UFC Thread

[Hammy]

Main Card
265 lbs.: Randy Couture (16-9) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1)
205 lbs.: Keith Jardine (14-5-1) vs. Thiago Silva (13-1)
185 lbs.: Chris Leben (18-6) vs. Jake Rosholt (5-1)
185 lbs.: Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) vs. Demian Maia (10-0)
205 lbs.: Krzysztof Soszynski (18-8-1) vs. Brandon Vera (10-3)

Preliminary Card
265 lbs.: Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (17-1)
265 lbs.: Mike Russow (11-1) vs. Justin McCully (9-4-2)
265 lbs.: Todd Duffee (4-0) vs. Tim Hague (10-1)
205 lbs.: Nick Catone (7-1) vs. Mark Munoz (5-1)
185 lbs.: Ed Herman (15-7) vs. Aaron Simpson (5-0)
155 lbs.: Marcus Aurelio (18-7) vs. Evan Dunham (8-0)

[Rankin]

Updated with UFC 107 news.

[Hammy]

Updated with UFC 107 news.

Mir will take down Kongo and sub him inside 2 minutes, 'nuff said. 

[Hammy]

Former IFL heavyweight “Big” Ben Rothwell (30-6) will get another chance to battle undefeated Chase Gormley (6-0) as the UFC has opted to resurrect their Aug. 1 Affliction bout for UFC 104 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 24, according to Sherdog.com.

Rothwell and Gormley were originally penciled in for the “Trilogy” event that quickly went up in smoke after Affliction MMA collapsed like a deck of cards on the heels of Josh Barnett’s positive steroid test.

The UFC quickly re-established a working relationship with the clothing company and acquired several of the fighter contracts that were up for grabs.

Rothwell is coming off a dominating TKO win over Chris Guillen at Adrenaline II back in December 2008. Prior to that, “Big” was riding a career high 13-fight win streak before running into former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in July 2008 during the inaugural Affliction event.

Before the loss, he had defeated former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 standout Krzysztof Soszynski, Roy “Big Country” Nelson and others.

The Miletich Fighting Systems (MFS)-trained fighter will add depth and experience to a growing list of talent in the once anemic UFC heavyweight division.

Opposing him is the undefeated Gormley, who burst onto the scene in 2007 with a decision win over Elite XC veteran Jon Murphy. The NAIA All-American Wrestler hasn’t seen action since a decision win over Eric Pele at Maximum Fighting Championships 16 in May 2008.

UFC 104 will feature a main event between UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez have also been rumored to meet to determine the UFC number one heavyweight contender.

Another great heavyweight joints the ranks!  Good to see Rothwell in the promotion!

[Rankin]

From mmafrenzy.com:

Franklin-Henderson has yet to added to the official fight card for the UFC 103 pay-per-view and rumors are now making the rounds that Dan Henderson vs. Vitor Belfort and Rich Franklin vs. Tito Ortiz could co-headline the September 19 event in Dallas.

[Hammy]

From mmafrenzy.com:

Franklin-Henderson has yet to added to the official fight card for the UFC 103 pay-per-view and rumors are now making the rounds that Dan Henderson vs. Vitor Belfort and Rich Franklin vs. Tito Ortiz could co-headline the September 19 event in Dallas.

Holy ****!  That would be friggin' awesome!

Come on Franklin!

[D]

Tito just started back wrestling and doing JJ today

no way he would be ready by Sept 19th

[D]

Tito, coupled with the injury did have some distractions trying to be a movie star

but I think he knows where his money is made now and will be back focused.

[D]

By: Carmichael Dave
CBS Radio MMA Host
Twitter.com/Carmichaeldave

So we all know the deal with M-1 and what they are saying about co-promotion. I'm not here to say who's right and wrong in this deal, but I can tell you some of the specifics that were offered to Fedor.....

- The UFC offered Fedor a 6 fight, 30 million dollar contract. That's 5 mil a fight

- The UFC offered Fedor an immediate title shot

- Lesnar/Fedor would be the biggest PPV in MMA history (we assume), and the UFC offered M-1 Global a cut of the PPV on top of Fedor's purse.

- Fedor was free to wear as many M-1 logoed items as he wished.

- The UFC also relented on allowing Fedor to compete in combat sambo.

Apparently, for good or bad, M-1 refuses to sign a deal unless the UFC agrees to co-promote.

I can tell you right now, the boys at ZUFFA will never, EVER agree to that. So if M-1 doesnt relent on that item alone, the Fedor to UFC talks are dead. Look for Team Emelianenko to turn to Strikeforce next. With co-promotions already in the books with Affliction, that shouldnt be a stopping point.

[Hammy]

Can't expect a better offer like that, especially for someone who is more well known amongst the die-hards than your everyday joe.

[Rankin]

British fighter Paul Daley (21-8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has reportedly signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and will join the organization's roster of welterweight fighters, according to Fighters Only online.

However, according to a subsequent report from AOL FanHouse, Daley's manager said the UFC is just one of multiple organizations with which the fighter is considering signing.

Daley had been slated to fight Jay Hieron at the Aug. 1 "Affliction: Trilogy" event before the event's cancellation last week.

Daley, a six-year veteran who's fought for organizations ranging from Cage Rage to EliteXC to Strikeforce, has won three of his past four fights and nine of his past 11. Of his 21 professional victories, 16 have come via knockout.

Daley most recently competed at an April World Free Fight Challenge event in Slovenia, where he defeated Junior Barata via TKO.


A fantastic addition! Been waiting along time to see 'Semtex' in the UFC, arguably to best UK fighter to have never fought in UFC is finally there!

[Hammy]

The dude is a hell of a talent, good to see him signed, he may struggle in the UFC though.

[Rankin]

The dude is a hell of a talent, good to see him signed, he may struggle in the UFC though.

I don't think he'll struggle too much to be honest. He's already faced some of the best in the world, hell he's been all over the world.

He said himself a couple of years ago that he wanted to go to UFC but he wanted to do it at the right time when he was ready for it. UFC had offered him a contract in 2005 & 2006 but he refused.

Surely he must be a lock to fight at UFC 105? I really hope so.

[Hammy]

The dude is a hell of a talent, good to see him signed, he may struggle in the UFC though.

I don't think he'll struggle too much to be honest. He's already faced some of the best in the world, hell he's been all over the world.

He said himself a couple of years ago that he wanted to go to UFC but he wanted to do it at the right time when he was ready for it. UFC had offered him a contract in 2005 & 2006 but he refused.

Surely he must be a lock to fight at UFC 105? I really hope so.

He is good no doubt but has struggled with top caliber competition like Jake Shields and Nick Thompson, question is will they ease him in or throw him in at the deep end?

[Rankin]

The dude is a hell of a talent, good to see him signed, he may struggle in the UFC though.

I don't think he'll struggle too much to be honest. He's already faced some of the best in the world, hell he's been all over the world.

He said himself a couple of years ago that he wanted to go to UFC but he wanted to do it at the right time when he was ready for it. UFC had offered him a contract in 2005 & 2006 but he refused.

Surely he must be a lock to fight at UFC 105? I really hope so.

He is good no doubt but has struggled with top caliber competition like Jake Shields and Nick Thompson, question is will they ease him in or throw him in at the deep end?

I'm sure I remember hearing he changed gyms & coaches after those losses, seems determined to better himself.