Randy Couture's UFC 102 Video Blog (8/27/09)

The latest installment of Randy Couture's UFC 102 video blog from Portland, Oregon.

Nate Marquardt UFC 102 Fighter Blog

Hang out with Nate Marquardt as he prepares for his middleweight bout against Demian Maia in UFC 102.

It's Follow Friday & UFC 102 - Follow @MMAWeeklycom on Twitter!

For the initiated, it is Follow Friday on Twitter, so be sure to add @MMAWeeklycom to those you follow on Twitter.

For those in the dark, get on Twitter and start following @MMAWeeklycom for all the latest new, insider tidbits, and other juicy gems.

Randy Couture's UFC 102 Video Blog (8/25 & 8/26)

Randy Couture is doing a video blog all week, leading up to his UFC 102 bout against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Check out the latest installment...

White Rails at Rampage's A-Team Dream

To put it mildly, UFC president Dana White is not a fan of his fighters doing movies. That is, if the movies get in the way of the UFC calendar.

"I hate it with a (expletive) passion," he said. "You're a fighter. You're not a movie star. It's so (expletive) funny because fighters want to be movie stars and movie stars want to act like they're fighters. It's like, get a grip. You're a (expletive) fighter and you're a movie star."

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson made headlines Wednesday when a report in UK tabloid The Sun said the former light heavyweight champion was set to take on the role of "B.A. Baracus" in an upcoming movie remake of television series "The A-Team."

A subsequent report from MTV.com Thursday morning disputed the report, citing Jackson's managers, who said Jackson had not booked the role.

White had not heard the latest reports when he spoke to reporters at the UFC 102 pre-fight press conference in Portland, Ore., Thursday afternoon, but he didn't like the idea of Jackson's silver screen dreams, mildly put.

"Rampage wants to be a movie star," continued White. "I hope it’s not true (about Jackson getting the role). He's up for it, and he talked to me, he wants to do this thing, and he's like, 'listen, man, this is really important to me...there's some sentimental value here for me, me and my Dad grew up watching The A-Team together and we loved it.'

"Well, guess what, brother? I said, 'guess what Rashad Evans is thinking about right now. He's thinking about beating your (expletive) ass. He's not sitting around thinking about him and his mom used to watch the (expletive) 'Love Boat' together, and he wants to get the role of 'Isaac the Bartender'...you know what I mean? Get a (expletive) grip, dude. You're going to make a lot of money. You ain't gonna make a lot of money playing B.A. Baracus on the A-Team. Jesus Christ. (Expletive) drives me (expletive) nuts."

White said sometime actor and five-time UFC champ Randy Couture was an exception.

"Randy did it right," said White. "Randy shot a movie and it didn’t interfere with his training or anything."

Heath Herring recently told MMA Insider that he was putting off fighting until 2010 to pursue several film projects. Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le is currently MIA with several studio projects in the can and more in the pipeline. Chuck Liddell is about to dance with the stars.

According to White, a fighter who fulfills his contract obligations is free to act. That, or a retired fighter. But act on the eve of a fight? Not cool.

"(Rashad) hates (Rampage)," White said. "He hates Rampage more than he hates anyone on the planet and he’s thinking about killing him."

White sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"You guys wouldn't want to be me if you're if your life depended on it."

MMA Live Breaks Down UFC 102

MMA Live takes a long hard look at this weekend's UFC 102 emanating from Portland, Ore., and featuring Randy Couture versus Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Mayhem Miller Back With Season 2 of Bully Beatdown on MTV

"Bully Beatdown" is part of MTV's "See You Thursday" block and premieres on August 27 at 9:30 pm ET/PT.

Randy Couture's UFC 102 Video Blog (8/25/09)

The second edition of Randy Couture's official UFC 102 video blog. Weighing in at 221.8 and trying to keep weight on during his training.

Revisiting Fedor, Couture Says It Would Have to Happen in the Octagon

Randy Couture is heading into a main event fight at UFC 102 this weekend, facing the very tough Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Fedor Emelianenko snuffed the UFC and took his toys with him over to Strikeforce.

Yet Couture is still plagued by the Sisyphean questions about the two meeting in the ring.

Couture was asked the question again at a recent UFC 102 media call, and you could hear the weariness of the question in his answer.

"I've already been down that road (leaving the UFC to fight Fedor) and I spent more than 13 months trying to find a way to fight him somewhere else because it didn't look like it would happen in the UFC," Couture retorted.

"I think that the best thing that could happen for me right now is for him to come to the UFC. I think sooner or later he's gonna have to come to the UFC, hopefully I'm still around and in the shape I'm in now to be able to fight him.

"If the fight's gonna happen, I think it's gonna happen in the UFC."

