ESPN's MMA Live Episode 34: UFC 92 Recap

Rashad Forgets "Nipple tweak" at UFC 92

Every time you see a Greg Jackson trained fighter enter the Octagon, you can expect to see them tweak their nipples before entering combat. It's become a tradition, and since it's inception, it has yielded strong results for Jackson's fighters in the UFC.

Heading into UFC 92, Rashad Evans prepared for the biggest fight of his career taking on Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight title. But as Bruce Buffer introduced the fighters, Evans forgot to perform the ritual.

According to a superstitious teammate, that's why Evans lost the first two rounds against Griffin. "I didn't do the nipple tweak," said the UFC light heavyweight titleholder. "Jardine pointed it out. He said, 'Know what? I think that's maybe why you started off slow, man. You didn't get the nipple tweak in.'

"That's exactly what I get," added Evans. "I realized after the fight started that I didn't do the nipple tweak. I was like, man, what's going on? I lost my mojo."

Shinya Aoki Becomes First-Ever WAMMA Lightweight Champion

While the New Year has yet to arrive in North America, New Year's celebrations have already begun in other regions of the world. In Japan, the New Year has already been ushered in with its annual tradition of promoting major combat sporting events.

With FEG holding a massive 17-bout show combining fighters from its K-1 kickboxing and DREAM mixed martial arts rosters, the promotion held one of the biggest shows ever with their presentation of "Dynamite!!" at the Saitama Super Arena.

"Dynamite!!" featured the crowning of the second-ever undisputed champion in World Alliance Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) history with Shinya Aoki defeating Eddie Alvarez via heel hook submission at 1:32 of round 1. In the process, Aoki became the first-ever WAMMA lightweight champion.

12 UFC 92 Fighters Drug Tested, Final Gate Numbers Released

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Thursday announced that 12 of the fighters from last Saturday's UFC 92 card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena had been tested for performance enhancers and drugs of abuse. Test results for performance enhancers would likely be released early next week, while results for drugs of abuse could take up to a week longer.

According to NSAC executive director Keith Kizer, the fighters included Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Frank Mir, Brad Blackburn, Matt Hamill, Antoni Hardonk, Yushin Okami, Cheik Kongo, Quinton Jackson, C.B. Dolloway and Pat Barry.

Kizer also released final gate and revenue numbers for the event. The live gate numbers were in line with UFC president Dana White's post-fight quote, with $3,468,440 generated from 9,701 tickets sold. 4,465 tickets were issued as "comps," while 657 remained unsold.

DYNAMITE!! 2008 Pre-Event Photos

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Joachim Hansen

Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki

Hong Man Choi vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Mighty Mo vs. Semmy Schilt

Akihito "Kinnikuman" Tanaka vs. Bob Sapp

(Photos courtesy of Marcus Mera of iGuillotine.com)

VIDEO: Wanderlei Silva Talks Loss to Rampage

Wanderlei Silva spoke with RawVegas.tv following his loss to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 92.

FOX News Fight Game at UFC 92

FOX News Fight Game's Mike Straka talks with Dana White, Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar, Kim Couture, and more about UFC 92 at the event.

VIDEO: BJPenn.com Show 5

Episode 5 (five parts) of the BJPenn.com Show...

BJPenn.com Show 5 - Segment 1



BJPenn.com Show 5 - Segment 2



BJPenn.com Show 5 - Segment 3



BJPenn.com Show 5 - Segment 4



BJPenn.com Show 5 - Segment 5
Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

Silva vs. Liddell 2?

There's been a lot of talk about what Wanderlei Silva does next after his brutal knockout at the hands of Quinton Jackson at UFC 92 on Saturday. With such a finish, all memories of Jackson's two losses to the former Pride middleweight champ were swept under the rug.

Silva has fought all but a few names in the upper echelon of light heavyweight talent. A few possibilities exist: if Jackson gets the next shot at new champion Rashad Evans, Silva could face the winner of Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva at UFC 94. He could fight training partner Forrest Griffin, a bout for which he has already said "is no problem." A scrap with Rich Franklin could do big numbers. And, lest we forget, Tito Ortiz looms at the fringes (until we actually see Tito's next contract, all bets are off).

At the post fight presser for UFC 92, UFC president Dana White said Silva is still very much employable.

"If Wanderlei wants to fight again, people want to see him," White said.

Almost under his breath, the outspoken president threw Silva's old foe, former champ Chuck Liddell, into the hat.

"Wanderlei’s a tough guy," he said. "Obviously, he’s had a rough road the last couple of years. There’s interesting fights for him too. Maybe we do him and Liddell again."

Silva's first fight with Liddell was a legitimate slugfest and fight of the year candidate in 2007. Both fighters have been tarnished with big knockout losses, and are in need of redemption. Despite taking a three-round beating, Silva managed to drop Liddell once in the second round, a round he arguably won. The question is...what does Wanderlei want to do?

"As fighters, these guys have to decide what they want to do, where they want to go from here," White commented.

DYNAMITE!! 2008 Pre-Event Fighter Interviews

PRESS RELEASE:

DYNAMITE!! 2008 Pre-Event Fighter Interviews

TOKYO, December 29, 2008 -- Around the world, New Year's Eve means wild parties and midnight countdowns, the lifting of glasses and the ringing of bells. In Japan -- between kagamimochi cake and otoso rice wine -- December 31 is also occasion for the most spectacular fightsport extravaganza of the year.

Tens of thousands will fill the Saitama Super Arena, and tens of millions will watch on nationwide television, as 36 fighters go head-to-head in FieLDS DYNAMITE!! 2008.

The event features a dozen DREAM MMA bouts in a variety of weight classes; a quartet of K-1 Rules contests; and the culmination of the K-1 Koshien high school tournament. With the opening bell just 48 hours away, participating fighters met the media today at Tokyo's East 21 Hotel.


DREAM MMA Rules

CroCop vs Choi

Croatian mixed martial arts master Mirko CroCop will step in against Hong-Man Choi of South Korea in a Heavyweight (93.1kg/205lbs+) match. Choi is a former ssirium grand champion, who, at 218cm/7'2" will bring a 30 cm/12" height advantage to the ring. At 167kg/355lbs, Choi is also some 65 kg/125lbs heavier than CroCop.

While Choi has size on his side, CroCop has much more experience -- since his MMA debut in 2001, CroCop has established himself as one of the world's best all-round fighters. Choi, meanwhile has competed just twice under MMA rules.

Choi usually trains in Japan prior to fighting, but changed his tact this time: "I stayed in Korea, where I trained very hard, and actually I just arrived in Japan. I haven't seen Mirko's fight videos, and I'm not interested in seeing them. I know he's a southpaw but I trained as I would for any other fighter. Because 2008 has not been a good year for me, I want to finish this fight quickly and get a good start for next year."

Mirko CroCop did not appear for interviews.


