UFC 95 Delivers $1 Million U.S. and Strong Attendance

The UFC treated fans watching UFC 95 on Setanta Sports to all 10 bouts on Saturday night in England. Even the British fans that weren't able to attend were able to see their countrymen fight, most of which faired well.

The fans that did make it to the O2 Arena treated the UFC to a strong attendance of 13,268, totaling ticket revenue of slightly more than $1 million U.S. Both are considered strong numbers during tough economic times, especially with a fight card sans a championship bout.

Diego Sanchez, making his 155-pound debut, and Joe Stevenson were top bill at UFC 95, providing fans with the Fight of the Night. They battled through all three rounds before Sanchez scored a unanimous decision victory.

Dan Hardy, Terry Etim, and Paul Kelly, were all victorious, giving the British fans much to cheer for, although big Neil Grove was unable to do the same.

Dana White's UFC 95 Video Blog (2/20/09)

Marcus Davis On Hardy, Alves

At a Q & A session for this weekend's UFC 95, Marcus Davis spoke to English fans about possibilities for his fighting future.

One strong candidate seemed to be Dan Hardy, who faces Davis' former training partner in Rory Markham tomorrow.

Davis respected Hardy's talent, but in six appearances across the pond, four of his opponents have been Brits.

"This is the thing," Davis explained. "I wanna stop fighting British guys (in England). Now I say bring me Americans. I hear a lot about fighting Dan, I think he is a good fighter, great stand-up and a good record. I think it would be an interesting fight. But I just hope we don't do it here."

Later, Davis hinted that the UFC's German debut in June may be the place for them to do battle.

"Not a definite thing, but hearing that I may be fighting in Germany," said Davis. "I think they are looking at this card for possible opponents, obviously Hardy has been mentioned, but he is fighting a powerhouse friend of mine in Rory Markham, so it's a case of do I pull for Markham as a friend or pull for Hardy for me to fight?"

The UFC's plans for Davis go beyond this summer, as well.

UFC brass, particularly UK head Marshall Zelaznik, have mentioned the possibility of bringing Davis back to Ireland for a headlining fight on St. Patty's day, assuming he stays on the winning track. Davis said he might split his time between the States and his native land.

"I am looking at purchasing a home over here in the Summer, and were talking about opening a Team Sitodyong/Team Irish over here, so we have to see how that goes," said Davis.

In regards to the "tough opponent" he desired for a possible St. Patty's day fight, an early career defeat stuck out.

"Thiago Alves and I have history," said Davis. "I lost a split division on the score card, so we have history. We're different fighters now, that was both our third professional fights, I had no background on the ground, and that is a fight I would love to do."

ATT Opens New School In Wellington, Fla

Recognized as one of the top training centers in the world, American Top Team will be opening a new school in Wellington, Fla which will be led by famed jiu-jitsu instructor, Emy "Shark" Bussade.

Bussade is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and Mundials world champion who has competed in mixed martial arts throughout his career as well.

Training under the legendary Carlson Gracie as well as ATT leader, Ricardo Liborio, Bussade was named the 2008 NAGA coach of the year for his teaching efforts.

The school will feature programs adapted for both adults and children with focuses on mixed martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai classes.

For more information on the school visit the offiical ATT Wellington site.

Chael Sonnen and Demain Maia Show Respect Heading into UFC 95

Chael Sonnen and Demian Maia talk about Saturday night's UFC 95 bout in London and what they think of each other.

B.J. Penn's GSP Greasegate Video

This is a video that B.J. Penn's camp posted on BJPenn.com in regards to alleged misuse of Vaseline by Georges St. Pierre's camp at UFC 94. Judge for yourself.

MMA For Dummies: Heel Hook

ESPN MMA Live co-host and UFC No. 1 lightweight contender Kenny Florian shows how to employ a heel hook submission.

Koscheck and Thiago Talk About Their UFC 95 Fight

Josh Koscheck and Paul Thiago talk about their upcoming fight on Saturday night at UFC 95 in London.

