Category: Events (Page 35 of 45)

      UFC eying returns to Montreal, Abu Dhabi in 2011

      May 20, 2011 /

      nullThe UFC is quickly filling out its dance card for the rest of 2011 and it appears that there will be two stops coming outside the U.S. to end the year.

      Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com is reporting that the UFC is looking into possible events in Montreal and Abu Dhabi for December of this year.

      Sources with knowledge of the situation said there is “a good chance” the company returns to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, likely in December, but that nothing is confirmed.

      The promotion had been expected to host a show there in March before venue issues nixed the idea. Because there are no indoor arenas and the region has a hot climate, the timing of athletic events requires extra consideration. December through February is historically the coolest month in Abu Dhabi, with daytime high temperatures averaging around 80 degrees.

      A December return engagement would bookend a rapidly filling 2011 calendar, as events have already been scheduled late into the year. On Thursday, UFC director of Canadian operations Tom Wright told Montreal radio station The Team 990 that the company could return to the city’s Bell Centre in December.

      Rumors are swirling that Georges St. Pierre could face Nick Diaz at the event in Montreal, which would make three-straight events that the welterweight champion would be fighting in Canada.

      As far as Abu Dhabi goes, the last time the UFC appeared there was UFC 112 where Anderson Silva had his embarrassing showing against Demian Maia and Frankie Edgar upset B.J. Penn for the first time to win the lightweight championship.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Jones let’s Evans know he is going to “destroy him” in altercation

      May 18, 2011 /

      nullJon Jones may talk a lot of trash, but at least he was willing to say it to Rashad Evans’ face.

      In an interesting bit of information, Evans talked about an altercation the two former teammates bitter enemies had during the UFC Summit over a week ago. (Courtesy of MMAMania.com)

      “I saw Jon this past week at the fighter summit and we were at the same location. He pulled me to the side and he said ‘Rashad, I need to talk to you, I think things are getting out of control.’ I thought it was pretty mature for the young guy instead of just ignoring me. First thing he said was ‘I just wanna be the first to tell you is I’m gonna destroy you, I’m gonna annihilate you and I’m gonna show the world you’re overrated. I’m gonna punish you and you’ll be my first highlight reel knockout’ and I just started laughing.

      You brought me out here to tell me you’re gonna destroy me? Let’s not even talk about how stupid that sounds. Why would you wanna come way over here to say that in private. Furthermore, how did you even come up with that? He’s like ‘Rashad, remember when I was catching you with knees and elbows in training’ but I said ‘I was simulating Bader. I wasn’t trying to beat you, Jon. I was simulating Bader and what he might do’ I told him, ‘do you remember when I held you down and I was slapping you and punching you in the face and you were underneath me and you couldn’t move and then you looked me in the eye and said ‘Ok, can we get up now?’ and I said ‘No Jon, if you quit now, you’ll quit in the fight. You gotta earn your way up,” so we fought some more and you couldn’t move some more and you said ‘can you help me?’ and I said ‘No, you have to earn your way up’ and we go for a little bit longer and you still can’t get up so you roll on your back to let me choke you out thinking I’d let you up and be satisfied with that but I didn’t. I continued to make you work up.’ I said ‘do you remember that?’ and he said “yeah, I remember that’ and I said ‘that’s why you don’t want to fight me’ and he was just lost for words for a second and he told me, ‘Rashad, you just motivating me. You don’t know what you started’ and it just went like that and it just ended when a couple people from our parties separated the two of us. He couldn’t let it go.”

      This rivalry is too good to be true. But, now with Jones pulling out of the scheduled fight and Evans taking on Phil Davis at UFC 133, it could be a fight we never see.

      In the interview, Evans also discussed Jones’ injury and decision not to have surgery, which raised a few eyebrows.

      Hopefully Evans-Jones takes place soon and for the title, as it could be a huge PPV draw for the UFC. This rivalry is growing into something bigger than Evans vs. Rampage.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Edgar’s back injury a lingering problem

      May 16, 2011 /

      nullFrankie Edgar has a back injury that hasn’t been going away for some time and apparently won’t be going away any time soon.