It obviously sounds as if the 46-year-old former UFC champion intends to finish out his career with the promotion, but the tone of his voice didn't hold out much hope that Fedor would find his way to the Octagon before Couture leaves his shoes on the mat one final time.

Ryan Couture vs Jimmy Spacuzza at Tuff-N-Uff

Randy Couture's son, Ryan, heads up the recent Tuff-N-Uff event at the Orleans in Las Vegas, fighting against Jimmy Spicuzza.

Herring to UFC: Don't Worry About It

All is well with Heath "The Texas Crazy Horse" Herring months after he was forced to withdraw from a co-main event bout with Cain Velasquez at UFC 99 in June. So well, in fact, he's not looking at a return to the cage until the New Year.

"I've told the UFC don't even worry about it until next year," he said Friday.

Violently ill with pneumonia symptoms, Herring said he was completely unable to train for Velasquez in the home stretch of his camp and had no choice but to pass up the fight with the American Kickboxing Academy standout.

Herring suffers from asthma and said the illness worsened the condition. Worse yet, he couldn't use his inhaler because its active ingredients would have flagged him for illegal substances per Nevada State Athletic Commission based statutes.

So why is he so relaxed about his time off? Hollywood, babe.

Herring's appearance in the MMA movie "Never Surrender" got the attention of the film's producers, who hired him for an untitled horror movie, which he recently wrapped. He plays a gang leader that gets eaten by monsters.

Herring says he may fly south of the equator to Columbia to play a boxer in an action movie filming in early September.

In the meantime, he's working on a restaurant, The Tilted Kilt, of which he is a partial owner.

Herring says his Texas roots made him a lock for UFC 103, but his other hobbies got in the way. And he's just fine with that.

"I've got to take advantage of this while I can," said Herring.

Top Spots on the Rumor Mill

There are several rumored bouts that have yet to make it to confirmed status, so we thought we'd give you a quick rundown on some of the more prominent bouts that are being talked about.

B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez:
Seeing as Penn is the UFC lightweight champ, this one tops the list. It is definitely the bout that the UFC wants to put together and that both fighters want, but it always comes down to business. There is definitely a chance of this bout hitting confirmed status soon, but word on the street is that there are still some details to be ironed out and that no bout agreements have gone out, but don't be surprised to see this one top the card at UFC 105 when the UFC returns to Manchester, England.

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang:
This one is all but a done deal. Bisping is always on the wish list when the UFC heads to England and UFC 105 is no different. Given that this bout makes sense at this point in each fighter's career, expect it to happen. It hasn't been signed off yet, but it should be in the coming days.

Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller:
This one also makes sense. Strikeforce has been hunting for a solid opponent for Jake Shields to face for an interim middleweight title while champion Cung Le is off making movies instead of fighting. And given Strikeforce and Dream recently making their working relationship "official," Dream lending Miller to Strikeforce for an interim title bout makes sense. A little less of a sure bet than the first two, but don't be surprised if and when this becomes official.

Most fight rumors in the MMA world have some basis in fact. But they usually leak out before any contracts have been signed. And any promoter will tell you, it ain't a done deal until there's ink on the paper. That's the case with all the above mentioned fights.

Down to the wire, plans can and often do change. So while there's a strong likelihood on all of these coming to fruition, don't take 'em to the bank just yet.

Ryan Bader's UFC 104 Video Blog

Ryan Bader's UFC 104 video blog, taking a tour of the Arizona Combat gym, with a sneak peek at his training along with WEC champ Jamie Varner, fellow UFC fighter C.B. Dollaway, and others.

Randy Couture Training for Minotauro Nogueira

Get a look at Randy Couture as he steps up his training to take on Minotauro Nogueira for UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - Saturday, August 29th, live on Pay-Per-View from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. (Courtesy of UFC)

Brandon Vera Discusses the Upper Crust of the UFC 205 Division

Brandon Vera needs a win over Soszyski to be able to call out some of the big names in the UFC's light heavyweight division. (Courtesy of Steve Cofield, ESPN 1100 Radio.)

MMA Live Looks Back at Cyborg, Forward to UFC 102

MMA Live takes a look at the aftermath of Strikeforce "Carano vs Cyborg." In addition, an update on Lesnar vs Carwin, Chuck Liddell on Dancing with the Stars, and a comprehensive preview of UFC 102.

Kimbo and Other TUF Guys Added to 2009 Topps UFC Cards

PRESS RELEASE:

Topps announces it is adding legendary brawler Kimbo Slice's first-ever autographed trading card to the highly anticipated 2009 Topps UFC trading cards. Kimbo, along with 15 other fighters from TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) 10 reality television show premiering Sept. 17 will be included... all on-card autographs and all extra content above and beyond the guaranteed hits! To coincide with the launch of TUF 10 and to include these new cards, 2009 Topps UFC trading cards will now ship Sept. 21.