Sakuraba vs Tamura

Living legend Kazushi Sakuraba of Japan will fight compatriot Kiyoshi Tamura at Middleweight (84kg/185lbs). These two attended the same dojo a long time back, and, before Sakuraba went pro, Tamura thrice beat him in wrestling matches.

Sakuraba didn't appear worried about confronting his old nemesis: "I trained the same way as I always do. I know Tamura is a good fighter, but he hasn't had nearly as many fights as me, so I don't have any particular impression of him. I think that for Tamura and for the media, this might be a big deal, but for me it's only one more fight…"

Said Tamura: "It's also a regular fight for me. I know there has been a lot of fan and media interest, but that does not affect me. Of course I have personal feelings but I know we both have changed since the old days, so I just want to make a good fight on Wednesday."


Hansen vs Calvin

This year's DREAM Lightweight (70kg/154lbs) Grand Prix Champion, Joachim Hansen of Norway, will meet the man who previously held HERO'S highest Middleweight honors, Brazilian jujitsu fighter JZ Calvan Brazil.

Asked how he felt fighting as the Champion on New Year's Eve, Hansen was humble:
"I haven't changed my training or let it affect my emotions, and I've prepared for this fight as for any other fight. JZ is an all-round fighter like me, and we can both stay on our feet or go to the ground. I plan to keep my guard tight, I think that's key for me, then I will make a dynamite show for Dynamite!"

Said Calvan: "I'm in very good shape, I'm always in very good shape. I had time to prepare for this and I'm very excited. I love to fight in Japan, the fan are so respectful, and I want to give their energy back inside the ring, so I'll do my best."
Calvan laughed when asked if he'd changed his style: "If you're born a banana, you're going to die a banana -- you just get more mature. I think attitude is the difference between me and Joachim -- the positive things I do in life, to get better and better every minute, every day, every fight!"


Aoki vs Alvarez

Shinya Aoki of Japan will meet Eddie Alvarez of the USA, in a fight that didn't happen at the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix 2008, when semifinal winner Alvarez was not cleared by doctors to continue to the final.

Said Alvarez: "This fight was supposed to happen before, and I think on that night I would've had the advantage because I'd fought fewer minutes than Aoki in the tournament. But in any case this will be a good fight to determine who is the number one fighter in DREAM. As for my strategy, I always believe it's important to impose my will on any fighter, regardless of his fighting style, and to control the fight every moment. I want to fight with all my spirit and put on the best show that I can for my fans."
Informed that Aoki had joked that being married with children might give Alvarez an advantage, the American responded, "The fact that Aoki doesn't have a wife and kids may allow him more time to focus on training, but I believe fighting is an occupation, and my wife and kids are my biggest inspiration to succeed in my job. It's more important for me to be well-rounded as a person, and I'm a very happy man to have this balance.

Aoki laughed when asked how he felt going into his last fight of the year: "It may not be my last fight of the year, you never know what might happen before midnight! Anyway, I want to enjoy myself in the ring, as always. I'm happy and proud that I've been able to fight great fighters this year, like JZ Calvan, Caol Uno and Joachim Hanson. And now, on New Year's Eve, it's great to meet Eddie Alvarez in the fight we couldn't have earlier in the year. If I weren't fighting in the ring, I would want to watch this fight from the audience! I think this will be a great contest, the best on the Dynamite card. Other fighters have gimmicks and so on to finish 2008, but this will be a real MMA fight that will entertain the crowd purely with technique and skills!"


LeBanner vs Hunt

In a showdown of Heavyweight sluggers, French K-1 veteran Jerome LeBanner will meet Mark Hunt of New Zealand, who fought frequently in MMA after winning the K-1 World GP in 2001, but has been less active recently.

Hunt was nonetheless confident: "I've been training for MMA and striking both, as always. Of course Jerome is a great fighter but I've never seen him fight in MMA so I don't know, we'll see how it goes. I don't think he's going to be a strong challenge to me in MMA because I have much more experience. I want to put him away with a submission but sometimes you want a fight to go one way then it goes the opposite way, so I'll try to finish him with anything I can get. I'm ready to fight and win, I want to make some money! Wish me luck!"

LeBanner did not appear for interviews.


Schilt vs Mo

Also in the Heavyweight class, three-time K-1 World GP Champion Semmy Schilt of Holland will meet scrappy Samoan-American Mighty Mo.

Mo's last K-1 fight was almost five months ago, and he was asked what he'd been up to since: "I've been spending a lot of tie with my kids, and I've been training to learn MMA rules and techniques, working with Josh Barnett on takedowns and knee and arm bar submission holds. I know groundwork, because I wrestled in college, and I think I'm very strong on the ground, where my hook is probably even stronger. Of course, fighting Schilt, it's a whole different game, but that's to my advantage because I have strength when we get inside, on the ground, where he'll be weak because of his build. I'm not saying it's impossible to knock Schilt out standing up, but if I'm smart and get inside, I have the advantage."

Said Schilt: "I'm very excited to be fighting in MMA again, it's been a long time but I am confident, I think. I did some MMA training, but really I want to show the fans a standup K-1 fight, worthy of a K-1 Champion, because I'm good at that.
Told of Mo's preference for ground fighting, Schilt replied, "I'm not afraid of groundwork, I can do more than a triangle choke, so we'll see where the fight goes. If the fight goes to the ground I have the skills to win there as well, my groundwork is capable of neutralizing his attacks. However, I want to knock him out, because that's Semmy Schilt!"


Sapp vs Mantaro

Commensurate with Dynamite's wide appeal is the wide range of bouts on the card, and one of the more bizarre is American Bob "The Beast" Sapp's matchup with a flesh-and-blood anime character, "Kinniku Mantaro," from Parts Unknown, in a Heavyweight bout.

"I've focused on muscular endurance and speed training, I've lost weight and I'm in great shape," said Sapp, who rejected the suggestion he was slumping. "If you check my win-loss record I only have three losses over a nine-year span, I fail to see losing three fights as a slump. In fact, I think with the world economy in a slump, it's MMA itself that's also in a slump, so that's why I'm here! I enjoy this role, and I welcome all pressure, I will be victorious and I will show everyone why I fight, why Japan is number one, and why The Beast is number one!"

The costumed Kinniku Mantaro briefly materialized in the interview space, but said nothing.


Zimmerman vs Minowaman

Errol Zimmerman, a rising Dutch K-1 fighter, will test his MMA skills against Japanese pro wrestler Minowaman.

Zimmerman was asked if he was nervous fighting under MMA rules: "If I felt nervous or frightened, or felt that I couldn't beat him, I wouldn't have taken the fight. I have no impression of Minowaman, I'm just confident I'm going to win. There's nothing different about this fight, I got the call two weeks ago, so I started training, that's all. I may use strikes, I will use what is necessary -- maybe like Badr Hari, I'll stomp him on the head!"
Informed that stomps are also illegal under DREAM MMA Rules, Zimmerman feigned surprise: "Oh shit! There goes my plan…"

Said Minowaman: "I just want to show my own style of fighting, beyond pro-wresting. Zimmerman is a total fighter, but I want to do my best, do what I can do in this fight to please my fans.


