Category: News (Page 36 of 40)

Top 5 Moments in Randy Couture’s Storied Career

April 19, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Is 47 the lucky number for “The Natural” Randy Couture?

The two-time former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion seems to be sticking to the idea that his bout with Lyoto Machida at UFC 129 will be his last. (ESPN)

With that in mind here are (in my opinion) the top five moments in the 47-year-old’s historic career.

1. Out of retirement, back with the gold – Couture had retired following a loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57 in February of 2006, but quickly got the itch to fight once again. This time, Couture came back at heavyweight to challenge then-champion Tim Sylvia. At UFC 68, The Natural returned and dominated Sylvia from the opening bell. Couture landed a big right hand that sent Sylvia crashing and then followed up with numerous takedowns over the 25 minutes to get the win and become a two-time UFC heavyweight champion.

2. Whipping Tito’s butt – Couture had just been crowned UFC Interim Light Heavyweight Champion after beating Chuck Liddell at UFC 43, which set up a unification bout with champion Tito Ortiz. Ortiz had been riding six-fight win streak that lasted for four years and was largely considered the favorite against the then-40 Couture. From the opening bell, Couture out-muscled Ortiz and scored takedown after takedown as Ortiz offered little offense. In the fifth and final round, Couture found himself over the top of Ortiz’ rear end and to sum up the night, patted him on the butt a few times, to drive home the point that he just dominated the loudmouth champion for 25 minutes.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Chuck Liddell James Toney Lyoto Machida Pedro Rizzo Randy Couture Tim Sylvia Tito Ortiz UFC 129

Tito Ortiz, Living Proof You Can Survive Despite Repeated Failure

April 18, 2011 / Drew Ellis

If you failed at your job for four years, would you still hold that position?

Probably not.

Yet, that is the reality that is Tito Ortiz.

Ortiz has not won a fight since October 10, 2006. That is about 54 months by my count. Yet, Ortiz is still landing major fights on pay-per-view and he will now be taking on Ryan Bader as part of the main card of UFC 132.

Ortiz was once a dominant champion in the UFC, but that was back in the early 2000’s when Tim Sylvia was still a factor.

What is funny about Ortiz’ is that he still talks about getting back “his belt”. I don’t know that Ortiz could beat any champion in any UFC weight class right now, let alone light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.

Ortiz is a pretty easy guy to game plan for too. Just stay off your back. His striking hasn’t evolved since he was champion and now, guys are throwing him around like he used to throw his opponents around.

I respect what Ortiz has done, but he is only hurting his legacy with each loss. His time has passed and just like the UFC did with Chuck Liddell, it is time for the organization to force him away from the octagon.

Fighters, News, UFC

Jon Jones Ryan Bader Tim Sylvia Tito Ortiz UFC 132

Break out the Bengay: Old Fighters want to challenge Royce Gracie

April 17, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The rumors have been swirling in the MMA community that Royce Gracie will be taking part in the upcoming UFC 134 event that will be held in Brazil.

With the Hall of Famer gearing up for the bout, the question has been, who will be fighting Gracie?

Gracie hasn’t competed since June of 2007 and his most notable fight came in May of 2006 when he was dominated by Matt Hughes at UFC 60

If the UFC is really going to trot Gracie into the octagon in his home country, they need to give him an opponent he can beat.

Well, have no fear UFC, as plenty of elderly fighters seem to want that fight.

It started with Art Jimmerson tossing his name into the hat. You remember Art Jimmerson, he was the guy that fought Gracie at the first UFC with one boxing glove on. A game plan that sharp hasn’t been seen since. Gracie quickly submitted Jimmerson and began his Hall of Fame legacy.

Now, former UFC champion, Dan Severn, wants a piece of the action. Severn, who is now 52-years-old, has been competing regularly in smaller MMA shows. He is requesting a retirement match with Gracie at UFC 134.

Gracie submitted Severn at UFC 4 and the wrestler has been looking for a rematch ever since.

This situation has become a bit of a mess. I respect the UFC wanting to pay respect to Gracie, but he is simply not a fighter that is capable of fighting at a high level, and his opponent surely won’t be able to either.

A fight featuring Gracie can still draw as he is a legend with a fan base, but hopefully the UFC won’t be looking to make any more of these bouts any time soon.

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Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Art Jimmerson Dan Severn Matt Hughes Royce Gracie UFC UFC 134

Poker Site Shutdowns Could Impact MMA

April 16, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null In an interesting development in the business-side of MMA, three major poker websites were shut down on Friday due to federal indictments.

According to a report by MMAWeekly.com, poker sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker received indictments for illegal gambling and money laundering.

“These defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits,” Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.
The poker sites have been shut down by the government, and while some people may still be able to access them currently, it will only be a matter of time before they are shut down completely and inaccessible.

The online sites were once a prominent sponsor of the big MMA promotions like the UFC, but those days have passed. Despite the UFC avoiding these sponsors, they are still vital to smaller promotions that have to rely on their sponsorship dollars to stay afloat.

Also, despite the organization not allowing the sponsor, fighters still use sites like these for their own sponsorship. Time will tell what these indictments will do to the fighters’ bankroll.

Bellator, News, Strikeforce, UFC

Dana White Frank Fertitta Lorenzo Fertitta online poker poker poker and MMA poker sponsorships of MMA Sponsorship UFC

Jones not shy about saying he can beat Evans

April 15, 2011 / Drew Ellis

When the UFC decided to have a Jon Jones-Rashad Evans title fight take place in the future, I think every level-headed fight fan knew the hype for this fight would get ugly quick.

Clearly there is more bad blood between these two than meets the eye. The pre-fight talk has now begun and it is Jones throwing the first verbal jab.

During an interview with ESPN’s Josh Gross, Jones talked about his superiority over Evans when they trained together.

Jones won’t need to go out on a limb to earn his share of media coverage over the summer as a showdown with Rashad Evans, 31, looms. The bout, Jones’ first scheduled title defense, is likely to take place in September, and puts former training partners and friends in the cage together.
The champion, almost brazenly, claims an advantage in style, preparation and experience.
“We fought each other in practice,” said Jones, who pushed his record to 13-1 with last month’s triumph. “A finish has been possible several times and it has always been me finishing him. I never did it out of respect that he was the elder of the school. It’s against protocol in a way. Some people would do it but I believe in tradition.
“He has a lot to study. I have a lot to study, but I get to study[ing] more in-depth. He gets to study[ing] and gets a headache.”

I am not one for bickering about training and fighting, but the more this story plays out, the more it seems Jones instigated the problems. He was the first to say he would fight Evans when Evans was willing to step aside and now he is the first to degrade Evans and his abilities.

Maybe Jones has reasons to be upset, as Evans isn’t shy with his trash talk either. I am sure there is a lot of back story to this fight that we may never know about. All I know is, I can’t wait for this fight to take place.