MMA Live Previews UFC 95 Stevenson vs. Sanchez

Randy Couture Addresses Possible Bout with Cro Cop

Randy Couture was on a recent episode of MMA Fix on RawVegas.tv at the Cage Fashion Show. UFC Ring Girl Arianny Celeste interviewed the former UFC champion about a possible match-up with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Cro Cop recently acknowledged that the UFC is one of the promotion's that he is negotiating with now that his Dream contract has ended.

Bartimus Could Be In Line For Title Shot With Win

As the WEC event in Corpus Christi, TX fast approaches, Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski is focused and ready to face tough lightweight competitor, Richard Crunkilton.

The bout is pivotal in the WEC's growing lightweight division as either fighter could be seen as future contender in the division, but while champion Jamie Varner has said he would be honored to fight the former IFL stand-out it's Palaszewski who is only looking at the fight directly in front of him.

"I'm not looking past Crunkilton right now but I am looking to get in and finish this fight" Bart said on the Suckerpunch Entertainment site. "Of course I’m looking for the KO but if it goes to the ground I may have to show my Team Curran BJJ."

"I want to win this for my teammates and my family who have always supported me, I want to thank my sponsors as well, they have really stepped up for me in this fight and I don’t want to let them down."

With a win, Bart may be in line for the title shot, although many believe that a rematch between Varner and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone could happen as soon as the champion is cleared to fight again after suffering multiple injuries in their last bout in January.

As for Bartimus, he's ready to get "Crunk" and then he'll worry about his title shot.

Bart Palaszewski will be a special guest tonight on MMAWeekly Radio to talk about the upcoming fight and the future of the WEC's lightweight division. Also UFC newcomer, Ryan "The Lion" Madigan will stop by the show to talk about his fight against Tamdan McCrory at UFC 96.

Jake Shields, Thomas Denny, Conor Heun and Others Beat Up Bullies

Former Elite XC welterweight champ turned Strikeforce fighter Jake Shields is in Utah along with former Elite stablemates Thomas Denny and Conor Heun, filming the new MTV series "Bully Beat Down," hosted by the always-colorful Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

The concept of the show, originally reported by MMAInsider in October as an Elite XC-helmed venture produced by reality kingpin Mark Burnett, involves singling out town bullies to fight with professional fighters for cash.

Enter professional bullies Shields, Denny, and Heun.

Shields tells MMAInsider that former Elite executive Jeremy Lappen recruited them to appear on the show, and Shields was a part of its pilot in December.

"I get to be a good guy bully," he said. "It's pretty cool."

Shields will log two days on the show's set and will appear on two of its eight episodes, scheduled to debut sometime this summer.

Show contestants will have 2 rounds with the professional fighters--one 3-minute round of grappling and one 3-minute round of kickboxing with pads and headgear. Alas, Shields and co. are not allowed to elbow the lions-turned-lambs on the ground.

"That would be nice," he laughs.

As you can imagine, Shields is not losing sleep over the fights.

"I'm going to go run tonight," he said. "Just for fun. The guy I'm going up against is a good wrestler, so I better take it a little serious, but it's two 3-minute rounds. Nothing serious."

Couture To Promote, Not Fight, At UFC 99

In recent days, rumors have abounded about Randy Couture's next fight. In early January, the former heavyweight champ could not accept a fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the first half of 2009 due to a nagging elbow injury that needed surgery. Couture expected to eventually face the Brazilian, but was booked for the coming months with the upcoming action flick "The Expendables" starring Sylvester Stallone.

Several reports said Couture's rumored participation in the UFC's trip to Germany at UFC 99 had become a reality, with the 46 year-old fighter scheduled to face off-again/on-again UFC'er Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the main event of the June 13 card.

However, a source close to Couture says it is virtually impossible that the popular fighter will grace the card due to his film obligations and need for a proper 8 week training camp. Couture will, however, assist the UFC in a yet-undefined promotional role for the event.

Couture is fluent--with a little dust-off--in German from his days there in the US Army.

The source said a summer appearance was likely, but there were a number of variables that would play into Couture's eventual return. Of the "Natural"'s elbow, he is reportedly back in the gym as his hectic schedule allows.

Feijao or Southworth Next for Babalu?

A proposed match-up between Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante may be close to reality.

Last Sunday, Strikeforce CEO pitched the bout to Cavalcante representatives Ed Soares and Jorge Guimares, who agreed to a May meeting between the two.