In other DREAM MMA Rules fights, it will be Japanese Welterweights Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Katsuyori Shibata; Lightweights Hideo Tokoro and Daisuke Nakamura; and Yukio Sakaguchi versus Andy Ologun of Nigeria at Welterweight.


K-1 Rules

Hari vs Overeem

After accepting penalties imposed by governing body FEG for the foul he committed against Remy Bonjasky at this year's K-1 World GP, Moroccan bad boy Badr Hari was invited to a Dynamite dance with Dutch MMA fighter Alistair Overeem.

Hari's thoughts on the Bonjasky-stomping were the first question asked: "I think 2008 was a very good year and I had a lot of great fights, but I messed it up a little bit in the final. What can I say, I could say a lot but I'll just say I got my punishment and I accept it. I don't look backward, I just look forward."
Although Hari had no conciliatory words for Bonjasky, he did reach out to his fans, "I will try to do my best to show the fans that I'm a sportsman. I regret what happened and apologize to my fans and all the people who supported me, I learned my lesson and will do my best to make sure these things don't happen again."

Hari said the incident didn't affect his preparation for the fight: "At first, I didn't know if I would be suspended or not, so I wasn't sure I'd fight at Dynamite. But I stayed in shape, so I'm ready. Overeem's a good MMA fighter but he doesn't know K-1. Maybe he thinks he does when he trains in the gym, but I'm on different level -- I've knocked out the best, why not him?"

Hari laughed loudly when told that Overeem had pledged to teach him a lesson: "What kind of lesson? I don't care what he says, actually I think if he says that in public, they'll take him to a mental hospital for saying strange things…He'll never beat me!"

Said Overeem, who will be fighting under K-1 Rules for the first time since 2005: "I've seen Badr Hari fight, he's one of the best K-1 fighters right now, he's very fast and very explosive, and he has a very big mouth! I was a bit surprised, like everyone, by his unsportsmanlike behavior in the K-1 finals, but also excited that he wants to fight me. I feel strong, I've trained at Golden Glory with fighters like Errol Zimmerman and Gokhan Saki, and it's also part of my normal training to train in K-1 rules. So I'm very confident. Hari and I are going to have two fights, this New Year's Eve in K-1 rules then later in the year in DREAM rules. I can't wait to get my hands on him. He knocked out [fellow Golden Glory fighter] Zimmerman, so this is a little bit of a revenge match for me!"


Musashi vs Mousasi

Also under standup rules, Japanese K-1 veteran Musashi will fight Dutchman Gegard Mousasi in a battle of near namesakes.

Mousasi is another MMA fighter new to K-1 Rules: "Yes, this is new for me, so I don't know how I'm going to perform, but it's exciting. Because of my weight at 84kg, I was more focused on my ground game in the past, but I've been sparring with Jerrel Venetiaan, and training with the pads with Ernesto Hoost and my kyokushin karate friends. I have to read the K-1 rules again (laughs), but it's kicking kneeing and punching, so I think I'll be alright. I'm now going for a 93kg fighting weight, and once I get over 100kg I'll want to fight more in K-1 rules. I've watched Musashi's K-1 fights, and I know he's a good fighter and has experience that I don't, so I'll make up for that with speed and explosiveness."

Musashi arrived at the interview space merrily singing a song: "I'm in top condition and two days away from the fight, so I feel great," said the seidokaikan stylist. "I had injuries this year, maybe I wasn't treating them early with massage and so on so they got worse. I think I have to be more cautious now because I'm getting older, this year I learned to take better care of myself. Dynamite is my last fight of the year, so I want it to be a good one. Because Mousasi is lighter than me he can move faster, so the key will be keeping up with him, so I trained mainly for speed. I've seen videos of Mousasi's fights, they are mostly MMA fights, but I've also heard he has good striking techniques. Still, I think if I can fight my style of fight with speed, then I'll be ok."

Why didn't EliteXC work under Gary Shaw?

Kim Couture Wins Extension on Beard Restraining Order

Kim Couture, fighter, promoter, and Randy Couture's other half, has won another round in the drama surrounding Xtreme Couture's fallout with Affliction.

In a Clark County filing dated Dec. 12, a restraining order from Couture against former Affliction head Todd Beard has been extended to Nov. 12, 2009.

Affliction clothing produces the Xtreme Couture clothing line, but relations between the two parties soured after Randy Couture returned to the UFC. Currently, the two companies are in limbo as Couture and co. attempt to extricate themselves from Affliction.

Couture originally filed the motion on Nov. 12, stating that Beard was threatening her and her lawyer. A temporary order was granted for 30 days, for which Beard was prevented from "interacting, communicating and/or having any contact with Couture, including attending the events surrounding UFC 91."

Couture said requests for accounting information on the Xtreme Couture clothing line, of which Randy Couture owns a significant interest, led to the dispute.

Beard did not attempt to block or prevent the extension.

Dana White's UFC 92 Video Blog - Episode 5

In the final edition of Dana White's UFC 92 video blog, he goes backstage for the fights that took place on Saturday night. The event featured two title changes...Rashad Evans winning the light heavyweight title and Frank Mir taking home the heavyweight crown.

White: Lesnar/Mir in Spring 2009

At the post-fight press conference for UFC 92, UFC president Dana White confirmed the final bracket of the promotion's unofficial heavyweight tournament would conclude sometime in spring 2009, possibly in April or May. Frank Mir will attempt to become the undisputed heavyweight title holder, while Brock Lesnar will attempt to avenge a loss at UFC 81.

A venue was not named for the event, although unofficially, UFC 97 is scheduled for Apr. 18 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A date and location for UFC 98, presumably in May, is unknown at this time.

In other shop talk, White disputed implications that Saturday winners Mir and Rashad Evans were less marketable than former champions Forrest Griffin and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

"At the end of the day, this is what we do," White said. "If I can't promote them, then I've got some problems. I think they're very promotable. Rashad Evans is the real deal. If you look at who he's beaten and what he's done. He's undefeated.

"Frank Mir has a great story, coming back. Brock Lesnar is a great story with Mir and Lesnar. Very promotable. I'm a promoter, that's what I do."

WEC Best of 2008 on Versus Sunday Night

VERSUS will air WEC Best of 2008, a two-hour special presentation tonight - Sunday, December 28 - at 9 p.m. ET. The hard-hitting night includes four spectacular fights: Miguel Angel Torres vs. Yoshira Maeda, Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura and the never before seen on television bout between Donald Cerrone and Rob McCullough.

VERSUS will re-air the special on December 31 at 11 p.m. ET and January 1 at 3 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET.

Forrest Griffin Suffers Broken Hand In Loss

MMAWeekly.com was on the scene at UFC 92 and following the light heavyweight title fight on Saturday night, now former champion Forrest Griffin left the arena to head to the hospital and get treated for a broken hand.

It is unknown at this time at what point in the fight Griffin suffered the broken hand, but he had mentioned in his post fight comments that he was heading to the hospital.

It was assumed at the time the trip was for a possible concussion with the TKO suffered to end the fight.

Griffin looked very good in his first title defense, but fell victim to a vicious ground and pound attack from new champion, Rashad Evans, who won his first UFC title while keeping his record perfect in the process.

Dana White's UFC 92 Blog - Episode 4

Petruzelli Eyes Strikeforce, Macau, and Rematch?

Possibly known forever as "the guy who knocked out Kimbo," Seth Petruzelli is currently tending his gym, Jungle MMA, in Orlando, Fl., waiting for a fight.

The pink-haired fighter says three options--all taking place in March--that are on the table for his fighting future: a yet to be announced Strikeforce show in March; an unnamed event in gambling haven Macau, China; a rematch with Kimbo Slice in Tampa, Fla.

Petruzelli maintains that he's agreed to the rematch, and is awaiting word from Slice's camp. It's a fight he feels is needed to sustain the jolt in momentum created by the 14 second knockout at Elite XC's final dance on Oct. 4.

"I just need to prove more my second time around, if I fight him, or I fight anybody else," Petruzelli said. "I need to do the exact same thing...just to prove it wasn't a fluke. That's been my main driving goal, to train my ass off."

Source: Jardine Will Not Fight Liddell in March

During a recent radio appearance with "The Tom Leykis Show" earlier this month, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell said he'd like a rematch with Keith Jardine. The Greg Jackson-trained fighter defeated Liddell at UFC 76 by gutsy three round decision.

"There's been a few names," he said. "We have Jardine listed. We want him in March."

Despite several reports assuring the fight, a source close to Jardine's camp says he will not lock horns with Liddell at UFC 96 on March 7 in Columbus, Oh.

Jardine will, however, return against an unnamed opponent during the "Arnold Classic" weekend card.

In the meantime, Jardine will corner friend and teammate Rashad Evans as he attempts to summit the light heavyweight division against current champ Forrest Griffin.

UFC 92 Weigh-in Video

Below is an edited version of the UFC 92 weigh-ins - courtesy of ESPN.com - featuring the main event bout between UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and challenger Rashad Evans. The bout marks the first time two Ultimate Fighter winners have battled it out for a UFC championship.

The co-main event features UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defending his belt against challenger and fellow Ultimate Fighter Season 8 coach Frank Mir. The winner will go on to face current heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar in 2009 for a unification of the two titles.

Wanderlei Silva and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson - following a shoving match at the weigh-ins - will meet on Saturday night for the third time in their careers. Silva won the first two match-ups decisively, both taking place in a ring under Pride rules. UFC 92 marks the first time they meet in the Octagon.

(Note: There was an error during the UFC's live stream of the weigh-ins on Friday - provided to both UFC.com and MMAWeekly.com - which cut off the earlier portion of the weigh-ins during the live streaming.)

Arlovski 360: On the Road to Reckoning Episode 2 (Arlovski vs Fedor)

Dana White's UFC 92 Blog - Episode 3

The third installment of Dana White's UFC 92 blog from Dec. 24 and 25. In this episode Dana takes viewers through a workout in the gym, Christmas morning at the White household, and the UFC Christmas dinner provided for the fighters and their camps and family that were away from home during the holiday.

WEC Best of 2008 Video Promo

Inside MMA Episode 250 Preview

The good, the bad, and the ugly are honored as the winners of the "Bazzie Awards" are revealed by Kenny and Bas. Who is Fighter of the Year? How about Fight of the Year? Or Bloodiest Bout? Tune in to see for yourself on very special episode of Inside MMA.

UFC 92 Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans Video Preview

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 33: UFC 92 Preview

ESPN's MMA Live previews Saturday night's UFC 92 featuring Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir, and Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson.

White's Message To Dean Lister: Let Your Hands Go

UFC middleweight Dean Lister has always been known as a ground ace, but his performances in MMA have often been less than exciting. Despite an impressive outing against Jeremy Horn at the season seven finale of "The Ultimate Fighter," Lister has largely dropped off the radar screen of potential contenders in the 185 lb. division.

In an business environment where fighters are more frequently getting cut from the organization after one bad performance, UFC president Dana White had this to say about Lister, who faces Yushin Okami this Saturday at UFC 92.

"He needs to get in there and let his (expletive) go," White told reporters after a press conference for the event. "He needs to go in there and actually try and finish a fight. Dean's a talented guy, he's been fighting in mixed martial arts for a long time, and he needs to go in there and show it."

It's inevitable that Okami and Lister will hit the mat come Saturday, and Okami's wrestling prowess would seem tailor made for Lister's submission ability. The danger with both fighters is an excess of respect. The way White paints it, a stalemate could be bad for their careers.

Dana White's UFC 92 Blog - Episode 2

The second installment of Dana White's UFC 92 blog. In this episode Dana meets with several of the UFC 92 fighters, takes viewers to the UFC 92 press conference as he meets with the media, tours his office showing some of the gifts he's received from various people, and more.

Is Rashad Willing to Slug It Out With Forrest?

Everyone knows Rashad Evans for his obvious strength in wrestling, as displayed in most of his fights, but most prominently against Tito Ortiz. Coming off of his stunning knockout of Chuck Liddell, will the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 2 chance slugging it out with UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 on Saturday night?

He sure might.

"When you have a major wrestling background, you learn to use it as a defense. So you know you're not going to get taken down by somebody and you can take a little bit more chances on your feet and slug it out," said Evans.

"The hard part is just getting yourself to be comfortable enough to stand up and throw the blows. Sometimes you throw a couple of shots and someone catches you with one and the next thing you know is you want to wrap them up. You've just got to ignore that instinct and you've just got to just fight through it."

So in the first championship battle between Ultimate Fighter winners, will we see an epic battle similar to the Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin fight that launched The Ultimate Fighter franchise?

Who knows? But we'll find out Saturday night at UFC 92.

Arlovski 360: Count Down to Day of Reckoning

Check out more on Andrei Arlovski at his official website.

UFC vs Pride Rules: Rampage Says, "A Fight Is A Fight."

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson takes on "The Axe Murderer," Wanderlei Silva, at UFC 92 Saturday night in Las Vegas. It will be their third fight but their first under Unified Rules. Their two previous bouts took place under Pride rules with ten-minute first rounds, yellow cards, stomps, soccer kicks, knees to the head on the ground, no elbows, and took place in a square ring.

This time around, they will compete for three, five-minute rounds, inside the world famous Octagon with no knees to the head on the ground, no stomps, no soccer kicks, but they are allowed to use elbows.

Seems like a big difference, but Jackson doesn't think so. "A fight is a fight," says the former UFC light heavyweight titleholder.

"Wanderlei is a warrior... Wanderlei fought in the UFC before he fought in Pride," he pointed out. "I don't think it makes a difference. A fight is a fight. I'll fight Wanderlei in a phone booth if I had to.

"It don't matter what the rules are or what the advantages is. A fight is a fight," Jackson added. "I do like the Pride rules, and I do like some of the UFC rules. I wish that, if there was a perfect world for me, I wish we could mix them up and have both rules. That would be cool."

At the end of the day, Rampage commented, "I'm just thinking about staying within the rules and having a good fight."

Cage Rage Champ Talks Cage Rage and EliteXC Demise

Mostapha Al Turk, who makes his UFC debut against Cheick Kongo at UFC 92, spoke with MMAWeekly.com about the demise of ProElite and subsequently, Cage Rage.

"It's always sad to see any organization sort of come to their knees. But hey, you know, there's not one person or one organization that's bigger than the sport itself. And where as one door closes, another one opens for anybody," said the former Cage Rage British heavyweight titleholder. "I'm disappointed to see that happen for Cage Rage and EliteXC, but hey, life carries on.

"Cage Rage, they're a great bunch of guys. A very professional organization. I've got nothing bad to say about the guys that ran Cage Rage and the time I've had at Cage Rage, nothing bad what so ever really. It's all been positive," added Al Turk.

"It was the main show in the U.K., so it had a massive fan base. It was huge in the U.K."

Dana White's UFC 92 Blog - Episode 1

The first installment of Dana White's UFC 92 blog. In this episode Dana gives fans an inside view for the "Video Game Awards" on Spike TV.

Affliction "Day of Reckoning" LA Press Conference

The Affliction "Day of Reckoning," featuring Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski, press conference from Dec. 17 in Los Angeles...

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

Ultimate Fighter Predicts the Ultimate UFC Championship

For the first time in UFC history, two winners of The Ultimate Fighter reality series on Spike TV will square off for a UFC championship. Forrest Griffin won the inaugural season of the show and defeated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to capture the UFC light heavyweight title, while Rashad Evans won season two of the show. Now they will face each other on Dec. 27 at UFC 92 in Las Vegas.

Ryan Bader won the light heavyweight division of the most recent edition of The Ultimate Fighter, the show's eighth season. On a recent episode of MMAWeekly Radio, The Ultimate Fighter gave his thoughts on the UFC 92 title bout, the first ever "All Ultimate Fighter" championship if you will.

"It's hard to say. I think if Rashad uses his wrestling, he could definitely, probably win a decision," said Bader. "If he tries to stand the whole time, I think Forrest is just going to stay on the outside and pick him apart a little bit and also win a decision.

"Rashad is coming off his knockout of Chuck (Liddell) and he's pretty confident in his hands. I think Forrest is going to nitpick at him the whole time, but if Rashad goes back and takes him down at least once a round, I think he can definitely win," Bader continued. "So it's going to be hard, but I'm going to say, I'm actually going to say Rashad is going to take the belt.

"It's a scary thing when a wrestler has boxing."

Now there's an overly committed pick that makes you want to go out and bet the house.

VIDEO: BJPenn.com Show 4

Episode 4 (five parts) of the BJPenn.com Show...

BJPenn.com Show 4 - Segment 1



BJPenn.com Show 4 - Segment 2



BJPenn.com Show 4 - Segment 3



BJPenn.com Show 4 - Segment 4



BJPenn.com Show 4 - Segment 5
Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

The Holiday Wish List for Affliction Fighters

PRESS RELEASE:

With the holiday season in full swing, some of the top MMA fighters in the world fighting on the extraordinary Affliction "Day of Reckoning" fight card have made their holiday wish list, checked it twice and set their sights on goals and resolutions for the New Year. From cars to sushi dinners, a victory on January 24th isn't the only thing these fighters are hoping for this holiday season.

Holiday Wish List

Andrei Arlovski-
"Gift card to Dolce & Gabbana. Seriously, I just want to make my family and friends proud for the upcoming fight, and do my best for all my fans."

Josh Barnett-
"That everyone I care about can have the awareness and the ability to be better human beings."

Babalu Sobral-
"I want to enjoy the holiday with my family and friends."

Vladimir Matyushenko-
"A nice gift card to a sushi place. I love sushi."

Chris Horodecki-
"A car...black Jeep Wrangler. I want to put the top down and cruise around. Or a date with Halle Berry."

Brett Cooper-
"A laptop to use for my classes at Long Beach City College would be great."

Dan Lauzon-
"A car...that moves."

Jason High-
"Xbox 360."

Albert Rios-
"A new cell phone because I dropped mine in the toilet. I tried to dry it off but it is going crazy. I can't tell who is calling me anymore."

New Year's Resolutions
Andrei Arlovski-
"Beat Fedor, for my family to stay healthy, and for peace in all of the world."

Josh Barnett-
"To hold my own destiny."

Babalu Sobral-
"I want to continue the success of my gym in Cerritos, California, stay healthy and I have a child coming so I'm really looking forward to that."

Vladimir Matyushenko-
"Make a lot more money than I did last year. Also keep improving my gym VMAT MMA and PT Training Facility in El Segundo. And spend more time with my son who is about to turn 18."

Chris Horodecki-
"Continue the success of my gym Adrenaline Training Center in London, Canada."

Brett Cooper-
"Don't let girls get the best of me. Be a pimp and don't get pimped."

Dan Lauzon-
"Give up fast food. Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut."

Jason High-
"I don't make them. They are stupid and nobody ever keeps them."

Albert Rios-
"Stop eating Thai food in the middle of the night. I eat a bucket of noodles after training and it's not good when I'm trying to lose weight."

UFC 92 Title Bout Proves Reality Works

At UFC 86 back in July, Forrest Griffin took the first step in solidifying the worth of The Ultimate Fighter reality series as a fight factory for the UFC. He beat Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in a five-round war, and in the process, took his UFC light heavyweight belt, making Griffin the first Ultimate Fighter alum to win a UFC championship.

On Saturday night at UFC 92 in Las Vegas, another Ultimate Fighter milestone will be reached when Ultimate Fighter Season 1 winner Forrest Griffin and Ultimate Fighter Season 2 winner Rashad Evans fight for the title. The bout marks the first time two veterans of the reality series have battled for a belt.

"I think it's a great compliment to Forrest and myself," Evans noted of the distinction of the fight and The Ultimate Fighter ties. "Since I came off the show, I've been trying to keep up with Forrest because he set the tone coming off the show. He did excellent. But I have to show everyone that I can do my thing as well and it just wasn't a reality show."

Evans went on to comment about how he believes that The Ultimate Fighter is producing top tier talent, the superstars of the future for the UFC. "We're in a position right now, to really show that the show works to get the best talent out there and these fighters are going to be the fighters of the future. We're going to be the Chuck Liddells and the Randy Coutures because we have a following because the fans were watching us from the ground up."

