Tim HagueWith a 1-2 record and a close majority-decision loss to Chris Tuchscherer at this past weekend's UFC 109 event, Tim Hague has been released from the UFC's roster of heavyweights.
The Canadian today fighter confirmed his termination via Facebook.
Hague, who submitted Pat Barry in his octagon debut, suffered a knockout loss to Todd Duffee and then dropped the decision loss to Tuscherer to move his overall record to 10-3.
The loss to Tuchscherer, which came on the UFC 109 preliminary card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, has been heavily debated. MMAjunkie.com scored the first two rounds for Tuschscherer and gave a dominant third to Hague, 10-9. Although one judge saw the final round 10-8 for Hague, the other two awarded it a 10-9 score, which prompted scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-28 to give Tuchscherer the majority decision.
Hague, a former kindergarten teacher who turned to MMA fulltime when only two students showed up for the first day of class, is a former King of the Cage fighter. Although he'll return to the regional fight circuit, he hopes eventually to return to the UFC.
"(It's) time to train harder, beat up some more people and work back to the big show," he stated. Mark ColemanDespite headlining the organization's most recent card, UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman has been cut from the UFC's roster of light heavyweights.
Fiveouncesofpain.com first reported the termination, which MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed with a source close to the UFC.
Coleman, a former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion and the first-ever UFC heavyweight title-holder, went 1-2 in the UFC after coming out of retirement and rejoining the UFC in 2008.
On Feb. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, he suffered a second-round submission loss to fellow ex-champ Randy Couture in the night's pay-per-view main event.
As MMAjunkie.com reported after the event, UFC president Dana White hinted at Coleman's likely termination and predicted the Couture loss would be his final UFC appearance.
"I think tonight was probably Coleman's last fight in the UFC," White said. "I'm not taking anything away from Mark Coleman. I have nothing but respect for him, and I'll say this now, too: Mark Coleman has always been a stand-up guy to me.
"He'll always be a part of this organization. I just think he'll have a hard time competing with the guys at the top level. Age is a factor with him."
Coleman debuted for the organization in 1996 at UFC 10. The former collegiate wrestling champion introduced the mixed-martial-arts world to the ground-and-pound style that is required study in the modern version of the sport. He fought his first nine career contests in the UFC and defeated Dan Severn at UFC 12 to claim the first heavyweight title. He also won the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tourneys.
Coleman then took his services to Japan and made history as the winner of PRIDE's 2000 open weight grand prix.
It's unknown if Coleman will look to fight elsewhere or if he'll call it a career with his 16-10 record (and 7-5 mark in the UFC).Frank TriggIt's two and out for UFC welterweight Frank Trigg after his Ultimate Fighting Championship return.
After posting a 6-1 record to earn his way back into the organization and signing a new deal with the UFC in 2009, Trigg was notified on Monday that he had been dropped from the UFC after a knockout loss to Matt Serra at this past weekend's UFC 109 event.
Trigg confirmed the news with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Wednesday.
Trigg said he held off on sharing the news until he could notify family members. He said he's undecided if he'll pursue opportunities outside the organization.
The former University of Oklahoma wrestler and PRIDE veteran suffered a TKO loss to Josh Koscheck in September; it was Trigg's first fight in the UFC since a submission loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 54 in 2005.
With that loss and the subsequent first-round stoppage defeat to Serra, UFC officials elected to cut Trigg from its welterweight roster.
Following that first UFC stint that ran from 2003 to 2005, which included a pair of title losses to then-champ Matt Hughes, Trigg (19-8 MMA, 2-5 UFC) fought for organizations such as Strikeforce, World Victory Road, HDNet Fights and ICON Sport, where he defeated Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the organization's middleweight title.
The 37-year-old fighter and broadcaster then found a new life when he returned to the 170-pound division and strung together wins over the likes of Edwin Dewees, Makoto Takimoto and Falaniko Vitale to earn the new UFC deal. However, as with most fighters, the back-to-back losses prompted the walking papers.Phillipe NoverIt seems that Ultimate Fighter 8 finalist Phillipe Nover isn't the next Anderson Silva after all.
Despite a very impressive run on the eighth season of the Spike TV reality show, the "The Filipino Assassin" was unable to find a win in three attempts since his Dec. 2008 debut and has been subsequently released from his UFC contract according to Heavy.com.
And aside from the losses, there were a few behind the scenes shenanigans that raised a few eyebrows from the mixed martial arts community as well.
Nover suffered what was initially reported as a seizure in the locker room at UFC Fight Night 19 back on Sept. 16, forcing the cancellation of his undercard bout against Sam Stout.
It wasn't the first time the former Brooklyn nurse parted ways with his consciousness — he lost his legs on the very first episode of TUF 8.
Following the incident, he was medically cleared to fight and re-booked against fellow TUF alum Rob Emerson at UFC 109 earlier this month; however, "The Saint" gave him all he could handle for three rounds, taking the unanimous decision victory and effectively handing Nover his pink slip.
"The Filipino Assassin" has established a name for himself through his fighting endeavors and will likely have no problem finding work on the independent circuit.
He was 4-0 under the Ring of Combat banner prior to joining the UFC.
In addition, he's enjoyed a successful career as a nurse and prior to "Relentless" didn't rule out a return to that profession if things didn't pan out inside the cage.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2010, 08:03:02 pm by Hammy »
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