Richard Wilner, Sobral's manager and legal representative, on Wednesday told MMAInsider his fighter had "no objection" to fighting Feijao for Strikeforce in May.

"We'll fight anyone, anytime," said Wilner.

However, the former UFC contender is currently re-negotiating an extension of his Strikeforce deal, and Cavalcante, while a likely candidate for the fight, may be competing with former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth for a shot at the champ. Sobral faced the 39-year old at last November's "Destruction," where a bad cut above Southworth's left eye forced a doctor stoppage.

"We're very close to working out a deal," said Wilner.

Coker on Tuesday said the remaining bouts for his April card, and possibly May card, would be finalized in the coming days.

3 Main Card Bouts Remain TBA for Strikeforce's Showtime Debut

MMAInsider spoke on Tuesday with night owl Scott Coker on the shape of Strikeforce's Showtime debut on April 11.

As of now, the HP Pavilion event is set for main card bouts, however, three opponents have yet to be determined.

Confirmed for the card:

Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz
Josh Thomson vs. TBA
Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach
Jake Shields vs. Joe Riggs
Gilbert Melendez vs. TBA
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs. TBA

In other news:

* Gina Carano's participation in Strikeforce is still not finalized. However, Coker believes the MMA star will grace a May show tentatively planned for the Tacoma Dome in Washington. Robbie Lawler is also expected to participate on the Pacific Northwest card, but an opponent has not been finalized.

* Mitsuhiro Ishida is "definitely a name that's been tossed around" to face lightweight champion Thomson.

* The full undercard for the April event should be finalized tomorrow. One rumored participant is Evangelista Santos, husband and fellow "Cyborg" of Cristiane.

* Japanese stars Shinya Aoki and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai will fight for Strikeforce before the end of the year.

* Negotiations with Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson's representatives are ongoing. While the number of fights on his contract remain static, parties are ironing out "ancillary" items in his deal like scheduling and opponents. Coker expects a face-to-face meeting with Kimbo's team in the coming weeks.

Marquardt Says Penn Got Demolised; Allegations Ridiculous

The fight between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn only made it to 4 rounds, but the story after the fight keeps on going. After allegations surfaced from the fight and the application of Vaseline to St. Pierre by one of his cornermen, just about everyone has chimed in with their thoughts on "Grease-gate."

One of St. Pierre's main training partners, Nate Marquardt, spoke up recently at the thought that somebody in his camp cheated by purposely putting the Vaseline on the Canadian to give him an advantage in the fight.

"It's so ridiculous (that) it doesn't really make me mad," Marquardt told MMAWeekly Radio recently. "It's so over the top ridiculous that it's almost laughable. That fight was so one-sided and for B.J. to sit down and look at something silly like a grease thing, and the commission caught it anyway so it's like they wiped his back off and it was their decision to say okay he's fine to fight. Obviously it didn't play anything into the fight. It really shows a weakness on B.J.'s part."

Marquardt saw the fight that night and says there is no question that St. Pierre executed the perfect gameplan en route to a 4th round TKO win.

"He demolished him. It made B.J. look like he was on a lower level, like an amateur or something," Marquardt commented. "It was just a one sided fight."

Regardless of the talk surrounding the controversy, it appears that all sides involved are starting to move on as St. Pierre will likely face top contender Thiago Alves this summer, while Penn gets ready to fight Kenny Florian for the lightweight title presumably at some point in 2009.

Parisyan's Temporary Suspension Upheld Pending Review

At a Nevada State Athletic Commission public hearing on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Karo Parisyan's temporary suspension stemming from a positive post-fight drug test was upheld pending a review of his case.

Parisyan tested positive for painkillers Hydrocodone, Hydromorphoone, and Oxycodone following his bout with Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94.

Parisyan has until March 6 to respond to an NSAC complaint recommending a formal suspension.

Check back with MMAWeekly.com for more details as they arise.

Thiago Alves Winning Streak Leads to Shot at GSP's UFC Title

Thiago Alves sits down with Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten on Inside MMA to talk about the winning streak that has put him into a title fight with UFC welterweigth champion Georges St. Pierre, likely to take place at UFC 100 in July.

