Medical Suspensions for Strikeforce Challengers 2

The Washington State Department of Licensing's Professional Athletics office on Friday released medical suspension information for Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg.

15 fighters with no serious injuries received a standard one-week suspension, while the remaining seven received longer terms.

Here are a list of fighters with notable suspensions:

* Joey Villasenor is indefinitely suspended

* "Cyborg" Santos is suspended until 7/19

* Jorge Gurgel is indefinitely suspended

* Conor Heun is indefinitely suspended

* George Stock is suspended until 7/19

* Marques Daniels is suspended until 7/19

* Taylor Roberts is suspended until 8/18

UFC Magazine Photo Shoot: Frank Mir & Brock Lesnar

Wanderlei Silva to Get the Key to the City of Pensacola

The City of Pensacola is proud to Present a Key to the City to Wanderlei Silva, Middleweight Pride Champion and UFC Fighter on Thursday, July 16th 2009.

The Mayor, Mike Wiggins, will be presenting the Key to Wanderlei at Paradise Gardens during Coffee with the Mayor, 508 W Gregory Street, Pensacola.

Later that day, Mr.Silva will be giving a speech to At Risk Teens and a street party in his honor will follow. He projects a positive influence with his life story and his determination to overcome the many obstacles that he has confronted. He is a true role model and a true warrior and great spokesman for teens all over the world.

Because of his dedication to inspire the many teens that face difficult challenges Mr. Silva generously donates his time to make a positive impact on teens from all walks of life.

Varner Responds To Cerrone, Picks Henderson

Donald Cerrone left little to the imagination regarding his feelings for lightweight champion Jamie Varner and the hand injury that's keeping him from defending his title in September.

"Maybe Varner will come back in 2010 to unify the belt," he said. "But they might have to break his arm off and get him a new one. Can I add that Jaime Varner is a (expletive)?”

Varner wasn't too happy about that when contacted by MMAInsider.

"This (expletive) kicked his ass for five rounds with a broken hand and a broken foot," snapped Varner. "So I'm glad we're resorting to name-calling, you can tell he comes from an educated family. He definitely solidified himself as a true hillbilly. A classless hillbilly. And I look forward to stomping his face in again."

Varner said he will release x-ray images of his damaged hand next week. At the moment, there is no concrete timetable for his return.

As for the match-up that would determine the next challenger to his belt, an likely interim title bout between Cerrone and Ben Henderson, Varner went with his Arizona brethren.

"I think it's going to be a great fight, but I see Ben Henderson winning that one," he said. "Cerrone is just too easy to take down, and Henderson's a pretty decent wrestler. He's still a good wrestler, very explosive. He's also got great jiu-jitsu, trained with Alvin Robinson. He's a southpaw, so the fact that Cowboy likes to use his left leg kicks a lot, really aren't going to help him too much against that southpaw. I just see him getting taken down and ground out for a three-round decision."

GSP Doesn't Rule Out Breathing Techniques For Alves

The breathing techniques employed by GSP cornerman Phil Nurse--and taught by holistic healer Steven Friend--set off a three-month controversy beat to death by conspiracy theorists who believed the welterweight champion was cheating.

In May, the Nevada State Athletic Commission essentially put an end to the saga, taking no formal action against GSP or his cornermen for the incident at UFC 94 known as "Greasegate."

Shortly after the controversy, the UFC amended its rules for cornerman to prohibit the application of Vaseline by anyone other than a UFC-approved cutman.

You'd think GSP might avoid the technique--a rubbing of hands over the chest and back--in future competitions, but the champ didn't rule it out for his fight with Thiago Alves at UFC 100.

"I don't know about this, but maybe," he said. "We'll see. I know in this fight, they're going to check us a lot, and I'm all for this. I never cheat in my life. I'm a proud champion and I want to win fair and square.

"I'm not the only one who has done the breathing technique before. But it's not going to change the result of the fight, with or without it."

UFC Magazine Photo Shoots: GSP, Alves, Henderson, & Bisping

ESPN TV's Jim Rome is Burning features Dan Henderson on Friday

Current UFC middleweight contender and former two-division PRIDE champion Dan Henderson will be the special guest on Friday's edition of Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN TV. Rome will be discussing the UFC 100 card with Henderson, who faces Michael Bisping in a highly-anticipated clash of Ultimate Fighter coaches. Tune in for the LIVE interview segment at 4:30pm ET/1:30pm PT on Friday June 26th.