GSP Talks B.J. Penn, UFC 94 with MMAWeekly.com

Georges St. Pierre discusses his upcoming UFC 94 mega-fight with B.J. Penn.

Princess of Pain Brings Women's MMA to the Movies

From The Smashing Machine, which aired on HBO as part of the network's documentary series, to Hollywood fare such as David Mamet's Red Belt, there have been opportunities for fans of many facets of the MMA world, but rarely has the female side of the sport been explored to much depth.

This is something that Princesses of Pain promoter Belinda Dunne hopes to change this coming film festival season with the release of a documentary shot during the promotion's May show.

"It's more about educating people about what female fighters are," said Dunne of the documentary. "In the end it's going to be very powerful because you're going to see some sad moments, happy moments, and angry moments -- mostly from me -- you're going to see the highs and lows of what it takes to put a television production and film together."

Belinda discussed the decision to submit the movie to the film festival circuit, including the Cannes Film Festival, possibly the most influential and prestigious platform for independent film.

"Right from the very beginning I had a very clear outline of what I wanted to achieve," she said. "It was always a target, what we always wanted.

"Also the reason I chose to go the film festival route instead of TV, because if I sent it to a network it would be changed too much. I needed to put the real story out there, that is what we set out to do and that is what we've done."

Dunne hopes the documentary will allow the promotion to expand beyond its New Zealand routes and truly become an international female fight league for women fighters both elite and novices, as well expand into the growing television market for MMA-based programming.

"I do believe with the production partners that we have and the direction that we've researched quite clearly, I do think we are onto a good direction and that you'll see some big things from us soon," she stated.

Bas Rutten's Top 5 MMA Gifts

With Christmas right around the corner and people still looking for last-minute gifts, MMAInsider spoke to legendary fighter, commentator and entrepreneur Bas "El Guapo" Rutten to get the rundown of his Top 5 gifts for the MMA enthusiast looking to up their game the way the pros do.

5 -- Fight Shorts with Non-Slip Material Inseams
"If I were competing right now I would like to have fight shorts that go to your knees or just a little bit over them with the inside gi-like (non-slip) material. I think those are better than anything else because you have traction because it's more difficult for your opponent to escape submissions like arm bars and triangle chokes."

4 -- Good Music to Listen to During Training
"Some people say it's not important, but for me it's one of the priorities. Techno to warm you up and when you want to get really aggressive go for music like Rage Against the Machine; that really gets me worked up."

3 -- Heavy Padded Training Gloves with Open Palms
"It's a little more difficult to do submissions with these - especially rear naked chokes - but you can actually spar with these gloves. If you injure your hands, training is over, and hand injuries are the worst because you can't hit or do submissions."

2 -- Dentist-Fitted Mouthpiece
"One that locks into your upper teeth and an under-bite for your lower teeth, this is very important. This makes a big difference when wanting to keep your teeth or between getting knocked out or not. You can resist a way bigger blow with a properly fitted mouthpiece than without."

1 -- Instructional DVD Sets
"If you want to focus on fighting in a cage, ring or MMA career I would say buy the Big DVDs of Combat. Even BJ Penn told me personally it was the best instructional he's seen. Or, if you're out with your girlfriend and need to protect yourself on the street get the Lethal Street Fighting DVD."

"This whole list is a great start, but in the end you need motivation and determination to make it all work. These gifts will be sure to get a smile and you'll be on your way to a fine 2009; Godspeed and party on!"

Arlovski 360: On the Road to Reckoning Episode 1 (Arlovski vs Fedor)

Check out more on Andrei Arlovski at his official website.

Kickboxing Champ Kathy Long Plans Jump to MMA at 44

Crossover success like that achieved this past year by female fighter Gina Carano is nothing new. In the early to mid 90's a handful of women involved in combat sports enjoyed a brief period of mainstream attention, among them Kathy Long.

Long, a five-time world kickboxing champion, parlayed her success in the ring and marketability into a multitude of media opportunities, such as acting in Oliver Stone's cult favorite Natural Born Killers and performing as Michelle Pfeiffer's stunt double for the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns.

Kathy was also witness to the creation of what became MMA as a color commentator for the very first UFC event, and in an interesting twist, looks to bring her involvement with the sport full circle by making her MMA fighting debut early in 2009.

"In watching some of the women and the exposure they're getting, I thought if there's a chance I could help the women get better purses and recognition, I want to," said the 44-year-old Long of her decision to come out of retirement to fight MMA.

"I've had a lot of exposure in the past when I was kickboxing. I was on Showtime PPV events, ESPN and, in that regard, I just want to be able to help women get better recognition and purses in the sport. I figure now is the time -- I'm not going to get any younger -- if I'm going to do it I've got to do it now."

Having watched the genesis of American MMA first hand at UFC 1, Kathy is amazed by how what was originally spectacle has become a legitimate sport.

"I wasn't too wild about it at the time, but since then it's grown, evolved and become something very different," she admitted. "It's incredible the amount of talent and knowledge that goes into each fighter and their abilities now."

Achieving a level of success and mainstream exposure in the past has allowed Long the experience to be able to give this generation's crop of breakthrough athletes advice on how to handle themselves in the spotlight.

"I would say this to any fighter who would be in the public eye; know yourself, stay humble and kick ass beautifully," she said. "Let your actions be your words. You can say whatever you want, but the proof is in the pudding."

Carwin Vs. Gonzaga Not Signed Yet

Despite several reports to the contrary, a bout between heavyweight prospect Shane Carwin and Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96 has not been signed.

A source from Carwin's camp told MMAInsider that Carwin had not received word of the bout, nor had he received any bout agreements for a fight with the top ranked Brazilian fighter.

Recently, Carwin was presented with a list of names of possible opponents, in which Gonzaga was at the top of the list. Though Colorado native Carwin would be open to such a bout, it is far from a done deal.

The source did say, however, that Carwin had recently inked a new extension to his UFC contract, and though the exact number was not disclosed, it is certain that Carwin will be with the promotion for at least four more fights. As of late, the UFC has increased the number of minimum fights for its extensions, with the average deal for between four and six fights.

UFC 92 Video Interview with Frank Mir

Arlovski/Sylvia From The Cutting Room Floor

MMAWeekly's recent video interview of Andre Arlovski proved his feud with Tim Sylvia is not quite over.

A few minutes into the conversation, Arlovski referred to the man that took his UFC crown as a "pee-pee taster," an homage of sorts to an earlier quip he made in July to MMARated. When asked how he felt about Sylvia getting cozy with ex-girlfriend Patrycja Mikula, he posed this question to "the Maine-iac": "How's taste my big pee-pee?"

Well, that wasn't all he said.

It was about halfway into the interview when Arlovski was asked how he would succeed where Tim Sylvia failed.

As soon as Arlovski heard the word Sylvia, his body tightened and his face turned to a scowl.

