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Nate Marquardt signs with BAMMA

July 22, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The biggest name in MMA for the better part of a month has been Nate Marquardt, but it hasn’t been for a positive reason.

The former UFC middleweight lost his job with the Zuffa promotion after failing a pre-fight physical for high testosterone levels and has since been working to clear his name due to his usage of hormone replacement therapy.

Well, it appears that Marquardt has found his new home.

According to MMAMania.com, Marquardt has signed on to fight with BAMMA.

Former UFC middleweight number one contender Nate Marquardt has signed to compete under the banner of The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA).
Why did he choose BAMMA?
“Offers came in from several fight promotions, but we felt that BAMMA was definitely the best fit,” Marquardt said in today’s release. “They put on high-quality shows, stack their cards with top-level fighters, and sign those fighters to multi-fight deals. They are also the only fight organization in the UK that implements PED testing. To be honest, that is one of the main reasons that we chose BAMMA. I want to prove to my fans and to the world that I’m the real deal and that I belong on top.”

Marquardt’s first fight and opponent have not been announced, but he has stated that he plans on staying at welterweight.

Fighters, News, UFC

BAMMA Nate Marquardt

Cruz vs. Johnson title fight to headline UFC on Versus 6

July 21, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null The UFC will air its first live title fight in the history of the organization.

According to NBCSports.com’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC will have Dominick Cruz defending his UFC bantamweight championship against Demetrious Johnson at UFC Live on Versus 6, which will take place from the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. on Oct. 1.

There was much speculation about who would be next up for Cruz following his hard-fought decision win over Urijah Faber at UFC 132. Many felt Brian Bowles was in line to get a rematch, but it appears the UFC felt otherwise.

Johnson (9-1) has won four straight, including a decision win over Miguel Torres at UFC 130. His short size and speed could pose a problem for Cruz, who relies on his movement to win fights.

The UFC once aired a light heavyweight title fight between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan Henderson on free television, but that was on tape delay. This will be the first live on TV title fight in UFC history.

With this fight announced, the UFC will be putting on four title fights in the month of October with Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard and Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian taking place on Oct. 8 and Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz taking place on Oct. 29. It should be quite a month of fights.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Brian Bowles Demetrious Johnson Dominick Cruz Miguel Torres UFC on Versus 6 Urijah Faber

Top 10 MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings

July 21, 2011 / Drew Ellis

It has been two months since my last pound-for-pound rankings list, and only one fighter on the list has competed in that time.

Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz made his UFC debut, and successfully beat Urijah Faber, but his win wasn’t strong enough to move him ahead of Frankie Edgar. So, my top 10 is the same, but there could be some serious shakeups in the next few months with the UFC putting together a number of big fights in the fall and early winter.

1. Anderson Silva (28-4): Silva is still the most feared opponent of anyone in MMA due to his devastating and unique striking ability. Chael Sonnen is the only man to make him look beatable, but Silva still found a way to beat him by submission despite a serious rib injury. Yushin Okami is next up for “The Spider” at UFC 134, which will be a good test for Silva, who has an obvious weakness in wrestling.

2. Georges St. Pierre (22-2): GSP will return to action in October to take on Nick Diaz. The welterweight kingpin hasn’t been challenged much in his recent fights, but he also hasn’t been that impressive either. St. Pierre is in need of a dominant win with a finish to really be considered for the top spot.

3. Jose Aldo (19-1): Aldo is set to face off with Kenny Florian in early October, defending his featherweight title for the second time in the UFC. Aldo is similar to Silva in the fact that his striking is so strong that many opponents have a hard time coming up with a game plan that they can stick to when they face off with him. Florian will provide a good test for Aldo, but it may not be enough to beat “Junior.”

Fighters, News, Rankings, UFC

Anderson Silva Cain Velasquez Dominick Cruz Frankie Edgar Georges St. Pierre Gray Maynard Jon Fitch Jon Jones Jose Aldo Rashad Evans

UFC 138 announced for England, Munoz vs. Leben headlines

July 19, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null The UFC announced today that UFC 138 will take place from Birmingham, England with a main event of Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz.

The card will air live via tape delay on cable TV, likely Spike TV, unless a new deal is reached.

Leben (AP Photo) has won four of his last five fights, including a 27-second KO of Wanderlei Silva back at UFC 132.

Munoz is coming off a win over Demian Maia at UFC 131 and his lone loss at middleweight was a decision to current No. 1 contender, Yushin Okami.

This fight should be a good mixture of striking and grappling, but which one has the ability to push through and get another big victory?

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Chris Leben Mark Munoz UFC 138

Overeem booted from Strikeforce Grand Prix

July 18, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Zuffa wanted the Strikeforce Grand Prix to continue in September.

Alistair Overeem wanted it to continue in October.

Looks like Zuffa won.

MMAFighting.com is reporting that Overeem’s decision not to fight in September has caused him to lose his spot in the tournament altogether.

UFC president Dana White, who as a Zuffa co-owner oversees the Strikeforce brand, told MMA Fighting that Overeem is out. White’s confirmation backed up an original report from Tatame, which reported that Overeem was out and Daniel Cormier will replace him.
But while there was speculation as to whether this meant the end of Overeem’s run in Strikeforce, White also told MMA Fighting that while Overeem is out of the tourney, he is still employed by the company.
A September 10 semifinal would have been a three-month turnaround, and Overeem said that he could not be ready after taking vacation and nursing some injuries. He added that Zuffa had threatened to remove him from the tournament if he would not participate.

A heavyweight Grand Prix doesn’t make sense without Overeem taking place. It seems like Zuffa is trying to rush this Grand Prix through in order to develop bigger plans, but making one of the top heavyweights in MMA an outcast isn’t really going to help the cause.

Events, Fighters, Strikeforce

Alistair Overeem Dana White Daniel Cormier Strikeforce Grand Prix Zuffa