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      Silva vs. Leben set for UFC 132, can it live up to the hype?

      April 5, 2011 /

      nullIf you were going to have a blue print for an exciting slugfest, you would probably put down Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben to participate.

      Well, that dream fight appears to be a reality as UFC President Dana White made the announcement on UFC.com on Monday.

      “Two fan favorites will go to war as Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben has verbally agreed to face Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva in Las Vegas July 2nd.”

      This fight has been rumored since Leben stepped in for Silva to submit Yoshihiro Akiyama back at UFC 116. This clash has all the makings for a classic. Both guys are strikers who aren’t afraid to stand up with any opponent.

      However, there have been plenty of fights in the past that were billed as “fight of the decade” in terms of two guys expected to slug it out and the end result was anything but. Need I remind you of the recent Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson wrestle-fest?

      I don’t think that will be the case in this bout as both fighters are more concerned about putting on a show than winning. I expect plenty of leather to fly and likely a knockout finish for one of the two.

      Leben is coming off a loss and is in need of an impressive victory. Silva has now been off for well over a year and has to be hungry to have an exciting fight.

      This bout is a great addition to an already impressive UFC 132 card as Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber will meet for the bantamweight title while Tito Ortiz will put his career on the line against Ryan Bader.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Odds

      April 4, 2011 /

      nullThis weekend’s big MMA event is Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley from San Diego where two Strikeforce titles will be on the line.

      Oddsmakers have released their odds for these title fights. Here is a look at what Bodog’s Sportsbook has to say about Saturday night.

      In the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship bout, champion Nick Diaz is a favorite at -225 while Daley comes in with a betting line of +185.

      It’s not surprising that Diaz is the favorite but I am a little surprised that Daley is as little an underdog as he is. Daley has a clear weakness in his grappling and he is facing one of the best submission fighters in the world in Diaz.

      Diaz can be stubborn with his stand up, but he is still a smart fighter and I would expect him to dispose of Daley on Saturday.

      In the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship, the title holder Gilbert Melendez is a favorite at -265 against challenger Tatsuya Kawajiri, who has a betting line of +205.

      Melendez already holds a decision victory over Kawajiri back in December of 2006 and it seems as if Melendez is an even better fighter now. Kawajiri also recently lost to Shinya Aoki, who Melendez dominated in his last fight a year ago.

      I hate to go with the favorites all the time, but I like the champion to retain here as well. Diaz and Melendez, who happen to be teammates, seem to clearly be better than anyone in their divisions and I don’t see them losing their titles any time soon.

      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce

      Sonnen a TUF 14 coach & other ideas to help the series

      April 4, 2011 /

      nullThe debut of The Ultimate Fighter 13 wasn’t quite the ratings boom that the UFC or MMA fans in general were expecting.

      The debut of the new season pulled between 1.4 and 1.5 million viewers, which isn’t bad, but it still wasn’t what was expected given Brock Lesnar’s drawing ability.

      And, there is already talk of who is going to coach the next season. ESPN is reporting that the UFC is targeting middleweights Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen.

      While Sonnen is an interesting character who will be fun to watch, I don’t know that his trash talk will draw in anyone outside of the hardcore UFC fans. Bisping has already done the show and is somewhat of a villain in the UFC, but again, he isn’t much of a draw.

      My guess is that the UFC is looking for controversy to increase ratings—Bisping and Sonnen will most likely do just that. But, if Brock Lesnar can’t bring fans into the series, maybe nobody can. On a side note, how many fans will begin to lose interest in the reality show before the next season even airs?

      It isn’t surprising that a show may be running its course through 13 seasons, but I still think there are some options the UFC could explore to help the series and its longevity.

      Continue reading »

      Fighters, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      April 3, 2011 /

      nullWith MMA Blitz up and running, you can look for this weekly MMA TV schedule every Sunday night.

      I will be posting a list of events and specials that will be airing on television throughout the week so you can get a heads up on all of the action.

      Here is a look at the MMA content that will be airing this week:

      – On Wednesday, the second episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. Coach Brock Lesnar is looking for his first win while Junior Dos Santos is hoping to get a 2-0 start to the season.

      – Friday night has HDNet airing Maximum Fighting Championship 29: Conquer which has two title bouts. Welterweight champion Douglas Lima will defend his title against UFC veteran Terry Martin and light heavyweight champion Ryan Jimmo will take on Zak Cummings in a title defense. Other fighters competing that night include former UFC contender Hermes Franca, Pete Spratt, and Marcus Davis. The event takes place from Caesars Casino in Windsor, Ontario and will air at 10 p.m. ET.

      – On Saturday night at 10 p.m. Strikeforce presents Diaz vs. Daley live on Showtime from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The show is headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Nick Diaz and challenger Paul Daley. The Strikeforce Lightweight Championship will also be up for grabs as Gilbert Melendez defends his title against Tatsuya Kawajiri. The card also features a light heavyweight contest between Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine.

      – Another show airing live Saturday night is Bellator 40 from the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. The main event is a non-title fight between Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren taking on Nick Thompson. The show will also have the final lightweight tournament semifinal between Lloyd Woodard and Michael Chandler and the final welterweight tournament semifinal match between Brent Weedman and Jay Hieron.

      Bellator, Events, Strikeforce, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      Bellator 39 recap: Alvarez dominates Curran

      April 3, 2011 /

      nullBellator 39 took place Saturday night from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. and the main event saw lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez improve his MMA record to 22-2 with a unanimous decision win over contender Pat Curran.

      Despite going the full five rounds, it was pretty clear early on that Alvarez was the better fighter.

      The champion peppered Curran (13-4) with punches to the head and body for 25 minutes but Curran was able to take the punishment. Alvarez also mixed in takedowns and shot attempts, which Curran defended well, but the challenger never seemed to poise a real threat.

      Curran fought most of the bout reacting to what Alvarez was doing and that allowed the champion to dictate the style and pace of the fight.

      In one of the featured bouts, Rick Hawn (11-0) picked up a split decision win over former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good (13-2) to advance to the finals of the promotion’s welterweight tournament.

      Continue reading »

      Bellator, Events, Fighters

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