him-video_00fc6ecef.html

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz