Wanderlei Silva Picks UFC 111 Co-Main Events

UFC middleweight Wanderlei Silva weighs in on UFC 111 feature bouts pitting Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy and Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin...

Georges St-Pierre, Brock Lesnar, and Frank Mir on SportsCenter

Just two days prior to their appearances on UFC 111, welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and heavyweight contender Frank Mir will appear live on SportsCenter, Thursday, March 25 at 12:15 p.m. ET and 11:45 a.m., respectively.

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who revealed his comeback plans from a three-month illness on SportsCenter in January, will be interviewed Friday at 10:15 a.m.

SportsCenter anchor Josh Elliott will conduct the interviews from SportsCenter's Bristol, Conn. studios, with St. Pierre, Mir and Lesnar in New York.

Mir will battle Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight title and the right to fight Lesnar, while St. Pierre is defending his belt against Dan Hardy. The action will take place Saturday on pay-per-view from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

UFC 111: St-Pierre vs Hardy Extended Video Preview

An extended video preview of the upcoming UFC 111 fight card in New Jersey. UFC 111 is headed up by a welterweight title bout between champion Georges St-Pierre and Brit Dan Hardy, plus a heavyweight interim title bout between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.

ESPN's MMA Live: UFC 110 Wrap-Up

ESPN's MMA Live has highlights and analysis of UFC 110, as Cain Velasquez cements his status as a heavyweight contender. Also, Chael Sonnen checks in to discuss Frank Mir's comments on Brock Lesnar.

PTI Host Defends Frank Mir Comments

The ire of the MMA world was raised with Frank Mir's recent comments about UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, and his wish for the death of the fighter in the Octagon.

UFC president Dana White responded to the comments yesterday, and Mir himself issued an apology on Tuesday acknowledging the statement was out of line. That said one of the harshest critics of the sport, Mike Wilbon, defended Mir's comments on "Pardon the Interruption" on Wednesday.

"It's not out of line, I'm sorry this wouldn't even make the top 50 awful things Mike Tyson said he was going to do to an opponent some time that week before a big match in Vegas," Wilbon said when asked about Mir's comments.

"This is just how you promote boxing, MMA, wrestling, this is par for the course."

Wilbon went on to say that former heavyweight boxing champ, Mike Tyson, was the king of saying controversial things before his fights, so much so it actually frightened him at the time.

"Mike said things that when I was sitting there I got scared and wanted to leave the press conference," Wilbon commented.

Dan LeBatard, a columnist for the Miami Herald and ESPN contributor, who has been a fan of MMA for some time, brought up the fact that the sport is still trying to battle certain perceptions.

"Dana White is fighting something with this sport when John McCain calls it "human cockfighting", this sport is safer than boxing, because people don't know it, they look at it, they look at it and it's violent," LeBatard said. "It's safer than boxing. So when you have this thrown in it's something that Dana White's trying to get rid of with this sport."

ESPN programming has been featuring more and more MMA coverage lately, and a feature spot on one of the most popular programs, "Pardon the Interruption" can only be good for the future of the sport.

UFC 107 Pre-Fight Chatter: Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo

Frank Mir talks takedowns:

Cheick Kongo wants to silence Mir:

Cheick Kongo Bound and Determined to Silence Frank Mir

"End the reign of the big mouth. He talk too much, too much, too much," says Cheick Kongo, heading into his his UFC 107 showdown with Frank Mir...

Hate the Fights of TUF 10? Mir Agrees...

Kimbo Slice has not drawn Frank Mir to the latest season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

In fact, he'd just as well watch the WEC.

"I don't even know what's going on, I had to turn it off," he said of the UFC's flagship reality show at a WEC Q & A last week. "I'm being serious. It was bad. Some of the fights were horrible."

The former UFC heavyweight champ praised the fights of the lighter weight organization, which, according to Dana White, won't be folded into the UFC anytime soon.

"I haven't seen any fights in the WEC that could ever amount to being that bad, because the lighter guys are just more competitive," Mir continued. "They're in shape, they're more strategic. Even when you go to a college wrestling match, typically, the heavyweights are boring to watch."

The 32-year-old Mir fights Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 on Dec. 12, though he's really jonesing for a rematch with Brock Lesnar.

But when it comes to watching MMA on TV, Mir says he'll stick to the little guys.

"I'm a heavyweight and I'm saying... (the fights are) nowhere near as exciting as the lightweights," he said.

Frank Mir Wants Brock Lesnar To Get Well

Frank Mir does not want to see Brock Lesnar leave the cage.

The former heavyweight champion said he hopes the ailing champion gets well soon.

Why? He's obsessed with a rematch.

"That's pretty much been my driving focus to go to the gym every day, to change myself and grow as a fighter," Mir said at a Q and A session for the WEC on Tuesday.

Lesnar was hospitalized last week and diagnosed with a bacterial infection of his intestines -- a local news affiliate in Minnesota called it a severe case of diverticulitis, a digestive disease in the large intestine -- prompting the indefinite delay of a title bout with Shane Carwin.

UFC president Dana White on Monday told TMZ that Lesnar might never fight again but appeared to back off those comments in subsequent interviews, saying the champion's fate depended on the severity of the condition.

If Lesnar was out for good, Mir said it didn't matter that his prospects in the division improved.

"To know that there's a possibility that (a rematch) might never happen, that's been taking me a couple of days to try and wrap my mind around," he said.

"It's going to give me a hard time."

Frank Mir Tires of Nog's "Excuses," Discusses UFC 102

Frank Mir discusses Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's "excuses," the Nog vs. Randy Couture UFC 102 fight, Joe Rogan, and more with ESPN 1100's Steve Cofield.

WEC 43 Brings Liddell, Faber, Pulver, and Mir to Ohio

PRESS RELEASE:

If a 10-fight card, including a world title bout between Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson, wasn't enough, World Extreme Cagefighting is pleased to announce that four of the sport's biggest names will be heading to the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, to take part in the fight week festivities.

WEC Vice President Peter Dropick, along with General Manager Reed Harris, on Sunday confirmed two huge events that will take place at the Covelli Centre in the days and hours leading up to WEC: Cerrone vs. Henderson.

On Tuesday, Sept. 1, former UFC heavyweight champion and current WEC color commentator Frank Mir will join former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver and former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber for a unique Q&A session at the Covelli Center. Time will be announced at a later date.

Then, just hours before the first fight on Sept. 2, one of the greatest fighters of all-time, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, will sign autographs on the main concourse at the Covelli Centre from 4PM-6PM EST.

"For our first trip to Ohio, we wanted to make sure fans were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Dropick said. "To attend a title fight is a special experience. To have four of the best fighters of all-time also in attendance makes this an absolute can't-miss event."

Cerrone vs. Henderson will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Urijah Faber's UFC 100 Title Fight Picks... Can You Say GSP?

Former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber's picks for the UFC 100 title fights.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (Welterweight): GSP in my opinion is the much more complete fighter and is the more disciplined fighter. As far as just being a fighter and, in general, the type of guy that loves to get down and probably would be fighting once a week on the street anyways if he wasn't fighting, you gotta go with Thiago on that one. You've got a killer instinct on that guy that is really dangerous, but unless he can knock out St. Pierre, I think St. Pierre is gonna take it.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (Heavyweight): Lesnar has been improving quite a bit. With the right training partners, he's gonna be very, vary hard to stop. But Frank Mir is crafty and this is the most dedicated he's been in the sport and working the hardest, more than he ever has in this sport. He looked the biggest, the strongest that I've seen him as well. I'm expecting a great fight. It's either gonna be Lesnar by TKO or Mir by tricky submission.

BetUs.com Interview with Frank Mir

UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir join MMAWeekly.com partner BetUs.com to talk a bit about his training, his strategy and his thoughts on fighting Brock Lesnar for the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship this Saturday at UFC 100 in Las Vegas.

Head on over to BetUS.com to listen to the interview with Mir and, if you choose, you can get in on this MASSIVE UFC betting event with BetUS.com, and receive $100 free for a $100 deposit, AND a free entry into an exclusive UFC 100 Poker tourney.

Lesnar Talks About Mir Being Scared Going into Rematch

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar talks about Frank Mir being insecure and afraid of their rematch at UFC 100 on Saturday night. (Courtesy of Steve Cofield)

Brock Lesnar's Trainer, Greg Nelson, Talks Rematch with Frank Mir

As UFC 100 draws near, Brock Lesnar's trainer, Greg Nelson, discusses the development of his fighter and the rematch with Frank Mir on Inside MMA.

