Category: News (Page 34 of 40)

      Updated UFC 129 Odds: Shields closing the gap on GSP

      April 29, 2011 /

      nullUFC 129 takes place from the Rogers Centre in Toronto and all 12 bouts now have betting odds.

      I gave the early money lines last week, and now Sportsbook.com has posted the latest odds for all the fights for tomorrow night.

      In the main event, Georges St. Pierre opened as the clear favorite against Jake Shields with a money line of -500, but now that line has fallen back all the way to -350. Shields opened with a line of +300 and that is now down to +275. Perhaps betters are starting the believe the hype that this fight is the toughest of GSP’s career.

      In the co-main event, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo opened with odds of -500 but that money line keeps climbing, and is now up to -575. The challenger, Mark Hominick has a money line of +375 after opening at +300. Aldo appears to be unbeatable in the division, which is why his money line just keeps growing.

      In one of the other featured bouts, Hall of Famer Randy Couture (+240) is an underdog against former champion, Lyoto Machida (-300).  “The Natural” opened with odds of +250 and is now starting to close the gap on Machida, who opened with odds of -325. Knowing this may be his last fighter, betters are expecting Couture to put on one of his best performances to date.

      Click on the jump to find all the odds for UFC 129.

      Continue reading »

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Anti-Doping Agency feels UFC needs tougher testing

      April 28, 2011 /

      nullIn an article that hasn’t gotten a lot of play nationally, I discovered this piece by Steve Keating from Reuters.com

      The article discusses the World Anti-Doping Agency and their desire to see the UFC step up their drug testing for their fighters.

      With a record 55,000 mixed martial arts fans expected to pack into the Rogers Center on Saturday for UFC 129, organizers say every fighter stepping into the cage for a title bout will be tested for performance-enhancing drugs.

      But the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and USADA say they have had no role in the UFC’s anti-doping efforts and have not tested a single fighter.

      Instead, testing has been left to individual state and provincial athletic commissions, which USADA chief Travis Tygart describes as woefully inadequate.

      “They want, for public relation and marketing reasons, to say they have something that makes them look better than they truly are,” Tygart told Reuters.

      “Why don’t they have better rules to give athletes and sports fans comfort that there is not a rampant culture of cheating with dangerous drugs going on in their sport?

      “They’re trying to pull a fast one here.”

      The UFC may be dropping the ball a little bit for this event when it comes to drug testing, but as a whole, the organization has seemingly done a good job of keeping fighters honest.

      Continue reading »

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Hughes vs. Sanchez in the works for 2011

      April 28, 2011 /

      nullIn a little bit of surprising news, MMAMania is reporting that the UFC is working on a future bout between welterweights Matt Hughes and Diego Sanchez.

      Hughes, a current UFC Hall of Famer and former welterweight champion, is coming off a 21-second knockout loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 123, but had won his last three fights prior to that.

      Sanchez is coming off back-to-back decision wins over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann. He is 2-1 since making his return to welterweight after losing to Penn for the lightweight championship back in December of 2009.

      This fight would be intriguing as Sanchez has a high motor and is somewhat reckless. He relies on his grappling and pressure to really win fights, but will be facing a stronger grappler in Hughes. Hughes also shows more composure and patience with his fighting.

      I am a little surprised to see Hughes taking this fight as I felt like he was leaning toward retirement following the loss to Penn. If he was to fight again, I thought it would be more along the lines of another fight with Matt Serra or a fight against an older fighter to allow himself a better chance to go out on a win. This is a tough fight for Hughes, but is still one that he can win.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      UFC looking to use monitors for judges at UFC 130

      April 26, 2011 /

      nullThe judging system in MMA has long been debated and criticized over the years.

      Now, with one of the most controversial bouts in UFC history set to have its rematch, the UFC is looking to avoid more controversy if at all possible

      Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting reports that the UFC is looking to have monitors present for each of the judges at UFC 130, which takes place May 28 in Las Vegas.

      The main event of UFC 130 is the third contest between UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard. Their last contest at UFC 125 ended in a draw after 25 minutes of action.

      Marc Ratner, the UFC’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, informed MMA Fighting that the organization has formally submitted a request to the Nevada State Athletic Commission to install monitors as a backup viewing option for the judges assigned to score the bouts at UFC 130.

      “I’ve emailed [NSAC Executive Director] Keith [Kizer] and asked him to put the request on the next agenda. We believe these monitors will be another look to help with the judges,” Ratner wrote via e-mail.

      According to the UFC, California is the only state to ever provide monitors for judges while scoring MMA bouts.

      I am all for helping judges make better decisions and if this will do it, sign me up.

      I think judging in general is a hard issue to tackle because everyone has a different view of a fight and the 10-point scoring system leaves the door open for questionable results.

      I for one also scored the Edgar-Maynard II bout at UFC 125 as a draw, with Maynard taking round one 10-8 and Edgar winning three of the remaining four rounds 10-9.

      Hopefully UFC 130 will bring some closure to this rivalry and allow the UFC to move on in its stacked lightweight division.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Breaking News: Jones vs. Evans off, Evans vs. Davis on

      April 25, 2011 /

      nullJust when things were starting to get really good, things just got really bad.

      According to a report from MMAWeekly, Jon Jones will be unable to face Rashad Evans this fall due to a torn ligament in his thumb and now Evans will face rising light heavyweight star, Phil Davis, at UFC 133.

      A torn ligament in Jones’ thumb has forced the UFC’s light heavyweight champion into surgery, according to sources speaking to MMAWeekly.com on Monday. Instead of waiting, Rashad Evans will take a fight against Phil Davis at UFC 133.

      The new bout was also confirmed on Monday, with former NCAA champion Phil Davis being called in to face Evans as part of the August event scheduled for Philadelphia. The Canadian Press initially reported the switch.

      The Jones-Evans smack talk had really been picking up since Jones won the title at UFC 128 and now all the drama over Evans leaving Greg Jackson’s camp seems wasted.

      For Evans, this is a lose-lose situation because he was fighting for the title and is now taking on a young upstart that he will be favored against. A win won’t get him any closer to the title and a loss could wash away his title dreams forever.

      On the other side, this is a big fight for Davis, who can immediately jump into the top contender picture with a win over Evans. This is a fight of two strong wrestlers, so striking may ultimately determine the winner.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

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