"First of all, Tim Sylvia and Andre Arlovski is something personal," Arlovski said. "He start all this bullshit, and honestly, I don't even want to talk about Tim Sylvia. He's like, I don't respect him. For me, he's nobody, he's piece of shit, and I don't respect him like a fighter and I can't respect him like a man. Because he has a big mouth, and honestly, piece of shit and Tim Sylvia, for me, is the same."

Steering Arlovski back to the question proved somewhat fruitful. When it was clarified Sylvia faced Emelianenko and was defeated quickly, Arlovski tried to get back on track.

"He faced Fedor and had a great opportunity back in July in the first Affliction, and he just got beat," he continued. "That's it. First of all, Tim Sylvia doesn't have great trainers like I have. And I'm not sure that he train like I train. Yeah, he's a fighter, he was a five-time UFC champion, he beat me twice, and it's the most worst part. I'm sure I will show different fight."

With that subject out of the way, Arlovski went back to the subject at hand--beating Fedor.

But seriously, these two may need to work things out in ring sometime soon.

Watch MMAWeekly.com's video interview with Andrei Arlovski.

UFC 92 Video Interview with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Video: Frank Mir on Fight Day

Former Ultimate Fighter Competitor Noah Thomas Traded?

While trades in professional sports such as the NFL, NBA and MLB is nothing new and fairly commonplace, in the world of MMA it's not something you run across very often.

So you can imagine the surprise that former "The Ultimate Fighter 5" cast member and current TKO 135-pound champion Noah Thomas got when he was informed that he had been traded from TKO to XMMA.

"It did come as a total surprise," Thomas told MMAInsider.

The trade comes on the heels of longtime TKO President Stephan Patry leaving the promotion in November to startup the new Strikebox sport/promotion. Following the initial shock of what had happened; Noah has come to terms with the situation and looks at it now as a new challenge.

"I did not foresee Stephan stepping down, but change is good and it's not a big deal," he said. "I'm really excited about the trade to XMMA and I'm looking forward to facing their 135ers."

Thomas only fought once for TKO, capturing their 135-pound title in October from Adrian Wooley, and as he sees it, the title is his still to hold on to.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm still the TKO champ," exclaimed Noah. "So if they want the belt, they'll have to come get it. I took it home and it's in a safe, and that's where it belongs."

Randy Couture Lands Major Role in Stallone Film

Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titleholder Randy "The Natural" Couture has signed on for a major role in Sylvester Stallone's next action film, titled The Expendables.

Couture joins an impressive cast including action stars Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker.

The $60 million feature centers on a group of mercenaries (Couture, Li, Staham and Stallone) sent to overthrow against a ruthless dictator.

According to Couture's agent Matt Walker, Couture's role is a major one originally conceived for Wesley Snipes and rewritten for the former UFC champ.

Inside MMA Episode 249 Preview... How would Frank Shamrock fight Fedor?

Kenny and Bas return to the studio where they are joined by Andrei Arlovski, Frank Shamrock, and Gilbert Melendez. In Kruck's Korner, Ron takes a look at MMA's scoring system. There will be plenty of fight highlights from anywhere and everywhere. (Premiers Friday, Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. ET on HDNet)

ESPN.com UFC 92 Video Interview with Wanderlei Silva

ESPN.com UFC 92 Video Interview with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Introducing Karson Jens Pulver To The World!

Jens Pulver welcomed his son, Karson Jens Pulver, at 10:30am on Tuesday of this week. He weighed in at 7lbs 110z.

Jens has always been like family here at MMAWeekly.com and we want to send our sincerest congratulations to him and his family.

Enjoy the pics of the new "Lil' lil' Evil" with his proud papa. Photos courtesy of Sucker Punch Entertainment

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 32: UFC 92 Breakdown Begins

MMA Live recaps 'TUF 8' finale, begins its comprehensive preview of UFC 92 and discusses Bobby Lashley's MMA future.

Versus to air WEC Best of 2008 on Dec. 28

Versus, the network that celebrates real competition and the exclusive television home of World Extreme Cagefighting, will air WEC Best of 2008, a two-hour special presentation on December 28 at 9 p.m. ET. The hard-hitting night includes four spectacular fights: Miguel Angel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda, Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura, and the never before seen on television bout between Donald Cerrone and Rob McCullough.

Versus will re-air the special on December 31 at 11 p.m. ET and January 1 at 3 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET. WEC Best of 2008 is available on Versus HD.

Beginning December 28 viewers can visit www.Versus.com to weigh in on which of the four bouts featured in the WEC Best of 2008 special is the best fight of the year. Each person who votes will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip for two to Versus' next live WEC event on January 25 in San Diego, which will feature the lightweight championship fight between Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone and the mega-rematch between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver.

The fight of the year, as decided by VERSUS viewers, will be announced in the January 25 live telecast airing on VERSUS at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The blockbuster bout in this special program is the explosive match between Donald Cerrone (9-0, 1 NC) and Rob McCullough (16-5), which took place November 5, but wasn't shown in the Versus live telecast. Shown in its entirety, fight fans will find out first hand why it's considered one of the best fights of the year and why Cerrone earned the chance to take on Jamie Varner for the WEC lightweight championship on January 25.

Two other fights featured in the special, arguably two of the best MMA bouts of the year, are from the June 1 card held at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. The first fight features the Miguel Angel Torres (35-1-0) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (23-6-2) bout, which resulted in Torres' third-round technical knockout over Maeda. The second fight from the June 1 card features the most anticipated MMA fight in featherweight history when former WEC champion Urijah Faber (21-2) and UFC legend Jens Pulver (22-10-1) battled it out for five heart-pumping rounds leading to a unanimous decision in Faber's favor.

Also in the December 28 special is the Carlos Condit (23-4) vs. Hiromitsu Miura (9-5) bout from the August 3 card in which Condit beat Miura near the conclusion of the fourth round with a technical knockout.

Wanderlei Trains With Xtreme Couture And Nogueira For Rampage Fight

With each passing day, the third fight between "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson draws nearer and nearer. As Silva prepares for the fight, he has branched out his training to extend to his own gym which will open in January after his bout at UFC 92.

Silva spoke to MMAWeekly Radio recently about his training and especially dealing with someone like Randy Couture to help prepare him.

"I'm training at (Xtreme) Couture for this fight. Cause (Randy) Couture is an amazing guy, I like him a lot," Silva said. "He opened his gym for me, he helped me a lot after I move here to Vegas, he's an amazing guy."

Working with a wide variety of training partners, Silva gets specialized help in every area and this week his gym will open up to old friend and current UFC heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

"I'm training at (Xtreme) Couture and training at my gym. Because this week, (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira coming to train at my gym with his team," Silva stated. "He has a lot of strong guys, good jiu-jitsu, good guys for takedowns, and I'm training in my gym with him. I'm training my boxing with Skip Kelps, he's from Vegas and he's very good at boxing. I train my wrestling with Mike Whitehead, he has amazing jiu-jitsu and he's so much stronger."