UFC 95: In-Depth Video Preview "Stevenson vs. Sanchez"

Fedor Wants to Meet with UFC President Dana White

Fedor Emelianenko confirmed that he will indeed fight on the next Affliction show, although he couldn't name his opponent yet, according to a recent interview on DreamFighters.com. Affliction VP Tom Atencio has long stated that the plan is to pit Fedor against Josh Barnett, but Vitor Belfort is another name that has been tossed around recently.

Perhaps the bigger news though is that Fedor is hopeful to meet face to face with UFC president Dana White this summer with hopes of a bout against Brock Lesnar becoming the fruit of their talks.

"Yes, I will fight again on the next affliction card. Besides this me and my management hope to get a chance to talk to Dana White in person in June to discuss a possible fight between me and Brock," said Fedor in the DreamFighters interview.

Such an outcome has many hurdles before it. Firstly, Lesnar and Frank Mir are expected to meet before June to unify the UFC heavyweight championship. The outcome of that bout could have a big influence on any possible match-ups.

Aside from that, there is the matter that Fedor is under an exclusive contract to Affliction and M-1 Global. The folks that head M-1 Global also handle management duties for the Russian fighter.

A one-off deal or co-promotion is not something that the UFC has even remotely considered to this point, which is a major hurdle for both sides.

“The fact of the matter is that a loan-out is something that the UFC would not desire, they would never go for such a deal,” M-1 Global Chief Operating Officer Joost Raimond told MMAWeekly.com last October. “And secondly, the way we have our program set up for the next years, and our event schedules set up, it's just not feasible to have a Fedor fight within the UFC.”

The UFC-Fedor soap opera has been a long and winding road, but it looks like there are still a few twists and turns left before we find out what the destination is.

Kimo Arrested For Meth

TMZ.com is reporting that "old school" UFC competitor Kimo Leopoldo was arrested by Orange County police on Monday for possession of methamphetamine.

According to the report, Leopoldo first attracted the attention of officers by wearing a Long Beach Police Department jumpsuit adorned with a cloth badge that was exclusive to employees of the law enforcement agency.

Officers subsequently stopped the 41 year-old fighter and searched his car, where the drug was found.

Kimo has been charged with possession of a controlled substance and is in the custody of Tustin police.

It's not a stretch to think the incident may have a negative influence on his bid to become the Executive Officer of the California State Athletic Commission. In a press release sent last week, the fighter announced he was applying for regulatory position in order to clean up the corruption supposedly left in the wake of Armando Garcia's resignation.

"Since most MMA fighters seem to be coming out of my backyard in southern California, I want to talk to local wrestlers about the benefits of staying drug free and how to remain positive even when times seem too tough," Leopoldo said. "I don't want anyone to make the same mistakes I made and, if I can save just one young person, my efforts will be worthwhile.”

Ryan and Randy Couture Talk About Ryan's Weekend Win

Steve Cofield of ESPN Radio 1100 and CageWriter.com talks to Randy Couture and son, Ryan, about Ryan's weekend win at Tuff-N-Uff.

Blackburn Possibly Sidelined With Neck Injury

UFC welterweight Brad Blackburn suffered a neck injury in his fight with Ryo Chonan at UFC 92 and is awaiting an orthopedist's prognosis before giving the green light to fight again.

"Apparently, I have two bulging discs in my neck, and I guess I have arthritis too," he told MMAInsider.

Blackburn says a punch to the head caused his arm to go numb in the middle of the fight, and it's been bothering him ever since.

"I dropped my arm down and I was playing it off," he said. "Before that, I never had a problem with it."

Next week, Blackburn will find out whether he needs surgery for the bulging discs, or a minor "scope" for an arthritic growth on them. If the latter is diagnosed, he says he'll be ready to go in two months.

"They're gonna give me a fight right when I'm ready," he said.

For the mean time, he's training in anticipation of the lesser injury, and trying to work through the issue.

B.J. Penn Confirms Florian Fight, Open to GSP Rematch

B.J. Penn spoke recently with Fox News Fight Game's Mike Straka both about Georges St. Pierre and the controversy around their fight. He also confirmed that he is in negotiations to fight Kenny Florian in defense of his UFC lightweight title in his next bout.