Hieron Blasts "Green Light" Image

Jay Hieron says a recent video that named him chief humbler of inexperienced braggarts who come to Xtreme Couture--ie, that he beats the crap out of armchair warriors--is giving people the wrong idea. He's no brute in the gym.

"It's about respect," he told MMAInsider. "It's about having no respect for the gym. If these guys are trying to put me in my place, then they're not real fighters. That's like me going to your house and being a straight up asshole. Would you tell me to leave?

"So that's what it's about. It's not about me trying to beat up guys that can't fight. C'mon. What do I get out of that? I'm a professional. I get paid for this. That's the last thing I'm trying to do. It's a respect thing. And by all means, I'm happy to do it if somebody comes in and disrespects. I feel that's my house, and I'm going to protect it from apes.

"Everybody took it the wrong way. Everybody has their own opinion on it, and they don't know what the hell's going on. I just wanted to clear the air with that."

Hieron is, as ever, hard at work in the gym, preparing for his fight with Paul Daley at Affliction: Trilogy on Aug. 1 in Anaheim.

Armchair warriors should, however, stay away as a precaution.

"If I went to a gym and did that, I hope somebody would do that to me," said Hieron. "I'm not like that, but that's how we make our living. That's our workplace."

Miguel Torres Says He's Got 3 or 4 More Years Left

Miguel Torres talks about his position in the WEC and his future in the sport, courtesy of ESPN 1100 and Cagewriter.com's Steve Cofield.

UFC 100 Commemorative Magazine Hits Newstands

PRESS RELEASE:

Now on newsstands, the UFC 100 commemorative magazine will take you closer to the Octagon than ever before. Featuring an exclusive in-depth breakdown of July 11th’s UFC 100 event with UFC President Dana White, the magazine also contains interviews, never before seen photos, articles on the 20 Greatest UFC fights and 5 biggest blood feuds, as well as fight tips, advice from Rachelle Leah, and much, much more. Don’t miss this soon to be collector’s item.

Georges St. Pierre's Idol? Royce Gracie, Of Course

Like many others before him, Georges St. Pierre recently revealed that his impetus for making a career out of mixed martial arts can be traced back to one man... Royce Gracie.

"I remember first time I saw UFC, I saw Royce Gracie winning the first tournament. That's the precise moment that I became inspired to do what I do right now for a living," he said during a Thursday media teleconference.

Just what left such a lasting impression on the younger version of the current UFC welterweight champion?

"The fact that he was using a martial art weapon that nobody knew at the time, which is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was smaller than all of the guys and he was able to win... That's what really inspired me.

"I am a big fan of him because he dominated the sport at his time like nobody has done before. That's why, no matter what happens to him, even though he lost to (Matt) Hughes, I'm always gonna be a big fan of him and he's always gonna be my idol, no matter what."

MMA Live Recaps TUF9 Finale, Bellator XII, and Strikeforce

ESPN's MMALive recaps The Ultimate Fighter Season Nine Finale, Bellator's season ending event featuring Eddie Alvarez and Hector Lombard, and Strikeforce in Washington, plus the political situation subverting MMA legislation in New York.

UFC 100 Extended Video Preview

"Bones" Jones Picks GSP Over Alves

Jon Jones, who faces Jake O'Brien at historic UFC 100 on July 11th, makes no "Bones" about who he's picking in Georges St. Pierre's third welterweight title defense against Thiago Alves.

"I'm so excited about GSP," Jones told MMAWeekly Radio Tuesday. "I admire his work ethic and his championship mindset, and I can't wait to see him pick apart and destroy Alves."

Jones says he tried to carry that championship mindset into his own training for O'Brien.

"I really try to look at what these guys are doing and what's working for them and try to be the next one of those guys."

The 22 year-old says fighting on the such a huge card will be almost as big a reward as the check he gets at the end of the night. Almost.

"I'm a big groupie of a lot of the bigger name fighters, still," he said. "I'm really excited that I get to be backstage with these guys, the same locker room as these guys, and I can't wait till my fight is over, and I can sit in the audience. Hopefully I'll have good tickets."

BJ Penn: T-Minus 12 Pounds and Counting

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A little more than a month away from his Aug. 8 UFC lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian and B.J. Penn is already down to 166.8 pounds. Not far to go to make 155.

Is B.J. over the "greasegate" issues surrounding UFC 94 and ready for the return to 155 and Kenny Florian?

Rep Anticipates Fall Return for Houston Alexander

Brawler Houston Alexander's hand is fully healed and ready to go, a representative from Alexander's camp told MMAInsider Monday.