Wanderlei also says that he expects to invite another champion into his gym to work with Nogueira over the next few days.

"Tomorrow I invited Forrest (Griffin) to train with me and (Nogueira). Maybe Forrest is going to train with Nogueira and with me tomorrow. Tomorrow is a hot day in my gym!"

Silva says he'll slow down on a couple of days out from the actual fight, but until then he will be at full force getting ready for his match-up against Jackson next Saturday night.

UFC 92 Video Interview with Rashad Evans

UFC 92 Video Interview with Forrest Griffin

Will Eddie Alvarez Sport Aoki's Signature Spandex Pants On NYE?

Psychological warfare is a big part of the mixed martial arts game these days. The most common form of course is trash talk, but what about wearing a pair of your opponent's signature spandex pants going into a main event fight on New Year's Eve?

That's exactly what Eddie Alvarez joked about doing during a recent appearance on MMAWeekly Radio.

"We already mentioned something like that in the gym. I wanted to do something like that, wear a pair of pants and put something like 'Tonight, I'll be wearing the pants.' Something like that," Alvarez said with a laugh.

In the end, Alvarez says that the pants just wouldn't work out for him, especially in a worst case scenario situation.

"I don't know how great it would be going out there," Alvarez said. "God forbid I get submitted with crazy ass pants on. That's not my style, I'd just rather go out in my regular shorts."

The reaction from the Japanese crowd would likely be very mixed as well.

"Everybody will be looking at me, 'look at this (expletive) in the spandex pants," Alvarez commented.

Regardless of his selection of fight wear that night, even Alvarez has said he looks forward to Aoki's entrance.

"You should see when he comes out over there, it's amazing. His song's real catchy too."

That song...Baka Survivor....check it out on YouTube.

Topps Announces Round 1 of UFC Trading Cards, GSP and Serra Signings

PRESS RELEASE:

Topps and The UFC are pleased to announce that the first ever UFC exclusive trading card product will ship mid-late January 2009... and it's appropriately named "TOPPS UFC-ROUND ONE!"

Each 16-pack box delivers plenty of value and content with a guarantee of 3 AUTOGRAPHS and 3 RELICS and will feature the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Royce (pronounced Hoyce) Gracie, Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin and many more UFC superstars.

The 100-card base set includes 90 different fighters' debut match and a mix of personalities such as Dana White and the Octagon Girls. And to accompany UFC's exhilarating action photography found throughout the product, UFC fans and collectors can also find the following:

PARALLEL CARDS (100) - Overall Insert Rate: 1 per Pack

• Gold Parallel
• Black Parallel #'d to 888
• Red Parallel #'d 1 of 1

INSERTS

• Top 10 Fights of ‘08: The 10 best fights from 2008. Each fight will have 4 cards commemorating the contest (1:4 packs)
• 20 Victorious Debuts: Includes single fighter image of them in victory pose (1:4)
• Gold Parallel #'d to 88
• Red Parallel #'d to 1

AUTOGRAPHED CARDS

• Fighters/Personalities Autographs (50 subjects)
• Fighters Red Ink Nickname Autographs (40 subjects) #'d 25.

RELIC CARDS

• Fight Mat relics (50 cards)
• Gold Parallel #'d 88
• Red Parallel #'d to 1
• Dual Autographed Fight Mat Relics (10) Features 1 piece of mat and 2 autographs. #'d to 25
• Ultimate Gear Relics (20 subjects) Featuring event-used gloves, shorts or shirts. These are single subject cards #'d to 199.
• Autographed Ultimate Gear Relics (20 subjects) #'d to 25

PROMOTION

• Instant Win cards for tickets to an upcoming UFC event.

DEDICATED WEBSITE

• In addition, a dedicated website has been created for Topps UFC products.

Each 8-card pack carries a $5 SRP and can be found exclusively at hobby shops and UFC events.

Georges St. Pierre Topps UFC Card Signing:

Matt Serra Topps UFC Card Signing:

Rashad Evans and Efrain Escudero on MMAWeekly Radio Tuesday

Tuesday night at 9pm EST/6pm PST, MMAWeekly Radio welcomes Rashad Evans and Efrain Escudero to the show.

Evans is of course in final preparation for his Dec 27 title showdown against Forrest Griffin in Las Vegas.

Tonight, Evans joins the show live to talk about his training camp and getting ready to fight for his first ever UFC championship.

Also on the show will be "Ultimate Fighter" season 8 winner, Efrain Escudero, just days after his big win over Phillipe Nover to get the TUF title.

Escudero dedicated the win to his father and tonight he will talk about the strategy to win the fight and his future with the UFC.

Tune in tonight at 9pm EST/6pm PST to hear Rashad Evans and Efrain Escudero live!

The Dec. 16 Edition of the BJPenn.com Show

Here is the latest edition of the BJPenn.com Show. There seems to be a little technical difficulty at the beginning of a couple of the segments, but it passes and the segments do start playing if you give just a moment...

BJPenn.com Show - Dec. 16 - Segment 1



BJPenn.com Show - Dec. 16 - Segment 2


BJPenn.com Show - Dec. 16 - Segment 3


BJPenn.com Show - Dec. 16 - Segment 4


BJPenn.com Show - Dec. 16 - Segment 5
Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

Mike Swick's Post UFC Fight for the Troops Video Blog

Check out more from Mike Swick at www.MikeSwick.com.

Junie On Efrain's Fight, "I fell asleep half way through..."

Following an impressive victory over Dave Kaplan and a televised apology to Frank Mir -- even though he had been openly critical of Mir all the way up to The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Saturday night -- bad boy Junie Browning is still trying to get under the skin of his Ultimate Fighter 8 cast mates.

One win off the show and Junie believes he should get a rematch with Efrain Escudero, who won the lightweight division's Ultimate Fighter with an impressive performance against Phillipe Nover on Saturday night.

"I definitely would like to get a rematch now (with Efrain), you know what I mean? That was my 20% and I feel like I performed pretty good. If I go train, it wouldn't even be close, for sure," Junie told MMAWeekly.com later that night.

As for Efrain's performance, Junie gave his housemate some credit, but didn't indicate that he was particularly impressed. "I fell asleep half way through, so I didn't get to see it all. It was a smart gameplan, taking Phillipe down; he has strong punches. I give him credit. It's hard to defend his takedowns if he sets 'em up good. If I ever fight him again, that won't be a problem."

But his assessment of Efrain was the least of his critical comments. He had more for the entire cast of The Ultimate Fighter 8, believing he is head and shoulders above them all.

"The way I looked tonight, I'll be twice as good my next fight and then twice as good after that and then twice as good... I'm gonna keep improving. That's the difference between me and the rest of the guys in the house," he assessed. "I have the potential to improve. I don't think the rest of the guys have... open mind sets enough to go different places and improve certain points of their game."

And we all know that was Junie's point of strength on the show, his open mindedness...