      Edgar spoke to MMAFighting.com’s Mike Chiappetta and talked about the back issue that forced him to withdraw from his UFC Lightweight Championship defense against Gray Maynard at UFC 130.

      Earlier Monday, (Edgar) had an epidural injection to address the pain. It will take up to four days to determine whether it worked. According to Edgar, the ultimate solution is something more invasive, but his doctors are trying to stem the pain and delay what might be inevitable.

      “I think eventually I’m going to need surgery,” said Edgar, who also suffered a rib injury in training. “Hopefully these shots will slow down the process and give me a couple more years without having to do the surgery.”

      The shots may prove an effective temporary solution, but if they don’t work, he could have another round of shots that will go directly into his nerves.

      Edgar said his back issues go back to his past, and that he had surgery 11 years ago. Since then, he occasionally suffered small flare-ups that would knock him out of the gym for a day or two, but about 3-4 weeks ago, he was hit with another flare-up that he quickly realized was far more severe.

      Back injuries aren’t something to mess around with and if Edgar has to take shots regularly, the problem is probably more severe than he would like to really admit.

      I understand Edgar’s desire to fight through the injury, as he is a champion for the biggest organization and probably trying to build a future for his family, but one wrong move in training or in the octagon could end his career forever.

      Hopefully Edgar can heal up soon, but if he needs to take a lengthy amount of time off to have surgery that could improve his quality of life, I hope he does it.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Paul Heyman working with UFC fighters

      May 16, 2011 /

      nullOne story that emerged on the MMA front this past weekend was that new UFC 131 main eventer, Shane Carwin, is working with Paul Heyman.

      For those of you not familiar with Heyman, he was the creator of ECW – Extreme Championship Wrestling, and also spent time in the WCW and WWE. He was the “manager” of Brock Lesnar during his stint in the WWE and has remained a close friend of Lesnar over the years.

      Here are some snipits of just what Heyman is doing with Carwin, courtesy of Bloody Elbow.

      This is not a deal with UFC, but the production company that does the Countdown special and Spike TV hired Heyman to help with the Countdown show for UFC 131. His role was to help Brock Lesnar promote the fight, and with Lesnar pulling out, they asked him if he’d instead work with Carwin, which he’s doing. It’s not a UFC hire. The idea of Heyman working with UFC in teaching fighters how to promote matches (and how not to) isn’t the world’s worst idea.

      I know some MMA fans will probably freak out over this and start to worry that the UFC is working toward pro wrestling, but that is not the case.

      What the UFC needs is some better mic men. Not to say a fighter can’t speak with his actions in the octagon, but to sell a fight and a PPV, the UFC needs to have some guys that can compel the average fan to pay money to watch them fight.

      There is a reason that Brock Lesnar is a huge draw and that Tito Ortiz still is relevant in the UFC. That is because they both have hype skills and pull emotions out of the viewers.

      Shane Carwin is a beast of a fighter and really exciting to watch, but to hear him talk, he is somewhat robotic. Heyman will do his best to tap into the personality of Carwin, and hopefully sell his main event bout at UFC 131 with Junior dos Santos.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      May 15, 2011 /

      nullAnother Sunday night means another MMA on TV update for the week.

      Here is a look at all the MMA events you can see on tv or the internet this week.

      – On Wednesday, the eighth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. The quarterfinal pairings have been set and will begin this week. Each team has won four fights and it will be interesting to see how the teams perform now that it is more about individual performance rather than team results.

      – On Saturday BAMMA 6: Ninja vs. Watson takes place from Wembley Arena in London, England. The event is highlighted by a bout between Tom “Kong” Watson and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Former UFC contenders Frank Trigg and Ivan Salaverry will also be in action in separate bouts. The event will be streamed live on the internet by registering through the organization’s website, http://www.bamma.tv/.

      – Also on Saturday, Bellator 45 takes place from L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It is the season finale for Bellator and it features two tournament finals. Richard Hale takes on Christian M’Pumbu face off in the Light Heavyweight Tournament Final while Daniel Straus faces off with Patricio Freire in the Featherweight Tournament Final. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET.

      Bellator, Events, Fighters, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 MMA Blitz

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