UFC Magazine Photo Shoot: Frank Mir & Brock Lesnar

Round 5 Series 3 Now Available - Mir, Nog, Big John, Arlovski

PRESS RELEASE:

Round 5 figurines for Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski, "Big John" McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, comprising Series 3 of the popular mixed martial arts collectibles, are now available at retail, it was announced today by Round 5 C.E.O. Barron Lau and President Damon Lau. They join the first two Round 5 Series which can be purchased in outlets throughout North America and online at www.Round5MMA.com and in the MMAWeekly.com Online Store.

"We are extremely pleased with the final products for Series 3," said Damon Lau. "Each of the athletes had extensive input into their development, and I know that fans will enjoy the 'small touches' that make Round 5 figurines unique."

Round 5 also confirmed today that Series 4, scheduled for late July/Early August release, will now feature five athletes, Gina Carano, Dan Henderson, Cung Le, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Matt Serra. The Fedor Emelianenko figurine, originally intended to be issued as part of Series 4, is going through an additional redesign and will instead appear as part of a future Series.

"We continue to work closely with Fedor and his team on making his figurine as accurate and true to his persona as possible," added Lau. "Consumers appreciate Round 5's commitment to producing collectibles that capture each athlete's individual style, and we look forward to completing the Fedor figurine with that goal in mind."

Round 5 is also preparing for its large presence at the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas in July, where near-complete prototypes of Series 4 will be on display.

In addition to this week's release of Series 3, Round 5 has issued two Series of four athletes each: Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Tito Ortiz comprised Series 1 while Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva were released in Series 2.

Round 5 plans to release collectibles of two additional series of athletes later in 2009, one during each quarter. Athletes to be represented in those series are yet to be announced.

Purchase Round 5 Collectible Figures in the MMAWeekly.com Online Store.

Round 5 Collectibles Ready to Release Series 3

Below are images of the Round 5 Series 3 figurines, scheduled to be available at retail in the next month. The Series 1 figurines (featuring Quinton Jackson, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, and Tito Oritz) and the Series 2 figurines (featuring Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, and Sean Sherk) are currently available in the MMAWeekly.com Online Store.

You can also pre-order these new Series 3 collectibles -- featuring Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Big John McCarthy, Frank Mir, and Andrei Arlovski -- now!

Is Ecko In Serious Financial Trouble?

Mark Ecko, founder and famed designed of Ecko clothing, could be in a serious financial squeeze according to report in the New York Post. Ecko has also recently stepped up and started sponsoring several prominent MMA fighters including UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, TUF 9 coach Michael Bisping, and "Ultimate Fighter" winner, Nate Diaz.

The story says sources have indicated that Ecko has hired investment bank, Peter J. Solomon, to help refinance at least $170 million in debt that are owed to 2 key business partners.

Because of this debt, Ecko may be forced to sell off pieces of his businesses to help financial woes and pay off creditors.

According to the report, Ecko owed over $100 million to Li & Fung, a global trading company that helps manufacture his products, and that the rough holiday season played a major part in the recent struggle.

Ecko has also now apparently defaulted on a $70 million loan from commercial lender, CIT, and as quoted in the story from the NY Post, Ecko is "scrambling to avoid bankruptcy so he doesn't lose every stitch of equity he's got."

Sources told the Post that Ecko's executives and business partners are in a scramble to sell off pieces of the business to rivals in exchange for immediate cash. Apparently, Ecko is also trying to lease out space in his huge 280,000-square-foot headquarters on West 23rd Street, in New York City.

How this could affect the MMA fighters that Ecko currently sponsors is not known. Independent sources indicated to MMA Insider on Friday that the financial struggles felt by Ecko could partially be a reason why the clothing giant fell out of the running for their bid for the Elite XC assets, of which they were rumored to be in contention for.

The NY Post contacted Ecko chief marketing officer, Michael Golden, who stated, "we're pretty confident that this isn't an issue that's life-threatening at all, in our case, we have more than enough assets to pay off that term loan, and we have more than enough time."

Stay tuned to MMA Insider for more information on this story as it becomes available.

Frank Mir Tells BodyBuilding.com May 23 Date is Off

Will he? Won't he? Well, it appears he won't.

Frank Mir did an interview with Bodybuilding.com at the Arnold Sports Expo on Friday saying that he will not fight Brock Lesnar on May 23. He is hopeful that they can still fight in the summertime, but it now appears the UFC 98 is out of the picture.

Unless of course, Mir changes his mind.