Thursday, January 7, 2010

MMA Live Recaps UFC 108, Previews UFC Fight Night 20 and WEC 46

MMA Live offers up some final thoughts on UFC 108 and looks ahead to next week's UFC Fight Night 20 in Virginia. Also a preview of WEC 46, and more details on next Thursday's year-end awards show.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

"Best of Pride" Begins on Spike TV on Jan. 15

For those you that thought you'd never see Pride FC again, well... it's not the resurrection of the venerable Japanese fighting promotion, but Spike TV on Jan. 15 begins the Friday night series "Best of Pride," featuring bouts from the storied history of Pride and focusing on the fighters that have made the transition to the UFC.

WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson Weigh-ins, Q&A, and Autographs

World Extreme Cagefighting returns to Sacramento, Calif., this week for WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson. The card features a title unification bout between lightweight champion Jamie Varner and interim champ Ben Henderson. Urijah Faber makes his return from injury to face fellow Top 10 fighter Raphael Assuncao in the co-main event.

The WEC 46 weigh-ins are FREE and open to the public, taking place Saturday, Jan. 9, at 4 p.m. (doors at 3 p.m.) at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.

Following the weigh-ins there is also a free Question & Answer session with bantamweight champion Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, and Dominick Cruz.

After that, at 5:30 p.m., Brian Bowles and Jose Aldo will be signing autographs.

WEC 46 airs live on Versus Sunday night at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. in a newly expanded two and a half hour block.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Dana White's UFC 108 Video Blog - Fight Night (Parts 1 & 2)

Dana White's UFC 108 fight night video blog...


UFC 108 Fight Night - Part 1:




UFC 108 Fight Night - Part 2:

Two Belts Enter, But Only One Belt Leaves: WEC 46 Video Preview

An extended video preview of the WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson main event featuring a title unification between champion Jamie Varner and interim champ Ben Henderson. Urijah Faber also makes his return in front of his hometown crowd to face fellow Top 10 fighter Raphael Assuncao.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Vince McMahon Is An Animal, But UFC And WWE Not In A War

UFC president Dana White has run the gamut with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) kingpin Vince McMahon. The rumors have speculated from White stealing the WWE business model, McMahon swooping in to buy up the UFC, partnerships, rivalries, and all out wars.

One thing is certain, White admires the pro wrestling luminary.

"I love Vince. He's a (expletive) animal isn't he?" said White when asked if the UFC doing its first Monday night event in an attempt to go head-to-head with WWE.

"I mean we're not trying to go against him. That night is the night Spike wanted the fight. Spike wanted the fight that night, so that's the night they called for it and Vince goes into (expletive) war mode. He's calling up (Mike) Tyson. He's bringing this guy back and the Rock might come back. I love it. He's a (expletive) animal."

A lot of White's admiration for McMahon probably comes from their similar approaches to their perceived competition. Although White doesn't view pro wrestling as a competitor to MMA, like McMahon is doing with Raw, the UFC head honcho often counter programs other MMA promotions.

"You've never heard me say we're going to kick the (expletive) out of Monday Night Raw. You've never heard me say that," said White. "I think we're two totally different, pro wrestling is totally different than the UFC and mixed martial arts.

"And I respect this guy. I like Vince McMahon. I've had breakfast with him. He's a good guy, but he is a (expletive) animal. I'm not trying to beat him on Monday night. I don't think we would beat them. Those guys pull killer ratings. It's been like the highest rated show on television forever. We're just putting a fight on Monday night because Spike wants us to."

Dana White Promises No Cuts Following UFC 108

UFC 108 was a card that took more hits than Tiger Woods' sponsorship deals, but in the end the fighters all came out to perform and put on one of the most enjoyable shows to kick off 2010.

Matchmaker, Joe Silva, burned up a ton of minutes on his cell phone calling fighter after fighter to replace others who were forced off of the card due to injuries, cuts, and other various problems.

A night of exciting finishes brought about the usual fight bonuses, with one of them handed to Paul Daley for knockout of the night. A reporter asked White, who withheld giving a bonus to Anthony Johnson following his knockout of Yoshiyuki Yoshida because he missed weight, why he gave Daley a bonus, who also missed his weight just a day earlier.

"There is no guy on this card that will be penalized tonight," White said. "Nobody's going to be cut tonight, nothing's going to happen to anybody tonight. Everybody's going to make money tonight and leave here happy as hell."

Good news for short notice fighters like Duane "Bang" Ludwig and Dustin Hazelett who helped push the show to the finish line in the final weeks. It looks like there won't be any stories about who is looking for a job post UFC 108.

Even UFC heavyweight, Shane Carwin, sent out a reminder to fans that oh so long ago, he was actually supposed to compete at UFC 108.

"I am supposed to be making weight right now for my fight with Lesnar. What a difference a year makes," Carwin commented via his Twitter page.