The Nebraska resident and father of six was forced to withdraw from a fight with Andre Gusmao at UFC 96 because of the injury. Gusmao went on to be knocked out by Krzysztof Soszynski.

The representative said Alexander was targeting the first opportunity presented for the UFC's fall lineup, but nothing had been signed or offered as of yet.

Alexander's next appearance will surely be a do-or-die scenario. After rocketing into the light heavyweight division with knockouts over Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara, he dropped three straight fights, most recently against Eric Schafer at UFC Fight Night 15.

Several Top UFC & WEC Fighters Confirmed for UFC Fan Expo

PRESS RELEASE:

The history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is filled with stories of legendary fights and athletes who built a sport behind skill, heart, and determination. On July 10th and 11th, just before the lights go down and the first bell rings for July 11th's historic UFC 100 event, fans will have the opportunity to meet and greet the fighters who made mixed martial arts what it is today, as well as the ones carrying the flag for the next generation, all under one roof at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center during the UFC Fan Expo.

Tickets for this fight fan's dream event, which features an unprecedented lineup of UFC, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and former PRIDE fighters, are limited, but are still on sale and can be bought exclusively at www.ufcfanexpo.com V.I.P. Passes for this event are already SOLD OUT, but Customers that purchase Expo tickets in advance will receive $10 off the two-day pass.

Already confirmed to be in attendance during the UFC Fan Expo are UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida, UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Randy "The Natural" Couture, and former world champions Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, "Suga" Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. UFC contenders Kenny Florian, Steve Cantwell, Shane Carwin, Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Dustin Hazelett, Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Joe Lauzon, Junie Browning, Nate Marquardt, Gray Maynard, Karo Parisyan, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Mike Swick will also be meeting fans, along with The Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Efrain Escudero.

Fans of the PRIDE Fighting Championships will have the chance to re-live the excitement of Japan's classic organization as well, with MMA icons Renzo Gracie and Gary Goodridge being joined by "The Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring, and Brazilian superstars Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

And if that's not enough MMA star power, the premier fighters of the WEC will be on hand to sign autographs, with current champions Miguel Torres, Mike Brown, and Jamie Varner sharing the convention center floor with Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia, Ben Henderson, and Alex Karalexis.

Among the UFC Fan Expo's two-day roster of activities will be the aforementioned meet and greets with legendary UFC, WEC, and PRIDE fighters, MMA demonstrations, fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions, and other exciting opportunities and entertainment. All the UFC Fan Expo activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC 100, including the free-to-the-public weigh-in event on Friday, July 10th.

Expected to attract over 100 companies and brands, UFC Fan Expo will span more than 200,000 gross square feet of space exhibiting apparel, electronic gaming, food & beverages, fight gear and fitness equipment, MMA training and development, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products, and much more.

Bob Sapp Talks About Fighting Bobby Lashley This Weekend

Big Bob Sapp talks about fighting former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley this weekend, courtesy of Cagewriter.com.

Cyborg vs. Carano: First Knockout on Horizon?

Strikeforce mega-fight Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos has slugfest written all over it. Both women are Muay Thai specialists, attack from eight points, and are fearless in the pocket.

They have capable ground games, to be sure, and will be ready if the fight goes down, which it will if one gets tagged.

Carano is training with wrestling sage Randy Couture. In September 2007, she surprised many by submitting Tonya Evinger, proving she's worked on becoming well-rounded.

"Cyborg" brings a stronger jiu-jitsu base to her game, cultivated from long days at the Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil.

But when it comes to the ultimate rite of passage in a fighter's career--a knockout--neither have experience backing them. And they're going into what could be the most violent encounter in their lives.

"No, never," Santos said last week during a conference call promoting the upcoming fight.

"They do realize that she is a lady, in fact not a man, so they never take it to that same level," followed Santos' translator.

Of course, if you asked Wanderlei Silva about Santos' battle-readiness, which MMAInsider did in April, you might think differently.

"It's amazing," he then said. "I trained with her in Brazil. She's incredible, like a man. She's dangerous. Sometimes when you train with a woman, you just play. But with her, every time you need to train, because she's tough."

Carano, who last October told MMAWeekly that she doesn't train with women, said she'd seen the edge.

"I’ve been close to knocked out before, and I have been tapped out in the gym," Carano added.

Will one of them be going to sleep on August 15 in San Jose? Is a knockout an essential key to a female fighter's experience? We may soon find out.