Nevada Now Allows Limited 5-Round Non-Title Bouts in MMA

The Nevada State Athletic Commission held a regulatory meeting on Wednesday, which often consists of lots of little tweaks to the regulations and/or their wording. But this time, there were a few notable exceptions.

One of the biggest bits of news to come out of the meeting was the institution of instant replay in limited situations in a mixed martial arts bout. The gist of the new rule basically says that if a fight ends on an injury to one combatant, the referee has the leeway, if it is available, to look at a replay of the fight ending action and determine if the action was legal, resulting in a TKO victory, or illegal, resulting in a no contest.

The other major provision coming out of the meeting was, hopefully, an end to the UFC 94 "greasegate" issue arising over UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre's improper usage of Vaseline during the bout. The new rule, dubbed "The B.J. Penn Rule," now prohibits a fighter or his camp from utilizing any foreign substance immediately before or during a bout to gain an unfair advantage.

Commission representatives, such as cut men, are still allowed to apply Vaseline or other substances before or during a fight to try and limit the amount of damage due to cuts, but it is now considered a foul if a fighter or his corner applies any foreign substance.

The commission also passed a regulation that allows for five-round non-title bouts in MMA between two athletes, “as long as, of course, they are of championship caliber,” according to Executive Director Keith Kizer.

The move to allow non-title bouts to go to a five-round duration basically puts MMA on par with boxing in such regards. There are often marquee non-title bouts in boxing, such as the upcoming Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez, that are scheduled for the same 12-round duration as a title bout.

This opens things up for promotions such as the UFC to have marquee bouts on a fight card that are not-title bouts, such as the recent UFC 99 bout between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva, but still have them go five full rounds.

Forrest Griffin Already Back In The Gym

"If the worst thing that happens to Gina (Carano) or Forrest (Griffin) is they lose a fight, they're doing pretty damn good."

Such are the words of the namesake of Carano and Griffin's training gym, Xtreme Couture, former UFC champion Randy Couture.

"It's all part of the process. I don't think there's anything negative there," said Couture during a media call on Tuesday to promotion his upcoming fight at UFC 102 with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

"Obviously, Forrest was very emotional in the cage when he lost to Anderson (Silva), but I think that's because he works so damn hard, and like everybody, we all hate to lose. He's been back in the gym already. I saw him (Monday) here and he's back to training."

With a professional record of 16-9, Couture has been through the ups and downs of mixed martial arts many times. It all comes with the territory if you want to be a professional athlete, he says.

"I don't necessarily see that as a negative. It's all part of the learning and growing process," Couture pontificated.

"The same thing for Gina. Obviously she was a little embarrassed by the outcome (in losing to Cris Cyborg), but overall she did a great job in that fight. She had some opportunities to win and she did some good things. She did some things we trained to do.

"I think the adversity of losing that fight is going to be very, very important for her development as a fighter.

"I know from my own experience, the fights that I've lost were very important to me, and if I could go back and change them, I don't think I would. I think I learned more and became a better person and a better athlete for having experienced those things.

"And I know Gina and Forrest are both in that same boat."

Randy Couture Happy That Friend, Brett Favre, Signing On With Vikings

Future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, for the second year in a row, decided to turn his back on retirement and continue his career as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. At 39 years of age and a reported $10 million to $12 million contract in front of you, why not?

After retiring from the Green Bay Packers two years ago, Favre did an about face and signed on and played for the N.Y. Jets last year. Following the season, he once again hung up his cleats. But now that training camp is nearly over, he has decided to return again, this time to the Minnesota Vikings.

But what does this have to do with MMA? Not a whole lot really, except that Favre is good friends with former multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture, who on Tuesday, addressed his friend's decision to return to the NFL.

Of course, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between the two athletes, Couture often saying that he will continue as long as his body can keep up and the passion to compete in MMA still burns. And he feels the same holds true for Favre.

"Well, I think that Brett still has a strong competitive spirit. I'm not surprised he finally made the decision to continue to compete. I think that's the thing in all of us that dies hard," Couture said.

"It's not something that we walk away from easily. He struggled with that decision that last couple years.

"He had an amazing season last season with the Jets, so I'm glad that the Vikings, it looks like, are gonna give him a chance and he's gonna get to continue to hopefully continue to put some good numbers up on the board and have another great year."

Couture gets his own opportunity to keep his career going next week as the UFC 102 lands in his back yard of Portland, Ore. He will face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event, marking the promotion's first stop in the Pacific Northwest.