Trigg Getting Older, Plans To Be Back at 170 by Year's End

Though he came out victorious in his latest bout at 185 pounds - at Saturday's XCF "Rumble in Racetown" - UFC and Pride veteran Frank Trigg says he is done with the middleweight division.

"I did make the announcement, I'm gonna move back down to 170," he said in a recent edition of his video blog.

He doesn't plan on dropping the weight all at once, however, citing his age as a modifying factor for the 36-year-old to take the drop one step at a time.

"I'm gonna do it slowly. My next fight's not gonna be at 170. I'm a little bit older, I gotta be smart. So I'm gonna take my time, moving down to 78, move down to 74, then I'm gonna move down to 70," relayed Trigg. "I want to fight four times this year, so I'm guessing... the fourth fight, I'm gonna be back down at 170."

Xtreme Cagefighting Federation
Rumble in Racetown Results

-Frank Trigg def. Danny Babcock by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
-Zak Cummings def. Terry Martin by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
-Jesse Taylor def. Gert Kocani by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:45, R2
-Marcus Jones def. John Juarez by TKO (Strikes) at 1:39, R1
-T.J. Cook def. Scott Harper by KO (Punch) at 1:37, R1
-Todd Cutler def. Jeremy May by TKO (Strikes) at 4:07, R1
-Gilbert Burgos def. Chris Thorne by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 1:17, R1
-Ryan Keenan def. Blake Bowman by TKO (Strikes) at 4:29, R1

Shamrock Says He Prefers Tito Ortiz After Diaz

With his focus now turned directly at Nick Diaz in anticipation of their April 11th main event fight on Showtime, Frank Shamrock told MMAWeekly Radio recently that if he had to pick between Cung Le and Tito Ortiz for his next fight, he'd prefer the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy."

"I think I'd be up for Tito just because I think there's a time limit on that match," said Shamrock. "Both with Tito's fame and his body, and also for me. I love Cung, he's a great guy, but frankly I made nothing on the pay-per-view, and financially it wasn't a big money maker. He doesn't have the personality that gets over, he's just a difficult guy to promote. He looks like a great guy."

The time factor is the biggest reason Shamrock feels that a rematch against Ortiz makes more sense if it gets put together, but he doesn't deny that having a fighter who will promote the fight the way Ortiz can makes a big difference on the back end when it comes to money and fan fare.

"We're in the business of sports entertainment and we're all entertainers. We just happen to fight," Shamrock stated. "If you're not entertaining both in the fight and leading up to the fight, you're not a good entertainer, and there's a lot of fighters we have that are not good entertainers. Unfortunately, Cung falls into that category."

Ortiz is currently still recovering from back surgery, but has said in the past he believes he will be ready to fight again in mid-2009. If a deal can be made to put the two former UFC champions together in a rematch, it could be a super fight that could garner major numbers for either Showtime or CBS if Strikeforce promotes the bout.

Shamrock also knows that the rematch against Cung Le is bound to happen, but he's not rushing it for now.

"I'm not worried about Cung," said Shamrock. "We'll try to get him in this year and if not I'll get him in next year."

Randy Couture Talks Fedor, the UFC, and Possibilities

Randy Couture discusses Fedor Emelianenko's recent fight with Andrei Arlovski, his motivations for returning to the UFC, the possibility of Fedor coming to the UFC to fight him, and more with Steve Cofield of ESPN Radio 1100 and CageWriter.com.

Dana White Believes UFC 97 Will Happen in Montreal

Amidst a firestorm of controversy surrounding the Quebec Athletic Commissions change in philosophy over enforcing its own rules that govern mixed martial arts, UFC president Dana White spoke with CKAC Sports 730AM in Montreal about the possibility that UFC 97, scheduled for Montreal in April, could wind up not happening in the city.

He insisted that they are trying to work things out with the athletic commission there, believing that his promotion would have a projected $12 million impact on Montreal.

White said that one of the UFC's owners, Lorenzo Fertitta, is headed to Canada later this week to meet with officials in an attempt to iron out the situation.

"I don't think it's something that we can't work out... and get this thing fixed so that we can continuously come to Montreal to hold events," he told the show's host. "I can't see (UFC 97) not coming there."

Click here to listen to the interview.
(It is a French-speaking show, but the interview with Dana White is conducted in English.)