GSP Limited Edition Print Featured At UFC 100 Expo

Georges St-Pierre (GSP) and nationally-renowned artist Brian Fox have teamed up to offer fans the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Champion's first-ever, individually autographed limited edition prints.

The 100-piece deluxe signed and embellished canvas prints, measuring 30 x 40 and priced at $599.00, are now available for purchase online at www.brianfoxstudios.com or the newly-redesigned www.gspfightclub.com. In addition, fans may purchase the artwork at GSP's booth, # 731, at UFC 100's Fan Expo.

UFC Fan Expo will be held Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, 2009, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, coinciding with UFC 100, the biggest event in mixed martial arts history.

"I love this painting," said Georges St-Pierre. "I'm a good guy, and when I fight, I am another guy. Brian's work shows that to me. He is a master on his canvas, and I am a master on mine. I hope my fans love it as much as I do."

For more information on GSP's 100-piece limited edition giclée, visit www.brianfoxstudios.com.

Punkass at the New Tapout Training Center in Vegas

RawVegas.tv talks to Punkass, Stephan Bonnar, and Vinnie Malgalhaes at the new Tapout training facility in Las Vegas.

Urijah Faber's Bionic Hand

Okay, so Bionic is a bit of an exaggeration. But here are some pictures that Urijah posted on his Twitter account today after going to the doc to get his stitches removed.

Does this mean his right hand will now be stronger and faster?

(Photos courtesy of Urijah Faber)

Season 10: The Ultimate Fighter Gets Heavy with Kimbo

The Ultimate Fighter Gets Heavy | UFC | SPIKE.com

FIGHT! Magazine Announces Hall of Fame; Power 20

PRESS RELEASE:

FIGHT! Magazine's July 2009 issue establishes a historic precedent with the FIGHT! Magazine Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame, inducting four of mixed martial arts' greatest combatants and personalities in the inaugural class: Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Kazushi Sakuraba and Bas Rutten.

UFC pioneers Gracie and Shamrock, Japanese trailblazer Sakuraba and King of Pancrase Bas Rutten are all profiled in FIGHT! Magazine's 21st issue, which hits newsstands July 23rd.

The issue marks the publication's two-year anniversary. Since its July 2007 release, FIGHT! Magazine has become the world's leading mixed martial arts authority, and will honor the sport's greatest figures yearly through its Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

In addition to launching the Hall of Fame, FIGHT! reveals its second annual "Power 20." The list chronicles the 20 most influential people in mixed martial arts, topped by none other than the UFC’s Dana White. A five-page pictorial of UFC Octagon Girl Edith Labelle heats up the historic issue.

As the UFC promotes a landmark UFC 100 event, FIGHT! Magazine will exhibit at the UFC Fan Expo July 10-11 in Las Vegas, NV at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. UFC middleweight contender Nate “The Great” Marquardt will be signing autographs at the FIGHT! booth on Friday from 2pm to 5pm and again on Saturday from 12pm to 3pm.

FIGHT! Magazine’s July issue is available at all major bookstore across North America. Subscriptions are also available at www.fightmagazine.com at over 65% off the cover price.

Fedor vs. Barnett Extended Preview

Extended preview of the Affliction "Trilogy" bout between No. 1 ranked Fedor Emelianenko and No. 2 ranked Josh Barnett.

Could Vitor Belfort Make a UFC Return... Against Anderson Silva?

Vitor Belfort is currently under contract with Affliction Entertainment, scheduled to compete on the promotion's third effort, Trilogy, on Aug. 1 in Anaheim, Calif. He will face current Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago on the pay-per-view portion of the fight card.

But could he end up back in his old stomping grounds, the UFC... facing current UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva, no less?

Stranger things have happened.

UFC president Dana White on Saturday night -- during The Ultimate Fighter Finale telecast -- more than alluded to the possibility of a return of "The Phenom."

"I know (Anderson) wants to stay at 185 pounds. So, while he's fighting Forrest (at 205 pounds in August), I'm working right now on some other 185-pounders," stated the UFC big-wig.

And just who might he be working on... well, he at least has his eyes on?

"Vitor Belfort. Vitor is a former heavyweight, moved down to 205, now at 185. He's got great hands, great on the ground. If his head is right, he's a dangerous, dangerous guy. I think that'd be a great match-up," said White.

Would it be no surprise that he might want Belfort back, especially after he destroyed Matt Lindland -- a fighter that White isn't exactly fond of -- at Affliction's sophomore effort in January?

And more than that, could Belfort actually be "the bad match-up" for Silva? Could he be the one to dethrone the king?